Seeing as Yang Kai was relentless, the short man barked, “Hey, surnamed Yang. Don’t you think that this Gou is afraid of you! I just don’t want to get into an unnecessary fight and let others take advantage of me!”
Yang Kai snickered, “Killing you isn’t an unnecessary fight… You want to live? Good. Leave your gourd vine to me, and I’ll stop chasing after you.”
That man surnamed Gou bellowed, “Keep chasing after me, then! Let’s see who can run faster!”
If it weren’t because he had been struck by Yang Kai’s fist earlier, he wouldn’t have appeared so battered when running away. With the gourd vine in his hand, he wasn’t afraid of anyone in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; however, that attack had indeed injured him. If it weren’t thanks to the gourd vine’s protection, he likely would’ve been ground to dust.
While they were trying to restore their energy, they kept bickering with one another. Apparently, neither of them intended to let the other party rest peacefully.
One hour later, Yang Kai got to his feet and tore apart the bubble before charging forward.
The man surnamed Gou was flabbergasted. Before he could fully refine the medicinal efficacies of the pills in his stomach, he hurriedly fled from where he sat.
Over the next several dozen days, life was like a living Hell for the man surnamed Gou. Yang Kai’s restorative capability was obviously vastly superior to his. In the time it took him to restore a bit of his strength, Yang Kai already became fully energetic again and raced after him, which forced him to flee while he was still in a terrible state.
His injury didn’t get the treatment it needed either, and instead of healing, it had actually become worse.
He knew that this situation couldn’t go on forever. While he was weakening, Yang Kai became stronger. One day, Yang Kai would be able to capture him, and by then, he wouldn’t even have any energy left to resist.
Recently, the gap between Yang Kai and him had been shortening. Initially, they were several dozen bubbles apart, but now, there were only a few that came between them. It could be said that the distance between them was short.
While he was running away, he had also been exploring the secrets of this World in an attempt to comprehend the mysterious principles and become the owner of this World Fruit. Unfortunately, even after days of trying, he still couldn’t achieve his goal.
Naturally, Yang Kai had been doing the same thing.
The entire World was made up of countless bubbles which were pressed against one another. All the bubbles looked identical, so one couldn’t tell the difference between them.
Although Yang Kai had been pursuing the man surnamed Gou, which caused the latter to become exhausted, he was secretly anxious as well; after all, many days had passed, and no one knew what was going on in the outside world. If he missed the closing time of the Primordial Land, he would be trapped in this place forever.
If he couldn’t leave, Yue He and the others would end up in a miserable state as well.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t hold back any of his strength when hunting down his enemy. Only by killing this guy as soon as possible could he have the chance to comprehend the mysterious Principles of this place in peace.
After adjusting his breathing for a short while, Yang Kai ignored the fact that he hadn’t fully restored his energy and broke the next bubble apart. Then, he dashed towards the man surnamed Gou.
This time though, the other party didn’t flee; instead, he remained seated with his legs crossed while staring coldly at Yang Kai. His gaze was tinged with ruthlessness and resolve.
Yang Kai grinned, knowing that this guy was left with no choice and had decided to risk it all in a life-and-death battle with him. This was the outcome he wanted.
Just a moment later, Yang Kai broke through several bubbles and arrived at the bubble the man surnamed Gou was in. After several dozen days, it was the first time they were confronting each other at such a close distance.
“Lock!” Yang Kai performed a hand seal with one hand. As Space Principles undulated, the space inside this bubble became sealed. By doing so, he could ensure that this man surnamed Gou couldn’t flee easily, unless the latter broke his space barrier. But even if he really did that, he would only be exposing his back to Yang Kai, giving him a chance to finish him off.
“It seems that one of us has to perish on this day. That’s such a shame. This Gou didn’t intend to send you to Hell so soon, but you’ve left me with no choice,” Instead of becoming flustered, however, the man surnamed Gou seemed confident of winning the battle.
Upon finishing his words, he let out a breath and slowly got to his feet. As he hoisted himself, his aura turned from weak to imposing.
Yang Kai stared dispassionately at him and said calmly, “You shouldn’t make bold claims without the strength to back them up, lest you embarrass yourself. Let us see who the last one standing will be.”
As their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly between them.
The next instant, both of them made a move as though it had been agreed upon.
Yang Kai repeatedly flicked his fingers as Moon Blades shot at his opponent and engulfed him. Wherever the Moon Blades passed, space was cut apart.
On the other hand, the man surnamed Gou performed a hand seal with both hands as a large awl swirled into existence.
Shattering Dao Seal Technique!
This Divine Ability specifically targeted the enemy’s Dao Seal, and its power was quite horrifying. Yang Kai had suffered a small setback in the past because of this technique and Ding Yi had also almost lost his life because of this Divine Ability.
Since Yang Kai had seen this technique twice though, he immediately put his guard up by diverting some of his energy to strengthen his Dao Seal so that it wouldn’t be shaken. At the same time, a thought flashed across his mind as the Moon Blades turned around and slashed at the Shattering Dao Seal Technique.
Whooshing sounds were continuously heard and in the blink of an eye, the Shattering Dao Seal Technique was destroyed while the still intact Moon Blades came at the man surnamed Gou again.
The man surnamed Gou bellowed as a golden light radiated from his body. As the power of his Seventh-Order Power of Metal undulated, he turned into a golden figure. Following that, he balled up his fists and punched at the Moon Blades, which caused them to shatter.
The main characteristic of the Metal Element was offence, and it was extremely sharp.
Yang Kai was envious of this short man because he was lacking a Metal Element Power. He was upset at the fact that the Divine Spirit that had found him was Zhu Jiu Yin instead of Jin Wu. If it had been Jin Wu, he could’ve made use of his Monster Core to condense a Seventh-Order Metal Element Power. Once all Five Elements were complete, he would officially enter the half-step Open Heaven Realm. After condensing the Yin and Yang Elements, he could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
Nevertheless, this was his fate. Since Zhu Jiu Yin had found him to be her Bearer, there was no way Jin Wu would welcome him. That was the fundamental reason behind this battle.
After breaking through the storm of Moon Blades, the man surnamed Gou remained imposing. His short and sturdy figure looked like a raging bull as he charged towards Yang Kai and reached him in the blink of an eye. His fist, which was engulfed in Seventh-Order Metal Element Power, shot towards Yang Kai’s chest. Before his fist even reached Yang Kai’s chest, a sharp aura was already felt coming from it, stinging Yang Kai’s skin and causing his shirt to tear.
However, Yang Kai didn’t attempt to dodge the attack. With a dispassionate expression, he looked mockingly at the man surnamed Gou.
The next instant, the expression of the man surnamed Gou changed as he realised that regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to land a fist on Yang Kai, and there was always a distance of a palm’s length between them.
He could clearly feel that he was charging forward, but the gap between them never shortened one bit, which was extremely strange.
In order to snatch the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water some time ago, Yang Kai was faced with a naturally formed barrier. Upon comprehending the Principles behind this barrier, he gained some benefits as well as new insights into the Dao of Space. With some practice, Yang Kai had become adept at using Space Principles to infinitely extend space.
The man surnamed Gou was unable to shorten the gap between Yang Kai and him, just like how he was unable to shorten the distance between the white jade trough and himself in the past. The space between them was extending, so while it might appear unmoving, it was actually moving at the speed of lightning.
Ten breaths later, the man surnamed Gou had no energy left as his aura weakened. Just then, Yang Kai stuck out a finger and said dispassionately, “Die.”
A petite Golden Crow shot out from the tip of his finger with a fierce cry. The man surnamed Gou could see the crow expanding right in front of him as though it was going to engulf him.
Golden Crow’s True Fire was horrifying, and it even surpassed the Metal Element Power of Jin Wu he had condensed. If he was struck by this fire crow, he would end up in a horrible state.
At the critical moment, the man surnamed Gou didn’t dare to hold back his power any longer. Upon extending his arm, his gourd vine shot forward as though it possessed spirituality and penetrated the Golden Crow, which caused it to break apart. Following that, it came right at Yang Kai’s glabella. The Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements swirled around the gourd vine as it was able to break through his space extension and reach him in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he arched his back in an attempt to dodge the attack.
The man surnamed Gou was relentless, however. With the gourd vine in his hand, he used it like a whip. After he wielded it, the gourd vine spiralled towards Yang Kai and engulfed him.
After several attempts, Yang Kai realised that he was unable to shake off its pursuit, so just when he was about to be caught by the gourd vine, he yelled and extended his hand towards the void before grabbing the Azure Dragon Spear. Man and spear uniting as one, Yang Kai thrust out his weapon.
There didn’t seem to be any technique involved in this thrust, making it look like the simplest of attacks, but in fact, it was an extremely precise move as his weapon pointed right at the centre of the spiralling vine.
A violent force exploded as the man surnamed Gou grunted and was forced back. In an instant, Yang Kai had reversed the situation.
Without stopping, Yang Kai wielded his spear as freely as a Dragon would its claws, sending countless spear shadows to surround the man surnamed Gou.
At that moment, the man surnamed Gou was forced into a defensive stance. He had never expected that Yang Kai also had such attainments in the Spear Dao. Since his attack was resolved, he had no choice but to passively protect himself.
The two became locked in an intense battle, with no one seeming to have the upper hand.
As the battle dragged on though, the man surnamed Gou was astounded. The spear in Yang Kai’s hands seemed like a living creature as it was able to keep attacking his weakest points, which caused him to be drenched in a cold sweat.
It wasn’t pure luck that he was selected by Jin Wu. The Divine Spirits had their own standards when it came to choosing their Bearers. If someone’s heritage was insufficient, the Divine Spirits wouldn’t even spare them a glance.
The man surnamed Gou became a Bearer because of his strength and ability. Afterwards, he had been trained by Jin Wu for years, and he obtained the gourd vine upon entering the Primordial Land, so he thought that no one in Grand Ancient Ruins was a match for him. However, he hadn’t expected that there was someone who was able to counter him.
After several life-and-death moments, the man surnamed Gou was finally certain that using his current methods, he would never be able to defeat Yang Kai. The spear in Yang Kai’s hands was definitely an extraordinary artifact as it was able to remain intact even after clashing with his gourd vine. Moreover, it faintly exuded the aura of Divine Spirit, which slightly restrained him.
Gritting his teeth, the man surnamed Gou shouted, “I didn’t want to use this move, but you’ve forced my hand. It is your honour to get killed by this method!”
Yang Kai felt his chest tightening, knowing that this guy was certainly going to use his trump card. With that said, he too had a trump card left, so with a sneer, he said, “How dare you still boast so shamelessly!? I’ll break your teeth for that!”
“Whether it’s shameless boasting or not, you will learn soon!” The man surnamed Gou snorted, “Rise!” he bellowed.
Following that, he wielded his gourd vine as the seven small bottle gourds fell to the ground.
Yang Kai swung his spear and stepped backwards as he stayed vigilant with a cold gaze.
He had witnessed the powers of these seven small bottle gourds before, and they were all extraordinary. Earlier, he had already put his guard up against them, but his opponent didn’t seem to have the intention of using them. Was this man surnamed Gou going to make use of the Powers of these bottle gourds now?
The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were all extraordinary as they were able to activate Fifth-Order Powers. Most cultivators were not a match for them as only a small number of cultivators had condensed Fifth-Order Elements, making them unable to even parry the attacks from these Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of them. Even the weakest Element Power he had condensed was in the Seventh Order, so why would he be frightened by these Fifth-Order bottle gourds?
Upon leaving the gourd vine, the Seven Brothers struck different poses, trying to appear imposing, but before they could introduce themselves, the man surnamed Gou suddenly wielded his gourd vine again, whereupon it straightened, and under the shocked gaze of Yang Kai, penetrated the back of the First Brother and stuck out from his chest.
What was strange was that even though the gourd vine had pierced through the First Brother, he didn’t seem harmed one bit.
Without stopping, the gourd vine penetrated the Second Brother, followed by San Wa and Si Wa…
After just a short moment, all Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers became a string of bottle gourds.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai became apprehensive. He thought that these Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were the trump card of this man surnamed Gou, but he hadn’t expected such a turn of events.
Without hesitation, he surged all his might. Following a Dragon roar, a Dragon Pressure permeated the bubble and the Azure Dragon Spear seemed to transform into a Great Dragon as it pounced on the man surnamed Gou.
With a dispassionate expression, the man surnamed Gou stared at Yang Kai. He appeared so aloof that it was as though he was looking down at an ant.
Following that, he wielded the gourd vine and lashed out at the Azure Dragon Spear.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai felt a horrifying force coming right at him, and he was sent flying backwards. Even the Great Dragon illusory phantom on the spear became dim upon impact.
Upon crashing into the membrane of the bubble, Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood and widened his eyes, “Open Heaven Realm Power?”
During the short moment of contact earlier, he could feel a thick Open Heaven might coming from the gourd vine. The power showcased far exceeded this man called Gou’s own strength, which was why he suffered a setback.
At this moment, the seven small bottle gourds, which had been connected by the gourd vine, turned into lights of seven colours and streamed into the vine. Seven colours could be seen flowing around the gourd vine, which made it look extremely beautiful. The Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers mingled with one another as they mutually restrained and reinforced one another.
In order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense Yin, Yang, and Five Elements before splitting Heaven and Earth apart in their body, forming a Small Universe within themselves. By doing so, they could generate World Force all on their own. This was the fundamental reason an Open Heaven Realm Master was far more powerful than an Emperor Realm cultivator.
Yang Kai hadn’t managed to do this yet, but he had seen someone else ascending to the Open Heaven Realm.
When Bai Qi was ascending to the Fifth Order, Yang Kai was there to observe by his side. When an accident occurred, fortunately, he managed to feed Bai Qi some World Source Liquid; otherwise, Bai Qi would’ve lost his life.
The images from that day flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he watched the sight before his eyes. Presently, Yin, Yang, and Five Elements mingled with one another in an endless cycle.
The seven small bottle gourds on this gourd vine corresponded to the Powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. Just like a cultivator who had condensed seven Element Powers, the gourd vine was able to use the might exclusive to Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Moreover, it was the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After all, every Little Bottle Gourd possessed Fifth-Order Element Powers.
In other words, the gourd vine in the hand of this man surnamed Gou was actually a Fifth-Order Open Heaven weapon that he could use as he pleased.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai was horrified. Although he was strong, he was nowhere near a match for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was fully aware of that. Yue He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Given his current power and condition, the only outcome for him was death when he faced such an enemy.
Without thinking, Yang Kai turned around and tore the membrane apart before running away. The situation, which was supposed to be in his favour, turned into a crisis.
Behind him, the man surnamed Gou was heard saying in a grim voice, “Where do you think you’re going? You’ve forced me to use this move, so you can die with no regrets now!”
The sound of something breaking through the air was heard as Yang Kai felt a chill shoot up his spine. There seemed to be a viper racing after him. Turning his head, he widened his eyes in disbelief as the man surnamed Gou remained in the same spot, but the gourd vine in his hand extended infinitely and came right at him. Wherever the vine passed, all the bubbles exploded as they were unable to stop its advance.
If Yang Kai were in a different environment, he could’ve used Instantaneous Movement. However, these bubbles greatly restricted his freedom.
Although Yang Kai was madly pushing his Space Principles to extend space behind himself, it couldn’t stop the gourd vine from pursuing him. The Principles were destroyed by the Open Heaven might from the vine, rendering them useless.
After just three breaths’ time, the gourd vine was only an arm’s length away.
There was no way Yang Kai could evade. Feeling the horrifying force that was coming from the gourd vine, he gritted his teeth and whirled around. Then, he infused all his power into the Azure Dragon Spear and thrust out.
Following a loud boom, Yang Kai was sent flying back as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood while the gourd vine’s attack was hindered for a moment.
After Yang Kai crashed into another bubble membrane again, cracking sounds were heard coming from his body. At that instant, over ten of his bones had broken. Although he was going through excruciating pain, his gaze brightened and instead of becoming horrified, he appeared ecstatic.
Earlier, he was shocked by the Open Heaven aura radiating from the gourd vine and thought that this man surnamed Gou could really use the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After the exchange just now though, he realised that it was an unfounded fear.
After the gourd vine merged all seven small bottle gourds, it indeed could display the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, the man surnamed Gou didn’t have sufficient strength or foundation, so he was unable to fully utilize the gourd vine’s power.
The most he could draw out was Second or Third-Order Open Heaven Realm power. If this wasn’t the case, Yang Kai wouldn’t have survived despite the fact that he had tried to parry the attack with the Azure Dragon Spear.
Another possibility was that it had something to do with the special World Principles in this place. It was a Low-Rank World Fruit, so Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was its limit. Therefore, it wouldn’t tolerate any power that exceeded its limit.
If that was the most the man surnamed Gou could bring out, Yang Kai reckoned that he could still fight it out.
Upon that realization, he stopped running and turned around before charging towards the man surnamed Gou.
The other party remained on the same spot with his gaze lowered, muttering under his breath, “So you realised it? But so what? An Emperor Realm cultivator like you isn’t able to resist the might of the Open Heaven Realm! Go to Hell!”
The gourd vine broke through the air and came at Yang Kai again. Countless spear shadows emerged from Yang Kai’s weapon. With his mind at ease, his spear seemed to have become one with him as he could fully utilize its power.
In the blink of an eye, several hundred clashes took place. The surrounding bubbles were annihilated as a violent force swept out and a dazzling light formed in a circular form.
Yang Kai was sent flying away once again, and before he could stabilise himself, the gourd vine struck at him. Its Open Heaven might flared as though it was going to ruthlessly end Yang Kai’s life.
After choking down the blood in his throat, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and wielded his spear as he was determined to battle against the gourd vine.
Repeatedly, he was sent flying away, coughing up mouthfuls of blood. He appeared completely battered and was clearly at a complete disadvantage. It seemed that he was totally unable to counter the attacks from the man surnamed Gou.
Nevertheless, he remained calm and collected. Despite the fact that his eyes had been shaded with blood, they were still filled with determination.
The man surnamed Gou on the other hand bellowed, “Why aren’t you dead yet?” After he sent Yang Kai flying away again, he began panting heavily.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Yang Kai grabbed his contorted left arm and twisted it to reconnect his fractured bones before snickering, “It’s extremely difficult to kill me. Given your might, you won’t be able to end my life!”
Yang Kai condensed his Wood Element from the Immortal Tree’s essence and possessed an extremely powerful Dragon Vein. When it came to resilience and recovery, almost no one in the world could surpass him. As long as it wasn’t a lethal strike, he could always heal himself regardless of how severe the injuries were.
The might of the Second or Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was indeed formidable enough to render Yang Kai powerless to resist, but it wasn’t enough to end his life.
Upon slowly getting to his feet, Yang Kai brushed the blood away from his eyes so that he could see clearer, and with a mocking gaze, he stared at the man surnamed Gou, “But, how long can you last?”
After a pause, he went on to say calmly, “You’re an Emperor Realm cultivator too, so you definitely have to pay a price to forcefully use the might of the Open Heaven Realm, and that price is certainly quite hefty. Otherwise, you would’ve used this move a long time ago instead of hiding it. Is your Dao Seal still stable? Can your physique last? It seems that you’re the one who is going to die instead, bastard!” Then, he pointed his spear at his opponent in a provocative manner.
The expression of this man surnamed Gou darkened.
Just like Yang Kai said, he indeed had to pay a heavy price for forcefully using the might of the Open Heaven Realm while still in the Emperor Realm. Every time he wielded the gourd vine, he could indeed harm Yang Kai, but at the same time, he would suffer immense backlash. His physique, Soul, and Dao Seal all shook violently with each strike, so if this dragged on, he would lose his life to those effects before he could even kill Yang Kai.
Realizing this, he clenched his teeth and roared, “I’ll definitely end your life before I go to Hell!”
Upon finishing his words, he wielded the gourd vine again and infused all his energy into it. The lights of seven colours rapidly swirled around the vine, and at the same time, his physique visibly shrunk a little. It was apparent that he was sacrificing his own vital essence to draw out more power, damaging his foundation. The arm of the hand holding the vine had its flesh broken apart and started bleeding.
Yang Kai turned solemn, knowing that the other party was now laying his life on the line. The next move would be the key to Yang Kai’s victory or defeat, and he had been waiting for that moment!
The next instant, the gourd vine broke through the air again. This attack was more horrifying than all the ones prior, which made Yang Kai feel that it had exceeded the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm and reached the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
Hurriedly, he moved and yelled, “Golden Crow Casts the Sun!”
A high-pitched caw was heard as a golden Sun rose behind Yang Kai. At that instant, the light expanded and dazzled the beholder. A terrifying aura undulated around the great Sun, where a Golden Crow was seen flying and frolicking, which caused the expression of the man surnamed Gou to change.
He had already heard that Yang Kai had comprehended a Divine Manifestation, but it wasn’t until this moment that he finally witnessed it with his own eyes. Despite the fact that they were on opposing sides, he couldn’t help admiring his enemy’s talent and capabilities.
When the Head Manager of Scarlet Star saw this Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, he surmised that with it, Yang Kai would be capable of fighting a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master even though he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, which went to show just how powerful the Divine Manifestation was.
Yang Kai lifted his spear and pointed at the Great Sun before swinging it down and thrusting it forward, sending the Great Sun flying over and crashing into the gourd vine.
Yang Kai had his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation while the man surnamed Gou was able to use the might of the Open Heaven Realm through the gourd vine. Both of them were able to use powers equivalent to that of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, so it could be said that they were equally matched.
The great Sun dazzled the World in the fruit with its golden glow while the gourd vine penetrated Heaven and Earth and broke through the void.
The clash between them was like two stars colliding with one another.
Following a deafening boom, a horrifying shock wave swept out which caused the bubbles around them to explode and vanish into thin air. Yang Kai widened his eyes in fury as he had infused all his energy into his strike, and it was the same case for the man surnamed Gou.
*Hong hong hong…*
The world paled as countless Void Cracks appeared. Apparently, this world was unable to bear the impact of this violent explosion.
Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backwards. At the same time, the great Sun died out.
The man surnamed Gou sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his face turned ashen. The sounds of bones breaking were heard coming from his body. The lights of seven colours on the gourd vine dimmed and seven bottle gourds reappeared. He was also sent flying away like a sack.
The clash resulted in both sides being heavily injured. Neither Yang Kai nor the man surnamed Gou had gained the upper hand.
Upon landing on the ground, Yang Kai circulated his power in an attempt to get up, but he was unable to do so. Just now, he had almost exerted all of his strength into that one attack, so right now, both his physique and Dao Seal had reached their limits. If he forcefully did anything else, he might suffer from irreversible damage.
At that instant, he was astounded as he hadn’t expected to end up in such a state. At the same time, he secretly reflected upon himself and thought that he should never underestimate his enemies. The man surnamed Gou wasn’t a renowned figure, but he possessed such terrifying power. He was just one of the Bearers of those Divine Spirits, so how powerful were the other Bearers?
Of course, this guy’s power was built on the gourd vine.
Fortunately, while Yang Kai was unable to get up, the man surnamed Gou had also become paralysed on the ground.
As an Emperor Realm cultivator, this guy had been forcefully using the power of the Open Heaven Realm. The damage he had suffered from must be equivalent to, if not worse than, that of Yang Kai.
*Pa pa pa pa…*
Impacted by the force of these two people, the bubbles in the world kept bursting. As though a chain reaction had been triggered, these bubbles wouldn’t stop exploding, accelerating as time passed.
In the blink of an eye, all the bubbles burst into oblivion, leaving only a palm-sized bubble hovering in mid-air.
This bubble was inconspicuous and both Yang Kai and the man surnamed Gou had never noticed it. They had run around for a long time and passed through many bubbles, but they had never seen this particular one.
After all the other bubbles burst, this one appeared unique.
Yang Kai batted his blood-soaked eyes and stared fixedly at the bubble. All of a sudden, his gaze brightened as he realised that this bubble was the key to controlling this World Fruit. If he could refine this bubble, he might be able to obtain the World Fruit.
Not willing to waste any time on taking a rest, he squirmed and crawled towards the bubble as at this moment, he didn’t even have any energy to get up and walk.
Not long after he crawled forward, he felt a grip on his ankle. Turning his head, he secretly cursed.
He was completely attracted to that unique bubble, so he had forgotten about the man surnamed Gou. The other party had used the gourd vine to coil it around his ankle and in the next instant, a force pulled Yang Kai to the back of the man surnamed Gou and caused him to roll over for a moment before he managed to stabilize himself.
Initially, he was closer to the bubble, but after the man surnamed Gou used a dirty trick, the latter became the one who was nearer the bubble.
Apparently, the man surnamed Gou also seemed to have realised the uniqueness of that bubble, so at this moment, he was squirming and crawling towards it.
Yang Kai felt fortunate that even though he was pulled back by the gourd vine, he wasn’t harmed because of that. Obviously, this man surnamed Gou didn’t have any energy left to deal with Yang Kai; otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him off easily.
A furious Yang Kai expended more energy to chase after him.
Presently, both of them were squirming forward like two worms as they slowly approached the bubble.
The injuries of the man surnamed Gou was apparently more severe, so he was surpassed by Yang Kai just a moment later. With a disdainful look, Yang Kai shot him a scornful glance, “After this King obtains this World Fruit, I’ll kill you!”
The expression of the man surnamed Gou darkened and without uttering a word, he wielded his gourd vine again.
Once again, Yang Kai was pulled backwards, his expression turning grim as he cursed and raised his Azure Dragon Spear before jabbing it at the gourd vine.
Right then, a series of exclaims were heard. All seven bottle gourds on the vine opened their eyes and looked aggrievedly at Yang Kai as they said in unison, “You’re hurting us!”
Ignoring them, Yang Kai forcefully thrust his weapon towards the gourd vine and finally peeled it off.
The man surnamed Gou shook the gourd vine, whereupon the seven small bottle gourds dropped onto the ground and transformed into the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers. However, at this moment, their auras appeared extremely weak. It was apparent that during the clash with Yang Kai earlier, their foundation had been damaged.
Presently, the Seven Brothers were lying on the ground. The first Brother said lethargically, “I’m Da Wa.”
The Second Brother said, “I’m Er Wa.”
The Third Brother said, “I’m San Wa.”
…
One by one, these Seven Brothers introduced themselves and gathered together before shouting in unison, “We’re the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers!”
The man surnamed Gou bellowed, “Shut up and hold him back!”
Hurriedly, the bottle gourds rushed towards Yang Kai, whereupon they grabbed his hair and clenched his arms. One of the brothers waddled towards Yang Kai’s thighs and wrapped his arms around them. He appeared determined to not let him move forward.
Yang Kai was speechless at that, and seeing as the man surnamed Gou was slowly approaching the bubble, a thought flashed across his mind as he summoned out Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom.
Pu Bai Xiong exclaimed, “What happened?”
He and Little Mushroom had been kept inside the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai since they entered the World inside this fruit, so they had no idea what had happened outside, yet right after they left the Small Sealed World, they saw seven bottle gourds making things difficult for Yang Kai, so they were both puzzled and shocked.
Little Mushroom grabbed her mushroom cap with both hands and said weakly, “Big Brothers, what are you all doing?”
Certainly, the bottle gourds didn’t have the time to respond to her as they were trying to torment Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Help me get rid of them now!”
Standing just beside Yang Kai, Pu Bai Xiong darted his gaze around before placing his hands akimbo and guffawing, “Brat, you had it coming!”
Like a nasty person taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, he looked down at Yang Kai and laughed in an arrogant manner.
The expression of Yang Kai darkened. Pu Bai Xiong was truly a disloyal fellow. Now that Yang Kai was weak and in trouble, he certainly would come up with ways to humiliate him.
“When you oppressed Uncle Pu, you never expected that this would happen to you one day, right? When you picked my grape, it never occurred to you that you would need me to save you in the future, right?” Pu Bai Xiong squatted and, using his roots, he pinched Yang Kai’s nose so that the latter couldn’t breathe.
Yang Kai yelled, “What do you want? I’m warning you not to be so arrogant; otherwise, I’ll teach you a lesson after this!”
Pu Bai Xiong chuckled and got up, “You dare threaten me? If it weren’t because you’re actually a kind-hearted person, I wouldn’t care about your life or death.” He paused for a moment and meaningfully grinned, “Call me Uncle Pu, and I’ll save you.”
“Uncle Pu!” Yang Kai directly said.
Pu Bai Xiong became startled and batted his eyes, then he barked, “Do you know no shame at all?” He shook his head and stepped onto Yang Kai’s figure. Then, one by one, he kicked away the bottle gourds who had been harassing Yang Kai.
To the side, Little Mushroom was terrified as she watched the sight.
Pu Bai Xiong was a Divine Medicine who had assumed Human form, but he certainly wasn’t specialized in fighting like the Bottle Gourd Brothers. If it weren’t because these bottle gourds were exhausted, there was no way Pu Bai Xiong could have oppressed them.
After Pu Bai Xiong kicked away two of them, two other bottle gourds came over and grabbed his roots before punching him, which caused him to start wailing.
“Stop fighting! Stop fighting!” Little Mushroom cried out, but she was suddenly punched by someone, which resulted in a dark circle around her eye. Falling on her backside, she started bawling her eyes out.
With all four of his roots clenched by the bottle gourds, Pu Bai Xiong was rendered immobile, so turning to Little Mushroom, he yelled, “Stop crying and grab the vine, now!”
Upon hearing that, Little Mushroom cried harder.
Pu Bai Xiong bellowed, “Go now! Otherwise, I’ll beat your Big Brothers to death!”
An astounded Little Mushroom hurriedly stopped crying and got to her feet before dashing towards the man surnamed Gou.
Certainly, the man surnamed Gou was fully aware of what was going on. He was still wiggling towards the bubble, and he was only a thousand metres away from it now.
Seeing Little Mushroom coming at him, he snorted and ignored her.
Before this, he had seen the two Divine Medicines that belonged to Yang Kai, but they didn’t seem able to fight. Although he was weak, he wasn’t afraid of a Divine Medicine who had assumed Human form. If she dared to offend him, he wouldn’t mind gobbling her up.
Upon reaching him, Little Mushroom stared at him for a moment before bowing to him. Then, she said meekly, “Can you… give me your gourd vine?”
“Fuck off!” The man surnamed Gou rudely yelled.
Little Mushroom turned ashen and took a few steps back in horror. Then, she turned to look at the bottle gourds and Pu Bai Xiong, who were still locked in a scuffle, and clenched her teeth. All of a sudden, she puffed out a breath at the man surnamed Gou, “I have to save my Big Brothers. You sleep!”
At that instant, the man surnamed Gou felt the world around him spinning as his Soul sank and a sense of sleepiness swept across him.
“You…” Before he could finish his words, he suddenly relaxed entirely and started snoring on the ground.
“Sorry!” Little Mushroom repeatedly bowed her head to apologise. Then, she pounced on him and forcefully pulled his hand apart before taking the ground vine.
After she gently shook it, the seven small bottle gourds, who were harassing Yang Kai and Pu Bai Xiong, turned into seven beams of light and shot into the gourd vine.
The next instant, seven bottle gourds grew on the wine as they lamented in one voice, “So tired. This time, we can finally take a rest.”
After they finished speaking, they closed their eyes and remained hanging there in silence. Although they were potent Divine Medicines, they had expended a lot of energy as they were driven by the man surnamed Gou to battle against Yang Kai. Now, they had to take a long rest.
Without the bottle gourds holding him down, Pu Bai Xiong regained his freedom and lay on top of Yang Kai with his limbs stretched out. With a grin, he said, “Brat, you’ve just obtained an invaluable treasure. I’m telling you, these bottle gourds are all fresh and fleshy. If you stew them… What are you doing?”
Upon finishing his words, Pu Bai Xiong became horrified because Yang Kai was grabbing him and looking fervently at his head.
By just looking at Yang Kai’s eyes, he knew what Yang Kai was up to. Hence, he hurriedly covered his head and barked, “Brat, you can’t do this to me because I’ve just risked my life to save you!”
Yang Kai gulped and said, “Just one will do. You have so many grapes, so losing one more won’t matter.”
Without waiting for permission, Yang Kai pulled out a grape from Pu Bai Xiong’s head and stuffed it into his mouth. The pure medicinal efficacies exploded in his mouth, and in an instant, he no longer felt exhausted as his energy was restoring at an incredible speed.
He had a taste of the medicinal efficacies of the grapes before, so he knew that they were extraordinary healing tonics. That was the reason he decided to snatch another from Pu Bai Xiong.
Although the man surnamed Gou was knocked out by Little Mushroom, no one knew when he would wake up. To prevent things from getting out of hand, Yang Kai decided to quickly restore himself first.
With his head covered, Pu Bai Xiong was seated on Yang Kai’s chest and cursed, “What an ungrateful man! I’ve saved you for nothing!”
As he scolded, he lashed out his roots at Yang Kai; however, given his abilities, he was unable to harm Yang Kai one bit.
After just half an hour, Yang Kai became energised again. Although he hadn’t fully recovered, he had restored sixty percent of his strength, and the medicinal efficacies of the grape were still working. Taking his own restorative abilities into consideration, Yang Kai estimated he would be back at full strength in a couple of days at most.
Seeing as Yang Kai got to his feet, Pu Bai Xiong hurriedly shut his mouth and appeared meek. With a cautious gaze, he stole a glance at Yang Kai, and upon seeing that the latter didn’t seem to have the intention of settling scores with him, he buttered him up by saying, “Master, that gourd vine is a treasure. You mustn’t miss it.”
Yang Kai didn’t need his reminder as he had suffered a setback because of that. The reason the man surnamed Gou could even compete with him was all thanks to the gourd vine’s power. Although he was fairly strong as well, he still wasn’t a match for Yang Kai without this Divine Medicine.
After telling Little Mushroom to come back, Yang Kai took the gourd vine from her and shook it, to which the seven bottle gourds said in unison, “Stop bothering us. We’re sleeping!”
To the side, Pu Bai Xiong explained, “Master, there’s something you need to know about the gourd vine. Whoever holds the vine can control these seven little things.”
“Is there no need to refine it?” Yang Kai was stunned.
After giving it a thought, Pu Bai Xiong replied hesitantly, “Well, I think so?”
After some deliberation, Yang Kai felt that just like what Pu Bai Xiong had said, a cultivator wouldn’t have to refine the gourd vine to utilize its power; after all, just like Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom, the vine was also a Divine Medicine, so how could one refine it?
That also explained why after Little Mushroom took the gourd vine, she was able to make the bottle gourds return at once.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai was ecstatic. The gourd vine was an incredible weapon. Now that it was in his possession, his power would increase significantly.
Nevertheless, it was still an external aid. To a cultivator, a powerful foundation was the most important. Although Yang Kai was elated, he didn’t let it go to his head. To him, the biggest value of the gourd vine was the Fifth-Order Elements these bottle gourds contained. With this Divine Medicine in his possession, he could draw on an inexhaustible source of Fifth-Order Elements to create countless Fifth-Order Open Heaven Masters.
It was truly invaluable!
If this treasure fell into anyone’s hands, it would be kept as a trump card and not exposed easily; otherwise, that person would draw danger to themselves.
With caution, Yang Kai put the gourd vine inside the Small Sealed World, and upon realising that the Small Sealed World could accommodate this thing, he set his mind at ease. Then, he directly planted the gourd vine in his medicine garden.
Although the Small Sealed World was also an independent world, its World Principles had their limits. It could accommodate most living creatures, but it couldn’t hold Open Heaven Realm Masters or beings of equal strength inside it. That was because an Open Heaven Realm Master had a Small Universe inside their body. If such a being was forcefully put inside the Small Sealed World, it could cause the latter to crack and even shatter it.
Upon grabbing Little Mushroom and Pu Bai Xiong, Yang Kai placed them on his shoulders and shuffled forward. After just a moment, he reached the man surnamed Gou.
The fact that he was snoring peacefully suggested that he was sound asleep, completely unaware that danger would soon befall him.
Although Little Mushroom had almost no offensive power, she was still a Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom that had assumed human form. The man surnamed Gou had taken in her spores, so without some kind of antidote, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue sleeping for six months to a year.
Yang Kai crouched down and took off his opponent’s Space Ring before rummaging through it, but he couldn’t find any Identity Token.
The man surnamed Gou had repeatedly used the Shattering Dao Seal Technique and previously, Xu Zhen even suspected that he was from Purple Jade Cave Heaven. If that were the case, he would certainly have an Identity Token. This thing wasn’t only the symbol of his disciple status from a Cave-Heaven, but also a life-saving treasure containing a sealed Divine Ability left behind by his Master.
That was why Yang Kai had to be careful.
However, the fact that this guy didn’t possess an Identity Token suggested that he wasn’t from Purple Jade Cave Heaven. The reason he was able to use Shattering Dao Seal Technique must be that it had been passed down to him by Jin Wu.
Just like how Zhu Jiu Yin taught Yang Kai a Secret Technique that allowed him to condense the Five Elements without follow the natural order, Jin Wu likely had a Bearer from Purple Jade Cave Heaven in the past, so it wasn’t surprising that he could use the Shattering Dao Seal Technique.
Upon making sure that there wouldn’t be any further danger, Yang Kai pushed out his palm as his power surged. Following a grunt, the man surnamed Gou, who was snoring, exploded into mist, leaving no corpse behind.
Yang Kai didn’t have any mercy on him because the latter had the intention to end his life as well.
After he was done dealing with the man surnamed Gou, Yang Kai looked up at the only bubble left in this World.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this bubble was the key to controlling the World in this fruit. Earlier, this world was made from countless gigantic bubbles; however, this particular bubble was only the size of a palm.
Yang Kai walked up to the bubble and examined it, but he couldn’t see anything special about it. Then, he extended his hand and easily grabbed the bubble. After he exerted more force with his hand, the bubble exploded with a pop.
Pu Bai Xiong exclaimed, “Master, you made it pop!”
There was a look of disbelief on Yang Kai’s face as well. Just now, he hadn’t really used any force. He never expected that this bubble would be so fragile.
Just when he wasn’t sure what to do, the world around him started spinning, and when he came to his senses, Yang Kai found himself standing beside a huge tree. The tree crown was so wide that the entire sky seemed to have been covered. There were also several thousand translucent fruits hanging on its branches.
It was none other than the 3,000 Worlds Tree!
[Have I come out?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded. Just when he was still trying to figure out what had happened, he realised there was something in his hand. Upon closer look, he saw that it was a World Fruit.
Yang Kai wasn’t certain why the fruit appeared in his hand all of a sudden.
Just like the bubble he saw earlier, the fruit was only the size of a palm. Yang Kai gulped as he looked at this translucent and fragrant fruit.
While Pu Bai Xiong stared fixedly at the World Fruit with a longing gaze, Little Mushroom gulped and said, “This fruit looks delicious!”
Yang Kai examined it and confirmed that it was indeed a Low-Rank World Fruit, which could help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order, with the limit being the Third Order. In other words, it was useless for a Third-Order cultivator to consume this fruit as it wouldn’t help them reach the Fourth-Order, which was already in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Only a Mid-Rank World Fruit was useful for a Third-Order cultivator.
He recalled that after he grabbed the last bubble in the World inside the fruit, he obtained the World Fruit. Now, it seemed that the last bubble was indeed a key item.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt fortunate that he had gotten into a battle with the man surnamed Gou, which caused all other bubbles to burst; otherwise, he couldn’t have found such a small bubble. This little thing was hidden among countless bubbles, so no one would notice it.
It was a shame that this was only a Low-Rank World Fruit. Although it was valuable, it couldn’t be sold for a high price.
Then, Yang Kai glanced at the World Tree and became startled.
At this moment, there were still 2,999 fruits on the tree. In other words, he was the only one who had obtained a fruit from this tree so far.
[Has no one else come out yet?] Previously, several hundred people had entered the fruits and the battle between Yang Kai and the man surnamed Gou had lasted for days, so he thought that he would be lagging far behind the others. He hadn’t expected that he would be the first to come out.
After gazing around, he took a look down the mountain and became astounded.
Pu Bai Xiong followed his gaze and asked doubtfully, “Master, what are you looking at?”
“Those people!” Yang Kai looked down and saw many cultivators moving forward. It seemed that they were going down the mountain. These cultivators were the ones who had backed down. Xu Zhen had said that even though these World Fruits were amazing, one would never get out if they couldn’t pass its test. At that time, many people were terrified and decided to back down. While it was difficult to come up to the peak, the road leading to the bottom of the mountain was also paved with danger. From time to time, insect fog and lightning would strike them, which made them flustered.
A puzzled Pu Bai Xiong asked, “Why are you looking at them?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Don’t you find it strange? We stayed inside the World in the fruit for over a month, so why are they still here?”
Pu Bai Xiong pretended to give it a thought before nodding his head, “You’re right. It’s indeed strange.”
Right then, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “Perhaps the passage of time inside the fruit is different from that in the outside world.”
The scuffle between the man surnamed Gou and him had lasted a month, but perhaps only a short time had passed in the outside world.
Thus, Yang Kai lifted his hand, whereupon a cultivator was pulled towards him. This person was closest to Yang Kai, and he was evading a beam of lightning earlier. Realising that he was back on the summit, he became despondent but was unable to shed a tear, “Senior Yang, please let me go. I’m from Emperor Heaven, and our leader is your friend. Please let me go!”
Yang Kai said gently, “Calm down. I just want to ask you something.”
“Sir, please ask me straight away. I’ll tell you all I know.”
“How long has passed since your leader entered the fruit?”
Hearing that, the person became startled. Although he had no idea why Yang Kai would bring up this question, he wouldn’t dare to hide anything from him so he hurriedly replied, “It has been roughly half an incense stick.”
[I knew it!] Yang Kai’s eyes brightened. Just like what he had expected, the rate at which time passed inside the fruit was different from that of the outside world.
Previously, Yang Kai was worried that he would stay inside the fruit for too long, thus becoming trapped in the Primordial Land. Now, it seemed that his worries were unnecessary.
It was no wonder that the others hadn’t come out, and he was the first one who managed to do so. Time passed faster inside the World Fruit was different from that in the outside world. Although he had stayed inside the World Fruit for a month, it had only been half an incense in the outside world.
After releasing the cultivator from Emperor Heaven, Yang Kai patted his shoulder and said, “Be careful when going down the mountain.”
The cultivator was both shocked and doubtful, but he wouldn’t dare to remain. After thanking Yang Kai, he walked down the mountain again.
It was then Yang Kai looked up at the tree full of fruits as a light flashed across his eyes. All of a sudden, he pounced on a fruit and extended his hand.
However, this time, he didn’t fall into the World Fruit like what had happened previously. Instead, an immense repulsive force was felt coming from the fruit. Regardless of how hard Yang Kai tried, he was unable to tighten his grip, let alone touch the World Fruit. If he exerted more force, he would be driven away.
Seeing that, Pu Bai Xiong scratched his head and said, “Master, the little fatty said that every person only has one chance to obtain a World Fruit. Now that you’ve got one in your hands, how are you going to enter a different one?”
“It doesn’t cost anything to give it a try.” Yang Kai was dejected. Although he had obtained a World Fruit, which could be considered a gain, it was just a Low-Rank World Fruit that could only help a cultivator ascend to the Third Order at most. Such a fruit couldn’t be sold for a high price, which was why he was unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, after a try, he realised that just like what Xu Zhen had said, every person only had one chance. Now, he couldn’t even touch a different World Fruit.
After several attempts, Yang Kai was still unable to achieve his goal. Unresigned, he circled around the World Tree.
With so many fruits hanging on the tree, he wasn’t willing to give up as he had only gotten one. He wouldn’t dare to hope to get an extremely rare High-Rank World Fruit, but this trip would be worthwhile if he could get a Mid-Rank one.
A moment later, a thought sprang into his mind as his eyes brightened. Stopping in his tracks, he looked up at the tree with a fervent gaze.
A speechless Pu Bai Xiong asked, “Master, what do you want to do?”
Instead of responding to him, Yang Kai put Little Mushroom and him inside the Small Sealed World. Then, he communicated with Meng Hong and the others who were inside the Small Sealed World.
A few breaths later, with a single thought, two figures instantly appeared in front of him. They were none other than Meng Hong and Lang Qing Shan.
Both of them were looking up at the tree with longing gazes.
A while later, Meng Hong said, “Is this the 3,000 Worlds Tree with fruits that can help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order?” He was from Great Moon Province, which wasn’t an important great force to begin with, so he had never heard about a being called 3,000 Worlds Tree that could help an Open Heaven Realm Master reach the next Order. This thing was truly Heaven-defying.
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. This is the 3,000 Worlds Tree, and those are World Fruits; however, the World inside each fruit is dangerous. If you get trapped inside it, you’ll never get out again. Brother Meng, you have to give it careful thought.”
Meng Hong shook his hand, “With such an opportunity right in front of me, if this Meng wouldn’t dare to give it a try, what’s the point of cultivating? I should go home and pick up sewing instead.”
He seemed eager to give it a try.
It had been a smooth ride since he came to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. First, he came across Yang Kai and followed him to Scarlet Star’s Star City. Although he suffered a setback in his love life, he obtained something more important as he managed to wipe clean his Third-Order foundation and condense a Fifth-Order Fire Element. Over the years, he had condensed Earth, Metal, and Water Elements as well. The remaining Yin, Yang and Wood Elements were also in his possession, so when he had the time to refine them in the future, he would stand a chance to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Nevertheless, he knew that all this was thanks to Yang Kai. A Fifth-Order Fire Element material was given to him by Yang Kai, and the other materials were collected in Scarlet Star’s Star City. Without Yang Kai giving him his full support, he couldn’t have achieved all this.
Meng Hong would always remember this favour, but at the same time, it felt as heavy as a mountain to him. The idea of repaying Yang Kai had been on his mind for quite some time, and the 3,000 Worlds Tree full of fruits was his chance.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t aware of what was on his mind. Seeing as Meng Hong was resolute though, he stopped dissuading him and told him to be careful.
With a smile, Meng Hong replied, “Don’t worry, Brother Yang. This Meng will definitely come back safely.” Upon finishing his words, he dashed forward and disappeared into a World Fruit.
To the side, Lang Qing Shan was dumbfounded upon seeing that. Although he had heard from Yang Kai about how amazing the World Fruits were, it was a different story when he saw it with his bare eyes.
“Sir, what should I do?” Lang Qing Shan asked.
“Get in and bring me with you.” Yang Kai grinned.
Lang Qing Shan didn’t understand him at first, but a realization soon dawned upon him.
After tossing the Sealed World Bead at him, Yang Kai said solemnly, “I’m not even sure if I can successfully get in this way. If I can’t, you should summon all the others and join forces with them to decode the mystery in the World Fruit.”
“Yes!” Lang Qing Shan took the Sealed World Bead and replied respectfully. Then, he turned to look at the fruit tree, “Sir, which one should I choose?”
“You can choose any one of them as you please. Where you end up will depend on your luck.” Then, Yang Kai snuck into the Sealed World Bead. From inside, he looked through the World Barrier and observed the outside as he secretly prayed.
After several attempts earlier, Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t even touch another World Fruit, let alone enter the World inside of one. However, there were already several dozen people in the Sealed World Bead with him when he entered the previous World Fruit.
Were those people considered to have entered the World Fruit? Prior to this, Yang Kai still wasn’t certain, but upon seeing that Meng Hong successfully entered a World Fruit, he knew that the people hiding inside the Sealed World Bead were not regarded as having entered the World Fruit.
In that case, he could also hide inside the Sealed World Bead and let someone else bring him in.
It was a clever method only Yang Kai could use.
There were quite a few people in the Small Sealed World, and every one of them had a chance to enter a World Fruit. If everything went well, Yang Kai would be able to obtain several dozen World Fruits. With so many World Fruits in possession, he was sure to obtain at least one Mid-Rank one. If he was lucky, he might even get a High-Rank one!
Nevertheless, all this was just his speculation. It could only be proven after Lang Qing Shan entered a World Fruit.
Under Yang Kai’s attention, Lang Qing Shan targeted a particular World Fruit and leapt into the air. Like a roc spreading its wings, he pounced on the fruit and disappeared.
The next instant, he was already inside the World Fruit.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai, who had been watching him, widened his eyes in disbelief and asked, “Qing Shan, what’s going on with you?”
A puzzled Lang Qing Shan asked, “Sir, I don’t understand.”
“Look at yourself!” Yang Kai hurriedly replied.
It was then Lang Qing Shan scanned himself with Divine Sense and became rooted to the spot.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” The shaved-headed man walked up to Yang Kai and asked. Unaware of what was going on in the outside world, the others were puzzled as to why Yang Kai looked so shocked.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai waved his hand, whereupon the view of the outside world became visible to all of them. After a glance, all of them were startled.
Following that, the shaved-headed man covered his belly and guffawed, “Sir, is that stupid-looking thing Lang Qing Shan?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “I think so.”
The shaved-headed man convulsed with laughter as his tears almost slid down his face.
“Why did he become like this?” Someone else asked in shock.
Not knowing how to reply to him, Yang Kai leapt out of the Sealed World Bead and arrived at the World inside the fruit.
At this moment, he was fully vigilant; after all, he had entered the World inside a fruit and obtained a World Fruit already. This time, Yang Kai essentially cheated his way into a different World Fruit, so he wasn’t sure if there would be any consequences.
There were indeed some consequences as he could feel the World Principles inside this World penetrating him, which made him clearly feel that his body was going through some transformation. Nevertheless, he wasn’t kicked out.
After scanning himself with Divine Sense, Yang Kai sighed, “It’s just like what I had expected!”
“Sir?” Lang Qing Shan was heard calling out in a hesitant voice.
Yang Kai wanted to nod his head, but he was unable to do so, so he just grunted instead.
“Sir, why are you and I…” There was a tinge of fluster in Lang Qing Shan’s voice.
“It should be the influence of the World Principles in this place. After you leave this World, you’ll return to your original form, so don’t worry.” Yang Kai consoled him.
Inside the Small Sealed World, everyone fell into a dazed state as they watched the sight in the outside world. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were nowhere to be found as all they could see were two swords.
There were two rusty iron swords that looked like two pieces of scrap that had been put in a corner and forgotten about for years. Nevertheless, the faces of Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were right on the blades, which made them look amusing. The bitter expression on Lang Qing Shan’s face was similar to that of Ah Ku.
“Sir, why have you also become like this?” The shaved-headed man said in amazement, “Could it be that anyone who enters this world will become a sword?”
“It’s indeed an amazing World!” In the outside world, Yang Kai exclaimed in admiration. The World Fruit he had entered previously was made up of countless bubbles, but the cultivators were not affected one bit by the environment. However, it seemed cultivators would become swords upon entering this World. Now, it seemed that all the Worlds inside the fruits were different.
Yang Kai felt fortunate that he managed to come in safely with the help of the Sealed World Bead.
As a Rusty Iron Sword, he didn’t have any limbs, and after giving it a try, Yang Kai realised that he was unable to use any of his usual powers. If he attempted to move, he had to skip forward as a sword.
[This is troublesome.] On the blade, Yang Kai’s face was seen furrowing his brow.
Lang Qing Shan stared fixedly at him, not knowing what to do.
Just then, a series of clanging sounds were heard and a shocked Lang Qing Shan said, “Sir, someone is coming.”
Turning around, Yang Kai looked at the source of the clanging and became speechless, “It’s a sword that’s coming.”
From a distance, a Rusty Iron Sword that looked just like them skipped forward and reached them after a short while.
Lang Qing Shan stepped forward and asked, “Hey…”
Before he could finish his words though, the Rusty Iron Sword leapt into the air and attempted to slash at Lang Qing Shan’s head.
A shocked Lang Qing Shan instinctively tried to dodge the attack, but his figure had already turned into a Rusty Iron Sword. No longer as agile as before, he directly collapsed to the ground.
Now that he was in this frail body, if he was struck by such an attack, he would break into halves.
Just then, Yang Kai charged forward and parried the attack with a clang. Upon impact, the other Rusty Iron Sword shook and was sent flying away.
While Lang Qing Shan was still in a dazed state, Yang Kai had already fallen into a scuffle with that Rusty Iron Sword as he yelled, “Attack!”
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan got up and dashed forward from the side.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the shaved-headed man and the others were dumbfounded. Three similar-looking Rusty Iron Swords were in an intense battle at the moment, which was truly bizarre.
It was the first time Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan dealt with their enemies in such an awkward state; however, with the suppression of the World Principles in this place, they were unable to use their usual abilities. Initially, they were not used to it, and they had been slashed by the Rusty Iron Sword several times, which made their blades become chipped.
Nevertheless, as time passed, they got the hang of it and cooperated with one another to suppress and defeat the Rusty Iron Sword.
After an incense stick of time, following Yang Kai’s slash, the enemy Rusty Iron Sword broke into countless pieces and scattered everywhere.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan stopped moving and traded glances, speechless.
Although the battle lasted only for a short time, it was a difficult one. Both Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had turned into Rusty Iron Swords, and their blades had become chipped after the fight; therefore, they might not be able to fight again any time soon.
Right then, a weak light shot out from the broken pieces of the Rusty Iron Sword and penetrated Yang Kai’s figure.
Following that, the chips healed and the blade became as good as new. Besides that, some of the rust on the blade fell off. Moreover, Yang Kai could feel that he had gained some additional strength.
“Sir, you…” Lang Qing Shan looked at Yang Kai in puzzlement as he didn’t understand why the latter had gone through such a transformation.
Yang Kai checked on himself and his gaze brightened, “I understand now. There’s a special kind of energy in other swords that can nourish us. The one giving the sword the last blow gets the benefits.”
Just now, it was Yang Kai who shattered the Rusty Iron Sword, so the energy inside the sword streamed into Yang Kai’s figure, not Lang Qing Shan’s.
Upon that realization, Lang Qing Shan said, “I see. Sir, in that case, should we look for more swords like the one we just destroyed?”
“Of course.” Yang Kai nodded, his blade trembling slightly, “Moreover, I figure that this is the key to decoding this world’s secrets.”
Without hesitation, the two swords skipped forward and set off on their journey.
After a while, they came across three more swords that were also rusty. It seemed that these swords hadn’t bumped into anyone for years.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan traded glances before the latter said, “Sir, I’ll lure two swords away. After you destroy the third one, you can come over and help me.”
“Be careful,” Yang Kai said.
Lang Qing Shan nodded awkwardly before charging towards the three swords. Soon, they discovered him and hopped towards him.
Following that, Lang Qing Shan turned around and ran away. Yang Kai charged forward from the side and targeted a particular Rusty Iron Sword before making noises in order to attract its attention.
Yang Kai’s sword body had been nourished and repaired. It looked better and sharper than before, and it had also become more agile. In a one-on-one fight, the enemy Rusty Iron Sword was no match for him at all.
Just a moment later, he managed to break the Rusty Iron Sword into pieces. As expected, mysterious energy streamed out of the pieces and penetrated his figure, which made him feel that his power had increased.
Before Yang Kai could examine his newfound power though, Lang Qing Shan had lured the other two Rusty Iron Swords back. Yang Kai rushed forward and clashed with the swords while Lang Qing Shan assisted him from the side. Soon, the two swords were broken as well.
Yang Kai had given the chance to shatter the swords to Lang Qing Shan so that the latter could grow stronger as well.
In the following days, the pair looked for new targets and strengthened themselves constantly.
This was a world of swords with unique World Principles. Cultivators who entered this world would turn into swords, and they were unable to use their original powers.
The strengths of the swords varied as well, but they could be judged by looking at their appearances. Initially, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were both Rusty Iron Swords, which seemed to be the lowliest existence. After destroying some swords and getting some nourishment, the rust on their blades fell off and they transformed into Bronze Swords and radiated a light hue.
Days later, they transformed into Black Iron Swords, which meant that they were already much stronger than when they first arrived at this place.
Their cooperation was perfect as they dealt with their enemies. Even though there were only two of them, they were not afraid when facing a large number of enemies. Usually, they were able to ruthlessly shatter all their foes without any difficulty.
The most dangerous battle was when they encountered a Silver Sword and somehow offended it, which prompted the Silver Sword to hunt them down for an entire day. In order to help Yang Kai escape, Lang Qing Shan was almost cut in two. Fortunately, Yang Kai came to his rescue at the last moment; otherwise, the consequence would’ve been dreadful. Everyone in the Small Sealed World was on edge as they watched the battle.
After one month of exploration, the pair had a better understanding of this world.
Following an insane slaughter, over 100 Bronze and Black Iron Swords were shattered. Streams of mysterious energy penetrated Yang Kai’s figure from all directions.
The Black Iron Sword, which he had transformed into, was standing tall on the battlefield. The blade showed signs of becoming whiter and sharper. It also radiated a cold glow.
When the last beam of light left the last broken Black Iron Sword and shot into Yang Kai’s figure, a clear sword cry was heard. A glow swirled around Yang Kai as his Black Iron figure rapidly transformed into a Silver Sword.
There was a much greater power flowing within the blade and he couldn’t help but feel that he was able to slash through anything in this world.
“Congratulations, Sir!” Lang Qing Shan said.
He was still a Black Iron Sword as, although he had made a significant contribution in the previous battle, he didn’t break any swords. All the benefits had streamed into Yang Kai’s figure to allow him to become a Silver Sword as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and said with a smile, “Let’s go, Qing Shan. It’s time to get our revenge!”
Previously, they were almost killed as they were hunted down by the Silver Sword. Now that Yang Kai was powerful enough to battle against it, he had to get revenge.
Half a day later, the pair reached the upper part of a valley that was surrounded by mountains. In the valley, over a thousand swords of different grades were busy as clanging sounds were continuously heard.
When they arrived at this place previously, the pair already realised that these swords seemed to be mining a kind of special ores which contained a power that could help any sword slowly grow.
The weapon that was in charge of this place was a Silver Sword. There were 50 Black Iron Swords, 200 Bronze Swords, and over 1,000 Rusty Iron Swords that worked under this Silver Sword.
This valley was like a treasure trove for Yang Kai. If he could shatter all the swords in the valley, his power would surge again, and it was guaranteed that Lang Qing Shan would also become a Silver Sword.
“Sir, what should we do now? Do you want me to lure some of them away?”
“There’s no need.” Yang Kai stared fixedly at the only Silver Sword in the valley, “If we want to destroy our enemies, we should kill their leader first. I’ll deal with the Silver Sword now. Be careful!”
After he finished speaking, he leapt into the valley.
Wind was heard howling as a cold glint flashed across Yang Kai’s blade.
The Silver Sword, which was in charge of this place, seemed to have noticed it and turned his head to look up. There was a wrinkled old face on the blade as he bellowed, “Brat, you dare show yourself here again?”
Previously, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had come across this Silver Sword and were forced to escape from his pursuit. Naturally, he would not have forgotten them so quickly.
The swords in this world had sentience; however, the lower their grade, the worse their sentience was. It was impossible to communicate with a Rusty Iron Sword while a Silver Sword had a more complete sentience.
Upon finishing his words, the Silver Sword turned around and was ready to clash with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai guffawed, “Old Fart, quit being arrogant. Today I shall end your life!”
Following a plunge, he slashed out at the Silver Sword.
With a loud clang, the Silver Sword flew back several tens of metres. Upon impact, Yang Kai felt dizzy as well, but he had already expected this, so he managed to quickly pull himself together and charge forward in an imposing manner.
Upon seeing that, the Silver Sword’s bodyguards, several Black Iron Swords and over ten Bronze Swords, dashed forward and besieged Yang Kai.
Yang Kai swirled around and slashed across them. Following a series of clangs, the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords shattered as streams of energy emerged from the pieces and shot into Yang Kai’s figure, which helped increase his power.
Seeing this, the Silver Sword bellowed, “All of you, back away!”
In this world of swords, for every new grade one ascended to, their power would increase significantly. The Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords were no match for Yang Kai. If they forcefully went up against him, not only were they sending themselves to their deaths, but they would also help strengthen Yang Kai. Certainly, the Silver Sword didn’t want that to happen.
After making his subordinates retreat, the Silver Sword clashed with Yang Kai. The Silver Sword immediately turned into two beams of white light and caused the sand to rise.
At the same time, Lang Qing Shan managed to barge into the valley. Spotting him, other Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords sprinted forward.
Without getting caught up by them, Lang Qing Shan hopped around the valley and hacked at those Bronze Swords and Rusty Iron Swords in order to gobble up their energy and strengthen himself.
At that instant, two battlefields had been formed in the valley. One of them was the life-and-death battle between Yang Kai and the old Silver Sword. The other was Lang Qing Shan, who was leading countless swords to circle around the valley. The place was bustling with noise.
Yang Kai had just been upgraded to a Silver Sword, so supposedly, his blade wasn’t as sturdy and sharp as that of the older Silver Sword; after all, it had been a long time since the older Silver Sword reached this grade, so he had ample time to strengthen himself. Yang Kai was supposed to be at a disadvantage in a fight against him.
However, in reality, the two Silver Swords were equally matched. Most of the time, Yang Kai was even at an advantage. That was because Yang Kai was dextrous while the older Silver Sword was inflexible.
After a while, the older Silver Sword was at a disadvantage. Yang Kai attempted to clash with him several times in order to break the blade; however, instead of achieving his goal, he suffered from some setbacks.
The old Silver Sword had remained in this grade for a longer time, after all. Be it the sturdiness or sharpness of the blade, Yang Kai was no match for him. The clashes didn’t harm the older Silver Sword one bit; instead, Yang Kai’s blade had become chipped upon impact.
Seeing as there was a good chance, the older Silver Sword decided to press the attack and managed to gain the upper hand.
Yang Kai was forced backwards until he reached a spot where the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords gathered together. Then, he whirled around and slashed across the swords in order to absorb their power and repair himself.
When his blade became complete again, he pounced on the older Silver Sword.
After the same thing happened several times, the old Silver Sword cried out in exasperation, but there was nothing he could do.
One hour later, the old Silver Sword had become chipped as well. Although his blade was sturdier than that of Yang Kai, he couldn’t possibly endure the clashes forever, which was why he had also been damaged.
Realising that he was in a perilous situation, the older Silver Sword retreated and charged towards his subordinates.
Seeing that, Yang Kai immediately figured out his intention. The older Silver Sword wanted to imitate him by killing the lower-grade swords in order to repair himself.
Therefore, Yang Kai hurriedly whizzed past him, and before the older Silver Sword could make a move, he destroyed all of the swords and made his plan fall through.
The older Silver Sword became incensed and thought that his opponent was too cunning and difficult to deal with.
For the next hour of intense battle, Yang Kai managed to continuously nourish himself while the old Silver Sword became seriously damaged, as though he was about to fall apart. He had made several attempts to kill his subordinates to repair himself, but Yang Kai managed to make a move before he did. For the small number of times when he succeeded, he didn’t gain many benefits.
As time passed, the older Silver Sword became increasingly battered while Yang Kai was still high-spirited.
All of a sudden, the old Silver Sword staggered and almost collapsed to the ground.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t miss this chance. His gaze brightened as he dashed forward and targeted the other party’s damaged part. If his attack was successful, he was highly confident that he could break the older Silver Sword.
Nevertheless, for some reason, Yang Kai suddenly felt horrified, as though something terrible was about to happen and instinctively dodged sideways.
At the same time, the older Silver Sword, who seemed about to collapse, suddenly stabilised himself. The wrinkled face on the blade sported an eerie smile and he turned around. A cold glint appeared on the tip of his blade and shot towards Yang Kai.
“A sword wave?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, finally realising that he had fallen into the old fart’s trap. The older Silver Sword had been holding back his power and pretending to be at a disadvantage just to lure him in and deal a fatal blow.
This old guy was the first Silver Sword Yang Kai had come across, so he wasn’t aware that Silver Swords were capable of releasing sword waves.
Although Yang Kai had no idea how powerful the sword wave was, he was certain that if he was struck by it, he would fall into a miserable state.
Fortunately, he had already realised that something was off and stepped sideways, whereupon the sword wave skirted past him. He could clearly hear the sound of something breaking, which made his heart sink. Ignoring his injuries, Yang Kai slashed at the largest chip in the old Silver Sword’s blade.
Following a clang, metal scraps scattered everywhere. The face on the older Silver Sword’s blade was filled with terror as Yang Kai’s attack almost cut him in half!
He had been pretending to be weak and letting Yang Kai damage him in order to give him a fatal blow at the most critical moment. Nevertheless, Yang Kai had some powerful instincts and managed to sense the looming danger, which was why he escaped unscathed. On the other hand, the older Silver Sword fell into an embarrassing state.
Yang Kai fell to the ground with a huge crack in his blade. He almost fell apart as well as both of them had been severely damaged.
The next instant, the two Silver Swords got up at the same time and charged towards the places where the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords gathered together. Both of them were unable to keep fighting, so they had to kill some lower-grade swords to repair themselves first.
Just then, a white light appeared and blocked the older Silver Sword’s way. Lang Qing Shan’s face on the blade sported a cold expression.
While Yang Kai had been battling against the older Silver Sword, Lang Qing Shan managed to kill two or three hundred swords, which allowed him to become a Silver Sword as well. At the most critical moment, he came over and gave Yang Kai a hand.
The old Silver Sword’s expression turned livid and he became rooted to the spot.
A moment later, Yang Kai returned to the battlefield. His blade was still slightly damaged, but after he absorbed a lot of energy, there wasn’t a risk of his blade breaking anymore.
“Watch out for his sword wave!” Yang Kai warned Lang Qing Shan as he stared at the flickering glow around the older Silver Sword. His sword wave was indeed formidable and if it weren’t for Yang Kai dodging it in time, he would’ve fallen into a miserable condition.
“Sir, you have to be careful as well,” Lang Qing Shan replied and leapt into the air before bringing himself down on the old Silver Sword.
At this life-and-death moment, the older Silver Sword naturally wouldn’t wait to die, so he immediately went all out with Lang Qing Shan. From the side, Yang Kai bolted forward and joined the battle.
Presently, it was two swords fighting against one, and although the older Silver Sword was able to release sword waves, there was no way he could survive. After just an incense of time, Yang Kai found a chance and hacked at the biggest crack in his enemy’s body.
Following a clang, the older Silver Sword broke in two and a thick light exuded from the broken sword and penetrated Yang Kai’s figure.
Yang Kai examined himself and realised that his blade had been fully restored while a silver glow radiated from his body, which seemed much sturdier than before.
Killing an opponent in the same grade had benefited him greatly.
Besides that, after absorbing the older Silver Sword’s essence, Yang Kai could feel that he had gained something new. A thought flashed through his mind as a sword wave exuded from the tip of his blade.
“Haha!” He guffawed.
Seeing the older Silver Sword able to use a sword wave just now, Yang Kai felt jealous. He thought that it would take him a longer time before he could use a similar skill, but he hadn’t expected that his wish had come true so soon.
Now, it seemed that he had inherited the old Silver Sword’s powers after absorbing his energy and essence. With the sword wave as one of his skills, Yang Kai figured his power had increased by over 30 percent.
“Sir, how should we deal with these guys? Kill them all?” Lang Qing Shan stared at the front and asked.
Initially, there were over 1,000 swords of different grades in the valley; however, Lang Qing Shan had destroyed about 200 to 300 of them, and during the battle between Yang Kai and the older Silver Sword, they had shattered quite a large number of weaker swords. Presently, only half of the swords were left, most of which were Rusty Iron Swords. There were also over twenty Black Iron Swords and some Bronze Swords.
At this moment, these swords were pushing the ores towards Yang Kai, sporting obsequious expressions as they stood there in silence.
Seeing that, Lang Qing Shan was startled and commented, “It seems that they want to surrender to you.”
Certainly, Yang Kai had figured it out as well. It seemed that after he killed the old Silver Sword, these swords had lost the courage to resist, or more accurately, they were simply obeying the rules of this world.
“Since they’ve surrendered, we shouldn’t kill them,” Yang Kai swept a glance over them.
After a long battle, both of them came to the realization that in order to upgrade themselves further, it was better for them to kill opponents in the same grade. It wouldn’t help much by destroying the lower-grade swords. Although there were many such swords in the valley, they wouldn’t gain many benefits even if they killed all of them.
On the other hand, the ores they had presented attracted Yang Kai’s attention.
Earlier, he had realised that these ores seemed to contain a mysterious power that could allow a sword to strengthen itself. Just like the swords, the ores were categorised into different grades. There were miscellaneous ores, bronze ores, black iron ores, and so on. Yang Kai had even seen a fist-sized silver ore.
Turning around, he hopped towards the silver ore and jabbed his blade into it. As expected, a burst of energy flowed into his figure and helped strengthen him.
The benefits were not as great as killing a Silver Sword, but it was better than nothing.
After just a moment, the power within the silver ore was completely absorbed by Yang Kai, whereupon the ore crumbled into dust.
Then, he went on to gobble up some black iron ores and realised that the result was the same. He had to swallow the power of ten ores to gain the same benefits as killing a sword of the same grade.
Nevertheless, it was clear to Yang Kai now why the older Silver Sword kept these subordinates instead of killing them. By leaving them here to mine ores, he would have an inexhaustible source of energy to strengthen himself. However, if he killed them, the benefits were only one-off. Naturally, it was better to keep them alive to work for him.
After ordering the swords to keep mining ores, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan went around to absorb the power within the ores to nourish themselves.
Five days later, while Yang Kai was absorbing the power of an ore, Lang Qing Shan returned to the mine with some other Black Iron Swords and said excitedly, “Sir, we’ve found a place where there are three Silver Swords!”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “Where is it?”
Lang Qing Shan wanted to point out the direction, but he had no limbs. Helplessly, he replied, “It’s northwest of here, and it’ll take us about a day to reach there.”
“How many swords are there?”
With a solemn expression, Lang Qing Shan said, “There are a lot of swords. According to my estimation, there are over 5,000 in total. Besides the 3 Silver Swords, there are also over 200 Black Iron Swords.”
Yang Kai tutted, “There are indeed a lot of swords, but that doesn’t mean they’re more powerful than us. Qing Shan, bring these swords with us. We’re going to launch an attack!”
An excited Lang Qing Shan replied, “Yes, Sir!”
In the past few days, they had been absorbing the energy within the ores, but the effects had been negligible. Yang Kai came to the realization that in order to quickly increase his strength, he couldn’t rely on sucking in the power in these ores. If he wanted to stay in this world for a long time, this plan could work in the long term; however, he was eager to master the Principles of this world and obtain its World Fruit, so he had no time to waste.
The best way was still to kill opponents in the same grade. Killing the 3 Silver Swords would provide the same energy as absorbing the power in the ores for 3 months.
One day later, Yang Kai’s force arrived at a valley that was much larger than the one they had previously occupied. On the cliff existed many mine passageways where swords of different grades continuously entered and left the place to mine ores.
Three Silver Swords were standing at different spots with mountains of ore piled before them from which they absorbed streams of energy.
Yang Kai was standing on a hill while Lang Qing Shan was just beside him. Behind them were the hundreds of swords that had come with them. Although they had several hundred swords on their side, they paled in number when compared to their opponents.
There were ten times more swords on the opposing side, so if they got into a frontal fight, the swords on Yang Kai’s side would be easily destroyed.
“Sir, I believe that the Silver Sword in the middle is the strongest while the ones on his sides are weaker. Judging from the colour of his blade, the one in the middle should be able to use a sword wave as well,” Lang Qing Shan commented.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Lang Qing Shan was right to say that the powers of these three Silver Swords varied. Judging from the colours of their blades, the one in the middle was indeed the strongest. The radiance of his blade was even brighter than that of Yang Kai. Although the other two Silver Swords were no match for Yang Kai, they were still stronger than Lang Qing Shan.
Certainly, he was only taking the sharpness and sturdiness into consideration. If they really got into a fight, it was hard to tell which side would turn out to be stronger.
Not long after Yang Kai became a Silver Sword, he managed to kill another Silver Sword that could release a sword wave. That was because he drew on his decades of combat experience. These Silver Swords had been staying in the same place for a long time and relying on the energy inside the ores to strengthen themselves. Although they had raw power, they might not be adept at fighting.
“Sir, what should we do? Please give the order,” Lang Qing Shan said solemnly.
With narrowed eyes, Yang Kai observed them for a while before replying slowly, “Qing Shan, do you have the confidence to hold up the Silver Sword in the middle?”
Presently, the three silver swords were standing at different spots, which gave Yang Kai a chance to deal with them one by one. The one in the middle was the strongest, so if they got into a fight, it would take a long time before a winner would emerge. However, if Yang Kai could kill the other two swords first before dealing with the strongest one, things would become easier.
“Yes,” Lang Qing Shan replied without hesitation.
“Be careful, then. After I destroy the other two Silver Swords, I’ll come help you,” Yang Kai said and turned around before gazing at the hundreds of swords he had brought with him. “Fight!” he ordered.
There was nothing much these hundreds of swords could do. In that case, he decided to use them to distract his enemies. Even if they were all destroyed, Yang Kai wouldn’t feel heartbroken.
The hundreds of swords appeared hesitant while the over twenty Black Iron Swords sported horrified expressions.
They had limited sentience, so they knew what the consequences would be if they charged forward.
Seeing this, Yang Kai swirled around and shattered two Black Iron Swords nearest to him before he said coldly, “Go destroy the enemy, or I’ll kill you all myself!”
His threat was useful. Seeing as Yang Kai was unyielding, the other swords wouldn’t dare to stall for time even though they were apprehensive. With the Black Iron Swords leading the way, they hopped towards the valley.
The swords in the valley finally noticed them. The three Silver Swords stopped absorbing the energy from the ores and turned to look in that direction.
“Sir, I’m going now,” Lang Qing Shan said and charged towards the strongest Silver Sword in the middle. No one could come in his way while he was dashing forward. He was also a Silver Sword now, so the lower-grade swords were no match for him. He directly shattered the swords in front of him, leaving the broken pieces behind.
Seeing as the swords in the valley were distracted, Yang Kai started making a move. Instead of dashing towards the valley, he headed to another peak.
Clanging sounds were continuously heard in the valley as the swords on Yang Kai’s side broke apart. Beams of light shot into the enemies’ figures and strengthened their blades.
Seeing that, Yang Kai reckoned that all his swords would be destroyed within an hour. He had already expected this though, so he still steadfastly bolted towards the peak.
Looking down, he saw a Silver Sword gazing attentively at the battlefield, completely unaware that danger was right above his head.
Following that, Yang Kai leapt into the air and brought himself down on the Silver Sword. The wind howled as a sword wave exuded from the tip of his blade while murderous intent exploded.
By the time the Silver Sword realised that something was off, it was already too late. Yang Kai directly landed a fatal blow on the opponent’s hilt, sending his sword wave into the blade and breaking it to pieces.
With just one strike, Yang Kai managed to send the Silver Sword to its death.
Although it was partially thanks to the Silver Sword being distracted by the battle, and that Yang Kai had launched a sneak attack, the biggest contributor was the sword wave. The Silver Sword was already weaker than Yang Kai, so it was expected that he’d be shattered to pieces upon getting struck by the powerful sword wave.
Even Yang Kai was almost cut in half when he was attacked in a similar fashion some time ago.
After destroying the Silver Sword, Yang Kai directly dashed towards the other Silver Sword, a thick light radiating from his figure as he strengthened the power of his sword wave.
It was a mess in the valley as countless swords attempted to stop him, but Yang Kai simply whirled around and ended their lives with his sword wave.
Wherever he went, the wind was heard howling and beams of light were seen shooting out.
Seeing as Yang Kai was so ferocious, the weaker Silver Sword was horrified. Instead of staying in the same spot, he bolted towards the middle Silver Sword. Apparently, he was trying to seek his protection.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t let him achieve his goal. He pushed all his strength and released a potent sword wave.
Previously, after he killed his first Silver Sword, Yang Kai obtained the power of a sword wave, but it was only a palm length at best. Nevertheless, upon killing the second Silver Sword earlier, he realised that his sword wave had doubled in length to the size of a forearm. As he destroyed countless swords along the way, his sword wave had grown even larger.
Despite releasing a far more powerful sword wave than before, the distance between the enemy Silver Sword and him widened because there were too many enemies in his way. These swords were Black Iron Swords, Bronze Swords, and Rusty Iron Swords, and although they were no match for Yang Kai, they had successfully slowed him down. The continuous attacks also caused Yang Kai’s blade to tremble.
Although Yang Kai was much stronger, in the end, he was just one man, or one sword. After a short time, many small nicks and scratches appeared on his blade. Nevertheless, after he destroyed more enemies, these minor blemishes would heal, as if they were never there in the first place.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the shaved-headed man and the others had been spectating what was going on in the outside world, and all of them were astounded.
If Yang Kai couldn’t stop the weaker Silver Sword, Lang Qing Shan would fall into danger when the two enemy Silver Swords joined forces. Lang Qing Shan was already no match for the strongest Silver Sword, and could barely parry his opponent’s attacks at the moment. If it weren’t because he had lots of combat experience, he would’ve lost his life already.
Although they were extremely worried, there was nothing they could do. Presently, Yang Kai couldn’t even access the Small Sealed World, let alone release them.
Even if they could be released, under the influence of the strange Principles in this world, they would only become some useless Rusty Iron Swords.
30 metres, 60 metres, 90 metres… Seeing as the Silver Sword was moving further away from him, Yang Kai widened his eyes and leapt into the air. A light shone brightly on the top of his blade as he slashed at the front and bellowed, “Die!”
All of a sudden, the sword wave at the tip of the blade shot forward and turned into a sharp burst of Sword Qi. As it charged forward, over 100 swords were destroyed in an instant, and it soon slashed across the Silver Sword.
However, upon making the strike, Yang Kai collapsed to the ground and the silver glow on his blade dimmed.
He had exhausted all of his strength with that one attack!
Someone in the Small Sealed World turned pale, “It’s over!”
Nevertheless, the shaved-headed man’s gaze brightened, “What do you mean it’s over? Sir won!”
Many people were puzzled, but they soon understood what he meant. Beams of light penetrated Yang Kai from all directions and made the glow on his blade appear brighter again. Those lights were the energy from the swords that he had just killed.
Although Yang Kai had used up all his strength to launch his last attack, he managed to kill many enemies and received lots of nourishment the next instant.
With a pair of bright eyes, Yang Kai got up and realised that his speculation was indeed right. When he obtained the power of the sword wave some time ago, he thought that since there was a sword wave, there must also be Sword Qi when its power reached a certain point.
During the life-and-death moment just now, he was able to unleash a burst of Sword Qi. Unfortunately, his background was still too weak, so he had to expend all his energy to make a single strike.
The other swords looked at him in terror, but they wouldn’t dare to come any closer. They were horrified by the Sword Qi just now.
Yang Kai snorted and hopped up to the fallen Silver Sword. After getting struck by a blast of Sword Qi, the Silver Sword didn’t directly die. Nevertheless, his blade was now covered in cracks, as though it would break into pieces if it was lightly touched.
Seeing as Yang Kai was standing in front of him, the Silver Sword wanted to get up, but as soon as he moved, metal scraps started falling off his blade.
A merciless Yang Kai directly slashed at him and ended his life.
A stream of rich energy penetrated Yang Kai and made him feel energised in an instant. Moreover, it was a power that was greater than those that he had absorbed earlier. Looking up, he saw that Lang Qing Shan was in a perilous situation. He was forced to jump around in an attempt to evade the strongest Silver Sword’s attacks.
Given the huge gap between their strength, Lang Qing Shan wouldn’t dare to fight against this enemy head-on, so he could only dodge his attacks. He was already at a disadvantage and the longer the battle dragged on, the worse his situation would get.
If things continued, and if Yang Kai couldn’t lend him a hand in time, Lang Qing Shan would die within an incense stick of time.
At the most critical moment though, Yang Kai was heard shouting, “Qing Shan, retreat!”
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan left the battlefield while Yang Kai whizzed past him and parried the opponent’s attack.
One hour later, following a loud crack, the last Silver Sword shattered. With his blade damaged, Yang Kai stood firmly on the spot and basked in the energy that was streaming into his figure. Soon, his blade was repaired.
Initially, the Silver Sword was slightly stronger than Yang Kai. However, after Yang Kai killed the other two Silver Swords and countless of his subordinates, he grew to be just as strong.
Since they were equally matched in terms of power, there was no way the Silver Sword could survive Yang Kai’s assault. After the life-and-death battle, he eventually died along with his companions.
The noises slowly died down. After the three Silver Swords were destroyed, there were no more leaders for the thousands of swords in this valley. In an instant, they gave up any attempt to resist. Just like what happened in the first valley, the Black Iron Swords in this place pushed the ores towards Yang Kai to indicate that they had surrendered.
Perhaps this was the rule in this world. As long as one could kill the leader of the enemies, they could get his opponent’s subordinates.
Yang Kai had brought hundreds of swords with him, and after the battle, the number of his subordinates had increased by tenfold. It could be said that he had gained a handsome reward. The ores in this valley were also much richer than those in the previous one. Many of the ores that had been excavated were silver ores. If Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan could absorb the power in them, it would be greatly beneficial to them.
That was not to say there were only gains. Yang Kai suffered an immense loss as the hundreds of swords he had brought with him were almost wiped out while the thousands of swords that were originally in this valley had suffered heavy casualties and damage.
Yang Kai simply told Lang Qing Shan to kill the tattered swords to help restore his power as well as get rid of some burdens.
They went on to stay in this valley for the next few days to absorb the power in the mined ores. The ordinary ores were no longer useful for them, so they only drew in energy from the silver ores. The rest of the ores were given to the others, which helped those Black Iron Swords increase their strength.
Seven days later, Lang Qing Shan’s power had increased significantly, and he was also able to use a sword wave now.
During this period of time, Yang Kai sent out over ten teams to scout the surroundings. If he and Lang Qing Shan wanted to grow their power, they had to look for more Silver Swords to kill. However, they were not aware of where the Silver Swords were located in this world inside the fruit, so they had no choice but to take it slow.
Fortunately, the scout teams returned and brought some useful information back.
Two days later, they set off on their journey. Under the leadership of Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, thousands of swords headed to their destination in an imposing manner.
After just three days, they reached a location that was managed by a Silver Sword. This location was similar to the first place Yang Kai managed to snatch with only one Silver Sword in charge and hundreds of swords working under him. Certainly, they were not able to resist Yang Kai’s army.
Thousands of swords charged forward and easily destroyed their enemies. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan directly dealt with the Silver Sword, who wasn’t even able to use a sword wave yet. After just two moves, Yang Kai managed to end his life.
Since the leader was dead, the rest of the swords immediately surrendered.
Without stopping, Yang Kai led his army and headed to the next Silver Sword’s base.
These attacks continued on at a brisk pace. There were easy battles as well as difficult ones and it was not long before Yang Kai’s army had grown from thousands to several tens of thousands to now a hundred thousand, just like a rolling snowball.
Besides quantity, their collective power had increased as well. There were many new Silver Swords under Yang Kai’s leadership now. These Silver Swords were originally Black Iron Swords that as they assisted Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan in battle, killed countless enemies and absorbed their opponents’ energy, which allowed them to ascend to become Silver Swords.
Besides Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, there were over 50 Silver Swords in this hundred-thousand-strong army with several thousand Black Iron Swords.
Yang Kai was experienced in leading an army, so he divided the hundred thousand troops into more than fifty teams. Every team was led by a Silver Sword and as they worked well with one another on the battlefield, they could always win each battle even if there were more swords on the opposing side.
Presently, they were taking a rest atop a certain mountain. Yang Kai was standing on the crest while the glow on his blade suggested that he might achieve a breakthrough soon. Lang Qing Shan was standing just behind him.
“Qing Shan, how long have we been in this place?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan replied, “Sir, we will have been here for half a year in four days.”
“Half a year!” Yang Kai tutted.
Previously, he had been held up in the world of bubbles for a month. He thought that it was already a pretty long time, but he hadn’t expected to get stuck in this world of swords for half a year.
Although time passed faster in the world inside the fruit than in the outside world, Yang Kai felt he had stayed in this place for far too long.
In the past six months, even though Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had gained lots of rewards and had been continuously growing stronger, they had yet to find out how to unravel the secrets of this place.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that by launching more attacks, he would begin to see a glimmer of hope. But now, he realised that he still had not the foggiest idea of what he needed to accomplish in this world.
This was a little distressing. If he had no idea how to decode the secret in this world, he would not have a goal, thus losing motivation to keep putting more effort into it.
It was no wonder that Xu Zhen said there was a danger associated with entering a World Fruit. If they couldn’t unravel its secrets, they might get stuck inside the fruit forever. Presently, he and Lang Qing Shan were trapped inside this world, so it was pointless for them to have a hundred thousand army follow them.
What made Yang Kai feel even more depressed was that he seemed to have reached a bottleneck as a Silver Sword. Even if he destroyed more swords, his power wouldn’t increase one bit, nor could he ascend to the next level.
Lang Qing Shan was in the same situation. Yang Kai had reached the peak of his power before Lang Qing Shan did, but in the past six months, they had wiped out countless bases and Lang Qing Shan had destroyed innumerable Silver Swords. After absorbing so much power, he had also reached this bottleneck.
Yang Kai even doubted whether the next level even existed.
Perhaps in this world of swords, Silver Swords were already the most powerful existences. If that was the case, how were they supposed to leave this place?
He had asked the other Silver Swords about it, but they knew nothing as well. These Silver Swords were all upgraded from Black Iron Swords, so the information they had was rather limited.
Just then, a Silver Sword leapt onto the crest with an excited expression, “Sir, we’ve found new enemies!”
Yang Kai turned to look at him and asked nonchalantly, “How many are there?”
“There are over ten thousand swords.” The Silver Sword skipped towards Yang Kai and pointed at the bottom of the mountain with his blade, “In one hour, they will pass by this place.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “Qing Shan, you handle it.”
Although there were over ten thousand swords on the opposing side, they were too weak when compared to Yang Kai’s hundred thousand army. It wasn’t necessary for him to personally make a move and he wouldn’t get any benefits by killing more opponents, so he’d rather preserve his strength.
After receiving the order, Lang Qing Shan left to carry out his task while Yang Kai looked up at the sky with his deep gaze.
The information that had been collected was right. After just one hour, an army of swords came into Yang Kai’s sight.
In this peculiar world, most swords would stay only in one place, and they wouldn’t easily move around. They would only look for a new location when all the ores had been excavated in their original mine.
This ten thousand army was clearly looking for a new mine.
However, after just a glance, Yang Kai became startled and frowned. That was because there seemed to be too many Silver Swords in this army.
Usually, there were only 6 or 7 Silver Swords in a ten-thousand-strong army. Nevertheless, Yang Kai could see that there were almost 40 Silver Swords in this troop.
That was an astonishing ratio because there were just over 50 Silver Swords in Yang Kai’s hundred thousand army.
Despite that, Yang Kai wasn’t too worried. In the past six months, he had led his army to take part in countless battles, and they had also gone against several armies with a hundred thousand swords as well; therefore, he believed he could destroy this ten thousand army easily.
To be safe, he told a Silver Sword to send a message to Lang Qing Shan to keep his guard up.
A moment later, the battle began.
Due to the fact that they had scouted the enemy fairly early on, the hundred thousand swords had hidden in nearby places, and when the enemy army passed by, the over fifty teams, each led by a Silver Sword, charged forward from all directions and surrounded their enemies.
An intense battle immediately broke out. The Silver Swords activated their sword waves and shot out gusts of Sword Qi which easily shattered the enemy Black Iron and Bronze Swords. These weaker swords were completely powerless to resist them.
Every moment, there were swords being destroyed as very pure energy emerged from their blades and nourished the swords that had killed them.
Yang Kai watched over the battlefield for a moment before retracting his gaze.
Although the ten thousand sword army was powerful, they paled when compared to Yang Kai’s own. There was no way they were a match for his army, so it was just a matter of time before they were all slaughtered.
One hour later, the ten thousand army shrunk by 70%. Their defence circle was getting smaller as they resisted their enemies with difficulty.
Standing in the middle, Lang Qing Shan kept mobilising the swords and giving orders, looking very much like a commanding general.
One more hour later, only 10% of the enemy army remained, and their defence circle had shrunk significantly.
Certainly, Lang Qing Shan wouldn’t hold back as he ordered his swords to keep attacking in an attempt to wipe out all their enemies as quickly as possible.
Just then, a golden light radiated from the defence circle. Initially, the golden light was extremely weak, but it soon became dazzling.
The golden light immediately caught Yang Kai’s attention and looking down, he saw a layer of golden light radiating from the centre of the enemy troops and spreading around until it covered a radius of three kilometres.
Seeing that, Yang Kai turned solemn.
There was a Gold Sword rising from the opposing army, its aura undulating wildly as it released a visible golden ripple from its blade.
Following the proliferation of the ripple, all the swords that were caught in its rage stopped fighting and gazed at the Gold Sword with admiring looks on their blades as though they were staring at their King.
Yang Kai was also gaping at the Gold Sword. Although he was just a sword now, he could still feel his heart pounding against his chest.
It was a Gold Sword! He couldn’t believe that a Gold Sword existed in this world!
He had never seen a Gold Sword here before as the strongest enemies he had come across were all Silver Swords. He had reached the peak of his power as a Silver Sword, and there was seemingly no way for him to achieve a breakthrough; therefore, he had never expected that a Gold Sword existed in this world.
This Gold Sword was certainly more powerful than any Silver Sword.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt as though a realisation dawned upon him. In the past, he was clueless and didn’t know what direction to take, but upon seeing this Gold Sword, he immediately had a goal.
However, before he could rejoice at this revelation, a strange change broke out on the battlefield.
All the swords that had been affected by the Gold Sword’s aura, regardless of which side they were on, turned around and rushed towards Yang Kai’s army.
These swords had betrayed Yang Kai!
In this world, the swords were categorised into different grades. Although there was no such thing as loyalty in this place, Yang Kai had never come across such an event in the past six months that he had managed his army.
He couldn’t believe that his own army had turned against him!
His subordinates that had been affected by the Gold Sword’s aura turned around and ruthlessly killed their original companions.
Initially, the situation was in Yang Kai’s favour, but after the Gold Sword appeared out of thin air, everything fell apart.
Apparently, Lang Qing Shan hadn’t expected such a turn of events to happen as well, so he hurriedly mobilised the army and took control of everything. Fortunately, there were not many swords that had betrayed them; after all, the Gold Sword’s aura only covered a radius of about three kilometres. Those swords that were beyond that area were unaffected.
Despite that, thousands of swords had become traitors. What made Lang Qing Shan feel extremely distressed was that there were 8 Silver Swords among the traitors.
Before he could come up with a solution, the Gold Sword suddenly turned and shot Golden Sword Qi, which directly penetrated their army.
Wherever the Golden Sword Qi passed, it easily destroyed all swords. Upon impact, the swords directly broke into pieces, including the Silver Swords. They were completely powerless to resist the attack.
Following that, the Gold Sword repeatedly sent out waves of Golden Sword Qi and caused immense losses to Yang Kai’s army.
Moreover, Lang Qing Shan realised that he was no longer able to mobilise the army. The Gold Sword’s presence seemed to have a kind of suppressive intimidation on all the swords. His soldiers were rooted to the spot with some of them even starting to flee.
Everything had become a mess!
When Lang Qing Shan saw this, he knew that there was no way they could win the battle. Left with no choice, he ordered the rest of the soldiers to retreat.
One hour later, the noises on the battlefield died down. Metal scraps that were left behind by Yang Kai’s army were scattered everywhere while the ten thousand swords under the Gold Sword only slightly reduced in number.
Although many of his subordinates had been killed, he had also taken in a large number of Yang Kai’s subordinates. Presently, the Gold Sword still had seven or eight thousand swords that worked under him.
With a pair of bright eyes, Yang Kai gazed at the battlefield and stared fervently at the Gold Sword. He was pondering whether he stood a chance to defeat the Gold Sword if he joined the battle.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the Gold Sword suddenly leapt into the air. There was a stern-looking face on the blade that was facing Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening and knew that he was in danger.
The next instant, the Gold Sword slashed out a Golden Sword Qi blade right at Yang Kai in a ruthless manner. Following a loud boom, the mountain peak Yang Kai was standing on was cut across. As dirt and sand rose into the air, the broken crest tilted to the side.
With a whoosh, the Gold Sword reached the mountain and hovered in mid-air as he looked for Yang Kai’s whereabouts. After a while, Yang Kai was still nowhere to be seen though, so he turned around to return to his army.
*Hong long long…*
The crest collapsed to the ground and the Gold Sword led his army to depart.
One hour later, a white light shot out from the fallen peak. Its glow was dim, and on the blade, Yang Kai sported a dark expression.
He was totally no match for the Gold Sword. Although they hadn’t actually exchanged blows with it, by just looking at the Golden Sword Qi, Yang Kai knew that there was no way he could defeat the Gold Sword. If they were in a one-on-one fight, he wouldn’t even last a cup of tea’s time.
It was useless to tell his army to charge forward and use wave tactics, either, as the Gold Sword’s presence was too intimidating to the weaker swords. Regardless of how many swords there were on Yang Kai’s side, they were unable to harm the Gold Sword one bit.
When Lang Qing Shan returned with the battered soldiers and saw what became of the peak, he was shocked, but he became flabbergasted upon seeing that the glow on Yang Kai’s blade had turned dim.
“Sir, are you alright?” Lang Qing Shan asked anxiously.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai’s eyes appeared bright as he stared at him, “Qing Shan, did you see that sword?”
There was a helpless smile on Lang Qing Shan’s face, “The Gold Sword was too powerful. I’m sorry for being incompetent. Please punish me.” They had suffered immense losses in the battle. After some calculations, Lang Qing Shan realised that only 70% of the original hundred thousand army was left. They had lost thirty thousand swords in the battle, including more than ten Silver Swords. Yang Kai’s army had shrunk by 30%, so Lang Qing Shan was gripped by a feeling of guilt.
Yang Kai said, “You cannot be blamed for the failure. The Gold Sword was simply too overwhelming. What’s more… he could fly. That’s interesting.”
Despite the fact that Yang Kai had reached the peak of his power as a Silver Sword, he was still unable to fly. The best he could do was leap into the air; however, not only was the Gold Sword able to use a horrifying Sword Qi, he could also fly freely.
As for the losses Yang Kai had suffered, he didn’t mind it one bit.
In this world of swords, there was never a lack of soldiers. He had deliberately kept his army around a hundred thousand in number. If he wanted, he could’ve amassed more than five hundred thousand soldiers in the past six months.
Therefore, he didn’t mind losing some soldiers as he could simply recruit new ones quickly. Nevertheless, the existence of the Gold Sword was like a glimmer of hope in the darkness of night for him.
Since there was a Gold Sword, it meant that he could also reach that grade. By then, he might be able to unravel the secrets of this world.
The problem was how he could achieve such a breakthrough. Was there a secret method he was unaware of?
He had tried killing many Silver Swords, but that yielded no result. Since it wasn’t the right way, was there anything else that he needed to comprehend? But, as a sword, how was he supposed to comprehend anything in the first place?
A few days later, they found a new location that was pretty expansive. There were over twenty thousand swords that were led by more than ten Silver Swords.
Just like Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, the strongest Silver Sword had reached the peak of his power.
After a quick battle, they easily snatched this mine. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan joined forces and defeated the leader, but they didn’t rush to kill him.
There was a face of a middle-aged man on the blade of the strongest Silver Sword and presently, he sported an apprehensive expression.
“I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai stared calmly at him, “If you can answer me, I will spare your life.”
Like a drowning person clutching at a straw, the Silver Sword hurriedly said, “Please ask!”
“How does one become a Gold Sword?” Yang Kai looked fervently at him.
The Silver Sword became startled as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to ask such a question, but he still answered honestly, “You can become a Gold Sword as long as you obtain the golden liquid.”
“The golden liquid?” Yang Kai said doubtfully, “What is that and where can I find it?”
The Silver Sword replied, “One only finds golden liquid in gold ores.”
“Gold ores?” A startled Yang Kai swept a glance over the ores in this mine and fell into a dazed state for a moment before bursting into laughter.
At that instant, he realised that he had always ignored the key to achieving his breakthrough.
He was always curious about why these Silver Swords only stayed in the same locations and told their subordinates to mine ores. If the purpose was simply to increase their own strength, it was too inefficient.
Now, it seemed that besides trying to strengthen themselves, they were also making preparations to become Gold Swords. The gold ores must be extremely rare, which was why Yang Kai had never seen them despite the fact that he had snatched quite a large number of mines.
The Silver Sword in front of him must have stayed in this grade for a long time, which was why he was aware of this information. The Silver Swords under Yang Kai were all upgraded from Black Iron Swords, which was why they had no idea about this secret.
Now, he had finally figured out that the ores were the key to helping him become a Gold Sword!
“Qing Shan!” Yang Kai called out.
Lang Qing Shan immediately leaped into the air and slashed at the strongest Silver Sword that was already covered in cracks.
Turning around, Yang Kai gazed at the huge mine and grinned, “Tell them to start mining ores right away.”
Lang Qing Shan grunted in acknowledgement before passing down the order. After that, clanging sounds were continuously heard in the mine.
Without being idle, Yang Kai told Lang Qing Shan to take charge of this place, then he led ten thousand soldiers to occupy other mines.
Gold ores were clearly extremely rare, and he might not be able to find them in this mine, so Yang Kai had to make preparations.
They went on to snatch more mines and repair themselves by killing other swords. Like a snowball, the army was growing larger day by day. After they occupied a mine, Yang Kai would leave a Silver Sword behind to be in charge of mining operations.
In just one month, Yang Kai had taken control of six large mines. There were several tens of thousands of swords in each mine that worked tirelessly to excavate ores.
After that, Yang Kai settled in a certain spot. Lang Qing Shan would patrol around the mines they had occupied so far, and as soon as any gold ore appeared, he would immediately report it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t trust the other Silver Swords that worked under him. If they absorbed the power of those gold ores without informing him about it, that would be a huge loss for him. Therefore, Lang Qing Shan had no choice but to work harder.
As time passed, countless ores were excavated every single day, but the gold ore Yang Kai had been looking for was still nowhere to be found. He was already aware that gold ores were extremely rare, but he had never expected that it was so difficult to find even one.
He had about 300,000 soldiers that continuously mined ores for him in six locations, but not a single gold ore had appeared.
Four months later, Lang Qing Shan came to Yang Kai with an excited expression and told him that a gold ore had been excavated in one of the mines.
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly left with him.
Upon arriving at their destination, Yang Kai indeed saw a glittering gold ore lying in an open space. It was surrounded by swords and no one else could go near it.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai hopped up to the gold ore and realised that it was only the size of a plate. The surface was uneven, but it radiated an alluring glow.
He stared at the gold ore and fell into a dazed state for a long time. It wasn’t until Lang Qing Shan called out to him that Yang Kai sighed and said, “It’s been one year since we came to this world. I hope this gold ore will help us work out its deepest mysteries.”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai leapt into the air and jabbed his blade into the gold ore.
Following that, a pure energy streamed into Yang Kai’s figure. He could clearly feel that there was something else in the gold ore, which he supposed was the golden liquid.
Knowing that he was bound to achieve a breakthrough, Yang Kai was filled with joy.
As expected, as the energy of the gold ore penetrated his body, Yang Kai could clearly feel his strength increasing rapidly, and the bottleneck that had been troubling him shattered in an instant.
The silver glow on his blade was now replaced by a golden one and a golden aura began swirling around his blade.
It was a difficult battle. On the flatland, armies from opposing sides were clashing with one another. The battlefield seemed to have turned into a mincer as countless swords fell apart and their glow turned dim. On the battlefield, hundreds of thousands of swords were locked in an intense melee!
On one side, was the army led by Yang Kai. On the other, was an army led by a Gold Sword.
Previously, Yang Kai had occupied six mines and it took his 300,000 soldiers 4 months to find a single gold ore. After absorbing the power within the gold ore, he successfully became a Gold Sword.
Nevertheless, this approach was too inefficient. No one knew when he would be able to find the next gold ore. In order to further improve himself, it was better to look for another Gold Sword and kill it.
In this world of swords, there weren’t many Gold Swords, so it took a month of searching by several teams to finally find one.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai summoned his armies and waged war against the enemy.
Hundreds of thousands of swords clashed. Countless swords had been broken, but there were also swords that absorbed enough power and ascended to the next grade.
However, this was not the key to winning the war, the battle in the sky was.
Presently, two Gold Swords were circling around as though they were dancing in the sky. Their Golden Sword Qi broke through the void in an imposing manner. Both swords were incredibly fast with one of them appearing noticeably brighter than the other.
On the battlefield, Lang Qing Shan looked up at the sky and gazed attentively at the movements of the dimmer Gold Sword, who was none other than Yang Kai. He had just achieved a breakthrough, so he paled in many ways when compared to the other, older, Gold Sword. Be it his sturdiness, sharpness, or the power of his Sword Qi, Yang Kai was slightly weaker than his opponent.
Nevertheless, he had the capital to fight against a Gold Sword now! It was unlike in the past when he was completely powerless to resist such an enemy. As long as he had this qualification, Yang Kai stood a good chance to gain victory. That was the reason he had the guts to launch an attack on an army led by this Gold Sword.
Knowing that he was less powerful, Yang Kai directly expended all his energy when dealing with his opponent. The Gold Sword had never expected Yang Kai to be so ferocious, so despite the fact that he had a stronger heritage, he was dumbfounded when fighting against his enemy.
However, he was still at an advantage due to his greater strength, and after pulling himself together, he started attacking Yang Kai and made him suffer quite a few setbacks.
Half a day later, many gaps had appeared on Yang Kai’s blade. Even though the Gold Sword wasn’t in a better state, he obviously fared better than Yang Kai did. Yang Kai’s fierce attacks would always result in harming himself as well.
If this battle dragged on, Yang Kai was bound to lose his life in this place. Although he was fully aware of this fact, he didn’t intend to change his plans as he continued hacking at his opponent.
Two hours later, the Gold Sword turned around and shot downwards. He was still able to keep fighting as he was in a better state than Yang Kai, but he was damaged as well. In order to heal himself, the best way was to kill the swords on the battlefield and absorb their energy.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he yelled, “Qing Shan!”
He had been waiting for this chance, and it had finally come.
After one year of waging war against different armies, Yang Kai realised that these swords were all terrified of death. Once they became severely damaged, they would try to repair themselves before anything else. They would only risk their lives if they were left with no other choice.
The fact that the Gold Sword had made such a move suggested that he was now seriously damaged.
In the blink of an eye, the Gold Sword reached the battlefield as he swirled around and shot out a Golden Sword Qi at a mass of swords. His attack covered a large area, and he didn’t care if he might harm his own subordinates.
The Golden Sword Qi was extremely sharp. Those who weren’t Gold Swords would be unable to resist.
“Dream on!” Lang Qing Shan bellowed with a cold expression on his blade. With him as the leader, over thirty Silver Swords followed him as they charged forward in an imposing manner.
This was a team that had been specifically formed to deal with this kind of situation. All the Silver Swords in the team had reached the peak of their grade. As long as there was golden liquid, they could achieve a further breakthrough.
Silver Sword Qi shot out from these Silver Swords and turned into more than thirty dazzling blades of light as they clashed with the Golden Sword Qi.
*Hong hong hong…*
The golden light and the silver lights collided. The former turned dim while the latter collapsed.
Although Silver Sword Qi was no match for Golden Sword Qi, with over thirty of them attacking, they could still weaken the golden light.
*Chi chi chi…*
The team of Silver Swords led by Lang Qing Shan shot out Silver Sword Qi again.
They did it three times in a row, unleashing over a hundred beams of Silver Sword Qi that were promptly shattered by the Golden Sword Qi. However, now, the Golden Sword Qi only had half of its original power left, and its glow had dimmed significantly.
There was no time for them to send out Sword Qi again, so without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan led his Silver Swords to escape. They wouldn’t dare to clash with the Golden Sword Qi directly.
Although half of the Golden Sword Qi’s power had vanished, it could still easily destroy these Silver Swords. Once they were struck, they would break into pieces.
When the Golden Sword Qi was about to reach the swords, another Golden Sword Qi appeared out of thin air and slashed across the first Golden Sword Qi, which disintegrated upon impact. Without stopping, the second Golden Sword Qi struck the swords.
In an instant, thousands of swords lost their lives as beams of light shot into Yang Kai’s figure and helped repair the chips on his body.
Undoubtedly, Yang Kai was the one who had cast the second Golden Sword Qi. Not only had he foiled his opponent’s plan by destroying the other Golden Sword Qi, he had also managed to heal himself.
After the incident, Yang Kai’s power became greater than that of the Gold Sword, so without hesitation, he dashed towards his opponent.
The face on the Gold Sword’s blade appeared both shocked and exasperated. He thought that his opponent was extremely cunning as the latter had come up with such a wicked idea.
Before he could curse though, he had no choice but to deal with Yang Kai’s intense attacks. While Yang Kai had been restored, he was still damaged, so his power was already much weaker than when he was at his peak. At that moment, he was at a disadvantage.
For the next few hours, the Gold Sword made several attempts to repair himself, but on the battlefield, Lang Qing Shan and his team of Silver Swords did nothing else but keep an eye on the Gold Sword. Wherever he went, the team would follow. As soon as they saw that he was trying to heal himself, they would immediately block his Golden Sword Qi in an attempt to weaken it, after which Yang Kai would destroy it.
Even after seven or eight attempts, the Gold Sword did not succeed.
One day later, the Gold Sword wasn’t even able to fly stably. He was shaking in the sky. Unable to use Golden Sword Qi anymore, he could only let out a sword wave from the tip of his blade.
Apparently, he was already on his last leg as he had used up all his energy.
Now, he had no choice but to fight a desperate battle to stay alive. On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calm and collected as he dealt with his opponent.
There came a moment when the last bit of energy left the Golden Sword as he plunged from the sky and obliquely jabbed into the ground. The face on the blade looked dejected and livid.
Upon reaching him, Yang Kai swirled around and slashed at him. The Gold Sword closed his eyes and awaited his imminent death.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai stopped just short of him and grinned and shouted, “Qing Shan!”
Lang Qing Shan rushed over and said respectfully, “Yes, Sir.”
“Kill him,” Yang Kai said, “I’ve already confirmed he’s used up all his strength.”
Upon hearing that, Lang Qing Shan became startled for a moment before replying, “Sir, I don’t deserve it!”
He knew that if he killed this Gold Sword, he would most probably also become a Gold Sword; however, this was the prize Yang Kai had spent two days fighting for, so how could he take it instead?
Yang Kai explained, “If you break through as well, you’ll become a Gold Sword just like me. If we ever come across a Gold Sword again, the battle will be much easier for us as we can work together. I will only gain some power by killing him, so it’s not worth it. End his life now. Don’t give him any chance to restore his strength.”
Hearing that, Lang Qing Shan stopped hesitating and grunted in agreement. Then, he leapt into the air and slashed across the Gold Sword.
Following a loud clang, Lang Qing Shan trembled while the Gold Sword wasn’t harmed one bit; after all, the Gold Sword was of a much higher grade. Although he had no more energy left, his blade was still extremely firm.
Not giving up, Lang Qing Shan repeatedly hacked at the same spot, but he couldn’t achieve his goal.
There was a derisive expression on the Gold Sword’s blade.
Seeing that, Yang Kai rose in the air and reached the Gold Sword. After targeting a particular spot, he shot out a golden light from the tip of his blade. His attack easily caused a huge crack in the Gold Sword’s blade and almost cut it in half.
Understanding Yang Kai’s intention, Lang Qing Shan mercilessly hacked at the gap for one hour before he managed to end the Gold Sword’s life.
A golden glow streamed out of the Gold Sword and poured into Lang Qing Shan. Then, it turned into a dazzling golden mist and engulfed him.
When the golden light dissipated, it was no longer a Silver Sword that was standing in front of Yang Kai. Just like him, Lang Qing Shan had turned into a Gold Sword. A golden glow swirled around his blade, making him look majestic.
“Many thanks, Sir.” Lang Qing Shan was grateful. Realising that he had become much stronger, he appeared elated.
In order to become a Gold Sword, one could either swallow the golden liquid in a gold ore or kill a Gold Sword and absorb its power just like what Lang Qing Shan had done. Yang Kai used the first method while Lang Qing Shan took the second approach.
Turning around, Yang Kai swept a glance over the battlefield.
After the Gold Sword was killed, the noises on the battlefield died down. The Gold Sword’s soldiers stopped resisting and gazed at Yang Kai with admiring looks on their faces.
It was the rule in this world. As long as one could kill the leader of an army, he could take over his soldiers without any hindrance.
Yang Kai originally had 300,000 soldiers while the Gold Sword had 400,000. There were 700,000 swords in total that had battled against one another for two days. Now, only half of them were still alive.
Although the number of soldiers had shrunk, their collective power didn’t decrease one bit. Among these over three hundred thousand soldiers, there were many Silver Swords and countless Black Iron Swords.
In any battle, as long as one wasn’t shattered, he would reap a handsome reward if he managed to survive in the end.
When a loud crack was heard, a Gold Sword broke into pieces. A golden light streamed out of the sword and enveloped Yang Kai, which nourished and strengthened him.
It had been a year since Yang Kai helped Lang Qing Shan destroy the first Gold Sword.
During this period of time, Yang Kai led his army to wage war in different parts of this world of swords. There had been difficult as well as easy battles. As they destroyed army after army, countless Gold Swords had been shattered by Lang Qing Shan and him.
Presently, both of them had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, and they were unable to improve any further. Besides that, there were over ten Gold Swords that worked under them now.
They couldn’t find a way to upgrade themselves, so they could only let their subordinates gain the benefits.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was still on top of everything as he couldn’t let his subordinates overpower him lest any unexpected events take place. After one year of campaigning, he had amassed over 1 million soldiers.
There wasn’t even a single Rusty Iron Sword or Bronze Sword among these 1 million swords. The lowest grade ones were Black Iron Swords, while the majority of them were Silver Swords.
It was apparent that his army had smashed countless swords in the past year, which was why they had grown to be so powerful.
The reason he had gathered all his soldiers together today was to prepare for the final battle.
When they were on an expedition half a year ago, they found a gigantic mine where there were over 1 million swords, which was as great as Yang Kai’s army. There were over ten Gold Swords on the opposing side as well.
Moreover, that location was the only remaining mine in this world of swords they hadn’t raided. As long as Yang Kai could destroy the other party, he would have no more opponents in this world. By then, perhaps he and Lang Qing Shan could leave this world.
This was the only clue he had found, so Yang Kai would never let it slip through his fingers.
After a rest, they set off on their journey. The Sword Qi of these imposing 1 million soldiers surged and penetrated the sky. Wherever they went, Heaven and Earth seemed to pale.
Half a month later, they finally arrived at the last mine. Looking from afar, they could see that their enemies’ Sword Intent was equally majestic. There were many Gold Swords and countless Silver Swords on the opposing side.
Without any unnecessary investigation, Yang Kai directly led his 1 million soldiers to charge forward.
Although the other party was ambushed, they were not flustered at all. Soon, they formed into an array and calmly fended off their opponents.
Over 2 million swords took part in the final battle in this world of swords. With every breath, swords were shattered. Even Silver Swords seemed trivial in this expansive battlefield, and they were unable to ensure their own safety. If there was any negligence, they would be hacked into pieces.
Only the Gold Swords were able to take charge of everything.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan joined forces and flew back and forth in this battlefield as they specifically targeted enemy Gold Swords and killed them. Both of them had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, so even if either of them was on their own, they were able to easily destroy the average Gold Sword, not to mention now that they were working together.
Over ten Gold Swords had been shattered on the opposing side. Yang Kai had also suffered immense losses as half of his Gold Swords were gone. Nevertheless, the losses were worth it as the situation tipped in their favour.
After days of intense battle, the originally 2 million swords had shrunk to 1 million. 70 percent of them belonged to Yang Kai while the remaining 30 percent of them were on the opposing side.
Basically, there was no mystery as to who the winner would be.
There was only the last Gold Sword who was in charge of everything on the opposing side. Even though countless of his subordinates had been killed, he had remained dispassionate in the past few days. However, Yang Kai could feel an indescribable pressure coming from that Gold Sword.
With Yang Kai leading the way, 7 Gold Swords hovered in the air as they confronted the last enemy Gold Sword from a distance.
Presently, the Gold Sword was hovering on an exquisite throne. The face on the blade appeared majestic even though he lacked emotion. It was as though he was an indifferent deity and even if the world around him fell apart, he would not bat an eye.
This Gold Sword was a little different from the ones Yang Kai had come across before as there was a purple gemstone embedded in his hilt that exuded a faint purple light, which looked extremely odd.
Yang Kai stared at the purple gemstone and frowned as he wasn’t sure if the gemstone contained any mysterious power.
The face on the blade slightly raised his eyes and took an impassive glance at Yang Kai and the others before his stern voice reverberated, “Surrender, or die!”
Yang Kai swirled around and yelled, “Kill!”
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Beams of Golden Sword Qi broke through the void and came at their target. They were so horrifying that it was as though they could tear space apart.
Countless enemy swords rushed over to protect their Master, but all the Gold Swords on the opposing side had already been killed. The ones that had come over were all Silver Swords, so how were they supposed to parry the Golden Sword Qi?
Upon impact, they immediately shattered. Despite that, those Silver Swords were not afraid of death as they continuously charged forward to block the attack.
The Golden Sword Qi shot past them, leaving countless metal scraps behind.
Yang Kai was stunned because the beams of Golden Sword Qi had been worn down greatly, to the point that when they reached the enemy Gold Sword, they disintegrated and didn’t harm their target one bit.
In order to stop these beams of Golden Sword Qi, several tens of thousands of Silver Swords had been destroyed in an instant.
What was strange was that the silver lights from the Silver Swords destroyed by Yang Kai’s army didn’t shoot towards Yang Kai’s side; instead, they flowed towards the leader on the opposing side.
The purple gemstone on this sword’s hilt glowed faintly. Following that, he whirled around and slashed out.
The whole world seemed to turn pale. No words were good enough to describe this sword’s noble bearing. Instead of Golden Sword Qi, the other party had seemingly unleashed a purple lightning strike.
Following a thunderclap, all the swords on the battlefield, regardless of which side they were from or their grade, trembled.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he yelled, “Qing Shan, dodge!”
Upon finishing his words, he immediately evaded.
The purple lightning strike skirted past him. At that moment, time seemed to have slowed down significantly. Yang Kai could clearly see that one part of his extremely sturdy blade dissolved upon impact, sending a sense of terror shooting up his spine.
He had already reached the peak of his power as a Gold Sword, so initially, Yang Kai believed that no one else could harm him in this world. However, he hadn’t expected his blade to be so frail when it was struck by the purple lightning.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan reacted quickly and dodged the attack in time; however, their five subordinates were not so lucky.
The purple lightning strike flew past Yang Kai’s blade and shot towards his subordinates. Silently, the five Gold Swords vanished into thin air as though they had never existed before.
There wasn’t even any trace that could prove they had existed previously. The lightning strike was truly horrifying.
Turning around, Yang Kai didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent as he stared fixedly at the purple gemstone on his hilt, knowing that it was the key to everything.
This world had its own rules. When one killed another sword, he could absorb the other party’s energy to strengthen himself. However, the gemstone was able to subvert this rule.
Earlier, Yang Kai and the others had destroyed several tens of thousands of Silver Swords, but the powers within those weapons didn’t come to them. Instead, they were absorbed by the leader on the opposing side and turned into this lightning strike.
At this moment, after the five Gold Swords were shattered, five golden lights penetrated the enemy leader’s blade and the purple gemstone on his hilt flickered.
Yang Kai felt his heart pounding as he was engulfed in the aura of death. While he was still lost in his thoughts, he saw a purple lightning strike breaking through the air and coming at him like a great serpent.
There was no way he could parry it! Yang Kai immediately shot away, but the purple lightning was relentless. Left with no choice, Yang Kai flew around in the sky in an attempt to shake off the attack.
After several attempts, he realised that he was unable to do so. The purple lightning seemed to have targeted his aura, so it could easily follow him around.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai plunged and shot into the ground. A sword wave swirled around on the tip of his blade to bore a tunnel for him.
Only after a long time did he break out from the ground. The purple lightning had finally been exhausted and dissipated.
Turning around, he saw that Lang Qing Shan was already fearlessly battling against the enemy Gold Sword. A pleasantly surprised Yang Kai realised that the Gold Sword wasn’t as strong as he had imagined. Just like Lang Qing Shan and him, the Gold Sword was at the peak of its grade.
Yang Kai came to this conclusion upon seeing that Lang Qing Shan and the Gold Sword were equally matched. The enemy’s overwhelming power was built around the purple gemstone, which could unleash purple lightning.
In order to use the purple lightning though, he had to absorb a lot of energy first. For the first strike, he used the energy of all those fallen Silver Swords, and for the second strike, he sucked in the powers of five Gold Swords. If there was no free energy for him to take in, he might not be able to release the purple lightning.
Instantaneously, Yang Kai figured out everything. Without hesitation, he charged towards the battlefield and joined forces with Lang Qing Shan to launch a series of attacks against the enemy Gold Sword.
At that moment, sword waves were seen glittering as the three Gold Swords were locked in an intense battle.
All of them stood at the peak of Gold Swords, but Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were at an advantage as it was two against one. Over the past two years, they had joined forces countless times to deal with numerous enemies, so they could read each other’s intentions without any verbal communication.
Presently, the situation was in their favour; however, there wasn’t a tinge of fluster behind the enemy Gold Sword’s gaze. Instead, he sported a derisive expression.
Yang Kai had no idea why the Gold Sword was still so calm and collected, but based on his observation just now, as long as the Gold Sword had no chance to absorb any energy, there was no way he could use the purple lightning, without which Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan could definitely defeat him.
Just as Yang Kai thought this though, the purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt flickered.
As the purple light flickered, a mysterious power streamed out of the gemstone and spread around.
The next instant, Yang Kai’s expression changed because under the influence of that power, he saw that a thread of golden aura was streaming out of his figure and penetrating the leader of the enemy forces.
The same thing was happening to Lang Qing Shan. They traded glances and saw the horror behind each other’s gazes.
The last Gold Sword on the opposing side was able to forcefully absorb powers from other swords!
Upon that realization, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan hurriedly sealed off their own auras to prevent them from leaving their bodies. They had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, so their blades were extremely sturdy, and they were able to resist the purple light’s effects.
However, the other swords on the battlefield were not capable of doing that. Cracking sounds were continuously heard as countless swords broke apart for no reason. Lights of different colours wafted from the broken swords and gushed into the leader on the opposing side from all directions.
At that instant, several tens of thousands of swords, regardless of which side they were from, shattered.
The purple lightning appeared again, like a Thunder Dragon coming right at Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan! Certainly, they wouldn’t dare to parry it as they separated and dashed in opposite directions. The Thunder Dragon ignored Yang Kai and raced after Lang Qing Shan as though it was determined to kill him.
Seeing that, Yang Kai returned and swept a gush of Sword Qi against the Gold Sword. Presently, he was unable to lend Lang Qing Shan a hand. The purple lightning was too horrifying, and anyone would immediately lose their life when struck by it. He could only pray that Lang Qing Shan was smart enough to shake off the lightning.
Yang Kai and the Gold Sword were equally matched as they launched into an intense struggle. Neither of them could gain the upper hand as they were both at the peak of their grade. Although Yang Kai’s blade had been damaged by the purple lightning earlier, he was more experienced than the Gold Sword when it came to battles, which was why he wasn’t at a disadvantage when going against the other party.
After a stick of incense, Lang Qing Shan came back with a battered figure. Yang Kai took a glance at him and realised that his blade had been damaged by the purple lightning, but he wasn’t at risk of losing his life.
Instead of immediately assisting Yang Kai, Lang Qing Shan ordered their remaining troops to retreat and stay as far away from the battlefield as possible.
Seeing that, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and thought that Lang Qing Shan was truly clever. If he were Lang Qing Shan, he would’ve done the same thing.
The purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt was too unpredictable. Not only could it intercept the powers that were supposed to go to the killers, but it could also forcefully absorb energy from the swords that were still alive. If the 700,000 or so remaining swords stayed, they would only serve as a source of power for the Gold Sword to use the purple lightning again.
Soon, all other swords were out of sight. A moment later, Lang Qing Shan returned to the battlefield. All of his damaged parts had been restored, and the glow on his blade was dazzling. Apparently, he had healed himself.
Upon returning to the battlefield, he traded glances with Yang Kai. No words were needed as they could read each other’s minds. They had decided to wear the Gold Sword down!
They were not afraid of the Gold Sword’s individual strength and there was no way he could defeat the two of them. Nevertheless, they were wary of the purple gemstone on his hilt and the purple lightning he could cast. With that said, there must be a price to pay in order to use the purple lightning.
For the first strike, he had absorbed the powers of over several tens of thousands of Silver Swords, and for the second strike, he had sucked in the powers of five Gold Swords. As for the third strike, which happened just now, he had taken in the energy of several tens of thousands of swords around them, which caused them to break apart on the spot.
Now, all of Yang Kai’s army had retreated, and only about 150,000 swords remained on the opposing side. The Gold Sword could only cast the purple lightning five more times at most.
As long as they could escape from these five strikes unscathed, they would gain victory. Rather than waiting passively though, they decided to launch an attack to seize the initiative. Yang Kai gave Lang Qing Shan a look to hint at him to stay in this place and hold down their opponent. Then, he moved and charged towards the crowd.
At that instant, all the swords became flustered. Although there were 150,000 swords on the opposing side, none of them could oppose Yang Kai. For every flash of Golden Sword Qi that Yang Kai released, he could easily destroy innumerable swords.
As expected, even though the swords were killed by Yang Kai, the powers in these swords didn’t go to him. Instead, they were all absorbed by the purple gemstone. The light on the purple gemstone became increasingly brighter.
“Qing Shan, watch out!” Realising that it was about time the purple lightning was cast, Yang Kai slashed across hundreds of swords, upon which their powers streamed into the purple gemstone. Then, the purple light finally reached its limit.
The Gold Sword shook and shot a beam of purple lightning at Lang Qing Shan, who had been engaging in an intense battle with him.
A fully prepared Lang Qing Shan left the battlefield as soon as Yang Kai called out to him, but instead of going somewhere else, he headed straight to the enemy swords in an attempt to make use of their powers to wear out the purple lightning.
At the same time, Yang Kai charged towards the Gold Sword and engaged him in combat.
*Kacha…*
Wherever the purple lightning flew, countless swords shattered. In the blink of an eye, several tens of thousands of swords were broken again.
Once again, a purple light flickered on the purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt. Yang Kai felt his chest tightening as he hurriedly retreated and left the battlefield. The next instant, the Gold Sword sent out another ray of purple lightning.
Yang Kai turned around and fled while the Gold Sword turned into a ray of golden light. At the same time, the purple lightning was racing after him.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan suddenly exclaimed.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw Lang Qing Shan coming to him. His gaze brightened as he realised his intention. Then, he moved and dashed towards him as well.
Two golden rays of light broke through the void as two beams of purple lightning respectively raced after them in a menacing manner. In the blink of an eye, they became very close to one another, and just as they were about to collide, they dodged slightly to shoot past one another. Both of them were not harmed.
Nevertheless, the beams of purple lightning behind them were not as agile. Following a loud boom, they clashed with one another as lightning snakes danced in the air, burning a huge hole in the fabric of space.
Two beams of purple lightning disappeared just like this.
An ecstatic Yang Kai said to Lang Qing Shan, “Again!”
Then, he bolted towards the Gold Sword while Lang Qing Shan used the same trick by madly slaughtering the enemy swords.
According to Yang Kai’s estimation, the energy in these 150,000 swords was enough for the enemy Gold Sword to use purple lightning five times. Earlier, Yang Kai had destroyed several tens of thousands of swords, and Lang Qing Shan also managed to make use of the purple lightning to shatter several tens of thousands of swords. Now, there were only 100,000 or so swords left.
As long as they could shatter all of them, the Gold Sword would have no power source to draw from and become unable to use the purple lightning again. Without this fatal strike, there was no way the Gold Sword could defeat Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan.
An incense stick later, Lang Qing Shan finished smashing the required number of swords and the third ray of purple lightning was unleashed. A fully prepared Yang Kai led the purple lightning to the swords where, soon, several tens of thousands were broken and the fourth beam of purple lightning was used as it slashed towards Lang Qing Shan, who had been holding down the Gold Sword.
Both of them used the same trick by leading the two beams of lightning to clash and wear out each other.
Seeing that, the Gold Sword was incensed, but there was nothing he could do.
After several attempts, there were only 30,000 swords left. The powers in these swords were only enough for the Gold Sword to use one more beam of purple lightning.
Presently, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were no longer in a rush to destroy these swords. Instead, they joined forces to deal damage to the Gold Sword.
Despite knowing their intention, the Gold Sword had no choice but to activate the purple gemstone and absorb the energy of his remaining subordinates, after which he sent out his last ray of purple lightning.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan retreated together. Seeing as the purple lightning had targeted Lang Qing Shan, he quickly fled from this place without hesitation.
There was a grin on Yang Kai’s face as he sneered, “There are only the two of us now. Let’s fight until either one of us perishes!”
He wasn’t worried about Lang Qing Shan’s safety. Since Lang Qing Shan was able to get rid of the purple lightning previously, he could do the same this time. His blade would be damaged at most. Nevertheless, with some 700,000 swords on their side, even if he was hurt, he could easily repair himself.
Realising that it was the final battle, the enemy Gold Sword no longer appeared as calm and collected. The face on the blade sported a solemn expression. The golden sword light on the tip of the blade was flicking like a snake’s tongue.
As soon as Yang Kai finished speaking, he shot forward and brought himself down on the Gold Sword. His Golden Sword Qi broke through the void and reached the target in an instant.
The Gold Sword parried the attack with his own Sword Qi before diving into a fierce battle with Yang Kai. Both of them were equally matched in terms of power, so no one could gain the upper hand. However, Yang Kai knew that he was already the winner.
One hour later, the fully repaired Lang Qing Shan returned and joined the battle. With it being two against one, the Gold Sword immediately fell into a disadvantage and regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to turn the tide.
Half a day later, following a slash from Yang Kai, the enemy Gold Sword cracked and broke in half. The face on the blade no longer appeared majestic as he passed away with fury and regret.
A golden light wafted from the Gold Sword and streamed into Yang Kai. There was a hint of dazzling purple light within the golden light.
Yang Kai’s damaged parts were instantly restored. Besides that, a purple swirl appeared and whirled around on his hilt before becoming a purple gemstone, which belonged to the Gold Sword that had been killed.
Yang Kai was astounded as he hadn’t expected that after he killed his opponent, he would also inherit his purple gemstone, which had made Lang Qing Shan and him suffer some setbacks earlier. Nevertheless, it was useless to him now. This was the final battle, after which he had no more opponents in this world of swords, for all the mines had been wiped out.
With no more opponents in this world, the purple gemstone was useless to Yang Kai so he remained standing in the same spot as he recalled his experiences in this world of swords and sighed.
This world was more dangerous than the world of bubbles by far. In this world, one might be shattered at any moment. Yang Kai felt fortunate that he was able to make use of the Small Sealed World and enter this place. If Lang Qing Shan were on his own, he might’ve died or gotten stuck in this world forever.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had joined forces and defeated countless powerful enemies; however, neither of them could defeat the last Gold Sword in the final battle on their own.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai felt worried about Meng Hong, who had also entered a World Fruit. He wondered how the latter was doing. Since he had stayed in this world of swords for two years, a few days should have passed in the outside world.
After waiting for a long time though, Yang Kai furrowed his brows and stared at Lang Qing Shan before asking, “Qing Shan, do you feel anything?”
Lang Qing Shan replied, “No, Sir. Do you feel anything?”
Yang Kai’s face fell as the problem was exactly that he felt nothing. He thought that after the final battle, he could directly leave this world and obtain the World Fruit; however, nothing seemed to be happening at this moment.
He and Lang Qing Shan had reached the maximum limit in power that was permitted in this world, and they had killed their last opponent with great difficulty. He was certain that there were no more opponents for them in this world, so why weren’t they able to leave? What was the key to achieving ultimate victory?
Then, Yang Kai recalled his experience in the previous world. During the battle against the man surnamed Gou, he was able to use a power that transcended the Open Heaven Realm and burst all the remaining bubbles but one, leaving behind only the key to the world, which was how he found the secret to leaving.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened and he asked, “Where’s the army?”
“Sir, please come with me,” Lang Qing Shan replied and led the way for him.
Previously, he ordered their 700,000 swords to leave the battlefield and settled them down on a flatland some distance away so that the enemy Gold Sword wasn’t able to absorb their energy. That place was about a thousand kilometres away from their current location.
With Lang Qing Shan leading the way, they soon arrived at their destination.
As Yang Kai slowly descended to where several hundred thousand swords gazed up at him with admiring looks on their faces. These swords had followed Yang Kai on a campaign of conquest in different parts of this world for the past year and were all the best of the best. Although there were no more Gold Swords, there were countless Silver Swords.
Without uttering a word, Yang Kai activated the power of the purple gemstone on his hilt.
A purple light glowed as a ripple spread out. Following the proliferation of the ripple, countless swords fell apart and cracking sounds were continuously heard. Innumerable lights streamed into Yang Kai and helped the purple gemstone become brighter.
Soon, the glow on the purple gemstone reached its limit. The purple light on the tip of his blade flickered, and there were signs that the purple lightning was about to reappear.
This horrifying aura forced Lang Qing Shan to stay as far away as possible.
The purple light was dazzling, and Yang Kai had gathered enough power to cast the purple lightning; after all, previously, the Gold Sword had only destroyed several ten thousand swords before he could make a strike.
Presently, more than 50,000 swords had been shattered; however, Yang Kai wasn’t satisfied as he tried his best to stop the purple lightning from appearing and continuously pushed the purple gemstone’s power.
Cracking sounds were heard as over 100,000 swords had been destroyed so far. The aura exuding from Yang Kai far exceeded what was seen on the Gold Sword some time ago, which astounded Lang Qing Shan.
The purple light was still undulating as more and more swords were broken into pieces. 150,000, 200,000… Soon, the death toll had amounted to 300,000!
Half of the 700,000 swords were destroyed in a short moment.
Yang Kai’s sword body kept trembling as cracks started appearing on his blade. Apparently, he was enduring immense pressure, and once he faltered, he would burst into pieces.
Lang Qing Shan wanted to stop him, but he wouldn’t dare to disturb Yang Kai lest he cause an accident.
After 400,000 swords were shattered, more cracks had appeared on Yang Kai’s blade as though it would disintegrate at any moment.
When 500,000 swords were broken, a crack was heard as a fracture had also appeared on the purple gemstone.
Yang Kai had reached his limit. There was no way he could suppress the tremendous power within his blade as he turned around and slashed at the sky.
A ray of purple lightning shot out of the blade and turned into a purple light before it blasted into the sky. The entire world seemed to shake at that moment as space itself broke apart.
A gigantic hole was ripped open in the sky.
Yang Kai slumped to the side and plunged from the air. His blade had fallen apart and appeared dim. He had used up all his energy in that strike. Nevertheless, he stared fixedly at the hole in the sky.
A moment later, he became elated and couldn’t help but guffaw. While he was laughing, a force engulfed him, and as Lang Qing Shan gazed at him in shock, he slowly disappeared.
The next instant, Lang Qing Shan felt his vision darkening. When he recovered, he was already at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
Yang Kai was just standing in front of him with a glowing World Fruit in his hand.
They had finally left that world! Lang Qing Shan breathed a sigh of relief. Earlier, Yang Kai had amassed the power of 500,000 swords, causing him the worry Yang Kai would really explode.
Now, it seemed that Yang Kai was right to do that. The key to leaving that world was the purple gemstone. As long as Yang Kai could swallow enough power and cast a powerful enough strike, he could break through the World Barrier and leave that world.
Earlier, he shared Yang Kai’s thoughts and felt that the purple gemstone was useless since they had no more opponents in that world. He hadn’t expected that the gemstone was the key to leaving.
After Lang Qing Shan took a glance at the World Fruit in Yang Kai’s hand, his expression changed, “Sir, is this a Mid-Rank World Fruit?”
Yang Kai could barely contain his excitement, “That’s right. This is a Mid-Rank World Fruit!”
The World Fruit he had obtained previously was just a Low-Rank one, which could help a cultivator ascend to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm at most, so it wasn’t that valuable; after all, one could easily reach the Third-Order by working hard.
However, this Mid-Rank fruit was different. It was a treasure that could help a cultivator reach the Sixth Order.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be a leader of a powerful Sect that ruled over an entire Territory.
It was difficult to estimate the value of this World Fruit. It was especially precious to Fifth-Order cultivators who wanted to ascend to the next Order.
After carefully storing the World Fruit, Yang Kai turned his head and saw that those who were going down the mountain previously were all gone by now. After all, he and Lang Qing Shan had stayed in the world of swords for two years. Although the speed of time flowing in the outside world was different, a few days must have passed already, so all of them should have departed by far.
Then, Yang Kai looked up at the 3,000 Worlds Tree and arched his brow. That was because a small number of fruits were already missing from this tree. In other words, while he and Lang Qing Shan were wandering in the world of swords, some others had obtained World Fruits.
Yang Kai wondered what rank their World Fruits were, but regardless, there was no way their rewards were as handsome as his own.
After the previous experience, Yang Kai found it easier to enter a new World Fruit. He kept Lang Qing Shan inside the Small Sealed World and hid in it as well before passing the Sealed World Bead to the shaved-headed man. Standing on the fruit tree, the shaved-headed man found a World Fruit and plunged into it.
After he entered the world, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan appeared together.
The mysterious 3,000 Worlds Tree was able to bear 3,000 World Fruits that could help Open Heaven Realm Masters rise to the next Order. However, everyone could only enter it once in their lifetime. If he succeeded, he or she would obtain the fruit. If they failed, they would remain in that world forever.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had entered World Fruits before, so they couldn’t have gotten into the current one without using this trick.
There were about forty people hiding inside the Sealed World Bead, so given enough time, and if everything went well, Yang Kai might be able to obtain several dozen World Fruits in the end!
Compared to the Innate Fruit Tree and its Innate Spirit Fruit, Yang Kai was far more interested in these World Fruits.
As soon as he appeared though, Yang Kai sensed the aura in the world and became disappointed. That was because the aura in this world wasn’t too strong, so it should be a Low-Rank World Fruit.
The three of them didn’t transform into anything else as they still looked the same; however, all of their powers had been greatly suppressed. They weren’t even able to use 30% of their full strength under the influence of the World Principles here.
“What’s this?” The shaved-headed man found something and looked down at his waist, where there was a bulging pouch. He wondered what was inside it.
“Sir, both of us have a pouch as well.” Lang Qing Shan took a glance at Yang Kai’s waist and his own before realising that they were wearing pouches on their waists.
“Let’s see what’s inside.” The shaved-headed man grinned and took off the pouch before taking a look. Then, he said in surprise, “There are so many worms inside.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had also opened their pouches. Just like what the shaved-headed man had said, there were some strange-looking worms inside the pouch. In fact, there were only several dozen of them in the pouch. Just like silkworms, they were as white as snow.
Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t find any immense power coming from them. Instead, he could clearly feel that there was a faint connection between his Divine Sense and the worms.
“What are these for?” The shaved-headed man was puzzled.
Lang Qing Shan had ventured into a World Fruit before, so after giving it a thought, he replied, “Perhaps this has something to do with the secret in this world.”
“How are we going to use them? Eat them?” The shaved-headed man picked up a worm and examined it. Besides sniffing at it, he also stuck out his tongue to have a taste.
Lang Qing Shan’s face turned ugly as he watched that.
“Beasts are coming!” Yang Kai frowned and turned his head, only to see several dozen wolves that were as burly as cows coming at them from all directions. As they bared their fangs, they soon surrounded the three of them.
These wolves all exuded very ferocious auras as they kept growling. It seemed that it would be difficult to deal with them.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan sported a solemn expression and approached Yang Kai while the shaved-headed man gulped and turned pale.
The three of them pressed their backs against one another and circulated their strength, preparing to strike back.
Following a howl, the several dozen wolves pounced on them. Yang Kai flicked his fingers and shot out a Moon Blade. Nevertheless, the Moon Blade was much weaker than usual as it was only as long as a palm.
The Moon Blade slashed across a wolf’s shoulder and formed a cut on its body, but it couldn’t kill the beast on the spot.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened. His strength had been greatly suppressed in this strange world.
On the other hand, Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man had also made a move; however, their heritage was already much weaker than Yang Kai’s, so now that their strength had been suppressed, regardless of how hard they tried, they could only cause some minor injuries to the wolves.
Several dozen wolves surrounded them and took turns to attack them. The smell of blood made them feel excited and turned them increasingly ferocious.
Yang Kai and the others made several attempts to break the siege, but they couldn’t find a chance. If this battle dragged on, they would be torn to pieces by these wolves soon.
“Sir, I can’t hold on!” As soon as the shaved-headed man finished speaking, he exclaimed as a wolf bit into his shoulder, which caused it to be drenched in blood.
Yang Kai racked his brain in an attempt to come up with a solution. There was always a clue in every World Fruit world. In the world of bubbles, the key to leaving that place lay in a particular bubble. In the world of swords, he could kill other swords to strengthen himself and rise to the top.
There must be some rules in this world as well that he hadn’t discovered yet. As long as he could make use of these rules, he could conquer this place. At the thought of this, Yang Kai took a glance at the pouch on his waist and fished out a worm from it.
Presently, a wolf was pouncing on him from the front. The beast had a terrible breath and its fangs glistened with a cold light. Yang Kai surged his Divine Sense and directly threw the worm at the wolf.
What was strange was that the worm immediately turned into a dazzling white light and engulfed the wolf. After the originally imposing wolf was engulfed by the white light, it seemed to have been struck by an immense force as it fell to the ground and shook its head.
At the same time, Yang Kai could feel that there was a faint connection between the wolf’s Soul and his own. It seemed that he was able to control this beast now, so without hesitation, he activated his Divine Sense and pressured the beast.
The wolf seemed to be trying to resist, but Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was immensely powerful, so there was no way it could fend off Yang Kai’s full assault. After just one breath’s time, the white light completely penetrated the wolf’s head.
A thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as the wolf turned around and widened its mouth before biting another wolf’s neck. Blood started spurting out of the other wolf’s wound as the beast staggered backwards.
“We can use these worms to control the wolves!” Yang Kai yelled.
Hearing that, Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man hurriedly fished out the worms from their pouches and threw them at the wolves, just like how Yang Kai had done earlier. The worms turned into white lights and covered the wolves. When the white lights fully streamed into the beasts, they were able to start controlling them.
The tide had been turned as Yang Kai kept throwing the worms out and tamed one beast after another. Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man were doing the same thing.
Soon, Yang Kai figured out the secret behind it. For now, he named these worms as Beast Taming Worms. They could be summoned just like an artifact, but these worms were one-offs. After they were summoned, they would transform into white lights and engulf the wolves. It was at this moment that the user’s Divine Sense clashed with that of the wolf. If they could suppress the wolf’s Soul, the white light would stream into the beast. If they failed, the white light would burst apart and the worm would perish. Even the cultivator might be harmed.
The shaved-headed man suffered a setback once. He summoned too many Beast Taming Worms at once, and in the end, he couldn’t control so many of them. Two white lights exploded, which caused blood to drip down from his nostrils as his face turned pale.
Initially, they were surrounded by these several dozen wolves, but as time passed, the situation was reversed with the help of these Beast Taming Worms.
An incense stick later, half of the wolves were dead, while the remaining ones had been tamed by Yang Kai and the others.
The shaved-headed man was panting heavily and still reeling from shock. Previously, he was hiding inside the Small Sealed World and witnessing Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan’s adventure in the world of swords. Nevertheless, he was just an observer at that point. Although he was horrified by what they had gone through, he hadn’t experienced it personally.
After the incident just now, he came to the realisation that it wasn’t easy to venture into a World Fruit. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had figured out the secret at the most critical moment, they would’ve lost their lives by now.
“Sir, is this a beast taming world?” Lang Qing Shan asked.
Yang Kai nodded, “Judging from what we’ve just gone through, that seems to be the case.” Nevertheless, he had to explore this world before he could be certain about it.
A few days later, their speculation was proven to be right. This was indeed a beast taming world. There were countless beasts in this world and the powers of Yang Kai and the others had been greatly suppressed. If they wanted to win any battle, they had to rely on the Monster Beasts they had tamed.
The wolves they had tamed some time ago were just the most ordinary beasts. Among the various beasts, there even existed Beast Kings, which couldn’t be tamed by using the Beast Taming Worms in their pouches. Yang Kai made several attempts and saw the white lights exploding each time. It wasn’t that his Divine Sense wasn’t powerful enough to suppress the other party, but the worms couldn’t bear the clashes between their Divine Senses.
Yang Kai speculated that there must be higher grade Beast Taming Worms than the white ones they had that could be used against these Beast Kings.
After the three of them suffered a setback when fighting a group of over 100 beasts, they set off on their journey to look for better worms.
Soon, they discovered that there were indeed better Beast Taming Worms than the white ones. They came in different colours, which included black, green, purple, and so on.
By using these High-Grade Beast Taming Worms, they soon domesticated a number of Beast Kings. Once they were tamed, it was easy to subdue the Monster Beasts under them.
There was a huge gap in power between these Beast Kings as well. Yang Kai categorised them into Hundred Beast Kings, Thousand Beast Kings, and Ten Thousand Beast Kings. A Hundred Beast King could control a hundred Monster Beasts while Thousand Beast Kings could control a thousand Monster Beasts. As for the Ten Thousand Beast King, it ruled over ten thousand beasts and was truly powerful.
One month later, they respectively led a 10,000-beast army and launched an attack on the last group of beasts.
There were over 100,000 beasts in this last group, and the Beast King was noble and majestic; a force to be reckoned with. The Beast King was covered in golden fur and was as big as a house. Looking from afar, Yang Kai could feel that the Ten Thousand Beast he rode was apprehensive.
The Beast King on the opposing side seemed to be intimidating to a Ten Thousand Beast King. Yang Kai reckoned that it was no longer a Beast King, but a Beast Emperor!
Soon, the final battle began and countless beasts lost their lives.
Although there were a lot of beasts on the opposing side, and a Beast Emperor taking charge, Yang Kai and the others launched an attack from three different directions and cooperated with one another. As they killed their enemies, they also subdued the Beast Kings on the opposing side. Soon, they gained the upper hand.
Three days later, even though Yang Kai was bitten by the Beast Emperor, he managed to tame it in the end. As soon as that happened, a gentle force engulfed them and sent them out of this world.
When they reappeared at the bottom of the World Tree, Yang Kai was already covered in blood, but he was laughing as he had obtained another World Fruit, even though it was just a Low-Rank one.
After taking a rest, he used the same trick by releasing a different person from the Small Sealed World and telling him to enter a World Fruit while he tagged along inside the Sealed World Bead.
As time passed, more and more people from Yang Kai’s team would venture into a World Fruit together, and their collective power was tremendous. Basically, everyone else entered a World Fruit on their own, but Yang Kai had many people to assist him, which was why he was at an advantage.
The worlds inside the fruits were all peculiar. There was a world where they had to overcome everything else by force, and there was a world where they had to reach the maximum limit in power permitted in that world and break free from its suppression before they could leave. There was also a labyrinth where they couldn’t even identify what direction they were moving. All the worlds were different.
However, Yang Kai soon figured out a regular pattern. It took a shorter time to break free from a Low-Rank World Fruit. Usually, he would need 3 months at most. On the other hand, it was much harder to get out of a Mid-Rank World Fruit, requiring 1 or 2 years at the very least.
Fortunately, time passed faster inside the World Fruits, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried about spending too much time there. Even though he had spent a few years inside various World Fruits now, only ten days or so had passed in the outside world.
One day, one of his subordinates brought the Sealed World Bead with him and plunged into a World Fruit and Yang Kai immediately left the Small Sealed World and released more than ten people who had entered World Fruits before.
However, before he could examine the rank of this world, he suddenly felt an immense rejection force engulfing him, and by the time he recovered, Yang Kai realised that he was already standing at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
The same thing happened to the more than ten people he had released earlier.
A stunned Lang Qing Shan asked, “What happened?”
Yang Kai was also puzzled as it was the first time he came across such an incident. He had no idea why they were ejected from the World Fruit.
Just then, following a rumbling sound, the ground shook as a root abruptly shot out from the soil and swept across Yang Kai and the others like a long whip. This was obviously the root of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
None of them had expected such a turn of events, so half of the unsuspecting people were sent flying away and tumbled down the mountain.
Yang Kai was agile enough to have dodged the attack. When he turned his head and saw that the people rolling down the mountain were not at risk of losing their lives as they only looked a little battered, he set his mind at ease.
“Ouch!” Someone exclaimed. It was the shaved-headed man who was sent flying away, and the same thing happened to the others at the scene as Yang Kai kept jumping around to dodge the root’s attack.
While he was dodging, Yang Kai realised that a pair of eyes were staring at him, and when he turned his head, he was horrified.
That was because a wrinkled face had appeared on the 3,000 Worlds Tree, glaring at Yang Kai!
Yang Kai felt embarrassed at the stare, knowing that the 3,000 Worlds Tree was aware of the fact that he had been cheating. In the Primordial Land, many Divine Medicines had developed their own sentience, which was what happened to Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom, not to mention the 3,000 Worlds Tree, it was just that the tree never revealed any signs of awareness until now.
Yang Kai repeatedly made use of the Sealed World Bead to enter one World Fruit after another, and so far, he had obtained over ten fruits. Even though the World Tree had 3,000 fruits, he apparently could no longer put up with Yang Kai’s insatiable greed. If he allowed Yang Kai to keep flouting the rules it had set, most of his fruits would be gone.
Therefore, when he once again detected Yang Kai’s aura, he immediately sent him and his subordinates out of the World Fruit. He didn’t give them a chance to experience the world inside the fruit. Besides that, he had also sent them rolling down the mountain to prevent them from using the same trick again.
His root danced in the air and swept across Yang Kai one more time in a menacing manner. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to kill Yang Kai; he just wanted to send him tumbling down the mountain.
Yang Kai repeatedly manipulated Space Principles to dodge the attacks.
He had earned some handsome rewards as he had obtained more than ten World Fruits, including two Mid-Rank ones; however, he hadn’t gotten even one High-Rank World Fruit, which was why he wasn’t willing to give up.
A High-Rank World Fruit would be able to help a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order. If he could reach the Seventh Order in his initial breakthrough, he could make use of that World Fruit and directly ascend to the Eighth Order!
There should only be a small number of Eighth-Order Masters in those Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so someone in that realm was no different from an overlord. By then, not only could he gain a footing in this 3,000 Worlds, but he could also achieve great things.
As he dodged the attacks, Yang Kai unashamedly pleaded with the tree, “Old Tree, please forgive me and allow us to enter the World Fruit for the last time!”
The World Tree became even more furious. Certainly, he wouldn’t agree to his request as he madly wielded his root. However, with the help of Space Principles, Yang Kai was elusive, so how was the tree supposed to accurately strike his target?
Incensed, the World Tree drew out 10 more roots from the soil and covered Yang Kai like a web.
At the bottom of the mountain, Lang Qing Shan and the others looked up and became dumbfounded.
The corner of the shaved-headed man’s mouth twitched, “The World Tree must have been enraged by Sir Yang.”
“Oh, no! Sir, watch out!” Lang Qing Shan exclaimed.
Upon finishing his words, he dashed towards the peak of the mountain, followed by more than ten others. It was a difficult trek, as they had to keep dodging the deadly insect fog and lightning strikes.
On the peak of the mountain, Yang Kai flitted about, but the ten-plus roots from the World Tree had sealed off the surrounding space, which made it difficult for him to escape.
In a moment of negligence, Yang Kai was struck by a root. Impacted by the immense force, he felt a metallic taste in his throat. Undeterred though, he gripped onto the root and choked down the blood before putting on a fawning smile, “Old Tree, just one more time, please! The previous fruit will do!”
Although he hadn’t managed to examine the rank of that world, he was certain that it wasn’t a Low-Rank World Fruit. It was most likely a Mid-Rank one, but there was a small probability that it was a High-Rank one.
If he could successfully persuade the World Tree, he could obtain that World Fruit at the very least.
The 3,000 Worlds Tree naturally ignored him and swung his root violently. Unable to shake off Yang Kai, he became infuriated and wielded his other roots to lash at him.
Yang Kai kept grunting and couldn’t take it anymore after just three breaths. Although the World Tree didn’t have the intention of killing him, its roots were still extremely powerful and painful.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai yelled, “Dragon Transformation!”
Instantly, his figure expanded and transformed into a giant Half-Dragon. A pair of horns had grown on his forehead, and his hands had turned into Dragon Claws. Hot dragon breath puffed out from his nostrils, and he was now covered in extremely sturdy Dragon Scales. His beard flapped in the wind and his enormous figure stood tall atop the mountain, almost reaching the height of the World Tree itself.
In Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had consumed countless Dragon Blood Pills and started showing signs of transforming into a True Dragon; hence, he was much stronger than he was in the past.
Slapping sounds were continuously heard as the tree’s roots kept lashing Yang Kai’s back.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could still bear with it. His defence in his Half-Dragon Form was much greater than that of his Human form.
Yang Kai grinned as he stared at the World Tree, “Old Tree, please let me get into the World Fruit one more time, and after I succeed, I’ll leave immediately!” He wasn’t willing to give up the previous World Fruit.
As he spoke, he clung on tightly to the root around his waist to show the tree that he was determined.
The World Tree’s attacks became increasingly violent, and even Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon Form wasn’t able to take it. His Dragon Scales fell from his back as blood began to leak from his wounds.
However, Yang Kai’s restorative power was incredible. The Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal swirled and his Dragon Blood had been stimulated greatly, so his wounds were rapidly healed.
After an incense stick of deadlock, the World Tree stopped attacking, and the wrinkled face on the trunk was seen sighing.
An elated Yang Kai asked, “Old Tree, you agree?”
The World Tree shot him a disdainful look and wielded his other root.
Yang Kai beamed at him, “Old Tree, what’s the point of doing this? This kind of attack is… ah…”
Before he could finish his words, he realised that the root in his hands felt lighter, as it had broken apart on its own. Following that, he was swept across by another root and sent flying down the mountain.
While in mid-air, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he hadn’t expected the 3,000 Worlds Tree to be so obstinate that he would rather break off one of his roots than let him stay.
Following a loud crash, Yang Kai fell to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and looked at the root in his hand as he felt speechless.
Although this root had been abandoned by the 3,000 Worlds Tree, it didn’t show signs of withering; instead, it still possessed an enormous amount of vitality. Raising his brow, Yang Kai put it inside the Small Sealed World.
Looking up, he realised that the mountain was covered in a fog and lightning strikes were seen everywhere. He was unable to see through the mist anymore.
A relentless Yang Kai dashed into the fog, but came back out after just ten breaths. The horrifying fog was actually made up of countless tiny insects and even his Half-Dragon Form was unable to take it. After just a while, he was covered in blood.
Then, he saw that Lang Qing Shan and the others were also ejected from the fog. Although they looked battered, they were not at risk of losing their lives, which was the result of the World Tree’s mercy. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have escaped from the fog safely.
When they turned around and saw that Yang Kai’s face was swollen and he was soaked in blood, they were stunned.
Moreover, it was the first time they saw Yang Kai in his Half-Dragon Form, so they were astounded. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised Yang Kai had a Dragon Clan’s bloodline, and judging from his figure, his bloodline was quite extraordinary.
Yang Kai looked down at them with a hideous expression as he was enraged by the 3,000 Worlds Tree. The tree was so obstinate that he preferred to sacrifice one of his root hairs than give Yang Kai one last chance.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai roared, “Old Tree, everyone has one chance to enter a World Fruit in their lifetime, yes? How can you seal off the mountain and deny our entry? I still have several dozen people with me who wish to enter the World Fruits. How can you snatch that right from them? This is unfair!”
Upon finishing his words, he raised his hand and released the remaining people from the Small Sealed World.
Lang Qing Shan and the others couldn’t help feeling second-hand embarrassment. Yang Kai had obtained more than ten fruits essentially by cheating to repeatedly enter the World Fruits. How did he have the nerve to accuse the World Tree of unfairness now?
Yang Kai went on to say, “I will not enter any World Fruits again, but you have to let them in!”
After he finished speaking, his expression changed as he listened carefully. The next instant, a figure was sent flying out of the fog with a startled shout.
Yang Kai reached out to grab that person and took a look, only to become shocked as he muttered, “Brother Meng?”
The person who was ejected from the fog was none other than Meng Hong, who was still reeling from the shock. Seeing a gigantic Half-Dragon staring right at him, he was stunned; however, upon making out the Half-Dragon’s facial features, he asked hesitantly, “Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded and put him down. Then, he returned to his Human form and asked puzzledly, “Brother Meng, why… were you sent out at this moment?”
It was such a coincidence that Meng Hong appeared at this point, which made Yang Kai feel that something was off.
Meng Hong replied, “I have no idea. I was experiencing the world inside the fruit when a force pushed me out. Hm… is this a World Fruit?”
As he spoke, he suddenly took a glance at his hand and realised that he had obtained a World Fruit.
Yang Kai took a look as well and felt speechless, knowing that it was thanks to the World Tree that Meng Hong could leave halfway and even obtain a World Fruit. The World Tree must have realised Meng Hong’s relationship with Yang Kai, so he sent him out.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai sighed, knowing that it was impossible to enter another World Fruit.
The 3,000 Worlds Tree broke off one of his roots and forcefully sent Meng Hong out, even giving the latter a World Fruit for free in order to make Yang Kai give up.
Meng Hong was pretty lucky as the World Fruit in his hand was a Mid-Rank one. He had been wandering in that world for a few years on his own, and he didn’t know how long it would take before he could leave. Just as he thought he was doomed to remain there forever, an unexpected turn of events took place.
Honestly, he couldn’t believe what had happened and was still perplexed.
Two disciples from Great Moon Province walked up to him and briefly explained what had happened. It was then that Meng Hong realised that the reason he could easily leave the World Fruit was that Yang Kai had been pestering the 3,000 Worlds Tree endlessly.
Upon learning that, he burst into laughter. Initially, he intended to get a World Fruit to repay Yang Kai for his many favours, but in the end, he was saved by him. Now, he wasn’t sure whether he still owed him anything or not.
“Brother Yang, please take this World Fruit.” Meng Hong held out the fruit to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “Brother Meng, I’ve already earned many rewards. Moreover, you’ll need this when you become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so you don’t have to give it to me.”
Yang Kai was not pretending to be courteous. World Fruits were rare, but he had obtained many of them now. In total, he now had 13 Low-Rank World Fruits and 2 Mid-Rank ones in his possession, so he didn’t need to take this one from Meng Hong.
Nevertheless, Meng Hong shook his head, “My fellow brothers and I have survived in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary thanks to your protection. If it weren’t for Brother Yang, we would’ve lost our lives by now. You have also given us many treasures that have helped us to condense our Open Heaven Realm Elements. If it weren’t because of you, we wouldn’t have achieved any of this. This Meng has nothing else with me as this fruit is the most valuable thing I possess. Moreover, it was thanks to Brother Yang that I even obtained this fruit. Please don’t turn me down; otherwise, this Meng will be too embarrassed to show his face in public again.”
Seeing as Yang Kai was about to say something, Meng Hong pretended to be angry, “Brother Yang, if you turn me down, it’s no different from looking down on me. I’d rather… throw this World Fruit away!”
Upon finishing his words, he hurled the World Fruit at the peak of the mountain. Seeing that, the people around him exclaimed.
Yang Kai reached out to grab the fruit and felt speechless at that, “Brother Meng, many thanks for your kindness. I will keep this fruit for now. When you need it in the future, you can take it back from me.”
Despite saying that, Yang Kai knew that since Meng Hong had made his stance clear, he would never ask for the fruit back.
As expected, Meng Hong guffawed and said, “This Meng is confident that I can ascend to the Sixth Order by myself.”
The several dozen people around them were dumbfounded at the sight that neither of these two were willing to accept this invaluable Mid-Rank World Fruit. In the outside world, even those powerful Open Heaven Realm Masters would kill to snatch this treasure; however, the two of them were trying to push the fruit away, almost resulting in it being hurled into the fog and lost forever.
After putting all of the others inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai went through the rewards he had obtained so far.
The 16 World Fruits in possession could be said to be a great harvest. The 13 Low-Rank World Fruits could be put aside for now as they couldn’t be sold for a good price; after all, they could only help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order, and the maximum limit was the Third Order. However, the three Mid-Rank World Fruits were different.
The maximum limit a Mid-Rank World Fruit could help a cultivator achieve was the Sixth-Order. In other words, it would be best consumed by a Fifth-Order Master. This was an extremely rare treasure.
What made Yang Kai feel regretful was that he didn’t manage to get a High-Rank World Fruit. At the thought of this, he burst into laughter and felt that he really was indeed too greedy. Xu Zhen had said that although there were 3,000 World Fruits on the 3,000 Worlds Tree, most of the fruits were Low-Rank, and only a small number of them were Mid-Rank. As for the High-Rank ones, there might not even be one. He was already extremely lucky to have gotten 3 Mid-Rank ones.
Besides these World Fruits, Yang Kai also had a surprising reward, which was a root from the World Tree. Earlier, he had transformed into a Half-Dragon before he shamelessly clung onto this root and haggled with the World Tree, which infuriated the latter. The old tree broke off the root and swept him away from the peak, which was how he obtained this root.
Some time ago, Yang Kai randomly threw it into the Small Sealed World, but after sending his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead, he was shocked to learn that the root had burrowed into the ground and turned into a sapling as it swayed lightly with the wind.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be awed by the vitality of this World Tree’s root. Only a short time had passed, but it had already started growing strong.
What made him feel even more surprised was that he could clearly feel that the sapling was just like a bottomless pit. All the World Energy in the Small Sealed World was madly streaming into this sapling, and following its growth, the World Principles became more complete, strengthening the world itself.
Beneath the ground, the roots of the sapling had already extended to a hundred kilometres radius, and the tiny roots were still rapidly spreading around. It seemed determined to cover the entire Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai felt his chest tightening and his throat becoming dry.
The roots of World Tree could strengthen the World Principles in the Small Sealed World and further stabilise it, so what would happen if he planted it in the Star Boundary?
In the past, he had asked Giant Spirit God Ah Da about how to save the Star Boundary from collapsing. Ah Da only mentioned the words ‘World Tree’ to him in response. It had only been a short time since Yang Kai arrived in the Outer Universe, and he hadn’t even gained a footing here, so he hadn’t managed to find out more about the World Tree.
There was the 3,000 Worlds Tree in the Primordial Land though, so was it the World Tree that Ah Da had mentioned?
When Yang Kai heard Xu Zhen talking about the 3,000 Worlds Tree, he had already started speculating about this possibility, and after observing the growth of this sapling, he believed that his speculation was right. The World Tree that Ah Da had mentioned might just be the 3,000 Worlds Tree!
In that case, the biggest reward he had obtained during the trip to the Primordial Land wasn’t the 3 Divine Medicines or the 16 World Fruits, but the root of the World Tree.
Yang Kai had the urge to throw his head back and laugh out loud as he had just gotten what he desired the most completely by accident.
However, he had to return to the Star Boundary to try it out before he could be certain about it. Previously, Yang Kai had bought a Universe Chart from a Star City and found some possible locations of the Star Boundary in it. Comparing the paths he had taken and the place where he was separated from Zhang Ruo Xi, he already had some clues in mind. Nevertheless, he had to go over and have a look to find out its exact location.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided not to suppress the sapling’s growth.
Although it required a horrendous amount of World Energy to support the sapling’s growth, the Small Sealed World had greatly benefited from it. In that case, the pros were much greater than the cons. As for the depleted World Energy, he had countless Source Crystals with him, so he could just shatter them and use them to replenish the World Energy.
After working for a while, Yang Kai settled all his issues. Then, he let out a long breath. Now that he had offended the 3,000 Worlds Tree, there was no way he could obtain more World Fruits. It had been a few days since the Primordial Land had opened, so all the treasures and opportunities must have been discovered by now. The only thing that was left was the Spirit Seizing War.
Initially, Yang Kai intended to look for a Metal Element treasure that was suitable for him; unfortunately, he hadn’t found any clues yet. In the past, Zhu Jiu Yin had told him that there were only two places in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary where High-Rank Metal Element treasures might exist. One was Golden Eagle Palace, which was Jin Wu’s territory. Jin Wu was a Metal Attribute Divine Spirit, and the power of his Monster Core was what Yang Kai needed. As long as he was willing to help, Yang Kai could easily condense a Seventh-Order Metal Element Power.
However, Jin Wu and Zhu Jiu Yin were arch-enemies, so there was no way Jin Wu would help Zhu Jiu Yin’s Bearer. His Bearer had even been ordered to kill Yang Kai at all costs. Unfortunately, he had been killed by Yang Kai in one of the World Fruits.
The second place was the Primordial Land where many opportunities still existed. The Metal Element material Yang Kai needed might just be there; however, up until this moment, he hadn’t discovered such a treasure.
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, the world suddenly shook, as though a bolt of lightning had struck the ground. A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly released his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings.
A moment later, the same thing happened again. This time, he could clearly feel that all the World Energy seemed to have been directed to a particular place.
Turning his head, he stared fixedly in that direction. The strange phenomenon happening at the moment suggested that an anomaly had taken place. Perhaps a great treasure was about to appear.
Then, Yang Kai saw many rays of light flying towards the place where World Energy was converging. Just like Yang Kai, they must have noticed the anomaly, which was why they wanted to get their hands on the treasure that was about to appear.
After just a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai leapt into the air and flew in that direction as well.
On his way there, the world shook several times before the illusory phantom of a fruit tree appeared in mid-air. The fruit tree was majestic, translucent, and alluring. As the World Energy streamed into the illusory phantom, it seemed to be slowly materialising.
“Innate Fruit Tree!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened.
He was just wondering where the Innate Fruit Tree was located. Following Pu Bai Xiong’s directions, they had found the old tree that he had mentioned, but it was the 3,000 Worlds Tree instead of the Innate Fruit Tree.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised why they couldn’t find the Innate Fruit Tree previously. It would only appear at a very special moment.
Had someone done something to trigger the appearance of the Innate Fruit Tree? Perhaps, or perhaps not. The Innate Fruit Tree might have just appeared because the time was now right.
Whatever the case, since the Innate Fruit Tree had emerged, many parties would scramble to snatch it. Those Bearers had taken on the responsibilities given to them by their respective Divine Spirits. If they succeeded, they would gain a powerful backer and many riches, but if they failed, their lives would be at risk. With this kind of pressure weighing on them, none of them dared to be negligent.
In Yang Kai’s case, Yue He and the others were still in Zhu Jiu Yin’s grasp. If he wanted Yue He and the others to live, he had to get the Innate Spirit Fruit.
Many figures were heading to the Innate Fruit Tree from all directions. At this moment, those Bearers who had been trying to conceal themselves had no choice but to show up.
As the Innate Fruit Tree absorbed more World Energy, it became increasingly corporeal.
It wasn’t until 2 hours later that Yang Kai finally arrived at his destination and he realised that many people had already gathered together. There were over 30 people that he knew as well as didn’t know.
Xu Zhen, Ding Yi, and Xiang Ying were all present. Just like Yang Kai, these guys had entered the worlds inside the fruits. Nevertheless, Yang Kai found a loophole and entered more than a dozen World Fruits, which was why he had been held up for much longer. It was expected that these three people had come out of the World Fruits before he did.
Since they had left the worlds inside the fruits, they must have respectively obtained a World Fruit.
Besides them, the seductress Qu Hua Shang, as well as the little girl Gu Pan, had arrived at this place. Both of them were speaking to each other in a small voice. Spotting Yang Kai, Qu Hua Shang’s gaze brightened as she passionately waved her hand, “Little Brother Yang, over here!”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her and nodded at Xu Zhen and the others before landing beside Qu Hua Shang.
Seeing that, Ding Yi immediately felt envious. Qu Hua Shang was a disciple from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven so she possessed some ‘special’ cultivation techniques on top of being a stunning beauty. Ding Yi already had his eyes on her, and he wanted to chat her up. Nevertheless, he didn’t have the courage as he was worried that he might frighten her off. Seeing as she was so hospitable to Yang Kai, he couldn’t help but admire Yang Kai and be envious of him at the same time.
“Senior Sister Qu, Junior Sister Gu,” Yang Kai greeted.
Qu Hua Shang looked smilingly at him. There seemed to be some special emotions behind her gaze, “Little Brother Yang, the Innate Fruit Tree has appeared, so this place will become chaotic when everyone starts scrambling for it. You have to protect me well.”
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Qu Hua Shang was openly flirting with Yang Kai. She was bold and didn’t care what others thought of her.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t fall for her tricks and said with a smile, “Senior Sister Qu, you’re making things difficult for me. As far as I know, the Innate Fruit Tree will only bear one fruit each time it appears. When it does ripen, all of us will try to snatch it. It’d be best if we don’t harm each other, so how am I supposed to protect you?”
It was exactly because there was only one Innate Spirit Fruit that all these Bearers had to go all out. That was why even though Xu Zhen was on good terms with Gu Pan and her, he didn’t stand together with them.
It was because all of the Bearers here were competitors.
All of them had been nurtured by the Divine Spirits behind them and had great expectations placed on their shoulders. If they failed, it would make the plans of those Divine Spirits fall through and likely enrage them. By then, their lives would be at risk.
Throughout history, there had been many Bearers who were killed by their Divine Spirits because they couldn’t get the Innate Spirit Fruit. Kun Sha had killed a Bearer before, allowing him to obtain the Water Element treasure Moon Essence that Yang Kai had refined. After that Bearer was killed, Kun Sha didn’t need the Moon Essence he brought out from the Primordial Land, so he gave it to the Sea Clan.
Besides him, most of the Divine Spirits would do the same. If the Bearers enjoyed the benefits given to them but couldn’t complete their task, the Divine Spirits would naturally not let them off.
Qu Hua Shang replied with a sweet smile, “Little Brother Yang, you don’t have to be so mean. This is my plan. We can join forces and fend off our opponents for now. You’ve stayed in the Primordial Land for a few days, so you must have come across some Bearers and become aware of their skills. It’s better for us to join forces rather than fight against all opponents on our own. As for the Innate Spirit Fruit, we’ll see which one of us will be able to snatch it in the end.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head, as her suggestion was reasonable. He was powerful, and he believed that if he went all out, none of the people here would be his opponent. However, he couldn’t possibly fight against all of them on his own. If they became infuriated by his dominance and decided to all team up to deal with him first, he would definitely suffer a tragic defeat.
If he could get one to two allies at this point, his burden would be lightened greatly.
“Junior Sister Gu, do you second this suggestion?” Yang Kai turned to look at Gu Pan. She was a little timid as she hung her head low most of the time. Hearing that, she gently nodded to make her stance clear.
Yang Kai said, “I don’t mind joining forces with you, but are there only the three of us? What about Brother Lin, Brother Xu, and Brother Dao Ran?”
These three were all disciples from Cave-Heavens and Paradises, and they had cooperated once in the past.
Qu Hua Shang pouted, “They’re all smelly men, and I don’t care whether they live or die. Moreover, at a moment like this, it’s not ideal to have too many allies. Little Brother Yang, I believe you should understand this.”
A helpless Yang Kai refuted, “But I’m also a man!”
Qu Hua Shang covered her mouth and giggled, “Unlike them, you’re quite fragrant and palatable…” Upon finishing her words, she leaned in and sniffled at him.
Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai hurriedly stepped backwards and nodded solemnly, “It’s decided, then. We’ll join forces to fend off our opponents for now.”
Qu Hua Shang’s gaze brightened, “Deal.”
They were not the only people who had formed temporary alliances, but not many of them had done so; after all, not many of them knew each other well or even at all. They would rather fight alone and wait for an opportunity than cooperate with strangers who might stab them in the back at any moment.
As they spoke, more and more people arrived at this place. Some of them snuck in while concealing themselves while others appeared in a bold and confident manner. Still, all of them were just waiting for a chance to snatch the spirit fruit.
Lin Feng and Ning Dao Ran had also arrived and stood beside Xu Zhen, soon forming a group of their own.
Two hours later, over 60 cultivators had gathered together in this place. Only the Bearers selected by the Divine Spirits would rush over at this point, attracted to the Innate Fruit Tree. These more than 60 Bearers were now observing the fruit tree and waiting in silence.
That was because only the fruit tree had appeared so far, but the Innate Spirit Fruit was nowhere to be seen. World Energy continuously streamed into the fruit tree, which had become increasingly clear.
Finally, there came a moment when someone yelled, “The Innate Spirit Fruit is about to be born!”
Everyone became agitated and turned their heads, only to see that a petite flower bud had appeared on the top of the fruit tree. The bud absorbed the World Energy and soon became bigger.
A strange aura exuded from the bud and made everyone feel energised and soothed.
Yang Kai was surprised as he found the aura somewhat familiar. Then, he recalled that the aura wafting from the Moon Essence when he refined it was similar to that exuding from the flower bud.
After giving it a thought, he came to the realisation that the Moon Essence was an Innate Supreme Treasure, so it contained some Innate Aura, and it was the same case for the Innate Spirit Fruit. In comparison, the aura coming from the Moon Essence was weaker than that of the flower bud.
The flower bud soon expanded and bloomed into a full flower. Under the influence of the strange aura, everyone fell into a dazed state as they witnessed the birth of a new life. At that moment, countless ideas clashed in their minds as they seemed to gain enlightenment.
These inspirations flashed through their minds and significantly increased their comprehension of the Heavenly Way for a short period of time. Many questions they had about cultivation were suddenly answered at that moment.
Countless ideas passed through Yang Kai’s mind as well, and suddenly it seemed as if there was nothing he didn’t understand in his Martial Dao. He had built a strong foundation for achieving the Open Heaven Realm, and as long as he could condense all the necessary Elements, he could become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master without issue.
With that said, following the birth of the Innate Spirit Fruit, the inspirations in his head made him come up with a very bold idea. If this idea was feasible, he would obtain an extraordinary power after he became an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Certainly, this idea could only be materialised during his ascension to the Open Heaven Realm, so it was still too early to talk about it.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was truly extraordinary. The process of its birth alone could clear the doubts for everyone in their cultivation journey. All of them had greatly benefited from it.
Soon, the flower petals withered and the Innate Spirit Fruit was formed. The amazing aura slowly dissipated as well.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that everyone appeared elated. Apparently, they all gained something from this brief experience. Without the aura’s influence, the inspirations in their heads left them, and they could no longer comprehend anything, causing many to let out a gentle sigh.
Staring around, Yang Kai tried to memorise these faces. If his speculation was right, if these people left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary alive, they would all become overlords in the 3,000 Worlds.
Besides being nurtured by powerful Divine Spirits, they had all obtained unimaginable benefits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that they had this opportunity to comprehend things that they otherwise couldn’t understand, they were bound to have excellent achievements in the future.
Soon, rapid breathing could be heard as all stared fixedly at the rapidly maturing Innate Spirit Fruit. Although all of them were silent, everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.
“It’s time to make a move,” Qu Hua Shang secretly spoke to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, however, refused as he replied, “The first one to make a move will die.”
Although he was an expert in the Dao of Space, he wouldn’t dare to rashly make a move in front of so many Bearers.
While he was able to suppress his impulses, though, someone wasn’t. A gigantic web suddenly appeared out of the void and covered the Innate Fruit Tree. It seemed that the person intended to take both the fruit tree and the spirit fruit away.
“You dare?!” Someone was heard yelling, whereupon countless powerful attacks struck the web.
Before the web could even approach the Innate Fruit Tree, it was crushed into dust. Following a grunt, a cultivator was seen staggering, and blood started streaming out of his mouth.
The web was his artifact, and although it was exceptional, it couldn’t possibly withstand the attacks of so many people. The artifact was destroyed, and he suffered backlash as a result.
Before he could even catch his breath though, a sword light slashed across his back and caused him to collapse to the ground. Although he wasn’t dead yet, he was severely injured with blood streaming out of the ghastly wound.
Sensing another strike approaching, the man hurriedly rolled away and widened his eyes. The people who attacked him were strangers to him, but he knew that at this point, no one would be soft-hearted. Killing one meant one less opponent, increasing their chances to obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit.
As if some kind of signal had been given, the battle erupted. Over 30 figures pounced on the Innate Fruit Tree at the same time, and before they even arrived, they used different techniques to grab at the fruit. At that instant, artifacts in the form of nets and ropes were seen. There were also more than ten illusory hands reaching for the spirit fruit.
Nevertheless, none of them could get near the spirit fruit using these techniques. All the artifacts and Secret Techniques were destroyed or diverted before they could get close. More and more people joined in the battle, using their own unique methods to try to snatch the prize. Some were injured, while some lost their lives.
On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calmly standing on the same spot and gazing at the battlefield, feeling a bit awestruck.
Most of these people were not famous figures. It had been more than 10 years since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, but Yang Kai had never heard of most of these people before; however, after they made a move, he realised that all of them were outstanding in their own right. Besides their peculiar artifacts, their Secret Techniques were also stunning. All of these Bearers had condensed Fifth-Order Elements at the very least, while many had condensed Sixth-Order Elements and some even Seventh-Order Elements.
Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers were seen permeating this small region. The world seemed to have paled, and the universe was trembling.
Many Element Powers obviously came from Divine Spirits. They could make use of their own Monster Cores and Sources to nurture their Bearers to help increase their powers significantly.
Ding Yi had shown some remarkable skills before they reached the 3,000 Worlds Tree some time ago; however, in this place, he was just slightly above average as there were many others more outstanding than he was.
At this moment, only a small number remained on the sidelines. Besides Yang Kai and the two ladies, only seven or eight others kept their calm. Perhaps they were wary of their opponents and wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves.
“Are we not going to make a move?” Qu Hua Shang turned and asked anxiously.
“Wait a bit longer,” Yang Kai replied dispassionately.
A helpless Qu Hua Shang said, “If we keep waiting, the fruit will fall into someone else’s hands.”
“If that happens, we can just snatch it back.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
On hearing that, Qu Hua Shang became startled for a moment before realizing he was right; therefore, she also waited patiently.
After a while, the battlefield became increasingly chaotic. Everyone was trying to pounce on the Innate Fruit Tree, but none of them succeeded. Once anyone got within 30 metres of the tree, they would face a concentrated assault from all sides.
No one could possibly bear all the Secret Techniques that contained Fifth, Sixth, and even Seventh-Order Element Powers.
Yang Kai believed that if he didn’t use his Half-Dragon Form, he also couldn’t withstand such a bombardment. Even then, he still wouldn’t persevere for more than a few breaths’ time.
Some of the Bearers had lost their lives because of this, their corpses dismembered. Although they had the support of Divine Spirits, an individual’s strength was simply too small in such a melee. If one made a rash move at the wrong moment, they would only put their life at risk.
During the scuffle, the spirit fruit on the Innate Fruit Tree became completely mature. It was translucent and alluring, and although no fragrant scent was wafting from it, everyone was tempted to have a taste of it.
All of a sudden, someone was heard guffawing, “Is that the Innate Spirit Fruit? This Fang will gladly take it then!”
As soon as the person’s voice was heard, a figure was seen rapidly approaching the fruit tree.
Upon hearing that, the Bearers, who were locked in an intense battle, became enraged and looked in that direction. They wanted to find out who this shameless guy was. They had been fighting for some time now, but none of them could even get close to the fruit tree. Certainly, they were displeased at this person’s arrogance.
However, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he said in a small voice, “Our opportunity is here. Get ready to move.”
He had been waiting for the best chance, and his patience had paid off. Upon hearing that, Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan became solemn and secretly circulated their strength.
On the other hand, a figure arrived at the battlefield and directly reached for the Innate Fruit Tree.
*Xiu…*
The sounds of breaking through the air were heard and the lights of Secret Techniques and artifacts expanded as they shot towards this person. However, this man was unperturbed as he kept a smile on his face. When the attacks were about to reach him, he moved and yelled, “Stand Eternal as a Mountain!”
A thick and heavy Earth Element Power surged out and a gigantic tortoise illusory phantom was formed, creating an impenetrable defence. Countless attacks struck the illusory phantom and indeed shook it, but they were unable to harm the person inside it.
“This…” Everyone became dumbfounded and fell into a dazed state.
Since the battle began, it was the first time they saw someone using such a powerful defensive technique. The tortoise illusory phantom gave off a feeling that it was so hard that nothing in the world could break it.
“Solid Earth Black Tortoise!” Someone recognised the tortoise illusory phantom.
Since the illusory phantom was of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise, that person must be the Solid Earth Black Tortoise’s Bearer. Only the Bearer of that Divine Spirit could activate such a defensive Secret Technique.
The person was none other than Fang Yue. Yang Kai had come into contact with him once and even plundered most of his Space Ring. No one knew where he had been, but he finally appeared because of the Innate Fruit Tree.
The Earth Element Power of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise was Seventh-Order at the very least, so ordinary techniques were unable to damage it in the slightest. Unless Fang Yue’s opponent also had a Seventh-Order Element Power of a different Element, it would be all but impossible to deal with him.
Therefore, after the tortoise illusory phantom appeared, someone used an extraordinary Wood Element Power, which transformed into many shadows as they struck out at Fang Yue.
The illusory phantom kept shaking and its light dimmed significantly; nevertheless, Fang Yue was already within 30 metres of the fruit tree as he reached out his hand for the spirit fruit.
“Do you think you’re invincible inside that turtle shell? I’ll cut you in half!” Ding Yi was heard bellowing as he raised his sword and his entire figure was engulfed in flames. A fire was seen swirling around the blade, and following a howl, a three-legged exotic bird left the sword and swooped down on Fang Yue.
Ding Yi was the Bearer of the Divine Spirit Bi Fang. Bi Fang was a Fire Attribute Divine Spirit who had used his own Monster Core to help Ding Yi condense his Fire Element.
Some time ago, at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree, Ding Yi had used this move when battling the man surnamed Gou. The power of this slash was majestic, as though it could burn the entire world down.
Fang Yue sported a solemn expression at last. Although the illusory phantom of Solid Earth Black Turtle was remarkable, and it allowed him to ignore most attacks, he was still wary of a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power. Moreover, his defensive Secret Technique had been greatly worn down already.
After just a moment of hesitation though, he still steadfastly reached for the spirit fruit. Following a loud boom, Fang Yue shook a little as countless cracks appeared on his illusory phantom, as though it would fall apart at any moment. Still, it was able to protect him.
On the other hand, after Ding Yi made such a move, all his skin turned red as though he was a shrimp that had been cooked. Steam was billowing from his body, and blood was streaming out of his seven orifices. His sword-holding hand was trembling slightly.
Although his aptitude was not bad, it wasn’t good enough to condense a Seventh-Order Element. Be it his Dao Seal or his own physique, neither were able to bear the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power; however, Bi Fang didn’t care about this and forcefully had Ding Yi condense that power to increase his chance of snatching the Innate Spirit Fruit.
Therefore, even though Ding Yi possessed a Seventh-Order Fire Element, he wouldn’t dare to hastily use it, for it put a huge burden on himself. If he used it too many times, he might suffer fatal backlash.
This was the same case for many Bearers. Without building a solid enough foundation, a High-Rank Element Power was forced upon them by their Divine Spirit. They might appear to be powerful on the surface, but they would be haunted by endless trouble in the future.
On the other hand, the Divine Spirit behind Qu Hua Shang was Fei Yi, who wasn’t focused on a particular Element, making it impossible for her to condense a specific Seventh-Order Element. Fei Yi could only help improve her using other ways. This kind of benefit was far more reliable and without any potential trouble.
Although there were many cracks on the tortoise illusory phantom, it didn’t show signs of coming apart any time soon.
Following Ding Yi’s move, Lin Feng from True Martial Cave Heaven released a roar as a river appeared in the sky. Water was seen moving rapidly as though it was a real flood that was coming at its target.
This guy was abducted by Kun Sha previously. Kun Sha was a Water Attribute Divine Spirit, so it was expected that he would help Lin Feng condense his Water Element.
Nevertheless, since the Water Element was the gentlest amongst the Five Elements, despite it being Seventh-Order, it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as Ding Yi’s move. Still, there were many ferocious-looking illusory sharks in the river that gnawed at their target.
*Kacha…*
The tortoise illusory phantom around Fang Yue dimmed and almost collapsed, but he still guffawed, “This fruit is mine now!”
During this exchange of blows, he had already reached the Innate Fruit Tree and was about to pick the fruit.
Just then, a purple bamboo lightly whizzed towards him. It was Xiang Ying who had made a move!
The purple bamboo was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The tortoise illusory phantom finally shattered and Fang Yue’s figure was revealed.
The smile on Fang Yue’s face froze as a sense of crisis rose within him. Without thinking, he hurriedly moved aside and didn’t dare take the spirit fruit.
*Hong hong hong…*
Countless attacks struck the place where he was standing just before. If he hadn’t fled in time, he would’ve passed away on the spot since he didn’t have the illusory phantom’s protection now.
“You…” Fang Yue was exasperated. He was about to obtain the spirit fruit, but failed in his attempt at the last moment. He was so furious that he almost spat blood.
All of them finally fended off this reckless guy who relied on the protection of a turtle shell, but before they could breathe a sigh of relief, their hearts leapt to their throats again. That was because three figures, one man and two women, had silently managed to approach the Innate Fruit Tree. They were none other than Yang Kai, Qu Hua Shang, and Gu Pan.
When Yang Kai heard Fang Yue’s voice earlier, he knew that the chance he had been waiting for had arrived.
He had come into contact with Fang Yue once, so he knew that the latter’s defence was remarkable. With Fang Yue attracting everyone’s attention and attacks, Yang Kai and the two women could easily approach the fruit tree.
Everyone turned to look at the three of them and got ready to strike. Both apprehensive and excited, Qu Hua Shang whispered to Yang Kai, “I can fend off their attacks for one breath.”
After she finished speaking, she swung her hair as a red hairband came apart and turned into countless threads before guarding the space around them.
She meant it when she said that she could fend off the attacks for one breath, as one breath later, all the red threads disintegrated. Qu Hua Shang grunted, and her face turned pale.
Yang Kai bellowed, “Dragon Shield!”
After he surged his Earth Element Power, Dragon Shields appeared and hovered around the three of them. Every Dragon Shield was made from a life-like Dragon that appeared quite imposing.
Yang Kai’s Earth Element Power was derived from the essence of a True Earth Dragon’s Dragon Bead. It was just as solid as, if not more so than Fang Yue’s Solid Earth Black Tortoise Power.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had to comprehend this Dragon Shield Divine Ability on his own, while Fang Yue inherited his technique straight from a real Solid Earth Black Tortoise. Moreover, the Solid Earth Black Tortoise was an expert in defence, so the Earth Attribute Great Dragon was no match for the tortoise in this regard.
Therefore, the defence capability of Yang Kai’s Dragon Shield wasn’t on par with the one cast by Fang Yue earlier. Still, Yang Kai could condense them in large numbers, so he and the two ladies were surrounded on all eight sides.
Struck by innumerable attacks, the Dragon Shields broke apart one by one. These eight Dragon Shields lasted only three breaths.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and was about to pick the Innate Spirit Fruit the next instant.
“Junior Sister Gu!” Qu Hua Shang exclaimed.
Without uttering a word, Gu Pan fished out a paintbrush that was half her height. Hugging it with both hands, she swiped it at the void and shouted, “Ink!”
It was as though she was about to draw a painting in the sky. Following her move, a gigantic ink dot appeared and rapidly expanded.
The next instant, the entire world turned dim and all anyone could see was darkness. Even their Divine Senses had been shrouded and they could no longer hear anything. All of them had become blind and deaf.
One breath later, the strange anomaly dissipated, and when they all turned to look at the spirit tree, their eyes widened. That was because Yang Kai was already grabbing the Innate Spirit Fruit with an excited expression.
However, his expression soon became awkward, turning from excited to shocked and puzzled.
Yang Kai became rooted to the spot as everyone was staring fixedly at him.
Qu Hua Shang saw this and exclaimed in exasperation, “What are you doing? Take it and run already!”
The three of them had warded off countless attacks and finally got close to the Innate Fruit Tree; however, Yang Kai was just holding the fruit without picking it. Was he sick of living?
Certainly, Yang Kai also intended to pick the fruit and run, but he realised that he couldn’t grab anything. Both the Innate Fruit Tree and the Innate Spirit Fruit had seemingly materialised, but at the same time, they were illusory and intangible. His hand directly passed through the Innate Spirit Fruit without any hindrance.
Realising that something was off, Qu Hua Shang took a closer look and was astounded. Their Divine Spirits had never told them about such a situation. At that instant, both Yang Kai and she didn’t know what to do.
After giving it a thought, they realised that the Divine Spirits might not have intentionally hidden anything from them. The Divine Spirits might not know what would happen either. They only knew that in order to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they had to rely on the power of the Innate Spirit Fruit; however, throughout history, the Bearers who had gotten the Innate Spirit Fruits and their Divine Spirits would leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary as soon as possible, so the rest of the Divine Spirits would have no idea what happened in the Primordial Land.
[What should we do?] Qu Hua Shang looked anxiously at Yang Kai as she thought.
Gu Pan said in a hushed voice, “Do we keep staying here?”
Everyone stopped attacking and looked dazedly at Yang Kai while furrowing their brows. None of them had expected that the thing they were scrambling to snatch was so uncanny. Since Yang Kai was unable to pick the spirit fruit, the rest of them probably wouldn’t be able to either.
At that instant, the place fell into silence. Nevertheless, anyone in Yang Kai’s shoes would’ve felt apprehensive as all eyes were still on him.
Yang Kai continuously tried, but he just couldn’t grab the spirit fruit no matter what he did. Furious, he released his Divine Sense to grasp at it.
The next instant, following a crack, the spirit fruit broke apart and turned into wisps of light right in front of everyone’s eyes, stunning them all.
Even Yang Kai became rooted to the spot as he felt a cold chill run up his back. He just wanted to give it a try by using his Divine Sense, but he never expected that he would shatter the Innate Spirit Fruit! It never crossed his mind that the spirit fruit was so fragile.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was broken!
Several dozen Bearers bore the missions and responsibilities given to them by their respective Divine Spirits. They scrambled to snatch this Innate Spirit Fruit and some of them were severely injured or even killed, but now, the spirit fruit was shattered by Yang Kai.
A myriad of emotions like shock, puzzlement, and fury came over the crowd. At that instant, all of them looked resentfully at Yang Kai. Without the Innate Spirit Fruit, none of them could explain themselves to their Divine Spirit backers after they left the Primordial Land. If their Divine Spirits were mild-tempered, they might still stand a chance to survive; however, if their Divine Spirits were like Kun Sha, they were bound to die.
What Yang Kai had done had practically cut off their futures. This was an absolutely irreconcilable enmity!
However, what was strange was that after the Innate Spirit Fruit shattered, its spiritual lights didn’t dissipate immediately and instead, they streamed into the back of Yang Kai’s hand.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt the back of his hand burning, and as more wisps of light streamed into it, a peculiar yet abstruse pattern began to appear on his skin.
Following the formation of the pattern, a realisation suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai. Instantly, he figured out the uses of the Innate Spirit Fruit and the reason that the people selected by the Divine Spirits were called Bearers.
A Divine Spirit needed to use their Bearer’s body as a medium for the Innate Spirit Fruit’s power in order to escape the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s restrictions and leave this place.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was always destined to shatter and form this peculiar pattern. These pitiful Bearers thought that they had to pick the Innate Spirit Fruit and bring it back to their Divine Spirits, and even Yang Kai believed that was the case. It was probably how the Divine Spirits thought the spirit fruit was used as well.
In fact, the truth was different from their imagination. Regardless, Yang Kai had now truly obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit!
The turn of events took place too quickly. First, Yang Kai shattered the Innate Spirit Fruit and stunned everyone. Following that, the wisps of lights streamed into the back of his hand and formed an intricate pattern. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Although the others had no idea what the pattern was for, they believed that it was the key to their survival and rise. Since the spirit fruit was gone, they had to snatch this key!
In unison, all of them activated their Secret Techniques and attacked Yang Kai.
The expressions of Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan changed as they hurriedly used their own methods to fend off the approaching attacks. Although they were strong even amongst the Bearers present, there were too many people on the opposing side, so after just three breaths later, they fell into a perilous situation.
Yang Kai activated his Dragon Shield Technique again to protect them before he manipulated Space Principles to bring all of them away. When they reappeared, they were already three kilometres away.
Before he even stood firm though, Fang Yue charged towards him with a solemn expression and bellowed, “Senior Brother Yang, pardon my offence!”
Upon saying so, a stone lotus suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Initially, the stone lotus was small as it swirled around but it expanded rapidly. The lotus leaves probably came in a thousand layers.
Yang Kai arched his brow as he could clearly feel a Divine Medicine’s aura coming from this stone lotus. In other words, this stone lotus was a Divine Medicine. He wondered what the stone lotus was capable of doing and when Fang Yue obtained it.
The last time they met, Fang Yue didn’t possess such a thing. It seemed that he had come across an amazing opportunity as well.
The stone lotus twirled as its petals turned into sharp blades that loudly cut through the Void. No one dared to go near a radius of 300 metres around him.
Although Fang Yue was outstanding, he had only showcased his defensive capabilities so far. Now that he used such a move, it was apparent that he no longer intended to hide his true capabilities.
“Run!” Qu Hua Shang exclaimed. Now that Yang Kai had acquired the Innate Spirit Fruit, the best plan for him was to escape. If he stayed here, he would put himself in a tight spot after being besieged.
Ignoring her though, Yang Kai extended his hand. Following a Dragon Roar, the Azure Dragon Spear appeared and he thrust out. A fist-sized black hole flashed at the tip of his spear as he shouted, “Brother Fang, defend yourself.”
Sensing the spear thrust’s terrifying power, Fang Yue became extremely solemn. The black hole expanded right before his eyes, as though it was going to cover the entire world and he felt as if he would never be able to escape from it.
The speed at which the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet whirled around increased dramatically.
Following a loud boom, a gigantic black hole came into everyone’s view. The black hole seemed to have been filled with the aura of chaos and nothingness. The Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus stopped rotating and Fang Yue was sent flying away.
At the same time, Yang Kai staggered back a couple of steps. Even though he successfully warded Fang Yue off with his spear, he had also suffered some impact.
The next instant, countless attacks came right at Yang Kai. Qu Hua Shang’s face turned ashen. She was standing alongside Yang Kai, so she was also in the middle of this barrage of attacks. Even if she wouldn’t lose her life, being severely injured was a given. At that moment, she had the urge to give Yang Kai a real piece of her mind.
All of a sudden, a Sun leapt out of Yang Kai’s back. The Golden Crow was heard cawing and it flew around the Sun. At the same time, a terrifying aura out.
Gold Crow Casts the Sun!
With the Great Sun hanging in the sky, many Divine Abilities melted away before they even got close to Yang Kai while those that remained had their power significantly reduced. Yang Kai wielded his spear as innumerable spear shadows blocked those attacks.
A series of explosions was continuously heard and a moment later, Yang Kai kept his spear while panted slightly.
Everyone stared dazedly at the Sun behind Yang Kai and felt extremely helpless in their hearts. They had heard that a Divine Manifestation was insanely powerful, but not everyone had seen or witnessed it before. It wasn’t until this moment that they experienced the might of a Divine Manifestation.
A glimmer of hope radiated from Qu Hua Shang’s eyes as she took Yang Kai’s arm and urged, “Let’s now escape!”
However, Yang Kai patted her hand and flashed a smile at her to get her to calm down. Qu Hua Shang frowned, not knowing what he was up to now.
Many figures swooped towards them from all directions, and even the sky above them had been shaded as everyone surrounded Yang Kai and the ladies. Despite knowing that Yang Kai’s Divine Manifestation was horrifying, they were not willing to give up as their lives were at risk now.
Yang Kai swept a glance over them and said slowly, “Does any one of you want to challenge me?”
With the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet, Fang Yue flew back over and glanced at the Sun behind Yang Kai before heaving a sigh. He had given it his all just now and knew that he was no match for Yang Kai, so he didn’t want to embarrass himself again.
Although some people were eager to give it a shot, they wouldn’t dare to make the first move.
A moment later, someone bellowed, “Yang Kai, although you are indeed peerless here, it doesn’t mean you can defeat all of us. Since you’ve obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit, why are you still trying to embarrass us? Do you enjoy taunting us? In that case, we’d rather kill you and go to Hell together. None of us can escape unscathed anyways!”
Hearing this, many people nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai shot that person a glance and put on a smile, “Fellow Brother, you’ve misunderstood my intentions. I’m not trying to embarrass all of you; instead, I want to make a deal with you all.”
Xu Zhen sighed and called out, “Brother Yang, please just speak plainly.”
He was on good terms with Yang Kai, so he wasn’t sure if he should make a move now. If he did nothing, he couldn’t explain himself to Zhu Yan. Nevertheless, even if he made a move, he might not be able to gain the upper hand.
Yang Kai raised his right hand, and the peculiar pattern on the back of his hand immediately attracted everyone’s attention, “I have no idea why the Innate Spirit Fruit has turned into this pattern, but this should be what the Divine Spirits want. If I’m not mistaken, as long as anyone can kill me, this pattern will also be transferred to that person.”
Hearing that, everyone broke out into a commotion, and several of the gazes turned piercing.
Qu Hua Shang turned to look at Yang Kai and became anguished. Was this guy an idiot? Why would you reveal such a secret at this point in time?
Yang Kai grinned widely seeing the crowd’s reaction and continued, “However, anyone who intends to do so should be prepared to be killed by me.”
He paused for a moment before mentioning, “Also…”
Then, he disappeared all of a sudden. Their expressions of everyone changed as none of them noticed how Yang Kai disappeared despite the fact that they had surrounded him and locked onto his aura.
Before they could figure out what happened, Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from a different direction, “If I want to flee, none of you can stop me.”
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai slowly returned from three kilometres away.
All of them were dumbstruck as they looked dazedly at him. A long while later, Xu Zhen put on a helpless smile and commented, “Alright. You win.”
He decided to cast away the plan he had come up with. First, Yang Kai showcased exceptional combat strength, then he revealed his Space Secret Technique. Basically, no one at the scene could defeat or capture him.
He was fine with battling against them, but no one could stop him if he wanted to leave, unless someone could seal off the local space in advance. Nevertheless, once a battle took place, any hastily arranged seal would be broken.
At that instant, many of their expressions turned dark and solemn.
Since the Spirit Seizing War started, Yang Kai had undoubtedly become the clear winner, and the other Bearers only served as foils, which was why they were upset.
“Brother Yang, do you mind enlightening us on what you want?” Ning Dao Ran asked with a frown.
Yang Kai had already snatched the Innate Spirit Fruit, so he must have his own intentions for not leaving. Nevertheless, no one knew what he was up to.
“I wouldn’t dare to enlighten Brother Ning in any way.” Yang Kai shot him a look, “I just want to give all of you a chance to live.”
“Yang Kai, stop stalling and just spit it out!” Lin Feng appeared incensed. He was one of the top disciples from True Martial Cave Heaven, but he was now defeated by some guy that came from nowhere, which was why he was displeased.
Yang Kai explained, “There’s only one Innate Spirit Fruit. Now that it’s in my hands, you’ll have to kill me if you want to snatch it, but that will be difficult. However, if you can’t get the spirit fruit, you won’t be able to explain yourselves to your respective Divine Spirits.”
Everyone’s expression darkened when they heard that. This matter was what they were worried about. Divine Spirits were naturally not easy-going beings. They had paid a hefty price to nurture these Bearers and increase their strength. Some of the Divine Spirits even used the powers of their Monster Cores to help their Bearers so that they could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Now that these Bearers had failed to accomplish their missions, they would have to face the Divine Spirits’ wrath right after they left this place.
“Do you have a suggestion, then? Can you appease the Divine Spirits?” Someone yelled. In that case, their safety could be guaranteed at the very least.
Yang Kai replied with a wry smile, “No one can appease the Divine Spirits. I’m not capable of doing that. But… What if I told you that I can help you avoid them? If they can’t find you, they won’t be able to harm you. Right?”
Ning Dao Ran’s interest was piqued, “Tell us more.”
All of these Bearers had been left with an imprint by their respective Divine Spirits, so once they left the Primordial Land, there was no way they could escape from their eyes.
They had no idea whether Yang Kai was given such an imprint, but they believed he had one.
Yang Kai opened his palm and summoned a bead into it. Then, he raised it and said, “This is the Sealed World Bead, a self-contained world. It can accommodate any living creatures that are below the Open Heaven Realm. If all of you trust me, you can hide inside the bead and avoid the Divine Spirits’ eyes.”
“Sealed World Bead?”
“An independent world?”
“Isn’t that like a Small Universe?”
A commotion broke out as everyone observed the Sealed World Bead in amazement.
There were rarely any artifacts that could accommodate living creatures; however, the Small Universe inside an Open Heaven Realm Master’s body could do that because it was a world of its own. It could be said that an Open Heaven Realm Master’s strength was directly correlated to the Small Universe inside their body.
After Yang Kai fished out the Sealed World Bead, many gazes brightened as they became less hostile. If they could make use of this thing to avoid the Divine Spirits’ search, it was actually a feasible solution.
However, all of them were cautious. Yang Kai’s suggestion sounded terrific, but they didn’t know what was really on his mind.
A moment later, someone asked what everyone else was wondering, “What benefits will you get from doing this? What do you want?”
Just like what Yang Kai had said, no one at the scene could stop him if he wanted to leave; however, instead of doing just that, he made such a suggestion, which was why they were doubtful.
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “There’s nothing that I want. If there’s any benefit to be gained… It’s just that, we can end the Spirit Seizing War. Moreover, after all of you enter the Sealed World Bead, you won’t tell anyone that I’ve obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit. After I leave the Primordial Land, I can buy some time to flee that way.”
He was left with no other choice. It wasn’t that he was selfless, but if he didn’t do this, regardless of whether these Bearers could stop him, they would never let him off, which was troublesome. Furthermore, once they left the Primordial Land, the Divine Spirits would immediately find out what had happened. By then, not only would Yang Kai be hunted down by these people, but also by the Divine Spirits behind them.
In that case, Yang Kai decided to bring them all away. By doing so, he could also make them owe him a favour. These people were bound to achieve great things in the future, so having them owe him a life-saving debt would not be a bad idea. Moreover, just like what Yang Kai had said, he could buy some time to flee by doing this.
The Spirit Seizing War didn’t stop after someone snatched the Innate Spirit Fruit, it would only end if he could safely leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
If it weren’t for this reason, Yang Kai would’ve fled as soon as he got the Innate Spirit Fruit instead of remaining here.
Many people were convinced by his sincerity and it was not long before someone was heard laughing. With his sword over his shoulder, Ding Yi strode towards Yang Kai and said happily, “Brother Yang, I trust you. This Ding will quit the Spirit Seizing War!”
Upon reaching Yang Kai, he turned around and faced the others.
Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan traded glances before stepping towards him. Previously, they had come to an agreement with Yang Kai that they would fend off their opponents and snatch the spirit fruit before coming up with any further plans. Since there was a way that could avoid a battle now, they no longer had the urge to snatch the spirit fruit.
After giving it a thought, the little fatty, Xu Zhen, approached Yang Kai, and he was followed by Xiang Ying.
Just a moment later, seven or eight Bearers had come to Yang Kai’s side. Following this good start, things became easier. Subsequently, more people flew over and nodded at Yang Kai before curbing their aura and hostility.
With an apologetic expression, Fang Yue came over with the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet, “Senior Brother Yang, count me in!”
Yang Kai nodded at him, and seeing as Yang Kai didn’t hold a grudge with him, Fang Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he turned his head and glared at the Bearers who were still hesitant, “Senior Brother Yang is magnanimous enough to leave the past behind and bring all of us out of this place! What are you hesitating for? Or, do you want to inform the Divine Spirits what has happened after you leave the Primordial Land?”
Fang Yue’s words were extremely vicious, and as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the people beside Yang Kai turned cold as they looked cautiously at the Bearers who remained indecisive.
Since they had accepted Yang Kai’s suggestion, they were now riding the same boat as him. If Yang Kai was safe, they would stand a chance to live; however, if he fell into a perilous situation, they would also suffer.
Earlier, Yang Kai was the only one who was worried that word would get out, but now, a large group of people had the same concern. Faced with the threatening glares, the twenty or so Bearers who hadn’t made a decision yet felt their hearts jumping to their throats. They came to the realisation that if they didn’t make their stance clear immediately, they would have to face their rage.
Hesitating no more, they leapt towards Yang Kai and cupped his fists at him before calling him ‘Senior Brother Yang’.
Yang Kai replied to them in a humble manner.
Things were looking up as none of the Bearers had rejected his suggestion.
Since everything had been decided, Yang Kai told them to set their minds at ease and put them all inside the Sealed World Bead before settling them down in a particular place. After he was done with all that, he let out a long breath.
The Spirit Seizing War had finally come to an end. He had gotten the Innate Spirit Fruit, and now, he had to deal with those Divine Spirits. In order to safely leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had to come up with a proper plan.
With a deep gaze, he stared fixedly at the abstruse pattern on the back of his hand. With this thing in his possession, Yang Kai could flip the situation around and make Zhu Jiu Yin pay for what she had done.
While he was lost in his thoughts though, he suddenly felt an immense repulsive force coming at him from all directions. Looking up, he saw that the Innate Fruit Tree disintegrated and turned into points of light before leaving with the wind.
The Innate Fruit Tree was intangible as was just a convergence of energy. Now that the spirit fruit was taken away by Yang Kai, the foundation on which it existed was gone.
Since the fruit tree fell apart, the Primordial Land would soon close.
Yang Kai relaxed and let the force send him away. After the world around him spun for a moment, he realised that he was already outside the Primordial Land. Without hesitation, he summoned the Shadowless Veil and covered himself with it in order to conceal his aura and whereabouts.
Right after he was done with all that, many powerful Divine Senses swept across the place he stood from all directions and engulfed him.
It was apparent to Yang Kai that these Divine Senses belonged to the Divine Spirits who had been waiting outside the Primordial Land.
Since the Primordial Land had closed, they had to immediately look for their Bearers to find out whether they had succeeded.
Yang Kai held his breath and fell silent.
Soon, the Divine Senses left and went on to investigate other places. Knowing that the Shadowless Veil had worked, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
In the outside world, there was no way an artifact like the Shadowless Veil could deceive the Divine Spirits’ senses as each of them was just as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. The Shadowless Veil could only block off the investigation of Low-Rank Masters while Mid-Rank cultivators would not see through it without careful probing. These Divine Spirits on the other hand were immensely powerful in comparison.
However, they were now in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary where the powers of these Divine Spirits had been greatly suppressed, giving Yang Kai a chance to take advantage of the situation.
The area around him was a mess. After the Primordial Land was closed, all the cultivators who were still alive inside it were sent out and scattered in a radius of a few hundred kilometres.
Yang Kai swept a glance over his surroundings and realised that only forty or fifty thousand cultivators had survived. It had to be noted that more than two hundred thousand people had entered the Primordial Land, but after just a short period of time, so many people had lost their lives, which went to show how dangerous this adventure had been.
Yang Kai dared not stay in this place nor use too much of his strength, so he cautiously moved away in silence.
The Divine Senses of the Divine Spirits kept criss-crossing one another, forcing Yang Kai to stop and hide, which significantly slowed him down, resulting in him taking an entire hour just to move a hundred kilometres.
At the same time, the Divine Spirits outside the Primordial Land sported dark expressions because they couldn’t detect the auras of their Bearers at all.
It wouldn’t have mattered if it happened only to some individuals, which would suggest that these Bearers were too weak or unlucky and had died in the Primordial Land. However, something clearly was off as all of them had gone missing.
Throughout history, the Primordial Land had opened countless times, and there wasn’t a single time where the situation was so strange. All of the Bearers had gone missing, and it wasn’t certain whether they were dead or alive.
The Divine Spirits looked inquisitively at each other as they were both shocked and doubtful. What happened in the Primordial Land that made all of their Bearers disappear?
Atop a certain hill, Yue He anxiously gazed around. Even though she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it wasn’t easy for her to detect Yang Kai among these several tens of thousands of people. Unable to find him, she looked to Zhu Jiu Yin and asked, “Have you found Young Master?”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s expression was extremely dark, and hearing this question, she snorted, “No. I guess that little brat has lost his life.”
Since Yang Kai couldn’t immediately leave the Primordial Land, he must have fallen into danger.
She didn’t understand though. Yang Kai couldn’t be considered weak; in fact, he was undoubtedly the most powerful among all the Bearers, so how was it possible that he had lost his life? His death didn’t matter to Zhu Jiu Yin, but it had ruined her plans, [Am I going to be stuck in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary again?]
No one knew when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would open up again, and even if it did, there might not be a single person who could come in.
Guo Zi Yan comforted Yue He by saying, “Sir is an extremely lucky man, so I’m sure he’ll be fine. Lady Yue He, please don’t worry. Maybe he was held up by something.”
Hearing that, Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “When the Primordial Land closes, all who are still alive inside it will be forced out. Since Yang Kai hasn’t appeared, there’s no way… Hmm?”
As she spoke, she suddenly turned to look in a particular direction as her eyes flashed. For a brief moment, she detected Yang Kai’s aura before it disappeared. Recalling a certain artifact in Yang Kai’s possession, Zhu Jiu Yin soon figured everything out.
Following a loud boom, a surge of energy caused over a thousand cultivators to lose their lives on the spot. Some Divine Spirits furiously made a move because they couldn’t find their Bearers.
With no hope to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, these Divine Spirits wouldn’t care whether these people lived or died, so they went on a killing spree to vent their fury.
Fei Yi’s burly figure moved across the crowd as he hissed and widened his bloody mouth. There was a horrifying suction coming from his gaping jaws as he continuously swallowed up cultivators. Previously, Qu Hua Shang was around to stop him from feasting on these cultivators, but now that she was gone, and with no hope to leave this world, he decided to fill his stomach.
The place descended into chaos. Several tens of thousands of cultivators were both stunned and horrified. Many people had finally escaped from the Primordial Land after having gained immense wealth and opportunities. Initially, they thought that they could surge to great heights in the near future, but before their dreams came true, they were slaughtered.
Countless figures hurriedly ran away. In just half a cup of tea’s time, 30% of the cultivators were killed.
A hundred kilometres away, Yang Kai turned a terrified gaze towards this slaughter.
Fortunately, he had run away earlier; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life by now. Pulling his Shadowless Veil tighter, he thought that if Zhu Jiu Yin had really left a tracking technique on his body, she should’ve noticed him by now.
Regardless, he couldn’t stay in this place. He reckoned that he’d just contact Yue He at a later time.
Half a day later, all the noises behind him died down. Upon entering a certain valley, Yang Kai dispelled the Shadowless Veil’s concealment for a moment before quickly covering himself up again.
A moment later, a ray of light was seen rapidly approaching him from the horizon. Seeing that, Yang Kai snorted, knowing that Zhu Jiu Yin had really left a tracking mark on his body; otherwise, she couldn’t have found him so quickly.
The ray of light was so swift that in the blink of an eye, the distance between them had significantly shortened.
Yang Kai took off the Shadowless Veil and revealed himself fully. Narrowing his eyes, he saw four figures in that ray of light, who were none other than Zhu Jiu Yin, Yue He, and the others.
However, the next instant, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Zhu Jiu Yin, are you stupid!? How could you not know people were following you!? If I die it will be all your fault!”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and fled because several rays of light were seen relentlessly chasing after Zhu Jiu Yin.
Among the rays of light, Jin Wu was leading the way while he was followed by Zhu Yan, Kun Sha, and several others. There were seven or eight Divine Spirits in total.
Fei Yi had turned into a two-headed man as one of his heads was seen cackling, “Brother Jin Wu, you’re indeed clever. How did you find out that something was off with the cheap slut Zhu Jiu Yin?”
Jin Wu snorted, “That woman had three captives with her. If they became useless, why would she keep them alive? She wouldn’t let them survive for no reason. What this King doesn’t understand is why the other Bearers have gone missing. Why has only this cheap slut’s Bearer appeared?”
Kun Sha scoffed, “We’ll know after we capture and interrogate him.”
Zhu Yan said, “Since he’s the only one out of the dozens of Bearers who has appeared, it’s likely that the Innate Spirit Fruit is with him. If we capture him, one of us will be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
“Let’s see who will be able to catch him, then. Oh… that Brat is running away pretty quickly. Is he using some kind of Space Secret Technique? Incredible!”
Given Yang Kai’s cultivation and speed, there was no way he could get rid of the Divine Spirits, but his Space Secret Technique made it possible for him to stay ahead of them somewhat.
Between them, Zhu Jiu Yin was so mad that she almost spat blood. Certainly, she wanted to secretly contact Yang Kai and obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit. She didn’t know what was up with Jin Wu, but as soon as she left, he immediately chased after her, and she was unable to get rid of him.
Given enough time, she could have attempted to get rid of these annoying fellows. Nevertheless, since the Primordial Land had closed, it meant that there wasn’t much time left for them. That was why she didn’t have the time to brush off Jin Wu and the others as she directly chased after Yang Kai.
As she approached him, she spoke to him via Divine Sense, “Smelly brat, stop running! Did you get the Innate Spirit Fruit?”
A furious Yang Kai naturally hastened his pace further as he shouted, “Should I wait for death if I don’t run? Of course, I obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit!”
“Show me.” Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice was trembling.
Yang Kai almost couldn’t contain the urge to curse. He was trying his best to hide the spirit fruit, but this woman was making him fish it out instead.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t be blamed for this suggestion. If she couldn’t see the spirit fruit, she couldn’t be certain whether Yang Kai was telling the truth. If he had obtained it, the coming fight would be worth it. However, if he was lying, she didn’t have to keep wasting time.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai raised his right hand and revealed the pattern.
A puzzled Zhu Jiu Yin asked, “What is this?”
Yang Kai bellowed, “It’s the Innate Spirit Fruit! The fruit broke apart and became this.”
After becoming startled for a moment, Zhu Jiu Yin soon realised something and exclaimed, “I see!”
“Are you happy now?” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. He didn’t mind showing her the pattern, but the problem was that Jin Wu and the others could also see it. Presently, their gazes sparkled as they had also realised the crux of the matter. They stared fixedly at Yang Kai as their expressions were filled with greed and excitement.
“Come close to me. I’ll take you away!” Zhu Jiu Yin secretly spoke to him as she suppressed the excitement in her heart.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai kept dashing forward. He didn’t care that his energy was rapidly depleting, “You should get rid of them first, then we’ll talk!”
Following that, Jin Wu suddenly yelled, “Brat, whatever Zhu Jiu Yin promised you, I can double it! Besides that, if you help this King leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, this King can be your Protector for 300 years!”
Hearing that, Zhu Yan hurriedly countered, “Brat, I’m willing to give you my entire collection and become your Protector for 300 years!”
One of Fei Yi’s heads was seen grinning, “This King can be your Protector for 500 years!”
All of these Divine Spirits competed against each other and made very attractive offers, and upon hearing them, Yang Kai was indeed tempted.
Nonetheless, to Yang Kai, all of these Divine Spirits were not as important as Jin Wu. That guy’s Monster Core was of the Metal Attribute, which was what Yang Kai needed the most right now. If they could come to an agreement, Yang Kai wouldn’t have to worry about gathering his Metal Element Power.
Apparently, Zhu Jiu Yin understood what was on his mind though. She was aware that Yang Kai needed a Metal Element treasure because she had helped him look for one before. Unfortunately, she was unable to find one.
Worried that Yang Kai would be tempted by Jin Wu’s offer, Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “Brat, don’t forget that these three people are still in my hands!”
Before Yang Kai entered the Primordial Land, Zhu Jiu Yin had captured Yue He, Lu Xue, and Guo Zi Yan. Unless he didn’t care whether they lived or died, he would have to listen to her commands.
Lu Xue could be ignored as Yang Kai wasn’t that close to her. They came into contact because of the matter regarding Sword Pavilion and she decided to side with him to seek his protection. That was all.
Nevertheless, he could never abandon Yue He and Guo Zi Yan. The former had helped him a lot while the latter was extremely loyal to him.
Zhu Jiu Yan didn’t dump them because she had to use them to threaten Yang Kai. By bringing these people with her, she had to expend more energy and it only served to slow her down.
Yang Kai scoffed, “Since I’ve come to an agreement with you, I won’t go back on my word, so you don’t have to worry. However, how are we supposed to get rid of them now?”
Zhu Jiu Yin hurriedly said, “After the Primordial Land closes, there isn’t much time left. A fog will cover the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at any moment, and when that happens, all of you will have to leave. Stop running and come closer to me!”
“The entire Grand Ancients Ruins Boundary is closing as well?” Yang Kai was elated upon hearing that, knowing that she wouldn’t lie to him at this point. It was no wonder that Zhu Jiu Yin was so eager to look for him even if she had to expose herself.
According to her, a fog would cover the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at any moment. If she couldn’t achieve her goal by that time, all her efforts would go to waste. After giving it a thought, Yang Kai slowed down and waited for her to reach him.
Seeing that, Jin Wu and the others knew that they were in an unfavourable position. As soon as Zhu Jiu Yin and Yang Kai came together, their plan would fall through. At the thought of this, a ferocious glint flashed across Jin Wu’s eyes as he bellowed, “Zhu Jiu Yin, if this King can’t leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, I won’t allow you to feel any better! I’ll make sure you stay here forever!”
Upon finishing his words, he widened his mouth and roared, after which a golden light that lit up a hundred-kilometre radius shot towards Yang Kai.
A great sense of danger rose within Yang Kai as his pupils contracted. He had a feeling that he was engulfed in an aura of death.
Even though the Divine Spirits were suppressed in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which made sure that they couldn’t fully use their strength, this strike was still horrifying. Wherever the golden light passed, Heaven and Earth collapsed and space warped and tore asunder.
What terrified Yang Kai was that Jin Wu’s world-shaking strike had shattered the surrounding space, which disrupted the local Principles, making it impossible for him to use Instantaneous Movement.
Following a howl, the aura of a Divine Spirit permeated the air. A gigantic eight-legged spider illusory phantom suddenly appeared behind Zhu Jiu Yin. The spider was so massive that it almost covered the entire sky. There was a silver crescent moon on the back of the spider. It was the manifestation of her Heavenly Moon Demon Spider True Body.
At that instant, the entire world seemed to be filled with Monster Qi.
The golden light clashed with the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Manifestation, which then shook and dimmed a little.
“Jin Wu, you court death!” Zhu Jiu Yin was so infuriated that her beautiful facial features contorted.
Fortunately, she had reacted quickly just now; otherwise, Yang Kai would’ve been killed by that attack. Once that happened, she wouldn’t be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and she could only wait for the next opportunity.
However, it never crossed her mind that Jin Wu would be so resolute. As soon as he realised that there was no hope for him, he decided to end Yang Kai’s life. Even though he didn’t get the opportunity, he wouldn’t let someone else have it either. He was basically harming another person’s interest without benefiting himself.
Jin Wu cackled, “Cheap slut, kill this King if you can! I’m just afraid that you can’t!”
The competition between them had continued for countless years, so they basically had an irreconcilable grudge between them now. However, both of them were equally matched, so neither of them could gain the upper hand. Seeing as Zhu Jiu Yin was furious only pleased Jin Wu further.
Then, Jin Wu said in a grim voice, “Brothers, what are you waiting for? Stop your wishful thinking! That brat has to save those three captives, so there’s no way he’ll side with any of you!”
He had practically hit the nail on the head. The other Divine Spirits sighed and made a move without hesitation.
The horrifying attacks came right at Yang Kai, as though the Divine Spirits were determined to end his life on the spot.
All of Yang Kai’s hair stood on end as he felt a crawling sensation on his head. Earlier, Jin Wu’s attack alone almost sent him to the Yellow Springs. Now that eight Divine Spirits had made a move together, there was no way he could survive.
Even though Zhu Jiu Yin would protect him at all costs, he was still doomed.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai hurriedly used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. A Great Sun immediately leapt from behind him as his aura surged.
*Hong hong hong…*
The attacks from the Divine Spirits collided with Zhu Jiu Yin’s True Body Manifestation and caused it to shatter. Her Soul shook and blood started leaking from her lips.
The Great Sun was destroyed at the same time and Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood as he became battered.
Just one round of attacks almost made him unable to endure. Fortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin had blocked most of the attacks for him, and he had a strong foundation as well as a sturdy Half-Dragon Body; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life by now.
“Oh, that brat actually survived!” Jin Wu was slightly shocked, but that was all. Even though Yang Kai could survive the first round of attacks, there was no way he would still be alive and kicking after the second round struck.
Before they could make a move again though, a severely injured Yang Kai suddenly vanished into thin air.
Despite the fact that this place was covered with the Divine Spirits’ Divine Senses, they had actually lost track of Yang Kai’s aura entirely.
Jin Wu was stunned as he gawked and asked, “Where is he?”
The other Divine Spirits were both shocked and doubtful, not knowing what had happened.
On the other hand, a glint flashed across Zhu Jiu Yin’s eyes. A blood mist suddenly surged around her as she shot forward in a particular direction like a bolt of lightning. Apparently, she had used a Secret Technique to significantly increase her speed.
“Follow her!” Jin Wu bellowed and relentlessly raced after her.
Yang Kai had disappeared for no reason, but as long as they pursued Zhu Jiu Yin, they could definitely find him.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in his home in the Scarlet Star’s Star City. As soon as he appeared, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, his aura extremely weak. Still reeling from the shock, he panted heavily.
He was fairly powerful now, and he emerged to be the top among the Bearers in the Spirit Seizing War. Without fighting against the Bearers, he was able to convince them to concede defeat and entrust their lives to him. However, compared to those Divine Spirits, he was still far too weak, to the point that they could kill him at will.
Just now, before the Divine Spirits launched the second round of attacks, he found an opening to flee by making use of a Space Beacon to return to the Star City.
It couldn’t be helped. If he remained there, he would’ve been greeted with even more horrifying attacks. He managed to survive the first round, but Yang Kai wasn’t confident that he could do the same again.
After he scanned himself with Divine Sense, his expression darkened. His injuries were truly severe. His physique was battered, and many of his bones were broken. His five viscera and six organs were shifted heavily and even his Dao Seal was shaking violently. Anyone else with such injuries could only wait for death. Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Wood Element Power was condensed from the Immortal Tree’s essence and his Dragon Vein was also extremely strong. As long as he wasn’t struck by a fatal attack, he could definitely restore himself.
With difficulty, he sat up by pressing his hands against the ground. After stuffing many Spirit Pills into his mouth, he started circulating his strength to adjust his breathing.
Just now, before he left, he had told Zhu Jiu Yin where he was heading. The Star City of Scarlet Star was pretty far away from the Primordial Land, and while he could make use of a Space Beacon and return in the blink of an eye, it would take Zhu Jiu Yin at least a day to come here.
With one day as a buffer, she might be able to get rid of Jin Wu and the others. The crux of the problem now was whether he had enough time to wait for her arrival.
She had said that after the Primordial Land closed, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog might appear at any moment. Once that happened, outsiders like Yang Kai would be ejected. If she hadn’t come back by then, things would become terrible.
Therefore, Yang Kai had to restore some strength as soon as possible and then go look for her. By doing so, he could save some time.
Four hours later, Yang Kai pushed the door open and left. Even though he was still injured, he was able to move around at the very least.
As soon as he passed through the door, he saw two burly figures waiting for him in the yard. They were none other than the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon. After the Primordial Land opened up, everyone in the Star City left, leaving only these two exotic beasts behind to guard this place.
Both of them had been subdued by Yang Kai not long after he arrived at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and they had stayed by his side for a long time and been quite loyal to him.
When the Scarlet Flood Dragon saw Yang Kai, a hint of surprise lit up in its huge eyes. On the other hand, the Earth Dragon directly widened his mouth and squirmed as its saliva scattered everywhere.
Yang Kai burst into laughter and respectively gave them a Dragon Blood Pill; then, he patted their heads and said, “Thanks for your company, but I have to leave soon. Take care. I hope that we will meet again one day.”
These guys had a bit of the Dragon Clan’s bloodlines, and Yang Kai had been feeding them with Dragon Blood Pills over the years, so they might be able to become Divine Spirits one day. If there was an opportunity for them, they might be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t likely to happen as their competitors were people like Jin Wu.
They already had some spirituality, and after Zhu Jiu Yin taught them, they had developed some sentience. Hearing what Yang Kai had said, they fell silent.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon looked longingly at him as it was unwilling to part with him. The bean-like eyes on the Earth Dragon’s smooth-looking head batted as well.
“Alright. I have to leave now,” Without wasting any more time, Yang Kai waved his hand and shot into the sky.
While the Scarlet Flood Dragon growled in a small voice, the Earth Dragon howled loudly.
The next instant, Yang Kai returned and sized up the two guys before glancing at the peculiar pattern on the back of his hand.
He had figured out the uses of this pattern as soon as he obtained it. Rather than a mere tattoo, it was actually a strange space, which could accommodate a Divine Spirit.
The Divine Spirits were born and bred in this place, so they were marked with the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s aura. That was why even when the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog appeared, which caused it to close, they were still unable to get rid of this place’s restrictions. However, if they hid inside the strange space, they could deceive the Heavens and avoid the inspection, thus allowing them to break free from the cage called the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
There was no other way they could achieve this.
Even if Yang Kai kept the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon inside the Small Sealed World, they would be intercepted by the World Principles here when he was forced to leave. That was why he had never intended to keep them inside the Sealed World Bead.
However, since the pattern on the back of his hand was able to accommodate a Divine Spirit, it should be alright for him to stuff these two into it as well. He shook the pattern and infused his energy into it, and the next moment, a glow radiated from the back of his hand and engulfed the pair.
Following that, these two guys were sucked into that strange space.
Yang Kai grunted and felt that half of the energy he had just restored was drained. It then dawned upon him that he had to pay a price for activating this pattern.
A lot of energy was needed to stuff these two into it, so he wondered how much energy he would have to spend to put Zhu Jiu Yin inside; after all, she was a Divine Spirit who was far stronger than these two.
A moment later, Yang Kai shot into the sky again and moved in a particular direction. Without any delay, he kept consuming pills to restore his strength on his way to his destination.
Two hours later, while he was moving forward at full speed, he suddenly sensed something and looked around, only to quickly curse, “Damn it!”
At this moment, a seemingly endless fog was billowing from the Void and filling the world. Yang Kai found the fog familiar as it was none other than the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog.
In the past, the entire Star City where Scarlet Star once stood was covered in this fog, whereupon they were sent into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that the fog reappeared, it meant that the process was about to be reversed.
Since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was closing, all the outsiders would be forced out. If Yang Kai couldn’t reach Zhu Jiu Yin before that, Yue He and the others would be forced to remain here forever.
Without the hope to break free from this cage, Zhu Jiu Yin would vent her anger on them without a doubt.
With no time to spare, Yang Kai ignored the fact that he was seriously injured as he continuously manipulated Space Principles to charge forward at full speed.
Two hours later, the fog had thickened and was weltering. It seemed that the entire world would be filled with it soon.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that there was an aura in the fog that was connected to a different world. He knew that the fog had built a bridge between the outside world and the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary now.
However, Zhu Jiu Yin was still nowhere in sight, which made him feel anxious.
A moment later, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as a ray of light was fast approaching him from the distance. It was none other than Zhu Jiu Yin. At this critical moment, they finally reunited.
Nevertheless, things were on the gloomy side as Jin Wu and the other Divine Spirits were still relentlessly pursuing her.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s gaze lit up when she saw Yang Kai as she hastened her pace. Before she even came close to him, she pulled him towards her using a thread of spider silk and continued fleeing.
“Why haven’t you gotten rid of them yet?” Yang Kai asked with displeasure.
Previously, he had made use of a Space Beacon to return to the Star City. First of all, he had to flee because Jin Wu and the others were determined to end his life. If he had stayed there, he would’ve fallen into mortal danger. Secondly, he had intended to distract their attention so that Zhu Jiu Yin would stand a chance to shake them off.
Nonetheless, his efforts apparently yielded no results.
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “This Queen is not skilled at fleeing. How am I supposed to get rid of them?” Her face was pale as she spoke.
In order to return to the Scarlet Star’s Star City as soon as possible, she had no choice but to use a Secret Technique that sacrificed her Blood Essence. Besides that, she was attacked by Jin Wu and the others on the way to her destination, so she was badly injured.
If she were on her own, she would have fared better. The problem was that she was bringing Yue He and the others with her and had to protect them.
Yue He and the others were what allowed her to control Yang Kai, but they had also become her burden while running away and made her suffer a setback. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t dare to dump any of them. If Yang Kai became infuriated, she wouldn’t be able to achieve her goal.
“Brat, we’re in trouble,” Zhu Jiu Yin sported a gloomy expression. She had completed the first step of her plan by reuniting with Yang Kai. Now, she just had to get into the strange space on the back of his hand, and when the Boundary closed, she would be able to leave with him.
All that took time though, and no matter how quick she was it would still require a few breaths, but that was enough for Jin Wu and the others to cut Yang Kai into ten thousand pieces.
“Can you leave this place just like how you did it previously?” Zhu Jiu Yin asked in a grim voice.
In a solemn manner, Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m sure you can sense that these guys have sealed off the surrounding space. Apparently, they’re worried that I’ll use the same trick again.”
As soon as Yang Kai and Zhu Jiu Yin came into contact, Jin Wu and the others surged their auras to seal off a large area of space around them. They had suffered a setback previously, which was why they wouldn’t allow Yang Kai to use the same trick.
“But…” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “If you’re able to break their seal, we can escape. Can you do it?”
“I’ll give it a try,” Zhu Jiu Yin nodded solemnly.
“Pass them to me,” Yang Kai said.
With a doubtful look, Zhu Jiu Yin shot him a glance.
Yang Kai snarled, “We’ve gone through so much together already, are you still worried that I’ll go back on my word now? Now that the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog has appeared, there’s not much time left. Who else can I work with other than you?”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s expression turned milder and nodded, “I hope that you are not lying to me.”
Upon saying that, she released Yue He and the others.
After telling them to relax, Yang Kai summoned the Six Fated Paths Bag and stuffed them into it. The three of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way the Small Sealed World could accommodate them; he had no choice but to put them inside the Six Fated Paths Bag.
Just a moment later, the fog around them thickened as they almost couldn’t see the view around them clearly. Upon realising that they were running out of time, Jin Wu and the other pursuing Divine Spirits became agitated and their auras flared. While they were preparing to strike out again, they also cursed incessantly at their opponent.
Yang Kai took Zhu Jiu Yin’s wrist and said, “Do it now.”
Zhu Jiu Yin yelled, “Act swiftly!”
Saying so, a horrifying aura exploded from her body as the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Manifestation reappeared. All eight of its legs were dancing through the air while the silver moon on its back radiated a blinding glow. Countless threads of spider silk broke through the Void and attacked Jin Wu and the others in the next moment.
The Divine Spirits became furious and counterattacked, causing waves of energy to surge and turn the world pale.
As Zhu Jiu Yin’s Manifestation came apart under the bombardment, she grunted and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. She was facing eight Divine Spirits all on her own, which was why she suffered a total defeat. Even her Source had been damaged and her aura, which was originally near its peak still, plummeted significantly.
However, after the Divine Spirits traded moves, a crack appeared in their seal.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he activated his Space Beacon. A light covered Zhu Jiu Yin and him before they disappeared.
The next instant, eight attacks whizzed past the place where they had stayed earlier and shattered the Void; however, they were nowhere to be seen.
Jin Wu and the others reached the place and scanned the surroundings with their Divine Senses. Discovering nothing, they knew that Yang Kai had fled again. Unable to take it anymore, Jin Wu howled at the sky while the other Divine Spirits sighed, knowing that Zhu Jiu Yin was the winner this time.
On Crouching Dragon Mountain, two figures abruptly appeared in front of a small log house and collapsed to the ground.
Yang Kai had spent two years cultivating his spear technique here, so he had naturally left a Space Beacon in this place. He wouldn’t dare to return to the Star City as he was worried that Jin Wu and the others would go there to search for him, so Crouching Dragon Mountain was a natural choice. There was no way Jin Wu and the others were aware of this place, and they didn’t have the time to come all the way here to look for him. It could be said that they were completely safe in this place.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a soft and tender body under him and he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent tickling his nose. Raising his head, he saw Zhu Jiu Yin staring at him with a pair of ice-cold eyes.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her and rolled away from her. With his limbs spread on the ground, he panted heavily.
Zhu Jiu Yin remained unmoving as she lay beside Yang Kai. The last strike cost her an immense amount of strength. After trading moves with Jin Wu and the others, she became severely injured so now she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
After batting her lashes though, Zhu Jiu Yin suddenly started laughing in a pleasant voice.
Upon escaping Jin Wu’s pursuit, she could achieve her goal and leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. When she reached the outside world, she would definitely become one of the most powerful Masters as she was a Divine Spirit.
“Hand over your entire collection and be my Protector for a thousand years,” Yang Kai suddenly said, which made her abruptly choke on her laughter.
Suppressing the fury in her heart, Zhu Jiu Yin turned her head and glared fiercely at him, “Brat, don’t go too far!”
In a calm manner, Yang Kai looked up at the sky, “You can sleep on it. I’m in no rush.”
While he could remain calm, there was no way Zhu Jiu Yin could. The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was extremely thick and might send him away at any moment. There wasn’t much time for her to ponder on it. If she wanted to leave this prison, she had to agree to Yang Kai’s terms.
Since Zhu Jiu Yin found him and made him a Bearer, he had never talked about conditions with her. The other Bearers had already come to an agreement with their Divine Spirits in advance.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t want to get any benefits, it was just that he was waiting for the last moment when Zhu Jiu Yin would not be able to reject him.
“Brat, don’t forget that it was me who taught you the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture. It was me who gave you the Divine Dao Water to strengthen your Dao Seal. It was also me who helped you look for a Metal Element treasure without any complaint,” Zhu Jiu Yin said through clenched teeth as she had the urge to bite Yang Kai to death.
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course I will never forget those favours. but I know you only made such efforts so that I could snatch the opportunity for you to leave, and I’ve proven that I did not disappoint you, haven’t I?” As he spoke, he raised his hand and showed her the pattern on the back of his hand.
“As for the Metal Element treasure… you didn’t find one in the end. By the way, Jin Wu’s Monster Core is a Metal Element treasure. If I had cooperated with him, I would’ve gained the maximum benefits; however, I didn’t do so because I’m a man of my word. Since I’ve come to an agreement with you, I won’t betray you.”
Zhu Jiu Yin had the overwhelming urge to spit in his face when she heard that. If it weren’t because she had captured Yue He and the others, she knew Yang Kai would’ve dumped her in an instant and sided with Jin Wu.
“Your conditions are too harsh,” Zhu Jiu Yin suppressed her fury and haggled with him.
“Wealth doesn’t matter as you can’t bring it with you when you pass away.” Yang Kai grinned, “Moreover, you’re a Divine Spirit. Once you leave this place, you’ll be able to use your full strength and become as powerful as a Seventh or Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. What do you need those items for?”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “I can give you those things, but a thousand years is too long.”
“Divine Spirits live extremely long lives. I know a thousand years will pass in a snap of your fingers.”
“Brat, are you sick of living?”
“Do you have any energy left to kill me?”
Zhu Jiu Yin took a deep breath as her plump trembled, “Three hundred years!”
“A thousand years!”
“Five hundred years!”
“A thousand years!!”
“Eight hundred years!!” Zhu Jiu Yin screamed hysterically.
“A thousand years!!!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “Oh, no! The fog has thickened. I’m worried that I’ll need to leave soon.”
“Little bastard!” Zhu Jiu Yin was utterly incensed.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Have you agreed to it? Your word carries no weight. I want you to swear on your Source!”
“This Queen swears she will make you suffer the most excruciating torture after a thousand years!” Zhu Jiu Yin bellowed as she widened her mouth and spat out her Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source. The Source was a petite eight-legged spider, but its glow had dimmed. Apparently, it was injured.
After swearing on her Source, Zhu Jiu Yin put it back inside her body.
It was only then that Yang Kai set his mind at ease. Zhu Jiu Yin was incredibly powerful, but she could not take an oath sworn on her Source lightly. Just like a cultivator swearing on his Dao Heart, if there was no special way to render the oath ineffective, they had to honor it; otherwise, the backlash would be intense.
[As for a thousand years later… we’ll see if you can still defeat me by then.] Yang Kai grinned.
After everything was settled, Yang Kai directly raised the back of his hand and infused his energy into it, “Come in.”
A glow radiated from the pattern and engulfed Zhu Jiu Yin before sucking her into the strange space.
Instantly, Yang Kai’s face turned as pale as a white sheet as his forehead was drenched in sweat. Despite the fact that he already knew that it would cost him a lot of energy to put her inside the space, the exhaustion he felt was still beyond his expectation.
The next instant, Zhu Jiu Yin’s furious voice was heard coming from his Soul, “Why are these two little kids in here as well? It’s so cramped!”
With his limbs spread on the ground, Yang Kai couldn’t even move a muscle so he lethargically replied, “They’re just hitching a free ride. Bear with it for now.”
Yang Kai now realized why there was only one Divine Spirit who could be the winner in every Spirit Seizing War. He didn’t feel anything when he stuffed the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon into the special space, but now that he did the same to Zhu Jiu Yin, he immediately felt that it was filled to the brim. It was no wonder she said it felt cramped.
This special space could only accommodate one Divine Spirit. There was no room for another one.
The breeze was cold and the fog roiled. Yang Kai’s breathing slowly stabilised. Soon, the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was filled with fog, and he couldn’t even see his hands before his face.
It felt like a short moment, but it also felt as if many years had passed. When the fog dissipated, Yang Kai was startled to hear noises from all around him.
Opening his eyes, he realised that he was already floating in the void. Several tens of thousands of cultivators were scattered everywhere as they exclaimed and cried tears of joy, as though they had been reborn. They could hardly contain their excitement.
Over ten years ago, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept across an entire Star City and engulfed it. More than ten years later, the same fog sent them back.
In the past, there were several hundred thousand to over a million people in and around the Star City, but now, only twenty thousand to thirty thousand had come out alive. In the past dozen years or so, countless cultivators had lost their lives in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and only a small number of them survived.
Yang Kai immediately checked on his Small Sealed World, and upon realising that the Divine Medicines that he had obtained were still with him, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Principles in the Boundary wouldn’t intercept living creatures without flesh and blood bodies. If those three Divine Medicines were intercepted, he would’ve felt dejected.
Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom were not so important, but the gourd vine was a Supreme Treasure.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the other Bearers stayed quietly in a particular area. They were either meditating or looking around curiously. As the Master of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had imposed a limit on where they could go, so they were unable to see the Small Sealed World in its entirety.
After their initial excitement died down, the surviving cultivators started dispersing. Now that they had escaped unscathed, they wouldn’t dare to stay in the same place. It would be terrible if the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog returned for some reason.
These cultivators bid each other farewell and left in all directions.
It took Yang Kai a long time before he could restore some of his energy. As a thought flashed through his mind, he released those Bearers from the Small Sealed World.
After several dozen people appeared, they became startled for a moment before a pleasantly surprised Xu Zhen asked, “Have we left?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you all. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary has closed, and we’ve all left that place safely.”
Xu Zhen turned his head, and seeing as Yang Kai appeared completely battered, he became shocked and said, “Brother Yang, you must have suffered a lot.”
Although he wasn’t sure what Yang Kai had gone through, it was apparent that a lot of misfortunes had befallen the latter; after all, so many Bearers had entered the Primordial Land, but only Yang Kai had come out in the end, so there was no way those Divine Spirits would let him off.
“Many thanks, Brother Yang!” Xu Zhen solemnly cupped his fists.
All the others lightly bowed their heads as well, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang.”
If Yang Kai hadn’t put them inside the Small Sealed World, as soon as they left the Primordial Land, their respective Divine Spirits would’ve immediately found them. Many of them would’ve lost their lives because of that. It could be said that Yang Kai had saved their lives, so they now owed him a favour.
“It was a minor matter,” Yang Kai saluted them back.
“I haven’t returned to the Sect for years, so Sect Master must be worried about me. I’ll take my leave now, Senior Brother Yang. If you ever come to the Free and Unfettered Territory, please pay a visit to our Sect. This Ning will personally welcome you.” Ning Dao Ran placed one hand on his chest and sincerely invited him.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “I’ve heard much about the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. If there’s a chance, I’ll definitely pay your Sect a visit.”
After a nod, Ning Dao Ran turned around and left.
“I also have to return to my Sect. Yang Kai, I’ll definitely repay your favour in the future, so don’t get yourself killed too soon.” Lin Feng snorted and cupped his fists before leaving with Ning Dao Ran.
“I have to leave as well. Little Brother Yang, come look for me when you’re free,” Upon finishing her words, Qu Hua Shang flicked a token at him, “With this token in your possession, you can come to my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven whenever you want.”
Yang Kai stored the token and nodded his head, “Senior Sister Qu, take care.”
Following that, Xu Zhen, Gu Pan and the others also left. They were from Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so it was expected that they had to leave in a hurry. The opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a major event; moreover, many people had been sucked into the Boundary this time while all the survivors had had their own opportunities. The Bearers had especially gained immense benefits, and many of them had condensed Sixth-Order or even Seven-Order Element Powers. Therefore, they had to immediately report this matter to their Sects. With so many new rising stars, it was a great opportunity for those Cave-Heavens and Paradises to recruit them and nurture them into future powerhouses.
This matter had to be settled as quickly as possible. If the news was spread around, it would be too late for them to recruit these people.
Before Xu Zhen and Gu Pan left, they had respectively given Yang Kai a token and told him that with them in his possession, he could contact them as long as he came to their Sects.
Yang Kai carefully kept them. He had intended to ask Gu Pan about Zhang Ruo Xi, but there were too many people around, so he decided to give up on that idea. In any case, with Gu Pan’s token in his hands, he could go to Lang Ya Paradise when he was free.
Following that, all the Bearers left one by one. All of them bid Yang Kai farewell before leaving. They had gained a lot of benefits in the Boundary this time, so they wouldn’t dare to remain here lest an accident happened.
Some of these Bearers were not famous, while some of them were the top disciples in their respective great forces, but regardless, they were all Emperor Realm cultivators who would be easy targets for those who wanted to rob them of their wealth. A while later, Yang Kai amassed twenty or thirty tokens in total. He watched them leave, and soon, there was no one around him.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. This time, he had gained unimaginable benefits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Besides the immense resources for cultivation, he had also brought back a Divine Spirit and made her agree to become his Protector for a thousand years.
There were also the rewards he had gained in the Primordial Land, which included three Divine Medicines, a large amount of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, sixteen World Fruits and a World Tree root.
Apart from these tangible benefits, there were also the intangible ones, which included forging friendships with other Bearers. These guys had been nurtured by Divine Spirits in the Boundary, and if they could grow to become famous and powerful, they would be able to influence the 3,000 Worlds’ affairs. It could be expected that hundreds or thousands of years later, they would all become powerful hegemons.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt extremely lucky and pleased that he was part of these changing times.
“Brother Yang, do you have a place to go?” A figure approached Yang Kai. It was Ding Yi.
As soon as Ding Yi left the Boundary, he started gathering his subordinates together. He was the founder of Emperor Heaven. Initially, there were many people in his group, but a lot of them were killed in the Primordial Land, and many more were slaughtered by the Divine Spirits at the last moment. This was a loose organisation that only banded together to survive in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that they had returned to the outside world, many of them were not willing to stay.
Presently, there were only a few hundred people around Ding Yi. These people didn’t have a Sect or background, so after they left the Boundary, they had nowhere to go. Upon Ding Yi’s calling, they gathered around him again.
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded and then shook his head.
Before he was swept into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary by the strange fog, he was part of First Inn; however, at that time, Bai Qi was ambushed when he was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, so he was almost destined to die. A furious Proprietress had sworn to kill Qin Ji and the others in order to avenge him. Over ten years had passed since those events, so Yang Kai wondered how they had been doing.
Ding Yi grinned, “If you have nowhere to go, why not join me?”
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Brother Ding, where are you going?”
With a proud expression, Ding Yi replied, “I’m going to look for a Spirit Province to found a Sect and make a name for myself.”
“Brother Ding is a man of ambition.” Yang Kai praised him. In the past, Ding Yi didn’t have the right to do such a thing. Nevertheless, he had obtained tremendous benefits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and as long as he could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would be a Fifth or Sixth-Order Master. That was enough for him to found a Sect.
“As long as you’re willing to help me, I’ll definitely achieve my goal. If you decide to come with me, you will be the Leader.” With a pair of bright eyes, Ding Yi looked excitedly at him.
He was fully aware of Yang Kai’s capabilities. Knowing that he was inferior to him, he was eager to make him become part of his plan.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai shook his head, “Many thanks for your kind invitation, Brother Ding, but I have other matters to attend to, so I’m afraid that I can’t join you.”
Hearing that, Ding Yi appeared disappointed and sighed, “That’s a shame.” Nevertheless, he was an optimistic person, so he pulled himself together quickly, “In that case, we’ll part ways here. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Farewell.”
“Take care,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
“Guys, let’s go. Follow this Ding to make a name for ourselves and let the 3,000 Worlds tremble beneath our feet. Hahaha!” Ding Yi swung his arm and proudly led these hundreds of people to leave this place.
Yang Kai watched him leave and shook his head with a smile. He appreciated Ding Yi being so ambitious, but he knew the latter might face some trouble in the future. In order to increase his strength, Bi Fang had forced him to condense a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power, so he might not be able to smoothly ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
When a cultivator condensed their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers, they would naturally strive to look for the ones that were suitable for them rather than the highest Order ones. The limits of their physique, Dao Seal, and foundation were invisible, but they would restrict a cultivator’s growth. If they condensed Elements beyond those limits, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Although Ding Yi had an excellent aptitude, he was unable to bear the impact of a Seventh-Order Element. As a result, he suffered a backlash after he activated his Fire Element Power.
Besides him, there were other Bearers who faced similar problems. If they couldn’t solve this issue, they would fall into danger when ascending to the Open Heaven Realm.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had no right to interfere in their matters.
Next, he released Yue He, Lu Xue, and Guo Zi Yan from the Six Fated Paths Bag. Upon learning that they had left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and returned to the outside world, they were elated.
At this time, no one else was around them as all of the other cultivators were gone. Only Yang Kai and they were left.
He took a glance at Yue He and felt that life was full of uncertainties. The reason he came into contact with her was that she was worried that the Proprietress would find fault with her, so she decided to hold him hostage; however, none of them could have expected to be engulfed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog when they were in the Star City.
They had spent over ten years suffering together and supporting each other in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so there were no more grudges between them now.
Nonetheless, since they had left the Boundary, it was time they parted ways.
Realising that as well, Yue He no longer felt joyful about leaving the Boundary. Hanging her head low, she fiddled with the hem of her clothes and fell silent.
“Sir, where should we go?” Guo Zi Yan cupped his fists and asked.
Previously, he was a Great Commander of Scarlet Star, but now, the Star City was gone, and he had nothing to do with Scarlet Star anymore. Naturally, he wanted to follow Yang Kai around.
Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart and took a look at their current location as well as the Star City where First Inn was in. Then, he felt speechless as the inn was far away.
In order to return to First Inn, he would have to cross five Great Territories. Without the help of the Universe Transference Law, it would take him a few months to fly over.
Then, he turned to look at Yue He, “Do you want to come with me and apologise to her?”
He had no idea about the relationship between Yue He and the Proprietress, but judging from their conversation over ten years ago, they knew each other, and they were on pretty good terms prior to that. Something must have happened that made them go against each other. Yue He even joined forces with Qin Ji and the others to frame the Proprietress and almost ruined Bai Qi’s ascension.
This was a serious matter. Fortunately, with Yang Kai’s help, Bai Qi got out of the woods and there wasn’t any irreversible outcome. If Bai Qi lost his life because of that, the grudges between the Proprietress and her would’ve become irresolvable.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to repair their relationship.
“Why should I apologise to her? I’ve done nothing wrong.” Yue He looked away and pouted.
“You should apologise to her because you’re in the wrong!” Yang Kai sported a grim expression, “Since you two were as close as Sisters, why did you fall out in the end? You two should sit down and talk it out. The Proprietress isn’t an unreasonable person.”
After a moment of silence, Yue He replied in a hushed voice, “Young Master, since you’ve told me to apologise to her, I will do so. The worst that can happen is that she will beat me to death.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “That won’t happen. Alright, follow me to see her. If she really wants to beat you up, I’ll help you fend off her attacks.”
Yue He nodded gently.
Following that, Yang Kai turned to look at Lu Xue, “What about you? Is there any place you can go to?”
There was a sense of perplexity behind Lu Xue’s eyes as she shook her head. Since Sword Pavilion was gone, she was practically homeless. Nevertheless, she was a powerful Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it wasn’t difficult for her to support herself. Even if she decided to join a Second Class great force, she would be warmly welcomed.
“We’re going to a certain Star City. If you don’t mind, you can join us,” Yang Kai suggested.
When they reached the Star City, she could go wherever she wanted, and Yang Kai wouldn’t stop her.
Lu Xue replied, “En.”
He didn’t bother to ask Guo Zi Yan. This guy and another group of people had become his subordinates, so they were supposed to follow him around. First Inn probably couldn’t accommodate so many of them, but after they arrived at the Star City, the Proprietress could find some jobs for them.
These guys were loyal to him, and they had gained immense benefits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Given enough time, they would grow to be powerful and help him make a name for himself in the 3,000 Worlds.
After a brief discussion, Yang Kai mapped out a route and set off towards the Great Territory where First Inn was located.
He decided to go to First Inn to meet up with the Proprietress and Bai Qi and then help Guo Zi Yan and the others to settle down before returning to the Star Boundary.
He had obtained a World Tree root in the Primordial Land. The amazing root was able to stabilize a world, so he was eager to go back and find out whether it could repair the Star Boundary.
If it was feasible, Yang Kai would have no more worries; however, if that didn’t work, he had to keep looking for the World Tree that Ah Da had mentioned. He could never set his mind at ease as long as the crisis facing the Star Boundary wasn’t solved.
As they flew forward, Yue He’s mind seemed elsewhere. Apparently, she was apprehensive; after all, she had committed a huge mistake, so she was anxious about seeing the Proprietress and worried that the latter might not forgive her.
Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to comfort her as he had expended too much energy in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. On his way to his destination, he grasped at every chance to restore his energy.
Suddenly, Lu Xue spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Someone is tailing us.”
A shocked Yang Kai turned his head and saw that there was indeed a tiny black dot in the distance behind them. The black dot was too far away, so Yang Kai wasn’t able to make out that person’s face, but he could tell it was an Open Heaven Realm Master.
A thought flashed through his mind as he realised that someone must have their eyes on him because he was practically the brightest star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. With the suppression of the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog in place, Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to fully use their strength; therefore, some of them must be displeased that a mere Emperor Realm Junior like him was able to stand peerless. There were rewards to be gained by targeting him; after all, he had gained lots of benefits in the Boundary. Besides the income from Scarlet Star, they must be jealous of the rewards he had gotten from his numerous adventures.
Benefits moved the world. Just like tigers returning to mountains or Dragons plunging back into the ocean, these Open Heaven Realm Masters became unrestrained after they left the Boundary, so it wasn’t surprising that some of them had their eyes on Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai was unafraid, he preferred to avoid trouble for now. As he led the other three to keep changing directions, he intended to get rid of the person behind them; however, that person was relentlessly pursuing them, which made Yang Kai furious.
A while later, Lu Xue suddenly raised her hand and exclaimed, “Wait a moment! There’s something off in front of us!” Then, she stared at the front with narrowed eyes.
Yang Kai scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense but couldn’t find anything.
This wasn’t surprising though as he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so his heritage was no match for that of Lu Xue, who was a Fourth-Order Master. It was expected that she could discover things that he couldn’t see; thus, he turned to look at Yue He.
This woman had been absent-minded all the way, but she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she was much stronger than Lu Xue. Supposedly, if there was something that was amiss, she should be the first one to discover it. Nevertheless, the fact was that without Lu Xue’s warning, Yang Kai wouldn’t even have found out that they had been targeted.
Finally, Yue He came to her senses as her eyes flashed coldly. She scanned the front with her Divine Sense and stared fixedly at a particular spot. Then, she raised her hand and gently pushed it towards the void.
Her attack was soft and light, but following her movement, World Force undulated. A layer of ripple swept across the void in front of them and like a fog that had been uncovered, several dozen people were abruptly revealed.
Yang Kai swept a glance over their faces and scoffed, “It’s you guys!”
The people that had blocked their way were none other than those from Scarlet Star. With the Head Manager Zhao Bai Chuan at the front, Chen Tian Fei, the Ou Yang Brothers, Lady Qin, and Bei Yu Shan all present. Apart from these Mid-Rank Masters, the others were all Low-Rank. There were indeed many people as over forty people had gathered.
Apparently, the person who had been tailing them was also from Scarlet Star.
Yang Kai felt his heart sinking as he hurriedly spoke to Zhu Jiu Yin, “We’ve come across some trouble and might need your help.”
Although he had Yue He and Lu Xue, who were respectively Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, on his side, the people on the opposing side had greater numbers. What’s more, the Head Manager of Scarlet Star, Zhao Bai Chuan, was a Fifth Order, and the other Managers were all in the Fourth Order. Besides the fact that there were more people on the opposing side, their collective power was also much stronger. If they got into a fight, those from Scarlet Star were bound to gain the upper hand.
Now, Zhu Jiu Yin was the only person who could help them win the battle. Given her strength as a Divine Spirit, as long as she made a single move, these Fourth and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be easily defeated.
Yang Kai knew that these people had come all the way here to seek revenge as he had oppressed Scarlet Star horribly in the past.
While he had placed all his hope on Zhu Jiu Yin though, she unexpectedly replied, “Run. I can’t fight with anyone for now.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes as he asked, “What do you mean?”
He regarded Zhu Jiu Yin as his trump card, so he hadn’t expected to hear such a reply.
Zhu Jiu Yin said, “First of all, my Source has been damaged, so I need time to recuperate. If I fight against others, it will worsen my injuries. Secondly, I was born and raised in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary where the World Principles are different from those in the outside world. Even if I make a move, I can’t use my full strength. I need some time to adjust to the new World Principles.”
“Some time? How long will that be?” Yang Kai asked.
“Three to five months? Maybe six months to a year. Perhaps it will take ten to twenty years. I’m not sure,” Zhu Jiu Yin replied solemnly, but her tone suggested that she was taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune.
Yang Kai almost wanted to curse. He was aware that her Source had been damaged as at the most critical moment, she fended off the attacks from eight Divine Spirits on her own, so there was no way she wasn’t harmed in the process. Damage to a Divine Spirit’s Source was indeed horrifying, so she truly needed time to recuperate; otherwise, she would be left with some grave concerns.
Yang Kai wasn’t certain whether she really needed time to get used to the new World Principles; however, he was in deep trouble, and she would not get off easy if he were to fall here, so she most likely wasn’t lying to him.
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “Don’t forget your oath! If I die, you’ll end up in a miserable state as well!” As Yang Kai’s Protector, Zhu Jiu Yin had a duty to ensure his safety. If something unfortunate happened to him, she would also suffer a backlash.
Zhu Jiu Yin replied, “That’s why I told you to run. Aren’t you adept at it?”
Their secret conversation lasted only for a moment. On the other hand, Yue He stared at Zhao Bai Chuan with a cold face and said grimly, “Head Manager, why have you blocked our way?”
She was asking the obvious. These people must have some ill intentions for blocking them in this place. At the same time, she secretly spoke to Yang Kai, “I’ll hold them up later. You should seize the chance and run.”
She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even though she couldn’t defeat these people from Scarlet Star, it wouldn’t be easy for them to kill her.
Without replying to her, Zhao Bai Chuan gazed dispassionately at Yang Kai as though the latter was an ant.
There was an amiable smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face as he stepped from behind Zhao Bai Chuan and cupped his fists, “Greetings, Foreign Elder Yang, Lady Yue He!”
He was putting himself in a lower position as though they were still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Yang Kai replied impassively, “Manager Chen, is something the matter?”
Chen Tian Fei said, “Not at all. This Chen just wanted to ask where you’re going. If you don’t mind, why don’t you join us?”
“Where are you going?”
There was a bitter smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “The Star City has been destroyed, so we’re practically homeless right now and don’t know where we can go. You are a Foreign Elder from Scarlet Star, so we’re all on the same boat. If there’s a good place you know, please bring us with you so that we can have a place to settle down. We don’t want to wander around anymore.”
Yang Kai didn’t show any emotions on his face, but he thought that something was amiss. It was apparent that these guys had ill intentions by blocking his way; however, why didn’t they make a move when they were at an advantage? Instead, Chen Tian Fei was having a small talk with him, and judging from his expression, it was obvious that he was wary of something.
[What are they wary of?] A thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind and soon realisation dawned upon him. They hadn’t made a move because they were wary of Zhu Jiu Yin!
It was a well-known fact that he was a Bearer; after all, Zhu Jiu Yin had lived in Scarlet Star’s Star City for a few years. At that time, Zhao Bai Chuan had even brought Chen Tian Fei and the others to greet her. Now that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was closed, they weren’t certain whether Yang Kai had brought her out.
Even though Zhu Jiu Yin was nowhere in sight, they had to be careful. If she was really with Yang Kai, there was no way they could defeat her. That was the reason they were acting so polite yet insincere.
[So, that’s why.] Upon realizing what was on their minds, Yang Kai relaxed and curled his lips into a smile, “Manager Chen is right. All of you have assisted me greatly over the past few years. As a Foreign Elder of Scarlet Star, this King will not stand on the sidelines when you’re in trouble. Good. If all of you are fine with it, you can come with me.”
Chen Tian Fei’s brow twitched when he heard that as he asked probingly, “Foreign Elder, where are you going?”
Yang Kai summoned a Universe Chart and infused his energy into it. A route immediately appeared on the chart, which was the one he had mapped out earlier. He then pointed at a spot and said, “There’s a Star City here. I’m going there.”
“A Star City?” Chen Tian Fei was puzzled.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Oh, I’ve forgotten to tell you. This King is from First Inn, and my Proprietress is Madam Lan. I was trapped in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the past. Now that I’m free, I certainly have to look for her.”
“Madam Lan?!” Chen Tian Fei was stunned, and even Zhao Bai Chuan, who was originally calm and collected, narrowed his eyes.
Lady Qin asked hesitantly, “Are you talking about Lan You Ruo?”
In the 3,000 Worlds, there were not many famous women, but many people had heard of the Proprietress before. As a woman, Lady Qin was naturally aware of the matters regarding the Proprietress.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded and stared at her, “Madame, do you know my Proprietress as well?”
Lady Qin smirked, “I’ve heard a lot about her.”
Madam Lan was someone she looked up to greatly. She thought to herself countless times that if she could ever have any achievements that were as great as those of Madam Lan, she would die with no regret.
Chen Tian Fei said in shock, “Foreign Elder, you’re from First Inn?”
A bashful Yang Kai replied, “It is embarrassing to admit, but I am just a shophand in the inn.”
Realising that the matter was thornier than expected, Chen Tian Fei turned to look at Zhao Bai Chuan. The reason they blocked Yang Kai’s way was indeed to kill him; after all, he had snatched countless treasures from Scarlet Star over the years, which was why they were unresigned. Moreover, they knew he had obtained many Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones from the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, which translated to some immense wealth. They had heard that Yang Kai had collected over a dozen Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones.
Their Star City had been destroyed, so they had suffered tremendous losses. In order to rebuild, they needed a lot of resources, which was why they had their eyes on Yang Kai.
However, they had never expected that he was from First Inn.
They were not aware of his background previously, so it wasn’t until this moment that they found out he had something to do with First Inn. It was no wonder that he had such a strong heritage as an Emperor Realm Junior. With guidance from Madam Lan, it wasn’t so surprising.
“So, are you coming to First Inn with me?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhao Bai Chuan chuckled, “I’ve heard a lot about First Inn. In fact, I had even made some deals with First Inn in the past. The way they do business is always fair. However, what can we do if we head to First Inn? As far as I’m concerned, it isn’t so easy to join them.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Of course the average person wouldn’t be accepted; however, if all of you are willing to start from the lowest positions, I can put in a word for you. You know how to serve customers, right?”
While Zhao Bai Chuan’s face twitched, Chen Tian Fei let out a hollow laugh.
They were Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters after all, so there was no way they would serve customers in a lobby. If word got out, they would be too embarrassed to show their faces.
Zhao Bai Chuan resolutely said, “Many thanks for your invitation, Foreign Elder, but we will have to respectfully decline. We are used to living a free life, so we can’t be restrained in any way. We will not be going to First Inn.”
“That’s a shame.” Yang Kai sighed and patted Chen Tian Fei’s shoulder, “Manager Chen, I thought I could help you get rid of some extra weight if you could join me.”
The muscles around Chen Tian Fei’s mouth were stiff as he smiled fawningly.
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “You’ll have to pass through several Great Territories, so the road ahead of you is long and paved with danger. If you don’t mind, we’re willing to escort you.”
“Oh… there’s no need to go through so much trouble.” Yang Kai raised his hand and smiled lightly, “If anyone dares to rob me, I’ll make sure that they do not return alive.”
At that instant, a light flashed across the pattern on the back of his hand, whereupon a Divine Spirit’s aura filled the air.
That was the result of Yang Kai’s discussion with Zhu Jiu Yin. She was unable to make a move, but there was no problem for her to reveal her aura.
The expressions of Zhao Bai Chuan and the others changed drastically as their backs became drenched in cold sweat.
Swiftly withdrawing a few steps, Zhao Bai Chuan cupped his fists, “In that case, we’ll not delay Foreign Elder Yang any further. Farewell.”
Yang Kai nodded smilingly, “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
Following that, he led Yue He and the others to pass through the crowd and left in a casual manner.
After they were gone, Chen Tian Fei wiped the sweat from his forehead as he said fearfully, “That brat really brought Zhu Jiu Yin out!”
The expressions of the Ou Yang Brothers were dark, with Ou Yang Lei saying, “A Divine Spirit’s aura is indeed terrifying!”
When the aura descended upon them, he didn’t even have the courage to resist, as though he would suffocate and die the next moment if he even tried.
Ou Yang Bing looked admiringly at Zhao Bai Chuan, “Head Manager indeed stands higher and sees further. It was the right choice not to confront him immediately; otherwise, we would have fallen into a terrible situation right now.”
Chen Tian Fei put on a fawning smile, “There’s no doubt that Head Manager is brave and intelligent. Now that that brat has Zhu Jiu Yin with him, I’m afraid we can’t do anything to him.”
Then, all of them looked at Zhao Bai Chuan and waited for his decision.
A myriad of expressions came over Zhao Bai Chuan. There was a glint behind his eyes as he seemed lost in his thoughts.
A moment later, he raised his head to look in the direction Yang Kai had left, then he bellowed, “Damn it! We’ve been tricked!”
“What?” Chen Tian Fei and the others gazed at him in puzzlement.
“That brat was just bluffing. Pursue him, now!” Zhao Bai Chuan yelled and charged forward. Not daring to disobey his order, Chen Tian Fei and the others hurriedly followed him.
Lady Qin asked on the way, “Head Manager, why did you say that the brat was bluffing?”
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “If he weren’t bluffing, he wouldn’t have mentioned Madam Lan from First Inn and revealed Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura. We’ve dealt with that boy for years now, so how can you not be clear about his temperament yet? If he was able to defeat us, he would’ve used force right away instead of wasting time talking.”
Their hearts sank, and upon pondering on it, they realised that it was indeed the case.
The first time they came into contact with Yang Kai was when he forcefully took control of Scarlet Star and killed two of their Managers, Gan Hong and Poison Lady. Then, he showcased a peerless power and oppressed others in the Star City as he stole most of Scarlet Star’s income and resources.
It could be said that it was difficult to get along with such a person; however, Yang Kai was polite to them just now. He had never treated them in such a way over the past few years. His behaviour suggested that he was diffident.
They all agreed with Zhao Bai Chuan’s remark. Yang Kai was just bluffing by revealing his relationship with First Inn and Madam Lan as well as Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura.
A cautious Chen Tian Fei said hesitantly, “Head Manager, what if he is just playing the pig? How should we deal with him?”
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “Whether he was bluffing or feigning weakness, we’ll find out after we capture him.”
At the same time, in a place that was a few thousand kilometres away, Yang Kai and the others were flying at full speed. A perplexed Yue He asked, “Young Master, why are you running away so quickly?”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “I have not frequently come into contact with Zhao Bai Chuan, but since he’s able to be the leader of Scarlet Star, there’s no way he’s dumb. What I had said could stun him for a moment, but he would soon figure out everything. When that happens, he’ll certainly chase after us. So, we’d better quickly run away.
A quarter-hour later, Yue He’s expression changed as she exclaimed, “Damn it! They’re really pursuing us!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw dozens of lights coming at him at full speed. He was furious because as the weaker one, he was unable to resist any form of oppression. Then, he stared at Lu Xue, “I’m worried that this matter can’t be resolved peacefully. If you don’t want to be dragged into this mess, you’d better part ways with me now.”
A surprised Lu Xue shot him a glance as she had never expected that he’d think of this at this point. Feeling warmth in her heart, she shook her head, “Even if I part ways with you now, I still can’t get away from them. By staying here, I can help you fend them off.”
Without trying to dissuade her again, Yang Kai nodded and summoned the Six Fated Paths Bag before covering her and Guo Zi Yan. Knowing his intention, they didn’t resist and were put inside the bag.
He let Yue He stay by his side so that they could support one another, then they hurriedly fled.
First of all, as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yue He was swift. Secondly, if something happened, she could help ward off the enemy’s attacks.
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue, who were respectively Second and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, were weaker. They might slow Yang Kai down if he brought them with him, so he decided to keep them inside the Six Fated Paths Bag.
Behind them, Chen Tian Fei’s gaze brightened as he yelled, “He was really bluffing. This brat is too cunning!”
If Yang Kai were confident, he wouldn’t have quickened his pace upon seeing them, which suggested that he didn’t have a way to deal with them. Chen Tian Fei even suspected that he hadn’t brought Zhu Jiu Yin out. The Divine Spirit’s aura they had felt might not necessarily be coming from Zhu Jiu Yin. The aura was true, but there were other ways to release it; she might have planted a Secret Technique on Yang Kai prior to this.
“He’s running pretty fast,” Ou Yang Lei snorted.
His brother, Ou Yang Bing, said, “Yue He is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, after all. Only Head Manager can be as swift as her.”
He had unobtrusively buttered Zhao Bai Chuan up.
A puzzled Lady Qin asked, “Why are two people missing?”
Chen Tian Fei explained, “That brat surnamed Yang has an artifact that can accommodate living creatures. In the past, the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flood Dragon were released by him all of a sudden using a similar method.”
They had witnessed the battle in which Yang Kai killed Gan Hong and Poison Lady, and although many years had passed, they could still remember the incident vividly. After giving it a thought, they realised that the weaker Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue must have been put inside that artifact.
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted and raised his hand. Following a flash of light, a thing suddenly appeared and spun around. Soon, it expanded to be a 300-metre-tall mountain.
“Board!” Head Manager yelled and shot towards the mountain.
Their eyes lit up as they realised that Head Manager was determined to get Yang Kai by using this artifact. Without hesitation, they all leaped towards the mountain.
There were many peaks on the mountain and the several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters landed on these peaks and infused their energy into the mountain. The Head Manager stood on the highest peak as he was on top of everything, then he started forming hand seals to activate a Secret Technique.
The 300-metre mountain immediately charged forward at a speed that was as swift as lightning.
Noticing the disturbance behind them, Yue He turned her head to look and became pale, “Zhao Bai Chuan has summoned the Hundred Refinements Peak. How shameless!”
The Hundred Refinements Peak was a flight-type artifact with great defensive and offensive strength. It was a true multi-purpose vessel. This artifact was famous among Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, so it wasn’t surprising that Yue He was aware of it.
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was initially able to drag Yang Kai along with her at a speed no less than that of Scarlet Star; after all, there was only one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was Zhao Bai Chuan, on the opposing side. The other Managers were all in the Fourth Order, and the rest of them were Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Therefore, the speed at which they moved forward wasn’t unified.
However, with the Hundred Refinements Peak, all of them could infuse their strength into it at the same time. Not only could their movements be unified, but their speed had also significantly increased.
Hurriedly, Yue He summoned her own flight-type artifact, which was a small ship. After she pulled Yang Kai towards the ship, they turned into a ray of light and shot forward.
Apparently, her flight-type artifact was inferior to that of Zhao Bai Chuan. Moreover, there were over several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters powering the Hundred Refinements Peak at the same time. The gap between the two sides was rapidly shortening.
Initially, there was a distance of several tens of thousands of kilometres between the two parties, but it soon became just a few thousand kilometres and then several hundred kilometres.
Zhao Bai Chuan’s voice was heard coming from behind and penetrating the Souls of Yang Kai and Yue He, “Wait a moment. Foreign Elder Yang, this Zhao has suddenly thought of something and would like to discuss it with you. Please stop running.”
The reason he still hadn’t confronted him at this point was that he was a prudent man; after all, even though he was confident that his speculation was right, he was still wary of that Divine Spirit’s aura. He had to be prepared for any eventualities.
It was because of his prudence that he was able to build a great force in the 3,000 Worlds without a powerful background; otherwise, he would’ve been killed countless times over by now.
Yang Kai was standing on the stern of the ship as he stared coldly at Zhao Bai Chuan and scoffed, “Head Manager, what is it that you want to discuss with me?”
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “This is an important matter that has something to do with the survival of Scarlet Star, so I have to discuss it with you face-to-face. Please stop for now.”
Yang Kai secretly cursed at him, knowing that the latter was coveting the treasures he had obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It was just nonsense that the Scarlet Star’s survival was at stake. Without showing any emotions on his face though, Yang nodded lightly, “That does sound serious. In that case, I can spare some time to listen.”
Then, he turned his head and called out to Yue He, “Stop the ship.”
Yue He obeyed his order and slowed down the ship.
Seeing that, Zhao Bai Chuan was both shocked and doubtful. Initially, the Hundred Refinements Peak was moving at full speed, but just ten breaths later, it directly stopped in the void.
Yang Kai mocked, “Head Manager, did you not want to discuss something with me face-to-face? Why have you stopped so far away? Were you making a poor joke? Come over to my ship now if the matter is so urgent.”
Hearing that, Zhao Bai Chuan was stunned and almost suspected that his speculation was wrong. Was this boy putting on a pretence or luring him into a trap? If his speculation was wrong, he would end up dead after boarding that ship.
At that moment, he fell into a dilemma.
Yang Kai kept urging him, but seeing as Zhao Bai Chuan remained unmoving, he bellowed, “Zhao Bai Chuan, you dare mess with me?”
Zhao Bai Chuan’s face twitched but he remained silent.
A resentful Yang Kai said, “This King has important matters to attend to, so I’ll not settle the score with you. If this happens again, I’ll not let you off so easily!” Then, he turned to look at Yue He, “Let’s go!”
Yue He was already covered in cold sweat as she hurriedly activated the ship and fled. Secretly, she admired Yang Kai for his audacity. He had repeatedly bluffed, but Zhao Bai Chuan was still fooled.
Then, she reckoned that Zhao Bai Chuan’s intelligence had actually backfired. If this happened to Chen Tian Fei and the others, they wouldn’t have been easily fooled. It might not necessarily be a good thing to be overthinking.
“We’ve fallen for his trick again!” Zhao Bai Chuan sported a gloomy expression as he watched the ship leave, “I’ll crush his bones, pull out his flesh, and skin him alive!” He snarled through clenched teeth.
Chen Tian Fei hurriedly said, “Head Manager, please calm yourself. That brat is indeed cunning; however, in the face of absolute power, all schemes are useless. Once we catch him, I will personally bring him before you to allow you to do whatever you want to him.”
All of them quickly surged their powers and drove the Hundred Refinements Peak forward. The gap between them quickly shortened again.
Standing on the stern of the ship, Yang Kai bellowed, “Zhao Bai Chuan, if you’re so eager to go to Hell, I can grant your wish. Do you think I don’t dare to end your life?”
Without replying to him, Zhao Bai Chuan sent out a beam of light from his peak.
Yang Kai shrank his neck and directly snuck into the cabin while Yue He moved the ship sideways and dodged the horrifying attack.
“I can no longer fool him,” Yang Kai sighed, knowing that he had reached the limit. Zhao Bai Chuan was a sly person, so it was impossible to brush him off with some cheap deception without showing him some true power. He had been fooled twice, and the limit had been reached. Now, it could only be a life-and-death getaway.
Yang Kai was furious as he was hunted down by the Divine Spirits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and after he returned to the outside world, he was chased after by those from Scarlet Star. He suddenly felt that most of his life was spent running away from his enemies.
The Hundred Refinements Peak could attack as well as defend, and it was also a fast flight-type artifact. There was no doubt that it was a powerful treasure. Now that several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing on it, the mountain had become immensely powerful. While they were racing after Yang Kai, they sent out attacks from their respective peaks, which forced Yue He to keep dodging. The ship felt as if it was on an ocean in the middle of a thunderstorm, at risk of capsizing at any moment.
Seeing that, the cultivators from Scarlet Star were excited. They had confronted and made a move against Yang Kai. If he had any way to counter their attacks, he wouldn’t have hidden it.
He could only flee and avoid their attacks. In other words, he hadn’t brought Zhu Jiu Yin out of the Boundary. The Divine Spirit’s aura he had released must have been left on him by Zhu Jiu Yin previously.
With their minds at ease, they infused even more energy into the mountain.
As time passed, the distance between both parties continuously shortened. Sensing a ray of light from behind, Yue He hurriedly drove the ship to avoid it. At the same time, another attack shot in the direction the ship was fleeing, as though it had already predicted it.
Yang Kai’s vision was immediately filled with a dazzling light. Engulfed by a great sense of danger, he bellowed, “Damn it!”
On the other hand, Yue He appeared despondent. The attack was about to reach them, so it was too late for them to dodge it. Judging from the fluctuations of the attack, she and Yang Kai would suffer horribly if they were struck.
While she was at a loss, Yang Kai wrapped his arm around her waist, and following that, the world started spinning around them. When she recovered, she realised that she was already somewhere that was several hundred kilometres away.
A dazzling light was expanding from a particular spot in the void and Yue He felt her heart sinking as her Soul shook. At that instant, she realised that the connection between the ship and her was broken off as it was destroyed.
In an instant, Yue He’s face turned ashen. She wasn’t heartbroken because her artifact was shattered. Even though the artifact was not bad, it wasn’t extremely precious; however, their future appeared bleak as their ship was destroyed while they were fleeing.
She knew that Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space, so he was adept at fleeing, but as they were being hunted down by all of Scarlet Star, Space Principles might not be useful.
In the past, she had chased after Yang Kai and had a taste of his Instantaneous Movement; however, in the end, he had to surrender without a fight. She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and it was the same for Zhao Bai Chuan. Since she was able to capture Yang Kai at that time, there was no way Zhao Bai Chuan would fail in his attempt now.
Just when she was ready to tell Yang Kai to leave first so that she would stay here and fend off their attacks, she heard the man sneering, “Since you want to mess with me, I’ll gladly accept your challenge. Let’s see who will have the last laugh.”
After that, he manipulated Space Principles and used Instantaneous Movement. The next moment, they were already a thousand kilometres away.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t even a place where they could hide in this expansive void. Even though they had moved a long distance, those from Scarlet Star soon discovered and pursued them. The Hundred Refinements Peak was unbelievably fast as their gap shortened again.
Yue He said, “Young Master, why don’t we go to a Universe Temple? There’s one in this Great Territory, and I’ve left a Universe Transference Seal there, so I can bring you with me.”
Universe Temples were jointly built by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, and no fights were allowed in any of them. As long as they could enter a Universe Temple, they would be safe. It was impossible for Zhao Bai Chuan and the others to rush into a Universe Temple and make things difficult for them.
Yang Kai shook his head, “We can’t hide forever. Even if we manage to get into a Universe Temple, it will be impossible for us to leave again.”
After giving it a thought, Yue realised that he was right. Even though it was safe in a Universe Temple, they couldn’t hide inside it for eternity; therefore, she stopped persuading him.
Following the Instantaneous Movement, Yang Kai set his mind at ease and let Yue He drag him along. His pure speed was inferior to that of Yue He’s, so he let her take charge at this point.
Soon, the Hundred Refinements Peak was about to reach them again, but once it closed to a certain distance, Yang Kai took over and widened the gap with Instantaneous Movement again.
On the Hundred Refinements Peak, Zhao Bai Chuan stomped his foot while Chen Tian Fei cursed. This brat surnamed Yang was truly adept at fleeing. Even though they knew that he was an expert in Space Principles, it wasn’t until this day that they witnessed it. If they couldn’t seal off the space around him, they would never be able to stop him.
However, Yang Kai had always kept a certain minimum distance from them, thus ensuring that they couldn’t block his escape.
After a few days of pursuit, those from Scarlet Star were still unable to capture him and there came a moment when Yue He suddenly exclaimed, “Young Master, some of them have left the artifact!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a few figures leaping away from the Hundred Refinements Peak. As they flew into different positions, a Spirit Array beneath their feet started glowing. It was apparently the glow of Universe Transference Law.
He couldn’t help but snort, “They’re going to the Universe Temple.”
They too were heading in the direction where the Universe Temple in this Great Territory was located. Those from Scarlet Star must be thinking that Yang Kai and Yue He were going to seek refuge there, so they sent some people ahead to block them.
However, they had no idea that if Yang Kai and Yue He really wanted to go to the Universe Temple, they would’ve done so a long time ago instead of slowly flying over. With that said, it was the outcome Yang Kai wanted to see. After those people left, he immediately told Yue He to move in a different direction.
Knowing that they had fallen for Yang Kai’s tricks again, Zhao Bai Chuan almost spat blood in rage atop the Hundred Refinements Peak. Nevertheless, it was no use crying over spilt milk. The Universe Temple those Open Heaven Realm Masters had gone to was too far away, so they couldn’t rejoin them for some time.
A puzzled Chen Tian Fei asked, “Where is that brat going?”
Zhao Bai Chuan wasn’t certain about it either, but two days later, he figured out Yang Kai’s plan. Yang Kai intended to leave this Great Territory and enter another one.
In front of the Territory Gate, Yang Kai summoned his Territory Shuttle and passed through it with Yue He, whereupon they arrived at a different Great Territory.
Half an hour later, the Hundred Refinements Peak rushed into the Territory Gate, but as they looked around, they realised that the Void was practically desolate, and Yang Kai was nowhere in sight.
“Look for him at all costs! If we miss this chance, we will never be able to capture him!” Zhao Bai Chuan bellowed.
Hurriedly, over thirty figures flew away from the Hundred Refinements Peak and dispersed in all directions. Some of them activated the Universe Transference Law and headed to the Universe Temple.
On the other hand, Zhao Bai Chuan drove the Hundred Refinements Peak forward and kept searching.
After what Yang Kai had done, his opponents had no choice but to scatter in different directions. Now, only more than ten Open Heaven Realm Masters were left on the Hundred Refinements Peak. The more people there were to activate this artifact, the faster it could move, so with only a dozen or so left, the artifact’s speed had significantly slowed down.
Soon, one of Zhao Bai Chuan’s subordinates informed him that they had found Yang Kai. Judging from the direction he was heading, it seemed that he was going to another Territory Gate.
Then, Zhao Bai Chuan took out a Universe Chart and identified their location. After making a decision, he stored the Hundred Refinements Peak and activated Universe Transference Law with the remaining Open Heaven Realm Masters as they headed to the Universe Temple in this Great Territory.
Soon, they left the Universe Temple and met with a subordinate. That person immediately said, “Head Manager, we’ve found them. They came to this Universe Temple earlier, and they’re now moving in that direction.”
Without hesitation, Zhao Bai Chuan summoned the Hundred Refinements Peak again and swung his hand, “After them!”
Two days later, they really saw Yang Kai and Yue He from a distance.
Noticing them, Yang Kai turned his head as his expression darkened, “They’re so relentless!” These guys from Scarlet Star were just like maggots on rotting bones, impossible to shake off.
Yue He suggested, “Young Master, why don’t we go to Small Orchid Palace?”
Small Orchid Palace was her force. According to the categorisation in the 3,000 Worlds, with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as its leader, her force could be considered a Second Class one; however, the situation was pretty complicated because she was the only Open Heaven Realm Master in Small Orchid Palace, and it was just a small Spirit Province. Other than her, the rest of the people were homeless Emperor Realm or below cultivators.
There were only several hundred people in Small Orchid Palace, so her force was not really strong. Even though there was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command, it was still quite weak. Therefore, it was just a matter of time before it faded away.
With that said, Yue He had managed Small Orchid Palace for years, so they had a pretty good defensive power. As long as they could arrive, they wouldn’t have to be afraid of those from Scarlet Star.
“Where is Small Orchid Palace?” Yang Kai asked.
After taking out a Universe Chart, Yue He infused her energy into it and pointed at a location, “Here.”
Yang Kai took a glance and shook his head, “It’s too far away as we have to pass through seven Great Territories. We don’t have so much time to spare.” Accidents might happen if they were to move through seven Great Territories.
“What should we do, then?” Yue He had run out of ideas.
Yang Kai replied, “I know a place, but it will be risky.”
Initially, he intended to return to First Inn, but now it seemed that this wasn’t feasible. First Inn was far away as they had to go through several Great Territories. In that case, he would rather take a risk. In the worst-case scenario, they would just head to a Universe Temple to seek refuge.
Three days later, the pair passed through another Territory Gate and arrived at the next Great Territory. After just an hour, the Hundred Refinements Peak reached them again, which went to show that it was incredibly fast. If Yang Kai wasn’t a Master of the Dao of Space, he would’ve been captured by now.
On the other hand, Zhao Bai Chuan had learned his lesson. He immediately told his subordinates to head to the different Territory Gates and block them to prevent Yang Kai from fleeing again.
During the pursuit, the several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters working under him were scattered everywhere, but from time to time, some people would rendezvous with him. Therefore, he could still command over thirty subordinates at this moment.
Yang Kai had Yue He, who was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, by his side, so apart from Zhao Bai Chuan, the rest from Scarlet Star were no match for her. Nevertheless, he had some Fourth-Order cultivators on his side, so he could deploy them to at least hold her up.
At this moment, Chen Tian Fei and Lady Qin, the Ou Yang Brothers, and Bei Yu Shan had taken some people with them to block the Territory Gates while Zhao Bai Chuan was still relentlessly pursuing Yang Kai.
A few days later, Yang Kai and Yue He suddenly stopped and remained unmoving in the void.
Seeing that, Zhao Bai Chuan frowned as he had no idea what Yang Kai was up to. Nevertheless, he was determined to ignore whatever Yang Kai had to say. He would capture him first and think about it later.
Then, he drove the Hundred Refinements Peak forward and sneered, “Keep running. Why have you stopped?”
“We have no more strength left,” Yang Kai grinned.
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “In that case, you’d better surrender without a fight so as to prevent being tortured.”
Yang Kai said, “Head Manager, if you make a move on me, aren’t you worried that Madam Lan will pursue this matter? My Proprietress is very protective of her subordinates. If she becomes furious, you will suffer miserably.”
It was a well-known fact that the Proprietress was protective of her subordinates. In the past, when Bai Qi was disturbed while ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, she became incensed and swore that before she trampled flat the great forces like Golden Rainbow Province that belonged to Qin Ji and the other ambushers, she would never ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. This kind of oath showed her determination. If she couldn’t follow through, she would never be able to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
At the mention of the Proprietress, Zhao Bai Chuan appeared wary. Although he had been trying to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, his heritage was insufficient; therefore, he was certainly no match for a peak Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the Proprietress. If she targeted Scarlet Star, they would be doomed.
Nevertheless, his hesitation lasted only for a short moment as the immense wealth in Yang Kai’s possession was too tempting a target; thus, he scoffed, “As long as I kill both of you, Lan You Ruo will never find out about it!”
After a nod, Yang Kai replied, “So, you want to ruthlessly kill us. How could you tell me to surrender without a fight, then?”
“Are you really such a naïve boy?” Zhao Bai Chuan sneered. As he spoke, he was already just a few hundred kilometres away from Yang Kai. He would soon reach the minimum distance from where he could make a move to seal off the space around Yang Kai to prevent him from disappearing again.
Just then, Yang Kai grinned at him and waved his hand, “Head Manager, I shall never forget what you’ve done to me today and will definitely make you pay for it in the future.”
Sensing that something was off, Zhao Bao Chuan hurriedly reached out his hand towards Yang Kai and bellowed, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
A gigantic hand suddenly appeared and stretched across the void, but as soon as that happened, Yang Kai and Yue He vanished into thin air.
Zhao Bai Chuan quickly looked around and realised that Yang Kai was nowhere in sight, and even after scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he still couldn’t detect Yang Kai’s aura.
“How is this possible!?” He was stunned.
In the past, after Yang Kai snatched the Golden Crow carcass from the Sun Star, he was chased by several Open Heaven Realm Masters. In the end, he made use of a Space Beacon to escape unscathed. If it weren’t because he was ignorant and wasn’t aware of the Universe Transference Law, he could’ve gotten away cleanly.
Unfortunately, the Proprietress used the Universe Transference Law and returned to First Inn to block Yang Kai, forcing him to use a Mie Meng golden tail feather.
Even though Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, he could never outrun the Hundred Refinements Peak; hence, it was just a matter of time before he was captured. However, using a Space Beacon, he could move to a faraway place in an instant and easily shake off those from Scarlet Star.
“Look for him! I must have him!” Zhao Bai Chuan bellowed with an extremely gloomy expression.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t overly worried. Although Yang Kai had disappeared, he was still in this Great Territory. The other Managers had sealed off the Territory Gates, so it was impossible for Yang Kai to leave this Great Territory.
The people on Hundred Refinements Peak leaped forward and searched for Yang Kai.
In a faraway location, Space Principles undulated around a Space Beacon that was hovering in the void, whereupon two figures appeared out of thin air.
A glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes but instead of storing the Space Beacon, he left it.
The bead was left behind here when he was fleeing previously. In fact, he had left more than ten Space Beacons across this Great Territory. The Space Beacons were petite and inconspicuous in this expansive void, so hardly anyone would notice them.
He decided to leave it here as he might need it in the future.
Yue He looked around and realised that the people from Scarlet Star were nowhere in sight. Knowing that they were safe for now, she asked, “Young Master, where are we going now? Will we leave this Great Territory?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “We can’t do that. Chen Tian Fei and the others were missing. If I’m not mistaken, they must have headed to the Territory Gates. If we want to leave, we’ll have to confront them. You’re indeed powerful, but there are more people on their side, so you might not be able to get rid of them quickly enough. It’s like walking right into the trap if we go to a Territory Gate.”
After a pause, he asked, “Have you refined the thing that I gave you?”
There was a piece of jade in Yue He’s hand that she was continuously refining and studying. Hearing that, she replied, “We didn’t have much time to spare, so I’ve only managed to refine 10% of it.”
“10%…” Yang Kai gave it a thought, “It’s good enough.”
“Young Master, is this the Array Jade of a Grand Array?” Yue He asked in puzzlement.
While they were fleeing previously, Yang Kai suddenly passed this jade to her and told her to do her best to refine it. Although Yue He didn’t understand why, she didn’t ask any questions as she just had to do it; however, as she refined the jade, she realised that it was a token of a Grand Array.
It was just like the Master Token of the Grand Array in Small Orchid Palace. She had never heard that Yang Kai had something to do with any great force. Although he was from First Inn, it was impossible that he could keep the Array Jade of the inn. The Proprietress was the only person who was qualified to hold such a thing.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Do you know which Great Territory this is?”
Not knowing the answer, Yue He fished out a Universe Chart and took a look, whereupon a realisation dawned upon her, “Seven Wonder Territory.”
The 3,000 Worlds was made up of countless Great Territories, and in any Great Territory, there were numerous forces of different sizes. Generally, if a Second Class great force existed in a Great Territory, that territory would be named after that great force.
It was just like the Great Territories where those Cave-Heavens and Paradises were established. Free and Unfettered Paradise was located in Free and Unfettered Territory, while Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was located in Yin-Yang Territory. There was a Second Class great force called Seven Wonders Land in this Great Territory, so it was naturally named Seven Wonder Territory.
Those Great Territories without any Second Class great force were usually nameless and only had identifiers like D9 Territory, C17 Territory, and so on.
“Yes, we’re in Seven Wonder Territory,” Yang Kai said with some reminiscence.
A thought flashed through Yue He’s mind as she covered her lips and said in shock, “Young Master, is this jade the Grand Array Token of Seven Wonders Land?”
The reason she had this speculation was that she could feel that this token was fairly powerful, which meant it should belong to a Second Class great force. Nevertheless, how did Yang Kai obtain the Grand Array Token of Seven Wonders Land?
Yang Kai guffawed, “This is exactly the Grand Array Token of Seven Wonders Land. With this thing in our possession, we can sneak into Seven Wonders Land and hide for a while. If those guys from Scarlet Star can’t find us, they’ll eventually leave.”
A startled Yue He looked dazedly at the jade in her hand and became speechless. This was indeed the Array Jade of Seven Wonders Land; however, she still didn’t understand.
Such a precious item was normally in the sole possession of the leader of a great force, so why was it in Yang Kai’s hands? As far as she was concerned, the leader of Seven Wonders Land was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch. It wasn’t easy to deal with him as he was just as powerful as Yue He.
A puzzled Yue He asked, “Young Master, how did you obtain this?”
After identifying the direction, Yang Kai replied, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you on the way.”
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s explanation, Yue He learned that when he first arrived in the Outer Universe, he was tricked by Duan Hai, who was the Venerable Protector of Seven Wonders Land’s Fire Spirit Land, and abducted to become a Worker. After living in that place for some time, Yang Kai was ordered to hunt down a man called Fang Tai. It was then he came across an old man called Xu Huang, who was deeply connected to Seven Wonders Land. Yang Kai speculated that Seven Wonders Land originally belonged to Xu Huang, and for some reason, Qi Qiao managed to snatch it from him.
After his territory was taken away from him, Xu Huang was determined to get his revenge. The Six Fated Paths Bag was his treasure.
At that time, Xu Huang planted an Exotic Ancient Insect called the Soaring Black Centipede in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal and threatened the latter to bring him into Seven Wonders Land using the Six Fated Paths Bag.
Xu Huang was the original owner of Seven Wonders Land, so he naturally possessed the Grand Array Token. Secretly, he stayed there and took control of the Grand Array. Before he achieved his goal though, his plan was unexpectedly exposed. Left with no choice, he was forced to confront all the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Seven Wonders Land before he was fully prepared.
The battle shook the world and dyed the rivers red with blood. Several Venerable Protectors of Seven Wonders Land were killed. Yang Kai knew at least two of those Venerables who died. The Venerable of Water Spirit Land passed away right in front of Yang Kai, who then snatched away the former’s Space Ring. It was the reason he had so many Open Heaven Pills to stay in First Inn in the past.
The Venerable Protector of Fire Spirit Land, Duan Hai, was also killed while Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was seriously injured.
During the battle, gaps started appearing on the Grand Defence Array of Seven Wonders Land, allowing many unwilling Workers to flee from that place. It was also the time when Yang Kai seized the chance and escaped.
At that time, he had also brought Fang Bi Qi, Dié You, and Ah Sun with him. Subsequently, he helped Ruler of the Dawn Great General look for his mother, checked into First Inn, explored the Sun Star, then snatched the Golden Crow carcass.
Seven Wonders Land was the first great force Yang Kai came into contact with after he arrived at the 3,000 Worlds; however, he wasn’t fond of this great force at all. If it weren’t because Xu Huang was accidentally exposed and forced to make a move, Yang Kai’s Wood Element Power would’ve been taken away by Duan Hai.
While Yang Kai was fleeing, the severely injured Xu Huang chased after him. With his last breath, he passed this Array Jade to Yang Kai and told him to get revenge for him by taking back Seven Wonders Land.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to reject him, so he took the jade. Following that, Xu Huang passed away, and Yang Kai buried his remains in the Small Sealed World.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t seriously seek revenge for Xu Huang. He had indeed suffered a lot of setbacks in Seven Wonders Land, but he eventually escaped unscathed. When he became powerful enough in the future, he could come back here and settle the score with them; however, before that happened, he never thought about returning to Seven Wonders Land and it was completely beyond his expectations that this jade would be useful to him so soon.
While Yang Kai was calmly narrating his story, Yue He became incensed upon hearing it and snarled, “How can those bastards abduct newcomers to the 3,000 Worlds and enslave them? This is absolutely unforgivable! Such a great force doesn’t need to exist at all. Young Master, don’t worry. I’ll settle this score with them on your behalf.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “We don’t necessarily have to do it now. Let’s see what the Heavens have arranged for us.”
The speed at which they were moving forward was slow, as they had to conceal themselves. The several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters of Scarlet Star were scattered across this Great Territory, so Yang Kai and Yue He might come across them at any moment. That was why they had to be careful. Fortunately, it had been smooth sailing for them.
A few days later, a fog bank suddenly appeared in the void in front of them. The fog was so thick that one couldn’t even penetrate it with their Divine Sense.
They finally arrived at Seven Wonders Land. Respectively, they used a Secret Technique to conceal themselves before stealthily approaching the fog.
Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so her concealment methods were naturally extraordinary. Unless the other party was as powerful as she was, it would be difficult to notice her. On the other hand, even though Yang Kai was weaker, he had the Shadowless Veil, which could deceive the senses of anyone below the Mid-Rank, so his whereabouts were not easily exposed.
As they approached the fog, Yang Kai could see that it was roiling like a large grey storm cloud. Nevertheless, there were many obviously weaker patches in the fog.
Yang Kai knew that Xu Huang must have caused some catastrophic damage to Seven Wonders Land previously. These weaker parts in the fog were the vulnerable spots of Seven Wonders Land’s Grand Array.
More than ten years had passed, but it wasn’t easy to repair these flaws, not to mention that Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was still recuperating. Therefore, he didn’t have much energy to deal with this issue.
Yang Kai finally set his mind at ease. Although the jade was the Grand Array Control Token of Seven Wonders Land, Yue He had only managed to refine 10% of it. Initially, he was worried that they might not be able to sneak into this place, but now it seemed that there was no problem.
Without the need for Yang Kai to say anything, Yue He flew towards one of the weak spots, and after observing it for some time, she spoke to him via Divine Sense, “Young Master, I am confident in bringing you in, but I’m not sure whether we’ll be exposed after we enter. If someone sees us, we’ll have to leave immediately.”
“I understand. Let’s get started.” Yang Kai nodded. They were already hunted down by those from Scarlet Star. In the worst-case scenario, they just had to seek refuge in the local Universe Temple.
Yue He activated the jade’s power and sent a ray of light forward. The thin layer of fog faltered and separated to the sides, revealing a passageway that led to the inside.
Yang Kai and Yue He traded glances and dashed into it in succession without hesitation. After they were gone, the fog closed and appeared normal again.
A moment later, they snuck into Seven Wonders Land. The process was surprisingly easy. Not daring to make any rash moves, they hurriedly concealed their figures and auras, then remained in place for some time.
An incense stick later, seeing as there was no movement in Seven Wonders Land, Yang Kai could finally confirm that they hadn’t alerted anyone.
After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Over ten years ago, Xu Huang had made a scene and caused many weaknesses to appear in the Grand Array. On the other hand, Yue He had refined 10% of the jade’s power, so they were able to get in without alerting anyone.
If Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch remained vigilant at all times, he could’ve discovered them; however, Yang Kai reckoned that he was still recuperating.
In the past, Xu Huang told him that Qi Qiao was severely injured and it would take him years to recuperate.
Looking around, Yang Kai realised that the superficial traces of the great battle had been cleaned up already. Seven Wonders Land was expansive, with seven Spirit Provinces. It was because of these seven Spirit Provinces that this place was called Seven Wonders Land. All seven Spirit Provinces were special as each one of them was rich in a different Element. Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were found in the same place, and fruit trees of each Element were grown in Seven Wonders Land. These spirit fruits were the main ingredients for refining Open Heaven Pills. Relying on this source of income, Seven Wonders Land were able to gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds.
At this moment, many cultivators were flying through the air as they were heading to a place that was hovering in the sky above Seven Wonders Land.
That was the shopping district for the Workers.
“Is this the time when the shopping district opens every month?” After a moment of observation, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts.
The shopping district was built on a small Spirit Province fragment that Qi Qiao had supposedly moved here long ago. Every month, this shopping district would be open for three days, and the Workers from Seven Wonders Land would use this opportunity to communicate and trade with each other as well as the disciples of the Sect.
Back then, Yang Kai bought a Third-Order Metal Element material, the Stainless Golden Dew, in this place and gave it to Dié You.
When he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds for the first time, it was extremely difficult for him to earn Open Heaven Pills. Now, he had over a billion pills in his possession. He couldn’t help thinking that many things had changed drastically in the past ten years.
Yang Kai was quite familiar with this shopping district; after all, he had been to this place many times, and his destination this time was actually the Universe Fragment where this shopping district was located.
Besides Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, there were also several Venerable Protectors in Seven Wonders Land, so it wasn’t safe for Yue He and him to hide in this place. However, the shopping district was different. Most of the people gathering in this place were Workers, and the real disciples of Seven Wonders Land would rarely come here; therefore, they didn’t have to worry that their whereabouts would be exposed in this place.
As such, Yang Kai secretly spoke to Yue He before following the others. Soon, they landed on the Universe Fragment.
This Universe Fragment wasn’t big, but it couldn’t be considered small either. The shopping district was just a small part of this place while everywhere else was just barren and undeveloped.
Yang Kai and Yue He found a quiet place and dug a cave for themselves before hiding inside it.
It was then Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief as they could finally stop fleeing. Now, they just had to stay here and wait for those from Scarlet Star to give up before looking for a chance to leave.
Just then, a sense of fatigue came over Yang Kai. This couldn’t be helped. Since the closure of the Primordial Land, he had been on the run. First, he was hunted down by the Divine Spirits as his life was hanging by a thread. Now, he was pursued by those from Scarlet Star, which caused him to be battered.
He secretly swore that when he became an Open Heaven Realm Master in the future, he would raze Scarlet Star to the ground and let Zhao Bai Chuan know the consequences of offending him.
Then, he sent his Divine Sense into the special space on the back of his hand. He wanted to ask Zhu Jiu Yin how she was doing, but he was surprised to see that she had fallen into a deep sleep.
He knew that she was in urgent need of recuperation as her Source had been damaged; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. To any Divine Spirit, their Source was their foundation, just like how a Dao Seal was to a cultivator. As her Source was damaged, it was difficult for her to restore it and she would need to spend a long time healing.
Then, he turned to look at Yue He and became somewhat puzzled, “Why are you still refining this jade?”
Presently, Yue He was seated crossed-legged with the jade firmly held in her hand as she was focused on refining it. Some time ago, he passed this jade to Yue He because her cultivation was much greater than his, so it would be quicker for her to refine it than him. This proved to be the correct decision. If Yang Kai had been the one to refine it over the past few days, he wouldn’t have been able to break through the Grand Array and sneak into this place. Now that they were inside though, there wasn’t a need to keep refining the jade.
Yue He opened her eyes and asked, “Young Master, don’t you want this Seven Wonders Land?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became startled for a moment before realising what she meant.
Bursting into laughter, he shook his head, “Even if you fully refine this jade and take control of the Grand Array, it won’t be easy to snatch Seven Wonders Land.”
In the past, Xu Huang was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, equal in strength to Yue He. What’s more, he was the original owner of Seven Wonders Land, so he knew this place better than anyone. By making use of the jade, he took control of the Grand Array but still fell into a life-and-death battle with Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch and the Venerable Protectors. In the end, he lost his life instead of achieving his goal.
Therefore, even if Yue He fully refined this jade, she wouldn’t stand a chance to snatch this place from Qi Qiao.
Then, he nodded and spoke in a different tone, “You can do whatever you want. Anyway, it’s better to refine it as much as possible.”
Presently, it was safe for them to hide in this place, but they couldn’t guarantee that no one would discover them. If that happened, they could gain an advantage if Yue He had further refined the jade.
Yue He nodded her head and focused on refining it again. Without speaking further, Yang Kai closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing to restore his strength.
.….
Time slowly went by. In the void, standing on the Hundred Refinements Peak, Zhao Bai Chuan sported an extremely dark expression. According to the information gathered by his subordinates, there were no leads that could help them find Yang Kai, which infuriated him.
All of them had spent the past ten-plus years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but the biggest winner was undoubtedly Yang Kai. On the other hand, the Scarlet Star was second.
Although Yang Kai had unashamedly taken 70% of Scarlet Star’s income and stuffed it into his own pocket, they had also made use of Yang Kai’s fame and power to develop in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and amass immense wealth and subordinates.
There were three great forces in the former Star City, which were Sword Pavilion, Thunder Light, and Scarlet Star. Initially, Scarlet Star was ranked at the bottom, but because they managed to get Yang Kai to side with them, they were spared from annihilation and instead rose rapidly in the face of adversity. On the contrary, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light were gone for good.
However, it was one thing when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and it was another thing after they left.
In the Boundary, Zhao Bai Chuan was willing to work under Yang Kai because the latter had the support of Zhu Jiu Yan, and Yang Kai had overwhelming power in that place; however, in the outside world, there was no suppression from the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, so he no longer had any regard for Yang Kai.
Recalling the fact that Yang Kai had snatched 70% of their income, Zhao Bai Chuan could simply not tolerate it. 30% of the income was already a tremendous amount of wealth, not to mention 70%. If he could kill Yang Kai and get that wealth back, the future for Scarlet Star would be bright, and he had the confidence to reach the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm within ten years.
Unfortunately, that brat had fled. Even though he had deployed dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters and used the Hundred Refinements Peak, they were still unable to capture him.
The Territory Gates had been sealed off, so he was certain that Yang Kai was still in this Great Territory; however, he had no idea where he was.
Over the next few days, the smaller great forces in Seven Wonder Territory suffered miserably.
In this Great Territory, Seven Wonder Territory wasn’t the only great force. There were other, weaker forces as well as many Universe Worlds.
In order to capture Yang Kai, those from Scarlet Star acted recklessly. There were a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side, and a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Zhao Bai Chuan was assuming command; therefore, even though those from the smaller great forces were incensed, they wouldn’t dare to criticize those from Scarlet Star. They had no choice but to let them search around their Headquarters freely.
Since the arrival of those from Scarlet Star, Seven Wonder Territory had fallen into a horrible state.
Zhao Bai Chuan turned to Chen Tian Fei and asked in a grim voice, “Haven’t you found him yet?”
Sensing the former’s suppressed fury, Chen Tian Fei brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead and replied, “Not yet, but don’t worry, Head Manager. That brat will never be able to escape.”
The Territory Gates were still blockaded, so Yang Kai would have to confront them in order to leave this Great Territory.
“Hmph!” Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “This King knows that he can’t flee, but what if he keeps hiding? How are we supposed to find him?”
With a bitter expression, Chen Tian Fei said, “Head Manager, it isn’t that we haven’t done our best, but we’re currently lacking manpower.”
In order to capture Yang Kai, they had passed through several Great Territories. Zhao Bai Chuan had only brought several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters with him, while most people from Scarlet Star were still heading to this place. It would take them a month or two to arrive at this Great Territory at best.
With only several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack if they wanted to find Yang Kai.
Upon that realization, Zhao Bai Chuan furrowed his brow. After observing his expression for a bit, Chen Tian Fei said, “Head Manager, the only solution for us now is to borrow some people.”
“Borrow some people? What do you mean?” Zhao Bai Chuan looked over at him.
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “To be honest with you, there’s a great force called Seven Wonders Land in this Great Territory, led by Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch. I’m on fairly good terms with him, so if you don’t mind, we can head to Seven Wonders Land first. I’ll try to borrow some people from him. If he’s willing to help, things will become much easier.”
“Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch?” Zhao Bai Chuan seemed to have recalled something, “Is he the one who came to our Star City to negotiate some business deals with us a few years ago?”
He was aware of Qi Qiao’s existence, but in the past, he had been focused on breaking through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so he had never met him. While he was cultivating in seclusion, all the matters in Scarlet Star were handled by Chen Tian Fei. It was during this period of time that Chen Tian Fei came into contact with Qi Qiao, and he subsequently informed Zhao Bai Chuan about it. That was how Zhao Bai Chuan heard about Qi Qiao.
“En, him.” Chen Tian Fei nodded, “Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch is fairly powerful as he’s a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded. He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and as the Master of a great force, Qi Qiao must be a respectable figure. Thus, he asked, “Are you confident that he’ll lend us some people?”
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “I’m fairly confident, but I’m sure there will be a price to pay. Moreover, Head Manager, you’ll have to personally meet him.”
“I don’t mind paying a small price.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded. Since they wanted to borrow people, they naturally had to offer compensation. As long as they could find Yang Kai, the price would be worth it, “Let’s head to Seven Wonders Land now.”
It was then that Chen Tian Fei pointed out the direction for him, whereupon the Hundred Refinements Peak shot towards Seven Wonders Land.
Just one day later, Chen Tian Fei pointed at the fog in front of them and said, “Head Manager, we’ve arrived at our destination.”
Zhao Bai Chuan took a glance and saw that the fog was weltering, but he was unable to see through it. He couldn’t help but nod and say, “This is indeed an extraordinarily great force.”
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “It’s my first time coming to this place as well. Head Manager, please wait a moment. I’ll send a message to Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch and tell him to open the portal.”
Zhao Bai Chuan simply nodded.
It was then that Chen Tian Fei fished out a Faith Token and infused his Divine Sense into it.
In the past, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had repeatedly visited the Star City and did some business deals with those from Scarlet Star, which was why they had traded means to contact each other. However, it was always Qi Qiao who looked for him. Chen Tian Fei had never expected that he’d need to seek his help one day.
Right after he sent a message, he saw the fog rolling violently. The next instant, a rumbling sound was heard as an extremely thick bolt of lightning shot out from the fog and reached them in the blink of an eye.
Chen Tian Fei was stunned as he narrowed his eyes at the dazzling light.
With a grim expression, Zhao Bai Chuan yelled, “Open!”
Instantly, the Hundred Refinements Peak trembled violently as a rich Earth Element Power gushed out of it and formed a layer of airtight protection around the artifact.
A deafening sound was heard as the lightning bolt struck the Hundred Refinements Peak and caused it to tremble.
“Such a powerful attack!” Zhao Bai Chuan turned solemn. Even the Hundred Refinements Peak couldn’t withstand such an attack if it was repeatedly struck. As soon as he finished speaking, a few rays of lightning shot out from the fog.
At the same time, someone from Seven Wonders Land bellowed, “Yu Xiu Shan, do you think this King is really afraid of you!? Do you seriously think you’re powerful enough to gobble up my Seven Wonders Land!?”
Chen Tian Fei was dumbfounded. They were immediately attacked after they arrived at this place, so they had no idea what was going on, and who was Yu Xiu Shan?
Rumbling sounds were continuously heard. Wherever the beams of lightning went, the void broke apart.
The Hundred Refinements Peak could attack as well as defend. Zhao Bai Chuan had spent a lot of time and resources to have it refined, so it was a pretty extraordinary artifact. As the beams of lightning were about to strike, the Hundred Refinements Peak hurriedly shrunk and moved around to dodge the barrage.
Even so, it was still struck by another bolt and the entire mountain shook as one of the peaks collapsed.
“Chen Tian Fei!” Zhao Bai Chuan yelled and glared at him. He was heartbroken at the fact that the Hundred Refinements Peak had been damaged. Although this artifact was superb, it couldn’t possibly withstand the power of the Grand Array for long.
Chen Tian Fei’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat and hurriedly exclaimed, “Heavenly Monarch, please stop! It is Chen Tian Fei from Scarlet Star, not Yu Xiu Shan. Are you mistaken?”
If he hadn’t heard it wrong, the person shouting from Seven Wonders Land just now was Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch himself.
After he finished speaking, the lightning behind the fog seemed to have gotten stuck as a person said in surprise, “Chen Tian Fei? Fatty Chen Tian from Scarlet Star?”
Torn between tears and laughter, Chen Tian Fei quickly leaped away from the Hundred Refinements Peak and revealed his chubby figure, “Who else can I be? Heavenly Monarch, please take a proper look.”
A moment later, a surprised voice was heard coming from behind the fog, “So it is really Brother Chen!”
It was hard not to recognise Chen Tian Fei. There were trillions of Humans in the 3,000 Worlds, but it was rare to find someone as robust as Chen Tian Fei.
However, the Heavenly Monarch soon snorted, “Brother Chen, why are you here? Who is on that mountain?”
Hurriedly, Chen Tian Fei replied, “Heavenly Monarch, please hear me out. The reason this Chen has come all the way here is that he needs to request your assistance with a small matter. This mountain is the Hundred Refinements Peak, which belongs to my Scarlet Star. The person on the mountain is the Head Manager of Scarlet Star.”
Then, he turned his head and nodded at Zhao Bai Chuan.
With a gloomy expression, Zhao Bai Chuan kept the Hundred Refinements Peaks and revealed his figure. Besides him, there were also more than ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
“Head Manager of Scarlet Star?” Qi Qiao was evidently shocked, “I’ve heard so much about you!”
He had been to the Star City on Scarlet Star several times, but he had never met Zhao Bai Chuan in person before. Knowing that the Head Manager had been cultivating in seclusion to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he didn’t mind this.
Since Zhao Bai Chuan had stopped cultivating in seclusion, did it mean that he had ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm? With this thought in mind, Qi Qiao’s tone became more polite.
Zhao Bai Chuan sported a cold expression. He was in a terrible mood because he was attacked for no reason; moreover, he had been fuming with rage after what Yang Kai had done. Therefore, he only nodded and said impassively, “Heavenly Monarch, I’ve heard much about you too.”
Qi Qiao said, “Brother Chen, why are all of you here today?”
Chen Tian Fei replied, “We really need your help. Can we come in to talk with you?”
Behind the fog, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch fell silent for a moment before saying, “Please.”
Following that, the fog rolled to the sides and revealed a passageway. Chen Tian Fei breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look inquisitively at Zhao Bai Chuan.
Upon getting his approval, Chen Tian Fei put on a smile and cupped his fists, “Pardon our disturbance.”
Then, he led the way while Zhao Bai Chuan shuffled forward with the other Open Heaven Realm Masters following him.
Soon, they entered Seven Wonders Land and saw a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters. The person at the front appeared to be a man in his forties who looked handsome and elegant.
With a friendly smile, Chen Tian Fei cupped his fists at this middle-aged man, “Greetings, Heavenly Monarch.”
This person was none other than the owner of Seven Wonders Land, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch.
Following a laugh, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch walked over and grabbed Chen Tian Fei’s shoulders, “We haven’t met for years, but you’re still so healthy and energetic. It pleases me greatly.”
There was a bitter smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “Many thanks for your compliment, Heavenly Monarch. For the past few years… Hai… It’s a long story. Please allow me to introduce you to Head Manager Zhao from Scarlet Star. Head Manager, this is Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch.”
Qi Qiao cupped his fists, “Head Manager Zhao.”
Zhao Bai Chuan saluted him in return, “Greetings.”
Seeing as Zhao Bai Chuan appeared displeased, Qi Qiao knew that the other party was still upset over what just happened, so he quickly explained, “Head Manager Zhao, please pardon my earlier offence. I didn’t intend to attack you just now. One of our enemies has been harassing us recently, so when a disciple told me that a strong cultivator had come to this place, I thought that the thug had returned. It’s just a misunderstanding. Please forgive me.”
Upon hearing that, Zhao Bai Chuan was stunned, “Your enemies have been harassing you?”
It was then he realised why Qi Qiao attacked him as soon as he arrived. That was because he was mistaken as an enemy. After learning the reason behind it, his displeasure decreased noticeably.
A shocked Chen Tian Fei said, “Who would have the guts to make a fuss here?”
“Hai… It’s a long story!” Qi Qiao sighed. His expression and tone were similar to those of Chen Tian Fei earlier.
Zhao Bai Chuan arched his brow, “Heavenly Monarch, it seems that you’re injured.”
Even though Qi Qiao was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, his aura was a little unstable. It was the same for the three Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters behind him.
A furious Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch said, “I was injured a few years ago, but I haven’t managed to fully recover yet. Even the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land has been damaged. That is the reason Yu Xiu Shan had the guts to come harass us.”
He had cursed at Yu Xiu Shan earlier, and now he mentioned this name again. Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei immediately understood that this guy was the one who coveted Seven Wonders Land.
“Let’s not talk about this kind of problem. I’m really pleased that both of you have arrived at Seven Wonders Land. Come, come, prepare a banquet! This Qi must have a few drinks with Brother Chen and Head Manager Zhao!”
As soon as he gave the order, some people immediately left to prepare for a feast. Since Qi Qiao was acting so hospitable, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei naturally wouldn’t turn him down as they got ready to attend the banquet.
Inside their cave in the shopping district, Yang Kai and Yue He traded glances and felt speechless.
“They came here of all places? Did they discover something?” Yue He was worried.
The disturbance earlier was pretty loud, so they were able to hear it even though they were hiding in the shopping district. However, they couldn’t hear the conversation between Qi Qiao and those from Scarlet Star, so they wondered what they were talking about.
“That’s not likely, but we should still be careful,” Yang Kai appeared solemn. He reckoned that he hadn’t left any traces behind, so those from Scarlet Star shouldn’t have discovered anything. Moreover, if they had found out their whereabouts, they would’ve made a move instead of letting them stay here peacefully.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai thought that he still had to act carefully. It was impossible to leave this place now as he might alert their enemies. Moreover, not everyone from Scarlet Star had arrived at this place yet, so it was apparent that some of them were still looking for him in other locations. Now, they could only wait patiently.
While they were worried, the people at the banquet were drinking and having a lively chat. Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch intended to befriend Zhao Bai Chuan, so he had been quite hospitable.
However, he soon discovered that Zhao Bai Chuan was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It seemed that the other party hadn’t managed to break through yet. While he was slightly disappointed, Qi Qiao also secretly breathed a sigh of relief; after all, he was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he was injured. He would feel pressured if he were to face a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The atmosphere was harmonious as they only talked about worldly affairs and nothing else. Chen Tian Fei intended to bring up the topic of borrowing some people from Qi Qiao, but he was secretly stopped by Zhao Bai Chuan.
Despite not understanding his intentions, Chen Tian Fei still obeyed his order.
When the banquet was over, Zhao Bai Chuan made a request to have a look around Seven Wonders Land. Certainly, Qi Qiao wouldn’t reject him, thus he told the Venerable of Earth Spirit Land to lead the way for them and show them the seven Spirit Provinces of Seven Wonders Land.
Just like Duan Hai, the Earth Spirit Land Venerable Protector was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the same realm as Chen Tian Fei. Upon getting the Monarch’s order, he wholeheartedly acted as a guide, furthering the pleasant exchange between the two parties.
In the evening, those from Scarlet Star were given fitting accommodations to rest in. Inside one of the palaces, Zhao Bai Chuan was looking out the window. Without saying a word, Chen Tian Fei was standing behind him.
A long time later, Zhao Bai Chuan sighed, “This is such a beautiful view. Old Chen, how do you find Seven Wonders Land?”
Chen Tian Fei wasn’t sure what the Head Manager meant by that, so after giving it a thought, he replied, “The seven Spirit Provinces can nurture Yin, Yang and the Five Elements, so it’s indeed a precious piece of land. Moreover, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch has been developing this place for years. Although Seven Wonders Land is not as powerful as the Cave-Heavens or Paradises, it’s pretty extraordinary among the Second Class great forces.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded his head, “I’ve been to the Headquarters of some Second Class forces before, and I can tell you that the heritage of Seven Wonders Land can be considered upper-middle rank amongst them.”
There was a bitter smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “In the past, if we could’ve resisted the pressure from the other forces and carefully managed Scarlet Star, we would’ve become as great as Seven Wonders Land. Unfortunately, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light came along, and we had no choice but to share territory with them.”
Strictly speaking, Scarlet Star was also a Second Class great force, and it was the same case for Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light. All three of them had Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in command as well as numerous Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. At that time, the Star City could have been considered a single Spirit Province. However, since three great forces were crammed together, there were bound to be conflicts, and it was difficult for any one of them to develop rapidly.
This was the reason Scarlet Star was inferior to Seven Wonders Land.
Zhao Bai Chuan put on a faint smile, “Fortunately, both Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light are gone for good, while Scarlet Star has survived.”
“But our Star City was also destroyed,” Chen Tian Fei appeared dejected. He felt his heart aching every time he thought about it. The Star City was engulfed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog and broken into countless pieces. It had completely disappeared. Now, they were not even certain where they could settle down. It wasn’t like they could bring so many people to wander around the 3,000 Worlds forever.
“As long as we’re still around, we can always rise again,” Zhao Bai Chuan appeared confident.
“Head Manager is right,” Chen Tian Fei said respectfully, “But, since we’re here to borrow people, why did you stop me from bringing up this issue to Qi Qiao? Yang Kai is a cunning brat. If this matter drags on, he’ll find a chance and flee.”
“Don’t mention borrowing people again.” Zhao Bai Chuan waved his hand, “Judging from the current situation, it is Qi Qiao who will want to borrow people from us, not the other way round.”
Chen Tian Fei wasn’t a fool, so his expression changed when he heard that and began to ask, “Head Manager, you mean…”
Zhao Bai Chuan grinned, “At the banquet before, after giving it a thought, this King recalled that Yu Xiu Shan is the Temple Master of Flying Smoke Temple. He is also a Fifth-Order Master while Flying Smoke Temple is situated in the adjacent Great Territory, so they and Seven Wonders Land are neighbours.”
Hearing that, Chen Tian Fei nodded, “There are bound to be conflicts between neighbours. Qi Qiao said that he was injured a few years ago, and even the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been damaged. Yu Xiu Shan must have smelled blood and decided to make a move to annex Seven Wonders Land in order to strengthen his own force.”
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “That’s what this King thinks as well. Moreover, you might not be aware of it, but of the seven Venerable Protectors of Seven Wonders Land, only four of them are in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The remaining three are only Third-Order Open Heaven Realms.”
After giving it a thought, Chen Tian Fei realised that Zhao Bai Chuan was right. The three Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were the Venerable Protectors of Fire Spirit Land, Water Spirit Land, and Metal Spirit Land. It didn’t catch his attention at that time, but now he found it strange. Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were Low-Rank, so how could they become Venerable Protectors?
Zhao Bai Chuan smiled, “If I’m not mistaken, the misfortune that befell Seven Wonders Land in the past was tremendous. The previous Venerable Protectors must be dead, so three Third-Orders were promoted by Qi Qiao as there were no other suitable candidates.”
Upon hearing his reasoning, Chen Tian Fei did not miss a chance to flatter, “Head Manager is indeed intelligent. Just like what you’ve said, Qi Qiao might want to borrow some people from us.” Then, he observed his expression for a bit, “Do you intend to interfere in this matter? But, how will this benefit us in any way? These are their grudges. Even if we help Qi Qiao fend off the attacks from Flying Smoke Temple, he will only thank us. On the other hand, Yang Kai has so many treasures with him that can help us rise up again.”
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “Certainly, Qi Qiao’s gratitude doesn’t matter to this King.” Then, with a smug expression, he pointed forward and asked, “Old Chen, how do you find this place? Wouldn’t it be better if its name was changed to Scarlet Star?”
Chen Tian Fei felt his chest tightening as his usually narrowed eyes widened.
Since Zhao Bai Chuan had said so, it was apparent to Chen Tian Fei that the Head Manager intended to snatch Seven Wonders Land. At that instant, he felt apprehensive as Seven Wonders Land wasn’t so weak that they could oppress as they pleased. There was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well as a number of Fourth-Order Masters assuming command. Moreover, they were in the other party’s headquarters. If they wanted to make a fuss here, they might fall into trouble should they act recklessly.
However, after pondering on it for a moment, Chen Tian Fei realised that it was actually feasible. Presently, Flying Smoke Temple had their eyes on Seven Wonders Land, so if they waited until the two parties became mutually wounded before making a move, they might stand a chance to seize this treasured land.
It was no wonder that the Head Manager requested to have a look around Seven Wonders Land. He wanted to survey his new domain.
Chen Tian Fei felt his heart pounding against his chest as his lips went dry. He was both anxious and excited. Secretly, he admired the Head Manager for his boldness. If they could snatch this treasured land, the value would be as great as capturing Yang Kai. Moreover, while Yang Kai was nowhere to be found, Seven Wonders Land was right in front of them.
With a solemn expression, he took a step back and cupped his fists, “Head Manager, please give the order. This Chen will do whatever it takes to repay your favour for nurturing me.”
Zhao Bai Chuan chuckled and patted his shoulder, “There’s no rush. We have to come up with a detailed plan first.”
Then, he turned around and looked down before saying quietly, “We do need a place where we can settle down.”
Meanwhile, in another Grand Hall, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was quietly listening to the report from the Venerable of Earth Spirit Land. Previously, he told this man to lead those from Scarlet Star to have a stroll around Seven Wonders Land because he was a scrupulous person who could observe things that others couldn’t.
After the report, Qi Qiao asked, “Did you find anything that was amiss?”
Hearing that, the Earth Spirit Land Venerable shook his head, “No. Those from Scarlet Star were acting normally. I couldn’t find anything wrong with them.”
The Venerable Protector of Yin Spirit Land, a middle-aged woman, heard this and frowned, “Heavenly Monarch, why have those from Scarlet Star come to Seven Wonders Land at such a critical moment? Could there be a plot afoot?”
Qi Qiao stared at her and said, “I know what you’re worried about, but Scarlet Star is quite far away from this place. Moreover, as far as I know, they’ve never come into contact with the Flying Smoke Temple, so it’s unlikely that they have joined forces to harm us. Certainly, we can’t rule out this possibility, so we have to investigate further.”
“I’m relieved that you’ve taken that into consideration.” The woman bowed her head.
The Venerable Protector of Yang Spirit Land landed a fist on the table and bellowed, “Damn it! If it weren’t because Xu Huang made a fuss in the past, we wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. If the Grand Array were still intact, Yu Xiu Shan wouldn’t have the guts to create trouble.”
In order to break through a Grand Array that protected a Spirit Province, one had to pay a hefty price. It wasn’t certain how Yu Xiu Shan found out that the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been damaged, but like a cat catching a whiff of a fishy smell, Yu Xiu Shan hurriedly came over. In the past few years, there had been more than 20 fights, and there had been losses on both sides. Although those from Flying Smoke Temple hadn’t gained the upper hand, the weaknesses of the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had worsened. The Grand Array was at risk of falling apart.
Qi Qiao’s expression turned gloomy when he heard the name ‘Xu Huang’. In the past, Xu Huang had raised Hell in this place. Qi Qiao and other Venerable Protectors joined forces and severely injured him, so it was most likely that he was dead; however, during the battle, three Venerable Protectors lost their lives, while Qi Qiao was severely injured. Many of their disciples were killed, and a large number of Workers had escaped. It could be said that they had suffered immense losses.
However, the bigger problem was that Xu Huang had secretly altered the controlling rights of the Grand Array, which made it impossible for Qi Qiao to fully control it now. Therefore, he could only make use of 60% of the Grand Array’s power.
He was injured, but at the same time, he had to refine the Grand Array again. It could be said that he was exhausted both physically and mentally.
What made him feel even more apprehensive was that Xu Huang had brought the Array Jade with him when he ran away. He had a Grand Array Control Token as well, but it was only a copy of the original one. The real jade was in Xu Huang’s possession. That jade was superior to the one Qi Qiao had when it came to manipulating the Grand Array.
If he could obtain the jade, he could solve the crisis they were facing by regaining control over the Grand Array; however, he wasn’t sure if Xu Huang was dead or alive, and the jade was nowhere to be found.
It could be said that the situation wasn’t in his favour. After a sigh, Qi Qiao looked at the Venerable Protector of Earth Spirit Land, “Wei Hua, I’ll let you deal with those from Scarlet Star. Find out their intentions as soon as possible.”
Scarlet Star and Seven Wonders Land were separated by many Great Territories, so he didn’t believe that they would come all the way here for no reason. However, he was a reserved individual, so he didn’t inquire about it at the banquet.
Following a grunt, the Venerable Protector of Earth Spirit Land rose from his chair and cupped his fists, “Yes.”
“All of you may leave now,” Qi Qiao waved his hand, whereupon all of them streamed out of the hall.
After receiving Qi Qiao’s order, Venerable Protector Wei Hua went on to hospitably treat those from Scarlet Star over the next few days. He would hold a banquet every evening and share with them the local products of Seven Wonders Land and this Great Territory, slowly building up a rapport.
Nevertheless, Wei Hua felt speechless at the fact that these people from Scarlet Star never revealed their intentions for coming to this place, as though they had really come all the way here just to have a stroll. They would attend the banquet every day and drink the wine presented to them. They would also gladly accept the female disciples sent to serve them in bed.
Wei Hua had no idea what they were up to.
One day, during another banquet, Wei Hua was tipsy and unable to take it anymore, he asked directly, “Brother Chen, why have all of you come all the way to Seven Wonders Land? Just tell me if there’s anything you need. Our Heavenly Monarch is a generous person, so he won’t disappoint you.”
Chen Tian Fei’s face was red as he appeared intoxicated as well, but in fact, he was totally sober. Hearing this, he thought to himself that those from Seven Wonders Land couldn’t hold back their curiosity and anxiety anymore.
“The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened?”
Inside the Grand Hall, Qi Qiao was dumbfounded upon hearing the Earth Spirit Land Venerable’s report, while the other Open Heaven Realm Masters were equally stunned.
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a wondrous place. Even though many people had heard about its existence, it took a great opportunity for anyone to be able to enter. Moreover, even if one managed to enter, it wasn’t certain if they could come out alive. It was an opportunity as well as a risk.
Wei Hua nodded, “That was what Chen Tian Fei told me.”
The female Venerable of Yin Spirit Land asked, “Senior Brother Wei, do you think he was telling the truth?”
Wei Hua shook his head, “I’ll need to investigate further before I can verify his claim. However, based on my observation, Chen Tian Fei didn’t seem to be lying. Moreover, this matter has far-reaching implications, and the news will be spread quickly. I don’t think they would do something so foolish as to tell such an easily exposed lie.”
Qi Qiao nodded, “That’s right. The opening of Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is a major event, and no one can hide it.”
Wei Hua said, “Apparently, their Star City was swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they’re homeless now. When they were finally able to leave, they happened to be around this place. Heavenly Monarch, Chen Tian Fei remembered you, which was why he decided to come to Seven Wonders Land to have a short stay.”
“I see,” Qi Qiao muttered.
Previously, he wondered why those from Scarlet Star would come all the way here to his territory. He came to find now that it was because of the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which was a valid reason.
The eyes of Yang Spirit Land Venerable brightened as he said, “Heavenly Monarch, in that case, we can consider taking in those people from Scarlet Star. Now that they’re homeless, we can make them stay in Seven Wonders Land to strengthen our power. By then, we won’t have to be afraid of Yu Xiu Shan anymore.”
Wood Spirit Land Venerable snorted, “Are you out of your mind? Chen Tian Fei doesn’t matter as he’s just a Fourth-Order, but Zhao Bai Chuan is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who is in the same realm as Heavenly Monarch. Regardless of whether we can take them in or not, I’m worried that they will not be loyal to us.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable found this to be sensible. Zhao Bai Chuan was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so if he was allowed to stay in Seven Wonders Land, it was difficult to subdue him as he might not be willing to work under the Heavenly Monarch. Moreover, those from Scarlet Star had lost their Star City, so they needed a new place to call home; therefore, they might covet Seven Wonders Land. It was akin to welcoming wolves into one’s home if they were allowed to stay.
After giving it a thought, Yang Spirit Land Venerable said, “We don’t have to take them in, but we can employ them.”
Qi Qiao gazed at him, “You mean…”
There was a smile on Yang Spirit Land Venerable’s face, “They don’t have a place to call home anyway, and Chen Tian Fei is an old acquaintance of yours. If we can offer a good price, they might be willing to lend us a hand. One of them is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the other is a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If we put them in the right places, they can help us destroy Flying Smoke Temple.”
The Wood Spirit Land Venerable scoffed, “You’re oversimplifying things.”
There seemed to be some grudges between the two Venerables. Seeing as the other party refuted him again, Yang Spirit Land Venerable sported a dark expression and glared at him, “What opinion do you have, then?”
Wood Spirit Land Venerable said, “They have just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Even though we’ve never been to that place, we’ve heard about it. There’s great danger as well as opportunities inside. As long as one is able to leave that place alive, they will undoubtedly bring with them immense rewards. Now, they’re alive and kicking. Although I have no idea what they’ve obtained, they’re definitely not poor. What can we offer that will make them willing to lend us a hand? They will brush us off if the benefits are not good enough, and we’ll suffer a loss if the benefits are too tremendous.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable tried to argue, “But, Chen Tian Fei is an old friend of Heavenly Monarch. If Heavenly Monarch personally…”
“Have you cultivated too long and lost your mind?” Wood Spirit Land Venerable gave him a disdainful look, “Regardless of whether Chen Tian Fei will value this friendship and decide to lend us a hand, he’s not the Head Manager of Scarlet Star. The Head Manager is Zhao Bai Chuan! If Heavenly Monarch is turned down, our force will be thoroughly embarrassed!”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable was fuming with rage, but he had to admit that the other Venerable was right; therefore, he was lost for words at the moment.
Qi Qiao was seated at the head of the hall as he stared coldly at his subordinates, who were bickering with each other, only interjecting after some time to ask, “Miao Yue, since you keep refuting him, you must have a plan in mind. Why don’t you tell us about it?”
Miao Yue was the name of the Wood Spirit Land Venerable.
Hearing that, Yang Spirit Land Venerable became elated as he took pleasure in Miao Yue’s misfortune, waiting for the latter to embarrass himself in front of the Heavenly Monarch.
Nevertheless, with a confident look on his face, Miao Yue explained, “Yes, Heavenly Monarch. I do have an idea. If this plan works, not only can we pay nothing to get the help of those from Scarlet Star, but we can also have a chance to get rid of Yu Xiu Shan forever. However, you have to personally act to express our sincerity.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable glowered at him, “Nonsense!”
However, Qi Qiao’s interest had been piqued, “Tell me about it.”
As Miao Yue explained his idea, the eyes of the people in the Grand Hall brightened as they appeared excited. Even though Yang Spirit Land Venerable was displeased, he had to admit that the other Venerable was a clever person. He hated himself for not being able to come up with such a simple solution, which allowed his rival to gain all the credit.
Upon hearing the full plan, Qi Qiao guffawed, “Miao Yue, your idea will help us chase the wolves away while getting all the benefits, and with an overt plot at that. Even if those from Scarlet Star see through it, they will still be tempted. Wonderful. If this plan works, you will be rewarded greatly.”
There was a polite smile on Miao Yue’s face, “Heavenly Monarch, it is my duty to help you share your burden, so I wouldn’t dare to take any credit for it.” Then, with a smug expression, he shot a glance at Yang Spirit Land Venerable, which infuriated the latter.
After rising from his chair, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch declared, “We should get it done quickly as Yu Xiu Shan might strike again at any moment. This King will look for Zhao Bai Chuan and discuss this matter with him now.”
Miao Yue then said, “Heavenly Monarch, regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary…”
Qi Qiao stopped in his tracks and fell silent for a moment, “Get some people to look into this matter. If the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary really opened, news would have spread quickly and caused a great commotion. Just ask around in the Universe Temple and we will soon know the truth.”
“Yes,” Miao Yue replied respectfully.
Half a day later, in the palace where those from Scarlet Star lived, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei hospitably saw Qi Qiao off. It wasn’t certain what the discussion was about, but all of them sported bright smiles on their faces. Apparently, they were happy with the outcome.
“It’s decided, then. I will be counting on your assistance then, Brother Zhao,” Qi Qiao cupped his fists. His face had been pale due to his injury, but at this moment, it seemed to be glowing.
Zhao Bai Chuan cupped his fists back and said, “Many thanks, Heavenly Monarch. This Zhao and all of us from Scarlet Star are grateful that you’ve found such a great opportunity for us. If everything works out, we will certainly prepare a great gift for you.”
“You’re too polite,” Qi Qiao chuckled and bid them farewell before leaving.
In his heart, he was extremely pleased. Initially, if they wanted to seek the help of those from Scarlet Star, they would have had to pay a hefty price; however, by using Miao Yue’s plan, not only could they pay nothing, they also stood to gain a reward from Scarlet Star after the incident. This was indeed a perfect plan with all the benefits going to them.
After Qi Qiao was gone, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei returned to their hall and opened a barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on them.
With an awkward expression, Chen Tian Fei stroked his chin, “Head Manager, just like what you had expected, Qi Qiao came to borrow some people from us, but his idea is… interesting.”
Zhao Bai Chuan chuckled, “This open conspiracy is indeed ingenious.”
Chen Tian Fei nodded his head, “They know that we’re homeless, so we need a place to settle down. As long as we can help them get rid of Yu Xiu Shan, we can take over Flying Smoke Temple. Tsk… It’s such a perfect plan. Head Manager, what do you think?”
He knew that Zhao Bai Chuan intended to snatch Seven Wonders Land, but Qi Qiao had presented Flying Smoke Temple to them as bait, so he wasn’t sure if they should accept it.
Strictly speaking, Qi Qiao’s suggestion would most likely work; after all, if they joined forces, there was no way those from Flying Smoke Temple could defeat them. If they could come up with a proper plan, they certainly could snatch the Temple. On the other hand, they were not confident that they could take control of Seven Wonders Land.
Zhao Bai Chuan just wanted a place to settle down, and Seven Wonders Land and Flying Smoke Temple were both Second Class forces, so either of them would be fine. There was no reason for them to insist on choosing Seven Wonders Land; therefore, the Head Manager would have to make a decision.
Zhao Bai Chuan, however, just sneered and replied, “This King knows nothing about Flying Smoke Temple, but I’ve taken a liking to Seven Wonders Land.”
Hearing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that the Head Manager was determined to obtain Seven Wonders Land. After pondering on it for a moment, he said, “Should we pretend to play along and act according to the circumstances, then?”
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already made some arrangements. Now, we’ll have to see if we can pull in one more pawn. If we can do that, we’ll definitely achieve our goal.”
Right then, Zhao Bai Chuan’s expression changed as he waved his hand to undo the barrier.
The next moment, a Third-Order Master stepped into the hall with an unconscious woman in his hand. Then, he cupped his fists and said, “Manager Zhao, Manager Chen.”
This Third-Order Master was one of the Great Commanders of Scarlet Star, and his position was only below the Managers. Previously, he had followed Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei to enter Seven Wonders Land. There were more than ten Low-Rank cultivators just like him, but their powers varied.
“How was it?” Zhao Bai Chuan asked.
The man replied excitedly, “Just as Head Manager expected, some of the disciples from Seven Wonders Land have left in succession.”
Zhao Bai Chuan scoffed, “The news of the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary has been spread, so they’d definitely send some people to gather information; after all, they don’t fully trust us.”
The person said, “I was waiting for a long time before I found a chance to capture one of them. Soon, the other one will come into contact with the other Managers.”
Initially, Chen Tian Fei had no idea what this person was saying, but after listening for a while, he became excited and immediately realised the Head Manager’s plan. Secretly, he admired the Head Manager’s cunning. Previously, while the Head Manager told Chen Tian Fei to unobtrusively reveal the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he also secretly set up a plot. Chen Tian Fei felt that he was no match for the Head Manager when it came to intelligence, so he became even more respectful of the latter.
There was no way those from Scarlet Star could hide the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, nor did they intend to do so. However, Chen Tian Fei had never expected that the Head Manager could make use of this news.
By revealing the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they could assure those from Seven Wonders Land that they didn’t come all the way here for no reason. They were homeless because their Star City was destroyed, and they happened to be sent to this place.
Secondly, upon learning about this news, those from Seven Wonders Land would send some people to verify this claim, which gave the people from Scarlet Star an opportunity.
It had to be noted that Zhao Bai Chuan had several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters working under him, but presently, he only had more than ten of them with him. People like Lady Qin, the Ou Yang Brothers, and Bei Yu Shan were currently elsewhere.
In order to snatch Seven Wonders Land, they had to contact those people. Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei alone were not able to achieve this goal.
However, there was a Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land, so even though it was currently damaged, Zhao Bai Chuan still couldn’t contact Bei Yu Shan and the others freely. If they made any rash move, they would arouse the suspicion of those from Seven Wonders Land.
The people of Seven Wonders Land had fallen into Zhao Bai Chuan’s trap by sending disciples to gather some information.
He had gotten some people to wait in the dark and make a move at the right time, and as expected, it was a success.
A Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master couldn’t be considered powerful in the 3,000 Worlds, but he wasn’t weak either. It was easy for him to subdue a Seven Wonders Land’s disciple and plant a seal on his body to force him to send a message for them, unless the disciple valued his Sect over his own life.
Nevertheless, how many people in this world were not afraid of death?
“Who is this woman?” Chen Tian Fei looked puzzledly at the unconscious woman.
The man replied with a smile, “The disciple I sent out was a man, and I suppose this woman is his partner. With this woman in our hands, I believe he won’t betray us.”
A shocked Chen Tian Fei said, “You took her in just like this? Did anyone see you?”
The person shook his head, “Manager Chen, don’t worry. I’m sure no one saw me.”
“Good.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded, “You’ve done well. You can leave now. This woman will stay here.”
“Yes.” The man put down the woman and respectfully left.
Just then, the woman slowly opened her eyes as her long eyelashes fluttered. As soon as she saw Zhao Bai Chuan, she was astounded. Before she could figure out what was going on though, she saw Zhao Bai Chian lifting his hand. The next instant, her vision darkened, and she could no longer feel anything.
A moment later, only a pile of ash was left on the ground. The female disciple was killed.
Seeing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that the male disciple who was forced to send a message was doomed as well. As soon as he came into contact with Bei Yu Shan and the others, he would be killed. Regardless, it was better to have fewer people who were aware of this incident. To Seven Wonders Land, it didn’t matter to lose two disciples; after all, presently, the people from Flying Smoke Temple had their eyes on Seven Wonders Land.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have separately sent their disciples away to gather information. That was because they were worried that those disciples would be killed all at once.
Since the plot had been fully set up, all they could do now was wait. Zhao Bai Chuan never left Seven Wonders Land, but he was able to mobilise his subordinates and make appropriate arrangements. His calm demeanour showed that he was a natural leader.
Time went by slowly. Three days later, the shopping district became desolate. The shopping district was only open for three days every month, being empty most of the time.
Now, it was easier for Yang Kai and Yue He to conceal themselves. Presently, Yue He was still tirelessly refining the Array Jade. It seemed that she was interested in Seven Wonders Land; after all, it was the Headquarters of a Second Class great force.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was silently recuperating. He was seriously wounded in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and subsequently, he was hunted down by those from Scarlet Star, which aggravated his injuries. Now that he finally had a moment of peace, he had to seize the chance to heal himself.
As he was doing so, he was also going through the harvest he had obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Although he had been trapped inside that place for more than ten years, the resources he had accumulated were immense.
The trip to the Yuan Magnetic Mountain alone had made him become filthy rich overnight. The Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones in the Fourth, Fifth and even Sixth-Order were all worth immense amounts of money in the 3,000 Worlds. Xu Zhen had also helped him refine the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, which contained the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light in it. As soon as these artifacts were put up for sale, no Low-Rank Master could resist the temptation.
In addition, he had hundreds of millions of Open Heaven Pills. In the past, after he arrived at the Sword Pavilion’s Star City, he found everyone slaughtered and managed to pick up several tens of thousands of Space Rings. All the things in the rings were valuable, not to mention that he pocketed 70% of Scarlet Star’s income over the years.
Under his protection, Scarlet Star grew rapidly and became extremely profitable. In return, 70% of their income fell into Yang Kai’s hands.
It could be said that in the past over ten years, Yang Kai had accumulated a heritage that would take any ordinary Second Class force a hundred or even several hundred years to match. The resources he had were simply innumerable.
It was so much, Yang Kai had no idea how much wealth he really had. Yue He might be aware of it because it was she who had been dealing with the people from Scarlet Star over the years.
Besides that, the rewards from the Primordial Land were substantial as well.
Three Divine Medicines, Sixteen World Fruits, a large quantity of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, and the World Tree’s root, not to mention that Zhu Jiu Yin had promised to be his Protector for 1,000 years.
She had sworn upon her Source, so she had to protect Yang Kai at all costs for the next 1,000 years. Unfortunately, her Source had been damaged while they were fleeing, so she had fallen into a deep sleep; otherwise, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been hunted down by Scarlet Scar.
Additionally, he also had the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon.
These two were able to face Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary without any trouble, so although Yang Kai had no idea how powerful they were in the outside world, there was no way they were weak.
Besides these tangible benefits, his own strength had also increased significantly.
In Crouching Dragon Mountain, he obtained the remains of a Great Dragon and refined its Dragon Bead to condense his Earth Element Power. Then, he picked countless Dragon Blood Flowers and refined them into Dragon Blood Pills to purify his Dragon Vein. After that, he obtained the Moon Essence and refined his Water Element before comprehending Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation. With this Divine Manifestation alone, he would be able to deal with Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters.
There was also a Space Secret Technique he had comprehended when receiving the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the Primordial Land.
Near Horizon!
Previously, he wasn’t sure how to name it, but now he had finally found a suitable name.
Rather than a Divine Ability or Secret Technique, it was actually just a flexible use of Space Principles.
Once used, Yang Kai could stretch space around himself infinitely. The two parties might appear to be near each other, but the user was actually as distant as the horizon. There was no way the other party could approach once caught in this phenomenon.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had spent the past two years comprehending over a thousand spear techniques, eliminating the bad while retaining the good to create his own original spear technique.
It could be said that in the past over ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had grown tremendously. Now, he was no longer the same man who had just broken free from his Universe World’s restraints and arrived in the 3,000 Worlds. He wasn’t the bumpkin who found everything new and interesting anymore. When it came to wealth, even the Sect Masters of Second Class great forces were no match for him, and he might even be wealthier than some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
No one would have believed such a fantastical tale even if he told his story personally.
As he went through his harvest, Yang Kai kept smiling foolishly, making Yue He somewhat speechless.
One month later, he had fully recovered and returned to his peak.
Seizing the chance, Yang Kai snuck out of the cave and scanned the surroundings, whereupon he realised that the people from Scarlet Star were still in Seven Wonders Land.
This realization puzzled him as he wondered what benefits there were in Seven Wonders Land that could make the people from Scarlet Star stay. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t dare to make a rash move. It was easy to leave Seven Wonders Land now, as over the past month, Yue He had been refining the Array Jade, and she had now achieved over 40% control. However, things were getting harder as she progressed further. In order to fully refine the jade and take control of the Grand Array, it would take her at least six months to a year.
After all, Yue He wasn’t Xu Huang, who knew Seven Wonders Land inside and out and it still took him a long time to alter the controlling rights of the Grand Array. In the end, his plan was ruined when Yang Kai was exposed. Although Yue He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was time-consuming for her to refine something that didn’t belong to her.
“Young Master, I can’t keep refining it,” On this day, Yue He suddenly furrowed her brow.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her.
Yue He replied, “I have a feeling that if I keep refining it, the owner of Seven Wonders Land will notice it.”
“What percentage of it have you refined?”
“About 50%.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Stop refining it then if you can’t progress any further. You can always do it after leaving this place. There’s no rush.”
In the past, before Xu Huang’s death, he told Yang Kai to help him retrieve Seven Wonders Land and get revenge on his behalf; however, it was just the last words of a dying man, an enemy no less. It wasn’t Yang Kai’s intention at all.
The reason Yue He had been refining the jade was that she had nothing else to do. Since there was now a risk of being discovered though, she naturally couldn’t keep going lest their whereabouts be exposed.
What made Yang Kai feel speechless was that two months had passed, but Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei didn’t seem to have the intention of leaving, which made him feel doubtful. Could it be that the people from Scarlet Star intended to join Seven Wonders Land?
He couldn’t rule out the possibility. Since their Star City was gone, they needed a place to stay, and Seven Wonders Land was the perfect place for that.
Nevertheless, was Zhao Bai Chuan really willing to work under Qi Qiao? Did Qi Qiao have the guts to accept him?
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, he felt the world shake suddenly, and rumbling sounds were continuously heard. Flabbergasted, he immediately realised what was going on and muttered, “Seven Wonders Land is under attack!”
“Could it be Yu Xiu Shan?” Yue He asked.
“I think so,” Yang Kai didn’t know who Yu Xiu Shan was, but when the people from Scarlet Star arrived at this place, the Heavenly Monarch mentioned this name, which made Yang Kai realise that there were some grudges between the two parties. Moreover, Yu Xiu Shan must have launched some attacks on Seven Wonders Land before.
At this moment, no one but Yu Xiu Shan could be the mastermind behind the attack on Seven Wonders Land.
As expected, Qi Qiao soon bellowed, “Old dog Yu Xiu Shan, how dare you come here again!”
A raucous laugh was heard coming from the distance in response, “Qi Qiao, this Old Master is here to end your life. If you’re clever, you’d better open the Grand Array and allow me to kill you quickly so as to spare the lives of the others from Seven Wonders Land. Otherwise… Haha… Don’t blame this Old Master for slaughtering all of you.”
Hearing that, many disciples from Seven Wonders Land felt apprehensive.
Qi Qiao snapped back, “Old fart, all of you from Flying Smoke Temple will never be able to swallow up Seven Wonders Land! Leave now and this King will spare your life. Refuse, and you’ll only embarrass yourself!”
The way Qi Qiao spoke was diffident, which elicited a laugh from Yu Xiu Shan.
As they sparred verbally with each other, they seemed closer and closer to an all-out fight.
Seven Wonders Land was protected by its Grand Array, so if the people from Flying Smoke Temple wanted to invade this place, they had to destroy the defensive barrier first. In the past, they were not capable of doing that; after all, both parties were equally matched. However, after the chaos Xu Huang had raised, many weaknesses appeared in the Grand Array. On the other hand, Qi Qiao still hadn’t recovered up until this point, so he was unable to fully activate the Grand Array’s power.
It was for this reason that the people from Flying Smoke Temple repeatedly attacked Seven Wonders Land in order to annex this place.
Previously, they had gotten into over twenty skirmishes. Although the people from Flying Smoke Temple were defeated each time, they didn’t go home empty-handed. At the very least, they had figured out the current status of the Grand Array.
Therefore, as soon as the battle began, the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Smoke Temple received a directive from Yu Xiu Shan and began targeting a particular spot.
That spot was where Yang Kai and Yue He passed through previously. It was also the weakest spot in the Grand Array.
Qi Qiao was so enraged he began cursing out loud, but there was nothing he could do. He could only join forces with the other Open Heaven Realm Masters to reinforce the Grand Array’s power to parry the enemy attack. At that moment, they fell into an intense battle as booming sounds were continuously heard.
In Seven Wonders Land, all seven Spirit Provinces shook violently, with mountains crumbling one after another. In the shopping district, Yang Kai and Yue He sported solemn expressions.
They were in trouble as they were caught between two Second Class great forces that were clashing with each other. It would be great if the people from Seven Wonders Land could defend this place, which would allow Yang Kai and Yue He to continue hiding here. If they couldn’t, the people from Flying Smoke Temple would occupy Seven Wonders Land and launch a thorough search. By then, their whereabouts might be exposed.
“Young Master, should we look for a chance to escape?” Yue He asked in a hushed voice, “In my opinion, the Grand Array can only last for a while longer.”
She had refined 50% of the Array Jade, and although she wouldn’t dare to activate the Grand Array so as not to attract Qi Qiao’s attention, she could feel the Grand Array’s condition through it.
“How much longer can it last?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He replied, “Based on the intensity of the attacks, the Grand Array can only last for half a month. Moreover, I believe the other party hasn’t gone all out yet. If they do, the time before the Grand Array collapses will be shortened.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded. Since Yue He said so, there wouldn’t be any mistake. It seemed that the Grand Array couldn’t stop the people of Flying Smoke Temple from storming into Seven Wonders Land. Once the Grand Array broke, Seven Wonders Land would fall into a horrible state, and they would also be implicated.
Now, they really had to ponder over a way out of this situation.
However, there was one thing he didn’t understand. Would the people from Scarlet Star make a move in this battle? Why hadn’t they left yet? Had they come to any agreement with the Heavenly Monarch?
With the help of Scarlet Star, Seven Wonders Land might be able to fend off Flying Smoke Temple; after all, Zhao Bai Chuan was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had many Open Heaven Realm subordinates under him.
Two days later, the battle was still ongoing; however, with the Grand Array in place, the two sides hadn’t really directly come into contact with each other.
Suddenly, Yue He frowned and appeared puzzled, “Why has the Grand Array’s power dropped so quickly?”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at her.
Yue He explained, “This Grand Array is fairly powerful, so supposedly, it shouldn’t have been worn down so quickly. Initially, I thought that it could last for ten days to half a month, but now, it seems that it will break in just five days.”
“That quick!?” A glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes when he heard this, then he fell into his thoughts, “Maybe you’re not mistaken.”
Yue He gazed at him, “What do you mean?”
“What if Qi Qiao is intentionally weakening the Grand Array to feign defeat to their opponents?”
Yue He wasn’t a fool as she had managed to reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her gaze brightened when she heard that, “Young Master, you mean…”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Flying Smoke Temple is in trouble now.”
The people from Scarlet Star must have come to an agreement with Qi Qiao. They were hiding in the dark and waiting for a chance to make a move. Once the Heavenly Monarch let those from Flying Smoke Temple in, Zhao Bai Chuan would act.
When that happened, with the two great forces teaming up, there was no way Flying Smoke Temple would be able to match them. However, they couldn’t act conspicuously, which was why the Heavenly Monarch had been slowly weakening the Grand Array and pretending that they were powerless to resist. They were trying to lure Yu Xiu Shan in and trap him.
Upon this realization, Yang Kai couldn’t help but admire Qi Qiao’s audacity to let his enemies into his home, an act that required a lot of nerve. If any unexpected event took place, Seven Wonders Land would suffer huge losses.
Was there anything Yang Kai could do in such a battle? Could he interfere in this matter and get some benefits for himself? If he found a chance and killed Qi Qiao, it would help Yue He seize full control of the Grand Array.
However, just controlling the Grand Array was useless. Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan were both Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so if they were not killed as well, Seven Wonders Land would fall into the hands of one of them.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided to give up on the idea. It was best for him to just sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight for now.
Just like what Yang Kai had expected, the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been unobtrusively weakened by Qi Qiao, and in just five days, a huge gap appeared in the barrier.
Following that, Qi Qiao’s furious but helpless roar reverberated across all seven Spirit Provinces.
With Temple Master Yu Xiu Shan leading the way, the top cultivators from Flying Smoke Temple passed through the opening and entered Seven Wonders Land. As soon as both parties came into contact, they fell into a life-and-death battle.
Both parties were Second Class great forces, and they possessed foundations accumulated over countless years. Supposedly, they were equally matched. Nevertheless, over ten years ago, Xu Huang went on a rampage in Seven Wonders Land, and besides injuring Qi Qiao, he also killed three Venerable Protectors.
In that battle, Seven Wonders Land lost three Fourth-Order and many more Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. It could be said that they had suffered immense losses. On the other hand, the imposing cultivators from Flying Smoke Temple were at the peak of their power, so how were the people from Seven Wonders Land supposed to resist?
Yu Xiu Shan directly charged towards Qi Qiao and launched into a fierce battle with him. The Mid-Rank cultivators under him went on to deal with Earth Spirit Land Venerable and the others.
At that instant, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Seven Wonders Land fell into danger as they were all at a disadvantage.
The Heavenly Monarch was still injured, and even though he was in a one-on-one fight with Yu Xiu Shan, he wasn’t a match for the latter. After just an incense stick worth of time, he was hurt by Yu Xiu Shan as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and stepped backwards.
A relentless Yu Xiu Shan raised the war hammer in his hand as a flash of light swirled around his weapon. Upon surging his World Force, he attempted to land his weapon on the Heavenly Monarch as he grinned, “Qi Qiao, after you’re killed, this Old Master will take good care of your wife and concubines. Hahahaha!”
The Heavenly Monarch’s face was pale, and his eyes were fuming with rage; however, at this critical moment, he actually sneered, “Yu Xiu Shan, do you think you’ve already won? Actually, you’ve lost!”
“Hm?” Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed slightly.
Qi Qiao clenched his teeth and performed a hand seal. The illusory phantom of a Small Universe flashed behind him as the World Force exploded and he shouted, “Soul Suppression!”
The next instant, an invisible power radiated from his body. Before Yu Xiu Shan could react, he was struck by the attack and instantly became rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle.
Besides him, Qi Qiao was also unable to move.
The Soul Suppression Secret Technique could suppress and seal an opponent’s movements, but the user would also be greatly affected. This could be said to be a double-edged sword. If it was used properly, it could help the user turn the tide of battle, but it could also plunge them into a critical situation.
“You court death!” Yu Xiu Shan bellowed as he continuously surged his power to break free from the Soul Suppression Technique. The aura of his World Force kept undulating.
Qi Qiao sneered as he shouted, “You will be the one that will go to Hell today. Head Manager Zhao, please make a move now!”
The next moment, a figure as swift as wind shot towards them, along with more than ten Open Heaven Realm Masters. Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “Who are you!?”
The Heavenly Monarch guffawed, “Yu Xiu Shan, you never expected that I still had a trump card, right? I don’t mind telling you about them. He’s the Head Manager of Scarlet Star. His Star City has been destroyed, so it just so happens that he is in need of your Flying Smoke Temple’s Spirit Province.”
As Qi Qiao spoke, Zhao Bai Chuan shot past him and raised his hand. World Force surged from his palm as he lightly pushed it out towards Yu Xiu Shan.
Seeing that, Qi Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fortunate that the people from Scarlet Star had come to visit all of a sudden; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stood a chance to get rid of Yu Xiu Shan.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind though, he saw Yu Xiu Shan sporting an eerie smile, “Qi Qiao, you think I’ll go to Hell? But, as I see it, you’re the one who is bound to die!”
Qi Qiao felt his chest tightening as he instinctively had a bad premonition. Before he could react, he saw Zhao Bai Chuan turning around and landing a palm on him. His eyes widened in disbelief as a sense of shock and fury behind his gaze emerged.
Following Zhao Bai Chuan’s attack, a loud boom was heard, and the Heavenly Monarch’s head was pushed into his chest. At the same time, the lower part of his body turned into dust.
Zhao Bai Chuan retracted his hand and straightened up. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face.
Strictly speaking, both of them were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even though Qi Qiao was injured, he shouldn’t have died so easily; however, he had been feigning weakness and even allowed Yu Xiu Shan to hurt him to fool the latter. That was because he placed all his hope on Zhao Bai Chuan.
However, it never crossed his mind that Zhao Bai Chuan had already contacted Yu Xiu Shan and joined forces with him. That was the reason he lost his life for nothing.
Qi Qiao was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he had sustained fatal damage now and was unable to sustain the Soul Suppression. After Yu Xiu Shan broke free from the restriction, he traded glances with Zhao Bai Chuan and smiled, “Brother Zhao, many thanks for your assistance.”
“You’re welcome, Brother Yu.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded.
“W-Why…” Presently, only half of the Heavenly Monarch’s body was left, while half of his head had been compressed into his chest, so he was truly on his last breath.
He could not understand why Zhao Bai Chuan betrayed him all of a sudden. Since the people from Scarlet Star wanted a new territory, they could help him get rid of Yu Xiu Shan and then easily take over Flying Smoke Temple. Why did Zhao Bai Chuan make a move on him instead?
Zhao Bai Chuan looked down at him and replied impassively, “Seven Wonders Land is a good place, and this King has taken a liking to it.”
Zhao Bai Chuan knew little about Flying Smoke Temple, but he had carefully surveyed Seven Wonders Land and concluded that it was a terrific place. The seven Spirit Provinces were attuned to each of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. The seven kinds of spirit fruits grown in each respective Spirit Province could be used to make Open Heaven Pills, which was a stable source of income.
If the people of Scarlet Star could settle down in this place, they would have the capital to rise again.
Moreover, compared to Yu Xiu Shan, it was easier to kill Qi Qiao; after all, Qi Qiao had been seriously wounded, so Zhao Bai Chuan wouldn’t have to worry that he would put up a desperate last struggle and drag him down with him. On the other hand, Yu Xiu Shan was completely healthy. If he had a Secret Technique that could overdraft his strength and greatly boost his power before his death, Zhao Bai Chuan would have to suffer.
After going through all the pros and cons, he decided to snatch Seven Wonders Land.
The light in Qi Qiao’s eyes went out. Before his death, he still couldn’t believe that while he was plotting against others, he was also walking into someone else’s plot.
“Zhao Bai Chuan… you’ll die a horrible death!” He cursed before passing away.
There was no emotion on Zhao Bai Chuan’s face, “That’s none of your concern.”
Right after Qi Qiao lost his life, Chen Tian Fei turned into a gigantic meatball and rolled into the battlefield. In an imposing manner, he charged towards Earth Spirit Land Venerable Wei Hua.
Wei Hua was already in a perilous situation as he was besieged by two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Smoke Temple. Now that Chen Tian Fei also came at him, how was he supposed to fend him off?
While horrified, he still tried his best to ward off the attacks from his current enemies, but after ten breaths of time, he was struck by the gigantic meatball. In an instant, his chest became indented, and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood that was mixed with the pieces of his organs.
The two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward, and as a glint flashed across their blades, Wei Hua’s head flew into the air and blood started spurting out of his neck.
First, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was betrayed and killed, then the Earth Spirit Land Venerable was murdered. All this happened in just ten breaths of time. The turn of events terrified the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Seven Wonders Land.
“Retreat!” Seeing as the situation wasn’t in their favour, Wood Spirit Land Venerable Miao Yue yelled and shot into the sky. He wouldn’t dare to keep battling against their enemies.
Behind him, the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Seven Wonders Land ditched their opponents and ran for their lives.
“Hahaha! Where do you think you’re going?” A burly figure suddenly emerged from the gap in the Grand Array, blocking the only exit. He was none other than Bei Yu Shan from Scarlet Star. Besides him, Lady Qin, the Ou Yang Brothers, and other Open Heaven Realm Masters had also come.
Seeing this, Miao Yue and the others felt their hearts sinking.
Bei Yu Shan and the others were all Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way they could defeat the four of them and flee.
Instantaneously, Bei Yu Shan and the Ou Yang Brothers led the Scarlet Star Open Heaven Realm Masters and dashed towards Miao Yue and his group. Soon, they fell into another melee.
Lady Qin stood guard before the gap on her own. After she sat down with her legs crossed, she placed a zither in front of her and plucked its strings, whereupon melodious music permeated the air.
Shrieks were continuously heard as the Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed. Those from Seven Wonders Land were easily defeated as they were powerless to resist; after all, they had already lost all morale, and they indeed were less powerful than Bei Yu Shan and the others.
Just one hour later, more than ten people had been killed. Even the Yang Spirit Land Venerable’s corpse had been ground into dust. Miao Yue’s hair was dishevelled, and he was soaked in blood as he exclaimed, “Don’t kill me! I’m willing to surrender!”
Ignoring his plea, Bei Yu Shan continued hunting him down.
On the other hand, Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed as he said, “Head Manager Zhao, will you please tell your subordinate to spare Miao Yue’s life?”
Zhao Bai Chuan asked, “Brother Yu, do you intend to recruit a talented person like him or something?”
Yu Xiu Shan chuckled, “How can he be considered a talented person when he’s afraid of death? However, he’s a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he might be useful to us in the future if we keep him alive.”
Since he had made such a request, Zhao Bai Chuan wouldn’t reject him. In any case, Zhao Bai Chuan had already achieved his goal, so he secretly spoke to Bei Yu Shan and told him to stop.
Soon, the battle ended. Seven Wonders Land had suffered immense losses. Only two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Miao Yue and the Yin Spirit Land Venerable, were left. The Yang Spirit Land Venerable and Earth Spirit Land Venerable Wei Hua were killed in battle while many Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters also lost their lives. As for the lower disciples, more than 40% had died.
Although many were still alive, the people from Seven Wonders Land all appeared apprehensive as they had no idea what kind of fate awaited them.
Yu Xiu Shan leapt into the air and persuaded them to surrender. Seeing as there was a chance to live, the people from Seven Wonders Land fell on their knees and kowtowed. With a satisfied look, Yu Xiu Shan nodded in approval.
Then, he landed on the ground and cupped his fists at Zhao Bai Chuan, “Brother Zhao, it’s been wonderful working with you. Seven Wonders Land has been occupied, and it’s time you fulfilled your promise.”
Although Flying Smoke Temple had won the battle, they had also suffered some losses. Many of their disciples lost their lives, along with ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nevertheless, the purpose of a battle was not the battle itself but the benefits.
After the battle, the people from Scarlet Star could take control of Seven Wonders Land, so certainly, those from Flying Smoke Temple wouldn’t want to make a loss.
Yu Xiu Shan and Zhao Bai Chuan had secretly come to an agreement. After they occupied Seven Wonders Land, those from Scarlet Star would settle down in this place, while the treasures accumulated over the years in Seven Wonders Land would all go to Flying Smoke Temple.
This was a win-win deal as both parties could get what they wanted most. On the surface, it appeared that Scarlet Star had suffered a loss; after all, all the benefits would be taken by Flying Smoke Temple. However, they had just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so the treasures in Seven Wonders Land didn’t really matter to them.
“I won’t go back on my word. Brother Yu, please help yourself.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded.
After thanking him, Yu Xiu Shan told his subordinates to follow Miao Yue to the storehouse and take everything. The people from Flying Smoke Temple would handle the corpses on the battlefield, while those from Scarlet Star wouldn’t take part in it; after all, corpses had many treasures on them, so it wasn’t appropriate for Scarlet Star to join.
Even before blood flowed across the battlefield, both parties had agreed on the distribution of benefits.
A moment later, a subordinate came over with Qi Qiao’s Space Ring. Yu Xiu Shan took it and wiped away the imprint left on it. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, he fished out something and gave it to Zhao Bai Chuan, “Brother Zhao, if I’m not mistaken, this should be the Array Jade of Seven Wonders Land.”
Zhao Bai Chuan took it and replied with a smile, “Many thanks, Brother Yu.”
This was also a part of the deal. With this jade in his possession, Zhao Bai Chuan would officially become the owner of Seven Wonders Land.
Yu Xiu Shan guffawed, “It belongs to you anyway. From now on, we’ll be neighbours, so we should help each other out.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded in agreement.
Two days later, everything was settled and Zhao Bai Chuan said, “We’ve just come to this place, so we have many things to do. Brother Yu, I’ll not make you stay. After this Zhao handles all the necessary affairs, I will pay you a visit.”
Knowing that he was not welcome any longer, Yu Xiu Shan simply decided to leave. He laughed and replied, “I’ll be waiting, then. Farewell.”
“Farewell.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded lightly.
With Yu Xiu Shan leading the way, the people from Flying Smoke Temple escorted the captives from Seven Wonders Land and shot into the sky. Soon, they were gone.
Following that, Chen Tian Fei appeared distressed as he said, “Those captives would have been useful. Yu Xiu Shan is so greedy, bringing all of them away. He’s such a despicable person.”
With a smile, Zhao Bai Chuan replied, “Let him be. Those captives don’t really matter. Now that we’ve taken control of Seven Wonders Land, we don’t have to worry about recruiting people or making money.”
Chen Tian Fei said after a laugh, “Head Manager is right. In any case, isn’t life full of surprises? Initially, we were here to borrow some people from Qi Qiao to look for Yang Kai. Who could have expected that things would turn out this way?”
Yang Kai possessed unimaginable wealth, so if they could capture him and snatch everything he had, Scarlet Star’s wealth would increase significantly. However, it was hard to tell whether securing a new territory or capturing Yang Kai was more important.
With a solemn expression, Chen Tian Fei said, “We’re not afraid of that brat surnamed Yang, but he said that he’s from First Inn, and he has the support of Madam Lan. We don’t know if it’s true or not. If what he is saying is true though, things will become thorny.”
After all, Madam Lan from First Inn was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while their Head Manager was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If Madam Lan stormed into their new place, they wouldn’t be able to fend her off.
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “Why would we be afraid of that woman? This King will also ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm sooner or later. If she has the guts to come here, this King will teach her a lesson.”
Chen Tian Fei became excited and cupped his fists, “Congratulations, Head Manager.”
The Ou Yang Brothers, Lady Qin, and the others also said in unison, “Congratulations, Head Manager.”
Over the years, Zhao Bai Chuan had been trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he hadn’t managed to do so. Now, it seemed that he had reached a point where he could achieve his goal.
With the jade in his hand, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Moreover, as long as I can refine this jade, I will be able to control the Grand Array.”
With the help of the Grand Array, he would be able to use a power that was far greater than his own even if he just broke through to the Sixth Order. Moreover, the news that they had occupied Seven Wonders Land hadn’t spread around, so it would be at least eight to ten years later before Madam Lan could find them.
Upon that realization, Chen Tian Fei cast away his worries.
“This King has to enter seclusion, so you will handle everything,” Zhao Bai Chuan said. After delegating power to Chen Tian Fei, he left. Over the years, Scarlet Star had been managed by Chen Tian Fei, so there was nothing to worry about.
Chen Tian Fei and the others bowed their heads and saw him off. Then, they set about cleaning up the battlefield, burying the corpses, and repairing the Spirit Arrays. All of them were swamped with work.
Initially, Scarlet Star had some pretty decent development in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they had more than ten thousand disciples. However, many of them had lost their lives in the Primordial Land, and there were now only about three or four thousand left. Previously, these people were not swift enough to follow Zhao Bai Chuan and the others as they passed through several Great Territories.
Two months had passed since that initial chase though, so naturally, these disciples had reunited with Bei Yu Shan and the others.
Seven Wonders Land, which consisted of seven Spirit Provinces, was vast, able to accommodate over a million people with ease; therefore, these three or four thousand people were like a basin of water being poured into the ocean. They were nowhere in sight just a moment later.
Rebuilding this place was a difficult task as it would take him several dozen to a hundred years to finish; after all, they had too few people on their side. However, since there was hope, they were all energetic and tireless.
Chen Tian Fei personally surveyed the entire land. Although he had followed Wei Hua to walk around some of the places in Seven Wonders Land, he was a guest at that time. Now, from the perspective of an owner, he needed to more thoroughly understand Seven Wonders Land.
Inside the cave in the shopping district, a myriad of expressions came over Yang Kai as he fell into his thoughts.
The battle two days ago shocked him. Initially, he thought that those from Seven Wonders Land and Scarlet Star had come to an agreement, and the people from Flying Smoke Temple would definitely suffer a grave defeat, but in the end, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was plotted against by Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan. In just two days, Seven Wonders Land had changed owners.
He could not figure out how Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan came into contact with each other.
Nevertheless, he could understand why Zhao Bai Chuan coveted Seven Wonders Land; after all, their Star City had been destroyed, so they indeed needed a place to settle down.
It was because of this temptation that the two parties came to an agreement. The turn of events in Seven Wonders Land was actually a great opportunity for Yang Kai.
Initially, Qi Qiao was the owner of this place, and he possessed the Array Jade, so Yang Kai hadn’t thought about taking any action; however, it was a different case when Zhao Bai Chuan was in charge.
In order to control the Grand Array, Zhao Bai Chuan had to first refine the Array Jade. In other words, Seven Wonders Land was basically defenceless at the moment.
Given Yue He’s capabilities, she could easily take control of the Grand Array.
Licking his dry lips, Yang Kai decided that since those from Scarlet Star had been relentlessly trying to kill him as they had hunted him down through several Great Territories, he had to take this perfect opportunity to retaliate against them.
Upon that realization, Yue He looked at him with a gaze filled with anticipation. Yang Kai traded glances with her and gently nodded.
At that instant, she was excited as she said, “Young Master, what should we do? I will follow your orders.”
Yang Kai asked, “Do you have the confidence to defeat Zhao Bai Chuan?”
Yue He smiled, “Both of us are Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Under normal circumstances, we should be equally matched with neither side able to easily defeat the other. However, I have the help of the Grand Array now. If it is a one-on-one fight, I’m confident that I’ll defeat him within one hour.”
She was confident of achieving this goal because she had refined 50% of the Grand Array Control Token over the past two months, so she was able to use its power to a great extent. On the other hand, Zhao Bai Chuan wasn’t able to do so.
That was the reason Xu Huang, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, could raise such a huge fuss in Seven Wonders Land, severely injuring Qi Qiao and killing three Venerable Protectors in the past. He had made use of the Grand Array’s power to do so. Unfortunately, he lost the battle in the end and journeyed to the Yellow Springs.
Zhao Bai Chuan was the strongest cultivator in Scarlet Star, and Yue He could handle him. The rest of them were the other Managers. Chen Tian Fei, the Ou Yang Brothers, Bei Yu Shan, and Lady Qin were all powerful Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well. Presently, Yang Kai could only make use of Lu Xue. Even if she made a move, she could only hold down a single Fourth-Order cultivator, leaving her unable to deal with the remaining four.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon might be able to contribute. Guo Zi Yan wasn’t taken into consideration as a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him would likely end up in a horrible state in such a battle.
The lack of manpower gave Yang Kai a headache. Unfortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin was in a state of deep sleep. If she could make a move, everything would be simple.
Since he didn’t have enough people, he could only deal with his opponents one by one. As long as he could take out Zhao Bai Chuan’s subordinates, it would be easier to deal with him when the time came.
“Can you locate Chen Tian Fei, Bei Yu Shan, and the other Fourth Orders?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
Yue He replied, “I’ll give it a try.”
Then, she closed her eyes and grasped the Array Jade before trying to locate their opponents.
With the help of the Grand Array, she could faintly sense what was going on in Seven Wonders Land, but due to the fact that she hadn’t fully refined it yet, she was unable to sense everything.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and said, “There’s one in Water Spirit Land, two people in Fire Spirit Land, and also people in Earth Spirit Land. I’m not sure who the people are in Water Spirit Land and Fire Spirit Land, but the auras of the two people in Earth Spirit Land are very similar, and there isn’t much difference about the fluctuations of their Souls, so I believe they’re the Ou Yang Brothers.”
A glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes when he heard that, “Then we’ll deal with them first.”
Ou Yang Bing and Ou Yang Lei were twin brothers who were experts in Combined Attack Techniques. Any one of them was no match for the other Managers in Scarlet Star, but after they joined forces, it was extremely difficult to deal with them. In the past, Yang Kai had traded moves with the people from Scarlet Star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so he was fully aware of that.
If he could kill the Ou Yang Brothers, the collective power of Scarlet Star would be reduced significantly.
Thinking so, he fished out a mask as thin as a cicada’s wings and placed it on his face. As a thought flashed through his mind, Yang Kai transformed into a clean-looking man.
“Seven Faces…” Yue He stared at him and muttered under her breath. Her eyes appeared conflicted as though she was walking down memory lane.
“You recognise this?” Yang Kai was surprised, but he soon figured that she might have seen this mask before.
Seven Faces was given to him by the Proprietress, and Yue He had a complicated relationship with her, so it wasn’t surprising that she had seen Seven Faces before.
Seven Faces was an amazing Camouflage Artifact that could allow the user to assume seven different faces. The best part was that not only could this thing change a person’s face, but it could also alter his aura.
However, the Proprietress had said that Seven Faces shared the same disadvantage as the Shadowless Veil. While Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could never see through it, there was a risk of exposure in the eyes of those in the Mid-Rank. The more powerful the opponent was, the easier it would be to see through this disguise. As for dealing with High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, trying to use Seven Faces or the Shadowless Veil would only lead to embarrassing oneself.
After Yang Kai altered his face and aura, even the people closest to him wouldn’t recognise him.
Seeing as he fished out the Six Fated Paths Bag, Yue He got his hint and relaxed her guard.
Before putting her inside it, Yang Kai said, “If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll bring you to see the Proprietress. Just apologise to her. I’m sure she will be forgiving.”
Yue He forced a smile, “The mistake has been made, and Big Sister Lan will never forgive me for it. Regardless, I don’t mind being beaten to death by her.”
A speechless Yang Kai didn’t speak further as he activated the Six Fated Paths Bag and put her inside it. Then, he swung the Shadowless Veil to conceal his aura and figure before leaving his hiding place.
It had to be said that Seven Faces and the Shadowless Veil worked perfectly together. One could hide the user’s aura and figure while the other could alter the user’s face. They were best used to do things that must not be exposed.
Yang Kai was familiar with Seven Wonders Land; after all, he had lived here for a while in the past. Nevertheless, he was only familiar with the shopping district and Fire Spirit Land, as he had never visited the other six Spirit Provinces.
After identifying the right direction, he headed straight to Earth Spirit Land.
Presently, the Ou Yang Brothers were leading their subordinates to patrol around Earth Spirit Land. There were seven Spirit Provinces in Seven Wonders Land. Besides the Head Manager, there were five Managers left. According to Chen Tian Fei’s arrangements, he wanted everyone to respectively take control of one Spirit Province and handle all the matters related to it. However, it was a special case for the Ou Yang Brothers. They had never been separated since birth, so they insisted on occupying the same Spirit Province.
From now on, Earth Spirit Land was their territory, and both of them were thrilled. It had been a long time since they started cultivating, but they had never been in charge of such a vast territory before. As they patrolled around, they talked about the future they were going to build.
As they spoke, they turned their heads to look in a particular direction. There was a ray of light rapidly coming to them. When it landed on the ground, it faded to reveal a clean-looking young man.
The Ou Yang Brothers were startled as they didn’t think they had met this man before; however, before they could ponder over it, the young man cupped his fists and said, “Sirs, Manager Chen has a message for you.”
Upon saying that, he held out a jade slip with both hands.
Ou Yang Lei frowned and said with displeasure, “What’s wrong with Chen Tian Fei now?” Then, he reached out for the jade slip.
Ou Yang Bing furrowed his brow as he felt that something was off about this whole situation, but he couldn’t really tell what it was. While he was hesitating, Ou Yang Lei took the jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it.
Right then, a horrifying aura permeated the air. The aura was so terrifying that even Fourth-Order cultivators like the Ou Yang Brothers felt cold all over their bodies, and the expressions of the other disciples changed drastically.
“Divine Spirit!” Ou Yang Bing exclaimed.
It was evidently a Divine Spirit’s aura; more specifically, it was Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura.
[It’s a trap!] All of Ou Yang Bing’s hair was standing on end as he finally realised what was off. However, before he could come to his senses, two figures, both women, abruptly appeared. One of them raised her hand and gently landed a palm on Ou Yang Lei’s chest. The other person wielded her cold water longsword as innumerable sword lights engulfed Ou Yang Bing.
At the same time, two gigantic figures manifested all of a sudden. One of them blew out a mouthful of flames to burn the disciples from Scarlet Star while the other one widened its mouth as its sticky saliva spread around and corroded space itself.
World Force undulated and following a loud crack, Ou Yang Lei’s eyes protruded as his chest caved in.
He was caught completely off guard, so Yue He’s attack almost instantly claimed his life; after all, there was already a gap of a single Order between their powers, so he wasn’t a match for her to begin with. Furthermore, he was stunned by the Divine Spirit’s aura and then struck by a sneak attack.
Nevertheless, after being struck by her attack, Ou Yang Lei still hadn’t lost his life. A Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had extremely strong vitality, so it wasn’t easy to simply kill him.
Just then, a deafening Dragon Roar was heard. A long spear abruptly appeared from behind Yue He. Earlier, it was concealed by her figure, but at this moment, the spear shot past her shoulder and stabbed into Ou Yang Lei’s forehead.
Following a loud boom, his head exploded, and blood started spurting out of his neck.
“Big Brother!” Ou Yang Bing howled as his eyes reddened. The twin brothers had always been together since birth, and they had never been separated. Now that his Big Brother was killed right in front of him, Ou Yang Bing nearly went mad with rage.
While he was both shocked and furious though, Lu Xue wielded her sword and landed attacks on all his vital parts. At that instant, blood started gushing out of his wounds as he had been slashed countless times in his moment of distraction.
Lu Xue was a powerful cultivator; after all, she was one of the Leaders of Sword Pavilion in the past, and she was a Master of the Sword Dao which was especially adept at killing. When they were still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary previously, the Scarlet Flood Dragon was almost killed by her Third Eye Sword, which went to show that she had exceptional battle prowess.
On the other hand, Ou Yang Bing was just average among Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he had to join forces with his brother to use their Combined Attack Techniques. Now that Ou Yang Lei was dead, sending him into a fluster, there was no way he was a match for Lu Xue, not to mention that Yue He was also coming at him at this moment.
Initially, he could barely parry Lu Xue’s attacks but not fight back, and presently, he was in an even more perilous situation. At that instant, he seemed to have lost all hope.
In the other battle, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon were able to easily defeat their opponents with ease. Initially, Yang Kai was worried that these two exotic beasts might not be useful in the Outer Universe, but now, it seemed that they were able to gain the upper hand against the Low-Rank Masters. As the Scarlet Flood Dragon let out a flame, the disciples of Scarlet Star struck by it would turn into fireballs and wail. On the other hand, as the Earth Dragon widened his mouth, he could easily swallow several disciples at once. The expressions of those disciples changed drastically as they wouldn’t dare to go near the Earth Dragon.
Yang Kai wasn’t standing idly by either. After destroying Ou Yang Lei’s head with his spear, he summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and opened its lid, whereupon a multi-coloured light burst forth and swept across the land.
He was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had condensed four Elements into his Dao Seal. Without using external forces and his Divine Manifestation, he was not a match for any Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, things became different when he used Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. This thing was of a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power, so the average cultivator couldn’t resist it.
As the Divine Light swept out, the Scarlet Star’s disciples who were not Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed on the spot as holes were formed in their figures.
The small number of Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators widened their eyes and surged the power of their Small Universes to counter this light.
Strictly speaking, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light could only be neutralised by another Sixth-Order Element Power, but that was only in a confrontation between two powers. An Open Heaven Realm Master had condensed the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, which mutually reinforced one another in an endless cycle, allowing one to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies to form a Small Universe, granting access to World Force. Therefore, even though they were just Low-Rank cultivators, they were able to resist the power of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t possibly fend it off forever. A Sixth-Order Element Power was still too menacing for Low-Rank Masters.
Before long, a shriek was heard as Ou Yang Bing’s vitality was rapidly leaving him. He died shortly after.
He was not a match for either Yue He or Lu Xue to begin with, to say nothing of the fact that they had joined forces. After just a dozen breaths of time, he was killed by Lu Xue’s sword. Even after his death, his eyes were still wide open in disbelief.
Perhaps he could not understand why he had come across Yue He and Lu Xue in Seven Wonders Land.
After two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed, the rest of the disciples were powerless to resist. Yue He and Lu Xue charged towards the battlefield and sent all the disciples on the road to the Yellow Springs in just a moment.
The battle ended just as quickly as it began. The entire process took only several dozen breaths of time.
Several dozen Scarlet Star’s disciples and two Managers all lost their lives. It could be said that Yang Kai achieved an overwhelming victory in this sneak attack.
Next, he threw all the corpses into the Small Sealed World and cleaned up the battlefield so that no one would find out what had happened. Following that, he put Yue He, Lu Xue, the Scarlet Flood Dragon, and the Earth Dragon inside the Six Fated Paths Bag before heading to Water Spirit Land.
Based on the information Yue He had gathered, the Ou Yang Brothers were in Earth Spirit Land, and there was a Manager in Water Spirit Land whose identity was unknown. Additionally, there were two people in Fire Spirit Land. Naturally, Yang Kai would deal with the weaker party first.
One hour later, after another great battle ended. Yang Kai let out a breath and collected the corpses.
The person in Water Spirit Land was none other than Lady Qin. She had several Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as more than a hundred disciples with her at the time. Yang Kai used the same trick and approached her with a changed face. Then, he released Yue He and the others to catch her completely off guard.
Just like the Ou Yang Brothers, after obtaining a territory, Lady Qin was excitedly leading her subordinates to survey the land and thinking about the bright future ahead of her. It never crossed her mind that danger was looming.
An unsuspecting Lady Qin was badly injured by Yue He’s initial strike, and there was no suspense about what happened next.
In just two hours, three Managers and over ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of Scarlet Star lost their lives. It could be said that the great force had suffered immense losses.
The reasons for this outcome were that, first of all, those from Scarlet Star didn’t have the slightest vigilance, and secondly, the moves Yang Kai used were completely surprising. He had the Six Fated Paths Bag to hide Yue He and the others inside and Seven Faces to alter his appearance and aura. Since he was well prepared while his opponents were caught off guard, the outcome wasn’t so surprising.
However, they were still far from achieving their goal. Zhao Bai Chuan, Chen Tian Fei, and Bei Yu Shan were still alive. Seven Wonders Land would only belong to Yang Kai after they were all dead.
Although the two battles were not dangerous as they were at an advantage, they were still tired. After taking a rest, Yang Kai headed straight to Fire Spirit Land.
There was no doubt that Chen Tian Fei and Bei Yu Shan were in Fire Spirit Land. Although Bei Yu Shan was powerful, he wasn’t the sharpest of individuals. Therefore, he could be fooled easily. On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was a scheming person, so it wasn’t easy to deal with him. Yang Kai had no idea whether Chen Tian Fei would see through his disguise when he approached him.
In the orchard of Fire Spirit Land, Chen Tian Fei and Bei Yu Shan were examining the fruits with numerous other disciples. Red fruits were hanging on the fruit trees, and seeing them all made Chen Tian Fei and the others elated.
There were seven Spirit Provinces in Seven Wonders Land, and every Spirit Province had special fruit trees, which corresponded to Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The spirit fruits could be used to make Open Heaven Pills, which was the biggest source of income for Seven Wonders Land. From now on, this became Scarlet Star’s business.
While they were examining the fruits, they saw a ray of light rapidly approaching from a distance before it reached them and revealed a figure.
Chen Tian Fei raised his head and saw the person cupping his fists, “Manager Chen, both Managers Ou Yang have a message for you.” Upon finishing his words, he held out a jade slip with both hands.
The person was none other than Yang Kai, who had said something similar to the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin some time ago.
Bei Yu Shan muttered, “What do those Brothers want?”
Then, he reached for the jade slip. However, Chen Tian Fei stopped him and looked dispassionately at Yang Kai, “What’s your name? Why have I never met you before?”
Yang Kai hung his head low, “This one is just a lowly disciple, so Manager Chen probably doesn’t remember me.” He felt annoyed at the fact that it was indeed difficult to deal with this fatty. Previously, when he used the same trick on the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin, they had never asked a question, but when he did the same to this damn meatball, the latter immediately appeared doubtful.
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “This King has the trust of the Head Manager, and has been managing Scarlet Star for many years. Presently, we have 3,351 members in total, and I remember all of their names and faces, but I have never seen you before. Where did you come from?”
At that, Yang Kai felt speechless. Was this fatty serious when he said that he could remember the names and faces of all 3,351 people in Scarlet Star?
Before Yang Kai could figure it out, he heard Chen Tian Fei letting out a sigh as he asked, “The Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin are dead, right?”
Bei Yu Shan widened his eyes and gazed at Chen Tian Fei in disbelief.
Yang Kai forced a smile, “Manager Chen, you must be joking. Both Managers Ou Yang are patrolling in Earth Spirit Land at the moment.”
Chen Tian Fei shook his head, “If that’s true, why didn’t they reply to me when I sent a message to them just now? Besides them, it was the same case for Lady Qin.” Then, he narrowed his eyes as a cold glint flashed across his gaze, “Just who are you?”
“It seems that I can’t hide it anymore.” Yang Kai sighed and stared at Chen Tian Fei, “Manager Chen is indeed intelligent to be able to see through everything at a glance. You have this Young Master’s respect.”
He spoke in his original voice.
Chen Tian Fei widened his eyes, “Yang Kai?”
Since Seven Faces could alter a person’s appearance and aura, it could naturally also change his voice. Now that Yang Kai had revealed his original voice though, Chen Tian Fei immediately recognised it.
He was stunned as he had no idea why Yang Kai was here. After the people from Flying Smoke Temple left, he sent some disciples to keep guard at the gaps of the Grand Array, so there was no way someone could sneak into this place. Was he already here prior to their arrival? But if so, how did he get in?
Despite not knowing the reason, Chen Tian Fei was still ecstatic, “Brat, we’ve been looking for you for a long time now! You had a chance to flee, but you decided to reveal yourself instead. Let’s see how I’m going to kill you.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Since I have the guts to reveal myself, I’m naturally not afraid of you. The ones who are going to die today are all of you!”
Then, he raised his hand and swung the Six Fated Paths Bag, whereupon Yue He and the others appeared.
At the same time, Chen Tian Fei waved his hand and shouted, “Activate the array!”
He already had many disciples around him and these disciples appeared to be scattered everywhere casually, but there was a great purpose behind their positioning as they were well prepared. Chen Tian Fei was a prudent man, so after failing in his attempt to contact the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin, he immediately realised that something had happened to them.
In that case, it was expected that he would make some preparations. The reason he was staying in this place was that he was waiting for the opponents to walk right into his trap. Yang Kai just barged into this place without knowing anything.
Following his order, the Scarlet Star’s disciples hurriedly activated an array. Besides that, Chen Tian Fei raised his chubby hand and tried to land it on Yang Kai’s head.
Yue He moved to parry him with her palm, which frightened Chen Tian Fei greatly. Naturally, he wouldn’t dare to meet this attack; after all, he was an Order below Yue He. If they were to fight head-on, he would be the one suffering a setback. Thus, he exclaimed, “Head Manager!”
“Hm?” Yue He was stunned as she turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a ripple spreading out in mid-air. Like a ghost, Head Manager Zhao Bai Chuan abruptly appeared and flicked his sleeve, upon which an immense force swept over Yue He.
Hurriedly, Yue He used a different move and blocked his attack. Both of them shook and stepped backwards. The outcome suggested that they were equally matched.
“Lady Yue He, you’re indeed powerful,” Zhao Bai Chuan gazed impassively at her and praised her.
Yue He smiled, “Head Manager isn’t bad either.”
Yue He and Zhao Bai Chuan were both Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they had never traded moves before; after all, there was no reason for them to fight when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. At that time, Zhao Bai Chuan had to show deference to Yang Kai.
Upon Zhao Bai Chuan’s appearance, Chen Tian Fei managed to shake off Yue He’s pursuit and hurriedly stood beside the Head Manager along with Bei Yu Shan. The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had arranged themselves into a Formation which linked their auras closely together. After sealing off the surrounding space, they drifted back and forth while concealing themselves. It wasn’t certain what else this Formation was for.
Sword Pavilion had their Sword Formation, and Scarlet Star had their own heritage as well. Although Yang Kai was also a part of Scarlet Star for a time as the Sixth Manager, he had no access to its secrets.
“The Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin…” Zhao Bai Chuan frowned and stared at Yue He, “Are they dead or alive?”
Earlier, he was getting ready to refine the Array Jade of Seven Wonders Land in seclusion, but before he even started, he received an urgent message from Chen Tian Fei which said that the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin couldn’t be contacted, so something must have happened to them.
Initially, he didn’t believe it; after all, they had just joined forces with Flying Smoke Temple and snatched Seven Wonders Land, and before Zhao Bai Chuan left, the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin were still alive and well. What could’ve happened to them in such a short time? Now, they were the only people in Seven Wonders Land, so who could’ve harmed them?
Then, he tried to contact them and realised that just like what Chen Tian Fei had said, they were unreachable. It was then he became aware that something was off. Following that, he halted his plan to refine the Array Jade and stayed hidden to observe what was going on.
Yang Kai was a mere Emperor Realm Junior who was much weaker than Zhao Bai Chuan, so it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t sense his presence.
Seeing Yue He and the others now, Zhao Bai Chuan immediately knew that three of his best subordinates had been killed.
Yue He giggled, “Well… Of course, they’re dead.”
Zhao Bai Chuan’s face fell, “Lady Yue He, I commend you for your bravery, but your move is unwise. Do you think we have no one to deal with you all?”
Although Yue He had Lu Xue and Yang Kai as well as the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon, Zhao Bai Chuan had no regard for everyone else other than Yue He, a Fifth-Order Master. As long as he could kill her, he could do whatever he pleased with the others.
With a smile, Yue He replied, “Head Manager, what’s the point of saying that? Since this Mistress has the guts to appear, naturally I’m not afraid of you.”
In a grim voice, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Are you really confident that you can defeat this King?” Besides the fact that he was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he also had two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as several dozen Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and hundreds of disciples who had joined together in a Formation. On the opposing side, there was one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, one Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, an Emperor Realm Junior, and two exotic beasts. The numbers and powers of the two sides were in stark contrast, so there wasn’t any hope for Yue He to win the battle.
“We’ll have to fight before we can find out who will win,” Yue He said calmly.
With a straight face, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Perhaps we can discuss this. It’s not necessary for us to battle against one another.”
Chen Tian Fei was stunned as the Head Manager seemed to have the intention of making peace with them. Were they not going to avenge the deaths of the three Managers?
A startled Yue He asked with a smile, “Head Manager, how do you propose we discuss this matter?”
Zhao Bai Chuan explained, “We’ve just obtained Seven Wonders Land, so we do need more people to help us build up this place. You’ve killed three of our Managers, and this feud should be unresolvable; however, if you can swear upon your Dao Heart that you will never betray us after joining Scarlet Star, we will be one family. In that case, it isn’t necessary for us to destroy one another.”
Chen Tian Fei’s eyes brightened when he heard that as he admired the Head Manager’s farsightedness.
He was set on killing the people in front of him to avenge the deaths of the Ou Yang Brothers and the others to recover the face Scarlet Star had lost. Furthermore, they could snatch Yang Kai’s wealth and use it to build a bright future for Scarlet Star.
However, if Head Manager’s suggestion worked, it would be more helpful to Scarlet Star than outright killing them.
After all, Yue He was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. With her help, their force would reach greater heights. If she was willing to surrender, Yang Kai could no longer make a fuss, and his wealth would naturally belong to them.
Certainly, it was a clever way to solve this problem without having to resort to battle, but would these people agree to it?
As expected, Yue He’s laughter rang out like a silver bell as she turned to look at Yang Kai, “Young Master, Head Manager wants us to surrender to him.”
With a long face, Yang Kai said dispassionately, “In his dreams!”
Yue He gazed at Zhao Bai Chuan, “Head Manager, you’ve heard my Young Master.”
Zhao Bai Chuan shot him a cold glance, “Brat, you only have one life, and there’s only one chance. Don’t throw it away pointlessly.” He didn’t understand why Yue He, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would listen to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said arrogantly in reply, “If you fall on your knees now and swear upon your Dao Heart that you will only obey this Young Master’s orders from now on, I can consider sparing your life; otherwise, you shall meet the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin in Hell!”
Zhao Bai Chuan bellowed, “Boy, how dare you speak like that to this King!”
Seeing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that there was no room for discussion, so he immediately yelled, “Go!”
Upon hearing the command, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters around Yang Kai all formed a set of hand seals as they pushed their might through their Formation in an attempt to wipe out Yang Kai and his group all at once.
Earlier, they had simply linked their auras through their Formation but had yet to act. As soon as they made a move, space collapsed, which went to show how powerful this Formation was. More importantly, the Formation had the effect of sealing off the local space, making it impossible for Yang Kai and the others to flee.
However, Yang Kai remained calm and collected. There wasn’t a tinge of fluster behind his gaze.
Yue He raised her hand and smiled, “You have the help of a Formation, but it just so happens I have the help of a Grand Array.”
Upon finishing her words, she waved her hand gently. Following a rumble, a bolt of lightning appeared in the sky and struck one of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The man targeted had his expression change drastically when he sensed the looming danger, but before he could react, he was hit.
In silence, he turned into a pile of dust that scattered with the wind. Only a trace of the attack was left on the ground.
The expressions of those from Scarlet Star changed drastically as Zhao Bai Chuan became horrified as though he had just run into a ghost, “How are you able to control the Grand Array of this place!?”
The lightning obviously came from the Grand Array of Seven Wonders Land, not from Yue He’s own power. Previously, when Qi Qiao was still in charge of the Grand Array, he had used this lightning to fend off the people from Flying Smoke Temple; therefore, Zhao Bai Chuan could immediately recognise it.
This was the Grand Array of a Second Class great force. Even though Yue He had only refined 50% of it, she could utilize a significant portion of its power.
The dead Open Heaven Realm Master was only in the Second Order, so he was totally powerless to resist the Grand Array’s strike. As soon as he was hit, he lost his life.
Yue He giggled, “There are many things that you don’t know.”
Following more rumbling sounds, a thunderstorm formed overhead and attacked Scarlet Star from all directions.
Zhao Bai Chuan and the others turned pale and cried out as they surged their strength to protect themselves.
The Managers were strong, so they were able to fend off the lightning bolts to a certain extent, but the Low-Rank Masters were not so lucky. As the rays of lightning continuously struck them, they were completely unable to counter them.
Shrieks were continuously heard as half of the couple dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives in an instant, which shattered the Formation they had arranged. With the burden lifted off, Yang Kai hurriedly opened the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, after which the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light swept across his opponents alongside the thunderstorm.
Lu Xue wielded her cold water longsword as icy sword lights filled the air and slaughtered her opponents.
The gigantic Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon also charged into the crowd. Horrifying all who were still standing.
“Cheap slut, stop this instant!” Zhao Bai Chuan widened his eyes and bellowed. As the aura of his World Force undulated, he charged at Yue He.
Yue He sneered, and as a thought flashed through her mind, the Grand Array changed again. A thick fog suddenly appeared and engulfed a large region. Yue He, Zhao Bai Chuan, Chen Tian Fei, and Bei Yu Shan were all covered in it.
The fog roiled as the sound of battle was heard coming from it. The three Managers of Scarlet Star were heard shouting and yelling, but their figures couldn’t be seen.
This was the convenience of being able to control the Grand Array. Yue He was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her strength was only on par with that of Zhao Bai Chuan; however, with the help of the powerful Grand Array, she could deal with three people on her own, which allowed Lu Xue to kill the other opponents with ease.
Initially, there were several dozen Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nevertheless, over ten of them lost their lives following Yang Kai’s sneak attack, and half of them were killed by the lightning that was controlled by Yue He. Now, the remaining ones were all injured. As the aura of Lu Xue’s Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm might permeated the air, they did not dare to confront her.
Furthermore, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light controlled by Yang Kai spread throughout the sky, damaging all who were caught in it. In addition, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon were ferociously attacking their enemies.
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives as their corpses fell from the sky, and in just several dozen breaths of time, most of them were dead. Only three to five people managed to survive and flee.
Lu Xue wanted to kill to the last, but Yang Kai stopped her, “There’s no need to chase after them!”
He turned to look at the fog. The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had fled, didn’t matter. Now, they had to focus on dealing with the remaining three Managers of Scarlet Star.
Yue He was relying on the Grand Array to contend with the three of them at once, but she hadn’t fully refined the Array Jade yet, so the power she could wield was limited. Presently, she was battling against three people on her own, so it wasn’t certain how long she could trap them.
All of a sudden, a burly figure shot out of the fog. It was none other than Bei Yu Shan. This guy’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was shrouded in murderous intent. After he left the fog, he appeared startled.
When he was inside the fog earlier, he was unable to fully display his power, and he wasn’t even sure where Yue He was, which enraged him. As he charged around violently, he unexpectedly got out of the fog.
When he raised his head and saw Yang Kai and Lu Xue, he directly yelled, “I’ll kill you two!”
Cracks started appearing on the ground beneath his feet, and like a beast that had broken free of its cage, Bei Yu Shan pounced on Yang Kai and Lu Xue.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon dashed forward, but they were sent flying away by his fists, their huge figures falling to the ground and damaging a large part of the orchard.
Bei Yu Shan charged forward like a beast and Lu Xue confronted him as her cold water longsword radiated a glow that was as gentle as moonlight.
“Be careful. This guy possesses immense strength, so don’t fight with him head-on,” Yang Kai warned. At the same time, he assisted her with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd in his hands.
As the sounds of breaking through the air were heard, Sword Intent surged as rays of Sword Qi slashed across Bei Yu Shan.
On the other hand, Bei Yu Shan was covered in a layer of golden light. With his arms crossed, he didn’t care about the Sword Qi that was striking him.
*Duo duo duo…*
The rays of Sword Qi were blocked by the protective barrier around Bei Yu Shan. Even though the barrier was slightly damaged, the attacks only left some faint marks on his body.
Although Bei Yu Shan was naive and simple-minded, he had great innate strength, and his defensive capabilities were incredible. Both of them were in the Fourth Order, but Lu Xue’s Sword Qi was unable to harm him.
Despite the fact that both of them had served in different great forces in the Star City for many years, it was actually the first time they traded moves. At that instant, Lu Xue furrowed her brow.
After warding off her first strike, Bei Yu Shan dashed towards her and pushed out his fist at her face with a grin.
Lu Xue hurriedly retreated as she made circular movements with her sword. The small circles were engulfed by the large circles, which were then covered in even larger circles. There seemed to be an endless layer of ripples formed from Sword Qi.
The sword circles seemed to contain a special power. Bei Yu Shan was extremely strong, and he could shatter a star with his fist; however, presently, he was trapped by the endless sword circles. As soon as he came into contact with the circles, it was as though he had fallen into a quagmire. The harder he struggled, the more difficult it was for him to use his strength.
Besides that, he realised that his movements had also slowed down.
Seeing that, Yang Kaid didn’t hesitate to open the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and send a stream of Divine Light at Bei Yu Shan.
The Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was incredibly powerful, so not daring to be negligent, Bei Yu Shan quickly surged his World Force to block the attack.
When Yang Kai activated the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light some time ago, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were barely able to resist it for a short while, but a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master like Bei Yu Shan only had the golden light around his body flicker. At that moment, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was unable to injure him.
Yang Kai wasn’t surprised. Given his current cultivation, he was unable to interfere in a battle between two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. He was already pleased with the fact that he could make use of the Divine Light to distract and wear down Bei Yu Shan somewhat.
Now that Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei were trapped inside a fog that was controlled by Yue He, Yang Kai and Lu Xue could gain the upper hand by joining forces to kill Bei Yu Shan.
Following some roars, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon came rushing back. Earlier, they were sent flying away by Bei Yu Shan. Although they were not badly injured, their bestial natures had been ignited. Both of them had learned their lesson though so after rejoining the battle, they didn’t go near Bei Yu Shan again. Instead, one of them continuously let out a jet of flame while the other spat corrosive saliva at Bei Yu Shan.
Unfortunately, the flames only had a similar effect as Yang Kai’s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. On the other hand, the Earth Dragon’s saliva was surprisingly useful. Its saliva was extremely corrosive, so as soon as it came into contact with Bei Yu Shan, the golden light around his body flickered violently.
A furious Bei Yu Shan roared as he wanted to end the Earth Dragon’s life, but he was unable to get rid of Lu Xue’s sword circles, which greatly annoyed him.
With a calm expression, Yang Kai unceasingly activated the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. Judging from the current situation, if Bei Yu Shan didn’t have any trump cards, he was bound to lose his life. However, Yang Kai had to wear down his power in order to kill him.
For a moment, the two sides entered a stalemate. Finally, there came a moment when Bei Yu Shan realised that half of his energy had left him. If this situation dragged on, this would be his final resting place. He turned to look at the fog and listened to the noises of the battle coming from it, but he was unable to see anything clearly. It was then he became aware that the Head Manager and Chen Tian Fei couldn’t even get out of the fog, let alone lend him a helping hand.
As such, he bellowed as his aura surged.
“Watch out!” Yang Kai yelled.
Right after that, Bei Yu Shan’s figure suddenly expanded. He was already a burly man who was much taller than the average person, but after using some unknown Secret Technique, the golden light around his body was replaced by a bloody glow. Following the sounds of bones cracking, he grew into a giant that was several dozen metres tall.
The giant appeared imposing, and the blood mist could be seen flushing out of his skin and surrounding him.
Lu Xue’s pupils contracted as she realised the shocking power of Bei Yu Shan’s move. Even though he seemed to have to pay a hefty price for it, his power had certainly grown tremendously.
Before, she was equally powerful as, if not stronger than Bei Yu Shan; however, after he activated this Secret Technique, it was apparent that he was, now, much stronger than she was.
The sword circles were still engulfing Bei Yu Shan and restraining him, but as he pushed out a fist, all the sword circles collapsed, and even Lu Xue grunted as blood started leaking from her lips.
Following that, he grabbed at the Scarlet Flood Dragon, who was wandering around him, spun its figure, and smashed it onto the Earth Dragon. The two exotic beasts rolled away together as their auras plunged.
“Slut, go to Hell!” After shaking off Lu Xue’s sword circles, he charged towards her. Visible hot breaths were seen puffing out of his nose.
Not daring to be careless, Lu Xue placed two fingers on her sword and ran them across the blade. Following a shout, the sword turned into a ray of light as it slashed across Bei Yu Shan’s head.
Bei Yu Shan attempted to grab this sword light, but it pierced a hole through his palm the next instant and blood streamed out of his wound. Seeing as the sword was about to strike him though, he still didn’t seem to be flustered at all. A blood arrow shot out of his mouth and clashed with the ray of sword light.
Following a clang, the sword was revealed and sent flying away.
Bei Yu Shan grinned and pushed his huge palm on Lu Xue. She turned pale and hurriedly dodged the attack. With the help of Yang Kai’s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, she was able to escape unscathed.
After his attack failed, Bei Yu Shan turned to look at Yang Kai with a hideous expression and roared, “How dare an Emperor Realm trash like you act so presumptuous in front of this King!? Die!”
He directly ditched Lu Xue and sprinted towards Yang Kai. After he transformed into a giant, his mind seemed to have been affected as well, resulting in him becoming more hot-blooded and easily provoked.
Yang Kai lowered his gaze and stared at him in silence.
“Watch out!” Lu Xue exclaimed and gripped her sword before trying to rush forward, but she was too late. She could only watch as Bei Yu Shan landed a palm on the spot Yang Kai was standing.
Yang Kai was only in the Emperor Realm, so if he was struck by this palm, there was no way he would survive. Lu Xue almost wanted to look away as she didn’t have the heart to watch.
Right then, a shocking Dragon Roar was heard as a Divine Spirit’s aura surged. Even though this aura wasn’t as powerful as that of Zhu Jiu Yin, it felt just as horrifying.
Before Lu Xue’s stunned eyes, she witnessed Yang Kai transform into a gigantic figure that was unbelievably tall. The figure was covered in Dragon Scales. There were Dragon Horns on his forehead, and his Dragon Claws were extremely sharp. The Dragon Tail behind him swayed back and forth as the beard on his chin flapped in the wind.
A rich Dragon Pressure suddenly filled the air.
“Dragon Clan?” Lu Xue was dumbfounded.
The giant Bei Yu Shan had turned into was huge, but faced with such an enormous figure, Bei Yu Shan was like a grandson who was standing beside his grandfather. He was totally incomparable to Yang Kai.
Presently, he was stunned as well. Since he turned into a giant, he had looked down at everyone all the time, so he had never expected that he would one day have to look up at someone in this form.
A gigantic shadow that seemed able to shade the entire world appeared. It was actually a Dragon Claw that was coming at him. At that instant, he yelled and raised his hands above his head in an attempt to ward off the claw.
As soon as he went into this posture, the Dragon Claw struck him.
Following a loud boom, the entire world shook, and Bei Yu Shan disappeared from where he stood. The several dozen metres tall giant was directly pushed into the ground.
Lu Xue felt her alluring eyes trembling.
Just when she thought that everything had been settled, Bei Yu Shan’s roar was heard coming from beneath the Dragon Claw. Following that, the claw was hoisted up as Bei Yu Shan slowly revealed his figure.
All his muscles had bulged as he forcefully raised the Dragon Claw. He was born with great strength, and after using his Secret Technique, his power increased significantly. Although Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation, he still couldn’t gain the upper hand when it came to strength.
World Force surged, and Yang Kai’s humongous figure was sent flying away.
Bei Yu Shan laughed like a lunatic, “Hahaha! Good! Again!”
As though he had gone mad, he directly charged towards Yang Kai. It seemed that he wanted to compete against Yang Kai with pure physical strength again. Lu Xue quickly sent out a Sword Wave to stop him, but he ignored her attacks and simply allowed the Sword Qi to slash across him. Soon, he was wounded and covered in blood.
[This guy has lost his mind!] Lu Xue thought, speculating that he might have been affected by his Secret Technique.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stabilised himself and looked down at Bei Yu Shan, who was bolting towards him. With a dispassionate expression, he balled up his claw and struck out with his fist.
A glint flashed through Bei Yu Shan’s eyes as he met the attack with his fist. This kind of battle was blood-boiling for him. The opponents he had come across in the past were never willing to compete against him with strength. They would always jump around like monkeys, trying to wear him down by attacking from a distance, which always displeased him.
The gap between the fists, one was huge and the other was tiny, was rapidly shortening. With that said, Bei Yu Shan’s fist was only smaller in a relative sense. There was no way the fist of a several dozen metres tall giant was small, not to mention that World Force swirled around his fist, making it appear larger than it was.
Just then, a spear appeared and expanded with the wind. Yang Kai grasped the enormous Azure Dragon Spear and roared. As he infused all his strength into his spear, he thrust it out.
The excitement and joy behind Bei Yu Shan’s eyes were replaced by shock and then fury. The blood mist around his body surged as he yelled, “I’ll kill you!”
A furious Bei Yu Shan charged forward instead of retreating. With his hands cupping around Azure Dragon Spear, he seemed determined to snatch the weapon.
Right then, a rumble was heard as an extremely thick beam of lightning descended from the sky and accurately struck Bei Yu Shan’s head.
The bolt of lightning was different from the ones seen previously. The colour was richer and it was clearly more powerful. After the lightning appeared, Yang Kai could feel that the World Energy around him had decreased significantly. Apparently, Yue He had used a lot of Seven Wonders Land’s background to make this strike.
Despite costing a lot of energy, the result of the strike was excellent. After being engulfed in the purple lightning, Bei Yu Shan started trembling violently as all his hair was standing on end. The lightning roamed around his body and shattered the blood mist, which caused him to be rooted to the spot.
Just then, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced towards him. Just like a Dragon, the spear jabbed into his chest and stuck out from his back.
He widened his eyes and grabbed the spear with both hands before pulling it towards himself. He was so forceful that Yang Kai lost his balance and tilted forward.
Then, a fist was seen coming at Yang Kai’s face. The aura of death alarmed him as he bellowed, “Dragon Shield!”
The Dao Seal in Yang Kai’s body radiated a dazzling glow as a light brown power streamed out of his figure and turned into layers of sturdy Dragon Shields, blocking the space between Bei Yu Shan and him. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred Dragon Shields had been formed.
The Earth Element Power Yang Kai had condensed was High-Order, but due to the fact that he hadn’t ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, this was just a simple use of Earth Element Power. Even though its defence was strong, it might not be good enough when faced with a rampaging Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s World Force. That was the reason Yang Kai hurriedly condensed so many Dragon Shields at the same time.
That was also the reason his Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was resisted by some of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters earlier.
*Kacha…*
Wherever Bei Yu Shan’s fist passed, the Dragon Shields shattered as though they were made of paper.
Although the Dragon Shields shattered, they were not totally useless. At the very least, they had weakened the power of Bei Yu Shan’s attack.
After just three breaths, the more than a hundred Dragon Shields broke and the fist expanded rapidly in Yang Kai’s eyes before striking his chest.
His Dragon Scales were blasted off his body, and his huge figure was sent flying away as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood in mid-air.
Suppressing the pain he felt, Yang Kai summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and opened the lid, whereupon the thick Yuan Magnetic Divine Light shot towards Bei Yu Shan.
Initially, after Bei Yu Shan activated his Secret Technique, his body expanded and his strength surged while the blood mist around his body served as a layer of extremely sturdy defence. However, after he was struck by the lightning controlled by Yue He, the blood mist broke apart, and a weakness in his defence was revealed, which was why Yang Kai managed to impale him with his spear.
Presently, there was a big hole that went right through Bei Yu Shan’s chest, and his heart had been shredded. His injuries could be said to be fatal, but he hadn’t lost his life yet, which went to show how astonishing his vitality was.
The thick Yuan Magnetic Divine Light streamed into his body through this hole and rampaged around violently. Oblivious to it though, Bei Yu Shan strode towards Yang Kai as though he was determined to destroy his opponent before he died.
Rays of Sword Qi criss-crossed each other as dazzling sword lights slashed across Bei Yu Shan. Lu Xue attempted to stop him, but the result wasn’t ideal. Seeing as Bei Yu Shan was about to reach Yang Kai, she felt her heart leaping to her throat.
A severely injured Yang Kai was no longer able to sustain his Half-Dragon Form. Although Bei Yu Shan had only hit him once, it was a head-on strike from a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Yang Kai was already extremely lucky to not have instantly lost his life. Fortunately, the more than a hundred Dragon Shields and the sturdiness of his Half-Dragon Form saved his life. When he was sent flying away though, he turned back into his Human form.
The giant charged forward and pushed out his fist; however, Yang Kai didn’t dodge the attack as he looked up at him with an impassive expression.
Just as the fist was about to strike, Bei Yu Shan suddenly froze, and following that, he started wailing. A multi-coloured light radiated from all his seven orifices, and countless rays started shooting out of his body.
The light was the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that had streamed into his body earlier.
The unceasing light lasted for more than ten breaths before it finally stopped. Yang Kai put the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light away, and Bei Yu Shan, who was standing in front of him, lost all traces of vitality. Like a statue, he was standing there with his fist raised.
The next instant, Bei Yu Shan burst into a blood mist that fell to the ground with a splash. He had died!
Initially, his heart was already destroyed by Yang Kai’s spear thrust, which was a fatal injury. Then, Lu Xue attacked him furiously, accumulating numerous injuries on his body. Furthermore, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light flooded into his body and damaged his flesh and meridians. He was extraordinary to have lasted up to this point. Nevertheless, he still passed on in the end.
Lu Xue let out a long breath and set her mind at ease. For a moment, she thought that Yang Kai was going to be killed.
It could be said to have been an extremely difficult battle. Both Lu Xue and Bei Yu Shan were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so they were equally matched. If they were in a one-on-one fight, it was hard to tell who would emerge as the winner. During the battle, she had the help of the Grand Array controlled by Yue He, and Yang Kai revealed his trump cards one by one. Furthermore, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon were of great help. These were the reasons they could end Bei Yu Shan’s life so quickly.
In addition, the Secret Technique Bei Yu Shan used had clearly affected his mental state. If he had decided to flee instead of battling against them until the end, Yang Kai and Lu Xue might not have been able to make him stay. Unfortunately for him, after the Secret Technique was activated, though his might had increased tremendously, all thoughts other than battling to the death never occurred to him.
“We need to recover our strength quickly!” Yang Kai coughed and stuffed some Spirit Pills into his mouth. Then, he sat down cross-legged and adjusted his breathing to heal his wounds.
Although Bei Yu Shan was dead, Chen Tian Fei and Zhao Bai Chuan were still alive. They had to die. Only once they were dead could Yang Kai really take control of Seven Wonders Land.
Lu Xue wasn’t badly injured as she had kept her distance from Bei Yu Shan instead of fighting with him head-on; therefore, she was still full of energy.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was relentlessly hunted down by Bei Yu Shan, so he was seriously wounded. Fortunately, his restorative abilities were incredible. In just one hour, he managed to get back on his feet. Although he hadn’t fully recovered, he was already able to fight.
Just then, Yue He’s voice entered his ears. Apparently, she had been paying attention to the situation outside the fog. Yang Kai communicated with her for a bit and came up with a plan, which he then told Lu Xue about.
Lu Xue nodded and flew up to the periphery of the fog. With her cold water longsword raised, she began condensing immense Sword Qi and World Force onto her blade.
As soon as she was prepared, a fat figure dashed out of the fog. It was none other than Chen Tian Fei.
Yue He controlled the Grand Array, which was why she was able to hold down the two Scarlet Star’s Managers on her own. It could be said that she made the biggest contribution in this battle. Chen Tian Fei would never have been able to leave the fog if she hadn’t released him.
It was Yue He who had intentionally let Chen Tian Fei appear, just like what she had done with Bei Yu Shan earlier.
Chen Tian Fei’s cultivation technique was pretty unique. The extra weight on his body wasn’t a burden but a means to protect himself. Presently, he had significantly slimmed down, and there were lots of visible injuries on his body.
Obviously, he hadn’t been doing well inside the fog. Initially, he couldn’t identify his direction inside the mist, nor could he find out the opponents’ whereabouts. When the view around him became clear all of a sudden, he was evidently startled. The next instant, a shocking sword light came into his sight.
A horrified Chen Tian Fei immediately knew that he had been set up, so he hurriedly took a deep breath as his figure expanded.
The Secret Technique Bei Yu Shan had used allowed his figure to expand and turn into a giant that was several dozen metres in height. On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei’s Secret Technique made him transform into a literal meatball. Unlike how imposing Bei Yu Shan was, Chen Tian Fei appeared quite comical.
He was engulfed by the sword light as a slashing sound echoed through the air and blood splattered everywhere. He was caught off guard when Lu Xue attacked him, which was why he was so seriously injured. His rotund figure visibly shrunk like a popped balloon.
After the sword light dissipated, Chen Tian Fei was seen covered in blood. He was still reeling from the shock as he was panting heavily; however, at this moment, he looked just like an average person as all his extra weight was gone. His originally tight-fitting clothes became so loose they were practically slipping off.
“Lu Xue, you cheap slut! How dare you set me up!” Chen Tian Fei widened his eyes in fury.
Lu Xue sported a grim expression, “How did he even survive?”
She had hidden outside the fog in advance and made plenty of preparations to deliver a fatal strike. Initially, she thought that she could kill Chen Tian Fei on the spot, but it turned out that her attack only made his extra weight fall off. This was a surprising outcome for her. Both Bei Yu Shan and Chen Tian Fei proved that it wasn’t easy to deal with these Managers from Scarlet Star.
The reason they could kill the Ou Yang Brothers was that Yang Kai had changed into a different appearance and managed to catch them completely off guard. Moreover, Yue He’s pressure as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suppressed them, which was why they could easily achieve their goal.
“Go to Hell!” Chen Tian Fei bellowed and pounced on Lu Xue.
Following a snort, Lu Xue wielded her sword and thrust it forward before jabbing her weapon right into Chen Tian Fei’s chest. However, as soon as her sword came into contact with his clothes, she felt as if she had pierced through a hollow space.
“Damn it!” She felt her chest tightening, knowing that she had fallen into a trap.
Her sword light shattered the clothes, but Chen Tian Fei was nowhere to be found. After he became slim, his clothes were so loose they could perfectly conceal his figure; therefore, he managed to get rid of Lu Xue’s attack by shedding his clothes.
She turned her head and saw that Chen Tian Fei was pouncing towards Yang Kai. Apparently, he intended to capture him first.
It had to be said that Chen Tian Fei was indeed a smart person. Given the condition he was in, there was no way he could defeat Lu Xue. In order to live, he had to capture Yang Kai and use him as a bargaining chip.
He had been trusted by Zhao Bai Chuan to run Scarlet Star for many years, so it was apparent that his extra weight wasn’t his only virtue.
Lu Xue rushed over, but it was too late. In the sky, the howling of wind and the rumbling of lightning were heard. Yue He must have noticed that Yang Kai was in danger, which was why she attempted to help him with the Grand Array’s power.
Just then, Yang Kai took out a long vine that was tied with seven bottle gourds of different colours. These bottle gourds were sound asleep when Yang Kai wielded the vine, but at that instant, they rolled away and transformed into tiny bottle-gourd-shaped Humans with sleepy eyes.
“What are these?” Chen Tian Fei was stunned.
He was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he didn’t have the chance to enter the Primordial Land, that was the reason he hadn’t met an amazing treasure like the gourd vine.
Yang Kai swung the vine again as it strung up all seven bottle gourds. At that instant, Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers gathered together on that vine, forming a mutually suppressive and reinforcing cycle that soon burst forth with a shocking World Force aura.
Chen Tian Fei widened his eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, “Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
A Fifth-Order Open Heaven aura burst from the gourd vine, which horrified Chen Tian Fei to the point that he froze on the spot.
The seven bottle gourds corresponded to each of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements of the Fifth Order. In the Primordial Land, the Bearer surnamed Gou, who was selected by Divine Spirit Jin Wu, activated the Powers of these bottle gourds and thoroughly shocked Yang Kai.
It wasn’t until he was hunted down by the relentless Yang Kai inside the World Fruit that he was forced to use this as a last resort.
Presently, Yang Kai did the same thing, gathering the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements together. Lights of different colours blended with each other as the Powers mutually reinforced one another.
With the help of the Open Heaven Power derived from the gourd vine, Yang Kai launched a strike at Chen Tian Fei.
Seeing that, Chen Tian Fei was completely flustered; after all, he was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although it was only the difference of a single Order, it was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. That was the reason he had to be so respectful to Zhao Bai Chuan.
Raising both hands, Chen Tian Fei surged all his power and pushed out innumerable palm shadows. At the same time, he hurriedly retreated.
The palm shadows collapsed when they were struck by the vine strike, and Chen Tian Fei’s expression was transformed by horror as he was struck.
“My predestined end has come!” Chen Tian Fei lamented with an unwilling expression.
However, the next instant, he realised that reality was a little different from what he had imagined. He was indeed struck by the vine, but he wasn’t seriously injured. It was true that a Fifth-Order Open Heaven aura radiated from the vine, but the real force behind the strike could only be compared to that of the Third-Order.
The gourd vine wasn’t as powerful as it appeared to be.
In truth, it wasn’t that the gourd vine was weak, but it was Yang Kai who wasn’t strong enough. Just like the man surnamed Gou, his foundation wasn’t strong enough to bring out the full power of the gourd vine; therefore, despite having such a wonderful weapon in his possession, he couldn’t wield it completely.
Inside the World Fruit at that time, if the man surnamed Gou was able to really bring forth Fifth-Order Open Heaven Power, he wouldn’t have lost his life. It would’ve been Yang Kai who died instead.
Even though Yang Kai could battle against Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, he was basically powerless when dealing with Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The man surnamed Gou was killed by Yang Kai because he couldn’t fully use the gourd vine’s power. Presently, Yang Kai was facing the same problem as he couldn’t bring out all of the gourd vine’s power.
However, Yang Kai had never expected to kill Chen Tian Fei with this gourd vine. A moment of intimidation was more than enough.
Before Chen Tian Fei could recover, Yang Kai shouted, “Lu Xue!”
A fully prepared Lu Xue had already activated her Secret Technique the moment Yang Kai summoned the gourd vine. Presently, a crack appeared on her glabella as though a third eye had been developed, and from that crack a finger-length golden Sword Qi suddenly shot out.
Third Eye Sword!
This Secret Technique was Lu Xue’s strongest trump card. In the past, she used this move to almost kill the Scarlet Flood Dragon in the Grand Ancients Ruins Boundary. Fortunately, the Scarlet Flood Dragon was enormous and had a Dragon Clan bloodline which granted it immense vitality, which was why it managed to survive. Despite that, a huge wound was formed on its neck, one that almost decapitated it. It wasn’t until days later that it was able to somewhat recover.
When battling against Bei Yu Shan, Lu Xue didn’t use this Secret Technique because it couldn’t be used as she pleased. It required some time to accumulate the necessary strength, and she could only display it once before needing to rest and recover for a time. She had basically saved this Secret Technique to deal with Chen Tian Fei.
In the blink of an eye, the Third Eye Sword Qi reached the back of Chen Tian Fei. Although Chen Tian Fei couldn’t see it, he instinctively twisted his body and dodged the attack as though a pair of eyes had grown on the back of his head.
Following a slashing sound, blood started spurting from a huge wound on his shoulder. The wound was bone deep and extended from his shoulder to the centre of his chest. Through the wound, one could see his pounding heart and squirming lungs.
This kind of injury was critical, to say nothing of the fact that a pure Sword Qi was still lingering around the wound that continuously damaged Chen Tian Fei’s physique.
Despite the fact that he was badly injured, he still hadn’t lost his life.
Lu Xue thought that it was such a shame. If her attack had tilted slightly to the left, she could’ve decapitated Chen Tian Fei. With that said, this damn fatty was indeed swift as he was able to dodge the fatal attack even in such a situation.
Presently, Chen Tian Fei was terribly injured. His eyes were trembling, and his expression had been transformed by terror as he decided to abandon the Head Manager, who was still trapped inside the fog. Then, he shot into the sky and headed towards the weakest part of the Grand Array. Apparently, he wanted to escape from this place.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lu Xue wielded her sword and relentlessly raced after him.
On the other hand, Yang Kai moved and directly got in the way of Chen Tian Fei. Following that, he swung his gourd vine and lashed him.
With a furious expression, Chen Tian Fei gritted his teeth and bellowed, “Scram if you don’t want to die!”
Earlier, he had seen Yang Kai use the gourd vine and realised that it wasn’t as powerful as it appeared to be, so he wasn’t so afraid now. Then, he directly charged towards Yang Kai and raised his hand to deal with the gourd vine.
Following a boom, Chen Tian Fei’s figure shook slightly. On the vine, the seven bottle gourds turned back into their original form upon impact as the Open Heaven Power dissipated.
Although it was easy to use this vine, it couldn’t withstand too powerful a strike. If the bottle gourds were injured, they would fall unconscious and it would be impossible to activate them again.
After defeating the gourd vine, Chen Tian Fei increased his speed.
Yang Kai stored the gourd vine and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear before saying impassively, “Fatty, Seven Wonders Land will be your final resting place, stop making futile attempts to survive!”
Saying so, a great Sun rose from behind his back and blinded everyone’s eyes. A Golden Crow was seen flying and cawing around the great Sun.
“So what if you can use a Divine Manifestation? Whoever blocks my way must die!” Chen Tian Fei bellowed.
A Divine Manifestation was indeed powerful, and Zhao Bai Chuan once commented that with this Divine Manifestation, Yang Kai could fight Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but Chen Tian Fei was in the Mid-Rank. In the Open Heaven Realm, Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Master couldn’t even be compared as the difference between them was further apart than the Heavens and Earth.
As long as he could break through the blockade set up by Yang Kai and leave Seven Wonders Land, he would be safe. By then, he could look for any place to settle down in the 3,000 Worlds.
Unfortunately, the people from Scarlet Star had just gained a footing when they were plotted against by Yang Kai. Not only had they let the chance slip through their fingers, but many Managers had also lost their lives.
Therefore, it was expected that the resentment Chen Tian Fei had against Yang Kai could never be resolved.
Just then, a rumble was heard, which made Chen Tian Fei feel horrified. A bolt of lightning descended from the sky and filled his vision.
At the most critical moment, Yue He diverted her attention and gave Yang Kai a hand.
She could control the Grand Array’s power. Earlier, she was able to trap both Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei on her own, so now that there was only Zhao Bai Chuan in the fog, she could deal with him with ease and pay more attention to the situation outside. Once she made a move, she directly stopped Chen Tian Fei from running away.
Seeing as the lightning was about to reach him, Chen Tian Fei hurriedly dodged; however, the lightning was incredibly fast, so there was no way he could evade it.
As soon as the lightning hit his head, he roared in pain. An electrocuted Chen Tian Fei trembled violently, and a burnt smell wafted from the wound on his shoulder.
Just then, Yang Kai arrived with his spear. The horrifying power of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation condensed at the tip of the Azure Dragon Spear before engulfing Chen Tian Fei.
*Hong long long…*
A battered figure was seen rapidly falling from the sky, and his aura was extremely unstable. It was none other than Chen Tian Fei.
First, his extra weight was shaved off by Lu Xue’s initial strike, which caused him to lose his strongest defence, then he was badly injured by her Third Eye Sword. Following that, he was struck by the lightning controlled by Yue He. That was why Yang Kai could easily defeat him with his Golden Crow Casts the Sun.
Strictly speaking, what Yang Kai had done was basically adding a last flower to the bouquet. Although his Divine Manifestation was powerful, Yang Kai wasn’t. Usually, Chen Tian Fei could have easily blocked or even destroyed the Divine Manifestation, but he was already heavily wounded by Lu Xue and Yue He, which was why Yang Kai could gain the upper hand.
Following a loud crash, Chen Tian Fei fell to the ground and formed a huge pit, and before he could get back up, Lu Xue charged forward.
Standing in the void, Yang Kai stored his Azure Dragon Spear and looked down before letting out a long breath. They had won.
Chen Tian Fei was seriously injured, so he could probably only display thirty percent of his power now. On the other hand, Lu Xue was unharmed, so it wasn’t difficult for her to defeat him.
Once they settled Chen Tian Fei, they only had to deal with Zhao Bai Chuan. Faced with Yue He, who could control the Grand Array, Scarlet Star’s Head Manager couldn’t even escape, so it was just a matter of time before he was killed.
Gazing at the expansive Seven Wonders Land, Yang Kai felt somewhat odd. After he leapt out from his Universe World’s restrictions and arrived in the Outer Universe, this was the first place he settled down. Due to the horrible experiences he faced here though, he wasn’t fond of this place.
However, he had never expected that, completely by chance, Seven Wonders Land would fall into his hands one day. All this started because Xu Huang gave him the Array Jade before his death.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that fate was truly unpredictable.
With that said, this outcome was beyond highest expectations. With this place in his possession, there was somewhere he could call home in the Outer Universe. First Inn was good, and he had many friends like Bai Qi and the others there. The Proprietress also took good care of him; however, that force didn’t belong to him. If he wanted to bring his friends and family out from the Star Boundary, he would need his own foundation.
Therefore, Seven Wonders Land was exactly what he needed at the moment. It seemed that he didn’t need to go back to First Inn in a hurry; instead, he should return to the Star Boundary first.
Now, he possessed a World Tree root, so he had to see whether this thing could help the Star Boundary recover.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Chen Tian Fei suddenly exclaimed, “Don’t kill me! I’m willing to surrender! Foreign Elder Yang, please spare my life!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw that Chen Tian Fei appeared extremely pitiful. Under Lu Xue’s suppression, he wasn’t even able to lift his head. He was practically covered in wounds and blood. It wouldn’t take long before he was killed.
At this life-and-death moment, his dignity no longer mattered as he begged for Yang Kai’s mercy.
Lu Xue frowned and slowed down her attacks before looking inquisitively at Yang Kai.
An unfazed Yang Kai said dispassionately, “Fatty, it’s too late to surrender. Moreover, even if you’re willing to surrender, I’m not strong enough to control you. So it’s best we send you on your way now.”
Yang Kai was fully aware of his own capabilities. As an Emperor Realm cultivator, how was he supposed to control a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master even if they were willing to submit to him?
If Yang Kai were more powerful than Chen Tian Fei, he could’ve planted a restriction on the latter to ensure his loyalty, but this fatty was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, which meant he was much, much stronger. Therefore, Yang Kai wasn’t able to control him.
Moreover, many people from Scarlet Star had been killed, so there was no way Chen Tian Fei wasn’t resentful of him. It was easy to spare his life on this day, but it would be difficult to deal with him if he acted out in the future.
Hearing that, Lu Xue pressed her attack, which caused Chen Tian Fei to fall into a perilous situation. Presently, his life was hanging by a thread as he might be killed at any moment.
A horrified Chen Tian Fei knew that if he couldn’t make Yang Kai change his mind, he was doomed, so while he was dodging Lu Xue’s fatal strikes, he exclaimed, “I have the Loyalty List! I’m willing to give it to Sir to show my sincerity!”
Yang Kai had no idea what the Loyalty List was, but a tinge of surprise flashed through Lu Xue’s eyes when she heard that, “The Loyalty List is in your hands?”
A puzzled Yang Kai inquired about it.
After Lu Xue explained to him the uses of the Loyalty List, his gaze brightened as he raised his hand, “Don’t kill him just yet.”
Hearing that, Lu Xue immediately sheathed her sword. Still reeling from the shock, a pale Chen Tian Fei was panting heavily.
Yang Kai descended from the sky and landed beside Lu Xue before staring at Chen Tian Fei, “Where’s the Loyalty List?”
It was apparent that Chen Tian Fei wasn’t willing to part with this treasure, but he still quickly fished out a palm-sized book from his Space Ring and held it out with both hands, “Sir, this is the Loyalty List. Please have a look.”
After raising his hand, Yang Kai drew the book towards himself and felt that its texture was a bit strange. The entire book seemed to be made from the animal skin of an exotic beast. It was weighty, and the characters ‘Loyalty List’ were written on the cover.
Upon flipping through it, Yang Kai realised that there were only nine pages in the book, and every page was blank. Besides that, there was a petite horn that was sandwiched between the pages. The finger-length horn looked just like a bamboo shoot.
Both the Loyalty List and the horn exuded a faint Divine Spirit’s aura.
Upon realising that the Loyalty List was made from a Divine Spirit, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening. He wondered who the Great Expert was that made this book. It had to be noted that a mature Divine Spirit was as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was extremely difficult to kill one, let alone make a book using their carcass.
Sensing Yang Kai’s doubts, Lu Xue explained, “The Loyalty List is made from Xie Zhi’s skin and flesh. It seems to have the ability to judge between malice and goodwill. Congratulations, Sir.”
“Xie Zhi!” One of Yang Kai’s brow twitched. Certainly, he was familiar with the name. Xie Zhi was indeed a Divine Spirit, and he was highly ranked among them. It was said that when Xie Zhi opened his eyes in fury, he was able to differentiate the righteous and wicked and tell who held virtuous or malicious intent. He was the definition of impartial; therefore, it wasn’t surprising that an artifact made from his remains could do the same.
Lu Xue went on to say, “A few thousand years ago, there was a Master known as Loyalty Demon who used this Loyalty List to enslave a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters and wreak havoc in the 3,000 Worlds. Everyone was resentful of him, and in the end, it was the Great Experts from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises who killed him. However, even though Loyalty Demon died, the Small Universe in his body didn’t collapse. Instead, it was hidden in the Void, and no one knew where it was. Two hundred years ago, someone in the Star City found a lead, and at that time, Sword Pavilion, Thunder Light, and Scarlet Star joined forces and sought out Loyalty Demon’s lost Small Universe. Although they managed to enter it, they couldn’t find the Loyalty List. Everyone thought that the book was destroyed or snatched by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Who would have thought that it had fallen into Fatty Chen Tian’s hands?”
Yang Kai nodded and gave Chen Tian Fei a meaningful look. It seemed that even Zhao Bai Chuan wasn’t aware of the Loyalty List, which went to show that the fatty wasn’t as dedicated to him as he seemed.
In any case, if he were truly loyal, he wouldn’t have tried to abandon Zhao Bai Chuan and flee on his own.
“How do you use this thing?” Yang Kai asked.
Before Lu Xue could explain it, Chen Tian Fei said, “This subordinate only has to leave his name and aura on it, and Sir will then be able to control my life and death.”
He was doing all he could to live. After leaving his name and aura on the Loyalty List, his life would be controlled by another, but it was better than if he was killed in this place.
“If you dare to betray me…” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him.
There was a solemn expression on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “This subordinate will never do that. If that really happens one day, Sir can just use Xie Zhi’s horn to cross off my name, and I will immediately lose my life.”
“But, I’m much weaker than you are.” Yang Kai appeared in a dilemma, “The Loyalty List is great, but I’m not sure if this will work on you.”
“Of course it…” Chen Tian Fei also wasn’t certain. He had tried using the Loyalty List before, but the people controlled were much weaker than he was; therefore, he had no idea whether a weaker person could dominate a stronger one.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai believed that it didn’t matter whether he killed Chen Tian Fei, but it might be useful to keep him alive; after all, he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he had some strength. Moreover, he had managed Scarlet Star and allowed it to thrive over the years, which went to show that he was talented in this regard. If the people from the Star Boundary were to settle here, they would need someone to take care of them. Although there were Head Manager Hua Qing Si and Second Manager Bian Yu Qing in High Heaven Palace, they were not familiar with the 3,000 Worlds; therefore, they needed someone to help them with assimilating.
This fatty was a good candidate for the job.
After just a moment of consideration, Yang Kai made up his mind and opened the Loyalty List, “You shall leave your name here.”
It was only then that Chen Tian Fei relaxed and appeared grateful, “Many thanks for your mercy, Sir! This subordinate swears upon his life that he will always be loyal to you!”
Lu Xue shot him a disdainful look, which was ignored by Chen Tian Fei.
He lifted his finger and bit it before forcing out a drop of Blood Essence. Then, he wrote his name on the first page of the Loyalty List. At that instant, Yang Kai realised that a connection had been established between the Loyalty List and Chen Tian Fei and understood that this list indeed worked.
More importantly, he didn’t need to refine the book, which meant that it wouldn’t burden him in any way. Nevertheless, this was a downside as well. Since refinement wasn’t needed, it meant that anyone who possessed the Loyalty List could control Chen Tian Fei’s life.
After pledging his loyalty, Chen Tian Fei appeared even more respectful. Then, he suggested that he assist Yue He to kill Zhao Bai Chuan to show his sincerity.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t reject his idea, so he told Lu Xue and him to give Yue He a hand. Soon, booming explosions as well as Zhao Bai Chuan’s furious shouts were continuously heard coming from the fog.
Just a stick of incense later, the fog dissipated to reveal four figures. Yue He was slightly pale, but she was generally fine. There was a cut on Lu Xue’s stomach as her clothes were soaked in blood. On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was lying on the ground and panting.
Zhao Bai Chuan was standing in an upright posture, and he was seen with his eyes wide open; however, he didn’t exude any vitality at all.
Although they managed to join forces and kill Zhao Bai Chuan, it was difficult to deal with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was on the brink of death. Nevertheless, in the end, he still lost his life in Seven Wonders Land.
World Force streamed out of his body and permeated the air before heading to the void.
Yang Kai had a feeling that something had been added to Seven Wonders Land at that moment. He already noticed this phenomenon when the other Fourth-Order Managers were killed. When they passed away, the Small Universes in their bodies would collapse and their World Force would dissipate. Despite the fact that Yang Kai was aware of that, he didn’t have the time to ponder over the matter until now.
After sensing it, he realised that the World Force leaking from Zhao Bai Chuan’s body had strengthened Seven Wonders Land. This discovery amazed him. It seemed that he had to ask Yue He about it at a later time to find out what was going on.
In this battle, all the Managers of Scarlet Star were killed except for Chen Tian Fei, who had surrendered. Anyone who had not been killed had fled. The noises of this battle were deafening, which was why they all became aware of it. Not daring to stay, they seized the chance to escape Seven Wonders Land when Yang Kai and the others were distracted.
Yang Kai didn’t have the intention of making them stay either. He wasn’t wary of those trivial cultivators.
From now on, Seven Wonders Land belonged to him. It was such a pity for Zhao Bai Chuan that it had only been one day since he took control of Seven Wonders Land, but the place already had a new owner now, which was pretty ironic.
Chen Tian Fei wasn’t dead, but he had become a skinny fellow, which made him look pitiful. All of them remained in the same place to heal their wounds.
Yue He was the first to fully recover as she hadn’t really been injured, it was just that she had become exhausted after the battle; after all, not only did she have to trap Zhao Bai Chuan, but she also had to pay attention to the situation outside the fog. When Yang Kai and Lu Xue were battling against Bei Yu Shan and Chen Tian Fei, she had also given them a hand.
Initially, she didn’t understand why Chen Tian Fei would side with them at the last moment, but she figured it out as soon as she saw the Loyalty List. With this thing around, Chen Tian Fei wouldn’t dare to betray them, unless he was sick of living.
Then, Yang Kai voiced the doubt he had in his heart.
With a smile, Yue He explained, “Every Open Heaven Realm Master has a Small Universe in their body. Although this Small Universe isn’t a true world, it’s still considered an independent world on its own. Once a cultivator passes away, the Small Universe will fall apart, and their World Force will dissipate. This World Force is beneficial to any World. For example, the World Force could strengthen Seven Wonders Land’s heritage and expand its mass.”
“Does it always work that way?” Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief.
Yue He said with a smile, “Yes, it does. Young Master, how do you think those Cave-Heavens and Paradises came about? They were not born powerful, but instead grew slowly over the millennia. All their top Masters who passed away in their headquarters allowed their accumulated strength to enhance the heritage and foundation of their force. Many generations passed, and that’s how those Cave-Heavens and Paradises have grown to be so powerful.”
An idea suddenly flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as he asked, “In that case, does that mean that Seven Wonders Land can also become a Cave-Heaven or Paradise one day?”
“It’s possible, but in order to achieve that, it will require countless years of accumulation.”
Yang Kai said, “If we capture some Open Heaven Realm Masters and kill them here…”
Yue He pressed her lips together, “That will offend a lot of people.”
Yang Kai knew that it was an unrealistic idea, but it was one of the ways to do it.
“The heritage of Seven Wonders Land has grown by about ten percent after all the recent battles.” Yue He’s words made Yang Kai feel elated.
The heritage of a place wasn’t just about tangible things like the landmass that the eyes could see. There were also intangible benefits like the World Energy and Principles. After the heritage of Seven Wonders Land was strengthened, even its Grand Array would be fortified. There were indeed a lot of benefits.
It wasn’t surprising to see this kind of growth in Seven Wonders Land though; after all, in just a short period of time, over a hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives here. Over several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters from Scarlet Star were killed in this place, and in the previous battle, there were many Open Heaven Realm Masters from Seven Wonders Land that were slaughtered. Although most were just Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, there were many of them.
Even eight Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives.
Initially, there were three Venerables who were in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm in Seven Wonders Land. Two of them were dead, and Wood Spirit Land Venerable Miao Yue surrendered to their enemies to save his life. Qi Qiao was also set up and killed by Yu Xiu Shan and Zhao Bai Chuan.
That was three Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters killed.
Following that, Yang Kai disguised himself and brought Yue He, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, to kill the Ou Yang Brothers, Lady Qin, Bei Yu Shan as well as Zhao Bai Chuan. There were five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who lost their lives today.
It was the World Force that left these deceased Open Heaven Realm Masters that filled Seven Wonders Land and strengthened its background. It could be said that a lot of benefits had been gained through these battles.
However, Yang Kai and his group were in a pretty embarrassing situation now. In the entire Seven Wonders Land, apart from Yang Kai, Yue He, Lu Xue, and Chen Tian Fei, who had just surrendered, there were only the two exotic beasts, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon.
This expansive territory looked desolate at the moment, so Yang Kai released the people from Small Sealed World and got Guo Zi Yan out of the Six Fated Paths Bag to add some life to this place.
Guo Zi Yan was shocked when he saw Chen Tian Fei as he wondered why this fatty had become such a slim man. Upon learning that Seven Wonders Land now belonged to Yang Kai, they were all happy for him.
The clean-up after the battle was giving everyone a headache, but most importantly, they had to repair the Grand Array.
The Grand Array had been damaged in the previous battle, so it would require a Spirit Array Grandmaster to repair it. Moreover, in order to do that, a lot of manpower and resources were required. Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t lack the latter.
His wealth had already increased significantly when he was in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and after killing Zhao Bai Chuan, he also obtained the remaining thirty percent of Scarlet Star’s income; therefore, it wasn’t difficult for him to provide the resources to repair the Grand Array.
The crux of the problem was manpower. Where was he supposed to find a Spirit Array Grandmaster? Even if he could find one, would that person be trustworthy? All these were serious issues.
In Yang Kai’s plan, Seven Wonders Land would become his home and foundation in the 3,000 Worlds as well as the place where the people from the Star Boundary could settle down. However, he wasn’t even sure where he should start.
A few days later, the dust from the battle finally settled. All of them had recovered significantly, especially Chen Tian Fei, who although not as fat as before, at least no longer appeared frail.
Just then, Meng Hong and the others came over to bid Yang Kai farewell.
He was a disciple from Great Moon Province. Previously, he was accidentally dragged into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and there hadn’t been any news about him for more than ten years. The people from Great Moon Province must have thought that he was dead when in fact, he had gained a lot of benefits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary over the past over ten years. After all, he had wiped his original foundation clean by clearing the Third-Order Elements from his Dao Seal with Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water and then replaced them with Fifth-Order Elements. Therefore, he had the potential to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the future. If he could achieve that, the status of Great Moon Province would instantly take a leap forward. Now, he was practically the hope for his great force. When he returned, he would definitely be fully supported by Great Moon Province.
Now that he had gotten out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Meng Hong was eager to return to Great Moon Province and tell the others that he was alive and well. Yang Kai naturally did not make him stay, and even gave him a Space Ring before the latter left.
Meng Hong took the ring and scanned it, then his expression changed slightly, “Senior Brother Yang, I cannot accept such a precious gift!” After he finished speaking, he wanted to return the ring to him.
There were the Fifth-Order materials in the ring that Meng Hong needed the most now.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Brother Meng, you’ve given me a World Fruit, so my gift is nothing compared to that. In fact, I’ve already obtained enough benefits.”
The World Fruit given by Meng Hong was a Mid-Rank one that could help a Mid-Rank cultivator instantly rise to the next Order. Yang Kai didn’t have many of them as he only possessed three. He knew that even if he tried to return the World Fruit to Meng Hong, the latter wouldn’t accept it. Meng Hong was a righteous man who would always repay the favours he owed; therefore, Yang Kai decided to give him some resources, which he had a lot of anyway.
Moreover, the value of several Fifth-Order materials wasn’t comparable to that of a Mid-Rank World Fruit.
Seeing as he wanted to turn him down, Yang Kai said, “Great Moon Province is just a Third Class force. I’ve seen your Leader before, and he’s just a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Brother Meng, have you ever considered, given the power of your great force, how long will it take for them to gather the resources for you to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm? You’re still young, so why should you waste your time waiting? With these resources, you can break through quickly and help your Sect.”
Although what he said was blunt, it was the truth.
Hearing that, Meng Hong fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. Then, he accepted the ring and replied, “Senior Brother Yang, I’ll never forget this favour of yours.”
The thing was that Great Moon Province was really not a wealthy great force, so Meng Hong didn’t have the heart to ask them to help him look for the Fifth-Order resources. If all of them were to help only him, his Junior Brothers and Sisters would have no more resources to cultivate with. It was because of this consideration that he stopped rejecting Yang Kai’s gift.
Yang Kai chuckled and patted the other man’s shoulder, “Brother Meng, this is the least I can do. By the way, I’ve also prepared some things for your two Junior Brothers as well as Old Fang, Dié You, and Ah Sun. Please bring it back to them.”
The two Junior Brothers beside Meng Hong had followed him around in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for the past ten-plus years, so Yang Kai had prepared some Fourth-Order resources for them. Although they had built their foundations by condensing Third-Order Elements already, it didn’t mean they couldn’t refine Fourth-Order resources. After they became Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the future, they would be more powerful than others in the same realm with this advantage.
On the other hand, he had prepared three doses of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water for Old Fang and the others, but not any Yin, Yang, Five Elements materials, that was because he had no idea where their limits were and whether they needed to clear the Element Powers from their Dao Seals.
If they wanted to imitate Meng Hong by wiping away the Elements in their Dao Seals and condense new ones, they could use the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, after which he would prepare some resources for their cultivation.
After a nod, Meng Hong took the Space Ring and thanked him again. Then, he left with his two Junior Brothers and Chen Yue.
Chen Yue’s great force was in the same Great Territory as Great Moon Province, so they were heading in the same direction.
Yang Kai summoned Chen Tian Fei and told him to escort the four of them.
Seven Wonders Land was pretty far from Great Moon Province as they had to pass through several Great Territories. If the three of them were to set off on the journey alone, they might fall into danger; after all, they might come across bandits who would rob them of their valuables or even their lives. They would be safer with a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Chen Tian Fei escorting them.
Meng Hong didn’t reject this idea.
A while later, the five of them passed through a gap in the Grand Array and disappeared.
After Meng Hong and the others were gone, Yang Kai turned around and gazed at Lu Xue, “Do you have any plans for the future?”
She was originally from Sword Pavilion, and the only reason she sided with Yang Kai in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was that she wanted to seek his protection. After leaving the Boundary, she had nowhere to go. Previously, she had helped Yang Kai battle against the people from Scarlet Star, but that was more a matter of being present than being loyal.
In fact, Yang Kai wanted to make her stay as he desperately needed more capable people now. After Chen Tian Fei was gone, he only had Yue He, Guo Zi Yan, and a few others with him.
A hint of puzzlement flashed across Lu Xue’s eyes when she heard that.
Not wanting to rush her to make any decision, Yang Kai continued, “If you want to leave, I won’t make you stay. I’ve prepared 100 million Open Heaven Pills for you, which should last you for the rest of your life. If you want to come back to Seven Wonders Land in the future, I’ll also welcome you. Of course, it’d be best if you could stay.”
Lu Xue was moved as 100 million Open Heaven Pills was a huge sum. Yang Kai was actually generous enough to give her so many pills. Although he was extremely wealthy now, he wasn’t obliged to give her anything.
It could be said that with 100 million pills in her possession, Lu Xue wouldn’t have to worry about cultivation resources ever again. She just had to look for a Star City and cultivate. In the future, she might even stand a chance to ascend to the Sixth Order.
“I can stay?” Lu Xue gazed at him.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Of course you can; however, you’ve seen the situation Seven Wonders Land is in now. If you don’t mind it, this will be your home from now on.”
Without hesitation, Lu Xue flashed a smile at him, “Then I’ll stay.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Welcome.”
Lu Xue saluted him in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Sir! I will be your subordinate from now on.” She didn’t look down on Yang Kai just because he was weaker than she was right now. That was because she knew that once Yang Kai ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, she would only be able to look up to his achievements, to say nothing of the fact that he was already able to battle against Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters now.
An embarrassed Yang Kai rubbed his nose, “Since you’ve called me Sir, I’ll not regard you as an outsider. There’s one thing I need you to help me with now.”
With a serious expression, Lu Xue replied, “Yes, Sir.”
After taking out a token, Yang Kai said, “Take this token to First Inn and look for Madam Lan. Tell her the situation I’m in now and ask her to look for an Array Grandmaster to help me repair the Grand Array.”
The token was none other than the one given to him by the Proprietress previously. He had repeatedly used this token to collect debts from the shopkeepers in the Star City First Inn re-established itself.
After taking the token, Lu Xue replied solemnly, “Yes.”
Then, Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart and pointed out the direction for her before saying, “Be careful on the road. Go now and return quickly.”
“Sir may rest assured.” Upon finishing her words, Lu Xue turned into a ray of light and shot into the sky.
In order to repair the Grand Array in Seven Wonders Land, they needed a Grandmaster in Spirit Arrays. Yang Kai didn’t have the connections to look for one, but he was sure that the Proprietress could help him with it. Moreover, Lu Xue could also inform the Proprietress that he was alright so that she didn’t have to worry.
When he turned his head and saw how worried Yue He was, he let out a chuckle and asked, “Are you worried that Proprietress will kill you? Since you’re so afraid of her, why did you set her up in the past?”
Yang Kai could never figure this matter out; however, it was apparent that Yue He didn’t have the intention of revealing the secret as she said angrily, “At worst she will just beat me to death!”
On one of the spirit peaks in Seven Wonders Land, Yang Kai found a decent spot, then he fished out Xu Huang’s corpse from the Small Sealed World and buried him in a grave that he had dug out.
When Xu Huang passed away in the past, Yang Kai kept his corpse in the Small Sealed World. Now that Seven Wonders Land was in his hands, he could finally bury his corpse in this place and let him rest in peace; after all, Seven Wonders Land originally belonged to Xu Huang.
There was no friendship between them as they were just making use of each other; however, Yang Kai had indeed gotten some benefits from him. The Six Fated Paths Bag belonged to Xu Huang, and if he hadn’t given him the Array Jade before his death, Yang Kai couldn’t have easily snatched Seven Wonders Land; therefore, he was basically repaying his favour by burying his body here.
Just when he was ready to close the tomb, Yang Kai felt a faint Soul fluctuation coming from the corpse. Yue He’s expression immediately turned solemn as she moved to stand in front of Yang Kai.
Both of them watched as an illusory figure left the corpse, one so transparent it seemed it would dissipate as soon as a breeze brushed by it. That figure looked just like Xu Huang.
“A Remnant Soul!” Yue He furrowed her brow as she could recognise at first glance that it was a Remnant Soul that had left the corpse. It wasn’t harmful or threatening as one could easily destroy it, so she set her mind at ease; however, she didn’t understand why there was still a Remnant Soul in the corpse.
Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out either. The corpse had been lying in the Small Sealed World for years, and it wasn’t until this day that such an incident occurred. After giving it a thought, he reckoned that it was a restriction that Xu Huang had set up before his death.
Only when his corpse returned to Seven Wonders Land would this restriction be triggered, which allowed the Remnant Soul to appear.
[What is this Remnant Soul for?] Innumerable thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as he stared fixedly at this figure.
Xu Huang’s Remnant Soul hovered in the air as he looked around for a time before muttering, “I’ve finally returned.”
Then, he let out a sigh that was filled with sorrow and loneliness. After that, he raised his hand, whereupon the Array Jade left Yue He’s clothes and fell into his palm. Following that, the Remnant Soul swiped across the Array Jade and returned it to her.
Yue He took it and scanned it with her Divine Sense and with an awkward expression, she said, “Some kind of seal in this jade has been removed.”
“I suppose it was something he did before his death,” Yang Kai replied. The Array Jade was given to Yang Kai by Xu Huang before his death. At that time, Yang Kai suspected that Xu Huang might not have completely pure intentions, and now it seemed to be the case.
If he hadn’t brought the corpse back to Seven Wonders Land, the last barrier in the jade would never have been lifted. If that had been the case, even though he possessed this Array Jade, he would never be able to fully control the Grand Array.
“I’m running out of time. Come with me!” The Remnant Soul said and shot forward.
Yang Kai and Yue He traded glances before following after him. They didn’t ask any questions because this Remnant Soul was left behind by Xu Huang before his death, so he couldn’t really think as he was just executing the last will Xu Huang had left behind. Even if they asked any questions, they wouldn’t get the answers they wanted.
They flew for an incense stick of time before arriving at a Grand Hall. This Grand Hall was located in Earth Spirit Land, and it was situated at the centre of Seven Wonders Land.
Seven Wonders Land consisted of seven Spirit Provinces, which were arrayed in an interesting manner. Earth Spirit Land was located in the centre, and it was the most expansive. The Spirit Lands of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire were on the four sides, and they were much smaller than Earth Spirit Land. On the other hand, the Yin and Yang Spirit Lands were located in the front and the rear of Earth Spirit Land.
From a bird’s eye view, Seven Wonders Land looked just like a giant turtle hovering in the void.
The shell of the turtle was Earth Spirit Land. Its front limbs were the Spirit Lands of Metal and Wood, while its back limbs were the Spirit Lands of Water and Fire. Its head was Yang Spirit Land, and its tail was Yin Spirit Land. The entire layout looked quite interesting.
On the other hand, the shopping district was just a Universe Fragment hovering above the shell of the turtle.
The Remnant Soul had brought Yang Kai and Yue He to the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land. This was also where the Heavenly Monarch used to live. Then, the Remnant Soul shot into the Grand Hall and took numerous twists and turns before stopping in front of a wall.
“The things here belong to you now.” After the Remnant Soul finished speaking, he crashed into the wall with a dull thud and dissipated into wisps of light, which then covered the wall and transformed into a portal.
Yue He and Yang Kai traded glances as they hadn’t expected such a turn of events.
“It must be a secret storehouse!” Yue He said excitedly.
Yang Kai arched his brow. He wasn’t sure what was behind the portal, but considering what the Remnant Soul had said, it wasn’t hard to deduce that it was a portal that led to a treasure house.
In fact, there was another treasure house in Seven Wonders Land. Previously, Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan had secretly come to an agreement and killed Qi Qiao. While Zhao Bai Chuan obtained Seven Wonders Land, Yu Xiu Shan emptied out the vault.
Over the past two days, Yang Kai had surveyed the entire Seven Wonders Land, so he naturally saw the treasure house, but it was completely empty inside. Yu Xiu Shan had practically taken everything inside away. However, it now seemed that the treasure house out in the open was just the publicly known one. There was actually a secret storehouse hidden here.
Yang Kai wondered if Qi Qiao was aware of the existence of this secret storehouse. Based on his observation, he reckoned that the Heavenly Monarch was in the dark about it.
“Young Master, be careful,” Yue He said and stepped into the portal. Yang Kai followed her as he put his guard up.
An hour later, the pair left the portal together. The portal indeed led to a secret storehouse where many cultivation resources had been stored. These were things that had been accumulated over many years.
Yang Kai would’ve been ecstatic if this happened in the past; however, he was now filthy rich from the harvest he had in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. After killing Zhao Bai Chuan, he even snatched back the thirty percent that was the income he had originally left to Scarlet Star; therefore, he didn’t feel excited about the wealth in the secret storehouse. In comparison, the wealth in the secret storehouse was just equivalent to, if not less than, the thirty percent income of Scarlet Star.
Although the people from Scarlet Star had only stayed in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for ten odd years, that place was simply filled with countless treasures. On the other hand, Seven Wonders Land was just an average Second Class great force. Despite the fact that they had been in existence for many years, they hadn’t accumulated lots of rare treasures.
With that said, there were still many good things in the secret storehouse, so it was considered an unexpected gain. Fortunately, Yang Kai had moved Xu Huang’s corpse out of the Small Sealed World, otherwise he would never have discovered this secret storehouse.
After returning to that spirit peak, Yang Kai closed the tomb and erected a tombstone for Xu Huang. It was then everything was settled.
Standing in front of the tomb, Yue He fished out the Array Jade and said, “Young Master, you should be the one refining this jade.”
Whoever controlled this jade could lord over Seven Wonders Land. Previously, they were in a rush, which was why Yang Kai let Yue He refine the jade; after all, as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she could refine it faster. Now that Seven Wonders Land had a new owner, the Array Jade should be returned to Yang Kai.
Unexpectedly though, Yang Kai shook his head and declared, “You should keep it.”
Yue He asked, “Young Master, are you worried that it’ll be hard for you to refine it? Don’t worry, I’ll assist you. You’ll be able to fully refine it in a few months.”
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “That’s not the reason. In fact, I’ll be leaving this place soon, so I’ll need you to keep guard here.”
“Young Master, where are you going?” Yue He was surprised.
“I’m going home,” Yang Kai said with a smile.
The following days were peaceful. While Yang Kai was waiting for Lu Xue to return, he cultivated in seclusion.
Presently, he had condensed four Open Heaven Elements, which were Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water. From his Fire Element, he had comprehended the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation. The Earth Element Power came from the same source as his own, so he had also comprehended Dragon Shield Divine Ability, which had improved his defence capabilities. However, he hadn’t been able to comprehend anything regarding his Wood or Water Element Powers.
Theoretically, when one could fully comprehend an Element’s Power, they could obtain some kind of Secret Technique and Divine Ability. Unfortunately, Yang Kai hadn’t quite gotten the hang of this. He had started the process when he was still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but his efforts hadn’t yielded any results up to this day.
His Divine Manifestation had helped increase his power greatly and allowed him to fight against Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters when he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so what if he could comprehend two, three, and even more Divine Abilities?
The road to Open Heaven Realm was all about accumulation, and it was extremely time-consuming. Before breaking through though, he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, and he needed some power to protect himself. Nevertheless, things couldn’t be rushed.
One day, while he was cultivating, Yang Kai suddenly heard Yue He’s voice in his head. He opened his eyes, and the next instant, he appeared beside her.
At this moment, Yue He was looking up at the sky. Since the previous battle, many gaps had appeared in the Grand Array. They looked just like cracks in the sky. Presently, by looking through the biggest crack, they could see that many people had gathered together outside Seven Wonders Land.
“Who are those people?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He replied, “They are representatives of the great forces in this Great Territory. They must have heard that Seven Wonders Land has a new owner, which is why they’ve come to visit. Do you want to see them?”
This Great Territory was called Seven Wonder Territory because Seven Wonders Land, a Second Class great force, was situated in this place. Nevertheless, Seven Wonders Land wasn’t the only great force in the entire Seven Wonder Territory. However, the others were just Third Class forces or even weaker organizations.
There was no doubt that the change of ownership in Seven Wonders Land in this Great Territory was a major event. Previously, many disciples from Scarlet Star had fled, so this matter could not be hidden. These people must have gotten wind of it, which was why they had come over to have a look.
They were still trying to rebuild Seven Wonders Land, so supposedly, it would be best to keep the doors shut so that ill-intentioned people could not grasp their real strength. However, Yang Kai darted his gaze around and grinned, “Since they’ve come to visit, they must have brought some gifts with them. If that’s the case, why would we turn them down? Let them all in!”
At that, Yue He was speechless. She was fully aware of how wealthy Yang Kai was; after all, she was the one handling all the wealth he obtained from Scarlet Star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Some time ago, they had also discovered a secret storehouse together. There was no way these representatives could give them anything of real value, but Yang Kai still seemed interested in reaping more gains. He was indeed an avaricious person.
The Grand Array opened up and allowed the people outside Seven Wonders Land to come in. There were several hundred visitors in total.
However, Yang Kai secretly observed them and realised that despite the large number of visitors, they represented only twenty or thirty forces, which meant that more than one person from every great force had come.
These forces were mostly led by Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they were all in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, most of them Third-Order while there were a small number of them in the Second-Order. Surprisingly, there were also great forces represented by mere Emperor Realm cultivators. Yang Kai couldn’t wrap his head around that idea. Were the great forces so weak that they couldn’t even afford to have an Open Heaven Realm Master?
The person at the front was a grey-haired elderly man who seemed quite energetic despite his age. After landing on the ground, he cupped his fists and said, “Golden Light Dock’s Hong Ji greets Madame!”
He was speaking to Yue He because he had no regard for Yang Kai, an Emperor Realm cultivator.
The representatives of the great forces behind him stepped forward and said in unison, “Greetings, Madame.”
Hurriedly, Yue He waved her hands and refuted in a clear voice, “You’re mistaken.”
A puzzled Hong Ji asked, “What do you mean by that, Madame? Please enlighten us.” Secretly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Before coming to this place, they were wondering what the new owner of Seven Wonders Land was like. It would be great if the person was mild-tempered; however, if the new ruler was a tyrant, all of them would be in trouble. They might have to cough up a lot of resources to appease this new Master.
After observing Yue He’s demeanour and the way she spoke though, they realised that even though she was powerful, she wasn’t a difficult person to speak with. They reckoned that she probably wouldn’t make things hard for them.
With her lips pressed together, Yue He said, “I am not the new ruler of this place, I am just a maidservant. The owner of this place is my Young Master.” Then, she pointed at Yang Kai.
Everyone was stunned upon hearing that. Most of them were not certain about Yue He’s cultivation as only the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could vaguely sense it. This inscrutable woman was certainly a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, now, a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master claimed that she was a maidservant, and the young man in the Emperor Realm beside her was the new owner of Seven Wonders Land. Just what was the background of this young man!?
Regardless, all of them wouldn’t dare to offend him as they straightened their faces and saluted, “Greetings, Sir.”
Hong Ji’s head almost came into contact with his knees as he said respectfully, “Sir, please forgive this old man for having eyes but failing to see.”
With a smile, Yang Kai waved his hand lightly and said, “I don’t blame you because you didn’t know. All of you, please stand up.”
“Many thanks, Sir.” Everyone straightened their backs and gazed at Yang Kai with respectful expressions. Earlier, they had seen Yang Kai, but none of them took him seriously, thinking that he was just Yue He’s subordinate. Nevertheless, it turned out that Yue He, a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, was the servant instead.
Hong Ji secretly brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead and gazed at Yang Kai with a fawning smile, “Sir is indeed an imposing and extraordinary young man. It is no wonder that you were able to take control of Seven Wonders Land. The fact that you’ve become the new owner is good news to all of us in Seven Wonder Territory.”
Many of them covertly despised the elderly man for buttering Yang Kai up so thickly, but they still nodded in agreement. They had no other choice. Previously, they all had to pay respects to Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, and now, they had to obey Yang Kai.
As smaller forces, they had no choice but to submit to the strongest around, unless they left Seven Wonder Territory.
Even if they wanted to leave this Great Territory though, where else could they go? The Outer Universe was expansive, but most decent Spirit Provinces had already been occupied. If they barged into someone else’s territory, there were bound to be conflicts.
The faint smile on Yang Kai’s face made him look inscrutable.
Hong Ji said, “Forgive this old man for being abrupt, but how should we address you, Sir?”
Yang Kai was slightly startled as he hadn’t thought about this before, but he soon replied with a smile, “Just call me Void True Monarch.”
His title in the Star Boundary was Void Great Emperor, so he reckoned that he could also use that title here.
In fact, only the Leaders of Third Class great forces had the right to be called ‘True Monarch’. For example, the Leader of Great Moon Province was known as the Great Moon True Monarch. The Leader of a Second Class great force was called Heavenly Monarch. One such example was Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch.
Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so supposedly, he didn’t have the right to hold such a title; however, none on the scene thought there was anything wrong with it.
After all, he had a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master as his maidservant, so he must come from a powerful background. There was nothing wrong with him calling himself True Monarch.
All of them saluted him again and addressed him as True Monarch.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “All of you are my guests. Please come in and have a chat.”
Hong Ji bent his back, “We shall be imposing on True Monarch’s hospitality then.”
Several hundred people followed Yang Kai and Yue He into the spacious Grand Hall. There were many chairs inside, so as the guests took a seat on both rows of a long table, Hong Ji directly took the first seat to the left of Yang Kai.
No one served them tea as they were currently short-staffed in Seven Wonders Land; however, Hong Ji and the others wouldn’t dare to complain as all of them were seated with straight backs and solemn expressions.
Then, Hong Ji rose from the chair and said loudly, “True Monarch, congratulations on becoming the new owner of Seven Wonders Land. On behalf of Golden Light Dock, this Elder has come to deliver a gift of 200,000 Open Heaven Pills, 10 drops of Diamond Rain Dew, and a 1,000 year old blood coral to congratulate you.”
Then, he raised a Space Ring above his bowed head with both hands.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Many thanks to Golden Light Dock. I shall remember this courtesy.”
Yang Kai then tilted his head a little, whereupon Yue He stepped forward and accepted the ring. After that, Hong Ji said with a smile, “This Elder is afraid these gifts do not enter True Monarch’s eyes. It is quite embarrassing.”
To Yang Kai, these gifts were indeed not good enough for him to bother about; after all, he had hundreds of millions of Open Heaven Pills, so 200,000 more didn’t matter to him. Diamond Rain Dew was supposed to be a local product from Golden Light Dock, but it was most probably a Third-Order resource at best. The only thing worth noting was the 1,000-year-old blood coral. It might be useful in some way, but it obviously wasn’t worth a lot of money.
However, these things were costly for a mere Third Class force to offer up as 200,000 Open Heaven Pills were enough to buy a good quality Fourth-Order material. Meanwhile, a Third Class great force didn’t even have a single Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Following Hong Ji, another representative from a different great force presented his gifts.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t turn them down as he told Yue He to accept them all. These great forces must have had a discussion before coming to this place as the values of their gifts were similar. There was no doubt that these gifts were expensive for them, but they hadn’t cost them an arm and a leg.
Naturally, Yang Kai could understand them. When they presented the gifts, they never forgot to introduce their background, and soon, Yang Kai learned that besides Seven Wonders Land, a Second Class great force, there were seven Third Class great forces in Seven Wonders Territory.
Apart from these seven great forces, the rest were the representatives of various Universe Worlds. It was then that Yang Kai understood that Seven Wonders Land had dominion over ten or so Universe Worlds. These Emperor Realm cultivators were the most powerful cultivators in their respective Universe Worlds.
The gifts given by them were inferior to those of the Third Class great forces and were almost all local products from their respective Universe Worlds, but it was still better than nothing. In any case, these ten-plus Universe Worlds were controlled by Seven Wonders Land, so everything they possessed also belonged to the latter.
Upon this realisation, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened.
He didn’t really care about these gifts. To him, the most valuable gifts in the Grand Hall were the Universe Worlds themselves.
Having control over these Universe Worlds meant that he would have an infinite supply of new talent.
Then, he secretly spoke to Yue He and found out that this was a common practice in the 3,000 World. Any great force had control over a number of Universe Worlds. For example, the great force that Hong Ji was in, Golden Light Dock, ruled over a small number of Universe Worlds. Certainly, they were not comparable to Seven Wonders Land in this regard, but it was still a valuable resource.
On the other hand, the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were in charge of all the Universe Worlds in their own Great Territories and even the neighbouring Great Territories. By selecting talented people from these Universe Worlds and nurturing them, they could ensure that there would never be a shortage of new blood.
The Star Boundary was located in a remote place and detached from the outside world, so they knew nothing about the customs of the 3,000 Worlds.
Chatter and laughter could be heard coming from the Grand Hall for a time. Although Yang Kai wasn’t particularly good at managing subordinates, he was familiar with the idea of using a carrot and stick. Now that he had established his authority with the help of Yue He, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could show these people some kindness, so soon all of them thought that it was easier to get along with the new True Monarch than Qi Qiao.
“Since Qi Qiao is dead, the name Seven Wonders Land is no longer suitable. I’d like to change the name of this place to Void Land. What do all of you think?” Yang Kai gazed at them and asked.
Hong Ji was the first to reply, “You’re absolutely right! True Monarch, with you in charge of Void Land, Void Territory will definitely become famous in the 3,000 Worlds, and no one will dare to look down on us.”
Yang Kai just wanted to change the name of Seven Wonders Land, but Hong Ji directly replaced Seven Wonders Territory with Void Territory. It was apparent that he was flattering Yang Kai again, but the way he did so wasn’t off-putting.
With a smug expression, Yang Kai guffawed and replied, “Of course, of course.”
Then, he furrowed his eyebrows, “However, we have just gone through a great battle, so the Grand Array has been damaged. Although I’ve sent someone to invite a Grandmaster to help with the repair, we’re currently lacking people…”
Before Yang Kai finished his words, Hong Ji immediately said, “True Monarch, please rest assured. After this Elder returns to Golden Light Dock, he will have some disciples come over to assist you. However, we don’t have many disciples in Golden Light Dock, so I can only mobilise 500 at most. Please forgive me.”
Then, another person rose from the chair, “True Monarch, on behalf of Soaring Crane Sect, I am willing to dispatch 500 disciples to assist you.”
The representatives stood up one by one and offered to mobilise several hundred people to come over to help. Soon, all seven Third Class great forces had promised to lend several thousand people in total.
With a bright smile, Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Very good. All of you are so thoughtful. In that case, after you go back, please quickly send your disciples over. Don’t worry, I shall not make them work for free. Every one of them will receive two Open Heaven Pills per day of service. If there are any experts in Spirit Arrays, they will receive higher compensation.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard that.
Two Open Heaven Pills a day was not a lot, but by sending 500 disciples, they would get 1,000 pills in total each day. Moreover, it would take a long time, probably six months to a year, to repair the Grand Array. In that case, their income would be lucrative.
None of them could have expected that they could gain some benefits from this small favour, so they were incredibly grateful to Yang Kai; after all, even if he gave them nothing, they would still have to lend him their disciples.
At that instant, many were regretful that they hadn’t promised to send more people.
After chatting for a bit, they started bidding Yang Kai farewell. Apparently, they realised that there were benefits to be gained, so they were eager to go back and send some disciples over.
Soon, the people from the seven Third Class forces were gone, so the remaining representatives of the ten or so Universe Worlds were left looking imploringly at Yang Kai, their eyes were filled with hope.
Strictly speaking, the people from the seven Third Class great forces were outsiders, while the people from these ten or so Universe Worlds were Yang Kai’s subordinates. Previously, they were ruled over and exploited by Seven Wonders Land. Now, Void Land had risen and taken Seven Wonders Land’s place, and Yang Kai appeared to be different from Qi Qiao, which allowed them to see some hope.
These representatives were Great Emperors from their respective Universe Worlds, chosen ones who had obtained recognition of their World’s Will. Their status was just like that of Yang Kai in the Star Boundary.
People like them, if they didn’t die for various reasons, were bound to achieve great things in life, dependant on their own opportunities and effort of course.
Knowing what was on their minds, Yang Kai asked, “How many people can you send over here?”
These people looked at each other and appeared somewhat embarrassed. One of the Great Emperors cupped his fists and said, “True Monarch, I am from Three Brilliances World, and we can send about 40 people.”
Another Great Emperor said, “I’m from Golden Sun Continent, and we can send 35 people.”
…
In order to break free from a Universe World’s restraints, one had to be in the Third-Order Emperor Realm at the very least. Those with weaker cultivation could never accomplish this. As for how many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters a Universe World could produce, one could look at the heritage of the Star Boundary as a reference. Both Three Brilliances World and Golden Sun Continent were Universe Worlds that were similar to the Star Boundary, so the fact that they had several dozen Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters was actually quite amazing.
If one wanted to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm in the future, they would need a lot of Open Heaven Pills. They could earn the pills by working for Yang Kai, so none of them were willing to miss this chance.
Every Universe World could only send several dozen people, ranging from 20 people to 70. When combined, there were some six or seven hundred people in total. It was similar to the number of people a Third Class great force could produce.
Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “It’s decided, then. Go back and get prepared now. You will receive the same pay. Everyone will earn two pills each day of work.”
All of them were elated as they saluted him, “Many thanks, True Monarch!”
Even though they were excited, they were not willing to stay any longer. After they were all gone, the Grand Hall fell into silence again.
The Third Class great forces like Golden Light Dock were truly efficient. In just one month, their disciples started arriving at Void Land. Coincidentally or not, the number of people who arrived were more than what had been promised.
Yang Kai didn’t really care about this as when it was time to repair the Grand Array, they would surely need many people, so there was no harm in getting more help now. He didn’t mind giving out more Open Heaven Pills.
Yue He was given the task to manage these people. The cultivators who were experts in Spirit Arrays immediately identified themselves and were sorted into a different group. When the time came, they could assist the Array Grandmaster hired by the Proprietress.
The wages were distributed daily, which made Hong Ji and the others feel even more grateful. After coming into contact with Yang Kai twice, they realised that he was far more benevolent than the previous Heavenly Monarch, which was why they quickly grew fond of him.
With so many people in Void Land, the place became bustling with noise once more. With that said, the Leaders of the respective great forces were strict with their disciples, so no fights or conflicts occurred.
One day, when Yang Kai was cultivating in seclusion, his expression changed as he looked at the abstruse pattern on the back of his hand. Previously, after he snatched the Innate Spirit Fruit in the Primordial Land, it exploded and transformed into this pattern, which contained a special space. Presently, Zhu Jiu Yin was sound asleep in it, but at this moment, Yang Kai could clearly feel signs she was stirring.
[She’s finally waking up!] Yang Kai felt emotionally exhausted. Initially, he thought that with a powerful Divine Spirit to protect him, even if he couldn’t walk sideways in the 3,000 Worlds, no one would dare to offend him at the very least.
However, as soon as they left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Zhu Jiu Yin fell into a kind of coma. Yang Kai had to personally battle against a great force like Scarlet Star, which made him feel exhausted.
A moment later, Zhu Jiu Yin awakened and spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “How long have I been asleep?”
“About three months,” Yang Kai replied and carefully checked on her. He realised that her aura was still weak, so it was apparent that the damage to her Source hadn’t been fully healed yet.
“Where’s this place?” Zhu Jiu Yin asked.
“It used to be called Seven Wonders Land, but it’s called Void Land now. It’s my territory.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt that the back of his hand became itchy. The next instant, a ray of light flew out of it and landed in front of him before Zhu Jiu Yin revealed herself. It had to be said that she was truly alluring. Not only was her face attractive, but she had a perfectly proportioned figure. Her eyes were as beautiful as a summer’s day. Presently, she was frowning due to the fact that her Source had been damaged, which made her look pitiful. No man could ever turn a blind eye to her.
After she appeared, the strange pattern on the back of Yang Kai’s hand dissipated. Following that, with Zhu Jiu Yin as the centre, a horrifying Divine Sense spread out.
At that instant, it was as though the world was about to end. A feeling of pure terror rose within everyone’s heart as the thousands of disciples from different great forces in Void Land turned ashen.
Hong Ji and the others widened their eyes and stared at the place where Yang Kai was cultivating in seclusion. All of their hair was standing on end, and they were utterly shocked and astonished.
However, the Divine Sense disappeared the next moment. Zhu Jiu Yin was just trying to scan her surroundings and didn’t have any malicious intent.
“What was that? An illusion?” Hong Ji and the others were still reeling from the shock.
Inside the secluded room, Zhu Jiu Yin shot a glance at Yang Kai and placed her palm on her forehead, “It seems that space has dissipated because this Queen has come out.”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “Does that mean that I won’t be able to keep you inside it anymore?”
Zhu Jiu Yin nodded as she seemed to be suffering from a headache. Even her aura appeared unstable.
Yang Kai silently ground his teeth. Initially, he thought that after Zhu Jiu Yin recovered, he could carry her around like a trump card. Whenever he came across an opponent that he couldn’t defeat, he could just release her to deal with it.
However, the pattern and the space on the back of his hand had disappeared, which meant that his plans all came to nought. Thinking so, he felt dejected.
Yang Kai wondered if he could keep her inside the Six Fated Paths Bag, but even if he could, she might not agree to it. Although the space inside the bag was expandable, it always felt rather cramped.
“This Queen was born and raised in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that I’m in the outside world, I need a long time to adjust and adapt to the new Principles before I can display my peak strength. Before that happens, you’d better behave yourself and not offend people who are too powerful; otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you.”
An astounded Yang Kai asked, “How long will it take?” He had never thought about this before; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Although Zhu Jiu Yin was a Divine Spirit, she was a native of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that she had entered the 3,000 Worlds, she needed time to get used to it.
“Who knows?” Zhu Jiu Yin shook her head, “Moreover, my Source is damaged, so I need time to recuperate.”
Upon finishing her words, she disappeared from the spot as her voice drifted over into Yang Kai’s ears, “This Queen will enter seclusion. Do not bother me regardless unless it’s something life-threatening!”
Yang Kai clenched his teeth as his Protector didn’t seem to have the intention of protecting him at all. He was utterly regretful. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would’ve chosen to work with Jin Wu instead. At the very least, that guy could give him a Seventh-Order Metal Element treasure.
Following that, the door of the room was opened, and Yue He came in with a nervous expression, “Is she awake?”
Yang Kai nodded.
A puzzled Yue He asked, “Where is she?”
“She’s looking for somewhere to cultivate in seclusion. I’m not sure where she is,” Yang Kai replied.
Yue He closed her eyes and connected with the Grand Array to scan the seven Spirit Provinces. Soon, she found Zhu Jiu Yin’s whereabouts.
That woman directly entered the largest palace in Void Land. Presently, she seemed to be adjusting her breathing. Sensing someone’s eyes, she lifted her head and glared at her.
Yue He stuck out her tongue and retracted her gaze.
After a sigh, Yang Kai said, “It’s such a tragedy. Haaa!” Then, he sensed something and fished out an item. After that, he arched his brow, “Good news.”
A curious Yue He asked, “What is it?”
“Proprietress has arrived.” Yang Kai beamed. Following that, he rose from the chair and rushed towards the door; however, he soon realised something and turned his head, only to see that Yue He remained on the same spot with a pale face. Her hands were clenching her dress, and she appeared to be apprehensive.
Yang Kai approached her and took her hands before comforting her, “You have to face this eventually. Just apologise to her. Proprietress treasures her friends, so she won’t harm you.”
Yue He bit her lip and lowered her head.
“Come on. We’ll greet her together.” Yang Kai dragged her away.
Seeing Yang Kai, Hong Ji and the others hurriedly saluted him. Yang Kai didn’t have the time to make small talk with them though as he landed in an open space and looked up at the sky.
Soon, a ray of light passed through a gap in the Grand Array and landed on the ground. Following that, the ray of light disappeared and revealed several figures.
The woman at the front was clad in an imperial dress. She was elegant and charming. Seeing her, the male disciples from these Third Class great forces caught their breaths and drooled over her beauty.
She was none other than the Proprietress!
Hong Ji and the others on the other hand sported solemn expressions. As Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, they could clearly feel that this alluring woman was a peak Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, far stronger than Yue He, who worked for the True Monarch.
Recently, they had finally figured out that Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, a powerful figure in the 3,000 Worlds. Since this woman was stronger than Yue He, she was most likely in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Besides the woman at the front, there were two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters whose auras were a match for that of Yue He. There was also a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master standing with them.
[Void True Monarch must have a powerful background. To think he has connections with these people. No wonder he can occupy Seven Wonders Land and become its new owner.]
While they were astounded, Yang Kai obediently rushed over and cupped his fists before saying loudly, “Greetings, Proprietress. How have you been?”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face as she stared fixedly at Yang Kai. Her breath was as pleasant as the scent of orchids, “Oh, you’re still alive.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Many thanks for your concern, Proprietress. I’m still alive and kicking.”
“En, you’re indeed alive and kicking, but… This Great Aunt doesn’t feel very good about it!” The Proprietress said through clenched teeth and grabbed his collars before proceeding to beat him up.
Hong Ji and the others were horrified as they felt their throats tightening.
Banging sounds were continuously heard. Yang Kai was completely powerless to stop the Proprietress from beating him senseless, but although she was furious, she didn’t exert too much force or use her power as an Open Heaven Realm Master.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had a strong physique, so he wasn’t afraid of getting hit. When they were in First Inn in the past, there were times when the Proprietress was harsher on him.
After a while, she suddenly pinched his ear and pulled him closer to herself. Seeing as he was smiling foolishly, she said through gritted teeth, “Brat, why are you still so happy when you’re getting punched?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “As long as it makes you happy.”
Certainly, he was happy. Since he arrived in the Outer Universe, the Proprietress was the one who had taken the most care of him and given him the protection and resources he needed. When he first joined First Inn, he wasn’t used to the environment, but as they gradually got along, he felt warm in his heart whenever he thought about the inn.
He couldn’t understand why, but the Proprietress had always given him an amiable feeling, as though she was his long-lost family member.
What Yang Kai had just said sounded familiar to the Proprietress. She seemed to have returned to the past when another was standing in front of her and said something similar to her.
She fell into a dazed state as a certain face flashed across her thoughts. Soon, she pulled herself together though and landed a thump on Yang Kai’s forehead before saying furiously, “I’m not going to let you off with just this. I’ll settle accounts with you at a later time!”
She wasn’t planning on just forgiving him after he made her worry for more than ten years.
Yang Kai grinned from ear to ear and nodded repeatedly.
The Proprietress rolled her eyes before turning around. Facing a stern-looking elderly man whose hair and beard were all grey, she spoke, “Grandmaster Wu Liang, this is my useless shop-hand. Please help him with his Spirit Array problems.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately knew that this elderly man was the Array Grandmaster that the Proprietress had invited. Hurriedly, he stepped forward and saluted him, “Junior Yang Kai greets Grandmaster Wu Liang.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang lifted his saggy eyelids and sized Yang Kai up. Seeing as Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm brat though, he stopped paying attention to him and instead nodded to the Proprietress, “Madame, since you’ve invited this Old Master, I shall do my best. I’ve observed the Grand Array from the outside for a bit, and I think it’s decent enough. With that said, there’s room for improvement. As for how it can be improved, I’ll need to examine it further before I can make a proposal.”
“Of course.” The Proprietress kept a faint smile on her face and gave Yang Kai a hint.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai said, “Lu Xue, lead the way for Grandmaster Wu Liang to inspect the Grand Array.”
Lu Xue, who just returned to Void Land with the Proprietress, immediately replied, “Yes.”
Then, she extended her hand, “Grandmaster, please.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang nodded lightly and turned into a ray of light before shooting into the sky, followed closely by Lu Xue.
Seeing that, Yang Kai set his mind at ease. Grandmaster Wu Liang seemed to be very professional. Initially, he wanted to hold a banquet for the Proprietress and the others and let Grandmaster Wu Liang have a rest before working on the Grand Array, but unexpectedly, this Grandmaster suggested he start working right away.
Certainly, Yang Kai was satisfied with such an attitude. It would be best if the Grand Array could be repaired as soon as possible as once it was, he would be free to do other things. It seemed that the Proprietress had found a reliable person.
After Grandmaster Wu Liang left, only the Proprietress and Bai Qi, who had tagged along, were left. Presently, Bai Qi was standing behind the Proprietress and looking smilingly at Yang Kai; however, his smile seemed to be somewhat apologetic as well.
In the past, after ascending to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he immediately set off to look for the Proprietress, leaving Yang Kai behind. If he had brought Yang Kai with him instead of leaving in such a rush, the subsequent incidents wouldn’t have happened, and Yang Kai wouldn’t have gone missing for more than ten years.
Over the years, just like the Proprietress, he was worried about Yang Kai’s safety. Every time he thought about it, he was full of self-blame and regret over the decision he had made. Seeing Yang Kai alive and well now, he could finally set his mind at ease.
As they looked at each other, Yang Kai nodded at him and turned around.
Yue He had been standing behind him and hanging her head low. With her lips pressed together, she seemed to be apprehensive, as though she was a naughty child who got caught after making a mistake.
“Yue He,” Yang Kai called out to her.
It was then Yue He stepped forward with difficulty. Standing in front of the Proprietress, she said in a hushed voice, “Big Sister…”
The Proprietress didn’t seem to hear her, nor did she bother to take a glance at her. Staring at Yang Kai, she said, “I’m tired from all the travelling. Do you have a place for me to take a rest? Lead the way for me.”
Then, she directly walked past Yue He, who turned absolutely ashen.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was having a headache. In fact, he wasn’t certain about the grudges between these two women. He speculated that they were very close to one another in the past, but for some reason, they had fallen out. After that, Yue He sided with Qin Ji and the others. Making use of the Sealing Yang Domain controlled by Golden Rainbow Province, they lured the Proprietress and Bai Qi into a deadly trap.
While Bai Qi was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, they launched a surprise attack. Although the Proprietress had tried her best, she wasn’t able to ensure Bai Qi’s safety. In the end, Bai Qi fell into a perilous state and was on the brink of death.
Bai Qi was the Proprietress’ trusted aide who had worked for her for many years. Since Yue He had attempted to kill him, it could be said to be a blood feud that was unresolvable.
“What are you doing there? Come right this instant!”
Just as Yang Kai was about to comfort Yue He, he heard the Proprietress shout at him. Not daring to be negligent, he gave Yue He an apologetic look and ran after her.
Yue He turned a shade paler and like a quail in the winter, she was trembling violently.
After a sigh, Bai Qi said, “Why did you do such a thing when you knew this would be the outcome? Since you’ve made a mistake, there’s a price to pay.”
A stunned Yue He lifted her head for the first time and exclaimed, “Y-You’re still alive?”
In the past, she had seen that when Bai Qi was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, his Yin, Yang, and Five Elements had become chaotic while his newly formed Small Universe was on the brink of collapsing. In that state, his ascension had essentially already failed, so there should have been no way he could survive.
She had believed that Bai Qi had lost his life in the Sealing Yang Domain.
While she was standing behind Yang Kai earlier, she had hung her head and she was anxious that she wasn’t even aware of Bai Qi’s presence. Now that she saw him all of a sudden, she was truly astounded.
Staring at her, Bai Qi said dispassionately, “If I were dead, you would have lost your life by now.”
If Bai Qi passed away, the Proprietress would never have let Yue He off. She would’ve killed her to avenge Bai Qi’s death. It was because he had escaped from death’s door that the Proprietress didn’t kill her on sight.
“You should thank Yang Kai.” Bai Qi sighed.
Hearing that, Yue He didn’t understand what any of this had to do with Yang Kai.
At that time, the Proprietress single-handedly fought back several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and lured them away. Seeing as Bai Qi was about to meet his end, Yang Kai fed him with some World Source Liquid at the critical moment, which allowed him to stabilize his Small Universe and escape from death’s door.
Yang Kai had obtained the World Source Liquid in the Profound Heavens Temple in the Star Boundary. It was a special kind of liquid that was formed during the birth of a World and contained the essence of that very process.
By forming a Small Universe in one’s body, a cultivator was essentially building a new World, and since the World Source Liquid could help a cultivator to comprehend the wonders of a World’s birth, it could save Bai Qi when he was at his last breath.
At that time, Bai Qi had no idea what the liquid was and it was only later when he told the Proprietress about it that she speculated it was World Source Liquid.
No one could’ve expected that Yang Kai possessed such a treasure.
World Source Liquid was formed during the birth of a World, and there were very strict conditions required for it to appear. In the past, it was possible to find small quantities of it, but whenever it appeared it would be swiftly snatched up. In recent times though, unless a new World was born, this liquid should not have appeared.
However, it was extremely difficult for a World to be born. Such an incident might not happen even once in 100,000 years. What’s more, even if a new world was born, there might not be any World Source Liquid formed.
The ancient environment in the Profound Heavens Temple in the Star Boundary, however, remained unchanged since the latter’s birth, which was why it could preserve some World Source Liquid.
While Yang Kai had no idea about its true value, the Proprietress was fully aware of it. It could be said that with this liquid in possession, a cultivator would not face any danger while trying to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
The success rate of ascending to the Open Heaven Realm wasn’t 100%. Even if a cultivator had condensed their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements and was fully prepared to split Heaven and Earth apart to form their Small Universe, there was always a risk of failure if their foundation wasn’t sufficient. Once that happened, the consequences would be dreadful.
However, World Source Liquid could perfectly solve this problem.
Once such a treasure appeared, even those Cave-Heavens and Paradises would scramble to snatch it. No one could guarantee that it was totally safe when they were attempting their ascension, and over the years, many of the disciples from these Cave-Heavens and Paradises had lost their lives for this reason.
“Just apologise to her properly.” Bai Qi didn’t explain it to Yue He as he wouldn’t dare to leak the secret regarding the World Source Liquid. Presently, only he and the Proprietress were aware of it, “In fact, over the years, the Proprietress has missed you.”
Yue He’s body shook as her originally listless gaze finally had some life return to it. Some words seemed to be reverberating around in her mind and unwittingly, her eyes became soaked with tears.
When she came to her senses, she realised that Bai Qi was nowhere to be found. After wiping away her tears, she hurriedly rushed in a particular direction.
In the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land, the Proprietress didn’t regard herself as an outsider at all as she leisurely strolled around.
Yang Kai led her to a certain courtyard and said, “Proprietress, you can take a rest here. I’ll assign some maidservants to you.”
There were many people in Void Land now, so there shouldn’t be any problem finding some women to act as maids. Yang Kai would pay them fairly in any case.
The Proprietress looked around and said, “Why am I given this room? I think the one over there is better and more spacious.”
Yang Kai could only reply awkwardly, “I really can’t let you live in that room.”
Hearing that, the Proprietress turned around and looked doubtfully at him, “What do you mean by that? Are you keeping a lover in that room or something?”
A speechless Yang Kai refuted, “Absolutely not! But, someone is indeed living in that room.”
The Proprietress was just as intelligent as she was beautiful, so she soon understood and asked Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Is it that Zhu Jiu Yin?”
The Proprietress wasn’t unaware of what Yang Kai had gone through over the years. When she was on the way to Void Land, she inquired with Lu Xue about it, and Lu Xue didn’t hide anything from her. Since Yang Kai had decided to seek her help it meant that she was a reliable person; therefore, Lu Xue told her about what had happened in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Hence, it wasn’t surprising that the Proprietress was aware of Zhu Jiu Yin’s presence.
Solemnly, Yang Kai nodded his head.
In a grim voice, the Proprietress asked, “Is she trustworthy?”
Zhu Jiu Yin was the Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider who was as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Faced with such a formidable existence, the Proprietress felt immensely pressured. Things would be thorny if she wasn’t trustworthy.
Yang Kai spoke to her via Divine Sense to reassure her, “Don’t worry. That woman has sworn an oath upon her Source.”
“Good.” The Proprietress nodded gently. A Divine Spirit’s Source was equivalent to a cultivator’s Dao Heart, their base and foundation. There was no way they would easily swear upon it. If they went back on their word after such an oath, their Source would be damaged, and depending on the circumstances, this damage may be irreversible.
Then, she turned around and took a seat. With her chin resting on her palm, she said smilingly, “Tell me what happened in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.”
She had heard about the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary but had never had the chance to enter it. To any cultivator in the 3,000 Worlds, that Sealed World was a legend, which was why she was curious about it.
Since she wanted to know, Yang Kai wouldn’t hide anything from her; thus, he took a seat and narrated his entire experience.
When she heard that Yue He had captured him and was ready to bring him to Small Orchid Palace, she snorted. Then, when it was mentioned that they were swept away by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog in the Star City, she appeared worried.
Although Yang Kai had already returned safely, it wasn’t hard to imagine that he must have experienced a lot of danger.
He had spent more than ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. In the beginning, he was faced with a Beast Tide and almost lost his life. Then, he managed to tame the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Food Dragon. After that, he arrived at Scarlet Star’s Star City. On the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, he battled against the people from Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion, causing his fame to soar.
Outside Scarlet Star’s Star City, he comprehended a Divine Manifestation, whereupon he single-handedly destroyed more than 3,000 people from Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion. Since then, no one else was a match for him.
Following that, he and several disciples from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises plunged into the sea and fought against the Sea Clan. Then, he was hunted down by Kun Sha. At that time, Zhu Jiu Yin was hiding in the dark in the Star City, and she eventually chose Yang Kai to be her Bearer.
At a later time, the Primordial Land opened. The Bearers competed against one another, and Yang Kai managed to come out on top. After leaving the Primordial Land, he was hunted down by the Divine Spirits.
All in all, his life over the past ten-plus years was filled with interesting as well as dangerous events.
While Yang Kai was narrating his story, Bai Qi came over and stood behind the Proprietress, listening attentively. He was totally immersed in the story as he wanted to replace Yang Kai to experience the wonders of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
The Proprietress kept a faint smile on her face, but there seemed to be a hint of worry in the depths of her eyes.
Yang Kai wasn’t aware of this as he deliberately exaggerated Yue He’s contributions by telling the Proprietress that if it weren’t for her help in the Boundary, he wouldn’t have had such achievements.
Fully aware of his intentions, the Proprietress smiled and said nothing.
Seeing as she remained unfazed, a helpless Yang Kai said, “We’ve talked a lot. Proprietress, do you want to drink some tea?”
Outside the hall, Yue He hung her head low and walked in with a tray. Then, she filled Proprietress’ and Yang Kai’s tea cups. After that, she lowered her head and stood in front of the Proprietress, like a naughty child who was waiting for her punishment.
Yang Kai picked up his cup and sipped the tea while observing the Proprietress’ expression; however, she sported an impassive face as though she didn’t see Yue He at all.
Helplessly, he gave Bai Qi a hint with his eyes.
Seeing that, Bai Qi gave him an assuring look and said, “Proprietress, you’ve always taught me that we should look to the future, not the past. Let the past be the past. If you don’t, it will become your burden.”
After taking a sip, the Proprietress thumped the cup on the table, which caused the tea to splash, “Did I tell you to speak?”
Bai Qi grinned, “No, no, no. I shouldn’t have spoken. I’ll slap myself now.” Upon finishing his words, he gently slapped his face. Yang Kai was shocked by his subservient behaviour.
The Proprietress snorted, “You escaped from death’s door and lived a peaceful life for more than ten years. I guess you’ve forgotten about the person who set you up to die. If it weren’t because Yang Kai did his best to save you, you would’ve travelled to the Yellow Springs instead of staying in this world.”
Hearing that, Bai Qi replied solemnly, “I will always remember the people who have helped me, and will never forget the people who have harmed me. You’ve always taught us that we should repay the favours we owe and retaliate against those who have hurt us. Since that is the case, I shall get my revenge now!”
After that, he suddenly looked at Yue He and yelled, “Yue He, in the past, you sided with Qin Ji and the others to ruin my ascension, almost costing me my life. This is an absolutely irreconcilable grudge so I shall take your life now for what you’ve done to me!”
Then, he raised his hand and pushed out his palm. The aura of his World Force permeated the room as he seemed to be going all out with this strike.
A horrified Yang Kai exclaimed, “Old Bai, stop!”
However, Bai Qi was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, and although it had only been a short time since he broke through, there was no way Yang Kai could go against him. By the time he managed to react, Bai Qi’s palm already landed on Yue He’s shoulder.
Yue He grunted as a crack was heard coming from her bones. Like an empty sack, she was sent flying away. World Force churned around violently in her body and she sprayed out a mouthful of blood as she fell to the ground.
After the attack, Bai Qi retracted his hand and stood behind the Proprietress. Then, he said helplessly, “Proprietress, I’ve gotten my revenge. Unfortunately, I was not powerful enough to kill her. Haaa… It hasn’t been a long time since I ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it seems I am no match for a Master who has stayed in that realm for many centuries.”
His expression seemed to suggest that he was really no match for Yue He.
Presently, the Proprietress’ expression was livid as she balled up her fists and stared fixedly at Yue He. At the same time, she checked on her with her Divine Sense.
Yang Kai rushed towards Yue He and helped her up. Anxiously, he asked, “Are you alright?”
Although he wasn’t powerful enough to stop Bai Qi, he saw what was going on earlier. When Bai Qi was making a move, Yue He didn’t resist at all. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fast enough to react, but rather that she didn’t have the intention of resisting to begin with.
Yue He shook her head to mean that she was fine. Then, she gently pushed Yang Kai away and looked gratefully at Bai Qi. She knew that Bai Qi must have held back. Both of them were in the same Order, and since she didn’t resist at all, Bai Qi could have taken her life with ease.
Although she seemed to be battered after getting struck, she wasn’t severely injured. She would recover in about half a month.
Seeing that, Yang Kai didn’t insist on supporting her. After giving it a thought, he too realised what was going on.
Just like what Bai Qi had said, Yue He had sided with Qin Ji and the others to ruin his ascension, forming what was basically an irreconcilable feud. If he didn’t forgive Yue He, there was no way the Proprietress would show some kindness to her. If she really did that, she would’ve made Bai Qi feel bitterly disappointed.
The fact that the Proprietress didn’t kill Yue He the moment she saw her suggested that she still treasured their relationship.
After Bai Qi made a move to settle this grudge, things would become easier.
What’s more, the Proprietress’ anxious expression suggested that she was worried about Yue He. Seeing that Yue He was fine, she finally relaxed her fists.
Yue He wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and slowly shuffled towards the Proprietress. Then, she fell on her knees and hung her head low. With her hair covering her eyes, she called out, “Big Sister…”
The Proprietress parted her lips and said coldly, “The moment you sided with Qin Ji to harm me, our relationship came to an end. Stop calling me Big Sister. I don’t have a Sister like you.”
Yue He trembled as her eyes were drenched in tears, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“It was your decision. There is no right or wrong.” The Proprietress shook her head, “I won’t settle accounts with you regarding what happened to Old Bai; after all, he was lucky enough to have survived, but don’t you forget that in the Sealing Yang Domain, this Queen also swore an oath.”
Hearing that, Yue He shuddered.
Yang Kai also sported a solemn expression. The thing he was most worried about was eventually brought up.
When they were in the Sealing Yang Domain, Yue He had joined forces with several people to ambush the Proprietress. Besides the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Qin Ji, from Golden Rainbow Province, there was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Ling Chun Chiu, from Boundless Altar as well as a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Old Xu, from Wind and Cloud Auction House. Later on, another Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Hai Ping Le from Clear Mind Heaven also appeared.
At that time, Yang Kai used his last Mie Meng’s golden tail feather to end Old Xu’s life, but after Bai Qi’s ascension was seemingly ruined and he was on the brink of death, the enraged Proprietress made a heart demon oath.
She proclaimed that if she did not trample flat the Headquarters of these people, she would never ascend to the Seventh Order in her lifetime. That was her promise to Bai Qi.
This kind of oath was no laughing matter. Once it was made, it was unresolvable. In other words, if the Proprietress couldn’t achieve this, she would really never be able to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
At that time, the oath had something to do with three people, who were Qin Ji, Ling Chun Qiu, and Yue He. Hai Ping Le was the last to appear, so he had nothing to do with this oath.
In other words, if the Proprietress wanted to reach the Seventh Order, the very existence of three great forces were her greatest hindrance and had to be eliminated.
Certainly, Yue He would never forget that; therefore, as soon as the Proprietress mentioned it, she knew that there was no turning back.
Yue He pressed her head against the ground and said gently, “I would never dare to be a hindrance on your Martial Dao. Big Sister, many thanks for raising and caring for this Little Sister in the past.”
When she raised her head again, she looked apologetically at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately had a bad premonition as he yelled, “What are you trying to do?”
World Force flared and swept Yang Kai away as Yue He raised her hand and attempted to land a palm on her forehead.
Bai Qi was stunned as he didn’t expect Yue He to be so resolute. In order to not bar the Proprietress’ ascension, she was determined to end her own life. She must be aware that the Proprietress would never kill her and had only made that kind of oath because she was furious and failed to consider the consequences at the time. If she wanted to resolve the oath, Yue He would be a great hurdle.
Yang Kai widened his eyes and pushed his Space Principles madly; however, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and was surrounded by rich World Force. How was Yang Kai supposed to break through it and save her?
Nevertheless, she didn’t manage to land that palm on her forehead in the end. The Proprietress had abruptly appeared in front of her as she clenched Yue He’s wrist and looked at her with a conflicted expression.
Yue He lifted her head, tears sliding down her face, her eyes appearing completely hollow and lifeless.
As they stared into each other’s eyes, the Proprietress’ heart finally softened and she sighed, “What’s the point of doing this?”
Yue He bit her lip as even more tears stained her face.
The Proprietress reached out and stroked the other woman’s head, “All those years ago, I brought you back and raised you. Your life belongs to me. Without my permission, no one can kill you, including yourself!”
With her head hanging low, Yue He said in a trembling voice, “Yes.”
The Proprietress slightly surged her World Force, whereupon Yue He groaned and collapsed to the ground. She had passed out while Yang Kai widened his eyes as he was still reeling from the shock.
If the Proprietress hadn’t made a move just now, Yue He would have lost her life right in front of him. He had been in contact with her for more than ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and while he used to be annoyed with her and wanted nothing more than to get rid of her, eventually, they grew to support each other as they went through countless difficulties. However, even after more than ten years of contact with her, Yang Kai had never realised how determined and resolute Yue He was.
Although the Proprietress had calmed her down by knocking her out, there was still a troublesome issue, which was her heart demon oath.
As long as Yue He and her Small Orchid Palace existed, there was no way the heart demon oath could be resolved, and the Proprietress would never have the chance to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. It wasn’t certain whether Yue He would attempt to end her own life again after she awakened.
Following a sigh, the Proprietress carried Yue He up and stepped into a room in the hall before placing her on a bed. Yang Kai and Bai Qi followed her without saying a word.
As the Proprietress gazed at the woman on the bed, her expression gradually softened. She even started humming a lullaby as though she was trying to lull a baby to sleep. She placed one hand on Yue He and gently tapped her following the rhythm.
Yang Kai and Bai Qi traded glances as they felt speechless at that. A moment later, the Proprietress waved her hand at them. Getting the hint, they left together.
After leaving the inner hall, Bai Qi immediately wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and winked at him, “Let’s grab a drink.”
Yang Kai guffawed and replied in agreement, “Good.”
Bai Qi could be considered the first true friend he made after arriving in the 3,000 Worlds. Old Fang wasn’t the first because when they got to know each other in Seven Wonders Land in the past, they had their own ulterior motives, so their intentions were not pure.
When they were still in First Inn in the Star City, Yang Kai and Bai Qi would frequently drink until late at night, so they were already familiar with it.
After walking for a bit, they stopped in the Grand Hall and took a seat on the ground. While Yang Kai didn’t have any good wine with him, Bai Qi seemed to possess many wine bottles of extremely high quality.
Yang Kai fished out a lot of spirit fruits from his Space Ring, many of which were local products from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that amazed Bai Qi.
They went on to drink excessively and it wasn’t long before they became completely smashed.
It was two days later when the Proprietress and Yue He left the inner hall. Looking around, they realised that the Grand Hall was a mess as the ground was covered in wine bottles and fruit pits while a pungent smell of alcohol permeated the air.
Yang Kai and Bai Qi were lying on the ground with their limbs spread wide. Their snoring was deafening.
A furious Proprietress glared at them and said through clenched teeth, “Wake them up!”
Yue He hurriedly stepped forward and performed a hand seal. After activating her power, she let out a breath at them. Following that, a breeze whisked through the men on the ground, which caused them to shudder and slowly open their eyes.
Feeling an excruciating pain in his head, Yang Kai slowly sat up and rubbed his forehead. He sported a helpless smile and thought that he had overindulged this time. Since the closure of the Primordial Land, he had always been tense. The Proprietress’ arrival gave him a great sense of security, which was why he could finally unwind.
After circulating his strength to sober himself up, he raised his head and saw Yue He looking worriedly at him.
An elated Yang Kai got up and said, “Yue He, you’re awake.”
Imperceptibly, Yue He nodded and pointed at the Proprietress in front of her.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that the Proprietress was glaring at him with a cold expression, which caused his neck to shrink instinctively before he stood beside Bai Qi. Both of them sported fawning smiles.
“When will you two ever grow up?” The Proprietress appeared completely disappointed.
They hurriedly said in unison, “We’re sorry. We won’t do it again.”
The Proprietress batted her eyes as she felt like she had just landed a punch on a pile of cotton. Then, she said through gritted teeth, “If this happens again, I’ll drown you two in a pool of wine!”
Both of them nodded repeatedly. Standing behind the Proprietress, Yue He covered her mouth and giggled.
Yang Kai took a glance at her, and upon seeing that life had returned to her face, he let out a sigh of relief. When he was drinking with Bai Qi earlier, he asked him about Yue He’s past. Not daring to reveal too much information, Bai Qi only told him that Yue He was an orphan brought home and raised by the Proprietress, who also taught her cultivation. It could be said that the Proprietress was just like her Mother and Elder Sister.
Besides Yue He, Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were also close to the Proprietress. Nevertheless, Yue He had stayed with the Proprietress for a longer time than any of them.
As for why they had fallen out, Bai Qi wouldn’t reveal it even though he was drunk. He wasn’t in any position to speak about this, so he told Yang Kai to personally ask the Proprietress about it.
Certainly, Yang Kai didn’t have the guts to do that. If he really asked such a question, he’d be beaten.
“Grandmaster Wu Liang already has some ideas on how to repair the Grand Array, but he needs you to consult with him first. Come with me,” the Proprietress said and led the way.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai followed her.
Soon, the four of them saw Grandmaster Wu Liang again together with Lu Xue. Over the past two days, Lu Xue had followed him to tour Void Land and seen the skills of this Spirit Array Grandmaster, which were truly admirable. The person invited by the Proprietress was indeed skilful.
After they met, the Proprietress greeted Grandmaster Wu Liang, who stroked his beard and said in a proud manner, “Madam Lan, I’ve examined the Grand Array around this place and have three proposals for you to choose from.”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face, “Grandmaster, this place doesn’t belong to me or Fist Inn. The owner is my shop hand, so he’ll be the one choosing from the options.”
Yang Kai stepped forward and said politely, “Grandmaster, please tell me more about your proposals.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang gave him a look and announced, “The first proposal will require the shortest time and least materials and involves repairing the Grand Array.”
Yang Kai raised his brow; after all, they had practically invited the old man to do just that. Suppressing his doubts, he asked, “What are the other two proposals?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang went on to say, “The second proposal is that this Old Master upgrades the Grand Array. I have the confidence to improve its power by 20%; however, compared to the first proposal, this one will require more time and carry a greater cost. I estimate that the cost will be double that of the first proposal.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he heard that.
The Grand Array around Void Land was the same one as when this place was called Seven Wonders Land. Yang Kai had witnessed the power of the Grand Array. In the past, Xu Huang made use of the Grand Array to wage war against several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Seven Wonders Land on his own, managing to severely injure Qi Qiao and kill three Venerable Protectors. His success was thanks to the Grand Array.
Now, Grandmaster Wu Liang said that he could increase the power of the Grand Array by 20%. How skilled must this old man be in the Dao of Spirit Arrays to be able to achieve that? Was he just boasting? After all, it wasn’t easy to upgrade such a large Spirit Array.
Then, Yang Kai turned to look at the Proprietress, who imperceptibly nodded. It was apparent that she had faith in Grandmaster Wu Liang’s capabilities.
It was then Yang Kai set his mind at ease and asked, “What about the third proposal?”
After giving it a thought, Grandmaster Wu Liang replied, “The third proposal is that, while using the foundation of this Grand Array, this Old Master will completely rearrange it. This will take the longest time, and the cost will be five times more than the first proposal at least. Doing this will allow the Grand Array’s power to be increased by 50%.”
The cost of the second proposal was double that of the first one, and the power could be increased by 20%. On the other hand, the third proposal was five times more expensive than the first one, but the power could only be increased by 50%.
There was no doubt that the second proposal was a much better deal than the third one; however, the Grand Array was the first and greatest layer of protection for this place, so direct cost wasn’t the only consideration. Moreover, it was only natural for a more powerful Grand Array to be more expensive.
Yang Kai intended to bring all his friends and family from the Star Boundary to this place, so he had to build a safe environment for them. By the time he brought them here, he certainly wouldn’t have the means to protect them all himself, but by improving the Grand Array, in a time of crisis, they would have the means to protect themselves.
Therefore, Yang Kai made a decision without hesitation, “I’ll choose the third proposal. Grandmaster, please start working on it now.”
A shocked Grandmaster Wu Liang sized the young man up and asked just to confirm, “Brat, do you understand how expensive it is to repair this Grand Array alone?”
In his eyes, Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm boy who took control of this place by chance, so there was no way he was that wealthy. To just repair a Grand Array of this scale was beyond the ability of most Third Class great forces to afford, not to mention a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
With a faint smile, the Proprietress said, “Grandmaster, rest assured. My shop hand made a great fortune some time ago, so he should be able to afford it. Just go with the third proposal.”
She had learned from Lu Xue about what Yang Kai had gone through in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so she was fully aware that he was filthy rich now; after all, the wealth those from Scarlet Star had amassed in the Boundary was all taken away by him.
The cost of repairing the Grand Array was probably just some small change to the current Yang Kai, so five times of that was nothing to him.
Grandmaster Wu Liang took a glance at the Proprietress and then Yang Kai, thinking that this boy had the full support of Madam Lan. Even if he didn’t have enough money, Madam Lan would lend him a hand. As such, Grandmaster Wu Liang nodded, “In that case, we’ll go with the third proposal. But, before that, this Old Master must talk about remuneration.”
“Please go ahead, Grandmaster,” Yang Kai said politely.
A moment later, they came to an agreement. It had to be said that it cost a lot of money to invite such a Grandmaster to work on the Grand Array. His remuneration wasn’t fixed and instead would be based on the cost of upgrading the Grand Array.
Grandmaster Wu Liang would take 20% of the total repair and upgrade cost. In other words, regardless of the cost to upgrade the Grand Array, he would want twenty percent of that.
Apparently, the Proprietress was aware of this kind of practice, so she didn’t say anything.
The fact that Yang Kai had chosen the third proposal was beneficial to Grandmaster Wu Liang as well. That was because the higher the cost to upgrade the Grand Array, the more benefits he would get; therefore, he was more than happy that Yang Kai had chosen the third option.
The price was rather outrageous, but if Grandmaster Wu Liang could really achieve what he claimed, Yang Kai didn’t mind paying the price.
“I have a list here. Get the materials on this list ready as soon as possible.” Grandmaster Wu Liang fished out an empty jade slip and wrote down the list before passing it to Yang Kai.
After taking a glance, Yang Kai was stunned.
There were probably over 10,000 different types of materials on the list, most of which he had never even heard of before; after all, it had only been a short time since he arrived in the Outer Universe, so his knowledge wasn’t that broad.
Nevertheless, there were some materials that he already possessed. Be it the wealth those from Scarlet Star had amassed in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary or the secret storehouse in Seven Wonders Land, there were many materials in Yang Kai’s possession that could be put to use.
The next moment, Yang Kai passed the list to Yue He and let her deal with it.
Then, he decided to hold a banquet for the Proprietress and Grandmaster Wu Liang. The people from the Third Class great forces, who had come to help, became busy and got the banquet ready in a short while.
After they were all seated, they started drinking and chatting. The atmosphere was pleasant.
A few days later, Lu Xue and Bai Qi shot into the sky and passed through the gap in the Grand Array before disappearing.
They were going to the local Star Cities to buy the materials for upgrading the Grand Array. Although Yang Kai had many usable resources on hand, he didn’t have everything necessary; therefore, they had to purchase some materials from the Star Cities.
There was a Star City in Seven Wonder Territory that was neither big nor small, aptly classified as a medium-sized Star City. After all, Seven Wonders Land was just a Second Class great force.
As long as a Great Territory wasn’t in a remote location, it normally had a Star City which was correlated to the strongest great force.
For example, the Star Cities in the Great Territories of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were expansive while the Star City in the same Great Territory as Great Moon Province was a small one.
Lu Xue and Bai Qi parted ways. She went to the Star City in this Great Territory while he was heading to a large-scale Star City. The Star Cities were far away, so it would probably take them a couple of months before they could return to Void Land.
On the other hand, Grandmaster Wu Liang wasn’t doing nothing. He made use of the materials at hand and started working on the Grand Array.
The disciples from Golden Light Dock were assigned to assist him. Although there were already many people, they were still not enough. A few days later, the Great Emperors from the more than ten Universe Worlds controlled by Void Land arrived and brought more than several hundred people with them, which solved the most pressing labour issue.
The entire Void Land was bustling now.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai gave out the resources in his possession to be used on the Grand Array.
Half a month later, Chen Tian Fei returned to Void Land. Previously, he had received Yang Kai’s order and escorted Meng Hong and the others back to Great Moon Province. It wasn’t until they all entered their Headquarters that he came back.
Seeing the Proprietress, the fatty respectfully saluted her. It was then he realised that Yang Kai wasn’t bluffing when the latter said that he was from First Inn.
Chen Tian Fei had heard a lot about this legendary woman, and upon seeing her, he realised that she indeed lived up to her name.
He also brought back some news regarding Old Fang and the others. After they joined Great Moon Province, they started cultivating diligently, and their lives were all good now. The atmosphere in Great Moon Province was pleasant and although they joined at a later time, they were not oppressed in any way. When Chen Tian Fei escorted Meng Hong and the others back to the Province, he was hospitably greeted by Great Moon True Monarch.
It couldn’t be helped, as Great Moon True Monarch was only a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Faced with Chen Tian Fei, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he felt pressured.
Then, Yang Kai let him take a rest for a day before he was assigned to assist Grandmaster Wu Liang.
As time passed, the Grand Array gradually began to take shape. Two months later, Lu Xue and Bai Qi respectively returned and brought back the resources needed to reform the Grand Array, which allowed Grandmaster Wu Liang to work even faster.
One day, Yang Kai clenched a jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. After going through it for a long time, he retracted his Divine Sense and said joyfully, “Proprietress, the Grandmaster you’ve found is indeed incredible.”
There was a smile on the Proprietress’ face, “Although Grandmaster Wu Liang is just a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, fewer than a thousand people in the 3,000 Worlds can surpass him when it comes to the Dao of Arrays.”
If she wasn’t certain about his capabilities, she wouldn’t have invited him to help with repairing the Grand Array.
The 3,000 Worlds was vast, so there were many people who were skilled in the Dao of Arrays, but while 1,000 people might sound like a large figure, considering the countless people who cultivated the Dao of Arrays, it was actually quite amazing to be ranked amongst the top thousand.
After taking the jade slip from Yang Kai, the Proprietress took a glance and arched her brow, “Nine Heavenly Layers?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang had told someone to send the jade slip to them. It contained information regarding his proposed plan for the Grand Array. He named this Grand Array around Void Land the Nine Heavenly Layers.
This kind of Grand Array was simply inconceivable to Yang Kai as he had never seen or heard about anything like it before. If it could be successfully arranged, Void Land would be so secure that even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would fail if he attempted to invade.
The Proprietress pursed her lips and looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “He must have realised that you’re incredibly wealthy, so he’s made some modifications to the Grand Array. If it’s successfully constructed, the power will increase by far more than fifty percent.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Recently, Grandmaster Wu Liang had become more amiable to him, unlike how aloof he was when they first met.
That was because Yang Kai had given him absolute freedom to do whatever he wanted.
To a Spirit Array Grandmaster, there was nothing more exciting in the world than materialising the Grand Array he had envisioned for a long time. It had been over 1,000 years since he first conceived of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but unfortunately, no great force could let him realise his dream.
Over the years, many great forces had invited him to their Headquarters, but they just needed him to repair the Grand Arrays they already had. That was because too many resources were required to build the Nine Heavenly Layers.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could help him realise his dream.
Over the past two months, he found out that whatever materials he needed, Yang Kai could always produce, and there were no restrictions imposed at all. Regarding the Grand Array, he could do as he pleased.
Hence, there was nothing worth hesitating about. The Nine Heavenly Layers was the best Grand Array he had ever come up with, and he was glad that he could arrange it right here in Void Land.
Therefore, recently, he became extremely fervent when it came to arranging the Grand Array as he worked around the clock. The thousands of people who had come to Void Land to help were constantly being ordered around by the Grandmaster, to the point they didn’t have any time to rest.
However, in order to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers, he needed Yang Kai’s support; after all, too many resources were required, and the cost would be much higher than the third proposal he had come up with some time ago.
In order to persuade Yang Kai into agreeing to it, Grandmaster Wu Liang not only explained to the former the benefits and strengths of Nine Heavenly Layers, but also lowered his remuneration. He said that if this Grand Array was successfully built, he would only take 10% of the cost as his pay, a special favour to entice Yang Kai to agree.
It had to be noted that it had been years since he set his price at 20%. He had arranged Grand Arrays for more than one Second Class great force and had even worked for some Paradises and Cave-Heavens in the past, but he had never offered a single discount before.
However, on this day, he made such a concession to Yang Kai, a mere Emperor Realm Junior, which went to show how determined and eager he was to construct the Nine Heavenly Layers.
“What do you think?” The Proprietress gazed at him.
Yang Kai asked, “Well, what do you think?”
The Proprietress smiled faintly, “It’s your place, so why are you asking me? I don’t have any opinion.”
After a nod, Yang Kai went through the information in the jade slip again and replied to Grandmaster Wu Liang, “I accept.”
Yang Kai wanted the best possible Grand Array for Void Land. While Grandmaster Wu Liang was eager to set up the Nine Heavenly Layers, Yang Kai was also moved by the proposed Grand Array’s power.
In Yin Spirit Land, Grandmaster Wu Liang suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a hearty laugh. Chen Tian Fei was shocked upon seeing that, wondering what had gotten into this old man.
In the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land, Yue He took a look at the jade slip and became stunned, “Young Master, in order to build the Nine Heavenly Layers, you not only need a lot of resources but also many, many artifacts!”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s right, but I already have many artifacts that can be used to increase the Grand Array’s power. The issue is finding a few particularly powerful artifacts to serve as the Array Nodes.”
He had many artifacts of various kinds; after all, he had picked up several tens of thousands of Space Rings in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and every ring contained artifacts; however, the quality of the artifacts varied. They could be used to increase the Grand Array’s power, but not as Array Nodes.
Just like its name suggested, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, once arranged, would have nine layers. It combined defence, concealment, and attack in the same Grand Array. Every layer was connected with each other and mutually supportive. If a person wanted to enter Void Land, they would have to break through all nine layers of this Grand Array first.
This kind of Grand Array, even if it wasn’t as good as those of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, wasn’t far off from them. In the 3,000 Worlds, no Second Class great force had a Grand Array that was comparable to this.
The first three layers were all Auxiliary Arrays which could help the Grand Array continuously absorb the Power of the Stars to reduce its consumption of energy. This was very useful; after all, once the Nine Heavenly Layers began operating, it would naturally consume lots of power. Although Yang Kai was extremely wealthy, he couldn’t support such consumption in the long term. With the first three layers, they could help the Grand Array collect and store energy and release it when it was needed to reduce consumption.
It also came with some self-repairing capabilities. As long as the Grand Array wasn’t severely damaged, it didn’t have to be patched. The Grand Array would heal on its own.
The three middle layers were all Defensive Arrays. The first was for concealment and once it started running, it could make Void Land disappear from sight. Unless a person had powerful means to look for it, no one could find its whereabouts. The second layer was a powerful Illusion and Bewilderment Array. Once a cultivator entered the array, he would start hallucinating. Yang Kai already had some ideas on what to use as Array Nodes for both concealment and hallucinatory purposes, so he didn’t have to think about them for now. There was also a layer that was purely for protection. For this layer, he needed to look for a powerful defensive artifact to be used as the Array Node.
The last three layers were the Killing Arrays, each of which was extremely powerful. They needed mighty killing artifacts to be used as the Array Nodes. Yang Kai already had two such artifacts, but he needed one more.
Every layer of the Nine Heavenly Layers was useful on its own, and when they were all interconnected, they became even more powerful. Grandmaster Wu Liang, who had invented the Nine Heavenly Layers, was truly talented and awe-inspiring.
Yang Kai was looking forward to the day when the Nine Heavenly Layers were completed; however, now, he had to look for some powerful artifacts first. Otherwise, even if the Grand Array was completed, it wouldn’t be fully functional.
After some calculations, he realised that he needed at least one defensive artifact and one killing artifact. Those were the minimum requirements. The more artifacts he could get, the more powerful the Grand Array would be.
[It’ll cost me an arm and a leg!] Yang Kai thought.
A few days later, three people shot out of Void Land through the gap in the Grand Array. They were none other than Yang Kai, the Proprietress, and Yue He.
On the ground, Chen Tian Fei, Lu Xue, Guo Zi Yan, and the others respectfully saw them off.
Yang Kai needed to look for the artifacts that could be used as Array Nodes for the Grand Array, and he could only seek the Proprietress’ help and asked her to introduce some Grandmaster Artifact Refiners to him.
He was basically a newcomer to the 3,000 Worlds, so he had no idea where he could find such people. Certainly, the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had such Grandmasters, but Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with them, and they might not even welcome him to begin with.
Initially, he only intended to set off on the journey with the Proprietress, but she insisted on bringing Yue He with her.
Yang Kai didn’t understand her decision. He wanted to make Yue He stay in Void Land, but since the Proprietress insisted, he just let her be. Fortunately, even though the defence of Void Land was weak, Zhu Jiu Yin was around.
He told her to take good care of Void Land and trusted that she would do her best. She hadn’t returned to the peak of her power yet, and it would take her a long time to adapt to the World Principles in the outside world; however, if she got into a fight, most Mid-Rank cultivators would be no match for her.
Anyway, no sensible people would make a fuss in Void Land at this point.
Firstly, the trio went to the Universe Temple in Void Territory so that Yang Kai could leave his Soul Imprint there. In the future, he could save some time when travelling around by using the Universe Transference Law.
After leaving the Universe Temple, the Proprietress summoned her ship, whereupon they boarded and shot forward at full speed.
They went on to pass through several Great Territories until one day, the Proprietress stored the ship after they arrived at a certain place.
“Have we arrived at our destination?” Yang Kai asked.
Without replying to him, the Proprietress looked smilingly at Yue He.
Presently, Yue He’s face was a little pale as she looked bashfully at her, “Big Sister… I was the one who made the mistake. Please punish only me and do not drag others into this. Big Sister, please have mercy on them.”
Upon finishing her words, she was ready to kneel.
The Proprietress, however, held her up and said with a faint smile, “What are you doing? What do you think I’m going to do by bringing you to this place?”
Gazing at her, Yue He said, “Big Sister, aren’t you here to… fulfil the heart demon oath?”
“Heart demon oath?” Yang Kai was shocked upon hearing that. Why was the heart demon oath mentioned all of a sudden? Previously in Void Land, because of the heart demon oath, Yue He almost killed herself. Fortunately, the Proprietress stopped her in time.
Recently, the women had been getting along well, and there didn’t seem to be any grudges between them anymore, so Yang Kai thought that this matter was settled, but at the mention of the heart demon oath now, he had a bad premonition.
After a nod, the Proprietress replied, “A heart demon oath is unresolvable, so it must be fulfilled. But… there are ways to work around it. Come with me.”
Then, she led the way for them. After trading glances, Yang Kai and Yue He hurriedly followed her.
On the way to their destination, Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart and realised that, just like what he had speculated, they were now in Small Orchid Territory. In this Great Territory, there was a Second Class great force that couldn’t really be considered Second Class, which was Yue He’s Small Orchid Palace.
There was only one Open Heaven Realm Master in this great force, who was none other than Yue He. The rest were all below the Open Heaven Realm.
Therefore, Small Orchid Palace was regarded as a Second Class great force because Yue He was its Leader, but at the same time, it lacked the heritage of a true Second Class great force.
With that said, Small Orchid Territory was indeed named after Small Orchid Palace.
[What is Proprietress planning to do?] Yang Kai was slightly worried, but at the same time, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t do anything terrible.
A moment later, they arrived at Small Orchid Palace. It was a Spirit Province where the land mass was small and the foundations were weak. Yue He had managed this place for a thousand years, but she had done so all on her own and hadn’t put in a lot of effort into building it up.
The three of them stopped in the periphery of Small Orchid Palace and the Proprietress said, “Tell all of your people to come out.”
With her lips pressed together, Yue He nodded and flew down before disappearing.
Yang Kai turned to look at the Proprietress. He wanted to know what she was going to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask such a question, so he could only wait patiently.
Soon, figures were seen flying out of the Palace. With Yue He leading the way, about two or three thousand came over and hovered in the void. This kind of figure was pretty embarrassing for a Second Class great force. Nevertheless, Yue He didn’t found Small Orchid Palace to develop it into a mighty power. She just wanted a place to stay and these people were simply brought back to the Palace by her over the years as a kind of charity work, so they were not really her subordinates.
The cultivation of these people varied, and there was only a small number in the Emperor Realm. Yue He had to use her own power to protect them so that they could survive in the void.
“Big Sister, everyone is present,” Yue He said in a hushed voice and lowered her head. She seemed ready to receive her punishment.
The Proprietress nodded gently and raised her hand. As the aura of World Force undulated, she parted her lips and said, “In the past, outside of the Sealing Yang Domain, this Queen made a heart demon oath. As long as this oath isn’t resolved, I will never be able to ascend to the Seventh Order. Xiao He’er, today, this Queen will settle the grudge with you!”
Then, she pushed out her slender hand. Following her move, the Grand Array around Small Orchid Palace started cracking, as though it would collapse at any moment.
“What are you doing?!”
“Stop!”
“This woman is trying to destroy our home! We must fight!”
The disciples of Small Orchid Palace behind Yue He widened their eyes and howled. Despite the fact that the Proprietress appeared imposing, and it was apparent that she was extremely powerful, these people didn’t seem to be afraid of her. Their eyes had reddened, and they were ready to risk their lives to fight it out with her.
Fortunately, Yue He did her best to stop them from making a fuss.
“All of you shut up!” Yue He bellowed. These people wouldn’t dare to disobey her order, so upon hearing that, all of them fell silent despite the fact that they were still furious. They glared at the Proprietress, as though they were eager to skin her alive.
The might of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm burst out and shattered the Grand Array around Small Orchid Palace.
Although the Grand Array was pretty powerful, Yue He didn’t really put much effort into reinforcing it; after all, the heritage of Small Orchid Palace was too weak. Otherwise, the Grand Array of a Second Class great force wouldn’t have been destroyed so easily.
After the Grand Array collapsed, Small Orchid Palace was completely exposed.
Following a boom, the Spirit Province where Small Orchid Palace was located shook and the Proprietress retracted her hand and straightened up.
“Small Orchid Palace has been destroyed. Xiao He’er, bring all of them to settle down in Void Land. Yang Kai’s place is vast enough to accommodate them,” The Proprietress turned around and looked smilingly at Yue He.
Behind her, the Spirit Province shattered as its fragments scattered in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the entire Small Orchid Palace was gone.
“Many thanks for showing mercy, Big Sister!” Yue He’s eyes were slightly reddened. It wasn’t because her Palace was destroyed, but because the knot in her heart was finally untied.
“Let’s go,” The Proprietress swung her sleeve and wrapped her power around Yang Kai before shooting into the distance.
Yang Kai turned his head and waved his hand at Yue He.
Since the cultivation of her people varied so widely, it would be extremely difficult for them to travel across the void of the Outer Universe. With that said, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she wouldn’t have trouble sheltering them.
It was then that Yang Kai understood why the Proprietress insisted on bringing Yue He with them. This was what she had intended to do all along.
She once swore that if she couldn’t trample flat the Headquarters of the people who had ambushed her, she would never ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in her lifetime.
The stern voice of the Proprietress on that day still seemed to be reverberating in Yang Kai’s ears, but at that instant, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly. He always thought that the oath was made in rage and was deathly serious, but now, it seemed that when she made the oath on that day, the Proprietress had already ensured there was a way out of it.
When she said that she would destroy the Headquarters of those people, she didn’t mean she would exterminate their great force. Yang Kai always thought that Yue He would have to lose her life before the oath could be resolved, so he had been worried for quite some time; but now, it seemed that even in that kind of situation, the Proprietress still never had the intention of killing Yue He. The loophole in the oath was prepared for this day.
After Small Orchid Palace was destroyed, the oath had nothing to do with Yue He anymore. Furthermore, without the Palace, Yue He would have nowhere to go, so she was bound to head to Void Land.
Yang Kai was happy with the outcome. Even without the incident on this day, he would still have done everything he could to persuade Yue He to move everyone from her Small Orchid Palace to Void Land, and he believed that she wouldn’t reject him.
The Proprietress just happened to seize the chance and resolved her heart demon oath, which helped achieve the outcome he desired.
“What’s so amusing,” The Proprietress suddenly shot him a glance.
With a straight face, Yang Kai said, “You’re such a kind-hearted person.”
“Stop trying to flatter me, it’s disgusting!” The Proprietress directly landed a fist on his forehead.
Yang Kai quickly covered his head and yelled, “Why did you hit me? A man’s head is just like a woman’s backside; it can’t be touched lightly!”
The Proprietress snorted, “I haven’t settled accounts with you yet. So what if I hit you a bit?”
Upon finishing her words, she raised her leg.
The unsuspecting Yang Kai was sent flying away as he bellowed, “You… How can you lay a hand on me whenever you’re unhappy? You crazy woman!”
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed through the Proprietress’ eyes as she gnashed her teeth.
Yang Kai felt cold all of a sudden as he shrank his neck and darted his gaze around. Just when he was ready to manipulate Space Principles to flee, he realised that the space around him had already been sealed off.
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face as she lightly stepped towards him, “Do you think I’ll give you a chance to flee?”
Yang Kai hurriedly stepped backwards and said in a grim voice, “Let’s just talk it out and not resort to such barbaric methods. How old do you think you are? Not again!” As he spoke, he quickly reached out to grasp her foot that was about to reach him. Her ankle felt soft and smooth, but before he could properly enjoy the sensation, the Proprietress flipped around and landed a kick on his chin with her other leg.
As her dress whisked across his face, he started seeing stars, and he was sent flying away again.
A furious Yang Kai thought that it had just been a short time since they reunited, but the Proprietress had already beaten him up twice. He secretly swore that when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm one day, he would make this woman pay, with interest!
“Are you angry?” The Proprietress and Yang Kai were moving forward in the void as she stroked his head.
A battered and bruised Yang Kai lowered his head and sighed, “I wouldn’t dare to.” If getting mad was useful at all, there would be no point in cultivating.
In response, the Proprietress giggled.
With a bitter expression, Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, if there’s any issue in the future, can you just talk it out with me instead of resorting to fists?” Then, he pulled her hand away from his head.
Suppressing her laughter, the Proprietress replied, “Good. Now, there’s something I need to ask you about, and you’d better answer me honestly.”
“Go ahead.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Suddenly, the Proprietress turned solemn and asked in a grim voice, “What is the Order of your Fire Element Power?”
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai replied, “It should be at or above Seventh Order.”
He couldn’t hide it any longer as the moment he used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation in Scarlet Star’s Star City, this was no longer a secret. That was because there were harsh conditions to be met in order to use a Divine Manifestation. It required a Seventh-Order Element Power at the very least or for a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to master one of their Elements. In other words, Divine Manifestations were exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, that didn’t mean all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could definitely comprehend a Divine Manifestation. Some would never understand the abstrusity of a Manifestation in their lifetime.
Since time immemorial, no Emperor Realm cultivator had ever comprehended a Divine Manifestation.
Zhao Bai Chuan was amazed when he saw ‘Golden Crow Casts the Sun’, and he claimed that with this Divine Manifestation, despite the fact that Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior, he would be capable of battling Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The gap between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm was no different from the gap between the Heavens and Earth. An Open Heaven Realm Master, even if he was just the lowest First-Order, had formed a Small Universe in their body and was capable of using World Force. Killing an Emperor Realm cultivator for such a Master was as easy as going for a stroll in their backyard.
Below the Emperor Realm, Yang Kai could always fight against opponents in higher realms, but even at the peak of the Emperor Realm, he could not even fight with Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, with his Divine Manifestation, it was now possible.
Many people had seen him use the Divine Manifestation on that day, and after the closure of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, this news would definitely be spread. It wouldn’t have mattered if the Proprietress didn’t ask about it, but now that she wanted to know, Yang Kai wouldn’t hide it from her.
“Golden Crow Casts the Sun!” The Proprietress grinned meaningfully, “I heard that your Fire Element Power is the Golden Crow’s True Fire?”
“Uh… en. It’s exactly the Golden Crow’s True Fire.” A guilty Yang Kai kept scratching his cheek.
“I’m curious. As an Emperor Realm Junior, how were you able to obtain the Golden Crow’s True Fire?” The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and ground her teeth, “If I’m not mistaken, it hasn’t been a long time since you arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, and your only encounter with the Golden Crow’s True Fire was in First Inn. Do you mean to tell me that you absorbed the power of the Golden Crow carcass during that time?”
Yang Kai turned his head and forced a smile at her.
In an instant, the Proprietress’ expression turned livid as she roared, “How dare you!”
His silence meant that he admitted it.
“Do you enjoy courting death!?” The Proprietress was both angry and shocked. At that time, there were several High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as several dozen Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters vying for that prize. How did Yang Kai have the guts to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire when they were literally watching him? More importantly, he actually succeeded!
With a serious expression, she said, “The Golden Crow’s True Fire is immensely powerful, and it can only be constrained by an equally powerful Wood Element Power. Since you were able to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire, does that mean that you have already condensed a High-Rank Wood Element Power?”
“Proprietress is indeed beautiful and intelligent!” Yang Kai gave her a thumbs-up.
The brow of the Proprietress twitched as she muttered, “High-Rank Wood and Fire Elements… What else? Have you gotten any rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary? Have you condensed any other Powers? Earth? Metal?”
“En, both the Earth and Water Elements,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
“Earth and… Water?” The Proprietress appeared doubtful, “How were you able to condense your Water Element Power when you don’t have a Metal Element Power?”
“It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, I used a Secret Technique to skip the Metal Element Power and directly condense my Water Element Power.”
The Proprietress was both shocked and doubtful, “Show me your Earth and Water Elements.”
Unable to reject her, Yang Kai subsequently activated his Earth and Water Element Powers in his Dao Seal. Firstly, he was surrounded by Dragon Shields, and after they were dispelled, he surged his Water Element Power, whereupon the atmosphere literally froze.
Upon sensing the immense might of these two Element Powers, the Proprietress gasped as her chest heaved and she exclaimed, “Both of them are High-Rank Powers!”
In disbelief, she stared at Yang Kai. It had only been a bit more than ten years since this brat arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, but he had already condensed four High-Rank Elements. It was indeed thanks to the countless opportunities in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that he was able to condense his Earth Element and Water Element, but even taking that into consideration, his achievements still far surpassed those of most elite cultivators.
No cultivator could ever condense a High-Rank Open Heaven Element in such a short period of time. Normally, it required a long time of accumulation. Furthermore, it was extremely time-consuming to collect such materials.
Normally, for an Emperor Realm Junior, if it only took them a hundred years to go from condensing their Dao Seal to ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, it could be considered rapid. Normally, people needed several hundred years to a thousand years to make this happen.
People who could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm in several dozen years were considered rare geniuses, yet it only took Yang Kai a little more than ten years to condense four Element Powers, all of which were High-Rank. Hardly anyone would believe this story.
“Do you intend to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?” The Proprietress gaped at him.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “Yes.”
At the mention of this, he suddenly thought of something, “Proprietress, is there any problem with directly breaking through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yue He had repeatedly dissuaded him from doing so, even going so far as to cooperate with Zhu Jiu Yin to make him forcefully condense a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power to set his foundation. It was only because Yang Kai threatened to kill himself that Zhu Jiu Yin gave up on that idea.
Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order were separated by only one Order, but it was akin to the difference between the Heavens and Earth. Besides the fact that one was Mid-Rank and the other was High-Rank, the greatest achievement a person could attain would be different too. Since it had something to do with his future on the Martial Dao, Yang Kai was expected to resist fiercely; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the courage to offend someone like Zhu Jiu Yin in the Boundary.
What Yue He had done made him feel that something was off though, but when he asked her about it, she only told him to ask the Proprietress about it if there was a chance.
Now that the Proprietress was right in front of him, Yang Kai wanted to find out the answer.
However, the Proprietress fell silent.
A while later, she let out a long sigh, “I never expected that you were such an ambitious person. Directly ascending to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm is risky. The strength of our Dao Seal is the foundation on which we are able to bear the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers. The higher the Order those Element Powers are, the stronger our Dao Seal is required to be. If the powers exceed our own limits, when we ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, there’s a risk of our Dao Sealing exploding, costing us our lives. I’m sure you’re aware of that already.”
Yang Kai nodded in response. Certainly, he was aware of this reality; however, that didn’t really bother him as his Dao Seal was extremely firm. Besides that, he had consumed over ten drops of Divine Dao Water in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which further strengthened his Dao Seal. Hence, there was no problem for him to bear Seventh-Order Elements.
“The risk that comes with the Dao Seal is just a natural disaster, however. In order to directly ascend to the High Rank, the biggest threat you’ll face is a man-made disaster.”
“What do you mean by that?” A puzzled Yang Kai frowned.
The Proprietress went on to say, “Even after cultivators like us ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, we don’t become stuck in that same Order forever. By consuming Open Heaven Pills or using other means, we can strengthen our own World Force and improve the Small Universe in our bodies, which allows us to ascend to higher Orders. However, since the foundation has been built, the ability to build around it is limited. Normally, after a person ascends to the Open Heaven Realm, he or she can make use of external help to achieve an ascension by two Orders, with no hope of achieving more than that.”
After a pause, she continued, “For example, I’m now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I’ll have a chance to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the future, and that’s my limit. On the other hand, Old Bai is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, so his limit is the Seventh-Order. Of course, if you can find the Universe Furnace, that’s a different story. The Universe Furnace is an innate artifact and the Open Heaven Pills it nurtures have far greater efficacy than the pills refined made by Alchemists. With these Innate Open Heaven Pills, one can break through their limits. However, you shouldn’t even think about it. According to the ancient books, it was very rare for the Universe Furnace to appear, and every appearance led to a reign of blood and terror.”
Then, she added, “The Second-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm are the dividing points. For those who break through directly to the Second Order, the limit is the Fourth Order, and for the Fifth Order, the limit is the Seventh Order. In other words, there’s a possibility for a Low-Rank cultivator to ascend to the Mid-Rank and for a Mid-Rank cultivator to ascend to the High-Rank; therefore, normally, if a person is capable enough, they will either choose to ascend to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Low-Rank or the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Mid-Rank. That’s to give themselves greater hope for the future.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “It’s no wonder both Old Bai and Yue He ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
The Proprietress nodded, “That’s one of the reasons. Another reason is that it’s where their limit is. Furthermore, it’s difficult to look for Sixth-Order materials.”
Every Sixth-Order material was incredibly precious. Yang Kai had indeed obtained a lot of rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but there was only a small number of Sixth-Order resources in comparison. He had about a hundred such resources at most, and that was after he became the most powerful person in the Boundary and had Scarlet Star collect all these for him.
All of a sudden, the Proprietress shot him a glance, “If you want to directly ascend to the Seventh Order, what will your limit be?”
“Ninth-Order!” Yang Kai’s expression was calm but serious.
“Yes, Ninth-Order.” The Proprietress sported a smile, “Is there anyone in the world who can go against such a figure? Even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises won’t sit back and watch you grow, for once that happens, you will shake the foundation on which they rule over the 3,000 Worlds.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “So, this is what you mean by a man-made disaster?”
The Proprietress nodded gently, “All Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises will not sit back and do nothing.”
Yang Kai paled, “Are those top great forces really that unreasonable and overbearing?”
Things had become a little thorny now. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had made friends with Xu Zhen and the others, and they were the disciples from Cave-Heavens and Paradises. After they returned to their Sects, they would definitely make full reports to their Masters. When the people from those top great forces became aware that Yang Kai had condensed several High-Rank Element Powers and even comprehended a Divine Manifestation, he would fall into a perilous situation.
The Proprietress seemed to be walking down memory lane as she said slowly, “About 1,000 years ago, there was a man who was just as gifted as you. He attempted to directly ascend to the High-Rank and in fact, he had encountered countless opportunities and was extremely lucky, so he managed to condense six Element Powers, leaving him just one step away from achieving his goal.”
“What happened then?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.
“Then…” The Proprietress let out a breath, “For some reasons that were beyond his control, he could only become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Yang Kai frowned, “You mean, the last resource that he absorbed was in the Fifth Order?”
In response, the Proprietress gently nodded.
In order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into their Dao Seal; however, as for how far one could go, it depended on the lowest Order Element they absorbed. Just like filling a barrel with water, it all depended on the shortest plank to determine how much water could be held. It didn’t matter if the planks were taller as that did not change the maximum capacity of the barrel.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why that man gave up on such a bright future. He was bound to be a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he ended up becoming a Fifth-Order one. Perhaps there were reasons that he had no control over; otherwise, no one would be willing to make such a decision.
“Where is that man now?” Yang Kai asked.
The Proprietress slowly shook her head.
Seeing that, Yang Kai realised that this man must be dead.
She went on to say, “So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, your biggest obstacle isn’t how difficult it is to look for High-Rank resources, but the Cave-Heavens and Paradises!”
Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. If it was just as the Proprietress had said, things would become tricky. It had been a long time since these Cave-Heavens and Paradises established themselves in the 3,000 Worlds, so their heritage was shocking. Anyone that had been targeted by them would never live a peaceful life again. There was no doubt that they would relentlessly suppress such a person.
“What if I can join one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises?” The idea suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s mind. Perhaps he could make use of a top great force’s power to resist such pressure.
The Proprietress chuckled, “There are Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. Which one do you want to join? If you manage to join one, the other hundred and seven top forces will never agree to it. Which great force would be willing to resist such pressure for you?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Is there anyone in this world who can directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
“Yes.” The Proprietress nodded, “The disciples nurtured by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises from birth have such a chance, but you aren’t one of them. Besides the fact that it is extremely hard to look for Seventh-Order resources, rarely anyone in this world has a good enough aptitude to directly ascend to the High-Rank.”
A furious Yang Kai bellowed, “It’s not fair that they have a chance to ascend to the High-Rank while others can’t!”
“So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the road ahead for you will be paved with obstacles and danger. You might even have to go against the entire world.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are you trying to tell me to lower my expectations?”
The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “You will have to choose your own path. Regardless of what decision you make, I will not interfere in it. I’m just telling you the threats you’ll face.”
1,000 years ago, she had done everything she could to persuade that person to curb his ambitions, but the result was a complete tragedy. Now, 1,000 years later, history seemed to be repeating itself, and this time, she would not make the same mistake.
Yang Kai lowered his head.
For the remaining journey, the Proprietress seemed to have lost interest in talking and appeared to be engulfed in an atmosphere of sorrow. As such, the trip became a silent one.
One day, after passing through several Great Territories, the pair suddenly stopped at a certain point in the void.
The Proprietress fished out a Universe Chart and took a glance at it before looking around and muttering, “It should be around here.”
Following that, she took out a jade and infused her energy into it. After that, she hurled the jade away, whereupon it turned into a ray of light and shot forward. As though the ray of light had crashed into something, it shattered. As they were engulfed in the dazzling light, a portal came into Yang Kai’s sight.
He arched his brow, knowing that there was a hidden space over there and the jade was the key to open it.
This kind of concealment technique was extraordinary. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the Proprietress couldn’t see through it as she had to rely on this special jade.
It reminded Yang Kai of the Nine Heavenly Layers. If the Grand Array was completed, Void Land could also completely disappear.
At that instant, he secretly felt fortunate that he had made such a decision. What the Proprietress had told him made him realise that he would be faced with endless trouble in the future, and he might drag Void Land into it as well. With the Nine Heavenly Layers, it could at least protect Void Land.
“Hm, who is it that has come to visit? So troublesome!” An aged voice was suddenly heard coming from beyond the portal. It was apparent that he was an elderly man, and his voice could arouse a sense of dreariness.
Yang Kai was stunned as he found the owner of this place interesting. He didn’t even pretend to be amiable. Feeling troubled, he would directly say it out loud. It seemed that he wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.
However, it seemed that the Proprietress was already used to this as she said with a smile, “Grandmaster Ma Fan, it’s me. Please open the door.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, thinking that the owner of this place had such a weird name.
Recognising her voice, Grandmaster Ma Fan sighed, “It’s you, little girl. Haaa… So troublesome. Come in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the portal opened up and revealed a dark passageway.
After hinting at Yang Kai to follow her, the Proprietress stepped into the passageway first. Not daring to be negligent, Yang Kai hurriedly followed her.
Right after they entered the portal, they were greeted by a dazzling light. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, and when he made out what was in front of him a moment later, he was astounded.
He thought that the world behind the portal would look just like Void Land, but after entering this place, he realised that it was vastly different from what he had imagined.
The space seemed boundless and it was apparent that he and the Proprietress were still standing in the void. In this space, there were several dozen Stars, and every Star was surrounded by clouds. Every Star looked different, and there was a gigantic Sun Star that was emitting light and heat at their centre.
The Sun’s True Fire could be seen pulsating on the surface of the Sun Star, and the entire void was illuminated by its light. This place was just like a miniature Great Territory.
Yang Kai was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t say a word.
On the other hand, the Proprietress was already used to it as she said, “The scenery in those Cave-Heavens and Paradises are countless times more splendid than this. Moreover, this place is the ruins of a Paradise, and Grandmaster Ma Fan is the only surviving descendent of that Paradise.”
“The ruins of a Paradise?” Yang Kai was shocked.
The Proprietress explained, “Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises do not remain the same forever. The 3,000 Worlds aren’t as simple as you think.”
Yang Kai was astonished. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises were the strongest great forces in the world, so what could possibly make one disappear? Was it because of natural or man-made disasters?
Moreover, the ruins of a Paradise were already so magnificent, so what about the real Paradises? What about the Cave Heavens?
The emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated. Affected by the Sun Star in this place, he felt that the Golden Crow’s True Fire in his body was tempted to resonate with it.
“Let’s go,” The Proprietress took his arm and led him to a Star before landing on the ground.
Soon, Yang Kai saw the Grandmaster Ma Fan whom the Proprietress had mentioned.
He was indeed an elderly man, but his bitter expression seemed to suggest that he had lost interest in life. It was as though he was eager to kill himself to end all the trouble.
What surprised Yang Kai was that even though this elderly man looked ordinary, he was actually a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
That revelation stunned Yang Kai and he couldn’t help but admire the Proprietress for having a lot of connections as she managed to become friends with such a person.
“Junior greets Grandmaster!” The Proprietress obediently saluted. Besides the fact that she was weaker than he was, she was also much younger.
Naturally, Yang Kai also paid his respects.
Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at the Proprietress and quickly lowered them again, as though he felt that raising his eyes was also troublesome. In a languid manner, he said, “Little girl, when was the last time we met?”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “About 300 years ago.”
“Three hundred years…” Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared sullen as he muttered, “In other words, I’ve been sitting here for 300 years.”
At that revelation, Yang Kai felt speechless. How lazy must this elderly man be that he could sit there and do nothing for 300 years?
“Ting Yu, you’re also here,” Grandmaster Ma Fan said.
With her lips curving into a smile, the Proprietress refuted, “Old man, what’s wrong with your eyes? Take a closer look. He isn’t Ting Yu.”
“Hmm?” Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at Yang Kai, then he became shocked, “He really isn’t Ting Yu, but they look similar. Oh, I remember it now. Ting Yu is already gone. I guess I’m really going senile now.”
Yang Kai was startled as it wasn’t the first time he heard the name ‘Ting Yu’. When they were in the Sealing Yang Domain in the past, Yue He also called out this name.
Taking past incidents into consideration, Yang Kai had a feeling that he looked similar to this guy called Ting Yu, and to the Proprietress and Yue He, Ting Yu was someone very important.
Perhaps this person was the reason the Proprietress and Yue He had fallen out. Certainly, he couldn’t ask about it right in front of the Proprietress, so he suppressed the doubts in his heart.
“What’s the purpose of your visit this time?” Grandmaster Ma Fan asked.
The Proprietress replied, “I’ve come all the way here because I want you to refine some artifacts for me.”
“I knew it. This will be so troublesome,” Grandmaster Ma Fan didn’t conceal his displeasure.
A nonchalant Proprietress continued with a smile, “That’s because you’re one of the best Artifact Grandmasters in this world. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, fewer than 3 people are comparable to you in this field.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “Stop your flattery, it means nothing to me.” Despite what he had said, his slightly curved lips suggested that he was pleased to hear such pleasantries.
Then, he got up as cracking sounds were heard coming from his slim figure. After a sigh, he said, “Forget it. I’ve remained seated for a long time, and it’s time to get up and do something else. Lan girl, what artifacts do you want to refine?”
Hurriedly, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, the things I want you to make are Array Artifacts, not ordinary artifacts.”
There were many kinds of artifacts in the world, and Array Artifacts were one of them. As its name suggested, these artifacts were made for the various Grand Arrays.
Normally, any artifact could be used as an Array Artifact. As long as a Grand Array was correctly arranged and allowed the artifact to merge with it, its power could be magnified.
However, Array Artifacts had to be activated with the help of a Grand Array. That was because every Array Artifact was extremely energy-consuming when activated, and it was unbearable for any cultivator, so it required the help of a Grand Array.
In return, the power that could be derived from an Array Artifact was much greater than that of ordinary artifacts. Correspondingly, it also required more resources to forge an Array Artifact.
All of a sudden, Grandmaster Ma Fan shot a glance at the Proprietress, “You want to make Array Artifacts?”
She nodded.
“There’s no problem. As long as you can collect all the materials, I don’t mind making them for you; however, you helped me with three things in the past, and I promised to make three artifacts for you. You’ve already used two chances, leaving you with just one. Tell me what kind of artifact you want to make.”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, I want you to make a killing artifact and a defensive artifact.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan slowly shook his head, “Little girl, you know my rules. Don’t be too greedy.”
The Proprietress said, “Of course I know your rules, and every chance could only be traded for one artifact, but…” She suddenly fell silent and parted her lips to secretly speak to the elderly man.
Initially, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s expression was dispassionate, but he soon appeared shocked. Then, he swept a glance over Yang Kai with a hesitant expression.
A moment later, he nodded gently, “Alright. I’ll agree to it; however, boy, you have to remember that you owe this old man a favour now, and when I want you to do something for me in the future, you must not turn me down.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knew that the Proprietress must have come to an agreement with the elderly man, and this agreement had something to do with him. Trusting the Proprietress though, he cupped his fists and replied, “Rest assured, Grandmaster, this Junior will remember and will not turn you down.”
“Heh heh.” Grandmaster Ma Fan chuckled, “I hope you won’t go back on your word then.”
Then, they moved forward and reached the Grand Hall in a short moment. A gigantic Refining Furnace that was 300 metres tall had been erected in the Grand Hall, and around it were various tools for refining artifacts. The variety of tools dazzled Yang Kai.
Standing at the bottom of the Refining Furnace, they looked just like three ants. A lot of abstruse patterns had been engraved on the surface of the Refining Furnace, seemingly resonating with the Grand Dao.
The Proprietress looked up and was amazed, “It’s not the first time I see it, but I still think that this Universe Furnace is extremely abstruse.”
“Universe Furnace?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, “Is this the Universe Furnace?”
Smilingly, the Proprietress replied, “Of course, this is not the real Universe Furnace. Strictly speaking, this is a replica Universe Furnace. The Universe Furnace is an Innate creation, a Supreme Treasure which can nurture everything in this world. The ancestors of Grandmaster Ma Fan had a chance to see the real Universe Furnace, and using it as inspiration, they spent countless years and effort to build this replica Universe Furnace. Despite that, this replica Universe Furnace is far less profound and powerful than the real one.”
“It has about 1% of the capabilities as the true Universe Furnace.” Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “If it weren’t because the ancestors were putting all their time and energy into making this replica Universe Furnace, our enemy wouldn’t have had the chance to take advantage of us.”
He seemed to suggest that his Paradise had fallen because his ancestors were too focused on making this replica Universe Furnace, but that must have happened a long, long time ago.
“However, it was thanks to this replica Universe Furnace that they managed to save our foundation. This replica Universe Furnace has made but also broken our great force!”
Following that, Grandmaster Ma Fan tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai and said smugly, “We have 1,035 Array Artifacts in our great force. Let’s see which ones you’d like to obtain.”
After taking the jade slip, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense into it and became amazed.
There were many kinds of Array Artifacts that were recorded in the jade slip, which dazzled him. The names, types, and uses of the Array Artifacts were all listed in detail.
This was indeed an abundant heritage. The information recorded in this jade slip alone was worth an unimaginable amount of wealth.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling Divine Cauldron Heaven. Of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises, Divine Cauldron Heaven was the most famous for refining artifacts. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd in Yang Kai’s possession was made by the little fatty, Xu Zhen. He wondered whether the heritage of Divine Cauldron Heaven or this Paradise was greater.
It was extremely difficult to choose a killing artifact and a defensive artifact from over 1,000 Array Artifacts.
Yang Kai went over them and thought that many of them were terrific. At that instant, he was caught in a dilemma.
Without urging him, Grandmaster Ma Fan just waited patiently to the side. In the end, it was the Proprietress who couldn’t take it anymore as she snatched the jade slip and took a glance, whereupon she made a decision, “Let’s choose the Heavenly Net Umbrella and the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword.”
Yang Kai nodded, “We’ll choose these two, then.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan grinned meaningfully, “In order to make these two items, a lot of resources are required.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Grandmaster, please give me a list of all the resources needed.”
After a grunt, Grandmaster Ma Fan fished out another jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, he tossed it at Yang Kai.
Upon examining it, Yang Kai furrowed his brows. It wasn’t that too many resources were needed, but that he couldn’t recognise most of them. In fact, he wasn’t familiar with most of the items that he had amassed in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
This was embarrassing. In other words, even if he had some of the necessary resources, he wasn’t aware of it.
Helpless, he could only seek the Proprietress’ help, and following her guidance, he slowly fished out the required materials from his Small Sealed World.
In the beginning, Grandmaster Ma Fan remained nonchalant, but as Yang Kai took out more items, he gradually became stunned.
“You also have a lump of Radiant Black Platinum? It’s as big as a washbasin!”
“Tsk. Sealing Demon Iron is almost unobtainable anymore. I was unable to find it regardless of how hard I tried. Where did you get it?”
“Sovereign Grade Fantasy Dust! This is extremely rare. This one here must have been formed over the course of 10,000 years.”
Every time Yang Kai fished out an ore, Grandmaster Ma Fan could easily recognise what it was, which went to show that he was truly an erudite person. On the other hand, he was amazed by Yang Kai’s wealth. It never crossed his mind that an Emperor Realm Junior could possess so many precious items.
[Where is this brat from? Could he have inherited the wealth of a Divine Monarch?]
Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could only call themselves True Monarchs, and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could use the title of Heavenly Monarch. On the other hand, Divine Monarch was a title exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Gazing at the young man before him, Grandmaster Ma Fan was both shocked and doubtful.
Certainly, the Proprietress wouldn’t explain anything to him as she remained on the side with a faint smile.
An hour later, a lot of materials had piled up in front of Yang Kai. Gazing at these things, Yang Kai scratched his head, “We still lack some things.”
He had gathered about 80% of the materials on the list, but there were 20% of them that he couldn’t find. Although he had obtained a lot of rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, there were still things that he didn’t have, which made him feel helpless.
The Proprietress asked, “Old man, do you have these things?”
With a vigilant expression, Grandmaster Ma Fan narrowed his eyes, “What’s wrong? Do you want to get them from me?”
Sporting a smile, the Proprietress replied, “We won’t take them from you for free. As you can see, Yang Kai has many rare items that can be traded for your things. He doesn’t mind taking a small loss.”
As his gaze darted around, Grandmaster Ma Fan nodded his head, “Good.”
Then, they went on to exchange the items they had. The Proprietress assisted Yang Kai, bargaining back and forth with the elderly man. A few hours later, they managed to gather all the materials. All in all, Yang Kai had suffered a small loss, but that should be alright.
A furious Grandmaster Ma Fan said, “Little girl, how can you help him instead of this old man? Don’t even think about getting me to make any artifacts for you again!”
With her lips curving into a smile, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, don’t forget your age. Stop getting angry easily, or your life will be shortened.”
Upon hearing that, Grandmaster Ma Fan was infuriated.
On the side, Yang Kai was extremely nervous as he was worried that the elderly man would decide not to make the artifacts for him. Fortunately, even though he seemed furious, he didn’t go back on his word. After gathering all the materials, he started working on the artifacts.
As a jade rose in the air, the immense aura of a peak Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spread out and Grandmaster Ma Fan bellowed, “Stand back!”
Without hesitation, the Proprietress wrapped her power around Yang Kai and retreated 1,000 kilometres.
Following a loud boom, the ground shook as the entire Star seemed to be trembling. Then, Yang Kai was shocked by what he saw. The ring around the Star started spinning around as though it had been propelled by a mysterious force.
Next, the same thing happened to the rings around the other Stars in the void.
Initially, the speed at which the rings rotated was slow, but as time passed, their speed increased. Awe-inspiring auras started pulsing from those Stars.
Looking up, Yang Kai realised that these Stars had formed into an array, and the middle of the array was the scorching Sun Star.
“Universe Tempering Art!” The Proprietress muttered, “This is a long-lost Secret Art. In this world, only this old man has grasped it. After he passes away, this Secret Art will be gone for good.”
“Universe Tempering Art?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Right then, a dazzling light shot out of the Sun Star and illuminated the World.
Drawn by the array, a ray of light beamed from the Sun Star and struck the Star where Yang Kai and the others were located.
Yang Kai was horrified. Even though he was 1,000 kilometres away, he could still feel how terrifying this force was. If the Star was struck by this ray of light, it would immediately explode.
Following a boom, the Star shook violently upon being struck, but unlike what Yang Kai had imagined, it didn’t break apart. That was because the ray of light had directly hurtled into the replica Universe Furnace.
At that instant, the runic patterns on the replica Universe Furnace lit up, and a raging flame was seen coming from the furnace.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai finally understood why Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Secret Art was called the Universe Tempering Art. The foundation on which he forged artifacts was that he had to draw the Sun’s fire which was stimulated by the power of the Universe itself. This kind of grand Secret Art was simply inconceivable to Yang Kai.
Looking from afar, Yang Kai could see that the costly materials were thrown into the replica Universe Furnace by Grandmaster Ma Fan, and the old man himself kept using different hand seals. The array at the bottom of the furnace could be seen flickering, which dazzled the eyes of the beholder.
Making artifacts was both energy and time-consuming, and it couldn’t be completed in a short period of time. Any slight negligence would lead to failure.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with forging artifacts, he was an expert in the Alchemic Dao. These were two different fields, but there were many similarities.
Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Universe Tempering Art was abstruse and unique, which made Yang Kai unable to move his eyes away.
As more materials were added, what looked like a piece of hot iron started taking shape in the replica Universe Furnace. The impurities from the materials were then removed by Grandmaster Ma Fan using a special technique.
There came a moment when the array at the bottom of the furnace changed again. Grandmaster Ma Fan let out a shout as the aura of his World Force spread around.
Following some popping sounds, his slim figure started expanding. In the blink of an eye, he turned from a listless old man into a giant who was 1,000 metres tall.
The giant’s hair was seen flapping in the wind, and his face was painted red by the fire. All his muscles were bulging, which made him look like a vigorous young man. Then, he extended his hand into the furnace and grabbed the block of red hot iron before placing it on a huge anvil. The giant then picked up an enormous hammer and struck the hot iron.
*Guang… Guang… Guang…*
Every time he struck the hot iron, the entire Star would tremble, and the deafening noise permeated the Universe World. The sparks coming from the metalworking process seemed able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. However, the giant was oblivious to all this as he let the sparks splash onto his skin.
After striking the iron for nine days straight, the giant suddenly threw the semi-finished work back into the furnace, which attracted the raging Sun’s fire to burn it. Then, he put more materials into the furnace.
Nine days later, he fished out the semi-finished work and continued striking it.
With nine days as a cycle, the same thing happened again and again. The semi-finished work was repeatedly moved between the furnace and the anvil.
Gradually, a gigantic longsword took shape. Even though it was just a semi-finished product, Yang Kai could still feel a horrifying aura coming from the sword, which shocked him. When the sword was completed, it would certainly be immensely powerful.
After doing the same thing for 81 days, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly bellowed, “Boy, come here!”
Apparently, the Proprietress had been waiting for this moment, so upon hearing this call, she immediately wrapped her World Force around Yang Kai and shot towards Grandmaster Ma Fan. Standing at the feet of the giant, they looked like two ants.
Grandmaster Ma Fan swung the sword and held it out in front of Yang Kai before yelling, “Blood!”
Looking at the huge sword that was several dozen metres long, Yang Kai felt speechless; however, he knew that it must be in the final stage of forging. The reason Grandmaster Ma Fan wanted his blood was that he wanted to leave his Imprint inside the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword. From then on, only Yang Kai, and those he granted permission to, would be able to activate the sword’s power, making it useless for other people to snatch it.
Not daring to be negligent, Yang Kai hurriedly cut his palm as his blood started streaming out of the wound. He balled up his fist and held it out above the blade.
Sizzling sounds were immediately heard, but instead of merging into the sword, the blood turned into petite Blood Dragons and began swimming across it.
“Hm?” Grandmaster Ma Fan exclaimed and looked at Yang Kai in shock, “Dragon Blood! You’re a member of the Dragon Clan?”
Hearing that, a stunned Proprietress turned to look at Yang Kai as well.
She wasn’t aware that Yang Kai had a Dragon Clan bloodline. That was because he once brought the Ruler of the Dawn Great General to look for his mother. After Mie Meng was saved, she told Yang Kai not to reveal the fact that he had a Dragon Clan bloodline easily. Her reason was that even though the Dragon Clan was extremely powerful, they had many enemies in the 3,000 Worlds. If others found out about this secret, he might invite trouble to himself.
She also told him that if he really came across any danger that couldn’t be resolved, he could reveal that he was a member of the Dragon Clan to frighten off his opponents.
All in all, in the 3,000 World, having a bloodline related to the Dragon Clan was a double-edged sword. It might invite trouble to Yang Kai, but it might also save him from fatal danger.
Therefore, he had been consciously keeping this secret.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique several times, but the people who had seen this Secret Technique were either his own people or already dead.
“Hahaha! Turns out you’re a member of the Dragon Clan. Good good!” Grandmaster Ma Fan’s laugh was deafening, “Don’t stop! Give me more Dragon Blood!”
It seemed that Dragon Blood was immensely beneficial to the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword.
Hearing that, Yang Kai could only let more of his blood drip onto the blade. His restorative abilities were incredible and his Dragon Vein and the Wood Element Power from Immortal Tree allowed him to heal small cuts almost immediately. In order to squeeze out more Dragon Blood, he could only keep opening his wound so that it wouldn’t heal.
As time passed, the entire blade became covered in his golden Dragon Blood.
“That’s enough!” Grandmaster Ma Fan shouted and threw the sword into the replica Universe Furnace again.
The Proprietress turned to look at Yang Kai and sized him up, as though it was the first time she met him.
“Brat, I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this secret from me,” She snorted.
She believed that Yang Kai was just a newcomer to the 3,000 Worlds; however, it wasn’t until he left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that she became aware that he had secretly condensed four High-Rank Elements, and it wasn’t until this moment that she found out he had a Dragon Clan bloodline.
“This is not something that’s worth bragging about,” Yang Kai smiled helplessly.
“I’ll settle this account with you later!”
Yang Kai immediately felt bitter in his heart.
In a nearby place, Grandmaster Ma Fan had already returned to his original form, and his aura even appeared weaker than before. He must have expended a lot of energy to refine this artifact; however, at this point, he didn’t need to put more effort into it as the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was basically finished. All they had to do was wait.
More than ten days later, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly got to his feet and stared fervently at the replica Universe Furnace. At this moment, the furnace was trembling, as though a ferocious beast was about to rush out of it. Following the vibration, rays of Sword Qi shot out of the furnace; however, the furnace was extremely abstruse and the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was unable to break free from it.
There came a moment when all the noises died down.
“Hahaha. It’s done.” Grandmaster Ma Fan guffawed and turned to look at Yang Kai, “It’s ready. This artifact is made with your blood, so only you can take it. Don’t let it run away.”
After a serious nod, Yang Kai circulated his strength and got ready.
The next instant, Grandmaster Ma Fan used a different hand seal, whereupon a golden light burst out of the furnace.
A swift Yang Kai extended his hand and grabbed the golden light.
A buzzing sound was heard as the void seemed to be trembling. A golden sword was shaking violently in Yang Kai’s hand, but before he could feel the sword’s power, his expression changed as he was dragged away by the weapon. Regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to stop the sword.
From afar, he yelled, “Proprietress, save me!”
Naturally, she remained on the spot with her arms crossed and sneered.
In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword brought Yang Kai out of the Star and shot into the void. He surged his power to stop the weapon, but it was all in vain.
He could clearly feel that this sword was closely connected to him; however, the artifact had just been forged, and no one was able to resist its vigour. Despite the fact that there was a connection between them, Yang Kai was unable to control the weapon.
Fortunately, they were in the ruins of a Paradise, which was cut off from the outside world, so he wasn’t worried that the sword would run away.
A few days later, the remaining energy in the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was finally exhausted. With his forehead already drenched in sweat, Yang Kai stood hovering in the void, staring at the sword in his hand. It wasn’t until this moment that he made out what the sword looked like.
When the sword was being forged, it was several tens of metres long, but after it was completed, it looked just like an ordinary sword, which seemed to suggest that this weapon could freely change its size.
The golden sword was one solid metal piece, and it looked extremely expensive.
With the sword in his hand, Yang Kai wielded it and gently ran it across his arm, which immediately left a white mark on his skin, amazing him at how sharp the weapon was. It had to be noted that, as a Half Dragon, Yang Kai’s physique was incredibly sturdy. Even though he didn’t exert much force though, the sword could easily leave a mark on his skin. If he used even slightly more force, the weapon could’ve injured him.
Then, he attempted to try out the sword’s power, but he couldn’t activate it.
It was then he realised that the sword was indeed an Array Artifact, so it required immense power to activate. Presently, he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so how was he supposed to bring it to life?
He reckoned that he could only witness the sword’s power with the help of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
At that moment, Yang Kai was already looking forward to it.
It could be said that the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was forged in a short period of time as it only took 3 months. It had to be noted that to create a powerful artifact from scratch, it would take most Artifact Refining Grandmasters a few years or even longer.
However, Grandmaster Ma Fan only needed 3 months to achieve this. It seemed that it was thanks to his Universe Tempering Art.
In this world, artifacts were also categorised into different ranks, just like how it ranged from the First Order to the Ninth Order in the Open Heaven Realm. These artifacts could only be used by Open Heaven Realm Masters because it required the World Force to activate their powers.
Therefore, even if an Emperor Realm cultivator obtained one, it was no different from scrap metal in their hands.
Every Star or Spirit Province could be considered a Small Universe, which could naturally nurture World Force. By arranging the Nine Heavenly Layers around Void Land, Yang Kai could make use of the Grand Array to manipulate Void Land’s World Force. After the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was blessed by World Force, its full power could be displayed.
In fact, Yang Kai had a way to forcefully stimulate the sword’s power, which was to mobilise the World Force of the Small Sealed World. However, by doing so, the heritage of the Small Sealed World would shrink, which would be detrimental to it.
Even though the Small Sealed World was no longer as useful in the 3,000 Worlds, Yang Kai had a tentative idea in his mind for it. When the time came, he would need the Small Sealed World, and if this idea could be realized, his power would increase tremendously.
When the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was forged, it had cost Yang Kai countless rare materials, which included some Sixth-Order ones. Therefore, this sword was expected to be in the Fifth-Order at the very least, and it was likely to be in the Sixth-Order.
Certainly, Yang Kai was satisfied with the outcome. Although it had cost him an arm and a leg, the reward was immense.
After storing the sword, he returned to the Star and realised that Grandmaster Ma Fan had already started working on the Heavenly Net Umbrella.
The Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was a killing artifact while the Heavenly Net Umbrella was a defensive artifact. Both of them would work perfectly together in the Nine Heavenly Layers. With these two artifacts, it could be said that the Grand Array around Void Land would be infused with a Soul.
The minimum requirements had been met. Initially, Yang Kai intended to ask Grandmaster Ma Fan to refine his Shadowless Veil, but he believed that he’d better not bring it up. It had cost the Proprietress’ last chance and a promise from Yang Kai for Grandmaster Ma Fan to forge the sword and umbrella, if he still asked the old man to refine his Shadowless Veil as well, he’d be crossing the line. Certainly, he wouldn’t want to ruin the relationship with this Artifact Refining Grandmaster.
The process of making the Heavenly Net Umbrella wasn’t much different, but it took a longer time than forging the sword. It took the old man half a year. Since time immemorial, defensive artifacts had always been more valuable than killing artifacts. The reason was that the cost and difficulty of making a defensive artifact were greater.
Despite the fact that the old man had inherited his Paradise’s heritage, it still took him half a year before he could fully refine the umbrella.
During the final stage, Yang Kai once again shed a lot of his blood.
Just like the sword, the Heavenly Net Umbrella was in the Sixth Order, and its defence capabilities were astonishing.
After the two artifacts were completed, Grandmaster Ma Fan immediately chased them away. He didn’t seem to have the intention of making them stay. It was a burden to him to make two Sixth-Order artifacts consecutively. To someone like him, who was averse to trouble, this was no different from torture; therefore, he wanted to take a rest as soon as possible.
The Proprietress and Yang Kai bade him farewell and left.
It took them a long time to reach this place, but it was much easier when they returned. After passing through several Universe Temples, they arrived at Void Land in just a month.
It had been a year since Yang Kai and the Proprietress left, but during this period of time, there didn’t seem to be any changes to Void Land. After all, it was extremely difficult to build the Nine Heavenly Layers. Now, they hadn’t even completed 50% of the Grand Array.
When they met Grandmaster Wu Liang again, they realised that he seemed to be malnourished and sickly, but his eyes were unusually bright, and he appeared to be enthusiastic. Upon learning that Yang Kai had obtained two Sixth-Order Array Artifacts, he guffawed and flew away as he said, “True Monarch, don’t worry. Even if it costs my life, this Old Master will definitely build the Nine Heavenly Layers for you!”
Yang Kai was worried that this old man would overwork himself and pass away halfway through. If that happened, their efforts so far would be wasted. After all, the Nine Heavenly Layers was conceived by Grandmaster Wu Liang. Even if they hired another Spirit Array Grandmaster, he might not be able to comprehend the abstrusity of it.
There were more people in Void Land now. These several thousand people were brought to this place by Yue He from Small Orchid Palace. Most of them were weak, below the Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, they could still assist the others to arrange the Grand Array.
Void Land was still bustling.
In the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land, Yue He was reporting to Yang Kai on their progress so far. With a worried expression though, she said, “Young Master, the cost to arrange this Grand Array is too great. Should we talk to Grandmaster Wu Liang to modify it?”
She was in charge of Void Land’s finances, and it made her heart bleed to see such a large number of materials being consumed every single day. Although Yang Kai had amassed immense wealth in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and obtained the secret storehouse left behind by Xu Huang, even he couldn’t bear this kind of consumption.
Now, the Nine Heavenly Layers was only half-completed, but the wealth he had obtained from the Boundary had shrunk by 30%. If they really fully built the Grand Array, she was worried that a large part of Yang Kai’s wealth would be gone.
Besides that, he had also expended a lot of resources to make the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword and the Heavenly Net Umbrella. These two Array Artifacts were to be used on the Grand Array as well.
The Grand Array alone almost made him use up all of his wealth.
“There’s no need.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Just do it according to the original plan.”
Before agreeing to Grandmaster Wu Liang’s proposal, Yang Kai was already psychologically prepared, so he wasn’t surprised at the large consumption of materials. The more he contributed, the greater the reward would be. Void Land was the foundation on which he would gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds, so he wouldn’t hold back anything when it came to arranging the Grand Array.
After the materials were consumed, he would still have a chance to earn them back in the future; however, if powerful enemies came to invade them one day, and Void Land was unable to defend itself, it would be a loss he could not recover from.
Moreover, after what he had heard from the Proprietress, Yang Kai was even more determined to complete the Nine Heavenly Layers.
If he wanted to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the road ahead would be paved with obstacles, and the people from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises might come to suppress him directly. By then, Void Land would be his capital to deal with them.
“Just give Grandmaster Wu Liang whatever he needs. If there are resources that we lack, tell some people to purchase them as soon as possible. We still have 3 billion Open Heaven Pills, right?”
3 billion Open Heaven Pills was a horrifying figure. Half of that number was obtained by Yang Kai from the Space Ring of the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion. That man had been lording over others for centuries, but in the end, all his wealth fell into Yang Kai’s hands. Furthermore, the several tens of thousands of Space Rings from the people of Sword Pavilion’s Star City also contained a lot of Open Heaven Pills.
On the other hand, Scarlet Star had been the most powerful great force in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for years.With every breath, there were a lot of transactions going on in their Star City, and Scarlet Star would get a small bite of each transaction as tax. As time passed, they grew to be filthy rich. Even though 70% of the income had been given to Yang Kai, the remaining 30% was still immense.
That was how Yang Kai managed to amass 3 billion Open Heaven Pills.
Yue He spoke up, “1 billion have been used so far. There were many resources that we lacked, so we had to buy them from various Star Cities.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good. Don’t worry about the money.”
Then, he looked out the door, only to see the Proprietress and Bai Qi coming into the hall.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai went over and asked, “What’s wrong?”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “I’m leaving, so I’m here to bid you farewell.”
“You’re leaving?” Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Where are you going?”
Smilingly, the Proprietress replied, “Where else can I go other than First Inn? I’m the Proprietress of First Inn, but I’ve been absent for nearly a year. If I don’t go back, my superiors will reprimand me.”
Yang Kai pressed his lips together, “It’s not worth staying in First Inn. Why don’t you resign and join Void Land? You can do whatever you want here.”
He genuinely didn’t want the Proprietress to go. Besides the fact that she had been treating him well and was protective of him, Void Land was in the midst of a re-birth, and they needed a lot of people. While she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Bai Qi was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If they could stay, the collective power of Void Land would increase significantly.
The Proprietress raised her hand and poked his forehead, “Do you think First Inn is a place where we can come and go as we please?”
Yang Kai stepped backward upon impact, then he realised a problem as he frowned, “In fact, I’m also from First Inn…”
The Proprietress scoffed, “You’re not really from First Inn. You worked for me for a short period of time because you owed us money. Now that you’ve repaid your debt, First Inn will have nothing to do with you. Wherever you go, don’t tell people that you’re from First Inn.”
The reason Yang Kai joined First Inn was that when the top cultivators were trying to snatch the Golden Crow carcass, they got into a fight and destroyed the inn.
Then, the Proprietress threatened Yang Kai to repay 10 million Open Heaven Pills for the chaos he caused. At that time, he was flat broke, and 10 million was an astronomical figure to him.
After they arrived at the Star City, she told him to collect debts from various shops. The progress was good as he managed to repay some debt through this work; however, he was certain that the debt hadn’t been repaid in full.
The reason the Proprietress said this was that she wanted to separate Yang Kai from First Inn so that he wouldn’t be held down; after all, if he kept the title of First Inn’s shop-hand and founded Void Land, people would wonder if this place belonged to him or First Inn.
Fully aware of her intentions, Yang Kai felt warm in his heart.
However, the reason he could be easily separated from First Inn was that he didn’t have much to do with the inn to begin with. However, that wasn’t the case for the Proprietress. She was the famous Madam Lan from First Inn, known throughout the 3,000 Worlds.
Knowing that he couldn’t make her stay, Yang Kai sighed and fished out a Space Ring, “These are the gifts I’ve prepared for chef and accountant. Please bring it to them for me.”
After taking the ring, the Proprietress scanned it and realised that it contained some Fifth-Order resources, which the chef and accountant needed.
She didn’t have many subordinates, but there was no doubt that Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef were her trusted aides as they had worked for her for a long time. Without any exception, all three of them had condensed Fifth-Order Elements. Bai Qi’s progress was swift as he was the first one to reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but while the chef and accountant were slightly slower, they only lacked one to two Element Powers now.
Yang Kai was already aware of that in the past, so it wasn’t difficult for him to prepare these materials. He still had an abundance of Fifth-Order materials in possession, so he didn’t mind giving out some.
“Since you’re rich now, I’ll not turn you down. After they ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, I’ll tell them to come over and thank you.” As the Proprietress spoke, she put away the Space Ring.
The Proprietress was a decisive woman, so left right after she announced she would. Yang Kai and Yue He saw them off. It wasn’t until they saw them leaving Void Land and using the Universe Transference Law that they turned around and returned.
After trading glances, they felt somewhat hollow within themselves.
Void Land remained bustling. Every day, countless resources were being thrown into the construction of the Grand Array. Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue didn’t have much time to rest because they needed to go out and purchase many of the necessary materials. Usually, a few days after they returned to Void Land, they would have to leave again.
Presently, there were not many powerful cultivators in Void Land. The strongest ones were Yue He, Lu Xue, and Chen Tian Fei. They couldn’t depend on Zhu Jiu Yin because she was still healing her Source.
Due to the fact that Yue He was in charge of the Array Jade and finances, she had to stay in Void Land. Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue were powerful cultivators as they were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but now they had no choice but to run errands.
Everything seemed on track, and all Yang Kai had to do was wait, so he thought that it was time to return to the Star Boundary.
As long as the problem the Star Boundary was facing wasn’t solved, he could never set his mind at ease. After some calculations, Yang Kai realised that it had been 15 years since he left the Star Boundary. Before he departed, the Star Boundary was already in an unstable state as its World Principles had been severely damaged. He and the other Great Emperors had come up with some ways to slow down the disintegration of the Star Boundary, but they couldn’t fundamentally solve the problem. There would come a time when these methods lost their effectiveness.
A long time had passed, so Yang Kai wondered whether the Star Boundary was still alright.
In any case, it made no difference whether he was here during the reconstruction of Void Land. Yue He just needed to stay here and work with Grandmaster Wu Liang. Yang Kai estimated that when he returned from the Star Boundary, the Nine Heavenly Layers would have been completed. With this in mind, he summoned Yue He and told her about it.
Without trying to stop him, Yue He said, “Young Master, you can leave, but please take Chen Tian Fei or Lu Xue with you. Without one of them by your side, I will not be able to rest at ease.”
After all, Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior. If he travelled across the 3,000 Worlds on his own, he would face a lot of danger. If he had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by his side, it would save him a lot of trouble.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “There’s no need. We need more people in Void Land now, and Fatty Chen Tian and Lu Xue are important people. With them around, the progress of the construction will be faster. I’m just going back to attend to some personal matters, so I don’t need anyone to come with me.”
Certainly, Yue He wouldn’t agree to it. Then, she suggested that even if he didn’t want Chen Tian Fei or Lu Xue to go with him, he had to bring her along.
That was practically impossible as she had to stay in this place to coordinate with Grandmaster Wu Liang. Anyone could leave but her.
After a long argument, Yue He refused to back down one bit and wouldn’t allow Yang Kai to leave Void Land on his own. Left with no choice, he agreed to her suggestion.
It was then Yue He decided that Lu Xue would follow him; after all, she was a woman who was more meticulous, so she should be able to take better care of Yang Kai.
“Tell Guo Zi Yan to go with you as well,” Yue He said.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “He’s just in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. What’s the point of him following me?”
Lu Xue was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she would be useful if they came across any danger; however, as a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Guo Zi Yan was too weak.
Yue He snorted, “I don’t care. If you take Lu Xue with you, Guo Zi Yan will also have to follow you!”
After gazing at her for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly realised what was on her mind, then he nodded in agreement, “Good. I’ll take the two of them with me.”
Then, he secretly sighed and thought that Void Land was in the midst of rebuilding, so it was inappropriate for him to take two of their very few Open Heaven Realm Masters away at this point. However, he was unable to persuade Yue He, so he could only agree to it.
Before he set off on his journey, he fished out a glowing fruit and passed it to her.
Yue He took it and frowned, “This is…” Upon sensing it, she felt a rich World Force coming from it.
“It’s a World Fruit.”
With her eyes widening, Yue He exclaimed, “A World Fruit?”
She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she had heard of World Fruits before; however, those amazing treasures were supposed to exist only in legends. It never crossed her mind that she would see it with her eyes one day, not to mention that she was holding it in her hands.
“This is a Mid-Rank World Fruit. After I’m gone, refine it when you’re free. It will be beneficial to you,” Yang Kai said casually.
He had 16 World Fruits, but only 3 of them were Mid-Rank ones. Mid-Rank World Fruits were best consumed by Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. After taking it and refining its medicinal efficacies, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order. Certainly, Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could consume one as well, but the benefits would not be as great. As for Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was useless for them to take it.
“Did you get it from the Primordial Land?” Yue He asked in shock.
She was fully aware of the rewards he had obtained in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but she had never heard that he had gotten a World Fruit. The only possibility was that he had acquired it in the Primordial Land.
In response, Yang Kai nodded his head.
“Young Master, this is too precious. I can’t accept it!” Then, Yue He hurriedly pushed the World Fruit back to him.
Yang Kai said, “Just use it. I have many of them.”
“You’re lying!” Yue He pursed her lips, “Although I’ve never seen World Fruits before, I know that everyone only has one chance to obtain a fruit from the World Tree in their lifeti… Why do you have so many?”
As she spoke, she gazed at Yang Kai’s palms in shock, for there were more World Fruits on them.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Do you believe me now? By improving your cultivation, it will be beneficial to Void Land. Unfortunately, most of the World Fruits I have are just Low-Rank ones, which are not that valuable. If all of them were Mid-Rank, I could produce a group of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.”
A stunned Yue He asked, “Why do you say Low-Rank World Fruits are not valuable?”
Yang Kai explained, “A Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a cultivator ascend to the Third Order, which is why it’s not worth a lot of money.”
Yue He stared blankly for a moment before she burst into a fit of giggles, “Young Master, you’re mistaken. It’s true that a Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a cultivator ascend to the Third-Order, but it will also extend their limit for growth. This kind of benefit is simply invaluable.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Yue He lifted the Mid-Rank World Fruit in her hand, “Take me as an example. I’m now in the Fifth-Order, and my limit is the Seventh-Order. That’s because if I consume too many Open Heaven Pills, they will stop having any benefits for me. However, if I consume this World Fruit, I’ll ascend to the Sixth Order directly, and the limit to which Open Heaven Pills can take me will also ascend to the Eighth Order.”
“Does it work that way?” Yang Kai was astounded.
“A Low-Rank World Fruit can help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master to directly ascend to the next Order, so that benefit alone isn’t valuable. Nevertheless, many people would pay anything to extend their upper limit.”
“I see,” Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai realised that he had severely underestimated the value of these Low-Rank World Fruits. He used to believe that these ten or so fruits were useless.
Now, it seemed that they were also treasures, which made him feel ecstatic as though he had received a windfall.
Clenching the World Fruit in her hand, Yue He pressed her lips together and said, “I’ll keep this World Fruit, then. Many thanks, Young Master.”
Earlier, she had no idea that Yang Kai possessed so many World Fruits, so she didn’t have the heart to consume such a precious treasure. Now that she became aware of the real situation, she decided not to turn him down. Just like what he had said, if she ascended to the Sixth Order, it would be beneficial to Void Land. It had been several hundred years since she made her initial breakthrough to the Fifth Order, and once she ascended to the Sixth Order with this World Fruit, her accumulation so far would also be brought forward as well, so by then, she would only be one step away from the Seventh-Order, which was already the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
After everything was settled, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan, then they shot into the sky.
Upon leaving Void Land, Lu Xue summoned an artifact that looked like a windmill. After they entered it, the windmill turned into a ray of light as Lu Xue drove it across the void.
The 3,000 Worlds were expansive, and each Great Territory was connected with at least one other.
In fact, Yang Kai wasn’t certain about the location of the Star Boundary. He had bought a Universe Chart from a big Star City, and since then, he had been trying to figure out the exact location of the Star Boundary. Even though he still wasn’t sure about it, he had found three likely locations.
Left with no choice, they could only search these places one by one. Yang Kai secretly prayed that one of these locations would turn out to be correct. If all of them were wrong, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Judging from the distance, the Star Boundary was supposed to not be far away from Void Land. That was because not long after he and Zhang Ruo Xi left the Star Boundary, they came across a Myriad Facets Insect. They were separated after they were swallowed by the giant insect. Yang Kai fell into a Great Territory where he was tricked by the Venerable of Fire Spirit Land, Duan Hai, and brought to Seven Wonders Land.
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai pointed out the direction for Lu Xue so that she could chart a course forward.
They went on to pass through several Great Territories. On their way, they came across some danger as well as some Space Beasts. They would avoid them as best as they could and if there was no other choice, they would fight.
Two or three months later, they arrived in a particular Great Territory.
Lu Xue was heard saying, “Sir, we’ve arrived.”
This Great Territory was Yang Kai’s first destination. Upon hearing that, he stepped out of the windmill and looked around with a hopeful gaze.
However, he discovered nothing. With that said, he wasn’t disappointed. After all, a Great Territory was vast, so the Star Boundary might be hidden in a particular corner of this place. It was expected that he couldn’t see it right away.
Moreover, he was a native of the Star Boundary, and titled as Void Great Emperor having obtained part of the World’s Will. If the Star Boundary was really in this Great Territory, as long as they were not too far apart, Yang Kai would be able to sense a connection to it.
As such, he told Lu Xue to keep looking around in this Great Territory as he scanned the surroundings.
One month later, Yang Kai sighed and conceded, “Let’s go to the next location.”
The Star Boundary wasn’t in this Great Territory. Over the past month, he had searched around the entire Great Territory, but still discovered nothing.
After a nod, Lu Xue followed the direction Yang Kai pointed and headed to the next destination.
More than ten days later, in a particular place in the void, an epic battle came to an end. Lu Xue was panting as her chest heaved and there was a huge cut on Guo Zi Yan’s waist as he was almost split in two.
Although Yang Kai appeared to be unharmed, his face was pale. After he coughed a little, blood started streaming out of his mouth.
While travelling across the void, they would come across danger from time to time, and this time, they were truly unlucky as they had bumped into a pack of more than 10 Star Flame Colts. These Space Beasts seemed to have gone mad as they relentlessly chased after the 3 of them. Left with no choice, they could only stand and fight.
After the Beasts were killed, all three of them were injured. Even Lu Xue’s windmill had been damaged.
Yang Kai hated the fact that they suffered such a setback even before they found the Star Boundary.
Lu Xue cleaned the blood from her cold water longsword and said, “Sir, we have to go to a Universe Temple to recuperate.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go.”
Given the condition they were in, it was not appropriate for them to keep going. If they came across any danger again, they wouldn’t be able to ward it off. Fortunately, there was a Universe Temple in this Great Territory, so they could take a rest there.
Of course, their main purpose was to repair Lu Xue’s artifact. Without this flight-type artifact, they would need to expend a lot more energy to navigate through the void.
Yang Kai had never been to the Universe Temple in this Great Territory, but it was a different case for Lu Xue.
According to her, before joining Scarlet Star, she had once wandered around the 3,000 Worlds on her own with only her sword for over 100 years. During this period of time, she had visited many Great Territories and left her Imprint at their Universe Temples.
This made things simpler. After Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan entered the Six Fated Paths Bag, Lu Xue stored the bag and activated the Universe Transference Law. A few breaths later, they arrived at the local Universe Temple.
Universe Temples and Star Cities were different. A Star City was a place where cultivators could trade and communicate with one another. On the other hand, a Universe Temple was strategically valuable. That was the reason Universe Temples were firmly controlled by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises.
Nevertheless, a Universe Temple also had some functionalities of a Star City. Cultivators could take a rest here and buy some goods; however, the prices were usually higher, and the selection of goods were not as wide, so it wasn’t comparable to a Star City in this regard.
Upon entering the Universe Temple, Lu Xue released Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan. The three of them then found an inn and settled down. They intended to rest for a few days before continuing their journey.
Meanwhile, in one of the shops in the Universe Temple, a stern-looking yet thin middle-aged man was bargaining with the shopkeeper. Both of them seemed to be familiar with one another, and they probably had had some business deals in the past, which was why neither of them was over-passionate when bargaining. Instead, they were bartering back and forth in a calm manner.
The shopkeeper knew that the middle-aged man needed the goods in his shop, so he wasn’t worried about the latter lowering the price and dealt with him dispassionately.
All of a sudden, the middle-aged man sensed something as he grunted and turned to look in a particular direction.
The shopkeeper shot him a glance and smiled, “Hei He, it’s not that I want to make a huge profit. As you can see, the cost of this thing is really high. If I agree to your price, I’ll suffer a loss. It’s been 100 years since we got to know each other. When have I ever ripped you off? I only make a small profit every time I make a deal with you.”
A glint of surprise flashed through the eyes of the man called Hei He, then he turned his head back and nodded, “I’ll agree to the price you’ve come up with.”
The shopkeeper was stunned as he had never expected that Hei He would agree to it so easily; after all, the item was pretty expensive, and there was still room to bargain. He was ready to haggle with Hei He, but it never crossed his mind that the latter would simply agree to the price before he even made a counteroffer.
However, that was the outcome he wanted to see, so with a bright smile, he replied, “Brother He, you’re indeed a straightforward person. Wait a moment. I’ll get your items right now.”
Then, he rose from the chair and entered the storehouse. A moment later, he returned with a Space Ring. Both of them examined the ring, and upon making sure that nothing was wrong, the ring was sold to Hei He. Without intending to stay in the shop any longer, he left and took some twists and turns in the Universe Temple. Soon, he arrived at an inn, and after looking up for a moment, he nonchalantly stepped inside.
Inside the inn, Yang Kai and the others checked into a room. Before they settled down, Lu Xue hurriedly left to look for someone to repair her windmill artifact; after all, they had to rely on this artifact to move across the Great Territories. It would be exhausting for them if they didn’t have this artifact.
On the other hand, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan remained in the room and adjusted their breathing.
A few days later, their injuries were mostly healed, while Lu Xue’s artifact was being repaired, but they would have to wait for half a month before the repairs were complete.
Although Yang Kai was eager to return to the Star Boundary, there was nothing he could do in this situation; therefore, he decided to wait patiently. Since he had arrived at this Universe Temple, he certainly had to leave his Imprint here.
Then, he left the inn with Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue as they headed to the Grand Array in the centre of the Universe Temple.
If a cultivator wanted to leave their Imprint at a Universe Temple, they would need to cough up 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. The price was the same throughout the 3,000 Worlds, no more, and certainly no less.
100,000 Open Heaven Pills was a lot of money, but a Universe Temple could save a person’s life at a critical moment; therefore, any wealthy cultivator wouldn’t be stingy when it came to leaving their Imprint in a Universe Temple.
However, there was no way a cultivator would leave an Imprint in only one Universe Temple, so paying 100,000 pills each time eventually led to a staggering expenditure.
So far, Yang Kai had spent more than 1 million pills on Universe Temples. In other words, he had left a Brand in more than 10 different Universe Temples at the very least.
In fact, Yang Kai was very interested in how Universe Temples worked; after all, it had something to do with the Dao of Space as one could instantly move to a Universe Temple from a faraway place. Even though he could use Instantaneous Movement as well, the distance he could travel was vastly inferior to that of the Universe Transference Law.
In any Great Territory, as long as a Universe Temple existed, the Universe Transference Law could resonate with it regardless of the distance. Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement was no match for it in this regard, and even his Space Beacons were inferior to it.
The distance where he could move from one Space Beacon to another was limited.
Yang Kai had a feeling that if he could unravel the mysteries of the Universe Temples, his mastery of the Dao of Space would be greatly improved.
However, there were some downsides as well. Although the Universe Transference Law was profound and abstruse, and everyone could freely learn it, it took a few breaths of time to activate it.
Yang Kai had seen a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master using the Universe Transference Law. He was the owner of First Inn, yet even someone as powerful as that needed a few breaths of time to activate the Secret Technique.
In a life-or-death battle, one’s opponents would never give them so much time to flee.
The time needed was one drawback, while the pressure was another. The further the Universe Temple was, the more pressure a cultivator would feel when using the Universe Transference Law. If that pressure exceeded their limits, even if they successfully activated it, they might be torn apart during the transfer process.
That wasn’t unprecedented. Many cultivators were left with no choice but to use the Universe Transference Law at critical moments. Although they had gotten rid of their opponents, what arrived at the Universe Temple were battered corpses.
Despite the downsides, the Universe Transference Law was still widely adopted throughout the 3,000 Worlds. It was a Secret Technique most cultivators used to move to Universe Temples to save travel time or flee from their enemies.
After spending 200,000 Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan respectively left their Imprints in this Universe Temple.
After leaving the place, they were not in a rush to return to the inn. Since they had nothing to do, they decided to roam around.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited a Universe Temple, but he had never been to this one before. Unlike a Star City, the shops around here were limited, as was the goods selection. Moreover, the prices were generally higher than average.
When they passed by an accessories store, Yang Kai thought of something and entered it.
He believed that he couldn’t return to the Star Boundary empty-handed. Other people didn’t matter, but he had to bring some gifts to his wives, father, and mother.
Then, he started counting, [Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, Father, Mother, Little Sister Yang Xue… There are indeed many people. By the way, there’s also Ji Yao… Besides them, there are also Mo Xiao Qi, Lin Yun’er, and the others…]
Naturally, the things that were sold in the shop were not ordinary accessories. Each one of them was an artifact. There were many kinds of accessories with different uses, and although the prices were expensive, Yang Kai didn’t mind it as he wasn’t short of Open Heaven Pills.
He was willing to pay a hefty price to build the Nine Heavenly Layers, so these artifacts in this shop were nothing.
Then, a young woman that looked like a maidservant came over. With a sweet smile, she elegantly welcomed them to the shop. Her voice was clear, and there was a pleasant scent wafting from her body, which easily made people take a liking to her.
The young woman was weak as she was just an Emperor Realm cultivator; nevertheless, she had been working in this shop for a long time, so she immediately realised that Yang Kai was no ordinary man, which was why she was very hospitable to him.
Yang Kai looked around the shelves as the young woman introduced each item to him in detail in her pleasant voice.
Soon, Yang Kai was attracted to a Phoenix-shaped hairpin, and he couldn’t help thinking about Su Yan. This hairpin appeared elegant, which should match her temperament; moreover, it happened to be a defensive artifact.
Su Yan and the others were still weak, so they couldn’t draw out the power of killing artifacts; however, these defensive artifacts could save their lives in a perilous situation.
Yang Kai decided to buy each of them a defensive artifact.
Just as he was extending his hand towards the hairpin though, a big hand suddenly whizzed past him and took the hairpin first.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see a scrawny yet stern-looking man staring at him. As their eyes met, the man flashed a smile at Yang Kai and nodded, “Little Brother, are you interested in this?”
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “Yes.”
The middle-aged man said, “What a coincidence. This King had his eyes on this item as well. Can you give it to me?”
“The item is in your hand now. You’ve taken it first, so it’s yours. It’s not like you need to ask me to give it to you,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
“Many thanks, then.” The middle-aged man guffawed, “Little Brother, you’re a generous man. What’s your name?”
“We don’t really know each other, so there’s no point asking.” Yang Kai shook his head, then hinted at the maidservant to keep going.
The maidservant seemed to be annoyed at the fact that a business deal had been ruined by the middle-aged man, who disturbed Yang Kai halfway through; therefore, she became more attentive when serving Yang Kai.
Soon, Yang Kai bought a lot of accessories as the smile on the maidservant’s face became brighter.
After the bill was paid, Yang Kai stored all the items inside his Space Ring, then left the shop with Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan. Following that, he saw a person looking smilingly at him outside the shop.
He was none other than the man who snatched the Phoenix-shaped hairpin.
A shocked Yang Kai gazed at him and asked, “Sir, are you waiting for me?”
The middle-aged man replied, “Yes.”
“What for?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
That person said, “This King felt sorry that he snatched your accessory just now, so I’d like to treat you to a meal. Will you come with me?”
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “Sir, it is no serious matter. You took the hairpin first, so it belongs to you. It’s not like you snatched it from me. As for the meal… There’s no need for that. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll part with you here.”
Upon finishing his words, he cupped his fist and left the place with Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan.
Seeing as Yang Kai turned him down, the middle-aged man didn’t mind it as he smilingly watched Yang Kai leave.
A moment later, they returned to the inn and entered the room, then Lu Xue said, “Sir, I’m worried that he has some ill intentions.”
Guo Zi Yan nodded in agreement, “I have the same feeling as well. That guy looks wicked. It’s said that a person’s appearance is indicative of his temperament. I’m worried that he’s a thug.”
Yang Kai asked, “Do either of you know that guy?”
Both of them shook their heads to mean that they had never seen that person before.
The 3,000 Worlds was boundless, and there were countless cultivators living in it. Although Lu Xue had wandered for over 100 years, and she could be considered an experienced person, she couldn’t possibly recognise a person that had nothing to do with her.
As for Guo Zi Yan, he was just a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and his experience and knowledge were rather limited.
“Sir, I reckon that man is in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm,” Lu Xue said in a grim voice.
Although the middle-aged man never released any aura, which made it impossible for anyone to tell his exact cultivation, Lu Xue still felt pressured in his presence. She was in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, thus any person who could make her feel pressured must be at least in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Solemnly, Yang Kai nodded his head. Facing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan would be powerless. If that person really had some ill intentions, things would be troublesome.
However, that was just their most conservative estimate. If that man was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, things would become even more thorny.
“I don’t think he’ll harm us, but we can’t lower our guard.” After giving it a thought, Yang Kai secretly spoke to Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan. Then, they nodded and left the place.
Half a month later, Lu Xue retrieved her windmill artifact, but they were not in a rush to continue their journey. Only two months later did they leave the inn and set off.
A few days later, a gigantic Territory Gate came into their sight. The windmill shot into it and disappeared.
An incense stick after Yang Kai and the others passed through the Territory Gate, a ray of light suddenly shot forward from afar and landed in front of the swirling portal before a figure revealed himself.
He was none other than the stern-looking middle-aged man Yang Kai had come across in the Universe Temple. Staring at the Territory Gate, he muttered, “Have they entered it? Hmph! They’ll not shake me off so easily.”
Upon finishing his words, he plunged into the Territory Gate as his World Force turned into a layer of defence, which helped him resist the pressure coming from the Void.
There was a risk associated with passing through a Territory Gate. Normally, only cultivators in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm could move through one without needing any external protection. For people below the Mid-Rank, if they didn’t have some kind of special artifact or Secret Technique to assist them, they would be crushed inside by the horrible pressure.
Despite the fact that the man was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he still felt his Soul shaking and was a little dizzy when moving through the Territory Gate.
Nevertheless, he had experienced this countless times, so he wasn’t flustered. In order not to alert anyone, he didn’t use an artifact as that would be far more conspicuous. Soon, as the world around him spun around, he found that he had arrived at a different Great Territory.
Before he even stabilised himself though, he felt a piercing sword light coming at him from the side.
Horrified, the middle-aged man immediately realised that he had been ambushed, and the person making a move was just as powerful as he was, but just who would ambush him in such a place?
There was no time for him to further ponder on it as he hurriedly flew backwards; however, the sword light relentlessly pursued him.
Usually, given his heritage, he could easily ward off such an attack; after all, he was fairly strong. Nevertheless, he had just passed through a Territory Gate, which shook his Soul and Small Universe slightly, temporarily reducing his strength by about 30%.
Then, the sword light directly broke through his layer of protection and slashed across his body.
His clothes fell apart and his blood spurted out of his wound. There was a forearm-length cut on his chest now that was bone deep.
At that moment, he was reeling from the shock. If he hadn’t flown backwards and stalled for time to use a defensive Secret Technique, the sword light would have critically injured him.
With that said, he was still feeling awful at this moment. He could feel Sword Intent penetrating his wound so he had to divert some of his energy and focus to suppress it to prevent his wound from worsening.
Right then, another figure came at him from the side. With a shield engraved with a Dragon pattern, he crashed into the unsuspecting middle-aged man, who lost his balance and was swept away by the immense force. At the same time, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
Just then, he saw a sword light flashing through his eyes as countless sword shadows engulfed him. Every one of them seemed intent on killing him on the spot.
It was at this moment that the middle-aged man finally collected himself. With a great roar, he raised his hand and summoned an artifact that looked like a shovel. Upon surging his World Force, he wielded the shovel and shattered the sword lights.
In the end, he was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had remained in this realm for quite some time. He was slightly injured due to the ambush, but after pulling himself together, he was able to display his powerful heritage.
The attacker with the Dragon-patterned shield dashed towards him as he raised the shield and brought it down.
The middle-aged man bellowed, “How dare a Third-Order insect dare act so impudent in front of this King!”
Although he couldn’t make out the people ambushing him, as his Divine Sense permeated the surroundings, he could sense that the people fighting against him were respectively in the Fifth-Order and the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Naturally, he was wary of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as he was in the same Realm, but he couldn’t believe that a mere Third-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator had the guts to fight him, which infuriated him.
Then, he extended his hand into the void and grabbed an artifact that looked like a whip. The sound of a weltering river was heard coming from the whip as pure Water Element Power erupted. This artifact seemed to have been refined from a real river.
Hei He wielded the whip and lashed the huge shield. The loud clanging sound suggested that the shield was unable to withstand the attack and cracks started appearing on its face. On the other hand, the shield’s owner was sent flying away like a sack. His figure kept spinning around in the void as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
It was extremely difficult for a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to withstand the blow of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and if it weren’t because the shield was an excellent defensive artifact, he would have been killed after that one strike.
Although he wasn’t at risk of losing his life at the moment, his Small Universe was trembling violently from the impact, making it impossible for him to keep fighting.
Nevertheless, his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. It had allowed the shattered sword lights to condense again and slash across the middle-aged man countless times.
As blood spurted out of his wounds, Hei He was horrified.
A single mistake at the outset of the battle had forced him into an almost impossible position. The ambush outside the Territory Gate made him lose the initiative, and put him at a complete disadvantage.
[Who are these people ambushing me?] Blood slid down his forehead and blurred his vision as he looked around and soon saw a person gazing at him in silence from a nearby place.
His pupils contracted as he exclaimed, “It’s you!”
That person was none other than Yang Kai.
Presently, Yang Kai was standing there with a dispassionate expression, his lips curled up as he sneered, “Hei He, this King has been waiting for you.”
Seeing as the other person directly called out his name, the middle-aged man was furious and roared, “How did you find out this King’s background?”
Yang Kai scoffed, “It’s not like no one in the Universe Temple knows who you are. I just had to ask around to find out your identity.”
After they returned from the accessories shop on that day, he told Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan to ask around. Both of them were seasoned people, so it wasn’t difficult for them to secretly gather some information.
Upon learning the truth, Yang Kai was astounded, for the person who wanted to treat him to a meal was Hei He Heavenly Monarch!
He had never met or heard of Hei He Heavenly Monarch before, but the name ‘Hei He’ made him put his guard up.
If Yang Kai wasn’t mistaken, he might have some grudges with Hei He and the origin of this dispute was Fang Tai, who was taken to Fire Spirit Land with Yang Kai in Seven Wonders Land in the past.
Fang Tai was a Worker in Fire Spirit Land, and just like Yang Kai, was coerced into joining Seven Wonders Land by Duan Hai. He claimed that he was from Black River World, and he possessed a Faith Token left behind by his ancestors.
(TL note: Hei He = Black River)
After leaping out of his Universe World, Fang Tai arrived in the 3,000 Worlds. Naturally, he wanted to use his Faith Token to look for his Seniors and seek their protection; unfortunately, he was brought to Seven Wonders Land and became little more than a slave.
Apparently, Duan Hai was also aware of Hei Hei Heavenly Monarch’s existence and knew if word got out that he had made his Junior a slave, Hei He would not let him off. To save himself from any potential trouble, Duan Hai set up Fang Tai by letting him flee from Seven Wonders Land, then branding him a traitor and having Yang Kai hunt him down.
Yang Kai still remembered that he was accompanied by two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at that time. They found Fang Tai and Yang Kai fought him one-on-one, eventually killing him with his spear.
It was also during that time when Yang Kai came across Xu Huang, which led to the turmoil in Seven Wonders Land.
Xu Huang was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and when Yang Kai was killing Fang Tai, he was observing the battle in the dark and realised that something was off. At that time, he told Yang Kai that there was a restriction in Fang Tai’s body that would mark whoever killed him with a Brand. Unless Yang Kai could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would never be able to get rid of this Brand.
The biggest use of the Brand was to point out the murderer, and if Yang Kai bumped into the Brand’s owner, the latter would immediately notice it.
For the longest time, Yang Kai had never cared about this; after all, the Outer Universe was vast, so it was unlikely that he would chance upon the Brand’s owner.
However, it just so happened that he came into contact with that person. Upon hearing the title ‘Hei He Heavenly Monarch’, Yang Kai immediately realised what was going on.
Fang Tai was from Black River World, and this Hei He was probably the one who had left a Brand in Fang Tai’s body.
In that case, the fact that Yang Kai had killed Fang Tai must have been exposed. Hei He made it look like he happened to have his eyes on the same accessory as Yang Kai, but in fact, he deliberately approached the latter to find out the extent of his strength.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai became vigilant.
Initially, he intended to leave the Universe Temple after half a month and continued his journey, but in the end, he stayed there for an additional two months because he had to make preparations.
His preparation yielded excellent results as the ambush resulted in Hei He being seriously injured.
Unlike how calm and collected Yang Kai was, presently, Hei He was both furious and shocked. He was furious because he regarded himself as an intelligent person, so he had never expected that he would be set up by this brat. On the other hand, he was shocked because the auras of the two Open Heaven Realm Masters with this boy were vastly different from what he had sensed previously.
When he met this trio earlier, he secretly inspected the cultivation of the two Open Heaven Realm Masters. The woman was in the Fourth Order while the man was in the Second Order at that time. As for Yang Kai, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so Hei He paid him no regard at all.
However, after trading moves with these people, he realised that he was very wrong. The man was in the Third-Order instead of Second-Order, but that didn’t really matter. The crux of the problem was that the sword-wielding woman was in the Fifth Order!
Hei He Heavenly Monarch was only a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the woman was just as powerful as he was, so he instantly found himself at a disadvantage after being successfully ambushed.
He now knew that Yang Kai was a wicked and cunning man who told his subordinates to conceal their auras to deceive him. That realisation made him so furious that he was about to spit blood.
He thought that Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had used some Secret Technique to restrict their auras, but reality was far different from what he had imagined. Two months ago, Lu Xue was really in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, while Guo Zi Yan was just in the Second-Order.
The reason they could go through such a transformation in such a short period of time was that they had consumed World Fruits.
The information regarding Hei He gathered by Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan made Yang Kai have a headache. Fifth Order and Fourth Order were just one Order apart, but the gap in power was akin to the difference between the Heavens and Earth. There was no way Lu Xue was able to defeat Hei He as she was.
It wasn’t like Yang Kai could hide inside the Universe Temple forever. In order to solve this problem, he had to let Lu Xue ascend to the next Order.
However, it was extremely difficult for an Open Heaven Realm Master to achieve a breakthrough. It would normally take centuries of accumulation and cultivation to ascend even one Order. Yang Kai couldn’t possibly wait for such a long time. Fortunately, he had some World Fruits in his possession.
He possessed three Mid-Rank World Fruits. Before leaving Void Land, he had given one of them to Yue He, so he was left with two. Now, his life was hanging by a thread, so he had no choice but to let Lu Xue consume one.
Guo Zi Yan was given a Low-Rank World Fruit.
They were held up in the Universe Temple for two more months because Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had to refine the World Fruits.
The World Fruits indeed lived up to their reputation. With the help of these amazing fruits, both of them managed to ascend to the next Order, which allowed them to gain the upper hand in this battle.
However, even though Lu Xue had ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she still might not be a match for Hei He in a one-on-one fight; after all, she had only just broken through, so her foundation wasn’t stable. She needed a long time of accumulation before she could properly use her strength. On the other hand, Hei He was a veteran Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Be it the heritage of his Small Universe or his control of his World Force, Lu Xue wasn’t comparable to him.
Even though they were in the same Order, there was a conspicuous gap between their powers.
With that said, Lu Xue had the capital to fight against him, so following the ambush, she managed to take a decisive advantage.
The battle went on in the void. Lu Xue wielded her weapon as sword light engulfed her opponent. She was doing her best to maintain the advantage she had gained with difficulty, and she wouldn’t dare to be complacent. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan immediately returned to the battlefield after he was sent flying away. In a battle between two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he, a newly promoted Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not be of much use. Even so, he would still be able to distract Hei He’s attention, though the price he had to pay was that he would be struck with a heavy blow every time.
After all, Hei He had a deeper heritage. As the battle went on, he slowly composed himself and soon found a glimmer of hope. During his fight with Lu Xue, he realised that she wasn’t as powerful as she appeared to be. This woman, who was also in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was clearly weaker than he was. If he went all out, he would be able to defeat her.
However, he feigned ignorance of this reality as he growled and continued retreating, as though he was really no match for her.
On the other hand, Lu Xue was relentless. The power of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm mesmerised her as one of her long-held dreams had finally come true, which strengthened her belief that she was right to have chosen to stay in Void Land. If she had left on her own, she would’ve had to cultivate for several hundred more years before she could ascend to the Fifth Order.
Now, she had been granted a precious World Fruit that allowed her to raise her Order directly and increased her growth limit.
In the past, her limit would have been the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was still within the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, but now, her limit was the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
It never crossed her mind that she would one day have a chance to experience the wonders of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. This made her feel eternally grateful, which was why she was doing her best to ensure Yang Kai’s safety.
As her World Force undulated and streamed into the cold water longsword in her hand, the sword light expanded, and rays of Sword Qi criss-crossed one another, making it extremely difficult for Hei He to parry her attacks.
In the midst of the intense battle, Lu Xue found an opening in Hei He’s defence and thrust her sword forward decisively.
Sword light could be seen glistening as Lu Xue had gone all out in this attack. If Hei He, who was also in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, got struck by it, he would be severely wounded.
Just as the sword was about to stab into him though, Hei He suddenly grinned and wielded his whip as his aura abruptly surged.
In an instant, Lu Xue felt a horrifying force coming at her. Pressured by the World Force, she felt as if she was unable to resist it.
[He was concealing his true power!] Lu Xue was horrified. Instantly, her sword light shattered as Hei He’s whip struck her, drawing a grunt from her lips as her entire figure was shaken. The Small Universe in her body was trembling violently, and her World Force became disordered.
Looking up, she realised that Hei He had thrown her off and was now headed straight towards Yang Kai.
[I was tricked!] Lu Xue clenched her teeth, knowing that she had been fooled. Apparently, Hei He had the power to turn things around all along, but he had been concealing it just to make a move at the most critical moment. His target had always been Yang Kai.
It was apparent that Yang Kai was the leader of this group, and while it wasn’t easy for Hei He to deal with Lu Xue, as long as he could capture Yang Kai, the outcome of the battle would be decided. With Yang Kai in his grasp, he could go or stay as he pleased.
It had to be said that his plan was well thought out. Lu Xue was distracted by her newly obtained Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm power, so she failed to notice this subtle deception, and it was already too late by the time she understood what was happening.
While she was sent flying, Lu Xue grit her teeth as a crack appeared on her glabella. It was as if a third eye had opened on her forehead.
Third Eye Sword!
This was Lu Xue’s trump card. She wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary because it consumed a tremendous amount of her energy. Now that Yang Kai was facing a life-or-death crisis though, a guilt-ridden Lu Xue had no other choice.
A faint sword light shot out from her glabella. It wasn’t dazzling or imposing, but despite the fact that it flew forward silently, it was filled with murderous intent. The sword light directly shot towards Hei He’s back.
At the same time, Yang Kai wore a terrified expression as he widened his eyes and staggered backwards while shouting, “Don’t come near me! Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you!”
Seeing as Yang Kai still dared to threaten him, Hei He guffawed, “Brat, since you had the guts to kill my descendant, I’ll make life a living Hell for you today!”
As he extended his hand, he sealed off the space around them, and even the Void seemed to have been suppressed. This was the manifestation of the power of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Certainly, Hei He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the Third Eye Sword was coming at him from behind, but he had the confidence to capture Yang Kai first before dodging the terrifying attack.
Time seemed to have frozen. Lu Xue, who had unleashed her Third Eye Sword, turned pale and shot forward. She appeared to be on pins and needles. Guo Zi Yan ignored his own safety and roared before rushing forward with his shield.
Although they were eager to save Yang Kai, they couldn’t possibly be swifter than Hei He, who had managed to throw both of them off with his little trick.
Seeing as his opponent’s hand was about to reach him, Yang Kai suddenly flashed a cunning smile at Hei He and raised his hand to summon the gourd vine.
Then, he wielded the vine and in an instant, Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers blended together, mutually strengthening one another and the aura of World Force spread around.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai lashed Hei He with the vine.
“Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!?” The grin on Hei He’s face froze, and his expression was transformed by shock, for he could feel a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura coming from the vine. He couldn’t help having a doubt in his mind.
[Has this Brat been pretending to be weak this whole time? He looks like an Emperor Realm brat, but he might actually be in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!!]
The moment of shock and hesitation made him lose his only chance. The gourd vine shattered Hei He’s palm print and struck right at his head. A horrified Hei He hurriedly withdrew his whip to parry the blow.
As the vine and the whip clashed, an intense force spread around.
On the gourd vine, the seven small bottle gourds rolled away and fell into a deep sleep. On the other hand, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying away.
Although he could activate the gourd vine’s power, this thing could only shock the opponent but couldn’t be used to fight against him; after all, the other party was a real Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After trading moves, Yang Kai immediately suffered serious injuries. He felt all his five viscera and six organs weltering in his body, and many of his bones had cracked.
Nevertheless, it was enough. Although Yang Kai could only make one strike with the gourd vine, he had managed to ward off Hei He and send him flying back.
*Chi…*
Hei He’s expression instantly turned hideous as he sprayed out a blood mist.
This couldn’t be helped. Lu Xue’s Third Eye Sword struck right at his back and formed a cut that stretched from his shoulder to his waist, exposing his battered organs and drawing a copious amount of blood.
If Yang Kai hadn’t made such a surprising move, Hei He could’ve captured him and dodged the Third Eye Sword; however, a moment of hesitation made him lose his chance, and he was subsequently struck by Lu Xue’s attack without being able to defend himself.
Third Eye Sword was Lu Xue’s trump card, so it was expected to be horrendously powerful. Upon impact, Hei He’s aura deflated significantly.
“Cunning brat! This King swears to torture you to death one day!” Hei He bellowed before turning around and fleeing swiftly.
He was severely injured, so he didn’t dare to remain. The most important thing for him now was to look for a place to recuperate. Although he acted threateningly, he was determined to flee. That was because he knew that given the condition he was in, there was no way he could capture Yang Kai. Rather than wasting time here, he reckoned that he should escape now and make a comeback in the future.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t let him go. Seeing as Hei He had turned into a ray of light, he immediately called out to Lu Xue, “Quickly! Pursue him!”
Lu Xue obediently fished out her windmill artifact, whereupon the three of them dashed inside and chased after Hei He.
Inside the windmill, Lu Xue was still reeling from the shock. Earlier, Yang Kai almost fell into mortal danger because of her negligence. If it weren’t because Yang Kai still had a trump card up his sleeve to save himself at the most critical moment, he would’ve been captured.
Her guilt soon turned into fury as she ignored her injuries and spared no effort to hunt down their opponent. Moreover, Hei He was heavily wounded, so the gap between the two parties was rapidly shortening.
“Take it slow. There’s no rush.” Yang Kai suddenly comforted her as he knew what was on Lu Xue’s mind. Then, he and Guo Zi Yan sat down with their legs crossed and began swallowing pills to heal themselves.
Although the three of them were injured during the battle, Hei He was worse off. That was the result after Lu Xue ascended to the next Order. In the past, if they faced a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Hei He, they would’ve been totally powerless to resist.
Now, the situation was in Yang Kai’s favour. Hei He was on his own, so while he had to flee, he also had to heal his wounds. As long as Yang Kai could keep chasing after him, he would exhaust Hei He and ensure that he couldn’t recover from his injuries. Eventually, Hei He would be forced into a corner.
Apparently, Hei He realised that as well, so he had been trying to shake them off. Nevertheless, he was severely injured, so how was he supposed to achieve that?
The two parties went on to move across half of the Great Territory. While hunting him down, Lu Xue kept sending out horrifying sword waves at him. Due to the distance, she couldn’t really harm him, but Hei He also had to remain focused on dodging and defending himself, so he had no time to recuperate.
“Don’t you cross the line! Do you think this King is unable to fight back? This King will perish together with you all at worst!” Hei He yelled at them in fury.
Standing inside the windmill, Yang Kai scoffed and remained unfazed. Hei He’s behaviour suggested that he indeed didn’t have a way out; otherwise, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have made such empty threats.
A few days later, after the windmill arrived at a Universe World, they realised that Hei He was nowhere to be found.
The three of them looked down at the Universe World. This place was similar to the Star Boundary. There were countless such Universe Worlds in the 3,000 Worlds and the reason Hei He had disappeared must be that he had snuck into this world.
It had to be said that it was a wise choice. After he entered this Universe World and concealed his aura, it would be like a water drop falling into the ocean. If they didn’t have any special tracking technique, they could never locate him.
Yang Kai and the others didn’t have such a technique. Frowning, Yang Kai gave it a thought for a moment and made a decision, “Go down.”
If he couldn’t kill Hei He this time, there was bound to be more trouble in the future. If Hei He tailed him secretly and found the Star Boundary, things would become thorny.
Upon receiving his order, Lu Xue drove the windmill towards the Universe World.
Every Universe World had an invisible World Barrier. This barrier not only protected the cultivators in this world but also restricted them. Only when their strength reached a certain point could they break free of these restrictions and head to the Outer Universe. Conversely, if an outsider wanted to get in, they had to break through this World Barrier.
Of course, this kind of barrier was nothing to Lu Xue as she could easily break through it. After the windmill was put away, the three of them looked around and realised that Hei He was nowhere to be found. He must have found a place and hid himself.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had already expected this. If he was Hei He, he would’ve done the same, so after a snort, he shouted to the skies, “Where are the Great Emperors of this world? Present yourselves to me now!”
This world was similar to the Star Boundary, and its World Principles were on the same level, so there must be Great Emperors here. As for the number of Great Emperors, it depended on the capacity of the World’s Bottle.
While Yang Kai was entering this Universe World earlier, he could clearly feel some Divine Senses inspecting him. Obviously, these Divine Senses belonged to the Great Emperors of this world.
The Great Emperors in any Universe World had obtained the World’s Will, which allowed them to borrow its World Force.
It could be said that the Great Emperors were still just Emperor Realm cultivators, and their personal power stayed within that realm, but in their own Universe World, they were able to display the power of the Open Heaven Realm.
After all, the fundamental difference between the Emperor Realm and Open Heaven Realm was the ability to use World Force.
In the past, Great Demon God raised chaos in the Star Boundary. He was able to use the power of the Open Heaven Realm; however, in the Star Boundary, Yang Kai and the other Great Emperors were still able to borrow World Force and kill him.
Usually, when the Great Emperors were in their own Universe Worlds, their strength would be equivalent to the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm if they went all out; therefore, some Great Emperors were not willing to leave their Universe Worlds, for once they did that, they would lose the ability to utilize World Force.
However, there were some benefits to be gained if they chose to leave, which was a chance to comprehend the secrets of a higher Martial Dao. It was entirely up to them to make that decision.
If Yang Kai wanted to look for Hei He, the best way to do so was to seek help from the Great Emperors in this world as they must be aware of Hei He’s whereabouts.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt speechless at the fact that after he called out to them, no one replied. The Great Emperors in this world pretended that they hadn’t heard him. Apparently, they wanted to stay out of this mess.
Firstly, Hei He barged into this world, then Yang Kai and the others raced after him and arrived at this place. Anyone who wasn’t blind could see that this was a fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters, so it was understandable that the Great Emperors of this world were not willing to interfere.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t give up, so after looking down for a moment, he nodded his head, “This is such a peaceful place. The city here has many residents, and all of them are able to live and work harmoniously together. There are no conflicts at all. The Great Emperors of this world have managed it well.”
Following his gaze, Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue looked down and saw a city; however, they didn’t understand why he commented on it.
“Destroy this city for me. Make sure no one is left alive!” Yang Kai suddenly pointed at the city with a hideous expression.
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue turned to look at him, hardly able to conceal the shock behind their gazes.
It had been quite some time since they started following Yang Kai, and they knew that he wasn’t someone who was blood-thirsty or who killed the innocent for no reason. It could be said that he was a reasonable man, so why was he giving an order like he was a Devil Lord now?
There were more than 1 million people in the city below them. These were over 1 million Humans, not blades of grass.
While Lu Xue was hesitant, Guo Zi Yan cupped his fists and replied solemnly, “Yes.”
Then, he hovered above the city and, ignoring his own injuries, surged his World Force before raising his hand. At that instant, the sky turned dark as a gigantic palm took shape above the city. Following Guo Zi Yan’s movement, the huge palm slowly forced its way down.
While Lu Xue’s heart leapt to her throat, Yang Kai crossed his arms and sneered.
In the city, countless people looked up at the sky in horror. The gigantic palm had shaded all light from them and as it descended, the aura of death filled the air.
The city fell into chaos as people were heard screaming and crying. Although Guo Zi Yan was only in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was nothing in the 3,000 Worlds, he could easily destroy such a city.
Just as the palm was about to hit the city, someone was suddenly heard yelling, “Stop!”
At the same time, World Force was mobilised as it turned into a dense light and shot towards the enormous palm. Upon impact, the palm became damaged. Consequently, Guo Zi Yan grunted and staggered backwards.
The residents in the city had just escaped from death’s door as they started shouting, “It’s Senior Qi Hai!”
“Senior Qi Hai has come to rescue us!”
“Senior Qi Hai, you have to stand up for us!”
“Senior Qi Hai…”
All of them were cheering for the person called Qi Hai.
Yang Kai snorted and turned to look in a particular direction, only to see an elderly man rapidly approaching him. As he was flying, he wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.
This elderly man was apparently the ‘Senior Qi Hai’ that these residents had called out.
If possible, he wasn’t willing to meddle in a fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, Yang Kai had threatened to kill the million residents of this city. Therefore, he had to appear even though he wasn’t willing to; after all, he was a Great Emperor who had obtained the World’s Will. If he just let these people perish, he would suffer a backlash from this World.
Yang Kai was also a Great Emperor, so he was fully aware of this. Sometimes, a threat was more effective than persuasion. He didn’t really intend to kill a million people, so even if Qi Hai didn’t make a move in the end, Yang Kai would still tell Guo Zi Yan to stop.
After all, he wasn’t really a Devil Lord. Although the way he did it was extreme, it had to be said that it yielded an excellent result.
“Thousand Inspirations World’s Qi Hai greets Sirs and Madame.” The elderly man flew towards Yang Kai and cupped his fist.
An arrogant Yang Kai was seen with Evil Qi surrounding his face, and his Demon Essence was so ample that it was as though he was really a wicked Devil Lord. Upon shooting him a glance, he sneered, “Why don’t you keep hiding? This King thought you’d never show up.”
Qi Hai brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead and said apologetically, “This Old Master was cultivating in seclusion, so he wasn’t aware of your arrival. Please forgive me for the mistake I’ve made.”
“Since you know you’ve made a mistake, how do you want to die?” Yang Kai’s murderous intent surged.
“What?” Qi Hai was stunned. He didn’t mean what he said, but Yang Kai had taken it seriously, which went to show that the latter was indeed a Devil Lord. Apprehensive, he pleaded, “Sir, please punish me.”
He was a Great Emperor, but he knew that even though they were in Thousand Inspirations World, and he had the blessing of the World Force, he was unable to go against these people.
In a grim voice, Yang Kai continued, “This King should skin you alive, pull out all your tendons, and suck out your Soul to serve as a warning! However, this King has more important matters to attend to, so as long as you are useful to me, I’ll spare your pathetic life for now.”
Qi Hai felt bitter as he had realised Yang Kai’s intention and spoke respectfully, “Sir, please state your orders.”
Yang Kai replied, “This King has been pursuing a great Devil, but he has disappeared all of a sudden. He must have hidden himself here. As a Great Emperor of this world, you must be aware of anyone barging into this world. Point out his location for this King immediately. After dealing with this heinous man, you shall be rewarded.”
[Great Devil? Are you talking about yourself?] Qi Hai mocked Yang Kai in his heart, but he wouldn’t dare to say so out loud. Subserviently, he said, “Sir’s trust in this Old Master’s ability is flattering, but this old man is getting on in years and can’t see clearly…”
Before he could finish his words, Yang Kai bellowed, “Guo Zi Yan, destroy the city for me! No one is to be left alive!”
“Yes, Sir!” Guo Zi Yan grimly said.
“Wait a moment!” Qi Hai exclaimed.
Yang Kai scoffed, “What else do you want to say?”
Certainly, there was nothing else Qi Hai could say. He truly didn’t want to meddle in this fight. Be it Yang Kai or Hei He, he and everyone else in this world couldn’t afford to offend them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was behaving like a true Devil Lord, so he had no other choice.
He secretly stole a glance at Yang Kai’s grim expression attempting to speak calmly, “Sir, you should know that Thousand Inspirations World is owned by Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. Everything in this world belongs to them.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard that, “Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land?”
He immediately recalled the face of a certain petite woman.
Thousand Inspirations World was directly under Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. In other words, the great force was in this Great Territory, and it wasn’t far away from this place. It was just like Three Brilliances World and Golden Sun Continent, which were directly under Void Land.
Presently, Void Land controlled over ten Universe Worlds, with Three Brilliances World and Golden Sun Continent being just two of them. The products and human resources from these Universe Worlds belonged to Void Land. With these Universe Worlds as their foundation, there would never be a lack of talented people to recruit from, and many of these Universe Worlds might even nurture some rare treasures.
Certainly, Yang Kai was aware of Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. In the past, when he was trying to snatch the Golden Crow carcass on the Sun Star, he came across a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from that great force.
After giving it a thought, he shot a glance at Qi Hai, “Do you know Yuan Xiao Man?”
Hearing that, Qi Hai became elated, “Sir knows Senior Xiao Man?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course I know her; however, even if Yuan Xiao Man was here, she wouldn’t dare to disobey this King’s order! Who do you think you are to go against me? Guo Zi Yan, destroy the city, now!”
“Yes!”
“Stop! Stop!” Qi Hai was utterly flustered. The reason he mentioned Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land was to make Yang Kai become wary of the great force behind him; however, it never crossed his mind that Yang Kai had no regard for the great force at all. Despite knowing that this world was directly under Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land, he was still unafraid.
[What have we from Thousand Inspirations World done to deserve this calamity?] Qi Hai was incensed. He and everyone else in this world couldn’t afford to offend such a big shot.
“I’ll lead the way for you! I’ll lead the way for you! Sir, please let us off!” Qi Hai was dejected as he secretly resigned himself. He didn’t know the background of the Open Heaven Realm Master who had snuck into this place earlier, but if he couldn’t appease the Devil Lord before his eyes, the million people in the city below would die.
After weighing the pros and cons, Qi Hai had no choice but to make this decision. He secretly decided that when this incident was over, he would head to Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land and inform his superiors about it.
“You should’ve agreed from the beginning.” Yang Kai snorted, “Lead the way!”
Qi Hai sighed and moved in a particular direction.
Yang Kai summoned Guo Zi Yan, whereupon the three of them followed the elderly man. Soon, they reached an ocean and were hovering above it. Looking down, they saw an island in front of them. Qi Hai stopped moving forward and gave Yang Kai a hint with his eyes.
Upon getting his hint, Yang Kai sneered, “Is this the place? Good, the environment is quite picturesque.”
Then, he released his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t detect Hei He’s aura. This couldn’t be helped as Hei He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and there was a huge gap between their cultivations. Presently, Hei He was hiding on this island, so without the Great Emperor of this world leading the way, they would never have been able to locate him.
“Scram if you don’t want to die.” Yang Kai waved his hand at Qi Hai, who appeared horrified and ran for his life. Soon, he disappeared into the distance.
To him, leading the way for Yang Kai to locate Hei He was already the best he could do. There was no way he’d meddle in the fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Looking down, Yang Kai asked, “Do you see anything?”
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue shook their heads, meaning that they discovered nothing.
Yang Kai knew that there was no way Qi Hai had lied to him. Since he had led them to this place, there shouldn’t have been any mistake, unless Hei He was able to deceive the old man as well.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t likely to happen. As a Great Emperor, Qi Hai had obtained part of the World’s Will, so he could detect any movement happening in this world.
The island was small, and it was basically deserted, so Yang Kai directly waved his hand and ordered, “Flush him out.”
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue immediately charged forward as they bombarded the island with their Secret Techniques.
Soon, the island shattered and a faint aura suddenly appeared as a glint flashed across Lu Xue’s eyes, “Found him!”
Her sword slashed across the air, whereupon a radius of ten thousand kilometres of the ocean was immediately frozen.
Following a loud boom, a figure broke through the ice and flew up into the sky. The person appeared battered, and his aura was unsteady. He was none other than Hei He. Previously, he was injured by Lu Xue’s Third Eye Sword, and while he was fleeing, he was repeatedly attacked by her. Even though he was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was unable to continue like this; otherwise, he wouldn’t have snuck into this world to recuperate.
However, not long after that, his whereabouts were exposed. Both shocked and infuriated, he snarled, “Brat, don’t do too far! We might meet again in the future and there is no blood feud between us, so why are you so determined to ruthlessly kill me?”
Yang Kai snickered, “You are the one who found fault with me first, but now you’re saying such nonsense? Aren’t you ashamed at all?”
Certainly, Hei He wasn’t ashamed. If he had known that Yang Kai had a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by his side, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly. He was certain that Yang Kai had killed his Junior, but the dead couldn’t be resurrected, and it was unwise to challenge a fellow Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for a dead Junior.
Since he was able to ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was no way Hei He was an impetuous person; instead, he was adept at examining the situation he was in and making logical decisions. If Lu Xue had revealed her Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura earlier, he would’ve pretended that he hadn’t seen Yang Kai. Nevertheless, it was too late to regret it now.
After Hei He was forced to appear, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan pounced on him as they joined forces and relentlessly attacked. Guo Zi Yan was just a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was difficult for him to deal with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; nonetheless, Hei He was in a terrible state, so Gui Zi Yan just had to distract him from the side. Most of the pressure was borne by Lu Xue, so he wasn’t in danger.
Things were going south for Hei He. He appeared dejected, and he had a feeling that he might lose his life here on this day. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to flee, but he was unable to do so. At that moment, he was both resentful and regretful as he bellowed, “What do you want? Tell me and I’ll do it for you!”
Yang Kai sneered without saying a word, seemingly determined to end his life.
Hei He felt his heart sinking. Due to Yang Kai’s behaviour, he made up his mind to perish together with them. Despite the fact that he might exhaust himself, he still expended a lot of energy to activate his Secret Techniques to fight back.
Guo Zi Yan was quickly defeated as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Earlier, Hei He was holding back his power as he believed he had a chance to survive, so Guo Zi Yan was still able to meddle in the battle. Now that Hei He no longer cared about his own life and was acting recklessly, Guo Zi Yan could not join the battlefield again. Left with no choice, he wandered around the perimeter and sent out some weak Secret Techniques at his opponent.
Following a loud boom, a depression with a diameter of several hundred kilometres appeared on the ocean. The water that had been there evaporated in an instant and a buzzing sound reverberated around the world. Countless Void Cracks appeared and flitted about like a big school of fish.
With two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting against one another, this world was unable to withstand the impact. Fortunately, the Great Emperors had been secretly observing this battle and continuously mobilised the World Force to dampen the fallout of the battle. Otherwise, all the lives in the ocean would’ve been destroyed by now.
In fact, Hei He had yielded some results by going all out.
It had only been a short time since Lu Xue ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so she didn’t have enough time to consolidate and solidify her foundation. Previously, the reason she could injure Hei He with her Third Eye Sword was that Yang Kai had caught him off guard by using the gourd vine. Furthermore, it was extremely energy-consuming to use the Third Eye Sword, so she was unable to use it again after such a short period of time.
Soon, she fell into a disadvantage in this fight as her tender body was sent flying away like a sack. While in mid-air, she sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and her aura withered.
[An opening!] Seeing that, Hei He turned around and shot into the sky without hesitation.
Guo Zi Yan wanted to stop him, but he was sent flying away by his whip. Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles and appeared in front of Lu Xue before supporting her weight.
Lu Xue coughed out some blood and said through clenched teeth, “Sir, I can still fight!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and comforted, “Don’t worry. He can’t escape us.”
Then, he extended his hand into the void and pulled out a bunch of grapes.
As soon as the bunch of grapes appeared, it grew hands and stood akimbo as he guffawing, “Uncle Pu has come!” Soon, he realised that something was off though and glared at Yang Kai, “Brat, what are you trying to do? I’ll fight you!”
He attempted to scratch Yang Kai with his short hands as though he was determined to kill him; however, Yang Kai had already picked a grape from his head and stuffed him back inside the Small Sealed World.
Then, he directly stuffed the grape into Lu Xue’s mouth, “Eat it!”
Without hesitation, Lu Xue gulped it down, and the next instant, her originally listless gaze radiated a powerful glow.
In the Primordial Land, Yang Kai had obtained three Divine Medicines, and they respectively had amazing uses. First, the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom was able to make people hallucinate, so it was truly extraordinary. He also had the gourd vine. The seven small bottle gourds could nurture Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers. With the help of the gourd vine, he could also make a strike that was equivalent to the might of a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Last but not least, even though Pu Bai Xiong wasn’t able to fight, he was a Divine Medicine with grapes that had astonishing healing properties. Yang Kai had consumed two of his grapes before, so he was aware of their potency.
The medicinal efficacies exploded in Lu Xue’s stomach as her physique and meridians were filled with the surging vitality. In an instant, half of Lu Xue’s injuries were healed, and she no longer appeared as listless as before.
“Many thanks, Sir!” Lu Xue said gratefully.
“Pursue him, but don’t kill him,” Yang Kai ordered.
After a nod, she turned into a ray of sword light and disappeared into the sky.
Then, Yang Kai approached Guo Zi Yan and checked on him. Fortunately, he was fine as he had only exhausted himself. Even though he had some injuries, they were not severe. A moment later, both of them also dashed into the sky.
After the three of them were gone, figures started appearing above the ocean, which was still in chaos. With Qi Hai as the leader, there were 9 people in total. They were the Great Emperors of this world.
Gazing at the chaotic battlefield as well as the weltering ocean and broken World Principles, these Great Emperors sported solemn expressions as they were still reeling from the shock. They had done nothing wrong, but calamity still befell them; however, since it was a battle between Open Heaven Realm Masters, there was nothing they could do. Fortunately, the battle only lasted for a short time, so their World hadn’t been severely damaged.
“There’s something here.” One of the Great Emperors discovered something a moment later and extended his hand to grab a Space Ring. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, he became rooted to the spot.
Seeing that, the other Great Emperors quickly asked him what it was, and upon learning the truth, all of them became ecstatic.
This couldn’t be helped, as the Space Ring contained some 50,000 Open Heaven Pills. This was a massive amount of wealth for any Emperor Realm cultivator.
It was impossible for such a ring to appear here for no reason. Someone must have left it on purpose.
After pondering on it for a moment, Qi Hai suddenly burst into laughter, “That boy wasn’t a Devil Lord. He was bluffing the whole time!”
Apparently, the ring was left behind by Yang Kai as a form of compensation for this world. If he were really a wicked Devil Lord, he would’ve just left and ignored the people in this world cursing his name.
As a Great Emperor of this world, Qi Hai wasn’t a fool, so he immediately figured out what was going on after giving it a thought.
However, this was still a serious matter that had to be reported to the great force behind them; therefore, the nine Great Emperors shared the Open Heaven Pills first before holding a discussion. Then, Qi Hai and another female Great Emperor headed to Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land to report what had happened in Thousand Inspirations World.
While Qi Hai and the female Great Emperor were setting off, somewhere in the void, Hei He Heavenly Monarch, appeared dejected as his aura had withered. His body was covered with wounds, and his clothes were soaked in blood. His brow twitched as he was rooted to the spot.
In a nearby place across from him, Lu Xue was staring fixedly at him, but didn’t seize the chance to kill him.
Hei He was fully aware that given the condition he was in, he was no better than a dry oil lamp. If the woman in front of him wanted to end his life, he would be powerless to resist.
However, even though his opponent wasn’t making a move, her aura had already locked onto him. He believed that once he made any move, he would be attacked. When that happened, he wouldn’t be able to hold her off, so he didn’t dare to move a muscle.
[What’s going on?] He could not understand.
Previously, in Thousand Inspirations World, he had gone all out and severely injured this woman, so supposedly, she shouldn’t have much energy left, but the truth was far from it.
The woman wasn’t in as terrible a state as he had imagined; rather, she was even now recovering rapidly. He wasn’t sure what precious pill she had consumed or what Forbidden Technique she had used, he only knew that despite the fact that he had gone all out in this battle, he had still lost in the end.
While they were locked in a confrontation, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan finally reached them.
Seeing the situation before him, Yang Kai wasn’t surprised one bit.
Hei He was already on his last legs while Lu Xue had consumed a Divine Medicine’s grape and then raced after him. There was no way he could fend her off. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had told Lu Xue not to kill him, Hei He would’ve become a corpse by now.
Seeing Yang Kai, Hei He sported a conflicted expression. Since he detected the aura of the restriction he had planted back at the Universe Temple, he had been plotting to avenge his Junior’s death. It wasn’t that he treasured the Junior as he just planted the restriction on a whim in the past. Nevertheless, his Junior had been killed, so he would lose face if he couldn’t retaliate against the murderer.
He also didn’t have any regard for Yang Kai and his companions, believing that he could kill the three of them easily. It never crossed his mind that this mistake would cost him his life.
Forcing a smile, he said to Yang Kai, “Little Brother, grudges should be resolved, not formed. I’m willing to pay a price to make peace with you and will swear an oath to not find fault with you again.”
He had no choice but to admit defeat. He wasn’t willing to be so obsequious, but his life was at risk, so he preferred a temporary embarrassment to a permanent death.
Seeing his behaviour, Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction. If Hei He were unyielding, things would’ve been troublesome. He had suffered a big loss this time, so Yang Kai was determined to gain something back.
“What price can you pay?” Yang Kai looked nonchalantly at him.
Hearing that, Hei He relaxed slightly. He was worried that Yang Kai would directly order Lu Xue to end his life. In that case, he could never survive. As long as Yang Kai was willing to discuss terms, it was to his favour.
Although he was heartbroken, he still hurriedly fished out something from his Space Ring and held it in his palm, “Little Brother, what do you think about this?”
The item glistened with a golden glow and radiated a Fifth-Order Metal Element Power.
Yang Kai took one glance at it and lost interest as he scoffed, “Trash!”
“T-Trash?” Hei He choked. This was a Fifth-Order material which was worth 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills! He had obtained it with great difficulty a long time ago, so how could it possibly be trash?
[Is he trying to raise the price?] Hei He secretly clenched his teeth and fished out more resources, almost emptying out his entire fortune.
Nevertheless, in Yang Kai’s eyes, these things were nothing more than rubbish.
Hei He’s face twitched as he had fished out all his most precious items, but Yang Kai wasn’t moved one bit, wondering, [Is he really going to ruthlessly kill me?]
Suppressing his anger, Hei He asked, “Little Brother, what do you want? Please name your price.”
With his lips curving into a smile, Yang Kai sized Hei He up and said, “I only have one request. If you agree to it, I’ll let you off. If you dare to say no, you’ll die today.”
Hei He turned pale and cupped his fists, “Please speak plainly. As long as this Hei is able to, he won’t turn you down.”
At that instant, Yang Kai became enthusiastic as he summoned an ancient-looking book that was made from animal skin. Upon opening it, he said, “It’s simple. Just leave your name and aura here.”
“This is…” Upon seeing the words on the cover, Hei He exclaimed, “Loyalty List? You have the Loyalty List?!”
It was a well-known fact that this book belonged to Loyalty Demon in the past, but why was it in this brat’s hands now? It was said that the Loyalty List had been destroyed along with Loyalty Demon! What was the relationship between this boy and Loyalty Demon!?
“Oh?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him, “You know the Loyalty List? Things will be much simpler then.”
“You want to enslave this Hei?” Hei He was infuriated. In order to survive, he was willing to pay a steep price, but that didn’t mean that he was willing to surrender his freedom. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could never tolerate being bossed around by a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
Yang Kai’s face sank as his murderous intent surged, “What’s wrong? Are you not willing to? In that case, you can die.”
Lu Xue lifted her sword as her weapon howled.
A horrified Hei He hurriedly raised his hand as his forehead was drenched in cold sweat, “Wait a moment…”
“I have no time to waste on you. You have ten breaths to think about it. Live or die, it’s your choice!” Yang Kai snorted and hinted at Lu Xue.
As her World Force undulated, Lu Xue stepped forward and pointed her sword at Hei He.
Internally struggling, Hei He felt cold sweat drip down his face. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had always been aloof, so he wasn’t willing to be enslaved; however, as his life was at risk now, he didn’t have the right to say no.
Sensing Lu Xue’s murderous intent, he knew that Yang Kai wasn’t pulling his leg. If he refused, his life would end. Should he agree to it just like that? It was simply too embarrassing!
Ten breaths later, Yang Kai sported a cold expression, “What an obstinate man. Kill him!”
Just as Lu Xue was about to make a move, Hei He hung his head low and shouted through gritted teeth, “I’ll do it! Little Brother, please let me off.”
He wasn’t an unyielding person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have backed down so quickly just now. In order to survive, he didn’t mind leaving his name and aura on the Loyalty List. In any case, he could try to get rid of that restriction in the future as long as he survived.
Yang Kai grinned, “You’ve definitely made a wise choice.”
Then, he had Hei He leave his name and aura on the Loyalty List. During the process, Lu Xue remained vigilant as she stared fixedly at him. As long as he dared to make any rash movement, she would immediately end his life.
Soon, Hei He’s name appeared on the second page of the Loyalty List and Yang Kai could clearly feel that a connection had been established between Hei He and the book.
The Loyalty List was an amazing artifact which could be used without the need to refine it. The book was made from Xie Zhi’s flesh and essence. Xie Zhi was one of the Divine Spirits, and was born able to judge right from wrong, malicious from benign. The book made from his physique had this effect as well.
The book had many benefits, but there was also a downside.
Since Yang Kai was unable to refine it, it meant that he could never fully control the book. In other words, if someone snatched the Loyalty List, they could determine the life or death of the people whose names were recorded in it.
Initially, there was only one name on the Loyalty List, which was Chen Tian Fei. Now, Hei He’s name filled the second page. The entire book consisted of only nine pages; in other words, the owner of the book could only enslave nine people.
Yang Kai had practically traded a page for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to be his subordinate. This deal was worth it.
However, it had also cost Yang Kai two extraordinarily precious World Fruits. In order to allow Lu Xue to have the power to fight against Hei He, he had let her consume a Mid-Rank World Fruit while he had also given Guo Zi Yan a Low-Rank World Fruit which allowed him to ascend to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai only had three Mid-Rank World Fruits in total and previously, he had given one to Yue He. Now he had let Lu Xue consume another one, so he only had one left.
Hei He was fully aware of the situation he was in. Since he had left his name on the Loyalty List, he was powerless to resist; therefore, he changed his attitude and took the initiative to give Yang Kai the items he had fished out earlier as a form of apology.
Instead of rejecting him, Yang Kai accepted the things with a smile. These items weren’t worth anything in his eyes now, but he needed a lot of resources to build the Nine Heavenly Layers in Void Land, so he would never refuse free resources.
Then, Lu Xue summoned her windmill, whereupon the four of them boarded and flew off while recuperating.
Hei He was severely injured and it would take him at least a year to fully recover. That was because when Lu Xue was battling against him, she was unable to hold back at all and her Third Eye Sword almost ended his life on the spot.
Even though she could help him scatter the residual Sword Intent, it was hard for him to heal his wounds.
As such, Yang Kai directly pulled Pu Bai Xiong out of the Small Sealed World, but instead of picking one of the grapes on his head, Yang Kai simply let him stay by Hei He’s side to help treat his wounds.
Pu Bai Xiong was a Divine Medicine whose primary purpose was healing with the grapes on his head being supreme tonics for treating wounds. However, even without using one of the grapes, Pu Bai Xiong could still transfer a significant amount of vitality and medicinal essence which was useful for healing wounds.
Seeing this Human Form Divine Healing Medicine, Hei He was absolutely astonished. It was then he understood that Yang Kai had the right to say that his treasures were trash. Compared to this Divine Medicine, even his entire life’s fortune really wasn’t worthy of mention.
Four months later, the windmill stopped in front of a huge Territory Gate, which was seen with dark lights swirling around it even from a long distance.
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai was gazing at the Territory Gate. Despite his calm expression, he was nervous deep inside.
He wasn’t sure about the exact location of the Star Boundary. Since he bought the Universe Chart, he had been trying to look for it and had identified three possible locations.
Before coming across Hei He, he had searched around a Great Territory, but he discovered nothing. Two months after he made Hei He his subordinate, they entered the second possible Great Territory; unfortunately, they still couldn’t find the Star Boundary.
The Great Territory behind this Territory Gate would be the last one. If they still couldn’t find the Star Boundary in this Great Territory, Yang Kai wouldn’t know where to go next.
The three possible locations were not narrowed down by Yang Kai using his gut feelings, there was some rationale behind it.
Over the years, other than Great Demon God Mo Sheng and Heavens Order, no Open Heaven Realm Masters had visited the Star Boundary; in other words, the Star Boundary was located in an extremely remote place, and the resources in that Great Territory must be poor, which was why it couldn’t attract the attention of Open Heaven Realm Masters. If not, just like Golden Sun Continent and Thousand Inspirations World, the Star Boundary would’ve been ruled over by some great force.
In fact, if it weren’t because Great Demon God invaded the Star Boundary and Zhang Ruo Xi inherited her ancestor’s will, Yang Kai would never have found out about the Open Heaven Realm.
With this judgement in mind, he could narrow down the possibilities. The three possible locations he had found didn’t have any great forces in them. There were only some Universe Worlds with somewhat weak vitality as well as a lack of resources.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the Star Boundary in the previous two Great Territories, and he wondered if he could achieve his goal after passing through the Territory Gate in front of him.
If he still couldn’t find the Star Boundary, he would have no choice but to look for Zhang Ruo Xi. She had inherited Heavens Order’s will and memories. Although it wasn’t complete, she might be aware of the Star Boundary’s location.
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai spoke up, “Let’s go.”
Upon receiving the order, Lu Xue drove the windmill into the Territory Gate. Despite the fact that they had the protection of this flight-type artifact, they still felt dizzy inside the windmill. Nevertheless, they were fine and a moment later, the windmill passed through the Territory Gate and entered a different Great Territory.
Yang Kai immediately released his Divine Sense, but soon, his heart sank. That was because he didn’t sense anything. He was the Void Great Emperor who had obtained part of the Star Boundary’s Will. As long as the Star Boundary wasn’t too far away, he should be able to detect it.
Now, the Star Boundary was either not in this Great Territory or was too far away from him. Yang Kai secretly prayed that it was the latter as he told Lu Xue to continue forward to search around this Great Territory.
A few days later, Yang Kai suddenly detected something and turned to look in a particular direction. Grinning from ear to ear, he ordered, “Over there! That way!”
Lu Xue immediately turned the artifact around and moved in the direction he pointed.
Hei He chuckled on the side, “Congratulations, Sir. Your dream has finally come true. Your effort has been worth it.”
After four months of recuperation, he had fully recovered. It wasn’t supposed to be so swift, but with the help of Pu Bai Xiong, it took him a much shorter time to heal his wounds.
Although he wasn’t sure what Yang Kai had been looking for, he had a feeling that the latter was trying to get to someplace. Seeing as Yang Kai appeared elated, it was apparent that he had found it.
After such a long time, Hei He had gradually gotten used to his place and stopped complaining. Having come into contact with Yang Kai for quite some time, he realised that he was never oppressed or abused, so he decided to put down his pride as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and accept his fate.
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai was over the moon as he couldn’t stop laughing. Then, he patted the other man’s shoulder, “Congratulations to you too!”
Hei He rubbed his nose and felt speechless, thinking that there was nothing worth celebrating about this situation for him.
Lu Xue drove the windmill forward at a greater speed and one day later, a Universe World in the distance that looked like a half-moon came into their sight.
Yang Kai looked at it and let out a long breath. Just like any traveller returning to his homeland, he felt both anxious and hopeful. The Universe World that looked like a half-moon was none other than the Star Boundary!
From another direction, Yang Kai could feel a faint connection with another place. That was the new Demon Realm that his Embodiment was in charge of.
In the past, Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead had gained a second form he had named Gun-Gun and swallowed all the continents in the original Demon Realm. After those continents merged within the Sealed World Bead, the third region was formed.
After the war between the two Universe Worlds, the Star Boundary had suffered an immense loss, while the Demon Realm was almost wiped out. Nevertheless, there were still many Demons in the third region.
Yang Kai extracted the core of the Small Sealed World out of Gun-Gun and turned it back into the Sealed World Bead. The remaining area became the new Demon Realm, and for reasons that were beyond their control, the Embodiment had to stay in the new Demon Realm. The two top Masters, Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian, were also living there.
However, it wasn’t the time to go over as Yang Kai had to return to the Star Boundary first. As the gap shortened, the outline of the Star Boundary became clearer.
There came a moment when Lu Xue became horrified as she said, “Sir, there’s something over there. A gigantic thing seems to be in the periphery of the Universe World.”
Hei He discovered that as well, so he directed some power to his eyes to enhance his vision and soon exclaimed, “That’s… a Giant Spirit God!?” Upon finishing his words, he gasped.
The gigantic mountain was actually a Giant Spirit God!
Hei He was an experienced Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but it was the first time he had ever seen a Giant Spirit God with his own eyes. In the past, he had only heard about them.
That was a Giant Spirit God, one of the most powerful entities in the entire 3,000 Worlds. He had heard that the Giant Spirit God Clan members were all innocent and benevolent and as long as they were not provoked, they wouldn’t harm anyone; however, he was still terrified to have come across one in such a place.
Feeling a crawling sensation on her scalp, Lu Xue turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said, “Don’t worry. He’s an old acquaintance of mine.”
Guo Zi Yan widened his eyes in disbelief. On the other hand, Hei He was staring fixedly at Yang Kai as though he was trying to find out if the latter was trying to make a cheap joke at their expense.
There was a solemn expression on Yang Kai’s face, however, as the fact that Ah Da was still around suggested that the Star Boundary was in a perilous situation.
It had to be noted that Giant Spirit God Clan members had a special talent. Although they were amiable, they fed on dead Universe Worlds. In this expansive Outer Universe, as long as a Universe World was in its final moments, they would detect its special aura and hurry over. Then, they would patiently wait for the Universe World to perish before swallowing it.
If the situation in the Star Boundary had improved, Ah Da would’ve left; however, presently, he still remained in this place.
While the rest of them were horrified, the windmill still rapidly approached the Giant Spirit God.
Soon, someone was heard yelling, “Who goes there? This is the Star Boundary, stop now otherwise I will be forced to take action!”
Hearing the voice, Yang Kai chuckled before lowering his tone and saying, “You’re quite arrogant, little girl! What will you do if I don’t stop?”
Feeling speechless, the other Open Heaven Realm Masters in the windmill gazed at Yang Kai suspiciously.
The other party fell silent for a moment before she said through clenched teeth, “Little bastard, you’re finally back!”
Apparently, she recognized Yang Kai’s voice.
Yang Kai laughed and dashed out of the windmill. Looking up, he saw a slender figure with a charming face standing in the void in front of him. Her beautiful eyes were just like a divine river that radiated an alluring glow. Presently, her eyes had reddened a little as she stared at Yang Kai with clenched teeth.
Yang Kai spread his arms and shouted, “I’m back!”
In an instant, she became ecstatic and crashed into his embrace.
The woman in her arms felt incredibly soft and Yang Kai couldn’t help taking in a deep breath to get a whiff of her familiar bodily fragrance. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her hair, “I’m back, Ru Meng. It’s been too long.”
She was none other than Demon Saint Yu Ru Meng.
Yu Ru Meng looked up with her elegant eyes, which appeared slightly moist. Although it had only been about 15 years since Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, she felt as if ten millennia had passed for her.
Missing him was just one of the reasons though. After Yang Kai left, the other Great Emperors had to enter retreat to heal their injuries. In the whole of the Star Boundary, the only top Master on par with a Great Emperor left was her, so it could be said that the life or death of the entire Universe World hinged on her alone. It was an immense pressure to withstand.
Furthermore, as time passed, things only became worse in the Star Boundary. Yu Ru Meng was extremely worried that she might disappoint Yang Kai and couldn’t bear to see the Star Boundary falling apart right in front of her eyes, helpless to do anything about it.
Fortunately, she could set her mind at ease now. With the burden lifted off her shoulders, she had the urge to cry.
Yang Kai held her tighter and looked at the Star Boundary with a solemn expression.
Presently, the entire Star Boundary was filled with Death Qi. Although he hadn’t entered it yet, he could clearly feel that the World Principles were still broken. It never crossed his mind that the problem facing the Star Boundary was so severe.
Even though he had brought a World Tree’s root with him, he wasn’t certain whether it could save the Star Boundary. In the worst-case scenario, if the World Tree’s root wasn’t effective, he would take all the living creatures in the Star Boundary away with him.
However, there was a problem if he were to do that. Void Land couldn’t possibly accommodate so many people, and most cultivators in the Star Boundary were weak, so it was pointless to bring them to Void Land. Only by staying in the Star Boundary could they flourish and grow.
While the pair embraced one another, Lu Xue and the others flew over.
From close up, they finally understood why this Giant Spirit God was around. That was because he was attracted by a dying Universe World, which proved that the legends about Giant Spirit Gods were true.
They traded glances and shook their heads. To them, there was no way this world could be saved. It was just a matter of time before it perished.
Realising that some people were approaching them, Yu Ru Meng hurriedly struggled out of Yang Kai’s embrace and asked curiously, “They are…”
“They’re my subordinates,” Yang Kai explained.
Lu Xue and the others hurriedly cupped their fists, “Greetings, Madame!”
Yu Ru Meng was stunned. Despite the fact that she was a Demon Saint, she was unable to sense the true power of these three. All of them gave off a feeling that they were not inferior to Great Demon God in the past though. In fact, their strength even seemed to surpass his.
At that time, Great Demon God nearly destroyed the Star Boundary on his own, and it took all the Great Emperors working together, risking their lives to finally stop him.
However, powerful people like these three of them were actually Yang Kai’s subordinates!
[What has my man gone through in the outside world over the years?] She had many questions in her mind.
Although Yu Ru Meng was doubtful, she hadn’t forgotten her manners as she smiled and nodded at the three of them, “Many thanks for escorting this Mistress’ Husband all this time.”
Lu Xue and the others wouldn’t dare to accept her gesture of gratitude, and at the same time, they secretly felt amazed. Although Yu Ru Meng’s cultivation was nothing in their eyes, it was truly difficult to find a woman as alluring as she was. They thought that Yang Kai was extremely lucky to have gotten together with her.
After some small talk with Yu Ru Meng, Yang Kai found out the reason she was here. She was going to feed Ah Da with some ‘food’.
The Great Emperors of the Star Boundary were still recuperating, so she was the only one who was powerful enough to protect the Universe World. On the other hand, Ah Da had been lingering in the periphery of the Star Boundary. Before Yang Kai left, he had come to an agreement with him, but Ah Da wasn’t the brightest of fellows, so he might forget about the agreement and gobble up the Star Boundary at a moment’s notice.
In order to placate him, Yu Ru Meng would send some food to him from time to time. His food was made by Bustling World Great Emperors using Dead Stars from the Lower Star Fields. They were similar World Beads.
After a nod, Yang Kai took Yu Ru Meng’s hand and dashed towards Ah Da.
Compared to this humongous being, Yang Kai was like an ant standing in front of an elephant. In the past, even after he used his Dragon Transformation, he could slip into Ah Da’s nostril and grab his nasal hairs, which went to show how colossal the Giant Spirit God was.
“Ah Da! Ah Da!” Yang Kai passionately waved his hands and shouted. From a distance, Lu Xue and the others were apprehensive as they were worried that a puff of breath from the Giant Spirit God’s nostrils could kill Yang Kai.
Presently, Ah Da was chewing on his food as crunching sounds were coming from his mouth. Hearing Yang Kai’s voice, he extended his neck and took a proper look before grinning, “Little ant, it’s you! Ah Da remembers you!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It seems that you’re not too silly.”
“Ah Da remembers you. Ah Da is hungry. Ah Da must eat!” The Giant Spirit God leaned forward, which caused Yang Kai to be drenched in cold sweat in an instant as though he had been pressured by the entire universe.
He had experienced the wonders of the Outer Universe and even met some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, when compared to this Giant Spirit God, even those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed insignificant.
The Giant Spirit Gods indeed lived up to their name as the strongest species in the entire universe. Fortunately, there were not many of their clansmen, and they were all somewhat half-witted; otherwise, there wouldn’t be any room for other species to survive.
They were the testament of the saying that the Heavens were fair in all things.
While Ah Da was speaking, a deafening growl was heard coming from his stomach, causing Lu Xue and the others to turn pale in fright.
Yang Kai hurriedly poked Yu Ru Meng, who was beside him. Upon getting his hint, she tossed some chess pieces to him.
“Nom, nom, nom…” Ah Da was pleased with his food.
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to remain lest Ah Da demanded food from him again. Thus, he said to Lu Xue and the others, “All of you, stay here!”
The World Principles of the Star Boundary were broken, so the Universe World couldn’t bear such immense powers. Lu Xue and the others were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, and if they rashly entered the Star Boundary, it might have some negative impact on the Universe World. In order to be safe, Yang Kai decided to let them stay outside.
Upon receiving the order, Lu Xue and the others nodded and watched as Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng rushed into the Star Boundary.
After the pair left, the trio traded glances and secretly retreated until they were very far from their original spots. This couldn’t be helped, as the Giant Spirit God gave off immense pressure. No one dared to remain near him.
The Star Boundary was in a horrible state, and the World Principles were a mess. Void Cracks appeared randomly and traces of the war that took place several dozen years ago still remained. The Star Boundary was slowly dying, and the Great Emperors were unable to reverse it.
Due to the fact that the Principles were a mess, the living conditions in the Star Boundary had also become terrible. Natural disasters happened frequently, which caused unimaginable losses to everyone in the Star Boundary. It was akin to a death by a thousand cuts.
In the Eastern Territory, a ship was moving forward at full speed on the ocean. Behind the ship, waves were seen surging as high as several thousand metres, darkening the entire sky. Although the cultivators on the ship were trying their best to resist, they were unable to compete with the forces of nature.
People were heard screaming and wailing as hundreds of people on the ship were despondent.
In the Southern Territory, mountains shook as great chasms appeared in the earth. Scorching magma spurted out of the chasms and destroyed towns and villages. Countless people lost their homes.
With Azure Sun Temple as their leader, the great forces joined together to mitigate these disasters, but there was only so much they could do. The best they could do was to prevent more people from dying.
In the Western Territory, a great sandstorm swept across the desert and engulfed everything in its path. On the edge of the desert, the new Liu Family Patriarch looked at the sandstorm in horror and muttered with a forlorn voice, “It’s over! Everything is over!”
During the war between the two Universe Worlds, the Western Territory suffered the worst losses. That was because the traitor, Night Shadow Great Emperor, was from the Western Territory, and the Two Worlds’ Passage was originally established in this Territory.
It had been almost 70 years since the war ended, and the Liu Family had made a name for itself as a rising star. The Patriarch was a capable person and over the years, he had led his family to thrive; however, faced with the horrifying sandstorm, any move appeared useless. They could only watch as the sandstorm struck and prayed that their Grand Array could resist the impact.
However, the Liu Family Patriarch was fully aware that his family was unable to ward off the natural disaster. He wasn’t even sure how many of them could survive after the sandstorm passed.
In the Northern Territory, blizzards raged as the weather turned extremely chilly. On the once pristine lakes, ice sheets over a metre thick had formed and all the vitality froze over.
However, compared to the other Territories, the Northern Territory was still in a better state. That was because High Heaven Palace was located in this Territory. Any disciple from High Heaven Palace who had some strength would naturally go out for life experience, and resisting natural disasters was the best training for them.
In front of a certain city, a palace was hovering in mid-air. There were some glowing characters written above the doors of the palace, which read ‘Flowing Time Temple’.
At the main entrance to this floating temple stood two figures, a man and a woman. The man’s snow-white hair swayed with the wind while the similarly coloured cloak he was clad in flapped in the wind, giving him a brave and heroic look. On the other hand, the alluring woman had a slim figure. By just standing there, she looked like a hibiscus that was blooming.
The two of them gazed at the approaching Frozen Tide with solemn expressions.
Although they were fairly powerful now, and they had the help of the Flowing Time Temple, they wouldn’t dare to be careless when facing this immense force. That was because millions of people had pinned their hopes on them.
“It’s here!” Yang Xue yelled.
After a nod, Yang Xiao took a deep breath and in the next instant, the two of them raised their hands and began forming a set of complex hand seals. Then, they pushed out their palms as a howl reverberated around the world.
Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!
The horrifying Frozen Tide seemed to have gotten stuck in an eerie manner, as if time had stopped running around it.
Seeing that, the people in the city started cheering.
“Twin Masters, you’re so powerful!”
“Twin Masters, you’ve too wonderful!”
“Twin Masters, many thanks for saving us. If not for you, it would’ve been the end of the world!”
…..
Over the years, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had repeatedly taken action to ward off the natural disasters plaguing the Northern Territory and saved countless lives in the process. While the disasters had helped strengthen their powers, they had also earned the title the ‘Twins of Time’.
However, the overwhelming praises didn’t make them smile; instead, the pair sported grim expressions.
Yang Xiao said through clenched teeth, “Little Aunt, the Frozen Tide this time seems to be more ferocious than the previous one.”
Yang Xue nodded, “Can you withstand it?”
“Are you kidding me? Can I withstand it?” Yang Xiao replied arrogantly, “Little Aunt, if you can’t take it anymore, just tell me right away; after all, you’re a woman. As a man, I… Oh, no!”
Yang Xue’s expression changed slightly and without hesitation, she summoned the Infinite Hourglass. The two of them joined forces and activated it, whereupon ten-thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand left the hourglass and shot into the Frozen Tide.
In an instant, the power of the Frozen Tide visibly weakened. After the Flowing Time Divine Sand slowed the speed at which the time flowed, the Frozen Tide rapidly stalled out. Nevertheless, the Frozen Tide could not be stopped entirely.
The pair gritted their teeth and surged their Emperor Qi to push back against the Frozen Tide.
Just then, a voice was suddenly heard speaking in their minds, “Both of you have done a great job!”
They were stunned for a moment, and the next instant, they saw an illusory hand appearing in the Frozen Tide all of a sudden. The hand gently brushed across the Frozen Tide, which they were unable to stop regardless of how hard they tried, and immediately made it subside.
The turn of events was so abrupt that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were rooted to the spot. Just a moment ago, the land before them was being devastated by the Frozen Tide, but now, it was calm and peaceful. That big hand was able to easily subside the Frozen Tide as though it was just trying to smoothen a crease on a shirt.
After they traded glances, Yang Xue asked hesitantly, “Xiao’er, did you hear anything?”
Yang Xiao remained startled for a long time before he jumped up and yelled, “Adoptive Father is back!”
Without waiting for Yang Xue to react, he hurriedly drove the Flowing Time Temple towards High Heaven Palace, leaving behind millions of people who cheered gratefully to them.
At the same time, the waves on the ocean in the Eastern Territory were suppressed, leaving the people on the ship reeling from shock.
The earthquake that had been ongoing for a few months in the Southern Territory had finally stopped, and magma retreated into the depths of the earth. Wen Zi Shan and Gao Xue Ting traded glances as they were both puzzled, but the next instant, they detected something and became elated, “Senior Void is back!”
In the Western Territory, the appalling sandstorm suddenly dissipated right before it struck the Headquarters of the Liu Family. Upon escaping from death’s door, the Liu Family Patriarch fell on his bottom, all his clothes were soaked in sweat.
Billions of lives in all four Territories learned a piece of shocking news at the same time. Void Great Emperor had returned!
After a short moment of silence, cheers erupted around the entire Star Boundary.
Decades ago, during the Two Worlds Great War, Great Demon God raised chaos in the Star Boundary and almost managed to swallow it whole. It was Void Great Emperor’s Sect that remained the last pure land in the Star Boundary and had given everyone their last bit of hope. Void Great Emperor managed to turn the tide by ‘killing’ Great Demon God with his spear, which saved the Star Boundary from destruction.
After the epic war, the Great Emperors had to heal their wounds in seclusion while Void Great Emperor took the risk to leave the Star Boundary to look for a way to save it.
Now, he was back!
Upon learning that Void Great Emperor had returned, cheers went up around all four Territories.
Living in this dying Universe World, trillions were struggling to survive, so the return of Void Great Emperor had undoubtedly brought some new hope to them.
In the deepest part of High Heaven Palace, Dragon Clan Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun slowly opened their eyes. They were a married couple, and in the past, they were severely wounded during the fight against Great Demon God. Many years had passed, but they were still unable to recover despite the fact that they were Dragon Clan members. Over the years, they had been in seclusion trying to heal their wounds.
Upon trading glances, they saw the joy behind each other’s gazes.
On Spirit Beast Island in the Eastern Territory, Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang, sported a gentle smile as he muttered, “He’s finally back.”
Upon finishing his words, he rose from where he was sitting and waved his hand, whereupon the door, which had remained closed for decades, creaked open. Mo Xiao Qi was standing outside as she gazed at him with a look of pleasant surprise and called out, “Father, is Big Brother Yang back? I think I heard his voice.”
Mo Huang’s face instantly fell as he bitterly replied, “Your Father has been recuperating in seclusion for almost 70 years, but you don’t even bother to ask how he is and instead all you care about is your Big Brother Yang?”
Mo Xiao Qi’s face reddened as she asked in embarrassment, “Father, how have you been?”
Mo Huang sighed, “I won’t die yet.”
Hearing this, Mo Xiao Qi rushed over, wrapped her arm around his, and pleaded, “Then, bring me to High Heaven Palace now…”
Mo Huang grunted. His injuries, which had finally stabilised, seemed to have been irritated again. He felt a burning sensation in his chest as he was completely incensed, “Surnamed Yang! This King cannot exist under the same sky as you!”
Upon realising that her Father was infuriated, Mo Xiao Qi hurriedly placated, “Father, please don’t get me wrong. Perhaps Big Brother Yang has some wonderful pills that can treat your wounds. I’m just worried about you…”
Torn between tears and laughter, Mo Huang sighed, “Alright. Stop explaining. I have to go over and ask him what happened anyway.”
At that instant, Mo Xiao Qi became jubilant.
Meanwhile, Serene Soul Great Emperor walked out of Serene Soul Palace. Outside the palace, Yao Si and the other top Elders were already waiting for him. Seeing the Great Emperor, all of them saluted him respectfully, “Palace Master!”
Yao Jun nodded and patted Yao Si’s shoulder, “You’ve done well these past years.” Although he had been cultivating in seclusion all this time, it didn’t mean he was oblivious to what was happening outside.
A calm and collected Yao Si replied, “It is my duty.”
He was the Great Emperor’s Son, and had been pretty arrogant in the past; however, during the Two Worlds Great War, he was forced to become Yang Kai’s Adjutant and in the latter’s stead basically organized and commanded the Sixty-First Army. Leading such an army and fighting a dying war against the Demon Race helped him mature significantly as a person. Over the years, Yao Jun had been cultivating in seclusion, so Yao Si had been left in charge of Serene Soul Palace, and he had managed it well. Fewer losses had been incurred in the Eastern Territory thanks to Serene Soul Palace’s, and by extension Yao Si’s efforts.
“Void Great Emperor has returned. Come with me. We’ll see him now,” Yao Jun said.
Yao Si nodded and followed closely behind his Father.
Inside Heavens Spying Valley, Heavens Revelations Great Emperor gazed at the three ancient-looking turtle shells in front of him and guffawed, “Great blessings have come! The Star Boundary will be revitalised! Such wonderful news!”
Gao Zhan was just standing behind him as he appeared pleasantly surprised, “Honoured Master, you mean, Senior Void’s return this time can solve the problems facing the Star Boundary?” He was born blind, but he was the best candidate to inherit the mantle of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor; therefore, the Great Emperor took him on as a disciple when the latter was a young child and taught him divination.
“It is all but certain.” Chu Tian Ji chuckled and rose from the seat, “Let us head to High Heaven Palace now.”
Wondrous Pill Great Emperor left Medicine Pill Valley with some of his disciples while Iron Blood Great Emperor left Iron Blood Fort with Lin Yun’er.
There was also Bustling World Great Emperor, who had been staying in Azure Sun Temple as well as Flower Shadow Great Emperor from Thousand Flowers Valley and Ice Feather Great Emperor from Heavens’ Borderline.
Almost simultaneously, the Great Emperors, who had been cultivating in seclusion for decades, left their residences and headed to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory.
Besides them, Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Cang Gou from the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory, Valley Master Bing Yun of Ice Heart Valley in the Northern Territory, Sheng Yu Zhu of Luo Sha Sect, and other top Masters who were Yang Kai’s acquaintances all began rushing over to High Heaven Palace.
All the top cultivators from the four Territories were headed to the same destination.
“Welcome back, Palace Master!”
In High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, tens of thousands of disciples, led by Head Manager Hua Qing Si and Second Manager Bian Yu Qing, cupped their fists and greeted Yang Kai. They fervently stared at the figure that was descending from the sky with gazes filled with admiration and respect.
After sweeping a glance over them, Yang Kai saw Grand Master Ling Tai Xu, Ancestral Founder Chu Ling Xiao, as well as all his other old acquaintances that came to this place with him from the Great Han Dynasty, Tong Xuan Realm, and Shadowed Star. He also saw his parents, Meng Wu Ya, and Xia Ning Chang.
Little Senior Sister still had her face covered with a thin veil, but her tender body was trembling involuntarily, and her eyes that looked like Stars were wet with tears. If it weren’t because there were many people around, she would’ve pounced on Yang Kai right then and there.
Xue Yue was standing beside her and had her lips pressed firmly together, her eyes seemingly suggesting she felt a mixture of joy and anxiety.
After nodding gently at the two of them, Yang Kai turned to look at the others and said with a smile, “How are you? It must have been difficult these past years.” Yang Kai had examined the entire Star Boundary, so he knew that life had been difficult for all of them. Nevertheless, he was still gratified to see so many familiar faces at this moment.
Hua Qing Si replied, “We’re fine, Palace Master. Many thanks for your concern.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and shuffled towards his parents. Apologetically, he spoke, “Father, Mother, your son has not been filial and has constantly made you worry.”
Dong Shu Zhu sniffled and tried to prevent her tears from sliding down her cheeks. With her lips pressed into a line, she spoke, “You’re a man, so you’re supposed to venture into the outside world and achieve great things in life. You don’t need to worry about us.”
Yang Ying Feng nodded lightly, “If you can solve the crisis facing the Star Boundary, that will be the best you can do to repay us.”
Solemnly, Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”
Then, he turned around and took the hands of Little Senior Sister and Xue Yue before lovingly saying, “It must have been tough for you two.”
The two of them traded glances and shook their heads, “We’re fine.” However, their tears started streaming down their faces. Despite knowing that it was inappropriate for them to cry in this situation, they could hardly control their tears.
Seeing that, Yu Ru Meng walked over and comforted them. Then, Yang Kai saluted the two Elders from the Dragon Clan and Tian Yan.
Tian Yan was a Great Emperor from the Divine Ascension Mirror. During the Two Worlds War, he had made a significant contribution. In the past, he concealed his identity and infiltrated the core of the Demon Race before causing them immense losses at the most critical moment. After the war, he stayed in High Heaven Palace; however, due to the fact that the Principles in the Star Boundary were broken, he was unable to become a Great Emperor again despite having the heritage of one.
A moment later, the Space Array lit up and revealed three figures.
Yang Kai turned around, only to see Bing Yun, Su Yan, and Ji Yao stepping into the Grand Hall.
While Yang Kai was still greeting the three women, the Space Array flickered again, whereupon a loud voice was heard yelling, “Is Adoptive Father back?”
The next instant, Yang Xiao dashed out and looked around. Upon seeing Yang Kai, he cheered and bolted towards him. Then, he circled around him like a noisy monkey.
“Smelly brat, stop being disrespectful!” Unable to take it anymore, Zhu Yan pinched Yang Xiao’s ear and yanked him away.
Yang Xiao groaned and begged for mercy.
On the other hand, Yang Xue stood in front of Yang Kai and called out in a clear voice, “Big Brother!”
Yang Kai guffawed and patted her head, “We haven’t met for a few years, but you’ve become even more beautiful.” He doted on his little sister, but at the same time, he felt some guilt towards her.
Over the years, he had been swamped with his duties both in the Star Boundary and beyond it, so he was unable to repay his parents’ favour for raising him, nor could he take care of his Sister. Fortunately, Yang Xue was around to keep their parents company, which allowed Yang Kai to achieve great things without having to worry about his home.
Hearing his words, Yang Xue sniffled and replied, “Big Brother, you’re such a sweet talker. No wonder you were able to trick so many pretty sisters into being your wives.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter.
The Space Array glowed again as Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Xiao Qi, and Fu Xuan arrived. The next instant, Bustling World Great Emperor, Wen Zi Shan, and Gao Xue Ting appeared together. A moment later, Yao Jun and Yao Si came.
Since the great war, there had never been a day when the Space Array in High Heaven Palace had been activated so frequently. It was also the first time so many top Masters had gathered together in this place.
Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and his Disciples were here; Flower Shadow Great Emperor and Li Shi Qing were here; Heavens Revelations Great Emperor and Gao Zhan were here; Ice Feather Great Emperor came; Iron Blood Great Emperor and Lin Yun’er appeared; the three Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, Qiong Qi, Liu Yan, and Shan Qing Luo showed themselves.
Everyone was here!
In the past, before Yang Kai departed, he had left countless Space Arrays in the Star Boundary, which connected all four Territories. Anyone could go wherever they wanted in the Star Boundary without restrictions now. The reason he had done so was in order to allow the great forces to support each other more easily.
What he had done had benefited everyone up until now. It didn’t take these top cultivators much time to arrive at High Heaven Palace; otherwise, it would’ve been time-wasting for them to travel all the way here from the different Territories.
Yang Kai saluted the Great Emperors one by one. Despite his calm appearance, he was shocked inside. That was because he realised that the auras of the Great Emperors were even more unsteady than before. It was apparent that their injuries hadn’t healed.
It had been 70 years since the great war, and after the war, Yang Kai had cultivated in seclusion for 50 years to properly stabilize his Dao Seal and condense his Wood Element Power before leaving the Star Boundary.
Initially, he thought that after such a long time, even if the Great Emperors hadn’t fully recovered, their wounds should’ve stabilized at least. Nevertheless, upon seeing them, he realised that he was wrong. Instead of getting better, their injuries seemed to have worsened.
Yang Kai was puzzled by this, but he soon realised why the Great Emperors never made a move despite the fact that the Star Boundary was in a perilous situation. They were unable to do that as they were still injured.
A small Xiao Xiao squeezed through the crowd and approached Yang Kai. Upon reaching Yang Kai’s feet, he climbed up and sat on his shoulders before smirking in a silly manner.
High Heaven Palace was bustling with noise as many top cultivators had gathered together. The Head Manager and Second Manager were swamped with work all of a sudden as they had to hold a grand banquet to welcome these guests.
Soon, well over 100 people gathered together in the venue where the banquet was held. Ordinary people didn’t have the right to attend as all of these hundred-plus people were the top Masters from the four Territories.
Yang Kai took a seat at the head of the hall as he was the star for today.
The people seated below, including the Great Emperors, all listened to his interesting narration of the Outer Universe, provoking awe and desire in all of them.
It wasn’t until this moment that these top cultivators found out the wonders of this boundless Outer Universe, and that Great Emperors were just a special title, not a true realm of the Martial Dao. Above the Great Emperors, there were the Open Heaven Realm Masters who split Heaven and Earth apart in their own bodies to form a Small Universe within themselves.
There were countless Universe Worlds like the Star Boundary, and there were more than 1,000 Great Territories. There were many great forces in those Great Territories. The Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were undoubtedly the most powerful among the great forces, and below them, there were innumerable Second Class and Third Class great forces.
In this boundless universe, the Star Boundary was as insignificant as dust.
It had been more than 10 years since Yang Kai left, and he had grown tremendously; however, his road towards the Open Heaven Realm was paved with difficulties. There was still a long way to go before he could achieve the ascension.
The banquet lasted for the entire night, and Yang Kai went on to talk for just as long. The top Masters were flabbergasted and unable to calm themselves down for a long time. All of them appeared to be in a dazed state when they left.
On the other hand, the Great Emperors stayed in High Heaven Palace.
Inside a secret room, all the Great Emperors gathered together. Sheng Yu Zhu, Tian Yan, and the two Elders from the Dragon Clan also attended. Although the latter four were not Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, they had the heritage of Great Emperors, so they had the right to attend such a meeting.
Hua Qing Si led the maidservants to serve them tea before leaving respectfully.
After some small talk, Yang Kai cut to the chase and asked solemnly, “Why are all of you in a worse state instead of getting better?”
That was the biggest doubt in his mind. All the Great Emperors were powerful, and they had been recuperating in seclusion, so supposedly, their wounds should have healed at least somewhat. Even if one to two of them were unable to stop their wounds from worsening, it wasn’t likely that the same thing happened to all the Great Emperors.
All of them traded glances, and then Duan Hong Chen replied with a bitter smile, “It hasn’t been a long time since you became a Great Emperor, and you left the Star Boundary not long after you obtained the World’s Will, so you might not be aware of it.”
Yang Kai turned to look at him.
After a sigh, Duan Hong Chen went on to say, “We’ve obtained the World’s Will and become Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. Although we’re able to use a power that far exceeds the Emperor Realm, our fates have also been tied to this Universe World. After the great war, we were all injured, and the World Principles were broken. The Star Boundary is in a horrible state and at risk of disintegration at any moment.”
Mo Huang continued, “If the World was on the mend, we would be able to make use of the World Force to heal ourselves; however, the World Force is almost exhausted, so none of us dare to use it. Although we’ve been recuperating in seclusion, all we can do is prevent our wounds from getting worse.”
Zhan Wu Hen spoke up, “The average person could make use of pills to heal themselves, but we can’t do that. As long as this world doesn’t improve, there won’t be any hope for us to recover, unless we break free from the world’s restrictions and head to the Outer Universe, like what you’ve done.”
It was then that Yang Kai understood what had happened.
Just like what Duan Hong Chen had said, after the Great Emperors obtained the World’s Will, their fates were tied to this Universe World. Since the Star Boundary was deteriorating, there was no way they could recover.
Yang Kai already had incredible restorative powers to begin with, and he had a Wood Element Power condensed from the Immortal Tree, so he didn’t have such concerns, but it was a different case for the others.
“Regardless, we have to solve the problem facing the Star Boundary.” Chu Tian Ji stared at Yang Kai, “Void, since you’ve returned, does it mean that you’ve found a solution?”
All of them looked fervently at him with gazes filled with hope.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “En, I’ve found a way, but I can’t guarantee that it will work.”
He had to plant the World Tree’s root first to find out whether it was effective at all. If that didn’t work, he would have no choice but to take everyone away.
“No matter what, it’s best to try first.”
It was then Yang Kai rose from his chair, “I’ll start right now, then. Hopefully, I’ll bring back some good news.”
Hearing that, all of them were energised.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, then he disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already atop a mountain.
It wasn’t certain how far away this mountain was from High Heaven Palace, but it was where the four Territories intersected. This nameless mountain was extremely high and completely barren. All Yang Kai could see was gravel and shale.
Then, sending his consciousness into the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai carefully uprooted a certain sapling.
The Small Sealed World shook a little.
In the past, as soon as Yang Kai obtained the World Tree’s root, he directly threw it into the Small Sealed World. Later on, he took a look and realised that the root had become rooted in the ground and turned into a sapling as it madly absorbed the World Energy in the Small Sealed World. Following its rapid growth, the Principles in the Small Sealed World became more stable and complete.
If Yang Kai hadn’t discovered this, he wouldn’t have associated the root with what Ah Da had mentioned in the past. That was how he thought about using it in the Star Boundary.
Since he had decided to use it to restore the Star Boundary, Yang Kai wouldn’t let it grow in the Small Sealed World; therefore, he immediately sealed off the World Energy, lest it be absorbed by the sapling. Therefore, it was still a sapling when he pulled it out.
Yang Kai carefully dug a hole and planted this sapling before covering the hole with soil. After giving it a thought, he waved his hand, whereupon a bit of clean water was summoned from a faraway place and splashed on the sapling.
Feeling nervous, he stared at the sapling and waited patiently. The survival of the Star Boundary depended on this little sapling. Although he appeared calm, he was anxious deep inside.
To his dismay, the sapling remained unchanged. The green leaves swayed with the wind, but the sapling didn’t grow rapidly like what he had imagined.
Both shocked and doubtful, Yang Kai wondered what had gone wrong. In the past, after he threw the root into the Small Sealed World and did nothing else, it took root all on its own, transforming into this sapling. Now that he had nurtured it carefully though, there were no changes at all.
While he was pondering on it, Yang Kai suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Before he could figure out what was going on, it turned into a rumbling as the entire mountain shook. At the same time, a horrifying suction was felt coming from the sapling as it madly absorbed the World Energy around it.
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly checked on it and realised that the roots of the sapling had penetrated deep into the ground and were madly expanding. In several breaths’ time, they had expanded by more than ten kilometres, and they were still rapidly developing.
The entire barren mountain kept shaking as the roots became exposed to the air. At the same time, the gravel cracked and fell apart. On the other hand, the sapling was now rapidly growing, which forced Yang Kai to keep moving backwards.
An incense stick later, the sapling, which was only as tall as a Human some time ago, had turned into a 300-metre-tall tree. Like a great umbrella, the tree crown seemed to have covered the entire mountain peak.
Nevertheless, it still hadn’t stopped growing. The roots of the World Tree were still continuously expanding, and the tree was still unstoppably growing taller.
As the World Tree developed and influenced its surroundings, Yang Kai could see that a Void Crack that was several hundred kilometres away from this barren mountain slowly began to seal.
Wherever the roots covered, the broken World Principles solidified. It hadn’t only become complete, but it had also improved significantly.
[Success!] Back when Yang Kai obtained the World Tree’s root, he speculated that this thing would be useful to the Star Boundary. It wasn’t until this moment that he could prove it though. With this World Tree around, the problem facing the Star Boundary would be solved.
Certainly, it wasn’t the real World Tree. Strictly speaking, it was just the World Tree’s Clone as the real 3,000 Worlds Tree was still in the Primordial Land.
Yang Kai wondered if this Clone would develop 3,000 World Fruits in the future. The thought of this made him feel excited. It would be incredible if his imagination was materialised.
When the World Tree had grown by another 100 metres, its growth visibly slowed down. Yang Kai checked on it and realised that it hadn’t reached its limit, it was just that there wasn’t enough supply of energy.
It required a lot of World Energy for it to grow, but all the World Energy in a radius of several thousand kilometres had been sucked dry, and it would take some time before the World Energy from further away would flow over and replenish it.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai immediately fished out lots of Source Crystals from his Space Ring and hurled them away. Before the Source Crystals came into contact with the ground, they exploded and turned into pure World Energy.
It was then the World Tree started growing rapidly again.
Now, Source Crystals were no longer useful to Yang Kai’s cultivation, and he still had a lot of them, which could be used in this place.
In order to help the tree grow even faster, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense and sent the same message to many people.
Just a moment later, Yang Kai pointed at the front and caused a swirl in the Void, whereupon Mo Huang stepped out of it. When he raised his head and saw a gigantic tree nearly 500 metres tall in front of him, he was stunned, “Is this the World Tree?”
When Yang Kai sent a message to everyone, he also informed them of the problem he was facing and what the World Tree needed, so Mo Huang was already aware of it.
“Strictly speaking, it’s something like the World Tree’s Soul Clone,” Yang Kai replied as he continuously scattered the Source Crystals around.
Mo Huang became jubilant, “This thing is indeed useful. The Principles in this place are different from the other areas in the Star Boundary. They’re more solid.”
Then, he also fished out a tremendous amount of Source Crystals from his Space Ring.
The next moment, Chu Tian Ji stepped out of the swirl, and without saying a word, he spread his Source Crystals around. He was followed by Zhan Wu Hen, Hua Ling Long, Yao Jun, and so on.
The Great Emperors had countless Source Crystals, and they didn’t really need them for cultivation, so now they could put them to good use.
With so many Great Emperors making a move together, the sight was magnificent. Innumerable Source Crystals turned into pure World Energy, which was then absorbed by the World Tree Clone. Like a bottomless pit, it sucked in as much World Energy as it was provided.
Following that, Hua Qing Si also brought with her the reserve from High Heaven Palace, and upon receiving the order, Wen Zhi Shan and the leaders of the other great forces from all four Territories stepped forward and respectively made contributions.
The usually deserted mountain was now bustling with noise.
Meanwhile, the World Tree was still growing. The roots expanded in all directions in the ground and seemed like they would eventually cover the entire Star Boundary. Wherever the roots spread, the World Principles would be repaired. The Death Qi, which had engulfed the Star Boundary for a long time, finally began to dissipate.
A few days later, following a rumbling sound, Zhan Wu Hen flew over from a distance and held something that looked like a Great Dragon in his hands. The thing’s aura was intimidating and was actually an entire Earth Vein.
It wasn’t certain where Zhan Wu Hen had extracted it from, but upon reaching the World Tree, he directly hurled it forward.
Instantly, the Earth Vein shattered apart and turned into surging World Energy. Like a storm, it swept across the place and shook the ground.
The storm lasted for only ten breaths of time before it dissipated as the energy was completely absorbed by the World Tree’s Soul Clone. With the help of the Earth Vein, the tree had grown another few hundred metres taller.
Meanwhile, Ice Feather Great Emperor flew over with another Earth Vein, and Martial Beast Great Emperor was doing the same thing. With many Earth Veins being used, the tree was growing rapidly again.
Initially, Yang Kai watched the tree grow with a grin, but he soon realised that something was off. That was because the World Tree’s growth was simply unstoppable.
Chu Tian Ji was extremely worried as well as he asked, “Void, is this World Tree going to suck the entire Star Boundary dry?”
Although the World Tree’s growth had solidified the Star Boundary as the broken Principles had been visibly repaired, its consumption of World Energy was horrifying. If this went on, all the World Energy in the Star Boundary would be completely gone in a few years. By then, it would be pointless even if the World Principles were stable. Without World Energy, cultivators would be unable to cultivate.
“I don’t think so.” Yang Kai was uncertain. If that was the case, he would have practically picked up a rock only to drop it on his own foot. The reason he planted the World Tree’s Soul Clone was to save the Star Boundary. If the Universe World became barren because of that, it would be a huge loss for everyone.
Presently, the tree was already 3,000 kilometres and the originally barren mountain present in this place was gone as it had been shattered by the roots. Anyone would be able to see the outline of such a gigantic tree from a long distance. On the other hand, the roots had already expanded by a radius of a million kilometres underground.
The region covered by the roots was different from the other parts in the Star Boundary as it was being transformed by a mysterious power. The broken Principles were also being repaired and improved.
Time went by quickly. One month later, the tree was already 10,000 kilometres in height.
The humongous tree crown had covered an area of several thousand kilometres. Like a great guardian, the colossal tree sheltered this area of the world. It wasn’t certain how far the roots had expanded, but they had probably covered ten percent of the entire Star Boundary’s land mass by now.
After reaching this point, the growth of the World Tree suddenly slowed down.
Yang Kai checked on it and realised that it wasn’t that the World Tree had stopped growing. It was just that they couldn’t see it anymore. The tree was no longer growing taller or bigger, but the roots underground were still obstinately expanding towards other areas of the Star Boundary.
At the same time, a mysterious power from the universe was drawn by the World Tree and then absorbed by it. Through the leaves on the crown, it turned into very pure World Energy. As a result, the World Energy of the Star Boundary was being replenished.
“The power of the Stars!” Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow.
The Great Emperors had sensitive perception, so they were able to detect all the changes that occurred in the Star Boundary. The mysterious power was obviously the power of the Stars that came from the Outer Universe.
Seeing this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
From the looks of it, the Star Boundary was finally in a stable state, and he didn’t have to worry that the World Tree would suck the World Energy in the Star Boundary dry. The tree would absorb the power of the Stars to sustain its own growth now. When its roots were able to cover the entire Star Boundary one day, the World Principles would be completely repaired, and there might be some unforeseeable benefits.
The World Energy that had been consumed by it would be replenished after it absorbed enough power of the Stars. One day, the tree would be able to give back ten times or even a hundred times more World Energy. By then, what kind of transformation would the Star Boundary go through?
There was no doubt that the World Tree was abstruse.
An amazed Yang Kai turned around and saw that the facial complexion of the Great Emperors had become better while their breathing had also stabilised.
Since the Star Boundary had benefited greatly from the World Tree, the Great Emperors, whose fates were closely tied to the Universe World, would recover and possibly even strengthen further as well.
Standing at the bottom of the World Tree, more than ten figures were silently observing it.
Suddenly, Yang Kai detected something and fished out the artifact he used to contact Lu Xue. Upon reading the message he received and became shocked for a moment before he understood what was going on. Then, he said to the other Great Emperors, “I’ll be right back.”
The next instant, he disappeared from the spot. A moment later, he appeared in the periphery of the Star Boundary. Looking up, he saw a gigantic creature that was facing away from him and shuffling forward.
The gigantic creature was none other than Giant Spirit God Ah Da.
His movement wasn’t swift and could even be said that he was extremely slow, but every step he took could stride across a vast distance. After just two to three steps, the huge figure became as small as a black dot in the distance.
Lu Xue flew over and reported, “Sir, just now, the Giant Spirit God suddenly got up and left without saying anything.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded. Ah Da was attracted to the Star Boundary due to its death aura, and he had stayed in the periphery for several dozen years, awaiting the Universe World’s death. However, the World Tree’s Soul Clone that Yang Kai had brought back had pulled the Star Boundary back from death’s door. Ah Da must have detected something, which was why he decided to leave.
Ah Da’s departure suggested that the Star Boundary’s future had been secured. If the Universe World was still on the brink of death, he wouldn’t have left. This was good news for them.
Then, Yang Kai charged forward and reached Ah Da in a moment. Hovering in front of him, he called out, “Ah Da!”
Ah Da looked down, and upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, he reached out to let him stand on his palm without stopping in his tracks. With a grin, he said, “Ah Da is leaving.”
“Where will you go?” Yang Kai asked.
Ah Da became startled for a moment before patting his belly, “Ah Da is hungry. Ah Da must look for food.”
“Stay here. I’ll give you food.” After finishing his words, Yang Kai tossed a World Bead at him.
As the Giant Spirit God munched on it, he shook his head, “It’s not enough. Ah Da needs more food!”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. Initially, he wanted to make Ah Da stay. After all, with such a huge creature staying in the periphery, no one would dare to invade the Star Boundary. Ah Da had stayed in this place for several years, and even though he had consumed lots of World Beads, they were nothing more than snacks to him. The food he wanted was a real Universe World; however, Yang Kai was unable to give him that.
“Will we meet again?” Yang Kai shouted.
Ah Da just smiled like a fool.
After a sigh, Yang Kai yelled, “Open your mouth!”
“Ah…” Ah Da’s mouth was wide open, as though he was able to swallow an entire Star.
Several dozen World Beads were tossed into his mouth and disappeared.
“Nom, nom, nom…” Ah Da appeared pleased.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already leapt away from his palm. Hovering in the void, he watched him leave, and soon, Ah Da disappeared from his sight. He wasn’t certain whether they would ever meet again. Those from the Giant Spirit God Clan were benevolent, but they wouldn’t stay in the same place forever. For all their lives, they were continuously pursuing dying Universe Worlds. Their special talent allowed them to detect the aura of a dying world, and years before that happened, they would go over and wait patiently.
The Outer Universe was boundless, so after they parted ways, it was practically impossible for them to meet again.
When Yang Kai returned to the base of the World Tree, the Great Emperors were still standing there.
Mo Huang took a glance at him and asked, “What are your future plans?”
Now that the crisis facing the Star Boundary had been resolved, the burden that had bogged down everyone for decades had also been lifted. Since they no longer had to worry about the Star Boundary’s survival, it was time they thought about the future.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I was about to talk about it with all of you. I’ve snatched a Spirit Province in the Outer Universe and re-named it Void Land. It’s in the midst of being revitalized, so I need a lot of people to help me. So, I want all of you to come with me to help build Void Land together. Besides that, I want all the cultivators in the Star Boundary who have reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm and above to come with me, as long as they’re willing to follow me.”
Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters already had the right to head to the Outer Universe; however, they were unable to cross the void easily if they were on their own.
For those who were below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, Yang Kai wouldn’t mind bringing them with him as long as they wanted to come. He needed a lot of people to help him build Void Land, and even though many outsiders had come over to help, they were not as reliable as his own people.
Furthermore, if Void Land wanted to grow stronger, it needed fresh blood.
Hearing that, Mo Huang said, “We had no idea that there was still something bigger ahead of us. Now that we’ve found out about it, we naturally want to experience it. But… if all of us are gone, who will protect the Star Boundary? What happens if some powerful enemies come to invade this place?”
“I’ll stay,” Zhan Wu Hen grimly declared.
Duan Hong Chen grinned, “I’ll also stay.”
Seeing as the other Great Emperors were about to say something, Yang Kai hurriedly raised his hand to stop them, “Please don’t worry. I already have a plan for the Star Boundary. To be honest with you, I didn’t come back alone. I’ve brought 3 subordinates who are all Open Heaven Realm Masters, so I’ll just ask one of them to stay here and protect the Star Boundary. Moreover, the Great Territory that the Star Boundary is in is pretty barren and remote, with only a few Universe Worlds around, so usually, no one will come here.”
He had spent quite some effort before he could find the Star Boundary. No Open Heaven Realm Masters would come all the way here to make a fuss as this place didn’t have anything attractive to them. That was the reason there had never been any records regarding the Open Heaven Realm in the Star Boundary.
The Great Emperors traded glances and nodded. Since Yang Kai already had a plan in mind, they no longer had to worry about anything.
Soon, a piece of news was spread across the entire world. Void Great Emperor intended to bring all the Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters to the Outer Universe. Those who were willing to go should gather together in High Heaven Palace. Others were also welcome, but for those who were below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, they had to go to High Heaven Palace to register first before a selection process would occur.
Initially, there were many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in the Star Boundary, but many of them had lost their lives during the Two Worlds Great War. Now, there were only a few dozen people in that realm in total. There was no room for growth in the Star Boundary for these people, so they had to be brought to Void Land.
However, there were countless people below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, and it was impossible to bring all of them to Void Land, so a screening had to be done.
Before the Two Worlds Great War, no one was aware of the Outer Universe. After the war, Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, and it was then people became aware that there was more outside their own World, and that there were stronger Masters out there as well. Several dozen years had passed, and Void Great Emperor had returned. Not only had he solved the crisis facing the Star Boundary, but he also intended to bring many cultivators to explore the Outer Universe.
The news sent a shock wave across the world as countless cultivators began scrambling to get a place for themselves.
From the cities and great forces in all four Territories, innumerable cultivators arrived at Ice Snow City, which was just outside of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, through the Space Array Network. Some disciples from High Heaven Palace were stationed there to take down names, backgrounds, cultivation, and special skills.
During that period of time, Ice Snow City became crammed with people.
In the Southern Territory, Azure Sun Temple, on Myriad Saints Peak, the Temple Master of Azure Sun Temple, Wen Zi Shan, who was clad in purple robes as he placed his hands behind his back as he stood on the edge of a cliff, watching the clouds.
Myriad Saints Peak was the Main Peak of Azure Sun Temple as well as Wen Zi Shan’s residence.
Wen Zi Shan was quietly staring at the movements of the clouds while Gao Xue Ting, who looked like a noble lady, stood beside him.
When the Sun was rising, the clouds were dyed with a golden glow, which enhanced the beauty of the scenery.
Just then, footsteps were heard coming from behind. The next moment, 3 people were heard calling out at the same time, “Greetings Temple Master, Elder Gao!”
Wen Zi Shan turned around and gazed at the 3 of them. Then, he smiled and nodded, “You’re here.”
The trio standing in front of him were the most talented among the next generation in Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng, Xiao Bai Yi, and Murong Xiao Xiao. In the past, they were already the brightest disciples in the Sect, and now, they had grown to be fairly powerful Elders. All of them were in the Second Order Emperor Realm.
Xia Sheng cupped his fists and asked, “Temple Master, why did you summon us?”
Compared to decades ago, Xia Sheng was now a calmer man. In the past, he was pretty willful, but after the great war, he had matured tremendously.
“I have a piece of good news.” Wen Zi Shan sported an amiable smile.
Xia Sheng replied, “Temple Master, please enlighten us.”
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were also looking doubtfully at him, wondering what kind of good news the Temple Master was talking about.
Wen Zi Shan went on to say, “The thing is, all of you are in the Second-Order Emperor Realm, and there is rarely anyone stronger than you in the Star Boundary. Hence, I think it’s time for you 3 to go through an even harder trial and take on a more difficult task.”
Hearing that, the 3 of them turned solemn.
“I’ll choose one person from the 3 of you to inherit the position of Temple Master; however, all of you have your respective virtues, so it’s difficult for this King to make a decision. I’ll need to give it a thought.”
When Xia Sheng and the others heard that, they traded glances before a hesitant Murong Xiao Xiao asked, “Temple Master, are you saying that you’ll pass on your position?”
“Yes!” Wen Zi Shan nodded his head.
With a frown, Murong Xiao Xiao said, “But Temple Master, even though we’re all in the Emperor Realm, we’re still young and inexperienced. So, how are we going to inherit the position of Temple Master? Even if one of us is willing to take on that position, no one will obey us.”
Smiling, Wen Zi Shan replied, “You don’t have to worry about that. With this King behind you, no one will dare to criticize you. Moreover, we need young people like you to bring the Temple to greater heights. Maybe you’ll do a better job than old people like us.”
Xiao Bai Yi cupped his fists and stressed, “Temple Master, please think through it carefully. The Temple is not in a perilous situation. If you rashly pass on your position, some problems might arise. What if the foundation of the Temple is…”
Wen Zi Shan raised his hand to stop him, “I’ve made up my mind.”
A doubtful Xia Sheng gaped at him before muttering, “Temple Master, I’ve heard that Senior Void intends to bring some people to the Outer Universe.”
“There’s no such thing,” Wen Zi Shan refuted. “How can you believe such baseless rumours?”
Xiao Bai Yi shot back, “I’ve heard that Senior Void will bring all the Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters with him, and those who are below the Third-Order Emperor Realm can head to Ice Snow Valley to register before being selected accordingly.”
“That’s nonsense!” Wen Zi Shan kept a smile on his face.
Murong Xiao Xiao stared at Wen Zi Shan for a time before pointing out, “Temple Master, even though Senior Void is a Great Emperor now, he used to cultivate alongside us in the past. So… we can contact him.”
Wen Zi Shan’s face twitched as he let out a hollow laugh, “I see… So, you’ve found out about it. In that case, this King will stop hiding it from you.”
He coughed, “That’s right. Senior Void wants to bring some people to the Outer Universe. Your Martial Aunt Gao and I are going as well. So, before I leave, I want to let one of you take over the position of Temple Master; after all, a Sect cannot survive without a leader. Someone has to be in charge of the Temple after we’re gone. I think all of you are suitable for the position. Xia Sheng, you’re the Eldest Senior Brother, so you must take over the position. You mustn’t disappoint this King and your Martial Aunt Gao!”
Pretending that he didn’t hear him, Xia Sheng looked up at the sky.
The veins on Wen Zi Shan’s forehead throbbed as he turned to look at Xiao Bai Yi, “Xiao Bai, even though you’re slightly weaker than Xia Sheng, you’re the most rational among the three of you. This King intends to pass on the position of Temple Master to you. I believe that you’ll be able to bring the Temple to greater heights!”
Xiao Bai Yi just picked his ear and looked away.
With a livid expression, Wen Zi Shan gazed at Murong Xiao Xiao and solemnly declared, “Xiao Xiao, even though you’re a woman, you’re more powerful than most men. Do you like the idea of becoming the Temple Master? If you do, you can take the seal of the Temple Master right now. With this King helping you on the side, you’ll be able to fully refine it in just a few days. Since the founding of the Temple, there has never been a female Temple Master. If you agree to it, you’ll be the first ever. By then, your name will be remembered throughout the ages, and all future disciples and descendants will all look up to you.”
Murong Xiao Xiao refuted meekly, “Temple Master, since the founding of our Temple, you’ve been the only Temple Master, right?”
“Don’t be concerned about such trifles.”
“But…” Murong Xiao Xiao hesitantly said, “The 3 of us have already registered with the disciples in Ice Snow Valley.”
“What?” As if struck by lightning, Wen Zi Shan turned ashen, “When did that happen?”
“Yesterday,” Murong Xiao Xiao replied in a hushed voice.
As though he had taken an arrow to the heart, Wen Zi Shan covered his chest and stared at them, “This King is truly disappointed in you all. Just when the Temple needs you, all of you… How could you make such a rash move? It pains this King’s heart so!”
Xia Sheng retorted, “Temple Master, we’d like to experience the wonders of the Outer Universe as well. If we take over your seal, how are we supposed to go?”
“But all of you can’t leave just like this!” Wen Zi Shan was incensed, “Who is going to look after the Temple if all of you are gone?”
After giving it a thought, Xiao Bai Yi said seriously, “In that case, why don’t you stay here?”
“Little bastards!” Wen Zi Shan bellowed as he almost spat out some saliva, “You want to experience the Outer Universe and think this King doesn’t? What a bunch of ungrateful wolves! This King has spent years raising and teaching you since you were young children and this is how you repay my favour? I’m truly overwhelmed with rage at this betrayal!”
The 3 of them fell silent and let Wen Zi Shan reprimand them.
After he became exhausted, Xia Sheng cupped his fists and said, “Temple Master, if there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”
Then, he gave a hint at Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao with his eyes, whereupon the 3 of them said simultaneously, “Farewell!”
Following that, they ran towards the bottom of the mountain.
“Don’t go! We can still talk about this!” Wen Zi Shan called out to them, but none of them bothered to reply to him.
In the blink of an eye, all of them were gone.
Wen Zi Shan said through clenched teeth, “A pack of ungrateful wolves! Little Xue Ting, did you see that? Those little bastards have no regard for me at all now!”
Smilingly, Gao Xue Ting replied, “Alright, alright, don’t get mad at them.” As she spoke, she walked over and patted his heaving chest to placate him, “If I were them, I wouldn’t have accepted your seal at this point either. They’re adults now, and they have their own goals and dreams. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“But, what about the Temple?” Wen Zi Shan questioned.
Gao Xue Ting said with a smile, “Why don’t I…”
“I’ll take charge of the Temple,” someone was heard saying. Qiu Ran shuffled out of the clouds and saluted them, “Temple Master, Madame.”
A shocked Wen Zi Shan gazed at him, “Junior Brother Qiu, you…”
With a smile, Qiu Ran stressed, “I’m old now, so I don’t like moving around much. It’s better if I just stay here. No one knows what’s going to happen in the Outer Universe other than Senior Void, but I know that it will be a long journey to a foreign land. Old people tend to get nostalgic and homesick more easily, so I’ll just stay here.”
…..
In the Grand Hall of the Liu Family in the Eastern Territory, with many Elders as witnesses, the Liu Family Patriarch passed the seal to a young man and declared, “Brat, from now on, you’re the Patriarch of the Liu Family. Your aptitude is average, but you’re a reliable man. I don’t expect you to expand our family, but I want you to keep it going at least. You mustn’t disappoint our ancestors!”
The Young Master of the Liu Family took the seal and fell on his knees, “Father, I’ll always remember your teachings.”
The Liu Family Patriarch nodded, “I’ll be able to rest assured, then. I’ll head to Ice Snow City in the Northern Territory tomorrow. If everything goes well, I’ll follow Senior Void to the Outer Universe. If you ever want to meet me again in your lifetime, cultivate harder. Senior Void has said that whoever can ascend to the Third-Order Emperor Realm in the future will be brought to the Outer Universe.”
Hearing that, the Young Master pressed his head against the floor, “Father, Uncles, I wish you all the best.”
In Sky Grasping City in the Eastern Territory, City Lord Xu Tian He was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, but at this moment, he summoned his favourite Son, intending to make him the new City Lord.
On Immaculate Island in the Northern Territory, Island Master Jiang Zhou Zi clenched a young man’s collar and pressed him into a glorious throne. After stuffing the seal of the Island Master into his hands, he patted his shoulders, “Boy, you’re the Island Master of Immaculate Island from now on.”
The young man sported a sorrowful expression, “Master, you can’t do this to me. I don’t want to be the Island Master! I want to follow Senior Void to make a name for myself in the Outer Universe!”
“Stop spouting nonsense. I’ll follow Senior Void, while you’ll stay here to manage the island. You’ll be better off this way. Come! Everyone! Salute your new Island Master!” Jiang Zhou Zi demanded, whereupon the Elders and disciples cupped their fists with awkward expressions.
“Greetings, Island Master…”
Similar scenes took place over and over again across all four Territories. Countless people were scrambling to follow the Void Great Emperor to the Outer Universe. The cultivators without any ties could immediately head to Ice Snow City and register, but for people like Jiang Zhou Zi, Liu Family Patriarch, and the City Lord of Sky Grasping City, it wasn’t easy for them to leave. They had to make some proper arrangements first. Soon, about 70% of the great forces in the Star Boundary had news leaders.
Two rays of light were seen heading towards Ice Snow City. After they landed outside the entrance, the figures of two young men were revealed. One of them was burly and ordinary-looking, while the other was handsome and had a noble air about him.
Upon looking up, both of them were stunned.
The burly man exclaimed, “Zi Xiao, there are so many people here!”
The handsome man called Zi Xiao explained, “Senior Void has returned with news regarding the Outer Universe, and he intends to bring some people with him, which is why many people have come over. It has only been ten days since the news was spread, but we can already see so many people gathering together here, which goes to show that Senior Void is truly influential. As time passes, there will be even more people. Xiao Wu, we’ll have to work harder so that we’ll be able to follow Senior Void and make a name for ourselves.”
With a serious expression, Xiao Wu nodded and balled up his fists, “Yes, we can definitely do this!”
“Let’s get into the city first,” Zi Xiao said, then the two of them passed through the main gates.
Looking from outside the city, they could see that the place was crammed with people, but upon entering it, they realised that it was different from what they had thought. The city was actually incredibly expansive and even though there were many people inside, it didn’t feel crowded at all. Instead, the place even appeared somewhat spacious.
The two of them were astounded, not knowing what was going on.
While they were in a dazed state, someone approached them and asked smilingly, “Little Brothers, are you here to register?”
“What?” Xiao Wu scratched his head and hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes. We’re here to register. You are…”
The person replied with a smile, “I’m a disciple from High Heaven Palace, and my surname is Xu. You can just call me Senior Brother Xu. I’m responsible for bringing people like you to different places to register.”
“You’re a disciple from High Heaven Palace?” The gazes of the two young men brightened as they looked fervently at him, their eyes filled with admiration and envy.
In the past, after Yang Kai obtained the World’s Will and became a Great Emperor, he led the major armies of the Star Boundary to fight against the Demon Race and managed to save the last pure land before turning back the enemy. Since then, High Heaven Palace had become famous throughout the world.
Countless people dreamed of joining High Heaven Palace; unfortunately, over the years, they had never recruited any disciples, which made these cultivators unable to realise their dreams.
The two young men came from humble backgrounds and even though they had heard a lot about High Heaven Palace, it was the first time they visited the Northern Territory and come across a disciple from that Sect.
At that instant, they felt that Senior Brother Xu was indeed different from others. Just like the Sun, he was practically glowing. Furthermore, they could sense that Senior Brother Xu was in the Dao Source Realm at the very least.
[High Heaven Palace is indeed different. Even a disciple responsible for guiding people has such a strong cultivation!] The two young men were astonished.
The young man called Zi Xiao was much calmer though and after a moment of shock, he cupped his fists, “Greetings, Senior Brother Xu. May I ask you a question? Given our cultivation, where do we go to register?”
Senior Brother Xu replied with a smile, “If I’m not mistaken, the two of you are in the Origin Returning Realm.”
An embarrassed Zi Xiao scratched his head, “Senior Brother, this is embarrassing for us. We started cultivating at an older age.” Then, he lowered his voice, “Senior Brother Xu, given our cultivation, do you think we stand a chance to follow Senior Void? I can see that all the cultivators here are quite strong.”
An Origin Returning Realm Master could be considered a top cultivator in a Lower Star Fields, but he would be too weak in the Star Boundary to take note of. The two of them had hesitated for a long time about whether they should even come to Ice Snow City. In the end, their desire overcame their sense of inferiority as they paid for the Space Array and arrived at the city nearest to Ice Snow City.
Senior Brother Xu guffawed, “Cultivation isn’t everything about how Senior Void chooses the people who will follow him to the Outer Universe. Certainly, cultivation is a part of it, but if you have some special skills or talents, you’ll still stand a chance.”
“Special skills?” Zi Xiao arched his brow.
“Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Spirit Arrays, and so on. As long as there’s something you’re good at, you can show it to us.”
Hearing that, the two of them traded glances and replied in unison, “We’re good at setting up Spirit Arrays.”
Senior Brother Xu nodded his head, “Very good. Come this way. I’ll lead you to the registration place for Array Masters.” As he spoke, he guided them forward.
Walking along the spacious streets, the pair were like two countryside bumpkins as they looked around in amazement. At the same time, they kept pointing at whatever they saw.
Suddenly, Zi Xiao asked, “Senior Brother Wu, when we were looking from outside, Ice Snow City didn’t seem to be this big. Why does it feel different after we’ve come in?”
With a smile, Senior Brother Xu replied, “You’ve sensed it? Not bad. Your perception is pretty sharp. Ice Snow City really isn’t this big. Initially, this city could only accommodate a million people, but currently, there are more than 10 million inside. With that said, there’s still room to accommodate another 10 million people. This is all thanks to Senior Void.”
“Is he using some kind of Secret Technique?” Zi Xiao turned solemn as if he suddenly thought of something.
Senior Brother Xu scratched his head, “I have no idea, but Senior Void is a Master in the Dao of Space, so he might have used some kind of technique. In any case, Ice Snow City is very spacious now.”
“Senior Void is indeed powerful.” Zi Xiao appeared fervent.
Xiao Wu guffawed, “There will come a day when the two of us will become just as powerful!”
Senior Brother Xu said, “You two are certainly ambitious. Good, that’s where you can register. Just walk over on your own as I have to lead the way for other people. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Xu!” They bent their backs to thank him.
Senior Brother Xu waved his hand and disappeared into the crowd.
After he was gone, the pair turned to look at the Grand Hall where many people were seen entering and leaving. Apparently, just like them, these people were here to register.
Then, they encouraged one another for a bit before going in.
They swept a glance over the Grand Hall and realised that it had been divided into several dozen areas. Every area was overseen by a cultivator who was dressed in High Heaven Palace’s uniform, and many cultivators were lined up in front of every area.
The two young men chose a place with relatively fewer people and waited patiently.
Soon, it was their turn. They walked up and cupped their fists, “Greetings, Senior Brother.” They sported extremely solemn expressions.
The High Heaven Palace’s disciple behind the desk took a glance at them and said with a smile, “There’s no need to be nervous. You’ll just have to register and go through a test.”
Despite that, the two young men still appeared anxious. Following the disciple’s instructions, the two of them announced their names, ages, and special skills.
The disciple gazed at them in shock, “You’re able to achieve such cultivation after cultivating for only 12 years, so your aptitudes are truly incredible. More importantly, you’ve even studied the Dao of Spirit Arrays. In that case, why don’t you set up an Aura Gathering Array here?”
The two young men nodded and started working. It was just a simple test that the cultivators before them had gone through, not something targeted at them; therefore, they immediately got busy. The Aura Gathering Array was one of the simplest Spirit Arrays, so basically every Array Master could arrange one.
Those from High Heaven Palace wouldn’t provide any materials, so the two of them had to come up with a solution on their own. Fortunately, they had already set up the Aura Gathering Array countless times in the past, so they were familiar with it.
While they were working, a person stepped into the Grand Hall with his hands behind his back as he looked around the various areas. All the cultivators who had registered were required to arrange an Aura Gathering Array and this man would stop and observe each test area. Sometimes, he would nod with an approving look while at others he would simply shake his head.
Soon, he reached the area where Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were. Seeing him, the disciple in charge of this area hurriedly rose from his seat, but just when he was about to salute this newcomer, the man waved his hand to motion for him to calm himself.
The disciple smiled and took a seat again.
That person took a glance at the Aura Gathering Array that was being set up by Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu, and his gaze brightened as observed attentively.
The disciple was slightly shocked. Others might have no idea who this person was, but he was certainly aware. In the entire Star Boundary, no one could surpass him when it came to Dao of Spirit Arrays. Since his interest had been piqued, did it mean that there was something special about the Aura Gathering Array being built by these two youngsters?
In fact, the disciple knew a thing or two about the Dao of Spirit Arrays, which was why he was stationed in this registration place, so after a moment of observation, he realised that the Aura Gathering Array set up by these two young men was a little different from the other ones that he had seen.
There were many kinds of Aura Gathering Arrays, but they all followed roughly the same pattern. There were 49 optimal methods to arrange such an array in total, but to his surprise, the Aura Gathering Array before his eyes wasn’t one of them.
[What kind of a setup is this?]
While he was puzzled, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu had stopped as they let out a breath. Zi Xiao then said, “Senior Brother, we’ve set up the Aura Gathering Array. Please examine it.”
Looking up, the disciple gazed at the person behind them. With this person around, it wasn’t his place to examine this work.
Sensing something, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu turned their heads, only to see a person standing behind them.
The person stroked his beard and squatted down in an inelegant manner. Staring fixedly at the Aura Gathering Array, he commented, “The materials used have been reduced by 10%, and there are two array bases that can be excluded this way. However, the effectiveness has increased by 20%. This kind of technique leans more towards ancient methods and is not common to see nowadays.”
Hearing that, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were stunned.
The person went on to say, “The way this array is set up is unique, but the execution is somewhat lacklustre. It seems you were not personally taught by a Master. If you can improve your skills, the effectiveness of this Aura Gathering Array will be increased by 10%.”
At this point, the man got up and nodded, “It’s not bad.”
Then, he looked smilingly at the two of them, “You must have obtained the inheritance of some ancient Senior, right?”
Instantly, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu became vigilant, for what the person in front of them had said was right. They were the sons of a common hunter, and when they were young kids, they accidentally lost their way on a certain mountain and eventually came across a cave, only to find a skeleton inside it, a skeleton they obtained something precious from.
Without any teacher, they used what they had obtained to become cultivators on their own.
This was their greatest secret, but it was exposed by some stranger they had never met before. At that instant, they felt the urge to silence him in order to keep their secret safe.
“Oh?” The person seemed to have noticed their murderous intent. As he looked smilingly at the two of them, his aura surged all of a sudden.
Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu felt as though they had been hit by a mountain and grunted and stepped backwards as the vitality in their chests weltered.
[He’s an Emperor Realm Master!] Both of them were horrified as this ordinary-looking man was actually in the Emperor Realm. They were only in the Origin Returning Realm, so how were they supposed to resist his pressure?
If it weren’t because this man had restricted 99% of his aura, they would’ve exploded under the pressure.
Their Souls trembled for a long time, and when they came to their senses, the man was already nowhere in sight. They traded glances and realised that both of them were drenched in cold sweat.
“Congratulations, you two.” The disciple from High Heaven Palace rose from the chair and cupped his fists.
Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were perplexed, wondering why he congratulated them. After brushing away the cold sweat on his forehead, Zi Xiao asked, “Senior Brother, who was that man?”
The disciple replied with a smile, “You’re adept in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, but you’re not aware of who he is?”
An embarrassed Zi Xiao also asked, “We both lived in a small village all our lives and are a bit inexperienced. Senior Brother, please enlighten us.”
With a solemn expression, the disciple replied, “His surname is Nanmen…”
The pupils of Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu contracted when they heard that and the latter exclaimed, “He was Sir Nanmen Da Jun?”
“That’s right.”
The two of them became rooted to the spot.
As Array Masters, they had naturally heard of Nanmen Da Jun before. He was acknowledged as the top Array Master in the entire Star Boundary and it was said that the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace was arranged by him personally. During the Two Worlds Great War, High Heaven Palace had relied on this Array to resist the invasion from the Demon Race countless times, which ensured that the last pure land in the Star Boundary could be saved.
It could be said that the reason the Star Boundary was still around was thanks to Void Great Emperor, but Nammen Da Jun had also made a significant contribution.
Even though they lived in a remote village, they had repeatedly heard of Nanmen Da Jun before.
The two of them had always looked up to this Grandmaster, imagining that they would be as powerful as he was one day. By then, they could converse with him about the Dao of Spirit Arrays freely.
It was inconceivable that such a Grandmaster had appeared beside them and commented on the Aura Gathering Array they had arranged randomly. However, they actually thought about trying to silence him to keep their secret safe.
If they were aware of his identity earlier, they would never have had this kind of thought.
At that instant, Xiao Wu was scratching his face, which was red now, “Zi Xiao…”
Zi Xiao had no idea what to say either. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh with a dejected expression. He was worried that Grandmaster Nanmen found them to be useless after what they had done.
Just then, the disciple was heard saying, “Senior Nanmen has never given anyone such high regards. Little Brothers, it seems that he’s approved of your mastery in the Dao of Spirit Arrays…”
“What did you just say?” Xiao Wu gazed at him in shock, “You said Grandmaster Nanmen had given us high regards?”
[Why wasn’t I aware of this?]
The disciple followed up, “He said that your array was not bad. He has looked around this place several times, but has never said so to anyone else. Little Brothers, please keep it up and don’t disappoint Senior Nanmen.”
The two of them were still muddle-headed as they left the Grand Hall.
…
High Heaven Peak was the Main Peak of High Heaven Palace, and in the master bedroom, a number of naked bodies could be seen lying on the massive bed as an amorous smell permeated the room.
Presently, Shan Qing Luo was clinging on to Yang Kai like she was an octopus. Yang Kai raised his hand and gently pushed her away. Then, he got up and saw that the ladies were all still asleep.
The sight made him chuckle.
It had been a long time since he last bedded a woman, so he had been a little rough over the past few days. Although these ladies had all ascended to the Third-Order Emperor Realm or higher, they were unable to withstand his vigour. All of them had collapsed on the bed after begging Yang Kai to let them off earlier.
A relentless Shan Qing Luo was determined to compete against him, but she passed out in the end. Before her, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, and Xue Yue were already exhausted and had fallen asleep.
It was Yu Ru Meng, who had the greatest stamina and continued making love to him; after all, she was a Charm Demon Saint, so her strength was truly extraordinary. However, when it came to physical prowess and restorative powers, she was no match for Yang Kai. Presently, she had curled up in a corner of the bed as her tender body twitched every once in a while.
On the other hand, Yang Kai felt that he could still continue for another hundred rounds. After getting out of bed, he put on his clothes and walked out of the room with dishevelled hair.
Outside the room, Head Manager Hua Qing Si was already waiting respectfully. When she caught a glimpse of the sight inside the room, she couldn’t help blushing.
As Yang Kai shuffled forward, he asked, “How is it going in Ice Snow City?”
“I was about to report this to you.” Hua Qing Si followed him closely, “After the news was spread, the people from all four Territories were ecstatic. Countless people have come to Ice Snow City to register. About 30 million people have registered in the last half a month.”
“That’s a staggering figure!” Yang Kai was shocked. He knew that many people would come to register, but the figure still stunned him.
“Sir, how many people do you intend to bring with you this time?” Hua Qing Si asked respectfully, “Please give me a number so that it’ll be easier for us to filter the candidates.”
“500,000 at most.” After reaching the outer hall, Yang Kai adjusted his clothes and took a seat, whereupon a maidservant served him tea before leaving.
“500,000…” Hua Qing Si smiled helplessly. It was a difficult task to select 500,000 people from 30 million. Moreover, it had only been half a month since the recruitment began, and more people would come to register in the coming days.
Her Palace Master had put her in a tight spot. With that said, it wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had given her such a difficult task over the years. As Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she knew how to share his burden.
“For those from High Heaven Palace…” she hesitantly said.
“They’ll be selected fairly just like everyone else.” Yang Kai took a sip of the tea, “Other than the Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters that must come with me, everyone else has to demonstrate enough ability if they want to head to the Outer Universe. Cultivation is just one of the criteria. More importantly, we have to look at their moldability and potential for growth. Besides that, the Outer Universe is unlike the Star Boundary as it’s paved with danger, so you have to make this clear to them as well.”
“Yes,” Hua Qing Si replied, “I’ll make the arrangements now. Everything will be ready in 2 months, so Sir, please get ready as well.”
Then, she prepared to leave.
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Head Manager, wait a moment!”
“Sir, is there anything else?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai scratched his head and spoke up, “Please help me comb my hair… I have to meet my parents.”
Hua Qing Si burst into a fit of giggles as she said, “I can’t help you with that… but I know someone who can. I’ll summon her now as she’s been waiting for you for some time now.”
Without waiting for Yang Kai to agree to it, Hua Qing Si immediately fished out a communication artifact and contacted someone. A moment later, a figure walked into the hall in an elegant manner.
“I’ll take my leave now.” Hua Qing Si laughed meaningfully before calmly leaving.
While Yang Kai was staring at this newcomer, she was also gazing at him with a reddened face. After saluting him, she greeted, “Senior Brother.”
“Junior Sister Yao…” Yang Kai burst into laughter.
The person was none other than Ji Yao.
Pressing her lips together, Ji Yao said in a soft voice, “Head Manager told me that you need someone to comb your hai… Ah!”
Before she could finish her words, she felt an immense force pulling her as she uncontrollably fell forward and crashed into Yang Kai’s embrace. Feeling the familiar aura and smelling the familiar scent, she was extremely nervous.
Looking up, she saw Yang Kai gazing smilingly at her, “We haven’t met for years. Junior Sister, why are you acting so polite to me now?”
Her lashes fluttered, and her breathing became rapid. She repeatedly parted her lips, but she was unable to say a single word.
“If you remain silent, I’ll just do whatever I want!” Yang Kai grinned and carried Ji Yao up before shuffling towards the inner hall.
Feeling that something was off, Ji Yao asked anxiously, “Senior Brother, w-w-what are you trying to do?”
Yang Kai grinned and replied with a determined gaze, “I’m making a confession.”
“W-What do you mean by that?” Ji Yao became more flustered.
Yang Kai had already reached a room and kicked the door open. Upon seeing the sight in the room, Ji Yao widened her eyes in disbelief.
She could see a few naked ‘corpses’ in the room, their clothes scattered everywhere. The entire room looked just like a battlefield, and the scent of intimacy still lingered in the air. The women lying on the bed and the ground were convulsing and subconsciously mumbling.
Ji Yao had never seen such a brutal sight before. At that moment, she wouldn’t even dare to breathe a little louder.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai gently set her down on the bed that she almost burst into tears. With her eyes trembling, she exclaimed, “Senior Brother!” She pressed her hands against the man’s chest as though she was trying to resist a huge mountain.
“They’ve all been slain by me, and now it’s your turn.” Yang Kai laughed.
Was this the kind of confession he was talking about? Ji Yao was torn between tears and laughter. At the same time, she felt conflicted deep down inside.
Looking up, she saw Yang Kai gazing lovingly at her. Even though his expression appeared determined, and there didn’t seem to be any room for rejection, he didn’t make a move.
She knew that as long as she appeared to be reluctant, he would never force himself upon her. Then, she asked herself whether she still wanted to hide this secret from everyone.
Did she still want to stand in a faraway place and look on as the other women surrounded and smiled with him? Did she still have to come up with excuses to approach him even though she was extremely worried and missed him dearly?
The sense of fluster behind her gaze dissipated as she gently closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around the man’s neck. Despite the fact that a single tear rolled down from the corner of her eye, she sported a joyful smile.
Yang Kai raised his hand and wiped away the teardrop before kissing her long smooth hair. Then, he slowly stripped off her robes and, for the first time, bonded with her in a true sense.
Unlike how rough he was with his other wives earlier, Yang Kai was as gentle as a spring breeze this time. Two became one and enjoyed the moment together.
Yu Ru Meng slightly opened her eyes and faintly saw something, but she dozed off again due to exhaustion and subconsciously muttered, “Enemy of all women…”
Hearing that, Ji Yao stiffened and shuddered while Yang Kai’s lips curved into an evil smile, which made her flush.
A long time later, Ji Yao slipped off into dreamland, and when she awakened, she realised that some people were staring at her in the room.
As she regained her senses, she recalled what had happened and exclaimed. Then, she grabbed the quilt and covered herself up.
She was too embarrassed to face anyone!
“Greetings, Father, Mother!” Yang Kai adjusted his clothes and fell on his knees before saluting his parents.
“Get up, quickly!” Dong Su Zhu hurriedly helped him up and looked up at him with slightly reddened eyes. After tucking his hair behind his ear, she complained, “You’re a Great Emperor now, so you shouldn’t fall to your knees so easily. It’ll be embarrassing if others see you doing this.”
“So what if he’s a Great Emperor? Does he not have parents?” Yang Ying Feng snorted on the side, “I gave him life and raised him. So what if he kne…”
Feeling a murderous intent, he turned his head and saw Dong Su Zhu glaring at him with gritted teeth. Hurriedly, he took a sip of the tea and gulped down what he was about to say.
After shooting him one more glare to warn him, Dong Su Zhu turned her head and looked smilingly at Yang Kai. Then, she made him sit beside her and sized him up. She could not stop looking at him, and there was a proud and happy smile on her face.
[He’s my son!] She had never expected that the little one she could carry in her arms in the past would grow up to be such a powerful man one day. She felt proud that he had achieved great things in life.
Moreover, she was now a greatly respected lady thanks to her son. Even though her cultivation wasn’t very powerful, no one in the Star Boundary would dare to look down on her. When the Pseudo-Great Emperors visited High Heaven Palace, they would always give their respects to her and her Husband.
Hence, she was satisfied with what she had. As a mother, she didn’t expect her son to be wealthy and powerful, she just wanted him to be safe for all his life. Now that Yang Kai was healthy and doing well, she was more than happy.
She went on to have a chat with Yang Kai. Most of the time, she was the one asking all sorts of questions while Yang Kai replied to her accordingly. She didn’t ask about the Outer Universe because she knew that he must have encountered a lot of danger in the past 15 or so years, so she was worried that she couldn’t bear it if she became aware of it all.
Presently, Yang Kai was a Great Emperor, and every move he made would affect the trillions of lives in the Star Boundary; therefore, she couldn’t influence him in whatever he did like she used to in the past. Otherwise, she would be harming the interest of the Star Boundary.
On the side, Yang Ying Feng was seated calmly. Although he appeared dispassionate, he was actually all ears so he wouldn’t miss out on any details in their conversation.
One hour later, Yang Kai raised his head and asked, “Father, are you suffering from any internal injury?”
He already noticed it when he entered this place earlier. Most of the time, his father’s aura was stable, but there were times when it became unsteady for a moment. Apparently, he was suffering from an internal injury. Yang Kai was aware of that because he was a Great Emperor who had incredibly sharp eyesight. Any other Pseudo-Great Emperors wouldn’t have noticed had they not been paying special attention.
Yang Ying Feng became startled for a moment before waving his hand, “It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry.”
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “How long has it been?”
Before Yang Ying Feng could say anything, Dong Su Zhu answered it for him, “It’s been more than 30 years.”
[More than 30 years!] That meant that the incident took place after the Two Worlds War and during the period of time when he was refining his Wood Element Power. After the war, Yang Kai spent 50 years refining the essence of the Immortal Tree and stabilizing his cultivation before he left the Star Boundary.
However, when he left, he informed no one and did so in a secretive manner.
“Let me have a look.” Then, he got up and approached Yang Ying Feng before placing his fingers on his father’s wrist.
Yang Ying Feng parted his lips, but in the end, he let Yang Kai check on him without saying a word.
As Yang Kai used his Divine Sense, he examined his father for a moment before frowning, “Was the internal injury formed when you broke through to the Emperor Realm?”
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu were pretty weak, as they were only in the First-Order Emperor Realm; after all, their aptitudes were not outstanding. It was only thanks to the near-unlimited support from High Heaven Palace that they had such achievements.
His father’s injury was not serious, but it also couldn’t be dismissed either. If left untreated, it would be troublesome when Yang Ying Feng cultivated in the future.
“The injury… seems to have been caused due to an unstable foundation. Father, why did you try to rush your cultivation?” Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter. The injury was not caused by an external force. Instead, it was Yang Ying Feng who had cultivated without any restraint, beyond what his body could tolerate.
Yang Ying Feng snorted, “You’re now a Great Emperor. Even though I don’t expect to be as powerful as you are, a father cannot be too weak and embarrass his son.”
At that, Yang Kai was lost for words.
“Can it be treated?” Dong Su Zhu asked nervously. The couple didn’t talk to anyone about his injury. That was because after the great war, the Star Boundary was in the midst of rebuilding, so they didn’t want to burden the resources of High Heaven Palace.
“It’s not very serious. I’ll ask Ning Chang to make some pills later. You should consume the pills every day, and I’ll come over to help you clear your meridians every five days. In just one month, you’ll fully recover.”
In the past, he wouldn’t have any solution to this problem; however, given his capabilities and knowledge now, it was easy for Yang Kai to treat this kind of injury.
“Wonderful!” Dong Su Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Ying Feng, who sported a grim expression, seemed to be relieved as well.
Yang Kai stressed, “But Father, you can’t cultivate too hard again in the future. In the past, you taught me to exercise moderation in whatever I did. After you two enter the Outer Universe, there will be greater and better resources for you, so I’m sure your cultivation will improve steadily then.”
The couple traded glances, before Dong Su Zhu hesitantly said, “We were about to discuss this with you. We… don’t intend to head to the Outer Universe for now.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was stunned.
With a smile, Dong Su Zhu explained, “We love this place; moreover, after all of you are gone, someone must remain here and take care of this place for you. Your Father and I will stay here to help you manage your home. If you face any difficulties in the outside world, you can always come back here and have a place to stay.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Some other people will take care of this place, so you two…”
Before he could finish his words, Yang Ying Feng raised his hand to stop him, “We know you are filial, but your Mother and I are only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, and we’re not ambitious people. Even if we follow you to the Outer Universe, we won’t be able to help you in any way; instead, we might even hold you back. In that case, we’d rather stay here… Furthermore, I can feel that there has been some kind of transformation in the Star Boundary recently, as though it is in the process of being reborn. It must have something to do with you, right?”
In response, Yang Kai nodded his head. Even though the World Tree had absorbed a lot of World Energy from the Star Boundary, which depleted it significantly, it had saved the Universe World from shattering. The world had been strengthened, and the Principles had been repaired. In the long term, it would be greatly beneficial to the Star Boundary. In the short term, it was safe to say that the Star Boundary had been reborn.
Yang Ying Feng was an Emperor Realm Master, so it wasn’t odd that he could vaguely sense this change.
“There are resources in the Outer Universe that are unavailable in the Star Boundary, and perhaps your Mother and I will improve faster if we follow you, but I have a feeling that we’ll obtain greater benefits if we remain here.” Yang Ying Feng stared at him, “So, stop trying to change our mind. We’ve already made our decision.”
At that, Yang Kai fell silent. Others might not know what was going on, but he was fully aware of it.
His Father was right to say that there would be better resources if they followed him to the Outer Universe, and their cultivation would improve faster as a result, but there were also benefits to be gained if they stayed in the Star Boundary.
The Star Boundary had practically been reborn, and the World Principles were in the process of being rebuilt; therefore, cultivators who stayed here would grow alongside the Star Boundary as it recovered and improved. It would be easier for them to comprehend Principle Strength and even World Principles, and they would be closely connected to the Star Boundary. One day, they might be able to comprehend deeper mysteries of the Heavenly Way by studying this unique process. Strengthening one’s foundation was more important than any resource could ever be.
All in all, it would be wonderful if they left the Star Boundary, but there were also benefits to be gained if they chose to stay. The two options couldn’t be compared fairly.
Otherwise, Yang Kai would’ve taken all Emperor Realm Masters away instead of making some of them stay. However, it was a different case for Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. They had already reached the peak of the Star Boundary’s Martial Dao, so it was pointless for them to stay. What they needed to do was comprehend their own Grand Dao and condense their Dao Seals.
The Star Boundary, a reborn world, was unable to help them with that; therefore, all Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters and above had to leave.
Yang Kai had never mentioned this to anyone before, but his Father was able to sense it, which could possibly be a kind of opportunity. If Yang Kai forced his Father to leave with him, he might actually harm his future.
Furthermore, since his Father could sense it, other Emperor Realm Masters might also be aware of this change.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai nodded, “Since you two have made a decision, I’ll not say anything else. Don’t worry. I’ll come back to see you whenever I’m free.”
Yang Ying Feng chided with a smile, “Work hard in the outside world as the future of the Star Boundary hinges on you. Don’t think about those unnecessary things. Your Mother and I are deeply in love, after all of you are gone, we’ll live a happy life together, so we don’t need you to come back and disturb us.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai felt embarrassed.
While they were speaking, two people dashed into the hall. They were none other than Yang Xue and Yang Xiao, who were known to be the Twins of Time.
“Big Brother!” Yang Xue called out in a clear voice as the hairpin in her hair glistened. It was one of the accessories Yang Kai purchased in the Universe Temple on his way here.
“Greetings, Grandpa, Grandma!” Yang Xiao appeared obedient. After saluting Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu, he called out respectfully, “Adoptive Father!”
Yang Kai nodded and patted the younger man’s shoulder, “You’ve done a great job over the years.” In the past, the World Principles of the Star Boundary were broken, and disasters would befall the people from time to time. Over the years, the Twins of Time had saved many people and resisted many calamities.
With a serious expression, Yang Xiao said, “It is a son’s duty to share his father’s burden.” Then, he darted his eyes around for a moment, “Father… is the Outer Universe fun?”
“Do you want to go?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him.
Yang Xiao repeatedly nodded his head as his eyes seemed to be glowing, “Of course I want to!” When Yang Kai secretly left the Star Boundary in the past, he wanted to follow him, but he was captured by Yang Xue before he could. Then, he went on to wait for Yang Kai to return for a long time. Now that Yang Kai was back, and he intended to bring some people to the Outer Universe, Yang Xiao certainly wouldn’t miss this chance.
“Bring you to the Outer Universe?” Yang Kai stroked his own chin, “I can do that, but the Outer Universe is full of danger, so you need to prove to me that you’re able to protect yourself. Show me the result of your years of cultivation. If I think it’s good enough, you can come with me. If not, you’ll have to stay in the Star Boundary.”
Both shocked and surprised, Yang Xiao became enthusiastic and proclaimed, “Please observe and advise me, then!”
The Flowing Time Temple hovered in the sky while at its front steps stood Yang Xiao and Yang Xue with solemn expressions.
In the past, they had obtained the inheritance from Flowing Time Great Emperor, and went on to live and cultivate together for several centuries. Over the years, they had become so close they could read each other’s minds. Therefore, they would also fight against their enemies together.
Since Yang Kai wanted to test their abilities, they naturally had to join forces.
They had grown tremendously over the years as they now had the strength of Second-Order Emperors. If they activated the Flowing Time Temple together, most Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters wouldn’t be a match for them. Despite that, they still felt immensely pressured when facing Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was just standing there, and he didn’t seem to exude any aura. Yet, he was like an insurmountable mountain that had appeared in their way. Although they had looked up, they still couldn’t see its peak.
“Little Aunt, we have to give it our all.” Yang Xiao’s palms were drenched in sweat, but his eyes appeared fervent as though he was determined to turn the world upside down.
Yue Xue nodded and gently took a breath, her amber eyes seemingly glowing with light.
With his hands behind his back, Yang Kai stood a thousand metres away from them. Appearing to be calm and collected, he said with a smile, “I’ll not bully the two of you. Whatever you do, I’ll not activate the World Force of the Star Boundary. Furthermore, I’ll suppress my cultivation and make it equivalent to yours. If you can hit me within three moves, you’ll be considered the winner.”
Yang Xiao bellowed, “Father, stop looking down on us! Over these years, I haven’t wasted my time. I’m much stronger than I was in the past.”
“It’s pointless to boast. Make your move.” Yang Kai crooked a finger at him.
While Yang Xiao was gritting his teeth, Yang Xue yelled, “In that case, meet our first move!”
As soon as she finished speaking, they started performing a set of hand seals together. There wasn’t a discussion, nor did they exchange glances, yet their movements were identical, as though they were done by the same person.
Seeing that, Yang Kai nodded lightly. The two of them were able to read each other’s thoughts and intentions after cultivating together for so many years. Even twins couldn’t be so in sync, but the two of them could easily achieve this. It went to show that they had really cultivated hard.
Seeing the hand seals they were forming, Yang Kai broke into a laugh and commented, “Time Flies Seal? I can do that as well.”
Then, he formed a seal with both hands.
Time Flies Seal was the signature Divine Ability of Flowing Time Great Emperor that Yang Kai had learned a long time ago, which allowed him to gain a slight understanding of the Dao of Time. Then, he made use of his Small Sealed World to devour the continents in Demon Realm and found an ancient battlefield, where Flowing Time Great Emperor had once fought a life-and-death battle against Great Demon God.
Traces of the battle were left behind in that ancient battlefield. Yang Kai had been mesmerised by it as though he could see the fight between the Flowing Time Great Temple and Mo Sheng. That was how he mastered the Time Flies Seal; therefore, it was almost as if Flowing Time Great Emperor had personally taught him this Divine Ability.
Unlike Yang Kai, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had obtained the Flowing Time Temple and the true inheritance of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, which they had cultivated diligently for many years, so it could be considered that they had been personally taught by the Flowing Time Great Emperor as well.
As Time Principles undulated, both parties used different hand seals and the energy around them surged. Despite the fact that Yang Kai began forming seals later, he was actually the first to activate the technique.
A rumbling sound spread across the place.
Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!
He pushed out his palm!
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue extended their palms at the same time from the Flowing Time Temple.
The Time Principles from both parties clashed in mid-air and fought against one another. Thousands of years seemed to have passed in the void at that moment.
Yang Kai arched his brow as he could feel a different kind of fluctuation coming from Flowing Time Temple. They were equally matched at first, but the situation was soon tipped. The Time Principles used by the duo solidified and suppressed Yang Kai’s Time Flies Seal.
“Is that one of the uses of the Flowing Time Temple?” Yang Kai was shocked.
The fluctuation coming from Flowing Time Temple seemed to have strengthened the Divine Ability of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
Yang Xiao guffawed, “Little Aunt and I have obtained the inheritance of our Honoured Teacher, and this temple was his residence; therefore, when we activate Time Principles in this temple, it will be strengthened. Father, are you surprised?”
As they spoke, Yang Kai’s Time Flies Seal was defeated while the Time Principles from the duo became more ferocious even though its power had been reduced.
Following that, Yang Xue bellowed, “The second move!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a petite hourglass suddenly appeared in front of her. Divine sand could be seen flowing out of the hourglass, exactly 10,008 grains in total.
This was the Flowing Time Divine Sand that Flowing Time Great Emperor had expended a great deal of resources and effort to refine.
The Flowing Time Divine Sand soared and streamed into the Time Flies Seal. As the two Divine Abilities blessed one another, they became horrendously powerful.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai hurriedly retreated.
“Four seasons have passed, and you’re now extremely sleepy.” Yang Xiao gently waved his hand, whereupon an invisible power gushed out of his palm and mingled with the Flowing Time Divine Sand. Then, he looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Father, you’re exhausted now. Have a rest.”
Three moves had been combined into one, which further enhanced its power.
Yang Kai’s vision seemed to have been filled by 10,008 grains of sand. Before the attack even reached him, a sense of exhaustion was rising within him. Even his eyelids had become leaden.
“A Soul Technique?” Yang Kai arched his brow and smacked his lips, “Interesting.”
If it were any other kind of Soul Attack, he wouldn’t have had any regard for it; however, this Soul Attack carried Time Principles with it, so while it might appear simple, it could make a person feel as if countless years had passed. If aeons seemed to pass by, one would feel lethargic. No one was able to resist this.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and let the 10,008 grains of sand come at him. While Yang Xiao appeared elated, Yang Xue balled up her fists.
The sand was about to engulf Yang Kai, and when that happened, he would be defeated.
Just then, Yang Kai gently raised a finger and pointed forward. At that instant, he used Near Distant Horizon.
The smile on Yang Xiao’s face froze while Yang Xue was stunned. That was because they could sense that even though Yang Kai was just a couple thousand metres away from them, it also felt as if there were several thousand kilometres between them.
All 10,008 grains of sand also became frozen in mid-air. In truth, they were not frozen and were still moving forward, but so slowly it appeared as if they weren’t. It was apparent that there was only a short distance between them, but it was also as if they were as far apart as the Heavens and Earth. Following Yang Kai’s move, the distance between them seemed to have extended infinitely.
That was the power of Near Distant Horizon.
“We lost!” Yang Xiao said through clenched teeth.
Yang Xue gently sighed and broke her hand seal. As her Flowing Time Divine Sand had been restricted by Yang Kai’s Space Secret Technique, she couldn’t even retract it now.
Yang Kai smiled and waved his hand to disperse his Divine Ability, whereupon the 10,008 grains of sand returned to the hourglass. The two Divine Abilities contained in the sand were also shattered.
“Senior Flowing Time was indeed a rare genius. Given his heritage in the past, he could’ve broken free of this Universe World’s restrictions; however, in order to shatter Mo Sheng’s plot, he took the risk of sneaking into the Demon Realm to battle against him. Although he fell in the end, he managed to bring a glimmer of hope to the Star Boundary. It could be said that the reason the Star Boundary is still around is thanks to Senior Flowing Time. If not for him, this world would’ve become the second Demon Realm long ago.” Yang Kai sighed, “Although Senior Flowing Time lost his life, he still managed to leave behind his inheritance. Since you two have had the luck to obtain such an opportunity, you should also inherit his will. If the Star Boundary falls into danger in the future, you must do whatever you can to protect this world even if it costs your lives so as not to disappoint your Honoured Teacher.”
“Father, I’ll never forget what you’ve said today,” Yang Xiao spoke with a solemn face.
“Get ready and follow me to the Outer Universe in two months.” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai disappeared.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue traded glances. A moment later, Yang Xiao scratched his head, “Little Aunt, are my ears playing tricks on me? I think I heard Adoptive Father tell us to follow him to the Outer Universe.”
Yang Xue smiled with her lips pressed together, “Isn’t that what you want?”
Instantly, Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened as he placed his palms on his hips and guffawed, “I knew that he’d bring me with him. Outer Universe, here I come!”
He had always been an adventurous soul, so now that his dream had been realised, he was over the moon.
When Yang Kai returned to High Heaven Peak, the ladies had awakened. Ji Yao was standing there with a red face, and she seemed to be on pins and needles. Seeing Yang Kai, she shot him an aggrieved look.
At that instant, the other women also glared at him. Yu Ru Meng’s gaze seemed to suggest that she was ready to skin him alive, while Shan Qing Luo sneered and gritted her teeth.
Yang Kai scratched nose and meekly asked, “Have you all had a good rest?”
Ji Yao’s face was already red, and it became scorching when she heard his question. It was as if some steam was going to puff out of her head.
Yu Ru Meng replied in a weird tone, “What difference does it make whether we have taken a good rest?”
In response, Yang Kai smirked.
Walking over, Yu Ru Meng pinched his waist and said through clenched teeth, “Why are you smiling so foolishly? Since this has happened, you have to take full responsibility.”
An unfazed Yang Kai asked doubtfully, “What do you mean by that?”
An infuriated Yu Ru Meng pointed at Ji Yao, who had hung her head low, and demanded, “Aren’t you supposed to give her a confession?”
“Haven’t I already given it to her?” Yang Kai was speechless at that.
Yu Ru Meng bellowed, “Is this how you’re supposed to do it? What about Bing Yun? How are you going to explain it to her?”
“Well…” Yang Kai batted his eyes, thinking that it wasn’t necessary to explain anything to her; however, after giving it a thought, he realised it was proper etiquette to do so. After all, Bing Yun was Ji Yao’s Honoured Master, so it would be inappropriate if he didn’t at least inform her about their new relationship.
If he were to head to Ice Heart Valley and tell Bing Yun about it, he believed that she’d be happy; after all, she must have noticed something long ago, so she wouldn’t object to it. However, it’d be embarrassing for him to personally explain it to her.
Then, he looked pleadingly at Yu Ru Meng, who snorted and scolded, “Why didn’t you think it through earlier before you acted? Do you feel guilty now?”
She shot him a glare, “Good. I’ll head to Ice Heart Valley tomorrow and have a talk with Bing Yun.”
Then, she turned to look at Su Yan, “You come with me.”
Su Yan nodded, “En.”
Ji Yao was Bing Yun’s Third Disciple while Su Yan was Bing Yun’s youngest disciple, so they were technically Senior Sister and Junior Sister. It would be of great help if Su Yan could go over as well.
With this, Yang Kai felt relieved.
Two months passed.
In a plaza in Ice Snow City, many people were seen gathering together. There were about 600,000 in total. Although there were a lot of people, they were neatly standing in lines and no one made any noise. It was as if all 600,000 of them were well-trained soldiers.
Nevertheless, all of their gazes radiated a glow that was filled with excitement and hope.
Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were standing among the crowd. Compared to two months ago when they first arrived at Ice Snow City, while they still looked the same, they had grown tremendously in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Xiao Wu secretly spoke to his friend, “It’s no wonder people always say that a cultivator shouldn’t always remain in seclusion. In the past two months, we’ve had some competitions with our fellow cultivators, which helped improve our Dao of Spirit Arrays. It seems that we have to communicate with other cultivators more often in the future.”
Zi Xiao shared his sentiment, “You’re right. In the Origin Returning Realm, there are many whose mastery over the Dao of Spirit Arrays is much greater than ours. It’s incredible.”
Xiao Wu grinned meaningfully, “Anyway, our dream has come true as we can follow Senior Void to the Outer Universe. I wonder what the Outer Universe is like.”
Over the past two months, Ice Snow City had constantly been bustling with noise as there were countless competitions and tests the registrants had to go through. The two young men had overcome many hurdles and even though there were times when they failed, they had showcased their exceptional talents in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Now, they were still just novices in the Dao of Spirit Arrays; however, their potential for growth was unquestionable as Nanmen Da Jun had personally given them a pass.
The filtering process lasted for about two months. Selecting 500,000 people out of several dozen million was a difficult task. In order to achieve this, all the disciples in High Heaven Palace became involved. Besides them, the disciples of Ice Heart Valley, Fire Dragon Palace, and Full Sky Sect in the Northern Territory had provided countless human and material resources.
Even the disciples from major Sects in the Eastern, Southern, and Western Territory had come over to help. That was how they managed to filter so many people and got to the figure Yang Kai required.
In the end, the number was still more than 600,000 instead of 500,000, but that didn’t really matter as Yang Kai needed more people to help build Void Land.
These 600,000 people were not necessarily the most powerful cultivators in the Star Boundary, but they were the best when it came to talent and aptitude in all fields. Their presence would bring new life and development to Void Land.
At the other end of the plaza, Hua Qing Si gazed at Yang Kai and said, “Palace Master, everything is ready.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Activate the array.”
Upon receiving the order, Hua Qing Si fished out a communication artifact and passed on his word.
The next instant, Nanmen Da Jun, who was standing in the plaza, took out an array jade and infused his Emperor Qi into it.
A rumbling sound was heard coming from the ground as though a beam of lightning had flashed through it. In the plaza, patterns started glowing and soon engulfed all 600,000 people.
All of them had already received advanced warning, so they relaxed their guard and didn’t resist.
The glow intensified, and there came a moment when the light exploded. When the light dissipated, all 600,000 people from the plaza disappeared as they were put inside the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai made a grabbing gesture and took back the Sealed World Bead from the Void. Then, he extended his hand towards Nanmen Da Jun and put him inside as well before turning to Hua Qing Si, “Head Manager, I’ll entrust all the matters in the Star Boundary to you, then.”
Initially, he wanted to bring Hua Qing Si with him as well; after all, she had managed High Heaven Palace for many years. If she went to Void Land, she could continue developing her managerial skills, which would save Yang Kai time and energy.
However, she refused. There were still several tens of thousands of disciples in High Heaven Palace, and if she were to leave, the Sect would become leaderless; therefore, she insisted on staying here, and Yang Kai respected her wishes.
Fortunately, Second Manager Bian Yu Qing was willing to come with him. With her managing Void Land, Yang Kai could rest assured.
With a solemn expression, Hua Qing Si replied, “Palace Master, don’t worry. This Mistress will take good care of High Heaven Palace and the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Don’t let your duties hold up your cultivation. We’ll meet again in the Outer Universe one day.”
Although he had brought many people with him, he had also left behind a large amount of resources for those who would remain. Many of the resources he had obtained in the Outer Universe were not suitable for the cultivators in the Star Boundary, but that didn’t mean all of them weren’t. On top of that, there were already a lot of resources in the Star Boundary that hadn’t been discovered.
Over the past two months when the applicants were being filtered, Yang Kai didn’t sit idly in his home. He had gone out and explored all of the Star Boundary to look for cultivation resources. With the help of these resources, and with the World Tree strengthening the Star Boundary and repairing its World Principles, he believed that many powerful cultivators would emerge in the Star Boundary in the near future.
The Star Boundary was like the rear base for Void Land that could continuously provide talented people. The only shortcoming was that the two places were quite far apart.
“Palace Master, I’ll not disappoint you.”
“En, I’ll take my leave now.” Yang Kai stepped forward and leaped into the air.
On the ground, Hua Qing Si saluted him in an elegant manner, “Safe travels, Palace Master.”
In Ice Snow City, countless people shouted, “Safe travels, Senior Void!”
Yang Kai turned his head and gently waved his hand at them. Following that, he took one step forward and disappeared.
This time, he hadn’t only brought with him 600,000 cultivators who were experts in different areas, but also many Emperor Realm Masters.
In the Northern Territory, the top cultivators from High Heaven Palace included Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Xiao Xiao, Liu Yan, and Qiong Qi. There were also Gui Zu, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Bian Yu Qing, and the others who were all Emperor Realm Masters.
Top cultivators from Ice Heart Valley included Bing Yun, Ji Yao, An Ruo Yun, and Sun Yun Xiu. There were also Li Jiao from Fire Dragon Palace and Mi Qi from Full Sky Sect.
In addition, there were also top cultivators from Serene Soul Palace in the Eastern Territory as well as Star Soul Palace and Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory.
Besides them, there were also the three Divine Venerables and their Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands as well as the Stone Spirit Clan and Wood Spirit Clan members.
It could be said that besides the Masters in the auxiliary professions, all the most powerful cultivators from the Star Boundary had also gathered together in the Small Sealed World, to say nothing of the fact that the Great Emperors were also among them.
This time, Yang Kai had practically hollowed out the heritage of the Star Boundary.
However, the World Tree was rapidly repairing the Star Boundary, so the remaining cultivators would be able to grow significantly alongside the Universe World in a short period of time as they bore witness to the rise of the reborn Star Boundary. Following the Star Boundary’s vigorous growth, many new top cultivators would emerge.
A moment later, Yang Kai appeared in the periphery of the Star Boundary.
Lu Xue and the others, who had been standing guard in this place, hurriedly moved forward and cupped their fists, “Sir!”
Yang Kai nodded before turning to look at one of them, “Hei He, I have a task for you.”
“Sir, please give the order.” Hei He sported a solemn expression.
“Remain here and safeguard this Universe World’s safety. If you dare to slack off, the punishment will be severe!”
Despite the fact that Hei He was reluctant to take up this task, he still had to agree to it, so he nodded and declared, “I’ll not disappoint you!”
Although he was much stronger than Yang Kai, he had left his name and aura on the Loyalty List; hence, he couldn’t disobey this order. Otherwise, Yang Kai could just scratch his name out using Xie Zhi’s horn, which would kill him on the spot.
Yang Kai had swept up almost all the top Masters from the Star Boundary, so he had to leave someone here to protect the Universe World; after all, Void Land was far away from the Star Boundary, and there wasn’t a way for the two places to communicate with each other quickly. If the Star Boundary fell into danger, he wouldn’t be able to provide assistance.
Hei He was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so with him standing guard here, he should be able to deal with most of the difficulties.
With that said, Yang Kai knew that even though Hei He immediately agreed to this order, he likely wasn’t sincere. The reason he took on this task was that he was restricted by the Loyalty List.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai decided to sweeten the deal, “500 years. You’ll just have to stay here for Five 500 years. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, I’ll return your freedom to you. I swear it upon my Dao Seal.”
Hearing that, Hei He was stunned before he appeared pleasantly surprised. Hurriedly, he cupped his fists and replied, “Many thanks, Sir! This Hei will definitely do everything in his power to ensure the safety of this Universe World!”
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, 500 years was neither too long nor too short for him, so he could wait. Moreover, Yang Kai had sworn upon his Dao Seal, so he would surely keep his promise.
Then, Yang Kai told him to fish out his own Star Chart and marked the location of Void Land on the chart. If Hei He came across any unresolvable crisis, he should immediately head to Void Land and inform him about it. Naturally, he agreed to it respectfully.
After all the arrangements were made, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the gigantic tree in the Star Boundary for a moment before he flew off in a particular direction.
Since he had dealt with the matters in the Star Boundary, it was time he headed to the new Demon Realm.
When he left in the past, he separated the Demon Realm’s territories from the Small Sealed World and formed a new Demon Realm. The Embodiment was left there to take charge of it and presently, there were still many Demons living in that place, which included the Demon Saint Bei Li Mo and Demon Dragon Chang Tian.
He didn’t intend to bring the Demons to Void Land as, after the Two Worlds Great War, countless Humans and Demons had lost their lives, forging a blood feud between the two that was unresolvable. If he brought the Demons to Void Land, there might be some unwanted conflicts.
Nevertheless, he could bring Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian with him. One of them was a Demon Saint while the other had a Dragon Clan bloodline. Since both of them were already on Demon Saint level Masters, they had to jump out of their Universe World if they wanted to continue their cultivation.
The new Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were in the same Great Territory. At that time, in order to prevent the people from these two places coming into contact with each other, Yang Kai chose a place that was far from the Star Boundary before separating the territories from the Small Sealed World.
However, given his current understanding of the Outer Universe, Yang Kai realised that the two Universe Worlds were not really that far apart.
A few days later, he passed through a large area of void and looked around, then he appeared doubtful.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the newly formed Demon Realm should be here, but once he reached his destination, the Demon Realm was nowhere to be seen. Yang Kai was puzzled and even doubted that he might have gotten the location wrong.
The new Demon Realm had taken the form of Gun-Gun, but it was a Universe World after all, so it wasn’t supposed to move easily.
[Has something happened?] Yang Kai suddenly had a bad premonition. Then, he emptied his mind and sensed his surroundings.
Embodiment was in charge of the Demon Realm, and the two of them had an unbreakable connection. As long as they were not too far apart, they could detect one another.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned around and shot forward in a particular direction.
A few days later, Yang Kai’s trio had already crossed billions of kilometres and he could feel that he was getting closer to the Demon Realm.
All of a sudden, Lu Xue exclaimed, “Sir, there’s something going on over there!”
She was more powerful than Yang Kai, so her eyesight and perception were also stronger than his. That was how she could discover things before he could.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and asked, “What’s going on?”
“There’s a ship chasing after a… Universe World?” Lu Xue sounded uncertain.
Having an idea, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “What kind of Universe World?”
With an awkward expression, Lu Xue illustrated, “It looks like a big fish with a rounded tummy… That’s strange. Why is this Universe World able to move? It’s as if it has its own sentience.”
Yang Kai’s face sank.
A Universe World that looked like a fat fish could only be the new Demon Realm.
When he separated the Demon Realm from the Small Sealed World in the past, the new Demon Realm took the form of Gun-Gun. That was because Gun-Gun was born as the Embodiment used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law through the Small Sealed World. Therefore, the Demon Realm retained the shape of Gun-Gun, and it was for of this reason that the Embodiment had to be in charge of this place. The relationship between the Embodiment and the Demon Realm was identical to that between Yang Kai and the Small Sealed World.
It wasn’t easy for other Universe Worlds to move around, but it was a different case for the new Demon Realm. With Embodiment taking charge, he could move Gun-Gun in any direction as he pleased.
However, where did that ship come from?
“Can you find out more about the ship?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
Lu Xue shook her head, “It’s too far away. I can only faintly see it.”
This couldn’t be helped. The fact that she could discover the ship in her current location was already the best she could do. If she wanted to find out more about the ship, she would have to get closer.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai summoned his Shadowless Veil and covered the three of them. Then, they stealthily moved forward.
Although the Demon Realm was moving, its speed wasn’t high. The ship behind the Demon Realm was slowly following it. In just one day, Yang Kai’s group reached a spot that was about a thousand kilometres away from the ship.
In order to not expose themselves, Yang Kai didn’t dare to get any closer. Even though Shadowless Veil was not bad, it had its limits. Before finding out whether there were any Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master on the ship, he had to be careful.
They were still pretty far apart as there was a distance of a thousand kilometres, but the view was completely unobscured in the void, so they could clearly see what was going on in front of them.
After observing it for a moment, Lu Xue said in a solemn voice, “Sir, I’m worried that there’s at least one Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master aboard that ship.”
“Why do you say so?” Yang Kai asked.
Lu Xue explained, “This is a pretty extraordinary ship. Even if a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could drive it, it would be a huge burden, one they couldn’t shoulder for long. Only a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could operate such a ship with ease.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank. The people in the ship must be ill-intentioned to be chasing after the Demon Realm. Now, it seemed there was at least one Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master inside the ship. It wouldn’t matter if he was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm or below as Lu Xue was now a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well, so she could deal with him. But what if that person was a Sixth-Order Master?
In that case, even if they summoned Hei He over, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the other party. Yang Kai wasn’t even sure why the ship was pursuing the Demon Realm.
While he was puzzled, Gun-Gun’s gigantic figure shuddered, whereupon a crack appeared on its back. A person soaked in blood shot out through the crack as a Universe World’s illusory phantom flashed across his back.
Yang Kai’s expression turned gloomy.
That person was apparently an Open Heaven Realm Master, but judging from his Small Universe’s illusory phantom, he was just a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Other than that, the only thing that was certain was that he wasn’t from the Demon Realm.
In other words, the people in the ship were attacking the Demon Realm. Now, the barrier of the Demon Realm had broken, and a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master had passed through it and left.
“Demon Qi…” Lu Xue’s expression turned serious as she could see that the person soaked in blood was engulfed in Demon Qi, “Is he from Grand Demon Heaven?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded.
Grand Demon Heaven was one of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and it was highly likely that Mo Sheng was from Grand Demon Heaven. If the people in the ship were really from that great force, things would be thorny.
As they spoke, the person soaked in blood had already returned to the ship. The next instant, two figures dashed out of the ship and moved through the crack in Demon Realm before disappearing.
“I see.” It appeared that Lu Xue had realised something, then she said in a hushed voice, “Sir, I guess they’re trying to devour the Principles and World Force of that Universe World to strengthen their own Small Universes.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Lu Xue explained, “Sir, you’re still an Emperor Realm cultivator, so you’re not aware of it, but after one becomes an Open Heaven Realm Master, he or she has to ascend to the next Order if he wants to become stronger. However, it’s extremely difficult to do that. That will take hundreds, if not thousands, of years of accumulation under normal circumstances. Take this Mistress as an example. I ascended to the Fourth Order 600 years ago and have been taking Open Heaven Pills regularly since then. Nonetheless, there were no signs that I’d achieve a breakthrough. I estimated that it would still take me a hundred years before I could reach the Fifth Order.”
“Such a long time!” Yang Kai already knew that it wasn’t easy for an Open Heaven Realm Master to reach the next Order, but the time it took was longer than he had expected. Lu Xue’s aptitude must be excellent; otherwise, she couldn’t have ascended directly to the Fourth Order. Hence, it would also take others roughly the same time.
Lu Xue went on to say, “Besides swallowing Open Heaven pills, there are other ways to strengthen one’s Small Universe. To an Open Heaven Realm Master, the richer the heritage of their Small Universe, the greater a force they can wield.”
Yang Kai nodded as it wasn’t difficult to understand. An Open Heaven Realm Master had to make use of the World Force, the foundation of which lay in their Small Universe. The stronger their Small Universe, the greater the power that they could use.
“Therefore, after a cultivator ascends to the Open Heaven Realm, the most important thing for them is to continuously increase the heritage of their Small Universe. Consuming Open Heaven Pills is the most common way, and even though it’s slow, it’s pretty safe. Apart from that, there’s also a more extreme method, which is to devour the Principles and World Force of a compatible Universe World and refine them.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Is it just like what we’re seeing?”
“Yes.” Lu Xue nodded her head, “However, there’s a downside to this method. That’s because the Principles of every Universe World are different. If a person rashly consumes and refines them, it might have different degrees of impact on their Small Universe. It won’t matter if the impact is negligible, but if the impact is large, it might even decrease a cultivator’s power. Therefore, rarely anyone would use this method to increase their strength as it’s too risky.”
“But that doesn’t mean no one will do it.”
“Sir is correct. If a person can find a Universe World that perfectly matches his or her own heritage, there won’t be any problems. For example, after you ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, then the best Universe World for you to consume is the world you’re from. That’s because your foundation was built in that world, so that world’s Principles perfectly match your heritage. Of course, if you really do that, the Principles of the world you’re from will be broken. The more you swallow, the more unstable that world will become. As time passes, it’ll become a dead Universe World.”
A shocked Yang Kai questioned, “Has anyone done that before?”
With a solemn expression, Lu Xue nodded, “Yes, such a thing happened frequently in ancient times. However, it’s pretty rare now. One of the reasons is that as long as one isn’t an extremely wicked person, they won’t do such a thing. After all, even if swallowing the Principles of the world they are from helps them grow strong, the amount isn’t too significant. Secondly, Universe Worlds typically have their own Great Emperors. Although the Great Emperors are weak by Outer Universe standards, they have obtained the World’s Will of their respective Universe World and are able to make use of its World Force. Therefore, they’re like Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in their own Universe World. So, it isn’t easy to devour the Principles of such a world. Lastly, in the 3,000 Worlds, most of the Universe Worlds are protected by great forces. If a person rashly swallows the Principles of a world, it will cause a war.”
Upon that realization, Yang Kai said, “So, a Universe World without the protection of a great force is always at risk.”
The Great Territory that the Star Boundary was in was pretty remote, and there weren’t any great forces around, so this area was not managed by anyone, which was why it was attractive to some ill-intentioned people.
Lu Xue nodded her head, “If I’m not mistaken, the Principles of that Universe World must match well with the Small Universe of the ship’s owner, which is why he’s been relentlessly sending his subordinates to invade the Universe World. He wants to take control of it.”
“Since he’s a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, why doesn’t he personally make a move?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
The most powerful people in the Demon Realm were Embodiment, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo. Two of them had received the blessings of the World’s Will in the Demon Realm and the other could display similar power, so they were only as strong as Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters while their enemy was a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. If the ship’s owner made a move, those in the Demon Realm wouldn’t be able to resist.
Lu Xue explained, “If he makes a move, he’s bound to be involved in a desperate battle. By then, the Principles of the Universe World might be broken, which won’t benefit him.”
She paused for a moment, then asked, “Sir, what does this Universe World have to do with you?”
It was apparent that Yang Kai had come all the way here to look for this Universe World. She wasn’t a fool, so she had somewhat figured it out.
Yang Kai replied bluntly, “That Universe World is mine.”
A glint flashed through Lu Xue’s eyes, “In that case, we can’t sit back and do nothing. Now, we have to find out how powerful the ship’s owner is.”
That was a difficult task. Unless they proactively revealed their whereabouts, they couldn’t find out the true power of the ship’s owner.
Guo Zi Yan asked, “Sir, do you want to summon Hei He?”
Faced with a formidable enemy, it was better to have two Fifth-Order cultivators than only one.
“It’s too late.” Yang Kai shook his head. It wasn’t certain how long this battle had lasted, and the Demon Realm was in a perilous situation. Even if they summoned Hei He, it would take him ten days to arrive.
“I’ll go over,” Lu Xue suggested.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. What if the ship’s owner is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? If that is the case, you’re basically courting death. Judging from what he’s been doing here, whoever this ship’s owner is must be a vicious person, one who won’t be easy to deal with.”
Lu Xue however replied with a smile, “He’s focused on that Universe World now, so even if he’s a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he won’t be willing to be held up by me. Furthermore, even if I can’t defeat him, I can still run. Sir, you gave me a World Fruit, which saved me hundreds of years of cultivation and gave me hope of experiencing the wonders of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in my lifetime. The favour I owe you is too great to ever be repaid. Now that you’re facing a problem, this Mistress is willing to do whatever she can to help.”
After giving it a long thought, Yang Kai advised, “You can go, but you have to bring this with you.”
Then, he gave Lu Xue two Space Beacons and told her how to use them. After a nod, she took them. With these Space Beacons in possession, even if she came across any danger, it was highly likely that she could flee.
Certainly, the prerequisite was that she would use them well. Space Beacons were made by Yang Kai, and they could only work in pairs. One Space Beacon was for positioning, and when the other was activated, the user could ignore the restriction of space and pass through the Void in an instant.
After keeping the Space Beacons, Lu Xue took the initiative to leave the Shadowless Veil.
Although there was a distance of 1,000 kilometres between both parties, such a distance was nothing for Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Therefore, as soon as Lu Xue exposed herself, she felt a formidable Divine Sense sweeping over her from the ship that was 1,000 kilometres away.
World Force undulated around her and it was apparent that she was revealing her power to attract the attention of the ship’s owner.
Seizing the chance, Yang Kai gritted his teeth and stealthily shot towards the Demon Realm with Guo Zi Yan.
In just a stick worth of incense, they reached the crack in the Demon Realm’s World Barrier. Turning their heads, they saw Lu Xue calmly landing on the ship.
Even though she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she had no idea about the true power of her opponent. By rashly entering another person’s ship, she was exposing herself to great risk. If that person wanted to harm her, she would fall into a perilous situation.
Knowing that she was trying to help him distract the enemy, Yang Kai stopped hesitating and plunged into the Demon Realm.
From the outside, the Demon Realm looked like a strange-looking fish, but the space inside it was expansive. Upon entering it, Yang Kai could feel that World Force was fluctuating violently, and the entire Demon Realm seemed to be trembling.
At the same time, a familiar aura connected with him. It was none other than Embodiment’s aura.
Embodiment was born after Yang Kai infused his Soul Clone into a Stone Spirit, so it could be said that Embodiment was his Soul Clone. Just like how Yang Kai was able to detect Embodiment within a certain range, Embodiment could do the same.
Upon sensing Yang Kai’s presence, Embodiment hurriedly activated his Divine Sense and sent him some messages.
Yang Kai went through them and immediately understood what was going on.
After Yang Kai left behind the newly born Demon Realm, Embodiment took charge of it, assisted by Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian. Afterwards, the Demon Realm went through rapid development.
Initially, everything was going well; however, just half a year ago, an unwelcome guest arrived at the periphery of the Demon Realm. The unwelcome guest was the ship Yang Kai had seen earlier.
After some probing, the people from the ship started attacking the Demon Realm. Certainly, Embodiment wouldn’t sit back and wait for death, so he joined forces with Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian to oppose these enemies. At the same time, he had Gun-Gun flee.
The pursuit went on for several months.
Embodiment, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo were far weaker than the Open Heaven Realm Master invaders; however, their status in the Demon Realm was equivalent to that of the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. With the territorial advantage, they could mobilise the World Force of the Demon Realm and match the prowess of Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
By relying on the heritage of the Demon Realm, Embodiment and the others were able to resist their enemies. Nevertheless, their enemies were difficult to deal with as there were many people on their side. Although Embodiment and the Demon Realm Masters had injured many of the other party, they were not able to kill even a single person. On the other hand, their enemies were taking turns to wear them down. As soon as someone was injured, they would immediately flee and let their companions replace them.
That was the reason Yang Kai saw a blood-soaked Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master fleeing from the Demon Realm earlier.
After all, Embodiment and the others were too weak to stop a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from leaving.
There were three people in the Demon Realm who had power on par with Demon Saints, so their enemies would always make sure there were five Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to suppress them.
Presently, Embodiment was still able to fight; after all, he was a Stone Spirit who did not know fatigue. On the other hand, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were exhausted and were already on their last legs. If Yang Kai hadn’t come, they would only have lasted for another month at best. By then, the Demon Realm would be occupied, and their lives would be at the mercy of their enemies.
It only took Yang Kai a short moment to go through all this information and upon learning about the current situation in the Demon Realm, he grinned.
After the Shadowless Veil was put away, he and Guo Zi Yan were revealed. Following that, he waved his hand, whereupon a figure appeared before his eyes.
The person was none other than Yu Ru Meng.
She still appeared to be in a groggy state as she wondered why Yang Kai let her out so soon, but she quickly realised that she was now in the Demon Realm. After all, she was a Demon Saint born in the Demon Realm who had obtained the World’s Will of this place, so she was closely connected to this world.
Upon realising that something was off, she furrowed her brows.
Yang Kai briefly told her what was going on in the Demon Realm and her eyes began burning with rage as her murderous intent surged.
After appeasing her, Yang Kai secretly communicated with Embodiment for a bit. Then, he informed Yu Ru Meng and Guo Zi Yan about his plan, to which the two of them nodded solemnly.
The next moment, an invisible force engulfed them. As Space Principles undulated, the three of them disappeared.
At the same time, in a battlefield that was several hundred thousand kilometres away, Embodiment, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian were separated by five Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as they waged a life-and-death battle.
Embodiment was now the owner of the Demon Realm, and he had mastered Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Moreover, he didn’t have any flesh, so he knew no pain or tiredness; therefore, he was the strongest among the three of them. Presently, he was facing two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. He continuously roared and activated World Force to battle against these two Low-Rank Masters, horrifying his opponents as he seemed ready to sacrifice his life to kill them.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo was held up by a petite woman, and she was unable to get rid of her. The woman was also a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and even though they were in a one-on-one fight, the woman was still at an advantage. After all, Bei Li Mo had been fighting against the enemies for months without rest, exhausting and injuring her greatly. Presently, her face was extremely pale, and her body was covered in blood. Her dishevelled hair made her look quite miserable.
As for her opponent, she was like a cat toying with a cornered rat, clearly intent on wearing Bei Li Mo down even further.
Compared to Bei Li Mo’s relatively less dangerous battle however, Chang Tian was in a perilous situation. Just like Embodiment, he was faced with two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and his enemies seemed determined to kill him as they continuously attacked with lethal moves.
Chang Tian had transformed into his true form. A ferocious and gigantic Demon Dragon was swimming through the sky, his eyes that were as big as two houses completely bloodshot. His sharp Dragon Claws were broken, and many of his Dragon Scales had fallen off. His extremely heavy Dragon Blood fell onto the ground and formed countless pits.
The three of them, who held the status of Demon Saints, were intentionally separated, making it obvious that their enemies intended to divide and kill them.
After they killed Chang Tian, these two Low-Rank cultivators could go over to help their companions. By then, both Embodiment and Bei Li Mo would be powerless to fend off their enemies.
Knowing that he was the key to the survival of the Demon Realm, Chang Tian went all out as he madly burned his Blood Essence.
The world seemed to have paled as the auras of World Force clashed with one another. The battlefield was surrounded by Void Cracks, and with the battlefield as the centre, the World Principles within a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres were broken.
Despite the fact that Chang Tian had done his best, there didn’t seem to be any hope of winning. His eyelids became increasingly heavy, and he was running out of energy.
He was already in the twilight of his life before this battle happened. Before the Demon Realm was devoured in the past, he already had his eyes on Yang Kai, who was forced to go to Hundred Spirits Continent, wanting to make him his successor.
If he still had a long life to enjoy, he wouldn’t have had this kind of idea.
He was basically burning his own vitality to sustain himself in this battle, and once it was over, regardless of the outcome, he would lose his life within a short period of time.
A moment of distraction revealed an opening in Chang Tian’s defence and the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had sharp eyesight, so they would never let this chance slip through their fingers. One of them ran his hand across his blade and seemed to merge with it. After turning into a ray of light, he charged towards Chang Tian’s chest.
The sword light flashed and disappeared the next instant while Chang Tian’s Dragon Scales flew off and Dragon Blood splattered everywhere as a sword pierced right into his chest.
Chang Tian widened his eyes and clenched his chest muscles. Eventually, he managed to stop the sword before it reached his heart. He grunted in pain and raised his Dragon Claws in order to rip at his own chest.
Just then, the other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master shouted and wielded his halberd, intercepting the huge Dragon Claws.
Time seemed to have frozen at this moment. Two Humans and one Dragon were locked in a life-or-death struggle. Chang Tian’s whiskers flapped in the air as he roared and madly drew upon the World Force of the Demon Realm.
Knowing that they were at the most critical moment, the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters focused all their strength into their attacks.
Chang Tian was unable to move his Dragon Claws, but the sword in his flesh was slowly advancing towards his heart. As the sword moved forward, the piercing sound of a weapon squeezing through flesh was heard.
All of a sudden, Chang Tian widened his eyes and looked over his enemies in shock, as though he was seeing something inconceivable. His originally listless gaze beamed with a glow.
At the same time, the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were in a deadlock with Chang Tian, were terrified as they felt chills running down their spines.
The sword-holding Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master hurriedly turned his head, only to see a burly man appearing behind him with a huge axe. Following a grin, the man directly hacked at him with his weapon.
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was horrified. The attack was menacing, and judging from the aura of the man’s World Force, he was clearly a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The one being attacked was also a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
[Where did this guy come from?]
Engulfed in the aura of death, the sword-wielding man quickly attempted to withdraw his blade in to defend himself; however, his sword was stuck in Chang Tian’s flesh, so it was difficult for him to withdraw it swiftly.
Left with no choice, he abandoned his sword and performed a hand seal before raising both of his palms. The Small Universe’s illusory phantom flashed across his back as the World Force surged out.
Following a loud boom, he was struck by the axe and immediately turned pale and sprayed out a blood mist. He could feel that his Small Universe was trembling violently and the weltering vitality in his chest made him feel like throwing up.
Normally, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a pitiful state after just one attack; after all, he was just as powerful as Guo Zi Yan. However, he was unable to use his full strength or primary weapon as he was struck with a sneak attack. Given the fact that he could only hastily parry the attack, he was extremely lucky that he hadn’t been killed on the spot.
After getting struck by an immense force coming from the front, he was sent flying backwards and crashed into Chang Tian, bouncing away before falling to the ground like a leaf blown about by a storm.
*Hou!*
Following a Dragon Roar, Chang Tian opened his great maw, which was full of fangs that were as sharp as blades. As endless darkness descended as he bit into the fallen man’s head.
*Ka!*
His skull broke apart as the headless corpse fell from mid-air and blood started spurting out of the wound on his neck.
In the blink of an eye, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had lost his life. The turn of events was so sudden that before his companion could come to his senses, he was already killed.
Chang Tian didn’t know who Guo Zi Yan was, but since he had saved him at the most critical moment, he naturally wasn’t a foe. After killing one person, Chang Tian relentlessly spat out a Dragon Breath at the other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
The Dragon Breath contained a power that could destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. Usually, this man wouldn’t have cared about it; however, while he was being attacked by the Dragon Breath, Guo Zi Yan also hacked at him with his axe.
World Force rumbled.
This person’s expression changed slightly as he hurriedly swung his halberd to fend off Chang Tian’s breath. Then, he surged his own World Force and filled his weapon with it before parrying the attack from Guo Zi Yan.
Following a loud clang, the World trembled and appeared to be on the brink of falling apart.
Both were Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so neither of them could defeat the other party in a frontal exchange. Guo Zi Yan shuddered slightly as his face flushed. On the other hand, the other Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master did a backflip and turned around in mid-air before shooting towards the sky.
He was clever as he knew that he wasn’t a match for Chang Tian and Guo Zi Yan since the two of them had joined forces. If this battle dragged on, he would also lose his life; therefore, he decided to leave and inform the others on the ship.
As for his three other companions, he was unable to lend them a hand.
However, after he turned around, he saw an alluring woman looking smilingly at him. As their eyes met, the woman’s gaze radiated a shocking glow as though it had turned into a huge swirl that seemed able to suck his Soul into the endless abyss.
At that moment, he began hallucinating, but he could still hear the noises coming from the battlefield.
[Such a powerful Illusion Technique!] This man was stunned. He could sense that this woman was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, but the Illusion Secret Technique she used far exceeded what an ordinary Emperor could execute, which was why he, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, accidentally fell into it.
[She must be a cultivator who focuses on cultivating her Soul!]
“Break!” He bellowed as his Divine Sense surged out, whereupon the illusion collapsed.
Yu Ru Meng grunted upon impact. Having her Illusion Secret Technique forcefully broken, she naturally suffered backlash. Her face instantly turned ashen, and she started staggering. Furthermore, blood started dripping from the corner of her eyes.
Given her strength, even though she had the blessing of the Demon Realm, it was extremely difficult for her to deal with a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master using an Illusion Technique.
Nevertheless, this brief moment was enough. Although she couldn’t stop the enemy from fleeing, she managed to hold him up for a breath’s time, and in battle, a breath’s time could determine whether a person would live or die.
All of a sudden, a gigantic Dragon Claw descended and grabbed the man. As the grip became increasingly tighter, this person appeared to be in excruciating pain as cracking sounds were heard coming from his body.
Turning his head, he saw that Chang Tian, who was sent flying away earlier by his halberd sweep, came back with a blood-soaked figure and restricted him with all his might.
On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan descended from the sky like a falling meteorite and hacked at him with his axe. Feeling the rich murderous intent, the person felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
He wielded his halberd and slashed at Chang Tian’s arm. The attack was so forceful that it almost broke Chang Tian’s arm, but he stubbornly refused to let his opponent go as he allowed his Dragon Blood to spurt out. Some of his bones seemed to have broken but he still clasped both of his claws together to fully restrict the enemy’s movements.
There was no way this person could flee. In despondence, he stared at the axe that was about to reach him. As the weapon flashed across his eyes, he could no longer feel anything.
Since Guo Zi Yan’s appearance, two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives in just over ten breaths’ time; however, Chang Tian felt as if ten million years had passed. After the second enemy was killed before his eyes, his gigantic figure fell to the ground and shrunk as he turned back into Human form, his aura withering rapidly.
In fact, when the first Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was killed, the others on the battlefield also became aware of it.
The expression of the woman who was holding Bei Li Mo up changed drastically, but before she could find out what had happened, she saw a figure mysteriously appearing before her eyes.
Astounded, she quickly examined that person, but upon realising that he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, she breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the dishevelled Bei Li Mo exclaimed in surprise, “Yang Kai?”
The person who had come to lend her a hand was none other than Yang Kai. This was the plan he had come up with after a discussion with Embodiment. The reason was that Bei Li Mo’s opponent wasn’t powerful as she was only in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. Given Yang Kai’s current abilities, he could deal with her.
Bei Li Mo was pleasantly surprised at first, but soon the colour drained from her face as she shouted, “Leave now! This person is as powerful as Great Demon God. We’re unable to defeat her!”
As though he hadn’t heard her, Yang Kai extended his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. Following a Dragon Roar, he impassively said, “So what if she’s as powerful as Great Demon God? It’s not like I haven’t killed him before.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a Golden Crow was heard cawing as a Great Sun suddenly leapt out from his back.
At that instant, the world seemed to be trembling.
Initially, the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master didn’t have any regard for Yang Kai and after he appeared, she nonchalantly tossed an artifact that looked like a handkerchief to cover him, expecting that to be enough to deal with this annoyance.
However, as soon as she saw the Great Sun, she began shuddering and exclaimed, “I-Is that… a Divine Manifestation!?”
Without hesitation, she flew backwards for several dozen kilometres.
Yang Kai had already thrust out his spear. The Sun merged with the tip of the spear and struck the handkerchief artifact. In an instant, a huge hole was blown through it and without losing any momentum, Yang Kai flew across several dozen kilometres in an instant.
At that moment, the woman’s vision was filled by the Golden Sun. With a great yell, she madly drew upon her Small Universe and protected herself with her World Force.
*Hong…*
The Sun disappeared as Yang Kai turned pale while the Second-Order woman was sent flying away like a sack.
Bei Li Mo was dumbfounded as she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Yang Kai, an Emperor Realm Master, was able to send an enemy she could only look up to flying away, which went to show how insanely powerful he had become. It had to be noted that Yang Kai was a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, so he couldn’t receive any of its blessings in the Demon Realm. The reason he was able to knock his opponent flying was purely thanks to his own power.
[Has he also reached the realm Great Demon God was in?]
While Bei Li Mo was in a dazed state, she heard Yang Kai yelling at her, “What are you doing standing around!? Kill her now while she’s injured!”
Then, she could see that Yang Kai had already reached the woman in one stride. As he wielded his Dragon spear, he sent out innumerable spear shadows that seemed to engulf the woman.
An excited Bei Li Mo dragged her figure forward and shot towards the battlefield. After she joined forces with Yang Kai, they put the woman in a tight spot and forced her to keep retreating.
When Yang Kai showcased his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation for the first time in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Zhao Bai Chuan commented that with it he could already battle against a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master even though he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator.
Although Zhao Bai Chuan was just a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had an acute eyesight, and his remark was spot on.
‘Golden Crow Casts the Sun’ was incredibly powerful and even a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to withstand it without taking serious damage, not to mention that the woman was just in the Second-Order. Upon impact, she became severely injured.
However, it took a lot of energy for Yang Kai to use his Divine Manifestation, so it didn’t last long. After the Great Sun disappeared, Yang Kai’s power also shrank significantly.
The woman dragged her injured figure and dealt with it with difficulty, but upon realising that Yang Kai wasn’t as powerful as he appeared to be, she set her mind at ease and said through clenched teeth, “Damn brat, I’ll kill you!”
Her resentful eyes seemed to suggest that she was eager to skin Yang Kai alive and drink his blood.
The fact that she had been wounded by an Emperor Realm Junior was humiliating. After sending Bei Li Mo flying away, she extended her claw towards Yang Kai.
With a pale face, Yang Kai staggered backwards, but he wasn’t able to get rid of her attack. Just as her claw was about to reach him though, Yang Kai suddenly flashed a wicked smile at the woman.
His smile was so eerie that the woman felt her chest tightening as she instinctively felt that something terrible was about to happen. The next instant, she saw the spear in Yang Kai’s hand disappear and be replaced by a bottle gourd.
After the lid was opened, a stream of multi-coloured light streamed out of the bottle gourd and came at her in all directions. The aura coming from the light made her feel horrified.
As though her neck had been clenched by an invisible hand, the woman exclaimed in horror, “Yuan Magnetic Divine Light! A Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!”
No longer having the guts to fight Yang Kai, all she wanted to do was flee; however, she had just closed the distance with him, and they were now only a couple dozen metres apart, so how was she supposed to flee in time?
Moreover, as soon as Yang Kai summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, he pushed his Space Principles madly.
Near Distant Horizon!
In an instant, the local space warped as the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light engulfed the woman in the blink of an eye.
A shriek was immediately heard as the Divine Light slashed across the woman, flaying her skin like a million invisible knives, revealing her red flesh.
The Small Universe’s illusory phantom appeared behind her and the woman madly surged her World Force to protect herself and fend off the attack.
Unfortunately, she was just a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how was she supposed to resist the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light? Even though the Divine Light was of a single Element, its Order was vastly superior to the woman’s Elements.
In the past, when Yang Kai used the Divine Light in Seven Wonders Land, even Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not able to resist it for a long time, to say nothing of the fact that this woman was only in the Second-Order.
Initially, the Small Universe behind her was vibrant and full of vitality, but it soon began withering. That was because she had expended too much World Force, which damaged the foundation of her Small Universe.
An Open Heaven Realm Master’s heritage lay within their Small Universe, so once it was damaged, the impact on them was incalculable.
Engulfed in the Divine Light, the woman was resisting with difficulty. Her Small Universe was trembling, and it seemed that it would break apart in a few breaths.
“Spare me!” The woman parted her lips and begged for mercy.
An unfazed Yang Kai just stared coldly at her though, determined to end her life.
Following a pop, which sounded like a bubble bursting, the Small Universe behind the woman fell apart and dissipated.
As her Small Universe was washed out by Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, it shattered and broke apart.
Her Open Heaven Realm’s aura began plummeting as her cultivation regressed from a Second-Order Master to a mere Emperor Realm cultivator.
The next instant, the woman’s physique seemed to have been pared by a knife as her flesh fell off layer by layer. Even her five viscera and six organs turned into the most insignificant dust, leaving a skeleton that still seemed defiant against Yang Kai.
After Yang Kai retracted the Divine Light, the skeleton cracked and broke into pieces.
A dumbfounded Bei Li Mo stared dazedly at the bottle gourd in Yang Kai’s hand, her expression transformed by horror.
Even though she wasn’t sure what the mysterious light that came out of the bottle gourd was, she knew that it must be a horrifying weapon; otherwise, it couldn’t have killed an opponent she could only look up to in such a short period of time.
When the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master lost her life, Guo Zi Yan and Yu Ru Meng had also settled their opponents. Both parties killed their respective targets at almost the same time.
Without stopping, Guo Zi Yan, Yu Ru Meng, and Yang Kai shot towards Embodiment, Bei Li Mo became startled for a moment before following them.
Presently, Embodiment was battling against two people on his own. One of them was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while the other was a Second-Order. He was in a dangerous situation as he had to deal with two people at the same time. Cracks had been formed in his figure, and the chips scraped off from his body scattered everywhere.
The relationship between Embodiment and the Demon Realm was equivalent to that between Yang Kai and the Small Sealed World. In this Universe World, he was the ruler who could use a power that far exceeded his own.
It could be said that the power Embodiment could use was much greater than that of Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian, which was why he could persevere for such a long time.
When Yang Kai and the others appeared, the two enemies noticed it and became shocked, wondering where these people had suddenly come out of.
In just over ten breaths’ time, their companions had all lost their lives, which horrified them. Seeing as Yang Kai and the others were charging towards them like ferocious tigers, they wouldn’t dare to remain. After trading glances, they pushed out their palms against Embodiment before shooting towards the sky.
Embodiment roared and let the attacks strike him without dodging, all so he could madly activate the World Force of the Demon Realm and use it as an invisible cage to trap them.
At that instant, the two Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to break free immediately, and they appeared to be in a despairing state.
Before they could escape their predicament, Yang Kai and the others had reached them, thereby making them unable to flee.
The following battle tilted heavily in one party’s favour. Guo Zi Yan alone was able to deal with the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while the other Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was no match for Yang Kai and his companions.
Just one hour later, the battle ended. Still reeling from shock, Bei Li Mo panted heavily. It was the first time she directly battled against Open Heaven Realm Masters and despite the fact that she could mobilise the World Force of the Demon Realm, she still couldn’t see any hope of defeating her opponent earlier.
At the outset of the Two Worlds Great War’s final battle, she had been knocked out by Yang Kai, so she had never fought with Great Demon God. That was the reason she hadn’t experienced the true might of an Open Heaven Realm Master before.
If it weren’t because her opponent wanted to toy with her without trying to kill her directly, she would’ve lost her life by now.
Up until this point, she still didn’t understand what kind of realm these people were in and why they were so powerful.
Yu Ru Meng’s face was also pale. Just now, she cast an Illusion Technique to deal with a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and after her technique was broken, she suffered a serious backlash.
On the other hand, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan were far better off. The former had an extremely firm foundation while the latter was powerful; hence, they could easily deal with this kind of situation.
However, after the war that had lasted for months, the World Principles in a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres of this place had been broken, and countless mountains had been crushed. This area had practically turned into a purgatory.
Such an epic battle had caused some serious damage to the foundation of the Demon Realm and without hundreds if not thousands of years, it would be impossible to recover.
The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had been killed by Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan, while the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was on his last breath. Presently, all his strength had been restricted. With a pale face, he was kneeling on the ground. Guo Zi Yan was holding an axe that radiated a cold glint at his neck’s.
Yang Kai calmly walked over and looked down at him in a condescending manner.
The person shuddered and pleaded in a shaking voice, “S-Sir, please spare my life. I was forced to do this. Please don’t kill me!”
Yang Kai directly landed a kick on him, which caused him to collapse to the ground, and pressed his foot against the man’s chest. Then, he exerted more force with his foot, whereupon the sounds of bones cracking were heard coming from the man’s chest. Feeling excruciating pain, the man despaired.
“Answer my questions. If you dare speak nonsense, I’ll make you beg for death!” Yang Kai glared at him. His hideous expression was that of a savage thug.
Suppressing his fear and pain, the man hurriedly nodded.
A moment later, Yang Kai finally figured out what was going on.
Just like what Lu Xue had speculated, the ship’s owner was indeed a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master; however, he was only in the Fifth Order, not the Sixth Order. Furthermore, this Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was severely wounded.
Yang Kai was still doubtful earlier. Since the ship’s owner was a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and he coveted the Principles and World Force of the Demon Realm, why didn’t he personally make a move? If he did so, no one in the Demon Realm could go against him.
The reason Lu Xue gave him was that the might of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm was too terrifying, and if he accidentally destroyed the Principles in the Demon Realm, they wouldn’t be beneficial to him. That was the reason he kept sending his subordinates to suppress those in the Demon Realm.
However, now it seemed that her speculation was off. The real reason was that the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was seriously injured, and it wasn’t convenient for him to make a move.
The ship’s owner was called Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and he was the Sect Master of Black Feather Sect which occupied a Spirit Province in a somewhat distant Great Territory, so it could be said that he was a big shot.
Mo Yu was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was equivalent to Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, and he had several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as his subordinates. Hence, Black Feather Sect could be considered a somewhat powerful Second Class great force.
The Sect Master was a savage person, and many of his disciples were also ferocious rogues. One year ago, one of Mo Yu’s favourite descendants was out for a walk in a certain Star City with his subordinates when he laid eyes on a woman and began tailing her. After she left the Star City, he stopped her with the intent to violate her modesty.
Certainly, the woman wouldn’t let him have his way, and she had many bodyguards as well, so the two parties argued before clashing with one another.
After the battle, all of the woman’s bodyguards were killed, and she was kidnapped by this Young Lord as they returned to Black Feather Sect.
It wasn’t the first time this Young Lord had kidnapped women, and usually, he wasn’t held accountable; unfortunately for him, this time, the woman he targeted had an extraordinary identity. She was the childhood sweetheart as well as the fiancée of a Young Pavilion Master from a Second Class great force, Rising Heavens Pavilion.
Black Feather Sect and Rising Heavens Pavilion were situated in the same Great Territory, and they were not on good terms. Their respective disciples often clashed with one another outside of the Sects, and there would be people losing their lives every year, so irresolvable grudges had been formed between the two parties.
Upon learning that his fiancée had been kidnapped by the debauched Young Lord, the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion was so incensed that his eyes turned bloodshot. Naturally, he had to storm into Black Feather Sect to get his revenge.
Not only was his son’s fiancée’s virtue and life at risk, Rising Heavens Pavilion’s face was also at stake, which was why the Pavilion Master was infuriated as well.
Usually, there were some small conflicts between the two Sects, where not many of their disciples lost their lives, so they could still begrudgingly coexist; however, this incident could never be tolerated.
Moreover, the woman wasn’t ordinary in her own right. Since she could get engaged to a Young Pavilion Master, she naturally also came from a powerful family.
In fact, she came from a neighbouring Great Territory and was the daughter of the Leader of another Second Class great force, Flying Flower Boat. This time, she had received her Mother’s order to head to Rising Heavens Pavilion to discuss some matters.
It could be said that the Young Lord of Black Feather Sect’s one act had managed to offend two great forces at the same time.
Upon receiving the news, the Leader of Flying Flower Boat was livid and immediately mobilized her forces to barge into the neighbouring Great Territory.
And so, a great war was ignited.
Since Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had joined forces, there was no way that Black Feather Sect could defeat them despite the fact that they had a rich heritage. If it were a normal conflict, there would’ve been some room for negotiation; however, this matter was deeply related to the two Sect’s reputations, so there was no way to de-escalate.
The only way to settle this was with blood!
After resisting with difficulty for half a year, the Grand Array of Black Feather Sect was broken, which was followed by a horrifying close-quarters melee. Countless disciples from Black Feather Sect lost their lives, and Old Ancestor Mo Yu became battered and was forced to flee from his Sect. He was seriously wounded in that battle, and even now he hadn’t recovered.
Of course, the Leaders of Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat wouldn’t let Mo Yu off, so the two great forces divided their troops and began pursuing their hated enemy.
Two years had passed since that epic battle. During this period of time, those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had been relentlessly hunting Mo Yu, giving him no time to recuperate and forcing him to choke down his anger and grievances.
Left with no choice, he could only keep running; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived in this far-off Great Territory. The Great Territory that the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were in was an extremely remote area in the known 3,000 Worlds. It was an area with little to no valuable resources, so rarely would anyone visit this place.
Usually, Old Ancestor Mo Yu wouldn’t bother to come to such a backwater place; however, he had no other choice as he was on the run.
As he wandered around this Great Territory, he accidentally discovered the Demon Realm and became elated. That was because he could sense that the Principles and World Force of this Universe World matched almost perfectly with his own Small Universe. If he could devour this Universe World, he could heal his injuries and even strengthen himself somewhat.
Even if he couldn’t get his revenge, he would stand a greater chance of fleeing.
Certainly, he didn’t have any regard for a mere Universe World, so he sent his subordinates to suppress it; however, the fierce resistance from Embodiment and the others was beyond his expectation. A few months had passed, but he still couldn’t seize control of it.
That was when Yang Kai and his companions appeared.
Upon hearing this man’s explanation, Yang Kai frowned as he hadn’t expected that there was so much going on behind the incident.
“Sir, I’ve told you everything I know. Please spare my life!” The Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master clearly feared death, so after he was done with his explanation, he kept begging with a terrified expression.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “You said that your Old Ancestor Mo Yu is severely injured, right? How much of his power can he exert now?”
With a bitter expression, the man replied, “I don’t dare to speculate on such a matter…”
Yang Kai snorted, “Cut the crap and tell me what I want to know!”
“60%? Perhaps 70%.”
After a nod, Yang Kai moved his foot away from the man as a glint flashed across his eyes.
The severely wounded Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was a wicked man, so it wouldn’t cause any psychological burden to Yang Kai to kill him. More importantly, since he was the Sect Master of the Black Feather Sect, he must have brought all the Sect’s valuables with him when he fled.
It had cost Yang Kai a massive amount of resources to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land, and even though he had made a fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he couldn’t bear the depletion of resources at such a speed. Furthermore, he was bringing 600,000 people from the Star Boundary to Void Land. These people would need cultivation resources as well.
Perhaps he could get his hands on the Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s wealth here.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at Embodiment. Presently, Embodiment was seated with his legs crossed, circulating a certain Secret Technique. Following his move, the Void Cracks that had appeared due to the epic battle were restoring themselves rapidly, and the broken World Principles within a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres were also getting repaired at an incredible speed. Moreover, the depleted World Force was being replenished.
Yang Kai was lost for words, and after communicating with Embodiment a bit, he was amazed.
After the battle, four Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives. Three of them were Third-Order, while one of them was Second-Order. The corpses of these Open Heaven Realm Masters were destroyed, and some of them had even turned into dust; however, when their Small Universes broke apart, the Principles and World Forces all leaked out.
These invisible powers filled the battlefield, so through the Demon Realm, Embodiment activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and was amazed to learn that he could absorb these powers directly.
That was the reason the broken Principles were getting restored rapidly, and the World Force was being replenished as well.
This reminded Yang Kai of the battle in Seven Wonders Land previously. After those Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed, their World Force escaped from their bodies and some of it was assimilated by Seven Wonders Land.
Yue He said that the World Force that leaked from their bodies could enhance the heritage of Seven Wonders Land and make it more prosperous. That was how those Cave-Heavens and Paradises became so powerful. After their Masters passed away, their Small Universes would break apart, and their World Force would get infused into their Headquarters. As time passed, those Cave-Heavens and Paradises slowly developed into such formidable great forces.
Now, it seemed that what was happening in the Demon Realm was similar to what happened back in Seven Wonders Land.
However, there was a huge difference between the two. At that time, many Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives in Seven Wonders Land, and many of them were Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters; nevertheless, despite the fact that a lot of World Force was released into the air, there was not much that Seven Wonders Land could absorb. Most of it was wasted and dissipated into the void.
Nonetheless, it was a different case in the Demon Realm. The entire Universe World was built on the foundation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so with Embodiment in charge, he could activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and absorb all of the leaked World Forces.
Demon Saints like Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo were able to detect the tiniest changes in this Universe World, so they soon appeared to be surprised. As Embodiment continued with his movements, the transformation was getting more conspicuous.
Initially, Yang Kai was hesitant, but after realising the great transformation the Demon Realm was going through, he made up his mind and turned to look at the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Then, he said with an amiable expression, “We’ve had a long chat, but I haven’t found out what your name is.”
That man replied in a shaking voice, “S-Sir, my name is Ma Yuan De.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and fished out the Loyalty List from his Space Ring. After turning to page three, he passionately said, “Come. Use your Blood Essence and leave your name and aura here.”
An incense stick late, Ma Yuan De turned into a ray of light and shot into the sky.
At the same time, on the ship that was in the periphery of the Demon Realm, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seated in the host’s seat while Lu Xue was seated across from him. Both of them seemed to be having a delightful conversation.
From the looks of it, they appeared to be old friends, but Mo Yu secretly felt bitter. When he detected a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s presence with his Divine Sense earlier, he was truly horrified, thinking that those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had found him.
He almost decided to flee; however, after some quick examination, he realised that the person was unfamiliar to him. He was certain that he had never met her before.
Not willing to give up the chance to heal his wounds, Mo Yu suppressed his doubts and stayed put. After communicating with each other from a distance, he realised that this Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had nothing to do with Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat. She was actually one of the Managers of Sword Pavilion.
He was aware of Sword Pavilion, and he had even come into contact with its Leader several times, so he knew that it was a powerful great force he could not afford to offend.
After probing for a bit, he realised that Lu Xue could answer all his questions correctly, and upon confirming her identity, he set his mind at ease.
Since she wasn’t from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat, there was nothing he needed to fear. He was an acquaintance of the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion, so he knew that it would be impolite of him to shut Lu Xue out; therefore, he invited her aboard his ship.
He had never come into contact with Lu Xue before, so he wasn’t sure about her temperament. Naturally, he wouldn’t dare to expose the state he was in. Therefore, when they were communicating, he had suppressed his injuries so he would not appear weak or frail when they met face to face.
As they spoke, Mo Yu repeatedly hinted that he was in the midst of something important and really couldn’t entertain her for long; however, Lu Xue was unfazed as though she didn’t understand him, which made him slightly displeased.
With that said, she was just as powerful as he was, so he wouldn’t dare to flare up at her.
Just then, Mo Yu felt something and turned his head, only to see a figure rapidly approaching his ship. A blood-soaked man landed on the deck and shouted in excitement, “Report!”
Mo Yu raised his head, and upon seeing that the person was his subordinate Ma Yuan De, he became elated and shouted, “Come in!”
Ma Yuan De respectfully entered the cabin and swept a glance around. A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw Lu Xue, but he soon cupped his fists and said, “Old Ancestor, we’ve completed our task!”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu already had this speculation, but upon confirming it, he still guffawed and praised his subordinate. Then, he looked at Ma Yuan De with a joyful expression and said, “All of you have made a significant contribution. This Old Ancestor will reward you handsomely later!”
A joyful Ma Yuan De replied with a fawning smile, “It is the duty of this subordinate to share Old Ancestor’s burdens, so I won’t dare to ask for any rewards.”
After stroking his slightly ruddy face, Mo Yu turned to look at Lu Xue, “Elder Lu, as you can see, this Old Master has something to attend to…”
With a faint smile, Lu Xue rose from the chair, “Since you have other matters to attend to, this Mistress will take her leave.” Certainly, she wasn’t willing to simply depart; however, if she insisted on staying, the other party’s suspicions would be aroused. Just when she was pondering on what she could do next, she saw Ma Yuan De imperceptibly giving her a hint with his eyes.
After giving it a thought, she understood his message and set her mind at ease.
“En, safe journey, Manager Lu. When this Old Master is free in the future, he will head to Sword Pavilion and pay you a visit,” Mo Yu said respectfully.
With her lips pressed together, Lu Xue smiled faintly, “This Mistress and Pavilion Master will await your arrival.”
A moment later, Mo Yu stood on the deck as he looked into the distance and watched Lu Xue leave. It wasn’t until he could confirm that she was really gone that he could finally relax, then he waved his hand, “Bring us down.”
Then, the ship passed through the crack in the World Barrier and arrived at the Demon Realm.
The aura of the Universe World whisked across his face, and upon closely feeling the Principles and World Force of this world, Mo Yu became ecstatic as he realised that it was a little different from what he felt previously. This world seemed to be even more suited for him than he had expected. If he could devour the power of this world, not only could he heal his wounds, but his power would also increase.
Certainly, he couldn’t ascend to the Sixth-Order, but it would save him at least a hundred years of hard cultivation.
Such a revelation made him feel over the moon. Since his good-for-nothing son’s scandal was exposed two years ago, everything seemed to be going wrong for him. Finally, he could turn things around on this day.
This pleasant surprise made him have the urge to throw his head back and laugh at the sky; however, the next moment, his pleasant surprise turned into horror.
A vine that radiated a light of seven colours extended from the Void. More surprisingly, the aura of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be felt wafting from the vine. Wherever the vine passed, the space collapsed and the surrounding world trembled.
[An ambush!] Mo Yu felt his heart clench in his chest as he could sense the horrifying power coming from the vine. Then, he bellowed and, ignoring his injuries, activated the Grand Array of his ship.
In an instant, a green light barrier appeared around the ship.
The vine lashed the light barrier and caused a loud bang. The light barrier lasted for only one breath before cracking apart like a broken mirror.
It wasn’t that the defence of his ship was weak, and usually this kind of attack could not have broken its protective barrier; however, over the past two years, Mo Yu had been pursued by the top cultivators from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat. After more than ten battles, the Grand Array around the ship had been severely weakened, and in the last battle, it was even shattered.
After some patchwork repair, the Grand Array was able to start running again, but its power was less than 20% of that at its peak, which was why it couldn’t withstand this one attack.
*Kacha…*
The vine didn’t stop and lashed the middle of the ship, smashing its midsection. The entire ship was almost broken in two. Upon impact, the Low-Rank cultivators on the deck exploded into blood mist without even being able to cry out.
Mo Yu sprayed out a mouthful of blood, but that was because his wounds had been irritated after he forcefully activated the ship’s defence rather than because he was injured by the blow.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure hurriedly trying to escape from the ship and bellowed, “Ma Yuan De, how dare you betray me?!”
The person dashing out of the ship was none other than Ma Yuan De, who reported the ‘good news’ to him. As an experienced man, Mo Yu immediately figured out that he had fallen into a trap. Ma Yuan De must have decided to betray him after he was offered some benefits.
Suppressing the weltering vitality in his chest, Mo Yu pushed out a palm in rage.
Ma Yuan De was only a Second-Order Open Heaven Master, so how was he supposed to parry a raging attack from Old Ancestor Mo Yu? The attack struck his back as the violent World Force penetrated his physique and assaulted his Small Universe, which severely injured him in an instant.
With his face turning ashen, Ma Yuan De sprayed out pieces of his five viscera and six organs as he fell from the ship. He lost all his aura before he even hit the ground.
Although Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seriously wounded and couldn’t fully display his true might, a Second-Order Open Master like Ma Yuan De was unable to counter his raging attack.
He lost his life after just one attack.
Mo Yu didn’t even bother to take a look at his corpse. As a thought flashed through his mind, the gigantic ship immediately moved backwards. He was a decisive man, so upon learning that he had fallen into an ambush, he knew that he was unable to turn things around, so he decided to flee instead of fighting.
However, Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo were already well prepared. As soon as Yang Kai activated the gourd vine, they mobilised the World Force in the Demon Realm. As the three of them yelled at the same time, the World Force madly streamed towards the ship. At that instant, the speed at which the ship was moving slowed greatly as the space around it became as thick as mud.
Without any defence, the ship started cracking. Even though it had slowed down though, it was still steadfastly retreating.
Although three Demon Saints of the Demon Realm had joined forces, they were unable to stop their opponent from leaving, which went to show that a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was truly powerful.
Seeing as the ship was about to leave the coverage of the World Force, they were flustered; however, regardless how hard they tried, they were unable to stop the ship.
According to Yang Kai’s plan, they had to stop their opponent from leaving the Demon Realm with their collective power so that they would have a chance to kill him; therefore, they couldn’t let him go easily.
At the most critical moment, a nearly 1,000-metre-long Dragon that was surrounded by Demon Qi swam across the sky and attempted to grasp the ship with his gigantic Dragon Claw.
Chang Tian had come to lend them a hand!
“Stop him!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu bellowed and widened his eyes. Dealing with Embodiment and the others was taking all of his energy, and his wounds had been irritated just now; hence, he was completely powerless to stop Chang Tian’s attack.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the only Open Heaven Realm Master on the ship.
Besides the five Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai had seen in the Demon Realm, there were three more Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters aboard the ship now.
Following Mo Yu’s growl, the three Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters finally came to their senses and activated their World Force as they sent out Divine Abilities to attack Chang Tian.
The Dragon was heard wailing as blood spurted out of his giant figure along with bits of his flesh and scales.
After just one breath, Chang Tian was sent flying away. His huge figure writhed in the air and crashed into a mountain, which instantly collapsed.
Fortunately, he managed to hold up his opponent for a moment, giving Yang Kai the opportunity to summon the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and open the lid, whereupon a profound multi-coloured light burst forth from the artifact.
“That’s…” Upon realising the Order of the mysterious light, Mo Yu became horrified as he couldn’t understand why such a powerful artifact would appear in this damned place.
Without any defence, the ship was immediately damaged by the Divine Light while the Open Heaven Realm Masters had to use all their might to resist its horrifying power.
As the auras of World Force undulated, waves of energy clashed with one another.
Despite all that, the ship was still rapidly leaving the Demon Realm. Presently, more than half of the ship was already outside the Universe World and in just a few breaths’ time, it would break free from the trap.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth, and with bloodshot eyes, he attempted to look for something in the void. It wasn’t until he saw a cold flash of light expanding before his eyes that he breathed a sigh of relief.
[She’s finally here!]
The cold flash was completely silent, but it soon turned into a colossal sword wave and slashed across the ship.
“What?” Old Ancestor Mo Yu was flabbergasted.
Sensing the terrifying power behind this attack, he leapt off the ship without hesitation. Without him taking charge, the ship, which had lost all its defence, was unable to withstand such an attack.
The sword light silently slashed across the middle of the ship as well as a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was trying his best to resist the Divine Light, before fading.
The violent battlefield descended into a moment of eerie silence as only some heavy panting was heard coming from everyone’s mouths.
Following a crack, the ship broke in half, with a smooth cut running across a large section of it. Besides that, a line of blood appeared on the forehead of the cultivator who was struck by the sword light earlier.
After he realised something, his eyes were filled with horror and fluster. Then, he tried to turn around and cried out, “Old Ancestor, save me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the line extended downwards until it reached the part between his thighs.
Following that, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Just like the ship, this Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master split in two in mid-air as his five viscera and six organs scattered everywhere. He lost his life just like that!
It wasn’t until this moment that the other two Low-Rank Masters came to their senses and exclaimed as they moved to the sides and examined themselves. Upon confirming that they were fine, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Looking up, they saw a woman whose clothes were flapping in the wind appearing in the crack in the World Barrier. There was a cold water longsword in her hand, and she sported a frosty expression on her alluring face.
“Elder Lu!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu said through clenched teeth. Despite the fact that he was infuriated, he could only suppress his rage as he yelled, “What’s the meaning of this!?”
The woman who had destroyed his ship as well as his subordinate and appeared before him was none other than Lu Xue, who had left not long ago.
[Why is she here? How did she come back so soon?] Countless questions flashed through Mo Yu’s mind.
Lu Xue replied impassively, “Mo Yu, you’re fully aware of what’s going on, so what’s the point of asking the obvious?”
The corners of Mo Yu’s eyes twitched as he said through gritted teeth, “The predator has become the prey. This Old Master is willing to admit defeat, but there are two things that I don’t understand, so I hope you’ll enlighten me.”
Lu Xue stared silently at him without the intention to say anything.
Yang Kai stored the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and grinned meaningfully, “Just ask away if there’s anything you don’t understand. Don’t worry. I’ll let you understand everything before you die.”
After finishing his words, he waved his hand, whereupon Guo Zi Yan, Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo pounced on the two remaining Low-Rank Masters.
The two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters exclaimed and hurriedly parried their attacks as the two parties descended into a melee.
Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s face twitched as he took a look at his last two subordinates who were in the Open Heaven Realm. After hesitating between lending them a hand and standing idly by, he turned to look at Yang Kai and demanded, “Who do you think you are to speak to this Old Ancestor?”
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he naturally had no regard for an Emperor Realm Junior like Yang Kai. Since the beginning, Lu Xue had been his only enemy. As long as he could persuade her to let him off, he would be able to flee.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xue dispassionately answered, “He is my Young Master.”
Hearing that, Old Ancestor Mo Yu became shocked as he sized Yang Kai up and asked hesitantly, “Are you the Young Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion?”
He couldn’t be blamed for having this kind of speculation. After all, Lu Xue was also one of the Elders in Sword Pavilion. The person she would call ‘Young Master’ could only be the Young Pavilion Master.
“Sword Pavilion?” Yang Kai snorted, “I destroyed it long ago. Sword Pavilion ceased to exist more than ten years ago.”
“What?” Old Ancestor Mo Yu widened his eyes and stared at Yang Kai in disbelief. Then, he turned to look at Lu Xue as though he was trying to get some confirmation from her.
However, he couldn’t tell anything from her indifferent expression. Seeing that, he was astounded. He now believed that Sword Pavilion had really been destroyed.
At that instant, he was drenched in cold sweat. He had personally witnessed how formidable the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion was and there were a lot of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Sword Pavilion. The collective power of Sword Pavilion was far greater than that of Black Feather Sect.
[Who is this young man? To be able to destroy such a great force! Is he the son of an Elder from one of the Cave-Heavens or Paradises?]
Both shocked and doubtful, he no longer felt disdainful of the young man.
Yang Kai looked smilingly at him, “Mo Yu, didn’t you say you have two questions? Ask away now, or you’ll never have that chance again.”
An incensed Mo Yu took a deep breath to settle his raging emotions before asking, “I want to know why you’re making things difficult for this Old Master. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time we have met, and there are no grudges between us. Why must you force me to my end?”
“Making things difficult for you?” Yang Kai smiled and opened his arms wide as though he was trying to embrace the entire world, “This Universe World is mine. You’re raising chaos in my land and even coveted this world’s Principles and World Force. You’re the one making things difficult for me, not the other way round.”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu became startled for a moment before he stammered, “T-This must be a misunderstanding. Initially, I thought that this was an ownerless place. If I knew it had an owner, I wouldn’t have made such a rash move.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Since you’ve done such a thing, there’s no point explaining. Things have come to a point that only one of us can live!”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s face fell as he suppressed his fury and turned to look at Lu Xue, “My second question is, Elder Lu, how did you return so quickly?”
He was completely certain that Lu Xue had left, which was why he dashed into the Demon Realm without worries; however, not long after he barged into the Universe World, she came back and struck him from behind. Even though Lu Xue was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it should be impossible for her to move around so swiftly.
This was something he could not figure out. If it weren’t because of her attack at the last moment, he could’ve fled from the Demon Realm instead of getting trapped here with no way to save himself.
“It’s none of your business,” Lu Xue replied impassively. The reason she could come back so quickly was that she had made use of Space Beacons. Earlier, before leaving, she secretly left behind a Space Beacon in the void, and at the most critical moment, she activated the Space Beacon and returned in an instant before sending out that horrifying attack.
The Space Beacons were given to her by Yang Kai as he was worried that the ship’s owner would be too powerful. With these items in possession, Lu Xue could easily flee. None of them could have expected that the Space Beacons could be used in such a way at the most dangerous moment.
Hearing her reply, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was infuriated as a myriad of expressions came over him.
“Mo Yu, you can just speak calmly. Why do you pretend to be so infuriated? You’re a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I don’t believe that you’ll lose your cool so easily.” Yang Kai looked mockingly at him, “You’re putting on a show and being verbose in order to stall for time and restore your aura, right? However, you’re still injured, so what does it matter if you’re given more time?”
The fury behind the Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s eyes dissipated as he looked solemnly at Yang Kai, “Since you’ve seen through this Old Master’s intentions, why are you playing along?”
Yang Kai calmly looked at him, “Because I have to stall for time as well.”
A horrified Old Ancestor Mo Yu immediately scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, only to hear Yang Kai saying, “Don’t worry. There’s no other ambush. All of our strength is right in front of you; however, it isn’t hard for us to deal with you.”
Both shocked and doubtful, the Old Ancestor Mo Yu wondered what Yang Kai was stalling for. In a despairing state, he sported a ferocious expression as he snarled, “Brat, this Old Master admits that he is no match for you, but it doesn’t mean I’m completely powerless to resist, so it isn’t easy for you to kill me. If this Old Master goes all out, I can easily destroy half of this Universe World. Since this is your territory, I’m sure you don’t want that to happen.”
“En, you’re probably right about that.” Yang Kai nodded gently, “The attack from a desperate Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master is not to be underestimated.”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu snorted, “This Old Master will admit defeat. Just tell me what you want. As long as I can give it to you, I’ll not haggle over it.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Old Ancestor, you’re mistaken. The reason I’ve lured you into my trap isn’t that I covet your wealth; instead, I want your life!” Upon finishing his words, he suddenly sported a hideous expression. He appeared like a starving ferocious beast that had his eyes on its prey.
Old Ancestor Mo Yu bellowed, “Boy, why are you insisting on killing me? What will you get out of it to have both parties harmed?”
“We’ll see if you’re capable of doing that!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Just then, a shriek was heard. It was one of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Black Feather Sect who was killed by Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment.
This Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was already caught in a trap, so his morale was low to begin with. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was stronger than his opponent to begin with. With Embodiment’s assistance, it was easy for him to kill this lone enemy.
After one fell, Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment directly pounced on the last Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Presently, that person was held up by Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. Initially, he could still deal with them, but after Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment joined the battle, he felt immensely pressured, like a lone ship in a raging storm as the ship might capsize at any moment. Desperate, he exclaimed, “Old Ancestor, save me!”
At the same time, Yang Kai bellowed, “Begin!”
A sword light flashed as Lu Xue became one with her blade and turned into a ray of light before slashing at Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s head.
Mo Yu gritted his teeth and performed a hand seal. Then, he pushed out his palms and summoned two mysterious lights. The lights criss-crossed one another and became an artifact that looked like a pair of scissors before trying to cut through Lu Xue. At the same time, he bellowed, “Brat, since you don’t want me to live, I’ll not make things easy for you either!” Then, he madly surged the might of his Small Universe and clashed with Lu Xue.
Loud booms were heard as the stunning battle between two Fifth-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters took place. At that instant, the world seemed to have turned upside down, and the Principles were rapidly shattering apart.
Just like what Old Ancestor Mo Yu had said, even though he was no match for Lu Xue in his current state, she also couldn’t end his life in a short period of time. With two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting against one another in the Demon Realm, it would have a huge impact on this Universe World.
That was the reason rarely any Open Heaven Realm Masters would make a move in a Universe World as they might accidentally shatter the world. In the past, the Star Boundary was almost destroyed for this very reason.
Initially, Old Ancestor Mo Yu wanted to make Yang Kai cautious about acting lest he harm the innocent, but the latter didn’t seem to care one bit.
Huge Void Cracks started appearing. All of them looked like the mouths of ancient beasts, and the aura of nihility could be felt coming through the cracks.
Cracks were everywhere in the sky, and the ground was shaking violently. In just ten breaths’ time, the area within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres transformed beyond recognition.
On the other hand, the Low-Rank Master from Black Feather Sect was suppressed by Guo Zi Yan and the others, and he was totally powerless to counterattack. In a despairing state, he begged for mercy. Naturally, Embodiment and the others ignored him and cast even more lethal moves.
Right then, Yang Kai came over with his Azure Dragon Spear in hand.
After he used Golden Crow Casts the Sun, a Sun leapt out from his back and cast a golden glow on the world. In the middle of the Sun, a Golden Crow was seen frolicking and cawing. Before the attack even reached the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, the menacing aura already terrified him to his core.
A weakness in his defence was exposed while he was flustered. Seizing the chance, Bei Li Mo landed a palm on his chest. As Ice Principles spread around, a layer of frost was formed on his chest, which made him unable to move.
The next moment, Azure Dragon Spear stuck his chest. A violent force was infused into his body through the spear, whereupon he sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and his expression became pale.
At this life-and-death moment, he gritted his teeth and madly burned his Blood Essence as his aura surged; however, before he could make a final struggle, Yu Ru Meng appeared before him as her eyes turned into an endless abyss, which sucked his Soul Avatar into it.
Embodiment came over and landed a palm on his head, which directly broke his skull.
The last Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from Black Feather Sect was killed just like that.
Given their current strength, they shouldn’t have been able to kill these two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with such ease. In the past, when Great Demon God made a fuss in the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors had to relentlessly fight back with all their powers and pay a hefty price before they could end his life. At that time, the Great Demon God showcased a power that was not weaker than that of the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, things were different with Guo Zi Yan around. He was in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was at the peak of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm. As long as his opponent wasn’t a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was practically peerless.
After the battle was settled, Embodiment directly sat down with his legs crossed. Just like what he had done before, with the entire Demon Realm as a medium, he started activating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
This time, four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had followed Old Ancestor Mo Yu to the Demon Realm, and they were all killed. After their Small Universes collapsed, the Principles and World Force they had condensed wafted from their bodies.
With Embodiment making a move, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law madly absorbed the powers in the air and replenished the lost heritage of the Demon Realm.
The Void Cracks that had been formed due to the battle between the two Mid-Rank Masters were rapidly getting repaired, and even the broken Principles were stitched back together again.
Upon sensing the transformation in his surroundings, Old Ancestor Mo Yu exclaimed, “What is happening?”
An Open Heaven Realm Master could swallow the heritage of a Universe World to strengthen himself, and in the same way, if an Open Heaven Realm Master lost his life in a particular Universe World, the heritage of that place would be enhanced as well.
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Mo Yu was fully aware of this; however, even if a Universe World could receive nourishment after an Open Heaven Realm Master passed away, it could only absorb a small portion of it. Most of it was wasted, and only 10 to 20% of it could be retained.
He had never expected that a Universe World could proactively absorb the World Force coming from dead Open Heaven Realm Masters. At this moment, this world seemed to have turned into a living creature, and it was as though it could gobble up all the World Force it was fed. This revelation made him shudder.
While he was in a dazed state, a sword light slashed across his chest and almost cut him into halves. He exclaimed and resisted with all his might. That was how he was spared the fate of getting killed on the spot. After the strike, his chest was covered in blood, and his flesh had rolled up. Through the wound, his heart was seen pounding. The situation he was in became increasingly perilous.
It was at this point that he understood why Yang Kai had to stall for time.
This eerie world was able to completely absorb the World Force from dead Open Heaven Realm Masters and repair its own damage at an incredible speed. Hence, his subordinates had basically become food for this world.
Yang Kai was stalling for time because he had to kill all the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as soon as possible. Only by doing so could he ensure that the world would not be destroyed by the battle between the two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Upon that realization, Mo Yu became crestfallen. Initially, he wanted to showcase his immense power and let Yang Kai know the consequences of forcing him to his end; however, seeing as this world was rapidly repairing itself, he knew that there was no hope for him.
Both Lu Xue and he were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, while one was at the peak of her power, the other was severely injured. It was obvious which one of them was stronger.
In just a stick of incense worth of time, Mo Yu’s aura plummeted. Faced with Lu Xue’s relentless assault, he could only parry but not fight back.
He had repeatedly attempted to leave the Demon Realm, but Guo Zi Yan and the others were not there just to watch a show. They already surrounded the battlefield, and as soon as Mo Yu showed signs of fleeing, he would be suppressed, which made him feel so frustrated that he almost spat blood.
From time to time, Guo Zi Yan and the others would cast their Divine Abilities to tire him out.
The battle lasted for three days. Presently, the aura of Old Ancestor Mo Yu had completely withered while Lu Xue was panting heavily. Even though she had the upper hand from the start, it wasn’t easy to kill a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“This Old Master is willing to surrender! Little Friend, please spare my life! This Old Master will swear upon his Dao Heart that he will always obey your orders. If I go back on my word, I’ll die a horrible death!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu exclaimed with a livid expression.
However, Yang Kai remained indifferent to him.
The fact that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was willing to swear upon his Dao Heart suggested that he sincerely wanted to surrender, but Yang Kai didn’t really need him.
If Mo Yu hadn’t offended Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, Yang Kai might have taken him on as a subordinate.
He had the Loyalty List with nine pages in total, which meant that he could control nine people. Presently, only the names of Chen Tian Fei and Hei He were on it, so he could add another without much hesitation. Moreover, it was worth considering to take in a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, this guy was a mortal enemy of Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, so Yang Kai would only be inviting trouble to himself if he accepted him.
Void Land was in the early stages of building itself up, and the Nine Heavenly Layers hadn’t been completed yet. They were in the stage of rapid developments, so Yang Kai would be taking a huge loss if he were to protect a morally corrupt Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and become enemies with two Second Class great forces.
However, since Mo Yu had said such a thing, it suggested that he was already on his last legs.
Understanding this, Yang Kai extended his hand into the void and grabbed Azure Dragon Spear. Pointing the spear forward, he coldly ordered, “Kill!”
Half a day later, the battle ended, and the dust settled.
Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked around, only to see that all the people who had taken part in the battle were wounded, including Lu Xue.
Even though the Old Ancestor Mo Yu was heavily injured, and wasn’t able to use the full extent of his power, he was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Therefore, it was difficult to deal with him while he was in a desperate state. Fortunately, the battlefield was in the Demon Realm, and the Demon Saints could join forces to assist; otherwise, if Lu Xue were on her own, it wouldn’t have been hard to defeat Mo Yu, but it would’ve been almost impossible to kill him.
After Old Ancestor Mo Yu passed, his Small Universe collapsed, and his Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm heritage dissipated into the air. Embodiment activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and madly absorbed it all into the Demon Realm.
With the addition of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters that had been killed, the Demon Realm benefited greatly even though its foundation had been damaged.
The broken world was repairing itself, the Principles solidified, and the World Force became thicker.
All of them started healing their wounds on their own.
After storing the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai turned to look in a certain direction. Then, he nonchalantly took a few steps forward and instantly reached the bottom of a collapsed mountain, where Chang Tian was seen with a shrivelled face and greying hair. Presently, he was seated with his legs crossed. Despite the fact that he appeared haggard, he still looked smilingly at Yang Kai.
Chang Tian was the most severely injured in the battle. He was already wounded before Yang Kai and the others arrived, and the ensuing battle exacerbated his condition.
Compared to the time before Yang Kai left, Chang Tian seemed to have aged by several hundred years. If he looked like a healthy middle-aged man in Yang Kai’s eyes in the past, he now looked like a frail old man.
Walking over, Yang Kai checked on him and furrowed his brows. Then, he fished out a pill from his Space Ring and gave it to him, “This will be useful to you.”
After taking it, Chang Tian examined it and was amazed, “Dragon Blood Pill? Moreover, this is an extremely high-grade Dragon Blood Pill. What a treasure!”
Following his praise, he tossed the pill back to Yang Kai, “I don’t need it. You should keep it. Your blood is related to the Dragon Clan, so this pill can enhance the purity of your Dragon Bloodline.”
The problem facing him wasn’t that he was wounded, it was that his vitality was reaching its limits.
He already didn’t have much time left to live, and he continuously burned his Blood Essence in the battle earlier, which further shortened his lifespan. Presently, the vitality in his body had withered, so he was just like a piece of dying wood.
His problem could not be solved by a Dragon Blood Pill. The only thing that could help him was a precious treasure that could extend his life.
Yang Kai stuffed the pill back into his hands, “I have many of these pills, so don’t turn me down.”
After giving it a thought, Chang Tian fell silent and nodded. Then, he gulped down the pill and slowly refined it. As the pill’s medicinal efficacies dissolved, his aura quickly stabilised.
Just then, Guo Zi Yan came over and said in a hushed voice, “Sir, we’ve found something in the ship.”
Previously, the ship was cut in two and fell to the ground. After the battle, Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue examined it and found something interesting.
When Yang Kai reached the ship, he saw a young man kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy with a trembling figure.
The young man had saggy bags under his eyes and a sallow face, so it was apparent that he was someone who indulged in wine and women. He was weak as he was only in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, but Yang Kai had a feeling that this man didn’t live up to the cultivation realm he was in. He seemed to be much weaker than Ma Yuan De.
Yang Kai realised something and asked, “Are you the Young Master of Black Feather Sect?”
When Mo Yu fled from Black Feather Sect, he brought many people with him; however, as he repeatedly battled against those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, many of his subordinates were killed. When he reached the Demon Realm, he only had eight Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm subordinates left with him.
Of these eight people, Yang Kai killed four and then released Ma Yuan De to lure his opponent into a trap. Later on, he also killed the remaining four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and the other much weaker cultivators.
Since this young man could survive, it suggested that his identity was extraordinary; moreover, judging from his clothes, he was clearly wealthy.
Yang Kai believed that this young man was the Young Master of Black Feather Sect because he couldn’t think of any other explanation. Since he was the Young Master, he could use a lot of resources to strengthen his cultivation; however, due to the limitations of his aptitude, he could only ascend to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. Moreover, since his foundation was unsteady and built upon countless resources, he was naturally weaker than Ma Yuan De.
As expected, the young man pressed his head against the ground and said apprehensively, “Sir, this one is Mo Ning. Please spare my life! Please spare my life!”
During the battle previously, he remained hidden in the broken ship as he watched the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Black Feather Sect being killed, and eventually, even Old Ancestor Mo Yu wasn’t spared, which made him feel horrified.
Nonetheless, he was trapped in the Demon Realm, so where else could he possibly go?
When Guo Zi Yan inspected the ship, he quickly found this Young Master.
Ignoring him, Yang Kai looked at the spot beside him with interest.
Besides Mo Ning, Guo Zi Yan had also found a woman in this broken ship; however, at this moment, the woman was frozen in a block of ice. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were on her chest. Her calm expression might make others think that it had been thousands of years since her death.
Nevertheless, after scanning her with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could detect the faint vitality in her body. In other words, this woman wasn’t dead.
The woman was certainly alluring. Moreover, her body was curvy, and her skin was fair. Despite her pretty face, she had a heroic air about her, which could easily make any man fall for her.
Yang Kai turned to look at Mo Ning and asked, “Is she the woman you kidnapped?”
Blood was streaming from the wound on Mo Ning’s forehead as he had repeatedly knocked his head against the ground. Upon hearing this question, he hurriedly replied, “Yes, Sir. She’s the daughter of the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat. Her name is Shangguan Yu.”
“Did you turn her into this state?” Yang Kai knocked on the ice block and realised that it was pretty cold; furthermore, it seemed to be made from a strange material.
Mo Ning shook his head like he was a pellet drum, “Sir, this wasn’t my doing. She turned into this after she used a Secret Technique.”
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai snorted. He could sense that Shangguan Yu was just an Emperor Realm cultivator but the ice block that had engulfed her seemed to be on par with a Fourth-Order material at the very least. In other words, in order to melt this ice block, it would at least take a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master or a Fourth-Order Fire Element Power. Even if such a person were to act though, there was no guarantee that he could succeed in getting her out.
Perhaps the Secret Technique that Shangguan Yu had used had other restrictions. If a person forcefully broke it, other problems might arise. If not, given the fact that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would’ve attempted to break it.
A terrified Mo Ning replied, “It’s true, Sir. I would never dare to lie to you! It was her own doing!”
With an awkward expression, Yang Kai stared at him, “So, you kidnapped her, but she’d used a Secret Technique and turned herself into this?”
“That’s right!” Mo Ning nodded repeatedly.
At that, Yang Kai was lost for words. In that case, it was tragic for Mo Ning. Instead of bedding a beautiful woman, he had invited trouble for himself. Because of a woman, his Sect was destroyed, and even his father was killed in a place that wasn’t his homeland.
“Sir…” Mo Ning carefully examined Yang Kai, “I’m willing to follow you and obey your every command! Please don’t kill me!”
Yang Kai looked down at him and scoffed, “Waste! After kidnapping a woman, you can do nothing but stare at her. What use would I have for you? Kill him!”
A flurried Mo Ning wanted to keep begging for mercy, but Guo Zi Yan moved away from Yang Kai’s back and hacked at him with an axe.
Following a shriek, Mo Ning was cut in two, unable to even parry a single attack.
Guo Zi Yan muttered, “So weak.”
He had ascended to his current realm from the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, but even if he was still in the Second-Order, he could kill ten people who were as weak as Mo Ning easily.
“Sir, what should we do about this woman?” Lu Xue asked, “Should we save her?”
“No!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He was certain that a special technique was required to break this Secret Technique that Shangguan Yu had used. Otherwise, Mo Yu, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would’ve attempted to get her out of it. If any accident happened when they were trying to save her, it would be troublesome.
In any case, she wouldn’t lose her life while she was inside this ice block.
She was the daughter of the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat as well as the fiancée of the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. If Yang Kai could bring her back to either great force, they would thank him.
Void Land had just been established, and if they wanted to gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds, they were bound to come into contact with other great forces. Flying Flower Boat and Rising Heavens Pavilion were both Second Class great forces equivalent to Void Land. If they could build a good relationship with these two great forces, it would be beneficial for the future of Void Land.
Even if this plan fell through, he could still demand some benefits from these great forces. It required a lot of resources to build Void Land, and the 600,000 people he had brought with him were like a bottomless pit as they had to cultivate as well. Naturally, Yang Kai had to get prepared early.
After telling Lu Xue to take care of Shangguan Yu, he started going through the rewards this time.
Excluding other rewards, there were more than ten Space Rings from those Open Heaven Realm Masters. The rings of those Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could be ignored as those people didn’t possess a lot of wealth. Yang Kai was someone who had gone through the vicissitudes of life, so he didn’t care about their rings. The most important things were the three Space Rings from Mo Yu.
All the rings were filled with lots of resources, which made Yang Kai feel ecstatic.
The average Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not have such immense wealth. Nevertheless, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was different. He was the Sect Master of Black Feather Sect; moreover, before his Sect was about to be destroyed, he must have packed up all the valuable resources before he fled.
These were all the reserves of a Second Class great force. Even though there were not many precious items, there was a large number of ordinary resources. There were countless Open Heaven Pills, materials of different Orders, and other precious treasures and pills.
These items could solve the pressing issue that Yang Kai was facing.
Even though he had made a fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it required a multitude of resources to build the Nine Heavenly Layers. He believed that by the time the Grand Array was completed, most of the resources he had obtained in the Boundary would be gone. These spoils could be used by his 600,000 people for quite some time.
Six days later, Embodiment got to his feet, and following his movements, the entire world started buzzing.
After six days of refinement, the heritage of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were killed in this world had been absorbed by the Demon Realm. Even though there was some wastage, it wouldn’t exceed 20%, which was an incredible ratio.
Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan looked at the Embodiment in amazement. Although they could be considered to be experienced people, they were still astounded by what they just witnessed.
Once an Open Heaven Realm Master passed away in a particular world, the World Force leaving their body would slowly assimilate into the surroundings, but that would take a long time. Moreover, only a small amount of it, 10 to 20% at most, could be absorbed while most of it would dissipate into the void and become wasted.
However, over the past few days, they could clearly feel that the heritage of those Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Black Feather Sect was barely wasted. Most of it was quickly absorbed by this Universe World.
[What kind of world is this? Just what is this Stone Man?]
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue were not certain about this, but Yang Kai had received some clear feedback from Embodiment.
The Demon Realm had been damaged in this battle. After all, the fight between two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had destroyed a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres. Nevertheless, compared to the damage, more benefits had been gained.
The death of the eight Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could already make up for or even surpass the loss, not to mention the World Force from Mo Yu, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The reason Mo Yu had his eyes on the Demon Realm was that he could feel that this world was a perfect match for his Small Universe. If he could seize the Demon Realm, he could devour its Principles and World Force. By doing so, not only could he heal his wounds in a short period of time, but his strength would also increase.
Unfortunately, his plan was ruined by Yang Kai. Instead of achieving his goal, he had lost his life.
The Principles and World Force of the Demon Realm were nourishing for Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and in the same way, his heritage was useful to this world. That was the reason the two of them could mix with ease.
Otherwise, Embodiment couldn’t have devoured it in just six days.
Presently, even though a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres around this area remained shattered, the Demon Realm had had some exponential growth compared to the time before the battle.
Its World Principles solidified, and its World Force had become thicker.
Solid World Principles could allow the Demons living in the Demon Realm to more easily comprehend the Grand Dao and Heavenly Way so that they could quickly increase their cultivation.
Richer World Heritage meant that Demon Saints like Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo, who had obtained the blessing of the World’s Will, could exert greater might within this world.
In the past, they were equivalent to Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Demon Realm, but now, they were as powerful as Third-Order Masters.
According to Embodiment’s estimation, if they had such heritage in the Demon Realm in the past, Mo Yu would’ve had to personally make a move. Those subordinates wouldn’t have been useful at all.
In a nutshell, the Demon Realm greatly benefited from the battle. This made Yang Kai fall into his wild thoughts.
Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian were excluded. Even though they were Demon Saints, they still had the potential to grow. After they got rid of the restrictions of this world, they could split Heaven and Earth apart in their bodies to form Small Universes after gathering the requisite Elements into their Dao Seals.
However, Embodiment was different. In the past, he used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to create something as amazing as Gun-Gun; hence, he was already tied to the Demon Realm.
If he left the Demon Realm, without the support of Heaven Devouring Battle Law, the world would fall apart. That was the reason Yang Kai told Embodiment to stay in the Demon Realm. It was because Embodiment couldn’t leave.
Initially, he thought that Embodiment would never be able to grow as he was eternally trapped in the Demon Realm, but now it seemed that there was another path of growth for him.
As long as enough Open Heaven Realm Masters died in the Demon Realm, he could swallow the powers from their Small Universes to strengthen the heritage of this world.
The stronger the heritage of the Demon Realm, the greater the power Embodiment could use.
With the help of the Demon Realm, he was equivalent to a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm or even a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. One day, he might be able to use a power that was in the Fifth-Order, Sixth-Order, Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he became excited at the thought.
With that said, even though there was such a possibility, it was difficult to make it happen; after all, where would they find so many Open Heaven Realm Masters to kill? Even if there were plenty of such Masters in the 3,000 Worlds, they might not be willing to come to the Demon Realm to have a fight.
Therefore, even though Embodiment and the Demon Realm still had the potential to grow, it was rather restricted.
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai communicated with Embodiment for a bit and sent him some messages.
Embodiment nodded and drove the Demon Realm in the direction where the Star Boundary was located.
This time, Old Ancestor Mo Yu accidentally discovered the Demon Realm and intended to harm it. This made Yang Kai realise that even though this was a remote location in the 3,000 Worlds, it wasn’t totally safe. There might be another Old Ancestor who had his eyes on the Demon Realm in the future.
Given the power of the current Demon Realm, it wasn’t likely they could oppose a Mid-Rank cultivator; therefore, they’d better head to the Star Boundary where Hei He was located. He could help take care of the Demon Realm as well.
One would normally have to pay a hefty price in order to move any Universe World, but it was a different case for the Demon Realm. Following the pursuit of Mo Yu, the Demon Realm had moved around in this Great Territory for a long time. Now, they just had to identify the right direction and set out.
Yang Kai also gave Embodiment a jade slip and told him to pass it to Hei He. This jade slip would fill Hei He in on all the details so that he wouldn’t be confused.
After Yang Kai was done with all that, he put Bei Li Mo, Yu Ru Meng, and Chang Tian into the Small Sealed World.
A moment later, the three of them brought the ice block Shangguan Yu was in and shot into the sky.
A few days later, they arrived at the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and turned his head. His gaze seemed able to pierce through this endless void as he looked in the direction where the Star Boundary was located.
Even though there had been some upheavals in his trip back home, it was generally a smooth ride.
Since he had already found the Star Boundary, it would be easier for him to come back in the future. It would just take him some time. After some calculations, he realised that it would take half a year to travel back and forth between the two places.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t move the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm to be within Void Territory; after all, even though a Territory Gate was huge, it couldn’t allow a Universe World to pass.
If he wanted to move from this Universe World to Void Territory without going through the Territory Gates, it would take him several dozen to a hundred years, and there might be unforeseeable incidents.
Perhaps when he ascended to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm one day, he could come up with a way to move the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm to Void Territory so that Void Land could protect them. By then, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone having their eyes on the two Universe Worlds anymore.
The following journey was safe and uneventful, and seven days later, they entered a different Great Territory.
With Lu Xue driving the flight-type artifact, Yang Kai didn’t have to worry about anything as he just had to focus on cultivating. Presently, he had condensed four Element Powers, so he needed three more to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. The problem was that he needed Yin, Yang, and Metal Elements of the Seventh Order at the very least, which required a lot of luck to come across.
However, he hadn’t gained a footing in this expansive universe yet, so he had no way to collect these resources. Perhaps he could seek the Proprietress’ help; after all, First Inn was a place for gathering information. Over the years, they must have gathered some information regarding Seventh-Order materials.
As such, Yang Kai decided that after everything was settled in Void Land, he would look for the Proprietress. As for the danger of trying to directly become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master that she had mentioned, he still remembered it; after all, it would be a terrible thing if those from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had their eyes on him.
Nonetheless, he had built such a sturdy foundation that it’d be a shame if he gave up halfway. Moreover, if he changed his goal just because he was afraid of the unknown, it would damage his Dao Heart as well. If he gave up, how was he supposed to face any difficulties in the future? He might just escape from them.
Regardless of the possible troubles, he had to give it a try.
“Sir, some people are following us,” Lu Xue was suddenly heard saying, “Moreover, their speed is quite swift.”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai awakened from meditation in shock and turned his head, but he couldn’t see anyone, “Who are those people?”
Lu Xue shook her head, “I have no idea, but I’m certain that they’re pursuing us because I’ve changed directions several times and still can’t get rid of them.”
Yang Kai frowned as he was annoyed at the fact that they were pursued for no reason, but when he caught a glimpse of Shangguan Yu, who was in the ice block, he suddenly realised something.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the people following them might be from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat.
These two great forces had been relentlessly pursuing Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and in the past two years, they had gotten into more than ten battles against him. This Great Territory wasn’t far away from the one the Star Boundary was in, so it wasn’t surprising that they would come across them here.
However, why did those people have their eyes on Yang Kai and the others? Yang Kai swept a glance over Shangguan Yu and speculated that she might have an artifact with her that could be used to track her location.
Despite his speculation, he believed that it would be better to be cautious. As such, he told Lu Xue to circle around as he secretly left some Space Beacons in the void.
Meanwhile, in a faraway place, a huge lotus had turned into a ray of light as it travelled across the void at full speed.
In fact, it wasn’t a real lotus as it was just a flight-type artifact that was made to look like a lotus. The Artifact Refiner who made this artifact was clearly quite skilful, which was why the lotus looked lifelike. From afar, one would mistake it for a real lotus.
On the lotus stood many figures who exuded the auras of the Open Heaven Realm while a woman stood at the front clad in an imperial dress, releasing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure.
She was none other than the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat, Shangguan Long!
This woman looked like someone in her early thirties. Besides a curvy figure, she also had a pair of eyebrows that looked like willow leaves. With her eyes filled with murderous intent, she stared at the void in front of her and snarled through clenched teeth, “Faster! I can already detect Yu’er’s aura. This time, I will not let Old Dog Mo Yu flee!”
As Shangguan Yu’s Mother, she had a Secret Technique that could be used to detect her daughter’s presence within a certain range, which was why she had been chasing after Yang Kai and the others. Previously, she had used this Secret Technique to hunt down the Old Ancestor Mo Yu.
Following her order, the gigantic lotus sped up.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and the two others stopped in the void and waited quietly. The speed of the flight-type artifact chasing after them was simply too great. Even with Lu Xue giving her all, she only managed to buy them half a day’s worth of time.
Looking back in the direction they came, a huge lotus was quickly blooming in their field of vision and soon dominated a large part of the void. At the same time, a high-pitched yet imposing voice came out from within the lotus, “Old Dog Mo Yu, let’s see where you can escape next! This place will become your grave today!
Yang Kai felt a great headache and thought to himself, [As expected, it’s either people from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat; otherwise, they would not have shouted those words. I wonder which great force our pursuer belongs to.]
It was fortunate that he had taken the time previously to set up many Space Beacons all across the void. If the situation turned bad, they could escape at any time. Besides, he was not Mo Yu and could even be considered the saviour of Shangguan Yu. [These pursuers will not attack indiscriminately, right?]
Clearing his throat, he shouted in a deep voice, “Who goes there? We are not a member of the Black Feather Sect, please open your eyes wide and take a good look.”
When his words rang out, the lotus suddenly stopped not far away. Then, more than ten figures flew out of the lotus after a brief silence. These dozen or so figures were in the Open Heaven Realm and quite a few of them were in the Mid-Rank, but their composition was varied. There were men and women, young and old.
These people were not the remnants of the Black Feather Sect. Black Feather Sect had been jointly attacked by two great forces, Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, and countless Masters of the Sect had been injured or killed after more than a dozen battles. Even Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seriously injured.
On the contrary, each of the dozen or so people in front of Yang Kai and the others exuded a sharp aura. They were staring at Yang Kai and the others coldly, revealing a deep sense of scrutiny. That was particularly true for the leader of the group, a noblewoman dressed in an imperial dress. The feeling she gave Yang Kai was almost identical to that of what he felt from Zhao Bai Chuan! In other words, this woman stood at the peak of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and was only one step away from advancing into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“Who are you? Where is that old dog?” Shangguan Long scowled as her beautiful eyes swept over the ice block. When she saw that not only was her daughter safe and sound, but that she had also managed to successfully perform the Secret Technique that she taught her back then, she finally felt a weight lifting off her heart. Even so, Yang Kai and the other two were unfamiliar faces so she couldn’t help being suspicious of them.
In particular, the existence of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm like Lu Xue puzzled her even more. Mo Yu was the only Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Black Feather Sect, so who was this woman? If these people were not part of the Black Feather Sect, then how did Yu’er fall into their hands?
“Void Land Yang Kai greets Madame!” Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Are you affiliated with Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat?”
“Void Land?” Shangguan Long frowned slightly. She had never heard of this great force before. In addition, an Emperor Realm cultivator like Yang Kai was being neither humble nor submissive when facing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master like her. The fact that he did not seem at all restrained by the difference in their strength surprised her greatly. What amazed her even more was the fact that this Emperor Realm Junior seemed to be the leader of this group consisting of two men and one woman! Both the woman in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and the man in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm seemed to be nothing more than guards.
[This young man must come from a very powerful background!] After considering all this, Shangguan Long’s expression involuntarily softened slightly. Although she had never heard of a great force by the name of Void Land before, the 3,000 Worlds was simply too big. She did not dare to claim that she knew all the great forces in existence. Moreover, a great force that dared to use the word’ land’ in their name had to be a Second-Class great force. That was enough to be on an equal footing with Flying Flower Boat.
“This Queen is the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat, Shangguan Long!”
Yang Kai immediately realised something, “So it is Madam Long!”
He had his suspicions when he saw how similar this woman was to Shangguan Yu, but now, he could be sure.
“You mentioned that your name is Yang Kai. In that case, this Queen will call you Little Brother Yang,” Shangguan Long said softly. She looked kind, but her eyes were as sharp as knives and made her seem slightly mean.
He smiled, “As the Madame pleases.”
She nodded, “Little Brother Yang, I wonder if you know that lady standing beside you…”
“Oh! I almost forgot.” He slapped himself on the head. Reaching out, he pushed the ice block next to him, in which Shangguan Yu was frozen, to the front, “This is your daughter, right? She was already like this when I found her. I didn’t know how to help her and did not dare to take action rashly. I was planning to deliver her to Flying Flower Boat in person, but it’s convenient that I met you here, Madame.”
As the ice block drifted towards Shangguan Long, one of the men in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm immediately stepped forward to catch it. He gave Yang Kai a deep look before flying back to the ship with Shangguan Yu without looking back.
However, Shangguan Long was surprised, “Does that mean you saved this foolish daughter of mine?”
Yang Kai laughed, “You flatter me. I just happened to be there at the time.”
“What about the old dog?” she asked.
“We slaughtered the remnants of Black Feather Sect without exception, so please rest assured, Madame.”
As soon as his words came out, the other side went into an uproar! They had been hunting the remnants of the Black Feather Sect in this endless void for two whole years. Although they almost succeeded several times, Mo Yu had always managed to escape their clutches in the end; therefore, they knew just how difficult it was to deal with him and couldn’t help feeling mixed emotions after hearing from Yang Kai that the remnants of Black Feather Sect had been slaughtered. Some couldn’t believe those words while others were relieved. They had been pursuing these enemies for so long, so it was only natural that they were exhausted.
Be that as it may, the two Open Heaven Realm Masters beside Yang Kai certainly had the capability to kill Mo Yu as Flying Flower Boat had already severely injured him during their previous battle. It could even be said that Yang Kai succeeded by taking advantage of their previous efforts.
“Now that I have handed your daughter over to you, Madame, we no longer have anything to do here anymore. We will be taking our leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists while saying that, but he had no intention of leaving at all. That was because he knew that it was impossible for the people from Flying Flower Boat to let them go.
Sure enough, Shangguan Long raised a hand as soon as his words rang out and shouted, “Wait a moment, Little Brother Yang!”
“Is there something else, Madame?” He looked at her sincerely. [This Young Master saved your daughter. It’s enough if you just give me some precious treasures as gifts.]
He was not being greedy. The other party belonged to a Second-Class great force, so their gifts would not be too poor, but contrary to his expectations, Shangguan Long continued, “It is not that this Queen does not trust you, Little Brother Yang. It’s just that everything you’ve said before is just a one-sided account of the story. I know Mo Yu is as scheming and cunning as a fox. Regarding what is the truth of the matter… I hope you can wait for a moment, Little Brother Yang. I will make my own conclusions after gaining a little bit of understanding.”
Yang Kai blinked, unable to believe his ears as he asked, “Madame, do you suspect me of being allies with the Black Feather Sect?”
She shook her head slowly, “This Queen never meant to imply that!”
While she was speaking, more than a dozen Open Heaven Realms Masters of Flying Flower Boat scattered around them indistinctly to surround Yang Kai and others.
Yang Kai was furious by the sight. He only wanted to obtain some benefits from Flying Flower Boat, but they turned out to have no intention of giving anything at all. As if that was not bad enough, they even treated their Young Lady’s saviour with such an attitude.
[Just who are these ungrateful people!?] However, Yang Kai considered the situation from another perspective and realized he would not have easily trusted him if the situation was reversed.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai suppressed the anger in his heart and nodded even though his expression was dark, “How do you plan to understand the situation, Madame? Let’s be frank. Every single person from Black Feather Sect is dead. Not a single one survived. At this point, we are the only people left who know what happened back then. Ask what you wish; we won’t deceive you, but, as for whether you believe our words, Madame… That is your business.”
Yang Kai was in no mood to ask for any benefits anymore. He needed to solve this issue as quickly as possible so that he could return to Void Land to finish arranging the Grand Array and settle his people in.
Shangguan Long smiled and said, “I won’t need to bother you at all. This Queen has her own plans.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly, looking thoughtfully in the direction of the lotus.
A short time later, two figures flew out from the lotus. One of them was the man in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm who left previously while the other person was a pure, pleasant-looking, and beautiful girl.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being surprised by the sight and stared at the girl in a daze. Who else could that girl be but Shangguan Yu, who was frozen in the ice block just now? [How did she leave the ice block so quickly?]
Nevertheless, it would seem that her foundation was slightly damaged from being frozen in the ice block for too long. Her current complexion was as pale as a sheet, which added a pitiful look to her appearance.
Brought back by that Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she stood beside Shangguan Long. The Divine Senses of both mother and daughter surged. They were obviously communicating about something.
Yang Kai was puzzled as he had checked her condition before. Her entire body was frozen in ice and only the slightest hint of vitality remained in her. Even if she was present on the battlefield at the time, how could she have perceived anything? But, judging by Shangguan Long’s posture, it was obvious that she planned to seek information from Shangguan Yu.
What Yang Kai didn’t know was that although Shangguan Yu was completely frozen with only the slightest hint of vitality remaining in her, she could still vaguely perceive her surroundings; therefore, she was capable of receiving some bits and pieces of information from the outside world. Not to mention, the battle at the Demon Realm was shockingly powerful so it was hard not to notice anything.
After a simple inquiry, Shangguan Long learned that there was indeed a big battle not long ago. Numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters had died, one after another. Shangguan Yu even heard the screams of Mo Yu before he died… Hence, there was no doubt that these people from Void Land were indeed Shangguan Yu’s saviours. As for the remnants of the Black Feather Sect, they were probably dead.
Turning around, Shangguan Long smiled brightly, “Please forgive me, Little Brother Yang. Yu’er has explained the situation to me. This Queen was being paranoid.”
Yang Kai waved his hand and replied in a sullen voice, “It’s a matter regarding your child. I can understand why you were being so cautious, so there’s no need for that.”
Her eyes lit up at his words, “Little Brother Yang, you are very understanding. This Queen is ashamed.”
He then said, “If there’s nothing else, Madame, we will be taking our leave now.”
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Shangguan Long, however, hurriedly called out, “Wait!”
Yang Kai looked back at her faintly.
After which she continued, “You are my daughter’s saviours. Moreover, you also helped me kill that old dog, who was a great enemy of mine. You have done so much for Flying Flower Boat. This Queen also feels bad for the misunderstanding just now. I ask that you board the boat and allow this Queen a chance to make amends. I also wish to thank you for saving my Daughter.”
While Shangguan Long was speaking, Shangguan Yu also looked at Yang Kai expectantly; after all, Yang Kai was the person who saved her life. She would feel very uneasy if she did not even thank him for his life-saving grace.
Yang Kai responded to those words with a polite smile, “It was nothing much. There’s no need for that.”
Shangguan Long smiled, “One’s life-saving grace must be repaid; otherwise, people would criticize my Flying Flower Boat for being ungrateful if word got out about this matter. Also, Flying Flower Boat has prepared some small gifts for Little Brother. I hope you will accept them.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai turned around and replied solemnly, “Madame is right. It would be bad if people misunderstood you because of this matter. It would damage Flying Flower Boat’s reputation. Since you are being so kind, Madame, we will not refuse.”
She then gestured, “Please!”
The Lotus Flower Artifact was huge and luxuriously decorated inside, which revealed the profound heritage of the Flying Flower Boat. A magnificent palace stood where the stamen was located.
Yang Kai and the others entered the palace under the guidance of Shangguan Long.
Everybody took their seats, and upon seeing Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan standing respectfully behind Yang Kai with an extremely loyal appearance, Shangguan Long and several of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat glanced at each other meaningfully. They were becoming more and more certain that Yang Kai came from an extraordinary background.
How else would a mere Emperor Realm Junior hold such an honoured post? Furthermore, judging from his demeanour, he was used to standing in a position of power. His expression did not even change despite facing so many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Rather, he was just calmly observing the decorations in the hall.
Yang Kai then absentmindedly turned to look at Shangguan Long with a slight smile, “I have long heard of the Flying Flower Boat. Now, I can see that your heritage is indeed deep. Just this Lotus Flower Artifact alone is an eye-opener.”
For some reason, he could not shake the feeling that this woman was studying him with a look of scrutiny. It was not malicious but rather seemed to stem from interest.
Although Yang Kai only learned about the great force known as Flying Flower Boat recently and could not truthfully claim to have admired them for long, there was no harm in speaking words of flattery that did not cost him anything. Sure enough, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat all smiled with pride upon hearing his words.
Shangguan Long also pursed her lips, “You flatter us, Little Brother Yang. Flying Flower Boat is only a drop in the ocean in the 3,000 Worlds. Compared to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, we are not worth mentioning at all.”
Yang Kai nodded seriously, “That’s true. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises are First-Class great forces that have experienced the accumulation of time spanning tens if not hundreds of thousands of years. They are not something we of the Second-Class great forces can compare to. They can crush us just by lifting a single finger.”
When she heard those words, her heart rate quickened as she asked, “Little Brother Yang, which people from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises have you met?”
Yang Kai simply shook his head slowly, “I have never gotten the chance to meet any of them. It is only what I heard from others.”
Shangguan Long breathed a sigh of relief. From the way he spoke, she thought that he was connected to one of those top forces. There was less pressure now that she learned he did not have such connections.
One of the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters next to her spoke up, “Little Brother Yang, I heard you say that you are from Void Land. Please forgive me for being ignorant and uninformed, but which Great Territory is Void Land located in?”
This Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was none other than the person who caught Shangguan Yu earlier. Yang Kai could not tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt that this person was somewhat similar to Shangguan Yu.
“You are…” Yang Kai looked over questioningly.
Shangguan Long pursed her lips and smiled, “This is my Husband and the Right Protector of Flying Flower Boat.”
The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master cupped his fists, “Tong Yu Quan offers his greetings!”
Yang Kai was stunned. He glanced at Shangguan Long, then glanced at Tong Yu Quan. Only then did he finally understand why he felt that Shangguan Yu was somewhat similar to this man. It turned out that they were father and daughter!
[Does that mean that this woman is in charge of Flying Flower Boat? Tong Yu Quan’s cultivation is slightly weaker compared to Shangguan Long’s after all. It looks like he does not have much say in Flying Flower Boat.]
“So it is Protector Tong!” Yang Kai cupped his fists in return, “It’s normal that you have never heard of Void Land before. That is because I only just established Void Land.”
“A newly established Second-Class great force!?” Everyone was in an uproar over those words. In the 3,000 Worlds, the establishment and growth of any great force required long-term accumulation. It did not simply happen overnight; however, seeing that Yang Kai had a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as his bodyguard, it would seem that he certainly had this qualification.
Shangguan Long hesitated, “Then, the Master of Void Land…”
“It is this lowly one,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Everyone was stunned. For an Emperor Realm Junior to be the Leader of a Second-Class great force… There was no other precedent in the 3,000 Worlds; thus, they became more and more certain that he had a very powerful supporter behind him. Otherwise, how did he manage to make an Open Heaven Realm Master obey him? It was just that… with such an extraordinary background, how was it that he was not related to either the Cave Heavens or Paradises? It was extremely confusing.
Shangguan Long restrained the strange look in her eyes and gently said, “In the 3,000 Worlds, the heritage of any great force depends on the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters under them. The more Open Heaven Realm Masters they have, the stronger their heritage, and vice versa.”
Yang Kai sighed, “You are right, Madame. I’m worrying about this issue too. At present, Void Land only has five Open Heaven Realm Masters in total. Our strength is lacking indeed.”
Including Yue He, Chen Tian Fei, Lu Xue, Guo Zi Yan, and Hei He, who was newly added to the Loyalty List, there were indeed only 5 Open Heaven Realm Masters. This was the most fundamental heritage of Void Land.
Everyone in Flying Flower Boat looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Even a Third-Class great force would have more than just five Open Heaven Realm Masters. This number was simply far too small.
What they did not know was that although there were only five Open Heaven Realms in Void Land, each one was stronger than the last. Chen Tian Fe was in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while Hei He was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Not to mention, there was a high probability that Yue He had advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Aside from Guo Zi Yan, who was in the Low-Rank, the remaining four people were all in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Such a ratio was impossible for any Second-Class great force to have.
Seeing Yang Kai’s somewhat worried expression, Shangguan Long smiled, “There’s no need to feel rushed, all great forces grow over time. You can’t achieve success overnight. Little Brother Yang has already established Void Land, so in the future, you can gradually cultivate your own Open Heaven Realm Masters as long as you have Void Land as your foundation. This Queen believes that the name Void Land will spread throughout this vast world one day.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists in response, “I shall take advantage of Madame’s auspicious words then.”
After the banquet, the atmosphere was harmonious and everybody was drinking away happily. People would approach Yang Kai to offer him a toast and thank him for his kindness. Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan also sat down, accompanying Yang Kai by his side.
Several rounds of drinking later, Shangguan Yu came out in full dress. It could be seen that she had deliberately groomed and dressed herself up. While she still looked a little pale, she was in much better condition compared to the time she was just rescued. There was a faint flush on her cheeks that made her seem even more innocent and appealing than ever.
It was only natural that she was extremely grateful towards Yang Kai, who had saved her; therefore, she had honoured him with several glasses of wine in succession to the point where she had to take her leave from being overwhelmed by the drink.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and the others were guided to rooms that Shangguan Long arranged for them and rested. She also told them not to worry as they would take him back to Void Land.
Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Yang Kai could not refuse her offer. Besides, why should he waste his energy on travelling when somebody had offered to give him a ride? The Lotus Flower Artifact was also much faster so it would save him time.
Flying Flower Boat arranged three separate rooms for Yang Kai and the others, but Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan did not enter their rooms and stood outside the door of Yang Kai’s room instead. There did not seem to be any malicious intentions from Flying Flower Boat and it could even be said that Shangguan Long had gone out of her way to indicate her friendly intentions during the banquet; however, it was better to be on guard against any unwanted occurrences.
Inside the room, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and comprehended the mysteries of his Elements in hopes of realising another Divine Manifestation.
Inside another room, Shangguan Yu, who had only just recently been rescued, was staring at her mother with a pale complexion. Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly as she asked in disbelief, “Mother, you want me to seduce Senior Brother Yang!?”
Just moments ago, Shangguan Long had a short chat with her. Although her mother had not said anything specific, that was more or less the nature of the meaning behind her words. Shangguan Yu thought that she had misunderstood, but further inquiry had proven that this was indeed the case. Thus, she almost could not believe her ears. She could not believe that her mother would have such thoughts.
Shangguan Long’s expression, however, remained stern, “What do you mean by seduce? How can a lady speak such vulgar words? I am talking about falling in love with each other and establishing a marital relationship between the two of you. Naturally, it will involve the process of making love to each other. How can you call that seduction!?”
Shangguan Yu retorted with grief and indignation, “I have never met Senior Brother Yang before! Although he saved my life and I am very grateful towards him, there is no such thing as love between us. How can we fall in love with each other!?”
Shangguan Long got up, stood in front of the transparent window, and looked out into the starry scenery in the void as she calmly replied, “Just because there is none right now does not mean that there won’t be any in the future. Men are all the same. After consummating with each other, he will have tasted how great you are. Over time, he will naturally yearn for you!”
Those remarks resounded in Shangguan Yu’s ears like a loud sonorous bell. She covered her red lips with her hands, shocked beyond words. [Going by what Mother just said, she not only wants me to seduce Senior Brother Yang but also go all the way with him! Is this really the same Mother who has always loved and cared for me!? Also, what is the purpose of doing this? Senior Brother Yang is certainly brave and heroic with a compelling air about him. I cannot say that I dislike him and in fact, I even admire him a little. Even so, both Mother and I have only just met him for the first time today. Why would Mother come up with an idea like this?]
“Mother, are you drunk?” She asked hesitantly. During the banquet just now, her Mother had consumed quite a lot of alcohol. However, there was no sign of intoxication whatsoever when she looked into her Mother’s eyes. Those eyes were very clear and sober.
Shangguan Yu shook her head, “I can’t. I can’t do it. Mother, you might not know. But, Big Brother Wei and I…”
“Do you think your Big Brother Wei still wants you?” Shangguan Long interrupted Shangguan Yu coldly.
Shangguan Yu’s tender body trembled at those words. Her beautiful face went pale and she asked, “Mother, what do you mean by that!? Could it be that Big Brother Wei…”
“Rest assured. Your Big Brother Wei has not said anything or been harmed in any way. The situation is not how you imagine though. In the pursuit of that rotten old dog over the past two years, he has put in more effort than anybody else.”
Shangguan Yu smiled, “I knew Big Brother Wei wouldn’t abandon me.”
Shangguan Long said coldly, “Do you think your Big Brother Wei is trying so hard in order to save you?”
“Is that not it?”
“Foolish girl!” Shangguan Long flicked her sleeve angrily, “How could I not understand how a man thinks? Only a sheltered little girl like you will have such unrealistic fantasies. I will tell you now. Your Big Brother Wei was not hunting that old dog so desperately to save you, but… to kill you!”
The moment those words rang out, Shangguan Yu’s face, which had just shown a blush of happiness, suddenly became extremely pale. Her mouth fell open slightly and she looked at her mother in shock as though she had heard something utterly incredulous.
“Kill… Kill me?” Shangguan Yu was very shocked, “Why would Big Brother Wei want to kill me? I’ve never done anything to upset him before.”
Shangguan Long sighed. Walking over to the table, she pulled her daughter by the hand to sit down next to her, and gently explained, “I know that you’ve never done anything to upset him before. I believe you, but how much does your Big Brother Wei believe in you?”
“What… What do you mean?” Shangguan Yu looked puzzled.
Shangguan Long said, “It has been over two years since you were kidnapped by Mo Ning, right? Mo Ning is an infamous scoundrel. Who doesn’t know that he is a lustful man? Relying on his status as the Black Feather Sect Master’s Son, he ruined the reputation of many women and girls over the years. You were kidnapped by Mo Ning for two years, and we didn’t hear from you at all during this period. We could only rely on the Soul Lamp in my possession to confirm that you were still alive. All the bastards in Black Feather Sect were fleeing for their lives, but Mo Ning kept you with him. What is your Big Brother Wei supposed to think?”
Shangguan Yu replied pale-faced, “Mother, you are saying that Big Brother Wei thinks that I… But, I have never done anything that will wrong him in any way! After I was kidnapped by Mo Ning, I immediately performed the Secret Technique you taught me and sealed myself in ice. By the time I woke up, I saw Father and I…”
“Will your Big Brother Wei believe you?” Shangguan Long interrupted, staring at her daughter coldly.
Shangguan Yu could not answer.
“What I think doesn’t matter. It is what your Big Brother Wei thinks that is important. Silly girl, have you ever considered it yourself?”
Shangguan Yu spoke in a shaky voice, “I-I can explain the situation to him. H-He will surely understand.”
Shangguan Long laughed, her voice filled with mockery, “Good. Even if your Big Brother Wei believes you, what about all those in Rising Heavens Pavilion? Will they believe you?”
“I don’t care whether other people believe me or not. It is enough as long as Big Brother Wei believes me.” Shangguan Yu shook her head. There was a look of firm determination in her eyes. It was clear that she strongly believed in her beloved.
“If Wei Wu Shuang was just an ordinary man, he could ignore the opinions of others, but he is the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. This decision is not up to him!” Shangguan Long patted the back of her daughter’s hand and persuaded earnestly, “If you married into the Wei Family and became the Madame of the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, then Wei Wu Shuang would never be able to lift his head with pride anymore. Even if he tries to force his way through, Wei Jiu Weng will never agree to your marriage either.”
Shangguan Yu’s expression went pale.
Shangguan Long gave a long sigh, “From the moment you were kidnapped, this matter became irreversible. Wei Wu Shuang might truly have been worried about your safety in the beginning and wanted to rescue you, but in these two years, his heart has probably undergone many changes. You and he are childhood sweethearts and there is no doubt about this fact. The two of you should have been a perfect match, but unfortunately, it is also precisely for this reason that Rising Heavens Pavilion cannot dissolve the engagement easily. Otherwise, they would offend our Flying Flower Boat! So then, are you saying Wei Wu Shuang has no choice but to marry you just because they are unable to break off this engagement? In this situation, there is only one method for them to resolve this problem!”
“What method?” Shangguan Yu’s body trembled and her eyes stared listlessly at her Mother.
“Everything will be resolved if you are dead!” Shangguan Long looked at her daughter coolly, “If you die, there will be no need for Wei Wu Shuang to marry you. Rising Heavens Pavilion will not offend Flying Flower Boat either. It is killing two birds with one stone.”
Shangguan Yu stood up in shock and involuntarily took several steps back. She seemed to be in a great panic and her thoughts were a mess as she shook her head and denied, “That’s not true, Mother. That’s not how it is! This is all just your speculation! Big Brother Wei is not that kind of person!”
Shangguan Long faintly replied, “If it isn’t true, then why are you so flustered? I’m afraid you believe it a little yourself, right? Do you know why you have such thoughts? It’s not because my words make sense, but because you yourself have already noticed it. You just haven’t realised it yet.”
“I noticed it?”
“Although you sealed yourself away for the past two years, you did not lose all your perception of the outside world. Think about it. In these two years, how many battles did that old dog Mo Yu experience? Among these battles, there were some where Flying Flower Boat succeeded in chasing him down and fought with the people of the Black Feather Sect. Rising Heavens Pavilion is most likely the reason for the rest of the battles. Have you ever heard your Big Brother Wei calling for you during those battles? Have you ever felt as though Rising Heavens Pavilion was there to rescue you?” Shangguan Long smirked coldly, “If my guess is correct, Rising Heavens Pavilion did their best to destroy that old dog’s entire ship and slaughter every single person in those battles. As long as they could wipe out the entire Black Feather Sect and get rid of you during the process, then they could report to me that Black Feather Sect killed you in their desperation. Without any proof of your death, what could I do to them?”
Every word Shangguan Long said stabbed into Shangguan Yu”s heart painfully. Unable to take it anymore, she reached up and covered her ears, “Mother, I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that this is the case!”
“Whether you believe me or not, this is the truth!” Shangguan Long coldly snorted, “Flying Flower Boat and Rising Heavens Pavilion were pursuing Black Feather Sect together and we agreed to inform the other party as soon as we found traces of them so that we could form a pincer attack together. However, there had been several occasions where Rising Heavens Pavilion did not inform us in time even though they discovered Black Feather Sect. By the time we rushed over, that old dog had already escaped! If Rising Heavens Pavilion had no other intentions, then why would they do that?”
Shangguan Yu slumped to the ground limply. Her tears slid down her cheeks like pearls falling off a broken necklace as she was murmuring repeatedly to herself, “I don’t believe it!”
Shangguan Long said, “If you don’t believe me, then you can just wait and see. I’ve already sent a message to inform Rising Heavens Pavilion. They will meet up with us in a few days. At that time, you will see how your Big Brother Wei treats you!”
Upon hearing the name ‘Big Brother Wei’, a glimmer of light finally returned to Shangguan Yu’s dim eyes. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and glared at her mother, “I will ask him myself. Mother, you are wrong, Big Brother Wei will not abandon me!”
Then, she rubbed her eyes and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
After Shangguan Yu left, a figure slipped into the room from the outside. It was the Right Protector of the Flying Flower Boat, Tong Yu Quan. He was also the father of Shangguan Yu and the husband of Shangguan Long.
It was just that his expression was incredibly livid at this very moment. He glared at Shangguan Long and scolded, “You know Yu’er is deeply in love with Wei Wu Shuang and will marry nobody else in her life. Why did you have to shock her like that!? Are you still her Mother!?”
Shangguan Long coldly snorted. She lifted her hand gently, poured herself a cup of tea, and responded in an indifferent manner, “It is precisely because I am her mother that I have to tell her this. I am doing this for her own good.”
“Then, what about you asking her to seduce that Yang Kai?” He clenched his fists tightly, the veins in his neck throbbing hard, “Is that also for her sake?”
“Of course!”
“Utter rubbish! You did it for your own wolfish ambitions!” He gritted his teeth and spoke scathingly, “Yang Kai is only in the Emperor Realm, but he managed to create a Second-Class great force. It is obvious that he has a bright future ahead of him. If you can create a connection with him, then it will be like giving a tiger wings! Allowing you to become even more powerful!”
She glanced at him lightly and calmly said, “Oh? So you can also tell that he will have a bright future ahead of him? If you can understand that, then what’s wrong with me asking our daughter to get along with him? Wei Wu Shuang is nothing more than the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. Although he has decent aptitude, that is all he has. He is nothing without his status as the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. On the other hand, Yang Kai is different. Not only did he create a Second-Class great force, he even has a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as his bodyguard. How great would his achievements be in the future? These two could not be more different from each other. If it were you, who would you choose to be your Son-in-Law? What’s more, it’s not as if you don’t know what kind of thoughts Wei Wu Shuang has been harbouring for the past two years. Was what I told Yu’er just now untrue?”
His expression turned sullen, “Wei Wu Shuang is certainly an unreliable man, but do you even know what kind of man Yang Kai is? You and I have only met him for the first time today.”
Shangguan Long gave a soft laugh, “That’s right. It is our first meeting, but don’t you forget, I am a woman. I have quite the eye for men. Regardless of Yang Kai’s character, he will enjoy great accomplishments in the future. Yu’er will not be treated badly if she is with him.”
“It doesn’t matter what he can achieve in the future. As long as Yu’er doesn’t like him, this is complete nonsense!”
“Love will grow with time!” She coldly snorted, “If they live together in the future and Yu’er gives birth to his children, won’t she fall in love with him then? If that’s the case, not only will Yu’er find her happiness, but Flying Flower Boat might even get the chance to absorb Void Land. Our strength will surely increase exponentially!”
“Shangguan Long, when did you become like this!?” He stared at his wife in confusion, feeling as though he was looking at a stranger.
“If you have the heart to question me, then you might as well use the time to persuade Yu’er. I know you and Yu’er are very close. She listens to you, so it will work better if you persuade her than if I did it myself. Of course, you can choose to lie to her out of kindness, but she may be hurt even more deeply because of that!”
He gritted his teeth and glared at her, but she remained calm and unaffected.
“You vile woman!” Tong Yu Quan cursed. He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
The corners of Shangguan Long’s eyes twitched before she smashed the teacup in her hands against the ground with great force, shattering it to pieces!
A few days later, Yang Kai was meditating when he distinctly sensed Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact coming to an abrupt halt before continuing on its journey an hour later. Confused, he summoned Lu Xue and asked about the situation. Only then did he learn that the people from Rising Heavens Pavilion had rushed over to meet up with Flying Flower Boat. It was obvious that Flying Flower Boat had sent a message to inform Rising Heavens Pavilion about their current location.
He spread out his Divine Sense and carefully perceived his surroundings. Sure enough, he noticed that a large Palace was travelling at the same pace next to the Lotus Flower Artifact. There were many Open Heaven Realm Masters inside the palace and was probably Rising Heavens Pavilion’s artifact. Although this palace looked different from the Flowing Time Temple, it was probably also a multi-purpose artifact.
Soon afterwards, many Rising Heavens Pavilion cultivators boarded the Lotus Flower Artifact.
Another four hours later, a knock came from outside the door and Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, Wei Wu Shuang, is here. He claims that he wants to thank you in person for your life-saving grace.”
Although Yang Kai did not wish to meet the other party, he was here to thank him so it was not good of him to refuse a meeting. As such, he had no choice but to invite Wei Wu Shuang inside.
Half a day later, Wei Wu Shuang got up to take his leave and Yang Kai saw him off with a smile; however, Yang Kai frowned once he left.
Wei Wu Shuang had thick brows and large eyes. He also had an extraordinary bearing; he was the Young Pavilion Master of a Second-Class great force after all. Having received excellent training since he was young, it was not strange for him to have such a noble attitude and air.
He came here to express his gratitude to Yang Kai for saving Shangguan Yu’s life. Shangguan Yu was his fiancée and had been kidnapped by Mo Ning more than two years ago. The reason why the two great forces, Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, had pursued Black Feather Sect for so long was to rescue Shangguan Yu.
It was a pity that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was as cunning as a fox. He was also very strong, so he managed to escape their clutches numerous times. If not for the fact that he had tried to attack the Demon Realm and was consequently lured into a trap by Yang Kai, he might have escaped alive again.
Rescuing Shangguan Yu was just a passing effort for Yang Kai, but it was a huge favour for both Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat. It was only natural for Wei Wu Shuang to express his thanks now that Shangguan Yu had returned safely. Both his words and his behaviour were sincere and earnest. Every word of thanks seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.
Even so, Yang Kai could not help feeling that something was off. Especially when Wei Wu Shuang occasionally revealed a hint of helplessness and hatred when he looked at Yang Kai, even though it was very well hidden. Yang Kai had gone through various hardships and seen many things in his life, so a flower grown in a greenhouse like Wei Wu Shuang could never compare with his insight and instinct.
[What is that guy upset about? Why does he seem to hate me? This is only our first meeting after all. Leaving aside the fact that I saved Shangguan Yu’s life, there’s no reason for him to hate me even if I was completely unrelated to this matter.] Yang Kai was extremely puzzled! Although he did not quite understand the situation, he couldn’t be bothered to care either. It was fine as long as Wei Wu Shuang did not provoke him. If Wei Wu Shuang dared to be arrogant towards him, then he wouldn’t mind teaching the other party how to show proper respect.
Another day passed. Yang Kai suddenly noticed a commotion outside. Spreading his Divine Sense to perceive the situation, he suddenly noticed Rising Heavens Pavilion’s palace rushing off in another direction and soon disappearing out of sight.
It would seem that Rising Heavens Pavilion was going to part ways with Flying Flower Boat. It was not surprising since the two great forces were not located within the same Great Territory so it was only natural that they would use different routes to return.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai calmed down and continued to comprehend the Powers within him.
…..
Shangguan Yu stood ashen-faced on one of the flower petals of the Lotus Flower Artifact, staring at the palace that was quickly vanishing from sight. Her beautiful eyes had lost their former lustre. Rather, there was a sense of sorrow that was even greater than death.
Shangguan Long stood right behind Shangguan Yu and gently patted her daughter on the shoulder as she spoke, “Do you understand now, Yu’er?”
Shangguan Yu closed her eyes. Her tears fell silently as she recalled the indifference and rejection that Wei Wu Shuang had shown her over the past two days. How could she not understand that what her mother mentioned before was true?
Everything became irreversible the day she was kidnapped by Mo Ning two years ago. Even if she was truly innocent, even if she was completely without guilt, who would believe her? She was already a withered flower in the eyes of Rising Heavens Pavilion, no longer worthy to be the Madame of the Young Pavilion Master! This point had been proven by Wei Wu Shuang’s attitude towards her over the past few days.
Behind the pair, Tong Yu Quan also sighed deeply. Unfortunately, he was utterly helpless.
Shangguan Long said, “Yu’er, Wei Wu Shuang is not a man worthy of you. You don’t need to grieve for him anymore. You still have a long road ahead of you. You need to think about your future.”
Shangguan Yu’s eyes were blank and didn’t seem to have heard those words.
Tong Yu Quan was distressed by the sight; thus, he quickly stepped forward and comforted her in a low voice. Unfortunately, she just continued to weep in silence.
The Lotus Flower Artifact continued through the void, crossing Great Territory after Great Territory.
…..
About half a month later, Shangguan Yu came to visit Yang Kai. She claimed that she wished to personally thank him for saving her life.
Yang Kai invited her in only to find that she had brought some food and drinks with her. Failing to stifle his laughter at the sight, he looked up and unexpectedly discovered that her appearance was haggard. Her eyes were also blank and lifeless; thus, he couldn’t help asking in surprise, “Junior Sister Yu, did something happen recently?”
She had sealed herself in ice for two whole years, and while it had damaged her foundation as a result, she had been gradually recovering after being released from her seal.
Meeting her again today though, Yang Kai realised that she had lost a lot of weight. Moreover, her appearance was extremely poor. It was obvious that she had experienced a huge mental shock.
At first, he didn’t quite understand the situation; however, he pondered for a moment and recalled the scene of how the people from Rising Heavens Pavilion came and left in a hurry. Yang Kai immediately had an almost complete grasp of the matter and summed it up simply as relationship problems.
Shangguan Yu’s eyes moved slightly and she forced herself to smile, “It’s nothing. I was just sealed up for too long and damaged my foundation as a result. I should have come to thank Senior Brother Yang sooner, but my body failed to live up to my expectations. That was why I delayed for so long. I hope you will forgive me.”
Yang Kai simply laughed, “It’s no big deal. You are being too polite, Junior Sister Yu.”
She then said softly, “It might not have been a big deal to Senior Brother Yang, but for me, it is a life-saving grace. Yu’er has nothing to her name, so I have no idea how I should thank you; therefore, Mother taught me how to cook some dishes myself. I don’t know if these dishes will suit your appetite, Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai lightly replied, “The fragrance is tempting and they looked exquisite. I can tell that you made these dishes with all your heart. I’m sure it will suit my tastes.”
Shangguan Yu barely managed to move the corner of her lips to reveal a smile. Setting the dishes down, she took out a bottle of wine and sat down.
Inside the room, the two of them sat across from each other to eat. It should have been a relaxing and enjoyable experience to dine with a beautiful woman; however, her emotional wounds had yet to heal. Even if she sincerely wanted to express her thanks, Shangguan Yu could barely force herself to smile. Similarly, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling awkward.
Fortunately, their tongues began to loosen after a few glasses of wine. As they chatted casually, the atmosphere became much more pleasant. It was just that while they were conversing, Shangguan Yu seemed to recall something and suddenly burst into tears. Despite feeling extremely troubled, Yang Kai had no choice but to speak a few words of comfort.
After bursting into tears, Shangguan Yu seemed to have opened up a dam of tears that would not stop. At the same time, she also gulped down glass after glass of wine, using it to drown out her sorrows. Yang Kai kept silent and drank with her, hoping that she would collapse from intoxication soon so that he could ask Lu Xue to send her back.
Half a bottle of wine later though, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed drastically. He could feel an uncontrollable movement swiftly surging through his body. His blood churned wildly and the air that came out of his nose was extremely hot.
[There’s something wrong with the wine!] Yang Kai was shocked. He was not a newcomer to travelling through foreign lands, so he always kept his guard up when consuming food and drink others had prepared for him. It was just that he had carefully checked the dishes and wine before and not found anything strange about them. There was no reaction either after drinking several glasses, so why did the effects erupt so suddenly?
That inexplicable force surged through his body, impacting his mind and making his senses blur. The young girl’s scent entered his nose and it created a sense of irresistible temptation. Yang Kai could barely suppress the urge to push the weeping girl in front of him down and ravage her.
Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her arm and shouted through gritted teeth, “Shangguan Yu!”
He originally thought that she had put some kind of drug into the wine, but to his surprise, he saw that her face was flushed red when he looked up at her. Her tears continued to flow without pause, but she was now laughing as well while her wrist also felt extremely hot.
[She got caught in this trap too!] Before Yang Kai could understand what was going on, the girl pounced on him while breathing heavily. She knocked him to the ground and sat on top of him, staring down at him with dazed eyes.
Yang Kai was stunned. His body was burning with desire and a beautiful woman was riding on top of his body. In addition, he could feel her burning skin and hear her rapid breathing. The combination nearly made him lose his mind.
Before he could do anything though, somebody kicked the door down without warning. Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue, who had been standing guard outside all this time, rushed in aggressively.
“Sir!” Guo Zi Yan shouted.
“What happened!?” Lu Xue also asked in surprise.
The two of them heard the commotion inside and immediately barged into the room to check on the situation; however, what entered their vision was Shangguan Yu riding on top of Yang Kai with a flushed face. Her hands were frantically tearing at his clothes, leaving his robe nearly in tatters.
“This…” Both of them were completely dumbfounded. Then, Guo Zi Yan quickly showed a hint of understanding while Lu Xue clicked her tongue and looked away with a blush.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
A rush of footsteps sounded from the corridor and two powerful auras quickly approached them.
“Not good!” Guo Zi Yan’s expression changed as he glanced at Lu Xue. Afterwards, the two of them lightly tapped their feet against the ground, swiftly backed out of the room, and closed the door with a bang.
However, a violent energy fluctuation broke out in the corridor the next moment. The might of World Force fluctuated and following a loud explosion, the door to the room was opened again. Tong Yu Quan rushed in with scarlet eyes. He immediately saw Yang Kai lying on the ground in dishevelled clothes and Shangguan Yu giggling in a confused manner.
When their gazes met, a hint of embarrassment flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes as he forcibly suppressed the desire that was surging throughout his body.
Tong Yu Quan roared, “Shangguan Long, look what you’ve done!?”
When he heard that his daughter had entered Yang Kai’s room with food and drink, he instantly had a bad feeling and came to stop them; however, he was held up by Shangguan Long. His strength was inferior to hers in the first place, so how could he escape from her? While he was struggling to get away, they heard a commotion in this direction and both husband and wife immediately came to investigate the situation, only to be greeted with this scene.
Tong Yu Quan was instantly enraged.
Yang Kai looked past Tong Yu Quan and saw Lu Xue confronting Shangguan Long. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan was slumped by the side with a pale complexion. A thousand thoughts ran through Yang Kai’s mind in that instant and the realisation struck him all of a sudden.
There was a high probability that Shangguan Yu was not behind the drug in the wine; after all, she had no reason to drug herself. Combined with Tong Yu Quan’s furious roar, the culprit was instantly revealed. It was Shangguan Long!
But why would she set her own daughter up like this? How did it benefit her? Yang Kai could not understand. Regardless of the circumstances, it was certain that Shangguan Long had nefarious intentions.
Lifting his hand, Yang Kai hit the back of Shangguan Yu’s neck, who collapsed without another word. He caught her and after setting her down he quickly got up. Leaning against a corner of the wall, he looked at Tong Yu Quan calmly, “Protector Tong, this is a misunderstanding!”
Tong Yu Quan looked at his daughter with heartache; then, he glared at Yang Kai ferociously. He knew that Yang Kai was not at fault for this situation, but his eyes were still blazing with flames of fury. He was also gnashing his teeth as if he wanted to rip Yang Kai apart.
Outside the room, Shangguan Long looked at Yang Kai with surprise in her beautiful eyes.
[How is this boy still fine?] It had to be said that the medicinal efficacies of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine were extremely domineering. Even an Open Heaven Realm Master would find it hard to resist its power after drinking it, so how was it possible for an Emperor Realm Junior to remain clear-headed?
This wine was made from many precious treasures and took hundreds of years to ferment. It was originally the secret drug of an extremely evil and vicious serial rapist by the name of Hua Wu Ying. Hua Wu Ying had used this Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine to ruin the reputations of countless young maidens. He was notorious for committing crimes across numerous Great Territories.
300 years ago, one of Shangguan Long’s Legacy Disciples had been defiled by Hua Wu Ying, her Martial Heart corrupted as a result. She was highly favoured by Shangguan Long due to her extraordinary aptitude and Shangguan Long had wanted to nurture her into the next Boat Master, so she consequently poured a lot of effort into teaching her. She was originally expected to advance into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but unfortunately, her heart demon appeared during her breakthrough. In the end, all of her previous achievements were lost and her body was destroyed. It could be said that she died because of Hua Wu Ying.
Shangguan Long was furious and spent the next several decades hunting down Hua Wu Ying. She even went so far as to use other female disciples of Flying Flower Boat as bait to tempt Hua Wu Ying into falling for her trap. Her efforts paid off eventually and she finally caught the bastard in a Universe World after 40 years.
There was no need to explain what happened in the end. Although Hua Wu Ying was sly and cunning, he was not that strong, only a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he died on the spot at Shangguan Long’s hands. In that way, the secret drug that was unique to Hua Wu Ying now belonged to her Sect. This evil and obscene drug had been useless to her and she initially wanted to destroy it, but she kept a bottle of it for some strange reason in the end.
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, it was a simple task for her to slip a little something into her daughter’s wine. She also only needed to mention a few things in advance to make Shangguan Yu obediently bring the food and wine to Yang Kai’s room.
[Even Open Heaven Realm Masters succumb to their lust when Hua Wu Ying fed them the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine, so how is an Emperor Realm boy like Yang Kai able to resist the medicinal efficacies of this wine?] Shangguan Long frowned! She vaguely felt that either Yang Kai had extremely strong willpower or the wine had less impact on men than she expected. This was a drug that Hua Wu Ying came up with in order to target women after all.
This situation was not what she was hoping to see. She had expected to catch Yang Kai and Shangguan Yu in the throes of passion, so as to make Yang Kai submit. Unfortunately, that plan had gone awry.
[This is going to be troublesome.]
The thoughts in her head spun desperately as her red lips moved as she sighed and looked at Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang, what are you doing? Even if you like Yu’er, you still shouldn’t act so domineering. If word about this incident gets out, how will Yu’er hold her head up high in society in the future?”
Yang Kai suppressed the tumultuous desires in his heart and looked at the woman with slightly uneven breathing as he snarled through gritted teeth, “Madam Long, you are indeed skilled, calculating, and cruel!”
If it wasn’t for the initial suspicion in his heart in addition to Tong Yu Quan’s furious roar, he might have believed this woman.
Shangguan Long’s expression turned solemn as she replied, “What do you mean, Little Brother Yang? I don’t quite understand.”
Tong Yu Quan, however, shouted, “Little Brother Yang, please release Yu’er!”
He was extremely concerned about his daughter’s safety even though Yang Kai had not actually done anything to Shangguan Yu except knock her unconscious. Nevertheless, he could not help feeling very uneasy with his daughter in the hands of others.
While they were conversing with each other, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had flashed to Yang Kai’s side and assumed a defensive stance in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan, “Don’t worry, Protector Tong. I do not hold any ill will toward Junior Sister Yu. She is not hurt, merely passed out.”
“If that’s the case, please hurry up and let her go. I will not hold you accountable for what happened today!” Tong Yu Quan shouted through gritted teeth. His eyes were practically spitting fire. Regardless of whether he prosecuted Yang Kai for what happened today or not, it was certain that his daughter had suffered a loss in Yang Kai’s hands. Hence, it was difficult for him to have any good feelings toward Yang Kai.
“The matters of Flying Flower Boat are not for you to decide!” Shangguan Long coldly snorted. Flicking her sleeves angrily, she took a few steps forward and said aggressively, “Little Brother Yang, it will not be good for you and I both if word of today’s incident were to spread. I’m sure you don’t wish for this matter to be blown up, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That makes sense. What do you suggest, Madame?”
She chuckled, “It’s very simple. You saved Yu’er’s life, so it’s not too much for her to repay you with her body. I would not have brought this up if not for what happened today, but since this incident has already taken place, I hope you can… take her as your wife.”
Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had been watching Shangguna Long vigilantly while secretly activating their strength to guard against any unexpected circumstances at any time; however, they couldn’t help being so stunned at this moment that their mouths gaped open.
[What… does that mean?] They initially thought that there was no way for things to end on a positive note, so how did something so terrible turn into such an auspicious matter all of a sudden? Their expressions involuntarily became weird as a result.
Yang Kai himself couldn’t believe his ears and hesitated before asking, “What did you say, Madame Long? Did you misspeak? Or, did I mishear you?”
Shangguan Long smiled, “I didn’t misspeak and you didn’t mishear me either. This incident today is not something to be proud of after all. It would be harmful to your reputation if word of this incident got out. Yu’er would not be able to hold her head high in society either, but it would no longer be an issue if you marry her and give her a proper status.”
Yang Kai looked at her, then he glanced over at Tong Yu Quan who was standing nearby with a helpless yet incredibly furious expression. All of a sudden, the realisation struck him and he instantly understood Shangguan Long’s intentions. Yang Kai smiled and inquired, “If I’m not mistaken, isn’t your daughter engaged to the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, Wei Wu Shuang?”
To which she replied lightly, “It’s only a verbal agreement. It is of no consequence.”
“I see! I understand!” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Shangguan Yu had been kidnapped by Mo Ning for two whole years, so who could say what had happened to her during that time? In particular, Wei Wu Shuang would have been living in torment every day for the past two years. And now, although she had been rescued and her life was no longer in danger, who could guarantee that she still retained her purity?
If Wei Wu Shuang were an ordinary man, this would not have been an issue. The key point was that he was the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion! With such a prominent status, how could he take a ‘tainted’ woman as his wife? Even if he himself did not mind, the entire Rising Heavens Pavilion would not agree.
[No wonder the people of Rising Heavens Pavilion came and went in such a rush!] Yang Kai had not quite understood the situation at first, but he eventually figured out the entire story after mulling over it. Rising Heavens Pavilion did not leave in such a hurry because they had different return routes. Rather, it was most likely to express their attitude towards this matter.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled the scene when Wei Wu Shuang came to thank him. There had been a hint of hatred mixed into the helpless look in Wei Wu Shuang’s eyes. A bolt of shock suddenly ran through Yang Kai as he understood. Wei Wu Shuang probably didn’t wish to rescue Shangguan Yu! Or rather, he did not want to rescue a living Shangguan Yu! Shangguan Long must have realised that, and knowing that her daughter could no longer obtain happiness by marrying Wei Wu Shuang, she decided to target him instead; after all, he previously revealed the existence of Void Land to her. Not to mention having bodyguards like Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan by his side. In Shangguan Long’s opinion, marrying Shangguan Yu to him would not be a humiliation and she was probably behind everything that happened today.
During the time when his thoughts were changing, Shangguan Long’s voice sounded in his ears again, “Little Brother Yang, you were the one to rescue Yu’er; therefore, you know her situation the best. She was still sealed in ice when you rescued her. In other words, she has not been treated harshly in the past two years and remains a pure maiden. It’s just that… with what happened today, her innocence will be hard to defend. You need to take responsibility for this. Furthermore, while my daughter might be a little foolish, she has an excellent temperament. Her aptitude is not bad either. It will not be a problem for her to advance to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future. I’m sure that will not besmirch your status. If our two families join in marriage, we can watch over and help each other in the 3,000 Worlds. You mentioned earlier that your Void Land has only just been established. It is not an easy task for a great force to take root and rise up to glory in this vast Outer Universe. On the other hand, Flying Flower Boat has been established in Flying Flower Territory for thousands of years. It can be said that we have some foundation in place. We can help you in this matter. What do you think, Little Brother Yang?”
She had a pleasant appearance that made her seem earnest and enticing; moreover, her words were clear and reasonable and the way she worded her speech made it seem as though he would suffer a huge loss if he did not marry Shangguan Yu. Thus, Yang Kai repeatedly nodded at her words, “You’re right, Madam Long!”
Tong Yu Quan’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed slightly. Although he was not willing to let the situation develop in this direction, at this point, it would still be one way to resolve this situation if Yang Kai agreed to marry his daughter. Wei Wu Shuang could not be relied upon any longer. Compared to Wei Wu Shuang, the young man in front of him was much more pleasing to the eye. As for the young man’s character, that remained to be verified. Nevertheless, it could not be worse than Wei Wu Shuang’s.
Shangguan Long’s smile grew brighter, “Since you agree, then why don’t we sit down and discuss this matter carefully?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “I’m afraid that will not work.”
The smile on her face stiffened, “What do you mean?”
He replied, “While I do agree that what you’ve said so far makes sense, it does not mean that I would go along with what you say. I will not hide this from you, Madame; I may look like I am alone and unmarried, but I already have seven wives. Before I left my home this time, my strongest wife warned me to keep myself virtuous and not fool around with others outside. Even if I fool around outside, I must not let her find out about it, much less bring them home; otherwise, she would rip them apart limb to limb. Therefore, please forgive me. I must pass on your offer.”
Shangguan Long narrowed her eyes slightly, “It doesn’t matter. This Queen will explain the circumstances to your wives herself. I believe they will at least give this Queen some face.”
She was not surprised that Yang Kai had so many wives. He was not an ordinary person after all. It would be strange for him to not have several wives. [I just need to marry Yu’er into his family. After that, she will have me as her support so it will not be difficult to get rid of the other wives.]
However, Yang Kai shook his head again.” How long have I known your daughter? How can we talk about marriage when there is no affection between us?”
“Love can come later. As long as you get married, there is no need to be worried about not having enough time in the future.”
“Why do you have to make things difficult for me, Madam Long?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
To which she became slightly annoyed, “This Queen is giving you her daughter’s hand in marriage! How is that making things difficult for you!? Junior, don’t you dare trample upon my kindness!”
Yang Kai sighed heavily, “It seems that you are insistent on this, Madame.”
“At this point, this is the only solution. Otherwise, I will not be able to give Yu’er a proper explanation when she wakes up.”
“Is your daughter aware of this?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn voice.
“It’s enough for this Queen to decide her marital matters for her. What does it matter whether or not she is aware of this matter?”
“What about Protector Tong? Do you think that way too?” Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan.
Tong Yu Quan’s expression was gloomy and he said nothing. Looking at the other party’s expression, Yang Kai instantly understood that Tong Yu Quan probably did not have much say in this matter; therefore, he immediately ignored Tong Yu Quan and looked back at Shangguan Long, “If I refuse, are you going to order the people hiding in ambush outside to come in and slaughter me, Madame?”
In such a short period, the auras of many Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered outside. They had no intention of concealing themselves so it was obvious that it was planned by Shangguan Long.
Shangguan Long knew that Lu Xue, who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, would not be much weaker than her. Nevertheless, this was Flying Flower Boat’s ship. Not to mention, they had deployed all their elites for the sake of hunting Mo Yu down. With so many Masters gathered in this place, it would be all but impossible for Yang Kai to escape.
“That’s not necessary. We don’t have any bad blood between us. Why would we need to fight to the death?” Abruptly changing the topic, Shangguan Long continued calmly, “But, the road ahead is long. I’m sure you will have enough time to consider your decision and give this Queen a satisfactory answer before we arrive at Void Land. I can wait!”
“There’s no need for you to wait,” Yang Kai resolutely replied. “You are full of schemes, Madame. You don’t even hesitate to ignore your daughter’s happiness. I’m afraid I don’t agree with such ruthlessness. Although I feel bad for your daughter, I have not made any irreversible mistakes. I will not agree to this matter.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he added, “Please excuse me, Madame. I wish to leave this place.”
Shangguan Long frowned, “Is Yu’er ugly? I can’t believe how unwelcoming you are toward her. Even if you don’t hold any affection for her, you won’t lose anything from marrying her. Why do you have to refuse so decisively?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Junior Sister Yu is a beauty of the highest order. How could any man find her ugly? However, such matters have nothing to do with one’s appearance, it only depends on one’s heart!”
Shangguan Long stared at him deeply, as though trying to stare into the depths of his Soul. After a while, she gave a heavy sigh, “Good. It’s rare to see a man like you nowadays. This Queen was mistaken. I should not have acted so rashly. Let’s forget about what happened today. I cannot force you if you are unwilling. Let Yu’er go. I will allow you to leave!”
Upon hearing those words, Tong Yu Quan sighed in relief.
Yang Kai said, “Madame, you can’t be so naive to think that I’m easy to bully just because I am young, right? Would I still have a chance to leave this place if I release Junior Sister Yu?”
Tong Yu Quan’s expression changed as he gritted his teeth and said, “What do you mean by that, little brat!?”
Yang Kai glanced at Tong Yu Quan, “My apologies, Protector Tong. You know better than anyone else what kind of woman your wife is. If I really obeyed her instructions and released Junior Sister Yu, I would not live to see another day. I’m afraid Junior Sister Yu will have to suffer for a bit.”
“How dare you!?” Tong Yu Quan was livid and his aura spilled out of his body menacingly.
“I have no other choice!” Yang Kai squeezed Shangguan Yu’s neck. The unconscious Shangguan Yu involuntarily groaned, causing Tong Yu Quan’s expression to change drastically once more. He immediately froze in place and turned to look at Shangguan Long with an incensed expression.
Similarly, Shangguan Long’s expression was very ugly. When she and Tong Yu Quan first rushed into the room to discover Yang Kai holding her daughter back, she had the feeling that the situation had spiralled out of her control.
In her imagination, both she and her husband would be greeted by a lewd scene when they rushed into the room. If that had happened, anything she asked for would not have been too much. Contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai remained clear-headed enough to hold a fluent conversation with her.
She stared at Yang Kai and her expression slowly darkened. She couldn’t help thinking that it was a pity. It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea when she came up with this plan, but now it would seem that she made the right choice. The young man in front of her was countless times better than Wei Wu Shuang. How could he be considered ordinary when he could suppress his desires under those circumstances? He would definitely achieve great things in the future.
If her daughter married him, her daughter would be saved from the repercussions of being kidnapped in the past. That was not all; Flying Flower Boat would also gain a powerful ally. It would be even better if she could absorb Void Land into Flying Flower Boat. Unfortunately, she could not use him as she pleased and might even cause a grudge to form due to this incident.
As their gazes met, Shangguan Long’s expression turned as gloomy as deep water. Meanwhile, Yang Kai increased the force he exerted in his hands. The unconscious Shangguan Yu’s complexion was becoming more and more ugly by the moment.
“Madame, please move aside!” Yang Kai shouted.
Shangguan Long suddenly broke out into a smile, “What if I refuse to move aside? Based on my observations, you are not a ruthless man. I don’t believe that you will actually harm Yu’er in any way. Besides, if you really killed Yu’er, the three of you would never leave this place alive!”
The words had only just left her mouth when she saw Yang Kai reaching out and snatching the cold water longsword from Lu Xue’s hands. Under Shangguan Long’s startled and horrified gaze, the sword pierced into Shangguan Yu’s back and came out of her chest! The sword had stabbed right through her body!
Fresh blood flew everywhere and Shangguan Yu groaned as the colour in her face swiftly drained away.
The pupils of Tong Yu Quan’s eyes immediately contracted to the size of pinpoints. His vision was filled with the redness of the blood and it felt as though his entire world had turned blood-red.
“Madame.” Yang Kai’s cold voice sounded from behind Shangguan Yu, “There is a saying ‘You may know a person’s face, but not their heart’. You and I only met for the first time recently, so how dare you judge my character so arbitrarily? Aren’t you afraid that you might have overplayed your hand?”
Ignoring Shangguan Long’s furious expression, Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan, “Don’t worry, this blow is not lethal. I avoided Junior Sister Yu’s vitals, but if you dare make a move to rescue your daughter, Protector Tong, I will not be able to guarantee her safety again.”
Those words were like spirit fixing needles, pinning Tong Yu Quan in place.
“Woman!” Yang Kai glared at Shangguan Long, “I will ask one last time. Stand aside and let us pass!”
Shangguan Long gritted her teeth, her body trembling endlessly. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a difficult struggle. She never imagined that the mild-mannered Yang Kai would turn out to be so ruthless, cruel, and cold-hearted. He actually injured Shangguan Yu so severely just because they were at an impasse in their disagreement. Could it be that his previous politeness was just an act?
“What are you still hesitating for!? Are you really planning to kill Yu’er!?” Tong Yu Quan’s voice exploded in her ears like thunder and lightning.
She turned to look and saw him glaring at her with bloodshot eyes. It was as though he was looking at his greatest nemesis. The gaze was so unfamiliar that it made her heart tremble and she did not doubt that if she did not move aside, the first person to attack her would not be Yang Kai but her beloved who had stayed beside her for hundreds of years! Her heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. Taking a deep breath, she spoke through gritted teeth, “Fine! This Queen will let you leave, but you cannot harm another hair on Yu’er’s head!”
“Rest assured. As long as you don’t do anything foolish, I won’t act again.” Yang Kai agreed.
“Once you leave, you have to return Yu’er!”
“Impossible!” Yang Kai shook his head, “I will release her once I return to Void Land. If you feel uneasy, you can follow behind us from an appropriate distance.”
Shangguan Long’s chest rose and fell heavily, but after some serious consideration, she nodded. She and Tong Yu Quan each stepped to one side and opened the way.
Yang Kai shot a look at Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan and the two of them escorted him, one leading the way and the other bringing up the rear. In that way, they walked out.
There were indeed many people lying in ambush outside the room. It was just that they were shocked and furious to see that Yang Kai had captured Shangguan Yu. Moreover, Shangguan Yu had a longsword protruding out of her chest. They did not know what had happened. Shangguan Long had tried to set up Yang Kai with her own daughter, so it was only natural that she did not explain the situation clearly. It was only just in case that she mobilised these people.
If everything had gone as she planned, then things would have ended happily. She never imagined that the situation would end up like this. Countless questioning eyes turned towards her, making her expression gloomier than ever before. It was extremely awkward.
It didn’t take long for Yang Kai and the others to exit the Lotus Flower Artifact. Lu Xue summoned her own flight-type artifact and Yang Kai hurriedly rushed inside with Shangguan Yu with Guo Zi Yan following closely behind. Then, Lu Xue glanced vigilantly at the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat before entering the artifact and driving it away. The artifact turned into a stream of light that headed into the depths of the void.
The enormous Lotus Flower Artifact followed from behind at a fixed pace. All the Open Heaven Realm Master stood on the flower petals of the lotus, coldly watching the windmill.
…..
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue and pointed at the unconscious Shangguan Yu, “Tend to her wounds.”
Lu Xue nodded. Once he left the room, she immediately began working on her task.
Yang Kai’s attack had seemed decisive, but the truth was that he controlled his strength perfectly. Even though the sword had penetrated right through the body, the wound itself was not really serious. Lu Xue removed Shangguan Yu’s clothes and while using her World Force to apply pressure on the wound, she carefully pulled out the longsword. After she used some healing salve and fed Shangguan Yu a healing pill, she finished her task.
Shangguan Yu was an Emperor Realm cultivator, so she was not weak and would only require a few days of rest to heal completely from such a wound.
Yang Kai returned to check on the situation and was relieved to see that Shangguan Yu was in no danger.
Looking at the sleeping Shangguan Yu, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. He had no other choice at the time. If he did not display his resolve, Shangguan Long would not have compromised. If it really came down to a fight, leaving aside whether or not he could escape, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan would surely be severely injured. They might even end up dying in that situation.
At this moment, Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, Tong Yu Quan is flying over.”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and sure enough, he sensed that Tong Yu Quan was approaching them at a high speed. However, Tong Yu Quan was alone while Flying Flower Boat’s enormous lotus was still several dozen kilometres behind.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “Let him come.”
Lu Xue understood and slowed down. A moment later, Tong Yu Quan’s voice sounded, “Little Brother Yang, I wish to check Yu’er’s wounds. Please be accommodating.”
Tong Yu Quan originally thought he would not receive any response, so who could have known that the windmill would actually open up for him? He immediately slipped into the windmill without any hesitation whatsoever.
Upon entering the windmill, Tong Yu Quan immediately came face to face with Yang Kai, who was standing right in front of him. When their eyes met, a trace of anger and murderous intent flashed through the Protector’s eyes before he lowered his gaze and said, “I wish to check on Yu’er’s injury.”
“Protector Tong, please come this way,” Yang Kai gestured to the side.
Tong Yu Quan lowered his head and entered a small room. Shangguan Yu was lying quietly inside. Her breathing was steady even though blood stains remained on her chest while her complexion was slightly pale.
Stepping forward with a sullen expression, Tong Yu Quan sat down next to her and reached out to place his fingers against her wrist. After a quick check of her pulse, he discovered that his daughter’s aura was stable. It was clear that somebody had tended to her injury. Moreover, there was a powerful medicinal efficacy flowing through her meridians and blending into her body to heal her wound.
“I asked Lu Xue to treat her injuries just now. There should not be any problems. She will only need to rest for a few days to recover completely,” Yang Kai’s voice sounded from behind.
Tong Yu Quan coldly snorted and said nothing in response. What happened this time was ultimately a result of Shangguan Long’s greed. Yang Kai had only acted to protect himself. Nevertheless, there was no denying that he caused Shangguan Yu’s injury. Even if Yang Kai was Shangguan Yu’s saviour, Tong Yu Quan could no longer view Yang Kai favourably.
“Junior Sister Yu will probably wake up tomorrow, but it is not convenient for me to explain this situation to her. She might not believe me even if I explained the truth to her, so to avoid any unnecessary disputes, I ask that you leave a jade slip that contains the entire story of what happened behind, Protector Tong. I will hand it to Junior Sister Yu when she regains consciousness. I’m sure she will believe what you say.”
Tong Yu Quan said, “I’ll stay here and explain the situation to Yu’er when she wakes up.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. The fact that I allowed you to check on Junior Sister Yu is my greatest display of sincerity. I cannot allow you to remain inside the windmill for so long. You are a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master after all. If a fight breaks out, I will have a hard time resisting. Please understand, Protector Tong.”
Tong Yu Quan raised his head and glared at Yang Kai, “If I wanted to do that, I would already have done that from the beginning. Why would I waste my time here bickering with you?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “While I also believe that you have no other intentions, Protector Tong, I am taking these precautions just in case. Before boarding Flying Flower Boat’s vessel, I never imagined that what happened today would occur either. Madam Long is a person who can repay kindness with enmity. As her beloved, what is to say that you are not influenced by her, Protector Tong?”
“She is she. I am me. Don’t confuse me with that vile woman,” Tong Yu Quan was furious.
Yang Kai quickly said, “If you insist, Protector Tong, we will end up confronting each other here. I hope you can keep Junior Sister Yu safe during the fight later. She is innocent after all.”
While Yang Kai was speaking, Lu Xue quietly appeared behind him, her beautiful eyes staring at Tong Yu Quan coldly.
The corners of Tong Yu Quan’s brow twitched before his furious expression suddenly collapsed and he nodded, “Fine. I will do as you say. I will leave a message to tell Yu’er what happened, but you have to promise that you won’t hurt a single hair on her head.”
“Don’t worry, Protector Tong. As long as Flying Flower Boat does not do anything, I promise that not a single hair on your daughter’s head will be harmed!”
“You had better!” Tong Yu Quan gritted his teeth.
A short while later, Tong Yu Quan departed. Just as Yang Kai had requested, he left behind a jade slip that contained a record of the whole story from beginning to end.
Yang Kai carefully checked the jade slip and found that there was nothing wrong with it. Everything described in the jade slip did not contain the slightest fabrication or embellishment. It only lacked the fact that Shangguan Yu had been affected by the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine, which caused her to do some rather disrespectful actions as a result.
Yang Kai could understand why Tong Yu Quan wanted to hide this kind of thing, so he said nothing about it. He put the jade slip away carefully in preparation for when Shangguan Yu woke up, so that he could hand it to her.
After Tong Yu Quan returned to the lotus, the enormous artifact gradually slowed down until it was 3,000 kilometres away from the windmill before it continued to follow them. This was one of Yang Kai’s requirements, and now that Shangguan Yu was in his hands, Flying Flower Boat had no choice but to comply.
One day later, the unconscious Shangguan Yu slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, her eyes were filled with confusion. Her memory had stopped at the point where she had been drinking with Yang Kai.
Just as she was about to get up, a familiar voice entered her ear, “Junior Sister Yu, please don’t be impatient. You were injured, so it’s best if you don’t move around too much.”
“I’ve… been injured?” She was taken aback by those words, but upon a careful check, her beautiful face instantly turned pale. She could sense that she was indeed injured. Moreover, the injury was very close to her vital points. It could almost be said that she had narrowly missed death.
“What happened!? Did you save me, Senior Brother Yang? Where are my parents?” She turned to look to the side.
Yang Kai did not say much and simply handed her the jade slip that Tong Yu Quan left behind.
Shangguan Yu took the jade slip and poured her Divine Sense into it. As she checked the contents, her face turned deathly pale. She was very familiar with Tong Yu Quan’s aura and she deeply trusted every word her father spoke.
According to the information inside the jade slip, Yang Kai had gotten into conflict with Flying Flower Boat. In the end, he took her hostage and escaped the Lotus Flower Artifact; moreover, the injury on her body was caused by him.
Tong Yu Quan also told her not to act rashly. Many Flying Flower Boat Masters were following not far behind and Yang Kai would release her once he arrived at Void Land.
After checking the information inside the jade slip, Shangguan Yu’s mind fell into a chaotic mess. For her, she had simply slept through the day; however, the outside world had already changed drastically. Her saviour had turned against her parents, stabbed her with a sword, and used her as a hostage to escape. Her body involuntarily began trembling as her expression filled with fear and unease.
Yang Kai said, “Junior Sister Yu, please don’t panic. As long as you remain here quietly, I won’t do anything to you either.”
Shangguan Yu pursed her lips and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Her injury was not serious and Lu Xue had personally helped to treat her wounds previously, so she recovered completely after resting for five days.
These five days of recuperation not only allowed her to recover from her injury but also gave her mind some time to calm down. She had been thinking hard about certain things over the past few days. For example, what happened after she got drunk, why Yang Kai and Flying Flower Boat turned against each other, and why Yang Kai stabbed her with a sword…
She had the vague feeling that things were not quite as simple as she had been told. Although she mustered her courage to ask Yang Kai several times, he never answered her questions.
They passed through a Territory Gate half a month later. Then, Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, we have arrived in Void Territory.”
Yang Kai’s closed eyes slowly opened and he nodded lightly, “Good.”
A short while later, Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact also passed through the Territory Gate and stepped into Void Territory.
Inside the lotus, Shangguan Long stared gloomily at the windmill 3,000 kilometres ahead of her while secretly gnashing her teeth.
All of a sudden, somebody came to report, “Boat Master, those people from Void Land are not heading towards any Territory Gate but to somewhere in this Great Territory!”
“They are not heading towards a Territory Gate?” She raised her brow at those words, “Check which Great Territory we are in!”
If they were not heading towards a Territory Gate, then it could only mean that they were almost at their destination. In other words, Void Land was most likely located in this Great Territory.
The man immediately took out the Universe Chart and referred to it, “Boat Master, this is Seven Wonder Territory.”
“Seven Wonders Territory?” She pondered for a moment, “If I remember correctly, this should be Seven Wonders Land’s domain.”
Tong Yu Quan had been silent for quite some time now, but he suddenly spoke up, “That’s right. Seven Wonders Land is located in this territory. The Master of Seven Wonders Land, Qi Qiao, is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. However, Seven Wonders Land has always had a bad reputation and is despised by many people. Qi Qiao is also a petty man who seeks revenge for the slightest grievance.”
Shangguan Long frowned at those words, “I have also heard of Qi Qiao. He is not easy to get along with. If this territory belongs to Seven Wonders Land, then how could that brat dare to establish Void Land here? Are they not afraid of being destroyed to the point where not even their bones are left?”
In general, each Great Territory would only allow one Second-Class great force to exist; after all, how could one allow another tiger to live within one’s own territory? While there were certain Great Territories where two or more Second Class great forces coexisted, they either did so begrudgingly, or there was an immense difference in strength between them.
“Boat Master…” It was the person who spoke earlier. He seemed slightly hesitant and stammered his words, “Judging by the route they are taking, they seem to be heading toward Seven Wonders Land.”
Shangguan Long turned to look at that man, “Are you certain?”
The man hurriedly said, “Please take a look, Boat Master!”
While saying that, he respectfully handed the Universe Chart over to her. She took the Universe Chart from him suspiciously. Upon a careful check, she discovered that it was just as he mentioned. Yang Kai and the others were indeed heading straight towards Seven Wonders Land.
“Why are they heading towards Seven Wonders Land?” She was extremely bewildered.
Tong Yu Quan hesitated, “Are they related to Seven Wonders Land?”
Shangguan Long shook her head slowly. This was something she did not understand either. If that was truly the case, then things would become rather tricky. Seven Wonders Land was comparable to Flying Flower Boat in strength. If Yang Kai was closely connected to Seven Wonders Land, then things would become very troublesome.
For some reason, she had been feeling a sense of unease for a while now. In addition, that uneasy feeling was only growing stronger and stronger with time.
Three days later, a Spirit Province appeared in front of them. The Universe Chart indicated that it was the Seven Wonders Land and looking from afar, they saw that the Spirit Province was faintly emitting thousands of flashes of light. The endless Star Power of the vast universe was pouring into the Spirit Province under the traction of an inexplicable force, making it look magnificent and spectacular. The atmosphere surrounding this Spirit Province was much stronger than the Headquarters of Flying Flower Boat.
Shangguan Long asked suspiciously, “Did Seven Wonders Land have such a deep heritage?”
A group of Flying Flower Boat’s Open Heaven Realm Masters were also a little dumbfounded by the sight. Then, they all showed envious looks. It was their first time coming to the Seven Wonders Land but even so, Seven Wonders Land was not the only Second-Class great force they had ever seen. They had seen many other Headquarters of various Second-Class great forces, but none of them could compare with the present one.
Even without investigating deeply into this place, they could tell that the Seven Wonders Land was covered by an extremely sophisticated and profound Grand Array. Otherwise, it would not be possible for this Spirit Province to present such a wondrous scene.
The heritage of a Land was related to the future of the Land. Compared with the Seven Wonders Land in front of them, it was obvious that Flying Flower Boat was far from satisfactory. It was inevitable that they would feel a sense of discomfort.
“Boat Master, they’ve stopped,” An Elder in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm suddenly called out.
The others looked up and saw that the windmill artifact had stopped outside Seven Wonders Land without proceeding any further.
“Hmph. Looks like they really are related to the Seven Wonders Land. Did they think that they’ll be safe just because they sought shelter here?” Shangguan Long coldly snorted.
Tong Yu Quan quickly said, “Yu’er’s safety is of the utmost importance. Flying Flower Boat was the one who made a mistake first, so don’t create further trouble.”
“I know!” Shangguan Long snapped angrily.
During their conversation, they saw the windmill artifact being put away. Yang Kai and the others revealed their figures and quietly looked in this direction. Shangguan Yu stood beside Yang Kai. She did not seem to have been treated harshly. Moreover, a slight rosy tint had returned to her cheeks after this period of recuperation.
Tong Yu Quan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
“Let’s go. Come with me to check out the situation.” Shangguan Long stood up and walked out.
Many of Flying Flower Boat’s Masters followed closely behind. It did not take long for them to arrive outside the lotus where Yang Kai smilingly called out to them as soon as they halted in their tracks, “Welcome to Void Land!”
The Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat couldn’t help looking at each other in surprise when they heard those words. Some even took out the Universe Chart to compare and verify their location.
Shangguan Long frowned, “Void Land? Isn’t this place Seven Wonders Land? How did it become Void Land?”
Yang Kai smiled, “You’re not wrong, Madam Long. It was indeed Seven Wonders Land before. However, it is now Void Land.”
His words shocked everyone! There was no reason for a Second-Class great force to suddenly change its name as a name carried fame and prestige that had been inherited over thousands of years. It was not easy to re-accumulate such fame and prestige, so they would not change their name unless the great force no longer existed.
“What do you mean?” Shangguan Long’s slender eyes narrowed slightly, the anxiety in her heart growing ever stronger.
“I took over Seven Wonders Land. From that moment onward, Seven Wonders Land no longer existed in this world. There is only Void Land!” Yang Kai explained patiently.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly burst into an uproar. Although they had some speculations in their hearts just now, they still found it hard to believe when they heard what Yang Kai said.
Seven Wonders Land was a Second-Class great force that was comparable to Flying Flower Boat in strength, not the kind of Third-Class great force that sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. It contained an inheritance that spanned thousands of years, so how could it be taken over so easily? To put things into perspective, it was impossible for Flying Flower Boat to capture Seven Wonders Land even if they mustered all their strength together. Their strength might be on par with each other, but it would require a huge disparity in strength for the one attacking to achieve victory over the one defending. Did Yang Kai have such great ability?
“What about Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch?” Shangguan Long asked.
“Naturally, he’s dead,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
She was now completely stunned and did not know if she should believe his words. Logically speaking, since Yang Kai was speaking aloud despite being right outside Seven Wonders Land, it was obvious he had something to rely on. Besides, it would have been impossible for Qi Qiao to turn a blind eye to this disrespect if he were still alive.
Even so, she subconsciously refused to believe those words. She was still entertaining the idea of marrying her daughter to Yang Kai and slowly assimilating Void Land into Flying Flower Boat, but if Yang Kai truly had such abilities, then it was hard to say who would end up devouring whom in the end. Furthermore, she heard him saying that Void Land only had a total of five Open Heaven Realms Masters! How could he take down the entire Seven Wonders Land with just five Open Heaven Realms Masters!?
[What a joke! It’s not as if the Open Heaven Realms Masters of Seven Wonders Land are weak prey. Qi Qiao is a Fifth-Order, not to mention the several Venerable Protectors that are also Fourth-Order! It’s impossible unless… Void Land has an Open Heaven Realm Master above the Fifth Order!] The moment that thought crossed her mind, Shangguan Long’s heart pounded wildly and her gaze shifted behind Yang Kai.
Two figures were speeding out from among the countless flashes of lights. These two people were extremely fast and from the moment they appeared to the time they arrived next to Yang Kai, less than five breaths had passed. One was a beautiful and charming woman while the other was a large fatty.
The fatty was so large that it was outrageous. He was practically a huge, rolling meatball. The fat layers on his face piled up over each other so much that even his eyes were covered under the layers of fat. Although he was extremely large, the aura that he exuded certainly belonged to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
It was one thing if it was just him alone; however, the key was the woman. That woman was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
All eyes from Flying Flower Boat immediately landed on the woman and they all felt as though they were confronting a terrifying enemy. Even Shangguan Long narrowed her phoenix eyes with an expression of shock on her face. [Void Land really does have an Open Heaven Realm Master above the Fifth Order!]
“Greetings, Sir!” In front of everyone, the fatty was the first to give his greetings. There was a flattering smile on his face as though he was not facing an Emperor Realm Junior but a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, “Sir, your journey must have been tiring. You’ve worked hard.”
“Young Master!” The woman also bent her knees and gave an elegant bow.
Cold sweat dripped from the foreheads of all the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Flower Boat. There was no wind in the Void, but they all felt a chill running from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes at that moment.
Just the appearance of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master left them feeling inexplicably shocked; however, that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that they all looked up to was now calling Yang Kai ‘Young Master’! [Which family did this boy come from? How could he make a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master act so humble before him!? That is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! A powerful existence that could serve as a Deacon or take on other positions of authority in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises!]
[This brat can’t be the illegitimate son of some Cave-Heaven or Paradises’ Leader, right?] Shangguan Long’s expression was extremely ugly. The horror in her heart was washing over her in huge waves. When this woman in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm appeared, she knew that she had made a huge mistake!
Void Land’s heritage was much stronger than she had imagined. It was not something the small Flying Flower Boat could even think of devouring. It was almost ridiculous that she had been scheming all sorts of things before, even going so far as to disregard her daughter’s wishes. If she had known this earlier, she would never have acted so. She would have treated Yang Kai as an honoured guest and provided him with the best hospitality to get closer to him.
Even so, it was not as though there was no room for recovery. She might have schemed against Yang Kai, but she had no intention of actually causing him harm. To put it bluntly, she only tried to seduce him with a beauty, though in the end, her plans had resulted in her daughter being stabbed with a sword.
She secretly rejoiced that she had not engaged in an all-out conflict with Yang Kai; otherwise, Flying Flower Boat would have suffered greatly. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master alone was not something that Flying Flower Boat could deal with.
“Is that… Chen Tian Fei?” A voice suddenly came from behind.
Shangguan Long didn’t even need to look back to know that it was the voice of the Left Protector, Qin Wu Sheng, so she frowned slightly and muttered, “Chen Tian Fei? I seem to have heard that name before.”
Qin Wu Sheng explained, “Boat Master, have you forgotten? I was ordered to go out to purchase a batch of resources 30 years ago. At the time, I went to an underground part of a certain Star City and dealt with Chen Tian Fei. I bought a lot of things from him back then. You even mentioned that the quality of those resources was excellent.”
Realisation spread across her face and she nodded lightly, “I remember it now. When you came back, you even told me that the Second Manager of Scarlet Star was extremely talented. You claimed that it would be difficult to find another person like him in this world. Is that him?”
“Exactly!” He nodded.
“But… wasn’t that person the Second Manager of Scarlet Star? Why would he appear here? Not to mention his attitude towards Yang Kai,” She was puzzled.
Qin Wu Sheng replied, “Please give me some time, Boat Master. I will investigate this matter.”
While saying that, he took out a communication bead and poured his Divine Sense into it. This communication bead was something he exchanged with Chen Tian Fei back then. It was supposed to make contacting each other easier if they had any other transactions with each other in the future; however, 30 years had passed and he never returned to Scarlet Star’s Star City. If he had not seen Chen Tian Fei here today, he would not have recalled that incident back then.
Sure enough, Chen Tian Fei suddenly looked up and glanced over in Qin Wu Sheng’s direction after he sent a message.
Qin Wu Sheng nodded and smiled at Chen Tian Fei while cupping his fists in that direction.
Chen Tian Fei nodded lightly and used his own communication bead to speak with Qin Wu Sheng.
After some time, Qin Wu Sheng’s expression became more and more solemn. It even reached a point where he was sweating profusely!
“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Long noticed that something was wrong and asked, “Did you find out why he, as the Second Manager of Scarlet Star, is here and not in their Star City instead? What does Void Land have to do with Scarlet Star?”
Qin Wu Sheng swallowed nervously and replied astringently, “Boat Master, I’ve finished asking about that matter. Scarlet Star is gone.”
“Scarlet Star is gone?” She was surprised, “If I remember correctly, Scarlet Star is also a Second-Class great force, right? They have several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. How can Scarlet Star be gone?”
“Yes. Scarlet Star is a Second-Class great force. Not only that, there were two other Second-Class great forces in that Star City, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Lightning. These three great forces used to occupy a single somewhat chaotic Star City, but…” His expression twitched, “They are all gone now.”
“What happened!?” She was stunned. [All three Second-Class great forces are gone!? What the Hell happened in that Star City!?]
“Thunder Light and Scarlet Star were wiped out by Yang Kai! Chen Tian Fei further claimed that the destruction of Sword Pavilion was also related to him.”
“What!?” Everyone from Flying Flower Boat was shocked. [Three Second-Class great forces were destroyed just like that!? How cruel and ruthless could Yang Kai be!? How much hidden strength does he have!? Not to mention, Flying Flower Boat has also offended Yang Kai…]
For a moment, everybody felt their limbs going cold. It felt as though they had glimpsed the future of Flying Flower Boat.
Qin Wu Sheng’s expression was stiff, almost as though he had eaten an entire basket of bitter gourds. His smile was extremely bitter as he continued to report, “Chen Tian Fei told me that he is just Yang Kai’s servant now. The name ‘Scarlet Star Second Manager’ should never be mentioned again.”
*Gudong…*
The sound of people gulping nervously came out. A Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was, by no means, weak in the 3,000 Worlds. Even so, he was willing to humble himself and admit to being someone else’s servant. That was not just a matter of suppression of strength.
[What kind of power does this Yang Kai have to subordinate a character like Chen Tian Fei? Furthermore, that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master calls Yang Kai ‘Young Master’! Flying Flower Boat… seems to have provoked someone who should never be provoked!]
Instantly, everybody else’s eyes turned to Shangguan Long. Although nobody said any words of rebuke, Shangguan Long still felt her face burning with shame. She was in no mood to get annoyed though as she knew that if she did not handle the situation well, then what happened to Seven Wonders Land, Scarlet Star, and Thunder Light would most likely become Flying Flower Boat’s future!
“Void Land has such a grand atmosphere and heritage even though it is newly established. It has really opened this Queen’s eyes. Flying Flower Boat can only sigh and admit its inferiority.” Shangguan Long forced out a smile and looked at Yang Kai, “It’s true that there are talented people all over the world. When my cultivation was in the Emperor Realm like you, Little Brother Yang, I was struggling over various unremarkable cultivation resources. However, you have already occupied an entire Spirit Province. There are also many capable subordinates serving under you. Your future ahead will be limitless.”
Listening to her exaggerated flattery, Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Madam Long, you are too polite.”
She then added, “Flying Flower Boat is extremely grateful to you for saving my daughter’s life, Little Brother Yang. We specially prepared some gifts to show our appreciation and sincerity. I hope you won’t refuse.”
After saying that, she curled her finger and flicked out a Space Ring towards him.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and caught the Space Ring. Scanning through the contents with his Divine Sense, he lifted his head and glanced at her with interest. There were a lot of items inside the Space Ring, far exceeding the scope of thank-you gifts. Even for a Second-Class great force, this kind of gift would be a huge expenditure.
Back when she first invited him to board the Lotus Flower Artifact, Shangguan Long had mentioned wanting to prepare a thank-you gift for him for saving Shangguan Yu. It was just that she failed to fulfil her promise over the next few days, and then there was that disturbance afterwards. For her to throw out this Space Ring at this time clearly indicated her conciliatory intentions. There might not have been so many items inside this Space Ring at the start. It was most likely that she added a portion of these items in at the last moment.
As they looked at each other, Yang Kai’s gaze was filled with aggression. Although Shangguan Long’s expression revealed her nervousness, her eyes contained a hidden determination in their depths.
She was the one who made a mistake in the first place. She initially thought nothing of Void Land, but she immediately understood that all her scheming from before was delusional when confronted with Void Land’s powerful heritage. Since she was at fault, she could accept suffering a little pain to calm the other party. However, if he refused to back down, then she would show him that the elites of Flying Flower Boat were not pushovers either!
The void almost seemed as if it would freeze into solid ice.
Yue He and Chen Tian Fei were clueless about the situation, but they could sense that the atmosphere was not right. They both turned their gazes towards Shangguan Long at the same time, firmly locking onto her! The moment she made any strange movements, she would definitely receive a storm of attacks from the both of them.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai smiled, “Many thanks, Madam Long. Purging evil is simply what one should do. Saving Junior Sister Yu was just a coincidence.”
Shangguan Long let out a breath of relief and broke out into a smile, “Regardless of the circumstances, Flying Flower Boat owes you a favour. If Void Land ever needs our help, please feel free to speak. Flying Flower Boat will not refuse as long as it is within our abilities!”
“Madam Long is righteous indeed. Since you have said so, then I won’t hold myself back. It just so happens that I would like to ask you for something, Madam Long. I wonder if you can give it to me.”
Shangguan Long groaned in her heart as she thought to herself, [Smelly Brat, don’t reach out for a yard after taking an inch!]
She was tempted to confront the other party right here and now, but she was helpless. Her daughter was still in their hands; thus, she could only force herself to smile and ask, “What did you take a liking to, Little Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai lifted a hand and pointed behind her, “I’ve taken a great liking to Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact. Void Land is newly established, so there is a shortage of people and resources. We lack everything you can think of, not to mention such a large flight-type artifact. It would be great if you were willing to give it to me, Madam Long. It’s no big deal if you are reluctant, you can just pretend I never said anything.”
Left Protector Qin Wu Sheng immediately glared at Yang Kai, “Brat, how dare you try to take the lion’s share!? Do you know just how valuable our Falling Lotus is!?”
Likewise, all the other Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat glared at Yang Kai furiously!
An artifact like the Falling Lotus was not just a simple flight-type artifact. It was an all-rounded artifact that integrated both defensive and offensive abilities. Such a vessel was often the manifestation of a great force’s heritage. Moreover, not every great force could afford something like that. Refining such an artifact would consume an unimaginable number of resources. There was only one Falling Lotus in the entire Flying Flower Boat, so how could they not be furious when Yang Kai was openly coveting it?
However, Qin Wu Sheng had only just finished speaking when he felt a strong gust of wind blowing towards him. He hurriedly surged his World Force and raised his arms to guard himself.
*Hong…*
His body swayed unsteadily as blood trickled out the corner of his mouth while both his arms fell limply to his sides. He looked up and stared at Yue He in shock and horror as the attack just now came from her.
“If you dare speak impolitely towards Young Master again, you will die!” Yue He’s beautiful eyes were filled with fury as she glared at Qin Wu Sheng coldly, causing him to flush with anger but not dare to say a word.
He was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while she was in the Sixth-Order. There was a difference of two whole Orders between them; hence, he instantly felt the horror of this woman from that blow alone. It was not just him, all of Flying Flower Boat put together would not be her opponent.
Yang Kai lazily said, “Just forget it if you are reluctant to part with it, Madam Long. I was just asking casually.”
Shangguan Long’s expression was dark as she clenched her fists tightly and her chest heaved violently. It was clear that her emotions were not stable, but a short while later, she gritted her teeth and smiled lightly, “Since you’ve taken a fancy to the Falling Lotus, this Queen will give it to you, Little Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai lifted a brow and chuckled happily, “Many thanks, Madam.”
She replied, “I’m glad you like it.” Then, she turned to look at Shangguan Yu, “Yu’er, come here.”
Shangguan Yu turned her head to glance at Yang Kai and seeing that he was smiling at her with no intention of stopping her, she finally moved her body and ran over to Shangguan Long. She reached her mother’s side in an instant and lightly let out a breath of relief.
Then, Yang Kai enthusiastically offered, “You have all come a long way. It must have been tiring to travel so far. Why don’t you come in and have a rest inside? That way, I can fully show you some proper hospitality.”
“No need,” Shangguan Long rejected his offer without any hesitation. She was afraid that she would explode in anger if she remained here any longer. Thus, she decisively said, “It has been two years since we first left Flying Flower Boat. It is time for us to return. If we get another chance, we will definitely come to visit you!”
“Is that so…” Yang Kai revealed a regretful look, “In that case, I won’t keep you here any longer. I’m very grateful for your hard work in escorting me all the way back. I hope we meet again in the future.”
Shangguan Long gave him a deep look before pulling her daughter by the hand, activating her power, and flying off into the depths of the void. The hundred or so people from Flying Flower Boat gradually flew out of the Falling Lotus to follow closely behind her. Some of them even turned back to stare at the Falling Lotus with reluctant gazes before they left.
It wasn’t until they flew far away that a burst of terrifying undulations erupted out of Shangguan Long’s body. She had suppressed her rage up until this moment but could not do so anymore. She had to vent her anger; otherwise, her rage would damage her heart and injure her.
“How outrageous!” She gashed her teeth. This incident was nothing short of a huge humiliation. Flying Flower Boat had stood strong in the 3,000 Worlds for thousands of years, but it had never been humiliated so terribly before. Moreover, all of this was caused by a mere Emperor Realm brat! It was difficult for her to dispel her depression.
“Boat Master, are we really just going to give him the Falling Lotus?” Qin Wu Sheng looked angry. He had suffered a loss at Yue He’s hands just now. Unfortunately, his strength was lacking and he did not dare to fight back. Even so, it was a given that he would hold a grudge over the incident.
“What else could we have done otherwise!?” She gashed her teeth, “That little bastard specifically asked for the Falling Lotus. It would have come down to a battle if I refused! Who can stop that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!? What’s more, Yu’er was still in their hands!”
Just thinking about the power of that woman in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, everybody felt a resonating sense of sympathy.
Tong Yu Quan scowled, “What’s gone is gone. At least all of us came out of this incident alive. Besides, Flying Flower Boat was in the wrong. Just think of it as a monetary loss in exchange to avoid disaster.”
“What did this Queen do wrong!? He should be honoured that this Queen took a liking to him, but that stinking brat did not appreciate my kindness. Void Land… Just you wait! One day, this Queen will definitely make you pay for this humiliation with interest!”
Tong Yu Quan turned to look at his wife of many years, but when he saw her face that was distorted by hatred, he couldn’t help sighing heavily.
…..
Outside Void Land, Yue He stared into the void suspiciously, “Young Master, what happened between you and that group of people?”
Although she could tell that Yang Kai and Flying Flower Boat were not on friendly terms, she did not know what had happened between them. It was only because she received a message from Yang Kai just now that she and Chen Tian Fei hurriedly flew out to receive him.
“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He did not wish to explain further in detail; after all, this incident would also affect Shangguan Yu’s reputation. Looking Yue He up and down, he asked, “When did you come out of retreat? Were there any dangers in your breakthrough?”
When Yue He saw how concerned he was over her, a feeling of sweetness that was sweeter than honey welled up in her heart. She broke into a huge smile as she reported, “I came out of retreat about a month ago, but my cultivation has not stabilised completely yet. I will need some time to consolidate it. My breakthrough was also very smooth and there were no dangers. Please rest assured, Young Master.”
If one were to cultivate in a regular manner, it would take at least several hundred years of accumulation to break through from the Fifth Order to the Sixth Order; however, a single Mid-Rank World Fruit had allowed her to advance by an entire Order in a matter of months. That was not all. Yue He originally could only be expected to reach the Seventh Order, but she now had hope of reaching the Eighth Order because she consumed the World Fruit! The World Fruit enhanced not only her current Order but also increased the limits of her future growth.
On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was staring at Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan in dumbfounded amazement. His eyes pushed apart the fat and widened to the size of eggs.
He was not particularly bothered by the strange occurrence earlier. Rather, he discovered something that shocked him greatly when the people from Flying Flower Boat left. Lu Xue had advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! Even Guo Zi Yan had advanced into the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm!
He could accept Guo Zi Yan’s breakthrough as the other party’s starting point was lower, so breaking through was also easier. However, Lu Xue’s breakthrough completely baffled him!
Previously, Lu Xue and he were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm so their strength was on par with each other and nobody was inferior to the other. Now, however, Lu Xue had leapt over him after this trip. It was rather difficult for him to accept.
Not to mention, if he recalled correctly, Lu Xue became an Open Heaven Realm Master several dozen years after him! In other words, he should have been the first to advance into the next Order! Lu Xue should not have beaten him to it!
[It makes no sense for these two to suddenly advance into the next Realm after going on a trip with Yang Kai. Just… what kind of mysterious and wonderful opportunity did they encounter?]
For a while, Chen Tian Fei was filled with both envy and jealousy. Rubbing his fat hands together, he came to Yang Kai’s side and gave a flattering smile, “Sir, can you bring this humble subordinate with you the next time you head out?”
Inside Void Land, Yang Kai closed his eyes and carefully perceived his surroundings. He had not left this place for long, at most only around a year or so. Even so, Earth-shaking changes had occurred. Nothing could be seen from the surface, but careful probing would reveal the impenetrable fortress hidden around Void Land now.
Under Grandmaster Wu Liang’s supervision, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was gradually becoming more and more perfect. It was also gradually showing its power.
The entire Grand Array had cost Yang Kai countless resources. Almost 80% of the various precious treasures he brought back from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been invested into the Grand Array, so it could be perceived just how terrifyingly powerful the Grand Array would be once fully activated.
It was hard to say whether a Grand Array of this scale could be comparable to those of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, but it was definitely not something a Second-Class great force would ever have. It was said that the Second-Class great forces had inheritances that were accumulated for tens of thousands of years or even longer. They also had large businesses and a powerful heritage. Nonetheless, they had many disciples under them. Cultivation required massive amounts of resources, so where would they find the extra resources and energy to arrange a Grand Array of this level?
If not for that, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would not have fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Grandmaster Wu Liang had helped many great forces arrange Grand Arrays, and he preached the various benefits of this particular one to many Leaders of various great forces.
How could those Leaders fail to understand the strength of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array? On the contrary, they almost immediately recognized this point. It was just that they did not have the budget to arrange something like that. They had many disciples under them to take care of, so if they poured such a large amount of resources into a single Grand Array, then what would they do about their disciples’ cultivation?
That was why nobody had given Grandmaster Wu Liang the chance to realize his ambitions so far despite how hard he persuaded the other party.
Only an extremely rich man like Yang Kai, who suddenly acquired a massive amount of terrifying resources and inexplicably acquired a Spirit Province out of nowhere, could let Grandmaster Wu Liang go so wild.
When Yang Kai left Void Land, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was only half-completed, but by the time he returned, the Grand Array was more or less completed. It was only missing a few more key Array Cores. According to Grandmaster Wu Liang’s estimate, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would be perfected in two more months at the most. When that time came, the Grand Array would officially start operating. Yang Kai could not wait for that day to come.
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. Looking back, he saw that the 600,000 people he brought from the Star Boundary were continuously coming out of the entrance to the Small Sealed World. There might be many of them, but their movements were orderly.
Regardless of who they were, anyone would be amazed after suddenly coming to a new world. Even the Great Emperors were looking around their surroundings curiously.
Mo Huang said, “Kid, is this the Void Land you mentioned previously?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, this is Void Land.”
Duan Hong Chen carefully perceived his surroundings and said, “As I expected, it is slightly different from the Star Boundary. Improvement is certainly possible if we cultivate here.”
In the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors’ cultivation had already reached the limits of the Universe World so no matter how hard they cultivated, they could not improve any further. However, the unseen restraints that bound them vanished when they arrived at this place. They couldn’t help the feeling as though their world had expanded. Even their hearts and minds seemed to become wider.
This was also the reason why many Great Emperors of various Universe Worlds chose to jump out into the Outer Universe and shake off the shackles of their Universe World when their cultivation reached its limits. It was just that the Star Boundary was located in a rather isolated and remote area and they had never heard of the Open Heaven Realm before the arrival of Great Demon God, so they did not know anything about it.
Yang Kai laughed, “Those in the Emperor Realm and above require a large number of resources to cultivate. Please don’t rush. It’s not too late to start cultivating once you’ve gotten more familiar with this place.”
While they were conversing, Yue He watched quietly from the side. At this moment, she stepped forward and gave an elegant bow, “Yue He greets several Sirs. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you have any questions regarding your cultivation in the future. I will definitely help you to the best of my abilities.”
All the Great Emperors turned to look at her. She had been standing by Yang Kai’s side all this while. Moreover, her aura was not very obvious, so they had not paid much attention to her at the beginning. When they heard what she said, they couldn’t help releasing their Divine Sense to check her more carefully. However, their Divine Senses felt like raindrops sinking into the sea. There was no reaction whatsoever, so their expressions became strange.
Zhan Wu Hen secretly tugged at Yang Kai’s sleeve and asked in a whisper, “What is this lady’s cultivation?”
Yang Kai made a number ‘6’ gesture.
Flower Shadow asked, “How does she compare to the Great Demon God?”
“How should I put this…” Yang Kai scratched his face. The Great Emperors had only just arrived in the Outer Universe, so their understanding of the Open Heaven Realm was vague and he had no way to give them a detailed explanation in such a short time. So after some thought, he replied, “She could probably vaporize Great Demon God with a wave of her hand.”
Back when Great Demon God caused such chaos throughout the Star Boundary, he had only exerted the strength of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master at most. It certainly would not take much effort for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He to erase a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Flower Shadow stared at him with horror in her beautiful eyes. Despite using up all their strength near the end of the war, they were still nearly wiped out in that battle. The strength of Great Demon God was still fresh in her memory, but as strong as Great Demon God was, he still couldn’t take a single blow from this woman…
Many of the Great Emperors’ expressions became solemn. They cupped their fists in unison while Zhan Wu Hen said, “You are far too polite, Madam. We will surely disturb you a lot in the future. Allow us to thank you in advance.”
Yue He pursed her lips and smiled, “Sir is being too stiff. I am the Young Master’s maidservant. It is part of my duties to share the burdens of the Young Master.”
Hearing her call herself a maidservant, he did not know how to respond. He simply glanced at Yang Kai with a meaningful look before putting his hands behind his back and studying his surroundings.
The gazes of Yu Ru Meng and the others felt like leeches, however, biting firmly into Yang Kai’s body with a deep sense of scrutiny.
Yang Kai sweated profusely as he chuckled awkwardly and introduced, “Yue He, these are my wives.”
Yue He bent her knees and bowed, “This servant greets the Young Madams!”
Yu Ru Meng and the others had strange expressions on their faces. It was their first time hearing the title ‘Young Madam”, so they couldn’t help being a little uncomfortable.
However, Yu Ru Meng was not just any ordinary person. As a Charm Demon Demon Saint, she used to be one of the greatest Masters in the Demon Realm; therefore, she showed no restraint even when faced with a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He. Naturally, the main reason was that she had also slaughtered a so-called Open Heaven Realm Master back in the Demon Realm, giving her more confidence.
She directly walked up, took Yue He’s small hand, and smiled brightly, “Such a pretty young lady. How can that bastard be so hard-hearted as to make you his maidservant? Did he bully you? Tell me; I will punish him for you!”
Yang Kai looked down to the ground, feeling cold sweat dripping down his back like a waterfall.
Yue He shook her head and replied gently, “No. I am following and serving the Young Master of my own volition.”
“Is that so?” Yu Ru Meng smiled sweetly “If he bullies you, you have to let me know. This man has a way with women. Look at us; we sisters were all tricked by him and boarded this pirate’s ship before we even knew it. At this point, we can’t even get off if we wanted to!”
Yue He said, “Young Master is a little strict, but he is a good man.”
Yu Ru Meng suddenly exclaimed, “Little Sister, your hands are so smooth.”
Yue He seemed shy, “Young Madam, your skin is also very smooth.”
“I got so carried away while talking to you that I forgot to introduce you to the others,” While saying that, Yu Ru Meng dragged Yue He along with her and began to introduce Su Yan and the others.
Yue He greeted every one of them and discovered that Su Yan and the others were each great beauties in their own right. They were either charming and seductive, cold and noble, sweet and adorable, naive and innocent, or heroic and valiant. They all had different temperaments and charms so she couldn’t help feeling secretly speechless. It was her first time learning that the Young Master she served had so many lovers. Thus, she couldn’t help turning to glance at him.
However, she saw Yang Kai standing there with a solemn expression. He was speaking to the Great Emperors in a low voice. After listening to their conversation, she heard him say, “Since it’s your first time here, why don’t I show you around? It will help you familiarise yourself with the surroundings.”
Zhan Wu Hen waved his hand dismissively, “No need. You can do your own things. The four of us will just stroll around casually.”
After saying that, he stepped forward and slipped outside.
Mo Huang said, “I’m going to take a look around too.”
He strode forward, heading towards a different direction.
Yang Kai turned to look at Duan Hong Chen, but Bustling World Great Emperor chased after Zhan Wu Hen while shouting, “Old Ghost Zhan, wait for me!”
*Shua shua shua…*
One after another, the Great Emperors scattered in different directions. Before leaving, Flower Shadow glared at Yang Kai. Her expression indicated that she was taking pleasure in his misfortune as she snickered, “You get what you deserve!”
At this moment, somebody suddenly rushed over to Yang Kai and excitedly said, “Adoptive Father, have we arrived at Void Land!?”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened as he grabbed Yang Xiao and nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, Xiao’er. This place is Void Land. In the future, you will be cultivating here. Let me tell you; Void Land has the Seven Lands of the Yin, Yang, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water Elements. It’s very mysterious. Why don’t I show you around?!”
Yang Xiao waved his hand swiftly though, “No need. Father can attend to his own matters. I’ll go and take a stroll with Little Aunt and Great Aunt.”
After saying that, he broke free of Yang Kai’s grip and called out to Yang Xue and Liu Yan before he turned into a stream of light and vanished out of sight.
Qiong Qi chased after them, “Young Masters, wait for me!”
Yang Kai was about to spit blood at this point. While he was feeling speechless, his gaze swept over somebody all of a sudden and he immediately shouted excitedly, “Second Manager!”
Among the crowd of people that had just walked out of the Small Sealed World’s entrance was Bian Yu Qing. Before she could even look around at her surroundings though, she immediately came over and cupped her fists, “How may I help you, Palace Master?”
“Has everybody come out?” Yang Kai asked solemnly with his hands behind his back, trying to look authoritative.
Bian Yu Qing just glanced at him strangely though. The Sealed World Bead was Yang Kai’s artifact, so he could tell how many people were still inside with a single thought. Why would he need to ask her? Even so, she answered his question honestly, “They’ve all come out, Palace Master. I was the last person to leave.”
“Good, good. You served as the Second Manager at High Heaven Palace. During all those years when I was gone, you and Head Manager handled all the affairs of the Palace and managed the place very well. Now that we are in Void Land and Head Manager did not come with us, I can only rely on you.”
She solemnly replied, “I will do my best so as not to disappoint you, Palace Master.”
“Let me introduce somebody to you.” Yang Kai turned to the side and shouted, “Yue He, come here.”
Yue He was talking to Yu Ru Meng and the other women, but when she heard Yang Kai’s call, she immediately excused herself and came over. She looked relieved as she did. Shooting him with a grateful expression, she asked, “How can I help you, Young Master?”
Yang Kai introduced Bian Yu Qing and the two women greeted each other.
“In the future, the two of you can discuss matters of Void Land between yourselves and act as you see fit. There’s no need to ask me,” he said.
“Yes!” The two women responded respectfully.
Yang Kai was used to leaving matters to others. He had a free and unrestrained temperament. Expanding his domain territory and conquering his enemies were nothing to him. On the contrary, asking him to remain in one place and manage the development of the land was difficult.
That was why he was adamant about bringing Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing with him.
It was just that Hua Qing Si had not followed him and chose to remain at High Heaven Palace; therefore, there was no choice but to put most of the burden on Bian Yu Qing. The 600,000 people he brought with him this time were all from the Star Boundary, so Bian Yu Qing was familiar with their origins and could easily make arrangements for them. It was just that Void Land was in the Outer Universe, after all, a place she did not know much about. If she worked with Yue He, they could complement each other’s strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses.
With the two of them managing Void Land, Yang Kai would no longer need to worry.
Aside from the Great Emperors, Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, and several others who left to investigate, the remaining people among the 600,000 quietly stood in place. Although they were looking at their surroundings in amazement, they were like a well-disciplined army and did not make any unnecessary noises.
So many people suddenly arrived at Void Land all at once, so it was safe to say that the top priority at the moment was to assign lodgings to them. Fortunately, Void Land was not small. There were a total of seven Spirit Provinces, so it was not hard to accommodate these people.
Yue He and Bian Yu Qing immediately gathered together and discussed this matter.
The 600,000 people were soon separated into seven groups and were then led away by some people, splitting up to head to one of the seven Spirit Provinces. These people leading the way used to belong to Yue He’s Small Orchid Palace. After Small Orchid Palace was disbanded and destroyed, they followed Yue He to Void Land. It could be said that they were the first batch of immigrants. By now, they were already a part of Void Land. Having arrived earlier, they were a little more familiar with Void Land. If nothing else, leading the way was not a problem for them.
While these people were busy working, Yang Kai suddenly heard a cry coming from the depths of Earth Spirit Land. It was followed by a furious roar. Immediately afterwards, the ground shook and the World Energy became chaotic. It felt like there were people fighting in the depths of Earth Spirit Land.
Yang Kai was stupefied, but when he detected a certain flitting aura, he quickly turned to look in that direction and shouted, “Shit!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he shifted his body and rushed over in that direction. Similarly, the expressions of Yu Ru Meng and the others changed slightly and they hurriedly followed after Yang Kai.
While flying over, Bian Yu Qing asked, “Lady Yue He, are there any unvanquished enemies left in Void Land?”
Yue He shook her head, “It’s not an enemy. It’s just… This person’s existence is a little special. I can’t explain it well, but you will understand once you’ve seen yourself.”
Bian Yu Qing gently nodded in response.
A short while later, a group of people gathered in the middle of Earth Spirit Land where the central Main Hall was located.
A ferocious Monster was lying on the ground over there, his entire body exuding the aura of a Divine Spirit. Who else could it be but Qiong Qi? It was just that Old Qiong had revealed his true appearance at this moment. He was also restrained on the ground, completely unable to move. What bound his movements were numerous fine filaments that emitted a bright white light. The harder he struggled, the tighter those filaments dug into his skin. It didn’t take long for his entire body to be covered in blood.
On the other side, Liu Yan had transformed into a Fire Phoenix. Her body was soaring in mid-air, but her mouth was also bound by identical threads. She was unable to utter a single sound.
Outside the Main Hall stood a beautiful woman with an enchanting figure and a pair of cold eyes. She was holding Yang Xiao in one hand and Yang Xue in the other. There was no aura coming from her body. Nevertheless, Yang Xiao, who was usually a fearless little bastard, was currently quivering in fright. His complexion was pale and he couldn’t even muster the courage to fight back. Yang Xue pursed her red lips lightly as her complexion was also pale.
Yang Kai’s face twitched at the sight.
This woman was Zhu Jiu Yin, who had been healing in retreat all this while. Ever since they took over and established Void Land, she had been in seclusion and never showed herself at all. In the entire Void Land, nobody else knew about her existence aside from the people who followed Yang Kai out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Calculating the time, it had been nearly a year since they came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and although her injuries were not completely healed, they should be much better by now.
Yang Kai felt a huge headache as he had no idea what this little brat had done to anger Zhu Jiu Yin.
*Shua shua shua…*
Countless figures came rushing over, one after another. They were the Great Emperors who came to check out the situation after they noticed the commotion. When they saw Qiong Qi, Liu Yan, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue in such a state, they were shocked.
It had to be said that the combat power of these four was quite remarkable, especially Qiong Qi. As Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount, he had lived for tens of thousands of years and his strength outside the Star Boundary was not inferior to a Great Emperor’s. However, all four of them had been completely subdued even though only a short time had passed since the commotion began.
On the other hand, the woman was calm and unruffled. She was definitely an Open Heaven Realm Master!
[We definitely can’t afford to offend her!]
The next to arrive on scene were the two Elders of the Dragon Clan, Fu Zhun dan Zhu Yan.
Fu Zhun looked over and saw her son being held up in the air by an unknown woman and immediately lost her temper as she shouted, “Who are you!? Put Xiao’er down immediately!”
“Dragon Clan?” Zhu Jiu Yin tilted her head to the side and glanced at the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan. She did not think much of them though and instead looked over at Yang Kai with great interest. Her beautiful eyes were elegant, sparkling with a strange light.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, I don’t know what my Adopted Son and my Little Sister have done to upset you, but please be merciful.”
To which Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “If this Queen had not been merciful, do you think they would still be alive? This Queen was recuperating from her injuries in peace when they suddenly barged in. If this had happened in the past, I would have killed them on the spot.”
Feeling speechless, Yang Kai glared fiercely at Yang Xiao. [This brat sure does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, accidentally offending Zhu Jiu Yin.]
“Many thanks, Senior. They only just arrived here, so they do not know of your greatness. I will discipline them thoroughly later.”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s eyes flashed before she casually tossed Yang Xiao and Yang Xue on the ground.
Only then did Yang Kai let out a breath of relief. Although this woman had made an oath on her Source to become his Protector and swore never to harm him, that oath only applied to him and not the people around him. If she refused to let go of this matter, it would also give him some trouble.
There was a whooshing sound suddenly and Yang Kai’s vision blurred for a moment. Then, he found that Zhu Jiu Yin had appeared right in front of him. She was so close that their faces nearly touched. Thus, he jumped back in fright and asked, “What is it, Senior?”
“Move aside!” She pushed him away and studied the person standing behind him with great interest.
As their gazes met, Shan Qing Luo looked at the woman in front of her with a strange expression. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of affinity towards this person. It felt as though this woman in front of her was a long-lost relative.
“What is your name?” Zhu Jiu Yin asked with a smile.
“Shan Qing Luo!”
She nodded and lifted a hand to grab Shan Qing Luo’s jade-white hand. In front of everybody’s eyes, she placed one of Shan Qing Luo’s fingers in her mouth and bit down gently.
Shan Qing Luo furrowed her brow in response, clearly feeling that her skin had been broken.
Zhu Jiu Yin drew a drop of blood and tasted it on her tongue before spitting it out with a look of disgust, “Why is your bloodline so thin?”
“Senior, you…” Shan Qing Luo seemed to understand something at that moment and her beautiful eyes lit up with a mixture of shock and delight.
Zhu Jiu Yin grabbed Shan Qing Luo’s hand without allowing for objections and headed towards the Grand Hall behind her, “Come with me.”
Shan Qing Luo followed, glancing back at Yang Kai with a mixture of excitement and unease.
Yang Kai opened his mouth but did not know what to say.
Zhu Jiu Yin halted abruptly and turned back to look at him, “From now on, this girl belongs to me. Do you have any objections?”
“None!” Yang Kai hurriedly replied.
“Lucky you know what’s good for you!” Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted and continued onward.
Yang Kai quickly shot a look at Shan Qing Luo that seemed to say, “Don’t worry.”
The door to the Grand Hall slammed shut with a loud bang, blocking out everybody’s line of sight. Everybody then turned their gaze to Yang Kai instead as Zhan Wu Hen frowned and asked, “Who is that woman?”
Su Yan was also a little worried and asked, “Husband, she took Luo’er away. Will she be okay?”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s fine. This is a great opportunity for Luo’er.”
Zhu Jiu Yin was a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Yang Kai had learned about the Divine Spirit known as the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider from Shan Qing Luo a long time ago. This couldn’t be helped; after all, Shan Qing Luo also possessed a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source.
Just now, Zhu Jiu Yin had ignored everyone else and only showed interest in Shan Qing Luo, clearly aware of the bloodline within the latter. Now that she had taken Shan Qing Luo away with her, Shan Qing Luo’s cultivation would gain an overwhelming advantage over everybody else with the personal guidance of a Great Senior like her.
Yang Kai had cooperated with Zhu Jiu Yin in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary firstly because had no other choice, but secondly to create a path for Shan Qing Luo in the future. Otherwise, he could very well have gone and cooperated with Jin Wu instead.
It was extremely difficult to chance upon another Divine Spirit of the same Race. The 3,000 Worlds might be vast, but there were precious few Divine Spirits like the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider left. If he missed Zhu Jiu Yin, only the Heavens knew when he would come across another Heavenly Moon Demon Spider.
After Yang Kai revealed Zhu Jiu Yin’s identity to the others, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were filled with a sense of dread. They never imagined that they would accidentally provoke such a terrifying existence. Likewise, Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan also felt some lingering fears. If a Master of that level had truly intended to kill Yang Xiao, nobody could have stopped her even with so many people present.
Even so, they also felt a sense of excitement in addition to their fear.
That was because they witnessed the terrifying heights a Divine Spirit could grow to. They were part of the Dragon Clan after all. Among all the Divine Spirits, the Dragons and Phoenixes were considered rulers as they were the strongest. If a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider could grow to such terrifying heights, then what would members of the Dragon Clan be like if they were to develop and mature?
It was just that they had not known how to continue refining their bloodline. Over countless years, they had remained stagnant and unable to progress further; however, they were now in the Outer Universe so their situation might just improve!
Regardless of whether it was the Dragon Clan’s Elders, Qiong Qi, or Liu Yan, they seemed to have found a sliver of hope in the darkness. As long as they followed this trace of hope, there would come a day when they escape the darkness surrounding them to see the real light beyond.
Three months went by in the blink of an eye.
During these three months, the 600,000 people from the Star Boundary gradually became familiar with Void Land. Under the proper management of Yue He and Bian Yu Qing, these 600,000 were settled in the various Spirit Provinces and were now performing their respective duties.
Under Bian Yu Qing’s suggestion, Void Land established several ‘Halls’. They were Pill Hall, Artifact Hall, Array Hall, Scripture Hall, Martial Hall, and Divine Spirit Hall.
Among them, the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor served as the Hall Master of the Pill Hall. He cultivated the Alchemic Dao and used that to condense his Dao Seal. His achievements in Alchemy had long since reached the limits of the Star Boundary; therefore, his Alchemy skills were so superb that he stood at the peak of all those present.
If Void Land wanted to develop further, it could not afford to sit around and do nothing while the resources were depleted. Most of the resources that Yang Kai obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been spent on the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Even if there was some surplus, they could not be considered abundant. In addition, what they found in the secret storehouse of Seven Wonders Land and the compensation from Flying Flower Boat would not last long. The Great Emperors had reached the limits of their cultivation, so they were eager to improve themselves, but if they were to start cultivating, they would surely require materials of the Fifth Order and above, right?
The price for any Fifth-Order material was calculated by the millions of Open Heaven Pills, and that was only for Fifth-Order materials. It might be that the Great Emperors would need more than Fifth-Order materials. They might require Sixth-Order materials or even higher! If so, the costs would be even greater and more terrifying! Therefore, Void Land required a means of generating income.
It was just that Void Land was newly established, so with neither connections nor contacts, how could it have a means of generating revenue? It was truly fortunate that Seven Wonders Land had left behind an amazing heritage. The seven Orchards were currently Void Land’s greatest wealth. The seven types of spirit fruit were the primary ingredients to refine Open Heaven Pills, so if they could get their hands on the pill recipe, refining Open Heaven Pills would not be a problem with Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s heritage in the Alchemic Dao. That was why Void Land’s highest priority at the moment was to develop the Pill Hall. It was also the key to Void Land’s rise to greatness in the future.
On the other hand, Hou Yu served as the Hall Master of the Artifact Hall. Her cultivation could not be considered high as she was only in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, nobody in Void Land could surpass her when it came to Artifact Refining. Back in the Star Boundary, the name ‘Monkey Grandmaster’ had become famous throughout the land. Many cultivators had taken pride in owning the artifacts she personally refined. If not for Nanmen Da Jun’s introduction, Yang Kai would not have been able to get her under his command.
Hou Yu had refined countless amazing artifacts for High Heaven Palace back in the Star Boundary, and those artifacts played a huge role in the war between the two worlds.
Meanwhile, Nanmen Da Jun naturally served as the Hall Master of the Array Hall. He hardly had a moment to rest since he arrived in Void Land as he had been studying under Grandmaster Wu Liang. Nanmen Da Jun was practically obsessed with Arrays but the Universe World known as the Star Boundary had bound his hands and feet; therefore, he had been unable to pull himself away after seeing the mystery of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array upon his arrival at Void Land.
He had an extremely rich heritage in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and a high sense of comprehension. Otherwise, he would not have achieved the success he enjoyed today.
Over the past three months, he had been working under Grandmaster Wu Liang and proclaiming himself to be a Disciple. He was hard-working and conscientious to the point where he neglected to even eat and sleep.
Grandmaster Wu Liang originally despised Array Masters who originated from lower Universe Worlds; however, he quickly discovered that Nanmen Da Jun had a unique sense and comprehension in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. While Nanmen Da Jun’s achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays could not be compared to his, that was simply because their environment for growth was too different. He had to admit that he might not have reached the level of achievement that Nanmen Da Jun had if he was placed in a lower Universe World instead. Combined with his gratitude towards Yang Kai for providing him with the means to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and fulfil his long-cherished wish, the Grandmaster did not conceal his knowledge and fully intended to teach Nanmen Da Jun.
One was willing to learn and the other was willing to teach; hence, Nanmen Da Jun madly absorbed the mysteries of the Outer Universe’s Dao of Spirit Arrays during these three months and experienced a huge leap in growth.
The existence of the Scripture Hall was to store various Secret Techniques and ancient books. Be it in the Star Boundary or the Outer Universe, Yang Kai had killed many, especially in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. He obtained many spoils of war, among which contained many Secret Techniques and Secret Arts. These were almost all useless to him, but he kept them anyway. These resources were now stored in the Scripture Hall so that the disciples could study and cultivate them.
Yang Kai entrusted the position of Hall Master of the Martial Hall to Lu Xue. She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all, so it was a given that she had the qualifications. On this point, even the Great Emperors had nothing to say.
It was just that most of the 600,000 people who came from the Star Boundary had relatively shallow foundations; therefore, on the basis of understanding the common sense of the Martial Dao in the Outer Universe, the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors would occasionally preach the Dao to the disciples regarding the important points to take note of during their cultivation and some cultivation tricks.
In the Star Boundary, it was practically impossible to receive a chance to listen to the teachings of a Great Emperor. None of the Great Emperors had that much time to do such things. They would only take in a few disciples to carefully teach and nurture at most; however, they put aside their status after coming to the Outer Universe and contributed to the development of Void Land.
How precious and valuable were the Great Emperors’ cultivation experiences? It was exactly what these 600,000 people needed. For that reason, the lectures would be bursting at the seams with people every time the Great Emperors held a class. Countless cultivators broke free of their own shackles during these three months and their strength increased sharply.
As for the Divine Spirit Hall, it was a very special hall. There was no helping it. Many Divine Spirits had been brought over from the Star Boundary. Leaving aside the fact that dozens of pure-blooded members of the Dragon Clan from Dragon Island were here, there were also several hundred Dragonborn with the Dragon Clan bloodlines. Not to mention, Luan Feng, Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and the countless Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands.
These Monster Kings originally had faint Divine Spirit bloodlines flowing in them but could not really be considered Divine Spirits. The Blood Gate had remained open after Zhang Ruo Xi came out of retreat though. Consequently, many members of the Monster Race had entered the Blood Gate over the years and received their ancestor’s Sources.
Take Ying Fei for example. He received the Flaming Eagle’s Source from within the Blood Gate, allowing him to become a Divine Spirit now. As such, almost half of the thirty-two Monster Kings had become Divine Spirits.
There were also the Stone Spirit Clan, Xiao Xiao, the Wood Spirit Clan, Liu Yan, Qiong Qi, and Spirit Beast Island’s Jiu Feng who served under Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang.
It was very rare for so many Divine Spirits to gather in one place, even in the 3,000 Worlds. Divine Spirits were extremely prideful existences and generally acted alone. Only a unique environment like Void Land could make them coexist so peacefully.
The Divine Spirits mainly cultivated by improving their Bloodline Power and Purity while developing their Source. It was very different from ordinary cultivators. In this regard, nobody could help them except themselves.
However, if these Divine Spirits managed to grow and become powerful, even the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises would not be able to challenge Void Land easily.
The many halls carried out their respective duties, and while there were some flaws, Void Land was a newly-established entity after all. It was only natural that there were many arrangements that had yet to be perfected. The many disciples were also free to join the respective halls in order to cultivate according to their interests and specialties.
In addition to these many halls, the current Void Land was also divided into two types of disciples: the Outer Disciples and the Inner Disciples. The Outer Disciples consisted of the cultivators below the Emperor Realm, and there were many of them, consisting of practically 99% of the population. On the other hand, the Inner Disciples were those in the Emperor Realm, of which there were about 1,000 at the moment. These people not only included the Emperor Realm cultivators from the Star Boundary but also those who originally belonged to Small Orchid Palace.
Once somebody advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, they would automatically leave the Inner Disciples and be promoted to the status of a Deacon. It was just that the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land were so few at the moment that they could only look forward to future development.
In just three months, Void Land had already formed a preliminary outline and organizational structure. Everything was right on track.
At this moment, Yang Kai was standing in the sky above Void Land. He was holding the Void Land’s Array Jade in his hand and feeling the mysteries of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
Grandmaster Wu Liang was standing next to Yang Kai. Compared to the first time they met, the Spirit Array Grandmaster had lost a lot of weight and appeared quite haggard; however, his expression was extremely animated. He was explaining the various benefits and aspects of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array to Yang Kai.
“True Monarch, I’m sure you have some understanding of this Old Master’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array already but let me explain again. The Grand Array can be divided into nine layers that integrate various functions into one. Moreover, these functions are linked together. It is so wonderful that it cannot be described in words.” His eyes were bloodshot, but he was in high spirits. His entire being was filled with vigour as he pointed forward and continued, “The first three layers of the Grand Array are the basic foundations of the Grand Array. When in operation, they will draw Star Power from the outside and pour the energy into the Grand Array to keep it running smoothly. The excess energy will be stored for emergencies. That is not all. The first three layers of the Grand Array are also capable of self-restoration. As long as the damage is not too serious, they will be able to repair most damage by themselves.”
Yang Kai was mentally connected to the Array Jade, so when he studied the first three layers of the Grand Array, he discovered that Grandmaster Wu Liang had not exaggerated his words. Thus, he nodded lightly. Grandmaster Wu Liang had already explained these functions to Yang Kai before setting up the Nine Heavenly Layers after all.
Grandmaster Wu Liang continued, “The three middle layers are Defensive Arrays. The first function is for concealment. If you wish, True Monarch, you can activate the Spirit Array to hide Void Land completely so that it cannot be seen from the outside. Of course, you can also lure the enemy deeper into your trap if you wish with this method. This Concealment Spirit Array does not only work to conceal but also to create illusions. The second function is to bewilder one’s enemies. Those who enter this Spirit Array will experience all sorts of hallucinations. They will not be able to distinguish North from East, West, or South. Naturally, you can also increase the power of this Spirit Array if you have a suitable artifact to act as its Array Core. This Old Master has already reserved a spot for this Array Core in advance. When that time comes, you can decide for yourself whether to use it or not!
“The third function is for pure defence. I have already set the Heavenly Net Umbrella you brought back previously into the Array Core. I have no idea who created the Heavenly Net Umbrella, but it is very powerful. If you use this as the Array Core to activate the Defensive Grand Array… This Old Master does not dare to say that Void Land will be impenetrable, but it would take at least ten Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters working together for three days and three nights to break through it.”
Yang Kai raised his brow at those words and happily expressed his thanks, “Many thanks, Grandmaster.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang waved his hand dismissively, “You don’t need to thank this Old Master; in fact, it is I who should be the one thanking you instead. The cost of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array is truly enormous. This Old Master conceived this Spirit Array several hundred years ago but has never had the chance to arrange it. With your support, I was finally able to see my grand idea come alive. It can be said that this Old Master’s lifelong wish has been fulfilled.”
Changing the topic of conversation, Grandmaster Wu Liang continued, “Let me tell you about the last three layers of the Grand Array. These last three layers of the Grand Array are Offensive Spirit Arrays. Most of the Star Power gathered by the first three layers of the Grand Array will be stored in the last three layers of the Grand Array. These three Spirit Arrays are capable of transforming flexibly. Moreover, each layer is stronger than the last. If anyone were to fall prey to this Grand Array, even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master will not escape unscathed!
“This Old Master has already placed suitable artifacts in the Array Cores of the first two Offensive Spirit Arrays. The Heavenly Executioner’s Sword that True Monarch gave me earlier has been placed in the second Spirit Array. If you activate the power of the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword with the power of the Grand Array, most Open Heaven Realm Masters will be unable to block a single blow!
“As for the last one… this Old Master did as you instructed, True Monarch. The position for the Array Core has been reserved in advance. I might not know what you have prepared, but please do not forget that the last layer of the Grand Array uses a person as its foundation. It is best not to activate it for no reason before you amass enough strength; otherwise, you will risk a powerful backlash.”
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “I will remember that. Many thanks, Grandmaster!”
Grandmaster Wu Liang exhaled a long breath and stared down at Void Land. His gaze seemed to penetrate the numerous layers to take in the entire Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. There was a look of satisfaction in the depths of his eyes.
“Grandmaster, this is the promised reward. Please accept it.” Yang Kai took out a Space Ring and handed it over. He had asked Grandmaster Wu Liang to help set up this Grand Array, so it was only natural that he could not allow the other party to work for free. Besides, the remuneration had been agreed upon earlier. Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array had been completed, it was only right to deliver the payment.
Grandmaster Wu Liang sighed and accepted the Space Ring silently as he said sadly, “This Grand Array is probably the greatest achievement that this Old Master will achieve in this life. There will be no more chances to surpass this pinnacle in the future. Please treat this Grand Array kindly, True Monarch.”
For a Spirit Array Grandmaster like him, the Nine Heavenly Layers that he worked so hard to set up was not just the crystallisation and culmination of his entire lifetime’s cultivation, it was also a child he had given birth to in a sense; thus, he was a little reluctant to part ways with it.
A sudden idea came to Yang Kai seeing this kind of sentiment and he smiled, “Grandmaster, if you can’t help worrying about the Grand Array, why don’t you remain in Void Land? I’m sure it will be able to operate for a very long time if you take care of it yourself.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang shook his head, “True Monarch, please don’t try to win over this Old Master. This Old Master is used to the freedom of living alone. I can’t bear to be restrained by anything. If this Old Master had really wanted to join a great force, I would have done so a long time ago and not have waited until today.”
Although Yang Kai knew that the possibility was very slim, he couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed when he was rejected by Grandmaster Wu Liang so decisively. It would have been a great help to the future development of Void Land if a Spirit Array Grandmaster like Grandmaster Wu Liang could remain in Void Land. Unfortunately, a forcefully picked melon was not sweet, so there was nothing he could do since the other party was unwilling.
“Please rest assured, True Monarch. Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array has been arranged in Void Land, this Old Master will be tight-lipped about the various mysteries behind it and will never leak a single word to outsiders. If this Old Master lets even the slightest information slip, may my Small Universe collapse and death come for me on the spot!” Grandmaster Wu Liang was clearly making a sworn oath on his Small Universe.
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “There’s no need for such extremes, Grandmaster. Proprietress herself invited you to set up this Grand Array for me. It’s only natural that I trust you.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang laughed, “That little one called Nanmen Da Jun under your command has extremely high attainments and understanding in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Although he is still lacking at the moment, I have great expectations of his growth in the future. Handing the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array Hand over to him will also put my mind at ease.”
After saying that, he cupped his fists, “True Monarch, this Old Master is leaving. I hope to see you again in the future!”
Yang Kai was startled, “Are you leaving right now, Grandmaster?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang responded with a smile, “Thanks to you, True Monarch, this Old Master was able to make full use of and display all his talents. Arranging this Grand Array recently has greatly inspired this Old Master, which in turn gave birth to many insights. The bottleneck that has been troubling this Old Master for many years has shown signs of loosening and I’m afraid I’m not too far from my next breakthrough. This Old Master has to go back and enter retreat.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised before he cupped his fists with a smile and said, “In that case, I should be congratulating you, Grandmaster.”
Even now, Yang Kai had yet to figure out what Order in the Open Heaven Realm Grandmaster Wu Liang was in; after all, they had very few opportunities to come into contact with each other. Looking at the other party’s aura, Grandmaster Wu Liang seemed to be in the Fourth or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. For a Spirit Array Grandmaster, such a level of cultivation was not weak at all.
Knowing that Grandmaster Wu Liang wanted to return to enter retreat and advance into the next Order, Yang Kai did not keep the other party for much longer. He politely saw Grandmaster Wu Liang off outside Void Land. It wasn’t until Grandmaster Wu Liang’s artifact vanished out of his sight that Yang Kai turned around and returned to Void Land.
Yue He came out to meet him and glanced behind him suspiciously, “Has Grandmaster Wu Liang left?”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Grandmaster realised the opportunity for a breakthrough and hurried back to enter retreat.”
Yue He was stunned for a moment before her expression became slightly gloomy as she informed him, “Young Master, we don’t have many resources left.”
Yang Kai was a bit surprised and asked curiously, “Weren’t there still some surpluses from before?”
It had indeed cost a lot to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and he even had to give Grandmaster Wu Liang a hefty payment at the end. Even so, Yang Kai was certain they still had some resources left over from before.
To which she replied, “The several Sirs you brought back with you have all begun to enter retreat to cultivate. Each of them also needs Sixth-Order materials. There are also several at the peak of the Emperor Realm who have taken away a lot of the Fifth-Order materials. We can just barely manage to get by for some time, but once more people begin to condense their Dao Seals, the demand for materials will only increase.”
Yue He was in charge of finances for all of Void Land and Yang Kai had previously told her to accommodate the cultivation needs of the cultivators from the Star Boundary without limit. Those in the Third-Order Emperor Realm and below were not hard to deal with and their cultivation requirements did not worry her. However, the Great Emperors were existences that had long ago condensed their Dao Seals. They had remained at the level of a Great Emperor for tens of thousands of years each, so they all had extremely solid foundations. After familiarising themselves with the environment for a bit, they settled down and began to cultivate in retreat.
Iron Blood, Bustling World, Marital Beast, Serene Soul, Heavens Revelations, Wondrous Pill, Flower Shadow, and Ice Feather. All Eight Great Emperors would consume eight Sixth-Order materials all at once, and that was only the beginning. The follow-up demand would only be greater and greater.
Yue He was truly baffled by this. She simply could not understand why these people had such powerful heritage and great aptitude that all of them had chosen to refine Sixth-Order materials. She had seen many Great Emperors from other Universe Worlds in the past, but those Great Emperors had a mixture of both strong and weak aptitudes.
In general, a Great Emperor of a Universe World could at minimum withstand the strain of Fourth-Order Open Heaven materials. Nevertheless, those people had not been as exaggerated as the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary.
The reason for this discrepancy was that the Great Emperors had an extremely solid foundation. Their Dao Seals were firm and could withstand stronger impacts. They had remained at the level of a Great Emperor for much longer than normal after all. On the contrary, the Great Emperors of other Universe Worlds would generally begin to condense their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements shortly after arriving at their current realm. They did not spend time refining and stabilising their foundations for thousands of years, so their Dao Seals naturally could not compare to Zhan Wu Hen and the others.
Aside from the eight Great Emperors, others such as Tian Yan, Sheng Yu Zhu, Li Wu Yi, and Yang Yan had already condensed their own Dao Seals within these past few months and began their own cultivation. Further down the line, Wen Zi Shan, Li Jiao, and the others were still in the process of condensing their Dao Seals.
There were also the 30 people whom Yang Kai brought back with him from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, such as Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man. They were also consuming materials from different Orders.
At present, the most abundant resource in the entire Void Land was Open Heaven Pills. There were as many as 7 or 8 eight billion Open Heaven Pills! That was because there were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, so the consumption of Open Heaven Pills was minimal. Aside from the cost of purchasing the materials to set up the Grand Array, there had not been much consumption of the Open Heaven Pills.
While 7 or 8 billion Open Heaven Pills might sound like a lot, how many cultivation resources could they actually be exchanged with? A full set of 7 Sixth-Order materials cost at least 100 million Open Heaven Pills; therefore, one billion could only purchase 10 portions, and that would only be under the most ideal of circumstances. After all, Sixth-Order materials were not exactly common resources that could be found everywhere and would often be sold for much higher prices.
In the long run, Void Land’s finances were a huge unsolved problem, so it was no wonder that Yue He was looking so gloomy.
“What about the gourd vine? Didn’t I ask you to harvest materials from those Little Bottle Gourds?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He replied, “We have already started the process. It’s just that… Although the Little Bottle Gourd can produce a full set of Fifth-Order Element treasures, the number of times they can be harvested is limited. We can only harvest them about once a month.”
The gourd vine could be said to be one of the biggest gains that Yang Kai obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The value of the gourd vine was the highest among the three Divine Medicines. Compared to the healing power of Pu Bai Xiong and the hallucinogenic effects of Little Mushroom, the gourd vine not only allowed Yang Kai to unleash a terrifying force equivalent to the attack of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at a critical moment, but it could also become one of the financial foundations of Void Land.
There were seven small bottle gourds growing naturally on the gourd vine, each of which corresponded to the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The Powers were usually hidden within the bottle gourds and their energy was not obvious; however, that Power could burst out at critical moments. If it could explode, naturally it could also be harvested.
After returning from his trip to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai immediately planted the gourd vine in Void Land. Every time the Little Bottle Gourds had accumulated enough energy, he would ask Yue He to harvest it. Every time the energy was harvested, it could supply one cultivator with a set of Yin, Yang, and Five Element materials they needed for their cultivation. Moreover, it was a Fifth-Order Element Power!
It was conceivable that countless cultivators in Void Land would benefit from the existence of the gourd vine over time. If the disciples needed Fifth-Order materials, they were perfectly capable of being self-sufficient!
Under the current circumstances where Void Lands was unable to refine Open Heaven Pills, this gourd vine had become the greatest financial resource of Void Land and could help to alleviate the current crisis to some extent. The price was that Yang Kai had to give up one of his trump cards. It was definitely worth the sacrifice in the long run but it was not an immediate solution to their current problem.
“But, Young Master, those Little Bottle Gourds have become somewhat unruly and grumpy. They have been clamouring to relocate.” Yue He looked exasperated when the gourd vine was mentioned.
“Don’t worry about them. Ask Chen Tian Fatty to monitor them closely in my place. If anything goes wrong, make him take responsibility.”
“Yes!”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead and sighed, “Still, we need to solve the problem regarding the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills.”
Void Land currently had an abundance of Alchemy ingredients and many Alchemists, but there was no pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills. It made the situation rather awkward as a result.
It was certain that Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had the pill recipe. Unfortunately, his Space Ring had been taken away by Yu Xiu Shan after he was killed by Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan. Even if he had the pill recipe, it had fallen into the hands of Yu Xiu Shan.
Yue He followed up, “There are quite a few pill recipes for Open Heaven Pills in the 3,000 Worlds. Each one of them may be a little different, but few of them are spread around. Perhaps you should visit a Star City, Young Master. Who knows if you might find one there?”
“A Star City might not necessarily have it either.” Yang Kai shook his head. He once stayed in a Star City for a while and even dealt with many of the shopkeepers of prominent stores there. Even so, he had never heard of anybody selling the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills before. That undoubtedly meant that the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills was a rare item. While speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up, “I know who to look for!”
Yue He smilingly asked, “Are you thinking of Big Sister Lan?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Proprietress will surely have the pill recipe.”
Besides, he already planned to look for the Proprietress once the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was successfully completed. This couldn’t be helped. His cultivation had also fallen into an awkward state as there were no suitable Yin, Yang, or Metal Element materials. Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice. The Proprietress had been in First Inn for a very long time and controlled a lot of rare information, so it might be possible to ask her about where to find what he needed.
Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was completed and Zhu Jiu Yin had regained some of her strength, Void Land had secured very powerful defences. There was nothing to worry about even if he left on a journey; therefore, Yang Kai did not bother to delay any longer. Three days after Grandmaster Wu Liang departed, Yang Kai quietly made arrangements for many of Void Land’s affairs and set off on a journey.
This trip was different from his previous one. On the last trip, Yang Kai only brought Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan with him; this time, however, he brought quite a few people with him. The Falling Lotus that was ‘gifted’ to him by Flying Flower Boat was a large flight-type artifact that required many people working together to control it.
Most of the cultivators he brought from the Star Boundary were in the middle of cultivating; hence, Yang Kai decided to bring Lang Qing Shan and the group of people that followed him out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Yue He and Guo Zi Yan came along too. With a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He around, nobody would dare to pull the tiger’s whiskers by causing trouble for them.
Inside Void Land, Lu Xue, Chen Tian Fei, and Bian Yu Qing stood in a row and respectfully said, “Have a safe trip, True Monarch.”
Lu Xue and Bian Yu Qing were understanding; however, Yang Kai did not understand why Chen Tian Fei looked extremely disgruntled, almost like an abandoned resentful widow. Chen Tian Fei had volunteered to come along with Yang Kai when the decision to visit Proprietress was first made. Unfortunately, Yang Kai refused the request after taking the fact that Chen Tian Fei was needed to take care of the gourd vine into consideration. The expression on Chen Tian Fei’s fat face immediately became bitter after that.
Ignoring that resentful glare, Yang Kai nodded and plunged headfirst into the enormous lotus. The others quickly followed after him and a short while later, the enormous flower petals of the lotus slowly spread open under Yue He’s control. Spinning slightly, the lotus transformed into a stream of light that sped off towards the outside.
The Grand Array rumbled and cracked open by a gap through which the lotus rushed out and soon vanished out of sight.
“Haaaa!” Staring into the void, Chen Tian Fei let out a heavy sigh.
The last time Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue had gone out on a trip with Yang Kai, they had both experienced a breakthrough. He later tried to ask them about what kind of opportunity they encountered, but both Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue were very tight-lipped. They did not tell him the details and only claimed that it was Yang Kai’s gift that allowed them to enjoy their success.
Fatty Chen had been stuck in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm for many years; even so, it would take another several dozen to a couple hundred years of intense cultivation and accumulation before he could experience a breakthrough. If he could achieve a breakthrough just by following Yang Kai on a trip, then how could he not grasp at the chance? It was a pity that Yang Kai had refused him so he couldn’t help but sigh and mope as a result.
Reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, he turned to look at Bian Yu Qing and chuckled, “Second Manager, now that True Monarch is gone and Lady Yue He has accompanied him, all of Void Land’s affairs will depend on you.”
Bian Yu Qing politely replied, “I will be relying on the two of you to help me.”
He said, “Of course. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to give me the order, Second Manager. I, Chen Tian Fei, am loyal to the True Monarch. I will not refuse as long as it is within my capabilities.”
“In that case, allow this Mistress to thank you in advance.”
He enthusiastically added, “Second Manager, if you have any questions regarding your cultivation, you can also come to this Old Chen. This Old Chen will be forthcoming.”
Lu Xue glanced at him warily and said lightly, “I will explain to Second Manager myself regarding matters of cultivation.”
Chen Tian Fei opened his mouth but said nothing. Then, he gave another heavy sigh. He could only head towards the place where the gourd vine was to carry out his duties. When he arrived there though, he discovered that the gourd vine was nowhere to be seen. There was only a large hole in the spot where the gourd vine used to be. His complexion immediately turned pale as he shouted, “My Little Ancestors, where did you run off to!?”
He frantically began searching. Fortunately, the Grand Array had not been opened since it was completed, so the entire Void Land was a sealed space. Therefore, the gourd vine could not escape Void Land even if it wished to.
…..
The Falling Lotus was extremely fast and it only took a day’s time to arrive at the Star City in Void Territory.
Every Great Territory that wasn’t entirely desolate had its own Star City. It was just that the scale of the Star City was directly related to the heritage of the Great Territory. If there were many powerful great forces in a Great Territory, then the Star City would be very lively. If not, it would be rather desolate.
The heritage of Void Territory was not that great as Seven Wonders Land was the only Second-Class great force present and it was at best average in terms of strength. For that reason, the Star City in this place was not very large and the goods that flowed through the city were not very valuable either.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai not only intended to ask for the Open Heaven Pills’ pill recipe from the Proprietress and inquire about information about materials for his cultivation, he also planned to purchase other cultivation resources during this trip. He still had some 8 billion Open Heaven Pills in his possession and at the moment, Open Heaven Pills were not urgently needed in Void Land. What they urgently needed were cultivation resources of various Orders. That was why it would be best if he could exchange Open Heaven Pills for materials of various Orders. Since he was already in a Star City, it was a given that he could not let this opportunity slip him by.
It was also Yang Kai’s first time coming to the Star City in Void Territory. The Falling Lotus stopped outside Star City and Guo Zi Yan remained behind to guard it while Yang Kai led Yue He and Lang Qing Shan into the city.
Half a day went by before they returned from the Star City. In half a day, Yang Kai spent almost a billion Open Heaven Pills to purchase Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials.
There was no need to expect to find Sixth-Order materials in a Star City of this scale because nobody else in the entire Void Territory had the ability to consume such high Order materials aside from Yang Kai and his people.
As for Fifth-Order materials, Yang Kai had no plans to buy them. There was enough since Void Land had the gourd vine. The gourd vine could be harvested once a month; moreover, each harvest was enough to provide a full set of Yin, Yang, and Five Element materials for a cultivator. Accumulated over the years, there would always be enough to use.
That was why he only bought Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials.
One Fourth-Order material was only 150,000 Open Heaven Pills and one Third-Order material was just 15,000 Open Heaven Pills. Spending more than 1 billion Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai practically cleaned out all the Third and Fourth-Order cultivation materials from the entire Star City. In all the years since the Star City in Void Territory had been established, it had never dealt with such a large transaction before. Every shop in the city practically regarded Yang Kai as a God of Fortune and treated him reverently.
Yang Kai did not buy any materials below the Third Order though as all 600,000 people from the Star Boundary had very solid starting points. In addition, they had the entire Void Land backing them up so they would either fail to achieve the Open Heaven Realm or succeed to become a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at the very least!
Besides, the people Yang Kai brought over from the Star Boundary were elites who underwent rigorous selection. Becoming a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not be a problem for them. Naturally, the prerequisite was that they could condense their own Dao Seal.
There were countless Emperor Realm Masters who underwent intense cultivation but were unable to gain insight into their Grand Dao and failed to condense their own Dao Seal. In that case, their cultivation journey would stop there. In the end, how many of these 600,000 people could reach the Open Heaven Realm? It might be 10% or it might be 5%. Even so, they were part of Void Land’s future foundation so it was worth investing in them.
A few days later, Yang Kai and the others arrived at the Star City of another Great Territory. This Great Territory was called Flying Smoke Territory on the Universe Chart. It was the Great Territory where Flying Smoke Temple was located.
Seven Wonders Land and Flying Smoke Temple were originally neighbours and had a lot of friction between them. If not for Flying Smoke Temple’s all-out effort to attack Seven Wonders Land back then, Seven Wonders Land would not have fallen into Yang Kai’s hands through a stroke of luck. In a way, it was Flying Smoke Temple that contributed most to Yang Kai taking over Void Land.
The Star City in this Great Territory was not that different from the previous Star City, so after anchoring at the Star City’s Starry Sky Dock, Yang Kai, Yue He, and Lang Qing Shan stepped into Star City. Another half a day later, Yang Kai strode away as all the shopkeepers of the Star City’s main shops saw him off with huge, flattering smiles on their faces.
And so, they continued on their journey, making purchases along the way.
Three Star Cities later, Yang Kai now had less than 4 billion Open Heaven Pills remaining. The Open Heaven Pills he spent had been exchanged for several thousand Fourth-Order materials and tens of thousands of Third-Order materials. This amount was absolutely terrifying.
Another half a month passed by and the lotus entered a place known as Shocking Swan Great Territory. Referring to the Universe Chart and searching for the Star City’s direction, the Falling Lotus headed straight over under Yue He’s control.
Yang Kai estimated that they should have enough resources to cover Void Land’s current needs after he finished purchasing the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials of this Star City.
As for the remaining Open Heaven Pills, he wanted to see if he could purchase some Sixth-Order materials. It was just that Sixth-Order materials were extremely rare and had always been priceless items not often seen on the market. Ordinary cultivators would never have the chance to even come across such resources. If Sixth-Order materials were to appear for sale, they would usually lead to a fierce competition that might even come to blows.
[Perhaps I should head to the Star City where the First Inn is located. That particular Star City is quite large and I might be able to find some Sixth-Order materials there. Besides, I have to keep some Open Heaven Pills in reserve. Although Void Land currently does not have many Open Heaven Realm Masters, they will need Open Heaven Pills when they are cultivating. In particular, the needs of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He are very large. She alone will consume thousands to tens of thousands of Open Heaven Pills in a single day.]
Yang Kai was deep in thought inside the lotus but when he raised his head, he suddenly noticed Guo Zi Yan looking at him hesitantly. Guo Zi Yan immediately looked away the moment their gazes met.
Yang Kai laughed, “Commander Guo, do you have something to say? Don’t hesitate to speak if you do.”
Guo Zi Yan scratched his head awkwardly and hesitantly said, “Sir, this subordinate would like to take a few days off.”
“Take a few days off?” Yang Kai glanced at Guo Zi Yan strangely, “Where are you going?”
Likewise, Yue He turned to look over in this direction.
Guo Zi Yan’s aged face blushed furiously, “Sir, do you remember this subordinate telling you that he has a daughter?”
Yang Kai was taken aback, but after carefully thinking about it, he nodded, “I remember. You mentioned that you sent her somewhere to study under a Teacher who was a friend of yours.”
This was something Guo Zi Yan mentioned back when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. At the time, Yang Kai was giving out rewards for their meritorious deeds. Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man had chosen cultivation resources suitable for their use while only Guo Zi Yan, who was already in the Open Heaven Realm, had not made any requests.
Guo Zi Yan had only been in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm at the time, but he was very loyal to Yang Kai in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It stood to reason that Yang Kai would deal with things justly so there was no reason for him to reward one person but not the others.
Guo Zi Yan later mentioned that he had a daughter and asked for some resources for her, to which Yang Kai agreed on the spot.
Yang Kai could still recall the proud expression on Guo Zi Yan’s face at the time. Guo Zi Yan had talked about how his daughter’s aptitude was several times better than his own. In terms of aptitude, his daughter had hopes of achieving the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm!
It was just that he was a Great Commander of Scarlet Star so both his status and cultivation were neither high nor low. He also risked his life every single day, so his future was always uncertain. There was no saying when he would die at the hands of his enemies; therefore, he did not allow his daughter to remain in Scarlet Star and sent her away to another great force to cultivate.
After considering all this, a sudden thought struck Yang Kai, “Is the place where your daughter is cultivating located somewhere in Shocking Swan Territory?”
Guo Zi Yan smiled lightly, “That’s right, Sir. Blood Swan Continent is located in the Shocking Swan Territory and this subordinate is an old acquaintance of one of the Elders of that force, Gu Zhi Xin. I entrusted my daughter to Elder Gu’s care not long after she was born.”
When speaking of his daughter, Guo Zi Yan became infinitely proud. He cupped his fists and added, “Sir, this subordinate would like to take my daughter and bring her back to Void Land to teach her personally. Please forgive my selfishness.”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’ve already promised you this long ago. Why would I forbid it now?”
While saying so, he checked the Universe Chart and discovered that Blood Swan Continent was located not far from the Star City. With Guo Zi Yan’s current speed, it would only take him three or four days for a round trip.
Yang Kai thus waved his hand, “Go. Bring your daughter back. This King dares not promise the Heavens, but he can promise that she will be provided with the best cultivation resources within her ability to refine.”
“This subordinate thanks Sir!” Guo Zi Yan solemnly said before turning around to leave.
“Wait!” Yang Kai stopped Guo Zi Yan.
“Is there anything else, Sir?” Guo Zi Yan turned back only to see Yang Kai tossing a Space Ring to him. A sweep of his Divine Sense told him that the Space Ring contained a few hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills and he couldn’t help being surprised, “Sir, this is…”
Yang Kai smiled, “You left your daughter in the care of others for so many years. Now that you want to take her away, you should give your thanks to Blood Swan Continent. Take these with you as a thank you gift. In any case, you and your daughter are now part of Void Land. Don’t sully Void Land’s reputation.”
Guo Zi Yan squeezed the Space Ring tightly and gratefully said, “Many thanks for your generosity, Sir.”
“Go swiftly and return quickly. We will be waiting for you in the Star City!” Yang Kai waved goodbye.
Guo Zi Yan nodded and rushed out of the Falling Lotus, heading towards the direction of Blood Swan Continent.
Once Guo Zi Yan departed, the Falling Lotus finally continued towards the Star City.
It didn’t take long for the Falling Lotus to arrive at Star City’s dock, which was bustling with people that came and went without pause. After searching for a place to anchor the Falling Lotus, Yang Kai led Yue He out into the city, immediately drawing a lot of attention from the surrounding people.
Compared to the other artifacts, the Falling Lotus was quite extraordinary. Its shape was also very unique. It was built by a Second Class great force like Flying Flower Boat at the cost of a lot of resources after all. It was not something an ordinary great force could compare with. The Third Class great forces did not have the money while on the other hand, there was only one Second Class great force in Shocking Swan Territory, known as the Shocking Swan Pavilion. Even Shocking Swan Pavilion might not be able to bring out an artifact of similar quality to the Falling Lotus.
Countless pairs of eyes turned in their direction, and when they saw that Yang Kai was only an Emperor Realm cultivator, they couldn’t help becoming astonished.
The dock was managed by a Shocking Swan Pavilion disciple to whom Yang Kai and Yue He had to pay a fee before they could successfully enter the city. In general, every Star City was similar. The strongest great force in the Great Territory where the Star City was located would control the Star City and manage its traffic. They would charge fees to those who entered the Star City and in addition, the shops in the Star City would have to pay a fixed rent to the great force in question on a regular basis.
Needless to say, the great force also had to guarantee the safety of the Star City whilst enjoying the benefits of controlling it. There were many Star Beasts in the void and the great force would have to provide the manpower for defence if the Star City was attacked.
In the past, Void Territory’s Star City was managed by Seven Wonders Land. By doing so, Seven Wonders Land would obtain income from the Star City. However, the Star City had been left ungoverned since Yang Kai occupied Seven Wonders Land.
It was not that Yang Kai could not see the huge benefits of controlling the Star City, but rather that he was strong in will but weak in strength. If he wanted to send somebody to manage the Star City, they had to be a Mid-Rank Open Heaven at minimum to maintain order. He would also need to send many disciples there to patrol and resolve disputes that might arise in the Star City.
How many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters did Void Land have at present? There was Yue He, Chen Tian Fei, and Lu Xue. Even if Yang Kai included Hei He, who was at the Star Boundary, that was still only four in total.
It was impossible for him to send Yue He. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was Void Land’s biggest guarantee. Sending her to manage the Star City was not just overkill, it was simply not possible.
Lu Xue was the Hall Master of the Martial Hall. She now had the heavy responsibility of guiding the disciples in their cultivation.
On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was needed to take care of the gourd vine. The gourd vine could produce Fifth-Order Element materials on a regular basis. It would be difficult for anybody who was not in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm to tend to the gourd vine.
Lastly, there was no need to expect anything from Hei He!
Among these people, the only one who could be dispatched was Chen Tian Fei. Even if Chen Tian Fei could be dispatched though, there were no other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to assist him, so it would be tough for him to succeed at this task alone.
Even though Yang Kai knew that controlling the Star City would bring a steady stream of income, he could only yearn helplessly. He could only do something about Void Land’s Star City when the cultivators in Void Land had grown stronger.
Fortunately, several people among Lang Qing Shan’s group that had followed Yang Kai for so many years were about to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. It would greatly ease the awkward situation caused by the lack of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land once that happened.
Upon entering the Star City, Yang Kai swept through the shops, one by one, and bought large amounts of resources like before. All the shopkeepers were extremely attentive towards him, so much so that they were practically worshipping him as the God of Fortune.
What surprised and delighted Yang Kai was that he actually managed to purchase a Sixth-Order material in this Star City. This Sixth-Order material came from a shop that was not too large and it seemed that the shopkeeper had only just gotten his hands on it recently. He was planning to send this material to a larger Star City for auction, but decided to try selling it to Yang Kai when he saw how deep the latter’s pockets were. Yang Kai immediately expressed his intention to purchase the material and after some bargaining, he finally bought it for 17 million Open Heaven Pills.
When Yang Kai first entered Seven Wonders Land, Dié You explained the value of the cultivation materials of various Orders. At the time, Dié You mentioned that Sixth-Order materials were worth approximately 15 million; however, that was only under the most ideal circumstances!
The real situation was that Sixth-Order materials were extremely rare and precious, so the price would generally be much more expensive. Even so, it would not be overly expensive either. That was because there were not many cultivators who could use Sixth-Order materials in the first place as the requirements towards one’s foundation and Dao Seal were extremely high.
17 million Open Heaven Pills was a fair price. The shopkeeper would also save on the risk of travelling long distances and the fees from the auction house; hence, he was quite happy.
For an ordinary cultivator, even one Sixth-Order material was extremely precious. However, for Yang Kai and Void Land, one Sixth-Order material was not enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. That was because all eight Great Emperors needed Sixth-Order materials!
After cleaning out the entire Star City, Yang Kai and Yue He did not rush to leave. It would take Guo Zi Yan a few more days to return, so they decided to stay at an inn and search for the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills whilst enjoying the different scenery and culture.
Around three days later, Yang Kai and Yue He had just ordered several dishes and a bottle of wine at the dining hall of the inn and sat down to share a meal together.
Although Yue He was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and her cultivation was extremely profound, she could not win against the strength of the alcohol. Her small face flushed red after only two or three glasses. Her skin had always been fair, but it was now tinged with a rosy hue. It looked like one could squeeze out water with a casual pinch. Thus, many cultivators in the hall secretly admired her from afar while drooling slightly. That annoyed her greatly and she secretly gnashed her teeth in anger, but her actions only served to make her look even more charming.
After several bottles of wine, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed and he cocked his ears to listen attentively.
One of the cultivators sitting at a table nearby was gossiping, “Yun Xing Hua has been in retreat for more than 10 years, but he finally exited half a year ago. It seems he successfully advanced into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. How enviable!”
Another scrawny cultivator commented, “He has been accumulating for close to 50 years in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm. What’s so strange about him advancing into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm?” He suddenly lowered his voice and continued, “Besides, I heard that Yun Xing Hua’s original aptitude was extraordinary. He was expected to advance directly into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm but was forced to advance to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm after Shocking Swan Pavilion interfered.”
The person who spoke first just now nodded at those words, “I heard about that too. Looking at the current situation, it would seem that those rumours were not groundless.”
The second man snorted coldly, “Shocking Swan Pavilion controls this Great Territory and while the Old Pavilion Master might be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he is quite old and has grown weaker. I’m afraid he won’t live for much longer. However, Shocking Swan Pavilion doesn’t even have a single Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master under him. If Yun Xing Hua really did advance directly into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, who in the Shocking Swan Pavilion could stop him once the Old Pavilion Master passed on? Once Yun Xing Hua became stronger, Shocking Swan Pavilion would end up being devoured by Blood Swan Continent. If that happened, Shocking Swan Territory would need to change its name to Blood Swan Territory instead!”
“Your words make sense, Brother Sun. As the Leader of the Blood Swan Continent, Yun Xing Hua is a rare talent indeed. It’s unfortunate that he was born at the wrong time in the wrong place. How sad!”
“But, now that Yun Xing Hua has advanced to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, I wonder what attitude Shocking Swan Pavilion will have towards him. Will they try to win him over? Or, suppress him?”
“What do other people’s affairs have to do with us? Come, let’s drink!”
“Hahaha! That’s true. Brother Liu, I heard you received a new batch of beautiful women recently. Is that true?”
“I can’t hide anything from you, Brother Sun. If you’d like, you can come with me later. You can take any that you fancy.”
“I’ll have to thank you in advance then, Brother Liu.”
The conversation between those two ended there as they drank and laughed with each other.