However, there were not many disciples from Ice Heart Valley, and the battlefields in the Star Boundary were pretty scattered. Hence, the Sand Demon had never met anyone from Ice Heart Valley since then.
Therefore, he was surprised to come across them this time, and there were more than ten of them! He could clearly see that there were a dozen or so others around the beautiful woman he had his eyes on who were clad in the same robes and used the same Secret Techniques.
Although Ji Yao was not among them, he figured he could capture some of the disciples from her Sect first to collect a little interest. At the thought of this, he put on a gleeful smile.
Just then, a whoosh was abruptly heard, which was followed by a descent of bitingly cold aura. Engulfed in murderous intent, the Sand Demon had goosebumps all over his body as he subconsciously shot downward in an attempt to dive into the ground.
Even though he wasn’t certain what had happened, he knew that they had been ambushed. While he was diving, he turned his head to look at the source of the sound to see what was going on, and his expression was transformed by shock.
His colleague, who had been standing beside him and having a chat just now, had been cut into two halves. He still appeared puzzled, as though he hadn’t realised what had happened.
At that instant, the Sand Demon thought that he was lucky to have reacted quickly; otherwise, he would have lost his life as well. However, while he was still immersed in celebration, his pupils contracted. That was because he could feel a pain coming from his chest, and he could not circulate his Demon Qi.
Upon falling to the ground, he didn’t manage to sink into it like he had planned. Looking down, he saw that blood was oozing out of his chest, and following that, his wounds burst and he felt himself flying through the air.
[Was I also injured?] While his upper body was lifted, his lower body was still firmly on the ground. As he felt his vision turning upside down, he saw a figure charging towards the battlefield.
[A High-Rank Demon King?]
The person who had just joined the battle seemed to be a High-Rank Demon King. His Demon Qi was extremely pure, and he appeared to be quite young. His brows were as straight as swords, and his eyes shone like stars. He was holding a sword that seemed to be overly long for his frame as he circled the perimeter of the battlefield.
Wherever he passed, all the Demons would fall to the ground. Surprisingly, the hundreds of Demons appeared to be as frail as paper. Wherever his sword slashed out, Demons would burst into blood mist, leaving not even a single bone behind. The constant popping sounds were similar to that of beans being stir-fried.
With such powerful support, the Human cultivators were pleasantly surprised and roared with renewed enthusiasm as they continued killing their enemies. Their artifacts and Secret Techniques shone brighter because of that.
The Demons were unable to counterattack! In just ten breaths’ time, all the Demons in the outer circle lost their lives.
It wasn’t until this moment that the figure, who was as swift as lightning, stopped in his tracks as he stood in front of the Sand Demon. With the Myriads Sword on his shoulder, he looked down at him.
The Sand Demon wasn’t dead yet. It wasn’t a joke that as long as the Demon Heart remained, a Demon would never die. As a Demon King, the Sand Demon must have cultivated more than one Demon Heart, so even if he was cut into two pieces, he would still be able to survive. Given enough time, he would even be able to restore himself.
Besides him, the Demon King earlier also wasn’t dead. It was just that their foundations had been severely damaged. As their eyes met, the Sand Demon asked in puzzlement, “Why?”
He didn’t understand why this High-Rank Demon King killed his own people without uttering a word. Throughout history, traitors would only emerge from the Humans’ side, never from the Demon’s. What was more inconceivable was that the traitor was a High-Rank Demon King.
Yang Kai grinned at him and slashed his Myriads Sword at him until the latter’s corpse vanished. Following that, he moved on to the other Demon King, who was already on his last breath. The Demon King soon followed his colleague to the Yellow Springs.
After Yang Kai was done with them, he turned around and flashed a smile at the hundreds of Humans, “Are you alright?”
Surprisingly, they didn’t cheer for him or even thank him. Instead, the hundreds of people were looking at him in puzzlement. The Emperor Realm Master leading them appeared vigilant as he silently circulated his Emperor Qi. Sword Intent could be seen undulating around his sword and it seemed that he was preparing for a desperate fight.
Seeing as Yang Kai turned around, the Emperor Realm Master nervously gulped and then muttered, “Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Yang Kai arched his brow and looked past him before staring at the beautiful woman beside him and asking, “Fan Xin?”
They hadn’t met for years, but he could still easily recognize her as she hadn’t changed much.
In the past, Bing Yun had been trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World for three thousand years. During that period of time, she founded Ice Heart Pavilion. Fan Xin was taken in as the Deacon by Bing Yun at the time, and after escaping from that place, Bing Yun invited Fan Xin and Liu Xian Yun to join Ice Heart Valley.
At that time, Fan Xin was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and even now her cultivation remained the same. Although she hadn’t achieved a breakthrough though, her Source Qi was considerably denser than it was in the past. Yang Kai’s vision was acute, so he could see that she was just one step away from the Emperor Realm. However, she would have to cultivate in seclusion for a time to ascend to the Emperor Realm. Now that the two Great Worlds were at war, she didn’t have the luxury to cultivate in seclusion.
In fact, if Yang Kai hadn’t swooped down like a divine weapon falling from the Heavens to rescue them on this day, she would have lost her life here.
Upon hearing the strange figure call out to her, Fan Xin was startled for a moment. Since he could recognise her, it meant that they should be familiar with one another. Moreover, she found the outline of his figure and voice to be familiar. At that instant, a name sprang into her mind, but she was still somewhat doubtful. In a tentative manner, she said, “You are…”
It was then that Yang Kai recalled that he was currently engulfed in a cloud of Demon Qi, so his form appeared blurred to others. People with weak cultivation were unable to see his true appearance; hence, he immediately dispersed the Demon Qi and revealed his face. With a smile, he said, “It’s me.”
“Senior Brother Yang!” Fan Xin exclaimed as her gaze brightened. Some of the cultivators from Ice Heart Valley also called out in surprise. Apparently, they too recognised Yang Kai.
There was no way they couldn’t recognise him because when he was based in the Northern Territory in the past and would visit Ice Heart Valley from time to time, which was why many of them had seen him before. They also knew that he was married to Su Yan, who was the closed-door disciple of the Ancestral Founder.
Just when the pleasantly surprised Fan Xin wanted to step forward to speak to him, the Emperor Realm Master suddenly lifted his sword to block her way as he bellowed, “Wait!”
Yang Kai took a look at the Emperor Realm Master, but he wasn’t angry with him. Yang Kai understood why the other party was wary of him. Just now, he was surrounded by very ferocious Demon Qi, so he looked just like any other Demon.
It was expected that the other party would put his guard up. If Yang Kai were him, he would have done the same. As their eyes met, Yang Kai flashed a harmless smile at him.
Although the person was only a First-Order Emperor, they could be considered allies since they had fought against the Demons just now. Also, this man didn’t beg for the enemies’ mercy and put his all into protecting his companions. Hence, it was apparent that he was an unyielding man who deserved respect.
“Who is he? Right Defender Fan, do you recognise him?” The Emperor Realm Master stared at Yang Kai while speaking to Fan Xin via Divine Sense.
Just when Fan Xin wanted to tell him the truth, she suddenly recalled that Yang Kai’s identity was somewhat sensitive in the Star Boundary now, so she was lost for words. After all, Yang Kai was hunted down by Iron Blood Great Emperor and Li Wu Yi a few years ago after he betrayed the Star Boundary. It was sensational news at that time, so basically everyone in the Star Boundary was aware of it.
It was because of this, High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory had sealed its gates and did not send any disciples to join the Two Worlds’ Great War.
While she was lost in a dilemma, she suddenly heard Yang Kai speaking to her, “It’s fine. Just tell him what he wants to know. I’ll be going to meet the Great Emperors soon.”
It was only then that Fan Xin heaved a sigh of relief. Since Yang Kai had the courage to meet the Great Emperors, there must be more to his story than the public knew. When word got out that Yang Kai had betrayed the Star Boundary, whatever the opinions of other Sects, all of the disciples from Ice Heart Valley believed that there must be a reason for his actions, and it seemed that was indeed the case; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the gall to come back and meet with the Great Emperors.
Upon getting Yang Kai’s permission, Fan Xin went on to reveal his identity.
The Emperor Realm Master gasped as he stared at Yang Kai with widened eyes. Recalling the power Yang Kai had showcased just now, he thought that the rumours surrounding this man weren’t unfounded. A few years ago, he had heard that this famous Palace Master of High Heaven Palace had gone through demonification, and it seemed to be true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been engulfed in Demon Qi.
Hence, it was difficult to deal with this issue now. The Emperor Realm Master couldn’t deny that Yang Kai had saved them, but the latter was also a Demon. So, he wasn’t even sure how he should treat him. Nevertheless, he soon reached a conclusion.
Since Yang Kai was able to kill those Demons with ease, if he wanted to harm them, there was no way they could resist, so it was pointless to be wary of him. Since he only killed the Demons without harming the Humans, it went to show that he still had the Star Boundary in his heart.
Understanding this, the Emperor Realm Master cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Palace Master Yang. This one is Mountain Lord of Hundred Lotus Mountain, Han Zheng Qing. I offer thanks for saving us on all of our behalf.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “A minor matter, there is no need to thank me.”
Han Zheng Qing nodded slightly, “We still have duties to perform, so we cannot stay here any longer. Farewell.”
Upon finishing what he had to say, he wanted to bring the remaining Humans to leave this place. It was an irrefutable fact that Yang Kai had betrayed the Star Boundary and High Heaven Palace had sealed off its entrance because of this. Even though Yang Kai had saved them today, Han Zheng Qing still didn’t want to have anything to do with him, he simply made plans to repay this favour when they came across each other on the battlefield in the future.
Seeing what was happening, Fan Xin parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but Han Zheng Qing immediately shot her a glare. Left with no other choice, she could only keep her mouth shut and look apologetically at Yang Kai. In normal times, she could still stand up for Yang Kai, but they were now on the battlefield, and she had to obey her commander’s order. Han Zheng Qing was the leader of their unit, so no one could disobey him or they would be punished according to military law.
Yang Kai put on a smile and said, “Mountain Lord Han, I’m afraid you can’t leave.”
Han Zheng Qing stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him, “What’s wrong, Palace Master Yang? Do you have something you need from us? Please don’t beat around the bush. This Han will do whatever he can to assist you as long as it does not harm the Star Boundary’s interests or our fellow cultivators.”
Although Yang Kai had saved them, Han Zheng Qing was determined to uphold the integrity of the Star Boundary. Despite the fact that he was only a First-Order Emperor, he knew what he should and shouldn’t do.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Mountain Lord Han, you’ve misunderstood me. I don’t mean to ask you to do anything for me. It’s just that two thousand kilometres in that direction, there are about ten thousand Demons lying in wait. If you go over that way now, it’s akin to walking right into the trap.”
“Two thousand kilometres from here?” Upon hearing that, Han Zheng Qing put on an awkward expression as he put his guard up again as he stared at Yang Kai.
He wasn’t sure how powerful Yang Kai truly was, but he had heard that when this Palace Master of High Heaven Palace betrayed the Star Boundary, he was already a Second-Order Emperor. A few years had passed, so he had possibly broken through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm.
No matter how powerful a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was though, there was no way his Divine Sense was strong enough to detect what was going on in a place that was two thousand kilometres away. Even if he was able to do so, how did he even know that there were ten thousand Demons? How powerful must his Divine Sense be to achieve that? Perhaps only Pseudo-Great Emperors were able to achieve such a feat.
Hence, when Yang Kai told him that there were ten thousand Demons in a place that was two thousand kilometres away, Han Zheng Qing subconsciously thought that this Palace Master was just trying to scare them. In normal times, he would have mocked him; however, they had just been saved by Yang Kai, so despite the fact that he didn’t believe him, he was still unwilling to deride him.
After cupping his fists, he uttered impassively, “Many thanks for your warning, Palace Master Yang. Farewell!”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left with the hundreds of people.
Whether Yang Kai was trying to frighten them or there really were ten thousand Demons over there, Han Zheng Qing had to move in that direction because their destination was over there.
While he was leaving, he used his Divine Sense to disseminate orders. Hundreds of cultivators soon formed up into an arrangement that allowed them to mutually cover for one another. Even if they came across any enemies now, they would be able to quickly get into formation and fend them off.
However, after marching forward for a while, Han Zheng Qing frowned and turned around. That was because a thousand metres behind their army, Yang Kai was following them leisurely with his hands folded behind his back. Seeing him turn to look, Yang Kai even flashed a smile at him and nodded slightly. His message was clear. They could walk forward together without disturbing each other.
Han Zheng Qing appeared displeased as he thought he had made his stance clear, but he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would not act with the dignity of a Palace Master and instead tail them like some kind of leech.
Hence, he ordered the others to hasten their pace. Annoyingly, whether they quickened or slowed down their pace, Yang Kai would still follow them from exactly a thousand metres behind.
Since they were unable to get rid of him, they had no other choice but to let him be. The power Yang Kai had showcased was terrifying, so even if there were several hundred of them, they were certainly no match for him. If they went over to question his motives and infuriated him, they would be the ones to suffer.
However, Han Zheng Qing wasn’t aware that Yang Kai also felt helpless as he followed them.
Since he had come across these Human cultivators on his way home, he couldn’t just ignore them. Even if they were all strangers, he would still make sure that they were safe, not to mention that Fan Xin and several other Ice Heart Valley disciples were part of this unit.
Both parties were heading south anyway. These people were apparently heading back to some Human army rallying point. Yang Kai would still reach his destination in the end if he followed them, it would just waste a bit of his time.
Although they couldn’t detect it, Yang Kai was able to sense that these Human soldiers were not the only people within a ten thousand kilometres radius. There were still many Demon troops around. A weak team like the one under Han Zheng Qing would end up in a miserable state should they come across any of these Demons.
After walking for a hundred kilometres, Han Zheng Qing suddenly frowned and turned his head as his gaze appeared solemn. That was because he could feel that Yang Kai had activated his Divine Sense in an attempt to do something. The fluctuation of the Divine Sense was neither conspicuous nor hidden, which was perceptible to him.
Seeing the awkward expression of her commander, Fan Xin, who was just beside him, asked, “Senior Han, what happened?”
Without explaining it to her, Han Zheng Qing shook his head slowly and said in a serious voice, “Have everyone raise their guards.”
He wasn’t sure whether Yang Kai had sent a message to anyone using his Divine Sense just now, so he could only stay vigilant.
Fan Xin nodded and gave the necessary orders.
After travelling for thirty kilometres, Han Zheng Qing abruptly stopped in his tracks and lifted his hand, after which the hundreds of people behind him also stopped moving.
“Prepare for battle!” Han Zheng Qing shouted, causing everyone’s expression to turn solemn as they started summoning their artifacts. The small team began operating in an orderly manner, and soon, a formation was arranged where the auras of all of them were connected. Han Zheng Qing was standing as the Formation Core. Furthermore, this was a living Formation rather than a dead one, which meant that it was flexible and could adapt at any time. With the help of the Formation, Han Zheng Qing no longer appeared frail as he became high-spirited.
A thousand metres away from them, Yang Kai remained on the same spot and stroked his chin as his interest was piqued.
He had been away from the Star Boundary for a few years, and he had only heard about the Two Worlds’ Great War from rumours and hearsay, which was why he wasn’t familiar with the state of affairs in his homeland. Seeing this Formation, he realised that after so many years, the cultivators of the Star Boundary had adapted to the ways of war. Judging from the fact that a team of a few hundred people were able to assume a Formation so quickly, they must be very familiar with it. The same tactic must have been practised countless times, which was why they were so adept at it.
As a breeze whisked across them, murderous intent could be felt filling the atmosphere. The hundreds of people, whose auras had been connected, waited for their enemies to show up before dealing a fatal blow to them.
All of a sudden, Han Zheng Qing murmured in surprise as he yelled in a particular direction, “This is Han Zheng Qing, Third Left Defender of the Thirty-Fifth Army, Ninth Division. Identify yourself!”
After he finished speaking, a figure, who had hidden himself using a Secret Technique in a place ten kilometres away, slowly appeared as an excited voice could be heard saying, “Left Defender Han?”
Apparently, the person knew Han Zheng Qing.
Upon hearing that voice, Han Zheng Qing immediately realised who that person was and called out, “Right Defender Liu?”
“It is this Liu!” A guffaw that was tinged with joy could be heard. Then, that person strode towards Han Zheng Qing, and soon, a burly man came into everyone’s sight. The man was drenched in blood, which belonged to himself as well as his enemies. There were deep cuts on his body where bones could even be seen, but he still appeared calm and collected, giving him an intrepid air.
Since the man was a friend, Han Zheng Qing waved his hand to tell the others to be at ease, but he remained cautious. After extending his hand, he said, “Right Defender Liu, please don’t take offence. We have to follow the rules on the battlefield.”
“Understood.” Right Defender Liu knew what the rules were, so he also reached out and gripped Han Zheng Qing’s hand. The next moment, they circulated their Qi at the same time to examine one another’s bodies.
The examination only lasted for a moment, and upon making sure that there was no Demon Qi in the other party’s body, Han Zheng Qing was finally able to heave a sigh of relief. Withdrawing his hand, he asked, “Where are your men?”
Right Defender Liu stuck out his thumb and pointed behind him, “They’re standing by a hundred kilometres in that direction. I came here to have a look first. I’ll tell them to come over now.”
Upon finishing his words, he fished out a communication artifact and activated his Divine Sense to infuse a message into it.
An elated Han Zheng Qing asked, “How many people are left on your side?”
Upon hearing that, Right Defender Liu became dejected. After looking at the people behind Han Zheng Qing, he replied, “About the same as your team. How many people did you originally have?”
Han Zheng Qing turned his head to take a look and forced a smile, “There were more than five hundred of us when we tried to break the siege. Only these people are left now.”
Admiration was written all over Right Defender Liu’s face when he heard that, “It’s really incredible that you were able to save half of five hundred people. We were not able to achieve that on our side. More than a thousand of us… Haa, let’s not talk about it.”
Han Zheng Qing put on a bitter smile. When they were besieged by the Demons, if Yang Kai hadn’t come to their rescue, all of them would have lost their lives. Despite knowing that the achievement had nothing to do with him, it wasn’t appropriate for him to explain anything at this point.
However, if they were able to converge with the people from Right Defender Liu’s side, they would have more power to defend themselves; after all, they were still a few thousand kilometres away from their destination. The road ahead was paved with thorns, and no one could tell how many of them could stay safe.
Right Defender Liu’s men were still a hundred kilometres away, so it would take them some time to arrive. After a discussion, Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu decided to move to a place where they could easily defend themselves while it was difficult for their enemies to attack them. While they were waiting for their fellow soldiers to come over, they could also restore their strength somewhat.
While they were resting, Right Defender Liu suddenly approached Han Zheng Qing and curiously pointed in a particular direction, “Senior Han, who is that?”
On their way to this place, Right Defender Liu had noticed that a thousand metres behind them there was a person who had been following them. He appeared to be handsome and upright, and despite looking quite young, he gave off an inscrutable feeling.
If he was a friend, why was he keeping a distance from them while tailing them? Nevertheless, he didn’t show any sign of hostility either, so he couldn’t be considered an enemy.
When Right Defender Liu pointed at him, the young man flashed a smile at him in response.
Han Zheng Qing shook his head as it was apparent that he wasn’t willing to talk about that man. Right Defender Liu shrugged and stopped pursuing the matter. He wasn’t as powerful as Han Zheng Qing. Before the war, he had to salute him whenever he met him, and he also wasn’t a match for Han Zheng Qing when it came to their positions within the military. Since Han Zheng Qing wasn’t willing to talk about it, he couldn’t possibly keep asking.
However, the young man appeared to be a friend. When he turned around, he saw Right Defender Fan walking up to the young man and passing him some water. Then, she flashed an apologetic smile at him and said something. On the other hand, the young man just waved his hand.
Upon seeing that, Han Zheng Qing frowned but didn’t say anything.
Just then, he arched his brow and muttered, “A group is approaching.”
Right Defender Liu was startled for a moment and said, “They shouldn’t have arrived so soon. I was told that it would take them one hour to reach here.”
“They’re not your men!” Han Zheng Qing got to his feet and whistled.
The hundreds of people, who were adjusting their breathing on the ground, immediately stood up and formed rank behind Han Zheng Qing. In just twenty breaths’ time, the previous Formation reappeared as murderous intent rose.
Half an hour later, several dozen severely injured people appeared.
They were Humans instead of Demons. Just like the people from Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu’s sides, they were the Human soldiers that had been separated from the main force earlier.
Since they were allies, the issue could be settled easily. These several dozen people, who were the only ones left of their unit, were basically battered, so Han Zheng Qing directly took them into his Third Brigade. While the injured healed their wounds, the exhausted ones adjusted their breathing.
While they were waiting, another group came over. They were the Human soldiers that had been separated during a battle against the Demons. After they too joined the team, including the several dozen people earlier, two hundred to three hundred people had now joined the team in total. Even though there wasn’t a single Emperor Realm Master among them, they would still be able to help fend off more enemies now.
At this moment, Han Zheng Qing finally realised that something was off. It was odd that his team was like the beacon in the dark, attracting the scattered Humans around the area to come over. Furthermore, all of them could accurately locate his team.
There must be a reason behind it. Then, he went over to look for Right Defender Liu, who had sat down with his legs crossed to recuperate, and he asked, “How did you find us?”
Right Defender Liu looked doubtfully at him, “Senior Han, didn’t you send a message to us to tell us your location?”
Han Zheng Qing shook his head.
Right Defender Liu scratched his head, “That’s strange. We were hidden in a mountain valley when our commander received a message which informed him that you were nearby and informed us to rendezvous with you. Our commander wasn’t certain about the authenticity of the message, so he ordered this Liu to scout the situation.”
He paused for a moment, “Was it really not Senior Han who sent us that message?”
Han Zheng Qing fell into his thoughts for a moment before he nodded, “I think I know what happened. Focus on recuperating.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and went over to the two teams that had just joined them. Just like Right Defender Liu’s statement, the two teams shared a similar experience. They were escaping from the Demons’ pursuit when they received a message which informed them about Han Zheng Qing’s location, after which they quickly came over to join his team.
When they were on the way here, the one who sent them the initial message had even given them some directions, which while making them take a more indirect route, allowed them to evade the Demon patrols scattered around.
A moment later, Han Zheng Qing shuffled towards Yang Kai and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang!”
Seated with his legs crossed, Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked smilingly at him, “Mountain Lord Han, what seems to be the matter?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just want to express my gratitude,” After that, Han Zheng Qing bowed deeply.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “It is simply what I should do. There’s no need for thanks.”
Han Zheng Qing didn’t specify what he thanked him for, and Yang Kai didn’t deny anything. That was because they knew that the reason Right Defender Liu and the two broken teams were able to find Han Zheng Qing was that Yang Kai had secretly guided them over. If not, it would have been all but impossible for such heavily injured people to regroup with friendly forces on this expansive battlefield that stretched thousands of kilometres. If they just blindly searched around, they would be killed by their enemies before finding their friends.
“Palace Master Yang, are more teams coming?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Apart from Right Defender Liu’s team, there’s no more for now. They’ll arrive in half an hour.”
Han Zheng Qing nodded and cupped his fists again, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang. If you detect more…”
Knowing what he wanted to say, Yang Kai interrupted him by saying with a smile, “Rest assured, I’ll tell them to meet up with you.”
Han Zheng Qing examined him for a while before he bowed and said sincerely, “En, many thanks!”
When he returned to the team, he found Fan Xin and said something to her in a low voice, after which she nodded with a smile.
A moment later, Fan Xin elegantly walked over and put on a faint smile, “Senior Brother Yang.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at her.
Fan Xin shook her head, “Nothing. Senior Han wants me to stay with you.”
Yang Kai smiled and dipped his head, “En.”
He was still regarded as a traitor who had gone through demonification, so Han Zheng Qing thought that it was inappropriate to invite him to join the main team; however, Han Zheng Qing was grateful for what Yang Kai had done for them, so he told Fan Xin to accompany him since she was his friend. It was apparent that even though he was a little old-fashioned, Han Zheng Qing wasn’t pedantic. He could even be said to be pretty flexible.
Yang Kai happened to have many questions to ask Fan Xin, so he made her have a seat and started the inquiry.
He quickly learned that in the past few years, many people had lost their lives on the Star Boundary’s side in the Two Worlds’ Great War and that after he left in the past, High Heaven Palace immediately sealed its gates, so none of its members had joined the war.
Those who didn’t know the truth would think that the people from the Star Boundary became wary of High Heaven Palace because Yang Kai had gone through demonification and betrayed them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that this was the Great Emperors’ way of protecting his Sect, which was agreed upon in the past.
After all, as a Palace Master, he had gone through demonification and become a traitor. If the disciples of High Heaven Palace walked around the Star Boundary, they would certainly be harassed and condemned, and it might cause some unnecessary conflicts.
In that case, the disciples from High Heaven Palace were actually protected using the excuse of closing the Sect.
Everyone thought that since High Heaven Palace didn’t join the Two Worlds’ Great World, they must be living a happy life in seclusion. However, only a small number of people knew that wasn’t the case. Although the disciples of High Heaven Palace were not seen on the battlefield, they had contributed significantly to the logistics of the war effort.
Over the past few years, with the help of the Great Emperors, countless Alchemists and Artifact Refiners from all around the Star Boundary were secretly sent to High Heaven Palace. Inside the expansive Sect, Pill and Artifact Rooms were basically running twenty-four hours a day, producing vital war materials to be sent to the frontline.
High Heaven Palace was now basically responsible for half of all Spirit Pills and artifacts sent to the battlefield.
It could be said that High Heaven Palace was the biggest logistics centre in the Star Boundary; however, only a few hundred people were aware of this fact. Even Fan Xin didn’t know about it. Only two people from Ice Heart Valley were aware of this truth, Bing Yun and Su Yan.
Apart from that, High Heaven Palace was also a base for nurturing Shamans. In the past few years, new candidates would be sent into High Heaven Palace at a constant rate. Then, they would enter the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld to receive training. There were a considerable number of Ancient Shamans that were born and then sent to the frontline. Several epochs had passed, but the light of the Shamanic Spells had once again shone in this world.
In fact, the programme had been in operation before Yang Kai left, and it could independently run now. Presently, there was one Shaman for every hundred Human soldiers in the Star Boundary’s armies. Although ninety percent of them were just Shaman Apprentices, and there were only a small number of Shaman Masters, it was better than nothing.
With the help of the ancient Shamanic Spells like Life Chains and Bloodlust, those from the Star Boundary were able to counter the Demons even though they had fewer people on their side.
Upon learning all this information, Yang Kai felt gratified. He had seen how vast the Demon Realm was and how many Demons there were, so he understood that this war would be filled with bloodshed, which was why he was glad to find out that the Star Boundary was able to resist.
While they were still having a chat, Right Defender Liu’s team finally arrived. Just like what Right Defender Liu had said, there were fewer than three hundred people left in his team, with just one Emperor Realm Master among them.
Now, there were about a thousand people in total gathered here, which significantly increased their overall power. What made Han Zheng Qing feel pleasantly surprised was that there was a Shaman Master and a few Shaman Warriors were present in the latest team. Including the Shamans that were already in his team, they could use Life Chains to cover their entire force at the most critical moment.
Since they had all gathered up, it was time for them to leave quickly to decrease the chance of coming across any enemies. Being swift and decisive was crucial in any army. After preparing, the thousand-man team set off.
Yang Kai remained a thousand metres behind them. Walking alongside him, Fan Xin appeared to be very conspicuous. The newcomers had noticed this already, and upon learning the reason behind it from Han Zheng Qing, they gasped. No one could have expected that the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, who had gone through demonification and sided with the Demon Realm, would come back one day. Furthermore, he had saved Han Zheng Qing and his subordinates from the Demons’ siege and even rallied together the scattered Human forces in the area.
In normal times, they would have walked up to Yang Kai and thanked him; however, now, it wasn’t certain whether he was a friend or a foe, so they wouldn’t dare to approach him and just nodded at him from afar as an acknowledgement.
“By the way, where are you all going? Why were you all scattered around?” Yang Kai asked as he kept walking.
Fan Xin replied with a helpless smile, “We were forced to scatter. One month ago, the Thirty-Fifth Army and a force from the Demon Race fought for more than ten days. At that time, we were accidentally separated from the main unit and then forced to wander around to avoid being wiped out. I guess it was the same case for the others.”
“The Thirty-Fifth Army?” Yang Kai arched his brow. When he heard Han Zheng Qing announcing which army he belonged to to Right Defender Liu, his interest was already piqued. Hence, he had to ask Fan Xin about it now, “Has a rigid military structure been organized in the Star Boundary?”
“Yes, it was four years ago. The Demon armies are meticulously and strictly organized, and they’re adept at the art of war, so we cannot be lacking in our own organisation. Four years ago, the Great Emperors imitated the Demon Race to build armies based around the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch philosophy. Slowly, things expanded and now we have fifty-four armies in total.”
It was then that Yang Kai understood what had happened. He had borrowed five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards from Bei Li Mo before and spent roughly a year together, so he understood their structure very well.
“Who is qualified to be an Army Commander?”
Fan Xin replied, “A Pseudo-Great Emperor or a Sect Master from a top Sect.”
“Who is the Army Commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army? Do I know them?”
Fan Xin replied with a smile, “It’s Honoured Master.”
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise as he hadn’t expected the Army Commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army to be Bing Yun. However, as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, she was somewhat not qualified to be an Army Commander. It wasn’t that she wasn’t powerful enough, but Yang Kai knew that on the Demons’ side, only a Half-Saint could be an Army Commander.
“By the way, Honoured Master was involved in an intense battle three years ago, and after a desperate struggle, she managed to break through and ascended to a new realm.” Fan Xin beamed with pride.
As long as their Ancestral Founder was formidable, the Sect and its disciples would become powerful as well. Since she had joined Ice Heart Valley, her fate had been intertwined with the Sect.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became elated, “I’ll have to congratulate Senior Bing Yun when I see her then.”
Since she had ascended to a new realm, it meant that her power was now that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor, equivalent to that of a Half-Saint.
Just like him, Bing Yun was from Heng Luo Star Field, which was why they had been on friendly terms. Moreover, Su Yan was her Disciple, so the fact that Bing Yun had become a Pseudo-Great Emperor made him feel proud as well.
In fact, Bing Yun had been stuck in the Third-Order Emperor Realm for far too long. She was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master before she was trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World. She was then imprisoned in that world for three thousand years, during which her cultivation hadn’t improved one bit. It was only natural that overcoming such a trial, and having consolidated her strength for so long, she would break through given the right opportunity.
“Are all of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples assigned to the Thirty-Fifth Army?” Yang Kai asked.
“That’s right,” Fan Xin said gently and nodded, then she put on a smile, “Senior Sister Ji Yao is now the Division Chief of the Third Division.”
Yang Kai smiled in embarrassment, “En, very good.”
Fan Xin went on to say, “She’s a Third-Order Emperor now as well.”
Ji Yao’s situation was similar to that of Bing Yun. In the past, after Bing Yun inexplicably went missing, Ji Yao went out to look for her and accidentally intruded into the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. There, she absorbed too much Wild Force and became delirious. She went on to stay in the Ancient Wild Lands for a long time. If it weren’t because Yang Kai chanced upon her and brought her out of that place, she would still have been stuck in a mentally confused state.
She had lost her mind in the Ancient Wild Lands, which also meant she stopped cultivating consciously, causing her realm to stagnate. However, the ancient aura there had continuously tempered her foundation, so after she left the Ancient Lands and regained clarity of mind, she had basically achieved a type of re-birth in both body and Soul, which was why she was able to achieve a breakthrough after some intense battles.
Bing Yun and Ji Yao were not the only people whose cultivation had improved significantly.
Battle was the fastest and most direct method of stimulating one’s potential. Countless people had broken through their bottlenecks and ascended to new realms during life-or-death moments. The war between the two worlds had caused an innumerable number of cultivators in the Star Boundary to be injured and lose their lives. Nevertheless, the war stimulated the long-dormant sense of crisis in many, and in a world where the reality of survival of the fittest had become far more apparent, those with incredible aptitude and fortune had all gained greatly. In fact, the Martial Dao of the Star Boundary had not regressed as a result of the war, and instead had actually prospered.
Yang Kai was a prime example as he did not achieve much of his cultivation through quiet meditation. Since he began his journey on the Martial Dao, he had fallen into countless perilous situations and was forced to overcome them one by one. Every time he struggled on the edge of life or death, it was akin to being baptised by fire and reborn. Had he simply cultivated in peace and seclusion, he wouldn’t even have reached the Emperor Realm by now.
“How were the armies in the Star Boundary organized? Tell me about it.” Since they had nothing else to do while heading for their destination, Yang Kai thought that he should find out more about what had been going on in the Star Boundary.
Certainly, Fan Xin wouldn’t hide anything from him and began explaining everything she knew. The others were wary of Yang Kai because he had gone through demonification and betrayed the Star Boundary before; however, no disciple from Ice Heart Valley would be distrustful of him.
In the past, the Seeking Passion Sect from the Northern Territory had tried to destroy Ice Heart Valley, and if not for Yang Kai arriving at the critical moment and saving them, their home would have been devastated and they themselves would have suffered death, or fates worse than it.
The formation of the armies in the Star Boundary was basically copied from the Demon Realm, so the structure was roughly the same. There were fifty-four armies in total, and each one was made up of a million or more cultivators. The largest army even had five million cultivators.
Each army had an Army Commander who commanded several Divisions, with every Division having a hundred thousand people. Each Division had a Division Chief, who was usually a Third-Order or Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Under Divisions were Brigades, which comprised ten thousand people. After a Brigade, it was a Battalion.
Almost all command positions at the Brigade level were Emperors.
That was the case for Han Zheng Qing. The team led by him belonged to the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Division, Third Brigade. Han Zheng Qing was the Left Defender of the Third Brigade. Since he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he was qualified to be one.
On the other hand, Fan Xin was only in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so could at most qualify as the Right Defender, which was equivalent to Han Zheng Qing’s assistant. Her position in the Thirty-Fifth Army was equivalent to that of Right Defender Liu’s.
As for the leaders of the Battalions, they were mostly Dao Source Realm Masters.
“What about Senior Li Wu Yi?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of a familiar figure. He recalled that when he left the Star Boundary in the past, Li Wu Yi had been in charge of the war against the Demons. As the acknowledged strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors and a famous figure from Spirit Beast Island, Li Wu Yi had the strength and prestige to command others.
Fan Xin replied with a smile, “Senior Li is the Army Commander of the First Army, but he also serves as Supreme Commander.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement as Li Wu Yi’s position essentially remained the same. He was still in charge of the war affairs in the Star Boundary.
Just then, Yang Kai arched his brow and reached out to grab something. When he spread his palm, there was already a jade slip on it. After he sent his Divine Sense into the item to investigate it, he grinned at Fan Xin and muttered, “Speaking of the devil.”
A jade slip wouldn’t appear in front of him out of thin air. In fact, before it appeared, the Space Beacon, which was on Yang Kai’s wrist, had already shown a reaction. It was Li Wu Yi who passed the jade slip to him through the void.
There was only one sentence in the jade slip, ‘Come see me’.
Li Wu Yi didn’t specify where they should meet up because it was unnecessary. Both of them had exchanged Space Beacons, so as long as both of them were in the Star Boundary, they could reach each other’s sides with just a thought.
However, Li Wu Yi was swamped with work, so he couldn’t leave his post, which was why he told Yang Kai to go see him.
It had only been a short time since Yang Kai returned to the Star Boundary, but Li Wu Yi had already found out about it. Yang Kai gazed at Han Zheng Qing at the front and made some conjectures.
Fan Xin seemed able to read his mind, so she explained, “Every Left Defender has a Space Beacon given to them by Senior Li that can be used to contact Seven Mists Sea. En, Seven Mists Sea is a special place that is the headquarters for the Star Boundary’s armies.”
Yang Kai nodded to show that he understood.
Since Han Zheng Qing had a Space Beacon, he must have contacted Li Wu Yi and told him about Yang Kai. Otherwise, Li Wu Yi wouldn’t have sent a jade slip over with such timing.
“What did Senior Li say?” Fan Xin asked apprehensively. Although all the disciples from Ice Heart Valley believed that Yang Kai was a righteous person, the incident in the past was too sensational. Judging from the way Han Zheng Qing and the others treated Yang Kai, they were apparently still wary of him even though he had saved them. Even Han Zheng Qing wouldn’t put his guard down when facing Yang Kai, let alone other people.
Furthermore, Li Wu Yi had hunted Yang Kai down at that time, which was why Fan Xin was worried that Li Wu Yi intended to capture him even now. However, she wasn’t aware that the incident in the past was all such a show in which Yang Kai willingly destroyed his own reputation to deceive Yu Ru Meng and the other Demons.
“Senior Li told me to meet him in Seven Mists Sea,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, appearing completely relaxed.
Seeing his attitude, Fan Xin was able to set her mind at ease. After giving it a thought, she realised that if Li Wu Yi really wanted to capture Yang Kai, he could have arrived at this place in an instant. Since the advent of Space Beacons, people realized just how easily it was to move across vast distances with their assistance.
Since Li Wu Yi had only sent a jade slip over without coming here in person, he had made his stance clear.
As Yang Kai spoke to Fan Xin, he fished out an empty jade slip and pushed his Divine Sense to infuse a message into it. After that, he flicked it into the Void.
Meanwhile, in a hall that was several million kilometres away, a few hundred men and women, whose cultivation was at best average, were seated on the ground. Before each of these people was a hundred or so Space Beacons. From time to time, weak space fluctuations could be felt, and following that, jade slips would pass through the Void and arrive at this place.
Then, these men and women would catch the jade slips, after which some people would come over with jade plates in their hands and take the jade slips. Following that, they would head to a secret room at the other end of the hall. Some people were already waiting in the secret room. After taking the jade slips, they would decode whatever was recorded inside and transcribe it onto a new jade slip. Subsequently, messages or orders would be sent off.
Just like this, the information that came from all directions would flow to Li Wu Yi’s side.
This hall was basically the command centre for the Star Boundary’s armies, as well as the place where all its intelligence was gathered and analysed from the battlefield. By just staying here, Li Wu Yi was able to find out what was going on in the battlefield between the two Great Worlds and make arrangements so that they could more easily deal with the Demon armies essentially in real-time.
There was a huge Mountains and Rivers Projection in the room that displayed the terrain on the battlefield, which included mountains, rivers, creeks, paths and so on and so forth. All of them had corresponding symbols on the projection.
In front of the projection stood a handsome man and an alluring woman. They were Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng, who were both waiting silently.
As a weak space fluctuation was felt and suddenly a jade slip appeared out of thin air. Before Li Wu Yi even managed to catch it, Jiu Feng already extended her hand and snatched the jade slip.
Li Wu Yi looked helplessly at her. A moment later, Jiu Feng said with a smile, “That brat…”
“What did he say?” Li Wu Yi asked.
“He’s with those from the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Division, and he’s escorting them back to the base.”
“Ninth Division…” Li Wu Yi gave it a thought and recalled who was responsible for the Ninth Division before he burst into laughter, “What a coincidence. He came across Bing Yun’s people right after he returned.”
Jiu Feng reached out to point at the sand table-like projection and said, “They’re supposed to be here by now.”
Li Wu Yi took a look at the projection and pointed at another spot, “A thousand kilometres in front of them is a force of ten thousand Demons lying in ambush.”
“I can go over to help him.” Jiu Feng offered excitedly.
“Not a chance!” Li Wu Yi snorted, “Just stay right where you are. You’re not allowed to go anywhere unless ordered.”
Jiu Feng asked curiously, “Aren’t you worried that he’ll fall into danger? If anything happens to him, how are you going to explain yourself to Little Princess? Or… do you want to utilize the Martial Beast Guards?”
Li Wu Yi pursed his lips and replied, “What do you think will happen to him? It’s extremely difficult to kill him. As for Martial Beast Guards… All those available have been deployed. In the previous battle, those from Thirty-Fifth Army were scattered quite widely and many required rescue. So, we don’t have anyone left now. Don’t worry. It’s just ten thousand Demons.”
Certainly, Jiu Feng knew that ten thousand Demons wouldn’t pose a threat to Yang Kai. She just felt extremely bored, which was why she wanted to have a walk outside. However, Li Wu Yi didn’t give her that chance.
After all, he had to go out to attend to some emergencies from time to time, so when he wasn’t around, someone had to keep watch on this place. This was the command centre of the Star Boundary. If this place was invaded and damaged, the entire chain of command would be thrown into chaos.
..…
“Martial Beast Guards?” Yang Kai arched his brow. He had just heard from Fan Xin about the various Army Commanders. Besides the three Divine Venerables from the Ancient Wild Lands, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, and Li Jiao had all become Army Commanders as well, but when he heard her mention the Martial Beast Guards, he became curious.
“They’re from Spirit Beast Island, and each one is at least a Second-Order Emperor. There are about thirty of them, and they’re responsible for rescue missions. For example, we’re in need of rescue now, so Senior Li would normally send a Martial Beast Guard to meet us, then he’ll help us fend off the enemy while returning to base.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai gently nodded.
With Space Beacons, the so-called Martial Beast Guards could easily arrive anywhere on the battlefield. A Second or Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be of great help to a team like this. With such a top Master leading the way, the chances of them getting back to base would increase significantly.
It wasn’t difficult to craft a Space Beacon as long as there were enough high-quality pieces of Space Spirit Jades. Both Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi were able to mass-produce them. Previously, Yang Kai had refined many Space Beacons in the Demon Realm and scattered them around the different continents, which was how he was able to save time when he fled from the Demon Realm and returned to the Star Boundary.
Even though it was convenient to use Space Beacons, there were some inevitable downsides. One of them was that Space Beacons were one-to-one, so a single Space Beacon was useless as it had to be connected to a corresponding one. Hence, there were several hundred people in the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea to collect information from all around the Star Boundary. Many Space Beacons were placed in front of every one of them.
Han Zheng Qing had two Space Beacons with him. One of them was to contact Seven Mists Sea, and the other was connected to the Martial Beast Guards.
The second downside was even more conspicuous, anyone could use them. The user didn’t have to be an expert in the Dao of Space. In fact, he didn’t even have to cultivate Space Principles at all as the beacon could be activated by infusing one’s Qi into it.
Hence, more problems arose. If the Demons happened to obtain these Space Beacons, they were able to use them to transcend the barriers of space and arrive at the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea in an instant. Even if they didn’t do that, they could make use of the beacons to transfer some false information to divert the forces in the Star Boundary. They could also reach any Martial Beast Guard and ambush him instantly.
Over the past few years, quite a number of Space Beacons had been lost. Initially, the Demons had indeed made use of the beacons for sabotage and ambushes and caused the Star Boundary to suffer losses.
However, Li Wu Yi was a Master of the Dao of Space after all. As soon as he realised the downside, he quickly made some changes to the Space Beacons. All the Space Beacons that had been distributed since then were specially made. For example, Han Zheng Qing currently had two Space Beacons with him. The one that was connected to Seven Mists Sea could only be used to transfer jade slips, not Humans. On the other hand, the one that was connected to the Martial Beast Guards couldn’t be used to transfer anything from his side. It was basically a moving beacon for Martial Beast Guards to locate Han Zheng Qing and unilaterally send something over.
Furthermore, with the spread of new encryption and decoding methods, the upheavals that were caused by the Space Beacons slowly subsided.
In recent years, the existence of Space Beacons had become one of the Star Boundary’s sharpest weapons against the Demons as all the information could be transmitted back to Seven Mists Sea in real-time. Martial Beast Guards could also make a move at any moment by going out to rescue stranded or surrounded soldiers, which significantly reduced the losses they would suffer.
Ordinarily, Han Zheng Qing’s team would require a Martial Beast Guard to save them; however, since Yang Kai was around, and Li Wu Yi was unable to send anyone over, the matter was left to Yang Kai to deal with.
Just like what Li Wu Yi had said, ten thousand Demons would not pose a challenge to Yang Kai.
As they headed south and talked to each other, Yang Kai finally gained some understanding of the current affairs in the Star Boundary. He felt somewhat dejected at the number of losses suffered, but at the same time, the war had caused everyone in this Great World to grow.
There were fifty-four armies in total, and each army had a million people at the very least. Every army was led by a Pseudo-Great Emperor or powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and dozens of Emperor Realm Masters worked under the Army Commander. Yang Kai had never expected that the Star Boundary could have such power.
He had been in the Star Boundary for a long time, and he had been to every part of this world and encountered many forces and people. However, at this moment, he came to the realization that the Star Boundary he knew was just the tip of the iceberg. This kind of heritage was what a Great World like the Star Boundary should have.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out that many of those Emperor Realm Masters must be reclusive cultivators who were less well-known. The tides of war had swept over the entire Star Boundary, so these reclusive cultivators had no choice but to join the Human armies. As more people gathered together, a great force was thus formed.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something and asked, “What’s the Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Fan Xin’s face fell when she heard that, then she put on a disdainful expression, “A group of trash and traitors!”
When Yang Kai appeared before them earlier, Han Zheng Qing stared at him and yelled ‘Demon Heavenly Dao’. At that time, Yang Kai didn’t manage to inquire about it as his identity was somewhat sensitive, so it was pointless for him to ask anything. Now that he recalled it, he had to find out what it was.
Although he had no idea what this Demon Heavenly Dao was, he could guess that it had something to do with the Demons. Judging from Fan Xin’s reaction, he knew that his speculation was right. Fan Xin was a kind-hearted woman, but when he mentioned Demon Heavenly Dao, she immediately called them ‘a group of trash and traitors’ without even thinking, which went to show that the Demon Heavenly Dao must be something despicable.
In fact, the Demon Heavenly Dao was a group of people that had emerged in the Star Boundary in recent years. They were a force that was based around Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory.
Before the Two Worlds’ Great War erupted, Shadow Killer Palace had long been preparing to assist the Demons to invade the Star Boundary. They had recruited many people who had hidden in different parts of the Star Boundary. Some of them were even Pseudo-Great Emperors.
In the past, Yao Lin and Li Shi Qing were captured by Masters from the group now called the Demon Heavenly Dao.
After the war erupted, the Demons invaded the Star Boundary, and in just three years, the entire Western Territory had fallen. The Star Boundary had lost a large area of territory, and many people had lost their lives. The Western Territory had practically become the Demons’ paradise.
At that time, the armies of the Star Boundary were still being organized, and the use of Space Beacons was not widespread. With the Great Emperors refraining from making a move, the Demon armies were essentially unstoppable.
However, while external enemies were troubling, traitors from within were even more worrying. The Demon Heavenly Dao rose with the times and snowballed into a great force.
Not everyone was determined to sacrifice themselves for the Star Boundary. During peaceful times, Shadow Killer Palace was already able to recruit many to their side, and as the Demons occupied more and more places, those who were afraid of death quickly sided with the Demon Heavenly Dao and became lackeys for the Demons.
The leader of the Demon Heavenly Dao was none other than the Palace Master of Shadow Killer Palace, Night Shadow Great Emperor!
He had countless top cultivators that worked under him, and there were four Pseudo-Great Emperors who were under his wings. They were collectively called the Four Great Emperor’s Emissaries, whose names were Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. All of them had incredible cultivation.
“Those from Demon Heavenly Dao have been empowered by Demon Qi. While their temperament has changed, their power has also increased. What’s despicable about them is that they usually remain hidden, and they look just like any ordinary person. They also won’t expose themselves during battle. Unless we infuse our Qi into their bodies to investigate, or they proactively expose their Demon Qi, it’s difficult to tell whether they’re from the Demon Heavenly Dao or not.” Fan Xin heaved a sigh, “The war has been ongoing for five years. The people from the Star Boundary have grown in power, but the same is true of the Demons. We’ve suffered immense losses because of the Demon Heavenly Dao.”
It was because of the existence of the Demon Heavenly Dao that Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu shook hands to probe each other when they met up. They had to make sure that neither of them had gone through demonification.
Compared to the Demon invaders, the people from the Star Boundary were actually more resentful of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao. That was because they were well hidden, so they were able to gather information and do things that the Demons were not able to achieve.
Fan Xin couldn’t understand why such people existed in this world, as though they were more than happy to see the world descending into chaos. The situation in the Star Boundary was already terrible; however, instead of defending their own world, these people had sided with the Demons.
It was also because of the Demon Heavenly Dao that Han Zheng Qing became vigilant when Yang Kai showed up with Demon Qi swirling around his body. To him, those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were deplorable, and a traitor couldn’t clear his name by just killing some Demons.
While they were having a chat, Yang Kai lifted his head and took a look in a particular direction before he put on a faint smile. His move wasn’t conspicuous, which was why Fan Xin, who was telling him about the current affairs in the Star Boundary, didn’t notice it.
However, a moment later, she also lifted her head and gazed at the front because Han Zheng Qing suddenly left his team and flew over. When he arrived, he landed on the ground and looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
With a clear gaze, Yang Kai stared frankly at him and put on a faint smile.
Feeling that the atmosphere was awkward, Fan Xin parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she was stopped by Han Zheng Qing.
“Palace Master Yang, I only have one question for you,” Han Zheng Qing said in a hoarse voice, “Are you friend or foe?”
He had informed the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea that he had come across the traitor Yang Kai. He also reported to them what had happened earlier. However, even after such a long time, he still didn’t get any reply from Seven Mists Sea. Unable to wait any longer, he decided to confront Yang Kai.
Without answering his question, Yang Kai fished out a Space Beacon and said, “This is connected to the one held by Senior Li Wu Yi.”
Yang Kai then took out another one, “This one can contact Army Commander, Yang Yan.”
Through his conversation with Fan Xin, he had learned that Yang Yan was now Army Commander of the Thirteenth Army, making her a famous figure in the Star Boundary. Supposedly, Han Zheng Qing would be familiar with her.
A glint flashed across Han Zheng Qing’s eyes when he heard this; then he extended his hand, “May I have a look?”
Yang Kai tossed the two Space Beacons at him. After taking them, Han Zheng Qing activated both his Divine Sense and Emperor Qi to probe them. Supposedly, given his cultivation, he was unable to find out anything; however, he already had two Space Beacons with him, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with them, and he believed he could discern a thing or two.
Indeed, the Space Beacon that was connected to Li Wu Yi had some aura fluctuations left behind by him. This kind of fluctuation was similar to that of the two Space Beacons Han Zheng Qing had, so he would never be mistaken.
A moment later, he passed the two Space Beacons back to Yang Kai and put on a milder expression. Then, he cupped his fists and said, “This Han has detected some Demon scouts who tried to spy on us just now, so I’m afraid that our whereabouts have been exposed. Soon, Demon armies will come over and besiege us. I hope Palace Master Yang can assist us when the time comes.”
Since Yang Kai had a Space Beacon that was connected to Li Wu Yi, it was clear that there was nothing wrong with his identity. Otherwise, Li Wu Yi would have come over and captured him.
There was no doubt that Li Wu Yi was swamped with work, but he wouldn’t be complacent when the matter had something to do with Yang Kai. Since he had not appeared in this place, it proved that Yang Kai was credible.
Seeing as Li Wu Yi also believed Yang Kai, there was nothing else that Han Zheng Qing could say.
The base was still a few thousand kilometres away from them. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, it meant that they were probably going to face a battle soon. Now, there were only two heavily injured First-Order Emperor Realm Masters in their unit, so how would they defend themselves?
If they wanted to survive, they had to seek help from Yang Kai.
“Left Defender Han, you may proceed forward without fear. I will lend you a hand when I’m required to do so,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Han Zheng Qing cupped his fists again, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”
At that instant, he was finally able to be at ease. He had witnessed the power Yang Kai had showcased as the latter was able to kill the previous group of Demons as if they were ants. Even Demon Kings were easily dispatched by him. With such strength, he was probably just as powerful as the strongest Martial Beast Guard. With Yang Kai around, the chances of them returning to base would increase significantly.
After thanking him, Han Zheng Qing turned around and returned to his unit. However, just a moment later, he flew back and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang, please join us.”
Yang Kai and Fan Xin had been staying a thousand metres behind the team, so they were very conspicuous. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, a battle between the opposing armies was imminent. Yang Kai was the most powerful ally they had, so his existence shouldn’t be exposed so soon.
Earlier, he didn’t invite Yang Kai to join the team because he wasn’t certain whether the latter was a friend or foe. However, since there was no reaction from Seven Mists Sea, it went to show that Yang Kai was credible. Furthermore, given the power Yang Kai had showcased, if he wanted to harm them, there was no way they could resist.
In that case, Han Zheng Qing thought that he should just let Yang Kai join them.
Since Han Zheng Qing had returned to invite him, Yang Kai decided not to reject. After a nod, he followed Han Zheng Qing back to the team.
Fan Xin was pleased with this arrangement. The other disciples from Ice Heart Valley were also joyful as they came over to greet Yang Kai, who was their Martial Uncle. Compared to other Sects, Ice Heart Valley had very close ties with High Heaven Palace, which was why their disciples were friendly to Yang Kai.
The other people in the team secretly sized Yang Kai up; however, due to the circumstances, they didn’t come over to talk to him.
Only an Emperor Realm Master from Right Defender Liu’s Brigade walked up to Yang Kai, and his only intention was to salute him.
Two thousand injured soldiers were treading across the desert and heading back to their base. No one said anything as they were all apprehensive about the imminent battle.
When night descended upon them, they found a place and took a rest. In normal times, powerful cultivators didn’t need to rest at night as they could continue walking even in the dark. However, the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Brigade had just gone through a difficult battle, and most of their two thousand surviving members had suffered injuries. Hence, they had to save some energy to face the impending battle.
Although they were a team that had just been formed, they were still highly disciplined. Under Han Zheng Qing’s management, three groups of people took turns to keep watch around the area to prevent the Demons from launching a sneak attack on them in the middle of the night.
Everyone was worried they would have to fight their enemy in short order, but it turned out to be a peaceful night. At the break of dawn, they continued moving forward.
The two Emperor Realm Masters walked up to Yang Kai, after which Han Zheng Qing asked, “Palace Master Yang, have you detected the Demons’ whereabouts?”
The enemies didn’t arrive as they had expected last night, but instead of feeling elated, Han Zheng Qing was extremely worried. Since the enemies didn’t launch an attack at night, it meant that they were getting prepared to make a big move out in the open. Hence, the Human soldiers had to put their guards up even higher.
Without beating around the bush, Yang Kai replied, “They’re five hundred kilometres in front of us.”
Han Zheng Qing traded glances with the other Emperor Realm Master, then he fished out a jade slip and examined the situation. A moment later, his expression changed as he said, “Those damn Demons are really greedy!”
He lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, “There’s a narrow mountain pass five hundred kilometres to the front of us that looks like a bottle gourd. We have to pass through it if we want to return to our lines. I guess they want to ambush and swallow all of us up there.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m afraid their teeth are going to break when they try.”
With a solemn expression, Han Zheng Qing said, “Palace Master Yang, are you confident of defeating them? If not, we can make a detour. We’ll just be held back for a few days.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need for that. Even if we make a detour, we can’t escape from the Demons. There are Demon armies stationed on all alternative paths.”
Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed when he heard this, but after a moment of silence, he nodded and said, “Good. We will proceed forward.”
After he gave the order, the atmosphere around the team changed as they all tensed up. A tinge of murderous intent could be felt in the air.
Five hundred kilometres wasn’t that long of a distance, but it took these injured soldiers half a day to reach their destination. On the way there, Demon scouts would show up in the distance from time to time, which added pressure to their shoulders.
There was a vast valley behind the mountain pass with extremely high cliffs. As they went further, the valley became narrower. Although the Demons were nowhere to be seen, everyone could feel that their enemies were just lurking in the dark.
Han Zheng Qing turned his head to look at Yang Kai in an attempt to ask something, but Yang Kai directly shuffled forward and walked to the front of the team. With a smile on his face, his pace remained even as he appeared calm and collected.
After a moment of hesitation, Han Zheng Qing ordered, “Maintain tight formation! Pay attention to the flanks!”
The team of two thousand people immediately broke down into ten smaller units and opened up some distance from one another before they followed closely behind Yang Kai.
After they moved past the mountain pass and entered the valley, Demon Qi suddenly undulated in a radius of ten kilometres around them. The ground beneath their feet seemed to have come to life as it squirmed. In an instant, the solid ground turned into quicksand as all of them started sinking.
Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed as he ordered, “Sand Demon! Fly!”
The one who was able to cause the ground to go through such a sudden change must be Sand Demon. Moreover, they must be a Demon King; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to affect such a wide area with a single Divine Ability.
After years of war, those from the Star Boundary were already familiar with the tactics used by the Demons and had developed tactics to deal with them accordingly.
Right then, Yang Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and summoned the Myriads Sword into his grip. As he strode forward, he jabbed the sword into the ground.
In an instant, the huge sword disappeared, and following that, a muffled groan could be heard coming from below ground. At the same time, the quicksand instantly became solid again.
Just then, a loud boom could be heard from a spot that was roughly a hundred metres in front of them as the Myriads Sword shot out from the ground. The enormous blade had penetrated a Demon’s body and stuck out from his back. Even though the Demon had been severely injured, he hadn’t lost his life yet. Blood was streaming out of his mouth as he appeared to be in pain. Grabbing the blade with both hands, he was trying to pull the sword out of his body.
He was indeed a Sand Demon as well as a Demon King. Although he was just a Low-Rank Demon King, his cultivation was still considered to be powerful.
Right after he shot out of the ground, he stared resentfully at Yang Kai. Although he was underground, he knew who had made a move against him; however, he didn’t understand how Yang Kai managed to locate and injure him so swiftly.
He didn’t have any time to give it a second thought though as Yang Kai grinned at him, revealing a row of gleaming teeth as he clenched his fist and said, “Boom!”
At that instant, the Myriads Sword started to shine with radiant sword light, sending out a storm of sword waves from the Sand Demon’s body. Looking from afar, he seemed to have turned into a hedgehog with gleaming swords all over his body. As the Sand Demon shrieked, he exploded with a deafening boom.
In less than five breaths, a Demon King Sand Demon had been pulverized into blood mist, while at the same time, two thousand Humans had ascended into the sky.
Han Zheng Qing’s intention was to get everyone to escape from the Sand Demon’s Divine Ability, but unexpectedly, the Sand Demon lost his life barely after they had left the ground.
However, before they came to their senses, countless arrows were seen breaking through the air toward them.
While those from the Star Boundary had come up with ways to deal with the Demons, their enemies had also developed their own tactics to fight back. The Sand Demon’s sneak attack was just the beginning, as his intention was to force the Humans into the sky.
While they were mid-air, the innumerable arrows, which looked like locusts, were loosed upon them. The cliffs on both sides of the valley were extremely steep, so there was no way they could effectively evade the arrow barrage.
Everyone’s expression could be seen changing as they felt their entire bodies turning cold. At the same time, their chests tightened as they thought that they were doomed. Some of them swiftly flew downwards while the sluggish ones still remained on the spot. In an instant, the originally neat formation turned chaotic.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s Demon Qi surged. As the wind howled, the black Demon Qi solidified and became an impenetrable barrier. As it expanded, it turned into a shield that could ward off the arrows.
All the arrows were blocked by the Demon Qi and then disappeared.
Right then, the Demon Qi shield shot forward and crashed into the sky. Like a mirror that was broken apart, cracks started appearing. As a ripple spread around, countless Demons appeared out of thin air.
The Humans were now standing on the ground with steep cliffs on both their left and right. Just now, the Demons were hiding to attack them while they passed by. It wasn’t certain what technique they had used, but all of them had managed to conceal themselves, and Han Zheng Qing and the others were not even aware of it.
The expressions of the Humans changed again when they saw what was going on. There were definitely at least ten thousand Demons present.
Furthermore, there were a few Demon Kings around, all riding Demon Beasts of varying sizes with ferocious auras.
After their Concealment Technique was dispelled by Yang Kai, all the Demons were surprised. The Demon Kings, who were at the front, stared at Yang Kai in disbelief as they had no idea what was going on.
To them, since Yang Kai was using Demon Qi, he was obviously a member of the Demon Heavenly Dao. In that case, he was supposed to be their lackey, so why was he going against them now?
[What is going on?]
However, the next moment, the Demon Kings set aside their doubts as they had no regard for the Demon Heavenly Dao to begin with. Anyone who dared to go against the Demons must die.
Since they were enemies who had crossed each other on this narrow path, only the strongest would survive.
The Demon King at the front grinned at Yang Kai and lifted his muscular arm before forcefully lowering it. After he gave the order to attack, ten thousand Demons immediately charged forward. The entire valley seemed to be shaking as the rocks came falling down.
Han Zheng Qing and the others tensed up as they quickly returned to their respective formations. At the same time, the Shamans were heard chanting their spells.
Despite the thundering noises, Yang Kai’s voice was still clearly heard as he pointed at the front and said, “Compress!”
Right after he gave the order, the valley seemed to have come to life. The ground started writhing and rolling up like a rug as it soon engulfed the Demon soldiers. The cliffs on both sides started closing up like two gigantic palms that were clapping at the mosquitoes, but the insects this time were the ten thousand Demons!
Under the shocked gazes of Han Zheng Qing and the other Humans, the entire mountain valley seemed to transform into a separate, sealed region, with all the Demons trapped inside it.
Space then quickly compressed as horrifying shrieks were continuously heard from inside. Fan Xin had goosebumps all over her body while the female disciples of Ice Heart Valley had turned pale at the sight.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten thousand Demons disappeared. The cliffs had closed up and the ground that had rolled up formed a sealed space, trapping all the Demons inside it.
By just listening to the sounds that came from that sealed space, the Humans could imagine what the Demons were going through. Perhaps they had been pressed into mashed meat.
It was indeed a violent yet awe-inspiring method!
The Demons must have given it serious consideration before choosing this place to ambush the Humans. After passing the mountain pass, there was only one path ahead. If they appeared out of thin air, they would be able to catch the Humans off guard. With ten thousand Demons facing two thousand Humans, and with an advantageous position in this valley, the Demons thought that they could easily kill all these Humans.
However, they had never expected that this place would turn out to be their grave. They were indeed in a relatively advantageous position, but when the other party was so powerful that they could only look up to him, the advantage turned into disadvantage.
With a loud bang, a bloodied figure broke through the barriers and shot out of the sealed space. In an instant, he turned into a black light and decidedly fled into the distance.
“A High-Rank Demon King!” Han Zheng Qing exclaimed as his pupils contracted as he remained rooted to the spot. He had never expected that there would be a High-Rank Demon King leading the ten thousand Demon army stationed here. That Demon alone was too powerful for them to deal with. It could be expected that if not for Yang Kai, all two thousand of them would have lost their lives today.
It was already extremely difficult to kill the average Demon, not to mention a High-Rank Demon King. After he was compressed by the cliffs and the ground, this Demon King was severely injured, but he still managed to survive somehow. Then, he immediately escaped from the trap with some difficulty.
He must also be aware that, given the power Yang Kai had displayed, he would still die if he hadn’t fled in time. Certainly, his judgement was right, but there was no way he could flee.
Yang Kai extended his hand towards the Demon King and grabbed at the air. When he retracted his hand, he managed to pull out a figure that was covered in Black Qi. As the Demon King’s neck was being clenched, he was unable to struggle out of Yang Kai’s iron grip and a choking sound was heard coming from his throat.
Han Zheng Qing didn’t see how Yang Kai captured the Demon King; from his perspective, Yang Kai simply reached out his hand, his arm seemed to blur, and then the Demon King, who had been a kilometre or so away, appeared in his grip.
[Space Divine Ability! It must be a Space Divine Ability!] Though Han Zheng Qing understood what had happened, he couldn’t comprehend how it did.
It wasn’t until the Demon King was caught that Han Zheng Qing came to the realisation that the other party was a Shadow Demon. It was no wonder that he wasn’t aware of this Master’s existence. Shadow Demons were experts of assassination, so they were also good at concealing their auras.
Yang Kai clenched the Demon’s neck and lifted him off his feet. The Shadow Demon tried his hardest to struggle out of Yang Kai’s grip, but his attempts proved futile.
As Demon Qi undulated, the Shadow Demon’s figure started expanding. In the blink of an eye, he had become as round as a balloon.
With a loud pop, he directly exploded as his flesh splattered around the place. The unsuspecting Han Zheng Qing and the others had the blood splashed at them. On the other hand, Yang Kai had expected this to happen and protected himself with Demon Qi, so he remained spotless.
Just then, a cracking sound was heard as the compressed cliffs began separating and the ground receded.
Following that, the Humans immediately caught a whiff of a repulsive metallic tang, and then a sight that resembled that of Hell itself came into view.
No Demons could be seen in front of them. Besides the Shadow Demon that had fled from the sealed space and then been captured and killed by Yang Kai, all ten thousand or so Demons had been pressed into piles of mashed meat. Most of them already didn’t look like their original figures as all their flesh had been mangled together. The ground was practically dyed red as the disfigured Demons lay on it.
Some weak moaning was still heard as some of the Demon Kings were not dead yet.
All two thousand Humans looked dazedly at the front as they fell silent. Some of them had opened their mouths so wide that eggs would fit inside. As they darted their eyes between Yang Kai and the horrible sight, they still found it to be unbelievable.
Han Zheng Qing appeared embarrassed because all of them had basically done nothing to contribute to the deaths of all ten thousand Demons. From start to finish, Yang Kai was the only one who made any move.
After wiping the blood off his face, Han Zheng Qing walked over and wielded his sword to put a still-breathing Demon out of his misery.
His move prompted the others to come to their senses as they quickly marched forward to purge any Demons feigning death. At the same time, they also started looting stuff from the Demons.
In just an incense stick’s worth of time, the battlefield had been cleaned, after which they continued with their journey.
The valley was about three hundred kilometres long. It was already nighttime when they left the valley. When they finally saw the view outside, they were clearly energised. That was because the base of the Thirty-Fifth Army was just three thousand kilometres in front of them.
This distance of three thousand kilometres was relatively safe because rarely would any Demons wander around this region, unless they were unlucky enough to come across Demon Kings that were able to conceal themselves.
Stopping in his tracks, Yang Kai stared at Han Zheng Qing and said, “This is where we part ways. There are no more Demons in front of you, so you should be able to reach your destination safely.”
Han Zheng Qing bowed and replied, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”
After waving his hand, Yang Kai turned to look at Fan Xin and the others, “Be careful and protect yourselves.”
On the battlefield, life or death could be determined in the blink of an eye. There were precedents of Pseudo-Great Emperor and Half-Saints being killed, to say nothing of the fact that Fan Xin and her Sister were just ordinary cultivators. The Two Worlds’ Great War had devastated countless lies and forced many families to be separated. Only by taking good care of themselves could they stand a chance of surviving.
Fan Xin and the other female disciples from Ice Heart Valley nodded repeatedly to his words.
Yang Kai turned around and took a step forward. All of a sudden, his figure turned blurred and then disappeared.
After he was gone, Han Zheng Qing gave the order for all two thousand of them to head towards the base. Since Yang Kai had said that there were no more Demons in front of them, the journey ahead must be safe. In that case, they shouldn’t waste any time taking a rest and should instead immediately return.
…..
Yang Kai communicated with the Space Beacon held by Li Wu Yi, after which he appeared by the latter’s side.
As his figure abruptly appeared inside a spacious hall, he saw Li Wu Yi, who was just beside him. Just when he smiled and wanted to greet him, he suddenly felt something as he lifted his head with a solemn expression.
Four people, one woman and three men, were seated on both sides. Their auras were all profound and powerful. Just like four mountains, their horrifying auras pressed against Yang Kai, causing him to have difficulty in breathing. Besides the discomfort in his chest, he could also feel his bones cracking.
Apart from that, he also felt that the aura in his body was somewhat resonating with those of the four people, which made him realise that they were truly powerful and that he was no match for them.
Not daring to appear disrespectful, Yang Kai immediately bowed and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Kai greets the Great Emperors.”
On his left, there was the burly Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, and the elusive Flower Shadow Great Emperor, Hua Ling Long. On his right, there was the inscrutable Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Jun, and the bold Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang.
Besides the missing Bustling World Great Emperor, the deceased Bright Moon Great Emperor, and the traitor Night Shadow Great Emperor, four of the seven Great Emperors in the Star Boundary had gathered together here.
Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be waiting for Yang Kai. At that instant, Yang Kai felt his blood boiling not because of the pressure, but because he finally felt at home after years of staying in a foreign land. He was so agitated that even his voice trembled slightly.
In the past, he didn’t have any special feelings when meeting these Great Emperors; however, upon reunion, he found them to be extremely amiable, as though they were his family members.
Then, recalling that his own aura resonated with those of the other Great Emperors, he immediately knew that it was because of the Great Emperor’s Opportunity. In order to become a Great Emperor, one had to obtain acknowledgement from the Star Boundary. Bright Moon’s acknowledgement had been transferred to Yang Kai, which was why he found the other Great Emperors to be affable.
He thought that the other Great Emperors would feel the same way too, but he hadn’t expected that after he finished speaking, he didn’t get any reply from them. A long time later, Yang Kai began to feel somewhat doubtful. He wanted to have a look at them, but he knew that it would be inappropriate to do so. Nevertheless, he could clearly feel that the Great Emperors’ gazes appeared sharp when they were staring at him.
Then, he stole a glance at Li Wu Yi, only to see that the latter had folded his arms lightly and remained on the same spot with a calm expression. With his eyes half-closed, he seemed to be in need of some sleep.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai was puzzled.
Right then, someone was heard yelling, “Yang Kai, do you know what crime you’ve committed?”
It was Iron Blood Great Emperor who yelled at him, which caused him to feel dizzy and his ears to start buzzing, almost dropping him to the ground. He was able to kill Demon Kings like they were ants, and he had the power to fight with Half-Saints; however, when he was confronted by a Great Emperor, he was as frail as a child.
Fortunately, his cultivation was good enough to allow him to support his own weight. Just when he stared at Iron Blood and wanted to refute him, he gulped down what he was about to say and hung his head low, “I do.”
Hua Ling Long batted her eyes while Yao Jun grinned in silence. On the other hand, Mo Huang rolled his eyes and scratched his face.
Zhan Wu Hen was startled as well because he didn’t expect that Yang Kai would react in this way. He thought that Yang Kai would try to refute him, so it hadn’t crossed his mind that the young man would admit his guilt straight away. Hence, he was unable to go on with the speech he had prepared.
After a moment of silence, Iron Blood said, “What is your crime?”
Yang Kai replied in a hushed voice, “Senior Bright Moon died by my hand.”
Despite his small voice, everyone could hear that he was utterly sorrowful when he spoke and could see his balled-up fists turning pale from the strain.
“It seems you are not unaware.” Zhan Wu Hen snorted and then shouted again, “Bright Moon was one of the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. In the past, in order to save many of us here, he remained behind in the Demon Realm and was captured. Do you remember why we sent you to infiltrate the Demon Realm?”
“To save Senior Bright Moon!”
“What did you promise us?”
“That I would definitely bring Senior Bright Moon back to the Star Boundary!”
“What happened, then?”
Yang Kai was lost for words. His mission was to rescue Bright Moon; however, instead of saving him, he had actually killed him. Even though it wasn’t his intention to do so, after such a long time, he still felt extremely heartbroken whenever he thought about that scene in the past.
“Since you know what crime you’ve committed, how did you still have the nerve to return to the Star Boundary?” Zhan Wu Hen appeared overbearing, and he had no qualms about embarrassing the young man.
Yang Kai hung his head low and replied, “This Junior obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, and had to return in order to fulfil the last will of Senior Bright Moon.”
“You had to return?” Zhan Wu Hen snorted, “Do you think we won’t punish you?”
Yang Kai replied respectfully, “Junior is willingly to accept any punishment.”
“What if we demand your life as punishment?” Zhan Wu Hen’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, and he was engulfed in murderous intent.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai looked him into Iron Blood’s eyes and said firmly, “Whatever the circumstances, it is an irrefutable fact that I killed Senior Bright Moon. That sin will never disappear. If Senior wishes to take back the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, I am willing to return it; however, if you demand my life, I will resist despite the fact that I am no match for you!”
To the side, Li Wu Yi turned to look at Yang Kai in astonishment. He thought that if he were Yang Kai, he wouldn’t have the guts to speak like him in this kind of situation.
Zhan Wu Hen scoffed, “You will resist? Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I will try my best. I’m not willing to simply offer up my life. I cannot die.”
Many of his friends and family were waiting for him in High Heaven Palace, so he was determined to stay alive.
Just when Zhan Wu Hen wanted to say something, he was cut off by Hua Ling Long. Flower Shadow Great Emperor had a pleasant voice, and spoke in a very different tone than the ferocious Zhan Wu Hen, “Tell us about your experiences in the Demon Realm, especially what happened to Bright Moon.”
Yang Kai composed himself and replied, “At the time when Yu Ru Meng and I were being hunted down by Senior Li, we agreed to flee to the Demon Realm and safely reached it soon after…”
It had only been a few years since he ventured into the Demon Realm, so it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to recall his experiences.
The Great Emperors were aware that there were many continents and Territory Gates in the Demon Realm; after all, some of the Great Emperors had ventured into the Demon Realm before. Even though they didn’t know the full extent of the situation, they knew a thing or two. As for other things about the Demon Realm, they were essentially clueless.
What Yang Kai knew was exactly the information they needed.
When the four Great Emperors heard that there were a few hundred continents and twelve Demon Saints, their expressions turned solemn. Even if they ignored the fact that there were probably an innumerable number of people living on those continents, twelve Demon Saints alone was indeed an unbelievable number.
There were only ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. Excluding the missing Bustling World Great Emperor, the deceased Bright Moon Great Emperor, and the traitor Night Shadow Great Emperor, there were currently only seven of them left.
When it came to the most powerful Masters in both Great Worlds, there were far fewer on the Star Boundary’s side, almost half. If the Great Emperors fought an all-out war with the Demon Saints, they were bound to suffer a loss.
Then, when they were told that Yu Ru Meng was one of the twelve Demon Saints, they were shocked.
In the past, Yu Ru Meng had always followed Yang Kai around. When she appeared in front of the Great Emperors, she had even pretended to be Li Shi Qing and spoke with Flower Shadow Great Emperor. However, whether it was Zhan Wu Hen or Hua Ling Long, neither realized she was a Demon, nor could they detect any Demon Qi from her.
Looking back, they found it to be inconceivable. However, upon learning that Yu Ru Meng was a Charm Demon, they finally realised the reason behind it.
Charm Demons had exceptionally strong Souls, and they were adept at enchanting people and illusions, so it was no wonder that Yu Ru Meng was able to deceive them. When it came to Soul cultivation, even Serene Soul Great Emperor was no match for her.
Upon learning about the existence of Myriad Demon Caves and Myriad Demon Pills, the Great Emperors scowled. The war had been ongoing for several years, and they had realised that there were far more Demon Kings than should be possible. In the past, they didn’t understand the reason behind it, but now they got the answer.
There were many Demon Kings because there was a large number of Demons in the first place. With a few hundred continents, they were naturally able to produce at least a hundred thousand Demon Kings, which was a horrifying number.
Secondly, it must have something to do with the Myriad Demon Pills, which were unique to the Demon Realm. Although Myriad Demon Caves were formed by absorbing the life force of all Demons living on a continent, the benefits far outweighed the costs.
When the Great Emperors also learned that Yang Kai had swallowed up many continents in the Demon Realm, they were dumbstruck. They were able to shatter continents, but they could never devour them. Yang Kai’s strength was much weaker compared to a Great Emperor’s, but his abilities and methods were enough to shock even them.
Then, Yang Kai narrated the story of the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. He spoke about the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array and about how at the time, Bright Moon was unable to escape from the enemy siege. Left with no other choice, Bright Moon used a powerful Illusion Technique on Yang Kai and fooled the latter into killing him.
At that instant, everyone in the hall fell silent as the atmosphere became solemn.
The Great Emperors had been friends for tens of thousand years, so they were more than just used to each other’s company, yet all of a sudden, one of them had perished. Even though the Great Emperors were always calm and collected, they still felt dejected at this moment. Through Yang Kai’s vivid narration, they seemed able to experience how Bright Moon valiantly fought against the Twelve Demon Saints. It was as though they were able to personally see how intense the battle was and how Bright Moon fought against so many powerful enemies despite grievous injuries.
They were all inspired, and they hated the fact that they hadn’t had a chance to fight alongside him.
Eventually, Yang Kai took a deep breath and said, “That is what happened.”
Hua Ling Long nodded, “You’ve endured much hardship.”
During the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, there were not only twelve Demon Saints, but also more than a hundred Half-Saints. Surrounded by so many top Masters, Yang Kai was still able to obtain the Great Emperor’s Opportunity from Bright Moon, a miraculous feat to pull off.
“What happened next?” Mo Huang questioned, “How did you escape from the Demons after you obtained Bright Moon’s Opportunity?”
Although Yang Kai hadn’t told them what had happened to him in the aftermath of Bright Moon’s death, anyone could imagine that he must be in a desperate state at that time. In fact, obtaining the Great Emperor’s Opportunity was just the beginning of a calamity for Yang Kai as there was no way the Demons would let him bring it away.
“It was thanks to Yu Ru Meng!” Yang Kai replied seriously, “She helped me hold up some of the Demon Saints, and with my proficiency in the Dao of Space, I somehow managed to escape.”
He didn’t elaborate on this issue because, compared to Bright Moon’s selfless sacrifice, him fleeing wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Yao Jun said, “If that’s the case, there’s no way the Demons would have simply let you off. How did you manage to return to the Star Boundary? Has something else happened?”
“Indeed.” Yang Kai nodded, “Junior was severely injured after escaping from Eternal Sky Continent; however, due to the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, my aura became unstable and was suddenly forced to undergo a breakthrough. I had intended to directly return to the Star Boundary, but Can Ye had returned to guard the Two Worlds’ Passage before I could arrive. If I had gone there, it would have been akin to stepping into the enemy’s trap. Considering the fact that I was about to achieve a breakthrough, I decided to take the risk and headed to Cloud Shadow Continent.”
With the help of the Embodiment, they were able to burrow deep underground and conceal his presence. It was during his breakthrough though that a strange phenomenon happened, which attracted Bei Li Mo over. He had intended to make use of Xuan Bing’s Profound Darkness Needle to stall Bei Li Mo so that he could flee once more, but he was taken advantage of by Xuan Bing instead, which then caused something unexpected to happen.
“Wait a moment!” When Mo Huang heard this, he looked at Yang Kai with an awkward expression, “You mean you’ve planted a Soul Imprint inside a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea?”
Besides him, the other Great Emperors had also widened their eyes and were staring at the young man before them in disbelief. They were well aware of what would happen after a Soul Imprint was planted, which was why they were thoroughly stunned.
Li Wu Yi was dumbfounded too as he made some comparisons in his mind. A Demon Saint was equivalent to a Great Emperor. Since Yang Kai had managed to plant a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, it was akin to doing the same thing to a Great Emperor. In other words, Yang Kai had full control over the Demon Saint’s life or death. He had basically taken a Demon Saint as his subordinate.
The young man here was only a Third-Order Emperor, not even a Pseudo-Great Emperor!
Even though Li Wu Yi was normally unphased by the world around him, at this moment, he had the urge to curse.
“En,” Yang Kai bowed his head. “In truth, this Junior wasn’t capable of such a feat. It was only thanks to the wicked plan Xuan Bing came up with that harmed both her enemy and herself that made such a thing possible. I simply played along with it and achieved such a result in the end.”
The four Great Emperors traded glances as they activated their Divine Sense. Apparently, they were having a discussion.
A moment later, Hua Ling Long said with a frown, “Although you’re fairly strong now, you’re still just a Third-Order Emperor. Even though you’ve planted a Soul Imprint inside a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, you should still not be able to determine her life or death.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Senior Flower Shadow’s words make sense. I am still significantly less powerful than Bei Li Mo, so I’m unable to determine her life or death. It can be said that if she focuses on breaking the seal, Bei Li Mo can eventually purge the Soul Imprint’s chains and regain her freedom.”
He paused for a moment, “However, she won’t have that chance now.”
“What do you mean?” Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Please forgive my disrespect.”
Saying so, Yang Kai released his Spiritual Energy without limit for a moment before quickly retracting it.
Nevertheless, the short moment was enough to cause the Great Emperors’ gazes to brighten. On the side, Li Wu Yi was rooted to the spot.
Excluding Yang Kai, there were four Great Emperors and one Pseudo-Great Emperor at the scene, so they all had incredible perceptions. Even though Yang Kai had only released his Spiritual Energy for a short moment, the others were still able to feel how powerful it was.
The power of Yang Kai’s Soul was second only to that of the Great Emperors, and he was more powerful than any Pseudo-Great Emperor in this regard.
Normally, only a top Pseudo-Great Emperor would possess this kind of Divine Sense, and he would also have to be an expert in Soul cultivation. However, at this moment, the person who was able to use such powerful Divine Sense was just a Third-Order Emperor who had recently reached his current realm.
Li Wu Yi was shaken to the core. Compared to the fact that Yang Kai had planted a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, he was more astounded by the Divine Sense the young man had just showcased.
Even though Yang Kai had taken in a Demon Saint as his subordinate, that was still dependent on the Demon Saint being willing to submit to him. After all, while a powerful external helper, Bei Li Mo could change her heart at any moment, and given a chance, she might kill Yang Kai one day. However, Soul cultivation was a part of Yang Kai’s own strength, a power that he could make use of. If Li Wu Yi were given a choice, he would rather choose the latter.
All the Great Emperors understood what Yang Kai meant now. The strength of the Soul Imprint was correlated to the user’s Soul cultivation. The more powerful his Soul cultivation was, the more solidified the Soul Imprint became.
Although Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was astounding, he was still no match for the Demon Saints and the Great Emperors. Nevertheless, it was good enough to control Bei Li Mo. Given enough time, perhaps she would still be able to break free from the Soul Imprint; however, Yang Kai wasn’t dead, so why would he give her the chance to do so?
That was the reason he said Bei Li Mo didn’t have a chance.
A puzzled Hua Ling Long asked, “Why do you have such a powerful Soul?”
In fact, it wasn’t difficult to find people whose Soul was stronger than their peers in their own realm in the Star Boundary. The most typical example was those from Azure Sun Temple. Thanks to the Divine Ascension Mirror, the top cultivators from the temple normally had stronger Soul cultivation than average; however, there was still a limit to it, and no one could be like Yang Kai, whose Soul cultivation was horrendously more powerful than his realm would suggest.
It was just beyond anyone’s imagination. Unless he had come across any opportunity to increase the power of his Soul, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a thing.
Hua Ling Long wasn’t supposed to ask this question. Whatever opportunity Yang Kai had obtained, it had nothing to do with her; however, she was curious about the reason behind it, and she wanted to find out whether it had something to do with the deceased Bright Moon.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai appeared embarrassed upon hearing that question.
The considerate Flower Shadow Great Emperor put on a smile, “You don’t have to answer if it’s not convenient for you.”
“There’s nothing inconvenient…” Yang Kai scratched his nose, “Yu Ru Meng and I… have become true partners, so I obtained her several ten thousand years’ worth of Primordial Yin. She’s a Charm Demon, so she’s a Master in Soul cultivation. That’s how my Soul cultivation surged.”
“What!?” A shocked Hua Ling Long looked dazedly at Yang Kai, “Yu Ru Meng… She…”
She wanted to ask why Yu Ru Meng, as one of the twelve Demon Saints, was willing to lose her innocence to Yang Kai. Besides the stark differences between their powers, they were from different Races as one of them was a Human while the other was a Demon. Moreover, the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were currently at war.
However, she was too embarrassed to ask this question, and her face was now blushing bright red.
While Hua Ling Long was too bashful to ask, Yao Jun wasn’t so reserved. All of them had lived for countless years, so he didn’t find it embarrassing to talk about the basic biological directives of Human nature. Therefore, he directly asked, “Is it because of the Heart Seal Secret Technique?”
Previously, Yang Kai had told them that Yu Ru Meng had used a Heart Seal Secret Technique on him, which was why Yao Jun had this speculation.
“That’s part of the reason,” Yang Kai nodded, “However, when I told her to unseal the Secret Technique, she chose not to.”
Upon hearing that, Yao Jun gave a nod. Since Yu Ru Meng chose not to do so, it proved that her feelings for Yang Kai were genuine. Otherwise, a Demon Saint wouldn’t have acted in such a way.
On the side, Li Wu Yi was no longer able to keep a calm expression on his face. As he turned his head to stare at Yang Kai, his eyes almost popped out.
Not only had Yang Kai planted a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, but he had also bedded another Demon Saint! As a result, his Soul cultivation increased significantly.
Over the years, Li Wu Yi had always worried that Yang Kai might come across danger in the Demon Realm. Now, it seemed that there was no doubt he had fallen into perilous situations before, but he had also enjoyed a very exciting life in the process.
Yang Kai had basically achieved many miracles. Anyone would be considered extremely lucky if they could pull off any of those feats.
“So, that means you have two Demon Saints on your side now?” Mo Huang gazed at Yang Kai with an excited expression.
Just now, they were still worried about the fact that there were twelve Demon Saints, which were a lot more than the number of Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. However, he hadn’t expected that they would see a silver lining so soon. One of the Demon Saints had been planted with a Soul Imprint, while the other was now Yang Kai’s woman. So, the two Demon Saints were on the same boat with Yang Kai, which essentially meant that they had weakened the power in the Demon Realm.
“Not two, but three!” Yang Kai looked seriously at him.
Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow, “Besides Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng, who is the other Demon Saint?”
With an awkward expression, Mo Huang asked, “Is it that Feather Demon Fu Yu?”
Based on what he had heard from Yang Kai, he knew that of the twelve Demon Saints, only three of them were female. Bei Li Mo had been controlled while Yu Ru Meng had fallen in love with Yang Kai, so it wouldn’t be surprising even if Fu Yu had also sided with him. Yang Kai seemed to have a way with women. Recalling that his own precious daughter was also fond of Yang Kai, Mo Huang immediately had a headache.
Previously, although Yang Kai had many women, most of them didn’t have a prestigious background. Only Zhu Qing from the Dragon Race could be considered of significant status. She was a Ninth-Order Dragon, so she was at least on par with a Great Emperor’s Daughter. With Mo Huang behind his daughter, he wasn’t worried that she would be put at a disadvantage even if things developed in the direction he most wanted them not to. Now that Yang Kai had even got together with a Demon Saint though, who was equivalent to a Great Emperor, Mo Huang was unable to guarantee his daughter’s position anymore.
If he knew this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t have allowed Yang Kai to go to the Demon Realm.
“It’s not Fu Yu.” Yang Kai shook his head, “He isn’t even one of the twelve Demon Saints, but he’s as powerful as any of them.”
A perplexed Hua Ling Long asked, “Who?”
“His name is Chang Tian. He’s a member of the Dragon Clan of the Demon Realm!” Yang Kai explained, “To put things into perspective, his status in the Demon Realm is like that of the Great Elder and Second Elder of Dragon Island.”
Upon hearing that, the Great Emperors finally understood what he meant. Although Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun from Dragon Island were not Great Emperors, they were Tenth-Order Dragons, heads of the Divine Spirits. Their bloodlines were extremely pure, and they were just as powerful as the Great Emperors.
Since there were Divine Spirits in the Star Boundary, it only made sense there were some in the Demon Realm as well. There were Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun in the Star Boundary, while there was Chang Tian in the Demon Realm.
“How is Chang Tian related to you? Why would he side with you?” Zhan Wu Hen asked solemnly.
“Chang Tian is a Demon Dragon in the Demon Realm, but he has always been at odds with the Demon Saints. It’s said that he spent much of his life contending and fighting with the Demon Saints. He eventually secured Hundred Spirits Continent for himself and his followers and has been staying there ever since. However, his life essence is running out, so he’s worried that after he passes away, those on his continent will be enslaved by the Demon Saints. I happen to possess a Dragon bloodline, which is why he became fond of me at first glance. He put great trust in me and even wanted me to become his adopted son. That’s how our relationship formed.” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “I’ve used my Sealed World Bead to devour Hundred Spirits Continent, so there’s no turning back for him. Apart from that, I’ve also devoured all the territories under Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. Before I came back, I also sealed off the thirteen Territory Gates that connected the continent where the Two Worlds’ Passage is located to the rest of the Demon Realm, so the connection between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm has been temporarily cut off.”
“You’ve cut off the connection between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary?” Hua Ling Long widened her eyes.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Wonderful!” Mo Huang shouted with an excited expression.
On the other hand, a glint flashed across the gazes of Yao Jun and Zhan Wu Hen.
Recalling several recent reports he had received, Li Wu Yi nodded and added, “It’s no wonder that the Demon armies have been pulling back recently.” He had always been in the headquarters of Seven Mists Sea to manage the overall situation of the battlefield, so he was the most familiar individual when it came to the enemy’s movements.
He had noticed this strange trend a few days ago. The Demons were always aggressive and ferocious, but they suddenly started withdrawing. Initially, he didn’t understand what the Demons were up to, so he sent some people to gather some information to find out whether the Demons were preparing some kind of plot, but upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, he finally understood.
The war between the two Great Worlds had been ongoing for a few years, and both sides had suffered losses. Although there were more Demons that had lost their lives, the Humans were the ones at a disadvantage. The reason behind it was that the Demons seemed able to infinitely replenish their soldiers, as though there was no way to kill them all.
Now that the connection between the two Great Worlds had been cut off though, it meant that the Demon Realm couldn’t bring in reinforcements to replace the soldiers that had been killed. Given enough time, Li Wu Yi was confident of killing all the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary.
He had even started considering a grand mobilization of the Star Boundary’s armies to annihilate the Demons as this was the perfect chance for them to launch a decisive attack. If the Demons managed to re-group and put up proper defences, it would only mean more casualties on the Star Boundary’s side.
Zhan Wu Hen tapped the table and said calmly, “You’ve swallowed up the territories of the three Demon Saints and cut off the connection between the two Great Worlds, which essentially means that there’s no turning back for them. Does it mean that, whether or not they’re willing to do so, they’ll be loyal to you till the end?”
“I believe so.” Yang Kai nodded his head, “By the way, all three of them have arrived at the Star Boundary. If Seniors are fine with it, I’ll bring them to meet you.”
Upon hearing that, Mo Huang chuckled while Hua Ling Long picked up a cup of flower tea and took a sip, her eyes appearing to be smiling.
A doubtful Yang Kai thought that the Great Emperors reacted quite strangely to this news, but he suddenly had a thought and asked, “Have Seniors already met them?”
Zhan Wu Hen snorted, “Three Demon Saints suddenly arrived in the Star Boundary. If we weren’t able to sense that, we should probably quit being Great Emperors!”
When Yang Kai brought Yu Ru Meng and the others to the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors had already noticed it. Iron Blood Great Emperor, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and Martial Beast Great Emperor immediately went over to have a look.
At that time, Yang Kai was still recuperating in the Small Sealed World.
However, since Chang Tian and the others didn’t seem to be up to anything in particular, the Great Emperors decided not to show up as they observed them from afar.
The Great Emperors and the Demon Saints were equal when it came to their strength; however, in the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors, who had obtained the acknowledgement from it, had a more advantageous position. With assistance from the world itself, they were able to conceal their auras. Even the Master of the Soul, Yu Ru Meng, didn’t notice them.
Before they could understand what the Demon Saints were up to, Yang Kai suddenly appeared from Small Sealed World, which shocked the Great Emperors. After that, Yang Kai left behind a lot of strong Demon cultivators and bade the Demon Saints farewell. Once he was far enough away, the Great Emperors went over to confront the Demon Saints.
The atmosphere wasn’t intense per se, but it wasn’t peaceful either. At that time, only Yu Ru Meng spoke to them, so the Great Emperors were not aware that Chang Tian wasn’t one of the twelve Demon Saints.
Yu Ru Meng then told the Great Emperors why they had followed Yang Kai to the Star Boundary and also stated what their conditions for cooperation were. However, the Great Emperors didn’t readily believe her one-sided story.
That was why the Great Emperors decided to interrogate Yang Kai first.
The Great Emperors didn’t tell Yang Kai about it in advance because they wanted to find out whether he would tell the truth; after all, he had stayed in the Demon Realm for a few years, so anything could happen. If he was brainwashed by the Demons and came back to harm the Star Boundary, it would be a pain for the Great Emperors. Now that there were no discrepancies between the statements of Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng, the Great Emperors were finally at ease.
However, when they met up with the Demon Saints some time ago, they didn’t know that the Two Worlds’ Passage had been cut off. Yu Ru Meng wasn’t a fool. The Great Emperors hadn’t made their stance clear, so there was no way she would tell them such vital information. They had just learned about this incident from Yang Kai a moment ago.
“Yu Ru Meng has said that they would take control of the Demons in the Star Boundary, and they’ve promised that they will not act against us. What do you think?” Zhan Wu Hen took a seat and asked.
Yang Kai replied, “Just as this Junior has said, the three of them have followed me to the Star Boundary, and whether or not they’re doing this out of their own willingness, they have to listen to my commands. So, I think you can believe them.”
Zhan Wu Hen said, “The Two Worlds’ Great War has been ongoing for a few years, and the Demons have killed countless of our people. It’s the best chance to destroy all of them, but are you telling me that you want to save them?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “We can only save the Humans by making peace with the Demons. Although the Two Worlds’ Passage has been cut off, there are still many Demons in the Star Boundary. Despite the fact that we have a chance to annihilate all of them, we’ll have to pay a hefty price to do so; therefore, I think that it’ll be the best outcome if we take a step back at this point.”
Zhan Wu Hen lowered his gaze and fell silent while the other Great Emperors didn’t voice their opinions.
Yang Kai went on to speak, “There are two reasons behind the Demons’ invasion of the Star Boundary. First, they’re indeed an innately warlike Race, but secondly, they’re left with no other choice. The future for the Demon Realm is bleak. Over thousands of years, more and more territories and continents have been falling apart and disappearing, which is why they’ve targeted the neighbouring Star Boundary. This war occurred because they want to occupy the Star Boundary, but the clash of both worlds will only result in one of two outcomes. Either one side perishes, or both sides are devastated. Whatever the outcome, it’ll still be disastrous for the Star Boundary.”
Mo Huang said grimly, “In that case, we shouldn’t let off those Demons who still remain in the Star Boundary. Although you’ve sealed off the connection between the worlds, you can’t guarantee that it’ll last forever. Once the seal is broken one day, the Demon armies will strike again. Who can guarantee that the Demons you’ve let off today will not go against us tomorrow?”
“I’m not certain how powerful the Demon Saints are. Maybe it’ll take them months or even years to break through the seal,” Yang Kai explained, “However, since we’ve figured out the reasons behind their invasion, we’ll be able to come up with a solution.”
“What do you mean by that?” Hua Ling Long asked.
The discussion was heading in the direction Yang Kai had wanted. It was then he revealed his intention, “Since the Demons invaded the Star Boundary for their own survival, this Junior can simply give them a new place to live. It’s thanks to this reason that I’ve managed to persuade Chang Tian to side with me.”
“Do you mean your Sealed World Bead?” Hua Ling Long arched her delicate brow.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “The Sealed World Bead has devoured more than a hundred complete continents, which have been integrated seamlessly. If we can let the Sealed World Bead devour the entire Demon Realm, it will be able to produce a new one. By then, the Demons will have a new place to live, and they’ll stop thinking about battling against us.”
“Is your Sealed World Bead really so amazing?” Mo Huang was shocked.
Yang Kai grinned, “If Senior wants, you can have a look inside.”
After giving it a thought, Mo Huang nodded his head, “Alright.”
As he spoke, he rose from the chair. He was still in his seat when he moved, but when he stood up completely, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
Besides him, Zhan Wu Hen, Yao Jun, and Hua Ling Long also suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
As Great Emperors, they had seen countless rare treasures, so other than a few legendary ones, hardly any artifact or item in the world could catch their attention. Nevertheless, they were very interested in the Sealed World Bead, which could devour and integrate worlds.
Before learning about it from Yang Kai, they had never expected that such an amazing item existed.
“Please do not resist,” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai activated his Demon Qi and engulfed all four of them in it. As a thought flashed across his mind, he sent them inside the Small Sealed World.
Just when he was about to enter it as well, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Li Wu Yi said with a grin, “Don’t ignore me. I’m still around! I want to have a look as well.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Yang Kai smirked and sent him inside the Small Sealed World as well.
When Yang Kai appeared, Mo Huang and the others looked amazed as they scanned their surroundings. With a frown, Zhan Wu Hen asked, “Where’s Flower Shadow?”
He didn’t understand why Hua Ling Long wasn’t around, and he wondered what Yang Kai was up to.
“I’ve sent Senior Hua to another place.” Yang Kai waved his hand. As a ripple spread around, space seemed to have turned into a mirror as it showed the image of a far-off place. In that image, the alluring Hua Ling Long was seen standing outside a small cabin. There was a young woman who had knelt in front of Hua Ling Long with her head pressed against the ground. When she lifted her head, her eyes were seen to be drenched in tears.
The Great Emperors immediately recognised that the young woman was Hua Ling Long’s Legacy Disciple, Li Shi Qing.
“Shi Qing is here?” Mo Huang arched his brow.
Yang Kai nodded, “I found her not long after I arrived in the Demon Realm. In the past, Yu Ru Meng sent Li Shi Qing to her own territory and then pretended to be her to approach me.”
Mo Huang gave a nod, “I’m glad that she’s safe!”
Li Shi Qing had been missing for many years. Although Hua Ling Long was a Great Emperor, she had only taken in a single Disciple, Li Shi Qing; hence, she treated the latter like her own daughter. Since her Disciple had gone missing, she was definitely worried; however, as a Great Emperor, Hua Ling Long had to remain calm and collected, which was why others couldn’t tell how anxious she was.
Nonetheless, Mo Huang and the others knew that she was worried. Now that Yang Kai had finally brought Li Shi Qing back, Hua Ling Long could set her mind at ease.
Yang Kai waved his hand as the projection faded away. Now that there were no more doubts, he knew that they should give the ladies some privacy.
Just then, whooshing sounds were heard as Zhan Wu Hen thumped his fists against the air. With a frown, he said with displeasure, “Trash!”
He directly gave a rude remark. Then, he placed his hands behind his back and looked around, clearly disdainful of this place.
He was not referring to anyone when he said ‘trash’, he was talking about the world they were in. Right after the Great Emperors arrived, they realised that the World Principles in this world were weak. In fact, it was much weaker than that of the Star Boundary, which made them feel that they had been restricted by invisible chains. This kind of restriction made them feel uncomfortable.
The restriction in this world made sure that the Demon Kings couldn’t fully use their cultivation; however, it couldn’t really restrict the Great Emperors. If Zhan Wu Hen and the others decided to go all out, the shackles here would fall apart, and the entire Small Sealed World would break apart.
“Indeed, but it was far worse in the past.” Instead of getting annoyed, Yang Kai even agreed with Zhan Wu Hen’s remark.
Zhan Wu Hen turned to look at him, “You mean the World Principles here can be perfected?
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “If not for that being the case, this Junior wouldn’t have the guts to promise the Demons to give them a second Demon Realm. Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm are fairly similar. At the very least, the World Principles in both Great Worlds are about on par, which is why there are Great Emperors in the Star Boundary and Demon Saints in the Demon Realm. If I want the Demons to migrate to this place, I have to give them a proper Demon Realm.”
“How can this place be improved?” Zhan Wu Hen’s interest was piqued. In his eyes, the world in front of him was garbage; however, if it could grow enough, its future would be bright.
“It can be upgraded by devouring and integrating more continents,” Yang Kai explained briefly, “I’ve said that if I can swallow up the entire Demon Realm and integrate the Principles on all those continents, I will be able to make a second Demon Realm. Unfortunately, the Demon Saints rule over their own territories. If we don’t deal with the Demon Saints first, I’ll be unable to devour their territories.”
Zhan Wu Hen scoffed, “So we still have to fight with them at the end of the day.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “We do not need to fight with them necessarily, we just need to strike a deal with their leaders.”
Zhan Wu Hen fell silent as he knew that what Yang Kai had said was true. If there were no unexpected events, both sides would surely suffer greatly or even perish in this Great War. Whoever turned out to be the winner, they would have to pay a hefty price. If Yang Kai’s idea was feasible, both Humans and Demons could have an opportunity to survive.
Just like what Yang Kai had said, by letting the Demons off, they were also saving the Humans!
“What do you think?” Mo Huang turned to look at Li Wu Yi.
Here, besides Yang Kai, only Li Wu Yi was proficient in the Dao of Space, so it was apt to ask him about it.
“Unbelievable!” Appearing to be amazed, Li Wu Yi fished out something and held it in his palm.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that it was a petite mountain that was just the size of a palm. It was shaped like a Dragon with a wavy outline. It was lush and verdant on the mountain as he caught a whiff of the aroma of flowers. He could even hear the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects.
Yang Kai straightened his face and looked carefully, after which his gaze brightened with a gleam.
It wasn’t a toy mountain that Li Wu Yi was holding, it was a real mountain! The trees and flowers had been significantly shrunk. Some beasts and birds were seen wandering around the forests. They all looked as small as dust. If Yang Kai hadn’t looked intently, he wouldn’t have been able to see it clearly.
“Senior, what is this?” Yang Kai licked his lips as he was excited to see this wonderful treasure.
Li Wu Yi replied with a smile, “Floating Mountain! It was originally situated in the northern part of the Eastern Territory. It’s about two kilometres high and three thousand kilometres long, with about three hundred peaks of different sizes. After ascending to be a Pseudo-Great Emperor, I then spent twenty years refining it until it became like this.” Then, he lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, “Do you want to go in to have a look?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. Certainly, he had to explore this wonderful treasure.
Without any further delay, Li Wu Yi pointed at Yang Kai. As Space Principles undulated, Yang Kai felt the world around him spinning as his figure turned upside down, after which he appeared atop a mountain.
Just then, a tiger was heard roaring. Upon catching a whiff of a strange aura, a white tiger came pouncing on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and gently placed a palm on the tiger’s head, after which the white tiger no longer appeared to be ferocious. With a terrified look, the tiger took a few steps back and whimpered before whirling around to run away.
This white tiger wasn’t a Monster Beast, just a wild animal. Nevertheless, it instinctively realised that Yang Kai wasn’t to be messed with, which was why it stopped being aggressive and ran for its life.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that he was surrounded by very tall trees. Colourful vipers could be seen crawling on the rocks, the flow of water could be heard coming from a nearby mountain spring, and the air was just as refreshing as a spring day.
Looking up, he realised that some gigantic figures that looked like deities were staring at him. They were Mo Huang, Yao Jung, Zhan Wu Hen, and the others. Li Wu Yi’s face had covered half of the sky as he looked smilingly at Yang Kai.
It wasn’t that they had grown bigger, but rather that Yang Kai’s figure had shrunk.
The two kilometres high and three thousand kilometres long Floating Mountain had been turned into a palm-sized artifact by Li Wu Yi. When Yang Kai was sent in, he was affected by the Space Principles of this space and appeared smaller to outside observers, though his actual size had not really changed. At this moment, he must be as tiny as a speck of dust in Li Wu Yi’s eyes.
The Floating Mountain and his Sealed World Bead worked in the same way, to the point that it could even be said to be identical. Both of them were Sealed Worlds, but the Sealed World Bead had been completely sealed off, so no one could see what was going on in the world from outside while people in that world couldn’t see what was happening outside unless Yang Kai allowed it.
On the other hand, even though Floating Mountain was a Sealed World as well, it was closely connected to the Star Boundary; therefore, it wasn’t as independent as the Small Sealed World.
After Yang Kai reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm in the past, he realised that, given his mastery of Space Principles, he was also able to create a storage artifact that resembled the Sealed World Bead; however, he didn’t have the time to run an experiment as he had been held up by many different affairs.
However, he had never expected that Li Wu Yi had the same idea, and the latter had actually carried it out. This Floating Mountain was the manifestation and result of his mastery of Space Principles. At that instant, Yang Kai could confirm that his idea was feasible.
He could barely contain his excitement as he had the urge to create something like the Sealed World Bead or the Floating Mountain. After he was done with having a look at the mountain, he waved his hand at Li Wu Yi, who got his hint and pointed at him again. The next moment, Yang Kai appeared in the Small Sealed World again.
Before Yang Kai could compliment him, Li Wu Yi appeared to be puzzled as he asked, “How did you come up with the idea of consuming the continents in the Demon Realm using your Sealed World Bead? How do you achieve it?”
He didn’t understand it exactly because he had created Floating Mountain. Theoretically, Floating Mountain and the Sealed World Bead were similar treasures. Whatever the Sealed World Bead could do, Floating Mountain should be able to achieve as well. Likewise, whatever Floating Mountain couldn’t do, the Sealed World Bead was supposedly unable to also.
However, the truth was that Sealed World Bead had achieved something that Floating Mountain couldn’t, which was devouring and integrating outside continents. The idea had never even crossed Li Wu Yi’s mind before.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “In the past, I got into a conflict with someone in a Lower Star Field. That guy wanted to annex my Star Field, so I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. As for how I did it…” He fell silent for a moment, then put on a serious expression, “It’s because of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
The three Great Emperors turned to look at him in unison.
Mo Huang said grimly, “Brat, are you telling me that you’ve really cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law?”
A few years ago, Iron Blood Great Emperor crusaded against Yang Kai in Tiger Roar City using the excuse of him cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. He put on a show to force Yang Kai to go through ‘demonification’ and flee from the Star Boundary; however, at that time, the Embodiment was the one accused by Zhan Wu Hen for cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. It would be a very different case if Yang Kai had actually cultivated the Secret Art.
Yang Kai shook his head and explained, “The Heaven Devouring Battle Law is able to devour Heaven and Earth, and its power is inscrutable. This Junior would never have the courage to cultivate such a wicked Secret Art. The one who has cultivated this Secret Art is my Embodiment. His physique is unique as he’s a Stone Spirit, so this Secret Art is compatible with him. Since he’s mastered the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, it means that I’ve also grasped it. With the Sealed World Bead as the medium, I used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and then it became able to devour and integrate external pieces of land.”
Yang Kai had explained himself, and everyone understood him. However, no one could really grasp the crux of the matter besides himself.
Why was the Heaven Devouring Battle Law compatible with Sealed World Bead? Perhaps even Wu Kuang, who had created the Secret Art, couldn’t give an explanation.
Li Wu Yi shook his head and broke into laughter, “In that case, my Floating Mountain will never be able to do that.”
He had wanted to recreate the Floating Mountain if the idea was feasible; however, since the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was the reason behind the Sealed World Bead’s devouring ability, he could only give up that idea. No matter how bold he was, he would never dare to cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was staring at the Floating Mountain with gleaming eyes. His behaviour was that of a gourmand who had come across rare delicacies, or a lecher who had bumped into a beautiful woman.
“How big is this territory?” Zhan Wu Hen asked.
“As large as the continents that have been devoured,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
Zhan Wu Hen fell silent for a moment before asking, “If all the Demons migrate to this place, will you be able to restrict them?”
Yang Kai grinned, “I’m the ruler of this place, and I can determine everyone’s life or death…”
He paused for a moment, “En, those who aren’t Demon Saints,” he added.
Judging from the World Principles in this expanded territory in the Small Sealed World, that was indeed the case; however, after he gobbled up the entire Demon Realm and perfected its Principles, the circumstances might change.
…..
One hour later, all of them left the Small Sealed World. Yang Kai had also released Flower Shadow Great Emperor and Li Shi Qing together. What was worth mentioning was that Li Shi Qing had thanked Yang Kai, but her expression looked somewhat conflicted.
At that time, she tried to assassinate Yang Kai when she had no idea what had really transpired. Although she eventually found out the truth, it was an undeniable fact that Yang Kai had killed Bright Moon; hence, she didn’t know how she should face him. On one hand, they were the only Humans in the Demon Realm at that time, so they had to rely on each other. On the other hand, she was a Human from the Star Boundary, so she couldn’t forgive Yang Kai for killing Bright Moon.
Just now, she had a long chat with her Honoured Master and was able to untie the knot in her heart somehow. It wasn’t until now she realised that after Bright Moon Great Emperor was trapped in the Demon Realm, the Great Emperors had already expected that he would lose his life. The reason Yang Kai headed to the Demon Realm was to make a last attempt to rescue Bright Moon. Even if he couldn’t achieve it, he had to at least meet up with him. Bright Moon would certainly understand the plan of his fellow Great Emperors, and in the end, the worst really happened. Before Bright Moon passed away though, he transferred the Star Boundary’s Will to Yang Kai, thus giving him the Great Emperor’s Opportunity.
As for what situation Yang Kai would fall into after obtaining the opportunity, Bright Moon was no longer able to worry about it. It could be said that before his death, he felt guilty for what Yang Kai would have to go through.
Despite knowing that Yang Kai might get killed alongside him, Bright Moon had no other choice but to act so. At that time, there was no one else apart from Yang Kai to whom he could entrust the opportunity to.
“Seniors, that’s how things are currently. Have you made a decision?” Yang Kai stared at the Great Emperors and asked.
Zhan Wu Hen replied, “You don’t have to worry about Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian. We’ll personally have a discussion with them.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was elated, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Zhan Wu Hen didn’t make himself clear, but since there was going to be a discussion, it meant that they had basically agreed to the Demon Saints’ proposal. The Demon Saints would try their best to subdue the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary, and they would not oppose the Humans. After all the problems in the Star Boundary were settled, they would launch an attack on the Demon Realm, and these Demons might even become a force they could make use of.
That realization didn’t only dawn upon Yang Kai, but also the Great Emperors. The fates of the Demon Saints had been intertwined with that of Yang Kai. As all their continents had been devoured, there was no turning back for them. Besides cooperating with Yang Kai, they had no other choice.
Mo Huang said, “You have to sort out your own issues first.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “Junior is willing to accept his punishment.”
Mo Huang shook his head, “I haven’t even explained what I mean yet. Why do you assume you will be punished?”
Yang Kai asked, “Are you not talking about what happened to Senior Bright Moon?”
Mo Huang shook his head and extended his hand, after which Yang Kai immediately felt an irresistible force that dragged him towards Mo Huang. The Demon Qi in his body instinctively undulated, but he soon put his guard down. That was because when confronted by a Great Emperor, it was pointless for him to resist; moreover, he believed that Mo Huang wouldn’t harm him.
The next moment, Mo Huang clapped his hand on Yang Kai’s shoulder. At the same time, Zhan Wu Hen clenched Yang Kai’s other shoulder. The two Great Emperors traded glances, after which they pushed their Emperor Qi.
Yang Kai immediately felt that two majestic, yet gentle forces penetrate his body from both sides. The two forces wandered around his body for a short moment before withdrawing.
Zhan Wu Hen and Mo Huang frowned as they were puzzled.
It was then Yang Kai realised what they intended. It was about the fact that he had gone through demonification. Apparently, the two Great Emperors had used their Emperor Qi to thoroughly inspect his body.
Upon that realization, he quickly said, “Seniors, please allow me to explain…”
He never intended to hide the fact from the Great Emperors; otherwise, he wouldn’t have activated his Demon Qi in front of them previously.
“Stop talking!” Zhan Wu Hen shot him a glare.
In response, Yang Kai obediently kept his mouth shut.
At the same time, Mo Huang suddenly shouted. Upon hearing that, Yang Kai felt as though countless beasts had roared at him, which caused him to feel dizzy. While he was in a dazed state, two streams of Divine Sense penetrated his Knowledge Sea together.
In just a short moment, they left Yang Kai’s mind.
When Yang Kai managed to pull himself together, Mo Huang and Zhan Wu Hen had retracted their Divine Senses as they gaped at Yang Kai as though he was a monster.
Yang Kai put on a hollow laugh, “Seniors, just like what you’ve seen, even though I have Demon Qi, and that I seem to have become a Demon, I’m actually fine.”
Certainly, Mo Huang and Zhan Wu Hen had seen that Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar was protected by the Soul Warming Lotus.
The look on the faces of Zhan Wu Hen and Mo Huang shocked Flower Shadow and Serene Soul Great Emperor. As Great Emperors themselves, they knew that Zhan Wu Hen and Mo Huang must have seen something inconceivable; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sported this kind of expression.
Furthermore, Hua Ling Long and Yao Jun had detected the fluctuations of Divine Sense from the other two Great Emperors, so they realised that something must be wrong with Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. However, what was so strange that it was enough to shock the two Great Emperors?
Although Hua Ling Long was curious, she didn’t ask about it. On the other hand, Yao Jun directly questioned, “What did you see?”
His title was Serene Soul, so just like Yu Ru Meng, he was an expert regarding Soul cultivation. Since something was wrong with Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, naturally, he was concerned.
Zhan Wu Hen and Mo Huang didn’t reply to him. It was fine that they had seen the Soul Warming Lotus; however, if Yao Jun found out about it, he would want to conduct a more thorough examination. Given the fact that he was a Great Emperor, he wouldn’t try to snatch it from Yang Kai. Nevertheless, if he wanted to borrow it for some time, Yang Kai would be put in a tight spot.
Hence, Zhan Wu Hen and Mo Huang tacitly kept it a secret. Mo Huang had even spoken to Yang Kai sneakily via Divine Sense, “Don’t let Yao Jun see what you possess. Otherwise, you’ll be in trouble.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly and decided that he would never spend time with Yao Jun alone.
At this point, Yang Kai had explained everything about the Demon Realm, and he had also brought back a glimmer of hope to end the Two Worlds’ Great War, which helped subside the sorrow of Bright Moon’s death slightly.
Zhan Wu Hen said, “Since the connection between the two worlds has been cut off, and the Demon Saints will take the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary under their wings, it seems that we’ll finally have some peace. However, when the seal is broken, the final battle between the two worlds will undoubtedly commence. Yang Kai, you’ll be the one who will devour and integrate the continents in the Demon Realm, so during this period of time, you have to take a proper rest. It would be best if you can achieve a breakthrough in your cultivation, but even if you can’t, you still have to increase your strength as much as possible so that you can protect yourself!”
“Junior understands.” Yang Kai nodded, “I happen to have some matters to attend to.”
Upon finishing his words, he fished out a Space Beacon and placed it on both palms, “Please keep this.”
Zhan Wu Hen shot him a look before taking the Space Beacon without saying a word.
All of a sudden, two gentle claps were heard. It was Hua Ling Long who did it. After that, a person entered the hall from outside.
Yang Kai turned around and realised that the person was the Great Elder from Star Soul Palace, Lei Hong. It wasn’t certain how long he had been waiting outside as he only came in after he was summoned.
As their eyes met, Lei Hong nodded at Yang Kai and walked up to him. Then, he saluted the Great Emperors before turning to look at Yang Kai.
Everyone in the hall fell silent. Despite that, Yang Kai understood the reason Lei Hong was here.
After a gentle sigh, lifted both hands and made his palms face up. As a thought flashed across his mind, Bright Moon Great Emperor’s corpse appeared in his arms.
After Bright Moon’s death, Yang Kai had placed his body inside the medicine garden. Yang Kai had concealed the injury on Bright Moon’s chest and helped him change into new clothes. With the nourishment from the precious flowers in the medicine garden, Bright Moon still appeared serene, as though he had only fallen asleep.
The Great Emperors turned to look at the corpse with sorrowful expressions. With his eyes turning bloodshot, Lei Hong trembled uncontrollably and said in a shaking voice, “Welcome back, Great Emperor!”
As he spoke, he fell to his knees, lowered his head, and extended his arms.
He didn’t kneel to Yang Kai but to Bright Moon’s corpse, so Yang Kai couldn’t salute him back. After solemnly placing Bright Moon into Lei Hong’s arms, Yang Kai said in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry!”
Lei Hong shook his head and got to his feet with the Great Emperor in his arms.
Yang Kai went on to speak, “I’ve not touched the Great Emperor’s belongings. Elder Lei, after you go back, please carefully go through them with the other Elders.”
After a nod, Lei Hong replied, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”
An embarrassed Yang Kai shook his head with a helpless smile, then he asked, “How is… her Royal Highness?”
“She’s in a terrible state,” Lei Hong put on a bitter smile. After the fall of the Great Emperor, a phenomenon had manifested across the Star Boundary’s sky, as if the entire world had been engulfed in sorrow. As the Great Emperor’s daughter, Lan Xun immediately realised what had happened, after which she passed out on the spot.
Emperor Realm Masters would normally never fall sick, but after the incident, Lan Xun became ill. Despite the fact that there were countless elixirs in Star Soul Palace, she still couldn’t recover even after consuming them. At this moment, she was still recuperating in her palace.
However, Lei Hong wasn’t in any place to reveal too much information to Yang Kai, so he only said, “Palace Master Yang, please visit Star Soul Palace when you’re free. Maybe you’ll be able to cheer her up.”
Certainly, Yang Kai was too embarrassed to face Lan Xun. When they were in Heaven’s Spying Valley in the past, even though he didn’t promise her anything, he was her only hope. Now that he had failed in his attempt to save Bright Moon, he felt extremely guilty.
Regardless of how embarrassed or how guilty he felt though, he still had to visit Star Soul Palace. Even if Lei Hong never told him to do so, he would still go over; thus, he nodded, “En. I’ll visit her sometime later.”
“I’ll take my leave now,” Lei Hong appeared grateful. After saluting the Great Emperors, he left the place with Bright Moon’s corpse.
After he was left, Zhan Wu Hen waved his hand. There was a tired look on his face, “You can leave as well.”
Yang Kai lifted his head to look at him, “Are you not going to punish this Junior anymore?”
Zhan Wu Hen said impassively, “If you’re so eager to get punished, I can grant your wish.”
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai shook his head and cupped his fists at the Great Emperors. Then, he attempted to leave.
To his surprise though, he couldn’t immediately withdraw as a barrier around the hall seemed to have sealed off this space, rendering his Space Secret Technique useless.
Looking up, he realised that Hua Ling Long was grinning at him. Since he couldn’t use Instantaneous Movement, he had no other choice but to leave the normal way, by walking. Fine with this, he turned around, only to hear someone calling out to him, “Senior Brother Yang…”
Yang Kai whirled around and flashed a smile at Li Shi Qing, “What’s wrong, Junior Sister?”
It was the first time Li Shi Qing called him ‘Senior Brother’. In a small voice, she said, “Please do not make things difficult for those living on the peaks…”
Without knowing any context, the Great Emperors couldn’t understand her. Nevertheless, Yang Kai certainly knew what she was talking about. She didn’t want him to make things difficult for Huo Lun and Mo Sheng, who were still living on the peaks that were arrayed like a triangle. During this period of time, she had been in frequent contact with those Demon Kings, and she had been on good terms with them. Now that she was released from the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai, only Huo Lun and Mo Sheng were left inside, and their life or death was determined by Yang Kai. Certainly, she wanted them to be safe.
Since it was no big deal, Yang Kai gave a nod, “Junior Sister need not worry.”
Then, he turned around and shuffled out of the hall, after which the door behind him slowly closed. It seemed that the Great Emperors still had other issues to discuss. Yang Kai let out a breath and looked up at the sky, only to see that the sky was filled with seven coloured light. It was a natural phenomenon rather than the result of any artificial array. There seemed to be something else behind the seven-coloured lights.
Yang Kai immediately realised that he was in Seven Mists Sea, which Fan Xin had mentioned before. This was the headquarters of all fifty-four army groups that comprised the forces from all four territories of the Star Boundary.
He wasn’t really surprised by this realization, but he was intrigued by the seven-coloured lights.
Just when he was examining the sky, he suddenly felt something as he turned his head to the side, only to see a young figure flashing a sweet smile at him in the corner. She had tied her hair into more than ten ponytails, so she looked rather quirky.
When their eyes met, she even waved her hand at him.
Yang Kai put on a gentle smile and shuffled towards the young girl. Pleasantly surprised, he asked, “Did you come here with your Master?”
The person standing in front of him was none other than Lin Yun’er, whom he hadn’t met for a long time. Some years ago, the two had reunited in the Western Territory after separating on Shadowed Star. At that time, Yang Kai had wanted to send her to High Heaven Palace, but during the transfer process, she mysteriously went missing. After looking into the matter, Yang Kai realised that a top Master must have destroyed the Space Array in the Western Territory that he had spent a lot of effort building, which stopped Lin Yun’er from being transferred.
He speculated that it was Iron Blood Great Emperor’s doing, and he was proven right later. As a Great Emperor, he was indeed a little shameless for doing such a thing in secret.
Twenty years had passed since then. The young girl still looked as lively as she was back then. However, the speed at which her cultivation had grown shocked Yang Kai.
Lin Yun’er was already in the Third-Order Emperor Realm! Furthermore, it appeared that she had reached this realm some time ago as cultivation was completely consolidated.
At that instant, Yang Kai was astounded as he thought that it was truly a blessing to have a good Honoured Master. When Yang Yan brought Lin Yun’er away from Heng Luo Star Field in the past, the young girl’s cultivation was still quite weak. Now, the speed at which she improved was quicker than that of Yang Kai.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Lin Yun’er leaned close to him and took a sniff of him.
Yang Kai burst into laughter and knocked on her forehead, “Are you a puppy? Why are you sniffing me?”
Covering her head with her hands, Lin Yun’er pouted, “Uncle, your body smells of another woman’s fragrance.”
The way she addressed him was amiable, but what she had said was pretty embarrassing for Yang Kai. He had parted with Yu Ru Meng for a few days, so her fragrance should have faded. How was Lin Yun’er able to catch a whiff of it?
With a gentle smile, he said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“It’s not nonsense.” Lin Yun’er snorted, “My Master always says that I have the nose of a dog, so I can detect even the faintest scent.”
Upon finishing her words, she inched closer and sniffed him again with her eyes closed.
Not daring to let her keep doing this, Yang Kai poked her forehead with one finger to push her away, then he said after a sigh, “Did you look for me just to take a whiff of the scent on my body?”
Lin Yun’er was startled for a moment before she recalled something. Then, she chuckled and wrapped her arms around Yang Kai’s before dragging him in a particular direction.
An embarrassed Yang Kai warned, “Use your words Yun’er, what you’re doing right now is highly improper.”
The young girl had already grown into a young woman, so the peaks and valleys of her figure were all well defined. With her clinging so close, Yang Kai could feel an amazing elasticity on his arm.
That would be fine if that was all it was; however, he could clearly feel that a murderous Divine Sense had locked onto him.
Without even the need to think about it, he knew that it must be Zhan Wu Hen’s. What he didn’t understand was that, as a Great Emperor, why would Zhan Wu Hen be so distrustful of him as though he was a thief? In the past, he had even destroyed the Space Array so that Lin Yun’er couldn’t follow Yang Kai back to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. Now that he was having a discussion with the other Great Emperors, he still made sure that Yang Kai knew he was keeping a close eye on him.
Although Yang Kai’s Soul was powerful, he was still no match for the Great Emperors. Given Zhan Wu Hen’s capability, it was a piece of cake for him to watch over Yang Kai without letting the latter know; however, he intentionally released a bit of his aura for Yang Kai to detect it. His message was clear, ‘Boy, I’m watching you!’
He wasn’t willing to restrict what his treasured Disciple did, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t give Yang Kai a warning.
While Yang Kai was being dragged forward by Lin Yun’er, he felt as though a sharp object was hovering behind his back.
On the way to their destination, they came across many people who were in a hurry. Apparently, they were the cultivators that had been stationed in Seven Mists Sea. Whoever they were, they would always salute Lin Yun’er with a smile. It seemed that they all knew who she was.
It wasn’t until they reached a hall that Lin Yun’er released him, and then she pointed at the hall with a smile.
It seemed that they had reached their destination. Yang Kai wasn’t sure why she had brought him to this place, but before he got in, he could already catch a whiff of the aroma of meat. The scent was inexplicably pleasant. He was already an Emperor Realm Master, so he didn’t need to eat anything, but he still drooled over the aroma that was coming from that place.
The aroma spread around the area as the people around the place looked curiously at the hall. They licked their lips as they appeared to be hungry.
Then, Lin Yun’er pushed the door open and pulled Yang Kai into it.
It was basically empty inside the hall as there wasn’t much decoration. In the middle of the hall, a huge black wok-shaped pot had been set up. It wasn’t certain what was inside the pot, but bubbles kept forming on it as vapour could be seen billowing out. The firewood beneath the pot was burning and crackling.
Beside the black pot, an alluring woman, who was clad in all red clothes, was scooping some soup out of the pot with a spoon before slurping it up. The soup appeared to be scalding hot, but the beautiful woman didn’t mind as she took a few sips before putting down the spoon. Then, she flashed a smile at Yang Kai, who had followed Lin Yun’er into the hall, and she parted her lips that looked like rubies, “You’re in for a treat! You Little Brat!”
Yang Kai walked up to her and saluted her, “Greetings, Senior Jiu Feng!”
The person sitting beside the black pot was none other than Jiu Feng of Spirit Beast Island. She was much older than Yang Kai, and she was from the same generation as Li Wu Yi, so Mo Xiao Qi had to call her ‘Aunty Feng’. Moreover, Liu Yan had received her guidance, so she could be considered her Disciple in a way. That was why Yang Kai had always treated her like his own Senior.
Jiu Feng was an extremely charming lady, but at this moment, she stopped caring whether she’d look elegant as she sat down with her legs crossed beside a black pot. It wasn’t certain what kind of meat was being boiled. As soon as Yang Kai entered the hall, he saw the stark contrast between a beautiful woman in red clothes and a black pot.
The firewood and the fire itself were ordinary, but the pot was extraordinary. The name of the pot was Unlimited Return, which was a treasure that Iron Blood Great Emperor had obtained in the past. It was famous across the Star Boundary. Although it wasn’t as ancient as the Mountains and Rivers Bell, its power was comparable to that of the latter. Both treasures had their own merits.
Lin Yun’er was Zhan Wu Hen’s only Disciple, so he would share all his treasures with her. Unlimited Return was given to her by Zhan Wu Hen to protect herself, but the young girl had always treated it as a pot for cooking rice or meat. Yang Kai already had a taste of its raft more than twenty years ago.
Lin Yun’er’s status was extraordinary as she was a Great Emperor’s Disciple. There were only a small number of such Disciples in the entire the Star Boundary. With Zhan Wu Hen behind her, it could be said that she could walk sideways around the entire Star Boundary, and no one would dare to offend her.
The young girl was very hardworking though, and her Tyrant Strength Body was compatible with the Great Emperor’s Iron Blood Record, which was why she was able to reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm in just several dozen years, even quicker than Yang Kai.
It was because of this Secret Art that her appetite had become truly astounding as well. Fortunately, Lin Yun’er could just throw anything she could find into the pot, and without any seasonings, she was able to cook a pot of delicacies.
At this moment, some kind of meat was being boiled in Unlimited Return as bubbles were constantly formed. The soup appeared to be thick, and the aroma of meat permeated the place.
While Yang Kai politely saluted Jiu Feng, Lin Yun’er had already rushed over to the pot and looked into it. As she smacked her lips, she said, “Is it ready?”
As she spoke, she even sucked her saliva back in. Instead of behaving like a Great Emperor’s Disciple, she looked more like someone who hadn’t eaten anything for several dozen years.
“I’ll check,” Jiu Feng replied as she took out a big piece of meat with her hand and then devoured it in a short moment.
Lin Yun’er stared at her as expectation was written all over her face. Jiu Feng went on to take out more pieces of meat from the pot while Lin Yun’er kept gulping.
After a sigh, Yang Kai said, “Yun’er, if you don’t dig in, all the meat will be gone soon.”
Lin Yun’er’s expression changed when she heard that. Hesitating no more, she directly snuck her hands into the pot and fished out a huge thigh before taking a bite. Then, she suddenly stopped what she was doing, and suppressing her hunger, she passed the thigh to Yang Kai.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai walked over and rolled up his sleeves, “I can serve myself.”
Following that, the trio sat around the black pot, devouring their food.
More than twenty years ago, Yang Kai had already had a taste of the food that was cooked using Unlimited Return. He felt that the food was supposed to belong to the Heavens, and nothing else in the world was comparable to it. After having a taste again on this day, he still felt the same way.
He even suspected that this treasure was actually created to cook meat; otherwise, why would everything that came out of this pot be so delicious when no seasonings or technique were used at all in its preparation? The person who made this pot must be an excellent foodie like Lin Yun’er.
“Boy, delicious food is to be savoured, not stuffed down, and you should show some respect for your Elders.” Jiu Feng shot him a look and lectured him while her lips were covered in grease from all the eating.
Without lifting his head, Yang Kai spoke in a muffled voice as he was still chewing his food, “Although I call you Senior, you’re not old at all. Instead, you’re still in your prime. Senior, please don’t belittle yourself by saying such things.”
The food that came out of Unlimited Return was truly remarkable. The meat was tender while not being greasy. It seemed to melt in his mouth as soon as it came into contact with his tongue. More importantly, all the essence in the meat was released upon chewing. Rather than just being meat, it was a very nourishing tonic that was useful for the eater’s cultivation.
“You’re as smooth-talking as ever,” Jiu Feng snorted and waved her hand, after which a jar of wine suddenly appeared and shot towards Yang Kai.
After taking it, Yang Kai opened the lid with his thumb. Upon taking a whiff of the wine, he became energised as he knew that it must be very valuable, and difficult to find.
Then, he took a gulp of it and went on to eat some meat, feeling content.
An envious Lin Yun’er could be seen with her eyes gleaming, then she said to Jiu Feng, “Aunty Feng, I want to drink as well!”
Without lifting her head, Jiu Feng waved her hand, “A child shouldn’t drink wine. Get some soup instead!”
Lin Yun’er pouted with an aggrieved expression.
Just then, a burly Dao Source Realm Master entered the place without invitation. His aura was ferocious, his figure towering, and his face scar ridden. It was apparent that he must have gone through countless life-or-death battles.
However, at this moment, this towering man bowed and appeared obsequious. With a bowl in his hands, he walked up to them and licked his lips, “Seniors, we happened to notice you were eating meat, so we were hoping you would bless us with a little soup.”
Lin Yun’er and Jiu Feng seemed to have gotten used to this kind of display, so while Lin Yun’er didn’t even bother to lift her hand as she was focused on devouring the meat in the pot, Jiu Feng waved her hand and said, “Help yourself.”
“Many thanks, Senior Jiu Feng! May your life be long and your cultivation soar to untold heights!” He awkwardly flattered Jiu Feng before he turned around.
“Come in boys! Senior Jiu Feng has allowed us to drink some soup!” He yelled.
Right then, more than a hundred people shuffled into the hall with big bowls in their hands. Upon entering the place, they all appeared subservient as they fawned over the ladies, which caused Yang Kai to be dumbfounded.
Although there were many people, they were well organised into a single-file line. After every one of them filled up their bowl with some soup, they would compliment the ladies and then joyfully walk out of the hall to enjoy their meal.
The Unlimited Return in front of them appeared just slightly larger than an ordinary pot. Theoretically, it couldn’t possibly contain so much soup. However, the reality was that the three of them had actually devoured more than fifty ordinary people’s worth of food. After one hundred people filled up the bowls with the soup, it barely looked like anything had even been taken out.
Hence, it was apparent that the space inside the pot was far larger than it appeared.
Both the meat and the soup contained immense power, so those without high enough cultivation couldn’t possibly enjoy such the richest of delicacies, which was why those cultivators only asked for the soup, not the meat. It wasn’t that Jiu Feng and Lin Yun’er were stingy, but rather that these people weren’t strong enough to stomach it.
They went on to spend half a day eating the food. Lin Yun’er was the first one who couldn’t take it anymore as she suddenly rolled her eyes and fell backwards.
Just when the shocked Yang Kai wanted to check on her, Jiu Feng said, “Ignore her. This little girl really doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, always eating beyond her limits, which is why she ends up like this. She never learns her lesson.”
“Will she be alright?” Yang Kai was worried as he could see that Lin Yun’er’s belly was bulging, and sounds that resembled thunder could be heard coming from her stomach. It wasn’t that she was suffering from food poison; rather, it seemed her Secret Art was circulating on its own and refining the food.
“You think anything can happen to her here?” Jiu Feng pressed her lips together.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that she was right. Zhan Wu Hen was in the Seven Mists Sea now. Although he had stopped locking his Divine Sense onto Yang Kai, he must still be paying attention to what was going on in this place. Given how much he treasured Lin Yun’er, if anything really happened to her, he would have immediately appeared.
Since Zhan Wu Hen didn’t show up, it meant that she must be safe. After setting his mind at ease, Yang Kai continued devouring the food.
One day later, Lin Yun’er regained consciousness and immediately began to gobble up more food.
On the other hand, an amazed Jiu Feng sized Yang Kai up. Both Lin Yun’er and Yang Kai were Third-Order Emperors, with Lin Yun’er having a Special Constitution. Comparatively, Yang Kai had just reached this realm, but he still seemed fine after a long, non-stop feast. Nevertheless, Lin Yun’er had to take a break earlier.
Hence, it was apparent that even though Lin Yun’er’s cultivation increased quicker than that of Yang Kai, she was still no match for him when it came to background.
However, Jiu Feng soon understood the reason behind it was that Yang Kai had cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. With this Secret Art, he was able to transform into a three-hundred-metre-long Dragon, so he was able to eat a lot more than a little girl. Although Yang Kai hadn’t used the Secret Art, he was fundamentally a Half-Dragon.
A long time later, all three of them lay on the cold floor in the hall as they stroked their own bellies with contented expressions on their faces. The black pot was empty, with not even a single drop of soup remaining.
Jiu Feng suddenly said, “Brat, the Great Emperors had already expected you to bring back Senior Bright Moon’s corpse when they told you to go to the Demon Realm. Senior Heavens Revelations had also predicted that Senior Bright Moon would lose his life in the Demon Realm, so you don’t have to blame yourself. He’s already dead, and you’ve inherited his will, so you should hold your head high and push forward. Only by doing so will you not disappoint his sacrifice.”
“Junior will take Senior’s teachings to heart.”
Jiu Feng laughed and rebuked, “What teachings? It’s up to you whether you’ll get over his death. Since you’ve obtained the opportunity, you mustn’t waste it; otherwise, you’re only letting yourself down.”
Yang Kai nodded gently and asked, “How is Junior Sister Xiao Qi now?’
Jiu Feng replied, “The world has descended into chaos, and Senior Martial Beast doesn’t want her to wander around, so he’s told her to cultivate in seclusion on Spirit Beast Island. Her aptitude is pretty remarkable, but she just can’t sit still and always wants to run around and play. If she’s able to finish this secluded retreat though, her power will increase significantly. You have to work harder. Otherwise, Xiao Qi might even surpass you.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I will.”
Upon finishing his words, he got to his feet and stretched his back as his bones cracked. His eyes appeared to be bright.
Lin Yun’er stood up as well and batted her eyes as she stared at Yang Kai, who patted her head and said, “Thanks, Yun’er.”
His terrible mood became better after all the eating. The fog before his eyes seemed to have dispersed, and the road ahead of him became clearer.
Lin Yun’er shook her head as she had done nothing apart from treating him to a meal.
“Take care of yourself,” Yang Kai said to her, then he turned to Jiu Feng. “Senior, thanks for your consolation. I’ll take my leave now.”
Jiu Feng had her eyes half-closed. She didn’t move a muscle, as though she ignored him.
Yang Kai turned around and shuffled towards the door. After opening it, he realised that someone was waiting for him outside.
A shocked Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists, “Senior.”
Li Wu Yi flashed a smile at him and took his wrist before stuffing something into his hand.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai raised his brow, “Senior, this…”
“It’s not for you. It’s the first treasure I’ve spent twenty years refining, so I will never give it away. I’ll lend it to you for a while, so remember to return it to me when you’re done with it. Moreover, you already have the Sealed World Bead, so you probably have no interest in this thing.” Li Wu Yi put on a smile, “I’ve erased all the barriers, so you just have to refine it a little to use it.”
The thing given by Li Wu Yi was Floating Mountain. If it were something else, Yang Kai wouldn’t have paid attention to it, but he was really interested in this tiny mountain range. Without being overly polite, he took it and thanked him.
Li Wu Yi nodded and then gave Yang Kai a jade slip. Before Yang Kai could say anything, he waved his hand and said, “I’m busy with work, so I cannot keep chatting with you. You’ve just returned to the Star Boundary, so I’m sure you have many things to attend to. Go on and attend to your own matters.”
Upon finishing his words, he took a step forward and disappeared.
Yang Kai gripped the jade slip and probed it with his Divine Sense. Then, he appeared elated as this was something he really needed right now. Li Wu Yi must have seen through his mind; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come all the way here to pass him these two items.
After carefully storing the jade slip and Floating Mountain, Yang Kai grinned in silence. Then, as he looked up at the magnificence of the seven-coloured lights, filled with happiness as he thought that the Star Boundary was truly a wonderful place!
In this world, there were his beloved friends and amiable Seniors. There were also his family members and Sect members who missed him.
At the thought of his family, Yang Kai couldn’t wait to return to High Heaven Palace. At that instant, he activated his Space Secret Technique and connected it to the Space Beacon closest to Su Yan.
However, he realised that he couldn’t do this as the connection had been cut off.
Jiu Feng got to her feet and languidly leaned against the door frame before staring at him with a dismissive look on her face, “Are you a fool or what? High Heaven Palace has been sealed off for years, and they have opened their array to isolate the space around the Sect. How would a Space Beacon be useful at all?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai finally understood the reason his attempt just now failed. With the Sect Defending Array to seal off space, he couldn’t go home using a Space Beacon. Thus, he cupped his fists and said, “Senior, can you tell me where the nearest Space Array is?”
“There’s one in Seven Mists Sea. It’s over there.” Upon finishing her words, Jiu Feng pointed in a direction and then tossed something to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it and realised that it was a dark token with the character ‘You’ on it. Although he had no idea what the character represented, he could guess that it must be a proof of identity; after all, Space Arrays were normally heavily guarded. Without this proof of identity, he couldn’t even go near it.
After storing the token, he followed the direction Jiu Feng pointed and flew over.
At that moment, he couldn’t wait to go home any longer. He had only spent a few years in the Demon Realm, so it was considered a short time. In the past, he had even left home for more than a few decades on several occasions, but he had never felt as eager to return home as this time.
That was because it was peaceful in the Star Boundary in the past, but now, the two Great Worlds were at war.
Despite knowing that High Heaven Palace had sealed off its gates for a long time, and that they had never participated in the Two Worlds’ Great War, Yang Kai was still worried. Finally, he was able to go home!
Seven Mists Sea was expansive, but Yang Kai’s speed was incredible. After scanning the area with his Divine Sense, he soon located the Space Array. As expected, it was heavily guarded. There were more than ten Emperor Realm Masters, and Yang Kai could sense that there was a Pseudo-Great Emperor nearby.
As soon as he reached a spot that was a thousand metres away from the Space Array, several dozen auras targeted him.
Nevertheless, with the token given by Jiu Feng, no one made things difficult for him. Standing in front of the array, Yang Kai passed the token to someone to have his identity verified, then he was allowed to go.
As a glint flashed across the Space Array, Yang Kai disappeared from the spot. A flash of light later, Yang Kai could feel a very familiar aura and scent. Inside High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, he abruptly appeared.
Seeing that, the Disciples, who were meditating around the area, quickly moved forward. Just when they wanted to ask who the visitor was, they saw Yang Kai’s face and fell into a dazed state.
A woman among them even exclaimed, “Palace Master?”
Yang Kai turned his head to grin at her and revealed his white teeth, “Oh, it’s Little Ye.”
The woman was Ye Jing Han, daughter of Ye Hen, the former Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect in the Southern Territory. After Thousand Leaves Sect merged with High Heaven Palace, their hundreds of disciples had also joined the latter. Ye Jing Han was familiar with Yang Kai, so she could immediately recognise him.
At that instant, the hall broke into a commotion as the disciples became agitated and surrounded him. Then, they cupped their fists and bowed, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
Although they were saluting him, they were staring at him with gazes that were filled with pleasant surprise. That was because he had returned abruptly, so no one could have expected that.
As Yang Kai scanned the young faces that he might or might not be familiar with, he put on a heartfelt smile and lifted his hand, “We’re all one family, so you don’t have to be overly polite to me.”
All of them straightened up, but the next moment, Ye Jing Han, whose face had reddened because she was agitated, had her expression change as she turned around and said to the other disciples, “The fact that Palace Master has returned is a top secret. If anyone dares to reveal this, he will be considered a traitor to High Heaven Palace. I do not dare to speak on behalf of the others, but I’ll never let the traitor off, no matter where he may flee.”
Yang Kai was still considered a renegade, a traitor to the Star Boundary. A few years ago, he had sided with the Demon Realm after an intense battle with Iron Blood Great Emperor in Tiger Roar City. Fortunately, he managed to escape from death’s door. Then, he was hunted down by Li Wu Yi until ultimately he fled to the Demon Realm. If word got out that he had returned to the palace, countless cultivators would come over to kill him.
Understanding the severity of the matter, the disciples nodded solemnly and swore to her by saying, “We shall take this secret to our graves.”
“It’s nothing so serious,” Yang Kai burst into laughter before he took a deep breath and shouted. “I am back!”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was able to reach every corner of High Heaven Palace, like he was speaking directly into everyone’s ears.
A myriad of expressions came over Ye Jing Han as she almost teared up, “Palace Master, there are outsiders in the palace!”
It would be fine if there were only their own disciples in the palace. Ninety-nine percent of the disciples of High Heaven Palace were brought over from the Lower Star Field by Yang Kai. There were also disciples from Thousand Leaves Sect and the Qin and Zhang Families of Maplewood City. They were closely related to Yang Kai, so despite the fact that he had gone through demonification, they would never betray him, or do anything to harm High Heaven Palace.
However, High Heaven Palace was now the logistics centre for the entire Star Boundary. Every single day, there were a large number of pills and artifacts produced here and then sent to the frontline. Many Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and assistants from all four territories had gathered together here.
Presently, there were more than twenty-thousand outsiders at the very least.
After Yang Kai shouted, there was no way the fact that he had returned could be concealed. Soon, everyone would find out about it, and he would be in trouble.
While Ye Jing Han was flustered, Yang Kai remained calm and collected. Tilting his head, he said with a smile, “Listen.”
[Listen? To what?] She couldn’t hear anything.
In fact, there were still some noises in High Heaven Palace earlier, but after Yang Kai shouted, the entire palace fell into silence. The next moment, everyone in the palace became agitated.
In a secret room on High Heaven Peak, a woman, who was clad in all-white clothes, opened her alluring eyes that were filled with excitement. Jumping up, she flung open the doors to her room. Before the door even completely opened, she shot out of the room.
Right after she left High Heaven Peak, she bumped into a woman with a curvy figure and fiery red hair. The two ladies stopped in mid-air and traded glances before Zhu Qing asked, “Was that… his voice?”
Her own voice was slightly shaking, as though she couldn’t believe it.
Su Yan nodded gently and flashed a smile at her. She was a lady that was as cold as ice, but at this moment, her smile seemed to have made all the colours of the world fade, leaving only the smile on her face to remain bright, “He’s back.”
Unlike how uncertain Zhu Qing was, Su Yan and Yang Kai had their hearts connected by the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, so as long as they were in close proximity, they could sense one another.
“He’s really back?” A dazed Zhu Qing turned to look at the location of the Space Array. Then, she moved a little in an attempt to rush over, but she suppressed her urge and turned to look at Su Yan, “How do I look?”
Su Yan replied with a smile, “You look lovely.”
Zhu Qing wouldn’t have believed it if the person who said it was Shan Qing Luo; however, since it was Su Yan who told her this, then everything should be fine. After years of getting along with one another, she was now familiar with Su Yan’s temperament. Su Yan was cold on the outside, but passionate on the inside. She was also kind-hearted and trustworthy.
On the other hand, that imp Shan Qing Luo always found fault with Zhu Qing. She still hadn’t learned her lesson after being put in her place several times.
The ladies were on bad terms not because they wanted to fight for the same man. It was just that Shan Qing Luo instinctively felt angered by Zhu Qing. Besides Zhu Qing, she was also displeased with all the other members of the Dragon Clan. It couldn’t be helped as she was the Beguiling Demon Queen, who possessed a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source. The Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was also a member of the Ancient Divine Spirits, but since the Dragon Clan claimed to be the leaders of all Divine Spirits, it felt like they were basically trying to lord over her.
That was why Shan Qing Luo couldn’t bring herself to be friendly with Zhu Qing. However, there was a huge gap between their strength, so Shan Qing Luo suffered from several setbacks.
Upon getting an affirmative answer from Su Yan, Zhu Qing let out a breath.
Just then, Xue Yue shot out from another Spirit Peak and approached them. Just when she was about to ask, Su Yan gently nodded at her. Xue Yue covered her lips with her hand as her eyes trembled.
Medicine Pill Peak was a Spirit Peak that was the base of the Alchemists in High Heaven Palace, as well as the territory of Ji Ying, Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. Now, all the brightest Alchemists in the Star Boundary had gathered in this place, so it could be said to be the paradise for all Alchemists.
On Medicine Pill Peak, there were more than a thousand Pill Rooms of different sizes. Every single day, countless pills were produced in this place. Presently, the entire peak had been engulfed in the unique aromas of pills. Anyone who went near a radius of ten kilometres around the peak would be able to take a whiff of the scents of the pills.
There was a huge Pill Room at the bottom of Medicine Pill Peak. At this moment, beside a bubbling Alchemy Furnace, the veiled Xia Ning Chang, whose forehead was drenched in sweat, was constantly forming new hand seals. On the other side of the furnace that was ten metres in front of her, Ji Ying sported a solemn expression as he continuously formed hand seals as well. His movements were in sync with those of Xia Ning Chang.
More than a dozen people of different ages and genders were watching from afar. All of them were clad in white clothes with the patterns of flowers and leaves embroidered on the chest area of their clothes. Most of them were Dao Source Grade Alchemists, while there were two Emperor Alchemists.
They were all famous Alchemists who were currently watching as Xia Ning Chang and Ji Ying practised Alchemy. Sometimes they would fall into their own thoughts, and sometimes they would nod gently as though they suddenly realised something. It seemed that they all had learned something from this session.
All of these Alchemists were outstanding and revered in their respective Sects; however, at this moment, the people who were practising Alchemy were the Disciples of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. It was a well-known fact that Ji Ying was the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, so he was like a legendary being in the eyes of other Alchemists.
On the other hand, Xia Ning Chang hadn’t been taken in as a Disciple officially, but that was because when Wondrous Pill Great Emperor accepted Ji Ying, he had said that the latter was his last closed-door disciple. The Great Emperor was a man of his word, so he couldn’t simply go back on a declaration he had made. That was why when Ji Ying brought Xia Ning Chang to Medicine Pill Valley in the past, the Great Emperor didn’t take her in as a Disciple even though he treasured a talented person like her. Nevertheless, it was difficult to find such a precious hidden gem, so despite the fact that he didn’t accept her, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t teach her.
Although Xia Ning Chang and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor were not Master and Disciple in name, that was exactly their relationship in reality.
Furthermore, Xia Ning Chang had a Special Constitution. Her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was basically born for Alchemy. Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had even regarded her as more important than his other Disciples. Over the years, he had hidden nothing from her as he taught her everything he knew.
The Alchemists, who came from different Sects and even different Territories, were eager to observe and emulate the way these two performed Alchemy. They were so enthralled they had the urge to throw their own eyes into the furnace to have a proper look. While they were focused on what was going on in front of them though, they suddenly heard someone’s voice in their ears.
The expressions of these fascinated Alchemists changed as they became displeased. It was the biggest taboo to bother an Alchemist when he was performing Alchemy. A Pill Room was important, so it was normally protected by a strong barrier, which also ensured that no unnecessary noises would reach this place unless someone used a Divine Ability to bypass the barrier. The person who could do such a thing was clearly very powerful.
However, someone with such power must be able to see the big picture, so why would he make such a loud noise and bother the Alchemists on Medicine Pill Peak?
Moreover, they had never heard that voice before. Whoever it was, he would be punished later. It would be fine if he had only bothered the ordinary Alchemists; however, the ones who were practising Alchemy here today were the Great Emperor’s Disciples.
Upon hearing this familiar voice, however, Xia Ning Chang’s expression changed as she appeared pleasantly surprised. The emotions in her heart undulated, and the hand seals she performed were no longer as smooth as before. With the lag in her movements, cracking sounds could be heard coming from inside the originally steady Alchemy Furnace.
On the other hand, Ji Ying’s expression changed drastically. In an instant, he lifted his head to look at Xia Ning Chang, and he seemed to be pleading with her with his expression. The pills they were making on this day were no ordinary pills. He had spent the past month getting the ingredients prepared. Furthermore, he had even asked Xia Ning Chang to help him with the refinement. It would take just another hour before the pills were finished, but he had never expected that he would hear ‘that’ person’s voice at this point.
At that instant, he had a premonition in his heart. Xia Ning Chang lifted her eyes and stared at Ji Ying, appearing apologetic.
Ji Ying immediately shouted, “We’ve reached the most critical moment! Little Junior Sister, you mustn’t get distracted. Pull yourself together!”
His yell shocked the more than ten Alchemists around him. It wasn’t the first time they observed Ji Ying perform Alchemy, but whatever pills he made, he would always remain calm and collected no matter what. They had never seen him so anxious before.
The cracking sounds became more intense as the energy fluctuated inside the originally quiet Alchemy Furnace. With each impact, the huge furnace shrunk and expanded repeatedly.
Things were looking terrible as the Alchemists around them gasped. They had practised Alchemy for years, so they had developed keen visions. Certainly, they knew that the furnace was on the verge of exploding.
Only novice Alchemists would cause their furnace to blow up. Any Alchemist who had practised Alchemy for a long time wouldn’t make this kind of basic mistake. It could be said that making the furnace explode was a sign of inexperience.
*Hong long long!*
The Alchemy Furnace shrunk and expanded more and more violently. Ji Ying’s hands flew about the air like butterflies as he was trying to stabilize the furnace. At the same time, he yelled, “Little Junior Sister, calm down! Since he’s back, you’ll see him sooner or later, there’s no need to rush! Love is a marathon, not a sprint!”
So desperate was he to persuade her to keep calm, he almost wanted to fall on his knees and kowtow to her.
However, he only got two words in response. Appearing to be guilty, Xia Ning Chang said, “I’m sorry!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Ying’s face turned ashen. Following that, the huge Alchemy Furnace exploded with a loud boom as the broken pieces and the pill liquid splattered everywhere. Smoke billowed and soon filled the entire Pill Room, turning the place into a smelly mess!
As energy waves fluctuated, all the Alchemists used their Secret Arts to protect themselves. After the crackling sounds and the commotion lasted for a moment, the room slowly fell silent.
A while later, the smoke dispersed as the dozen or so Alchemy Grandmasters looked rather embarrassed. That was because they were all covered in dust. Their originally white clothes had been dyed green by the pill liquid.
These people, who were observing from afar, already looked so terrible, so one could imagine what Ji Ying was like.
In fact, given his Emperor Realm cultivation, he could have protected himself; however, when the furnace blew up, he was so shocked that he fell into a dazed state. At this moment, he was probably the most embarrassed one on the scene. His entire figure had been dyed green as pill liquid streamed down from his face to his chin and then dripped onto the floor.
Ji Ying seemed oblivious to the situation he was in as he remained in a posture of his last hand seal. He was rooted to the spot as though someone had used a Binding Secret Technique on him. His eyes looked hollow, and the corners of his brow kept twitching.
Anyone would feel their chest tightening when they saw the sight. Ji Ying must be utterly devastated. Besides the fact that he had spent a lot of time and effort getting prepared for today’s refinement, it was extremely embarrassing for him to have caused the furnace to explode right in front of so many Alchemists.
No Alchemist would be able to accept it if such an incident happened to them. Moreover, Ji Ying represented Medicine Pill Valley, and he had embarrassed Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
“Bastard!” An old man took out a broken piece of the furnace from his hair and hurled it to the ground. He appeared to be incensed and displeased, “Who was the one who had the guts to disturb Grandmaster Ji and Grandmaster Xia when they were performing Alchemy? The Impudence!”
He paused for a moment, then he coughed and spoke in a gentler voice, “Grandmaster Ji, you don’t have to mind it. It’s not the fault of the two of you. It’s the fault of the person who shout… Where’s Grandmaster Xia?”
It wasn’t until this moment that they realised that Xia Ning Chang had already disappeared from the place. Turning around, they saw that the door of the Pill Room had opened. It seemed that Xia Ning Chang had already run away from this place.
“Who is that impudent man? We have to find out who he is!”
“En. We’ve been diligently producing pills here to be sent to the frontline to save our fellow Humans; however, not only does that person not help us, but he’s also shouted to disturb us at the most critical moment, causing the Grandmasters to fail in their attempt to make the pills. He deserves death!”
The old man, who spoke earlier, asked, “I don’t recognise that person’s voice. Does anyone know who he is?”
All of them shook their heads.
Just then, Ji Ying said through clenched teeth, “Yang Kai! You bastard! I’ll never let you off!” Then, he roared as his fury seemed to have shot into the sky.
While Medicine Pill Peak was in a mess, Spirit Instrument Peak wasn’t in any better state.
Inside an artifact refining workshop, the Chief Artifact Refiner of High Heaven Palace, Hou Yu, was lying asleep on a couch, oblivious to the people who were moving around her. Even the loud clanging sounds were not able to wake her from her alcohol-induced stupor.
But when that voice entered her ears, she immediately opened her eyes and leapt off the couch before yelling, “Quickly now! No one may slack off! Anyone not working will face Great Aunt’s wrath!”
No one responded to her, as though they hadn’t even heard her. While they were busy with their work, a young man in green clothes came over and said with an anxious expression, “Great Aunt, could you go somewhere else if you want to drink? Please stop bothering us when we’re trying to refine artifacts here!”
The originally well-organised High Heaven Palace became a mess because of Yang Kai’s shout. As lights of different colours emerged from the Spirit Peaks, they all headed to Yang Kai’s location.
In front of the hall where the Space Array was located, Yang Kai was grinning from ear to ear. Ye Jing Han was extremely worried when she was standing beside him, but as she observed his expression, the worry in her heart diminished and she slowly unknitted her brows.
In her heart, she wondered why the Palace Master could laugh in such a jolly way. Furthermore, his laugh seemed to be infectious as she also couldn’t help but start chuckling.
The first person who arrived at this place was the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si. She was accompanied by the Second Manager, Bian Yu Qing.
They were the first to arrive not because their flying speed was the fastest, as they were only First-Order Emperors. In High Heaven Palace, there were people who were in higher realms. The reason behind it was that they were just patrolling nearby earlier.
When Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing saw the familiar figure from afar, they were elated. Upon landing on the ground, they cupped their fists and said, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
With a joyful expression, Yang Kai lifted his hand and replied gently, “Many thanks for helping me to manage the palace when I wasn’t around.”
Hua Qing Si put on an elegant smile, “It is our duty.”
Bian Yu Qing said, “Indeed.”
She stared at Yang Kai with a conflicted gaze and recalled that when they first met, he and Liu Xian Yun had just come to the Star Boundary from a Lower Star Field. They were captured by her subordinate, Kou Wu, and brought back to Blue Feather Sect. Who could have expected that several dozen years later, this man would become the Palace Master of the top Sect in the Northern Territory and become one of the most powerful cultivators in the world?
In the past, she was able to determine his life or death, but now, she had to be protected under his wings. It could even be said that the reason she could reach the Emperor Realm was thanks to him.
As she walked down memory lane, she couldn’t help but recall Kou Wu, who sacrificed himself to protect her. It was outside Spirit Lake Palace in Maplewood City that Kou Wu was killed for shielding her, even having his corpse destroyed, which was a depressing sight.
Following Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing, a five-coloured light was coming from afar. After the light arrived and disappeared, five figures were revealed.
Yang Kai arched his brow and cupped his fists, “Seniors, congratulations on reaching the Emperor Realm!”
The five people were none other than Gui Zu, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gu Cang Yun, and Chai Hu. Other than Chai Hu, the other four people came to the Star Boundary with Yang Kai from Heng Luo Star Field. However, after the Starlight Corridor collapsed, they were separated from each other. They only came across one another at a later time.
At that time, there was also Wu Dao, who was the strongest Origin King Master in Heng Luo Star Field. Unfortunately, life was full of uncertainties. When Wu Dao was attempting to break through to the Dao Source Realm, he couldn’t pass the World Energy Baptism and lost his life. After the other four arrived in the Star Boundary, they found it difficult to adapt. Fortunately, they came across Chai Hu, and with his help, they were able to gain a footing in this new world. Later, the four of them decided to become sworn siblings with Chai Hu. Now, there was a Five Saints Peak in High Heaven Palace where they cultivated.
The last time Yang Kai met them, they were still all Dao Source Realm cultivators. But now, they were all in the Emperor Realm, which was wonderful news.
Although it was partly due to the abundant World Energy in the Star Boundary, the main reason was that these five people had outstanding aptitudes to begin with. Gui Zu and the others were undoubtedly the best there was since they were able to leave a small place like a Lower Star Field. Although Chai Hu’s aptitude was weaker, it was still quite remarkable. There were enough resources in High Heaven Palace for them to cultivate. Due to the fact that High Heaven Palace had been sealed off, all of them had to cultivate in seclusion. All five of them were hardworking people, so it wasn’t surprising that they were able to break through into a new Great Realm.
Furthermore, Yang Kai realised that they must have cultivated some kind of incredible Divine Ability together. The five-coloured light earlier was the most conspicuous clue. Presently, although they were only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, their auras were closely connected, as though they had become one.
Any Second-Order Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t be able to deal with them when confronted by them together.
Gui Zu laughed in a somewhat sinister manner and said, “Palace Master, you’re finally back. Are we finally going to get out there and start killing? I’m so bored!”
It had been a difficult time for him as he was a rather hot-blooded man. In fact, in the past, Yang Kai was almost killed by him. When Gui Zu was in the Lower Star Field, with his Origin King Realm cultivation, he could basically walk sideways and have no regard for anyone at all.
After he arrived in the Star Boundary though, he realised that his power was at the bottom of the hierarchy. Forget walking sideways, he had to struggle hard just to earn enough to eat. Only after reuniting with Yang Kai and settling down in High Heaven Palace was he able to live a peaceful life and cultivate in seclusion. Now that he had finally reached the Emperor Realm though, he couldn’t wait to get into a fight and kill.
Chi Yue shot Gui Zu a glare, “What do you mean that you want to start killing? Big Brother, don’t say that!”
She then turned to look at Yang Kai, “Is it alright for you to come back?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Just when he wanted to explain it to her, he saw more people coming over. Those people were not outsiders as they were his Seniors from High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star. Their relationship could be traced back to High Heaven Pavilion in the Great Han Dynasty.
Grand Master Ling Tai Xu, Meng Wu Ya, Martial Ancestor Chu Ling Xiao, several other Martial Uncles and Aunts, Old Demon, Qiu Yi Meng… All of them had arrived.
Yang Kai immediately went over and saluted them. It couldn’t be helped. Even though he was the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, the people in front of him were his Seniors. Hence, he had to show proper respect.
After he was done with the greetings, he was bombarded with all sorts of questions.
These people were the brightest ones with outstanding aptitudes in their own worlds; however, it had only been a short time since they arrived at the Star Boundary, which was why their achievements were not comparable to those of Gui Zu and the others. With that said, most of them were either in the Second-Order or Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
Seeing as Yang Kai kept looking around, Meng Wu Ya gave him a knowing look and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Yang Kai hurriedly replied, “No one. It’s just that I miss everything here since I’ve left for a long time.”
Meng Wu Ya snorted, “You’re looking for your wives, right? You little brat. It’s not that I want to butt in on your affairs, but you should start exercising some restraint! Look how many women you’ve flirted with and how many wives you’ve wed. You already had four wives when you were in Heng Luo Star Field, and after coming to the Star Boundary, you’ve even married one more. However, you can’t take care of them as you’re always running around outside, leaving them all alone. They’re constantly worried about your safety and fear that you might perish out there. Don’t you feel guilty at all?”
Appearing truly guilty, Yang Kai hung his head low as he was lectured, “Senior, you’re right.”
“Then you should change!” Meng Wu Ya appeared genuinely concerned, “Stop flirting with other women!”
Yang Kai felt diffident and wouldn’t know how to reply to him. Fortunately, his Grand Master came to his rescue at this time. Ling Tai Xu said with a smile, “We came across them on our way here. They went to fetch your parents.”
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, Su Yan and the others were eager to meet him; however, they still went over to the Spirit Peak where Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu resided in an attempt to bring his parents over as well.
Although the cultivation of Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu had also improved since they arrived at the Star Boundary, they were still lagging behind the young talents. Now, they were only in the Origin King Realm, so their flight speed was pretty slow by comparison. Taking that into consideration, Su Yan and the others decided to personally fetch them.
As they spoke, a few figures were already flying over at full speed.
Yang Kai looked up, then his eyes widened. He was surprised rather than elated. Su Yan, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Xia Ning Chang, as well as Zhu Qing, had arrived.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Zhu Qing was also here. When he was on Dragon Island in the past, he had prepared to bring Zhu Qing back to High Heaven Palace to meet his parents and to familiarise her with his other wives so that they wouldn’t feel so embarrassed when they came into contact with each other in the future.
However, there was a worry in Zhu Qing’s heart at that time, so she didn’t follow him back to High Heaven Palace. He couldn’t have expected that when he returned this time, he would see Zhu Qing and his other wives coming over together. Furthermore, it appeared that they had been getting along well.
He didn’t have the time to think about it as his parents soon landed on the ground though. He immediately went over to greet them.
Before he could speak, however, Dong Su Zhu had already started tearing up as she grabbed his arms and said anxiously, “You rotten brat, why are you back? Even though you decided to come back, you shouldn’t have shouted and informed everyone! Don’t you know that your action might cause you to be killed? Why have I given birth to a fool like you?”
Without giving him a chance to explain himself, she kept scolding him, but he wouldn’t dare to refute her. Just as it was expected for rain to fall from the clouds, a mother would scold her son as she pleased, so there was no reason for him to get mad. Even if Yang Kai became a Great Emperor one day, he would still be reprimanded by his mother, to say nothing of the fact that he was just a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master now.
Yang Ying Feng was standing behind her with a cold expression, and it seemed that he was still angry with what his son had done.
When Yang Kai left the Star Boundary a few years ago, he had already given Su Yan and the others some hints. After word got out that Yang Kai had gone through demonification and betrayed the Star Boundary, High Heaven Palace had to be sealed off immediately. Dong Su Zhu passed out on the spot while Yang Ying Feng had fallen ill because of that. Su Yan and the others kept consoling them and pointed out that this might be a show that Yang Kai had put on; however, without confirmation from the Great Emperors, Dong Su Zhu and Yang Ying Feng couldn’t simply believe them.
Over the past few years, they had prayed to the Heavens every single day. They wouldn’t even dare to hope that Yang Kai could clear his name. They just wanted him to stay safe and healthy forever. Dong Su Zhu, who had always looked young, started having some grey hair on her head, which went to show how worried she was.
However, she couldn’t have expected that not only had Yang Kai returned, but he had also shouted out to everyone to announce his presence. She was so exasperated that she almost spat blood.
“Leave now before word gets out. Go!” Dong Su Zhu spoke as he dragged Yang Kai towards the Space Array.
While she was doing that, she still stared fixedly at his face. It was as though by taking one more look at him, she could remember his face forever and imprint it in the deepest part of her mind.
Seeing her in such a state, Yang Kai felt a lump in his throat as he consoled her by saying, “Mother… it’s fine.”
“What do you mean it’s fine? You’re in big trouble!” Dong Su Zhu stomped her foot on the ground. Given her cultivation, she wasn’t able to make Yang Kai move if he was reluctant. After several failed attempts, she became flustered, “You rascal! Are you leaving or not?”
“It’s really fine!” Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter.
Dong Su Zhu’s expression turned cold in an instant as she bellowed, “You’re not leaving, right? If you’re not…” She turned to look at Yang Ying Feng and pointed her slender finger at him, “If you’re not leaving, your father will die right in front of you!”
Yang Ying Feng was startled for a moment before he nodded solemnly. It was as though he was determined to end his life if Yang Kai wouldn’t heed their word and leave this instant.
“I’ve already met the Great Emperors,” Yang Kai gently patted Dong Su Zhu’s shoulders.
Dong Su Zhu was startled for a moment before she became anxious and asked apprehensively, “Which Great Emperors have you met?”
Yang Kai started counting with his fingers, “Senior Iron Blood, Senior Martial Beast, Senior Flower Shadow, and Senior Serene Soul.”
Dong Su Zhu batted her eyes, “Are you lying? Have you really met the four Great Emperors?”
With a helpless smile, Yang Kai replied, “I would never dare to lie to you. I’ve just returned from Seven Mists Sea. If you don’t believe me, I can send you to Seven Mists Sea now so that you can ask them about it. Even if you don’t believe me, you should believe them.”
It was then Dong Su Zhu finally set herself at ease and shot him a glare, “They’re all very busy, so how can we bother them as we please? You’re still so reckless.”
Despite her age, her demeanour was still that of a young girl. Nevertheless, her behaviour didn’t look out of place at all.
Upon finishing her words, she stopped responding to Yang Kai. Then, she placed her hands behind her back and turned around. When she moved past Yang Ying Feng, she took his arm and said, “We’re leaving now. What are you waiting for?”
Yang Ying Feng couldn’t refuse his wife and just let himself be dragged away. He hadn’t even had a chance to speak to his son; however, unlike how worried and flustered they were when they came here, they now looked calm and relaxed.
Since Yang Kai had met the four Great Emperors and safely returned from Seven Mists Sea, it meant that the incident in the past had been resolved. It just showed what Su Yan and the others had been telling them over the years was true, but it wasn’t until this moment that they finally completely believed them.
Besides Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu, that realization had also dawned upon the others present. At that instant, they appeared elated and felt that the dark clouds that had been hovering above their heads finally began to clear. The entire High Heaven Palace seemed to be brighter now.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected that his parents would leave as quickly as they had come as he still had a lot to tell them. However, he soon understood why they did that.
They were trying to leave some personal space for Su Yan and the others; after all, if they were still around, Yang Kai would be too embarrassed to get close to his wives.
After Dong Su Zhu and Yang Ying Feng were gone, the others wouldn’t have the nerve to disturb the reunion of Yang Kai and his women. Hence, they came up with all sorts of bad excuses and left the place. They came over because they heard Yang Kai’s voice, and now that they had seen him and learned that he had met the Great Emperors, they knew that they could catch up with him at any point in the future.
In the blink of an eye, all of them were gone as only Su Yan and the others were still standing there, staring at the man with loving gazes.
A few kilometres away, Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu were flying alongside each other at a slow speed. With a scowl, Yang Ying Feng couldn’t suppress his curiosity anymore as he asked in a small voice, “If that rotten brat didn’t leave just now, would you really want me to end my life to threaten him?”
Dong Su Zhu gave him a look, then wrapped her arm around his and asked with a smile, “Would you?”
“I would,” Yang Ying Feng nodded without hesitation. If Yang Kai hadn’t met the Great Emperors, he would have done it.
Dong Su Zhu rested her head on his shoulder, “I wouldn’t have the heart to see you die.”
Yang Ying Feng slightly twisted his shoulder and coughed, “Ahem, we’ve been married for a long time… We should act with more propriety when outside.”
“En…” As Dong Su Zhu spoke, she suddenly saw a group of people flying over. Then, she immediately let go of her husband and carried herself in an elegant manner.
When those people approached, she flashed a smile at them and called out, “Grandmaster Ji.”
The person was Ji Ying, and he was followed by more than a dozen people of different ages and genders. She could recognise that they were the Grandmaster Alchemists from different Sects in the Star Boundary.
“Madam Dong, Sir Yang!” Jing Ying replied to them with a neutral expression. Although his cultivation and status were much higher than those of the couple, they were still Yang Kai’s parents; hence, despite the fact that he was a Great Emperor’s Disciple, he wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful of them.
Dong Su Zhu asked curiously, “Grandmaster Ji, what are you doing here?”
She could see that Ji Ying appeared displeased, and the people behind him were incensed, as though they were going to find fault with someone. Judging from the direction they were heading, it seemed that they were looking for Yang Kai, which was why she felt her chest tightening.
“It’s nothing. I simply heard that Palace Master has returned, so this Ji felt he should see him personally.” Although Ji Ying was mad at Yang Kai, he didn’t think it was appropriate to tell his parents that he was going to settle a score with their son. Furthermore, he wouldn’t want to say something wrong at this point. Upon bidding them farewell, he led the other Alchemists to keep moving forward.
Dong Su Zhu turned around and frowned, but she soon stopped worrying. She knew that Yang Kai must have offended Ji Ying in some way, but the latter wouldn’t harm her son, he would only reprimand him at most.
As expected, she soon heard Ji Ying yelling in exasperation, “Palace Master, we haven’t met for ages, this Ji is so… so happy you have returned!”
Yang Kai was speechless at that as everyone else had just left. Just when he wanted to have a chat with his wives and find out why Zhu Qing was here, Ji Ying came storming over.
It wouldn’t matter if he had come alone, but he had actually brought more than a dozen others with him. Furthermore, Ji Ying was grinding his teeth when he spoke, as though he was eager to skin Yang Kai and drink his blood. It was a total lie that he was ‘happy’.
An apologetic Xia Ning Chang quickly pleaded, “Senior Brother Ji, please don’t get mad at him. It was Junior Sister’s fault, not my Husband’s.”
Ji Ying raised his hand to stop her, “Little Junior Sister, you don’t have to speak up for him. I’ll only settle accounts with him!”
After he finished speaking, another person leapt forward and pointed at Yang Kai as he bellowed, “How dare a Demon like you show your face here?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai didn’t react in any way, but Zhu Qing and the other women shot this person a glare. With a cold gaze, Zhu Qing released her Dragon Pressure, causing the man to instantly turn pale.
The person who spoke was a somewhat famous Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist, but he was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so there was no way he could bear the Ninth-Order Dragon’s Pressure. Of course, Zhu Qing hadn’t fully used her strength; otherwise, this man would have passed out on the spot.
As for Ji Ying, he immediately frowned. Although he was mad at Yang Kai for interrupting his Alchemy session, it wasn’t the first time the latter had done such a thing. It was just that it had more serious implications this time. He was the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, so unlike most, he knew that Yang Kai actually had a mission when he went through demonification and defected to the Demon Realm. The Great Emperors had spread rumours and misled everyone to act as a cover, and Ji Ying wasn’t certain the circumstances had changed yet, so when this Dao Source Grade Alchemist spoke, Ji Ying couldn’t explain anything on Yang Kai’s behalf.
Xia Ning Chang turned to look at the person who spoke earlier and declared, “Grandmaster Zhou, that is a misunderstanding. My Husband isn’t a Demon.”
Grandmaster Zhou appeared to be bitter and hateful as he persisted, “He went against the Great Emperors in Tiger Roar City, and it was apparent that he had been demonified as he gave off pure Demon Qi. He then betrayed the Star Boundary and ran away to the Demon Realm. What is he if he’s not a Demon? Grandmaster Xia, you mustn’t be fooled by him. Demons are all insidious and ruthless, it is best if you come back now. Although this Zhou is not powerful, he is willing to sacrifice his life to protect you.”
Upon hearing that, Xia Ning Chang was flustered, “Grandmaster Zhou, please mind your words.”
Su Yan and the others stared at Grandmaster Zhou with even colder gazes while Zhu Qing intensified her Dragon Pressure, causing the Grandmaster, who vowed to protect Xia Ning Chang with his life, to feel all his bones start cracking. With his lips pressed together, he couldn’t say one more word.
Yang Kai batted his eyes at Grandmaster Zhou with a smile, then he turned to look at Ji Ying, “Brother Ji, what happened? Why are you so mad?”
At the mention of this, Ji Ying felt the fury rising up within himself again. Pointing at Yang Kai’s nose, he bellowed, “How do you still have the gall to mention this? Just now, Little Junior Sister and I were refining a furnace of Heaven and Earth Revolutions Pills. Everything was going well, and it would take just another hour for the refining to be complete. With Little Junior Sister’s assistance, I was expecting to get at least seven pills, but then… you…” He was unable to keep speaking as he pressed his hand against his chest with a reddened face, appearing both heartbroken and enraged.
A shocked Yang Kai quickly tried to comfort him “Brother Ji, please calm yourself. You mustn’t become too agitated.”
It would be terrible if Ji Ying had an accident because of this. As he spoke, he moved forward in an attempt to help him stabilize his aura.
Certainly, Ji Ying wouldn’t want his help as he slapped his hand away.
Yang Kai smiled awkwardly and turned to look at Xia Ning Chang, “Did it fail?”
Xia Ning Chang hung her head low, “The furnace exploded.”
Hearing this, Ji Ying’s expression turned darker. Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist himself, so he understood what it meant for one’s furnace to explode. It was indeed a tragedy, but when he imagined the scene where Ji Ying made the furnace explode, he found it hilarious and had to work hard not to burst out laughing.
It was no wonder why Ji Ying would come all the way here to berate him, he had a good reason to. Since it was indeed his fault, Yang Kai quickly straightened his face and sincerely apologised to him.
Ji Ying lethargically waved his hand as he felt extremely unlucky to have come across someone like Yang Kai, who was also a Grandmaster Alchemist, but he didn’t seem to respect Alchemy at all. Didn’t he know that it was a taboo to disturb Alchemists when they were practising Alchemy? How could he spread his voice even to Medicine Pill Peak?
“This is the last time. If it happens again, this Ji will pack up and return to Medicine Pill Valley!” Ji Ying gritted his teeth and stared at him.
A solemn Yang Kai replied, “This Yang swears to never do it again.”
It was then Ji Ying nodded as he had significantly vented out his anger. The furnace had exploded, and all his efforts had gone to waste. He just wanted to come over here to reprimand Yang Kai to get the fury off his chest.
Certainly, the other Alchemists had to follow him to lend him some moral support; however, no one could have expected that Grandmaster Zhou would rebuke Yang Kai in such a way.
In order to not cause anymore trouble, Ji Ying waved his hand as he was prepared to bring these Alchemists back to Medicine Pill Peak.
Since they were leaving, Zhu Qing and the others wouldn’t make them stay. However, as soon as she retracted her Dragon Pressure, Grandmaster Zhou spoke again. He had learned his lesson after suffering a setback, so he stopped being rude. Instead, he looked solemnly at Yang Kai and said, “Palace Master Yang, although you’ve gone through demonification, you’re fundamentally a Human. Grandmaster Xia is the treasure of the Star Boundary. If you still have any conscience left, please let her go! This Zhou will offer his thanks on behalf of all the people of the Star Boundary!”
Yang Kai blinked a few times before grinning and asking, “Who are you?”
It was ridiculous that someone suddenly walked up to him to make accusations against him and tell him to leave Xia Ning Chang.
Grandmaster Zhou straightened up. Despite his pale face, his back remained straight as he said arrogantly, “This one is Zhou Cheng. Unlike how famous Palace Master Yang is, I am just a small character.”
A Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist couldn’t be said to be a nobody, but it really depended on which person he was compared to. He was indeed less famous when compared to the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, who had ‘betrayed’ the Star Boundary and become a Demon.
Yang Kai snorted, “Since you’re just a small character, how dare you make this kind of accusation against this King?”
Zhou Cheng said grimly, “I wouldn’t dare to. I’m just trying to persuade you.”
Appearing earnest and well-meaning, he continued, “Palace Master Yang, I’m sure you’re aware of the situation you’re in. Since you’ve sided with the Demon Realm, why bother coming back? When you were not around, Grandmaster Xia was calm and collected as she focused on Alchemy. The pills she has refined here have saved countless lives in the Star Boundary; however, the moment you returned, you agitated her heart and caused the destruction of a furnace of Heaven and Earth Revolutions Pills. Do you know how many precious herbs are required to make such pills? Palace Master Yang, since you’re unable to provide her with a future and happiness, why don’t you just let her go?”
Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “If I can’t give her a future and happiness, who else can?”
Zhou Cheng took a look at Xia Ning Chang and parted his lips as though he wanted to say something, but he didn’t say a word in the end. Then, he tried to shift the focus by saying, “Palace Master Yang, why insist on making her remain by your side? You can’t even protect yourself now, so why must you drag her down with you as well? Do you want her to follow you around, homeless and abandoned by the world? Even if you don’t take your future into consideration, you should set her free for her sake. Why must you be so selfish?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Xia Ning Chang, “Little Senior Sister, are you willing to follow me?”
Xia Ning Chang nodded without hesitation, her gaze extremely bright, “I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
“What about the rest of you?” Yang Kai shifted his attention to Su Yan and the others.
Shan Qing Luo put on an alluring smile, “Husband, what nonsense are you talking about? Since we married you, we’ll follow you forever. Don’t even think about getting rid of us.”
Although Su Yan and the others didn’t say a word, they all looked smilingly at him. Even if he had really sided with the Demon Realm, they still wouldn’t hesitate to stand beside him, to say nothing of the fact that they already knew the truth.
Zhou Cheng’s expression darkened when he heard that, but just as he wanted to say something, Yang Kai’s face fell as he shot him a look and waved his hand, “Enough. This King has just returned, so he won’t waste time on someone as insignificant as you. If you dare spout more nonsense, I’ll kill you!”
He grinned wickedly, “Just like what you’ve said, Demons are all vicious and ruthless, it means nothing to me if a small character like you dies.”
Zhou Cheng felt a chill running down his spine as he was confronted by Yang Kai, but unexpectedly, he didn’t back down. Instead, he took a step forward and said, “If my death can make Grandmaster Xia realise who you really are and escape from your claws, this Zhou doesn’t mind losing his life.”
Ji Ying said with a frown, “Zhou Cheng, stop making a fuss here!”
Although he wasn’t fond of Zhou Cheng, he couldn’t ignore the fact that the latter was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist. A lot of pills were needed to support the war effort, so one more Alchemist would mean more pills that could be produced, which could potentially save many lives at the most critical moment.
Zhou Cheng slowly shook his head, “Grandmaster Ji, stop persuading me. I’ve made up my mind.”
He then gazed at Xia Ning Chang, “Grandmaster Xia, I hope that you’ll be set free, and my death will be worth something.”
Xia Ning Chang frowned as she was completely surprised. In the past, Zhou Cheng had frequently asked her about Alchemy-related topics, but she didn’t read too much into it as she just thought that it was just the usual interaction between two Alchemists. It wasn’t until this moment that she realised that something was off. This man seemed to carry other intentions for her.
“If you’re so eager to die, this Old Master can grant your wish.” A snort was suddenly heard. It was Meng Wu Ya who spoke from a nearby spot.
Earlier, everyone had been leaving the square, but when they saw Ji Ying and more than ten Alchemists coming over with fierce expressions on their faces, many had stopped nearby to observe. At this point, Meng Wu Ya could tell what was going on. He had raised Xia Ning Chang from young and regarded her as his own daughter. He was joyful when she eventually got married to Yang Kai as she had been happier that day than he had ever seen her. Now that someone was making a scene here though, there was no way he could hold back his anger.
He was also a Dao Source Realm cultivator now, technically on par with Zhou Cheng; however, Zhou Cheng was an Alchemist, so fighting wasn’t his speciality. If they got into a battle, Meng Wu Ya had the confidence of killing him.
Zhou Cheng shook his head and ignored him as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai.
Just then, Yang Kai knitted his brows together. It wasn’t because of Zhou Cheng, but because he had sensed something unusual. Then, he turned to look in a particular direction and spoke to Su Yan, “Some people are attacking the Sect Defending Array. Who has such courage?”
He could feel some weak energy fluctuations coming from outside, which went to show that the Sect Defending Array had been triggered. He scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense and realised that a few hundred people had gathered outside High Heaven Palace. More than ten of them were using their Secret Techniques to attack the array with the artifacts in their hands.
Su Yan replied, “It happens from time to time. Just ignore them.”
“It’s not the first time?” Yang Kai was shocked.
Zhu Qing explained, “Every once in a while, some fools come to make a fuss…” Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai finally understood what had been going on. Because of him, the Great Emperors had ordered High Heaven Palace sealed off and forbidden its disciples from leaving. They had made such a decision because they wanted to protect High Heaven Palace, but outsiders didn’t know the truth, so they thought there really was something wrong with the Sect. Over the past few years, High Heaven Palace’s reputation had taken a severe hit.
It wouldn’t matter if that was all that had happened, but some people had started making a scene using High Heaven Palace as an excuse. Although it had only been a short time since High Heaven Palace was founded, they had destroyed the Seeking Passion Sect and then joined forces with Ice Heart Valley, Fire Dragon Palace, and Full Sky Sect to consolidate and subdue the Sects in the Northern Territory, thus becoming the top Sects in said territory. There were also countless top cultivators in the Sect.
Normally, most Sects could only look up at High Heaven Palace and wouldn’t dare to offend them; however, since High Heaven Palace was sealed off and its defensive array activated, it had given some people a chance to make a move.
After the Two Worlds’ Passage opened, Humans and Demons were thrown into a terrible war that shook the Star Boundary itself and even stirred up its natural World Principles and Energy. Over the past few years, more and more Emperor Realm Masters had been born in the Star Boundary. These newly inaugurated Emperor Realm Masters had the right to found Sects, but they were unable to recruit any disciples as they were not famous. Hence, some decided to launch an attack on High Heaven Palace to earn a name for themselves.
They would either join forces with their fellow cultivators or bring their own disciples to High Heaven Palace. In the name of slaying the Demons, they would act outrageously by cursing and raising Hell. By doing so, they would gain some fame. Whenever such a topic was brought up, they could say that they had gone to High Heaven Palace to kill the Demons, but they had sealed themselves off behind their walls and wouldn’t dare to fight with them head-on.
It wasn’t true that High Heaven Palace wouldn’t dare to confront them, it was just that Yang Kai was in the Demon Realm, and he was still regarded as a traitor, so none wanted to cause any trouble to let others have a chance to slander Yang Kai. Whenever such an incident happened, the Head Manager and Second Manager would issue orders to just ignore them. Such people wouldn’t be able to break the Sect Defending Array no matter how hard they tried, so after making a scene for a while they would simply leave.
Over the past few years, such incidents had happened more than ten times. It just so happened that Yang Kai came across such an incident not long after he returned to the palace.
Upon hearing what Zhu Qing had said, Yang Kai said with a dark expression, “The two Great Worlds are at war, so why are these people making a fuss in front of High Heaven Palace instead of making real contributions in the Western Territory?”
Xue Yue said after a sigh, “There are always some people in this world who shamelessly seek gains for themselves.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Let’s go over and have a look.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and shot towards the Sect’s Main Gate. The ladies traded glances and quickly before racing after him. Meng Wu Ya, Hua Qing Si and the others who were just nearby hurriedly followed them.
Seeing that, Zhou Cheng bellowed, “Palace Master Yang, where are you going? You haven’t made a decision regarding Grandmaster Xia!”
Ji Ying said after a sigh, “Zhou Cheng, stop. Just forget what has happened today. It’s not what you think. Palace Master Yang…”
Zhou Cheng shook his head and cut him off by saying, “Grandmaster Ji, I know you are well-meaning, but please cease your efforts to persuade me. I respect Grandmaster Xia, so I want her to have a good husband. However, Palace Master Yang isn’t the right person for her to stay by his side forever. I cannot bear to see her suffer. Whatever the case, I must make him see reason.”
When he saw that Yang Kai appeared ruthless but didn’t do anything in the end, he became overly confident in himself, so after he finished speaking, he also ran after them.
Ji Ying knitted his brows together as he appeared helpless and frustrated.
An old man ran his fingers through his beard and said, “Grandmaster Ji, are you in a dilemma over something? I believe what Zhou Cheng has said isn’t complete nonsense. Disregarding his ulterior motives, Grandmaster Xia is indeed a treasure of the Star Boundary. Palace Master Yang can’t even protect himself now, so it would be a good thing if she could break relations with him so that she isn’t dragged into this mess.”
Ji Ying shook his head with a helpless smile. There was simply no way for him to explain.
The Main Gate of High Heaven Palace was meticulously arranged by Nanmen Da Jun in the past; after all, they were one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary, so their entrance had to be magnificent to showcase their heritage.
In front of the huge gate hung an inscribed board on which the characters ‘High Heaven Palace’ shone brightly under the sun. Three hundred metres away from the entrance was where the Sect Defending Array stood. Looking from outside the array, one couldn’t see into High Heaven Palace as all there was was a thick, swirling fog.
Nevertheless, people inside the array could clearly see what was going on outside.
When Yang Kai reached the entrance, he saw that a fair-skinned and unbearded middle-aged man was attacking the array with a sword in his hand. The sword was apparently an Emperor Artifact. As he wielded the sword, lightning could be seen flashing across it and the sounds of thunder were continuously heard, so he looked rather imposing.
The beams of lightning struck the array and caused the fog to welter, but the array wasn’t damaged one bit. As an array that had been personally arranged by Nanmen Da Jun, it wouldn’t be able to be damaged by a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master even if he exhausted himself trying.
There were more than ten Dao Source Realm cultivators around the middle-aged man who assisted him; however, there was no coordination between them as they used whatever Secret Techniques and artifacts they had, though their moves were dizzying to the beholder.
After taking just one look, Yang Kai realized that while these people seemed to be going all out, there was no real force or substance behind their attacks. Be it the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master or the more than ten Dao Source cultivators, their moves were flashy, but not powerful at all.
While these moves appeared useless to Yang Kai’s eyes, the hundreds of people in the audience outside were fascinated as their gazes appeared bright.
Not only were the onlookers fascinated, but they were also cheering for those who were striking the Sect Defending Array.
Three hundred metres behind the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master and the more than ten Dao Source Realm Masters, some young people were holding a red flag as it swayed with the wind. On the flag, the name ‘Kai Shan’ had been written in black ink. It wasn’t certain who wrote it, but the person was obviously an expert in calligraphy. The characters were wavy as they looked as imposing as flying Dragons and dancing Phoenixes. The contrast between red and black also made the words look grand and overbearing.
At this moment, as the Sect Master and the Seniors were making a move, the young people, who were holding the flag, cheered for them by shouting, “Ancestral Founder Kai Shan! Unmatched beneath the Heavens!”
The hundreds of people behind them shouted in unison with fervent expressions on their faces. They seemed determined to make sure that everyone could hear them.
After the Emperor Realm Master brandished his sword for a while more, the people who were holding the flag yelled, “Demons from High Heaven Palace, come out and face death!”
The sword lights became brighter as the Emperor Realm Master wielded his artifact in an increasingly ferocious manner. As the sword waves intertwined with one another, his figure became hardly visible. The Emperor Qi around him surged and turned into violent energy waves.
The people holding the flag yelled, “Kai Shan will be the first to slay the Demons!”
The sword lights converged and became one as the Emperor Realm Master appeared extremely imposing. With a solemn expression, he pointed his sword at the array and bellowed, “Go!”
The sword light shot into the array and disappeared.
The people behind him started cheering again, “Kai Shan! Kai Shan! The third most powerful in the Star Boundary!” At the very least, they knew their place as they didn’t claim to be the best or the second best.
Standing inside the array, Yang Kai was several dozen metres away from them as he looked at the front with an awkward expression.
[What a mess!] The sight before his eyes could only be described as a farce. Then, he turned to look at Hua Qing Si and asked, “Are the people who have asked for trouble over the years always as weak as them?”
The Head Manager coughed and replied, “En, most of them were weak. However, there were some that were actually powerful.”
Although Hua Qing Si was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, she originated from Star Soul Palace after all, which was one of the most powerful and established Sects in the world. The training she had received was much better than these ‘rising stars’.
With the surge of the Star Boundary’s World Energy, a lot of new Emperor Realm Masters had emerged; however, there were always some bad apples among them. The people who intended to make a name for themselves through disparaging High Heaven Palace were normally very weak, so Hua Qing Si wouldn’t waste any time on them.
“You’ve all been very tolerant,” Yang Kai sneered. Despite what he had said, he knew that it wasn’t that those from High Heaven Palace were really tolerant. It was just that they had been in an awkward situation over the past few years. The Great Emperors had ordered them to seal off High Heaven Palace. Since Yang Kai wasn’t around, no one dared to turn off the Sect Defending Array as they pleased. Furthermore, they were worried that Yang Kai’s reputation would be damaged further if they acted ruthlessly, so they just let those people make a fuss.
Outside the array, the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master was in high spirits. He had cultivated for many years, but had been stuck at the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm for some time now, and there didn’t seem to be any hope for him to achieve a breakthrough. Seeing as he didn’t have many years left to live, he thought that this was all that he could achieve, and he would never stand a chance to comprehend the abstrusity of the Emperor Realm. Feeling dejected, he stopped caring about everything and engaged in a life of excess and debauchery.
However, he couldn’t have expected that after the Two Worlds’ Great War broke out, a new phenomenon took place in the Star Boundary. Perhaps the Great World sensed it was in danger, which led to it trying to save itself by increasing the density of World Energy. It also allowed the cultivators to cultivate quicker and more easily.
One day, when the middle-aged man was wandering around a flower garden, a thought suddenly flashed across his mind as he started meditating. When he awakened, he realised that he had reached the Emperor Realm seemingly without any reason. At that instant, he was both elated and pleasantly surprised.
He couldn’t believe that he was lucky enough to get such a windfall. Ascending to a new realm was like a rebirth. Upon pulling himself together, he found a serene place and cultivated in seclusion for three years to consolidate his foundation.
When he ventured into the outside world again, he founded his own Sect and named it after himself, Mountain Quarrying Sect!
However, the Great Worlds were at war presently. The Great Emperors had called upon everyone from all four territories in the Star Boundary to join the effort. Therefore, countless fervent cultivators had stepped into the Space Arrays nearest to them and headed to the battlefield in the Western Territory to engage in life-or-death battles with the Demons.
It was good news for the Star Boundary, but it was terrible news for the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master. It couldn’t be helped. Since he had founded a Sect, he wanted to take in as many disciples as possible. In normal times, after an Emperor founded a Sect, even if he was just a First-Order Emperor, an innumerable number of people would apply to be his disciples, and a medium-sized force could be formed in no time.
However, all the powerful cultivators had headed to the Western Territory now, so it was difficult for him to recruit people. Those that were left for him to take in were mostly weaklings. That was the biggest frustration the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master had now.
For this, he had even paid a visit to one of his old friends. His friend was in a similar situation as he was. He had also been stuck in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm for a long time, and he had only achieved a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm recently. Nevertheless, after he founded a Sect, he easily took in thousands of disciples. Since then, he had become a Sect Master who could enjoy his life to the fullest. The female disciples he had were all curvy and alluring, which caused others to be envious of him.
After an inquiry, the middle-aged man learned that his old friend had brought his people to condemn High Heaven Palace before. The Sect Defending Array was incredible, so his old friend wasn’t able to harm the palace one bit. Nevertheless, after word got out, countless people came to his Sect to apply to be his disciples.
Despite getting some guidance from his old friend, the middle-aged man was in a dilemma. He was aware of the situation High Heaven Palace was in. If he was confronted by such a humongous Sect, could he really retreat safely?
After some internal struggle, he still couldn’t resist the temptation to get more disciples; hence, he led the hundreds of disciples he had to make a fuss in front of High Heaven Palace.
Then, he realised that just like what his old friend had said, those from High Heaven Palace wouldn’t respond to him, and the Sect Defending Array remained shut. As he listened to the cheering of his disciples from behind, he became high-spirited and thought that High Heaven Palace didn’t live up to its reputation. Following that, he guffawed and leapt into the air. With his hands tightly gripping his sword, he pushed his Emperor Qi as his terrific sword wave slashed at the array. At the same time, he bellowed in an overbearing manner, “Break!”
The sword wave penetrated the array and caused the fog to swirl as it had every other time he had used such methods; however, just then, a rumbling sound was heard as the fog separated to the sides, revealing a path that led into the palace.
The middle-aged man, who just landed on the ground, was astounded as he stared at the path with widened eyes. There was a doubt in his heart. [Why is it broken? How could that be?]
His old friend had told him that the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace was personally arranged by Nanmen Da Jun. It was based on the Spirit Array of Seeking Passion Sect, then Nanmen Da Jun modified it from there.
Nanmen Da Jun was the best Emperor Array Master in the Northern Territory. The only person publicly known to be comparable in terms of arranging Spirit Arrays was Gong Zhen, who was from the Gong Family of Heavenly River Valley in the Southern Territory. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master couldn’t damage this array one bit, let alone a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
However, the sight in front of him was clear. The array had been broken by his sword wave. He had only yelled earlier to make himself appear more imposing, but he had never expected to really break the array!
The middle-aged man knew full well that he wasn’t capable of achieving this. After a moment of anxiety and bewilderment, he soon understood what was going on. It wasn’t that he had smashed the Sect Defending Array, but that it had opened from the inside! At that instant, his face turned ashen as his forehead was beaded with cold sweat.
Although the reputation of High Heaven Palace had been tarnished in recent years, everyone knew that it was the top Sect in the Northern Territory. They had destroyed Seeking Passion Sect and joined forces with the other three Top Sects to unify the Northern Territory. As long as they gave the order, no one would dare to disobey them. There were countless Emperor Realm Masters within the Sect, so a newly promoted Emperor like him had no right to make a scene here. He was confident that they wouldn’t respond to him, but now that they had opened up the Spirit Array, he wouldn’t even dare to think about how he would end up.
The emotions in his heart undulated as he knew that he was in big trouble; however, the disciples behind him and the more than ten Dao Source Realm cultivators were unaware of the situation they were in. They just knew that after the Sect Master vowed to break the Spirit Array, it really split open.
The more than ten Dao Source Realm Masters turned to look at the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master as they appeared pleasantly surprised. They had just joined Mountain Quarrying Sect, so they were not certain about how powerful the middle-aged man truly was. Now, it seemed that his power was inscrutable. Besides them, the hundreds of disciples behind them shared the same thought.
The young people, who were holding the flag, fell into a dazed state for a moment before they shouted, “Ancestral Founder Kai Shan! Unmatched beneath the Heavens! Demons from High Heaven Palace, come out now and face death! Ancestral Founder Kai Shan! Unmatched! Demons from High Heaven Palace, come out and die!”
They were shouting at the top of their lungs to boost the morale for their Ancestral Founder. Their cheering, which was music to the ears earlier, now sounded ear-piercing. The middle-aged man had the urge to turn around and stitch up the lips of these fools.
The fog stopped swirling and revealed a several-dozen-metre-long path that led to the entrance of High Heaven Palace soon after. It wasn’t until this moment that the middle-aged man had the chance to have a look at the magnificent gateway. The inscribed ‘High Heaven Palace’ looked so dazzling under the sun that he almost couldn’t open his eyes.
However, he forced himself to widen his eyes as a group of people were standing before him.
At the front, there was a dignified and handsome young man who sported a faint smile on his face as he stared at the middle-aged man with a dispassionate gaze. He wasn’t very tall, but the middle-aged man had the illusion that he was looking down at him from above like a god observing an ant.
At that instant, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but hunch his back. There were some alluring and curvy women standing on the sides of the young man. Despite their different temperaments, they were all rarely seen first-class beauties. However, at this moment, so many of them had gathered in this place as they surrounded the young man like the stars cupping themselves around the moon.
Other than this lead group, there was also a large number of people standing behind them with unfriendly expressions. Some of them exuded the aura of Emperor Realm Masters, and although most of them were just First-Order, which was the same realm as the middle-aged man, their auras were much thicker than that of the latter.
This went to show that they were more powerful than the middle-aged man. At that instant, he realised that he had accidentally poked a hornet’s nest as he felt his heart freeze over.
All their cheering stopped as the disciples from Mountain Quarrying Sect were shocked to see so many people emerging from the array. As the thunderous noises stopped abruptly, it was hard getting used to the sudden silence.
As the hundreds of disciples looked at the front, they were soon attracted by Su Yan and the others. These people who had joined Mountain Quarrying Sect were mostly young and weak, so they had never seen so many beautiful women before. At that instant, all of them were dumbstruck. Some of them had even widened their mouths and fallen into a dazed state. Just then, the Beguiling Demon Queen flashed a charming smile at them, causing them to grunt as their noses started bleeding, all of them cheering in their hearts, [She’s smiling at me!]
Right then, Zhou Cheng arrived at the place and took a look at the disciples from Mountain Quarrying Sect outside the array as he frowned. Ignoring them, he turned to look at Yang Kai and said, “Palace Master Yang, we haven’t come to any conclusion yet. Please tell me your decision.”
“Palace Master Yang?” The middle-aged man was so shocked that he almost jumped out of his skin.
Since he had come to make a fuss in front of High Heaven Palace, he certainly knew who the Palace Master was. In the past, this man had gone against a Great Emperor in Tiger Roar City and escaped alive. After that, he was hunted down by Li Wu Yi. His name was Yang Kai!
The young man had just been addressed as ‘Palace Master Yang’, and his appearance matched that of the descriptions in stories about him. There was no doubt that he was that brave and heroic-looking young man.
At this moment, the middle-aged man still couldn’t believe that the young man before his eyes was the real Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai.
[Hasn’t he gone through demonification and betrayed the Star Boundary? He’s supposed to be in the Demon Realm, so why is he here? Has he returned from the Demon Realm? Wait a moment, after what had happened in the past, how did he have the gall to come back here?]
Right then, one of the young people, who was holding the flag and clearly not thinking straight, bellowed in a righteous manner, “Demon! Go to Hell!”
Not only did he shout, but he also pointed at Yang Kai and the others. At that instant, the hundreds of people started yelling again.
The middle-aged man turned ashen as he trembled uncontrollably. He had the urge to kill all of his disciples. Instead of boosting his morale, they were actually pushing him closer to death.
Despite his uneasiness, he still pretended to be calm as all his disciples were watching him, so he could not embarrass himself. He had arrived at this place to make a name for Mountain Quarrying Sect. If this matter wasn’t handled properly, not only would it become impossible for him to take in any more disciples, but his Sect might also be at risk of falling apart.
“Demon?” Yang Kai shot a look at the hundreds of people and put on a faint smile.
It wasn’t the first time someone called him a Demon today. Just now, the first thing Zhou Cheng said to him was to call him a Demon; however, he hadn’t expected to hear the same thing again from a stranger so soon. It seemed that his reputation in the Star Boundary was truly terrible at the moment.
Nevertheless, he didn’t offer any complaints. When he agreed to the Great Emperors’ request to enter the Demon Realm, he had already expected this outcome; hence, he would never take any accusations against him seriously.
However, the flag among the crowd was too conspicuous. It was a blood-coloured flag with golden black words written on it, so it was difficult to not take note of it.
Although Yang Kai was a thousand metres away from the flag, he still made a grabbing gesture. When he retracted his hand, the flag was already in his hand.
Upon seeing this, the disciples, who were holding the flag, were startled as they thought that the flag in Yang Kai’s hand looked very similar to their own. Then, they lifted their heads and saw that their flag was gone. It was then they realised that their flag had been snatched away.
“Mountain Quarrying Sect?” Yang Kai stared at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man felt that his throat was burning and his mouth was extremely dry. Nevertheless, he still placed his sword behind his back and performed a hand seal with his other hand. His demeanour was that of a senior martial arts expert, “That’s right. My name is Li Kai Shan, and my Sect is Mountain Quarrying Sect. Are you the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace?”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded gently, “Sect Master Li, have you come all the way here to give me a lesson or something?”
Certainly, Li Kai Shan wouldn’t dare to. At this moment, he just wanted to get as far away from this Sect as possible. Although Yang Kai appeared to be amiable, he still felt a chill running down his spine just standing before him. It was as though there was a sword hanging above his head that would fall upon him at any moment.
After pulling himself together, Li Kai Shan said, “I’ve heard that Palace Master Yang has suffered from cultivation dissonance and become a Demon. High Heaven Palace has also been regarded as an evil Sect, so you’ve become the centre of criticism. That’s why this Li brought his disciples here to slay the Demons and restore peace to the Star Boundary. However, it seems that you still appear to be a righteous Human, so I’m sure there must be a misunderstanding behind the rumours. This Li has acted rashly without first confirming the truth, so I hope that Palace Master Yang will forgive me.”
Yang Kai, however, replied with a smile, “You’re not mistaken, and there’s no misunderstanding. I’ve indeed suffered from cultivation dissonance and have become a Demon.”
Upon hearing that, Li Kai Shan, Su Yan, and the others were startled. The expressions of Meng Wu Ya and the others were transformed by shock as they turned to stare at Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai looked perfectly normal, and there were no signs that he had suffered from cultivation dissonance.
Those who were struck with cultivation dissonance would normally become mentally confused, unable to recognise friends and family. In the worst case, their cultivations would be destroyed and they would lose their lives. However, Yang Kai looked totally fine, so they thought that he was just spouting nonsense.
Li Kai Shan forced a wry smile, “Palace Master Yang must be joking.”
Yang Kai lowered his head as his hair hung loose on his forehead. Then, he said impassively, “Do I look like I’m joking?”
After he finished speaking, Demon Qi exploded out of his body. In an instant, he was engulfed in a shroud of black Qi as his eyes reflected a horrifying glint. The evil black Qi around his body gave off a nerve-wracking feeling, so it was apparent that it was Demon Qi.
Su Yan and the others were slightly shocked, but they soon set themselves at ease. To them, whether or not Yang Kai had become a Demon made no difference.
On the other hand, Meng Wu Ya and the others appeared worried as they traded glances. Three words sprang into their minds. [Demon Heavenly Dao!]
Meanwhile, Li Kai Shan was shaken to the core as he took a few steps back. With a horrified look, he stared at Yang Kai, who was engulfed in Demon Qi, in disbelief. In his heart, he realized that the rumours were true. Yang Kai had really become a Demon.
People who had gone through demonification could not be reasoned with. He had provoked Yang Kai in the first place, so there was no way he would be forgiven. Hence, when he saw the swirling Demon Qi, he immediately thought about fleeing from this place. However, he was unable to do that as the space around him had suddenly become viscous, as though he had fallen into a mire. The more he struggled, the more restricted he became. He found it hard even to move a finger.
However, the hundreds of disciples perceived the sight before their eyes differently. They thought that their Sect Master remained calm and collected when confronted by a heinous Demon, so they all became energised.
Yang Kai stared at him with his head tilted. Amidst the black Demon Qi, his bloodshot eyes seemed to be flickering like a fire. In a grim voice, he questioned, “You just said that you want to slay the Demons to restore peace to the Star Boundary, right?”
Li Kai Shan’s mouth remained shut. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to reply, but rather that he was unable to do so. The vitality in his chest undulated, and he was worried that he would spray out a mouthful of blood as soon as he opened his mouth.
“If you had such noble determination, you should have gone to the Western Territory, why are you making a scene in front of my Sect?” Yang Kai sneered, “There are countless Demons over there for you to kill. Sect Master Li, it seems that you’ve come to the wrong place.”
After a pause, he went on to say, “This Palace Master has been away for a few years, and with the Great Emperors’ order, High Heaven Palace was sealed off not for fear of outsiders invading, but because we had an important mission to carry out. Have the Great Emperors ever once condemned High Heaven Palace as an evil Sect? On the other hand, trash like you all come to make a fuss in the name of slaying the Demons quite frequently it seems. You’ve slandered High Heaven Palace’s name and reputation. All of you deserve death, and since you’re sick of living, this King will grant your wish!”
After he finished speaking, he suddenly gripped the flag. As a howling sound was heard, the flag turned into a beam of light and shot towards Li Kai Shan.
All of them broke into a commotion as Meng Wu Ya and Chu Ling Xiao called out to Yang Kai to stop.
It was inevitable that the outsiders would misunderstand High Heaven Palace because of Yang Kai’s actions. Although these people, who tried to make a name for themselves by disparaging High Heaven Palace, were despicable, their crime was not severe enough for them to deserve death. If Yang Kai killed him here, he would truly be regarded as a Demon. Once his reputation was ruined, he wouldn’t be able to gain a footing in the Star Boundary anymore.
Nevertheless, Meng Wu Ya, Chu Ling Xiao and the others were only Dao Source Realm Masters, so they were not capable of stopping him. The only person who could stop him on the scene was Zhu Qing, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
Watching as the beam of light came at him, Li Kai Shan widened his eyes in disbelief. He had never expected that Yang Kai would directly deal a fatal blow to him, which went to show that the Demons were truly unreasonable. At the most critical moment, he bit his tongue hard and spurted a mouthful of Blood Essence, attempting to retreat.
However, he realised that he was unable to do so. As soon as his Blood Essence spurted out, he felt an immense power coming at him and penetrating his chest. In an instant, he became like a pierced rubber ball, all the energy leaving him through his chest.
Lowering his head, he realised that there was a massive hole in his chest, through which all his organs could be seen clearly. Lifting his head, he parted his lips as he stuttered, “You…”
Right after he said only one word, he fell on his back as his vitality left him.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was covered in black Qi as his bloodshot eyes appeared ferocious. Since his Emperor Qi turned into Demon Qi, there had been a subtle influence over his heart and mind. Although his rationality and original personality were protected by the Soul Warming Lotus, ensuring he did not become completely demonified, his temperament had still been affected.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have forced himself upon Yu Ru Meng in the past.
It was the same case on this day. Since the Two Worlds’ Great World broke out, countless cultivators had gone to the Western Territory to defend their world, but instead of contributing their strength, some people had decided to scheme against and disparage their own people. Since Li Kai Shan wasn’t willing to go to the Western Territory, it was pointless for him, as an Emperor Realm Master, to remain alive.
Furthermore, Yang Kai was displeased with Zhou Cheng’s appearance and remarks just now. However, Zhou Cheng was just a weak Alchemist, so he thought that as a Master so much stronger than him, he shouldn’t lower himself to deal with him. Nevertheless, Li Kai Shan’s appearance provided Yang Kai a chance to vent his anger. Since Li Kai Shan had come all the way to this place, he should simply remain here forever. By killing him, Yang Kai could prevent any reckless people from coming to High Heaven Palace to ‘slay the Demon’ and slander his Sect.
To Yang Kai, it didn’t matter if he killed Li Kai Shan as he felt extremely refreshed after ending the latter’s life.
Right after Li Kai Shan lost his life, a grating laugh was suddenly heard as Gui Zu made a move. Earlier, he had asked Yang Kai when they would have a chance to venture out and start killing. At this moment, the chance was right before his eyes.
Then, a banner flew over and coiled around the more than ten Dao Source Realm cultivators, after which all of them disappeared.
The banner seemed to have turned into a living creature as it writhed about in the air. After spitting out more than ten withered corpses, it returned to Gui Zu.
In just a short moment, all the Dao Source Realm Masters had their Souls taken away by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and all the essence in their bodies had been sucked dry. Gui Zu’s moves were more horrifying and shocking to the eyes than those of Yang Kai.
In the blink of an eye, the Sect Master and the more than ten Dao Source Realm Masters from Mountain Quarrying Sect had all been killed.
At that instant, the hundreds of remaining disciples felt every part of their bodies turning cold as they stared ahead with a horrified look. They were all very weak, and before they even understood what was going on, their Sect Master and Seniors had become corpses. It was then they realised that the reason Li Kai Shan was able to stand tall before those from High Heaven Palace without responding to their threats was that he simply couldn’t move. Once the other party made a move, their Ancestral Founder was killed as easily as a mosquito. Faced with such a tragedy, some of the female disciples were so shocked that they started tearing up. Since the Ancestral Founder had lost his life, there was no way they could survive.
“Why are you not running away? Do all of you want to die here too?” Ling Tai Xu bellowed at those people.
It was then they came to their senses. After someone shrieked and turned around to leave, others followed him as hundreds of people scurried for their lives. Some of them were so terrified that their legs had turned to jelly as they fell to the ground. However, they soon got to their feet and kept running forward in embarrassment.
In just over ten breaths’ time, everyone was gone. Ling Tai Xu and Chu Ling Xiao traded glances and heaved a sigh of relief.
They were worried that Yang Kai would be ruthless and force all the disciples of Mountain Quarrying Sect to stay behind forever. If that happened, they wouldn’t have known what to do. It didn’t matter that Li Kai Shan and the Dao Source Realm Masters, who were attacking the Sect Defending Array in High Heaven Palace, were killed; after all, the Sect Defending Array of any Sect shouldn’t be attacked in the first place. By doing so, it was like provoking the entire Sect, so such presumptuous people only had themselves to blame for getting killed.
However, the hundreds of others were still young and inexperienced. They had just followed orders to come to this place with their Sect Master. Perhaps they didn’t even know what consequences their actions would bring.
Seeing as Yang Kai didn’t stop the rest from fleeing, they were finally able to be at ease.
Then, Yang Kai withdrew his Demon Qi. By just looking at his calm expression now, it was hard to imagine how wicked he looked earlier.
“As of this moment, High Heaven Palace’s gates will reopen,” Yang Kai ordered dispassionately.
Upon hearing this, Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing turned solemn before replying in an excited manner, “Yes, Palace Master!”
They couldn’t help but be excited because over the years, their bad reputation as an evil Sect and the Great Emperors’ orders to seal off High Heaven Palace had pressed down on them like two huge mountains, making it difficult for them to even breathe. The disciples might not have any profound feelings on the matter as most of them came from the Star Field, so they were currently quite weak and most were focused on cultivating in seclusion. However, the managers of High Heaven Palace worried every day. They couldn’t be at ease since the Sect’s reputation was at stake.
By reopening the Sect, they were finally able to clear away the fog and go out into the world to prove to everyone that they were innocent.
“Sister Hua,” Yang Kai called out.
Hua Qing Si quickly stepped forward, “Yes.”
“Over the years, what other Sects insulted us like what the Mountain Quarrying Sect just did? Do you remember?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.
Hua Qing Si took a look at him and put on a helpless expression as she knew what he was up to. Nevertheless, she still nodded and replied, “I remember all of them.”
She knew Yang Kai fairly well, which was why she had memorised all the Sects that had come over to make a scene over the years so that she could give Yang Kai a list when he asked about it.
Yang Kai grinned, “That’s great. Sister Hua, please take a group of people to those Sects and send all the cultivators who are in the Origin King Realm and above to the battlefield in the Western Territory. I’m worried that a major event will happen on the battleground soon, so we need more people there.”
Hua Qing Si nodded her head, “En.”
Meng Wu Ya pressed his lips together as he felt somewhat troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Palace Master, will there be any problem if we do that?”
It was justifiable to kill those who had provoked them earlier, but it was unreasonable to force those people to get involved in the battle in the Western Territory. Over the years, the Great Emperors had only enlisted people who were willing to join the war voluntarily. They had never forced anyone to participate in the Two Worlds’ Great War. Hence, Yang Kai’s action was somewhat overbearing.
“What problem will there be?” Yang Kai chuckled, “If they want to make a name for their Sects, the best way to do so is by making contributions on the battlefield. I’m just trying to grant their wish by sending them over.”
All of them were speechless at his reply. The battlefield was indeed a good place to make contributions and make a name for themselves, but the prerequisite was that they had to survive. In the past few years, even some of the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm and Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary had lost their lives, so no one could guarantee that they could remain safe in this war.
However, those people, who had been doing nothing but living a lavish lifestyle, were not worth any pity either.
Just then, Yang Kai grunted in surprise and turned to look at High Heaven Palace. The others had no idea what had happened, so they also followed his gaze.
A moment later, a beam of light shot out from the Sect and landed on the ground, which then revealed an arrogant-looking young man with a dispassionate expression. After he revealed himself, he ignored the others and only set his sights on Yang Kai.
At that instant, all of them stared vigilantly at the young man as though they were facing a formidable enemy. It couldn’t be helped, as this young man showed very clear hostility towards Yang Kai. It was as though he had come across someone he was extremely resentful of.
The young man was only in the Second-Order Emperor Realm, but his aura was even stronger than that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor, which caused the others to wonder where this rising star was from as the way he carried himself was truly unordinary.
“Brother Yao.” Ji Ying of course could recognise him at first glance.
The young man was extremely haughty as he lifted his head and looked down at the others; however, he was still respectful of Ji Ying as he cupped his fists and replied, “Grandmaster Ji.”
“Brother Yao, why are you here?” Ji Ying asked curiously.
“I’m looking for him!” The young man pointed at Yang Kai as his expression turned cold again.
Yang Kai put on a smile and asked, “What’s wrong, Brother Yao?”
Although the others had never met this young man before, judging from what Ji Ying and Yang Kai had said, they could figure out his identity; after all, the surname Yao was indeed very rare. Perhaps there was only one Yao Family in the entire Star Boundary worthy of fame.
This young man was none other than the son of Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Si! Yao Jun had one son and one daughter, so he had the highest number of children among the Great Emperors. The other Great Emperors either had no children or only had one. Moreover, all their children were women, and only Yao Jun had a son.
At that moment, they finally understood why this young man had such an impressive air. That was because he was the son of a Great Emperor.
Yang Kai wasn’t close to Yao Si as they had only met a few times before. They met each other for the first time in the Shattered Star Sea, after which they didn’t come into contact with one another more than a handful of times.
Though, in a sense, it could be said that Yang Kai was closer to Yao Si’s sister, Yao Lin. Her attitude was that of a typical spoiled Young Lady, and she had suffered some setbacks when dealing with Yang Kai before. Previously, when she, Lan Xun, and Gao Zhan were captured, it was Yang Kai who had gone out to save them. It was during the same incident that Yu Ru Meng pretended to be Li Shi Qing and planted her Heart Seal in Yang Kai, which signalled the beginning of the Two Worlds’ Great War.
Since they were not close to each other, Yang Kai had no idea why Yao Si was looking for him. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel pressured at all. One of his women was a Demon Saint, so he didn’t think the mere son of a Great Emperor was worthy of note.
“I am here to deliver the Great Emperors’ order. Yang Kai, prepare to accept it now!” Yao Si suddenly lifted his hand and a jade plate appeared in his grip which shone brightly under the sun, exuding the Great Emperors’ aura, which caused everyone to be unable to look at it directly.
All present had their expressions change. Yang Kai had just killed an Emperor Realm Master who had come over to make a fuss and revealed his Demon Qi. He had also ordered the reopening of High Heaven Palace; however, the Great Emperors had sent orders so soon, which caused them to become anxious. They wondered if word had gotten out, which was why the Great Emperors had decided to deal with Yang Kai.
The other matters weren’t of much consequence. The main problem was that it was hard for Yang Kai to explain the Demon Qi within his body. The sight of his figure engulfed in Demon Qi was too similar to that of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao, who were a vile group of people everyone in the Star Boundary hated to the bones.
The only person who seemed to be taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune was Zhou Cheng, whose face was originally pale. Earlier, when Yang Kai reprimanded him but didn’t do anything to him in the end, he thought that Yang Kai actually felt diffident, which was why he had raced after him to press the issue of Xia Ning Chang. Seeing Yang Kai release his Demon Qi and directly kill an Emperor Realm Master, however, he then realised that Yang Kai was a ruthless character, not nearly as laid-back as he had presumed. When Li Kai Shan was killed, Zhou Cheng was astounded and thought that he had just escaped from death’s door without knowing it.
Yang Kai was stone-hearted enough to kill someone who was there to simply make a scene, so what needed to be said about Zhou Cheng who was clearly coveting his woman?
Initially, Zhou Cheng decided to stop pursuing this matter. He would apologise to Yang Kai at a later time and resolve the grudges between them; however, he didn’t expect that things would have taken a new turn as the Great Emperors’ order had arrived.
It was said that what goes around comes around, and it was now time for Yang Kai to repent for his misdeeds. At that instant, Zhou Cheng was elated as he thought that Yang Kai was doomed.
No matter how powerful Yang Kai was, his life wouldn’t be spared if the Great Emperors wanted to deal with him.
With the jade plate in Yao Si’s hand, all bowed their heads low and waited for the order to be announced, including Yang Kai.
Yao Si curved his lips into a sneer. Initially, he wasn’t the one who was responsible for making this announcement; after all, anyone could have done it, so a Great Emperor’s son didn’t have to personally come. However, he had decided to take on the task because he wanted to see Yang Kai showing respect to him. Although Yang Kai’s respect was directed at the Great Emperors, not him, he still hung his head.
When all of them were prepared, Yao Si said, “This is the Great Emperors’ order. The Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai, has ventured into the Demon Realm to obtain vital information on the enemy at great risk to his own life and reputation, rendering the highest of services to the Star Boundary. From today onwards, High Heaven Palace will no longer be sealed and its members no longer subjected to restriction.”
Yao Si’s voice wasn’t loud, but he had infused it with his Emperor Qi to make sure that everyone in High Heaven Palace could hear him.
After a moment of silence, everyone in High Heaven Palace broke into a commotion.
The people around Yang Kai were pleasantly surprised.
When Yang Kai said that he had met the Great Emperors, they didn’t doubt him. Since he was able to return safely after meeting the Great Emperors, it meant that he had cleared his name, and he was no longer regarded as a traitor.
However, no one could have expected that the Great Emperors would issue an order to clear things up for Yang Kai and High Heaven Palace.
Certainly, those from High Heaven Palace wouldn’t doubt what Yang Kai had said, but outsiders might not believe him. After all, Yang Kai couldn’t provide any evidence. Nevertheless, since the Great Emperors had issued a proclamation, his name has finally been cleared.
Instead of being a traitor of the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had actually made a huge contribution by venturing into the Demon Realm to gather information on the enemy!
Since the Great Emperors had said so, no one would dare to doubt anything. The Palace Master had turned from a traitor to an undercover agent who had made significant contributions to the Star Boundary, and the Sect could finally get rid of the accusation that it was an evil Sect. The change took place so quickly that all the disciples of High Heaven Place felt the emotions in their hearts undulating. All of them were cheering as they were proud to have a Palace Master like him, and their years of forbearance finally paid off.
However, there was more to come.
Yao Si went on to say, “The Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai, will be appointed to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. He is charged with recruiting soldiers for the Sixty-First Army and preparing all necessary resources on his own. If there are any objections, he can head to Seven Mists Sea and report them to Supreme Commander Li!”
Yang Kai stared at Yao Si and blinked, thinking that he had heard wrong. Besides him, the others were also dumbfounded as they gasped and held their breaths.
There were presently fifty four armies in the Star Boundary that were named in accordance with the Heavenly Stem and Earth Branch philosophy. The new Sixty-First Army was supposed to be the Fifty-Fifth army. When Yang Kai was escorting Fan Xin and the others some time ago, he had asked her about it, so he knew what had been going on with these armies.
As far as he knew, there were fifty four armies in the Star Boundary, with the last one being the Fifty-Fourth Army, so the next one was supposed to be the Fifty-Fifth Army, followed by Fifty-Sixth Army, Fifty-Seventh Army, Fifty-Eighth Army, Fifty-Ninth Army, Sixtieth Army, and then Sixty-First Army.
Certainly, it was alright that the Great Emperors wanted Yang Kai to build a new army, but they had skipped six groups and appointed him to be the commander of the Sixty-First Army, which was no ordinary number.
Of all the fifty four armies, those that bore the title ‘First’ were all led by Pseudo-Great Emperors. That was because the ‘First’ was the beginning of the Earthly Branch. All the Army Commanders of such groups worked directly under Li Wu Yi, and they had to supervise the other groups that fell under the Heavenly Stem.
In other words, the Army Commanders whose groups bore the number ‘First’ were the supervisors of those Army Commanders whose groups fell under the Heavenly Stem. Therefore, if there were Sixty-Second Army, Sixty-Third Army, Sixty-Fourth Army and so on, Yang Kai could supervise those Army Commanders. As long as the interests of the Star Boundary were not harmed, the Army Commanders of those groups had to unconditionally obey Yang Kai.
Hence, all the groups with the ‘First’ title were led by powerful Pseudo-Great Emperors, because Third-Order Emperors did not have the necessary prestige to make others of equal strength obey them.
Of all the fifty four armies in the Star Boundary presently, there were only five groups with the ‘First’ title. These five Army Commanders were the strongest Pseudo-Great Emperors, including Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan.
That was the reason Yang Kai and the others were shocked.
The Great Emperors had given compensation to Yang Kai by issuing an order to clear the name for his Sect and him, but this appointment went to show how much they valued him.
While Yang Kai was stunned, he also wondered why the Great Emperors wanted him to build an army. When he was in Seven Mists Sea, he had told them that he was going to attend to some matters, so he basically had no time to build an army. Furthermore, Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian were already in the Star Boundary, and they had countless top cultivators who worked for them. The Two Worlds’ Passage had been sealed off by Yang Kai, which cut off support for the Demons, while the armies in the Star Boundary were ready to strike. Considering all that, it was just a matter of time before the Demons were subdued, so what was the point of creating another army?
Nevertheless, the Great Emperors must have a reason for making this decision. Although Yang Kai didn’t understand it, he could only suppress his doubt for the time being. When he was free, he would visit Li Wu Yi and ask him about it. He could also have a talk with Zhan Wu Hen as they had matching Space Beacons, so they could communicate with each other easily.
“Yang Kai, why are you not accepting the order yet?” Yao Si bellowed with a disdainful expression. He was pleased that Yang Kai was showing respect to him, but he hated the fact that the latter had obtained such benefits.
“High Heaven Palace’s Yang Kai, accepts the Great Emperor’s order!” Left with no choice, Yang Kai could only shout and respectfully walk over to take the jade plate. Following that, the jade plate shone and contorted before it turned into an imposing-looking Command Token, on which ‘Sixty-First’ was engraved.
This was supposed to be the token of an Army Commander. Not only was it a symbol of status, but it also contained a sealed Divine Ability of a Great Emperor. It wasn’t certain how powerful this ability was, but there was no doubt that no Half-Saints or Pseudo-Great Emperors would be able to counter it. It could be said that this was a safety charm that could save the owner’s life at a critical moment.
All the Army Commanders were important figures. If one of them lost their life on the battlefield, their army would fall apart. Hence, the Great Emperors had personally forged these tokens and infused different Divine Abilities into them.
The Great Emperors and the Demon Saints had come to an agreement that they wouldn’t appear on the battlefield, but this kind of thing wasn’t part of the agreement.
“Palace Master, congratulations on becoming the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. From now on, all Demons will tremble wherever the Sixty-First Army goes,” Hua Qing Si said with a smile.
After that, everyone around them started congratulating him as well. At that moment, Zhou Cheng’s face turned pale as there was no punishment or inquisition against Yang Kai as he had anticipated.
Not only had the Great Emperors ordered the reopening of High Heaven Palace and cleared Yang Kai and his Sect’s name, they had also appointed him to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. He had basically earned the highest honour.
The Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley in the Northern Territory, Bing Yun, was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, but she was only the Army Commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army. Although both of them were Army Commanders, the Thirty-Fifth Army’s status was undoubtedly lower than that of the Sixty-First Army.
At this moment, Zhou Cheng was so anxious and embarrassed that he couldn’t wait to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it. The corpses of Li Kai Shan and the Dao Source Realm Masters were still lying nearby, and Zhou Cheng couldn’t help worrying that he would be joining them soon.
Taking a glance over at Yang Kai, however, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief. That was because Yang Kai wasn’t paying him any attention at all. He was speaking to someone beside him with a smile. Zhou Cheng realised that his ears were buzzing and his head was heavy. Despite the close distance, he couldn’t clearly hear what Yang Kai was saying.
“Palace Master, why don’t we just enlist the people from those Sects into the Sixty-First Army? If they become your subordinates, you can educate and discipline them however you want.” Hua Qing Si suggested with a smile.
Just now, Yang Kai had told her to bring some people to storm into the Sects of those who had provoked High Heaven Palace before and send all those at or above the Origin King Realm to the Western Territory. However, she hadn’t expected to hear such an announcement. If they wanted to build the Sixty-First Army, they needed a lot of manpower. Regardless of the temperament of those people, there were still Dao Source Realm Masters and even had Emperor Realm Masters among them; thus, it would be beneficial to take them into the Sixty-First Army.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and replied, “I’m just giving them a second chance by sending them to the Western Territory, what is this talk of education and discipling? The population of the Star Boundary is much smaller than that of the Demon Realm. Since the two Great Worlds are at war, anyone who can go to the battlefield is valuable.” He paused for a moment, “However, if they work under me, I can try to protect them so that they won’t lose their lives so soon on the battlefield. En, just tell them to join the Sixty-First Army.”
Hua Qing Si nodded gently, “Yes!”
She curved her lips into a smile and tried to suppress her laughter.
Then, Yang Kai turned to look at Yao Si and said with a smile, “Brother Yao, many thanks for coming all this way. Since you’re here, why don’t you come in and have a chat with me?”
A dispassionate Yao Si looked up at the sky and replied calmly, “There’s no need for that. Besides announcing the Great Emperors’ order, I have a request for you.”
In a good mood, Yang Kai nodded with a laugh, “Brother Yao, please speak freely. I won’t reject you if I’m able to do it.”
He didn’t really mean what he said of course. Although Yao Si was a Great Emperor’s Son, they couldn’t even be regarded as friends, so certainly Yang Kai wouldn’t really fulfil his request. Moreover, Yao Si was a haughty man, so his request would undoubtedly be an awkward one.
Without beating around the bush, Yao Si lowered his gaze and said, “Fight with me!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was startled for a moment. Although he had speculated that Yao Si’s request would be difficult, he hadn’t expected that this was what the latter wanted. He couldn’t help but size him up and thought that the latter must be out of his mind, as there were no grudges between them.
Yao Si went on to say, “I only have one sister, and I treasure her.”
Despite his brief explanation, Yang Kai understood what he meant.
It seemed that Yao Si was determined to take revenge for his little sister. When Yang Kai and Yao Lin came across each other for the first time outside the Ancient Wild Lands, she had suffered a big setback. At that time, Yang Kai almost killed her, and if it wasn’t because Serene Soul Great Emperor had used Soul Descend, she would have lost her life.
Although he didn’t manage to kill her, Yang Kai had indeed directed murderous intent at her.
Looking at it from a different perspective, if someone had directed murderous intent against Yang Xue, whether or not that person had taken action, Yang Kai would never let him off. After all, Yang Kai had only one little sister, one who was still quite young.
Hence, he could understand what was on Yao Si’s mind. After a nod, he said, “You don’t have to thank me. I just happened to save your sister, it was the least I could do.”
Yao Si stared coldly at him as the muscles on his face twitched,
A smiling Yang Kai asked, “Is there anything else?”
“Stop feigning ignorance!” Yao Si was born aloof, and he wasn’t good at expressing himself. Furthermore, what Yang Kai had said was an irrefutable truth. In that case, he decided to directly make a move. After he finished speaking, he leaped into the air and did a somersault. As he fell, he attempted to land a fist on Yang Kai.
The power of his fist seemed able to make the world turn pale; after all, he was a Great Emperor’s son, so although his cultivation wasn’t that high, his strength was far above average for his realm. Most of the people at the scene grunted as though the fist was directed at themselves instead of Yang Kai. They secretly asked themselves whether they would be able to parry the attack if it was aimed at them.
Most of them wouldn’t be able to counter it, and all they could do was wait for death.
An unfazed Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and looked up at Yao Si.
Right then, Zhu Qing’s red hair flapped in the air as she shot forward and countered him with a fist.
The sound of something breaking through the air was heard as Yao Si, who was still ten metres away, grunted and flew backwards until he disappeared.
Yang Kai pressed his hand against the pillar of a pergola and looked into the distance. Feeling sorry for Yao Si, he said, “Why did he even bother to challenge me?”
Zhu Qing was a Ninth-Order Dragon who was born with immense power, so even a Half-Saint might not be a match for her, let alone Yao Si, who was only in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. She didn’t use her full strength just now of course as she had only sent him flying backwards. After all, he was a Great Emperor’s son, so if he was injured or even killed, they would have a hard time explaining themselves to Serene Soul Great Emperor.
Soon, Yao Si was seen coming back at full speed. With a dark expression, he bellowed, “You are the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace who is famous across the Star Boundary, so how could you allow a woman to protect you? Do you not have the courage to fight me? If that’s the case, I am deeply disappointed in you.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You’re no match for me, so what’s the point of bullying you?”
Yao Si refuted, “How are you so sure I’m no match for you when we have never fought? Don’t think you’re more powerful than I am just because you’re a Minor Realm above me. I am Yao Si, I am different from those nobodies you’ve come across.”
Yang Kai shot him a look with a weird expression, “Are you really that eager to fight? In that case, you should go to the Western Territory, you can fight there however much you want.”
Yao Si snorted, “Since the Two Worlds’ Great War broke out, I have been on the front lines battling against our enemies, and more than five High-Rank Demon Kings have been killed by me.” He put on an arrogant expression. A High-Rank Demon King was equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Since he was able to kill a High-Rank Demon King, logically he would be able to do the same to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
After that, he yelled, “I’ll ask you one more time. Will you fight with me?”
Yang Kai replied after a sigh, “What’s the point of fighting when there are no benefits?”
“You want benefits?” A glint flashed across Yao Si’s eyes as he sneered, “Alright, I’ll give you a benefit. If I lose today, my life will belong to you.”
Yang Kai stared flatly and replied, “What would I need your life for?”
Ignoring him, Yao Si went on to say, “If you lose, I don’t want your life, but you have to give up the position of the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army!” Upon finishing his words, he grinned meaningfully.
Yang Kai’s expression appeared awkward, “You want to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army? Fine, I’ll just tell the Great Emperors about it and ask them to change their order.”
Although the Great Emperors valued him and wanted to compensate for his losses by appointing him to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, Yang Kai really wasn’t interested. He still had a lot of matters to attend to, so he didn’t have the time to build an army. Even if he managed to do so, he had to lead the army to destroy the enemy and invade their territories, which would be difficult tasks for him.
He would rather work under other more powerful people and just follow orders than be responsible for the lives of millions of soldiers. The position of Army Commander might sound glorious, but every order he gave would affect the life or death of countless people.
Yao Si snorted, “If I want anything, I’ll earn it for myself. I don’t need you to speak on my behalf.”
Yang Kai replied with a frown, “So what if you’re able to defeat me? Are you sure you can persuade the Great Emperors to let you take on this position?” It would be ridiculous if the Great Emperors’ order could be changed so easily.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Yao Si said dispassionately.
Yang Kai scowled and recalled what Yao Si had said earlier, then he realised that this was the latter’s true intention for coming to High Heaven Palace.
It was indeed the truth. Yao Si took up this task and came all the way to High Heaven Palace for two reasons. Firstly, he really did want to take revenge for his sister, Yao Lin. Secondly, he wanted the position of Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army for himself.
It wasn’t that he was blinded by greed, but due to his origins, he wanted to fight for a chance to become the Army Commander of this particular army.
Most of the ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary didn’t have children, and for those who did, they all had daughters. Only Serene Soul Great Emperor Yao Jun had a son and a daughter. In other words, Yao Si could be said to be the leader among the younger generation of the Star Boundary.
As a Great Emperor’s son, he had been doing quite well. Although he hadn’t cultivated for a long time, he had already reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm, and given enough time, even if he couldn’t reach the same heights as Serene Soul Great Emperor, he could become a Pseudo-Great Emperor. If the opportunity fell upon him, he might even be able to comprehend the Heavenly Way and become a Great Emperor.
So far, all the Army Commanders of the fifty-four armies were Third-Order Emperors from the older generation. The younger generation didn’t have the chance to hold any of these high positions yet. Firstly, their cultivation wasn’t good enough. Secondly, they were less experienced. The position of Army Commander was important, so no one would comfortably entrust a young person with this position.
Yao Si wanted to be the first, and he must be the first not for himself but for Serene Soul Palace and his father, Serene Soul Great Emperor!
He had been battling against the Demons on the battlefield to train himself and accumulate contributions. As a result, he had been promoted several times, and he was now a Deputy Army Commander, which was just one step away from his goal.
He didn’t even need another year to achieve his objective. It would just take him half a year before he would have the right to become an Army Commander. By then, he would have a chance to prove his worth to everyone in the Star Boundary. He would show them that his power did not come from his background, but rather from his own hard work.
However, he hadn’t expected that just when his wish was about to come true, Yang Kai would return and become an Army Commander before he could.
It wouldn’t matter if Yang Kai was going to become any other Army Commander, the crux of the matter was that he was going to lead the Sixty-First Army, which was the beginning of the Earthly Branch.
It wasn’t easy to build an army. First of all, one had to recruit enough people. Although there were still many cultivators that hadn’t been enlisted, it was hard for them to create more armies. Even if Yao Si was able to become the Army Commander of the next new group, which was the Fifty-Fifth Army, he would still be less influential than the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army.
There was no room for negotiation unless he could snatch that position from Yang Kai. That was why he had come all the way here to challenge Yang Kai to fight with him, but before he could, he was sent flying by Zhu Qing. That was the reason he was incensed.
After a nod, Yang Kai said, “Does that mean that if you defeat me, the Sixty-First Army will go to you?”
“Enough nonsense! Are you going to fight with me or not?”
“Good good!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly with an elated expression. Remaining on the same spot, he beckoned to Yao Si, “If you insist, this King will grant your wish. Make your move!”
He had decided that as soon as Yao Si made a move, he would quickly admit defeat. To him, the position of Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army wasn’t as important. Moreover, he didn’t have the time to manage an army. If he could pass this burden to Yao Si, he would be more than willing to do so.
Although Yao Si was indeed one realm lower than him, there was no doubt that he was powerful. He had grown up in Serene Soul Palace, and he had been involved in the war for several years, so he was familiar with the situation on the battlefield. Hence, he was more suited to being an Army Commander.
Yao Si narrowed his eyes and realised that Yang Kai intended to give in. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t mind it if he could win the battle without doing anything. It was Yang Kai’s choice not to resist. To Yao Si, he just wanted to defeat Yang Kai, the process wasn’t important. That was because he firmly believed that even if Yang Kai used his full strength, the latter still wouldn’t be a match for him. He was confident in himself because he was Yao Si, the son of Serene Soul Great Emperor.
With that said, he still took a look at Zhu Qing, who was standing beside Yang Kai. He had no regard for other people, but he was wary of this grumpy Fire Dragon.
A smiling Yang Kai said, “Qing’er, please stand aside.”
Zhu Qing shot a glare at Yao Si before backing down without saying a word.
With no more hindrance in front of him, Yao Si hesitated no more and shot forward. As his Emperor Qi undulated, he prepared his Divine Ability. However Yang Kai would deal with him, Yao Si had decided that he would go all out from the start!
Right then, he suddenly sensed someone using their Divine Sense to speak to Yang Kai. He made an effort to take a look over and saw a woman he recognised as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si.
It wasn’t certain what she had told Yang Kai, but after being startled for a moment, his gaze brightened.
Then, a very dangerous aura enveloped Yao Si. The next moment, a figure abruptly appeared before his eyes, their faces almost coming into contact with one another.
An astounded Yao Si realised that Yang Kai had used a Space Secret Technique and quickly responded with the Divine Ability that he had prepared.
As the son of Serene Soul Great Emperor, he had learned much from his Father since young, and he was an expert in Spiritual Energy. His most powerful methods were actually Soul Secret Techniques. As his Divine Sense rose up like a tidal wave, his very pure Spiritual Energy transformed into nine hundred and ninety-nine miniature swords before they broke through the defence of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense and penetrated his Knowledge Sea.
Anyone else wouldn’t have dared to use such a move in such a situation. That was because this violent move could potentially kill the other party. There was no blood feud between Yang Kai and him, so there was no reason for him to do so; however, since he had decided to use this move, Yao Si was confident about his control. Even though the nine hundred and ninety-nine mini swords had penetrated Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, he could still control them and make sure that the latter’s life wouldn’t be at risk.
Then, he put on a sneer. He knew that Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space, so it would be troublesome if Yang Kai decided to evade his attacks. However, Yang Kai just recklessly appeared right in front of him, so it could be said that he was far too presumptuous.
After the nine hundred and ninety-nine miniature swords entered Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, however, the expression on Yao Si’s face changed drastically. That was because, at that instant, he realised that he had lost contact with his Divine Sense swords. He was so shocked that he fell into a dazed state, and just then, a white lotus suddenly started blooming in front of his eyes.
The world seemed to be filled with this lotus. He had fallen into the stamen of the flower and was unable to escape from it. The petals slowly folded and sealed him inside it. He realised that he wasn’t able to flee no matter how hard he tried. There was nothing he could do as he watched the lotus trapping him.
The world around him was pitch-black now as he couldn’t see anything. Even his senses had been blocked as he was engulfed in a sense of isolation. It seemed that he would be trapped in this sealed world for tens of thousands of years, possibly even forever.
Right then, he felt his eyelids close and his consciousness blur and despite his great strength, he was unable to resist the urge to sleep.
A flabbergasted Yao Si realised that he had fallen into a trap. Both shocked and exasperated, he bit his tongue in an attempt to restore his consciousness by experiencing a sharp pain. Despite the pain he felt though, there was no taste of blood in his mouth. At that instant, he was dumbfounded.
Since he couldn’t taste any blood, it meant that he was not currently a physical being.
[Am I a Soul Avatar now?]
If he hadn’t bitten his tongue, he wouldn’t have realised it.
The son of Serene Soul wasn’t even aware that a Soul Secret Technique had been used on him. When that thought flashed across his mind, he completely lost his composure.
When the Soul Warming Lotus evolved in the past, Yang Kai was suddenly enlightened and obtained a Secret Technique. This Secret Technique was strange and inscrutable, making it difficult for any enemy to guard against it. Paired with Yang Kai’s powerful Soul cultivation, he could easily catch the enemy off guard and gain the upper hand. He called this technique ‘Blossoming Lotus’.
When he used Blossoming Lotus, the budding white flower would penetrate the enemy’s Knowledge Sea and devour their Spiritual Energy, using it to further bloom. Many years had passed, but Yang Kai still used this Soul Secret Techniques frequently. Other than this and the Heaven Severing Slash, Yang Kai did not cultivate many other Soul Secret Techniques.
After all, he wouldn’t want to be the jack of all trades and Master of none. He just needed a few Soul Secret Techniques.
However, after he slept with Yu Ru Meng and saw his Soul cultivation surging, he realised that there had been a transformation in his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique. A new Soul Secret Technique has been developed! The Sealed Lotus!
It was unlike Blossoming Lotus, and it could even be said to be an entirely different Soul Secret Technique.
When he used Blossoming Lotus, the enemy’s vision would be filled with a budding flower. When the flower bloomed, it meant that the enemy’s Spiritual Energy was leaving his body quickly.
However, when Yang Kai used Sealed Lotus, the fully bloomed pure white flower would wrap the enemy’s Soul inside of itself. After the flower petals closed, the enemy’s Soul would be sealed off within the lotus, and its connection with the body would be cut off.
If anybody wanted to survive, move around, or even talk, his Soul and body had to be united. However, Sealed Lotus was able to separate Soul and body. When the connection was cut off, the body was just a living corpse without the ability to think or act. No matter how powerful a person was, he wouldn’t be able to use any strength in such a situation.
It was exactly the situation Yao Si was in currently.
The space around him had been sealed off, and he couldn’t see any light at all. Besides that, he also lost all his senses. Before he nodded off, an idea sprang into his mind, which made him furious. [Deceitful bastard! I actually fell for his trap!]
He couldn’t be blamed for having this kind of thought. When he was about to make a move just now, Yang Kai appeared ready to admit defeat as soon as he pounced on him. Yang Kai also hinted that he was willing to give up the position of Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. However, when Yao Si really made a move, Yang Kai revealed his true colours and played a dirty trick on him.
At that instant, he was completely resentful of Yang Kai.
Before coming to High Heaven Palace, he had looked for his Father, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and asked him about Yang Kai’s appointment as Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. He also asked the Great Emperor whether Yang Kai or he was the stronger one.
The Great Emperor didn’t even spare him a look and replied that he was no match.
The unresigned Yao Si took the Great Emperors’ order and headed to High Heaven Palace to challenge Yang Kai to a fight. However, he had never expected that he would end up in such a miserable state.
At this moment, he became even more unwilling. If he had a fair fight with Yang Kai, it was hard to tell who would emerge as the winner; however, he hated the fact that Yang Kai won the battle by using dirty tricks. Despite his resentment though, he had no choice but to fall asleep.
The battle was paved with danger for Yao Si, but it was just a short moment for the onlookers.
When Yao Si shot forward earlier, Yang Kai directly confronted him. After they were about to come to blows, both of them suddenly stood still, silently staring at each other. Since Yao Si was facing the crowd, they could see that the light in his eyes slowly faded away and then became hollow as he was rooted to the spot.
On the other hand, Yang Kai slowly turned around and heaved a sigh before clapping the other person’s shoulder. It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai’s afterimage, which was on his previous spot, faded.
All of them stared at Yang Kai with awkward expressions, Ling Tai Xu asking with a frown, “Is he alright?”
Yao Si’s overbearing demeanour gave the others an unfavourable impression; however, there were no grudges between High Heaven Palace and Yao Si, and he was a Great Emperor’s son, so they really didn’t want to harm him.
“He’s fine. He’s just asleep,” Yang Kai replied.
[He’s asleep?] Everyone traded glances and saw the shock behind each other’s gazes.
Although the battle between Yang Kai and Yao Si lasted only a moment, the fluctuations of Divine Sense that burst out from them could be clearly felt. Thinking back, they realised that it was a battle between their Souls.
In the end, one of them was fine while the other had fallen asleep. The one who was fine was Yang Kai, and Yao Si was the one who had slumbered off.
These people wouldn’t be too surprised if such an incident befell any other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master; however, this person was the son of Serene Soul Great Emperor. Yao Si had received the Great Emperor’s training since birth; he was also the leader among the younger generation!
How powerful must Yang Kai have been to be able to achieve such a feat so quickly and silently? They couldn’t wrap their heads around it, and they wouldn’t even dare to think about it.
Whatever the case, most people at the scene shared the same thought as Yao Si. Earlier, Yang Kai showed the intention of giving up, so why would he flare up at the last moment? They were certain that it had something to do with Hua Qing Si’s secret message to Yang Kai just now; after all, he only became combative after hearing whatever Hua Qing Si said.
They would only find out by asking Hua Qing Si about it at a later time.
“He’ll wake up after a stick of incense. Sister Hua, please take care of him for the time being. When he awakens, please help him realise the situation he’s in. Haha. This is getting interesting,” As Yang Kai spoke, he chuckled and shook his head as though he could barely contain his excitement.
Hua Qing Si pressed her lips together and smiled, “Don’t worry, Palace Master. I’ll make sure he understands everything.”
Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists at the people around him, “I’ve left for many years, so I have many things to attend to now. I’ll take my leave. Seniors, I’ll visit you at a later date.”
Before the others could say a word, Yang Kai spread his arms like great wings and pulled Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, and Zhu Qing towards himself. After that, he led them towards High Heaven Palace as though he was herding sheep.
It was apparent that he wasn’t going to attend to work. He was just going to ‘catch up’ with his wives.
Upon seeing this, the Seniors smiled helplessly and shook their heads. Only Meng Wu Ya sported a face so long it was as if someone owed him a few million Source Crystals.
The turn of events happened so quickly that Su Yan and the others were still in a dazed state. When they came to their senses, they immediately realised Yang Kai’s intentions. However, they were now under broad daylight and there were many Seniors around, so all of their faces had reddened. They were slightly reluctant when they were pushed forward by Yang Kai.
After taking a few steps forward, Yang Kai suddenly recalled something as he whirled around and stared at Ji Ying and the others, “Grandmaster Zhou, you wanted me to make a decision just now, right? What kind of decision do you want me to make?”
Zhou Cheng was hiding behind Ji Ying, but it seemed that Yang Kai had no intention of letting him off so easily. Upon hearing that, Zhou Cheng staggered and almost passed out. Fortunately, Ji Ying secretly circulated his Emperor Qi and supported his weight so that he didn’t completely embarrass himself in front of so many people.
Since Yang Kai had directly called out to him, it would be inappropriate if he didn’t respond, so with his head lowered, Zhou Cheng replied anxiously, “This Zhou made impertinent comments. Please forgive me, Palace Master Yang!”
When he saw Yang Kai transform into a ‘Demon’ and kill Li Kai Shan just now, he realised that Yang Kai was no ordinary Emperor Realm Master. He really had the guts to kill, and he wouldn’t care about repercussions.
After that, the Great Emperors issued an order to clear Yang Kai and High Heaven Palace’s name. They had also appointed him to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army; hence, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t dare to make a fuss again.
The reason he could make a scene earlier was that Yang Kai was a ‘Demon’. Now that Yang Kai was a hero, his previous accusations were laughable.
Yang Kai shot him a look, and upon seeing that the latter appeared terrified, he said nothing. Then, he pushed his Demon Qi and engulfed his wives before flying towards High Heaven Peak. Inside the black cloud, Xia Ning Chang could be heard exclaiming.
After he left, the crowd slowly began dispersing. Before Meng Wu Ya left though, he snorted at Zhou Cheng and swung his sleeve.
Ji Ying frowned and remained silent for a long time before he sighed, “Zhou Cheng, you should go to Seven Mists Sea. We have enough people in High Heaven Palace at the moment. I’ve heard that Supreme Commander Li needs more manpower.”
Zhou Cheng stared at him and parted his lips in an attempt to say something. Apparently, he was reluctant to go.
He couldn’t be blamed. Although it was considered safe in Seven Mists Sea, it was nowhere near as secure as High Heaven Palace, which was the logistics centre for the entire Star Boundary. He had heard that sometimes the Alchemists in Seven Mists Sea had to follow the armies to the battlefield. In that case, they were at risk of losing their lives.
Before he could say anything, Ji Ying said, “Yang Kai is a petty man who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance he has suffered. Since you’ve offended him, there’s no way he’ll let you off. Now that he’s the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, you’ll only end up being drafted if you remain here. Do you want to follow the Sixty-First Army to battle against the enemy? If you’re willing to do so, you are free to remain.”
Zhou Cheng’s expression changed as he cupped his fists, “This Zhou will heed Grandmaster Ji’s advice.”
It was then Ji Ying bowed his head, “Don’t worry. It’s pretty safe in Seven Mists Sea as well.” After he finished speaking, he led the other Alchemists back towards Medicine Pill Peak. At the same time, a tinge of glee flashed across his eyes. Yang Kai had ruined his Heaven and Earth Revolutions Pills, but he couldn’t do anything to him; however, he was free to slander Yang Kai by saying that he was a petty man who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance.
Nevertheless, after the incident on this day, Zhou Cheng really couldn’t stay in High Heaven Palace any longer. Should he remain here, even if Yang Kai didn’t settle accounts with him, Meng Wu Ya wouldn’t let him off. Meng Wu Ya’s attitude before he left said it all.
In just a short moment, only Yao Si, whose Soul and body had been separated by the Sealed Lotus Technique, and the Head Manager and Second Manager of High Heaven Palace were left outside the Main Gate.
Bian Yu Qing couldn’t bear to see the mess outside the mountain, so after she gathered all the corpses together in one place, she brought them to a faraway place and tossed them away.
When she returned, she took a look at Yao Si and asked, “Hasn’t he awakened?”
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “Since the Palace Master has said it’ll take an incense stick for him to awaken, it must be true. He should wake up soon.”
After a nod, Bian Yu Qing looked up at the sky and narrowed her eyes, “The weather is lovely today.”
Hua Qing Si replied, “You’re right. It really is lovely.”
Yang Kai’s return to the palace, the Great Emperors’ order, the reopening of High Heaven Palace, the appointment as Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army… The series of events on this day overwhelmed all of them, but all of it was extremely good news.
It wasn’t just double happiness for them on this day. In fact, it was triple happiness. If they included Yao Si, then it was quadruple happiness. That was why Hua Qing Si was over the moon.
“Sister Hua, what did you tell Palace Master just now?” Bian Yu Qing asked curiously. She wasn’t the only one who was curious about it. Everyone else wanted to find out, but she was the first to ask this question.
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “Two things.”
“Two things?” Bian Yu Qing knitted her brows together.
Hua Qing Si put on a faint smile, “First of all, no matter who will be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, at least twenty thousand disciples from High Heaven Palace will join it. Since that is the case, Palace Master should have full control over the army rather than entrusting the lives of the disciples to someone else. The disciples will be more willing to follow Palace Master to destroy the enemy than any other person.”
Upon hearing that, Bian Yu Qing nodded in agreement. The Great Emperors had ordered Yang Kai to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. However, he had to recruit people and prepare supplies on his own. The supplies were not an issue as they had accumulated unfathomable amounts of wealth and supplies in High Heaven Palace over the years. Nevertheless, they would have to let twenty thousand disciples join the army to make sure that there were sufficient people.
Rather than letting twenty thousand disciples obey the orders of someone else, Yang Kai should take matters into his own hands. When they went to war with the Demons on the battlefield in the future, Yang Kai would be in a position where he could take special care of the disciples from High Heaven Palace, though he should be impartial.
It could be said that the first point Hua Qing Si had told Yang Kai was enough to make him take the position of Army Commander seriously. He wasn’t interested in the position, and he didn’t want to accept the order; however, despite his disinterest, he had to adapt to the current circumstances.
Furthermore, Hua Qing Si had another reason to persuade him.
“What about the second reason?” Bian Yu Qing asked.
“The second reason was that, if Yao Si was defeated by Palace Master, according to his own words, his life would belong to Palace Master. As a Great Emperor’s son, he wouldn’t go back on his word. Since Palace Master would have ownership of his life now, he could simply order Yao Si to manage the Sixty-First Army on his behalf.”
It was then that Bian Yu Qing understood what had happened, and she knew that Hua Qing Si was right. Yao Si had made a bet right in front of everyone, so he would never go back on his word. Since Yang Kai owned his life now, he had the right to order him to do anything.
It was alright that Yang Kai wasn’t willing to take on the position of Army Commander as he could just order Yao Si to do the job on his behalf, and the latter would handle all the operations within the army. Yang Kai could just stay behind the scenes and do his own things. This way, his time wouldn’t be wasted and his life wouldn’t be disturbed.
It was because Hua Qing Si had told him these two points that Yang Kai suddenly became enthusiastic. He thought that she was right as he should have full control over the Sixty-First Army. If he could also get a competent adjutant to work for him, it would be hugely beneficial.
Bian Yu Qing pressed her lips together and giggled, “Yao Si basically came to steal a chicken but lost his rice.”
Hua Qing Si replied, “It’s just that he underestimated our Palace Master.”
It wasn’t certain how Yao Si would feel if he had heard her remark; after all, from the start, he did not dare to underestimate Yang Kai. He was a Great Emperor’s son, and he was indeed a haughty and confident man. That was because he had the power to match his ego. However, since all the Great Emperors agreed to Yang Kai’s appointment as the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, it went to show that he was capable of holding that position.
Hence, Yao Si had never underestimated Yang Kai. Before coming to High Heaven Palace, he had even tried to evaluate Yang Kai’s power and considered that the latter could be more powerful than his own estimation.
However, it only took one move before he was defeated. It could even be said that they had just rubbed shoulders before he was knocked out. At that time, Yao Si was on full alert and had gathered all his strength, so he had never expected that he would be defeated without even the chance to fight back.
Hua Qing Si went on to say with a smile, “In fact, there are more benefits to be gained by defeating Yao Si; however, I didn’t have the time to tell Palace Master about it in detail.”
Bian Yu Qing asked curiously, “What are the other benefits?”
Hua Qing Si’s lips curved into a smile, “Think about it. If Yao Si joins the Sixty-First Army, whether or not he is willing, he will have to manage the army well. Given his status as a Great Emperor’s son, he has a unique advantage when it comes to recruiting people and collecting supplies. I’ve heard that even though the armies are united against the Demons, they’ll frequently argue over the distribution of rewards and manpower. Although Palace Master is strong and has some reputation, he’s still a member of the younger generation, and he’s closely related to many of the Army Commanders. When the time comes, it will be too embarrassing for Palace Master to argue with those Seniors. Nevertheless, it’s a different case for Yao Si. Although he’s a Junior as well, he comes from the noblest of backgrounds. Whenever we come across such thorny issues, we can just tell him to settle them. I’m sure he won’t let the Sixty-First Army be put at a disadvantage.”
She was right to say that many Army Commanders were closely related to Yang Kai. Those who were not close to Yang Kai didn’t matter; however, people like Bing Yun and Wen Zi Shan were on very good terms with him.
During the distribution of rewards, if Wen Zi Shan came over and said that he wanted seventy percent and Yang Kai would get thirty percent, Yang Kai would be put in a tight spot. What’s more, Wen Zi Shan would totally do such a thing as he was used to acting shamelessly.
When that really happened, Yang Kai would probably suffer a headache. Nevertheless, if they told Yao Si to deal with Wen Zi Shan, they would get their fair share.
Bian Yu Qing’s gaze brightened when she heard that, “Sister Hua, you’re really intelligent to have thought through these issues so deeply.”
Hua Qing Si put on a smile, “I work for Palace Master, so I have to help him solve his problems. It wouldn’t cost a thing to think a little more… hmm? He’s waking up.”
While the ladies were having a chat, Yao Si, who had been rooted to the spot, finally regained consciousness. His eyes regained their light, and the muscles on his face started twitching. He awakened exactly one incense stick worth of time after he was put to sleep.
The speed at which Yao Si awakened was quick. As soon as Hua Qing Si finished speaking, he completely came to his senses, and without any hesitation, he pushed his Emperor Qi wildly, forming a protective barrier around himself. At the same time, a mirror suddenly appeared and continuously swirled around him. The mirror was only palm-sized, but it was apparently a first-class defensive Emperor Artifact.
He still seemed to be immersed in the moment when he was having an intense battle with Yang Kai, so as soon as he awakened, he used his full strength to defend himself.
Looking around, he realised that there was no one else besides the two ladies who were smiling at him from nearby. He frowned and recalled what had happened before he was knocked out, and in an instant, his expression turned extremely dark as his back was drenched in cold sweat.
His expression was bitter because he realised that he had completely lost the battle. He was drenched in a cold sweat because he knew that in his previous state, Yang Kai could have easily killed him no matter how many lives he had.
Although he was certain that Yang Kai wouldn’t kill him, he still felt as though he had escaped from death’s door. After coming to his senses, he withdrew his Emperor Qi and stored his defensive mirror. Then he shot a glare at Hua Qing Si and asked, “Where is he?”
He didn’t care about the others as his target was only Yang Kai.
Hua Qing Si took a few steps forward and saluted him, “High Heaven Palace Head Manager Hua Qing Si greets Adjutant Yao!”
“Adjutant Yao? What are you talking about?” Despite facing an alluring lady like Hua Qing Si, Yao Si remained cold and indifferent, as he had no regard for her at all.
Hua Qing Si maintained a gentle smile as she explained, “Adjutant Yao, have you forgotten that before challenging our Palace Master you made a certain bet?”
Yao Si froze as the corner of his mouth twitched, “En, I indeed made a bet with that deceitful man. If I lost, my life would belong to him. He can end my life if he wants to!” He still thought that Yang Kai had been pretending to give in to get him to lower his guard before suddenly using a Divine Ability on him. This kind of man could only be described as deceitful.
However, he could not deny the fact that Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was indeed beyond his imagination.
Hua Qing Si kept a faint smile on her face as she continued, “Our Palace Master has said that he will not end your life; however, since you’ve made a bet, you can’t go back on your word; otherwise, if word gets out, the reputation of Serene Soul Palace will be tarnished. On the other hand, if we just agree to forget this matter, it will appear as if we are disdaining Adjutant Yao. This is such a thorny issue.” Upon finishing her words, she shook her head as her hair flapped in the air. It was as though she really found the issue difficult to deal with.
Yao Si snorted, “He doesn’t want my life, but wants me to keep my promise. Stop beating around the bush. What benefits does he want?”
Hua Qing Si said, “What benefits could we possibly want? Although High Heaven Palace isn’t comparable to a Great Emperor’s Sect, our heritage is still quite profound. We’re able to obtain almost anything in this world that we desire, so Palace Master has never thought of reaping material gains from Adjutant Yao.”
“I’ll give you ten breaths’ time to make yourself clear; otherwise, I’ll leave.” Yao Si had no time to listen to her droning on. It was Yang Kai who didn’t want the reward, not that he didn’t want to keep his word; hence, he wouldn’t feel any pressure if he walked away.
Hua Qing Si quickly nodded, “Palace Master has said that he wants you to manage the Sixty-First Army on his behalf, and that plenary power will be given to you to make most decisions.”
When Yao Si heard this, his narrowed eyes suddenly widened as he said in a grim voice, “Is that why you’ve been calling me Adjutant Yao?”
Hua Qing Si flashed a smile at him, “Since you will be managing the army on Palace Master’s behalf, naturally, you deserve the title of Adjutant.”
“He wants me to work under him?” Yao Si’s voice sounded furious.
“Beneath one, above ten million!” Hua Qing Si looked sincerely at him as she was trying to coax him into agreeing.
“In your dreams!” Yao Si was enraged. It was already embarrassing enough for him to have lost the battle, but Yang Kai even wanted him to be his subordinate, which was intolerable. Currently, he was a Deputy Army Commander, so he was also working under an Army Commander; however, it was an appointment ordered by Li Wu Yi, so he couldn’t refuse. Nevertheless, he would rather die than become Yang Kai’s subordinate.
Upon hearing this, Hua Qing Si remained perfectly calm, the same smile never leaving her face, “Since that’s the case, we’ll just forget the whole matter. Palace Master has said that he will not force you to do anything you hate. Sir Yao, you can go back now.”
The reply surprised Yao Si as he fell into a dazed state and stared at Hua Qing Si for a long time. Upon making sure that she wasn’t just spouting nonsense, he snorted and turned around before flying towards the Space Array.
He was swift as he soon disappeared from their sight.
Bian Yu Qing parted her lips, but before she could say a word, Hua Qing Si quickly raised her hand.
Seeing this, Bian Yu Qing immediately kept her mouth shut.
Ten breaths later, Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing were still waiting patiently.
Half a cup of tea’s time later, the ladies were still waiting at the same spot.
One hour later, just when Bian Yu Qing’s patience was running out, a person was seen coming over rapidly. When the person came near and revealed his face, the ladies realised that he was none other than Yao Si.
Seeing that he really returned, Bian Yu Qing was finally able to set her mind at ease. At the same time, she shot an admiring look at Hua Qing Si.
With his hands behind his back, Yao Si let his clothes sway with the wind. Suppressing his fury and frustration, he tried his hardest to say in a calm voice, “I’ll take on the position as Adjutant. Tell him that I’ll come to High Heaven Palace and assume my post in three days!”
“Adjutant Yao, with you in charge, I’m sure the Sixty-First Army will grow to be a formidable force that the Demons will tremble in fear of,” Hua Qing Si put on a smile and saluted him in an elegant manner.
“Hmph!” With his fury burning him from the inside out, Yao Si turned around and flew away. This time, he really left.
After he was out of sight, Hua Qing Si patted her own plump bosom and let out a long breath. Over the past hour, she had more than once thought that she had misjudged the situation. Fortunately, Yao Si didn’t go back on his word.
“Sister Hua, were you sure he would come back?” Bian Yu Qing asked.
Hua Qing Si forced a smile, “I wasn’t. However, I think that even if he doesn’t care about his own reputation, he can’t possibly embarrass the Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor. He has to take his Sect and the Great Emperor into consideration.”
She hadn’t come into contact with Yao Si much, but judging from what she had seen of his behaviour today, it was apparent that he wasn’t a pedantic person who stuck strictly to the rules. He was probably someone who would do anything to obtain victory as long as his tactics were not immoral. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone like him would go back on his word; however, just like what Hua Qing Si had said, even if Yao Si didn’t care about his own reputation, he had to protect the reputation of the Great Emperor and Serene Soul Palace, which was why he had to come back.
Before the Sixty-First Army was even built, they had recruited a powerful Adjutant who came from a noble background. Even if Yao Si wasn’t capable of management, he would still be able to increase the overall power of the army, which was a good thing.
“Three days…” Hua Qing Si turned to look at High Heaven Palace as though she was able to see through the seal of the array and glimpse what was going on in the palace. With her face reddening, she said hesitantly, “I’m not even sure if that will be enough time…”
“What do you mean there isn’t enough time?” Bian Yu Qing was puzzled.
Hua Qing Si’s face turned scarlet as she replied in a small voice, “Second Manager, haven’t you heard of the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Palace Master left for several years, and just now, he…”
Bian Yu Qing finally understood what Hua Qing Si was talking about as she turned to look at High Heaven Palace and giggled with her mouth covered.
With a solemn expression, Hua Qing Si decided to stop talking about this topic, and then she said, “Whatever the case, we have to get started quickly. The Sixty-First Army has just been founded, and Palace Master has become the Army Commander. All of us from High Heaven Palace must give him our utmost support. We’ll start with organizing the twenty thousand disciples from the Sect. As for recruiting others outside the Sect, there’s no rush. Second Manager, will you please go over to the Branch in the Southern Territory and enlist those who are in the Origin King Realm and above? I’ll handle those in the main Sect. We have to get everything ready in three days.”
“Good,” Bian Yu Qing replied in agreement. Both of them had worked together for many years, so they could tacitly understand one another. After they divided up the work, they parted ways to carry out their own tasks.
In the past, the Great Emperors had ordered them to seal off High Heaven Palace. Besides the main Sect in the Northern Territory, their Branch in the Southern Territory had also been sealed off. At this moment, those in the Southern Territory were still not aware that the Great Emperors had lifted the sanctions against Yang Kai and the Sect. When Bian Yu Qing went over and told them about it, everyone in the Southern Territory Branch was over the moon.
Upon hearing that the Sixty-First Army had been established, and Yang Kai would be the Army Commander, all the disciples who were in the Origin King Realm and above applied to join the army.
Ninety-nine percent of the disciples of High Heaven Palace were brought over by Yang Kai from Heng Luo Star Field, with the largest number being from High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star. There were also those who had been selected from different Cultivation Stars in Heng Luo Star Field. Regardless, all of them were cultivators with excellent aptitudes.
It had been quite some time since these people arrived at the Star Boundary, so all of them saw significant increases in their cultivations. Presently, there were thirty thousand to forty thousand Origin Kings. Many Dao Source Realm Masters had recently emerged as well. There were only a small number of Emperor Realm Masters, but it was enough to build the frame of the army. As long as the frame was prepared, they would have an easy time recruiting more people.
While those from both the main and Branch Sect were swamped with work, the atmosphere on High Heaven Peak was amorous, to say the least.
The room was filled with a sense of decadence as clothes had been scattered everywhere on the floor. On a giant bed, a few naked figures were entangled with one another as the sound of slapping flesh and sultry moans could continuously be heard.
Xia Ning Chang’s veil had long ago been tossed aside, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face. While Su Yan’s hair flapped in the air, Shan Qing Luo lay nearby drenched in sweat. Xue Yue had already fallen apart as she leaned against the bed and panted heavily, her body was twitching uncontrollably.
On the bed, only Zhu Qing was still trying her hardest to persevere. As two people became one, she could be heard moaning incessantly.
Unlike the other ladies, it was the first time Zhu Qing had shared her Husband with so many women around. Initially, she wasn’t willing to join them as it was too embarrassing for her, but after she dawdled for some time, Shan Qing Luo directly tore her clothes apart as Yang Kai caught her with his evil claws. In an instant, her determination not to join disintegrated.
The first time she encountered Yang Kai, Zhu Qing had fallen prey to his draconic nature. While she was in a dazed state, Yang Kai took advantage of her wantonly. After so many years, and growing so much closer, now that she was in this kind of situation, there was no way she could resist the temptation.
In the end, she could only give in to Yang Kai. She and her Sisters had all entered the battle together, but Zhu Qing was the only one who had persevered until now; after all, she was a member of the Dragon Clan, so Su Yan and the others were not comparable to her in terms of physical strength.
Most of them had already collapsed from exhaustion on the bed, while a charming Shan Qing Luo gently clenched her teeth and muttered to Su Yan in a small voice, “Damn it. Why is this woman still so energetic?”
Su Yan didn’t even have the strength to move a finger, so she was unable to reply to her. Nevertheless, she still made the effort to shake her head slowly.
Shan Qing Luo hoisted herself and knelt on the bed before crawling toward those two who were deeply immersed in the moment. Her hair hung loose on her waist and backside, and the arch of her back as she crawled forward was the epitome of seduction.
While engaging in an intense congress, Yang Kai noticed the approaching panther and stared at Shan Qing Luo with widened eyes. Noticing his stare, Shan Qing Luo lifted her head and flashed an alluring smile at him. Then, she slid up behind Zhu Qing and wrapped her arms around the latter’s body. Following that, her slender and jade-like fingers began wandering across Zhu Qing’s bountiful figure.
Zhu Qing shuddered as though she had been terrified. She turned around with difficulty, only to see Shan Qing Luo flashing a wicked smile at her. Upon licking her red lips, Shan Qing Luo lowered herself and began kissing Zhu Qing’s chest and stomach.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing was horrified. Usually, she was overbearing in front of Shan Qing Luo, but at this moment, she seemed to be pleading with the latter.
Certainly, Shan Qing Luo wouldn’t let her off. She had always been displeased with this female Dragon and had suffered several setbacks when dealing with her in the past. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as powerful as Zhu Qing, so she was unable to fight back. Hence, this was the perfect opportunity for her to get her revenge.
All of a sudden, the pitch of Zhu Qing’s moans increased noticeably. She might have been mistaken as wailing, but that wasn’t the case.
At that instant, the aura of decadence in the room thickened.
To the side, Xia Ning Chang, who was about to nod off, widened her eyes suddenly, dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. Su Yan quickly covered her eyes with one hand.
The group of six carried out their conjugal rituals several times more, completely losing track of the time, as if this room had become a separate, sealed world.
A long time later, Yang Kai awakened from his dream. Given his cultivation, he didn’t need to sleep at all unless he was severely injured; however, after he came home, being surrounded by all his Wives, he couldn’t help pouring every last bit of his love and energy into them. With his mind at ease, he unknowingly fell asleep.
At this moment, Xia Ning Chang was napping in his left arm while Su Yan occupied his right. Shan Qing Luo directly rested on his body as he caught a whiff of the fragrance wafting from her hair. He could feel two heads resting on his thighs as well, and without the need to take a look, he knew that they were Xue Yue and Zhu Qing. However, he wasn’t sure who was on his left and who was on his right.
Shan Qing Luo’s eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Yang Kai’s bright gaze. With a faint smile, the Beguiling Demon Queen asked, “You’re awake?”
Yang Kai nodded.
“Are you satisfied?”
He shook his head. He could never get enough when it came to such activities. For all his life, he would never get sick of seeing their beautiful faces and bodies.
Shan Qing Luo burst into laughter, “All of us can’t take anymore.”
Upon finishing her words, she lowered herself and landed a peck on his lips. With her hands pressing against the man’s chest, she supported herself up. For some reason, she could be seen scowling, as though she was in pain.
Seeing that, Yang Kai grinned and laughed in silence while Shan Qing Luo shot him a glare.
After she sat up with difficulty, she knelt on the bed and took a look at the other ladies as she sighed, “Stop pretending. It isn’t the first time we’ve all done this together. Wake up.”
None of them was an ordinary woman, so although Shan Qing Luo’s movements and voice were light just now, it wasn’t possible that the others weren’t alerted. However, at this moment, they all kept ‘sleeping’ soundly, none of them opening their eyes.
Unlike the others, Shan Qing Luo didn’t find what they just did embarrassing in the slightest, but the rest couldn’t help feeling awkward after they regained their senses. This was not the first time this happened, so she was already used to it. In fact, things were getting better as all of the Sisters became familiar with each other, so she stopped minding it at all. The crux of the problem was that Zhu Qing was around this time.
Seeing as the other ladies did not respond to her, Shan Qing Luo sneered and lifted her hand before spanking Xia Ning Chang’s firm backside, causing a wave of ripples on her flesh, “Ning Chang, if you don’t get up, our Husband won’t be able to hold it in anymore. Will you be able to take responsibility?”
Xia Ning Chang immediately opened her eyes, not because she was shocked by what Shan Qing Luo had said, but because Yang Kai’s hands had indeed started wandering around her body.
When their eyes met, she flashed an apologetic smile at Yang Kai and landed a kiss on his cheek. Then, she struggled out of his embrace and crawled towards the edge of the bed.
“Big Sister, Xue Yue, and you too…” Shan Qing Luo called out to them one by one.
After all of them heard their names, they got up with reddened faces. A moment later, the sounds of putting on clothes were heard in the room.
The sight before Yang Kai’s was pleasing to the eyes. Lying on the bed, he looked smilingly at every one of them as he felt extremely happy in his heart.
After putting on their clothes, the ladies helped each other comb their hair and tidy their appearances. When they were finally presentable again, they turned around, only to see Yang Kai still nonchalantly lying on the bed.
Su Yan sighed helplessly, “Help him up.”
The ladies separated into two rows and served Yang Kai by cleaning and dressing him.
Inside the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Palace, Yao Si was seated on a chair with a livid expression. Seated at another table, Hua Qing Si flashed a fawning smile at him. On the table, there were several jade slips which contained the information about names, gender, and cultivation of the twenty thousand disciples of High Heaven Palace who had been selected to join the Sixty-First Army.
The tea on the table was no longer hot, so Hua Qing Si gave a hint with her eyes, after which a maidservant came in from outside and replaced Yao Si’s cup with a new one.
The same thing had happened many times.
“Adjutant Yao, please have some tea. Palace Master will be here shortly.” Hua Qing Si forced a smile.
Yao Si turned his head and gave her a grim look, “You told me the same thing four days ago!”
He couldn’t be blamed for sporting a dark expression. He returned to High Heaven Palace after three days as promised, ready to discuss the building of the Sixty-First Army with Yang Kai; however, he hadn’t expected that the person serving him would still be Hua Qing Si, not Yang Kai.
This kind of formality didn’t really matter to him. Although he was displeased, he did not really mind it; however, he had waited in this place for four days now, but Yang Kai was still nowhere to be seen.
His patience was about to run out as he had drunk countless cups of tea served by the maidservants of High Heaven Palace. If it wasn’t because Hua Qing Si had been keeping him company with a respectful attitude, he would have thought that Yang Kai was just messing with him.
On the other hand, Hua Qing Si was extremely embarrassed. She knew what Yang Kai had been doing for the past few days, but she couldn’t possibly tell an outsider about it. Moreover, it was inappropriate for her to disturb Yang Kai at this point, which was why she felt frustrated. Yang Kai was perfect in every way except that he was too unrestrained, especially when it came to his Wives. Every time he returned, he wouldn’t leave his room for several days at least.
Previously, she already thought that there wouldn’t be enough time when Yao Si said that he would return in three days. Now, it seemed that she was right. She had spent a lot of effort making Yao Si join the Sixty-First Army, so she did not want to let him go. If he decided to leave, it would be a huge loss for both Yang Kai and the Sixty-First Army. Yang Kai had always been an arm-flinging shopkeeper, so as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she had to settle all the issues for him.
“Why don’t you take another look at the information about the disciples? When the Sixty-First Army is built, Adjutant Yao will have to assign positions to the most suitable people.”
Yao Si replied coldly, “There’s no need for that. I’ve memorised all the information about the cultivators who are in the Dao Source Realm and above!”
“Then…” Hua Qing Si was flustered as she had run out of ideas on how to stall for time. She had already reached her limit by holding Yao Si up for four days. As she saw it, if Yang Kai still wouldn’t show up today, Yao Si would really leave.
As expected, Yao Si snorted, “I’ll just wait for another four hours. If Yang Kai doesn’t show up within that time, the bet will be forfeited.”
He then put on a grin, “It’s not that I don’t keep my promises, it’s that deceitful man who doesn’t show me any respect at all!”
Given his power and family background, whatever army he wanted to join, the Army Commander would wholeheartedly welcome him; however, he had been staying in Yang Kai’s place for four days now without even meeting the man himself.
He was already reluctant to work under Yang Kai, and the only reason he even agreed in the first place was to protect the reputation of Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor. Now that there was an excuse for him to back out, Yao Si would certainly want to seize the chance.
Just then, a voice was suddenly heard saying, “Who are you calling a deceitful man? Just where is this man you speak of?”
Upon hearing this voice, Hua Qing Si was elated as she turned to look out of the hall.
When the first word was heard, Yang Kai was still several dozen metres away from the hall, but when he said the last word, he was already stepping through the entrance in a confident manner with a noticeable spring in his step.
He was followed by Bian Yu Qing, who had been waiting outside High Heaven Peak for the past few days. As soon as Yang Kai was done with his affairs, she reported to him about Yao Si. Hence, even though Yang Kai had only left High Heaven Peak, he was already aware of what had been going on in the hall.
[Adjutant Yao! That’s a pretty nice title for him.] He could always rest assured when Hua Qing Si was in charge.
“Palace Master!” Hua Qing Si rose from the chair and saluted him as she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, she was able to set her mind at ease.
Yang Kai waved his hand to motion for her not to be overly formal. Then, he stared at Yao Si, who ignored him and snorted. He didn’t even intend to get up from his chair.
As a magnanimous man, Yang Kai didn’t want to fuss over such a minor issue; thus, he walked up to the head seat and sat down in an elegant manner.
After serving tea to Yang Kai, the maidservant respectfully withdrew. Yang Kai picked up the teacup and took a sip before arching his brow, apparently surprised. Then, he started slurping the tea.
Hua Qing Si parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but after Yang Kai gave her a hint with his eyes, she immediately kept her mouth shut.
Both Yang Kai and Yao Si remained silent. At this moment, only the sound of Yang Kai sipping the tea could be heard in the hall.
A long time later, Yao Si stared coldly at Yang Kai for a while before speaking, “Palace Master Yang…”
“Head Manager,” Yang Kai looked up at Hua Qing Si as he fiddled with his teacup, “What’s the name of this tea?”
“Palace Master, are you not used to the taste?” Hua Qing Si didn’t know what was on his mind. Since he had asked a question, she could only answer it.
“It’s not bad. Where did you buy it from?” Yang Kai put on a smile.
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “We didn’t buy it. It’s actually grown in High Heaven Palace. Previously, there were already some exotic tea trees on Emerald Jade Peak. Apparently, some people from Seeking Passion Sect had planted them there. Madam Ning Chang grew quite fond of them, so she’s decided to nurture them. She has also personally prepared the tea leaves that have been collected.”
“Ning Chang produced it personally?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Hua Qing Si nodded and replied, “Yes. Madam has said that it can be used to serve guests.”
“Don’t serve the guests with this tea anymore!” Yang Kai felt heartbroken, “Send all the remaining tea leaves to High Heaven Peak. Serve the guests with other kinds of tea in the future.”
Upon finishing his words, he took a look at Yao Si’s teacup and wondered how much of the tea the latter had consumed. He felt so heartbroken that the muscles on his face started twitching.
“Yes,” Hua Qing Si hung her head low and replied.
Yao Si was enraged as he had been waiting in this place for four days before Yang Kai showed up. Now, Yang Kai didn’t even seem willing to let him drink tea. Infuriated, he picked up the cup and gulped down the tea. Then, he slammed the cup on the table with a loud thud before saying again, “Palace Master Yang…”
“By the way, has anything major happened over the past few years while I wasn’t around?” Yang Kai seemed determined to not let Yao Si get a word in, so he would cut him off whenever the latter spoke.
Hua Qing Si replied obediently, “Palace Master, after you left, the Great Emperors ordered us to seal off High Heaven Palace, and we were not allowed to come into contact with the outside world. We’re only responsible for refining pills and artifacts, so nothing major has happened.”
“That’s a relief.” Yang Kai nodded, “It’s wonderful news that nothing serious has happened.”
“Palace Master Yang…” Yao Si said through clenched teeth.
Yang Kai was still staring at Hua Qing Si. As soon as he parted his lips, Yao Si stood up straight and landed a palm on the table. In an instant, the table and the jade slips that contained the information about twenty thousand disciples exploded and turned into dust.
“Yang Kai!” Yao Si said slowly and clearly as the veins on his forehead bobbed.
A shocked Yang Kai turned to look at him, “Brother Yao, why are you so mad? Is there anything you’re displeased with?”
He then turned to look at Hua Qing Si, “Head Manager, since Brother Yao is here, you should properly serve him. Have you all neglected him in any way? Look how incensed Brother Yao is now. This is highly improper.”
Not knowing how to reply to him, Hua Qing Si simply lowered her head. If she were Yao Si, she would have sported a dark expression as well; nevertheless, she didn’t understand why Yang Kai was acting the way he was now.
He could be forgiven for not showing up in the past four days as he had been intimate with his Wives after a long period of separation; however, it was not right of him to keep ignoring Yao Si right now.
[Is he trying to demonstrate his authority in front of Yao Si? That isn’t necessary.]
Seeing Yang Kai acting dumb, Yao Si was so exasperated that he started laughing, “Good! Yang Kai, we made a bet seven days ago, and I lost it, so there’s nothing else I can say. You want me to become the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army? Good, I’ve come as promised. I’ve also put up with the fact that you kept me waiting for four whole days. However, if you’re still showing me this kind of attitude, don’t blame me for going back on my word!”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “Brother Yao, you mean you’re here to take up the position of Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army?”
Yao Si frowned and subconsciously took a look at Hua Qing Si, thinking that she made the decision on her own without informing Yang Kai, so he asked, “Are you not aware of it?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Head Manager informed me about it, so why would I be unaware of it?”
Yao Si bellowed, “Since you’re aware of it, why did you intentionally ask such a question!?”
Yang Kai pointed at his own nose, “Brother Yao, do you know what position I hold now?”
In a cold voice, Yao Si said, “The Great Emperors have ordered that you, Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, be appointed the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. Those from Seven Mists Sea had informed all the armies about it!”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, and you’re here to take on the position of Adjutant, while this King… is the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army!”
After he finished speaking, the smile on his face faded as he straightened his back. As his High-Rank Demon King’s Pressure flared, his figure seemed to have grown larger and he said in a grim voice, “Since you’re aware of these two facts, have you ever regarded yourself as part of the Sixty-First Army? Since you’ve not even realised your position and my own, why should I even bother to speak with you?”
All of a sudden, realization dawned upon Hua Qing Si, whose head remained lowered. It was no wonder that Yang Kai kept ignoring Yao Si by changing the topics. It was because of Yao Si’s attitude.
What Yang Kai had said was justified. The fact that Yao Si was joining the Sixty-First Army was hugely beneficial to them; however, if he didn’t regard himself as part of the Sixty-First Army or acknowledge Yang Kai as his superior officer, he wouldn’t act in the army’s best interest.
Yang Kai had indeed intended to demonstrate his authority, but he didn’t do it to strengthen his prestige or to humiliate Yao Si, this was simply a matter of maintaining discipline and order.
Yao Si yelled, “If I didn’t regard myself as part of the Sixty-First Army, I wouldn’t have stayed here and let you humiliate me!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No one is humiliating you. At this moment, you’re speaking to me as the son of a Great Emperor, not as the Sixty-First Army’s Adjutant that you claim to be. If you don’t even understand that much, just go back to where you’re from. The Sixty-First Army doesn’t need you.”
Yao Si’s brow twitched when he heard that as his Emperor Qi surged and swept across the hall. His aura became extremely dangerous.
He was completely incensed as he felt that he had been disdained. Hua Qing Si had told him that it was Yang Kai who wanted him to take on the Adjutant position of the Sixty-First Army, which was why he agreed to it despite his reluctance. He was well prepared when he came over to discuss building the army with Yang Kai, but he had never expected that he would receive this kind of treatment.
[Go back to where I came from? Where else can I go?]
Originally, he was the Deputy Army Commander of another army. Some days ago, he had returned to Seven Mists Sea to resign from his post and spent some time handing over his job to a successor. Now, everyone in Seven Mists Sea knew that he was going to become the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army, and many had congratulated him.
Although a Deputy Army Commander was an authoritative position as well, an Adjutant only worked under one person while being able to rule over millions of others. It could be said to be a promotion; however, at this moment, Yang Kai told him to go back to where he came from.
If he really did that, he couldn’t possibly say that he had been chased out by the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army when he was asked why he had returned. Besides him, Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor couldn’t bear this kind of humiliation either.
Seven days ago, he still had a choice, but at this moment, there was no turning back. It wasn’t that he had cut off his own way out, it was just that he had never expected that Yang Kai would treat him in such a way. Yang Kai still seemed eager to recruit a capable person like him previously, but presently, he seemed ready to discard him.
[Can he even be considered human?] Yao Si felt that he had been made a fool of; however, there was no turning back for him, so regardless of the fact that he was infuriated, he didn’t flare up. In a cold voice, he questioned, “What do you want?”
With a calm expression, Yang Kai said impassively, “I want nothing. I just hope that you’ll realise your identity and the stance you’re supposed to take now.”
Yao Si closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and let it out. As he breathed, the airflow in the hall seemed to have become turbulent.
Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing were extremely nervous as they were worried that the two men would get into a fight. They were not worried that Yang Kai would be harmed, but if they really confronted each other, the Sixty-First Army would lose a competent Adjutant like Yao Si.
Fortunately, although Yao Si was arrogant, he was pretty flexible as he didn’t need anyone to tell him when he should flare up and when he should hold back. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he cupped his fists at Yang Kai and slightly looked away before saying, “Yao Si… greets Sir Army Commander!”
He said those words slowly through clenched teeth and his voice was filled with grievance and bitterness.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai guffawed and abruptly appeared in front of Yao Si. After taking the other man’s arm, he said passionately, “Adjutant Yao, it was very polite of you to salute me. From now on, we’re one family, so we should help and take care of each other. You don’t have to be overly formal with me.”
His attitude had changed so abruptly that if anyone who had no idea what had happened just now saw this, they would have thought that Yang Kai and Yao Si were on very good terms.
On the side, Hua Qing Si shook her head and smiled helplessly. It was then she realised Yang Kai’s intention. He had emphasised identity and stance twice just to get Yao Si to call him ‘Sir’.
After all, it was inappropriate that Yao Si kept calling Yang Kai ‘Palace Master Yang’. It wouldn’t have mattered in the past, but things were different now. Yang Kai was the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army while Yao Si was his Adjutant, which meant that the latter was Yang Kai’s subordinate. There were strict rules to obey in the military, so Yao Si had to call Yang Kai ‘Sir’.
Only by doing so could it suggest that Yao Si had really regarded himself as part of the Sixty-First Army, and that he had realised his identity and the stance he was supposed to take. At this moment, he was no longer the haughty and aloof Great Emperor’s son. That was the reason behind Yang Kai’s change in attitude.
With his arm grabbed by Yang Kai, Yao Si felt his face twitching and his eyes seemed fiery.
Seemingly oblivious to all this, Yang Kai said to Hua Qing Si, “Bring some wine over. The Sixty-First Army is lucky to have Adjutant Yao with us, we should toast to his arrival.”
Before Hua Qing Si could even reply, Yao Si bellowed, “I dare any of you to bring wine over!”
He wasn’t in the mood to drink as he was still incensed. Even if he wanted to drink, he wouldn’t do it with Yang Kai. He was willing to call Yang Kai ‘Sir’ because of the Great Emperors’ order; however, even though Yang Kai was the Army Commander, he had no right to interfere in his private affairs.
Hua Qing Si was about to get some wine when she heard that. Feeling helpless, she turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquisitive gaze.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Adjutant Yao, since you don’t want to drink, we’ll forget it. Why don’t we sit down and have a chat? Our army will have to rely on you from now on. Although we’ve known each other for a long time, we’re not familiar with one another yet. It’s the right time…”
“Sir!” Yao Si swung his hand away and put on a cold expression, “I’m not here to drink with you or have a chat with you. If that’s what you want to do, you’d best find someone else. I have no time for that!”
His expression was dark when he called Yang Kai ‘Sir’ for the first time as he appeared reluctant, but he was slowly getting used to it now.
After Yang Kai’s hand was swung away, he balled up his fist and coughed into it. With a solemn expression, he nodded, “The Great Emperors have ordered this King to build the Sixty-First Army. While I thank them for their trust, it’s also a responsibility as well as a burden to me. This King can understand that the Great Emperors have high hopes for me, so I wouldn’t dare to disappoint them. The fact that you’ve joined our army is of great help to us. The war in the Western Territory is a pressing issue and time waits for no man. Since you’re here, why don’t we discuss our next move in detail?”
Yao Si’s whole body shivered while Yang Kai took a seat, and he had to take several deep breaths to suppress his anger before sitting down as well.
Hua Qing Si secretly gave the order, after which a maidservant came over and put down new cups of tea. Nevertheless, it was no longer the tea that was served earlier. The Head Manager had always been meticulous when executing Yang Kai’s orders. Since he wanted the tea leaves prepared by Xia Ning Chang to be sent to High Heaven Peak, she would execute the order without delay.
“Sir, I know that you have been in the Demon Realm over the past few years, so you probably know little about what has been going on in the Star Boundary. Do you know how the armies are established and structured?” Yao Si got straight to the point after taking a seat.
Since they were discussing serious issues now, Yang Kai put on a solemn expression and replied, “I know a little about it. Essentially, we’ve imitated the Demon Realm and built fifty-four armies. In every army, there’s an Army Commander who presides over Divisions. There are ten Division Commanders in every army, and there are ten Brigades under every Division. There are also ten Brigade Commanders for each Division, and under every Brigade there are ten Battalions. Under every Battalion there are ten Teams. It’s an extremely formal structure.”
Seeing as he wasn’t completely ignorant, Yao Si gently nodded, “Palace Mast… Sir is correct. This is how an army is structured. There are some slight differences between each army, but they follow the same general pattern. Do you know who is qualified to be the Division Commanders and Brigade Commanders?”
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Doesn’t it depend on their cultivation?”
Yao Si replied, “We take cultivation into consideration initially, but later on, the deciding factor is Military Merits.”
“Military Merits?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Yao Si nodded, “With enough Military Merits, a person can go from a common soldier to a General and even a Commander. However, if the person doesn’t contribute anything, he can also drop from a Commander to a General and even a soldier.”
Upon finishing his words, he put on an arrogant expression.
Initially, Yang Kai didn’t understand why Yao Si appeared haughty, but he soon realised the reason behind it. With a faint smile, he said, “I’ve heard that Adjutant Yao previously held the post of Deputy Army Commander. I’m curious what your position was when you first joined.”
“I was just a Deputy Division Commander!” As though Yang Kai had just hit the nail on the head, Yao Si appeared even more conceited, and there was a tinge of pride behind his gaze.
He was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master as well as a Great Emperor’s son, so it was reasonable that he got the position of Deputy Division Commander after he joined the military. Over the years, he had earned many Military Merits and was steadily promoted from Deputy Division Commander to a Division Commander, and then to Deputy Army Commander. It could be said that he had been smoothly climbing up the ranks.
“Impressive,” Yang Kai complimented him. It wouldn’t cost a thing to praise someone, and since Yao Si loved to hear it, he would just say that to him.
Nevertheless, Yao Si wasn’t willing to dwell on this topic as his expression turned serious again, “In any case, Sir is correct. All of us began with no Military Merits when the armies were initially formed. We were assigned roles based on our cultivation. Nevertheless, only Emperor Realm Masters can become Brigade Commanders and Division Commanders. The higher a person’s cultivation, the better. The person who can take on the position of Battalion Commander has to be in the Dao Source Realm at the very least. As for a Team leader, the requirement is lower as the person would only need to be a Third-Order Origin King.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Adjutant Yao is experienced in this, so I will defer to your expertise.”
Yao Si felt pleased upon hearing that, then he gave him a look, “The problem is, we don’t have enough people in the Sixty-First Army to take up the positions of Division Commanders and Deputy Division Commanders.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “Meaning we don’t have enough Emperor Realm Masters.”
“That is correct. In High Heaven Palace, including Sir, there are fourteen Emperor Realm Masters in total, but almost all are First-Order. Given their cultivation, they can only become Brigade Commanders. There’s no way they can take on higher positions.”
“Fourteen people? Who are they?” Yang Kai asked curiously. He didn’t even know that there were fourteen Emperors in High Heaven Palace.
Yao Si directly said, “Zhu Qing, Su Yan, Hua Qing Si, Bian Yu Qing, Gui Zu, Ai Ou, Chi Yue, Chai Hu, Gu Cang Yun, Ye Hen, Ruan Bi Ting, Nanmen Da Jun, Hou Yu, and including yourself, there are fourteen in total.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Hua Qing Si, who nodded gently to mean that Yao Si was right. The reason Yao Si was aware of all this was that she had prepared the information for him.
“There are already fourteen Emperor Realm Masters…” Yang Kai chuckled. Ye Hen was the former Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect as well as Ye Jing Han’s father. He had already reached the Emperor Realm a few years ago. Su Yan had also achieved a breakthrough in recent years. On the other hand, Ruan Bi Ting was Su Yan’s Master from Red Clouds Sect in the Ancestral Domain, and her aptitude was extraordinary. When Yang Kai brought her over from Ancestral Domain, she was already a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Due to the limitations of World Principles, she couldn’t achieve a breakthrough, but after coming to High Heaven Palace, and without the previous limitations, she was able to ascend to a new realm with ease.
“There are only twelve people!” Seeing as Yang Kai appeared proud, Yao Si quickly hit him with a harsh truth, “Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu are not included. Unless absolutely necessary, they should be kept off the battlefield.”
One of them was an Emperor Array Master, and the other was an Emperor Artifact Refiner. Both of them were incredible talents, so no one would let them battle against the Demons.
“Twelve people… Good, very good!” Yang Kai appeared elated. He recalled that when he came to the Star Boundary for the first time, he was shocked to realise there were Emperor Realm Masters in this world. Nevertheless, only several dozen years had passed, and there were already more than ten Emperor Realm Masters in High Heaven Palace, a Sect he had founded. Furthermore, those people only ascended to a new realm after joining his Sect, which showcased that as a leading Sect, they did have incredible heritage. All of this had happened in just several dozen years. In a few hundred years, or a thousand years, their achievements would be unimaginable.
With such accomplishments, they could live up to their name as a Top Sect. That was the reason Yang Kai was laughing joyfully.
After he calmed down, he said, “With so many Emperor Realm Masters around, we don’t have to worry that there are not enough people to take up the positions of Brigade Commanders.”
Yao Si sneered, “Sir, do you intend to assign all the positions of Brigade Commanders to your own people in High Heaven Palace?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Yang Kai asked.
Yao Si explained, “There wouldn’t be a problem if there were enough people in High Heaven Palace to prop up the entire Sixty-First Army; however, that isn’t the case now, so we have to recruit people from outside. In that case, we need to give the suitable positions to the right people. If all the Brigade Commanders are from High Heaven Palace, no First-Order Emperor Realm Masters will be willing to join us.”
“Aren’t there Deputy Brigade Commander positions?” Yang Kai smiled, “Moreover, there are Defenders under Brigade Commanders. We can assign the positions of Left Defenders to those First-Order Emperor Realm Masters.”
On his way back some time ago, he had come across Han Zheng Qing, who was a Left Defender as well as a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, but that was the structure in the Thirty-Fifth Army. The army was overflowing with talented people, so they had let Emperor Realm Masters become Left Defenders. There was no way the Sixty-First Army was no match for them.
However, Yao Si shook his head, “You’re not wrong, but it’s still inappropriate. By doing so, you’ll give off the impression to the outsiders that the Sixty-First Army belongs to High Heaven Palace…”
“The Sixty-First Army does belong to High Heaven Palace!” Yang Kai cut him off.
Yao Si stared at him with his mouth open.
Yang Kai went on to say, “No one in the army shall disobey my orders! I want all of us in the Sixty-First Army, whatever their position, to be united, and I don’t need any voices of dissent.”
A flustered Yao Si said, “Sir is not wrong to think in this way, but it will be hard to execute it according to your plan…”
Yang Kai grinned at him, “I know it will be difficult. That’s why I’ve asked you to become the Adjutant.”
Yao Si was dumbfounded as he realised that it wasn’t going to be easy to be the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army. He had practically picked up a hot potato, but he couldn’t get rid of it now.
Seeing that Yang Kai was determined, Yao Si shook his head and changed the subject, “We’ll put the issue of Brigade Commanders aside for now. Let’s talk about the positions of Division Commanders. According to your plan, the positions of Division Commanders are supposed to be taken up by people from High Heaven Palace as well, but are there so many people in the Second-Order and Third-Order Emperor Realm in your Sect?”
Certainly, there were not enough. He was fully aware of how many Emperor Realm Masters there were in High Heaven Palace. The reason he even asked this question was to make Yang Kai wake up to reality. Yang Kai wanted to get the people from his Sect to take up all the important positions in the Sixty-First Army, but there weren’t even enough people to hold the positions of Division Commanders, so there was no way he could do this.
“There are not enough people in High Heaven Palace, but I know where to recruit some.” Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “En, I’ll come up with a list later. Adjutant Yao will then head to Seven Mists Sea on my behalf and get those people from Supreme Commander Li.”
Yao Si’s face twitched as he said grimly, “Are you trying to poach talents from other armies?”
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him, “I just want to give them a chance to join a place where they can shine.”
Yao Si said, “Sir, I think you’d better do this in person.”
Yang Kai wanted to get some top cultivators to become the Division Commanders of the Sixty-First Army, but there was no way that such people were insignificant in their respective armies. Most likely, these people were already Division Commanders; hence, what Yang Kai was doing was basically stealing from others.
Although Yao Si wasn’t afraid to offend other people by doing so, he would rather not do it.
Yang Kai laughed and said, “Adjutant Yao will handle it for me as I have other matters to attend to, so I really have no time for that. Adjutant Yao, you have to spend more effort in building the Sixty-First Army.”
Certainly, Yao Si was reluctant to do it as he bombarded Yang Kai with all sorts of excuses, determined to turn down this job.
In the end, Yang Kai said helplessly, “Adjutant Yao, why don’t you handle it on your own first? If you really can’t accomplish it in the end, I will then step forward to settle it.”
After he finished speaking, he didn’t wait for Yao Si to respond as he rose from the chair and clapped the other person’s shoulder, “It’s settled, then. I still have other matters to attend to. Farewell.”
Following that, his figure suddenly flickered and disappeared.
“Sir!” Yao Si stood up straight and shouted, but no one responded to him as Yang Kai had already left the hall. At that instant, Yao Si was so exasperated that his expression turned livid. He had come all the way here to discuss building the Sixty-First Army with Yang Kai, but not long after the discussion began, Yang Kai, as the Army Commander, had actually fled. There was still a lot he needed to talk about.
Hua Qing Si was still in the hall. Seeing that Yao Si was blowing his top, she put on a smile and said, “Adjutant Yao, please don’t get mad at him.”
As Yao Si was still infuriated, she quickly said, “This is what Palace Master has left behind for you.”
She pointed at something on the table.
It was a jade slip. Yao Si didn’t even notice that Yang Kai had put it down on the table. After a snort, he picked it up and realised that there was a list of names inside.
Xie Wu Wei, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, Chi Lian, Fu Ling, Li Jiao, Mi Qi…
Earlier, Yao Si’s expression was still cold and angered; however, after he went through the names on this list, the coldness on his face melted. In the end, he grinned and gripped the jade slip as though he was holding a treasure.
When he heard Yang Kai say that they were going to poach talents from other armies, he instinctively thought that it was an abominable task. The other Army Commanders wouldn’t easily let their people go, and when they didn’t, he, the Adjutant, would have to persuade them.
However, it now seemed that even though this task was still troublesome, it wasn’t so difficult to carry out.
At the very least, Xie Wu Wei, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, and Chi Lian, all of them Monster Kings, were closely related to High Heaven Palace to begin with. Yang Kai was on good terms with those in Ancient Wild Lands as well. Now, all these Monster Kings were working under the three Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands. If he went over with Yang Kai’s order to get those people from them, Luan Feng and the others wouldn’t reject him.
On the other hand, Fu Ling was a member of the Dragon Clan, so the average Army Commander wouldn’t be able to restrict her. Hence, she had always worked directly under Li Wu Yi in the First Army. Together with those top cultivators she had brought over from Dragon Island, Li Wu Yi had weaved them together into a formidable group.
Given Yang Kai’s relationship with Dragon Island, Fu Ling would definitely be willing to join the Sixty-First Army, and by obtaining Fu Ling, they would also obtain the cultivators from Dragon Island. There were more than a hundred thousand people in that group, with several dozen of them being Emperors.
It could be said that the name Fu Ling didn’t only represent herself, but also a part of Dragon Island’s power.
There were also Li Jiao and Mi Qi. They were already the Sect Masters of two top Sects in the Northern Territory, so their subordinates must be the disciples from their own Sects. By roping them in, they would have acquired the people from Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect as well.
Yao Si had heard that most Sects in the Northern Territory regarded High Heaven Palace as their leader, so now that Yang Kai’s Sixty-First Army wanted manpower, Li Jiao and Mi Qi wouldn’t turn them down.
With so many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, which included Zhu Qing, they had more than enough people to fill up the positions of Division Commanders.
After settling the issues regarding Division Commanders and Brigade Commanders, Yao Si could go on to build the army with ease; after all, the rest of the positions didn’t require people with powerful cultivations, so those from High Heaven Palace would totally suffice.
The Sixty-First Army could really become High Heaven Palace’s army, which wasn’t a bad thing. Although it might affect those who would join as outsiders, the cohesion of the Sixty-First Army would be unbreakable. The other armies wouldn’t be comparable to them in this regard.
Upon that realization, Yao Si stopped getting mad at Yang Kai. After putting the jade slip away, he placed his hands behind his back and shuffled out of the hall. He was pondering on whether he should return to Seven Mists Sea to get those people from Li Wu Yi or head to the armies where those people whose names were on the list were at and tell them about Yang Kai’s idea.
In the end, he decided to head to Seven Mists Sea to inform Li Wu Yi first. In the military, the transfer of people whose positions were Brigade Commanders and above had to be authorized by Lu Wu Yi. So, it would be inappropriate if he didn’t tell Li Wu Yi about it before they tried to poach those Division Commanders and Deputy Commanders from other armies.
When he reached the Space Array, he suddenly realised that while he had reluctantly accepted this job, at this moment, he was enthusiastically solving problems for Yang Kai.
After giving it a thought, Yao Si concluded that he wasn’t happy to work for Yang Kai, he was just excited about the future of the Sixty-First Army.
…
While Yao Si was moving between Seven Mists Sea and different armies to poach talents from them, Yang Kai was paying a visit to all the Seniors in High Heaven Palace with his wives. Since he had made a promise, it would be inappropriate if he didn’t fulfil it.
Nevertheless, it didn’t take them much time to visit every peak and meet the Seniors. Eventually, they arrived at the residence of Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu.
Certainly, his parents were happy because he got to spend a few days with them; however, he could sense that there was a tinge of sorrow and anxiety behind his mother’s smile. It couldn’t be helped, as there was still no news about Yang Xue.
In the past, Yang Kai had brought Yang Xiao and Qiong Qi back from Dragon Island; however, he hadn’t expected that Yang Xiao only pretended to be obedient in front of him, but when he wasn’t around, the latter and Qiong Qi snuck out of High Heaven Palace. It wouldn’t have mattered if Yang Xiao had left alone, but he had actually brought Yang Xue with him as well!
Liu Yan was worried about them at the time, so she raced after them to protect and watch over them.
Eventually, the group of four entered the Four Seasons Realm, and there hadn’t been any news about them since then. Despite knowing that Yang Xue wouldn’t be harmed with Liu Yan around, Dong Su Zhu still missed her only daughter deeply.
Moreover, Yang Xue was just seven to eight years old when she left home, and she had barely started cultivating. The Four Seasons Realm was the personal domain of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, and although Yang Xue had the protection of Qing Qi and Liu Yan, it was hard to tell what would happen to her there.
Yang Kai was still incensed every time he thought about it. Yang Xiao indeed had to be taught a lesson. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had left alone, but he just had to bring Yang Xue with him.
According to Zhu Qing, those from Dragon Island had found out about it after all, and because of this, Second Elder Fu Zhun had personally come to High Heaven Palace to inquire about it. She had even gone to the valley in which the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm was located in search of Yang Xiao for half a year, but she couldn’t get any clue in the end. Before she left, she had told Zhu Qing to tell Yang Kai to visit her on Dragon Island the moment he returned.
Yang Xiao was indeed hatched by Yang Kai, and he was accepted by the latter as an adoptive Son. Yang Kai had even named him ‘Yang Xiao’; however, at the end of the day, Yang Xiao was the son of Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan, and the blood that ran in his veins belonged to the Dragon Clan.
When Yang Xiao was still inside a Dragon Egg, he couldn’t be hatched due to some complications. According to the Dragon Clan’s rules, he was supposed to be put inside Dragon Grave; however, due to Fu Zhun’s love for her son, she secretly hid the egg on a deserted island, and Yang Kai happened to find it and hatch it.
Fu Zhun had always doted on Yang Xiao. If possible, she was willing to give him the sun and the moon. If it weren’t because Yang Xiao had pretended to have an impure bloodline, she wouldn’t have let him leave Dragon Island with Yang Kai at all.
Yang Kai had taken her son away, but he hadn’t managed to take good care of him. Now that Yang Xiao had disappeared after going to the Four Seasons Realm, it could be expected that Fu Zhun was incensed. When she found out about it, she was even ready to storm into the Demon Realm to settle the score with Yang Kai.
Fortunately, Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang managed to stop her; otherwise, she would really have done it. Despite the fact that she had failed in her attempt to head to the Demon Realm, she insisted that Yang Kai must be held responsible.
The reason Zhu Qing was in High Heaven Palace was that Fu Zhun had told her to stay here to pass on her word to Yang Kai as soon as possible.
Yang Kai felt that he had been put in a tight spot. It wasn’t like he could go to Dragon Island and give her an explanation now. If he really did that, Fu Zhun would surely beat him into a pulp; after all, the Second Elder had never been a reasonable woman.
In any case, be it for the sake of Yang Xiao or Yang Xue, Yang Kai had to personally venture to the Four Seasons Realm; however, he wasn’t confident of achieving his goal as Fu Zhun didn’t manage to find a clue after searching for half a year. So, it was unlikely that he could find them either.
Nevertheless, in order to console his parents, he had to head there. Furthermore, he still had to pay a visit to Star Soul Palace, so the trip to the Southern Territory was bound to happen.
Before that, he had to first visit another place. It wasn’t an excuse when he told Yao Si that he had a lot of matters to attend to, it was the simple truth.
Ten days after he returned to High Heaven Palace, and under the attendance of Su Yan and the others, Yang Kai stepped onto the Space Array again. As a thought flashed across his mind, a white light surrounded him.
After the light faded, he was nowhere to be seen. When he appeared again, he was already in a Tree Cave.
He was now in the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory where the Stone Spirit Clan resided. It was still the same, small Tree Cave. Yang Kai had left a Space Array here in the past, which was why he appeared again here.
The area around him was completely silent, and after stepping out of the Tree Cave, he realised that there was no one around.
In order to resist the Demon armies, the Stone Spirit Clan and their symbiotic Wood Spirit Clan allies had gone to the battlefield in the Western Territory, so this place had become all but deserted over the past few years. However, the spirit fruits and spirit grasses that the Wood Spirit Clan members had planted had become ripe.
Yang Kai randomly picked a red fruit as he took a bite and leapt into the air.
Wherever he went, he realised that not many were in sight. The Ancient Wild Lands was located in a remote area, but since the Two Worlds’ Great War broke out, most of those in the Monster Race had followed Luan Feng and the other Divine Venerables to the battlefield. Only the old, young, and frail were left behind.
Unlike the hustle and bustle when Yang Kai came to Ancient Wild Lands for the first time, this place had become eerily silent.
The place he was heading to was the Blood Gate, where the Divine Spirit Palace was located.
There hadn’t been any news about Yang Xiao and Yang Xue since they ventured into the Four Seasons Realm, but the same was true for Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao after they entered the Blood Gate. In comparison, Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao had gone missing for a longer time, as it had been more than ten years since they entered the Blood Gate.
It was said that many Divine Spirit Sources had been sealed inside the Divine Spirit Palace. If Yang Kai could open it sooner, it would benefit many Monsters from the Ancient Wild Lands. The reason Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings were even willing to follow Yang Kai was that they wanted opportunities inside the Divine Spirit Palace.
Now that Yang Kai’s power had surged, his speed had also improved. In just one hour, he reached the location of the Blood Gate. There was nothing else on the barren peak, however, and if Yang Kai hadn’t known that the Blood Gate was located in this place, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to it.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao had indeed gone into the Divine Spirit Palace from this location. A war had also broken out in the valley nearby. Divine Spirit Shi Huo was killed by Zhang Ruo Xi with just one strike to end that battle, extracting his Divine Spirit Source and giving it to Yang Kai’s Embodiment.
Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed to see that the Blood Gate was nowhere in sight. If the Blood Gate had reopened, it wasn’t impossible that no one in the Star Boundary hadn’t noticed. The reason he came to this place was to have a look and make sure that it really hadn’t reopened.
Just then, a hooting sound could be heard, which prompted Yang Kai to turn his head to have a look.
Over there, a person was seen hanging upside down below a tree branch. With his arms crossed, he wrapped one leg around the branch. It seemed that he was sound asleep.
Yang Kai had noticed him when he arrived at this place. The person was a Monster General, but Yang Kai didn’t have the intention of speaking to him. The Monster General seemed to have exceptional perception, as he was able to sense Yang Kai’s presence even while he was asleep. When he opened his eyes, he was met with Yang Kai’s gaze.
As they stared at each other, the Monster General was startled for a moment before he let out a cry of surprise and accidentally dropped from the branch. After hurriedly getting to his feet, he skipped toward Yang Kai and said in a fawning manner, “Greetings, Senior Yang. May your life be long and prosperous. Hoohoo…”
Yang Kai gazed at him and realised that the Monster General had a square head with a pair of eyebrows that were as straight as swords. His nose was small, and his mouth was pointed, which looked like the beak of a bird. With a faint smile, Yang Kai asked, “You know me?”
The Monster General quickly bowed his head, “No one in the Ancient Lands doesn’t recognise Senior Yang. I work under Master Ying Fei. It was right in this place in the past that I witnessed Senior Yang’s awe-inspiring might. Hoohoo…”
“What species do you stem from?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
The Monster General replied, “This little one hails from the owl lineage and gained enlightenment after assuming Human Form many years ago. However, due to a minor cultivation dissonance in the past, my Human Form isn’t perfect. It is quite an embarrassing story.”
It was no wonder that he looked so strange. Normally, there wouldn’t be any flaws after a Monster General assumed Human Form; however, the person before Yang Kai’s eyes still had very conspicuous features of a Monster Beast. It seemed that he was really a simple owl who had evolved into a Monster Race after receiving enlightenment.
“What are you doing here?” Yang Kai asked.
The Monster General replied respectfully, “I’ve received Sir Monster King’s order to keep watch on the Blood Gate. En, he told me that it was also the Divine Venerables’ order.”
“Are you the only one here?”
“Yes. Hoohoo…”
Yang Kai took a look at his lower body, “How did you get injured?”
The Monster General replied with a proud expression, “It was in battle against the Demons in the Western Territory. I managed to kill a certain Demon, but my leg was cut off by him as a result. My blood soaked the ground and I was in excruciating pain; however, I was lucky to have survived, hahaha. It was worth it to exchange one leg for his life. I wanted to keep fighting as I still have one good leg, which should be enough to trade for another Demon’s life, but Sir Monster King told me to come back and keep watch on the Blood Gate instead, which is why I returned.’’
Yang Kai widened his mouth as he didn’t expect that there was such a story behind this fellow’s missing leg. Nodding, he lifted his hand and clapped the Monster General’s shoulder, “You’ve done a great job.”
The Monster General immediately appeared to be overwhelmed by his emotions as he was lost for words. With his eyes turning bloodshot, it seemed that he would tear up at any moment.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “All those who can fight should take part in the war, but it is equally important to keep watch over the Blood Gate here. Just stay right here, and if anything happens, immediately inform your King or the Divine Venerables about it.”
“Please rest assured, Sir, this one will stay right here and not go anywhere.” The Monster General straightened up and thumped his own chest.
“Good. I just came here to have a look.” Yang Kai nodded and turned around to leave. After he took two steps forward, his figure flickered and disappeared, which shocked the Monster General.
A moment later, the Monster General came to his senses and cupped his fists, “Farewell, Sir…”
Before he even finished his words, he realised that there was something in his hands. Spreading his palm, he saw that there was a new Space Ring in his grip.
He wasn’t even aware that a Space Ring had suddenly appeared in his hand. With doubt, he swept the inside with his Divine Sense and was immediately stunned. That was because there were a few thousand Monster Cores inside the ring, and all of them appeared to be of extraordinary quality. Although there were no Monster Cores from Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, they were exactly what he needed right now.
Knowing that it was a gift from Yang Kai, he immediately fell on his knees and repeatedly pressed his head against the ground in the direction Yang Kai had left. At the same time, he kept thanking him.
…
One hour later, Yang Kai arrived at Star Soul Palace in the Southern Territory.
Although he was dreading what was to come next, he still had to make an appearance. Bright Moon Great Emperor’s corpse was brought back by Lei Hong, so the reason Yang Kai came today was to pay final respects to the Great Emperor and to apologise to Lan Xun.
Before coming to this place, he had told himself that he wouldn’t resist even if Lan Xu scolded and beat him up; after all, he had indeed killed Bright Moon with his own hand. He had even imagined that those from Star Soul Palace wouldn’t welcome him.
However, when Yang Kai stepped into Star Soul Palace, he was shocked to see that the Great Emperor’s Sect, which was the cornerstone of the Southern Territory, seemed to be in a state of panic and upheaval.
Around the Space Array, there wasn’t even a single disciple from Star Soul Palace standing guard. Besides that, five coloured light could be seen flowing outside the hall. Between Heaven and Earth, the World Energy was turbulent as a very dangerous aura wafted from deeper inside Star Soul Palace, one that seemed like it would shatter the world apart at any moment.
A flabbergasted Yang Kai flew out of the hall and looked over, his pupils contracting at what he saw.
It wasn’t that Star Soul Palace was under attack. Although Bright Moon was dead, a Great Emperor’s Sect was still a powerful existence, more than enough to fend off a half-hearted invasion. The change that had taken place must be because of Star Soul Palace’s internal trouble.
At this moment, the gigantic Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was hovering in mid-air, the pulses of light radiating from its surface.
The pagoda was the most important treasure in Star Soul Palace. In the past, Yang Kai had a chance to enter it to experience its mysteries. The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld in High Heaven Palace was obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
There were five floors in total inside the pagoda, and each one was an abstruse and seemingly infinite space. This was an ancient treasure that was simply invaluable. The reason Star Soul Palace had such a firm heritage had much to do with this pagoda.
Presently, the pagoda was trembling, and Yang Kai could see that the people around it were sporting grim expressions as they kept performing hand seals in an attempt to stabilize it.
Three Great Elders, Lei Hong, Xue Zheng Mao, and Xiao Yu Yang were all present, along with more than ten other Emperor Realm Masters. Countless Dao Source Realm cultivators had also surrounded the pagoda to provide support; however, all of them seemed to have pale faces and were drenched in sweat.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what had happened to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it was apparent that the situation was perilous.
Swiftly arriving beside Lei Hong, Yang Kai pushed his Demon Qi as he spread out his palms towards the pagoda in an attempt to help stabilize it. Unexpectedly, his overflowing power wasn’t even able to go near the pagoda as it was repelled by the turbulent five-coloured light.
He wasn’t a disciple from Star Soul Palace, nor had he cultivated their orthodoxical Secret Arts. Moreover, the power Yang Kai used was Demon Qi, which wasn’t accepted by Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Sensing the fluctuations of Demon Qi, all the top cultivators in Star Soul Palace had their expressions change drastically as they thought that someone from Demon Heavenly Dao had invaded their Sect. However, upon seeing that the person who had used Demon Qi was Yang Kai, they were able to relax. Xiao Yu Yang and Xue Zheng Mao slightly nodded at Yang Kai before they re-focused themselves and continued trying to stabilize the pagoda.
Yang Kai turned to look at Lei Hong, “Great Elder, what happened?”
With a solemn expression, Lei Hong used a different hand seal as he replied, “Her Highness has entered the World Pagoda in an attempt to refine it. Now, it seems that something has gone wrong. The World Pagoda is attempting to leave the Sect.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “This sudden change was caused by Junior Sister Lan?” It wasn’t until this moment that he found out that the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was officially called the World Pagoda. Prior to this, he didn’t know the real name of this treasure.
Lei Hong nodded solemnly, “En.”
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “Why didn’t you all stop her?”
The World Pagoda was an ancient treasure that had been around since before Star Soul Palace was founded. It was refined by Bright Moon Great Emperor and became the most important piece of the Palace’s foundation. When Bright Moon Great Emperor was around, no one would dare to challenge the authority of Star Soul Palace. Now that he was gone, Lan Xun, as Bright Moon’s only descendent, had to take up the responsibility to protect and revive Star Soul Palace. Her cultivation wasn’t powerful, as she was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, so she decided to rely on a treasure, and the only treasure in Star Soul Palace that could provide her with such power was the World Pagoda.
If she could refine the World Pagoda, she could still retain the glory of Star Soul Palace even though Bright Moon Great Emperor was no longer around. If she succeeded, her power would surge despite the fact that she was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm. Fortunately, she had inherited the Great Emperor’s Bright Moon Body; hence, she was the only one who could refine the pagoda.
Unfortunately, she was in too much of a hurry.
For a treasure like the World Pagoda, even a Pseudo-Great Emperor might not be able to refine it, let alone a mere First-Order Emperor. This resulted in the current upheaval.
“She snuck in while we weren’t paying attention,” Lei Hong said through clenched teeth. If he had found out Lan Xun’s plan, he would have done everything possible to stop her. The Great Emperor had passed away, so Lan Xun was the last hope and pillar of strength for Star Soul Palace.
More than ten days ago, he had brought back Bright Moon’s corpse from Seven Mists Sea as everyone in Star Soul Palace was grief-stricken. All the Elders and disciples had put on mourning clothes as they knelt in respect in front of the mourning hall. Lan Xun had also knelt for several days straight without moving a muscle.
Three days ago, she got to her feet all of a sudden and wouldn’t tell anyone where she was going. Although Xiao Chen had raced after her, he was knocked out by her. When he came to his senses, Lan Xu had already entered the World Pagoda.
She must have obtained a special seal left behind by Bright Moon Great Emperor, as after she entered, the entire World Pagoda was sealed off, and all the disciples inside it were expelled. No one else could go in again.
Following that, the World Pagoda descended into turmoil as five coloured light radiated out of it. That was how the present sight came about.
Upon hearing Lei Hong’s explanation, Yang Kai had a grim expression. He knew that no one was at fault. Since Lan Xun had insisted on doing this, no one could have stopped her.
“Palace Master Yang, please save Junior Sister. Please save her!” Xiao Chen was just in a nearby spot as he turned his head and pleaded with Yang Kai.
He had been on bad terms with Yang Kai since the first time they met. Whenever they came across each other in the past, he would always deride Yang Kai. As Xiao Yu Yang’s Son, Xiao Chen was conceited and thought that he was the most outstanding young man in the world.
However, at this moment, he could be seen with bloodshot eyes and a pale face. Apparently, he had over-exerted himself these past few days. Lan Xun had knocked him out right before sneaking into the World Pagoda, so he blamed himself for failing in his attempt to keep watch on her. He was currently pleading with Yang Kai because he thought that the latter could save her.
Yang Kai shot him a look and nodded gently, “I’ll do my best.”
He then turned to look at Lei Hong, “Is no one else able to enter?”
Lei Hong shook his head, “None of us can get inside.”
“Have you informed the Great Emperors about the situation?” Since the advent of Cross-Territory Space Arrays, moving about rapidly had become far easier. A serious event had happened in Star Soul Palace, and if the other Great Emperors found out about it, they wouldn’t stand idly by.
Lei Hong replied, “Half a day ago, I sent a disciple to Seven Mists Sea.”
Right then, Yang Kai and Lei Hong turned around as they sensed a Great Emperor’s aura had appeared in that direction. The next moment, a towering figure appeared in front of them.
Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, had arrived. Standing in the sky, he looked up at the World Pagoda and fell silent, a tinge of longing and sorrow behind his gaze.
“Senior…” The World Pagoda was extremely unstable as it seemed that it would fly off at any moment with Lan Xun still inside. If the pagoda really flew away, they might not be able to find it again, and Lan Xun would have to spend the rest of her life trapped inside. Yang Kai was feeling flustered, but Zhan Wu Hen just stared at the pagoda without saying a word, which was why he decided to call out to him.
Zhan Wu Hen lowered his gaze and took a look at him before saying impassively, “Brat, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai quickly said, “This Junior came to pay his respects to the Great Emperor and happened to come across this incident.”
Zhan Wu Hen clicked his tongue and asked again, “Not that, I’m asking why you’re still standing here.”
A puzzled Yang Kai looked inquisitively at him.
“Get inside!” Zhan Wu Hen demanded.
A befuddled Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Senior, you might not be aware of it yet, but Great Elder Lei has said that…”
He wanted to explain it to Zhan Wu Hen, but the latter didn’t intend to listen to him. Zhan Wu Hen directly grabbed Yang Kai’s shoulder with one hand and snorted, “Stop your blabbering! I told you to get inside!”
Upon finishing his words, he hurled Yang Kai toward the World Pagoda as though he was throwing away a dirty piece of cloth.
Yang Kai let out a panicked cry as Lei Hong was flabbergasted. The top cultivators from Star Soul Palace who had seen this scene exclaimed as well. No one could have expected that Zhan Wu Hen would make such a move.
Even as Yang Kai was being hurled away, he couldn’t help marvelling at the Great Emperor’s strength. He had seen how Zhan Wu Hen placed his hand on his shoulder and tossed him. Zhan Wu Hen’s movements were not particularly fast, but for some reason, Yang Kai didn’t even have the ability to resist.
However, such thoughts were truly fleeting as, in the next moment, Yang Kai felt that he would soon see stars after smacking into the pagoda.
Zhan Wu Hen was extremely strong, and at this moment, Yang Kai was shooting toward the pagoda at an incredible speed. Even though he was a Half-Dragon, he would probably still end up in a miserable state.
Just when he was about to crash into the pagoda though, the structure started trembling slightly as a door-sized swirl appeared in front of him. Following that, he flew past the swirl and disappeared.
[He got in! He really entered!] All the Emperor Realm Masters at the scene were dumbfounded.
Lan Xun’s entry into the pagoda had caused it to descend into turmoil, so certainly the Elders wanted to follow her inside to help her or persuade her to give up; however, Lan Xun possessed a special seal left behind by Bright Moon Great Emperor, and she had completely isolated the pagoda. No matter what methods they used, they were unable to enter; therefore, they could only try to stabilize the pagoda from the outside to lend her a hand.
However, at this moment, Yang Kai directly entered the pagoda after Zhan Wu Hen hurled him towards it, which was inconceivable.
Lei Hong and the others appeared pleasantly surprised as they gazed at Zhan Wu Hen in awe. Since he was capable of doing this much, they wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
As though Zhan Wu Hen had seen through their thoughts, he said dispassionately, “Only he is able to enter, so all of you should stop thinking about it.”
Lei Hong frowned and asked, “Senior, what do you mean?”
Zhan Wu Hen shot him a look and grinned, “I mean, even this King is unable to enter!”
“What!?” Lei Hong was flabbergasted as disbelief was written all over his face. However, since Zhan Wu Hen had said so, he could only believe him.
“To be precise, I can enter…” Zhan Wu Hen digressed, “But that would cause damage to the World Pagoda. At the very least, I have to destroy half of the seal Bright Moon left behind, and that would still take a few months.”
They couldn’t wait for a few months as too much could happen during that time.
A puzzled Xiao Yu Yang asked, “Senior, since you’re unable to enter with ease, how did Palace Master Yang…”
“What do you think?” Zhan Wu Hen put on a smile as his expression turned inscrutable.
Realisation suddenly dawned upon Xiao Yu Yang as well as Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao. That was because Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will that belonged to Bright Moon.
Bright Moon Great Emperor had refined the World Pagoda, so it would naturally reject everyone except him under the current circumstances. Although Yang Kai wasn’t Bright Moon, he had inherited the World’s Will from him, so he carried with him a little bit of Bright Moon’s aura, which was why the pagoda wouldn’t bar him from entering.
Lei Hong and the others, as well as Yang Kai, were not even aware of this; however, as soon as Zhan Wu Hen arrived, he realised that there was a special kind of resonance between Yang Kai and the pagoda.
This kind of resonance could only have been left behind by the deceased Bright Moon.
An elated Lei Hong said, “Does it mean that after Palace Master Yang goes in, everything will be fine?”
“When did I say that?” Zhan Wu Hen shook his head, “He can indeed go in, but the world inside the World Pagoda is extremely mysterious. Even though he has entered, I don’t even know what he will come across. Maybe he won’t even be able to find Little Lan Xun.”
“What should we do, then?” The expressions of Lei Hong, Xiao Yu Yang, and the others changed.
“We’ve done our best. Their fates are up the Heavens now.” Zhan Wu Hen’s expression was solemn, “As long as the World Pagoda is still around, they will not die. That brat is also fairly powerful, so I’m sure he’ll find Lan Xun sooner or later.”
A worried Lei Hong asked, “What if the World Pagoda flies away before that happens?”
Zhan Wu Hen replied with a smile, “Just let it fly away then. That brat is an expert in the Dao of Space, so you don’t have to worry about him finding his way back. Even if it takes him hundreds or even a thousand years, he will return one day.”
[A few hundred or even a thousand years?] Upon hearing that, Lei Hong and the others were seen with worried expressions on their faces. It would be alright if it was just a hundred years, which wasn’t a short nor a long time; however, if it would take them a thousand years, Yang Kai and Lan Xun might have even begotten a crowd of children by the time they returned.
When a man and a woman spent a thousand years together alone, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what would happen.
“Stand aside,” Zhan Wu Hen waved his hand and demanded.
Hearing the order, all the top cultivators of Star Soul Palace became encouraged, knowing that the Great Emperor was going to make a move. Without hesitation, they retracted their Emperor Qi and stepped back.
In an instant, the five coloured lights around the World Pagoda flashed as the gigantic pagoda shook violently. Space around it cracked, as though the pagoda was about to fly away.
All of a sudden, a scarlet banner appeared as a bloody aura permeated the air, which caused everyone to turn solemn. The banner was so huge that it was as though the entire sky had been covered with it.
Iron Blood War Banner, Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Natal Artifact.
This wasn’t an Ancient Exotic Artifact, nor was it refined by an Artifact Refiner. Instead, it was the manifestation of Zhan Wu Hen’s cultivation. Since he had used the Iron Blood War Banner, it meant that he was going all out, which went to show how spectacular the pagoda was. Even a Great Emperor had to use his full might to suppress it. If Zhan Wu Hen hadn’t come here, Lei Hong and the others wouldn’t have been able to stabilize the World Pagoda for long, and sooner or later, they would lose this most important treasure.
The scarlet War Banner was extremely vivid. It looked like a blood wall that could shade the entire sky, and the flowing colour looked like weltering blood, which could easily daze any beholder. The War Banner swiftly fell onto the World Pagoda and engulfed it, and in the blink of an eye, the entire pagoda was covered tightly.
The five coloured light disappeared as the pagoda quickly stabilised. The entire world seemed to be filled with the scarlet colour, which painted everyone’s face red.
Standing in front of the pagoda, Zhan Wu Hen placed his hands behind his back and stared as he waited patiently.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was in trouble.
He was thrown into the pagoda by Zhan Wu Hen, and before he could understand what was going on, an oddly-shaped beast with long fur was striding toward him. The long-furred beast’s aura was strange, so Yang Kai wasn’t sure what it was.
He had wanted to make a move to test the beast’s strength, but he was surprised to see it opening its mouth wide before he could even react. A moment later, he was gulped down into its stomach, following which, he found himself inside a strange world.
The clouds above his head had been dyed red, as though the entire sky was burning. Upon closer look, he realised that the sky really was ablaze. The red clouds were actually flames that were blazing across the sky.
On the other hand, lava could be seen flowing on the ground and magma bubbles kept popping, releasing a pungent smell. Even Yang Kai felt that the surrounding heat was scalding.
Of the Five Elements, only one seemed to exist in this world, Fire. Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t detect the other four Elements. It wasn’t the first time he came across such an odd place, but before he could scan the surroundings to find out more, a hideous figure emerged from the lava.
It had a dragon’s head, a deer’s body, an ox’s tail, fish scales, and two horns on its forehead. Its entire body was burning with fire, and its feet were engulfed in dark flames. Despite its odd appearance, it was imposing
[A Qilin! An Ancient Divine Spirit Fire Qilin!] Yang Kai’s eyes almost protruded. Fire Qilins were also highly ranked among Divine Spirits. If all the Divine Spirits in the world were divided into different classes, and Dragons and Phoenixes were the most prestigious, Qilins would be among the third class, similar to Qiong Qi.
Yang Kai knew about Qiong Qi’s power and understood that the average Pseudo-Great Emperor would not be his match, so what about the Fire Qilin before his eyes?
Hence, when the Fire Qilin appeared, Yang Kai became alarmed and instantly communicated with his Sealed World Bead so that he could summon his protectors, the three Half-Saints, at any moment. The Embodiment wasn’t the only one in the Sealed World Bead right now as Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng had forcefully made him bring Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya with him.
With three Half-Saints joining forces, a single Fire Qilin was certainly no match no matter how powerful it was.
While Yang Kai was still contemplating his next move though, rumbling sounds were heard as more and more Fire Qilins emerged from the lava, all of them with hideous and imposing images.
In the blink of an eye, more than a thousand Fire Qilins appeared out of the lava and surrounded Yang Kai, staring at him with fiery eyes.
At that instant, Yang Kai’s expression turned pensive. He could understand it if there was only one Fire Qilin; after all, the World Pagoda was abstruse and it contained countless Small Worlds, so it wasn’t surprising that there was such an odd world inside the pagoda.
However, something was off as there were simply too many Fire Qilins at the moment. No Divine Spirit could ever have such exceptional reproductive ability. The Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and all other Divine Spirit Clans could not achieve this.
Hence, it was impossible that there were more than a thousand Fire Qilins in this world. It was Heavenly Way’s method of maintaining balance, allowing such powerful Divine Spirits to exist, but not reproduce in great numbers. If too many Divine Spirits were born, there would be no room for other creatures to exist.
In order to prove that his speculation was right, he lifted his hand and slashed a Moon Blade at the Fire Qilin nearest to him.
The Moon Blade broke through the air and slashed across Fire Qilin’s figure. Following a shriek, the Fire Qilin was cut into two.
[They’re not real Fire Qilins!] If they were the real Qilins, Yang Kai couldn’t have killed one with just a single strike. For some reason, these beasts looked just like Qilins though, and despite Yang Kai’s acute vision, he couldn’t see any flaws in them.
Before he could heave a sigh of relief though, his strike seemed to have enraged the Fire Qilins as they all pounced at him. At that instant, all the fire in this world seemed to erupt and the lava boiled fiercely. Even the fire in the sky became more vigorous.
Not daring to underestimate his foes, Yang Kai quickly summoned his three Half-Saint protectors.
Although these Fire Qilins were not real Divine Spirits, they were also not weak. From what Yang Kai could gauge, every one of them was equivalent to a First-Order Emperor.
Yang Kai wouldn’t care if there were only one to two of them, he could even deal with ten to twenty of them; however, if the figure was more than two hundred, he would have to flee.
This world of fire had to be one of the countless Small Worlds in the World Pagoda, so unless he could break the World Barrier of this Small World, he couldn’t possibly flee.
It took time and concentration to break a World Barrier though, so he needed people to protect him while he worked.
As soon as the Embodiment appeared, he could share Yang Kai’s thoughts and understand what was going on. Without saying a word, he summoned the Demonic War Hammer and pounded his fist against his own chest. In an instant, his figure expanded into a three-hundred-meter-tall giant.
The Demonic War Hammer also expanded proportionally. Standing on the lava, the Embodiment wielded his hammer as his Half-Saint’s power flared out. Many of the Fire Qilins that were pouncing were smashed into dust in an instant.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo didn’t react as quickly. As soon as they appeared, they were startled for a moment, and when they saw the sight before their eyes, they were shocked.
One of them exclaimed, “What are these?”.
The other asked, “Brother Yang, what’s going on?”
Yang Kai replied, “Just kill them!”
Hesitating no more, the two Half-Saints executed his order and started killing.
With three Half-Saints around Yang Kai, the Fire Qilins were unable to get within a half-kilometre radius. The three Half-Saints also didn’t go out of their way to attack and simply defended against any Qilin that dared to leap towards them.
Remaining on the spot, Yang Kai closed his eyes to sense his surroundings. At the same time, he recalled what had happened after he entered the pagoda. He had a feeling that he had somewhat grasped something at that moment and was now trying to unravel it.
A moment later, Bai Ya exclaimed, “Brother Bai Zhuo, something is wrong!”
Bai Zhuo nodded, “En, they’re endless.”
Although there were many Qilins, the three Half-Saints should have been able to wipe them out given enough time; however, the truth was that there didn’t seem to be a drop in the enemy’s numbers. No matter how many Qilins they killed, more and more would pounce on them a moment later.
After observing for a bit, they finally realised the problem. For every Qilin they killed, a new one would emerge from the lava, which was why they were unable to kill them all.
“What kind of damned place is this?” Bai Zhuo smiled helplessly. These Fire Qilins were not tangible beings but rather condensed Earth Fire. Unless they extracted all the energy in this world, they would never kill them all.
They were Half-Saints, so killing these fake Qilins was like killing ants for them; however, a sea of ants could eventually devour an elephant.
“This is a training ground,” Yang Kai explained impassively as he opened his eyes.
The World Pagoda was the most important treasure in Star Soul Palace. Since time immemorial, countless disciples had entered it for life experience and to become stronger. The innumerable Small Worlds in this pagoda were the best training grounds for them.
It was the same case for the Small World they were in right now. If there was no mechanism to keep replacing the Fire Qilins, this training ground couldn’t serve its purpose.
“Brother Bai Zhuo, come with me!” Yang Kai said and leapt into the air.
Hearing that, Bai Zhuo immediately raced after him. Their speed was incredible as they had moved for a few thousand metres in the blink of an eye.
Gazing at the weltering flames in the sky, Bai Zhuo said solemnly, “Brother Yang, be careful.”
Although he had no idea what these flames were, he could detect a dangerous aura coming from them.
Right after he finished speaking, the weltering flames became even more violent, and the next moment, a huge bird descended from the fire clouds. Its wings could spread for more than ten metres wide and its entire body was crimson red, its beak as pointed as a sword. More conspicuously, the bird only had one leg.
It was a Bi Fang, another Divine Spirit. Needless to say, they knew that, just like the Fire Qilins that had emerged from the lava, the bird wasn’t a true Divine Spirit but a condensation of this place’s strong Fire Attribute Energy. They just looked like Divine Spirits.
Having experienced this situation already, Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo were not so shocked when they saw the sight.
As expected, following the first Bi Fang, more than a thousand Bi Fangs appeared, diving down from the fire clouds. The flames that swirled around them seemed able to burn all intruders to death.
Bai Zhuo immediately shot forward and appeared before Yang Kai. As his Demon Qi undulated, many blood threads shot in different directions as several dozen Bi Fangs were killed without even being able to make a sound.
Yang Kai followed suit and brandished his Myriads Sword as he swept his Sword Qi across the enemy.
The Human and Demon then shot into the sky and started killing.
Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo crossed a thousand kilometres and killed more than a thousand Bi Fangs. Just like the Fire Qilins, the birds coming at them were like a never-ending stream. Despite the fact that they had killed a thousand of them, it still wouldn’t be useful at all even if they could go on killing ten thousand more.
Nevertheless, they had managed to get near the fire clouds.
Yang Kai wielded his sword, sending out innumerable sword waves as he dashed forward while Bai Zhuo brought up the rear, protecting him from behind.
The fire clouds were still sweltering, but the burning flames were unable to shade the glittering cold light of the Myraids Sword.
The next moment, the fire clouds separated as Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo shot into the sky.
Unfortunately, they were still engulfed in fire clouds and there didn’t seem to be an end to them. Nevertheless, they kept flying upwards without pause.
A long time had passed, and they had lost count of how many Bi Fangs they had killed. All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped, and upon seeing that, Bai Zhuo also halted as they respectively pushed their Demon Qi to form a protective layer around themselves.
Still standing on the lava, the Embodiment received a message from Yang Kai and shouted to Bai Ya, “Let’s go!”
After he finished speaking, he turned into a Human-sized figure, and with the Demonic War Hammer in hand, he whizzed into the sky.
Seeing that, countless Qilins quickly raced after them.
After they dashed into the fire clouds, they bumped into a large group of Bi Fangs. It was then that the Fire Qilins stopped moving. It was as though the sky and the ground were two separate domains. Qilins were only responsible for keeping watch on the ground while Bi Fangs had to deal with the enemies in the sky.
Fire clouds and Bi Fangs were unable to stop Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo, so naturally, they couldn’t do that to the Embodiment and Bai Ya either. Just a moment later, all four of them were reunited.
“One stick of incense!” The Embodiment spoke on behalf of Yang Kai. Upon hearing that, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo nodded as the three Half-Saints dispersed and surrounded Yang Kai to protect him.
Yang Kai had closed his eyes and he didn’t move a muscle. Despite that, anyone could feel the Space Principles wafting from his body. The Principles were not strong, but they were expanding in all directions like countless thin threads. It was as though he was trying to look for something.
Undoubtedly, he was looking for a weak point in the World Barrier.
This place was just one of the countless Small Worlds in the World Pagoda. If they wanted to leave, they had to break the barrier of this world. Earlier, Yang Kai had run around to search the ground, but he couldn’t find any weak points there; therefore, he decided to look for one in the sky.
Although Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, it still wasn’t easy for him to break the barrier of a Small World. Every world had weak points. For example, the Two Worlds’ Passage was where the World Barrier in the Star Boundary was weakest, which was why the Demons managed to open up a passage that connected the two Great Worlds.
Even a Great World like the Star Boundary had its weak point, so nothing needed to be said about a mere Small World.
Fortunately, Yang Kai soon found a weak point, but now he needed time. The reason he could easily find it was that this world wasn’t that large. If they were inside a large-scale Small World, he would have to spend a much longer time. As Space Principles undulated, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy turned into a razor-sharp blade. Following his Space Principles, he cut into the weak point and pried open a gap.
The three Half-Saints around him in the meantime continued killing. These Bi Fangs were condensed from the Small World’s World Energy, so they didn’t fear death, nor did they know pain. Worse, they would be infinitely resurrected.
The Embodiment was in a better state as he was a Stone Spirit and he had obtained Shi Huo’s Source, which was why he wouldn’t get exhausted quickly. On the other hand, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya could feel their energy drain from their bodies, but they wouldn’t dare to preserve any strength at this critical moment. They fully used their power in every strike. With such great consumption, it wouldn’t take long before they ran out of fuel.
Fortunately, they only needed to persevere for one stick of incense. If they were told to hang on for a few days, they wouldn’t even know whether they could make it.
As they were killing their enemies, they were also paying attention to Yang Kai. As time passed, the originally subtle Space Principle fluctuations became violent. Apparently, Yang Kai had made some progress.
One incense stick later, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes as the fluctuations of Space Principles intensified greatly. Space around him contorted and visible ripples were formed.
Staring right at the front, he exerted more force with his hands like they were blades and stabbed into the Void.
Strangely, as soon as he pushed out his hands, they disappeared.
The next moment, Yang Kai widened his eyes in fury as his Demon Qi surged like a tsunami. At the same time, he bellowed, “Open!”
With his shout, he forcefully tore the Void apart with his hands.
In an instant, the sky separated like a silk cloth that had been torn apart. As a buzzing sound reverberated around in this world, a crack came into view. The crack was pitch-black and filled with nothingness. Following Yang Kai’s movements, it slowly expanded into a several tens of metres long and ten metres wide chasm.
Yang Kai turned around and said to the Half-Saints, “Go!”
They had been suffering in this damned place for quite some time now, so now that the World Barrier was broken, they couldn’t wait to leave.
Without hesitation, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo used their Secret Techniques to kill all the enemies in close proximity before returning to Yang Kai. The Embodiment also wielded his hammer as he retreated.
Yang Kai activated his Demon Qi to engulf them and dashed into the Void Crack. When they reappeared, they were already in another world.
In a nearby spot, a long-furred beast could be seen covering its stomach as it gazed at Yang Kai and the others with a horrified look on its face. Then, it turned around and fled. Yang Kai could recognise that it was this beast that had gulped him down earlier, which caused him to plunge into the world of fire. However, at this moment, there was a long wound on the beast’s body which it was covering. The thing that was flowing out of the wound wasn’t blood but the flames they saw earlier in that Small World.
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya still didn’t understand what was going on, so seeing the beast, they decided to kill it. However, they were stopped by Yang Kai.
“What is that?” Seeing as the beast was fleeing, Bai Zhuo frowned. He was a Demon from the Demon Realm, so he thought that the beast was unique to the Star Boundary as he had never come across it before.
“It’s the Small World.” Yang Kai scowled.
“What?” Bai Zhuo stared at him in shock, “Brother Yang, you mean, it’s the Spirit Manifestation of the Small World?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded. If that was not the case, he wouldn’t have entered the Small World after he was gulped down by the long-furred beast. After he tore apart the barrier and got out, there happened to be a wound on the beast’s stomach. It all went to show that the long-furred beast was the manifestation of the Small World.
“How can that be?” Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya were flabbergasted. They had never heard or seen a Small World that possessed a manifestation. If that was really the case, it could very well happen to the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. When that happened, Demons and Humans would essentially be living inside the stomachs of two giant Spirits.
“Nothing is impossible. Have you forgotten about my Sealed World Bead?”
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya were startled for a moment as they recalled that the Sealed World Bead could also turn into a giant manifestation. They had personally seen the enormous Gun-Gun, and upon that realisation, they were relieved.
“Moreover, there are some changes inside this place, but I’m not sure what is going on. From what we saw, the Small World has indeed obtained a Spirit Manifestation.”
The long-furred beast was a manifestation of the Small World, so its power was concealed by World Energy. That was the reason Yang Kai couldn’t make out its true form or strength at first glance and accidentally got devoured by it.
However, it seemed that the long-furred beast was without sentience and only acted on instinct; otherwise, given its power as a Small World’s manifestation, Yang Kai wouldn’t have so easily escaped.
Yang Kai had no idea what the changes were that had happened in the World Pagoda. He also didn’t know what Lan Xun had done, nor was he aware of where she was or what she had gone through.
Nevertheless, they fell into danger right after they entered the pagoda, which made Yang Kai worried. He had to find Lan Xun as quickly as possible to help her solve her current problems. Even if he couldn’t, he had to bring her out of this place.
He had been blaming himself for failing in his attempt to bring Bright Moon out of the Demon Realm. If he also couldn’t ensure Lan Xue’s safety now, his years of cultivation would have all been in vain.
After keeping the three Half-Saints, Yang Kai moved forward on his own.
He remembered that there were five floors in total inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Every floor could allow cultivators with different cultivations to enter to train. Since Lan Xun wanted to refine the pagoda, she must have gone to the most important place, which was the fifth floor.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai couldn’t find his way to the next floor. It seemed that the floor he was in was the only one in the entire pagoda.
While looking for the way to get to the next floor, he came across many ferocious beasts. Without any exception, they were all Small Worlds that had all achieved Spirit Manifestation. These beasts had different temperaments. Some of them were timid and ran away as soon as they saw Yang Kai. Some of them were as savage as the long-furred beast and pounced on Yang Kai the moment they met.
Usually, Yang Kai would just evade them using Instantaneous Movement. He wanted to avoid as many battles as possible right now.
However, he wasn’t always so fortunate. Not all Small Worlds had a manifestation that looked like a beast. Some Small Worlds had turned into rocks that looked entirely ordinary. When Yang Kai passed by a stone once, it widened its mouth and ate him, which caused him to fall into a strange Small World again that he had to spend time escaping.
Some of these Small Worlds were strong, while some of them were weak. The strong ones were just like the long-furred beast he had come across and Yang Kai had to summon the three Half-Saints to help protect him. For the weak ones, he just needed a thought to break the World Barrier himself to escape.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo were exhausted by now. Although they were strong, they didn’t have enough stamina to battle against so many enemies without rest. That was why every time they returned to the Sealed World Bead, they would seize the chance to recuperate and get prepared for the next battle.
With no exception, Yang Kai wouldn’t do anything to these manifestations of the Small Worlds.
Every Small World or Sealed World in this pagoda was a treasure, and they were left behind by the Great Emperor to be passed down to Lan Xun. He wouldn’t destroy or snatch them.
After a few days, he became anxious as there still weren’t any clues about where to go. The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous Lan Xun’s situation would become.
While Yang Kai was searching around one day though, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a petite figure standing on a mound as she was staring silently at him.
It was a little girl no more than five or six years old. Her hair had been tied into two ponytails, and she was clad in a beautiful dress. Her big eyes shone brightly and her facial features were exquisite.
Yang Kai knitted his brows together because it was the second time he had come across this little girl.
Despite her petite figure, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to underestimate her. The only things that could be moving around in this pagoda right now were the Spirits that were transformed from Small Worlds.
It was the case for the stone and the long-furred beast, so this little girl must be a Spirit Manifestation as well.
When he came across her on the previous day, she had just observed him from afar. A vigilant Yang Kai had circumvented her, but he hadn’t expected that he would see her again on this day. Certainly, it wasn’t a coincidence. The young girl must be following him!
That was the reason Yang Kai was wary. So far, he had come across more than ten Small World Manifestations, but none of them had any consciousness as they only acted on their instincts. The fact that this little girl could follow him suggested that she was different from other manifestations.
Nevertheless, she seemed just as timid as a frightened mouse.
When Yang Kai saw her on the previous day, she immediately ran away. Although she didn’t flee immediately this time, she had only dared to hide behind the mound and stick out her head to observe Yang Kai with her big, blinking eyes.
Yang Kai frowned as he had no idea what she was up to. Since she was stalking him, why was she so afraid of him? Was she just curious?
Without pondering on the reason behind it, Yang Kai turned around and left.
Seeing that, the little girl started flushing and balled up her fists. She also parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn’t say a word in the end, so she became flustered.
After walking for several tens of metres, Yang Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around. Then, he strode towards the little girl.
When the anxious little girl saw that, she became elated in an instant, but as Yang Kai approached her, she started stepping backwards. Her movement was slow and her steps were small as the hem of her dress flapped in the air. However, Yang Kai was shocked to realise that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get any closer to her.
As his patience had run out, he used his Space Principles to appear in front of her in the blink of an eye, and before she could react, he directly grabbed her shoulders.
The next moment, both of their expressions could be seen changing.
The little girl was terrified. She was already timid to the point that she didn’t dare to approach Yang Kai, so now that her shoulders were suddenly grasped, she became incredibly anxious. Her eyes had turned watery as she was about to tear up, so she looked rather pitiful.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was stunned by the impact he felt. The moment he grabbed her shoulders, he felt an immense power storming into his body, causing him to feel dizzy and see stars; in fact, he almost passed out on the spot.
World Force!
Just like what he had speculated, the little girl was indeed a Small World Manifestation. When they came into contact, the World Force which sustained her manifestation surged and dealt a heavy blow to him.
Yang Kai was even preparing to summon his Half-Saints after he felt this impact.
Fortunately, although the little girl was greatly frightened, she didn’t seem to have any hostile intent. She was just trying to retract her frail arms as she looked pleadingly at him.
As the power of the Soul Warming Lotus undulated, Yang Kai was able to somehow calm down. Staring at the little girl before his eyes, he tried to say in as harmless a manner as possible, “I’m looking for someone who is like me, but she’s a woman. Have you seen her?”
Just like how Xiao Chen had asked him out of desperation, Yang Kai was now asking a random little girl on the off chance she had some clues.
Although he had come across some Small Word Manifestations before, they didn’t have any sentience; however, this little girl seemed to be different from them as she could clearly think for herself, which was why he had to ask her about it.
He didn’t pin his hopes on her, but simply asked as there was nothing to lose.
On the other hand, the little girl was flabbergasted. Since she was unable to withdraw her arms, her immense World Force surged again.
Despite the fact that Yang Kai was well prepared, he was still sent flying backwards upon impact. Fortunately, he didn’t get hurt as he only felt the vitality in his body roil. After landing on the ground, he took a deep breath repeatedly to calm himself down. When he lifted his head, he saw that the little girl was flying rapidly in a particular direction.
A disappointed Yang Kai shook his head and turned around.
A moment later, the little girl returned and blocked his way. It was apparent that she was trying her hardest to suppress her fear as although her body was trembling violently, she was still resolutely standing there.
Yang Kai tilted his head to gaze at her and frowned.
The next moment, the little girl flew in the same direction again; however, this time, she repeatedly turned her head to gaze at Yang Kai, and then looked ahead again.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he realised that she was trying to lead the way. With a local guide around, it was much better than if he just searched blindly.
Left with no other choice anyway, he immediately moved and raced after her. Seeing as Yang Kai started following her, the little girl stopped looking back as she accelerated her pace.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could confirm that she was really trying to lead him somewhere.
There were no hindrances in front of them as they never came across any other Small World Manifestations.
A long time later, the little girl stopped in front of a mountain valley and turned to look at Yang Kai.
There was a narrow path that led into the valley, which looked very ordinary; however, after Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, he realised that he couldn’t detect anything, as though he was engulfed in a blinding fog.
“Is she here?” Yang Kai asked.
The little girl balled up her fists and solemnly nodded.
It was the first time she directly replied to Yang Kai, so he was elated. After flashing an amiable smile at her, he said, “Thank you.”
It wasn’t certain whether the little girl could understand him or not, but she had hung her head low with a blushing face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai strode towards the valley. Since he had come all the way here, he had to go in to have a look at whether or not Lan Xun was inside. Furthermore, something felt off about this place.
The narrow path was only about several dozen metres long, and after passing through it, he arrived at the valley.
Standing at the entrance, he couldn’t help but be dazzled by the sight in front of him, which caused him to fall into a dazed state.
It was a seemingly infinite field of flowers. They came in all sorts of colours, red, blue, white, gold, and so on as they bloomed in this valley. All of them were beautiful and lovely. There was also a faint glow that permeated the valley, which made the place look as attractive as a paradise.
Yang Kai had never been to Myriads Flowers Valley, but he had heard that it was also a place that was filled with all sorts of beautiful flora. Now, it seemed that the number of flowers in this valley was comparable to that of Myriad Flowers Valley.
If he could become a hermit and spend the rest of his life here, it would be an enjoyable life.
However, the allure of the flowers couldn’t entrance Yang Kai forever. Soon, he noticed the figure that was in the middle of the field.
The curvy figure was just lying on the flowers, which were supporting her weight despite their supposed frailty. She appeared to be sound asleep as her body rocked lightly with the wind.
It was Lan Xun! She was indeed here. The little girl had really led him to her.
It wasn’t certain what had happened, but Yang Kai could see that Lan Xun wasn’t injured and had just lost consciousness. Seeing that, he heaved a sigh of relief. Since he had found her, he just had to come up with a way to bring her out of this place.
Nevertheless, he didn’t put his guard down. Although the flowers were beautiful, he knew that attractive things were always associated with danger. The reason Lan Xun had fallen asleep must have something to do with the seemingly infinite bed of flowers.
He had also become wary because the little girl decided not to come into the valley with him; thus, he released his Divine Sense to check the flowers in an attempt to find out what they were.
The next moment, his expression was transformed by horror.
The flowers appeared alluring to the naked eye, but when he investigated them with his Divine Sense, he realised that they were not really flowers. All of these lovely flowers were actually Small World Manifestations!
Nevertheless, he wasn’t too surprised as Small World Manifestations came in all sorts of forms. They could even turn into stones, let alone flowers.
However, there were just too many of them. It could be said that every flower or grass was a world in and of itself.
Yang Kai knew that the World Pagoda contained a lot of Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds, but he hadn’t expected the number to be so staggering. How abstruse must this pagoda be?
It was no wonder that Lan Xun had passed out. She was just lying on the flowers as the powers of Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds swept over her, so how was she able to persevere? The reason she wasn’t hurt must have something to do with her bloodline and unique physique; after all, Bright Moon Great Emperor had refined this pagoda, and as his descendant, Lan Xun must have inherited his aura, which the pagoda could identify.
However, the situation had become somewhat tricky. Lan Xun was lying on the flowers, and if Yang Kai wanted to bring her out, he had to pass through this field. Although these Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds wouldn’t harm Lan Xun, the same couldn’t be said of Yang Kai, which was why he was in a dilemma.
Just then, a sigh was heard close to his ears, and following that, a light shot out from his body and landed on the ground before a figure revealed itself.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted because he had no idea that there was a foreign body inside his own, which was inconceivable. He was a High-Rank Demon King, and his Soul cultivation was stronger than any Half-Saints or Pseudo-Great Emperors’; hence, it should have been impossible for anything to be planted in his body without his knowledge.
However, the truth was that it wasn’t until the sigh was heard and the light was seen that Yang Kai came to this realisation, which caused him to be drenched in cold sweat.
If the person who had used such a move on him wanted to kill him, he would have been dead long ago.
Nevertheless, when he made out the figure, Yang Kai became excited as his eyes widened. At the same time, he felt his lips trembling as he said in a choking voice, “Senior…”
Although the figure was facing away from him, he could never forget that person.
The Great Emperor was killed by him, so he couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to forget him. Yang Kai had inherited the legacy and the Star Boundary’s Will from the person before his eyes.
He thought that Bright Moon’s Soul had already vanished, so his eyes turned moist when he saw him again, even though it was just a Remnant Soul.
Bright Moon was killed by Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent, and his corpse was still lying in the mourning hall of Star Soul Palace, so it was impossible that he had been resurrected. Moreover, the figure before his eyes was quite translucent, very much unlikely to be a real body. The only explanation was that it was a Remnant Soul.
Yang Kai wasn’t even aware that Bright Moon Great Emperor’s Remnant Soul had been planted in his body. The Great Emperor must have used some kind of Secret Technique before his death, and it wasn’t until this day that it was triggered.
The figure turned around and revealed an oddly young face, looking just like a twenty-eight-year-old young man who was still vibrant and energetic.
Despite that, there was no doubt that the young man was Bright Moon. Presently, his expression was amiable as the smile on his face was bright.
“Senior!” Yang Kai hung his head low and cupped his fists.
“There’s no need to be overly formal with me. Stand up.”
Yang Kai’s head still remained lowered.
Bright Moon sighed, “It was my own choice, so it has nothing to do with you. If it were Iron Blood or Serene Soul or one of the others, they would have made the same decision. It’s just that you’ve been affected. In truth, this King should be thanking you for not letting me die at the hands of the Demon Race.”
Yang Kai could understand what the Great Emperor was trying to say, but he still blamed himself for the fact that he had killed him.
“Now it seems I must thank you again,” Bright Moon kept a smile on his face, “Xun’er did this, and you’ve readily come to her rescue.”
It was then Yang Kai lifted his head and stared at him in shock, “Senior, did you already anticipate this?”
Bright Moon replied with a smile, “Xun’er is my daughter, so I know her temperament well. She wants to refine the pagoda, but she isn’t qualified yet. Since she insisted on coming here, this outcome is to be expected.”
It was because he had expected this outcome that he decided to leave his Remnant Soul with Yang Kai. He believed that if Yang Kai could safely leave the Demon Realm, the latter would surely come to Star Soul Palace, and if Lan Xun came across any danger, Yang Kai would do his utmost to save her.
However, if Yang Kai lost his life in the Demon Realm, all efforts would be meaningless.
“Where is this?”
“The core of the World Pagoda,” Bright Moon replied calmly, “Since you’ve come here, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on in the pagoda. Presently, many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds in the pagoda have turned into Spirit Manifestations. When this King was still alive, the power of my seal was able to ensure that the pagoda remained stable. Now that I have died, the seal has been weakened. All five floors have become one, and the space in the pagoda has become chaotic. It wouldn’t have mattered if no external forces interfered; however, Xun’er barged into this place to refine the pagoda, so it’s only natural that the Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds show some reluctance and resistance. Though, with this King’s seal still functional, they can’t harm Xun’er, they can make her fall asleep. A thousand, or maybe ten thousand years later, when my seal finally wears off, those manifestations will break free from the chains of the pagoda.”
Yang Kai couldn’t completely understand him, but he had somewhat grasped the general idea, so he asked, “Senior, what should I do to save Junior Sister Lan and safeguard the pagoda?”
Without answering his question, Bright Moon asked, “Do you know how many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds there are in this pagoda?”
Yang Kai knew that there were a lot, but he couldn’t tell the exact number. After all, the area of flowers in front of him was expansive. In fact, Bright Moon didn’t expect any answer from him as he subsequently said, “There are exactly ten thousand of them.”
Upon hearing the number, Yang Kai couldn’t help but gasp. Although he had already imagined it would be a large number, he was still surprised to learn that there were exactly ten thousand of them.
Bright Moon went on to explain, “The World Pagoda is an Ancient Exotic Artifact, and although this King has refined it, I still can’t completely comprehend its mysteries, so I still don’t know how it is able to accommodate so many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds. There must be a reason behind it, but it remains a mystery. However, out of the ten thousand worlds, one is now missing, so it has become nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. Although nine is the largest single number, it isn’t complete anymore when one is missing. Since the pagoda is not complete, it has definitely resulted in some flaws, that is how the current situation came about.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “One world is missing?”
Without answering his question, Bright Moon turned to look silently at him with a smile.
With his face flushing, an embarrassed Yang Kai coughed, “The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld?”
He suddenly recalled that when he finished training in the World Pagoda previously, he had taken away a certain butterfly. After he placed it in High Heaven Palace, the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld opened once more.
So, the missing one was the butterfly he had taken away. Thinking back, Yang Kai realised that the butterfly was also a Small World Spirit Manifestation. Since he had taken it away from the World Pagoda, it resulted in a single piece being missing from the ten thousand worlds.
Yang Kai couldn’t have expected that he was the reason behind all of this, so he was very embarrassed. When he left with the butterfly, he thought that no one had found out about it, so he had been gleeful for quite some time; however, it now seemed that the Great Emperor was already aware of it, but decided to let him get away with it.
Then, he recalled that when he left Star Soul Palace in the past, Bright Moon had intercepted him. Apparently, even back then, the Great Emperor was aware of what had happened.
Bright Moon flashed a smile at him, “It was your opportunity to have been able to take out a Sealed World from this pagoda. No one can blame you.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew that the Great Emperor was just trying to console him, so with a solemn expression, he said, “This Junior will return to High Heaven Palace and bring the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld back to complete the pagoda again!”
Bright Moon shook his head, “You can’t go out. The power I’m left with is only enough for me to open up the pagoda once. After I send you out of this place, you won’t be able to come in again.”
A flabbergasted Yang Kai asked, “What should I do then?”
If he couldn’t bring the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld back, he couldn’t make the World Pagoda whole again and solve the crisis facing Lan Xun; however, if he left, he wouldn’t be able to come back. He was in a dilemma.
Bright Moon replied with a smile, “You have to rely on yourself.”
“What does Senior mean?” Yang Kai asked doubtfully.
“Since you’re a Master of the Dao of Space, you should be able to create a world on your own.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that, then he asked, “Senior, do you mean you want me to create a Small World?”
Bright Moon nodded, “Although there are ten thousand Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds, most of them are quite small and insignificant, there just to make up the numbers, so a powerful world isn’t required to make up for the current flaw. You just have to randomly create a Small World.”
It was such a coincidence. Even without this trip to Star Soul Palace, Yang Kai would still attempt to create a world on his own at some point. He hadn’t expected that after he entered the World Pagoda, Bright Moon would ask him to do exactly that. It seemed that it was his fate to do such a thing.
Moreover, the reason the World Pagoda had become incomplete and unstable was that Yang Kai had taken the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld away, so he had to make up for it. Basically, it was cause and effect.
In fact, he already had a Small World, which was the Sealed World Bead; however, the bead was closely related to many other things as it was now the key to the war between the Great Worlds, so Yang Kai couldn’t just place it in the World Pagoda. Even if he was willing to do so, the pagoda probably couldn’t accept it.
The World Pagoda might be able to accept the original Sealed World Bead; however, now that the bead had swallowed up a large area of the Demon Realm, part of it has become something similar to the Demon Realm. Therefore, the World Pagoda would probably be unable to take it in.
“Can you do it?” Bright Moon looked smilingly at him.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded seriously. Even if he didn’t have the intention of making a Small World right now, he would have to do it for the sake of the World Pagoda and Lan Xun, to say nothing of the fact that he was intending on doing this anyways.
Then, Yang Kai suddenly recalled something as he fished out a palm-sized mountain and placed it on his palm, “Senior, do you think this will suffice?”
Bright Moon took a look and replied with a smile, “It seems that you’re well prepared.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing as he replied, “I did not create it.”
The palm-sized mountain was a real mountain, not a fake one. The mountain was covered in forests and animals could be seen roaming around. They could also hear the tigers roar from time to time.
Floating Mountain was refined by Li Wu Yi. It was given to Yang Kai some time ago to study the Space Principles involved in its creation, but he hadn’t expected that it could be useful at this point.
Yang Kai had roamed around the mountain once, so he already knew the mechanism behind it; therefore, whether the mountain was still with him didn’t matter anymore. It would be wonderful if the mountain could be used here. If it wasn’t feasible, he would have to create a new world on his own, but he would need some time to do that. It might take him months or even years.
As he observed Bright Moon’s expression, Yang Kai believed that Floating Mountain should fit the bill, but he still asked, “Can it be used?”
“En,” Bright Moon gently nodded. Although his figure was translucent, he was still able to pick up the mountain. After probing it, he said with a smile, “It was refined by Li Wu Yi, right?”
It wouldn’t be difficult to come to this conclusion. In the entire Star Boundary, only Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi could be considered experts in the Dao of Space. Since Yang Kai had said he didn’t make it, the creator must be Li Wu Yi.
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied, “I obtained it some time ago.”
“Such a coincidence.” Bright Moon smiled and nodded his head, “We can save a lot of time since we have it. En, you can leave now. You’re unable to help any further here.”
“Senior…” Yang Kai said.
However, Bright Moon lifted his hand to stop him and looked smilingly at him, “Since you’ve obtained the World’s Will of the Star Boundary, you should start working hard so that you’ll not disappoint the world and everyone in it.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before cupping his fists, “Junior will take your teachings to heart. Farewell, Senior!”
Having said his piece, Yang Kai turned around and walked out of the valley. He had just bid the Great Emperor farewell for the final time.
He could feel a gale surging behind him as flowers and leaves shook violently. At the same time, World Force swept across the area.
After he left the valley, Yang Kai realised that the violent fluctuations had calmed, and the narrow path seemed to have become an impenetrable barrier that sealed the storm within the valley.
Looking up, he realised that there were no Sun, Moon, or Stars in the sky within the World Pagoda, only an endless void.
Hearing a sound from a nearby spot, Yang Kai turned his head, only to see the timid little girl standing over there. As their eyes met, the little girl quickly lowered her head.
Yang Kai smiled as he knew that she must be a being just like Tiea. It was thanks to her that he was able to find Lan Xun, so he made a small bow to salute her.
Surprisingly, the little girl flickered before disappearing. She was replaced by a green plant on the ground. The leaves were made up from even smaller compound leaves that looked like a shuttle that was used for weaving. The leaves folded inward and drooped as though they were too shy to meet anyone.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment. Nevertheless, he soon recalled that Tiea could also transform into both Human form and the Thousand Illusions Butterfly, so it was completely reasonable that the little girl could turn into two different forms.
However, as an Emperor Alchemist, he couldn’t recognise what kind of treasure this plant was. After observing it for a long time, he burst into laughter.
It wasn’t a treasure of any kind, but rather the most common type of flower. A petite shy plant was able to contain a Small World. The world was truly vast and filled with wonders.
Upon that revelation, Yang Ki finally understood why she was so timid, it was simply in her nature.
Inside Star Soul Palace, a scarlet banner had covered the entire World Pagoda. The banner was a manifestation of Iron Blood Great Emperor’s cultivation. It could be said that Zhan Wu Hen had fully used his power to suppress the pagoda’s restlessness.
Despite the fact that the Great Emperor had made a move, the pagoda was still buzzing and shaking from time to time, as though it was trying to struggle out of the Iron Blood War Banner’s restriction.
Lei Hong and the others were extremely nervous as they appeared to be in deep sorrow. Although Yang Kai had entered the pagoda, they had no idea what had been going on inside the building. If Yang Kai couldn’t bring Lan Xun out of the pagoda, it would essentially cut off the future of Star Soul Palace.
They didn’t expect Yang Kai to solve the crisis regarding the World Pagoda, they just hoped that he could safely bring Lan Xun back. Although Zhan Wu Hen was around, which ensured that the pagoda was temporarily safe, it was unlikely that he would stay in Star Soul Palace forever. Once he had to leave, if Yang Kai still hadn’t managed to come back, it would be the end of the world for them.
They wanted to ask Zhan Wu Hen what was going on inside, but they knew that it was pointless because he probably had no idea either. All the leaders of Star Soul Palace could be seen with their brows knitted together as if they were on pins and needles.
All of a sudden, Zhan Wu Hen, who seemed to be taking a rest, opened his eyes and grunted in surprise.
All the Elders, who had been observing him, were shocked, then Lei Hong quickly asked, “Senior, has anything happened?”
Without replying to him, Zhan Wu Hen lifted his hand, after which the scarlet War Banner undid the layers of restriction and turned into a red light as it shot into his body.
Seeing this, everyone was elated. The reason the World Pagoda had remained stable was thanks to Zhan Wu Hen’s suppression. Now that he had put his Iron Blood War Banner away, it meant that suppression on the pagoda was no longer needed, which meant that the internal trouble within the pagoda had been solved.
As expected, even though the red War Banner had disappeared, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about the pagoda anymore. The five-coloured light stopped spilling out of the building, and the huge Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda remained hovering in mid-air, turning slowly.
The next moment, a figure abruptly appeared in front of the pagoda. Upon closer look, they realised that it was none other than Yang Kai, who had ventured into the pagoda earlier.
There was a sense of guilt as well as relief on his face. Nevertheless, he could be seen with a calm expression as though a burden had been lifted off his chest. He had also become more energetic.
However, only Yang Kai was seen as Lan Xun was still missing. The joy on the faces of Lei Hong and the others faded as their hearts fell.
Knowing what they were worried about, Yang Kai immediately cupped his fists, “Fortunately, I have not failed my mission.”
What he had said suggested that he had solved the crisis in the World Pagoda, but what about Lan Xun?
Lei Hong hurriedly asked, “Where is her Highness?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Junior Sister Lan is fine, but she’s still refining the World Pagoda. It will take her some time, perhaps as many as three to five years before she can come out.”
“She’s still refining it?” Xiao Yu Yang scowled. The pagoda descended into chaos exactly because Lan Xun attempted to refine it, so why was she still so obstinate? What puzzled them was why Yang Kai didn’t dissuade her from doing so.
Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao shared the same thought as their expressions turned solemn as they were worried that something would happen to Lan Xun again.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You need not worry because Junior Sister has Senior Bright Moon’s help, so she will be alright.”
“The Great Emperor’s help?” Lei Hong and the others were flabbergasted. Bright Moon’s corpse was still lying in the mourning hall, and his Soul had been extinguished, so how was he able to help Lan Xun?
Yang Kai quickly explained to them that the Great Emperor had planted a Soul Remnant on him, and upon hearing his explanation, Lei Hong and the others were finally able to relax. With Bright Moon’s help, there wouldn’t be any problem for Lan Xun to refine the World Pagoda. What she needed now was time. At that instant, all of them stopped worrying; however, when they recalled that the Great Emperor was truly dead and gone, they became mournful again.
Previously, after Yang Kai left the valley in the World Pagoda, he waited for two days before Lan Xun suddenly sent him a Divine Sense message. After that, she sent him out of the pagoda. She wanted to stay there to refine the pagoda, and now that it was complete again, there was no more flaw that would trigger another crisis.
Since the problem had been settled, there was no reason for Zhan Wu Hen to stick around. He didn’t even bid them farewell as he broke through the sky and left, only casting one last look towards the mourning hall before he disappeared.
Everyone bowed and saw him off.
After that, everyone from Star Soul Palace kept thanking Yang Kai, who wouldn’t dare to accept their gratitude. He asked Lei Hong and the others to lead the way for him so that he could offer condolences to the Great Emperor. Lan Xun wasn’t around, so no one could formally mourn for him. Nevertheless, the Great Emperor wouldn’t mind this kind of formality.
Yang Kai knelt in front of the mourning hall for three days before leaving Star Soul Palace.
Just like what the Great Emperor had said, since Yang Kai had obtained such an opportunity, he had to re-double his efforts so as not to disappoint the world and those who lived in it. After this trip to Star Soul Palace, his mind became clearer, and the worries he had been carrying lightened significantly.
Next, he headed to the Four Seasons Realm at full speed.
Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, Qiong Qi, and Liu Yan were all in the Four Seasons Realm, and there hadn’t been any news about them for years. Yang Kai didn’t expect to be able to find them this time, he simply had to come to this place to launch an investigation to appease his parents.
After he was done with the matter regarding the Four Seasons Realm, he had to start solving the problem of the Small Sealed World. If the problem regarding the territories in the Small Sealed World wasn’t solved, it couldn’t go on devouring more continents in the Demon Realm, which was the key to resolving the war between the two worlds; therefore, the matter had to be handled sooner rather than later.
Several kilometres above the ground, Yang Kai was flying forward at full speed. Ten days later, he was approaching the valley where the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm was located when a strange sound came from his waist.
Yang Kai was startled as he wasn’t sure what had happened. Then, he stopped and searched around before realising that the sound was coming from the token on his belt. It was the High-Rank Guest Elder Token from Azure Sun Temple, and the strange sound was a distress signal from an Elder of Azure Sun Temple.
When Yang Kai received the token and became a High-Rank Guest Elder in the past, Gao Xue Ting had told him about its many uses; however, he hadn’t come across this kind of situation before, so when the strange sound was heard earlier, he didn’t realize what was happening right away.
Upon recalling what Gao Xue Ting had told him, Yang Kai immediately understood that within five thousand kilometres, an Elder of Azure Sun Temple was in danger!
Swiftly taking the token in hand, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense into it. Following that, he sent a message and waited for a reply. The Elder Token wasn’t just a status symbol, but also a communication artifact. Although Yang Kai had no idea which Elder was in danger, he had to intervene.
A moment later, a message appeared in the token. Yang Kai turned to look in a particular direction and stored the token. Space Principles surged as his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.
At the same time, Yang Kai was elated because when he used Instantaneous Movement, he realised that the resistance he faced had become much weaker. He hadn’t used Instantaneous Movement since he returned to the Star Boundary, so it wasn’t until this moment that the realisation dawned upon him. He understood that it was because of the Great Emperor’s Opportunity he now possessed. He had obtained the World’s Will of the Star Boundary, so the resistance he faced when tearing through space here had become weaker.
A distance of five thousand kilometres was neither far nor close; however, it would take any ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm Master some time to cross it even at full speed.
On the other hand, it only took Yang Kai three Instantaneous Movements before he arrived at his destination.
Lifting his head, he realised that the disciples of Azure Sun Temple were besieged and in a perilous situation. Many of them had been injured and those seriously hurt had collapsed to the ground, their blood dying the earth crimson.
At the front of the group was a young woman whose hair flapped in the wind. She was the leader among the more than ten people of Azure Sun Temple. As she brandished her sword, it was apparent that she was fairly strong. Given the fact that she was in the First-Order Emperor Realm, she shouldn’t have looked so battered; however, in order to protect the disciples under her command, she had no choice but to expose openings in her defence, which gave her enemies a chance to successfully attack her.
The young woman was an old friend of Yang Kai’s. She was one of the rising Stars of Azure Sun Temple, Murong Xiao Xiao.
There were more than fifty people who were attacking the Azure Sun Temple group. One of them was an Emperor Realm Master who just like Murong Xiao Xiao was a First-Order Emperor. However, be it this Emperor Realm Master or the other cultivators, they were all exuding rich Demon Qi and their moves were all cruel and ruthless.
[Demon Heavenly Dao!] That was the first thought that sprang into Yang Kai’s mind. When he returned to the Star Boundary, Han Zheng Qing had suspected that he too was from the Demon Heavenly Dao. At that time, Yang Kai still didn’t know what the Demon Heavenly Dao was until Fan Xin explained it to him.
It wasn’t until this moment that he finally came across those from the Demon Heavenly Dao.
They were all Humans instead of Demons; however, it wasn’t certain what Secret Technique they had cultivated or what evil transformation they had gone through as they had all developed Demon Qi. During the battle, their Demon Qi could be seen roiling, and at first glance, they looked just like Demons.
Moreover, these people from the Demon Heavenly Dao were different from those Humans who had been corrupted by Demon Qi that Yang Kai had come into contact with before. They were obviously still clear-headed and their moves were orderly.
The Emperor Realm Master’s cultivation was similar to that of Murong Xiao Xiao’s, and if they were in a one-on-one battle, Yang Kai believed that Murong Xiao Xiao would emerge the victor; after all, she was a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, so ordinary cultivators weren’t comparable to her.
However, this Emperor Realm Master was extremely wicked. While he was in a battle against Murong Xiao Xiao, he kept attacking the other disciples from Azure Sun Temple, which had effectively distracted her. In that case, she had less energy to protect herself, which was why she had been injured.
Furthermore, the number of people on Azure Sun Temple’s side was much smaller than that of their enemies, so it was just a matter of time before they would be defeated. That was the reason Murong Xiao Xiao had to send a distress signal asking for help. She wasn’t aware that Yang Kai was nearby, she simply sought help from anyone she could.
When Yang Kai arrived, the Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao saw an opening and pounced on Murong Xiao Xiao. The Demon-Qi-wielding Emperor Realm Master was extremely burly, and there were two huge copper hammers in his hands, Demon Qi swirling about them. As he grinned, he swept a hammer at her waist. At the same time, he wielded his other hammer at a disciple beside Murong Xiao Xiao.
The hammers swung at two people at the same time, and Murong Xiao Xiao had just used up her strength blocking a previous attack, so she was no longer able to mount an effective defence. She also realised that she could hardly use her Emperor Qi anymore. At this moment, she only had two choices, she could either protect herself, or save the other disciple.
Without hesitation, she lifted her sword, and as a cold glint flashed across her weapon, she decided not to protect herself or the other disciple; instead, she pushed out her sword at the enemy’s eyes.
She appeared like any other frail young woman, but at this moment, she displayed the staunch resoluteness of a warrior.
At such a life-or-death moment, Murong Xiao Xiao was resolute in her strike. Her sword-holding hand was extremely steady, and her eyes were clear. Upon seeing that, Yang Kai couldn’t help but cheer for her.
The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao had made a dastardly move. With two hammers coming at both of them, if Murong Xiao Xiao chose to protect herself, the other disciple would be hurt, and vice versa. Whatever decision she would make, one of them would either be injured or die. If she were to fall here, all the disciples from Azure Sun Temple around her wouldn’t stand a chance to survive. That was the reason she decided to forgo defence and instead attack.
This was more than just a simple tactic as she was truly prepared to sacrifice herself.
The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao could either kill her or a disciple from Azure Sun Temple, but the price he had to pay was that he would be severely injured. If he was unlucky, he might even accompany them to Hell; therefore, Murong Xiao Xiao used all her strength in this strike.
Since Murong Xiao Xiao could assess the risks, there was no way the enemy Emperor Realm Master hadn’t as well. Seeing that a cold glint flashed across her sword as she was thrust at him, ready to perish together if necessary, he couldn’t help cursing out loud. Without evading her attack, he brought his two hammers together and smashed them at the disciple from Azure Sun Temple instead of Murong Xiao Xiao.
There was a sneer on the Emperor Realm Master’s face. [Since you want to risk everything, I’ll grant your wish and bet mine as well!]
His Demon Qi surged as he brought down his two hammers like they were millstones, which blocked out all the sunlight. As death’s aura approached the Azure Sun Temple disciple, his face turned ashen.
Murong Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded as she hadn’t expected that her enemy would be so ruthless. Even though he would surely be wounded, he was still determined to kill her companion. At that instant, her mind went blank, and a tinge of hesitation flashed across her clear gaze.
That hesitation only lasted a short moment though as she quickly withdrew her sword and brandished her weapon in a slowing manner. Following that, she took a step to the side and pushed the disciple away before facing the immensely powerful attack on her own.
At the most critical moment, she still decided to protect her Junior Brother and sacrifice herself.
The Emperor Realm Master had seen through her thoughts, so the sneer on his face widened as he mercilessly brought down his hammers.
All the Azure Sun Temple’s disciples exclaimed in sorrow. Seeing that Murong Xiao Xiao was about to die, they certainly wanted to save her; however, they were too weak and the number of people on their side was too low. They couldn’t even protect themselves, so how were they going to save her? They could do nothing but watch her get attacked. At that moment, their eyes widened as they all looked on with worry.
At such a critical moment, the young woman pulled herself together and her expression became completely calm.
Presently, images were flashing across her mind in a rapid manner. She was accepted into Azure Sun Temple when she was still a child. After she became a disciple and started cultivating, there had always been a cold-looking man by her side who worked hard with her. Her Elders and Senior Brothers and Sisters genuinely cared about her, and though her Junior Brothers and Sisters could be naughty at times they too adored her.
She had always heard that a person would see their life flash before their eyes just before they died.
[Am I dying? Is that why I’m seeing and thinking about all of this? Do I have any regrets? I probably don’t… Without the Temple, I would have died of hunger a long time ago. Without the Temple, even if I survived, I would have become an ordinary person, never achieving such powerful cultivation.]
In order to protect the Temple, she could sacrifice herself and die with no regrets.
However, the only thing she felt guilty about was that she couldn’t protect the disciples around her and bring them to safety. As an Elder of Azure Sun Temple who was in the Emperor Realm, it was the responsibility she was charged with.
Nevertheless, none of it mattered now. All of them could be companions on their road to the Yellow Springs as they had a good chat and laugh. If they came across any enemies once they reached the next life, they could fight alongside one another again.
Faced with this attack, her defence quickly collapsed. She had hastily set up her guard, so she was unable to parry the enemy’s violent strike at all. Just when the hammers were about to strike her though, she saw a familiar figure once again!
He didn’t grow up in Azure Sun Temple, but he was still like a family member who had also become a part of the Temple.
Seeing that Yang Kai was flashing a smile at her, Murong Xiao Xiao responded with a sweet smile of her own. She thought that he was just an illusion before her death, but the next moment, the towering figure appeared right in front of her. In an instant, the violent Qi and wind that had been swirling around the hammers disappeared as they were blocked by the figure. The storm had also turned calm. At this moment, Murong Xiao Xiao felt like she was a boat that had returned to the harbour, not having to worry about the raging ocean anymore.
With a loud clang, the millstone-sized hammers shot into the sky, and the Emperor Realm Master, who had just been on the attack, was sent flying back like a loose sack. As his Demon Qi undulated, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
The turn of events caused Murong Xiao Xiao to fall into a dazed state, and those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were dumbfounded as well.
It wasn’t until the Emperor Realm Master fell to the ground with a loud thud that all of them came to their senses. Both groups of people were seen with different expressions.
The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were pleasantly surprised as they knew that a strong Master had come to their rescue. They were about to get killed when things turned around all of a sudden, which re-invigorated them greatly. On the other hand, the expressions of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were transformed by shock as they stared at Yang Kai in horror. At the same time, they were trembling uncontrollably.
They had no idea how powerful Yang Kai was, but their leader was sent flying back as his Emperor Artifacts were knocked from his hands, which went to show that this newcomer was unimaginably strong.
Hence, all of them started retreating from the disciples of Azure Sun Temple. After gathering together, they stared vigilantly at Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai didn’t even spare them a glance as he looked coldly at the Emperor Realm Master, who was lying on the ground.
The Emperor Realm Master had been severely injured as the vitality in his body had become a mess. At that moment, he realised that he couldn’t even get up. After several attempts, he staggeringly got to his feet, but a huge dent could be seen on his chest.
He pressed his hand against his chest and could not help but hunch over. There was an extremely bitter taste in his mouth as blood continuously streamed out from the corners of his lips. Staring fixedly at Yang Kai, he asked through clenched teeth, “Who are you!”
He was frustrated that he was beaten out of nowhere. More importantly, he didn’t even make out what his opponent looked like before he was struck.
At this moment, he could see the opponent clearly. The person was a brave and heroic young man who for some reason looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember who the latter was.
Yang Kai wanted to tell him that he had no right to know his name, but Murong Xiao Xiao suddenly exclaimed, “Yang Kai? Senior Brother Yang?”
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
It was truly unbelievable for her; after all, in Tiger Roar City a few years ago, Yang Kai had suffered from cultivation dissonance and been demonified before he fled from the Star Boundary. Over the years, there hadn’t been any news about him.
When she saw Yang Kai earlier, she thought that it was just an illusion before her death. She couldn’t have believed that he would really appear and that he would save her life at the most critical moment.
After his identity was revealed by Murong Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai turned around and flashed a smile at her, “Junior Sister, please take a rest for now. I’ll chat with you later.”
Although Murong Xiao Xiao was alive, she was still slightly injured. Her breathing had become unsteady because she was attacked with the hammers earlier. Now that she had confirmed it was really Yang Kai before her, her face started flushing. Part of the reason was that she was agitated, but the main reason was that she was suffering from internal injury.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, she nodded and closed her eyes. Since Yang Kai was around, no one could hurt them now. That was why she didn’t have to worry about anything.
“Yang Kai? You’re Yang Kai?” The Emperor Realm Master was still hesitant when he asked the question for the first time, but his voice was soon filled with shock when he asked it the second time.
Practically everyone in the Star Boundary knew who Yang Kai was. Although he might not be as famous as the Great Emperors, he was definitely a widely known figure. Furthermore, he had become a legend after he, an Emperor Realm Master, managed to escape during a battle against Iron Blood Great Emperor.
The Emperor Realm Master had already found Yang Kai familiar, and upon hearing his name, he could finally confirm his identity. He had seen Yang Kai’s pictures previously, which was why he could faintly remember what the latter looked like.
However, he couldn’t understand why Yang Kai would appear here at this time. Just like what was on Murong Xiao Xiao’s mind, he recalled that Yang Kai had fled to the Demon Realm, so why would he be here all of a sudden?
Nevertheless, since Yang Kai had made a move against him, it meant that he was an enemy. Upon learning Yang Kai’s identity, the Emperor Realm Master quickly bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouth full of Blood Essence. At the same time, a blood mist gushed out of his body as he turned into a stream of light and retreated.
He knew that he had to run for his life!
Nonetheless, Yang Kai just stared at him with a sneer, like how the Emperor Realm Master himself was looking mockingly at Murong Xiao Xiao earlier.
Ten kilometres, twenty kilometres, thirty kilometres, fifty kilometres… In the blink of an eye, the Emperor Realm Master had fled for more than fifty kilometres and was still fleeing at full speed.
Just then, a restrictive power appeared out of thin air, which caused him to abruptly stop. Following that, he felt the world around him spinning. The next moment, he returned to his original spot where somehow, a large hand was now clenching his neck, holding him up like a helpless chicken.
Staring at the young man’s face that was just arm’s length away, the Emperor Realm Master felt his face turning ashen.
Right then, shrieks were heard as those from Demon Heavenly Dao quickly dispersed in all directions. Just now, they saw Yang Kai reach out, after which, their strongest cultivator was captured. Apparently, the gap between their strength was even greater than they imagined.
It would be akin to waiting for death if they stayed there, but if they tried to flee, there was still a chance to survive; thus, it was an easy choice to make for them.
Seeing this, the disciples from Azure Sun Temple wanted to stop them, but they were unable to do so. All of them were injured and exhausted. Moreover, they had a smaller number of people, so they could only watch as their enemies fled.
At that moment, Yang Kai waved his hand, upon which a beautiful woman appeared out of thin air.
Everyone was dumbfounded as they had no idea how this lady appeared all of a sudden. The woman also appeared startled as she didn’t know what was going on.
The next moment, Yang Kai could be heard ordering, “Kill them all.”
The woman batted her eyes and took a look at those from Demon Heavenly Dao who were fleeing, then she replied with a smile, “I’m finally able to stretch a little. You have no idea how bored I was in there!”
Upon finishing her words, she grabbed something from the void, after which a bow appeared in her hand. The bow had a smooth outline and it looked as beautiful as an eagle. Strong fluctuations exuded from the bow, so it was apparently an extraordinary artifact.
The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were still wondering who the woman was when they saw her artifact, which caused them to frown. That was because black Qi could be seen swirling around it, which made it obvious it was a Demon Artifact.
Besides a Demon Artifact, the woman also had Demon Qi. When the woman, who appeared earlier, activated the Demon Artifact, Demon Qi could be seen swirling around her. Then of course there was the pair of white wings behind her back. Unlike those from Demon Heavenly Dao, she was clearly a real Demon!
The disciples of Azure Sun Temple exclaimed, and the Emperor Realm Master, whose neck was clenched by Yang Kai, widened his eyes in disbelief.
Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between those from Demon Heavenly Dao and real Demons unless the Demons had very conspicuous features. Bo Ya had such features.
Previously, the Demons had invaded the Star Boundary, and internally, those from Demon Heavenly Dao had been making a scene everywhere. It could be said that they were facing both external and internal threats, so they were in a perilous situation. A lot of Demons had hidden in the Star Boundary to carry out their plan in secret.
However, why would this Demon listen to Yang Kai’s commands to make things difficult for those from Demon Heavenly Dao? Weren’t those from Demon Heavenly Dao and the Demons supposed to be one family?
The Feather Demon nocked the arrow on her bow before drawing and loosening it. At that instant, all those from Demon Heavenly Dao fell to the ground as they were killed on the spot. They hadn’t even fled for more than ten kilometres when all of them lost their lives. Only the Emperor Realm Master, who had been captured by Yang Kai, was still alive.
Bo Ya once again placed an arrow on her bow as the tip of the arrow was pressed against the Emperor Realm Master’s forehead. She broke out a smile which was equal parts alluring and terrifying.
The Emperor Realm Master was drenched in cold sweat, but Yang Kai pushed the arrow away and used his Demon Qi to lay down several seals, causing this man to collapse to the ground, paralysed.
Yang Kai still had no idea what had happened, so he had to wait for Murong Xiao Xiao to awaken and ask her about it before deciding how to deal with this Emperor Realm Master.
Since they were no longer in any danger, the disciples from Azure Sun Temple heaved a sigh of relief. With their bodies still injured, they shuffled towards Yang Kai and thanked him. Yang Kai was a Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, so since the disciples were in danger, it was expected of him to lend them a hand. After a few words of motivation, he told them to attend to their wounds.
Bo Ya was curious about the Emperor Realm Master, so she crouched down and observed him. Despite her sweet smile, the Emperor appeared horrified as though he was being gazed at by a deadly scorpion.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a beam of light approaching at lightning speed. When the light landed on the ground, a white-robed figure was revealed. The person was handsome with a pair of bright eyes, and the white clothes he was clad in were spotless, but his expression was slightly cold.
“Xiao Bai, it’s been too long!” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him.
Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Xia Sheng were the rising stars of Azure Sun Temple. Now that all three of them had reached the Emperor Realm, they had naturally become Elders. Presently, Xia Sheng was on the battlefield in the Western Territory while Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were guarding the Temple in the Southern Territory.
Earlier, Murong Xiao Xiao sent a message to seek Xiao Bai Yi’s help, it was just that Yang Kai had arrived faster. Xiao Bai Yi was leading a group of disciples at that time, but in order to save his Junior Sister, he went on ahead at full speed.
“Yang Kai!” Xiao Bai Yi frowned as he took a look at Yang Kai and then Bo Ya, who was crouching down nearby. All of a sudden, his Emperor Qi surged as he launched himself at Yang Kai. At the same time, an immensely powerful sword wave was seen slashing at him.
With a smile, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pinched the sword from both sides using only two fingers. At that instant, the sword wave fell apart as the blade, which was as thin as a cicada’s wings, was wedged between Yang Kai’s fingers. The blade was buzzing continuously, but no matter how hard Xiao Bai Yi pushed his Emperor Qi, he realised that he couldn’t move his sword one bit.
In just one move, his Emperor Artifact was firmly grasped by someone using his bare hand, stunning him greatly.
Before Xiao Bai Yi could react, Bo Ya had dashed forward and drew an arrow which she pressed against Xiao Bai Yi’s temple, just like what she had done to the Emperor Realm Master earlier.
Sensing the dangerous aura on the tip of the arrow, Xiao Bai Yi wouldn’t dare to move a muscle; however, his already cold expression had turned even colder. He had fallen into a trap instead of saving his Junior Sister, which was why he was displeased.
“Can I kill him?” Bo Ya asked with a tilted head.
“Behave!” Yang Kai put on a hollow laugh and shot her a glare.
Bo Ya pressed her lips together and stored her arrow; then, she went back to the Emperor Realm Master and crouched down again to examine him.
“Senior Brother Xiao, it was Senior Brother Yang who saved us!” Murong Xiao Xiao opened her eyes and said in a weakened voice.
In fact, after Xiao Bai Yi made a move, he immediately realised that he was mistaken. That was because there were many corpses on the ground who weren’t disciples of Azure Sun Temple. Also, judging from the power Yang Kai had showcased, if he wanted to harm the Temple’s disciples, Murong Xiao Xiao and the others would have lost their lives by now.
More importantly, Murong Xiao Xiao had closed her eyes to adjust her breathing. If she didn’t have complete trust in Yang Kai, she wouldn’t have done such a thing. Now, her words had confirmed his speculation, but he still said with a frown, “I need an explanation!”
In his mind, Yang Kai was still a traitor to the Star Boundary who had fled to the Demon Realm, that was why when he saw Yang Kai here just now, and that Murong Xiao Xiao was injured, he had a misunderstanding and directly made a move.
It was too complicated to explain everything to him, and Yang Kai didn’t want to waste his time, so he fished out a token and tossed it at him.
Xiao Bai Yi caught the token, and upon seeing that the number ‘Sixty First’ was engraved on it, he was stunned and felt somewhat dizzy.
He had been to the battlefield in the Western Territory and worked under an Army Commander, so he knew what this token represented. The Great Emperors had personally forged these tokens and given them to the different Army Commanders. Every token contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which could be used to save the owner’s life at a critical moment.
The token was clearly genuine as the heavy Great Emperor aura on it made it difficult for him to breathe; however, since when did a Sixty-First Army exist in the Star Boundary?
“Haven’t you heard the news yet?” Seeing his expression, Yang Kai realised that Xiao Bai Yi knew nothing about the Sixty-First Army.
“When did it happen?” Xiao Bai Yi asked with a frown.
“Half a month ago.”
Xiao Bai Yi was relieved and gently nodded, “Over the past month, Junior Sister and I have been outside the Temple.”
It was because of this reason that they hadn’t heard about this news yet; otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked Yang Kai on sight.
With the token on both palms, he respectfully passed it back to Yang Kai. Then, he cupped his fists and called out reluctantly, “Senior Brother Yang!”
In the past, they were all Dao Source Realm Juniors who entered the Four Seasons Realm together. Now, he, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Xia Sheng were still just First-Order Emperor Realm, but Yang Kai had already become the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. Xiao Bai Yi couldn’t even see through Yang Kai’s cultivation, but as an Army Commander, there was no way the latter’s cultivation was lower than Third-Order Emperor Realm.
[I can’t believe he’s already a Third-Order Emperor! How does he even cultivate? Does he have a stash of miracle Pills or something?]
“What are you all doing here?” Yang Kai asked curiously. Although they were still in the Southern Territory, this place was pretty far from Azure Sun Temple.
A group of disciples wouldn’t come to such a place on their own accord. Moreover, two Elders were leading two separate teams, so it was apparent that they were on some kind of mission.
Since he had come across them, Yang Kai definitely had to ask them about it.
Xiao Bao Yi replied, “We were investigating those from the Demon Heavenly Dao.”
The Star Boundary was facing external as well as internal troubles. If the Demons were their known opponents, then those from Demon Heavenly Dao were the enemies within. It was said that it was easy to dodge a spear in the light, but hard to avoid an arrow in the dark. Since the rise of Demon Heavenly Dao in recent years, countless people in the Star Boundary had been wounded or killed by them, so all those loyal to the Star Boundary were very resentful of them.
Nevertheless, those from Demon Heavenly Dao were normally well hidden and rarely exposed any flaws. In terms of collective power, Demon Heavenly Dao were definitely no match for the true Demon forces; however, they were sly individuals who conducted sabotage and intrigue which caused much disruption in the Star Boundary, forcing a great many to be unable to take part in the war.
All Sects in all four territories of the Star Boundary had to leave some top cultivators behind to guard their Sects for fear that those from Demon Heavenly Dao would invade if they left. Over the course of the past few years, countless small and medium Sects had been destroyed through various plots and schemes. Even some first-class Sects had suffered grave damage and nearly been destroyed.
Hence, whenever traces of the Demon Heavenly Dao were found in the Star Boundary, they would be hunted down and killed mercilessly. Two years ago, in the Southern Territory, Star Soul Palace led all other Sects to examine themselves for any hidden traitors and also launched a large-scale attack on the enemy forces. They had managed to destroy more than ten strongholds, causing Demon Heavenly Dao’s power to be significantly reduced; however, it was impossible to kill all the scorpions in the dark as some of them inevitably escaped to fight again.
One month ago, Azure Sun Temple got wind that some people from Demon Heavenly Dao were up to something. They suspected that there was a hidden stronghold around this area, so Murong Xiao Xiao and Xiao Bai Yi led two teams to launch an investigation. Somehow though, word got out and they were ambushed instead, resulting in Murong Xiao Xiao and her team almost being wiped out.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was nearby and managed to come to their rescue; otherwise, Xiao Bai Yi would have only arrived to find corpses here.
After hearing her narration, Yang Kai asked, “So, you don’t even know how your whereabouts got exposed?”
Murong Xiao Xiao shook her head and replied with a frown, “I don’t think we’ve exposed anything on our side.”
That was what puzzled her. Her enemy was just as powerful as she was, and she had been careful when tracking them; however, she hadn’t expected that they would still fall into the enemy’s trap and almost lose their lives here.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “It has nothing to do with whether you exposed your whereabouts or not. If someone sent a message warning them, it would be pointless regardless of how careful you were.”
The expression on Murong Xiao Xiao’s pale face changed when she heard that, then she said in a small voice, “Senior Brother, you mean…”
“En, there’s a traitor!” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai turned to look at a certain petite woman.
He had already noticed this female disciple when he arrived. He initially thought that her aura was just a little strange and didn’t read too much into it, but upon hearing what Murong Xiao Xiao said, he finally realised why this woman’s aura was odd.
Still crouching in front of the Emperor Realm Master, Bo Ya said without lifting her head, “I thought you didn’t notice it.”
“You knew as well?” Yang Kai looked down at her and happened to see her fair chest from where he stood.
Bo Ya snorted and pointed at the Emperor Realm Master, “Both of them have a putrid smell about them!”
Xiao Bai Yi’s face fell as he stared coldly at the petite female disciple while Murong Xiao Xiao still appeared to be in disbelief. The other disciples also appeared doubtful as they had no idea what had happened.
The petite woman’s expression became awkward as she was stared at by so many people. She forced a smile and asked bashfully, “Elders, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Bai Yi didn’t reply to her while Yang Kai’s lips curved into a playful smile. Murong Xiao Xiao directly asked, “Du Juan, are you part of Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Murong Xiao Xiao found it hard to accept the possibility that one of her Junior Sisters might be from Demon Heavenly Dao. It wouldn’t have mattered if the disciple was someone else; however, Du Juan had just suffered from a serious injury in the battle and blood was still streaming out of her wounds, dying her clothes red.
How was it possible that such a disciple was from Demon Heavenly Dao? Nevertheless, since this was Yang Kai’s speculation, she couldn’t take it lightly.
Two years ago, all the Sects and families had wiped out a lot of moles that had been planted by Demon Heavenly Dao. After that, a lot of Sects and families saw their foundations severely damaged. It was still alright for Azure Sun Temple as they only had found several dozen such disciples, but if Du Juan was really from Demon Heavenly Dao, it meant that they hadn’t wiped out all the traitors two years ago. It also suggested that there were probably still many traitors within Azure Sun Temple as well as the other Sects. If such a storm took place again, the Star Boundary would descend into chaos.
At the thought of this, Murong Xiao Xiao felt her heart sink.
Upon hearing the words that were spoken, all the disciples from Azure Sun Temple had their expressions change drastically as they turned to look at Du Juan, who appeared dumbfounded. In an aggrieved voice, she protested, “Elders, please don’t misunderstand! I’m not from Demon Heavenly Dao! It’s not true!”
Murong Xiao Xiao shifted her attention to Yang Kai, who said impassively, “You don’t have the final say in determining whether it’s true or that you’ve been wronged. Look into my eyes.”
After he finished speaking, his right eye became pitch-black, as though it had turned into a black hole that could devour all light in this world.
Du Juan instinctively stared at him and couldn’t move her eyes away again. As their eyes met, she started trembling uncontrollably as black Qi began leaking from her petite figure.
Initially, the black Qi looked like thin threads, but after a few breaths, it burst out of her body like a rising tide and engulfed her completely.
As her Demon Qi undulated, she exuded a very violent aura.
No more questions were needed as the answer was right before their eyes. The expressions of those disciples had been transformed by shock and Xiao Bai Yi heaved a sigh while Murong Xiao Xiao was stunned.
After her identity was exposed, Du Juan stopped appearing frightened, as though she had turned into a completely different person. As she howled, she pounced on the disciple nearest her.
She knew that she wasn’t powerful enough to battle against any one of the Emperor Realm Masters present, so she just wanted to hold someone hostage so that she could flee from this place.
Her targeted disciple was still reeling from the shock, and he was injured, so he was unable to react in any way. It was too late when he realised that Du Juan was within arm’s reach of him. In his heart, he thought that he was doomed, so he closed his eyes and waited for death.
Fortunately, he didn’t lose his life as Yang Kai managed to capture Du Juan before she could do any harm. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t struggle out of the invisible grip, so in despair, she screamed, “This world will belong to the Demons sooner or later! If you’re still so obstinate, you’ll die a dog’s death! If you want to survive, follow me and side with Demon Heavenly Dao and you might still have a chance to live!”
Her identity had been exposed and she had been captured by Yang Kai; however, instead of pleading with him, she threatened them in an arrogant manner.
Murong Xiao Xiao was heartbroken as the Du Juan she remembered wasn’t like this.
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Did those from Demon Heavenly Dao tell you this?”
Du Juan snorted, “The Star Boundary has constantly been on the retreat on the battlefield in the Western Territory because the Demon armies are overwhelming. One of the Great Emperors has also lost his life in the Demon Realm. When the Demon Saints make a move, no one in the Star Boundary will be able to resist them!”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “The information you have is outdated. I guess you’re not aware of the changes that have taken place on the battlefield.”
“What do you mean?” Du Juan asked coldly.
Yang Kai replied, “The passage between the two worlds has been sealed off, so the support behind the Demon armies has been severed. The top cultivators from the Demon Race are unable to break the barrier either. Although there is a large number of Demons still in the Western Territory, it’s just a matter of time before they’re defeated.”
Du Juan was startled for a moment before saying grimly, “Stop lying to me!”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Whether or not you believe me, it will not affect the current state of affairs.”
Du Juan fell silent for a moment before a dangerous aura exuded from her body. The Demon Qi around her could be seen roiling as though she was about to explode at any moment. At the same time, she sneered, “I’ll wait for you all on the other side!”
Having been detained by Yang Kai, she knew that there was no way she could escape, so she decided to kill herself in a resolute manner. Perhaps her temperament had changed after she was invaded by Demon Qi, so she had started acting more and more like a real Demon.
Murong Xiao Xiao’s expression changed drastically as she exclaimed, “Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion! Senior Brother, watch out!”
Certainly, Yang Kai was aware of the changes in Du Juan’s aura. Although he had no idea what this Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion was, he could guess that it was a Secret Technique that allowed her to self-destruct; therefore, he quickly pushed his Demon Qi to suppress her.
Unexpectedly, he had failed in his attempt to do so. As Du Juan cackled, her petite figure started expanding, as though she would explode in the next moment.
Yang Kai frowned and waved his hand, after which Du Juan disappeared abruptly, and the dangerous aura vanished into thin air.
Although she was from Demon Heavenly Dao, she was still an Azure Sun Temple’s disciple. She had simply been affected by Demon Qi, and if she could be saved, there was a chance that her original temperament could be restored. Yang Kai didn’t want to kill her, nor would he allow her to self-destruct, so he decided to keep her in the Small Sealed World for now.
Given his absolute power in the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai could easily stop Du Juan from exploding.
As expected, after she was sent into the Small Sealed World and suppressed by its World Force, her violent aura quickly diminished and died down.
Seeing their Junior Sister vanish into thin air, all the disciples of Azure Sun Temple were astounded.
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao looked inquisitively at Yang Kai as they wondered where he had sent her, and only after Yang Kai explained to them were they able to set their minds at ease.
However, Murong Xiao Xiao felt her heart growing heavy as there was a traitor in her team. Xiao Bai Yi had also led a team of his own, and it was possible that there might be a traitor within his team as well.
Fortunately, Yang Kai and Bo Ya were able to point out anyone with Demon Qi, so they would just have to take a look at the other team of people later to be sure.
“What have you found out?” Yang Kai looked over at Bo Ya.
Bo Ya replied, “This should be some kind of Blood Demon Secret Technique, but I’ve never heard of it. I guess they developed it recently.”
The people from Demon Heavenly Dao were able to retain their sentience after they were corrupted by Demon Qi. They were also able to mingle with those from the Star Boundary without anyone noticing anything wrong with them. This was an issue that had confounded the Star Boundary for years now, but if they could figure out how this Secret Technique worked, they might be able to detect those from Demon Heavenly Dao in the future.
That was why Bo Ya had been examining the captured Emperor Realm Master.
Upon hearing that it was a Blood Demon Secret Technique, Yang Kai arched his brow and sent his Divine Sense into the Small Sealed World. Then, he revealed an image of himself in front of Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.
Although Bai Zhuo was Yu Ru Meng’s subordinate, he was also a Blood Demon. If those from Demon Heavenly Dao were using a Blood Demon Secret Technique, Bai Zhuo might know a thing or two.
When his image appeared, he also summoned over Du Juan. Her Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion had been suppressed, so she had failed in her attempt to self-destruct. At this moment, she was silently lying on the ground, passed out. Her original form had been restored, and with her body curled up, she looked rather pitiful.
“Brother Yang, what’s wrong?” Bai Zhuo took a look at Du Juan and asked.
Yang Kai questioned, “Brother Bai Zhuo, I remember that you fought on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield several times, right?”
Bai Zhuo nodded, “En.”
The war had been ongoing for several years, so Bai Zhuo had moved between the battlefield and the Demon Realm a number of times.
“Then, have you ever heard of Demon Heavenly Dao before?” Yang Kai pointed at Du Juan.
Bai Zhuo replied with a smile, “Of course. What’s wrong? Is this woman from Demon Heavenly Dao?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Bo Ya said that this woman has been affected by some Blood Demon Secret Technique, so I wanted you to check on her and see whether she can be saved.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Zhuo replied, “Those from Demon Heavenly Dao have indeed been planted with a Blood Demon Secret Technique, but I’m not exactly sure what technique it was because I wasn’t responsible for this matter. However, I can give her an examination and see whether she can be saved. I cannot guarantee anything, but I’ll do my best.”
“Then I shall have to trouble you, Brother Bai Zhuo.”
“Don’t mention it, Brother Yang.”
Suddenly recalling something, Yang Kai asked, “By the way, when the real Demons like you see those from Demon Heavenly Dao, can you tell them apart?”
Bai Zhuo took a look at the unconscious Du Juan and replied, “I can. Although her Demon Qi is well hidden, there are still some traces.”
Bai Ya nodded on the side, “En, indeed.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai lifted his hand, upon which a person appeared beside him. He was the first Demon that Yang Kai had put in the Small Sealed World, Huo Lun!
He seemed to be meditating when Yang Kai summoned him from the triangularly arrayed peaks, so his legs remained crossed. A moment later, he realised that something was off, and when he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see so many people around, so he quickly saluted Yang Kai.
Yang Kai got straight to the point by pointing at Du Juan, “Look at this woman. Can you see anything special about her?”
Huo Lun had no idea what was going on, so he carefully examined Yang Kai’s expression for a moment before shifting his attention to Du Juan. A long time later, he replied cautiously, “She’s young and petite. Also, she looks rather ordinary and there’s nothing special about her figure…”
Yang Kai lifted his hand to stop him, “Have you noticed anything else?”
“Anything else?” Immensely pressured, Huo Lun gulped, “Senior, you mean…”
“She’s been invaded by Demon Qi.”
“Really?” A shocked Huo Lun lowered his head to study Du Juan again, then he shook his head repeatedly, “I can’t tell she’s been invaded by Demon Qi.”
That was indeed strange. Bo Ya could detect the Demon Qi in her body while Huo Lun had failed to do so, despite their cultivations being quite close. Huo Lun was a Low-Rank Demon King, so if he couldn’t notice anything, it meant that the Demon Qi within those from Demon Heavenly Dao was really well hidden.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai figured that Bo Ya must have simply been born with extremely sharp vision; after all, she was a Feather Demon, and she had cultivated an Eye Secret Technique, which was why she was able to see things that others couldn’t.
While Yang Kai’s projected image was having a discussion with Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya in the Small Sealed World, he didn’t stay idle in the outside world as he told Bo Ya to interrogate the Emperor Realm Master to find out the whereabouts of the Demon Heavenly Dao’s strongholds.
Those from Demon Heavenly Dao were normally well hidden among ordinary people; however, since this person was an Emperor, he must have the right to obtain information that was not available to the common disciples. Now that they had captured him, they had to pry more information out of him.
Bo Ya didn’t disappoint as a Demon King. Although interrogation wasn’t her speciality, she had her methods. Yang Kai had planted a seal on the Emperor Realm Master, so he was unable to move a muscle. Soon, he couldn’t take it anymore and confessed everything.
Demon Heavenly Dao had many strongholds, but this Emperor was only aware of the one he came from in White Colt Town. According to him, White Colt Town might appear to be an ordinary town, but many of those from Demon Heavenly Dao were hidden in it. They mingled well with other residents and looked just like normal everyday people. When they were summoned, they would head to different locations to carry out missions.
The reason he came to this place was that he was summoned.
However, on his way to his destination, he realised that some people were following him. Being cautious, he decided to make a detour to find out who the stalkers were. Just then, he received a message from Du Juan. Upon learning about the number of people on Azure Sun Temple’s side and their overall strength, he decided to beat them at their own game by ambushing Murong Xiao Xiao’s team.
The following development of the incident was what Yang Kai had seen when he arrived.
“There’s no Demon Heavenly Dao stronghold around here?” Xiao Bai Yi frowned upon hearing that, “Then what are you doing here?”
“I have no idea.” The Emperor Realm Master from Demon Heavenly Dao shook his head, “I was just following orders.”
“Who told you to come here?” Xiao Bai Yi asked.
“I don’t know.”
Right after he finished speaking, Bo Ya, who had been crouching in front of him, flashed an alluring smile at him and placed her slender hand on his shoulder. Then, she circulated her Demon Qi and infused it into his body. The next moment, the Emperor Realm Master let out a grunt of pain. There seemed to be a small snake roaming beneath his bare skin, which was a horrifying sight. After just three breaths of time, his eyes turned bloodshot and he started howling as though he was going through unbearable torture.
In between screams, he stutteringly said, “I really have no idea! I just came here after I got the order! I don’t know who we’re looking for or what we’re supposed to do!”
Bo Ya looked up at Yang Kai and realised that he remained impassive, so she went on with her torture.
The Emperor Realm Master’s shrieks slowly died down as his voice became hoarse from all the screaming. All his clothes were drenched in sweat, and he had collapsed to the ground as he convulsed violently. His eyes had rolled back, so it was as though he would lose his life at any moment.
“Four Seasons Realm…” All of a sudden, a weakened voice was heard coming from the Emperor Realm Master.
Despite his small voice, Yang Kai could clearly hear him, then he asked, “Are you heading to the Four Seasons Realm?”
Despite his lethargy, the Emperor Realm Master still nodded his head.
Yang Kai frowned and questioned, “What are you going there for?”
He was also heading to the Four Seasons Realm, and he was pretty close to his destination. He hadn’t expected that this Emperor Realm Master was also going to the same place. It was no wonder that he would come across him here. Since their destination was the same, it could be expected that they would meet.
The Emperor Realm Master was unable to answer the question. He passed out, without giving any useful clues. He was either resolute enough to keep the secret or he really knew nothing.
The latter was more probable. If he was a resolute person, he wouldn’t have revealed so much information already.
Since the Emperor Realm Master had passed out, Yang Kai put him in the Small Sealed World. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to kill him, he just wanted to let Bai Zhuo have one more person to experiment on. If Bai Zhuo could devise a way to break the Blood Demon Secret Technique used on this Emperor Realm Master, they could easily identify and capture those from Demon Heavenly Dao. They could also set things right and help those from Demon Heavenly Dao regain their original personalities.
However, Yang Kai was surprised that the incident had something to do with the Four Seasons Realm. After giving it a thought, he said, “Xiao Bai, please bring the other disciples back to the Temple first. I’ll head to the Four Seasons Realm to find out what those from Demon Heavenly Dao are up to.”
“I’m going as well,” Xiao Bai Yi replied briefly.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly and pointed at Murong Xiao Xiao, “If you also go, who will protect Junior Sister? Aren’t you worried about making her return to the Temple on her own?”
Given Murong Xiao Xiao’s condition, no one could be assured to let her return to the Temple with only her current teammates, all of whom were injured as well. Since those from Demon Heavenly Dao had received the order to head to the Four Seasons Realm, there must be more than one group of them. If Murong Xiao Xiao and the other disciples came across those from Demon Heavenly Dao, they were doomed.
Xiao Bai Yi frowned as he understood that what Yang Kai said made sense, but he still argued, “You can put them all away safe, right?”
Since Yang Kai could keep Du Juan and the Emperor Realm Master in the Small Sealed World, he certainly could do the same to the others. It was easy for him to do such a thing.
However, Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m asking you to go back not only because Junior Sister and the others need treatment, but because there’s something I need you to do at the Temple. It’s a more pressing issue than what is happening in the Four Seasons Realm.”
No one knew what was going on in the Four Seasons Realm, but the problem facing the Temple had to be solved as soon as possible.
Seeing how solemn Yang Kai was, Xiao Bai Yi asked puzzledly, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai replied in a grim voice, “Since Du Juan was an enemy spy, it’s possible that there are more traitors in the Temple.”
He then beckoned to Bo Ya, “Take her with you and sniff out all the moles in the Temple.”
Since Bo Ya could detect Du Juan’s anomaly, it meant that she was able to see through the disguise of those from Demon Heavenly Dao. There were probably still some other traitors in the Temple, but Yang Kai had no time to go back to check, so sending Bo Ya was the best option.
Bo Ya hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would give her such a task, so she shot him a glare, but she didn’t seem to oppose the idea. In any case, it was much better than if she stayed in the Small Sealed World. Since Li Shi Qing left, she had nothing else to do in the Small Sealed World and was simply idling, feeling extremely bored.
Xiao Bai Yi hesitantly took a look at Bo Ya. Seeing that, Yang Kai said with a smile, “Don’t worry. Although she’s a Demon, she works for me now. Since I’ve told her to go with you, there won’t be any problems.”
It was then that Xiao Bai Yi nodded gently. As someone from the Star Boundary, he instinctively felt repulsed by the Demons; however, since Yang Kai had said such, he no longer cast any doubts.
“Who is in charge of the Temple now?” Yang Kai asked.
“Vice Temple Master Qiu.”
Yang Kai gave a nod, “Please tell Vice Temple Master about the situation in detail, but act cautiously. Don’t let anyone else find out about it so that we don’t alert the enemy.”
“En,” Xiao Bai Yi replied.
After the short discussion, Xiao Bai Yi didn’t leave in a hurry; instead, he remained in the same spot because his teammates hadn’t arrived yet. There was a traitor in Murong Xiao Xiao’s team, so it wasn’t certain whether there was also one in his own team.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to wait. After telling Bo Ya to work closely with the others and passing her a Space Beacon, he bid everyone farewell and headed to the Four Seasons Realm on his own.
An incense stick later, the other team of disciples finally arrived. After they gathered together, Xiao Bai Yi turned to look at Bo Ya, who slowly shook her head. It was then Xiao Bai Yi heaved a sigh of relief.
Without any delays, he led everyone to return to Azure Sun Temple. Despite Yang Kai’s assurance, he was still wary of Bo Ya; after all, she was a Mid-Rank Demon King. If she suddenly struck out, while they might be still able to deal with her with their current manpower, there would be a hefty price to pay. Xiao Bai Yi thus insisted on standing between Bo Ya and Murong Xiao Xiao, who was injured.
Besides that, he felt helpless at the fact that Bo Ya’s Demonic characteristics were too conspicuous. She was a Feather Demon, so it was hard not to notice the white wings behind her back. If she really followed them back to the Temple in such a state, before she even got near the Temple, the other disciples would jump right out to slay a Demon like her.
Fortunately, she was able to use a Secret Technique to temporarily hide her wings. Xiao Bai Yi also found a black hooded coat to cover her up fully before he was able to set off on their journey with peace of mind.
…..
The Four Seasons Realm wasn’t far from the place where Azure Sun Temple’s disciples fell into danger, only several tens of thousands of kilometres away.
The reason Yang Kai came to this place was to have a look at the current situation of the Four Seasons Realm. He didn’t even think he could find out anything and was simply doing this to console his parents.
However, he felt doubtful now that those from Demon Heavenly Dao were also interested in the Four Seasons Realm.
The reason Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were able to enter the Four Seasons Realm was that Qiong Qi had led the way for them; after all, Qiong Qi was the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount in the past. After the Great Emperor passed away, Qiong Qi fell into a deep slumber inside the Flowing Time Temple for countless years. Hence, it was only natural that he could open up the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm.
However, why would those from Demon Heavenly Dao also want to come to the Four Seasons Realm? This place had been around in the Southern Territory for countless years, and it would open up at regular intervals to allow cultivators below the Dao Source Realm in for life experience. There was still a long time before the realm would open again. Even if those from Demon Heavenly Dao came here, how were they going to enter?
Perhaps their target wasn’t the Four Seasons Realm itself but rather something else in the area that was worth their attention.
Whatever the case, Yang Kai had to quickly launch an investigation.
As soon as Yang Kai arrived though, he realized that something was off.
The entrance of the Four Seasons Realm was in the sky above a nameless mountain valley. Before it was time to open up, nothing could be found here. When the time came, the entrance into the Four Seasons Realm would simply appear in the sky.
The valley didn’t have a name, nor did it contain any natural treasures, so normally, it was deserted and no one would pay any attention to it.
However, at this moment, many people had gathered in this valley. Teams of different sizes were scattered everywhere in the valley, with all of them hidden in the forest and caves.
The largest team had more than a hundred people, while the smallest team had about a dozen people. Without exception though, all the teams were led by Emperor Realm Masters.
The more than ten teams that consisted of several hundred people had gathered in this nameless valley outside the Four Seasons Realm. They had hidden everywhere in this valley and it wasn’t certain what they were up to.
The cultivation of the more than ten Emperor Realm Masters ranged from First-Order to Third-Order. If Yang Kai hadn’t gone to the Demon Realm in the past, he would have to be more cautious so that his whereabouts wouldn’t be exposed, but now, his Soul cultivation had strengthened dramatically, to the point that no Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half Saint could compare. If he wanted to hide his aura, those in the valley wouldn’t be able to notice him.
There was nothing special about these people except for the fact that they were all from Demon Heavenly Dao.
With a frown, Yang Kai investigated the surroundings and decided to observe them before making a move. This matter was serious as it had something to do with the Four Seasons Realm. If he took action now, with the help of Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya, Yang Kai was confident he could defeat the force here with ease, but it wouldn’t be easy to find out their intentions for coming here. After all, the Emperor Realm Master, who had been thrown into the Small Sealed World earlier, didn’t even know the reason why he was told to come here, so these Emperor Realm Masters in the valley might not have any idea either.
These people were probably summoned to this place; in which case, someone must have given them the order to gather here.
This person must hold an important position in Demon Heavenly Dao and was most likely a Pseudo-Great Emperor. It wasn’t difficult to decide that he should catch the big fish rather than kill these insignificant shrimp.
For the following ten days, Yang Kai remained hidden outside the Four Seasons Realm as he observed these people from Demon Heavenly Dao. He had thought about sneaking into one of the teams, but all of them seemed to know each other so he refrained.
In the morning, these people were extremely quiet as they cultivated and meditated in their respective locations; however, they started becoming busy at night.
After observing them for over ten days, Yang Kai realised that they were arranging some kind of Grand Spirit Array that could encompass the entire entrance of the Four Seasons Realm in this nameless valley.
Naturally, not everyone could arrange a Spirit Array. Nevertheless, there was a skilful Array Master among these people, and under his guidance, an array slowly took shape.
Yang Kai memorised all the key points of the Spirit Array as it was being arranged and engraved them into a jade slip. In the morning, he would send the jade slip back to High Heaven Palace through a Space Beacon to ask Nanmen Da Jun about it.
However, the arranging of the Spirit Array in this valley was slow and gradual, and the information Yang Kai had gathered was incomplete; therefore, despite the fact that Nanmen Da Jun was an Emperor Array Master, it was still difficult for him to guess its purpose right away.
A few days later, Nanmen Da Jun sent a message to inform Yang Kai that it was likely a Summoning Array, but it had been modified in some way. Since the array was incomplete, he couldn’t tell what these people from Demon Heavenly Dao were trying to summon; thus, Nanmen Da Jun requested to come over from High Heaven Palace to have a closer look.
He was keen to learn everything about Spirit Arrays, but Yang Kai directly rejected him.
Nanmen Da Jun was only a First-Order Emperor, so he wouldn’t be able to hide his aura if he came here. Even if Yang Kai tried to hide him, his whereabouts might still be exposed.
Nanmen Da Jun felt helpless at the fact that his request had been rejected, so he could only warn Yang Kai by saying, “Regardless of how powerful that array is, that is a Summoning Array, so Palace Master must be on guard in case they try to summon some kind of ferocious, uncontrollable beast.”
Yang Kai replied, “En.”
Nanmen Da Jun wasn’t aware that there were three Half-Saints inside Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead, so even if Demon Heavenly Dao was really going to summon some kind of ferocious beast, it wasn’t certain who would be the one to die in the end. Yang Kai doubted that the thing they were going to summon could be more powerful than the combined force of three Half-Saints.
Noticing Yang Kai’s perfunctory tone, Nanmen Da Jun said solemnly, “Palace Master, please carefully observe them for the following days. I suspect that a key item is missing from that array. If you discover anything, please inform me immediately.”
Yang Kai wasn’t sure what the missing key was, but since Nanmen Da Jun had made such a judgement, he must have a valid reason. Hence, Yang Kai could only redouble his observation efforts.
A few days later, the array was seemingly almost completed. The bases of the array were hidden beneath the valley, so everything appeared normal on the surface, though the entire valley seemed to be engulfed in a strange aura now that could make anyone feel depressed.
Just then, Yang Kai received a message from the Embodiment, who was in the Small Sealed World. Noticing that, Yang Kai was elated. As he observed the changes in the array, he used his Divine Sense to send a projection into the Small Sealed World.
Seeing Yang Kai, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo cupped their fists, “Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai looked down at a middle-aged man who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, then he arched his brow, “Did you manage to extricate him?”
This middle-aged man was the Emperor Realm Master who had been captured some time ago. Recently, Bai Zhuo had been trying to come up with a way to break the Secret Technique the Blood Demons had used on those from Demon Heavenly Dao. It wasn’t until this day that he finally achieved success.
Presently, the middle-aged man was pale, and his aura was unstable. It seemed that he was still very weak.
Hearing Yang Kai’s voice though, this man quickly opened his eyes and struggled to get up. With a smile, Yang Kai gently clapped his shoulder to motion for him to sit properly. This man really seemed to have no energy left, so he could only cup his fists at Yang Kai while he sat on the ground, “Palace Master Yang, many thanks for saving this pitiful one’s life.”
“He’s become clear-headed?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Bai Zhuo turned his palm over and revealed a drop of blood, which was squirming like it was a living creature; however, the drop of blood was filled with Demon Essence and a sense of ferocity. Obviously it was Demon Blood. Bai Zhuo said, “This is the culprit.”
Yang Kai took a look at the drop of Demon Blood and frowned, “What do you mean?”
Bai Zhuo explained, “A Blood Demon planted his own Blood Essence in this fellow, and that blood then circulated through all his veins. It’s not usually visible, but the Demon Essence would be ignited when he entered battle; therefore, in order to save him, I had to completely extract the drop of Blood Essence out of him, which was a difficult feat to pull off. Fortunately, it seems he didn’t willingly join Demon Heavenly Dao, so he subconsciously resisted this drop of Demon Blood and that’s why I was able to cure him. Despite this, before treating him, I knew that there’s only a fifty-fifty chance that he could survive.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knitted his eyebrows together, “You mean, even if we catch more people from Demon Heavenly Dao in the future, it’s not guaranteed that they can be saved?”
Bai Zhuo shook his head, “I’m not capable enough to do so.”
He was a Half-Saint, but even he said that he wasn’t capable enough to handle this, and it wasn’t like they could look for Xue Li to help them. At the thought of this, Yang Kai heaved a sigh. Nevertheless, they had saved a person, which could serve as a bit of a consolation. Then, he turned to look at Du Juan, who was still unconscious, “How about her? Can she be saved?”
Bai Zhuo wouldn’t dare to make any promises so he simply said, “I’ll try my best.”
Yang Kai knew that there was nothing else he could do, so he turned to look at the middle-aged Emperor and asked, “What’s your name?”
The man lethargically replied, “Zhou Quan.”
After a talk, Yang Kai learned that Zhou Quan was an Elder in a medium-sized Sect in the Western Territory. When the war in the Western Territory broke out, he fell into the hands of the Demons because he tried to help his disciples escape. He thought that he was doomed, but unexpectedly, the Demons had only imprisoned him. Sometime later, a Master from the Demon Race brought him to a secret room and used some kind of Evil Secret Technique on him, after which he became a member of Demon Heavenly Dao.
That was why Bai Zhuo said that Zhou Quan hadn’t willingly joined Demon Heavenly Dao, he simply fell into the hands of the Demons because he wanted to save his disciples.
According to him, many cultivators who had been captured by Demons would be implanted with Blood Demon Blood Essence, which turned them into members of Demon Heavenly Dao. A large number of them couldn’t bear the Demon’s Blood Essence though and died directly.
Those who survived would become loyal to the Demons, as though they had transformed into entirely different people.
Now that the Blood Essence had been removed from Zhou Quan’s body, he became clear-headed again. Looking back, he couldn’t believe that he had worked under the Demons.
Despite the fact that he was weak, his eyes still turned bloodshot and he gnashed his teeth together as he spoke about it.
A smiling Yang Kai said, “There’s a chance for you to get your revenge. Do you dare to come with me?”
Zhou Quan immediately replied loudly, “Why wouldn’t I dare to? As long as I can kill those wretched Demons, this Zhou doesn’t mind losing his life! I was supposed to have passed away a few years ago anyway!”
“You won’t die. I just need you to bring me into the core of Demon Heavenly Dao.” Yang Kai put on a smile.
He had intended to infiltrate Demon Heavenly Dao, but he couldn’t find a way in. Now that Zhou Quan had been saved by Bai Zhuo, the chance presented itself.
Zhou Quan was an intelligent person, so his gaze brightened when he heard that, “Palace Master Yang, are you talking about the Four Seasons Realm?”
“That’s right. I’m just outside the Four Seasons Realm right now. To be honest with you, many people from Demon Heavenly Dao have gathered there.”
Zhou Quan nodded, “Good. I’ll go with you.”
“Good, rest for now though. I’ll summon you out of this place when the time is right.” Yang Kai turned his palm around and passed him a jade bottle, which contained some pills that could help him restore his strength.
Zhou Quan took it and thanked him before swallowing the pills and meditating.
The people in the valley were still very busy as the Array Master kept walking around and giving instructions to everyone. It seemed the array would be completed within a day or two.
At the break of dawn, they dispersed and returned to their respective hiding places.
At the same time, a thousand kilometres away from the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai revealed his figure and waved his hand, after which Zhou Quan appeared beside him.
“Palace Master Yang!” Zhou Quan cupped his fists. He had had a proper night’s rest, and although his face was still pale, he was already in a better state than he was on the previous night. At the very least, he could walk around with ease and protect himself.
Yang Kai briefly told him what had been going on near the Four Seasons Realm, then he said, “You’ll take the main role and I’ll follow you. There’s nothing else you need to do besides getting their acknowledgement and making them accept us.”
Zhou Quan replied, “That will be simple, Palace Master Yang. Just be ready when I signal you.”
“Good. Let’s go,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
Zhou Quan then led the way while Yang Kai followed from a short distance behind. At the same time, he put on some clothes that had been prepared beforehand to cover himself fully. He had no other choice because he was too famous in the Star Boundary. If he came across anyone who recognised him, his identity would be exposed.
Although Yang Kai’s outfit was rather dubious, he believed that there wouldn’t be any problem as long as he could handle it appropriately. After some days of observation, he realised that many of those from Demon Heavenly Dao had also put on disguises and some of them were even fully covered just like him. Apparently, even though these people were ordered to gather here, they wouldn’t want to expose their own background and identity, so his outfit didn’t look too out of place.
Finished with preparations, they headed straight to the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm in the mountain valley.
After flying for a bit, Yang Kai said with a gentle smile, “Brother Zhou, we’re trying to infiltrate the core of Demon Heavenly Dao, not kill all of them. Please curb your murderous intent.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan took a series of deep breaths to calm himself down. After his murderous intent lightened, he said, “This Zhou can’t help getting furious whenever he thinks about what has happened to his fellow Sect members. Please forgive me, Palace Master Yang.”
Yang Kai replied, “I understand, and you’ll certainly get your revenge, just not today.”
Following that, they continued moving forward. After getting a reminder from Yang Kai, Zhou Quan managed to compose himself. When they reached the valley near the Four Seasons Realm entrance, they felt someone’s Divine Sense probing them.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that the Divine Sense was coming from a place where the Array Master was located. Before the big fish revealed himself, all the matters in this place were handled by the Array Master.
Zhou Quan turned to look in that direction while receiving Yang Kai’s message in his mind. Without hesitation, he led Yang Kai to head inside.
Soon, they reached a cave where there was a pale-faced, beardless and sturdy man standing at the entrance. He looked like a blade that had been unsheathed as his Sword Intent swirled around him, giving him a very dangerous vibe. He was also fairly powerful as he was in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. This man was the one who had been following the Array Master around to ensure his safety.
According to Yang Kai’s observation over the past few days, this man always remained in close proximity to the Array Master.
Seeing Zhou Quan and Yang Kai approaching, the pale-faced man was unfazed as just stared coldly at them.
When they arrived at the entrance, Zhou Quan remained silent and fished out a black token before tossing it over. The pale-faced man took the token and made sure that there was nothing wrong with it before passing it back to Zhou Quan. However, he didn’t seem to have the intention of stepping aside as he made a ‘next’ gesture with his hand.
Zhou Quan turned to look at Yang Kai, who got his hint and pushed his Demon Qi. At that instant, a thick layer of Demon Qi could be seen engulfing him.
Instead of exposing his High-Rank Demon King’s cultivation, Yang Kai only showed the aura of a Low-Rank Demon King. He wasn’t worried that anyone would see through him. Unless a person’s Soul cultivation was stronger than his, no one could see through his disguise.
As a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, the pale-faced man was unable to do that.
Seeing that Yang Kai was able to reveal his Demon Qi, the pale-faced man set his mind at ease. All those from Demon Heavenly Dao possessed Demon Qi. Even if they didn’t know each other, they would know that they were from the same organisation by showing their Demon Qi. The token Zhou Quan had just fished out was just proof of his identity.
After Yang Kai revealed his Demon Qi, Zhou Quan said, “I was injured because I was ambushed on the way here, so it’s difficult for me to use any Secret Techniques right now.”
The Demon Blood in his body had been drawn out by Bai Zhuo, so there was no way he was able to reveal any Demon Qi; however, he indeed appeared severely injured, so there was nothing wrong with his statement.
In any case, Yang Kai had revealed his ‘identity’. Presently, no one in the Star Boundary was willing to side with anyone from Demon Heavenly Dao.
As expected, the pale-faced man didn’t doubt him as he frowned, “Who were the ones that ambushed you? Did you leave behind any traces?”
Zhou Quan lowered his head a little, “Rest assured, all of them are dead. However, the people who came with me were all killed. Now, only my Junior Brother and I remain.”
The pale-faced man gently nodded, “It’s fine. The two of you are enough. Come in and meet Grandmaster Sun before discussing anything else.”
After that, he turned around and led Zhou Quan and Yang Kai to move further into the cave.
The path in the cave became wider as they moved forward. Several dozen people had gathered inside the cave as they were busy arranging the Spirit Array alongside the Array Master, the ‘Grandmaster Sun’ that the pale-faced man had mentioned.
Presently, Grandmaster Sun had sat down cross-legged as he was adjusting his breathing. The pale-faced man brought Yang Kai and Zhou Quan to meet him and then spoke up. Following that, Grandmaster Sun nodded gently and said, “This King has asked all of you to come here to help me arrange this Grand Spirit Array. Now that the array is almost complete, just stay here to recuperate. In three days, I will require your assistance.”
“En, we will obey Grandmaster Sun’s command.” Zhou Quan replied, then he wanted to leave with Yang Kai.
When he was about to turn around, Grandmaster Sun suddenly stared at Yang Kai and asked, “Why has your Junior Brother covered himself up? What is he hiding?”
Zhou Quan cupped his fists, “My Junior Brother’s face was damaged in a fire when he was a young kid, so he isn’t willing to show his face.” He didn’t hesitate when he replied to him. Apparently, he had thought about this question before coming here.
Grandmaster Sun took one more look at Yang Kai, but he didn’t have the intention to harp on this issue. He didn’t have a problem with it since Yang Kai and Zhou Quan had passed the pale-faced man’s test. Earlier, he had just randomly asked a question.
On the other hand, the pale-faced man activated his Divine Sense in an attempt to find out whether what Zhou Quan had said was true, but there was no way he could see anything. Realising that Yang Kai’s face was blurred, he frowned and thought that the latter was wearing some kind of artifact. Since Grandmaster Sun didn’t pursue this matter though, he wasn’t willing to cause any trouble either.
Although there was a hiccup, they had passed the test. It seemed like a simple test, but if Yang Kai couldn’t show any Demon Qi, he wouldn’t have been able to come to this place. Those from Demon Heavenly Dao would never have expected that an oddity like Yang Kai existed.
However, this could only be used right now. When the fact that Yang Kai had returned to the Star Boundary was exposed, those from Demon Heavenly Dao would be alerted, and this trick would no longer work.
They found a quiet corner in the cave and sat down with their legs crossed. Zhou Quan’s wounds hadn’t healed yet, so he indeed needed to recuperate. On the other hand, Yang Kai was secretly observing the cultivation of the people around the cave.
In fact, he had figured everything out before coming here, but he knew that he had to be extra careful, and it wouldn’t cost a thing to have one more look.
Just now, Grandmaster Sun had said that they would be needed in three days. Yang Kai speculated that the array would be completed in three days, but he wasn’t sure what they would have to do when the array started operating.
Nanmen Da Jun said that this was a Summoning Array which might be used to call upon some kind of ferocious beast; however, was there such a beast in the Four Seasons Realm? Moreover, if they did this, they would have to pay a sufficient price. The Spirit Array was just a base, so what would the sacrifice be?
Could it be that those from Demon Heavenly Dao had to sacrifice themselves for this to work? It was unlikely but currently, it was the only possibility Yang Kai could think of.
Whatever the case, the truth would be revealed in three days, so Yang Kai could only wait patiently.
Over the following days, those from Demon Heavenly Dao lurked in their respective hiding places during the day, and would go out to finish the Spirit Array at night. However, Grandmaster Sun didn’t seem to have the intention of assigning any task to Yang Kai and Zhou Quan. First of all, they had expressed that they were injured, secondly, the array was about to be completed, so it didn’t matter if they participated or not. They just had to expend some energy when the array started running.
Hence, they managed to spend a few quiet days in the cave.
When the moon rose in the sky on the third night, Grandmaster Sun suddenly got to his feet. Yang Kai, who had been secretly observing him, realised that the latter had become evidently agitated. Grandmaster Sun took a deep breath and said loudly, “All of you, come with me.”
After he finished speaking, he shuffled out of the cave, followed swiftly by several dozen people.
Upon leaving the cave, Yang Kai realised that those from Demon Heavenly Dao, who had been hiding elsewhere in the valley, had all shown up.
In just a short moment, several hundred people had gathered together.
Grandmaster Sun swept a glance over them and said with a smile, “All Emperor Realm Masters, step forward!”
After he finished speaking, over twenty people stepped forward. Yang Kai and Zhou Quan were among them.
Seeing this, Grandmaster Sun nodded and lifted his hand as over twenty jade slips shot towards the corresponding Emperor Realm Masters. At the same time, he said, “These jade slips contain information on how to run the array and your respective positions in it. Memorise them.”
Yang Kai took the jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. Just like what Grandmaster Sun had said, the jade slip contained information on how to run the array and the position Yang Kai would have to take later.
All of them were supposedly going to use the same method to power the array, but the positions they had to take were different. Over twenty Emperor Realm Masters were required to run this array.
Regardless of the array’s use, this kind of setup was indeed incredible. It was no wonder that they had spent so much time and energy simply arranging the array.
Yang Kai took a look at Zhou Quan and sent him a message through his Divine Sense.
Zhou Quan imperceptibly nodded his head.
It wasn’t difficult to understand the method that had been branded in the jade slip. Those who could reach the Emperor Realm were not fools, so they memorised the instructions quickly.
Just then, Grandmaster Sun leapt into the air and landed on a spot before saying loudly, “We will definitely achieve our goal today. After that, I will reward all of you handsomely. Please assemble now!”
Upon hearing this, over twenty Emperor Realm Masters flew over and landed on their assigned spots.
Yang Kai and Zhou Quan were a few kilometres apart as they were standing in different directions. In that case, Yang Kai would be unable to protect the other should anything happen. However, he had used his Divine Sense to tell Zhou Quan to flee on his own should they fall into danger.
The array was about to be activated and all the Emperor Realm Masters were ready; however, Yang Kai was puzzled.
According to Nanmen Da Jun, a key was missing from this array. Over the past few days, he hadn’t seen Grandmaster Sun make any special preparations, so could the old man have placed the missing item down when Yang Kai wasn’t paying attention?
It was difficult to ask Nanmen Da Jun about it at this point, so Yang Kai could only see how things went. Furthermore, the big fish still hadn’t shown up, so he wondered whether his speculation was wrong, or the time hadn’t come yet.
The former outcome wouldn’t matter as he could easily kill all the people here despite their large number. If it was the latter, he would have to keep observing for now.
Things had come to such a point that Yang Kai didn’t find it necessary to be rushed. He wanted to find out what this array’s true purpose was.
While all the Emperor Realm Masters were standing on their respective spots, the other cultivators were ordered by Grandmaster Sun to head to the middle and sit down cross-legged. Several hundred cultivators were not a lot of people, but they looked intimidating when gathered together.
After everything was ready, Grandmaster Sun yelled in an agitated voice, “Begin!”
Upon hearing that, all Emperor Realm Masters started performing their own hand seals and circulating their power. At that instant, lights could be seen shining at their feet and then shot into the air, which illuminated the entire valley.
The dazzling lights soon curbed and turned into patterns in the array as they flowed towards the centre.
Right then, someone could be heard spraying out liquid from his mouth as the array started buzzing and trembling, as though he was about to collapse. The expression on Grandmaster Sun’s face changed as he turned to look in a particular direction, only to see that Zhou Quan had turned pale and he was staggering. The blood streaming out of his mouth suggested that he was the one who had sprayed out blood earlier.
Grandmaster Sun’s face fell when he saw that.
Feeling guilty, Zhou Quan said, “It’s because of my injury…”
Grandmaster Sun cut him off by calling him ‘waste’, then he motioned for the pale-faced man to replace him. This Spirit Array required everyone to join forces to activate it. Since there was a problem with Zhou Quan, it would affect the entire array. If they didn’t make up for it quickly, the array would fall apart in no time.
Fortunately, he still had a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master as his bodyguard who would be useful now.
The pale-faced man flew into the array before he clenched Zhou Quan’s collar and hurled him away. As he performed a hand seal, the array was soon put under control.
In the valley, the array patterns shone again and slowly began rotating. If anyone were to look at it from a bird’s-eye view, he would see that the patterns in the valley had formed into a huge Yin Yang symbol, which looked like two lively fish as they roamed around the valley.
Right then, a beam of lightning struck in the clear sky and a deafening thunder was heard. Following that, a person appeared out of thin air, hovering above the centre of the array.
Inside the array, Yang Kai became both elated and agitated because the person who appeared was a Pseudo-Great Emperor!
He almost couldn’t contain his urge to laugh. Over the past few days, he had been waiting patiently because he anticipated the arrival of a big fish like this man. When Grandmaster Sun was about to activate the array earlier, he thought that his speculation was wrong and there was no big fish at all. He almost decided to directly kill them all. Fortunately, he had waited for a while longer.
Now, it seemed that there was indeed a big fish behind all this, but this man had been extremely cautious and hidden his aura, lurking in the dark for a long time before showing up at the last moment.
Yang Kai secretly sized up this newcomer and realised that the person was elegantly dressed, as though he was a scholar of some kind. He also kept an amiable smile on his face all the time. Nobody who came across this person would think that he was from Demon Heavenly Dao.
In order not to expose himself, Yang Kai quickly retracted his gaze.
After that person appeared, Grandmaster Sun hurriedly saluted him, “Greetings, Wind Lord!”
Wind Lord lifted his hand, “Good work so far.”
Grandmaster Sun replied, “It is this Sun’s honour to work for Sir. Thanks are unnecessary.”
Wind Lord nodded, pleased with Grandmaster Sun’s attitude.
As Yang Kai listened to them, he immediately figured out who the person was. It had only been a short time since he returned to the Star Boundary, so he knew little about Demon Heavenly Dao. Despite the limited information he had, he knew that the leader of Demon Heavenly Dao was Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye. Can Ye had Four Great Lords, whose names were Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. All of them were Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Since this person was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and Grandmaster Sun had called him Wind Lord, it was apparent that he was one of the Four Great Lords that worked directly under Can Ye.
There was no doubt that a big fish had been hooked. Yang Kai lowered his head as he was worried that his excited expression would expose him.
Grandmaster Sun went on to say, “Wind Lord, everything is prepared.”
“Very good.” Wind Lord put on a faint smile, “If this mission is successful, you’ll be the biggest contributor. This King will definitely put in a good word for you in front of my Master.”
An elated Grandmaster Sun hung his head low and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Wind Lord!”
Without speaking further, Wind Lord turned solemn and lifted both his hands. His expression was that of a pilgrim who was holding a sacred item, but there was nothing in his palms.
The next moment, a piece of white bone that was about a palm’s length long and curved on both sides appeared in his grasp. There was nothing extraordinary about it as it wasn’t a treasure. Besides the fact that it wasn’t a bone from a precious beast, it also didn’t seem to have any spirituality.
However, Wind Lord was treating this bone as though it was the most precious item in the world.
Yang Kai frowned as he had no idea what the secret hidden behind the bone was. If he wasn’t mistaken, it should be a Human rib. Judging from the colour, the owner of the rib must have passed away a long time ago. It wasn’t certain how this ordinary-looking bone could remain intact until now.
After summoning the rib, Wind Lord suddenly lifted his hand and then forcefully pushed it down.
Below him was the spot where the hundreds of Demon Heavenly Dao’s disciples were meditating with their legs crossed. Presently, all of them had closed their eyes to adjust their breathing, so they couldn’t have expected that they would be killed.
These people were not even Emperor Realm Masters though, so even if they had figured out in advance that Wind Lord would make a move on them, they wouldn’t have been able to resist.
Following his strike, a gale turned into a tornado and engulfed all those below in an instant, drawing shrieks of pain and terror from below.
The over twenty Emperor Realm Masters had their expressions change drastically as they looked at Wind Lord in horror. Apparently, they had no idea Wind Lord would do such a thing. These disciples were brought over by them, but were all dead now. Why would Wind Lord kill them so ruthlessly?
Although they had been demonified and become part of Demon Heavenly Dao, they still treasured their lives. In a life-or-death moment like this, all they would consider were themselves.
Grandmaster Sun immediately bellowed, “All of you, settle down. If the array is interrupted now, all of you will suffer severe backlash. Wind Lord has obtained enough blood from the sacrifice, so your lives are not required. All you must do is help maintain the array.”
Regardless of whether what he had said was true or not, the Emperor Realm Masters relaxed slightly upon hearing this. However, they were still displeased that such information had been hidden from them until now.
They were also frustrated at the fact that this array couldn’t be interrupted without all of them suffering backlash.
The only person who was unfazed was Yang Kai, because he was powerful enough to battle against Wind Lord. Furthermore, this array indeed required Human lives as sacrifices. Yang Kai already had this speculation, but he hadn’t been certain. What Wind Lord had done had basically proved him right.
Inside the tornado, the shrieks only lasted a short time before they died down. Although there were hundreds of Demon Heavenly Dao’s disciples, they were totally no match for the Pseudo-Great Emperor and were all killed with just one strike.
Wind Lord curled his finger, after which a gap appeared in the tornado. Through the gap, a river of blood streamed out and was then drawn towards him before flowing into the rib in his hand.
As soon as the blood came into contact with the bone, it disappeared.
It was a very strange sight. There didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary about the piece of bone, but it was able to devour so much blood without its colour changing. The blood collected from hundreds of people was abundant, but under Wind Lord’s lead, it continuously streamed into the rib.
Gradually, the rib went through some changes. Some complicated patterns started appearing on the rib. It seemed that these patterns were already on the rib, but they were hidden by someone using an abstruse technique. Following what Wind Lord had done, they finally resurfaced.
Upon seeing the patterns, Wind Lord became excited. As the bone kept devouring the blood, more patterns appeared and slowly covered the entire rib. At the same time, a very special aura started exuding from it.
Yang Kai shuddered and his expression was transformed by horror. Although the aura was weak, he could clearly feel that it belonged to a Great Emperor!
After so much blood was devoured, many patterns started appearing on the ordinary-looking rib, which was now exuding a Great Emperor’s aura.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that he was mistaken, but the aura slowly got stronger.
The reason it had turned weak was that a long time had passed since the true owner of this rib died. Despite that, the core power within the bone never changed.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He was already surprised that a big fish had taken the bait, but he couldn’t have expected such a turn of events.
A Great Emperor’s aura wouldn’t appear for no reason. Since it had something to do with the rib, it meant that the bone belonged to one of the Great Emperors!
[Who? Who does it belong to?]
He had met all ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, and he had also come into contact with Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, so he was certain that this rib didn’t belong to any of the Great Emperors he knew because the aura didn’t match.
Since it wasn’t a rib from the present Great Emperors, it meant that it must belong to one of the Great Emperors from the past.
All of a sudden, a Great Emperor’s name sprang into Yang Kai’s mind.
Just then, Wind Lord abruptly grunted.
Yang Kai shot him a secret glance and realised that the rib in Wind Lord’s hand was buzzing and shaking, as though it was about to fly away. Certainly, Wind Lord wouldn’t allow that to happen, so he grabbed the bone instead and firmly held it in his right hand.
The bone was still shaking, and a grunt was heard again. Yang Kai could clearly see that Wind Lord’s right hand, which was holding the rib, was ageing rapidly as his skin withered and became dull.
At that instant, it seemed that a thousand years had passed for his right hand.
It was then Yang Kai became certain that his speculation was right. They were now at the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm, and the person related to this place was none other than Flowing Time Great Emperor!
It wasn’t certain how Wind Lord managed to obtain one of the ribs from Flowing Time Great Emperor, but he had summoned others to arrange a Grand Array here and used some kind of Evil Secret Technique to reignite the hidden spirituality in the bone. It was apparent that he had a very aggressive goal.
Although many years had passed, and it was just a rib, the power of the Great Emperor’s Time Principles had been branded into every part of his body. The Power of Time within the rib was still enough to make Wind Lord suffer a setback.
Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor while Flowing Time Great Emperor was someone who had passed away countless years ago; however, only a single rib from the Great Emperor’s body was able to manifest so much power, so his capabilities were obviously inconceivable. It was no wonder people always said that throughout the history of the Star Boundary, only Flowing Time Great Emperor was an equal match for Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang. Nevertheless, they were not born in the same era; otherwise, there would’ve been an epic competition for the top position.
Although Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib was powerful, it was ultimately a dead object; therefore, Wind Lord was able to resist it. As he pushed his immense Demon Qi to resist the Time Principles within the bone, his withered right hand started restoring in a rapid manner. Seeing that, he sneered and raised the bone in his hand.
At that instant, all the lights in the valley seemed to focus on that single rib. Wind Lord performed a hand seal with one hand, and as his figure contorted, he flew down to the array, standing at its core. In just a moment, the Great Emperor’s bone became an indispensable part of the array.
Following that, the over twenty Emperor Realm Masters pushed their Demon Qi into the array and infused it into the rib.
Just then, all the Emperor Realm Masters were startled while Yang Kai’s expression changed.
That was because when the array became complete, everyone could feel that they had become a part of the array. Their energy streamed into the array and flowed around before entering the Great Emperor’s bone.
The situation was just like what Grandmaster Sun had said. Once the Spirit Array started running, no one could stop it as they pleased; otherwise, they would suffer a serious backlash. The power of the backlash was equivalent to a collective strike from all the Emperor Realm Masters attached to the array, so no one could resist it.
Even Wind Lord wouldn’t be able to parry the strike.
Yang Kai felt frustrated as he was just here to find out the intention of those from Demon Heavenly Dao. Earlier, he joined the array just to conceal his identity; however, he hadn’t expected that he would be in a tight spot now, which was quite embarrassing for him.
Although he was powerful, and his Half-Dragon body was incredibly tough, he would still end up in a miserable state if he were to bear the array’s backlash. Nevertheless, he was displeased at the thought that he would have to spend so much effort to maintain the array for Demon Heavenly Dao.
Even though it looked like a deadlock, there was still a way to resolve the situation. Yang Kai came up with several possible solutions before he managed to calm down and decided to keep observing until the critical moment.
The array’s power continued flowing into the Great Emperor’s bone as the spirituality within the rib was slowly awakened. The Great Emperor’s aura became thicker and more conspicuous. Time Principles were wreaking havoc in a particular space in the sky as the flow of time alternated between fast and slow, which made that area of space warp unnaturally.
When the aura around the bone reached its peak, a glint flashed across the eyes of the unmoving Wind Lord as he shouted, “Open!”
With the bone in his right hand, he pointed at the space in front of him. Following that, a ripple spread from that region of space. With the bone as the centre, it expanded as more ripples continuously spread out, which made the area look somewhat surreal.
In the bizarre-looking space, something massive slowly took shape.
Initially, the contours of the object were very blurred, so no one could tell what it was. It was like a mirage, but as Wind Lord continued channelling his technique and forming new hands seals, the image quickly became clear.
All the Emperor Realm Masters, who were sustaining the array, looked up in horror as they couldn’t move their eyes away from the contour.
It was apparently the contour of a palace. Wind Lord was pulling out a gigantic palace from the Void. As the palace became clear, everyone was engulfed by an incredible pressure. It was as though Wind Lord was drawing out a ferocious beast instead of a palace, and it was going to devour everyone at the scene.
Grandmaster Sun guffawed and yelled, “The almighty Wind Lord has drawn out the Flowing Time Temple! Demon Heavenly Dao will unify the entire Star Boundary and rule over it for eternity!”
[Flowing Time Temple! It’s really the Flowing Time Temple!] It wasn’t until this moment that all the Emperor Realm Masters realised what palace Wind Lord had just pulled out from the Void. It was the legendary palace of Flowing Time Great Emperor, Flowing Time Temple!
They were aware that they were in a valley where the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm was located, so it wasn’t that strange for the Flowing Time Temple to appear from inside the Void. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until this moment that they realised what an important event it was that they had just participated in. At that instant, all of them were excited, as they knew that they would be rewarded handsomely in the future for their efforts. The hundreds of disciples who were killed by Wind Lord as sacrifices didn’t matter anymore.
Yang Kai played along and pretended to be agitated. As he stared at the familiar Flowing Time Temple, he thought that what Nanmen Da Jun had said was right.
The Spirit Array Grandmaster Sun had arranged was indeed a Summoning Array, but he intended to summon Flowing Time Temple from the Four Seasons Realm instead of some beast.
The cultivators from Demon Heavenly Dao were truly greedy as they even had their eye on the palace of Flowing Time Great Emperor. Nevertheless, Can Ye was a Great Emperor himself. Although the Flowing Time Temple was an amazing treasure, it might not be useful to him at all. However, it was a different case for Wind Lord. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, if he were able to obtain the Flowing Time Temple, he might stand a chance to comprehend the secrets of Time Principles and reach the peak of the Grand Dao. That was the reason why Wind Lord was in charge of this matter instead of Can Ye.
Furthermore, Nanmen Da Jun had said that a key item was missing from this Spirit Array, which was now obviously the Great Emperor’s bone in Wind Lord’s hand.
The Flowing Time Temple was hidden within the Four Seasons Realm, but it wouldn’t open up before the time came; however, a bone from Flowing Time Great Emperor could be used to communicate with it.
With over twenty Emperor Realm Masters infusing their energy into the array, and using Flowing Time Great Emperor’s bone as a medium, Wind Lord was able to pull off such a feat even though he was just a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Those from Demon Heavenly Dao had an ambitious goal, and they were willing to spend lots of time and effort to accomplish their objectives.
As the huge palace became clear as every brick and tile exuded an ancient aura, Yang Kai slowly closed his eyes.
Finally, he understood what those from Demon Heavenly Dao were up to. He had been holding back for a long time for a moment like this.
Swiftly, he communicated with the Small Sealed World using his Divine Sense, and as he opened his eyes again, a murderous intent could be seen brimming from his gaze.
All of a sudden, three figures appeared around Yang Kai. One of the figures directly pounced on the Emperor Realm Masters closest to Yang Kai, while the other two figures launched themselves at Wind Lord.
Three Half-Saints had joined forces for a surprise attack, so no one was able to resist them. At the very least, the Emperor Realm Master closest to Yang Kai was unable to parry the attack. He was only a First-Order Emperor Realm, and he was engrossed in watching the manifestation of the Flowing Time Temple in the sky, so he had never expected that the person beside him would summon someone to attack him.
Nevertheless, even if he had figured it out in advance, he wouldn’t have the power to resist.
When Bai Ya reached him and extended his finger, that person then appeared shocked and turned to look at Bai Ya as he wondered why a man had appeared out of thin air.
Bai Ya didn’t have any murderous intent at all as his intention was to destroy the array; however, when his finger came into contact with that person, the latter exploded into mist without even a chance to grunt. In an instant, he was killed and not even a single bone was left.
It wasn’t that Bai Ya had killed him. Instead, he had lost his life due to the backlash of the array. As a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he was unable to parry the collective strike from over twenty Emperor Realm Masters.
Besides him, Bai Ya was also sent flying backwards like a wet rag. The Demon Qi around him undulated as he coughed up some blood in mid-air before he landed on the ground, looking quite battered.
One by one, the Emperor Realm Masters in the array grunted and suffered backlash as well. The stronger ones only felt dizzy and staggered, while the weaker ones sprayed out blood and collapsed to the ground.
When the backlash broke out, no one was spared. It seemed that Grandmaster Sun didn’t lie to them.
However, the backlash didn’t have the same effect on everyone. The stronger cultivators were able to bear it while the weaker cultivators were most severely affected, especially the one who was disturbed by Bai Ya’s finger. It could be said that he had destroyed the array, so the backlash he was stricken with was the harshest. That was why he exploded on the spot.
The backlash did not spare Yang Kai either as he began seeing stars and felt dizzy.
Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea exuded lights of seven colours and swept a cooling sensation over him, which allowed him to pull himself together.
However, he was shocked when he looked up.
While Bai Ya was destroying the array, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo had pounced on Wind Lord. Both Half-Saints were fairly powerful. Bai Zhuo was one of the Half-Saints who worked under Yu Ru Meng, and it had been a long time since he reached his current realm, so his foundation was solid. On the other hand, even though the Embodiment was a new Half-Saint, he had the body of a Stone Spirit and had obtained Shi Huo’s Source. Furthermore, he had cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so his heritage was immense as well. Either one of them was an equal match for Wind Lord, so the expected result was them easily defeating the latter when they worked together.
Hence, Yang Kai thought that even if Wind Lord wouldn’t lose the battle that quickly, he would be in a terrible state as the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo could easily suppress him. When Bai Ya managed to pull himself together, it would be three people against one, and if Yang Kai also joined the battle, they could easily defeat Wind Lord.
However, reality was different from what Yang Kai had imagined. At this moment, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo were just three hundred metres away from Wind Lord; however, Bai Zhuo was rooted to the spot, still in a lunging posture.
It wasn’t that he had frozen in place as he was still moving forward, but his speed was incredibly slow. Judging from his current speed, it would take him at least three years before he reached Wind Lord.
On the other hand, the Embodiment reached Wind Lord and launched into an intense battle with him. Both of their movements were unbelievably fast, far beyond what they should have been capable of. In fact, their movements were accelerated manifolds by an invisible power. In the blink of an eye, they had traded several thousands of moves as the world seemed to be shaking and explosions happened everywhere due to their battle.
Countless afterimages had been left behind as well, and at first glance, it was as though an innumerable number of Embodiments and Wind Lords were clashing all at once.
If it wasn’t for Yang Kai’s powerful cultivation, he wouldn’t have been able to see what was happening at all.
On one hand, the Embodiment and Wind Lord were unbelievably fast, while on the other hand, Bai Zhuo was incredibly slow. The stark contrast looked very odd to the beholder.
With just one look, Yang Kai immediately understood that the time within a radius of three hundred metres around Wind Lord had been warped, which caused this kind of fantastical scene. At this moment, what was perceived from the outsider’s perspective, was not the same as what was perceived by those inside the field.
This had something to do with the Great Emperor’s bone instead of Wind Lord’s own power.
Without hesitating, Yang Kai leapt into the air and launched himself at Wind Lord.
He sported a solemn expression as his Demon Qi swirled around him. With a thick layer of Demon Qi that had engulfed him, he performed a hand seal with both hands and yelled, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Just three hundred metres away from the battle, Yang Kai pushed out his palms.
In an instant, time and space around Wind Lord became orderly again. Although Yang Kai wasn’t an expert in the Dao of Time, he knew a thing or two about it. His Divine Ability, Time Flies Seal, was inherited from Flowing Time Great Emperor, and it was good enough to resist the disruptive power of the Great Emperor’s bone.
At the same time, Bai Zhuo broke free from the chains of Time Principles. As he howled and lifted his hand, a blood river shot towards Wind Lord. In the blood river, wraiths could be seen rolling and wailing, which gave off a horrifying aura.
The Embodiment extended his hand and summoned out the Demonic War Hammer. Following that, he brandished his hammer at Wind Lord.
Two Half-Saints and one High-Rank Demon King used their Divine Abilities and attacked Wind Lord. The power of their collective strike was stunning.
The turn of events caused Wind Lord’s expression to change drastically. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he had incredibly sharp senses, so he knew that both the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo were not easy to deal with. There was also Bai Ya who was sent flying backwards after suffering from the array’s backlash. Now, there were three Half-Saints ganged up on him, how was he supposed to battle against them?
At such a critical moment, a thought sprang into his mind as he stared at Yang Kai and bellowed through clenched teeth, “Yang Kai!”
As one of the Four Great Lords in Demon Heavenly Dao, he was able to gather information that most people wouldn’t have access to. When Yang Kai, Yu Ru Meng, and the others returned from the Demon Realm, they had come across Can Ye in the Two Worlds’ Passage, so Night Shadow Great Emperor spread the news. Wind Lord obtained this information from Can Ye directly.
Hence, he wouldn’t doubt why Half-Saints from the Demon Race would make a move against him because he knew that they were enemies.
He indeed lived up to his status as a Pseudo-Great Emperor as he was able to remain unfazed. As a thought flashed across his mind, a gale was suddenly formed. Following that, countless wind blades swirled around him and served as a protective shield. At the same time, he summoned a shuttle-shaped artifact and hurled it at Bai Zhuo.
The artifact was only a palm’s length long and it looked very ordinary; however, Bai Zhuo hurriedly stopped in his tracks as though he was facing a formidable foe. Then, the blood river returned to protect him.
With a loud boom, the shuttle-shaped artifact exploded and caused the blood river to scatter apart. As a consequence, Bai Zhuo staggered back more than a thousand metres, looking quite battered.
Wind Lord lifted his hand again and pressed his palm against the Embodiment’s Demonic War Hammer. Upon impact, the Embodiment was sent flying backwards while Wind Lord turned into a gust of wind and easily neutralized the violent attack.
In the blink of an eye, Wind Lord was able to push back two Half-Saints, so it was apparent that he was truly powerful.
On the other hand, Yang Kai managed to land his Time Flies Seal on Wind Lord’s chest.
Wind Lord grunted as his facial features contorted. His face could be seen ageing rapidly, but it soon stopped, and his face was quickly restored to its original state. Although the Time Flies Seal was a powerful technique, it would be rendered useless if the difference in strength was too great.
Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and he was even able to resist the corrosion of Time Principles within the Great Emperor’s bone, so it was expected that he could counter Time Flies Seal as well.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t totally fine. Yang Kai’s attack had slightly injured him.
Just then, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo returned while Bai Ya suppressed the turbulent vitality in his body and flew over. The entire sky seemed to be filled with the three Half-Saints’ murderous intent as Yang Kai cast Time Flies Seal again.
Wind Lord appeared helpless. He was able to parry the collective attack by two Half-Saints and Yang Kai once, but he couldn’t do it again. Moreover, Bai Ya joined the battle this time.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong, but rather that he was facing four opponents, who were all individually his equal. He had some Emperor Realm Masters who worked for him, but due to the Spirit Array’s backlash, they were either dead or injured, so they were useless right now. The only healthy one was Grandmaster Sun, but he was an Array Master, so he wasn’t adept at fighting. Clenching his teeth, he blamed Yang Kai and the others for being shameless as they oppressed him with more people on their side, which wasn’t what top cultivators were supposed to do; however, he didn’t intend to raise the white flag here. With determination written all over his face, he bit his tongue and sprayed his Blood Essence on the Great Emperor’s bone.
A dazzling light shone as a golden character shot out of the Great Emperor’s bone. The character looked odd, and no one could recognise what it was.
Yang Kai and the others had their expressions changed. Even though they couldn’t recognise this character, they could feel a very dangerous aura coming from it. At the critical moment, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and charged forward instead of retreating, sending out his Time Flies Seal again. At the same time, the Embodiment wielded his Demonic War Hammer while Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya used their respective Divine Abilities.
Right then, a golden light flashed across their eyes as all their minds seemed to have turned blank.
When Yang Kai recovered a moment later, he realised that Wind Lord’s face had aged slightly. He looked like a thirty-year-old man previously, but he now looked like he was in his forties.
The Time Flies Seal had dispersed while the attacks from the Embodiment, Bai Ya, and Bai Zhuo disappeared as well. Just now, only a breath of time seemed to have passed, but none of them knew what had happened during that brief period.
Wind Lord, whose appearance seems to have aged by ten years, sported an inscrutable smile.
As a thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, he quickly examined himself, and upon making sure that he was fine, he set his mind at ease. However, he was still drenched in cold sweat. Just now, Wind Lord must have done something, but no one saw it or detected it.
Then, he turned to look at the Half-Saints and found the problem.
Bai Zhuo was rooted to the spot as he was as unmoving as a sculpture. There was a faint golden glow on his chest. It was apparent that he was struck by an attack!
Bai Ya realised the problem earlier than he did and with a dark expression, he said, “He’s not dead.”
Indeed, the vitality within Bai Zhuo was still vibrant, and there was no trace of any injury on him; however, for some reason, he had become as stiff as a statue.
The golden character that had flown out from the Great Emperor’s bone had vanished as well. Certainly, the state Bai Zhuo was in must have something to do with that golden character.
“Are you still going to fight?” Wind Lord put on a smile as though he was certain that he would win, “All of you will lose your lives here. Flee now, and perhaps you can live a while longer.”
“Kill!” Yang Kai bellowed in response, swinging his arms widely, sending out a Moon Blade towards Wind Lord. At the same time, the Embodiment and Bai Ya launched themselves at Wind Lord from opposite sides.
Once more, Wind Lord spat a mouthful of Blood Essence on the Great Emperor’s bone.
Seeing this, Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief. The strange golden character which contained an immense power appeared once more. Apparently, it was a Divine Ability hidden in the Great Emperor’s bone. Even though Bai Zhuo had been petrified, it wouldn’t affect the situation as Yang Kai still had two Half-Saints with him; however, he hadn’t expected that Wind Lord could use the same trick more than once. It seemed that they were powerless to counter his attack.
Although Wind Lord had sacrificed his own Blood Essence to launch this strike, he was able to petrify a Half-Saint with the golden character. If he kept coughing up mouthfuls of Blood Essence, all of them would be doomed.
The Great Emperor’s bone shone again as the golden character shot out. Just like what had happened earlier, when the golden character appeared, all their minds seemed to freeze.
When Yang Kai came to his senses, he realised that he and the Embodiment were still fine; however, just like Bai Zhuo, Bai Ya had turned into a sculpture. The price Wind Lord had to pay was that he had aged even more. Earlier, he was an elegant-looking middle-aged man, but now, he had become an old man in his fifties or sixties.
Yang Kai stared at the bone in Wind Lord’s hand with narrowed eyes and said grimly, “If you’re still able to use the same trick one more time, I’ll cut my head off for you!”
Wind Lord coughed and shook his head with a bitter smile, “Palace Master Yang’s vision is indeed sharp. Given my ability, I’m only able to use this move twice.”
It wasn’t that Yang Kai had the eyes of an eagle, it was just that after the golden character appeared for the second time, a lot of small cracks started appearing on the Great Emperor’s bone. Obviously, this kind of move would also damage the Great Emperor’s rib, and it couldn’t be used for a third time.
Yang Kai arrogantly lifted his chin and said callously, “Come then. How would you like to die?”
At this moment, he was completely incensed. They were in an advantageous position as they had more people on their side, so supposedly, it shouldn’t have been hard for them to capture this Pseudo-Great Emperor. However, their opponent managed to strike first and petrify Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya. The two Half-Saints still had very strong vitality and there were no signs that they were wounded. Nevertheless, no one knew what kind of Divine Ability the golden character was, all Yang Kai knew was that he would have to spend a lot of time and effort to undo its effects.
That was the reason Yang Kai was infuriated. However, they were still in a favourable position presently. Wind Lord had activated the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability twice and he had paid a hefty price. On the other hand, Yang Kai and the Embodiment were still in top form. If they got into a fight, there was no way Wind Lord would be able to defeat them.
Despite being in an unfavourable position, Wind Lord still kept a smile on his face, “Palace Master Yang, are you sure you’ll win? Although I can’t use the same move again, it doesn’t mean I’m weak. Please think twice before you decide to make things difficult for me.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Cripple your cultivation and this King might consider letting you off.”
Wind Lord shook his head and burst into laughter, “Palace Master Yang, you think too highly of yourself.”
As he spoke, he raised the slightly cracked bone in his hand, “There’s still a Secret Technique in this bone; however, I wouldn’t want to use it unless I’m left with no other choice. So, I’d like to discuss terms with you.”
“No need. We are enemies and cannot be friends. Today, either you die or we perish!”
Appearing to be helpless, Wind Lord lowered his head and fell into his thoughts for a moment before he gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “Palace Master Yang, do you insist on forcing this King?”
“Pass me the Great Emperor’s bone and I may consider letting you off.”
Wind Lord shook his head, “No. Other than that, we can discuss anything else.”
“There’s no need for a discussion, then.” After Yang Kai finished speaking, his figure blurred. The next moment, he already reached Wind Lord as he pushed out a finger at him.
Yang Kai had exerted all his might in this finger. It wasn’t a Divine Ability or a Secret Technique; however, if a Pseudo-Great Emperor was struck with this attack, there was no way he would still be fine.
The Embodiment and Yang Kai had their Souls connected, so as soon as Yang Kai made a move, the Embodiment appeared behind Wind Lord. As Demon Qi swirled around his Demonic War Hammer, he attempted to smash it down.
This time, Wind Lord didn’t spray out some Blood Essence, nor did a golden character appear from the Great Emperor’s bone. However, at the critical moment, he flashed a smile at Yang Kai.
At that instant, Yang Kai was alarmed as he pushed his finger forward faster. Even the Embodiment became more ferocious as he wielded his Demonic War Hammer.
Just then, a snapping sound was heard as an invisible power engulfed Wind Lord.
The sound came from Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone in the Wind Lord’s hands. The palm-length rib bone suddenly shattered in half. The first half turned into fine dust and scattered away.
At the same time, Yang Kai sensed that the Wind Lord was suddenly tens of thousands of kilometres away from him even though he had clearly been within arm’s reach…
Both his full-powered attack and the Embodiment’s Demonic War Hammer smashed into nothing but empty space. Yang Kai lifted his gaze and saw that the Wind Lord’s body had blended into the outline of the Flowing Time Temple. It was as though the Wind Lord had entered another world and was staring back at him through the transparent layer of the World Barrier that separated them.
Standing under the plaque of the Flowing Time Temple situated in front of the magnificent gate, the Wind Lord gritted his teeth with a terrifying expression and shouted, “Yang Kai, how dare you ruin this King’s plans!? This King swears to obliterate High Heaven Palace once he emerges from retreat!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at those words. How could he not know that the Wind Lord had entered the Four Seasons Realm? It was not easy to open the Four Seasons Realm before the predetermined time. Be that as it may, Qiong Qi had managed to enter that place, which would mean that the Sealed World had not been completely isolated. There were other ways to enter, and Wind Lord had mastered one of those methods.
The outline of the Flowing Time Temple that was gradually being revealed had frozen mid-motion when the Spirit Array was interrupted just now; however, the Flowing Time Temple became indistinct and vanished from sight again when Wind Lord used Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains in his hands as a medium to send himself into the Four Seasons Realm.
Wind Lord had set up a Spirit Array before coming here with that rib bone. His original plan was to summon the Flowing Time Temple from the Four Seasons Realm and refine it into his own palace. Unfortunately, that plan had been ruined by Yang Kai and the Demon Race Half-Saints he brought with him. The original plan was no longer viable as a result. Hence, Wind Lord had no choice but to settle for second best and entered the Flowing Time Temple himself instead. That was why he resented Yang Kai so deeply and left behind such hateful words.
Looking at the situation, the Sealed World of the Four Seasons Realm would be completely isolated from the Star Boundary the moment the outline of the Flowing Time Temple disappeared completely.
Meanwhile, the Flowing Time Temple faded away quickly. The outline had almost completely disappeared in the time the Wind Lord took to finish his last threat.
Yang Kai stepped forward, Space Principles surging around his body as his Divine Sense spread outward like the flowing tide. At the same time, he shouted, “Stay here!”
Those words were directed at the Embodiment. The reason Yang Kai couldn’t enter the Four Seasons Realm previously was that he could not find any weaknesses in the World Barrier around it. However, a small connection currently remained between the Four Seasons Realm and the Star Boundary thanks to the power of Wind Lord and the rib bone. With his mastery over the Dao of Space, this slight and practically undetectable connection was enough for Yang Kai to break through the World Barrier of the Sealed World, enter the Four Seasons Realm, and pursue his enemy.
Regardless of what Wind Lord was plotting, he was still one of the Four Great Lords of the Demon Heavenly Dao. Yang Kai could not turn a blind eye to the situation now that he had encountered him. Not to mention, those that he was looking for were still inside the Four Seasons Realm.
He could give chase, but the Embodiment could not go with him. Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had been hit by the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability which had turned them into motionless statues. Somebody needed to stay and look after them. Although he could place Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya into the Small Sealed World, the Emperor Realm Masters of Demon Heavenly Dao were not all dead yet, so the Embodiment had to stay back and deal with the clean-up.
Upon hearing those words, the Embodiment understood that the situation did not allow him to follow Yang Kai; thus, he immediately nodded, “Be careful.”
Nobody knew better than him just what his main body was capable of; therefore, he was not too worried even though Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Not to mention, Wind Lord had activated the Divine Ability hidden within that rib bone of Flowing Time Great Emperor twice. This would have exhausted a lot of his energy, so how much strength he could exert right now remained questionable.
Furthermore, the two children, Yang Xue and Yang Xiao, were not the only ones inside the Four Seasons Realm. Masters such as Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were there too. Wind Lord might be unaware, but how could the Embodiment not know? Wind Lord had assumed that he would be safe if he could just escape into the Four Seasons Realm, but the reality was that he had barged right into the lion’s den. [I wonder how Wind Lord will react when he meets them inside the Four Seasons Realm? He will obviously be… rather pleasantly surprised, I guess.]
The best thing about communicating with the Embodiment was that Yang Kai did not need to use many words to get his point across. All they needed was a single thought to understand each other’s thoughts.
Nevertheless, the outline of the Flowing Time Temple had completely disappeared in the time it took for Yang Kai to speak that sentence. Wind Lord’s figure had also disappeared along with it. The connection between the Four Seasons Realm and the Star Boundary was about to be severed.
Space Principles fluctuated wildly as Yang Kai took three steps forward. He remained in place for the first two steps, looking as though he had not taken a single step forward. It was an extremely strange sight to behold. On the third step though, he somehow vanished without warning.
The Embodiment lost his mental connection with Yang Kai at the same time, so he understood that Yang Kai had entered the Four Seasons Realm.
The battle between a Pseudo-Great Emperor and the Half-Saints began abruptly and ended just as hastily. It wasn’t until this moment that Grandmaster Sun, who had been watching from the sidelines all this while, suddenly turn paled and tried to flee.
A figure was already blocking his way though. Zhou Quan’s expression was icy, and he held two enormous copper hammers in his hands. His posture gave off the impression that he could hold back an army of thousands all by himself as he questioned, “Grandmaster Sun, where do you think you are going?”
When the Spirit Array had been activated, Zhou Quan had circulated his Emperor Qi the reverse and forced himself to cough up a mouthful of blood. He had managed to escape from the Spirit Array with that method thanks to a suggestion Yang Kai had given him. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to leave once the Spirit Array was fully operational.
Looking at the fate of all the other Emperor Realm Masters lying on the ground at the moment, it was easy to tell that if somebody with as low a cultivation as himself had been caught in the Spirit Array, they would either be dead or gravely injured by now. Escaping early had allowed him to remain alive. As such, he was in the best condition among all the other Emperor Realm Masters present, except for Grandmaster Sun.
Although Grandmaster Sun was also a First-Order Emperor Realm Master with profound knowledge in Spirit Arrays, his combat power was quite poor. A Demon Race Half-Saint had been glaring at him from the side in the first place, and now his escape route was blocked by Zhou Quan, so he immediately looked panicked. Putting on a strong act though, he threatened, “Make way, or this King won’t spare you.”
Zhou Quan shook his head slowly, “It’s best if Grandmaster Sun remains here until Palace Master Yang returns.”
He did not immediately move to kill, as his own experience was the best example. As long as they could remove the Blood Demon’s Blood Essence from the body, those of Demon Heavenly Dao would be able to recover their original selves and stop serving the Demon Race. Unless those people had sincerely and voluntarily joined the Demon Race’s side, most who had their dispositions modified by the Evil Secret Technique would greatly regret their actions and repent. Zhou Quan did not know about the others, but he had heard people saying that Grandmaster Sun had been captured by the Demon Race and subjected to the Evil Secret Technique.
Seeing that words were useless, Grandmaster Sun made a decisive move. He tossed a Jade Token into the air and aimed it at Zhou Quan. The method commonly used by Array Masters in a fight was to summon Array Plates. The Spirit Array sealed in the Array Plate was quick and convenient to activate after all.
Zhou Quan waited attentively. Before the Array Plate flew in front of him, a figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed it. He looked over and saw that it was one of the helpers Yang Kai had summoned previously.
Squeezing slightly, the Array Plate exploded in a cloud of dust. A violent burst of energy spilled out from the Embodiment’s hands, but it did not harm him one bit.
Grandmaster Sun’s expression changed drastically at the sight, and he took out a few more Array Plates.
The Embodiment couldn’t be bothered to fight with Grandmaster Sun, so with a quick rush, he threw a punch and smashed Grandmaster Sun into an unconscious heap on the ground.
Zhou Quan watched by the side, cold sweat dripping down his back… When one was strong enough, fighting seemed so simple and violent at the same time.
……
Yang Kai appeared leisurely inside the Sealed World that was isolated from the outside world but saw neither hide nor hair of the Flowing Time Temple or Wind Lord. Although he had immediately chased after Wind Lord, a difference of a single step was equivalent to several thousand kilometres when moving through the Void; therefore, the current situation was not surprising. He came to the Four Seasons Realm once before when his cultivation was still very low. In contrast, he was a Third-Order Emperor now when he came back.
The Four Seasons Realm originally did not allow cultivators above the Dao Source Realm to enter. The Sealed World had its own Principles that all should be subjected to unless a person was able to surpass the limits of these Principles.
However, Qiong Qi had opened one of the back doors to this place previously and brought Liu Yan into this place. And now, Wind Lord had barged into this space with the remains of the Great Emperor who created this place, in his hands. As a result, the Principles governing the cultivation restriction had been broken. If not for that, Yang Kai would not have been able to enter this place safely.
Nevertheless, this place was indeed the Four Seasons Realm. Glancing around, he had the vague feeling that the surrounding scenery seemed very familiar. He probably came here before in the past. Mulling over it some more, it suddenly dawned on him.
[This was the Two Seasons Mountain Range!]
The Four Seasons Realm was divided into four major domains, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The Two Seasons Mountain Range ran through the entire Four Seasons Realm, dividing the world into four domains. For that reason, the left side and the right side of the Two Seasons Mountain Range experienced two different seasons. It was very mysterious.
Upon recognizing his current position, Yang Kai concentrated on recalling where The Flowing Time Temple was located. Then, he flew off after determining the correct direction. He had only taken a single step forward when he suddenly froze mid-motion with a look of shock on his face. That was because the environment around him had changed drastically with that one step he took.
When he first entered this place, it had been scorching hot, as though in the middle of summer. To his surprise, the scorching heat instantly disappeared after he took that step. It was immediately replaced by a cold wind whistling in his ears and a blanket of white snow covering everything in his vision. He seemed to have walked right into the middle of winter. The biting cold of winter seeped into his body through his pores. An ordinary person would have frozen to death if they experienced this for more than a few breaths.
He had not encountered changes like this when he last came here, so Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning in response. Even though the seasons had changed abruptly across boundaries in this Sealed World, there had been no sense of abruptness. The scenery he saw before him was completely in line with the season he was experiencing. It was almost as though the step he took had taken him into a whole other world.
Pondering in silence for a moment, he took another step. The moment his foot landed on the ground, the biting cold vanished and was replaced by a bleak autumn wind. The snow around him vanished, the leaves withered, and the trees in the jungle became laden with fruits…
After summer and winter, it was now autumn!
He lifted his foot again. This time around, he did not step forward but took a step back instead. Logically speaking, he should have been brought back to the winter sight that greeted him just now. Contrary to Yang Kai’s expectations, however, his step backwards brought him not to the winter scenery he expected to see but spring, where everything was coming back to life!
He did not hesitate and walked forward again. Step after step, the scenery around him changed like flipping the pages of a book. It no longer felt as though it was just his vision. Rather, it was the entire Sealed World that was experiencing one season with every step he took. Moreover, there was no fixed pattern to it. The four seasons seemed to change at random.
At this point, Yang Kai was scowling more deeply than ever. Although he did not know what had happened within the Four Seasons Realm, it would seem that some great change had occurred. What worried him was whether the change had been caused by Wind Lord or if it had existed prior to this incident. If it was the former, then it was not a big deal. He only needed to find and get rid of Wind Lord to solve the issue. If it was the latter… That would mean that Qiong Qi and the others might have encountered some sort of trouble. Why else would such a change occur in the Four Seasons Realm for no reason?
The seasons in the Four Seasons Realm kept changing every time Yang Kai took a step forward. If he came across such a phenomenon in the past, he would’ve been elated; after all, it was normally difficult to see such wonderful sights. If he stopped to comprehend the wonder around him, he would definitely gain some insights.
However, he was in a rush now, so he didn’t have the heart to comprehend anything. Feeling frustrated, he headed straight to the Flowing Time Temple.
As time passed, his expression became solemn.
That was because he could feel that he was ageing. It had only been over a hundred years since he started cultivating, and cultivators absorbed World Energy to increase their own strength which allowed them to stay youthful. Hence, Yang Kai only looked like a young man in his twenties or early thirties. Perhaps his appearance still wouldn’t change after hundreds or even thousands of years.
Normally, it was impossible for anyone to feel that they were ageing, unless the speed at which it was happening was incredibly rapid, and that was the situation Yang Kai was in presently.
As the seasons kept changing for every step he took, and as he charged forward, he could clearly feel that time was passing quickly.
He had only moved for several dozen kilometres, but he felt as if several dozen years had passed. This wasn’t an illusion or his mind playing tricks on him either. He was certain that several dozen years had truly passed. In other words, he had only moved forward in the Four Seasons Realm for several dozen kilometres, but he had also aged by several dozen years for seemingly no reason!
That revelation made his heart sink. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the abnormality in the Four Seasons Realm, or he had really aged by so many years. Whatever the reason, he could not stop. Despite knowing that time was truly flying, he had to keep moving forward rapidly. He decided to pull himself together and stopped letting the passing of time bother him.
A long time later, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks when he saw a huge palace in front of him. Looking up, he felt an ancient aura coming at him, which caused him to fall into a dazed state. At that instant, he had forgotten why he had come all the way to this place, and could not remember who he actually was.
He had crossed a thousand kilometres, which translated to a thousand years of time having passed. Whatever had happened in the outside world, Yang Kai could perceive that a thousand years had passed for him. He had basically stopped thinking while instinctively flying forward. It could be expected that he would feel lost when he reached his destination.
However, when the words ‘Flowing Time Temple’ came into his sight, his blurred vision brightened and his mind became clear again. He finally remembered who he was and the reason he had come to this place.
Since the door was open, he decided to step right in. The moment he moved past the door, he entered the Flowing Time Temple.
Before he managed to investigate the surroundings, he saw a figure coming at him. With a grim expression, he circulated his Demon Qi and was ready to make a move. However, when he made out the person’s face, he widened his eyes in disbelief.
That was because the person’s outfit and demeanour were identical to those of his own. If there were a mirror in front of him, he would have thought that he was looking at his own reflection.
Upon closer look, he realised that there were still some differences. The other person looked older than him by a few years. Moreover, he was apparently injured as blood was still streaming out of his mouth.
Certainly, both of them could see one another. As their eyes met, the other person didn’t wait for Yang Kai to speak as he shouted, “Cut the crap. Look for your son this instant!”
After he finished speaking, he whizzed past Yang Kai like a gust of wind and disappeared into a Void Crack.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised the hall was filled with Void Cracks. The cracks came in different sizes, but they all looked like the hideous mouths of beasts as though they were ready to devour anyone who approached.
Yang Kai was befuddled by what ‘he’ had just said. Although he had a few wives, he still didn’t have a son. Nevertheless, he did have an adoptive son, who was a member of the Dragon Clan. He thought that he could see that brat upon entering the hall, but he could not have expected that this strange sight was what awaited him.
Whatever the case, Yang Kai couldn’t stop minding it after a person that looked identical to him had shown up. Without hesitation, he followed that person and charged into the Void Crack.
The next moment, he saw the world around him spinning, then he appeared in a hall again. The hall looked just like the one earlier, as though he hadn’t moved at all. The place was still filled with Void Cracks; however, ‘he’ was no longer in sight, which made Yang Kai frown. He had stepped into the same crack, so why had ‘he’ gone missing?
While he was puzzled, a Void Crack beside him could be seen fluctuating. Yang Kai turned his head to look at it, only to see another person that looked identical to him rushing out.
This person looked even more severely injured as he was drenched in golden blood. All his clothes had become tattered and his face was as pale as a white sheet. Presently, he was running toward Yang Kai.
At that instant, Yang Kai was shocked. He was stumped when he saw his first ‘self’ earlier. Although he was astounded, he didn’t read too much into it as he thought that it might just be an illusion; however, when his second ‘self’ appeared, he immediately examined him, and the result was horrifying.
That was because the other person was really himself! Besides the identical outfit and aura, the energy fluctuation and Divine Sense from that person were also exactly the same. It was impossible that two identical people existed in this world. Even if they were twins, there would still be some minor differences between them. However, the two ‘selves’ he had come across were totally identical to him, except that they looked slightly older.
Nevertheless, the older appearance suggested that he hadn’t just become older by a few years. When he was flying across the Four Seasons Realm earlier, he sensed that a thousand years had passed. When he was affected by the Power of Time previously, which caused him to age by a thousand years, his appearance still didn’t change one bit. It had to be more than a thousand years for him to start showing signs of ageing. Perhaps two thousand or even three thousand years had passed for his other ‘selves’.
Furthermore, after a careful examination, Yang Kai realised that the present ‘self’ looked slightly different from the first ‘self’ he just saw.
Yang Kai didn’t have the heart to make a move on himself, so he quickly shouted, “Stop!”
The second ‘self’ turned to look at him and grinned, “Run! Are you waiting for death by just standing there?”
Yang Kai felt odd as his other ‘self’ had just spoken to him, so he was lost for words. While he was hesitating, the second ‘self’, just like the first one, had disappeared into a Void Crack.
The next moment, a figure shot out from the crack where his second ‘self’ had gone into. He was elegantly dressed, and his demeanour seemed gentle. He was none other than Wind Lord!
Earlier, Wind Lord had repeatedly coughed out Blood Essence to activate the Divine Ability hidden in Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone, which caused serious damage to himself. He had also aged by twenty to thirty years, so he had turned from a man in his thirties to someone in his old age.
However, at this moment, Wind Lord had returned to his original state. Moreover, his aura was abundant, which suggested that it had been fully restored. In fact, his aura had become even more imposing than in the past.
Yang Kai was stunned as he didn’t understand how Wind Lord managed to achieve this. After Wind Lord activated the Divine Ability in the rib bone by using his own Blood Essence, supposedly, it would take him eighty to a hundred years of meditation to recover from the damage. Even if he had some Emperor Grade Pills or Artifacts that could help him shorten the time needed, he couldn’t have recovered so soon.
Although Yang Kai could feel that a thousand years had passed when he was moving across the Four Seasons Realm, he thought that it was just what he had perceived, not what had actually happened.
[Damn it!] Yang Kai cursed in his heart. The reason he entered the Four Seasons Realm on his own instead of letting the Embodiment follow him was that the latter had to stay in the outside world to clean up the mess. Also, he was confident of his own capabilities.
While he was fine, Wind Lord was severely injured. Moreover, Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were supposedly inside the Flowing Time Temple. Wind Lord barged into this place because he wasn’t aware of this fact; therefore, Yang Kai would just have to call out to Liu Yan and Qiong Qi. When they joined forces, they could easily defeat Wind Lord.
However, it turned out that Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were missing as he couldn’t detect their presence. On the other hand, Wind Lord was as imposing as a tiger. This was different from what Yang Kai had expected.
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, Wind Lord saw him but didn’t immediately make a move; instead, he chuckled and said, “Which Yang Kai are you?”
Yang Kai frowned and fell silent mainly because he didn’t know how to reply to him.
Wind Lord went on to say, “Whatever. It makes no difference. I just have to kill any one of you.”
Upon finishing his words, he lifted his hand and pushed out a palm towards Yang Kai’s forehead.
Yang Kai hurriedly activated his Demon Qi and bellowed as his Mountains and Rivers Bell shot out to intercept the attack.
When a loud boom was heard, the Mountains and Rivers Bell shone brightly and was sent flying back. Upon impact, Yang Kai felt the vitality in his chest weltering. Before he managed to pull himself together though, Wind Lord raised his hand, after which a delicate hourglass appeared on his palm.
The hourglass might appear harmless, but Yang Kai’s expression changed as he instinctively felt a dangerous aura coming from it.
He didn’t know what the hourglass could do, but he was certain that Wind Lord was truly powerful; moreover, he had no idea what had been going on in this place, so he decided to stop fighting with him and quickly stored his Mountains and Rivers Bell. Before Wind Lord could activate the hourglass, Yang Kai hurriedly moved and disappeared into the Void Crack nearest to him.
When he reappeared, he realised that he was still in the hall that was full of Void Cracks. It was as though he had returned to the starting point.
After he calmed the vitality in his chest, he looked around vigilantly. When he saw a fluctuation from a nearby crack, he quickly turned to look at it.
As expected, a moment later, his third ‘self’ dashed out of it. Seeing that, Yang Kai frowned because the third ‘self’ looked even more battered than the previous two ‘selves’. There were no changes to his appearance as he looked like he was in his thirties; however, some of his hair had turned grey. How old must he be to have grown some grey hair?
After the third ‘self’ appeared, he shot toward Yang Kai, and before Yang Kai could speak, he hurriedly said, “You are me, and I’m also you. Time and space in this place have become a mess. What you’re seeing now is the future you. Do you get it now?”
Yang Kai wasn’t sure whether he should nod or shake his head because he wasn’t certain if the person in front of him was really himself. If that was true, he had basically met his future self in the same place.
Nevertheless, if time and space around this area had truly become chaotic, what his future self had said was possible.
The universe was made up of space and time, so the secrets of the universe were also the secrets of space and time, which contained many profundities and abstrusities. Although Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space, he had only touched on one part of the universe. As for the Dao of Time, he had only learned the Time Flies Seal.
The sight before his eyes had something to do with space and time, so he wasn’t able to distinguish the true from the false. At least, not right now.
After the third ‘self’ finished speaking, he suddenly turned around. With his expression changing, he yelled, “Wind Lord is coming. Run!”
Then, he directly took Yang Kai’s arm and dashed into the nearest Void Crack. Right before they entered the crack, the third ‘self’ hurriedly said, “The power of the hourglass in Wind Lord’s hand is inscrutable. You have to be careful of it.”
After Yang Kai emerged from the crack, he realised that he was alone again. He had run into the crack with his third ‘self’, but the latter was now nowhere to be seen.
However, when he looked around, he became elated because the hall he was in now was different from the previous one. He had stepped into the same hall several times prior to this and it was always filled with Void Cracks. This time, the hall didn’t look so eerie anymore.
Yang Kai let out a breath. If he kept seeing the same scene no matter how many times he moved, he wouldn’t know how to deal with it. He was relieved that there were finally some changes.
There was no one in the spacious hall, nor were there any traces of battle. The doors on both sides were open. Yang Kai investigated the surroundings with his Divine Sense but couldn’t find anything useful, so he decided to randomly choose a door and walked out of the hall.
Outside the hall, there was a corridor that was lined with two rows of rooms. The corridor was so long that there didn’t seem to be an end. Lights of different colours could be seen flowing on the floor, which made the place look strange.
Yang Kai walked up to the nearest room and kept his guard up before pushing the door open. Upon examination, he realised that there was basically nothing in the room, nor were there any people.
As he checked out more rooms, he still couldn’t find any useful clues. Furthermore, he realised that he couldn’t feel the flow of time in this place. Perhaps several dozen to over a hundred years had passed, or maybe the time had actually frozen.
The trip to the Flowing Time Temple this time was starkly different from his previous one. Soon, Yang Kai lost track of how many rooms he had checked out. When he pushed open the door of one of the rooms though, his gaze brightened.
Finally, the room wasn’t empty as a hideous giant beast was lying on the floor. At first glance, it looked like a tiger with two horns on its forehead and a pair of wings on its back.
The giant beast seemed oblivious to Yang Kai’s arrival as its snoring was as deafening as thunder. He was none other than Qiong Qi!
An elated Yang Kai walked over and called out to him, “Old Qiong! Old Qiong!”
After calling out to him several times, Yang Kai realised that Qiong Qi just wouldn’t respond to him, which made him scowl. Qiong Qi was a very powerful Divine Spirit. Even if he was cultivating in seclusion, he would awaken immediately if someone barged into his place, to say nothing of the fact that he was just asleep.
However, Qiong Qi wouldn’t respond no matter how Yang Kai called out to him, which was really odd.
Since shouting was ineffective, Yang Kai decided to go over and smack his head, but it was still useless. Qiong Qi seemed to be sound asleep, his snoring not stopping for a single breath.
With a few thuds, Yang Kai thumped the old tiger’s head several times with a force that was neither too light nor powerful. It wouldn’t hurt Qiong Qi, but it should be enough to force him awake. However, the outcome shocked Yang Kai because Qiong Qi remained unmoving even after getting punched by him.
Yang Kai was horrified because Qiong Qi still wouldn’t wake up despite such harsh treatment. [What happened to him?]
Qiong Qi was the one who led Liu Yan, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue into the Four Seasons Realm, but he was the only one here now. Meanwhile, the other three had gone missing. [Where are they?]
Since Yang Kai was unable to make Qiong Qi wake up, he decided to put him in the Sealed World Bead. However, after several attempts, Yang Kai realized he couldn’t move him at all. It wasn’t his fault though as there was a layer of invisible power around Qiong Qi, which had blocked off Yang Kai’s Divine Sense. If he couldn’t break this layer of invisible power, he wouldn’t be able to put him in the Small Sealed World.
After a few more failed attempts, Yang Kai shook his head helplessly and gave up.
Although Qiong Qi was sound asleep, he appeared to be healthy, so there was nothing to worry about.
Since Yang Kai was able to find Qiong Qi here, Liu Yan and the others would surely be somewhere around this place as well. With this thought in mind, he accelerated his pace and searched more rooms.
In the Flowing Time Temple, the passing of time was a very vague thing. Even a strong cultivator like Yang Kai was unable to get a good sense of how much time had actually passed. A long time later, he found Liu Yan in another room.
Liu Yan still looked like a little girl, but just like Qiong Qi, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Presently, she had curled up on the ground and appeared quite serene.
After several attempts, Yang Kai realised that Liu Yan couldn’t be awakened, just like what had happened to Qiong Qi.
Both Qiong Qi and Liu Yan had fallen into a state of deep slumber, making Yang Kai wonder what they had come across after they entered the Four Seasons Realm. He thought that he could also find Yang Xiao and Yang Xue here, but even after searching all the rooms he could find, the two kids were still nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the corridor, there was another hall. Upon entering it, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state again because the hall looked just like the previous one, so he thought that he had returned to the starting point.
Nevertheless, there was a person in this room. He was elegantly dressed and had the look of a scholar. He was none other than one of the Four Great Lords under the Master of Demon Heavenly Dao, Wind Lord!
Presently, Wind Lord seemed to be in peak condition as all his wounds had been healed. At this moment, he was seated with his legs crossed on a platform where there was a translucent light screen that served as a barrier around him.
Conspicuous fluctuations of Time Principles could be seen exuding from the light screen. Wind Lord had closed his eyes, so it seemed that he was still recuperating, unaware of Yang Kai’s arrival.
After staring at him with narrowed eyes for a while, Yang Kai took a deep breath, and when he let it out, Demon Qi could be seen roiling around him as he prepared for battle.
Earlier, he had come across three ‘selves’ who looked battered as they were hunted down by Wind Lord. One of them had even told him to look for Yang Xiao quickly. However, the situation in the Flowing Time Temple was peculiar. If he wanted to break free from it, he had to directly deal with Wind Lord; therefore, Yang Kai decided to make a decisive move.
Following that, he leapt and disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already above Wind Lord as he infused his Demonic Qi into the Myriads Sword and forcefully brought it down.
The light screen around the platform was actually the masterpiece of a Great Emperor, so someone like Yang Kai was naturally unable to break it. When his sword met the barrier, the light screen became a little dented, but failed to break.
Hearing the noise, Wind Lord, who was meditating, abruptly opened his eyes. As their eyes met, Wind Lord grinned, “You could’ve stayed out of this place and lived, but you’ve decided to ask for death instead. You’ve come at the perfect time!”
He lifted his hand and penetrated the light screen before grasping the Myriads Sword. As he pushed his Emperor Qi, he sent a shock wave across the sword.
Yang Kai directly released the hilt to abandon the sword though as he pushed his Divine Sense, causing the pupil in his left eye to become a golden whirlpool that seemed able to absorb anyone’s Soul. A budding lotus shot out from his eye and penetrated Wind Lord’s Knowledge Sea.
Seeing the Blossoming Lotus, Wind Lord shuddered. Although he was strong, he was no match for Yang Kai when it came to Soul cultivation. He wasn’t careful enough, which was why he was hit by this move.
The white lotus started blooming and absorbing the power of his Soul. Wind Lord grunted as the water in his Knowledge Sea tumbled to resist the Soul Secret Technique.
However, the lotus was unable to fully bloom. In the end, Wind Lord wasn’t a pushover. Although he had fallen into a trap, he was still able to resist. Just when he sneered and was ready to mock Yang Kai’s lack of ability, his expression changed again.
That was because the lotus started expanding all of a sudden. From what he perceived, the lotus was so huge that it was able to engulf him in it, and then it rapidly began closing up.
Although Yang Kai was unable to achieve his goal with Blossoming Lotus, he still had Sealed Lotus. He was ruthless and resolute in his attack as he used two Soul Secret Techniques in a consecutive manner.
“Break!” Wind Lord’s Divine Sense surged. As he growled, he managed to break free from the chains of the lotus and escape, only to unexpectedly see a sword light flashing across his eyes.
Soul Splitting Saber, Heaven Severing Slash!
Following Blossoming Lotus and Sealed Lotus, Yang Kai went on to use his Soul Splitting Saber.
At that instant, Wind Lord was unable to fend off the strike and his Knowledge Sea was slashed by Soul Splitting Saber. It felt terrible to have one’s Soul cut apart, so Wind Lord’s face became contorted. At the same time, his Emperor Qi became chaotic.
The entire world seemed to be shaking as Yang Kai was sent flying backwards. His face turned pale while he was in mid-air, but he still manipulated his Space Principles and launched himself at Wind Lord. At the same time, he quickly performed a hand seal with both hands. Following that, the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared and fell towards Wind Lord.
Then, Yang Kai shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
As a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard, his entire body shone with a golden gleam. Following a series of crackling sounds, his figure was covered in Dragon Scales and two horns protruded from his forehead. His hands had turned into pointed Dragon Claws and he had grown larger by three metres. There was also a Dragon Tail behind him.
In just a short moment, he had transformed into a Half-Dragon.
Wind Lord was still in a dazed state after he was slashed by the Soul Splitting Saber when Yang Kai reached him and clenched his shoulders with his Dragon Claws. The next moment, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was about to engulf them inside.
Yang Kai reckoned that he was no match for Wind Lord when it came to cultivation. He came to this conclusion after he saw how his three ‘selves’ ended up beaten and bloody. Hence, he didn’t even consider competing with Wind Lord using his cultivation as he had his own advantage, which was his Half-Dragon Form.
Wind Lord was no match for him in this regard. As long as Yang Kai could narrow down the battlefield and force Wind Lord into a battle of fists, he would stand a chance of winning.
Therefore, he decided to trap Wind Lord and himself inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Previously, he had used this tactic to kill the Half-Saint Yin Si in the Demon Realm. Although Yang Kai became half-dead after that battle, it was better than him allowing Wind Lord to use his full power.
Yang Kai’s series of moves made Wind Lord suffer a major setback. He had heard about the Mountains and Rivers Bell as it was a natal artifact left behind by Yuan Ding Great Emperor, so he knew that if he was trapped inside it, he probably wouldn’t be able to flee.
Therefore, as soon as Wind Lord saw the falling Ancient Exotic Artifact, he knew what Yang Kai was up to.
Since Wind Lord knew what Yang Kai was up to, he certainly wouldn’t allow the latter to have his way.
However, with his shoulders clenched, he was unable to move. While he was shocked by how much physical strength Yang Kai could exert, he remained unfazed as he roared, “Wind!”
After his shout, Wind Lord transformed into an incarnation of wind and disappeared. Realising that Wind Lord was no longer in his grip, Yang Kai stopped the Mountains and Rivers Bell from falling. Since Wind Lord had escaped, there was no point.
The wind looked odd as it was visible to the bare eyes, and soon, Wind Lord reappeared at a nearby spot with a nonchalant smile, “Do you know how long this King has been waiting for you?”
Without waiting for Yang Kai to reply, he went on to say, “Exactly one hundred years!” There was a gleeful expression on his face, “This place is truly abstruse. Flowing Time Great Emperor indeed lives up to his name. Now that this King has fully recovered, there’s no way you can defeat me!”
Yang Kai entered the Four Seasons Realm right after he did, but he had Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone, which was why he was able to directly reach the Flowing Time Temple. It had been a hundred years since he started recuperating, so he was able to fully heal himself and wait for Yang Kai.
Although what he had said was ambiguous, Yang Kai understood what he meant.
Time and space had been confused inside the Flowing Time Temple. The reason Wind Lord had fully recovered must be that one hundred years had really passed; however, Yang Kai didn’t experience the passing of time in the space Wind Lord was in.
Looking at it from another perspective, Wind Lord was also not aware of what had happened to Yang Kai. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said this.
Wind Lord was confident that he was able to defeat Yang Kai since his cultivation was far more powerful, so he wasn’t in a rush to make a move. Instead, he stared at Yang Kai and said, “This King has heard that you’re related to the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island and that you possess a Dragon Source. Now, it seems that it’s indeed true, but that is an external boost in the end, nowhere near as profound as one’s own power. Where’s that helper of yours? Aren’t you going to summon him?”
Earlier, Yang Kai was able to summon three Half-Saints from the Demon Race in one go. Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had been petrified by Wind Lord; however, the Embodiment, who was still fine, was nowhere to be seen.
Wind Lord couldn’t ignore the Embodiment’s existence. If Yang Kai had also brought the Embodiment into this place, it was bound to be a tough battle.
“I’ll summon him when I have to,” Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “That’s not up to you to worry about.”
Wind Lord nodded, “Although you’re young, you’re indeed powerful. To be honest, this King doesn’t have the heart to kill you.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “Why don’t you just kill yourself, then? It’ll save us both the trouble.”
Ignoring his sinister suggestion, Wind Lord went on to persuade him by saying, “This is what I think. This King does not want to kill you, but you simply insist on going against me. This has caused me some headaches. Why don’t you just join Demon Heavenly Dao? If we become one family, all these worries will go away. By doing so, you can save your life while I will have no regrets. Won’t that be a win-win solution? Moreover, I’m sure my Master is willing to accept a young and talented person like you.”
Yang Kai gave him an awkward look, “You want me to join Demon Heavenly Dao?”
“I’m being sincere.” Wind Lord sported a solemn expression, “Given your capabilities, I’m sure Master will take you seriously if you join. Although you won’t be as powerful as the Four Great Lords, you’ll hold the highest position below us. When the Demons rule over the Star Boundary in the future, you’ll enjoy all the wealth and fame in the world.”
“Haha…” Yang Kai couldn’t help but guffaw.
Wind Lord asked grimly, “What are you laughing at?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m laughing at all of you who still look so proud even though you’re just someone else’s lackeys. I’m also laughing at all of you for not being able to live the life you want despite the fact that you’ve cultivated for so many years. You want to win me over by offering me a position that’s below the Four Great Lords, but do you know who I am?”
“Who do you think you are?” Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him.
Yang Kai straightened up and put on a haughty smile, “This King is Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army of the Star Boundary, so why would I be interested in becoming a lackey for Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai lifted his hand to summon a Command Token.
Wind Lord’s expression changed drastically when he saw that as he also lifted the petite hourglass in his hand. At the same time, a glint flashed across the token as a burly figure appeared.
A Command Token wasn’t just a status symbol for an Army Commander, but also a weapon that could kill the enemy as it contained the strike of Great Emperor within. The token in Yang Kai’s hand was forged by Zhan Wu Hen, which was why it contained his Divine Ability.
Faced with a Pseudo-Great Emperor on his own, Yang Kai had failed in his attempt to launch a sneak attack; therefore, he decided to use the Command Token and activated the Divine Ability inside it. He was doing it because he wanted to kill Wind Lord quickly.
It was difficult to end a Pseudo-Great Emperor’s life; moreover, Wind Lord had been in this place for a hundred years, so it wasn’t certain what treasures he had obtained. Also, Wind Lord had fully recovered, so he appeared confident presently. Given Yang Kai’s power, he might not be able to gain an upper hand, so he directly called upon the power of the Command Token.
Zhan Wu Hen’s figure solidified as though the real person had really come out from the Command Token. Feeling the Great Emperor’s aura, Wind Lord felt as though he was suffocating. Guided by Yang Kai’s aura, Zhan Wu Hen’s image reached Wind Lord in a short moment and pushed out his fist.
It was just a very simple strike, like that of an ordinary mortal throwing a punch.
However, Wind Lord’s expression was transformed by shock as he quickly turned the hourglass upside down. Fine sand started trickling down inside the hourglass as a glow spread from it. Engulfed by the glow, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze on the spot as though he had been struck with a Binding Technique.
Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as this was exactly what had happened to Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.
After his move succeeded, Wind Lord chuckled and taunted, “That’s it?”
After he finished speaking though, he suddenly heard a series of cracking sounds. The illusionary Zhan Wu Hen, who was rooted to the spot, could be seen with his fist moving forward slowly as the barrier around him started cracking apart. Before his fist even reached the enemy, space could be seen crumbling apart.
Wind Lord exclaimed as he had lost his composure. While he was retreating rapidly, Zhan Wu Hen’s strike broke free of its constraints and followed him closely. Just when Wind Lord was about to be struck, he pushed his Emperor Qi again and turned the hourglass over once more.
Just like what had happened previously, as the glow undulated, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze again. This time, Wind Lord wasn’t in the mood to mock Yang Kai as he kept retreating with a solemn expression.
As expected, Zhan Wu Hen was able to move again by breaking free from the restriction a moment later. He was still several dozen metres away from Wind Lord, but when he moved, his fist appeared right in front of Wind Lord, which terrified the latter.
Then, Wind Lord turned the hourglass for the third time and Zhan Wu Hen was rooted to the spot again.
After the third time, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure started fading all of a sudden. In just three breaths’ time, the figure disappeared. Apparently, the power of the Divine Ability had been exhausted, but it hadn’t been able to harm Wind Lord one bit!
Despite that, it was obvious that Wind Lord had also lost a lot of energy. Yang Kai could clearly see that every time Wind Lord turned the strange hourglass, his face would become paler and his aura became less imposing. Apparently, there was a price to pay for activating the hourglass.
[Just what is that hourglass?] Yang Kai could barely believe such a horrifying item existed in this world. He couldn’t help but recall that the third ‘self’ had told him to be careful of the hourglass as its power was inscrutable.
That indeed seemed to be the case. The Command Token only contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, so it wasn’t as powerful as when a Great Emperor personally attacked; however, no ordinary Pseudo-Great Emperor should have been able to stop such a strike. Despite that, Wind Lord still ended up alive and kicking, which went to show how terrifying the treasure was.
Presently, the hall was filled with lots of cracks. They weren’t just Void Cracks though as both time and space seemed to have turned into a mess. The situation was just like what Yang Kai had come across when he just entered the Flowing Time Temple.
“Hahaha!” Wind Lord guffawed as he was extremely pleased with himself. That was because he had just escaped unscathed from a Great Emperor’s attack. Even though he appeared somewhat exhausted, he was still proud of himself. That was why he was laughing riotously as he lifted his hourglass, “Brat, do you know what this is?”
With a dark expression, Yang Kai asked, “Did you obtain it from this place?”
Given Wind Lord’s own power, there was no way he was able to parry the Divine Ability of Zhan Wu Hen; however, he had done just that, which went to show how extraordinary he was despite the fact that he had made use of an artifact.
This treasure appeared all of a sudden, so it was apparent that Wind Lord didn’t own it prior to their initial confrontation; otherwise, he would’ve used it on the Embodiment and the others instead of coughing up Blood Essence to activate the power within that rib bone.
Since he didn’t already own it previously, the only explanation was that Wind Lord had obtained it from the Flowing Time Temple. It was an artifact left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor!
It was basically a Great Emperor’s Artifact going against another Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which was how Wind Lord managed to save his own life. He didn’t break Zhan Wu Hen’s Divine Ability; instead, the figure vanished because it had run out of power.
“Indeed!” Wind Lord grinned from ear to ear, “This King has obtained this treasure from that platform over there. You may not be aware of it, but this item was the Natal Artifact of Flowing Time Great Emperor. After he passed away, this item was left behind in the Flowing Time Temple. It awaited the chosen one to obtain it, and that is this King!”
Yang Kai remained unfazed while listening to him, but he was cursing at Qiong Qi in his heart. Qiong Qi was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount and he had protected the Flowing Time Temple for countless years, so he must be very familiar with this hourglass. In that case, why didn’t he take it with him when he left?
Moreover, he had brought Yang Xiao and the others to this place. Since there was a treasure, why did he leave it here for others to take? Now that the hourglass had fallen into Wind Lord’s hand, and the Divine Ability in his Command Token had been rendered useless, Yang Kai was put in an awkward position. He was utterly incensed because he felt that Qiong Qi was the one who had caused all of this.
Wind Lord had just obtained a new, powerful artifact and used it to neutralize the Divine Ability of a Great Emperor, so of course he was very pleased with himself. Just when he lamented that no one could share his joy, Yang Kai asked the right question at the right time, which was why he told Yang Kai everything he knew.
As he fiddled with the hourglass, Wind Lord said with a smile, “This is the Infinite Hourglass, which contains ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand. Every grain was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor and every one of them is able to activate the power of one month. Ten thousand and eight grains are equivalent to the power of over eight hundred years! Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Divine Ability is indeed mighty, but it’s still no match for this treasure!”
When Zhan Wu Hen’s image appeared just now, Wind Lord was almost terrified to death. Now that he was safe though, he was shamelessly speaking as though this was all predestined.
The Infinite Hourglass contained ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand, and every one of them was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor, so they were all infused with Time Principles. Every grain could be used to activate the power of one month, so ten thousand and eight grains indeed had the power of over eight hundred years.
The might of Time Principles was profound and peerless. Even though the power of the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability within the Command Token was inscrutable, it would still wear down under the influence of the time. That was the reason Wind Lord was able to fend off Iron Blood’s Divine Ability. In an instant, Yang Kai understood everything.
“Do you want to give it a try?” Wind Lord looked smilingly at Yang Kai. Despite his question, he didn’t really intend to give Yang Kai a choice. As he activated his Emperor Qi, he turned the hourglass upside down again and the fine sand started trickling down. A visible glow expanded and engulfed Yang Kai in it, giving him no chance to react.
Following that, Yang Kai could feel that he was closely connected to something. Then, he traced it back and stared fixedly at the hourglass in Wind Lord’s hand.
At this moment, the Infinite Hourglass had targeted him with its aura. It was as though there were a pair of invisible eyes that were staring at him, which caused him to feel that he would never be able to break free of its gaze.
Without thinking, Yang Kai directly dashed into the nearest Void Crack. The Infinite Hourglass was even able to ward off a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, so he wasn’t interested in trying to oppose its power. Presently, his best option was to run for his life.
Moreover, even though the hourglass was powerful, it was impossible for Wind Lord to use it continuously. When he reached his limit, it would be the time for Yang Kai to counterattack.
After emerging from the crack, Yang Kai realised that he was inside the same hall again just like what he had come across when he first entered the palace. Everything had returned to the starting point. Presently, time and space had become a mess, and the reason for that was the clash between the Infinite Hourglass and the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
However, Yang Kai soon found out that the aura that had targeted him hadn’t been cut off just because he had fled. It was still closely connected to him. The next moment, Wind Lord also emerged from the crack that Yang Kai had come out of. With the hourglass in his hand, Wind Lord was able to accurately locate him. Smiling wickedly, he said, “It’s pointless to flee. With the hourglass in my hand, I’ll be able to locate you wherever you are. Surrender without a fight and you can avoid suffering.”
“Even if you can follow me, let’s see if you’re able to catch me!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth before shooting into a nearby crack.
Wind Lord slowly shook his head as his lips curved into a sneer. It was as though he was laughing at Yang Kai for not knowing his limitations. Despite his slow pace, he was able to follow Yang Kai closely as his voice broke through space and time, seemingly speaking into Yang Kai’s ears, “Why torture yourself like this? Although you’re not bad, it’s impossible for you to escape this treasure’s aura. Haven’t you realised yet? I suggest that you should stop struggling now.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai indeed detected something. To be precise, he had confirmed something because he had suspected it earlier, but he wasn’t certain until now.
After Wind Lord turned the Infinite Hourglass upside down, the treasure’s aura immediately targeted Yang Kai. When Flowing Time Divine Sand trickled down inside the hourglass, Yang Kai could feel the flow of time washing over him. It was a similar feeling when he headed from the Two Seasons Mountain Range to the Flowing Time Temple.
Noticing a change in Yang Kai’s expression, Wind Lord laughed, “What do you think is being affected by Flowing Time Divine Sand? Foolish boy. The thing that’s trickling down inside the hourglass is your life!”
Yang Kai’s face fell not because Wind Lord was trying to frighten him but because he could confirm that what the latter had said was true.
When the Infinite Hourglass targeted him and the Flowing Time Divine Sand started trickling down, Yang Kai could feel himself ageing rapidly. Every grain of Flowing Time Divine Sand that fell represented a month of his life.
After fleeing for a while, Yang Kai realised that several dozen to over a hundred years of his life had left him. It was snatched away by the Infinite Hourglass just like that! The existence of such an artifact that could literally drain someone’s life away made his body go cold. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would die of old age in this place if this dragged on.
Of course, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of death. Although it had only been a short time since he started cultivating, he had lived his life to the fullest as he had experienced countless exciting events in the world. Even if he was killed in battle right now, he would have no regrets. Nevertheless, he couldn’t accept it if his life was sucked dry without even being able to put up a fight.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai turned around and balled up his fists. Staring fixedly at the crack he had just come out of, he pushed it with an immense force.
He had exerted all his might with his Half-Dragon form. Even if his opponent was a Great Emperor, the other party would be injured.
The next moment, Wind Lord dashed out of the crack. He didn’t appear surprised at all as he shot Yang Kai an impassive look.
Yang Kai’s heart sank after he pushed out his fists because his violent strike had basically hit the air instead of his opponent. Just now, he could clearly see that Wind Lord accelerated time around himself and nonchalantly dodged his strike.
Before he even had the time to react, Yang Kai felt a great force coming at him from behind, as though a mountain was crashing towards him. Upon impact, he was sent flying forward as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he was pushed into the crack in front of him.
After passing through the crack, Yang Kai realised that he had returned to the same hall and there was someone else present.
A healthy ‘self’ was standing there in a dazed state. Yang Kai could see the shock and vigilance behind his gaze, just like when he first entered the palace.
He had practically come across his past ‘self’. His face twitched as he wasn’t even sure what expression he should put on. Oddly enough, he wiped the blood off his mouth and said, “Cut the crap. Look for your son now!”
After he finished speaking, he realised that it was exactly what he had heard when he stepped into the hall initially, but he had no idea why he had said such a thing. However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to explain anything as Wind Lord was chasing after him, so he quickly dashed into the nearest crack.
Before he entered the crack, he could feel his past ‘self’ anxiously running after him, but he soon lost track of the latter.
Surprisingly, Wind Lord was standing in front of him this time, as though he had been waiting for a long time. His burning gaze was that of a person who had come across an old friend he deeply missed, “Where do you think you can go? Stop your futile resistance.”
Upon finishing his words, he pushed out a palm at Yang Kai.
His speed wasn’t rapid. At the very least, Yang Kai was able to see it clearly, thus he lifted his hand to retaliate. As Space Principles undulated, over ten dark Moon Blades shot forward and left scars on the surrounding space.
Just then, Yang Kai’s mind turned blank for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he realised that his Moon Blades had disappeared and he was struck with a palm, which caused the vitality in his chest to roil and all his bones to crack.
After being sent flying, Yang Kai struggled for a moment before getting to his feet, then, he stared grimly at Wind Lord as he narrowed his eyes and muttered, “I see. It’s not that you’ve become faster.”
They had clashed twice now, which allowed Yang Kai to understand some things. Initially, he thought that it was Wind Lord’s speed that had accelerated, which was why the attack landed on his back as he was caught off guard; however, now it seemed that it wasn’t the case. It was Yang Kai who was affected rather than Wind Lord.
Wind Lord replied with a smile, “The Infinite Hourglass doesn’t only have the power to drain a person’s time. It’s Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact after all, so it isn’t so simple.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I see. It seems that it has affected my perception of time.”
“There’s a saying that a day drags past like a year, which isn’t totally unfounded. If one is powerful enough, he definitely can achieve that.” Then, Wind Lord shook his head, “However, this treasure is truly abstruse, and I’ve not completely refined it yet. Although I’ve still not reached that kind of realm, I’ve already gained some insights.”
“So, it lengthened my perception of time.” Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood. If something could be dealt with in a breath’s time, it would take Yang Kai ten breaths or even a hundred breaths to react to it, which was why he was unable to handle it. He had been struck by the opponent’s attacks twice exactly because of this.
“So, are you not going to admit defeat yet?” Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him, “I really don’t want to kill you.”
Yang Kai grinned, “If you were powerful enough, you could have just frozen me completely. By doing so, you would be able to do whatever you wanted to me.”
Wind Lord heaved a sigh, “Your barking is becoming grating.”
With the Infinite Hourglass on his left palm, he performed a hand seal with his right and then pointed at Yang Kai.
At that instant, a deafening thunder was heard in the hall as Yang Kai was engulfed in a whirlwind, which turned into a storm of razor-sharp blades as it continuously slashed at his figure. If an ordinary Emperor Realm Master was trapped in this whirlwind, he would have been cut to pieces in an instant.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t killed, he was drenched in blood and his clothes had become tattered. Amidst the howling of wind, a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard as a gigantic figure appeared. A three-hundred-metre-long Dragon was seen standing tall in the centre of the whirlwind and sparks were seen around his Dragon Scales.
Yang Kai opened his mouth and sucked the gale around him into his mouth like he was slurping a bowl of noodles. In just three breaths’ time, the whirlwind disappeared.
Wind Lord was shocked because Yang Kai was the strongest cultivator he had ever seen whose cultivation was below that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. He could easily kill any Emperor Realm cultivator, but the boy in front of him was far more extraordinary. Further proof was how Yang Kai had survived until now.
Just then, a cracking sound was heard. Yang Kai’s lips could be seen wriggling as though he was chewing something. As he stared at Wind Lord with his big Golden Dragon eyes, he bellowed, “You can have this back!”
His last word turned into a Dragon Roar which seemed powerful enough to shake the world. Following that, he spat out a gust of Wind Qi towards Wind Lord.
It was useless, however. In Yang Kai’s eyes, he had managed to hit Wind Lord, but after blinking, he realised that the latter was already standing far away. What he had struck was just the Wind Lord in his sight, but as his perception of time had been affected, it was difficult to accurately locate his opponent.
However, Yang Kai didn’t stop as he started chanting in an ancient and abstruse Dragon language. When he opened his mouth again, he spat a breath of raging flames.
Fire Dragon’s Breath!
The reason the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was so highly revered was that, with its Source Strength, its owner was able to use all sorts of Dragon Clan Secret Techniques, whether he had the appropriate bloodline or not. For example, Yang Kai could use Fire Dragon attacks, or those of a Water Dragon, Wind Dragon, Ice Dragon and so on. As long as Yang Kai wanted, he could achieve this. In the past, Yang Kai had no idea how to do it, but after a visit to the Dragon Temple, he had learned about this ability by studying one of the Dragon Clan’s ancient records.
In an instant, the hall was engulfed in flames and there was basically no corner that wasn’t ablaze.
Nevertheless, a breeze was swirling around Wind Lord as there was no sign of fire in a radius of ten metres around him. He looked like an unmoving rock amidst the violent storms and waves as he snorted, “It seems that you won’t regret until you see your coffin!”
After he declared so, he shot towards Yang Kai. The flames separated and revealed a path that he could pass through. It seemed that wherever he went, the flames around the area would be extinguished.
In just a moment, he reached a spot that was ten metres away from Yang Kai. Presently, his figure was smaller than that of Yang Kai by several hundred times, but he appeared to be more imposing than the other party as though he was the taller one. Then, he lifted his right hand and balled up his fist, after which a fan appeared in his grip. The fan was only half an arm’s length in size, but a shocking light could be seen emitting from it. Raising the fan, he gently waved it at Yang Kai.
A gale swept across the hall as a razor-sharp wind blade shot out of the fan and expanded to several tens of metres before slashing at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai wanted to dodge, but his perception of time had been warped, so he was unable to move as he pleased. When he came to his senses, the wind blade was already right in front of him, so he hurriedly crossed his arms to protect his face.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai shuddered as his mountain-like figure slid backwards. Huge wounds appeared on his arms, which were now drenched in blood.
Making use of that force, Yang Kai turned around and swept his tail at Wind Lord. His Dragon Tail, which was covered in Dragon Scales, looked like a long whip which seemed able to make space shake and shatter where it passed.
Wind Lord scoffed and lifted his leg. In just a few steps, he was able to dodge the tail with ease.
Following a failed strike, Yang Kai charged forward and chanted in the Dragon language again. Wind Lord raised his fan and waved it at Yang Kai again. This time, it wasn’t just one but over ten wind blades that came at Yang Kai from all directions, which made sure there was no way he could dodge or defend.
With no other way to ward off or avoid the wind blades, Yang Kai decided to dash forward with a grin. He seemed resolute and ready to lose his life.
“Don’t get presumptuous!” Wind Lord sneered, grasping the hourglass in his left hand in an attempt to use the same trick again. He wanted to influence Yang Kai’s perception by using the power of the Flowing Time Divine Sand.
Right then, a clang was heard, and light expanded. Following that, Yang Kai vanished into thin air.
Wind Lord’s pupils contracted, and the next moment, he realised that the light in front of him had been blocked by a gigantic figure. Looking up, he saw that Yang Kai was gazing down at him like he was an ant. After Yang Kai inhaled deeply, he opened his mouth and spat out a Dragon Breath.
The Dragon Breath seemed extremely sharp, as it could cut through space as it slashed at Wind Lord’s head.
Wind Lord grunted in surprise and took a step sidewards to dodge the attack, but he felt a force coming at him from the side as though it had been waiting for him.
Turning around, he realised that Yang Kai was sweeping his right fist at him. The horrifying force caused his eyelids to twitch. Although he was more powerful than Yang Kai, he knew that he would end up in a terrible state if he was hit by this fist.
So, he immediately turned into a breeze and disappeared. Yang Kai was frustrated that he hit air again.
In one corner of the hall, Wind Lord reappeared and stared at the bell in Yang Kai’s hand before he snorted, “Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
At this moment, not only was Yang Kai holding the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but he was also flicking it around, which caused the ringing of the bell to reverberate around the hall. With the bell as the centre, glowing waves could be seen spreading across the hall, seemingly cleansing Yang Kai’s body.
Wind Lord had stayed in this place for a hundred years and obtained Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, the Infinite Hourglass. With that hourglass, he was able to drain Yang Kai’s life away and affect his perception of time.
However, he wasn’t the only one who possessed a Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact. Yang Kai also had a Legacy Artifact, which was the Mountains and Rivers Bell. That was the reason he wasn’t afraid of Wind Lord. Only a Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact could be used against another Legacy Artifact.
Therefore, after Yang Kai summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell and made it ring out, he was able to restore his own perception of time. However, he still hadn’t managed to cut off his connection with the Infinite Hourglass. As the Flowing Time Divine Sand continued trickling down, his remaining years of life would still rapidly leave him.
Yang Kai was unable to fully utilise the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but it was the same case for Wind Lord and the Infinite Hourglass. In this regard, both of them were even.
The bell continued ringing out as the invisible pressure permeated the hall, causing Wind Lord to feel extremely heavy, as though a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.
The ringing of the bell was able to suppress the world itself, such a statement best described the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
After activating the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Yang Kai managed to break free from the Infinite Hourglass’s disturbance and restored his perception of time.
Noticing this, Wind Lord stared at the bell for a moment before he sighed and said, “Grudges should be resolved rather than formed. You’ve killed many of the people from Demon Heavenly Dao, and I’ve made you suffer a setback. Why don’t we forget about what has happened today? We can part ways and never see one another again. What do you think?”
With the hourglass rendered ineffective, he wasn’t confident in dealing with an expert in the Dao of Space, unless Yang Kai insisted on battling against him until either party was killed instead of fleeing. If Yang Kai wanted to flee, he wouldn’t have any way to stop him.
He didn’t want to fight with Yang Kai. He was already satisfied that he had obtained the Infinite Hourglass from the Flowing Time Temple. As for those people from Demon Heavenly Dao who were killed, there had never been a lack of people who were killed in this world. They should feel honoured that they were able to sacrifice their lives for his Master’s goal.
“Sure,” Yang Kai replied in a hushed voice and put on a grin, “Put the hourglass down and cripple your cultivation. After that, I’ll let you go.”
Wind Lord narrowed his eyes and grinned wickedly, “Boy, this King is sincerely trying to make peace with you, but it doesn’t mean that I’m afraid of you. If you remain obstinate, this King will have no choice but to kill you.”
“Do it if you can,” Yang Kai lifted his hand and crooked his finger.
“Is there really no room for discussion?” Wind Lord stared grimly at him.
Yang Kai guffawed, “I’ve told you that we’re not even from the same side. Cut the nonsense, will you?”
Wind Lord took a deep breath and put on a helpless expression, “Since you insist on forcing me, you must pay the price.”
After he finished speaking, he raised the hourglass and pushed his Emperor Qi wildly, infusing as much power into it as possible.
Initially, the speed at which the Flowing Time Divine Sand trickled down inside the hourglass was neither fast nor slow. After a long battle, only half of the Divine Sand had reached the bottom of the hourglass. In other words, only four hundred years of Yang Kai’s life had been sucked away from him.
However, what Wind Lord had done was to accelerate the speed at which the sand fell. The other half of the sand reached the bottom in just a short moment.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but grunt as his blood gushed towards his throat and almost spurted out. Although he wasn’t hit by any external force, he had suffered a serious injury by losing four hundred years of his life in just a moment. He could also feel his vitality plummeting.
Wind Lord wasn’t done yet though. When the sand in the hourglass completely reached the bottom half, he flipped it upside down again before infusing more Emperor Qi into it. Grinning wickedly, he said, “How are you going to fight with me when I have this hourglass? This King was magnanimous enough to let you off, but do you seriously think this King has no way to deal with you?”
Having his life drained away from him was a terrible feeling. Furthermore, not only was this loss of life visible to the naked eye, but it could also be physically felt. Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t stay idle and wait for death. As the Mountains and Rivers Bell continued ringing, he disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already behind Wind Lord as he extended his free Dragon Claw towards him.
However, as though there were eyes behind Wind Lord’s head, he gently flapped the fan in his right hand, after which giant wind blades accurately slashed at Yang Kai.
Whizzing sounds were heard but Yang Kai didn’t dodge the attack. As a consequence, new wounds appeared on his huge claw, which was now covered in blood. In a resolute manner, he continued pushing forward. Wind Lord gritted his teeth as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so determined.
He was frustrated at the fact that Yang Kai’s body was so sturdy. His wind blades were extremely sharp and they were able to slash the average Emperor Realm Master to pieces; however, Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon form was extremely tough, so while his wind blades could cut his body, the wounds weren’t even bone deep.
At the critical moment, Wind Lord transformed into a breeze again and shot up into the sky. To his surprise though, he found the Mountains and Rivers Bell was falling down on him.
Yang Kai had been controlling the bell for some time now, so certainly he would do everything he could to stop Wind Lord from fleeing by turning into wind as he had done so before. As long as he could trap Wind Lord inside the bell, he had a hundred ways to torture him to death.
Naturally, Wind Lord wouldn’t get trapped easily, so he quickly changed direction and escaped from the bell’s suppression before reappearing on the other side of the hall.
The sand in the hourglass had completely reached the bottom half again. Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his three-hundred-metre figure shrank by thirty metres. His life was sucked out of him and his vitality had declined, which was why he was unable to fully maintain his Half-Dragon form anymore.
Nonetheless, he didn’t stop attacking as he seemed determined to bite off a piece of his opponent’s flesh even if he died in the process. Charging forward, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and launched a series of Moon Blades at his enemy.
Wind Lord infused more Qi into the hourglass, after which the Moon Blades abruptly stopped in front of him. Then, he nonchalantly walked away and stared at Yang Kai like the latter was a madman, “Are you really so eager to die?”
Yang Kai put on a hideous grin, “Suck all the life out of me if you can!”
Wind Lord’s brow twitched as he turned the hourglass over again. This time, the sand didn’t trickle down quickly as the speed became normal again.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to accelerate the sand, but rather that he couldn’t anymore. It had only been a hundred years since he obtained the hourglass, and although he had partially refined it, he was unable to fully utilise the treasure’s power. He had reached his limit by activating it twice, and he had paid a hefty price to do so.
Yang Kai had figured this out, which was why he appeared so fearless. He was a Third-Order Emperor, so he still had a few thousand years left to live. After the sand in the hourglass fully reached the other end, it meant that over eight hundred years of Yang Kai’s life had left him. Since the hourglass had been used twice, it meant losing some one thousand six hundred years in total. Taking the time that was stolen from him when he was flying across the Two Seasons Mountain Range into consideration as well, Yang Kai figured he still had many years left to live. It was unwise to battle against his opponent when his own life was draining away from him, but he had no other choice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it.
Seeing as Wind Lord had no other tricks, Yang Kai cackled, “You’re dead now!”
After Yang Kai finished speaking, his right eye suddenly turned black. It was the purest black as though his eye was able to devour everything in this world. The Demon Qi around him surged towards the sky as his aura no longer appeared weak.
Yang Kai’s loud but solemn voice reverberated around the hall, “Black Eye Purgatory, Infinite Darkness!”
This was one of Yang Kai’s trump cards, which was even more powerful than his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. In the past, he had gone through demonification when he was still in the Dao Source Realm and managed to escape unscathed after a battle with three Emperor Realm Masters using this technique, which went to show how powerful it was.
Despite that, there was a hefty price to pay. Every time Yang Kai used it, he would be at risk of becoming fully demonified.
When he used the Secret Technique in the past, he had to undo the seal on his dantian and release the Ancient Demon Qi from it; however, since Yang Kai reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm in the Demon Realm, he had become a true Demon and all his Emperor Qi had been transformed into Demon Qi. So, he didn’t have to unseal anything or worry about losing his mind anymore, so could use Infinite Darkness whenever he wanted.
Faced with a Pseudo-Great Emperor, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to lower his guard, which was why he directly used the Command Token at the beginning of the fight in an attempt to win the battle in one shot, but the outcome turned out to be different from what he had expected. The Great Emperor’s Divine Ability was offset by the Infinite Hourglass, rendering it ineffective. Next, Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but he still couldn’t defeat his enemy. Now, he was only left with Infinite Darkness, which was his last trump card.
Despite using his most powerful trump card, Yang Kai still wasn’t confident of defeating Wind Lord. Previously, he had killed a Half-Saint on his own in the Demon Realm, but that was because Yin Si’s injuries from the war on the Eternal Sky Continent still hadn’t healed, which gave him a chance to take advantage. Moreover, Yin Si was most proficient with Soul and Charm Techniques, which were all useless against Yang Kai. That was the real reason she was killed in the end.
However, it was a different case for Wind Lord as his injuries had completely healed since he had recuperated in this place for a hundred years prior. Although he had become fatigued from the battle, he was still in a much better state than Yin Si at the time.
Once Infinite Darkness was cast, the hall immediately fell into a pitch-black abyss. Not only was Wind Lord unable to see anything, but even his other senses had been sealed.
Wind Lord had never expected that Yang Kai was still able to use such a powerful technique at this point. Although he was slightly shocked, he remained unfazed as he quickly cast a technique to protect himself. With the hourglass in his left hand and his fan artifact in his right, he only needed to stay vigilant.
Just then, he suddenly sensed something and looked up. Although he couldn’t see anything, he could clearly feel that there was a huge black eye above him that was looking down at him in the darkness. This kind of invisible pressure made him feel anxious.
For some reason, he suddenly became alarmed and without thinking, he wielded the fan in his right hand and roared, after which a tornado shot out and turned into a huge and hideous Wind Dragon.
Yang Kai was charging forward when he saw the Wind Dragon approach, causing his brow to twitch as he thought to himself that it was truly difficult to deal with a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Supposedly, Wind Lord shouldn’t be able to see or perceive anything inside Infinite Darkness, but he could still accurately locate Yang Kai and know what the latter was doing, which went to show how extraordinary he was.
Such a person had fallen into Demon Heavenly Dao and become the Demons’ lackey, which was a shame.
Faced with the Wind Dragon, Yang Kai lifted his right hand and smashed the Mountains and Rivers Bell down at it. In silence, the Dragon’s head was blasted apart while its body turned into countless wind blades and shot out in all directions.
At that instant, sparks could be seen flaring on Yang Kai’s figure as the wind blades slashed at his Dragon Scales. Although the impact didn’t produce any sound, they were still incredibly powerful. Despite the fact that Yang Kai was in an advantageous position, he still suffered a setback. Many new cuts had been formed on his body, but he had also managed to reach a spot that was just ten metres above Wind Lord.
Given their close proximity, Yang Kai decided to raise his gigantic hand, which was right above Wind Lord’s head, and brought it down.
Wind Lord suddenly raised his head as though he was able to see the approaching palm. As he roared, he extended his hand to parry the attack. A gale gathered in the centre of his palm and turned into a humongous wind palm.
It was once again a silent clash. When their palms came into contact, Yang Kai’s figure arched backwards as though he was about to tumble away, but upon impact, Wind Lord also had no choice but to lower his body. It was a draw!
While Yang Kai clenched his teeth, Wind Lord was astounded.
Unlike how they kept dodging attacks earlier, this was a clash of pure power this time. Wind Lord could no longer remain nonchalant upon realising that a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master had just as much strength as he had.
Without stopping, he stabilised himself and charged towards the direction he just parried the attack, deciding to seize the initiative.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t back down. He widened his stance to stand firmly on the ground and pushed out a fist.
After this clash, both parties were sent flying back. In that instant, a Pseudo-Great Emperor and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master launched into a brutal melee inside the pitch-black hall.
Yang Kai wanted this kind of direct clash because Wind Lord was more powerful than he was and the latter had cultivated for a longer time. Moreover, Wind Lord had the Infinite Hourglass with him. If the battle dragged on, there was no hope for Yang Kai to win, so he welcomed what Wind Lord had done.
However, to Wind Lord, he had no other choice. Although the Infinite Hourglass was powerful, it was useless against Space Secret Techniques. His vision had been shaded and he could barely perceive anything, so it was difficult for him to locate Yang Kai. Presently, he was basically blind and deaf. He could only rely on the moments when he traded blows with Yang Kai to detect his faint aura. Without those moments, he would never be able to locate Yang Kai.
Therefore, he wouldn’t dare to back down and instead clashed head-on with Yang Kai in the hope that he could defeat his opponent in close quarters. At this moment, Demon Qi was swirling violently around their bodies, so it was apparent that they had fully unleashed their strength and were no longer holding anything back. Things had come to a point where one of them had to lose his life before the fight would end.
During the battle, Yang Kai kept using Dragon Clan Secret Techniques while Wind Lord rapidly sent out razor-sharp wind blades using his fan, which caused Yang Kai to go through excruciating pain.
Their intense battle caused the hall to turn into a mess. Fortunately, this was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s palace, the Flowing Time Temple. If it were just any other palace, the entire building would’ve collapsed already.
The battle raged on, but as time passed, both Yang Kai and Wind Lord’s attacks became weaker because this life-or-death fight had exhausted both of them.
A long time later, the darkness that had engulfed the hall faded and Wind Lord was able to see again. Turning around, he arched his brow and guffawed. Then, he pointed at Yang Kai and said lethargically, “Why persist?”
A hundred metres away, Yang Kai didn’t even seem able to support his own weight as he stood unsteadily. His entire body was drenched in blood and he looked completely battered. His Half-Dragon form had disappeared and his black hair had turned grey while his skin appeared dry. He didn’t look anything like a man in his twenties anymore. Presently, he looked like a tired old man in his late fifties.
During the battle, Yang Kai’s life kept draining away. Previously, he had lost two thousand years of his life, and coupled with the life he had lost in this battle, he felt as though he was reaching his predestined end. He knew that it wasn’t an illusion but a reality.
Perhaps he still had several dozen years left to live, but he was certain that it was fewer than a hundred years. This kind of damage was even more severe than the injuries on his body. Even if his Soul was wounded, it could still be healed; however, what Yang Kai was experiencing now was a fundamental loss of vitality and lifespan. Besides some rare treasures that could increase his lifespan, nothing in this world could cure him.
At this moment, Yang Kai could be said to be in a miserable state.
While Yang Kai was in misery, Wind Lord wasn’t much better off. His chest had caved in and his right arm had gone completely limp. The fan in his hand had gone missing and all his clothes were drenched in blood, which dripped onto the ground and formed a puddle even now.
Yang Kai was the only Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in this world who could severely injure a Pseudo-Great Emperor in single combat, so this was enough to be proud of himself.
Wind Lord shook his head repeatedly, “Is it worth it?”
Panting heavily, Yang Kai replied in a hoarse voice, “Of course!”
The Infinite Hourglass had significantly increased Wind Lord’s power, and if it fell into the hands of Can Ye, the consequences would be dreadful. Therefore, whatever cost Yang Kai had to pay, he had to kill Wind Lord and keep the hourglass in this palace.
After he finished speaking, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pushed out his fist. The speed at which he extended his fist was equivalent to that of a snail, and even a three-year-old child could dodge it with ease.
Wind Lord’s face twitched, “You’re insane!”
He also pushed out his fist. They had traded countless moves in the darkness earlier, so they were familiar with one another’s tactics by now.
Ten breaths later, their fists finally came into contact. With a loud boom, Wind Lord and Yang Kai spat blood at the same time, and following that, they were sent flying backwards until they crashed into the walls on opposite sides of the hall and slid down.
Wind Lord sat up with difficulty and pressed his back against the wall. After wiping the blood off his mouth, he stared at Yang Kai and grinned, “This King has won in the end. After you die, no one will ever find you here. You will have to travel to the Yellow Springs alone and forgotten.”
Both of them were practically on their last breaths, but Yang Kai’s life was still linked to the Infinite Hourglass. The sand in the hourglass was still trickling down, so Wind Lord only had to wait patiently until Yang Kai died of old age.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was in a state where he could do nothing but wait for death. That was why Wind Lord claimed that he had won. Although it was embarrassing that he had been beaten to within an inch of death by a Third-Order Emperor, the outcome was acceptable.
After Yang Kai passed away, he just had to continue recuperating and refining the Infinite Hourglass. When he managed to obtain the entire Flowing Time Temple and leave one day, he would be able to make a greater name for himself.
At this moment, Yang Kai had also pressed his back against the wall as he hung his head low. His hair had covered his eyes and he said in a low voice, “You’ve won? I don’t think so.”
Wind Lord scoffed, “Do you still have other tricks? Why don’t you show me? This King has no more power to resist. Just come over to give me a punch and this King will lose his life.”
Lifting his head, Yang Kai gazed at him through the hair on his forehead and grinned, “I don’t have any energy left to punch you, but you also can’t win this battle.”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pointed at Wind Lord.
After a loud neigh was heard, a sturdy beast with flaming hooves and a single horn on its head appeared. The beast looked like a horse, but it was much burlier than your average horse. Demon Qi could be seen swirling around its figure, and it appeared quite ferocious. Apparently, its power was equivalent to that of a Half-Saint.
Yang Kai didn’t only have three Half-Saints from the Demon Race with him, he also had Zhui Feng in the Small Sealed World. The reason he didn’t summon him earlier was that in Infinite Darkness, everyone else besides him would be affected by the technique. So, even if he summoned Zhui Feng, the beast would’ve become blind and deaf just like Wind Lord and the situation might’ve become worse.
However, it was different now. Just like Yang Kai, Wind Lord had used up all his energy, so now was the best time to release Zhui Feng to give his opponent a fatal blow.
Although Zhui Feng was a beast from the Demon Realm with low sentience, he was able to distinguish friends from foes. After taking a look at Yang Kai, he batted his eyes and turned to look at Wind Lord. In an instant, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his entire figure went ablaze. After a neigh, he hung his head low and charged towards Wind Lord.
At that instant, Wind Lord widened his eyes in disbelief.
He genuinely thought that the dust had settled and that he could definitely defeat Yang Kai by waiting for the latter to pass away; however, he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai was still able to summon such a beast! Although he couldn’t recognise Zhui Feng, he could detect a Half-Saint’s aura from it. Even if he came across such a beast when he was at his peak, it would still cause him a headache, to say nothing of the fact that he was barely able to lift his one good arm right now.
Seeing that Zhui Feng was about to ram into him as a glint flashed across the beast’s horn, Wind Lord knew that he would lose his life if he was struck. At this life-or-death moment, he bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence at the Infinite Hourglass.
The simple-looking hourglass suddenly shone brightly as the entire Flowing Time Temple started shaking and buzzing. The next moment, a light screen appeared out of thin air and surrounded Wind Lord.
With a loud boom, Zhui Feng crashed into the light screen and was sent flying back upon impact. At the same time, the palace shook more violently. It seemed that Zhui Feng had crashed into the Flowing Time Temple instead of a light curtain!
While Zhui Feng was still in mid-air, Wind Lord and Yang Kai stared at each other and bellowed, ““You sly/shameless bastard!””
Following that, they pressed their hands against their own chests and coughed violently as blood spewed out of their mouths.
After such a long time of battle, it had come to a point where both of them probably had to go accompany the other to the Yellow Springs. In the end, both still had a final trick up their sleeves. While Yang Kai thought that Wind Lord was shameless, Wind Lord thought that Yang Kai was sly.
However, they stopped after cursing at each other instantly because they had no more energy left. Be it Wind Lord or Yang Kai, it was the first time in their lives that they ended up in such a terrible state.
On the other side, Zhui Feng fell to the ground with a loud thud. After getting to his feet, he shook his head for a bit before he identified Wind Lord’s location and charged forward again.
A moment later, just like what had happened earlier, a loud boom was heard and Zhui Feng was sent flying back.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he realised that he was in deep trouble. He had held back his urge to release Zhui Feng previously because he wanted to use him to launch a surprise attack on Wind Lord at the most critical moment. He thought that he could definitely be victorious, but he hadn’t expected that Wind Lord also had one more trick up his sleeve.
The light screen activated from the Infinite Hourglass after Wind Lord spat his Blood Essence onto it, and was apparently impenetrable. Zhui Feng couldn’t even cause the slightest damage to it after ramming into it twice. It seemed that Zhui Feng was unable to break it. If the light screen couldn’t be broken, Wind Lord would survive, and that would mean the end for Yang Kai.
His life was still leaving him as the sand continued trickling down inside the hourglass, so he would be dead soon if this dragged on. Fleeing into the Small Sealed World was probably his last resort. The Small Sealed World was a world on its own. If Yang Kai entered it, he could probably cut off the connection with the hourglass; however, that remained only a possibility as he couldn’t be certain about something he had never tried before. Nevertheless, that was indeed his last resort.
Seated across from Yang Kai, Wind Lord burst into a fit of laughter.
A displeased Yang Kai gave him a cold look and said lethargically, “I’ll knock out all your teeth if you keep laughing.”
Wind Lord shook his head and replied in an equally weakened voice, “You’ll never be able to do that. The Infinite Hourglass isn’t just Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, it is also the control key for the entire Flowing Time Temple. This King has activated the power of the palace through the hourglass to protect me. Unless this beast can destroy the entire palace, no one will be able to harm me. Not even a Great Emperor!”
“Say that again if a Great Emperor really arrives at this place…” Yang Kai sneered.
Despite his mockery, he knew that Wind Lord was stating the truth. Lies were unnecessary at this point; moreover, Zhui Feng had rammed into the light screen twice earlier. Each time he did it, the entire palace would shake, which went to show that the light screen was indeed closely connected to the palace itself. Unless they could destroy the palace as a whole, they would never be able to harm Wind Lord. But how was Zhui Feng supposed to shatter the Flowing Time Temple? They were basically stuck in a deadlock.
As they spoke, Zhui Feng dashed forward for the third time.
Wind Lord gave the beast a dismissive look, “This beast is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, it has sided with the wrong person. Boy, don’t you worry, after you pass away, this King will have plenty of time to tame it.”
Wind Lord thought that Zhui Feng was just a mount Yang Kai had tamed. If he knew that Zhui Feng was Chang Tian’s former mount, he wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing. Although Chang Tian wasn’t technically a Demon Saint, he undoubtedly possessed the power of a Demon Saint.
How was Wind Lord supposed to tame a Demon Saint’s mount? Zhui Feng was friendly with Yang Kai because the latter had a Dragon Clan bloodline, but they were not Master and servant.
Right then, Zhui Feng reached Wind Lord. He had learned his lesson, so he didn’t ram into the light screen this time; instead, he raised his front hooves and forcefully stomped onto it. Given the power of his stomp, the light screen should have shattered even if it was as strong as a mountain. However, the light screen only dented slightly before it was restored to its original state.
By acting this way, Zhui Feng was spared from the fate of flying backwards again, only arching his back a little before stabilising himself and stomping forward again.
Every time his hooves came into contact with the light screen, the palace would rumble and a deafening thud would reverberate around the spacious hall.
Despite his best efforts, the light screen remained intact, completely incensing Zhui Feng. As he kept neighing, he repeatedly turned to look at Yang Kai as though he was asking for a solution from him.
Yang Kai had nothing to suggest unfortunately as his only hope was that Zhui Feng could break the light screen on his own.
After Zhui Feng stomped his hooves on the screen and caused the palace to shake one more time, an angry voice suddenly echoed around the palace, “It’s so noisy! Who dares… Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
“Open your eyes and look clearly!” Another person was heard speaking.
The first person was clearly a man, while the second voice belonged to a woman. Although she had only said a single sentence, her voice sounded melodious and rhythmic, as though she was humming a song.
Besides those in the hall, there were actually two more people in the palace!
Wind Lord widened his eyes in disbelief and bellowed, “Who goes there!?”
He vigilantly looked around and spread his Divine Sense to trace the voices, but he failed in his attempt to do so. Besides himself, he could only sense Yang Kai and the strange beast inside the hall.
Yang Kai also frowned even though he was aware that there were other people inside the palace. In fact, including Qiong Qi and Liu Yan, there should be four in total.
However, the voices of the man and the woman just now were different from any of the four people he knew. The voices didn’t belong to Liu Yan or Qiong Qi, and they certainly weren’t the voices of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue either.
Yang Kai couldn’t believe that there were even more people in the palace! Who were they? His heart sank as he felt that this issue had become thorny. If those two people had always been inside the palace, where were Yang Xiao and Yang Xue? Had Qiong Qi and Liu Yan fallen into deep sleep because of this unknown pair?
Although Zhui Feng’s sentience was low, his instincts were quite sharp, so when he heard the unfamiliar voices, he swiftly retreated and stood in front of Yang Kai. He swung his tail repeatedly and darted his gaze around as he perked up his ears, as though he had put his guard up high to protect Yang Kai.
After Wind Lord bellowed, he didn’t get any reply, which caused him to sport a solemn expression. After some deliberation, he asked, “Who are you? Why don’t you show yourselves?”
Although he was in a terrible state, he still remained aloof and arrogant because he had the confidence to act so. He had activated the power of the Flowing Time Temple through the hourglass, so he was protected. Unless someone could destroy the palace, no one would be able to harm him. Even though the unknown man and woman, who hadn’t shown up, seemed to be fairly strong, Wind Lord wasn’t a pushover. That was why he wasn’t afraid of them.
However, given the situation he was in, he would rather not make more enemies, so he decided to find out who these two were by forcing them to show themselves first before coming up with any plan.
After he asked these questions though, Wind Lord still didn’t get any reply, as though what he had just heard was an auditory hallucination, which caused him to knit his brow deeply. He turned to look at Yang Kai and Zhui Feng, but upon seeing their reactions, he knew he wasn’t hearing things. Yang Kai must have heard the voices as well; otherwise, he wouldn’t be showing such an expression.
Wind Lord frowned and said grimly, “Show yourselves!”
Inside a hall in the deepest part of the palace, there was a mirror that was as large as a tub. The mirror wasn’t something physical though and seemed to have been created by some Secret Technique. In the mirror was reflected the image of Yang Kai, Wind Lord, and Zhui Feng. At this moment, the unknown man and the woman were looking down at what was happening in the other hall.
These two looked quite young, with the man appearing about sixteen or seventeen years old while the woman appeared no older than twenty. The man was tall and handsome, his long hair the purest of white, tied up in a neat ponytail. His demeanour was elegant and he gave off an amiable feeling.
On the other hand, the woman was clad in a long yellow dress. She was slim and attractive with red lips and a delicate nose. Her skin was as white as snow, and her jet black hair hung loosely over her shoulders.
By just standing there, they were quite a sight to behold.
At this moment, the young woman was staring fixedly at the person in the mirror. Seeing Yang Kai’s face that had aged so much, along with his hair that had turned completely grey, she felt her eyes turning bloodshot as tears streamed down her face.
The young man beside her had white hair as well, but unlike Yang Kai, he was born with such a hair colour. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s grey hair was a sign that most of his vitality had left him, and he was rapidly approaching his predestined time of death. Although the young woman hadn’t really ventured into the martial world, she had a fairly powerful cultivation, which was why she understood just what she was seeing.
Her eyes had reddened and she was tearing up because she felt sorry for Yang Kai. In the next moment though, she became furious and shifted her attention to Wind Lord, who was leaning against the wall, her alluring eyes filling with murderous intent.
The young man beside her was staring at the mirror as well, but his forehead was drenched in cold sweat as though he had just come across a ghost. At the same time, he kept muttering, “I’m dead… I’m so dead…” Then, he started pacing around as if it was the end of the world for him. All of a sudden, his gaze brightened as he turned to look at the young woman, “Ahem… you can handle everything here… I’ll take my leave!”
After he finished speaking, he moved and broke through space into the Void in an attempt to flee.
The young woman lifted her slender hand in a practised manner, however, and accurately pinched the young man’s ear before yanking him back.
The young man crouched down in pain and said aggrievedly, “Stop, stop! Can’t we talk about this? If you need anything, just tell me about it and I’ll do it for you without even batting an eye! Please have mercy and stop pinching my ear! I’m a member of the Dragon Clan! If word gets out, it will bring great shame to me and the Dragon Clan as well!”
Both of them appeared to be of a similar age, but the young man behaved like he was a Junior to the young woman, who didn’t find it awkward at all as though this was how it was supposed to be. After hearing what he had said, she gave him a look and pointed at Wind Lord in the mirror, “I want him to beg for death!”
The young man batted his eyes, “That’s it?”
“Can you do it or not?” The young woman demanded.
The young man patted his chest confidently and declared, “Leave it to me!”
After that, he flashed a fawning smile at the young woman, who stared at him for a moment before releasing his ear.
After regaining his freedom, the young man rubbed his ear and cursed at Wind Lord, who was inside the mirror. He was clenching his teeth as if he had shifted all the blame to Wind Lord for the pain he had suffered.
A moment later, he put on a smile and let out a breath before saying, “It’s said that Dao changes everything, be it for better or for worse. Everything in this world is inconstant, including Humans.”
After he finished speaking, he took a step forward and directly entered the mirror. As a ripple spread across its surface, the young man disappeared from the room. The next moment, he appeared in the hall and stood in front of Wind Lord.
The young man was handsome and his smile appeared harmless. Wind Lord was flabbergasted because from his perspective, the young man appeared too abruptly, as though he just walked out of the Void with no signs prior to that.
Wind Lord narrowed his eyes and stared at the young man warily, given that even with his cultivation, he still wasn’t able to gauge how powerful this young man was. Other than the fact that he himself was in a terrible state currently, it also went to show that the young man before him was truly extraordinary.
The young man’s voice was identical to the one that had reverberated around the hall earlier, so Wind Lord could confirm that this young man was the one who spoke earlier. With a solemn expression, he intended to inquire about his identity, but the young man didn’t give him a chance. Keeping a faint smile on his face, the young man extended his hand and said lightly, “Don’t you feel ashamed for stealing someone else’s stuff? It’s time you returned what doesn’t belong to you to its rightful owner!”
His expression was nonchalant, as though he was facing a powerless scholar instead of a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and his movement appeared so effortless it was as if he was just bending over to pick a flower.
The young man’s fair hand easily penetrated the light screen, which Zhui Feng was unable to damage one bit no matter how hard he tried and snatched the Infinite Hourglass from Wind Lord’s palm.
Wind Lord was astonished because the hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, which was what he heavily relied on in this place. It was also an item that could be used to control the entire Flowing Time Temple. He had used his Blood Essence to activate the power of the palace to protect himself earlier, so even if a Great Emperor appeared, he shouldn’t have been able to harm him unless he could destroy the palace as a whole.
Wind Lord had told Yang Kai as such before, and it was the truth; however, he hadn’t expected that a young man would appear out of thin air, taunt him lightly, then ignore the protective light screen and snatch the Infinite Hourglass right out of his hand.
What just happened was more terrifying for Wind Lord than if a Great Emperor had actually arrived. Even though a Great Emperor was immensely powerful, it was still possible to make sense of their methods; however, the young man didn’t exude any aura when he extended his hand just now, which was why Wind Lord was lost as to how the young man had achieved what he had.
While he was in a dazed state, he realised that the weight on his left palm was gone as the hourglass had disappeared. Looking up, he saw that the young man had straightened up and the hourglass was now in his hand. Presently, the young man was curiously studying the hourglass.
At that instant, Wind Lord felt a chill running down his spine and he was drenched in cold sweat, like his blood had all frozen solid.
“So, this is the Infinite Hourglass…” The young man fiddled with it for a moment and pursed his lips. Then, he nonchalantly chucked the hourglass over his shoulder as though he was throwing away a piece of trash.
Following that, the young man’s expression changed as he turned from gentle into ferocious. Stomping his foot on Wind Lord’s chest, he bellowed, “So, you’re the one who disturbed this Young Master’s peace. Don’t you know this place already has an owner? Did you even get this Young Master’s permission before entering? How dare you come here without my permission? You bastard! I’ll stomp you to death!”
As the young man cursed, he kept mercilessly trampling on Wind Lord.
Wind Lord was dumbfounded. He had already exhausted himself when he activated the power of the palace earlier, but the young man easily passed through the light barrier and was now stomping on him like a hoodlum while he became paralysed on the ground.
He was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, but at this moment, he was like a thug on the streets who had just lost a brawl. Wind Lord had curled up on the ground to protect his vital organs as he could not stop the young man from kicking him. A moment later, he spat a mouthful of blood as he was covered in shoe prints. It was an understatement to say that he was in a sorry state. Presently, he felt both confusion and shame as he couldn’t help but wonder who the young man was.
He had stayed in this place for nearly a hundred years to recuperate and refine the Infinite Hourglass, but he had never realised that there were other people inside this palace. Moreover, the young man had declared that he was taking back what rightfully belonged to him, as though the hourglass belonged to him. However, the hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, so how was it possible that this young man was its owner?
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well. The young man appeared abruptly and took the hourglass effortlessly before violently kicking Wind Lord. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, but before he understood what was going on, he saw a young woman appear in front of him.
The young woman nonchalantly caught the hourglass, which was thrown away by the young man earlier. It seemed that the young man knew she was around, which was why he chucked it in that direction. Although they didn’t talk to each other, this incident showed how well they knew one another.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state. The young woman’s eyes were drenched in tears and she was staring at him with her lips pressed together tightly, as though she was trying to suppress her sorrow. What made Yang Kai fall into a dazed state wasn’t her expression, however, but rather her face.
He found the young girl familiar, as if he had met her before, but he couldn’t recall where. However, he was certain that the young woman wasn’t hostile to him; instead, she gave off an incredibly warm feeling, as though she was a family member instead of a stranger.
Zhui Feng neighed and charged forward as he had no idea what was going on. Seeing that the young woman had appeared out of nowhere, he thought that she was going to harm Yang Kai, which was why he had to protect him.
“Stop!” Yang Kai pressed his hand against his chest and shouted.
Zhui Feng understood Human language, so he immediately stopped in his tracks as he darted his gaze between the young woman and Yang Kai. Then, he obediently stood beside Yang Kai, but he remained vigilant to prevent any unwanted outcome.
“You are…” Yang Kai examined the young woman and increasingly believed that he had met her somewhere before, but he just couldn’t recall where. Nevertheless, he just had to ask her to find out.
The young woman parted her lips, but before she could speak, she started tearing up. Just like pearls that had slid off the string, her tears dropped onto the ground as her shoulders trembled. She also covered her mouth in an attempt to prevent herself from sobbing out loud.
However, she failed in her attempt to do so and she started wailing, her tears streaming down her face and falling onto the ground.
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter as he said, “Just let it all out…”
Upon hearing this, the young woman stopped suppressing her sorrow and bawled loudly, calling out through her tears, “Big Brother…”
Yang Kai batted his eyes and thought that he had heard it wrong, or that the young woman had mistaken him for someone else. There was indeed someone in this world who called him ‘Big Brother’, and she was supposed to be in the Flowing Time Temple as well; however, that person was just a little girl when she came to this place. It had indeed been a few years since then, but it was impossible that she had grown to be such an attractive young woman.
When that idea flashed across his mind, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and examined her again. For some reason, he felt that this young woman took after his parents. Her petite nose was identical to that of his Father, while her delicate brow was strikingly similar to those of his Mother. It could even be said that her face resembled that of Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai’s pupils contracted as he gulped and said in disbelief, “Xue’er?”
The young woman nodded repeatedly, which caused her tears to sprinkle even more, and she replied in a shaking voice, “En, I’m Xue’er! I’m Xue’er! Big Brother…”
She became agitated and sobbed uncontrollably after Yang Kai recognised her. Then, she fell to one knee in an attempt to hug Yang Kai, but seeing that he was in an awful state, she held back her urge. Instead, she cupped his face and muttered, “Big Brother, I missed you… and Father… and Mother…”
Feeling the warmth of her hands, Yang Kai became astounded as though he was in a dream.
Yang Xue was nothing more than a little girl when she entered the Four Seasons Realm a few years ago. Supposedly, she should be ten years old now, which would still make her a child.
Nevertheless, the young woman in front of Yang Kai didn’t look anything like a ten years girl.
The question was, how was this possible?
The way the young woman called Yang Kai ‘Big Brother’ tugged at his heartstrings. Every time he returned to his home, a little girl would call him that in the same clear voice, which could easily make him feel joyful.
Yang Kai trusted his own feelings. The young woman before his eyes shared the same bloodline as him, and this kind of familial bond couldn’t be faked by anyone.
Therefore, he was absolutely certain that the woman before his eyes was the one that would always ask him to play with her whenever he came home, and would always see him off with tears and stare at him longingly whenever he had to leave. She was his one and only Sister, Yang Xue!
Yang Kai put on a smile, which affected his wounds, so his smile looked uglier than if he was crying before he asked in shock, “Why have you…”
He wanted to ask her why she had grown up all of a sudden, but he soon recalled what had happened to Wind Lord. He had practically stepped into the Flowing Time Temple right after Wind Lord, but when he arrived at this place, Wind Lord had already stayed here for a hundred years. During this period of time, Wind Lord had fully recovered and partially refined the Infinite Hourglass.
Judging from Wind Lord’s case, it seemed that Time Principles affected the flow of time itself in the palace, making them different from those in the outside world. Perhaps it was due to the palace’s own power, or a mysterious Secret Technique was involved.
Since it had happened to Wind Lord, how long had Yang Xiao and Yang Xue stayed here? They had only entered this place a few years ago from the perspective of the outside world, but in here?
Yang Kai decided to ask in a different way, “How old are you now?”
Yang Xue continued sobbing as she replied, “I don’t know, but we’ve been cultivating here for five hundred years…”
[Five hundred years…] Yang Kai felt speechless when he heard this. It was no wonder that the little girl had turned into a woman all of a sudden and she immediately teared up upon seeing him.
Five hundred years were long enough for her to grow up. She had left home as a child and cultivated in isolation for five hundred years, which was why she couldn’t stop her tears from sliding down her face when she saw her dearest family member. Although Yang Kai frequently left home, and sometimes he’d be held up in the outside world for a long time, the longest he had ever been away for had not exceeded fifty years; hence, the idea that Yang Xue had stayed here for five hundred years was inconceivable. In fact, it had only been over a hundred years since Yang Kai started cultivating.
“Stop crying,” Yang Kai lifted his hand to wipe the tears off her face, but his attempt was futile as her tears just wouldn’t stop streaming down her face, “You’re already five hundred years old, why do you still behave like a child?”
He suddenly pulled a funny face for her.
This was what he always did for the little girl back then and it always brought a smile to her face.
As expected, Yang Xue burst into laughter while her eyes were still drenched in tears. Those were tears of joy. Torn between laughter and tears, she said, “I’m no longer a child. I’m even older than you…”
Staring at Yang Kai’s aged face and grey hair, she realised that he was probably several thousand years old now, so she was still younger than her Big Brother. As a result, she started bawling again.
Yang Kai stroked her head and shifted her attention by saying, “Since you’ve already grown up, is that Xiao’er over there?”
After that, he turned his head and pointed in that direction.
Certainly, he had seen the young man appear just now, but he didn’t have any special feelings at that time. He was just shocked that there were other people in this palace; however, Yang Kai was in an awful state, so he didn’t have the heart to care about such things at the moment. He was simply elated to see that the young man had gone over to deal with Wind Lord.
Now that Yang Xue’s identity had been confirmed, it was apparent who the young man was. Yang Xiao was a White Dragon and he was born with a head of white hair. This feature would never change, so this young man must indeed be the boy Yang Kai knew.
Without turning her head, Yang Xue stared at her Big Brother and replied in a choking voice, “En en, he’s Xiao’er.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Both of you have grown up.”
Suddenly recalling something, he snorted as his face twitched.
Across from them, Yang Xiao kept kicking Wind Lord until the latter spat blood and became limp on the ground. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, Wind Lord had never been humiliated in such a way before. He wanted to resist, but he was powerless to do so. He had used up all his energy in his battle against Yang Kai and the hourglass had been taken away from him. Even a Dao Source Realm Master would be capable of defeating him with ease now, not to mention that the one beating him was Yang Xiao.
Although Yang Xiao acted ferociously, he made sure not to kill Wind Lord directly, which was why the latter wasn’t at risk of losing his life despite the fact that he was completely battered.
After Yang Xiao finished beating Wind Lord up like a thug, he turned around and sported a solemn expression before cupping his fists at Yang Kai, “Greetings, Adoptive Father. Xiao’er cannot express his joy at seeing you again in this palace.”
A gratified Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “En, good son. Come over and let me have a proper look at you.”
Yang Xiao batted his eyes and replied hesitantly, “Yes…”
He then slowly shuffled towards Yang Kai.
Following that, he bowed and said, “Adoptive Father, just tell me what you want me to do. Xiao’er is a man now so he will do his utmost to be of assistance.”
Yang Kai examined him and nodded his head repeatedly with a gratified expression, “Good, good. Both of you have grown up splendidly. I am glad you are both well.”
Although he was certain that it was a great opportunity for these two children to have entered the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Kai was still worried because Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance was involved. Seeing that they had grown up to be fine young adults, he could finally put down his worries.
Yang Kai could also cast away the worries of the two Elders from the Dragon Clan and his own parents.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s caring words, Yang Xiao felt his eyes reddening as he was moved. In a loving voice, he called out, “Father…”
Although he was a member of the Dragon Clan, he was actually hatched by Yang Kai. After that, he also left Dragon Island with him. Compared to his own parents, he found himself closer to Yang Kai.
Leaning against the wall, Yang Kai beckoned to him and said in a weakened voice, “Come closer.”
Yang Xiao took a few steps forward and leaned closer to Yang Kai. While he was unsuspecting, Yang Kai directly landed a fist on his head, which prompted him to cover his head and stagger backward. With an aggrieved expression, he asked, “Adoptive Father, why did you hit me?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Why do you think?”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze around and grinned, “En, Adoptive Father must be thinking that my cultivation is not good enough, so you decided to encourage me to work harder! Don’t worry, Xiao’er will remember Adoptive Father’s teachings and will strive to not disappoint you!”
Certainly, Yang Xiao knew why Yang Kai had hit him. Before he showed up, he had cursed at the people in the hall, so even though he didn’t mean to, he had also cursed Yang Kai. It was unforgivable for a son to curse his father. That was why right after he showed up, he went over to deal with Wind Lord and why he was hesitant when Yang Kai told him to come over. It was also the reason Yang Kai had hit him.
Given the state Yang Kai was in, there should have been no way he could hit Yang Xiao. It was just that Yang Xiao didn’t dodge it. The punch basically served as a lesson for Yang Xiao and the matter was thus over. Certainly, he understood that.
After taking the punch, Yang Xiao put on a smirk as he had set his mind at ease. Then, he asked, “Adoptive Father, how did you come in? Old Qiong said that no one else could come in besides him. He’s so unreliable! By the way, who is that guy over there? He seems powerful but he had only spat some blood after he was beaten up. His cultivation and figure…”
“Shut up!” Yang Xue shot him a glare.
Yang Xiao immediately shut his mouth and did a zipping gesture as though he had stitched up his mouth using an invisible force.
“Big Brother, I’ll heal you now.” Yang Xue supported his weight and made him sit up before brushing away the tears on her face. After she was interrupted by Yang Xiao, she stopped crying, but her eyes had still become swollen.
Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile, “I’m fine. You don’t have to help me.”
The damage he had suffered was no ordinary injury. His life had been drained away, so ordinary methods would be of no use to him. If he wanted to live longer, he had to save himself by achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation. Only by doing so could he hope to lengthen his life.
He could also look for some treasures that could extend his life. Given High Heaven Palace’s power, it wouldn’t be so difficult to collect such items, but there was a limit as to how many years could be added to his life using those treasures. Now, all Yang Kai could hope for was to try to break through to the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm during his limited lifetime.
Yang Xue, however, shook her head and declared, “Big Brother, don’t worry. I can heal you.”
Yang Kai was stunned, but seeing the look of confidence on her face, he didn’t have the heart to turn her down. So, he simply nodded, “Good. Show Big Brother what you’ve cultivated in the past five hundred years.”
Yang Xue flashed a smile at him and declared, “I won’t disappoint you.”
After she finished speaking, she sat down with her legs crossed in front of Yang Kai and held the hourglass in her left palm. Then, she performed different hand seals with her right hand as her Emperor Qi surged.
Yang Kai arched his brow, “You’re already a First-Order Emperor!?”
It took Yang Xue five hundred years to reach the First-Order Emperor Realm, which while it couldn’t be considered the fastest as Yang Kai had reached the same realm much quicker, it was already much better compared to most Emperor Realm Masters.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression was transformed by shock as Yang Xue exuded a very familiar Principle Strength. Under the influence of this Principle Strength, his perception became blurred again.
“Time Principles?” Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief.
He wouldn’t have been so surprised if it was Yang Xiao who exuded this Principle Strength as in the past, Yang Xiao had showcased an innate talent for Time Principles, which was why Qiong Qi took the initiative to bring him to enter the Four Seasons Realm so that Yang Xiao could receive Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance.
However, Yang Kai was shocked that Yang Xue had also cultivated Time Principles. Moreover, it appeared that her mastery of Time Principles was outstanding!
Not just anyone could cultivate Time Principles as it was even more esoteric than Space Principles. In a sense, it was actually more difficult to cultivate Time Principles than Space Principles. Yang Xiao had some kind of bloodline talent for Time Principles, but why was Yang Xue also able to cultivate them as well? Whatever the reason, both of them had taken advantage of their own opportunities in this palace over the past five hundred years. This was something others couldn’t even ask for or be envious of.
Yang Kai felt a little lost in his heart, not because the little girl had turned into a woman and her cultivation had become powerful, but because he realised that he really hadn’t taken care of his Little Sister and protected her as a Big Brother should. When Yang Xue was still a child, he hadn’t even spent a lot of time by her side.
In the blink of an eye, not only had she grown up to be a mature young lady, but she was also able to heal him and support him now.
When Yang Xiao appeared and took the Infinite Hourglass away from Wind Lord, the connection between Yang Kai and the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact had been cut off; however, when Yang Xue performed her set of hand seals, he was reconnected to the hourglass.
The connection couldn’t be seen or touched, but it could be clearly felt. It was as though his life now was tied to the hourglass.
Yang Xue didn’t turn the hourglass upside down like how Wind Lord did though; instead, she only pointed two fingers at the item. In an instant, the ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand inside the hourglass trembled before breaking through the container’s barrier and changing into a stream that swirled above Yang Kai’s head.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was dumbfounded. What was happening suggested that Yang Xue was able to activate the power of this Great Emperor Legacy Artifact, but he couldn’t detect any traces that she had refined this hourglass before. How had she managed to achieve this?
Moreover, the hourglass had been in Wind Lord’s hands and he had to spend a hundred years refining it before he could even partially activate it. On the other hand, it seemed that Yang Xue had a significant advantage over Wind Lord in this regard.
After swirling around three times, the sand streamed into Yang Kai’s body through his head, as though it was intangible.
Yang Kai shuddered, and following that, he was over the Moon because when the ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand rushed into his head, he could feel that his lost lifespan was returning to him in a rapid manner.
Lifting his hand, he saw that firmness had been restored to his skin and his physique began filling out as well, and this was just the transformation he could see with his bare eyes. Within his body, he realised that he had regained his strength and all his organs became vibrant again.
At that instant, he couldn’t help but start laughing heartily. He had used up all his energy and almost set off on the road to the Yellow Springs together with Wind Lord. At that time, he didn’t worry too much as he just thought that he mustn’t let Wind Lord bring the hourglass out of the palace. He wouldn’t mind it even if he had to lose his life to achieve this goal.
However, after the dust settled, Yang Kai naturally started feeling terrified. It wasn’t that he was afraid of death per se, but if he passed away, what would happen to the Sealed World Bead? How would they continue devouring the Demon Realm? What about the trillions of lives in the Star Boundary? He was also worried about his friends and family.
That was the reason he was terrified. Now that he was able to get back his life through the Flowing Time Divine Sand, he didn’t have to worry that his time was up in this world anymore.
With the return of his lifespan, Yang Kai’s injuries seemed to heal as well and soon he ceased looking like he was about to die. On the contrary, he appeared quite energetic.
Yang Xue appeared diligent as a layer of sweat had formed on her brow. It was apparent that using this technique cost her quite some energy. One hour later, her figure started trembling slightly and her face had turned pale. Following that, she used a different set of hand seals and at that instant, Yang Kai felt extremely itchy, as very fine particles began streaming out of his body. Upon closer inspection, he realised that it was the Flowing Time Divine Sand.
Following Yang Xue’s guidance, all ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand returned to the hourglass. She let out a breath and waved her hand, after which a mirror appeared in front of Yang Kai and reflected his current appearance. As she giggled, she asked, “Big Brother, are you happy with how you look now?”
Yang Kai stared at the mirror and examined himself carefully. There were some changes to his face, but they were negligible, as if he was just five or six years older than before. Nevertheless, his hair was slightly grey, which made him look more mature than he was.
Yang Xue said after a sigh, “This is the best I can do for now. After Xiao’er and I fully refine the hourglass, we’ll help you recover all your lost life.”
“This is good enough,” Yang Kai said, satisfied with the result. He was about to die of old age just now, but his vitality had been almost fully restored, so he was more than happy. At the same time, he was shocked by Yang Xue’s capabilities. Nevertheless, he knew that it must be the power of the hourglass rather than her own capabilities. The power of the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact was indeed inscrutable. Wind Lord had probably only activated a tiny fraction of its true power.
Then, he asked, “How many years of my life are still missing?”
Yang Xue’s eyes turned moist again when she heard that, and then she replied gently, “A few hundred years.”
She appeared to be deep in self-blame. If she worked harder in the past, she could have gotten back all of her Big Brother’s stolen life just now. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t strong enough and hadn’t fully refined the hourglass yet.
Yang Kai, however, guffawed and patted her head, “Just leave it. I’m glad that I’m now older than you by a few hundred years. No Big Brother in this world is younger than his own Younger Sister,” After he finished speaking, he attempted to get to his feet.
“Big Brother, don’t move yet. Let me examine you to see whether you’ve suffered from any hidden injuries.” Yang Xue pressed him down and turned to look at Wind Lord, who was still curled up on the ground. As she narrowed her alluring eyes, a murderous intent flashed across her gaze, “Leave him to Xiao’er and me.”
It was the first time Yang Kai saw his Little Sister becoming so fierce. When she was still a child, even if she was annoyed, she would only pout to pretend that she was angry, which made her look adorable. Now that she had grown up and revealed real murderous intent, it was difficult for Yang Kai to get used to it.
After all, she was his Little Sister, so he still adored her very much. Upon hearing her words though, he replied with a smile, “En. But don’t kill him. I still need him alive.”
Yang Xue turned around and flashed a smile at him, “Don’t worry. As long as I want him to live, he won’t die even if he wants to.”
She then looked up at Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao said with a grin, “Little Aunt, say no more.”
He balled up his fists and cracked his knuckles before shuffling towards Wind Lord.
Wind Lord felt cold all over his body and his legs had turned to jelly. Although he was in a terrible state already, he was still able to hear. After listening to the conversation between the three people inside the hall, he knew that the young man and young woman were Yang Kai’s allies.
His situation was best described as when it rained, it poured. He had used up all his energy and the Infinite Hourglass had been taken away from him, which stripped him of the palace’s protection. Now that there were two more powerful enemies, there was no way he was able to win.
He was still traumatised from the beating just now, so when he saw Yang Xiao walking over with a wicked smile, he quickly shouted, “You can kill me but not humiliate me! Kill this King so he may advance ahead of you to the Yellow Springs!”
Yang Xiao grinned wickedly and taunted, “Hey, waste, didn’t you hear what Little Aunt just said? If she wants you to live, you won’t be able to die even if you want to.”
Then, he bent over and extended his hand before lifting Wind Lord with ease. On the other hand, Yang Xue didn’t even turn her head as she extended a finger, after which a beam of light shot out of it and hit Wind Lord.
Wind Lord’s expression instinctively changed as he thought that she wanted to kill him, but he soon set his mind at ease. Now that he had fallen into their hands, he would rather die than be shamed.
However, when the beam of light shot into his body, he was shocked. That was because the profound power within the light didn’t harm him; instead, it was actually beneficial to him as he could clearly feel his wounds healing rapidly. The injuries caused by Yang Xiao had been cured and he had regained some energy.
Nevertheless, after several attempts, he still wasn’t able to struggle out of Yang Xiao’s grip. Yang Xiao flashed a smile at him and said, “The good show is about to begin. Enjoy yourself.” After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and hurled Wind Lord to the ground.
As a member of the Dragon Clan, Yang Xiao was born with immense physical strength, and after cultivating in the Flowing Time Temple for five hundred years, he had obtained Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance, so he could already be considered one of the top cultivators in this world. Following his move, a loud thud was heard as Wind Lord’s back came into contact with the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood as his back literally cracked.
Yang Xiao inched forward as his fists turned into illusory phantoms before he began raining down punches on Wind Lord.
He didn’t expend a lot of power, as he only used a bit of his brute force, but that was still able to inflict excruciating pain upon Wind Lord with every blow while not dealing enough damage to kill him outright. Soon, Wind Lord became half-dead and could hardly even breathe.
Fortunately, as a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he was pretty sturdy; otherwise, he would’ve been beaten to death already.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao made sure that Wind Lord remained on the edge of losing his life. If he really killed him, he wouldn’t be able to help his Adoptive Father and Little Aunt vent their anger.
After Yang Xiao stopped, Yang Xue shot out a light from her finger again and infused it into Wind Lord’s body. Just like what had happened earlier, the wounds on Wind Lord’s body healed and he regained some strength again, but rather than feeling happy, he only felt terror.
“Come on!” Yang Xiao bellowed and pounced on him before beating him up again.
Yang Kai was shocked as well. Yang Xue had shot out a light twice and caused such a significant transformation to Wind Lord. Despite his acute vision, he still wasn’t able to see through the secrets behind it. With a frown, he asked, “Is that a Healing Technique?”
Yang Xue kept staring at her Big Brother without blinking her eyes as though she could never watch him enough. Upon hearing his question though, she replied with a smile, “It’s not a Healing Technique, but it has the same effect.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s Time Reversal.” Seeing that Yang Kai was interested to find out more, Yang Xue explained it to him with joy, “In the past, Uncle Qiong Qi wanted to bring Xiao’er to enter the Four Seasons Realm. He said that Xiao’er was gifted and born suited to cultivate the Dao of Time, so he wanted Xiao’er to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance. At that time, I was still a mischievous child, so I insisted on coming with Xiao’er. Uncle Qiong Qi couldn’t dissuade me, so he finally agreed to it. Big Sister Liu Yan decided to tag along to protect us, which was why she also came to this place.”
After explaining why they were all here, she went on to narrate, “Xiao’er is indeed gifted and the best person to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance, but he was naughty and impatient. Fortunately, I was around, so I would always play with him. A long time later, I missed our parents and you, so I wanted to go out; however, it was easy to get into the Four Seasons Realm but difficult to leave, so I was trapped here. At that point, Big Sister Liu Yan decided to teach me how to cultivate, so I focused on it and my cultivation gradually improved. One day, Xiao’er and I were talking about our own progress in cultivation, and I realised that what he had cultivated was somehow easy for me to understand. After finding out about it, Uncle Qiong Qi was greatly surprised. After some tests, he realised that I could also cultivate the Great Emperor’s inheritance. Since then, I had started cultivating the Dao of Time with Xiao’er until now; however, the aspects we study are different. Xiao’er focuses on the future while I’m better at controlling the past.”
As she spoke, she lifted a finger and shot a light at Wind Lord, who had just been tortured to the brink of death by Yang Xiao. Upon receiving the light, his injuries had been healed again. With a grin, Yang Xue said, “Just like that. In a way, I can turn back the hands of time. His current condition is just like after he finished battling against Big Brother earlier.”
The studies of the past and the future were also the studies of the Dao of Time. Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance had apparently been divided into two parts. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had comprehended each of the two parts and they had excelled in their respective fields, so they could be considered Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples.
It was because Yang Xue had cultivated the power of the past that she was able to reverse time to a certain extent, just like what she had done to both Wind Lord and Yang Kai.
Making use of the Infinite Hourglass’s power, she was able to help Yang Kai get back the life he had lost, which was a kind of time reversal as well.
It was also thanks to the hourglass that she was able to restore Wind Lord’s condition to a certain point in the past.
Seeing that Yang Kai was stunned, Yang Xue burst into laughter and said, “Although it’s a powerful technique, there are many limitations. Given my strength, I’m still not able to bring the dead back to life. I also can’t heal wounds that are too severe.”
She seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s thoughts, which was why she explained it to him.
It was then Yang Kai who nodded his head. When he heard that she was able to reverse time, the first idea that sprang into his mind was resurrection. If Time Principles were so powerful, she would be able to use Time Reversal and resurrect anyone who happened to lose their life in front of her. In that case, this kind of power would be invaluable.
However, after hearing Yang Xue’s explanation, Yang Kai realised that it was nothing more than a pipe dream. If Time Principles were so Heaven-defying, Flowing Time Great Emperor wouldn’t have passed away. As someone who had mastered Time Principles, he should have been able to live as long as the Heavens.
Although cultivation was Heaven-defying in and of itself, cultivators still had to live within the will of the Heavens. It was beyond a cultivator’s capabilities to interfere in matters regarding life and death.
Yang Xue went on to explain, “It’s because Xiao’er and I have cultivated the Great Emperor’s inheritance that we’re able to control this thing.” She pointed at the hourglass in her hand.
When Yang Xiao appeared just now, he was able to take the hourglass away from Wind Lord with ease. On the other hand, there were no signs that Yang Xue had refined the hourglass, but she was able to activate the power within it. Everything had to do with the fact that they had cultivated in this place for a few hundred years.
They had cultivated Flowing Time Great Emperor’s orthodoxical inheritance, and the Infinite Hourglass was the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, which was left here for his inheritors. That was the reason they were able to use it with ease. Wind Lord was completely no match for them in this regard despite the fact that he had refined the hourglass here for a hundred years.
Speaking of the hourglass, Yang Xue appeared quite guilty, “Xiao’er and I have always known that this thing was in the palace; however, in the past, Uncle Qiong Qi told us that we should only take the treasure after we achieved some success in our cultivation. I never expected that it would make Big Brother suffer one day.”
“This isn’t your fault. It was just my fate,” Yang Kai waved his hand. Earlier, he still blamed Qiong Qi for leaving the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact there, which allowed someone else to snatch it. He had also suffered a setback because of this artifact, but looking back, he realised that Qiong Qi’s actions were proper. The Infinite Hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, and although it was meant for his inheritors, it would be terrible for the cultivation process of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue if they had obtained it too soon. Only by solidifying their foundations could they obtain the treasure and use it with ease. If they got this hallowed treasure when their cultivation was still weak, they could lose themselves to the treasure’s power or become over-reliant on it, which would negatively affect their growth.
With a frown, Yang Xue turned to look at Wind Lord, who was being beaten up by Yang Xiao yet again, and she asked in puzzlement, “Big Brother, do you know how that person got into the palace and refined this hourglass?”
Supposedly, the Flowing Time Temple had been sealed off. Unless they opened the door from inside, no one should be able to enter this place. However, not only had someone barged into the palace, but he had also taken the Infinite Hourglass away and refined it, which greatly confounded Yang Xue.
The situation wouldn’t have become so complicated if Wind Lord had only used the hourglass on its own, but in the last moments of Wind Lord’s battle against Yang Kai, he had also used the hourglass to activate the power of the palace to protect himself. After Zhui Feng rammed into the light screen, the entire palace was affected, which shocked Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were cultivating at that time; otherwise, they wouldn’t have found out that so much had been going on in the palace.
It was also thanks to what Wind Lord had done that caused the turn of events. Otherwise, Yang Kai could only hide inside the Small Sealed World and struggle on while at death’s door.
After a sigh, Yang Kai briefly told her about how he came across Wind Lord and Demon Heavenly Dao. He also emphasised the existence of Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone.
Hearing this story, Yang Xue knitted her brows and raised her hand before she grabbed something from the Void.
Following that, a gigantic figure appeared before them. It was a hideous giant beast with a horrifying aura. He was none other than Qiong Qi! However, just like when Yang Kai saw him earlier, he was still in a deep slumber as his loud snoring seemed able to shake the world.
Yang Xue explained, “When Xiao’er and I cultivate the Dao of Time, the palace becomes affected. Sometimes, space and time become a mess. That’s why Uncle Qiong Qi told us to use a seal on both Big Sister Liu Yan and himself so that they would stop perceiving the passing of time.”
The two young kids had cultivated in this place for a few hundred years, so Qiong Qi and Liu Yan naturally became bored as they had nothing to do. The seal would make them fall asleep for up to a thousand years, which was better than just waiting around. That was the reason Yang Kai wasn’t able to wake up Liu Yan and Qiong Qi earlier.
Yang Xue extended her delicate finger and pointed at Qiong Qi’s head before yelling, “Release!”
Following that, she exerted more force with her finger and a snapping sound was heard. She retracted her hand and waited. A few breaths later, Qiong Qi stopped snoring as his eyelids twitched. A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes.
In an instant, his ferocious aura swept across the hall.
Having just awakened from several hundred years of sleep, he was still in a groggy state, but after his vision focused, he saw Yang Xue and Yang Kai, then was startled for a moment. At that instant, his gigantic figure contorted and turned into a savage old man with a wrinkly face.
Anyone who didn’t know him would think that he must be a horrendous criminal. They would also not be wrong since Qiong Qi wasn’t a kind-hearted individual in the first place. He was an ancient ominous beast, and his foul temper and violent tendencies were not mere rumours.
“Greetings, Young Master. Why are you here?” Despite his ferocious face, he spoke quite politely.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You can stop calling me Young Master…”
When Qiong Qi was hunted down by Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng from Spirit Beast Island, he happened to come across Yang Kai just outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory. He wanted to make use of Yang Kai to get himself out of trouble, so he persuaded Yang Kai to be his Young Master. One of the reasons was that he wanted to seek his protection, but it was also because Yang Kai had cultivated Time Flies Seal.
However, now it seemed that Qiong Qi should stop addressing Yang Kai in such a manner; after all, it was Yang Xiao and Yang Xue who had received Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance, not him.
Qiong Qi understood that as well, so he fell silent for a moment before asking again, “Master, why are you here?”
Upon hearing that Qiong Qi had called him ‘Master’ instead, Yang Kai was rendered speechless. After some deliberation though, he realised that Qiong Qi wasn’t wrong. Flowing Time Great Emperor was Qiong Qi’s Old Master, and now that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had become the Great Emperor’s disciples, they were Qiong Qi’s Young Master and Young Lady. Since Yang Kai was Yang Xiao’s Adoptive Father as well as Yang Xue’s Big Brother, it was perfectly reasonable for Qiong Qi to call Yang Kai ‘Master’.
Not wanting to dwell on this issue, Yang Kai said, “Xue’er will tell you all about it.”
Although most of his lifespan had returned to him, Yang Kai was still lethargic after fighting such an intense battle. It would take him ten days to half a month before he would recover completely.
Understanding her Big Brother’s condition, Yang Xue decided to narrate what had happened to Qiong Qi.
Basically, a person called Wind Lord possessed Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone and arranged an array before he made use of that rib bone’s power to summon forth the Flowing Time Temple. After his array was destroyed by Yang Kai, he sacrificed part of the rib bone to break through the World Barrier and sneak into the palace. Upon arrival here, Wind Lord managed to obtain the Infinite Hourglass. After listening to this story, Qiong Qi furrowed his brow.
The incident wasn’t complicated, so Yang Xue was able to explain it in just a short moment. Yang Kai would fill in the details if there was anything unclear.
After that, Yang Xue asked, “Uncle Qiong Qi, I would like to know why some of our Honoured Master’s remains are still in the outside world. Where is his tomb?”
Everyone knew that Flowing Time Great Emperor had passed away a long time ago and they thought that the Flowing Time Temple was his final resting place; however, only Qiong Qi, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue knew that his tomb wasn’t in the palace. There was only the Great Emperor’s inheritance here.
As one of the Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples, Yang Xue had the responsibility to investigate such issues. At the very least, she and Yang Xiao had to pay homage to the Great Emperor.
Hearing her question, Qiong Qi paused for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “Old Master has no tomb.”
Yang Kai frowned, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xue also looked inquisitively at him. If there was no tomb, how did Wind Lord manage to obtain the Great Emperor’s rib bone? It wasn’t like he could just pick it up randomly.
Qiong Qi explained solemnly, “This old man shouldn’t be telling you all this so soon, but things have reached a stage where it’s pointless to hide it from you anymore.”
He paused for a moment, “In the past, Old Master was a genius who managed to master the Dao of Time. It only took a thousand years to comprehend the Grand Dao, which allowed him to obtain approval of the World’s Will and become a Great Emperor. When he was alive, he was famous and practically peerless, which was why he was also lonely. He had focused his entire life on cultivation, so he didn’t marry or beget a child. For the following several thousand years, he secluded himself in the Flowing Time Temple until one day, he suddenly came out of his cultivation room and told me that he touched upon some mysterious Principles from the Outer Universe. So, he decided to explore the outside world and told me to watch over the palace until he returned. Certainly, I would obey his order, so I stayed in the palace for the following years.”
At this point, Qiong Qi furrowed his brow and there was a sense of fear behind his fierce-looking gaze, which caused Yang Xue and Yang Kai to be astounded.
Qiong Qi was an ancient ominous beast who had accompanied Flowing Time Great Emperor for countless years, so there shouldn’t be anything in this world that could scare him. Even if he was faced with another Great Emperor, he wouldn’t have sported this kind of expression.
However, the truth was that there was indeed a tinge of horror behind his gaze and his voice was slightly shaking as he continued, “Several hundred years later, the Infinite Hourglass broke through the Void and returned to the palace. A tiny piece of Old Master’s Divine Sense was left in the hourglass, which was very vague, but the message within it was clear. It was dangerous in the Outer Universe and the Great Emperor had lost his life!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai felt his entire body freeze all over and he had goosebumps on every part of his skin.
Throughout history, there were not many Great Emperors in total. Due to the limited capacity of this world, there would never be more than ten Great Emperors at any one time.
Despite that, the number of Great Emperors that had ever existed couldn’t be considered small; after all, the Star Boundary had been in existence for countless years. As one era fell, another would rise. There would always be new Great Emperors replacing the old ones.
Although there had been many generations of Great Emperors, there were two who stood out amongst them all as their powers far exceeded all others. One of them was Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, who had single-handedly killed four other Great Emperors in the Great Emperors War in the Shattered Star Sea. The other one was Flowing Time Great Emperor, who had mastered the Dao of Time.
Wu Kuang was still alive as his Soul had occupied half of Duan Hong Chen’s body, with both Souls currently inhabiting the same body. Presently, nobody knew where Wu Kuang was. On the other hand, Flowing Time Great Emperor had passed away a long time ago.
In fact, Flowing Time Great Emperor had comprehended the Grand Dao far before Wu Kuang ever did. There had been speculation among the people in the Star Boundary that if Flowing Time Great Emperor and Heaven Devouring Great Emperor lived in the same era, a great struggle would have broken out between the two to see who would emerge supreme.
However, it now seemed like Flowing Time Great Emperor comprehended some kind of mystery of the Outer Universe when he was cultivating in seclusion, so he decided to set off to explore the universe on his own. Unfortunately, a few hundred years later, he passed away and only his Legacy Artifact, the Infinite Hourglass, returned to the Flowing Time Temple.
How dangerous must the Outer Universe be that even Flowing Time Great Emperor was unable to traverse it safely?
There were countless worlds in this vast universe. Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were independent worlds, but where did Flowing Time Great Emperor go while he explored the universe? What happened to him? No one knew anything about it, not even Qiong Qi.
After the hourglass returned, Qiong Qi was extremely mournful. He wanted to seek revenge for the Great Emperor, but he didn’t even know who or where the enemies were, so how could he do that? Left with no choice, he could only stay in the Flowing Time Temple and wait for the right person to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance so that he could fulfil what he had promised the Great Emperor before the latter embarked on his journey.
At this point, Qiong Qi appeared quite guilt-ridden.
Yang Kai stared at him with narrowed eyes, “Old Qiong, that wasn’t very honourable of you!”
Yang Xue was intelligent, so she knew why Qiong Qi felt guilty and understood the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words. Since they had received Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance and became his Inheritance Disciples, they were now duty bound to seek revenge for their Honoured Master. That was the reason Yang Kai was displeased with Qiong Qi.
With a smile, however, Yang Xue commented, “This is still an opportunity for Xiao’er and me. We were fortunate enough to have received our Honoured Master’s inheritance, so this is the least we should do for him. Big Brother, please don’t blame Old Qiong.”
Yang Kai frowned, but he soon realised something. Flowing Time Great Emperor had lost his life in the Outer Universe, and although Yang Xue and Yang Xiao had obtained the Great Emperor’s inheritance, it would take them many years to reach a level of cultivation that would allow them to even think of seeking revenge for the Great Emperor. At the very least, they had to be powerful enough to leave the Star Boundary like Flowing Time Great Emperor first.
No one knew when that would happen, so it was pointless to harp on this issue now.
“What happened next?” Yang Xue turned to Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi shook his head, “There’s no next. I thought that Old Master had passed away in the Outer Universe. After the hourglass returned, I left the temple to gather some information, but to no avail. Now, it seems that Old Master’s remains had also returned to the Star Boundary at that time, but I hadn’t managed to find out about it.”
If that wasn’t the case, how could Wind Lord have obtained a bone from Flowing Time Great Emperor’s body?
Then, Qiong Qi turned to look at Wind Lord. Yang Xue looked in the same direction and realised that they had to pry the information about the Great Emperor’s remains out of this man.
Even while they were having a chat just now, Yang Xue did not forget to reverse time for Wind Lord from time to time to ensure that he wouldn’t die of his injuries.
It was torture truly worse than death for Wind Lord. Although Yang Xiao hadn’t used all his strength, he made sure that he would beat Wind Lord until his life had all but left him. Only at the precipice of death would the young woman shoot out a beam of light from her finger and use that invisible force to drag him back from death’s embrace, and then he would be assaulted by Yang Xiao again.
It had been a long time since Wind Lord started cultivating, but he had never even imagined such a cruel method of torturing someone. He was literally being forced to wander back and forth across the gates of death. The kind of terror this imprinted in his soul soon consumed his mind, as he was denied the right to beg for life or death. Although he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he was unable to hold his ground any longer. At this moment, he was trembling violently like a quail in the winter, his gaze filled with terror as he looked at Yang Xiao.
Certainly, Yang Xiao heard what the others had talked about, so he grabbed Wind Lord’s collar and pulled him towards himself before glaring at him, “You will answer all of this Young Master’s questions. If you dare to lie, I will cut open your chest, pull out your organs and soak them in acid until they melt before feeding them to you one by one. You’ve seen what my Little Aunt is capable of doing. Trust me. Even if we dig out your five viscera and six organs, only to make you choke them down again, she can ensure you relive the experience every day for the next ten thousand years.”
Wind Lord’s face was all swollen and his entire body was covered in shoe prints, but when Yang Xiao spoke, he couldn’t help but imagine himself being force-fed his own innards over and over again for all eternity. After a shudder, he quickly nodded his head in a weak manner.
So what if he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor? In the face of such an unbearable torment, he was no different from an ordinary mortal as his psychological defences had crumbled.
“Where did you get that rib bone?” Yang Xiao got straight to the point.
Wind Lord parted his lips and said the answer, and despite his hoarse voice, everyone in the hall was able to hear it clearly.
East Sea!
The East Sea was vast and there were many normal and spirit islands dotted around. The most famous ones were certainly Dragon Island and Spirit Beast Island, but that didn’t mean there were no other spirit islands and Sects on the East Sea. On the contrary, a great many Sects existed on the ocean.
Three hundred thousand kilometres away from Spirit Beast Island sat Free Spirit Island, on which Free Spirit Sect was located. It was a small Sect with only two hundred to three hundred people in total.
There were innumerable Sects of such a scale on the East Sea. It hadn’t been a long time since Free Spirit Sect had been founded, only about a thousand years; however, since it was located in the open sea, there were a lot of natural resources around which allowed it to thrive.
But one day they had fallen into a crisis, and the Sect was destroyed.
Wind Lord was a disciple from Free Spirit Sect. He was born on the open sea, and a Free Spirit Island Elder took a liking to him and accepted him as a disciple. However, Wind Lord’s aptitude was considered average at best, so there were plenty of Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who joined the Sect later than he did and quickly surpassed him in terms of cultivation. The other Elders didn’t have high hopes for him, so they just let him do as he pleased.
He led a carefree life, and besides doing some occasional missions for the Sect, he spent most of his youth playing. He was a fan of diving, and he was pretty good at swimming. Before he started cultivating, he was able to stay in the water for an hour and reach thirty metres below the surface, so after he started cultivating, he was able to reach a thousand metres below the surface.
When he was diving one day, he found Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone at the bottom of the sea. At that time, he didn’t think it was something important, but he soon realised it was no ordinary bone.
He decided to keep the bone, not telling the others in the Sect about it. When he was free, he would fiddle with the bone. For some reason, since he obtained the bone, his cultivation had started improving rapidly and he was able to reach higher realms quickly.
However, no one found out about it as he hid well. Even the Elder who took him in to be a disciple wasn’t aware of this change. Although Wind Lord didn’t understand the reason, he knew that the transformation he had gone through must have something to do with the bone, which was why he increasingly treasured it.
Soon, his cultivation surpassed all others in the Sect. It wouldn’t have mattered if that was all that had happened, but at some point, something happened that drove him mad. Consumed by some kind of Heart Demon, Wind Lord became fully demonified and killed everyone in his Sect. After coming to his senses sometime later and realizing what kind of crime he had committed, he didn’t dare to remain. Thus, he fled the East Sea and went into hiding.
That was when he met Night Shadow Great Emperor. That man allowed him to enter his Sect. With the Great Emperor’s rib bone, his cultivation increased further till he reached his current level.
After that, the Demons invaded the Star Boundary and Demon Heavenly Dao rose to prominence. Naturally, Wind Lord sided with them and even became one of its Four Great Lords, after which, he became a famous figure in the Star Boundary.
Over the years, he had been fiddling with the Great Emperor’s rib bone. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he certainly understood that the bone was extraordinary, and as he felt a sense of gratitude towards his Master, he decided to present the bone to Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye.
As an experienced person, Can Ye was able to figure out the bone’s background at first glance. He knew that he was no match for Flowing Time Great Emperor when it came to fame and power, so he was naturally interested in the latter’s legacy.
Previously, Can Ye had to keep watch on the Two Worlds’ Passage, so he couldn’t go off on his own. After Yang Kai returned to the Star Boundary and sealed the passage, the Demons fell into deep trouble, and Can Ye was even more unable to leave; thus, he tasked Wind Lord to go to the Flowing Time Temple.
Wind Lord had been carrying out his plan in secret, but Yang Kai happened to come across this incident and destroy the Spirit Array he was using, after which the palace disappeared into the Four Seasons Realm. Left with no other choice, Wind Lord decided to dive into the palace and refine the Infinite Hourglass so that he could make use of it to control the temple.
After that, he fell into an intense battle with Yang Kai. Up until this point, he still couldn’t figure out how a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was able to go against him, which led both of them to be severely injured. In the end, two freaks like Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, as well as Qiong Qi had come to Yang Kai’s rescue.
Wind Lord felt that he was probably the unluckiest person in the world. He would die with untold grievances if he were to lose his life now.
After hearing the story behind it, Qiong Qi asked with a frown, “There was only a single rib bone?”
Wind Lord replied lethargically, “That’s right.”
At this point, Wind Lord probably wouldn’t lie to them. Since he said that there was only one, it must be the truth.
“Have you revisited the place over the years?”
“I have.” Wind Lord spoke between coughing up blood, as though he was about to lose his life at any moment, “Since I found the Great Emperor’s rib bone there, I would definitely revisit the place to conduct a proper search. But I never discovered anything else.”
“Do you remember where the place is?” Yang Xue asked.
Wind Lord nodded gently.
“Lead the way for us.” Yang Xue stared at him. This was an important issue, so she and Yang Xiao had to personally go over to have a look. Wind Lord was unable to find other remains, but that didn’t mean that she and Yang Xiao couldn’t; after all, they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance, so they had a connection with their Honoured Master now. If there were other remains at the bottom of the sea, they would certainly detect them as long as they were within a certain range.
With his life or death hinging upon their whims, Wind Lord had no choice but to agree.
Yang Xue turned to look at Yang Kai and said with a smile, “Big Brother, please wait for me here for ten years. We’ll leave this place together after that.”
Yang Kai lifted his hand and stroked her head, “En, I’ll wait for you all.”
Ten years would be a long time in the outside world to wait, but they were now in the Flowing Time Temple where Time Principles fluctuated wildly, so ten years in this place were probably just a short moment in the outside world.
Yang Kai could take advantage of this opportunity to study a Secret Technique.
While Wind Lord was gasping for breath, Yang Kai put him inside the Small Sealed World. Although Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he had to be submissive when inside the Small Sealed World. Moreover, he was still severely injured, so he couldn’t stir up any trouble even if he wanted to.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue returned to their own place to cultivate. She wanted Yang Kai to wait for her for ten years, but she didn’t specify what she was going to do as she attempted to remain mysterious. Apparently, something good would soon happen.
Before she left, she woke Liu Yan up. Yang Kai and Liu Yan were technically Master and Servant, so they were overjoyed after they were reunited.
Inside the hall, Yang Kai told Liu Yan and Qiong Qi about what had happened to the Star Boundary in recent years. When all four of them entered the Four Seasons Realm in the past, the Demons still hadn’t invaded the Star Boundary, so they had no idea what had been going on in the outside world. Upon learning the current situation in the Star Boundary, Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were astonished.
This came as a surprise to them as they thought that they had just had a good sleep in the Flowing Time Temple, but they had never expected that the entire Star Boundary had descended into chaos.
Certainly, Qiong Qi would have to assist Yang Xiao and Yang Xue in the future, so he had to understand the current affairs in the Star Boundary so that they wouldn’t be befuddled when they eventually left this place.
The chat only lasted for a while.
A few days later, Yang Kai found a cultivation room and entered a retreat.
When he was in the Demon Realm in the past, he made use of the Sealed World Bead to devour the separate continents; however, as he gobbled up more continents, problems also came knocking on the door. The World Principles in the third region of the Sealed World Bead slowly grew stronger and were now showing signs of assimilating the second region. The fundamental reason was that the World Principles in the second region were weaker, so it was unable to resist the third region’s invasion.
Just like how water would always flow to a lower position, the more abundant World Principles in the third region started streaming towards the second region.
The second region was made up of the Cultivation Stars that Yang Kai had devoured in a Lower Star Field. Presently, countless people from those Cultivation Stars were living together in the second region. If Yang Kai allowed the third region to assimilate the second, the people living there would swiftly become demonified. This would not be like that of the people from Demon Heavenly Dao as these people were much weaker. Once they were invaded by Demon Qi, they would become living dead with no consciousness.
With the number of Cultivation Stars Gun-Gun took in, billions upon billions of innocent people would be affected.
Yang Kai had to swallow the rest of the Demon Realm if he wanted to end the war, but he also couldn’t turn a blind eye to the plight of those people from the Cultivation Stars he devoured. Otherwise, he would be no different from a mass murderer. If that really happened, he would never be at ease for the rest of his life.
Since he was unable to go on swallowing up the Demon Realm, he returned to the Star Boundary with Yu Ru Meng and the others. If the issue wasn’t settled, his plan of devouring the rest of the Demon Realm couldn’t be continued.
In fact, it wasn’t so difficult to solve the problem. Since the problem lay with those people, he just had to move them out of the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai was the Star Field Master of Heng Luo Star Field, and there were many Cultivation Stars in the Star Field that were suitable for living and cultivating. He just had to bring those people back to Heng Luo Star Field and help them settle down on those Cultivation Stars.
This was the simplest solution, but it was also the hardest to carry out. There were indeed many Cultivation Stars in the Lower Star Field, but every Cultivation Star had its own established system already. If a massive number of foreigners suddenly arrived in one place, it would undoubtedly cause upheaval. Take a city with a hundred thousand residents as an example. Although there would surely be some conflicts from time to time, the people were still able to live and work together in relative harmony. However, if twenty thousand outsiders joined the city all of a sudden, everything would descend into chaos.
It would be best if he could find an uninhabited Cultivation Star, but that was practically impossible because all the Cultivation Stars in the Star Field had been discovered and occupied.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to do it in another way. He wanted to separate the second region from the Small Sealed World and make it a world on its own. By doing so, he could prevent it from being consumed by the third region.
Since the second region was formed after the Sealed World Bead ate several Cultivation Stars, logically it could also be separated. However, it was difficult for Yang Kai to achieve this. Separating an independent world from the bead was akin to creating a new world.
This was even harder to achieve than creating another Floating Mountain like how Li Wu Yi had done. However, if Yang Kai succeeded, it would be beneficial for his cultivation in the Dao of Space, possibly even allowing him to achieve a transformational breakthrough in it.
Despite the difficulty, there were great benefits to be reaped, which was why Yang Kai was in favour of this option. Furthermore, even if he failed, he could still transfer those people to different Cultivation Stars. He would just have to visit more Cultivation Stars and place fewer people in each of them.
Li Wu Yi had refined a new world before. The Floating Mountain was his work. In a way, what Yang Kai wanted to do was the same as forging a new Floating Mountain.
Floating Mountain was originally part of the Star Boundary; Li Wu Yi had then separated it from the Star Boundary and made it a world of its own. The second region was from the Small Sealed World, so it stood to reason that Yang Kai could also pull it out and make it independent.
He could learn from Li Wu Yi’s experience; however, the Floating Mountain was no longer with him because he had given it to Star Soul Palace to make the World Pagoda complete again. Fortunately, besides the mountain itself, Li Wu Yi had also given Yang Kai a jade slip.
The jade slip contained Li Wu Yi’s insights on creating a new world. It could be said to be the essence of his understanding of the Dao of Space. The tiny jade slip was akin to the most valuable treasure in this world for the current Yang Kai. Previously, he didn’t have the time to study it and had planned to do so after he returned to the Lower Star Field. Now that he had ten years to spare though, he definitely couldn’t waste the chance; therefore, he decided to study it in seclusion.
The jade slip contained all of Li Wu Yi’s insights into the Dao of Space, so Yang Kai was soon immersed in it and swiftly lost track of the time.
Time Principles permeated the Flowing Time Temple, which was a blessing left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor. Although it wasn’t the credit of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, they still had something to do with it.
Since they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance and cultivated the Great Emperor’s Secret Art, they had also activated an array inside the palace, which caused the Time Principles in this place to fluctuate, creating the differential with the outside world.
This kind of blessing wasn’t inexhaustible of course. Once the Time Principle Strength was exhausted, the wondrous effects in the palace would cease as well. To Yang Kai, he had practically gotten ten years for free.
For the next ten years, he basically had nothing else to do. Qiong Qi and Liu Yan wouldn’t bother him while Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were working hard on their own; therefore, he could totally immerse himself in studying the jade slip.
Only Zhui Feng wasn’t able to stay idle. After Yang Kai released him from the Small Sealed World, he wasn’t willing to go back again because no one could play with him inside the Small Sealed World.
During these ten years, he followed Qiong Qi and Liu Yan around. All three of them were Divine Spirits, and although their Sources were wildly different, they managed to get along well as time passed. They learned from Yang Kai that Zhui Feng was a beast from the Demon Realm, and despite his low sentience, he was fairly powerful. In these ten years, they frequently took part in friendly battles, so they knew one another’s skills quite well.
However, such a powerful beast was just a mount to a man on par with the Demon Saints in the Demon Realm, so Qiong Qi and Liu Yan wondered how formidable the Demon Saints must be.
Ten years had passed with the snap of the fingers. One day, a buzzing sound was suddenly heard in the usually serene Flowing Time Temple. It seemed that the muffled sound was coming from the deepest part of the temple.
Yang Kai, who was meditating, was shaken awake. When he came to his senses, he released his Divine Sense to figure out what was happening, but before getting to the bottom of the situation, Yang Xue’s clear voice was heard speaking into his ear, “Big Brother, please give us a moment. Xiao’er and I will be ready soon.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knew that the unusual sound was caused by Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, so he set his mind at ease and continued studying the jade slip.
Despite what Yang Xue had said, the disturbance in the palace lasted for a month. Every breath of every single day, a rumbling sound was continuously heard throughout the halls. Sometimes, lights would flow through the palace, flickering in different patterns.
After a long roar was heard one month later, the palace finally fell silent again. All of a sudden, Yang Xiao appeared outside Yang Kai’s cultivation room. He was clad in spotless white clothes, and his long white hair was tied into a ponytail. He was tall and energetic with a delicate face; after all, he was a Dragon who was born to be outstanding. His face and demeanour would certainly attract countless girls in the future.
The elegant young man bowed and cupped his fists before saying in a clear voice, “Adoptive Father, please come out.”
By the time he finished speaking, Yang Kai had already appeared in front of him.
Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened as he said loudly, “Congratulations, Adoptive Father.”
A smiling Yang Kai asked, “Why are you congratulating me?”
Yang Xiao replied, “There’s a sharp glint behind your gaze and you appear energetic, so it’s apparent that Adoptive Father must have gained something during your secluded cultivation. As your Adoptive Son, I must congratulate you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I was just learning from someone else’s experience.”
He had spent the last ten years comprehending Li Wu Yi’s insights, so he really was just learning from the latter.
Yang Xiao also shook his head, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re just learning from someone else now. I’m sure Adoptive Father will master the secrets of the Grand Dao one day.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai couldn’t help but size him up and scoffed, “How have you become such a smooth talker? Those from the Dragon Clan would never flatter others. If your parents saw you behaving in such a way, they’d definitely tidy you up.”
A solemn Yang Xiao replied, “It’s thanks to Adoptive Father that I have become who I am today, so I wouldn’t dare to accept your compliment.”
“You cheeky brat.” Yang Kai scolded him with a smile, “Are you trying to say that if the main support is crooked, the floors will be too?”
“I wouldn’t dare to…” Yang Xiao put on a fawning smile and bowed again before offering his hand, playing the part of a filial son serving his old father, “Let’s go now, Adoptive Father. Little Aunt has gotten everything ready. We can leave this place now.”
“Enough already. I’m still young, I don’t need you to help me walk,” Yang Kai slapped his hands away and shuffled out of the place with him.
Presently, the Flowing Time Temple’s doors were wide open. Yang Xue, Qiong Qi, Zhui Feng, and Liu Yan were already waiting outside the palace.
Hearing the noise from behind, Yang Xue turned around and took a brief look at Yang Kai’s grey hair. A sense of melancholy flashed across her eyes, but she soon said with a smile, “Big Brother, thanks for waiting for so long.”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “I happened to need some time to study a little something, so I should be thanking you instead.”
He then looked around, “If you’re all ready, let’s get going.”
Yang Xue nodded and took a look at Yang Xiao, who smiled and shuffled forward to stand beside her. The next moment, both of them started forming different hand seals.
Despite their different hand seals, the Time Principles exuded from them were the same.
A moment later, Yang Xiao sported a solemn expression and stomped his foot on the ground. The palace before them started buzzing as a rumbling sound as loud as thunder was heard coming from all around.
Yang Xue lifted her slender hand and shouted, “Rise!”
*Hong Long Long…*
The Flowing Time Temple was uprooted like a tree as it rose from the ground.
The Flowing Time Temple wasn’t just a palace, but it was also Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mobile residence. It meant that it could be carried with him wherever he went just like a sedan chair or a carriage. The idea might be inconceivable for the average person, but it was something common for the Great Emperors.
The object that was used to control the palace was the Infinite Hourglass. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had basically spent the last ten years refining the hourglass. Since they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance, they were able to activate some of the hourglass’s power right after they obtained it; however, if they wanted to fully control the palace, they had to properly refine the Legacy Artifact.
Their ten years of hard work finally bore fruit today. Now, the Great Emperor’s palace had become their personal flight artifact.
The palace then broke through space and shot out of the Four Seasons Realm.
In a nameless mountain valley, the Embodiment was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. Nearby, what appeared to be two sculptures but were actually two Half-Saints from the Demon Race stood like statues, sealed in place by a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
During the intense battle, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo had only managed to show up for a moment before they were locked in place. They hadn’t even showcased their true powers. One of them appeared ferocious while the other’s posture was that of a lion pouncing on a rabbit. Just like sculptures, however, they were completely unmoving.
The Embodiment was slightly frustrated. Although he could confirm that the two Half-Saints were not at risk of losing their lives, he couldn’t break the seal and set them free no matter what he tried.
Although the Embodiment’s cultivation path was different from that of Yang Kai’s, they had spent many years experiencing life-or-death moments together; therefore, it could be said that he was an experienced person now, and he possessed the power of a Half-Saint. However, he was powerless to help Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo, which was why he felt dejected.
Furthermore, one month had passed and there was still no news from Yang Kai, making the Embodiment wonder what Yang Kai had come across in the Four Seasons Realm.
One month ago, he suddenly had a feeling that he was about to pass away. He was in essence still Yang Kai’s Soul Clone infused into an empty Stone Spirit’s body. He was a Half-Saint now, but even if he became a Demon Saint one day, this fact would never change. He was born because of Yang Kai, and he would also perish because of the latter.
In other words, if Yang Kai was killed, he would also die. On the other hand, if anything happened to him, Yang Kai wouldn’t be affected.
At that time, the Embodiment was cleaning up the mess on the battlefield with Zhou Quan and had just moved Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo to somewhere else when he had a feeling that death was upon him. At that instant, he knew that Yang Kai must have fallen into grave danger.
He couldn’t understand the reason behind this. Yang Kai was in peak condition when he raced after the severely injured Wind Lord, and was also accompanied by the ferocious Zhui Feng, so how could he have wound up on the brink of death? Although the Embodiment couldn’t figure it out, he knew that something unexpected must have happened in the Four Seasons Realm.
He wasn’t able to help Yang Kai though, so he immediately called out to Zhou Quan and told him what to do once he passed on. He wanted Zhou Quan to bring Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo to Seven Mists Sea and hand them over to Li Wu Yi. He also wanted him to head over to High Heaven Palace to give the people there a detailed explanation of the situation.
After he was done making arrangements, the Embodiment closed his eyes and waited for death. In the end, however, he survived for some unknown reason and thus continued to wait until now.
Presently, Zhou Quan was meditating nearby while recuperating as he was still slightly injured from the previous battle. After a month, his injuries were mostly healed while the expansive valley was completely silent.
Just then, the Embodiment lifted his head and his stony face appeared solemn. He stared at a particular spot in the sky with his flaming eyes before a moment later, he suddenly bellowed, “Not good!”
Right after he finished speaking, he wrapped his Demon Qi around Bai Ya, Bai Zhuo, Zhou Quan, and six or seven other captives before hurriedly retreating more than thirty kilometres.
Following his move, a ripple suddenly spread across the sky above the nameless valley, as though someone had hurled a stone into a usually serene lake.
Zhou Quan opened his eyes in shock and looked up as he exclaimed. That was because after the ripples diminished, a gigantic, blurry image came into sight. This sight was familiar to him. The same thing had happened one month ago when Wind Lord activated the array using the bone in his hand, which was why he knew that it was the Flowing Time Temple’s contour.
At that time, Wind Lord’s effort all went to waste because of Yang Kai as the palace soon retreated into the Four Seasons Realm.
[Did Wind Lord manage to stage a comeback? Is he not dead yet?] Zhou Quan immediately circulated his Emperor Qi to prepare himself for a battle.
On the other hand, the Embodiment grunted in surprise and clapped the other person’s shoulder before he said with a smile, “No need to panic. Everything will be fine.”
He had detected Yang Kai’s aura after the World Barrier began to open.
Since Yang Kai was still around, he must be the one who had made the palace appear again, not Wind Lord.
Right then, a cracking sound was heard as the space tore open. The gigantic palace appeared from the Void and shaded the sunlight from everyone’s sight. A few figures were standing at the entrance of the palace. One of them was none other than Yang Kai.
At that instant, the Embodiment put on a bright smile.
In just a short moment, the Flowing Time Temple completely left the Four Seasons Realm. After countless years, Flowing Time Great Emperor’s palace finally reappeared in this world.
Qiong Qi felt somewhat sorrowful. In the past, wherever the palace appeared in the Star Boundary, the people there would kneel down to welcome its arrival. Even the other Great Emperors would come over to greet them.
However, after Flowing Time Great Emperor passed away, the palace could only gather dust inside the Four Seasons Realm. It wasn’t until now that it reappeared under the sun.
Finally, the Great Emperor had two successors. While the others were not paying attention to Qiong Qi, he secretly rubbed the corners of his eyes.
The palace was big enough to shade the entire valley, the shadow it cast on the ground looking like a crouching ancient beast. A shocked Zhou Quan fell on his backside while the other detained Emperor Realm Masters from Demon Heavenly Dao were shaken to the core.
Although they had been demonified, they were still clear-headed, which was why they knew what this palace was. Seeing that Wind Lord wasn’t around, they knew that from that day onwards, only three out of the Four Great Lords under their Master would remain.
After leaping off the palace entryway, Yang Xue waved her hands and stopped using her hand seals. In just a few breaths of time, the palace shrunk until it became a palm-sized item that was then stored inside her sleeve.
Zhui Feng kept neighing and widened his eyes in disbelief. He stared fixedly at Yang Xue’s sleeve as though he had just seen a ghost. He was probably wondering just how enormous her sleeve must be to be able to keep a gigantic palace inside of it.
Yang Kai walked up to the Embodiment and took a look at Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo before asking, “How are they?”
Previously, he didn’t have the time to check on the two Half-Saints as he had to race after Wind Lord. It wasn’t until now that he had the time to ask about them.
“They’re not dead,” the Embodiment replied.
Yang Kai was relieved that they were still alive as he was worried that something serious had happened to them. If they were dead, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself to Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo.
“Why has your hair turned grey?” The Embodiment stared at Yang Kai’s hair with a frown.
When Yang Kai entered the Four Seasons Realm, his hair was still as black as night, but his hair had turned slightly grey after he walked out of the palace. The Embodiment had no idea what had happened, but upon recalling the palpitation he felt some time ago, he figured that Yang Kai must have fallen into a fierce battle.
“I’ve aged by a few hundred years,” Yang Kai put on a smile as if it didn’t really matter. He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so he still had a long time to live. His current age was actually still considered young for his current realm.
“Who are they?” The Embodiment turned to look at Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. Just like Yang Kai, he found them to be familiar at first glance, as though he had met them before, but he couldn’t recall where.
Even if he could recognise them, he wouldn’t dare to acknowledge it. It was an inconceivable idea that two little kids had grown into young adults in just a few years.
It was troublesome to explain everything to him, so Yang Kai decided to simply share his Soul. The Embodiment examined this flood of memories swiftly before he widened his eyes and muttered, “They’re Xiao’er and Xue’er?”
Yang Xiao obediently walked over and cupped his fists, “Xiao’er greets, Second Uncle.”
The Embodiment was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone, so it could even be said that he was Yang Kai’s biological brother. Yang Xiao was right to call him ‘Second Uncle’ and his smooth talk successfully cracked the Embodiment up. The Embodiment kept praising him and said that the latter was a promising young man.
Yang Xue wasn’t aware of the Embodiment’s existence; after all, she was still far too young when she left High Heaven Palace, so she had never met the Embodiment before. After hearing what Yang Xiao had called him though, she also figured out how she should address him.
After hearing himself addressed as ‘Second Brother’, the Embodiment grinned from ear to ear. After a good laugh, he said, “All of you have come out at the right time. I need your help.”
Following that, he brought Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo over and showed them to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
The two Half-Saints were petrified after they were struck with a Divine Ability contained within Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone. Thus, even the Embodiment, a Half-Saint was unable to save them. Upon learning that the two young people were the Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples, the Embodiment knew that they could help.
Since they were all one family, they certainly had to lend a hand. Both of them respectively extended their fingers and pointed at the foreheads of Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo. The next moment, Time Principles undulated and engulfed the Half-Saints.
Half an hour later, light returned to the Half-Saints’ eyes, and following that, their Demon Qi surged as Bai Ya bellowed, “Go to Hell!”
Bai Zhuo also yelled, “Die!”
They made a move at the same time.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were well prepared, so they immediately hid behind Yang Kai.
When the two Half-Saints arrived in front of Yang Kai with their Divine Abilities flaring, their expressions changed all of a sudden. Then, they forcefully retracted their power and retreated before they grunted in mid-air. They had suffered from some backlash after withdrawing their power at the last moment, but that wasn’t enough to hurt them. As Half-Saints, they had full control over their power.
A moment later, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya stared over with confused expressions. They took a look at the unfamiliar figures, especially Qiong Qi and Liu Yan, before turning inquisitive gazes to Yang Kai.
Bai Zhuo asked, “What happened? Where’s Wind Lord?”
The last thing he recalled was striking out at Wind Lord, but the next moment, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him while Wind Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai seemed to have aged by a few years as there was now a tinge of grey in his hair.
Yang Kai turned to look at Yang Xiao and Yang Xue before asking, “Are they not aware of what happened?”
Yang Xue replied with a smile, “They were petrified by Time Principles, so they were unable to sense anything during the period they were frozen.”
Yang Kai nodded and finally understood the reason behind the Half-Saints’ reaction. While they were petrified, they basically couldn’t perceive anything as their ‘time’ had essentially stopped. It would’ve been strange if they knew what had happened.
After some explanation, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo finally understood what had happened, then their expressions turned serious.
A Divine Ability hidden inside the bone of a Great Emperor who had passed away tens of thousands of years ago was still able to render them powerless, so it was difficult to imagine how formidable that Great Emperor must have been when he was still alive.
Both of them were Half-Saints, making them among the strongest cultivators below the Demon Saints in the Demon Realm. The statuses of Demon Saints and Great Emperors were the same. In the past, they didn’t realise that there was such a huge gap between Demon Saints, Great Emperors and them. This time, they were truly shocked.
Nevertheless, they were not injured. They were simply petrified by Time Principles, which hadn’t harmed them in any way. Even without the help of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, they would still awaken one day, but that would take several dozen to a hundred years.
After asking about it, Yang Kai found out that it had only been a month in the outside world. Just like what he had speculated, years inside the Flowing Time Temple were equivalent to only a month in the outside world. The truth wasn’t far from his speculation.
However, Qiong Qi had told him that the power inside the palace was a blessing left behind by the Great Emperor. Yang Xue and Yang Xiao had expended a lot of it, so there wasn’t much of it left. When the blessing was exhausted, the wonders in the palace would cease to exist.
It wasn’t impossible to recreate it, but Yang Xiao and Yang Xue would have to work harder on improving their understanding and mastery over the Dao of Time first.
Most of the Emperor Realm Masters from Demon Heavenly Dao were either killed or heavily injured. Now, only seven of them were left and they had all become captives. With Zhou Quan as an example, if Bai Zhuo could extract the Blood Demon Blood Essence out of those seven, they could regain their sense of self.
They were all Emperor Realm Masters, so it would be a waste of talent to kill them all off. The Sixty-First Army had just been established, so they were still in the process of collecting resources and recruiting manpower.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai waved his hand and put the captives and the Half-Saints inside the Small Sealed World. He decided to leave the rest of the matter to Bai Zhuo. It’d be best if these Emperor Realm Masters could regain their senses. If not, they could only blame it on their bad luck.
Yang Kai’s original plan was to head to the Lower Star Field after this trip, but since Flowing Time Great Emperor was concerned in this matter, he had to personally launch an investigation. Therefore, he could only delay his plan of returning to Heng Luo Star Field for now.
He didn’t ask Zhou Quan to tag along because he wanted him to pay a visit to Azure Sun Temple and inform them of what had happened. Previously, he had come across Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao on his way to this place. It had been a month since then, so they must be worried and they might even be getting ready to come over here to help. By telling Zhou Quan to go over, it could spare them some unnecessary trouble.
He believed that those from Azure Sun Temple would inform Seven Mists Sea about this incident. By then, this matter would be known to everyone in the Star Boundary.
Not long after the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace as well as the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army returned to the Star Boundary, he managed to thwart Demon Heavenly Dao’s plans for the Four Seasons Realm by killing more than twenty of their Emperor Realm Masters. He had also defeated one of the Four Great Lords, Wind Lord, whose true name was Feng Zai Xiao. It was akin to cutting off a limb from their Master, Can Ye, turning them into the Three Great Lords instead. This kind of news would surely bolster everyone’s mood, so it had to be spread around quickly.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai craved fame, but this incident was useful in boosting the morale of all the armies in the Star Boundary and also serve as a recruitment tool for the Sixty-First Army. As an Army Commander, Yang Kai had to put himself out there to attract more people.
Zhou Quan was saved by Yang Kai, and he had participated in the battle against Demon Heavenly Dao, which enabled him to get revenge for his Sect. That was why he immediately agreed to Yang Kai’s request. Following that, he set off on his journey to Azure Sun Temple. It would probably take him less than half a month to reach there.
After Zhou Quan left, Yang Kai and the others decided to leave as well.
Yang Kai spent half a day arranging a Space Array and then transferred everyone to a certain unnamed island on the East Sea. The Space Array on this island was fairly close to Dragon Island, and was left behind by Yang Kai in the past so that he could visit Dragon Island with ease when he wanted to. It proved to be useful now.
As a member of the Dragon Clan, Yang Xiao had a special connection with Dragon Island, which was his birthplace. After emerging from the array, he swiftly turned to look in a particular direction.
That was where Dragon Island was located, which was about one to two thousand kilometres away from where he currently stood.
“You can go back. Your Little Aunt and I will handle your Honoured Master’s matter.” Yang Kai patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder. After Yang Xiao was born in the past, he was eager to leave Dragon Island, which was why he even lied to everyone about his Source being impure. In the blink of an eye, he had cultivated for five hundred years though. He hadn’t met his parents for a long time, so he missed them very much, especially after he learned from Yang Kai that his mother almost went mad upon hearing that he had entered the Four Seasons Realm.
Yang Xiao replied with a smile, “Dragon Island is right there, and it won’t be going anywhere. Since I’ve received Honoured Master’s inheritance, I should do something for him. After this matter is settled, I’ll pay a visit to my parents.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En.”
Yang Kai made a grabbing gesture and pulled Wind Lord out from the Sealed World Bead. He had spent ten years inside the palace while Wind Lord had also stayed inside the Small Sealed World for the same period of time. It seemed that Time Principles affected everything within their bounds, so even though the Small Sealed World had its own World Barrier, it was still affected just like the inside of the palace.
Over the past ten years, Wind Lord didn’t manage to heal his wounds as he still looked as battered as when the battle ended. Yang Kai was the ruler of the Small Sealed World, so it was easy for him to stop Wind Lord from treating his wounds.
“Where’s Free Spirit Sect?” Yang Kai directly cut to the chase.
Wind Lord appeared lethargic as his life had been hanging by a thread for the past ten years. Upon seeing sunlight again, he was still in a dazed state. It wasn’t until a long time after Yang Kai asked the question that he came to his senses and replied apprehensively, “Sir, please give me a moment, I need to get my bearings.”
He was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, so he wasn’t supposed to call Yang Kai ‘Sir’. However, after the torture he had gone through and ten years of isolation on the brink of death, his mind had cracked and his pride had been shattered. Now, he was simply hoping not to be tortured again.
Yang Kai directly pointed out the directions for him, “We have Dragon Island this way, Spirit Beast Island over there, and Serene Soul Palace in that direction.”
Things became much easier with the references. Wind Lord was born on the East Sea and grew up on Free Spirit Sect, so he managed to quickly identify the proper direction, then he extended a finger and said, “That way. It should be within a hundred thousand kilometres from here.”
Yang Kai then stuffed him back inside the Small Sealed World and wrapped everyone else in his Demon Qi before shooting off in that direction. As Space Principles undulated, their figures became blurry as they seemed to skip across the Void.
A look at the people on Yang Kai’s side revealed that, including Zhui Feng, there were four Half-Saints from the Demon Race who were waiting inside the Small Sealed World. Beside him were the Divine Spirits, Liu Yan and Qiong Qi, who were just as powerful as any Half-Saint or Pseudo-Great Emperor. Even though Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, they were Flowing Time Great Emperor’s disciples; therefore, they were far more powerful than those in the same realm.
Both of them had pretty outstanding aptitudes, so the reason it took them a few hundred years to reach the First-Order Emperor Realm was mainly that the Great Emperor’s inheritance was too abstruse, so it took them a long time to comprehend its mysteries, but this kind of heritage dictated that they would turn out to be more formidable than their peers.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was a High-Rank Demon King who was able to fight Wind Lord to a draw, leaving both of them severely injured.
This kind of lineup could be said to be a great force to be reckoned with. Even if a Demon Saint got in their way, they would still be able to exchange a few moves with them. Moreover, their mission was just to look for Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.
The small group flew towards their destination. From time to time, Yang Kai would pull out Wind Lord to correct the heading. Violent Demon Qi could be seen whizzing past above the East Sea, which shocked many of the smaller Sects.
Three days later, an island came into sight. The island was fairly big as it was about a few hundred square kilometres. It was Wind Lord’s old Sect, Free Spirit Island.
Free Spirit Sect was supposed to be on the island in the past, but it was already destroyed by Wind Lord. There was a new Sect that had occupied the island since then, but it was also just a small one, even worse than Free Spirit Sect from the past. They had an Emperor Realm Master in Free Spirit Sect, but the strongest cultivator in this small Sect was only in the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai and the others were simply here to look for something, so they didn’t have the intention to disturb these people. Upon reaching their destination, Yang Kai reigned in his Demon Qi before they silently dispersed and respectively looked for the Great Emperor’s remains.
For this trip, Yang Kai didn’t have any expectations. Flowing Time Great Emperor fell into danger when he was exploring the Outer Universe. After he passed away, his Infinite Hourglass returned to his former palace. Even though one of his bones sank into the East Sea, it didn’t really mean anything.
However, since they were aware of this news, they had to look into the matter.
The five of them left in four different directions. Liu Yan and Yang Kai were in the same group. It had been a few hundred years since they last met, so she wasn’t willing to separate from him and insisted on following him around. On the other hand, Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, and Qiong Qi headed in different directions on their own.
For the following days, Yang Kai and Liu Yan explored everywhere that was within a radius of several thousand kilometres of the island, but they didn’t find anything.
Just then, one of the Space Beacons on Yang Kai’s wrist started blinking. Following that, a jade slip broke through the air and reached him.
A few days ago, Yang Kai had made three Space Beacons that were matched to his own for Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, and Qiong Qi. If they came across any danger, they could immediately contact him or transfer themselves to his side.
At this moment, it was Yang Xue who had sent him a message.
With the jade slip in his hand, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and muttered in surprise, “She really discovered something.”
The message inside the jade slip was short, so it was apparent that she was too rushed to explain in detail. Since there was a message though, it meant that she must have discovered something. It seemed that their little trip to the East Sea this time wasn’t futile.
Yang Kai wrapped his Demon Qi around Liu Yan and channelled some power into the Space Beacon. The next moment, the world around the pair seemed to be spinning, and when they reappeared, they were already beside Yang Xue.
Presently, Yang Xue was deep in the sea moving at high speed.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt a horrifying pressure squeezing him from all directions, which caused him to grunt in pain. In response, he hurriedly used his strength to resist it.
Right then, Yang Xiao and Qiong Qi also appeared. Apparently, they had also received Yang Xue’s message. Just like Yang Kai, they felt pressured upon appearing, but they soon became fine after putting up some defences.
Yang Xue didn’t have the time to explain anything as she used her Emperor Qi to protect herself. While she was moving forward rapidly, she pointed at the front and said, “Chase it! I’m going to lose it!”
It was dark under the sea as there was barely any light from the surface, but Yang Kai sharpened his vision and caught sight of a figure fleeing quickly. The figure was so swift that it had opened up quite a distance from Yang Xue in the blink of an eye.
It was no wonder that Yang Xue had to call out to the others. That was because she was no match for the other party when it came to speed.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai found it a little funny because the figure wasn’t a Human or a Sea Beast. It was actually a flat plate-sized Mussel.
The relatively large Mussel didn’t have any limbs as it only had a sturdy-looking shell, but its speed was truly incredible. The seawater could be seen slipping off its shell as a rapid torrent flowed out behind it.
The Star Boundary was a beautiful world with countless different races. While spirit flowers were able to be enlightened and turn into Monsters, ordinary animals could evolve into Monster Beast and even assume Human Form if given enough time and opportunity. There was an abundance of species that lived under the sea, so it wasn’t surprising that there were Monsters here as well.
The variety of Monsters under the sea was more diverse than on land. The Mussel was apparently a Sea Monster, and judging from his aura, it was obvious that he was in the Monster King Realm, so he must be fairly powerful.
He was basically born and bred in the sea, so moving in the sea was natural to him, which was why his speed was incredible. There was no way Yang Xue would be able to capture him.
Yang Kai didn’t know why she wanted to chase the Sea Monster, but before he could ask, Yang Xiao suddenly laughed and said, “Little Aunt, don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
After he finished speaking, he transformed into a thirty-metre-long White Dragon. His Dragon form was as translucent as jade, which was quite beautiful. Following that, he turned into a beam of white light and raced after the Mussel, his speed even faster than the one he was pursuing.
Although Yang Xiao wasn’t a Water Dragon, a Dragon under the sea was like a tiger on a mountain. No creature in the sea could possibly move faster than a Dragon.
With him around, there was no way the Mussel could flee, and he was bound to be captured.
As Yang Xiao charged forward, he yelled using a Secret Technique, “Hey, stop! We just want to talk to you!”
The Mussel replied, “Little Brat, don’t you know your place? How dare you race after me, your Grandpa? If you’re clever, stop chasing me now, otherwise, I’ll beat you up.”
Despite his threat, he fled at an even quicker pace.
Yang Xiao bellowed, “Rotten stinking mollusca! You court death!”
Then, he parted his lips and roared before accelerating his pace.
He wanted to have a peaceful talk with the Mussel, but he hadn’t expected that the latter would offend him with such coarse language. Even though they were in the wrong for chasing after him in the first place, the Mussel shouldn’t have crossed the line by claiming to be Yang Xiao’s Grandpa. Yang Xiao was a member of the Dragon Clan and he had revealed his true form, so most Monster Beast wouldn’t dare to act haughty in front of him.
Furthermore, his Adoptive Father, Yang Kai, was right behind him. The Mussel had basically scolded his Adoptive Father as well.
While the Dragon was charging forward, the Mussel was fleeing as fast as he could. Soon, they disappeared from everyone’s sight. After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided not to chase after them. It wasn’t that he was unable to do so, he was an expert in the Dao of Space after all. Despite the fact that they were several kilometers below the sea, Yang Kai could catch up to the Sea Monster with just a few Instantaneous Movements if he wanted to.
The reason he decided not to chase them was that he wanted to find out Yang Xiao’s current limits. When they were in the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao was able to torture Wind Lord with ease; however, at that time, Wind Lord had no ability to resist and had fallen into a dazed state after the Infinite Hourglass was snatched away from him, so any Dao Source Realm cultivator could have beaten him up. Now that they had come across a Sea Monster, it was the perfect opportunity to gauge Yang Xiao’s power.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai still tagged a piece of his Divine Sense onto Yang Xiao. If Yang Xiao was unable to defeat the Mussel, Yang Kai, as his Adoptive Father, would certainly lend him a hand.
“Why were you chasing after him?” Yang Kai turned to look at Yang Xue and spoke to her via Divine Sense.
Yang Xue’s eyes could be seen gleaming as she replied, “There’s something from our Honoured Master with that Mussel. I think it’s also a bone.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai arched his brow. When he received her message earlier, he knew that she must have discovered something, and upon her explanation, he knew that his speculation was right.
Others might not realise anything special about the Mussel; however, Yang Xue, as Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciple, had cultivated the Great Emperor’s Divine Abilities and Secret Arts, which was why she was able to detect a familiar aura on the Mussel from afar. The aura was well hidden though, so people who hadn’t cultivated the Dao of Time would never have detected it.
Yang Xiao realised that as well upon arrival, so he directly raced after the Mussel without asking questions.
Qiong Qi was both agitated and sorrowful, “Young Lady, are you sure?” He was agitated because there were really more of Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains in this sea. At the same time, he was sorrowful that the Great Emperor had been dismembered after his death. Wind Lord had obtained a bone from the sea around Free Spirit Island, and now, the Mussel also had a bone with him. Qiong Qi couldn’t help wondering where the rest of his Old Master’s remains were.
“Xue’er would never act carelessly when it comes to Honoured Master’s matters,” Yang Xue replied solemnly.
Nothing else needed to be said at this point. Since it was confirmed that the Mussel had Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains on him, they had to pursue him.
Half a day later, Yang Kai arched his brow and said with a smile, “They’ve stopped moving.”
He had tagged Yang Xiao with his Divine Sense, so he could somewhat detect what was going on. Presently, Yang Xiao had obviously stopped in his tracks. It seemed that he had caught the Mussel, but Yang Kai didn’t know the details. He had to go over there to find out whether they were confronting or fighting with one another.
Thus, his Demon Qi expanded and wrapped Yang Xue, Qiong Qi, and Liu Yan in it. Following that, he activated the power of his Space Beacon, and as Space Principles undulated, they passed through the Void and appeared beside Yang Xiao.
Arriving at the scene, it appeared Yang Xiao and the Mussel weren’t fighting but rather facing off.
There was a magnificent palace that was covered in a light screen, which served as a barrier. The palace wasn’t large as it had only occupied a land area of a thousand square metres. At this moment, there was a short old man who was glaring forward just outside the palace. He had very short limbs while his head was unusually large. There was no hair on his head, and his neck was short as well, which made him look rather funny. What was more ridiculous was that there were two shells on his back. At first glance, the shells looked just like his wings.
Apparently, this short guy must be the Mussel that Yang Xiao had chased after.
The grand palace under the sea must be his home, and behind him, there were even more Mussels of both genders. Just like him, the men were bald with petite figures. On the other hand, the women were all beautiful and tall with long and smooth hair. The shells behind their backs flapped slowly like they were real wings.
Even though they were all Mussels, the men and the women didn’t look like they were from the same species. There were more than a hundred of them in total, but their cultivation realms varied. The most powerful one was undoubtedly the Mussel that was being chased by Yang Xiao earlier. The rest of them were in the realms of Monster Commander, Monster General and Monster Soldier. Some of the Mussels looked like they had just been born a short time ago as they were hiding inside their own shells and looking out curiously.
All of them were staring at Yang Xiao. While the male Mussels were glowering at him, the female Mussels could be seen with their eyes shining as they sized up Yang Xiao’s entire figure.
Yang Xiao was already pretty good-looking when he was a boy, so now that he had grown up, he had become even more attractive. He could even be described as dashing.
Yang Kai had never seen such a pretty man before, but Yang Xiao still appeared brave and heroic. Men like him were the most attractive to women.
Yang Xiao was a member of the Dragon Clan as well as the son of the Great Elder and Second Elder of Dragon Island, but this was undoubtedly the first time he was stared at by so many Monster Clan women, which caused him to blush.
When Yang Kai and the others appeared, Yang Xiao’s face had completely reddened, and his gaze darted around as though he wasn’t sure where to look. Seeing that, Yang Xue frowned and asked caringly, “Are you hurt?”
Yang Xiao replied meekly, “No, we haven’t started fighting yet.”
A puzzled Yang Xue asked, “Why are you flushed then? Your vitality also seems a bit agitated.”
Yang Xiao’s face turned a shade redder as he wasn’t sure how he should explain himself. At this moment, he couldn’t wait to look for a hole and bury his head in.
Yang Kai took a look at Yang Xiao and the Mussels, then he broke into laughter. In fact, Yang Xiao couldn’t be blamed as the female Mussels’ outfits were on the skimpy side. All of them only had their most sensitive parts covered while the rest of their fair skin was exposed to the sea. Their long bare legs were especially alluring.
Yang Kai knew that if he saw such a sight when he was younger, his vitality would boil a bit as well.
Although Yang Xiao had cultivated inside the Flowing Time Temple for five hundred years, he had never seen so many beautiful women before. Despite his age, he was still considered a young child in the Dragon Clan. He almost couldn’t take it anymore as it was the first time he saw so many alluring ladies.
Noticing the weird smile on Yang Kai’s face, Yang Xue secretly took a look at the Mussels, and then she realised what had happened. After shooting a glare at Yang Xiao, she turned to look at the leader of the Mussels and said, “Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Disciple Yang Xue greets Senior. May I ask your honoured name?”
They had come all the way here to retrieve the Great Emperor’s remains, which was why she called herself Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Disciple instead of a disciple of High Heaven Palace. There were many methods here to retrieve what they were after, but since they held no grudge against the Mussel Clan, it would be best if they could refrain from getting into any conflict. Moreover, the Mussel had a big family including old folks and young children. If a fight broke out, killing innocents would surely leave a bad taste in their mouths. Hence, the best solution was to settle things peacefully.
Upon hearing what she had to say, the Mussel shot her a glance and grinned, “Are you the one who chased after me just now?”
Seeing that someone was trying to capture him earlier, the Mussel immediately turned around and fled, so he didn’t manage to make out Yang Xue’s face. Nevertheless, he was aware that the person was a woman, so now that he saw her, he could instantly recognise her.
Yang Xue replied with a smile, “I meant no disrespect, Senior. Please forgive me.”
However, the Mussel bellowed, “Why did you pursue this King across this vast sea? Do you think this King is easy to bully?”
He then swung his arms, “I ran away not because I was afraid of you. I just didn’t want to kill you. But I didn’t expect that you’d cross the line by following this King back to his home. This is outrageous! I’ll swallow you down without leaving a single bone left!”
Yang Xue hurriedly said, “I’m thankful for your magnanimity, Senior, but there is a good reason we pursued you. Please pardon us.”
“A reason?” The Mussel crossed his arms and appeared to be haughty, “There’s a reason for chasing after this King? Let’s hear it then.”
Yang Xue replied politely, “We wish to obtain something from you.”
On the other hand, Yang Xiao finally managed to stabilize his breathing as he said, “If you give it to us, we will leave now and not make things difficult for you all.”
The atmosphere around the Mussels changed when they heard this. The female Mussels, who were originally ogling Yang Xiao, turned grim all of a sudden as their gazes turned cold. The male Mussels pushed their Monster Qi and sported grave expressions.
The leading Mussel chuckled, “You want something from this King?”
Yang Xue said, “Don’t worry. We don’t ask for it for free. We will give you something in return of appropriate value…”
Before she even finished her words, the leading Mussel shouted, “Don’t even dream of it! The reason this King even bothered to speak with you is that you spoke politely, but I never expected that you would actually be such an ill-intentioned woman! Go back to where you came from now, otherwise, this King will ensure you all die a horrible death!”
The barrier around the secluded home had opened up. The Mussel hid inside it and threatened them, but he was far from being imposing.
Yang Xue said with a frown, “Senior must have misunderstood us, we…”
“There is no misunderstanding!” The Mussel shouted as he didn’t give Yang Xue a chance to speak. At the same time, he swung his short arms, “Scram scram! Before you anger this King!”
The Mussel waved his hands, after which the seawater swept across Yang Kai and the others. Even though the waves were not harmful, it went to show that the Mussel was truly powerful.
Yang Xue knitted her brows as the other party insisted on chasing them away, so there was no way they could talk it out. After giving it a thought, she stared at the Mussel and said, “Don’t blame me for what I’m about to do, then.”
Upon finishing her words, she took a step forward and performed a hand seal before pointing at the barrier.
Without the need to be told what to do, Yang Xiao pushed out his palms at the barrier at the same time as Yang Xue. His movement was slow, but he appeared determined.
Their moves seemed light and didn’t exude any aura.
The Mussel put on a sneer. With his arms crossed, he remained behind the barrier and stared mockingly at Yang Xue, “It seems that you have no idea about your own limitations! The barrier around this secluded home has been finetuned over the generations. Do you even think you ca…”
All of a sudden, he stopped talking and the smile on his face froze. That was because the moment Yang Xue and Yang Xiao came into contact with the barrier, a snapping sound was heard, and following that, countless cracks started appearing on the light screen.
All the adult Mussels were flabbergasted while the little Mussels, who were looking on curiously, immediately closed their shells and hid in them before rolling backwards.
The cracking sounds continued to ring out as the Mussel King’s eyes turned bloodshot. With a horrified expression, he stared fixedly at the barrier around the secluded home. It was as though the cracks were appearing on his heart instead of the barrier.
He couldn’t understand why the two youngsters, who didn’t seem powerful at all, were able to achieve this. There was no time for him to ponder though as a few breaths later, with a loud crash, the barrier collapsed.
“How dare you!” The Mussel King bellowed. The Mussels around him activated their Monster Qi and prepared themselves for the imminent battle.
Just then, a few figures appeared out of thin air. Following a neighing sound, Demon Qi could be seen surging as four Half-Saints appeared at the same time and surrounded all the Mussels.
In addition, Qiong Qi assumed his true form and howled. His mouth was so wide that he seemed able to devour over ten Mussels at the same time. Liu Yan also performed a hand seal, after which a phantom Fire Phoenix appeared behind her, exuding a terrifying aura.
Faced with this group of Mussels, they didn’t actually need so many people to deal with them. Liu Yan or Qiong Qi alone would be enough to destroy them. However, Yang Kai still summoned all the Half-Saints he had with him not because he wanted to kill, but because he wanted to intimidate.
He had no grudges against the Mussel Clan, so he wasn’t willing to kill them; however, if a fight broke out, Yang Kai couldn’t guarantee that no harm would be done. If both parties became locked in a battle to the death, the outcome would be terrible.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to showcase all the power at his disposal in hopes that the Mussels would realise that there was no way they could win.
When the four Half-Saints appeared, all the Mussels gasped and stopped making any moves. Upon realising how powerful the Half-Saints were, they were all flustered, and after Qiong Qi showed his true form and the Fire Phoenix appeared, all of them felt as if they had been thrown into the coldest of blizzards.
[Who are these people?] Besides the two youngsters, all the others present were clearly not small characters. As their powerful Divine Senses permeated the area, all the Mussels felt their mouths turn dry, and they couldn’t help but clench their shells as though they could find a sense of security by doing so.
Initially, they thought that there were not many people on the other side, so there was no need to fear them; however, they didn’t expect to see such a turn of events.
The Mussel King was, fortunately, a tactful man, so after being startled for a moment, he quickly exclaimed, “Wait! Wait a moment!”
Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai as he saw that it was the latter who summoned all the Half-Saints, which was why he understood that Yang Kai was the leader of this group.
Feeling both terrified and humiliated, the Mussel King said, “This time… My Mussel Clan admits defeat. This Bang Bang’er will give you what you want; however, if you dare harm any of my clan, we will fight to the death!”
Hearing this, all the Mussels were shocked before they called out in sorrow, “Great King!”
Some of the Mussels appeared furious as they swept a hate-filled glance over Yang Kai and the others before saying through clenched teeth, “Great King, you don’t have to be afraid of them. We would rather die than admit defeat. We will fight!”
“Fight!”
“Great King, please give the order!”
The Mussel King, Bang Bang’er, however just bellowed, “Silence!”
Anyone could act bravely in the heat of the moment, and if he really gave the order, there was no doubt that the Mussel Clan had the courage to charge forward, but the consequences would be dreadful. Given the collective power the other side had showcased, they could easily destroy the entire Mussel Clan. The over one hundred Mussels were totally no match for them.
He was the leader of the Mussel Clan, so he had to act in the interest of everyone. If he could sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of his Clan, it would be a good deal.
“If anyone dares to say one more word, they will be punished according to the Clan’s laws!” He swept a glance over them and realised that no one dared to speak again. He had been King for many years, so the others wouldn’t dare to disobey him.
He took one more look at Yang Kai and gritted his teeth. Then, he opened his mouth and stuffed his hand into it. When he withdrew his hand, a light seemed to be shining from his hand as though the moon had suddenly appeared in the depths of the sea. What he had in his hand was longan-sized, and it radiated a soft light. It was apparently a Peak-Rank pearl.
This was not just a pearl though, it was also Bang Bang’er’s Monster Core. Monster Qi could be felt flowing within the pearl, making a sound akin to the churning of the ocean waves.
Bang Bang’er turned his head away and extended his hand towards Yang Kai, “Take it.”
He didn’t want to look at it because he was reluctant to part with his Monster Core. His years of cultivation had been condensed in this Monster Core, so if he lost it, he would die a few years later.
While Yang Xue was shocked, Yang Xiao failed to stifle a laugh. Yang Kai shook his head and said, “You’ve misunderstood us. We didn’t come here for this thing.”
Bang Bang’er’s pearl was a Twelfth-Order Monster Core, and a Peak-Rank one at that. It was of the best quality. Moreover, his Monster Core had such a wonderful appearance, so it was more precious than the average Twelfth-Order Monster Core. Anyone would agree that it was a rare treasure.
However, it was useless for Yang Kai to obtain it as he had countless Monster Cores in his Space Ring. In the past, he had collected over a million Monster Cores in Ancient Wild Lands, many of which were Twelfth-Order.
There was no doubt that Bang Bang’er’s Monster Core was valuable, but Yang Kai wasn’t interested. Since the very beginning, all the Mussel Clan members had misunderstood their intention.
A startled Bang Bang’er turned to look at Yang Kai and said, “You don’t want this?”
In disbelief, he asked again, “You really don’t want this?”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai shook his head, “No.”
It was unthinkable that a Human wouldn’t want a Monster Core from the Mussel Clan. It was difficult for the Mussel Clan to survive in the sea because they were always hunted by Humans. The Monster Cores from the Mussel Clan were unlike those from other Monsters, which was why they were favoured by Human women. They loved to put Mussel Clan’s Monster Cores in their rooms because the cores would radiate a gentle light at night. If they wore the cores regularly, it could even help with preserving their youth.
That was the reason Bang Bang’er ran away when he saw Yang Xue, because he thought that she was one of those beauty-loving young ladies who wanted to snatch his Monster Core.
After reaching his secluded home, she even went so far as to ask him for something. Naturally, Bang Bang’er thought that she wanted his Monster Core, which was why he directly rejected her. Unexpectedly, that wasn’t what she was looking for.
A relieved Bang Bang’er said joyfully, “You should’ve told me earlier. You nearly scared me to death. I thought that you… Aha… ha…”
He then quickly gulped down his Monster Core and patted his belly as he was finally able to be at ease.
Yang Xue smiled helplessly and shook her head. She wanted to make it clear to him, but he didn’t even give her a chance to speak, so how was she able to reveal her intention?
“A misunderstanding! It’s all just a misunderstanding!” All the Mussels played along with bright smiles on their faces. As long as she wasn’t here to snatch their Monster Cores, they were fine with anything else. All the Mussels were terrified as Humans kept hunting them down to snatch their Monster Cores, which was why they had moved to the deepest part of the sea in an attempt to avoid them.
Staring at Yang Xue, Bang Bang’er scratched his head and asked, “What does this Young Lady want, then?”
It was then Yang Xue told him their purpose of coming here, “We’re looking for a bone.”
Upon hearing that, Bang Bang’er turned solemn and said grimly, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xue replied with a smile, “I’m looking for my Honoured Master’s remains. If I’m not mistaken, it is with you now. Please show it to me.”
Bang Bang’er sized her up and shook his head, “Impossible!”
Hearing that, Yang Xiao became infuriated as he shouted, “Hey Mussel, I’m warning you! Don’t even think about pulling any tricks on us! This Young Master has been magnanimous enough not to kill you so far, but that doesn’t mean I can’t kill you!”
Yang Xue lifted her hand and looked smilingly at the Mussel, “What do you mean by that?”
Ignoring Yang Xiao, Bang Bang’er stared fixedly at Yang Xue and said seriously, “I do have a certain bone with me, but it’s impossible that it belongs to your Honoured Master. You must be mistaken.”
Yang Xue said, “I would never be mistaken about this matter. I have cultivated my Honoured Master’s Secret Arts, so I can detect the aura of the bone when it is nearby. Right now, I am certain it is with you.”
Bang Bang’er nodded, “I do have a bone with me, but it has been passed down through the generations within the Mussel Clan, so it has been countless years now since we obtained it. I don’t believe you’re anywhere near old enough for it to belong to your Honoured Master.”
After he nodded, he repeatedly shook his head.
With a smile, Yang Xue parted her lips and said, “Senior, please allow me to explain it to you. My Honoured Master indeed passed away a long time ago. My Junior Brother and I only recently received the opportunity to obtain his inheritance, but we have never met him. However, one thing is irrefutable. Since we have received Honoured Master’s inheritance, we are his disciples. Upon learning that his remains were still scattered somewhere in this world, it is our duty to retrieve them and enshrine them properly.”
Upon hearing this, Bang Bang’er finally understood what was going on as he batted his eyes, “Then… your Honoured Master is…”
“Flowing Time Great Emperor!” Yang Xue replied.
Bang Bang’er gasped and exclaimed, “Flowing Time Great Emperor?”
Even though he was a Sea Monster, he was aware of who Flowing Time Great Emperor was; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reacted in such a way. The Mussel Clan knew that this bone must be extraordinary, but they hadn’t expected that it actually belonged to such a powerful figure.
He was the only Great Emperor who had mastered the Dao of Time throughout history!
After recovering from his shock, Bang Bang’er put on a conflicted expression and said, “I see. No wonder.”
Yang Xue asked curiously, “Senior, what do you mean?”
Bang Bang’er quickly waved his hands, “I wouldn’t dare to be addressed in such a way by the Great Emperor’s Legacy Disciple. Please forgive my rudeness earlier.”
He then took a few steps backwards and saluted her, “On behalf of the Mussel Clan, Bang Bang’er greets Patron God’s Legacy Disciples!”
Initially, the leader of the Mussel Clan fled in embarrassment when he saw Yang Xue, then he became haughty in front of his secluded home. Now, he respectfully saluted Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. Anyone would be confused by his constant changes in behaviour.
Following him, the other Mussels saluted as well, including those little Mussels. The little ones had tiny, stubby limbs, but they still imitated their leader and performed a salute, which made them look truly adorable.
Yang Xue was lost for words for a moment before she asked, “Senior, what do you mean?”
Bang Bang’er replied with a smile, “We had some misunderstandings before this. I never expected that we were actually all one family and just did not recognise one another. Please forgive Bang Bang’er for offending you earlier, Patron God’s Legacy Disciples.”
Yang Xiao batted his eyes, “Are you talking about our Honoured Master when you mention this Patron God?”
He was puzzled by what the Mussel King had said, so he had to ask him about it.
Bang Bang’er quickly nodded, “En. My Mussel Clan has benefited greatly from Patron God over the years. That is why we address him in such a way, and we’ve always worshipped him in our Clan. Despite that, we have never had the chance to discover his true name. It wasn’t until today we learned that Patron God is actually the legendary Flowing Time Great Emperor. We are so ashamed.”
Yang Xue’s gaze brightened when she heard that, “You mean he hasn’t truly died yet?”
Even Yang Kai straightened up. If the Great Emperor was dead, how was he able to give them any benefits?
Bang Bang’er shook his head, “That is not the case.”
Next, he opened his mouth and spat out a bone, which appeared as spotless as a piece of white jade; however, the bone was different from the one Wind Lord with him and seemed to be a bone from the forearm.
Yang Xue was right to say that the Great Emperor’s remains were with Bang Bang’er. The leader of the Mussel Clan had basically refined the bone into his body and only took it out now.
Seeing the bone, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue immediately knew that it belonged to their Honoured Master. Others might not be able to sense it, but they could detect the Time Principles hidden inside.
Qiong Qi’s eyes turned bloodshot as there was indeed another bone. It seemed that the Great Emperor’s corpse had really been dismembered. He wondered how dangerous the Outer Universe must be that even a top cultivator like the Great Emperor ended up in such a miserable state.
Bang Bang’er held the bone in his hand and sported a conflicted expression. After a moment of hesitation, he respectfully extended the bone towards Yang Xue with both hands, “This must be the bone you’re looking for.”
Yang Xue nodded and solemnly accepted it. As soon as she came into contact with the bone, she shuddered for a moment. She didn’t make any move, but the bone suddenly glinted. Following that, a golden pattern appeared on the bone as a strange aura spread around, which caused everyone’s mind to turn blank.
It seemed to be just a short moment, but it also felt as though a thousand years had passed, and when they came to their senses, they realised that the bone had become normal again, with no anomalies about it.
No one would think that what happened was just an illusion though. Flowing Time Great Emperor was extremely powerful, so even his remnant bones contained traces of his Divine Ability. Even though it had been a long time since he passed away, his strength was still hidden in his remains. It was normally hidden, and it would only be revealed when the Great Emperor’s Disciple came into contact with them.
The last bit of doubt behind Bang Bang’er’s gaze vanished and instead he directed a gentle look toward Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. Even though Yang Xue said she was Flowing Time’s successor, she couldn’t provide any evidence, so it wasn’t until this moment that he finally completely believed her.
With a faint smile, Bang Bang’er said, “Our ancestor accidentally came across this bone many years ago. Even though he could tell that it was extraordinary, he was unable to unravel what secrets hid within it. Since then, the bone has been passed down over the generations. Finally, it has been returned to its rightful owner. Congratulations.”
Yang Xue put away the bone and gazed at him, “Senior, what do you mean that you’ve benefited from my Honoured Master?”
Bang Bang’er quickly waved his hands, “Since you are Patron God’s Legacy Disciple, you must stop addressing me as Senior. Just call me by name.”
He then paused for a moment before asking, “How old do you all think I am?”
This was an odd question, but it was apparent that he wouldn’t have asked a random question for no reason. It must have something to do with the current situation.
Yang Xiao immediately replied, “You’re fairly powerful, but you don’t look very old. Monsters are supposed to enjoy a long life anyway so… I would guess that you’re about two thousand years old now.”
“You’re wrong.” Bang Bang’er shook his head. He decided to tell them the answer straight away instead of keeping them guessing, “I don’t remember my exact age, but I’m over eight thousand years old now today.”
Yang Kai and the others were shocked when they heard this. As compared to Bang Bang’er’s cultivation, he had indeed enjoyed an extremely long life at eight thousand years old. Furthermore, he didn’t even look that old. Nevertheless, they soon realised that it must have something to do with the bone.
As expected, Bang Bang’er went on to explain, “I am a Monster King, a High-Rank Monster King to be precise. I’ve lived such a long life already, but I still feel youthful. It isn’t that we Mussels are blessed with long life, but rather all thanks to Patron God’s remains. After our Old Ancestor obtained this bone, he couldn’t figure out the secrets inside it, but he realised that his life had been lengthened with the bone around. So, over the generations, every leader of the Mussel Clan had enjoyed a long life. Other than those who had lost their lives in battles against other Monster Clans, the longest-living King enjoyed a thirteen-thousand-year-long life. This was all thanks to Patron God’s blessing.”
After a pause, he went on to say, “We have lived in this vast sea for many generations, and even though we refrain from fighting with others, calamities will still descend upon us from time to time. There are not many of us, and we don’t have a lot of top Masters. It so happens that several times in the past our Clan was almost wiped out. The reason we were able to endure was thanks to Patron God’s remains. While I cannot truly use it, in times of great crisis, I am still able to draw out a portion of its power to destroy my enemies.”
Bang Bang’er was the leader of the Mussel Clan. If he were in danger, the entire Mussel Clan would be at risk of going extinct. In such a circumstance, drawing on the Great Emperor’s power could indeed assist him.
It hadn’t happened to him before, but the previous leaders of the Clan had apparently experienced this.
That was the reason the Mussels always worshipped the bone’s owner and regarded him to be their Patron God. However, it wasn’t until this day that they found out who the bone’s owner was.
After the explanation, Bang Bang’er said with a smile, “We owe Patron God a huge favour. Not only have we found out his name today, but we have also realised that he has Legacy Disciples in this world. All of us from the Mussel Clan cannot express the depths of our joy.”
Yang Xue said, “Senior is too courteous. My Junior Brother and I must offer proper thanks for returning these remains to us.”
Bang Bang’er waved his hands, “This is what I should do. Patron God has blessed us many times already. Since his Legacy Disciples are here now, the bone should return to you.”
It wasn’t certain what he really thought about the matter, but at the very least, he appeared sincere. In any case, it wasn’t like he had a choice. The Mussels were now surrounded by six Half-Saints. If he dared to say no, they would cease to exist in the next instant.
Yang Xue asked, “If you return the bone to me, will it affect your health in any way?”
The reason Bang Bang’er had lived for such a long time was thanks to the Great Emperor’s remains. If the bone was taken away from him, it wasn’t certain how long he could still live.
Hearing that, Bang Bang’er replied with a smile, “I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be affected in any way, but it’s just that I won’t live as long as the ancestors before me. Regardless, the years I should still live will not be taken away from me. Given my current condition now, I believe that I’ll still be around for another one or two thousand years at least.”
Yang Xue nodded her head and said, “My Junior Brother and I will make it up to you in the future.”
“There’s no need for that.” Bang Bang’er kept shaking his hands, then he let out a long breath as though he had put down something. After that, he sported a passionate expression, “We are honoured to have Patron God’s two Legacy Disciples here. If you are open to the idea, why not come inside and have a chat? I have something else to tell you about.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xue took a look at her Big Brother.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “In that case, we will be imposing on your hospitality.”
They had chased after Bang Bang’er and even taken the Great Emperor’s bone, which he had kept for many years, away from him. It would be inappropriate if they left just like this. Since Bang Bang’er was so inviting, it wouldn’t matter for them to go in and have a chat.
An elated Bang Bang’er turned around and shouted, “We have very important guests today! All of you, begin preparing, we must host a grand banquet!”
The little Mussels imitated their King and cheered loudly. At that instant, all the Mussels started getting busy. Half of the Mussels returned to their homes to get things ready while the remaining Mussels stayed with their King to welcome their Honoured Guests.
Yang Kai directly shuffled forward while Liu Yan was walking alongside him. Qiong Qi and the Half-Saints walked behind them, followed by Yang Xue while Yang Xiao brought up the rear. It wasn’t that Yang Xiao walked too slowly though, it was just that he had been surrounded by the flirtatious and alluring Mussel Clan ladies.
They really loved this beautiful White Dragon like Yang Xiao. When both parties were in conflict just now, it would be inappropriate for them to be forward with him, but now that the misunderstanding had been resolved, all of the ladies with different styles and demeanours surrounded him.
Yang Xiao’s face had completely reddened, and before he could say anything, two Mussel ladies took his arms from both sides and lugged him into the secluded home. Seeing how dazed he was, they all started giggling.
The fragrance coming from the ladies made Yang Xiao feel like he was on cloud nine and he seemed to be seeing stars.
After entering the secluded home, Yang Kai stood before a sculpture, which appeared very ancient. The imposing sculpture was placed in a central square inside the secluded home. It was apparent that the sculptor was an expert in this field as his work looked lifelike and alive. However, what was puzzling was that the sculpture didn’t have any facial features.
On the side, Bang Bang’er explained politely, “We have benefited from Patron God’s blessings, but we have never seen him before. One of our ancestors placed this sculpture here so that the future generations could continue to worship him.”
They were not sure what the bone’s owner looked like, so they didn’t carve a face onto it. Nevertheless, they could tell that he must be an extraordinary person, which was why they made the sculpture look imposing.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Do you need any help? One of us has seen the Great Emperor before.”
Upon hearing that, Bang Bang’er was astounded. It had been countless years since Flowing Time Great Emperor passed away, so he hadn’t expected that someone had actually seen him before. How long had this person lived? Regardless, this was wonderful news to him, so he naturally wouldn’t reject it. Thus, he quickly said, “It is the greatest wish of all our ancestors to know the face of our Patron God. Please, it would be our honour if we could have help with filling in the details of the sculpture’s face.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Qiong Qi.
The only person among them who had seen Flowing Time Great Emperor was Qiong Qi. Even though Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance, they had no idea what their Honoured Master looked like. That was why they also looked expectantly at Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi determinedly moved past Yang Kai with a serious expression. As he looked up at the huge sculpture, there seemed to be a tinge of longing and sorrow on his face. Soon, those emotions vanished from his face though and were replaced by a solemn expression.
After that, he condensed his Monster Qi and lifted his hand. The Monster Qi agglomerated on his finger and turned into a graver. Following that, he leapt into the air as the graver turned into afterimages. At that instant, stone crumbs could be seen scattering around.
Qiong Qi kept carving without stopping, the entire process as smooth as flowing water. Even though he wasn’t a master in the art of sculpting, given his powerful cultivation, he was still able to do it with ease.
Despite the fact that he was just helping out to fill in the details, he was still doing it seriously. Every cut and stroke he made was the result of the condensation of his cultivation.
After thirty breaths, Qiong Qi put his hand down. The crowd looked up at the sculpture and sported different expressions. Most of them were surprised.
Flowing Time Great Emperor was one of the most famous figures in the history of the Star Boundary. Even though it had been a long time since he passed away, his legends were still spread around among the general public. Most people would think that such a top cultivator must have an extraordinary bearing and unique appearance.
However, the truth was that, after Qiong Qi was done with carving out the Great Emperor’s face, everyone realised that Flowing Time Great Emperor looked just like the average man, one who could simply disappear in a crowded street market.
Nevertheless, a Great Emperor’s power had nothing to do with his face. He was Flowing Time Great Emperor, so even his average-looking face became extraordinary because of his title.
Then, all of them paid homage to the Great Emperor.
After stepping forward, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue respectively burned three incense sticks for their Honoured Master and kowtowed to him.
When they were done with all that, Bang Bang’er led all of them into the main hall where a welcoming aroma permeated the place. The Mussels had prepared a feast for them as they awaited their honoured guests to have a seat.
Everyone was respectively served by a gentle and beautiful young Mussel woman. In the middle of the hall, there were some alluring ladies who were dancing to the music.
The prior confrontation was nothing more than a misunderstanding, and Bang Bang’er happened to come across their Patron God’s Legacy Disciples, which was why he was overjoyed as he kept proposing toasts to them. Even though the Mussels lived under the sea, there had never been a lack of resources, so their homemade wines were especially mellow and aromatic, which were a treat to the taste buds.
After they tasted some wine and dishes, Bang Bang’er suddenly said, “Sir, Madam, for your information, in this sea, we are not the only ones who have benefited from the Great Emperor’s blessing. There are other Clans in the sea that are in the same situation as well.”
Flowing Time Great Emperor was the Patron God for the Mussel Clan, which was why he called his Legacy Disciples ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’. It was a form of address to show his respect, so there was no problem with it.
Yang Xue’s gaze brightened when she heard that, “Senior means…”
Bang Bang’er replied with a smile, “This is what I wanted to tell you. It wouldn’t have mattered if we didn’t know that Patron God still has some Disciples in this world, but since both of you have come all the way here, it would be wrong to conceal the truth from you.”
He paused for a moment, “Patron God’s bone, as well as a message, has been passed down within the Mussel Clan over the generations. Our Old Ancestor said that the Mussel Clan wasn’t the only one who had obtained the Patron God’s remains. In this vast sea, some other Clans have already received Patron God’s blessings, which allowed them to thrive over the millennia.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao stopped drinking his wine and stared at Bang Bang’er, “Senior, do you know where those Clans are?”
Bang Bang’er replied with a smile, “I’m not sure about the others, but it’s highly likely that Patron God’s remains are in a particular place.”
Yang Xue and Yang Xiao asked at the same time, “Where?”
“Fifty thousand kilometres to the west of our territory is a certain Shrimp Clan’s territory. It’s highly likely that Old Shrimp has a piece of the Patron God’s remains.”
“What do you mean that it’s highly likely?” Yang Xiao arched his brow.
Bang Bang’er explained, “Because Old Shrimp has lived for many, many years. Without Patron God’s remains, he couldn’t have achieved this.”
The Mussels had one piece of Flowing Time Great Emperor’s bones, so they knew what it could do. The situation in the Shrimp Clan was similar to that of their own, which was why he had this speculation.
This came as a surprise as Yang Xiao immediately rose from the chair, “What are we waiting for? We’ll get back our Honoured Master’s remains from the Shrimp Clan right now.”
Then, he turned to look at Yang Xue, “Little Aunt, what do you think?”
Yang Xue called him ‘Junior Brother’ while he called her ‘Little Aunt’. Their relationship was really a mess.
Yang Xue nodded, “We’ll go together.”
Bang Bang’er quickly said, “Wait a moment. The situation within the Shrimp Clan is different from that of our Clan. They might not be willing to return Patron God’s remains to you. They might also think that you all are swindlers. Let me gather up some people to help you out.”
Yang Xiao shot him a look and said with a smile, “Do you have any grudges against him?”
If there were no grudges between the Mussel and Shrimp Clans, why was Bang Bang’er acting proactively and so eager to destroy the other Clan through Yang Xiao and the others? Even though Yang Xiao had stayed in the Flowing Time Temple for five hundred years, he wasn’t a fool. That was why he could easily see through the other’s thoughts.
Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to get a reply from him, so before Bang Bang’er could explain anything, he went on to say, “This is the internal affairs of the Flowing Time Temple, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
He didn’t care what Bang Bang’er’s intention was or whether the latter wanted to commit murder using a borrowed knife, since they had found out that the Shrimp Clan might have the Great Emperor’s remains, they had to go over.
Bang Bang’er appeared slightly embarrassed, but since Yang Xiao had said as such, he didn’t have the courage to insist on lending them a hand; thus, he only said, “I wish Sir and Madam great success in your endeavour then.”
Upon learning about the whereabouts of the Great Emperor’s remains, Flowing Time’s disciples were not willing to idle anymore as they wanted to set off immediately. Bang Bang’er pointed out the direction for them and saw them off.
After that, all of them charged forward at full speed in this expansive sea.
Halfway there, however, Yang Kai stopped all of a sudden. Seeing this, Yang Xue, Qiong Qi and the others quickly halted their pace as well. Only Yang Xiao shot forward for quite some distance before he came back and looked doubtfully at Yang Kai, “Father, did you discover something?”
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile before he took a look at both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, “Both of you have grown up.”
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were puzzled by his statement as they looked inquisitively at him.
Yang Kai went on to say, “Since you’ve grown up, you have to learn to walk on your own.”
As an intelligent young woman, Yang Xue immediately understood what he was trying to say and asked, “Big Brother, do you have to leave now?”
Yang Kai extended his hand to stroke her head and replied with a smile, “Yes, there are some things that require my immediate attention.”
“Please go ahead, then. Don’t worry about Xiao’er and me.”
With a straight face, Yang Kai said, “I also have to bring your Big Sister Liu Yan and Uncle Qiong Qi with me. I might come across some formidable enemies this time, so I need as much support as possible.”
Before Yang Xue could say anything, Yang Xiao became excited and said, “We’ll let Great Aunt and Old Qiong go with you, then. Little Aunt and I will handle the matter regarding our Honoured Master.”
Yang Xue nodded. They had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance and cultivated in his palace for five hundred years, so they were like two tigers that had just left the mountain now. With Yang Kai around, they felt somewhat restricted, so upon hearing that he wanted to bring Liu Yan and Qiong Qi with him, while she felt somewhat sad, at the same time, it was something she wanted as well.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Even though you’ve achieved some success in your cultivation, you must remember that there’s always someone stronger than you in this world. Don’t ever think that you’re peerless just because you’ve received the Great Emperor’s inheritance. Even your Honoured Master wasn’t invincible, let alone two little kids like you…”
“Adoptive Father, I’m over five hundred years old now!” Yang Xiao corrected solemnly as he was no longer a young kid.
Ignoring him entirely, Yang Kai continued, “Even though you two are not from the same generations, you’re of similar ages. So, you have to take care of one another and be careful.”
He paused for a moment, “If you come across any danger, you must immediately use your Space Beacons!”
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue nodded in unison, “We’ll remember.”
“Also, after you’re done with this matter, Xiao’er, you have to go back to Dragon Island, and Xue’er, you have to return to High Heaven Palace…”
“Ah ah, Adoptive Father! You’re so long-winded!” Yang Xiao pouted. Right after he finished speaking, he received a knock on his head from Yang Kai; however, he just giggled like nothing had happened.
“Alright, I’ll stop nagging at you. Now, go on.” Yang Kai waved his hand as though he was chasing away two chicks.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue traded glances before they turned around and transformed into a beam of light that shot across the sea.
Yang Kai, Qiong Qi, and Liu Yan remained in the same spot. With his eyes narrowed, he watched as the beam of light disappeared from his sight before he said, “Follow them, but don’t make a move unless they’ve fallen into a life-or-death crisis.”
It was just an excuse that he might come across formidable enemies and that he needed more people with him. Yang Kai was going to the Lower Star Fields, so there was practically no one who could be a match for him there. Moreover, he still had four Half-Saints inside the Small Sealed World. Even if he really bumped into any powerful enemies, the four of them would be enough to deal with any unforeseen danger.
The reason he said such a thing was that it was the perfect opportunity for Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to test their own powers after five hundred years of secluded cultivation. If Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were beside them, they would think that they still had some people to rely on, that was why Yang Kai had to bring Liu Yan and Qiong Qi away from them and let them face their problems on their own.
Whether they would come across any setbacks or opportunities, they had to deal with them by themselves. The flowers inside a greenhouse would bloom beautifully, but they wouldn’t withstand the harsh winds and rain of the outside world.
Qiong Qi understood this well, so after Yang Kai told him to move in secret, he immediately nodded.
Moreover, Yang Kai indeed didn’t have any time to stay by their side. His own matters had been delayed for quite some time, so he had to deal with them quickly.
Qiong Qi then hid his aura before following them.
On the other hand, Liu Yan wasn’t willing to leave as she lifted her head and looked longingly at Yang Kai, her big eyes as clear as a mountain stream.
Yang Kai smiled and stroked her head until her hair became a mess, but Liu Yan seemed satisfied as she beamed at him; then, without saying a word, she raced after Qiong Qi.
With Qiong Qi and Liu Yan protecting them, Yang Kai was able to set his mind at ease. In this sea, no one should be able to harm them.
After they were all gone, Yang Kai remained where he was as he fell into his own thoughts. Then, he suddenly lifted his hand and landed a palm on his chest.
He had exerted quite some force with his palm, which was why two of his ribs had broken as he sprayed out a mouthful of Golden Blood and dampened his clothes. His face turned pale and he almost couldn’t support his own weight.
After coughing for a bit, he took a rest before using his Space Principles to activate one of the Space Beacons on his wrist.
As the Principles undulated, he disappeared from the spot and reached the other end of the Space Beacon in an instant.
With a solemn expression, he began reading out the speech he had prepared, “Sixty-First Army Commander Yang Kai greets Iron Bloo… Shit!”
His greeting abruptly turned into a curse. It wasn’t that he was disrespectful of the Great Emperor, but rather that he was shocked by the sight before his eyes. No matter how many circumstances he had imagined he would come across, the sight in front of him wasn’t one of them.
Yang Kai was heading to the Lower Star Field, so he had to go through Star Court first. Presently, Star Court was presided over by Iron Blood Great Emperor, which was why he activated the Space Beacon that was connected to Zhan Wu Hen. Previously in Seven Mists Sea, Yang Kai had given a Space Beacon to the Great Emperor.
Supposedly, after the Space Beacon was activated, Yang Kai should appear beside Iron Blood Great Emperor.
However, at this moment, the place he was in was filled with Demon Qi. Lifting his head, he realised that the Demon soldiers in front of him were seemingly endless and it wasn’t long before innumerable streams of Divine Sense came from all directions and targeted him.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he subconsciously thought that Iron Blood Great Emperor must have barged into the Demon army’s base. Nevertheless, looking around, he realised that the Great Emperor was nowhere to be seen.
However, he detected a very familiar energy fluctuation that was coming from a High-Rank Demon King that was nearest to him.
The High-Rank Demon King was a Corpse Demon whose body was filthy and putrefied. Presently, he was just an arm’s length away from Yang Kai, so they were basically touching shoulders. Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he caught a whiff of the rancid smell.
The Corpse Demon was startled for a moment. Anyone would be stumped when a person suddenly appeared in front of him.
The next moment, the Corpse Demon’s eyes brightened as he could recognise Yang Kai. Pleasantly surprised, he immediately howled as his weltering Demon Qi swept across Yang Kai. At the same time, he lifted his arms as his hands extended towards the latter.
Yang Kai also pushed out a palm to parry the attack with his Demon Qi. As he activated his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, his hand turned into a Dragon Claw.
When their hands came into contact, the Corpse Demon started wailing instead as his arms twisted and shredded apart. He quickly changed his tactic by turning into a corpse mountain. The corpse mountain was shaped like a giant, and the Corpse Demon’s original appearance could only be faintly seen. However, the figure was actually made of many corpses, which could be seen struggling and wailing. Their voices seemed able to terrify anyone.
So many corpses had been crammed together that it really looked like a mountain.
Yang Kai fully activated his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and turned into a three-hundred-metre-long Half-Dragon.
Then, the two gigantic figures clashed with each other head-on.
Just then, a deafening Dragon Roar was heard, which caused the corpses to fall like rain. Three breaths later, the corpse mountain collapsed. Before the corpses even came into contact with the ground, they turned into pus, which stank terribly.
Yang Kai’s three-hundred-metre-tall figure seemed able to support the entire sky. There was a thing in his left hand that was pounding hard. It was none other than the Corpse Demon’s Demon Heart.
In just a move, the Demon Heart was taken away from him. The Corpse Demon couldn’t sustain his current form anymore as he shrunk to a Human-sized figure. Then, he collapsed to the ground, and there was a hole in his chest that could be seen through from the front to the back.
Yang Kai looked down at him with his golden eyes. He seemed authoritative as though he was a deity. Exerting more force with his hand, he was able to crush the Demon Heart apart with ease.
The Corpse Demon immediately became paralysed, but he hadn’t passed away yet. As a High-Rank Demon King, there was definitely more than one Demon Heart in his body, so it didn’t matter that one of them had been destroyed. As long as the Demon Heart remained, the Demon Race would never die!
He wailed as dark blood streamed out of his mouth. Then, he attempted to get to his feet to flee.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai lifted his foot and pressed him down. With a loud thud, the ground seemed to be shaking and the figure beneath his foot exploded into blood. The Corpse Demon didn’t even manage to grunt in pain before he was killed.
In just five breaths’ time, a High-Rank Demon King had fallen. Yang Kai had almost always fought people above his realm, so now that he had ascended to the High-Rank Demon King Realm, he was even able to battle against a Pseudo-Great Emperor like Wind Lord, so it didn’t take him much effort to kill another High-Rank Demon King.
After the Corpse Demon was killed, Yang Kai spread his right palm and revealed a tiny bead, which was a Space Beacon. It was the one that he had given to Iron Blood Great Emperor when he was in Seven Mists Sea.
There were only two possible reasons why the Space Beacon had fallen into the Corpse Demon’s hands.
First, the Corpse Demon had killed Iron Blood Great Emperor and looted his stuff. However, could a High-Rank Demon King kill a Great Emperor? That was impossible. Even if Zhan Wu Hen just stood there without resisting, this High-Rank Demon King wouldn’t be able to harm him even if he kept on attacking for a hundred years without rest.
Since it was impossible for the High-Rank Demon King to have killed the Great Emperor, only one possibility was left. The Great Emperor had secretly placed the Space Beacon on the Corpse Demon’s body.
The uses of Space Beacons were no longer a secret in the Star Boundary. They could be used to send messages and transfer some items. Yang Kai suddenly gave Zhan Wu Hen a Space Beacon, so the Great Emperor knew that Yang Kai would be looking for him one day.
Iron Blood Great Emperor wasn’t willing to see Yang Kai again, so he just took it without saying anything, but he soon placed the bead in the hands of a Demon King. That was why, after Yang Kai activated the Space Beacon, he immediately appeared among the Demon soldiers.
Realizing this, Yang Kai’s expression darkened. With his three-hundred-metre tall figure, he just killed a High-Rank Demon King like the latter was a chicken. After that, he sported a dark expression, so it seemed that he still hadn’t killed enough.
All the Demons were horrified. There didn’t seem to be an end to the Demon soldiers in this base, but at this moment, the place was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Soon, a few figures flew over and they exuded the auras of Half-Saints. Apparently, they noticed the noises over there. The speed of Half-Saints was fast, so it would only take them a few breaths to reach this place. Before they even arrived, they had targeted Yang Kai with their auras.
Yang Kai took a look in that direction and gently let out a breath. Then, he yelled in a deafening voice, “Tell Can Ye to wash his neck and wait for me! This King will definitely come to claim his skull one day!”
After he finished speaking, he shot a glance at the Half-Saint that was nearest to him, then he sneered and took a step forward before his gigantic figure vanished into thin air.
A few breaths later, some figures landed on the spot where Yang Kai was standing earlier. The Half-Saints had finally arrived, but Yang Kai was already gone and only a puddle of dark blood was left on the ground.
All of them sported grim expressions. Despite the fact that so many Demon soldiers were around, Yang Kai was still able to come and go as he pleased. Not only had he killed a High-Rank Demon King, but he had also threatened to destroy their Master, which was humiliating for them. They hadn’t really suffered from any damage as they had only lost a High-Rank Demon King, but this kind of humiliation was unacceptable for them.
However, the Half-Saints didn’t understand what Yang Kai was up to. Did he come all the way here just to showcase his power or threaten them? That would be quite childish if that was true. After giving it a thought, they still couldn’t figure out what Yang Kai’s secret plot was, so they could only tell everyone else to put up their guard.
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t have any secret plot. He was also astounded to have appeared among the Demon soldiers all of a sudden. Fortunately, Can Ye wasn’t around; otherwise, he might not even be able to flee. The Half-Saints couldn’t seal off space to stop him from fleeing, but Can Ye could do that.
If he came across Can Ye just now, he would’ve lost his life; thus, Yang Kai cursed at Zhan Wu Hen in his heart, utterly incensed.
However, he had appeared in that place and killed a High-Rank Demon King, so it would’ve been awkward if he just left like that, which was why he left behind a threat. It wasn’t just a threat though as it was his true intention as well.
Compared to the Demon Saints, he was more resentful of Can Ye. That was because Can Ye, as a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, ignored the plight of the people in his own world and opened up the Two Worlds’ Passage, which allowed the Demon armies to invade the Star Boundary and caused their world to descend into turmoil. Besides that, he stemmed from a Shadow Demon’s bloodline, which was why he had the urge to acknowledge his own ancestry.
During the war on Eternal Sky Continent, while Bright Moon fought alone against impossible odds, Can Ye had hidden on the side and launched a sneak attack at the critical moment, severely wounding Bright Moon and destroying all chances he had to flee.
It could be said that Can Ye’s sudden attack was the last straw that broke Bright Moon’s back, so he was one of the main reasons behind Bright Moon’s death.
Yang Kai had received Bright Moon’s blessings, so he had a duty to seek revenge for him, which was why he had to kill Can Ye one day.
When he reappeared, he caught a whiff of a fragrance, and a four-post bed came into his sight. He was startled for a moment before realising that it was a woman’s room.
Turning around, he was met with a pair of bright eyes, then he put on a grin, “Yang…”
After saying just one word, Yang Kai’s voice caught in his throat. Lowering his gaze, he saw a fair and slender neck, then two great, snow-covered towering peaks. Following that, it was the woman’s flat belly.
“Why are you still staring?” An enraged Yang Yan swiftly extended two fingers and poked Yang Kai’s eyes.
As Yang Kai saw the alluring woman in the state she was brought into the world all of a sudden, he fell into a dazed state while Yang Yan made a move, which was why he was unable to react. After his eyes were poked, he felt excruciating pain and started seeing stars. After a grunt, he couldn’t help staggering backwards.
After stabilising himself, he forcefully rubbed his eyes as tears streamed down his face.
Yang Yan hadn’t fully used her power, so Yang Kai wouldn’t really be hurt, but his vision definitely would become blurred for a while.
A moment later, his vision finally regained focus, but his eyes had reddened as though he had gotten a cloud of dust in them. Lifting his head, he realised that Yang Yan was already fully clothed as she stared at him with a perfect smile.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he could see the murderous intent behind her smile. At that instant, he knew that he was unlucky again. Initially, he wanted to use the Space Beacon to look for Iron Blood Great Emperor, but he arrived at the Demons’ army base instead. Then, he thought that he could look for Yang Yan; after all, she was from Star Court as well, so she might be able to help. However, he hadn’t expected to walk in on her when she was getting changed, which was just terrible timing. Basically, today was the day that everything had gone wrong for him.
After giving it a thought, he said seriously, “I’ll have to start the story with Senior Zhan Wu Hen.”
“Get out!” Yang Yan demanded.
“Huh?” Yang Kai was startled.
Yang Yan pointed at the door and said through clenched teeth, “I said get out!”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai sniffled and turned around to leave the room, then he closed the door. After waiting for a while with his hands hidden in his sleeves, he coughed and knocked on the door, “Is anyone home?”
Yang Yan’s voice was heard coming from inside, “Come in.”
With a grin, Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered the room, only to see that she was already seated at the table with a cup of tea in her hand. She was sipping the tea in an elegant manner, her red lips particularly attractive.
Without waiting for her to say anything, Yang Kai directly took a seat.
Yang Yan said with a smile, “You’re acting like you’re a close friend of mine.”
The murderous intent and coldness on her face had vanished, as though nothing had happened earlier.
Yang Kai poured himself a cup of tea and gulped it down. After several cups, he finally calmed down and let out a long sigh, “I’m not an outsider so…”
Yang Kai made small talk with Yang Yan to ease the tension, and only after making sure that she really wasn’t mad at him, did he set his mind at ease and asked about the current affairs in the Star Boundary.
Yang Yan replied with a smile, “The support for the Demons has been cut off, and even the Demon Saints are unable to interfere. Only Can Ye is left to be in charge of everything, so how are they going to make a fuss again? Moreover, you’ve brought with you so many helpers from the Demon Realm, three of whom are Demon Saints. With the situation stacked so heavily in our favour, if Li Wu Yi couldn’t destroy the last pockets of resistance, wouldn’t he have lived all those years in vain? That said, things cannot be rushed, so it’ll take a few years before the dust settles.”
After hearing her explanation, Yang Kai learned that while he was busy, the fifty-four armies in the Star Boundary had rallied and limited the Demons to a small area in the Western Territory. They had launched several small-scale battles and won every time.
Moreover, Chang Tian, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo had separated an army of their own which further destroyed the morale of the Demon armies. Recently, many of the Demons had come to their side.
The situation was indeed in their favour; however, Yang Yan was right to say that it couldn’t be rushed. They had to act methodically.
Even though the support for the Demons had been cut off, countless Demons had invaded the Star Boundary prior to that. It was an arduous task to destroy all of them. First of all, they had to be wary that the Demons might be driven to act desperately. Secondly, they had to be cautious that some of the Demons might hide among the common people.
All fifty-four armies had their own tasks as they encircled the Demons and made sure no enemies could flee. When the right time came, there was bound to be an epic battle.
The Sixty-First Army had just been founded, so they didn’t have any generals and soldiers yet. They were still in the process of making preparations, so they probably wouldn’t be able to help out with the current war effort. However, Yao Si was left in charge of the Sixty-First Army now, so there was nothing Yang Kai had to worry about. Furthermore, destroying the Demons in the Star Boundary was just the beginning. Their ultimate goal was to devour the entire Demon Realm.
Certainly, the Sixty-First Army would shine and make a name for itself one day.
After they were done with discussing the war, Yang Yan suddenly asked, “Why were you looking for me?”
She knew that if there was nothing important, Yang Kai wouldn’t have used the Space Beacon to appear beside her. Since he was here for something, she simply smiled, “Just tell me straight away.”
They had known each other for many years, so Yang Kai could just be straightforward to her.
“Where’s Senior Iron Blood? I need to see him,” Yang Kai replied.
Yang Yan shook her head, “You’ll be disappointed then. Senior Iron Blood and Senior Serene Soul are trying to find Can Ye’s whereabouts. They’ve ordered that if there’s nothing serious, we should not contact them. If it’s really something important, just tell me about it and I’ll pass on your message to him later.”
Yang Kai was surprised upon hearing this and asked, “They’re trying to hunt down Can Ye?” At that instant, he finally understood why the Space Beacon given to Iron Blood Great Emperor had fallen into the hands of a Demon King.
Presently, only Can Ye was in charge of the Demon Realm forces in the Star Boundary. It was said that to defeat one’s enemies, one had to capture the leader first. As long as they could kill Can Ye, the remaining Demon armies would fall apart, which would then save countless lives on the Star Boundary’s side. Can Ye’s title, however, was Night Shadow, so he was an expert in stealth and launching sneak attacks. Even though Iron Blood and Serene Soul had joined forces, it still wasn’t easy for them to find his whereabouts. Any small move would alert their enemy.
In order to ensure that nothing would go wrong, Zhan Wu Hen decided to throw away the Space Beacon to prevent Yang Kai from appearing at an inopportune moment and alert Can Ye.
[That must be the reason… Forget it. I know very well that it isn’t the main reason…] Yang Kai wanted to come up with an excuse for Zhan Wu Hen for throwing the Space Beacon away; however, it was apparent that Zhan Wu Hen had a bias against him. Otherwise, he could’ve just kept the Space Beacon in his Space Ring. With the Space Ring’s isolation, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to directly connect to it.
Having failed in his attempt to come up with an excuse to console himself, Yang Kai became incensed again. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Since he isn’t around, I’ll just make a request to you. En, I want to go to the Lower Star Field.”
In fact, he also wanted Zhan Wu Hen to make another Command Token for him. Even though the original token was still around, the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability inside it was gone as Yang Kai had used it in the Flowing Time Temple. Something seemed to be lacking when no Great Emperor’s Divine Ability was stored in the token.
Because of this, Yang Kai had even landed a palm on his chest to make himself look miserable. He wanted to tell Zhan Wu Hen that he had fought a great battle against Wind Lord, risking his own life to obtain a victory. However, he couldn’t even find Zhan Wu Hen now, so this matter had to be put aside.
“Just go if you want to. You’re the Star Field Guardian, so that’s basically your territory. Who can stop you if you want to go there?” Yang Yan giggled happily.
“How do I get there?” Yang Kai batted his eyes.
Yang Yan replied curiously, “Haven’t you refined the Star Field’s Source already? Just communicate with the Source and it will give you directions.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I know, and I’ve tried it, but there’s a barrier around the Star Boundary. If the barrier doesn’t open, I cannot head to the Star Field, unless I can break the barrier.”
Yang Yan kept a smile on her face, “When did you last try? Why not give it another try now?”
Yang Kai frowned at her words, but she didn’t seem to be pulling his leg, so he quickly focused his mind and communicated with the Source of Heng Luo Star Field. A moment later, a glint flashed across his eyes as he finally understood what had happened, “I see!”
Yang Yan explained, “The Star Boundary and Star Fields are inseparable, and they’re closely connected. Take a tree as an example. The countless Lower Star Fields are like a tree’s roots, and the Star Boundary is like the tree crown. Cultivators like us are the fruits on this tree. Fruits will only grow when the roots absorb nutrients from the ground. Normally, the fruits are unable to return to their roots; however, a Star Field Guardian is able to make use of the Star Field’s Source to trace back to his own root.”
Yang Kai nodded as he already knew this. After he refined the Source of Heng Luo Star Field and returned to the Star Boundary in the past, he had already given it a try. He just had to communicate with the Star Field’s Source and could somewhat sense the existence of Heng Luo Star Field; however, it was impossible for him to return to the Star Field as there was a barrier that separated the Star Boundary and the Star Field. If he couldn’t break the barrier, he would never be able to go back to the Star Field, even though he was a Star Field Master.
However, it wasn’t until this moment that he came to the realisation that the barrier came from the Star Boundary. Heng Luo Star Field was his territory, so it would always welcome him.
He had given it a try in the past, so he thought that he couldn’t go back again, which was why he wanted to look for Zhan Wu Hen.
“For the average Star Field Master, he would have to go through Star Court if he wanted to descend to his Star Field, but you’re different. That’s because you have obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity as well as the Star Boundary’s acknowledgement. If you want to go back, the barrier around the Star Boundary will not stop you.”
“Got it.” Yang Kai nodded, and then he became curious, “Where is Star Court actually? What does it look like?”
He had heard a lot about Star Court in the past. This time, he thought that he could have a look at it, but it seemed that his wish couldn’t be granted.
Yang Yan replied with a smile, “Star Court is just a name, not a place.”
“What?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
Yang Yan explained, “A long time ago, anyone could move between the Star Boundary and the Lower Star Fields. As long as one was powerful enough, he could easily move between any Star Field and the Star Boundary, and there was no hindrance for him; however, I’m sure you’re familiar with what Wu Kuang did. He was a special case, but apart from him, there were a number of other top cultivators who had made a fuss in the Lower Star Fields. It was just that they didn’t turn the Star Fields upside down like what Wu Kuang had done…”
When a wolf suddenly barged into the home of rabbits, naturally, it could do whatever it pleased. Even though the World Principles would restrict the wolf’s sharp teeth and claws, it still had a burly figure. There was no way the rabbits could go against the wolf.
It was just that Wu Kuang was a very special wolf who had cultivated the Heaving Devouring Battle Law. He had destroyed countless rabbit homes. Wherever he went, Stars would collapse and Star Fields would be destroyed.
After the war in the Shattered Star Sea, the Great Emperors gathered together and had a serious discussion. All of them realized that they had to put a stop to these heinous acts. The Lower Star Fields were the roots for the tree, and if they allowed these wolves to do whatever they pleased, the tree would eventually die. Hence, the Great Emperors joined forces and built a barrier around the Star Boundary. Since then, those from the Star Boundary were unable to descend to the Star Fields to commit any crimes. Because of this, the Great Emperors also founded an organisation called Star Court to monitor the situation in the Lower Star Fields. That was also how the positions of Star Field Guardians came about.
Star Court was just an organisation, so it didn’t have specific headquarters. When Iron Blood Great Emperor was in charge of Star Court, Iron Blood Fort was where the Court was located. When Serene Soul Great Emperor was in charge, Serene Soul Palace would be the Court. When it was Bustling World Great Emperor’s turn, the Court would be wherever he was at that time.
The barrier was set up by the Great Emperors using the Star Boundary’s Will, so it was useless to someone who had obtained the acknowledgement of the Star Boundary. In other words, Great Emperors could just ignore the barrier.
The reason Yang Kai couldn’t go back to his Star Field previously was because he hadn’t obtained a part of the World’s Will. However, it was a different case now. With Bright Moon’s Opportunity in possession, Yang Kai had also obtained a pass to move freely between the Star Boundary and the Star Fields.
However, it didn’t mean that he could go to just any Star Field he wanted. Without guidance from the Star Field’s Source, he couldn’t possibly know which root led to Heng Luo Star Field as there were countless roots beneath the Star Boundary.
Fortunately, he already had the Star Field’s Source, which was closely connected to the Star Field. No matter how far they were apart, he could still sense the Star Field’s existence. This kind of feeling was faint and ethereal, but it was still real. Only someone who had refined the Star Field Source could sense it.
“Why are you going to the Lower Star Field? Are there more women you’ve left behind?” Yang Yan looked smilingly at him. Normally, no one was willing to go to the Lower Star Field because they would be restricted by the World Principles over there. No matter how powerful the person was, he could only use a limited strength that was allowed by the governing World Principles. Most Emperor Realm Masters were not used to it, unless they were the Star Field Guardians or they had obtained the blessing from the Great Emperor’s restriction. For example, those from Star Court.
“You’re right. I still have about seventy-two women living in different places there. I have to bring all of them to the Star Boundary!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Yang Yan scoffed and waved her hand, “Leave now and show me your women when you come back.”
Upon lifting the teacup, Yang Kai gulped down all the tea and guffawed, “I’ll take my leave now.”
Before Yang Kai left, he suddenly recalled something, and then he waved his hand and summoned the half-dead Wind Lord from the Small Sealed World. Wind Lord still looked as battered as he was after their battle ended as even though he had stayed in the Small Sealed World for ten years, he was unable to treat his injuries. The only reason he was still alive was that Yang Kai still had to make use of him in the future.
Yang Yan narrowed her eyes and sized the man up before scoffing, “Feng Zai Xiao? Why has he been captured by you?”
“You know him?” Yang Kai put on a smile.
“Of course I do. He’s one of the Four Great Lords of Demon Heavenly Dao. He’s famous,” Despite the smile on her face, her gaze was very callous.
Lying on the ground, Wind Lord flashed a dead smile at her. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he had truly ended up in a miserable state.
Yang Yan took one more look at Yang Kai and said, “It’s no wonder you’re hurt. Even your hair has turned grey. Are you alright?”
There were some blood stains on the chest area of Yang Kai’s clothes, but that was a result of self-harm. It had been ten years since his battle against Wind Lord, so his injuries had long healed.
Earlier, Yang Yan was curious about why Yang Kai’s hair had turned grey even though it had only been a short while since they last met. Now, she realised that he must have expended too much energy during his battle against Wind Lord, which shortened his life.
“I’m fine. Even though I’ve suffered a little, the result is a positive one. I’ll pass him to you now. Since he’s one of the Four Great Lords, I’m sure you can pry some useful information out of him.”
The reason Yang Kai didn’t kill Wind Lord was that he wanted to get more information about Demon Heavenly Dao from him. If they could get some leads and find out the whereabouts of the other three Great Lords, that would be best.
Demon Heavenly Dao was like a tumour in the Star Boundary. Although they were not as numerous as the Demon armies, they were well hidden, so it was difficult to capture them. Since they had caught a big fish like Wind Lord, they had to make good use of him.
Yang Yan nodded, “You’ve earned a big merit for this. I’ll tell Li Wu Yi about it later.”
“Please tell the Great Emperor that in order to capture Wind Lord, I had to use the Divine Ability within my Command Token. Please ask him to make a new one for me,” Yang Kai thought he should make a request to Zhan Wu Hen as well.
Yang Yan replied with a smile, “I can help you pass on your word, but the Great Emperor has the final say in whether he wants to make another token for you.”
Yang Kai didn’t want to pressure her, so he said, “En, I’ll go now.”
“Go and come back quickly.”
Yang Kai nodded and communicated with the Star Field Source. When he moved, he abruptly disappeared from Yang Yan’s sight.
Unlike his previous experiences of passing through the Void, after Yang Kai communicated with the Star Field’s Source in an attempt to head to Heng Luo Star Field, he suddenly plunged into a world of many different colours.
The sight around him was strange. Space and time had been contorted as well. No sound was heard and no shadow was seen. All he could see were very vibrant colours. He could feel that he was moving at an inconceivable speed, but he couldn’t control the direction he was heading.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t flustered at all as he could sense that he was heading to the right destination; therefore, he decided to calmly enjoy this special journey.
After five breaths, the vibrant colours around Yang Kai suddenly faded. During this period of time, he had only blinked once. Following that, he realised he was in the expansive Starry Sky. An indescribable sense of joy was rising within him as he had a feeling that he had returned home.
He was indeed home. Without the need to identify anything, he knew that he was in Heng Luo Star Field. The Star Field’s Source within his body resonated with the Starry Sky. Every Star in this Star Field seemed to have brightened a little and become more radiant.
The trillions of people on the various Cultivation Stars in this Star Field looked up in surprise as they wondered why the sun and moon had suddenly become bigger and brighter on this day.
Then, Yang Kai heard some rumbling sounds in the distance and white lights could be seen flickering. Turning his head, he saw that in the void over there the fleets from two great forces were attacking one another. All the Starships had imposing appearances, with the largest ones several thousand metres long while the smaller ones were just several hundred metres in length. They had targeted one another with their Crystal Cannons and white lights could be seen flashing every time shots were fired. It was an intense battle.
Both parties had similar numbers of Starships, with one side painted red while the other side was all black. It was apparent that they were equal matches for one another. It wasn’t certain how long they had been battling against each other, but both parties had clearly suffered immense losses. Some severely damaged Starships had withdrawn to the rear of the fleets to be repaired. The Starships at the front would protect the damaged ones as they continued firing while dodging at the same time.
The battle was indeed very violent; however, judging from the situation, it seemed that both parties would suffer huge losses in the end, and no one would be the winner.
Yang Kai observed them for a while before gently lifting his hands and rolling up his sleeves. Following that, his left palm faced the red fleet while his right palm faced the black fleet, after which he simply spread his hands apart.
At that instant, the cultivators from the two fleets felt that the world around them was spinning, as though it was the end of the world. When they came to their senses, they realised that their enemies were nowhere to be seen. Even their own fleets had moved several million kilometres from where they originally were.
Everyone was flabbergasted at this sight. Not daring to stay in the same spot anymore, they quickly rallied their forces and set course for their Home Stars.
To the cultivators from both parties, the incident on this day was extremely odd; however, to Yang Kai, it was just something he did on a whim. It was like he happened to see a stone on the road, and then kicked it away.
It wasn’t that he wanted to save these people. Even though he was the Star Field Master, he wasn’t able to determine the fates of the billions of cultivators in this Star Field. They all had their own opportunities as they journeyed from cradles to graves. However, he found it annoying to see two groups of people fighting against one another the moment he returned to the Star Field, which was why he decided to separate both parties.
He literally pulled the two groups apart, and seeing that both parties turned and retreated after, Yang Kai simply turned around and left.
Half a day later, he landed on a Dead Star. It was apparent that this Dead Star used to be bustling with people as many oddly-shaped buildings were left on its surface; however, as time passed, these buildings had become dilapidated.
The Source in this Star was also dead as the entire Star didn’t exude any vitality at all. The ground was covered in yellow sand, and violent gales were gushing across its surface. The average cultivator wouldn’t even be able to come near this Star, let alone land on it.
Yang Kai was fine with the terrible environment of course. He had come to the Lower Star Field to study a certain Divine Ability. His intention was to create a new world, so a Dead Star was exactly what he was looking for. He didn’t have the heart to experiment on a Cultivation Star with living creatures.
Thus, he found a mountain that was a thousand metres high. After sitting down with his legs crossed on the peak, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. He went on to stay in the same spot for over ten days. After that, he suddenly opened his eyes and Space Principles undulated as he spread out his Divine Sense to engulf the entire mountain.
A buzzing sound came from the mountain as rocks came falling down. The thousand-metre-high mountain could be seen faintly shaking. Anyone who happened to see the sight from afar would definitely exclaim in shock because after the mountain shook, it shrunk a little.
It wasn’t so conspicuous, but the mountain had indeed become smaller. The height of the mountain had shrunk by several tens of metres.
However, all of a sudden, Yang Kai widened his eyes, which had become bloodshot. He was a top cultivator who was able to kill a High-Rank Demon King with ease, but at this moment, his Demon Qi was roiling around him as though he was facing a formidable enemy.
As his Demon Qi surged, the mountain seemed to be continuously growing smaller as well.
One hour later, Yang Kai suddenly grunted as his face turned pale. The mountain had returned to its original shape and size; however, countless cracks had appeared on every part of this barren mountain. The cracks were so wide that it was as though the mountain had been divided into several dozen to a hundred parts.
Yang Kai batted his eyes as he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had seen Floating Mountain refined by Li Wu Yi and studied the jade slip given to him by the latter; therefore, he already had his own insights when it came to creating a new world. He thought that it was going to be easy, but when he actually tried to do it, he realised that it was extremely difficult.
Floating Mountain was much larger than the barren mountain Yang Kai was sitting on currently, but it was still successfully refined by Li Wu Yi until it became the size of a palm. It wasn’t that Floating Mountain had actually been shrunk, it was just an application of Space Principles to isolate a region of space before compressing it down.
The mountain and the space were still the same. Anyone who didn’t believe it could just land on Floating Mountain to see it for themselves.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to create a new Floating Mountain though, what he needed was a place that was much larger than Floating Mountain as it had to be big enough to accommodate the people from several Cultivation Stars. A single mountain wouldn’t be useful at all. Nevertheless, this process couldn’t be rushed. Yang Kai had to gain more comprehension and familiarise himself with the process first.
He wanted to give it a try on this mountain, but he realised that even though the mountain was barren and the Star was dead, the mountain and the Star were closely connected. If he wanted to refine the mountain, he first had to isolate it from the Star, an impossible task for the current him.
At the thought of this, he fished out a Pill from his Space Ring and stuffed it into his mouth. After adjusting his breathing for a while, he shot into the sky.
Not long after he left, a gale swept across the thousand-metre-high mountain, which then turned into dust and was swept away by the wind. It wasn’t that the gale was powerful enough to blow down a mountain, it was just that Yang Kai had failed in his attempt to refine the mountain. Space Principles had affected every part of the mountain, so although the mountain retained its shape, it had actually been completely shredded into dust.
That was the consequence of a failed attempt. Yang Kai already knew this, which was why he found a barren mountain to experiment on first. If he attempted to refine a lush mountain filled with living beings, the consequences would have been dreadful if he failed.
However, he hadn’t expected that this task would be so much more difficult than he had originally imagined, which was why he failed. In light of that, Yang Kai had to lower his expectations.
After about one day, he reached an Asteroid Sea. There were countless Asteroid Seas in the Starry Sky that seemed to stretch across the Starry Sky forever.
Asteroid Seas were most commonly formed from the broken remnants of Dead Stars. These asteroids would fly across the Starry Sky and crash into other Stars sometimes. If these Stars were unlucky, they would fall apart as well and join the Asteroid Sea.
That was a kind of danger the cultivators would come across in the Starry Sky. The asteroids flew at an incredible speed and they covered a wide area, making them quite deadly for weaker cultivators whenever they were encountered.
When Yang Kai roamed around the Star Field in the past, he had bumped into Asteroid Seas on several occasions.
This time, however, he had proactively looked for an Asteroid Sea, then walked down memory lane and lamented that he was so weak in the past.
Soon, he found an asteroid that was as large as the barren mountain from before. After sitting down with his legs crossed, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing in silence.
A few days later, he opened his eyes and pushed his Demon Qi. As his Divine Sense undulated, Space Principles permeated his surroundings.
Following the movements of Yang Kai’s Demon Qi, the asteroid continuously expanded and contracted. This time was different from his previous attempt. Previously, the barren mountain turned back into its original size after it shrunk a little; however, now, every time the size of the asteroid fluctuated, it would shrink significantly.
As the size kept changing for the next seven days, it became half of its original size. Half a month later, it became only several dozen metres wide. In just one month, it became the size of a plate.
However, instead of setting himself at ease, Yang Kai had turned more solemn. The pace at which Space Principles and Demon Qi fluctuated had quickened, which caused the plate-sized asteroid to also expand and contract more quickly. However, the progress had become much slower.
The last stage of any task was the most difficult. Yang Kai had been cultivating for a long time, so he understood this principle well. Strictly speaking, this asteroid was the first Sealed World he had refined, so he wouldn’t dare to be careless, and there mustn’t be any mistakes, which was why he made sure that he was fully focused.
As time passed, the asteroid became smaller and smaller. It took Yang Kai one month to turn a thousand-metre-wide rock into a plate-sized one, but it took him three months to refine this plate down to a final size. The closer it got to the finish line, the slower it became to see any progress.
The entire refining process lasted for four months until, one day, he suddenly arched his brow and made a grabbing gesture, after which a bead appeared in his hand.
The bead was only longan-sized and it didn’t give off any kind of energy fluctuations. It was just a simple stone bead; however, Yang Kai was holding it in a way as though it was the most valuable treasure in the world. Pleased, he grinned from ear to ear and started laughing out loud.
After just a short moment, he rolled his eyes and stretched his legs, then he passed out.
Following that, the Embodiment, Bai Ya, and Bai Zhuo appeared at the same time. In an instant, the two older Half-Saints grunted as their expressions changed.
It couldn’t be helped. When they appeared, they realised that the Demon Qi in their bodies stopped flowing smoothly, as though it had been restricted by an invisible hand. Apart from that, there seemed to be a sense of hostility that was pressuring them in this Starry Sky. There also seemed to be a pair of invisible eyes that were monitoring every move they made.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo thought that they were faced with a formidable enemy, which was why they quickly readied themselves for the imminent battle.
“Don’t worry. It’s just the suppression from the World Principles,” the Embodiment hurriedly explained.
Even though Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had never experienced this before, they soon understood what was going on after giving it a thought. They were in a Lower Star Field with a very weak Martial Dao, but the world around them was still lively and beautiful. The world was seemingly lifeless, but it had a spirit which seemed able to detect their powers that had exceeded what was allowed in this place, which was why it started repelling the Half-Saints. This was one of the ways the world protected itself.
Yang Kai had also experienced this when he returned to the Star Field in the past, so it didn’t specifically target the two Half-Saints.
Upon hearing the Embodiment’s explanation, the two Half-Saints set their minds at ease, but right then, a huge asteroid was fast approaching them from behind in silence. Powerful cultivators like Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo failed to detect it as the asteroid directly hit the back of their heads, causing them to stagger forward.
The Half-Saints were sturdy, so they wouldn’t be hurt at all even though they were struck by the asteroid. On the other hand, the asteroid had fallen apart upon impact; however, what had happened was embarrassing for them.
Fortunately, it was just an asteroid that had hit them this time. What if it was some form of violent Divine Ability?
The Embodiment coughed and said, “Normally, those who are above the Origin King Realm experience bad luck in this world.” The world was hostile to those people, and without the blessing of the world, naturally, they wouldn’t have much luck. The two Half-Saints were considered lucky as the asteroid couldn’t harm them. When Yang Kai was here in the past, he would even trip over nothing and fall for no reason, which was truly embarrassing.
“Why is that?” Bai Zhuo frowned.
The Embodiment replied, “It’s because this Star Field doesn’t welcome you two.”
What he had said sounded odd, but it was the truth. It was like a few worms had snuck into an ant colony, so no one would welcome them.
“Why are you fine, then?” Bai Ya asked curiously. He could clearly feel that the Embodiment hadn’t been suppressed by the local World Principles.
In response, the Embodiment grinned and pointed at Yang Kai, “This Star Field belongs to him, so it’s essentially mine as well.” They were like the family members of this Star Field, which was why it wouldn’t chase them away.
“Why is he… asleep?” Bai Zhuo asked curiously as he looked around to prevent any asteroid from hitting him again.
Even though Yang Kai wasn’t snoring, he had indeed fallen asleep. However, he wasn’t knocked out or anything. While he was literally drifting about in his slumber, he still kept a smile on his face as though he had a good dream.
Although the Half-Saints had always stayed inside the Small Sealed World, they had no idea what had happened prior to this. On the other hand, the Embodiment was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone, so he was able to open up the Small Sealed World as he pleased. When he was inside the Small Sealed World, he was still able to see what Yang Kai was doing in the outside world, so upon realising that Yang Kai had nodded off, he immediately left the Small Sealed World.
“He just exhausted himself. He’ll be alright after a rest,” the Embodiment said as he put Yang Kai inside the Small Sealed World. The two Wood Spirits in the medicine garden would take care of him.
Standing on an asteroid, the two Half-Saints gazed at the Starry Sky with sorrowful expressions on their faces. That was because they had never seen such a magnificent sight in the Demon Realm before. The Demon Realm was on the brink of destruction. Other than the continents that had already disappeared, even the existing continents exuded a kind of Death Qi. The average Demon wouldn’t be able to detect this kind of aura, but as Half-Saints, they were fully aware of it. That was the reason the Demons had to look for a way out for themselves by invading the Star Boundary.
The Starry Sky before their eyes was in a Lower Star Field where the World Principles couldn’t accommodate greater power, but it was still full of vitality. Even though the Asteroid Sea they were in seemed completely dead, no one could say that several ten thousand years later, it wouldn’t be revitalised again. The Demon Realm wasn’t comparable to this place in this regard.
Bai Ya took a deep breath and said, “Brother Embodiment, I’d like to have a look around this place.” Since he was here, he wanted to take in the different sights of this world. The Embodiment had said that this Star Field belonged to Yang Kai, so supposedly, Yang Kai wouldn’t come across any danger in this place, which meant that they didn’t have to protect him.
On the side, Bai Zhuo nodded as that was his intention as well.
“Are you sure?” The Embodiment gazed at them with an awkward expression.
Bai Ya asked, “Is it inconvenient for us to do so? If there’s anywhere we’re not supposed to go, just tell us and we’ll avoid trespassing.”
The Embodiment waved his hand, “There’s nothing like that.” After giving it a thought, he put on a smile, “Just go if you want to. Both of you have Space Beacons with you, so you can come back here any time.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya cupped their fists and shot into the Starry Sky.
A stunned Embodiment quickly said, “I haven’t finished my words yet… Be careful!” However, the Half-Saints were already out of sight, so it wasn’t certain whether they had heard what the Embodiment had said.
…
Yang Kai had a sweet dream, in which the Demons were no longer a threat and the people in the Star Boundary were able to live their lives peacefully. On the other hand, he and his wives travelled around the world and their lives were filled with joy. Just when he was immersed in this pleasant scenery, he suddenly awakened from the dream.
When he opened his eyes, he saw two petite figures sitting together on a tree branch that was just one metre away from him. They were swinging their legs and looking joyfully at him.
Seeing that he had awakened, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu covered their mouths and giggled.
Yang Kai sat up on the ground and stretched his back. At that instant, he felt energised and refreshed. Then, he realised that he was in the medicine garden in the Small Sealed World, so he immediately understood that it was the Embodiment who had sent him in.
Then, he shot a glance at the Wood Spirits and frowned, “Why are the two of you laughing like that?”
Hearing that, they immediately stopped smiling and straightened up before shaking their heads.
Yang Kai batted his eyes and burst into laughter, “Did I say anything in my sleep?”
The two Wood Spirits were unable to hold it in anymore as they started convulsing with laughter.
“What did I say?” Yang Kai scratched his head. He hadn’t fallen into such a deep sleep for a long time. First of all, it was because he had expended too much energy. Secondly, he was finally able to set his mind at ease after significantly improving his skill in refining a world. He wondered what embarrassing stuff he had said in his sleep that made the Wood Spirits laugh in such a way.
Ignoring him, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu held hands and flew to the other end of the medicine garden, leaving the baffled Yang Kai behind.
Even though Yang Kai didn’t manage to get any answers, he didn’t want to force them; then, he spread his palm and revealed a stone.
This palm-sized stone was the result of his four months’ worth of hard work. Even though he was still very far from his ultimate goal, he had gotten off to a good start.
This stone was the asteroid that was originally a thousand metres wide, which was as large as the previous barren mountain. With the proper application of Space Principles, it had shrunk to such a size. No one was able to comprehend the secrets behind it except for those who were experts in the Dao of Space.
After fiddling with it for a while, Yang Kai stored the stone and left the Small Sealed World. Presently, the Embodiment was keeping guard in the outside world as he was standing on an asteroid that was a few times larger than the one Yang Kai had refined. Seeing Yang Kai, he grinned, “I’ve found a suitable rock for you.”
Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and replied with a smile, “It’s indeed excellent for me.”
The Embodiment was his Soul Clone after all, so they knew what was on each other’s minds without the need to say anything. Yang Kai wanted to look for an asteroid of such a scale to refine, but the Embodiment had already done the leg work for him.
The asteroid beneath his feet was five times larger than the previous one. Given its size, it would surely be more difficult for him to refine it. However, he estimated that it would take him fewer than four months this time. Even though he had only given it a try once, Yang Kai had mastered some of the key points of this process. If he were to refine another asteroid, his efficiency would improve, and it wouldn’t be as laborious as the first time.
Furthermore, as he gained more insights and became familiarised with the process, it would become increasingly easier for him.
After Yang Kai sat down on the asteroid with his legs crossed, the Embodiment nodded and said, “I’ll go back now.”
Yang Kai nodded and pointed at him to keep him inside the Small Sealed World.
After putting the Embodiment inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai turned to look in another direction, only to see two figures that were rapidly approaching him from the other end of the Starry Sky. The speed at which the figures were moving were incredibly fast. When Yang Kai first saw them, they were just two dots, but a few breaths later, they became as large as two peas. In just a moment, they landed on a spot in front of Yang Kai.
They were the Half-Saints who had left earlier to take in the sights of Heng Luo Star Field.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at them, “How’s the view in the Star Field?”
Bai Zhuo gently nodded, “It’s magnificent.”
Bai Ya said, “It’s splendid.”
The Half-Saints appeared amazed and it seemed that they hadn’t visited enough places. It was as though they had the intention to settle down in this place instead of going back to the lifeless Demon Realm.
Yang Kai nodded his head and asked directly, “You were struck by lightning, right?”
Bai Ya put on a haughty smile, “We’re Half-Saints who are able to seize the moon and shatter the stars. Why would we be afraid of any lightning?”
Right after he finished speaking, a beam of purple lightning flashed across the void like a fish and directly struck his back. Fortunately, he was a Half-Saint, so even though the murderous intent was furtive, he was still able to react quickly by turning around and striking the lightning with his fist.
With a loud boom, the lightning vanished while he was forced to step backwards. It wasn’t that he was weak, but rather that with the World Principles’ suppression in place, he wasn’t able to use his true might. If he forcefully acted, he might attract an even madder counterattack from the Star Field.
Beams of purple lights could be seen flickering in the void while lightning continued flashing across the Starry Sky, as though it would strike again at any moment.
Bai Zhuo cringed and put on a helpless smile, “Brother Yang, I guess it’s more carefree for us in the Small Sealed World. It seems that it’s not suitable for us to show up in this world.”
Yang Kai guffawed and quickly put the Half-Saints inside the Small Sealed World. When he returned to the Star Field from the Star Boundary in the past, he was also extremely unlucky. Besides stumbling and falling for no reason, he was also frequently struck by lightning and burned by fire. Upon seeing others suffer the same bad luck, he couldn’t help but take pleasure in their misfortune.
The lightning in the Star Field wasn’t able to harm the Half-Saints, but it was annoying for them, which was why they were no longer in the mood to do any sightseeing. Therefore, they hurriedly returned to Yang Kai to hide inside the Small Sealed World so that they could relax again.
After the Half-Saints were gone, Yang Kai emptied his mind again and went on to refine the new asteroid.
As the days went by, the Asteroid Sea continued moving forward as though it was sliding towards the end of the Starry Sky; however, as time passed, the gigantic rocks in this Asteroid Sea decreased in number while the number of stones in Yang Kai’s hands increased.
He didn’t manage to successfully refine the asteroids all the time. Once he failed, regardless of how big the asteroid was, it would turn into dust in an instant. These asteroids were not able to resist the pressure from his Space Principles.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed. In the past three years, Yang Kai’s mastery of the Dao of Space had improved significantly. He had gained more from the three years of refining asteroids than all his years of cultivation combined. After all, he was totally focused on improving his Space Principles, and it was also a journey of self-betterment.
When he refined an asteroid now, it wasn’t nearly as difficult or time-consuming as it was in the past. With just a thought in his mind, he was able to create a new Sealed World.
No asteroids were able to meet the need for his cultivation anymore, which was why he decided to leave the Asteroid Sea. As he roamed around the Star Field, he would land on any suitable Dead Star and sneak into the core before falling into a deep state of meditation. When he awakened, he would realise that the Dead Star had become a stone bead.
The speed at which his comprehension of the Dao of Space improved was incredible. He felt as though a door had opened up for him to the Grand Dao. Golden lights could be seen radiating from the other end of the door as an inexhaustible source of treasures awaited his exploration.
The duration of his meditation varied. Sometimes, it would be over a year, while sometimes, it would take him just three months before he awakened, depending on the size of the Dead Star. It would take more effort and a longer time to refine a large Dead Star, while it was easier to refine a smaller one.
During this period of time, Yang Kai never ceased contacting those in the Star Boundary. Even though he was in a Lower Star Field, he was a Star Field Master, which was why he had some advantages. With Space Beacons in his possession, he was able to contact the people from High Heaven Palace and Seven Mists Sea at any time.
Presently, the situation was in the Star Boundary’s favour as the Demons were powerless to resist.
It could be said that since Yang Kai sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage and returned from the Demon Realm, the outcome of the war had already been determined. Those Demons, who were already in the Star Boundary, were either killed on the battlefield or taken into the army led by Chang Tian, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo. The collective power of the Demons plummeted after they were besieged by all fifty-four armies from all directions. Just one epic battle had tilted the balance in the Humans’ favour.
With that said, many lives had been lost on the Star Boundary’s side. In any war, the loss of lives was inevitable, and all the Army Commanders understood that. Regardless, the number of lost lives was still bearable for them.
Besides the Demons themselves, Demon Heavenly Dao had also suffered immense losses. Before coming to the Lower Star Field, Yang Kai had passed Wind Lord to Yang Yan, which was no different from sending him to the Great Emperors.
In fact, an interrogation wasn’t even needed as Serene Soul Great Emperor directly used a Soul Searching Technique on him and uncovered a lot of Demon Heavenly Dao’s secrets. Based on the information, those from Seven Mists Sea had managed to devastate several hundred of Demon Heavenly Dao’s strongholds. They also managed to destroy another important figure in Demon Heavenly Dao. Following Wind Lord’s captivity, those from Seven Mists Sea successfully ambushed Fire Lord in an ordinary town in the Northern Territory. Li Wu Yi had personally led a team of over ten Pseudo-Great Emperors to carry out the mission. Even though Fire Lord was powerful, he wasn’t able to escape from the siege of so many Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Unfortunately, they were not able to capture him alive. During the intense battle, Fire Lord decided to detonate himself, which caused those from Seven Mists Sea to be covered in dirt. Fortunately, they were not hurt in any way.
Despite the advantageous position the Star Boundary was in, the war between the two Great Worlds was far from over. When the Demons from the Demon Realm managed to break the seal one day, even more violent battles would erupt. By then, no corner in either of the Great Worlds would be spared.
Those from the Star Boundary were fully aware of this, which was why they wanted to quickly settle their internal trouble by killing the Demons already in the Star Boundary and destroying Demon Heavenly Dao.
Nevertheless, all of that had nothing to do with Yang Kai and he didn’t have to go back, which was why he was able to stay in the Star Field with peace of mind and continue improving his Space Secret Technique.
When Yang Kai awakened from his sleep one day, the Dead Star had already disappeared. After he made a grabbing gesture, a rounded stone bead appeared in his hand; however, staring at this particular stone bead, he seemed to be torn between tears and laughter.
In fact, he wasn’t fully unaware when he refined a Dead Star as he basically snuck into the core and integrated himself with the Star before falling into a half-conscious state. This was a new way of cultivating and refining a Dead Star he had discovered in recent years, which was extremely efficient. It also allowed him to comprehend Space Principles more easily.
Therefore, when he was in such a state, he was aware of what was going on in the outside world. Nevertheless, though he couldn’t react in real-time, he could remember everything that happened when he awakened.
It wasn’t the first time he saw a Dead Star turning into a stone bead. Initially, he would still be excited about it, but as time passed, he had gotten used to it. Nevertheless, he was speechless at the fact that, presently, there was a Human on the stone bead in his hand.
In other words, someone came to this Dead Star before it was fully refined. Of course, the person wasn’t a native of this Dead Star. She was an unwelcome guest who had barged into the place just one month ago.
At that time, Yang Kai was at the most critical moment in the refining process, and he had fallen into a state of deep meditation, which was why he wasn’t able to react. After the Dead Star was refined, this ‘guest’ had become stuck.
However, she wasn’t aware that the Dead Star she was on had been refined into a stone bead and it was presently held in someone’s hand.
Yang Kai sharpened his vision and took a look at the stone bead, only to see a petite figure who had hidden inside a cave on a certain barren mountain. At this moment, she was looking up at the sky out of curiosity.
She seemed to be injured as her clothes had been covered in blood stains, and her face had turned pale. Despite the fact that she had stayed in this place for a month, she hadn’t managed to recover from her injuries.
Initially, she was just trying to look out for any possible danger, but upon lifting her head, she saw a humongous figure in the Starry Sky, one that had blocked all her vision. The figure was so enormous that she wasn’t able to see the sun, moon or stars. All she could see was this figure.
Shaken to her core, she exclaimed and fell on her backside. Any unsuspecting person would’ve reacted in the same way when they saw such a sight.
However, before she could take a proper look, the world around her started spinning, and then she suddenly appeared in the Starry Sky. Turning her head, she saw a slightly grey-haired young man looking helplessly at her.
On the other hand, she realised that the Dead Star she was hiding in had vanished.
At that instant, she was both shocked and doubtful as she wasn’t certain whether what she had just seen was a real Human or some kind of hallucination. Was it possible that such a humongous Human existed in this world? However, the figure didn’t look like a hallucination either.
She didn’t realise what the huge figure looked like just now because she was too shocked. If she had seen the figure’s face clearly, she would’ve exclaimed by now because the young man in front of her looked just like that giant.
Having appeared in the Starry Sky for no reason, she became alert and took a few steps backwards to widen her gap with Yang Kai. Then, she stared vigilantly at him and bellowed, “Who are you!”
At the same time, she scanned him with her Divine Sense in an attempt to figure out his true power.
As a thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, he exuded the aura of an Origin Returning Realm cultivator before he asked back, “Who are you?”
Upon closer look, he realised that the young woman before him appeared to be in her early twenties with a curvy figure and long legs. Also, she was fairly powerful as she was already in the First-Order Origin King Realm.
Yang Kai was slightly surprised because the Origin King Realm was the highest Great Realm one could reach in the Lower Star Fields. In the past, all the Origin Kings were famous and he knew basically all of them, but the woman before his eyes was definitely not one of them.
Clearly, she had only recently reached the Origin King Realm.
Seeing that Yang Kai was sizing her up, the woman turned gloomy and said through clenched teeth, “What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I’ll dig out your eyes!”
[She’s quite fierce!] Yang Kai stroked his nose. Strictly speaking, he had just taken one look at her and wasn’t examining her, but he was cursed by her in return. It was apparent that she was in a bad mood.
The woman looked around and asked doubtfully, “Did you see anything just now?”
“What do you mean?”
The woman scowled and looked up at the Starry Sky, then she impatiently waved her hand, “Nothing. Maybe I was mistaken.”
“It seems you’re hurt,” Yang Kai said.
The woman bellowed, “You don’t say! Do I need you to tell me that I’m hurt!?”
They were basically talking past one another, so Yang Kai smiled helplessly and decided not to harp on this issue. However, he still warned her of possible danger by saying, “You’d better leave now. I can see some Starships approaching. I guess they’re coming for you.”
The woman’s expression changed when she heard that, then she turned to look in the direction Yang Kai pointed and saw some gigantic Starships rapidly approaching them. Apparently, they had found out her whereabouts. Then, she said through clenched teeth, “What a bunch of relentless thugs!”
After she finished speaking, she turned around and fled in a different direction.
However, just a moment later, she returned and grabbed the collar of a shocked Yang Kai before lugging him away. As they were fleeing together, she yelled, “Are you out of your mind!? Were you just going to wait for death by staying there!?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he realised that there were indeed some grudges between this woman and those people from the Starships. She must have been hiding on the Dead Star to evade them. Unexpectedly, Yang Kai refined the Dead Star, which practically stripped her of her hiding place and exposed her.
Nevertheless, she still decided to return and bring Yang Kai with her, which suggested that even though she was foul-tempered, she was fundamentally a good-hearted person. Anyone else would’ve run for their life instead of trying to save a stranger.
Yang Kai was neither loathful nor fond of the woman at first, but her actions had made him take a liking to her; thus, he said, “They have no grudges against me, so I guess they won’t harm me.”
The woman shot him a look and sneered, “What Cultivation Star are you from? How have you managed to live to this day when you’re so naive? Haven’t you heard of the saying that wherever the Sand Scorpions go, not even a strand of grass will survive?”
“Sand Scorpions?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
The woman yelled, “Why do you keep spouting nonsense!? Shut up now if you want to live; otherwise, I’ll throw you away!”
Yang Kai was a High-Rank Demon King as well as the Guardian of Heng Luo Star Field, but he was unable to refute the woman when he was scolded, which made him feel speechless. Despite not knowing who these Sand Scorpions were, he reckoned that the Starships behind them were controlled by Star Pirates.
Star Pirates existed in every Star Field, and they varied in terms of numbers and power. Basically, they were bandits who robbed people. They roamed around the Starry Sky as they oppressed the weak and snatched their things. When merchants came across them in the Starry Sky, they either had to give up some items or battle against them.
In the past, Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair were the largest groups of Star Pirates in Heng Luo Star Field; however, after Yang Kai became the Star Field Guardian, he had destroyed both groups. Nevertheless, Star Pirates were like spring bamboo shoots after rain as new ones would always emerge.
When the woman appeared just now, the Starships immediately noticed her and started racing after her. Even though the woman was fairly powerful, she was injured, and presently, she was dragging Yang Kai along with her. Her speed had reduced significantly, which was why she was unable to get rid of the Starships. Soon, the gap between them shortened.
After getting scolded, Yang Kai fell silent for a moment; however, upon seeing that she was unable to get rid of her enemies, and that she was about to be cornered, he couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have a Star Shuttle?”
With a cold expression, the woman stared fixedly ahead, “It’s broken.”
Yang Kai replied, “Oh… Things are looking bad. They’ll reach you soon.”
“Can you just shut up?” The woman turned her head and shot him a glare. She thought that this man was very annoying. While she was trying her best to escape and save them from their enemies, he just wouldn’t stop yapping.
In response, Yang Kai flashed a smirk at her and kept his mouth shut.
A moment later, the woman heaved a sigh, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. I’m afraid we won’t be able to escape. I’ll create a chance for you to flee later. Just run for your life on your own. If you survive, you must go to Boundless Sect on Blue Clouds Star and tell them to immediately move to a new place; otherwise, when the Sand Scorpions retaliate, they’ll be destroyed.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “You want me to flee while you fight against them?” That was incredibly noble of her, which caused Yang Kai to be moved. In comparison, he appeared a little despicable by hiding his true power and watching the show from the side.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t really his intention as all this just happened by chance.
The woman said through gritted teeth, “Do you think this is the arrangement I want as well? Since we’re left with no other choice, we must give it a shot. Why don’t you try to battle against them while I run away? Given your cultivation, you’ll be killed as soon as you appear in front of them.” Then, she put on a milder expression, “Moreover, I don’t really think you can escape, there’s just a slim chance… Anyway, I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. If we die here, on the road to the Yellow Springs together, you mustn’t blame me.”
Yang Kai scratched his nose and asked, “What have you done that makes them chase after you so relentlessly?”
The woman sneered, “Sand Scorpions are all savages. Everyone has the right to kill them. I just happened to kill their Third Manager.”
Just then, an old voice was heard coming from a Starship behind them. The voice was so ear-piercing that it was as though two pieces of metal were scraping against one another while a cat clawed at the heart of the person who happened to be listening, which was very agonising, “Mei Jiu’er, you’ve killed my Third Brother. We, the Sand Scorpions, will never let you off! Rest assured, after this Old Master captures you, he will make sure you suffer excruciating pain. You won’t be able to end your life even if you want to before I’m done with you! Your Boundless Sect will be destroyed, and Blue Clouds Star will become lifeless. All of you must go to Hell to accompany my Third Brother!”
“They sure sound ferocious,” Yang Kai commented lightly.
The woman called Mei Jiu’er scoffed, “That’s typical of them. They’ll destroy anyone who dares to offend them. Besides that, the person’s Sect and Cultivation Star will also be devastated.” Then, she turned to look at Yang Kai and sneered, “Are you afraid now?”
Yang Kai simply declared, “The Heavenly Way will never let these cruel people off!”
Mei Jiu’er guffawed, “Heavenly Way? If that thing actually exists, what’s the point of us cultivating?” Despite her slender figure, she was laughing in an arrogant and heroic manner, assuming an awe-inspiring air.
After that, she let out a sigh, “I hate myself for my weak cultivation. If I was powerful enough, I would destroy trash like them and make the Star Field a better place!”
Yang Kai stared at her in awe and said, “You’re quite the ambitious woman!”
Mei Jiu’er snorted, “Since the Star Field Master basically does nothing, we have to rely on ourselves.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead, “Star Field Master… What do you mean?”
Mei Jiu’er gazed at him with a frown, “What rock have you been living under? Don’t you know that this Star Field has a Master?”
Yang Kai shook his head repeatedly.
Mei Jiu’er explained, “You’re such an ignorant brat. Initially, this Star Field didn’t have a Master. Once upon a time, there was only the Starry Sky Great Emperor. Then… Forget it. Let’s not talk about that annoying guy. We should save some energy to flee.”
A guilty Yang Kai asked, “You know that guy?”
“Of course I don’t,” Mei Jiu’er said through clenched teeth, “If I knew him, I’d have asked him whether he still wants to manage this Star Field or not. If he doesn’t, I’ll take it over from him! The Star Field was devastated by a war some years ago, but now that we’re finally recovering, these trash have appeared out of nowhere. However, he doesn’t even care about it. Does he even have the right to remain as the Star Field Master?”
Yang Kai hung his head low. Every word Mei Jiu’er said seemed to have transformed into a huge hammer that landed on his head, which caused him to be completely embarrassed.
The Star Field was indeed troubled by a war in the past. Many years ago, those from Grand Desolation Star Field invaded their Star Field and destroyed countless lives. Even though they were chased away in the end, those from Heng Luo Star Field had suffered considerable losses.
Mei Jiu’er seemed resentful of the Star Field Master. Perhaps it was because she knew that she was unable to get rid of her enemies, so she started relentlessly scolding the Star Field Master. She didn’t use any foul language, but she appeared to be frustrated by the Star Field Master’s inaction.
While she was cursing, she suddenly felt a grip on her hand, which caused her expression to change. As a cold light flashed, a blade appeared right beside Yang Kai’s neck. Her pale face reddened slightly as she questioned, “Why did you grab my hand?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “Calm down. I just want to give you something.”
Before Mei Jiu’er could ask, she realised that there was something in her hand. Looking down, she saw that the man had stuffed a rock into her hand. It was an irregularly shaped stone the size of a baby’s palm, and seeing it, she knitted her brow to ask, “What is this?”
After scanning it with her Divine Sense, she really couldn’t see anything special about the stone as it didn’t exude any aura at all. It seemed like a common rock one would pick up from the roadside. She didn’t understand why Yang Kai gave her such a thing at this point.
Yang Kai coughed into his fist and explained, “This is a divine item which contains endless profundity. With the help of this item, we might be able… Hey! Why are you throwing it away when I haven’t explained yet?”
“Are you nuts?” Mei Jiu’er shot him a glare. They were at a life-or-death moment, but he was still in the mood to pull her leg. What did he mean that it was a divine item that contained endless profundity? Even she, an Origin King, was unable to find anything special about the rock. She didn’t move her sword away from Yang Kai’s neck as she couldn’t believe that she had decided to bring this man with her. With a cold expression, she questioned, “Were you trying to take advantage of me?”
Yang Kai felt incredibly helpless, so he ignored her and turned his head to look at his back.
Perhaps Mei Jiu’er had acted out of instinct, but even though she had randomly thrown the stone away, she still hurled it at their enemies. Presently, the stone was gliding towards the Starships.
Seeing Yang Kai turn away from her, Mei Jiu’er went on to question, “Do you think I won’t do anything to you just because we’re about to be killed? I’m warning you, even though we’re going to die, I’ll push you away and let them torture you first. I’ll make sure that you’ll die a horrible death!”
As she was speaking though, Yang Kai suddenly became elated as he exclaimed, “Nailed it!”
A bright light suddenly expanded and dazzled Mei Jiu’er, which caused her to narrow her eyes. Then, she turned to look at the source of the light. The next moment, she widened her eyes in disbelief as though she had just come across a ghost, and her jaw almost dropped. At the same time, she stopped moving and fell into a dazed state as she gazed at the sight behind her.
A few thousand kilometres behind them, all the Sand Scorpions’ Starships had exploded. The dazzling light earlier was the result of the Starships’ destruction.
For some reason, the Starships had detonated. Despite the fact that they were a few thousand kilometres apart, Mei Jiu’er was still able to see it clearly. None of those Sand Scorpions managed to escape as they plunged into obliteration with their Starships.
After the Sand Scorpions’ Starships exploded, all the Star Pirates inside them lost their lives. A myriad of expressions came over Mei Jiu’er as she was puzzled, excited, pleasantly surprised, and terrified all at once.
She had just escaped a crisis as her enemies were destroyed, which was why she was pleasantly surprised; however, the Starships wouldn’t have exploded for no reason. It could even be said that no power in this Star Field was able to achieve what just happened in the blink of an eye. The existence of such an incredible power was beyond her ability to comprehend.
As an intelligent woman, she immediately realised the crux of the matter. Then, she exclaimed and dumped Yang Kai before flying in the direction she had thrown the stone earlier.
An incense stick later, she returned with the stone firmly held in her hand, and her expression appeared conflicted.
Stopping in front of Yang Kai, she sized him up with a doubt behind her gaze, then she asked solemnly, “Who are you? What is this thing?”
She had just randomly thrown the stone away, but it was able to cause the Starships to explode and all the Sand Scorpions to die. She didn’t exert much force when she threw the stone either. In other words, such an outcome was all thanks to the stone’s power. What was strange was that she couldn’t detect any energy fluctuation from the stone at all even now.
Such an item could even be called a Divine Stone. The person who could produce such a stone was definitely no ordinary man. She even suspected that Yang Kai might be an old hermit who had hidden his true power to mess with her.
Yang Kai shook his head without replying to her. If she hadn’t literally cursed his existence earlier, he might consider revealing his identity; however, she had just gone on a long rant about how disappointed and angered she was with the ‘Star Field Guardian’, so he would be out of his mind if he told her that the person she had scolded was him.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai just pretended to be mysterious by saying, “It’s thanks to fate that we’ve come across one another, so I’ll give the stone to you. I hope that you’ll remain ambitious and never forget your initial goal.”
After he finished speaking, he moved as his figure rapidly faded.
Mei Jiu’er raised her hand, “Wait!”
However, looking around, she realised that Yang Kai was nowhere to be found. At that instant, she felt frustrated as she knew that she had come across a top Master. Not willing to give up, she went on to look for Yang Kai in the nearby area for one month before she finally stopped. Then, she found a secluded place and recuperated. After she fully recovered, she headed straight to the headquarters of the Sand Scorpions.
Before that, she found a Dead Star to test the Divine Stone’s power on, and she realised that she really didn’t need to expend any force to use it. She just had to toss it in the right direction to cause immense damage. Upon that revelation, she was amazed, and she felt overjoyed to have obtained such a treasure.
Half a year later, word spread that the Sand Scorpions, who were like a tumour in the Star Field, were wiped out. Their headquarters were demolished and all the Sand Scorpions were killed. They were all devastated by some top cultivator in one just battle.
…..
While Mei Jiu’er was exterminating the Sand Scorpions, Yang Kai was hiding nearby. If he wanted to hide his whereabouts, Mei Jiu’er wouldn’t be able to discover him even if they were standing next to each other.
As Space Principles undulated, Yang Kai fully focused on the Sealed World Bead.
After years of studying and cultivating, it was finally the moment of truth, which was why he wouldn’t dare to be careless. Because of that, he had also summoned the Embodiment to protect him.
If the crisis facing the second region wasn’t solved, the Sealed World Bead wouldn’t be able to go on devouring more continents in the Demon Realm; therefore, he had to pull the second region out of the Small Sealed World.
When he created the second region using the Sealed World Bead in the past, Yang Kai hadn’t expected that he would have to draw it out one day. Now, it seemed that he shouldn’t have swallowed the second region in the first place, but without this incident, he wouldn’t have made up his mind to focus on this strange new technique and his comprehension of the Dao of Space wouldn’t have soared so quickly in such little time.
In this world, one thing led to another in unexpected ways.
With his mind fully focused, he expanded his Divine Sense and engulfed the entire second region, then he slowly separated it from the Small Sealed World, which caused the region to shake and rumble incessantly. With a strange phenomenon happening all around them, it seemed as though it was the end of the world, so the trillions of lives living in the second region were horrified.
Just then, Yang Kai’s figure appeared in the sky like an overlord descending upon the second region, and declared with a smile, “Do not panic. There is nothing to be afraid of.” His voice transmitted throughout the entire second region, and everyone seemed to have been soothed because of that.
Following the movements of Space Principles, the Sealed World Bead itself seemed to be going through some changes as well.
A blotch suddenly protruded from the Sealed World Bead, which was firmly held in Yang Kai’s hand, as though it had developed a tumour.
As time passed, the tumour grew larger until it became one-tenth the size of the Sealed World Bead. Presently, the Sealed World Bead looked like a bottle gourd as one larger bead was connected to a smaller bead, which made it look odd.
The Space Principles around Yang Kai became turbulent as well. The area around him seemed to have turned into a black hole that could devour everything in this world.
One year, two years, five years… Yang Kai remained seated on the same spot as the tumour had now grown to be half the size of the Sealed World Bead, which made it look identical to a bottle gourd now.
Five years later, Yang Kai opened his eyes one day as the turbulent Space Principles died down in an instant. With the bottle gourd-shaped Sealed World Bead in one hand, he straightened his free palm and slashed at the bead.
However, the speed at which he moved was extremely slow. His movement was almost imperceptible if one wasn’t looking closely. Just to complete this motion took him three years.
In the past three years, he had only managed to reach half of the distance between the bead and where he originally started. Nevertheless, right after three years, he suddenly cut through the air and slashed at the ‘bead’. At that instant, he widened his eyes, which had turned bloodshot. All his Demon Qi gushed out of his body like a flood, and even all his Soul seemed to be pulled out of his Knowledge Sea.
Just then, a snapping sound could faintly be heard as the bottle-gourd-shaped Sealed World Bead was divided into two. The larger bead was fine while the smaller bead was violently turning around on his palm, and a horrifying aura began exuding from it.
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he saw this. Ignoring his own frail condition, he bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto the smaller bead. Even though he was exhausted, he still squeezed out more energy from his body to engulf the smaller bead with Space Principles in an attempt to suppress and stabilize it.
The speed at which the bead spun slowed down and the horrifying aura slowly diminished; however, instead of setting himself at ease, Yang Kai only became more anxious. It was the moment of truth for his eight years of hard work. Despite his calm temperament, he still couldn’t help feeling worried.
After the bead completely stabilised a moment later, Yang Kai grabbed it in his hand, then he flicked his finger and shot the bead into the Starry Sky.
When he made the move, the bead was only as large as a soybean, but the next moment, it expanded rapidly into a thousand metres wide ball, and as it flew forward, it continuously inflated.
Several dozen breaths later, the bead had transformed into a huge Star in the Starry Sky. Despite the fact that they were now tens of millions of kilometres apart, Yang Kai could still see a giant Star before him.
However, it couldn’t expand anymore as it had reached its limits. The land area of the second region was fixed, so it still couldn’t break that limit after it was pulled out by Yang Kai.
Next, Yang Kai extended his hand and made a grasping gesture, after which the Star stopped flying and settled in place. Following that, he scanned the Star with his Divine Sense and realised that everything was fine. Even though some damage had been caused, no one was injured or killed. Relieved, he fell on his backside and started panting.
Then, he turned to look at the Small Sealed World and realised that there wasn’t any anomaly with it either. Even though the second region had been drawn out, the other areas were not affected.
It was only then he was able to set his mind at ease.
Finally, he managed to achieve his goal. After more than ten years since he returned to the Star Field, he resolved the crisis facing the Small Sealed World, which was why he was over the moon. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, he still couldn’t help laughing heartily. He was elated not only because of what had happened to the Small Sealed World, but also because of what he had gained. He had spent the past over ten years cultivating and refining a new Star, and as a result, his cultivation had improved significantly. Although he hadn’t made much progress in his realm, his mastery of Space Principles was much greater than it was a dozen or so years ago when he first arrived.
While he was relishing his achievements, the Embodiment, on the side, suddenly said, “That woman has been looking for you for a few months.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before asking, “Who are you talking about?”
Before the Embodiment could reply, he already saw what he meant. Previously, the Embodiment had been standing guard around Yang Kai, and he had concealed both of their figures. Now that the Star was successfully refined though, he couldn’t possibly cover up such a magnificent scene. The woman, who had been searching in the same area, saw it and immediately flew over.
Yang Kai burst into laughter and stuffed some pills into his mouth to restore his energy. While he was looking at the woman who was coming over. The Embodiment, on the other hand, directly retired to the Small Sealed World.
Just one hour later, an alluring woman landed in front of Yang Kai. After taking a look at him with a conflicted gaze, she cupped her fists and bowed, “Mei Jiu’er of Blue Clouds Star’s Boundless Sect, greets Sir.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her. Despite his pale face, he still appeared energetic. That was because he was happy that he had solved a thorny issue.
“Is Sir the Star Field Master?” Mei Jiu’er asked respectfully. In fact, she already had the answer in her heart, but she needed Yang Kai to confirm it; after all, the stone Yang Kai had given to her was just too peculiar. In terms of cultivation, she wasn’t the strongest in the Star Field; however, over the past few years, with the stone in her possession, she was able to punish all those who bullied the weak. Virtually no one was a match for her. Even though some of her enemies were also Origin Kings, she was still able to kill them by hurling the stone at them. Most Star Pirates in the Star Field had been destroyed by her by this point.
Basically, she just had to find out the headquarters of those Star Pirates and toss the stone at them, then everything would be settled.
Eventually, she recalled seeing a humongous figure when she was on a certain Dead Star. After the Dead Star disappeared, a stranger appeared before her eyes.
Over the years, she increasingly believed that Yang Kai was the Star Field Master, but if it was just speculation in the past, she could confirm it now after seeing the birth of a new Star in the Starry Sky.
No one was able to do such an inconceivable thing except for the Star Field Master.
Seeing his identity was exposed, Yang Kai didn’t deny it as he replied with a smile, “Yes, I’m that rather… irresponsible Star Field Master.”
An embarrassed Mei Jiu’er hung her head low and said, “Junior Mei Jiu’er apologizes for her ignorance and disrespect.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said with a smile, “I don’t blame you because you didn’t know. Moreover, what you said was true.”
After he became the Star Field Master, he headed straight to the Star Boundary, so he didn’t have the time to manage this Star Field. Seeing that Mei Jiu’er was about to speak further, he waved his hand and said, “I’ve just done something big, so I’m a little weak now. If there’s anything important, just speak bluntly. If not, please stand guard for me because I need to adjust my breathing for a while.”
Mei Jiu’er’s gaze brightened when she heard this as her face radiated a glow, “It is Junior’s honour to stand guard for Senior!” She knew that given Yang Kai’s strength, he didn’t really need her protection. As the Star Field Master, he was even able to create new Stars out of thin air, so there was obviously nothing in this Star Field that could harm him. The reason he had even said as much was to make sure that she wouldn’t feel embarrassed. At that instant, she could confirm that he really didn’t mind the incident some time ago.
Before realising who Yang Kai was, Mei Jiu’er was resentful of the Star Field Master and thought that despite his title, he didn’t really care about the Star Field. Basically, he had occupied the position without doing anything. Looking back now though, she realised how small-minded she was being. Given the Star Field Master’s immense power, he surely had much more important matters to deal with, like creating new Stars, which was why he didn’t have the time to take care of the more minor issues.
As a person with great authority, he should naturally be busy dealing with the more important things.
While Yang Kai was seated with his legs crossed to adjust his breathing, Mei Jiu’er stole a few glances at him and thought that he was pretty handsome. Some grey hair had grown on Yang Kai’s head recently, which gave him a look of maturity. Recalling the time when she grabbed his collar and fled from their enemies, she couldn’t help but put on a smile.
She was probably the only person in the entire Star Field who had experienced such a funny matter.
Yang Kai spent the next ten days recuperating before he opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
Seeing this, Mei Jiu’er quickly walked over. Unlike how fierce she was previously, she was now very respectful and her gaze seemed to have been filled with admiration as she called out, “Senior.”
“En, many thanks.” Yang Kai wanted to stretch his back, but upon seeing her admiring glance, he didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. Hence, he acted like how a top Master was expected to behave and nodded at her.
Completely in awe, Mei Jiu’er beamed at him and said, “Senior, you don’t have to thank me. It is my honour to do this for you.”
She was an Origin King after all, so it wouldn’t be an issue for her even if she had to stand guard for over ten years, to say nothing of the fact that it was just ten days or so.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “I’ve settled my matters, so I should get going.”
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er was startled as her gaze dimmed, “Senior, are you leaving now?”
Yang Kai stared at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Mei Jiu’er batted her eyes as her long eyelashes fluttered, then she hurriedly said, “Senior, if you’re not in a rush, I’d like to invite you to have a look at a particular place. Something about it is… strange.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai arched his brow, “What do you mean ‘something is strange?”
Mei Jiu’er shook her head, “I can’t really tell. When I passed by that place a few months ago, I could detect an aura that didn’t seem to… belong? At that time though, I was looking for you, so I didn’t dare to get closer to investigate carefully. Now, it’s obvious to me that something is off about that place.”
Seeing that Yang Kai was smiling faintly at her, she became flustered, and there was a tinge of grievance in her voice, “What I’ve said is true. Please trust me.”
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “Okay, I’ll have a look.”
After he finished speaking, he sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to examine the Star Chart there. He had the Star Field’s Source, which could reflect everything that was going on in the Star Field in real-time. If anything had happened, he just had to communicate with the Source to find out, so it wasn’t necessary for him to go over.
The next moment, his expression changed dramatically as he said through clenched teeth, “Damn!” Upon looking into the matter, he realised that something serious had actually happened.
He appeared incredibly imposing when he was furious, so thinking that he was referring to her, Mei Jiu’er turned pale as her eyes became bloodshot.
Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly said, “I wasn’t scolding you.” Then, he took a look at the other end of the Starry Sky with his deep gaze, which seemed able to see billions of kilometres away. With a frown, he asked, “When did you pass by that place?”
Mei Jiu’er pulled herself together and replied gently, “About seven months ago…”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “It’s not too late then.” Following that, he waved his hand to engulf her in his Demon Qi and took a step forward.
Despite the fact that Mei Jiu’er was protected by Yang Kai, she still felt the world around her spinning. When she came to her senses, she realised that she was already in a different part of the Starry Sky, which seemed very far from her original spot. Looking around, she could see that the view around her had changed completely and she could immediately confirm that this was the place she had passed by seven months ago.
At that instant, she was dumbstruck. She had spent several months going from this place to the location where she found Yang Kai; however, the Star Field Master was able to bring her back to this place in just one step, which went to show just how powerful he was.
However, at this moment, this part of the Starry Sky seemed different from the one she had come across in the past. At that time, she just felt an ominous aura wafting about this place, one that gave her a sense of danger and dread, so she didn’t dare to investigate. However, looking at it now, she realised that a large area of azure blue colour was swirling before them, and wherever the azure blue aura went, the Star Field itself seemed to be contaminated.
An astounded Mei Jiu’er said, “What is this…”
Yang Kai sneered, “Someone is trying to snatch my territory, thinking I wasn’t around.”
This had happened to Heng Luo Star Field before. At that time, the entire Star Field was affected and countless Cultivation Stars were devastated.
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er immediately realised what was going on and asked, “Have those from Grand Desolation Star Field returned for revenge?”
Previously, it was the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field, Wu Heng, who had invaded their territory; however, instead of gaining anything, he had failed to steal a chicken and even lost his rice in the process. Instead of occupying Heng Luo Star Field, he had actually lost a large part of his own Starry Sky.
In fact, a large part of Heng Luo Star Field had already been devoured. However, the area that had been taken away originally belonged to Grand Desolation Star Field, which Yang Kai had snatched from them in the past, which was why he hadn’t managed to notice it initially. It wasn’t until Mei Jiu’er told him about it that he realised this.
While this intrusion was indeed coming from Grand Desolation Star Field though, it couldn’t possibly be Wu Heng’s doing this time, as he was already dead.
To the side, Mei Jiu’er said coldly, “It seems that they’ve forgotten their lesson. Senior, please give the order now and I will gather up all the great forces in the Star Field. We must make sure these thieves can never return again this time.”
Without replying to her, Yang Kai stared fixedly at the azure blue colour that was slowly advancing towards them with a frown. Upon closer inspection, he realised that the situation was different from the previous incident, but he couldn’t really explain the difference in words.
While he was lost in his doubts though, the Embodiment, who was inside the Small Sealed World, suddenly spoke to him in his mind. Upon hearing what the Embodiment said, Yang Kai felt his face twitching, and he appeared to be suffering from a headache.
Soon, he made up his mind and said to Mei Jiu’er, “Retreat for now. I’ll go over to have a look.”
Upon finishing his words, he shot forward into the azure blue region.
Just then though, he caught a whiff of a fragrant scent. Instead of obeying his order, Mei Jiu’er had actually raced after him as she shouted, “I am willing to provide whatever assistance I can to Senior.”
Yang Kai felt speechless, but he didn’t have the heart to turn her down since she was so eager to help, so he simply wrapped her in his Demon Qi and continued forward.
The next instant, the pair plunged into the azure blue region. Abruptly, both of them felt as though they had sunk into an ocean. Looking around, they realised that they were indeed underwater, but with the protection of Yang Kai’s Demon Qi, they wouldn’t get wet.
Mei Jiu’er was astounded as she couldn’t understand how they ended up submerging in water when they were in the Starry Sky earlier. Furthermore, the water was different from the water she usually saw. Yang Kai frowned as though he was faced with a formidable enemy, then he turned around with her and shot up.
With a loud splash, they leapt out of the water.
As an experienced warrior, Mei Jiu’er immediately pushed her Saint Qi and scanned for any possible danger. At the same time, she gripped the stone in her hand, preparing to throw it at their enemy.
However, when she saw the sight around her, she was dumbfounded.
Instead of Grand Desolation Star Field, they were in a garden which couldn’t be considered vast as they could see the other end with one glance. Nevertheless, the sight was pretty lovely as there was a rockery and a bridge over a small river. There was also a gazebo in the garden and a pond in one corner. Yang Kai and Mei Jiu’er just leapt out of that pond. The azure blue colour of the pond was the same as the one they saw in the Star Field.
Mei Jiu’er was stunned. The pond in front of her was only about ten metres wide, but when she was inside it earlier, she felt as though she was swimming in a vast ocean.
Soon, she became even more astonished as the World Energy in this garden was unimaginably dense. Her aptitude was extraordinary, which was why she was able to reach the Origin King Realm at such a young age; however, if she had the chance to cultivate in such a place, she could have reached her current realm tens of times faster.
She couldn’t have imagined that such a cultivation paradise existed. Besides the abundant World Energy, there seemed to be something else in the atmosphere; however, her cultivation was too low to comprehend what this extra something was.
While she was in a dazed state, Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “Wu Kuang, it really was your doing!”
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er followed his gaze and became horrified, as there was a person sitting in the gazebo. He was an energetic old man whose hair and beard were grey. His amiable appearance made him look like one of those legendary immortals.
However, what shocked her wasn’t the old man’s appearance, but the fact that she didn’t notice him at all even as she was actively scanning the surroundings. It wasn’t until Yang Kai pointed him out that she became aware of his existence.
Presently, there was a board with a number of black and white stones on it in front of the old man called Wu Kuang. The strange aura wafting from the board was so intense that anyone who happened to see it would be shaken to the core.
After taking just one look at the board, Mei Jiu’er turned ashen and she thought that this old man must be too bored, which was why he decided to play the board game on his own. Moreover, it had even somehow turned into such an intense competition that the board itself was giving off an overwhelming aura.
The old man in the gazebo lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, then he burst into a fit of laughter as he called out, “Little brat, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here!?” An enraged Yang Kai stepped into the gazebo and looked down at the old man with a hostile gaze, “Wu Kuang, I should be the one asking! What are you trying to do?”
When the Embodiment told him that he detected the Heaven Devouring Battle Law’s aura, Yang Kai immediately realised that something serious was going on. After he came to this place and saw that it was truly Wu Kuang’s doing, he became infuriated. The last time they met, they were still in the Ancestral Domain; however, he hadn’t expected that Wu Kuang would come over and devour his Star Field one day. If it weren’t because Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang shared the same body, Yang Kai would’ve beaten him up instead of talking so much to him. Although Wu Kuang was a Great Emperor, he hadn’t managed to restore all his power so fighting was still an option.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was already much stronger than when he was still on Dragon Island in the past. Furthermore, he had four Half-Saints to assist him now. That was the reason he wasn’t afraid of Wu Kuang even if they got into a scuffle.
Mei Jiu’er followed Yang Kai into the gazebo and stood behind him. She remained vigilant and gripped the stone in her hand harder. It was apparent that Yang Kai and this old man knew each other, but they were on bad terms. Since Yang Kai was resentful of the old man, she had to put on a grim expression as well.
Wu Kuang batted his eyes and smiled, “That’s your Star Field?” He was an intelligent person as well. Even though he was shocked upon seeing Yang Kai, he quickly realised the reason behind it.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai bent over and landed a slap on the board, which caused the black and white stones to be messed up.
Wu Kuang gazed at the board with a frown and sighed, “I was about to win. Why couldn’t you just talk it out with me instead of messing up my stones?” He sighed.
Before he could speak further, Yang Kai directly turned the board over. At that instant, all the stones were hoisted into the air upon impact.
Wu Kuang said with a smile, “Did you know how many people you’re about to kill by doing that?”
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t need him to say something so obvious as he immediately realised that something was off after he flipped the board over. With his expression changed drastically, he pushed his Demon Qi hard and extended both hands, after which an innumerable number of phantom hands appeared in the gazebo. After all the phantom hands returned to Yang Kai, he could be seen carrying a large number of stones in his arms, and it appeared that he was still reeling from the shock.
Wu Kuang narrowed his eyes and stared at Yang Kai, “Demon Qi? You’ve gone through demonification?” He didn’t notice it before Yang Kai made a move. When Yang Kai’s Demon Qi undulated, he appeared truly imposing though, so anyone who wasn’t blind would be able to tell that his aura was a little different from before.
Presently, Yang Kai’s face was as pale as a white sheet. As he looked down at the stones in his hands, his eyelids kept twitching, “What in the world are you doing?”
Instead of answering his question, Wu Kuang said, “It’s interesting that you’ve gone through demonification. Why haven’t you lost your mind? If it’s alright with you, can you let this Old Master inspect you?”
Yang Kai replied coldly, “Sure, but there’s a price to pay.”
Wu Kuang smiled and nodded, “Just ask me any questions you want.”
It was then Yang Kai snorted and took a seat across from Wu Kuang before he carefully put the stones back on the board. He didn’t intend to put them back in their original spots. Thus, he just arranged them properly.
Then, he checked on those stones, and upon making sure that they were fine, he let out a long sigh.
Mei Jiu’er didn’t understand why Yang Kai cared so much about these stones, so out of curiosity, she sent her Divine Sense towards the board and instantly fell into a dazed state as she was rooted to the spot. It was as though her Soul had been sucked out of her, and she had become a living corpse.
All of a sudden, a gentle force engulfed her, which caused her to come to her senses. Her pretty face had turned pale as she said in shock, “Senior, the board and the stones…”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded.
Mei Jiu’er’s face turned a shade paler when she heard this. She still doubted that she might have seen it wrong; however, upon hearing Yang Kai’s confirmation, she knew that what she had seen was real.
Rather than a board, what was before her was an entire Star Field, and the stones were also not what they seemed to be as they were clearly whole Stars.
This amiable-looking old man with the demeanour of an immortal was battling against himself using the Star Field as a board and the Stars as pieces. Given the fact that Mei Jiu’er was just an Origin King, it was no wonder that her Soul was overwhelmed as soon as she took a look at the board. If Yang Kai hadn’t saved her in time, she really would have died.
It was then she understood what the old man actually meant. All the stones were real Stars, and trillions of people lived on these Stars. By flipping the board over, Yang Kai had practically turned this Star Field upside down. If the stones really fell to the ground, countless lives would have been lost.
Fortunately, Yang Kai reacted quickly and caught all the stones; otherwise, he would’ve become an unforgivable murderer.
Mei Jiu’er was stunned as she wasn’t sure if it was reality or an illusion. If it was an illusion, it was too lifelike, but if it was real, could anyone really do such a thing?
While her emotions were fluctuating wildly, Yang Kai extended one hand. Without being overly polite, Wu Kuang placed two fingers on Yang Kai’s wrist and infused a piece of Divine Sense into his body. At the same time, he asked with a smile, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll kill you?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Senior Hong Chen is around. If you’re able to kill me, go right ahead!”
Mei Jiu’er thought that Wu Kuang was playing the board game on his own, but Yang Kai knew that he was actually having a competition with Duan Hong Chen. Since Bustling World Great Emperor was able to battle against Wu Kuang, he definitely could stop him from making a move, which was why Yang Kai wasn’t worried that Wu Kuang would harm him.
Wu Kuang put on a smile and scoffed, “I’ve already refined that old fart. Duan Hong Chen no longer exists in this world!”
Then, he suddenly said, “He’s just talking nonsense. I’m still alive and kicking.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Greetings, Senior. Junior is glad to know that you’re still healthy.”
‘Wu Kuang’ nodded and took a look at the woman behind Yang Kai, “She’s quite pretty. Is she your new woman?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “She’s just someone from my Star Field. I happened to come across her, which was why I brought her with me as well.”
Wu Kuang’s gaze brightened when he heard that, then he said to Mei Jiu’er, “Little girl, since you’re here, why don’t you stay here to serve me? I can teach you about the supreme Grand Dao.”
Bustling World Great Emperor was a carefree man who enjoyed life to the fullest. Since the incident in the Shattered Star Sea, he had been intertwined with Wu Kuang; hence, he was unable to drink wine and feast, nor was he able to surround himself with beautiful ladies anymore. That was why he was extremely bored. Since someone had finally come to this place, he naturally wanted to make her stay. It wasn’t that he wanted to do anything to her, but it was better to face a beautiful woman than be alone Wu Kuang all year round.
A rare and precious opportunity was right before Mei Jiu’er’s eyes, but her face had turned pale and she shook her head repeatedly. She didn’t know what was going on as she just thought that the old man didn’t look like a good person, and that he seemed a little crazy, which was why she wouldn’t dare to remain. As for the supreme Grand Dao, she wouldn’t know if he was telling the truth, so she decided that she didn’t want it.
Seeing that, ‘Wu Kuang’ didn’t want to force her as he heaved a sigh, “That’s such a shame.” Then, he nodded at Yang Kai, “You can talk with him.”
Yang Kai bowed his head and pointed at the board, “What is this?”
Wu Kuang looked away as he was meticulously probing Yang Kai’s body. Without even thinking, he replied, “Blood Sun Star Field.”
Even though Yang Kai already had a speculation, he still gasped when Wu Kuang admitted it, “You’ve refined a Star Field into such a thing?”
He didn’t know where Blood Sun Star Field was, nor had he heard of it before, but apparently, just like Heng Luo Star Field, it was also a Lower Star Field; however, it had become a board game that was right in front of him now.
Wu Kuang replied with a grin, “What’s so strange about it? There are many more in the sky.”
Yang Kai looked up as his pupils contracted because nebulas of different sizes were hovering in the sky above him. Some of them were as small as a dustpan while the bigger ones were the size of a basin. There was some distance between them as they were not compatible. If Wu Kuang hadn’t pointed it out, Yang Kai would’ve just thought that these nebulas looked a little odd even if he happened to see them. Upon closer look now though, he realised that every nebula was a separate Star Field.
Staring fixedly at them, Yang Kai could see that the Cultivation Stars were as small as dust, on which billions of people lived.
However, just like the stones on the board, these people were not aware of the situation they were in as they went about their daily lives.
“Your condition is odd. It’s apparent that your body is full of Demon Essence, but you don’t seem affected at all. How do you keep yourself clear-headed?” Wu Kuang asked.
“You know about Demon Qi?” Yang Kai questioned.
Wu Kuang put on an inscrutable smile, “I know a lot more about it than you do.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the Ancestral Domain? Why are you here? Where’s this place?” Yang Kai wasn’t willing to dwell on the topic of Demon Qi, he just wanted to find out what Wu Kuang was doing.
“We are in the Ancestral Domain,” Wu Kuang replied.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai rebuked. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to the Ancestral Domain, so he knew what the place looked like; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that, since this old fart was able to refine Star Fields into boards and nebulas, it wasn’t so unthinkable that he could turn the Ancestral Domain into a garden.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “Is this a Sealed World?”
Wu Kuang shook his head with a smile, “It’s a Great World.”
In an instant, Yang Kai turned pale and stared at him in shock, but he knew that Wu Kuang wasn’t lying. Mei Jiu’er just thought that the World Energy in this place was ample, but she hadn’t realised that the World Principles in this place were also incredibly strong.
Just like the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, it was also a Great World. Even though this place was no match for the former, it wasn’t too far off.
Wu Kuang didn’t seem to have noticed Yang Kai’s expression as he went on to explain, “There must be something in your Knowledge Sea that can keep you clear-headed. I want to see it. Open up your Knowledge Sea for me.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai directly rejected him. Then, he furrowed his brow and looked around, “Did you sneak into the Ancestral Domain from the Dragon Temple in the past just to refine this place?”
“That’s right. The Ancestral Domain is the origin of all Lower Star Fields. By refining the Ancestral Domain, it significantly reduced the effort this King needed to exert in order to achieve my goal.”
“Just what in the world are you trying to do?” Yang Kai looked puzzledly at him.
Wu Kuang shook his head with a smile, “I can’t tell you.”
He paused for a moment, “Since you’re here, I need you to help me out with something.”
“Do you think I’ll help you?” Yang Kai sneered.
Ignoring him, Wu Kuang went on to say, “I want your Star Field. I didn’t know you were the Master of that Star Field I happened to be devouring; however, it doesn’t matter. Whether the Star Field has a Master or who the Master is, this King will still devour it. Apart from your Star Field, I also want all the Lower Star Fields.”
Yang Kai said impassively, “If you’re so eager to die, I can grant your wish.”
Wu Kuang burst into laughter, “We haven’t met for years, but you’ve become more arrogant and confident. It seems that you’ve grown stronger.”
Yang Kai straightened up and refuted, “I’ve always been confident.”
Presently, Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, who was touted to be the evilest person in history, appeared to be a mild-tempered old man. Even though he was repeatedly offended by Yang Kai, he didn’t seem to have the intention of flaring up. With a faint smile, he simply said, “Why don’t we just talk it out? The discussion will lead to nowhere if you’re so aggressively defensive. Don’t you agree?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai decided to suppress his anger. Even though he still appeared furious, he managed to calm down internally as he said impassively, “What are you trying to achieve?”
Wu Kuang waved his hand across the table, after which the board and stones turned into points of light and contorted into a nebula before it shot up into the sky and became fixed on one spot. Then, a tea set appeared on the table as he looked smilingly at Mei Jiu’er, who was behind Yang Kai, and asked, “Little girl, do you know how to prepare a pot of tea?”
Mei Jiu’er wasn’t sure if she should reply to him as she took a look at Yang Kai. Seeing that Yang Kai didn’t object to it, she nodded, “Yes, Junior knows a little about it.”
Even though she knew that the old man before her eyes was a terrible person, she was equally aware that he was a top Master. Regardless of his temperament, she had to show appropriate respect.
“Please,” Wu Kuang extended his hand to motion for her to help with preparing the tea.
Mei Jiu’er took one more look at Yang Kai, and upon seeing that he nodded, she walked up to the table and respectfully fell on her knees before she meticulously made the tea.
Wu Kuang observed her for a bit and concluded that she indeed knew how to prepare tea. Instead of knowing just a little, she seemed to be an expert in this field; thus, he smiled and nodded.
Following that, he turned to Yang Kai and said, “This King is indeed up to something, and my plan has something to do with the happiness of the people and the life or death of the Star Boundary… Look, this King is telling you about his plan, but you don’t seem to believe me at all. What should I do?”
“Go on!” Yang Kai pointed his chin at him.
“Good, I’ve finished speaking.” Wu Kuang grinned, “That’s it.”
“Do you think I’ll believe you?” Yang Kai shot him a look.
Wu Kuang shook his head and said, “Of course, you won’t.” He paused for a moment, “However, even if you don’t believe me, you should trust old Duan. After the war in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen and my Soul intertwined with one another in the same body. It isn’t as simple as you think to have two Souls in the same body. It can be said that, if we’re willing to do it, we can open up our minds and share each other’s secrets. I can’t tell you what I’m trying to do in detail. Your cultivation is still too low, so it’ll only do more harm than good to you. Nevertheless, Duan Hong Chen is aware of it, and he’s agreed to it.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brows. Just like what Wu Kuang had said, he didn’t believe an old thief like him; however, if Duan Hong Chen was also supportive of this idea, he had to give it due consideration.
In the past, in order to kill a dangerous person like Wu Kuang, Bustling World Great Emperor had crippled his own cultivation over and over again just so he could return to the Dao Source Realm. Then, he repeatedly snuck into the Shattered Star Sea to look for Wu Kuang. Duan Hong Chen was titled as the Bustling World Great Emperor. He travelled around this bustling world and he loved it from the bottom of his heart, which was why he was willing to protect this world that he dearly treasured.
If what Wu Kuang was doing was harmful to the Star Boundary, there was no way Duan Hong Chen would have agreed to cooperate.
Then, Yang Kai looked into Wu Kuang’s eyes as though he was trying to see through his mind and get to the deepest part of his soul. After that, he grimly said, “Senior, is that true?”
Naturally, he was talking to Duan Hong Chen instead of Wu Kuang.
This time, instead of replying to Yang Kai through the body he was in, Duan Hong Chen directly spoke to him via Divine Sense, a tinge of helplessness in his voice, “Even though I’m not willing to admit it, what this old ghost has said is true; otherwise, I wouldn’t have allowed him to make such a fuss. This old fart was more powerful than all of us in the past, so he knows things that we don’t. As for the war in the Shattered Star Sea, let’s just say that our perspectives differed too greatly to come to an agreement.” He sighed.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was shocked not because Duan Hong Chen had confirmed Wu Kuang’s statement, but because Bustling World Great Emperor sounded heartbroken by the outcome of the war in the Shattered Star Sea.
The war in the Shattered Star Sea was an epic battle waged by the Great Emperors to destroy a malevolent evil like Wu Kuang. During the battle, four Great Emperors fell, and Wu Kuang’s body was broken, forcing him to fake his own death to escape.
Supposedly, there wasn’t any problem with the war. Even though four Great Emperors had lost their lives, which was an immense loss for the Star Boundary at the time, they managed to remove a tumour like Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. The Great Emperors had lost their lives for a grand cause, so they should be able to rest in peace.
However, judging from what Duan Hong Chen had said, it seemed to Yang Kai as if the former was saying that the war in the Shattered Star Sea was a mistake. In that case, the fallen Great Emperors were killed for no reason at all.
Duan Hong Chen went on to say, “You don’t have to worry. I’ll monitor him and make sure that he doesn’t cross the line. Even though he has refined these Star Fields, he hasn’t harmed any of their lives or destroyed any Stars. He has just made use of the Ancestral Domain as the origin and made the other Star Fields merge with it.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath to suppress his undulating feelings, then he asked with a scowl, “What is it that will harm the Star Boundary’s safety?”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “This is indeed a thorny issue. It’s pointless to tell you anything now, so you should stop asking. It’ll indeed do more harm than good to you. When the time comes, you’ll naturally find out about it.”
If Wu Kuang had said it to him, Yang Kai would’ve snorted and argued back; however, since it was Duan Hong Chen who had said so, he reckoned that he should stop asking despite the fact that he was eager to find out more.
Following that, he nodded gently and asked, “Does he have to devour every single Lower Star Field and integrate them with the Ancestral Domain?”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “You’re fairly strong now, so I’m sure you can see that the Ancestral Domain has gone through some changes. The old fart isn’t wrong to say that it is a Great World. According to our estimation, if we manage to integrate all the Lower Star Fields, the Ancestral Domain will indeed become a Great World. By then, the Ancestral Domain will become a Plane that is an equal match for the Star Boundary. You have to understand that every single Lower Star Field was separated from the Ancestral Domain in the past. What we’re doing is just amalgamating them, returning them to their original state. It would be best if we could integrate all the Star Fields as no one can tell what the outcome will be if one or two are missing.”
After pondering on it for a while, Yang Kai asked, “What will the consequences be if my Star Field is integrated?”
“The most immediate result is that you’ll no longer be the Star Field Master, but other aspects will not be affected. After the integration, all the living creatures will go about their daily lives as usual, and they won’t be affected one bit. It can even be said that they’ll benefit from it. If the Ancestral Domain becomes a Great World, all the Star Fields that have been integrated will reap the rewards as well.”
Yang Kai said with a frown, “Before coming back, someone told me that the Star Boundary and the Lower Star Fields are like a tree. The Star Boundary is like the tree crown while the Lower Star Fields are like the roots. If Wu Kuang removes all the roots, won’t it affect the tree crown, the Star Boundary?”
“Tree crown and roots?” Duan Hong Chen sounded surprised, “This analogy is pretty interesting. It’s not wrong per se, but it’s not completely right either. The relationship between the Star Boundary and the Lower Star Fields are indeed like that of a tree crown and roots, so after all the Star Fields are integrated, it’ll slightly affect the Star Boundary. The biggest change we’ll see is that, after the cultivators in the Star Fields reach a certain realm and free themselves of the World Principles’ chains, they’ll head to the Ancestral Domain instead of the Star Boundary. As for the Star Boundary, it has become mature, and all the lives are living and reproducing on their own. Even without the roots, it will never die.”
Yang Kai knitted his brows, “Senior, it seems that you’ve sided with Wu Kuang now.”
In the past, in order to destroy Wu Kuang’s Soul in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen was even willing to perish together with him. In his eyes, Wu Kuang was no different from a ferocious beast. Even though he was saved by Yang Kai in the end, Duan Hong Chen still tried his best to solve his own problems. However, Yang Kai had never expected that when they met again, Duan Hong Chen would side with Wu Kuang and even speak up for him.
This prompted Yang Kai to wonder whether it was Duan Hong Chen’s true intention or he had been tricked by Wu Kuang. Perhaps Wu Kuang had even done something to him.
“I’m not deaf yet, and I’m much older than you are, so will you please show some respect and stop calling me by name? It’s unpleasant to the ears,” Wu Kuang stared at Yang Kai and said.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “What do you think I should call you, then? Senior?”
Wu Kuang replied with a smile, “This King knows you have some biases against me. In fact, anyone who happens to know my name in this world has the same kind of bias. When this King became famous, all of your forefathers hadn’t even been born yet! Tell me, what has this King done that has actually harmed your interests? All of you are terrified simply because of some ancient rumours about me. How many of you in the Star Boundary actually understand who this King really is?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Are you saying that you had some good reasons for what you had done in the past?”
Wu Kuang chuckled, “Naturally not! This King killed those people and destroyed those Star Fields, which is why they were so they’re resentful of me! However… everything happens for a reason, and life is not as simple as you believe it to be. So far, only Duan Hong Chen understands the secrets behind this King’s actions. Even other Great Emperors are not aware of this.” He paused for a moment, “Forget it. Let’s drink some tea first.”
Presently, Mei Jiu’er was finished preparing the tea and poured two cups for Wu Kuang and Yang Kai, then she obediently knelt on the side.
Yang Kai took a look at her and pushed his own cup towards her.
A shocked Mei Jiu’er quickly waved her hands, “Many thanks for your consideration, Senior. Junior really appreciates it, but…” The Star Field Master and a top Master even the Star Field Master had to call ‘Senior’ were right in front of her, so she didn’t dare to drink tea before them. She was already honoured to be able to serve them, and she knew that there were lines she shouldn’t cross.
“Just drink it! It’s good for you!” Yang Kai directly stuffed the cup into her hands. Even though he hadn’t tasted it, by just taking a whiff of the aroma he could tell that it was no ordinary tea. He was already a High-Rank Demon King though, so this tea probably wasn’t useful to him at all; however, Mei Jiu’er was only a First-Order Origin King, so it was definitely an opportunity for her, one she shouldn’t miss.
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er stopped turning Yang Kai down as she also realised that this was no ordinary tea. Since Yang Kai had said so, she had no choice but to obey his order as she lifted the teacup and took a sip. At that instant, she shuddered and widened her eyes. She became rooted to the spot, as though someone had used a Binding Technique on her.
Just a moment later, she came to her senses as her eyes radiated a glow. Then, she finished the tea in just a few gulps.
Yang Kai picked up the teapot and poured one more cup of tea for her. At that instant, Mei Jiu’er was pleasantly surprised by what Yang Kai had done for her.
Right then, Duan Hong Chen’s voice reverberated in Yang Kai’s mind again, “If what he’s doing is harmful to this bustling world, I’ll do my best to stop him. Conversely, I’ll support him.”
He was replying to Yang Kai’s previous question. Even though he didn’t give a direct answer, it suggested that he believed what Wu Kuang had been doing wasn’t harmful to the Star Boundary and instead, it was beneficial.
Yang Kai gently nodded and took a sip as he relished the aroma of the tea. After giving it a thought, he asked, “Both of you know who Flowing Time Great Emperor was, right?”
Wu Kuang replied with a smile, “How I wish I could have met him when he was still alive!”
Throughout history, numerous Great Emperors had been born in the Star Boundary. When the old ones passed away, new ones would replace them. However, only two Great Emperors had fame that never faded. They were Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Flowing Time Great Emperor. Everyone wondered that if these two Great Emperors lived in the same era, who would turn out to be stronger.
In fact, Wu Kuang shared the same thought as well. He was able to battle against so many Great Emperors on his own, and even though his body was destroyed in the end, he managed to kill four of his opponents, which went to show how powerful he was. However, Flowing Time Great Emperor lived in an era prior to that of Wu Kuang. By the time Wu Kuang became famous, Flowing Time Great Emperor had already passed away. Wu Kuang regretted the fact that he wasn’t able to live in the same era as Flowing Time Great Emperor; otherwise, he would definitely compete against him.
“Senior Flowing Time was killed,” Yang Kai looked straight into his eyes.
The smile on Wu Kuang’s face froze while Duan Hong Chen exclaimed in his Knowledge Sea.
A moment later, Wu Kuang asked with a solemn expression, “How did you find out about it?”
“Aren’t you surprised?” Yang Kai stared at him in shock.
Wu Kuang snorted, “This King was killed before as well, so what’s so surprising about it? As long as the opponents are strong enough, no one in this world is invincible. Let’s talk about Flowing Time. How much do you know?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not much. I only found out about it recently. Senior Flowing Time left behind the Flowing Time Temple in the Four Seasons Realm. Over ten years ago, a guy called Feng Zai Xiao took a bone to the Four Seasons Realm and set up an array. Then, he activated the bone’s power and almost summoned the Flowing Time Temple out of the Four Seasons Realm. The bone contained Time Principles.”
Wu Kuang frowned, “What does that mean? Was the bone Flowing Time’s remains?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En! If it wasn’t Senior Flowing Time’s bone, how could it be connected to the Flowing Time Temple and used to summon the palace? In fact, it was just one of his rib bones. There are more of his remains in the East Sea. Some Old Ancestors of the Monster Race had accidentally obtained them in the sea, but that was countless years ago.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Kuang turned solemn. Yang Kai’s statement suggested that Flowing Time Great Emperor’s corpse had been dismembered and scattered in the ocean. The reason Wu Kuang was killed was that he had offended countless people. He was confronted by the Great Emperors and he lost the battle in the end; however, during the era Flowing Time existed, he was practically the Star Boundary’s supreme leader. He also didn’t commit any crimes they knew of, so why would he be killed? Who had the power to kill him?
Yang Kai went on to say, “Senior Flowing Time had tamed an ancient beast called Qiong Qi to be his mount. Even though he had fallen, Qiong Qi survived and went on to keep watch on the Flowing Time Temple. Coincidentally, Qiong Qi and I became good friends. According to him, when Senior Flowing Time was cultivating in his palace one day, he suddenly comprehended something about the Outer Universe, which was why he left his secret room and set off on his journey to explore the universe. However, several dozen years later, his natal artifact broke through the void and returned to the palace while there was no further news about him. Seeing as his remains have been scattered everywhere, it isn’t hard to deduce what he came across in the past. He must have fallen into danger in the Outer Universe and was killed.”
Wu Kuang nodded his head. Judging from what Yang Kai had said, there was nothing wrong with his conclusion.
Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and continued saying, “The fact that Senior Flowing Time fell suggests that even a top cultivator like him wasn’t able to deal with the dangers of the Outer Universe. You’ve said that what you’re doing has something to do with the safety of the people and the Star Boundary. Wu Kuang, have you also explored the universe like Senior Flowing Time did? If so, what did you see? What is the Outer Universe like?”
No one knew whether Wu Kuang or Flowing Time Great Emperor was stronger; however, they were both more powerful than average Great Emperors. Since Flowing Time was able to explore the Outer Universe, Wu Kuang might be able to do the same.
Yang Kai stared attentively and fixedly at Wu Kuang’s face to take in every change in his expression. Unfortunately, Wu Kuang’s radiant face remained as serene as an ancient well. After a moment of silence, Wu Kuang said, “This King knows nothing about Flowing Time’s fate, and has no idea what he came across out there or whether it has something to do with what this King is trying to achieve. However, this King can tell you that it’s indeed very dangerous in the Outer Universe.”
Yang Kai turned serious, “You’ve really been to the Outer Universe!”
Wu Kuang shook his head, “No. It’s just that this King gained some faint insight which allows me to see beyond our World’s boundaries. It’s because of that insight that I don’t dare to go out and explore.”
[He ‘doesn’t dare’ to go?] It wouldn’t have sounded awkward if someone else had said it; however, it was truly horrifying that Wu Kuang had said so.
Then, Wu Kuang lifted his hand in an attempt to pour himself a cup of tea. Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly picked up the teapot and stuffed it into Mei Jiu’er’s arms, “Take it back and drink it slowly. Don’t drink too much in one go. One to two cups should suffice.”
Mei Jiu’er was dumbfounded as she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Wu Kuang. She wanted to put down the teapot, but she was reluctant to do so; however, she would appear greedy if she just held it in her arms.
She had just drunk two cups of the tea, which was why she was aware that the tea was very beneficial to a cultivator like her. After she went home and cultivated with the tea’s effects, her strength would increase significantly. Now that Yang Kai had given the remaining tea to her, she was both shocked and grateful.
Wu Kuang burst into laughter and put down his cup before waving his hand, “Forget it. It’s not every day that we come across guests. Little girl, just keep it.”
Mei Jiu’er saluted him and replied in a shaking voice, “Many thanks, Senior.”
She held the teapot in her arms like it was the most precious treasure in the world and wouldn’t let it go again.
Wu Kuang put his hands in his sleeves and took one look at Yang Kai, “Don’t read too much into it. I’m not even sure what kind of danger lies in the Outer Universe. This King is just trying to get prepared to face any possible danger. Even though you’re quite powerful now, you’re still too weak in this King’s eyes, so it’s pointless for you to overthink. As for this Lower Star Field… I’ll not integrate yours for now. There are still quite some Lower Star Fields out there. I’ll integrate all of them and then have a discussion with you, alright?”
If Wu Kuang was doing this for his personal gain, Yang Kai would never agree to it and he would’ve fought with him on the spot. Nevertheless, he had already learned some inside news, and coupled with what Duan Hong Chen had said, he would appear too selfish if he insisted on keeping his status as the Star Field Master. Thus, he nodded and said, “Good. However, I’ll make it clear to you first. It’s alright for you to integrate it, but if you dare to harm anything in the Star Field, I’ll never let you off.”
Wu Kuang cackled, “Old Duan is watching over me. I’ll never have the chance to do that even if I want to. En, Old Duan has some questions to ask you. I’ll let him speak to you now.”
Yang Kai straightened his expression and asked, “Senior, what do you want to know?”
The face of the old man in front of him contorted and transformed into Duan Hong Chen’s appearance. It was apparent that Wu Kuang’s Soul had taken a back seat and Duan Hong Chen had taken control of the body for now. After doing some stretching, Duan Hong Chen asked with a frown, “Has anything major happened in the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai said probingly, “Senior, you mean…”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Fifteen years ago, my heart suddenly clenched tight one day. Looking back, I felt like something must have happened in the Star Boundary at that time, and it had something to do with one of the Great Emperors. Yang Kai, have you heard of anything?”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared sorrowful, Duan Hong Chen became slightly nervous as he asked again, “Has something really happened?”
He and Wu Kuang had been staying in the Ancestral Domain and had never returned to the Star Boundary, which was why he wasn’t aware of what was going on; however, all Great Emperors had obtained recognition from the World’s Will. If something happened to one of them, a Heavenly Phenomenon would take place in the sky, and everyone would sense it. Nevertheless, Duan Hong Chen wasn’t in the Star Boundary, so he had only faintly sensed something. Naturally, fifteen years ago was when the war on Eternal Sky Continent happened.
With a grim voice, Yang Kai replied, “Senior Bright Moon has passed away.”
Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment before asking, “Bright Moon is dead? How did he pass away?” He had figured that something major must have happened to one of the Great Emperors, but he had never expected that a Great Emperor had actually fallen.
It had been several tens of thousands of years since the Great Emperors’ War in the Shattered Star Sea. Since then, no Great Emperor had lost their life. It wasn’t to say that the Great Emperors were immortal and indestructible; however, the incident had happened too abruptly. It hadn’t been a long time since he and Wu Kuang arrived in the Ancestral Domain, so why had Bright Moon lost his life all of a sudden?”
“Senior Bright Moon died by my hand,” Yang Kai replied.
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment, but he soon understood what had happened. On the other hand, Mei Jiu’er was looking at Yang Kai in shock. She had no idea what Great Emperors were or who Bright Moon was; however, judging from their conversation, she reckoned that Bright Moon was a top Master as well as a righteous man. However, such a good-natured top cultivator was killed by Yang Kai.
At that instant, she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea, and her mind had become a mess.
“No wonder! No wonder!” Duan Hong Chen nodded gently, “It’s no wonder I can detect the auras of Bright Moon and the Star Boundary from you. So that’s how it is.”
Yang Kai was astounded, “Senior, aren’t you angry with me?” He thought that after the confession, Duan Hong Chen would question why he had killed Bright Moon. However, he had never expected that kind of reaction from him.
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “Bright Moon only became a Great Emperor after the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea. However, since he was a Great Emperor, he was still one of the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary. If it wasn’t for his own willingness, you’d never have been able to kill him. I guess he asked for death, right?”
He paused for a moment, “Was he in a situation where he could no longer survive, so he asked you to end his life? No, no, no… Given your temperament, even if Bright Moon really made such a request, you wouldn’t have the heart to make a move against him. In that case, he must have made you kill him when you were unsuspecting. You obtained his World’s Will because he was killed by you. That’s why you exude the auras of the Star Boundary and Bright Moon, right?”
As their eyes met, Yang Kai was lost for words and smiled helplessly.
It had been many years since Duan Hong Chen was lugged to the Ancestral Domain by Wu Kuang, so he hadn’t heard any news from the Star Boundary for a long time. However, simply by learning the outcome, he was able to deduce the truth of the matter, which went to show that his insight and intelligence was superb.
“But, something isn’t right…” Duan Hong Chen suddenly scowled, “Even though Bright Moon was killed by you, how did you obtain his piece of the World’s Will? When a Great Emperor passes away, his World’s Will will dissipate into the world and await the birth of the next Great Emperor. Then, the new Great Emperor will be blessed with it. Could it be that… when Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will wasn’t able to re-integrate into the world, which was why it had to remain in your body? In that case, was Bright Moon killed outside of the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied, “Senior Bright Moon indeed died outside the Star Boundary.”
Upon learning the reason behind it, Duan Hong Chen nodded and said, “Tell me what has happened over the years.”
“The Star Boundary is troubled by Demons now,” Yang Kai replied.
Duan Hong Chen turned solemn, “Demons?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai bowed his head, “Senior, do you know of the incident where Demon Spirits from the Southern Swamp Demon Cave revived?”
At that time, the eldest disciple from Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng, told Yang Kai to accompany his friend named Hua Yu Lu to explore an Ancient Cave Mansion in the Southern Swamp. Yang Kai thought that he could get some benefits from it, but he hadn’t expected that he would accidentally unseal a Demon Cave and release numerous Demon Spirits, which then caused a commotion in the Southern Territory.
They were also accompanied by the former Patriarch of the Gong Family from Heavenly River Valley, Gong Yue, whose body was possessed by a Demon Spirit. Yang Kai and the others chased him down to Azure Sun Temple and realised that there was also a sealed Demon Cave in the Temple. The possessed Gong Yue went on to create chaos in the Temple.
During that period of time, Duan Hong Chen happened to be inside the Divine Ascension Mirror in Azure Sun Temple in an attempt to solve the issue of Wu Kuang’s possession of his body; therefore, he should be aware of that incident.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I remember.”
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “That was the beginning of it. After the Demon Caves were unsealed, Demon Spirits were revived and went on to possess more people. It took us more than ten years to solve the commotion in the Southern Territory. We all thought that we had gotten rid of the danger, but it turned out there was a bigger plot behind it. I’ve heard that among the ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, the most mysterious one is Night Shadow Great Emperor from Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory. Even the other Great Emperors were not sure whether he is male or female. Now, it seems that it isn’t that he likes to be mysterious, but rather that he deliberately conceals himself. Night Shadow Great Emperor Can Ye possesses a Shadow Demon bloodline, he is a traitor the Demons have planted in the Star Boundary!”
Even though Duan Hong Chen was a calm person, he still widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing this.
Regardless of how well or not well the ten Great Emperors knew one another, they naturally had some contact over the years. When Duan Hong Chen was travelling around the world, he happened to visit Shadow Killer Palace and came into close contact with Can Ye once; however, he didn’t detect any unusual aura from Can Ye.
It had never crossed his mind that one of the ten Great Emperors possessed a Demon Race bloodline.
In ancient times, Demons had invaded the Star Boundary. Even Yang Kai had heard of the incident, so there was no way Duan Hong Chen wasn’t aware of it. It was possible that some of the Demons had managed to remain hidden in the Star Boundary, or that some of the women from the Star Boundary were violated by the Demons and then gave birth to children of mixed race.
The Demon bloodline that Can Ye possessed had to be traced back to the last war between the Great Worlds.
There was an awkward smile on Yang Kai’s face which seemed to be a mixture of mockery and sorrow, “A Great Emperor was actually a traitor, and the Demons had been planning for this for a long time. When the right time came, they were able to break the barrier and open up a passageway between the two Great Worlds. Unfortunately, we had no idea what was happening until it was too late. Upon learning the news, the Great Emperors entered the passageway to investigate the matter, but they were unexpectedly ambushed by the Demon Saints. In order to allow the others to escape, Senior Bright Moon remained behind in the Demon Realm. Later, I accepted Senior Heaven’s Revelations’ request and put on a show to infiltrate the Demon Realm. On the surface, I pretended that I had suffered from cultivation dissonance and become demonified, which essentially made me a traitor to the Star Boundary. The truth was that I was heading to the Demon Realm to find out about Senior Bright Moon’s whereabouts and look for a chance to bring him back.”
He paused for a moment, “It seems I have to thank Wu Kuang for that. If it weren’t for his Heaven Devouring Battle Law being unacceptable in the world, I wouldn’t have found an excuse to put on that show. After entering the Demon Realm, everything went well for me at first. I found Senior Bright Moon in a place called Eternal Sky Continent. At that time, he was severely injured, and the Demon Saints had arranged a Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array to suppress him. Besides that, a Demon Saint Blood Demon, Xue Li, had set up the boundless Blood Sea to trap Senior Bright Moon. Faced with the Blood Sea and the Array, Senior Bright Moon was struggling just to survive,” Yang Kai’s voice sounded mournful as he recalled the scene when he saw Bright Moon on Eternal Sky Continent.
Duan Hong Chen chimed in, “I know that the Demon Realm is also a Great World, and the Demon Saints you’ve just mentioned are supposed to be as powerful as Great Emperors, right? How many of them are there?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Senior is correct. In the Demon Realm, the status and powers of the Demon Saints are equivalent to those of the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. There are twelve of them in total.”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gasped and appeared to be suffering from a headache. It was a simple comparison. Initially, there were ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. He was held up by Wu Kuang in the Ancestral Domain, Bright Moon had been trapped in the Demon Realm, and Can Ye had betrayed them. It meant that only seven Great Emperors were left to take charge of the Star Boundary. Nevertheless, there were twelve Demon Saints in the Demon Realm in total. Including the traitor Can Ye, it was seven versus thirteen. The odds were almost two to one in favour of the Demon Realm.
With such a stark contrast between the number of top cultivators on both sides, it wasn’t hard to conclude that the Star Boundary was at a severe disadvantage in the Two Worlds’ Great War.
With a frown, Duan Hong Chen said doubtfully, “You said that Bright Moon was trapped in the Demon Realm and he was severely injured, which was a good chance for the Demon Saints to kill him. Why did they only trap him?”
Yang Kai explained with a bitter smile, “Junior had the same doubt at first. After Senior Bright Moon explained it to me, I realised that it wasn’t that the Demon Saints didn’t want to kill him, but that they had bigger plans for him. They wanted to expand the capacity of their World’s Bottle!”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gave it a thought and understood what had happened, “I see.”
Without the need for Yang Kai to explain anything, he already realised what the Demons were up to at that time. In that situation, the Demon Saints were capable of killing Bright Moon, but that would lead to nowhere. They would only make those from the Star Boundary lose a top cultivator. If there was no suitable carrier after Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will would simply dissipate and return to the Star Boundary.
However, if they could trap him and refine him to allow the Demon Realm to devour his World’s Will, they could expand the capacity of the Demon Realm’s World’s Bottle.
It had to be said that the Demons indeed had a thorough plot. Given Duan Hong Chen’s intelligence, he didn’t need Yang Kai to tell him what happened after that.
Certainly, war had erupted and, in the end, Bright Moon was killed in battle. Bright Moon must have made Yang Kai end his life because he knew that there was no way he could survive. Yang Kai was from the Star Boundary, which was why the World’s Will had transferred to him as there was no other choice.
“You’ve done well.” Duan Hong Chen didn’t ask any further questions or make Yang Kai keep explaining. Then, he lifted his hand and clapped the young man’s shoulder, “In that situation, any Great Emperor would have made the same choice. You’re the one who was dragged into matters beyond your means. Fortunately, I can see that you’re still alive and kicking. Even though you were in a perilous situation, you were still able to survive in the end.”
After the World’s Will of Bright Moon was transferred to Yang Kai, Duan Hong Chen could imagine that the eyes of those Demons must have turned bloodshot as they hunted him down.
Regardless of what happened though, Yang Kai was still alive at the very least.
“All of us in the Star Boundary, including the Great Emperors, have to thank you,” If the World’s Will was snatched by the Demons, the Star Boundary would no longer be complete. No one could tell what the consequences would have been if that happened.
A shocked Yang Kai said, “I don’t deserve any thanks. I just didn’t want to disappoint Senior Bright Moon.”
Duan Hong Chen heaved a sigh and fished out a bottle of wine and two cups. Then, he filled the cups with wine for Yang Kai and himself before he faced the sky and lifted his cup to pay homage to his friend. Following that, he drained his glass in one gulp.
Yang Kai similarly finished his wine.
Duan Hong Chen’s emotions seemed to be unsettled after he learned that his old friend had passed away. After drinking his wine, he fell silent for a long time. He remained unmoving and didn’t seem to have the intention to say anything as his aura dimmed.
One hour later, he took a deep breath, and when he lifted his head, his expression became as calm as usual. No one could live forever. The Great Emperors had gone through the vicissitudes of life, so they were already used to it.
“How’s the situation in the Star Boundary? Since you still have the time to come to the Lower Star Field, I guess the situation isn’t so serious yet,” Duan Hong Chen asked. He and Wu Kuang had other matters to attend to, so it would be best if the situation in the Star Boundary was stable; however, if the Star Boundary was in immediate danger, he had to consider returning to support the other Great Emperors.”
“The first few years were the hardest; after all, the Demons were well prepared while we were unsuspecting. However, the situation has stabilised now. Before I returned from the Demon Realm, I sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage, which cut off the support from the Demon Realm to their armies. The Demon soldiers that are left in the Star Boundary are not capable of making any fuss now.”
Yang Kai put on a smile and went on to say, “Previously, Junior received news that the Demon soldiers left in the Star Boundary were mostly destroyed. Those who are not dead have been accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty four armies have gathered in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage in the Western Territory. They’re resting and recuperating right now. When the time is right, we will launch an attack on the Demon Realm.”
“Good,” Duan Hong Chen became energised and elated. After hearing about the crisis facing the Star Boundary from Yang Kai for such a long time, there was finally some good news; however, his expression soon dimmed, “The continued war will destroy lives and devastate families. The people in the Star Boundary must be suffering now.”
Yang Kai replied after a sigh, “The war between the Races devastated both Great Worlds. No one can stay clear of the calamity.”
After a nod, Duan Hong Chen said, “I’ll tell Wu Kuang to leave a secret door in your Star Field later. If the crisis worsens in the Star Boundary, you must come over and inform this Old Master about it. I won’t want to miss the chance to join the war.”
“Good. If we require Senior’s help, Junior will definitely come here to inform you.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I’ll keep watch on your Star Field and we won’t touch it if possible. If… I mean if… we really need it in the end, I want you to cooperate with us. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that old ghost won’t kill as he pleases again.”
“Of course, I believe in Senior.” Yang Kai nodded and fell silent for a moment, “Senior, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Good. I hope that you’ll bring with you some good news when we meet again.”
Yang Kai rose from the chair and saluted him. Seeing that, Mei Jiu’er quickly stood up and bid the old man farewell as well, still holding the teapot firmly in her arms.
Duan Hong Chen waved his hand and engulfed them in a gentle force. As the world around them spun, they soon realised that they had returned to the Starry Sky.
Lifting their heads, they saw that the azure blue aura, which had covered a large part of the Starry Sky, was retreating rapidly. At the same time, a black passageway, which led to an unknown place, abruptly appeared in front of them.
Yang Kai knew that the Void Corridor must be the secret door Duan Hong Chen had left behind. Through the secret door, he could reach the Ancestral Domain and meet with him.
The passageway soon disappeared from their sight; however, Yang Kai could feel that it was still there, just that it had become invisible. It wouldn’t matter even if anyone happened to be in this place and passed through the door. Only by targeting the other end of the passageway with one’s aura could he pass through the Void and arrive at the right destination.
Turning around, Yang Kai flashed a smile at Mei Jiu’er and said, “I should get going. We’ll meet again if there’s a chance.”
Mei Jiu’er was startled for a moment before she realised what he meant, “Senior, are you going back?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. Do you have any plans?”
Mei Jiu’er looked down at the teapot in her arms and gently bit her lip, “I’ll look for a secluded place to cultivate so that I may one day be able to assist you.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Then I shall thank you in advance. You’re from Blue Clouds Star, right? I’ll send you there.” They were now on the border of the Star Field, which was quite remote and desolate. Given her cultivation now, it would take Mei Jiu’er a few years to fly across the Starry Sky and reach home.
Upon finishing his words, he lifted his hand and pointed one finger at her forehead. As a thought flashed across his mind, Mei Jiu’er abruptly disappeared from his sight. Before she disappeared, she hurriedly said, “Senior, take care!”
After she was gone, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. There seemed to be an invisible flight of stairs beneath his feet as he kept moving up. After five to six steps, he suddenly disappeared into the Void.
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai, who was clad in a silk robe and a crown with a belt wrapped around his waist, was seated in the head seat in the main hall of High Heaven Palace. His demeanour was that of an expert cultivator.
On his left, Yao Si announced loudly, “Sir, when you were not around in the over ten years that passed, we managed to build up the Sixty-First Army. Now, there are 378,462 members in total. 289 of them are Emperor Realm Masters. Just like the other armies, I’ve divided ours into ten Divisions. Of these Divisions, the first in the Colour Guard with twenty thousand troops. There are two Division Commanders. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.”
At this point, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were on the other side of the hall, stepped forward and cupped their fists, “Sir!”
While Yang Xue appeared solemn, Yang Xiao still sported a playful and mischievous expression.
Yang Kai nodded and swung his hand, after which a Command Token shot forward. Then, he said, “Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, with the Command Token of the Colour Guard in possession, you shall follow me to the battlefield to fight against our enemies.”
After taking the token, Yang Xiao became more serious as he replied solemnly, “Yes.”
The corner of Yao Si’s mouth twitched, then he cupped his fists and said to Yang Kai, “Sir, the Colour Guard is responsible for staying by your side and protecting you. There are others who will go to the battlefield and fight against our enemies.”
“Really?” Yang Kai coughed into his fists and amended what he had just said, “Then, both of you shall stay by my side and be ready for my orders.”
Yang Xue and Yang Xiao grunted solemnly and returned to their original spots.
Yang Si went on to say, “Besides the Colour Guard, the remaining nine Divisions are named Flying Hawk, Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, Raging Flood Dragon, Heavenly Fox, Falling Flower, Spirit Snake, Heavenly Phoenix, and Heavenly Dragon. There are thirty thousand in the Heavenly Phoenix Division which is responsible for military enforcement. The Division Commander is Liu Yan and the Vice Division Commander is Su Yan.”
Two figures immediately stepped forward. The adult woman was elegant and well-mannered while the young girl had a petite frame and a pair of bright eyes. They cupped their fists at the same time and called out, “Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and tossed another token at them before saying, “Since both of you are responsible for military enforcement, you must be impartial in your judgement, not favouring anyone. On the battlefield, kill those who create chaos, disobey orders, weaken our morale, flee from the battlefield, or snatch credit from others, regardless of who they are.”
After Liu Yan took the token, she and Su Yan said at the same time, “Yes.”
Then, they returned to their original spots, after which Yao Si introduced the other eight Division Commanders and explained their duties to Yang Kai. As the Army Commander, Yang Kai had to understand everything so that he could calmly give appropriate orders on the battlefield in the future.
The Flying Hawk Division had the smallest number of people as there were only a few thousand in total; however, their collective power was not to be underestimated. The Division Commander was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands, Ying Fei. Those from Flying Hawk Division were scouts who were responsible for finding out about the enemies’ secrets. In any ordinary army, those who could be the scouts must all be elites. Only the best talents could accurately seek out enemies and bring back intelligence from the front smoothly. It was no exception for the armies in the Star Boundary.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Dragon Division could be said to be the strongest Division in the Sixty-First Army. This couldn’t be helped as the Division Commander was Zhu Qing while the Vice Division Commander was Zhu Lie. Most of the powerful cultivations in the Division came from Dragon Island. They had about several dozen Emperor Realm Masters, which was one fifth of the Emperor Realm Masters in the entire Sixty-First Army.
Following Yao Si’s announcements, Yang Kai had a better understanding of the Sixty-First Army’s structure. There were more than three hundred thousand soldiers in total, which were divided into ten Divisions.
The Colour Guard was responsible for protecting Yang Kai, with its two Division Commanders being Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, with no Vice Division Commander.
The Heavenly Phoenix Division, which was responsible for military enforcement, was led by Liu Yan and Su Yan. The Flying Hawk Division, which was responsible for scouting and transmitting orders was led by Ying Fei.
Following that, the Poison Scorpion Division was led by Xie Wu Wei, the Flaming Ox Division was led by Xi Lei, the Raging Flood Dragon Division was led by Li Jiao, the Heavenly Fox Division was led by Hu Fei, the Falling Flower Division was led by Du Mi’er, the Spirit Snake Division was led by Chi Lian, and finally, the Heavenly Dragon Division was led by Zhu Qing.
All of these faces were familiar to Yang Kai. They were his friends and family members who had gone through life-or-death moments with him. Among all the Division Commanders, only Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were slightly weaker, while the rest were either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or High-Rank Monster Kings.
It could be said that none of the fifty-four armies was as strong as the Sixty-First Army. If the Division Commanders of the other armies were considered powerful, the ones in Yang Kai’s army could be said to be superb.
Apart from the network of friends Yang Kai had built up over the years, the support from Seven Mists Sea was also crucial in achieving this result. More importantly, Yao Si had been working hard over the past dozen years or so.
Even though Yang Kai had been staying in the Star Field for the past decade, he wasn’t oblivious to what was going on in the Star Boundary as he was able to contact the people from High Heaven Palace.
Through Hua Qing Si’s reports, he learned that Yao Si had travelled extensively over the past years to build up the Sixty-First Army.
Although the Monster Kings Xie Wu Wei, Xi Lei, Ying Fei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, and Chi Lian originally worked for High Heaven Palace, they had left the Palace and returned to their own Divine Venerables since the Two Worlds’ Great War erupted.
Without Yao Si’s relentless persuasion, Luan Feng and the others wouldn’t have let go of these six Monster Kings. It would’ve been better for them if these Monster Kings could remain in their armies.
It wasn’t hard to get Li Jiao to come to their side. He was originally from the Thirty-Fifth Army, which was led by Bing Yun. Over ten years ago, when she heard that Yang Kai had become the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, she immediately released Li Jiao to lend Yang Kai a hand.
The powerful cultivators from Dragon Island needed no persuasion. Certainly, they would assist Yang Kai in building up the Sixty-First Army, and no Army Commanders could stop them, not even those from Seven Mists Sea.
Those were the Division Commanders.
Under Division Commanders, there were Brigade Commanders and Battalion Commanders. Battalions could be led by Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, Brigades had to be led by Emperor Realm Masters so that they could convince their subordinates to obey their orders.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were won over by Yao Si.
In the past years, Yao Si had visited all fifty-four armies, and he had managed to poach some people from every single army. It wasn’t that those Army Commanders were easy to deal with, it was just that Yao Si was willing to act shamelessly. Making use of his identity as the Great Emperor’s Son, he brazenly snatched the top talents from other armies, and no one could stop him.
Many Army Commanders had made complaints to Seven Mists Sea, so Li Wu Yi had repeatedly summoned Yao Si and told him to stop doing that. Yao Si would pretend to agree to it, but after leaving Seven Mists Sea, he would fearlessly continue his efforts.
In the past over ten years, he had practically offended all of the Army Commanders. Now, none of the Army Commanders welcomed him at all, and they would avoid him like he was a tiger or a scorpion. Whenever Yao Si visited an army, the Army Commander would quickly run away regardless of how powerful they were; otherwise, Yao Si would immediately ask for some people from them.
TL note: In previous chapters, it was said that the armies were composed of 1 to 5 million soldiers, obviously the author changed his mind at some point and now it 100,000 to 500,000… Just go with it
After more than ten years of hard work and persistence, Yao Si managed to build up a strong foundation for the Sixty-First Army. His hard work earned him the highest respect from everyone, and no one would object to the fact that he was the Army Commander’s Adjutant. They also admired Yang Kai for his shrewdness as he managed to make Yao Si side with them; otherwise, their army wouldn’t have become what it was now.
Presently, all the top talents, Emperor Realm Masters, and Monster Kings, had gathered together in the hall of High Heaven Palace, for which Yao Si deserved the biggest credit.
Yao Si went on to say, “An army cannot be established without a Standard. The army’s morale lies with the Standard. Wherever the Standard leads, the army will charge forward. Sir, please choose a Standard.”
All fifty-four armies in the Star Boundary had their own Standards. Wherever the Army Commander was, their Standard would be too. A Standard was the spiritual support for the army. The Sixty-First Army had just been established, so naturally, they needed one as well; however, Yang Kai had left the Star Boundary more than ten years ago, which was why this matter had been held up until now. Since he had returned now, it was the best time to choose a Standard.
Yao Si had already made some preparations. After he finished speaking, ten disciples from High Heaven Palace stepped into the hall with different flags in their hands. Then, they separated into two rows and took a seat in the middle of the hall before they raised their hands and expanded the flags.
After that, Yao Si said, “These are the final ten flags that the Division Commanders and I have selected. Sir, please choose the flag you prefer to be the Standard.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and rose from the chair. With his hands behind his back, he walked up to the flags and examined them.
It had to be said that Yao Si and the Division Commanders had put in a lot of effort in selecting these flags; after all, the Standard would become the symbol of the Sixty-First Army in the future, so it couldn’t be too gaudy. At the same time, it had to appear authoritative and carry a meaning with it so that others could recognise that it was the Sixty-First Army’s Standard at first glance. It was indeed a difficult task.
All the flags came in different patterns. As Yang Kai went through them, Yao Si, on the side, explained to him what every pattern symbolised.
Yang Kai nodded from time to time as he listened to him; however, after going through all the flags, he fell silent and furrowed his brow.
Seeing that, Yao Si said, “Sir, if you’re not happy with these flags, I’ll tell the vexillographers to make some changes until you’re satisfied with them.”
Yang Kai replied, “There’s nothing I’m not satisfied with.” Frankly speaking, all the flags were excellent, and every one of them was good enough to be shown in public; however, he just felt that something was lacking.
“Sir, which one do you prefer, then?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Our army is a little different from all the others. Even though we were the last to be established, we have the strongest collective power. So, we’re bound to be the main force on the battlefield in the future, and the responsibility on our shoulders is especially heavy; therefore, our Standard has to be more outstanding than those of other armies.” After he finished speaking, his gaze brightened all of a sudden as he extended his hand, “Bring me a sheet of paper and a brush.”
Yao Si quickly gave a hint to the people outside the hall with his eyes, after which the disciples left to prepare the items. All ten disciples, who were holding the flags, left the hall and in just a moment, a few disciples rushed into the hall. Two of them separated and held both sides of a piece of white paper that was as large as a flag. On the other hand, the other disciples had a writing brush and an inkstone with them as they stood beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the paper, but instead of drawing on it immediately, he stared solemnly at the paper.
Xie Wu Wei was just seated beside Hua Qing Si, so he leaned close to her and asked in a small voice, “Does Sir know how to draw?”
Hua Qing Si shook her head and spoke to him via Divine Sense, “I’m not sure whether he can draw.” There was a tinge of worry on her alluring face as she prayed that Yang Kai wouldn’t embarrass himself.
The Standard would be the Sixty-First Army’s symbol. If Yang Kai’s art skills turned out to be terrible, the Sixty-First Army would be embarrassed when others saw the flag. She knew that Yang Kai could be a little willful at times, but they had to be more serious when it came to choosing the right Standard.
While she was anxious, she suddenly felt that the temperature in the hall had plummeted as a chill ran down her spine. Instinctively, she circulated her Emperor Qi and lifted her head, only to see that Yang Kai was extremely focused. His murderous intent almost materialised as it swept across the hall, causing everyone inside to feel as though countless needles were pricking their skin.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and picked up the inked writing brush at that moment, and as soon as the tip of the brush came into contact with the paper, it began to flow smoothly. In just two breaths, he was finished.
Then, he passed the writing brush to a disciple and lightly took a few steps backwards. Looking at his work from afar, he grinned and said, “Good. This will be our Standard.”
All of them were on tenterhooks as they wondered what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper, and seeing how satisfied he was, they craned their heads in an attempt to make out what was drawn.
Yao Si was beside Yang Kai, so he could see the paper clearly. His brow twitched as he wanted to say something, but soon, his face relaxed and he waved his hand at the disciples, who were holding the paper.
Both of them turned around and raised the paper to show it to everyone. It was then that all the top cultivators in the hall saw what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper.
There was only one thing on the flag, a large character, ‘Kill’. The character wasn’t beautifully written, but it was imposing. At a glance, every stroke of the word seemed to have turned into a blade and slashed at the beholder, which caused all of them to be astonished.
Yao Qi aptly said, “Sir, we are all willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Everyone hurriedly rose from the chairs and cupped their fists, “Sir, all of us are willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Good! Since no one objects, it is decided. There is only one meaning for our Standard, ‘Kill’. Our job is to kill all the Demons who dare to invade the Star Boundary! We will let them know that the Star Boundary isn’t a place they can come as they please!”
“Yes Sir!”
After he finished speaking, a curvy figure jumped out from the crowd and clasped her fists, “Sir, this subordinate is willing to become the Standard-Bearer. I shall tether my life to our Standard. Only if I perish will our Standard fall.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and realised that it was Fu Ling who had just jumped out. She was a Seventh-Order Purple Dragon who came from Dragon Island, so naturally, she was placed in the Heavenly Dragon Division. Supposedly, the Standard-Bearer should be someone from the Colour Guard, so it had nothing to do with her. She must have an ulterior motive for coming forward at this point.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai scoffed, but just when he was about to tell her to step back, Yao Si said, “Sir, it isn’t a bad idea. With a Dragon becoming the Standard-Bearer, it will make our army look even more formidable.”
Yang Kai shot him a look and pondered on it. Upon realising that Yao Si was right, he nodded, “En, since you have the heart to bear this service for us, this King shall appoint you to be the Standard-Bearer for the Sixty-First Army. You must protect the Standard at all costs, only if the army falls will our Standard fall!”
“Sir may rest assured, I shall protect the Standard with my life.” An elated Fu Ling took the paper from the two disciples and joyfully dashed out of the hall.
Yang Kai had only made a draft of the flag while the true Standard had to be created by someone else, so Fu Ling left to look for Hou Yu.
Since the Divisions, duties, and Standard had all been decided and settled, there was nothing else to do. Yang Kai swept a glance over them and said loudly, “All the Demons in the Star Boundary have either been destroyed or accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty-four armies are assembling in the Western Territory, so we mustn’t be absent. All Division Commanders, after you return, you must begin preparations. At the break of dawn three days hence, we shall head to the Western Territory and storm into the Demon Realm to kill the Demons!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” All of them in the hall started chanting. The Monster Kings were especially enthusiastic as their voices seemed to shake the mountain.
…..
With three days to rest, Yang Kai kept his wives and parents company as they enjoyed some quality time together.
Of all his wives, only Xia Ning Chang had an auxiliary profession, Alchemist, so she wouldn’t follow them to the Western Territory. The other four had to go to the battlefield. Su Yan was in the Heavenly Phoenix Division while Xue Yue was in the Colour Guard. On the other hand, the enchantress Shan Qing Luo worked under Chi Lian in the Spirit Snake Division while Zhu Qing led the Heavenly Dragon Division.
It had to be said that after more than ten years of separation, all of Yang Kai’s wives had significantly grown stronger in terms of their cultivation. Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, and Xia Ning Chang had all reached the Emperor Realm, and while Su Yan still remained in the same realm, her power had increased tremendously. Besides the fact that the World Energy in the Star Boundary was denser, this was also because they had extraordinary aptitudes to begin with. When they were still in the Lower Star Field, they were already top talents, so their aptitudes were naturally much greater than that of the average person.
Yang Kai’s parents’ cultivation had increased as well, but he didn’t have the heart to let them join the war. Every breath, people lost their lives on the battlefield. It didn’t matter if they were Third-Order Emperors, Pseudo-Great Emperors, or Half-Saints, as no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t lose their life the next moment. Given such a hostile environment, Yang Kai wouldn’t want them to take part in the fighting. If they really went to the battlefield, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to focus on leading the army as he would want to protect them at all times.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu knew that after their departure this time, they would only meet again after the Two Worlds’ Great War ended, but even though they were worried and reluctant to part with them, they didn’t show their emotions on their faces. Instead, they forced themselves to smile as they enjoyed this moment of tranquillity.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and at the break of dawn, snowflakes could be seen swirling around with the cold wind on an ice sheet that was several dozen kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. More than three hundred thousand people had gathered on the ice sheet, but despite the numbers present, the place was completely silent.
They had already decided on the place to assemble early on; after all, High Heaven Palace couldn’t accommodate so many people in its main square, so they decided to gather outside instead.
More than three hundred thousand people had been divided into ten formations. The number of people in each formation varied. There were only a few thousand people in the smallest formation while the largest one had more than thirty thousand people. Presently, all of them were staring in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
A moment later, a beam of light flew forward from that direction. When they saw the light, it was still several dozen kilometres away, but the next moment, it was already right before their eyes. Its speed was so quick that it had left behind a trail of light in the sky.
When the light diminished, Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
“Welcome, Sir Army Commander!” All of them called out to Yang Kai in unison. Their voices were so deafening that the world seemed to be shaking and the falling snowflakes stopped in mid-air.
With a rustling sound, the image of a kilometre-long blood-red flag expanded in the sky as it swayed with the howling wind. As the flag flapped, it was as though blood was flowing on it under the morning Sun. At first glance, it was as if the sky was bleeding.
On the flag, a giant ‘Kill’ character could be seen, and nothing else; however, the character seemed to have come alive as its raging murderous intent made even the sun seem to dim.
The flag was eventually hung behind Yang Kai, and it seemed to have covered the entire sky. Despite the fact that Yang Kai appeared as small as an ant compared to the flag, he was extremely imposing.
As the flag swayed with the wind, all three hundred thousand pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the gigantic ‘Kill’, which seemed able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth!
All of them felt their blood boiling. Despite the fact that the weather was frigid, the gigantic Standard made everyone from the Sixty-First Army become fervent.
Seeing that, Yao Si put on a smile. When he saw Yang Kai writing the gaudy ‘Kill’ character on the paper in the hall a few days ago, he wanted to dissuade him from choosing it as their flag; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that he shouldn’t refute Yang Kai since it was the first decision the Army Commander Kai had made after coming back to the Palace.
Now, he felt fortunate that he didn’t stop him. The Standard was clean and minimalistic. As the flag swayed with the wind, the ‘Kill’ character was able to ignite the soldiers’ enthusiasm.
Then, he balled up his fist and raised it above his head before yelling, “Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
…
The world seemed to be trembling. The collective chanting of three hundred thousand people filled the world with murderous intent. Even the disciples who had stayed back in High Heaven Palace, which was several dozen kilometres away, were able to hear them. Looking from afar, they knew that the soldiers were embarking on a journey to destroy the enemy.
When the dust settled, no one could tell how many of those three hundred thousand people could come back alive. Many of them would probably lose their lives on the battlefield.
At the thought of this, all the disciples in the Palace saluted them from afar.
On Medicine Pill Peak, just like the other disciples who had stayed back, Xia Ning Chang stared at the army in the distance, her gaze filled with worry.
On the side, Ji Ying heaved a sigh, “You know how strong he is. He’s also a Master of the Dao of Space who can flee from danger with ease, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I want to go with him,” Xia Ning Chang bit her lip.
Ji Ying said, “We’ve discussed this before, and he has also talked to you about it. You’re an Emperor Rank Alchemist, so it’s better for you to refine more pills here than follow him to the battlefield. For every pill you refine, you might be able to save one more life on the battlefield.”
“I know.” Xia Ning Chang lowered her head, “But I want to be with him.”
Just when Ji Ying wanted to keep dissuading her, Xia Ning Chang didn’t give him the chance to do so. As the wind howled, she spoke in a gentle voice, “Senior Brother, did you know? Since we left Tong Xuan Realm, we have always spent more time separated than together with him. It’s a good thing that he’s ambitious, and we’re happy that he always shields us from the troubles of the outside world; however, we still want to be with him. Even if we fall into danger, we want to face it together with him. Whenever he leaves, all of us cultivate diligently because we want to one day have enough strength to stand by his side and share his burden. Now, the chance has come. Big Sister Su, Luo’er, Xue Yue, and Big Sister Qing are leaving with him, but I have to stay here to refine pills because that is what I am best at, and my pills are of excellent quality. There are also other responsibilities on my shoulders.”
She turned around and stared at Ji Ying as she seemed to be pleading with him, “But Senior Brother, I really want to follow him to the battlefield and fight alongside him. I might not be able to fend off all the troubles for him, but I just hope that I can kill some enemies for him to ease his burden.”
Ji Ying parted his lips, but they soon curved into a smile, “Go then. It’s not too late yet. He hasn’t left.”
“Senior Brother…” Xia Ning Chang gazed at him in shock.
Ji Ying said with a smile, “Whether you’re going to the battlefield or staying here to make pills, you will be helping the Star Boundary, and there’s no difference between the two. Don’t worry, Senior Brother will just work hard to refine your share of pills as well. Moreover, we all only live once, so we can allow ourselves to be willful once in a while. Rather than forcing yourself to stay here, why don’t you follow your heart?”
An elated Xia Ning Chang replied, “Many thanks, Senior Brother! I’ll be going then.” Upon getting a nod from Ji Ying, she bowed to him in an elegant manner before turning to look at the huge flag that was several dozen kilometres away. With her eyes filled with joy, she flew towards that place.
“You must come back safely!” Ji Ying shouted from behind.
“I will. Senior Brother, take care!” Xia Ning Chang’s joyful voice faded into the distance.
Several dozen kilometres away from the Palace, the soldiers were still chanting as Yang Kai stared solemnly at them. All of a sudden, he arched his brow and looked in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
All of them stopped chanting and fell silent abruptly as they turned their heads to look in the same direction, only to see a beam of light charging toward them at full speed.
After the light landed, Xia Ning Chang’s figure was revealed. Instead of looking at Yang Kai, she walked up to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue before cupping her fists, “High Heaven Palace’s Xia Ning Chang, reporting for duty.”
A shocked Yang Xiao quickly stepped aside. Yang Kai was his Adoptive Father, and Xia Ning Chang was the youngest among his wives, which also meant that she was his youngest Adoptive Mother, so how could he receive her salute?
On the other hand, Yang Xue put on a smile before she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, then she nodded gently, “Assume your position.”
“Yes!” Xia Ning Chang cheerfully joined the team. Despite the fact that her face was veiled, her excited expression could barely be concealed.
The soldiers were about to head to the battlefield, but a person abruptly appeared and requested to join the Colour Guard. Furthermore, Yang Kai, the Army Commander, hadn’t even agreed to it, which essentially violated the rules.
After Xia Ning Chang joined the army formation though, Su Yan, from the Heavenly Phoenix Division, stared at Yang Kai with her chin lifted, as though she was daring him to reject Xia Ning Chang.
Pretending that he hadn’t seen her threat, Yang Kai remained floating in the void with his hands behind his back, then he coughed and said, “Since everyone is here, we should depart.”
After he finished speaking, he swung his hand, upon which the Sealed World Bead shot out and turned into Gun-Gun in mid-air. Its humongous figure covered the entire sky as it opened its hideous mouth and took a bite.
In an instant, all three hundred thousand soldiers disappeared as they were devoured into the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai raised his hand and retrieved the bead. Turning around, he realised that Fu Ling, who was holding the flag, was looking fixedly at him.
She was the Standard-Bearer of the Sixty-First Army. When Yang Kai arrived at this place just now, she quickly stood behind him and held the flag, which was why she was spared the fate of getting devoured by Gun-Gun.
As their eyes met, Fu Ling flashed a charming smile at him, “Brother-in-law, there are only the two of us now.” She winked at him as though she was trying to hit on him.
“Store the flag!” Yang Kai took a look at the kilometre-long blood-coloured flag.
“Yes!” Fu Ling nodded and pushed her Dragon Source, upon which the flag trembled and became palm-sized in a short moment.
After storing it, she stared at Yang Kai and said, “Brother-in-law, we should get going now. Our destination is far away, so you have to take care of me.”
“Get in.” Ignoring her attempts at seduction, Yang Kai shoved her into the Small Sealed World and immediately felt that the place had become peaceful.
The next instant, he manipulated the surrounding Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
Inside the hall of Seven Mists Sea, there was a huge sand table in the centre of a grand hall. The view on the sand table was obviously the terrain around the Two Worlds’ Passage that had been significantly shrunk.
Presently, more than twenty people had gathered around the sand table, all of them either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors. They were Army Commanders of the Star Boundary.
Li Wu Yi pointed at one spot on the sand table and said, “The Forty-Second Army will be in charge of this node, and you’ll be assisted by the Thirty-Eighth Army. Make sure that the array functions smoothly. There mustn’t be any mistakes.”
After he finished speaking, an elderly man cupped his fists and said, “Yes, Sir.”
Just then, a middle-aged man shot him a look and questioned, “Old man, are you capable of doing that? You’re getting on in years now, so you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you can’t. Just let the Thirty-Eighth Army take charge of the node and the Forty-Second Army can assist from behind.”
The elderly man grinned, “Do you seriously think you’re able to take charge of the node while I can’t? The Supreme Commander is intelligent, so he knows that experience is more important. Stop making a fuss and assist me in killing the enemy. I’ll give you ten to twenty percent of the credit after the war.”
Hearing that, the middle-aged man was infuriated, but just when he wanted to say something, Li Wu Yi said dispassionately, “Stop. The arrangement of the array is a result of the Great Emperors’ discussion. This King is only here to announce their decision. If you have any objections, you can bring them to the Great Emperors. If they agree to let you swap, this King won’t stop you.”
Upon learning that it was the Great Emperors’ decision, the two Army Commanders stopped arguing. However, the middle-aged man still seemed incensed as he shot a glare at the elderly man. He thought that his army was stronger than the elderly man’s, so he was supposed to be in charge.
Li Wu Yi pointed at another spot, “This node will…”
Before he finished speaking, he realised something and took a few steps backwards. The next moment, as Space Principles undulated, a figure abruptly appeared beside him. Seeing that, he put on a smile, “You’re finally here.”
Right after Yang Kai appeared, he realised that many people were staring at him. Even though these people didn’t release any kind of aura, he still felt his chest tightening as he knew that each one was a powerful figure.
Upon closer inspection, he narrowed his eyes in surprise. Given his acute vision, he immediately became aware that these figures were all either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Furthermore, it seemed that they were in the middle of an important meeting.
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists, “Greetings, Sir. Greetings, Seniors.”
Li Wu Yi clapped the young man’s shoulder, “It’s good that you’re here. En, let me introduce you to all of them.” He then turned around and stared at the others in the hall with a smile on his face, “He is the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory as well as the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, Yang Kai. Some of you are already familiar with him while some of you have just met him for the first time. In any case, all of you will be comrades on the battlefield, so you have to cooperate with one another.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew some of them. Besides Li Wu Yi, Yang Yan, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, Bing Yun, the Three Great Divine Venerables from the Ancient Wild Lands, and several highly ranked Monster Kings were all around. Apart from them, he wasn’t so familiar with the others as it was the first time they had met.
Even though Yang Kai was aware that many top Masters led a reclusive life in the Star Boundary, he was still shocked when he saw that so many Pseudo-Great Emperors had gathered in this place.
Nevertheless, he soon came to the realisation that there were Four Great Lords in Demon Heavenly Dao, who were all Pseudo-Great Emperors, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there were also quite a few Pseudo-Great Emperors elsewhere in the Star Boundary.
Among these people, there was one person whose gaze was extremely cold. Yang Kai turned his head and realised that the source of this cold gaze was Cang Mo, which prompted him to bare his fangs.
He and Cang Mo were on very bad terms.
The first time Yang Kai met Cang Mo, they were in the Star Field. Cang Mo was also a member of the Star Court, and the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field, Wu Heng, was his subordinate.
At that time, Wu Heng made use of his own Star Field to devour Heng Luo Star Field. Certainly, Yang Kai would never allow that to happen. After an intense battle, Wu Heng was defeated, and at the most critical moment, he called upon Cang Mo’s help. After that, it was Yang Yan who arrived at the place and solved the crisis for Yang Kai.
It was during that encounter that Cang Mo realised that Yang Kai cultivated the Dao of Space and had the Sealed World Bead, stimulating the greed in his heart. After returning to the Star Boundary, he utilised all his means to find out Yang Kai’s information and whereabouts. Eventually, he came into Yang Kai’s way just outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory.
Outside the Valley, Yang Kai and the Embodiment joined forces to battle against Cang Mo, but they were severely injured in the process. In the end, it was Qiong Qi who appeared and beat Cang Mo up.
After two unpleasant encounters, they were practically each other’s arch enemies now.
Faced with Cang Mo’s cold expression, Yang Kai gave him a dismissive look as well. In the past, he was still wary of Cang Mo; however, now, besides the fact that he had four Half-Saints in the Small Sealed World who could assist him at any moment, his own power had also increased significantly, so he was no longer afraid of him. They could coexist peacefully if Cang Mo didn’t seek trouble with him. Otherwise, Yang Kai would let him know that he was no longer so easily bullied.
The other Army Commanders were not aware of the grudges between these two, but they just could see that these two people appeared hostile towards one another, making it obvious that they were on bad terms.
Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan knew what had happened in the past. Nevertheless, they were still faced with the threat from the Demons, so it wasn’t the right time for Yang Kai to settle scores. Thus, they secretly spoke to him via Divine Sense, “Don’t let your personal grudges with him get in the way of our plan.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Almost half of the Army Commanders had gathered in this place. Li Wu Yi went on to introduce every one of them to Yang Kai. Despite the fact that Yang Kai had excellent memory, he could only remember their names, and he couldn’t recall which armies they belonged to. It was because the armies were divided into Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, making it difficult for anyone who wasn’t familiar with the system to recall who belonged where. Nevertheless, it was no big deal. As they were going to work with each other in the future, they would slowly become familiarised with one another.
Compared to the other armies, the Sixty-First Army was like a toddler. Given Yang Kai’s cultivation and age, he could only be considered a rookie Army Commander. Despite that, the other Commanders were friendly to him and commended his youth and talent so that they could remain on good terms.
When a certain elderly man was introduced, he shot an angry glare at Yang Kai. Yang Kai was doubtful as he didn’t think he had offended this old man in the past and was pretty sure that they hadn’t even met before. So, why was the elderly man resentful of him? Yang Kai reasoned that this elderly man might be close friends with Cang Mo. In that case, he had to be extra careful in the future so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard by them on the battlefield.
To the side though, Li Wu Yi said with a smile, “Don’t blame Senior Fu for looking at you like this. He is the Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army. Yao Si worked under him previously.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai finally understood the reason behind this hostility and smiled helplessly. Then, he quickly cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Senior Fu. Many thanks for allowing Yao Si to come to my side.”
Originally, Yao Si was this elderly man’s subordinate; however, after he lost a bet, Yao Si had no choice but to serve Yang Kai instead. In the past over ten years, Yao Si managed to build up a strong foundation for the Sixty-First Army, which was why the elderly man was frustrated. When Yao Si was in the Fifty-Third Army, he didn’t show any signs that he was capable of doing so much, but after he was gone, he went on to achieve many great things. If the elderly man knew that this would be the outcome, he would’ve made Yao Si stay at all costs. With Yao Si around, the Fifty-Third Army could’ve become as great as the present Sixty-First Army.
The old man surnamed Fu snorted, “What are you thanking me for? This Old Master can only blame himself for failing to realise that Yao Si was such a gem when he was still in my army. It is his opportunity to have joined your army.” He paused for a moment, “However, Yao Si originally came from the Fifty-Third Army, after all. Without him, the Sixty-First Army wouldn’t have grown to be so powerful. If in the future…”
“The Sixty-First Army will stand ready to lend Senior Fu assistance at any moment,” Yang Kai immediately said.
It was then the elderly man stopped looking grim as he flashed a smile at Yang Kai, “Good. I hope that both of our armies will come into contact more often.”
“That’s my intention as well. All of you are my Seniors who are experienced in the affairs of war while I am still just a Junior, so I have a lot to learn from you. I hope that you won’t find me troublesome.”
“Hahaha!” The elderly man guffawed and clapped Yang Kai’s shoulder, “If there’s anything you need on the battlefield, just call out to me. As long as I’m still alive, I’ll bring my people to lend you a hand so that you won’t be overwhelmed by the Demons.”
“Many thanks, Senior Fu.”
At this point, they flashed a smile at one another as though they were old friends who hadn’t met for a long time.
It took quite some time for everyone to be introduced. After Yang Kai managed to memorise all their names, Li Wu Yi said, “There are other Army Commanders who aren’t here today. I’ll introduce them to you in the future if there’s a chance.”
Yang Kai nodded and took a look at the sand table. Knowing that they must have an important issue to discuss, he said, “I’ll wait for you outside. There’s something I need to discuss with you regarding the war. We’ll talk about it at a later time.”
“You don’t have to leave.” Li Wu Yi raised his hand to stop him, “Stay here and listen to us. We might need your army to help out.”
Yang Kai decided to leave because he wanted to avoid creating any kind of problems, but since Li Wu Yi had said so, he wouldn’t insist.
After the introduction, everyone fell silent in the hall and only Li Wu Yi was left to talk about his plan.
Yang Yan furtively walked up to Yang Kai and nudged him with her shoulder. Despite the fact she was staring fixedly at the sand table, she spoke to him clearly via Divine Sense, “Why did you go to the Lower Star Field for more than ten years? I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I was studying and cultivating a Secret Technique,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
Yang Yan faintly pursed her lips, “The Star Boundary is a better place for cultivation. Was it necessary for you to go to the Lower Star Field? Seriously, have you kept any woman there?”
“What nonsense.” Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “The war between the Great Worlds is still ongoing. Why would I be in the mood to flirt with other women? Moreover, I already have enough wives.”
Yang Yan snorted, “Who knows? There’s a saying that a man’s wife is inferior to his lover, and women he can’t get are deathly attractive to him. How would I know what’s on your mind?”
Yang Kai didn’t want to dwell on it, so he changed the topic by saying, “I did indeed come across an acquaintance in the Star Field. Guess who that person was.”
“Your lover,” Yang Yan directly replied.
“Wu Kuang!”
“What?” Yang Yan exclaimed out loud before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. She accidentally shouted because she was shocked, so presently, everyone in the hall was staring at her. Yang Kai hurriedly straightened his face and pretended to look at her doubtfully as well.
A quick-thinking Yang Yan immediately pointed at the sand table and asked, “This node is very important. Shouldn’t we get some people to keep watch on this spot?”
Li Wu Yi shook his head, “There’s no need. This is basically a death trap. If the Demons get into it, they’ll never be able to come out alive. In other words, this node is deliberately emptied to lure the Demons to go in.”
Yang Yan nodded to imply that she understood him.
While Li Wu Yi went on to speak, Yang Yan secretly stuck out her tongue and waited for a moment before talking to Yang Kai using her Divine Sense again, “You met Wu Kuang? How did you escape from his claws?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “He didn’t do anything to me, so why should I flee? Moreover, Wu Kuang and Senior Hong Chen still occupy the same body, so I met them at the same time.”
“I see.” Yang Yan nodded faintly, “Is Senior Hong Chen alright?”
“He’s fine for now, but I’ve heard some news from them. I’ve recorded everything down in a jade slip. Please help me pass it to Senior Iron Blood.”
“Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”
“I’ve just arrived at this place, so I’m very busy. It’s decided, then.” More than ten years ago, he had used his Space Beacon in an attempt to appear beside Zhan Wu Hen, but he was sent into a pit of Demons in the end, which was why he wouldn’t want to see Iron Blood again if possible.
“I can pass the jade slip to him, but what do I get in return?”
“I have nothing precious with me. Why don’t you consider accepting me to be your lover?”
“Haha… Come to my room tonight then. I’ll be waiting for you,” A cold glint flashed across her eyes.
The discussion went on for half a day in the hall before everyone left. Prior to that, Bing Yun nodded her head and flashed a smile at Yang Kai, who responded with a nod as well.
After everyone was gone, Li Wu Yi took a seat on a chair, then a maidservant came over and served him a cup of tea. Upon taking a sip, he asked, “Have you settled the problem?”
Yang Kai sat down beside him as they were separated by a table, then he replied, “Yes, it’s settled.”
“Very good.” A relieved Li Wu Yi took a few more sips and put down the cup, “You’ve listened to our discussion, right?”
Yang Kai tried to recall everything Li Wu Yi had told the Army Commanders, then he asked, “We have to prepare the Formation first before we can open the Two Worlds’ Passage, right?”
He thought that as soon as he arrived at this place, they could reopen the passage and storm into the Demon Realm, but it turned out to be different from what he had expected. They had another arrangement, so they still had to wait.
Li Wu Yi tapped the armrest and replied, “The Demons are all fierce warriors, so we don’t have any advantage in frontal conflict with them. Basically, we’re on the weaker side in terms of the number of people we have. If we recklessly open up the passage and storm into the Demon Realm, we’ll end up in a miserable state. It can even be said that if we really do that, all of our fifty-five armies will be defeated.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement. He was the only one from the Star Boundary who had been to the Demon Realm, so he knew that the Demons were truly powerful and that they possessed immense heritage. That was why he understood that Li Wu Yi’s statement wasn’t an exaggeration.
“The war in the Star Boundary has been ongoing for the past dozen years. Fortunately, we’ve managed to root out the internal enemies. The remaining Demons in the Star Boundary were either killed or subdued by Chang Tian and the others. Demon Heavenly Dao was devastated as well. A few years ago, Can Ye, was injured by Senior Iron Blood, and he has gone into hiding since then. However, for the past ten years or so, it was also a buffer time for the Demons. It has been a long time since the Two Worlds’ Passage was sealed off, so no one knows what has been going on in the Demon Realm.” Li Wu Yi shook his head with a smile, “Maybe after we reopen the passage, we’ll realise that the Demons have also fully prepared as they await us to fall into their trap.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “Senior is right.”
“So, we cannot storm into the Demon Realm immediately. At the very least, we cannot recklessly do it.” Li Wu Yi rose from the chair with his hands behind his back and shuffled towards the centre of the hall, then he turned to look at Yang Kai, “You know what the passage is like. The entrance is very narrow, so only a limited number of people can pass through it at any given time. If we just charge over without any preparation, we’ll suffer a loss, and the reverse is true as well; therefore, we plan to arrange a Formation around the passage and wait for the armies to familiarise with one another before we open the gates. When the Demons come over, we’ll be able to deal a heavy blow to them.”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Demon Realm is falling apart, so they’re more anxious than we are. If they realise that the passage is open, they’ll send some people over. It’ll be useless if there’s only a small number, but if there are many of them, we can kill them all in one fell swoop.”
Li Wu Yi grinned, “That’s right. They’re the ones who are supposed to be anxious. We just have to set up an impenetrable defence around the passage. As long as the line is intact, we can make any move at any moment as we please. When we gain the upper hand one day, it won’t be too late for us to strike back.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai replied, “That will take a long time. Perhaps we’ll need several dozen or even over a hundred years to achieve this.”
“As long as we can ensure the Star Boundary’s safety, any sacrifice is worth it.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai rose from the chair and cupped his fists, “The Sixty-First Army has arrived on the battlefield, so if there is anything you need us to do, inform me straight away.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “The other armies will assist in building up the formation, so you don’t have to worry about it; however, that doesn’t mean that your army has nothing to do. After the passage is opened, your army will have to face the Demons head-on. During this period of time, I’ll arrange a place for your army to stay, and then you just have to have them practice some military formations. The war between opposing armies is unlike a fight between two people. With so many people around, powerful cultivation isn’t the key to winning the battle anymore. Fortunately, even though your army has just been established, there are many veterans in your team. Just tell Yao Si to help you with it, and he’ll know what to do.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai said.
Following that, Li Wu Yi led him to the huge sand table and drew a circle on a particular spot, “With this spot as the centre, a radius of a thousand kilometres is where the Sixty-First Army will be stationed. You’ll handle the affairs in your army on your own. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can look for the other Commanders or come here to ask me.”
A moment later, Yang Kai stepped out of the hall and identified the direction before shooting into the sky. After one hour, he appeared in the sky above a desolate desert in the Western Territory. Looking down, he could still see some traces of the dilapidated Two Worlds’ Passage.
It was supposed to be the connecting point between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary as well as the place where the Demons had gathered together in the past; however, since Yang Kai returned more than ten years ago and sealed off the passage, this place had slowly become desolate.
Even though there wasn’t anyone around now, everyone from the Star Boundary knew that if the Demons struck again one day, they would still come over through this place; therefore, with the location of the passage as the centre, those from Seven Mists Sea had begun arranging a Grand Array and Formation around it. All fifty-five armies had surrounded this barren place as they waited for the Demons to pass through the passage and fall into their trap.
Looking around, Yang Kai realised that a few thousand kilometres around the place, a lot of tents had been set up, and many people could be seen moving around. Apparently, they were the armies that had been stationed here. The bases of such a scale could be seen every couple thousand kilometres apart as they formed a gigantic circle around the passage.
While he was still observing, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the base on his right and flew towards him. The dazzling light broke through the air and reached Yang Kai in just over ten breaths’ time, after which an elderly man’s figure was revealed.
Yang Kai put on a smile and cupped his fists, “Senior Fu.”
The elderly man was none other than the Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army, Fu Ren Jie, whom Yang Kai had come across in the hall of Seven Mists Sea some time ago. Initially, he was very stern with Yang Kai, so it was interesting that he became friendly to the young man in the end.
Fu Ren Jie guffawed, “I’ve always wondered why this place was empty and no army was stationed here. It seems that Supreme Commander Li reserved this place for you.”
Yang Kai took a look in the direction where the elderly man came from, then he arched his brow, “Is the Fifty-Third Army’s base over there?”
“That’s right.” Fu Ren Jie appeared jolly, “It seems that we’ll be neighbours from now on.” Then, he suddenly cupped his fists, “Please take care of me in the future.”
“I wouldn’t dare to.” Yang Kai quickly saluted him back, “I’m still a Junior in this place, so I am the one who will need you to take care of me. I know nothing about war affairs after all.”
Fu Ren Jie laughed, “That doesn’t matter because Yao Si is an expert in this field. Otherwise, what’s the point of you snatching him from me at all costs?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai put on a helpless smile and turned to look in a different direction, “Senior Fu, do you know whose base is there?”
Fu Ren Jie replied solemnly, “Cang Mo’s.”
Yang Kai became startled at that, but before he could come to his senses, Fu Ren Jie chuckled, “I’m just pulling your leg! I enjoy a good prank between friends. Please don’t mind it. Supreme Commander Li is aware that you’re on bad terms with Cang Mo, so he wouldn’t make the two of you become neighbours. Cang Mo’s Eighteenth Army is across from this place, which is very far from your base.”
At that, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and smirked, “Is it that obvious?”
Fu Ren Jie said, “I don’t know what the grudges are between you and Cang Mo, but I’m not blind, so it’s apparent to me that the two of you are on bad terms. I’m not fond of him either because of his arrogant attitude. If there are really grudges between you two, you have to be wary of him.”
Yang Kai put on a smile without replying to him.
Soon, Fu Ren Jie changed the topic by saying, “We’re now facing the Two Worlds’ Passage, so on your left this Old Master’s army. On your right, it’s the Thirty-Fifth Army. I’m sure you’re familiar with their Commander.”
“Senior Bing Yun?” Yang Kai became elated upon hearing that, then he turned to look at his right side. It seemed that Li Wu Yi was willing to look after him as one of his neighbours was his close friend, and the other was an elderly man that was easy to get along with. When war broke out in the future, they would be able to cooperate smoothly.
Fu Ren Jie replied with a smile, “That’s right.” He tutted, “Speaking of which, even though the Thirty-Fifth Army consists of mostly women, they’ve killed more Demons than most men. It seems that Bing Yun is an outstanding leader.”
Then, he arched his brow, “Brother Yang, since you’re already here, where’s your army? I’ve always heard that there are many top cultivators in your army, but I’ve never had the chance to meet them. Can you let me see them? I’m quite eager.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sure. Please help me examine them.”
After he finished speaking, he summoned the Sealed World Bead and performed a hand seal. As the bead shot forward, Yang Kai quickly pushed his Divine Sense. In an instant, the void seemed to be trembling as a layer of ripples spread around. As the ripples expanded, the imposing figures of the soldiers, who were hidden in the bead earlier, were revealed.
The soldiers retained the formations they were in before Gun-Gun devoured them. All ten Divisions were in ten different formations. At that instant, three hundred thousand plus people seemed to have descended from the Heavens as murderous intent swirled around them.
That wasn’t the end of it though as Fu Ling shot out from the crowd and stood behind Yang Kai. As she swung her hand, the kilometre-long blood-coloured flag expanded and filled the sky. It was as though blood was dripping from the sky.
Three hundred thousand people cupped their fists and called out in unison, “Sir!”
The sound wave spread across the land, and even the world seemed to have paled.
Fu Ren Jie’s brow rose as he darted his gaze between his own army, which was a few thousand kilometres away, and the Sixty-First Army, his gaze filled with envy.
In fact, the Fifty-Third Army wasn’t weak. All fifty-four armies had killed countless Demons to reach where they were. That was what Fu Ren Jie thought in the past at least; however, when comparing the grandeur of Yang Kai’s army to that of his own, he felt like he was a King who had only occupied a hill. His army paled in front of Yang Kai’s. Then, he took a look at Yao Si and felt disgruntled.
Seeing his expression, Yang Kai knew that the elderly man must be frustrated, so he decided to stop showing off and quickly announced, “With this place as the centre, we’ll be stationed in a radius of a thousand kilometres around this area. All Division Commanders, divide the territories on your own and begin setting up camp.”
“Yes.” After all of them received the order, they hurriedly got to work.
Fu Ren Jie took a deep breath and praised the young man, “Good, good, good! The Sixty-First Army is like a tiger that has left the mountain or a Flood Dragon that has plunged into the ocean. You’ll make a name for yourself one day.”
“Senior Fu is too polite.”
Fu Ren Jie stared at the Sealed World Bead in Yang Kai’s hand and arched his brow, “I’ve always heard that Brother Yang has a storage artifact that can keep living creatures inside, but I haven’t had the chance to see it before. I think this must be that artifact, right?”
“En,” Yang Kai’s chest tightened as he subconsciously gripped his Sealed World Bead, thinking that the elderly man might want to snatch his treasure. Even though it hadn’t been a long time since they first met, Yang Kai knew that the old man was an easy-going and open-minded person; however, this kind of person also tended to be unabashed, which was why Yang Kai had to be cautious, “This is the Sealed World Bead, which was given to me by Senior Yang Yan in the past. Even though this item is profound, it can only be used by those who have cultivated Space Principles. It’s useless to anyone else.”
When Fu Ren Jie heard that, his gaze dimmed in an instant.
[This old man seriously wanted to snatch my treasure!] Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter.
Undeterred though, Fu Ren Jie smacked his lips and said, “Brother Yang is a Master in the Dao of Space, so could you modify it and make it accessible to those who haven’t cultivated that esoteric Dao? Take the Space Beacon as an example. It also has something to do with Space Principles, but it’s widely used in the military now.”
How far was it between the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and the Emperor Realm? If one was enlightened, the distance was as thin as a piece of window paper. If one wasn’t enlightened, it was the distance between the Heavens and Earth.
This rule applied to everything in this world, including the fact that the Sealed World Bead was able to keep living creatures within it.
Fu Ren Jie went on to say, “Brother Yang, this is what this Old Master was thinking. This is indeed a rare treasure, but it would be immensely useful if it could be widely adopted in the military. Think about it. Let’s say this Old Master is having a one-on-one fight with a formidable enemy, and things have come to a deadlock. How will the enemy react if I’m suddenly able to summon some people to help me? How will things turn out to be? Also, have you ever thought that this thing is useful for moving the soldiers around? For example, you’ve come all the way from the Northern Territory on your own, and the time you’ve taken is significantly less than if you had to march here with all three hundred thousand of your people. On the battlefield, moving soldiers around is always a troublesome issue and sometimes, speed is the key to victory or defeat, which is a problem that causes many a great deal of headache. If we had a treasure like your Sealed World Bead though, heh heh…”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he nodded, “I understand what you mean, Senior Fu. Perhaps… I can try to create something like the Sealed World Bead.”
If Fu Ren Jie had told him this before he was able to refine worlds, such an idea wouldn’t even need to be considered; however, after more than ten years of cultivation and comprehension, Yang Kai was greatly inspired upon hearing what Fu Ren Jie had said.
The Sealed World Bead was also created by a Senior cultivator, and since someone else had done it before, Yang Kai also stood a chance of achieving the same result. Moreover, he had practised refining worlds for more than ten years. He wouldn’t dare to say that he would definitely succeed, but he was sixty to seventy percent confident that he would be able to do it.
Fu Ren Jie’s eyes radiated a sharp glow when he heard that and encouraged, “Brother Yang, can you do it?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
Fu Ren Jie rubbed his hands and grinned, “Then this old man will shamelessly make a deal with you first, then. If you’re really able to create such a thing, you must give one to me.”
“En. If I succeed, Senior Fu will definitely receive one.”
Fu Ren Jie guffawed and clapped the young man’s shoulder, “If there’s anything you need in the future, just call out to me at any moment.”
“Many thanks, Senior Fu.” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Fu Ren Jie waved his hand, “We will spend a lot of time together from now on, so both armies should frequently get in touch with one another. You’ve just arrived at this place, so I’m sure you’re swamped with work. I’ll stop bothering you now, and we’ll meet again soon.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll see you off then, Senior Fu.”
After Fu Ren Jie was gone, Yao Si approached Yang Kai and asked him where the Commander’s tent should be constructed. He had selected three decent places for Yang Kai to choose from.
Yang Kai wasn’t fastidious about it, so he just told Yao Si to make the decision on his behalf. Then, he went on to get busy along with the other soldiers.
Just like what Li Wu Yi had said, even though the Sixty-First Army had just been established, there were many veterans in its ranks. Some newcomers knew nothing about military affairs, but under the guidance of the veterans, they soon became familiarised with everything as they went on to work until the middle of the night. The base stretched about 800 kilometres and the tents were crisscrossed. There were so many people that one wouldn’t be able to see from one end to the other.
The Commander’s tent was put up in the centre of the camp, which made it very conspicuous. The tent was divided into the inner room and the outer room. The inner room was where Yang Kai would rest, and it was equipped with basic necessities. The outer room was where the military leaders would hold meetings, so it was quite spacious. There was a drum that was made from leather outside the tent. It was made using a Secret Technique, so the sound of the drum was able to transmit over a thousand kilometres, which ensured that everyone in the Sixty-First Army could hear it.
Nanmen Da Jun had tagged along this time, and he and other Array Masters had arranged a number of arrays outside the Commander’s tent. Yao Si had arranged for some people to patrol around the base as well. Before the Demons even appeared, the camp was already filled with murderous intent.
Presently, Yang Kai was seated in the outer room of his tent. Just then, an alluring figure stepped into the tent, and a fragrant scent exuded from her body. She was none other than Su Yan.
While Yang Kai put on a smile, she remained solemn and cupped her fists, “Sir.”
Coughing to adjust his bearing, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
His own wife had suddenly become strict and formal with him, so he wasn’t used to it; however, there were other people in the tent, so he couldn’t exactly behave in a casual manner.
Su Yan continued, “I’ve heard that the Thirty-Fifty Army is stationed on our right flank. I’ve not met my Honoured Master for years now and would like to pay her a visit. Please grant me permission, Sir.”
Upon learning her intention, Yang Kai got up and said, “Let’s go together. I need to visit Senior Bing Yun as well.”
Before Bing Yun left the hall in Seven Mists Sea, she spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense and told him to pay her a visit after he settled in. Yang Kai wondered what she needed to tell him and already had the intention to go over to Bing Yun’s place. Since Su Yan also had the same intention, naturally, they had to go there together.
After a nod, Su Yan followed Yang Kai out of the tent. Upon identifying the direction, they shot into the sky. Just a moment later, they were already a thousand kilometres away from the Sixty-First Army’s base. Yang Kai slowed down and waited for Su Yan to approach him before taking her hand.
An embarrassed Su Yan looked around, as though she was doing something scandalous. Seeing that no one else was around, she set her mind at ease and shot Yang Kai a glare, but she still let him do as he pleased.
However, she hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would go completely overboard by pulling her into his embrace. With her face reddening, she pressed her palms against her man’s chest in an attempt to widen their gap as she demanded in a small voice, “Don’t do this.”
“No one else is around,” A shameless Yang Kai further extended his claws toward her.
“We can’t do this even if no one else is around!” Then, Su Yan forcefully pinched his arm. While he cringed in pain, she quickly struggled out of his grip and pressed her lips together, “We Sisters have come to an agreement to not indulge in private affairs while on military duty. Be it in public or in private, we’ll not get too close to you.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Why am I not aware of this? When did you all make such a decision?”
Su Yan covered her mouth and giggled, “It was the night before we embarked.”
“Who proposed it? This is outrageous!” Yang Kai appeared fierce as his eyes were filled with ferocity.
“You don’t have to know who proposed it. You are the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army now, so you have to become the role model for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and everyone is watching your every move. If you don’t behave like an Army Commander and indulge in lust and debauchery, the others will follow your example, and discipline will collapse. The Junior Brothers…”
“Junior Brothers?” Yang Kai shot her a glare.
An embarrassed Su Yan quickly minced her words, “Husband, just hold it in for now. Your patience will be rewarded greatly once all this is over.”
“When will that day come?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he had a bad premonition.
Su Yan replied in a hushed voice, “After the Two Great Worlds’ War ends.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “All of you are truly my good wives, all so concerned about my honour and image. Truly, I am moved!”
Su Yan pinched his arm even harder this time as she muttered, “Don’t be mad at us. You know we’re doing this for your own good.”
A dejected Yang Kai let out a long, long sigh as he nodded, “Fine, I’ll act disciplined. Are you happy now?” He secretly sneered as he decided to ignore this collective decision that was unjustly made when he wasn’t around.
A gratified Su Yan nodded her head, “We’ll make it up to you in the future.”
An elated Yang Kai pulled her into his embrace again, “How are you going to make it up to me?”
Hearing that, Su Yan started blushing and fell silent.
Yang Kai chuckled and abruptly asked, “So, who proposed this?”
“I won’t tell you,” Su Yan shook her head as her long hair tickled the man’s face.
“It must be Zhu Qing. I knew it was her. Only she would make this kind of proposal. I’ll make sure to ‘discipline’ her later!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth with a ferocious expression.
“It wasn’t her, and stop asking,” Su Yan was torn between tears and laughter as she thought that she must stick close to Zhu Qing when they returned so that Yang Kai wouldn’t have a chance to make a move on her.
The distance of a couple thousand kilometres wasn’t very far, but with Yang Kai and Su Yan not rushing, it took them a stick of incense to reach their destination which was another expansive base that was brightly lit.
After they landed on the ground outside the base, someone immediately came forward and bellowed, “Who goes there! No one shall enter the Thirty-Fifth Army’s base without permission!”
Right after she finished speaking, a figure dashed out of the base and raised her hand, “Don’t be rude to them.”
The person took a few steps forward and saluted Yang Kai in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Senior Brother Yang.”
“Junior Sister Liu?” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “We haven’t met in years, and you’ve already reached the Emperor Realm. En, your aptitude is truly outstanding. Congratulations.”
Yang Kai was familiar with this woman. She was the one who had fallen into the hands of Blue Feather Sect in the past alongside him. Her name was Liu Xian Yun, and she originally came from Grand Desolation Star Field. When she was taken in as Bing Yun’s disciple, she was already in the Dao Source Realm, and after many years, she had become an Emperor as well.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai felt gratified. Nothing made him happier than seeing his old friends becoming stronger day by day.
Liu Xian Yun flashed a sweet smile at him, “Well, I’m no match for Little Junior Sister. She was the last one to join our Sect, but she also has the best aptitude. Our Honoured Master always praises her.”
The Little Junior Sister she was talking about was naturally Su Yan.
“Junior Sister Liu, why are you here?” Yang Kai stared at her.
Liu Xian Yun replied, “Honoured Master has ordered me to wait for you here, Sir.”
All of a sudden, she changed the way she addressed Yang Kai. It wasn’t that she wanted to distance herself from him, but rather that there were rules to obey in the military. It was inappropriate for them to keep calling one another Senior Brother and Junior Sister when formal matters were being discussed. Then, she stepped to the side and said, “Sir, this way please.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En.”
They headed straight to the Commander’s tent, after which Liu Xian Yun stopped in her tracks and turned around, “Sir, please wait a moment. I will inform Honoured Master about your visit.”
Yang Kai had nothing else to say and was completely at ease as he waited outside with Su Yan.
A moment later, Liu Xian Yun walked out of the tent with an awkward expression, “Honoured Master isn’t here at the moment. Sir, please come with me.”
Yang Kai replied, “Is Senior Bing Yun attending to some important matters? In that case, I don’t mind waiting for her here.”
Liu Xian Yun shook her head, “I don’t know. Honoured Master has left a message and told me to bring you to meet her somewhere else.”
Yang Kai nodded and followed her as he examined the soldiers in the Thirty-Fifth Army. Whenever the soldiers passed by Yang Kai and the others, they would stop and salute them.
Just a short while later, they reached another tent. There was a Spirit Array around the tent, so no one could detect what was going on inside; however, since Liu Xian Yun had arrived at this place, it suggested that Bing Yun must be inside.
After stopping in her tracks, Liu Xian Yun cupped her fists, “Honoured Master, Sir Yang of the Sixty-First Army has come to visit you.”
Bing Yun replied from inside, “Come in.”
Liu Xian Yun lifted the door curtain before flashing a smile at Yang Kai and Su Yan, “Please.”
Yang Kai stepped inside and raised his head, only to see Bing Yun looking smilingly at him. Just when he wanted to salute her, he felt someone else staring at him. Turning his head, he was met with a pair of clear eyes.
Besides Bing Yun, Ji Yao was also inside the tent. Judging from the decor inside the tent, Yang Kai reckoned that it was actually the latter’s. Ji Yao was a Division Commander in the Thirty-Fifth Army, so as a person in authority, she had the right to have a private space.
However, Yang Kai wondered why Bing Yun wanted to meet him here.
“Greetings, Senior.” Yang Kai pulled himself together and cupped his fists.
Behind him, Su Yan also saluted, “Disciple greets Honoured Master.”
Bing Yun put on a smile and raised her hand, “Stand up. Both of you are not outsiders, so you don’t have to be overly formal with me.”
Yang Kai straightened his back and took a look at Ji Yao, who was standing beside Bing Yun. Then, he said with a smile, “Junior Sister Yao, we haven’t met in ages, but you’re still as charming as ever.”
Ji Yao hung her head low and saluted him in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Senior Brother.” Her soft voice was trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly so.
“Have a seat,” Bing Yun pointed at a chair on the side and made a gesture.
A horrified Yang Kai said, “Senior, I wouldn’t dare sit before Senior, I’ll stand.”
Bing Yun shot him a glare, “Stop calling me Senior. Both of us are Army Commanders, so we are equals. I might need your help on the battlefield in the future. Must you be so formal with me?”
Since she had said so, Yang Kai gave it a thought and stopped insisting before he took a seat.
It was then Bing Yun said with a smile, “Very good. Besides the fact that both of our Sects are supposed to help one another out, my treasured Disciple is deeply in love with you, so we’re practically family; therefore, you mustn’t be too stiff with me again.”
A guilty Yang Kai bowed his head as his forehead was drenched in sweat.
Bing Yun suddenly changed the topic by saying, “Supreme Commander Li told me that you had been staying in the Lower Star Field for more than ten years. Is everything there alright?”
Yang Kai replied, “Everything’s fine. Nothing serious has happened to the Star Field.”
“That’s good.” Bing Yun nodded.
Yang Kai thought that she had an important issue to discuss with him, but he hadn’t expected that after they were seated, Bing Yun only made small talk with him. Despite that, he would still answer every question she asked.
Bing Yun had been an Army Commander for years while Yang Kai was still a novice in this regard, so he had a lot of questions to ask her. Bing Yun unreservedly shared with him her experience of leading the army and fighting against the Demons over the years.
Yang Kai listened attentively as this was all useful information.
While they were having a chat, Su Yan and Ji Yao were secretly communicating with one another using Divine Sense. From time to time, they would cover their mouths and laugh. Yang Kai wondered what they were talking about that made them so happy.
One hour later, while Bing Yun was enjoying her tea, Su Yan suddenly said, “Honoured Master, when I cultivated recently, I felt my Emperor Qi become slightly blocked as it passed through my dantian. Could there be something wrong?”
Hearing this, Bing Yun turned to look at her, which caused her to start flushing and hang her head low.
Bing Yun put on a gentle smile as she said, “Come with me. I’ll check your condition.”
“Yes,” Su Yan replied respectfully and followed her out of the tent.
After they were gone, Yang Kai frowned and turned to Ji Yao, “Junior Sister Yao, has Su Yan come across any problems with her cultivation recently?”
It was no laughing matter when one faced an issue while cultivating. Even if it wasn’t so severe, an unsteady circulation of a cultivator’s Emperor Qi could cause damage to one’s own meridians. In the worst case, one could suffer from cultivation dissonance and have all his cultivation destroyed. That was the reason he was flustered and worried, “Why has she never mentioned anything about this to me before?”
Ji Yao, however, just rolled her eyes at him and started walking away.
A baffled Yang Kai called out to her again, but she ignored him and stepped into the inner room before drawing the beaded curtain.
Yang Kai was flustered as he wanted to step out of the tent to find out what was going on; however, this had something to do with the Ice Heart Valley’s Secret Art, so he couldn’t act so rudely.
After pacing around in the tent for a while, he suddenly arched his brow and realised that something was off. As his eyes darted around, his breathing also became heavy.
Supposedly, if Su Yan had come across any trouble in her cultivation, she would’ve told him about it. Furthermore, it wasn’t necessary for Bing Yun to be wary of him as she even took Su Yan away. All the clues suggested that something was off.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai walked up to the entrance and stuck out his head, only to see that no one was around. Even the cultivators who were supposed to be guarding the tent had gone missing as well. No one could be seen patrolling around the area either.
Retracting his head, he scratched his nose and furtively looked around as though he was going to do something terrible. Somehow composing himself, he then folded his hands behind his back, walked up to the beaded curtain, and coughed into his fist, “Junior Sister Yao…”
She didn’t reply to him, but he could feel that her breathing had become more rapid.
“Can I come in?” Yang Kai asked again.
Still, she didn’t respond to him, and only after a long silence did Ji Yao say in a low voice, “Is anyone stopping you?”
There was a tinge of grievance and frustration in her voice.
Yang Kai grinned and pulled the beaded curtain apart. The inner room he had just stepped into was supposed to be the place where Ji Yao rested, but there were no intricate decorations that were commonly found in a woman’s room. The disciples of Ice Heart Valley were mostly impassive, and they were not fastidious about living facilities; therefore, Ji Yao’s room was pretty minimalistic. Only the pink curtains that were hung around her bed added a sense of liveliness to her room.
At this moment, Ji Yao was seated beside her bed as she looked away from Yang Kai. With her head hung low, like an unmoving sculpture. The candlelight flickered and dyed her alluring face red.
Yang Kai gulped as he joyfully stepped forward. His behaviour was that of a licentious man who was sneaking into a widow’s room in the middle of the night.
After taking a seat beside Ji Yao, he directly took her hand.
Ji Yao squirmed out of his grip and turned around to face away from him.
Yang Kai chuckled and clenched her shoulders, “What’s wrong? Are you mad? Tell me who has offended you.”
After a sigh, she replied gently, “I’m too ashamed to face anyone.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was puzzled by what she had said, “Why are you ashamed to face anyone?”
After a sigh, she turned around and looked into the man’s eyes, then she said helplessly, “Why do you think my Honoured Master has asked you to come over but decided to meet you in my tent? Do you seriously believe that Little Junior Sister is facing any problem in her cultivation that requires our Honoured Master’s help?”
Yang Kai was already aware of it, but he still pretended he had no clue as he replied in shock, “You mean…”
A blushing Ji Yao explained, “The reason Honoured Master asked you to meet her here and Little Junior Sister has come up with such a bad excuse to leave with Honoured Master is that they want us to have some time alone.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes, “They’ve found out about it?”
Ji Yao covered her face, “I really don’t have the courage to face Little Junior Sister anymore. What should I do?”
Torn between tears and laughter, Yang Kai extended his hands and pulled her hands away, then he consoled her by saying, “That doesn’t really matter. Since Senior Bing Yun and Su Yan have found out about it, we don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”
“No!” Ji Yao shook her head as her hair flapped in the air, “It wouldn’t have mattered if she wasn’t my Little Junior Sister; however, the fact is that she is my Little Junior Sister! If word gets out that I, as a Senior Sister, have snatched her man, what will others think of me?”
“What should we do then? They’ve already found out.”
Ji Yao bit her lip as her gaze was filled with hesitation. A moment later, she stared at the man and said sorrowfully, “We mustn’t meet in private again. This is the last time!”
Yang Kai batted his eyes, but before he could say anything, she leaned close to him as her cold lips came into contact with his. It was just a peck, and before he could have a taste of her softness, she straightened up and demanded in a shaking voice, “Leave!”
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t leave and instead forcefully pulled her into his embrace. While she parted her lips and exclaimed, he lowered himself and locked lips with her.
At that instant, she was engulfed in desire as her heart pounded against her chest.
On her bed, the two aroused figures intertwined with one another. Initially, Ji Yao attempted to resist; however, after just five breaths, she began moaning as she wrapped her arms around the man’s neck.
As their clothes became a mess, Yang Kai realised that she didn’t turn him down this time. In the past, whenever he tried to disrobe her, she would hold firmly onto her clothes; however, this time, her resistance was minimal.
A motivated Yang Kai became even more fervent.
While they were deep in the moment though, Yang Kai suddenly stopped what he was doing and widened his eyes. Following that, he grabbed the quilt from the side and covered the dishevelled woman with it; then, he turned his head to look in a particular direction.
With a reddened face, Ji Yao panted and asked, “What happened…”
Right after she finished asking, she realised that something was off as there seemed to be one more person in the room. Thinking back, she recalled detecting an unusual energy fluctuation just now.
A shocked Ji Yao looked in the same direction and saw a curvy figure standing beside the bed. The figure pulled the pink curtains open and fell into a dazed state as she appeared astounded. It seemed that she hadn’t expected to see this sight, so she had become rooted to the spot.
“Yu Ru Meng!” Ji Yao frowned as she recognised her at first glance. At the same time, she figured out how the other woman appeared here all of a sudden. Yu Ru Meng must have activated the Space Beacon connected to Yang Kai’s own to directly appear in this room.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched before he burst into laughter, “Ru Meng, what are you doing here?”
Nothing in this world could be more embarrassing than this. Presently, Yang Kai had trapped Ji Yao under his vicious claws, so he wasn’t even sure whether he should get up. Even though Yu Ru Meng was a woman close to him, he still felt ashamed that she walked in on him during such a moment.
“I-I’m just here to visit you,” Yu Ru Meng replied, “I could sense that you were nearby, so…”
With the Heart Seal Secret Technique connecting both of them, Yu Ru Meng already realised it as soon as Yang Kai arrived at the battlefield in the Western Territory. However, it wasn’t convenient for her to set out right away to meet him. Furthermore, Yang Kai had just arrived at this place, so she figured he must have been swamped with work, which was why she thought that she would look for him at night. However, she hadn’t expected that after she activated the Space Beacon, she would appear in a woman’s room.
Soon, she came to the realisation that these two should be the ones who were anxious instead as their affair had been exposed. Why should she be flustered? As such, she sneered, “What a surprise this is. Haha.”
She wouldn’t have been stunned if the one on the bed was Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, or any woman that was Yang Kai’s wife. However, presently, the woman being pressed under Yang Kai was Ji Yao, someone she was still familiar with.
“Well, I…” Yang Kai scratched his head for a long time but still couldn’t come up with any excuse.
Yu Ru Meng darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Ji Yao before she scoffed, “Why haven’t you even taken off your clothes after such a long time? You’re so useless. Do you need my help?”
“W-What do you mean?” Yang Kai was dumbstruck.
After shooting a glance at Ji Yao, Yu Ru Meng put on a smile, “It’s apparent that she hasn’t even lost her Primordial Yin. She’s still an innocent little lamb. Since it’s her first time, she might not be too comfortable with it. I can take care of her on the side and share my experience with her.”
Yang Kai coughed, “Stop messing with us.”
He felt diffident as he wasn’t sure whether she was mad at him or amused.
Yu Ru Meng pursed her lips, “Just bed her if you want to. What are you afraid of? Have I ever tried to settle grudges with you for having so many women? I don’t mind sharing my man with one more!” Then, she started giggling as a seductive glow radiated from her eyes, “Why don’t we give this new sister a demonstration so she can learn from us?”
Right after she finished speaking, she took action by climbing onto the bed and then on top of her man, her figure radiating an astonishing allure.
While Yang Kai was stunned, Ji Yao couldn’t take it anymore as she leapt off the bed from the other side and bit her lip, “Y-Y-You two have a nice chat! I-I-I’ll wait outside.”
After she ran away in embarrassment, she heard Yu Ru Meng giggling charmingly behind her.
When Ji Yao was out of sight, Yu Ru Meng looked down at her man with a meaningful grin on her face. As she gently stroked Yang Kai’s chest with her soft fingers, he felt a slightly ticklish sensation.
After a gulp, he said, “This is inappropriate… After all, this is Ji Yao’s room, so we probably shouldn’t do… anything in her place. Why don’t we go to a different place?”
“Don’t you think it’s more exciting this way?” Yu Ru Meng lowered herself and whispered, her gaze seemingly able to suck his soul from his body.
Yang Kai shook his head, and then he quickly nodded.
As her fair hand roamed around the man’s chest, his clothes were slowly taken off. Yu Ru Meng breathed heavily as she puffed some breath into the man’s ear and murmured at the same time, her voice almost sounded like sleep talking, “When did you hook up with her?”
“It hasn’t been long.” Yang Kai extended his hands and clenched her slender waist.
Yu Ru Meng slapped away his greedy hand, as though she wanted to dominate everything today. With a gentle smile, she said, “It’s no wonder people always say that a man’s wife is inferior to his lover. So, she’s the kind of woman you love.”
“That isn’t true.” Yang Kai quickly denied it. At the same time, his blood was boiling.
“Initially, Su Yan and the others messaged me and said that they wanted to cooperate with me regarding a certain issue. I ignored them at first, but now it seems that… hehe.”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean that they want to cooperate with you? Actually, wait, have you been in contact with them?”
Yu Ru Meng replied with a smile, “They’re all your women, of course I have to get to know them better. When you weren’t around over the past ten years, while we could only meet a few times, we frequently contacted one another through messages. They were all very sweet to me. It’s just that there are too many of them. With that said, you’re a strong, virile man with many tricks up your sleeves, so I’m sure you won’t make any of us feel lonely.”
“What kind of alliance do they want to form with you…” Yang Kai asked again as he had an ominous premonition.
Yu Ru Meng giggled sweetly, “What else could it be? They said that since we’re now going to war, as an Army Commander, you should act as a role model and must not indulge in carnal affairs.”
Yang Kai gulped hard, “H-Have you agreed to it?”
“Why would I agree to it?” Yu Ru Meng snorted, “No one can dictate to this Queen what to do.”
“You’re right. En, very right! You must reject them!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Yu Ru Meng kept a faint smile on her face, “Naturally that is what I intended to do, but now…” All of a sudden, she forcefully pinched the man’s waist, which caused him to yelp in pain as his face contorted, “I believe I should stand together with my Sisters. In any case, you’ll find another woman to satisfy yourself when you want, so you don’t really need us to serve you, do you?”
Upon hearing his cry, a shocked Ji Yao asked worriedly from outside, “W-What happened?”
Yu Ru Meng swiftly covered his mouth to stop him from replying as she spoke through a series of breathless moans, “Ah, n-nothing.”
In an instant, the woman outside the room fell silent.
A moment later, Yu Ru Meng rolled out of the bed and snorted, “Little bastard.”
Before Yang Kai could even speak, she shuffled forward, but she soon thought of something. Then, she messed up her hair and wrinkled her clothes. Following that, she pulled the beaded curtain apart and stepped into the outer room.
Ji Yao widened her eyes as she stared at the other woman in shock.
Presently, Yu Ru Meng’s face radiated a pinkish glow, and her gaze seemed to have been filled with softness, like a flower that had just been watered. With a sweet smile, she said, “He’s all yours now.”
Then, she elegantly left the tent and shot into the sky.
After Ji Yao took a look outside, she shifted her attention to the inner room. With a frown, she hesitated for a long time. Worried about the man, she stepped inside and raised her head, only to see the man lying on the bed with a hollow, listless gaze. It was as though all his life force had been sucked out of him.
In an instant, her eyes turned bloodshot as she walked over and hoisted his figure. Heartbroken, she asked, “What happened? What did she do to you?”
Yang Kai shot her a look and heaved a sigh. It was far too embarrassing for him to admit the truth. There was no way he would tell her that he had become dejected exactly because Yu Ru Meng hadn’t done anything to him.
It was supposed to be a night of passion, but after Yu Ru Meng messed everything up, he was no longer in the mood to do anything; thus, he got off the bed and put on his clothes.
A moment later, Yang Kai and Ji Yao stepped out of the tent. Su Yan was already waiting outside the tent. Seeing them, she asked with a frown, “Was Ru Meng here?”
“Did you see her?” Yang Kai blushed.
Su Yan replied, “Honoured Master told me that she sensed Ru Meng’s aura. What was she doing here?” She looked worriedly at Ji Yao. She wanted to ask whether Yu Ru Meng had disturbed them, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Yang Kai was humming and hawing for a while, but he couldn’t tell her what had happened, so they decided to leave together while Ji Yao saw them off.
Upon reaching the Sixty-First Army’s base, Su Yan returned to the Heavenly Phoenix Division while Yang Kai went back to the Commander’s tent on his own. Yao Si came over to report that the camp had been fully set up, and he needed Yang Kai to come up with a plan for future training.
This was a serious matter. The Sixty-First Army had just been established and its foundation wasn’t so solid. Furthermore, they had never battled against the Demons before as a group. Nevertheless, there were no enemies for them to fight with now, so they had to go through some drills and exercises on their own. After pulling himself together, Yang Kai summoned all ten Division Commanders to discuss the issue regarding training.
Most of the Division Commanders had substantial experience on the battlefield, so they had greater understanding in leading an army than Yang Kai as they expressed their own opinions. Yao Si compiled their opinions and only took the best pieces of advice. Soon, a plan was devised.
Then, Yang Kai gave the order that when there was no war, the soldiers were to follow the drill schedule that had been agreed upon tonight. All the Division Commanders complied.
When they were done with the meeting, it was already in the middle of the night. Just when Yang Kai was about to take a rest, a guard stepped into the tent and reported, “Sir, Brigade Commander Shan was worried about you, so she prepared some food.”
Yang Kai didn’t understand who Brigade Commander Shan was at first, but he soon realised that it must be Shan Qing Luo. Elated, he raised his hand and said, “Tell her to come in.”
“Yes.” The guard received the order and left the tent. Soon, Shan Qing Luo walked into the tent in a charming manner with a box in her hand. When she reached Yang Kai, she saluted him in an elegant manner, “Sir, I’m sure you must be exhausted, which is why I’ve prepared some light snacks for you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Stop pretending. There are no outsiders now. Come over quickly. I want to know what you’ve prepared for me.”
On this day, he suffered quite a number of setbacks because of his women. First, Su Yan refused to be intimate with him; then, when he was just about to sink his teeth into Ji Yao, Yu Ru Meng walked in on them. Presently, he was exhausted both mentally and physically. At this point, Shan Qing Luo was considerate as she had prepared food for him, which was why he felt moved.
Shan Qing Luo covered her mouth and laughed tenderly before putting the box on the table. Then, she turned around and directly took a seat on the man’s thighs.
Embracing her with one arm, Yang Kai opened the box with his other hand, then furrowed his brow, “There’s nothing in it.”
There was no food in the box as it was empty.
Shan Qing Luo flashed a sweet smile at him as her plump bottom gently began rubbing against the man’s thighs. At that instant, Yang Kai could feel the astonishing softness and elasticity on his thighs, as well as a rising heat. Then, she drew circles on her man’s chest and said in a soft voice, “There is a snack here, but I’m not sure if it suits your taste…” After she finished speaking, she stroked her own red lips and smiled bashfully.
Understanding what she meant, Yang Kai immediately became alert, “Has your Big Sister sent you here to give me a test?”
Shan Qing Luo chortled and beckoned to him, motioning for him to come closer.
Yang Kai leaned backwards and shook his head repeatedly. Vigilantly, he said, “If I lean in now, the others will activate their Space Beacons and come over to catch me in the act, right?”
She laughed in exasperation as she grabbed his ears and pulled him closer to herself. Presently, her lips were practically brushing his skin as her breath exuded a pleasant scent, “I was the one who proposed that we should join forces and refrain from getting intimate with you.”
Just when the incensed Yang Kai wanted to teach her a lesson, he caught a glimpse of her sly smile and then he realised her true intention, “You want the full meal to yourself!”
Shan Qing Luo put on a smile, “So what?”
An astounded Yang Kai said, “You’re so brazen. If your other Sisters found out about it…”
“That’s an issue I’ll deal with on my own…” Shan Qing Luo stuck out two fingers and hoisted the man’s chin before puffing a breath at him, “But I don’t know whether you have the guts to accompany me. If you’re scared, I can leave now.”
Yang Kai snorted and lifted her off her feet before shuffling into the inner room, “Let’s see whether the late-night snack you prepared suits my taste.”
Shan Qing Luo wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled happily.
…
The Sixty-First Army was spectacular in both quality and quantity. Of all the fifty-five armies in the Star Boundary, the Sixty-First Army was definitely the greatest leviathan. The other armies were totally no match for them at all. The top cultivators in the army had also added a sense of pride to Yang Kai.
The next day, after they were done settling down, many Army Commanders, regardless of how far away they were stationed, paid them a visit, which allowed Yang Kai to get to know more people. When the Army Commanders observed how the soldiers were drilled, they all appeared envious as they wished to replace Yang Kai and lead this grandiose army to destroy the Demon Realm.
The army was essentially entirely managed by Yao Si, so Yang Kai didn’t really have anything to do. In the morning, he would receive the Army Commanders from afar and have a chat with the reclusive top Masters. At night, he would enjoy the late-night ‘snacks’ sent to him by Shan Qing Luo, so his life was pretty enjoyable. After a few days of hustle and bustle, things finally settled into a routine in the Sixty-First Army camp.
The formation devised by Seven Mists Sea to surround the Two Worlds’ Passage was still being set up. Moving the soldiers around and adjusting the nodes couldn’t be done in just one or two days. Li Wu Yi had estimated that it would be considered quick if they could finish setting up the formation in half a year.
So, he had given the order that in half a year to one year, the passage would be reopened, and they would wage war against the Demons.
All the soldiers in the Star Boundary were getting prepared for the showdown.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had returned to the Lower Star Field. He was an expert in the Dao of Space who had obtained the World’s Will and refined the Star Field’s Source, so he didn’t need to go through Star Court if he wanted to return to the Star Field, which was an advantage unavailable to the other Star Field Masters.
Previously, he had spent more than ten years trying to refine a world, and he eventually managed to separate the second region from the Small Sealed World and solved its crisis.
This time, he wanted to create a storage artifact that was similar to the Sealed World Bead. He was inspired by Fu Ren Jie, who was right to say that such a storage artifact would be very useful for moving soldiers around and catching the enemy off guard.
Yang Kai now excelled in creating such storage artifacts.
All the asteroids and Dead Stars he had refined in the past, technically, could be considered storage artifacts. When they were in his hands, he was able to keep living creatures inside them.
However, a person who hadn’t cultivated the Dao of Space wouldn’t be able to do this even if these items were in his or her possession. Hence, the problem facing Yang Kai was how he could make those who hadn’t cultivated Space Principles able to use these artifacts.
With Space Beacons as a precedent, it wasn’t so difficult to solve this problem, fortunately. Yang Kai was confident that he could do it before the final battle; however, he needed some time to create such an item.
Inside the core of a small Dead Star, he was in a state of hypnagogia. Space Principles turned into invisible waves and spread around the entire Dead Star. Under the influence of these Space Principle waves, the Dead Star was shrinking in a strange manner.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes a long time later, the Dead Star had already turned into a bead. He grabbed the bead and examined it with a frown. After pondering on it for a while, he put it in his clothes.
Half a day later, he appeared beside Su Yan in the Sixty-First Army’s base in the Western Territory.
At that moment, Su Yan was meditating in her own tent with her legs crossed on her bed. Seeing Yang Kai, she naturally thought that he had impure intentions, so she blushed and threatened, “Husband, it’s still daytime, so you shouldn’t have come here. If you dare to do anything to me, I-I’ll call for help.”
“And who are you going to seek help from?” Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, then he took her hand, “Come with me.”
A confused Su Yan asked, “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to try out something,” Yang Kai explained.
After leaving the tent, they bumped into a team of soldiers who were patrolling. Seeing Yang Kai and Su Yan leaving the tent together, the Team Leader immediately waved his hand and led his team to turn around.
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai shouted from behind.
The Team Leader froze and slowly turned around with a miserable expression on his face, “Sir, I didn’t see anything.” Then, he turned to look at his subordinates, “Have you all seen anything?”
All of them frantically shook their heads.
A blushing Su Yan wasn’t even sure whether she should explain herself.
Yang Kai and Su Yan walked up to them before he stuffed the bead into her hand; then, he pointed at the Team Leader and said, “Send him inside it.”
Su Yan’s gaze brightened when she saw the bead in her palm and asked, “Have you succeeded?”
Before Yang Kai left some time ago, he had told the other leaders in the military about his plan; therefore, when Su Yan heard what he had just said, her thoughts naturally drifted in that direction.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know, so I need you to give it a try.”
Su Yan nodded and walked up to the Team Leader. With the bead in her hand, she pushed her Emperor Qi as her Divine Sense surged and engulfed the person in front of her.
The Team Leader trembled like a homeless quail in the winter as he pleaded with a horrified expression, “Sir, Madam, please, I-I really didn’t see anything…”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai cut him off.
The Team Leader immediately shut his mouth, but he was still shuddering.
A moment later, Su Yan retracted her Divine Sense as her Emperor Qi subsided. Turning to Yang Kai, she shook her head, “I couldn’t.”
She had attempted several times, but she still couldn’t keep the Team Leader inside the bead.
“Alright,” Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed. After storing the bead, he frowned and pondered on what had gone wrong.
Right then, the unmoving Team Leader gulped as he was very apprehensive. He wasn’t even sure what repercussions he would face for walking in on Yang Kai and Su Yan.
Yang Kai lifted his gaze, “Why are you still standing here?”
The Team Leader asked in a small voice, “Sir, is there anything else you need me to do?”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Nothing else. Continue patrolling.”
“Yes!” The relieved Team Leader quickly saluted him and fled from the scene with his team.
Yang Kai remained in the same spot for the next three days. During this period of time, some military leaders had come to visit; however, Su Yan knew that he must be pondering an important matter, so she told her subordinates to seal off the area. She also personally stood guard for him to make sure no one disturbed him.
Three days later, Yang Kai arched his brow and put on a jolly expression. With a grin, he stomped his foot and shot into the sky before disappearing from sight.
This time, he stayed in the Lower Star Field for a longer time than previously. The last time he went to the Star Field, he had stayed there for half a month. This time, he only revealed himself after two months.
Once again, he directly appeared inside Su Yan’s tent. After what had happened last time, Su Yan knew what he had been doing, so she didn’t give him a telling-off again.
After leaving the tent, they bumped into a team of soldiers who were patrolling, and as their eyes met, the Team Leader’s expression darkened.
[Why is this happening again!?] The last time he came across these two people, he was horrified for no reason. After two months, the same thing happened again. At that instant, he secretly decided that he would never patrol around this area again.
Not daring to flee, he dragged himself towards them and cupped his fists, “Sir, Madam.”
Yang Kai shot him a look and muttered, “Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before? Are you a High Heaven Palace’s disciple?”
The Team Leader replied respectfully, “Sir, I’ve always wanted to join High Heaven Palace, but have never had the luck.”
Yang Kai clapped his shoulder, “In the face of a crisis, you’re also making a contribution by working for the Sixty-First Army. Now, I have an important task for you that has to do with the safety of the Star Boundary.”
The astounded Team Leader straightened up in an instant, “Sir, please give the order. I’ll do whatever I can even if I have to lose my life.”
“It’s nothing so serious. Just stay right here and don’t resist.” Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan, “Try it now.”
Su Yan infused her Emperor Qi into the bead in her palm as her Divine Sense engulfed the Team Leader.
The next instant, the Team Leader abruptly disappeared from their sight while the other soldiers traded their glances in surprise.
Yang Kai guffawed and lifted Su Yan off her feet before swinging her around a few times.
Su Yan exclaimed, and after Yang Kai put her down, her face was already as red as roses.
The soldiers widened their eyes as they were rooted to the spot. When they came to their senses, they either looked up at the sky or looked down at the ground.
“Try sending more people inside,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Upon hearing that, the embarrassed Su Yan decisively pushed her Emperor Qi and sent the entire patrol team into the bead, after which she felt slightly less awkward.
“Let’s keep trying to ascertain where the limits are.” Yang Kai led her to walk around the base. Wherever they went, the people they came across would disappear.
One hour later, Yao Si, whose expression was solemn, stopped Yang Kai and Su Yan somewhere in the base, “Sir, something has happened.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai frowned as Yao Si’s expression suggested that something serious had happened.
Yao Si replied grimly, “I suspect that someone has snuck into our camp.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “Who dares do such a thing?”
After shaking his head, Yao Si looked around with vigilance, “I have no idea, but the person must be a top Master as they have taken out more than seventy of our patrol teams without making any noise. There were no signs of battles either. I’ve ordered the Division Commanders to examine the base so that we’ll capture the intruder soon… Sir, why are you looking at me like that?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan, “Previously, the Army Commander from the Fifty-Third Army, Senior Fu booked this item from me. Help me pass this to him when you’re free. Also, tell him that this thing requires Spiritual Energy to activate, so he must be careful not to exhaust himself.”
“En,” Su Yan obediently nodded.
“Then I’ll carry on my own work.” Yang Kai coughed and ignored Yao Si before swiftly communicating with the Star Field’s Source, upon which his figure faded rapidly.
Yao Si furrowed his brows, “Sir, where are you going? What about the intruder?”
After shooting him a look, Su Yan heaved a sigh and tossed the bead to him.
With a doubtful expression, Yao Si took it and infused his Divine Sense into it. The next moment, he became elated, “Has he succeeded?”
In response, Su Yan nodded.
“This is wonderful news! With this, the soldiers of the Star Boundary…” Just at that moment, he knitted his brows, “There is no intruder, right? All the missing soldiers have been put inside this bead?”
Su Yan nodded, “He told me to do it.”
Yao Si blinked a few times before he heaved a long sigh. Sometimes, he found it exhausting to deal with a leader like Yang Kai. However, the birth of this storage artifact had made his frustration diminish a little. Energised again, he said, “What is this thing called? The space inside it seems to be expansive. It should be more than enough to accommodate any entire army.”
Su Yan replied, “He calls it a World Bead. The space inside it is indeed massive, but Spiritual Energy is needed for the user to put living creatures inside it. The number of people one can send in depends on how strong their Soul cultivation is.”
“World Bead…” Yao Si arched his brow, “Is the name derived from the Sealed World Bead? En, a suitable name indeed. Madam, given your cultivation, how many people can you send in one go without diminishing your combat capability?”
Su Yan replied, “I have been testing it for a while now, so I estimate I can send three thousand people in one go. Even though that would use quite a bit of my Spiritual Energy, it wouldn’t compromise my ability to fight.”
“Three thousand…” A glint flashed across Yao Si’s eyes. Su Yan was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, so her Soul cultivation wasn’t that strong yet. If she was able to store three thousand people in one go, he certainly could do better.
A First-Order Emperor Realm Master was already able to achieve this much, so what about the Second-Order, or Third-Order Emperor? What about the even more powerful Pseudo-Great Emperors? Since the power of World Bead was correlated to Soul cultivation, it would be best utilised by someone with stronger cultivation.
With the bead in his hand, Yao Si said, “Madam, I don’t think we should pass this item to Senior Fu for now. I want to try it out on more people. Sir is going to create more beads anyway, so it should be okay to give one to Senior Fu at a later time. As for Sir… I’ll explain myself to him later, and I’ll make sure that he won’t become an untrustworthy person in others’ eyes.”
Upon hearing that, Su Yan replied, “Sir told me that when he’s not around, you are to be in charge of everything.”
With a smile, Yao Si said, “Many thanks, Madam.”
After the birth of the first World Bead, the news spread like wildfire; after all, Yang Kai and Su Yan had made more than seventy patrol teams disappear, so even though Yao Si had given the order that no one should spread the news, it still became known to others very quickly.
Soon, the Sixty-First Army’s base was filled with outsiders again as all the Army Commanders came to visit. Since Yang Kai wasn’t around, they targeted Yao Si as they stared fixedly at the bead in his hand like starving wolves.
Fu Ren Jie said that Yang Kai had promised to give him the first one made, so he assertively demanded it from Yao Si. Certainly, the other Army Commanders wouldn’t agree to it as the final battle was now drawing near. With a World Bead in possession, it would be extremely useful at critical moments. In a time like this, no one would give in to Fu Ren Jie.
Wen Zi Shan argued that Yang Kai was an Elder from Azure Sun Temple, so the first World Bead should go to them, and he would keep it as a representative from the Temple.
Lei Hong argued that Yang Kai came from the Southern Territory, and he had obtained Bright Moon Great Emperor’s inheritance, so it was time he repaid the favour.
At that instant, regardless of how close they were to Yang Kai, they were bickering with one another in the Sixty-First Army’s base. The short-tempered ones even rolled up their sleeves and almost got into a scuffle.
Fortunately, the bead was in Yao Si’s hands now, and even though his cultivation wasn’t the top as he was only in the Second-Order Emperor realm, he was the Great Emperor’s Son. Despite the fact that the Army Commanders craved the bead in his hands, they could only use persuasion. If someone else had kept the bead, it would’ve been forcefully taken away by now.
Even Bing Yun, who was usually calm and collected, had joined the competition. She even went so far as to ask Su Yan about the World Bead.
After leaving the Thirty-Fifth Army, Su Yan felt like she had been put in a tight spot. She had contacted Yang Kai, but she hadn’t gotten any reply from him. Knowing that he must be focused on creating more beads right now, she could do nothing but wait.
The farce went on for half a month, and even those from Seven Mists Sea had found out about it. Li Wu Yi directly ordered Yao Si to send the bead to Seven Mists Sea so that he could examine it properly.
The others had to respect the fact that Yao Si was a Great Emperor’s Son, but Li Wu Yi didn’t have such a concern. Certainly, Yao Si wouldn’t dare to disobey the Supreme Commander, so he personally delivered the bead to Seven Mists Sea.
Upon his return, he swept a glare over the Army Commanders. They knew that since the bead had fallen into Li Wu Yi’s hands, they wouldn’t be able to get it back. Now, they could only hope that Yang Kai could bring back more beads when he returned from the Star Field.
Even though the World Bead was gone, the Army Commanders still wouldn’t leave the Sixty-First Army, and no matter how hard Yao Si tried, he was unable to chase them away, which left him quite frustrated.
On the other hand, the top female cultivators had surrounded Yang Kai’s wives. It was easier for women to open up to one another, and since the Army Commanders were not able to get any promises from Yao Si, they had shifted their attention to Yang Kai’s wives in the hope that they could secure a bead.
When Yang Kai, who was in the Star Field, found out about this, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had never expected that a simple World Bead would become so popular. However, after giving it some thought, he understood that a storage artifact that could keep living creatures inside had never existed before. Furthermore, the grand battle was just around the corner, which was why the Army Commanders were eager to get a bead for themselves.
Despite the fact that he was busy, Yang Kai still messaged Yao Si and told him to pass on his word. As long as there was ample time, he would give every Army Commander one bead when he returned.
Upon hearing this, the noise in the Sixty-First Army died down as the Army Commanders gradually returned to their bases.
It wasn’t so difficult to make a World Bead. After the first one, which Yang Kai had spent more time and effort on, the later ones were much easier to create. The army with the highest number of soldiers had about one million people, while all the others mostly had several hundred thousand people. Given the cultivation of those Army Commanders, Yang Kai just had to create World Beads that could accommodate several hundred thousand to a million people.
The larger the space inside the bead, the longer it took to create, so in order to improve his efficiency, Yang Kai didn’t intend to go through the same troublesome route when he made the first one. He decided to just look for big asteroids to refine.
As Yang Kai became more and more skilled at the process, he gradually reached a rate of one bead every five to six days.
However, there were more than fifty armies in the Star Boundary, so if he wanted to make sure every Army Commander would get a bead, he was a little tight on time.
As time passed, the armies around the Two Worlds’ Passage continued preparing for war, and the Formation Nodes began to take shape. Everyone knew that the time for the final showdown was just around the corner, so they seized the chance and increased their strength as quickly as possible so that they would stand a better chance of surviving until the end.
One night, the dark clouds had covered the entire sky, and there wasn’t a tinge of light that could be seen in the world. It was extremely quiet in all the bases as the patrol teams roamed around.
The world seemed to be shaking slightly. A figure abruptly appeared in the void, as though he had always been there. His figure and face couldn’t be made out as he was engulfed in a layer of mysterious darkness.
Just then, the figure quietly looked up at the sky.
In the Demons’ base that was a thousand kilometres away, Yu Ru Meng, who was meditating, opened her eyes and leapt off the bed before dashing out of her tent.
At the same time, the curtains of two other tents were pulled open, after which Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo revealed themselves.
Upon trading glances, Bei Li Mo frowned and turned to look in the direction where the Two Worlds’ Passage was located, “Did you sense it?”
Without saying a word, Chang Tian nodded and put his hands behind his back. His gaze penetrated space and clashed with the pair of eyes that were a thousand kilometres away.
A puzzled Yu Ru Meng asked, “Why is he here? I’ve heard that he was injured by Iron Blood and Serene Soul. What is he doing here at this hour?”
Bei Li Mo chuckled, “Maybe he’s looking for death?”
Yu Ru Meng shot her a cold look, “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
Bei Li Mo pressed her lips together, “Are you unhappy because your man hasn’t been around recently? Why are you lashing out at me? If you need some intimacy, I’m sure I can find someone to suit your needs.”
“Fuck off!” After Yu Ru Meng finished speaking, she suddenly turned to look in a different direction.
Noticing something as well, Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian looked in the same direction.
Over there, a few beams of light that were as bright as meteors were shooting forward. All of them exuded auras that were able to shake the world. Apparently, they were the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary.
The Great Emperors must have noticed this disturbance, which was why they immediately left Seven Mists Sea and headed to the battlefield. Even though they were far away, they took a look in the direction where the Demon Saints were located, to which Chang Tian nodded.
As the Great Emperors released pressure into the surroundings, the soldiers from all fifty-five armies trembled. At that instant, all the bases began hustling with noise. Many cultivators stepped out of their tents and looked up at the beams of lights with admiring looks on their faces.
With a whoosh, three beams of light broke through the air and appeared in front of all the soldiers, after which three figures were revealed.
Even though it was in the middle of the night, the three figures still radiated a glow. Those who had met the Great Emperors before proudly introduced to the others that they were Iron Blood Great Emperor, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and Martial Beast Great Emperor.
The three Great Emperors were standing alongside one another. The armies of the Star Boundary were behind them, while they were facing a vast area of darkness which seemed able to devour everything in this world.
In the Sixty-First Army’s base, Yao Si was standing in front of everyone while the Division Commanders were right behind him. Since Yang Kai wasn’t around, Yao Si was the de facto leader.
After observing for a moment, Yao Si asked with a frown, “What are the Great Emperors doing here?”
But of course, why would the others know things that he didn’t?
A persistent Yao Si turned to look at the other Division Commanders, “Have any one of you heard anything about this before?”
All of them shook their heads.
“That’s strange,” There was a doubtful look on Yao Si’s face.
Zhu Qing said, “The Great Emperors seem to be confronting someone.”
All of them were astonished as they turned to look at her with Yao Si asking grimly, “Are you sure?”
Zhu Qing slowly shook her head, “I can’t see it clearly, but there’s indeed someone over there.”
Audible gasps could be heard all around. They still didn’t understand what was going on before hearing what Zhu Qing had said, but after she pointed it out, they sharpened their vision and saw that there was indeed a vague shadow above the Two Worlds’ Passage.
“Night Shadow Great Emperor!” Yao Si said solemnly.
If there was anyone in the world who could prompt the Great Emperors to make a move together and confront him, it must be another Great Emperor. Presently, in the Star Boundary, there was only one Master at that level left who was on the opposing side.
He was none other than Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye, founder and Sect Master of Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory!
Zhu Lie then asked a question that Yu Ru Meng had also asked, “Wasn’t he injured by Senior Iron Blood and Senior Serene Soul. Why is he here?”
It wasn’t a secret that Can Ye was wounded. A few years ago, Iron Blood Great Emperor and Serene Soul Great Emperor had joined forces and hunted down Can Ye. After an epic battle, Can Ye was defeated and Iron Blood had managed to land a solid punch on him. Since then, he had gone into hiding. It wasn’t until this day that he revealed himself again.
“Maybe he’s recovered?” Fu Ling said hesitantly.
Zhu Lie slowly shook his head. It was hard to know whether an injured Great Emperor could recover in such a short period of time. Even if his injury had been healed, he shouldn’t have appeared in this place. Right now, he was basically surrounded by enemies. It was unwise to barge into the enemy’s camp all on his own. No one knew what his intentions were.
Zhu Lie had a feeling that there was a secret plot that was brewing, and Yao Si shared the same thought, which was why his expression was extremely solemn.
As a Great Emperor, it wasn’t possible that Can Ye was a fool. Since he had appeared, he must have a reason for doing so. Whatever his intentions were, it would surely be terrible for the Star Boundary.
Fortunately, the Great Emperors had detected his aura and immediately came over. Whatever secret plot Can Ye was about to carry out, he could be stopped in time.
Right then, Yao Si turned to look in another direction. He had heard that three Demon Saints were just over there. Since they had sided with the Star Boundary, it wasn’t possible that they would stand idly by.
Could Can Ye really stand a chance of winning the battle when it was six against one?
There was no clash of auras or energies. Iron Blood, Serene Soul, and Martial Beast had appeared together and confronted Can Ye, who was on his own; however, they were only staring at one another.
It wasn’t that the Great Emperors didn’t want to kill Can Ye, but that it was difficult to do so. If they rashly made a move, it would be useless, and it might implicate the soldiers of the Star Boundary.
The last time Iron Blood and Serene Soul joined forces, they had only managed to injure Can Ye. What’s more, Can Ye had a Shadow Demon bloodline, so he was unmatched when it came to hiding and fleeing. If he wanted to escape and conceal himself, no one would ever be able to find his whereabouts.
Heaven’s Revelations, Flower Shadow, and Ice Feather had been carrying out other plans in secret, but as soon as Heavens Revelations obtained a revelation in Heavens Spying Valley, they could target Can Ye’s aura and he would not be able to flee from them again.
All fell silent for a long time. The depressing atmosphere was like the calm before the storm. Everyone felt pressured because of that, finding it hard to breathe.
“Are you male or female?” Mo Huang broke the silence first. This question had been bothering him for a long time now, so he would be frustrated if he couldn’t find out the truth.
Iron Blood and Serene Soul turned to look at him strangely, to which Mo Huang shrugged and said, “Aren’t you curious about it? I am.”
Iron Blood and Serene Soul retracted their gazes and shifted their attention to Can Ye.
Can Ye didn’t reply, as though he hadn’t heard his question, so an embarrassed Mo Huang simply held his tongue.
“What are you doing here?” Iron Blood asked in a small but firm voice. Just judging from his tone, it was as though he was having a friendly chat with an old friend instead of confronting an arch-nemesis.
Still, Can Ye didn’t respond to him as he remained in the same spot.
The Great Emperors traded glances as they instinctively felt that something was off. With that said, they were more than happy to stall for time. Serene Soul had secretly contacted Heaven’s Revelations and asked him how much longer would be needed to lock onto Can Ye’s aura. When Heaven’s Revelations managed to achieve this, they could immediately go all out against Can Ye until one party was killed.
Apparently, Heaven’s Revelations was busy though, so he didn’t reply. On the other hand, his Disciple, Gao Zhan, replied and said that they needed one more hour.
Even though Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor was renowned to be able to see through everything in the past and predict the future, it was still difficult for him to target a Great Emperor’s aura using a divination skill. Moreover, it happened too suddenly, so he didn’t have enough time to get prepared, and he wasn’t even sure if he would succeed by using his Secret Technique.
Upon seeing the reply, Serene Soul secretly communicated to Iron Blood and Martial Beast. Upon hearing what was said, they smacked their lips. One hour wasn’t a long time, but the person they were trying to hold up was Can Ye. As a Great Emperor, it was impossible that Can Ye was unprepared before coming to this place. They were not confident that they were able to make him stay.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have no choice but to stall him forcefully. With three Great Emperors joining forces, there was no way they would lose the battle; however, once Can Ye became alert, it was impossible for them to kill him for good.
“Can you come back to us?” Zhan Wu Hen asked with a sincere expression, “You were born and raised in the Star Boundary. You’ve become a Great Emperor because you’ve obtained acknowledgement from the World’s Will. Why have you sided with the Demons to devastate the lives of billions of people?”
Serene Soul said, “If you decide to change sides, we will not settle scores with you.”
Martial Beast chimed in, “But you have to tell us whether you’re a man or a woman first.”
“Haha…” Under the night sky, a fit of laughter was heard. Can Ye, who hadn’t made a move or responded to anyone since his arrival, finally laughed, a tinge of mockery and disdain in his voice.
Everyone could hear the voice clearly, but what was strange was that no one could deduce Can Ye’s gender through it. In fact, it was so neutral that no one could tell whether it was male or female. No one had heard such a peculiar voice before.
Feeling that something was amiss, Yao Si quickly turned to look at Su Yan, “Contact Sir and tell him what’s going on here.”
Su Yan replied, “I’ve already informed him of the situation.”
Yang Kai had ordered that whenever something major happened, they had to immediately contact him. Can Ye’s arrival at the battlefield was a serious incident, which was why Su Yan had contacted Yang Kai right away.
“What did he say?” Yao Si asked.
Su Yan shook her head, “He hasn’t replied. Maybe he’s busy.”
Yao Si frowned, and without hesitation, he ordered, “All Division Commanders, return to your camps now and do a roll call. Stay vigilant to prevent falling into danger.”
All the Division Commanders were gaping at the confrontation when they heard this, but they still quickly nodded and returned to their own camps.
Yao Si’s subordinate gulped and asked, “Sir, do you think there’ll be a fight?”
Yao Si replied, “Night Shadow has finally shown up, so the Great Emperors won’t miss this opportunity.” Then, he shook his head, “However, we won’t be able to interfere in the battle between the Great Emperors, so we just have to try to protect ourselves.”
If the Great Emperors got into a fight, the mere fallout would be enough to collapse parts of the world.
After Can Ye was done laughing, he suddenly tutted. Following that, he swiftly extended his hands, which were kept inside his sleeves just now, and performed a hand seal. As his Emperor Qi surged, the world seemed to be shaking and a buzzing sound was heard from everywhere in the Star Boundary. He finally made a move!
At that instant, Zhan Wu Hen immediately pounced. He had been attentively watching Can Ye. As soon as Can Ye tutted, he took a step forward. He didn’t seem to have done anything, but he had already appeared before Can Ye and lightly pushed out his fist.
Even though he didn’t seem to have exerted any force with his fist, Iron Blood’s move shattered space as it travelled forward.
Right after that, Martial Beast Great Emperor also made a move. It wasn’t that Mo Huang was slower than Iron Blood. In fact, he had launched an attack at the same time as Iron Blood. All ten Great Emperors lived up to their names as the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary.
A faint roar of a beast was heard coming from Mo Huang’s body as he swung his muscular arm, after which an axe appeared in his grip. The axe was rusty, as though it was an old woodcutter’s tool that hadn’t been used in years.
However, when the axe slashed at Can Ye, the world seemed to have turned pale.
Serene Soul remained on the same spot, but his Divine Sense surged like a tidal wave as his Soul attack turned into an invisible spear and penetrated Can Ye’s Knowledge Sea.
All four Great Emperors had made a move that marked the start of an epic battle. It happened so suddenly that no one managed to come to their senses yet. Given enough time, Iron Blood and the others would rather wait for Heavens Revelations to succeed in his attempt before they made a move; however, Can Ye didn’t give them the chance. He had come over to this place on his own, and without even saying anything, launched an attack against them.
The four Great Emperors seemed to become the centre of the world at that moment. The world spun around them and everything seemed to spin in reverse.
A fist that was able to destroy Heaven and shatter Earth rapidly approached Can Ye. An axe that could split the world in half was about to reach him. He was also faced with a violent Soul Spear. Even though he was also a Great Emperor, he would end up in a miserable state if he was struck by these attacks, but unexpectedly, at such a critical moment, he remained unmoving on the same spot.
Iron Blood arched his brow as he felt that something was amiss. However, it had come to a point where he was unable to pull back, so he decided to exert even more force as he seemed determined to break the world apart.
As soon as the red, glowing fist came into contact with Can Ye, a ripple suddenly spread from his back as a dark spot that was as large as a dustpan appeared. It was at the darkest hour before dawn, but the dark spot appeared even darker.
Right after the dark spot appeared, it expanded from a dustpan-sized spot into a mass several tens of metres wide.
Zhan Wu Hen had successfully struck Can Ye, but he was shocked to realise that he couldn’t harm the latter one bit. More eerily, his fist had penetrated Can Ye’s body and disappeared into the dark spot.
Mo Huang’s attack was also futile as no blood was seen after his axe slashed across Can Ye. Mo Huang snorted as he knew that Can Ye’s Secret Technique must have allowed him to dematerialize his figure. Even though it might appear that no attack could have any impact on him, he had actually dexterously dodged it.
Mo Huang surged his Emperor Qi and wielded his axe again, which caused the void to tremble. With the axe as the centre, the spaces around it fell apart in an instant.
At the same time, Serene Soul’s attack reached Can Ye. Faced with the three Great Emperors’ collective power, Night Shadow wasn’t able to resist even though he had phased himself out of the material plane. After he sprayed out a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying backwards as his aura dimmed.
In an instant, Can Ye was severely injured.
Mo Huang wanted to deal him another blow, but Can Ye had swung his cloak and disappeared from the spot. Mo Huang frowned as he had a feeling that Can Ye was still around, but he was unable to determine his whereabouts. Night Shadow Great Emperor’s Stealth Technique was unrivalled in this world.
“Things are looking bad.” Serene Soul stared at the dark spot with a solemn expression.
Faced with the Great Emperors’ attacks just now, Can Ye insisted on using some kind of Secret Technique, even at the cost of serious wounds, after which this dark spot appeared.
Serene Soul detected a familiar aura from it, and he soon realised that it was the Demon Realm’s aura. The dark spot was connected to another Great World! The Two Worlds’ Passage that had been sealed off by Yang Kai had reopened!
“Damn it! He has betrayed the trust of this world! Damn traitor!” Mo Huang bellowed. Knowing that Can Ye was still around, he deliberately cursed him as he ignored the fact that both of them were Great Emperors.
All the Great Emperors were intelligent people, and Mo Huang was no exception. Even though he was a burly figure, he was able to grasp how Can Ye managed to unseal the passage.
Can Ye was a Great Emperor that had obtained the acknowledgement of the Star Boundary’s Will. At the same time, he had a Shadow Demon bloodline; therefore, he had an intimate connection to both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. It was because of this connection that he could serve as the bridge to link the Great Worlds and open a passage between them.
No one else was able to accomplish the same feat, not even the other Great Emperors and Demon Saints. In this world, only Can Ye was capable of doing so.
It wasn’t hard for anyone to come to that realization, but no one could have expected that Can Ye would do such a thing, and it was already too late when they understood.
However, if Can Ye wanted to connect the two worlds, he would have to bear the impact of both Great Worlds intersecting, and there was a price to pay for that. Nevertheless, he had gone into hiding now, so no one knew what price he had paid.
“Wu Hen entered it,” Yao Jun stared at the dark spot, but soon, he arched his brow, “Hmm? He’s back.”
Zhan Wu Hen could be seen dashing out of the dark patch, but his face had turned pale. After he stabilised himself, his hand on his back could be seen trembling slightly.
Staring at the dark spot with his sharp gaze, he said, “They’re coming.”
“What do you mean?” Mo Huang looked at Zhan Wu Hen in puzzlement. Just when he wanted to inquire further, he became astounded as he turned to look at the dark patch.
A pair of gigantic hands suddenly appeared and clenched at the sides of the dark region. Following that, the person pulled their hands apart, which caused the dark spot to expand into a huge black hole.
Inside the black hole, a few figures of different heights and sizes could be seen moving forward in the same row. Despite the fact that they were coming from a different world, they remained calm and collected as they strode forward.
After they stepped out of the darkness and revealed themselves, the pressure from the Demon Saints swept across the Star Boundary and caused the entire world to tremble.
Just then, as the sun could be seen rising from the east, the Demons Saints from the Demon Realm had all appeared.
Mo Huang clenched his teeth as he understood what Zhan Wu Hen meant. The Demon Saints had arrived from the Demon Realm! It also dawned on him why Zhan Wu Hen appeared pale when he dashed out of the dark patch just now. He must have traded moves with the Demon Saints inside the darkness.
However, Mo Huang didn’t understand why the Demon Saints were already waiting at the other end of the Two Worlds’ Passage. As soon as Can Ye unsealed the passage, they appeared right away.
Was it a coincidence? Could Can Ye still contact the Demon Saints despite the fact that he was in the Star Boundary? If not, why was their coordination so seamless?
He didn’t have the time to ponder on it, nor was it useful to do so. Since the passage had opened up and the Demon Saints had arrived, they had no other choice but to fight!
At a glance, Mo Huang could see exactly ten figures. Yang Kai had reported the affairs in the Demon Realm to them, so he could immediately recognise who they were.
They were Strength Demon Huang Wu Ji, Blood Demon Xue Li, Flame Demon Chi Yan, Feather Demon Fu Yu, Stone Demon Mo Kan, Bone Demon Ge Meng, Sand Demon You Qiu, Shadow Demon Wu Hua, Corpse Demon Zu Liao, and Red Demon Huo Bo. All of them were the strongest cultivators in the Demon Realm. Huang Wu Ji appeared especially savage as Mo Huang gazed at him with narrowed eyes.
Yang Kai had told them that Huang Wu Ji was the strongest of all the Demon Saints. Now, it seemed that it was true. Compared to the other Demon Saints, Huang Wu Ji indeed exuded the most formidable pressure.
Without any emotion on his face, Huang Wu Ji looked around with his eagle-like eyes. Beside him, Xue Li put on a hideous grin. The ghostly fires behind Ge Meng’s eyes surged. Wu Hua’s figure blurred as soon as he appeared. When he reappeared, he was already somewhere else. Gradually, Can Ye revealed himself. Wu Hua pushed his Demon Qi and engulfed him in it before dragging him back to their side.
*Shua shua shua…*
The sounds of something breaking through the air could be heard as Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo, Yu Ru Meng arrived at the place and stood alongside Mo Huang and the others.
Right then, a ripple spread around in the air as four more people broke through the Void to arrive at this place. They were a beautiful and elegant woman, a man who looked as cold as a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice, a man with a sage-like, mysterious aura, and an old man with grey hair and a long beard.
Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Heavens Revelations, and Wondrous Pill had come.
They were now equally matched in terms of the number of people on both sides as it was now ten versus ten. All of them were the most powerful cultivators in the two worlds as they stood at the peak of Martial Dao. Even though they hadn’t traded any moves yet, the clash of the invisible auras had already caused the world to teeter on the brink of collapse.
The already gigantic black hole abruptly expanded several times, as though it was going to devour everything in this world. With the Demon Saints and the Great Emperors as the centre, everyone within a radius of ten thousand kilometres felt as though a mountain had been pressed against their chest, making it difficult to even breathe.
Huang Wu Ji swept a cold look over the Great Emperors with a disdainful expression. He only stopped for a moment when he looked at the Iron Blood Great Emperor. Just now, Zhan Wu Hen had rushed into the Demon Realm and traded moves with the Demon Saints, but he was able to escape unscathed, which went to show that it was truly difficult to deal with him.
Then, he shifted his attention to Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo before scoffing, “Traitors!”
While Yu Ru Meng ignored him, Bei Li Mo cried, “Senior Brother Huang, I was forced to do this. It wasn’t my intention.”
Huang Wu Ji snorted, “Come here now, and I’ll spare your life.”
Bei Li Mo’s gaze brightened, “Are you serious?” Despite what she had just said, she didn’t seem to believe the man before her eyes one bit; then, she heaved a sigh, “Unfortunately, I’m being controlled by someone now. If I go over now, I’ll end up in a miserable state. Senior Brother Huang, why don’t you help me kill a person? After that, I’ll join your side.”
“Who?” Huang Wu Ji grunted.
“A little bastard named Yang Kai!” Bei Li Mo was completely honest with him, “He has planted a Soul Imprint in my Knowledge Sea, which is why I’m forced to obey him!”
Huang Wu Ji narrowed his eyes, “Do you even believe what you’ve just said?”
“But that’s the truth!” Bei Li Mo batted her innocuous-looking eyes.
“Fuck off!” An enraged Huang Wu Ji pointed at her, “Slut, you will be the first I kill!”
In an instant, Bei Li Mo turned pale as she was on the brink of tearing up, “Why don’t you believe me when I’m telling the truth? Senior Brother Huang, you’re only pushing me further towards them.” She turned to look at Yu Ru Meng, “Little Sister, why don’t you help me explain it to Senior Brother Huang?”
“Shut up!” Yu Ru Meng rolled her eyes, “Why do you have to keep spouting nonsense?”
She wasn’t worried that Bei Li Mo would go back to the Demons’ side. Besides the fact that Bei Li Mo was controlled by Yang Kai, what she had done in the past ensured that the Demons wouldn’t ever welcome her back.
Bei Li Mo wasn’t a fool, so why would she believe what Huang Wu Ji had said? If she really went over, she would either be killed or be planted with many seals to lock her cultivation.
Basically, they were not on the same page. Huang Wu Ji stopped responding to the traitors as he stared at the seven Great Emperors with a hideous grin, “I’ve always looked forward to meeting you all.”
Iron Blood nodded, “The same goes for us.”
“Are you going to surrender or resist in vain?” Huang Wu Ji asked.
There was a faint smile on Iron Blood’s face, “Are you that confident?”
Huang Wu Ji slowly shook his head, “You don’t stand a chance. The Star Boundary is destined to be ours. If you surrender, you will have a chance to survive. If you decide to battle against us, you will definitely all die.”
Iron Blood replied dispassionately, “In that case, why are you spouting so much nonsense? If you’re able to kill us, just do it. After we’re dead, this beautiful Star Boundary will be yours.”
Huang Wu Ji scoffed, “A short-sighted and obstinate man!”
Iron Blood said with a smile, “I was born and bred in this world, so I have the obligation to protect our homeland and kill the invaders.”
“There’s nothing else to say, then.” Huang Wu Ji decided to stop talking, after which all ten Demon Saints pushed their Demon Qi and made a move at the same time. At that instant, the world was filled with Demon Qi. Divine Abilities that were able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth struck the Great Emperors.
Certainly, the Great Emperors wouldn’t wait for death. Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, was the first one to make a move. As Principles undulated, he pushed his Emperor Qi and parried the attacks coming at him with his own Secret Technique.
A rumbling sound was heard as lights of different colours expanded. Shockwaves spread across the area like tidal waves, and wherever they went, space itself seemed to collapse.
All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies collapsed to the ground in an instant. Fortunately, they had been practising their formations for quite some time now, and were well-prepared. As they collectively resisted the impact, they didn’t suffer from any serious injuries.
Just then, beams of lights could be seen shooting up to the sky from the battlefield before they dispersed in different directions.
Zhan Wu Hen and the others were startled upon seeing this, as they had never expected that these Demon Saints would open with a feint and then scatter. It seemed that instead of staying on the battlefield, they had intended to go deeper into different parts of the Star Boundary.
All the Great Emperors turned solemn and traded glances. Without the need to say anything, they partnered up with Yu Ru Meng and the others before they shot into ten different directions to chase after the Demon Saints.
If Huang Wu Ji and the others really stayed and fought with the Great Emperors, Zhan Wu Hen wouldn’t be afraid of them. It could even be said that he was seventy percent confident that they could defeat the Demon Saints.
After all, they were in the Star Boundary, and the Great Emperors had obtained the World’s Will. With the blessing of the World’s Will, they had a distinct advantage in their homeland against the Demon Saints.
However, the Demon Saints didn’t give them this chance as they seemed to have a different plot.
Whatever their plot was, the Great Emperors wouldn’t allow it to happen. In order to deal with the Demon Saints, the Great Emperors had to personally make a move, and others were not capable of doing that.
As they had left the battlefield to pursue the Demon Saints, the expected great battle failed to happen. All the soldiers from fifty-five armies traded glances in puzzlement.
It wasn’t certain when Li Wu Yi had appeared on the battlefield, but as he stared at the gigantic black hole before him with a solemn expression, he soon shouted, “Start the Formation!”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.
In an instant, the Seven Mists Sea’s flag was erected. All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies finally came to their senses. Under the command of Army Commanders and Division Commanders from the over twenty armies that were responsible for setting up the Formation, the soldiers hurriedly gathered together in a highly trained fashion.
They were in a rush as no one had expected such a turn of events. According to their own plan, they would fully adjust the Formation first before Yang Kai would reopen the Two Worlds’ Passage to lure the Demons over. Then, they would trap the Demons and slowly destroy them. Eventually, they would storm into the Demon Realm to devour their continents and put an end to the Two Worlds’ Great War.
However, no one could have expected that Can Ye would appear on this night, and using his own body as a bridge, forcefully opened up the passage, which totally messed up their plan.
Fortunately, even though the formation hadn’t been fully adjusted, it was already functional; hence, the situation wasn’t so terrible.
Although the Demon Saints were gone, the huge black hole remained. Despite the fact that Li Wu Yi couldn’t look through the other end of the darkness, he reckoned that the Demon soldiers must have gathered together over there, waiting to invade the Star Boundary.
Millions of people started moving around the battlefield and a War Force that seemed to connect all the armies was being formed. As they moved around, the War Force became clearer and more conspicuous.
In just a quarter hour, with the black hole as the centre, a radius of a hundred kilometres around the area had been surrounded by layers of the soldiers from the Star Boundary. Right then, a Dragon Roar could be heard.
The armies were seamlessly connected. From a bird’s eye view, one could see that the armies seemed to have turned into a Great Dragon as its humongous figure coiled around the black hole.
The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation had taken shape!
On the spot where the Dragon’s head was located, Li Wu Yi led the First Army to keep guard in that area as all the War Force seemed to have converged towards him. As the morning breeze brushed across his face, his clothes flapped gently in the wind. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and his murderous intent surged like a tsunami.
Rustling sounds could be heard coming from the black hole, as though countless locusts were swarming forth. When the first morning ray shone on the ground from the east, a figure shot out of the black hole and hovered in the void.
The horrifying Demon Qi swept across the area as the Demons crossed the border and arrived at the Star Boundary.
There wasn’t just one Demon. After the first Demon appeared, countless Demons shot out of the black hole and covered the entire sky. Looking from afar, the gigantic black hole looked just like the gates of a dam that had been opened up. With every breath, an innumerable number of Demons burst forth.
The originally quiet battlefield became abuzz with noise again.
Gazing at the terrifying sight in front of them, the cultivators in the Grand Formation sported solemn expressions, some of them had even secretly gulped. All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies had gathered together in this place, and they were the top cultivators in the Star Boundary. However, their enemies were not pushovers. These invaders from another world were just like starving wolves eager to feast.
No one knew how many Demons were coming over. Nevertheless, in just a quarter of an hour, several hundred thousand Demons had gathered in front of the black hole, and more were still coming.
Unlike the orderly armies in the Star Boundary, these Demon soldiers appeared to be disorganised. In comparison, the Demons looked more like mercenaries who knew no rules. Some of them even started cackling in an arrogant manner the moment they appeared. There were also some who pointed fingers at the Human soldiers with hideous expressions.
Just then, tapping sounds were heard, and the Demons in front the black hole separated like they had been pulled apart by a pair of invisible hands, which revealed a path down the middle. A burly demon riding a flaming and ferocious Demon Beast emerged from the passage. There was a ten-metre-long spear on his shoulder and his imposing demeanour had a strong visual impact on the beholder.
As the Demon Beast stopped in its tracks in front of the Demon soldiers, the Demon looked around and eventually targeted Li Wu Yi. With a grin, he single-handedly pointed the ten-metre-long spear forward as his Demon Qi surged and he bellowed, “Kill!”
Without any redundant words, the Demons followed the Half-Saint’s lead and charged.
Rumbling sounds were heard as the ground seemed to be shaking and the gap between the opposing sides slowly shortened.
An ancient incantation was said in a strange rhythm as beams of light radiated from everywhere in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. The Shamans that were present had blessed their companions with an Ancient Shamanic Spell.
A metallic tang permeated the air as blue lights engulfed the entire Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. In an instant, the lives of everyone in the Grand Formation became closely connected.
Unless they suffered from a fatal blow like getting their heads severed from their bodies, soldiers in the Formation wouldn’t immediately pass away even if they were badly wounded.
In the next moment, the armies from the opposing sides clashed.
The first ones to trade moves were the Half-Saint with a long spear and Li Wu Yi. Standing on the spot where the Dragon’s head was located, Li Wu Yi was too conspicuous, and it was hard not to notice him. That was the reason the Half-Saint directly came at him.
His long spear contained a power that seemed able to shatter the Heavens and a palm-sized black hole flickered on the tip of the spear. Like a Dragon that had just been summoned, the spear directly aimed at Li Wu Yi’s chest.
Before the spear even hit its target, the force that came with the thrust had made all the cultivators turn pale and shudder. They asked themselves whether their corpses would still be intact if they were struck by the spear.
Faced with the attack, Li Wu Yi lightly pushed out his palm at the Half-Saint. Compared with the Half-Saint’s imposing demeanour, Li Wu Yi appeared calm and composed.
The palm and the spear didn’t come into contact, but following a crackling sound, the black hole in front of the spear’s tip diminished rapidly. As if struck by lightning, the Half-Saint shuddered as his mount wailed and was forced to step back several dozen metres.
The imposing Half-Saint wanted to gain an upper hand in just one strike, but he ended up falling into a state of shock and disbelief.
Right then, his mount wailed again and collapsed to the ground. Blood was streaming out from its seven orifices and its vitality was rapidly leaving its body. It was apparent that the mount was at its last breath.
There were no injuries on the mount’s body, but all its five viscera and six organs had been broken into pieces by the force of Space Principles. Even a strong Demon Beast wasn’t able to withstand such a severe injury.
*Chi, Chi, Chi…*
Blood spurted out of the Half-Saint like countless blood arrows and soon dyed him crimson.
It was the second time in recent history that a passage between the two Great Worlds had opened up. The Half-Saint from the Demon Race and a Pseudo-Great Emperor from the Human Race traded only one move, but the Half-Saint already lost the battle.
In disbelief, the Half-Saint looked down at his mount. Even though the mount wasn’t as powerful as he was, it was no ordinary Demon Beast. It had an ancient bloodline; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen it to be his mount. However, he had never expected that the first enemy he came across in the Star Boundary would be able to kill his mount and injure him in just one move. It seemed that he had greatly underestimated his enemy.
The Half-Saint examined Li Wu Yi and finally understood what had gone wrong, “Li Wu Yi!”
He had heard that there was a powerful Pseudo-Great Emperor in the Star Boundary who was touted to be second only to the Great Emperors. He didn’t really pay this rumour much mind it as he didn’t have a chance to meet him in the past. It wasn’t until this moment he realised that the rumours weren’t unfounded.
No Half-Saint in the Demon Realm was a match for this man in terms of strength.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi didn’t have any interest in finding out his opponent’s name. After taking a deep breath, he simply shouted, “Die!”
To him, the Demons who dared to invade the Star Boundary were mortal enemies. In that case, he wouldn’t want to waste any time speaking to them as he just had to kill them all.
After he finished speaking, he pushed his Emperor Qi as Space Principles coiled around his body. Following that, he leapt at the Half-Saint right in front of him.
As soon as he took action, the First Army as well as the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation also started moving.
From a bird’s eye view, the Great Dragon seemed to have curled up on the ground. The hundreds of thousands of Demons were like moths that were flying toward a fire. Before they even went near, they were engulfed in the attacks from countless artifacts and Secret Techniques.
In an instant, corpses piled up on the battlefield like a mountain and the ground was dyed crimson.
Several hundred thousand Demons were indeed a lot of people, but in front of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, they were nothing more than an appetizer. In just an hour, the Demons who had arrived at this place first were mostly killed. Other than the truly powerful Demons, the pawns had all been slaughtered.
On the other hand, the first Half-Saint was struggling to fend off Li Wu Yi’s attacks. Without any assistance, it was just a matter of time before he was killed.
However, the situation wasn’t in the Humans’ favour. That was because an inexhaustible number of Demons were still pouring out of the black hole and joining the battle.
With the black hole as the centre, a radius of over a thousand kilometres around the area was now surrounded by the Dragon that was formed by over twenty armies. In the middle of the Dragon’s body, more and more Demons appeared as though they were infinite in number.
Humans and Demons waged a life-or-death struggle against one another in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage in the desolate Western Territory. Every breath, there were Humans and Demons who lost their lives. The fire of life on this merciless battlefield was like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, which could wither at any moment.
In comparison, there were more Demons who had lost their lives; after all, they were in the Star Boundary, and the Humans were well prepared for their arrival. Furthermore, they had the blessing of Ancient Shamanic Spells. Bloodlust was able to energise the cultivators and increase their power, while Life Chains could connect everyone’s vitality in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation.
At first glance, it seemed like a one-sided massacre as usually for every one hundred Demons that were killed, perhaps just one Human would lose his life.
In the sky and on the ground, the lights of artifacts and Secret Techniques expanded. These dazzling lights came in different colours, but beneath the beautiful facade was a merciless massacre.
As time passed, more and more Demons appeared from the black hole and the Demon soldiers gathered around the Half-Saints as they charged forward in an organised manner, which caused more Human soldiers to become injured and die.
Half a day later, over ten million Demons had arrived in the Star Boundary.
Even though Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was strong, it wasn’t without its limits. It couldn’t possibly trap so many Demons within it.
The Half-Saint that was battling against Li Wu Yi earlier had gone missing. It wasn’t that he was killed, but rather that was saved by another Half-Saint, which Li Wu Yi found to be regrettable. If he were given one more hour, he was confident he could end that Half-Saint’s life.
However, it was pointless to cry over what had passed now. He was the Supreme Commander who had to lead all the armies on the battlefield, so he couldn’t leave this place to hunt down his enemy. The war between the two Great Worlds wasn’t just about the life or death of a Half-Saint, so he could only watch him flee.
At this moment, the Demons were fiercely coming at them, and the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was showing signs of cracking. Therefore, Li Wu Yi immediately gave the order to his subordinates.
The next instant, the Seven Mists Sea’s flag was raised, and under the control of the First Army’s Standard-Bearer, the flag swung in the air in a particular manner.
In the northwest of the Grand Formation, the Army Commander of the Thirty-Ninth Army had just killed a Demon King who was pouncing on him when he saw the Seven Mists Sea’s flag, causing him to shout, “Change!”
Upon receiving the order, those in the Thirty-Ninth Army began withdrawing in an orderly manner. In just a moment, a gap appeared in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation.
The experienced Demon Kings immediately ordered their soldiers to rush towards the gap.
As the armies on the opposing sides clashed, countless people collapsed to the ground and lost their lives.
The Thirty-Ninth Army pretended that they were unable to resist the Demons, and after a while, they allowed the Demons to pass through the gap. When the time was tight, the Army Commander yelled, “Close!”
In an instant, the gap was closed. There were over two hundred thousand Demons who had passed through the opening, all of them drenched in blood as their Demon Qi surged and their murderous intent filled the entire sky. Under the leadership of the Demon Kings, they wanted to turn around and help their companions on the inside by breaking the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation from the outside. However, upon raising their heads, they realised that an army was already waiting for them at the front as their flag swayed with the wind.
A middle-aged man, who was the leader, put on a grin as he stared at the Demon Kings and said impassively, “The Seventeenth Army has been waiting for you!”
Just then, rumbling and whooshing sounds could be heard. As soon as the Army Commander waved his hand, his soldiers charged forward in the sky and on the ground in a spectacular manner.
The Demons, who had just broken out of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, were startled upon seeing this. It wasn’t until this moment they realised that they had been set up. They wanted to help their companions by breaking the Grand Formation from the outside, but they had never expected that their enemies had set a trap for them.
Behind them was the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Regardless of whether they could go back, they would end up in a miserable state if they tried. Upon that realization, the Demon Kings raised and waved their hands, after which the Demon soldiers charged forward.
The armies from both sides were rapidly closing the gap between them. Looking from afar, they looked like two fast-moving meteors that were about to collide.
Only the bolder side would win the battle.
The Dragon seemed to have turned into a meat grinder as blood and broken pieces of corpses splattered around in the Grand Formation.
More and more gaps were deliberately opened as the Demons were released from the Grand Formation, then they would be settled by the Human armies waiting outside.
Of all fifty-five armies in the Star Boundary, only half of them were responsible for maintaining the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. The other half of the armies surrounded the Grand Formation and waited for the enemies to come out before dealing a heavy blow to them. That was the plan those from Seven Mists Sea had come up with.
Groups of Demons with varying numbers of people fled outwards, which relieved the pressure on the Grand Formation, and the giant Dragon that was showing signs of falling apart stabilised again. The armies outside the formation and the Dragon itself were killing the invaders in an efficient and steady manner.
Strictly speaking, this was the first large-scale and direct clash between Demons and Humans.
Twenty years ago, the Two Worlds’ Passage opened up for the first time. The invasion of the Demons had caught everyone in the Star Boundary off guard. Most of the cultivators from the major Sects in the Western Territory were easily defeated, and they lost a lot of their territories. Even though those from the Star Boundary quickly gathered together to resist, they were still unable to deal with the formidable Demons, and they had no other choice but to continuously withdraw. The worst had happened as almost all of the territories in the Western Territory were lost to the Demons, and the Human armies were forced to retreat to the border between the Western Territory and the Southern Territory.
If it weren’t because of the war on Eternal Sky Continent, which prompted the Demon Saints to summon all the Half-Saints back to the Demon Realm, the Humans wouldn’t have stood a chance to take a breather. After that, Yang Kai returned from the Demon Realm and sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage, which cut off the support for the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary. That was the reason they were all slowly destroyed in the end.
Twenty years later, the passage between two Great Worlds reopened, and the Demons stormed into the Star Boundary like locusts.
Even though Humans hadn’t fully gotten prepared, they weren’t as unsuspecting as when they faced the Demons for the first time. All fifty-five armies had gathered in this place, and they represented half of all the power in the Star Boundary. In this place, they had to go against the invaders from a different world.
The Demons had suffered immense losses as many of them had been killed or injured. Although there was still an inexhaustible number of Demons dashing out of the black hole to replace the lost soldiers, the truth was that they were on the losing side.
With the blessings of both the Life Chains and Bloodlust Spells, every cultivator was able to use a greater power than usual. The Dragon kept swirling around the Two Worlds’ Passage, and every time it did that, countless Demons would be killed. Whenever Li Wu Yi realised that the Grand Formation was overburdened, he would tell the Standard-Bearer to wield the flag to signal for the others to open up some gaps to ease the burden.
Presently, all the armies from the Star Boundary were closely coordinated. They had turned into a single entity as they orderly killed the invaders who were surrounded by Demon Qi.
The situation was in their favour, and if they could keep this up, regardless of how many Demons were coming over through the passage, they would eventually kill them all.
The eyes of those cultivators in the Grand Formation had turned bloodshot as their expressions appeared fervent.
However, Li Wu Yi felt that something was off. The Demons weren’t fools, so how was it possible that they were still fearlessly charging forward despite knowing that they would only get killed? Even though Demons were known for their ruthlessness and bloodlust, they wouldn’t make pointless sacrifices.
Furthermore, it was the Demons who had proactively reopened the Two Worlds’ Passage. The Demon Saints must have a hidden intention for coming to the Star Boundary.
However, Li Wu Yi couldn’t figure out the Demon Saints’ intentions. Only the Great Emperors were able to stop the enemies’ plot. On this battlefield, all he had to do was to lead all the armies to kill more Demons so that they would stand a better chance at winning the war between the two Great Worlds.
At the thought of this, he shook his head and emptied his mind. Becoming calm and collected again, he continued directing the movements of the Grand Formation.
The Sixty-First Army’s base was located in the southeast of the Two Worlds’ Passage. All three hundred thousand soldiers were enthusiastic as they rubbed their hands and awaited their turn.
Yao Si was staying with the Colour Guard as the scouts from Flying Hawk Division continuously reported to him the situation at the front line to ensure that he would stay informed.
Upon learning that they had gained the upper hand, he was both elated and shocked. Unlike Yang Kai, who had not taken part in the previous war between the two Great worlds, Yao Si had been battling against the Demons for a few years, so he knew that it was extremely difficult to deal with them. He thought that it would be a difficult battle, but it turned out that the situation was greatly in the Humans’ favour. Just like how concerned Li Wu Yi was, Yao Si also thought that there must be a plot that was brewing. However, even Li Wu Yi couldn’t figure out anything, so how was Yao Si supposed to?
While he was pondering the issue with a frown, his subordinate came over and reported, “Sir, the Division Commander of the Flaming Ox Division, Xi Lei, would like to meet you.”
There were strict rules in the military, so now that Yang Kai wasn’t around, Yao Si was in charge of the Sixty-First Army. At a time like this, Xi Lei had to go through proper procedures if he wanted to see Yao Si. If Yang Kai was still around, Xi Lei could’ve just entered the place to meet him without going through such trouble.
Upon hearing this, Yao Si frowned as he had no idea why Xi Lei had come over instead of watching over the Flaming Ox Division. Worried that Xi Lei might have something urgent to tell him, he nodded, “Tell him to come over.”
His subordinate nodded and left the place. A moment later, Xi Lei sauntered into the room and cupped his fists, “Sir.”
Yao Si nodded, “What’s wrong?”
Xi Lei smacked his lips and put on a fawning smile before rubbing his hands, “Sir, the thing is, I’ve heard that the other armies are madly killing the enemies on the battlefield now. I just want to know when we’ll also go to the front. It feels terrible to just wait here.” Then, he cupped his fists again with a solemn expression, “If we’re going to make a move, the Flaming Ox Division is willing to be the vanguard. We will be sure to make our army proud.”
Yao Si shot him a dismissive look, “You’ll certainly have a chance to go to war. What are you so anxious for?”
The Division Commanders were not aware of the plan those from Seven Mists Sea had come up with, they just saw that the Demon corpses had piled up in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, and other armies were battling against the Demons. On the other hand, the Sixty-First Army had stayed put, which was why they were anxious.
It wouldn’t have mattered if they were just an ordinary army, but the Sixty-First Army had just been established and were touted to be the most powerful army in the Star Boundary, if they didn’t make any contributions to the war, all of them would be greatly embarrassed.
Xi Lei thought that since the Demons were not coming over, they could just be more proactive by leading their people to kill some Demon Kings; otherwise, what was the point of them training so hard until now?
Seeing as Yao Si didn’t approve it, a displeased Xi Lei murmured, “If Sir was around, he would’ve led us to storm into the battlefield instead of waiting here like a fool.”
“What did you just say?” Yao Si shot him a glare.
Xi Lei quickly waved his hands, “N-Nothing. Haha. I’ll take my leave now!” Even though Yao Si was weaker than Xi Lei, he was the one who had built up the Sixty-First Army, and he was pretty authoritative in the military. Faced with the enemies now, Xi Lei wouldn’t dare to refute him. Earlier, he was just venting out his displeasure, but he didn’t have any ill intentions. Seeing that Yao Si had flared up, he quickly fled from the scene.
“Damn it!” Yao Si bellowed behind Xi Lei, then he turned to look at the Division Commanders of the Colour Guard, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, “Keep an eye on him. If he dares to be absent from his position again, cut his head off!”
An obedient Yang Xiao replied, “Yes.”
He knew that Yao Si was just incensed and venting. All the Emperor Realm Masters in the army were treasures, so Yao Si wouldn’t have the heart to kill him. They had known Yao Si for a long time, so they knew that he was cold on the outside but passionate on the inside. He wouldn’t put on airs just because he was a Great Emperor’s Son.
Yang Xue suppressed her laughter and said, “Sir, you don’t have to be mad at him. It’s expected that Sir Xi Lei wants to make a contribution. Our army will certainly be needed soon.”
She was an intelligent person, so she could see that even though Yao Si appeared unperturbed, he was actually nervous in his heart. This was the first battle against the Demons since the Two Worlds’ Passage opened up for the second time. The Sixty-First Army was famous throughout the Star Boundary, so they should make the biggest contributions; however, they had come too late, so they didn’t manage to join the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. That was why they had no choice but to wait for a chance outside the formation.
However, the other armies were already locked in an intense battle against the Demons, while their enemies didn’t seem to be dashing out of the formation in their direction anytime soon, which was why they were frustrated. If they waited any longer, no more Demons would be left for them to kill.
Xi Lei was eager to make a contribution, but so was Yao Si. Even though it might seem that Yang Xue was coming up with an excuse for Xi Lei, she was actually persuading Yao Si to calm down.
Right then, Yao Si became energised and rose from the chair. Raising his head, he saw that a gap that was facing the Sixty-First Army had opened up in the Grand Formation. Presently, countless Demons were rushing out through the gap.
Yao Si arched his brow, and there was finally a smile on his stiff face.
More and more Demons spurted out of the formation, and the person at the front was a fairly powerful Demon King. Just like the other Demons who had fled from the formation earlier, the Demon King thought that he could break the formation from outside; however, to his surprise, the Sixty-First Army was already waiting for them.
Presently, more than three hundred thousand pairs of eyes were staring at him.
The Demon King was usually a brave man, but with so many people staring at him, he felt a chill running down his spine as he wondered why these Humans appeared so excited.
“Sir!” A scout from the Flying Hawk Division flew over and fell on one knee in front of Yao Si before cupping his fists, “The First Army has informed us that more than six hundred thousand Demons have passed through. The Supreme Commander has given the order for the Sixty-First Army to confront the enemy!”
Yao Si guffawed, “Six hundred thousand! Haha! The Supreme Commander has given us a big piece of fat!”
There were only three hundred thousand soldiers in the Sixty-First Army, so there were two times more enemies on the opposing side. However, instead of becoming afraid, Yao Si appeared to be excited.
With a solemn expression, he straightened up and yelled, “Pass on my orders. Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, and Divine Dragon will make the first strike. Raging Flood Dragon and Heavenly Fox will surround the enemy flanks. Falling Flower and Spirit Snake will remain in the centre to assist the other divisions. Heavenly Phoenix is to bring up the rear. All of us will strike now and kill the enemy!”
At that instant, the Standard-Bearer wielded the flag as the deafening sounds of drums were heard.
Amidst the rumbling sounds, other than the thirty thousand people who comprised the Colour Guard and a few thousand people in the Flying Hawk Division, the remaining eight Divisions charged forward in an imposing and unstoppable manner.
Since they arrived at this battlefield, they had been training hard. Even though it was the first battle for them, they remained calm and organised as they meticulously executed Yao Si’s order. In an orderly manner, they dashed towards the Demons who had just fled from the Grand Formation.
Although there were more than six hundred thousand Demons, they had been injured when they were still inside the Grand Formation. After leaving the formation, they hadn’t managed to organize themselves and presently, they were in a mess, so upon seeing that the Sixty-First Army was marching towards them, all the Demons Kings were stunned and unable to react.
Certainly, the Sixty-First Army wouldn’t care how the Demons reacted. Over three hundred thousand people had been staying put as they grew impatient at the sight of other armies making contributions. Now that the chance was right in front of their eyes, there was no way they would let it slip through their fingers.
Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, and Divine Dragon had eighty-thousand people in total. Under the leadership of Xie Wu Wei, Xi Lei, and Zhu Qing, they were the first to charge toward their enemies. The three Division Commanders personally led the way while their soldiers followed them.
Heavenly Fox and Falling Flower surrounded their enemies from both sides, while Spirit Snake and Raging Flood Dragon remained in the centre and behind them were those from Heavenly Phoenix Division.
The six hundred thousand Demons, who had just dashed out of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, were dumbfounded at first, but the Demon Kings came to their senses quickly and swiftly reorganised the Demons. Realising that they were sandwiched between the Grand Formation and the army from the Star Boundary, they decisively charged toward the Sixty-First Army.
They had had a taste of the Grand Formation’s power, so they knew that they were unable to break it. In comparison, even though the army in front of them seemed fairly powerful, they had a much smaller number of people. Even if the two sides got into a brawl, the Demons might stand a chance of winning the battle.
As the armies from opposing sides clashed, there were no flowery moves. They were only there to kill one another.
Before they even came into contact with one another, they had already activated their artifacts and Secret Techniques to attack each other. The lights of different colours made the sun itself pale in comparison.
The Secret Techniques and artifacts from the Sixty-First Army were able to kill a large number of Demons in an instant. As the Shamans chanted a complicated Shamanic Spell, a light flashed across the Human cultivators. Following that, a layer of scarlet light appeared on everyone’s skin, and there was a layer of blue light that connected everyone.
The Demons’ Secret Techniques were powerful as well, but the Humans had the blessing of the Life Chains, so even if they were severely injured, their vitality would be swiftly replenished, which was why they wouldn’t immediately lose their lives. Furthermore, some Array Masters had tagged along this time, and as Array Plates were cast out, they would turn into an additional layer of protection to ensure the Humans’ safety.
After the first round of long-range attacks, more than ten thousand Demons had lost their lives while no more than a hundred soldiers from the Sixty-First Army fell. Without stopping, the second round of attacks was launched from both sides. At the same time, they continued charging forward as the gap between them shortened.
From a bird’s eye view, the armies from both sides looked like two gigantic ancient beasts as they were forcefully clashing with one another.
After three rounds of ranged attacks, the ground shook as the armies clashed with one another.
As Dragon Roars were heard, two Red Dragons revealed their true forms. One of them was some 200 metres long, while the other reached a shocking 300 metres in length. Crushing Dragon Pressure swept forward, causing the Demons at the front to fall into a dazed state.
That short moment of hesitation cost their lives. Divine Dragon, Poison Scorpion, and Flaming Ox Divisions, which were leading the charge, seemed to have turned into three razor-sharp blades as they penetrated the Demon lines. Wherever they went, the Demons would collapse to the ground as their blood dyed the earth crimson.
The Demon King leading the army somehow dodged a Divine Ability launched at him, only to immediately hear all the other Demons behind him shrieking, which caused his expression to be transformed by horror.
He thought that as there were not many people on the Sixty-First Army’s side, his side would certainly win the battle; however, after exchanging blows, he realised that this Human army was extremely hard to deal with for the average Demon. This couldn’t be helped, as there were too many top cultivators on the enemy side.
While he was in a dazed state, he felt an immense force coming right at him. Before he could even react, his head was smashed to pieces. After his headless corpse shuddered for a moment, it collapsed to the ground.
Xi Lei swung his hand and spat. With his eyes turning bloodshot, Monster Qi could be seen weltering around him. Without even taking a look at the Demon King he had just killed, he charged toward the Demon army. Wherever he went, he slashed at the enemies like he was chopping up fruits and vegetables.
In the sky, Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie had assumed their true forms as they opened their great maws to spray out jets of scorching flame, continuously targeting the places where the Demons were most concentrated.
Fire Dragons’ Flaming Breath was an immensely powerful technique, and even the average Demon King would lose their life if they came into contact with it. Furthermore, there were only a small number of Demon Kings who led the six hundred thousand Demons. As soon as the Demons were hit by the Dragon Breath, they would be incinerated.
After unleashing a number of Dragon Breaths, a large swath of land had been emptied of all Demons.
The Sixty-First Army was unstoppable as they destroyed their enemies. The number of Demon soldiers was two times more than that of the Human soldiers; however, faced with these savage Humans, the Demons were unable to fight back. In just one hour, their formation had become a mess as the several hundred thousand Demons descended into chaos.
Flaming Ox, Poison Scorpion, and Divine Dragon repeatedly thrust deep into the enemy lines, killing Demons wantonly. Powerless to resist, the Demons intended to flee, but they were already surrounded by Heavenly Fox and Falling Flower, while the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was behind them. To the Demons now, they were surrounded by their enemies from all directions, making escape impossible.
Now, there was no doubt who the winner would be. It was the first battle for the Sixty-First Army, and even though they were faced with an army two times their number, they were still able to destroy their enemies with ease, which was a spectacular achievement.
However, on the battlefield, winning or losing a single battle wasn’t the end of everything. All six hundred thousand Demons were without any help, and Yao Si had ordered them exterminated. As long as there was still one Demon left standing, the Sixty-First Army would not stop killing.
Just then, the riled-up Monster Kings from Ancient Wild Lands assumed their true forms and began running amok on the battlefield as their Monster Qi surged. Soon, their claws and artifacts were dyed red as they charged forward and killed their enemies. When they reached the opposite side, they would turn around and charge back again.
All the Demons, including the Demon Kings, were both shocked and horrified as they were unable to fully utilise their power in front of the formidable Sixty-First Army. Before the Demon Kings could even make a move, they were killed by the Monster Kings and Emperor Realm Masters.
As the scouts from Flying Hawk Division kept reporting the situation on the front line, Yao Si, who remained with the Colour Guard, slowly grinned.
Nothing could make him more excited than hearing such good news. Yang Kai was basically an arm-flinging shopkeeper, so Yao Si was essentially in charge of the Sixty-First Army. He had spent more than ten years building up this army, and the time and effort he had spent was unimaginable to the others. As he listened to the good news from the battlefield, he felt that his more than ten years of hard work was worth it, and the Sixty-First Army lived up to its reputation as the strongest in the Star Boundary.
The only imperfection was that Yang Kai wasn’t around. The Sixty-First Army belonged to Yang Kai, after all. Yao Si wanted to share his joy with the others as well, but as an Adjutant, he had an image to maintain, so he couldn’t revel in joy with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
Staring at the battlefield in front of him, Yao Si narrowed his eyes and asked, “Has Sir replied to you?”
Yang Xiao immediately replied, “Not yet.”
The corner of Yao Si’s mouth twitched as he cursed at Yang Kai in his heart. As an Army Commander, Yang Kai was absent from the military almost the entire time and still wouldn’t show up in their debut battle, which was a little intolerable. Presently, more than three hundred thousand soldiers were risking their lives to fend off the enemy, but without the Army Commander here, something seemed to be missing.
Yao Si secretly decided that he would reprimand Yang Kai when they met again. If Yang Kai was unable to manage the Sixty-First Army, he was more than happy to replace him.
All of a sudden, he felt cold all over his body as a death aura engulfed him. At that instant, a feeling of crisis had befallen him.
Yao Si was flabbergasted as he realised that a murderous intent had targeted him. Even though he was a powerful Second-Order Emperor, it wasn’t until the murderous intent washed over him that he came to the realisation that the reaper had his blade on his neck. Moreover, he was in the middle of the Colour Guard, and was surrounded by countless soldiers. Nevertheless, the enemy was still able to silently approach him, which went to show how powerful this person was.
At that instant, Yao Si concluded that he was no match for this assailant. It didn’t take him much time to realise that there was a huge gap between the assassin and himself in terms of strength, but at this critical moment, he remained oddly calm.
Right then, a faint shadow abruptly appeared behind Yao Si as a cold glint flashed across a dagger that was aimed at his back. Before the dagger even reached him, Yao Si felt a chill running up his spine.
Still calm and collected, Yao Si pushed his Emperor Qi and made an invisible shield appear behind him. Then, a light could be seen exploding from the shield as it surrounded him. Apparently, this was some kind of extraordinary artifact.
As a Great Emperor’s son, Yao Si certainly had some life-saving treasures. He even had some items that were similar to a Command Token, which contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
The assassin had made a huge mistake for choosing to target him. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be blamed, as the Sixty-First Army appeared to be formidable, and Yao Si was too conspicuous as he gave orders from the Colour Guard at the rear, it was apparent that he was the most important person on the scene. It was better to kill the Commander than ten thousand soldiers.
Silently, the dagger and the shield clashed with one another as the light dimmed, and following that, the shield collapsed. Despite the fact that the force of the dagger had been weakened, it was still moving forward.
It was thanks to this delay that Yao Si managed to escape from death’s door. Then, he shot forward to dodge the fatal attack.
Unexpectedly, the dagger followed him relentlessly. The dagger was held by a vague figure with a blurry face.
Just when the dagger was about to be stabbed into Yao Si’s back, a big hand appeared out of thin air and struck the partially visible figure. At the same time, someone could be heard laughing as he said, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Judging from what he had said, it seemed that he had expected an assassination to happen.
Turbulent Monster Qi could be seen swirling around his hand, and as soon as his palm came into contact with the assassin, the world seemed to have paled. Following a grunt, the entire surrounding fell into silence.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were behind Yao Si earlier, came to their senses. Yang Xiao’s expression changed as he leapt towards Yao Si. Faint Time Principles were seen swirling around him as he vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
Yang Xue drew out her sword at the same time and released her Divine Sense to pinpoint the enemy’s location.
“He fled.” Qiong Qi frowned and snorted, “He’s pretty quick.”
It was Qiong Qi who saved Yao Si at the most critical moment. As an ancient ominous beast, he was naturally extremely powerful. Of all the Divine Spirits in the Star Boundary, only the two Elders of Dragon Island were superior to him.
Despite the fact that he was powerful, he wasn’t a part of the Sixty-First Army. The reason he had been keeping guard here was that he had to protect his Young Master and Young Lady, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
He had hidden his aura, and even the assassin hadn’t detected him. The unsuspecting assassin was then attacked by Qiong Qi, so instead of killing Yao Si, he had suffered a setback.
Then, Qiong Qi took a look at the ground and realised that the drops of blood on it bloomed like plum blossoms.
Following a failed attempt, the assassin immediately fled from the scene. Apparently, he was an expert. Even though he had fled, he had been injured by Qiong Qi. The blood on the ground was proof of that.
Just then, the Division Commander of the Flying Hawk Division, Ying Fei, approached Yao Si from a distance with an anxious expression. When he arrived, he cupped his fists and said in a fluster, “Sir, Supreme Commander Li has informed us that some of the enemy Half-Saints have gone missing, so he…” Before he finished speaking, he took a look at the blood on the ground. Judging from the expressions of Yao Si, Yang Xue, and Yang Xiao, he realised what had happened, “He was here?”
Yao Si nodded, “Thankfully, Senior Qiong Qi saved me.”
Qiong Qi wouldn’t take the credit as he waved his hand and stood among the other soldiers before concealing his aura. Apart from his fierce-looking face, he appeared to be just like everyone else.
Yao Si took a look at Ying Fei and asked, “Has the Supreme Commander said how many Half-Saints have gone missing?”
“Five in total, all of them Shadow Demons.”
Yao Si sneered, “I knew it.” Just now, the assassin was able to silently approach Yao Si, and it wasn’t until he made a move that Yao Si became aware of his existence. Other than Shadow Demons, no other clan was able to achieve this.
Shadow Demons were extremely difficult to deal with. Moreover, the assassin earlier was a Half-Saint. If it wasn’t because Qiong Qi had been keeping guard on the side, Yao Si would’ve suffered a severe setback. Certainly, he wouldn’t get killed as he had some life-saving treasures, but he would become battered.
While they were speaking, a gigantic figure suddenly appeared in a place that was a few thousand kilometres away. Like a giant, the figure’s head seemed to have reached the sky as he stood firmly on the ground. However, the figure appeared somewhat see-through, so it was apparent that it wasn’t a real person. Anyone would be shocked to realise that the figure looked just like Serene Soul Great Emperor.
Some time ago, Serene Soul Great Emperor had left to chase race after one of the Demon Saints, so it was impossible that he was still on the battlefield. The figure that was a few thousand kilometres away must be the result of one of the Army Commanders using the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability inside their Command Token.
Nevertheless, Serene Soul Great Emperor’s phantom soon disappeared from their sight.
Looking from afar, those from the Sixty-First Army understood that the five Shadow Demons must have fled from the battlefield and dispersed to assassinate different Army Commanders. The Sixty-First Army had Qiong Qi as a protector, so the Shadow Demon who had come to kill Yao Si was forced to retreat. On the other hand, the other Army Commanders didn’t have someone like Qiong Qi to protect them.
At the most critical moment, the Army Commander over there had no choice but to activate the Divine Ability stored inside his Command Token. However, it wasn’t certain whether the Army Commander was still alive.
Noticing Yao Si’s concern, Ying Fei cupped his fists, “Sir, I’m willing to go over and investigate the situation.”
Yao Si gave it a thought and nodded, “Be careful, and come back quickly.”
Ying Fei nodded his head as a huge pair of black wings expanded from his back. Following a howl of wind, he shot into the sky and headed in that direction.
Yao Si stopped paying attention to the incident a few thousand kilometres away as he turned back to the battlefield where the Sixty-First Army was fighting. Presently, the Demons were powerless to resist the Sixty-First Army’s charge. The first three Divisions darted around while Raging Flood Dragon, Heavenly Fox, Falling Flower, and Spirit Snake were keeping a tight perimeter. Even those from Heavenly Phoenix Division, who were responsible for military enforcement, had charged towards the battlefield under the leadership of Liu Yan and Su Yan.
More than nine hundred thousand people were having a life-or-death battle within a radius of a few dozen kilometres around this area. The ground was covered in red mud as corpses could be seen everywhere.
After just a moment of observation, Yao Si knew that the outcome had been decided. It was just a matter of time before the Sixty-First Army killed all six hundred thousand enemies.
A moment later, Ying Fei returned, and upon noticing Yao Si’s attention, he immediately reported, “The other four Shadow Demons have shown up, but they haven’t managed to kill anyone. Besides the Army Commander of the Forty-Seventh Army, Ma Qing, who was severely injured by one of the assassins, the other three assassins failed in their attempts.”
Yao Si nodded gently, “Is his life at risk?”
Ying Fei replied, “Sir may rest assured. When I arrived at that place, the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan, Mu Na, was already treating him. Even though he won’t recover quickly, he isn’t at risk of losing his life at any moment.”
“That’s for the best.”
Ying Fei turned his head to look at the battlefield that was hustling with noises, then he shifted his attention to Yao Si with a fervent gaze, “Sir, now that there’s no mystery as to what the outcome would be, do you think…”
Yao Si put on a smile, “You want to kill some enemies?”
Ying Fei replied, “It’s boring to watch from the side.” After all, he was a Monster King who loved to kill; however, he was appointed by Yang Kai to be the Division Commander of the Flying Hawk Division that was responsible for collecting and disseminating information. Now that the Demons were on the losing side though, there was no need for information exchange. Therefore, he wanted to go to the battlefield and satisfy his killing intent.
After giving it a thought, Yao Si waved his hand and said nothing.
An elated Ying Fei said, “Many thanks, Sir!” Then, he turned around and joyfully shot towards the battlefield. In just a short moment, he reached his destination, and as he clawed at his enemies, blood was seen spurting out of their bodies.
The epic battle lasted for the entire night. When no more Demons could be seen on the battlefield, those from the Sixty-First Army slowly calmed down. Looking around, they realised that all of them were engulfed in murderous intent, and every one of them seemed to have just emerged from a sea of blood. The red on their bodies belonged to their enemies, as well as their own.
After a moment of silence, all of them started cheering so loudly that the sky seemed to be shaking. As the sounds of the drums were heard, they returned to their camp to recuperate.
Then, they began counting the number of people who had lost their lives. As Yao Si listened to the report, he nodded lightly. Faced with an army that was two times larger than their own, the Sixty-First Army had showcased unimaginable resilience. The price they had to pay was thirty thousand lives for defeating six hundred thousand enemies.
This number was within Yao Si’s expectation and acceptable range; however, most of those who had survived were injured.
Even though the first battle for the Sixty-First Army was over, the war between the two Great Worlds raged on.
The Dragon continuously swirled around the Two Worlds’ Passage to kill the invaders; however, there didn’t seem to come a day when all the Demons would be killed as an inexhaustible number of Demons continued to spurt out of the black hole.
Even though the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was formed by more than twenty armies, with over ten million soldiers powering it, there had been several times when it showed signs of collapsing under such intense pressure.
Some of the Demons would be released from the Grand Formation to ease the burden on it, and the other armies, who had been standing guard outside the formation, would react quickly to clear out the escaped Demons.
After just one day of rest, the gap that was facing the Sixty-First Army in the Grand Formation was opened up again. However, the number of Demons that had been released was smaller than previously as there were only about two hundred thousand of them.
One day of rest had allowed them to become energised again as they confronted their enemies. At the end of the day, they managed to destroy the Demons after paying a small price.
At that instant, the army’s morale had been boosted as some of the Monster Kings loudly asked Yao Si to inform Li Wu Yi to release more Demons to them. Certainly, Yao Si directly rejected this kind of ridiculous demand.
These powerful Monster Kings were excited at the moment as killing the Demons was just like cutting vegetables for them. Even the Demon Kings were easily defeated by them.
However, not everyone from the Sixty-First Army was a Monster King. Even though most of them were strong, they were not that powerful. After two battles, regardless of whether they were injured or not, everyone needed time to restore their energy.
Frequent battles were not beneficial to the armies at all. In order to kill more Demons, they had to take a rest from time to time. Certainly, both Li Wu Yi and Yao Si understood this.
With that said, the people from the Sixty-First Army as well as the other armies that were keeping guard outside the Grand Formation had some time to rest, but what about those in the formation?
With a worried expression, Yao Si looked at the crouching Dragon on the battlefield.
If the Two Worlds’ Passage wasn’t sealed again, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation would eventually be worn down by the Demons. By then, no would be able to stop the Demons from devastating the Star Boundary.
As time passed, Yao Si could clearly feel that the formation had been weakened. The most obvious sign was that the gaps in the formation had been opened up more frequently.
Barely half a day after the second battle, the Sixty-First Army was faced with their third battle. This time, only a hundred thousand Demons were released from the formation; however, it was more difficult to deal with this smaller number of enemies than the previous two hundred thousand.
It couldn’t be helped, as the Sixty-First Army had gone through two battles in a short period of time. Even though they were still enthusiastic, they were exhausted. On the other hand, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was overburdened. The formation might appear to be running smoothly, but that was because the Shamans had continuously been using Bloodlust Spells to ignite everyone’s potential. Life Chains was also a ticking time bomb.
With the Life Chains’ blessing, even though the damage they suffered would be equally shared, it would accumulate and explode at some point. When the Life Chains collapsed, the formation would as well.
According to Yao Si’s estimation, the formation could only last for two more days. If they couldn’t come up with a solution in two days, they would have no choice but to retreat. By then, billions of Demons would be free to storm into the Star Boundary, and the Western Territory would quickly be lost.
Within the Sixty-First Army, only the thirty thousand people from the Colour Guard were in perfect condition. It wasn’t that Yao Si didn’t have the heart to let the Colour Guard join the battle; however, after a few days of intense battle, he wanted to keep the Colour Guard as a trump card, which might become incredibly useful at the most critical moment.
Seeing as the Grand Formation was deteriorating, Yao Si was hesitating whether he should get the Colour Guard to join the battlefield, but just then, an agitated voice could be heard saying, “Junior Brother?”
Yao Si turned around and saw a familiar face, then he said through clenched teeth, “Sir, you’re finally back.”
It was Xia Ning Chang who called out to her Junior Brother as Yang Kai appeared beside her.
Yang Kai flashed a gentle smile at her, but it wasn’t the right time to have a chat with her. With a helpless expression, he said, “I just saw your message, then I immediately rushed over. What’s the situation now?”
After he finished speaking, he took a look at the battlefield and became astounded.
Even though he had taken part in the Two Worlds’ Great War before, he hadn’t seen such a magnificent sight. More than ten years ago, he had led an army to fend off the Demons in Tiger Roar City, but that paled when compared to the scene before his eyes.
Knowing that it wasn’t the right time to reprimand him, Yao Si suppressed his anger and said, “Sir, just like what you can see, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation is on the brink of collapsing, and all the armies are exhausted. If we don’t come up with a solution quickly, defeat is inevitable.”
Yao Si appeared discontent when he was speaking. The fact that Yang Kai had managed to seal off the Two Worlds’ Passage in the past had earned them more than ten years for all the armies in the four territories to get prepared. However, as soon as they were confronted by the Demons, they ended up in such a state, which was why Yao Si was frustrated. It wasn’t that the Human soldiers were weak, but rather that the Demon Realm didn’t seem to care how many lives they lost to achieve their goals.
No one had expected that the Demons would be so crazed. If they couldn’t cut off the source where the Demons were coming from, there would come a time when the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation collapsed.
Upon hearing Yao Si’s explanation, Yang Kai immediately understood what was going on, then he nodded slightly, “I’ll head over.”
After he finished speaking, he took a step forward as his figure faded. Xia Ning Chang hadn’t managed to tell him to be careful before he had already disappeared.
When he reappeared, he had already moved for a thousand kilometres and arrived on the battlefield.
He came across a Demon King that was just ten metres away. Seeing Yang Kai, the Demon King appeared puzzled as he didn’t understand why a person had appeared all of a sudden. Nevertheless, he soon recognised who the person was as he shouted, “Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai had become famous during his stay in the Demon Realm, and he had visited almost every continent. He was also the centre of attention in the war on Eternal Sky Continent, so it wasn’t surprising that the Demon King could recognise him at first glance.
Right after the Demon King shouted, he realised that he was in trouble. Even though he was fairly powerful, he knew that it was impossible for him to escape from the Demon Saints’ pursuit. However, the Human before his eyes was able to do just that; therefore, he immediately decided to run.
While he was doing so, Yang Kai gently raised his hand and shot out a black Moon Blade. Wherever the Moon Blade went, the Demons would be cut in two, and it soon reached the fleeing Demon King.
After a howl, the Demon King pushed his Demon Qi and sent out a fearsome fist. In an instant, an excruciating pain could be felt coming from his hand. The black Moon Blade penetrated his fist and his arm before slashing across his body.
Being cut through, the Demon King fell into a dazed state and stared fixedly at Yang Kai. After he muttered something, his body separated into two, and blood started spurting out. As a consequence, his five viscera and six organs were scattered on the ground.
Without sparing the Demon King a second glance, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense as a dark cloud surrounded him. Buzzing sounds could be heard coming from the dark cloud. Upon closer look, anyone would be shocked to learn that the cloud was made from insects.
Soul Devouring Insects!
These days, Yang Kai wouldn’t easily use these insects because as his power increased, these insects had become less useful. They were useless when he was confronted by a formidable enemy, and they were not necessary when he was faced with weaker enemies.
However, in this situation where he was surrounded by so many weaker enemies, these insects would be immensely useful.
The insects swirled around Yang Kai as the buzzing sounds became louder. As his Divine Sense surged, he bellowed, “Go!”
After the insects buzzed for a moment, they separated into more than ten groups and flew toward the Demons in all directions. Wherever they went, the Demons would be killed as their Knowledge Seas were invaded and their Souls were devoured while no physical injuries could be seen on their figures.
Upon releasing the insects, Yang Kai stopped caring how useful they were against the enemy. With his hands hanging low on both sides of his figure, he flicked his fingers as Moon Blades shot in different directions.
The immensely lethal Moon Blades cut across a large number of Demons, and because of that, they quickly fled from the scene.
Yang Kai ambled forward and kept sending out Moon Blades. Wherever he went, he would slaughter all the Demons he could see. The ordinary Demons wouldn’t be able to close to within a hundred metres of him, and the Demon Kings would be defeated in just two to three moves.
He was pretty swift as he had moved several hundred metres in just a short moment. Wherever he went, a radius of a hundred metres around him would turn into a dead zone. From a bird’s eye view, there was a path that Yang Kai had taken from start to finish that was several thousand metres long and a hundred or so metres wide, where not a single living Demon existed.
After walking and killing for a bit, Yang Kai found it to be troublesome. Even though Moon Blades were useful, he had to personally make a move to kill the Demons; therefore, he quickly summoned the Wind Gourd.
Following that, he opened the lid, upon which Astral Wind rushed out of the gourd and turned into a torrent of Wind Blades that shot out in a large cone shape.
Swinging the Wind Gourd around, Yang Kai slaughtered Demons even faster than before. In the past, he had obtained this Wind Gourd from a Void Crack in a Restricted Area in Orthodoxy Temple. Now, this item proved to be immensely advantageous when killing enemies in large quantities.
After he was spared the trouble of making a move personally, Yang Kai just had to keep moving forward with the Wind Gourd in hand, and the Wind Blades would take care of the rest.
Not many people had noticed him when he first appeared. However, as Soul Devouring Insects devastated the surrounding Demons, followed by the appearances of Moon Blades and the Wind Gourd, Yang Kai quickly became the centre of attention.
It was hard not to take note of him since he had killed so many Demons so quickly.
Standing on a spot where the Dragon head was located in the Formation, Li Wu Yi saw the familiar figure and heaved a sigh of relief as he set himself at ease.
Yang Kai had finally arrived, and it wasn’t too late yet; thus, Li Wu Yi gave the order to change the Grand Formation as the Dragon zigzagged towards Yang Kai to help ease his burden.
Apart from Li Wu Yi, the top Demon cultivators had also taken note of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had devoured many of their continents and persuaded two Demon Saints and Chang Tian to betray them. After that, he had also sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage. The top cultivators from the Demon Realm were extremely resentful of him, but they just didn’t see him earlier. Now that he had appeared, there was no way they would let him off.
On the battlefield, a Blood Sea suddenly retracted and turned into a beam of red light before rushing towards Yang Kai.
In just ten breaths’ time, it had reached Yang Kai as a metallic tang permeated the air, and a ferocious murderous intent engulfed him. After the beam of light faded, a figure was revealed as he pounced on his target from the sky like an eagle.
However, Yang Kai seemed oblivious to this. On the battlefield, the cultivators, who saw the sight, exclaimed, and some of them loudly warned Yang Kai of the imminent danger.
Just when the figure almost reached Yang Kai, another figure abruptly appeared and parried the enemy’s attack. With a loud boom, the world seemed to be shaking as Demon Qi swept across the area. Following that, two figures separated as they hovered in the void.
The enemy narrowed his eyes, and upon making out the person who helped Yang Kai, he said through clenched teeth, “Bai Ya, how dare you stop me!”
Yang Kai was too strong, so only Half-Saints were qualified to battle against him. Naturally, the person who had come over to kill him was a Half-Saint. There were not many Half-Saints in the Demon Realm, and all of them were famous, so even though they didn’t frequently contact one another, they were all familiar with each other. That was why upon Bai Ya’s appearance, the enemy Half-Saint immediately recognised him.
A dispassionate Bai Ya said, “Let’s just say that we don’t share the same goal.”
Across from him, the Half-Saint roared, “Damn it! Don’t forget that you are a Demon!”
A helpless Bai Ya replied, “I’m just following orders. Don’t make things difficult for me.”
“Bastard!” The Half-Saint was incensed. Just when he wanted to kill Yang Kai, he was stopped by Bai Ya, who was also a Demon. His eyes had turned bloodshot because countless of his fellow clansmen had lost their lives, so he stopped caring whether Bai Ya was a Demon. After a howl, he pounced on Bai Ya and engaged him in a fierce melee.
Both of them were Half-Saints, so they were equally matched. The battle between them could be said to be intense and eye-catching, but it wasn’t easy to tell who would come out the winner.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had already departed as he continued forward.
Wherever he went, a radius of several hundred metres around him would be emptied of all life. Despite the fact that he was on his own as he was surrounded by countless Demons, no one could stop him besides the Half-Saints.
In total, there were three Half-Saints that had come over to kill him, which went to show that the Demons weren’t just resentful of him; they had actually regarded him to be an arch-nemesis. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent three Half-Saints to stop him.
The first Half-Sant was stopped by Bai Ya though, while the second one was intercepted by Bai Zhuo. For the third one, Yang Kai directly released the Embodiment from the Sealed World Bead.
The six Half-Saints engaged in an intense battle that was quite conspicuous even on the battlefield that was several thousand kilometres wide.
Yang Kai had already reached the gigantic black hole out of which countless Demons were still streaming. With a solemn expression, Yang Kai fearlessly stomped his feet. As he activated his Demon Qi, the Astral Wind coming from the Wind Gourd became more violent. While whooshing sounds were heard, the Wind Blades cut through the void and shot into the black hole.
In an instant, shrieks could be heard coming from the black hole. Before the Demons managed to step out of the Two Worlds’ Passage, they were shredded by the Astral Wind.
Despite the size of the black hole, Yang Kai was able to single-handedly block the crack, which cut off the support for the remaining Demons as no new allies could emerge from the passage again.
Outside the Grand Formation, Yao Si, who was together with the Colour Guard, was waiting anxiously as the scouts from the Flying Hawk Division continuously came over to brief him on the situation at the front line.
Just then, a scout flew over and fell on one knee before cupping his fists, “Sir, the Army Commander has arrived at the Two Worlds’ Passage and cut off the Demons’ reinforcements.”
Upon hearing that, Yao Si rose from the chair as he could barely contain his excitement. Unable to hold it in anymore, he shouted, “Good!”
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and yelled, “Standard-Bearer!”
A shocked Fu Ling quickly summoned the blood-coloured flag. At that instant, the kilometre-long flag fluttered in the air as though the entire sky had been dyed crimson.
An energetic Yao Si pointed at the front, “Colour Guard, hear my order! Follow me to kill the enemy and assist the Army Commander!”
All the soldiers from the Colour Guard cheered as their voices reverberated across the sky.
After a few days of intense battles, nine divisions of the Sixty-First Army made significant contributions. Even the Flying Hawk Division, which was responsible for collecting information, had joined the war effort. Only those from the Colour Guard had remained behind, which was why they were now quite anxious. Upon receiving Yao Si’s order, they immediately became excited.
There were thirty thousand members of the Colour Guard in total. Besides Qiong Qi, a top Master who wasn’t part of the army, the Division Commanders, Yang Xiao and Yang Xiao, were also not weak. Most of the people in the Division were Sea Clan members who were from the East Sea.
Over the past ten years, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had been searching for Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains, and they had managed to take in some Sea Clan members as well. There were a lot of top cultivators within the Sea Clan, so they now had more than thirty Monster Kings who were just like Bang Bang’er.
This kind of rising force might not be able to significantly affect the course of the war, but they were peerless in a small area.
After a few days of holding back, the Colour Guard finally made a move as the flag flew high in the sky.
Presently, all other nine Divisions were still battling against the Demons who had just been released from the Grand Formation. Just like starving wolves, the Colour Guard charged toward the battlefield and destroyed any Demon they came across. The Sixty-First Army was already in an advantageous position, so with the Colour Guard’s intervention, they were invincible.
In just an hour, the dust finally settled and before the Sixty-First Army were Demon corpses that had been piled up like mountains.
The Sixty-First Army cheered their success. While Yao Si adjusted their War Force, he sent someone to inform Li Wu Yi about what happened.
A moment later, Li Wu Yi replied with only one word, ‘Wait!’
After that, they decided to recuperate outside the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Some of them took the Spirit Pills that they had brought with them, while the injured ones treated their wounds and meditated.
Inside the Two Worlds’ Passage, Yang Kai used the Wind Gourd in his hand to kill the Demons that were rushing over from the Demon Realm while to the side, Zhui Feng and Di Li were locked in a fierce battle.
Originally, Di Li was a Half-Saint that served under Yu Ru Meng. Besides Bai Zhuo, he was regarded highly by Yu Ru Meng, and he was fairly powerful as well; however, before the war on Eternal Sky Continent, he partnered up with Yue Sang and Yin Si to create a chance for Yue Sang to kill Yang Kai. Nevertheless, they had underestimated Yang Kai’s strength and background, so instead of achieving his goal, he invited trouble to himself.
On Eternal Sky Continent, Yue Sang was killed on the spot after Bright Moon Great Emperor cut him down with his sword while Yin Si and Di Li had escaped with their lives. Nonetheless, Yang Kai then headed to Yin Si’s territory on his own and killed her. Two of the Half-Saints that had targeted Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent had lost their lives.
Di Li was worried that Yu Ru Meng would come to settle accounts with him too, so after that great battle, he betrayed her and submitted to another Demon Saint. There hadn’t been any news about him since then.
This time, he had come with the Demon soldiers to keep watch on the Two Worlds’ Passage to prevent any unnecessary trouble.
After Yang Kai entered the passage, he was immediately confronted by Di Li.
Di Li had always been resentful of Yang Kai. The reason he even betrayed Yu Ru Meng was him. Now that they had bumped into one another, he had nothing else to say as he was determined to kill him.
Yang Kai had no other choice but to release Zhui Feng to deal with him. At this point, he had summoned all four Half-Saints that had been hiding in the Small Sealed World, and he had no more trump cards left. If he came across any Half-Saint again, he would have to turn around and seek Li Wu Yi’s help.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many Half-Saints in the Demon Realm. Most of them had joined the war, but they were mostly held up on the battlefield. Four of them were battling against the Half-Saints that worked for Yang Kai, so there were no more Half-Saints left to kill him.
Inside the passage, Di Li was flustered as he tried his hardest to break through Zhui Feng’s defence, but he was unable to do that.
Even though Zhui Feng didn’t have high intelligence, he was truly powerful. When Yang Kai came across Zhui Feng on the Hundred Spirits Continent in the past, the Lotus Sisters had told him that once there was a Half-Saint that had offended Zhui Feng somehow and was then hunted down by Zhui Feng for the next three years. The Half-Saint was eventually beaten to a pulp and wound up bedridden for years after.
Despite the fact that Di Li was formidable, he was just an ordinary Half-Saint, which was why he was wary of Zhui Feng, who seemed to have gone mad with rage.
One Demon and one Beast, both of them Half-Saints, were having a life-or-death battle in the Two Worlds’ Passage. The fallout from this battle affected many Demons, killing a large number of them and inadvertently assisting Yang Kai.
Presently, Yang Kai was surrounded by rippling Space Principles. As he lifted his hand, the invisible Space Principles engulfed the entire Void Corridor and caused the dark passageway to destabilize.
More than ten years ago, Yang Kai was already able to seal off the passage when he fled from the Demon Realm. Over the past years, he had been practising world refinement, so his mastery of the Dao of Space was already much stronger than in the past.
The connection between the two Great Worlds was slowly being cut off and the gigantic black hole in the air was visibly shrinking.
The sight was conspicuous, so the millions of Humans and Demons were able to see it clearly.
The expressions of the top Demon cultivators changed drastically. Earlier, they saw Yang Kai storming into the Two Worlds’ Passage on his own, and upon seeing the transformation the passage was going through, they immediately realised what he had done.
Upon that realisation, they quickly returned to the passage.
Certainly, Li Wu Yi wouldn’t allow that to happen. When Yang Kai dashed into the passage earlier, he had already ordered a change in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Initially, the Dragon head and tail were connected as it circled around the battlefield; however, now, with the Dragon head leading the way, the formation zigzagged and reached the passage. The First Army took the initiative to defend the Passage so that no Demons could come near it.
Outside the passage, Li Wu Yi and the Grand Formation were fending off the Demons. Inside the passage, Yang Kai was destroying the Demons with his Wind Gourd. No one else could stop Yang Kai besides the Half-Saints.
In just an incense stick of time, the humongous black hole shrunk by half. Half an hour later, it diminished by half again. One hour later, the black hole became only several dozen metres wide.
Yang Kai emerged from the black hole and stood beside the passage at that point. As he raised his hand, Space Principles could be seen churning around him while a few kilometres away, Zhui Feng and Di Li were still locked in an intense battle.
Li Wu Yi, who was battling against a Half-Saint, felt the fluctuations behind him and turned to look in that direction before he put on a helpless smile. There was no need for any comparison. By just feeling the fluctuations of the Principles, he knew that Yang Kai had already surpassed him when it came to mastery over the Dao of Space.
Then, he stopped smiling and shifted his attention back to the Half-Saint. The Star Boundary had descended into turmoil, so it was a good thing that Yang Kai had achieved such a breakthrough.
After just ten breaths, the several dozen metre wide black hole contracted and became a black dot as small as the eye of a needle, then Yang Kai directly grabbed at it. When he spread his palm, the small black dot had disappeared.
The Two Worlds’ Passage that had been connected by Can Ye using his own body as a bridge existed for only a few days before it was sealed off by Yang Kai again.
When the Human cultivators saw this on the battlefield, they started cheering, their voices as loud as thunder.
They might not be privy to important decisions in the military, but they had been on the battlefield for a long time, so they understood what was going on. As long as the Two Worlds’ Passage still existed, more Demons would continue pouring out of it to replace the fallen ones. It was an advantage that the Humans didn’t have.
The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was overburdened, and was at risk of collapsing at any moment. Once that happened, the Human armies inside the formation would either be injured or killed.
Now that Yang Kai had cut off the support for the Demons and eased the burden for the Humans, naturally, they were excited.
With a smile, Li Wu Yi gave an order to his subordinate, “Open up the formation!”
The First Army’s flag was immediately erected and swung in the air in a particular manner. The next instant, gaps started opening up in the formation.
Seeing that, the Demons became elated and charged towards the gaps. They had seen that the Two Worlds’ Passage had been sealed off, so they knew that they were in trouble. Now that gaps had finally opened up in the formation, which was usually closed up tight, they certainly had to run for their lives.
Nevertheless, before they even dashed out of the gaps, they were confronted by even more Human armies. Over twenty Human armies had been waiting outside the formation, and as soon as the gaps were opened up, they stormed into the formation.
The Demons were stunned upon seeing this while the Human armies all appeared ferocious. Earlier, these armies were just keeping guard outside the formation as they waited for the Demons to be released from the formation. Now, they had taken the initiative to charge in. One party was proactive while the other party was unsuspecting, which was why there was a gap between their morale.
More than twenty Human armies stormed into the formation from all directions. In an instant, countless Demons were killed. More Human forces had joined the war, so it was apparent to anyone that it was just a matter of time before the Humans won the battle.
After the armies hurtled into the array, the Grand Formation was closed up again as it surrounded the battlefield.
As the blood-coloured flag flapped in the air, the Sixty-First Army’s soldiers streamed into the battlefield like a torrent of steel and iron. Wherever they went, all the Demons would be crushed or killed. Yao Si was leading the way while Yang Xiao and Yang Xue followed him. Qiong Qi kept his hands in his sleeves with a calm expression. He didn’t seem to have made any move, but once the Demons came within a ten metres radius of him, they would be sent flying backwards by an intangible force as they sprayed out mouthfuls of blood.
A moment later, they finally reunited with Yang Kai. Yao Si cupped his fists and greeted, “Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and turned to look at Di Li, who was still fighting with Zhui Feng. With a sneer, he commanded, “Kill him!”
After he finished speaking, he dashed towards Di Li, and he was followed by Liu Yan. As she flew forward, her petite figure appeared to be graceful, her big eyes as pure as water.
A shocked Di Li immediately decided to make a feint and fled from the scene before mingling with the other Demons.
Looking in the direction Di Li had fled, Yang Kai hesitated for a moment and decided not to pursue him. The battlefield was chaotic now, so it was difficult to run after him; moreover, Di Li was a Half-Saint, so he wasn’t easy to kill.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided not to end Di Li’s life for now and instead turned to lead the Sixty-First Army to destroy the other Demons.
The dust had finally settled, literally.
All fifty-five armies had gathered together, and they were surrounded by the Grand Formation. The Demons had been trapped, and they couldn’t flee in any direction. There was no more hope for them as they would all eventually be killed.
Just then, a long howl was suddenly heard coming from somewhere on the battlefield. His voice was so loud that it was as though a bolt of lightning had just struck the ground.
All the Human Masters frowned and turned to look at the source of the voice, only to see a sturdy figure hovering in the sky. His hair and eyes were as red as blood. Such conspicuous features suggested that he was a Blood Demon.
When the howl stopped, more than twenty figures shot up from all directions and gathered by the Blood Demon’s side. All these Demons exuded harrowing Demon Qi, so it was apparent that they were all Half-Saints.
“Sir!” Yang Kai moved and approached Li Wu Yi with a solemn expression as he gazed at the Half-Saints.
Just when the Demons were on the verge of total defeat, the Half-Saints suddenly gathered together in some kind of Formation. No one knew what they were up to.
Li Wu Yi shook his head to motion for him to keep watching.
The Great Emperors weren’t around, but so many Half-Saints had joined forces, so they had to act carefully.
The Half-Saints hovered behind the Blood Demon, who gazed at Li Wu Yi from a distance. Apparently, he knew that Li Wu Yi was the leader of the Human armies here.
A moment later, the Blood Demon flashed a hideous smile at Li Wu Yi and made a cut-throat gesture.
“How childish!” Yang Kai sneered.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi remained unfazed. To their surprise, after the Blood Demon was done with making the gesture, he turned into a beam of red light and engulfed all the Half-Saints before shooting into the sky.
Li Wu Yi’s expression changed as he yelled, “Stop them!”
In an instant, countless Humans shot into the sky as the lights of their Secret Techniques and artifacts engulfed the beam of red light.
However, they were unable to stop it. The red light only twisted for a bit to dodge the attacks and broke the siege before it became a small dot in the distance.
Of all the Demon clans, Shadow Demons were best at concealment; however, when it came to fleeing, Blood Demons were unrivalled. Their escape techniques were peerless in this world.
Li Wu Yi’s expression turned livid as more than twenty Demons had fled. The number might seem small, but those were all Half-Saints. If they hid in the Star Boundary and created trouble, the world would descend into a reign of terror. Nevertheless, no one was able to stop them now.
There were many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary as well, but after days of intense battles, they were all exhausted. Regardless of whether they were able to chase after them, it would be pointless even if they decided to do so.
“I’ll go!” Yang Kai offered and moved forward.
Seeing that, Li Wu Yi hurriedly clenched the young man’s shoulder and shook his head, “There’s no need.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are we just going to let them flee?” The situation was in their favour. If they didn’t kill the Half-Saints now, many problems would ensue.
Li Wu Yi explained, “What can you do even if you run after them on your own?” He grimaced and pointed at the battlefield, “We have to settle the problem here first.”
Yang Kai knew that Li Wu Yi was right, but he still felt unresigned to let so many Half-Saints go.
Knowing what was on his mind, Li Wu Yi persuaded him by saying, “It won’t be too late to hunt them down when we’re done here. They’re all Half-Saints. It won’t matter if they remain hidden forever, but if they dare to show up, their whereabouts will be immediately exposed.”
Yang Kai nodded and said with a doubt, “Why did they flee so decisively though?” Even though the Two Worlds’ Passage had been sealed off, the Demons were still able to fight back. If the battle dragged on, those from the Star Boundary would have to pay a hefty price even if they could win the battle eventually. However, the Half-Saints decided to flee when things went south, leaving millions of Demons behind, as though they had already made such a decision before coming to this place.
Without the Half-Saints, the Demons, who were already on the losing side, were unable to even put up a fight against the Human cultivators anymore. It could be said that even though the fact that the Half-Saints had fled had created a potential trouble for the Star Boundary, it had actually helped with the present war.
It was indeed a big sacrifice to make if that was how they decided to save themselves.
Furthermore, what Li Wu Yi had said wasn’t unfounded. Demons were constantly surrounded by Demon Qi, which was a conspicuous feature. It wouldn’t have mattered if they remained hidden, but once they showed up, Masters from the Star Boundary would swiftly move to besiege them, so it wasn’t really a big deal to let them go for now.
While he was pondering on the Demons’ true intention though, Li Wu Yi suddenly frowned, “This is bad.”
A shocked Yang Kai followed his gaze, only to see Demon Qi surging on the battlefield. Countless Demons seemed to have gone mad as they attacked all the living creatures around them.
Their targets were not limited to Human cultivators as they had even started harming their own companions.
Whether they were common Demon soldiers, Demon Generals, Demon Great Generals, or even Demon Kings, in just a short moment, their eyes had gone completely bloodshot. They didn’t seem to recognise their companions anymore as all they did was kill.
The Demons, who were already on the losing side, became even weaker. Even though the Half-Saints had left, the remaining Demons were still a force to be reckoned with; however, they seemed to have gone insane as they started killing one another. Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai were dumbfounded upon seeing this, not to mention the Human soldiers who were still battling against the Demons.
In just a few breaths’ time, countless Demons had lost their lives.
Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai traded glances as they saw the shock and puzzlement behind one another’s gazes. However, it wasn’t the right time to ponder on the root of the problem. Li Wu Yi immediately began passing down orders through his flag.
Yang Kai also moved and returned to the Sixty-First Army.
“Sir, what’s going on?” Yao Si asked anxiously. He had seen what was going on, so he was baffled as well.
“I don’t know. We need to withdraw for now,” Yang Kai looked around and found the spot with the smallest concentration of Demons before leading his army to charge forward in that direction.
As they killed more Demons along the way, they were drenched in blood, and their murderous intent seemed able to fill the sky.
The Sixty-First Army and all other armies saw Li Wu Yi’s flag and started retreating.
On the battlefield, all fifty-five armies turned into crushing tidal waves that washed over and destroyed any Demons that barred their path, soon breaking free from the engagement.
The armies consecutively left the battlefield, with Li Wu Yi’s First Army being the last one to retreat.
Turning around, they realised that the slaughter on the battlefield hadn’t stopped. The only difference was that there were only Demons left on the battlefield.
As the midnight breeze whisked across them, the Star Boundary forces felt chills running down their spines.
“W-What is going on?” Xie Wu Wei muttered.
No one knew what was happening as Yang Kai couldn’t provide an answer either. No one could have expected such a turn of events. The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation had been disbanded as Li Wu Yi, from the First Army, was puzzled as well.
None of them was prepared to welcome such a sudden victory, and it was because of this suddenness that they felt uneasy.
If things kept up, the Demons would eventually kill themselves off. After giving it a thought, Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo.
The two Demons were perplexed as to why Yang Kai was staring at them and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Are both of you fine?” Yang Kai asked.
Yang Kai wanted to ask them why the other Demons had gone mad, but the two Half-Saints shook their heads, and even the Embodiment didn’t show any signs of anomaly.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned two people.
The second region had been separated from the Small Sealed World and became a Star in the Lower Star Field, but many Demons still lived in the third region. Bo Ya, Huo Lun, and Mo Sheng were among them. Bo Ya had been following Yang Kai for a long time now, while Huo Lun was forcefully stuffed into the Small Sealed World by him as his first test subject. As for Mo Sheng, there were no problems with his background, but Yang Kai had a feeling that something was off with this man. So, when he released the Demon Kings and Half-Saints from the Small Sealed World in the past, he kept Mo Sheng inside and told Bo Ya to keep watch on him.
Now, Yang Kai had summoned Bo Ya and Huo Lun to test his theory.
After the pair appeared, they became confused for a moment before they saluted Yang Kai. Before Yang Kai could ask anything, however, Bo Ya suddenly grunted in pain as her face contorted. Huo Lun was in an even worse situation as his eyes had turned bloodshot. With Demon Qi roiling around him, he directly tried to land a palm on Bo Ya.
Yang Kai was well prepared though so he stopped him before he could hurt Bo Ya. He single-handedly clenched Huo Lun and pushed his Demon Qi to seal off the latter’s cultivation.
Huo Lun seemed oblivious to the fact that he had been captured by Yang Kai as his expression remained hideous and ferocious. It was as though he was determined to bite off a piece of Yang Kai’s flesh.
Everyone was stunned, while Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya stared at Huo Lun with solemn expressions.
“S-Sir!” Bo Ya bit her lip until it started bleeding. She seemed to be in pain as though she was resisting something. Both of them were also Mid-Rank Demon Kings, but Huo Lun was clearly much weaker, so he had succumbed to madness quicker. Even though Bo Ya could still resist, clearly it wouldn’t be long before she was driven insane as well as her eyes had already started reddening.
Seeing that, Yang Kai finally realised what had happened. Pushing his Divine Sense, he put both of them inside the Small Sealed World.
After that, the redness in Bo Ya’s eyes started fading as she came to her senses; however, her clothes were already soaked in sweat, sticking close to her luscious figure. Appearing rather lethargic, Bo Ya was panting heavily as though she had just gone through an intense battle.
It was the same case for Huo Lun. His eyes stopped appearing red, and seeing Bo Ya kneeling on the ground and panting, he asked in puzzlement, “What just happened?”
He couldn’t remember anything he had done.
Bo Ya ignored him because Yang Kai’s voice was ringing in her ear. He was asking about what had happened, and after giving it a thought, Bo Ya replied in a weakened voice, “Just now, I heard a voice speaking directly into my head, and then I couldn’t control myself anymore. If I stayed there any longer…”
She would have lost her mind and become unable to recognise her friends and family anymore, just like Huo Lun. At the thought of this, she shuddered because nothing was more terrifying than losing control of one’s body and mind. It would be like becoming a puppet without free will, a fate worse than death.
“What kind of voice was it?” Yang Kai asked.
Bo Ya shook her head as she had no idea. Yang Kai asked a few more questions, but he had to give up in the end.
Outside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai told the two Half-Saints what he had just discovered, and upon hearing his explanation, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya turned pale at the same time.
Bai Zhuo concluded, “So, this sudden turn of events was caused by someone.”
Bo Ya could hear a voice speaking in her mind, then her temperament started changing. It was obviously someone’s doing; however, who could be powerful enough to influence so many Demons all at once?
The reason he and Bai Ya were unaffected was because their cultivation was strong. Below Half-Saints though, even Demon Kings couldn’t resist the power of the voice.
That was the reason Bo Ya and Huo Lun were immediately affected after they were released from the Small Sealed World.
“Can the Demon Saints do such a thing?” Yang Kai turned to look at them and asked.
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya traded glances and fell silent for a moment. Then, Bai Zhuo replied, “All Holy Venerables possess their own Divine Abilities, and we’re not able to speculate how powerful they truly are.”
He didn’t really answer Yang Kai’s question as, apparently, they couldn’t be sure which Demon Saint was behind this; however, it shouldn’t have been possible because all ten Demon Saints had fled together not long after they appeared some time ago. If they had left behind any tricks, there was no way the Great Emperors wouldn’t have noticed.
Even though they had no idea what the Demon Saints were up to, they had figured out why the Demons had gone mad at the very least. Just when Yang Kai was preparing to inform Li Wu Yi about what had happened, his expression changed as he said, “Damn it!”
“Sir, why do you look anxious?” Yao Si asked.
“Where’s Ru Meng and the others?” Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan and asked.
All of their expressions changed drastically when they heard what he asked.
Presently, besides the Demons from the Demon Realm and all fifty-five Human armies, there was another vast army in the Western Territory that hadn’t participated in this battle… the soldiers under Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian’s command!
This army not only included the top cultivators that worked under the three Demon Saints when they were still in the Demon Realm in the past, but also many that the Demon Saints had taken in in recent years.
There were two million people in total in this army; however, since they were all Demons, Li Wu Yi didn’t have confidence in deploying them on this day, so they were told to stay put.
Presently, all the Demons on the battlefield had become insane as they couldn’t even recognise their own companions. Even the two Demon Kings that Yang Kai had summoned from the Small Sealed World were not spared this fate. As such, they wouldn’t dare to imagine what the two million troops had become.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Su Yan quickly pointed in a particular direction. The next instant, Yang Kai disappeared from the spot as his voice still reverberated around, “Inform Supreme Commander Li about it now!”
A few thousand kilometres away, the base of Yu Ru Meng and the others had become a mess.
When Yang Kai arrived at the place, the two million Demons could be heard howling and screaming. The base had been turned upside down. Countless Demon corpses were scattered everywhere, and the ground had been dyed crimson. All the Demons, whose eyes had reddened, had gone mad as they ragingly destroyed everything around them.
Seeing that, Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh as these Demons were not spared the calamity.
Amidst the chaos, about thirty figures had gathered together as they hovered in the sky. All of them were dumbfounded, and their gazes were filled with puzzlement and sorrow. They were all Half-Saints.
Some of these Half-Saints had been working under Yu Ru Meng and the other two Demon Saints, while some of them were abducted by Yang Kai when he was devouring Flame Demon Saint Chi Yan’s territories. These Half-Saints were loyal to Chi Yan, but they were now in the hands of Yu Ru Meng and the others. Certainly, they had many ways to make sure that these Half-Saints wouldn’t betray them.
At this moment, just like Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya, these Half-Saints were not affected one bit; however, they were dumbstruck by what had happened to the army.
Unless they killed all two million people, they were unable to stop so many people going mad at the same time. Nevertheless, could they kill them all? They wouldn’t even know how to explain themselves when the Demon Saints returned.
On the other hand, there were about a hundred people who had sat down with their legs crossed, Demon Qi roiling around them. These Demons seemed to be shaking violently and as Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, he realised that they were all High-Rank Demon Kings.
Obviously, they had been affected as well. Nonetheless, they had strong cultivation, so they hadn’t lost their minds yet as they resisted the influence with difficulty. However, judging from the state they were in, Yang Kai reckoned that they couldn’t persevere much longer. If this dragged on, it was just a matter of time before they became insane.
Following that, he moved and appeared above those High-Rank Demon Kings as he bellowed, “Don’t resist!”
As he aimed his palm at them, his Divine Sense engulfed all the High-Rank Demon Kings like a tidal wave. When he retracted his hand, all these Demon Kings, who were resisting the madness with difficulty earlier, had disappeared as they had been put inside the Small Sealed World.
“Sir!” The Lotus Sisters flew over and pleaded with him as though he was their last hope, “Sir, please save them! We don’t know why they’ve become like this all of a sudden!”
Yang Kai nodded and didn’t waste any time, “I’ve come over for this reason.”
After he finished speaking, he raised his hands as several dozen beams of light shot toward the Half-Saints. Every one of them had exactly one. Upon grabbing them, the Half-Saints realised that they were just longan-sized beads with no energy fluctuations. Not knowing what these were for, they gazed at Yang Kai in puzzlement.
“I’m sure all of you know about my Sealed World Bead. These beads are similar artifacts. They can keep living creatures inside of them, and they can be used even without refining them. Move quickly and save as many of them as you can!”
Upon hearing that, the Half-Saints were elated as they clenched their World Beads.
Yang Kai also dashed towards the Demons and surged his Divine Sense. Wherever he went, a large number of Demons would disappear as they were thrown into the Small Sealed World.
There were some particulars Yang Kai had to adhere to if he wanted to move living creatures inside the Sealed World Bead. If the other party didn’t resist, it wouldn’t take him much effort as he just had to open up the World Barrier and send them inside. If the other party wasn’t cooperative, however, he had to expend a lot more energy. Depending on how powerful the other party was, the energy that would be needed varied too.
If the target was more powerful than Yang Kai, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about them.
He still remembered when he put the gigantic Embodiment inside the Small Sealed World the first time, causing a complete exhaustion of his Spiritual Energy.
World Beads were imitations of the Sealed World Bead, so the same rule applied. None of the Demons that had gone mad at the scene were more powerful than the Half-Saints, so they could easily utilise the World Beads in their hands.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was much greater than the average Half-Saint’s, so even if those Demons were not cooperative, it wouldn’t slow down Yang Kai in keeping them inside the Small Sealed World one bit.
With Yang Kai leading the way, the Half-Saints dispersed around the battlefield. Using the beads in their hands, they hurriedly put the insane Demons away.
A moment later, Yang Kai had the Sealed World Bead assume its Gun-Gun form. Its gigantic figure covered the entire sky, and as it opened its hideous mouth, it devoured many Demons with just one bite.
However, they were in the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai didn’t dare to let Gun-Gun devour everything as it pleased. If Gun-Gun gobbled up any part of the world, he would become an eternal sinner to the Star Boundary. Therefore, despite Gun Gun’s appearance, the problem in front of Yang Kai couldn’t be solved quickly.
Furthermore, all two million Demons had begun to scatter, so it was difficult to swiftly put them all inside the Small Sealed World.
The Half-Saints were anxious as they diligently carried out their tasks. They knew that for every clansman they put away, more lives were saved; however, their energy wasn’t inexhaustible. Despite the fact that they were Half-Saints, they had to expend an unimaginable amount of energy to take in the Demons when they were resisting.
Soon, all the Half-Saints turned pale as they had expended too much Spiritual Energy. Nevertheless, they had only managed to save about half of the Demons on the battlefield.
Fortunately, at this point, Li Wu Yi had arrived with many of the Army Commanders behind him.
Upon learning what had happened in the Sixty-First Army’s base and that Yang Kai had come over to this place, he immediately realised what was happening. Swiftly, he gave the order for the armies to stay put while the Army Commanders followed him.
When they arrived at this place, they happened to see that the Half-Saints had all turned pale.
Upon Yang Kai’s explanation about the current situation, Li Wu Yi picked out more than thirty Army Commanders who had stronger Soul cultivation to replace the Half-Saints to continue putting people into the World Beads.
After a long day, they finally managed to store all the Demons that were still alive and heaved a sigh of relief. Hovering in the sky, Yang Kai looked down at the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood and sighed.
They hadn’t done a count yet, but after the incident, at least five hundred thousand out of two million Demons here had surely lost their lives. Basically, twenty-five percent of their forces were gone. This kind of loss was unfathomable and ineffable.
Yang Kai was busy just now, so it wasn’t until this moment that he was free to find out what had been going on inside the Small Sealed World.
Upon realising that the Demons, who had just been put inside the Small Sealed World, had regained their senses and stopped attacking one another, he was able to set his mind at ease. He reckoned that the situations in the World Beads must be the same as that in the Small Sealed World.
At that instant, he was torn between tears and laughter as he had never expected that the World Beads that he had spent so much effort to refine would become useful so soon, and in such a way.
“Sir.” The Lotus Sisters flew over as they adjusted their breathing. Even though they hadn’t fully restored themselves, they no longer looked pale, “Where is Sir and the two Holy Venerables?”
Yang Kai replied, “All ten Demon Saints have arrived, so they’ve gone to pursue them.”
The Lotus Sisters were shocked upon hearing this and asked, “Sir, do you know what happened just now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know what exactly happened. A Demon King told me that she suddenly heard a voice in her head, then she started losing her rationality.”
The expressions of the sisters changed again as they traded glances. They found it inconceivable because they hadn’t heard any voice. Nevertheless, they knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t lie to them.
“We have to look into the matter before coming to any conclusions. I’ll ask the Holy Venerables about it when they return.”
The Lotus Sisters nodded as all they could do was wait.
Seeing as Li Wu Yi beckoned to him, Yang Kai flew over.
Li Wu Yi narrowed his eyes at the Army Commanders as he spoke, “Why are you holding on to the beads? Return them to Yang Kai now. He has to transfer the Demons that have just been put inside.”
All of the Army Commanders traded glances as they didn’t seem to have the intention of giving the beads back. Some of them grinned at Li Wu Yi while some of them looked fervently at Yang Kai.
They had just had a taste of the wonders of the World Beads, so they were not willing to return them to Yang Kai. Obviously, they wished they could keep the beads forever.
Knowing what was on their minds, Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “I was short on time, so I haven’t managed to create adequate beads. When I’m free, I’ll make more so that every army will have one.”
However, all of them remained unmoving. Since there were not enough beads, it meant that some of them would have to give up the beads for now. All of them wanted to be the first ones to get their hands on the beads.
“All of you are grown men and women! Masters who have lived for thousands of years! Do you have no shame at all!?” Li Wu Yi scolded fiercely.
Seeing that, the Army Commanders reluctantly passed the World Beads back to Yang Kai.
Every World Bead contained a lot of Demons, so it took Yang Kai quite some time to transfer all of them to the Small Sealed World. Eventually, these World Beads would be given to the Army Commanders, so no Demons could remain behind.
When it was Bing Yun’s turn, Yang Kai saw her smiling faintly at him. After a cough, he transferred all the Demons to his Small Sealed World and immediately passed the bead back to her, “Senior, I’ll present this to you as a gift of gratitude on Su Yan’s behalf.”
Bing Yun said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate…”
Despite what she had said, she had already taken the bead without feeling bashful.
“There’s nothing inappropriate,” Yang Kai shook his head repeatedly.
“Brat, don’t forget about your Seniors!” Wen Zi Shan passed the bead back to Yang Kai, but he wouldn’t retract his hand as he winked at the young man.
A helpless Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “Temple Master, please take this bead as my tribute to the Temple.”
Wen Zi Shan guffawed, “En, a promising young man indeed!”
The remaining Army Commanders traded glances and felt speechless at this display. Just then, an Army Commander walked over and said passionately, “Brother Yang, I have a young disciple who is beautiful and virtuous, and she hasn’t been engaged to anyone yet. She has always admired heroes like you. I think both of you would be perfect together, and I’d like to act as a matchmaker. What do you think?”
The other Army Commanders shot him with dismissive looks, but he still appeared assertive, “Men and women have to get married when they reach a suitable age. What’s wrong with that?”
Another Army Commander stepped forward, “Brother Yang, I have sixty-three unmarried women in my clan with different styles of beauty and demeanours. Why don’t you visit my home when you’re free? I’ll summon all of them to let you choose freely.”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless, knowing that they truly craved the World Beads in his hands; otherwise, they wouldn’t have embarrassed themselves in such a way. Seeing that the other people seemed to have the intention of becoming matchmakers for him as well, he hurriedly passed all the beads to Li Wu Yi and let him be troubled instead.
As expected, upon seeing that, the Army Commanders immediately surrounded Li Wu Yi. They would either argue with him or plead with him in an attempt to get the beads for themselves.
Upon getting himself out of the mess, Yang Kai looked at the chaotic battlefield and felt increasingly uneasy. The fact that the Demons had gone mad and killed one another contributed to their victory, but it was definitely part of a bigger plot. No one could set their mind at ease before finding out what this plot was.
However, the Great Emperors were not around, so it was extremely difficult to ascertain anything.
Just then, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening, which caused his expression to change.
A few billion kilometres away, above the sky of Profound Frost City in the Northern Territory, two figures were silently hovering in the air. One of them appeared righteous, while the other person looked wicked. Above the sky of this little-known city, Iron Blood Great Emperor from the Star Boundary, and the strongest Demon Saint from the Demon Realm, Huang Wu Ji, appeared at the same time and confronted one another in silence.
After a few days of chasing and trading moves, which almost shattered the world around them, the pair finally arrived at this place from the Western Territory.
Huang Wu Ji stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached this place and with an inscrutable smile, he stared quietly at Zhan Wu Hen.
Zhan Wu Hen looked around and released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings that were within a radius of several ten thousand kilometres.
He didn’t understand why Huang Wu Ji would stop in this place. Judging from the previous circumstances, Huang Wu Ji seemed to have the intention of coming to this spot beforehand, but what was so special about this place that could attract a Demon Saint’s attention?
Even though Zhan Wu Hen was a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, he wasn’t omniscient. At the very least, he couldn’t figure out what the Demon Saints were up to, so he had no other choice but to see how things went.
Recalling the sight when the Demon Saints first appeared, Zhan Wu Hen had a feeling that an egregious plot was waiting for the Star Boundary. Huang Wu Ji had stopped in this place, so what about the other nine Demon Saints? Where were they? What were they up to?
Despite not knowing anything, Iron Blood came to the realization that the Demon Saints had indeed risked their lives to barge into the Star Boundary, but their moves had caused the Great Emperors to fall into a passive situation.
It was a small city with only several hundred thousand residents, with the strongest being just a few Origin Kings. Such a small city was poor in resources, which was why it couldn’t attract top cultivators to stay. Moreover, the armies had been recruiting soldiers wantonly in recent years, so the small number of Origin Kings from this city had almost all joined the armies.
Despite the fact that Huang Wu Ji and Zhan Wu Hen had been staying in this place for a while, no one from the city could detect them.
Since Huang Wu Ji didn’t seem to have the intention of making a move, Zhan Wu Hen decided to wait and watch as well.
Faced with the strongest Demon Saint, he wouldn’t dare to be complacent despite the fact that they were in the Star Boundary. Once they got into a fight, they would use their full strength, and the repercussions of the battle would spread far and wide, likely wiping this entire city off the map in the opening exchange.
Unless he could discover Huang Wu Ji’s weakness and deal a fatal blow to him in the first strike, everyone in the city would lose their lives.
Their auras clashed as they confronted each other in silence. While Zhan Wun Hen appeared dispassionate, Huang Wu Ji’s expression was solemn.
It wasn’t that Huang Wu Ji was no match for Zhan Wu Hen. Given a fair environment, no one could tell who would turn out to be the winner if they got into a fight.
However, they were now in the Star Boundary, where the World Principles were different from those in the Demon Realm. Zhan Wu Hen had obtained recognition from the World’s Will, which meant that he had the blessing of this Great World. On the other hand, Huang Wu Ji was an invader, so the world was naturally hostile to him. Considering these factors, it seemed that he was on the weaker side now.
Zhan Wu Hen was confident that if Huang Wu Ji wasn’t going to flee, he could severely injure him, though there would be a heavy price to pay in order to achieve that.
Nevertheless, he didn’t have the heart to condemn to death the several hundred thousand people in the city below. The Great Emperors had obtained the Star Boundary’s recognition, making them the guardians of this Great World. If they couldn’t even protect the people living here, why would the world acknowledge them?
“Why don’t we have a talk?” Zhan Wu Hen broke the silence.
Huang Wu Ji said impassively, “Are you going to lecture me or something?”
“That’s not what I meant. I just hope that there won’t be any war between the two Great Worlds, and no one else will have to die.”
Huang Wu Ji replied with a smile, “The war has been ignited, and countless people from both worlds have lost their lives. Who could possibly forget this kind of blood feud? Great Emperor, do you even believe what you’ve said?”
Zhan Wu Hen said, “If you promise that the Demons will leave the Star Boundary, seal off the Two Worlds’ Passage, and never come back again, we can forget about this war.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Huang Wu Ji sneered.
“We can only do our best.” Normally, Zhan Wu Hen would just fight it out with his enemy. This was one of the rare circumstances where he had to talk it out with his foe; however, he had no other choice as he didn’t want more people to lose their lives pointlessly. “I know that the Demon Realm is falling apart. The reason you’re invading the Star Boundary is that you all want a place to live. You don’t necessarily have to do this though. If there’s a new world that could accommodate the Demons, the war between our worlds would become unnecessary.”
As a Great Emperor, he was aware of Yang Kai’s plan. The new world he just mentioned was the territory inside the Sealed World Bead.
Huang Wu Ji shook his head, “Discussion is meaningless because you know nothing.”
Upon hearing that, Zhan Wu Hen furrowed his brows. Just when he wanted to say something more, Huang Wu Ji suddenly spread his arms and yelled, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All living creatures and their spirits will die. In the end, everything in this world will perish!”
Initially, his voice wasn’t particularly loud, but as soon as he started speaking, his words reverberated around the world like the tolling of a gigantic bell. Apart from his, nine other voices could be heard echoing his exact statement. Despite the fact that their voices were intermingled, there wasn’t a sense of disorder. It was as though the same person had said the same thing in ten different tones.
At that instant, their voices could be heard by everyone in this world. Trillions of lives were astounded as they looked up at the sky, and it was at that exact moment that Yang Kai felt his chest tightening.
On the battlefield in the Western Territory, the Army Commanders had surrounded Li Wu Yi in an attempt to get their hands on the World Beads and were arguing with one another until their faces and necks had reddened.
““Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All the living creatures and their spirits will die. In the end, everything in this world will perish!””
The ten voices were heard, and everyone stopped arguing as the entire world fell silent. At the same time, they all looked up into the sky. Presently, Li Wu Yi and the other Army Commanders appeared extremely solemn. Even though their voices had been mixed together, one voice stood out in particular. They had heard Huang Wu Ji’s voice before, so they could immediately recognise it.
The voices of all ten Demon Saints were suddenly heard across the Star Boundary, which was a horrifying fact.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai turned pale and cursed.
“What happened?” Li Wu Yi asked anxiously. He knew that something terrible had just occurred, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Judging from Yang Kai’s tone though, he seemed to have realised something.
It wasn’t that he was less powerful than Yang Kai, it was just that Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will from Bright Moon Great Emperor, so he could somewhat sense what was going on.
“The World Barrier…” Before Yang Kai could finish speaking, his expression changed again as he looked into the distance. Demon Qi started surging from the five hundred thousand Demon corpses nearby. This Demon Qi was as thick as ink and soon formed into a giant Flood Dragon and shot towards the sky.
Not only was this happening on the battlefield near them, it was also happening on the battlefield near the Two Worlds’ Passage. Only five hundred thousand Demons, who worked under Yu Ru Meng and the others, had passed away in this place; however, there were millions of corpses on the battlefield near the passage.
In just a few days, the Humans had killed more than ten million Demons while the number of Demons that had lost their lives from killing one another was even greater than that.
Millions of Demon corpses were scattered everywhere on the ground. Demon Qi could be seen rising from the dismembered corpses and converging in the same place. Looking from afar, a particular area of the sky had turned completely dark.
The horrifying Demon Qi then shot into the sky like a huge black column, as though it was going to pierce the Heavens.
With a loud boom, the column exploded and turned into ten streams of darkness before shooting off in ten different directions, the same directions the ten Demon Saints had flown off in.
Li Wu Yi’s expression changed drastically as he fished out a Space Beacon and contacted Zhan Wu Hen in an attempt to ask what had happened. At the same time, he informed him about the anomaly in this place. Unfortunately, he didn’t get any reply from the Great Emperor.
At this moment, Zhan Wu Hen had no time to reply to him. Right after Huang Wu Ji said these odd words, Zhan Wu Hen hurriedly waved his hand as a blood-coloured flag appeared and covered the entire Profound Frost City.
It was the Iron Blood War Banner, which was the manifestation of his cultivation. It could be said that the banner was his unique mark.
Zhan Wu Hen had to deal with Huang Wu Ji, but he couldn’t ignore the safety of the several hundred thousand lives in the city, so he had to send them away first.
When the residents looked up and realised that the sky had been covered in red, they became flustered. Following that, the Iron Blood War Banner rolled up and turned into a red light before shooting into the distance. No one was left in the city. All the living creatures, including cats and dogs, were swept away by the War Banner.
Over ten breaths later, the residents finally saw sunlight again as the redness that had engulfed them diminished. They realised that they were in a desert with no one else around, seemingly lost.
Right after the Iron Blood War Banner swept away the residents of Profound Frost City, Zhan Wu Hen made his move.
He didn’t seem to have moved a muscle, but the next instant, he appeared in front of Huang Wu Ji. At the same time, he pushed out a fist that was powerful enough to shatter the world.
A glint flashed across Huang Wu Ji’s eyes as he pulled his arms closer and sandwiched Zhan Wu Hen’s fist with his palms, resulting in a deafening boom.
Their Demon Qi and Emperor Qi surged as two eruptions of light, one red and one black, struggled in the sky like two Stars clashing with one another. With their location as the centre, space around them shattered like a mirror breaking into pieces.
Huang Wu Ji’s expression was fierce. It seemed that he had expended all his energy to parry Zhan Wu Hen’s attack, but oddly, instead of panicking, he was laughing instead, “Many thanks!”
Zhan Wu Hen remained unfazed. Despite knowing the consequences of his attack, he still had to push out a fist. He wanted to retract his fist, but Huang Wu Ji wouldn’t give him that chance and tightened his grip.
An unperturbed Zhan Wu Hen pushed his Emperor Qi as the force of his fist gushed forward like three rounds of tidal waves, which became increasingly violent. Huang Wu Ji used his own Secret Technique to neutralise the force as his Demon Qi weltered around him; however, he was already in a passive situation from having to grasp Zhan Wu Hen’s fist, and they were in the Star Boundary, so how was he supposed to resist?
A moment later, blood started leaking from Huang Wu Ji’s mouth, but he remained unfazed and only laughed louder.
All of a sudden, a Flood Dragon made from an enormous amount of Demon Qi flew over from the horizon, as if it was leaping across space. The Demon Qi, which was as black as night, soon dyed a particular spot in the sky dark.
The dark spot was the same as the one that had appeared on the battlefield in the Western Territory, where the two Great Worlds had been connected.
It wasn’t until this moment that Zhan Wu Hen realised what the Demon Saints were up to. The battle in the Western Territory was just a feint. The Demon Saints’ real intention was to permanently establish a connection between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.
However, he was puzzled by one question. Previously, it was because of some special reasons that Can Ye was able to use his body as a bridge to connect the two worlds.
So how did Huang Wu Ji manage to achieve this? He was a Demon Saint who had nothing to do with the Star Boundary. The battle between them had indeed destabilised the surrounding space and weakened the World Barrier, but it was unlikely that the barrier would be broken from just that. How did he even establish the connection?
Was there some kind of powerful force in the Demon Realm that could coordinate with him? Otherwise, how had he managed to do that?
Furthermore, where was the origin of the Demon Qi that came over from the horizon? The situations the other nine Demon Saints were in must be similar to the one between Huang Wu Ji and him, but how was that possible?
Previously, there was only one Two Worlds’ Passage in the Western Territory, so the Star Boundary was able to gather together and stop the Demons from invading their homeland. If ten such passageways appeared in the Star Boundary though, how were they supposed to stop the Demons?
Zhan Wu Hen didn’t have the time to ponder on the issue as he knew that if he couldn’t defeat Huang Wu Ji quickly, a calamity would befall the Star Boundary. Enraged, Iron Blood’s strength surged even more than before.
Presently, blood was still streaming out of Huang Wu Ji’s mouth, but the smile on his face had become even more savage.
The new dark spot was only tens of metres wide, but the aura of another world could be felt coming from the other end of the dark spot. Zhan Wu Hen had been to the Demon Realm, so he could immediately recognise that it was that realm’s aura.
The two worlds had been connected!
The next instant, Zhan Wu Hen, who had always remained unperturbed, suddenly turned pale. Looking up, he realised that an unimaginable amount of Demon Qi was streaming out of the dark spot in a continuous manner.
The Demon Qi that came from afar was already fairly intense, but it had only managed to open up a passage that was a couple dozen metres wide. However, the Demon Qi that was erupting from the passage was significantly stronger.
The Demon Qi was just like a nutrient, and the more of it that flowed through, the wider the passage became.
After just ten breaths, the passage had expanded to a thousand metres wide; furthermore, the speed at which it was expanding didn’t seem to be slowing down.
Looking from afar, the sky seemed to have been covered in dark clouds, like a piece of paper that had black ink dropped on it. The Principles of both worlds converged and integrated in the dark spot as though a large area had turned into a Demon land.
Just then, Zhan Wu Hen shouted, “Release!”
Muscles started bulging on his arms and with the help of the World Principles, he was able to push his fist forward despite it being still clenched by Huang Wu Ji, and struck the other party’s chest.
The sounds of bones cracking were heard at that moment. Even though Huang Wu Ji was the strongest Demon Saint in the Demon Realm, it was expected that he would be injured as he was in a situation where he couldn’t proactively attack.
After getting struck by Zhan Wu Hen’s fist, he became severely injured.
However, Huang Wu Ji just wouldn’t relax his grip as his Demon Qi surged and engulfed Zhan Wu Hen, as though he was determined to perish together with him. At the same time, he said with a grin, “Iron Blood Great Emperor lives up to his reputation! This Huang’s eyes have been opened today!”
Just then, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky. It was so powerful that even Zhan Wu Hen turned pale for a moment. With a horrified look, he turned to stare at Huang Wu Ji, only to see that the latter’s mouth was drenched in blood.
With a wicked smile, Huang Wu Ji announced, “It’s coming.”
What he had said sounded absurd, but after he finished speaking, a humongous hand descended from the dark spot and reached for them, who were in a deadlock. The speed at which the hand was descending seemed slow, but following its movement, the world seemed to be on the brink of falling apart, and the pressure on Zhan Wu Hen’s shoulders became as heavy as a mountain.
He wanted to flee from this place, but Huang Wu Ji wouldn’t give him that chance. Huang Wu Ji seemed determined to lock down the Great Emperor no matter the cost.
It felt like a short moment, but it also felt like a few years had passed. When the gigantic hand reached them, all the Demon Qi dispersed in an instant, and the Demon land expanded by several hundred kilometres. On the other hand, Zhan Wu Hen and Huang Wu Ji, who were locked in a stalemate, disappeared at the same time.
The same thing happened in nine other places in the Star Boundary.
Thirteen Demon Saints and seven Great Emperors had gone missing.
Under the azure blue sky, ten Demon lands appeared in the Star Boundary.
Violent Demon Qi was pouring forth from the Demon Realm, and the speed at which the Demon lands were expanding was rapid. It wasn’t until a quarter hour later that the expansion slowly halted.
Groups of Demon soldiers crossed over at that moment and appeared on the Demon lands in an orderly manner.
A huge calamity had officially befallen the Star Boundary!
On the battlefield in the Western Territory, Yang Kai had turned ashen as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Li Wu Yi had never seen him losing his composure in such a way, so he hurriedly asked, “Has anything happened? What did you mean when you mentioned the World Barrier?”
Yang Kai turned to look at him. His pupils had been reduced to the size of a needle. After taking a deep breath, he replied, “Just now, I could feel that the World Barrier had weakened, and then ten places in the barrier broke.”
No Emperor Realm Masters could detect such an occurrence. Not even the Pseudo-Great Emperors could. However, Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will from Bright Moon Great Emperor, so he was far more sensitive to changes in the Star Boundary.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai said, the Army Commanders broke into commotion.
Li Wu Yi said with a frown, “Maybe the clashes between the Great Emperors and Demon Saints caused the breakages.”
Every move the Great Emperors made would implicate the world, and the Demon Saints were formidable enemies. If the two parties got into an all-out battle, the world itself would crumble around them, so it wasn’t surprising that the World Barrier had been affected.
When the Demons invaded the Star Boundary for the first time more than ten years ago, the Great Emperors didn’t dare to make any rash moves because of this very concern; however, since the Demon Saints had arrived, they had no choice but to battle against them now.
The Army Commanders agreed with Li Wu Yi’s statement.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was still pale as he stared fixedly at Li Wu Yi, “The Great Emperors’ auras have disappeared.”
The commotion stopped abruptly as everyone fell silent and gazed at Yang Kai in disbelief. Li Wu Yi’s pupils contracted as he asked grimly, “Which Great Emperors are you talking about?”
Yang Kai gulped and replied with difficulty, “All of them.”
“Impossible!” Li Wu Yi shouted. It was indeed impossible for the Great Emperors, the strongest cultivators in this world, to simply disappear. Regardless of how formidable the Demon Saints were, they would only be on par with the Great Emperors at best. Furthermore, the Great Emperors had some natural advantages against the Demon Saints in the Star Boundary, so how was it possible that they had gone missing for no reason?
It might be possible that one to two of them had fallen, but Li Wu Yi would never believe that all the Great Emperors had lost and disappeared.
However, what he had just said was simply an involuntary, instinctual response. He knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t lie to them, and since Yang Kai had said so, he must have sensed something. Recalling that he hadn’t received any reply from Zhan Wu Hen, Li Wu Yi frowned even harder and fished out another Space Beacon before activating it with his Divine Sense.
As Space Principles undulated, his expression darkened. The Space Beacon in his hand was connected to the one held by Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang. As long as the Great Emperor was still in this world, regardless of where he was, Li Wu Yi could reach him in an instant. The prerequisite was that the Great Emperor wasn’t trapped in some kind of sealed off space or surrounded by an array that isolated space.
Nevertheless, the Space Beacon didn’t seem to react in any way after it was activated. There were only three explanations for this to happen.
The first one was that the Space Beacon in Mo Huang’s possession had been shattered. Nonetheless, it was unlikely that it would happen unless the Great Emperor had passed away.
The second one was that Mo Huang was inside an array that could block off the world, rendering the Space Beacon ineffective. However, which array in this world could stop a Great Emperor from leaving?
Thus, the only possibility left was that Mo Huang wasn’t in this world anymore!
Seeing Li Wu Yi experimenting with his Space Beacons, Yang Kai also fished out a beacon, which was connected to the one held by Yu Ru Meng. As Space Principles undulated, he was unable to reach Yu Ru Meng’s side, just like what had happened to Li Wu Yi.
They traded glances and saw the terror behind each other’s gazes. The Great Emperors had really all gone missing at the same time, which was terrible news for the Star Boundary. Without the Great Emperors, who could possibly stop the Demon Saints?
“Maybe they’ve gone to the Demon Realm?” Li Wu Yi attempted a guess.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s possible, but…” He couldn’t understand why the Great Emperors had disappeared at the same time. Previously, they had pursued the Demon Saints in ten different directions, so theoretically, they would come across different incidents. How did they all end up in the same state all at once?
Yang Kai said nothing despite having those thoughts in his heart. There was a lot at stake here. If word got out about this matter, it would definitely affect Star Boundary’s morale; therefore, he could only make an assumption in a more positive direction. Unfortunately, the best outcome in this situation would be that the Great Emperors were in the Demon Realm.
“Sir, I’ll head to the Demon Realm to check,” He took the initiative to suggest. He had a Space Beacon in his possession that could allow him to contact Yu Ru Meng. If the missing Great Emperors were all in the Demon Realm, then he would know just by going there.
Li Wu Yi pondered in silence for a while before dismissing the suggestion with a wave of his hand, “There’s no hurry. At the very least, we should figure out what happened to the Great Emperors first before making any plans.”
Yang Kai could only nod at those words. Despite the worried look on his face, the anxiety in his heart had lessened considerably. He had been extremely frightened when he first realized that the auras of all the Great Emperors had vanished in an instant. Now that he had calmed down enough to consider the situation, he realized that it was impossible for the Great Emperors to meet with an accident out of nowhere. They were such powerful Masters that there was no need to worry about their lives being threatened.
The chase between the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints would surely cause a great commotion, so they would only need to investigate a little bit to gain clues about the situation. With Li Wu Yi as the leader, the Army Commanders took out their Space Beacons and sent out many jade slips to inquire about news in all directions of the Star Boundary.
While waiting for news, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and turned to look in a certain direction.
It was one incident after another today it seemed. The second wave was already crashing down before the first wave had settled. First, it was the members of the Demon Race in Star Boundary going berserk, losing their sanity, and slaughtering one another. After that, the World Barrier broke in multiple places and the auras of the Great Emperors vanished. This news had yet to even sink in yet when another incident occurred.
When Yang Kai looked in that direction, he saw a black dot the size of a needlepoint appearing out of nowhere in the sky far, far away. It was as though somebody had dripped a drop of black ink into the void. The ink spread out in all directions and began dying the Star Boundary. The dot had expanded by several times its original size in the blink of an eye. Demon Qi seeped out from that black spot and turned the world into something that was from the Demon Realm, a Demon Land.
Yang Kai’s expression grew solemn. Everybody noticed the change in his expression and followed in the direction of his gaze. In the next moment, all of them paled in unison. Everybody present in this place was among the strongest in terms of cultivation in the Star Boundary, so it was only natural that their eyesight was equally extraordinary. The changes occurring in the world might be quite a distance away from them, but they could still observe the changes clearly from here.
“The Two Worlds’ Passage?” Fu Ren Jie exclaimed in shock, “How… How can there be another Two Worlds’ Passage there!?”
All this while, everyone believed that the Two Worlds’ Passage only existed in one spot, which was the centre surrounded by the previous Coining Dragon Grand Formation. The place where the two Great Worlds were connected had to be a location where the World Barriers between the two Great Worlds were quite weak, and such places generally rarely existed; hence, Li Wu Yi had set up a Grand Formation, composed of various armies formed in the Star Boundary, and everybody’s attention had been fixed on that particular spot.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had plunged into the enemy lines, and resealed the Two Worlds’ Passage, laying the foundation for the victory of the Star Boundary’s armies. Although the members of the Demon Race later killed each other off after going mad with bloodlust, the sealing of the Two Worlds’ Passage could be regarded as a true reason for the Star Boundary’s triumph today.
Be that as it may, a second Two Worlds’ Passage had appeared in the distant sky. How could this not shock everyone who saw it?
[Where did this Two Worlds’ Passage come from?] Without waiting for them to understand the situation, Yang Kai took to the skies and flew over in a rush. Regardless of how or why another Two Worlds’ Passage appeared, it would be best if he sealed it as soon as possible.
Li Wu Yi quickly followed the moment Yang Kai made his move. After that, many Army Commanders and even the Demon Race Half-Saints tagged along. The large group of top Masters rushed toward the Demon Land in an instant.
Before Yang Kai could get close though, he narrowed his eyes suddenly only to see a Demon Race army crossing into this world inside the Demon Land. The army came in full strength. Moreover, several powerful auras emanated from among the army.
His brazen charge towards the Demon Land was naturally very eye-catching and dozens of sharp gazes from within the Demon Land turned in his direction. The Demon King in the lead was riding a tall Demon Beast with a sneer on his face, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty light. With a wave of his hand, the Demon Race army crossing into this world organized itself and prepared for Yang Kai to rush towards his death.
Soon though, the Demon King’s laughter caught in his throat. Yang Kai was followed by a large number of flowing lights, each one giving off an aura that could make one’s scalp go numb, horrifying the lead Demon King. How could he not know that he had crashed right into the tiger’s lair? He squeezed his knees and the Demon Beast he was riding hurriedly turned around with the intention of rushing back through the Two Worlds’ Passage.
Unfortunately, the Demon Race army was pouring out from the other end of the Two Worlds’ Passage at a steady pace, so there was no way he could return, at least not in the short term. In his desperation, he drew upon his Demon Qi and attacked ruthlessly, carving a bloody path through his own men. The Demon Race army around him were shocked as they did not know why their leader had suddenly gone insane.
“Dragon! Transformation!” A shout reverberated through the air, and upon hearing those words, the members of the Demon Race army looked up. A high-pitched Dragon Roar resounded throughout the skies, one so loud that it caused the ground to tremble. Following that, the small figure that was approaching them suddenly expanded and transformed into an enormous creature that slammed straight into the ranks of the Demon Race army.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, the group shook violently from the force when Yang Kai’s 300-metre Half-Dragon Form crashed to the ground. A tremendous force erupted around the spot where he landed and swept out for several kilometres in all directions. The Demon Race army suffered a heavy blow that threw their lines into chaos.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai slowly straightened up his body that was as lofty as a mountain, his pale golden Dragon Eyes overflowing with an infinite majesty. Next, he reached out with a hand and clenched his fist. The Demon King in the lead who had been fleeing for his life felt the space surrounding him tightening. It gave him the impression that he was sinking into a pool of mud, and the harder he struggled, the deeper he sank. In his panic, he let out a roar and turned around to lash out with a Demon Artifact Spear.
*Keng…*
Sparks flew as the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. The spear hit Yang Kai on the back of his claw that was covered in Dragon Scales and left a white mark; however, his large hand had already captured its prey. He was now holding the Demon King tightly in the palm of his hand.
Yang Kai gave a squeeze, and the Demon King let out a blood-curdling scream, accompanied by the sound of his bones breaking. With a surge of Demon Qi, both the Demon King and the Demon Beast he was riding exploded into blood mist.
With Yang Kai’s current strength, it did not take much effort for him to kill a Demon King. He could even match a Pseudo-Great Emperor in a life-or-death fight, so what was a Demon King in comparison?
After squeezing the Demon King to death, he leaned his body backwards slightly, his chest heaving as he took a deep breath. This breath he took felt as though he was sucking all the air out of the world. Amidst the sound of the howling winds, the surrounding members of the Demon Race lost their footing and those with weaker cultivation were pulled in by his sucking force and flew towards Yang Kai.
Just when those members of the Demon Race thought that they were going to be devoured by this monster, Yang Kai released a terrifying roar. The Dragon Roar shook the skies and a scorching flame swept outwards. An area spanning several thousand metres in front of Yang Kai instantly turned into a barren, scorched wasteland.
There were countless Dragon Clan Secret Techniques and each one had its own special characteristics. Be that as it may, Yang Kai especially loved using the Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath simply because this attack packed an explosive destructive power. Part of the reason might also be that Zhu Qing was a Fire Dragon.
Those from the Demon Race in the area covered by the Dragon Breath were either incinerated or severely injured in an instant.
Before Yang Kai could fire another shot, the Army Commanders behind him arrived. Their numbers were not high, only slightly over thirty in total, but among them, Pseudo-Great Emperors abounded. Even the weakest was in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Like fierce tigers among a flock of sheep, the thirty or so Masters scattered and began slaughtering their enemies without another word.
On the other hand, the Demon Race Half-Saints stopped some distance away and simply watched without doing anything. Although they had followed Yu Ru Meng and allied themselves with the Star Boundary, they were still part of the Demon Race, so they couldn’t bring themselves to kill their own clansmen. Besides, there was no need for them to participate in this one-sided slaughter.
The army crossing over into this world from the Demon Realm did not have a Half-Saint leading them. Perhaps, there might have been one at the start. Perhaps, that person fled a long time ago upon discovering the dangers. In any case, the strongest among the remaining Demons were but High-Rank Demon Kings. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were no match for the group of Army Commanders working together.
The army was swiftly and decisively defeated! They had crossed over into this world with great enthusiasm, thinking that they would be reaping a great harvest, but how could they have known that they would stumble straight into the lion’s den instead? A Demon Race army of several hundred thousand was completely routed before they could even leave the newly appeared Demon Land.
The Two Worlds’ Passage was right behind them, and when they saw that the situation was dire, they naturally tried to flee back towards it.
Yang Kai and the others gave pursuit all the way into the Demon Realm, their paths littered with countless corpses. Only then did they sound the gongs and withdraw from the battle.
One hour later, the Army Commanders returned from the Demon Realm to the Demon Land just below the black spot in succession. Yang Kai was the last to return. As soon as he reappeared, Li Wu Yi immediately looked in his direction and asked anxiously, “How was it?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response.
Li Wu Yi frowned deeply, “I’ve tried it too. The Space Beacons aren’t connecting.”
Yang Kai paused for a moment before saying, “The situation in the Demon Realm is special. Each continent is connected by Territory Gates to other continents, but they are all independent of each other. Hence, each continent can be considered a Sealed World in its own right. If the Great Emperors are really in the Demon Realm, it’s not strange that we can’t contact them through Space Beacons as they might simply be on other continents.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “That’s the only possibility.”
Lifting his head to look at the sky, he continued, “The situation here is somewhat different from the previous Two Worlds’ Passage. Can you seal it?”
If Li Wu Yi could sense the difference, how could Yang Kai fail to notice it? It didn’t seem to be a simple channel connecting between the two Great Worlds anymore. Rather, it felt as though the Great World itself was carrying out an invasion. It was almost like the time when Heng Luo Star Field was being devoured by Grand Desolation Star Field.
“I’ll try!” Yang Kai gently nodded before flying upward and taking a shallow breath. In the next instant, Space Principles fluctuated around him. Two hours later, he flew down again. He was pale-faced and covered in a sheen of sweat. It was obvious that the endeavour had taken a lot out of him.
The black dot in the sky was gone. It had clearly been sealed, but the Demon Land that had been contaminated showed no signs of returning to normal. The Demon Qi permeated the area, and the Demon Essence was very evident. The average cultivator would find it extremely uncomfortable to remain in this place.
Turning to look around, Yang Kai showed an astonished expression, “Where is everyone?”
Li Wu Yi and the others had disappeared from the surrounding area. Even the Army Commanders were gone, and ninety percent of the Half-Saints were nowhere to be seen. Only the Lotus Sisters remained in this place.
Yang Kai had noticed some movement coming from below when he was sealing the new Two Worlds’ Passage just now, but he had been at a critical juncture of the process and could not spare the energy to pay attention to anything else, so he was only discovering this strange situation now.
Hei Lian stepped forward and handed him a jade slip, “Li Wu Yi asked us to give this to you. He said you will understand after seeing it.’
Yang Kai took the jade slip from her with a frown. His Divine Sense surged as he checked out the contents of the jade slip. He had only just begun glancing at the contents, but his expression changed drastically and he exclaimed, “How is this possible!?”