It was only then that Senior Brother Wei realised that Ah Sun was crying not because she was bullied, but because their homeland was gone. At that instant, his expression dimmed as he patted her head, “From now on, this Wei will be your family.”
Ah Sun buried her head in the man’s arms and started bawling.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai could understand her sorrow. The Star Boundary was also in a perilous situation after Mo Sheng had raised chaos there. Now, only the World Tree could save the Star Boundary. What if he couldn’t find the World Tree? Would the Star Boundary also fall into oblivion just like what had happened to Ah Sun’s homeland?
How many people would lose their homes by then? With these thoughts in mind, it made Yang Kai even more determined to look for the World Tree to repair the Star Boundary.
After wailing for a bit, Ah Sun finally calmed herself down as she bashfully moved her head away from the man’s chest, her face completely reddened. Just now, she had lost her composure because she recalled the danger she had come across on her way here; therefore, she couldn’t control her emotions when she finally saw someone who also came from the same world. Now that she had calmed down, she felt utterly embarrassed.
Senior Brother Wei guffawed and patted her head, “Not bad. You’re still acting bashful in this kind of situation. It seems that you’ve been well protected.” He gazed at Yang Kai and nodded, “You’ve done a great job.”
When he approached them just now, Yang Kai was the first one to step forward and stand in front of their group. This young man took action to protect the others even before he was sure about the other party’s true strength, which went to show that he was a courageous and reliable man. This made Senior Brother Wei have a good impression of him.
“Many thanks for your compliment, Senior,” Yang Kai replied politely.
“Xiao Sun’er, why don’t you introduce your friends to me?” Senior Brother Wei looked down at her.
It was then that Ah Sun rubbed her eyes and after pulling herself together, she started introducing them to one another. Through her introduction, Yang Kai and the others found out that this burly man was called Wei Que. Upon learning his name, they saluted him again.
Wei Que passionately waved his hand, “There’s no need to be overly polite. Since all of you are Xiao Sun’er’s friends, you’re not outsiders. Follow me to a safe place now.”
“Many thanks, Senior,” Certainly, Yang Kai and the others wouldn’t object; after all, the reason they had come over to this place was to seek the Great Moon Province’s protection.
Then, Wei Que led all of them to the Great Moon Province’s ship. As he flew forward, he asked, “Xiao Sun’er, why did you come here? Didn’t I tell you to bring the Faith Token to Great Moon Province to look for me?” He was deathly curious. If it weren’t because he detected a signal from his Faith Token just now, he wouldn’t have believed that Ah Sun had come all the way here. After all, this place was far away from Great Moon Province.
“It’s a long story…” Ah Sun stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Wei Que replied with a smile, “Tell me about it slowly, then. There’s no rush.”
It was then Ah Sun told him what had happened after she escaped from her own Universe World. When Wei Que heard that she had been abducted to Seven Wonders Land and became a general worker there for half a year, his expression darkened. Nevertheless, his expression changed again when he learned that a major crisis had befallen Seven Wonders Land. Not only were many Venerable Protectors killed, but Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had also been severely injured, “It’s no wonder I didn’t see anyone from Seven Wonders Land. It’s because something like that has happened to them…”
If it weren’t because of the calamity that had caused the top Masters in Seven Wonders Land to be killed or injured, they would’ve surely come over to witness the Sun’s fire dying out. Even though Seven Wonders Land wasn’t close, it wasn’t far from this place either.
“What happened next?” Wei Que asked.
Ah Sun glanced at Yang Kai briefly before explaining. Without mentioning the fact that Great General had sought out his Mother, she told Wei Que about what happened after they fled from Seven Wonders Land, how she activated the jade white fox and followed it towards Great Moon Province. However, after only passing through two Territory Gates, the fox stopped functioning.
An embarrassed Wei Que explained, “Well, the thing is, I didn’t expect you to bring so many friends with you, ahaha… So, when I created the fox… It’s because of this Wei that you’ve suffered a lot.”
Ah Sun shook her head, “Senior, please don’t say that. Without the fox, we wouldn’t have been able to come this far. Even though there have been some twists and turns along the way, Ah Sun has finally found you and is very happy with that.”
“En, you’re right. Whatever the case, we’ve met again in the Outer Universe. Please stay in Great Moon Province from now on. As long as this Wei is still alive, I’ll ensure your safety.”
“Thank you, Senior!” Ah Sun pressed her lips together and nodded, then she took a look at Yang Kai and the others.
Wei Que understood and quite followed up, “If your friends are interested, they can stay in Great Moon Province as well. This Wei holds an important position in the Province, so I can take in some people as I please.”
Old Fang and Dié You appeared elated upon hearing that, while Yang Kai quickly said, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Following that, a ship came into their sight. Wei Que directly led them to the deck, which was already filled with people. A woman in an imperial dress at the front looked smilingly at them.
Yang Kai and the others traded glances and put on helpless smiles. They had actually surveyed this ship from afar before, but they didn’t see Wei Que at that time so they moved on. Perhaps he was staying inside the ship, which was why they missed him. Fortunately, Wei Que took the initiative to look for them; otherwise, they would have had to ask around for directions.
“Senior Brother Wei, have you found her?” The woman in the imperial dress took a look at Yang Kai and the others, but she couldn’t be sure which one of them was Wei Que’s Junior.
Wei Que pulled Ah Sun towards himself and guffawed, “Come, come. Meet your Martial Aunt Tao.”
Ah Sun obediently saluted her, “Greetings, Martial Aunt Tao.”
The woman surnamed Tao examined Ah Sun and said with a smile, “Such a pretty little girl. What’s your name?”
“Ah Sun…” She hung her head low as she was bashful.
“En, a good name.” The woman nodded, “You must be exhausted. From now on, we’re your family, so if anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell your Martial Aunt and I’ll stand up for you.”
“Many thanks, Martial Aunt Tao…” Ah Sun’s eyes turned moist again. She had been on her own for years, so now that there were people who actually cared about her, she felt as though she was in a dream, and everything appeared surreal.
“Silly girl…” Wei Que felt his head aching, “Why do you cry all the time?”
The woman surnamed Tao shot him a glare, “Don’t you know that women are made of water? So what if she cries?” She pulled Ah Sun into her embrace and patted her shoulders.
Wei Que scratched his head, “Is that so?” He decided not to keep pondering on what he didn’t understand as he placed his hands on his hips and swept a glance over the other disciples on the deck, “Listen up, brats. From now on, Xiao Sun’er is my Legacy Disciple as well as your Little Junior Sister. No one can bully her, understand? If anyone dares to bully her, I’ll skin him alive!”
A young man replied with a grin, “Martial Uncle Wei, Little Junior Sister is so adorable. Why would we bully her instead of taking care of her?”
All of them nodded repeatedly.
Wei Que snorted, “You’d better.”
The woman surnamed Tao said, “Senior Brother, is your cultivation technique suitable for Xiao Sun’er? I can’t imagine what a beautiful girl like her will turn out to be after getting taught by you for a few years.”
Wei Que batted his eyes and replied firmly, “What do you mean my cultivation technique might not be suitable for her? It’ll work as long as it can make her stronger.” He turned to look at the other disciples, “Don’t you agree?”
The young man from earlier and the other disciples responded, “Martial Uncle Wei is right.”
The woman surnamed Tao put on a smile, “It’s pointless for you to ask them. No one from Great Moon Province has the guts to go against you. Senior Brother, if you trust me, why don’t you let her follow me from now on? I’ll take her on as a Disciple and teach her everything I know.”
“You want to accept her to be your Disciple?” Wei Que gazed at his Junior Sister in shock.
The woman questioned, “What’s wrong? Are you unwilling to let her follow me?”
Wei Que laughed, “How can that be? But it’ll depend on whether Xiao Sun’er wants to follow you.” He shifted his attention to Ah Sun, “Xiao Sun’er, I’ll ask you a question now. Do you want to follow me or your Martial Aunt Tao?”
Ah Sun darted her gaze between Wei Que and the woman, then she hung her head low, “Senior can make the decision for me. I’m fine with anything.” She had just joined the Province, which was why she didn’t have any opinion of her own.
The woman then said, “It’s decided, then. I’ll take her on as my Disciple.” She directly made the decision for her.
Wei Que said, “What are you waiting for? Greet your Master now.” Then, he gently pushed Ah Sun forward.
The quick-witted Ah Sun hurriedly saluted her in an elegant manner, “Disciple Ah Sun greets Honoured Master!”
After receiving her salute, the woman helped hoist her with a smile, “We are currently away from home, so we’ll hold an official ceremony after we return to Great Moon Province. Your Master will give you this as a gift for first meeting.” Following that, she took out a jade hairpin from her bun and stuffed it into Ah Sun’s hands, “This is a defensive artifact. Properly refine it as it will be able to save your life at a critical moment.”
Wei Que’s expression changed slightly, “Why are you giving that to her? It’s too valuable. No, no, no. Take it back and give her something else.”
The woman smiled gently, “I’m giving it to my Disciple, what does your opinion matter?”
At those words, Wei Que was rendered speechless.
The other disciples clearly became envious because both top cultivators in their Great Moon Province group wanted to take Ah Sun on as a direct Disciple. After she was accepted by the woman surnamed Tao, she was given such a treasure as a gift. None of the disciples at the scene had been treated in such a way before.
Nevertheless, they were not in any place to be envious. Ah Sun and Wei Que came from the same homeland, while the woman surnamed Tao had been secretly in love with Wei Que for many years. However, Wei Que was an obtuse man, so he still wasn’t aware of it. They knew that this woman must have taken Ah Sun on as a Disciple because she wanted to take care of Wei Que’s Junior.
Besides the disciples from Great Moon Province, Old Fang and Dié You were also envious of her.
All of them had fled from Seven Wonders Land together as they went through countless difficulties to come all the way here, but in the blink of an eye, Ah Sun had many people to love and treasure her.
Despite their envy, they were also genuinely happy for what had happened to her. Even though they had only known each other for a few months, they knew that Ah Sun was a pure-hearted girl, which was why they took a liking to her.
After accepting a Disciple, the woman was apparently joyful and shifted her attention to Yang Kai and the others, “They are…”
Ah Sun hurriedly said, “Honoured Master, they’re my friends. It’s thanks to their help that Disciple was able to come all the way here.”
“Since they’re your friends, they’re not outsiders.” The woman surnamed Tao nodded at Yang Kai and the others with a smile.
Yang Kai and the others hurriedly saluted her, “Greetings, Senior.”
Wei Que said, “All of them have suffered a lot. Just like Xiao Sun’er, they have nowhere else to go, and there’s no one in this Outer Universe that they can rely on. I’ve promised them that if they’re interested, they can stay in Great Moon Province. Junior Sister, what do you think?”
“Of course they can. Senior Brother, you have the final say.” The woman nodded her head, “I believe our leader will not reject newcomers like them.”
“It’s decided then.” Wei Que chuckled and shifted his attention to Yang Kai and the others, “All of you must be exhausted now. Take some time to rest.”
Then, he turned around and gazed at a young man who had been grinning from the start, “Brat, bring them to their rooms now.”
“Yes!” The young man agreed to it and beckoned to them, “Please come with me.”
Without any objection, they quickly followed him.
Then, they moved across the deck and entered the cabin. As they walked down the stairs, the young man took the initiative to speak to them as he said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Meng Hong. What are your names?”
After Yang Kai and the others revealed their names, all of them could be considered friends now as they called him ‘Senior Brother Meng’.
Meng Hong said, “The one who brought you here is one of the Elders of our Great Moon Province. I’m sure you know his name by now. The other one is Elder Tao, Tao Rong Fang.” He turned his head and playfully gazed at them, “I’ll share a secret with you. Elder Tao seems to be in love with Elder Wei, but unfortunately, he’s an insensitive man, so he’s not aware of it.”
Women were always interested in other people’s love affairs, so Dié You became energised as she asked in shock, “Does Elder Wei knows nothing at all?”
Meng Hong heaved a sigh, “That’s right. We all are wondering what his brain is made of. Everyone else in Great Moon Province is fully aware of it, but he’s still oblivious. Sometimes, we really have the urge to pry his head open to see what’s inside.”
What he had just said was pretty amusing, so Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother Meng, aren’t you worried that Elder Wei will find fault with you if he hears what you’re saying?”
“He won’t.” Meng Hong waved his hand casually, “Even though Elder Wei looks like a great bear, he’s a kind-hearted man and he treats us very well. He has never scolded or beaten us. Of the five Elders of Great Moon Province, he’s the most popular one among the disciples. A lot of Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters even want to marry him.”
“Elder Wei is indeed a kind-hearted man.” Yang Kai nodded. Although it hadn’t been long since they came into contact with one another, it was enough for Yang Kai to see through Wei Que’s temperament and nature. He had a good impression of this old man.
Meng Hong said with a smile, “In fact, the other Elders and our leader are good-natured people as well. Anyway, all of us in Great Moon Province are friendly. You might join us one day, so you’ll find out about it on your own.”
Soon, they arrived at their destination. After Meng Hong assigned some rooms for them, he turned around and left.
Even though the rooms were not spacious, each of them had their own room. After looking around, Yang Kai sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and started adjusting his breathing.
He had successfully brought Ah Sun to this place and met up with those from Great Moon Province; however, he wasn’t certain what he should do next. These people he had just met had left a good impression on him, which suggested that the other people from this great force should be just as friendly. If he joined them, he would have a terrific environment for cultivation.
However, he didn’t come to the Outer Universe to cultivate as he had something else to do. If he really joined Great Moon Province, he would also have to assume some responsibilities related to this great force, and that would make it difficult for him to move freely in the future.
Furthermore, Great Moon Province wasn’t considered powerful in the Outer Universe, so the resources they could provide would surely be limited as well. Yang Kai’s starting point was excellent, and he had a lofty goal, so he wouldn’t want to be restrained in any way.
As he felt his head aching, he decided to get to his feet and shuffled towards the deck.
For this event, many people from Great Moon Province had come out. Besides the two Elders, a couple dozen top disciples had tagged along as well. However, presently, there was no one on the deck.
Standing on the edge of the deck, Yang Kai held the railing and looked at the Sun Star in the distance. Perhaps it was because the Sun’s fire was dying down, so the entire Star appeared to be crimson, like a piece of molten steel. The scorching power continuously radiated from the Star, and even though there was a Protective Array around the ship, Yang Kai could still feel the heat.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Someone called out from behind at that moment.
Yang Kai turned around and cupped his fists, “Senior Brother Meng.”
Meng Hong approached him and gazed at the Sun Star in the distance, then he grinned, “It’s magnificent, right? Just like you, I’ve never seen anything like it before. When I go back and tell my Junior Brothers about it, I’m sure they’ll be envious of me.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter as though he could already imagine that scene, then he said, “Senior Brother Meng, I’ve heard that the Sun Star might contain Sun’s True Gold. Is that true?”
With a solemn expression, Meng Hong replied, “I don’t think it’s an unfounded rumour. Since everyone says so, it might be true.”
“I’ve also heard that even the lowest rank Sun’s True Gold is a Sixth-Order Fire Element material.”
“I’m not sure about that as I’ve never seen Sun’s True Gold before, but if such a thing really exists, there’s no way it’s of a low Order.” He turned to look at Yang Kai in shock, “Junior Brother, are you interested in the Sun’s True Gold as well?”
“Are you not interested?” Yang Kai questioned.
“Of course I am! If I can get a piece of Sun’s True Gold, I’ll be filthy rich. However, many people have arrived at this place, so even if such a thing exists, we might not be able to get our hands on it. We’ll have to be extremely lucky to get ahead of so many people.”
“En. By the way, Senior Brother Meng, I’ve just entered the Outer Universe, so I know nothing about the affairs or the great forces in this place. Do you mind enlightening me?”
Meng Hong burst into laughter, “There are eighty to a hundred great forces gathered here, and many of them share the name ‘Province’. I don’t even know all of them, so how am I going to tell you about it?”
“Well…” Yang Kai was lost for words as he hadn’t expected this kind of answer. After giving it a thought though, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Unlike the Star Boundary where there were only a small number of truly great forces, the Outer Universe was extremely expansive. Without substantial experience and excellent memory, one wouldn’t even know about all these forces, much less remember their details.
Of course, the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were the exception. All one hundred and eight of these top forces were extremely famous, so it was difficult not to know about them.
“Wait a moment…” Meng Hong suddenly recalled something and searched his Space Ring, soon fishing out a jade slip, “A lot of information about the Outer Universe is recorded in this jade slip, including the classification of the great forces as well as some other things. Read it when you’re free. You’ll gain something out of it.”
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Meng.”
Even though the jade slip wasn’t too valuable, the information it contained was what Yang Kai needed most right now.
“There’s no need to thank me. Take a rest now. When the Sun’s fire finally dies out, we’ll be busy. By then, we won’t have any time to rest.” Meng Hong clapped his shoulder and shuffled into the cabin.
Not long after Meng Hong left, Yang Kai also left the deck and returned to his room. Then, he took out the jade slip and went through the information in it. There was all sorts of information contained in the jade slip, but they were still classified in an orderly manner. The author must be an experienced person who had been to many Great Territories before recording everything he knew.
There were a few major chapters in the jade slip. The first one was about the great forces in the 3,000 Worlds. Naturally, the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were the first to be introduced.
Yang Kai came across the name Myriad Demons Heaven. It wasn’t certain whether Mo Sheng was from Myriad Demons Heaven, but Yang Kai reckoned that he should be careful if he bumped into people from that place in the future.
What surprised him was that the Dragon Altar of the Dragon Clan was listed as one of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens.
That revelation made him stunned for a long time; however, after giving it a thought, he understood that given the Dragon Clan’s power, it wasn’t surprising that their base was one of the Cave-Heavens.
After reading the slip for a bit, Yang Kai realised that just like what Old Fang had said, the great forces in the Outer Universe could be classified into three classes. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises were considered First Class as all of them were powerful great forces that had many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. The Second Class ones were great forces like Seven Wonders Land that were led by Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Third Class forces were like Great Moon Province and led by Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Certainly, they could be classified further, but that was the overall hierarchy.
Besides the introduction to the great forces, identifying symbols and standards of each great force was recorded as well. After searching for a bit, Yang Kai finally found the symbol he was looking for, and the great force associated with it was called Perpetual Province.
Recalling the symbol on the ship he had come across on his way to the Sun Star, he immediately realised that the young man was from Perpetual Province. Just like Great Moon Province, Perpetual Province was also a Third Class force with no Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai felt glad that the young man came from a Third-Class force; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.
He reckoned that he should stop pretending to be someone he was not in the future; otherwise, he might find himself to be in a perilous situation.
After the chapter regarding the great forces, it was followed by an introduction to beasts. Most beasts in the Outer Universe were similar to those in the Star Boundary, but some of them were starkly different. In any case, those that could roam through the void were all extremely powerful.
The strongest ones were the Giant Spirit Gods, of course.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why Giant Spirit Gods were classified as beasts as Ah Da looked just like a giant Human and had no beast-like features.
However, he could understand why they were considered the strongest. Yang Kai had seen Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters making a move before, and even though he hadn’t witnessed how powerful a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters possessed, he reckoned that Ah Da could still defeat them.
According to the jade slip, Giant Spirit Gods ate dead Universe Worlds as they roamed around the Starry Sky. They were normally mild-tempered and would avoid conflict with other people. As long as they were not offended, they were essentially harmless.
That wasn’t different from the experience Yang Kai had. Ah Da was indeed a mild-tempered guy, and just like a hungry ghost, knowing only how to eat.
Recalling Ah Da, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about the Star Boundary as well, wondering what it was like back home now. It had only been a year or so since he left, so the Star Boundary shouldn’t have gone through any drastic changes. Furthermore, Ah Da was keeping guard outside of the Star Boundary, so even if any powerful Master happened to pass by, they wouldn’t dare to go near. Therefore, the Star Boundary should be safe for now. The only thing he had to worry about was the Star Boundary suddenly collapsing, then Ah Da would surely eat it. Hence, Yang Kai had to find the World Tree as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai next read that the Dragon Clan was ranked second only to the Giant Spirit Gods.
He was amused as it seemed that wherever the Dragon Clan appeared, they would be famous. It was the same case in both the Star Boundary and the Outer Universe.
Information about Mie Meng was also recorded in the jade slip. The picture was similar to the beast he had met, and needless to say, she was highly ranked as well.
There was indeed a lot of information in the jade slip and Yang Kai was soon totally engrossed. Like a studious scholar, he didn’t seem tired of gaining knowledge.
A long time later, Yang Kai was shocked by a sudden jolt. Following that, a horrifying scorching power penetrated the Protective Array and swept across the entire ship. Then, terrifying creaking sounds were heard coming from the overburdened ship.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he dashed out of his room.
When he reached the deck, he realised that everyone from Great Moon Province was already present. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were forming hand seals as though they were trying to reinforce the ship’s shields. Presently, the barrier around the ship seemed to be breaking, and even the ship was starting to smoulder as though a scorching power had swept across it.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai turned to look at Meng Hong, who was just beside him.
A fervent-looking Meng Hong replied in a hushed voice, “The Sun’s fire is on the verge of dying out.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and followed Meng Hong’s gaze, only to see that the crimson Sun Star was still burning like a gigantic fireball hanging in the void. However, its flame was extremely unstable as it expanded and contracted from time to time. Sometimes, pillars of flame could be seen spitting from it. Every time such a pillar erupted, a horrifying scorching power would sweep across the surrounding space.
It was the final radiance of the Sun Star.
Without the need for any explanation, Yang Kai immediately realised the crux of the matter. This series of eruptions would exhaust the last bit of energy the Sun Star was left with. After the flames went out, the Sun’s fire on the Star would completely die. Once that happened, it would become a free-for-all match between the great forces.
Just then, Tao Rong Fang exclaimed, “The shield won’t last any longer, Senior Brother Wei!”
Wei Que’s expression changed as he yelled, “Retreat!”
After he finished speaking, he formed a different set of hand seals, upon which the ship rapidly withdrew, moving some ten thousand kilometres in an instant. When they reached a location that was far away from the Sun Star, they finally felt the scorching power waning, and the ship stopped creaking.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that, besides Great Moon Province, the other great forces, which had gathered around the periphery of the Sun Star earlier, had reacted the same way by retreating. There were only a small number of people who managed to remain in their original positions.
The explosion of the Sun’s fire was unexpected, but fortunately, it diminished quickly. In just a quarter hour, the gigantic fireball lost its vigour as its flames contracted, and the scorching aura visibly weakened.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances, and without the need for any discussion, they drove the ship towards the Sun Star. At the same time, the other great forces, which had retreated just now, scrambled to get ahead of the others.
All of them knew that it was time to explore the Sun Star and seek out the Sun’s True Gold.
On the deck, Wei Que looked around and shouted, “Brats, don’t go anywhere on your own when you reach the Sun Star, and don’t stray too far from me and your Martial Aunt Tao. No one knows what danger awaits us on the Star. If you still want to live, you have to be careful. Got it?”
“Yes,” all of them replied at the same time.
Wei Que nodded and looked solemnly towards the front. Even though he and Tao Rong Fang, who were Open Heaven Realm Masters, were around when exploring the Sun Star, they couldn’t protect so many people if they fell into danger; however, it was worth it to take the risk to look for a treasure like Sun’s True Gold.
As they got closer, the pressure coming from the humongous Star intensified. Although the Sun’s fire had died out already, the scorching heat wouldn’t dissipate so quickly. The closer they approached, the hotter they felt. Moreover, lights could still be seen flashing all across the Star. They were the last radiance of the Sun’s fire.
Everyone on the ship looked attentively at the front as many of them had never seen such a splendid sight.
After flying for an hour or so, the ship finally landed on the Sun Star. When the ship stopped, everyone leapt off the artifact and took a deep breath. However, they immediately felt a burning sensation in their chests and stomachs while the pungent burning smell was all but intolerable. They were so shocked that they hurriedly held their breaths.
Wei Que used a different hand seal, causing the ship to shrink down and become a palm-sized item before it was stored away by him.
Yang Kai and Old Fang were standing among the crowd as they looked around, only to see that they were the only people in this area, causing them to wonder where the other great forces were.
It wasn’t surprising after thinking about it though. Many great forces had come to this place, but the Sun Star was enormous. The great forces had decided to land on different locations, which was why they wouldn’t immediately come into contact with one another. This also prevented them from getting into conflicts right away.
From time to time, magma would spurt out from the crimson ground, making the entire environment seem very dangerous.
Even though Tao Rong Fang was an Open Heaven Realm Master, she had apparently never participated in such an important mission before, so she didn’t know where to start and turned to Wei Que to ask, “Senior Brother, what should we do now?”
Wei Que stroked his beard and gave it a thought before replying, “Let’s walk around first. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to pick up a piece of Sun’s True Gold. If so, we can immediately go back.”
His plan wasn’t outrageous as he just needed a piece of Sun’s True Gold to complete his mission; after all, each piece of Sun’s True Gold was at least a Sixth-Order material. If they really obtained one, the best thing to do would be to return to their headquarters quickly. If they stayed any longer, they might invite trouble to themselves.
Since he had said so, Tao Rong Fang wouldn’t object. And so, they led the disciples to roam around aimlessly. Everyone on the Sun Star was trying their luck anyway, and no one was at an advantage. As they released their Divine Senses, they began scanning the surroundings.
Looking for something in this kind of environment was undoubtedly exhausting because they had to continuously use their strength to resist the heat.
After half a day, they still hadn’t discovered anything and the weakest person in the team started showing signs of lethargy. Seeing this, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang told that disciple to leave and wait for them in the periphery of the Sun Star.
Even though the disciple was reluctant, he had no choice but to comply. Right after he left, Wei Que suddenly turned to look in a direction as though he had discovered something. Seeing that, Tao Rong Fang asked, “Senior Brother, what happened?”
“Something is coming!” Wei Que shouted. Upon hearing that, the others hurriedly circulated their strength and got ready for any potential trouble.
A moment later, they could really see something coming towards them. It was a beam of light that was rapidly flying over, but before the disciples could make out what it was, Wei Que exclaimed in surprise, “It’s a Fourth-Order Fire Element material!”
Then, he traded glances with Tao Rong Fang, and without uttering a word, they moved to approach the beam of light.
Yang Kai realised that the beam of light seemed to have some spirituality, and before Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang could close in, it suddenly moved in a different direction and disappeared into a pool of magma.
Wei Que guffawed, “How dare you try to flee!”
A ferocious Wei Que raced after the beam of light and dove into the magma. Before he disappeared though, he shouted to Tao Rong Fang, “Junior Sister, stay there!”
The disciples were still on the surface, so if both Open Heaven Realm Masters left to pursue the beam of light, no one could ensure their safety. Tao Rong Fang furrowed her brow, apparently worried about Wei Que’s safety, but she still obediently stayed behind.
Yang Kai and the others caught up just in time to see Wei Que plunging into the magma and Meng Huang asked, “Will Martial Uncle Wei be fine?”
Tao Rong Fang replied, “The magma won’t harm him, but all of you should be on guard.”
“Yes.”
After they waited in the same spot for a bit, a figure suddenly shot out from another magma pool. Everyone turned to look at him and realised that it was none other than Wei Que.
There were countless magma pools on the surface of the Sun Star, most of them roiling and bubbling from time to time. Some of them even looked just like volcanos, erupting with flame. Now, it seemed that these magma pools were interconnected underground. Otherwise, it was impossible that Wei Que could enter one pool and come out from another.
However, at this moment, Wei Que appeared elated as he was holding a transparent container. A yellowish flame inside it was trying to shatter the container, but it could not break free from the restriction.
A joyful Tao Rong Fang walked over and said, “Senior Brother, did you manage to capture it?”
Wei Que nodded and replied, “It’s a Sun’s True Fire!”
Upon that realisation, Tao Rong Fang commented, “No wonder it’s a Fourth-Order material, it turned out to be a Sun’s True Fire!”
Wei Que grinned, “It’s not surprising that there’s Sun’s True Fire on this Sun Star. It seems that we all became short-sighted as all our attention was on the Sun’s True Gold.”
Everybody wanted to find the Sixth-Order Sun’s True Gold, completely forgetting that there were other precious materials to be found here, like Sun’s True Fire. Moreover, judging from the current situation, it seemed that there was a lot of Sun’s True Fire around the area; otherwise, Wei Que couldn’t have obtained one so easily.
Wei Que easily obtained a Sun’s True Fire, which could be traded for over 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. That was the reason he was grinning from ear to ear.
More importantly, for a great force like Great Moon Province, having a Fourth-Order material didn’t only mean a lot of pills, but also a chance for a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to be born, which would increase their overall power.
Therefore, the value of materials that were Fourth-Order and above couldn’t be calculated simply according to Dié You’s previous method.
While Wei Que was still laughing, the sounds of something breaking through the air could be heard coming from a distance. In the blink of an eye, two figures abruptly appeared in front of them. Both of these men exuded Open Heaven Realm auras and were clad in matching light blue robes, indicating they were from the same force.
Following that, a large group of cultivators appeared behind them. Apparently, they came from the same great force as the two men. However, these people were obviously not Open Heaven Realm Masters. Just like Yang Kai and the others, they had only condensed their Dao Seals.
Right after the two men appeared, they stared fixedly at the Sun’s True Fire in Wei Que’s hand. Wei Que immediately stored the container and shot them a stern look, “So it is Still Winds Province’s Ge Brothers? What’s wrong?”
“Great Moon Province’s Wei Que.” One of the brothers with a pair of grim-looking eyes apparently recognised Wei Que.
The other brother grinned and continued, “Brother Wei, that’s not very honourable of you.”
Wei Que frowned, “What do you mean by that? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The person said, “You should know. We were the ones who discovered that Sun’s True Fire in your hand first; however, something went wrong when we were capturing it, which is why it escaped. We didn’t expect that you would catch it without our permission.”
Tao Rong Fang scoffed, “Ridiculous. Ge Yan, you said that you were the first to discover the Sun’s True Fire. How do you prove that?”
The person called Ge Yan said, “The fact that we were chasing after it is the best evidence. What else do you need? Otherwise, why would we have come all the way here?”
Tao Rong Fang snorted, “Could that even be considered evidence?”
Wei Que raised his hand to stop her, then he grinned at the Ge Brothers, “Fellow brothers, even if you really discovered the Sun’s True Fire first, it’s now in my hands, so it belongs to me. Things without owners belong to those who are capable of claiming them, so do you want to snatch it from me? In that case, this Wei doesn’t mind, we’ll fight for it here and the Sun’s True Fire will go to the winner. What do you think?”
Upon hearing this blatant provocation, the Ge Brothers furrowed their brows and traded glances before one of them spoke, “Brother Wei, many great forces have come to this place and we’ve only started exploring this Star where many more rewards undoubtedly await us. I don’t believe we should get into a conflict at this point.”
“What nonsense are you spouting here, then?” Wei Que arrogantly patted his Space Ring, “The Sun’s True Fire is right here. Why don’t you call out to it and see whether it responds to you? If it chooses you, this Wei will give it to you freely. If it refuses, then it belongs to me.”
“Brother Wei, stop being so haughty. We’re not afraid of you, we just don’t want to fight pointlessly and let others take advantage of us. That thing is indeed in your hands now, but we expended great effort and energy chasing after it. How about this, you give us some benefits and we’ll allow you to keep the Sun’s True Fire.”
“You want to obtain some benefits from us?” Wei Que snickered in amusement, “This Wei will say it one more time, what’s in my hands belongs to me, if you want it, try taking it!” Then, he raised his arm and shouted, “Brats, these people are trying to snatch our things, what should we do?”
In an instant, the disciples from Great Moon Province became incensed and roared, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
At the same time, they all assumed some kind of Formation as their auras surged, staring ferociously at the enemy.
Yang Kai and his group were all dumbfounded as they thought that these disciples had been affected by their Elder. Wei Que was a fierce and straightforward man, so even his disciples had turned out to be just like him.
The expressions of the Ge Brothers darkened, but after pondering for a moment, Ge Yan snorted, “Wei Que, just you wait. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve taken from me today!” Then, he waved his hand and shouted, “Let’s go.”
It really wasn’t that he was afraid of those from Great Moon Province, but rather just as he had said, the powers of both parties were equally matched as there were two Open Heaven Realm Masters on either side. Therefore, no one could tell which party would turn out to be the winner, only that injuries and possibly deaths would result from a conflict, forcing them to withdraw from this exploration prematurely. If that happened, they wouldn’t even be able to dream of getting any benefits from this place. Wei Que seemed brainless and overbearing, so the Ge Brothers didn’t want to get dragged down with him.
As the people from Still Winds Province left, Wei Que remained silent, and only after they were out of sight did he quietly signal to Tao Rong Fang in a meaningful way.
A puzzled Tao Rong Fang asked in a hushed voice, “What happened?”
Wei Que pointed at the ground, “There’s one more down below.”
“Really?” Tao Rong Fang was shocked at first, but then she became surprised, “Another Sun’s True Fire?”
Wei Que nodded, “I saw it when I was in the magma pool, but I hadn’t managed to capture it. I’ll dive down once more. Junior Sister, get ready with these brats to prevent it from fleeing.”
“Good. Senior Brother, please be careful,” Tao Rong Fang uttered.
“Don’t worry.” Wei Que laughed and disappeared into the magma.
On the surface, Tao Rong Fang led the disciples to seal off a radius of several dozen metres around the area as they arranged an array while performing a set of complex hand seals.
Yang Kai and the others were newcomers and weren’t familiar with this Spirit Array, which was why they couldn’t participate, so instead, Tao Rong Fang told them to stand guard in the four corners.
The magma roiled as bubbles burst from time to time, exuding a pungent smell. The disciples fell silent as they waited patiently, but even after a long silence, Wei Que hadn’t returned.
Tao Rong Fang frowned as she had a feeling that Wei Que must have come across some trouble. She wanted to look for him, but she was also worried about her disciples’ safety. Without an Open Heaven Realm Master around, they might fall prey to unexpected dangers.
While she was feeling anxious though, she saw the magma pool in front of her boiling as a strong energy fluctuation could be felt rising from it.
Tao Rong Fang turned solemn as she exclaimed, “Prepare yourselves!”
Right after she spoke, a beam of light suddenly shot out of the magma, surrounded by a scorching aura as it soared away. Wei Que’s figure emerged from the magma right behind it and yelled, “Don’t let it flee!”
In fact, as soon as the Sun’s True Fire appeared, the disciples already started making a move as they performed their hand seals, after which the area was engulfed in a Heaven sealing, Earth locking power.
Tao Rong Fang raised her slender hand and lightly pushed out her palm at the Sun’s True Fire.
The fire seemed to possess spirituality as it dodged the attack and whizzed past Tao Rong Fang. Following that, it attempted to crash into a disciple behind her.
The disciple’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly summoned out a mirror artifact. A profound light shot out from the mirror and struck the fire, engulfing it in an instant and freezing it mid-air. It seemed that the mirror was a powerful binding artifact.
Seeing this, the other disciples heaved a sigh of relief; however, before they could even relax, the light that had engulfed the fire wisp melted and the flame which seemed able to burn down everything in existence reached the disciple who had summoned the mirror in a flash, causing his face to contort with fear and panic.
“Solidify!” At the critical moment, Yang Kai shouted and surged his Space Principles, binding the Sun’s True Fire in place for a second time.
However, Yang Kai didn’t relax in the slightest as he could feel the fire wisp quickly breaking free of his restriction, causing him to yell, “Senior Tao!”
Tao Rong Fang had already appeared in front of the disciple with a transparent container in her hand. The container looked just like the one Wei Que had used earlier and she swiftly captured the fire wisp with it.
The crimson glow dampened at that moment as Tao Rong Fang managed to seal the container with the fire wisp inside. After she completely secured it, she turned to look at the disciple and asked, “Are you alright?”
The disciple had turned pale as he was still reeling from the shock, but even though his vision was still blurred, he shook his head and declared, “I’m fine. Many thanks for your concern, Martial Aunt.”
Tao Rong Fang nodded gently.
Right then, Wei Que dashed towards them and bellowed, “Damn it! This thing almost fled. It obtained a very high level of spirituality, almost being a living creature of some sort.” If it wasn’t because the disciples had set up an array beforehand, the Sun’s True Fire would have escaped.
Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai and commended, “Kid, you did a great job.”
Even though that disciple wouldn’t have been killed even if he was struck by the fire wisp, he would’ve gotten seriously injured. Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to make a move at the last moment and prevented such a tragedy.
Yang Kai replied politely, “Senior is too polite.”
Wei Que pondered on an issue for a moment before asking, “Did you just use Space Principles?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded as he couldn’t hide it anyway, and since he had decided to make a move, he wasn’t worried that his skills would be exposed.
“Incredible.” Wei Que’s gaze brightened, “The Dao of Space is abstruse and esoteric. This Wei has only ever heard of it but has never witnessed anyone wielding it. You’ve broadened my horizons today.”
Tao Rong Fang appeared joyful as well, “It seems that we’ve taken in a treasure.” She seemed to have already regarded Yang Kai as a Great Moon Province’s disciple and Yang Kai certainly couldn’t refute her at this point.
Wei Que patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Work hard and you’ll definitely become an Open Heaven Realm Master. When that time comes, you’ll be free to explore anywhere in this wide universe.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
Then, Wei Que gazed at the other disciple, “Little brat, why haven’t you thanked your Junior Brother Yang? Where are your manners? Is this what I’ve taught you?”
It was only then that the disciple came to his senses and walked up to Yang Kai before seriously saluting him, “Junior Brother Yang, many thanks for saving me just now.”
“Senior Brother need not mention it. We’re all supposed to help each other. It was the least I could do.” Yang Kai returned the gesture.
After the incident, Yang Kai realised that the other disciples had become more amiable towards him, and it seemed that they had acknowledged him to be one of them.
They couldn’t be blamed, however. Previously, these people were not familiar with Yang Kai and the others yet. They hadn’t grown up together or gone through life-or-death moments with one another, so they found it hard to acknowledge them; however, things were different now as they had become closer.
“Let’s find out what Order this thing is,” Wei Que stared at Tao Rong Fang and asked.
Tao Rong Fang fished out the Sun’s True Fire from her Space Ring and examined it for a while before she replied, “It’s the same as the previous one. A Fourth-Order material.”
Wei Que chuckled, “Not bad.”
It had only been half a day since they arrived at this place, but they had managed to obtain two Fourth-Order Fire Element materials. More importantly, they were both Sun’s True Fires, so it could be said that it was a fruitful day for them. If they could collect a few more such materials, they could go to Star City and trade them for materials of other Elements. Then, they could pick out a disciple with outstanding aptitude and attempt have them break through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
By then, Great Moon Province would also grow in importance.
As though he could already envision a bright future for all of them, a glow could be seen radiating from Wei Que’s eyes. Then, he said seriously, “I understand now. There’s nothing worth scavenging on the Sun Star’s surface because all the good things are hidden underground. Junior Sister Tao, I think we have to separate the disciples into two groups, and we’ll lead each group respectively. One group will stay on the surface, and the other group will go underground. What do you think?”
Tao Rong Fang was more than willing to give everything to Wei Que, so she wouldn’t object to his suggestion. After a nod, she replied, “We’ll do it as Senior Brother says.”
After the discussion, Wei Que directly separated the disciples into two groups. One group would follow him, and the other group would follow Tao Rong Fang.
Since there were benefits to be gained, the disciples had become energised as they meticulously searched around.
There might be danger lurking in the magma which was why the two groups took turns diving below. As Open Heaven Realm Masters, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were certainly not afraid of the heat; however, the disciples they brought with them were not strong enough, and the durations they could withstand the heat varied. As long as they knew where their limits were though, their lives wouldn’t be at risk.
Then, Wei Que told everyone to prioritise their own safety and if they discovered anything, they had to inform Tao Rong Fang or him immediately. All of them nodded in agreement.
Nevertheless, for the next few days, they didn’t get anything more. Despite the fact that they had searched around carefully, they couldn’t find any more Sun’s True Fire. It had to be said that they were truly lucky on the first day.
During this period of time, they had come across people from other great forces, all of whom seemed to share the same thought as them as they were all looking for the hidden treasures beneath the magma.
They didn’t get into conflicts during the encounters, so everything was peaceful so far. Right now, everyone’s focus was on the Sun’s True Fire and the possibly existent Sun’s True Gold, so no one was willing to fight at this point.
A few days later, those from Great Moon Province finally found something.
They found one more Sun’s True Fire that was hidden in the magma. Tao Rong Fang and the disciples, who were staying above ground, spent a lot of effort but eventually captured it.
As time passed, only a small number of places were left unsearched. Even though the Sun Star was enormous, many great forces had arrived this time as all of them searched around on the Sun Star. In just a few days, they had visited most of the places on the Star, and the areas that were still unsearched were shrinking.
Wei Que was slightly anxious because he thought that his mission would only be completed by collecting seven Sun’s True Fires. That was because only by having seven fires could they go to a Star City and trade them for enough materials so that they could nurture a Fourth-Order Heaven Realm Master.
With only three fires now, it was far from enough. After all, it wasn’t every day that they could collect Fourth-Order Open Heaven materials. Wei Que had cultivated for a long time, but this was the first time he had encountered such an opportunity.
On this day, half of the disciples led by Wei Que dove into the magma to look for more treasures. Yang Kai was a part of them.
It was a unique experience to move through magma. Not only was the magma extremely viscous, but it was also extraordinarily hot, forcing everyone to continuously use their strength to protect themselves. Moreover, in this kind of special environment, Divine Sense wasn’t able to extend very far, so the area they were able to scan was limited.
Therefore, before one reached the Open Heaven Realm, they couldn’t stay for a long time inside the magma. They could only last an hour at most. After that, they had to leave the magma and have someone else replace them. That was how they had been working with one another these past few days.
Inside the magma, Yang Kai moved around slowly as he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, but he didn’t discover anything. Honestly, he wasn’t interested in the Sun’s True Fire; however, since he was a part of Wei Que’s group, he had to play along with them. It would be wonderful if he could find anything, but if not, he wouldn’t mind.
Soon, Yang Kai realised that his time was up. Just when he was ready to ascend to the surface though, he suddenly detected something and turned his head to look in a particular direction. He could see nothing else but red magma, but he had clearly detected something with his Divine Sense.
[Did I really find something?] At that instant, Yang Kai couldn’t contain his laughter. Since he had discovered it, he naturally wouldn’t let it go. Without any hesitation, he shot forward, and before he even reached that place, he activated his Space Principles to seal off the surrounding region. At the same time, he summoned his Six Fated Paths Bag and covered the fire wisp in it.
To the average Emperor Realm Masters like Meng Hong and the other disciples, it would be all but impossible to capture a Sun’s True Fire on their own, unless they had a useful artifact. For example, the Sky Seizing Net that belonged to Du Ru Feng. However, those from Great Moon Province obviously didn’t have such powerful artifacts, so every time they found a Sun’s True Fire, they would force it to the surface and let the other group capture it.
However, Yang Kai possessed the Six Fated Paths Bag, so it wasn’t necessary for him to do that. The bag was even able to suck in and trap an Open Heaven Realm Master, let alone a Sun’s True Fire. Even though Yang Kai wasn’t powerful enough to fully activate its power, the artifact was not to be underestimated.
Initially, he thought that he could capture the fire with ease, but as soon as he summoned the Six Fated Paths Bag, he felt an immense force coming from in front of him and his Space Principles couldn’t confine it at all. The Sun’s True Fire, which was hidden in the magma, suddenly radiated a glow and shot downwards.
“Fifth-Order material!” Yang Kai arched his brow. He couldn’t detect it when the fire was hidden in the magma; however, as soon as it moved, he realised that it was special. The fire was different from the three they had collected previously as its Fire Attribute Energy was purer and thicker, making it apparent it was above the Fourth Order.
A Fifth-Order material was worth over a million Open Heaven Pills!
Although Yang Kai wasn’t interested in Fourth-Order materials, he was keen on getting a Fifth-Order one. Seeing that the fire was moving downwards, he didn’t hesitate as he raced after it. As he extended his hand, Space Principles surged even more violently.
The fire became frozen for a moment, then it struggled out of the Space Principles’ restriction and kept moving downwards.
Yang Kai was incensed at the fact that he had failed in his attempt twice, so he relentlessly raced after it.
Anyone else would have attempted to chase the fire out of the magma first as if they went any deeper and expended too much energy, they wouldn’t be able to go up again. They might even lose their lives in the magma. However, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about this because he had Six Fated Paths Bag and his Sealed World Bead. If he really exhausted himself, he could hide inside the bag or the bead to restore his strength before making a move again.
Soon, Yang Kai wasn’t even certain how deep he had dived into the magma.
At that moment, some figures shot out of the magma and landed on the surface. All of them had turned pale, so it was apparent that they didn’t have much energy left. Wei Que was the last one to emerge from the magma, prompting Tao Rong Fang to ask, “Have you not obtained anything?”
Wei Que shook his head as he felt dejected, “It seems that the truth is different from what I’ve expected.”
After the first fruitful day, he thought that the underground was filled with Sun’s True Fires; however, after a few days of searching, they had only managed to find one more material. It was then he realised that he was too optimistic. Even on a Sun Star, Sun’s True Fire was not abundant.
Tao Rong Fang nodded, “Senior Brother, please have a rest. We’ll look for a new place before searching around again.”
Wei Que nodded his head, “That’s the only thing we can do.”
All of a sudden, Ah Sun looked around and asked, “Where’s Senior Brother Yang?” She realised that Yang Kai wasn’t among the people who had just come out of the magma.
Upon hearing her question, the others finally realised that Yang Kai was missing. Wei Que frowned and gazed at the disciples who had followed him just now and questioned, “Have any of you seen Yang Kai?”
A female disciple said, “Martial Uncle, I did rub shoulders with Junior Brother Yang just now.”
Wei Que asked, “How long ago was it?”
After giving it a thought, the female disciple replied, “About a quarter-hour ago.”
Wei Que nodded and said, “It hasn’t been that long then, we can…” He wanted to say that they could wait a little longer, as Yang Kai might come out from the magma soon.
Nevertheless, when he saw how worried Ah Sun and Dié You were, he said, “All of you, wait here. I’ll go look for him now.”
After he finished speaking, he plunged into the magma.
Old Fang and Dié You traded glances and saw the worry behind each other’s gazes. Old Fag even said, “I’ll try to contact him.”
Then, he fished out an artifact that he normally used to contact Yang Kai and infused his Divine Sense into it. After waiting for some time though, he didn’t get any reply. Dié You also gave it a try, but the result was the same.
A moment later, Wei Que returned from the magma with a dark expression.
Dié You hurriedly asked, “Senior, have you found him?” In fact, it was a pointless question. If Wei Que had really found Yang Kai, he would have brought him up. Now that he was alone, it suggested that Yang Kai had fallen into danger.
Seeing that Wei Que shook his head, Dié You turned pale.
A flustered Old Fang said, “Why is he missing? He was with all of you.”
Ah Sun was on the brink of tearing up and she shook Tao Rong Fang’s arms, “Master, Senior Brother Yang is a kind-hearted person. Please save him.”
Tao Rong Fang clapped the back of her hand and consoled her by saying, “Don’t worry. Your Martial Uncle and I are around, so we won’t let anything happen to Yang Kai.” Then, she gazed at Wei Que and communicated with him using her Divine Sense.
Wei Que nodded his head and said, “Brats, Yang Kai has gone missing, so he might have come across some kind of danger. I need you to go down with me again and search for him.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!” They all agreed.
Wei Que said solemnly, “There might be danger inside the magma that we’re not aware of, so you mustn’t stray too far away. I want you to stay close to your fellow Brothers and Sisters so that you can contact one another at any moment. If you realise that something is off, call out to me immediately.”
Besides the fact that Yang Kai had escorted Ah Sun all the way to meet up with those from Great Moon Province, his mastery of the Dao of Space made Wei Que realise that he was a rare talent. Wei Que wanted to take him on as a Disciple, which was why he had been treating the young man like he was already a part of Great Moon Province. Now that Yang Kai had fallen into danger, Wei Que wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it even if Ah Sun didn’t plead with him. As long as he was able to do so, he would try to look for Yang Kai.
After Wei Que was done with the arrangements, he led the other disciples down into the magma again, only this time, they were looking for Yang Kai instead of Sun’s True Fire.
The fact that Yang Kai had gone missing suggested that there might be danger inside the magma that they were not aware of; therefore, all of them were careful and didn’t stay too far away from one another.
One hour later, they returned to the surface without having found Yang Kai.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances before she led her group down into the magma without saying a word.
After several attempts, four hours had passed. Presently, all the disciples were exhausted and pale-faced. Only the two Open Heaven Realm Masters were still alright. However, they still hadn’t found Yang Kai after such a long time, so it was pointless to keep searching.
Tao Rong Fang and Wei Que traded glances and shook their heads.
Seeing this, Dié You said in a shaking voice, “Seniors, are you not going to keep looking? Yang Kai is still down there.”
With a dejected expression, Wei Que turned to look at her and sighed, “Too long has passed. Given his strength, it’s impossible that he could’ve survived until now. I’m afraid that he’s already passed away.”
Dié You’s face, which was already drained of any colour, turned as pale as snow. She started trembling and almost couldn’t support herself. Even though she knew that Wei Que was right, it was still difficult for her to accept such an outcome.
Yang Kai was able to create countless miracles in Seven Wonders Land, flipping the situation over in the face of formidable enemies time and again. He had also given her a Third-Order Stainless Golden Dew and led her to escape her enslavement in Seven Wonders Land. Could he have really lost his life just like this?
Unable to accept the truth, she covered her mouth and started sobbing as her shoulders trembled.
On the other side, Ah Sun’s eyes turned bloodshot as she crashed into Tao Rong Fang’s embrace and started bawling.
Old Fang thumped his chest and said, “The Heavens must have been jealous of him! Little Brother, how could you lose your life at such a young age? The Heavens must be blind! Why couldn’t it have been me instead? Little Brother, come back! I’ll replace you!”
A sense of sorrow permeated the air, causing the other disciples to be crestfallen as well. The female disciples were especially affected by their emotions as tears streamed down their faces.
Wei Que raised his hand and patted Dié You’s shoulder, “Try to restrain your grief. We’ve done our best. Now, all we can do is hope that he somehow managed to survive.”
Of course, Wei Que didn’t believe what he was saying, but that was the only way he could console her. He didn’t understand what kind of danger there was inside the magma that caused a person to go missing as even after a meticulous search, they couldn’t find any signs of danger.
Dié You brushed away her tears and said, “Senior, I’d like to keep looking for him. I don’t think he’d be killed so easily.”
“Nonsense!” Wei Que shot her a glare, “Don’t you understand your own condition? Take a rest for now.”
“But…”
Wei Que cut her off by saying, “I don’t want to use force; however, if you insist on making a scene, I’ll have no choice but to knock you out.”
Tao Rong Fang took Dié You’s hand and said gently, “Rest now. We’ll talk about it later.”
Dié You pressed her lips together and nodded as her tears slid down her face.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred. A rumbling sound was heard coming from underground, and the entire Sun Star seemed to shake. Everyone was stunned as they turned around, only to see the magma boiling vigorously, a dangerous aura permeating all around.
Wei Que’s expression changed as he shouted, “Retreat!”
As he spoke, he wrapped everyone in his World Force and hoisted them up into the sky.
At the same time, columns of magma shot out of the pools as though countless Fire Dragons had been born.
After rising thirty kilometres above the surface, everyone looked down and turned pale. That was because countless cracks had appeared on the Sun Star as though it was going to explode at any moment. Gullies had been formed as the magma weltered in them, sweeping everything away.
The rumbling sounds were so loud that their eardrums hurt.
Then, a dazzling light could be seen coming from a certain direction, causing one of the disciples to unconsciously exclaim, “What is that?”
When the others turned their heads to look at the source of the light, their pupils contracted. In the distance, the gigantic illusory phantom of a palace could be seen hovering high up above, appearing both real and yet ethereal.
Even though it was just an illusory phantom, it was still awe-inspiring to the beholder. The ancient palace seemed to have passed through millions of years to arrive in the modern era.
There was a palace on this Sun Star!
Wei Que exclaimed, “Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
It was rumoured that besides the Sun’s True Gold, there might even be a Golden Crow Divine Palace on this Sun Star, and the reason that the Sun’s fire was dying out was that the Golden Crow was dying.
However, in the end, this was just a rumour. Most people would believe that there was Sun’s True Gold to be found, but nine out of ten people wouldn’t believe that there was a Golden Crow Divine Palace here, while the remaining one person would be seriously doubtful.
Nonetheless, at this moment, a palace had really appeared on the Sun Star. What else could it be if it wasn’t a Golden Crow Divine Palace?
Tao Rong Fang widened her eyes, “The rumour was true?”
A myriad of expressions came over Wei Que as he had a feeling that things were rapidly growing beyond his expectations. If it was just the possibility of Sun’s True Gold, the great forces in the neighbouring Great Territories would be able to monopolize the benefits of this place. However, now that a legendary Golden Crow Divine Palace had appeared, word was sure to spread and real powerhouses were bound to come.
It was inevitable that the Thirty-Six Cave Heaven and Seventy-Two Paradises would hear of this and come to investigate. Once that happened, the Third Class great forces like Great Moon Province wouldn’t be able to reap any benefits while even the Second Class great forces with Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would be forced to the sidelines.
Therefore, in order to get any benefits, they had to obtain them now before word spread.
After pondering the issue for a short time, Wei Que made a decision and called out, “Meng Hong!”
“Yes!” Meng Hong stepped forward.
“Leave with your Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.”
Meng Hong was startled for a moment before he realised Wei Que’s intention, then he cupped his fists and bowed, “Yes. We’ll await Martial Uncle and Aunt at the periphery.”
Wei Que shook his head, “No. All of you must directly go to First Inn, then ask them to send a message to Sect Master. Have him and the other Elders come as quickly as possible.”
A serious-looking Meng Hong nodded, “Understood.”
After he was done with the arrangement, Wei Que turned to look at Tao Rong Fang, “Let’s go.”
Saying so, he turned into a beam of light and shot into the distance.
Tao Rong Fang said to Ah Sun, “Xiao Sun’er, leave with your Senior Brother Meng. Be careful.”
Ah Sun nodded, “You must be careful as well, Master.”
Without speaking any further, Tao Rong Fang raced after Wei Que.
After the Open Heaven Realm Masters departed, all the disciples lost a sense of security as they turned to Meng Hong, who said, “You all heard what Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt have said. Now that the Golden Crow Divine Palace has appeared, this place will descend into chaos soon. Follow me to First Inn now!”
Dié You said, “Senior Brother Meng, I want to stay here.”
Old Fang stepped forward, “Me too.”
Ah Sun said, “And me.”
“You…” Meng Hong shot a glare at the three of them as he tried to act as a proper Senior Brother, “Didn’t you hear what Martial Aunt and Martial Uncle said? Without their protection, we’ll be doomed if we come across any enemies!”
Dié You hung her head low and fell silent.
Old Fang said, “Senior Brother Meng, please don’t try to convince us. We’re not considered disciples of Great Moon Province yet, so I believe no one will find fault with us. We… I just want to keep looking for Little Brother Yang a bit longer. If he’s alive I must see him in person, if he has fallen, I must see his corpse.”
Ah Sun nodded in agreement.
Meng Hong’s face fell, “Must you insist?”
Old Fang cupped his fists, “Senior Brother Meng, please forgive us. If it weren’t for Little Brother Yang, we three would still be suffering in Seven Wonders Land as slaves. He saved our lives and gave us our freedom. Now that he has fallen into danger, we can’t just stand idly by.”
Meng Hong let out a sigh, his expression appearing conflicted as he said through clenched teeth, “Good.” Then, he pointed at one disciple, “Junior Brother Liu, go to First Inn now and ask them to send a message to our headquarters. Be extremely careful.”
The disciple surnamed Liu cupped his fists, “Yes.” Then, he shot into the sky.
Then, Meng Hong gazed at the other disciples, “Rest for an hour. We’ll continue searching for half a day more, but if we still haven’t found Junior Brother Yang by then, we will leave no matter what.”
An elated Old Fang said, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Meng.”
Dié You hurriedly thanked him as well. Even though she didn’t want to trouble them, she reckoned that it was better to have more people helping at this moment.
Meng Hong shook his head and heaved a sigh, “All of you, listen up. If anyone dares to tell Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt what has happened today, don’t call me Senior Brother again.” He had practically gone against Wei Que’s orders, which truly made him feel guilty and afraid.
The disciples quickly replied, “We will never speak of this.”
After that, they landed on the surface and found a place to adjust their breathing. Fortunately, the Sun Star stabilised after the turbulence just now; otherwise, they wouldn’t have even been able to find a place to land.
…..
At the same time, Yang Kai was puzzledly looking around in a long hall that was very deep underground.
He had been racing after the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire for quite some time, and after several failed attempts, he finally found a chance to use the Six Fated Paths Bag to capture it. Before he could celebrate, however, he felt an immense force pulling him down into a vortex. When he came to his senses, he realised that he was already in this place.
He couldn’t believe that there was such a place beneath the surface of the Sun Star.
The hall was wide and brightly lit, and obviously wasn’t naturally formed. The walls and the ground were smooth and covered with fiery red stones, while an extremely pure Fire Element Energy permeated the air.
Yang Kai was stunned as the Fire Element in this place was much purer than that of Fire Spirit Land in Seven Wonders Land. If one could condense a First-Order Fire Element by cultivating in Fire Spirit Land, he could condense a Third-Order Element easily in this place.
Without the need for any Fire Element materials, one could achieve the Third Order by just absorbing the ambient Fire Element in this place, which was simply inconceivable. If the other great forces found out about it, they would scramble to occupy this place. Everyone would be tempted to own such a cultivation paradise.
[But… where is this place? Why does it exist beneath the surface of the Sun Star?] Yang Kai decided to push these questions to the back of his mind for now. Looking to both sides, he realised that he couldn’t see the end of the hallway with a glance.
Then, he tried to use his Space Principles and realised that he could do so smoothly, which meant that the space around here hadn’t been sealed off. Upon that realization, Yang Kai set his mind at ease. As long as the local space wasn’t sealed, he wouldn’t be trapped in this place as he could leave at any moment.
Following that, he randomly picked a direction and moved forward. After walking for a few thousand metres, Yang Kai reached the end of the hallway and was faced with a bronze door that looked extremely heavy.
He attempted to push the door with all his strength, but was shocked to discover that he was unable to even make it budge. Even though his cultivation was considered weak compared to others in the Outer Universe, Yang Kai possessed immense physical strength because he had a Dragon Vein. The bronze door didn’t look special at all, but it remained unmoving as it was pushed by Yang Kai, which went to show that it was no ordinary door.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to take extreme measures, so after pondering on it for a moment, he returned to the original spot he appeared and walked in the opposite direction.
After a long time, he reached the end again and was rendered speechless as just like what had happened earlier, he was blocked by another bronze door. If it weren’t because he was certain that he had gotten the direction right, he would have thought that he was stuck in a loop.
The tunnel was basically blocked on both ends. It seemed that if he wanted to leave this place, he had to open one of the bronze doors, making him wonder what was behind both of them.
At this moment, he was stuck in a dilemma. After giving it a thought, he decided to fish out the Six Fated Paths Bag and looked at the thing inside.
There was a flame inside that was trying to break free from the bag as though it had a spirituality; nevertheless, the bag was even able to keep an Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could a mere Sun’s True Fire struggle free?
It was indeed a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. Compared to the three fires that were captured by the disciples from Great Moon Province, the one in his possession obviously possessed a purer and denser Fire Element. Gazing at the Sun’s True Fire, Yang Kai no longer felt dejected. He had stayed in First Inn for four months and spent more than 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. Now, a Fifth-Order material in his bag was worth 1,500,000 pills at least, which more than made up for his losses.
He couldn’t keep the fire in the Six Fated Paths Bag as he needed to use the bag to deal with his enemies, so Yang Kai decided to transfer it to the Small Sealed World and suppressed it somewhere.
After he completed this, Yang Kai looked up at the bronze door with a determined gaze. He was forced to leap out into the Outer Universe for two reasons. Firstly, he wanted to experience a higher Martial Dao, and secondly, he had to look for the World Tree. Both of these endeavours would require a lot of money to accomplish.
Even though he had gained something from his trip to the Sun Star, it was nothing compared to his expected future expenses; therefore, he had to obtain as many benefits as possible this time as he wouldn’t know if he would come across such a chance again.
Invaluable treasures might be hidden just behind this bronze door.
Thinking so, he extended his hand and summoned out the Azure Dragon Spear. Channelling his strength into the spear, Yang Kai thrust it out, causing a thunderous impact that seemed to shake the world itself.
Meanwhile, an ancient palace stood on the Sun Star’s surface. Countless figures came from all directions and landed in front of the palace, appearing quite dazzled by it.
“Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
“It’s really a Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
All of the Open Heaven Realm Masters exclaimed in amazement as their faces flushed. Even though they were Open Heaven Realm Masters, they had never expected that a Golden Crow Divine Palace truly existed on this Sun Star. The rumours were not unfounded after all!
Since the palace really existed, it meant that another rumour wasn’t unfounded as well. The Sun Star was on the brink of destruction because the Golden Crow which lived here was dying!
At the thought of the possibility that the powerful Golden Crow corpse was inside this palace, these Open Heaven Realm Masters became extremely fervent. The Golden Crow was one of the ancient beasts, said to be just as powerful as the Dragons and Phoenixes. Besides the fact that the Golden Crow had undoubtedly amassed countless treasures in its lifetime, even its corpse was invaluable.
Now, the palace was right in front of everyone’s eyes, and the treasures within it seemed to be beckoning to them. No one could resist the temptation.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters who arrived at this place first couldn’t contain their excitement anymore as they attempted to dash inside. Upon seeing that, other people began scrambling to enter the palace.
The main door of the palace was firmly closed, and although there were no signs of any seals on it, it managed to block everyone outside. Just when these Open Heaven Realm Masters attempted to break the door down, two odd-looking three-legged bird sculptures, which stood on either side of the door, suddenly exuded very dangerous auras. Their eyes nimbly darted around, and following a cracking sound, their heads turned around and targeted the people in front of the door. Then, they opened their mouths and shot out two threads of fire.
The threads of fire were so thin that they appeared negligible while not feeling hot at all. However, as soon as the threads of fire appeared, holes could immediately be seen in the chests and stomachs of a number of Open Heaven Realm Masters who had gathered outside the palace. No blood could be seen streaming out of the holes, but all their organs could be seen squirming inside.
The incident was so unexpected that no one had yet to come to their senses. The next instant though, shrieks were heard as the stunned Open Heaven Realm Masters quickly withdrew.
After a series of cracking sounds, the two three-legged birds seemed to have come to life as they flapped their wings and took to the air. Their murderous intent seemed to have filled the sky as a glow radiated from their black figures. They looked like two miniature suns.
When Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang arrived at this place, they saw the other Open Heaven Realm Masters battling against the Golden Crow statues, which astounded them.
“Brother Zi Ye?” Wei Que caught a glimpse of a figure who had sat down with his legs crossed in a nearby spot. Then, he flew over and landed on the ground. When he saw the horrible wounds on the man’s chest and stomach, his face turned pale as he asked, “Brother Zi Ye, what happened?”
Upon opening his eyes, Zi Ye looked up and put on a bitter smile, “Brother Wei…”
“Brother Zi Ye, your wounds…”
The smile on Zi Ye’s face became even more bitter, “I was not careful enough…” He coughed as blood foam started streaming out of his mouth. The blood foam was scorching hot, as though it was boiling, and steam was continuously forming from it. At the same time, Zi Ye’s skin became reddened like a crab that had been cooked.
“Beware the… Golden Crow’s True Fire!” Zi Ye exclaimed before collapsing to the ground. Boiling blood could be seen streaming out of his seven orifices.
“Brother Zi Ye! Brother Zi Ye!” A shocked Wei Que called out to him, but he could no longer receive a reply.
“He’s… dead?” Tao Rong Fang, who landed on the ground after Wei Que, turned ashen.
Wei Que extended his hand to check Zi Ye’s pulse, soon causing his expression to change. That was because he realised that all the meridians in Zi Ye’s body had been burned down. There was also a scorching power within his body that was charging around violently. Without the protection of the body’s own power, the scorching power turned Zi Ye’s flesh into blood as it flowed out from his seven orifices and the wounds on his chest and stomach.
Wei Que felt a crawling sensation on his scalp, and his entire figure turned cold.
He was fully aware of Zi Ye’s strength as, just like him, Zi Ye was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. This kind of power wasn’t among the top in the Outer Universe, but it wasn’t weak either. However, Zi Ye was killed and ended up in such a miserable state, which went to show that it wasn’t easy to barge into the palace.
Looking up, Wei Que realised that the Open Heaven Realm Masters and the two Golden Crow statues were locked in an intense battle outside the main entrance. He was absolutely certain that they were just statues as they didn’t have any life aura; however, he wasn’t sure what the statues were made of as they were practically impenetrable. The statues might also contain a bit of the Golden Crow’s spirituality; otherwise, they couldn’t have been so powerful.
“Senior Brother, what should we do?” Tao Rong Fang asked.
Wei Que replied, “Just watch.”
The statues were not very agile, so Wei Que reckoned that as long as he was careful enough, he wouldn’t be harmed. Nevertheless, he was wary of the Golden Crow’s True Fire. Moreover, with so many people battling against the statues, he didn’t think they were needed anyway.
The people who had arrived at a later time shared the same thought. They were looking from afar as they didn’t have the intention of helping out.
Upon seeing this, the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were fighting with the statues cursed in their hearts. Nevertheless, they were unable to get rid of the statues, so they had no choice but to clench their teeth and keep fighting.
Presently, only Open Heaven Realm Masters had the guts to come to this place while those below the Open Heaven Realm were nowhere in sight. Just like Wei Que, these top cultivators had told their disciples to wait at the periphery of the Sun Star or return to First Inn so that they wouldn’t be restrained when fighting for the treasures.
After a long and intense battle, two more people were wounded by the Golden Crow’s True Fire and fled in embarrassment. However, the Golden Crow’s True Fire was indeed overbearing. Even though they were not badly injured by the initial impact, boiling blood could be seen streaming out of their mouths within a few breaths at most. If they couldn’t resolve the power of the True Fire, they would end up like Zi Ye.
At that instant, these top cultivators lamented in their hearts. They had arrived at this place first, but they were unfortunately confronted by the statues. If they knew this would be the outcome, they would have come at a later time.
With that said, their effort wasn’t unrewarded. After a long battle, the statues had become less agile, and the True Fire that was shot out of their mouths had been weakened as well. Also, their eyes had become sluggish.
Seeing that, they realised that the spirituality within the statues was running out. Regardless of how powerful they were, they were just statues. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters joining forces, they would eventually destroy the statues.
Since hope was within their grasp, they became even more ferocious. They wanted to get rid of the statues as soon as possible so that they could explore the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
As time passed, the two Golden Crow statues became weaker, and even the Golden Crow’s True Fire they spat out became intermittent. It seemed that they were running out of power.
Everyone was elated upon seeing that. Even though the statues were exquisitely crafted, they were nothing special in and of themselves. They were powerful because of their Golden Crow’s True Fire, but now that they had seemingly exhausted it, they no longer appeared terrifying.
Just when the Open Heaven Realm Masters were preparing to capture the statues, they were both suddenly engulfed in a shadow. It seemed to be a shadow of a greatly magnified sleeve, which flapped in the air and covered the entire sky.
“Universe in a Sleeve!” Wei Que exclaimed as he could recognise the Divine Ability at first glance.
The magnified sleeve curled up as its immense energy fluctuation swept the Open Heaven Realm Masters away. Following that, the statues were kept inside the sleeve.
A figure flashed across everyone’s eyes as an elderly man appeared. His huge sleeves flapped in the air, and his chubby face radiated a pinkish glow. Presently, he was looking smilingly at his right sleeve. Two petite statues could be seen charging around violently in the sleeve, but they couldn’t struggle out of the restriction.
Obviously, it was this elderly man who had used his Divine Ability to capture the statues.
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters were startled for a moment before they became incensed as they glared at the elderly man. They had been battling against the statues for a long time now, and just when they were able to exhaust their enemy, someone else swooped in and reaped the fruits of their labour, which was intolerable; after all, the statues had some impressive value as well.
However, upon making out the elderly man’s face, they furrowed their brows. Although they were infuriated, they wouldn’t dare to rebuke him. Apparently, they were wary of the elderly man’s strength and background.
Tao Rong Fang said in a hushed voice, “Someone from Heaven’s Border has really arrived.”
Wei Que sported a solemn expression as well, “We only see Old Hong now, and we’re not sure whether the other two have arrived. If the other two are here as well, it’ll be troublesome.”
While they were having a chat, a change happened all of a sudden. Just when Old Hong, who was from Heaven’s Border, was over the moon, a golden thread shot out from the void and snuck into Old Hong’s sleeve. When the golden thread was retracted, a statue inside the sleeve was also drawn out.
Old Hong’s expression turned cold as he bellowed, “How dare you snatch this Old Master’s prize! Who are you?”
After he finished speaking, he extended his hand towards the statue.
Just then, a fit of giggles could be heard coming from the void. This voice was as pleasant as a silver bell, which made everyone feel refreshed. Following her laugh, a curvy figure was revealed as a slender hand intercepted Old Hong’s.
With a loud boom, a violent force spread around. Old Hong shuddered and stepped backwards. Upon impact, the beautiful woman hopped backwards lightly and widened her gap with Old Hong. Then, she looked smilingly at him and said, “Old Hong, why are you so mad?”
The change happened too quickly and it wasn’t until this moment that the crowd made out who the woman was. She was a mature beauty with beautiful eyes that seemed so clear it was as if water would drip from them. The charm she exuded seemed able to attract everyone’s attention innately.
Initially, Old Hong was infuriated, but upon seeing the woman, his fury disappeared in an instant and with a forced smile, he said, “So it is First Inn’s Madam Lan, forgive my disrespect.”
In his heart, Old Hong felt frustrated. If anyone else had snatched his things like this, he would never have let them off; however, this woman was from First Inn. Given the fact that he was from Heaven’s Border, which was less powerful than First Inn, he was unable to rebuke the woman. He knew that he would never get the statue back. Nevertheless, she had shown him some respect by leaving one statue to him.
The Proprietress kept a smile on her face, “Old Hong, this in an interesting thing. Would you be willing to give one to me?”
[You’ve already snatched it from me. Can I even get it back?] Old Hong secretly cursed at her, but he still replied with a smile, “Madam Lan, it is this Old Master’s honour that you’re interested in my… in these things. If you wish, I can give you this one as well.” Then, he flapped his sleeve as though he was a generous man.
The Proprietress tucked her hair behind her ear in a charming manner, then she shook her head with a smile, “There’s no need for that. I just need one so that I can examine it when I return. Many thanks for your gift. If you need any information in the future, feel free to visit First Inn. I’ll give you one piece for free.”
Hearing this, Old Hong put on a smile, “Many thanks, Madam Lan. In that case, this Old Master will gladly accept.”
A Golden Crow statue for a piece of information. No one could tell whether it was a good or bad deal.
Old Hong turned to look at the ancient palace and asked, “Madam Lan, are you here to explore the palace as well?”
The Proprietress replied, “Since such an important incident has happened, I certainly have to come over to have a look. Isn’t it the same case for you, Old Hong?”
Old Hong’s brow twitched, “In that case, why don’t we join forces? We can help each other this way.” He wasn’t powerful enough to go against her, but fortunately for him, Madam Lan had always been fair when doing business. If he could join forces with her, he would definitely get a share of the benefits after they entered the palace. At the very least, he wouldn’t go home empty-handed.
The Proprietress fiddled with the hair in front of her chest and replied with a smile, “Join forces? Let’s not. I’m used to acting independently. If you need allies, why don’t you ask whether they’re interested?” As she spoke, she deliberately took a look in a particular direction.
“They?” Old Hong frowned, then he immediately understood what she meant and swung his sleeve widely, “Come out!”
A violent force swept across the void, forcing three figures to reveal themselves. One of them was a gentle-looking scholar with a fan in his hand. There was also a burly man with a deep gaze in tight-fitting black robes. The last person was a cheeky young girl in a green dress.
It wasn’t certain what technique they had used that they were able to conceal themselves for such a long time to the point that Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and even a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master like Old Hong weren’t aware of their existence. If it weren’t because the Proprietress from First Inn pointed it out, Old Hong wouldn’t have known they were even here.
At that instant, Old Hong realised that Madam Lan was indeed more powerful than he was. At the same time, he was mad at these people for their viciousness. Apparently, they had been hiding in the dark because they wanted to take advantage of him.
“So it is you who had been hiding there. What’s wrong? Are you trying to reap the benefits without putting in any effort?” Old Hong snorted as he could recognise these three.
The arrogant-looking man in black robes scoffed, then he turned around and cupped his fists at the Proprietress. The scholar also cupped his fists at her with a bitter smile, “Madam Lan, you indeed have an acute vision.”
The young girl stomped her foot and pouted, “Big Sister Lan, why did you expose us?”
Despite the fact that they had been exposed by the Proprietress, they wouldn’t dare to rebuke her, which went to show how influential First Inn truly was.
Madam Lan covered her mouth and laughed, “It has nothing to do with me. It was Old Hong who found out about your existence.”
She was completely insincere, but no one dared to refute her.
On the ground, Wei Que, whose expression was bitter, gazed at the three people who had just appeared, and he said in a hushed voice, “They’re Zhang Qi from Righteous Land, Ji Tian Xing from Blood Dragon Altar, and Yuan Xiao Man from Mirror Flowers Water Moon… Things are getting interesting now.”
Even though many Open Heaven Realm Masters had arrived at this place earlier, they were all in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm with only minor differences between their strengths and backgrounds. However, the people who had just appeared were all Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Heaven’s Border, Righteous Land, Blood Dragon Altar, and Mirror Flowers Water Moon were all Second Class great forces; furthermore, the Proprietress of First Inn, Madam Lan, had also come to this place.
“I’ve met Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man before. So, the scholarly-looking one is Zhang Qi from Righteous Land, right?” Tao Rong Fang asked.
Wei Que nodded, “Although he appears harmless, he’s actually extremely ruthless. If you come across him in the future, you must take care.”
“En,” Tao Rong Fang nodded discretely.
While they were speaking, Zhang Qi suddenly turned to look at them. Tao Rong Fang’s expression changed as she knew that he must have realised what they were talking about, thus she quickly hung her head low.
Although she was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was much weaker than Zhang Qi in the end. The difference between Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters was enormous. If Zhang Qi targeted her, she would surely end up miserable.
Fortunately, Zhang Qi soon retracted his gaze. Since the Golden Crow Divine Palace was right in front of him, he didn’t have the time to care about minor matters.
Although the Golden Crow statues were gone, these Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters still wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had appeared, so they might offend them if they were not careful; moreover, they had come across danger before they even entered the palace, so they wondered what else awaited them inside. Naturally, they wanted the stronger cultivators to lead the way.
Old Hong and the others seemed to have realised their intentions as they shot a look at the weaker cultivators with Zhang Qi saying, “It’s pointless to keep waiting here. Why don’t we get in to have a look?”
The man in black robes, Ji Tian Xing, nodded, “Of course, we have to get in.”
Old Hong looked around, “Who will enter first?”
Yuan Xiao Man ignored him and walked up to Madam Lan. Then, she wrapped her arm around the latter’s spoke to her with a smile. Madam Lan pinched her nose, which caused the young girl to pout.
After a moment of deadlock, Old Hong said, “Why don’t we take turns to make a move? It seems that this door will be difficult to open. Whoever manages to open the door will go in first.”
The first one to enter the palace was taking great risks, but would also stand a chance to get the best treasures. While the weak wanted to pick up the crumbs, the top cultivators were naturally willing to take some chances to reap bigger gains.
Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing were fine with this arrangement, so Old Hong turned to look at the Proprietress to ask, “Madam Lan, why don’t you make a move first?”
Madam Lan replied with a smile, “There’s no need for that. I want to talk to Xiao Man now. Go ahead.”
Seeing that, Old Hong nodded, “Then this Old Master will go first.”
Upon finishing his words, he leaped towards the door and examined it carefully before pressing his hands against it. Everyone immediately stared fixedly at his moves.
Then, with a loud creak, the door slowly opened.
At that instant, Old Hong, Zhang Qi, Ji Tian Xing, and the rest were all stunned. No one had expected that the door could be opened so easily.
While the others were in a dazed state, Old Hong dashed into the palace. Upon seeing that, all of them became agitated and without the need for any words, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward.
“Make way!” A yell was heard coming from the man in black robes, Ji Tian Xing. Like an ancient beast that had gone mad, he rushed out and rammed into whoever came into his way, causing those people to be sent flying away. In the blink of an eye, he reached the door and became the second person to enter the palace.
Following that, the scholar, Zhang Qi, sprinted into the palace as he gently waved his fan.
“Big Sister Lan, let’s get going as well.” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at Madam Lan, who nodded in response. After that, they dashed into the palace as well.
After all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters entered the palace, the rest scrambled towards the building. Inevitably, they had to trade some moves as their pressures permeated the place.
“Senior Brother, what should we do?” Tao Rong Fang gazed at Wei Que and asked.
“We follow them,” Wei Que replied solemnly. Since they had arrived at this place, and the palace door had opened, there was no way they would leave just like this. Even though they had no idea what danger awaited them in the building, they reckoned that they just had to be careful and not snatch stuff from others they couldn’t afford to offend. If they could do that much, they wouldn’t fall into danger.
However, when they entered the palace, they instantly felt a scorching power coming at them.
After that, they realised that many figures were flying around inside the spacious hall, which made the place look quite bustling. A number of Sun’s True Fires could be seen flitting about amongst the crowd, trying to escape from the Open Heaven Realm Masters. The glow of the Sun’s True Fires illuminated the hall and mingled with the lights caused by the Open Heaven Realm Masters’ methods.
“What…” Tao Rong Fang was stunned as she didn’t expect to see such a lively scene upon entering the hall. After a quick count, she realised that there were more than ten Sun’s True Fires that were flying around in the hall.
It was rare to see such a magnificent sight, which caused Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang to become fervent as well.
There were many huge columns in the hall, and torches could be seen burning on each of them. Tao Rong Fang didn’t pay attention to this at first, but upon closer look, she was shocked to discover that these weren’t torches at all. They were all Sun’s True Fires that were burning brightly. In other words, the hall was well lit thanks to these Sun’s True Fires.
Obviously, these flying Sun’s True Fires were supposed to be just like the other torches, but after they were disturbed by the intruders, they began flitting about.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances; then, without the need for any discussion, they dashed forward and pounced on the torches. Before they even arrived, they used their Divine Abilities in an attempt to capture the Sun’s True Fires.
The hall was quite spacious, so there were about twenty Sun’s True Fires that were used as torches. However, many people had entered the place, and all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters with a small number of them having reached the Mid-Rank.
After a quarter-hour of fighting and snatching, the dust finally settled. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had managed to grab two Sun’s True Fires per person, some of them even being Fifth-Order. As for the rest, they were snatched by other people. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were pretty lucky. Even though they had come into the palace later than most, they managed to make a move at the right time and had obtained a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. They could barely conceal the excitement and joy behind their gazes.
A Fifth-Order material could be traded for ten Fourth-Order materials, which was enough for them to nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while still having some materials to spare. It could be said that they had achieved their goal for this trip at this moment.
However, they were reluctant to leave just like this. They had obtained such a treasure not long after they entered the palace, so wouldn’t there be more rewards if they kept on exploring?
In fact, many people shared the same thought. Those who had obtained the Sun’s True Fires were unwilling to leave, not to mention those who hadn’t gotten anything yet. Although there were no more Sun’s True Fires left in the hall, no one could be certain that there wasn’t more treasure deeper inside. Therefore, they were all began searching around.
Soon, someone discovered that the floor in the hall was paved with Peak-Rank Fire Jade. The revelation was shocking. Even though Fire Jade was not a rare material in the Outer Universe, its value varied depending on its rank. This kind of Peak-Rank Fire Jade was quite valuable.
Furthermore, while the hall was quite spacious, the entire floor was paved with the purest and most exquisite Fire Jade. Even the Second Class great forces would be financially burdened if they wanted to build such a floor. Only the First Class forces had the means to do something like this.
At that instant, everyone almost went mad. Without the need to say anything, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters became moles as clanging sounds were continuously heard in the hall. The Fire Jade was all lifted and then put inside Space Rings.
Even First Inn’s Proprietress, Madam Lan, joined in. Nobody would refuse free stuff.
However, the good time didn’t last long as someone accidentally triggered a restriction soon after they began. While the crowd was busy harvesting the Fire Jade, a rumbling sound was suddenly heard, and following that, the main door abruptly shut.
Everyone was shocked as they straightened up and raised their guard, but before they could figure out what was going on, they all felt dizzy at the same time as the world started spinning around them. When they came to their senses, they realised that they were inside a huge cave.
The hall and the floor that was paved with Fire Jade was gone, so they didn’t have to continue their stripping work. After such a sudden change, the people who were familiar with one another hurriedly gathered together as they looked around in a vigilant manner to prevent falling into danger. Some of them had even used their Secret Techniques to conceal themselves.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were astounded as well, with Yuan Xiao Man walking up to Madam Lan and sticking close to her, as though she could only find a sense of security by doing so.
All of a sudden, Old Hong turned to look at Zhang Qi and said, “Brother Zhang, you’re an expert in Spirit Arrays. What do you think has happened?”
Zhang Qi waved his fan and gave it a thought before replying, “It should be a type of Space Array. Judging from what this Zhang felt, I reckon that we haven’t been shifted to a faraway place though. We should still be somewhere on the Sun Star.”
Old Hong nodded, “This Old Master agrees. In other words, we’re still inside the Golden Crow Divine Palace?”
“We’ll find out.”
“En,” Old Hong nodded.
All of them felt insecure at abruptly appearing in such a place, so before things become clearer, all of them silently agreed to work together. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not fools, so without the need for any discussion, they started carefully probing their surroundings.
Soon, they discovered something. The cave wasn’t closed as there were eight exits. They were arrayed in the form of the Eight Paths of Divination, so it was apparent that they were not simple exits.
Upon that realisation, the Open Heaven Realm Masters furrowed their brows. Certainly, top cultivators like them knew a thing or two about the Eight Paths of Divination; however, no one could tell which path they should take in this particular case. Fortunately, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were around, so the Low-Rank ones would just have to watch what decision Madam Lan and the others made. They would rather follow them than try out the paths on their own.
“Madam Lan, which path should we choose?” Old Hong turned to look at Madam Lan and asked. Her cultivation was the strongest at the scene, so her opinion also carried the most weight.
The Proprietress looked around and replied with a smile, “Since there’s a Path of Life, I’ll certainly choose that; otherwise, should we choose the Path of Death?”
“The Path of Life?” Old Hong frowned, “But we can’t be certain that it isn’t meant to mislead us.”
“You choose the Path of Death, then. Maybe you’ll reach the other end of the passage alive.”
At that, Old Hong was rendered speechless.
“I’ll be leaving first, then,” After Madam Lan finished speaking, she really shuffled towards the Path of Life and disappeared.
Everyone was dumbfounded as they hadn’t expected that she would make a decision so quickly. Was she confident in her luck? Or had she discovered something but didn’t tell them?
Yuan Xiao Man hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Big Sister Lan, wait for me…”
Then, she also followed Madam Lan and entered the Path of Life. After they were gone, half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters dashed towards the Path of Life as well; after all, they knew that she was from First Inn, which had a powerful background. Therefore, her decision should be the right one.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang also left with them.
Those who hadn’t left were either doubtful or thought that Old Hong was right. If they could get out alive simply by choosing the Path of Life, what was the point of arranging the Eight Paths of Divination?
“What should we do?” Old Hong turned to look at Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing.
Ji Tian Xing snorted, “I don’t care what you all do. I’ll leave right this instant.” After he finished speaking, he directly shuffled towards the Path of Death, causing Old Hong’s face to twitch. It seemed that Ji Tian Xing was determined to choose the worst possible path, and it wasn’t certain whether he would be able to reach the other end of the passage alive.
Zhang Qi shook his head, “Brother Tian Xing is such a resolute man. I’m no match for him in this regard.”
Upon finishing his words, he ambled towards the Path of Healing. After those two left, some Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters followed them. At that instant, only a dozen or so people were left in the cave. Apart from Old Hong, the rest were all in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm as they stared fixedly at him.
A frustrated Old Hong fished out an ancient copper coin and cupped his hands before shaking it. Then, he spread his palms to have a look and muttered something, upon which he looked in a particular direction.
After keeping the copper coin, he turned into a beam of light and shot towards the path it pointed to and was soon followed by the remaining people.
Meanwhile, inside the long hallway, Yang Kai heaved a sigh as he lifted the Peak-Rank Fire Jade tiles from the floor and put them inside his Space Ring.
He didn’t notice it at first, but after realizing that he was unable to get out of this place currently, Yang Kai decided to probe around. It was then he discovered that the floor was paved with such treasures. Apart from the fact that the floor was made of Fire Jade, he had also realised that the torches on the walls were actually all Sun’s True Fires.
In total, there were eight torches in the hallway, which meant that there were eight Sun’s True Fires. Including the one he had collected previously, he had nine Sun’s True Fires in possession now, three of which were Fifth-Order.
Yang Kai had obtained a lot of good stuff on this day. Although he had no idea how he ended up in such a place, he managed to get a lot of Sun’s True Fires and Fire Jades. However, both ends of the hallway had been sealed, which made him unable to leave this place. That was why he felt helpless.
With nothing else to do, he decided that he would take all these Fire Jade tiles before probing around the place again. If he still couldn’t find an exit at that point, he would have no choice but to use Instantaneous Movement to leave.
After two hours, he had finally stored all the Fire Jades in the hallway. Just when he was ready to start looking around again, his expression changed and he turned to look in a particular direction. That was because he could faintly hear some noises coming from there.
Upon listening carefully, Yang Kai confirmed that there were indeed noises from the other side. Furthermore, if he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed that someone was trying to attack the bronze door that had blocked the hallway.
[There’s someone on the other side of the door?] A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly rushed towards that place.
If there was someone on the other side, it meant that the hallway wasn’t a dead end. However, he wasn’t certain where the entrance or the exit was.
Upon reaching the door, he tried to examine the situation and soon his expression changed. That was because the person on the other side appeared powerful. At the very least, they must be a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Just then, a faint sound was heard, and upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that there was a small crack on the door now.
The bronze door, which he was unable to move one bit no matter how he tried, was now breaking apart. Right after the thought flashed across his mind, a loud boom was heard as the gigantic bronze door exploded and fell apart. The broken pieces were scattered everywhere, and Yang Kai was almost hurt by one of the flying fragments.
Instinctively, he manipulated Space Principles in an attempt to flee from this place; however, after giving it a thought, he suppressed his urge to leave. Swiftly, he summoned the Shadowless Veil he had obtained from Du Ru Feng and shrouded himself in it. In the next instant, his figure disappeared from the spot. At the same time, he held his breath and concealed his aura.
If he left this place at this point, it would be difficult for him to come back again. He was reluctant to leave before he at least saw the Sun’s True Gold. Nevertheless, he was too weak now, so he didn’t have the right to go against the Open Heaven Realm Masters. The only thing he could rely on was the Shadowless Veil.
Du Ru Feng had said that this thing was given to him by Duan Hai and that all cultivators below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm would never be able to discover it. As for Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, they might neglect it if they didn’t look carefully.
Yang Kai prayed in his heart that Du Ru Feng had not inflated the worth of this artifact. If he was exposed in this place, he would have a hard time explaining himself. By then, he could only flee.
After concealing himself, Yang Kai hid behind a broken piece of the door, partially obscuring himself.
Right after he was done with all that, he heard someone speaking cheerfully, “Big Sister Lan is too awesome!”
Following that, he heard a very familiar voice, “You won’t get anything from flattering me!”
The voice of the first person was pleasant to the ears, while the voice of the second person was sweet and entrancing, two very different feelings. Yang Kai frowned as his expression turned awkward because the second voice sounded like that of the First Inn Proprietress.
Yang Kai had stayed in First Inn for four months, and he would meet up with Dié You and the others in the dining hall every three days, so he had seen the Proprietress a few times. Even though they were not close to one another, they did chat once or twice.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t so surprising for her to come to this place because First Inn was close to the Sun Star. The great forces from neighbouring Great Territories had come over to have a look, so with First Inn being in this Great Territory, there was no way the Proprietress would take no action.
“It’s not flattery, Big Sister Lan. You’re really awesome. I truly admire you,” the woman with a pleasant voice said before calling out to the others, “Do you guys agree with me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” The others replied and flattered the Proprietress.
[So many people!] A stunned Yang Kai decided to be extra careful.
“Enough talk. Let’s keep moving,” the person Yang Kai suspected to be the Proprietress said before her curvy figure shuffled into the hallway.
Yang Kai took a peek and realised that just like what he had speculated, one of the women was the Proprietress from First Inn.
The Proprietress stopped in her tracks and looked around for a bit before she suddenly stared fixedly in a particular direction as her eyes widened. It was as though she had just seen something inconceivable, and even her luscious lips parted slightly.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he secretly cursed Du Ru Feng for lying to him. Du Ru Feng had said that cultivators below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm had no hope of noticing this Shadowless Veil, while Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would neglect it if they didn’t look carefully.
Now, it seemed that he was just spouting nonsense. Presently, the Proprietress was staring right at Yang Kai, so it was apparent that she had noticed him.
An embarrassed Yang Kai felt guilty as if he had done something wrong. It was too late for him to flee now, so he forced a smile at the Proprietress and secretly cupped his fists in an attempt to plead with her to let him off.
Just then, a pretty young girl dashed into the hallway and asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong, Big Sister Lan? Did you discover something?”
The Proprietress looked away and shook her head, “No. There’s nothing here. Let’s keep moving forward.”
“En,” The young girl didn’t suspect anything as she followed the Proprietress.
Following the two ladies, a group of people streamed into the hallway. Yang Kai didn’t dare to move a muscle because these people were all Open Heaven Realm Masters. Some of them even passed within arm’s length of where he stood.
Fortunately, he was hiding behind a broken piece of the bronze door, so as long as no one took that cover away, they would not bump into him. Naturally, these people scanned their surroundings upon entering the place and soon Yang Kai realised that many people had even swept a glance over him, but failed to notice his presence. After they were all gone, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Now, it seemed that he had wrongly blamed Du Ru Feng as the Shadowless Veil was truly useful. So many Open Heaven Realm Masters had passed by, but no one had noticed him.
Now, he was wondering what the Proprietress’ expression earlier suggested. Had she discovered him? He couldn’t really tell anymore.
Whatever the case, since she didn’t expose him on the spot, he now owed her a favour. If he was exposed in that kind of situation, he would definitely suffer miserably.
Just now, there were about forty or fifty people who had entered the hallway. Yang Kai had even seen Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang, but the disciples of Great Moon Province were missing.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t so surprising. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters around, the disciples of Great Moon Province would only become a burden if they had accompanied Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang, so the two Elders must have told them to retreat.
Yang Kai had chased after the Sun’s True Fire, and then he was sucked into this place by a vortex, so how did these people get here? Where exactly was this?
Yang Kai gazed at the broken door and then shifted his attention in the direction those people had left. After pondering on it for a moment, he secretly followed them.
A while later, he saw the same group of people from afar. Obviously, they were blocked by the bronze door at the other end of the tunnel.
Booming sounds were heard as a violent force swept across the hallway. Apparently, the Proprietress was trying to break down the door.
Yang Kai was shocked by the fallout of her attacks. He had always known that the Proprietress was powerful, but it seemed that she was actually stronger than he had expected. There was no way she was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. She must be a Fifth-Order.
So far, the only Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master Yang Kai had come across was Old Xu; however, Old Xu was killed after a failed attempt to get his revenge in Seven Wonders Land, so Yang Kai had never seen a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master take action before.
Now, he could experience it in person, and within one hour, cracking sounds could be heard again. Yuan Xiao Man shouted, “Keep going, Big Sister Lan! The door will fall apart soon!”
An irked Proprietress bellowed, “If you have the time to shout, why don’t you lend me a hand?”
Yuan Xiao Man giggled, “I’m too weak, so I’d better not embarrass myself in front of Big Sister Lan.” Then, she turned to look at the dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hallway and snorted, “Why are all of you only looking on from the side? Even if you’re not lending a hand, can’t you cheer for Big Sister Lan? Come on, shout with me! Big Sister Lan is the most powerful in the universe!”
All of them were dumbfounded upon hearing such shamelessness. These Open Heaven Realm Masters were all leaders in their respective great forces, making them famous at least in the surrounding Great Territories. If they really shouted in such a way as they were told, they would be too embarrassed to face anyone in the future.
“Are you cheering for her or not? Scram if you don’t want to!” Yuan Xiao Man shot them a glare.
They wouldn’t dare to rebuke her, so whether they were willing or not, they had to play along. At that instant, everyone in the hallway began cheering for the Proprietress.
An exasperated Madam Lan stomped her foot and snapped, “Shut up! What is this nonsense about!?”
She was so incensed that she had the urge to slap the young girl’s face red.
After they were spared from further embarrassment, the crowd quickly kept their mouths shut.
Worried that Yuan Xiao Man would make a scene again, Madam Lan decided to fully use her power as she landed several palms on the door. Following the booming sounds, the bronze door broke apart.
Ignoring Yuan Xiao Man, she dashed on ahead, but she became rooted to the spot when she saw what was in front of her. Yuan Xiao Man, who was following her closely, crashed into her back. Covering her forehead, she complained, “Big Sister Lan, why did you stop all of a sudden?” Noticing Madam Lan’s expression though, she followed her gaze and froze on the spot as well. Her lips parted, and she couldn’t say anything for a long time.
After all the other Open Heaven Realm Masters rushed into this place, they became fixed on the spot as though someone had used a binding technique on them. No words could describe how flabbergasted they were.
Noticing the anomaly, Yang Kai also darted over, and when he saw what was in front of him, his pupils contracted.
In front of everyone’s eyes, a ten-metre-tall all-black three-legged exotic bird was standing on a platform inside a scarlet light barrier. Despite the fact that it had spread its wings, it remained unmoving; however, an imposing pressure continuously radiated from its body. All of them at the scene, regardless of their cultivation, couldn’t help but realise how weak they were when they stood before this beast.
The dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters, including Madam Lan, who had rushed into the hall, were rooted to the spot. Although there were many people in the hall, the place was completely silent. The imposing pressure felt like an entire world was pressing down on their bodies, making it difficult for them to breathe and causing their vitality to churn.
Only after a long silence did someone finally say in a hoarse and shaking voice, “Golden Crow!”
It was rumoured that a mature Golden Crow was able to kill High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters like they were ants. No one wasn’t terrified of such a ferocious existence. Furthermore, forget High-Rank Open Heaven Masters, there were only a small number of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters among these people.
They had practically barged into the Golden Crow’s nesting chamber without its permission. If they infuriated the beast, no one would be able to survive. At this life-or-death moment, many of them regretted coming to this place and wished for nothing more than to immediately leave. However, as they were engulfed in the beast’s pressure, no one dared to move a muscle.
“What are you afraid of?” A person suddenly bellowed, “The Golden Crow is already dead!”
Although his voice was loud, it seemed that he was just trying to rally his courage rather than state a fact.
Upon his reminder, all of them turned to look at the Golden Crow and examined it. As expected, the beast was just standing there. Although its eyes still appeared vigorous, it remained unmoving all this time. It didn’t even react to the fact that so many people had entered its room.
“The Golden Crow is indeed dead,” Madam Lan nodded as she couldn’t detect any vitality from the beast. She was stumped when she entered the room just now. Her mind had turned blank when such a horrifying being came into her view all of a sudden, but upon calming down a bit, she took a proper look at the beast and then set her mind at ease.
Before coming to this place, they had already hypothesized that the reason the Sun Star was going out was that the Golden Crow was dying.
Now that the Sun’s fire had been put out, it also meant that the Golden Crow had passed away; however, judging from the carcass’s appearance, it seemed that it hadn’t been a long time since it perished.
Of all the people at the scene, Madam Lan was the most powerful by far. Since she had said so, the others also set themselves at ease as the sounds of their breathing and pounding hearts reverberated around the hall.
Yang Kai, who had been hiding beneath the Shadowless Veil in the rear corner, licked his dry lips. There was an admiring look on his face as he gazed at the carcass, which was engulfed in a crimson light barrier.
Just its corpse was able to give off such immense pressure, so it was unimaginable how mighty the Golden Crow was when it was still alive. What about the Dragon Clan then that was ranked higher than the Golden Crow? Now, it seemed that his Dragon Source still had immense untapped potential. Yang Kai figured at this moment he hadn’t even unlocked ten percent of his Source’s full power.
Moreover, upon reaching this place, he could clearly feel that his Dao Seal had become restless, as though something had caught its attention, something it was craving.
Following his instincts, Yang Kai gazed at a platform at the head of the hall and realised that there were four red crystals arranged at its corners.
“Sun’s True Gold!”
Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who noticed this. Since their lives were no longer at risk, they had the time to examine their surroundings and the red crystals on the platform immediately caught their attention.
They had never seen Sun’s True Gold before, but when the forearm-length red crystals came into their sight, they were certain that these were the legendary Sun’s True Gold.
It had been a few days since the Open Heaven Realm Masters started exploring the Sun Star, but they hadn’t come across any Sun’s True Gold during that time. They had all obtained some Sun’s True Fires, but their value wasn’t comparable to that of the Sun’s True Gold, which was a Sixth-Order material at minimum. There could even be Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order Sun’s True Gold.
At that instant, all eyes turned bloodshot. One figure dashed forward and pounced at one corner of the platform. Seeing that, over ten figures followed suit and headed towards different corners.
Yuan Xiao Man, who had been sticking close to Madam Lan, snorted, “What a bunch of fools.”
Madam Lan sighed, “Men die for wealth just as birds die for food.”
Soon, a shocking shriek was heard. An Open Heaven Realm Master, who was the first one to dash towards the platform, was sent flying backwards as his right hand was engulfed in flames. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put out the fire and the nauseating smell of his burned flesh soon permeated the hall.
Following that, the fire soon expanded and reached his arm. A myriad of expressions came over that man before he resolutely drew out his sword and slashed down.
A sword light flashed across everyone’s eyes as blood spurted out of the fresh wound. Following a grunt, an arm fell to the ground with a thud. Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the fire soon turned the arm into ashes, making their faces turn pale.
Upon seeing that this man had suffered such a loss, the others, who were eager to make a move just now, didn’t dare to go forward again. Two of the more than ten people who had dashed forward earlier suffered from the same fate as they were forced to cut off their arms to save their own lives.
A solemn Yuan Xiao Man said, “It’s the Golden Crow’s True Fire.”
Madam Lan nodded her head as she gazed at the red light barrier, “It seems that the Golden Crow cast a barrier around its treasure before its death. If we don’t break the barrier, we’ll never be able to get the Sun’s True Gold.”
“Big Sister Lan, do you have a solution?” Yuan Xiao Man asked.
Madam Lan frowned and gave it a thought, “I can give it a try, but I can’t do it on my own.”
“Why don’t we join forces, then? After that, you can take seventy percent while I’ll get thirty.” Yuan Xiao Man appeared excited. Even though there were not many Sun’s True Golds on the platform, there were still eight pieces in total. Even if she only got thirty percent, she would still get two or three. Just one piece of such a treasure would make her rich beyond her wildest dreams, not to mention if she could get two or even three.
However, Madam Lan shook her head, “We’re not strong enough. Let’s wait for the others. We’ll only stand a chance if we all make a move together.”
“You mean Old Hong and the others?” Yuan Xiao Man was shocked, “They’ve gone in different directions, so it’s not certain whether they’re still alive.”
They had chosen the Path of Life and hadn’t come across any danger along the way. Nevertheless, the others might not be as lucky as they were.
Just then, the voice of Old Hong could be heard from behind, “This Old Master is a fortunate man. Of course, I’m still alive!”
Yuan Xiao Man turned around and saw Old Hong strolling towards them. He was followed by a few Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, they all appeared to be in a terrible state as they had varying degrees of injuries. Some of their robes had even been dyed crimson.
Although Yuan Xiao Man had no idea which path Old Hong had chosen, it seemed that it wasn’t as safe as the Path of Life. They must have come across a lot of danger, and some of them had lost their lives.
“Madam Lan indeed has deep wisdom and acute vision. This Old Master should have followed you to enter the Path of Life,” Old Hong said with a bitter smile.
“I was just lucky.” Madam Lan smiled, “Didn’t Brother Zhang and Brother Ji go with you?”
Old Hong shook his head, “They both chose different paths.” Then, he caught a glimpse of the Golden Crow corpse on the platform as his eyes turned fervent, “What’s the situation here?”
Before Madam Lan could explain it to him, a loud boom was heard coming from another side of the hall. Following that, a blood-soaked figure that was surrounded by a malevolent aura entered. It was none other than Ji Tian Xing from Blood Dragon Altar.
It wasn’t certain what he had encountered to make him appear so battered. Furthermore, he was the only person who had stepped out of the path. Right after he appeared, his attention was attracted by the Golden Crow carcass and exclaimed, “Golden Crow?”
After taking a look at Madam Lan and others, he quickly came over.
Old Hong examined him and grinned. Although he had come across some trouble, he still turned out fine in the end. On the other hand, Ji Tian Xing must have gone through terrible experiences.
Madam Lan nodded gently, “Only Brother Zhang is left, then.”
A displeased Yuan Xiao Man asked, “Must we wait for him?”
Madam La replied, “More people means more power. Furthermore, there is enough Sun’s True Gold for all of us.”
In response, Yuan Xiao Man pouted, and they went on to wait for a few more hours. During this period of time, Old Hong and the others, who had come at a later time, learned what had happened here and began to strategize. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were trying to come up with a way to break the barrier, but they didn’t have any practical solution.
Even though the barrier appeared simple, it was arranged by a mature Golden Crow; therefore, even the simplest barrier would undoubtedly be difficult to break, unless they had enough strength.
A few hours later, Zhang Qi from Righteous Land finally appeared. Although it had taken him a long time to arrive at this place, he appeared to be in a much better state than Old Hong and Ji Tian Xing. At the very least, there were no visible injuries on his body and many Open Heaven Realm Masters were accompanying him.
It seemed that all eight paths in the cave led to this hall, but the time needed to reach this place and the danger contained in each one varied greatly.
Upon meeting the others and getting the necessary information, Zhang Qi nodded gently, “Good. I’m fine with anything.”
While waiting for Zhang Qi, Madam Lan and the others had come up with a method to break the barrier.
Old Hong moved and shot into the air before shouting, “Friends, please be silent for a moment. This Old Master has something to say.”
Hearing that, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who were chatting among themselves looked up at him.
A satisfied Old Hong nodded and grinned, “The reason you’ve come to this place is that you want to get some benefits. Now, the benefits are right in front of you, so it now depends on whether you’re capable of seizing them. However, the treasures are protected by a powerful barrier. If we don’t break the barrier, no one can ever get anything. We have had a discussion and determined that if we want to break the barrier, we need all of you to help us. So, please put aside your differences for now and cooperate with one another so that we can destroy the barrier together.”
Upon hearing that, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded glances while most sneered, thinking Old Hong was spouting nonsense.
These Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own plans. They wouldn’t mind helping to break the barrier, but what would happen after that? There was no way they could snatch anything from the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters. By then, all the treasures would fall into the hands of Old Hong and the others. The rest of them could only watch angrily from the side. No one was willing to lend a hand for free, which was why they had fallen silent.
Old Hong seemed to have seen through their thoughts, so he went on to say with a smile, “Of course, we won’t ask you to help us for free. We’ve examined things carefully and confirmed that there are eight Sun’s True Golds on the platform before us. Before the barrier is broken, no one can tell what Order these Sun’s True Golds are.
Once the barrier is broken, we Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters will each receive one piece respectively, while the remaining three pieces will go to you. The most capable will obtain the prize. What do you think?”
There were five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the scene while the rest were all Low-Rank. Although many had lost their lives when passing through the Eight Paths of Divination, there were still some sixty or seventy left.
It was imaginable how bloody and chaotic it would be for sixty-plus people to snatch three pieces of Sun’s True Gold. However, in front of such treasures, no Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had flinched; instead, they became energised upon hearing what Old Hong had said.
Amidst the commotion, the people who were either close to one another or came from the same great force gathered together and secretly communicated using their Divine Sense.
Looking down, Old Hong silently hovered in the air and waited. He didn’t seem to have the intention of rushing them.
A long time later, a person stepped forward from the crowd. Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the corner, realised that the person was none other than Wei Que of Great Moon Province.
Wei Que was a straightforward man, so it wasn’t surprising that he would come forward at this point. After cupping his fists at the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, he said, “Old Hong, do you really mean what you’ve just said?”
Old Hong put on a meaningful grin and pointed at the people behind him, “Even if you don’t believe this Old Master, don’t you trust the people behind me? This is our collective decision after a discussion, so it’s definitely true.”
Wei Que went on to say, “This Wei apologizes for any offence his words may cause, but if three of us are lucky enough to get the remaining pieces of Sun’s True Gold, will all of you come snatch them from us?”
He had asked the most important question. Once the barrier was broken, the five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would quickly grasp their own share of the Sun’s True Gold, and the rest of them would fight for the remaining three pieces. However, if Old Hong and the others decided to interfere, all the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would have to step aside as they were no match for them.
In this case, they would rather not take part at all so that they wouldn’t have to take risks without any chance of reward.
Old Hong stared at Wei Que and replied, “You’re quite the distrustful one, aren’t you?”
Wei Que refuted, “None of us will be able to be at ease if we don’t get a clear answer.”
All the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters agreed with him as they echoed what he had said.
Old Hong nodded, “Since you’ve asked this question, then this Old Master will give you an answer. We won’t have a hand in fighting for the remaining three pieces of Sun’s True Gold. The treasures will go to the most capable people.”
“How do you guarantee that?” Wei Que asked again.
A tinge of anger flashed across Old Hong’s face and he snorted, “Is this Old Master’s word not good enough for you? So many people here have heard what I’ve said. Can I even go back on it now?”
“There’s nothing we can do if you decide to go back on your word,” a person suddenly said.
“Who just spoke! I dare you to come forward!” Old Hong bellowed. The person’s voice was elusive, so it was apparent that he had used a Secret Technique when speaking. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters around, Old Hong was unable to accurately locate this individual, which was why he had a long face.
Just then, Madam Lan stepped forward and looked smilingly at the crowd, “I will give you all a promise on behalf of First Inn. When the time comes, we will only take our share of the Sun’s True Gold and will not attempt to snatch the remaining pieces from any of you.”
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters all relaxed greatly upon hearing this and Wei Que cupped his fists, “Since Madam Lan has given us her promise, we have no more doubts.”
All of them had complete trust in First Inn.
Seeing this, Old Hong appeared slightly displeased as they made him look like he was someone who would go back on his word. Even though he indeed had such intentions before, there was no way he could act upon them now. Madam Lan had given a promise on behalf of First Inn, so if he still decided to snatch the Sun’s True Gold from them, it would give Madam Lan an excuse to act against him. He was wary of her because he wasn’t sure what Order she was in. He could tell that she was at least a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way he could defy her.
After a snort, Old Hong said, “Since there are no more questions, this Old Master expects you all to cooperate fully when the time comes. If anyone doesn’t agree with this arrangement, get the Hell out now; otherwise, this Old Master doesn’t mind showing you the exit.”
As he swept a cold glance over them, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters started communicating with one another again. Some people decided to leave, thinking that it was too big a risk to take. Although each piece of Sun’s True Gold was extremely valuable, they might not even be able to bring one out while losing their lives in the process. With sixty to seventy people trying to snatch three pieces of Sun’s True Gold, many would die in the process.
Soon, more than ten people had left.
After waiting for over ten breaths, Old Hong nodded, “Go now if there’s anyone else who wishes to leave. Otherwise, we will begin.”
Certainly, those who had decided to stay didn’t have the intention of leaving. Madam Lan came forward then and explained how they would break the barrier. Then, under the leadership of the five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounded the platform and formed a simple pentagonal formation.
Basically, they were going to use brute force to break the barrier, which was why the stronger cultivators needed the help of so many Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Otherwise, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would have taken the remaining three pieces of Sun’s True Gold as well.
After they stood on their respective Formation Nodes, they started adjusting their World Force.
Yang Kai felt helpless as he was looking from afar. Countless ideas had flashed across his mind, but he had overruled all them. Strength was the only factor that truly mattered if he wanted to snatch the treasure at this point; however, he had only condensed his Dao Seal. In front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, any scheme he thought up would be useless.
Yang Kai was extremely anxious. Even though he wasn’t sure what Order those pieces of Sun’s True Gold on the platform were, one of them must be Seventh Order. If he could get one piece for himself, he could start condensing his Fire Element.
Nevertheless, it was a cold hard truth that he was weak. Even if he used Space Principles to snatch a piece of Sun’s True Gold, he wouldn’t be able to leave this place alive when the others made a move on him together. Even his Half-Dragon form couldn’t protect him from such an onslaught.
Could he only watch on the side? He was unwilling!
Looking from afar, he realised that Madam Lan secretly took a glance in his direction, but she just as quickly looked away; after all, Yang Kai was too weak to be worth her attention.
She must have discovered him back in the hallway, and the reason she didn’t expose him was that his presence made no difference either way.
Just when Yang Kai felt sorrowful over his low cultivation, the pentagonal formation activated. The five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters took charge of each node respectively while about ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were behind each of them.
World Force undulated as these Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered their strength. Every Open Heaven Realm Master had their own Small Universe, so they could activate World Force on their own without borrowing it from a Universe World.
After they made a move, there seemed to be dozens of worlds that were colliding with the barrier as booming sounds rang out. The violent force was able to flip the Heavens and Earth before shattering them to pieces.
There was an admiring look on Yang Kai’s face as he envisioned how powerful he would be when he made a move as an Open Heaven Realm Master in the future.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were fairly powerful, so with them in charge of the formation, they were able to unite everyone’s strength and concentrate it on their target, ensuring that only minimal fallout was released into the surroundings. If not for this, Yang Kai would have been exposed even though he was shrouded in the Shadowless Veil.
Rumbling sounds were heard as the entire world seemed to be shaking. Ripples spread around on the crimson light barrier on the platform as though countless stones had been thrown into a still lake.
The gap between their powers was soon revealed. There wasn’t much difference between the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who assisted in breaking the barrier, but it was pretty conspicuous for the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yuan Xiao Man was the first to appear exhausted as her face had turned pale. She hurriedly fished out some Spirit Pills from her Space Ring and stuffed them into her mouth to supplement her strength.
Ji Tian Xing, Zhang Qi, and finally Old Hong followed suit.
It was now that the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan, showed her strength. Since they began breaking the barrier, the expression on her face had never changed and she hadn’t used any pills to restore her energy.
It was as though she was able to keep expending her World Force at this rate forever.
Yang Kai observed everything from afar and realised that the Proprietress would steal a glance at a particular spot on the platform from time to time. He didn’t understand it at first, but he soon realised that the Sun’s True Gold over there must be of a higher Order.
With the barrier in place, no one could tell the quality of these Sun’s True Golds. Nevertheless, everyone had their own speculations.
The fact that the Proprietress had been paying close attention to that particular Sun’s True Gold suggested that she believed it was the best one. After the barrier was destroyed, she would immediately snatch it.
Furthermore, there was one thing that bothered Yang Kai.
Compared to the Sun’s True Gold, the Golden Crow corpse was even more valuable. The carcass was perfectly intact, so its value was incalculable. They had only discussed distributing the Sun’s True Gold, but no one had mentioned the Golden Crow itself.
He was certain that the corpse would ignite a fierce competition between the top Masters present. The other four Mid-Rank cultivators might even join forces to snatch the corpse from the Proprietress.
Whatever the case, it all had nothing to do with him because he was too weak. Fortunately, it had been a fruitful trip for him as he had obtained nine Sun’s True Fires, three of which were Fifth-Order. Therefore, Yang Kai just regarded the sight before his eyes as a good show to broaden his horizons. With this thought in mind, he was able to set himself at ease.
As time passed, except for Madam Lan, the other Open Heaven Realm Masters, including the four Mid-Rank cultivators, had consumed numerous pills.
Their effort wasn’t futile, however, as the crimson light barrier on the platform had become visibly dimmer.
At this rate, it would take them one or two hours to completely shatter the barrier.
As hope was right in front of them, Old Hong shouted agitated, “Everyone, don’t hold back your strength! This barrier will break soon!”
Certainly, his reminder was not needed as everyone could see the transformation the light barrier had gone through. Nevertheless, they still had to reserve some energy as a chaotic struggle was bound to break out after the barrier was broken.
Otherwise, the barrier would have been broken already.
One hour later, the light barrier on the platform had become extremely thin, as though it would collapse at any moment. At this point, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters no longer appeared united as they were all looking around warily. It was as if everyone at the scene was their competitor. Some of them had even readied themselves to make a move at any moment.
“Focus! We just need one last strike!” Madam Lan shouted at the most critical moment as she formed a different hand seal. With the pentagonal formation operating, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters collectively launched an attack on the translucent light barrier from five different directions.
Following a loud boom, cracking sounds were heard as countless fissures appeared on the light barrier.
“It’s broken!” Old Hong appeared elated as a glow radiated from his eyes.
Following the cracking sounds, the barrier began falling apart. Everyone laid their eyes on the different Sun’s True Golds, and Yang Kai was eager to get his hands on them as well; however, it was too late for him to make a move even if he was an Open Heaven Realm Master, not to mention that he hadn’t even broken through to that realm yet. In order to conceal himself, he didn’t dare to approach the others, so he was the farthest away from the platform right now.
Just then, he frowned and looked up at the Golden Crow corpse on the platform. That was because he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the Golden Crow moving its eyes.
He thought he was mistaken, but after staring a bit longer, Yang Kai realised that there was a tinge of mockery behind the Golden Crow’s gaze.
The beast hadn’t died yet!
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he moved backwards without thinking, hurriedly sending a Divine Sense transmission to Wei Que at the same time.
Right then, the light barrier on the platform completely shattered. Dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward from all directions as they extended their hands towards their targets.
Wei Que was well prepared as well, but just as he was about to make his move, he heard Yang Kai’s desperate cry in his mind and after an abrupt change in expression, he grabbed Tao Rong Fang’s arm and withdrew as quickly as he could.
A shocked Tao Rong Fang called out in surprise and confusion, “Senior Brother?”
She didn’t understand why Wei Que would choose to run away at this important moment; after all, if he wanted to leave, he could have done so earlier. Now that the barrier had been broken, it was the best chance to snatch the Sun’s True Golds. Leaving at this point would mean that their previous effort would all go to waste.
Wei Que didn’t have the time to explain anything to her; after all, he had only heard what Yang Kai had said. He decided to leave because he would rather believe what he had heard, even if he couldn’t be sure whether Yang Kai had told the truth. As he was retreating though, he took a glance up at the Golden Crow and in the next instant, he felt a fierce chill shoot up his spine.
That was because he realised that the Golden Crow had moved its eyes. The beast really wasn’t dead yet!
“Leave now!” Wei Que bellowed as he brought Tao Rong Fang to the exit.
On the platform, Yuan Xiao Man and the others all reached for the same Sun’s True Gold, the one Madam Lan had been secretly glancing at earlier. On the other hand, Madam Lan pounced at another piece.
Seeing that, Yuan Xiao Man and the others almost coughed up blood, realising that they had been fooled by Madam Lan. The fact that she kept glancing at that particular Sun’s True Gold made them think that it was the best one, which was why they wanted to get their hands on it; however, they hadn’t expected that she had actually pulled a trick on them.
Now that the barrier had been broken, the quality of the Sun’s True Golds was laid bare. After taking a look at Madam Lan’s target, they realised that it was indeed a Seventh-Order one while the one they were fighting for was only at the Sixth-Order.
All of them responded quickly by changing their targets. However, they didn’t even think about snatching the Sun’s True Gold from Madam Lan. She was already the strongest among them, and she had used a trick to divert their attention, so by now, the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold was safely in her possession.
“Scram!” The aura around Old Hong weltered as he pushed the Low-Rank cultivators away. Soon, he reached a Sun’s True Gold and stuffed it into his own Space Ring without ascertaining its Order.
On the other hand, Yuan Xiao Man made use of her incredible speed and obtained one piece with ease.
Murderous intent swirled around Zhang Qi as he held an Open Heaven Realm Master’s corpse in his hand. After taking that person’s Sun’s True Gold as well as his Space Ring, he nonchalantly hurled the corpse away.
Ji Tian Xing had found his target as well. When a Low-Rank cultivator, who had grabbed a Sun’s True Gold saw Ji Tian Xing pouncing on him, he secretly cursed and clenched his teeth, then he hurled the treasure at Ji Tian Xing, “Take it!”
Ji Tian Xing caught the treasure and stopped in his tracks. After examining it, he realised that it was just a Sixth-Order Sun’s True Gold, which made him furrow his brows.
However, Madam Lan had given her word on behalf of First Inn that the Mid-Rank cultivators would only take one piece of Sun’s True Gold respectively, and they wouldn’t snatch the remaining three pieces. Although he was unwilling, he didn’t dare to interfere in the competition again; otherwise, Madam Lan would be forced to make a move against him.
Barely three breaths after the barrier was broken, five Sun’s True Golds had been obtained by the stronger cultivators, while the remaining three pieces were tossed between the Low-Rank cultivators as no one could safely keep the treasures. Once someone obtained it, countless attacks would be targeted at them. In the blink of an eye, a few cultivators had been killed. The competition in the hall was horrible.
“Big Sister Lan, you tricked us!” Yuan Xiao Man stood close to Madam Lan as she stomped her foot and pouted.
Madam Lan put on a smile, but just as she was about to say something, she suddenly turned to look at the Golden Crow ‘corpse’, and the next instant, the colour drained from her alluring face.
The beast’s wings were fluttering lightly as its gaze was filled with mockery. The Golden Crow, which was supposed to be dead, moved its eyes and came back to life. In an instant, its immense pressure engulfed the entire hall and sealed off the space.
Yang Kai, who was retreating, crashed into a layer of invisible force and was sent flying backwards. Upon feeling the horrifying pressure, an extremely bitter taste appeared in his mouth.
As soon as he realised that there was something wrong with the Golden Crow, he started running away; however, in order not to expose himself, he didn’t dare to make any noise, so his speed was quite slow. Nevertheless, at this moment, the Golden Crow had sealed off the entire hall, so he could no longer flee even if he used Instantaneous Movement.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were unable to leave as well. Upon Yang Kai’s warning, they managed to withdraw quickly from the chaotic competition; however, they were now in the same situation as Yang Kai.
“I-It’s not dead yet?” Old Hong’s originally pinkish face turned as pale as snow in an instant.
Ji Tian Xing, Zhang Qi, and Yuan Xiao Man also wore looks of horror. Even though they were Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators, they could do nothing but shudder under the Golden Crow’s pressure. Even the Mid-Rank cultivators were rooted to the spot, let alone the Low-Rank ones.
As the Golden Crow’s pressure permeated, the hall which was hustling with noise a moment ago instantly fell silent. The Low-Rank cultivators were unable to move, nor were they able use their strength smoothly as though a few worlds were pressing down on them.
The Low-Rank cultivators on the platform widened their eyes in horror as the Golden Crow lightly raised its claw and slashed at them. After their vision darkened, they were no longer able to feel anything.
It was rumoured that a Golden Crow was able to kill Open Heaven Realm Masters like they were ants, but it wasn’t until this moment that these people realized how accurate that rumour was. With just one claw, all the Low-Rank cultivators before it were ground into paste without even being able to resist. Although they were only in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, they were still considered fairly powerful.
After casually killing a few people, the Golden Crow swept a glance over the others with its golden eyes. Its stare made everyone feel like their Soul had left their body. Even Yang Kai, who had been hiding under the Shadowless Veil, felt cold all over his body as the aura of death was on him.
The Golden Crow raised its wings and stirred up a fierce Astral Wind, which caused everyone to stagger backwards. The Low-Rank cultivators closest to the beast started bleeding as their flesh separated from their bones. At the same time, the glow on the Golden Crow’s body became brighter as a scorching aura spread out.
Following a great screech, the light exploded and illuminated the entire hall, blinding everyone within. The Golden Crow seemed to have turned into a miniature Sun as its Golden Crow’s True Fire, which was able to burn down everything in existence, swept out across the hall.
[It’s over!]
That was the thought everyone had at that instant. They had experienced the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire before, so the Low-Rank cultivators knew they were completely powerless to resist. As soon as they came into contact with the fire, they would be reduced to ashes. Now that the Golden Crow had fully unleashed its True Fire, none of them would be able to parry it. Furthermore, there was nowhere they could hide as this was a wide area indiscriminate attack.
The dazzling light only lasted for a moment before it dissipated, taking the terrifying energy fluctuations with it.
The astounded crowd turned around, only to see an artifact that looked like an umbrella hovering before the platform. There were intricate patterns on the light green umbrella as it gently twirled, an abstruse power exuding from it.
It was this umbrella that had blocked the Golden Crow’s dazzling light, shielding everyone from its horrifying power.
Presently, Madam Lan was trembling in mid-air as she rapidly formed a set of hand seals. It wasn’t until this moment that her true power was exposed to them.
“Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!” Old Hong exclaimed.
The Sixth Order was already the upper limit of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, just one step away from the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. There were only a small number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in existence.
Although they had always known that Madam Lan was formidable, it wasn’t until this moment that they realised that she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The umbrella that had shrouded the platform and saved everyone’s lives was undoubtedly summoned by Madam Lan. Only she could possess such a powerful artifact capable of blocking the Golden Crow’s attack.
Upon escaping from death’s door, everyone was elated and scrambled towards the exits in an attempt to leave the hall. Old Hong and the others were doing the same.
Seeing this, Yang Kai clenched his teeth as he cursed these people for their foolishness. Right now they should be joining forces to deal with the Golden Crow instead of fleeing.
He would have fled if he could instead of staying in this place until now, but as expected, the entire hall was completely sealed off, so none of them could leave.
“I can’t hold on any longer!” Madam Lan clenched her teeth and yelled, appearing to be struggling desperately.
A flicker of fire penetrated the umbrella and formed a hole in it. As the fire expanded, the hole also became larger. Besides that, the light of the umbrella swayed and rapidly became dim.
Madam Lan stared at her artifact with a gaze filled with sorrow and reluctance. This treasure was given to her by a Senior from her former Sect and it could even easily parry a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s attack. However, she had never expected that the artifact would be destroyed on this day. Compared to the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold she had just obtained, she wasn’t even sure whether she had made a gain or suffered a loss.
It was pointless to think about it now, however. While she was lost in her thoughts, a loud boom was heard as the umbrella exploded. The dazzling light, which was shielded earlier, filled everyone’s vision again as the scorching power permeated the hall.
Shrieks were immediately heard as the cultivators closest to the platform started burning and turned into fireballs in an instant. No matter how hard they tried, they were not able to put out the Golden Crow’s True Fire on their bodies.
The ones further away from the platform were luckier, but they also had to use all their strength to resist the expanding flames.
The World Force undulated as the different illusory phantoms of Small Universes appeared behind these cultivators.
Realising that he was in mortal danger, Yang Kai hesitated between using his Sealed World Bead, Six Fated Paths Bag, and Mountains and Rivers Bell for a moment. After making a decision, he snuck into Six Fated Paths Bag and summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell to cover it. With two layers of protection in place, he felt much safer.
The next instant, his heart shook violently as though someone had landed a heavy blow on his chest. With his vitality churning, he felt like he was going to cough up blood, causing him to realize that the Mountains and Rivers Bell must be severely damaged, resulting in him suffering a backlash.
Fortunately, the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire lasted only ten breaths of time.
Presently, corpses could be seen lying all over the floor. Half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters had been killed, burned to death by the Golden Crow’s True Fire. As for the ones who were not dead, they were all injured and had gone completely pale.
This was the result of Madam Lan using her artifact to block the initial attack. Without the umbrella containing the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire, all of the Low-Rank cultivators would have been killed by now.
It was also thanks to her umbrella weakening the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire that so many were still alive.
The Mid-Rank cultivators were fine, but their expressions were still filled with fear. Faced with a powerful Golden Crow, no one had the courage to confront it.
In the corner, Yang Kai quickly left the Six Fated Paths Bag and covered himself with Shadowless Veil to conceal himself again.
Fortunately, it was so chaotic in the hall just now with everyone desperate to save themselves that no one had noticed him. Otherwise, he would have been pretty conspicuous as the only Emperor Realm cultivator in this place.
After a glance, Yang Kai felt his face twitching as he appeared heartbroken. His Mountains and Rivers Bell was practically destroyed, its surface completely melted as most of its spirituality had been lost. Unless he could find someone to repair it and then nurture it for a long time, it couldn’t be activated again.
He had never expected that this Ancient Exotic Artifact, which had been by his side since his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, would be destroyed in this place. Even though he had psychologically prepared himself for it, he still felt heartbroken when he was faced with the truth.
Nevertheless, he had no other choice in that kind of situation earlier.
He wasn’t certain how powerful the Golden Crow’s True Fire would be when it reached him, so he didn’t dare to hide inside the Sealed World Bead. That was because once he did that, the Sealed World Bead would be exposed in the hall and subject to the Golden Crow’s True Fire. He couldn’t be sure whether the Sealed World Bead would be fine after it was struck by such flames. If anything happened to the bead, his medicine garden would be gone for good. Furthermore, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were still living inside it.
Therefore, hiding inside the Six Fated Paths Bag was his best option. To be safe, he also decided to summon the Mountains and Rivers Bell and covered the bag.
Now, it seemed that his decision was right. Compared to the other injured cultivators, he was practically fine besides some backlash he had suffered after his artifact was destroyed.
The Ancient Exotic Artifact, Mountains and Rivers Bell, had reached the end of its life. Yang Kai could only console himself in such a way. However, it wasn’t the time to be sorrowful. The Golden Crow had come back to life after feigning death, so he was still in grave danger. If he couldn’t flee from this place, he would end up dead as well.
Looking around, he realised that Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were hiding in a far corner. Despite their pale faces, they seemed to be in excellent condition as there were no injuries on their bodies.
It must have something to do with the fact that Yang Kai had warned them earlier. When the barrier around the platform was broken, everyone else charged forward, while Yang Kai, Wei Que, and Tao Rong Fang retreated. When the Golden Crow’s True Fire erupted, the people closest to the platform were the most affected, while the flame’s power weakened as it expanded.
[Should I join them?] If Yang Kai had two Open Heaven Realm Masters as his companions, he would stand a better chance of surviving.
Right after the thought flashed across his mind, a murderous intent permeated from the centre of the hall.
A horrified Yang Kai turned his head, only to see the Golden Crow standing on the platform. The beast was staring fixedly at Madam Lan with its golden eyes, its gaze filled with endless hatred.
Apparently, the beast was aware that Madam Lan had ruined its plan. If it weren’t because she had summoned that umbrella, there wouldn’t be any living people in the hall by now.
As their eyes met, Madam Lan felt as though her Soul was being drawn out of her body, causing her to shiver violently. Then, a thought suddenly flashed across her eyes.
The Golden Crow, which was standing on the platform earlier, appeared before her eyes and lightly pushed out its claw.
A terrified Madam Lan hurriedly extended her slender hand to parry the attack as the illusory phantom of her Small Universe expanded and her World Force exploded out.
A violent force swept across the hall as Madam Lan was sent flying backwards like an empty sack. While in mid-air, she coughed up blood several times, dying her robes red. The Golden Crow also staggered backwards, almost unable to support its own weight.
After flipping through the air a few times, Madam Lan agilely landed on her feet and held her chest with her hand. Despite her pale face, her eyes appeared bright as she exclaimed, “The beast is already an arrow at the end of its flight! Everyone, please assist me!”
Earlier, she couldn’t ascertain the Golden Crow’s true strength; however, after trading blows directly, she realised that the beast wasn’t as powerful as she had imagined. Even though she couldn’t defeat it on her own, it also wasn’t easy for the beast to kill her.
At that instant, it dawned on her that the Golden Crow was really dying. The reason it had feigned death was that it wanted to attract people to come over and launched a sneak attack on them, which would deliver a harsh lesson for those who coveted its treasures. It also served as a warning for other people who intended to steal its things in the future. It had to be said that the beast was truly vicious.
The beast was like a lamp that was running out of oil, and its condition was exacerbated after it expended so much energy to cast its Golden Crow’s True Fire just now.
Unfortunately, even though Madam Lan had come to that realization, the others were not aware of what was going on. Upon seeing that Madam Lan, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was unable to bear the beast’s attack, and even spat blood upon impact, no one dared to move forward.
Even the other Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yuan Xiao Man, Ji Tian Xing, and Zhang Qi, only looked on from afar, let alone those Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
A tinge of mockery flashed across the Golden Crow’s gaze as it strode towards Madam Lan.
Madam Lan stared fixedly ahead as she bellowed, “What are you all waiting for? If I lose my life here, none of you will be safe! By then, all of you will be doomed! Rather than wait for death, why not join forces with me and deal with the beast now? Only by doing so do we stand a chance to survive!”
Upon hearing that, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded nervous glances.
Usually, they wouldn’t mind sitting atop the mountain, watching the tigers fight. First Inn was truly powerful, but as long as they didn’t make a move against Madam Lan, her death would have nothing to do with them. However, if Madam Lan, who was the strongest among them, lost her life at this point, none of them would be able to face the Golden Crow. By then, just like what Madam Lan had said, they would be killed by the beast like ants.
While the Mid-Rank cultivators were still hesitating, two figures shot forward from the corner of the hall and landed beside Madam Lan. They were none other than Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang.
Wei Que said, “Madam Lan, we’ll assist you.”
Madam Lan gave him a grateful look and nodded gently, “Many thanks to you and your wife.”
Besides possessing courage, it was clear they also had trust in Madam Lan as they were the first ones to step forward at this moment.
Tao Rong Fang stole a glance at Wei Que and started blushing furiously, but she didn’t explain their relationship to Madam Lan. In her heart, she thought that even if she had to lose her life today, as long as she was together with this man she loved, it was worth it.
“Big Sister Lan, I’ll help you as well!” Yuan Xiao Man shouted and darted towards them.
Old Hong, Zhang Qi, and Ji Tian Xing nodded before they appeared beside Madam Lan.
With the help of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, Madam Lan set her mind at ease and wore a smile, “You’ll not regret your decision.”
Old Hong shot a cold glance over those Low-Rank cultivators who were still hesitating, then he said grimly, “If you want to survive, come and help us defeat this beast. If any one of you dares to play tricks, this Old Master will kill you even if the Golden Crow doesn’t!”
It had to be said that deadly threats were more useful than benevolent requests at this point. At the very least, after Old Hong threatened them, these Low-Rank cultivators shuffled forward even though they were still reluctant.
At that instant, the Golden Crow was surrounded by the surviving Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The Golden Crow stopped in its tracks and looked around with a tilted head. There was no doubt that it was infuriated by the situation it was in. As the beast raised its wings and cried out, the Astral Wind, which could cut through gold and jade, surged at the cultivators from all directions. The Open Heaven Realm Masters hurriedly fended it off as clanging sounds were heard.
“Today, we either kill this beast or die trying!” Madam Lan took a deep breath as her chest heaved. Then, she raised her hand and summoned a silk ribbon, “Everyone, follow my lead!”
She knew that this kind of impromptu group was weak to pressure and if she couldn’t show them there was hope, none of them would have the guts to make a move against the Golden Crow. Therefore, she had to take the initiative so that the others became aware of the condition the Golden Crow was in.
The silk ribbon could be seen whipping about as the illusory phantom of a Small Universe flickered behind the agile Madam Lan. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, each of her moves was awe-inspiring. Her silk ribbon artifact kept lashing at the Golden Crow, causing it to stagger and shriek in fury. Although it would strike back from time to time, Madam Lan managed to dodge these attacks with ease.
Seeing this, Old Hong and the others were elated. Just like Madam Lan had said, the Golden Crow was indeed a dry oil lamp. If it weren’t so, this legendary beast wouldn’t have become so weak. Madam Lan alone was able to tie down the beast, and even though she appeared to be at a disadvantage, she wouldn’t be defeated soon.
Madam Lan alone was able to achieve this, so what if everyone in the hall made a move at the same time? There was no way the Golden Crow could survive.
At the thought of this, Old Hong shouted, “Madam Lan, allow this Old Master to assist!”
His chubby figure dashed forward as he pushed out his palm at the beast. Following that, Yuan Xiao Man, Zhang Qi, and Ji Tian Xing summoned their own artifacts and attacked.
Since the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had already made a move, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters stopped hesitating and charged forward. At that instant, the hall descended into chaos again as all of them launched attacks on the beast using their Secret Techniques and artifacts.
In the corner of the hall, Yang Kai was hiding beneath the Shadowless Veil as he suddenly felt sorry for the Golden Crow. The powerful beast was born with the Sun Star and they grew together with a symbiotic relationship, eventually becoming one of the strongest beasts in existence. However, at this moment, it was oppressed by those who were much weaker than itself. The passing of time was not to be underestimated as even the strongest of beings would be laid low by it eventually.
The Golden Crow already had one foot in the grave, and its last explosion of power was mostly contained by Madam Lan’s artifact earlier, which was why it was exhausted. With that said, Madam Lan alone was still no match for the beast. However, over thirty Open Heaven Realm Masters had survived in the hall, and four of them were in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Since all of them had joined forces, the Golden Crow was immediately put at a disadvantage. Judging from the current situation, it was just a matter of time before the beast truly fell.
Yang Kai smacked his lips. It wasn’t certain who would reap all the benefits in the end as the value of the Golden Crow’s body was incalculable. Even though he had no idea what the carcass could be used for, he reckoned that it was probably superior to even the Sun’s True Gold.
[what a shame…] As his power was too weak, he could only watch the show from the side, unable to join in the fun. This helplessness only increased his desire to become stronger.
Although the Golden Crow was at a disadvantage on the battlefield, its True Fire was indeed overwhelming as no one dared to come into contact with it. When the pitch-black True Fire sprayed out, everyone would be forced to step backward, giving the beast another chance to catch its breath.
After a quarter hour though, a shriek was heard. It was a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who was struck by the True Fire as he dodged too late. Half of his body evaporated instantly. His companions quickly pulled him out of the battlefield, but he would probably end up dying a horrible death.
As time passed, many wounds were added to the Golden Crow. Blood that looked like magma streamed out of his wounds and dropped onto the floor, opening up holes in the ground.
Of the more than thirty Open Heaven Realm Masters who had originally participated in this battle, five had been killed while the rest of them were panting heavily, exhausted from the effort. Even the Mid-Rank Open Realm Masters were in a terrible state. Despite being more powerful than the others, they also had to endure greater pressure than the Low-Rank Open Realm cultivators. All of them had expended all their strength, and even Madam Lan’s face had turned pale.
Of all the people present, she bore the greatest pressure because the Golden Crow seemed to be targeting her specifically for ruining its plan earlier. If it weren’t because she was fairly powerful, and she had many artifacts with her, Madam Lan would’ve died already.
Right then, Old Hong suddenly shouted excitedly, “Hang in there. This beast is running out of energy!”
The Golden Crow’s eyes had lost their earlier vigour as they appeared turbid now. Countless wounds had formed on its body, and it no longer appeared imposing. It was indeed in the last moments of its life. Despite the fact that the beast was staggering, it never allowed itself to collapse to the ground. As the beast swept its eyes over the crowd, it still didn’t have any regard for them despite the fact it was dying. That was its pride as an ancient beast.
Just then, Madam Lan dashed towards the beast as her silk ribbon whipped out at it.
The Golden Crow seemed to have the intention of dodging the attack, but it had no more energy left to do so. The silk ribbon directly struck its neck, and the cracking sound of bones was immediately heard. Upon impact, the Golden Crow was sent flying towards the corner of the hall.
After the strike, Madam Lan also faltered as she almost fell to the ground.
With a loud boom, the Golden Crow fell to the floor and slid forward for a long time before finally stopping.
Despite that, no one had the guts to go over and check it. That was because the Golden Crow had feigned death once already. Before they could make sure that it was really dead, no one wanted to make the same mistake again. If the beast spat out a jet of Golden Crow’s True Fire again, they wouldn’t be able to resist the attack.
The sounds of panting were heard reverberating around the hall. At the same time, all of them fished out Spirit Pills from their Space Rings and stuffed them into their mouths, hurriedly refining them to restore their energy.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the Golden Crow remained unmoving on the ground.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had been hiding the whole time, felt his face twitching as he silently cursed. This couldn’t be helped, as the Golden Crow was just one step away from him. He had never expected that Madam Lan would push the beast towards him with her final blow.
Yang Kai found himself in quite an awkward position as it was too late for him to leave and everyone’s attention was now focused on that spot as they scanned the beast with their Divine Senses. If he moved now, he would be exposed.
[What should I do? If the Golden Crow is really dead, those guys will come over to check it and snatch it. I’m very close to the beast, so I probably can’t hide from the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters once that happens. How should I explain myself if they ask me what I’m doing here?]
While he was in a dilemma, the Golden Crow in front of him suddenly moved. Then, in a slow and firm manner, it got to its three feet.
Yang Kai felt a sense of coldness rising within him as goosebumps rose all over his body. Even though the Golden Crow appeared battered, it could still kill Yang Kai as easily as an insect.
Yang Kai prayed in his heart that the beast wouldn’t discover him, but to his dismay, the Golden Crow set its eyes on him instead of Madam Lan and the others as he was closer.
Following that, the Golden Crow lowered its head and stared fixedly at Yang Kai with its golden eyes.
They were only a single step apart, and Yang Kai could even feel the beast’s breath on him. As their eyes met, he knew that the beast must have discovered him.
He couldn’t hide from Madam Lan using the Shadowless Veil, so how was it possible that he could conceal himself from a mature Golden Crow? Therefore, he quickly put on an expression that suggested that he was harmless. With a face filled with sincerity, he forced an ugly smile at the Golden Crow.
Naturally, the Golden Crow parted its beak as a scorching aura exuded from his mouth. A wisp of fire could faintly be seen, and the aura of death soon engulfed Yang Kai.
[Damn it!] Yang Kai was enraged because he had pleaded with the beast in such a pitiful manner to let him off, but the Golden Crow still mercilessly decided to roast him in return.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t wait for the beast to spit its Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he hurriedly summoned a golden feather and infused his strength into it. As a golden light expanded as another ferocious aura undulated.
From a nearby spot, the expressions of Madam Lan and the others, who were vigilantly watching the Golden Crow get up, changed drastically.
They were wary that the Golden Crow would use the same trick of playing dead, but now, it seemed that even though they hadn’t managed to kill him with the last strike, the beast was indeed on the brink of death. However, why had a ferocious aura appeared all of a sudden at this point?
As their eyes trembled, they saw a golden chicken expanding right in front of their eyes. The gigantic chicken radiated a golden glow, and its figure seemed able to cover the entire sky. Its might, which seemed no weaker than that of the Golden Crow, caused everyone to shudder.
“Mie Meng!” Old Hong exclaimed as Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing felt their eyes popping out and Yuan Xiao Man and Madam Lan parted their lips in shock.
The minds of all these Open Heaven Realm Masters had turned blank as they couldn’t think clearly. They couldn’t understand why a Mie Meng had appeared in this place all of a sudden. Where had it been until now? How did it sneak into this place?
However, Madam Lan soon realised that something was off and yelled, “It’s not the real thing, it’s just a Divine Ability!” Despite the fact that it wasn’t the real thing, they were still unable to oppose it.
Mie Meng lowered her head and looked down at the Golden Crow. Following a strange cluck, it landed a peck on the beast with its sharp beak.
With a crack, a big hole was formed in the Golden Crow’s head, and after it staggered slightly, it collapsed to the ground as all its vitality left its body. It was really dead this time.
If the Golden Crow came across Mie Meng when it was still at full strength, it could definitely defeat the latter. Nevertheless, the Golden Crow was on its last breath. Earlier, it had used a trick to kill some Open Heaven Realm Masters, who coveted its treasures, causing it to expend much of its remaining energy. Then, it had spent a long time battling against Madam Lan and the others, so it didn’t have much strength left.
Therefore, it was totally powerless to resist Mie Meng’s attack, so it wasn’t surprising that it had been killed.
After killing the Golden Crow, Mie Meng’s figure rapidly dissipated and turned into golden wisps of light before disappearing, its imposing might also vanishing with the wind.
“Hmm?” Old Hong widened his eyes and gazed at the spot where the Golden Crow had collapsed in shock. That was because there was a young man, who appeared quite embarrassed, standing beside the corpse. At that moment, Old Hong couldn’t help but ask, “Who are you?”
He had never seen this young man before and was quite surprised to learn that the latter’s aura was very weak. It was apparent that the young man wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai felt his brow twitching fiercely. He had no choice but to use one of the feathers given to him by Mie Meng, which caused the Shadowless Veil to lose its effect, revealing his figure.
He had managed to remain hidden for so long, but in the end he was still exposed, which made him feel quite helpless.
However, it wasn’t the time to think about it. Since he had been exposed, he had to immediately flee from this place. At the thought of this, he solemnly cupped his fists and called out respectfully, “Madam Lan.”
Old Hong and the others turned to look at Madam Lan, thinking that she was close to the young man. Nevertheless, after successfully diverting their attention, Yang Kai quickly summoned his Six Fated Paths Bag and stuffed the Golden Crow’s corpse into it. Without pause, he then disappeared from the scene.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what exactly the Golden Crow corpse could be used for, it didn’t stop him from snatching it first. It was the reward he obtained after sacrificing a feather from Mie Meng, so there was no way he wouldn’t take it away with him.
When he brought Ruler of the Dawn Great General to look for his family in the past, Mie Meng had given him three golden tail feathers. Since he was still weak, the three golden tail feathers were extremely valuable as they could be said to be his safety charms. If it weren’t because he was left with no other choice, he wouldn’t have used one here.
However, when faced with the Golden Crow’s attack, he had to use it no matter what; otherwise, he would have lost his life.
As Yang Kai moved, Space Principles around him undulated. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that after the Golden Crow died, the space around the hall had also been unsealed, which allowed him to use Instantaneous Movement.
There was no time for him to identify a direction, so he simply ran first.
Forget about poking the hornet’s nest, Yang Kai had practically smashed and stomped on it. The Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall widened their eyes in disbelief, then they became shocked and incensed. They had paid a hefty price to deal with the Golden Crow, and even some Low-Rank cultivators had sacrificed their lives during the battle. Now that the Golden Crow was finally killed, a little brat suddenly appeared and took their trophy away.
It wouldn’t have mattered if that person was powerful enough, as the weak had no rights before the strong, but the crux of the problem now was that this boy wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master! How dare he have the guts to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth?
Old Hong and the others were especially enraged. Although each of the Mid-Rank cultivators had respectively obtained one Sun’s True Gold, nobody minded having more good stuff. More importantly, the corpse of a fully grown Golden Crow was undoubtedly more valuable than a piece of Sun’s True Golds.
“How dare he!” Old Hong bellowed as his Divine Sense swept out like a tidal wave and immediately locked onto Yang Kai’s location. As his chubby figure moved, he disappeared from the spot to chase after the young man.
Without saying a word, Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing used their own Secret Techniques and disappeared from the hall.
Yuan Xiao Meng turned to look at Madam Lan and asked, “Big Sister Lan, are you not going to pursue him?” Without waiting for Madam Lan’s reply, she shot into the air and broke through the ceiling, forming a path that led to the outside world. Seeing that, the Low-Rank cultivators quickly followed her.
Back inside the hall, Madam Lan sported an awkward expression as she wiped away the blood at the corner of her lips.
In fact, she did know who the young man was. He had stayed in First Inn for four months now, so he could be considered a valued customer. She even recalled that his name was Yang Kai. She had no idea how he snuck into the Golden Crow Divine Palace and hid inside the outer hallway. At that time, she didn’t expose him because she thought that he was just a reckless youth who was trying to secretly obtain some treasures by taking advantage of an artifact that could conceal himself. Given her strength as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, she had seen through his concealment at a glance. They were not close to one another, so she didn’t intend to butt in on his affairs. Another reason she didn’t expose him was that this was how First Inn did business. Given the choice between being on good terms or offending, they would always choose the former.
However, she had never expected this young man would end up looting the biggest treasure in the hall.
The Golden Crow corpse was even more precious than the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold that she had obtained. With that said, she also found this whole situation dreadfully interesting. Just where did a mere Emperor Realm youth get the guts to pull such a stunt in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters? Wasn’t he worried that the corpse would become a hot potato for him?
“I wonder if you’ll be able to keep both the treasure and your life!” Madam Lan let out a breath before looking up. Yuan Xiao Man had already opened up a tunnel in the ceiling to the outside world, so she didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it as she shot into the sky.
At this moment, Yang Kai was fleeing like his backside was on fire, pushing his Space Principles madly. A group of Open Heaven Realm Masters were racing after him like a long snake, with Old Hong and the other Mid-Rank Masters at its head.
Seeing how infuriated they were, anyone who had no idea what was going on would have thought that Yang Kai had dug up and defaced their ancestral tombs.
It was the first time Yang Kai had been hunted down by so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, which consisted of people from numerous great forces in the neighbouring Great Territories. He was also getting a taste of how difficult it was to deal with numerous Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Although he made use of Space Principles to flee from the hall, Yang Kai soon realised that a few auras had locked onto him from afar. Without even needing to think about it, he was certain that it was the Mid-Rank Masters who were tracking him.
After a few Instantaneous Movements, Yang Kai managed to widen the gap with his pursuers a little, but he still couldn’t shake them off.
Furthermore, Old Hong and the others soon realised that Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so they hastened their pace, quickly shortening the gap between them. Yang Kai was significantly weaker than them, so how could he outpace these Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Fortunately, his Space Secret Techniques were unparalleled when it came to escaping and fleeing; otherwise, he would’ve been captured already.
At the back of the chase group, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang from Great Moon Province sported awkward expressions as they communicated with each other via Divine Sense.
“Senior Brother, if I’m not mistaken, that’s Yang Kai, right?” Until this moment, Tao Rong Fang still couldn’t believe what she had seen in the hall. How did Yang Kai appear there?
Wei Que slightly nodded his head, “That’s him.”
“Why did he…”
“I don’t know why either, but he’s in big trouble now.” A solemn Wei Que heaved a sigh, “He’s so foolish. Since he had a way to conceal himself, he should have just remained hidden until the end. Why did he expose himself? He … He even…” Wei Que sighed again.
In that situation, even he wouldn’t have dared to snatch the Golden Crow’s corpse, not to mention that Yang Kai wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master yet. By grasping such a hot potato, he was basically courting death. Now, it was such a magnificent sight that dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters were chasing after him. Even though Yang Kai was a Master of Space Principles, there was no way he could escape.
“That’s a shame. He was a good boy. It was thanks to him that Ah Sun was able to meet up with us,” Tao Rong Fang sighed.
“He also saved our lives,” Wei Que said.
A puzzled Tao Rong Fang asked, “When did he save our lives?”
“When the Golden Crow originally revived after feigning death, you were curious why I suddenly dragged you away, right? It was because that boy sent me a warning that the Golden Crow might still be alive at the last moment. Looking back, if it weren’t because of his timely warning, the consequence would have been dreadful.”
Recalling the situation from earlier, Wei Que couldn’t help but shudder. When the Golden Crow’s True Fire exploded, half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed in an instant. If he and Tao Rong Fang hadn’t retreated much further than the rest, Wei Que wasn’t certain they would have survived.
A shocked Tao Rong Fang asked, “He was already there at that time?”
Wei Que smiled helplessly, “I have no idea how he snuck into the hall or how he concealed himself until then. I guess he made use of an artifact. However, in that situation, only he was able to see the whole picture. Even Madam Lan and the other Mid-Ranks were completely attracted by the Sun’s True Gold, so no one had noticed that there was something wrong with the Golden Crow until it was too late.”
Tao Rong Fang seemed to be reeling from the shock and hurriedly declared, “In that case, we truly owed him a great favour. Senior Brother, he saved our lives, so now that he is in trouble, we can’t just stand idly by.”
A frustrated Wei Que replied, “Of course we can’t stand idly by, but I don’t even know how we can help him. In any case, we have to reach him quickly. That brat is so good at running away. I have the urge to break his legs.”
Tao Rong Fang burst into laughter, “It’d be wonderful if he could keep fleeing like this. At least he won’t be captured this way. However, I’m worried he won’t have enough stamina.”
They were still charging forward while chatting, but the gap between the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank cultivators was still widening. Fortunately, the place was brightly lit from the remnant glow of the Sun Star, so they were not worried about losing them.
Just then, a roar that seemed able to shake the universe was clearly heard coming from afar, “Brat, if you still want to live, stop right now! Otherwise, once this Old Master captures you, I’ll let you have a taste of the cruellest torture in the world, making you beg for death!”
If it weren’t because he was left with no choice, Old Hong wouldn’t have resorted to threatening an Emperor Realm youth in such a way, because doing so was a great shame to his identity and status. However, this young man was truly adept at fleeing, and he had managed to seize the chance to widen the gap between them again. If the gap between them was shorter, Old Hong could have disturbed the space around him so that the young man could no longer use his teleportation technique, allowing Old Hong to reach him with ease. However, given the distance between them now, it would be useless for Old Hong to make a move as the young man could still smoothly teleport away.
As he spoke, Old Hong appeared infuriated.
Yang Kai, who was fleeing at full speed, naturally ignored him. He would have to be insane to stop at this point. Honestly speaking, Yang Kai was regretting his reckless actions right now. He had watched the good show for a long time, but none of the eight Sun’s True Golds went to him. In the end, he had even been forced to use one of Mie Meng’s precious golden tail feathers. Thinking that he couldn’t suffer such a big loss, Yang Kai rashly snatched the Golden Crow carcass.
Since he had already done the deed though, there was no way he could return the corpse to them now. Several Mid-Rank cultivators were chasing after him right now, so who could he even return the corpse to? No matter who managed to obtain the prize, the rest of the Mid-Rank cultivators wouldn’t let him off.
Since he would be targeted regardless, Yang Kai decided to just keep the corpse; after all, fortune favours the bold!
Seeing that Yang Kai outright ignored him, Old Hong became even more incensed as he bellowed, “Boy, you court death!”
After he finished speaking, his chubby body suddenly expanded and turned into a several-dozen-metres-tall figure. Then, he extended his hand in an attempt to capture Yang Kai.
Feeling a horrifying pressure from behind, Yang Kai turned his head, only to see a gigantic hand engulfing him. Fortunately, the distance between them was still too wide and the giant hand missed its target. Yang Kai’s neck shrank as he suppressed his urge to curse, drenched in cold sweat from nervousness.
After using such a Secret Technique, Old Hong, who was already injured from the battle with the Golden Crow, seemed to have expended too much energy and started coughing violently, his speed dropping noticeably as a result.
When Yuan Xiao Man whizzed past him, she said, “You should stop pretending to be tough when you’re already so old. Why did you even try to reach him from so far away?”
Seeing as she easily surpassed him, Old Hong felt a fury rising within him.
“Little Brother, can you wait for me? You’re running too quickly,” Yuan Xiao Man said in a sweet voice as she flew forward, causing Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing to furrow their brows.
“Little Brother, stop running. Where do you think you can go? Although the universe is wide, there’s no shelter for you. If they capture you, you’ll end up in a terrible state.”
Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing turned to look at Yuan Xiao Man with a sneer. It wasn’t like Yang Kai would be treated well if she managed to catch him!
“Stop chasing after me if you don’t want me to keep running,” Yang Kai yelled as he continued fleeing.
Yuan Xiao Man said, “Stop running, and we won’t keep chasing after you.” After she finished speaking, she hinted at Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing with her gaze. Seeing this, they nodded gently.
“Stop chasing after me, and I’ll stop running!”
Yuan Xiao Man sneered, “Little Brother, that’s too much to ask for, don’t you think? Since you refuse a toast, you must suffer a loss. Given your strength, you won’t be able to escape from us.”
Ji Tian Xiang then bellowed, “Brat, give the Golden Crow corpse to us now, and we’ll spare your life!”
“Good, good, good, I’ll give it to you!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, then he appeared hesitant, “But there are three of you here. Who should I give it to?”
“““Give it to me!””” Not surprisingly, all three of them shouted at the same time, then they traded glances as their gazes were filled with hostility. Every one of them was eager to slap the other two to death.
Yuan Xiao Man’s eyes darted about for a moment before she proposed, “Little Brother, if you give the Golden Crow carcass to me, I’ll let you join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. What do you think? Judging from your strength, it seems that you’ve just arrived in the Outer Universe. This is a place that is filled with danger, and you need a powerful background to survive. If you join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land, I will ensure your safety.”
“You’ll let me join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land?” Yang Kai sounded tempted.
Yuan Xiao Man replied with a smile, “I might look young, but I’m actually an Elder of my force, so I can definitely let you join. Moreover, there are many beautiful female disciples in my great force. If you’re interested in any one of them after you join, I can even act as a matchmaker for you.”
[Cheap slut!] Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing cursed in their hearts. In order to get the Golden Crow carcass, Yuan Xiao Man had even resorted to using this kind of trick, which was embarrassing for all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
After giving it a thought though, they realised that it wasn’t so surprising. The Golden Crow’s corpse was extremely rare and if she could make this young man willingly hand it over, this kind of sacrifice was worth it.
“Are those female disciples as beautiful as you are? What if I’m more interested in you?”
Yuan Xiao Man’s expression turned cold as she secretly cursed at him for crossing the line, but she still replied smilingly, “That will depend on how capable you are. If Little Brother can make me fall in love with you, I don’t mind getting together with you.”
“Are you telling the truth?” Yang Kai sounded elated.
“Of course, I’m not lying.”
Seeing that they were still in the mood to flirt with one another in this situation, Zhang Qi sneered, “Brat, if you dare believe her, I can guarantee you won’t live to see the Sun rise tomorrow. Why don’t you join my Righteous Land? Although we don’t have many beautiful female disciples, I can give you my word that you will become a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
“Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
Zhang Qi continued, “Cultivators like us should focus on cultivation, while all other matters come second. Personal strength is the key to everything. As long as you become powerful enough, you can have any woman you want.”
“Sir has a point.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
An enraged Yuan Xiao Man turned her head to shoot Zhang Qi a glare, “Why are you interfering in my plan?”
Ignoring her, Zhang Qi snorted and continued persuading Yang Kai by saying, “Little Brother, give the corpse to me, and I can swear on my Dao Heart that I’m not lying to you!”
What he had said was pretty sincere. After one swore on their Dao Heart, they wouldn’t dare to go back on their word. That was because if they did that, their Dao Heart would be tarnished and it would affect their pursuit of the Grand Dao.
Yuan Xiao Man couldn’t believe that Zhang Qi was willing to go so far and even forgot to rebuke him.
Just then, Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from afar, “I can feel your sincerity, and am very tempted; however, there are still three of you. I’d like to know what the last one can offer me.”
Ji Tian Xing grinned, “I’ll give you a chance to live. How about that?”
Yang Kai replied, “That’s very insincere. Don’t you even think about getting the corpse from me now. I’d rather throw it away than give it to you!”
Yuan Xiao Man hurriedly nodded, “En, en, don’t ever give it to him. He’s a ruthless fellow, so if you give the carcass to him, you’ll only end up in a horrible state.”
Zhang Qi said, “Brat, we’ve said all we should. Think it over and quickly make a decision.”
“Please slow down and give me some time to ponder. I can’t even think clearly because of the pressure,” Yang Kai replied.
Zhang Qi said grimly, “I don’t think you’re sincere at all. Stop playing these kinds of childish tricks. I’ll repeat what she said. Although the universe is wide, there’s no place for you to take shelter. Hand over the Golden Crow to us now!”
Yuan Xiao Man snorted, “No one likes an obstinate man!”
As they spoke, they never slowed down as they continuously shortened the gap with Yang Kai; however, they were enraged by the fact that whenever they were close enough to him to make a move, the young man would use his Space Principles to teleport away before they could disturb the space around him.
They couldn’t figure out how a mere Emperor Realm Junior who was so adept at fleeing had suddenly appeared in 3,000 Worlds. All the Open Heaven Realm Masters found it extremely difficult to capture him.
One day later, Old Hong also rejoined them and from afar, they could feel Madam Lan’s aura closing in on them.
Madam Lan had expended most of her strength during a battle against the Golden Crow, so she only started pursuing them after resting for a while. Despite the fact that she had lagged behind at the start though, her true strength ensured that she could eventually catch up to them.
Half a day later, all five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together again as they charged forward across the Starry Sky.
Madam Lan gazed at the others with an awkward expression and asked, “Is that boy so adept at running away?”
Yuan Xiao Man said through clenched teeth, “I don’t even know where he’s from, but once I capture him, I’ll skin him alive and crush all his bones!”
Although the others didn’t say anything, their expressions suggested that they were fuming mad. That was because it would be a huge embarrassment for them if what happened on this day was made public.
Madam Lan said with a smile, “We’ll talk about it if you manage to capture him. I’ll see you soon.”
After she finished speaking, she suddenly dashed forward at an even greater speed, rapidly widening the gap between her and the other four. Seeing this, Yuan Xiao Man and the others felt unresigned, realising that the Golden Crow carcass would have nothing to do with them anymore. It couldn’t be helped though as they were weaker than Madam Lan, and even their speed was slower than hers. Regardless of how good Yang Kai was at running away, he could not possibly outpace a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even the four other Mid-Ranks didn’t think they could achieve such a feat.
As expected, Yang Kai became flustered upon seeing Madam Lan closing in on him. The other Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to deal with him after such a long time, but as soon as she arrived, Madam Lan immediately gave him immense pressure.
Given her incredible speed, it was just a matter of time before she would reach him even if he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
In the light of this reality, Yang Kai yelled, “Proprietress Boss, I stayed at your First Inn for four months and spent many Open Heaven Pills there. Is this how you treat all your guests?”
Madam Lan simply laughed, “Rest assured I just want the Golden Crow carcass and won’t do anything to you. Why don’t you stop running and pass the corpse to me? It will save both of us much trouble.”
Torn between fury and sorrow, Yang Kai protested, “As the First Inn Proprietress, do you also commit such atrocious crimes of oppressing the weak?”
Madam Lan replied, “This Queen does not represent First Inn now and is solely acting for her own sake.”
“Proprietress is truly insincere with her words! I’m warning you, don’t force me or you’ll regret it!”
Intrigued, Madam Lan curiously asked, “And just what can you do?”
“Just you wait!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth as began fishing something out of his pocket.
The next instant, he raised his hand and hurled a bunch of small objects out in different directions. At the same time, he shouted, “There are ten Space Rings in total, one of them contains the Golden Crow’s corpse. It will belong to whoever gets it first and has nothing to do with me anymore!”
Madam Lan’s expression changed when she heard this and she secretly cursed at him for coming up with such a wicked and shameless scheme.
Yuan Xiao Man and the others frowned as well. Although they knew it was entirely likely that Yang Kai was just trying to divert their attention and that there was nothing in any of the ten Space Rings, they couldn’t just ignore the possibility either.
What if the corpse was really in one of the Space Rings? If they didn’t have a look, someone else would pick it up. Therefore, despite the fact that they were doubtful, all five of them still separated and shot in different directions.
Half a cup of tea later, all ten Space Rings had been collected, but after checking them, they realised that they were completely empty, without even a trace of the Golden Crow carcass.
Yuan Xiao Man gritted her teeth so hard they creaked before she roared, “I must kill that brat!”
Despite knowing that it might be a pit, she still had to jump into it, which infuriated her. She secretly swore that once she captured Yang Kai, she would let him have a taste of the cruelest torture the universe had to offer.
“I’ve given you the corpse already, why are you still chasing after me!? Must you ruthlessly kill me too!?” Yang Kai bellowed as his voice was filled with fury.
“Brat, how dare you still try to divert our attention!” Zhang Qi snorted.
Yang Kai said, “Why don’t you check the rings in each other’s hands then? One of you must have hidden it and is now trying to frame me!”
Madam Lan was so exasperated that she started laughing, “This brat is trying to sow discord among us…”
Yuan Xiao Man scoffed, “There’s nothing in the two rings I’ve obtained.” She turned to look at the others, who also said the same thing.
“Well, we don’t know whether he’s speaking the truth or not,” Yuan Xiao Man said impassively.
Zhang Qi shot her a glare, “Has all the nutrition for your brain gone to your chest or something? It’s true what they say, a woman with a big chest is always brainless. Madam Lan just said that he was sowing discord between us. Why have you still fallen into his trap?”
Yuan Xiao Man refuted, “Why are you cursing me? I was just saying, and I didn’t fall into his trap. Are you anxious because you’re hiding something from us?”
“Fuck off!” Zhang Qi bellowed.
Madam Lan sighed before she said, “There’s an easy way to ascertain the truth.”
Then, she shouted at the one in front of her, “Yang Kai, do you have the guts to swear on your Dao Seal that the Golden Crow is inside one of the Space Rings you just threw out? If you dare to make such an oath, we’ll stop right now!”
Yang Kai yelled, “I’ve given the corpse to you, so you have no right to make me swear on anything! Is oppressing others the only law in the Outer Universe?”
Ji Tian Xing guffawed, “Law? In the Outer Universe, strength is the only law. Since you have no power, you can only be oppressed by others!”
Yang Kai said through gnashed teeth, “Many thanks for your lecture!”
Nothing else needed to be said as they continued chasing after him. The carcass was obviously still in his possession. It had to be said that he had pulled a skilful trick on them as although he couldn’t change the outcome in the end, he had stalled for more time for himself at the very least.
Half a day later, all five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were hunting down Yang Kai, appeared pleasantly surprised.
Yuan Xiao Man said, “He finally stopped?”
Old Hong became energised, “He must have run out of strength!” After all, Yang Kai was only an Emperor Realm Junior who had just condensed his Dao Seal. He could be considered fairly powerful as he was able to run for such a long time with so many Mid-Rank cultivators chasing after him; however, under such immense pressure, there was no way he could go on running forever.
All of their eyes brightened as they hastened their pace. Madam Lan charged forward at a greater speed and soon shook off the others, causing them to feel frustrated.
Presently, Yang Kai was standing in the void in the distance as he gazed at the figures who were dashing towards him. After letting out a breath, he fished out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth while hurriedly adjusting his breathing.
“Smelly brat!” Madam Lan’s voice could be heard coming from afar, “Why don’t you join my First Inn after this incident?”
Yang Kai was incredibly adept at escaping since he was an expert in the Dao of Space, which was why she became interested in a talented youth like him. Furthermore, regardless of how she put it, she was going to snatch the Golden Crow carcass from him. Those from First Inn would rather make friends than foes, and although she was doing this for her own sake, she was still going to forcefully take a valuable treasure away from him. Therefore, letting him join First Inn could be seen as a form of compensation. More importantly, Yang Kai had offended so many top cultivators this time, so without anyone’s protection, he would never be able to gain a foothold in the Outer Universe. Perhaps his corpse would even be found floating in the void tomorrow.
Hence, she found it necessary to ensure his safety after snatching his prize.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Join First Inn? What can I do after joining First Inn? I can’t cook.”
Madam Lan replied with a smile, “Since you’re so good at running, you can become a waiter for us.”
An amused Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, many thanks for the generous offer, but this Junior must decline. That’s not where my ambition lies, so I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Madam Lan furrowed her brows, “Do you understand that you’re in big trouble? Without someone’s protection, you won’t be able to survive.”
“Of course I understand!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “However, I’m not used to letting anyone else decide my fate. So, Proprietress, we’ll meet again if there’s such a chance in the future. Farewell!”
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand at Madam Lan.
Madam Lan instinctively felt that something was off so she hurriedly exclaimed, “Wait!”
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t wait for her and in the next instant, he disappeared from the spot.
“Damn!” Madam Lan said through clenched teeth. She was so close to being able to make a move to seal off the space around Yang Kai, which would ensure that he wouldn’t be able to use his Instantaneous Movement again. However, she was still a short distance away from being able to do so. After Yang Kai used his Instantaneous Movement, the gap between them had widened significantly again, which would take her more effort to chase after him.
[What an ungrateful brat!] Madam Lan gritted her teeth. Following that, she released her Divine Sense in an attempt to locate Yang Kai, but the next moment, her expression changed drastically. That was because she couldn’t detect Yang Kai’s aura with her Divine Sense. The young man seemed to have vanished into thin air!
Her jaw dropped as her gaze filled with disbelief. Yang Kai had used Instantaneous Movement in front of her many times already, but there was a limit as to how far he could go, so she could always detect his aura and quickly locate him before continuing to pursue him. However, this time, he had completely disappeared.
[How did he do that? Can he really escape that far with his teleportation technique? If he was capable of doing that all along, he could have gotten rid of us a long time ago. Why did he wait until now to do so?]
While she was pondering on the issue, Old Hong and the others arrived, and after looking around, Old Hong asked, “Where is he?”
Madam Lan shook her head to mean that she had no idea.
Naturally, Old Hong and the others wouldn’t believe her; however, after releasing their Divine Senses, they were shocked to discover they couldn’t detect his aura anywhere. They were only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while even a Sixth-Order cultivator like Madam Lan couldn’t locate Yang Kai, so this result was obvious.
“Big Sister Lan, did you capture that brat?” Yuan Xiao Man sized her up with a gaze full of doubt.
Torn between laughter and tears, Madam Lan landed a knock on the young girl’s head, “How I wish I had captured him. Unfortunately, he’s not in my hands.”
Yuan Xiao Man covered her head with her hands, “You could just say he wasn’t with you. Why did you hit me?”
As they spoke, Old Hong suddenly performed a hand seal as an abstruse aura fluctuated around him. The others turned to look at him, only to see that there was a translucent red thread on his finger.
Yuan Xiao Man’s gaze brightened, “Soul Tracing Silk! When did you plant it?”
Old Hong snorted, “I did it as a precaution, but I never dreamed I would actually need it.”
Previously, he had made a move against Yang Kai but due to the distance between them, he hadn’t managed to cause any real harm. Nevertheless, it was because of that move that Old Hong managed to plant a Soul Tracing Silk on Yang Kai’s aura.
Soul Tracing Silk wasn’t a very useful material, but it was an excellent tool to track people. As long as the target wasn’t too far away, the silk could point out their direction.
After Old Hong finished speaking, he activated the red thread, which then flew forward and showed them a direction.
They widened their eyes and turned around because the direction the silk pointed was where they were coming from earlier. In other words, Yang Kai had doubled back on them without their knowledge.
“Old Hong, are you mistaken? That doesn’t seem to be the right direction.” Yuan Xiao Man batted her eyes and gazed at him.
“Impossible!” Old Hong appeared embarrassed, “There’s no way the Soul Tracing Silk would make a mistake. Since it has pointed out a direction, it means that he must be moving in that direction.”
“But… we just came from there. If he’s really gone that way, how could we not be aware of it?”
It didn’t make sense. Given their powers, they should have detected him.
After giving it a thought, Madam Lan said, “That brat is skilled in Space Secret Techniques, but until now he only showed us a kind of instantaneous movement. I’m sure he still has other tricks up his sleeves. The Soul Tracing Silk from Old Hong is truly famous, so now that it has pointed out the direction for us, I’m sure there’s no mistake.”
“Shit!” Zhang Qi’s expression changed all of a sudden as he cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at him in shock.
Without looking at her, Zhang Qi stared fixedly at the other woman, “Madam Lan, I’m sure you know what’s in that direction.”
Madam Lan was startled for a moment before she realised what he meant and parted her lips, “First Inn! So, that’s what that brat is planning!”
An astounded Yuan Xiao Man said, “All this time he was planning to head to First Inn?”
Zhang Qi put on a bitter smile, “That seems to be the case. It’s no wonder that, over these past few days, he never seemed afraid or worried that he wouldn’t be able to escape from us. It’s because he already came up with such a plan.”
“That smelly brat is pretty interesting,” Madam Lan laughed heartily.
She could make a move on Yang Kai in the void, but if he really hid inside First Inn, given the inn’s reputation and guarantee to their customers, his safety would become First Inn’s responsibility. No one would dare to deal with him inside the inn, not even Madam Lan. Instead, she had to protect him lest he was killed by someone else. Nevertheless, the young man was too naive.
“Congratulations, Madam Lan.” Zhang Qi reluctantly cupped his fists at her.
Ji Tian Xing heaved a long sigh, knowing that the young man had made the wrong move. Not only was he walking right into a trap, but he had also made them lose any chance to snatch the Golden Crow carcass.
Yuan Xiao Man took Madam Lan’s arm and pitifully gazed at her, “Big Sister Lan, please bring me with you. I promise that I won’t compete with you. I just want to have a look.”
With a faint smile, Madam Lan extended a delicate finger and poked Yuan Xiao Man’s forehead as she said clearly, “In your dreams!”
A soft force suddenly exuded from her finger and pushed Yuan Xiao Man away. Seizing the chance, Madam Lan said, “I’ll take my leave now.”
A white light appeared from Madam Lan’s feet and soon engulfed her. After the white light diminished, she also disappeared from the spot.
“Universe Transference Law!” Yuan Xiao Man rubbed her forehead and returned to the others, “That boy is so foolish. Doesn’t he know about the Universe Transference Law? As long as Big Sister Lan is still in this Great Territory, she can use it to return to First Inn whenever she wants.”
“It seems like he just arrived in the Outer Universe, which is why he doesn’t know about the Universe Transference Law.” Zhang Qi sounded frustrated.
“What should we do?” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at the others.
Without saying anything, Ji Tian Xing frowned and headed to First Inn.
Old Hong said, “Whatever the case, we can go over there to watch the show. Moreover, we each have a piece of Sun’s True Golds with us, so it’s not safe for us to move around. We’d better head to First Inn for now.”
Yuan Xiao Man nodded, “You’re right.”
After a short discussion, the four Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters began flying back towards First Inn. This time, they were no longer in a hurry as Yang Kai had fallen into a trap. Given Madam Lan’s power, there was no way Yang Kai could escape from her.
They wondered what kind of expression Yang Kai would sport when he saw Madam Lan appear before him all of a sudden.
…..
Somewhere in the void, Yang Kai’s figure abruptly appeared. There was a Space Beacon hovering beside him, and after grabbing the Space Beacon, he finally let out a breath of relief. Earlier, when he threw away the ten Space Rings to divert their attention, he also secretly left behind a Space Beacon.
By using this Space Beacon, he managed to leap across a vast distance to escape the detection of his pursuer’s Divine Senses.
At this moment, the auras that had been locked onto him had finally disappeared. Knowing that his plan had worked, he was finally at ease. Then, he looked around and made sure that no one else was around before identifying the direction and charging towards First Inn.
Just like what the other Mid-Rank cultivators had surmised, he had been planning to head to First Inn all along. He could only feel safe by hiding in that place; otherwise, there was nowhere else he could go with the Golden Crow carcass in his possession. It wouldn’t be safe for him wherever he went.
As for what he would do after arriving at First Inn, he would have to see how things went.
First Inn was a building that was hovering in the void. Presently, it was completely silent in the hall. Since the Sun Star’s fire went out, First Inn was no longer hustling with noises as all their customers had left. Although some of them had returned to the inn, they were merely the disciples from those great forces. No one present was an Open Heaven Realm Master, so they didn’t dare to go anywhere. At this moment, they were taking a rest in their own rooms, which was why the shop boy and accountant had nothing to do. One of them was taking a nap on a stool, while the other was asleep with his head on the front counter.
All of a sudden, a figure shot out from the rear court, which stirred up a gale, and disappeared into the distance.
The shocked shop boy fell from his stool and widened his eyes, but there was nothing in sight.
Behind the counter, the accountant raised his head, and his eyes still appeared sleepy, “Was that Proprietress?”
The shop boy batted his eyes, “I have no idea as I couldn’t see it clearly. Hasn’t Proprietress gone to the Sun Star?”
After giving it a thought, the accountant nodded and fell asleep again.
…
Presently, Yang Kai was charging forward through the void. It had been a day since he got rid of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he was getting closer to First Inn; however, for some reason, he had a foreboding feeling, as if a crisis was slowly creeping up on him.
He wouldn’t dare to ignore this feeling; therefore, he had been careful along the way and kept an eye on the surroundings in the void to prevent any danger.
After observing for a bit, he realised that there was no danger that awaited him. Besides the Mid-Rank cultivators that he had shaken off, he also hadn’t seen any Low-Rank cultivators so far.
At that instant, he suspected that he was being paranoid; after all, he had kicked the hornet’s nest and offended many great forces, creating a crisis he had no way to deal with.
A long time later, he became energised as First Inn, which was hovering in the void, came into sight.
[I’ve arrived at last!] He let out a long breath and decided that he would immediately take a shower and change into clean clothes upon entering the inn. Then, he would take a proper rest. Regardless of how turbulent the outside world was, the Golden Crow carcass was in his hands now. He would just have to look for potential buyers and become wealthy from it.
Not long after he set his mind at ease though, he felt all his bodily hair standing on end. Turning to look in a particular spot in the void, he yelled, “Who goes there!”
Upon finishing his words, he waved his arm widely and shot a Moon Blade towards that spot.
A slender hand appeared out of the void and accurately pinched the Moon Blade. Space Principles undulated around the fair hand, but they couldn’t cause the slightest harm. As the unknown person tightened her grip, the Moon Blade collapsed and disappeared.
Yang Kai felt cold all over his body as it was the first time he saw someone grabbing his Moon Blade with their bare hand. Regardless of who the person was, her power was clearly unfathomable.
Realising that he was unable to oppose this newcomer, he decided to flee immediately, but right then, he felt that the space around him be sealed off, making it impossible for him to use his Space Principles.
[I can’t escape!] Sweat streamed down his forehead as a curvy figure materialised from the void and came into his sight.
Upon making out her face, Yang Kai opened his mouth so wide that it was as though a fist could be stuffed into it. He couldn’t believe his eyes!
The person put on a faint smile as her blue dress perfectly outlined her hourglass figure. She seemed to be happy with his stunned reaction, so her smile became even sweeter.
“You…” Yang Kai stared hesitantly at her and frowned, “Are you Madam Lan’s twin sister?”
Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why Madam Lan would appear here to intercept him. Even though she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, there was no way she could return to First Inn before he did and hide her aura, awaiting his arrival.
The grin on the Proprietress’ face widened as she announced, “I am Madam Lan, and I don’t have a twin sister.”
“Impossible!” Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t believe such a ridiculous statement. As he looked around in a vigilant manner, he made one last attempt to weasel his way out of this predicament, “What is Madam Lan doing here? This Junior would like to return to First Inn now. Please step aside.”
Madam Lan smiled, “You know exactly what I’m doing here. Smelly brat, give that thing to me. My earlier proposal still stands, and I will give you appropriate compensation.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai sized her up like she was a ghost and asked, “You’re really Madam Lan?”
An exasperated Madam Lan snickered, “Could there be a fake Madam Lan or something?”
“But you…”
“That’s none of your business. Since I’m here, there’s no way you can return to First Inn. I don’t want to oppress you, so you’d better do what you’re told.”
An incensed Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “You’re blocking my way, but at the same time, you’re telling me you don’t want to oppress me? Madam Lan, do you know no shame at all?”
Madam Lan’s face fell, “Brat, who are you calling shameless? If I was shameless, I wouldn’t have bothered talking to you at all and instead would have killed you directly.” After that, she calmed herself down though, she continued, “Yang Kai, it’s not a blessing for you to keep the Golden Crow carcass in your possession. I’m sure you understand the situation you’re in. Even if you can get into First Inn, can you hide inside forever? Only a powerful cultivator can protect such a treasure. Since you’re too weak now, the carcass only places a target on your back. Now, you’ve only come across a few Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but when what has happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace is made known to others, High-Rank Open Heaven Masters will surely come to investigate, and they won’t be as easy-going as I am.”
Yang Kai knitted his brows, knowing that Madam Lan was right. Just like what she had said, she could have made a move on him if she had intended to do so. Given the fact that she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was no way he could resist even a single attack; however, she didn’t forcefully take the carcass away from him and instead was doing her best to persuade him to willingly give it up. Considering all that, she could be considered a kind and righteous person.
“Think it over now, but there’s not much time left for you. I’ll be waiting here. Tell me your answer when you’ve made up your mind.” Madam Lan sighed and gave him a sympathetic look. This was the fate of the weak. Even though he had obtained a treasure, he wasn’t powerful enough to keep it.
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need to think it over.”
Madam Lan scowled, “What’s your answer?”
“Many thanks for your offer, but I must refuse. I refuse to let someone else tell me what I can and cannot do. If you want the Golden Crow carcass, you’ll have to take it from me.”
Hearing that, Madam Lan was so exasperated that she started laughing, then she stared at him with a tilted head, “Are you sure you want me to make a move against you?”
“Come!” Yang Kai appeared solemn, as though he was determined to protect his treasure no matter the cost.
Madam Lan took a deep breath as her chest heaved, then she parted her lips and said, “Don’t worry. Although you’re not willingly giving it up, I’ll still compensate you.”
What she had said could be considered incredibly sincere, and after she finished speaking, she extended her slender hand towards Yang Kai.
Just then, she had a feeling of crisis descend upon her. Flabbergasted, she instinctively pushed her strength to defend herself. At the same time, Yang Kai chuckled, “Madam Lan, protect yourself!”
As a golden light expanded and her vision turned blurred. Following a series of clucks, a horrifying pressure fell from the sky.
Releasing her Divine Sense, she realised that the illusory phantom of a gigantic golden chicken was right in front of her as it looked down at her with an impassive gaze.
“Mie Meng!” Madam Lan exclaimed and dashed backwards, so infuriated that she almost spat blood.
Previously, Mie Meng’s Divine Ability had appeared in the main hall of the Golden Crow Divine Palace and dealt a fatal blow to the Golden Crow. After that, Yang Kai snatched the carcass and fled from the scene.
She had speculated that the appearance of Mie Meg’s Divine Ability might have something to do with Yang Kai, a kind of trump card that could save his life that he could only use once.
She never expected that he could use the same Divine Ability again.
Even if she was in peak condition, she would still have to retreat when faced with Mie Meng’s Divine Ability, to say nothing of the fact that she had been injured and had expended a great deal of strength to pursue Yang Kai these past few days.
Therefore, as soon as she detected the Divine Ability, she hurriedly retreated.
As Mie Meng was crowing, she extended her neck and pecked in the direction Madam Lan was fleeing. The movement was light, but the attack contained a power that could shatter worlds.
Madam Lan exclaimed as a flash of light descended upon her. After she sprayed out a mouthful of blood, her aura plunged. Fortunately, she had retreated in time and Yang Kai had given her a warning in advance, so she wasn’t at risk of losing her life. Turning her head, she saw Yang Kai shooting towards First Inn, almost at the entrance already.
Madam Lan was so incensed she screamed and extended her hand in his direction, “Smelly brat, you still dare try to flee?!”
Yang Kai, who was charging forward, felt a terrifying force swiftly approaching from behind, and before he could turn around to parry the attack, he was struck. At that instant, he felt his senses go numb as all his bones cracked, prompting him to hurl curses. Still, using the force of the impact, he crossed the last stretch of territory and landed on the front foyer with a loud thud.
Inside the entryway, the shop boy and accountant, who were napping, were stunned as they raised their heads to look around. Soon, the shop boy saw a man lying on the floor before him. Feeling that the figure looked familiar, he walked up to the man and turned him over, then he appeared stunned as he muttered, “Yang Kai?”
Blood streamed out of Yang Kai’s mouth as he coughed violently and waved his hand.
With a smile, the shop boy crouched down and poked him, “Hey, why are you back?”
Yang Kai had just stabilised his breathing when he was poked, which caused him to cough again. He looked like he was about to lose his life. Although Madam Lan hadn’t used her full strength to attack, it was still too much for the current Yang Kai to resist. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like her was truly formidable.
Grabbing the shop boy’s arm weakly, Yang Kai widened his eyes and said, “S-S…”
“Stop? I have never made a move on you.”
“Stay! I want to stay at your inn!”
Shocked, the shop boy questioned, “You want to stay here? This is a bandits’ inn, are you sure you want to stay? I remember someone who looked a lot like you claiming that he would never come here again when he last left.”
With a pair of widened eyes, Yang Kai gave it a thought and realised that he had indeed said so before. Forcing a smile, he said through clenched teeth, “I’ll stay!”
The shop boy turned to look at the accountant, “Do we have any rooms available?”
The accountant stuck out his head from behind the counter to have a look at Yang Kai, then he understood what the shop boy meant, “Yes, but only the best room is free.”
Then, the shop boy looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Do you want the best room? It’ll cost a thousand Open Heaven Pills per night, and you have to pay in advance.”
The price Yang Kai had to pay had practically doubled, so how could they say they weren’t a bandits’ inn!? Despite that, he still stuffed a Space Ring into the shop boy’s hand, “Cut the crap! Damn it!” Forget 1,000, even if he had to pay 10,000 pills per night, he would still have to stay here. There was nowhere else he could go apart from First Inn in this wide universe.
“You still have some energy left to curse me?” The shop boy chuckled and straightened himself up. Then, he placed the Space Ring on the counter and motioned for the accountant to get a room for him. After that, he asked, “Who was it that hurt you? Your injuries look quite serious.”
“A crazy woman!” Yang Kai replied through gritted teeth.
“Who are you calling crazy?” A figure shuffled into the inn, her face pale and blood still leaking from the corner of her lips.
“Proprietress?” The shop boy was stunned, “What happened to you?”
He was fully aware of the Proprietress’ power and was certain no one in the neighbouring Great Territories could possibly hurt her. Furthermore, there was something wrong with the way she stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai snapped back at her by saying, “I’m just calling the one who wounded me a crazy woman!” Earlier, he had safely arrived at his destination, but he hadn’t expected that not only would he be intercepted by Madam Lan, but he also had to waste another golden tail feather from Mie Meng. There was simply no way he wouldn’t complain.
A malevolent aura exuded from the enraged Proprietress as she inched closer to Yang Kai and said smilingly, “Smelly brat, you’re pretty brazen.”
Seeing this, the shop boy hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Proprietress, please calm yourself. Don’t ruin our reputation!” If the Proprietress made a move on their customer here, the good name of First Inn would be severely tarnished.
Hearing this, Madam Lan frowned and stopped in her tracks. After glaring at Yang Kai for a while, she suddenly broke into a fit of giggles.
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “What are you laughing at? Aren’t you worried that your teeth might fall out?”
Waving her hand, Madam Lan took a seat to the side and kept a smile on her face. Although she was hurt after being caught off guard by Yang Kai, it was indeed rare for an Emperor Realm Master to have achieved all this under her watch. Her injuries weren’t severe in any case, and compared to her wounds, she was more interested in finding out more about Yang Kai.
In the 3,000 Worlds, no other Emperor Realm Master could have achieved what Yang Kai had done in the past few days.
As though alerted by the Proprietress’ aura, a few figures soon appeared at the staircase on the second floor.
The person at the front was none other than Meng Hong from Great Moon Province, followed by Old Fang, Dié You, Ah Sun, and the others. Upon receiving Wei Que’s order some time ago, they returned to First Inn and sent a message to the headquarters of Great Moon Province. That was the reason they were in this inn.
Upon seeing the battered Yang Kai, who remained paralysed on the ground, Meng Hong was stunned. However, just when he was preparing to go over and check on him, Yang Kai hurriedly sent him a transmission, “Don’t come over!”
Despite not knowing the reason, Meng Hong still stopped in his tracks.
“Pretend that you don’t know me,” Yang Kai secretly spoke to him, Dié You, and the others before looking away.
Old Fang and the others had heard his voice in their minds, and although they had no idea what was going on, they realised that Yang Kai must be in some sort of trouble.
Just then, the accountant had gotten the room ready so the shop boy helped Yang Kai up and passed him the key, “I’ll help you to your room.”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai just let the shop boy help him upstairs. When they were walking past Madam Lan, she said impassively, “Come to me when you have made up your mind.”
It was indeed noble of her to still keep her word at this point, and Yang Kai was no longer incensed, so he nodded and replied, “Many thanks, Madam. I was forced to make a move against you earlier. Please forgive me.”
Madam Lan waved her hand and fell silent.
After Yang Kai entered the room with the shop boy, he realised that it didn’t look like the best room at all. In fact, it was identical to his previous room in every way except that the price had doubled.
The shop boy helped him have a seat and said, “Just call me if there’s anything you need. I have my own things to do now.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded. After the shop boy left, Yang Kai fished out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth. Before he could refine them though, he heard someone gently knocking on the door.
Upon hoisting himself with difficulty and opening the door, he saw Meng Hong, Old Fang, and the others dashing into the room.
A worried Dié You asked, “Yang Kai, are you alright? Are your injuries serious?”
Yang Kai replied with a bitter smile, “It’s not so serious. I’ll recover in a few days.”
Certainly, Madam Lan hadn’t used her full strength when she pushed out her palm as she never intend to kill Yang Kai; however, she had apparently underestimated his physical strength, so she failed to completely incapacitate him. Instead, he made use of the force and leapt into the inn.
Any other Emperor Realm Master would have become paralysed after getting struck, allowing her to do whatever she pleased with him. Yang Kai might appear to be battered, but given his physical resilience, his injuries were not so serious.
To the side, Old Fang bellowed, “Who hurt you? Little Brother, just tell this Old Master who it was and I’ll get revenge for you!”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just forget about it.”
Old Fang refuted, “Little Brother, are you looking down on me? Although this Old Master may not be powerful enough, he is no coward. Even if I have to lose my life, I’ll certainly seek justice for you!”
A moved Yang Kai gazed at him and replied, “Old Fang, since you’ve said as much, I’ll tell you the truth. The person who hurt me is none other than Madam Lan! Go out now and beat her up for me!”
“M-Madam Lan?” Old Fang was shocked, “Which Madam Lan?”
“First Inn’s Madam Lan!”
Old Fang gulped and coughed into his fist before clapping Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Little Brother, it’s said that one is bound for great fortune after surviving a disaster. Since you’re alive and kicking, I think we should put off getting your revenge and come up with a plan first. By the way, why did you go missing on the Sun Star all of a sudden? We were worried about you, and we had been looking for you for a long time, but we still couldn’t find you in the end. Xiao Dié and Ah Sun were bawling their eyes out… Sii! Why did you pinch me?”
Yang Kai replied in a hoarse voice, “It’s a long story. Sorry for making all of you worry.”
Meng Hong knitted his brows, “How did you offend Madam Lan? Why did she attack you?”
“That’s a long story as well.” Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “Senior Wei and Senior Tao will return to First Inn soon, when they do, you can just ask them about it.”
It wasn’t that Yang Kai wasn’t willing to tell them, but rather that it was useless to do so. Moreover, they would only become more worried. As for whether Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang would tell them what really happened, that wasn’t up to him.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai warned, “I’m in a troublesome position, so from now on, all of you must pretend that you don’t know me; otherwise, you might invite trouble to yourselves.”
Upon hearing that, Meng Hong immediately realised the severity of the matter and nodded his head, “If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to tell us.”
“Many thanks, Brother Meng.” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
They went on to talk for a while more before Meng Hong and the others took their leave. Yang Kai needed to recuperate, so they figured that they shouldn’t keep bothering him. Before leaving, Meng Hong even put down a bottle of healing pills on the table.
After closing the door, Yang Kai focused on healing his wounds and stopped caring about what was going on outside. Although the healing pills left behind by Meng Hong were not too precious, they were products from the Outer Universe after all, so they were still better than the ones Yang Kai had brought from the Star Boundary. After a few days, most of his injuries were healed.
However, during the same period of time, First Inn became bustling once again.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters successively returned to First Inn and began asking around. Upon learning that Yang Kai was injured when he entered the inn, and that Madam Lan was the next to return, they became frustrated.
Since Yang Kai was injured, it meant that Madam Lan had made a move against him. In other words, she must have snatched the Golden Crow carcass from him, so it was pointless for them to come all the way here. Then, they secretly cursed at Yang Kai for making things difficult for them only to walk into a trap in the end.
Following that, the Low-Rank cultivators, who had survived the Sun Star’s dangers, returned to the inn as well.
Initially, they too had chased after Yang Kai, but due to their slower speed, they gradually lost sight of their target. With nowhere else to go, they decided to return to First Inn; after all, their disciples were waiting for them here.
Upon learning that the Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators, as well as the Emperor Realm Master who had taken the carcass, were all in First Inn, they were astonished. However, after giving it a thought, they realised Yang Kai’s intentions and basically figured out what had happened next.
In one of the rooms, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were seated, while Meng Hong and the others were standing in front of them and reporting what they had seen.
After the briefing, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances, then the former said with a smile, “That brat is indeed quite lucky to have survived.”
“Although he has survived, he’s in some big trouble now,” Tao Rong Fang sighed.
Meng Hong asked, “Martial Uncle, Martial Aunt, what happened on the Sun Star? How did Junior Brother Yang offend Madam Lan to the point she would attack him?”
Wei Que fell silent for a moment. Truthfully, he didn’t want to tell them, but he knew that this incident couldn’t be concealed. Even if he refused to tell them, the incident would be made known to everyone soon. By then, their disciples would also find out about it.
In light of that, he decided to briefly explain what had happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
Hearing this story, Meng Hong and the others were utterly dumbfounded.
A horrified Old Fang stuttered to ask, “Martial Uncle Wei, you mean Yang Kai snatched the Golden Crow’s corpse in front of dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters and escaped with it?”
If it weren’t because Wei Que appeared solemn and serious, he wouldn’t have believed such a fantastical story.
Tao Rong Fang nodded, “That’s right. At that time, many Open Heaven Realm Masters chased after him, but his escaping speed was simply too quick. Low-Rank Open Heaven cultivators like us were quickly left behind by him while the Mid-Rank cultivators kept pursuing him. As for what happened next, we have no idea.”
Old Fang and the others traded shocked glances. Although they hadn’t experienced it, they could imagine what kind of dangers Yang Kai had gone through.
How bold must he be to dare snatch such a treasure from so many Open Heaven Realm Masters? More importantly, he actually succeeded!
Wei Que stared at Old Fang and asked, “Does Yang Kai have an artifact that can conceal him?”
At that time, Yang Kai had hidden inside the hall of the Golden Crow Divine Palace, and if it weren’t because the Golden Crow was pushed towards him at the end, he wouldn’t have been exposed.
Old Fang appeared hesitant as he didn’t think he should expose Yang Kai’s secret.
Seeing that, Wei Que said, “I was just asking. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Many thanks for your understanding, Martial Uncle,” Old Fang replied gratefully. Nevertheless, he knew that even if he didn’t tell them the truth, those Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own speculations.
“There’s one thing we haven’t figured out.” Tao Rong Fang frowned deeply, “Is the Golden Crow carcass still with Yang Kai? Or has it been taken away by Madam Lan?”
Supposedly, since Yang Kai had been hurt by Madam Lan, he must have lost the Golden Crow carcass. Most probably, Madam Lan snatched it from him. However, it wasn’t easy to ask about it. Madam Lan would never tell them, and Yang Kai might misunderstand them if he was asked such a question.
Wei Que shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, “No matter where the Golden Crow carcass is, it has nothing to do with us anymore.”
When the Golden Crow Divine Palace appeared some time ago, he immediately realised that the issue had grown beyond their ability to interfere; therefore, he told the disciples to return to First Inn and send a message to their headquarters. He thought that by asking all the Elders from his great force to come over, they could get a share of the treasures; however, the appearance of the Golden Crow had disrupted his plan.
This kind of prize wasn’t something Great Moon Province or the other Third Class forces had a right to covet. Even the Second Class forces would end up in a miserable state if they decided to claim it. The only people who had a right to snatch the Golden Crow carcass were those First Class forces, the Cave Heavens and Paradises!
Moreover, even though those from Great Moon Province hadn’t obtained many treasures on the Sun Star, it had still been a fruitful trip for them. They had obtained some Sun’s True Fires, including a Fifth-Order one, so they had basically achieved their goal. As long as they could make good use of these treasures, they could nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for their force. By then, the collective power of Great Moon Province would increase and it would be worth it for Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang to have done so much.
“By the way, Martial Uncle, Martial Aunt.” Meng Hong seemed to recall something as he cupped his fists, “There’s one more thing that I need to tell you. When Junior Brother Yang returned to the inn, he was severely injured. I wanted to help him, but he stopped me and secretly told us to pretend to not know him. Is he worried that he’d invite trouble to us?”
Wei Que arched his brow upon hearing that, “He secretly told you all to pretend to not know him?”
“Yes,” Meng Hong nodded.
Tao Rong Fang said in a solemn voice, “He’s indeed meticulous as he could think of such an issue in that kind of situation. It’s no wonder that he had the guts to snatch the corpse in front of so many top cultivators.”
A puzzled Meng Hong asked, “Martial Aunt Tao, you mean…”
Tao Rong Fang explained, “Just like what you’ve speculated, Yang Kai was worried that he’d invite trouble to us, which was why he told you to pretend to not know him; after all, he has offended many great forces. If others find out he’s close to Great Moon Province, we will be in big trouble. He’s concerned about our safety.”
Old Fang frowned, “But we arrived at First Inn with Little Brother Yang, and we stayed here together for a few months. Some people must have seen us spending time with him, so it’s pointless to pretend we don’t know each other.”
Wei Que said, “If so, the few of you shouldn’t show up for the time being to prevent anyone from having their eyes on you. As long as no one sees you, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Old Fang and Dié You traded glances, and then they nodded, “Yes.”
After they talked for a while more, Wei Que told the disciples to return to their own rooms. When he and Tao Rong Fang were the only ones left in the room, he asked, “Junior Sister, what do you think?”
Tao Rong Fang replied, “He’s a bold yet meticulous young man. More importantly, he’s a kind-hearted person with great promise.” Then, she put on a helpless smile, “Unfortunately, we can’t accept him into Great Moon Province anymore.”
Wei Que fell silent for a moment before he heaved a sigh, “It seems that we share the same thoughts.”
This time, Yang Kai had caused huge trouble, so they were not able to protect him in any way; therefore, they couldn’t take him on as a disciple anymore. It wasn’t that Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang wanted to go back on their word, but as Elders of Great Moon Province, they had to consider the safety of their force above all else. They very much wanted to accept Yang Kai into their great force, but who could deal with the trouble that would ensue? By then, their great force would be turned upside down.
“He even saved our lives,” Tao Rong Fang stared at Wei Que. Back in the main hall, if Yang Kai hadn’t warned them in time, they wouldn’t even be here now, but when Yang Kai found himself in trouble, they were unable to help him, which made her feel frustrated.
An embarrassed Wei Que replied, “We’ll try to make it up to him. If possible, we can secretly assist him to flee to a different Great Territory and go into hiding.”
“That’s all we can do.”
“There’s one more thing. What do you think?” Wei Que asked.
Tao Rong Fang gazed at him, “You mean about the Golden Crow carcass?”
In response, Wei Que nodded his head.
She replied, “Initially, I thought that the carcass must be in Madam Lan’s hands, but now, it seems that it’s possible Yang Kai still has it.”
A smiling Wei Que asked, “Why do you say so?”
She shot him a glare, “Senior Brother, are you giving me a test or something?”
“Heh…” He raised his hands, “I just want to have a chat with Junior Sister to see if you and I share the same thoughts.”
Tao Rong Fang went on to say, “If the carcass is in Madam Lan’s hands now, Yang Kai should supposedly be free of trouble, and he wouldn’t have needed to secretly warn Meng Hong; however, he did so, which suggests that there’s something he’s concerned about. He must be worried that he would drag the others into this mess, which indicates that the carcass might still be in his hands. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that Madam Lan did snatch the carcass and Yang Kai was just being cautious.”
Wei Que said with a smile, “Junior Sister, you’re indeed beautiful and intelligent.”
Tao Rong Fang gave him a dismissive look, but she still said in a charming way, “Senior Brother, do you share the same thought as well?”
A frustrated Wei Que replied, “En. I don’t even know where the carcass is now; however, wherever it is, it truly has nothing to do with us anymore.”
…
The shop boy entered the room with some food and had a drink with Yang Kai. After some time drinking and eating, both of them became tipsy.
Although Yang Kai had stayed in the inn for four months, he had never asked the shop boy what his name was so he usually just called him ‘Shop-Hand’.
During the chat, he finally found out his name. The shop boy’s name was pretty simple, which was Bai Qi.
“You must have an ulterior motive for approaching me. Just tell me what you want. Has the Proprietress sent you here to pry some information out of me?” Yang Kai picked up some food and shot him a look.
Bai Qi grinned and filled Yang Kai’s cup with wine before replying, “Nothing of the sort. If Proprietress wanted to find out more about you, she wouldn’t need to do such a thing. Gathering information is our speciality, so we can find out about your background by just asking around.”
“What is my background, then?” Yang Kai appeared doubtful.
Bai Qi stared at him, “Do you want me to say it?”
“Come, enlighten me.”
After putting down the wine bottle, Bai Qi grinned meaningfully and replied, “Alright, then. Your name is Yang Kai, you’re a Peak Emperor Realm cultivator. One year ago, you emerged from an unknown Universe World and were brought to Seven Wonders Land by one of their Protector Venerables, Duan Hai. Your job was to take care of fruit trees in their Fire Spirit Land. Half a year later, Seven Wonders Land was invaded by their enemies and amidst the chaos, you fled from that place and brought three people, one man and two women, with you. They’re Fang Bi Qi, Dié You, and Ah Sun. Am I right?”
Yang Kai stared at him with widened eyes, “How many informants does First Inn have!?”
First Inn was able to find out so much about a nobody like him, which went to show that this great force was truly powerful and had a vast network of influence.
Bai Qi grinned, “I also know that you’ve condensed your Wood Element.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “What else?”
“You snatched a precious treasure from in front of several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters and led them on a wild chase for days.”
“Ahaha…” Yang Kai forced a smile and secretly heaved a sigh of relief as First Inn apparently couldn’t find out everything in this world. At the very least, they hadn’t figured out his relationship with Old Xu and what Order his Wood Element was. The things they knew about him were all general and superficial. With that said, they had already gathered so much information about him in very short order.
“Tell me what happened on the Sun Star and how you obtained the Golden Crow carcass.”
“Just ask your Proprietress about it. What’s the point of asking me?” Yang Kai was exasperated at the mention of the Golden Crow carcass. If the Proprietress hadn’t intercepted him at the last moment, he would’ve safely returned to the inn instead of getting struck by her palm.
“Proprietress has been in a terrible mood since she returned. She’ll beat me black and blue if I ask her about it.” Bai Qi’s expression appeared bitter.
Yang Kai wanted to ignore him at first, then he recalled something and said, “There’s one thing I don’t understand. If you can answer my question, I don’t mind telling you what happened on the Sun Star.”
A vigilant Bai Qi narrowed his eyes, “What do you want to know?”
Yang Kai went on to say, “Don’t worry. It shouldn’t be a secret, but if it is, you can choose not to answer.”
Bai Qi nodded, “Go ahead.”
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “I shook off your Proprietress in a faraway place, and I was certain that even though she is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it would be impossible for her to catch up to me in time. However, how did she manage to return to the inn before me and even waited in the dark to capture me?”
That was the question that had been troubling him for days. Unless the Proprietress also had something like a Space Beacon, he couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation.
Bao Qi was elated upon hearing that, “That’s your question?”
“You know the reason behind it?”
Bai Qi couldn’t help but start guffawing as he repeatedly slapped the table, “Did you have nowhere else to go, which was why you wanted to seek refuge in First Inn? You thought that by entering the inn, no one would dare to make a move on you again? Was that why you rushed to our inn after getting rid of Proprietress?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded as that was what he thought; after all, he indeed had nowhere else to go at that time as First Inn was the only safe place for him.
“Hahahaha!” Bai Qi doubled over with laughter as tears almost streamed out of his eyes.
Yang Kai stared coldly at him as he had the urge to fish out his Azure Dragon Spear to deliver a fatal strike.
Bai Qi seemed to have detected Yang Kai’s murderous intent, which was why he quickly suppressed his laughter and took a sip of the wine before asking, “Have you heard of the Universe Transference Law?”
“Universe Transference Law?” Yang Kai frowned, “What’s that?”
He had never heard of it before, but judging from Bai Qi’s expression, he reckoned that the reason the Proprietress was able to return to First Inn before he did and lay an ambush had something to do with this Universe Transference Law.
Bai Qi explained, “The 3,000 Worlds is incredibly expansive, so it’s not easy to go from one location to another even for High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Cultivators like us shouldn’t waste time simply travelling back and forth between distant places because, if we have the time, we should use it to cultivate our Secret Techniques and Secret Arts instead. The Universe Transference Law was created for this reason. This Secret Technique’s only use is to cross vast distances. For example, there’s a Universe Transference Seal in First Inn with Proprietress’ imprint sealed inside. As long as she’s in this Great Territory, wherever she may be, she can return to First Inn in an instant by using the Universe Transference Law.”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai said, “Is it so amazing?”
He couldn’t help thinking this technique was similar to a Space Beacon. The location of every Space Beacon was a destination, and with a flash of thought, Yang Kai could move to the location of any Space Beacon, so it worked in a similar way as the Universe Transference Law. A Space Array worked in the same way; however, in comparison, a Space Beacon was more convenient than a Space Array while there were advantages and disadvantages when compared to this Universe Transference Law.
“It’s truly amazing,” Bai Qi chuckled.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai said, “So, Madam Lan made use of the Universe Transference Law and returned to First Inn before I did.” It was then he came to the realization that, while he thought he had made an intelligent move, in Madam Lan’s eyes, he was just walking right into her trap. At that instant, he felt frustrated.
Fortunately, he managed to keep the Golden Crow carcass; otherwise, he would’ve spat blood.
“I’ll give you one more piece of information for free.” Bai Qi looked smilingly at him, “In the 3,000 Worlds, there are many places called Universe Temples. Basically, each Great Territory has a Universe Temple, while some even have more than one. After spending some Open Heaven Pills, one can record their aura in those temples, and then use them as destinations for the Universe Transference Law.”
“So, they’re just like Space Arrays.” Yang Kai’s eyes brightened.
Bao Qi replied with a smile, “You’re not wrong to say that; however, there’s a limit as to how far a Space Array can send a person, while the Universe Transference Law is different. As long as you’re strong enough, and your destination is in the same Great Territory, you can reach the Universe Temple where you’ve left behind an imprint.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head, “It’s really convenient. I’ll visit those temples if there’s a chance in the future. Which great force do these temples belong to?”
Bai Qi explained, “No one. The Universe Temples were jointly built by the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. Therefore, disciples from at least one Cave Heaven or Paradise will stand guard at every Universe Temple. No one can cause trouble inside those Universe Temples; otherwise, it’ll be seen as provoking all the Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “The Universe Temples were jointly built by the Cave Heavens and Paradises?” After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Others wouldn’t be able to set their minds at ease if the temples were controlled by just one great force, and no single great force was able to control such an important asset; therefore, it was reasonable that the temples were jointly managed by all Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises.
Judging from what Bai Qi had said, it seemed that if Yang Kai came across any trouble in the future, he could seek refuge in one of the Universe Temples.
“Now, tell me what happened on the Sun Star.”
Since Yang Kai had agreed beforehand, he wouldn’t go back on his word now. And so, he told Bai Qi what he had gone through on the Sun Star. Bai Qi widened his eyes and appeared amazed. He wasn’t surprised at the fact that Yang Kai was able to conceal himself in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters as only a suitable artifact was needed to achieve that; instead, he was more interested in finding out how Yang Kai managed to escape the pursuit of so many Masters.
However, Yang Kai just gave him a vague answer that he was an expert in the Dao of Space, and he was especially adept at running away. It wasn’t a secret anyway. When he was hunted down by Madam Lan and the others, he had used Instantaneous Movement several times.
After a long time, a drunk Bai Qi muttered, “Let’s call it a day. I have work to do now. You should be careful as we have had many customers recently. I guess they’re here for you.”
Yang Kai watched him leave, then he appeared crestfallen. Following that, he opened his Six Fated Paths Bag and saw that the Golden Crow carcass was still inside it. Although he had snatched this hot potato, he had no idea how to handle it now. Whatever the case, the treasure was worth a lot of money. At the very least, it could make up for the two golden tail feathers from Mie Meng that he had lost.
If the treasure couldn’t be sold directly though, he would just trade it for a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold, which was what he originally wanted. When he managed to condense his Fire Element, no one would make a move on him again.
Furthermore, he couldn’t possibly hide inside this room forever. Although he still had some Open Heaven Pills, they wouldn’t last forever.
After pondering on the issue for a moment, he rose from his chair and pushed the door open before shuffling downstairs.
Following that, he swept a glance over the hall and realised that the place was bustling. Initially, there were only seven or eight tables, but now, there were over ten. However, more tables were needed as the hall was packed with people.
Bai Qi was moving around with dishes in his hands when he saw Yang Kai and asked in shock, “Why did you come down here?”
“Why can’t I come down here?” Yang Kai scoffed.
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent as everyone turned to look at him. At the same time, they rudely scanned him with their Divine Senses. At that instant, Yang Kai felt like he was a white sheep that had accidentally entered a wolves’ den. All his bodily hair was standing on end as he lost any sense of security.
Bai Qi gave him a thumbs-up in appreciation of his guts before continuing on with his work.
Yang Kai looked around and saw some familiar faces. Except for Madam Lan, all the other Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who had chased him down before were sitting in the hall.
The hall was filled with Divine Senses as these ill-intentioned people stared fixedly at Yang Kai. Although the place was completely silent, everyone could feel that a storm was brewing. The weaker cultivators couldn’t help but gulp as they turned to look at the door, as though they were preparing to flee at any moment.
Just as the hostility intensified, a door on the second floor suddenly opened as Madam Lan stepped out of a room and swept a glance over the crowd with her alluring eyes. Staring at Yang Kai, she snorted and leaned against the railing. Following that, she fished out what seemed to be seeds and started snacking on them.
Yang Kai grinned, knowing that since Madam Lan had appeared, no one would dare to make a move on him. Madam Lan must have detected the hostile atmosphere, which was why she made an appearance to calm everyone else down.
The hall was crammed with people, so there were no empty tables. Yang Kai looked around and shuffled towards a table. Three people had been seated at this table. One of them was a handsome young man, and the other two people were old men with profound auras. There was also an alluring woman in revealing clothes who was standing behind the young man. A group of disciples were lined up behind the elderly men. Obviously, they were from the same great force.
The young man wasn’t powerful as he had only condensed his Dao Seal, on the other hand, the old men were Open Heaven Realm Masters. The young man was disdainfully gazing at Yang Kai when the latter sauntered towards him, causing the former to frown as he had no idea what Yang Kai was up to.
“Hello, we meet again! What a coincidence.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him, “If you don’t mind, why don’t I join you?”
Without even waiting for approval, Yang Kai directly took a seat across from him.
The young man appeared dumbfounded and asked, “Who are you?”
A passionate Yang Kai replied, “It seems that Brother has been busy. We met each other when we were heading to the Sun Star, don’t you remember?”
He wasn’t spouting nonsense as they had really met before. At that time, Yang Kai, Dié You, and the others were heading towards the Sun Star when a ship came at them from behind and almost injured them. After that, this very young man returned with his ship and invited Dié You and Ah Sun to board. However, Yang Kai turned him down.
At that time, he had no idea which great force they were from, but after going through the jade slip given to him by Meng Hong, he realised that they were from a place called Perpetual Province.
Upon Yang Kai’s reminder, the young man said, “It’s you!” Then, his face fell, “Who allowed you to have a seat? Go away!”
An unperturbed Yang Kai chuckled, “There’s nowhere else I can have a seat. There’s an empty seat at your table anyway, so why can’t I join you? Don’t be so petty.”
Just when the young man wanted to say something, he felt that something was off as there were some Divine Senses scanning him. Turning his head, he realised that all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring at him with doubtful gazes. The young man’s face turned ashen as he had no idea why he had attracted so much attention all of a sudden.
The other two old men realised that something was amiss and one of them hinted at the young man with his gaze, while the other gaped at Yang Kai and said grimly, “You can have the table. We’ll take our leave.”
Following that, he rose from his chair.
The young man seemed reluctant to leave, but he was dragged away by the other old man. Without the intention to stay there, they paid the bill and stepped out of First Inn.
A moment later, the young man was standing on a ship as he asked with a dark expression, “Who was that guy?”
The two old men traded glances, then one of them replied, “Young Master, he was the one who snatched the Golden Crow carcass.”
The young man was stunned, “What? He was the one who took the carcass and safely returned to First Inn?”
“That’s right. He’s that guy.”
“Why should we be afraid of him?” The young man bellowed. Yang Kai only sat at the same table, but they immediately left the inn as though they were afraid of him, which made the young man feel quite embarrassed.
One of the old men shook his head and said, “We’re not afraid of him, but we don’t want to be dragged into his mess. The Golden Crow carcass is immensely important and First Inn will soon fall into a state of chaos. We’d better stay out of it.”
The other old man nodded, “That’s right.”
The young man sported a gloomy expression. Despite knowing that they were right, he still felt unresigned.
Knowing what was on his mind, the first old man said, “Young Master, don’t worry. That brat’s days are numbered.”
The young man asked, “What do you mean?”
The old person sneered, “He’s trying to cause turbulence when he’s so weak. He’s bound to go to Hell.”
Right after those from Perpetual Province left, Yuan Xiao Man whooshed towards Yang Kai and took a seat on his left before looking smilingly at him.
Yang Kai called out to Bai Qi and pointed at the finished dishes in front of him, “Take them away and prepare new dishes!”
Bai Qi glared at him as they had just had a chat over a drink in his room. Just when he thought they were friends, Yang Kai bossed him around like he was an ordinary shop hand, which was intolerable. Nevertheless, he had no other choice as that was indeed his job. After taking the finished dishes away, he stepped into the kitchen and told the chef to prepare some dishes.
Meanwhile, three more people rose from their chairs. One of them was a burly old man whose face radiated a pinkish glow, another was a cold-looking man in tight-fitting clothes, and the last person looked like a scholar with an elegant fan in his hand.
Following that, they shuffled towards Yang Kai and took a seat at the same table.
Presently, all four Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring fixedly at Yang Kai. Honestly speaking, he did feel pressured, but he wasn’t afraid of them. The Proprietress was gazing at them from the second floor, so no one would dare to make a scene here. Knowing what Yang Kai was doing, Madam Lan sported a gloomy expression; however, in order to protect her business, she wouldn’t allow the reputation of First Inn to be spoiled.
“Little Brother, you’re really something.” Yuan Xiao Man was the first one to speak. She seemed interested in Yang Kai, as though she had just found a new toy, “No one could’ve expected that you’d return to First Inn safely.”
Yang Kai gazed at her with a tilted head and took a brief look at her plump chest before grinning, “What’s your name?”
“Yuan Xiao Man!”
Following that, she pointed at the others and introduced them to Yang Kai. It was only now that he learned the names and backgrounds of these people who had been chasing after him for days.
“Little Brother, are you interested in joining Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land? It’s obvious that you’re new to the Outer Universe and it’s hard for a newcomer to gain a footing here. Life will be easier if you have some support.”
A curious Yang Kai asked, “How do you know I’m a newcomer?”
Those from First Inn could find out about his background because their job was to gather information, but it was unlikely that Yuan Xiao Man could do so as well. Moreover, he didn’t think he had accidentally exposed anything.
Yuan Xiao Man covered her lips and giggled sweetly, “You didn’t even know about the Universe Transference Law and you walked right into a trap by coming to First Inn. Do you even dare to deny that you’re a newcomer?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened when he heard that. It was definitely the biggest humiliation in his life and a taint in his cultivation journey. When he was in Seven Wonders Land, no one had told him about the Universe Transference Law, so he wasn’t aware of its uses and mysteries. When he saw Madam Lan outside the inn some time ago, he even thought she was her twin sister.
All of a sudden, the chubby Old Hong snorted, “Brat, I only have a question for you and you’d better answer me honestly. Otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “Save your breath. I won’t tell you anything.”
“You court death!” Old Hong bellowed.
Hearing that, Yang Kai landed a slam on the table and stood up straight before glaring at him, “I dare you to make a move on me then!”
A shocked Old Hong stared at him with widened eyes as he had never expected that Yang Kai would react in such a way. At that instant, he was rooted to the spot and felt slightly embarrassed.
On the second floor, the Proprietress, who was munching on some strange seeds, gnashed her teeth together as she stared resentfully at Yang Kai, knowing that he was regarding her as a safety charm.
No one would dare to make a fuss in First Inn. He must be fully aware of it, which was why he had the gall to confront Old Hong like this; otherwise, as an Emperor Realm Junior, he wouldn’t have the guts to do such a thing.
To the side, Yuan Xiao Man parted her lips in shock, while Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing were astonished as well. In the dining hall, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters all gave Yang Kai an admiring look.
“Shut your mouth if you don’t dare to make a move.” Yang Kai took a seat again and shouted at the kitchen, “Are my dishes ready? What’s taking so long?”
Bai Qi could be heard saying, “The dishes will be ready soon. Stop urging us!”
Old Hong was so enraged that his face turned pure crimson and there seemed to be some steam billowing from his head. After taking a deep breath, he said grimly, “Brat, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that! This Old Master advises you to stay in First Inn forever; otherwise, I’ll rip you into ten thousand pieces!”
He was truly incensed as Yang Kai had embarrassed him in front of so many people in the hall. He had never been humiliated in such a way before.
Yang Kai was unperturbed as he had already offended the old man before, so he wasn’t worried about displeasing him one more time.
Zhang Qi frowned as he had seen through Yang Kai’s temperament. Thus, he summoned a Space Ring into his hand and pushed it towards him before saying, “Little Brother, this King also has a question for you.”
A surprised Yang Kai gave him a strange look. Although he couldn’t be certain what was inside the Space Ring, he reckoned that there could possibly be Open Heaven Pills. Could he also sell information now?
An elated Yang Kai took the ring and scanned it with his Divine Sense. Upon releasing that there were 10,000 Open Heaven Pills inside, he grinned from ear to ear and nodded, “Sure. Sure.”
At that instant, he thought that a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was indeed generous as Zhang Qi directly gave him 10,000 pills. Although the pills were only equivalent to ten days worth of lodging fees at this bandit’s inn, it was still a substantial amount.
Zhang Qi put on a smile, and just when he was ready to speak, Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him and turned to look at Yuan Xiao Man and Ji Tian Xing, “Do you have any questions as well? This is your only chance. By the way, I’ll only answer the question of the one who will offer the highest bid, and I’ll only answer one question. So, you’d better decide what it is you want to know most.”
At that instant, the corners of Zhang Qi’s brow twitched.
Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man were also struck speechless. As Fourth-Order Open Heaven Masters, they were not the most powerful people out there, but they were some of the most famous figures in the neighbouring Great Territories. However, on this day, they were led around by the nose by an Emperor Realm brat.
Old Hong sneered, “Boy, it seems you’ve been unlucky lately, and it looks like you will fall into danger soon.”
“Shut up! This is none of your damn business!” Yang Kai growled, “Stay away from me!”
Then, he turned to look at Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man, “Are you sure you have no questions for me? In that case, I’ll answer Senior Zhang’s question now.”
Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man traded glances before gritting their teeth; however, they indeed had a question they had to ask, so despite the fact that they were reluctant, they still tacitly fished out a Space Ring.
Yuan Xiao Man put on a smile that wasn’t a smile and asked, “Little Brother, aren’t you worried that you’ll be burned by the hot potatoes you’re about to take?”
Yang Kai immediately snatched the ring from her and sneered, “I’ve taken hotter potatoes, so why should I be afraid now?”
Hearing that, Yuan Xiao Man was rendered speechless. After giving it a thought, she realised that since Yang Kai had the guts to snatch the Golden Crow carcass right in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, why would he be afraid to take their Space Rings? Obviously, he was someone who treasured money more than his own life.
After scanning the rings, Yang Kai became ecstatic, then he gazed at Ji Tian Xing, “Senior Ji has offered the highest bid. Good, what is your question? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Hearing that, Zhang Qi and Yuan Xiao Man turned to stare at Ji Tian Xing.
An unfazed Ji Tian Xing secretly spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Where’s the Golden Crow carcass now?”
Yang Kai was startled upon hearing that. Although he knew that their questions must be related to the Golden Crow, he hadn’t expected to hear this kind of question. He almost spurted out that the carcass was in his hands, but was the question even necessary for them to know that? However, he soon realised something and became astounded.
The fact that the carcass was in his hands was only known to the Proprietress and him, while all others could only guess. At that time, no one else was outside First Inn. They only knew that he had fled to the inn and was intercepted by the Proprietress outside the building before being wounded.
However, if he thought about it from the perspective of an outsider, he would have speculated that the carcass might have been taken away by Madam Lan. After all, given his strength, it should be impossible for him to escape or outmaneuver a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It should have been a simple matter for Madam Lan to snatch something from him.
Upon that realization, he finally understood why Ji Tian Xing had asked this question. Apparently, Zhang Qi and Yuan Xiao Man had the same question. It was all because they still hadn’t figured out where the Golden Crow carcass was.
Many ideas flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he pondered on the pros and cons of every one of them, and after just a short moment, he pounded the table furiously and jumped to his feet. With a face twisted in anguish and unwillingness, he pointed at the Proprietress on the second floor and screamed, “It’s her! Her! She snatched the treasure I spent so much effort to obtain! Those from First Inn oppress me because I’m the weaker one. This is a bandits’ inn! A bandit’s inn I say!!”
His roar reverberated around the hall as everyone could hear his accusation that was filled with blood and tears. Following the direction he pointed, they turned to look at the Proprietress.
A dumbfounded Madam Lan’s jaw dropped as a seed slid off her red lips. A moment later, she clenched her teeth and bellowed, “Smelly brat, you must be sick of living!”
Although she didn’t hear what question Ji Tian Xing had asked, she had guessed it without the need to actually hear it. He must be trying to find out the whereabouts of the carcass.
Yang Kai’s accusation at this point had dragged her into this mess, and it was pointless for her to deny it. Judging from the gazes of those people in the hall, she knew that they already had this speculation, and it was ‘proven’ by Yang Kai at this moment.
Hence, there was no way she could clear her name. It wouldn’t have mattered if she had really seized the carcass, but the problem was that even though she had made a move, Yang Kai pulled a trick on her and managed to sneak into First Inn.
Instead of getting any benefits, she had invited trouble to herself. She was so incensed that flames nearly shot out of her eyes. She had never seen a man as vile and shameless as Yang Kai before. If she could, she would’ve made him feel regretful of the fact that he was ever born right this instant. Nevertheless, she was the Proprietress of First Inn, and she had an obligation to protect the inn’s reputation.
“Proprietress, why are you showing such thick murderous intent? Do you want to silence me by murdering me!?” Yang Kai bellowed.
“Shut your mouth!” Madam Lan was so infuriated that she hurled the snacks in her hand at him.
“You may be able to silence me, but you can’t silence everyone here! Justice lies in everyone’s heart, and the Heavens see all we do! Proprietress, you’d best watch yourself!”
Madam Lan’s chest heaved heavily as she felt her blood boiling. She clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles started turning pale, but still she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She had the urge to go downstairs and rip this little brat’s mouth off.
“The dishes are ready! The dishes are ready!” Just then, Bai Qi dashed out of the kitchen with some dishes and a jug of wine in his hands. Upon entering the hall, he immediately realised that there was something off about the atmosphere, which caused him to be rooted to the spot. Looking around, he didn’t understand what was going on as all he could see was that the Proprietress’ face had turned livid as she was standing on the second floor. Her eyes were closed, and her curvy figure was trembling.
Then, he walked up to Yang Kai and asked in a hushed voice, “What happened?”
“A storm is coming,” Yang Kai replied and took the dishes from his hands; then, he turned around and shuffled towards the second floor. Since he had stirred up some trouble, he reckoned that he’d better leave now and go somewhere safer.
Upon returning to his room, he closed the door and activated the barrier. Unable to hold it in anymore, he started laughing.
Although the Proprietress had been treating him well, she had indeed made him waste a golden tail feather from Mie Meng. Moreover, she had injured him before. Now that there was a chance, he certainly had to get his revenge.
Furthermore, in that kind of situation, diverting the attention to the Proprietress was his best option.
Then, he took a seat at the table and drank some wine. Just when he was pondering on his future, he suddenly heard a loud bang as the door was kicked open.
A shocked Yang Kai leapt to his feet and turned around before bellowing, “Who!?”
[Who has the guts to make a move in First Inn? Is this person sick of living?]
However, when he saw who it was, his neck immediately shrank. That was because the person who had kicked the door open was none other than the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan.
A cold aura could be seen swirling around the Proprietress as she stepped into the room. With a sneer on her face, she stared fixedly at Yang Kai. Then, she slightly lifted her foot and closed the door behind her.
“M-Madam Lan…” Yang Kai slowly stepped backwards as his back soon came into contact with the wall. Looking around, he realised that there wasn’t even a window in the room, which made it impossible for him to flee.
He also didn’t even think about using Instantaneous Movement as he wouldn’t have a chance to do so in front of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Ahem… How may this Junior help you, Madam Lan?” A horrified Yang Kai stared at the front as his heart leapt to his throat. He secretly decided that if Madam Lan made a move against him, he would immediately use his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to warn her off.
Madam Lan sneered, “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. If I do that, I will never be able to clear my name.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief, but all of a sudden, Madam Lan said dispassionately, “Just because I won’t kill you though, doesn’t mean I can’t beat you up. Brat, are you prepared?”
Yang Kai gulped, “Madam Lan, let’s talk it out instead of resorting to violence. Moreover, we’re in First Inn, and I’m a paying customer. You’re the Proprietress here, so is it appropriate for you to harm your customer?”
“It’s not appropriate,” Madam Lan stepped closer to Yang Kai and soon reached him and he caught a whiff of her alluring fragrance.
Then, she said through clenched teeth, “But this Queen will never soothe the rage in her chest if she doesn’t beat you black and blue!”
“Don’t you care about the inn’s reputation anymore!?” Yang Kai still tried to step backwards, but his back was already firmly pressed against the wall, so there was nowhere else he could go.
“Don’t ever think of restraining me with the inn’s signboard. I don’t care what you say!” Madam Lan balled up her fists as her knuckles cracked. Her malevolent aura seemed able to swallow the entire world and after she finished speaking, she extended her fist towards Yang Kai’s left eye at the speed of lightning.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai felt his vision darkening as all he could see were stars. Even his mind had plunged into chaos.
The Proprietress had exerted quite some force with her fist, which almost knocked Yang Kai out, but before he even came to his senses, she extended her fist towards his right eye, whereupon a loud boom was heard again.
Yang Kai instinctively covered his head and curled up in the corner. As he bore the Proprietress’ fists and feet, he secretly swore that he would get his revenge one day.
She went on to beat him for quite some time. It felt like an instant and a year all at once. Upon realising that the Proprietress had stopped attacking him, Yang Kai turned his head slightly and looked through his fingers, only to see the Proprietress panting with her hands placed on her hips. With a pleased expression, she said, “Cool! Smelly brat, you’d better behave yourself from now on!”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and left.
Yang Kai cursed at her before flopping to the ground, unable to move.
Outside the room, Bai Qi watched the Proprietress leave and stealthily looked around before entering the room. After closing the door, he walked up to Yang Kai and crouched down to gaze at him with a sympathetic look on his face, “Proprietress really went hard on you. It seems that she’s completely incensed. I’ve never seen her blow her top in such a way before.”
A paralysed Yang Kai felt that some of his bones had cracked. Although Madam Lan really didn’t intend to kill him, she had exerted a lot of force with her beating just now. He had only just recovered from his previous injuries and now he was wounded again, which was why he was quite sullen.
“Are you going to just keep staring?” Yang Kai shot a glare at Bai Qi, who had crouched down in front of him, “Or are you going to help me up?”
Bai Qi replied with a grin, “I would’ve helped you up if someone else had beaten you; however, it was Proprietress who had made a move, so I wouldn’t dare to lend you a hand. If she finds out about it, she’ll fire me.”
“What are you doing here, then?” Yang Kai glowered at him.
Bai Qi said, “I’m just here to watch a good show. Tsk… Brat, since you’ve offended Proprietress, you’ll surely have a hard time in the future.”
“Scram!” Yang Kai bellowed. He didn’t need Bai Qi to tell him that his life would be difficult from now on. The Proprietress had even disregarded the reputation of First Inn just to vent her anger on him, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that life would be like a living Hell for him soon.
With a grin, Bai Qi got up and said, “Since you still have the energy to chase me away, it seems that you’re alright. Take a rest now and call me if there’s anything you need.”
Then, he turned around and left.
Yang Kai was so exasperated that his lungs almost exploded. Once he could move a little, he felt his entire body aching. After lying on the ground for six hours, he climbed onto the bed with difficulty and recuperated in silence.
However, it seemed his previous act had proven useful. After the incident, everyone’s attention had been diverted to the Proprietress. Although his tone and movements were a little exaggerated at that time, any reasonable person would believe that Madam Lan had snatched the Golden Crow carcass and kept it.
After all, there was a huge gap in strength between Yang Kai and her, and since she had made a move, there was no way she hadn’t achieved her goal.
The next day, there was an elderly man who was seated in a room that belonged to Great Moon Province. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were standing in front of him as they reported to him what had happened recently. The elderly man kept silent, only nodding from time to time.
A while later, Wei Que said, “That was what had happened. Leader, what do you plan to do?”
The elderly man was none other than the Province Master of Great Moon Province. Previously, Wei Que told Meng Hong and the others to return to First Inn and send a message to their headquarters. Upon receiving the message, this elderly man brought some people with him and set off to help Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang. Although they had come as quickly as they could, they only arrived at the inn today.
The Province Master nodded, “Both of you have done well. As long as we make good use of the treasures you acquired, the power of our force will significantly increase.”
Although they hadn’t managed to obtain any Sun’s True Gold, they had gotten several Sun’s True Fires, one of which was Fifth-Order; therefore, it had been a fruitful trip for them. Normally, it was difficult for a great force like Great Moon Province to even obtain a single Fourth-Order material, let alone a Fifth-Order one.
By selling the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire, they could purchase some Fourth-Order materials and attempt to nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm disciple. The prerequisite was that this disciple had to be gifted, and they would need to spend a lot of time to achieve their goal.
“Both of you have earned the greatest merit for this operation.”
Wei Que replied, “Many thanks for your compliment, leader, but we only managed to escape from death’s door because of someone’s warning.”
“Oh?” The elderly man arched his brow, “You have to return the person’s favour then. Who was the top Master that had saved you?”
Wei Que said, “He isn’t a top cultivator. It was a brat called Yang Kai.”
Hearing that, the elderly man frowned, “The boy that everyone has been talking about because he has snatched the Golden Crow carcass?”
“Indeed.”
The elderly man nodded and gently tapped the table as though he was pondering on something. A while later, he said, “I’ve heard that the carcass has fallen into Madam Lan’s hands.”
“That’s what that boy said.”
The elderly man stared at Wei Que and asked, “What do you want to do?”
Wei Que replied, “If possible, I hope you’ll accept him into our great force. He’s new to the Outer Universe with no one else to rely on. More importantly, he is a kind and righteous person. On top of that, he has saved my and Junior Sister’s lives. Now that he’s in trouble, we can’t just stand idly by.”
The Province Master heaved a sigh, “I knew you were going to say that; however, do you realize just how much trouble he’s in now? If we take him in, what kind of consequences will we suffer?”
Wei Que cupped his fists, “I’ve thought this over thoroughly. However, since the carcass isn’t with him now, it shouldn’t matter.”
“It shouldn’t matter?” Boss looked straight into his eyes, “Do you even believe what you’ve said?”
Wei Que parted his lips, but he couldn’t say anything in the end. That was because he indeed didn’t believe what he had said.
The elderly man went on to say, “He said that the carcass is in Madam Lan’s hands now, but it is a rare treasure, so anyone who is interested in it won’t let go so easily. By then, countless top cultivators will interrogate Yang Kai and even scour his Soul. By then, are we even going to be able to protect him? If we try, we will fail, and if we don’t, it will disgrace and dishonour us.” Then, he waved his hand, “We can’t accept him; otherwise, our great force will surely descend into chaos.”
“Leader…” Wei Que became flustered.
“Say no more.” The elderly man interrupted him, “We shouldn’t stay in this place any longer. Pack up now and follow me back to Great Moon Province.”
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances. Since the Province Master had made a decision, it was useless for them to say anything else. In light of that, they simply heaved a sigh.
They knew that the leader’s decision was right, and they shared the same thoughts as well; however, they still felt frustrated.
“As for the favour you owe, you can try to come up with a way to compensate him,” the elderly man said.
Wei Que cupped his fists, “Yes.”
In his room, Yang Kai was sitting across from Wei Que. Tao Rong Fang was standing behind Wei Que as she stared at the battered Yang Kai with a sympathetic look on her face.
Normally, if she saw a man in such a state, she would’ve burst out laughing. That was because the large dark circles around Yang Kai’s eyes looked quite amusing, obviously caused by fists. The symmetrical dark circles around his eyes suggested that his attacker was also quite powerful.
However, she wasn’t in the mood to laugh now; after all, Yang Kai had saved their lives before. At the thought of Yang Kai’s future and the possible blaming from Ah Sun, she felt dejected.
An embarrassed Wei Que spoke for a long time before he was able to make things clear to Yang Kai. Scratching his head, he said, “Yang Kai, this is how things are now. Initially, we intended to bring you to Great Moon Province so that you could join us; however, it seems that we can’t do that now. Leader has rejected the idea, so there’s nothing this Wei can do. I’m sorry!” After he finished speaking, he cupped his fists and looked away as he was too ashamed to face him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Wei. I’m fully aware of the situation I’m in, so it’s understandable that your leader has rejected the idea. Even if he had agreed to it, I couldn’t have followed you to Great Moon Province as I can’t leave First Inn or I’d be ripped into pieces. There’s still a chance for me to survive if I stay here.”
Tao Rong Fang said, “You’re right to say that, but it’s not like you can stay in this inn forever. What’s your plan?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and fell into his thoughts for a moment, then he shook his head, “I’ll see how things go. I don’t have any plans in mind now.”
“Hai!” Wei Que sighed, “You’re just too reckless. Why did you even decide to snatch the Golden Crow carcass at that time?”
It was said that men die for wealth just as birds die for food. What Yang Kai had done in the Golden Crow Divine Palace was no different from digging his own grave. Without First Inn, he would’ve lost his life a long time ago.
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “I didn’t have much time to think about it. I just did it on impulse, and it’s pointless to talk about why now.” He waved his hand as he wasn’t willing to dwell on this topic.
Seeing that, Wei Que decided to change the topic, “We’ll be leaving First Inn and returning to Great Moon Province soon. Is there anything we can help you with?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “There’s indeed one thing that I need you to help me with.”
“Name it,” Wei Que replied.
Yang Kai said, “Old Fang, Dié You, Ah Sun, and I fled from Seven Wonders Land and went through a lot of hardships. Now that Ah Sun has been taken on as a Disciple by Senior Tao, I don’t have to worry about her anymore. However, Old Fang and Dié You have nowhere else to go. Given the situation I’m in, they shouldn’t have anything to do with me anymore, so I hope that you’ll accept them into your force so that they’ll have a place to live and grow.”
Wei Que replied, “Even if you didn’t mention it, we’d still do so. Don’t worry. We’ll bring Fang Bi Qi and Dié You back to Great Moon Province and take care of them. As long as this Wei is still alive, I won’t let anyone oppress them.”
“Many thanks, Senior.”
An abashed Wei Que waved his hand, “Don’t thank me. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed to face you.”
“What about you?” Tao Rong Fang asked, “Is there anything we can help you with?”
Yang Kai shook his head as they were truly unable to help him solve the problem he was facing. Now that Old Fang and Dié You finally had a place to call home, he could at least set his mind at ease about that issue.
After a sigh, Wei Que fished out a Space Ring and put it in front of Yang Kai, “It’s just a small gift from me, so please don’t refuse it. You’ll need money to stay in First Inn after all.”
After deliberating on it for a moment, Yang Kai decided to keep the ring. Wei Que was a straightforward man, so he would only make it difficult for him if he turned him down.
They went on to chat for a bit before the pair rose from the chairs. Before leaving, Wei Que said, “Do you want to see Fang Bi Qi and the others? After all of you part ways this time, you won’t be able to meet up again for a long time.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “We’ll certainly meet again in the future. Senior Wei, please leave with them now.” It would be sorrowful to part ways with them, so he’d rather not see them now.
Wei Que stared at him for a moment and patted his shoulder, “Take care.” Then, he turned around and left.
Tao Rong Fang nodded at Yang Kai and shuffled out of the room.
A short while later, footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor. Yang Kai knew that those from Great Moon Province must be leaving.
After all the sound of feet died down, Yang Kai returned to his bed and meditated to recuperate. Recalling his experiences since he left the Star Boundary, he felt crestfallen. After separating with Zhang Ruo Xi, he ended up becoming a worker in Seven Wonders Land. He went through countless difficulties to escape from that place, but he was then dragged into a mess because of the Golden Crow carcass soon after. As an Emperor Realm cultivator, he was caught in the middle of a great storm in the Outer Universe. If he wasn’t careful enough, he would be ripped into pieces at any moment.
He had to ponder over how to handle the carcass. Not only did he have to deal with the situation swiftly and to his benefit, he also had to ensure he would not leave behind any hidden dangers for himself. This thorny issue gave him a severe headache.
It was all calm for the next few days. Yang Kai had been worried that the Proprietress might find fault with him again, but he hadn’t seen her for days now. On the other hand, most of his injuries had healed; however, after the previous incident, he wouldn’t dare to leave his room as he pleased. If there were any reckless people who ignored the inn’s rules and made a move against him, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Ten days later, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were having a drink in his room. While Bai Qi was talking about what had been going on outside, the door was suddenly kicked open.
A shocked Yang Kai raised his head before shrinking his neck. Turning to look at Bai Qi, he asked mournfully, “Are there any privacy measures in place in your inn at all? Do you allow your customer’s doors to be kicked open at any moment?”
Bai Qi simply gave a hollow laugh, “Well, she’s the Proprietress.”
With a gaze filled with coldness, Madam Lan shot Bai Qi a glare, “It’s no wonder I didn’t see you at all, it turns out you’ve been lazing around here! Don’t you need to serve the customers? How dare you slack off here!? I’ll deduct a year’s worth of your salary!”
Bai Qi turned pale in an instant and pleaded, “Proprietress, please calm your anger! I’ll start working now! Please don’t deduct my salary!”
Upon finishing his words, he dashed out of the room.
With his back leaning against the wall, Yang Kai wanted to flee as well, but when the Proprietress shot him a glare, a chill shot up his spine and he became rooted to the spot.
Then, she slightly extended her foot backwards to close the door and took Bai Qi’s previous seat. With a gaze filled with gloom, she stared fixedly at him.
Yang Kai forced a wry smile at her as he curled up in the corner. Then, he covered his head with his hands and said, “Just don’t hit my face.” It took a few days before the dark circles around his eyes caused by her faded. This woman was ruthless, so he had to be careful.
The Proprietress said grimly, “Sit.”
Yang Kai stole a glance at her before sitting on the ground.
The Proprietress bellowed, “Smelly brat, stop playing meek! I told you to sit so sit!”
After batting his eyes, Yang Kai got to his feet and inched closer to the chair in a vigilant manner. Then, he slowly took a seat, his eyes darting around as he was apprehensive.
Seeing how alert he was, an incensed Madam Lan landed a palm on the table, “Brat, do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?”
Yang Kai scratched his nose as he muttered, “Not really. I’ve only heard a little about it.”
Recently, he had been hearing from Bai Qi about what had been going on outside his room as he hadn’t dared to leave it. He only knew that most people from the neighbouring great forces had left. After all, the people who had checked in previously were mostly from Third Class forces, so they had no right to compete for the Golden Crow’s corpse. Just like Great Moon Province, they knew their place, so they had left as quickly as they could. Of course, there were still some of them who had stayed here to watch the show.
After they left, those from Second Class great forces subsequently arrived. Even some from the First Class Cave Heavens and Paradises had come to this place.
Presently, over twenty Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered in First Inn along with three or four High-Ranks. It could be said that this was the first time they had received so many top cultivators since First Inn’s opening. They were all attracted by the Golden Crow carcass.
Madam Lan sneered, “Did you seriously think you’d be fine by just shifting all the attention to this Queen in the hall the other day? Do you think they’re all fools? Both of us are fully aware whether the carcass is in my hands or not.”
Yang Kai replied, “I was left with no other choice…”
Madam Lan landed another palm on the table, “Do you think you could lie to everyone else just because you were left with no choice? Do you think I can’t kick you out of the inn right now? You don’t need me to tell you what will happen then!”
A stunned Yang Kai questioned, “Madam Lan, do you want me dead?”
Madam Lan fiddled with her own fingers and replied dispassionately, “I have a right to get my revenge. You were the one who framed me first.”
Yang Kai became truly flustered. If he were chased out of the inn, he would lose his life the next moment. With widened eyes, he rebuked, “Your inn is open for business, and I’ve fully paid for my lodging, how can you just chase me out?”
Madam Lan lifted her head to give him a look, “You’re right. We have never mistreated a customer before. If I kick you out, our reputation will be tarnished.”
With his heart pounding against his chest, Yang Kai let out a long breath. Then, Madam Lan said, “But there are exceptions for those who can’t pay their fees and refuse to leave.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he had a premonition.
As expected, Madam Lan went on to say smilingly, “This Queen has decided that from today onwards, the fee for your room will be a 100,000 Open Heaven Pills per night.”
“100,000?” Yang Kai’s expression cramped drastically. After calculating for a bit, he realised that the pills he had could only last him three to four days, enraging him, “Proprietress, you’re oppressing me!”
Madam Lan replied, “You have no right to interfere in my decision. It’s up to me whether I want to raise the fee, and it’s up to you whether you want to continue staying here. No one is forcing you to do anything.”
Yang Kai demanded, “I want a different room!”
Madam Lan scoffed, “There are no other rooms. Our inn is packed to the brim right now, so you can’t get a new one.”
Yang Kai gnashed his teeth together and glared at her; however, an unfazed Madam Lan kept a charming smile on her face as she fiddled with her own fingers. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
Suppressing his urge to land a fist on her face, Yang Kai asked, “What do you want? Just say it!”
Madam Lan replied impassively, “Smelly brat, an ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. Haven’t you heard of that before?”
Certainly, Yang Kai had heard the saying. In fact, he was intimately familiar with it. Since he started cultivating, he had come across countless dangers because of this exact scenario; therefore, he understood the meaning of the saying better than anyone else.
“Good, this Queen was caught off guard and framed by you, so now, many people out there believe that the Golden Crow carcass is in my hands.” Madam Lan gazed at him, “In that case, I don’t mind making their speculation a reality. Why don’t I take the trouble from you now? What do you think?”
Yang Kai asked, “You want me to give you the carcass?”
Madam Lan replied, “I won’t take it from you for free. I’ll give you enough compensation.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “May I know what the compensation is?”
With a smile, Madam Lan stuck out one finger, “The first compensation is simply Open Heaven Pills. This number.” Then, she swayed her finger at him.
“10 million?” Yang Kai was stunned.
In response, Madam Lan nodded her head.
Yang Kai said, “Madam Lan is indeed generous.” Ten million Open Heaven Pills was really a large number, tempting for any Emperor Realm cultivator.
“Since you’ve mentioned the first one, there must be a second option. What is it?”
Madam Lan shot him a look, “The second option is a full set of Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, Five Elements materials to help you break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
That was another tempting offer. A Fifth-Order set of materials could be traded for 7.5 million Open Heaven Pills. However, considering the rarity of such items, it would actually be equivalent to 10 million Open Heaven Pills.
Moreover, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be considered a powerhouse in the Outer Universe. It was in the middle of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Duan Hai was only a Fourth-Order while both Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, whom Yang Kai had never met, and Old Xu were Fifth-Order. In other words, a Fifth-Order cultivator was powerful enough to gain a footing and build a great force in the Outer Universe.
Madam Lan was indeed sincere, but that was the reason Yang Kai realised that the Golden Crow carcass was far more valuable than he thought. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have decided to pay such a hefty price to obtain it. The carcass must be worth a lot more than the compensation she had offered.
“Is there a third option?” he asked.
A frustrated Madam Lan said, “Aren’t you satisfied with two options? Brat, don’t be too greedy.”
Yang Kai raised his hands, “I was just asking. Don’t get mad.” Then, he hurriedly filled her cup with tea to prevent her from blowing her top again.
After a snort, Madam Lan took a sip of the tea and shot him a look, “You should count your blessings. Countless newcomers like you struggle for hundreds or even thousands of years in the 3,000 Worlds without achieving anything. You got some luck not long after you arrived at the Outer Universe. Many people would die of jealousy if they heard.”
What she had said reminded Yang Kai of Dié You and Old Fang. It had been a long time since they arrived in the Outer Universe, but they had been trapped in Seven Wonders Land for practically all that time, which was why they hadn’t even ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. In comparison, Yang Kai was in a much better spot. With that said, the reason he had the options to choose from on this day was that he had risked his life to achieve this; it had nothing to do with luck.
Thus , he took a sip of water and fell silent for a moment before replying, “Proprietress, I’m tempted by both options, but I’m not sure what to choose.”
Madam Lan said, “Do you want my advice?”
“Yes, please.”
“If I were you, I’d choose the second option. Although Open Heaven Pills are beneficial, it’s not safe for you to carry so many pills around as you’re only an Emperor Realm Junior. Moreover, you don’t have the means to buy higher-order materials. So, you should just let First Inn purchase those Fifth-Order materials for you and enjoy the fruits of our labour.”
“You have a point,” Yang Kai crossed his arms and fell into his thoughts.
The Proprietress observed him and gently let out a breath. Judging from his expression, she knew that there was a chance to achieve her goal. If he wasn’t even willing to talk to her, there wouldn’t be any hope. It seemed that he had also realised that the potato was too hot for him to handle.
The Golden Crow carcass was a ticket to Hell for an average person, but to a great force like First Inn, it was an invaluable treasure. As long as she could secure the corpse, she wouldn’t mind paying a big price.
While Yang Kai was pondering on the issue, she didn’t disturb him.
However, one hour later, he still hadn’t made up his mind. Seeing this, she was speechless as probed, “Have you made your decision yet?”
Yang Kai knitted his brows together as though he was in a dilemma. Hearing her voice, he turned to look at her, “Proprietress, I’m fine with the options you’ve mentioned, but can you also compensate for the loss of the two Mie Meng golden tail feathers?”
At the mention of the golden tail feathers, Madam Lan became indignant as Yang Kai had used one of them on her when she was unsuspecting, which caused her to be wounded. She had never been humiliated in such a way before.
“Do you even want me to compensate for that? Are you out of your mind?” Madam Lan barked.
Yang Kai replied, “Of course you have to. In order to snatch the carcass, I had to use two of Mie Meng’s golden tail feathers. Although I don’t know how much they’re worth, they’re obviously not cheap. If I sold them, many people would want them. Perhaps they could even be traded for 10 million Open Heaven Pills. Since that’s the value of two golden tail feathers, the offer you’ve mentioned can only make up for a fraction of my losses.”
Upon hearing that, Madam Lan put on a sneer. Just when she wanted to mock him, she recalled how the golden tail feathers were powerful enough to even harm her, making them practically invaluable safety charms. If they were sold, they really could be worth a lot of money. The generous ones might even be willing to offer him 10 million pills.
Thus, she changed the topic by saying, “Now that you mention this, there’s a question I need to ask you. Where did you get those Mie Meng golden tail feathers from?” If she were aware of them in the first place, she wouldn’t have suffered such a setback.
Yang Kai grinned, “I also have a question for you. Why don’t we trade information?”
Madam Lan sized him up, “What do you want to know?”
In a stealthy manner, Yang Kai uttered in a hushed voice, “What are the uses of the Golden Crow carcass? Why do so many people want it?”
Madam Lan questioned, “Why are you asking this question?”
“I’m curious,” Yang Kai stared fixedly at her.
After giving it a thought, Madam Lan replied, “Since so many people want it, it naturally has its value. It’s difficult to look for a Golden Crow. Throughout the 3,000 Worlds, there are only a small number of them. This kind of ancient beast is born with a Sun and perishes with that Sun, so it is truly an amazing being. Its flesh can be made into pills, and its bones can be used to forge artifacts. Most importantly, the Golden Crow’s True Fire in its body is invaluable. If anyone is able to refine it, they will gain an extremely powerful Fire Element.” This wasn’t secret information, so Yang Kai could find out about it by simply asking around, thus she didn’t hide it from him.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that, “You mean the black flames we saw in the Golden Crow Divine Palace?” He had seen how horrifying the Golden Crow True Fire was. Any Low-Rank cultivator contaminated by it died.
“That’s right.” Madam Lan nodded and sneered, “Brat, I suggest you give up even dreaming about it. Golden Crow’s True Fire is so terrifying that without a strong enough Wood Element to suppress it, you’ll be burned to death by just absorbing a wisp of it.”
Yang Kai appeared grateful for her warning, “Certainly I wouldn’t be reckless.”
“Good. Now tell me where you obtained the golden tail feathers from.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course they were gifted to me by Mie Meng. Some time ago, I lent her a hand, and in order to thank me, she gave me three golden tail feathers before leaving.”
Madam Lan didn’t seem to believe him, but she wasn’t willing to dwell on this issue. In an impatient manner, she said, “Enough idle chatter. Have you made up your mind?”
Yang Kai replied, “Stop pressuring me. I won’t know what to choose if you do that. Why don’t you go back to your room first? I’ll keep on thinking it over. When I’ve made a decision, I’ll inform you.”
After he finished speaking, he rose from the chair and walked up to the door. Then, he opened the door as though he was ready to see her off.
Madam Lan was dumbstruck by what he had said; however, as a woman, it was inappropriate for her to insist on staying in a man’s room. Gritting her teeth, she got up and walked out, but as she was passing by Yang Kai, she extended her leg from her dress and landed a kick on his shin before shuffling out of the room.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he hugged his leg with both hands and jumped around for a long time. At the same time, he secretly cursed at this woman for being so violent.
A moment later, he closed the door and turned on the barrier. Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and snuck into the Sealed World Bead.
It was completely serene inside the Sealed World. Upon landing on a flatland, he fished out Six Fated Paths Bag and shook it, upon which the Golden Crow carcass dropped on the ground.
Since he obtained the carcass, Yang Kai had never carefully examined it. Upon learning the uses of the carcass from the Proprietress though, he couldn’t help but feel tempted.
He had never expected that the True Fire within the Golden Crow carcass could be used to condense the Fire Element.
In fact, this was exactly the kind of treasure he had been trying so hard to find. The reason he went to the Sun Star was to hunt for a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold. Although he had seen a number of such Sun’s True Golds, they ultimately didn’t end up belonging to him. The carcass he had accidentally snatched, however, had given him a new option.
Madam Lan had warned him against having his eye on the Golden Crow’s True Fire as he wouldn’t be able to suppress this kind of fire without a strong Wood Element. However, that was basically not an issue for him.
Yang Kai had no idea what Order the Wood Element which he had condensed from the essence of Immortal Tree was, but he reckoned that few if any other treasures in the world comparable to it.
The Wood Element within his body was certainly strong enough to suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Nevertheless, in order to be safe, Yang Kai decided to test it out first, which was why he had snuck into the Small Sealed World; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to take the risk with so many top cultivators currently staying at First Inn.
That was his initial plan at least, but as soon as the carcass was released, Yang Kai immediately felt the entire Small Sealed World descending into chaos as its World Principles began to warp. The Sealed World seemed to be on the brink of exploding.
Yang Kai was the Master of the Small Sealed World, so he was especially sensitive to the changes it was going through.
It was like a big stone that had been forcefully stuffed into a glass of water, which caused the glass to crack.
The sudden change in the Small Sealed World shocked Yang Kai.
Instantly, many ideas flashed across his mind and he soon realised the reason behind this phenomenon. The capacity of the Small Sealed World was limited, similar to the theory of the World Bottle in the Star Boundary, where only ten Great Emperors could exist at the same time. There would never be an eleventh Great Emperor because this was how the world protected itself, an innate restriction related to the strength of the World Principles.
There was a limit in the capacity of the World Bottle in the Star Boundary, and it was the same case for Small Sealed World. Furthermore, Small Sealed World wasn’t comparable to the Star Boundary at all. Simply put, the Small Sealed World couldn’t hold a powerful being like the Golden Crow carcass.
The carcass alone was able to destabilise the Small Sealed World, so if a living Golden Crow entered the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai reckoned that it would be burned down in an instant.
The Small Sealed World was no longer the same as it was in the past because the second region and the third region had been separated from it. Now, only the original first region was left, so its capacity was rather limited. That was the reason the sudden change took place when Yang Kai took out the carcass inside of it.
Upon understanding this, Yang Kai hurriedly opened the Six Fated Paths Bag and put the carcass inside it.
It was only then that the world stopped shaking and became calm again as the chaotic Principles began mending themselves. The change proved that his speculation was right. With a frown, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts on the same spot.
If he hadn’t put the carcass into the Small Sealed World on a whim, he wouldn’t have discovered this. The carcass alone was able to make the Small Sealed World descend into chaos, so what if he put an Open Heaven Realm Master into the Small Sealed World?
An Open Heaven Realm Master contained a complete world within their body. Depending on the Order the Master was in, the power of the Small Universe World in his body also varied. Yang Kai reckoned that if the capacity in the Small Sealed World was larger than that of the Small Universe in an Open Heaven Realm Master, there wouldn’t be a problem. However, if it was smaller, such a change would happen to the Small Sealed World again.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai came to the realisation that he shouldn’t put an Open Heaven Realm Master in the Small Sealed World as he pleased; otherwise, he might suffer immense losses.
The Small Sealed World couldn’t even bear it, so nothing need be said about the World Beads he refined as imitations of the Sealed World Bead. World Beads weren’t even comparable to the Sealed World Bead because they were refined from Dead Stars and asteroids which didn’t have any World Principles of their own. Yang Kai reckoned that a World Bead he had made couldn’t even accommodate the weakest of Open Heaven Realm Masters. If such a person was forcefully kept inside the bead, it would instantly explode.
Therefore, it seemed that the Six Fated Paths Bag was indeed extraordinary. It was a storage artifact, but it could forcefully keep an Open Heaven Realm Master inside of it. Unlike the Small Sealed World, what was inside the Six Fated Paths Bag wasn’t a Sealed World but an adjustable space.
Yang Kai wondered who created this bag, and how it ended up in Old Xu’s hands; however, all that didn’t matter anymore as the bag belonged to him now.
Since he couldn’t test out his theory in the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai decided to leave. After storing the Sealed Word Bead, he plunged into the Six Fated Paths Bag. Fortunately, he had fully refined the bag, so the space inside it could be adjusted accordingly. Although it wasn’t as spacious as the Small Sealed World, it didn’t feel cramped for him to stay inside with the Golden Crow carcass.
The Golden Crow was imposing when it was still alive, but there didn’t seem to be anything special about it after its death. After releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could sense a faint ferocious aura wafting from it but that was all. Next, he circled around the carcass several times before standing in front of it. With his arms crossed, he attentively examined the carcass.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure how he should start. One of the reasons he could condense his Wood Element was that he had already refined the Immortal Tree, and Zhang Ruo Xi had given him some guidance, so the process was rather smooth. Now that he was alone with no one else to rely on, he didn’t know what to do.
After pondering on the issue for a long time, he decided to simply try things out first. According to the Proprietress, the Golden Crow’s True Fire was truly horrifying, so Yang Kai was especially careful.
First, he extended his hand and pressed it against the Golden Crow’s forehead. With his eyes closed, he tried to sense it in silence and draw out the True Fire inside. Initially, nothing happened, but soon Yang Kai felt a scorching heat on his palm. An aura that seemed able to burn down everything in existence came right out of the carcass. At the same time, he had a feeling that he was standing right in front of a great Sun. The scorching power seemed able to melt him at any moment.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he hurriedly stepped backwards, but his hand was already engulfed in a dark flame. The smell of burned flesh permeated the air, and a piercing pain caused him to groan like a wounded beast.
Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his Emperor Qi in an attempt to stop the black flame from expanding, but was stunned to realise that his Emperor Qi had simply turned into fuel for the fire. As his Emperor Qi surged, the black flame became even more vigorous as it soon reached his elbow.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai was shocked. Although he was fully aware that the Golden Crow’s True Fire was extraordinary, he realized now that he had still underestimated its power. At that instant, he felt remorseful and seriously wondered if he would be burned to death today?
At the critical moment though, he suddenly recalled what the Proprietress had said. Only a strong Wood Element could suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he hurriedly drew out the power in his Dao Seal.
A green aura exuded from his arm in the next moment and met with the black flame, making for an extremely bizarre sight. The power of the Immortal Tree was indeed incredible and as soon as his Wood Element was activated, Yang Kai immediately felt that his pain had been alleviated and his wounded flesh was slowly being restored.
Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief as he knew that he had made the right move. The Order of his Wood Element must be higher than that of the True Fire; otherwise, things would’ve gone badly for him today.
Now, it seemed that as long as his Wood Element was strong enough, he could safely absorb the True Fire to condense his Fire Element.
As he thought about the issue, Yang Kai wondered how many people there were in the world that possessed such a strong Wood Element. Even if there were such people, their Wood Element was certainly not comparable to the essence of the Immortal Tree.
With his mind at ease now, Yang Kai sat down with his legs crossed and carefully engulfed the Golden Crow’s True Fire with his Wood Element before leading it to his Dao Seal.
After an hour, the originally green Dao Seal was now tinged with a black hue. From the black light, Yang Kai could feel a sense of ferocity and an aura that seemed to want to cause destruction.
Next, he checked the stability of his Dao Seal and upon realising that it was completely safe, he became elated. It seemed he would have no trouble refining the Golden Crow’s True Fire to condense his Fire Element. Furthermore, he could clearly feel that the True Fire was Seventh Order at the very least.
He had never come across other Seventh-Order materials before, but he had seen a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold in the Golden Crow Divine Palace. The aura of the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold from back then was even weaker than the Golden Crow’s True Fire, which gave Yang Kai a rough estimate of the True Fire’s potential.
It had only been a year since he arrived in the Outer Universe, but he already had a chance to refine his Fire Element. It could be said that he was extremely fortunate.
Yang Kai stopped thinking over the options the Proprietress had given him and instead recalled Zhang Qi saying that everything else, be it money, women, or status, came second to personal strength.
It was extremely difficult to find materials that were Seventh-Order and above, and since he was an ambitious man, Yang Kai was determined to make it to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in a single bound. Now that the chance was right in front of him, he would not let it slip through his fingers. In fact, he wasn’t really tempted by the offers the Proprietress had provided him in the first place. Even if she could give him an even greater offer, he would rather give all that up in order to condense his Fire Element.
In just a short moment, the Wood Element had restored the wounds caused by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so Yang Kai took a deep breath and pressed his palm against the Golden Crow’s carcass. Then, he activated his Dao Seal and drew the True Fire into his body again.
After the dark flame was drawn out, it engulfed Yang Kai’s arm; however, thanks to the suppression of his Wood Element, the flame couldn’t harm him one bit.
Half a day later, Yang Kai reluctantly left the Six Fated Paths Bag. It wasn’t that he had finished condensing his Fire Element, but rather that he couldn’t possibly accomplish this in one go. Moreover, he had absorbed enough of Golden Crow’s True Fire on this day to feel bloated, so he needed to refine it before he could continue. Also, he was worried that the Proprietress would barge into his room all of a sudden. If she found out that he had been secretly absorbing the True Fire, she wouldn’t let him off.
For the next few days, the Proprietress would visit him regularly to discuss the carcass. Yang Kai didn’t intend to pass it to her now, so he would appear tempted for a while before chasing her away. Nevertheless, he could feel that the Proprietress’ patience was running out. For the past two days, she had appeared disgruntled when discussing the issue with him. Every time before she left, she would land a kick on Yang Kai’s shin, and since he wasn’t nearly strong enough, he was unable to dodge the attack despite knowing it was coming.
Yang Kai was fairly quick when it came to absorbing the Golden Crow’s True Fire, as with the protection of the Wood Element from the Immortal Tree, he could practically devour large amounts of True Fire without worry. If anyone else had witnessed this, they would surely be astonished.
In the entire Outer Universe, no one could condense such a violent Flame Element in such a short period of time. They would need to spend a few years or even decades to slowly tame and then refine it in order to achieve this.
Without the Wood Element from the Immortal Tree, Yang Kai wouldn’t have dared to be so reckless. It was only thanks to the tree’s power that he could absorb the amount of Golden Crow’s True Fire in a day that others would take a few months to.
As time passed, a fact gradually became clear to him. At his current speed, it would take him another ten days to fill his Dao Seal’s requirement. By then, he wouldn’t need to absorb the True Fire anymore as he would have enough to condense his Fire Element.
Ten days were the key to his success; however, the Proprietress had become impatient, so she clearly wouldn’t give him so much time. Fortunately, the Proprietress would visit him at roughly the same time every day, so his secret hadn’t been exposed yet.
On this day, Yang Kai leapt out of the Six Fated Paths Bag before the Proprietress’ arrival. One hour after he started meditating, he could hear someone knocking on the door.
Apparently, it must be the Proprietress again. A helpless Yang Kai got to his feet and opened the door, only to see the Proprietress standing outside the room demurely. What surprised him was that she wasn’t alone this time. She had brought someone with her.
Standing in front of Yang Kai was a slim yet energetic-looking elderly man. He was clad in a short sleeve shirt and a pair of short pants. With his bony arms and calves exposed, he looked like an ordinary farmer who had just returned from his field.
However, Yang Kai could see that the elderly man had a deep and profound gaze. It was as though he would plunge into it and be drowned in it forever if he stared too long, causing his chest to tighten as he realised that this elderly man was no ordinary Master.
Madam Lan, who had been harassing him recently, stood three steps behind this elderly man as she stared at Yang Kai while gritting her teeth.
“Little friend, do you mind having a chat with me inside?” The elderly man asked with a smile. Despite his gentle tone, he gave off an imposing air that made it impossible for Yang Kai to refuse. Only a person who had been in a position of authority for a long time could give off this kind of feeling, and Yang Kai was familiar with that.
Yang Kai shot a glance at the Proprietress, knowing that he couldn’t reject, before nodding and stepping aside to allow the elderly man to pass.
The elderly man thanked him and shuffled into the room, followed by Madam Lan.
After closing the door, Yang Kai turned to look at Madam Lan and asked doubtfully, “Proprietress, this is…”
With that said, he already had a speculation about the elderly man’s identity.
A solemn Madam Lan replied, “He is the owner of First Inn.”
The elderly man smiled and nodded his head, “My surname is Si Tu, and my given name is Kong.”
His identity was just as Yang Kai had expected. The moment he saw the Proprietress, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, standing respectfully behind this elderly man, he could already figure out his identity. Upon Madam Lan’s introduction, he knew that his speculation was right.
Si Tu Kong was the owner of First Inn who always remained behind the scenes. This man must be a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, though Yang Kai wasn’t certain what Order he was in.
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Si Tu. Please forgive me for any disrespect I have shown.” Yang Kai cupped his fists before gesturing politely, “Please have a seat.”
Si Tu Kong nodded and directly took a seat while Madam Lan took up a spot behind him.
“Have a seat as well,” Si Tu Kong looked around before motioning to Yang Kai.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t dare to sit. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was standing, so he had no right to be seated. As such, he told the elderly man that he wouldn’t dare show such brazenness and was fine with standing.
Si Tu Kong didn’t dwell on the issue and simply continued, “This Old Master has heard about what happened to you. Little friend, do you know how many top Masters have gathered in my inn now?”
“Junior is unaware,” Yang Kai shook his head. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Si Tu Kong directly asked for the Golden Crow carcass, so what the latter had just said baffled him.
Si Tu Kong went on to say, “There are thirty-two Mid-Rank cultivators, and excluding this Old Master, five High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Over twenty First Class and Second Class forces are now represented here.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded upon hearing this number, knowing that things had truly become serious. So many High-Rank cultivators had come to this tiny inn, which showed just how attractive the Golden Crow carcass was.
After a pause, Si Tu Kong went on to say with a smile, “Do you understand why First Inn can do business here peacefully?”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “What does Senior mean?”
Si Tu Kong explained lightly, “Some time ago, you tried to divert everyone’s attention to Xiao Lan by saying that she had taken the carcass from you. Whether or not it was true, everyone would try to ascertain the truth. Xiao Lan is from First Inn, so they wouldn’t dare to make a move against her as they have to show adequate respect to us. So, the best way for them is to pry the information out of you to find out where the carcass truly is before coming up with a plan. However, you’ve stayed here for quite some time, but have you ever been harassed by anyone?”
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head as he could somewhat grasp what the elderly man was trying to say.
In a probing manner, he asked, “Does Senior mean… I’ve been protected by First Inn?”
Si Tu Kong didn’t directly answer his question as he continued, “Some of those out there are righteous, while some of them are wicked; however, none of them are easy to deal with.”
Naturally, Si Tu Kong was implying First Inn had been extremely accommodating to Yang Kai.
At this point, the Proprietress spoke, “Yang Kai, although First Inn is fairly powerful, we can’t possibly offend so many people for you. Whether or not you will sell us the carcass, you must give us an answer now.”
Yang Kai looked up at her and asked, “Can you give me more time to think it over?”
The Proprietress frowned, “What else is there to think over?”
Yang Kai braced himself and made an attempt, “Ten days. Please give me ten more days. After that, I’ll give you an answer you can accept.”
The Proprietress shot him a glare, “No. We can’t possibly wait for ten more days. Do you know how much pressure we’ve been under because of you? We’ve already offended many people by fending off those who’ve tried to look for you. Too much can happen in ten days.”
It was pointless for the discussion to go on if Yang Kai couldn’t stall for more time. He reckoned that he would need ten more days to condense the Fire Element and by then, the carcass would be useless to him.
“Three days,” Si Tu Kong suddenly said, “This Old Master will give you three more days to think it over.”
After finishing his words, he didn’t give Yang Kai a chance to speak as he rose from the chair and left directly. This was his ultimatum.
Yang Kai pleaded with them from behind, “Proprietress, Senior, please extend the deadline for me! I might not be able to make up my mind in just three days.”
The Proprietress turned around and snapped, “Then focus on your own safety, and I’m sure you’ll be able to make a sensible choice.” Having said so, she slammed the door shut as though she wanted to lock Yang Kai inside.
After they were gone, Yang Kai appeared crestfallen.
There was no way he could condense his Fire Element in just three days; however, since they had given him the ultimatum, there was no room for negotiation. Three days later, his life would be turned upside down.
Now that he was tight on time, Yang Kai didn’t dare to waste any time despite his worries. After turning on the room’s barrier again, he plunged into the Six Fated Paths Bag.
For the next three days, Yang Kai repeatedly entered the bag to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire, not even caring if he was overburdened. Although he had sped up his progress, more time was still needed to fill up his Dao Seal.
After three days, the Proprietress stepped into the room again. This time, Si Tu Kong didn’t come with her, which was expected. Although the Golden Crow carcass was priceless, it was just material in the end. As a High-Rank Open Heaven Master, he had shown enough regard for the carcass by coming all the way here in person, so the Proprietress could handle the rest.
Inside the room, the Proprietress stared at Yang Kai and declared, “Owner has said that if you can give me the carcass, our two offers will not change and we’ll even grant you both at the same time. In addition, before you enter the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, we will ensure your safety so that no one can harm you.”
The benefits had more than doubled for Yang Kai just like that. Previously, although the offers given by the Proprietress were attractive, Yang Kai could only choose one of them, which didn’t seem generous enough. Now, he could get both offers at the same time. Honestly speaking, any Emperor Realm Master would have agreed to it when tempted in such a way.
However, Yang Kai had already made a resolution that he wanted to become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had discovered that he could absorb Golden Crow’s True Fire. That was the reason he didn’t agree.
Now, a bright future was within his grasp. If he agreed to this deal at this point, he would lose an opportunity to reach the peak of the Martial Dao. He didn’t want to regret a rash decision on this day in the future.
“I believe no other great force can provide you with such offers. Smelly brat, if you still refuse, I’ll have no other choice.”
Yang Kai replied, “I can feel how sincere First Inn and Senior Si Tu are, but…”
“Enough of this nonsense! Just tell me whether you agree or not!” The Proprietress cut him off as she was fed up with his stalling.
There was apparently no room for discussion as she appeared determined. Yang Kai clenched his teeth and said, “Good, I agree.”
Madam Lan was startled for a moment before she became elated, “Good, it seems you do know your place.”
“But, can you give me a few days more?”
Her face fell as she examined him doubtfully, “What are you up to? Since you’ve agreed already, why do you want to wait for a few days more?”
“I can’t tell you because it’s a private matter,” Yang Kai said calmly, which infuriated her, “However, I can assure you that I’ll give you the carcass after that.”
He thought that he could stall for more time by saying so, but Madam Lan shook her head decisively, “Even if we can wait, others aren’t so patient.” She gave him a meaningful look, “You’d better prepare yourself.”
Then, she turned around and left.
Yang Kai chased after her and called out from behind, but she didn’t respond to him. Right after he stepped out of the room, he froze on the spot because, at that instant, dozens of powerful Divine Senses locked onto him, creating a pressure like several worlds were piling on top of him, making him feel small and insignificant.
Yang Kai shuddered and hurriedly returned to his room. After a gulp, he still appeared to be reeling from shock. Recently, he had been hiding inside his room so although he knew that many top cultivators had gathered together outside, he never understood just how serious the situation was as he had never seen them. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what it felt like to be surrounded by so many top Masters.
In this situation, he could only be safe by staying inside his room. It was too dangerous outside. While he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt that something was off. After looking around, he almost couldn’t stop himself from cursing. That was because the barrier around his room had been deactivated. Obviously, it was Madam Lan’s doing. Normally, he could use his room token to control the barrier here, but as the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan naturally had the ability to interfere, and of course she could override his commands.
In other words, since Madam Lan had turned off the barrier around his room, he could not turn it on again.
Right after the barrier lost its effect, he could feel dozens of Divine Senses targeting him. Without the protection of the barrier, those Divine Senses penetrated the room and thoroughly examined him.
At that instant, he felt cold all over his body, and all his bodily hair was standing on end.
With a creak, the door was pushed open as a burly-looking young man appeared at the door and grinned at Yang Kai.
A horrified Yang Kai called out nervously, “Who are you?”
The young man entered the room without any hesitation, a thick Demon Qi swirling around him, which made him look extremely wicked. In an impassive manner, he said, “You don’t have to know who this King is. I’ll only ask you one question, so you’d best be honest with me.”
Without a pause, he went on to say, “Is the Golden Crow carcass still with you? Or has Madam Lan snatched it?”
This was the question everyone was trying to figure out. It was difficult for them to pry the information out of the Proprietress, so Yang Kai could be the point of breakthrough, and it was easier to make a move on him. However, Yang Kai had been sheltered by First Inn previously, so they couldn’t interrogate him. Now that First Inn had made their stance clear, they had no more worries.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t give him an honest answer; however, just when he was pondering on whether he should lie, he realised that he couldn’t even have that idea. The young man in front of him who was surrounded by Demon Qi seemed able to see through his thoughts, making it impossible to deceive him.
Was this the pressure from a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master? When Yang Kai faced Si Tu Kong, the latter didn’t give him this kind of pressure; however, in front of this young man, he realised that even breathing seemed to be a luxury.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he turned to look at the young man with difficulty. There was a faint smile on the young man’s face as he gazed dispassionately at Yang Kai. It was as if a giant ferocious beast was behind him, ready to gobble him up at any moment.
Yang Kai’s entire body trembled and his bones cracked as he was engulfed in the aura of death.
[I’ll die!] The murderous intent wafting from the young man made Yang Kai realise that if he couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer, this guy would make a move on him.
At the most critical moment, Yang Kai had no other choice as he roared and snuck into the Six Fated Paths Bag.
He didn’t have a choice as he wouldn’t dare to expose the Sealed World Bead, and it was useless to use Instantaneous Movement. By hiding inside the bag, he could stand a chance to catch his breath; however, what he had done was no different from a turtle hiding inside its shell or drinking poison to quench his thirst.
The moment Yang Kai disappeared, the young man arched his brow and cried out, “The Golden Crow!”
Following that, he extended his hand towards the bag. As soon as the bag was opened earlier, he could detect the Golden Crow’s aura, which immediately made him realise that the carcass was still in Yang Kai’s hands.
He was swift, but other people’s movements were even quicker. While the bag was still in mid-air, the shadows of several hands appeared out of thin air as they too reached for it.
The young man cackled, “What a shameless bunch!” Suddenly, his Demon Qi surged and exploded outwards, causing the furniture in the room to turn into dust. The young man shot forward like a Flood Dragon that had dashed out of the ocean.
*Hong hong hong…*
World Force clashed as many top cultivators traded moves in the void at that instant while grunts could be heard from time to time.
Following a loud crash, the inn, which had stood in the void for thousands of years, collapsed. Dozens of figures shot out in different directions, all of them descending into an intense battle as they showcased their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.
With a livid expression, Madam Lan was hovering somewhere in the void as she gazed at where the inn formerly stood. Gritting her teeth, she held Bai Qi in one hand and the accountant in the other hand as a cold aura swirled around her.
Bai Qi opened his mouth so wide that a fist could be stuffed into it. The incident happened so suddenly that he had yet to come to his senses. It wasn’t until this moment that he exclaimed, “Proprietress, they’ve destroyed our inn!”
The accountant widened his eyes, “What should we do?”
Since First Inn’s inception, no one had dared to make such a scene here. Those who had the guts to do so were all killed afterwards; however, the people making a fuss here were different. Some of the great forces they represented weren’t afraid of First Inn at all. The inn was practically gone for good as no one would compensate them in any way; after all, the owner of First Inn had also made a move.
“Smelly brat, I’ll skin you alive for this!” Madam Lan said through clenched teeth.
If it weren’t because Yang Kai kept hiding the carcass from them, the inn wouldn’t have suffered such a calamity. If he had given up the carcass earlier, none of this would’ve happened. Now that things had become serious, no one knew how to handle the situation.
Six High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were trading moves in the void as the Six Fated Paths Bag flew back and forth amongst them. Even Madam Lan couldn’t interfere in a battle of this level, so she could only watch from afar.
The Mid-Rank cultivators from the Second Class forces were doing the same. After some of them suffered serious wounds while attempting to snatch the bag, they all backed off. Knowing that the Golden Crow carcass would eventually fall into the hands of one of those High-Rank Masters, they stopped wasting time and energy.
Even though the carcass was invaluable, it was still not worth risking their lives for.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the bag, was having quite a peaceful time. Although the High-Rank cultivators’ moves were world-shaking, they still tried their best to protect the bag. That was because they knew that if the bag was destroyed, the carcass inside it would most likely be lost to the Void. By then, it would be impossible for them to look for it.
Yang Kai secretly opened a gap and released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, but before he could detect anything, he felt an excruciating pain in his head as his Divine Sense was shredded by the violent force.
At that moment, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the top Masters trading moves.
Upon seeing that, he was dumbfounded. Earlier, he was forced to sneak into the bag because he was threatened by that young man with thick Demon Qi, and he had no idea what happened next. He reckoned that the top Masters in the inn must have started trying to snatch the bag.
Yang Kai wondered whose hands the bag would fall into in the end, and what his end would be.
At this point, he secretly hoped that Si Tu Kong could get his hands on the bag. At the very least, Si Tu Kong seemed to be a reasonable person who was willing to negotiate with him. On the other hand, Demon Qi could be seen swirling around the young man, so it was apparent that he was a malevolent fellow. If he managed to snatch the bag, Yang Kai expected his end to be miserable.
It was impossible for Yang Kai to leap out of the bag now as the mere fallout from the ongoing battle would be enough to vaporize him.
As he heaved a sigh, Yang Kai felt a throbbing headache. He wasn’t used to this feeling of leaving his life at the mercy of others. However, he was still far away from the Open Heaven Realm as he needed to gather the Power of the Yin-Yang Five Elements first.
All of a sudden, an idea crossed his mind as he realised that the man that was surrounded by Demon Qi could possibly come from Myriad Demons Heaven. Duan Hai had mentioned that Myriad Demons Heavens was one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, which were the top great forces in the Outer Universe. Yang Kai also wondered if Mo Sheng had originally come from Myriad Demons Heaven.
While he was deep in his stray thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and stared fixedly at the Golden Crow carcass, whereupon a crazy glint flashed across his eyes.
With these High-Rank Masters trying to snatch the bag, it would surely take them a long time before a winner emerged. For a battle at this level, it might even take a whole year before the dust settled.
That was enough time for Yang Kai to condense his Fire Element. At the thought of this, he became elated. Previously, he had attempted to stall for more time, but the Proprietress didn’t give him a chance. The light at the end of the tunnel came into sight in the most unexpected way.
In fact, he wouldn’t need such a long time. Just five or six days was enough for him to fill up his Dao Seal with enough True Fire to refine his Fire Element. By then, the carcass wouldn’t be useful to him anymore regardless of how precious it was.
It had never crossed Yang Kai’s mind that a move he was forced to make would lead to a chance for him to achieve his goal.
Without hesitation, he hurriedly sealed off the Six Fated Paths Bag. This move was futile as the High-Rank cultivators could easily break the seal if they wanted to open the bag; however, it would be enough for Yang Kai to disguise his activities. He absolutely couldn’t let them find out that he was secretly absorbing the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Next, he sat down with his legs crossed in front of the carcass and placed his hand on the beast’s forehead. Upon activating the power of his Dao Seal, Yang Kai began drawing the True Fire into his body.
As time passed, the scuffle outside the bag continued. No one could have expected that an Emperor Realm Junior would have the guts to make such a move while several High-Rank Open Heaven Masters were fighting for the bag he was hiding in.
One day, two days, three days… The Fire Element in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal was slowly filled up as he was finally able to set his mind at ease. Gradually, he forgot the situation he was in as he focused everything on condensing his Fire Element.
There came a moment when the Dao Seal was completely filled with Fire Element and could no longer absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire. It was only then that Yang Kai came to his senses, knowing that he had successfully condensed his Fire Element.
Next, he probed the carcass and realised that there was still some True Fire left; however, it was already much weaker than it was in the past. He wasn’t even sure if it was enough for another person to condense their Fire Element.
However, that had nothing to do with him anymore as he was content with the rewards he had reaped for his adventure. Even if someone took the carcass from him without giving him any benefits now, Yang Kai wouldn’t mind. The only question for him was how he could escape from this crisis.
It wasn’t like he could stay inside the bag forever as he had to face the consequences of his actions sooner or later. Moreover, he wasn’t sure whose hands the bag would ultimately fall into. He secretly hoped that Si Tu Kong would obtain the bag, but what if someone else successfully snatched it?
Yang Kai had the intention of finding out what had been going on outside the bag, but he still remembered the horrifying feeling of his Divine Sense being ripped apart previously.
After hesitating for a long time, he made up his mind and gritted his teeth. Then, he opened up the barrier and secretly released his Divine Sense.
He was prepared to get his Divine Sense torn apart again, but after a glance, he realised that the situation outside the bag was different from what he had imagined.
The battle between the High-Rank Masters had clearly ended as it was all serene in the void. He could sense that only a small number of people were left in this place and there was now a chessboard set up in the void. Si Tu Kong was seated on one side of the chessboard while the young man Yang Kai suspected of being from Myriad Demons Heaven was seated across from him. To the side, there were also some people with profound auras.
The Proprietress, Bai Qi, the accountant, and the shop hands from First Inn were standing behind Si Tu Kong.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai was baffled.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Si Tu Kong suddenly said, “Come out now. Do you think you can hide inside that bag forever?” As he spoke, he shot an impassive look towards Yang Kai.
Although they were separated by the bag’s seal, Yang Kai could still feel that the elderly man was able to look deep into his Soul.
Obviously, Si Tu Kong was speaking to Yang Kai. After hesitating for a bit, Yang Kai knew that he had to face the music no matter what. Since he had successfully condensed his Fire Element already, there was nothing else he needed. At the thought of this, he leaped out of the Six Fated Paths Bag.
At that instant, some people turned to look at him with examining gazes, which caused him to feel his chest tightening.
On the other hand, the young man, who was seated across from Si Tu Kong, flashed a wicked smile at him. An alarmed Yang Kai thought that if the young man made a move against him, even a casual one on a whim, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Fortunately, the probing stares and the young man’s smile only lasted for a short moment as everyone soon stopped paying attention to him.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was slightly relieved as he hid behind Si Tu Kong and let out a breath.
Just then, he felt someone staring resentfully at him. He turned his head, only to be met with Madam Lan’s exquisite-looking eyes. With a forced smile, he cupped his fists and said in a small voice, “Proprietress.”
The resentful Proprietress said through clenched teeth, “Smelly brat, this is all your fault!”
Yang Kai flashed an embarrassed smile at her and stepped back to stand beside Bai Qi. Although he had no idea why the Proprietress was so incensed, he reckoned that he’d better stay further away from her.
As for Bai Qi, he secretly gave him a thumbs-up with an admiring look on his face, which rendered Yang Kai speechless.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised that the Six Fated Paths Bag was firmly held in Si Tu Kong’s hand. Apparently, the owner of First Inn had won the contest, which was why the bag was in his possession now.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai couldn’t understand what was happening now. He also wondered why Si Tu Kong was playing chess with the young man after snatching the bag. With no one else to ask, he could only turn to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi looked around before secretly sending him a Divine Sense message, “They’re trying to determine who the winner will be through a game of chess. This is the last round. If Owner can defeat him, he’ll be able to take the Golden Crow carcass home.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was dumbstruck, “They’re battling against one another through a game of chess?” Were they not locked in an intense battle earlier? How did the chessboard become the battlefield in the end? The transition was too awkward for him to understand.
Moreover, Si Tu Kong had snatched the bag, so he could just run away. Why did he decide to play a game of chess with them?
However, after giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that if Si Tu Kong could flee, he would have done so already. His opponents at the scene were all High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators as well, so although Si Tu Kong had gained the upper hand by obtaining the bag, he wouldn’t be able to go against them if they joined forces to stop him.
Looking at it from another perspective, regardless of which High-Rank cultivator obtained the bag, the others wouldn’t give up without being convinced first.
This was basically a deadlock as the others would join forces to deal with the one who got his hands on the bag. That was the reason they decided to play a game of chess to determine the winner. It was a win-win situation as they could sit down and sort out the problem peacefully.
However, judging from what Bai Qi had said, Yang Kai reckoned that Si Tu Kong was the more skilful one amongst this group when it came to chess. Although Yang Kai could understand the game and give it a try, he wasn’t really familiar with it; therefore, he wasn’t certain whether Si Tu Kong or the young man had gained the upper hand by just looking at the chessboard as it was currently.
Nevertheless, by observing their expressions, he concluded that Si Tu Kong was the more confident one. On the other hand, the young man kept frowning from time to time as he seemed to be in a dilemma. The speed at which he made a move was also much slower than the old man.
At this rate, it seemed it was just a matter of time before Si Tu Kong could defeat his final opponent.
Yang Kai wasn’t really interested in the game as he was most concerned about his Six Fated Paths Bag. Now that the Golden Crow carcass was in Si Tu Kong’s grasp, he shouldn’t even think about getting it back. Moreover, he had fully condensed his Fire Element, so it was pointless for him to offend everyone further.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wanted his bag back, and wondered if Si Tu Kong would return it to him. If the bag was taken away from him, he would suffer an immense loss. He was so dejected that his face started contorting.
Just then, he was shocked by a crashing sound. Raising his head, he realised that the chessboard that was placed between Si Tu Kong and the young man had been flipped upside down, and the chess pieces were scattered everywhere. The young man stood up straight with a frustrated expression, “It’s pointless to continue.”
This went to show how terrible his demeanour was as he flipped the board after seeing he couldn’t win.
Si Tu Kong rose from his seat and replied with a smile, “My respects!”
The young man shot him a cold glare, “Don’t be too proud of yourself. You’ve simply lived for a longer time. This King wouldn’t have lost the game if it was something else.”
Si Tu Kong replied casually, “With age comes wisdom, or didn’t you know?”
The young man scoffed, “Old people also tend to pass away first. I hope that you’ll still be so energetic the next time we meet. Farewell!” Upon finishing his words, he turned into a dark cloud and shot into the distance.
He left without any hesitation.
Upon seeing this, the other High-Rank cultivators also took their leave. No one congratulated Si Tu Kong as they were not in the mood to do so. The reason they had stayed until now was that they wanted to witness the outcome. Now that the winner had emerged, it was pointless for them to stay there.
In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone except for those from First Inn. Yang Kai felt slightly awkward because he was the only outsider.
The Proprietress said smilingly, “Congratulations, Sir.”
The others also congratulated him.
Si Tu Kong waved his hand, “There’s nothing worth congratulating as it’s just a material. Although there have been some upheavals, we’ve finally obtained it.” Then, he gazed at Yang Kai with a smile, “Take it out.”
Following that, he tossed the bag at him.
A surprised Yang Kai caught the bag and hurriedly shook out the Golden Crow carcass. Then, he quickly stored the bag as though he was worried that it would be taken away from him.
Si Tu Kong didn’t mind his attitude as he was more concerned about the carcass, as was everyone else. With the exception of Madam Lan, none of them had seen an adult Golden Crow at such a close distance before.
Yang Kai appeared calm on the surface, but inside was feeling nervous. He had absorbed a lot of the True Fire from the Golden Crow to condense his Fire Element. The True Fire within the carcass was already much weaker than it was before, so he wondered if Si Tu Kong would notice.
Fortunately, Si Tu Kong only examined it briefly before waving his hand, upon which the carcass disappeared from the spot. It wasn’t certain where he had put it.
With that said, Yang Kai was sure that the carcass wasn’t put inside a Space Ring. Even his Small Sealed World was unable to store the Golden Crow carcass, so there was no way an ordinary Space Ring could do so.
After putting away the carcass, Si Tu Kong turned to look at Madam Lan, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Madam Lan elegantly saluted him, “Please rest assured, Sir.”
Si Tu Kong nodded and performed a hand seal, after which an abstruse pattern appeared beneath his feet and swirled around him. Yang Kai could clearly feel the fluctuation of Space Principles coming from it.
While he was amazed and wondered if Si Tu Kong was also a Master of the Dao of Space, the latter disappeared from the spot in a flash of light.
A dazed Yang Kai soon realised that it wasn’t that Si Tu Kong was adept at Space Principles, but rather that he had used the Universe Transference Law, which Bai Qi had explained to him before. Si Tu Kong must have gone to one of the nearby Universe Temples.
[So, this is how the Universe Transference Law works.] Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. Now that he had seen it, he realized there was actually a problem with the Universe Transference Law. As a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, Si Tu Kong still needed a couple of breaths to use the Universe Transference Law, so it would undoubtedly take longer for weaker cultivators.
This amount of time was not to be underestimated. During a life or death moment, a single blink could be the difference between living or dying. In order to use the Universe Transference Law to flee from danger, it seemed one had to make sure that no one would disturb them.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly felt a piercing stare, which caused him to shudder. Upon raising his head, he forced a smile, “Proprietress…”
Madam Lan kept a smile on her face and said in a soft voice, “Your name is Yang Kai, right?”
A terrified Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
The Proprietress nodded slightly, and just when Yang Kai thought she was going to say something, she hung her head low as though she had fallen into her thoughts.
Yang Kai felt like he was on pins and needles as he cupped his fists, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
Terrible things might happen if he stayed there, so without waiting for her reply, he turned around and tried to leave.
“Don’t you want your things anymore?” The Proprietress’ voice could be heard coming from behind.
A shocked Yang Kai turned his head, “What do you mean?”
The Proprietress replied, “What’s wrong? Did you think our First Inn would buy and sell by compulsion?”
Although Yang Kai was both surprised and shocked, he still asked tentatively, “What do you mean by that?”
She then explained, “Although you’ve been uncooperative, and Owner had to expend a great deal of effort to get the carcass, First Inn has always been fair when it comes to doing business. So, we wouldn’t take your things for free; otherwise, others will think that we’ve oppressed you by stealing.”
Yang Kai couldn’t believe his ears. Upon turning around, he rubbed his hands together with an elated expression, “So, do you mean that your offers are still valid?”
Ten million Open Heaven Pills and the assurance to help him ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be said to be very attractive offers.
“In your dreams!” The Proprietress snorted, “If you had agreed to it earlier, the offers wouldn’t have changed, but now the situation is different and our agreement must be altered as such. I’m sure you can understand.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment, but he never intended to haggle over this point so, after a nod, he replied, “Of course, I can understand that. What will I get as compensation now?” The compensation came as a surprise, so he wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t want it.
The Proprietress fished out a Space Ring and waved it in front of Yang Kai, “There are ten million Open Heaven Pills inside.”
Upon finishing her words, she tossed the ring to him.
After taking the ring, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and became dumbstruck. The Open Heaven Pills inside the ring were piled up like a mountain, and the glow radiating from the pills dazzled his eyes.
It was impossible for him to count them all at once, but from the look of it, there really should be 10 million pills.
At that instant, he still couldn’t believe that he had obtained 10 million pills so easily.
It was substantial wealth for anyone who had just arrived in the Outer Universe, and with the right connections, one could even buy a Sixth-Order material with this amount. Old Fang and the others could never have expected that Yang Kai would possess a ring that contained 10 million pills one day.
Although he was over the moon, he still remained calm, thinking that those from First Inn had really treated him well. After all that had happened, they still gave him such generous compensation, which made him feel somewhat guilty. After all, he had absorbed a lot of the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he wasn’t sure if the remaining True Fire was enough for another person to condense their Fire Element. If it wasn’t enough, it would ruin that person’s cultivation for life.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t expose this secret, so he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
While Yang Kai was still lost in his thoughts though, the Proprietress said coldly, “Now that you’ve gotten your compensation, it’s time we talked about this Queen’s losses.”
A shocked Yang Kai lifted his head, “Your losses? What do you mean?” He instinctively had a bad premonition, and even the ring in his hands seemed to have become scorching hot.
The Proprietress sneered, “As I said, First Inn values our reputation deeply, so we have always been fair when it comes to doing business. Since you’ve given us some benefits, we naturally have to provide you with appropriate compensation in return. However, since you’ve also made us suffer some losses, we’ll need appropriate compensation from you. See, perfectly fair, isn’t it?” Then, she clenched her fist and declared, “Let us settle accounts now.”
The accountant stepped forward from the crowd and made some loud noises with the golden abacus in his hands.
Yang Kai became dumbfounded as he stared at the accountant. A moment later, the accountant was done with his calculation and presented the abacus to the Proprietress. With a sympathetic look on his face, he gazed at Yang Kai and announced, “Including the accommodation fee, you owe us twenty million forty-six thousand pills in total.”
The Proprietress nodded gently and fiddled with the abacus with her slender fingers, then she said impassively, “We’ll just round it down and make it an even 2o million.”
“Yes,” the accountant replied.
The Proprietress extended her hand, and before Yang Kai could react, the ring that contained 10 million pills was taken back by her. With the ring in her hand, she showed it to Yang Kai and demanded, “There are 10 million pills here, so you now owe us just 10 million.”
Yang Kai was astounded. Just a few moments ago, he became wealthy as he was dazzled by 10 million pills, but in the next instant, he owed the Proprietress 10 million pills for no apparent reason.
Then, he became incensed as he gritted his teeth and glared at her, “Is it fun to mess with me?”
The Proprietress gave him a look with her alluring eyes and replied dispassionately, “Do you think I’m messing with you? I don’t have the time to waste on such things.”
“What do you mean by this, then?” Yang Kai felt his fury rising within him like a volcano that would erupt at any moment. He secretly swore that if she couldn’t give him a satisfactory explanation, he would immediately summon his Azure Dragon Spear and stab it at her beautiful face. Regardless of whether he could defeat her or not, he would make a move first and deal with the consequences later. He still had a Mie Meng’s golden tail feather that could be put to use anyway.
“What do I mean?” The Proprietress was so exasperated that she started laughing, then she pointed in a particular direction, “See for yourself!”
Yang Kai turned his head around, but there was nothing special in sight. A moment later, he gazed at the Proprietress and asked, “What?” What was he supposed to look at when there was nothing over there?
The Proprietress said slowly through clenched teeth, “First Inn was destroyed!”
“What does that…” Before Yang Kai finished his words, he gulped down what he was about to say. With a frown, he soon realised what had happened, then he appeared helpless, “I didn’t destroy your inn, so what’s the point of settling accounts with me?”
The Proprietress snapped, “If it weren’t because of you, the inn wouldn’t have been destroyed! I’ve been in charge of the inn for 1,300 years without making a single mistake; however, because of you, my inn is now gone! Who else should I settle the score with?”
Yang Kai replied under his breath, “Look for those who actually broke down your inn…”
“Don’t worry. This Queen will never let those bastards off, but as you’re the main culprit, you have to take up most of the responsibility. I don’t think I’ve gone overboard by demanding 20 million pills from you.”
“You!” Yang Kai was infuriated, “Don’t go too far!”
Just then, a figure flashed across his eyes as he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. The next instant, a slender finger was pointed at his chest as a dangerous aura fluctuated around the tip of her finger. Madam Lan narrowed her eyes and threatened, “I dare you to say that again.”
Yang Kai gulped as he looked down at the finger on his chest, then he minced his words and said, “Proprietress, can we discuss this? While I feel sorry that your inn has been destroyed, I never made a move or damaged a single piece of furniture, so I don’t think it’s righteous of you to try to extract wealth from me because of that.”
“You say I’m not righteous?” The Proprietress laughed in exasperation, “If you had accepted my offer from the start, none of this would have happened. How dare you say that it has nothing to do with you!?”
“I have the right to decide whether I wanted to accept your offers or not. As a business person, you couldn’t force me to agree to anything, could you?”
The Proprietress said, “No one was forcing you, and you indeed had a right to decide whether you wanted to accept my offers, but do you have the guts to say that the inn’s destruction has nothing to do with you?”
Yang Kai braced himself and replied, “No, I don’t think it has anything to do with me.”
The Proprietress examined him for a moment and started laughing. Upon withdrawing her hand, she swung her sleeve, “It’s fine even if you don’t admit it. No one can renege on a debt with me.”
Yang Kai balled up his fists and glared at her.
With a faint smile on her face, the Proprietress stared back at him with a mocking gaze. Behind her, Bai Qi kept hinting at him with his gaze to motion for him to calm down.
After taking a deep breath, Yang Kai suppressed his urge to summon the golden tail feather to make a scene, then he looked away, “I have no money!”
10 million Open Heaven Pills were an astronomical number for him. There was no way he could fork out so many pills.
Surprisingly though, Madam Lan simply said, “I don’t expect you to pay me now.”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai turned his head in shock, “Then… do you need a note of indebtedness or something?” It would be wonderful if he could flee from this place by leaving such a note. The Outer Universe was expansive, so he might not come across the Proprietress again if he was careful enough. Certainly, it wasn’t hard for the Proprietress to order her subordinates to look for him, but if he never showed up again, it would be easy for him to escape from her.
“What would I do with a mere notice of debt?” The Proprietress sneered and sized him up.
Then, she said impassively, “However, you can use your body to compensate.”
Yang Kai almost spat blood as he thought he had heard her wrong, “What?”
Ignoring him, the Proprietress ordered her subordinates, “Take him. We’re leaving.”
Upon receiving the order, Bai Qi and the accountant stepped forward and captured Yang Kai.
An astounded Yang Kai bellowed, “What are you doing!?”
While the accountant sported a poker face, Bai Qi kept winking at him, but it was hard to know what message he was trying to convey.
Madam Lan raised her hand and summoned an artifact that looked like a ship. The artifact expanded rapidly and turned into a several dozen metres long ship with three floors. Then, she flew towards a room on the top floor and stepped inside.
Those from First Inn subsequently boarded the ship and got to work. Yang Kai was dragged towards the ship by Bai Qi and the accountant.
Although the ship looked ordinary from the outside, Yang Kai could feel that it was of a much better quality than the ship from Great Moon Province, which wasn’t surprising seeing as it was the Proprietress’ artifact, so it must be good enough to match her status.
After a hum, the ship trembled slightly as a visible membrane appeared and surrounded it. The next instant, Yang Kai shuddered as he could feel the ship moving rapidly in a particular direction.
A baffled Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Qi, “Where are we going?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “I have no idea. Proprietress never told us.”
“You have no idea as well?” Then, Yang Kai shifted his attention to the accountant, who silently released him and shuffled into the cabin.
Bai Qi stretched his back, and upon seeing that Yang Kai appeared dejected, he patted his shoulder, “Are you still upset?”
“If you were me, would you not be upset?”
After giving it a thought, Bai Qi nodded his head, “I would’ve felt the same way; however, not everything is as simple as it seems. We should think positively.”
A frustrated Yang Kai replied, “I don’t know what benefits I’ll gain out of it.”
“Then look over there.” Bai Qi suddenly extended his finger.
Yang Kai looked in the direction he pointed and faintly saw a ship silently hovering in the distant void.
“What do you mean?” He asked in puzzlement.
Bai Qi grinned, “I have no idea which great force they’re from; however, if you left on your own just now, they certainly wouldn’t have let you go. I’m sure you can imagine what the outcome of that would be.”
Yang Kai frowned, “But the carcass was taken away by Senior Si Tu. It’s pointless for them to care about me.”
“True, but who knows whether you obtained other treasures from the Golden Crow Divine Palace? For example, things like Sun’s True Fires or Sun’s True Golds.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he said through gritted teeth, “Outrageous!” Although he had no Sun’s True Gold, he had obtained quite a number of Sun’s True Fires, three of which were Fifth-Order.
Bai Qi patted his shoulder, “Proprietress might seem ruthless from your perspective, but she’s actually protecting you. Regardless of whether you’re willing or not, we have a business deal with you, so there’s no way we’ll see you falling into danger and stand idly by. If we really did that, our reputation would be tarnished.”
“In that case, should I go over and thank her?” Yang Kai snorted.
“That’s up to you,” Bai Qi shrugged.
A furious Yang Kai said, “Even if she’s well-meaning, what is she trying to achieve by making me owe her 10 million pills? She could have directly told me that she wanted to protect me.”
“Well…” Bai Qi scratched his chin, “I’m not sure about that, so you have to talk to the Proprietress. With that said, you’re indeed responsible for the inn’s destruction.”
Presently, Yang Kai was hesitating in front of a room on the top floor of the ship. A long time later, he summoned enough courage and knocked on the door.
A languid voice could be heard coming from the room, “Come in.”
Yang Kai forced himself to push the door open. Upon entering the room, he realised that the interior wasn’t luxurious; instead, it gave off a clean and fresh feeling. The scent that permeated was pleasant, but he wasn’t sure if it was the smell of sandalwood or bodily fragrance.
The Proprietress was nowhere in sight, so he figured she was in the inner room.
Upon pulling the bead curtains apart, Yang Kai saw the Proprietress lying on her side on a wooden bed. With one hand propping up her temple, she appeared languid as her clothes perfectly outlined her curvy figure.
Without looking at her, Yang Kai said impassively, “What do you want?”
Then, he fell silent and sized her up. They had frequently come into contact, but they mostly argued or fought one another, so he had never had a proper look at this woman before. Upon closer examination, he realised that the Proprietress was indeed strikingly gorgeous as every move she made had an innate charm to it. Even just lying there, she still appeared indescribably alluring.
It was no wonder that the customers at the inn would always try to flirt with her. No man in the world would ignore such an enchantress.
On the wooden bed, the Proprietress suddenly opened her eyes, “If you dare to keep staring, I’ll dig your eyes out!”
Yang Kai lowered his gaze and shuffled forward. While the Proprietress was dumbfounded, he climbed onto the bed and moved past her before lying on the other side; then, he spread his limbs and looked away as though he felt utterly humiliated, “Even if you can obtain my body, you’ll never have my heart!”
The Proprietress was astounded as what Yang Kai had done was simply too shocking. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like her was unable to react to it when he climbed into the bed all of a sudden. As though she had been stung by a scorpion, she jumped up and stood on the bed before glaring at him, so exasperated her entire body shook as she snarled, “What are you doing!?”
Yang Kai turned to look at her, “You said…”
Over ten breaths later, a pitiful shriek was heard. Following that, the door flung open, and Yang Kai shot out of the room like an arrow leaving the bow, crashing into the light barrier around the ship before he slid down miserably.
Covering his chest with his hands, he bellowed, “It’s you who didn’t make yourself clear! You said I could compensate with my body, but now you attack me? Why are you so unreasonable!?”
“Get lost!” The Proprietress yelled from the room.
“What’s going on?” Bai Qi and the others dashed out of the cabin after hearing the commotion. Then, they saw Yang Kai standing there with a furious expression. Two symmetrical dark circles around his eyes.
At that instant, they felt like they had seen a similar sight before.
“What are you all looking at? Get back to work! Now!” The Proprietress growled, upon which Bai Qi and the others shrank their necks and hurriedly left.
“Crazy woman!” Yang Kai cursed through clenched teeth before shuffling towards the cabin.
“What did you just say? I dare you to repeat that!” The Proprietress was heard yelling.
Yang Kai glared at the room on the third floor as his lips trembled for some time before he hung his head low, “A wise man does not fight against the odds.” Then, he dashed into the cabin and looked for an empty room.
Upon entering a room, he realised that it was spacious and had complete facilities.
Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and rubbed his black eyes as he felt completely incensed. When the Proprietress said that his body could serve as a form of compensation, he thought she wanted to bed him, but he hadn’t expected that it wasn’t what she meant at all. She simply wanted him to work for First Inn, slowly earning back his freedom from his 10 million Open Heaven Pill debt.
Although he had no idea how much money Bai Qi and the others received every month as salary, he reckoned that it wouldn’t be so easy to pay back 10 million pills. Therefore, he would probably be forced to work for that crazy woman for tens or even hundreds of years.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai let out a long sigh. There were some benefits he could gain by following the Proprietress. At the very least, a Sixth-Order Open Realm Master like her was powerful enough to ensure his safety; however, it was also dangerous to work for her. He had absorbed most of the Golden Crow’s True Fire to condense his Fire Element. If she found out about it in the future, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.
Recalling the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Yang Kai became fervent. He had condensed his Fire Element in the Six Fated Paths Bag, but he hadn’t had an opportunity to examine himself. Now that he was free, he wanted to see what transformation he had gone through.
Thus, he emptied his mind and inspected himself.
Inside his Dao Seal, two wisps of light, one green and one black, could be seen swirling around. The green one was full of vitality, while the black one was quite low-key. Despite that, it contained an aura that seemed capable of burning down the world.
The Wood Element and Fire Element lived in harmony within his Dao Seal, which was why the two colours existed at the same time. Although it looked slightly odd, it gave off a powerful feeling.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire was immensely powerful, but Yang Kai had successfully absorbed it and condensed his Fire Element from it. He came to the realisation that the Proprietress was right to say that only a Wood Element that was strong enough could suppress the True Fire. If his Wood Element wasn’t strong enough, his Dao Seal would have been at risk of shattering after he absorbed the True Fire.
Once his Dao Seal collapsed, the foundation of his Martial Dao would be destroyed, and he would certainly lose his life.
Besides that, Yang Kai could also feel that his strength had increased. It then dawned on him that just like the Open Heaven Realm Masters, there was a gap in power between those who had condensed their Dao Seals. The reason for that disparity was how many of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements one had condensed.
Every time a cultivator successfully condensed an Element, their cultivation would increase significantly. Once a person managed to condense five Elements, there would be an exponential growth in their strength. Such a person was called a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
Only after splitting Heaven and Earth apart within their body would one be able to take another great leap forward in power.
Certainly, the growth rate was also correlated to the Order of the materials one absorbed. If a cultivator had condensed a single Third-Order material while another had condensed a Seventh-Order material, the latter would certainly be more powerful.
Yang Kai felt that his strength had increased considerably, but he hadn’t battled against anyone yet, so he couldn’t make a proper judgement. Whatever the case, it was good news for him. The incident at the Golden Crow Divine Palace made him desperately crave greater strength. He wouldn’t want to be helplessly hunted down by a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters again.
Next, Yang Kai decided that he wouldn’t easily use the Golden Crow’s True Fire unless he was left with no other choice; otherwise, his secret would be exposed.
Now, he had successfully condensed his Fire Element, and he was satisfied with the Order of the material. Although he wasn’t sure what Order the True Fire was, Yang Kai reckoned that it was at least Seventh Order.
Wood supported Fire, which then suppressed Earth. His next step was to condense the Power of Earth.
Yang Kai was immensely lucky to have obtained the Golden Crow’s True Fire, but where was he going to look for a Seventh-Order or higher Earth Attribute material? He was clueless.
A Seventh-Order material could possibly be bought for 150 million Open Heaven Pills, but Yang Kai severely doubted whether one could actually purchase such a material with just pills. Just like the Sun’s True Gold, once such a treasure appeared, countless top cultivators would come over and fight for it. Even if a great force possessed such a material, it would likely serve as a strategic resource and not be sold for any price.
Yang Kai couldn’t think of any item in his possession that could be traded for such a treasure with those great forces; furthermore, without being powerful enough, he had no right to make such a deal in the first place.
Therefore, it was pointless to think about it for the time being. In any case, his Fire Element had just been condensed, so he needed some time to stabilise it and adapt to his new strength.
The ship moved forward at great speed, but it wasn’t clear where it was heading.
While Yang Kai was meditating, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. With a frown, he got to his feet and opened it only to see Bai Qi holding a tray with delicate dishes and a jar of wine on it.
Upon catching a whiff of the aroma, Yang Kai forced a smile and stepped aside, “Come in.”
Bai Qi was startled for a moment before he said, “It’s not for you.”
A speechless Yang Kai asked, “Why are you here if these dishes aren’t for me?”
Bai Qi pointed at the ceiling, “The Proprietress wants it.”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Since she wants it, you should go to her instead of coming to my place.”
With a sympathetic look on his face, Bai Qi explained, “She has given the order that you must deliver it to her.” Then, he pushed the tray towards Yang Kai and didn’t wait for his reply, “It’s your job now. Do it well.”
Yang Kai was rooted to the spot as Bai Qi left, and only after coming to his senses did he bellow, “Outrageous!”
Following that, he raised the tray in an attempt to smash it to the ground, but he didn’t have the guts to do so in the end. As his face twitched visibly, he thought that the crazy woman had started bossing him around as though he was really a shop hand in her inn.
After taking a deep breath, he suppressed his fury and stared at the dishes on the tray. Although he had the urge to spit on them, he was worried that the Proprietress might be monitoring him; hence, he didn’t do it in the end.
“What are you waiting for? Come up now!” The Proprietress’ voice suddenly rang out.
Yang Kai shuddered as he realized she was indeed monitoring him. Fortunately, he didn’t spit on the dishes on a whim; otherwise, he would be punished.
“I’m coming now. Stop rushing me,” Yang Kai replied in exasperation before leaving the room with the tray in his hands.
Upon reaching the top floor, he kicked the door open, but before he could enter, he was swept backwards by a gale.
“Didn’t your parents tell you that you have to knock before entering another’s room?”
The door was then shut with a loud slam, which almost smacked him in the nose. After blowing his top for a while, Yang Kai knocked on the door and asked through clenched teeth, “Is anyone inside?”
“Come in,” the Proprietress was heard replying from the room.
Then, Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered the room before putting the tray on the table, “Your food is here. Enjoy.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” The Proprietress questioned.
Yang Kai turned his head, “Of course, I’m going back to my room to have a rest. What else do you need?”
The Proprietress retained her languid posture as she pouted her moist lips at the table, “Fill the cup.”
While the Proprietress was watching Yang Kai, the corners of his eyes twitched as he picked up the wine jug and filled the cup for her. The Proprietress, who was lying on the wooden bed, then extended her slender hand.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he laughed in exasperation, “Why are you so lazy?”
She was obviously trying to make things difficult for him; however, since he was unable to defeat her, he had no choice but to present the cup to her. A straightforward Proprietress gulped down the wine and rubbed the cup with her fingers, then she shot him a glance, “Are you unhappy with it?”
Yang Kai looked up at the ceiling, “I wouldn’t dare to. Since I’m in your hands now, you can even kill me as you please.”
The Proprietress put on a smile, “Just say it out loud that you’re not happy. There’s nothing to be bashful about.”
Knowing that she loved to mock, Yang Kai decided to ignore her lest she became even smugger.
A languid Proprietress went on to say, “First Inn is famous throughout the entire Outer Universe, and many people are unable to join our inn even if they want to. Many people are jealous of you because you’ve managed to join us. Smelly brat, you should count your blessings.”
Yang Kai turned to look at her and put on a hollow laugh.
Staring at him, the Proprietress said, “You’re my subordinate now. Are you sure you want to treat me with such an attitude?”
An exasperated Yang Kai replied, “What kind of attitude do you expect from me, then?”
She replied, “I don’t need you to be obsequious to me, but you have to respect me at the very least. If others see you treating me in such a way, how am I supposed to discipline them?”
“This is just the way I was born.”
The Proprietress snorted, obviously displeased with his attitude; however, she didn’t reprimand him as she fell silent for a moment, “Where’s your home?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“How many family members do you have?”
“I can’t tell you.”
After getting the same reply over and over again, the Proprietress lost her patience as she waved her hand, “Go back now.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave.
The Proprietress could be heard saying from behind, “From now on, you’ll be responsible for sending me three meals a day and cleaning my room.”
Yang Kai turned around to stare at her, only to see that she had hung her head low and fallen into a dazed state as she held the cup in her hand, as though she was pondering on something. He wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but the Proprietress in such a state made him feel that she was a frail woman, unlike the imposing Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that she usually was.
Gritting his teeth, he replied in a hushed voice, “Understood.”
Then, he returned to his room, and before he even sat down, Bai Qi pushed the door open, entered the room, and closed the door, his stealthy behaviour that of a thief as he whispered, “Did Proprietress make things difficult for you?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai landed a palm on the table and bellowed, “She goes too far!”
A shocked Bai Qi hurriedly took the other man’s arm, “What are you doing? Keep it down!” He was puzzled as to why Yang Kai was incensed, “Why are you mad? What happened?”
Yang Kai replied, “You have no idea how unreasonable she was. She wants me to send her three meals a day and keep her room clean. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she won’t lose her life even if she’s starved for a thousand years, but now, she wants three meals a day? What a joke! I’ve never served a woman before in my life! She’s clearly retaliating against me by making things difficult for me!”
Bai Qi persuaded him by saying, “That’s not true. The Proprietress has nothing against you, so I don’t think she’d intentionally make things difficult for you. She might appear to be sharp-tongued, but she’s actually a soft-hearted person. You’ll get to know her better after spending some time with her.”
Yang Kai sneered, “I’m afraid that she’ll torture me to death first.”
Bai Qi smiled helplessly, “There’s no way that’s going to happen…”
“Forget it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him as he clenched his teeth, “Since she wants to mess with me, I’ll gladly accept the challenge. Let’s see who will be the last one standing.”
Life was peaceful for everyone in the following days. Although the Outer Universe was paved with danger, no one in the 3,000 Worlds had the guts to attack a First Inn ship as its markings were fairly distinct.
Yang Kai was busy every day as he had to send three meals a day to the Proprietress on time, and he would also have to retrieve the dishes and tableware after a while. He wasn’t even sure if the Proprietress had eaten anything as the dishes looked the same as when he sent them into her room.
Although he was frustrated, he still carried out his task in silence and didn’t speak to the Proprietress.
A few days passed just like that when one day, Yang Kai was meditating in his room when Bai Qi entered without permission again and stuffed an exquisite bamboo basket into his hands.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi explained, “In one hour, we’ll pass by a Universe World called Nine Nether Continent. There’s a place called Heavenly Mountain there. Go over and look for their Sect Master. After passing the basket to him, your job will be done.”
“Am I going there alone?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Bai Qi nodded, “En, you’ll be going there on your own. Come back quickly after you’re done with the task. Don’t mess this up.” Without waiting for Yang Kai to speak, he shuffled out of the room upon finishing his words.
Yang Kai was puzzled as he held the basket in his hand. With a frown, he pondered on the issue for some time, but he still couldn’t understand what was going on. Then, he examined the basket and didn’t find anything special about it. Although the basket was delicately weaved, there was no powerful barrier around it or any kind of imposing aura radiating from it; hence, it was clearly not an artifact. Instead, it looked just like the average basket that a mortal could use to carry stuff.
[Nine Nether Continent, Heavenly Mountain…] Yang Kai memorised the names.
After one hour, the ship, which had been flying non-stop for days, abruptly came to a halt. Yang Kai stepped out of his room and looked around from the deck, whereupon a magnificent Universe World from a distance came into sight. Despite the long distance, he could still feel the universe’s aura wafting around him.
[I suppose that’s Nine Nether Continent.] Upon that realisation, Yang Kai clenched the basket and flew off.
The distance between the ship and the continent was just right, half an hour exactly. Yang Kai arrived at the Universe World, and after breaking through the World Barrier, he descended upon the continent.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited a different Universe World. When those from Seven Wonders Land hunted Fang Tai down, he had the opportunity to experience the customs of a different Universe World. The world before Yang Kai’s eyes seemed to be more powerful than the one he had previously visited, on par with the Star Boundary at its peak.
At the very least, after he broke through the World Barrier and arrived at this world, he immediately felt some strong Divine Senses scanning him.
He was Void Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai was quite familiar with such auras, knowing that it was the reaction from the Great Emperors of this world who had detected a top cultivator’s aura. That was the reason he felt his chest tightening. Although he was already much stronger than when he had just ascended to become a Great Emperor, he was currently in someone else’s territory. While those Great Emperors had the support of this Universe World, he had lost the Star Boundary’s protection, so the power he could use was limited. If he really got into a scuffle with those Great Emperors here, he would suffer a setback even if he was a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
While Yang Kai was pondering on how he should reveal his identity and purpose of visit, those powerful Divine Senses vanished into thin air.
One of the Divine Senses even showed him some kindness before disappearing, which caused Yang Kai to be puzzled.
While he was wondering what was going on, he saw a figure rapidly approaching from a distance. Following that, an old and gentle voice was heard saying, “Heavenly Mountain Sect Master, Bao Ze Tong, greets Special Envoy. Forgive me for not attending to you earlier.”
The elderly man was still in the distance when he uttered his first word, but by the time he finished, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai lifted his head, only to see a burly old man with a ruddy complexion smiling at him. The old man didn’t look like anything special, but Yang Kai could sense a familiar aura coming from him. Apparently, the old man was a Great Emperor of this world, and judging from his aura, he figured this old man was the one who showed him kindness earlier.
Yang Kai hadn’t expected that the Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain would be a Great Emperor, but that made things easier for him. He was just thinking about whether he should ask around to find out where Heavenly Mountain was, but now that the Sect Master had personally come over to meet him, it saved him the trouble.
However, why did this old man just call him ‘Special Envoy’? Suppressing his doubts, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Yang Kai greets Sect Master Bao. Sect Master Bao is too polite.”
Regardless of what Universe World they were in, only a small number of people could become Great Emperors by obtaining the World’s Recognition and Will. Although Bao Ze Tong appeared ordinary, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to show any disrespect when he was in someone else’s home.
“So it is Envoy Yang!” The smile on Bao Ze Tong’s face was amiable, “You’ve put this old man to shame having achieved such powerful cultivation at such a young age.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, Sect Master Bao,” Yang Kai replied politely before moving the conversation along, “To be honest with you, I’m here to look for you, but I don’t know the reason behind it. Can you tell me why you called me a Special Envoy?”
With a smile, Bao Ze Tong pointed at the basket in the young man’s hand, “The person holding this basket is the Special Envoy.”
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai looked down at the basket, “Things are easier now since you can recognise the basket.” It was no wonder that the Sect Master would come over right after he arrived at this place, that was because Bao Ze Tong could recognise the basket. Yang Kai even thought that Bai Qi had informed this elderly man about their visit beforehand.
Bao Ze Tong said, “Let’s go somewhere else for a chat. Come with me.” Then, he stepped forward and apologised to Yang Kai before grabbing the young man’s arm. The next instant, Yang Kai realised that everything around him seemed to be moving rapidly.
Seeing that, he knew that it must be a Divine Ability exclusive to these Great Emperors. Any Great Emperor born on the Nine Nether Continent could go anywhere as they pleased. This was different from his Space Secret Technique, but had a similar effect.
After just a short moment, the pair appeared before a splendid palace. Many cultivators had been waiting here and seeing the duo, they cried in unison, “Greetings, Sect Master, Special Envoy.”
Their voices were loud, and since so many of them had gathered together, it was apparent that they were well prepared. In response, Yang Kai cupped his fists at them.
A woman in an imperial dress emerged from the crowd and saluted Yang Kai before extending her hands.
Yang Kai turned to gaze at Bao Ze Tong with an inquisitive look on his face, with the latter replying with a smile, “Your basket.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai immediately passed the basket to the woman and nodded, “Many thanks.”
He had no idea what the basket was for as Bai Qi had not explained it to him; however, those from Heavenly Mountain were obviously aware of its purpose. In that case, he didn’t need to ask any questions as he just had to pass the basket to them.
After taking the basket, the woman shot into the air and disappeared. Yang Kai wondered where she was going, but before he could ask, Bao Ze Tong extended his hand and said, “Envoy Yang, please come in and have a chat with me.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Excuse me, then.”
After they entered the hall, Bao Ze Tong took the Master’s seat while Yang Kai sat down as a guest. Following that, a maidservant presented cups of tea and rare fruits to them. Both the tea and the fruits were aromatic. Besides the tea, Yang Kai had never seen the fruits on the plate before. Apparently, these were the fruits exclusive to this world. After having a taste, he realised that they were delicious; moreover, these fruits could help refine the strength of cultivators. Nevertheless, these fruits were useless to people like Yang Kai and Bao Ze Tong. Yang Kai just regarded it as trying out new delicacies.
As he drank tea and ate fruits, Yang Kai made small talk with Bao Ze Tong, and soon, the atmosphere became lively.
A moment later, Bao Ze Tong asked, “How has Madam been?”
Yang Kai reckoned that the elderly man must be talking about Madam Lan, so he nodded, “She’s well.” In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself almost too much. No other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters needed three meals a day.
Bao Ze Tong replied with a smile, “That’s good.” Then, he heaved a sigh, “In fact, life has been hard on her.”
Yang Kai lifted his head, “What do you mean?”
Although he had frequently come into contact with the Proprietress, he basically knew nothing about her. He only knew that she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with a powerful background. Therefore, his interest was piqued when Bao Ze Tong said that life had been hard on her. He was resentful because the Proprietress had been tormenting him, but he was unable to defeat her. It would be wonderful if he could learn some gossip about her to make him happier.
However, Bao Ze Tong waved his hand and said, “Please excuse this Bao’s loose lips, Envoy Yang.”
At that, Yang Kai became frustrated. Since the elderly man wasn’t willing to tell him, it was inappropriate for him to keep asking, thus, he asked, “By the way, although I’ve received orders to come here, I have no idea what I should do. Could you please enlighten me?”
Without answering his question, Bao Ze Tong asked, “How long has Envoy Yang worked for Madam?”
“A few days…” Yang Kai flashed a bashful smile at him. Strictly speaking, he was forced to work under her; otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed that crazy woman around.
Bao Ze Tong nodded, “I see. In fact, it’s nothing important. We have a kind of spirit fruit on Heavenly Mountain called Heavenly Snow Fruit. It has a special taste and only grows here. Madam loves this fruit deeply, so she always has someone collect some from us whenever she passes by Nine Nether Continent.”
“Heavenly Snow Fruit?” Yang Kai arched his brow as the name sounded somewhat poetic. He wondered what kind of spirit fruit could hold the Proprietress’, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s, interest so greatly that she would make a point to collect some every time she passed by this place. He decided to have a proper look at them later.
It was then he realised why Bai Qi had passed him a bamboo basket. It was supposed to be used to carry these spirit fruits.
“Heavenly Snow Fruit…” As Bao Ze Tong spoke, he seemed to be walking down memory lane, then he became dejected, “Let’s not talk about it. Since Envoy Yang works under Madam, you will find out about it soon.”
The elderly man would never finish his words after he started a topic, frustrating Yang Kai to the point he wanted to pry open Bao Ze Tong’s mouth with his Azure Dragon Spear.
Bao Ze Tong realised this as well apparently, so he took the initiative and led the conversation to topics such as cultivation, which Yang Kai was more than willing to go along with.
Yang Kai asked him why, since he had become a Great Emperor, he had not broken free from the world’s bounds and headed to an even wider world. Bao Ze Tong replied with a smile, “This Bao is too old and lacks the ambition he once had. So what if I can break free from this world’s restrictions? What can I do after that?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Have you decided to stay on Nine Nether Continent forever?”
An optimistic Bao Ze Tong said, “This Bao was born and raised here, so I’m willing to protect it for the rest of my days.”
Yang Kai nodded as the Star Boundary came to mind. If the Star Boundary hadn’t been devastated by Mo Sheng, would he have come to the Outer Universe? Was he willing to stay in the Star Boundary for the rest of his life? He didn’t have an answer to these questions.
Half an hour later, the woman, who had taken the basket earlier, returned to the hall and respectfully put it down on the table beside Yang Kai before saluting him, “Sir Special Envoy, your Heavenly Snow Fruits are ready.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded and examined the spirit fruits in the basket. He realised that Heavenly Snow Fruits were dark red and about the size of a baby’s fist. All of them looked similar in terms of their size, so it was apparent that they were carefully selected; after all, these fruits were for the Proprietress, so those from Heavenly Mountain wouldn’t dare to be negligent.
The fruits were aromatic, so he wondered what they tasted like. After rising from his chair, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Sect Master Bao, since the fruits are ready, I’ll take my leave now.”
Bao Ze Tong nodded, “Safe travels, Envoy Yang. When you see Madam later, please send our regards to her and tell her that we’re grateful for the protection she has granted our world over the years.”
“I shall,” Yang Kai nodded his head and shuffled out of the hall with the basket while Bao Ze Tong respectfully saw him off.
It was easier for him to leave the Nine Nether Continent as, unlike the time he tried to enter, he didn’t have to break through the World Barrier. Apparently, Bao Ze Tong must have communicated with the World Principles to allow him to pass.
Meanwhile, in a room on the top floor of the First Inn ship, Bai Qi was standing in front of the Proprietress with his head hung low in an obsequious manner. As usual, the Proprietress had closed her eyes to take a rest as she was lying on her side on the wooden bed.
A long time later, she asked, “Has he not returned?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “No. I’m worried that he’s fled.”
The Proprietress didn’t respond to him.
Bai Qi went on to say, “He was never willing to join First Inn, so now that he has a chance, it’s expected that he’d flee. I’m worried that he won’t come back again.”
“Forget it, then,” the Proprietress replied impassively, “If he’s really fled, his life or death will have nothing to do with us anymore.”
A shocked Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, since you knew this would be the outcome, why did you allow him to go to Nine Nether Continent on his own?” Soon, he realised the reason though and nodded, “I understand. You were trying to find out whether he would flee?”
The Proprietress replied dispassionately, “It’s not so complicated. It just annoyed me to see him around me.”
Bai Qi was speechless at that, but just when he was about to say something, he saw the Proprietress opening her eyes as a glint flashed across her gaze.
“What happened?” He asked.
“He’s back,” The Proprietress closed her eyes again.
Bai Qi didn’t understand her at first, but he soon realised what happened as he turned around and left the room. Then, he stood on the deck and looked out at Nine Nether Continent. As expected, a moment later, a figure flew over rapidly. The person was none other than Yang Kai.
“He didn’t flee!” Bai Qi couldn’t believe his eyes as he muttered under his breath. He thought for sure that Yang Kai would seize the chance to escape from them, but Yang Kai had really returned. [Could this guy be a fool?] If Bai Qi were in his shoes, he would have run away.
A while later, Yang Kai landed on the deck as the light around him faded and revealed his figure. He raised his head, only to see Bai Qi staring dazedly at him.
Yang Kai looked around and furrowed his brow before asking, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Bai Qi crossed his arms and stroked his chin. As he sized Yang Kai up, he said in amazement, “I suddenly realise that you look like someone I once knew. Why hadn’t I noticed it in the past?”
“Who are you talking about?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi shook his head and fell silent, then he pointed at the room on the top floor to suggest that the Proprietress was waiting for him.
After a snort, Yang Kai leaped towards the room and knocked on the door, “Proprietress, I’m back.”
“Come in,” the Proprietress’ languid voice was heard saying, upon which he pushed the door open.
On the deck, Bai Qi seemed to be lost in his thoughts, but he soon shook his head and walked back towards the cabin as he muttered, “Why didn’t I realise it before? Odd…”
Then, he entered the accountant’s room and told him about it. The accountant looked emotionlessly at him, “Are you blind or something? You drank with him pretty frequently, but you only realised it now?”
“You already knew?” Bai Qi was astounded.
The accountant replied, “I realised it the first time he walked into the inn.”
Upon that realization, Bai Qi said, “It’s no wonder Proprietress wanted him to stay. So that’s the reason. Has she been tormenting him because of that as well?” Then, he put on a bitter expression, “It’s all over, then. She just managed to put down what had happened in the past, but now she’s forced to recall those sorrowful memories. What should we do?”
The account replied, “I’ve been pondering on this issue recently, and I’ve finally come up with a way to permanently settle this problem. Do you want to know?”
“Go on.” Bai Qi nodded.
The accountant went on to say in a hushed voice, “You’ll look for a chance and bring him somewhere quiet, then we’ll kill him together.” After finishing his words, he slashed at his own neck with his hand.
The corner of Bai Qi’s eye twitched, “Is this what you mean by a permanent solution?”
The accountant said matter-of-factly, “Do you have another solution?”
“No, no, no!” Bai Qi shook his head, “We don’t even know what Proprietress really thinks about it. If we cause her even more sorrow, we’ll be eternal sinners.”
The accountant heaved a sigh, “That’s a problem as well. The most important thing is that we have to find out what Proprietress thinks. Why don’t you try to sound her out?”
Bai Qi shook his head like a pellet drum, “You know what she’s like during this period of time every year. We must not look for her for the next three days; otherwise, it’d be akin to courting death.”
Hearing that, the accountant couldn’t help but shudder as though he had recalled a horrible memory. In a resolute manner, he said, “I’ll go into seclusion for a few days now. Tell the others not to bother Proprietress for the next three days.”
“I’ve already told them about it, or rather, they’ve all worked for the inn for a long time now, so they don’t need me to remind them. In any case, I’ll also go into hiding now.”
In the room on the top floor, Yang Kai entered the inner room and put down the basket on the table before saying, “Proprietress, I’ve brought back your fruits. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take a rest now.”
He wondered why the Proprietress loved these Heavenly Snow Fruits so much as on his way back, he had tried one of them and realised that they were actually quite bitter and sour, making them basically unpalatable. However, Bao Ze Tong told him that the Proprietress would always tell someone to fetch a batch of these fruits every time she passed by Nine Nether Continent. In the end, Yang Kai figured everyone had their own preferences when it came to food and just left it at that.
The Proprietress remained unfazed on the wooden bed, so after waiting for a moment, Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave.
Upon returning to his room, he sat down with his legs crossed and started adjusting his breathing. Now, he had condensed the Fire Element in his Dao Seal. Although its Order did meet his expectations, he needed more time to stabilise it. This was not a process that could be rushed.
Furthermore, he wasn’t even sure where to look for an Earth Element material, so he reckoned that he’d stabilise the Element he had just obtained while he was waiting.
He could clearly feel that the Fire Element in his Dao Seal contained an aura that could burn down all existence. This kind of power was horrifying when used against enemies, but unfortunately, the features of Golden Crow’s True Fire were too conspicuous. It was different from his Wood Element, which mainly worked internally, so others wouldn’t notice it. His Fire Element might be exposed if he was not careful, and if that happened, it would be hard for him to explain himself.
Therefore, Yang Kai secretly decided that unless he was left with no choice, he wouldn’t activate the Fire Element in his Dao Seal. Just like his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, this power had become one of his hidden trump cards.
Two points of light, one green, one black, continued swirling around in his Dao Seal, forming an abstruse picture.
While he was meditating, Yang Kai suddenly heard a strange voice, which prompted him to open his eyes and carefully listen. The voice was indistinct at first, but after listening to it for a while, he realized that it was a woman who was weeping; however, the cry sounded suppressed. If it weren’t because Yang Kai’s senses had become sensitive due to the fact that he was fully focused, he wouldn’t have heard it at all.
Why was a woman heard crying in this expansive void all of a sudden? Furthermore, her voice sounded mournful, as though she had experienced some kind of deep, sorrowful tragedy. At that instant, Yang Kai had goosebumps all over his body.
He wanted to ignore it at first, but the voice just wouldn’t stop reaching his ears, which made it impossible for him to focus on his meditation. With a frown, he got to his feet and pushed the door open before looking for the source of the voice.
A moment later, he stood on the deck of the ship and looked up at the room on the top floor, thoroughly astounded. The woman’s cry was clearly coming from the room on the top floor; in other words, it was the Proprietress who was weeping.
Yang Kai thought that he had sensed it wrongly. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the Proprietress could be considered one of the top cultivators in the entire 3,000 Worlds, so how was it possible that she’d be secretly sobbing? However, the voice was indeed coming from the top floor.
“Serves you right!” Yang Kai snorted. He had been tormented by the Proprietress for the past few days, and although he had no idea why she was so sorrowful, the sobbing was like music to his ears, causing him to feel gleeful.
After listening to it for a while, he folded his hands behind his back and returned to his room in a calm and collected manner. At that moment, he no longer felt so irritated about what had happened these past few days.
One day later, Yang Kai, who was meditating on his bed, appeared incensed as he looked up at the ceiling with clenched teeth. [Is she not done yet?] He wondered what this crazy woman had come across that made her cry for the entire day. Although she was just secretly sobbing, she still unintentionally affected the others around her due to her powerful cultivation. Yang Kai was unable to keep calm and meditate, which was why he was currently grinding his teeth in annoyance.
Exasperated, he leapt off the bed, and a moment later, he appeared in front of the Proprietress’ room and knocked on the door, “Proprietress! Proprietress!”
She didn’t respond to him, but her sobbing was still heard coming from the room.
“I’m entering now,” Yang Kai said and directly pushed the door open.
After entering the inner room, he took a glance at his surroundings as his face twitched. The room, which was originally spotless, had become a mess with fruit pits scattered everywhere. All the tables and chairs had been turned upside down, and a thick smell of alcohol permeated the air.
Then, he looked to the side, only to see that half of the fruits in the basket were gone. Apparently, the Proprietress had eaten them; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many fruit pits on the floor.
Yang Kai wondered how the Proprietress managed to eat these fruits since they were so bitter and sour.
Following that, he turned to look at the wooden bed and frowned. In the corner of the bed, the Proprietress had her arms wrapped around her legs, and she had buried her head between her knees. As she was sobbing, her shoulders could be seen shaking.
Yang Kai had never expected to see such a sight. At this moment, the First Inn Proprietress looked so frail that it was as though she was a small kitten with no place to call home.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly affected by this scene and secretly heaved a sigh. What had happened to her? Why did she end up in such a state? It seemed she was a woman in the end; despite her incredible strength, she would still be vulnerable at times.
At that instant, he no longer took pleasure in her misfortune as he began putting the tables and chairs straight while cleaning up the fruit pits and empty wine bottles.
After he was done with that, he stood in front of the wooden bed and gave it a thought. However, he still had no idea how to console her mainly because he didn’t know what had happened to cause all this. Thus, he sighed and clapped the Proprietress’ shoulder, “Proprietress, misfortune is a part of life. Let go of the past and stop crying.”
The Proprietress, who was sobbing, lifted her head and gazed at him. As their eyes met, the corners of his eyes twitched.
Presently, the Proprietress appeared extremely sorrowful as her alluring eyes were as swollen as a pair of peaches. Her face was covered in tears, and there were still teardrops wetting her long eyelashes. Moreover, her face had turned scarlet. By just looking at her, one could understand what it meant to be heartbroken.
Yang Kai forced a harmless smile as he looked down at her. The Proprietress’ vision slowly focused, and her frailty was soon replaced by ferocity as she pressed her lips together and then said through clenched teeth, “Smelly Brat, it’s you!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai instinctively had a bad premonition. It seemed that the Proprietress was thoroughly intoxicated, but how could a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master even get drunk?
“How dare you come back!?” The Proprietress questioned resentfully, her gaze filled with tears and grievance.
“What?” Yang Kai was no completely baffled.
The next instant, he felt a grip on his arm. He lowered his gaze, only to see that the Proprietress had clenched his arm as a violent force gushed into his body. At that moment, his expression changed drastically as he felt like he was a leaf that had dropped onto a raging ocean. He was completely unable to use his energy, and faced with the imminent storm, he could only be resigned to fate.
He hadn’t expected that the power of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be so horrifying. While he was still shocked and dumbfounded, the Proprietress exerted more force with her hand and hurled him away, which caused him to fall to the ground with a loud crash.
Following that, she leapt off the wooden bed and pressed one hand against his chest to make sure that he was unable to resist; then, with her other hand and two legs, she attacked him like raindrops falling from the sky. As she beat him up, she bellowed, “Little bastard, how dare you come back! How did you even have the gall to show your face here? Why didn’t you just get yourself killed out there? Why did you have to come back?”
Loud booms continuously rang out. Initially, Yang Kai was still able to parry her attacks, but he was soon overwhelmed. Left with no choice, he curled up on the ground and covered his face with his hands as he silently endured the unfathomable assault.
A long time later, the Proprietress seemingly became exhausted as she fell on her backside. While she was weakly thumping Yang Kai, she started bawling again.
Anyone would understand that she was truly heartbroken by just hearing her cry. Her tears streamed down her face like pearls slipping off a string as though she had suffered immense grievances.
Yang Kai lifted his head with a hideous expression, he wanted to curse, but upon seeing that she was in such a state, he couldn’t bring himself to. Resentfully, he questioned, “Crazy woman, why did you beat me up?”
He was well-meaning in his intent, coming all the way here to console her, but he had never expected that she would pin him to the floor and beat him. The fury in his heart couldn’t be alleviated no matter what.
In an abrupt manner, the Proprietress stopped crying. While her tears were still sliding down her face, she stared at Yang Kai and questioned darkly, “Did you just scold me?”
Her vision appeared blurred, so it was apparent that she wasn’t sober yet.
“So what if I scolded you?” Yang Kai yelled. Although he couldn’t defeat her, it didn’t mean he would meekly submit either, “Crazy woman! Crazy woman! Crazy woman!”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and put on a smile all of a sudden. Then, she wrapped one hand around his neck and pulled him towards herself, then she rubbed his head with her free hand, “Smelly Brat, you’re still the same!”
No one had ever rubbed Yang Kai’s head in such a way before, so he felt somewhat humiliated. Although he clenched his teeth and attempted to struggle out of her grip, he was unable to do so as he was going up against a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Since you’re back, don’t ever leave again! Come drink with me!” The Proprietress yelled as she grabbed a wine jar. Regardless of whether Yang Kai was willing to drink with her or not, she clenched his jaw and lifted his head a little before pouring the wine into his mouth.
The cold liquid slid down Yang Kai’s throat, and he immediately felt a burning sensation overwhelm him. In just a moment, a full bottle of wine had been poured into his stomach.
The next instant, Yang Kai felt like his stomach was on fire and he began seeing stars. His only thought was that this wine was ridiculously strong. Even someone like him, who possessed a Dragon Vein, became intoxicated immediately, so it was no wonder that the Proprietress was fully inebriated.
This was obviously no ordinary wine.
“I’m so happy you’re back. Don’t ever leave me again.” The Proprietress was laughing and crying at the same time, so it wasn’t certain what had gotten into her. After making Yang Kai chug a bottle of wine, she picked up a Heavenly Snow Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth, “It’s your favourite. Eat up,” she muttered.
[No! I don’t like such bitter and sour fruit!] Yang Kai wanted to resist, but his body had turned limp because of the wine and his vision had become blurred, so the entire fruit was easily stuffed into his mouth by the Proprietress.
The next thing Yang Kai knew, he was seeing double, then triple. Trying his hardest to stay conscious, he struggled out of the Proprietress’ arms and scrambled towards the door. In a drunken manner, he desperately called out, “Old Bai, save me!”
Not long after Yang Kai started crawling, he felt a grip on his ankle. He reckoned that the Proprietress must have grabbed him, and in the next instant, he was pulled backwards.
“Let’s drink!” The Proprietress pried his mouth open and poured another bottle of wine into his mouth.
Soon, Yang Kai felt the world spinning around him.
A long time later, he opened his eyes as his mouth felt extremely dry while his throat was burning. At that instant, all he could see were pink bed curtains, which caused him to fall into a dazed state.
A moment later, vague memories from the previous night sprang back into his mind. He recalled coming all the way here to check on the Proprietress, then he was beaten up by her. Following that, he was forced to down several bottles of wine before he passed out.
His memory stopped at the moment when he was pulled backwards and forced to drink the second bottle. As for what happened next, he had not the slightest idea. Yang Kai seriously wondered what kind of wine it was that was so strong it only took two bottles to knock him out.
[Where am I?] After staring at the pink bed curtains for a long time, he came to his senses and realised that he was possibly lying on the Proprietress’ bed; after all, he remembered that these bed curtains were hung around her wooden bed.
Feeling a piercing headache, Yang Kai tried to rub his head to relieve the pain, but he soon realised that something was holding his arm down. After turning his head, he widened his eyes and instantly sobered up. At that moment, he felt extremely agitated.
It wasn’t a thing that had been pressed against his arm, it was the Proprietress’ head! Presently, she was lying beside him with her body curled up. She appeared to be having a sweet dream as there was a faint smile on her face. Yang Kai had no idea how long she had remained in this posture, but he knew it was long enough for his arm to go numb.
At that instant, his expression was transformed by horror.
The situation he was in was terrifying. It wasn’t that the Proprietress was ugly, far from it in fact as she was an alluring lady with a beautiful face and a curvy figure. Any man would have fallen head over heels for her and given anything for a chance to lie in her bed.
The crux of the problem was that she was the Proprietress! Yang Kai had been tormented by her in the past few days, and when he came over to console her, she even beat him up. If she found out that not only had he climbed into her bed, but they had also snuggled for a long time, he would probably be skinned alive.
Fortunately, she was still fully dressed while he, although somewhat dishevelled and battered, was also wearing all his clothes. In other words, they didn’t do anything when they were drunk, which allowed Yang Kai to relax ever so slightly.
The outcome wasn’t the worst at the very least. If they had really done something more, his life would be over. Despite that, they were still in an intimate position. Anyone would have misunderstood them if they saw them lying on the same bed. Whatever the case, Yang Kai reckoned that he’d better run away now.
With his mind made up, he held his breath and carefully pulled out his arm from beneath her slender neck. Following that, he cautiously moved past her and got out of the bed.
Looking around, he realised that wine bottles had been scattered everywhere, and the smell of alcohol still filled the air. Clenching his teeth, Yang Kai recalled hearing from someone before that too much wine could easily lead to trouble. He had always been a disciplined man, so he would exercise moderation whenever he drank, which was why he had never gotten totally drunk before. After getting forced to down so many bottles of potent wine, he finally had a taste of true intoxication.
Yang Kai had no time to clean up the room, so after shooting a glance at the Proprietress, who was still lying on the wooden bed, he clenched his fist at her and began tiptoeing out of the room. After gently opening the door, he dashed out of the room and carefully closed the door in silence. His behaviour was that of a common thief, and if he hadn’t been actively suppressing it, he would’ve heard his own heartbeat.
When he was done, he was finally able to relax. He reckoned that he’d better stay as far away from this place as possible and return to his room quickly. As he re-arranged his clothes, he took a leap forward and directly landed on the deck.
Raising his head, he saw Bai Qi standing in front of him with a bucket of hot water in his hand. As their eyes met, Bai Qi became astounded, “You…”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well. He felt extremely guilty when he bumped into Bai Qi, so he hurriedly adjusted his collar and said, “Brother Bai, it seems that you’re busy with work.”
“En,” Bai Qi subconsciously nodded.
“Good, then, I’ll be going back to my room now,” Yang Kai replied, then he placed his hands behind his back and shuffled towards the cabin.
A stunned Bai Qi watched him leave, then he shifted his attention to the room on the top floor. The next instant, the bucket in his hand fell to the ground as the hot water splattered everywhere.
As Yang Kai pretended to be calm, he returned to his room and brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead. Not long after he was seated, he heard a loud boom coming from the door. Following that, three men charged into the room with gloomy expressions on their faces, their eyes seemingly filled with murderous intent.
“What are you doing?” A shocked Yang Kai stared vigilantly at Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef, who were inching closer to him, as he slowly stepped backwards.
Without uttering a word, the three men tacitly pounced on Yang Kai and pinned him down.
The accountant raised his golden abacus as though he was ready to strike while a glint flashed across the chef’s kitchen knife as he pointed it at Yang Kai’s head. Bai Qi even wrapped a white towel around Yang Kai’s neck twice and tightened it.
Yang Kai bellowed, “We can talk it out if you’re not happy with me! Why must you resort to violence!?”
Bai Qi lowered his figure and stared at Yang Kai as their faces almost came into contact. With a hideous expression, he said through gritted teeth, “Brat, I’ll ask you some questions, and you’d better answer me honestly. If you dare to lie, I’ll kill you immediately.”
“Then ask,” Yang Kai nodded. There were three of them while he was on his own, so he was unable to defeat them.
With bloodshot eyes, Bai Qi questioned, “Where were you last night?”
“Where else could I be other than inside a room?” He wasn’t lying as he was indeed in a room, just not his room.
“How dare you try to lie to us at this point? Show him what the consequences are!” Bai Qi shot a glance at the chef, who then raised his kitchen knife.
“Wait!” A horrified Yang Kai finally realised that these guys were serious. He would be seriously injured if he was hacked by the knife.
“You should’ve treasured the chance I gave you. I’ll ask you one more time. Where were you last night?” Bai Qi yelled.
An embarrassed Yang Kai felt speechless at that, “You already saw. Why are you still asking me this question?”
“What I saw might not be the truth. I want you to tell me yourself. Now, where were you last night?”
“I was… in the Proprietress’ room.” With a fawning smile, Yang Kai scratched his face and darted his gaze around. Right after he finished speaking, he felt that the towel around his neck became tighter, and a sharp knife was pressed against his head.
Bai Qi had exerted more force with his hands and with reddened eyes, he puffed out a hot breath through his nostrils and questioned, “Did you do it?”
“W-What do you mean?” Yang Kai found it difficult to breathe as he thumped the other man’s arms.
“I asked you whether you did it or not!” Bai Qi asked again through clenched teeth.
“No, I did nothing! The Proprietress and I did nothing!” Yang Kai defended himself with difficulty.
“Is that true?” Bai Qi didn’t seem to believe him. That was because the sight he saw earlier made him fall into his wild thoughts. It was morning when Yang Kai dashed out of the Proprietress’ room with dishevelled clothes, so Bai Qi couldn’t help thinking that something untoward might have happened between them.
“It’s definitely true!” Yang Kai hurriedly stuck out three fingers and swore to the Heavens.
Bai Qi examined him for a long time before the redness in his eyes faded. Then, he pulled the towel away from Yang Kai’s neck and stared fixedly at him, “Tell us what happened. If you dare to lie to us, we’ll never let you off!” After finishing his words, he clenched both ends of the towel and straightened it.
The accountant shook his golden abacus as the beads clacked with one another while the chef swayed his kitchen knife as a cold glint flashed across it.
Yang Kai covered his neck and coughed for a bit. With an apprehensive expression, he gazed at the three men in front of him and replied in a hushed voice, “Actually, I don’t know what happened either.”
“You don’t know?” Bai Qi glared at him with a furious expression, “Tell us what you do know then!”
A helpless Yang Kai briefly told them what had happened. Last night, upon hearing a woman’s sobs that were coming from the top floor, he went over to have a look. After entering the Proprietress’ room, he realised that she was the one crying, so he instinctively tried to console her; however, he hadn’t expected to be forced to down two bottles of wine, whereupon he passed out. When he awakened, he realised that he was already lying on her bed. As for what had happened when he was unconscious, he really had no idea, and he wasn’t able to recall it.
Upon hearing this, the three of them traded glances and secretly communicated with one another using their Divine Senses.
“Old Bai, didn’t you tell him not to bother the Proprietress recently?” The accountant asked.
An embarrassed Bai Qi replied, “I forgot! After he sent the Heavenly Snow Fruits to the Proprietress, I immediately turned on the barrier around my room, so I couldn’t detect anything.”
The chef and the accountant nodded to mean that they had done the same. If Bai Qi hadn’t messaged them earlier, they would’ve hidden in their rooms for one more day.
With the kitchen knife in his hand, the chef stroked his chin and shot Yang Kai a look, “Do you think we can trust him? Old Bai, you said that you saw him leaving the Proprietress’ room with dishevelled clothes, and his behaviour was stealthy.”
“That’s right. I personally saw it,” Recalling the sight earlier, Bai Qi became incensed as he glared at Yang Kai.
The accountant gave it a thought and said, “I think we can believe what he has said. All of us have tried the Proprietress’ wine before. We couldn’t even take half a bottle before blacking out. If two bottles of wine were really forced down his throat, I guess he wouldn’t be capable of anything else.”
Bai Qi and the chef nodded as they shuddered, recalling how strong the wine was. They never wanted to have a taste of it again.
“Everything is fine, then?” The chef stared at them.
The accountant nodded, “I guess nothing had happened.”
“I’ll take my leave, then,” the chef said, “The Proprietress might awaken soon, so I’ll prepare some hangover soup for her now.”
“I still have some accounts to sort out. So I’ll be leaving too,” the accountant said and shuffled out of the room with the chef.
In the blink of an eye, two of the three men were gone. Only Bai Qi was left standing there.
Yang Kai was puzzled by the change in their attitude. Earlier, he saw them communicating with one another using Divine Senses and shooting him cold glances from time to time, he was quite unnerved. Regardless of what had happened, he had climbed into the Proprietress’ bed and slept beside her for a night. Even though he didn’t do anything, it still wasn’t righteous. He had come up with the answers to the questions Bai Qi and the others might ask him, but never expected to just leave like that.
Bai Qi turned to look at him and nodded, “It seems that it’s just a misunderstanding. We’ve wrongly blamed you.”
Yang Kai nodded his head as well, “Indeed, a misunderstanding!”
“En,” Bai Qi replied with a smile, “Good, why did you enter the Proprietress’ room to console her now? Usually, around this time, we would just go into hiding and stay as far away from her room as possible. It seems I should be blamed for not informing you earlier… Hey! What are you doing?” While he was speaking, he suddenly realised that Yang Kai had turned on the room’s barrier and rose from the chair. Then, Yang Kai punched his right fist against his left palm as he stepped towards him with a hideous grin on his face.
Bai Qi forced a harmless smile at him, “Yang Kai, it’s just a misunderstanding. Let the past be the past. Cultivators like us should look forward and move on… Don’t hit my face!” He directly squatted and covered his head.
“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding you say? You brought two partners into my room to interrogate me just because of a misunderstanding? Did you know how sharp the chef’s kitchen knife was? If I hadn’t shouted in time, he would’ve diced me into quarters. How dare you tell me it’s just a misunderstanding?”
Yang Kai went on to beat Bai Qi to vent out the grievances he had suffered from in the Proprietress’ room.
After a long time, Bai Qi stood up straight in exasperation and bellowed, “Enough! If you keep beating me up, I’ll fight back! Do you seriously think I’m no match for you? I’m just restraining myself from making a move on you!”
Hearing that, Yang Kai directly landed a kick on him, which caused him to fall to the ground.
…..
“How could you be so ruthless?” Sometime later, Bai Qi, whose face was swollen and livid, was seated and rubbing his wounds as he glared at Yang Kai.
“This is nothing compared to how brutal the Proprietress was.”
“You deserved it!” Bai Qi sneered, then he gasped upon irritating his wounds.
“Does it hurt?” Yang Kai stared at him and asked.
An exasperated Bai Qi replied, “What do you think?”
An elated Yang Kai cackled for a moment before he straightened his face and said in a hushed voice, “I must ask you something.”
“What?” Bai Qi replied with displeasure.
After pondering on how he should phrase the question, Yang Kai said, “Do I look like someone who is close to the Proprietress?”
Bai Qi froze, then he pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai replied with a frown, “I have no idea…” Then, he recalled what he had gone through in the Proprietress’ room as some of the things she had said bothered him. At that time, she must have mistaken him for someone else, which was why she said that she was glad that he was back, and that he should never leave again. Apparently, she thought she was speaking to someone close to her whom she hadn’t met for a long time.
“Why would you ask this question if you have no idea?” Bai Qi sized him up.
Yang Kai didn’t know how to explain it to him, so he replied vaguely, “She just gave me a feeling that she had mistaken me for someone else. By the way, is she married?” He thought that this crazy woman might have regarded him as her husband.
“No. Proprietress has many admirers, but she’s never been interested in any one of them. I’ve also never seen her getting into a relationship with anyone.” Bai Qi shook his head and tried to change the topic, “What did she do that made you feel this way?”
“Well, nothing much. She basically beat me up and then forced two bottles of wine down my throat. I don’t know what happened next.”
“Didn’t she say anything?”
“She told me not to leave again since I’d come back.”
“Perhaps she was just spouting nonsense after getting drunk?”
Yang Kai nodded as that was the only reasonable explanation.
After they remained silent for a moment, Bai Qi asked, “Didn’t you think about running away?”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai turned to look at him in shock.
Bai Qi explained, “You were told to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits from Nine Nether Continent. Did the idea of fleeing never cross your mind? No one was with you at that time.”
“Where could I go?” Yang Kai snorted, “First Inn is immensely powerful and well-connected, so unless I go into hiding forever, I’ll be exposed and get caught. By then, I’ll end up in an even more miserable state.” Then, he suddenly understood something and stared at him with a frown, “So, it was a test for me by letting me go to Nine Nether Continent on my own?”
“Not really. You’re also a part of First Inn now, so you’re supposed to do something for the Proprietress,” Bai Qi chuckled.
While they were speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside. The chef entered the room and put down a basket on the table, “I’ve prepared some hangover soup. Take it to the Proprietress when she awakens.”
Yang Kai batted his eyes for a moment before he came to his senses, “Me?”
The chef shot him a glance, “Who else?”
A guilty Yang Kai said, “I don’t want to go. Chef, can you take it to her?”
The chef refused, “The Proprietress has said that you’re responsible for taking her three meals a day. I wouldn’t dare to disobey her orders.”
“Old Bai…” Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Qi and pleaded with him.
Bai Qi rose from the chair and patted his shoulder, “I’m not supposed to help you. Whatever happens though, you have my blessings.” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Bai Qi shuffled out of the room with the chef. Left alone in the room, Yang Kai stared at the basket on the table and fell into a dilemma.
He had no idea when the Proprietress would awaken, but he reckoned that it wouldn’t take long before that happened; after all, as the weaker cultivator, it had been half a day since he awakened, so there was no way the Proprietress, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would be knocked out for significantly longer.
After just one hour, the bell in his room suddenly rang out.
Yang Kai was frustrated at the sound of this bell. Since the Proprietress told him to take her three meals a day and clean her room, Bai Qi had installed a bell, and whenever it rang, it meant that the Proprietress was summoning him. If he ignored it, the bell would never stop ringing.
Regardless of how reluctant he was, Yang Kai knew he had to face the music. After taking a deep breath, he picked up the basket and trudged towards the deck. Following that, he leapt onto the top floor and knocked on the door, “Proprietress.”
The Proprietress could be heard grunting in a languid manner. Yang Kai could even imagine what she looked like now.
“I’m entering now,” he said and pushed the door open.
He directly entered the inner room and lifted his head. Just like what he had expected, the Proprietress was seated at her table as she propped up her forehead with her hand as she rubbed her temples.
The room looked just as chaotic as when he left. Fruit pits and wine bottles were scattered everywhere, and the bed was a mess.
Staring at the curvy figure before him, Yang Kai still couldn’t believe that he had slept beside her, feeling extremely fortunate to have survived.
At that moment, he wondered if she remembered what had happened last night, and whether she would find fault with him.
With his heart filled with apprehension, Yang Kai stepped into the room and opened the lid before fishing out a bowl of soup from the basket. Then, he presented it to the Proprietress and said, “Chef has prepared some hangover soup for you. Drink it while it’s warm.”
The Proprietress grunted lethargically and closed her eyes before falling into her thoughts. A long time later, she pulled the bowl of hangover soup towards herself and picked up a spoon. After she puffed out some air to the spoon, she started drinking the soup.
The way she drank soup was elegant. Although she was suffering from a hangover, she still hadn’t forgotten her manners. In a way, she was oddly attractive.
After drinking the soup for a while, she suddenly said, “Give me a massage.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was apprehensive when she suddenly said that, so he was unable to react to it.
“I’m suffering from a headache. Give me a massage.” The Proprietress raised her hand and pointed at her head.
A speechless Yang Kai circled around her and started rubbing her temples from behind.
As she continued drinking soup, she questioned, “Why are you so obedient today?”
Yang Kai realised that he appeared overly guilty. That was because he wasn’t sure if she remembered what had happened last night, so he quickly said, “I just don’t want to argue with you since you’re hungover. As a woman, is it appropriate for you to get this drunk?”
After gulping silently, he then asked probingly, “What if someone took advantage of you when you were unconscious? You would be unable to resist.”
“That person would suffer a horrific death then,” she replied dispassionately, but her tone sounded menacing enough.
“I’m saying what if. There are brazenly licentious people out there.”
“You were pretty restrained at the very least.”
Yang Kai froze as he almost coughed up blood. After another hard gulp, he asked, “You… remember?”
“If you remember, how could I not?” She continued having her soup, “But I don’t remember much.”
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to utter one more word lest he say something wrong. It was said that silence was golden, so he decided to quietly rub her temples. Nevertheless, he felt so anxious that it was as if someone was pointing a blade at his back.
“Don’t tell anyone what happened last night,” the Proprietress warned.
Yang Kai secretly thought that he had already exposed the secret. He was threatened by Bai Qi and the others at that time, so he had no choice; however, he wouldn’t dare to reveal that to her, so he nodded repeatedly, “Of course, I won’t tell anyone.”
After she was done with the soup, she said, “Clean up the room and prepare some hot water for me. I want to take a bath.”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai got to work. Soon, he finished cleaning up the room and left with the basket. A while later, he returned with a basin of hot water and poured it onto her bathtub.
Suddenly, he realised that after the incident last night, he was unable to rebuke the Proprietress anymore as he felt extremely guilty. Although he was bossed around like a servant, he didn’t dare to get mad at her.
While waiting outside the room, he heard the woman taking off her clothes, and following that, the sound of water splashing came from inside. However, he remained calm and collected as he didn’t dare to have any wild thoughts about her. As he looked into the void, his mind drifted elsewhere.
After she was done with the bath, Yang Kai helped her dispose of the bath water. Fortunately, he didn’t have to clean her clothes as she naturally didn’t allow him to. A maidservant from First Inn was responsible for this particular chore.
When the Proprietress emerged from her room, she appeared radiantly attractive. Upon seeing that, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as though the woman before his eyes and the drunkard from last night were two different people.
Yang Kai watched attentively as the Proprietress ambled towards the gunwale and looked out at the colourful and endless void. She seemed to have fallen into a dazed state as though she was pondering on something.
Without disturbing her, Yang Kai entered the room and got rid of the bath water she had just used; then, he approached her and said, “Is there anything else you want me to do for you? If not, I’ll excuse myself now.”
The Proprietress didn’t turn her head as she said, “The universe looks beautiful.”
Yang Kai took a look and thought that the view was the same everywhere, so whether it was beautiful or not didn’t matter; however, he wouldn’t dare to respond like that, so he just remained standing behind her.
A long time later, the Proprietress waved her hand, “You may go now.”
After cupping his fists, Yang Kai turned around and left.
There were no more upheavals in the following journey. The only difference was that, since the incident, the Proprietress seemed to have gone through some kind of transformation. She stopped staying in her room all the time and would frequently visit the cabin and have a drink and play some games with Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef. Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t be spared from joining them.
Bai Qi and the others were obviously used to this, while on the other hand, as a newcomer, Yang Kai was forced to drink after losing the games for the first few times. Gradually, he became adept at the games and started gaining the upper hand.
It could be said that Yang Kai had finally seen the other side of the Proprietress. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she could be considered incredibly amiable for being friendly to mere Emperor Realm Juniors like them.
One day, Yang Kai was meditating in his room when the door was once again pushed open without his permission. It was Bai Qi who barged into his room.
A speechless Yang Kai stared at him. He had told him countless times that he should knock before entering the room, but this guy refused to remember. Yang Kai even suspected that he was doing it intentionally.
“I won’t drink with you today,” Yang Kai waved his hand. He didn’t mind joining them and having a drink once in a while; after all, as long as he wasn’t given the Proprietress’ special wine, he wouldn’t get drunk. However, they had done it too frequently, so he was a little sick of it now.
“We’re not having a drink today. I’m here to take you somewhere,” Bai Qi grinned.
“Where?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at him.
“A good place. Come with me,” Bai Qi beckoned to him.
Yang Kai frowned, but his interest had been piqued because of how Bai Qi was acting. Since he had nothing to do, he decided to leave the room with him.
Upon reaching the deck, Bai Qi shouted at the room on the top floor, “Proprietress, open the barrier!”
The Proprietress didn’t respond to him, but the next instant, a gap opened up at the light barrier, which had always surrounded the ship. Apparently, the Proprietress was able to control it freely.
“Let’s go,” Bai Qi took Yang Kai’s arm and shot forward. After they were gone, the gap was immediately sealed.
Flying alongside Bai Qi, Yang Kai turned his head and asked, “Where are we going?”
“There,” Bai Qi pointed in a particular direction.
Yang Kai looked in the same direction and soon became amazed. That was because there was a building that looked like a palace in this endless void. The palace didn’t look special, but it was obviously massive. Furthermore, it faintly radiated a golden glow.
“What is that?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Haha. You’ll find out about it when we reach our destination.” Bai Qi kept up his mysterious act.
Yang Kai pursed his lips and stopped asking. He reckoned that Bai Qi wouldn’t harm him so he decided to just wait and see.
After flying for one hour, they finally arrived at the palace. While they were still far away from the building earlier, Yang Kai had already seen many people moving around inside this palace, which made the place look bustling. Furthermore, a giant stone had been erected beside the main entrance, and a character had been engraved on it.
‘Universe’ was intricately carved on the stone, with strokes resembling soaring Dragons and flying Phoenixes. Obviously, it was a work by a Master carver.
“Is this a Universe Temple?” Yang Kai suddenly recalled what Bai Qi had told him before, which was why he attempted such a guess.
Bai Qi grinned, “You’re a clever brat. That’s right. This is a Universe Temple.”
“Why did we come here all of a sudden?”
Bai Qi replied, “Proprietress told me to bring you to this place so you can leave your Imprint here. It’ll be easier for you if you want to come back here in the future that way. Although you’re a Master of the Dao of Space, and you’re able to use a kind of teleportation, the void is extremely vast; therefore, the Universe Transference Law is more useful for travelling around.”
An elated Yang Kai said, “I’ll have to thank her, then.” He was already deathly curious when Bai Qi told him about Universe Transference Law and Universe Transference Seal some time ago in the inn. He wanted to visit those Universe Temples as quickly as possible, but he had no idea where they were. He hadn’t expected that he would see one so soon.
A moment later, the duo landed in front of the Universe Temple. Although it was called a temple, it was much larger than any palace Yang Kai had ever seen before. Moreover, he saw many cultivators exiting the temple, with no one entering the place like how and Bai Qi were doing.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t so strange. These cultivators could reach this temple by using the Universe Transference Law, so they didn’t have to fly in from the outside. On the other hand, he had to go in this way because he had never left his Imprint in this temple before. Yang Kai reckoned that many first-timers had to do the same.
Two guards, who were clad in golden armour, stood on both sides of the entrance. One of these imposing men was holding a spear, while the other one had a sword in his hand.
Bai Qi secretly spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Universe Temples are jointly operated by the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises, so these guards are also from these top forces. They’re all very arrogant, so don’t say anything later. I’ll handle everything.”
Yang Kai nodded to indicate that he understood him; then, he secretly sized up the guards and realised that they were both Open Heaven Realm Masters. He was shocked by the revelation as these top forces made Open Heaven Realm Masters act as door guards. What kind of top cultivator was in charge of this temple? He reckoned that the person must be as powerful as the Proprietress at the very least.
It was no wonder that no one would dare to make a scene here. Who would have the guts to do that if they were not strong enough? Those who were capable of doing so also wouldn’t attempt to offend those Cave Heavens and Paradises. It wouldn’t be fun to be hunted down by them if they joined forces.
The Open Heaven Realm Master on the left, who was holding a sword, stared at Bai Qi and Yang Kai as he bellowed, “What is your business here?”
With a smile, Bai Qi cupped his fists at him, “Sir, my friend wants to leave an Imprint here. Please permit us to pass.”
The person turned his head and swept a glance over Yang Kai. There was no emotion on his face as he had probably seen countless people who were just like Yang Kai. In a dispassionate tone, he said, “You know the rules, right?”
Bai Qi nodded repeatedly, “I know. I know.” Then, he presented a Space Ring to the guard.
The person took it and gently tossed it into the air before scanning it with his Divine Sense. Then, he nodded his head, “Come with me.” Upon finishing his words, he led the way for them.
Bai Qi called out to Yang Kai as they hurriedly followed along.
As they were walking behind the cultivator in golden armour, a puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Why did we have to give him some benefits for leaving an Imprint in this temple?”
Bai Qi shot him a glare, “Don’t say that!” Seeing that the Open Heaven Realm Master in front of them didn’t react in any way, he secretly spoke to Yang Kai in his mind, “Why do you think those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises decided to occupy these Universe Temples? Was it because they wanted to make life more convenient for everyone? If you want to leave an Imprint, you have to pay a fee.”
“How much is it?”
“100,000.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “So expensive!”
He couldn’t believe that they needed 100,000 Open Heaven Pills to leave an Imprint here. In comparison, a Third-Order material cost about 150,000 pills. This was a lot of money for most people and most Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t afford it. 100,000 also wasn’t a small amount of money for Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters.
At that moment, Yang Kai recalled something and asked with a frown, “You said that in this universe, there are Universe Temples in every Great Territory. Some of them even have multiple temples. Does every temple charge a separate fee?”
“That’s right. However, the price is fixed. We have to pay 100,000 pills for every Imprint we want to leave behind.”
Yang Kai gasped upon hearing that. In that case, a cultivator had to spend a substantial amount of money just to leave a Brand in these Universe Temples. However, taking one’s safety into consideration, these expenses were inevitable.
After all, compared to wealth, a person’s life was obviously more important. If someone was unable to escape from his or her enemies, he or she could use the Universe Transference Law to reach any Universe Temple, which was one of the greatest safety charms in life in that kind of situation.
Those who weren’t willing to spend money on it would be hunted down and killed.
“It’s such a good way to make money,” Yang Kai lamented. If a cultivator decided to leave behind an Imprint in 10 different Universe Temples throughout his life, he would have to fork out 1 million pills. There were countless cultivators in the 3,000 Worlds, and everyone would attempt to have some measures to keep themselves safe. Moreover, the rich would certainly leave behind their Imprint in more than ten temples, so the amount of money they would end up spending was astronomical.
These Universe Temples were basically money trees for the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As long as these temples were not destroyed, countless pills would flow into their pockets without any effort on their side.
“Haha. That’s why they have joined forces to manage these places. No single great force can monopolise such a big business.” Bai Qi grinned.
As they moved forward, they continued chatting. Yang Kai realised that there were quite a lot of shops in this temple, and most of them were crammed with customers. As he watched these people move around, Yang Kai had a feeling that this place was just like a city. Although it wasn’t as lively as a real city, it was a rare sight to see so many people in this void.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t so surprising. The people who had come to this place using the Universe Transference Law must want to take a rest upon arrival. Some of them might even be forced to come here as they were hunted down by their enemies, so they needed a break. That was why this place was filled with people. Businesses flourished when people gathered together in the same place. Nevertheless, fighting was forbidden in any Universe Temple; therefore, even though there were many cultivators around, it was a very safe place.
While the cultivator in golden armour was leading the way, Bai Qi and Yang Kai followed him and communicated with one another. Yang Kai also regarded this as a chance to do some sightseeing.
Soon, they reached a secluded room. The cultivator in golden armour stopped in his tracks and turned around, “Go in. After you reach into the array and leave behind an Imprint, you can come out.”
Bai Qi patted his shoulder, “You might feel a little uncomfortable as this is your first time, but don’t worry. I’ll be waiting out here for you.”
In response, Yang Kai simply nodded his head.
The cultivator in golden armour fished out a token and unlocked the barrier around the secret room, whereupon Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered.
After Yang Kai entered the secluded room, the door was closed once again. He couldn’t see anything as it was pitch dark inside.
While he was puzzled, he suddenly saw a light expanding right in front of him. After a glance, he realised that the floor had lit up as a complicated and massive array was gradually outlined.
Knowing what was going on, he strode towards the centre of the array. As soon as he stopped in his tracks, a buzzing sound could be heard, which suggested that the array was now operating.
A faint pull could be felt coming from the array, and upon that realisation, Yang Kai hurriedly performed a hand seal and focused his mind. Clearly feeling that his own aura was attracted to the array, he reckoned that it was trying to record some of his unique information.
The buzzing sound was continuously heard as the array continued running.
A long time later, the buzzing sound slowly died down, and the light of the array faded. Eventually, the room became completely dark again.
After carefully sensing it, Yang Kai realised that a connection had been established between somewhere in the temple and him; however, he wasn’t sure how to make use of that connection as he had never learned the Universe Transference Law. Judging from what had happened though, he should have successfully left behind an Imprint.
In fact, he was curious about what the Universe Transference Seal looked like. He thought that he would see it after entering the room, but it was nowhere in sight; instead, he only came into contact with this array.
Since the Seal wasn’t around, there was nothing else he could do. After pacing around in the room for a while, Yang Kai realised that there was nothing special, so he pushed the door open and left.
Bai Qi asked, “How was it?”
“No problems,” Yang Kai didn’t feel any discomfort like what Bai Qi had described, figuring it had something to do with the fact that he was a Master of the Dao of Space. Those who couldn’t use Space Principles might feel uncomfortable when they came here for the first time.
“Good!” Bai Qi heaved a sigh of relief before turning to cup his fists at the cultivator in golden armour, “Many thanks, Sir.”
That person nodded dispassionately, “Fighting is forbidden inside the Universe Temple, violate the rules and you will be executed.” After finishing his words, he sealed off the room and turned around to leave.
He was only responsible for bringing Yang Kai to this place to leave his Imprint, not caring about the rest. As for when Yang Kai and Bai Qi would leave, it was up to them, as those from the Universe Temple wouldn’t interfere with that.
“Let’s buy some stuff while we’re here,” Bai Qi said and took Yang Kai’s arm before walking in a particular direction. He seemed familiar with the routes, so it was apparently not his first time here.
There were all sorts of things that Bai Qi had to buy, obviously purchasing supplies for the inn, so Yang Kai followed him and looked around.
“After leaving an Imprint here, you’ll have to cultivate the Universe Transference Law. Once you’ve learned it, you’ll be able to come here as you please. Of course, the prerequisite is that you’re in the same Great Territory. However, you have to remember that you must be within a safe distance. Once the Universe Transference Law is used, you’ll directly come to this place. Given your cultivation now, if the distance is too far away, you won’t be able to take the strain and might even be crushed to death.”
Yang Kai nodded to indicate he understood.
“There’s one more thing you have to remember. There’s a delay after you use the Universe Transference Law, so it’s not like you can use it to flee immediately. You have to take the delay into consideration. If you’re being hunted down by your enemies in the future, don’t use it in front of them; otherwise, you’ll be killed before you can escape. You must only use it in a safe place.”
Yang Kai asked, “How long is the delay?” He had to have a clear idea about it.
Bai Qi shot him a glance, “Given your cultivation now, about five to six breaths. Certainly, the more powerful your cultivation is, the shorter the delay becomes; however, it’s impossible to eliminate.”
“Who should I learn this Universe Transference Law from?” Yang Kai asked.
“I’ll teach you later.” Bai Qi grinned, “But you’ll have to pay me a fee.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai immediately covered his Space Ring and replied vigilantly, “I have no money!” He still owed the Proprietress 10 million pills, so who knew when he would be able to clear his debt?
Bai Qi said, “It’s fine even if you have no money. You even snatched that Golden Crow corpse from the Golden Crow Divine Palace, so you must have some Sun’s True Fires or even Sun’s True Golds on you,” As he spoke, he winked at Yang Kai.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai replied resolutely.
“Don’t be such a stingy man. I’m not picky at all, so you can just give me a random Sun’s True Fire.”
“Forget it. I’ll ask the Proprietress to teach me the Universe Transference Law. Your help is not needed.”
Bai Qi was speechless at that.
One hour later, they flew out of the Universe Temple and returned to the ship. The First Inn’s ship was still anchored for them at a nearby place, so after they landed on the deck, the Proprietress summoned them to find out how things went. Upon learning that they had achieved their goal, she said nothing more and simply waved her hand to motion for them to leave.
Before that though, she tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai, “Since you’ve left behind an Imprint, you’ll have to study the Universe Transference Law. You’re an expert in the Dao of Space, so this Secret Technique shouldn’t be difficult for you to master. Go and cultivate it now.”
Yang Kai thanked her and left the room with Bai Qi. After closing the door, Yang Kai showed him the jade slip in his hand with a smug smile on his face.
Seeing that, Bai Qi appeared frustrated.
For the following ten or so days, Yang Kai stayed in his room to cultivate the Universe Transference Law. Just like what the Proprietress had said, it wasn’t difficult for him to learn this technique; after all, he was already familiar with Space Principles. Technically speaking, the Universe Transference Law was also a kind of Space Secret Technique; however, one had to rely on the Universe Transference Seal to use it. Anyone could use the Secret Technique without being a Master of the Dao of Space, which was why it was attractive.
It would take the average person half a year or more to learn the Secret Technique, but Yang Kai only needed slightly more than ten days to do so. If it weren’t because it wasn’t convenient for him, he would have loved to try out the Secret Technique.
Although he had no chance to give it a try, when he activated the Universe Transference Law, he could clearly feel that there was a connection between the Universe Temple and himself. However, at the most critical moment, he would cut off the connection lest he really be transferred to the temple.
The ship continued moving forward, but it wasn’t certain where their destination was. One month after they left the original location of First Inn, a loud buzzing sound was suddenly heard as the entire ship shook violently.
A flabbergasted Yang Kai dashed towards the deck, only to see that Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were already there. The Proprietress was standing at the bow with a solemn expression as she performed a seal with one hand, her power fluctuating around her.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai asked in a hushed voice.
Bai Qi replied, “Don’t worry. We’re just passing through a Territory Gate.”
It was then that Yang Kai realised that they had reached a Territory Gate as the ship slowly entered it. He had passed through several Territory Gates in the past, but he was protected by Ah Sun’s jade white fox for those times. Except for the last time when the jade white fox ran out of energy, which made the journey become slightly dangerous for them, his other attempts were uneventful.
However, he hadn’t expected that it would cause so much commotion when the ship was passing through a Territory Gate, which made him think that they were confronted by some formidable enemies.
“Are we going to a different Great Territory?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“I think so,” Bai Qi nodded. Judging from what he had just said, it seemed that he had no idea where their destination was either.
The gigantic ship had to endure increased pressure when passing through the Territory Gate. Fortunately, the Proprietress was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so they were not worried at all.
A moment later, the entire ship entered the Territory Gate. With the protection of the light barrier, they didn’t feel any pressure. Looking around, Yang Kai realised that the view around him kept changing in an odd yet captivating manner.
After just a short while, the entire ship shook suddenly and became stabilised. The view around them looked just like any other in the void. Apparently, they had left the Territory Gate and arrived at a different Great Territory.
The Proprietress seemed exhausted after navigating the ship through the Territory Gate, so she returned to her room and took a rest while Yang Kai was dragged away by Bai Qi to have a drink and play games with the chef and the accountant.
A few days later, Yang Kai left the ship with Bai Qi and headed to another Universe Temple. After the first time, he already became familiar with the process, so he soon left his Imprint.
The ship continued moving forward. From time to time, Bai Qi would bring Yang Kai to the nearby Universe Temples. After seven to eight times, Yang Kai became embarrassed and when returning to the ship, he asked, “Old Bai, have I held all of you up?”
Bai Qi turned to look at him with a grin, “Have you only realised it now?”
An abashed Yang Kai said, “If it weren’t because of me, all of you could have used the Universe Transference Law and arrived at those Universe Temples in an instant. The ship isn’t even needed.”
“That’s right; however, you’re now a part of First Inn. In that case, we can’t possibly leave you behind.”
Yang Kai pressed his lips together, “Is this the Proprietress’ order?”
Bai Qi nodded, “Of course.”
“Seems she really is kind-hearted…” Yang Kai scratched his head, “She spent 800,000 pills for me to leave an Imprint in those temples.”
Bai Qi gazed at him and batted his eyes, “Do you think Proprietress was paying the fees for you?”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “Isn’t that the case?”
Bai Qi grinned, “Proprietress said that she’s just lending you the money. You’ll have to pay her back in the future.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was astonished, “So, I’m the one who has to pay those fees?”
“Of course!” Bai Qi winked at him.
Yang Kai became rooted to the spot. He thought that the Proprietress had paid the fees for him, but he hadn’t expected it to be nothing more than a loan. At that instant, he felt his face twitching.
Seeing that, Bai Qi said, “If you’re reluctant to spend the money, we don’t have to stop the ship whenever we pass by a Universe Temple.”
“Of course I want to go to those Universe Temples!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. Certainly, he had to visit those temples as they might save his life in the future. Even if he didn’t come across any danger, he could use them to reach his destination faster. He already had a substantial debt anyway, so it didn’t matter for him to spend 100,000 more for each temple. Compared to the 10 million he owed already, this was practically nothing.
Half a year had passed just like this, and after passing through four Great Territories, they finally arrived at their destination.
Upon learning the news, an excited Bai Qi dragged Yang Kai towards the deck and pointed at a Spirit Province in the distance, “Brat, do you know where this is?”
Yang Kai replied, “How would I know?”
He was still exploring the Outer Universe that he was unfamiliar with, which was why he had no idea where they were. Looking to the side, he realised that the Proprietress was just standing at the gunwale, her dress gently flapping in the wind, a faint smile on her face. Apparently, she also became extremely bored after doing nothing for half a year, so now that they had finally arrived at their destination, she became cheerful.
Yang Kai ambled forward and stopped in a spot that wasn’t far away from the Proprietress, “Is that our destination?”
The Proprietress tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded her head, “You’re right. That’s our destination.”
“Where is this?” It took the ship half a year to pass through several Territory Gates to finally reach this place, so Yang Kai was curious.
“That’s the Star City of this Great Territory.” Bai Qi approached him with an excited expression and asked, “Brat, have you heard of Star Cities?”
He thought that Yang Kai had never heard of such a place before.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “That’s a Star City?”
He couldn’t help looking in that direction, but he couldn’t see what was going on over there due to the great distance; moreover, the Spirit Province seemed to have been surrounded by a Grand Array, so all he could see was a blurred area.
Zhang Ruo Xi told him that if he wanted to learn anything about the World Tree, his best option was to visit a Star City. That was because such places were where people from all walks of life in the Outer Universe gathered together. With so many people coming and going, a lot of information could be traded for along with many precious items. Perhaps he could find out where the World Tree was in such a place.
Unfortunately, right after he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, he was brought to Seven Wonders Land to become a Worker. Then, he roamed around the universe for a while before arriving at First Inn. He had no time to look for a Star City, nor did he have any idea where one was. He hadn’t expected that the Proprietress’ destination was actually a Star City.
“You already know about them?” Bai Qi was shocked.
“I’ve heard of them before.” Yang Kai nodded, and then he turned to look at the Proprietress, “Will we stay there for the long term?”
First Inn was destroyed during a battle, so they had to look for a new place to settle down. There was no way they had spent half a year coming all the way here just to buy supplies, so they would most likely stay there.
“For the time being,” The Proprietress nodded. Noticing the excitement on his face, she flashed a smile at him, “You seem interested in this Star City.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve never seen one before, so of course I’m curious.”
The Proprietress said with a smile, “There’s nothing special about it. The world you’re from must have many different shopping districts and trade cities. A Star City is just a bigger, higher-level type of shopping district. The things on sale are also more expensive.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and looked forward again. He was pondering whether he should ask the Proprietress about the World Tree; after all, First Inn engaged in the business of collecting information. If the World Tree really existed, the Proprietress must be aware of it. After giving it a thought though, he decided not to. He would just ask around after reaching the city.
Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were having a chat amongst themselves on the deck, and a salacious look adorned Bai Qi’s face.
One hour later, the ship arrived at a dock in the periphery of the Spirit Province. There were quite a few cultivators guarding the dock. Their leader was clad in golden armour and had a long sword sheathed at his waist. He looked just like an imposing General.
After the ship stopped at the dock, the Golden Armour General lead a group of cultivators and boldly jumped onto the deck. With his hand resting on his sword, he swept a glance over them in an imposing manner.
A soldier in silver armour stepped forward and yelled, “Identify yourselves and present documents!”
The Proprietress hinted at Bai Qi, who then moved forward and passed a jade slip to the soldier in silver armour. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, the soldier became surprised and presented the jade slip to the Golden Armour General.
After reading it, the general nodded gently, “So it is First Inn’s Madam, I apologize for failing to recognise you earlier.”
The Proprietress kept a faint smile on her face, “General, you’re responsible for guarding an important place like the Star City’s dock, so you must be swamped with work. It’s understandable that you didn’t recognise me.”
While they were speaking, Bai Qi put on a smile and passed a Space Ring to the soldier in silver armour. At this point, the Proprietress said, “All of you have worked hard. Please take this gift from me and buy some refreshments for yourselves.”
The soldier didn’t know how to handle the Space Ring as he looked inquisitively at the Golden Armour General.
The general said with a smile, “Since it’s a gift from Madam Lan, just accept it.”
It was only then that the soldier set his mind at ease and stored the Space Ring before cupping his fists to the Proprietress.
The Golden Armour General went on to say, “Madam Lan, it’s just the usual practice, so please don’t pay it any mind.” Then, he passed the jade slip back to Bai Qi and led them to leave the ship. Following that, he waved his hand, “Let them pass!”
Then, the barrier at the dock slowly opened and the Proprietress thanked him before sailing the ship towards the Spirit Province.
Aboard the ship, Yang Kai was amazed by what had just happened. It was apparent that the Proprietress had a wide network. She might not know the Golden Armour General, but after she fished out a simple jade slip, the general could immediately recognise that she was First Inn’s Madam Lan, which suggested that she was truly famous in the Outer Universe.
It wasn’t surprising as she could be considered a powerful cultivator as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; furthermore, she was a charming lady, so she could easily attract others’ attention.
However, there was one thing that Yang Kai didn’t understand, so he approached Bai Qi and asked in a small voice, “Why are there so many soldiers in the periphery of the Star City? Is this city not safe? Would anyone invade this place?”
Bai Qi replied, “No one would dare to do so. This Star City is the property of Great Battle Heaven. The Golden Armour General and the soldier in silver armour are all from Great Battle Heaven. They keep guard on the dock because that allows them to control the entire Star City. Secondly, they have to fend off Space Beasts. Have you seen Space Beasts before?”
“Is the Myriad Facets Insect considered a Space Beast?” The only Space Beast Yang Kai had come across was the Myriad Facets Insect, which caused Zhang Ruo Xi and him to be separated at that time. Until this day, he still had no idea where she was.
Nevertheless, she had inherited some memories from her ancestor, so she had a better understanding of the Outer Universe than he did. In the light of that, Yang Kai felt he didn’t have to worry about her. If he wasn’t mistaken, she must have headed to Lang Ya Paradise; after all, that was the place where her ancestor was born.
“Yes, it can be considered a Space Beast; however, Myriad Facets Insects are basically harmless. Some Space Beasts love places that are bustling with noise and activity, and they’re all generally quite powerful. If they manage to barge into a Star City, they can cause a lot of damage. With the soldiers guarding the dock, these Space Beasts normally wouldn’t dare to make a scene.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai went on to ask, “You just mentioned Great Battle Heaven. Is it one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens?” He recalled seeing the name in the jade slip given to him by Meng Hong, who was a disciple from Great Moon Province.
“That’s right. The first Universe Temple you visited was guarded by those from Great Battle Heaven as well. They’re easily recognisable as they’re just like an army. They live by military rules, and they’re divided by ranks. They’re a bunch of rough people.”
Yang Kai grunted, “It’s no wonder Proprietress called him General.”
Bai Qi grinned, “A General is in fact a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. That guy is supposed to be a Great General in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realms. There are also Great Generals in the Fourth-Order or Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. A Grand Marshal is someone who is one rank above them.”
“Interesting…” Yang Kai was amazed, then he changed the topic, “By the way, which great force is First Inn from?”
Although it had been half a year since he joined First Inn, he still had no idea which great force was behind the inn; nevertheless, he was certain that it had to be one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises.
“Go ask Proprietress,” Bai Qi grinned.
Yang Kai shot him a glare as he had the urge to rip his mouth off.
While they were speaking, the ship arrived at the Spirit Province where the Star City was located. After the ship passed through the clouds, an abundance of World Energy came right at them, which prompted Yang Kai to take a deep breath. They had been roaming around the void for a long time. When he finally reached such a place, he felt like a wanderer who had finally found a place to settle down.
The Spirit Province couldn’t be considered expansive. Looking from above, one could see the end of it at a glance. It was the equivalent of a few major cities combined.
However, one could see that the entire Spirit Province was full of different styles of buildings. The clean and wide streets criss-crossed one another like the pattern on a chessboard. The streets were also lit up by beautiful lights.
On the ground, countless people could be seen moving around. In the sky, some people could be seen flying around from time to time. There were also some uniquely-shaped flight-type artifacts.
Seeing that, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. It seemed that flying wasn’t prohibited in this place, which was a friendly practice. Many cities and forces erected Flight Inhibiting Arrays which prevented anyone from flying.
After the ship moved forward for about a quarter-hour, the Proprietress called out, “Disembark now.”
Upon hearing that, the people on the deck flew up. The Proprietress performed a set of hand seals as her energy fluctuated around her, whereupon the ship began shrinking rapidly and soon became an item the size of a palm. Following that, she hid it in her sleeve.
“Let’s go,” she said and landed on the ground, followed by those from First Inn.
There were over ten people that worked for First Inn, a number that was neither big or small. Besides Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef, whom Yang Kai was already familiar with, the rest of them were general workers.
After all, it didn’t require a lot of people to run an inn. Ten people were more than sufficient.
A moment later, the group reached a shop, but it wasn’t certain what was sold here as there was no signboard. It was in a prime location, however, as it was at the intersection of some streets, there were a lot of people moving around.
The Proprietress looked around and nodded gently before walking inside.
Soon, an elderly man approached her and cupped his fists, “Greetings, Madam. This one is Yuan Rui De.”
The elderly man was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but he wasn’t very strong. Although he was old, he was still respectful to the Proprietress.
In response, the Proprietress nodded her head.
Yuan Rui De said, “You must be exhausted. Do you need to take a rest?”
The Proprietress waved her hand, “There’s no need for that. Let’s get down to business now.”
“Good. Have a seat, please.” Yuan Rui De extended his hand.
After Madam Lan was seated, he fished out a jade slip and passed it to her, “This is the title deed of this shop. Everything has been settled.”
The Proprietress took it and briefly scanned it before storing it.
Then, Yuan Rui De fished out another jade slip, “This contains the information of the businesses under those great forces, including the shop names and the top cultivators that work in those shops.”
After that, he took out one more jade slip, “This one contains the information about the shopkeepers and the shop hands in those shops.”
After going through the information in the last two jade slips, the Proprietress nodded her head, “Many thanks.”
Yuan Rui De replied, “It’s within my duties.”
As the Proprietress fiddled with the jade slips, she asked, “How about the previous owner of this shop? Have you made him suffer any grievances?”
Yuan Rui De said with a smile, “I’ve paid him twenty percent more than the market value of his shop. The money is enough for him to buy a new shop in a different location with a tidy profit left over. He couldn’t be happier, so I’m sure he doesn’t feel aggrieved at all.”
“Very good,” A gratified Proprietress nodded her head.
Yuan Rui De bent his back slightly, “Madam, is there anything else you need me to do for you? If not, I’ll take my leave and report to my higher-ups now.”
“Do you want to stay overnight here before leaving?”
“Many thanks for your concern, Madam, but I’ve stayed here for quite a few days already so it’s best I head back quickly.”
“I won’t make you stay, then. Old Bai, please see him off,” the Proprietress ordered.
With a smile, Bai Qi stepped forward and extended his hand, “Please.”
“Farewell, Madam.” Yuan Rui De saluted her before striding out of the shop.
After he was gone, the Proprietress looked around and nodded, “It’s a good place.”
Bai Qi approached her, “Proprietress, are we going to reopen our inn here?”
The Proprietress walked around and asked casually, “What’s wrong?”
A glint flashed across Bai Qi’s eyes as he said with a grin, “There’s nothing wrong with it. As long as you’re around, we’re fine with anywhere.”
The Proprietress scoffed, “Do you think I have no idea what’s on your mind? All of you are bored after travelling the void for so long, so you’re eager to have fun in this lively place. I’m warning you now, all of you can have fun, but don’t invite any trouble or slack off on your work; otherwise, I won’t let you off.”
“We won’t,” Bai Qi assured her before he turned his head to wink at the chef and accountant. He could barely contain his excitement.
“There’s dust,” The Proprietress wiped the armrest of a chair and took a look at her finger before rubbing it off on Bai Qi’s shoulder. Then, she turned and made a circular movement with her finger, “Get everything here changed by tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Bai Qi replied respectfully.
The Proprietress covered her mouth and yawned, “I’m tired, so I’ll take a rest now. All of you, have a good night’s sleep as we start work tomorrow.”
“Until tomorrow then, Proprietress,” Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant stood in a row and watched her enter a room. Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before joining them.
The Proprietress shot them a glance as she had seen through their thoughts. After flicking her sleeve, she shuffled into a room and said, “Yang Kai, come with me.”
Instantly, Bai Qi and the others gazed at Yang Kai with sympathetic looks on their faces.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless as well. He wanted to take the opportunity to explore the Star City, but he hadn’t expected to be forced to stay in the shop by the Proprietress. He wondered what she was up to.
With a helpless look on his face, he watched as Bai Qi and the others ambled out of the shop with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
After a sigh, he shuffled towards the rear court. Hearing some noises from a room, he went over and knocked on the door.
Then, the Proprietress was heard saying, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, only to see that two maid servants were busy making the bed for the Proprietress. What shocked him was that the wooden bed he had seen on the ship had been placed in this room now.
“Proprietress, what’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked. He had been getting along with her pretty well for the past few months as she had never found fault with him again after that incident.
The Proprietress was seated in front of a quaint desk as she raised her head and asked, “You have an artifact that can conceal your figure and aura, right?”
“Why are you asking this question all of a sudden?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide it from her as she had already noticed him when they were in the Golden Crow Divine Palace; therefore, it was reasonable that she had this speculation. Upon that realization, he simply nodded his head.
“Let me have a look,” The Proprietress extended her hand.
Hearing that, Yang Kai summoned the Shadowless Veil and passed it to her.
The Proprietress took it with a faint smile on her face, “Aren’t you worried that I won’t return it to you?”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Nonsense. There’s no way you’d be interested in such a thing.”
“Nothing is ever for certain,” After finishing her words, the Proprietress examined the veil and infused her power into it to probe it.
A moment later, she nodded gently, “This artifact itself is not bad. It should be able to prevent anyone below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm from seeing through it. Even Mid-Rank cultivators might neglect it if they’re not careful enough.”
Yang Kai gave her a thumbs-up. The conclusion she had come up with was the same as what Du Ru Feng had said. She was able to come to this conclusion by just probing the artifact without refining it, which went to show that her vision and insight were incredibly sharp.
“You were pretty brave to rely on this thing to make a fuss in the Golden Crow Divine Palace.” The Proprietress flashed a faint smile at him.
Yang Kai sighed, “I was left with no choice at that time. I didn’t even mean to enter that place.” He was trapped in that hallway for no reason, and then relied on his instincts to deal with the following issues. His actions were not intentional. Even the Golden Crow corpse was taken away by him by chance.
“Do you trust me?”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai looked at her doubtfully. He had no idea how to reply to her after he was asked such a question all of a sudden.
The Proprietress fiddled with the Shadowless Veil, “If you trust me, let me keep this thing for now. I’ll return it to you after some time.”
[What is the woman up to?] Although the Shadowless Veil was valuable, it wasn’t worthy of her attention; after all, she was able to see through its concealment at a glance back then. Furthermore, after spending half a year together with her, Yang Kai was convinced she wasn’t someone who would snatch things from other people.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “Can you tell me what you need this veil for?”
“You’ll find out when the time is right,” After finishing her words, the Proprietress directly put the Shadowless Veil away without getting his permission first. She didn’t give him a chance to regret it.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai became frustrated. He was weak now, so the Shadowless Veil was the most useful artifact he possessed currently. If it was really snatched by the Proprietress, he would be heartbroken; however, there was nothing he could do as he was much weaker than she was. What’s more, he still owed her more than 10 million Open Heaven Pills, so for now he could only regard the veil as part of the repayment of his debt.
Following her actions though, the Proprietress fished out a box from her space ring and pushed it towards him, “Take it.”
“What is this?” A puzzled Yang Kai gazed at her.
“Open the box and see it for yourself.”
Since she had said as much, Yang Kai stopped asking questions and picked it up. The box was neither heavy nor big, only about as wide and long as a chopstick, making him wonder what was inside it.
After opening the box, Yang Kai was startled by what he saw. There was a true-to-life mask lying in the box. It was so delicate that it was as though it was really taken from a person’s face. Apparently, it was a product from a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner.
Upon picking it up, Yang Kai realised that the mask was practically weightless and as thin as a cicada’s wings.
Yang Kai wasn’t someone who had just started cultivating, so although it was the first time he saw this mask, he had a speculation about what this artifact’s uses were.
“Seven Faces.” The Proprietress folded her hands and rested her chin on them as she looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “This treasure is called Seven Faces, which means that it can transform into seven different faces. More importantly, it can even alter the user’s aura, voice, and figure, making it truly useful for concealment. It’s something I obtained a long time ago.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he heard this. He had heard about masks that could help change a person’s appearance; however, those items could only alter a person’s physical appearance so others could easily see through such a disguise. On the other hand, Seven Faces could alter a person’s aura, voice, and figure, which was truly incredible. In other words, it could completely turn the user into someone else.
“This treasure has the same limitations as yours. It can’t block powerful cultivators from probing you. If that person has a strong Divine Sense, they can still see through your disguise. With that said, it can prevent Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators from spying on you.”
In disbelief, Yang Kai gulped and said, “Proprietress, why did you…”
“Take it. You’re too weak right now, so you need an artifact like this to protect yourself.”
“You shouldn’t have…” Yang Kai appeared elated. Despite what he had said, he was unwilling to put it down. In fact, the Shadowless Veil was more than enough to ensure his safety. However, if he also had the help of Seven Faces, he could be unrestrained when carrying out some tasks. At that instant, he was eager to go back to his room with the artifact and refine it to experience its abstrusity.
Nonetheless, he still said, “This is too expensive. I don’t think I deserve it.”
The Proprietress kept a smile on her face, “5 million.”
Yang Kai became startled before he turned to stare at her, “What do you mean?” Why did she mention 5 million all of a sudden?
The Proprietress explained, “I’ll lend it to you until you become an Open Heaven Realm Master. The fee is 5 million Open Heaven Pills.”
An enraged Yang Kai bellowed, “You dare still say this isn’t a bandits’ inn!?”
He had the urge to strike her beautiful, smiling face with the Seven Faces in his hand. It was inconceivable that he was charged 5 million for a mask that he would have to return after he became an Open Heaven Realm Master. Why didn’t she just become a professional thief instead? It was no wonder that she kept looking smilingly at him as though she was up to no good. He regretted deeply the fact that he was actually moved just now.
The Proprietress said lightly, “Whether or not you want to borrow this artifact, it’s up to you.”
An exasperated Yang Kai put down the box and turned around to leave. On the other hand, the Proprietress watched him leave with a smile on her face as she tilted her head and rested her chin on one hand.
Three breaths later, Yang Kai stormed into the room and grabbed the box, shooting the Proprietress a glare before leaving again.
The Proprietress shouted from behind, “It’s 16.2 million now!”
Hearing that, Yang Kai staggered as he felt extremely bitter. It hadn’t been long since he arrived in the Outer Universe, but he had already owed the Proprietress a huge amount of money. How long would it take before he could clear this debt?
Behind him, the Proprietress could be heard laughing heartily, which showed that she was pleased with what she had achieved today.
A bitter Yang Kai found a room in the inner court and pushed the door open. The room was well-decorated, and it was complete with every basic facility he needed.
Sitting on the bed, he suppressed his fury and examined the box. Although 5 million was indeed a lot of money, Seven Faces was probably more beneficial to him than the Shadowless Veil at this point. If it was used at the right time and in the right location, the benefits couldn’t be gauged in mere monetary terms; therefore, despite the fact that the Proprietress was a black-hearted woman, Yang Kai still had no choice but to borrow this artifact from her.
After closing the door, Yang Kai took out Seven Faces from the box, and with the help of the dim light, he carefully pasted the mask on his face in front of a mirror.
It was so comfortable that it was as though nothing had been placed on his face at all, surprising him once more at its thinness and lightness; however, his face didn’t change as he hadn’t refined the artifact yet.
Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and emptied his mind before circulating his strength to refine it.
A few days later, Yang Kai, who was still refining Seven Faces, suddenly heard a series of rapid footsteps approaching his room. Following that, the door was pushed open from the outside as Bai Qi stuck in his head, “Brat, it’s time to start working. Come to the lobby now.”
Yang Kai grunted and took Seven Faces away from his face. After storing it away, he shuffled out of his room.
A few days had passed, but he still hadn’t fully refined Seven Faces, so he couldn’t activate its power yet; nevertheless, this process couldn’t be rushed. Therefore, he would just do it slowly over time.
In comparison, he was more curious about why the Proprietress had decided to come all the way to this Star City. Supposedly, after First Inn was destroyed, she should have rebuilt it in the same spot. What was her purpose for coming here?
With that said, it had nothing to do with him. Presently, he was just a shop hand hired by the inn, so he just had to obey the Proprietress’ orders.
Upon reaching the lobby, he realised that everyone from First Inn was already there, and he was the only one who was late. Hurriedly, he stood beside Bai Qi and scanned the surroundings. Everything in the lobby had been changed as all the tables and chairs appeared brand new. They must have bought new ones over the past few days.
After he joined the group, the Proprietress started giving them a pep talk. There was nothing special as she just said that the previous inn was destroyed, and they had to settle down here. Although they had come to a new place, the things they had to do remained unchanged; therefore, she hoped that everyone could work hard and move forward together.
Certainly, they all agreed to it.
Then, the Proprietress told Yang Kai and Bai Qi to hang the signboard of First Inn above the front entrance, which signalled that they were officially open for business. Seeing that, Yang Kai was speechless. First Inn was famous throughout the Outer Universe, but no one had come to congratulate them on the first day of reopening, which made them look somewhat pitiful.
With that said, the Proprietress certainly didn’t invite anyone to come over; after all, it had only been a few days since they arrived at this place, so they didn’t have the time for such minor things. Furthermore, as long as the signboard of First Inn was hung, they didn’t have to worry about not having customers. First Inn had been around for thousands of years, and they were now open in this Star City, where lots of people had gathered together and information could be spread around quickly. If anyone wanted to purchase information, they would have to come to First Inn.
Not long after the signboard was hung, a thin and shifty-looking middle-aged man appeared outside the doors.
As though he couldn’t believe that First Inn had opened a shop in this lively city, he kept looking around and beating around the bush. It wasn’t until the Proprietress revealed her Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura that this man was finally convinced.
Then, he requested a private room to have a chat with the Proprietress. It wasn’t certain what she was worried about, but she had brought Bai Qi and Yang Kai with her.
The middle-aged man was here to buy information. It wasn’t a top secret as he was just looking for the whereabouts of a certain type of precious treasure. After the Proprietress revealed the information to him, he became ecstatic and thanked her repeatedly. Following that, he put down some money and sauntered out of the inn.
An amazed Yang Kai had no idea how much money the person had left behind, but he reckoned that it must have been quite a sum. The Proprietress could earn lots of money by just selling information, making Yang Kai envious of this kind of business that required such low operating costs.
After the customer was gone, the Proprietress respectively gave Bai Qi and Yang Kai a jade slip and parted her lips, “Have a look.” Then, she took a sip of the tea.
A doubtful Yang Kai took it and scanned it with his Divine Sense, only to realise that the information in the jade slip was quite bizarre. The jade slip contained information such as shop names and their locations in the Star City. Besides that, it also included information such as the names of the shopkeepers and their cultivation. Recalling the jade slips given to the Proprietress by Yuan Rui De some time ago, Yang Kai reckoned that this was the same information.
Puzzled, he stared at the Proprietress and asked, “Who are they?”
The Proprietress lifted her head and shot him a glance, “Just like you, they owe us money.”
An amazed Yang Kai said, “There are people who have the guts to owe us money?”
First Inn was in the business that bought and sold information, and their customers had to pay in pills on delivery of service. How was it possible that so many people owed them money?
To the side, Bai Qi landed a kick on Yang Kai, which prompted him to turn his head, “What?”
The corner of Bai Qi’s mouth twitched as he put on a hollow laugh.
An exasperated Proprietress explained, “Our First Inn branch being destroyed has something to do with the great forces behind these shops, and I’ve already said that I will never let them off.”
Yang Kai became startled for a moment before he came to his senses, “You mean, the great forces behind these shops were the ones who had made a move in First Inn?”
“Naturally. Otherwise, why would I have come all the way here?”
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “What do we have to do?”
“Demand payment,” the Proprietress tapped on the table and said slowly. “Collect 10 million from every force listed.”
At that instant, Yang Kai felt an ache in his head. The reason he owed the Proprietress 10 million was that the inn’s destruction was partially his fault, so it wasn’t outrageous to demand 10 million from every one of those great forces that had participated in that fight that day. However, he was just an Emperor Realm Master while the people who had made a fuss in the inn previously were either from First Class Cave Heavens and Paradises, or Second Class great forces with Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. Would they even bother to meet a nobody like him, let alone deliver compensation?
The Proprietress seemed to understand his concerns, so she said, “Debts must be repaid, and we’re in the right to collect it from them. It would be best if they’re willing to pay, but if they refuse, I don’t mind making a fuss at their headquarters.”
A frustrated Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, if I’m not mistaken, some of the people who made a scene in the inn are from Cave Heavens and Paradises. How…”
The Proprietress cut him off by saying, “I’ll personally deal with them, so you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll handle the rest.” Then, she shot them a glance, “This is a matter which reflects upon our inn’s reputation, so don’t make any mistakes.”
“Proprietress may rest assured. I will definitely complete this task without embarrassing you,” Bai Qi cupped his fists and replied loudly.
Yang Kai gulped down what he was about to say as the Proprietress gazed at him and asked, “What about you?”
She was forcing Yang Kai to make his stance clear, so he said through clenched teeth, “I’ll do my best. I’ve never collected debts before, so I’m not familiar with it.”
The Proprietress said, “You currently owe me 16.2 million Open Heaven Pills. En, five percent of the debt you collect will go towards your repayment.”
“Seriously?” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened. Five percent might sound like a small number, but if he could collect 10 million, 500,000 would go towards his debt. There were about twenty shops listed in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress, so if he could collect debts from all of them, he would pay off 10 million all at once.
“I’m always serious when it comes to money.” The Proprietress nodded.
In a far more forceful manner than before, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Rest assured, this Yang will collect those debts regardless of what it takes.”
A satisfied Proprietress nodded her head and waved her hand, “Go now.”
At the same time, Yang Kai and Bai Qi turned around with their gazes filled with murderous intent, as though they were determined to achieve their goals at any cost.
After leaving the room, Bai Qi asked, “Why do you owe her 5 million more all of a sudden? Wasn’t it supposed to be 11.2 million?” 10 million was what Yang Kai already owed, and 1.2 million was the fee for leaving his Imprint at those Universe Temples. Bai Qi was aware of all that, but the extra 5 million puzzled him.
Yang Kai directly dodged the question by saying, “Old Bai, I reckon that we’d better come up with a way to collect these debts first.”
The Proprietress had lent him Seven Faces, but Yang Kai felt that he’d better keep it a secret for now.
Bai Qi replied, “I already have an idea. Come to my room for now so we can plan our strategy.” Then, he took Yang Kai’s arm and lugged him away.
After they entered the room and sat down, Yang Kai asked, “Have you collected debts before?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “No, it’s my first time.”
In disbelief, Yang Kai widened his eyes, “How dare you make such a bold claim when it’s your first time?” Bai Qi just claimed that he would definitely complete the task!
A nonchalant Bai Qi replied, “What is there to worry about? We have the Proprietress behind us, so we’ll just demand repayment from them first. If we can’t do it, we’ll just ask the Proprietress to make a move. I’m sure they wouldn’t dare to default on the debts then.”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. Bai Qi could carry out such a plan, but he couldn’t. The Proprietress had said that five percent of the debts he collected would go towards repaying his own debts, so he wanted to collect as much money as possible. It would be pointless if he had to ask the Proprietress to do it for him.
Bai Qi went on to say, “Whatever the case, we have to be polite before demanding any repayment. Everyone we’re trying to collect from is a famous figure in their own right, and they might not be aware of what had happened. It’s inappropriate if we just go over there and demand money from them.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Why don’t we send them a notice of debt first? In the notice, we’ll explain to them what happened and the purpose of our visit. We’ll see how things go before taking further action.”
“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.”
“In that case, we have to get a Faith Token from Proprietress; otherwise, why would anyone believe we’re from First Inn?”
“That’s easy. We’ll look for Proprietress later.”
After their brief discussion, the two got busy as they fished out blank jade slips and began writing notices of debt. Just like what they had agreed, they jotted down what had happened and their purpose of visit in those notices. The language they used was euphemistic and gentle. Although it was to demand repayment, it wouldn’t make anyone feel loathsome.
In fact, nineteen shops were listed in Yang Kai’s jade slip, so he had made nineteen notices of debt in total. Certainly, the number of notices Bai Qi had made was similar.
After they were done, they cross-checked one another’s jade slips to make sure that there was nothing wrong before going to ask the Proprietress for a Faith Token.
A generous Proprietress directly gave each of them a Jade Token the size of a palm with the characters ‘First Inn’ engraved on them.
After they got everything ready, they stepped out of the inn and cupped their fists at one another. Then, they wished each other swift success and parted ways, as though they were determined to not come back unless they managed to complete their great crusade.
Yang Kai strolled along the intricate streets as he took a glance at every single shop and experienced the local customs, which helped broaden his horizons.
Half a day later, he stepped into a teahouse and ordered a pot of tea before waiting in silence.
When the shop hand served him the tea, Yang Kai stopped him and said, “May I ask you a question?”
The shop hand politely replied, “Please.”
Yang Kai said, “It’s my first time here, so I’m not familiar with this place. Can you recommend someone who can take me for a tour around this city?”
The shop hand asked, “Are you looking for a guide?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve found the right person then. I do have someone in mind, but I’m not sure if she’ll meet your requirements.”
“Please bring her to meet me,” Yang Kai replied gently.
“Good. Please give me a moment,” the shop hand said.
As Yang Kai looked out the window, he enjoyed the tea and waited patiently. Although the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress contained all sorts of information about the 19 shops, he was totally unfamiliar with this city. Despite the fact that he had the jade slip, he had no idea where to look for those shops, which was why he came to a teahouse to hire a guide. Now, it seemed that he had made the right decision. No matter the city, teahouses and restaurants were where people from all walks of life gathered together, so it was easy to look for a guide from one of these places.
With a local guide leading the way, it would be easier for him to look for those shops. It was a necessary expense to help him achieve his goal quicker.
Soon after, the shop hand returned with someone. Yang Kai lifted his head and realised that the newcomer was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties with a curvy figure. She appeared quite charming. Her twin peaks were especially pronounced. However, there was a cautious smile on her face, and she appeared to be apprehensive. Standing behind the shop hand, she looked anxiously at Yang Kai.
Her cultivation was excellent as she seemed to be at the peak of the Emperor Realm; however, Yang Kai couldn’t detect any condensed aura of Dao from her. In other words, she hadn’t condensed her Dao Seal yet. It wasn’t surprising as at least ninety percent of Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t condense their own Dao Seals, spending their entire lives achieving nothing great.
The shop hand approached Yang Kai and spoke to him in his ear, “Sir, she’s a local who is familiar with this city. Are you fine with her? If not, I’ll get you a different one.”
Yang Kai lifted his head, whereupon the woman saluted him and said in a small voice, “Greetings, Sir.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. Without looking at her face, one would’ve thought that she was a young woman in her early twenties.
Yang Kai raised his hand and passed her the jade slip, “Do you know how to get to these places?”
After taking it, the woman scanned it with her Divine Sense and nodded, “Yes.”
“With our current location as the starting point, plan a route that will take me the shortest time to visit each of these places. Engrave it in the jade slip and show me.”
“Yes.” The woman immediately got to work. Soon, she respectfully returned the jade slip with both hands, “Sir, please have a look.”
After taking it, Yang Kai scanned it and realised that some information had been added and the nineteen shops had also been rearranged in sequence.
“Are you a local?” Yang Kai stared at her and asked.
The woman pressed her lips together and replied, “This Mistress was born in this city and has never left it before.”
Yang Kai nodded and shifted his attention to the shop hand, “I’ll hire her.” Then, he tossed 2 Open Heaven Pills at the shop hand.
The shop hand took them and became elated, “Many thanks, Sir. I’ll take my leave now.” As he turned around, he hinted at her with his gaze to motion for her to do her best.
After the shop hand was gone, Yang Kai gazed at the woman and said, “Have a seat.”
The woman hesitated for a moment, but she reckoned that she looked too conspicuous just standing in front of him, so after thanking him, she took a seat.
Yang Kai filled her cup with tea and asked, “What’s your name?”
She hurriedly replied, “This Mistress is Luo Hai Yi.”
After a nod, Yang Kai introduced himself, “My name is Yang Kai. I’ve hired you to take me to some places, but my task can’t be completed in just one or two days, so you best be prepared. During this period of time, you have to be ready whenever I call for your help.”
Luo Hai Yi quickly replied, “There’s no problem. This Mistress is a single woman with no family members, so there’s nothing else I have to attend to.”
A surprised Yang Kai asked, “Aren’t you a local here?” Since she was born in this place, why didn’t she have any family members?
A bashful Luo Hai Yi explained, “Although I was born in this city, I have no idea who my parents are. I was adopted as a child, and my adoptive Mother passed away 700 years ago.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, “You’re quite pitiful.”
In response, Luo Hai Yi smiled demurely.
“What’s your rate?” Yang Kai changed the topic.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “2 Open Heaven Pills a day.” Then, she carefully examined Yang Kai, and upon seeing that he frowned, she hurriedly offered a lower rate, “I’m fine with 3 pills every 2 days as well.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai realised that she had misunderstood him. He frowned not because he thought it was expensive, but because he felt that the rate was overly cheap; after all, he had just tipped the shop hand with 2 Open Heaven Pills.
However, he soon recalled that when he was a Worker in Seven Wonders Land in the past, he only received 3 pills every year. Although there were other ways to make additional income, an ordinary Worker would only receive 20 to 30 pills every year on average.
In comparison, Luo Hai Yi charging 2 pills a day couldn’t be considered quite expensive.
The reason Yang Kai felt it was cheap was that he had stayed by the Proprietress’ side for too long. Presently, he owed her 16.2 million Open Heaven Pills, so when compared to such an astronomical number, 2 or 3 pills were basically negligible.
“I’ll pay you three pills a day. Be ready at all times.”
Luo Hai Yi’s gaze brightened as she rose from the chair and saluted him, “Many thanks, Sir.” Seeing that Yang Kai’s cup was empty, she quickly poured him more tea.
Yang Kai nodded gently as he thought that this woman had sharp vision and a commendable demeanour. Judging from how cautious she was, she seemed to be an honest yet prudent person; therefore, he didn’t have to worry about anything when hiring her.
After they finished drinking the tea, they left the teahouse together.
Luo Hai Yi led the way and passed through several streets before stopping in front of a shop. Yang Kai looked up and saw ‘Gathering Virtue Emporium’ on the signboard.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Gathering Virtue Emporium was a business of Nine Stars Paradise, which was one of the 72 Paradises. It was a First Class great force in the 3,000 Worlds that had numerous High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth as it was certainly difficult to demand repayment from a shop backed by one of the Paradises; however, since he had come to this place, he had to give it a try at least.
Gathering Virtue Emporium lived up to its name as a business-sponsored by one of the 72 Paradises as it was much larger than the shops nearby. Moreover, a lot of customers could be seen patronising the shop. It wasn’t certain what kind of business it did, but with so many customers, they must earn a lot of money.
“Sir, do you want this Mistress to accompany you?” Luo Hai Yi asked in a hushed and shaking voice.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and realised that she had turned pale, and she subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, which suggested that she was nervous.
Although it had only been a short time since they met, Yang Kai could see that she was a self-abased woman who had always been at the bottom of the social hierarchy in the Star City. Apparently, she hadn’t been to such a high-end shop before, which was why she felt nervous.
“There’s no need for that. Wait here for me,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Luo Hai Yi was evidently relieved, then she pursed her lips, “Sir, I wish you success.” Although she had no idea why Yang Kai decided to come here, she reckoned that it wouldn’t be wrong to wish him well.
After a gentle nod, Yang Kai turned around, placed his hands behind his back, and shuffled confidently into the building.
Upon entering the shop, he saw a shop boy passionately approaching him and without beating around the bush, he fished out a notice of debt, which he had prepared earlier, “I’m looking for the shopkeeper.”
Upon hearing that, the shop boy was startled. Although he was just a general worker in the shop, he still technically belonged to Nine Stars Paradise, a point of pride for him. In all the years he worked here, he had never seen someone as arrogant as Yang Kai who directly demanded to see the shopkeeper.
It wasn’t easy to see the shopkeeper, who would only personally greet certain wealthy patrons and Yang Kai didn’t look like he had a lot of money.
After doubtfully taking the jade slip, the shop boy scanned it with his Divine Sense and immediately straightened his face. It was only then that he realised that Yang Kai was from the famous First Inn, so he said solemnly, “Wait a moment. I’ll inform the shopkeeper about your visit now.”
Then, he turned around and walked towards the back of the shop.
While Yang Kai was waiting, he took a stroll around the floor and realised that this place engaged in many kinds of businesses. All sorts of goods could be found here, including materials for Alchemy and Artifact Refining as well as finished products. Whenever he picked up something, a shop boy would come over and passionately introduce the product to him.
A moment later, the first shop boy approached Yang Kai and extended his hand, “The shopkeeper will see you now.”
Since Yang Kai was from First Inn, he believed no one would dare to reject meeting him. After a nod, Yang Kai calmly followed the shop boy and strode further into the shop.
Soon, Yang Kai met with the shopkeeper of Gathering Virtue Emporium in a reception room. He was a thin elderly man in the Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai had a feeling that the elderly man was as powerful as Duan Hai from Seven Wonders Land who was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, which matched the information in the jade slip.
Yang Kai was stunned by how extravagant a First Class great force truly was. Even a mere shopkeeper in this Star City was a Mid-Rank cultivator. Given his cultivation, this elderly man could’ve become a Protector Venerable in Seven Wonders Land.
However, it was even more outrageous in First Inn as the Proprietress was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. At the thought of this, Yang Kai relaxed.
When Yang Kai stepped into the room, the elderly man didn’t rise from the chair; after all, there was a huge gap between their strength. If he stood up to greet this young man, it would weaken his authority.
Then, the shop boy left and closed the door, leaving the two inside the room. Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Junior Yang Kai greets Shopkeeper Gong Sun.”
The shopkeeper of Gathering Virtue Emporium was named Gong Sun Hong, information which was included in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress. His face and cultivation matched the information recorded in the jade slip, so Yang Kai wouldn’t be mistaken.
A smiling Gong Sun Hong said, “You don’t have to be overly polite with me. Have a seat.”
Yang Kai thanked him and calmly took a seat. Although there was a huge gap between their powers, he was currently a representative of First Inn; therefore, he couldn’t appear weak.
Seeing that Yang Kai remained calm and collected in his presence, Gong Sun Hong secretly approved of the young man’s temperament.
After taking a few sips of the tea, Gong Sun Hong said, “Little friend, this Old Master has read your notice of debt and understands the purpose of your visit. You’ve said that you’re from First Inn, but do you have a Faith Token with you to prove your identity?”
“Of course,” With a smile, Yang Kai fished out the Jade Token given to him by the Proprietress and passed it to him.
After taking it, Gong Sun Hong infused his power into the token, and the next instant, the token shone brightly for a short moment. His expression changed slightly as he stared at Yang Kai, his face was visibly twitching as he asked, “Your shopkeeper is Madam Lan?”
“Indeed,” Yang Kai had no idea whether anything profound had been hidden in the Jade Token, which allowed the elderly man to immediately recognise who his backer was; however, judging from the elderly man’s expression, it seemed that he was wary of the Proprietress.
That was good news for Yang Kai as he secretly became elated. As long as the elderly man was wary of the Proprietress, he could easily collect the 10 million pill debt.
“Has Madam Lan arrived in this city?” Gong Sun Hong asked.
“Yes.”
“When did that happen? Why haven’t I got wind of it?”
“A few days ago,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The Proprietress prefers to act low-key and we’ve only hung up a signboard for the reopening today.”
Gong Sun Hong’s expression turned awkward as he coughed, “Madam Lan… is indeed a low-key person.” As though he had recalled something, his brow started twitching harder.
After a pause, he went on to say, “The reopening of First Inn is an important event that this Old Master should have gone over to congratulate Madam Lan about; however, since she doesn’t want to make it widely known, she must have her own reasons for doing so.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “This Junior is simply a subordinate, so I cannot speculate about Proprietress’ intentions.”
Gong Sun Hong nodded gently and tapped on the table as though he was pondering on something. A moment later, he said, “Little friend, this Old Master is not aware of the incident mentioned in the notice of debt. Can you tell me why that person from Nine Stars Paradise made a move in First Inn and even destroyed it?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can’t reveal the details of the incident to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If you’re interested to find out, you should ask Proprietress directly.”
With a forced smile, Gong Sun Hong raised his hand, “Let’s drink…”
Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and stared at him, “Shopkeeper Gong Sun, this Junior is here to demand payment from you. Our Proprietress has said that Nine Stars Paradise is a famous great force, and Gathering Virtue Emporium is a profitable business, so the amount of payment would be insignificant to you. I also have to collect debts from a number of other great forces, so I am tight on time and burdened with work. Would you please make the payment now?”
A surprised Gong Sun Hong asked, “You’re going to other places?”
Yang Kai replied, “That’s right…” He then went on to name a few shops.
Gong Sun Hong was astonished, “Did so many of them make a move in First Inn?” Those shops were all backed by great forces as well.
“There were indeed quite a number of them.” Yang Kai nodded, “To be honest with you, the reason the Proprietress has come all the way to this Star City is to collect these debts. She said that all of you have to pay what you owe. Proprietress said it would be best if she can receive the payments without incident, but if she can’t, she doesn’t mind going to the headquarters of those great forces to reason with them. She has also mentioned that the Cave Heavens and the Paradises are supposed to be on the same side, so it isn’t necessary to make things unpleasant for everyone over such a trivial matter.”
Gong Sun Hong could be seen frowning, but it wasn’t certain what was on his mind.
Yang Kai looked around and went on to say, “Gathering Virtue Emporium is such a big industry, so this Junior is certain you earn lots of money every year. Although 10 million is indeed a large sum, it shouldn’t be a burden to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If it’s alright for you, will you please help this Junior carry out his mission so he can go back and report to the Proprietress promptly?”
Gong Sun Hong nodded, “Since you’re from First Inn, and you have Madam Lan’s Faith Token with you, this Old Master is sure the incident you’ve just mentioned is true and that this payment is duly warranted. But…” His tone changed, “This is only your version of the story, after all. As for what really happened, I’ll have to send a message to headquarters to ask for further details. If the incident is just like what you’ve described, Nine Stars Paradise will naturally not default on its debts.”
Yang Kai knew that he couldn’t achieve his goal so easily. If he could collect 10 million by just demanding the payment, it would make it look like Nine Stars Paradise was afraid of First Inn; therefore, he wasn’t disappointed as this scenario was within his expectations. After a nod, he agreed, “That is a reasonable position. How long does Shopkeeper Gong Sun believe it will take for you to send a message to your headquarters to inquire about the situation?”
“One month,” Gong Sun Hong replied, “I’ll give you an answer in one month.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai rose from the chair and cupped his fists, “Then I shall have to trouble you, Shopkeeper Gong Sun.”
“En, please.” Gong Sun Hong extended his hand.
Upon leaving Gathering Virtue Emporium, Yang Kai immediately saw Luo Hai Yi standing across the street; then, he beckoned to her, whereupon she approached him and asked in a hushed voice, “Sir, have you completed your task?”
“It went smoothly.” Yang Kai nodded as he had somewhat achieved his goal, “Let’s go to the next shop.”
It took them the entire afternoon to visit three shops. Besides Gathering Virtue Emporium, there was one more shop that was backed by a Paradise. Similar to Gong Sun Hong’s reply, they requested time to send a message to their headquarters to ask about the situation.
The last shop was only backed by a Second Class force, so they were not as haughty as the others with First Class backing. Upon learning that someone from First Inn had arrived to demand payment, they appeared afraid and treated Yang Kai politely. However, they still couldn’t make the payment immediately.
Even as night descended, the Star City remained a lively place. After running around for the entire afternoon and dealing with so many people who were far stronger than himself, Yang Kai felt exhausted. Therefore, he told Luo Hai Yi to go home, and he’d look for her the next day.
Before they parted ways, they traded means to contact one another, and Yang Kai told her that they would continue moving around the next day. Naturally, Luo Hai Yi agreed to it.
Upon returning to First Inn, Yang Kai realised that the place was bustling with noise as the lobby was crammed with people. He was dumbfounded at the sight of so many drinking and chatting with one another.
On the other hand, the Proprietress could be seen walking around the hall and talking to each of the customers. Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as though he was still inside the First Inn in the void.
It had only been one day since the reopening, but the inn was already filled with patrons, which went to show that the inn was truly famous.
Seeing Yang Kai, the Proprietress beckoned to him, upon which he hurriedly walked up to her.
After they entered the inner part of the inn, the Proprietress turned around and took a seat as she gazed at Yang Kai to ask, “How was it?”
“Not bad.” Yang Kai walked over and poured himself a cup with tea before taking a few sips, “First Inn is extremely famous, so no one has dared to make things difficult for me.”
“That’s not what I wanted to know.” The Proprietress shot him a glare, “Have you collected any money?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai put down the tea cup and burst into laughter, “It’s not so easy. They each asked for time to contact their headquarters, seemingly wanting to validate the incident before deciding whether they’ll repay us.”
“How many shops have you visited?”
“Three, and they all said the same thing.”
The Proprietress nodded, “That’s expected, but make sure it’s within an acceptable time limit.”
“Don’t worry. They’ve promised to give me a reply in one month’s time, which should be acceptable.”
“One month… En, good. You can start working now.” The Proprietress waved her hand.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai stared at her in shock.
The Proprietress batted her eyes, “You’re a shop hand of this inn, so don’t you have to serve the customers? There are many customers in the lobby now, and we’re short on staff. Go help out.”
“I…” Yang Kai was lost for words. He had never served customers in an inn before.
“What are you hesitating for? Go now, or do you want me to serve the customers myself?”
Yang Kai glared at her for a long time before he admitted defeat, as the Proprietress was in a more important position than him. Then, he said through clenched teeth, “Fine. You win.” After finishing his words, he turned around and stormed out of the room.
Behind him, the Proprietress crossed her legs with a faint smile on her face.
Upon reaching the lobby, Yang Kai looked around and directly snatched a white towel from a shop boy before hanging it over his shoulder. Then, he entered the kitchen to get some dishes.
Everyone was a cultivator full of energy, so the inn was never closed. It wasn’t until the next morning that Yang Kai had time to take a rest. What enraged him was that he hadn’t seen Bai Qi since his return. Bai Qi must know that he’d have to continue working if he came back, which was why he decided to stay overnight somewhere else.
Yang Kai secretly decided that he wouldn’t come back the next day. After he was done with his break, he left the inn and sent a message to Luo Hai Yi to inform her to wait for him in front of the previous teahouse.
When Yang Kai reached the teahouse, she was already waiting for him.
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared knackered, she went over and asked, “Sir, didn’t you have a good night’s sleep?”
“Let’s not talk about it,” Yang Kai said with some frustration. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a good night’s sleep, but that he didn’t sleep at all. Although it didn’t really matter to an Emperor Realm cultivator, Yang Kai still felt pretty tired.
Since he wasn’t willing to talk about it, Luo Hai Yi wouldn’t dare to keep asking. Then, they set off for the day.
Just like what had happened on the previous day, after visiting several shops, Yang Kai got similar replies. After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. If he were faced with such an incident, he wouldn’t believe only one side of the story, even though First Inn had an excellent reputation.
He had entered every shop and had a chat with those shopkeepers. On this day, he managed to visit 7 shops. At this rate, it would take him two to three days before he could finish visiting them all, causing him to wonder about Bai Qi’s progress.
Thus, he sent a message to Bai Qi to ask him about it, but he didn’t receive any reply, causing him to wonder what the latter was up to.
That evening, Yang Kai brought Luo Hai Yi to a restaurant and ordered some food and drinks for her as a gesture of gratitude. She had worked hard guiding him around all day and attending to his needs.
Luo Hai Yi didn’t want him to waste any money on her, but upon his insistence, she had no choice but to let him be.
During the meal, she still respectfully poured drinks for him, but Yang Kai wasn’t quite comfortable with such formality because, just like himself, she was also an Emperor Realm Master, so there was practically no difference between them. He didn’t think she should keep calling him ‘Sir’ as he didn’t deserve it.
After they drank for a bit, Luo Hai Yi’s face had reddened, and her vision had become blurred. It seemed that she was a light drinker.
Yang Kai had always been curious about one thing, so he asked, “How do Emperor Realm cultivators in the Outer Universe advance their Martial Dao?”
He had condensed his own Dao Seal in the Profound Heavens Temple, an experience every Great Emperor in the Star Boundary had gone through. Apparently, the other Great Emperors in other Universe Worlds had had similar experiences. Nevertheless, the capacity of a Universe World was limited, so only a small number of people could condense their Dao Seals this way. How did people in the Outer Universe achieve this then? Since Luo Hai Yi was a local, he decided to ask her about it.
Luo Hai Yi patted her burning face and said with a smile, “Those with an excellent aptitude can comprehend their own Grand Dao to condense a Dao Seal; however, those with a weaker aptitude like me can only rely on auxiliary aids.”
After drinking some wine, Luo Hai Yi had become less restrained so she no longer spoke as cautiously as before.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
“Some treasures as well as elixirs can help peak Emperors condense their Dao Seal, the most common example of which is the Grand Dao Pill. However, these things are all quite expensive and difficult to come by.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded. He had always wondered what those Emperor Realm Masters, who hadn’t condensed their Dao Seals, needed Open Heaven Pills for. Although the pills were like a currency in the Outer Universe that could be used to buy various items, they were useless to Emperor Realm cultivators. It was unlike Open Heaven Realm Masters, who could improve their Order by consuming and refining such pills.
Now, it seemed that Open Heaven Pills were useful for everyone. Apparently, Luo Hai Yi had been working hard in order to save up to buy some Grand Dao Pills to condense her Dao Seal so that she could take a leap forward in her Martial Dao.
However, condensing a Dao Seal was just the first step; after that, one still had to condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements before they could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. The Martial Dao was long and winding, and one needed plenty of financial resources to traverse it. Not many people were as lucky as Yang Kai, who managed to condense the High-Order materials for both his Wood and Fire Element.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t even certain whether he could find the remaining Elements necessary, and if even one of those materials failed to meet his requirements, he would fail to reach the Open Heaven Realm in one leap.
As they continued drinking and chatting, the atmosphere grew more harmonious.
A long time later, Yang Kai said, “Let’s call it a day. You can have a rest now. We’ll meet again tomorrow in the usual spot.”
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi put down her chopsticks and rose from the chair, “This Mistress will take her leave then.”
Yang Kai nodded and watched her leave.
After the incident the previous day, Yang Kai decided not to return to First Inn lest he be forced to serve customers again; thus, he fished out a communications artifact and contacted Bai Qi, who, unexpectedly, replied promptly. After asking Bai Qi where he was, he immediately told Yang Kai his location.
Judging from the place’s name though, Yang Kai reckoned that it was one that offered certain amorous services.
[He dares to have fun at a brothel while I have to work!?]
Bai Qi passionately invited Yang Kai to enjoy the night with him, which Yang Kai resolutely rejected.
After drinking on his own for a bit, Yang Kai paid the bill for the meal and left the restaurant, preparing to look for a different inn to take a rest.
Although the inns in the Star City were not cheap, they wouldn’t be more expensive than First Inn. In the past, he had to pay 1,000 Open Heaven Pills every night to stay in First Inn. Later on, the fee was raised by the black-hearted Proprietress to 10,000 a night.
Right after he stepped out of the restaurant though, Yang Kai saw a figure standing across the street. Shocked, he went over and asked, “Why are you still here? Is everything alright?”
He hadn’t expected that Luo Hai Yi would be waiting for him outside the building.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “I’m fine. I was just worried about you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Those bottles of wine couldn’t get me drunk. You should go home now.”
He thought that she was pretty considerate.
“It’s still early. If Sir wants, I can take you on a stroll around the city. You’re always busy during the day, so you have no time to just explore.” She paused for a moment, “Of course, for free,” she added.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I’m fine with it, but will I be troubling you?”
Luo Hai Yi quickly waved her hands, “It’s alright. There’s no one else in my home, so I have nothing to do anyway.” She halted for a moment, “Where do you want to go? There’s a red light district in the Western District. Men love going there…” As she spoke, she started blushing.
Yang Kai said, “Where’s the Spring Breeze Fine Rain Pavilion?”
Luo Hai Yi lowered her head and blushed as she asked, “Does Sir know about that place?”
Yang Kai tutted, “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there before.” He had speculated that Bai Qi was having fun with women, and now it seemed that it was indeed the case.
“Does Sir want to go there?” Luo Hai Yi asked.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “There’s no need for that. Let’s just walk around.” He suddenly thought of something, “By the way, I’d like to buy a map. Where can I get one?”
Luo Hai Yi asked, “Do you want to buy a Universe Chart? We have to go to Four Seas Workshop, then. They have the latest and most comprehensive Universe Charts.”
“Let’s go, then,” Yang Kai’s interest was piqued as he had always wanted to buy a map of the Outer Universe. He remembered someone telling him that a Universe Chart included the maps of all the Great Territories that had been discovered in the Outer Universe. It could be said that the chart was one of the necessary items for a cultivator to roam around.
Yang Kai intended to use a Universe Chart to look for the Star Boundary. He was swallowed by a Myriad Facets Insect and then unfathomably appeared near where Seven Wonders Land was located. Although he hadn’t found the World Tree, it would be wonderful if he could find a route home first.
Luo Hai Yi was very familiar with the city, so after passing through some streets, the pair arrived at a certain shop, which was Four Seas Workshop.
Even though it was nighttime now, the Star City remained just as lively as during the day.
After they entered the shop, a woman that looked like a maidservant approached and elegantly bowed to them before asking in a sweet voice, “Good evening, honoured guests. What can I help you with?”
Luo Hai Yi promptly stepped forward and replied, “My companion would like to buy a Universe Chart.”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “Please come with me.” At the same time, she motioned with her hand.
Yang Kai followed her to a row of shelves, but there didn’t seem to be any maps in sight. Instead, the shelves were filled with boxes the length of chopsticks. The black boxes looked extremely odd. Although he was puzzled, he didn’t ask any questions.
Luo Hai Yi then said, “Introduce them to us.”
Hearing that, the maidservant replied, “Replying to the honoured guest, our shop’s Universe Charts are divided into three ranks. The lowest rank ones are of single Great Territories. They include the Universe Worlds that have been discovered as well as important Spirit Provinces of these territories. The middle rank is a map of the known universe, including all the Great Territories that have been discovered. It also includes all the information in the lowest rank maps as well as the locations of all Universe Temples and Territory Gates, making it fairly comprehensive and easy to understand.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “What about the one above the middle rank?”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “There’s no difference between a high-rank map and a middle-rank map.”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “Why are they divided into different ranks when there’s no difference?”
“Well, there’s indeed no difference between the two, but if you buy a high-rank map, we’ll help you update the Universe Chart for free for life in the instance, for example, that a new Great Territory is discovered. We have many branches in different Star Cities across the 3,000 Worlds, so honoured guest doesn’t have to worry as you just have to take your Universe Chart to any of our branches. However, you don’t get this benefit if you buy a mid-rank one and will have to pay a fee if you want to update the chart.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai nodded.
The maidservant went on to say, “Does honoured guest want a map of a particular Great Territory, or the compilation of all Great Territories?”
Yang Kai replied, “I want the compilation, of course.”
The maidservant said, “In that case, I suggest that you buy a high-rank chart…”
Before she could finish her words, Luo Hai Yi cut her off by saying, “The middle-rank one is good enough.”
The maidservant shot her a glance, but she still kept a smile on her face, “Good. It is honoured guest’s freedom to choose.”
“Show us one,” Luo Hai Yi said.
The maidservant nodded and turned around.
Seizing the chance, Luo Hai Yi spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Sir, as far as I know, the high-rank map is twice as expensive as a middle-rank one; moreover, no new Great Territories have been discovered in over 10,000 years, so it would be quite wasteful if you buy a high-rank one.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded gently.
A moment later, the maidservant took out a long black box and passed it to Yang Kai, “You just have to infuse your Divine Sense into it.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded. It was then he realised that these long boxes were the Universe Charts. Fortunately, he didn’t ask any questions when he saw them; otherwise, he would’ve embarrassed himself.
Following her instruction, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense and immediately realised that the view around him had changed, as though he had entered a new world. His vision kept zooming in on a particular spot and eventually stopped. After a glance, he realised that there was a red dot that kept flickering, and the words ‘Star City’ were marked beside the red dot.
It was then he came to the realisation that the red dot represented his current location, and the Star City that was marked must be the one he was in.
As a thought flashed across his mind, his vision started zooming out. Names began appearing around the Star City. They looked like the names of the surrounding Universe Worlds.
Although it was his first time using a Universe Chart, Yang Kai was able to quickly figure out how to operate it as it was quite user-friendly.
At that instant, he thought that he should get one so that he could move around easily. After retracting his Divine Sense, he asked, “How much?”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “500,000.”
Yang Kai nodded his head as the price wasn’t excessive given its quality and utility; however, did he even have 500,000 Open Heaven Pills? Most of his current wealth was obtained from looting dead people from Seven Wonders Land. Then, in First Inn, Wei Que felt sorry for failing to bring Yang Kai to Great Moon Province, so he passed him some pills before he left, approximately 200,000 of them. Great Moon Province was just a Third Class force, and the pills were given to him by Wei Que as personal compensation, so it was expected that there were not too many. Yang Kai even reckoned that 200,000 pills had been quite a big loss for Wei Que.
Just when Yang Kai was preparing to count how many pills he had with him to see if he could afford the price for the Universe Chart, he saw Luo Hai Yi dragging the maidservant away and began discussing something with her via Divine Sense.
After Yang Kai finished counting, Luo Hai Yi was also done with the discussion as she walked over and said, “Sir, I’ve managed to secure a 10% discount for you. It’s now 450,000.”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. It was then he realised that Luo Hai Yi had pulled the maidservant away to bargain.
It could be said to be a big discount to have 50,000 pills taken off the price tag.
However, after counting just now, Yang Kai realised that he still didn’t have enough pills as he only had about 430,000 on him.
Yang Kai was now caught in an embarrassing situation as the price had been agreed upon, so all he could do was pay the bill, but how could he do that without enough money?
As he was stuck in a dilemma, Luo Hai Yi observed his expression and realised that he might be facing just such difficulties, so she spoke to him in via Divine Sense, “Sir, have you not brought enough with you?”
Luo Hai Yi asked Yang Kai whether he hadn’t brought enough money with him, not whether he didn’t have enough money, which was a very considerate question that had significantly lessened his embarrassment.
In response, he nodded his head, but just as he was about to put down the Universe Chart as he had decided to buy it at a later time, he heard Luo Hai Yi asking, “Sir, how much do you still lack?”
“Not much. About 20,000.” Yang Kai scratched his face.
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi said, “Sir, if you don’t mind, I can lend you the money first and you can repay me at a later time.”
Yang Kai turned to look at her in shock as he hadn’t expected that she was such a bold person. It had only been two days since they met each other, and their relationship was nothing more than a client and his local guide. Furthermore, she wasn’t from a rich family and must have worked for many years to accumulate 20,000 pills.
One had to be truly bold to lend so much money to a stranger; after all, she wasn’t even sure who Yang Kai was. If he ran away with her money, there was no way she could find him.
Met with his gaze, Luo Hai Yi said in a small voice, “I trust you, Sir.”
Since she had said as much, Yang Kai figured it would be disrespectful to refuse her goodwill; therefore, he nodded, “Alright then, just regard it as me borrowing money from you that I will repay in the near future.”
Luo Hai Yi said, “I’ll settle the bill.”
After that, Yang Kai passed a Space Ring to her and watched her and the maidservant walk towards the counter. In his heart, he thought that Luo Hai Yi was indeed a thoughtful woman. By just helping him make the payment, she had allowed him to avoid a major loss of face. By having her pay, he didn’t have to take the pills from her and let others find out he didn’t have enough money to pay as she could now just secretly transfer her pills to Yang Kai’s ring.
Just a moment later, she returned and said, “Sir, it’s done.”
After a nod, Yang Kai stuffed the Universe Chart into his Space Ring and left the shop with her.
“Sir, do you need anything else?” Luo Hai Yi asked.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “I’m basically broke now. What else can I buy?”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi became bashful as she realised that she had phrased her question the wrong thing, so she hurriedly changed the topic, “Are you going back to take a rest then?”
Yang Kai shook his head. Recalling his experience the previous day, he decided not to go back to First Inn. He had intended to look for an inn to take a rest, but it wasn’t possible now; after all, how was he going to get a room at an inn when he didn’t have any money?
Luo Hai Yi must have realised this, so she suggested, “Sir, do you want to go to my place?”
“Is that alright for you?” Yang Kai appeared hesitant.
Luo Hai Yi smiled lightly, “It’s not a problem. There’s no one else in my home as I’m the only…” All of a sudden, she realised that what she had just said might make him misunderstand her. It was as though she was trying to seduce him, which was why her face reddened.
Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t seem to mind it as he lifted his hand, “Let’s go, then.” It wasn’t like he could roam around the city for the entire night as it would be too boring. Moreover, he had just borrowed a significant amount of money from Luo Hai Yi. If he was so eager to part ways with her now, it would make him look like he was trying to avoid repaying his debt; therefore, he decided to take her offer at face value and go with her.
“Then please follow me, Sir,” Luo Hai Yi directly led the way for him.
As they moved forward, they slowly left the lively downtown and entered an area that was slightly dilapidated. It seemed to be in the outskirts of the Star City as they were pretty far from the central district now. Houses had been erected everywhere in a disorderly manner, and there wasn’t even a single proper road.
From time to time, people could be seen moving around, but their cultivations were all quite low. Most of them were in the Emperor Realm like Luo Hai Yi, but there were still a large number who were even inferior to that.
Yang Kai came to the realisation that this must be where those at the bottom of the social hierarchy lived. Fortunately, even though this place was somewhat dirty and disorganized, it was still within the jurisdiction of the Star City; therefore, no one would dare to make a fuss here.
Apparently, many of the locals knew Luo Hai Yi, so as the pair walked along the streets, a number of people greeted her. When some women saw that Yang Kai was following her, a meaningful look appeared on their faces, which made Luo Hai Yi feel bashful.
Soon, they arrived at a house. Luo Hai Yi stepped forward and turned off the house’s barrier; then, she opened the door and stepped aside, “Sir, please come in.”
Upon entering the house, Yang Kai looked around and realised that even though the house was small, it was tidy and neatly arranged. There wasn’t a yard as there was only a hall and a bedroom in the house. A pleasant scent permeated the air which could make anyone feel at ease.
Luo Hai Yi invited Yang Kai to have a seat as she prepared a pot of tea and said with an apologetic look on her face, “This is a small place. Please don’t mind it.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I come from a small town as well, so I’m used to living in poverty.”
An amazed Luo Hai Yi said, “Sir doesn’t look like you used to be poor.”
“What do I look like, then?”
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Sir looks like you’ve been in a position of authority for a long time, wielding great power and wealth.”
In response, Yang Kai guffawed.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “Sir, please do not think that I’m just flattering you. I’ve been making a living in this city for over a thousand years, so I’m quite confident in my ability to read people. Why do you think I had the courage to lend you all my savings? That’s because I believe you’re a trustworthy person. You might become destitute for a short period of time, but you’ll eventually rise to great heights.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai stopped smiling and carefully examined her. He hadn’t expected that this woman, who had been so cautious when they first met, had such an acute understanding of the world.
Luo Hai Yi covered her red lips with her mouth and said apprehensively, “I’ve said too much. Sir, please forgive me.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Let’s talk about you instead of me. Although your cultivation is not powerful, it’s not weak either. Have you never thought of joining a great force?”
With a bitter smile, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Even if there aren’t ten thousand people in Star City just like me, there are at least eight thousand, all of us with no backgrounds and connections, so no great force will accept us. What can they do by taking us in? It’s not like they’ll gain anything from nurturing us.” She paused for a moment, “In the past, there was a great force that had come to the city to recruit disciples, but they wanted children who were mouldable. I didn’t have such luck.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head. He was also a Sect Master, which was why he understood this kind of mentality. A Sect would rather spend the time and resources to nurture a disciple from a young age than take in a stranger who had already advanced far on their Martial Dao. This had a bit to do with establishing a proper foundation, but the main purpose was to foster a sense of loyalty to the Sect.
“My only wish is to earn enough money to buy a few Grand Dao Pills to see whether I can condense my Dao Seal. If I can one day reach the Open Heaven Realm, my life will be worth it.”
“Are Grand Dao Pills that expensive?”
“Each pill is worth at least 10,000 pills; moreover, it seems that it’s difficult to make these pills, so the output is limited. Whenever these pills go on sale, they are snatched up in an instant.”
Yang Kai nodded as this was indeed a thorny issue in the Outer Universe. There were probably many people at the Peak Emperor Realm who were unable to condense their Dao Seals, which was why Grand Dao Pills were so sought after. It wasn’t hard to imagine that besides people at the bottom of the social hierarchy like Luo Hai Yi, all great forces needed to stock such pills; therefore, the chance for people like her to get even a single such pill was slim.
“How many Grand Dao Pill do you think you’ll need?”
“Three pills at the very least.” Luo Hai Yi smiled meekly, “My aptitude is somewhat weak, so without three Grand Dao Pills, I’m not confident in condensing my Dao Seal.”
Yang Kai nodded as he wondered what Grand Dao Pills were made from. If he had enough ingredients and the pill recipe, he should be able to refine them as well.
After they chatted for a while more, Yang Kai said, “Take a rest. You’ve worked hard for the entire day.”
Luo Hai Yi replied, “I’ll do that, then. If there’s anything you need, just call out.” She didn’t reject him as, despite her boldness, she still thought it would be inappropriate to let a man rest in her bedroom.
While she was shuffling towards her room, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. Then, she hung her head low and asked in a small voice, “Sir, do you need someone to… keep you company at night? I can summon one of those people around here…”
Yang Kai shot her a stiff glance before shaking his head, “There’s no need for that.”
“En,” Luo Hai Yi visibly heaved a sigh of relief, then she entered the room and closed the door.
Yang Kai was left alone in the living room with a helpless expression on his face. He had never expected that he would have to stay overnight in the house of a woman he had just met one day. He decided that he had to get some money the next day to pay Luo Hai Yi back. If there was no other way, he could just sell one of his Sun’s True Fires.
A Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fire should be worth 150,000 Open Heaven Pills, which would be more than enough to repay Luo Hai Yi and still have plenty left over for him to use. He had 6 Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fires and 3 Fifth-Order ones, which were all obtained from the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
A Fifth-Order material was worth on average 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills, and if it weren’t for him not being able to pay off his entire debt at once, he would have sold them all so that he would break free from the Proprietress’ grip.
When Yang Kai thought about it like that, he realized once more just how much of a massive haemorrhaging the 200,000 pills Wei Que had given him must have been for him. That amount of pills was enough to purchase a Fourth-Order material while Great Moon Province was just a Third-Class force without even a single Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After swimming in his thoughts for a bit, Yang Kai fished out Seven Faces and pasted it on his face to continue refining it. At the same time, he took out the Universe Chart and infused a bit of his Divine Sense into it.
He was trying to look for the Star Boundary in the Universe Chart.
It was only a moment later that Yang Kai became astounded as he realised there were over 1,000 Great Territories that had been discovered in the Outer Universe, and these were just the ones that had been charted. There were still unknown Great Territories that had yet to be explored far beyond the borders of the 3,000 Worlds.
Each of the 1,000 Great Territories had a varying number of Universe Worlds as well as Spirit Provinces that were headquarters of different great forces. The location of every Territory Gate and where it led was also indicated in the Universe Chart.
The chart was worth the 450,000 pills Yang Kai had to pay for. It would take tens if not hundreds of years to compile all this information considering the vastness of the Outer Universe, and the chart could still be updated. It was totally worth the price.
On the other hand, anyone with enough money would be willing to buy a Universe Chart, so Four Seas Workshop clearly must earn a massive amount of money from this product.
All the Great Territories had their own names, but Yang Kai soon realised that these names had something to do with the strongest great forces in the respective Territories. For example, the Great Territory where Seven Wonders Land was located was called Seven Wonders Territory. That was because Seven Wonders Land was the most powerful great force in that Great Territory.
The Great Territories where the Cave Heavens and Paradises were located were basically named after them. For example, the one Myriad Demons Heaven was in was called Myriad Demons Territory, while the one Great Battle Heaven was in was called Great Battle Territory.
Yang Kai also found Lang Ya Paradise and Golden Antelope Paradise in the Universe Chart.
He paid extra attention to Lang Ya Paradise because Zhang Ruo Xi’s ancestor was born in that place. She had come to the Outer Universe together with him, but they had been separated by the Myriad Facets Insect. If there were no more unexpected events though, she should have headed to Lang Ya Paradise. On the other hand, Golden Antelope Paradise was where the Golden Blade Yuan Spirit existed. If he wanted to condense his Metal Element, that would be a good place to look.
Then, Yang Kai tried to calculate the distance between the two Paradises and himself, whereupon he became speechless. That was because they were several dozen Great Territories between them. If he wanted to travel there without the help of the Universe Transference Law, it would take him several years to do so.
Upon that realisation, he became slightly worried. Although Zhang Ruo Xi was fairly powerful in the Star Boundary, she was still too weak in the Outer Universe. She was on her own, so it wasn’t certain whether she could safely and smoothly reach Lang Ya Paradise.
Other than the Great Territories that had their own names, there were also many of them that only had generic names. For example, A1 Territory, B3 Territory, and so on.
After going through them, Yang Kai realised that there was a regular pattern in naming them.
Those Great Territories that only had generic names were those that didn’t have a single Second Class force occupying them. For example, the one that Great Moon Province was in was called D39 Territory instead of Great Moon Territory.
In that case, only Great Territories where Second Class and above great forces were headquartered could have their own names. Those with only Third Class forces didn’t have such a right.
Some Great Territories didn’t even have Third Class great forces as they only had a number of Universe Worlds.
It was an immensely difficult task to locate the Star Boundary in such an expansive chart, and after going through many Great Territories, Yang Kai felt his head ache slightly.
A long time later, he suddenly heard someone opening the door. He immediately retracted his Divine Sense and lifted his head, only to see Luo Hai Yi shuffling out of her bedroom.
He fell into a dazed state for a moment before realising that it must be the break of dawn.
“Sir, didn’t you take a rest?” Luo Hai Yi gazed at him in surprise.
Yang Kai put away the Universe Chart and shook his head, “I forgot to take a rest because I was busy with something. Is it daylight now?”
She nodded her head, “Yes.”
They had to start working in the morning, so they cleaned up for a bit before stepping out of the house.
After two days of demanding repayment, Yang Kai was already familiar with the task. In any case, he didn’t expect to collect any money immediately. The other parties would have to verify his claims before deciding whether they’d make any compensation. Yang Kai just had to leave a notice of debt and have a chat with the individual shopkeepers; then, he would explain what had happened and inform the other person of the time limit of one month.
Everything went smoothly as they visited several shops on this day.
On their way to their next destination, however, Luo Hai Yi suddenly said, “Sir, you have to be careful when dealing with the shopkeeper from Hundred Refining’s Hall.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her. What was different about Hundred Refining’s Hall? She had never warned him about any shop before.
She explained, “I’m not sure whether it’s true or not, but there’s a rumour which says that the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall is a thug who is completely unreasonable.”
Yang Kai took a look at his jade slip and realised that Hundred Refining’s Hall was backed by a Paradise, so with a smile, he simply replied, “It’s fine. I’ll reason with him if he’s a reasonable person. If not, someone else would deal with him.”
With the Proprietress, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, behind him, Yang Kai didn’t have to be afraid of anyone as long as the other party wasn’t a High-Rank cultivator. Furthermore, judging from how the other shopkeepers treated him over the days, he reckoned that First Inn was also backed by one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens.
Although both Cave Heavens and Paradises were First Class great forces, there had to be a reason that Cave Heavens were regarded as higher in status than the latter.
Nevertheless, if there wasn’t a real need, Yang Kai wouldn’t want to ask for the Proprietress’ help. First of all, five percent of the money he collected would go towards his own repayment. Secondly, if he sought her help whenever he faced any difficulty, it’d make him look like a useless person.
Seeing his attitude, Luo Hai Yi held her words; after all, she had never met the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall before and had only heard some rumours about him. It’d be embarrassing for her if she was mistaken.
When they reached Hundred Refining’s Hall, she still waited outside while Yang Kai presented a notice of the debt. A moment later, a shop hand led him into the inner court.
Upon stepping into this place, Yang Kai felt a series of violent energy fluctuations coming from up ahead. He was shocked as he wondered who had the guts to make trouble here. Judging from the intensity of the energy fluctuations though, these people were not very powerful. At the very least, they hadn’t ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai reckoned that, just like himself, they had only condensed their Dao Seals.
A vigilant Yang Kai lifted his head and became astounded. In front of him, there was a large area that had been surrounded by an invisible barrier. Inside it, two figures continuously clashed with one another as they showcased their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. It could be said that they were in an intense battle.
One of them was a young man in green clothes while the other was an elderly man. It wasn’t certain what grudges they had against one another, but their moves were so ruthless that it was as though they were determined to kill one another. Both of them were similarly powerful with excellent methods that marked them both as elites.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring fixedly at them for a time before the shop boy turned around and called out, “Please follow me!”
It was only then that Yang Kai retracted his gaze and followed after the shop boy.
Soon, they reached a platform, on which a burly man with a ruddy face was staring fixedly at the battle in front of him with his hands on his hips.
It seemed this man was born with ominous facial features, so he gave off a threatening feeling even if he didn’t circulate any of his strength. However, presently, the energy fluctuations around him were unstable, which caused the subordinates around him to shudder in fright, as though they were worried that he would blow his top.
The shop boy hung his head low and stared at his own feet before saying in a shaking voice, “S-S-Shopkeeper, he’s here.”
“Tell him to wait,” The burly man waved his hand and continued staring attentively at the battle without sparing Yang Kai a glance. He seemed agitated, but it wasn’t certain what the reason was.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. In the past, no matter which shop he visited, the shopkeeper would always treat him politely and wouldn’t look down on him just because his cultivation was weak. It was the first time he had been outright ignored.
It seemed that the rumours weren’t unfounded. Luo Hai Yi might be right to say that the shopkeeper of this place was a muscle-headed thug.
Since the shopkeeper wanted him to wait though, Yang Kai had no other choice but to comply. Fortunately, there was a battle going on, so he just regarded it as watching a show by shifting his attention to the two figures.
The battle was fervent; however, due to both parties having similar prowess, it seemed a winner wouldn’t emerge so soon.
The shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall appeared impatient, so he bellowed, “Wastes! The both of you! How much time are you going to keep wasting? I’ll give you ten breaths to defeat the other party; otherwise, both of you will be sent to the mines!”
With a stunned expression, Yang Kai turned to look at this brute, thinking that all kinds of people existed in this world. The two who were fighting were clearly equally matched, but the shopkeeper was now forcing them to decide a winner within ten breaths. It was no different from forcing them to use their trump cards and forbidden techniques.
Noticing Yang Kai’s stare, the burly man looked down at him and grinned, revealing a ferocious grin. In response, Yang Kai flashed a business-like smile at him.
Hearing the orders though, the two people on the battlefield leapt backwards and wore solemn expressions. Following that, even more violent energy fluctuations swirled around them and in the next instant, as though they had agreed upon it beforehand, they were both enveloped in dazzling bursts of light and clashed with one another again.
A world-shaking bang spread from the battlefield and caused countless ripples to form on the light barrier surrounding the battle stage. When the lights faded, one could be seen lying on the ground, while the other one remained standing tall.
The person who had become paralysed on the ground was the elderly man, and the one who was still standing proudly was the young man in green clothes. Despite the fact that he had won the battle though, his face had turned ashen, and all his clothes were drenched in blood. Apparently, he was injured as well.
Just then, the burly man lifted his hand, “Throw the one who has lost to the mines, reward the one who won.”
The young man on the battle stage cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Sir Shopkeeper.”
With a grin, the burly man took a seat and gulped down a cup of tea before sweeping a glance over everyone around him, “It was interesting this way. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Everyone nodded as they wouldn’t dare to say no.
A speechless Yang Kai wondered how Hundred Refining’s Hall was still operating. Just who allowed such a reckless and thuggish man to become a shopkeeper? Given this man’s temperament, could the business be profitable? It’d be a miracle if they could break even.
All of a sudden, the burly man turned to look at Yang Kai and asked, “Brat, you don’t seem impressed. What do you think?”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists, “First Inn’s Yang Kai greets Shopkeeper Pei.”
According to the information in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress, the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall was named Pei Bu Wan and had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, which could be considered fairly powerful.
“First Inn?” Pei Bu Wan stroked his chin, “Haha, that’s a famous place for sure. Brat, why are you here?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve written my purpose of visit in the notice of debt. I’m here to collect repayment.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Debt? What do you mean?”
Yang Kai frowned, thinking that this Pei Bu Wan was asking something obvious, as everything had been written clearly in the notice of debt. It seemed that things wouldn’t go smoothly today.
Despite his thoughts, Yang Kai continued calmly, “Shopkeeper Pei, some people from your great force made a move in First Inn and destroyed our inn, which is why Proprietress wants me to collect a repayment from you.”
Pei Bu Wan tutted, “Some people from my great force made a move in First Inn? That’s incredible. Who are you talking about?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea as I don’t know the details.” He had not the foggiest idea about who destroyed First Inn. The Proprietress must be able to recognise them, but he was just a friendless and unlearned newcomer to the Outer Universe. Furthermore, at that time, he was hiding inside the Six Fated Paths Bag, so he wasn’t even aware that First Inn had been demolished.
“Was this King one of them?” Pei Bu Wan asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No.”
“Come closer and look carefully. Was this King one of those people who got into a fight in First Inn and destroyed it?” As Pei Bu Wan spoke, he pushed out his face.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head again.
“Are you sure?” Pei Bu Wan narrowed his eyes.
“I’m sure.”
“Since this King wasn’t the one who destroyed First Inn, why are you asking for repayment from this King?” Pei Bu Wan loudly pounded the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces. Then, he stared at Yang Kai with widened eyes, “Brat, do you think this King is easy to bully?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Yang Kai hung his head low and cupped his fists, “I’m just here to carry out my orders.”
Pei Bu Wan snorted, “Look for those who demolished First Inn then. What does it have to do with this King?”
Yang Kai replied, “Shopkeeper Pei is quite right. In that case, Junior will take his leave. However, there is one thing I should mention before I go.”
“Go on.” Pei Bu Wan shot him a glance.
“Before coming out to carry out my orders, my Proprietress said that it would be best if I could collect all the debts owed, and that if I couldn’t, she would personally come over to discuss them with those shopkeepers who aren’t willing to pay. If that still doesn’t work, she would go to the headquarters of those great forces to seek repayment from them.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Do you think you can scare this King? Tell whoever she is to come here, then. Let’s see if that woman can get even a single pill from this King. If she can, this King doesn’t mind calling her Great Aunt!”
Yang Kai shouted, “Junior will remember and pass on Shopkeeper Pei’s sentiments to our Proprietress word for word. Farewell!”
After cupping his fists, he turned around and left.
All of a sudden, Pei Bu Wan frowned as though he seemed to recall something, “Wait.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai whirled around and stared at him, “What else does Shopkeeper Pei wish to say?”
The aggressive light in Pei Bu Wan’s eyes seemed to have weakened as he muttered, “You just mentioned your Proprietress… As far as this King knows, most First Inns are managed by men. There are only a small number of female shopkeepers. What’s your Proprietress’ name?”
Although there weren’t many female shopkeepers at First Inn, none of them were easy to deal with. In particular, there were two of whom especially shouldn’t be messed with.
“My First Inn’s Proprietress is known as Madam Lan.” With a respectful look on his face, Yang Kai cupped his fists in the direction First Inn was located.
Pei Bu Wan’s face twitched hard when he heard that and asked, “Madam Lan? Which Madam Lan?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m not sure if there is more than one Madam Lan who belongs to First Inn. It has only been a short time since I started working for her, so I’m not familiar with First Inn; however, I have a Faith Token from our Proprietress. Do you want to have a look?”
“Show me,” Pei Bu Wan extended his large hand.
Yang Kai presented the Jade Token to him with both hands. After taking it, Pei Bu Wan infused his energy into it. The next instant, he gulped hard before he let out a hollow laugh, “Oh, it’s that Madam Lan! En, this King is familiar with her. Several hundred years ago, I was a customer at First Inn, and she was quite… hospitable… Haha. A few hundred years have passed just like that. Those days…”
He wasn’t even sure how he should keep going, so he decided to change the topic, “Has she arrived in this Star City?”
Yang Kai replied, “Yes. First Inn has just reopened a few streets away from here.”
“I see,” Pei Bu Wan nodded.
“Is there anything else, Shopkeeper Pei? If not, I’ll take my leave now. The Proprietress is waiting for me to report to her.”
“There’s nothing else,” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and extended the Jade Token, but he refused to let it go when Yang Kai clenched it.
Staring at him, Yang Kai said, “What is the meaning of this, Shopkeeper Pei? A Jade Token is not valuable. If you want one, you can simply head to First Inn and get one from the Proprietress. I’m sure she still has some to spare.”
An exasperated Pei Bu Wan refuted, “Why would I need a Jade Token?” Then, he released the token, “There’s no hurry for you to leave. Let this King think about this.”
Upon finishing his words, he rose from the chair and placed his hands behind his back before pacing around. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts as though he was pondering on an important issue.
Seeing that, Yang Kai admired the Proprietress even more. Even a thug like Pei Bu Wan became terrified at the mere mention of her name. Although Pei Bu Wan didn’t let his emotions show on his face, Yang Kai would be a fool not to notice this abrupt change in attitude. Yang Kai began to wonder just what the Proprietress had done to make herself famous across the 3,000 Worlds.
A moment later, Pei Bu Wan stopped in his tracks and stared fixedly at Yang Kai, as though he had just made a difficult decision, “Brat, you’re here to collect a debt, right?”
Yang Kai replied, “Yes, I am here to ask for compensation.”
“They mean the same thing. You’re here to ask for money.” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and swept a glance over him, “I can see that your cultivation is not bad as you’ve condensed your Dao Seal. What’s your battle experience like?”
Yang Kai frowned as this question was rather bizarre, but after giving it a thought, he simply replied, “I’m from an unknown, remote Universe World.”
In other words, he had fought his way to the Outer Universe, so his combat experience was unquestionable.
Upon hearing that, Pei Bu Wan’s eyes became visibly brighter as he put on a broad smile, “Very good.” Then, he pointed at the battle stage, “Do you see that guy over there?”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw that the young man, who won the battle earlier, was seated on the ground with his legs crossed. Apparently, he was trying to adjust his breathing and heal his wounds.
“Shopkeeper Pei, what do you mean?” Yang Kai asked.
“I want you to fight against him.”
“I don’t understand.”
Pei Bu Wan wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and said in a hushed voice, “If you can defeat him, I’ll repay the debt.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious.”
“How much will you repay?”
“I’ll repay the debt in full.”
[What exactly goes through this guy’s head? How bored must he be to have developed an interest in watching other people fight? I guess thugs like him really can’t be judged with reason.] There was no doubt that Yang Kai was tempted by the suggestion. The amount of repayment was 10 million, and he’d get five percent of it, which was 500,000. It could be considered easy if he could get the money by simply fighting a battle. All the other shopkeepers had asked for a month to validate the incident, and it wasn’t certain whether they would pay up after that point; therefore, Yang Kai was quite interested in Pei Bu Wan’s suggestion.
More importantly, Yang Kai had just borrowed some Open Heaven Pills from Luo Hai Yi the previous day. If he could get 10 million pills today, he would be able to repay her and free himself from at least one debt.
Yang Kai had watched the young man fight earlier, and although he admitted he was fairly powerful, his foundation wasn’t solid. If they got into a one-on-one fight, Yang Kai was confident he would win.
He reckoned that Pei Bu Wan must be wary of the Proprietress. Earlier, the burly man had sworn that if the Proprietress could get even one pill from him, he would call her Great Aunt. Now, he must be trying to find a way out of this embarrassing situation.
Thinking so, Yang Kai nodded his head, “Good.”
“Great!” Pei Bu Wan clapped his hands and guffawed, “Just wait a bit. That guy has just gone through an intense battle and exhausted himself. Let him restore some energy first.”
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t mind this.
Pei Bu Wan moved and appeared on the battlefield in an instant before speaking to the young man, who gazed at Yang Kai and nodded gently. Then, he passed the young man a jade bottle that should contain some healing pills. The young man directly fished out some pills and gulped them down before he continued meditating.
Following that, Pei Bu Wan returned to the platform and chuckled, “Let’s wait for one hour.”
One hour wasn’t a long time, but in order to not make Luo Hai Yi worry, Yang Kai took out a communications artifact and informed her that his discussion here would take a little longer, so he’d leave the shop at a later time.
On the other hand, Pei Bu Wan told his subordinates to get a new table and cups of tea before having a small talk with Yang Kai.
One hour later, the young man got to his feet on the battlefield and beckoned to Yang Kai.
“Shopkeeper Pei, I’m going now. Please don’t forget your promise.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Pei Bu Wan chuckled.
It was then Yang Kai leapt onto the battle stage, and upon reaching the centre, he cupped his fists at the young man, who was still tens of metres away from him, “Yang Kai!”
The young man also cupped his fists, but as soon as he lifted his hands, he suddenly dashed forward and threw his fist towards Yang Kai’s face. A blast was heard as a violent force swirled around his fist. It was as though he had some deep grudges against Yang Kai.
This was different from what Yang Kai had expected, so with a frown, he pushed out a fist as well.
Following a loud bang, two figures were seen stepping backwards. A tinge of surprise flashed across the young man’s eyes as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so tough.
Before he even came to his senses though, Yang Kai managed to stabilize himself and shoot forward. An image flashed across the young man’s eyes as he realised that Yang Kai had already reached him as a fist expanded rapidly in his eyes.
Flustered, the young man hurriedly raised his arms to parry the attack, but he immediately felt an unstoppable force coming from the other party’s fist, which was even more forceful than the first clash. He was horrified, but it was too late for him to summon any artifacts. Following a loud crack, he felt excruciating pain as his forearm bones were broken.
The next instant, countless fist shadows rained down on the young man, turning him ashen.
On the platform, Pei Bu Wan appeared surprised at first, then his eyes brightened intensely as though he had just found a treasure. Hot breath was even seen puffing out of his nostrils.
Loud bangs were continuously heard coming from the battlefield as the young man could only defend himself without the power to counterattack. He was completely overwhelmed.
Yang Kai was used to fighting against opponents stronger than himself. He might not be able to defeat an Open Heaven Realm Master, who had split Heaven and Earth apart in his body, which allowed them to utilize World Force, but as long as his opponent wasn’t an Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai didn’t fear anyone.
If the young man had been polite, Yang Kai wouldn’t have oppressed him like this. The problem was that the young man directly made a move without saying a word, so Yang Kai replied in kind with a ruthless offensive.
Although Yang Kai was a Human, he had the brute strength of a 2,000-metre-long Half-Dragon. Therefore, the average Emperor Realm cultivator was no match for him when it came to raw power. If the other person had widened the gap and used artifacts or Secret Techniques, he might’ve lasted for a while longer; however, he decided to fight Yang Kai in close quarters, which was akin to courting death.
After just ten breaths of time, Yang Kai pushed out his fist for the last time. The young man became paralysed on the ground with his clothes drenched in blood.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to kill him, but it would take the young man at least half a month to recuperate from such injuries.
Then, Yang Kai moved and appeared beside Pei Bu Wan, not even short of breath, as though he was just warming up earlier. With his fists cupped, Yang Kai said, “Shopkeeper Pei, fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you.”
The subordinates were amazed as they looked at him like he was a freak.
Pei Bu Wan placed his hands behind his back and paced around again for a bit before striding over and grabbing Yang Kai’s shoulders.
His action made Yang Kai feel uncomfortable, and with a frown, he asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, I’ve won the battle. Just like what you’ve promised, will you make the repayment now?”
“Repayment? What do you mean?” Pei Bu Wan glared at him.
Yang Kai’s face fell, “Does Shopkeeper Pei want to go back on his word? You promised that as long as I could defeat him, you’d give me the repayment in full.”
“Did this King ever say that?” A puzzled Pei Bu Wan looked around him.
“No!” The people around him all replied loudly.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “You see, they said no. I’m sure I’ve never said that.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he stared at him in disbelief, “Shopkeeper Pei, are you serious?”
[How could he play dumb at this point?] Yang Kai had never seen a person like Pei Bu Wan before. He was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well as a shopkeeper. Usually, business people treasured their integrity. If someone like him could run a profitable business, Yang Kai would get his surname changed to match his.
Luo Hai Yi was right to say that he was a thug.
Without replying to him, Pei Bu Wan chuckled.
“Junior has been enlightened today,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave. Although he was incensed from getting tricked, there was nothing he could do as he was in the other party’s territory, and there was a huge gap between their powers. He swore that he would immediately tell the Proprietress about it so that she would teach this thug a lesson.
Stroking his stubble, Pei Bu Wan stared at Yang Kai from behind and said, “Brat, fight against someone one more time, and I’ll definitely give you the 10 million pills.”
Yang Kai didn’t even slow his pace. Once trust was broken, it was hard to be repaired. He had been fooled once, so he wouldn’t believe Pei Bu Wan again.
“This King will personally give you an extra 500,000 Open Heaven Pills!”
Yang Kai still ignored him.
“1,000,000!” Pei Bu Wan said through clenched teeth.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to step out of the inner court, Pei Bu Wan gritted his teeth and shouted, “I’ll swear on my Grand Dao!”
Yang Kai had one of his feet firmly pressed against the ground outside the inner court, but he became rooted to the spot upon hearing that, as though someone had used a Binding Technique on him.
A moment later, he slowly turned around and ambled forward.
Pei Bu Wan grinned, and upon seeing that Yang Kai had taken a seat, he did the same and extended his head, “Brat, after the fight, I’ll immediately give you 11 million pills.”
“Take an oath first,” Without looking at him, Yang Kai held the teacup in his hand, no emotion on his face.
Pei Bu Wan said, “It’s not so hard to take an oath, but there’s a condition. The prerequisite is that you have to win the battle. If you lose, not only will you not get the 11 million pills, but this King will also not let you off.”
Yang Kai shot him a glance and realised that there was a tinge of ferocity behind his gaze. It seemed that the situation was more serious than he first thought. With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “Are you going to make me fight against an Open Heaven Realm Master or something?”
Pei Bu Wan replied, “Don’t worry. Your opponent is not an Open Heaven cultivator. The person won’t even be a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm cultivator. You’ll be equals.”
“Alright, you can take an oath now,” Yang Kai nodded.
As long as his opponent wasn’t an Open Heaven Realm Master, there was nothing Yang Kai had to worry about. Furthermore, the person whom he had never met wasn’t even a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Are you so confident?” Pei Bu Wan was astounded. He did all he could to make Yang Kai accept this fight, but he became apprehensive upon seeing his casual reaction.
“If you trust me, take an oath now. If you don’t, I’ll leave,” After taking a sip of the tea, Yang Kai put down the teacup and rose from the chair.
With a scowl, Pei Bu Wan appeared hesitant, but just a moment later, he stood up straight and said solemnly, “I, Pei Bu Wan, swear on my Grand Dao that as long as… What’s your name?” He was asking Yang Kai about his name as he probably didn’t pay attention to him when he was introducing himself.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai told him his name again.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “As long as Yang Kai can win this fight, this King will give him 11 million Open Heaven Pills. If this King goes back on my word, may my Grand Dao shatter and my future be cut off!”
A calm Yang Kai said, “What about my opponent’s cultivation?”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan gritted his teeth and took an oath one more time to include Yang Kai’s demand. Then, he looked down at him and said, “That should be enough. Don’t go too far, brat!”
It was only then that Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s enough.”
Since the thug had sworn on his Grand Dao, he could be trusted as no one would dare to make such an oath on a whim. If Pei Bu Wan went back on his word now, a blemish would be left on his Grand Dao which would surely hinder his future in the Martial Dao. Yang Kai was curious about why this thug wanted him to fight against someone so badly. Would he gain any benefits from it? If there were no benefits, why would he offer 11 million pills?
Yang Kai didn’t think he could ever understand a thug like Pei Bu Wan though, so he stopped thinking about it and stood up, “Where’s my opponent? You can summon that person now.” He wanted to go back quickly.
Pei Bu Wan grinned, “Your opponent isn’t here. Why don’t you stay overnight here to take a rest? I’ll bring you to a place tomorrow where you can make a scene.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai furrowed his brows as he realised that he had thought about it too simplistically. Judging from what Pei Bu Wan had said, it seemed that they were going somewhere to make a fuss.
[Did I fall into a trap?] Yang Kai had a bad premonition all of a sudden; however, since everything had been agreed upon, and 11 million pills were deathly attractive to him, there was no way he could back down now.
And so, Yang Kai sent a message to Luo Hai Yi and told her to go back first as they’d meet up again the next day. Then, he followed a servant from Hundred Refining’s Hall to a room.
The staff treated him very well, giving him a lot of medicinal food and pills for treating his injuries. The pills were obviously high-quality and worth a lot of money.
Yang Kai had a feeling that the battle the next day was extremely important to Pei Bu Wan; otherwise, he wouldn’t have given him such favourable treatment.
It had been a peaceful night, and in the afternoon the next day, Pei Bu Wan pushed the door open and strode into the room. With his hands on his hips, he blocked the door like he was a tower and called out, “Brat, are you ready?”
Yang Kai stood up and said, “Let’s go.” There was nothing to prepare as he just had to fight against someone he didn’t know.
The calmer Yang Kai appeared, the brighter Pei Bu Wan’s eyes became. That was because it suggested that Yang Kai was confident. With a grin, Pei Bu Wan beckoned to him, “Come with me.”
After leaving Hundred Refining’s Hall, Yang Kai immediately saw Luo Hai Yi standing in a nearby spot. He stopped in his tracks and beckoned to her.
A timid Luo Hai Yi took a glance at Pei Bu Wan, who gave off a ferocious air. She felt immensely pressured because of his presence. Normally, if she came across such a person, she’d stay as far away from him as possible; however, since Yang Kai had summoned her, she had no choice but to go over and salute Pei Bu Wan, “Greetings, Shopkeeper Pei.”
Pei Bu Wan took a look at Luo Hai Yi before shifting his attention to Yang Kai, “Is she your woman?”
Luo Hai Yi started blushing and didn’t know how to explain it to him. On the other hand, Yang Kai ignored him and gazed at Luo Hai Yi, “Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to go back?”
To which she replied, “I came here at daybreak as I thought there would be something Sir needed to do today.”
“There’s nothing for you to do today.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her before giving it a thought and saying, “If you’re free today, you can accompany me.”
Then, he turned to look at Pei Bu Wan, “Is it okay to bring someone with me?”
“It’s fine. She can tag along,” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand as he had brought some people with him as well. These people were supposed to be the shop hands in the shop. In fact, Hundred Refining’s Hall was in the business of selling artifacts, but business had been terrible for them, leaving basically nothing for the shop hands to do. If this wasn’t the case, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have let them tag along.
Yang Kai slightly nodded at Luo Hai Yi to motion for her to come with him.
Two people led the way while the others followed them. Wherever they went, the people on the streets would give way as though scorpions and snakes had appeared. At that, Yang Kai was speechless, knowing that Pei Bu Wan must be an infamous figure in the city. It was no wonder that they literally had no customers. If Yang Kai was the owner of Hundred Refining’s Hall, he would’ve fired Pei Bu Wan long ago.
“Shopkeeper Pei, since the battle will begin soon, is there anything you need to tell me?” Yang Kai said.
Pei Bu Wan nodded his head, “I do need to tell you the rules. Listen up. During the battle, you’re not allowed to use any artifacts or pills. You can only rely on your own strength to fight with your opponent. It’s the most basic rule.”
“We can’t use artifacts or pills?” Yang Kai arched his brow. In that case, he’d have an advantage.
“You absolutely cannot use them.” Pei Bu Wan appeared solemn, “Don’t get nervous and summon any artifacts. If that happens, it will be considered a forfeit even if you win the battle.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry. I won’t use any artifacts.” In fact, there were not many artifacts he could use now. The things he had brought from the Star Boundary were not useful here. Of the actually useful things, the Mountains and Rivers Bell had been destroyed, so he was left with Azure Dragon Spear, Six Fated Paths Bag, and Shadowless Veil.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “Life or death doesn’t matter in the battle. In other words, you can kill your opponent if you’re capable of doing that.”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “You can kill someone in this Star City?” He was stunned as he recalled that even fighting wasn’t permitted in this city.
Pei Bu Wan grinned wickedly as he answered, “You’re only allowed to kill other people in that place. However, if either party admits defeat, the battle will stop immediately, and the winner cannot make a move again; otherwise, he’ll immediately lose the battle.” He turned to look at Yang Kai, “Those are the only two rules. Got it?”
“Got it.”
To the side, Luo Hai Yi turned pale as she listened and asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, are you talking about Asura Arena?”
Pei Bu Wan revealed his hideous fangs and grinned at her, “That’s right. We’re talking about Asura Arena.”
Luo Hai Yi immediately pulled Yang Kai’s sleeve and said in a hushed voice, “Sir, Asura Arena is an extremely dangerous place where many people die each day. You’d better not go there.”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan guffawed, “It’s too late. He has already promised this King he will fight.”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi’s eyes were filled with worry.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “It’s fine. Tell me what kind of place Asura Arena is.” He reckoned that Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t tell him the whole truth, and since Luo Hai Yi seemed to know about this place, he could ask her about it.
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi explained, “Among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, there is one called Asura Cave Heaven. Asura Cave Heaven is filled with ruthless and bloodthirsty people who love to fight and kill, so they’re not easy to deal with. They established an Asura Arena in every single major Star City to allow people to fight against one another inside the venue, and killing is not prohibited. Anyone who wins a battle in the arena will win a prize, and if he keeps winning, the rewards will also keep doubling until he or she obtains the top prize that is determined in advance.”
“For example, if Sir wins the first match, you will receive 50 Open Heaven Pills, for the second match you’ll obtain 100, and for the third match, you’ll get 200. This continues until you reach the highest limit. However, if you lose any match, you’ll have to start accumulating all over again.”
Yang Kai nodded, “An interesting idea.” Although one would only get 50 pills for the first win, the reward would snowball if they could win seven or eight matches. One could even get more than tens of thousands of pills if they won nine or ten matches.
“There are three ranks in Asura Arena, which are Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. Three Asura Rankings have been set up accordingly. The Mortal Ranking is for people below the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, Earth Ranking is for Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters, and Heaven Ranking is for Open Heaven Realm Masters. Regardless of the rankings, none of the people who are listed on the Asura Rankings are easy to deal with.”
The arrangements were pretty reasonable; after all, for cultivators, Half-Step Open Heaven Realm was a dividing line. Once a cultivator managed to condense five Elements, his power would experience a great leap forward while after one ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, his power would undergo a fundamental change. Therefore, the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm served as a dividing line for the three rankings.
Since Pei Bu Wan had said that Yang Kai’s opponent wasn’t a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master, the person he was going up against must be listed on the Mortal Rankings.
“I’ve also heard that the reason Asura Arena was established is to train the disciples of Asura Cave Heaven. The training they primarily get is through battles. The more intense the battles are, the faster they grow. However, although they’re one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, it’s impossible for them to have a chance to fight with someone else all the time. Hence, the Asura Arena is made to meet their needs.”
Pei Bu Wan turned to grin at her, “Woman, you know a lot. That’s right. Asura Arena exists for the disciples of Asura Cave Heaven to train themselves. Everyone who takes part in the battle is a stepping stone for their trials. Regardless, the rewards are truly attractive. Even those in the Mortal Rankings can get 50 Open Heaven Pills for winning their first match, and those in the Earth and Heaven Rankings can get even more. That’s why there are many applicants despite the risks. Since time immemorial, benefits have been the motivation behind everything.”
As they spoke, they reached the entrance of a certain building that didn’t look special from the outside. It was just that its door was wider than those of other shops. Before even entering though, Yang Kai could feel an air of bloodlust coming at him. Lifting his head, he realised that a signboard had been hung above the door. The characters ‘Asura Arena’ had been emblazoned on it. These characters looked so bright that it was as though they had been written in blood. At first glance, the characters didn’t look unusual, but as time passed, traces of redness seemed to be streaming down the signboard and dripping from it.
Yang Kai arched his brow and blinked, whereupon the signboard became normal again. The bloody image he saw had disappeared.
“Shopkeeper Pei! Welcome!” The shop boy at the door passionately said. It was apparent that Pei Bu Wan was a regular here.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan calmly grunted and led his group of people into the building.
Upon entering the arena, Yang Kai realised that the interior was extraordinary. The hall was so wide that many thousands of people could be crammed inside it. The people in the hall were either in groups or on their own, while in the middle of the hall, three thick columns had been erected with glistening words written on them.
Pei Bu Wan turned around and said, “Wait for me here. This King will get someone to make the arrangements.”
Then, he left the place with two of his shop hands. After he was gone, Luo Hai Yi came over and said in a small voice, “Sir, are you sure you want to fight? This is a dangerous place. You’d better leave.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I already made an agreement.”
Her expression dimmed as she warned, “Then, you’ll have to be careful. The battles in this arena are extreme. Your past experiences may not be of much use.”
“Got it.” Yang Kai nodded and gazed at the three columns, “Are those the Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal?”
The three columns immediately caught his attention when he entered the hall. It couldn’t be helped, as the columns were too conspicuous, so it was impossible to ignore them. Moreover, the words ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’, and ‘Mortal’ had been respectively engraved atop them, so one could easily understand what they were.
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “You’re right. Those are the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Rankings.”
Yang Kai examined them and realised that the names written on them were pretty interesting. Most of them didn’t look like real names; instead, they were more like aliases. For example, Black Fox, Thousand Blades, and so on. There were of course some normal-sounding names that were probably real names as well.
On these three rankings, the names at the top and those at the bottom were written in different colours.
The top three names were a dark gold colour. It was gold for numbers 4 to 10, silver for 11 to 30, and below 30 they were white.
On every ranking, there were exactly 100 names. Those names were not engraved on the columns though and instead looked more like light projections that had been written using some kind of special technique.
While Yang Kai was looking at them though, one of the names on Earth Rankings dimmed, which caught his attention, so he asked in puzzlement, “Why has that name turned grey?”
Luo Hai Yi turned pale, “He died.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became astounded. The name was originally written in a silver colour. The fact that it was the 15th-ranked individual suggested that this person had been fairly strong, but he had died just like that, which went to show that the battles in Asura Arena were truly ruthless. Although the rewards were attractive, one had to fight for them with their life on the line. Most cultivators wouldn’t have the courage to take part in such a thing.
While he was in a dazed state, the grey name suddenly scattered and disappeared as it had been removed from the Earth Rankings. Following that, all the names below it moved up, and a new name appeared at the bottom to make it one hundred names in total.
There was a passageway in the corner of the hall, and presently, a person, who was carrying a blood-soaked corpse that had lost all vitality on his back, walked out from the passageway as the blood dripped onto the floor. Seeing that, the people in the hall felt traumatised as chills ran down their spines.
Yang Kai reckoned that the dead person must be the one whose name had been removed from the Earth Rankings. Judging from the state his corpse was in, he must have gone through a difficult battle.
Hearing rapid footsteps from behind him, Yang Kai turned around and saw Pei Bu Wan striding towards him. Then, Pei Bu Wan said, “Everything has been arranged. You’ll get your premier battle in one hour.” He scratched his head, “But there’s a slight problem.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai asked.
“What name will you use?” As Pei Bu Wan spoke, he pointed at the three rankings, “You can either use an alias or your real name. It’s up to you.”
A nonchalant Yang Kai replied, “I’ll use my real name, then.” He was just here for a single fight, so there was nothing to hide, and there wasn’t a need for him to pretend to be mysterious. Moreover, even if he used an alias, it would be pointless if he couldn’t change his appearance.
Pei Bu Wan nodded and fished out a communications artifact. It seemed that he was going to contact someone from Asura Arena. After he was done with that, Luo Hai Yi asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, who is going to be his opponent?”
With a grin, Pei Bu Wan took a glance at Yang Kai and pointed at the Mortal Rankings, “The one ranked 4th.”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi turned ashen, “How is that possible?! Sir Yang has never taken part in a battle in this arena before, so how could he have the right to fight against that person?”
She soon realised there was something wrong with what she had said, so she hurriedly explained, “Sir, there are still rules in this arena. A person can only challenge an opponent who is within ten rankings above him or herself. If they win, they will replace that person.”
Pei Bu Wan grinned, “To the average person, rules are rules. But, to this King, rules are to be broken.” There was a smug smile on his face.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw that the name of the person ranked 4th was painted in gold.
Yu Luo Sha!
The name and rank suggested that this person would be difficult to deal with.
“Let’s go. You only have one hour to prepare. Get yourself ready,” Pei Bu Wan said and led all of them to one corner of the hall.
Soon, they entered a room, upon which a maidservant came over to serve them.
The room was spacious, and it was directly facing the gigantic arena. At this moment, two people could be seen battling intensely; however, one of them was apparently on the back foot, so it was just a matter of time before he was defeated. The arena was surrounded by spectators who were constantly yelling and cheering.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan stood by the window and looked down at the battle, “The terrain of the arena can be changed freely. You can discuss with your opponent and decide on a particular battlefield beforehand. It can also be selected randomly. Is there any particular terrain you prefer? There are options like snowy world, scorching desert, swamp, and so on. You can choose whatever you like.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “So, this arena is also a giant artifact.”
Pei Bu Wan nodded his head, “That’s right. This arena is an artifact.”
Yang Kai replied, “A random terrain will do, then.”
With a grin, Pei Bu Wan shot him a glance, “I love how confident you are. Brat, you’d better do your best and win the battle. If you lose, you’ll die. To be honest with you, your opponent is a disciple from Asura Cave Heaven.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai said, “Yu Luo Sha is from Asura Cave Heaven?”
“Are you afraid now?” Pei Bu Wan looked him in the eyes.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not really. I’m just worried that if I accidentally kill that person…”
“Don’t worry.” Pei Bu Wan lifted his hand to cut him off, apparently understanding his worries, “Just kill if you can. There are many disciples from Asura Cave Heaven who lose their lives in the Asura Arenas around the 3,000 Worlds. They won’t care about it or retaliate against you at a later date. If they did, no one would ever take part in any battle in this arena again.”
“Good.”
“One can use any method within the rules in the arena, so you must not hold back.” Pei Bu Wan warned him with a solemn expression.
After a grunt, Yang Kai took a seat in the corner and began to meditate. His opponent was ranked 4th on the Mortal Rankings, and they were from Asura Cave Heaven, so it was apparent that they were not a pushover. Although Yang Kai was confident in himself, he planned to go all out as this was a life-or-death battle.
As time passed, the people around the arena became increasingly rowdy, but Yang Kai remained unfazed as he remained as calm as still water.
There came a moment when the noises outside the private room died down as Pei Bu Wan was heard saying, “It’s your turn.”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet.
The door was pushed open from the outside. A man was standing at the door as he cupped his fists, “Shopkeeper Pei, I’m here to bring your challenger to the arena.”
Pei Bu Wan nodded and waved his hand, “Bring him with you.”
The man scanned the private room and stared fixedly at Yang Kai; then, he stepped aside and extended his hand, “Please.”
“Sir Yang, you must be careful,” Luo Hai Yi said from behind him.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai waved his hand and followed the man out of the room.
After he was gone, Pei Bu Wan hinted at a shop hand beside him with his gaze. The shop hand gulped and asked, “Sir Shopkeeper, how much would you like to bet?”
“Everything!” Pei Bu Wan said firmly.
Upon hearing that, the shop hand turned pale in an instant, “Sir Shopkeeper, please don’t act on a whim! You’ve tried very hard to borrow the money to balance the accounts already. If you lose, you won’t be able to explain yourself to the headquarters.”
“If you dare to keep spouting nonsense, I’ll rip your mouth off!” Pei Bu Wan bellowed.
The shop hand immediately covered his mouth.
“Cut the crap and make the bet now!”
The shop hand looked through the gap between his fingers and asked apprehensively, “Do you want to bet it all on that Yang Kai?”
“Are you going to bet on Yu Luo Sha, then?” An infuriated Pei Bu Wan directly kicked the shop hand out of the room and turned around to look at the arena. With a hideous expression, he suddenly grinned and turned to gaze at Luo Hai Yi, “Whether this King makes a fortune or falls into the gutter depends on this brat now. He must win this.”
Although he was the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall, he was inept at running a business. Furthermore, he was addicted to gambling. While he was in charge of the shop in this city, he lost a lot of money instead of making any profit.
Soon, those from the headquarters would come over to check the accounts, so if he couldn’t come up with a way to fill the discrepancy, he would be punished. Although he had borrowed money from everyone and even put up his own artifacts as collateral for some loans, there was still a huge discrepancy.
With not much time left, he decided to attempt making a fortune in the Asura Arena.
Although the winner of a fight in the arena could get a reward, it was nothing compared to the bets outside of the arena. Otherwise, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have looked for competent people to fight in the arena. Some time ago, he had found a suitable candidate, but that candidate was defeated by Yang Kai with ease, which made Pei Bu Wan realise there was a way he could make some quick money.
As long as Yang Kai could win the battle, not only could Pei Bu Wan fill the discrepancy in the account books, but he could also clear his debts. He wouldn’t become wealthy, but at the very least, he wouldn’t be sleeping on pins and needles anymore.
However, if Yang Kai lost, that would mean the end of the world for Pei Bu Wan. He had made a bet with his future and fate on the line. Earlier, he didn’t tell Yang Kai about it because it wasn’t necessary, and he was worried that Yang Kai might feel pressured.
Upon seeing his hideous smile, Luo Hai Yi turned pale as she didn’t know how to reply.
On the other hand, Yang Kai followed the man to pass through a passageway and reach the end where there was a closed door that blocked his way.
Yang Kai turned to look at the man, who flashed a smile at him, “Just wait here.”
At the same time, he could hear thunderous cheering coming from the other side of the door. It was apparent that the spectators in the arena were fervent.
The arena must be on the other end of the door. Presently, someone was introducing Yu Luo Sha in an enticing manner. Despite the noises, Yang Kai could still clearly hear the introduction. Yu Luo Sha had a record of one hundred and seventy-two wins, eight draws, and one loss. This kind of record could be said to be horrifying, and she could be considered a top cultivator in the same realm.
Furthermore, sixty percent of Yu Luo Sha’s opponents were killed in the arena and thirty percent of them became crippled, leaving just ten percent of them alive and healthy.
Following that announcer’s enthusiastic introduction, the cheers in the arena became increasingly louder.
The next instant, the announcer introduced the other participant in a loud voice, “The challenger today is a rookie, Yang Kai!”
Right after he finished speaking, the door in front of Yang Kai slowly lifted, which allowed the light to shine in. Following the thunderous cheering, the arena came into sight.
The announcer went on to rile up the crowd, “Is he fearless because he knows nothing? Or is he a powerful challenger? We shall see!”
“Let’s go,” The man, who was standing beside Yang Kai, smiled.
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and shuffled forward.
The man behind him said, “Kid, you can admit defeat if you can’t win the battle. It won’t be fun anymore if you lose your life.”
Upon entering the arena, Yang Kai realised that he was standing on a platform. A thousand metres away there was another platform where another figure stood.
Apparently, this was Yang Kai’s opponent, Yu Luo Sha. Yang Kai raised his head and realised that, just like what he had expected, his opponent was a woman.
When he saw the name Yu Luo Sha earlier, he had a feeling that the person was a woman; after all, no man would use such a name. Now, he was proven right.
Yu Luo Sha was a tall woman with fair skin and a rich figure. Her clothes were simple as her tight-fitting outfit perfectly outlined her curves. Her arms, which were as fair as white jade, were exposed as they dazzled the beholder. Although she was just standing there in silence, Yang Kai could feel a murderous intent wafting from her.
Apparently, this woman had killed many people.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai nodded gently at her, while she sported a dispassionate expression. There didn’t seem to be any emotion behind her alluring gaze.
Just then, the view around them started changing. The stands around them disappeared as they were blocked by a barrier, and in the next instant, the terrain weltered as a scorching aura permeated the air.
In just a short moment, the entire arena had turned into a desert.
Yang Kai lifted his head and saw a bright sun hanging in the sky. The heat was so blistering that the air seemed to warp. At that instant, he was astonished. He had heard Pei Bu Wan mention that the terrain in the arena could be changed, but he hadn’t expected that they could even make a sun appear.
Apparently, the desert was the battlefield that had been selected randomly. Things were now easier for him as there was basically nothing in the desert, not even a place to hide. No one could use any dirty tricks in this kind of environment, making a head-on clash the only option.
Next, Yang Kai caught a glimpse of a figure flashing across his eyes, and the next instant, a gale was swept towards him, causing him to burst into laughter and mutter, “Why do all of you love to launch attacks without even saying hello?”
This was a repeat of what he had experienced in Hundred Refining’s Hall just yesterday; however, Yang Kai soon came to the realisation that extreme methods were permitted in this arena, so Yu Luo Sha’s actions couldn’t be considered a sneak attack. On the contrary, it was his fault for reacting too slowly.
Still, as Yang Kai said his first word, he immediately flew backwards, and when he was done saying the last word, he already pushed out a fist.
Yu Luo Sha could be seen parrying the attack with a palm, but just before their two attacks came into contact, her arm started twisting like it was a boneless viper as it wrapped around Yang Kai’s fist and struck for his chest.
Although Yang Kai was surprised by the move, he wasn’t really caught off guard by it. With a grin, he didn’t even try to dodge her attack as the energy around his fist surged.
The next moment, both of them were struck as they were sent flying backwards. Yang Kai grunted as he felt the vitality in his chest roiling. At the same time, a kind of malevolent Qi penetrated his meridians and physique through the point of impact.
With a frown, Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his strength to resolve this Qi as he gritted his teeth. It might have looked like a draw just now, but he knew he was the one who suffered a loss in reality. The fist he landed on his opponent’s shoulder didn’t harm her one bit. As soon as his fist came into contact with her body, she subtly withdrew her shoulder and used a mysterious power that made him feel like he had punched a pile of cotton.
Realising that he had come across a tough opponent, Yang Kai finally became serious. His biggest advantages were his intrepid physique and immense strength. No cultivator in the same realm could be sturdier than he was; however, when faced with an opponent like Yu Luo Sha, it was difficult to make use of his advantages.
On the other hand, Yu Luo Sha did a backflip in mid-air and lifted her hand, upon which a blood-coloured bow appeared. Then, she drew her other hand backwards, whereupon a blood-coloured arrow took shape. The next instant, the arrow left the bow and broke through the air.
Both the bow and the arrow were not artifacts. Instead, they had been materialised from her own power, so she hadn’t broken the rules of the arena.
The sound of something cutting through the air was heard as her blood-coloured arrows blocked all the ways Yang Kai could flee and closed in on him.
[Her arrows are quite quick!] Yang Kai turned solemn as he flicked his fingers, whereupon his dark Moon Blades greeted her blood-coloured arrows, collapsing them on impact. When the last arrow broke apart, Yu Luo Sha suddenly appeared in front of him as though she had ignored the barrier of space and used Instantaneous Movement.
Her slender hand lightly reached for Yang Kai’s eyes, like she was about to pick some flowers or peaches.
Yang Kai was taken aback when he saw her trying to dig out his eyes and instinctively, all his energy surged to protect himself while at the same time, he faced upwards.
Her slender hand was slightly hindered, but she soon turned her claw into a blade and slashed at his neck.
Although it was just a fair hand, it was just as sharp as any sword. Despite the fact that Yang Kai had a Dragon physique, his head would be severed from his body if he was struck by this blade hand.
With no other way to dodge the attack, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and quickly used Nihility, merging his figure with the Void.
Yu Luo Sha’s hand penetrated his figure, but she realised that she hadn’t struck a real body. A tinge of surprise flashed across her eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well. The next instant, she exerted more force with her hand and shattered the surrounding space.
Yang Kai grunted again as his figure materialised. Following that, he stomped his feet on the ground to widen his gap with this aggressive woman.
Instead of immediately launching another attack though, Yu Luo Sha just watched him in silence. When he managed to stabilize himself, she gently nodded and said, “Not bad.”
Her tone was calm and without a hint of mockery. She seemed to be sincerely complimenting him, but one could hardly tell whether that was true from her tone.
Yang Kai looked away and spat out a mouthful of blood. Although he had used Nihility to dodge the attack at the critical moment, he was still harmed as he felt all his organs shift slightly. Then, he said with a grin, “You’re not bad either.”
The woman indeed had a lot of combat experience. She did live up to her status as a disciple from Asura Cave Heaven. He didn’t even have the time to take a breather since the battle began, which had never happened in the past.
The series of attacks from Yu Luo Sha were successive and clean-cut, which dazzled her opponent. It was no wonder that she could make a name for herself in the Asura Arena and achieve such a high rank.
Given the moves she had showcased, rarely anyone below the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm could parry her attacks, and any slight negligence would cause her opponent to lose their life.
Yang Kai felt his blood boiling suddenly. Since he arrived in the Outer Universe, he had not had a proper fight. The people he had come across were mostly far more powerful than he was, so there was no chance he could defeat any of them. The only opponent that was in the same realm as him was Fang Tai, but at that time, Yang Kai was just tagging along with two Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no question about the outcome of that battle. It was the same case in Hundred Refining’s Hall on the previous day.
For someone like Yang Kai who had grown his power through constant battles, he felt quite constricted after a long time of not fighting.
Although he had suffered a setback in the first exchange, Yang Kai’s gaze had brightened instead of dimming. It was as though his fighting spirit had been ignited. After brushing away the blood from his mouth, he lifted his hand and beckoned to Yu Luo Sha. With his chin up, he appeared quite haughty.
Seeing that, Yu Luo Sha narrowed her eyes and there was a faint smile on her usually emotionless face.
No one had challenged her in such a brazen way before in the Asura Arena, not even the three people ranked above her. Although she was 4th on the Mortal Rankings, she was just as strong as the three people above her. Any one of them would have to use their full strength when dealing with her.
However, at this moment, there was this rookie, whose name wasn’t even on the Mortal Rankings, who dared to be so impudent in front of her. She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips as though she had come across a delicious dish which stimulated her appetite.
The next instant, the sand erupted and a crater was left on the ground. Yu Luo Sha had charged forward like an arrow leaving a bow. Her afterimages flickered in the air as she appeared behind Yang Kai. With Emperor Qi swirling around her leg, she raised her leg and swept it at his head.
The power of her kick was horrifying. Even a mountain would break apart if it was struck by her foot.
As though a pair of eyes had grown on the back of his head though, Yang Kai raised his hand and grabbed her ankle, then he chuckled in a small voice, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Right after he finished speaking, his expression changed because the ankle in his hand became slippery and slid out of his grip. Following that, he felt a warm body crawling on his back. Although the body was soft, it gave off a terrifying feeling. It was as though a python had climbed onto his back instead of a woman.
Her legs and arms contorted in an inconceivable way as she forced him into submission, making it impossible for him to use his power effectively.
Then, he felt a hot breath on his ear. Despite her soft voice, she sounded more like the reaper of death as she whispered, “How would you like to die?”
Before Yang Kai could reply to her, she widened her mouth and attempted to bite his neck.
It was the first time Yang Kai had come across such a move in this kind of life-or-death battle, filling his heart with awkwardness; however, that didn’t stop him from raising his hand to grasp at her hair and forcefully pull on it.
Yu Luo Sha grunted as she failed in her attempt to bite his neck, and then she became unable to lift her head again due to the pull. A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she infused her Emperor Qi into her hair and forcefully straightened it.
After a gasp, Yang Kai quickly retracted his hand, but it was too late as countless cuts had formed on his palm. Nevertheless, it was thanks to this moment of breather that he managed to surge his Qi.
An immense power gushed out from him and pushed Yu Luo Sha away; however, she was relentless as she wrapped herself around him. Her slender hands turned into countless shadows and her hair flapped in the air as she launched an attack on him from all possible angles.
Looking from afar, Yang Kai seemed to remain in the same spot as a figure swirled around him from every angle.
Loud bangs were continuously heard as his clothes were torn apart in an instant.
Although he appeared to be at a disadvantage as he had suffered multiple setbacks since the beginning of the fight, he remained calm and collected, which went to show that his temperament was truly sturdy. Despite the fact that Yu Luo Sha could hurt him, her force was limited. Unless she could damage his vitals, she wouldn’t be able to severely injure him.
On the other hand, if he managed to land a fist or a kick on her body, she would fall into a miserable state.
Inside the private room, Pei Bu Wan stood by the window with his hands behind his back as he watched attentively. The shop hands of Hundred Refining’s Hall beside him kept cheering as they seemed mesmerised by the match.
“Shut up! Why do you keep making noise!?” Pei Bu Wan suddenly bellowed.
The shop hands shuddered and immediately covered their mouths.
A worried Luo Hai Yi asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, do you think Sir Yang can win?” Given her vision, she could only see that Yang Kai was at a disadvantage, but she wasn’t sure about what was really going on in the battlefield.
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “No one can be certain about it before the end of the battle. He’d better win; however, if he cannot shake off Yu Luo Sha, it’ll be difficult for him to defeat her.”
Right after he finished speaking, Pei Bu Wan suddenly arched his brow and grinned, “He’s really something.”
Following a loud boom in the arena, Yu Luo Sha was sent flying backwards as she sprayed out a mouthful of blood in mid-air before landing on the ground and staggering.
They were finally separated.
Yang Kai appeared dishevelled and battered, but Yu Luo Sha wasn’t any better off. There were times when she was negligent as she wrapped herself around him, and after getting punched hard, she found her five viscera and six organs shifted.
“A draw huh.” Yang Kai shot her a glance before grinning wildly, “Well, it’s my turn now.”
He didn’t seem to make a move, but he suddenly appeared in front of her like he was a ghost as he extended one finger towards her.
Yang Kai’s movement was so light that it was as though he hadn’t exerted any force with his finger, but Yu Luo Sha’s pupils contracted as she stomped her foot on the ground and flew backwards. A blood-coloured flower appeared on the spot she was standing earlier. The flower looked so vividly red that it was as if it had been fertilized with fresh blood. At the same time, a malevolent aura wafted from it.
For every step she took, a flower would appear on the ground. After ten steps, all ten flowers took shape on the golden desert. The flowers appeared so ferocious that it was as though they were ready to devour any prey they came across.
Yang Kai followed Yu Luo Sha closely, and when he moved past the flowers, all of them withered in an instant.
The expression on her face finally changed as she performed a hand seal with one hand, causing the withered flowers to fall apart and the scattered petals to rain down on Yang Kai. Every petal seemed able to cut through metal and jade.
Yang Kai stood his ground as Space Principles surged around him. He was surrounded by innumerable Void Cracks, but they were almost imperceptible to others. Before the flower petals could approach him, they were cut to pieces by the Void Cracks.
Next, he extended a finger, whereupon a Moon Blade shot towards Yu Luo Sha.
The distance between them was short, so it was impossible for her to dodge the attack; thus, she bit her tongue and sprayed out a blood mist, which immediately transformed into a blood-coloured barrier that blocked the Moon Blade.
Seizing the chance, she hurriedly stomped her foot on the ground to widen the gap between them.
Earlier, it was Yang Kai who had to be wary of her, but it was the other way around now. It could be said that the wheel of fortune had been reversed, and the situation was now in Yang Kai’s favour.
Presently, they were several dozen metres apart. As their eyes met, Yang Kai looked smilingly at Yu Luo Sha while her expression was solemn.
It wasn’t until this moment she realised that her opponent was more complicated than she thought. He wasn’t an arrogant pushover like what she had imagined. Since it was difficult to deal with him through close-quarters combat, she decided to use her Secret Techniques instead.
After letting out a breath, she used a hand seal as Blood Qi surged around her figure. A blood-coloured flower suddenly appeared beneath her feet. The flower looked similar to the ones she had condensed earlier, but it was much larger. She appeared as light as a feather while standing on it.
Across from her, Yang Kai quickly lifted his hand and sent out over ten dark Moon Blades at her.
Yu Luo Sha remained unfazed, and when the Moon Blades came near her, the flower beneath her feet suddenly brightened. Following that, a blood-coloured light barrier shot up from the ground and surrounded her.
Whooshing sounds were heard as the Moon Blades slashed at the light barrier and formed many ripples on it, but they were unable to break through.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai was lost for words as he was fully aware of the power of his Moon Blades. He wondered what this blood-coloured flower was as it was able to fend off his Moon Blades. It seemed that that barrier was truly sturdy.
Yu Luo Sha used a different hand seal next as she chanted under her breath. When she spread her arms, countless gigantic blood-coloured flowers appeared and filled the entire arena.
At that instant, Yang Kai was engulfed in a sea of flowers. Other than a sky full of redness, there was nothing else he could see. Even Yu Luo Sha seemed to have disappeared.
He immediately activated his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, but he was unable to locate her.
There came a moment when a strange noise was heard. As the flower petals swirled, a blood-coloured spear broke through the air at the speed of lightning. The spear was made from flower petals, and although it gave off an enchanting fragrance, it was filled with murderous intent.
Yang Kai surged his strength to parry the attack with his palm, whereupon the spear collapsed. Before he could heave a sigh of relief though, Yu Luo Sha abruptly appeared amidst the swirling storm of flower petals. There was only a distance of one metre between them.
She pushed out a palm that seemed to contain a power that could destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth.
Yang Kai was well prepared, however, so he wasn’t surprised by her move. With a grin, he pushed out a fist and struck right at her figure. However, the next instant, he furrowed his brow because it felt like he hadn’t hit a real body. Following that, he could see that she broke into countless flower petals.
After that, he felt a gale coming from behind him. His pupils contracted as he manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already several dozen metres away. He looked at his previous spot and saw that Yu Luo Sha had appeared with a flower petal in her hand. Using the petal, she shattered her own afterimage.
As their eyes met, they could see the fighting spirit and the desire to win behind each other’s gazes.
Nevertheless, just a moment later, she fell apart again and turned into an innumerable number of flower petals. That was also not her real body!
The people in the stands around the arena were unable to see what was going on in the battlefield as the entire arena had been engulfed in blood-coloured flowers. They could only faintly see two figures flying around and hear some noises.
Despite that, it didn’t stop them from becoming even more fervent as they kept cheering. Many people were chanting Yu Luo Sha’s name, so it was apparent that she was popular in this arena.
She was a powerful woman with an alluring face and an hourglass figure, which was why she had many male supporters.
Inside the private room, Pei Bu Wan stared fixedly at the battlefield with a grim expression. Given the fact that he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could clearly see what was going on in the battlefield. Considering Yang Kai’s current cultivation, if he were in his shoes, he would have no other choice but to admit defeat. Presently, Yang Kai couldn’t even find out the whereabouts of Yu Luo Sha’s real body, so how was he going to win the battle?
He would only stand a chance to win the match by finding her; however, did he have such sharp vision?
Meanwhile, in the arena, Yang Kai found himself in a dilemma. Unless it was necessary, he didn’t want to reveal his trump cards; after all, many people were watching the battle and some of his methods might invite trouble for him.
However, Yu Luo Sha wouldn’t even reveal her whereabouts now, which made him powerless to do anything.
Thus, he lowered his head as the fringe of his hair cast a shadow on his forehead. Despite the fact that the flower petals were coiling around him and a murderous intent permeated the air, he remained unperturbed.
A strange noise was heard again as the flower petals surged and formed into a Killing Array before striking at Yang Kai. Behind the array, Yu Luo Sha’s figure was faintly visible, her gaze void of any emotions.
It wasn’t until the sea of flowers came near him that Yang Kai abruptly lifted his head and surged his Qi. In an instant, Void Cracks swam around him like fish.
The sea of flowers collapsed while the Void Cracks dispersed. Following that, Yu Luo Sha raised her hand and landed a palm on Yang Kai’s chest.
Ignoring her attack, Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to look in a particular direction, a golden glow radiating from his left eye as he grinned, “Is it so fun to keep hiding?”
After he finished speaking, he charged in that direction as he raised his hands, rapidly forming a set of hand seals. At the same time, he muttered, “Time Flows on Infinitely, like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Then, he pushed out his palm. Presently, Yu Luo Sha was hiding among the sea of flowers. Her pupils contracted to the size of needles as though she had come across something horrifying. She couldn’t understand how her opponent managed to find out her whereabouts.
Lifting her head, she realised that his left pupil had become a golden slit. His pupil appeared so majestic that it was as though it could look deep into her Soul and dig out all her secrets, which caused her to feel incredibly unnerved.
It was then she realised that he must have cultivated a profound Eye Technique. It was no wonder he could achieve such a thing.
She wanted to dodge the attack, but her mind suddenly turned blank for a moment. When she came to her senses, his palm was already right in front of her. Following a deafening howl, the sea of flowers seemed to have received an order as they spiralled around her to form a protective layer.
When the Time Flies Seal struck, the sea of flowers collapsed and revealed Yu Lu Sha’s real figure. There was a tinge of fluster on her face.
If it was the Time Flies Seal he had initially cultivated, it might not be able to exhibit such a might; however, Yang Kai had witnessed the battle between Flowing Time Great Emperor and Mo Sheng countless times in the ancient battlefield, allowing him to observe and emulate many profundities and incorporate their essence and experience to form his own Martial Truth. Currently, Yang Kai dared to say that he had mastered the Time Flies Seal, making him a match for Flowing Time Great Emperor when using this particular Secret Technique.
“You’re dead,” Yang Kai grinned at her. Right after he spoke, a white lotus flashed across his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Blossoming Lotus!
Yu Luo Sha fell into a dazed state as her Knowledge Sea defences became as weak as a piece of paper. A gigantic lotus could be seen expanding in her vision while at the same time, her Spiritual Energy was rapidly draining.
Although Yu Luo Sha had also condensed her own Dao Seal, she was still in the Emperor Realm; therefore, she was no match for Yang Kai when it came to Soul cultivation. With the nourishment from the Soul Warning Lotus over the years, Yang Kai’s Soul was much stronger than that of the cultivators in the same realm. Also, after plucking Yu Ru Meng’s Primordial Yin in the past, his Soul had been enriched, and his Spiritual Energy surged in both quantity and quality.
Although the power of his Soul might not be comparable to that of an Open Heaven Realm Master, it was definitely on par with that of a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
Feeling an excruciating pain in her head, Yu Luo Sha roared and instinctively pushed her Spiritual Energy to resist; however, as she tried to exert her Divine Sense, the white lotus only expanded even more rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the lotus had fully bloomed, appearing as clean as a jade and other-worldly beautiful.
There was more to come, however, as a golden glint flashed across Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation as he used a different Secret Technique.
Sealed Lotus!
Blossoming Lotus absorbed the opponent’s Spiritual Energy like nutrients to allow itself to bloom. On the other hand, Sealed Lotus caused the white lotus to close and wrap up the opponent’s Soul, cutting off the connection between the enemy’s Soul and body.
It could be said that once a person was struck with Sealed Lotus, they would become a living dead until they could resolve the Secret Technique.
The white lotus rapidly folded and engulfed Yu Luo Sha’s Soul in it. If she was still at the peak of her strength, she might have been able to break free of this seal; however, she had been struck with Blossoming Lotus just now, which siphoned off a good portion of her Spiritual Energy. Therefore, she wasn’t able to free herself.
Yu Luo Sha’s vision dimmed, as though she had plunged into an endless darkness. She kept falling like there was no end.
The sea of flowers disintegrated, whereupon those around the arena could finally see what was going on. Presently, Yang Kai and Yu Luo Sha were slightly apart from one another in the desert. Both of them remained unmoving.
Seeing that, no one could tell who had won the battle.
Certainly, Luo Hai Yi was unable to make any judgement as well. Since the sea of flowers appeared, she had become unable to see anything. Unable to hold it in anymore, she asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, did Sir Yang… win?”
All of a sudden, Pei Bu Wan turned his head, which shocked Luo Hai Yi. That was because, in just a short moment, his eyes had turned bloodshot.
She couldn’t help but take a few steps back and tense up.
With a ferocious grin, Pei Bu Wan said, “He won.” Then, he guffawed, “Hahaha! He actually won!” He excitedly raised his hands as though he was the one who had defeated the opponent.
It couldn’t be helped, as he already had no money left. Although he had borrowed some money to balance the accounts, it was still not enough. Left with no choice, Pei Bu Wan resorted to gambling, but he hadn’t expected that he’d really turn the situation around.
Now, he wouldn’t have to worry about those from the headquarters coming over to check the accounts anymore.
While he was laughing ecstatically, Yang Kai, in the arena, raised his hand and gently tapped his finger on Yu Luo Sha’s forehead, causing her to collapse to the ground. Her eyes were wide open, but her gaze had lost all light.
Before she could resolve the Sealed Lotus, she couldn’t reconnect her Soul with her body and regain her senses.
Seeing this, the spectators immediately realised what had happened as they broke into a commotion. Yu Luo Sha, the number 4 on the Mortal Rankings, had been defeated by an unknown brat. The problem was that they couldn’t even see how she lost the match.
Those who had bet a lot of money on Yu Luo Sha started cursing and claiming that those from Asura Arena had used some dirty tricks behind the scenes. Naturally, those from Asura Arena ignored them.
Soon after, the announcer proclaimed Yang Kai the winner.
The terrain in the arena changed as the desert disappeared, upon which two platforms on both ends reappeared. A woman dashed into the arena and shot Yang Kai a glare. After that, she carried Yu Luo Sha up and left hurriedly. It seemed that she was eager to treat her.
A calm Yang Kai returned to the passageway he came out of earlier. Inside the passageway, the man, who had led him to this place, nodded slightly at him.
Yang Kai saluted him back before re-entering Pei Bu Wan’s private room.
“Senior Yang!” Those shop hands from Hundred Refining’s Hall immediately approached him as they appeared passionate and even slightly obsequious.
Yang Kai scanned his surroundings and frowned, “Where’s your shopkeeper?”
Presently, Pei Bu Wan was nowhere in sight in the private room. Could he have run away? That wasn’t possible though as Hundred Refining’s Hall was still in the city, so there was nowhere else he could go. Moreover, he had sworn on his Martial Dao, so he wouldn’t go back on his word.
Luo Hai Yi hurriedly explained, “Shopkeeper Pei left the room to collect his winnings.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was shocked.
Luo Hai Yi took a look at those shop hands and explained, “Shopkeeper Pei placed a bet on Sir Yang’s victory. Since Sir Yang won the match, Shopkeeper Pei also made some money.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Was he so confident in me? How much did he bet?”
Luo Hai Yi shook her head as she had no idea.
Seeing that, Yang Kai gazed at those shop hands. One of them said with a fawning smile, “It was quite a bit.”
A relentless Yang Kai questioned, “How much?”
In response, the shop hand stuck up one finger.
Yang Kai arched his brow, “1 million?”
The shop hand shook his head.
“10 million?” Yang Kai was astounded.
It was then that the shop hand nodded.
Yang Kai tutted as he couldn’t help but admire Pei Bu Wan’s boldness. He wasn’t familiar with Yang Kai, but he had the guts to bet 10 million Open Heaven Pills on him winning this match.
Following that, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and asked with a frown, “What were the odds?”
In an instant, the shop hand became embarrassed and scratched his face. He wasn’t willing to talk about it, but it was impossible to hide this as Yang Kai could find out about it after leaving the room. So in a small voice, he muttered, “Four to one.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai gasped and clenched his teeth, “Seems he made a great fortune!”
With the odds four to one against Yang Kai winning, Pei Bu Wan made 40 million from his 1o million bet.
It was no wonder that Pei Bu Wan was so generous when he promised a million pills to Yang Kai if he could win a match in the Asura Arena. After winning so much, Pei Bu Wan could not only easily afford the 10 million pill repayment, but even throw in an extra 1 million.
1 million was nothing compared to 40 million. It seemed that Pei Bu Wan had already done some calculations in advance. At that instant, Yang Kai felt frustrated as he was the one who risked his life to fight against his opponent in the arena while someone else gained most of the benefits. However, there was nothing he could do as everything had been agreed upon beforehand. He couldn’t change a thing now.
“Senior Yang, Sir Shopkeeper said that he wouldn’t come back so soon, so he wants us to return to Hundred Refining’s Hall first. Don’t worry. He’ll definitely give you the 11 million.”
Yang Kai snorted, “He wouldn’t dare to go back on his word!”
After they waited in the main hall of Hundred Refining’s Hall for one hour, Pei Bu Wan was heard laughing riotously from outside, “Where’s Little Brother Yang? Where is he?” Previously, he called Yang Kai ‘brat’, but after making a great fortune, he started calling him ‘Little Brother’.
Before he even finished his words, he stepped into the hall and stared at Yang Kai with a pair of glowing eyes. Then, he walked up to him and heavily patted his shoulders, “Little Brother, you’re my lucky star!”
Yang Kai snorted, “I think I’m more like your saviour.” He couldn’t help admiring this thug’s courage. How did Pei Bu Wan have the gall to bet ten million on him? What if he lost the match?
“Same thing!” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and took a look at Yang Kai’s tea cup before frowning, “Take this cup away and get him the best tea!”
“Enough nonsense, just give me the money now!” Yang Kai cut him off with no trace of politeness and extended his hand.
Yang Kai didn’t want to have anything to do with this thief again, so he was eager to take the money and leave quickly.
“Don’t worry. You won’t get one pill less. I’ve got the money,” Then, Pei Bu Wan took a seat and put down a Space Ring on the table before pushing it forward.
After picking up the ring, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and started counting.
To the side, Pei Bu Wan looked smilingly at him, “Little Brother Yang, I never expected that you’re so good at fighting. Even Yu Luo Sha was easily defeated by you. Are you interested in taking part in more matches?”
Yang Kai multitasked by counting the pills and shooting him a cool glance.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “Yu Luo Sha was only ranked 4th on the Mortal Rankings. Although she’s not bad, she’s still no match for the three people above her. If you’re interested, I’ll make an arrangement for you to fight with those guys. If you can win those matches, you’ll earn a lot of money.”
In response, Yang Kai waved the ring in his hand and declared, “I have money now. So, no thanks.”
Pei Bu Wan replied with a smile, “Do you seriously think you have a lot of money? You have to hand in 10 million, so you’re only left with 1 million. If you listen to me and win more matches, I’ll give you 20% of the winnings.”
Ignoring his suggestion, Yang Kai rose from the chair and said, “The issue has been settled, so I’ll take my leave now. You don’t have to see me off.” Then, he led Luo Hai Yi to shuffle out of the hall.
“Wait a moment, there’s room for negotiation! I can give you thirty percent!” Pei Bu Wan hurriedly stood up and said.
Seeing that Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of stopping, he quickly offered a higher percentage, “Forty percent! That’s the maximum. I’ll have to bear the risk of losing my capital, so you can’t expect to get fifty percent of the money. That would be outrageous.”
Oblivious to him, Yang Kai disappeared from the place.
“This brat…” Pei Bu Wan pressed his lips together. If Yang Kai were someone else, he would’ve forced him to stay as he was practically a money tree. If he could make good use of Yang Kai, he could easily gain lots of money from Asura Arena. However, Yang Kai was from First Inn, so he couldn’t force the issue. Since Yang Kai wasn’t willing to take part in more matches, there was nothing Pei Bu Wan could do.
After Yang Kai was gone, he felt slightly dejected, but he soon became overjoyed because of the fact that he had won a massive amount of money today; then, he took a seat and started counting his winnings.
He had made a bet of 10 million, and he had won 40 million! After giving Yang Kai 11 million, he still had about 30 million left. Not only could he make up for the discrepancy in the shop’s accounts, but he also had a lot leftover to play with. The trouble that had been haunting him for days had finally vanished, so he was naturally joyful.
…..
After leaving Hundred Refining’s Hall, Yang Kai passed a Space Ring to Luo Hai Yi. Seeing as she was staring puzzledly at him, he explained, “I’m returning what I borrowed.”
It was then she took the ring, but upon scanning it, she exclaimed, “It’s too much, Sir!” When Yang Kai was buying a Universe Chart some time ago, she had lent him 20,000 pills, but after only one day, he gave her 30,000 in return, which was a lot of money for her.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Any excess is your compensation.”
“That’s still too much.” She shook her head, “I can’t take it, Sir. My service isn’t worth so much money. Please take it back.”
Then, she tried to return the ring to him.
Yang Kai examined her, and upon realising that she was serious, he burst into laughter before deciding to respect her wishes, “Good. Deduct the money you’ve lent me and then return the remaining to me.”
Luo Hai Yi nodded and started getting busy. A moment later, she returned the remaining pills to him.
After taking it, Yang Kai realised that it was still early in the day, so he said, “Why don’t we visit more shops?”
“En, this Mistress won’t have anything to do if I go home. We can visit as many shops as Sir wants today.”
After he stepped into Hundred Refining’s Hall on the previous day, Yang Kai was made to fight against Yu Luo Sha in Asura Arena, so he hadn’t managed to visit more shops. He reckoned that it would still take him three to four days to finish this errand.
For the following shops, Yang Kai didn’t come across any thugs like Pei Bu Wan again. After he presented a notice of debt, expressed his purpose of visit, and fished out the Proprietress’ Faith Token, most shopkeepers treated him politely.
As usual, they were given a time limit of one month and in the blink of an eye, night had descended upon them again.
The previous night, Yang Kai had no money and didn’t want to return to First Inn, which was why he stayed over at Luo Hai Yi’s residence. Now, he had earned 11 million pills, and he was eager to let the Proprietress know about the good news, so he told Luo Hai Yi to go home first.
Soon, he reached First Inn and realised that the place was still crammed with customers. Several shop boys were moving around while the accountant was loudly fiddling with the abacus behind the front counter.
Noticing that someone had entered the inn, the accountant said without raising his head, “We’re fully booked now. Please go somewhere else.”
Yang Kai tapped on the table, “Where’s Proprietress?”
It was only then that the accountant lifted his head, “It’s you. I thought it was a customer.” He pointed at the rear court with his lips pouting, “She’s in her room.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Alright. You can continue doing your things.”
Then, he shuffled towards the backyard.
The accountant watched him leave as he shivered slightly while muttering under his breath, “Why did he even decide to come back at this point? It’s like knocking on the gates of Hell. What’s wrong with him?”
Upon stepping into the rear court, he saw someone in the corner who repeatedly squatted and got up. There seemed to be something on his shoulders.
An amazed Yang Kai walked over and realised that the person was Bai Qi.
As their eyes met, Bai Qi flashed a smile at him and panted, “You’re back.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded and looked curiously at him, “What are you doing here?”
“N-Nothing!” Bai Qi got up with difficulty as he almost didn’t have the energy to finish his words. It was apparent that the thing on his shoulders was very heavy, “I’m cultivating.”
“Here?” Yang Kai became puzzled as he wondered whether Bai Qi had lost his mind. Even if he wanted to cultivate, he should look for a suitable place instead of doing it in the rear court where the Proprietress lived.
“Is Yang Kai back?” The Proprietress’ voice was heard coming from a room where the candlelight flickered.
“Yes, I’ve returned!” Yang Kai yelled and took a glance at Bai Qi. After shaking his head, he stopped paying attention to him and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, but before he could let the Proprietress know about the good news, he saw a white shadow rapidly approaching him. Shocked, he tried to flee; however, the white shadow was unbelievably swift as it grabbed his collar and pulled him into the room. Following that, the door was slammed shut.
An anxious Yang Kai thought that someone had launched a sneak attack on him, but after a glance, he realised that it was the Proprietress who was standing in front of him. It wasn’t so surprising as this was her room, so who else could it be?
At this moment, she was staring coldly at him with a pair of glacial eyes.
Yang Kai shot her a glare, “What’s wrong?” He didn’t think he had offended this crazy woman in any way, but she looked like she was about to skin him alive.
“How do you still have the gall to ask?” After a sneer, the Proprietress extended her hand into the void and fished out something that looked like a feather duster. Then, she attempted to strike Yang Kai with it.
A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly lifted his hand to fend it off. Nevertheless, there was a huge gap between their strength, so his attempt was futile and the feather duster directly hit his head.
It hurt so much that his eyes turned bloodshot, and with his hands on his head, Yang Kai bellowed, “What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see I’m hitting you?” Then, she directly pushed out the feather duster and poked right on his stomach.
[That’s not what I meant. I was asking why you’re hitting me!] Yang Kai wanted to speak, but he was unable to do that as he felt his stomach churning as he bent his back.
The Proprietress landed another strike on his shoulder.
A horrified Yang Kai jumped up and leapt backwards in an attempt to dash out of the room; however, she just grabbed the air and directly pulled him back.
The huge gap in their powers dictated that Yang Kai was totally unable to resist. Presently, he felt humiliated and enraged. In all his life, he had never been hit by anyone in such an insulting way before. More importantly, he didn’t even have the foggiest idea about why he was beaten.
After getting struck several times again, he felt immensely incensed. Infuriated and emboldened, he barked, “Crazy woman, I dare you to lay your hand on me one more time!”
“Crazy woman?” The Proprietress was so enraged that she started laughing. The next instant, her feather duster turned into countless shadows and engulfed him.
At that moment, Yang Kai kept jumping up as he was hit. Gritting his teeth, he reckoned that a man had to yield when it was necessary. Regardless, he had to find out the crux of the problem first, so he hurriedly yelled, “Stop hitting me! Let’s talk it out!”
“I’m a crazy woman, so I’m unreasonable. I can do whatever I want,” Then, she landed more whips on him.
After getting refuted, Yang Kai was unable to even get mad at her anymore; thus, he squatted in one corner and covered his head with his hands.
Seeing that, the Proprietress finally stopped.
Slowly raising his head, Yang Kai looked through the gap between his fingers with a vigilant gaze.
A condescending Proprietress looked down at him with an indifferent expression, “Spill it. Where were you last night? Why didn’t you come back?”
An incensed Yang Kai bellowed, “Did you hit me just because of that?” He slowly stood up.
Seeing her smacking the feather duster into her palm, Yang Kai shrunk back again and secretly swore that if when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm one day, he would retaliate and make her go through an ordeal that was a hundred times more gut-wrenching than what he had suffered.
“Cut the crap and answer my question!”
Yang Kai snorted, “I was staying over at a friend’s house.”
“A friend?” The Proprietress sneered, “It’s only been a few days since we arrived in this Star City. When did you make friends here? Was this friend a man or a woman?”
[What does that have to do with you?] Yang Kai wanted to refute her, but he was worried that he would infuriate her again, so he replied, “A woman.”
Right after he finished speaking, the Proprietress struck him with the feather duster again. There was a resentful look on her face as she barked, “You’re so young, but you’ve already learned to hook up with random women! You’ve been here for only a few days, but you’ve already stayed over at a woman’s house?!”
[I’m young?] Yang Kai was speechless at that comment, thinking that he was already about 200 years old, but he was still treated like he was a little kid. Nevertheless, he recalled that the Proprietress had lived for many times longer, so had the right to act this way.
However, even if she wanted to reprimand him, she shouldn’t have made a move against him.
An enraged Yang Kai bellowed, “Stop hitting me. Otherwise, I’ll resist.”
The Proprietress stopped what she was doing and gazed nonchalantly at him, a faint smile on her face as she asked, “How are you going to resist?”
Yang Kai parted his lips, but he was unable to say anything because he couldn’t defeat her; otherwise, he would’ve counterattacked and made her beg for mercy long ago.
“I’ll only give you one chance. If you dare to stay over at some random person’s house again, I won’t let you off!” The Proprietress snorted and kept the feather duster.
Seeing that, Yang Kai slowly got to his feet and moved his body a little. Still furious, he muttered, “You’re so ruthless.”
Her lashes just now were immensely painful; however, she had exquisite control over her strength, so she was able to make him suffer excruciating pain while leaving no marks on his body.
“If you do it one more time, I’ll show you the true meaning of ruthless.” The Proprietress sneered, “Come with me!”
Yang Kai wondered what she was up to. Although he was apprehensive, he had no choice but to follow her. Soon, they reached the yard and walked up to Bai Qi.
With a fawning smile, Bai Qi called out, “Proprietress…”
“Shut up!” The Proprietress shot him a glare, whereupon he hurriedly kept his mouth shut.
Then, she shifted her attention to Yang Kai and pointed at the spot beside Bai Qi, “Stand right there.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he finally realised what the Proprietress was trying to do and the reason Bai Qi was squatting in the yard in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.
“Proprietress, is this even necessary?” Yang Kai shot her a glance.
She giggled and lifted her hand, at which point the feather duster appeared.
After a gulp, Yang Kai hurriedly nodded, “Good. You’ll regret this!” Then, he stood beside Bai Qi.
“Why do you always have so much nonsense to spew?” The Proprietress snorted and extended her hand into the void. After fishing out a wooden rod, she placed it on his shoulders.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s figure shrank. The wooden rod looked ordinary and was only about a metre long, but it weighed at least a hundred thousand kilograms. It was no wonder that Bai Qi was panting while carrying it on his shoulders.
Apparently, the wooden rod was a kind of rare material that could be used for Artifact Refining.
“If you dare to not come back again, you won’t be standing here. I’ll definitely throw you out on the streets.” The Proprietress snorted and swung her sleeve before shuffling into her room.
A fawning Bai Qi said, “Have a good night’s sleep.”
Ignoring him, the Proprietress slammed the door shut.
The breeze whisked through the yard as the Brothers who were suffering together respectively carried a wooden rod on their backs and looked dazedly at one another.
“She’s crossed the line,” Bai Qi suddenly said. “I just didn’t come back for two nights. Why was she making a fuss over it?”
After shooting him a glance, Yang Kai scoffed and closed his eyes to focus his mind. Although he was indeed in an embarrassing situation, no one else could see them at the very least, so he simply regarded it as a cultivation session.
He had intended to inform the Proprietress about the fact that he had collected a debt of 10 million already, but he wasn’t in the mood to do that now. To the side, an infuriated Bai Qi kept muttering on and on. Eventually, an enraged Proprietress struck the air and landed a slap on Bai Qi, which caused Bai Qi to collapse to the ground. He became quieter after the incident.
In the latter half of the night, most of the customers were gone. The accountant, the chef, and the other shop boys had nothing else to do, so they came to the backyard and watched Yang Kai and Bai Qi, which made them feel exasperated.
At the break of dawn, Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, we have to go out to demand repayments.”
“Scram!” She was heard bellowing from the room.
After trading glances, Yang Kai and Bai Qi hurriedly put the wooden rods down on the ground and dashed out of the inn.
Since that horrible experience, the two of them became much better behaved. For the next few days, they would always return to First Inn in the evening to serve customers before going out to demand repayments in the morning.
After a few days, they visited all the shops on their respective lists and all that was left was to wait for the one-month deadline to pass. Yang Kai had fully paid Luo Hai Yi’s fees and treated her to a meal to thank her.
In fact, he had the intention to help her join First Inn. Presently, business was booming in the inn, and the shop hands were swamped with work, so a new helper would ease their burden. If Luo Hai Yi could enter First Inn, it would be good for her as well. Regardless of whether her salary would be better than what she would get as a local guide, she would have a shelter at the very least; after all, no ordinary people would dare to offend the shop hands from First Inn.
However, he realised that he didn’t have the right to make any decision in the inn. Moreover, the Proprietress seemed to have something against him recently, so it would only produce the opposite of the desired result if he brought it up at this point.
Yang Kai reckoned that he should collect all the debts first before mentioning it to the Proprietress. It would be wonderful if she would agree to it, but if not, he wouldn’t suffer any losses. Also, he didn’t inform Luo Hai Yi about his intention as it still wouldn’t be too late to tell her about it after it was confirmed. Certainly, she wouldn’t turn him down.
The following days were peaceful. In the morning, Yang Kai would serve the customers in the main hall. After the customers were gone at night, he would have some time to cultivate.
During this period of time, Pei Bu Wan from Hundred Refining’s Hall visited the inn several times. After greeting the Proprietress, he would directly look for Yang Kai. Naturally, he wanted Yang Kai to take part in more matches in Asura Arena to make more money.
Yang Kai wasn’t interested, as although he had defeated Yu Luo Sha, he had also exposed his Demon Eye of Annihilation at that time. If those from Myriad Demons Heaven found out about it, he wouldn’t even know what the consequences would be.
Moreover, he wasn’t lacking money at the moment as he hadn’t even touched the 1 million pills he had earned from the last match. In any case, the things he wanted couldn’t be bought with money. Seventh-Order and above materials couldn’t be gauged in monetary terms. Also, he wasn’t in the rush to return the 16 million to the Proprietress, so it wasn’t necessary for him to go to the Asura Arena anymore.
In the blink of an eye, one month had passed. Yang Kai calmly stepped out of the inn and followed the path he had walked down one month ago to demand repayments from the various shops.
His mission could be regarded as successful. Those from Second Class forces couldn’t afford to offend First Inn, so after they sent a message to their headquarters and confirmed that their top cultivators were indeed involved in First Inn’s destruction, most of them generously paid the debt of 10 million. After six days, 13 out of 19 shops had repaid the debts. The remaining 6 shops were also willing to pay up, but 10 million was a lot of pills, so they needed more time to prepare them.
Yang Kai wasn’t a ruthless man, so he agreed to their requests and extended the deadline. He would only visit them again when the time was due.
A few days later, he stepped out of a shop after getting the repayment from them. While he was walking on a street, he heard someone calling out to him. Lifting his head, he saw Bai Qi beckoning to him from the second floor of a restaurant.
It was such a coincidence. This Star City was apparently just a mid-sized city, but it was the first time he came across Bai Qi while collecting debts. Certainly, he was more than happy to grab a drink with him.
Seeing that Bai Qi was drinking on his own by the window, Yang Kai took a seat across from him and told the shop hand to get him a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Then, they had a small celebration together.
After eating and drinking for a while, Bai Qi asked, “How are you doing with the debt collection?”
While picking up some vegetables, Yang Kai replied, “There are two shops left. We’ve agreed on a time to collect the debts. What about you?”
Bai Qi pressed his lips together, “Most of them are willing to pay up, but there’s one shop that is particularly difficult to deal with.”
“Which one?” Yang Kai was surprised. They would always leave a notice of debt before demanding repayment, but there were still some people who had no regard for First Inn, which was why he was curious.
Bai Qi replied, “Wind and Cloud Auction House.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Is that a business of Wind and Cloud Paradise?” Although he wasn’t aware of all the great forces in the Outer Universe, he was familiar with all Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises at the very least. Wind and Cloud Auction House was obviously an industry of Wind and Cloud Paradise.
“En,” Bai Qi nodded.
“What did they say?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi snorted, “They said that they have no money. If I want any repayment, I should get the Proprietress to visit them.”
“Did they really say that?” Yang Kai was shocked. He had visited the shops owned by several Paradises before, and although the shopkeepers were not obsequious, they were still polite to him.
What was wrong with those from Wind and Cloud Auction House? Why would they humiliate a shop hand from First Inn?
Apparently, Bai Qi was frustrated over this issue. He couldn’t tell others about it, but since he had come across Yang Kai, he decided to vent his frustration to him, “What do you think I should do? It’s not like I can really get the Proprietress to go over. It will make me look useless. However, they are unwilling to give me the money, and I can’t explain myself to the Proprietress.”
“Have you explained what happened to them?” Yang Kai stared at him.
Bai Qi replied, “Of course I have. I even met their shopkeeper twice, but after that, they refused to let me in again.”
“They’re pretty brazen of them,” Yang Kai sneered. Whatever the case, he was also part of First Inn now, which was why he shared Bai Qi’s fury.
Bai Qi took a look at him and darted his gaze around; then, he said with a grin, “Yang Kai, why don’t you visit them on my behalf? They have never met you before, so they won’t shut you out.”
With a frown, Yang Kai replied, “It might not be useful even if I go.” Just like Bai Qi, he was also a shop hand from First Inn. Since Bai Qi couldn’t demand any repayment from them, it was pointless for him to go over as well.
“Regardless of whether it’s useful or not, please give it a try. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just inform the Proprietress about it.” Seeing as Yang Kai was hesitant, he decided to push a little harder, “She has said that you’ll get five percent of the money you collect to put towards your debt. The debt you collect from Wind and Cloud Auction House will be considered yours. There’s no harm in trying.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai decided not to turn him down as he nodded, “I’ll give it a try, then.”
An elated Bai Qi immediately filled the cup for him, “You’re a good friend! Let’s drink!”
After they were done with the meal, they walked out together.
Wind and Cloud Auction House was a huge building that was located in the centre of the city, which was a key location.
When they arrived at the auction house, they were shocked to realise that there were many people outside the building. The shop hands from the auction house hospitably welcomed everyone into the hall while a well-dressed elderly man greeted these important guests.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows.
After giving it a thought, Bai Qi suddenly realised something, “I think they have an auction going on today… En, they indeed have one scheduled for today. No wonder there are so many people.”
“An auction?” Yang Kai’s interest was piqued. In the past, he had entered many auction houses, but it was the first time he came across an auction in the Outer Universe. He wondered if there were any good treasures that were up for auction, which was why he was interested.
Anyway, an auction house was a place where rich people fought against one another with their wealth. Although he had 1 million with him, it was obviously not enough for him to get anything good. Furthermore, he had a task to carry out now.
“That’s the shopkeeper of Wind and Cloud Auction House, Yun Zhen Hua.” Bai Qi pointed at the elderly man who greeted his guests at the door. Since he was here to demand repayment, he certainly had met the shopkeeper before. That was why Bai Qi could recognise this man at first glance. The first two times Bai Qi came here, Yun Zhen Hua was still willing to meet him, but after that, he refused to show up again, which made Bai Qi feel exasperated.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Yang Kai said before he and Bai Qi shuffled towards Yun Zhen Hua.
Presently, Yun Zhen Hua was standing in front of the entrance with a smile on his face. He was from Wind and Cloud Paradise, and he was given the task to take charge of this auction house; however, their guests on this day were all important people in the city whose cultivation and status were on par with or even greater than his own. Therefore, he had to show up at the entrance to greet the guests to show that they were sincere.
While he was telling a shop hand to lead a certain guest into the venue, Yun Zhen Hua heard a firm voice coming from the side, “First Inn’s Yang Kai greets Manager Yun.”
Yun Zhen Hua frowned and turned his head. After he took a look at both Yang Kai and Bai Qi, a tinge of impatience flashed across his eyes, “Why are you here again?”
Bai Qi cupped his fists, “Manager Yun, please forgive me. I’m just here following orders. If you don’t pay up your debt, I won’t be able to complete my task.”
Yang Kai also cupped his fists, “Manager Yun, can we get in and have a talk?”
There was a grim expression on Yun Zhen Hua’s face. On any other day, he would have directly ignored these two brats; however, it was an important day for the auction house, so he couldn’t make a fuss at the entrance. In light of that, he nodded his head, “Go in and wait for me. This Old Master will meet with you soon.”
Then, he told a shop hand to lead Yang Kai and Bai Qi into the auction house.
After entering a side room, the shop hand left.
Bai Qi and Yang Kai were seated across from one another. Then, Bai Qi spoke to him via Divine Sense, “You see now? That shopkeeper doesn’t have the intention to pay up at all.”
With a frown, Yang Kai replied, “Have you clearly explained the incident to him?”
Bai Qi snorted, “What do you mean by that? I told him all the details on my first visit, but he paid no attention to me. What could I do?”
Yang Kai nodded his head as he could feel Bai Qi’s frustration. Judging from Yun Zhen Hua’s attitude, it was apparent that they would have a hard time getting the repayment from Wind and Cloud Auction House; however, since they were here, they had to give it a try.
Then, they went on to wait for an hour, but Yun Zhen Hua was still nowhere to be seen. More outrageously, they were not even given tea or water.
Yang Kai’s face fell as time passed. Although he and Bai Qi were weak and not famous in the city, they were here as representatives of First Inn after all. Obviously, Yun Zhen Hua had no regard for them or their background.
[Why is he so arrogant? Just what is his status and backing?] The first shop Yang Kai visited was Gathering Virtue Emporium, which was an industry of Nine Stars Paradise yet the shopkeeper, Gong Sun Hong, had repaid him in full a few days ago. On the other hand, Yun Zhen Hua was completely arrogant and aloof. If Yang Kang hadn’t already known it, he would have thought that the auction house was a business of a Cave-Heaven.
After another quarter hour, Yun Zhen Hua pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that, Yang Kai and Bai Qi hurriedly rose from the chairs.
Without giving them a chance to speak, Yun Zhen Hua said, “This Old Master has no idea what really happened regarding your inn’s destruction, nor do I know whether any top cultivators from my force have anything to do with it. You’ve found the wrong place if you’re here to demand compensation. There’s an important auction going on today, so this Old Master doesn’t have the time to hold a discussion with you. Leave!”
Then, he turned around and left without sparing them a glance.
Right after he finished speaking, two men in tight-fitting clothes pushed the door open and stared coldly at them.
These men exuded majestic auras as their World Force undulated. It was apparent that they were Open Heaven Realm Masters.
“Manager Yun! Manager Yun!” Bai Qi yelled and raced after him, but before he even reached the door, one of the men landed a palm on Bai Qi’s shoulder, which made it impossible for him to move again.
Under the man’s pressure, Bai Qi slowly lowered his figure, and it seemed that he was about to kneel.
Seeing that, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and pushed out a fist. The other man charged forward and gently raised his hand to block Yang Kai’s fist. With a grin, he said, “How dare you make a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House? You’re courting death!”
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “I dare you to make a move on me then. We from First Inn are not so easily bullied!” He was just here to demand repayment, but he hadn’t expected that things would turn out this way, which was why he was furious.
At the mention of First Inn, both of the men finally became wary. The man, who was pressing his hand against Bai Qi, released him, which spared him the embarrassment of kneeling.
“Both of you, please,” One of the Open Heaven Realm Masters gestured with his hand.
Bai Qi rubbed his shoulder and glared at the man who almost made him kneel. With bloodshot eyes, he said through gritted teeth, “A Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? Very good! I’ll remember you. When I ascend to the Open Heaven Realm one day, I’ll make you kneel and beg for my mercy!”
“Shut your mouths and leave; otherwise, you shall stay here forever.” The man grinned, apparently unafraid. It wasn’t easy to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. Even if one managed to fully condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, they would still have to take a huge risk to split Heaven and Earth apart within their body. If one wasn’t careful enough, they would explode into pieces. There were no second chances. Moreover, the higher the Order one attempted to initially reach, the greater the risk became; therefore, for a cultivator, it wasn’t like the higher the Order they were trying to achieve, the brighter their future would become. Instead, they had to assess their own capabilities and act accordingly. If one thought they could only become a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they were best off only refining Fourth-Order materials. If they forcefully tried to refine Fifth or Sixth-Order materials, it wouldn’t be beneficial to them.
Although Yang Kai and Bai Qi were incensed, they had to make a concession. That was because these two men were much stronger than them, and they were in someone else’s territory.
Under the escort of the two Open Heaven Realm cultivators, they were thrown out of the auction house through the back door.
Standing on a street that was crammed with people, Bai Qi yelled, “Let’s go back and look for the Proprietress!”
Yun Zhen Hua had made his stance clear, so shop hands like them were unable to settle the issue. The Proprietress would have to come over to deal with it.
After Bai Qi finished speaking, he turned around and headed in the direction First Inn was located. Soon though, he realised that Yang Kai wasn’t following him, so he turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Can you endure this insult?” Yang Kai shot him a glance.
“I can’t. That’s why I’m going to look for Proprietress.” Previously, he didn’t want to ask the Proprietress for help because that would make him look useless; however, he had no other choice now.
“We don’t necessarily have to look for her.” Yang Kai darted his gaze around before he stared at the enormous auction house and fell into his thoughts.
“Do you have an idea?” Bai Qi returned to him. It would be wonderful if Yang Kai was able to collect the debt without letting the Proprietress know what had happened.
With a grin, Yang Kai beckoned to him. Bai Qi approached him, whereupon Yang Kai whispered into his ear.
A moment later, Bai Qi gaped at him in disbelief, “That’s so wicked! If we really do that, the reputation of their auction house will be ruined.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “When did you become such a kind man? We were polite to them at first, but they treated us with disrespect in return. We have no choice but to use a dirty trick on them now.”
Still, Bai Qi was hesitant, “But we don’t have the money…” Before he finished his words, he suddenly realised something.
Yang Kai looked around and said, “Let’s not think about that for now. At the very least, we have to come up with a way to sneak into the auction house.”
They had just been thrown out of the place through the back door, so it was impossible for them to enter now. If they couldn’t even enter the auction house, there was no point thinking about using any tricks.
Things would have been easier if Yang Kai was on his own as over the past month, he had been refining Seven Faces every night. He had almost fully refined it, so he could start using it now. After summoning Seven Faces and transforming into someone else, Yang Kai could easily sneak into the venue; however, since Bai Qi was around, he was unable to do that.
Just when he was pondering on whether he should act on his own, Yang Kai’s gaze suddenly brightened. Then, he beckoned to Bai Qi, “Come with me.”
There was a group of people coming over from across the street and the one at the front was a burly man with hideous facial features. He was none other than the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall, Pei Bu Wan.
Recently, life had been wonderful for Pei Bu Wan. With the help of Yang Kai, he had earned close to 30 million Open Heaven Pills. Not only was he able to pay off his debts, but he could also balance the accounts in the shop. Those from the headquarters were unable to find any problem in the books and instead, they complimented him by saying that he was adept at running a business, so he should work harder to make greater contributions.
While he was ambling forward, he was greeted by a familiar figure. With a huge grin on his face, he called out, “Yang Boy!”
“Shopkeeper Pei!” Yang Kai cupped his fists, “It has been a few days since we last met, and you’re still so energetic.” Although this thug had gone to First Inn to look for him and asked him to take part in more matches in Asura Arena, Yang Kai had decisively turned him down. After getting rejected several times, Pei Bu Wan stopped showing up. Yang Kai hadn’t expected that he’d bump into him on this day.
“Hahaha! It’s all thanks to you!” Pei Bu Wan patted his own belly and guffawed.
“Shopkeeper Pei, there’s something I need you to help me with. Will you…”
Before he finished speaking, Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and said, “Just tell me what you want. I’ll lend you a hand if I can do it.”
Yang Kai looked around and replied in a small voice, “Please come with me.”
There was a doubtful look on Pei Bu Wan’s face as it seemed that Yang Kai was up to no good. With his interest piqued though, he led his group of people to follow him.
After entering a back alley, Pei Bu Wan told his subordinates to guard the entrance before turning to look at Yang Kai, “Why are you acting so mysteriously? What’s wrong?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “I just want to know whether you’re here to take part in the auction.” If that wasn’t the case, nothing else needed to be said. If Pei Bu Wan was indeed going to enter the auction house though, Yang Kai could ask for his help to allow him to sneak in.
“En, this King is here today to take part in the auction.” Pei Bu Wan nodded.
[He really is!] An ecstatic Yang Kai cupped his fists, “In that case, I’d like to ask for Shopkeeper Pei’s help.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Just say it.”
“Please bring us into the auction house.”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan burst into a fit of laughter, “This auction house is not a Restricted Area, just go in if you want to. There are two entrances over there. One is for important people in the Star City who have VIP invitations and the other for those who are general participants. As long as you can show them that you’re wealthy enough, they will let you in. You’ve already made a fortune, so you totally have the right to enter.”
Yang Kai had realised earlier that there were two entrances for those who were invited and those who were not; however, that meant nothing for Yang Kai and Bai Qi because they wouldn’t be allowed to get into the venue if they directly stepped into it. By following Pei Bu Wan though, they stood a chance of sneaking into the place.
Realising what was going on, Pei Bu Wan knitted his brow and examined Yang Kai, “Have you caused some kind of trouble?”
With a harmless smile, Yang Kai replied, “What are you talking about? We’re honest and well-behaved people, so how is it possible that we’ve caused any trouble? Shopkeeper Pei is overly worried.” This thug indeed didn’t have any integrity to begin with. He had just promised to lend Yang Kai a hand, but he didn’t immediately agree to his request.
Pei Bu Wan’s expression suggested that he didn’t believe him.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai said, “Good. You’ve always wanted me to take part in another match, right? If Shopkeeper Pei lends us a hand today, I’ll follow you to Asura Arena one more time.”
At the mention of Asura Arena, Pei Bu Wan’s expression changed drastically as he quickly waved his hands, “No, we’re not going there again!”
[What’s going on?] A puzzled Yang Kai stared at him. Pei Bu Wan had visited the inn several times to persuade him to go to Asura Arena, so why did he look so terrified when this topic was brought up now?
Yang Kai thought that this thug had lost a lot of money in the arena and was now worried about going back, but he had no idea that it was the Proprietress who had warned him.
She had seen Pei Bu Wan looking for Yang Kai several times, so she found a chance and had a chat with him. Upon learning that Pei Bu Wan had brought Yang Kai to Asura Arena, she became infuriated and almost broke his arms. Then, she warned him against taking Yang Kai to the arena again; otherwise, she would trample his Hundred Refining’s Hall flat.
If that hadn’t happened, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have given up this means of making more money. That was the real reason he had stopped looking for Yang Kai.
With a frown, Pei Bu Wan pointed at two shop hands who had tagged along and ordered, “Take off your clothes.” Although he had no idea why Yang Kai wanted to follow him into the auction house, he knew that the latter must be up to no good. After that, he stared at Yang Kai, “It’s fine that you want to tag along, but we’ll part ways after we get into the venue.”
“Alright. Many thanks, Shopkeeper Pei.” Yang Kai and Bai Qi traded glances and grinned.
Soon, they changed into new clothes and hid among the group of people. After that, they followed Pei Bu Wan to shuffle towards the auction house.
In front of the entrance, Yun Zhen Hua was nowhere in sight. He must be busy handling other matters since the auction was about to start, which allowed Yang Kai and Bai Qi to heave a sigh of relief. If Yun Zhen Hua was still around, they wouldn’t stand a chance to get in, but now that the latter was nowhere to be found, they might be able to sneak in.
Reaching the entrance, Pei Bu Wan presented the invitation card to the shop hand, who extended his hand to welcome them in. Pei Bu Wan directly strode into the venue, while Yang Kai and Bai Qi hung their heads low as they followed the rest of the group.
After entering the auction hall, Yang Kai thanked Shopkeeper Pei in a small voice before he and Bai Qi scurried off in a different direction.
Soon, they reached the main hall and saw many people moving around. Rows of chairs had been placed in the venue hall that was so spacious that it could accommodate at least a few hundred people.
On the second floor, many private rooms were seen around the hall.
The chairs in the hall were for individual bidders, while those private rooms were for people like Pei Bu Wan who had high social status.
At this moment, half of the seats in the hall had been taken. Yang Kai and Bai Qi secretly observed for a while and realised that these individual bidders could take any seat they wanted, so they decided to take a seat in the last row.
There was still some time before the auction began as the guests were still streaming into the venue, so an apprehensive Bai Qi asked, “Yang Kai, why don’t we forget it and just watch the auction? We’d better not make a scene here.”
Yang Kai shot him a glance, “Do you really want to ask Proprietress for help?”
Bai Qi sighed, “We have no other choice. If we make a fuss here, we’ll end up miserable.”
Yang Kai grinned, “That’s only if they have the guts.”
A hesitant Bai Qi gave it a thought and said, “There’s a problem with your idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if they demand payment on the spot?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai furrowed his brow as that was indeed a problem. In that case, his plan wouldn’t work, but what Bai Qi had said might not be the case as well. After pondering on it for a bit, he said, “We’ll see how things go. If there’s a chance, we’ll make a scene. If there isn’t, we’ll just watch the auction in silence. Everything is up to Heavens now.”
Bai Qi clenched his teeth and said, “Good. It’s decided, then. However, I think we’d better sit in different places; otherwise, it’d be too conspicuous.” Then, he looked around and pointed in a direction, “You stay here, and I’ll go over there.”
After he finished speaking, he rose from his chair and walked away.
Yang Kai didn’t stop him. Looking around, he realised that there were many Emperor Realm cultivators as well as a few Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall. However, those were all lone Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who basically had no future; otherwise, they would have been invited into the private rooms instead of staying in this crammed hall.
While he was looking around and observing the crowd, Yang Kai suddenly heard someone calling out to him, “Sir Yang?”
Yang Kai turned his head and broke into laughter, “Luo Hai Yi?”
She seemed to be looking for a seat, and seeing as there was an empty one beside a person in the back, she decided to come over. It wasn’t until she got close that she realised it was Yang Kai.
Having bumped into a familiar face here, she was apparently elated. Then, she took a look at the seat beside him and asked, “Is that seat taken?”
“No. Have a seat,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
It was then she took a seat beside him. There was a pleasant scent wafting from her body that could make anyone feel refreshed.
“Are you here to buy something?” Yang Kai asked, thinking she was probably here to take part in the auction.
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “I heard that some Grand Dao Pills have appeared, so I’m here to try my luck.”
She hadn’t condensed her Dao Seal yet, so she was in desperate need of Grand Dao Pills. Yang Kai had heard her mention this before.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Do you have enough pills? I can lend you some if not.”
A bashful Luo Hai Yi put on a smile, “I should have enough to buy two pills.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Then, good luck.”
Through his contact with Luo Hai Yi, he realised that she was an independent woman who did not like owing others favours. Previously, she had rejected any money that was more than what had been agreed upon beforehand, so it was apparent that she stuck to her principles.
The pair were familiar with one another and had many common interests, so they had fun chatting together. One hour later, all the seats in the hall were finally filled.
This fact alone suggested that Wind and Cloud Auction House was truly influential in this city. There wasn’t even a single empty seat in the hall, which went to show that the auctions that were held here were attractive to the citizenry.
Right then, a bell rang out and all the lights turned dim. Following that, a spotlight was cast on the stage. Following the movement of the spotlight, a figure sashayed forward from the backstage. Standing in the spotlight, she became the centre of attention in the venue.
She was a young woman in her thirties with a curvy figure and an alluring face. After reaching the podium, she introduced herself in a soft voice, an amiable smile on her face.
After a typical opening speech, the auction officially began.
Naturally, the things that were up for auction first were not rare treasures and were things only Emperor Realm cultivators would need. While the honoured guests in the private rooms and the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall were unfazed, the Emperors fervently bid for the things and caused the prices to soar.
All the items were carefully selected, so none of them were left unpurchased.
Yang Kai watched coldly and realised that Bai Qi’s worry was needless. The successful bidder wouldn’t have to make payment on the spot. After the winning bid, the item would be taken away and payments would only be made after the auction was over.
Those from the auction house were not worried that someone would refuse to pay up. Given their auction house’s power and influence, who would have the guts to do that?
[Interesting…] Yang Kai grinned in silence and shot a glance at Bai Qi, who was on the other side of the hall. Bai Qi got his hint as a tinge of ferocity flashed across his eyes. It seemed that he was ready to make a scene.
After an hour, 8 items had been sold off and the auctioneer had become increasingly high-spirited, “The next items are the Spirit Pills that every Emperor Realm cultivator yearns for…”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai could see Luo Hai Yi straightening up. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Spirit Pills the auctioneer had mentioned were supposed to be Grand Dao Pills.
As expected, ten maidservants with different styles of beauty emerged from backstage, each of them holding a tray on which a jade bottle sat.
The auctioneer went on to say with a smile, “Grand Dao Pills can help a cultivator comprehend his or her own Grand Dao and condense their Dao Seal. As all of you know, only by condensing a Dao Seal can a cultivator stand a chance to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. I’m sure many Emperors have gathered in this place for these Grand Dao Pills, so I’ll not dally.” Then, she pointed at the bottles behind her, “We have ten batches of Grand Dao Pills here with two pills in every batch. We’ll start the bidding for the first batch now. The starting price for the next batch will be the second-highest offer of the previous batch. We’ll begin now. The starting price is 5,000, with minimum additional bids of 500!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Kai heard Luo Hai Yi yelling, “5,000!”
Unfortunately, many people in the hall scrambled to bid for the same item, so her voice was immediately drowned out and no one could hear her.
Yang Kai turned to look at Luo Hai Yi, who appeared bashful under his gaze.
Luo Hai Yi had said that a Grand Dao Pill could be bought at a price that was between 10,000 to 20,000. This price was nothing to Yang Kai, but it was a hefty sum for an ordinary Emperor Realm Master. It was probably all the money a person at the bottom of the social hierarchy could earn after hundreds of years of work.
Despite that, the auction price still soared from the base price of 5,000. In just ten breaths’ time, the price had broken the 10,000 mark. Luo Hai Yi appeared anxious as she had failed in her attempt to make a bid twice. Many people were heard bidding for the Grand Dao Pills, which went to show that the pills were truly popular among the Emperors present.
Soon, the price hit the 20,000 mark and was about to reach 30,000.
A moment later, Luo Hai Yi clenched her teeth and made an offer of 30,000, but the next instant, someone else made a higher offer, which caused her to feel dejected. Then, she stopped making any offers as she had apparently given up on this one. After all, there were 10 batches of Grand Dao Pills, so she still had a chance.
After the price hit the 30,000 mark, fewer people were heard bidding for the pills. It seemed that Luo Hai Yi was right. A Grand Dao Pill was worth about 10,000 to 20,000. A price of 30,000 for two pills had exceeded the budgets of many Emperor Realm Masters present, which was why few people bid for it now.
When someone made an offer of 34,000, no one else was heard offering a higher price. The person who made the offer was a young man who was seated just in front of Yang Kai. Presently, he appeared nervous as he balled up his fists and yelled at the auctioneer, “No one else is making an offer now. Bang the gavel quickly!”
Hearing that, the auctioneer flashed a smile at him and lifted the gavel. Then, she looked around and asked smilingly, “The highest bid for the first batch of Grand Dao Pills is 34,000. Is there a higher offer?”
Right then, Yang Kai raised his hand, “40,000.”
In an instant, the cultivators around him turned their heads and gazed at him in disbelief. The young man who made an offer of 34,000 was especially fuming.
It couldn’t be helped. Although the price soared quickly as the Emperors bid for the same item, every additional offer was only about 500 to 1,000 more than the previous price; after all, it wasn’t easy for them to earn Open Heaven Pills, so they were reluctant to offer an exorbitant price.
However, Yang Kai directly raised the price by 6,000, which was unprecedented.
To the side, Luo Hai Yi also turned to look at him in shock. She was aware that he had condensed his Dao Seal, so Grand Dao Pills were practically useless to him; therefore, she hadn’t expected that he’d bid for the pills. At that instant, she looked away and started blushing. Apparently, she had misunderstood something.
“This friend has offered 40,000 for the first batch of Grand Dao Pills. Is there a higher offer?” The auctioneer asked with a smile, and upon confirming that no one else made a new offer, she gave a three count and banged the gavel.
“The starting price for the second set is 34,000. Please make your offer now.” The auctioneer extended her hand. She had mentioned before that the starting price for the next batch would be the second-highest offer of the previous batch. Since the second-highest offer for the first batch was 34,000, the starting price for the second batch would be the same. The auction house wouldn’t want to make a loss.
“34,000!” The young man in front of Yang Kai clenched his fists and shouted, making the same offer as earlier.
A nonchalant Yang Kai lifted his hand, “40,000.”
Just like the incident earlier, the same thing happened again. The young man turned his head and glared at Yang Kai, who didn’t even spare him a glance.
Gritting his teeth, the young man shouted, “41,000!” This was the highest price he could possibly offer. He wouldn’t be able to make an additional offer if someone else offered a higher price.
“50,000,” Yang Kai said dispassionately.
“You!” The young man turned his head with a hideous expression. It seemed that he had the urge to bite off a piece of flesh from Yang Kai.
The other Emperor Realm Masters around him appeared hostile as well. Many of them were here for the Grand Dao Pills, so Yang Kai directly raising the price to such an unprecedented level would make them suffer losses as well. Some of them even suspected that he was hired by the auction house to hike up the prices. Nevertheless, this was unlikely as Wind and Cloud Auction House had a good reputation, so they probably wouldn’t do such a despicable thing.
Other than the young man and Yang Kai, no one else had made an offer for the second batch, so it was soon sold.
Following that, it was the third batch’s turn, but before the auctioneer could finish her words, Yang Kai raised his hand again, “50,000.”
The young man in front of him was unable to hold it in anymore, so he bellowed, “What’s the point of buying so many Grand Dao Pills? If your aptitude is not good enough, it’s useless no matter how many pills you buy!”
Generally, if a cultivator was lucky enough, all it took was one Grand Dao Pill for him or her to successfully condense a Dao Seal. Most of the cultivators would need two pills. If the cultivator was diffident, they might need three to four pills. Any additional pills would be of no help.
Yang Kai had bought two batches, so it was more than enough for himself. Supposedly, he didn’t need to bid for the third batch.
“I have too much money to spend, and it’s none of your damn business what I do,” Yang Kai scoffed.
The young man felt his lungs almost exploding as he thought that Yang Kai was immensely detestable. If it weren’t because fighting was forbidden here, he would’ve taught him a lesson.
“51,000!” Just then, someone was heard making a bid. Apparently, that person couldn’t take it anymore either. Yang Kai had bought the first two batches, and he seemed determined to purchase even more. There were only ten batches in total, so if all of them were bought by Yang Kai, there would be none left for them.
Although the price was unreasonably high, that person still grit his teeth and made a bid for the sake of his future. Right after he finished speaking though, Yang Kai said impassively, “60,000.”
In an instant, gasps were heard around him. Many Emperor Realm cultivators thought that this guy must be out of his mind. They had never seen anyone offering 60,000 for two Grand Dao Pills before.
In Private Room A6 on the second floor, the corner of Pei Bu Wan’s mouth twitched as he looked down at the hall and tutted, “As expected, this brat is up to no good.”
Earlier, he had figured that Yang Kai must have caused some trouble, which was why the latter needed his help to get into the auction venue. Now, it seemed that this brat was trying to make a scene by bidding maliciously; however, what was the point of doing that? He would have to fork out a large amount of money in the end regardless.
On the other hand, Luo Hai Yi was dumbfounded as well. Initially, she thought that Yang Kai had taken part in the bidding to buy the Grand Dao Pills for her, but now, that didn’t seem to be the case. Why had he even bid for three batches of pills?
She speculated that Yang Kai might have some friends and family members who needed a large quantity of Grand Dao Pills, and realising that it was just her wishful thinking that he was buying the pills for her, she felt her face burning.
The third batch of Grand Dao Pills was sold for 60,000, and when it was time for the fourth batch, the auctioneer directly stared at Yang Kai and looked nowhere else. Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the young man in front of Yang Kai directly said, “60,000!”
The young man turned to stare fixedly at Yang Kai when he made the offer through clenched teeth. He seemed determined to go up against him.
With a smile, Yang Kai took a glance at him and fell silent for a long time, which caused the young man’s forehead to be drenched in a cold sweat. 41,000 was the highest price he could offer. The reason he even made a bid just now was to irritate Yang Kai.
Just then, Yang Kai spoke to him via Divine Sense, “How will you end up if I don’t make an offer?”
Hearing that, the young man gulped and turned pale. He couldn’t possibly fork out 60,000 Open Heaven Pills. If he really had to pay up, he would become broke. By then, he could only offer up his only life-saving artifact as collateral.
As their eyes met, the young man pleaded with him with his expression.
“60,000 going once, going twice…” The auctioneer’s voice sounded like a curse from Hell, which caused the young man’s face to become increasingly ashen.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai raised his hand at the last moment and said, “70,000.”
Hearing that, the young man immediately let out a long breath and became paralysed on his chair. It was as though he had just escaped from death’s door.
When it was time to bid for the fifth batch, someone was heard offering a price of 70,000.
Upon hearing the voice, Yang Kai became amused because that person was Bai Qi. He must be thinking that it was outrageous for Yang Kai to purchase so many pills in one go, which would attract immense hatred and attention; therefore, he decided to help him share his burden.
Yang Kai was fine with that. Since Bai Qi had made a bid, he decided to fall silent. For the remaining batches, Yang Kai and Bai Qi basically dominated the scene. The other cultivators stopped offering any bids as these two directly obtained the pills after they made a bid.
Soon, all ten batches were sold. Yang Kai had purchased six while Bai Qi had bought four.
The auctioneer on the stage couldn’t even stop smiling; after all, a price of 70,000 for two Grand Dao Pills was inconceivable. Normally, two such pills would’ve been sold for 30,000 at most, but the price had more than doubled now. Although such an amount of money was nothing to the auction house, they were more than happy to see such fierce competition. After this incident, the bidders would become more fervent for the next items that would be put up for auction.
As expected, the price for the item after the Grand Dao Pills soared quickly as well. The item was a rare defensive artifact that could block a Low-Rank Open Heaven Master’s all-out attack, so it was definitely a life-saving treasure. Therefore, besides the Emperor Realm Masters, even the Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters started bidding for it as well. The competition was rather fiery.
On the other hand, Yang Kai appeared calm and collected. He only started joining in the fun when the price was high enough, and after a few rounds, he defeated all his competitors and obtained the treasure for an unusually high price.
At that instant, many people stared at Yang Kai with weird gazes. When they saw Yang Kai bidding for so many Grand Dao Pills earlier, they thought that he was just a fool with lots of money. Now, it wasn’t certain if he was really a fool or not, but he was definitely wealthy.
Moreover, he hadn’t even reached his limit.
One hour later, the atmosphere in the venue became extremely awkward. Even the auctioneer on the stage had stopped smiling as she furrowed her delicate brow. That was because over ten items had been obtained by Yang Kai and Bai Qi in the past hour; moreover, every item was sold for a price that no one else could bid against.
Could these two Emperor Realm Juniors really possess such immense wealth? After making some calculations, anyone would’ve realised that they had respectively bought over a million pills’ worth of goods. To put it in a different perspective, the average Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to take out a million pills even if they sold all their belongings. How did these two Emperor Realm Juniors possess so much money?
Earlier, the young man who was almost framed by Yang Kai couldn’t help turning his head to look at Yang Kai with a doubtful look on his face.
Although Luo Hai Yi had no idea why Yang Kai was madly bidding for the items, she wasn’t worried at all. She was aware that he possessed a million Open Heaven Pills that were given to him by Pei Bu Wan some time ago.
The auction went on as the auctioneer said in a clear voice, “The next item is a Sun’s True Fire. I’m sure many of you have heard that a Sun Star died in a particular Great Territory some time ago. This Sun’s True Fire is from that dead Sun Star.”
After she finished speaking, a maidservant emerged from the backstage with a round bowl in her hands. A flame could faintly be seen flickering from the bow as a hot wave swept across the hall.
Upon hearing what the auctioneer had said, everyone in the hall broke out into a commotion. Yang Kai could also feel that many powerful Divine Senses shot out from the private rooms and scanned the Sun’s True Fire.
In fact, Yang Kai was surprised as well. He had never expected that a True Fire from that Sun Star would appear here; after all, this place was quite far away from that Great Territory. After giving it a thought though, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising; after all, many people had obtained Sun’s True Fires at that time. Wind and Cloud Auction House was backed by one of the Seventy-Two Paradises, so they naturally had the power to obtain a Sun’s True Fire to be put up for auction.
However, a Sun’s True Fire was at minimum a Fourth-Order material while there were also Fifth-Order ones. It wasn’t certain what Order the True Fire, which would be up for bidding, was in.
Shopkeepers like Pei Bu Wan and Gong Sun Hong were only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while there was a possibility that a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be raised using a material in the same Order, which was why they paid extra attention to it.
Yang Kai realised that the items that were up for auction earlier were just things that those Emperor Realm cultivators, who hadn’t condensed their Dao Seals, needed. The items that were up for auction now were the things that people like him craved.
“A Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fire. The starting price is 100,000 with the minimum increase being 5,000.” The auctioneer extended her hand with a smile.
Following that, seven to eight people were heard making offers. All of them sounded eager to obtain this item, which surprised Yang Kai. He thought that only those in the private rooms would be interested in the item that was up for auction now, but he hadn’t expected that those individual bidders in the hall had the money to bid for the item as well.
Soon, their voices were suppressed by someone from a private room, “150,000!”
Hearing that, everyone in the lower hall fell silent.
For a Fourth-Order Open Heaven material, 150,000 was the average price. When Yang Kai was in Seven Wonders Land, Dié You had told him that a First-Order material was worth about 150 pills, while the price of a Second-Order material was ten times more than that of a First-Order material, and the price of a Third-Order material was ten times more than that of a Second-Order material.
The Stainless Golden Dew he bought in Seven Wonders Land was a Third-Order material, which cost him 15,000 Open Heaven Pills.
However, in an auction, items were generally sold for above-average prices. If there were any wealthy people who weren’t lacking money, the prices could be pushed much higher, not to mention that 150,000 was just the average price.
As expected, someone else from another private room then made an offer of 160,000. The people who were seated in the private rooms were all big shots in the Star City, so it was expected that they had more than a million Open Heaven Pills with them for this auction. They were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, so they didn’t need the Sun’s True Fire, but their disciples and family members could use it. It was rare for a Fourth-Order material to appear in an auction house, so they wouldn’t want to miss it.
The Sun’s True Fire was so popular that the two guests in the private rooms soon pushed the price to the 200,000 mark. Presently, the first person in the private room had fallen silent. Apparently, the price had exceeded his limit.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have the money; however, in order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense all seven of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. If one material cost 200,000, all seven materials would be 1.4 million. Furthermore, the cultivator might not even succeed in the end, so it was too hefty a price to pay.
“Shopkeeper Sun, you have my respect.” The second person from the private room was heard guffawing.
Shopkeeper Sun snorted and fell silent.
“Bang the gavel now,” the person was heard saying again.
With a smile, the auctioneer looked around and raised the gavel, “200,000 going once, going twice…” For some reason, she subconsciously took a look at Yang Kai and wondered whether he’d make an offer at the last moment. Earlier, he and another guy had basically stolen the show. They had bought all the items that came after the Grand Dao Pills, and no one else could outbid them.
However, after she counted to two, she realised that Yang Kai didn’t seem to have the intention of making a bid. She smiled helplessly and wondered what was wrong with herself. Since he had bought Grand Dao Pills, it suggested that he hadn’t condensed his Dao Seal; therefore, it was pointless for him to buy a Fourth-Order material. Even though he was wealthy, he wouldn’t squander his money in such a way.
Right when she thought so though, Yang Kai raised his hand and called out, “300,000.”
The auctioneer’s gavel froze mid-air as she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief. The people in the hall also broke into a furor as well.
Earlier, Yang Kai and Bai Qi practically dominated the auction, allowing no one else to bid against them; however, those items were not valuable, so only the Emperor Realm cultivators were trying to snatch them. The amount of money was nothing in the eyes of the truly rich people here.
Nevertheless, this time was different. Yang Kai directly offered an increase of 100,000. Was he trying to make things difficult for himself or something?
“Brat, which great force are you from?” The Open Heaven Realm Master, who made an offer of 200,000, was infuriated. Looking down from the private room, he found Yang Kai to be loathsome. This brat gave him a surprise at the last moment, which greatly humiliated him.
Without even turning his head, Yang Kai refuted, “Make an offer if you can, if you don’t have the money, shut your mouth. Which great force I’m from has nothing to do with you.”
The person in the private room was rendered speechless, but as a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was inappropriate for him to bicker with a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
The young man in front of Yang Kai became increasingly doubtful as he turned his head to look at him.
The auctioneer became startled for a long time before she came to her senses and let out a hollow laugh, “300,000 going once, going twice, going three times!”
She banged the gavel and confirmed that the item was sold. Without stopping, she went on to say, “The next item will be a Fourth-Order material as well…”
Before she could finish her words, someone was heard making a bid from the hall, “300,000.”
The auctioneer became frustrated as she was at a loss for words. With a furious expression, she glared at Yang Kai and wondered what was wrong with him. He should’ve waited for her to finish speaking first at least, but this young man directly made an offer of 300,000 before even finding out what the material was. Could he be out of his mind?
Everyone in the hall and the private rooms fell silent as they stared fixedly at Yang Kai. To his side, Luo Hai Yi felt like she was on pins and needles. With a worried look, she said in a hushed voice, “Senior Yang, that’s an exorbitant price.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
“Do you really have that much?” Just then, someone was heard speaking. It was the young man who was seated in front of Yang Kai. Presently, he was gaping at him with a sneer, “You’ve bid for so many items. Do you even have enough to pay up?”
The reason he took part in the auction was for the Grand Dao Pills. He thought he would be able to purchase one batch at least, but after Yang Kai messed everything up earlier, he had lost all hope. Although he was spared the trouble by Yang Kai later, he was still resentful. Upon seeing that Yang Kai unabashedly bid for so many items, he even suspected that this guy was here to stir up trouble. Unable to hold it in anymore, he decided to speak up.
As long as he could prove that Yang Kai was here to make trouble, the Grand Dao Pills would be put up for auction again, and he would still stand a chance.
With this thought in mind, he rose from the chair and cupped his fists at the podium, “Seniors present today, I suspect that this ill-intentioned person is bidding maliciously. I urge all of you to probe him to find out whether he is really capable of paying for the items he has bid on!”
“I second that,” Someone was heard speaking from a private room. He was the one who had lost the Sun’s True Fire to Yang Kai.
“That’s a good idea. It’s highly probable that this boy is here to make a scene,” someone else from a different private room was heard saying. It wasn’t that Yang Kai had offended them, but if they allowed him to keep raising a fuss, they would have no hope of getting the items they wanted. The reason they took part in the auction was to buy things they needed. Moreover, the items that would soon be put up for auction were materials that were in the Fourth Order and above.
Therefore, after the young man finished speaking, many people in the private rooms seconded his suggestion.
In Room A6, the corner of Pei Bu Wan’s mouth twitched, “This brat is so sinister. Why didn’t I realise it before?” Now, it was apparent to him that Yang Kai was indeed here to create trouble. He wondered what grudges Yang Kai had against this auction house that the latter had to do such a thing during an auction. Yang Kai had basically humiliated them, so there was no way they would let him off.
Yang Kai’s real fortune would be exposed if he was probed, and although Pei Bu Wan had given him a million pills as a reward, the things that he had bid for had exceeded that amount already.
However, Pei Bu Wan wasn’t worried about his safety; after all, Yang Kai was from First Inn. The worst that could happen was that he would be kicked out of the auction house, and his reputation would be ruined.
On the stage, the auctioneer appeared to be in a dilemma as she looked in a particular direction behind her. An elderly man was seated over there. Since the start of the auction, he had remained unmoving with his eyes closed. He wasn’t Yun Zhen Hua, but he was also a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from the auction house. The reason he was seated there was to prevent anyone from making a scene.
Certainly, he could hear all the demands to probe Yang Kai; thus, he slowly rose from the chair and walked onto the stage.
Just then, someone was heard speaking from a private room, “Old Yu, please check this boy and find out whether he really has the capital to act so wildly.”
Hearing that, the elderly man furrowed his brow. They had never probed anyone during an auction in the past; after all, they were a powerful great force, so no one would have the guts to refuse making payment. All the bidders would only make offers that were within their means.
However, Yang Kai’s actions were indeed suspicious, so he intended to find out the truth as well. After a nod, he moved and directly appeared in front of Yang Kai. Then, he slightly nodded his head at him, “Little friend, please.”
Yang Kai remained seated on the chairs with his hands placed on the armrests. Lifting his head, he stared at the elderly man and grinned at him, “What’s wrong? Is this how you treat a guest in your auction house?”
The young man turned his head and bellowed, “Stop spouting nonsense and let Old Yu inspect you! You don’t look like a man of wealth at all.” If Yang Kai possessed such an immense fortune, he would have had a private room instead of sitting in the lower hall.
The voice from the private room earlier was heard saying again, “Boy, stop wasting our time. If you’re really here to stir up trouble, I suggest that you stop now and leave. At the very least, your reputation will be preserved. If you wait until Old Yu makes a move, you won’t be spared the punishment.”
“Little friend, please take no offence.” Old Yu extended his hand and stared fixedly at Yang Kai as though he was attempting to look deep into his Soul.
To the side, Luo Hai Yi turned pale and balled up her fists as she was anxious. She wasn’t certain if Yang Kai could pass this inspection, but he most likely couldn’t; however, she didn’t have much on her. Otherwise, she could lend him some first.
On the other hand, Yang Kai appeared calm and collected. Faced with a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he still sported a nonchalant smile, “Is there such a rule in the Wind and Cloud Auction House? Why am I not aware of it?”
Hearing that, Old Yu knitted his brows. There wasn’t such a rule in the past because everyone behaved themselves; however, this brat was apparently up to no good, so how did he have the gall to talk about rules? Furthermore, how dare a mere Emperor Realm Junior act so impudently in front of him? That was the reason Old Yu was furious and spoke forcefully, “Little friend, please cooperate.”
“Brat, stop spouting nonsense. Scram if you don’t have the money and stop embarrassing yourself.”
“Heh heh, isn’t it too late for him to leave? How can he leave just like this after making a scene?”
“Old Yu, it’s pointless to be polite to him. Just make a move against him.”
…..
Many voices were heard coming from those private rooms. Obviously, they wanted the auction house to kick Yang Kai out as quickly as possible so that the auction could go on.
Yang Kai looked slightly away as his intention was indeed to make trouble in this auction house. That was because they refused to pay up and treated him disrespectfully; however, he hadn’t expected to attract public outrage in the process. If he were in their shoes though, he probably would have also thought that his actions were annoying; therefore, despite the fact that those from the private rooms were acting spitefully, he remained unperturbed. Staring fixedly at Old Yu, he said, “I don’t mind cooperating with the inspection, but what if I do have enough to pay for the items I’ve bid for?”
Hearing that, Old Yu frowned, “In that case, the auction will go on.” Despite what he had said, he didn’t believe Yang Kai possessed such an immense fortune. Everyone was required to showcase their wealth before entering the venue. If Yang Kai were so wealthy, he would’ve been given a private room.
Barely anyone sitting in the lower hall had more than a few hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills.
Yang Kai replied impassively, “What you’re trying to do will stain my reputation. Do you think you can get away with it by just resuming the auction after such disrespect?”
“What do you want, then?” Old Yu frowned, thinking that this brat was difficult to deal with.
Yang Kai sneered at him, “Don’t you think you need to apologise for making a mistake?”
Instantly, Old Yu became incensed. If they weren’t in the auction house, he would’ve let Yang Kai know the consequences of talking to him in such a manner. However, even though Yang Kai was suspected of causing trouble, he couldn’t possibly make a move on a guest in his house in public. That would make him look like he was oppressing a Junior and it would greatly damage the auction house’s reputation; therefore, regardless of how infuriated he was, Old Yu could only hold it in.
Yang Kai went on to say, “I can cooperate with the inspection. If you can prove that I don’t have enough capital, you are free to do as you please with me; however, if I pass the inspection, you will apologise and give me some compensation.”
A sharp glint flashed across Old Yu’s eyes, but after giving it a thought, he nodded, “Good.” [He’s just bluffing. Does he think he can make me back down just like that? He’s still too young and naive.]
While Old Yu was lost in his own thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly put on a faint smile, “Old man, I hope you won’t go back on your words.”
After he finished speaking, he fished out a Space Ring and passed it to Old Yu.
Old Yu hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would directly take out a ring for inspection, so he frowned and wondered whether this brat was really so wealthy.
Doubtfully, he took the ring and scanned it with his Divine Sense, only for him to stiffen in place with his hand trembling so hard he nearly dropped the ring. Quickly, he composed himself and narrowed his eyes, but upon scanning the ring again, he widened them in disbelief.
He almost couldn’t believe his eyes as mountains of Open Heaven Pills were sitting inside the ring, so many it was impossible to count them all immediately.
No one could possibly do that in an instant as there were too many pills. Old Yu was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had been in charge of the auction house for a long time now, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen transactions worth millions before; however, he really hadn’t ever come across such massive mountains of Open Heaven Pills before.
How many Open Heaven Pills were there in the ring? 100 million was the minimum, but it was likely closer to 200 million. It was no wonder that Yang Kai never even batted an eye when he bid.
With so many pills with him, he could have bought every item on auction today for just a small fraction of his fortune. Not to mention that the items were only worth several ten thousand to several hundred thousand so far.
[Who is he? Why does he possess so many Open Heaven Pills? He’s still quite weak, but he has the guts to walk around with such an immense fortune! Although those from Great Battle Heaven would ensure everyone’s safety in the city, isn’t he worried that an accident might happen?]
He was flabbergasted as he became rooted to the spot with the ring in his hand.
Just then, someone was heard saying from a private room, “Old Yu?”
They were all preparing to mock and ridicule Yang Kai, but Old Yu was unmoving after the inspection. Many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters were sharp-eyed, so they could see the shock behind Old Yu’s gaze, and they wondered what had happened. What was it in the ring that could make a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master lose his composure so completely?
In Room A6, Pei Bu Wan suddenly recalled something and muttered, “This brat is truly brazen.”
Some time ago, he had given Yang Kai 11 million Open Heaven Pills, 10 million of which was the compensation for First Inn. He thought that Yang Kai had already handed the Open Heaven Pills over to Madam Lan, but it now seemed that it was still in his hands. It was no wonder that this brat remained calm and collected when he was required to go through this inspection.
Since the beginning, the things Yang Kai had bid for were worth only 2 million in total. With 11 million in possession, he didn’t have to worry about anything.
After giving it a thought though, Pei Bu Wan realised that something was off. Even if the ring contained 11 million Open Heaven Pills, it couldn’t have made Old Yu lose his cool. Then, he recalled that he wasn’t the only one who had to pay compensation to First Inn. There were probably a few dozen shops that respectively owed the inn 10 million pills.
At the thought of this, Pei Bu Wan gasped and speculated that there were probably over 100 million pills in the ring. Although he couldn’t believe it, he reckoned that his speculation was right after examining Old Yu’s expression.
“So?” Yang Kai stared at Old Yu.
It was only then that Old Yu came to his senses and stared at Yang Kai with a conflicted gaze. After returning the ring to him, he nodded his head, “This little friend indeed has the right to take part in the auction. This Old Master has made a mistake, please forgive me.”
Yang Kai put on a grin, “Can the auction continue, then?”
After a nod, Old Yu moved and appeared at the back of the stage again.
It was then the auctioneer snapped back to reality and raised the gavel before shouting, “300,000 going once, going twice, going three times… Sold!”
The corners of the young man’s eyes twitched as he stared at Yang Kai in puzzlement. If Yang Kai was so wealthy, why was he seated with the rest of the commoners in the lower hall? Seeing as Yang Kai was looking smilingly at him, he hurriedly turned his head and looked down.
In the young man’s mind, regardless of what Yang Kai’s cultivation was, the latter must be backed by a powerful great force to have so many Open Heaven Pills in his possession. The young man couldn’t afford to offend him, so before the auction was over, he resolved to find a chance to flee.
From that point on, the auction became boring as Yang Kai became unhinged. For the following items, no one made a bid again as they were all purchased by Yang Kai. It was as though the auction was specifically set up for him, and the rest of them were just there to serve as props.
Since no one else would make an offer, the auctioneer was swift with banging the gavel. In just a quarter-hour, over ten Fourth-Order materials were bought by Yang Kai. Bai Qi had fallen silent as well. Since Yang Kai would do all the bidding, it wasn’t necessary for him to make an offer.
“The next few items are the most valuable of our auction today. If anyone is interested, please make an offer.” The auctioneer appeared slightly awkward on the stage. That was because only one person was heard making a bid in the entire venue for the past quarter hour, so it was meaningless for her to even act as a host.
Then, a maidservant went on stage and presented the item. The auctioneer said in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster, “A Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. The reserve price is 1 million. Please make your bids.”
After she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the venue finally became lively again as those from the private rooms released their Divine Senses to scan the item.
Generally, Open Heaven materials that were up for sale were Fifth-Order at best. Sixth-Order materials couldn’t ordinarily be bought with Open Heaven Pills, unless one was extremely fortunate.
Although these wealthy VIP’s were interested in the Fourth-Order materials, they could do without them; however, they were determined to get their hands on a Fifth-Order material.
Such an item was a hot cake wherever it was sold. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t refuse owning more of such materials.
Therefore, as soon as the auctioneer finished her words, someone yelled, “1.2 million!”
“1.3 million!”
“1.4 million!”
…
In Room A6, just when Pei Bu Wan was about to make an offer, a familiar voice was heard again, “3 million.”
Rendered speechless, Pei Bu Wan scratched his head and cursed, “This brat must be out of his mind!”
The average price for a Fifth-Order material was about 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills. Even though the prices in an auction house were generally marked up, the maximum should be no more than 2 million. Yang Kai directly offered a price that was two times the average price, so how were others supposed to continue bidding? He didn’t seem to have the intention of allowing others to buy anything at all today.
“Brat, are you still not done with your nonsense? Don’t go too far!” An enraged voice was heard saying.
“That’s right. Boy, aren’t you worried you’ll attract trouble after purchasing so many items?”
“It’s obvious that he’s here to create trouble!”
If Yang Kai hadn’t ultimately won all the previous items, they would have thought that he was hired by the auction house to push up the prices; however, it was now apparent to everyone that he was here to raise a commotion. But, what was the point of doing that? Although the auction house’s reputation would be harmed if all their items were obtained by only one person today, he would also have to pay a hefty price. Not only was he causing damage to the other party, he was also harming himself.
“Old Yu, does this little brat really have so many Open Heaven Pills?” Someone questioned.
Even the auctioneer turned to look at Old Yu. The things that were up for auction earlier were worth several hundred thousand at most, but 3 million was ten times more than the price of any previous item, which was why everyone was doubtful.
However, Old Yu didn’t say anything after inspecting Yang Kai, so no one knew how many Open Heaven Pills he had in possession.
Faced with the stares, Old Yu hung his head low and remained unperturbed. Secretly, he smiled bitterly and thought that a few million was basically nothing as this brat had almost 200 million in his ring.
After the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire was won by Yang Kai for the price of 3 million Open Heaven Pills, the next two Fifth-Order materials also fell into his hands, which surprised no one.
The auction, which had attracted many people to attend, ended in an awkward atmosphere. Be it the individual bidders in the hall or the shopkeepers in the private rooms, they had their horizons broadened on this day.
They had never attended such an auction before. Other than the first few things, the rest of the items were purchased by only one person. More surprisingly, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, yet he had spent over 10 million pills in total.
All of them wondered which great force Yang Kai was from and why he possessed so many Open Heaven Pills? Those shopkeepers at the scene could only control a few million pills, and they didn’t have the right to use any amount that was over 10 million freely.
Only a small number of them could recognise Yang Kai; after all, he had been demanding repayments from 19 shops recently, and he had met several shopkeepers in the process. Some of those shopkeepers had attended the auction on this day.
In a room that was reserved for important guests in Wind and Cloud Auction House, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were seated across from one another as they tasted the aromatic tea they were served. Many things had already been placed in front of them. Despite that, maidservants continued streaming into the room and putting down more items.
These were the items they had bid for during the auction. The rule in the auction house was that they would only collect the Open Heaven Pills after the event. Since the auction was over, it was time for the successful bidders to pay the bill.
The auctioneer with a curvy figure was standing in front of them. Every time an item was sent into the room, she would smilingly introduce it to Yang Kai and inform him of the price he had offered.
To the side, there was a man who looked like an accountant who continuously made calculations with his abacus as he added all the prices up.
As the maidservants entered and left the room, more and more items were placed in front of them. Although Bai Qi was drinking tea, he kept stealing glances at Yang Kai as he felt guilty.
That was because he had never done such a thing before, to say nothing of the fact that they were in an auction house. He couldn’t even imagine how they would end up once this was all over.
A moment later, the accountant was finally done with the calculations and reported them. The auctioneer then looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Sir, the total price for the things you’ve bid for is 11,360,000.”
Then, she turned to look at Bai Qi, “Sir, the total price of the things you’ve bid for is 930,000.”
Compared to Yang Kai, Bai Qi had bid for far fewer things, which were mostly some cheaper items. That was because Yang Kai was swift every time he made an offer, so Bai Qi didn’t have a chance to make a bid.
“Pack them all up together,” Yang Kai didn’t even bat an eye.
Hearing that, the auctioneer took a look at someone beside her, whereupon a shop hand put all the things into a Space Ring. The auctioneer held the ring with both hands and presented it to Yang Kai.
After taking it, Yang Kai didn’t even bother to take a glance at it. As he rubbed his fingers together, a tinge of Space Principles undulated, upon which the ring disappeared.
Following that, he rose from the chair and spoke to Bai Qi, “Let’s go.”
The smile on the auctioneer’s face froze as she stood in his way and said politely, “Sir, have you forgotten something?”
Yang Kai looked around and stared at her, “I don’t think so.”
The auctioneer forced a smile and said in a soft voice, “You’ve forgotten to pay the bill.” There was an aggrieved look on her face.
“I have no Open Heaven Pills,” Yang Kai stared frankly at her while Bai Qi, who was standing behind him, had the corner of his brow twitch.
After batting her eyes, the auctioneer suddenly covered her mouth and giggled, “Sir, you’re too funny.” Old Yu had inspected Yang Kai and confirmed that he had enough Open Heaven Pills to bid for the items; otherwise, he would’ve been kicked out of the auction house. No one would believe him if he said he had no Open Heaven Pills at this point.
“I’m not joking.” Yang Kai looked dispassionately at her, “Your auction house owes us 10 million Open Heaven Pills, so I’ll just regard these items as collateral. I’ll only return them to you when you pay me the 10 million you owe.”
The auctioneer became rooted to the spot as she gaped at Yang Kai and asked hesitantly, “Sir, what do you mean by that?”
She was just an auctioneer, so she had no idea what had happened behind the scenes. That was the reason she was puzzled now. She didn’t even know that the auction house owed someone 10 million.
“Your shopkeeper understands what I’m talking about. Right, Manager Yun?” Yang Kai shouted the last sentence at the door.
Although he couldn’t detect Yun Zhen Hua’s aura, he reckoned that the shopkeeper must be just outside the room; after all, not long after he and Bai Qi were kicked out of the auction house, they managed to sneak back in. Furthermore, they had swept most of the items into their pockets with exorbitant prices during the auction. As the shopkeeper of this auction house, there was no way Yun Zhen Hua wasn’t aware of such an incident.
In that case, there was no doubt he was waiting outside the room at the moment.
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside; however, the person who entered the room wasn’t Yun Zhen Hua. Instead, it was Old Yu, who had inspected Yang Kai earlier.
Presently, there was a grim expression on Old Yu’s face. He placed one hand behind his back and his other hand on his belly as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai, “Little friend, I suggest that you don’t risk ruining your future.”
He only found out about who Yang Kai and Bai Qi were after the inspection he performed; after all, it was inconceivable that a mere Emperor Realm cultivator would be carrying 200 million Open Heaven Pills on him, so he secretly informed Yun Zhen Hua about it. Yun Zhen Hua furtively came over to have a look and realised that the bidders causing trouble were the two shop hands from First Inn.
Furthermore, they had demanded repayment from him right before the auction.
After that, Old Yu immediately knew that these two guys were ill-intentioned; however, it was already during the latter half of the auction, and Yang Kai indeed had enough Open Heaven Pills to bid for the items, so it was inappropriate for him to do anything. He decided to see how things went after the auction. Now, seeing as these two brats had no intention to pay up, Old Yu became incensed.
“We have the right to demand repayment from you because you owe us Open Heaven Pills. Since you’re not willing to pay up, we have no choice but to extract compensation from you through other means,” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him.
Old Yu said coldly, “No one has dared to make a scene in our auction house before. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“There’s someone now,” Yang Kai showed no fear. Although the auction house was backed by a powerful great force, he also had the support of First Inn; therefore, he was confident that the inn could compete against the auction house. Furthermore, those from the auction house were in the wrong, so he wasn’t afraid when facing Old Yu.
“Bold!” Old Yu snorted, “But courage is far from enough. Do you think you can get away with this outrage?”
Yang Kai shot him a glance, “What do you want to do, then? Detain us?”
Old Yu scoffed and waved his hand, “Search them.” He secretly mocked these two brats for thinking that they could do whatever they wanted just because they were backed by First Inn. He would retrieve the items first before settling the score with them.
Upon receiving the order, the shop hands beside him marched forward.
Hurriedly, Bai Qi got into a defensive pose, “Don’t come near me. I’ll fight!”
Yang Kai lifted his hand and pressed it against Bai Qi’s shoulder, “Let them.”
In puzzlement, Bai Qi turned a strange look at him. They had spent the past month collecting Open Heaven Pills from many places. Besides Yang Kai, he also had over 100 million with him as they hadn’t handed the Open Heaven Pills to the Proprietress yet.
Yang Kai kept them with him because he was struck by the Proprietress with a feather duster when he returned to the inn to tell her the good news some time ago, which irked him. On the other hand, Bai Qi hadn’t handed it over to her because he had never seen so many pills before, so he wanted to keep it for a longer time.
However, before coming to this place, Yang Kai had told Bai Qi to pass everything to him, so Bai Qi didn’t even have a single Open Heaven Pill with him. There was practically nothing in his pockets right now.
That was why he wasn’t worried about the inspection, but it was a different story for Yang Kai. However, since Yang Kai had said so, Bai Qi lowered his guard despite his puzzlement. More importantly, they couldn’t defeat the people around here as it was enemy territory. Apart from the shop hands around them, Old Yu was able to defeat them with a wave of his hand, so any resistance was futile.
In total, four shop hands walked up to them. Two of them searched Bai Qi, while the other two inspected Yang Kai.
A moment later, they couldn’t find anything, so they turned to look at Old Yu and reported, “There’s nothing with them.”
“Impossible!” Old Yu’s expression changed. He didn’t seem to have made a move, but he directly appeared in front of Yang Kai as he grabbed his shoulder with one hand and searched his body with the other hand.
How was it possible that there was nothing on Yang Kai? Besides the ring that contained almost 200 million Open Heaven Pills, the items that he had bid for were taken away by him not long ago.
How could the items have disappeared for no reason?
After the inspection, there was indeed nothing with Yang Kai. Following that, Old Yu released his Divine Sense and carefully examined every part of Yang Kai’s body. There wasn’t even a single pill with him, let alone any Space Rings. Those items from the auction had disappeared into thin air as well.
Then, he pondered on it for a moment and recalled sensing a faint Space Principle fluctuation when he was outside the room earlier. It felt similar to the fluctuation when the Universe Transference Law was used.
His chest tightened as he exerted more force with his hand and questioned through clenched teeth, “Where have you put the items?”
Old Yu was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was especially forceful when he was fuming. Yang Kai could hear a cracking sound coming from his shoulder, as though some of his bones had broken.
His expression changed as he held in the urge to groan in pain; then, he stared coldly at Old Yu and said, “I’ve said that the reason we’ve done such a thing is that you refuse to pay what you owe us. As long as you give us the Open Heaven Pills we demanded, I’ll return the items to you.”
“Little bastard!” Old Yu roared. Although the items in the auction were generally expensive, it was a failed event for the auction house. This couldn’t be helped, as most of the things were purchased by only one person, which would affect the auction house’s reputation negatively. When others talked about it in the future, they would say that there were problems with the organisational skills of those from the auction house. Otherwise, such a laughable incident wouldn’t have happened.
It had been many years since Wind and Cloud Auction House was established, so they could still bear the slight damage to their reputation; however, if word got out that they had even lost the items from the auction without receiving any payment, they would become a laughing stock.
An enraged Old Yu released his Fourth-Order Open Heaven pressure and forced Yang Kai to lower his figure. At that instant, Yang Kai felt as though an entire world had been pressed against his shoulder. This couldn’t be helped, as there was a huge gap between their powers. Now that he was captured, he was completely powerless to resist. If it weren’t because he was resolute enough, he would’ve fallen on his knees instantly.
“You dare make a move against him!” Bai Qi bellowed. Seeing as Yang Kai almost couldn’t breathe, he surged the Five Elements in his body and pushed out a palm at Old Yu.
As soon as he extended his hand, he realised that he was no match for the old man. He became infuriated because he saw Yang Kai being oppressed, and by the time he came to his senses, it was already too late for him to retract his hand.
“Get lost!” Without even looking, Old Yu landed a palm on Bai Qi’s chest. Following a loud crack, Bai Qi grunted and was sent flying backwards. After he crashed into the wall, the entire room seemed to shake.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that Bai Qi had turned pale. Blood was streaming down from his mouth, and there was an indent in his chest. With his head slumped to the side, he remained unmoving. An enraged Yang Kai roared, “Old dog, you must be sick of living!”
He activated all the power in his body and straightened up against the pressure. Following that, he quickly performed a hand seal with both hands before pushing out a palm at the older man.
“What?” There was a tinge of surprise on Old Yu’s face. It wasn’t that Yang Kai’s strike was powerful, but when he was faced with the attack, he realised that his mind had turned blank for a moment as though time had stopped temporarily.
[Has this brat comprehended the Dao of Time?]
Despite this astonishing feat, Yang Kai was still at a great disadvantage because he was much weaker than his opponent, so after a snort, Old Yu raised his hand and pushed out his palm again.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards as well. Time Principles swirled around Old Yu’s hand, which caused it to contort and wither; however, just a short moment later, his hand was restored to its original state. There was a huge gap between their powers, so he was able to dispel the Time Principles with ease. Otherwise, he would’ve suffered severe damage.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai hit the wall that he grunted and suppressed the roiling blood in his body. Looking down, he realised that his hand, which was used to trade moves with Old Yu, was trembling violently as the bones in his wrist had broken.
Old Yu shot him a glare, “No one has dared to steal from our auction house before. Those who have the guts to try must die.”
“I dare you to try killing us then!” Despite the fact that Yang Kai was at a disadvantage, he still lifted his chin and appeared haughty.
A murderous intent flashed across Old Yu’s eyes, but after shooting him a glare, he turned around and flicked his sleeve, “Keep watch over them. Don’t let them flee.” Then, he shuffled out of the room.
The auctioneer gave Yang Kai a dismissive look and left the room as well. Before leaving, the shop hands closed the door. It was apparent that they intended to place Yang Kai and Bai Qi under house arrest.
Outside the door, Yun Zhen Hua ran through his beard with his fingers and scowled. Seeing Old Yu, he slightly nodded at him and ambled towards a secret room with him.
After they entered the secret room a moment later, Yun Zhen Hua frowned, “Since they’re injured now, things have become complicated.”
Those two brats were from First Inn. They were rude, and it wasn’t wrong for Old Yu to teach them a lesson, but that didn’t change the truth that he had injured them. Recalling a certain crazy woman who knew no restraint, Yun Zhen Hua felt a headache coming on.
Still infuriated, Old Yu barked, “They’re clearly in the wrong as they stole from our auction house. So what if I beat them up?”
Knowing that Old Yu was an arrogant and hot-tempered man, Yun Zhen Hua shot him a glance before falling silent. Although Old Yu was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was extremely ambitious. He couldn’t be blamed for having grandiose aims, but puny abilities as there was a possibility that he could’ve reached the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the past. However, when he was ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, he was deceived by a scoundrel, which was why he ended up in the Fourth Order. It was the biggest regret of his life.
Moreover, it hadn’t been a long time since he became an Open Heaven Realm Master, so Old Yu hadn’t heard of how infamous that woman was. That was the reason he was unafraid of her.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t matter as these two guys were just shop hands. That woman probably wouldn’t make a fuss for two mere shop hands. In any case, it seemed they had to repay 10 million Open Heaven Pills; otherwise, it would give her a reason to flare up.
At the thought of this, Yun Zhen Hua fished out a communications bead and told his subordinate to prepare 10 million pills. He also told someone else to invite Madam Lan to come over to settle the issue.
Certainly, he was ready to repay the money, but the two shop hands had created trouble by bidding maliciously and sweeping up most of the items during the auction, so he had to deal with Madam Lan now.
While Bai Qi had passed out and Yang Kai bled, a young woman dashed into First Inn. Seeing that, a shop hand of the inn approached her and asked with a smile, “Welcome to First Inn. Are you here to rent a room or have a meal?”
The woman replied anxiously, “I’m looking for your Proprietress, Madam Lan.”
The shop hand sized her up and said smilingly, “I’m sorry, honoured guest. Our Proprietress isn’t meeting guests right now. If there’s anything you need, you can tell me about it, and I’ll pass on your words to her.”
“Sir Yang asked me to come over and said I must directly speak to your Proprietress!” The woman replied.
“Sir Yang? Who are you talking about?” The shop hand appeared puzzled. There were countless people in Star City with the surname Yang.
“Sir Yang Kai!”
The woman who had just sprinted into the inn was none other than Luo Hai Yi. When the auction was over, she immediately left the auction house because Yang Kai had secretly made a request of her, which was why she rushed over to First Inn.
“Yang Kai told you to come over?” The accountant, who had been doing some calculations behind the counter, lifted his head and stared at her.
Luo Hai Yi nodded repeatedly, “Yes!”
“What’s the matter? Where is he?” The accountant asked.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head and pressed her lips together.
Seeing that, the accountant broke into laughter. The woman was weak as she hadn’t even condensed her Dao Seal, but she was rather innocent and adorable. She only wanted to look for the Proprietress because Yang Kai had told her to do so, and she wouldn’t answer anyone else’s questions before she accomplished her objective.
Since Yang Kai had told her to come over, there must be something urgent, so the accountant said, “Bring her to meet Proprietress.”
The shop hand nodded, “Yes. Miss, please come with me.”
Then, he led the way for her towards the rear court.
A moment later, upon reaching the Proprietress’ room, the shop hand slightly bent his back and called out, “Proprietress, this young lady is looking for you. She said that Yang Kai told her to come see you.”
“Show her in,” the Proprietress was heard saying.
“Please,” The shop hand extended his hand.
After taking a deep breath, Luo Hai Yi thanked him and pushed the door open, whereupon a delicately decorated woman’s room came into her sight. A pleasant scent permeated the air, and turning her head, Luo Hai Yi saw a curvy woman who was seated by a dressing table. Her jet-black hair hung loose on her shoulders, and the mirror reflected her breathtakingly alluring face.
As their eyes met, the Proprietress asked, “Where’s that brat?”
[That brat…] Luo Hai Yi slightly stuck out her tongue as she knew that the Proprietress was talking about Yang Kai, then she said, “When we parted ways, he was still in Wind and Cloud Auction House.”
With a frown, the Proprietress combed her hair and asked, “Why was he there?” Then, she recalled that the auction house also owed them money, so he must have gone over to demand repayment.
Then, she remembered that not long after they arrived in the Star City, Yang Kai didn’t return to the inn for the entire night. When she questioned him about it later, he said that he had stayed over at a woman’s house.
The Proprietress sized Luo Hai Yi up more carefully and furrowed her brow. Although this woman could be considered pretty, she was obviously weak and destitute. Moreover, she appeared timid and inexperienced. Did that brat really stay over at her house that night?
“Why did he tell you to look for me?” The Proprietress asked.
Hurriedly, Luo Hai Yi stepped forward and revealed the things she had firmly held in her hands, “He told me to pass these things to you.”
The Proprietress turned her head and saw three Space Rings. One of them exuded Yang Kai’s aura, and the other had Bai Qi’s aura on it. These were apparently their rings. The last one seemed to have no owner.
After taking the rings, the Proprietress activated her Divine Sense and inspected Yang Kai’s ring first. Then, she arched her brow and said, “Hmph!”
There were countless Open Heaven Pills in the ring. These were obviously the money he had collected recently. Instead of handing the money to her right away though, that brat had told an outsider to pass the ring to her.
Then, she scanned Bai Qi’s ring and realised that there were just as many pills inside it.
[Those little bastards! I’ll teach them a lesson when they come back!] The Proprietress secretly cursed at them, then she took a glance at Luo Hai Yi, “Do you know what’s inside these rings?”
These two rings contained nearly 400 million Open Heaven Pills, so how could Yang Kai trust a mere Emperor Realm cultivator, one who hadn’t even condensed her Dao Seal, to send them to the inn? Wasn’t he worried that something would happen? Although no one dared to steal in this Star City, Accidents still occur.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “I never looked inside of them.”
It was then the Proprietress’ gaze softened. Regardless of whether Luo Hai Yi had looked into the rings, the fact that she had delivered them to the inn suggested that she was a trustworthy person.
The Proprietress didn’t explain anything to her as there was a huge gap between their powers and statuses, so it was pointless to do so. Then, she took a look at the third ring, which contained all sorts of random items. There were many precious things inside, but that only puzzled the Proprietress as she passed the ring to Luo Hai Yi and asked, “Where did he get all these things?”
After taking the ring, Luo Hai Yi scanned it and pressed her lips together, “These are the things he bid for during the auction.”
Luo Hai Yi had no idea why these things were inside this ring. Upon receiving Yang Kai’s order, she left the auction house and waited in a quiet, secluded place nearby. Before leaving, Yang Kai passed her a bead and told her that some items would be sent to her shortly, and that after she received them, she had to pass them to the Proprietress of First Inn as quickly as possible.
And so, not long ago, with a glow from the bead, three Space Rings appeared out of thin air before her.
“He took part in the auction?” The Proprietress was startled.
After a nod, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Sir Yang basically purchased all the items.”
“That little bas…” The Proprietress stood up straight. Just when she wanted to call him a wastrel, she suddenly realised something.
As a myriad of expressions came over her before she exclaimed, “Damn it!”
After taking back the ring from Luo Hai Yi, she dashed out of the room. She didn’t even have the time to tidy up her hair first.
Luo Hai Yi became rooted to the spot, but she soon raced after her; however, the Proprietress was already nowhere to be seen. An amazed accountant stuck out his head from the counter and asked a shop hand, “Proprietress seemed to be in a rush. Where is she going?”
The shop hand shook his head to indicate that he had no idea.
Seeing Luo Hai Yi, the accountant hurriedly called out to her and asked some questions. As his expression changed repeatedly, he had a feeling that a thorny issue had come up.
Inside a room in Wind and Cloud Auction House, the brothers in suffering grimaced in pain. They were in a miserable state because they were injured.
In comparison, Bai Qi’s injuries were more serious. His chest was caved in, and his five viscera and six organs were damaged. A trace of blood was also seen at the corner of his mouth. On the other hand, Yang Kai only suffered a fracture in his wrist. With that said, these were not fatal injuries for either of them. They just needed some time to recuperate.
Bai Qi sat down with his legs crossed, and just when he was about to meditate to heal his wounds, Yang Kai suddenly grabbed his clothes and hoisted him, “Don’t.”
“What are you doing?” Bai Qi’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He didn’t understand why Yang Kai stopped him at this point.
Yang Kai showed him his fractured wrist, “What do you think those from Wind and Cloud Auction House are doing now?”
“How should I know?” Bai Qi barked. He wasn’t in the mood to venture a guess when he was barred from treating his own wounds. It was the first time he was placed under house arrest, which was the biggest humiliation in his life. That was the reason he was fuming.
“Did you leave your brain behind when you left the inn this morning?” Yang Kai pointed at his own head, “You can easily figure it out by giving it a thought.”
Bai Qi couldn’t help glaring at him, but after pondering on it for a moment, he soon realised something and exclaimed, “Oh, no! They’re going to inform the Proprietress about this!” They were shop hands from First Inn, after all. Although those from the auction house had a valid reason for harming them, they would certainly look for the Proprietress to settle the issue.
At that instant, Bai Qi appeared frustrated and sighed, “I shouldn’t have done this.” He wouldn’t want the Proprietress to find out about it; after all, demanding repayment was just a trivial matter. Failure to do so just meant that he wasn’t strong or influential enough; however, if the Proprietress had to step in to handle the matter, it would make him look useless, which was embarrassing.
Upon lifting his head, he saw that there was a faint smile on Yang Kai’s face though, so with a frown, he asked, “Did you do it on purpose?” Finally, he realised Yang Kai’s intentions. They engaged in malicious bidding during the auction and purchased most of the items. When the event was over, they intended to leave without paying. How was it possible that they would be allowed to leave? The current outcome was bound to happen and those from the auction house would certainly inform the Proprietress about it. He thought that Yang Kai had an excellent idea to get away with this act, but he hadn’t expected this to happen.
Yang Kai grinned at him, “Have you only realised it now?”
Bai Qi was perplexed, “Didn’t you say that you didn’t want the Proprietress to know?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “This time is different. Previously, it might not be useful even if the Proprietress was asked to come over. If those from the auction house were determined to renege on their debt, it wasn’t like the Proprietress could rob that amount from them. She said that it would be good if these shops were willing to pay up, but if they refused, she didn’t mind going to their headquarters to reason with them. I have no idea where Wind and Cloud Paradise is, but it’s definitely not nearby. Why would we want the Proprietress to embark on such a long journey?”
“But now…” Bai Qi’s gaze brightened as he had a clearer idea about Yang Kai’s plan.
Yang Kai grinned in a wicked manner, “Now that we are severely injured and close to dying, the Proprietress has a reason to flare up. In order to appease her, they will have to give her the 10 million pills.”
“Severely injured and close to dying?” The corner of Bai Qi’s mouth twitched. He looked at the cunning man before his eyes as though he had just discovered his true colours.
“It’ll be worth it if we can get the 10 million after all the pain we’ve gone through. By then, we might even be able to demand some compensation from them.”
[Not only is he cunning, but he’s also black-hearted!] Despite his thoughts, Bai Qi said, “You should’ve told me in advance. I thought you were going to flee after snatching the items.”
A speechless Yang Kai gazed at him, “Two Fourth-Order cultivators are overseeing this place, how were we supposed to run away?” In fact, it wasn’t that they didn’t stand a chance. Since he was able to send three rings to Luo Hai Yi, he could also flee with Bai Qi in an instant; however, those from the auction house knew that they were from First Inn, so if they really ran away, all their efforts would go to waste.
“If I’m not mistaken, Yun Zhen Hua should’ve sent someone to invite…”
Before Yang Kai could finish his words, he heard a familiar voice bellowing from outside the room, “Yun Zhen Hua, roll out here now!”
The brothers in suffering widened their eyes and traded glances. They could see the shock behind one another’s gazes.
“Proprietress arrived so soon…”
At the same time, they collapsed to the ground. Bai Qi stuck out his tongue like he was a dying dog as his aura weakened. On the other hand, Yang Kai landed a few palms on himself and coughed up some blood to make himself look pitiful.
In another room, Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu, who were seated across from each other, were astounded as well. Supposedly, Madam Lan shouldn’t have come so soon; after all, it hadn’t been long since they sent a shop hand out to First Inn.
Whatever the case, since she had arrived, they had to reason with her and tell her to discipline her subordinates.
Upon trading glances, they rose from the chairs at the same time and walked towards the door. Regardless of their feelings on the matter, they were facing a Sixth-Order Master, so they didn’t dare to offend her.
However, not long after they started moving forward, they felt an immense pressure descending from the sky. A murderous intent seemed to have materialised and caused the entire auction house to tremble.
Yun Zhen Hua felt horrified as there was a crawling sensation on his scalp. With a solemn expression, Old Yu resisted the pressure with all his might, but his bones still started cracking upon impact.
They had no idea why Madam Lan’s anger had erupted all of a sudden. Although she had spoken to them in a rude manner just now, it was understandable as she was a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master. Nevertheless, how could she directly pressure them? Did she seriously think they were afraid of her?
Both Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu were enraged. [Our auction house is not where you can make a scene as you please!]
Just then, some shrieks were heard coming from the backyard, and following that, some cracking sounds were heard as though a door had broken apart.
Yun Zhen Hua took a glance at Old Yu and yelled, “Let’s go!”
They dashed out of the room and reached the place where the incident happened. It was the room where Yang Kai and Bai Qi were detained. Presently, many people were lying on the ground in the backyard. They were the shop hands from the auction house who were ordered to stand guard in front of the room.
At the moment, they were groaning in pain after getting beaten. Apparently, it was Madam Lan who made a move on them. Faced with a Sixth-Order Master, these weaklings were completely powerless to resist.
Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu widened their eyes in fury. Whatever the case, they were now in Wind and Cloud Auction House. Even though Madam Lan was a Sixth-Order Master, she shouldn’t have injured so many of their people, and judging from their injuries, it would take these shop-hands at least six months to a year to recuperate.
The two old men sprinted towards the room where the door was broken and saw a curvy figure that was facing away from them. Presently, she was squatting and checking on the two little brats.
“Proprietress…” Old Bai muttered under his breath and spat blood, “I… I’m worried that I don’t have much time left… M-Many thanks for taking care of me over the years. This Old Bai will always remember it and repay you in my next life.”
The Proprietress was squatting in front of them with her hair covering her eyes. Although Yang Kai and Bai Qi were unable to see her expression, they could hear her grinding her teeth.
“Shut up!” The Proprietress lifted her hand and clenched Bai Qi’s chin. While he stared at her in disbelief, she directly knocked him out.
Then, she slowly shifted her attention to Yang Kai as her lips curved into an inscrutable smile, “Both of you are really something else.”
Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh as he had no idea how to reply to her.
The Proprietress was truly incensed. After Luo Hai Yi sent her the rings in a hurry, she immediately realised what had happened and rushed over to the auction house. Initially, she intended to have a proper discussion with Yun Zhen Hua to settle the issue, but as soon as she arrived at this place, she detected that Yang Kai and Bai Qi had been confined, and that their auras were unstable.
Upon this realization, she became enraged and stormed into the place; however, after she checked them more carefully, she realized it was all a sham. These two brats were indeed weak and wounded, but their injuries were nowhere near as serious as she had imagined. They just needed a little time to recuperate.
At the same time, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief because they only suffered from minor injuries. After she finished speaking, she slowly got to her feet and hung her head low. A cold aura swirled around her, which caused the temperature in the place to drop significantly. Even Yang Kai couldn’t help but shudder.
“Who injured them?” As she asked the question, she slowly turned around and swept a cold glance over Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu.
Faced with her stare, they felt as though a blade had been pressed against their necks and they had a premonition that something terrible was about to happen.
Yun Zhen Hua suppressed the anxiety in his heart and asked with a frown, “Are you Madam Lan? We can discuss this…” He had only heard about how crazy this woman was in the past, but he had never seen her before. The alluring woman in front of him seemed to be different from the rumours about her.
“Who injured them?” The Proprietress ignored him and repeated her question, her gaze even colder than before.
Hearing that, Yun Zhen Hua became incensed. He was a Head Shopkeeper from Wind and Cloud Paradise who had been stationed in this auction house. Although Madam Lan had a powerful background, she shouldn’t be so arrogant.
To the side, Old Yu snorted, “These two reckless brats didn’t understand the immensity of Heaven and Earth and dared make a scene in our auction house. It was already magnanimous of this Old Master to have spared their… Ah!”
Before he could finish his speech, Old Yu condensed all his strength and pushed out his palm. This couldn’t be helped, as he could see the woman in white pushing out a palm against him. She was engulfed in a malevolent aura as though she was some kind of ferocious beast.
[How dare she make a move on me!?] Old Yu was both shocked and incensed. Earlier, he had harmed Yang Kai and Bai Qi, and now, Madam Lan had injured many shop hands from their auction house. It didn’t really matter as they were all insignificant people; however, it would be a different story if two Open Heaven Realm Masters traded moves in the Star City. There was no way those from Great Battle Heaven would ignore it.
[Is this woman out of her mind?] That was the idea that had flashed across Old Yu’s mind.
While Old Yu was still consumed with his thoughts, Madam Lan from First Inn had dispelled his Divine Ability as her slender hand was about to reach his chest. His expression changed drastically as he was aware that he was no match for her; after all, she was a Sixth-Order Master while he was only a Fourth-Order cultivator. At that instant, he flew backwards as the illusory phantom of a Small Universe appeared behind him.
World Force erupted as the illusory phantom lasted for a short moment before disappearing. Simultaneously, the Proprietress chased after him with a cold gaze.
Old Yu felt his neck tightening and realised that all his energy had stagnated. When he came to his senses, he was hoisted into the air as a whip had been wrapped around his neck. Madam Lan was just one step away from him, and she was grabbing the handle of the whip. A glacial aura was seen swirling around her.
[How is that possible!?] Old Yu widened his eyes and felt deeply horrified. He knew that he was no match for Madam Lan as she was two Orders above him, but he hadn’t expected her to be this overwhelming.
He thought that even though he couldn’t defeat her, he could trade a few moves with her. By then, Yun Zhen Hua would also lend him a hand. As long as the fallout of the battle spread, those from Great Battle Heaven would show up.
When that happened, the battle would be stopped immediately, upon which they could have a proper discussion.
However, faced with an absolute gap in power, Old Yu realised that all his thoughts were just wishful thinking.
[Is she really just a Sixth-Order? It’s almost like she’s as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master!] Although Old Yu was only in the Fourth Order, he had seen some High-Rank Masters taking action before. From that experience, he had a feeling that Madam Lan possessed a power that surpassed that of an average Sixth-Order Master.
On the other hand, Yun Zhen Hua’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Madam Lan, please don’t harm him!”
It wasn’t that he reacted too slowly, but rather that Madam Lan was too swift. She managed to capture Old Yu in less than a breath of time, so he was unable to lend him a hand. Seeing Old Yu lifted off the ground with a whip wrapped around his neck, Yun Zhen Hua was both shocked and incensed.
In the corner, Yang Kai, who was holding his fractured wrist with his other hand, was dumbfounded as well. While his blood was boiling, he was also shocked by the Proprietress’ audacity. [Bold! How does she have the guts to make a move inside the Star City? She’s practically slapping the face of the auction house. What if those from Great Battle Heaven show up? After all, this city is their territory…]
It had to be said that the sight before Yang Kai’s eyes helped him vent out his anger. Unfortunately, Bai Qi had passed out; otherwise, he would’ve been able to watch the show together with him.
“How many of your ribs are broken?” The Proprietress suddenly asked.
Everyone was startled as they had no idea what she was talking about.
“I asked how many of your ribs are broken?” The Proprietress turned her head and stared at Yang Kai.
It was then Yang Kai realised that she was talking to him, so he hurriedly replied, “Three!”
The Proprietress nodded and suddenly pressed her palm against Old Yu’s chest, whereupon he shrieked and sprayed out a mouth of blood before flying backwards, a cracking sound coming from his chest.
Yun Zhen Hua’s pupils contracted as he charged forward and supported Old Yu’s weight. They were standing alongside one another as they glared at her.
The Proprietress swung her sleeve, whereupon her whip shrunk like a snake and disappeared. With a dispassionate expression, she said, “You’ve broken three ribs of my subordinate, and I’ve done the same for yours.”
While Old Yu gritted his teeth, Yun Zhen Hua glared at her, both of their gazes filled with fire.
Standing behind her, Yang Kai couldn’t help shrinking up slightly. In truth, he was the one who had broken his own ribs. Old Yu had only fractured his wrist. [Things are getting out of hand…]
“Now, we can talk,” The Proprietress lifted her blemish-free chin as she stood in front of Yang Kai, as majestic and imposing as a mountain. It was as though she was able to fend off all storms for him.
Undoubtedly, she was replying to Yun Zhen Hua’s original request. When she was checking on Yang Kai and Bai Qi earlier, Yun Zhen Hua had said that they could talk it out.
Unfortunately, she ignored him and directly attacked Old Yu, breaking three of his ribs. It wasn’t until now that she gave them a chance to discuss the situation.
A talk wasn’t necessary anymore though. Old Yu had never been humiliated in such a way before, so at this moment, the fury in his heart was weltering like a volcano that was about to erupt. If it weren’t because he was no match for her, he would’ve pounced on her to get his revenge. He didn’t care about the fact that blood was still streaming down from his mouth as he stared fixedly at the woman in white with a gaze filled with hatred.
Yun Zhen Hua fell silent as well. He had never expected that Madam Lan would be even more unreasonable than what he had heard about her, showing them not the slightest respect even in their own home. Presently, he felt extremely bitter in his heart.
He had sent a message to the headquarters to inquire about First Inn’s destruction and confirmed that a Senior from their force was involved. They indeed had something to do with destroying the inn.
However, he was on bad terms with the person who had made that move. Although both of them were from Wind and Cloud Paradise, they hated each other deeply. He didn’t want to make compensation for someone else’s mistake; moreover, he was the shopkeeper of the auction house in this city, and the profit he made would affect his chances of getting promoted. 10 million Open Heaven Pills was a big amount. If he had to fork out such a fortune, it would mean that his efforts in the past year would be wasted.
Therefore, he directly rejected Yang Kai and Bai Qi as he didn’t have the intention to make up for someone else’s mistake. He had even decided that if Madam Lan came over, he would still ignore her. In any case, he wasn’t the one who had made a move in First Inn, so there was no way she could force him to pay up. She would have to head over to their headquarters to look for that person who had caused trouble to demand compensation.
Nevertheless, it had never crossed Yun Zhen Hua’s mind that doing so would invite such big trouble to himself.
Old Yu was an arrogant man and had not hesitated to injure First Inn’s shop hands. Therefore, Yun Zhen Hua had told someone to get 10 million Open Heaven Pills ready to settle the issue, but he had still underestimated Madam Lan’s insanity.
“It’s fine even if you don’t want to talk. Yang Kai, explain what happened,” Madam Lan said in a dispassionate voice without turning her head.
With his hand pressed against his chest, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts before beginning. He explained how he came across Bai Qi on the street, and upon learning about his frustration, they came to meet Yun Zhen Hua together. He also recounted Yun Zhen Hua’s response at that time.
Hearing that, the Proprietress snorted, “Manager Yun, integrity is of utmost importance to a business person. Why did you renege on your debt?”
Yun Zhen Hua clenched his teeth and fell silent. He wanted to refute that he wasn’t the one who owed her, but it was probably pointless to say that in front of this crazy woman, and doing so would just give her another reason to lash out.
“Continue!” The Proprietress commanded, “Since they’re not willing to pay up, why did you still take part in the auction and bid for so many items?”
A meek Yang Kai replied, “Proprietress, I was just thinking that since they were not willing to repay their debt, we wouldn’t be able to complete our task. We were not powerful enough to go against them, so I thought that if we could get some of their items that were up for auction we could use it as leverage, that is how…”
He felt apprehensive about having caused such huge trouble because of his rash decision. His intention was to create a reason for the Proprietress to demand repayment from them, but he hadn’t expected that she would react so intensely as soon as she arrived at this place. Things had come to a point where the issue wouldn’t be solved easily.
He wondered whether the Proprietress would blame it all on him at a later time.
“Very good. You came up with an excellent way to settle this matter.” The Proprietress turned her head to flash a smile at him, “If I were you, I would’ve done the same.”
At that instant, Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Unable to take it anymore, Yun Zhen Hua rebuked, “Madam Lan, how can you condone what your subordinates have done?”
“What do you mean by that?” The Proprietress shot him a cold glance, “They have every right to demand repayment from you. Why should I not condone their actions? Moreover, do you think any stray cat or dog can harm this Queen’s subordinates?”
[Did she just call them stray cats and dogs!?] Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as he had the urge to cover her mouth. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what a sharp-tongued person Madam Lan was. What she had just said had naked humiliation.
As expected, as soon as she finished her words, the expressions of Old Yu and Yun Zhen Hua sank. They were Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and although they were not the top cultivators in the Outer Universe, they still belonged to Wind and Cloud Paradise. No one had ever dared to call them stray cats and dogs before.
Having just been humiliated, Yun Zhen Hua was still able to suppress his fury somehow, but Old Yu was trembling violently. His eyes had turned bloodshot, as though he was ready to risk his life to battle against the Proprietress.
“You want to fight? This Queen will gladly oblige. Or are you only brave when you are oppressing two little brats? Why don’t we head to the Asura Arena and wager our lives? This Queen wants to see if you have the guts to do so,” the Proprietress rebuked.
As soon as she finished speaking, Old Yu sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his aura weakened. Apparently, he was so enraged that his blood flowed in reverse.
Yun Zhen Hua said through clenched teeth, “Enough, Madam Lan. We admit that the punishment is deserved. You can leave with them.” If he allowed this woman to keep making a scene here, he was worried that Old Yu would agree to her challenge. By then, Old Yu would lose his life in vain. No one could get revenge for a person who was killed in the Asura Arena, as that would be equivalent to insulting the dignity and honour of Asura Cave Heaven.
“This Queen will certainly bring them away, but what about the Open Heaven Pills you owe my First Inn?” The Proprietress glared at him.
After gnashing his teeth, Yun Zhen Hua tossed a Space Ring to her. He had already figured that there was no way he could keep these 10 million pills, so he had told someone to gather them up, which proved to be useful at this point.
The Proprietress took it and directly stored it in her sleeve. She believed that Yun Zhen Hua wouldn’t dare to pull any tricks on her.
Seeing as she had taken the Open Heaven Pills, Yun Zhen Hua said, “Since you’ve accepted it and harmed our people, you should return our property to us.”
“You mean these?” The Proprietress fished out a different ring and shook it, whereupon a few dozen items dropped onto the ground. These were the items that were sold in the auction.
[Why are these things in her hands?] Yun Zhen Hua was confused. He thought that Yang Kai had just hidden them somewhere.
“Yang Kai, they’ve injured you two. Although this Queen has extracted some interest, this matter is not settled yet. Pick some things from here and regard it as Manager Yun’s compensation for you and Bai Qi.” Although she was speaking to Yang Kai, she was staring fixedly at Yun Zhen Hua, whose face twitched when he heard that, but he wouldn’t dare to say anything. Just like what he had heard about her from the rumours, Yun Zhen Hua realized that she was a crazy woman who was completely unreasonable.
At that instant, he was remorseful of his decision. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would’ve coughed up the 10 million pills from the start and avoided all this trouble.
[She’s even demanding compensation from them…] It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised how difficult it was to deal with the Proprietress, leaving him speechless. However, he couldn’t weaken her authority at this point, so he stepped forward and rummaged through the items before picking up ten bottles.
He had only taken the ten bottles of Grand Dao Pills. His rationale was that since Luo Hai Yi had helped him out, and she needed these pills to condense her Dao Seal, he could give them to her.
Just when he was ready to get up, the Proprietress declared impassively, “As a member of First Inn, you need to be more ambitious.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he understood the hidden message behind her words. She was basically saying that he was a good-for-nothing for only taking worthless items. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire.
Seeing that, Yun Zhen Hua felt extremely heartbroken. This was one of the finale’s items that was up for auction and was worth nearly 2 million Open Heaven Pills. [This crazy woman has gone too far!]
Nevertheless, he was no match for her, and he had witnessed how insane she could be, so he remained silent despite his fury.
Since the Proprietress hadn’t spoken, Yang Kai couldn’t stop what he was doing. After picking up the Sun’s True Fire, he went on to take the other two finale items.
“Just take what we deserve, don’t cross the line,” The Proprietress finally spoke.
Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly stood beside her. Across from them, Yun Zhen Hua almost spat blood.
[Hasn’t she crossed the line by taking the three most valuable items from this time’s auction!? Although there are only three such items, their combined value is half of all the items that were up for auction. Why doesn’t she just take everything away with her?]
“Manager Yun, you seem unresigned,” The Proprietress shot him a dispassionate glance.
Yun Zhen Hua said through clenched teeth, “We’ll definitely meet again, Madam Lan. This Yun will remember what you’ve done to Wind and Cloud Paradise. When we next meet, I hope you’ll still be so aloof!”
“Hmph!” The Proprietress snorted, “You have no right to represent Wind and Cloud Paradise.”
Then, she swung her sleeve and yelled, “We’re leaving!”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai went over and hoisted the unconscious Bai Qi over his shoulder. Upon straightening up, he followed the Proprietress and strode out of the room. Two pairs of fiery eyes were staring at him from behind like leeches biting on him.
Only after the Proprietress was long gone did Old Yu spray out another mouthful of blood.
“Brother Yu!” Yun Zhen Hua’s expression changed as he quickly made him sit, “How are you?”
Old Yu waved his hand with a crestfallen expression, as though he had aged by several hundred years. Sitting there, he chuckled and said in a grim voice, “She’s really something.”
Then, his expression suddenly turned hideous as he yelled, “This matter is not over yet!”
Yun Zhen Hua nodded his head, “Of course, it’s not over yet. We’ll have to make that woman pay! I’ll inform the headquarters about this incident in detail. By then, they’ll send someone to deal with her.”
After a nod, Old Yu asked with a frown, “Brother Yun, why is that woman so strong? I’ve seen High-Rank cultivators make a move before, and while not on that level, she’s definitely stronger than a Sixth-Order Master should be.”
Following a sigh, Yun Zhen Hua replied, “Brother Yu has only advanced recently so you’re not aware of her story yet. In the past, she had actually had a chance to ascend directly to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, but because of a certain incident, she ended up having to settle for the Sixth Order. Although the Sixth-Order is still within the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, her foundation was still there; therefore, no one below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm is a match for her.”
“What was it that made her give up the chance to become a High-Rank Master?” Old Yun was stunned. Although a Sixth-Order cultivator was just one step away from the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the gap was akin to the distance between the Heavens and Earth. If one wasn’t left with no other choice, they wouldn’t have given up such a bright future. That woman still had a chance to ascend directly to the High-Rank, yet something made her abandon that ambition. Achieving the High-Rank all at once wasn’t just about having greater immediate strength, but also about having greater room for improvement.
Yun Zhen Hua shook his head, “I’m not sure about it, but I’ve heard that it was because of a man.”
“Hmph!” Hearing that, Old Yu snorted, “Love can cause a person to turn blind and make irrational decisions.” As though he had recalled something in the next moment though, his expression turned dejected.
Seeing that, Yun Zhen Hua realised that Old Yu must have recalled a sorrowful memory. It was such a coincidence. In the past, Old Yu had a chance to ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but because of a certain woman, he ended up becoming a Fourth-Order cultivator instead. In a certain sense, his experience was similar to that of Madam Lan’s.
…..
With Bai Qi on his back, Yang Kai followed the Proprietress in silence, the people on the street staring at them as they passed.
Since she remained silent, he didn’t have the nerve to say anything as he felt guilty. It was the first time he had witnessed how overbearing the Proprietress was; however, he hadn’t expected that things would become so serious, so he felt guilty and wondered whether he had invited any trouble to her.
Just then, a figure approached them. It was none other than Luo Hai Yi. Seeing as Yang Kai appeared battered, and Bai Qi had become unconscious, she exclaimed with her mouth covered, “Sir Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine. Many thanks for your help today.” If Luo Hai Yi hadn’t gone so quickly to First Inn, the Proprietress wouldn’t have arrived at the auction house so promptly.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “You don’t have to thank me. It was the least I could do.”
As they spoke, the Proprietress had gone further away. Seeing as she didn’t have the intention of stopping, Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Take these. I’ll look for you at a later time.”
Then, he stuffed three bottles in Luo Hai Yi’s hands and dashed towards the Proprietress.
After he was gone, Luo Hai Yi took a look at the jade bottles and opened their caps, whereupon she exclaimed. That was because these bottles contained the Grand Dao Pills she had always craved. There were two pills in a bottle, so there were six pills in total. These were the things that were put up for auction earlier.
With a grateful look, she gazed in the direction Yang Kai had left and cupped her fist. She swore that she would always remember his favour, and would surely repay him in the future.
When they arrived at First Inn, the accountant and the chef came over to check on them. Upon seeing that Yang Kai and Bai Qi appeared beaten and bruised, they became infuriated and said that they would help them retaliate against those from the auction house.
Yang Kai was worried that they would really do that, so he hurriedly waved them off. The Proprietress had just made a fuss in the auction house, and not only did they get the 10 million debt they were owed, but they had also taken some stuff as interest. In fact, it was those from the auction house who had suffered losses today, so Yang Kai didn’t dare to let these two aggravate the situation.
“Are you two blind? Take Old Bai to rest, now!” The Proprietress glared at the accountant and the chef.
The accountant shuddered and hurriedly took the unconscious Bai Qi over from Yang Kai.
Then, the Proprietress turned her head and said to Yang Kai, “Take a rest to recuperate. Your health is the most important.”
It was the first time she spoke to him in such an amicable manner, so Yang Kai wasn’t used to it. Despite that, he still hurriedly promised her that he would quickly treat his wounds.
“I’m tired,” The Proprietress yawned and shuffled towards the rear court while swaying her hips gently, mesmerising the customers in the hall with her charm.
It was then that Yang Kai realised that she hadn’t even tied up her hair as it hung loosely over her shoulders. After she was gone, the silence in the lobby was replaced by much hustle and bustle.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain and said, “I’ll take a rest now.”
After this farce, he was exhausted as well.
For the following days, Yang Kai finally had a taste of what it felt like to be treated well in the Outer Universe. Every day, the chef would personally send him some dishes that could replenish his vitality; moreover, the chef was excellent at his craft, so Yang Kai would always gobble everything up.
According to the chef, it was as though the dishes had been devoured by a starving dog.
After a few days of eating these nourishing dishes, Yang Kai felt his blood boiling slightly, so he didn’t eat anymore. However, the chef rejected his request and told him that it was the Proprietress’ order, so he had to watch him finish everything. It was the same case for Bai Qi as well.
Left with no other choice, Yang Kai finished all the food he was served. With these nourishing dishes and his own restorative abilities, it took him only a few days to recover to his peak. Although Bai Qi’s condition was worse, he would also get well in no time.
Since they were injured, they didn’t have to serve the customers in the lobby. They practically had nothing to do every day. After going through an ordeal together, they had become closer to each other, so when they were free, they would come together and chat.
However, Bai Qi was apprehensive because, over the years, he had never seen the Proprietress treat any shop hand so well. He kept suspecting that the Proprietress might have given them carrots first before revealing her stick, which was why he had been on pins and needles over the past few days. Even the food sent to him by the chef tasted bland to him.
Initially, Yang Kai was completely at ease, but after hearing what Bai Qi had said, he became worried as well.
They had collected all the debts from the lists of shops, and although the incident in Wind and Cloud Auction House was kept a secret, word still got out in the end. No one knew how the news was leaked, but most of the shopkeepers in the Star City had found out that the Proprietress from First Inn had gone over to Wind and Cloud Auction House to demand repayment. While there, not only had she injured the Shopkeeper Yun, but she had also taken many things from them as additional compensation.
All of them became anxious in an instant. The shopkeepers of the remaining shops that still owed First Inn money hurriedly came to the inn and presented 10 million pills to her. They were worried that the Proprietress would visit their shops when she was in a bad mood on any given day.
Including the shops Yang Kai and Bai Qi had demanded repayments from, the great forces that were involved in First Inn’s destruction had respectively repaid 10 million Open Heaven Pills.
Therefore, Yang Kai had been relieved of 10 million of his debt, leaving just 6.2 million.
One day, when Yang Kai was going through the Universe Chart in his room, he suddenly heard the Proprietress calling out to him. Gritting his teeth, he got off the bed and left the room.
Upon knocking on the door of the Proprietress’ room, he heard a languid voice coming from inside, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, whereupon his face twitched. Presently, the Proprietress was lying on her side on her bed. With her head resting on her palm, she appeared languid. It wasn’t certain what kind of incense it was, but the scent was able to soothe one’s mind.
“Proprietress,” Yang Kai walked up to her and hung his head low.
Without looking at him, the Proprietress tossed something at him.
After taking it, Yang Kai became elated because it was his Shadowless Veil. Not long after he joined the inn, the veil was taken away by her. One month later, he finally got it back.
When the Proprietress took it away from him in the past, she only said that she would keep it for some time. Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t dare to reject her.
The Proprietress had kept the Shadowless Veil for a month. With the veil in his hand, Yang Kai arched his brow and said, “Proprietress, this…”
He had a feeling that the veil had become different, but he was unable to figure out how.
The Proprietress replied in a laid-back manner, “I found someone to refine and upgrade it for you; however, this artifact is quite well made, so there was little room for improvement.”
“You found someone to upgrade it?” Yang Kai was surprised. He had experienced the abstrusity of the Shadowless Veil before, and it was truly an amazing artifact. The person who further refined it must have been a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner. Although the Proprietress had a powerful background, she must have paid a hefty price for this.
[Why does this woman treat me so well?] Yang Kai was puzzled. She stood up for Bai Qi and him a few days ago because she had to protect the inn’s reputation; however, he couldn’t explain why she would help him upgrade this veil.
With the veil in his hand, Yang Kai carefully asked, “How much is it?”
She had demanded 5 million from him by just lending him Seven Faces, while it must have cost a fortune to refine the Shadowless Veil. Would she make him pay for it? In that case, he wasn’t even certain how long it would take him to repay all his debts.
Upon hearing that, the Proprietress slightly opened her eyes to stare at him for a moment before she closed her eyes again.
[What does that mean?] Yang Kai was perplexed. Since she didn’t say how much it cost, he would just refrain from asking about it again and regard it as he didn’t have to pay for it. With an elated expression, he asked, “Can it avoid the inspection of Mid-Rank cultivators now?”
“In your dreams!” The Proprietress scoffed.
“Could it even be considered an upgrade, then?” Yang Kai was startled. In the past, the Shadowless Veil was unable to conceal him from the sense of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators who were actively searching for him, but it could keep him hidden if they weren’t careful enough in their probing. That was what had happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace. Yuan Xiao Man and the other Fourth-Order Masters were focused on exploring the palace, so they didn’t realise that he was hiding nearby.
The Proprietress replied impassively, “I told you that there was little room for improvement. Given the same conditions, if there was a 70% chance that a Mid-Rank cultivator could see through the veil in the past, it’s now just 30 or 40%.”
Yang Kai grunted and put on a smile. It was indeed an upgrade to have the chance of seeing through the veil lowered. At the most critical moment, it might save his life.
“Many thanks, Proprietress!” Yang Kai thanked her from the bottom of his heart, “Is there anything you need me to do?”
The Proprietress lay on her stomach and rested her chin on her hands, highlighting her long legs and rather plump bottom. There was also an amazing arch on her waist. In an indolent manner, she said, “My shoulders feel sore.”
[Is she trying to make me give her a massage?] Yang Kai batted his eyes.
After taking a glance, he realised that the sight before him was quite seductive. He felt his throat turning dry as he scratched his face, “I don’t think it’s appropriate…”
It was already awkward enough that a man and a woman were in a room alone. Others might misunderstand them if they saw him giving her a massage.
While the Proprietress remained silent, Yang Kai stayed in the same spot and hesitated for a moment; then, he directly walked over and took a seat on the bed before grabbing her shoulders.
Why should he care if she clearly didn’t? He would just regard it as a gesture of gratitude.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai became at ease and stopped restraining himself as he gently massaged her shoulders. With a layer of clothes on her skin, he couldn’t feel anything anyways. Presently, her eyes were closed, but judging from her expression, he reckoned that she was completely relaxed.
Time slowly went by in silence.
“I want to eat some Heavenly Snow Fruits…” The Proprietress suddenly muttered.
“What?” Yang Kai was in a dazed state when she said that, but when he came to his senses, his expression changed drastically, “Heavenly Snow Fruits?”
He still remembered vividly what had happened in the past. After he brought back the Heavenly Snow Fruits from the Nine Nether Continent for her, he was forced to drink ridiculously potent wine with her in her room. In the end, both of them became inebriated and after he awakened, he was lectured by Bai Qi and the others. The chef had even almost cut him into quarters using his kitchen knife.
The images of the incident flashed across his mind as though it had just happened, which was why he instinctively felt repulsed by the mention of Heavenly Snow Fruits.
According to Bai Qi and the others, every time the Proprietress ate Heavenly Snow Fruits, she would become crestfallen for a long time and drink heavily. Yang Kai had no idea why she wanted to eat those sour fruits at this point.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he forced a smile, “What are you talking about? We don’t have Heavenly Snow Fruits here.”
“I want to eat them…” The Proprietress turned her head and stared fixedly at him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Well, we don’t have the fruits here. It’s a local product of Nine Nether Continent, so it’s not sold anywhere else.”
Without saying a word, she continued staring at him with her alluring eyes.
Ignoring her, Yang Kai continued with the massage, then he suddenly frowned, “Are you… asking me to go to Nine Nether Continent?” That Universe World was located in the Great Territory where the original First Inn was, so it was very far away from this place. Previously, it took them half a year to travel all the way here to this Star City. Although Yang Kai could use the Universe Transference Law now to shorten the trip, it would still take him at least two months to make a round trip.
The Proprietress batted her eyes to mean yes.
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai bellowed. Just because she suddenly had the urge to eat some fruits, she wanted him to go to such a faraway place to pick them for her, which was outrageous.
“Are you going or not?” The Proprietress glared at him.
“No!” Yang Kai replied resolutely.
“Are you really not going?” She propped up her head with one hand and straightened up a little.
“You’ll have to beat me to death first!” He scoffed.
As soon as he finished his words, he felt an immense force on his waist, whereupon he was kicked to the ground.
“Lan You Ruo!” Yang Kai got to his feet and glowered at her, “Don’t go too far!” Besides making him give her a massage, she also wanted him to head all the way to Nine Nether Continent. Did she really want to boss him around like he was just another shop hand?
The Proprietress batted her eyes, “How do you know my name?” She had never revealed her true name to him, and Bai Qi and the others were not loose-tongued. Soon though, she came to the realization that one of the shopkeepers in the Star City must have told him about it.
“What’s wrong? Can’t I know your name?” Yang Kai patted his backside and grinned, “I’ll take my leave now. If you want to eat those fruits, go to Nine Nether Continent yourself!”
Following that, he shuffled out of the room and slammed the door shut.
As the night breeze whisked across Yang Kai as he slowly calmed down and realised that he had reacted too fiercely earlier. Then, he recalled that when he and Bai Qi were confined in Wind and Cloud Auction House, it was the Proprietress who came to rescue them in an imposing manner. Her peerless pressure caused the two Fourth-Order cultivators to suffocate and concede defeat in the end. Although he had no idea what price she had to pay, he knew that her actions were not without consequences.
Looking up at the stars, Yang Kai cursed before flying off.
Inside the room, the Proprietress said through clenched teeth, “What an ungrateful brat!”
One hour later, Yang Kai appeared outside the Spirit Province of the Star City.
There was no one else in the expansive void around him as he kept using different hand seals to activate the Universe Transference Seal. Soon, he could feel a faint connection being established. That was his connection with the Universe Temple in this Great Territory.
Just then, a Spirit Array appeared beneath his feet and swirled around. Space Principles could be felt expanding from the array.
Following Yang Kai’s move, the speed at which the array whirled around increasingly quickened. Over ten breaths later, a buzzing sound was heard, and a light engulfed him.
After the light faded, Yang Kai had also disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in a hall that was unfamiliar to him. There were about twenty Arrays in the hall, and they looked identical to one another. The Arrays looked similar to the Spirit Array that appeared beneath his feet earlier and presently, he was standing in the centre of one of them.
A glow would radiate from another array from time to time, and every time that happened, a person would appear.
Universe Temple!
It was the first time Yang Kai used the Universe Transference Law, so he found it quite novel. He had always wanted to experience the abstrusity of this technique, but he hadn’t had a chance in the past.
Now, it seemed that although the Universe Transference Law was wondrous, it also had a huge downside. Given his current strength, it took him over ten breaths to get transported to this place. In a life-or-death battle, ten breaths was long enough for his opponent to cut him down over a thousand times.
Furthermore, Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so other cultivators in the same realm who couldn’t use Space Principles would undoubtedly require even longer to execute this technique and would likely suffer other serious drawbacks.
Presently, Yang Kai felt slightly dizzy; after all, the distance he had to pass through was too great, so it was difficult for him to bear.
The other cultivators who emerged from the Arrays were in a worse state. They were standing there with their eyes firmly closed, their faces pale and their foreheads drenched in sweat. It was especially serious for the weaker cultivators.
Although there was a downside, the Universe Transference Law had other hugely beneficial points, such as its universality. As long as one had cultivated the Secret Technique, he or she could leave a mark in any of the Universe Temples in the 3,000 Worlds and shuttle back and forth between them to save time when travelling great distances.
Yang Kai decided to take a quick rest to adjust his state, and when the time was right, he left the array.
Without staying in the Universe Temple, he fished out his Universe Chart to identify his location and route before leaving.
Half a day after he left the Universe Temple, he arrived at a Territory Gate that led to a different Great Territory.
Staring at the gigantic Territory Gate in the void, he fell into a dilemma.
One had to endure immense pressure to pass through a Territory Gate. If he wasn’t powerful enough, he would be torn apart by the force of the Void. Bai Qi had said that Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators could rely on their own strength to pass through these gates without having to worry about any injuries, but those below the Mid-Rank had to purchase a flight-type artifact to resist the tearing force.
Just now, Yang Kai had forgotten about this particular problem and left the inn on a whim. It wasn’t until he reached this place that he remembered it.
[What should I do? Go back? Or should I wait here and see if anyone with the same destination could give me a lift?]
It wouldn’t matter if he went back to the inn now as the Proprietress wasn’t aware that he had left, so it wouldn’t be embarrassing. On the other hand, if he waited here, he might not even come across anyone with the same destination.
However, since Yang Kai had arrived at this place, he wasn’t willing to go back without achieving anything first.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t passed through a Territory Gate without any protection before. After he left Seven Wonders Land with Dié You and the others, they had passed through several Territory Gates, and at the last moment when Ah Sun’s jade white fox had run out of energy, he had endured the pressure with his own strength.
Recalling the feeling during the incident, Yang Kai felt that he could move through a Territory Gate without any protection; after all, he was an expert in the Dao of Space, and his figure was much sturdier than that of the average cultivator.
At the thought of this, he stopped hesitating and took a deep breath before flying towards the gigantic Territory Gate.
A powerful pull was felt coming from the gate, and before he even went near it, he realised that he already couldn’t stop in his tracks. The harder he tried to resist, the more he felt that his attempts were futile. With his brows furrowed, Yang Kai decided to stop resisting and went with the flow, allowing it to pull him into the gate.
The world seemed to be spinning around him as he was sucked into the gate and a terrifying shearing force was felt coming from all directions. He also felt extremely dizzy and was unable to identify his direction. All his bones were cracking under pressure.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to be careless as he hurriedly pushed his Space Principles to resonate with the Principles that were fluctuating in the Territory Gate. In an instant, he felt that the pressure had been significantly reduced. Upon feeling this, he became ecstatic as his speculation proved correct. His mastery over Space Principles could help him mitigate the pressure inside the Territory Gate. In that case, he had more confidence in moving through them.
Focusing his mind, Yang Kai allowed his body to flow along with the current as he protected himself with his Space Principles.
Some time later, the tearing force around him diminished, and his body felt significantly lighter. He was able to control his body again, and looking around, he put on a wide grin.
Supposedly, he was in a different Great Territory now. In other words, he had successfully passed through the Territory Gate; however, as soon as he moved his body, he realised that his entire figure ached. Looking down, he was shocked to see that his body was full of small cuts, and his figure was drenched in golden blood. His clothes had also become tattered.
At that moment, he was reeling from shock as he realized that Bai Qi was right to say that only Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators could forcefully transit through a Territory Gate. Anyone below the Mid-Rank wouldn’t be able to do so without external aids.
Yang Kai couldn’t have achieved this if it weren’t because his body was sturdy and he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
These flesh wounds didn’t really bother Yang Kai though as they would heal on their own after a short time, so after changing into new clothes, he fished out the Universe Chart to identify his location and began moving in a particular direction. From time to time, he would also drop a Space Beacon in his wake.
Since arriving in the Outer Universe, he had always wanted to test the maximum distance two Space Beacons could be separated by and still function.
Space Beacons were wonderful as they worked in the same way as the Universe Transference Law, but the range within which they could work was far more limited. Yang Kai was aware of this fact, but he hadn’t tested where the limit was.
He hadn’t had the chance in the past, so this was the perfect opportunity for him to do some experiments.
A few days later, Yang Kai clenched the Space Beacon in his hand and fell into his thoughts.
During this period of time, he had dropped several Space Beacons, and after a number of tests, he realised that the maximum workable distance between two Space Beacons was about the same distance he could cross in two days of continuous flight.
Should the distance be any further, he wouldn’t be able to detect his Space Beacon anymore, which meant that he could not transfer himself between them.
The distance between two spots that would take him two days of flight to cross could be considered pretty far apart; however, in terms of the distance of transportation, Space Beacons were no match for the Universe Transference Law. At the very least, as long as a person was within the same Great Territory, the Secret Technique would always work.
It wasn’t surprising as the foundation of the Universe Transference Law was the various Universe Temples. There was a Universe Transference Seal that was supported by many Grand Arrays inside those temples, which explained why the workable distance was greater than that of his independent Space Beacons.
Many days later, Yang Kai arrived at a place that he was familiar with. It was Nine Nether Continent.
Just like the previous time, after he broke through the World Barrier and entered the Universe World, he could feel the Divine Senses of the local Great Emperors scanning him.
Following that, an elderly man abruptly appeared in front of him. Upon lifting his head, he appeared surprised as he asked, “Envoy Yang?”
The person was none other than the Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain Sect, Bao Ze Tong. He was the one who had greeted Yang Kai previously.
“Sect Master Bao,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
A curious Bao Ze Tong asked, “Envoy Yang, why are you here? Has Madam Lan given any orders?”
After a sigh, Yang Kai explained, “There aren’t any orders. It’s just that she’s craving Heavenly Snow Fruits again, so she’s told me to come here to get some.”
Upon hearing that, Bao Ze Tong was shocked, “Madam wants to eat the fruits again?”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at him in puzzlement.
Bao Ze Tong hurriedly waved his hands, “There’s nothing wrong. Please come with me.”
Bao Ze Tong wondered why Madam Lan wanted to eat Heavenly Snow Fruits again so soon. In the past, she wouldn’t want the fruits regardless of whether ten or twenty years had passed. She would only get someone to come over to pick the fruits whenever she passed by this world; however, it had only been half a year since Yang Kai last came to this place. Despite his doubts, Bao Ze Tong wasn’t in any place to question further. After apologising to Yang Kai, he grabbed his arm and arrived on Heavenly Mountain in an instant.
Then, he called out to a woman and told her to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits prepared. Just when he was about to invite Yang Kai to enter the hall, the latter said, “Let’s go together.”
Hearing that, Bao Ze Tong nodded his head, “Good.”
It was then the three of them flew towards a particular spot on Heavenly Mountain. A moment later, they reached a mountain valley that was slightly narrow. Yang Kai could feel that a powerful cultivator was keeping guard in this place. Although it wasn’t a Great Emperor, this individual had reached the limit of his realm. Moreover, multiple Spirit Arrays had been arranged around the valley, which went to show that they highly valued this place.
Inside the valley that was about several thousand square metres, fifty or sixty trees about twice as tall as an average man had been planted. Yang Kai had never seen such trees before, but he was familiar with the fruits hanging on them. The baby fist-sized fruits were of a colour that was a mixture between red and black. These were none other than the Heavenly Snow Fruits.
Yang Kai had tasted these fruits before and realised that they were both bitter and sour, which was an unpleasant flavour. Although it was a spirit fruit, he reckoned that they were not valuable at all. These fruits were only useful for cultivators below the Saint King Realm; in other words, the grade these fruits were in was pretty low.
Certainly, Yang Kai didn’t have to personally pick the fruits as the woman from Heavenly Mountain would choose ripe fruits that were of appropriate size. In the meantime, Bao Ze Tong accompanied Yang Kai as they walked around the fruit garden.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped in front of a certain fruit tree and asked, “Sect Master Bao, there’s something I don’t understand. Will you please enlighten me?”
Bao Ze Tong replied, “Please ask, Envoy Yang.”
“Do these Heavenly Snow Fruits…” Yang Kai pointed at the fruit tree, “Have any special meaning to Proprietress?”
He could already feel it the last time he was here, but he wasn’t in any place to ask about it at that time.
Bao Ze Tong looked around as he seemed to be reminiscing about the past before he began explaining, “To be honest with you, these fruit trees were planted by Madam.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “She planted them personally?” He suddenly realised something, “Is she from Nine Nether Continent?” Otherwise, why would she have planted the trees here?
“En.” Bao Ze Tong nodded gently and appeared proud, “She was the 43rd Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain.”
Finally, Yang Kai realised why the Proprietress favoured these Heavenly Snow Fruits; she basically missed her hometown. However, after giving it a thought, he felt that something was off. If she missed her hometown, she should have come back to have a look. Nevertheless, when the ship was anchored in the void at that time, she didn’t seem to have the intention of stepping into her hometown. She only told him to get her some fruits.
“Sect Master Bao, did something happen in the past involving these fruits and Proprietress?” Yang Kai asked.
However, Bao Ze Tong didn’t answer his question as he shook his head, “I have no right to tell you about Madam’s matters. If you want to find out, it would be best for you to ask her yourself.” Then he paused for a moment and said, “Envoy Yang, this Old Master has a request that he isn’t certain he should mention.”
“Please tell me.”
Bao Ze Tong went on to say, “This Bao hopes Envoy Yang will take good care of Madam.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Proprietress is a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while I’m just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so how am I supposed to take care of her? With that said, she does take good care of us.”
Bao Ze Tong smiled and fell silent.
After walking for a bit, Yang Kai said, “Can I bring a fruit tree with me? Is there any problem with it?”
Upon pondering on it for a moment, Bao Ze Tong replied, “En. There are several dozen fruit trees here, so I’m sure Madam won’t blame us for giving one of them to you.”
Yang Kai thanked him before he began digging up the tree. This wasn’t a difficult task and he soon completed it.
This time, the Proprietress became crazy and told him to head to Nine Nether Continent to pick Heavenly Snow Fruits. If she went mad again in the future, he would have to come back again; therefore, Yang Kai decided to transfer the fruit tree into his medicine garden. It shouldn’t be hard to nurture this plant. He’d just tell the two little Wood Spirits to handle it. Given their capabilities, they would be able to grow several dozen to over a hundred such fruit trees in a year or two. By then, he wouldn’t have to come here again.
After he was done with this, the Heavenly Snow Fruits were ready as well. The woman approached him and passed him the basket of fruits.
Upon rejecting Bao Ze Tong’s request to stay for a time, Yang Kai immediately embarked on the journey back to the inn.
It took him over twenty days to reach this place, and it took him about the same time to go back. In total, he had left the inn for a month and a half.
When Yang Kai walked into First Inn, he was stopped by Bai Qi who said in a hushed, anxious voice, “You dare come back? Where have you been lately?”
“Proprietress told me to go out to do something for her,” Yang Kai replied.
“Nonsense.” Bai Qi shot him a glare, “She blew her top because she couldn’t find you.” If he’d gone out to carry out a task for the Proprietress, why wasn’t she aware of it?
“Leave now and don’t ever come back again, if she finds out you’re here…” As Bai Qi spoke, he pushed Yang Kai towards the door, but he soon froze on the spot and grit his teeth, “It’s too late!”
He could hear the Proprietress’ voice in his mind. Apparently, she had detected Yang Kai’s aura.
Yang Kai had no time for Bai Qi’s nonsense, so he directly shuffled further into the inn, “I’ll go see her.”
Unable to stop him, Bai Qi traded glances with the accountant. Recalling how terrifying the Proprietress had been recently, they couldn’t help shuddering.
Reaching the Proprietress’ room, Yang Kai knocked on the door, whereupon a dispassionate voice was heard coming from inside, “Come in!”
Yang Kai shrank his neck, knowing that Bai Qi didn’t lie to him. The Proprietress seemed to be in a terrible mood. Just her voice was enough to send a chill down his spine.
However, he was given the order to go out to do something for her, so he wasn’t afraid. At the thought of this, he pushed the door open and said, “Proprietress, I’m back.”
Inside the room, the Proprietress was seen seated on a chair. With a cold expression on her face, she shot him a glance and scoffed, “How dare you still come back? How do you have the gall to come back!?”
She landed a palm on the table and bellowed, “Why didn’t you get killed outside?”
[You’re the one who told me to get you some Heavenly Snow Fruits! Why are you reprimanding me now!?] Yang Kai was infuriated as he clenched his fists. Just when he was ready to refute her, he suddenly recalled the fact that she had rushed over to Wind and Cloud Auction House to save Bai Qi and him previously. Suppressing his anger, he stepped forward and said, “Proprietress, I’ve brought back what you wanted.”
“What I wanted? What do you mean?” The Proprietress questioned through gritted teeth. Her expression suggested that she had the urge to bite a piece of flesh off this shameless man. Right after she finished speaking though, she widened her mouth and stared dazedly at the bamboo basket on the table.
The basket was filled with reddish black fruits the size of a baby fist, and they exuded a pleasant scent. They also looked fresh, which suggested it hadn’t been a long time since they were picked.
“Heavenly Snow Fruits?” A shocked Proprietress’s anger was replaced with confusion as she fell into a dazed state and asked, “Where did you get them?”
Yang Kai scoffed, “Where else could it be?”
A flabbergasted Proprietress stood up straight, “You went to Nine Nether Continent.”
An exasperated Yang Kai replied, “You don’t say. These fruits are exclusive to Nine Nether Continent. Where else could I get them from?”
“You went missing for over a month because you went to Nine Nether Continent?” The Proprietress widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Where did you think I went?” Yang Kai gave her a dismissive look, but he was stunned to see a tinge of guilt and fear behind her gaze. He wondered what she was guilty and fearful of.
“How did you get there?” She asked.
“How else? I…” He paused as he suddenly realised that he was unable to explain himself. He didn’t have a flight-type artifact that could resist the tearing force of the Territory Gates, so how could he have gone to Nine Nether Continent? If he told her that he traversed the Territory Gates with just his body, she probably wouldn’t believe him; therefore, he decided to not give any explanation as he waved his hand, “Just eat them now. They won’t stay fresh if you just leave them out for too long. I’ll take a rest now.”
After cupping his fists, he turned around to leave.
As soon as he lifted his foot though, Yang Kai felt his collar getting grabbed from behind. Turning his head, he realised that the Proprietress was already standing behind him with her hand clutching his clothes.
“What… Hey! Why are you taking off my clothes?” Yang Kai became flustered. This couldn’t be helped, as the Proprietress directly threw him onto the bed, held him down with one hand, and used her other to take his clothes off.
[What has gotten into this woman now?] He wanted to resist, but faced with a Sixth-Order Master, he couldn’t even circulate his power, let alone block her. In just a moment, he was stripped down to his underwear.
“Are you out of your mind?” Yang Kai bellowed as his eyes seemed able to spit fire. It was the first time a woman had pinned him down on the bed and forcefully unclothed him.
He shot her a glare, only to see that she had fallen into a dazed state as she stared fixedly at his bare chest and abdomen. Then, she extended her hand and touched his skin.
Her hand was warm and ticklish, which caused him to grunt uncontrollably. At that instant, he quit being resolute to resist her. Suddenly, he gasped as she irritated his wounds.
Although his body was robust, and he had made use of Space Principles to mitigate the risk when passing through the Territory Gates, he was still injured in the process. With that said, these were not serious injuries as he only looked battered. It would only take him a few days to recuperate fully.
He had returned to First Inn in a hurry and directly met the Proprietress, so he didn’t have the time to heal his wounds.
“Did you forcefully pass through the Territory Gates?” The Proprietress gaped at him in disbelief.
Yang Kai pushed her away and got off the bed. Then, he put on his clothes and snorted, “What else could I do?”
“Are you insane!?” She exclaimed, “Do you know that your action was dangerous? What if… What if…”
“You told me to go,” Yang Kai adjusted his clothes with his head still hanging low.
“I…” The Proprietress was lost for words. She had indeed told him to head to Nine Nether Continent to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits for her, but she never intended for him to forcefully pass through the Territory Gates. If he had agreed to it, she would’ve prepared a flight-type artifact for him; however, he had rejected her at that time, so she hadn’t expected that he would head to the continent on his own. She thought that he had just left the inn without her permission, so she had been blowing her top recently.
“Is there anything else you need me to do? If not, I’ll take a rest now. I’m exhausted from all the travelling,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and asked. Seeing as she was rooted to the spot, he ignored her and nodded his head before leaving the room.
Upon opening the door, he paused for a moment as he saw the accountant fiddling with his golden abacus in the backyard. Bai Qi and the chef gathered together and muttered among themselves with serious expressions. The chef would bow his head from time to time.
[Don’t they have anything better to do?] Yang Kai scoffed and closed the door before leaving.
While he was shuffling towards his room, Bai Qi approached him and directly warned him, “Don’t bother the Proprietress for the next three days. Otherwise, you’ll suffer terribly.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai nodded his head. He still vividly remembered the previous incident, so he wouldn’t make the same mistake. Secretly, he decided that he wouldn’t see the Proprietress even if she summoned him.
After returning to his room, he started meditating to recuperate. Over one month of travelling was indeed exhausting. Presently, Yang Kai wanted to do nothing else apart from having a good night’s rest.
It was a quiet night.
The next morning, Yang Kai stepped out of his room and started working with Bai Qi and the others. Business had been good as the inn would always be crammed with people in the afternoon. In fact, First Inn’s information business was incredibly profitable, so they didn’t have to rely on selling food and beverages to earn an income. The reason they had set up an inn was to find out all sorts of secret information; after all, people from all walks of life would gather in an inn, which was how information was traded, the food and wine were just to make things livelier.
Half a day later, Yang Kai finally had some time to take a rest, so he stayed behind the counter and had a chat with the accountant.
It had only been a short time since those from First Inn arrived in this Star City, but their ability to gather information was truly unrivalled. He found it interesting as he listened to the accountant’s narration of the stories about those big shots in the city.
He was most concerned about what happened to Wind and Cloud Auction House, so he asked the accountant about it. Upon learning that they didn’t seem to have taken any action, Yang Kai reckoned that they had truly conceded defeat.
As the accountant sorted out the finances, he asked, “I heard that you went to Nine Nether Continent some time ago?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Proprietress said that she wanted to eat Heavenly Snow Fruits, which was why I left the inn.”
The accountant stared at him, “Proprietress didn’t even know where you were headed. She thought that you had run away or something had happened to you, so she visited every corner of the Star City to search for your whereabouts, but she didn’t get any leads.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Was she really so concerned about me?”
The accountant shook his head in a solemn manner, “I’m not sure about others, but she’s definitely concerned about you.”
“What do you mean?”
The accountant shook his head again, and then he said, “Our Proprietress is a sharp-tongued but kind-hearted person. In fact, she suffered a lot in the past, so while she might appear imposing to others, that isn’t what she’s really like. She has always treated all of us from the inn extremely well. It’s just that she can be hot-tempered at times…” All of a sudden, he stopped speaking and looked behind Yang Kai with his mouth widened.
With a clang, a plate fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Yang Kai turned to his left, only to see that Bai Qi was rooted to the spot with his hand frozen in the air. Besides the broken plate pieces around his feet, the dish also scattered everywhere.
The other shop hands in the inn were also frozen as though someone had used a Binding Technique on them. All of them, including the customers in the lobby, were staring in a particular direction.
A horrified Yang Kai felt a chill running from his feet to his head, and after a gulp, he turned around creakily, whereupon his pupils contracted.
Presently, the Proprietress was standing in a nearby spot. Her hair had been tied into a bun, which was decorated with some fine jewellery. In particular, there was a Gilded Phoenix Hairpin that was stuck into her bun. As she stepped forward, the Gilded Phoenix flapped its wings gently as though it was about to take off. Her well-fitting clothes made her look elegant and demure. One would especially take note of her radiantly pinkish face. It was as though it had been greatly nourished.
At this moment, the Proprietress was ambling forward with a faint smile on her face. All the men in the lobby couldn’t move their eyes away from this alluring lady.
She visited every table and greeted all the customers. From time to time, she would laugh in a sweet, silver-bell-like voice. She had even filled the cups for the customers at a particular table. The men at the table were clearly mesmerised by her charm. If it weren’t because they were wary of her astonishing strength and status, they would’ve made her stay to have a drink with them.
Soon, she walked up to the front counter and knocked on the table, “Stop spacing out and get back to work!”
The accountant grunted and remained unmoving. It was apparent that he still hadn’t come to his senses.
The Proprietress took a glance at Yang Kai and flashed a smile at him, “Come see me at a later time. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Yang Kai also grunted and became alarmed. [Why is this crazy woman smiling at me?]
“Clean the mess and mop the floor. Why were you so careless?” The Proprietress said to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi kept nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
Following that, she turned around and touched her hair before asking Yang Kai and the accountant in a small voice, “Do you think I’m too old to wear this hairpin?”
“No, not at all!” The accountant hurriedly replied, “This hairpin perfectly matches your age!”
Then, he landed a thump on Yang Kai’s arm, which prompted him to come to his senses and shout hastily, “Yes, yes, it suits you perfectly!”
“That’s very sweet of you. I’m flattered,” With a delightful smile, the Proprietress shuffled towards the inner court. After she was gone, the atmosphere in the lobby became lively again.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai stared at the accountant, who appeared clueless as well. It was said that every time the Proprietress ate Heavenly Snow Fruits, she would become crestfallen for at least three days. Why was it so different this time?
“Did you see that? The Proprietress was wearing ‘that’ hairpin,” Bai Qi couldn’t bother to clean the floor as he approached them and spoke in a hushed voice. His expression had been transformed by terror as though he had recalled some horrible memories.
How could they not have seen it? The Proprietress had intentionally touched her Gilded Phoenix Hairpin and asked Yang Kai and the accountant what they thought of it.
“What’s wrong with that hairpin?” It had only been a short time since Yang Kai joined the inn, so he didn’t understand them.
“That hairpin…” The accountant frowned, “Was given to her by a very important person. She hasn’t worn it for a long time.”
“Moreover, there’s something off about her attitude as well,” Bai Qi looked in the direction of the rear court.
“Something fishy must be going on.” The accountant conjectured.
“So, should I go over?” Yang Kai asked. Earlier, the Proprietress told him to look for her later as there was something she needed to tell him. Initially, he had decided that he wouldn’t meet her for the next 3 days, but now, he had fallen into a dilemma.
“Of course, you have to go.” Bai Qi grabbed his arm and lugged him towards the rear court, “Can you even refuse?”
“Will anything happen?” Yang Kai was worried that the Proprietress would get him drunk again. He wouldn’t want that embarrassing incident to happen again.
“Cut the crap and go now!” Bai Qi yelled impatiently.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai shuffled towards the rear court.
After he was gone, Bai Qi returned to the counter and stared in the direction Yang Kai had left. Following a sigh, he said, “So many years have passed. It’s time she left the past behind.”
The accountant lowered his gaze, “It’s a blood feud for her, so it’s not easy for her to leave the past behind; however, it’d be good if there’s someone who can cheer her up. By the way, have you carefully checked Yang Kai’s background? There’d better not be any problem in the end.”
Bai Qi replied, “I’ve personally investigated his background, so there won’t be any problem. It has only been a short time since he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, so there’s nothing much to find out. Moreover, I really appreciate his temperament. He doesn’t look like he’s from that place.”
“That’s good, then.” The accountant let out a breath, “If that incident were to be repeated, she wouldn’t be able to get back up again.”
They traded glances and sighed.
Inside her room, the Proprietress was seen seated on a chair. Upon entering, Yang Kai felt as though he was on pins and needles. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any wine bottles or fruit pits on the ground. It appeared that she didn’t drink the previous night.
“I’ll give it to you. Be sure to diligently refine it.” Without engaging in any small talk, the Proprietress directly gave him a shuttle-shaped object.
After taking it, Yang Kai arched his brow and asked, “Is this a Territory Shuttle?”
He had seen similar artifacts before. When he visited the shops in the Star City to demand repayments, he had seen many things that were on sale. Territory Shuttles were among those items.
Just like what its name suggested, this thing was an artifact that was used specifically for passing through Territory Gates. Yang Kai saw such items in Hundred Refining’s Hall before. Like most artifacts, they came in different qualities and ranks.
The lowest rank and quality one sold for 100,000 Open Heaven Pills, while the higher rank ones could cost from several hundred thousand up to a few million. The better the quality, the more expensive it was, and the more durable.
The lowest rank Territory Shuttles could only bear three to five transits through the Territory Gates. When its limit was reached, the artifact wouldn’t be able to bear the pressure when going through the Territory Gates again, and it would be crushed if it was forcefully used.
The highest rank Territory Shuttle could be used infinitely without suffering any damage. Naturally, the price for such a shuttle was exorbitant.
Yang Kai had no idea what rank this shuttle was, but he believed that the Proprietress wouldn’t give him a cheap one.
“It’s good that you can recognise it.” The Proprietress smiled, “In fact, previously… Forget it. Don’t forcefully cross a Territory Gate again. You’re not an Open Heaven Realm Master yet, so it’s dangerous for you to do so. Refine this thing and use it when you have to pass across Territory Gates in the future.”
That was indeed something Yang Kai needed, so he didn’t turn her down as he nodded, “Many thanks, Proprietress.”
The Proprietress laughed, “You don’t have to thank me. You’re a shop hand from my inn, so I have to ensure your safety. Good, you can get back to work now.”
Then, she waved her hand.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around. After only taking a few steps forward, he suddenly recalled something and whirled around, “Proprietress, do we still need more employees for the inn?”
The Proprietress gave him a look and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“If we still need another employee, I’d like to recommend someone. She’s helped me a lot; however, she has been struggling in the city because she’s weak and lacks a strong background.”
After giving it a thought, the Proprietress asked, “You mean the one who came to the inn to pass me the rings previously?”
“En, her.” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Her name is Luo Hai Yi, and she was born in this city. She has never joined any great force before. If you’re still worried, you can investigate her background first.”
“No need. Just tell her that if she wants, she can come work for me. I don’t mind having one more person to help out around here.”
Yang Kai hadn’t expected that she would agree to it straight away, so he thanked her and walked off.
After he returned to the lobby, Bai Qi approached him and looked worriedly at him, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Anyway, I have to go out now,” He stuffed a white towel, which was on his shoulder earlier, into Bai Qi’s hands and strode out of the inn.
He had stayed over at Luo Hai Yi’s house before, so he still remembered where it was. Upon reaching the outskirts of the Star City, Yang Kai took some time to find her home that was hidden among the disarrayed buildings; however, Luo Hai Yi wasn’t home at the moment.
Fortunately, he still had a means of communicating with her, so he fished out a communication artifact and sent her a message.
A moment later, Luo Hai Yi replied and told him to wait for a bit as she would be back soon.
After an hour or so, Luo Hai Yi returned to her home in a hurry. Seeing Yang Kai, she appeared amazed, “Sir Yang, why are you here?”
Since the incident at Wind and Cloud Auction House, she hadn’t seen Yang Kai again, nor did he contact her. She thought that he had forgotten about her, so it had never crossed her mind that he would look for her one month later.
With a smile, Yang Kai asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t I come see you?”
Luo Hai Yi quickly waved her hands, “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that when I looked for you some time ago, those from First Inn said that you were missing.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai broke into laughter, “It’s just a misunderstanding…” Then, his expression turned solemn as he asked with some surprise, “You’ve condensed your Dao Seal?”
Just like the last time they met, she was still an Emperor Realm cultivator, but there was now a different kind of aura about her body, which suggested that she had successfully condensed her Dao Seal. She could now hope to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “It’s all thanks to the Grand Dao Pills Sir Yang gave me; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how much longer it would have taken me to condense my Dao Seal.” Some time ago, she visited First Inn to look for Yang Kai in order to thank him; however, she was told that Yang Kai had gone missing, and because of that, the Proprietress had become infuriated, which was why she hurriedly left the place. Recently, she had been trying to find out Yang Kai’s whereabouts as well, but she hadn’t gotten any leads.
“It was the least I could do.” Yang Kai waved his hand. He had taken the pills from the auction house as personal compensation, and they were useless to him, so he had intended to give them to her anyway, “Also, stop calling me Sir Yang. If you see me as a friend, just call me Big Brother Yang.”
Since they were going to work together, it would be better for her to change the way she addressed him; otherwise, it’d be very awkward.
“No, no…” Luo Hai Yi waved her hands.
Just when Yang Kai was ready to say something more, he heard an eccentric voice coming from a nearby spot, “I was wondering why a cheap slut like you dumped this Young Master all of a sudden. So, you’ve come here to meet your little lover! It seems you have no regard for this Young Master at all!”
When Luo Hai Yi heard those words, her expression changed.
Yang Kai frowned and looked at the source of the voice, only to see three people approaching them from a nearby spot. The person walking in front was a young man clad in expensive robes. His demeanour suggested that he was from a wealthy family. He was followed by a middle-aged man and an elderly man, who seemed to be his bodyguards.
In fact, Yang Kai had detected them when they first appeared, but he hadn’t expected that they were looking for Luo Hai Yi.
After examining them, Yang Kai was slightly surprised as the young man at the front was only a Dao Source Realm cultivator. It was inconceivable that this young man wasn’t even an Emperor. How weak must his aptitude be to have only ascended to the Dao Source Realm in the Outer Universe?
However, the auras of the middle-aged and elderly man behind him were profound. They were apparently Open Heaven Realm Masters. Judging from their auras, Yang Kai could tell that they were just as powerful as Wei Que from Great Moon Province.
In other words, they were Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
[What is this guy’s background?] As a Dao Source Realm Junior, he actually had two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as bodyguards. Moreover, he seemed to know Luo Hai Yi, which puzzled Yang Kai.
“Cheap slut, this Young Master paid you to serve him, not to let you have fun with your lover. How do you want to settle accounts now?”
Although the young man appeared elegant and good-looking, all he said were malicious words. Without even sparing Yang Kai a glance, he stared fixedly at Luo Hai Yi and berated her.
Luo Hai Yi shuddered and hurriedly explained, “Young Master Hai, you’ve misunderstood me. Sir Yang and I are old acquaintances. He’s here to look for me, and I didn’t mean to leave you behind. I’ll apologise to you now. Please forgive me.”
The person called Young Master Hai shot a look at Yang Kai and snorted, “Sir Yang? How dare a piece of trash like him call himself Sir in front of this Young Master? Ridiculous!”
A displeased Yang Kai thought that he hadn’t offended anyone, and it was the first time he had met this Young Master Hai, but the latter directly called him a piece of trash. His face fell as he retorted, “Little friend, can you behave yourself? If you can’t, I don’t mind disciplining you on your parents’ behalf.”
Yong Master Hai scoffed, “Friend? I’m not your friend. How dare a piece of trash like you act impudent in front of this Young Master?” The Third-Order cultivators behind him stared coldly at Yang Kai as well. Following that, they released their pressure to threaten him.
“Who is this person that’s barking here?” Yang Kai turned to look at Luo Hai Yi.
Luo Hai Yi secretly spoke to him via Divine Sense, “I don’t know where this Young Master Hai is from, but it seems that his background is powerful. It’s the first time he’s visited the Star City, so he hired me as a local guide.”
Yang Kai grunted in acknowledgement. He thought that this Young Master Hai was close to Luo Hai Yi, but it turned out that he was just her client. It was just like what he had done previously. He wasn’t familiar with the city, so he looked for a local guide to take him around.
It was no wonder Young Master Hai claimed that Luo Hai Yi had dumped him. It seemed that it was Yang Kai who should be blamed instead. He sent her a message to say that he had something to tell her, so she must have decided to return home in a hurry. That was why the displeased Young Master Hai raced after her to find out what was going on.
Certainly, Yang Kai could see that this Young Master Hai came from a wealthy family. That was why he had two Third-Order cultivators as his bodyguards.
Not in the mood to argue, Yang Kai said, “Young Master Hai, right? She has something else to do now, so she can’t continue to be your local guide. Please look for someone else.”
Hearing that, Young Master Hai sneered, “Do you think you can turn down this job for her as you please? Have you even asked for my permission?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “What do you want, then?”
In a grim voice, Young Master Hai said, “She has taken this Young Master’s money, so how can she run away without satisfying me first? There’s no free lunch in this world.”
“How much money has he given you?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.
Luo Hai Yi hung her head low and replied, “Three pills.”
After a nod, Yang Kai tossed three pills at them, “Young Master Hai, here are three Open Heaven Pills. She has returned your money, so she has nothing to do with you anymore.”
Be it Young Master Hai or the two Third-Order Masters, they didn’t take the pills, nor did they bother to shoot them a glance as they let the pills drop on the ground.
Young Master Hai grinned, “Open Heaven Pills? This Young Master can have as many of them as he wants. Even my dog eats more than three pills a day. Do you think I even care about that?”
With a frown, Yang Kai said, “There are countless guides in this city, and you can easily look for them. Why are you forcing her to serve you?”
“So what if I want to force her?” Young Master Hai looked arrogantly at him, “Fuck off if you want to live. It has nothing to do with you. If you want to die, this Young Master doesn’t mind sending you to Hell.”
“What can we do so that you can let her off?” Yang Kai was displeased with this arrogant Young Master’s haughty behaviour, but with two Third-Order bodyguards, Young Master Hai indeed had the capital to be arrogant.
“She only needs to spend the night with me, and I’ll forget what has happened today; otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences.” Young Master Hai pointed at her.
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi shuddered as his intention was very obvious now. At that instant, her face turned ashen.
The reason she hurriedly went home upon receiving Yang Kai’s message was that when she was introducing the city to Young Master Hai, he kept giving her implicit hints with his words, which was why she didn’t feel secure.
Therefore, right after she saw Yang Kai’s message, she apologised to Young Master Hai and returned his pills before heading back to her home. However, she hadn’t expected that this bastard would relentlessly stalk her.
Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as well.
Young Master Hai was pleased to see the expression on his face. [How dare two pieces of trash go against me? I’ll show them the consequences of offending this Young Master!]
Apparently, Luo Hai Yi was someone who came from the bottom of the social hierarchy. She didn’t have anyone’s support, nor was she personally very strong. No one would stand up for her even if she was killed. The young man beside her didn’t look like he was from a powerful background either. Judging from his clothes, it was obvious that he was just a shop boy at an inn or a restaurant.
Although Young Master Hai was interested in Luo Hai Yi, he didn’t necessarily have to get her. He was from a wealthy family, so if he wanted, even Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm women would be willing to climb into his bed and take off their clothes to get some benefits from him, not to mention that Luo Hai Yi was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had only recently condensed her Dao Seal.
Therefore, even though he was just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had bedded more than ten women in the Open Heaven Realm.
He was used to everyone bowing to his demands and catering to his whims. Now that some people had disobeyed him, he was naturally furious.
Seeing as Yang Kai had hung his head low with a dark expression, he mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was afraid of him, so he snorted, “Brat, scram if you don’t want to die. This Young Master can’t be bothered to talk to a piece of trash like you.”
Following that, he pointed at Luo Hai Yi, “Capture this cheap slut now!”
Right after he finished speaking, the middle-aged man from his left stepped forward, which caused Luo Hai Yi to shudder and turn pale. Just when she was hesitating between fleeing and begging for mercy, a figure flashed across her eyes and stood in front of her.
Yang Kai lifted his head and yelled, “Who dares make a move on her?”
“Capture her!” Young Master Hai bellowed.
Ignoring Yang Kai, the middle-aged man extended his hand towards Luo Hai Yi. Although Yang Kai was standing in front of her, she still felt her vision turning dark as though all the light had been shaded from her.
“We work for Madam Lan of First Inn. I dare you to try making a move against us!” Yang Kai shouted.
The middle-aged man froze as his impassive expression changed abruptly. With a horrified look on his face, he asked, “First Inn? Madam Lan?”
Before he could speak any further, Yang Kai suddenly grabbed Luo Hai Yi’s wrist, after which they disappeared in an instant.
“What a cunning brat!” The middle-aged man snarled, knowing that he had been tricked. The reason Yang Kai said such things was just to distract him so that they could flee.
“Come out!” Right then, the elderly man, who was standing beside Young Master Hai, pushed out his fist towards the Void with a ferocious force.
Up in the air, two figures abruptly appeared. They were none other than Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi, who had just disappeared. Upon being struck, they sprayed out a mouthful of blood each and fell to the ground.
A horrified Yang Kai couldn’t believe that this old man dared make a move inside the Star City. The city was governed by Great Battle Heaven, and fighting was strictly prohibited. Bai Qi had told him about it when they arrived at the city.
The reason those from Great Battle Heaven were not aware of the fact that the Proprietress had made a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House was that there was a barrier around the building, and the battle lasted for only a breath, so the fallout didn’t spread far away. Furthermore, those from the auction house felt humiliated by the incident, so they wouldn’t spread word of it.
However, there were no barriers in this place. If those from Great Battle Heaven came over, all of them would suffer.
It wasn’t until this moment that Young Master Hai came to his senses. He stomped his foot on the ground and barked, “How dare you try to flee from this Young Master!? Break his legs for me now!”
The middle-aged man appeared gloomy as he was infuriated by the fact that he had been tricked by Yang Kai; therefore, he directly stepped forward and attempted to land a kick on his thigh, not holding back his strength at all. Given his power as a Third-Order Master, Yang Kai would have his leg crippled even though he had a Half-Dragon Body.
Just when Yang Kai was hesitating whether he should use the last Mie Meng golden tail feather to kill these three, a voice was suddenly heard shouting from the distance, “Who dares cause trouble here!”
As the sounds of something breaking through the air were heard, 8 figures whooshed towards this place. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Yang Kai and the others.
Seeing these people, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief. Each of these men were clad in armour, so it was apparent they were from Great Battle Heaven. In the light of that, he didn’t have to use the golden tail feather anymore. This thing could even be used to fend off the Proprietress, so it would be wasteful if he used it on this trash.
The person leading the new group of soldiers was clad in silver armour, and although he didn’t seem to be more powerful than the Third-Order Masters beside Young Master Hai, he was obviously more ruthless. Moreover, his aura seemed to be tinged with blood, making it apparent he had gone through countless life-or-death battles.
Yang Kai gave it a thought and recalled that when they were passing through the dock in front of the city, Bai Qi told him some of the things about Great Battle Heaven.
Just like an army, there were strict rules in their great force. They were divided into different military ranks as well. The one guarding the dock was a High General.
A General was actually a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in Great Battle Heaven. A Fourth-Order cultivator was a General, and a Fifth-Order cultivator was a High General. As for a Sixth-Order cultivator, he was a Great General. There were Marshals and Grand Marshals above them, and below them were soldiers in silver armour.
The lead soldier in silver armour was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while the people who came with him were all Open Heaven Realm cultivators as well, but they were apparently weaker than he was. However, Yang Kai could feel that all of their auras were connected, which suggested that they were using some kind of Formation.
A group like them would even be able to counter a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
While Yang Kai was shocked by Great Battle Heaven’s heritage, he also admired their swiftness. Not long after the fluctuation of the battle was spread, this soldier in silver armour rushed over with a group of people. They were truly efficient.
Finally, he was able to set his mind at ease as he looked at Young Master Hai and his bodyguards with glee. Since those from Great Battle Heaven had arrived, these three would undoubtedly suffer.
With his hands behind his back, the soldier in silver armour swept a formidable glance over the people at the scene and eventually stared fixedly at Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi. Then, he snorted, “Who did this?” Apparently, he was asking who hurt them.
The middle-aged man and the elderly man fell silent as there was no way they would admit it at this point.
On the other hand, Young Master Hai said arrogantly, “They accidentally fell to the ground.”
Hearing that, the soldier in silver armour shot him a glance.
Young Master Hai went on to say, “You can ask them about it.”
In response, the soldier in silver armour directly landed a loud slap on his face. Upon impact, Young Master Hai flew backwards, tumbling through the air several times before smashing into the ground.
“Young Master!” The middle-aged man and the elderly man were shocked upon seeing that. Just when they were preparing to rush over to help, they felt many ferocious auras locking them down. If they dared to move a muscle, they would be faced with a storm of attacks, so they remained on the spot with dark expressions.
Although the soldier in silver armour had sent Young Master Hai flying away with a slap, he still acted as if nothing had happened. In an impassive manner, he said, “Do I look like a fool to you?”
The soldier in silver armour didn’t exert much force with his hand, but Young Master Hai was only in the Dao Source Realm, so he was unable to bear such an attack, which had broken half of his teeth and caused his face to swell.
After getting to his feet with difficulty, he covered his face with his hand and stared at the soldier in silver armour in disbelief. In an unclear voice, he stuttered, “Y-You dare hit me?”
Since he was a child, no one had ever reprimanded him before, let alone laid a hand on him; however, on this day, half of his teeth had been knocked from his mouth, which greatly humiliated him. At that instant, he was trembling in fury as he stomped his foot on the ground and bellowed, “Why are you standing there like two fools? Kill them now!”
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters changed drastically as they motioned for him to calm down with their gazes. Both of them might not even be a match for these people, and even if they could defeat them, they wouldn’t dare to make a move here. The Star City was governed directly by Great Battle Heaven, and these soldiers were disciples from that great force. If they were killed here, the great force behind them wouldn’t let the murderers off. Even though Young Master Hai had a powerful backer, they couldn’t afford to bear the consequences of such actions.
However, Young Master Hai was oblivious to their hints as he kept throwing a tantrum.
The soldier in silver armour eventually shot him a cold glance, “If you dare to say another word, it won’t be just another slap you get.” A faint murderous intent exuded from his gaze.
Young Master Hai couldn’t help but shudder. As though he had finally realised that he was in a perilous situation, he didn’t dare to open his mouth again.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was extremely gleeful. It was the first time he saw those from Great Battle Heaven at work. He couldn’t help but admire them as these soldiers were indeed steadfast and ruthless.
Knowing that he was safe, he stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Sir, many thanks for coming to our rescue; otherwise, my companion and I would’ve suffered terribly. These guys drooled over my companion’s beauty and threatened her in broad daylight. She wasn’t willing to accept their demands, so they tried to force us. Please punish them accordingly.”
The soldier in silver armour shot him a dispassionate glance and snorted. Without responding to him, he waved his hand and ordered, “Take all of them away.”
“Sir?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded. What was going on? It was understandable that the soldier in silver armour wanted to take Young Master Hai and his subordinates away, but why did he attempt to capture Luo Hai Yi and him as well?
While Yang Kai was still confused, those from Great Battle Heaven made a move by tossing artifacts that looked like ropes at them. Just like very agile snakes, the ropes soon firmly tied all of them up.
A flustered Yang Kai exclaimed, “Sir, we’re the victims!”
“We’ll find out the truth ourselves, your testimony is irrelevant.” The soldier in silver armour didn’t even turn his head.
“Sir, we’re from First Inn,” Yang Kai hurriedly said. He was trying to threaten them by mentioning the Proprietress.
The soldier in silver armour stopped in his tracks and turned his head, “You’re from First Inn?”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai nodded his head, but before he could say anything, the soldier in silver armour directly landed a fist on his belly. In an instant, his five viscera and six organs shifted as he curled up in pain.
“If Madam Lan were here, I might have given her some face, but you’re just a shop hand, so how dare you threaten me here?”
As Yang Kai listened to the cold voice of the soldier in silver armour, he clenched his teeth, knowing that he had to admit defeat as it wasn’t useful at all to mention First Inn. Those from Great Battle Heaven were more stalwart than he had imagined.
“Take them away!” The soldier in silver armour demanded again and led the way. Behind him, the other soldiers escorted Yang Kai, Luo Hai Yi, Young Master Hai, and his subordinates.
“Big Brother Yang, are you alright?” Luo Hai Yi was on the brink of tearing up as she blamed herself for dragging Yang Kai into this mess, which caused him to be injured. She hadn’t expected that Young Master Hai was such an oppressive person. In fact, she had returned his money to him, but he still chased after her and even attracted the attention of those from Great Battle Heaven, which caused all of them to be captured.
If she knew this would be the outcome, she wouldn’t have returned home in a hurry. When she received Yang Kai’s message, she thought that he had an urgent matter, and as she was disgusted by Young Master Hai’s conduct, she left in a rush.
“I’m fine,” Yang Kai shook his head. The soldier in silver armour didn’t exert much force with his fist, so he wasn’t injured; he had only endured a short moment of pain.
“It’s all because of me…” Luo Hai Yi’s eyes turned bloodshot.
Yang Kai replied, “Don’t say that. Blame it on those pieces of trash.”
Turning his head, he saw Young Master Hai and his subordinates shooting him hostile glares. They came from a powerful great force, so despite the fact that they were captured by those from Great Battle Heaven, they were not worried. They just needed to pay some fines before they would be released. However, it was a different cause for Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi. They didn’t seem to have any Open Heaven Pills, so they would certainly get punished.
Yang Master Hai secretly swore that he would retaliate against Yang Kai and let the latter know the consequences of offending him.
Luo Hai Yi lived on the outskirts of Star City. It was a dirty area with lots of disarrayed buildings, and only the people at the bottom of the social hierarchy lived there; therefore, there were not many people on the streets as they moved forward. However, as they got closer to the downtown, countless people on the streets stopped in their tracks and pointed fingers at them. They wondered what these guys had done that prompted those from Great Battle Heaven to detain them.
They had no idea about the rules in other Star Cities, but in this Star City, Great Battle Heaven ruled over everything. Anyone who dared to make a fuss here, regardless of how powerful they were, would end up miserable. Once, there was a Fourth-Order cultivator who got into a scuffle in this city, only to be quickly besieged and killed by those from Great Battle Heaven. The Fourth-Order cultivator was an Elder from a Second Class great force, but not a word was said from that great force after the incident.
Since then, no one had the guts to make a scene in the city anymore. If there were any blood feuds, they could sign a contract and hack each other to death in the Asura Arena, but they absolutely couldn’t get into a fight in the city proper.
Young Master Hai and his subordinates were humiliated as it felt terrible to be paraded through the streets in front of so many people. They wished they could get a piece of cloth to cover their faces. On the other hand, Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi felt embarrassed as well. Yang Kai was in a better mental state as they were not in the wrong. It was the arrogant Young Master Hai who caused all this trouble; however, Luo Hai Yi was a woman after all. Faced with the stares and the gossip about her that was mingled with much foul language and disdain, she couldn’t help but hang her head low.
Nevertheless, those from Great Battle Heaven seemed determined to establish their authority as they led the captives through the most populated streets. Moreover, they walked in a slow and calm manner. Soon, they almost roamed around half of the city.
When the soldier in silver armour lectured Young Master Hai earlier, Yang Kai secretly cheered for him and started admiring Great Battle Heaven; however, now, all he felt was nothing but hatred towards these guys.
About an hour later, they finally reached a gigantic building that looked like a palace. It was the Governor’s Mansion that was located in the centre of the city.
It had been quite some time since Yang Kai arrived in this city, so he knew a thing or two about the Governor’s Mansion. This place was established by those from Great Battle Heaven to oversee this city. An extremely powerful Governor was in charge of this place. Normally, no one would visit this mansion as only the disciples from Great Battle Heaven would move in and out.
Following that, the soldier in silver armour led them into the building. After going through a checkpoint, they kept walking downwards until they reached a prison.
The place was dim and damp. What was worse was that a rancid smell permeated the place.
“One cell for each of them. Throw them in!” The soldier in silver armour waved his hand, whereupon the captives were separated and respectively pushed into their cells.
Luo Hai Yi had never experienced such a thing before, so the colour immediately drained from her face. Although Yang Kai kept consoling her, she was still emotionally unstable.
After the door was shut with a loud clang, Yang Kai stood in his cell with an awkward expression.
They had really put him behind bars! It wasn’t the first time he had been imprisoned, and fortunately, his cultivation wasn’t sealed, so upon scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he realised that the jail wasn’t even very sturdy. One could easily break free from it. Nevertheless, it was futile to do so as he wouldn’t be able to flee, and it would only make things worse.
Now, he could only hope that those from Great Battle Heaven would really be impartial and quickly release Luo Hai Yi and him.
Across from them, Young Master Hai and the two Third-Order cultivators shot them cold glances. Young Master Hai kept cursing at Yang Kai and threatened that he would make him pay for this. Yang Kai just ignored him.
Soon enough, someone from Great Battle Heaven came over and landed a whip on Young Master Hai through the gap of the bars, which caused him to cry in pain and stop making a fuss.
After putting the whip away, that person glared at Young Master Hai and snorted. Then, he looked around before striding towards Yang Kai. After opening the door, he demanded, “Get out! The Chief Disciplinary Officer will question you now.”
Yang Kai took a look at him and calmly walked out of his cell.
“Big Brother Yang…” Luo Hai Yi looked worriedly at him through the gaps of the door.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai motioned for her to calm down.
After leaving the prison with the disciple from Great Battle Heaven, Yang Kai reached a hall and saw the so-called Chief Disciplinary Officer. He was an elderly man with a grim expression. Presently, he was seated behind a table with his hands kept inside his sleeves.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and started answering his questions. The questions were nothing special as the elderly man just wanted to find out the cause of the conflict and what had happened. Yang Kai honestly told him the details, neither exaggerating nor embellishing the truth.
After the session was over, the elderly man told someone to take Yang Kai away and bring Luo Hai Yi to see him. She didn’t know what awaited her, so she looked inquisitively at Yang Kai, who in return just told her to speak the truth.
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi gave a nod.
Meanwhile, someone was knocking on the door of a room in the rear court of First Inn in an anxious manner. After the door was opened, the Proprietress stared at Bai Qi and the chef with a frown, “Why do you look so flustered?”
With a solemn expression, Bai Qi explained, “Yang Kai was captured by one of Great Battle Heaven’s patrol teams.”
The Proprietress’ expression changed, “When did that happen?”
“Just now! Chef saw it when he left the inn.”
To the side, the chef nodded repeatedly, “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Did you see it clearly?” The Proprietress asked.
The chef replied, “Besides him, the woman who came to the inn to pass on his words some time ago was also captured. There were also three more guys that I didn’t know. I have no idea what happened.”
Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, what should we do? Those Great Battle Heaven people are all crazy. There’s no way Yang Kai will be treated well in their captivity.”
The Proprietress replied, “I’ll go have a look.” Then, she dashed out of the room and disappeared.
After trading glances, Bai Qi and the chef sighed. It hadn’t been a long time since Yang Kai came to the Outer Universe, so he wasn’t familiar with Great Battle Heaven; however, the two of them knew how ruthless this great force was, so they knew that even though the Proprietress went over to negotiate with them, Yang Kai would still have to suffer. It wasn’t certain whether he would be able to bear the punishment.
A moment later, in a hall of the Governor’s Mansion, a middle-aged man was seen going through some documents on his desk. He was seated there with a posture that was as straight as a spear, and he appeared majestic despite his calm expression. There was a golden crown on his hair, and his eyes looked as bright as stars. Although he was just sitting there, a ferocious aura seemed to be swirling around him. It was as though he had just emerged from a sea of corpses.
He was none other than the Governor from Great Battle Heaven who ruled over this Star City, Ye Tian Xiong.
Just then, a soldier in silver armour dashed into the hall and bent his back, “Governor, Madam Lan from First Inn requests to meet you.”
The Governor raised his head, whereupon a flash of light seemed to have crossed his eyes. His hand, which was holding a pen, froze in the air as he narrowed his eyes, “Madam Lan? What does she want?”
The soldier in silver armour replied, “I believe it’s because of what happened to a shop hand from her First Inn.” Then, he briefly reported to the Governor about the fact that they had captured some people making trouble earlier. It had been a long time since they last captured anyone as no one had the guts to make a scene in the city; therefore, the incident earlier was soon spread among everyone in the Governor’s Mansion.
Hearing that, Ye Tian Xiong put down his pen, “Tell her to come in.”
“Yes,” the soldier in silver armour replied and turned around to leave.
Just a while later, a white shadow dashed into the room. The Proprietress brought with her the cold wind from outside as she approached the Governor and landed a palm on the table. Then, she bellowed through clenched teeth, “Ye Tian Xiong, release my shop hand!”
Upon impact, countless cracks appeared on this solid table, and the documents all flew into the air.
Following that, armours were heard clanging as a group of disciples from Great Battle Heaven streamed into the hall. They surged their auras and summoned their artifacts as they stared fiercely at the curvy figure in front of the table.
At that instant, the atmosphere became intense as the hall was filled with murderous intent.
Despite that, the Proprietress was oblivious to them as she stared fixedly at Ye Tian Xiong, who only slightly moved his body, whereupon the documents fell back on the table and landed on the exact same spots. Then, he waved his hand at his subordinates.
The disciples, who had rushed into the hall after seeing this, left the place in an instant. They were truly swift and disciplined.
It was then that Ye Tian Xiong slowly lifted his head and took a glance at the Proprietress, “Madam Lan, we haven’t met for 300 years, but you’re still as charming as ever. I’ve heard that you’ve opened a shop in this Star City. Initially, I thought that it was just a rumour, but now, it seems to be true.”
The Proprietress ignored his small talk and demanded, “I’m not here to reminisce about the past with you. Release my subordinate now!”
Ye Tian Xiong asked, “Who are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that!” The Proprietress landed another palm on the table, “My subordinate was captured by your people. Don’t tell me you’re not aware of it.”
“I haven’t heard of it,” Ye Tian Xiong replied dispassionately, then he pointed out something, “However, my subordinates will never capture innocent people. If your subordinate didn’t commit any crime, he wouldn’t have been detained.”
The Proprietress refuted, “I don’t care whether he has committed any crime. He’s in your captivity now, and I want you to release him.”
Ye Tian Xiong narrowed his eyes, “Madam, where do you think this place is? Do you think he can leave this place as he pleases?”
“Are you going to release him or not?” The Proprietress looked straight into his eyes and questioned.
With his lips curving into a smile, Ye Tian Xiong lowered his head and continued going through his documents.
Turning around, the Proprietress said, “Good, then I’ll tell the public what happened in the bamboo forest of Purple Jade Cave Heaven 800 years ago.” As soon as she finished speaking, a figure abruptly appeared in front of her. It was Ye Tian Xiong who had blocked her way.
As their eyes met, the Proprietress raised her chin with a smug smile on her face. On the other hand, Ye Tian Xiong’s face twitched slightly.
A long time later, he said, “You’re still as shameless as before. I’ve never seen a woman as peculiar as you.”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face, “If you don’t want others to find out what happened, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. What do you say now?”
Ye Tian Xiong replied, “Before we find out the truth, no one can break the rules of this city. Otherwise, our authority will be damaged.”
“So, you’re not going to release him?” The Proprietress slowly narrowed her eyes.
To which Ye Tian Xiong said, “If this incident really has nothing to do with your subordinate, I’ll handle it in an impartial manner.”
After giving it a thought, the Proprietress nodded her head, “Good, I’ll wait here and see how you’re going to handle it impartially.” Then, she took a seat on a chair beside her and directly landed a palm on the table, “Why has no one served me tea yet? Is this how the people from Great Battle Heaven treat your guests?”
A tinge of helplessness flashed across Ye Tian Xiong’s eyes. After he clapped his hands, someone sprinted into the hall and cupped his fists, “Yes, Governor?”
Ye Tian Xiong pointed at the Proprietress, “Get her some tea.”
That person turned to look at Madam Lan in disbelief, but he still replied, “Yes.” Following that, he turned around and left.
After that, Ye Tian Xiong released his Divine Sense and talked to someone else.
Just a moment later, an elderly man stepped into the hall and saluted the Governor. He was the Chief Disciplinary Officer who had questioned Yang Kai and the others earlier.
Ye Tian Xiong asked, “Have you interrogated the ones we recently detained?”
The disciplinary officer cupped his fists, “I have.”
“What exactly happened?”
Although the disciplinary officer wondered why the Governor would even care about such a trivial matter, he wouldn’t dare to ignore his question, so he narrated the incident to him. He had questioned each of those involved, so he had figured out what had happened.
While Ye Tian Xiong remained unfazed, the Proprietress started blowing her top, “Did you hear that!? It was those three who ignored the rules of Great Battle Heaven and created trouble in the city. My shop hand just decided to lend the victim a hand, so how could you capture him without a valid reason? I won’t let you off if you can’t give me an explanation.”
The disciplinary officer couldn’t help but take a glance at the Proprietress as he was shocked to see that someone had the guts to be so brazen in front of the Governor. What was stranger was that the Governor didn’t seem to be mad at her.
Ye Tian Xiong gently tapped on the table and waited for her to finish speaking before saying impassively, “In this world, there is never just one party involved in trouble.”
Hearing that, the Proprietress coldly asked, “What do you mean by that?”
He replied, “Whatever the reason, your shop hand has caused some trouble in my territory, and he shouldn’t dream about getting off without paying a price.”
She sneered, “Ye Tian Xiong, do you insist on doing this?”
He said, “Don’t worry. It’s just a small punishment.”
“Nonsense!” The Proprietress rejected him resolutely. She knew how horrible the punishments from Great Battle Heaven were. Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior. Whatever the punishment, he would end up in a terrible state.
“No one can tell me what to do in my territory!” Ye Tian Xiong snorted as he was running out of patience. Then, he shifted his attention to the disciplinary officer, “The man and the woman will each receive a strike from the Dragon Fang Whip.”
“You dare?!” The Proprietress said through clenched teeth.
Ye Tian Xiong shot her a glare, “Lan You Ruo, do you think I’m not aware of what happened in the Wind and Cloud Auction House? I only chose to ignore it to avoid causing a scene with you!”
Although there was a barrier around the auction house, the fact that the Proprietress had made a move there couldn’t be hidden from powerful cultivators like Ye Tian Xiong.
At that instant, the Proprietress was lost for words. After glaring at him for a long time, she stomped her foot on the ground, “I’ll remember what you’ve done here today!”
…..
After Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi were interrogated, they were sent back to their cells again. Just a while later, someone came over and took them away.
A puzzled Yang Kai asked the disciple from Great Battle Heaven what was going on, but that person directly ignored him.
As they moved forward, they eventually left the Governor’s Mansion.
An elated Yang Kai thought that the matter was finally over; after all, he and Luo Hai Yi were the victims, and they didn’t have the intention to cause trouble in the city. It was Young Master Hai and his subordinates who had made a move on them.
Just when he was ready to thank the disciple, he saw a familiar figure and became pleasantly surprised, “Proprietress, what are you doing here?”
With a conflicted gaze, the Proprietress sighed, “Just try to endure it, and this matter will be over.”
“What do you mean by that?” A perplexed Yang Kai asked, but before he could figure out what was going on, two disciples came over and grabbed his arms before stringing him up to a cross-bar.
A shocked Yang Kai instinctively tried to resist, but the Proprietress dissuaded him from doing so; therefore, he gave up and let the disciples do whatever they wanted. A moment later, he was firmly shackled.
Presently, countless people had surrounded the entrance of the Governor’s Mansion. Some people had even flown into the air to get a clearer look.
At the same time, discussions about him were heard coming from the crowd.
“What has this guy done? It seems that they’re going to punish him.”
“My goodness. No one has had the guts to create trouble in the city for years. He is truly brazen.”
“The Dragon Fang Whip from the Governor’s Mansion can even kill! Thirteen years ago, a Second-Order cultivator was tied here and died on the spot after just ten whips. I wonder how many whips this brat will have to endure today.”
“Judging from his aura, he’s only an Emperor Realm Junior. He can take three whips at most. Any more than that will cause him to lose his life.”
…..
As Yang Kai listened to their discussions, he couldn’t help but turn ashen as he finally realised why he was tied here. Turning his head, he saw the disciplinary officer he had met earlier coming over slowly with a whip in his hand. There were barbs around the whip, and its tip looks like two Dragon teeth.
A horrified Yang Kai thought that if he was struck by such a whip, he would end up in a miserable state.
Then, he looked to the side and saw Luo Hai Yi tied to another cross-bar. She must have heard the discussions around her as well, so the colour already drained from her face.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but plead with the Proprietress with his gaze, only to see her shaking her head slowly. Realising that even the Proprietress was unable to help him, he became incensed.
He and Luo Hai Yi were the victims. If it weren’t because of Young Master Hai and his subordinates who threatened them, they wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess; however, they were now the ones who had to be tied here and were being punished in public. Were those from Great Battle Heaven idiots?
Soon, the space in front of the Governor’s Mansion was crammed with people and countless stares focused on Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi.
The disciplinary officer stepped forward with the Dragon Fang Whip in his hand. After looking around, he yelled, “These two people have caused trouble in the Star City and broken our rules. The Governor has given the order that they will each receive one whip to serve as a warning to others.”
Just when Yang Kai was about to refute him, he heard a whoosh coming at him. Following that, he felt an excruciating pain in his back that almost prompted him to scream.
The pain was indescribable as he felt his very Soul trembling. The words he was about to say were replaced by a howl. He could clearly feel that as the whip struck him, the clothes on his back tore apart. His flesh must have been torn as well as he felt blood flowing out of his body.
The Dragon Fang Whip must have been made using a special technique, which could make the person getting struck feel ten times more pain. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had strong willpower, he would’ve passed out.
Since he started cultivating, he had gone through countless life-or-death battles and suffered numerous serious injuries, but he had never felt as much pain as he did this time.
He widened his eyes as his eyeballs seemed to be trembling in his eye sockets. While his vision had turned blurry, he heard the Proprietress speaking in an anxious voice, “It’s done. Release him quickly!”
“W-Wait!” Yang Kai clenched his teeth and yelled.
A worried Proprietress asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll take the whip for her,” Yang Kai turned to look at the disciplinary officer.
Hearing that, the Chief Disciplinary Officer sported an awkward expression, “Are you sure?”
No one had ever dared to take another strike after having a taste of the Dragon Fang Whip. Yang Kai’s willpower was truly admirable.
The Proprietress couldn’t believe what she had heard, “Are you insane!?”
Yang Kai forced an ugly smile, “Proprietress, Sister Luo is a woman after all. How is she going to lift her head again if she’s whipped in public?”
After getting struck, his clothes became tattered and his back was bloodied. If Luo Hai Yi was whipped, regardless of whether she could take it, her body would be exposed to the public. Any woman would feel greatly humiliated if such a thing happened to her.
The Proprietress was torn between laughter and exasperation, “I can’t believe you’re still concerned about someone else at this point.”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain, “All this happened because of me.” If he hadn’t messaged Luo Hai Yi in a rush, all this wouldn’t have happened.
Then, he turned to look at the disciplinary officer, “Do it now.”
Without saying a word, the disciplinary officer shot him an impassive glance and lashed his whip at him with a whoosh.
Following a loud crack, Yang Kai straightened up as the Soul-wrenching pain came over him again. The flesh on his back seemed to have been peeled off. After holding it in for a long time, he eventually let out a howl.
The Proprietress slashed at the ropes with her fingers and untied Yang Kai. Without the restriction, he couldn’t even support his own weight as he collapsed into the Proprietress’ embrace.
“Sir Yang…” Luo Hai Yi turned to look at him as tears streamed down from her bloodshot eyes. Unfortunately, she was unable to move as she was still tied there.
“I-I’m fine!” Yang Kai gasped in pain but still gritted his teeth to endure it.
“Shut up!” The Proprietress shot him a glare and picked him up before sprinting towards First Inn.
Her speed was incredible as she managed to return to the inn in just a few breaths’ time. Bai Qi and the others, who were standing in front of the entrance, couldn’t even see it clearly when the Proprietress dashed into the building.
All of them traded glances as their chests tightened; then, they hurriedly entered the inn.
Inside the room, the Proprietress put him down on the bed and told him to lie on his stomach. Then, she tore his clothes apart and clenched his chin before throwing a pill into his mouth, “Swallow it.”
Yang Kai gasped and gulped down the pill as he was told.
The next instant, he felt a hand on his back. He wondered what she was applying on his skin, but the cooling sensation soon alleviated his pain.
As he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent, he realised that this was the Proprietress’ room. Feeling bashful, he said, “Proprietress, I’m sorry for troubling you.”
Without saying a word, she focused on applying ointment to his back.
Hearing some footsteps, he turned his head, only to see Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant streaming into the room and watching him.
A worried Bai Qi asked, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai forced a smile, “I’m fine.”
The chef tutted, “He took two whips… Those people are so ruthless.”
After a sigh, the accountant asked, “Why did you get into a conflict with someone else in this city? There are strict rules in this Star City that is ruled by Great Battle Heaven. No one has the guts to make a scene in their territory.”
The Proprietress snorted, “He was fighting with someone else for a woman. Men… Hmph! All of you are the same!”
“A woman?” Bai Qi was shocked.
A wronged Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Don’t listen to her. That wasn’t what happened. It was just some guys who made a scene and oppressed the weak.”
“Did I say anything wrong?” The Proprietress sneered, “You even took a strike from the Dragon Fang Whip for her, how dare you still say you were not fighting with another man for her? I think even your Soul has been taken away by that enchantress!” After finishing her words, she landed a palm on his back.
In an instant, Yang Kai turned ashen as his Soul almost left his body. Seeing that, Bai Qi and the others gulped.
At that moment, it was completely silent in the room. A long time later, the Proprietress stood up and said, “Just stay here to recuperate and don’t go anywhere. These are just flesh wounds, so you’ll be healthy again in a few days.”
“Thanks, Proprietress.” Yang Kai thanked her and hesitated for a moment, “But, this is your room. If I recuperate here, where will you stay?”
“Cut the crap and heal your wounds.”
While Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to say one more word, Bai Qi and the others were chased out of the room by the Proprietress.
“Stay right here. I’ll be right back,” she said and turned around to leave.
After a while, the door was pushed open from the outside, and rapid footsteps were heard. It didn’t sound like the Proprietress’ footsteps, so he turned his head. Seeing that person, he was surprised, “Sister Luo?”
The person was none other than Luo Hai Yi. After giving it a thought, he realised that the Proprietress must have brought her to this place. Otherwise, she couldn’t have entered the inner court of First Inn.
Presently, Luo Hai Yi’s eyes were all red. The traces of tears on her face suggested that he had cried. Approaching the man, she asked in a shaking voice, “Senior Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Don’t worry. These are just flesh wounds. The Proprietress has applied some ointment on me, so I’ll be healthy again in a few days.”
Her eyes were drenched in tears as she said, “If it weren’t because of me, you wouldn’t have had to endure the punishment. You even took the whip in my stead. I don’t know how I can repay your favour.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “That was the least I could do. There was no way I’d let you get whipped in public. Anyway, both of us are not in the wrong. It was Young Master Hai who had crossed the line, and those from Great Battle Heaven couldn’t tell right from wrong. We’ll remember what they’ve done to us and get even with them one day.”
Seeing as she still appeared to be blaming herself, he changed the topic by saying, “By the way, how did you come here? Did the Proprietress tell you to come over?”
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “Madam Lan said that you took a whip in my stead, so I have to take care of you.” She paused for a moment, “By the way, she has also agreed to let me join First Inn. From now on, I’m also a part of the inn.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I’ll have to congratulate you, then. You don’t have to go around the city looking for jobs anymore.” He thought that the Proprietress was indeed a sharp-tongued but kind-hearted person. She just called Luo Hai Yi an enchantress, but the next moment, she let her join the inn.
Luo Hai Yi went on to say, “She also told me that the reason you looked for me was to invite me to join the inn. You have saved my life and done so much for me. If there’s anything you want me to do in the future, I’ll never turn you down regardless of the tasks.”
“It’s not so serious.” Yang Kai broke into laughter, “You’ve helped me a lot as well. We’re even now.”
She slowly shook her head, “That’s different.”
It was indeed different. Previously, she led the way for Yang Kai because he had hired her to be his local guide. She passed on his message to the Proprietress after leaving Wind and Cloud Auction House as that was the least she could do. However, Yang Kai had given her Grand Dao Pills, which allowed her to condense her own Dao Seal. On this day, he had taken a whip in her stead and recommended she join First Inn so that she wouldn’t have to worry about putting food on the table again. All these were huge favours. For someone at the bottom of the social hierarchy like her, what Yang Kai had done had practically given her a new life.
While they were chatting, the Proprietress was seated on a chair in the lobby of First Inn with a dispassionate expression. The inn wasn’t open for business on this day, so there was no one else in the lobby. Presently, only the accountant and the chef were standing by her side.
A moment later, Bai Qi sprinted into the inn.
The Proprietress lifted her head and asked emotionlessly, “Have you found out everything?”
Bai Qi replied, “I have. He’s the Son of an Elder from Clear Mind Heaven.” He frowned, “Proprietress, the issue is pretty thorny. They’re from a powerful background.”
Hearing that, the Proprietress snorted, “I don’t care what background they have. Anyone who dares to harm my people will have to pay the price.”
Then, she slowly rose from the chair and said impassively, “Perhaps I’ve stayed quiet for far too long. All of them think that I wouldn’t dare to kill again.”
Bai Qi and the others traded glances. As though they had recalled a horrible memory, they couldn’t help shuddering.
“Keep an eye on them. If they ever leave Star City, inform me immediately.”
Bai Qi parted his lips in an attempt to dissuade her from doing that, but he gave up in the end. After cupping his fists, he said, “Yes.” He knew that those guys would definitely end up in a terrible state. The Proprietress hadn’t been so incensed for ages. It seemed that this matter couldn’t be resolved easily.
For the next few days, Yang Kai stayed in the room to recuperate. The Proprietress would show up sometimes and chide Luo Hai Yi. It seemed that she had a bad impression of her.
Luo Hai Yi was a timid woman, so she wouldn’t dare to say anything whenever she was reprimanded. She just kept apologising, which made it impossible for the Proprietress to vent her anger.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was terrified as he wondered what had gotten into that woman again. Recently, she had been finding fault with Luo Hai Yi.
After a few days, most of his wounds had healed. Feeling bored of being in bed, he decided to help them out in the lobby.
After Yang Kai worked for half a day, he realised that both the Proprietress and Bai Qi were nowhere in sight. Curious about where they were, he went to the counter and asked the accountant about it, “Where are Proprietress and Old Bai?”
The accountant took a glance at him and quickly looked away, “There’s something they have to do.”
Yang Kai knit his brow before nodding and going back to work.
Meanwhile, across from a particular inn in the Star City, Bai Qi was seated by the window on the second floor of a teahouse. There was a pot of tea and plates of fruits on the table. As he drank tea and ate fruits, he stared fixedly at the inn that was across the street.
In fact, he had been keeping watch here for a few days now. This was a task assigned to him by the Proprietress, so he wouldn’t dare to slack off.
Right then, three people stepped out of the inn. They were a young man, a middle-aged man, and an elderly man. Presently, the elderly man was leading the way for them while the middle-aged man was supporting the young man’s weight. The young man’s pale face suggested that he had been severely injured, and there was a trace of blood on his back. Besides him, the middle-aged man and the elderly man seemed to be injured as well.
After looking around, they shot into the air and headed to the Star City’s dock.
Bai Qi stared in the direction they left with a conflicted gaze and only a long time later did he let out a long sigh and fished out a Communication Artifact. Upon pushing his Divine Sense, he sent out a message.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the void outside the Spirit Province where the Star City was located, an alluring woman abruptly opened her eyes. Her gaze appeared so cold that it was as though it could even freeze space itself.
This woman was none other than the First Inn Proprietress.
Time seemed to tick by slowly, but just a moment later, a ship artifact flew over and came into her sight. The ship was moving in the direction she was standing.
Seeing that, the Proprietress clenched her fists as her knuckles cracked.
When the ship was close enough, she suddenly pushed out a fist, whereupon a dazzling light expanded and made the world turn pale.
Following her attack, the ship, which was still several dozen kilometres away from her, cracked and exploded.
Three battered figures emerged from the broken ship and an old voice was heard bellowing, “Who dares!”
When the middle-aged and elderly man made out who had destroyed their ship, their pupils contracted. On the other hand, the young man had no idea what was going on, so he started throwing a tantrum again, “It hurts! What’s wrong with you two? Wastes! How can you let this Young Master suffer such injustice!”
Yang Kai had received two whips from the Dragon Fang Whip in front of the Governor’s Mansion for simply being a victim, so as the ones who had stirred up trouble, the punishment for these three was much more severe. Each of them had to get five lashes. Young Master Hai was weak, so he only received one whip while the remaining four he was due were evenly shared by his bodyguards. Despite that, just one stroke had caused him to be seriously injured.
For the past few days, he had been hiding in an inn to recuperate. After consuming many elixirs, he finally managed to escape from death’s door. Not daring to keep staying in the Star City, he was eager to leave; however, as soon as he left the port, his flight-type artifact was attacked and blown apart. The impact irritated his wounds and caused him to feel excruciating pain.
After he was done with the cursing though, he realised that there was a horrified look on the faces of his subordinates as they stared fixedly at the front. He followed their gaze, whereupon his eyes brightened and he shouted, “Where is this woman from? She’s so beautiful!”
When the middle-aged and elderly man heard that, their expressions changed drastically as they secretly cursed at this fool for landing them in trouble. Although they had no idea who this charming woman was, her aura was so deep that they couldn’t even understand its true depth. In short, they were absolutely no match for her.
She was undoubtedly a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, or possibly even stronger. How could their foolish Young Master not understand something so simple and dare to profane a top cultivator like her in such a way?
Nevertheless, Young Master Hai wasn’t aware that he was in a perilous situation, and as he grew fonder of her, he ignored the pain on his back and put on a grin, “Quick! Capture her for this Young Master. Tonight, I shall have her serve me in bed!”
With a dark expression, the middle-aged man bellowed, “Young Master, hold your tongue!”
The elderly man then hurriedly stood in front of the young man and cupped his fists at the alluring woman, “Greetings, Madam. May this old man know why your honourable self has blocked our way and destroyed our ship?”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face as she retorted, “When you were oppressing this Queen’s shop hand, did you not find out who his backer was?”
“Your shop hand?” The elderly man furrowed his brows, but as he recalled something, his expression was filled with terror as he stuttered, “F-First Inn’s… Madam Lan?”
The Proprietress snorted, “Old thing, at least you’re not senile yet.”
The elderly man couldn’t help but gulp as there was a bitter taste in his mouth. After looking around, he realised that this place was already quite far into the void, so it wouldn’t be easy for them to flee. Being blocked in this place, their fate would probably be terrible. With his forehead drenched in sweat, he cupped his fists and bowed deeply, “Madam Lan, forgive this old man for failing to recognise your esteemed self!” He paused for a moment before hesitantly continuing, “We are from Clear Mind Heaven, and our Young Master is the Grandson of Elder Hai.”
The Proprietress replied impassively, “I know.”
“You know?” The elderly man appeared even more horrified now. Since she was aware of their identity, how dare she still block their way and even destroy their ship? Was she insane?
“This Queen has been waiting for you here for some time now,” The Proprietress snorted and raised her slender hand. It was blemish-free, as if carved from the finest piece of white jade, but when she lifted it, the elderly man felt a sense of crisis descend upon him, as though the entire world was being turned upside down around him.
“Take Young Master back to the Star City!” He roared.
Hearing that, the middle-aged man immediately sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence and grabbed Young Master Hai before retreating with all haste.
“You think you can flee?” The Proprietress scoffed, “Only this Queen may lay a hand on the shop hands of First Inn. Anyone else who dares must die!”
After finishing her words, she pushed out her palm. In an instant, space really did flip and collapse.
When she retracted her hand, the void became serene again, while Young Master Hai, the elderly man, and the middle-aged man were nowhere to be seen.
She had killed three people from Clear Mind Heaven, but acted as if nothing had happened. Flicking her sleeve, she looked towards a particular spot in the void and asked coldly, “Was the show interesting?”
Just then, a ripple spread across the void, whereupon a Golden Armour General appeared. He was clad in a helmet and had a long sword strapped to his waist.
If Yang Kai were here, he would’ve recognised that this Golden Armour General was the one who had been guarding the Star City’s dock. He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, just one Order below the Governor of the Star City, Ye Tian Xiong.
The Golden Armour General frowned, “Why did you do this? You could’ve just taught them a lesson. Killing them won’t bring you any benefits.”
The Proprietress shot him a glance, “So what if this Queen kills them? Not just them, this Queen will also settle the score with that bastard Ye Tian Xiong in time.”
At that, the Golden Armour General was rendered speechless, “For a mere shop hand…” Although he had been guarding the dock all this time, it didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of what had been going on in the Star City. Two days ago, the Proprietress left the dock with a gaze filled with murderous intent. He just had to ask around to find out what had happened.
“Not just a shop hand, a shop hand from my First Inn!” The Proprietress snorted.
The Golden Armour General nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes. He’s a shop hand from First Inn, and he’s more precious than the other shop hands in the city.” He sighed, “But, they’re from Clear Mind Heaven…”
His words suggested that she should have only lectured them instead of killing them.
“Why don’t you tell Hai Ping Le about it now and see whether he dares to retaliate against me?”
The Golden Armour General stared fixedly at her and let out a sigh, “You’ve been living in seclusion for nearly 1,200 years now. Are you going to make a fuss again? You won’t always be so fortunate.”
After glowering at him for a moment, the Proprietress swung her sleeve widely, “If others don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them!”
Upon finishing her words, she shot towards the dock. The Golden Armour General gazed at her figure and shook his head. A woman like her was more hard-edged than most men, but it wasn’t certain whether she could avoid ending up in a miserable state.
…..
The Proprietress’ return didn’t cause a commotion. Yang Kai didn’t even know when she had come back. He just saw her appearing in the lobby one day and hospitably greeting the customers in the inn.
As time passed, all of them lived a peaceful life. Besides helping out in the inn, Yang Kai spent most of his time refining his new Territory Shuttle.
From time to time, he would also try to find out any information regarding the World Tree and Earth Element materials, but there hadn’t been any gains so far.
He had also visited Wind and Cloud Auction House several times. The Proprietress had made a fuss in the auction house to save Bai Qi and him, but he had Seven Faces, which was how he could enter the building without anyone recognizing him.
No one in the auction house seemed to have any idea about the World Tree, unfortunately. There were some Earth Element materials, but they were all below the Fifth Order, which were useless to him.
The Wood Element he had condensed from the Immortal Tree and the Fire Element he had condensed from the Golden Crow’s True Fire were all High-Rank materials. Yang Kai couldn’t stand the thought of squandering an impeccable foundation, so he was extremely picky when looking for an Earth Element material. At the very least, it had to be Seventh-Order; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to achieve greater heights in his power.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy to look for a High-Rank Earth Element material. It was just a coincidence that he had acquired the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so it was unrealistic to think that such an opportunity would simply fall into his lap again.
That was the reason Yang Kai had been a bit anxious of late.
If he couldn’t ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would remain weak in the Outer Universe. Even the two Third-Order Masters, who worked for Young Master Hai, were enough to oppress him to death.
However, Yang Kai was too embarrassed to ask the Proprietress about it. Moreover, if he really did that, he would expose his secret. Although the Proprietress had been treating him well, they were not close enough to share such secrets; therefore, he had been suffering from a headache recently.
One day, Yang Kai was busy serving customers when the Proprietress called out to him via Divine Sense. After telling Luo Hai Yi to be more attentive to the customers, he shuffled towards the rear court.
After knocking on the door and opening it, he was surprised to see Bai Qi inside the room as well.
Presently, Bai Qi appeared excited as a glow radiated from his eyes. He had also clenched his fists tightly.
Yang Kai cupped his fists to the Proprietress before turning his head, “You look radiant and thrilled. Is there any good news?”
Bai Qi grinned meaningfully at him, “That’s right. There’s some good news.”
A puzzled Yang Kai batted his eyes, “What is it?”
There was a proud smile on Bai Qi’s face as he declared, “I’m going to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.”
A surprised Yang Kai asked, “Really?” This was indeed some extremely good news for a cultivator who spent his entire life pursuing the Martial Dao. In the Outer Universe, the Open Heaven Realm was like a dividing point. Those who were Open Heaven Realm Masters and those who were not could be considered entirely different beings.
A cultivator, who relentlessly pursued the Martial Dao, would transform into an entirely new person after reaching the Open Heaven Realm!
Then, Yang Kai recalled that when Bai Qi made a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House some time ago, he had seen traces of the Five Elements swirling around him. Apparently, he was already a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master. Now, it seemed that he was just a short distance away from the Open Heaven Realm. He must have condensed six Elements, and just needed the last one to achieve his goal.
“Congratulations!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at Bai Qi as he was truly happy for him. At the same time, he was envious that Bai Qi was going to make a name for himself soon. On the other hand, he wasn’t even sure when he would be able to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
A high-spirited Bai Qi guffawed and landed a gentle pat on Yang Kai’s shoulder, “When we go out together in the future, people like Yun Zhen Hua will never dare to find fault with us again.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai arched his brow, “What Order are you going to promote to?”
Bai Qi’s words suggested that he wouldn’t have to be afraid of Yun Zhen Hua anymore. Yun Zhen Hua was a Fourth-Order cultivator, so since Bai Qi was confident of defeating him, he must be going to achieve an Order that was above the Fourth Order.
With a grin, Bai Qi raised his hand and showed his palm.
“Fifth-Order!” Yang Kai said.
To the side, the Proprietress snorted, “You’re not even close to achieving the Open Heaven Realm. If you keep bragging now, aren’t you worried that you’ll fail?”
Bai Qi pulled a long face and said, “Proprietress, please don’t give me such a curse. I’ve been cultivating diligently for the past thousand years, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
A solemn Proprietress replied, “On the Martial Dao, the slightest negligence can result in all your previous efforts going to waste. If you’re going to deal with the ascension with this kind of attitude, you’d better wait another 100 years first.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Qi sported a serious expression and bent his back, “Many thanks for your guidance, I will sincerely remember it. When the time comes, I shall put forth my best, and the Heavens will decide whether I succeed.”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and spoke in a softer tone, “I’ve personally trained you, and you’ve built a solid foundation. Just remain calm and focused, and I’m sure there will be no problem with your breakthrough.”
“Yes,” Bai Qi replied respectfully.
“Get ready now. We’ll leave in three days.” The Proprietress waved her hand.
After a nod, Bai Qi bowed and left the room.
There was an envious look on Yang Kai’s face as he watched Bai Qi leave when all of a sudden, the Proprietress said, “You get ready as well. We’ll leave together in three days.”
“Me?” Yang Kai was stunned, but he soon realised her intention. It was rare for a cultivator to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, and most people wouldn’t be able to witness such a magnificent scene. She intended to bring him with her to observe the process. With such an experience, the process would be much smoother for him if he ever had the chance to attain the Open Heaven Realm in the future.
An elated Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Many thanks, Proprietress. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me, and will definitely repay your favour one day!”
“All you know is how to flatter me. Get out now.” The Proprietress snorted and swept him out of the room with her sleeve.
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
In the morning, the Proprietress was standing outside First Inn as she told the accountant and chef to take care of the inn. Then, she led Bai Qi and Yang Kai to shoot into the sky. After they passed the dock, she summoned her ship and sailed it towards the void.
Unlike how excited he was three days ago, Bai Qi had calmed down considerably. In fact, he had never been calmer before in his life.
The Proprietress was standing on the dock as she rested her hands on the gunwale and watched the splendid view. Yang Kai and Bai Qi stood just behind her as the ship moved forward.
Half a day later, the Proprietress didn’t seem to have the intention of stopping the ship, so a curious Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, where are we going?”
Presently, the Proprietress’ hair flapped in the wind, and without turning her head, she replied, “We’re looking for the last Open Heaven material.”
A stunned Yang Kai said, “Old Bai hasn’t obtained the last material?”
When he saw Bai Qi appearing so excited a few days ago, he thought that the latter had collected all the necessary materials, so he couldn’t believe that they were only looking for the last one now.
Bai Qi explained, “Fifth-Order Yang Sprites are very rare. Once they appear, countless people will come to snatch them up. We have informants everywhere in the Outer Universe, and one of them has found out that Fifth-Order Yang Sprites have appeared in Golden Rainbow Territory. That’s why we’ve embarked on such a long journey.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai finally realised what was going on. He thought that they were going somewhere quiet so that Bai Qi could achieve his breakthrough without worrying about being disturbed, but it turned out that they were instead going to acquire the last material he needed. Furthermore, judging from what Bai Qi had said, he lacked a Yang Element material.
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “In that case, won’t we have to compete against others for the treasure?”
Bai Qi grinned, “We’re heading to a very hidden place, one most people don’t know about and fewer can find. So, I’m sure there won’t be any competition. I’ll just have to go there and absorb it.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded.
All of a sudden, the Proprietress asked, “What Order do you want to achieve?”
Yang Kai replied, “The higher, the better.”
To which she replied, “We all want to achieve a higher Order, but you need to have a clear assessment of your capabilities. Everyone’s limit is different. Just because a person has absorbed high-quality materials doesn’t necessarily mean they can achieve a higher Order. You have to work within your ability.”
“I’ll remember.”
Bai Qi took a glance at him and asked, “By the way, what are the Orders of the materials you’ve absorbed so far? How many Elements have you condensed?”
At that, Yang Kai was lost for words. If he was asked this question a few months ago, he would have lied without batting an eye; however, now, he wasn’t willing to deceive these people, but he also didn’t want to reveal his secrets just yet. Besides, if he told them that he had absorbed materials from the Eighth Order and even the Ninth Order, they wouldn’t believe him.
Seeing as he remained silent, the Proprietress suddenly turned to look at him and smiled, “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. All of us have secrets anyway.”
“Many thanks for your understanding, Proprietress.”
With an awkward expression, Bai Qi examined Yang Kai and said in a hushed voice, “If possible, I suggest that you tell the Proprietress about it. With her help, it won’t be difficult for you to achieve the Fifth Order. Besides me, the chef and the accountant are also going to ascend to the Fifth Order in the future. Only by attaining the Fifth Order would we stand a chance to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in the future. In the Outer Universe, we’ll always be inferior if we can’t ascend to the High Rank.”
The cultivation of a cultivator wasn’t fixed after their initial breakthrough into the Open Heaven Realm. By consuming Open Heaven Pills, they would still be able to improve their Order by up to two Orders. That was the reason Bai Qi had said so.
“I know,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him.
Seeing as he wasn’t willing to reveal anything, Bai Qi stopped forcing him. After apologising to the Proprietress, Bai Qi returned to the cabin to have a rest.
As they moved forward at full speed, they would leave the ship from time to time to utilize the Universe Transference Law to shuttle between Universe Temples.
Ten days later, the trio arrived at Golden Rainbow Territory.
The Second Class great force Golden Rainbow Province ruled over this territory, hence its name.
Upon reaching their destination, the Proprietress fished out something that looked like a compass as she scanned the surroundings before adjusting their heading. Obviously, the compass could lead them to where the Yang Sprites were located.
Three days later, a cloud of white mist suddenly appeared in the void. The mist looked elusive and translucent. One would have neglected it if they didn’t search for it carefully.
Seeing the mist, the Proprietress straightened her face and said, “We’ve arrived at our destination.”
Hurriedly, Bai Qi lifted his head and looked in that direction. Although he had suppressed his emotions, he could still barely contain his excitement. This couldn’t be helped, as he had been waiting for this moment for a hundred years now. Compared to the Five Elements, it was much harder to find Yin and Yang Element materials. As such, within the same Order, Yin Yang materials were always more expensive than Five Elements materials. Moreover, at higher Orders, they couldn’t even be purchased for Open Heaven Pills.
First Inn could be considered a powerful great force, but over the years, they hadn’t managed to help Bai Qi find a suitable Yang Element, which went to show how scarce such materials were. If it weren’t because of this special opportunity, Bai Qi would have had to wait for even longer.
In the blink of an eye, the ship reached the white mist.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t a mist at all, but he couldn’t make out what it was either. It looked like a pile of cotton, but a clear aura of spatial fluctuations could be felt coming from it.
It was then he came to the realisation that this thing that looked like a mist or a pile of cotton was actually the entrance to a Sealed World, and the Yang Sprites must exist inside.
It was no wonder that Bai Qi said rarely anyone could find this place. Yang Kai was thinking that if Fifth-Order Yang Sprites had appeared, there was no way no one else could detect them; after all, many people would hack each other to death to get their hands on such treasures.
Now, it seemed that he was mistaken.
Standing in front of the mist, the Proprietress examined it for a brief moment before forming a hand seal. Following that, she stuck out a finger. As though the mist had received her order, it separated to the sides and revealed a passageway.
“Let’s go,” she ordered as she engulfed the others in her World Force and dashed towards the passageway. After they entered, the mist closed again.
At that instant, space seemed to be spinning around Yang Kai, and when he came to his senses, he realised that he had reached a different world. Before he could even scan the surroundings, he could clearly feel that this place was filled with very potent Yang Element Power.
“It’s a Sealing Yang Domain.” The Proprietress arched her brow as she was evidently surprised, “It’s no wonder Fifth-Order Yang Sprites could be born here. This place is incredible.”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, what’s a Sealing Yang Domain?”
To which she explained patiently, “A Sealing Yang Domain is a very special type of Sealed World where Yang Qi gathers and does not leak out, growing richer and denser over time, which gives rise to Yang Sprites. As time passes, the Order of the Yang Sprites will become greater as well. Even if you take all of them away at once, new Yang Sprites will be born again after eight hundred to a thousand years. It could be said that the Yang Sprites here were inexhaustible. There were other Sealing Yang Domains in the 3,000 Worlds, but all the known ones were controlled by powerful great forces. The Yang Sprites were either used by their own disciples or traded for other resources with other great forces.”
An agitated Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, we’re rich! If we can control this place, we don’t have to worry about finding Fifth-Order Yang Element materials again!”
In response, the Proprietress nodded her head, “I’ll look around after we’re done. If this place is truly valuable, I’ll come up with a way to control it.”
This Sealing Yang Domain wasn’t expansive as it was only the size of two Star Cities. Tracing the source of the Yang Qi, they soon reached a lake that was shimmering. Despite the fact that the lake was clear, it was filled with Yang Qi. Apparently, it was where Yang Sprites gathered together.
The Proprietress released her Divine Sense to scan the place for a moment before nodding gently, “These are indeed Fifth-Order Yang Sprites.”
Hearing that, Bai Qi became energised and cupped his fists, “Proprietress, I’m going now.”
“Be careful,” she urged.
Yang Kai also cupped his fists, “Old Bai, I wish you success.”
Bai Qi flashed a smile at him, “I’ll definitely bring back some good news.” Then, he plunged into the lake, but there wasn’t even a ripple that could be seen on the surface. Yang Kai and the Proprietress watched as Bai Qi swam to the deepest part of the lake where a very pure power from the Yang Sprites had gathered together. Bai Qi shot into it and sat down with his legs crossed. Following that, he activated his power with a never-before-seen solemn expression.
He had been cultivating a thousand years for this moment, so there was no holding back for him.
Soon, he was seen attentively absorbing a Yang Sprite to condense the last Yang Element Power. The Proprietress and Yang Kai walked around the lake as she performed a hand seal and shot a flag into the void.
Although this place was hidden, they had to be extra careful. The fact that Bai Qi was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm was immensely important, and there mustn’t be any accidents. Despite the fact that the Proprietress was personally standing guard for him, she still had to set up an array here to prevent anyone from disturbing him.
After an hour, she had planted sixteen flags around the lake. When she was done with the last one, she spread her slender hands and yelled, “Rise!”
In complete silence, a mist expanded and engulfed the entire lake. Nothing else could be seen again.
Yang Kai had been following her and watching what she was doing. Although he had no idea what kind of attacks this Spirit Array could fend off, there was no way the Proprietress’ work was second-rate. Moreover, she was a Sixth-Order Master who was famous throughout the 3,000 Worlds. With her standing guard here and the help of this Spirit Array, even if someone accidentally barged into this place, that person wouldn’t dare to disturb Bai Qi.
After the Proprietress was done with all this, she took a look at Bai Qi’s location and said in a small voice, “He’ll have to rely on himself now.”
In order to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, one first needed to condense the power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into their Dao Seal. A cultivator would then split Heaven and Earth apart inside their own body. Once they succeeded, a Small Universe would be formed inside of them. At that point, they would be infused with World Strength and become capable of wielding World Force. That was the most distinct characteristic of an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Great Emperors had to rely on a particular Universe World to use World Force. However, Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t have such restrictions as they had a World within themselves. Also, different from Great Emperors, the power an Open Heaven Realm Master was able to use could grow. Their power was directly correlated to the strength of his or her own Small Universe.
No one else could help Bai Qi at this point. The reason the Proprietress had come to this place was to protect him so that no one would disturb him.
Upon reaching the top of a mound that was three kilometres away, the Proprietress fished out a table and two chairs. There were some tools for making tea as well.
Without the need for her to say anything, Yang Kai started making tea for her. In the past, he would never be willing to do such a thing; however, after getting her help several times, he realised that his impression of this woman had changed. He no longer felt hostile towards her.
Nevertheless, the change also brought with it some doubts that got stuck in his heart.
Soon, the tea was ready. While the Proprietress elegantly sipped the tea, she had a small talk with Yang Kai and chuckled from time to time. On the other hand, Yang Kai learned the stories of many famous people in the Outer Universe from her.
Time passed by very quickly.
Three days later, the lake inside the array still remained serene. Yang Kai knew that this process couldn’t be rushed. Bai Qi had to condense his own Yang Element first before attempting to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, a feat that couldn’t be achieved in just a few days.
After five more days, there came a moment when the Proprietress, who was having a chat with Yang Kai, straightened her face and shifted her attention to the array. Her gemstone-like eyes seemed able to see through the void and look deep into the array; then, she exclaimed, “It’s starting!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became solemn and turned his head to look in that direction. Unfortunately, his vision wasn’t as sharp as that of the Proprietress. Besides the weltering mist around the array, he could see nothing else.
With that said, he could feel that something was a little different on this day. Previously, the array around the lake was mostly still; however, today, the mist was roiling about. Apparently, Bai Qi had started.
A worried Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, what are Old Bai’s chances of success?”
The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “No one can say for certain. Even a gifted person may fail. It really depends on his fate.”
She had only said the obvious, but that was the truth for any cultivator pursuing the greater Dao.
While Yang Kai was anxiously watching the lake, the Proprietress suddenly frowned and grunted before looking in a different direction; specifically, the entrance of the Sealing Yang Domain.
Soon enough, Yang Kai realised that something was off because clear Space Principles fluctuations could be felt coming from over there.
[Someone is entering this place!] A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly shifted his attention, only to see a crack hanging in the void. As Space Principles undulated, a figure emerged from the crack.
Despite the fact that there was a distance of several dozen kilometres between them, Yang Kai could still recognise this person at first glance, and with a frown, he said, “Him?”
He didn’t know many people in the Outer Universe, so he hadn’t expected the person who had arrived at this place to be someone he knew. Furthermore, there were some grudges between them.
The person who had broken through the void and come to this place was none other than Old Yu from Wind and Cloud Auction House. Previously, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were injured by this guy. Upon learning that they had been captured, the Proprietress stormed into the auction house and fought a quick battle with Old Yu, breaking a few of the latter’s bones and causing him to cough up blood.
After just a few months though, Old Yu’s wounds had healed. Upon entering this place, he looked around and soon targeted the Proprietress, a coldness flooding his turbid eyes which were filled with hatred.
Following that, more figures broke through the Void and arrived.
In the blink of an eye, four people had streamed into this small Sealing Yang Domain. This group consisted of men and women as well as young and old people. Old Yu had the weakest aura among them as he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The other three people were much stronger than he was. Yang Kai could even detect an aura that was as powerful as that of the Proprietress from one of them.
[This guy is a Sixth-Order Master! What is going on?] Yang Kai’s brow twitched as so many top cultivators had gathered together in this Sealing Yang Domain all of a sudden. Furthermore, all of them were Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
What made Yang Kai feel uneasy was that these people were staring fixedly at the Proprietress presently. Some of them appeared solemn, and some of them were seen with their eyes filled with resentment. There was also someone who revealed a murderous intent.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what was going on, he realised that they were in a perilous situation.
“I see.” The Proprietress nodded slightly and swept a glance over them, “So, this was all a trap.”
“That’s right. This is a trap that has been specifically set up for you. Lan You Ruo, when you made a scene in my auction house a few months ago, did the idea of ending up in this miserable state ever cross your mind?” Old Yu snorted with a gleeful smile in his wrinkled face.
“A trap?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted as all his bodily hair was standing on end. After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t difficult to set up this trap. The only requirement was this Sealing Yang Domain.
Bai Qi was a shop hand in First Inn, so it wasn’t hard for people to dig up his information. As long as the news of Fifth-Order Yang Sprites appearing was spread, the Proprietress would certainly bring Bai Qi over to have a look, thus falling into this trap.
Things were looking terrible. The Proprietress was a Sixth-Order cultivator, but apart from Old Yu, who was relatively weaker, the others were all-powerful. There were two Fifth-Order cultivators and one Sixth-Order Master. Furthermore, they were stuck inside this Sealing Yang Domain, and it wasn’t possible for the Proprietress to simply defeat them.
It could basically be considered a death trap.
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai secretly spoke to her in her mind, “Proprietress, look for a chance and flee from this place. Just leave Old Bai and me here. As long as you’re alive, we’ll be safe.” After all, Bai Qi and he were just shop hands of First Inn. As long as the Proprietress could leave this place, these people might not harm them as they would have to remain wary of the Proprietress. Nevertheless, if the Proprietress was killed, there was no hope for Bai Qi and him to survive.
The Proprietress shook her head and replied, “Since they’ve set up this trap for me, they won’t let me flee so easily. I guess they’ve already sealed off the space around here. Unless we can kill all of them, we will never be able to leave.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he heard that as he knew that she was right; however, he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had only condensed his Wood and Fire Element, so he wasn’t useful in a battle between Open Heaven Realm Masters. A sense of helplessness came over him as he balled up his fists.
“Old fart, you’re pretty popular if you’re able to gather so many people to help you,” The Proprietress stared at Old Yu and sneered.
Old Yu scoffed, “It isn’t that this Old Master is popular; it’s just that you’ve offended too many people! In the past, you stirred up trouble everywhere in the 3,000 Worlds just because you had a backer. Do you even remember all the people you have offended?”
After he finished speaking, a majestic-looking man beside him placed his hands behind his back and said, “Madam Lan, we haven’t met for ages. Do you remember me?”
“Golden Rainbow Province’s Province Master, Qin Ji.” The Proprietress put on a faint smile, “What’s wrong? This Queen spared your life in the past, yet you are courting death now? Just tell me if you’re sick of living. I don’t mind sending you to Hell.”
A tinge of ferocity flashed across Qin Ji’s eyes when he heard that and he snapped, “Madam Lan, you’re as arrogant as ever.”
“No, you’re just weak,” the Proprietress scoffed, then she stared at him and pondered on it for a moment, “So, this Sealing Yang Domain is not without an owner. Does it belong to Golden Rainbow Province?” After all, they were in Golden Rainbow Territory, which was why she had this speculation.
Qin Ji said, “We discovered this place 3,000 years ago. Normally, it’s hidden with a Spirit Array. If it weren’t because we wanted to lure you into this trap, we wouldn’t have exposed it.”
“I was just wondering why Fifth-Order Yang Sprites had appeared all of a sudden. So, that’s the reason behind it.” The Proprietress nodded slightly, “A Sealing Yang Domain is immensely valuable to any great force. Aren’t you worried that a battle will destroy this domain?”
Qin Ji’s gaze appeared serious, “If I can get rid of you for good, I won’t mind losing a mere Sealing Yang Domain.” Despite what he had said, there was a look of distress on his face; after all, if a battle took place here, he wouldn’t be able to save this Sealing Yang Domain, which would be a great loss for Golden Rainbow Province.
“It seems that all of you are determined to kill me here.”
Right then, an elderly man, who was standing on the left of Qin Ji, bellowed, “If a crazy woman like you doesn’t die, all of us won’t be able to live a peaceful life!” Although his hair and beard had turned grey, his face remained ruddy. His ferocious aura seemed to suggest that he had killed countless people in the past.
Then, he snorted, “You’re only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, but you’re already able to kill innumerable people and dye the 3,000 Worlds with blood. If you ever ascend to the Seventh Order, there’s no way we can survive.”
The Proprietress stared at the elderly man and said lightly, “Ling Chun Qiu, if you can’t kill me today, I’ll definitely storm your Boundless Altar and slaughter your people to the last.”
The elderly man called Ling Chun Qiu had his expression changed and took a step backward as he was intimidated by the imposing Proprietress. Nevertheless, he soon said through clenched teeth, “Since we’re all here now, we won’t let you leave this place alive.”
Unwilling to speak to him any further, the Proprietress swung her sleeve and stared coldly at the last person. She was an alluring woman that looked like she was in her thirties. She had an hourglass figure, and her peach-like eyes seemed able to suck the beholder’s Soul into them.
“Are you going to oppose this Queen too?” The Proprietress asked dispassionately.
The alluring woman didn’t even dare to look her in the eyes as she took a step forward and saluted in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Big Sister Lan.”
The Proprietress said, “Oh, you still remember that I am your Elder Sister? I thought you’d forgotten about it.”
The woman said, “Yue He is eternally grateful to Elder Sister for nurturing me in the past. I would never dare to forget.”
“How could you have the courage to come here if you wouldn’t dare to forget what I’ve done for you?” The Proprietress said through gritted teeth, “I’ll forgive you if you leave now. If you’re obstinate, don’t blame this Queen for severing our ties with you.”
The woman called Yue He slowly shook her head, “Big Sister Lan, I’m eternally grateful for the care you’ve shown me in the past, but if it weren’t because you were so stubborn, he… wouldn’t have passed away. I did not mean to come here today, but I want to put an end to the incident in the past. Please forgive me.”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at her for a long time before bowing her head, “Good, since those are your intentions, I shall grant your wish. From today forth, we owe each other nothing; however, remember that injuries and deaths are inevitable in any battle. If you’re accidentally killed by me, don’t ever blame me on the road to the Yellow Springs.”
“Yue He wouldn’t dare.” The woman bent her back.
“Enough nonsense, kill her!” A malevolent aura could be seen weltering around Ling Chun Qiu as his gaze was filled with murderous intent. It seemed that he was eager to hack the Proprietress into pieces; however, he was only a Fifth-Order cultivator, so he was still afraid of a powerful Master like the Proprietress, who was infamous for her ferocity. Therefore, he had to wait for the leader of Golden Rainbow Province, Qin Ji, to make a move first. Since Qin Ji hadn’t begun, he wouldn’t dare to take the lead.
With his hands behind his back, Qin Ji bellowed, “Madam Lan, regardless of whether you were in the wrong for what had happened in the past, you have indeed killed countless of our disciples from Golden Rainbow Province. As the Province Master, this Qin will help those fallen souls obtain justice today! If you’re smart, surrender immediately. If you dare to resist, don’t blame us for oppressing you with numbers on our side.”
“You want me to surrender without a fight? In your dreams!” The Proprietress retorted.
“In that case…” Qin Ji took a deep breath, “Prepare yourself!” He barked.
After he finished speaking, the illusory phantom of a Small Universe World flashed behind his back. He pushed out a fist, and as the aura of World Force permeated the place, a gigantic fist shadow shot at the Proprietress.
The moment he made a move, Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He, who were well prepared, summoned their artifacts and attacked the Proprietress.
At that instant, the space around the Proprietress became as it began to tremble and warp.
Seeing that, Yang Kai tensed up. In fact, when the Proprietress was speaking to these people earlier, he was already trying to find a way to escape; however, in the face of absolute power, all tricks were futile. At that moment, he was completely clueless about what to do.
As three Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters made a move at the same time, Yang Kai felt his skin tightening as a sense of danger engulfed him. Although the attacks were not aimed at him, the mere fallout from this exchange was enough to crack the world around them and kill him on the spot.
At the most critical moment, a gentle force wrapped around him and pushed him away. Certainly, he knew that it was the Proprietress who had protected him in this perilous situation. The view around him seemed to be moving backwards rapidly, and when he was finally able to stabilize himself, he was already several dozen kilometres away from the battlefield.
After a glance, he widened his eyes in fury as the Proprietress was engulfed in a gigantic flash of light. A violent force raged, and the Proprietress’ figure could hardly be seen.
She was already at a disadvantage as she had to deal with several enemies on her own, yet at the most critical moment, she still spent some energy to send him away. How was she supposed to counter the horrifying attacks while distracted?
The flash of light soon dissipated as a white shadow stood hovering in the void. Yang Kai could clearly see a trace of blood dripping down from the Proprietress’ mouth. The blood hurt his eyes as though a blade had been stabbed into his heart, which caused him to ball up his fists and tremble.
If it weren’t because she had to protect him, she wouldn’t have gotten injured. Although their attacks were horrifying, she could have dodged them with ease had she not been burdened with him.
“Brat, you’re still in the mood to be concerned about someone else?” An old voice was heard coming from the side. Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that Old Yu from Wind and Cloud Auction House was standing in a nearby spot and looking resentfully at him, “When you were making a scene in my auction house, did you ever think that you’d fall into my trap one day?”
Although Old Yu was also a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was only in the Fourth Order; therefore, he wasn’t qualified to fight against the Proprietress. That was the reason he had come over to find trouble with Yang Kai instead of joining the battle.
The fact that he was humiliated previously was all because of Yang Kai, so although Old Yu was resentful of the Proprietress for having no regard for him and even hurting him, he also couldn’t forgive Yang Kai. Now that the chance was right before his eyes, he certainly wouldn’t let this boy off.
“Old fart, you should have thanked the Heavens that the Proprietress didn’t decide to kill you back then. How dare you be so insidious and set her up today? Once she overcomes this trouble, you will certainly die!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glared at him.
Old Yu sneered, “I don’t know whether she’ll be able to escape today or not, but you definitely won’t be around to find out because… I’m going to kill you now!”
After he finished speaking, he extended his hand towards Yang Kai and clenched it.
Following his movement, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the space around him was compressing, as though it was going to crush him into paste. Flustered, he hurriedly manipulated his Space Principles to flee.
Apparently, Old Yu hadn’t expected this to happen and was stunned to see Yang Kai actually escape his grasp. Then, he became furious out of shame, “This Old Master wanted to kill you quickly, but since you’re just so ungrateful, I will take my time and slowly enjoy your suffering!”
Turning his head, Old Yu saw a figure shooting into the sky. That person was none other than Yang Kai, who had just dodged his attack.
With a frown, he decided not to chase after him though; after all, Yang Kai was actually headed towards where Qin Ji and the others were battling against Madam Lan, a melee he wasn’t willing to be dragged into. Nevertheless, he was amused by Yang Kai’s action. [An Emperor Realm brat like him wants to interfere in that battle. Is he sick of leaving?]
On the other hand, an anxious Yang Kai shot towards the battlefield after escaping from Old Yu.
He wasn’t sure how powerful the Proprietress truly was, nor was he aware of what she had done in the past that had caused so many people to be resentful of her; however, she shouldn’t be a match for these three as she was on her own. With that said, if he could help her eliminate a Fifth-Order cultivator, he could significantly ease her burden. It might even allow her to flip the situation around.
Given his strength, Yang Kai wasn’t useful in this battle at all; instead, he might even become a burden for the Proprietress. However, he still had a trump card with him, which was the last Mie Meng golden tail feather!
At that time, Mie Meng had given him three golden tail feathers. The first one was used in the Golden Crow Divine Palace to kill the Golden Crow who had feigned death. The second one was used on the Proprietress to force her to back off. Yang Kai now had just one left.
The golden tail feather could hurt the Proprietress, so if it was used on a Fifth-Order cultivator, it could severely injure that person, and if he was lucky enough, he could even kill that person. By then, the situation would be turned around.
At the thought of this, he escaped from Old Yu with all his might and headed towards the battlefield.
Nevertheless, he soon realised that he was too naive. Presently, figures could be seen flying around the battlefield as the powers of their Secret Techniques and artifacts exploded. The powerful fluctuations of their attacks spread out wildly so he couldn’t even approach within ten kilometres around them, let alone launch a sneak attack on one of the Fifth-Order Masters using the golden tail feather.
Instead, he was swept away by the shockwaves several times. After a glance, he realised that the Proprietress had been distracted because of his presence and was put in an even more dangerous situation when she was already at a disadvantage.
Yang Kai was flustered, and at the same time, he realised that the Proprietress wouldn’t leave the lake where the Yang Sprites existed. Apparently, she was trying to protect Bai Qi, who was attempting to achieve a breakthrough.
The Proprietress had arranged an array around the lake that could fend off some energy fluctuations; however, this was a fierce battle, and the array wasn’t able to fully ward off its impact.
That was the reason the Proprietress was restricted as she wouldn’t dare to fully use her power. On the other hand, Qin Ji and the others were not holding back at all.
[Old Bai!] Yang Kai’s gaze brightened. If Bai Qi could successfully break through at this point, he would be able to help the Proprietress as he was going to be a Fifth-Order cultivator. Although his realm wouldn’t be stabilized, he could at least hold up an enemy and help share the Proprietress’ burden.
However, the process of ascending to the Open Heaven Realm was extremely dangerous. Could Bai Qi, who was currently being disturbed, succeed?
Then, Yang Kai realised that an aura had locked on him from behind. Without the need to turn his head, he knew that Old Yu must be flying towards him.
“I’ve always heard that Madam Lan takes good care of her subordinates, and that seems to be the case. The shop hands from First Inn are extremely lucky to have a shopkeeper like her,” Old Yu said as he walked over.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai had a bad premonition.
As Old Yu spoke, he reached a spot that was only three kilometres away from the lake. With a dispassionate gaze, he took a look at the mist around the lake and said, “If I’m not mistaken, the person inside the lake is Bai Qi, right?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but the Proprietress, who was locked in an intense battle, could still clearly hear him. Since they were able to find out that Bai Qi needed to absorb a Yang Element to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, it wasn’t so difficult for him to realise who the person inside the array was.
“This Old Master will kill Bai Qi now. Lan You Ruo, let’s see what decision you’ll make!” Old Yu bellowed.
“Shameless!” Yang Kai cursed through clenched teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot.
Apparently, Old Yu could see that the Proprietress was restrained as she wouldn’t want to escalate the battle lest Bai Qi be disturbed, but he still said such a thing to incite her. Certainly, the Proprietress would be agitated upon hearing that; moreover, if Old Yu really made a move, no one else could protect Bai Qi except for the Proprietress. Once she lost focus, she would fall into a worse situation than it already was.
“The winner takes all in any life-and-death battle. Shamelessness is irrelevant.” Old Yu shot Yang Kai a cold glance as he used a hand seal to gather his World Force.
He seemed set to destroy the Spirit Array around the lake.
Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t allow him to do that as Bai Qi was the key to winning this battle. If Bai Qi could successfully break through, the Proprietress would be able to break free from the restraints on her and use her full strength to battle against these people. By then, Bai Qi could also join the battle. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could protect himself at the very least; therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t allow Old Yu to harm Bai Qi.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai charged towards Old Yu like he was a wild beast.
On the other hand, Old Yu remained in the same spot with a calm expression. There was a tinge of mockery behind his gaze as he watched Yang Kai pouncing on him, “You court death by coming to me.”
After he finished speaking, he pushed out a palm. The speed at which he extended his palm was extremely slow, but following his movement, it seemed like two worlds had smashed together. As his hand extended further, the space in front of him shredded.
Yang Kai, who was charging forward at full speed, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall as he became unmoving. After a loud boom was heard, his five viscera and six organs shifted greatly in his body, and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of retreating as he extended his hand into the void and grabbed the Azure Dragon Spear. Upon surging all his strength, he forcefully pushed his spear forward.
An abstruse Martial Truth seemed to be whirling around the tip of the spear as a fist-sized black hole manifested at the point of his weapon.
“Hm?” Old Yu arched his brow in surprise. He thought that given Yang Kai’s cultivation, the latter would’ve turned into dust upon impact; however, Yang Kai had only suffered some minor injuries. Moreover, the force that had been released through his spear wasn’t something a mere Emperor Realm Junior should possess.
Given Old Yu’s acute vision, he immediately realised that the spear in Yang Kai’s hands was an extremely rare treasure, causing his gaze to become fiery.
The Azure Dragon Spear was given to Yang Kai by the Giant Spirit God, Ah Da. He had no idea who made the spear, but through his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai could clearly feel that this spear was refined from the spine of an adult Dragon.
As Yang Kai pushed the spear forward, an Azure Dragon manifested and its roar shook the entire world.
Such a spear could be considered one of the best artifacts in the entire Outer Universe; however, Yang Kai was clearly too weak to fully draw out its power.
As Dragon Pressure permeated the air, the Azure Dragon swam through the sky. A stunned Old Yu widened his eyes and said in a shaking voice, “A Dragon artifact?”
He wasn’t astounded by Yang Kai’s attack, but rather by how this brat possessed such a Heaven-defying weapon. If those from the Dragon Clan found out about it though, they would never let him off.
At that instant, the greed in his heart vanished. Even if the spear was given to him for free, he wouldn’t dare to take it. Unless he never let its existence become public knowledge, the Dragon Clan would certainly come looking for him one day. When that happened, even Wind and Cloud Paradise wouldn’t be able to protect him.
“Those who are ignorant are truly fearless!” Old Yu tutted. Any experienced person in the 3,000 Worlds would never choose to use such an artifact, but an Emperor Realm Junior like Yang Kai had the guts to openly display it; the only explanation was that he was completely ignorant.
As Old Yu was shocked, the power of his palm also diminished a little.
Yang Kai directly charged forward for more than a thousand metres and reached a spot that was just several dozen metres away from Old Yu.
However, that was as far as he could go. Old Yu used a different hand seal again, which forced him to stop in his tracks as he was bound in place by an immense force. Regardless of how hard he tried, Yang Kai was unable to move forward at all.
“Since you court death, this Old Master will grant it to you!” Old Yu snorted. With a gaze filled with mockery, he stared at Yang Kai and raised his hand in an attempt to land a palm on his head. Following his movement, a green hand that was made from World Force appeared above Yang Kai’s head.
At this life-or-death moment, Yang Kai flashed a grin all of a sudden.
Seeing that, Old Yu suddenly had a bad premonition. Although he had no idea where this feeling was coming from, he was extremely alarmed as though something terrible was about to happen.
Right then, Yang Kai pushed out a beam of golden light. There seemed to be a large feather hidden in the golden light as a ferocious aura burst forth.
Old Yu widened his eyes as all his bodily hair was standing on end. There was a chill that shot up from the soles of his feet to the tip of his head and without hesitating, he surged his power to form a protective barrier around himself. Simultaneously, he dashed back to widen his gap with Yang Kai.
As the golden light expanded, a gigantic golden rooster abruptly appeared. It was so enormous that it was as though it could prop up the Heavens themselves. Upon its appearance, the entire Sealed World shook violently, as though it was unable to bear the rooster’s might.
Old Yu’s eyeballs seemed to be shaking as he stared fixedly at the golden rooster. Right then, a name that could stir up a primordial sense of fear flashed across his mind as he exclaimed, “Mie Meng!”
Even Qin Ji and the others, who were battling against the Proprietress, were stunned. The elderly man, Ling Chun Qiu even had the urge to turn around and flee.
Mie Meng was an infamous and horrifying beast in the 3,000 Worlds. An adult Mie Meng was as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Although it was ranked lower than Dragons or Phoenixes, Mid-Rank cultivators like them were completely powerless before a Mie Meng. If the beast became enraged, it could easily kill them all with its pressure alone.
None of them understood why a Mie Meng would appear in this place all of a sudden; however, they soon saw through the beast and realised that it wasn’t a real Mie Meng. It was just Mie Meng’s Divine Ability! Upon that realization, Qin Ji and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
However, Old Yu’s Soul almost left his body. He was just a Fourth-Order cultivator, so how was he able to go against this Mie Meng’s Divine Ability? Although he had escaped as soon as he detected danger, he still didn’t feel safe.
Mie Meng’s gaze appeared dispassionate, as though it had seen through all the mysteries of the world. After shooting a cold glance at Old Yu, it extended its neck and landed a peck on him like a chicken trying to pick up a worm. The beast was completely at ease.
Old Yu, who was running away at full speed, was really nothing more than a worm to Mie Meng.
Faced with imminent death, Old Yu exclaimed in horror, “Save me!”
No one could save him though as they hadn’t expected that even though Old Yu was just going to deal with Bai Qi and Yang Kai, he would still fall into danger. Moreover, all of their attention was focused on the Proprietress, so no one could lend him a hand. More importantly, it was too late to do anything.
Following Mie Meng’s peck, Old Yu suddenly froze on the spot and hung his head low. Like a rubber ball that was punctured and deflated, his Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm aura was rapidly leaving his body.
Right then, a huge hole appeared in his chest, one that went clean from front to back, exposing what was left of his organs inside.
It could be said that he had suffered a fatal injury. Nevertheless, a Mid-Rank cultivator had incredibly high vitality. Given the right conditions, he could still stand a chance to heal his wound.
Nevertheless, even though his physical body still remained, there wasn’t a Soul left in his battered figure. Right then, a shriek was heard coming from the other side. It was Old Yu’s voice.
Yang Kai lifted his head, whereupon his pupils contracted. At the moment, Mie Meng was widening its mouth in an attempt to gobble up a vague figure.
He could clearly see that the vague figure was actually Old Yu’s Soul. The sight horrified Yang Kai, but at the same time, he was gleeful.
Following the beast’s peck, not only had it destroyed Old Yu’s body, but it had also pulled out his Soul, which would go into the beast’s stomach soon.
Ignoring Old Yu’s plea, Mie Meng directly gulped down his Soul and then looked down at Yang Kai. The next instant, its gigantic figure fell apart and turned into wisps of golden light before leaving with the wind.
Yang Kai grit his teeth as he was reluctant to part with his last golden tail feather. He had intended to use it to deal with Ling Chun Qiu or Yue He to ease the Proprietress’ burden, but in the end, he had wasted it on Old Yu instead.
In fact, it couldn’t be said that the golden tail feather had been wasted. If he hadn’t used it on Old Yu, Bai Qi would’ve fallen into danger. Now, he had nothing else that could be used to help the Proprietress, so he could only hope that Bai Qi could break through as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, he realised that he had underestimated the Proprietress’ strength. A Fourth-Order cultivator wasn’t even able to endure a Mie Meng’s strike, so could a Fifth-Order cultivator survive? That person would probably end up in the same state.
The Proprietress, who had only suffered a minor injury after getting struck by Mie Meng’s Divine Ability in the past, surely possessed an above-average power for her Order.
Turning his head, Yang Kai realised that the Proprietress had actually turned the situation around as neither party had gotten the upper hand. Moreover, while these people were fighting against the Proprietress, they now had to pay some attention to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he knew that they must have been horrified by Mie Meng’s fatal attack earlier, which was why they now had to branch out some attention to him. Nevertheless, they were not aware that it was the last golden tail feather he had.
His gaze darted around as his lips curved into a wicked smile, whereupon he shuffled towards the battlefield. As expected, when he got closer to them, Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He trembled. Only Qin Ji was able to remain unfazed.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qin Ji yelled at the most critical moment, “This brat is weak. So what if he’s still able to summon Mie Meng? As long as he can’t come close to the battlefield, he will never be a threat to us!”
Qin Ji had hit the nail on the head, which allowed Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He to heave a sigh of relief. Both of them thought that he was right. Even if Yang Kai was still able to activate Mie Meng’s Divine Ability, he wouldn’t pose a threat to them as long as he couldn’t go near the battlefield.
It was then they realised why Yang Kai, who was much weaker, repeatedly attempted to charge towards the battlefield. It was because he was trying to launch a sneak attack on them. At that instant, they were reeling from shock. If he managed to come close enough to them, one of them would’ve been killed instead of Old Yu.
They were not confident about parrying Mie Meng’s strike.
At the thought of this, they stopped holding back as their violent forces swept out again. In mid-air, the Proprietress wielded a whip as her weapon, stirring up gales and bringing down beams of lightning. The innumerable whip shadows not only protected her but also Bai Qi in the lake.
Nevertheless, even though she was powerful, she still couldn’t fully use her power given the worries she had; therefore, not long after she flipped the situation around thanks to Yang Kai, she fell into a disadvantage again.
Qin Ji and the others widened their eyes as their gazes were filled with anxiety and disbelief, however. They had done their best to overestimate the Proprietress’ strength, but after they traded moves with her, they realised that they had still underestimated her.
Presently, a Sixth-Order cultivator and two Fifth-Order cultivators had joined forces to battle against the Proprietress, who could only use seventy percent of her strength, but they still found it difficult to deal with her. If she was able to fully use her power, all three of them wouldn’t be a match for her.
There was a dark expression on Qin Ji’s face as he bellowed, “It seems that this bitch is close to ascending to the Seventh Order! If we don’t kill her today, we’ll all die in the future!”
After he finished speaking, the pupils of Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He contracted. A thousand years ago, this woman was already a Sixth-Order cultivator. Because of a person’s death, she had slaughtered countless people in the 3,000 Worlds. One thousand years had passed, so there was no way she hadn’t improved at all. It was apparent that she was close to ascending to the Seventh Order.
A thousand years ago, she was already able to turn the 3,000 Worlds upside down, so if she successfully reached the Seventh Order, none of them would be safe from her revenge.
Therefore, after Qin Ji finished speaking, all three of them didn’t dare to hold back again as they brought out their trump cards to deal with the Proprietress.
Just then, the lake, which was protected by the Proprietress’ Spirit Array, exuded a series of abstruse fluctuations. The fluctuations were so profound that it was as though a whole new world was about to be born.
“Damn it!” Qin Ji’s expression changed as he stared solemnly at the lake, “Bai Qi is about to break through!”
All of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters, so they were familiar with these fluctuations. Apparently, it was the sign of a cultivator ascending to the Open Heaven Realm as Heaven and Earth split apart in their body.
At this moment, the lake was still protected by the Spirit Array, but the fluctuations were still felt coming from it, which went to show that his ascension wouldn’t be a quiet one.
If his ascension was this vigorous, it meant that the Order he was going to achieve wouldn’t be low. It was just like what they had found out. They knew that Bai Qi was going to attain the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was why they made use of Fifth-Order Yang Sprites to attract the Proprietress to come over.
If Bai Qi successfully broke through at this point, all of them would be doomed.
At that instant, Qin Ji yelled, “Lady Yue He!”
Hearing that, the alluring woman got his hint and made a feint to leave the battlefield as she charged towards the lake. The pressure on Qin Ji and Ling Cun Qiu intensified as they were left to deal with the Proprietress.
Soon, Yue He was about to reach the lake. Seeing that, a flustered Yang Kai directly held his spear and came her way. With his spear pointing at the front, he suppressed his power and yelled, “I’ll kill you if you dare come any closer!”
It was laughable for an Emperor Realm cultivator to threaten a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in such a way; however, after he used a Mie Meng’s Divine Ability to kill a Fourth-Order cultivator earlier, Yue He had to be wary of him. Thus, she decided to push out a palm at Yang Kai from a distance.
She was just trying to probe Yang Kai’s abilities, so she hadn’t used her full strength. That was because she was worried that he would summon Mie Meng again.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have any golden tail feathers left. His warning was only a threat without any substance. Faced with her palm, he wasn’t even sure if he should flee or parry. At that moment, he felt an extremely bitter taste in his mouth, but behind him was Bai Qi who was about to break through, so he still gritted his teeth and extended his spear.
Following a loud boom, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backwards. While he was in mid-air, all his bones started cracking.
Although it was just a probing move from a Fifth-Order cultivator, Yang Kai was completely powerless to resist it and became severely injured after just one strike.
Seeing that, Yue He appeared elated as she knew that Yang Kai had no more trump cards left. He wouldn’t have become so battered if he could still summon Mie Meng. Without hesitation, she dashed towards the lake and raised her delicate hands before making her palms face the lake. It was apparent that she was about to launch an attack.
“You dare!” Yang Kai bellowed and, ignoring his own injuries, returned to the lake. There was a fist-sized black energy ball in front of the spear that contained a power that could shred worlds. With his hair hung loose on his shoulders, he shot towards the woman.
After shooting him a cold glare, Yue He performed a hand seal with one hand as an abstruse force whirled around her finger.
However, before she could stick out her finger, she fell into a dazed state as she stared at the young man in front of her. The blood-soaked Yang Kai, whose hair was a mess, looked just like a man she knew from a thousand years ago.
“Ting Yu?” She muttered in a shaking voice. Earlier, she hadn’t paid any attention to Yang Kai as he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so she didn’t have any regard for him at all. The reason she was here was to get even with the Proprietress. When she injured this man just now, she didn’t even bother to spare him a glance.
Nevertheless, at this moment, she was shocked to realise that this Emperor Realm Junior was the spitting image of a person she once knew, especially his demeanour when he was charging forward despite the fact that his clothes were drenched in blood and his hair was unkempt.
In the past, that person looked just like him! Painful memories from a time long gone by came over her and caused her to freeze unnaturally.
“Lady Yue He, watch out!” Suddenly, she heard Qin Ji anxiously calling out to her, which brought her back to reality. She became alarmed as she felt a ferocious aura coming at her from behind.
It was the Proprietress who shot towards her. Seeing as she intended to disturb Bai Qi, the Proprietress decided to forcefully break off her battle with Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu to launch an attack on Yue He instead.
“Courting death!” Ling Chun Qiu was both infuriated and elated. He was infuriated because the Proprietress decided to save her subordinate at this critical moment, thus exposing her back to them. Did she have no regard for Qin Ji and him at all? On the other hand, he was elated because he and Qin Ji could make a move on her without worries. In that case, the Proprietress would be seriously injured or even killed.
Upon trading glances, they saw the murderous intent behind each other’s gazes. Holding back no more, they pushed out their Divine Abilities at her.
Loud booms were heard as the entire world shook. Following that, a grunt and a shriek were respectively heard.
The entire universe seemed to have fallen silent as Yang Kai’s heavy breathing reverberated. All of them stared fixedly at the small lake, which became the centre of attention at this point.
Yue He was sent flying forward as her back had been wounded. It wasn’t so easy to bear the Proprietress’ whip, which was surrounded by gales and lightning. Her Soul almost left her body upon impact. In comparison, Yang Kai didn’t manage to even touch her with his Azure Dragon Spear.
Fortunately for Yue He, the Proprietress had to divert some energy to parry the attacks from Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu, so she hadn’t managed to fully exert her force with the whip; otherwise, this woman would’ve lost her life by now.
With that said, Yue He’s face had turned ashen, and her aura had become unstable. She was still reeling from the impact.
On the other hand, Yang Kai wasn’t any better off. After Yue He was struck, he was also attacked by her as he was sent flying backwards several dozen kilometres before he managed to stabilise himself. His five viscera and six organs churned in his body as he panted heavily.
Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu didn’t even spare Yue He a glance, nor were they concerned about Yang Kai’s life or death. They were just staring fixedly at the Proprietress.
At this moment, some diamond-shaped transparent shields were whirling around the Proprietress. The shields were full of cracks, and when the battle seemed to have stopped, all the shields broke apart. The Proprietress spat a mouthful of blood as she was clearly injured. Ignoring her wounds though, she stared attentively at the lake.
*Ka…*
A crisp crack was heard as everything in the world seemed to have come back to life.
Both Yang Kai and the Proprietress turned ashen, while Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu heaved a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Yue He was gaping at Yang Kai as she had fallen into a dazed state.
*Kacha…*
More cracking sounds were heard, and just three breaths of time later, gaps started appearing on the array that was arranged by the Proprietress.
After all, no one could protect the array at that time, which was why it wasn’t able to fend off Yue He’s strike.
Following a crash, the array broke apart, and all the mist evaporated in an instant, revealing a figure who was seated at the bottom of the lake.
Bai Qi was seen seated with his legs crossed. The Yang Element at the bottom of the lake was gone as it had been absorbed by him; however, at this moment, the power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements around him were a mess. The illusory phantom of the Small Universe World kept flickering as though it was going to fall apart at any moment.
Bai Qi looked up at the Proprietress. There was a bitter and unwilling smile on his face. He parted his lips in an attempt to say something, but he kept silent eventually.
He had been cultivating for a thousand years for this moment, but in the end, all his efforts had gone to waste. During the most important moment of his breakthrough, he was interrupted by a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; therefore, despite the fact that he had done his best, he was unable to complete his ascension.
It was just a matter of time before the embryonic Small Universe World in his body disintegrated. Once that happened, the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements would explode and he would die without a complete corpse.
The Proprietress looked down at Bai Qi, who was inside the lake. The clear lake water wasn’t able to shut out her apologetic gaze. The light went out in her usually bright eyes, which could easily arouse anyone’s pity.
She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, a violent aura radiated from her as her hair flapped in the air. Glaring at Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu, she grit her teeth and said words that could freeze anyone’s Soul, “If this Queen doesn’t trample flat all of your forces, she shall never ascend to the Seventh Order!”
Following that, the expressions of Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu changed drastically. Since she had taken such an oath, it suggested that she was determined to fight them to the death.
At this moment, Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu couldn’t help wondering whether they had done the right thing by ruining Bai Qi’s breakthrough. If they had just allowed him to ascend, they could have made use of him to restrict the Proprietress and ensure that she couldn’t fully use her power.
However, now, Bai Qi had lost hope of ascension, and he was bound to perish. Presently, the Proprietress was infuriated, and there was nothing left to restrain her.
Then, she wielded her whip, which was surrounded by lightning and wind, at Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu. Although she was injured, she had become even more imposing than earlier. The whip brought with it a horrifying force, which caused the brows of Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu to twitch.
Faced with such a violent strike, neither of them had the guts to directly take it; therefore, they hurriedly dodged to the side.
With a loud boom, the whip landed on the ground, which caused it to collapse. It was as though two worlds had collided with one another. A hideous burn mark appeared in the void that seemed impossible to be repaired.
Nonetheless, before Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu could take a breather, the whip that was engulfed in lightning and strong wind broke though the void and came at them again.
Qin Ji felt his heart clench. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the Proprietress possessed such a terrifying power. He was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he thought that even though the Proprietress was stronger than he was, there wasn’t a huge gap between them; however, from the two strikes she had just launched, he came to the realisation that she was significantly stronger than he was.
The soft whip danced in the air and brought with it lightning and wind. Even though Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu had joined forces, they could only resist her attack but not counterattack. Presently, they looked completely battered. Cracks had been formed on the ground upon impact as both the Sealed World and the void were trembling violently.
With no one else to hold her back, the Proprietress didn’t have to worry about anything again. The Sealed World was unable to contain her world-destroying fury, so it was just a matter of time before it collapsed.
“Quickly help us!” Qin Ji bellowed.
Upon hearing that, Yue He finally came to her senses and took a longing glance at Yang Kai before striding towards the battlefield.
The next instant, rumbling sounds were continuously heard as fallout swept across the entire world. As World Force undulated, four figures engaged in a life-and-death melee.
In the end, a Sealing Yang Domain was just a type of Sealed World, so it was unable to withstand the impact of the battle between four Mid-Rank cultivators. Furthermore, the Proprietress was determined to kill all of them, so she no longer held back any of her power. In just a short moment, the Sealing Yang Domain started showing signs of collapse as chaotic Space Principles began flooding the world.
Yang Kai was unable to interfere in such a battle. Although he was worried about the Proprietress, there was nothing much he could do at the moment. After stuffing some pills into his mouth, he rushed towards Bai Qi and stared at him. He parted his lips for a moment, but he wasn’t sure what to say.
It had only been a short time since they got to know each other, but they got along well, so Bai Qi could be considered his first proper friend since he arrived in the Outer Universe.
Yang Kai thought that Bai Qi would achieve a massive breakthrough today and make a name for himself in the Outer Universe, but the latter was pushed into an abyss at the most critical moment.
“Everyone’s fate is different, so I guess it’s the end for me now,” Bai Qi put on a sorrowful smile. Although he was still trying his best to maintain the balance of power in his body, it wasn’t easy to bring order to the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements that had fallen into chaos. Presently, they were rampaging around in his body and clashing with one another. Blood was streaming out from his pores, which made him look quite pitiful.
Yang Kai licked his dry lips and asked, “What’s going to happen to you?”
“If I’m lucky, my Martial Dao will be destroyed. However, if I’m unlucky, my Soul will perish.” Bai Qi forced a smile, “Whatever the outcome, I’ll never be able to serve the Proprietress again.”
“Don’t overthink it…”
In a bitter voice, Bai Qi replied, “I’m fully aware of the situation I’m in…”
While they were speaking, rumbling sounds were heard as the entire ground shook. Finally, the Sealed World was unable to bear the fallout from the battle between these four Mid-Rank cultivators anymore and began to break apart.
When the Seal World disintegrated, the disarrayed Space Principles came at them from all directions. The average Emperor Realm Master could do nothing but be swept away by this flow and be dragged into the Void Crack.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so he hurriedly manipulated Space Principles to protect Bai Qi and himself before fleeing the chaotic Void.
Raising his head, he realised that the Proprietress and her opponents had also left the Sealed World. The Proprietress looked worriedly in their direction, but upon seeing that Yang Kai and Bai Qi were safe, she became at ease.
On the other hand, Qin Ji sported a dark expression as he was heartbroken.
This Sealing Yang Domain was a secret place that belonged to Golden Rainbow Province. In this place, the Power of Yang was basically inexhaustible. With this Domain in possession, Golden Rainbow Province might be able to become one of the top great forces in the future. Now that it was destroyed in this battle, he was expected to be mournful.
However, it wasn’t the time to cry over what had already come to pass. Dealing with Lan You Ruo’s limitless fury was his most pressing issue. Fortunately, they weren’t the only people who had come here to get their revenge; otherwise, things would’ve gotten out of hand. After letting out a breath, Qin Ji bellowed, “Elder Hai, what are you waiting for? Make your move now!”
After he finished speaking, a sword light shot towards them from a distance. The sword light appeared so sharp that it was as though it could cut apart the stars themselves.
No one could have expected that Qin Ji and the others still had another helper. Moreover, judging from the person’s strike, he must be stronger than Qin Ji.
The unsuspecting Proprietress hadn’t expected this as well, so it was already too late when she came to her senses. Although she had wielded her whip to parry the blow, the sword light still pierced through the whip shadows and slashed at her tender figure.
Blood spurted out of the Proprietress’ wounds as she was sent flying backwards for three kilometres before she was able to stabilise herself. Looking up, she saw a person striding forward through the void, an azure blue sword in his hand as Sword Intent surged around him.
“Hai Ping Le!” The Proprietress narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at that person.
On the other hand, Bai Qi’s expression changed drastically, “Damn it! He’s also here!”
Yang Kai had no idea who Hai Ping Le was, but he was aware that the latter was a Sixth-Order Master. At that instant, he was shocked as he wondered what the Proprietress had done in the past that so many people wanted to retaliate against her.
Bai Qi forced a smile, “The Young Master Hai you came across some time ago was Hai Ping Le’s Grandson.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was stunned as he hadn’t expected that this had something to do with that wastrel Young Master Hai. It was also only now that Yang Kai understood why Young Master Hai was so arrogant and aloof. That was because the latter had a powerful backer. However, even though they had gotten into a conflict in the Star City some time ago, there were no real grudges between them. After Young Master Hai was punished by those from Great Battle Heaven, they should be considered even. So, why was Hai Ping Le adding insult to injury at this point?
Bai Qi seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s doubts, so he said grimly, “The Proprietress killed that Young Master Hai.”
“What?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Bai Qi went on to say, “Proprietress is extremely protective of her subordinates. That guy oppressed you and made you suffer two whips; hence, there was no way Proprietress would let him off. She killed him outside of the Star City.”
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state. He indeed hated Young Master Hai, who made him suffer two strokes from the Dragon Fang Whip. He still felt his back aching by just recalling that incident; however, that was just a trivial conflict between them, not a blood feud. It had been quite some time since the incident happened, and Yang Kai had almost forgotten about it. Nevertheless, it never crossed his mind that the Proprietress had actually killed the other party.
With a grin, Bai Qi said, “If any one of us in First Inn came across such an incident, the Proprietress might not have made such a big fuss; however, you’re different.”
“Me? How am I different?”
Bai Qi stared fixedly at him for a long time before letting out a long breath, “Anyway, you just have to remember that the Proprietress treasures you. You’re important to her.”
A puzzled Yang Kai gazed at him.
Lowering his head, Bai Qi put on a helpless smile. He couldn’t really explain it to Yang Kai as the incident happened ages ago.
While they were having a chat, the war in the void reignited. Hai Ping Le stormed into the battlefield as sword lights flashed from his weapon. The Proprietress was already injured earlier. She could still manage to deal with Qin Ji and the others, but upon Hai Ping Le’s arrival, things were becoming more difficult for her.
With that said, given her strength, even though she was facing so many opponents on her own, she wouldn’t fall into fatal danger anytime soon.
At this moment, Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to keep chatting with Bai Qi. With a worried expression, he stared attentively at the battlefield. In such a situation, he wondered if the Proprietress could still turn things around.
While the Proprietress was locked in an intense battle, she turned to look in their direction. As their eyes met, Yang Kai could clearly see that her gaze appeared apologetic and longing. Then, she whirled around and wielded her whip. As she was battling, she pushed her opponents further away from this place.
Apparently, she didn’t want the fallout of the battle to affect Yang Kai and Bai Qi; however, by forcefully drawing her opponents away to a different place, it would exacerbate the perilous situation she was already in.
Like a group of sharks that had tasted blood, Qin Ji and the others would never let the Proprietress off while they directly ignored Yang Kai and Bai Qi.
After all, to them, Bai Qi had failed in his attempt to break through, so he would either perish or become a cripple soon; therefore, they didn’t have to pay any attention to him. As for Yang Kai, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so it was unlikely that he could raise a fuss. As long as they could kill the Proprietress, they’d be the winners.
In just over ten breaths’ time, the battle had moved far enough away to no longer be visible.
Bai Qi sprayed out a mouthful of blood and grabbed Yang Kai’s arms, “Leave! Go back to First Inn in the Star City and tell the chef to inform the Owner about this. Otherwise, the Proprietress will end up in a terrible state.”
In fact, Yang Kai had met the Owner of First Inn before. He was a High-Rank Master. At that time, the Golden Crow corpse had fallen into his hands in the end. If he could stand up for the Proprietress, things would become easier.
Balling up his fists, Yang Kai said, “What about you?”
If he escaped now, Bai Qi would be left alone here to perish. Nevertheless, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to touch Bai Qi at this moment. Moreover, this place was extremely far away from First Inn. By the time he managed to return to the inn, it would be too late as the outcome would have become irreversible by then.
“Forget about me! Just go!” Bai Qi forcefully pushed him away, which irritated his aura and caused him to spray out a mouthful of blood again.
An astounded Yang Kai rushed over and clumsily fished out some pills from his Space Ring before stuffing them into Bai Qi’s mouth.
“It’s useless…” Bai Qi put on a bitter smile, “No pills will be useful if they can’t bring order to the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements in my body.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai became stunned and widened his eyes as though he had discovered something amazing. Seeing that, Bai Qi bellowed, “Do you understand that Proprietress is in mortal danger or not!? Stop dilly-dallying and get back to First Inn now!”
If it weren’t because he was weak, he would’ve kicked Yang Kai away.
However, Yang Kai stared at him with a pair of bright eyes and declared, “Old Bai, perhaps you can still be saved!”
“Nonsense!” Bai Qi yelled. Given his condition, even a High-Rank Master would be unable to save him, let alone a mere Emperor Realm cultivator like Yang Kai.
“I have a way that might be able to save you. If it fails, you must not blame me, but if it works, you have to buy me a few drinks!” After Yang Kai finished speaking, he took out a jade bottle and opened the lid. Then, he pried open Bai Qi’s mouth and poured the liquid into it.
An unsuspecting Bai Qi directly gulped it down, but before he could ask anything, he suddenly straightened and stared at him with widened eyes, his face transformed by disbelief.
“How is it?” Yang Kai looked nervously at him.
After a long time, Bai Qi’s eyes brightened. As though he finally realised something, he exclaimed, “World Source Liquid?”
“Will it work or not!?” Yang Kai had the urge to land a kick on him. He couldn’t believe that all Bai Qi was more concerned about what the liquid was than whether it would help him or not.
“Do you have more?” Bai Qi smacked his lips as seemed to develop a craving.
“En,” Yang Kai directly fished out another bottle of World Source Liquid and poured it into Bai Qi’s mouth.
After chugging it down, Bai Qi took a deep breath and, unlike how dejected he was a moment ago, he had a look of determination and joy as he declared, “Stay back. Today, this Old Bai will ascend to the Open Heaven Realm and comprehend the Grand Dao!”
Decisively, Yang Kai flew 100 kilometres away before stopping in his tracks.
Looking from afar, he could see that Bai Qi had sat down in the void with his legs crossed while performing a set of hand seals. Although he was 100 kilometres away, Yang Kai could still clearly feel that the violent force around Bai Qi had rapidly calmed down as an abstruse aura undulated.
[It works!] Seeing that, Yang Kai was finally able to be at ease.
The idea of letting Bai Qi consume World Source Liquid suddenly crossed his mind at that time, but he wasn’t sure whether it would work.
He had obtained a large quantity of World Source Liquid from the Profound Heavens Temple Sealed World back in the Star Boundary. It was a kind of liquid that was formed alongside the birth of a world. Since he collected it though, Yang Kai had not found a use for it at all.
In the past, he had heard someone mention that the reason Iron Blood Great Emperor was stronger than the other Great Emperors was that he had consumed a cup of World Source Liquid before in the Profound Heavens Temple.
Yang Kai had also drunk the liquid, and as it entered his stomach, he seemed to experience Heaven and Earth splitting apart in his body, sending him into a deep state of enlightenment, one he still remembered vividly. Now, the problem with Bai Qi was that the Powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements he had condensed were thrown into chaos, destabilizing the new Small Universe inside his body. Therefore, Yang Kai guessed that World Source Liquid might be useful to him.
Now, it seemed that the liquid wasn’t just useful, it was actually the perfect cure.
As time passed, Bai Qi’s aura stopped undulating chaotically as the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements started smoothly blending in his body. A hint of World Force exuded from his body, as if a new world had just been born.
An excited Yang Kai stared fixedly at him. It would take a long time before he could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, but after observing what Bai Qi had been going through, he would be better prepared to deal with any issues in the future.
*Hong…*
A muffled sound spread from 100 kilometres away. The chiming sound of a bell was heard coming from Bai Qi’s body, and following the sound, with his body as the centre, a great shockwave spread out.
Several more shockwaves erupted soon after, each time causing his aura to become more solidified.
*Hong! Hong! Hong!*
The shockwaves continuously reverberated as Bai Qi’s aura became increasingly more powerful. There wasn’t a tinge of chaos anymore while a vague illusory phantom began appearing behind his back.
Initially, the illusory phantom was unclear, but as time passed, it slowly materialised.
After taking a glance, Yang Kai was amazed as the illusory phantom took the form of First Inn. As he looked at the illusory phantom, it was as though he had returned to the inn.
[This must be Old Bai’s Small Universe!] Yang Kai thought.
Prior to this, he had only seen the Small Universe of a single Open Heaven Realm Master, which was the one that belonged to the Protector Venerable of Fire Spirit Island in Seven Wonders Land, Duan Hai. After Yang Kai was swallowed by a Myriad Facets Insect, which separated him from Zhang Ruo Xi, he was then brought to that world by Duan Hai. It was an expansive ocean where there was a lonely island.
It seemed that the Small Universe World of every cultivator was different. Bai Qi was a shop hand of First Inn, so the inn was profoundly meaningful to him; therefore, his Small Universe after he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm was modelled after First Inn.
That realisation made Yang Kai fall into deep contemplation.
Bai Qi’s condition had stabilised, so it was just a matter of time before he could achieve his ascension. On the other hand, Yang Kai was severely injured, so he decided to sit down and adjust his breathing to recuperate.
As time passed, the aura coming from Bai Qi became richer, and slowly, the initially vague Small Universe World became solidified. All of a sudden, an awe-inspiring power exuded from him.
While in the void, Bai Qi opened his bright eyes and lifted his head to unleash a howl, shaking the world around him.
The Small Universe flashed and disappeared into Bai Qi’s body in the next moment.
Following that, Yang Kai saw a figure appearing in front of him all of a sudden. Bai Qi had crossed the distance of 100 kilometres and flashed a smile at him, “You don’t have to congratulate me, and I’ll be sure to buy you those drinks later. How many days have passed so far?”
“About seven or eight,” Yang Kai replied.
It was difficult to keep track of the time in this void, but supposedly, it had been seven to eight days since Bai Qi took World Source Liquid.
Yang Kai felt fortunate that no top cultivator had passed by this place during this period of time; otherwise, they would’ve been alerted.
“It’s been seven to eight days… I wonder whether the Proprietress is still alright,” Bai Qi frowned with a worried expression. Previously, he and Yang Kai saw the Proprietress battling against four Mid-Rank cultivators, two Sixth-Order and two Fifth-Order. They went further away until they disappeared, and although the Proprietress was strong, she was injured. Moreover, she was dealing with four people on her own, so how was she supposed to be a match for them?
Yang Kai replied in a grim voice, “The Proprietress isn’t a fool. Knowing that she wasn’t a match for them, there was no way she’d keep fighting against them. If I were her, I would’ve snuck into a Universe Temple or Star City in Golden Rainbow Territory.”
Hearing that, Bai Qi nodded his head, “You’re right. In that case, it’s more likely that she had gone to the nearest Universe Temple.”
It wasn’t certain who managed the Star City in Golden Rainbow Territory, but if it wasn’t a force like Great Battle Heaven, fights might be allowed in the city, which made it useless for the Proprietress to go there. On the other hand, conflict was strictly forbidden inside all Universe Temples; otherwise, the troublemakers would have to go up against all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. No one in the 3,000 Worlds had the guts to do such a thing.
“Let’s go to the Universe Temple,” Bai Qi made the decision.
“Do you need to consolidate your breakthrough first?” Yang Kai asked. Bai Qi had just achieved a massive increase in strength, so he wasn’t familiar with his power as an Open Heaven Realm Master yet. Although he was now a Fifth-Order cultivator, it was hard to tell how much power he could unleash when in combat.
“We have no time. I’ll familiarise myself with it slowly.” After Bai Qi finished speaking, he started using the Universe Transference Law.
When he turned his head and saw Yang Kai looking helplessly at him, he smacked his own head, “Ah! I forgot you haven’t left an Imprint in the Universe Temple in Golden Rainbow Territory.”
Without leaving an Imprint, one couldn’t use the Universe Transference Law to head to that specific Universe Temple.
“Go. I’ll just slowly fly over,” Yang Kai spoke as he fished out his Universe Chart and ascertained the location, “It’s not far in any case. It’ll only take me four to five days to reach there.”
A hesitant Bai Qi said, “But, if you’re on your own…”
Yang Kai replied in a solemn voice, “I’ll be alright. You should immediately look for Proprietress,” Recalling the expression on the Proprietress’ face before she left, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. If it weren’t because she wanted to ensure their safety, she wouldn’t have moved the battlefield forcefully, giving her opponents an even bigger advantage.
Bai Qi knew that they had no time to waste. It had taken him seven to eight days to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, so the Proprietress might have fallen into an even more perilous situation by now. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Alright. You must be careful.”
In response, Yang Kai gave a nod.
A light engulfed Bai Qi as he activated the Universe Transference Law without any hesitation. After a bright Array started glowing beneath his feet, he disappeared from the spot the next moment.
Seeing that he was gone, Yang Kai shot off towards the Universe Temple.
Based on what he had seen in his Universe Chart, it would take him four to five days to reach the Universe Temple. Even if he charged forward at full speed, it would still take him about three days.
At that moment, he was extremely worried about the Proprietress. While he wondered if she had gotten out of the woods, he also hated Qin Ji and the others for being so devious and shameless. They had made use of a Sealing Yang Domain to lure the Proprietress into their trap.
It was a lonely journey to travel across the void as, unless by coincidence, it was difficult to come across anyone in this expansive universe.
Two days later, while Yang Kai was still heading to his destination though, he felt a Divine Sense scanning him from the front, which prompted him to straighten his face and lift his head.
There was no one within his range of sight, and after releasing his Divine Sense, he still couldn’t detect anything.
At that instant, he was aware that the owner of the Divine Sense was much stronger than he was, which was why he was unable to detect the other person’s presence. While he was lost in his thoughts, his expression changed suddenly. That was because the person’s Divine Sense had locked onto him instead of moving away.
Without even giving it a thought, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles to flee from this place, and when he reappeared, he was already several hundred kilometres away.
Whoever the owner of the Divine Sense was, the person must have had ill intentions to be targeting him; therefore, he had to flee immediately. He felt sorrowful as he was too weak now. When he was in the Star Boundary, he was one of the strongest Masters, but upon coming to the Outer Universe, any random Open Heaven Master could force him to flee like a timid rabbit. It seemed that he could only gain a footing in this place by breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, just like what Bai Qi had done.
However, the Divine Sense was still glued to him, and its intensity was growing stronger by the breath. Regardless of how many times Yang Kai used Instantaneous Movement, he was unable to shake off his pursuer. If anything, the gap between them was continuously shortening.
Half a day later, Yang Kai could finally sense the other person’s aura.
Upon scanning this person, Yang Kai was both shocked and enraged; then, he secretly cursed at her, [It’s that bitch!]
The person chasing after him was none other than Yue He, who had been battling against the Proprietress some time ago.
Since Yue He was here, it suggested that their battle had ended. Yang Kai felt his heart sinking as he instinctively felt that the Proprietress must have fallen into danger.
However, why was this woman chasing after a mere Emperor Realm cultivator like him? Judging from the direction she was approaching from, she must be coming from the Universe Temple; otherwise, they wouldn’t have bumped into one another.
While he was doubtful, he suddenly heard Yue He’s voice in his head, “Don’t you want to know whether Lan You Ruo is dead or alive?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai abruptly stopped. Despite knowing that it might be a trap, he still couldn’t move his feet away. Gnashing his teeth together, he turned around and waited in silence.
Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, unless he made use of Space Beacons, just like how he had done after leaving the Golden Crow Divine Palace previously, he would never be able to shake her off. However, even if he used Space Beacons, he might not succeed. The reasons he was able to get rid of the Proprietress and the others at that time were that he was lucky, and that all their attention was on the Golden Crow carcass, which was why he had the chance to distract them and flee, he wasn’t confident of achieving the same result this time.
Since it was just a matter of time before he was caught, Yang Kai decided to simply stop fleeing.
More importantly, he didn’t detect any murderous intent from Yue He, which was why he had the guts to take a risk.
Soon, Yue He appeared in his sight, and the next moment, she was already just ten kilometres away from him.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and shouted, “Don’t come any closer! Otherwise, I’ll make a move against you!” As he spoke, he performed a hand seal with a solemn expression.
Hearing that, Yue He stopped in her tracks and sized him up in silence.
It was then Yang Kai realised that this woman was severely injured, which made him feel gleeful as he knew that the Proprietress must have wounded her; however, he was still apprehensive because he had no idea what the outcome of the battle was.
There was a strange light in Yue He’s eyes as she flashed a smile at him, “Do you want to know whether Lan You Ruo is dead or alive?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai said resolutely.
After a sigh, Yue He replied, “Don’t worry. She’s not dead yet.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Do you think scum like you all could kill her? Dream on!”
Yue He asked, “Since you’re so confident in her, why did you stop fleeing? Wasn’t it because you were worried?”
“So what if I stopped? I just wanted to confirm my speculation.” Yang Kai shot her a glare, “All of you should be the ones who are worried now. Since the Proprietress is not dead, your days are numbered.”
“You’re right.” Yue He nodded lightly before letting out a cough, “Our days are indeed numbered. That’s why I’ve been looking for you.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “What’s the point of looking for me? Do you think I’ll persuade the Proprietress not to kill you?”
Yue He said, “As long as you’re in my hands, I believe that Big Sister Lan will not make things difficult for me. At the very least, she’ll talk to me peacefully.”
“Nonsense. I’m just a shop hand from First Inn. All of you failed in your attempt to kill Proprietress. After she recovers, she’ll settle the score with you all.”
Yue He’s expression changed as though she could already imagine that scene, but she still forced a smile, “Don’t underestimate yourself. Although you’re weak, you’re fairly important to Big Sister Lan.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai knitted his brows. Previously, Bai Qi had told him that the Proprietress treasured him, and now this Yue He had also said something similar, which puzzled him.
It had only been a short time since he and the Proprietress met. The only reason that brought them together was the destruction of First Inn. After giving it a thought, he realised that the Proprietress had indeed been taking good care of him since the beginning. Besides giving him Seven Faces and a Territory Shuttle, she had also gotten his Shadowless Veil refined by a Grandmaster. After his conflict with Young Master Hai, she even killed the latter outside the Star City.
In light of that, the Proprietress really had been treating him well.
“Big Sister Lan is severely injured, and she’s recuperating in a Universe Temple. It will take her six months to a year to recover.” Then, Yue He changed her tune, “Before she comes knocking on my door, I want you to follow me around.”
“What makes you think I’ll obey your order?”
With her mouth covered, Yue He giggled, “Although I’m wounded, I can still easily capture you.”
Yang Kai immediately used a different hand seal and bellowed, “I dare you to make a move! The same fate that befell the guy surnamed Yu will also happen to you!”
Yue He’s expression turned solemn as she recalled the sight of Old Yu getting killed by Mie Meng. Faced with that golden rooster, a Fourth-Order cultivator was completely powerless to resist and had his Soul separated from his body and gulped down. Although she was a Fifth-Order cultivator, she was heavily injured right now and was probably not any stronger than Old Yu was at that time.
As their gazes met, Yue He narrowed her eyes while Yang Kai looked provocatively at her.
A long time later, Yue He snorted, “How dare you bluff with me!”
Following that, she extended her hand towards him.
There was a bitter expression on Yang Kai’s face as he didn’t even put up any resistance as he let her grab his collar. Once a bluff was seen through, it became completely meaningless. He had no Mie Meng golden tail feathers left, so faced with a Master like Yue He, any resistance would only increase his suffering. Given their close proximity, he wouldn’t even have a chance to use Instantaneous Movement.
“You really were lying!” Yue He snorted and landed a knock that was neither gentle nor forceful on his head.
With his head covered, Yang Kai glared at her. No woman had ever knocked his head before, which was immensely humiliating; however, since he was weaker, he could only choke down the grievance.
“How dare you glare at me!” Yue He gave him another knock.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai took a few steps back and yelled, “I’m warning you! If you dare make a move on me again, don’t blame me for being rude!”
“Oh?” Yue He narrowed her eyes, “How are you going to be rude to me? Tell me about it.”
Yang Kai glowered at her, his chest heaving in fury.
All of a sudden, Yue He started laughing, “Alright. Why don’t we make a deal? I’m not really in the best of condition now, so I don’t want to waste any energy to restrict you, so as long as you don’t try to flee, I won’t make a move against you. It saves both of us the trouble.”
“That’s more like it,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction. Since this woman intended to use him as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Proprietress, she probably wouldn’t harm him. Since his life wasn’t at risk, he could rest assured.
Yue He slowly shook her head as she wasn’t in the mood to bicker with him. After identifying the direction, she said, “It’s decided, then. Come with me.”
After she finished speaking, she indeed left the place first to lead the way.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before giving up on the idea of fleeing. Yue He was facing away from him, but he believed that as soon as he attempted to run away, she would immediately make a move.
Faced with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, he didn’t have the confidence to escape. He secretly swore that when the Proprietress came over to fetch him, he would retaliate against this woman. [Proprietress will come fetch me, right?]
They didn’t speak to one another on the road as Yue He had to recuperate, and Yang Kai wasn’t interested in talking to her. Just like this, they travelled across the void and passed through a series of Territory Gates.
The way they got along with one another was rather odd. Although Yang Kai was supposedly her captive, she didn’t really make things difficult for him. Instead, she would deliberately slow her pace so that he could keep up.
After six or seven days, she finally recovered to a point where her strength wasn’t impeded. In fact, three days ago, she had started becoming talkative as she asked Yang Kai all sorts of questions.
When Yang Kai was in a good mood, he would briefly reply to her, but when he was in a bad mood, he would ignore her. Instead of getting mad though, she always sported a smile on her face, which made Yang Kai suspect that she might have something wrong with her head. The way she kept gazing at him was especially strange.
“After passing through this Territory Gate, we’ll have two more to go before we arrive at our destination.” Yue He pointed at the Territory Gate in front of them as she was flying.
“Your home is pretty far away,” Yang Kai followed her from a short distance in a calm manner. After a few days of getting along with her, he no longer felt as hostile towards her.
“It’s not that far away. We’ll have to visit the Star City over there as I’m going to buy something.”
Yang Kai didn’t say a word as he didn’t have a say in any matter. Yue He could go wherever she wanted to. However, how did this woman have the gall to bring him to a Star City? Wasn’t she worried that he’d simply walk off?
As though she had seen through his thoughts, Yue He turned her head and smiled, “That Star City is ownerless, so fighting is not forbidden there. You can try running away if you’d like.”
Yang Kai pressed his lips together. It was no wonder that she had the guts to do such a thing. They had passed by many Star Cities on the road, but she only wanted to visit this one. This must be the reason behind it.
After moving through the Territory Gate, Yue He indeed brought him to a Star City, which gave off a different vibe from the one First Inn was currently located in. Upon entering the city, Yang Kai realised that there were many small scuffles on the streets, and everywhere looked chaotic.
Many ill-intentioned people eyed them, and some men openly lusted after Yue He’s curvy figure.
However, her majestic aura made sure that no one dared find trouble with them.
Instead of a Star City, this place looked more like a black market to Yang Kai. This was like a gathering place for people who lived in the gutters of society.
This Star City was actually a few times larger than the one managed by Great Battle Heaven, and the streets were crammed with people. Yang Kai estimated that there were probably several hundred thousand people living here.
Next, he followed Yue He into several shops. Seeing as she spent money like water, he was astounded, thinking that a Fifth-Order cultivator was indeed wealthy.
Yue He bought all sorts of things, which were either for cultivating or treating her wounds. It was apparent that she was a regular in this Star City as she was familiar with some of the shopkeepers here.
After half a day, she was finally done with her shopping and without further delay, they prepared to leave.
Right then, the crowd broke into a commotion as they looked up at the sky. Certainly, Yang Kai and Yue He were aware of the unusual noise, so they stopped in their tracks and followed the crowd’s gazes as well.
Upon seeing what was happening, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown. Presently, the sky was covered in a large region of pink fog. The fog was so expansive that no one could see anything else, stunning many. Furthermore, this fog seemed to be descending from the sky rapidly towards them.
When Yang Kai first saw the pink fog, it was still very far away, but in the blink of an eye, it was already hovering above the Star City and getting closer.
“What is that?” A shocked Yang Kai instinctively had a bad premonition.
Before Yue He could reply to him though, some on the street exclaimed in horror, “Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog!”
Yue He’s expression changed drastically as she grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and yelled, “Run!”
In the next instant, Yang Kai felt his body becoming as light as a feather, and the view around him was moving backwards rapidly. Apparently, Yue He was trying her best to flee in an attempt to escape the pink fog.
Judging by Yue He’s current behaviour, it looked as if she was about to face a deadly adversary. This caused Yang Kai to be extremely nervous as well. He might not have any idea as to what the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, but he could guess that it was definitely something bad.
Everyone in the Star City immediately backed away before running to seek shelter.
When Yang Kai looked over his shoulders, his pupils immediately shrank. He saw that any cultivator who was unable to escape from the Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog disappeared into thin air. That pink mist was like an invisible beast, swallowing all the cultivators into its belly. No matter how high one’s cultivation was, they were unable to resist at all.
Yang Kai even saw a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master helpless to save himself even after going all out.
Not only was this happening to people, but even the buildings in the Star City and even the Spirit Province itself where the Star City was located weren’t spared. With the fog spreading around, the Spirit Province simply disappeared, buildings and all.
Three breaths, just three breaths had elapsed since Yang Kai noticed this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, and yet most of Star City had already disappeared, including everything and everyone inside of it.
Yue He clutched Yang Kai’s arm and desperately fled. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she could be considered quite strong and her speed was astonishing when she went all out, but even then, she couldn’t escape the chasing fog.
Seeing that the fog was about to catch up to them, Yang Kai shouted, extremely anxiously, “Let go!”
The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was too fast, so at this point, only Instantaneous Moment could give them a chance to escape, but Yue He was tightly gripping him, making it impossible for Yang Kai to use Space Principles freely.
But where would Yue He have the time to care about his words? Yang Kai might not have any idea about how dangerous the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, but she was very clear about it. When she sensed Yang Kai struggling, she injected a burst of energy straight into Yang Kai’s body without speaking a word.
Yang Kai’s body immediately went limp; he almost coughed up blood in anger!
And this momentary delay had denied them the best chance to escape. The pink Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog came sweeping from the rear, instantly enveloping the two inside.
The sight before Yang Kai’s eyes instantly changed as a feeling of the sky and the earth spinning around hit him. He was surrounded by a pink fog and couldn’t see anything, nor could he release his Divine Sense. Just when he was growing nervous and restless, he heard Yue He’s voice by his ear as an orchid-like fragrance tickled his nose.
“Don’t be afraid, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog isn’t lethal. We won’t die.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow upon hearing this, [Since it’s not lethal, why are so many cultivators in the Star City terrified at the sight of this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, and escaping from it as if it was some deadly snake or scorpion?] What’s more, he had witnessed with his own eyes countless cultivators being devoured by this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog. Could it be that those people were still alive?
His body drifted through the darkness as if it was falling into an endless abyss.
A soft and tender figure pressed against his hard and robust body. Even though he couldn’t see anything, Yang Kai still knew that it was Yue He and he secretly found it funny. A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master was actually feeling insecure and needed to cling to him for comfort?
However, he was rather curious at this moment.
He might have no idea what exactly this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, and what would happen after being swallowed by it, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with the sensation he was experiencing right now. It felt similar to when he crossed the Void to teleport extremely far away.
After a short time, the pink mist around him disappeared and his line of sight cleared up. As he looked around, he found himself having come to another world.
He was definitely not in the same Star City as before as he was now in a wide and endless plain. There were many cultivators scattered all around him; clearly, all of them were the unlucky folks that were just swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog.
When he looked up at the sky, Yang Kai furrowed his brow. What he saw was akin to looking at the face of oblivion. It appeared as if the sky would collapse at any moment, giving the onlooker an extreme feeling of oppression.
Also, there were many ruins scattered all around him. Judging by their shapes and plaques, they should be the remains of the stores of the Star City.
It was the first time Yang Kai saw the strange sight of even buildings getting devoured. He couldn’t help but be baffled by it.
All the cultivators, who had been swallowed here, showed different kinds of reactions; some were excited, some were depressed, and many were cursing the Heavens…
“The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!” Yue He, looking around, murmured, “I never expected the rumours to be true.”
“Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?” Yang Kai looked over at her. Finally, he realized that she had been grabbing his arm all the while, causing him to unconsciously glance down slightly.
Yue He immediately let go of his hand with a laugh, “The Outer Universe is incredibly vast and inhabited by numerous great forces, but in addition to the known worlds, there are some hidden in the Void such as this one, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary appears perhaps once in a millennium, and every time it does, it vanishes soon after. No one can find its traces no matter how much they try. The only way to enter is to chance upon the opportunity.”
“Opportunity?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En, this is both an opportunity and a disaster.” Yue He glanced at him, “The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is extremely mysterious. It’s very hard to find its traces as it’s detached from the Outer Universe. It’s not even among the 3,000 Worlds. If entering it is not an opportunity, then what is?”
Yang Kai sneered as he thought, [If it’s really an opportunity, why did you flee in panic after seeing it? Why are some cultivators cursing while others are rejoicing? Why have so many faces gone completely pale?]
Yue He’s face slowly became solemn as she continued in a heavy voice, “I have only heard the rumours, but supposedly, whenever the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary appears, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog manifests, and everything in the area shrouded in the fog would be completely devoured. But one would only believe the rumours to be true when they have finally seen it with their own eyes.”
Yang Kai ponderingly asked after hearing this, “You mean to say that we can leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?”
Yue He replied, “Of course. If there was no way out, how would rumours about the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary spread? It’s just that one can’t escape from this place by force. As long as one remains here for a certain duration, he or she can naturally leave this place.”
“And how long is that?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
After knowing that he could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he wasn’t so worried anymore. At least he wasn’t afraid of being trapped in this damned place for a lifetime.
“I’m not sure either. Some say that it’s ten years, some say it’s twenty, and some even say that it’s fifty to a hundred years. I guess that the time limit for each opening is different.”
Yang Kai’s face turned serious. He might be able to take it if it was just a decade or two, but if he was trapped for more than half a century, it would be really bad.
“The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary isn’t safe either. You must be very careful here.” Yue He continued, staring at him, “If twenty percent of those who enter this place leave alive, it’s considered quite good.”
“It’s that dangerous here?” Yang Kai asked, frowning.
Yue He agreed, nodding, “There are many Ancient Exotic Beasts living here, each and every one of them extremely strong. They can slaughter an entire city quite easily. Moreover… human greed is the most dangerous threat of all.” While speaking, she glanced at the cultivators around them, who had all kinds of expressions hanging on their faces.
Yang Kai slightly nodded before asking, “You said that it was an opportunity and a disaster. I understand the disaster, but where is the opportunity?”
Yue He chuckled, “The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opens once every thousand years or so, and the number of people who can enter it varies greatly each time. If the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept through the void, perhaps no one would be able to enter even if it opened. As far as I know, the last time someone entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was several millennia ago. No one has been here for several millennia, so all the treasures and precious herbs have had several millennia to mature. So tell me, is this a treasure trove or not?”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up after hearing this.
Yue He continued, “Some people found enough resources here that by the time they left, they were able to break through to the Open Heaven Realm and found great forces of their own. Others found the Grand Ancient Ruins Fruit which helped them advance by an Order. Some even managed to tame a powerful Ancient Exotic Beast, allowing them to freely roamed across the 3,000 Worlds. There are countless examples of people finding something here which helped them ascend to the sky in a single bound. Rumour has it that the Sect Masters of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, True Martial Cave Heaven, and Primordial Cave Heaven all once entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
Yang Kai was stupefied after hearing this. He had never heard of something called the Grand Ancient Ruins Fruit, but the fact that it could help someone to advance by an Order was simply incredible and Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder if such a treasure really existed.
Furthermore, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, True Martial Cave Heaven, and Primordial Cave Heaven were all top-ranked Cave-Heavens among the 36. Their Sect Masters were also Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. [If such figures had once entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, then does that mean that their strength and success had something to do with their experience here?]
Nothing could be said for certain, but after observing everyone’s expression and demeanour, Yang Kai was certain that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was indeed a treasure trove of opportunities, and the opportunities weren’t small either; otherwise, many cultivators wouldn’t be looking so excited.
Yue He suddenly frowned once again and muttered, “Too many people have entered this time though. I’m afraid there has never been so many people entering the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary like this ever before.”
It was just a coincidence that the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept over a heavily populated Star City. Yang Kai reckoned that not a single person could make a getaway from the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog and all of them were swallowed by it.
A few hundred thousand cultivators from the Star City were now gathered inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It could be said that this would go down in history. But Yang Kai felt that not that many people were gathered nearby. Presumably, everyone was scattered across the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary when they entered, so there were probably just a few tens of thousands of people nearby, that’s all.
Just as Yang Kai was immersed in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a sharp, miserable scream.
Yang Kai was startled, but when he turned to look, he saw a group of men crowded around a burly man with a sabre, confronting another group. And at the forefront of the other group stood a cultivator dressed as a shop boy. He appeared to be in pain and was covering his stomach with a frightened look on his face. There was a huge gaping wound across his body and he was profusely bleeding from it. Clearly, he had been injured by the burly man.
The burly man angrily shouted with a condescending look on his face, “I’ll say it again, get out of my way or die!”
The leader of the other group looked like the shopkeeper of a certain store. Hearing that, his expression changed and he cupped his fists and entreated, “All of us have landed in trouble together here. We should be supporting each other, not fighting amongst ourselves. My Spring Meadows Hall is not without a backer either. Aren’t you afraid of retribution in the future?”
The burly man sneered after hearing this, “Retribution? We’ll see if this retribution could do anything to this Old Master.”
Saying so, he slashed ahead. The shopkeeper’s face turned pale. He was just about to retreat but the burly man was stronger than him. As the burly man swung the blade down, the sabre aura shot from it directly split the shopkeeper into two and his two halves fell left and right.
When the shop boys standing behind the shopkeeper saw this, they screamed in horror before fleeing randomly.
The sabre-wielding burly man burst into wild laughter before instructing his subordinates, “Bring me all the pills in the store! Don’t leave even a single one behind.”
The group behind him then rushed out one after another, charging towards the collapsed store, whereupon they lifted the collapsed walls and stuffed the bottles of pills into their pockets.
“Human greed…” Yue He let out a burst of cold, sardonic laughter, but she had no intention of stepping in. From the start, this Star City was already a place of turmoil, not to mention the fact that it had been devoured by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, even if they were outside, people would often start fighting to death on the streets.
Yang Kai looked around and found quite a few similar scenes taking place. All the shops in the Star City were swallowed into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, not even the merchandise in the shops were spared. And now, when everyone had landed here and was completely cut off from the outside world, the goods in those stores had naturally become much sought-after. Especially stores like Spring Meadows Hall that sold pills, which were most cherished by the cultivators. Although the shopkeepers and the assistants tried everything to block the crowds, how could they stop these packs of wolves and tigers; they were swept away one after another, and the goods were swept clean thereafter.
“Stop! Whoever dares to touch anything belonging to my Spring Meadows Hall will die!” A fierce shout rang out as a nearby elderly man came flying over. He landed right before the ruins of the Spring Meadows Hall with a loud thump before his sharp gaze swept about condescendingly.
The assistants of the Spring Meadows Hall rejoiced after seeing this old man and gathered around him. One of the assistants immediately shouted, “Sir, you have to stand up for us. Not only did he rob us of our pills, but also killed the shopkeeper!”
The elderly man glanced at the shopkeeper lying on the ground before looking up at the burly man, “Were you the one who killed him?”
The burly man with the sabre furrowed his brow as a sliver of fear flashed past his eyes, but very soon, that trace amount of fear vanished as he arrogantly put his blade on his shoulder and stated, sneering, “Senior Kang, long time no see.”
The old man surnamed Kang rebuffed, coldly snorting, “Ding Yi, where did you get the courage to attack him even after clearly seeing that he was one of my men. I guess you have grown tired of living. If you obediently kneel down and cripple your cultivation yourself, this Old Master will let you live. If you dare to remain impenetrably thick-headed, then don’t blame this Old Master for being ruthless!”
The burly man named Ding Yi stated after hearing this, “Senior Kang is truly strong and awe-inspiring.”
He then shook his head before a grin appeared on his lips, “If we were outside, this Ding would not dare confront Senior Kang, who is a Third-Order Open Heaven Master. I would have obediently kneeled down and licked your feet, but Senior Kang, you are forgetting something. We aren’t outside anymore, but rather inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog suppresses and seals all universes. Senior Kang, I wonder how much of your Third-Order Open Heaven strength you can bring out?”
The old man surnamed Kang furiously shouted, “More than enough to kill you!”
Ding Yi swung his sabre as he squinted, “Then this Ding would like to see what Senior Kang is capable of!”
“You court death!” The old man surnamed Kang blew his top. How could he take someone who had always been respectful and subservient to him blatantly provoking him? Just as he shouted this, he jumped at Ding Yi in a flash and thrust out a palm at him.
When Ding Yi saw this, he didn’t look afraid, rather his eyes lit up, “Old dog, you have been riding on my head for over a century, today this Ding will surely take back a little bit of interest!”
Judging by his words, he had some grudges against the old man surnamed Kang; otherwise, he wouldn’t be aiming at Spring Meadows Hall specifically.
The next moment, the sabre aura skyrocketed as Ding Yi hacked down. The long blade surrounded by violent energy cut right into the palm the old man surnamed Kang pressed forward.
The old man surnamed Kang consecutively smacked his palm a few times, creating deafening explosions one after another. The two figures separated as soon as they came in contact. Subsequently, Ding Yi was pushed back tens of metres, crashing into a collapsed shop while the old man surnamed Kang stabilized himself after backing away three steps.
In a single clash, Ding Yi came out at a disadvantage.
But at the sight of this, the eyes of the countless cultivators in the vicinity started burning.
This wasn’t surprising. The old man surnamed Kang was a Third-Order Open Heaven Master, so if they were outside, Ding Yi wouldn’t be able to resist at all. But in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, although Ding Yi was still not this old man’s opponent, he at least had the qualifications to fight against him.
[So the rumour of the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog suppressing and sealing all universes is true!] Realization suddenly dawned upon everyone.
*Hong long long…* Thunderous rumbles spread far and wide as Ding Yi wielded his sabre and rushed out of the collapsed store. Although he was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, his eyes were gleaming. He swung his blade and stated, “Brothers and sisters, there are no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins! This old dog has been bullying us for so many years, come and join me, let’s take our revenge today!”
As soon as he said that, all the cultivators who were following Ding Yi looked inspired. They summoned their respective artifacts, one by one, before they launched their attacks on the old man surnamed Kang along with Ding Yi.
The old man surnamed Kang’s face drastically changed. Even though he had the help of the shop hands of Spring Meadows Hall, the difference in numbers between the two sides was still massive. Miserable screams rang as the few assistants from Spring Meadows Hall fell one after another. Even the old man surnamed Kang was struck by several artifact attacks and coughed up blood.
Realizing he was outmatched, the old man surnamed Kang ground his teeth and roared, “Ding Yi, this Old Master will make you pay a hundred times for today in the future, mark my words!”
After shouting this threat, he turned around and flew off. Although Ding Yi desperately tried to stop him together with the crowd, they were completely powerless to do so; after all, the old man surnamed Kang still had his foundation as a Third-Order Open Heaven Master. Although he was unable to bring out all his strength in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Ding Yi and the others were unable to stop him after he was determined to escape.
Looking at the distantly departing figure of the old man surnamed Kang, Ding Yi spat on the ground in frustration, seemingly unwilling.
In the ruins of the Star City, the countless onlookers had all kinds of thoughts running through their minds at the sight of this scene; some were sad while others rejoiced.
Ding Yi opportunely raised his arm and shouted aloud, “Brothers and sisters, we Emperor Realm Masters have lived humbly and experienced all kinds of hardships in the Outer Universe, and it’s all thanks to those condescending Open Heaven Realm Masters! The Heavens have bestowed us a chance to enter the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary today, so do you want to allow those high and mighty Open Heaven Realm bastards to keep riding atop our heads? Join this Ding now and flip the Heavens! Let’s see whether any of those old dogs dare to look down on us again!”
His words were extremely instigating, furthermore, they reached the hearts of many; especially those Emperor Realm cultivators who had been suppressed by Open Heaven Realm Masters. One after another, others empathized with Ding Yi, looking eager to rise up against their former oppressors. All of them looked at Ding Yi with heated gazes.
In an instant, many people had gathered around Ding Yi, having decided to follow his lead.
Yang Kai suddenly looked at Yue He, “Does the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog suppress and seal all universes? So there are no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins?”
He might not have a real idea about the real cultivation of the old man surnamed Kang, but since Ding Yi said that he was in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, it shouldn’t be wrong. But in the recent battle, the strength displayed by the old man surnamed Kang was just at the peak of the Emperor Realm. It was not even close to the might of an Open Heaven Realm Master. Thinking back on what Ding Yi said, Yang Kai made an educated guess.
Yue He hesitated for a while before heaving a sigh and replying, “En! The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog might not be lethal, but it has extremely mysterious powers. If it invades one’s body, it suppresses and seals all Small Universes. In other words, the Open Heaven Realm Masters here are unable to bring out their full strength. That’s why he said that there were no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins.”
Yang Kai deeply stared at her for a while before stating with a grin, “Then you’re in big trouble!”
He couldn’t help but have the urge to throw his head back and laugh at the sky. At first, when he ended up here all of a sudden, Yang Kai was a little unhappy. He felt that if Yue He hadn’t kept a hold of him, he might have been able to escape; but now, he felt like thanking her for what she did.
Surprisingly, the Small Universes of Open Heaven Realm Masters were sealed inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, limiting the strength they could exert to the peak of the Emperor Realm. If not so, how could a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the old man surnamed Kang be beaten and forced to escape away in embarrassment by the likes of Ding Yi and his rabble?
And in the Emperor Realm, did Yang Kai need to fear anyone? He had never expected that he could run amok after arriving in the Outer Universe.
Yue He lightly snorted after hearing this, “So what if my Small Universe is sealed? An Open Heaven Realm Master is still an Open Heaven Realm Master! They still have their foundation. It’s impossible for an ordinary Emperor Realm Master to be their opponent.”
Yang Kai calmly added, carrying his hands behind his back, “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “Speaking of which, there are over a hundred times the Emperors in the Star City compared to Open Heaven Realm Masters. If one is not their opponent, could it be that not even ten would be their opponent either?”
Yue He angrily rebuked, “What are you planning to do to me?”
Yang Kai smilingly looked at her, “I don’t need to do anything, someone will do something to you. After all… you’re a high and mighty Open Heaven Realm Master!”
Yue He’s face changed slightly after hearing this. When she turned to look, she saw Ding Yi staring straight at her with a greedy and fiery look in his eyes. His gaze was constantly wandering over her beautiful face and shapely figure. He then pointed his sabre at her and shouted aloud, “Brothers, I remember that she is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! What do you say we should do?”
“A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?” The crowd of cultivators shouted in shock.
An Open-Heaven Realm Master was already a high and mighty figure for most cultivators. Even someone like the old man surnamed Kang was a great figure in their eyes, not to mention a Fifth-Order Master. Many people might not even have the chance to lay their eyes on such a strong Master in their entire life.
Especially someone as charming as Yue He. Her eyes were so enchanting that anyone would be seduced with just a glance. In an instant, many people were tempted as greed and lust filled their hearts.
“Let’s take her down! A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might be amazing outside, but not here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
“Tsk tsk, this Old Master has never played around with a Fifth-Order woman before. If this Old Master can spend a steamy night with her, I won’t regret it even if I die the next day!”
“She doesn’t appear to be a stuffy woman. She must be amazing in bed!”
…..
Verbal abuses came pouring in from all sides, making Yue He’s face suddenly turn cold and grim and drawing murderous intent from her body. Ordinarily, these Emperor Realm cultivators wouldn’t even dare lift their heads before her, but in this special environment, and coupled with Ding Yi’s instigation, everyone’s dark side had reared its head. It seemed as if they found a lot of pleasure in spewing filth from their mouths, and every word they spoke was completely unbearable.
Yue He trembled in anger and lashed out, “Courting death!”
Ding Yi deviously smiled, “The last guy who said such words has already fled. Madame, if you have any self-awareness, surrender without a fight. This Ding promises to take good care of you. If you choose to remain ignorant of your current situation, you will be forcing us to make a move. Don’t blame me and my fellow brothers for not showing compassion to a woman at that time!”
While speaking, he spat out some blood from his mouth onto his sabre, making him look even more hideous.
Yue He silently ground her teeth in anger. She couldn’t wait to slap Ding Yi to death, but she also knew that she was basically unable to do so in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Judging by the battle between Ding Yi and the old man surnamed Kang, Ding Yi wasn’t weak within the Emperor Realm. With the strength she could currently display, it was completely impractical to take down Ding Yi’s group.
Ding Yi, pointed his blade at her, aggressively stating, “Whether you will be fleeing or fighting, Madame just needs to speak!”
Yue He hatefully glared at him, then she turned to look at Yang Kai as a sliver of pleading flashed across her eyes.
Yang Kai only smilingly looked at her, remaining unmoved. As far as he was concerned, Yue He was an enemy rather than a friend. It was already a kindness on his part that he wasn’t adding insult to injury, so why would he care whether she lived or died?
“Take care of yourself!” A sliver of disappointment flashed across Yue He’s eyes before she rapidly flew off.
Ding Yi coldly glanced at her but showed no intention of pursuing her. They couldn’t prevent a Third-Order Master like the old man surnamed Kang from escaping, so trying to stop a Fifth-Order Master such as Yue He was naturally impossible; therefore, he didn’t bother to waste his energy.
He then turned his gaze at Yang Kai, deeply staring at him.
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I have a grudge with her!”
“That better be so!” Ding Yi snorted before turning around and proclaiming to the crowd of cultivators aloud, “Here, today, I, Ding Yi, found Emperor Heaven, where Emperors will be like the Heavens themselves. This ruined Star City will be the Headquarters in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary of my Emperor Heaven. Anyone who wants to join me can choose to stay. We will live and die together, sharing the weal and woe, but if you don’t want to join me, I request you quickly leave this place. If there are still people idling here by tomorrow, don’t blame this Ding for being merciless!”
While speaking, he swung the sabre down, splitting the ground in front of him into two.
Yang Kai knit his brows. [This Ding Yi might look like an ordinary guy, but he actually managed to seize this opportunity to gather allies and establish himself. I have to say that it was a smart move.]
This time, the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was completely different from before; too many people had entered this time. It was extremely difficult to fight alone in such an environment, but if one could gather some allies, it would be much more convenient to act.
But judging by his words, it was apparent that Ding Yi wanted to occupy this ruined section of Star City. This definitely aroused the ire of many, especially the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were still hiding nearby. Then again, if Emperor Heaven could be really founded today, and if it remained standing after a few difficulties, then the public would slowly side with him.
“Emperor Heaven! Emperor Heaven!”
“Share weal and woe!”
Much to Yang Kai’s surprise, when Ding Yi was finished, dozens of people started shouting and the number quickly continued to rise.
Yang Kai was astounded.
He hadn’t been in the Outer Universe for long, and apart from the unpleasant experience of being a Worker in Seven Wonders Land, his life in First Inn was relatively comfortable; therefore, he had no idea about the troubles Emperor Realm cultivators faced in the 3,000 Worlds.
[However, if Luo Hai Yi was here, I’m afraid she too would have been attracted by the notion of Emperor Heaven.] Thinking this way, Yang Kai relaxed.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand up and be the masters of their own destiny, so how would these Emperor Realm cultivators not grab hold of it tightly?
People joined in shouting in waves; tens turned to hundreds, and hundreds to thousands…
Ding Yi, who stood in the limelight, flushed with energy as he lifted his sabre into the air. He was in high and vigorous spirits, gazing down at the familiar and unfamiliar faces.
As the popular adage goes, when the seas are in turmoil, heroes rise to the surface!
At that moment, two figures suddenly approached from afar.
Yang Kai turned to look and found that it was none other than the old man surnamed Kang and Yue He, who had left just before. He couldn’t fathom what they were thinking by coming back; furthermore, their faces were grim, as if something big had happened.
“Old dog, you dare return?!” Ding Yi, noticing that it was the old man surnamed Kang, laughed out aloud and declared, “You will be the perfect sacrifice to raise my Emperor Heaven’s banner!”
To everyone’s surprise, the old man surnamed Kang completely ignored this provocation and rushed straight past their heads before continuing fleeing, leaving Ding Yi dumbfounded.
Yue He, on the other hand, rushed to Yang Kai’s side, grabbed his arm, and shouted, “Run!”
Yang Kai frowned, but just as he was about to speak up, he felt the ground tremble beneath his feat. The trembling wasn’t severe at first, but very soon, deafening rumbles rang in his ears, as if thunderbolts were charging over towards them.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as a vague speculation flashed across his mind. He looked up and saw a wave of pitch-black things stampeding across the wilderness, and they weren’t much slower than the old man surnamed Kang and Yue He.
The pitch-black mass stretched across the entire horizon, seemingly without end, and blotted out the sky and ground alike. Surprisingly, it consisted of various exotics beasts of all shapes and sizes.
Who knows whether Yue He and the old man surnamed Kang were chased back or they simply lured them here?
The leading exotic beasts were exceptionally massive and were radiating fearsome auras. Even Yang Kai’s face changed slightly at the sight of this.
He didn’t have the luxury to hesitate, so he followed Yue He’s figure and fled into the distance.
In an instant, the Star City fell into turmoil.
Ding Yi’s eyes also widened as a chill gripped his heart. He thought that it was the perfect time for him to rise up, but who would have thought that, just as he hoisted his flag, disaster would strike. He wasn’t even confident that he could leave this place alive now.
But he soon steeled his heart and came to a prompt decision. Ding Yi raised his arm up high and shouted, “A Beast Tide is approaching, and the only way we can survive is if we stick together! If you don’t want to die, follow me!”
While shouting, his figure started glowing as his body surged with energy. The next moment, he flew in the opposite direction of the Beast Tide.
Just as he flew up, quite a few people joined him. By a rough count, there were at least a thousand of them.
There were a few hundred thousand people in the Star City engulfed in the fog, and although all of them had been dispersed when they were swallowed by the Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, there were still tens of thousands of people gathered here.
If everyone worked together, it might not be impossible to defend this place, but each and everyone had their own thoughts and ideas, so why would they follow a unified command? Therefore, before the Beast Tide even reached them, everyone dispersed in different directions.
The disturbance caused by the Beast Tide was too great, and very soon, everyone in the ruins of the Star City knew about it and fled one after another.
Yang Kai and Yue He made a beeline towards the opposite end of Star City. They thought that they would have plenty of room to escape, but they hadn’t expected for the cultivators in that direction to flee towards them. Many people even crashed into each other in the air and fell on the ground, one after another.
Yang Kai suddenly had a bad premonition!
As he looked up, his pupils couldn’t help but shrink.
Yue He also called out in alarm, “They’re coming from this side too!”
No wonder the people on that side were also rushing in this direction. It turned out that there was a Beast Tide coming from the opposite direction as well.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He promptly flew straight up into the sky, and looking left and right, he couldn’t help but grind his teeth, hard. Not only was the Beast Tide attacking from the front and rear, but also from the left, right, and every other direction possible. In short, the Beast Tide completely surrounded them.
If they wanted to escape, they would have to carve open a bloody path to do so.
When he returned to the ground, Yue He asked, “How is it?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Yue He immediately understood, but she failed to notice how nervous he was. She then looked at him and stated, “Don’t stray too far from me or I won’t be able to take care of you.”
A weird look appeared on Yang Kai’s face upon hearing this. He pondered for a while before quashing the notion of using Space Principles to escape.
Right then, a figure approached the duo. It was none other than the old man surnamed Kang who had returned with Yue He, “Madame, how about we kill our way out together?”
Yue He agreed, smiling, “I guess that’s the only way.”
The old man surnamed Kang then glanced at Yang Kai before asking, furrowing his brow, “Do you want to carry this burden?”
The reason why he came looking for Yue He was because he knew she was an Open Heaven Realm Master. The Small Universe inside her body might have been sealed by the Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, but the strength an Open Heaven Realm Master could display was still better than an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator. In his opinion, an Emperor like Yang Kai couldn’t play any role against the Beast Tide and would only be dragging the two of them down.
“This is my Young Master, of course I must safeguard him!” Yue He’s smile immediately faded away, “If you think my Young Master will drag you down, then there’s no need for us to join forces.”
The old man surnamed Kang was shocked after hearing this.
He had lived in the Star City for quite a while, so he had met Yue He more than once and knew she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. As such, he couldn’t help but wonder about Yang Kai’s background for her to address him as ‘Young Master’.
Yang Kai’s expression also became strange, wondering if Yue He really was sick in the head or something. [Do I look like a Young Master from some great force?]
[Though, she did run back to take me with her before the Beast Tide came.] Yang Kai couldn’t understand what was going on in her mind.
Without any hesitation, the old man surnamed Kang stated, “Then I will follow Madame’s wishes, but this Old Master can only take care of himself. If Madame falls into trouble, please don’t blame me.”
Yue He assured, “Rest assured, we won’t drag you down.”
“Let’s go!” The old man surnamed Kang shouted before continuing ahead.
“Follow me!” Yue He exhorted Yang Kai before following the old man.
In the blink of an eye, the trio had rushed out of the Star City. At this moment, many people were already pushing their way out. Obviously, everyone knew that if they stayed here, the only thing waiting for them was death. The only way to survive was to force their way out.
The overwhelming exotic beast tide very soon clashed with many cultivators. In an instant, the brilliance of Secret Techniques and artifacts lit up the sky, splitting these exotic beasts in their wake one after another.
There were a lot of exotic beasts, and what was even more terrifying was that they were all quite strong. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s environment was quite expansive and abundant. And added to the fact that it hadn’t been touched by humans for thousands of years, the exotic beasts here had plenty of room to grow and mature. So naturally, their strength was exceptional. When the two sides clashed, many Star City cultivators were killed or injured. Although more exotic beasts were killed, it was a drop in a bucket compared to the immense Beast Tide.
The old man surnamed Kang was pretty strong. The reason why he was beaten and forced to flee earlier was really just because two palms couldn’t block four fists. At this moment, his long sword was opening the way, sending out sword waves to forcefully clear a path through the Beast Tide for everyone to follow.
Yue He wielded a red chakram that spun rapidly and reduced oncoming exotic beasts to paste as they approached.
Yang Kai was walking behind the two Open Heaven Realm Masters as if he was strolling in his own backyard. Yue He was taking very good care of him, so no exotic beast could reach him.
After a while, the old man surnamed Kang shouted, “Switch!”
Just as he said this, he promptly stepped back and Yue He took the opportunity to step forward. Although the two hadn’t discussed this beforehand, they switched positions in perfect coordination.
After all, the old man surnamed Kang would also grow a little tired after leading the way for a time. Once he was completely exhausted, only death awaited him. How could he put himself in such a disadvantageous position?
This time, things weren’t as easy for Yang Kai. The old man surnamed Kang would not look out for Yang Kai like Yue He did, so although he was killing a lot of oncoming exotic beasts, some fish would eventually slip through the net.
The old man surnamed Kang also wanted to see Yang Kai’s skills. So, even if he could intercept all the exotic beasts, he ignored some of them and let them rush at Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai just flicked his fingers, shooting out Moon Blades one after another. The oncoming exotic beasts were split asunder before they could get closer, the cuts on the corpses as flat as mirrors.
“Space Secret Technique!” The old man surnamed Kang shrunk his eyes as he confirmed to himself that this young man was really the Young Master of some great force. Even in the Outer Universe, there weren’t many people who were proficient in the Dao of Space, let alone form their Dao Seal with it.
After all, the Dao of Space was more profound and esoteric than most other Daos.
[Without abundant resources and the guidance of renowned Masters, how could this young man become so proficient in the Dao of Space?]
Considering all this, the old man surnamed Kai couldn’t help but see Yang Kai in a new light. He secretly felt that this youth was probably from a very extraordinary background; otherwise, Yue He, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, would not be addressing him as Young Master.
Now, he completely set his mind at ease. The strength Yang Kai had displayed was no less than Yue He’s or his own. If the three worked together, the hope of pushing their way out had greatly increased.
Owing to this, the old man surnamed Kang changed his mind, while Yang Kai was none the wiser about the whole ordeal. Whereas Yue He somehow managed to find the time to check on Yang Kai, and upon finding him still comfortable and at ease, she was relieved as well.
The three kept forging ahead, paving their way over mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. But the exotic beasts were never-ending so the killing never ceased.
The old man surnamed Kang and Yue He had switched positions several times in succession. Both of them were quite exhausted and had solemn looks on their faces by now. Compared to the Monster Beasts found outside, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s exotic beasts of the same realm were a lot stronger. Whether it was due to the environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary or something else was unclear.
There was no Open Heaven Realm in the Grand Ancient Ruins. Not only was it true for the cultivators, but it was true for these Ancient Exotic Beasts as well. So, having been in one realm for so many millennia, polishing and consolidating their strength, it was quite natural for them to exert greater might than average.
Slowly, many others started to gather around the trio. At this point, everyone knew that it was better to stick together unless they were really a fool. Yang Kai’s team had been pushing their way through without any resistance so far; so naturally, others nearby had been paying close attention to them. And in order to survive, they started gathering around, one by one.
Neither Yue He nor the old man surnamed Kang objected. At this moment, the more people gathered around them, the better it would be for them. So, they acquiesced to this behaviour.
After a cup of tea’s worth of time, about a hundred people had already gathered together, and as time passed by, more and more people were moving towards them.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Brother Yang? Is that really you, Brother Yang?”
The voice sounded a little familiar to Yang Kai, so he promptly looked towards the source in surprise. The next moment, he saw a man covered in blood all over, killing his way through with a sharp sword in his hand, leading a few people behind him. But there were many exotic beasts in between the two groups. They would not be able to get close any sooner.
When both sides saw each other, Yang Kai was taken aback and called out, “Brother Meng?”
Surprisingly, it was none other than Meng Hong of Great Moon Province! Yang Kai hadn’t expected to meet an acquaintance here.
He wasn’t that close to Meng Hong, but at the very least, both had adventured together for a while, no matter how short the experience was. In the past, when Yang Kai was looking for Ah Sun’s relatives, he found Wei Que, who belonged to Great Moon Province.
At that time, it was none other than Meng Hong who had arranged the rooms for them, and after he came to know that Yang Kai had just entered the Outer Universe and had very little knowledge about it, Meng Hong even gifted a jade slip which contained introductory information about the 3,000 Worlds to him.
However, after the incident at the Golden Crow Divine Palace, when Yang Kai had snatched the Golden Crow carcass and fled to First Inn, Great Moon Province alone was powerless to ensure Yang Kai’s safety. Wei Que and Great Moon Province’s Leader gave him some compensation and left. Before leaving, they were entrusted by Yang Kai to take Old Fang and Die You to Great Moon Province.
Meng Hong’s disposition was quite good, and he could be considered as the leader of the younger generation of Great Moon Province. Overall, a generous and honest fellow.
Since it was an acquaintance, Yang Kai naturally won’t be standing idly by. He promptly rushed in their direction as Moon Blades flew from his fingertips, slaying exotic beasts left and right. In the blink of an eye, he had arrived by Meng Hong.
“It really is you, Brother Yang!” Meng Hong was shocked and delighted, “I thought I was mistaken.”
Yang Kai smiled in return, “I too hadn’t expected to meet Brother Meng here. Follow me.”
Meng Hong nodded, “Many thanks, Brother Yang.” He then turned around and called his companions over, “Let’s go!”
When Yang Kai rushed to pick them up, Yue He, who was leading the charge, immediately stopped, waiting for Yang Kai. She only continued moving ahead when Yang Kai returned with Meng Hong and his companions.
The old man surnamed Kang frowned at this act, slightly displeased, but since nothing major happened and very little time was spent, he was too lazy to make a fuss.
There were over a hundred people in their group now, and although they were powerless to overturn things in the face of the overwhelming Beast Tide, they at least had some strength to protect themselves. They might not know each other, but their wills had united like a fortress to survive. Everyone’s strength wound into a sturdy spear that acted like a sharp arrow, cutting its way toward the outside.
“Brother Meng, why are you here?” Yang Kai asked while attacking.
Meng Hong explained, bitterly smiling, “Our Great Moon Province has a property in this Star City. I was here to check the accounts.”
Yang Kai failed to hold his laughter after hearing this, “You are really unlucky.”
Meng Hong asked, “Brother Yang, what about you? How did you end up here as well?”
“By some chance and coincidence,” Yang Kai casually replied, not bothering to explain. He couldn’t very well say that he was kidnapped as it would be too embarrassing.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce them to Brother Yang. These are my Junior Brothers and Sisters. And this is Junior Sister Chen Yue of Hundred Spirits Province,” Meng Hong introduced to Yang Kai, pointing at his companions one by one. When he was introducing his Junior Brothers and Sisters, Meng Hong looked quite carefree and natural, but when he introduced Hundred Spirits Province’s Chen Yue, his voice carried a little warmth and sweet feelings of affection.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but glance at Chen Yue and found her appearance to be quite pleasing to the eyes and her demeanour quite elegant, causing him to raise his brow slightly.
[Meng Hong must be interested in her.]
And among the disciples of Great Moon Disciples, Yang Kai found two of them to be familiar. Obviously, he had met them before.
Everyone greeted each other; after all, Yang Kai had shown them kindness by saving them. Chen Yue even sweetly smiled and thanked him, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang, for saving us from trouble.”
Her voice was sweet, yet filled with innocence, quite pleasing to the ear.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “Junior Sister Chen is too polite, it wasn’t any trouble at all. Let’s find a way to get through this first before we speak further.”
Chen Yue generously stated, “We will listen to Senior Brother Yang’s command.”
While they were chatting, the ground suddenly started quaking as an extremely fierce aura assailed them. The old man surnamed Kang, who was leading the way at the time, shouted in shock, “Roaring Thunder Beast!”
Everyone looked up and saw an enormous figure surrounded by lightning arcs up ahead. It resembled a rhino and was charging straight at them, and even though its figure was incomparably huge, it wasn’t slow in any way. As it got closer, lightning arcs appeared in the air, spreading around and numbing anyone that came in contact with them.
Everyone started screaming in shock and horror, panic-stricken.
Yang Kai’s pupils also shrank. The Roaring Thunder Beast was also a notorious Ominous Beast in the 3,000 Worlds, and judging by the might of this Roaring Thunder Beast, its cultivation might have already reached the utmost peak of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Who would dare to take such a fierce beast head-on?
Even in this overwhelming Beast Tide, an exotic beast like this Roaring Thunder Beast might be the strongest, and judging by how all the other beasts retreated seeing it charging over, only further proved its power.
When it was a thousand meters away, the Roaring Thunder Beast suddenly let out a deafening roar and lowered its head as a bolt of lightning shot straight at the old man surnamed Kang. The blazing white bolt of lightning carrying earth-shattering might traversed a thousand meters in a blink, ignoring all barriers of space.
What made everyone’s expression distort was that the old man surnamed Kang flickered aside right away in the face of this terrifying blow without giving it a thought. Even when he reacted this quickly though, he was a moment too slow. The lightning bolt brushed past his body as a nauseating smell of burned flesh filled the air.
He was in the lead, so when he stepped aside like that, everyone behind him was immediately exposed. Fortunately, even though Yue He, who was right behind him, could also dodge the blow, she didn’t. The chakram in her hand spun up and turned into a red defensive shield, blocking the front.
A deafening crash immediately reverberated as a glaring white flash of light blinded everyone.
The blood-red shield only lasted a breath before it shattered and the blazing white lightning bolt struck Yue He. She was immediately sent flying through the air like a rag sack, bleeding profusely.
Yang Kai was sharp enough to timely catch her and take a good look at her. Yue He was pale and continuously bleeding from the corner of her mouth. Her soft and tender body was uncontrollably shaking; obviously, she was seriously injured.
*Dong dong dong…*
The ground quaked as the Roaring Thunder Beast came stampeding after its successful attack.
From the start, the hundred or so people of this group had come together because their interests were aligned, so they were no better than a handful of sand. Seeing the two Open Heaven Realm Masters either escape or become seriously injured, how could they dare continue to stick together? They all fled in the blink of an eye.
Only Meng Hong and his companions remained in their spot; after all, Yang Kai had come to save them, and it would not look good to leave him and flee at this juncture. Meng Hong still anxiously shouted, “Brother Yang, quickly run!”
Yang Kai ignored him, however, and stared at Yue He in his arms with a bewildered look on his face as he asked, “Why didn’t you dodge?”
Yue He forced a laugh, “You were still behind me. What would happen to you if I dodged?” An Open Heaven Realm Master like her ended up like this, so wouldn’t Yang Kai immediately die if he was struck by the bolt.
“You and I are just strangers, so why?” Yang Kai speechlessly looked at her.
Yue He pursed her lips before keeping them stubbornly shut.
“Ha…” Yang Kai heaved a slight sigh before he turned around and said to Chen Yue, handing Yue He to her, “Help me take care of her.”
“What are you doing?” Yue He asked in surprise.
Meng Hong and the others also looked bewildered. The next moment, they saw Yang Kai walking ahead, step by step. His clothes flapped and his hair danced along the oncoming wind, painting his straight and tall figure like a brave and heroic mountain. His figure was deeply etched in everyone’s mind.
Another blazing white bolt shot out from the single horn on the Roaring Thunder Beast’s forehead at that moment, zooming straight at Yang Kai like the Flood Dragon going out to sea.
“Dodge!” Yue He screamed in shock and horror.
Meng Hong couldn’t help but cry out as well, “Brother Yang, be careful!”
Just as they spoke though, Yang Kai threw a punch as his reverberating voice echoed in everyone’s hearts.
“Exile!”
Space shattered at the point of impact, instantly forming an enormous black hole. The next moment, an aura of nihility and chaos from the black hole filled the air. As for the blazing white bolt that was strong enough to injure an Open Heaven Realm, it shot into the black hole and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
The black hole disappeared in a flash as Yang Kai withdrew his fist, leaving him completely unscathed and causing everyone to sink into complete silence.
Yang Kai’s brave and heroic figure was akin to a mountain or a harbour that could block all violent storms. It brought everyone an inexplicable sense of security in this chaotic land of exotic beasts.
Yue He, who was held in Chen Yue’s arms, had her mouth agape, gawking at the back that was defending her in a daze. Slowly, Yang Kai’s figure overlapped with the figure of a person in her memory, who once stood before her in a similar fashion, blocking all the oncoming dangers for her. The memories etched in the deep recess of her mind started rearing their heads, making Yue He’s soft and tender figure tremble.
Chen Yue was also dumbfounded, murmuring, “Senior Brother Yang is this strong?”
Just an attack from the Roaring Thunder Beast had forced the old man surnamed Kang to dodge, and seriously injured Yue He. Yet the same attack had been blocked by Yang Kai, and quite easily at that. The massive difference between both sides had given everyone a huge shock.
Meng Hong slowly shook his head, dumbstruck. He had no idea whether Yang Kai was strong or not, all he knew was that Yang Kai was extremely bold. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have robbed the Golden Crow carcass right in front of dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Golden Crow Divine Palace back then, and miraculously escaped back to First Inn.
[That’s right, if he didn’t have such skill, how could he escape with so many Open Heaven Realm Masters chasing him down? I heard from Martial Uncle Wei that Yang Kai’s ability to escape is unparalleled, but now it seems that not only is he proficient in escaping, his strength is also exceptional.]
While all kinds of thoughts were running through Meng Hong’s mind, a thunderous roar reverberated across the sky. It was none other than the Roaring Thunder Beast, who, after seeing Yang Kai block its attack, was completely provoked.
Lightning arcs started to crackle on the horn of its forehead, forming a terrifying bolt. By the looks of it, it was about to fire its attack again.
“Brother Yang, be careful!” Meng Hong shouted.
Just as he exhorted, a figure suddenly flickered ahead. Yang Kai had appeared before the Roaring Thunder Beast like a ghost, his small figure before the Roaring Thunder Beast’s enormous one forming a sharp contrast; however, the auras of the two were in no way inferior to the other.
Right before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai punched again as Space Principles flared.
Rupture!
An enormous black abyss rapidly expanded, engulfing the enormous head of the Roaring Thunder Beast before Space Principles started wreaking havoc as the blackness fiercely shrank back.
The Roaring Thunder Beast reeled in pain. Meanwhile, the black hole was flickering with lightning arcs as if lightning dragons were wandering inside it, competing with the Space Principles that seemed capable of annihilating all creation.
The black abyss collapsed, forcing the Roaring Thunder Beast to retreat. Its eyes, which were originally gleaming with a fierce glow, were completely red at this moment. When everyone looked at it, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Much to everyone’s surprise, the horn on the Roaring Thunder Beast’s forehead was nowhere to be found. Not only that, its enormous head was covered in cuts and bruises that continuously bled.
Exotic beasts tempered their bodies like artifacts, and the physical strength they could exert was not much worse than that of an artifact. The horn was the hardest part of the Roaring Thunder Beast, but it had disappeared into thin air at this instant, which made everyone understand how terrifying Yang Kai’s attack was.
No one below the Open Heaven Realm would be able to withstand such a punch.
Yue He was dumbfounded and finally understood how terrifyingly strong this young man was.
Chen Yue’s beautiful eyes also lit up as her gaze was completely glued onto Yang Kai, staring at his every action.
On the other hand, the old man surnamed Kang, who had been killing the surrounding exotic beasts and had been paying attention to the situation here, had a complicated expression on his face, wondering which great force had given birth to this little monster. He had been struggling all his life and finally became a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he still couldn’t fathom how a mere Emperor Realm Junior could bring out so much power.
*Huchi…*
After the Roaring Thunder Beast staggered back, it started wheezing loudly, but not only did the destruction of its horn not make it flinch, it instead made it fiercer.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai was also taken aback. Much to his surprise, Rupture had failed to take the Roaring Thunder Beast’s life. [I guess that the exotic beasts of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary really cannot be judged by common sense.]
Right then, the ground started quaking as the Roaring Thunder Beast started charging, heading straight at Yang Kai. Lightning arcs started cracking around its enormous body and as it started galloping, tiny little lightning arcs enveloped a radius of a thousand meters as bolts came down from the sky one after another, painting an extremely dangerous picture.
A wicked grin appeared on Yang Kai’s lips as he cracked his neck and tightened his fists before suddenly assuming a horse stance.
“What is he doing?” Chen Yue was stunned.
Meng Hong turned pale, “He’s… he’s planning to wrestle with the Roaring Thunder Beast?”
“Crazy, he’s crazy!” The old man surnamed Kang, who had been paying attention to the situation, also shook his head wildly. He felt that there was something wrong with Yang Kai’s head, or else why would he want to engage in a contest of strength with such an enormous exotic beast? Yang Kai’s previous performance might be pretty eye-catching, blocking the lightning bolt with one punch and injuring the Roaring Thunder Beast with another, but with such an inflated ego, this young man was simply courting death!
No matter how great the physical strength of a cultivator was, how could it be stronger than a beast’s? Monster Beasts were generally innately gifted with great physical prowess, not to mention that the Roaring Thunder Beast was an Ancient Exotic Beast.
*Dong dong dong…*
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Roaring Thunder Beast arrived before Yang Kai in an instant. It lowered its head as if it was about to crash into a huge mountain. If there was a star before it, even that might shatter into pieces from this attack.
Chen Yue turned her head; she couldn’t bear to watch. Meng Hong too shut his eyes.
Only Yue He’s pretty eyes were staring at Yang Kai without batting a lash; her gaze was filled with worry and anxiety.
*Hong…*
A reverberating crash resounded, along with the Roaring Thunder Beast’s growl.
Following which, everyone’s cries of shock filled with disbelief rang one after another.
“Ah?” Yue He cried out in shock and amazement, covering her cherry red lips with her hands as her pretty eyes quivered.
The old man surnamed Kang visibly shivered at what he saw. In his momentary shock, he had made a mistake and was injured by an exotic beast at his waist, nearly losing his life. He was so terrified that he quickly focused his attention on dealing with the matters at hand, but he still paid close attention to Yang Kai from the corner of his eye.
As if she had noticed that something wasn’t right, Chen Yue slowly turned her head back, and what entered her sight next shocked her to her core.
She saw Yang Kai with his hands propped up, pushing against the Roaring Thunder Beast hard, the ground under him cracking into a vast, spider web-like series of gullies.
“How is that possible?” Chen Yue murmured.
Meng Hong, having noticed the shock in her voice, quickly opened his eyes as well. The next moment, he was similarly dumbfounded, his whole body quivering.
[How can a Human block an exotic beast’s head-on charge? An attack with so much terrifying force behind it?] Yang Kai’s clothes were flapping hard, and although he was being pushed back by the Roaring Thunder Beast, he had really halted its charge.
After three breaths, Yang Kai’s retreating figure finally stopped, and in the next moment, he was the one pushing forward while the Roaring Thunder Beast was being forced backwards.
This scene was unbelievable to all who witnessed it.
And the next moment, something even more shocking occurred as Yang Kai angrily bellowed, “Fly!”
Holding the Roaring Thunder Beast’s enormous head with his hands, he fiercely lifted, throwing the enormous beast into the air, dumbfounding all those who were watching. The sight of the Roaring Thunder Beast baring its fangs and claws in the air looked ridiculous, but no one laughed at it. They all felt their cognition completely subverted.
With a loud bang, Yang Kai flew into the sky, heading straight at the Roaring Thunder Beast.
In the air, he reached out and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear.
The next moment, his Qi explosively surged as he thrust out his spear. A dragon roar resounded as the spear soared out like an Azure Dragon flying into the sky.
The red eyes of the Roaring Thunder Beast immediately flickered with terror.
The spear immediately pierced through the soft underbelly of the Roaring Thunder Beast. Yang Kai’s figure followed along with the spear before smashing through the back of the Roaring Thunder Beast, creating a bloody mist.
Yang Kai’s figure flew out like a sharp arrow, while the Roaring Thunder Beast’s enormous body exploded in the air as its blood and mangled pieces of its flesh rained down from above.
Suddenly, Yang Kai caught sight of a Monster Core surrounded by lightning arcs and emanating powerful energy fluctuations. Yang Kai promptly grabbed it before looking back, meeting the terrified eyes of the old man surnamed Kang.
Yang Kai coldly snorted before slowly flying back down.
Meng Hong and the others stared at him in a daze, all of them completely overwhelmed by his display. Compared to Yang Kai’s majestic sight of slaying the Roaring Thunder Beast with his last attack, what shocked them even more was the fact that he had stopped the Roaring Thunder Beast head-on with his physical strength alone.
After all, his last attack had targeted the weak underbelly of the Roaring Thunder Beast. Even though he had slain such a fearsome beast with just a spear thrust, at the end of the day, he had resorted to tactics to do so. How could that compare to winning a contest of strength with an Ancient Exotic Beast?
Yue He heaved a sigh of relief, while Chen Yue’s eyes flickered with a strange glow, whereas Meng Hong’s face was filled with admiration.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai didn’t say anything more as he beckoned everyone before taking the lead.
Originally, the two Open Heaven Realm Masters were leading the group, but the old man surnamed Kang had abandoned everyone at a critical moment, whereas Yue He was seriously injured. Now, Yang Kai had assumed the responsibility of leader.
Surprisingly, the exotic beasts coming straight at them parted to either side as Yang Kai moved forward, ignoring him while attacking the cultivators in the rear.
Meng Hong excitedly shouted, “Even these lowly beasts know to bully the weak but fear the strong. It seems that they are afraid of Brother Yang after watching him slay the Roaring Thunder Beast.”
The truth of the matter though was that the Azure Dragon Spear was radiating a noble Dragon Pressure. How could these exotic beasts dare to challenge the majesty of a Dragon?
In any case, it saved Yang Kai a lot of trouble.
And seeing their team strolling across the battlefield where thousands of beasts were charging straight at them like they were taking a walk in the park, pushing their way through, the cultivators who had fled before started regretting their actions.
Had they known, they wouldn’t have fled no matter what. It would have been great if they could follow Yang Kai’s team, but at this moment, they didn’t even have the time to think about it. Ominous Beasts were swarming at them from every possible direction, leaving them no choice but to slaughter their way out.
“Senior Brother, help me! This Little Brother is willing to give his entire fortune as a reward,” someone nearby shouted.
“Sir, please save me! If I survive, I will be at Sir’s beck and call in the future.”
“I don’t want to die. Senior Brother, please save us. We will do anything!”
Along the way, the speculation in Yang Kai’s mind was confirmed; the Dragon Pressure emanated by the Azure Dragon Spear really had a deterrent effect on these exotic beasts. He met with no obstruction along the way. The few enormous exotic beasts with fearsome auras he encountered also had fear in the depths of their eyes and showed no intention of bothering him as long as he hefted his spear.
After the time it takes for an entire incense to burn, a team of several dozen people finally broke out of the range of the Beast Tide. Looking back, they saw beasts charging inward along with occasional glows of artifacts and Secret Techniques. Cultivators were dying at almost every breath as their blood splashed all over.
Everyone’s heart was rapidly beating after having escaped their crisis. At the same time, they found it inconceivable that they could escape from such a disaster.
Just as everyone was reeling from the happiness of escaping the crisis, a deafening explosion and a powerful blast of Qi startled everyone.
When they looked toward the source, they found Yang Kai holding the spear with one arm, staring at the old man surnamed Kang; murderous intent clearly oozing from his figure.
The old man surnamed Kang’s face was a little pale at the moment. He wasn’t weak and he also seized the chance to get out following Yang Kai’s lead, but he didn’t expect that just after escaping one crisis, Yang Kai would make a move on him before he could even take a breath of respite.
“Junior, what is the meaning of this?” The old man surnamed Kang asked with an annoyed look, staring at Yang Kai.
“What do you think? Of course, this is your death!” Yang Kai grimly smiled, “Why else do you think I brought you out?”
“You want to kill me?” The old man surnamed Kang furrowed his brow, feeling that Yang Kai was being a little unreasonable; after all, there wasn’t any deep grudge between them, so there was no reason for them to fight to the death. All he did was abandon everyone at a crucial moment, but anyone would have made the same choice if they were in his shoes.
[The Heavens help those who help themselves. It has been that way since the beginning of time, so there is no reason to fight. Is there something wrong with this young man?]
Although this thought crossed his mind, the old man surnamed Kang still asked, “Your Excellency, why do you want to kill me?”
“I don’t like your face, is that reason enough?” Yang Kai looked like he had made up his mind.
“Bold Junior!” The old man surnamed Kang was extremely indignant, “This Old Master was polite to you on account of you bringing him out this time, but do you really think that this Old Master is afraid of you?”
Even though he saw Yang Kai slay the Roaring Thunder Beast like a dog, at the end of the day, the Roaring Thunder Beast was just a beast, unintelligent and incapable of flexible thinking like a Human.
He was a Third-Order Open Heaven Master, and although his Small Universe was suppressed and sealed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, his foundation was still intact. It remained to be seen whether Yang Kai could kill him or not.
But after having fallen into the current predicament, the old man didn’t want to have a conflict if he could avoid it; after all, the last fight with Ding Yi ended very badly for him.
“Enough nonsense, let’s fight!” Just after speaking this, Yang Kai pushed his strength and thrust out his spear!
A ferocious look flashed on the old man surnamed Kang’s face as he promptly retreated, avoiding Yang Kai’s attack. He then turned around and fled into the distance like a bolt of lightning.
His voice then echoed from the distance, “Junior, this Old Master is injured today and doesn’t want to quarrel with you. The next time we meet, I will take your dog life!”
He had been injured by the Roaring Thunder Beast and half of his body was scorched by lightning. He was also wounded a few times while they were breaking out of the Beast Tide, so at this moment, he didn’t have the will to fight with Yang Kai. Naturally, he wanted to quickly flee and find a place to heal. So, although Yang Kai was being aggressive, he decided to temporarily withdraw.
“You want to leave?” Yang Kai sneered, “Like I’d let you.”
While speaking, he stretched his hand ahead and grabbed in the air. The next moment, Space Principles fluctuated and the surrounding space became rigid.
The old man surnamed Kang, who was quickly escaping, suddenly froze, feeling as though the space around him becoming extremely heavy and viscous. He immediately cried in horror, “Space Principles!”
Although he had seen Yang Kai using Space Secret Techniques and knew that he was extremely proficient in the Dao of Space, he hadn’t personally faced such methods. Only now did he understand how terrifying the strength of this young man was.
The old man surnamed Kang’s face slightly changed as he madly shouted, “Break!”
His thin and lean body doubled in size all of a sudden as a fearsome burst of energy swept outwards, smashing apart the frozen space and allowing him to regain his freedom!
However, before he could escape any further, he felt a burst of hair-raising Qi behind him. The old man surnamed Kang was horrified and had no choice but to summon his long sword and swing it backwards. The next moment, an enormous wave split space, flying straight at Yang Kai.
At the sight of this, Yang Kai showed no surprise or shock; instead, he broke into laughter and stated, “My spear has been dry for a long time; it thirsts!”
Since young, Yang Kai had fought countless battles, both big and small. He had also grown a little weary and tired of bloodshed. He had even been asking himself whether the essence of the Martial Dao was slaughter and death, but ever since he had arrived at the Outer Universe, he had very few chances to fight with others. He had run into quite a few Open Heaven Realm Masters, and whether it was in terms of methods or cultivation, he was too far below them to even think of challenging them.
After having not fought for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly discovered that combat instincts had already been branded into every inch of his body. He felt incomparable pleasure when he was locked in a fierce battle.
The only real battle he had fought was when he was ordered to hunt down Fang Tai, but even then, there were two Open Heaven Realm Masters guarding him. Wounded and distracted, Fang Tai simply couldn’t bring out his full strength.
Even if he was protected by the Proprietress of First Inn, even if 99% of the Emperor Realm Masters longed for the life he now had, Yang Kai felt as if something was missing. He felt as though his body had gone soft, and his firm and indomitable Dao Heart was weakening.
Finally, the moment he had been waiting for was here!
Finally, he could fight to his heart’s content!
Finally, he could fight to the death against a strong enemy using all his skill and strength without any external assistance.
Yang Kai finally felt at ease and happy from the bottom of his heart! When he looked at the old man surnamed Kang’s face, not only did he not find it disgusting or revolting, but rather he found it quite pleasant.
As he thrust his spear, the wind and cloud changed their colour, and so did the expression of the old man surnamed Kang.
The sword wave shattered while the long spear kept moving forward. When the old man surnamed Kang stared at it, it was as if a great Dragon was charging at him, shaking its head and waving its tail, trying to swallow him whole.
The old man surnamed Kang screamed in horror as he promptly formed a hand seal while the long sword in hand shook, instantly transforming into countless sword flashes that filled the entire sky. The sword flashes were a mix of real and illusionary phantoms, making it hard to discern real from false. Each and every long sword image was vibrating slightly and emanating soaring Sword Intent, pointing straight at Yang Kai.
“Go!” The old man surnamed Kang shouted.
*Sou sou sou…*
The sword flashes cut through the air, raining down at Yang Kai, covering the entire area in the blink of an eye, blinding all others from seeing what was going on inside.
Everyone’s faces couldn’t help but pale at the sight of this move. Yue He involuntarily clenched her fist, staring ahead without batting an eye. She asked herself what she would do in the face of this terrifying move and quickly concluded that in her current state, she couldn’t do anything apart from dodging.
What would happen to Yang Kai, who was bearing the full brunt of the countless swords?
Blood drained from Meng Hong’s face turning white as paper.
“Sigh, that Little Brother is too arrogant. In any case, Old Kang is a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. How can he not have any trump cards up his sleeve?” Someone on the sideline sighed.
“When I saw his fearsome strength, I thought that a genius had been born, but by the looks of it, the Heavens must be jealous.”
Someone sneered, “Genius? Only those who can grow into something are real geniuses! Haven’t quite a few promising geniuses fallen in the 3,000 Worlds before? In the past, wasn’t Lan Ting Yu amazing and brilliant? He could have become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, known by all across the 3,000 Worlds, but in the end, he died, didn’t he?”
“You are right…” Someone agreed with him.
Suddenly, Murderous Intent started filling the air. Yue He, who had been paying close attention to Yang Kai all the while, coldly turned her head and stared at the people who were gossiping as she growled, “Shut up if you don’t want to die!”
Sensing the cold murderous intent, everyone immediately fell silent.
“Ke ke…” The old man surnamed Kang coughed lightly as he bled from the corner of his mouth. The last attack had exhausted a lot of his energy, and a trace of regret flashed across his eyes, looking at the rioting Sword Intent, he muttered, “You might be outstanding, but you have no reverence for your Elders. Even if you don’t die today, you won’t live much longer. Be sure to remember this lesson in your next life!”
“Really?” A figure walked out from the rioting Sword Intent and instantly arrived before the Old Kang, coldly staring at him, “Do you only know how to fight with your mouth? In any case, you are a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, don’t disappoint me.”
Old Kang turned pale in horror and involuntarily stepped back. When he focused his gaze to see who it was, he found that it was none other than Yang Kai. What shocked him was apart from some minor injuries, Yang Kai wasn’t wounded at all.
[Impossible!] The sword barrage was the most potent attack he could unleash. He knew that Yang Kai was strong, so he didn’t dare to hold back. He thought that Yang Kai would be left seriously injured if not dead, but now it was apparent he only had some flesh wounds.
Horrified, the old man instinctively raised his hand and thrust the sword he was holding out.
With a clang, two artifacts collided as Yang Kai made a sweep with his spear. Old Kang suddenly felt a fearsome and uncontrollable force assailing him along the long sword in his hand.
His eyes instantly widened in disbelief.
[Too strong! No wonder he could wrestle with that Roaring Thunder Beast.]
Just as this thought flashed across his mind, the old man’s body flew out uncontrollably.
Old Kang didn’t panic though, rather he used this opportunity to distance himself. At the same time, he quickly formed hand seals as the longsword flew out, slashing down at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai followed like a shadow, the long spear in his hand shaking as spear shadows blotted the entire sky, shrouding Old Kang.
Deafening rumbles rang out to no end as two figures flew back and forth, colliding from time to time, causing the entire world to go pale.
Everyone was watching the battle without batting an eye. They found the entire situation unbelievable. Even if Old Kang’s Small Universe was suppressed and sealed, it wasn’t like he could be beaten by a random Emperor Realm cultivator. But the facts proved otherwise. Much to their surprise, Old Kang was completely suppressed and could only defend himself without the ability to fight back.
[Is he really just an Emperor Realm Junior?]
After thirty breaths, two figures clashed in the air once more before separating and standing face to face a thousand metres apart.
Yang Kai’s imposing manner and fighting spirit soared as he pointed his spear forward. On the other hand, Old Kang’s aura was waning. He seemed to have grown a few hundred years older over the past few breaths and the long sword artifact in his hand had become somewhat dull.
Old Kang’s head hung low, standing completely still and staring at the longsword in his hand.
Suddenly, a dismal voice passed into everyone’s ears amid the howling winds and the dark and dreary world, “Little Brother, please spare me!”
Everyone’s face turned pale once they heard this.
[Old Kang actually lost?] Watching the battle, Yang Kai did appear to have the advantage, but when they heard Old Kang really beg for mercy, they still found it hard to believe.
Much to their shock and dismay, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had lost at the hands of an Emperor Realm cultivator. Even if it was inside the Grand Ancient Ruins, where Small Universes were suppressed and sealed, it was still unbelievable.
Furthermore, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was forced to lower his head and beg for mercy, which clearly meant that Old Kang had no confidence in even escaping alive from Yang Kai’s grasp.
Yue He’s pretty eyes quivered as if she was recalling something, looking at Yang Kai. Who knew what she was thinking, but there was a complex look on her face. Chen Yue, who was holding her, had a stranger gleam in her beautiful eyes as well.
Meng Hong let out a sigh as he murmured, “A real man should be like this!” He was yearning to be like Yang Kai, wondering when he could reach Yang Kai’s level in his life, thinking it might be more than a little difficult. And when he accidentally noticed Chen Yue’s expression, sadness struck him.
“When this King declared he would kill you, it wasn’t a joke!” Yang Kai thrust his spear as he arrived before Old Kang in the blink of an eye.
Horrified, Old Kang instantly summoned a shield-type artifact and quickly retreated, holding it before him. But that shield couldn’t even block the Azure Dragon Spear for a breath before shattering to pieces. Under the shocked gaze of Old Kang, the long spear penetrated through his chest and came out through the back, directly pinning him in place.
The world seemed to have frozen as all were shocking beyond belief.
Yang Kai’s arm shook as a violent burst of energy started wreaking havoc in Old Kang’s body, crushing his five viscera and six organs.
“Ke…” Old Kang coughed, coughing pieces of his internal organs. His face turned hideous as he looked at Yang Kai, “Junior, you are truly bold to use a Dragon Artifact. The Dragon Clan will not spare you. This Old Master will be going first, but he will see you soon in Hell!”
“Keep waiting!” Yang Kai pulled his spear back before sweeping it out, smashing Old Kang’s head and sending a blood rain down from the sky.
Yang Kai’s heart was pounding. After a bloody battle, he had finally vented the suffocating feeling that had bogged down his Martial Heart for a long time. He felt elated. Had he not been thrust into this mysterious Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he wouldn’t have been able to experience this feeling of freedom again for a much longer time.
Everyone looked at him with focused gazes, wearing all kinds of expressions on their faces.
Much of their attention was on the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand, as what Old Kang had said before his death had caught their attention.
A Dragon Artifact, meaning that it was an artifact forged from a Dragon’s Body. Naturally, it was extremely powerful. Although they felt that the Azure Dragon Spear was extraordinary when Yang Kai fought with Old Kang, they didn’t pay that much attention to it.
But when Old Kang said this, they finally learned the truth!
The long spear was radiating a faint Dragon Pressure, so if it wasn’t a Dragon Artifact, what was it? No wonder when they were breaking through the Beast Tide, many exotic beasts backed away on their own initiative. Initially, they thought that it was because of Yang Kai’s overbearing strength, but now it became apparent that it was because of this Dragon Artifact.
For a moment, a trace of greed flashed in many people’s eyes.
Dragon Artifacts were taboo in every part of the 3,000 Worlds. As Old Kang had said before his death, if the Dragon Clan came to know about it, Yang Kai would be doomed.
But then again, a Dragon Artifact was an extremely rare treasure. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, the Ancient Exotic Beasts were just about everywhere, so if they had this Dragon Artifact in their possession, it could act as a deterrent in many cases, helping them avoid some unnecessary troubles.
But Yang Kai was strong enough to overwhelm and kill a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master all by himself, so even though some people were having malicious thoughts at the moment, they didn’t dare to attack him. After witnessing him fight Old Kang, who could say that they would be his opponent? The chance of failure and the price to be paid were simply too high.
After a long time, Yang Kai finally calmed down his emotions and put away the Azure Dragon Spear. He then approached Old Kang’s corpse and searched him before taking his Space Ring away. He then beckoned Meng Hong and the others, “Let’s go.”
It wasn’t suitable to stay here for a long time as doing so would attract trouble. Who knows if the nearby exotic beasts would suddenly start attacking them?
Why would the members of Great Moon Province have any objections? Having witnessed Yang Kai’s combat power, they naturally felt more secure accompanying him.
But after taking just a few steps, Yang Kai looked back and asked, “What are you guys doing?”
He had only asked the people of Great Moon Province to come with him, but he had not expected the dozens of other cultivators, who had escaped together with him, to follow suit.
A fat young man stepped out and explained, cupping his fists and wearing a smile on his face, “Senior Brother, regardless of the circumstances, we all fought side by side. You could say that we have shared life and death. Furthermore, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is fraught with crises. It would be better if we stick together. After having witnessed Senior Brother’s invincible might, I would like to follow Senior Brother, heading your every order. Our only request is to safely leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.”
Everyone behind him nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai glanced at him and indifferently replied, “No need. You can go wherever you want, just don’t follow me!”
Having finished his piece, he ignored them and continued ahead.
“Senior Brother… Senior Brother, please wait a moment…” The young fatty shouted aloud, chasing after him.
Yang Kai promptly turned around as the Azure Dragon Spear appeared in his hand all of a sudden. With his spear pressed against the young fatty’s chest, Yang Kai coldly glared at him and snarled, “If you keep chattering, don’t blame this King for pushing this spear straight through you.”
The young fatty immediately froze on the spot as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The corner of his mouth twitched before he raised his hands and entreated, “Senior Brother, please calm yourself…”
Yang Kai stared deeply at him and let out a cold snort before putting away his spear and turning around, continuing on.
The young fatty sighed, watching Yang Kai and his group leave as if he had missed a great opportunity. Some people were indignant, feeling that Yang Kai was too arrogant, but since he didn’t want them to follow him, they weren’t shameless enough to pursue. The crowd looked around at each other for a time before dispersing.
After advancing for three hundred kilometres, Yang Kai and the people of Great Moon Province inadvertently entered a mountain valley. The valley was lush with green plants everywhere, along with various exotic and beautiful flowers. It was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day here.
As soon as they entered the valley, everyone couldn’t help but have an illusion that they had entered a paradise. The eyes of the women in the group especially lit up bright as they started looking around.
Yang Kai looked around before suggesting, “Let’s take a break here. Brother Meng, you and I will split up and scout this place to check if there is any hidden danger.”
“Good!” Meng Hong nodded in agreement.
After inspecting the valley, they found that it wasn’t very big, spanning only a few kilometres and lacking any fearsome Ominous Beasts. This put everyone’s taut heart at ease at least.
After having been swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, everyone found themselves in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and before they could catch their breath, they were attacked by a ferocious Beast Tide. There were tens of thousands of people in that part of the Star City, but who knew how many of them would survive the Beast Tide?
No wonder Yue He said that entering the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was both an opportunity and a disaster.
The last battle had left everyone mentally and physically exhausted, and after having escaped the crisis, exhaustion finally hit them. They each found someplace to take rest and heal their wounds.
Yang Kai too sat down cross-legged under a tree. He spread his palms before him, staring at them; immersed in his thoughts.
Although only a short time had passed since he entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it felt like a year or two already. He had witnessed Emperor Realm cultivators fight in the Outer Universe every now and then, but not as many as he had seen today.
This led him to a discovery that he hadn’t noticed before.
The Emperor Realm Masters of the Outer Universe who had condensed their Dao Seals and were able to harness their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, could mobilize this power to wield in battle, thereby increasing their combat efficiency and prowess.
Suddenly, he recalled that Old Bai had done something similar back in Wind and Cloud Auction House, though he was quickly silenced by Old Yu. At that time, Yang Kai hadn’t paid much attention to it.
[When I was fighting that old man surnamed Kang, he did something similar.]
[It should have something to do with the power inside my Dao Seal!]
Yang Kai heard someone approaching as a sweet fragrance tickled his nostrils. The next moment, a soft and tender figure sat down next to him.
Yang Kai’s thoughts were interrupted, and when he turned his head to look, he saw Yue He looking at him with a smile on her face.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow, “What is it?”
She smiled slyly, like a fox who had stolen a chicken. Yang Kai immediately put his guard up, but since they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he wasn’t afraid of her.
Yue He hugged his knee and rested her cheek on it, giving the impression of a young girl who was ignorant of the world and was looking forward to the promising future ahead of her, “Why did you kill that old man?”
“What do you mean why? I killed him because I didn’t like him,” Yang Kai impatiently replied.
“Because he injured me?”
“Stop deluding yourself!” Yang Kai ignored her.
But Yue He remained persistent. She came closer as her fragrant breath trickled Yang Kai’s nose, “It’s because of that, am I right? Otherwise, why would you kill him?”
“Are you in heat or something?” Yang Kai was a little speechless.
Although that was indeed a part of the reason, Yang Kai would never admit it. When the Roaring Thunder Beast attacked, the old man surnamed Kang dodged without any hesitation, and though Yue He could have done so too, she instead chose to take the thunderbolt head-on.
She probably thought that if she were to avoid it as well, Yang Kai and the others behind her would surely die.
This caused Yang Kai to see her in a new light, feeling that she wasn’t truly a bad person.
[Be that as it may, it’s because of her that I got swept into this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; otherwise, I would have met up with Proprietress at the Universe Temple.]
Thinking of her, Yang Kai directly asked, “Is she alright?”
He had only heard that the Proprietress had suffered serious injuries and was recuperating in the Universe Temple. He hadn’t asked Yue He about the specifics as they weren’t familiar with each other. What’s more, he was a prisoner so he wasn’t entitled to ask any questions.
Yue He disdainfully spat, scoffing, “Of course she’s alright. What else?”
“Is she seriously injured?”
Yue He remained silent for a while before she shook her head, “Whether she is heavily or lightly injured is irrelevant as you have no idea about her abilities. Now that she has sought shelter in the Universe Temple, she will recover sooner or later.”
Yang Kai gently nodded his acknowledgement; it could be said that the weight on his heart was finally lifted.
“Do you think that you have the time to worry about others? Worry about yourself first.” Yue He jealously continued, “After entering the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, you can’t leave until it closes on its own. I’m afraid we will be staying here for a long time.”
When she brought this up, Yang Kai grew a little worried, “Is the period which this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary remains open really different every time?”
Yue He slowly nodded, “As far as I know, that is the case. It will remain open for between a decade to a century, but even if it remains open for a century, for cultivators like us, it’s still just a snap of the fingers.”
For an Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He, a century was indeed like a snap of one’s fingers, but it was completely different for Yang Kai.
The Star Boundary was in a precarious situation. It was in danger and its World Principles were collapsing. If Yang Kai couldn’t find the World Tree to repair the Star Boundary soon, the entire Universe World would die sooner or later.
[A century? Can the Star Boundary hold on till then?]
“Young Master, what are you thinking?” Yue He couldn’t help but ask, looking at the change in Yang Kai’s expression.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, looking at her; he was rendered speechless, “In any case, you are an Open Heaven Realm Master, and a Fifth-Order one at that. Why are you humiliating yourself?”
Yue He asked, surprised, “How am I humiliating myself?”
Yang Kai continued, shaking his head, “I am just a trivial Emperor Realm Junior. How can you allow yourself to address me as Young Master?” She had said the same before the old man surnamed Kang as well.
Yue He pursed her lips into a sweet smile, “Oh, that’s what you are referring to. I’m happy to do it, so what?”
“Do as you wish!” Yang Kai didn’t want to dwell on this topic. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can I ask you a question?”
Yue He turned serious, “Ask ahead.”
“Will frequent use of the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements in one’s Dao Seal affect it in any way?”
Yue He was astounded, “Why would it affect one’s Dao Seal? Since it’s your power, it will always be yours.” She suddenly furrowed her brow, “Why don’t you even know this? Lan You Ruo didn’t tell you?”
Yang Kai explained, “I’ve only been in the Outer Universe for about a year. I don’t know much about many things. Usually, Proprietress didn’t pay attention to my cultivation.”
Thinking about it though, since it was the Power within his own Dao Seal, why would it matter if he used it? In the Seven Wonders Land, he had once used his Wood Element to assist the growth of the Fire Spirit Fruit Trees after all.
After giving it a thought, he realized that he had made a wrong assumption.
Yue He was mouth agape in shock, “You only entered the Outer Universe a year ago?”
“What’s the problem?”
Yue He slowly shook her head, “I thought that you had been with Lan You Ruo for a long time. So it’s like that. How many Elements have you gathered?”
Yang Kai naturally had nothing to hide; furthermore, since he was the one asking for advice, he would obviously speak the truth, “Two, Wood and Fire.”
Yue He continued, “The Yin, Yang, and Five Elements have their own characteristics. Wood is filled with vitality and is best for healing and cultivation. Fire is hot and explosive, suitable for attacking. Metal is sharp and aggressive. If it’s applied to an artifact, it boosts the offensive power of that artifact. Earth is thick and heavy, so its defence is outstanding. Water is formless, making it suitable for all roles from healing to offence to defence. As for Yin and Yang, they both have their own effects. The battle between the Masters below the Open Heaven Realm Masters is basically a competition of quality and control over the Powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements.”
Yang Kai appeared to be pondering it deeply, but soon nodded before requesting, “Please enlighten me!”
Yue He stated, “Attack me!”
Saying so, a yellowish-brown aura suddenly covered her entire body. A tremendous Earth Element was congealed in that aura. Obviously, Yue He had mobilized the Power in her Dao Seal for defence.
Yang Kai casually launched a palm attack at her. He had wanted to try this combat style, so he held nothing back. The moment he swung his palm, a reddish aura suddenly surged around it, radiating tremendous heat.
A deafening bang immediately followed. Yue He’s figure shook as a ripple visible to the naked eye spread over the yellowish-brown aura covering her body before it fiercely caved in. Not only that, Yang Kai’s palm also sank in. The consolidated defence around her body seemed to be on the verge of shattering.
Fortunately, Yang Kai timely withdrew his palm.
Yue He’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, looking at Yang Kai, “What Order of Fire Element did you condense?”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at her in confusion.
Yue He murmured, “As I just said, the battle between cultivators below the Open Heaven Realm is a competition between the quality and control of their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. The Earth Element I have condensed is Fifth-Order, so any Power below Fifth-Order would not put a dent in the defence created using it, unless one struck multiple times. But you nearly broke my defence in just one palm… Did you refine a Sixth-Order Fire Element material? No… that’s not right either. It’s impossible for a Sixth-Order Fire Element Power to have such tremendous power… Could it be of Seventh-Order!?”
Just as she spoke of this, Yue He covered her red lips with her hand as her pretty eyes quivered in shock.
Yang Kai was also astounded. He hadn’t expected Yue He to draw such a conclusion from just a casual attack, and her inference was not wrong. The Golden Crow Fire was absolutely not just Seventh Order!
“Damn!” Yue He’s face turned ashen, “Lan You Ruo, you’ve gone mad! You actually dare to do this!?”
Who knows why, but Yue He’s face turned as pale as paper and she abruptly stood up while speaking, clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
“What does this have to do with Proprietress?” Yang Kai frowned.
Yue He ground her teeth as she replied, “Didn’t she assist you in condensing your Fire Element?” Yang Kai had told her himself that he had been in the Outer Universe for just about a year, so how could he have strength and resources to find such a High-Order Open Heaven material?
It must be known that a Seventh-Order material was worth over a hundred million Open Heaven Pills! She didn’t believe that Yang Kai possessed such wealth; furthermore, it wasn’t something he could buy unless Lan You Ruo helped him.
It was quite natural for her to make such an assumption as she had no idea that Yang Kai had his own opportunities.
Yang Kai didn’t want to explain, but he was a little curious so he instead asked, “So what? Doesn’t condensing higher Order materials just mean breaking through to a higher Order Open Heaven Realm?”
“You don’t understand at all!” Yue He shook her head. Suddenly, she asked another question, “What about your Wood Element? It couldn’t also be Seventh-Order, right?”
Yang Kai himself was wondering about its Order, only figuring that the essence of the Immortal Tree should be very high.
Yue He’s face, seeing his reaction, turned even paler. She crouched down and solemnly looked at him, “Never, ever let anyone know that you have condensed Seventh-Order Elements, promise me!”
There was a pleading look on her face as if she was requesting something very important.
A confused look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he wondered, [Has she gone insane? We don’t have that deep a relationship.] Had it not been for Yue He’s previous conduct, he would have parted ways with her already. Still, Yang Kai felt really uncomfortable when she was talking to him in this tone.
His reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Yue He and her face turned slightly red as she tucked her hair behind her ear, stating, “I know that there are some misunderstandings between us, and you don’t trust me much, but please believe me when I say I will never try to harm you…”
She hesitated for a while before continuing, “There was once a man who was monstrously talented, overwhelming all other geniuses in his generation. Just like you, he condensed Seventh-Order Elements, and throughout the entire 3,000s World, no one below the Open Heaven Realm was his opponent. He had even fought a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master to draw. But in the end, he died.”
“How did he die?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Yue He’s eyes flickered with a sliver of sadness, “The tallest tree in the forest always faces the strongest winds. Do you know that Lan You Ruo herself had a chance to break through directly to the Seventh Order?”
“I heard something about it.”
“Then do you know why she’s stuck in the Sixth Order?” Yue He lightly sneered.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve never heard the reason.”
“Because if she tried to break through to the Seventh Order, she would be dead! Therefore, she only advanced to the Sixth-Order. She did so just to safeguard her dog life!” Yue He’s tone was solemn.
Yang Kai unhappily rebuked, “Proprietress has done me many big favours, don’t speak ill of her.”
Yue He added in a cold voice, “If she was really thinking of your own good, she wouldn’t have let you condense Seventh-Order Elements! She is only harming you just like back then… back then when…” While speaking, Yue He’s eyes turned wet as she choked with sobs.
Yang Kai, seeing this, didn’t know what to say. He could clearly tell that there was some kind of deep grievance between the Proprietress and Yue He. They should have some past grudges between them, as well as a complicated story.
After a while, Yue He wiped the corner of her eyes before exhorting in a lonesome voice, “In any case, you must remember this. You should never let anyone know about your secrets. And as for the Dragon Artifact, it would be better if you never used it again; otherwise, you would be in big trouble after you leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.”
After advising him so, Yue He turned around and left, her figure looking bleak and lonely.
Yang Kai, watching her departing back, sunk into his own thoughts. In fact, he didn’t need Yue He to specifically tell him to hide his secrets. Only, judging by how seriously Yue He had warned him, he realized he needed to be extra careful in the future. As for the Dragon Artifact, the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai actually couldn’t wait for the Dragon Clan to come looking for him. He was alone and had no one to rely on in the Outer Universe, so it would be great if he could get in touch with the Dragon Clan.
After Yue He left, Yang Kai tried to manipulate Space Principles to see if he could tear space and leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
According to Yue He, they would be here for at least a decade and possibly up to a century, but if he could shatter the Void and leave this place, he wouldn’t need to stay.
Furthermore, he had faced this kind of situation many times before, so Yang Kai wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
But after a few tries, he discovered that the World Principles of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were extremely firm. He couldn’t break through the World Barrier with his current mastery of the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little frustrated. It seemed that he would have to find some other way or wait for the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to close by itself.
“Senior Brother Yang!” A sweet voice suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s ears, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked up and saw Chen Yue standing right before him. Her eyes were completely glued on him, and when their eyes met, a slightly red hue embellished her pretty face.
Yang Kai asked, nodding, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Yue replied, “Nothing’s wrong. Yue’er just wanted to thank Senior Brother Yang. Had it not been for Senior Brother Yang, I would have been dead.”
Yang Kai humbly stated, “It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Chen Yue continued, “It might be nothing for Senior Brother, but it was a life-saving grace for me. This Junior Sister is unable to repay your kindness right now, but if Senior Brother needs anything from me in the future, please just say it. Yue’er will do everything to fulfil it.”
Yang Kai raised his hand, stating, “You don’t have to be so serious. Brother Meng and I are old acquaintances. Since you are his friend, then you are also my friend. It’s only right and proper to help each other out.”
Chen Yue asked, “How did Senior Brother and Senior Brother Meng become acquaintances? Why haven’t I heard Senior Brother Meng mention it before?” Her eyes were brightly shining, as if she was looking at some rare treasure.
“If Junior Sister wants to know about it, why not ask Brother Meng? He can tell you all about it,” Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction.
Chen Yue turned to look and saw Meng Hong approaching. Her expression immediately turned a little unnatural, but she still put on a smiling face when Meng Hong arrived by her side, “I came to thank Senior Brother Yang.”
Meng Hong nodded his acknowledgement, “That’s alright, but Junior Sister, you are injured. You shouldn’t move around too much. You should focus on recovering first.”
Chen Yue obediently agreed, “Then I will be on my way. Please continue.”
“Junior Sister Chen is a good girl, and quite talented as well,” Meng Hong stated, looking at the departing Chen Yue. He seemed to be talking more to himself than Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled, “Brother Meng, if you are interested in her, you might as well boldly pursue her.”
Meng Hong shook his head with a wry smile, “I’m interested in her, but I’m afraid she is not interested in me.”
Yang Kai added with a stern look on his face, “Absolute sincerity can move even the hardest of hearts. As long as Brother Meng shows his sincerity, how can Sister Chen not feel it?”
Meng Hong, lowering his head, pondered for a while before he nodded, “Brother Yang is right. I was wrong.” He then switched the topic, “Brother Yang, you are not seriously injured, are you?”
Yang Kai had brought them out of the Beast Tide and then fought with Old Kang; naturally, he wouldn’t have come out unscathed.
“I’m fine, it’s just some minor injuries.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Meng Hong was filled with great admiration, “Today, I have learned how great Brother Yang is. You even killed a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Roaring Thunder Beast. This Meng was really a frog in the well, thinking that the sky was just this big.”
He was truly shocked this time. He too was an Emperor Realm cultivator, but he had never thought that a cultivator of his realm could display such fearsome combat power. Every sweep of Yang Kai’s spear blew away the Ancient Exotic Beasts into a bloody mist, even a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could only retreat in defeat before dying. Meng Hong couldn’t help but yearn for such power.
“It was just a fluke,” Yang Kai modestly stated, “By the way, how are Old Fang and the others doing in Great Moon Province?”
Meng Hong replied with a smile, “Junior Brother Fang and Junior Sister Dié You are doing well. Ah Sun’s cultivation is back on track too. I too have been receiving personal training from Martial Aunt Tao. They all miss Brother Yang though. I don’t know how they are doing right now, but before I left, all of them asked me to inquire about you while I was out. Unfortunately, before I could carefully check up on Brother Yang, we came here. Fortunately, we encountered the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog; otherwise, I would have never met Brother Yang so quickly.”
Hearing that Old Fang and the others were doing fine, Yang Kai’s heart was put at ease; after all, Old Fang and Dié You were the first friends he had made after arriving in the Outer Universe. They had also taken good care of him in Seven Wonders Land. When he escaped from Seven Wonders Land, they followed him, blazing their way through all obstacles together, sharing life and death.
The world was so vast though, so who knows when he would meet them again? Thinking of this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be struck with a little melancholy.
[But as long as we are living, we will have a chance to meet sooner or later!]
“What does Brother Yang plan to do next?” Meng Hong solemnly asked.
In their group, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and Yang Kai had shown overwhelming combat prowess, the remaining few people were fellow brothers and sisters of Great Moon Province, and Chen Yue, so their group wasn’t that big, seven in total. They couldn’t really do much in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary on their own.
“What does Brother Meng think we should do?” If Meng Hong hadn’t asked, Yang Kai himself would have asked the very same question.
Meng Hong pondered for a moment before replying, “Self-preservation! We should seek self-preservation first before thinking about doing anything else!”
He eloquently continued, “The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary this time is completely different from the past. Even if the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened in the past, not many people would be swept into it. But this time, an entire Star City has been swallowed up, dragging in a couple hundred thousand cultivators. Anyone with a little brains could tell that we should stick together. Even that Ding Yi did the same. He raised his own banner and gathered together a group of followers. Although Brother Yang has strength and courage that not even ten thousand men can match, you are just one person in the end. Whatever conflict arises, if you remain alone, you will be the one to suffer, always.”
“Furthermore, the Beast Tide attacked the ruins of the Star City the moment we arrived, so who knows what other crises are lurking inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Many Masters have lost their lives in this place over the millennia. If we aren’t careful, I’m afraid we will be following their footsteps.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded. Although Meng Hong’s idea was a little conservative, it was also in line with his thoughts.
What Yang Kai saw and heard today gave him much to think about, and he needed some time to digest all of it, especially about the Power within his Dao Seal. He had experienced too few real battles after entering the Outer Universe and had yet to discover the effectiveness of his Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. No one had even told him about this until today.
But since he had come to know about it today, Yang Kai naturally wanted to carefully study it.
“Haa…” Meng Hong heaved a sigh, “Speaking of which, we are the ones causing trouble for Brother Yang. If Brother Yang was on his own, he would be able to accomplish great deeds in the Grand Ancient Ruins.”
Yang Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “Brother Meng, you are taking this all too seriously. Just as you said, the Grand Ancient Ruins is fraught with unknown crises. I am just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so what can I even accomplish on my own?”
While the two were talking, Yang Kai suddenly raised his head, looking in a certain direction and slightly frowned.
Very soon, Meng Hong also sensed something. He looked in the same direction, frowning and beckoning his nearby Junior Brothers at the same time.
Chen Yue came closer at that time and asked, “Senior Brothers, what’s the matter?” Although she was an Emperor Realm cultivator as well, it was evident that her Divine Sense wasn’t as powerful as Meng Hong’s, otherwise, how could she have failed to notice the disturbance?
The nearby Yue He softly sneered, “A large number of people are approaching. If I’m right, they are those who have made their way out of the Star City.”
Chen Yue’s face slightly changed after hearing this; after all, the Star City wasn’t that far away from here, just a thousand kilometres at most. It was natural for some to flee in their direction.
As expected, a bunch of blazing auras appeared in their sight shortly after. Slowly, they could make out human figures amongst those auras, heading straight towards this mountain valley.
The aura of the figure leading the group was like a shooting star, and was drenched in blood. Surprisingly, it was none other than Ding Yi.
There were over a thousand cultivators behind him at this moment.
Soon, the streaks of light fell down on the valley one by one. Ding Yi glanced at Yang Kai from a distance as a smile appeared on his lips, “We meet again. It seems we share some destiny.”
Although he was smiling, there was no warmth behind it. Yang Kai, on the other hand, ignored him altogether.
Yang Kai’s attitude made Ding Yi coldly snort. He then looked around before his gaze landed on Yue He, wandering over her lithe figure. He smacked his lips and proposed, “Madame, what this Ding said before is still valid. Why don’t you give it another thought?”
In the Star City, Ding Yi had once offered to accept Yue He as his woman. Naturally, it was impossible for Yue He to agree. She was alone at that time and not wanting to have any conflict with Ding Yi and the others, she immediately fled. But unfortunately, she was forced to return by the Beast Tide.
With disaster knocking at the door, Ding Yi couldn’t have cared less about Yue He, he just wanted to survive. But now that he had made it out of the siege, and gathered a large number of people under him, his self-confidence was bolstered. His dark thoughts couldn’t help but rear their heads again.
After all, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Ding Yi himself had no idea when or even if he could reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and he would not find such a great opportunity once he left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If he could taste a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman here, then this trip to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would not be in vain.
Just as Ding Yi proposed this, his minions immediately started clamouring.
“Oye, you there, you are lucky, my Emperor Heaven’s Commander has taken a liking to you. You should obediently become his wife!”
“If you obey our Commander, he will keep you safe; otherwise, it will be difficult for you to take even a single step in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
“That chick isn’t bad either. Why don’t I take her with the Commander?”
“Hahaha! Since the Commander is eating the meat, naturally we will have to drink the soup. Why would the Commander be interested in that little girl when he has such a feast already?”
…..
One by one, the men behind Ding Yi started shouting. Ding Yi, on the other hand, stood carrying his hands behind his back. His face was ruddy and filled with pride. Today, Emperor Heaven had killed their way out of the Beast Tide under his lead. Everyone admired him and it was his charisma that brought this ragtag bunch together, leading them by example and raising everyone’s morale.
Ding Yi believed that as long as he was given some time, he could surely make Emperor Heaven rise to prominence in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! And at that time, he would be the true ruler of this place. Everyone’s life and death would be in his hands. He was drunk on this sense of superiority, which he could never have in the 3,000 Worlds.
The unique environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary gave all Emperor Realm cultivators a chance to be the masters of their own destiny. Ding Yi believed that this was a Heaven-sent chance, an opportunity bestowed on him by the Heavens themselves.
Chen Yue’s face turned pale after hearing their calls. She had never thought that she would suffer such an unexpected crisis and couldn’t help but lean towards Yang Kai and Meng Hong, as if she wanted to seek a sense of security.
On the other hand, Yue He smiled and her pretty and captivating eyes flickered with a bright and intelligent gleam, “Then you will have to ask my Young Master. If Young Master agrees, this maid will not complain, no matter who she is sent to do. But if Young Master refuses, then this maid must remain with her Young Master…”
Saying so, she shamelessly grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and held it between her twin peaks.
Yang Kai calmly glanced over at her as Yue He’s fragrant breath blew on his face, “Young Master, I will obey you.” Her submissive attitude and charming temperament caused many men’s breathing to turn ragged. They were secretly jealous of Yang Kai’s luck. [What great force does this bastard belong to that he actually has a maid like this serving him?]
A wry smile appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he muttered, “You’re really making me the public’s enemy!” While speaking, he reached out and pinched Yue He’s tender cheek, to the point where red marks appeared on her fair face.
Yue He’s brow twitched slightly. Who knew what was going on in her mind, but she didn’t avoid Yang Kai’s touch.
Meng Hong blushed at the sight of this while Chen Yue’s mouth fell agape. As for the disciples of Great Moon Province, they all quickly averted their gazes.
The two kept flirting in the open, causing Ding Yu to turn livid. Having come over with the might of the thousand men of Emperor Heaven behind him, he believed that Yue He would not be able to resist him. He would definitely take her to his bed tonight and make her his. But after watching this display, he immediately felt insulted.
He thus shouted in an ice-cold voice, “Brat, you court death!”
“Commander, let me kill him!” A burly bald man behind Ding Yi stepped forward. His aura was thick and head, and he was wielding a menacing broadsword. The blood on the blade was still not dry, so obviously, he had killed a lot of exotic beasts in the battle just now.
Ding Yi solemnly nodded, “Since this Little Brat has shamelessly rejected a face-shaving offer, go and teach him to show proper respect!”
The burly man rubbed his bald head, snickering, “Don’t worry Commander, I will let him know the might of our Emperor Heaven.”
He then pointed his broadsword at Yang Kai and grimly stated, “Boy, come accept your death!”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Wait a moment.”
The burly bald man sneered, “If you have any last words, speak up, or forever hold your tongue.”
Yang Kai chuckled and then stated, ignoring him and staring only at Ding Yi, “If you want, I can give this cheap slut to you, I don’t really want her anyway.”
Saying so, he pushed Yue He away, causing the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master to stagger.
Ding Yi was startled and immediately nodded with satisfaction, “Seems like even a brat like you can be tactful!”
Yue He was even more stunned. She glared at Yang Kai, her pretty eyes burning with fury as her body shook in anger.
Infuriated, Yue He turned around and started kicking and punching Yang Kai, though she wasn’t using any real power; so, it looked like a lovers’ spat to others.
Ding Yi’s face turned ashen, “You dare to lie to me?”
He waved his hand, roaring, “Kill the man, capture the woman!”
Just as the order was issued, the burly bald man slashed his broadsword down. The broadsword was surrounded by a faint golden glow, giving everyone the feeling that it was extremely sharp and could cut through any obstacle like a hot knife through butter.
Yang Kai hadn’t paid attention to it before, but at this moment, when he took a closer look, he knew that the burly bald man was using the Metal Element Power in his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai promptly pulled Yue He behind him before raising his hand and pressing it forward. His hand was radiating a scorching heat as he drew on his Fire Element Power.
Yang Kai also wanted to give this combat style a try.
Yang Kai’s palm passed by the sharp broadsword, pressing straight towards the burly bald man’s chest. The burly man was also ruthless and vicious so he didn’t try to dodge or block the oncoming palm; rather, the golden glow around the broadsword grew brighter. Surprisingly, he wanted to trade injury with injury as his lips rose into a hideous smile.
With a clang, Yang Kai’s figure staggered backwards a little as the broadsword slashed at his chest. In an instant, his clothes were slashed through while the burly man was sent flying by the palm.
No one seemed to seize the advantage in this exchange.
Yue He was greatly taken aback and quickly rushed over and checked Yang Kai’s chest, “Are… are you alright?”
When she lifted up his damaged clothes, she just saw a white scratch on Yang Kai’s skin. The broadsword had only managed to scratch him a little, not even drawing a drop of blood.
Yue He was dumbfounded.
The burly bald man might not have used his entire strength just now, but that still wasn’t something an Emperor Realm cultivator would be able to block with just his body alone. However, Yang Kai was completely alright even after taking that blow.
[Is this boy even Human?]
Yang Kai sneered as flicked his chest, “A waste like you wants to injure this King? In your dreams! Go back and cultivate for a few more centuries.”
Yue He stared at him in a daze, her pretty eyes flashing fiercely. The nearby Chen Yue, on the other hand, stared at Yang Kai with a look of admiration on her face. She too was an Emperor Realm cultivator, but she didn’t dare to take such an attack head-on.
“Interesting!” The burly bald man, after regaining his footing, pointed his broadsword at Yang Kai, smiling wickedly, “Brat, I hope you can remain so bull-headed until the end, don’t…”
Mid-sentence, the burly bald man’s face suddenly turned red, and before he could finish his words, he spurted a mouthful of blood. The blood he spurted seemed to be boiling as it was radiating scorching heat.
Ding Yi exclaimed, “What’s wrong?”
The burly bald man didn’t even have the time to answer his question as his entire body quickly turned red as boiling blood bubbled out of his mouth.
In just ten breaths, the burly bald man let out a miserable scream before he collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.
Much to everyone’s surprise, he died just like that.
The entire field sunk into pin-drop silence!
The surrounding cultivators looked aghast at Yang Kai, as if they were looking at a ghost; after all, Yang Kai had only swung his palm once, but that was enough to take the life of the burly bald man. Everyone present knew they weren’t any stronger than the burly bald man, which meant that if they were in his situation, they too would not have survived.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, looked at the burly bald man as if it had nothing to do with him, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The way this man died reminded him of what happened back on the Sun Star. Back then, when a number of Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters were burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, they died similar deaths.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire was extremely fearsome. When even those Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t hold on for too long after having been burned by the True Fire, what could an insignificant Emperor Realm Master do? The bald man had no way to deal with the Golden Crow’s True Fire invading his body, dooming him from the start.
[Fortunately, I refined my Wood Element from the Immortal Tree’s essence; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire in my Dao Seal.]
[So this is the might of the Seventh-Order Fire Element!] Yue He’s pretty eyes looked at Yang Kai as a complicated look appeared on her face. With this Seventh-Order Fire Power, how could anyone in the Emperor Realm be his opponent if it was a one-on-one match?
“You court death!” The tragic death of his subordinate made Ding Yi blow his top; thus, he waved his hand and shouted, “Kill him!”
The moment he issued the order, everyone charged at Yang Kai all at once. Even though everyone was afraid of Yang Kai’s methods, they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. When even their Commander, Ding Yi, was attacking, how could they fall behind?
In the blink of an eye, the brilliance of Secret Techniques and artifacts dazzled everyone as they launched their attacks at Yang Kai.
“Take care of them!” Yang Kai sent Yue He a Divine Sense transmission before throwing himself straight into the approaching crowd.
His intrepid physique was more than enough to negate a large part of the damage from these attacks. Furthermore, using Space Principles, Yang Kai came and went like a ghost. Yang Kai didn’t resort to any other methods and instead kept attacking with the same flaming palm.
Many people were struck by his palm without even catching sight of Yang Kai’s figure. Immediately, scorching hot energy started to rampage in their bodies, burning them from the inside out. They couldn’t get rid of that scorching energy no matter how hard they tried.
Cultivators fell to the ground one by one, coughing up scorching hot blood.
Every time Yang Kai swung his palm, an Emperor Heaven member would inexplicably lose his life, striking panic into the hearts of the others.
Ding Yi’s eyes cracked wide open as his heart bled. Emperor Heaven had recruited over a thousand men, so the death of a few of them would be a drop in the bucket, but Yang Kai’s actions were extremely detrimental to their morale. If he couldn’t bring down Yang Kai today, how would he convince the public in the future?
Gritting his teeth, Ding Yi turned his head toward Yue He and the others before raising his arm and ordering, “Follow me!”
Hundreds of people immediately gathered around him before charging towards Yue He and the others. Unable to take down Yang Kai, Ding Yi focused his attention on the others. As long as he could capture them, Yang Kai couldn’t do anything.
Meng Hong’s face turned pale as he clenched the artifact in his hand tighter. Chen Yue was also shivering in fright.
In the blink of an eye, when he and his men were just within three hundred metres of Meng Hong and the others, Ding Yi raised his arm and ordered, “Capture them alive!”
Yue He remained cool-headed and just sneered at Ding Yi and the others before summoning a small flower umbrella-like artifact. The umbrella opened up and slowly started rotating; immediately afterwards, transparent filaments drooped down from the umbrella one after another.
Surprisingly, it was a defensive artifact. It might look small but it was enough to cover everyone in it.
As Yue He was unable to display her full strength in this place, the might of the artifact was naturally much lower than normal. Under the attack of over a hundred Emperor Realm cultivators, it might not last long and its defence would be broken.
At that time, apart from Yue He, who could defend herself a little, the life and death of Great Moon Province’s people would be left to the Heavens.
Yang Kai seized a moment to take a look at Yue He and the others. After checking their situation, he forced everyone around him back with a few palm attacks before teleporting to the front of Yue He and grinning at Ding Yi. Immediately after, he smacked a palm at him.
Ding Yi quivered visibly!
Having witnessed the tragic deaths of so many of his subordinates, he was well aware of the terror of Yang Kai’s palm. As such, he immediately halted his charge and promptly kicked the ground, taking flight.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained like maggots on rotting bones.
Ding Yi’s mouth was filled with bitterness. His intestines had turned green in regret. He finally made it out of the Beast Tide and was able to gather a large group of followers in the process. This was a big victory for him, leaving him in high spirits. But he had never expected to run into a freak like Yang Kai the very next moment.
He secretly decided that if he could escape from this crisis, he would run in the opposite direction at the mere sight of Yang Kai in the future.
As Yang Kai’s palm came closer, Ding Yi could feel the scorching heat radiating from it and he exclaimed in his heart, [My destined end has come!]
At that moment, the ground started quaking and cracked apart, causing everyone to stagger.
The next moment, an enormous figure suddenly rushed out from the crack. The figure was several tens of metres wide and tall, and jet-black in colour. It seemed to have no eyes, ears, or nose. The only thing at its frontmost end was an enormous mouth that was constantly squirming like a rotating millstone, creating a terrifying suction.
The few Emperor Heaven cultivators who were caught off guard were directly swallowed by that mouth and disappeared!
“Earth Dragon?” Yang Kai raised his brow, looking at the exotic beast that had suddenly risen out of the ground. Surprise was clearly written on his face.
Yang Kai had carefully checked this valley when they arrived here, but he hadn’t discovered anything unusual. Who knew where this Earth Dragon had been hiding that Yang Kai had failed to discover it. Perhaps it had been disturbed by the battle; otherwise, it would not have rushed out at this moment.
Furthermore, judging by the aura of the Earth Dragon, it was in no way inferior to the Roaring Thunder Beast in terms of strength.
Amid the deafening rumbles, the Earth Dragon’s entire body was displayed before everyone. Impressively, it was 300 metres long and every time it snapped its jaw, it would swallow a few cultivators.
On the other hand, the attacks of the cultivators couldn’t even scratch the creature’s skin. Yang Kai personally witnessed several cultivators attacking it with their respective artifacts, only for them to simply slide off the Earth Dragon’s body.
Emperor Heaven had suffered a complete defeat at the hands of Yang Kai, and now, a strange exotic beast had suddenly appeared. How could they still have the will to remain? Everyone fled. Witnessing this, Ding Yi could only clench his teeth and glare at Yang Kai in rage before pulling back from the valley.
It had only been thirty breaths since the Earth Dragon had made an appearance, but in this short period, all of the surviving Emperor Heaven Masters had fled from the valley. If they were given ample time, they might be able to kill the Earth Dragon, but Yang Kai was still lurking about. He would not give them any opportunity to cooperate and hunt down the Earth Dragon.
The Earth Dragon leapt out and chomped down yet again, devouring a few cultivators who were slightly slower in escaping.
Once the Emperor Heaven Masters had escaped, the Earth Dragon turned around and charged straight at Yang Kai. As it was approaching, its enormous mouth began to squirm, making Chen Yue feel nauseated and almost causing her to empty her stomach.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained where he was, calm and composed, not showing any intention of dodging.
Seeing the Earth Dragon getting closer and closer, Meng Hong and the others’ hearts jumped to their throats and even Yue He furiously shouted, “Do you want to die? Why are you still not running away!?”
Just as she shouted, the Earth Dragon was already upon Yang Kai, its enormous mouth open right above him.
Yue He clutched her flower umbrella and prepared to defend.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai let out a cold snort.
The next thing that happened blew Yue He and the others’ minds away. The moment Yang Kai snorted, the Earth Dragon froze on the spot. Its squirming mouth was just a metre away from Yang Kai and it could swallow him up if it just pushed forward slightly. Slowly, drops of its saliva dripped from its mouth, creating enormous potholes in the ground the next moment. Obviously, its saliva was highly corrosive. But in the end, the Earth Dragon didn’t move.
Just a single snort made the Earth Dragon terrified!
It was an amazing feat, but how did he do it? Meng Hong and the others’ eyes couldn’t help but widen as a look of incredulity blanketed their faces.
Even Yue He couldn’t figure out what was going on. If Yang Kai had repelled or killed it in a straight-up battle, Yue He and the others would not have found it too hard to accept, but what they saw confused them greatly.
[What is this Earth Dragon afraid of exactly? Or is there something on Yang Kai that is making the Earth Dragon afraid?]
In front of everyone’s eyes, the Earth Dragon remained frozen in its place for a while before it slowly prostrated before Yang Kai’s feet. Even its squirming mouth was tightly shut.
It might not have said anything, but everyone understood.
Much to their surprise, the Earth Dragon was surrendering to Yang Kai!
Everyone was shocked!
Yang Kai raised his foot and stepped on the Earth Dragon’s enormous snout, laughing, “Seems you’re a tactful fellow!”
If it was any other exotic beast, Yang Kai would have no choice but to fight it out, but this Earth Dragon possessed a weak Dragon Clan bloodline. It might be very impure and in trace amounts, but as long as one possessed the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, they would be subjected to bloodline suppression.
Others couldn’t feel the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in Yang Kai’s body, but how could the Earth Dragon fail to notice it? How could the Earth Dragon presumptuously act before such a mighty bloodline?
“Considering it wasn’t easy for you to cultivate your current realm, I won’t kill you today. You can go!” Yang Kai shouted.
The Earth Dragon seemed to have understood, or perhaps it could feel the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words, so it slowly stood up before turning around and slowly ambling off in a different direction, leaving large patches of mucus wherever it passed by. It looked extremely disgusting.
However, after moving off a short distance, it suddenly turned around and returned to Yang Kai, sending some vague Divine Sense fluctuations to him.
Yue He curiously asked, “What does it want?”
Yang Kai listened for a long time, frowning, before a weird expression came over his face, “I think it wants to take me somewhere.”
Just as he said this, the Earth Dragon arched its head down and carried Yang Kai up. Afterwards, it ignored everything else and turned around, slithering toward another direction. Its 300 metres long body slid along the ground, making deafening rumbles.
“Where is it taking you?” Yue He flashed over, standing beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “No idea.”
Although the Earth Dragon had some sentience, it was still quite vague and chaotic, so it couldn’t express itself clearly. Its Divine Sense transmissions were also obscure and confusing, leaving Yang Kai baffled. All he knew was that the place it was taking him to was very important.
*Shua shua shua…”
Those from Great Moon Province also flew over and landed on the Earth Dragon’s back. Its back wasn’t too wide but it was very long, so it wasn’t a problem for a few people to stand on it. The only negative for the women was the strange smell coming from the Earth Dragon’s body. Furthermore, almost its entire body was covered in mucus. If they weren’t careful, they might get it smeared on their clothes or bodies, which was something they couldn’t possibly bear.
“Since we have nothing to do, we might as well check it out. Maybe we will find some kind of treasure,” suggested Yang Kai.
Meng Hong agreed with a nod, “We will obey Brother Yang’s decision.”
Since Yang Kai somehow subdued an exotic beast, it would give anyone an extra sense of security. It was natural for them to follow anywhere Yang Kai went.
Yue He lightly poked Yang Kai in the waist as she curiously asked, “What exactly did you do? Why is this big guy so obedient to you? It’s even taking you to some amazing location?”
Yang Kai calmly replied, “Maybe I subdued it with my awesome charisma.”
Yue He pouted her lips, “Shameless!”
Along the way, they caught up with the scattered troops of Emperor Heaven. Under Ding Yi’s astonished and horrified gaze, Yang Kai and his group slithered towards the distance right before their eyes.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai and his team had disappeared from his sight that Ding Yi finally ordered his men with a solemn look on his face, “Pass on my order, if you ever meet that guy in the future, stay clear from him. Never have any conflict with him.”
The previous battle had really scared him. Several dozen people had died at Yang Kai’s hands while they couldn’t even touch the corner of Yang Kai’s shirt. And now, when they saw him having subdued such a powerful exotic beast, how could they still muster the courage to fight him?
The dead were dead, nothing could be done for them, and numbers could always be filled. But if morale was destroyed, it would undermine Ding Yi’s leadership.
The Earth Dragon wasn’t slow, and Yang Kai and his team ran into some cultivators along the way every now and then. But after sensing the Earth Dragon’s fearsome aura, everyone distanced themselves right away.
After travelling for three days and three nights, Yang Kai’s closed eyes finally opened as he declared, “We are here.”
Yue He looked at him, “How do you know?”
Yang Kai tapped his foot, “He told me.”
Judging by the Divine Sense transmitted by the Earth Dragon, it was obvious that it had become excited and eager. Obviously, it was approaching a special place. Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little curious as he wondered what could make this big guy so enthusiastic.
After travelling another few hundred kilometres, Yang Kai suddenly raised his brow as he stared straight ahead. He faintly felt an unusual aura radiating from that direction.
[Dragon Aura!]
Although it was very weak and almost imperceptible, the Dragon Aura was extremely pure. This kind of aura was imperceptible to outsiders. Only those with a Dragon Source could sense it a little.
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. [There is actually a member of the Dragon Clan in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary? Did the Earth Dragon bring me here to look for this Dragon? Just why did it come to find this Dragon?]
After another hundred kilometres, the Dragon Aura became more and more obvious.
The next moment, a majestic mountain range entered Yang Kai’s eyes. It was continuous and undulating, looking like a Great Dragon crawling on the ground; its head and tail quite vivid and distinct.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow at the sight of this mountain range.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot into the air ahead as a man hovered in the mid-air, blocking the road ahead. When everyone arrived, he raised his hand and shouted, “Little Brother, please wait a moment!”
The Earth Dragon immediately came to a halt as Yang Kai ordered it via Divine Sense. Upon looking closer, Yang Kai found that the person blocking the way ahead appeared to be a young man. He was wearing a golden blue robe and carried himself with grace. On top of it all, he was extremely handsome as well. Yang Kai couldn’t get a clear picture of his cultivation for the time being, but he could tell this man should be an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Meng Hong’s face slightly changed as he stepped forward and whispered in Yang Kai’s ears, “He is Thunder Light’s Bie Jian.”
“Who?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Meng Hong explained, “Even though the Star City was under no one’s jurisdiction, there were three great forces who lorded over it. Thunder Light is one of them. Bie Jian is a Manager of Thunder Light and rumour has it that he is a Fourth-Order Master.”
Meng Hong had been residing in the Star City for some time, so he knew a fair bit more about it than Yang Kai. As such, he immediately recognized the young man blocking the road at a glance.
Yang Kai turned and glanced at Yue He, who gently nodded. This gave him the confirmation that Meng Hong’s information was accurate.
Apart from Bie Jian, who was blocking the road, there were over a hundred Masters nearby who were staring in their direction with all kinds of looks on their faces. When their gazes fell on the Earth Dragon, many people looked quite curious.
Obviously, all these people were from Thunder Light.
However, who knew what they had encountered as quite a few of them were injured. They seemed to have just fought a hard battle.
“What is it?” Yang Kai gently nodded.
The young man cordially smiled, “This King is Bie Jian of Thunder Light. I wonder how I should address Little Brother?”
Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before introducing himself.
Bie Jian continued, smiling, “So it is Little Brother Yang… Little Brother Yang, are you going to enter Crouching Dragon Mountains?” He was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so had it not been for the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary strange suppression, he would never have even spared Yang Kai a glance. Now, he was addressing him as Little Brother Yang to be cordial with him though.
“Crouching Dragon Mountains?” Yang Kai glanced at the distant mountains.
Bie Jian explained, “Since these mountains look like a Great Dragon crawling on the ground, we called it the Crouching Dragon Mountains.”
“En, I’m planning to enter this place.” Yang Kai nodded, “What can I do for Your Excellency?”
Bie Jian replied, “I won’t hide it from Little Brother Yang. We just returned from Crouching Dragon Mountains.” While speaking, he sighed and looked deeply ashamed.
Yang Kai curiously asked, “Oh? How dangerous is it?”
“There is a Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon on the verge of becoming an actual Dragon inside. It’s extremely ferocious!”
Bie Jian’s face turned solemn as he pointed to his side and added, “Although we had over a hundred men, our formation was destroyed by that Scarlet Flood Dragon and we suffered serious casualties. So, we had to make a temporary retreat.”
“A Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon?” Yang Kai raised his brow before looking in the Crouching Dragon Mountains’ direction. [The Dragon Aura I sensed before couldn’t possibly be this Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s, could it?]
[That’s not possible. The Dragon Aura I’m sensing is very pure. A Flood Dragon can’t project such an aura. But if there really is a member of the Dragon Clan there, how could it allow a Scarlet Flood Dragon to settle in its domain?]
[That’s not right. It doesn’t make any sense!]
While he was contemplating, Bie Jian continued, “Little Brother Yang, I can see that the Earth Dragon below you is quite extraordinary. If we team up, we might be able to defeat that Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon. As for the loot we will get, we can negotiate on its distribution.”
“How are we going to divide it?”
“How about based on the number of people?” Bie Jian suggested with a smile.
Yang Kai was amused after hearing this, “You want to divide the loot according to the number of people?”
Bie Jian earnestly added, “Little Brother Yang, there is not just the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon in the Crouching Dragon Mountains. There are many other precious treasures. As long as we can take down the Scarlet Flood Dragon, the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range will be ours for the taking. Why bother about petty profits?”
Yang Kai denied, shaking his head, “No need, I’m not interested in your proposal. Goodbye!”
Bie Jian’s face turned slightly cold.
An elderly man flew over from the crowd and coldly shouted, “The Crouching Dragon Mountains belong to our Thunder Light. Any who dare to trespass it without our Thunder Light’s permission will be considered our enemy and killed without mercy!”
“Are you sure?” Yang Kai turned his gaze at the elderly man as his narrowed eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
A disciple of Great Moon Province also shouted, “Why? Everything in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary belongs to no one. Why do you say we can’t enter without your permission?”
Just as the elderly man was about to speak, Bie Jian stopped him with a raise of his hand and stated with a smile, “You can go, nobody is going to stop you. The Crouching Dragon Mountains indeed belong to no one. And naturally, you can enter if you want. Our Thunder Light will not stop you.”
Yang Kai meaningfully glanced at him before chuckling and tapping his foot. The next moment, the Earth Dragon stretched its body before slithering towards the Crouching Dragons Mountains.
Bie Jian kept an eye on their disappearing backs. The moment he confirmed that Yang Kai and the others had entered the Crouching Dragon Mountains, he raised his hand and issued an order, “Follow them!”
The surroundings zoomed past everyone as Yang Kai and his team, atop the Earth Dragon, advanced into the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
Yue He glanced back before elbowing Yang Kai, “Those guys are following us.”
Yang Kai let out a snort but there was no change in his expression. He just stared deep into the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. After having arrived here, he became certain that the Dragon Aura didn’t belong to a mere Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon. The aura was too pure to be coming from a Flood Dragon-type exotic beast. And this Dragon Aura was distributed over a wide range, even extending beyond the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range. More importantly, it was hidden very deeply, so apart from other Dragonkin, no one could detect it.
The Earth Dragon became even more excited as it moved forward. Impressively, its emotions gave the impression of a wanderer returning home.
As the Earth Dragon got closer, a sinister and fearsome aura surged from the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. Somehow, it felt as if a pair of invisible eyes filled with malice and rejection were staring in this direction.
It was none other than the Scarlet Flood Dragon residing deep in the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
The Earth Dragon wasn’t afraid though and its 300 metres long body twisted as its speed became faster. Its mouth began to squirm, spewing puddles of corrosive mucus, leaving huge potholes in its wake.
The next moment, a roar that resembled a Dragon’s roar yet wasn’t one echoed from up ahead. It was filled with warning and even the air became scorching hot.
The Earth Dragon momentarily paused as if it was afraid, but under Yang Kai’s prodding, it soon continued forward.
This move completely angered the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the next moment, a cloud of fire emerged from the Crouching Dragon Mountains together with deafening rumbles as a colossal figure approached.
From the distance, the exact appearance of the Scarlet Flood Dragon couldn’t be seen, but its fearsome aura could be felt. The Great Moon Province disciples turned pale in fright, stricken with panic. Even Yue He got a little nervous.
She couldn’t display her full strength in this place. If she encountered any danger, she could only protect herself and couldn’t spare any energy to take care of others.
She turned to look at Yang Kai, but seeing him so calm and even a bit distracted, thinking about something else, she couldn’t help but get angry.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Yang Kai looked in a certain direction as if he noticed something. The next moment, his expression changed as he cried out in surprise, “Dragon Blood Flowers?”
While speaking, his figure flickered. After just a moment, his figure reappeared again, but there was a red flower in his hand.
The red flower was big, delicate, and fragrant. It gave the impression that it was watered with blood. Although it was just a flower, it gave everyone a sacrosanct feeling.
“Peak-Rank!” Yang Kai was greatly surprised.
“A Dragon Blood Flower?” Yue He also came over and muttered in surprise, “There are actually Dragon Blood Flowers here?” As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she naturally recognized the Dragon Blood Flower. Her cultivation might be higher than Yang Kai’s, but when it came to knowledge of Dragon Blood Flowers, it naturally wasn’t as thorough as Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai remained silent. He had once pillaged all the Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island in the Star Boundary, but most of the Dragon Blood Flowers he had obtained back then were either Mid-Rank or Low-Rank. Even High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers weren’t numerous. As for Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, there were only two, that’s all. But in this Crouching Dragon Mountain Range, the very first Dragon Blood Flower he came across happened to be Peak-Rank…
“Brother Yang, there’s more over there!” Meng Hong suddenly pointed in a certain direction.
As Yang Kai gazed along his finger, his pupils couldn’t help but shrink.
There was indeed a Dragon Blood Flower blooming on the slope in that direction, but that Dragon Blood Flower was even more delicate and beautiful than the one in his hand. Furthermore, there was a three-coloured halo over it.
[What’s the grade of this Dragon Blood Flower?] Yang Kai was confused.
He had never seen such a Dragon Blood Flower on Dragon Island.
“Wow, so many Dragon Blood Flowers!” Chen Yue screamed in surprise. At this moment, they were already deep within the Crouching Dragon Mountains, so wherever they looked, they found Dragon Blood Flowers growing.
As the Earth Dragon moved forward, it opened its mouth and swallowed Dragon Blood Flowers into its belly, one by one. After a while when it had eaten three or four flowers, it shook its head and waved its tail as if it was very satisfied.
Right then, a scorching heat wave blew in everyone’s faces as an enormous figure rushed out of the forest. The figure had two horns, was covered in red scales, and radiated a fearsome aura. It was none other than the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon that sent over a hundred members of Thunder Light packing.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon was furious. It opened its mouth and breathed a jet of scorching hot flames straight at the Earth Dragon.
Chen Yue screamed in horror, feeling the terrifying aura.
Yue He glanced at Yang Kai, who wrapped everyone in his energy, and flew off the Earth Dragon, hovering in the air.
When everyone looked below, the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon were already locked in a battle. These two colossal exotic beasts were rampaging through the forest with amazing momentum. Scorching flames and highly corrosive acid were continuously breathed and spewed. From time to time, they would bite a chunk of each other’s flesh. It was an earth-shattering battle.
In terms of size and momentum, these two exotic beasts were on par with each other, but judging through Yue He’s eyes, the Earth Dragon should not be the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s opponent. If things went on like this, the Earth Dragon would definitely lose.
In the air, Yang Kai gazed around with a profound look on his face.
When he picked the first Dragon Blood Flower, he had a bad premonition, and now, his premonition had come true.
There were who knows how many Dragon Blood Flowers growing in the Crouching Dragon Mountains. Furthermore, there weren’t any Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, or even High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers at all. Most were Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flower while the grade of the remaining ones Yang Kai couldn’t make out at all.
Apart from the Dragon Blood Flowers, there were Dragon Ambergris Grasses, Dragon Blood Trees…
The entire Crouching Dragon Mountain was an enormous treasure trove, but the treasures here were all related to the Dragon Clan, which was extremely rare.
The Dragon Blood Flowers needed to be nurtured with the Dragon Blood for them to be able to grow. The same was true for the Dragon Blood Trees.
In other words, a member of the Dragon Clan might have fallen in this Crouching Dragon Mountain, spilling its blood over it; otherwise, so many Dragon Blood Flowers shouldn’t have grown here.
Whether it was the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon or the Earth Dragon, both of them possessed a faint Dragon Clan bloodline. Naturally, they were zealous about this place. Obviously, the Earth Dragon should have benefited from this place before and had never forgotten about it, but the Scarlet Flood Dragon was guarding this place, so it led Yang Kai here. Although its sentience was low, the Earth Dragon had made an instinctive choice.
“So many spirit flowers and grasses!” Suddenly, a pleasantly surprised cry rang as the Thunder Light members rushed over. Their Manager, Bie Jian’s eyes couldn’t help but beam with joy at the bountiful sight within the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
The Thunder Light group also looked excited. Many of them even shot a sarcastic look at Yang Kai.
Just now, Bie Jian had invited Yang Kai to team up with him to hunt the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, but he was rejected. Now, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was preoccupied with the Earth Dragon, so they didn’t have to worry about anything at all.
“Spread out. Don’t miss a single thing. Pick them all!” Bie Jian waved his hand as the hundred or so Thunder Light members scattered.
Looking at Yang Kai with a smile, Bie Jian stated, “Many thanks, Little Brother. If you didn’t bring this exotic beast here, things would have been really difficult for us.”
Arrogance and ridicule were perfectly visible in his smile.
Yang Kai glanced at him as he put away the Dragon Blood Flower in his hand into his Sealed World Bead. Next, he flicked his sleeve and indifferently stated, “It’s a little early to thank me.”
Bie Jian furrowed his brow. Although he could make out some hidden meaning in Yang Kai’s words, he didn’t care about it; after all, there were over a hundred Thunder Light members with him. Why would he be afraid of Yang Kai and his small group?
The Great Moon Province disciples were a little vexed; after all, it was really frustrating to have been taken advantage of by others in such a blatant manner. They wanted to pick some Dragon Blood Flowers, but seeing Yang Kai and Yue He not making any moves, they didn’t dare to take action.
The Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flood Dragon were still locked in a heated battle. These two should have fought with each other before as they were quite familiar with each other’s fighting style. This battle was simply phenomenal. Every time they attacked each other, it created an earth-shaking momentum.
Yang Kai didn’t intervene. So, Yue He and the others could only watch the battle from the sideline. Even Bie Jian was watching with great interest. At the same time, he was a little curious about how Yang Kai subdued the Earth Dragon.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, subduing such an exotic beast would be quite advantageous. Although its appearance was ugly, it could at least guarantee some extra safety.
Time ticked by, and after an hour, the members of Thunder Light returned one after another. They were all beaming with joy. Obviously, their harvest was excellent. Bie Jian, after chatting with the elderly man from before, even started laughing very happily.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, everyone had returned.
Bie Jian glanced at the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon who were still fighting, then bid goodbye to Yang Kai with a smile, “Little Brother, this King will be taking his leave. Until next time!”
This time, they had hit it big thanks to Yang Kai, so in his opinion, Yang Kai was not only stupid but his lucky charm as well.
“What’s the hurry!” Yang Kai finally turned to look at him.
Bie Jian asked with a smile, “Little Brother, do you need anything?”
“You can go, but leave the treasures behind!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Just as he said this, Bie Jian’s expression became extremely strange. Even Yue He speechlessly looked at Yang Kai, wondering what he was doing.
The Thunder Light cultivators all looked at him like he was a lunatic.
Bie Jian held his smile back and pretended to ask, “Little Brother, what did you just say? This King didn’t hear it clearly!”
Yang Kai repeated, “I said you guys can go, but you must leave everything you collected behind. Everything on these mountains belongs to me!”
After a long silence, an eruption of laughter echoed across the mountains.
Many of the Thunder Light cultivators broke into laughter, holding their stomachs, like they had heard the world’s funniest joke.
Bie Jian had the biggest smile on his face as he quipped, “Little Brother, you really know how to joke.”
“You think I’m joking with you?” Yang Kai indifferently looked at him.
Bie Jian’s face slowly turned colder, “I don’t care if you are joking or not, but some things are better not said or they might bring trouble to you.” After a pause, he sarcastically smiled, “Besides, why would my Thunder Light members leave their things behind? Just because you said so?”
“Of course not…” Yang Kai raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The next moment, the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, who had been locked in a fierce battle, suddenly separated as if they had received an absolute command. Then, they rushed straight towards the Thunder Light group and sandwiched them.
The enormous mouth of the Earth Dragon was squirming continuously, dripping corrosive acid. Its head was hung below as if it was picking whom to devour. As for the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, it stood arrogantly, breathing scorching flames through its snout.
Instantly, everyone fell silent.
“Because of these two.” Yang Kai’s voice echoed, “Are they enough?”
The Thunder Light members broke out into cold sweats. They took a defensive stance as if they were facing their nemesis. Bie Jian turned livid as disbelief filled his being and his face madly twitched.
Even Yue He could not help but cover her luscious red lips. Meng Hong was mouth agape as well, staring blankly at the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon that was several hundred metres long.
Although he had witnessed the Earth Dragon surrendering to Yang Kai with his own eyes, how could he have ever expected the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon to be obedient as well? Just a moment ago, it was fighting a life-and-death battle with the Earth Dragon, but the next moment, it was doing Yang Kai’s bidding.
Not to mention, Yang Kai hadn’t done anything since he arrived here. [Could it be that this Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon is a prior acquaintance of Yang Kai’s? But this is the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, that makes no sense.]
Meng Hong was confused and unable to find any explanation.
Bie Jian looked at Earth Dragon and then looked at the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, grinding his teeth hard. Previously, just the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon had utterly routed their hundred-member team, and now, with the Earth Dragon, which was no less inferior to the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, joining the mix, they would be lucky if half of their Thunder Light group could escape alive.
[How did it turn out like this? How can this brat make two exotic beasts obey him?]
Although things had taken a turn for the worse, he was still a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master and had his own sense of dignity. It was impossible for him to bow just like that, so he instead praised with a sullen face, “Little Brother, your Beast Taming methods are superb. It’s truly admirable!”
He thought that Yang Kai was proficient in some kind of beast-taming technique; otherwise, he was unable to explain the situation before him. Bie Jian couldn’t help but grow jealous and envious. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was full of Ancient Exotic Beasts, and since Yang Kai could ride the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, controlling other exotic beasts should be a snap for him. With such unique skills, this boy wouldn’t have to fear anyone in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at all. All he needed to do was call forth an army of exotic beasts and command them to trample his enemies while he sat back and reaped the rewards.
“This time, I admit it is my Thunder Light’s loss.” Bie Jian cupped his fists, “Little Brother, how about we leave half?”
Yang Kai loudly shouted, “Enough with the nonsense. Everything on this mountain is mine. Don’t even think about taking even a blade of grass from here!”
Yang Kai might have compromised had it been other types of precious treasures, but everything on this mountain was related to the Dragon Clan, so how could he let it go? Especially these Dragon Blood Flowers which were very useful to him.
Bie Jian’s face sank, “Little Brother, if you show proper respect, it will be helpful for you in the future. Why do something like this?”
Yang Kai gazed at him from the corner of his eyes, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll keep your Space Rings too.”
The Thunder Light members were immediately incensed and many people’s faces turned dark. Bie Jian was also fuming with anger and could not wait to rush out and fight Yang Kai to death to maintain his face. But as soon as his gaze fell upon the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, forming an impenetrable wall around them, all he could do was choke down his anger.
Clashing under these conditions would be disadvantageous for Thunder Light.
As their gazes met, Bie Jian found impatience filling Yang Kai’s eyes, so after a brief hesitation, Bie Jian finally heaved a sigh, “Leave everything. Let’s go!”
Yang Kai warned in a calm and composed manner, “Don’t think about hiding anything. When you were collecting things, I made note of every item that you gathered. The consequences of concealing things from me are not something you can withstand.”
Bie Jian was so incensed he broke out into laughter, “Little Brother, the rivers of the mountain eventually meet! We will see each other again!”
Thunder Light was a great force in the Star City and they had far more than the hundred members who were currently here. So, although they had suffered a loss this time, as long as he could gather the full strength of Thunder Light, they wouldn’t need to fear Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kept nodding, “I too hope that we can meet again.”
A shadow of a smile appeared on Bie Jian’s face, “We will. Definitely.”
After deeply staring at Yang Kai, he turned and left. The Thunder Light members put down the precious treasures they had collected in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range as well and hurriedly followed.
In just a few dozen breaths, the hundred Thunder Light cultivators had completely departed.
Yang Kai finally stepped forward and put the Dragon Blood Flowers and other precious treasures away. During the entire process, the Earth Dragon’s wriggling mouth was constantly dripping as if it was greedy for them. Chen Yue and Yue He’s skin crawled at the sight of this; they were afraid that this brainless beast couldn’t take it and would devour Yang Kai.
On the other hand, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s eyes flickered with almost human-like distress.
Judging by this, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s sentience was far more developed than the Earth Dragon’s.
“Don’t feel bad, I’ll give you something better later,” Yang Kai raised his hand and patted the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s head. Whereupon, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s head slumped in dejection.
“What just happened?” Yue He stepped forward and asked, frowning.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai didn’t even look up.
“Don’t play dumb.” Yue He glared at him, “What’s going on with the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon?”
Yang Kai gave an arbitrary reply, “I must have conquered it with my awesome charisma again.”
Yue He ground her teeth in anger, “Do you know that sometimes I just want to punch your face?”
Yang Kai ignored her and exhorted, “I will be venturing deep into the mountains. You all stay here. Don’t run around. I might be gone for a few days, so while I’m not here, Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei will protect you.”
“Xiao Hong? Xiao Hei?” Yue He was stunned for a moment before she understood. Yang Kai was referring to the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Dragon, which left her speechless.
Much to her surprise, these two majestic exotic beasts had been given such simple and childish names…
Yang Kai was decisive, however, and started rushing towards the depths of the mountains immediately, disappearing in the blink of an eye while leaving Yue He glaring in his direction.
Chen Yue straightened her clothes and approached, “Big Sister Yue He… with Senior Brother Yang gone, they wouldn’t become aggressive and eat us, would they?” While speaking, she glanced at the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon in worry.
Yue He rebuked angrily, “You are so soft and tender, so if they are going to eat us, you will definitely be first!”
Chen Yue’s face turned pale.
In the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, Yang Kai had a serious look on his face. When the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon were fighting, he was communicating with the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon via Divine Sense. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was highly sentient, a step or two above the Earth Dragon. It might not have reached the point of having normal conversation, but it could communicate little details like a young child.
And through these little conversations and slight release of his Dragon Pressure, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon recognized its situation and surrendered just like the Earth Dragon.
According to the information from the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, the Crouching Dragon Mountains was originally Xiao Hei’s home. It had arrived afterwards, but as it was stronger than Xiao Hei, it snatched this treasure land.
That was the reason Xiao Hei was obsessed with the Crouching Dragon Mountains. It was to the point that Xiao Hei immediately brought Yang Kai here after sensing the pure Dragon Aura inside him, expecting Yang Kai to stand up against the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon for it.
The Dragon Blood Flowers grown in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range were beneficial for both of these beasts’ growth.
In addition, Yang Kai had also inquired about other things from the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon.
On the Crouching Dragon Mountains, the Dragon Aura was stronger the deeper one went. Whether it was the Earth Dragon or the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, neither of them had ventured more than a few hundred kilometres deep as they couldn’t bear the Pureblood Dragon Aura after that. The overwhelming Dragon Pressure would immobilize them once they passed a certain region.
This information caught Yang Kai’s attention.
Various signs indicated a high possibility of a True Dragon’s remains lying deep inside the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
Furthermore, these remains didn’t belong to any ordinary Dragon, otherwise, it would be impossible for the mountain to be full of Dragon Blood Flowers and Trees, and for the Dragon Blood Flowers to reach at least the Peak Rank.
Although Yang Kai was Human, he possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source since he was but a novice in cultivation. Over the years, he kept on cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and now Dragon Blood flowed through his veins, making him essentially a Dragonkin. In truth, Yang Kai saw himself as part of the Dragon Clan.
It would have been fine if he wasn’t aware of it before, but now that he knew about this priceless treasure, he couldn’t let these True Dragon’s remains keep lying here unprotected. He had to collect them on behalf of the Dragon Clan.
Otherwise, if other people got their hands on these Dragon remains, it might cause trouble.
Yang Kai kept venturing deeper into the mountain range, carefully sensing the intensity of the Dragon Aura.
At some point, Yang Kai abruptly came to a halt and stared at his feet.
He could feel that the Dragon Aura was the strongest here, so it was likely the True Dragon’s remains were right below him.
Yang Kai heaved a deep breath before squatting down and then jumping into the air. The next moment, he flipped and fell straight towards the ground with his head down and feet up.
Mid-air, he reached out and clasped, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear into his hand. Immediately afterwards, his figure started rotating like a top.
Without any noise or commotion, a hole appeared on the ground out of nowhere while Yang Kai was found nowhere to be seen. He was now drilling several dozen metres each breath.
The further he drilled, the stronger the Dragon Aura grew.
After three hundred metres or so the Dragon Aura’s intensity rose to another level. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon would really not be able to bear this kind of bloodline suppression with their current bloodline purity.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had drilled another thousand metres, whereupon the Dragon Aura jumped to another level.
The Azure Dragon Spear became excited as a faint Dragon Aura resounded from it.
The Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon up above shivered as they slumped on the ground the next moment.
Yang Kai kept drilling into the ground without joy or sadness.
After some time, he couldn’t feel any resistance from his spear and suddenly felt that he had fallen into an empty space.
He immediately put away his spear and flipped right-side-up. It was pitch-black all around him, so he couldn’t see anything, but he did scan the area with his Divine Sense, and the next moment, a look of surprise filled his face.
Yang Kai discovered that he was actually inside an enormous body, but one that lacked all vitality. Furthermore, there was a huge tear from the direction he came from. Apparently, before this Dragon’s death, this enormous figure had fought against a very powerful enemy.
[It really is the remains of a True Dragon!]
Yang Kai’s face turned solemn as he slowly closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense to check the condition of the Dragon’s remains.
This investigation gave him quite a bit of shock. Only after an incense stick worth of time did he finally open his eyes, astonishment filling his face.
This True Dragon was over 10,000 metres long, essentially spanning the entire length of the Crouching Dragon Mountains’ core region. It could even be said that the Crouching Dragon Mountain’s geography was the result of this corpse.
A 10,000-metre-long Great Dragon!
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. When he took his own Half-Dragon form, he stood some 2,000 metres tall or so, which could already be considered quite impressive, but compared to this Great Dragon, it was like the difference between a grandfather and his grandkid. It was ten times bigger than him.
Who knew how long ago this Great Dragon had died? Who knows what kind of fierce battle it fought before its death? From what Yang Kai could tell, its entire body was covered in wounds, many of which were extremely terrifying and pierced straight through it. If not for this fact, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to enter its belly with such ease.
Xiao Hong – Little Red
Xiao Hei – Little Black
A 10,000 metres long Great Dragon was buried under the Crouching Dragon Mountains, and over the years, its blood had completely drained.
However, even after so many years, the Great Dragon’s corpse showed no signs of decay. It was quite evident that its physique was extremely resilient. It only looked dry and desiccated because of a lack of blood. Furthermore, Yang Kai also found that the Great Dragon was missing many of its organs.
From the horrifying wounds all over its body, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what a terrifying battle it must have fought before its death.
The carcass of such a Great Dragon was full of treasure even after countless years. The Dragon Scales, Dragon Bones, and Dragon Tendons could all be used for Artifact Refining, making its value immeasurable.
What Yang Kai couldn’t figure out was who or what had killed this Great Dragon. Judging by its size, it must have been tremendously powerful, yet it still perished in battle. What’s more, from the shape of its wounds, its opponent should not have been small either.
The Dragon Clan was the Head of Myriad Spirits, so who could threaten it? Even someone as strong as Mie Meng was imprisoned by the Dragon Clan.
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought of an entity, one that was called the nemesis of the Dragon Clan, treating Dragons as prey!
It was absolutely impossible for a member of the Dragon Clan as strong as this to be a native of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It was very likely that it was sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, just as he was, and after arriving here, it succumbed to its injuries.
Yang Kai was just making speculations though and had no way to find out the truth.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s attention was drawn to something.
He noticed unusual energy fluctuations coming from somewhere inside the Dragon’s body, so he started moving along it in the direction of the energy fluctuations.
After an incense stick of time, Yang Kai finally reached the location of the source, a sphere the size of a basin. The sphere was perfectly round and gave off a light brown glow.
The Dragon Blood in Yang Kai’s body boiled as he stood before the ball in a daze for a while before his eyes lit up, “A Dragon Bead!”
Every True Dragon had a Dragon Bead, an essential part of their foundation. Just like a Monster Beasts’ Monster Core, the Dragon Bead was where Dragons stored their Spiritual Essence.
The Dragon carcass was buried here for countless years, and although Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong could tell that there was something strange below ground, they couldn’t reach it because of the bloodline suppression, so the Dragon Bead had remained untouched to this day.
What surprised Yang Kai was that this Dragon Bead was actually an Earth Attribute treasure!
And what he desperately needed now was an Earth Attribute material!
Of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, Yang Kai had already condensed his Wood and Fire Elements. Wood stoked Fire, and Fire gave birth to Earth. So, the next Element he had to condense was Earth. Previously, Yang Kai had been thinking about where he could find a suitable Earth Element. He had inquired about it many times, but unfortunately, he had been unable to find anything. He had never expected his quest to end here.
But whether this Dragon Bead met his requirements or not was yet to be tested.
[It should be okay.] Yang Kai thought in his heart; after all, this Great Dragon was 10,000 metres long before its death, so the quality of its Dragon Bead couldn’t be poor.
Yang Kai reached out towards the Dragon Bead.
The moment he came in contact with it, a fearsome Dragon Pressure radiated from it. The next moment, a vivid illusion of a fierce-looking Great Dragon charging straight at him like it was going to swallow him in one bite appeared.
Yang Kai shivered and promptly stimulated his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength. With a great dragon roar, the illusion collapsed.
Immediately after, a gentle and heavy Power of Earth came from the Dragon Bead. Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile, feeling the purity and richness of this Earth Element.
Yang Kai’s guess was right. The Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead indeed met his criteria. Although he didn’t know how to determine its Order, he could tell that it wasn’t any inferior to the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
[This is really wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet!] Yang Kai had the urge to throw back his head and laugh towards the Heavens.
This discovery alone made his trip to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary worthwhile!
Rubbing his hands, Yang Kai respectfully bowed to the huge Dragon Bead as he spoke, “Senior, you have been dead for many years, so it would be a waste for your Dragon Bead to remain here. Today, this Junior will take the liberty to borrow Senior’s Dragon Bead. If my cultivation someday succeeds, I will not bring disgrace to the Senior’s prestige!”
After saying so, Yang Kai rubbed his hands and circled around the Dragon Bead a few times. After he found a more comfortable position, he sat down cross-legged and placed his hands on the Dragon Bead. He closed his eyes and prompted his Dao Seal to absorb the Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead.
In an instant, the Dragon Bead started glowing brighter as the rich Power of Earth that had been collecting dust for many millennia flowed along Yang Kai’s palms and madly poured into him like he was a whale swallowing water.
There were only two colours, black and green, in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal, but as he absorbed the Power of Earth, a khaki-coloured wisp was gradually being added to it, giving onlookers a thick and robust feeling.
The Earth Element’s speciality was defence. Not to mention that it was the Dragon Bead energy of a 10,000-metre-long Great Dragon.
Slowly, Yang Kai forgot himself and the outside world, completely devoting himself to refining this Earth Element.
Days passed by one by one. Outside, Yue He and the others found a spot and set up camp. As they were guarded by Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, no one dared to trouble them. Occasionally, some cultivators would pass by, but seeing the two vicious exotic beasts, they would immediately keep their distance.
But Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong were like natural enemies. They were very unreasonable. They often got entangled with each other for some inexplicable reason and started fighting. Fortunately, they had a sense of propriety and never fought to the death. But these kinds of battles would inevitably result in injuries.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. Everyone had passed this time at ease and leisure, but the fact that Yang Kai wasn’t back yet made Yue He a little worried.
Before Yang Kai had left, he too had said that he would return in three to five days, but now, half a month had passed and he was nowhere to be found. Yue He was becoming worried and restless.
Just as she was about to venture deeper to investigate, she suddenly felt the World Energy flow change.
Upon silently sensing it, the source was the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, which was the direction Yang Kai left in. It made Yue He slightly frown, wondering, [What is he doing there? What is taking him so long? Now, he has even caused the flow of World Energy to change.]
But because of this, she could say for sure that Yang Kai was safe and sound.
Over the next few days, the change in World Energy became more and more obvious. It had turned into a World Energy tide as if there was a behemoth breathing in the aura of the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range. And every time it breathed, it also caused a World Energy turbulence within a thousand kilometres.
Suddenly, Yue He looked shocked!
Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong also stopped fighting as they looked towards the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. Obviously, they too had sensed something.
Suddenly, a Dragon Roar reverberated through the world, reaching the highest Heavens.
Yue He and others turned their heads and looked in that direction in unison while Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong’s reaction was even more exaggerated as they directly prostrated on the ground, trembling.
Chen Yue leaned over and nervously asked, “Senior, what was that?”
Yue He solemnly replied, “A Dragon Roar!”
Meng Hong asked in shock, “There’s a True Dragon there?”
Yue He furrowed his brow before her figure moved, “You guys stay here, I’ll go take a look.”
Saying so, her figure disappeared into thin air.
In the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, Yang Kai was still sitting with his legs crossed, maintaining his previous posture, but at this moment, his clothes were dancing in the air even when there was no wind blowing here. Even his black hair was dancing.
His body was surrounded by a tri-coloured glow. The essence of the vibrant Immortal Tree, the unstoppable Golden Crow’s True Fire, and the thick and heavy energy of the Dragon Bead, the three energies were circling around Yang Kai like three rings of light, rotating endlessly.
The huge Dragon Bead in front of him was now dull and bleak. The Power of Earth that had been stored in it for countless years had been absorbed down to the last strand by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai finally opened his eyes, which were full of brilliance at the moment.
With a cracking sound, the huge Dragon Bead shattered into dust and dissipated.
Yang Kai slowly stood up and gently clenched his fists. He could clearly feel that his body was filled with explosive power. He scanned his body and found the Power of Wood, Fire, and Earth in his Dao Seal were coexisting perfectly, mutually promoting and restraining each other.
His body shook as the three coloured rings around his body dissipated as everything returned to normal.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow.
The process of gathering the Power of Earth this time could be said to be extremely smooth. It was much easier than when he was condensing the Golden Crow’s True Fire. It might be because he was familiar with the process now, or it may be related to the Dragon Bead itself.
Yang Kai could be considered as a member of the Dragon Clan, so he had a unique advantage in gathering the energy of the Dragon Bead.
Furthermore, Yang Kai vaguely felt that not only had he successfully absorbed the Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead, but he also seemed to have gained something else.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and pointed towards the front. The next moment, a prismatic yellowish-brown shield appeared out of thin air. Even though it looked as thin as a cicada’s wing, Yang Kai could feel that it was extremely strong and robust.
This was the Innate Dragon Technique found in the Dragon Bead!
Yang Kai raised his brow at this sight. Although he had entered the Dragon Palace on Dragon Island of the Star Boundary, and practised many Secret Techniques of the Dragon Clan with the help of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, at the end of the day, what he was doing was just imitation and it took him a lot of time and effort to use these techniques.
But now, he could cast this Dragon Technique at will, just like it was his own Innate Divine Ability. Not only was it fast, but its consumption was almost negligible.
Yang Kai sunk into his thoughts. [I guess this Innate Dragon Technique was mastered by this 10,000-metres-long Great Dragon, and now I have inherited it. What’s more, it should not be just this one technique. There should be some more, but I have just gathered this Earth Element, so I can only slowly comprehend these techniques.]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think, [I now possess the Innate Dragon Techniques of a 10,000-metre Great Dragon after absorbing its Dragon Bead. So what about the Golden Crow’s True Fire? Are there any Secret Techniques in the Golden Crow’s True Fire? And then there is also the Immortal Tree’s essence, I might learn something from it too, right?]
[I will need time to test these theories. I shouldn’t hurry.]
After settling his mood, Yang Kai looked around.
After having gathered the Earth Element, the next thing to do was to collect this Great Dragon’s carcass.
The Dragon’s corpse was 10,000 metres long and buried deep under the Crouching Dragon Mountain. For ordinary people, just coming here would have been extremely difficult while no Space Ring was big enough to fit it unless the dragon carcass was dismembered and taken into separate rings.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had the Sealed World Bead!
Suddenly, deafening rumbles started coming from deep below the Crouching Dragon Mountains before they began collapsing. It looked as if the world was coming to an end. The disciples of Great Moon Province promptly flew into the air, watching in amazement.
Right before their eyes, the ground below them sank as the entire mountain range collapsed. They had no idea what just happened.
The dust took a long while to settle, but before it could, a figure flew out from the underground. The figure’s face was pale and was panting for breath. It was none other than Yang Kai who had disappeared twenty days ago.
Yue He, who had been searching for Yang Kai, rushed over immediately and supported him as she asked, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai glanced at her before shaking his head, “I’m fine!”
Taking a 10,000-metre-long Dragon carcass into the Sealed World Bead was very exhausting for him. Fortunately, the Great Dragon had been dead for many years and had lost much of its natural energies; otherwise, his consumption would have been even greater. He was already on his last leg now, feeling as if his entire strength had been drained.
“Where did you go and for what? Why hasn’t anyone seen you these days?” Yue He asked angrily, carrying him back.
Yang Kai just grinned and didn’t answer, causing Yue He to snort in anger.
Even though she had no idea what Yang Kai had been doing these days, the moment she glanced at him, she had a vague feeling that he was a lot stronger than before.
[He shouldn’t have been sitting idle these days. He should have run into some kind of opportunity.]
Having returned to the camp, Yang Kai stuffed some pills into his mouth and slowly recovered.
When he opened his eyes again, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were prostrating on the ground, eagerly looking at him.
Yue He was rendered speechless at this sight, “Are these two staring at you for Dragon Blood Flowers?”
Yang Kai stated in an annoyed voice, “You two gluttons. Just wait a moment!”
Saying so, he immediately took out an Alchemy Furnace.
The Dragon Blood Flower must be refined into Dragon Blood Pills in order to maximize its medical efficacy. It would be a waste to just swallow the flowers raw, especially when the Dragon Blood Flowers harvested this time were so extraordinary. Most of them had reached Peak-Rank, with quite a number of them even having surpassed that grade. How could Yang Kai see them simply wasted?
Each Dragon Blood Flower was extremely rare and precious. Who knows when he would find another one?
“You also know Alchemy?” Yue He sceptically looked at him.
Yang Kai replied without even lifting his head, “This King can do many things.”
Yue He couldn’t help but scoff and ignored him.
While speaking, Yang Kai had already taken out a bunch of herbs, all of which were the auxiliary ingredients for the Dragon Blood Pill he had picked from the medicine garden.
When he checked what he had obtained from the Thunder Light, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel elated.
Previously, he was anxious to explore the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, so he didn’t check his gains carefully. But after inspecting them now, Yang Kai found that he had gained hundreds of Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers while those that had surpassed Peak-Rank were even more numerous. Each of these flowers either had a three, five, or seven-coloured halo. Yang Kai had no idea how to differentiate their grades, but there were at least a thousand of them.
Just from this, he could imagine how strong the Great Dragon that died beneath the Crouching Dragon Mountains was. Only the blood of a Great Dragon could cultivate Dragon Blood Flowers of this level.
Yang Kai took out two Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers and two Dragon Blood Flowers surrounded by three coloured lights.
To maximize the efficacy, he put the herbs into the pill furnace and refined them one by one.
When he was on Dragon Island, Yang Kai refined many Dragon Blood Pills. Although he hadn’t refined them for many years, he had not forgotten the process.
His every action and every movement was smooth and practised. Yue He was amazed. She found out that Yang Kai really knew Alchemy; furthermore, he was quite proficient in it.
Gradually, a tempting fragrance spread from the furnace.
Xiao He and Xiao Hong started to become more and more eager. Especially Xiao Hei, whose sticky saliva was dripping from its mouth like a river. For exotic beasts like them who carried Dragon Clan bloodlines, the Dragon Blood Pill’s fragrance could make them go crazy. They might have rushed over and snatched it right away had Yang Kai not been sitting there.
After half a day, the first batch of the Dragon Blood Pills was refined. When the pills were condensed, a faint Dragon Roar resounded from the Alchemy Furnace, surprising Yue He.
The first batch resulted in a total of nine pills. Yang Kai casually threw one into his mouth to check its efficacy and found it to be satisfactory. Although he hadn’t performed any Alchemy in many years, his skills had not degraded. The medicinal efficacy of the Dragon Blood Flower and many auxiliary ingredients had been completely concentrated.
Right then, two obscure Divine Senses reached him, expressing desire. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were growing impatient and were restlessly fidgeting.
Yang Kai chuckled before throwing a pill at each of them, which immediately made the two exotic beasts calm down.
For the next ten days, Yang Kai focused on refining Dragon Blood Pills. He had obtained far too many Dragon Blood Flowers though, so by his estimate, he believed that even if he continued performing Alchemy for an entire year non-stop, he still wouldn’t be able to refine all of them.
While performing Alchemy, Yang Kai was constantly taking the Dragon Blood Pills to purify his Dragon Clan bloodline. Yang Kai could clearly feel his bloodline improving, but as he hadn’t utilized the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he couldn’t tell the difference for the time being.
At the same time, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon became more and more submissive. Taking the Dragon Blood Pills was more efficient than directly eating the Dragon Blood Flowers raw, and these two exotic beasts were especially keen about this.
Even Yue He and Great Moon Province disciples had gotten a few Dragon Blood Pills, though they didn’t dare to swallow them directly. Rather under Yang Kai’s advice, they dissolved them in water and consumed one pill over several days.
Dragon Blood Pills could be used to purify a Dragon Clan bloodline, but they could also strengthen a normal person’s physique. However, the Dragon Blood Pill’s efficacy was too overbearing, so ordinary people couldn’t stand it. So, they could only use it in a diluted form.
Yang Kai finally stopped after about ten days.
It wasn’t that he was tired from refining, but rather that he had run out of auxiliary ingredients.
Even though there were many herbs in his medicine garden, made nearly inexhaustible thanks to the two Wood Spirits managing the garden, the growth of herbs still required time.
After more than ten days of continuous refining, all the mature auxiliary ingredients needed for the Dragon Blood Pill had been picked clean. So naturally, Yang Kai couldn’t continue.
Regarding his stay in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had been planning to just go with the flow, not desiring anything in particular.
But now, not only he had found a lot of Dragon Blood Flowers whose grade had surpassed Peak-Rank, and even obtained a precious Earth Element, he realized that this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a huge treasure trove.
If he could find a suitable Earth Element here, he might also find suitable Metal, Water, and even Yin and Yang materials here!
If he could gather all the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, he could break through to the Open Heaven Realm Master after leaving this place! At that time, he might be able to stand tall in the Outer Universe and have the strength to protect himself.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be filled with anticipation for what the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary held for him.
But no matter what, the opportunities would not come to him if he remained here. Not to mention, he also needed to search for the auxiliary ingredients for refining Dragon Blood Pills. He had been staying here in this Crouching Dragon Mountain for over a month, so without any hesitation, he called everyone over and set out right away.
When he arrived here, Yang Kai had used the Earth Dragon as a mount, but now, it had been replaced by the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon.
Compared to the Earth Dragon, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was undoubtedly more imposing and far more suitable for riding. At least it wasn’t covered in sticky mucus or smelled bad.
Xiao Hei was obviously a little disappointed…
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was indeed filled with resources. Yang Kai had gathered many precious treasures along the way, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to Yang Kai’s needs.
Today, Yang Kai and his group were crossing a foggy forest, searching for various herbs. It had been seven or eight days since everyone had entered the forest, but because they had no destination, they weren’t in a hurry to leave.
Suddenly, Yue He came over and asked, “Did you notice that we have been running into more and more people these days?”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “En.”
When they had first entered the forest, they hadn’t run into anyone, but over the last two days, they had frequently encountered small groups of cultivators.
Some people were startled by the appearance of the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and immediately attacked them. Fortunately, Yang Kai stopped them in time and avoided some unnecessary troubles.
“What do you want to say?” Yang Kai looked at Yue He.
Yue He’s pretty eyes gleamed as she replied, “It means that either these people were drawn here by some treasure, or there are a lot of people gathered nearby.”
“So, which one is the most likely possibility?” Yang Kai asked.
“What do you think?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before answering, “The latter. The people we met didn’t show any signs of being in a hurry; on the contrary, they were moving in an orderly manner, like they just came out from somewhere, which indicates that somewhere in this forest, there should be a gathering place for cultivators.”
Yue He agreed with a nod, “I think so too.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Then let’s go and take a look.”
Compared to searching for the herbs required for the Dragon Blood Pill themselves, it was easier and faster to trade for them with others. If cultivators were indeed camped somewhere in this forest, it was also a piece of good news for Yang Kai.
After searching in the direction where the cultivators were coming from, they came across a settlement.
Somewhere in the forest, there was a large open space. The travel-worn Yang Kai’s team were slightly lost when they caught sight of buildings before them.
Yang Kai failed to hold his laughter as he asked, “This is a part of Star City, right?”
The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog had swallowed the entire Star City, but the Star City where Yang Kai and the others had landed first was just a small ruin. There were only 10,000 or so cultivators there at the time, which meant that when the Star City was sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it was broken apart under some mysterious force and scattered about.
Immediately after, a Beast Tide appeared where Yang Kai and the others landed, forcing everyone to flee for their lives and naturally, lose their shelter.
From one glance, it was clear that this part of the Star City was well preserved. What’s more, the cultivators living here had built many new buildings with the original Star City buildings as the core, occupying a large swath of land and forming a small city in this foggy forest. They had even built city walls around it.
There was a city gate from the direction the cultivators were coming from, one that was guarded and through which many people were entering and exiting.
After scanning with his Divine Sense, the life auras Yang Kai sensed in the city were as many as stars in the sky. There were at least 20,000 people residing here.
After suddenly finding a city filled with cultivators in this chaotic Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, everyone beamed with joy, no matter whether it was Yang Kai or the Great Moon Province disciples.
It was a bit troublesome to enter the city. Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong were too big and fierce-looking, so naturally, they couldn’t be brought inside.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to take them into the Sealed World Bead either. He had tried something similar before and knew that the Small Sealed World could only accommodate entities below the Open Heaven Realm. If he forcefully tried to accommodate anyone with the strength of the Open Heaven Realm, the Small Sealed World would risk collapsing.
And according to Yang Kai’s insight, whether it was Xiao Hei or Xiao Hong, they probably had strength comparable to Open Heaven Realm Masters. But because of the unique environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they could not display their full strength.
Fortunately, he also had the Six Fated Paths Bag. It might be a little small for them, but he had no choice but to squeeze them in.
He squeezed the two into the Six Fated Paths Bag whether they liked it or not, amazing Yue He; after all, even in the Outer Universe, not many artifacts could accommodate living creatures and each one was extremely rare and precious. She couldn’t even begin to guess where Yang Kai got this artifact.
After having done this, Yang Kai’s team of six finally made their way towards the city gate.
Unsurprisingly, they stopped at the entrance and needed to pay a hundred Open Heaven Pills to enter.
A hundred Open Heaven Pills was a large amount of wealth for any Emperor Realm cultivator, so Meng Hong’s heart ached. If it was before, Yang Kai wouldn’t have so many Open Heaven Pills either, but fortunately, he killed Old Xu of the Wind and Cloud Auction House, who was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and took his Space Ring. Old Xu was a powerful figure from a prosperous auction house, so his net worth was quite high.
The entrance fee of six hundred Open Heaven Pills wouldn’t put a dent in Yang Kai’s wallet, so he readily paid and entered the city.
Everyone couldn’t help but be dumbfounded after entering the city. When they first walked inside, they were surprised to find that it still retained the appearance of the former Star City; streets crowded with people, all kinds of shops everywhere, and stalls lining the streets selling all kinds of items.
If what they had faced over the past few days wasn’t still fresh in their minds, everyone would have thought that they had entered a typical Star City in the Outer Universe, rather than someplace in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense remained active, and whenever he found the herbs he required, he would buy them right away.
It was a rare opportunity to find such a settlement of cultivators, so Yang Kai splurged and shopped a lot. All the Dragon Blood Flowers had been picked, so he needed to refine them into Dragon Blood Pills as soon as possible in order to ensure that they didn’t lose their medicinal efficacy. Yang Kai believed that he would need to stay in this city and refine pills for a long time.
After sweeping several streets of herbs, he had gained a huge number of necessary ingredients.
Everyone else had kept their ears open all along the way, learning that a great force called Scarlet Star was in control of this small city. Scarlet Star was just like Thunder Light, one of the former three great forces that controlled the previous Star City. Scarlet Star’s luck was relatively good as well as they didn’t encounter any kind of attack after their section of the Star City was swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog. Only a few exotic beasts came to attack them sporadically, which were easily defeated. As a result, they gained a lot of fame and thereby, took over this place, becoming the ruler of the surrounding region.
Today, the one who maintained order in this Star City, the one who made rules here, and the one who was charging exorbitant fees at the city gate was Scarlet Star. By occupying such a large piece of land in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Scarlet Star could reap benefits just by sitting back and waiting.
In this city, Scarlet Star members were like local tyrants. No one dared to provoke them.
After roaming around the city for a long while and buying many herbs, Yang Kai finally led everyone to an inn to rest.
At first, they wanted to take six rooms, but unfortunately, the rooms available were quite few, so in the end, they could only get three.
Yang Kai took a room to himself; after all, he would be refining pills for a long time and couldn’t be disturbed. Yue He and Chen Yue took another room, and the remaining room was taken by Meng Hong and Great Moon Province disciples.
After everything was decided, everyone went to their rooms and closed their doors. Yang Kai handed over all his Open Heaven Pills to Meng Hong beforehand and told him to visit the Star City if he had the time and buy the required herbs when he found them. As long as the price wasn’t too expensive, he had complete discretion.
Naturally, Meng Hong readily agreed; after all, this wasn’t a difficult task. As for the herbs Yang Kai required, he had been Yang Kai all this time and remembered them well.
The days from then on were uneventful.
Yang Kai remained in his room, opening all the barriers so he could focus on Alchemy. Day after day, batches of Dragon Blood Pills were refined.
Yang Kai didn’t remain idle while he was practising Alchemy though and would take Dragon Blood Pills from time to time to purify his bloodline. Even Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, who were kept inside the Fated Paths Bag, got to eat a lot.
Every seven or eight days, Meng Hong would come over and deliver the purchased herbs to Yang Kai’s room.
It was only at this moment that Yang Kai would temporarily take a rest and chat with Meng Hong to understand the situation outside.
From Meng Hong, Yang Kai learned that this Star City was managed quite well by Scarlet Star. After many people came to know that there was such a place in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, where cultivators were gathered and safety was provided, people flocked to join.
The most obvious indication of this rise in population was through the rising price of the inn. The price had already risen thrice in less than a month and now a room was more than double the cost of when they first arrived. Still, the inn was completely full every day.
Scarlet Star was also growing bigger and bigger as many people wanted to join but couldn’t!
Because the Star City was located in the foggy forest, it was surrounded by abundant natural resources, so no matter which direction one searched, they would find something if they were lucky.
Rumour had it that someone had obtained Fifth-Order and even Sixth-Order Open Heaven materials! As for Fourth-Order, they were nearly endless. This was a huge temptation for any Emperor Realm cultivator. Compared to the other harvests such as precious herbs and treasures, Open Heaven materials of these Orders were far more valuable.
What the Emperor Realm cultivators needed most now were these Open Heaven materials. It was true that they couldn’t break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but as long as one could accumulate enough here, they could reach the Open Heaven Realm the moment they left the Grand Ancient Ruins.
Therefore, countless cultivators formed teams and went out to obtain the cultivation resources they needed.
Many people had their wishes fulfilled, but some people encountered a crisis and never returned!
The Martial Dao had always been like this though. Only after endless struggles and overcoming various obstacles, what one finally sees might not necessarily be the fruits of their labour, but death.
Today, Meng Hong delivered Yang Kai many herbs.
Yang Kai thanked him and stated, “You don’t need to bring any more.”
After non-stop Alchemy for three months, Yang Kai had finally consumed almost all of the Dragon Blood Flowers. He had refined thousands of Dragon Blood Pills, using a small portion of them before storing the rest in his Space Ring. Presumably, it would take him years to finish refining all these pills.
Meng Hong casually nodded.
Yang Kai added, “Have the Open Heaven Pills I gave you run out?”
Although he got a windfall after plundering Old Xu’s Space Ring, the cost of buying so many herbs for such a long time would definitely not be small. At first, Yang Kai was a little worried that his Open Heaven Pills would be insufficient, but when Meng Hong kept delivering the herbs, he didn’t ask much.
Meng Hong replied, “The Open Heaven Pills you gave me had long been used up. Now, Lady Yue He is paying for these herbs.”
Yang Kai was stunned when he heard this as he hadn’t expected it to be like this.
Meng Hong continued, “Lady Yue He has very deep feelings for Brother Yang. You are very lucky.” Meng Hong sighed with a look of envy on his face.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he had no idea what to say. But after giving it a thought, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so she was definitely rich. Spending this much shouldn’t be a big deal to her. [In any case, I will remember this and will pay her back when I find an opportunity in the future. I will not take advantage of her.]
“Brother Meng, is something wrong?” Yang Kai asked, seeing a rather mournful look on the other’s face.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Meng Hong forced a smile before bidding goodbye, “Brother Yang, you carry on with your things. I will stop bothering you.”
Saying so, he retreated out of the room.
Yang Kai, staring in the direction of the door and pondered for a while before burying himself in Alchemy.
After half a month, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged before the Alchemy Furnace, quickly forming hand seals. The room was filled with pill fragrance and the furnace was rattling.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai slapped the pill furnace as its lid flew up and several red pills with a bloody aura flew out.
Yang Kai took out a jade bottle he had prepared beforehand and took these pills into the bottle.
Looking at the pills in the bottle, Yang Kai started grinning.
After four months, he was finally finished. All the Dragon Blood Flowers had been consumed while he was completely exhausted. He hadn’t refined pills with so much dedication in many years. Sitting in the room all day was also a very big test of his will and temperament.
[It’s finally over.] Yang Kai was in a good mood.
After deactivating the many barriers around the room, Yang Kai walked out and felt as if he had been reborn.
Yang Kai was in high spirits and wanted to look for Meng Hong and the others to have a drink, but he couldn’t find anyone in their rooms. Yue He was nowhere to be found either.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be stunned.
He had been holed up in his room doing Alchemy for four months and only learned about the outside situation from Meng Hong. He had no idea about anything else or what Yue He and the others were doing.
After taking out a communication artifact and sending some messages, Yang Kai finally learned that they were all in the lobby.
When Yang Kai came down, he found four people from his group sitting around a table full of empty wine bottles.
Yue He called Yang Kai over and offered, patting the seat next to her, “Come here.”
Yang Kai wasn’t polite and sat down straight away. Yue He smiled, resting her cheek on her palms, “You are finally out. If you hadn’t come out, I would have almost forgotten you.”
Her breath reeked of alcohol.
Yang Kai glanced at her and then at the others before asking with a frown, “Why are you drinking so much during the daytime? What is making you so happy?”
Yue He looked away with a pout, muttering, “We are drowning sorrows with drinks!”
Yang Kai looked again and noticed that Meng Hong was sitting with his head hung low. He looked dejected. It wasn’t clear what he had experienced, but he seemed to have lost his soul over it.
“What’s the matter? Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
Yue He replied, “Lovesick!”
Yang Kai finally seemed to understand. He looked around but was unable to find Chen Yue! Meng Hong was interested in Chen Yue, an obvious fact, and now, when Yue He told him that Meng Hong was lovesick, he immediately understood that Meng Hong must be acting like this because of Chen Yue.
Yang Kai may not have been with Meng Hong for a long time, but he could tell that Meng Hong was a bright and generous guy, but he was a little conservative when it came to matters of men and women. As for Chen Yue… Yang Kai couldn’t find anything worth noting about her, all he felt was that she was a little eager. Her character wasn’t that bad, but he hadn’t had in-depth contact with her so he didn’t dare to jump to an early conclusion about what kind of person she was.
After all, it was impossible to judge a person’s heart from their face. More often than not, the people who seem the most trustworthy turn out to be devious.
Knowing that it was because of Chen Yue, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “Brother Meng, since you are interested in her, just pursue her frankly and openly. Why are you condemning yourself?”
“He can’t.” Yue He looked as if she wanted to stir up trouble. She clucked her tongue and continued, “She has been taken away by someone.”
As soon as Yue He said so, Meng Hong, who was sitting in a daze, had his expression twist in pain as he grabbed the nearest bottle of wine and started guzzling it down.
“Senior Brother, stop drinking.” A Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t take it any longer and reached out to snatch the bottle as he angrily rebuked, “Since that woman is so fickle, she is not worthy of Senior Brother’s time! There are so many better girls out there, Senior Brother, you shouldn’t be like this.”
The Great Moon Province disciple wasn’t as strong as Meng Hong; thus, even after trying a few times, he failed to snatch the bottle, allowing Meng Hong to drain it as his eyes turned red.
“What happened, exactly?” Yang Kai was confused. Yue He was saying Chen Yue was taken away by someone, and this disciple was saying she was a fickle woman. It seemed something had happened while he was refining pills for a few months in seclusion.
Yue He lightly sighed and explained, “While you were in seclusion, they met someone, who seemed to have some influence in Scarlet Star. He helped them a lot and they slowly grew closer. They originally thought that he was someone righteous and warm-hearted but never expected him to have ulterior motives. From the start, he was interested in that girl. And that girl… hehe, she had aspirations. If one could find a backer in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, one wouldn’t have to worry about anything in the future.”
Although she had only said a little, Yang Kai got the gist of it. Furthermore, she judged everything in a very objective manner.
If Yue He was right, then Chen Yue was just holding this newcomer’s thigh.
It was human nature. As Yue He said, if one could find a backer in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they would have it easy and could also have an extra sense of security.
Scarlet Star was a powerful great force that had occupied this Star City and was using it as a base to take in more disciples. Even if it was still just a small gathering, many people still lined up to flatter them.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think back on how Chen Yue had once expressed her interest towards him…
No one could intervene in matters between a man and a woman. Although Yang Kai sympathized with Meng Hong a little, he couldn’t say much. All he could do was persuade, “Brother Meng, if you can’t let her go, it’s not too late to rise up and pursue her, but if you can let it go, don’t think too much. Go back and take a good rest. We will leave this place tomorrow.”
Meng Hong’s knuckles, grabbing the bottle, turned white as his lips moved, but he didn’t speak a word in the end.
Yang Kai could see that he really loved Chen Yue. He may be reluctant to leave just like that, but if Meng Hon remained here, it would only add to his troubles.
Yang Kai gave the two Great Moon Province disciples a wink, signalling them to take Meng Hong back to rest.
But before they could act, Meng Hong suddenly lifted his head, looking towards the door with excitement.
Yang Kai turned his head and found Chen Yue standing at the door, looking at Meng Hong with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. She couldn’t look straight into his eyes.
Meng Hong excitedly got up, his lips parted, but before he could shout ‘Junior Sister Chen’, another person entered through the door.
He was handsome and wearing a blue robe. He was fair and had a bright smile on his lips. After entering the store, he put his arm around Chen Yue’s slender waist without any hesitation and asked, looking at her, “Go on in, why are you standing here?”
Chen Yue became a little more embarrassed and started fidgeting.
The young man seemed to have noticed something and looked up to see Meng Hong’s red eyes, immediately causing him to smile. His arm around Chen Yue’s waist tightened as he brought her over, whether Chen Yue liked it or not.
Yue He elbowed Yang Kai a little as she explained via transmission, “That’s him. His name is Zhao Xing Chen and I’ve talked to him before. He is very impudent and far from being anything good!”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement with a slight frown.
When he heard that Meng Hong’s crush had been taken by someone, he didn’t care that much about it. It was a matter of love, so although he was a little biased toward Meng Hong, since Chen Yue wasn’t interested, Yang Kai couldn’t do anything about it.
To win the heart of a woman like Chen Yue, who lacked a sense of security, only strength mattered.
But by the looks of it, no matter what Chen Yue was like, Zhao Xing Chen left a very bad impression on Yang Kai. Since he had won her heart, he should just be concerned with love and romance. He didn’t need to come over and rub salt into Meng Hong’s wounded heart. He deliberately assumed this behaviour to set up his prestige.
It could be seen that Zhao Xing Chen had some status in this Star City as, when he entered the store, many cultivators got up and cupped their fists, “Commander Zhao!”
Everyone started greeting him one after another. Zhao Xing Chen’s lips rose as a restrained smile appeared on his lips, but his eyes were filled with pride. He ignored others and went straight to Yang Kai’s table. He looked at Meng Hong with a smile and continued, “Brother Meng, you are all here.”
Meng Hong clenched his fist, staring straight at Chen Yue. The latter didn’t dare to look him in the eye and just kept her head lowered.
“Brother Meng?” Zhao Xing Chen called out again, his voice slightly colder.
Only then did Meng Hong return to his senses. He turned his gaze and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying as he weakly replied, “Brother Zhao, what are you doing here?”
Zhao Xing Chen continued, “I brought Yue’er here to thank Brother Meng for taking care of her until now. Yue’er said that if it wasn’t for Brother Meng, she might have already lost her life when she entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If that’s the case, then this Zhao would never have met Yue’er.”
He kept shouting Yue’er and Yue’er with extreme affection, but that only caused Meng Hong’s face to grow uglier and uglier.
Zhao Xing Chen seemed to have failed to notice it and gently nudged Chen Yue, “Yue’er, didn’t you say that you wanted to thank Brother Meng? Brother Meng is here.”
Being pushed forward, Chen Yue silently lowered her head.
Meng Hong kept staring at her. His mouth opened and closed several times but he couldn’t speak a word. The nearby Great Moon Province disciples glared at Chen Yue in anger. It looked like they couldn’t wait to cut Chen Yue into a thousand pieces.
Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes brightly gleamed as he smilingly kept watching like an outsider.
“Senior Brother Meng…” After a long time, Chen Yue softly muttered.
Meng Hong hurriedly greeted, “Junior Sister Chen.”
Chen Yue finally looked up at him, “Many thanks, Senior Brother, for taking care of me all the while. Yue’er will keep it in my heart forever. I am forever grateful to you!”
Meng Hong replied, “It was my pleasure. You and I have known each other for so many years, I couldn’t do anything for you, just these small things. But I’m afraid… I won’t be able to take care of you in the future. Junior Sister, you have to take care of yourself.” Meng Hong was slightly trembling when he spoke.
Chen Yue lightly nodded. She looked rather obedient.
Zhao Xing Chen added with a smile, “Brother Meng, don’t you worry. This Zhao will never let Yue’er feel wronged. En, I have found a place for her in the city where she will not be in any danger.”
Meng Hong forced a smile, “Then I will be able to rest assured.”
Zhao Xing Chen added, “Brother Meng, why don’t you come and work under me? Scarlet Star is currently expanding and is short on manpower. If Brother Meng can join us, I can’t guarantee other things but within three years, you will definitely become a Team Leader.”
As soon as he offered this, many cultivators in the lobby looked over with envy.
Scarlet Star was very popular right now and many people wanted to join it but not everyone could find the opportunity to. Now, Zhao Xing Chen guaranteed that he could make Meng Hong a Team Leader within three years, exciting the crowd. They secretly envied Meng Hong for receiving Commander Zhao’s favour.
“We don’t want your help, you hypocrite!” A Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t stand it any longer and angrily shouted.
Meng Hong was their Senior Brother. Seeing the woman their Senior Brother liked get snatched by an unscrupulous man who then deliberately came over with that fickle woman to show off was bad enough. Now, he actually wanted Meng Hong to work under him? Clearly, this Zhao Xing Chen was trying to humiliate Meng Hong. How could they take it anymore?
As soon as he said this, Zhao Xing Chen’s smile instantly became cold as he looked at the person who had just spoken, “What did you say?”
The Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t help but turn pale. He lost his mind in anger just now, but when he met this reaction, he was naturally a little scared. No matter how evil Zhao Xing Chen was, no matter how much they hated Chen Yue for harming Meng Hong, Zhao Xing Chen was a member of Scarlet Star. Furthermore, he was a Commander-level character. How could they offend him?
Being questioned by Zhao Xing Chen, the disciple didn’t dare say anything.
Meng Hong was also taken aback. Zhao Xing Chen may be addressing him as ‘Brother’, but they weren’t that close. Now that his Junior Brother couldn’t say anything, he had no choice but to apologize, “Brother Zhao, please calm yourself. This bastard is just drunk. Don’t take his ramblings to heart.”
Zhao Xing Chen sneered, “Brother Meng, rice may be eaten at will, but words may not be spoken indiscriminately. Speaking thoughtlessly may sometimes lead to death.”
Seeing him still pressing the issue, Meng Hong cupped his fists and added, “Brother Zhao, please don’t be angry. This Meng has failed to discipline him but will give him a good lesson later so that he will learn what to say and what not to.”
Zhao Xing Chen kept glaring at the Great Moon Province disciple, whose scalp began to tingle. After a while, Zhao Xing Chen coldly snorted, “Since Brother Meng says so, then this Zhao will give Brother Meng face and forget this matter. But there will be no next time.”
Meng Hong couldn’t help but heave a sigh before continuing with an apologetic smile, “Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for showing mercy.”
Zhao Xing Chen declined to comment. He then turned his attention to Chen Yue and stated, “It is fate that we meet today. Since you’re all here, why don’t you give a toast to them, Yue’er?”
“En.” Chen Yue obeyed Zhao Xing Chen before stepping forward and picking a glass of wine.
Meng Hong’s face grimaced in pain more and more, seeing her like this. He secretly hated that he wasn’t strong enough to provide Chen Yue a safe shelter. All he could do was helplessly watch his beloved jump into another’s arms. He was heartbroken.
Chen Yue raised her glass as she toasted, staring at Meng Hong, “Senior Brother, please accept my toast. If you need help in the future, feel free to ask me. Junior Sister will not refuse to do what she can.”
Zhao Xing Chen also nodded and added, “Good. I, Zhao Xing Chen, hold some sway here. If you encounter anything, you can come to me.”
The Great Moon Province disciples helplessly raised their glasses before downing them in one go.
Zhao Xing Chen, on the other hand, stared at Yang Kai and asked without any fear, “Friend, are you not going to give me face?” After entering the restaurant, he hadn’t paid any attention to Yang Kai, but when Chen Yue gave a toast on his order, only Yang Kai remained still, suddenly becoming conspicuous. He naturally became interested.
As for Yue He, who also hadn’t raised a glass, he didn’t dare to provoke her; after all, she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Scarlet Star had always been trying to invite Yue He to join them, even offering her the position of Great Commander without hesitation. Unfortunately, Yue He hadn’t given a clear answer.
“Do I know you?” Yang Kai looked at him and indifferently asked, “How much is your face worth?”
He had been sitting here and disinterestedly watching from the sidelines. He didn’t want to provoke Zhao Xing Chen, so he didn’t bother to intervene, but who could have expected Zhao Xing Chen to actually provoke him instead? Naturally, Yang Kai wasn’t polite to him.
Although they were meeting for the first time and he had no idea about Zhao Xing Chen, his first impression was terrible. Yang Kai was too lazy to speak politely with him.
As soon as Yang Kai said so, Zhao Xing Chen’s face suddenly sank, “Friend, you are really crazy. What’s your name? You look unfamiliar.”
Meng Hong also didn’t expect Yang Kai to say something like this, so he hurriedly intervened, “Brother Zhao, this is Brother Yang, Yang Kai!”
“So you are Yang Kai?” Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He could help but size up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked at him indifferently, “Do you know me?”
Zhao Xing Chen pursed his lips into a smile before cupping his fists and replying, “So it is Brother Yang! Forgive this Zhao for being disrespectful just now. Yue’er has told me much about you. Actually, this Zhao came here today specifically to see you. I didn’t expect to meet here. It seems we share some fate.”
He was acting all close and enthusiastic, even pulling up a chair and sitting down.
Meng Hong and the others looked at Chen Yue suspiciously. They had no idea what Chen Yue had told Zhao Xing Chen for him to be so enthusiastic towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai also glanced thoughtfully at Chen Yue, who couldn’t help but blush and avoid his gaze.
After sitting down, Zhao Xing Chen placed a barrier around the table, isolating them from the surroundings. Judging by the energy fluctuations leaking from his hand, he was quite strong, a little stronger than Meng Hong and the others.
Only then did he lean closer and continue with a bright smile, “Brother Yang, Yue’er said that you are adept at beast taming and now control a Scarlet Flood Dragon and an Earth Dragon. I wonder if this is true or false?”
Meng Hong’s face sank when he heard this and looked at Chen Yue with reproachful eyes.
Chen Yue had climbed onto a higher branch, throwing herself into Zhao Xing Chen’s arms, for which Meng Hong hated himself from preventing. Nonetheless, she shouldn’t have revealed information about Yang Kai. Many times, information could make the difference between life and death. What’s more, Chen Yue had also received Yang Kai’s life-saving grace as he had brought her all the way here, yet instead of repaying this favour, she even revealed sensitive information to an outsider. It was tantamount to repaying kindness by stabbing Yang Kai in the back.
Chen Yue only came to know Yang Kai through him, so Meng Hong was feeling extremely embarrassed.
“So what if it’s true? So what if it’s false?” Yang Kai flashed Chen Yue a meaningful smile, immediately causing her to lower her head with an embarrassed look on her face.
Obviously, she also knew that what she had done was shameless and immoral.
Zhao Xing Chen chuckled, “Since Yue’er said so, it should be true. Brother Yang, you are really something. Beast taming is a superb ability. This Zhao is in admiration. I’ll toast to you.”
While speaking, he raised his glass.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear and didn’t even glance at him.
Zhao Xing Chen’s facial muscles twitched slightly, but the next moment, he laughed it off as if he didn’t care about it. He put down the glass and continued, “Brother Yang, it’s like this, this Zhao has an Elder Sister who heard about this. She is very interested in one of your exotic beasts. She would love to keep one. I wonder if Brother Yang is willing to give it up. Whatever may be the price, I will definitely not disappoint you.”
“Your Elder Sister wants one?” Yang Kai strangely looked at him, “Which one does she want?”
“My Elder Sister is more interested in Scarlet Flood Dragon. Forget the Earth Dragon. Brother Yang, you should know, the Earth Dragon is a little ugly and dirty. Haha.”
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “True.”
Zhao Xing Chen continued, “Brother Yang, please name your price, this Zhao will pay it. In difficult times, everyone should be friends. If Brother Yang needs any help in the future, this Zhao will not refuse.”
Yang Kai refused, shaking his head, “I apologize, neither the Scarlet Flood Dragon nor the Earth Dragon are for sale.”
Zhao Xing Chen became anxious after hearing this and raised his hand and offered, “Brother Yang, don’t be in a hurry to refuse. How about listening to this Zhao’s offer before making a decision?”
Yang Kai still shook his head, “I’m not selling, not for any price!”
“Are you really not going to sell?” Zhao Xing Chen slightly narrowed his eyes.
Yang Kai stared at him, “I don’t want to repeat the same thing thrice!”
As their gazes met, Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes turned slightly cold. Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained indifferent. Meng Hong and the others were growing nervous and restless. Only Yue He was smilingly sitting next to Yang Kai, resting her cheek on her palms, looking at him with a sidelong glance. She didn’t bat an eye, as if she could never get enough of staring at him.
After a while, Zhao Xing Chen laughed, “Good, since Brother Yang has said so, then this Zhao will have to drop the idea.” He then switched the conversation, “Let’s stop talking about the two exotic beasts. Let’s talk about the Dragon Blood Pills.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “You seem to know many things about me.”
Needless to say, Chen Yue must have also revealed the existence of the Dragon Blood Pills. Previously, Yang Kai had refined many such pills and apart from taking them himself and giving them to Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, Meng Hong and the others also enjoyed a few. Taking it in a diluted form would strengthen a cultivator’s physique, so it was of great use to anyone.
Since Zhao Xing Chen knew about the Dragon Blood Pills, how would he not care about them?
Ignoring Yang Kai’s teasing words, Zhao Xing Chen continued with a solemn face, “Scarlet Star wants to buy some Dragon Blood Pills. Price is not a problem. We are willing to buy as many as you have.”
This time, he presented himself as Scarlet Star’s representative. In other words, he was acting on Scarlet Star’s behalf to discuss this transaction with Yang Kai, trying to pressure him.
“Scarlet Star wants to buy my Dragon Blood Pills?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
Zhao Xing Chen nodded, “Indeed!”
“I’m not selling!” Yang Kai decisively refused. He finally came across Dragon Blood Flowers that surpassed Peak-Rank after so many years, and spent four months refining them all into Dragon Blood Pills, all to improve his bloodline. Why would he take them out and sell them now?
They were already insufficient for his own use.
Zhao Xing Chen seemed to have expected this answer. Hearing this, he indifferently smiled and calmly took a sip of wine and continued in a calm and composed manner, “Brother Yang, I heard that you have been in retreat. So you might not be aware of the situation outside. Now, this entire Star City is my Scarlet Star’s territory. Once you enter this Star City, you are under my Scarlet Star’s jurisdiction. People who don’t obey will not be able to live here for long.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile and calmly asked, “Are you threatening me?”
“I am just presenting the situation to Brother Yang.” Zhao Xing Chen put down his glass, “Right now, my Scarlet Star has seven Managers. All of them are above the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm. We also have 3,000 people under our command. To put it bluntly, only a few people can offend our Scarlet Star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! Brother Yang, it must have been very hard for you to reach your current cultivation. You must understand how to correctly appraise your circumstances! Scarlet Star just wants to buy some Dragon Blood Pills from Brother Yang, that’s all. Why would Brother Yang remain unreasonable and keep us at arm’s length?”
Having said this, a smile appeared on his face as he continued, “Furthermore, as Brother Yang is able to refine Dragon Blood Pills, you must be very proficient in the Alchemic Dao. My Scarlet Star lacks geniuses like Brother Yang. This Zhao is willing to recommend you. As long as Brother Yang is willing to become my Scarlet Star’s Honoured Guest Alchemist, everyone will be one family in the future.”
“Brother Yang, what do you think?”
After finishing his offer, Zhao Xing Chen stared at him with burning eyes.
Yang Kai straight out refused, “I said I’m not selling, so I’m not selling. Anything you say is useless.”
Zhao Xing Chen’s face turned cold, “Brother Yang, are you not going to take your time to consider it? I’m afraid Brother Yang will regret it!”
Yang Kai coldly looked at him, “If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will make you regret sitting down!”
Zhao Xing Chen’s face turned black. He stood up, glaring at Yang Kai with murderous intent. After a while, he looked at Yue He and suggested, “Lady Yue He, why don’t you persuade him?”
Yue He faintly replied with a love-struck look on her face, “Whatever Young Master says is right. I will obey Young Master.”
“Good!” Zhao Xing Chen laughed in anger, “Very good!”
He then clapped and shouted, “Guards!”
A dozen or so people suddenly rushed in and immediately stood behind Zhao Xing Chen. Each and every one of them had a magnificent aura.
Zhao Xing Chen pointed at Yang Kai and his team, “This Commander suspects that these people are spies planted by other great forces. Apprehend them immediately!”