When Yang Kai shifted his gaze from the sky to the environment around him, he saw that he was surrounded by numerous stone pillars of various heights] and dimensions. Some were 4 meters high while others could even be a simple sand pile.
When Yang Kai felt the environment around him, he could easily tell that the world energy here was much denser than the outside world. If he were to sit in meditation and cultivate, he could estimate that his efficiency would increase 3-4 times that of when he cultivated outside. Sadly, he had no time to cultivate. He and his competitors were all here for the inheritance. Taking time to purely cultivate was akin to giving up the search for the inheritance.
When he looked around for people around him, he discovered that he was separated from Su Mu even though they both entered at the same time.
Suddenly, Yang Kai could see a shadow on the floor. The shadow grew bigger as a figure quickly dropped down from the portal. This person was surprisingly Lan Chudie!
The girl quickly got up and stood firm. She looked around her and quickly noticed Yang Kai.
To think of all the disciples he could get the chance to pair up with, it had to be her! Yang Kai quickly exclaimed, “It’s you!”
Lan Chudie seemed happy to meet the boy and walked towards him. “Well, aren’t you skillful?!”
“Did you just reach here?” Lan Chudie asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Yang Kai nodded in response.
“There are many people that entered this cave together. Since we do not know where each person will be placed, should we wait for a moment, to see if anyone managed to also get placed here?” Lan Chudie proposed.
“Sure, why not.” Yang Kai did not have any objections. After all, this place was unpredictable and dangerous. It would be wise to move together in a group. In case they met with any difficulty, the group could work together to fight it off. Of course, that would mean the treasure would be split. However, considering the risk of losing one’s life, being in a group was a much safer method to get treasures. Naturally, once he got to know the place a little better, he could assess the situation and see if it was safe for him to leave the group to self-explore.
Thus, the pair stood there waiting.
After a while, three more people fell nearby.
Out of these three people, one was a High Heaven Pavilion Disciple, and the remaining two were from the Bloody Battle Gang and Storm House; respectively.
As the five people gathered, in this special place, they did not care much about their background. Surprisingly, they were all harmonious.
After waiting again, no one appeared. Thus, Lan Chudie spoke. “Since no one else is appearing, shall we head off?”
With her beauty and self-confidence, her manner and speech, she immediately became the center of attention within the group.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Before we start, we should be familiar with each other first. It’s good to know each person’s cultivation level, so as to know who can deal with the more dangerous tasks. I shall start first. My name is Lan Chudie and I am from High Heaven Pavilion. Qi Transformation Stage, level 7. How about you?” the girl asked and looked to another High Heaven Pavilion disciple.
The disciple quickly flatters the girl. “Senior Apprentice Sister, I have heard of your famous name! To think I would be in such luck to meet someone as beautiful as you today.”
The disciple’s flattery was beyond obvious, causing Yang Kai and the other two to despise this boy.
Lan Chudie was an exceptionally attractive person. Her whole figure was not only enchanting; her pair of magnificent mountains was enough to make anyone’s eyes glued. If a man could have her, to only be able to hold those pair of magnificent mountains, he living in heaven!
Lan Chudie gave a smile, “and you are?” she asked, showing little care for the boy’s words.
The boy proudly puffed out his chest and received his abdomen, lowered his voice and said. “I am Fellow Apprentice Nie Yong. I am a Lower Base Disciple at Qi Transformation Stage Level 4!” The boy smiled mischievously, “Senior Sister, you can feel relieved. If there is any danger, I will be there to help you!”
Lan Chudie’s eyes scanned the boy as she showed a faint and sweet smile. “Junior Apprentice Brother, I will keep your words in mind.”
She then turned her vision to another person. This man was tall and bulky. He had a broad and sturdy build, taller than Yang Kai by an entire head. Although he looked rough, he also seemed to be simple and honorable. “I am called Zuo An. A Bloody Battle Gang Disciple at Qi Transformation Stage level 5.” After he spoke, he stood there silent. It seems that this Disciple does not enjoy talking very much.
Afterwards, Lan Chudie bowed and her vision turned to another person. This time, the disciple was a female. Her stature was quite slender. She was not tall but looked delicate. Moreover, ever since she first arrived, she had a shivering smile on her face. It was obvious that this girl was extremely shy as she avoided eye contact.
“I’m called Du Yishuang. I am from Storm House. Please call me Little Sister Du. I am a Qi Transformation Stage level 6. Nice to meet you.” Du Yishuang lowered her head respectfully.
Everyone’s eyes were immediately glued to this girl. No one had ever imagined that this girl, who looked to be 14 to 15 years old, to be at Qi Transformation Stage level 6! This delicate girl was the second strongest person within the group!
Lan Chudie smiled. “Well, this is certainly interesting.” She looked up the portal and asked. “Maybe the portal sorted us according to strength?”
The group of people looked at each other and seemed to agree with Lan Chudie’s inference. So far, all of them were in Qi Transformation Stage and were all in ascending order, from level 4 to 7.
“Oh that right! What are you? What Qi Transformation Stage level are you currently in?” Lan Chudie looked towards Yang Kai and asked.
Due to the pattern, Lan Chudie naturally thought of Yang Kai as a person in the Qi Transformation Stage. Although he was not at that stage, if he were to use his full strength, it would certainly be comparable to someone in those stages.
Yang Kai embarrassingly starched his cheek and said. “I’m only in the Initial Elementary Stage, level 7. I’m from the High Heaven Pavilion, called Yang Kai…”
Zuo An’s gaze immediately turned to that of despising as he mutters out “Unlucky!”
“You are the infamous Yang Kai?” Lan Chudie’s facial expression turned to that of surprise as she continued to inspect him. With Yang Kai’s reputation, Nie Yong was also doing the same and Lan Chudie.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded. He knew that his name was infamous throughout the whole entire school. This reaction was almost bound to happen after people knew of his current cultivation level now.
Quickly, Yang Kai realized that Nie Yong’s gaze turned hostile as Lan Chudie was one that was still full of interest.
It was not surprising that Nie Yong would be hostile to Yang Kai. After all, Nie Yong was a Lower Based Disciple and should be friends if not in a click with Wei Zhuang and Xie Hongchen. The previous time, he had humiliated both Wei Zhuang and Xie Hongchen. It was no surprise that a grudge would be borne by Nie Yong as well.
However, since this was the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, Yang Kai knew that Nie Yong would not do anything rash. Thus, it was safe to assume that he would not dare attack Yang Kai.
Lan Chudie withdrew her gaze and looked towards all 4 people. “Alright. Since everyone knows each other, and none of us knows the location of any treasure, if we were to discover any, we will collect and respectively assign each one their piece fairly. If there are insufficient treasures collected to be equally distributed, we will settle this with money. How does that sound?”
Nie Yong hastily nodded. “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan is right. I hope that you will maintain fairness for all of us.”
The rest did not object to Lan Chudie’s proposal and just like that, Lan Chudie had already established her position as leader of this group.
When Yang Kai traded with her, he noticed that she was not a person that was willing to be taken advantage of. Likewise, Lan Chudie was certainly a person of ambition, and will never agree to be oppressed by another person.
“Since this matter has already been decided, let’s go. I will lead the way first. After 2 hours, the person leading the way will be changed.” Lan Chudie stopped talking and quickly walked. Those that were behind quickly caught up as they obediently followed her. Nie Yong, quickly ran to Lan Chudie’s side and walked shoulder to shoulder with her. The boy continued to flatter the beauty. However, none of his words were taken seriously by Lan Chudie.
Lan Chudie’s face would often appear to be smiling, as she continued to chat with the boy, further encouraging him to compliment her.
Zuo An, the robust man, who was directly behind the two was listening to their conversation and showed little care for what they said.
Yang Kai, who was behind them heard Little Sister Du quickly walk up to him. This shy girl quickly walked to his side and whispered to him in a soft voice. “Don’t worry. You can certainly reach Qi Transformation Stage in the future.”
Yang Kai turned to look at the girl and smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t really care all that much.”
“…” Du Yishuang’s whole face turned red after Yang Kai turned his head. She thought that the boy did not dare speak due to Zuo An’s remarks earlier and merely wanted to comfort him.
“Ha Ha” Watching her reaction was quite cute as Yang Kai chuckled. “Little Sister Du, you seem to be younger than me but how is it that your cultivation level is so high?”
Since this girl took the effort to comfort him, she had left Yang Kai with a good impression of her. The boy wished to further get to know this girl. After all, it was better to have friends than enemies.
“I am 19 years old. How am I younger than you?” Du Yishuang explained in a soft voice.
“Oh…” Yang Kai exclaimed in awkwardness.
As they walked, the two pair of people continued to talk. All except Zuo An, who was a loner.
Suddenly, after walking, Yang Kai could feel the Yang Origin Seal in his chest act up. It was pointing him in front.
Yang Kai could feel it. About 300 meters in front, there is definitely some kind of Yang Attribute material. As the five advanced, they finally saw the thing Yang Kai felt.
Lan Chudie suddenly shouted in surprise and Nie Yong hastily looked in front. “Yang Stones and Yin Stones?”
What they saw was a huge pile of crushed stones. Moreover, these stones were not ordinary Yin Stones and Yang Stones. These stones were the equivalent quality of those found in the Black Wind Trade City, sold by Bloody Battle Gang! At least medium or even high quality stones!
Each stone was worth $520 and this pile here definitely contains more than 1000 stones. In other words, if they were to collect and sell all of the stones, it would be worth at least $502,000!
Since all five disciples were ordinary members within their respective schools, they were not that wealthy. Never had they seen so much wealth before!
At that very instant, everyone’s breath was heavy. However, Lan Chudie still remained alert and quickly everyone. “Wait! Check if there are any dangers around first!” It was strange for such wealth to be displayed without traps.
The five people quickly spread out and scouted the area. Fortunately, they did not discover any traps.
Even after scouting around, Lan Chudie did not feel relieved. She picked up a stone and inspected it. When there was absolutely no reaction that occurred, she took a breath of relief and nodded. “Alright, it’s safe.”
The five members looked at each other first before they all hastily collected the stones. The other member would quickly bag all the stone but Yang Kai was more selective. Since he only needed one type of stone, he only collected Yang Stones.
After picking for a while, Lan Chudie’s smile suddenly stiffens up. She took another look at the stone in her hand and let out a sigh. Letting it drop to the ground.
Her actions immediately brought doubt to Nie Yong. “Lan Female Apprentice. What’s wrong?”
“Stop collecting the stones.” Lan Chudie said. “ If we were to bring such a heavy bag of good with up as we explore, it would only consume our strength. Likewise, if we encounter any danger later it will only slow us down when we try to escape. If such a scenario occurred, we would probably lose it in the end.”
After hearing listening to reason, everyone responded with disappointment. They had forgotten their safety due to their own greed.
Lan Chudie continued. “Furthermore, we have just entered this place. There are bound to be more treasures here. Think about it. There are no traps here. Certainly, if this was that valuable, there would be traps set up here right? So, it is only reasonable that to think that these stone are not worth much as compared to the other treasures this place has to offer. The real treasures are waiting for us to be found!”
Nie Yong nodded in approval. “Yes. It is as Lan Female apprentice said.”
Zuo An also nodded in agreement.
Du Yishuang gave a reluctant look to the stones in her hands and tossed it back to the ground.
Only Yang Kai continued collecting nonchalantly. He continued as though Lan Chudie had not said anything. His actions made Lan Chudie’s brow wrinkled.
Yang Kai explained while he was sorting the stones he collected. “If we truly encounter danger, it will not be too late to abandon the stones.”
Lan Chudie did not further make any remarks. “Do as you please.” She turned around and began to walk. “However, we will not wait for you to sort the stone. Just make sure you don’t take too much.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. “Sure, you guys should go on first.”
Thus, Lan Chudie no longer wasted a single second as carried on. Meanwhile, Zuo An looked at Yang Kai with a demeaning gaze. On the other hand, Nie Yong was more vocal of his opinion. “Apparently, you do not realize the dangers this world contains! You will lose these stones sooner or later. Why even bother collecting them!”
Du Yishuang, was unlike the others. She held a good opinion of Yang Kai and supported him. “It’s okay. I’ll stay here with you.”
Yang Kai quickly replied, “No. It’s alright. It’s best you join the group. Don’t worry I will catch up later,” as he continued to sort the stones nonchalantly.
Since Yang Kai had insisted, Du Yishuang no longer pursues the matter. She gave a nod of acceptance and ran to join the group.
After the four of them left, Yang Kai quickly started to cultivate True Yang Secret Arts. The Yang Stones that were close to him began to lose their color as the boy continued to absorb the Yang energy from the stones. Later, Yang Kai managed to absorb enough Yang Energy to form 20 drops of Yang Drops within his Dantian.
This is enough, Yang Kai decided. Although there were many Yang Stones here, Yang Kai is not able to absorb all of them in such a short period of time. It was as Lan Chudie had said, this pile of stones were probably one of the most useless treasures in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. Hence, Yang Kai decided not to waste too much time here, so as to have time to pursue the other treasures.
After 30 minutes, Yang Kai had managed to catch up with the group. The moment he joined, he could tell that the other 3 members, except for Du Yishuang, were looking at him with displeased eyes.
In terms of strength of cultivation, Yang Kai was the lowest in the group. He was an obvious burden and it was not surprising that the others would think of him as worthless. If they were not from the same school, it is estimated that Lan Chudie and Nie Yong would not allow Yang Kai to join them.
“This place is unexpectedly huge. It’s best to rest up before we proceed anymore.” Lan Chudie’s delicate eyebrows wrinkled. “Let’s look around for a place to rest first, before deciding anything else.”
Everyone in the group nodded.
After resting,
“It has already been 2 hours. Now, who should be chosen to lead the way?” Lan Chudie asked as her gaze swept the four members.
Since the dangers here is unknown, the person leading the way would definitely be the most likely person to stumble onto a trap. Therefore, it was best to alternate between members, so as to reduce her own chance of getting caught in a trap.
“Since the first one to lead is from High Heaven Pavilion, the next person should be from either Bloody Battle Gang or Storm House.” Nie Yong proposed, while looked as both Zuo An and Du Yishuang.
Zuo An’s brow wrinkled but did not speak. Du Yishuang said in soft voice “Ok, I’ll lead.”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. Within this group, although it was a small team of five, everyone had their own plans. This was except for Du Yishuang, who was kind at heart and did not scheme. In short, this group not united at all. If they were to encounter great danger, it could be expected that the group would disband to escape.
After for walking for an hour, the group found themselves in an open area, surrounded by numerous stone pillars. Finally, they were outside of the region they were in and were excited.
Under the leadership of Du Yishuang, the group managed to rapidly get deeper into the area.
After a while, the group entered another area. Instead of stone pillars, there were stone figures of life-like humans. There were more than a hundred different stone figures carved with different people with different height, wearing and weapons.
Seeing these conspicuous statues, the group became more cautious. Instead of simply exploring the area, Lan Chudie and Nie Yong probed the area first. When the two discovered that this area was safe, Du Yishuang then leads the group deeper in.
Although Yang Kai knew that it was safe, he had a bad feeling about this place. His heart palpitated even faster as the group went deeper into the area.
While walking, the group members would look around. Naturally, most of their gaze would land on the statues around them, not being able to help but to highly appraise these statues to be life-like.
As Yang Kai looked around, he noticed that one of the statues had a faint dark red colour on it. When he moved closer, he could smell a tinge of blood scent from the statue. Immediately, Yang Kai’s instincts kicked in as he retreated hastily shouting. “Watch out!”
Suddenly, the surrounding statues all simultaneously moved!
Hastily, the four group members tried to retreat. Unfortunately, Du Yishuang, who was at the front, did not react with enough time as her window of opportunity to retreat closed.
The two statues beside Du Yishuang raised their fist and quickly pounded her. Their strength was enough to crumble rocks. With a fist size of a cooking pot, even with Du Yishuang’s cultivation level, she would still be seriously injured.
When Du Yishuang realized the impending danger, she quickly released her Yuan Qi. Immediately, the peaceful and good-natured girl had a change in an aura.
Being able to release Yuan Qi was one of the symbols of being in the Qi Transforming Stage. In this boundary, the Yuan Qi in the body will be calm and steady. However, once a person releases their Yuan Qi, their whole body releases a powerful and oppressing aura. If one’s control is not good, they might end up letting the power control them instead. Becoming like a wild beast that acts based on instinct and emotions.
However, Du Yishuang showed amazing proficiency in controlling her strength as not once did her face showed fear, panic or anger. Instead, she remained calm and composed.
She turns around, placing her palm to redirect the attack of one of the stone figures. Meanwhile, she also moved her body backward, to avoid the other stone figure’s attack. However, she underestimated the speed of the second stone statue’s attack as its palm was about to land on her slender shoulder.
Du Yishuang panicked. She quickly took some of the Yang Stones in her bag and threw it towards the fist. The Yang Stone flew like meteors as it collides with the statues fist but under the fist’s tremendous strength, hardly managed to slow it down. Fortunately, the small force managed to redirect the fist, such that it only managed to scratch Du Yishuang’s clothing.
Suddenly, Du Yishuang heard a voice behind her. “Move!” her body became light as someone pulled on the collar of her clothing. In front of her, a palm stretched out and hit the first stone statue’s fist.
Once the first stone statue’s fist was going to land a clear distance away, Yang Kai quickly jumped as he pulled Du Yishuang back. Hastily, the two took the opportunity to retreat.
*Bang*, the sound of the first stone Statue’s fist finally landed on the ground. The five retreating figures all had cold sweat run down their spine. Suddenly, they hear the sound of galloping as the earth slightly trembled. When they looked back, they found that the hundreds of stone statues were managing to chase up to them. No one would expect that these stone statues were capable of moving at such high speeds!
“Don’t look back, Run around the stone pillars to lose them!” Lan Chudie shouted.
Everyone’s thoughts seemed to alight as they started to shuttle between the stone pillars.
After a while, they managed to escape from the stone statues.
It was only those two stone statues that attacked Du Yishuang, who was close enough to constantly keep up with Yang Kai and Du Yishuang.
“Yang Kai you bitch! Don’t bring them to me!” Nie Yong runs away while he roared at Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Yang Kai completely ignored Nie Yong as his complexion sank.
Lan Chudie, who was hiding behind a stone pillar, peeked out to look at Yang Kai and Du Yishuang. There were no stone statues chasing after her but, she hesitated to get involved with Yang Kai and Du Yishuang.
However, after a few seconds, she made the resolve and shouted. “Stop running! If it’s only against these two stone statues, we can win!”
Once they heard her, the group member’s heart trembled.
“Earlier, Yang Kai and Du Yishuang managed to ward off their attack. This shows their low prowess in martial combat!” Land Chudie’s expression becomes confident. “Zuo An, you divert one of them while the four of us will attack the other stone statue.”
Zuo An’s brow wrinkled but did not rebuke. He turned around and smashed his fist against the gigantic fist of the stone statue.
The stone statue, unexpectedly has its fist chipped from Zuo An’s attack and staggered!
It was truly weak in martial arts. Zuo An calmed down as he realized that it was possible to defeat these stone statues.
Yang Kai and Du Yishuang both ran 300 meters away before turning around. They had to make sure that there was sufficient space between the two stone statues.
When Du Yishuang attacked with her martial skill, her whole palm produced a golden light. When her palm crashed onto the stone statue, it immediately staggered as some crack linings could be seen at the place of impact.
Apparently, these stone statues did not experience pain. Even after it was hit, the stone statue continued to counter-attack.
Du Yishuang quickly retreated from the counter-attack as Lan Chudie and Nie Yong joined to encircle the stone statue. Nie Yong, as though holding a grudge, stared bitterly at Yang Kai, blaming him for the stone statue chasing him earlier.
It was only thanks to Lan Chudie’s powerful observation skills that the group managed to uncover the stone statue’s weakness. Else, Nie Yong could expect himself to be forced to run for a longer period of time.
Although these stone statues’ attacks were powerful, it meant nothing if they didn’t connect with the target. Likewise, the stone statues’ response timing was slow. Thus, they were not significant threats to anyone who was proficient in battle, so they could easily avoid the attacks.
Over time, the stone statue that was besieged by the four showed obvious signs of falling apart as the cracks on its body became more pronounced after each strike. With victory in sight, the four’s attacks became more ferocious.
In the end, the stone statue was completely turned to rubble. Although the four managed to beat the thing uninjured, they exhausted a lot of their Yuan Qi.
Lan Chudie went closer to the rubble. Her eyebrows wrinkled as she muttered, “strange…”
By logic, these stone statues should be moving based on a kind of power source. However, upon closer inspection, she did not manage to find anything of that sort.
Without any more delay, Lan Chudie shouted. “Let’s go and help Zuo An!” before walking off.
With much haste, the group once again circled the other stone statue. The group maintained silence as everyone all concentrated on dodging and attacking the stone statue. After 10 minutes, they managed to turn the second statue to rubble.
After the battle, all five were breathing heavily. Although this fight was not extremely dangerous, it consumed way too much Yuan Qi.
With time to breathe, Nie Yong turned to Yan Kai and shouted. “Yang Kai you bastard! Do not think that I will not harm you because we are from the same school!”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes. “What?”
“Why did you lead those two stone statues to me earlier on!?”
“Did I?” Yang Kai’s eyes looked somewhere else while maintaining his calm composure. He only cared about running away just now. Why would he care about others?
Lan Chudie puffed out her gigantic chest and shouted “Stop quarreling!” as she searched the rubble.
Nie Yong coldly looked at Yang Kai and said, “If this happens again, do not blame me for being impolite!”
“Oh?” Lan Chudie exclaimed after she found something from the rubble. There was a fist-sized, small stone baby hidden within the rubble. Her surprise brought the attention of the other group members as they gathered to take a look at the small stone baby in her hands. The small stone baby seemed to be made out of jade while, cleanly curved out, translucent and glittering. Amazingly beautiful.
Inside of the stone baby was red vein linings. If one were to count the veins, there would be 30 strands of veins.
“This is…?” Zuo An stared with a curious expression. Meanwhile, Du Yishuang and Yang Kai were walking toward Lan Chudie to see what was going on.
“What is this stone baby made out of?” Nie Yong asked, as though there were mineral experts around him.
“I’m not sure…” Lan Chudie shook her head. She was unable to tell what this stone baby was made up of while not being able to feel any energies from the stone baby. However, those veins within the baby were extremely peculiar.
“What do you think?” Lan Chudie looked up as she asked the others.
“Is it possible that we are able to control those statues if we can control this baby?” Zuo An thought of the possibility.
Lan Chudie shook her head. “That’s very unlikely. Not everyone of these stone statues contained this stone baby. Also, how would we be able to control these stone babies?”
Yang Kai suddenly opened his mouth. “Do the red linings remind you of anything?”
“Like what? Do not interrupt unnecessarily when you’re only a trivial Initial Element Stage!” Nie Yong refuted as he stared at Yang Kai with despicable eyes.
Yang Kai no longer spoke as the corners of his mouth turned into a sneer. Although he has a good temper, it is not a great idea to continuously provoke him.
Lan Chudie realized Yang Kai’s implied words and hastily asked. “We are both from the same school. Can we not quarrel? Yang Kai, what do you think this looks like?’
Yang Kai’s eyes glimmered as he spoke. “Don’t you think these red lines look a lot like the Meridians in our bodies?”
Nie Yong taunted, “Like we don’t know that!”
Lan Chudie ignored Nie Yong and asked. “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai confidently replied. “These red linings should teach us some kind of Martial Skill Cultivation Technique!”
“What a joke!” Nie Yong snorted. Du Yishuang went beside the boy and screamed at him with a cold and gloomy voice. “Shut Up!”
Nie Yong immediately looked at Du Yushuang, startled as he no longer dared to speak. Although he did not fear Yang Kai, Du Yishuang was two small layers above him. If they were to fight, it would most likely end with his defeat.
Zuo An also looked at Nie Yong with a despising glare, “You’re bothersome.” This was his own opinion and not because he supported Yang Kai.
Nie Yong’s complexion becomes red as he was unexpectedly humiliated by these two people. Due to his weak strength, he dares not rebuke. Instead, he sulkily stared at Yang Kai with even more hatred.
Lan Chudie seemed inspired as she spoke, “Let’s test if Yang Kai’s theory is true.”
Immediately, the group members understood what she meant and nodded.
Lan Chudie smiled, “Then. Please, protect me while I test this out.” She closes her eyes and revolved the Yuan Qi within her body, imitating the path on the stone baby.
A while later, Lan Chudie opened her eyes with a surprised look, quickly turning her gaze to Yang Kai. “It is as you said. These stone babies are actually containers of a Martial Skill.”
The others immediately had a change in expression.
“Although I did not fully study its contents, I know that is it at least an Earth middle-grade Martial Skill! However, I don’t know what type of martial skill it is…”
Since the Stone baby had 30 line veins, it meant that the cultivator must make use of all 30 veins of the meridians within their bodies in order to activate it. It was as Lan Chudie had said, Earth middle-grade Martial Skills would need 30 or more veins of meridians to activate.
Hearing her words, not only were the three people feeling breathless, Yang Kai also felt a sense of great excitement.
After that night at Nine Yin Mountain Valley, Yang Kai realized why he was unable to beat others easily. That was due to the fact that he lacked a Martial Skill to use. Without an attack Martial Skill, Yang Kai was only able to fight with the Yang Drops. This made his battles inefficient. If he had a Martial Skill when he fought at the Nine Yin Mountains, it would not be so taxing on him.
It was unfortunate that Martial Skills required a lot of contribution points to receive from the school.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai could receive a Martial Skill here! Moreover, there were more and a hundred stone statues! That meant, he could at least receive one Martial Skill!
It was not only Yang Kai but the others as well. Everyone knew the great value of a Martial Skill!
Lan Chudie secretly rejoiced in her heart. If she had not decided to destroy both the stone statues, they would never have discovered this treasure trove!
“What do you think?” Lan Chudie looks at everyone while the corners of her mouth wipe into a radiant smile.
“Yeah…” Zuo An said in a hoarse voice.
“Since these stone babies contain Martial Skills, naturally, we can’t let this opportunity slide!” Nie Yong was dancing with joy within his heart. “This place is truly a treasure trove. Only after entering for such a short time, we already discovered such a treasure!”
Yang Kai and Du Yishuang nodded.
“Good! Since everyone agrees, then we will be staying here for a while.” Lan Chudie smiled, “I’ll take this stone baby first. After we collected all the Martial Skills, we can redistribute later. Don’t worry, I won’t secretly pry for the Martial Skill inside of it.”
“Don’t worry Senior apprentice sister Lan, I believe you”. Nie Yong said, showing his loyalty to Lan Chudie. He turned his head to the others, “Senior apprentice sister Lan is very well known for her trustworthiness in High Heaven Pavilion. She will surely not betray you.”
After Nie Yong spoke, Zuo An and Du Yishuang did not object. After all, they had no other methods of processing the Martial Skills.
After the discussion of treasure, distribution was settled, they discussed the methods to subdue and destroy those stone statues. Naturally, everyone knew that these stones statues were fast and strong. They would have to be in a team to strike one of them down. Thus, they decided to run around the stone pillars to draw one away from the crowd and gang up to destroy it.
When fighting a stone statue, one person would draw out the attack with the others would take that opportunity to attack. This was the quickest and more efficient way to destroy the stone statue.
However, there was an issue none of them brought up till the last minute. Who was the one that was going to be the bait to lure these things away from their group? This was by far the most dangerous role as that person would have more than a hundred stone statues chasing after him. If that person was not careful, he would easily lose his life.
Everyone knew that this was a risky job as they mutually looked at each other. Finally, Nie Yong looked at Yang Kai with despising eyes. “Since you are not strong when it comes to attacking, shouldn’t you be the one that lured these statues? If you select the route carefully, you wouldn’t be taking any real risk. Also, a moment ago, I saw that you were actually quite fast. So shouldn’t you be the one that lured that?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Ok”
Filled with worry, Du Yishuang pulled Yang Kai’s cloth, closer to her. “Yang Kai!” She remembered moments ago, where she was in utter fear from the two stone statue’s pursuit. After surviving the ordeal, she did not wish for Yang Kai to experience the same thing again.
“It’s alright” Yang Kai smiled, trying to console her.
Lan Chudie looked at Yang Kai, surprised. “How can you be so confident? If we cannot determine how safe it will be, why don’t we take turns to draw them out?”
“It’s fine. I have 80% assurance that I will survive. Yang Kai answered.
Although it looked to be risky, the speed Yang Kai had shown was not his full speed. That night at Nine Yin Mountain Valley, Yang Kai manage to find out that True Yang Yuan Qi, although is not a genuine Martial Skill, it is capable of promoting his speed.
Compared to fighting the stone statues, he would rather act as a lure for those Stone Statues. It was hard for Yang Kai to do any real damage unless he used his Yang drops. However, such ability was best kept a secret as a trump card.
“Since you continue to insist, then we will try once more. If something goes horribly wrong, we are going to switch around.” Lan Chudie said in a persistent tone.
The discussion continued as the group continued along the path, back to the area with all the stone statues.
Upon reaching close to the area, Lan Chudie scouted around for a spot that was best used for ambush.
“Yang Kai, Thank you!” Du Yishuang expressed her gratitude to Yang Kai for coming to her rescue earlier.
Yang Kai chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”
Du Yishuang shook her head. “No, I have to thank you.”
The group slowly arrived at the same place they were earlier. As they walked, they noticed that the stone statues were all back at their original positions.
When Yang Kai looked around the same bloodstained place he was at previously, he found two corpses lying on the ground. Although he did not know which school these disciples were from, it was a pity for them to die here.
“Are you prepared?” Lan Chudie asked anxiously.
Yang Kai nodded. “En.”
“Once you are pursued by them, run over here. Nie Yong and I will lure two stone statues away from the group. Meanwhile, Little Sister Du and Zuo An will look for any opportunity to attack one of them and split the two up again. If one is defeated, go and help attack the other stone statue. Be aware that our utmost priority is safety. Yang Kai, do not go back to bait more here before we finish this one off. Only once we are ready to battle again, then you can go back to lure another one here. “
With Lan Chudie’s clear explanation, they all understood and nodded.
“Ok, Yang Kai you can go now. Do be careful.” Lan Chudie looked at Yang Kai, doing an encouraging pose.
Yang Kai placed his Yang Stone back on the floor and walked towards the crowd of stone statues.
The group gazed at him intensely, under the enticement of Martial Skills, even Nie Yong was worried that Yang Kai would fail and die; leading to him being the next bait for the team to use. After all, it was by his logic that Yang Kai was proposed to do this in the first place.
“Don’t be useless!” Nie Yong said in a soft voice.
Yang Kai walked close to the stone statues but maintained a safe distance from them. He would avoid their attack range if possible, so as to make sure that he would not get hit by a surprise attack.
He proceeds cautiously towards the stone statue, placing his hand out, trying to trigger them. However, Yang Kai soon discovered that once he stepped a within reach, the stone statues would begin moving. The initial movements were slow but quickly accelerated.
Without wasting another second, Yang Kai turned around and ran back to the position that the group agreed upon.
Pursing behind Yang Kai was more than a hundred stone statues.
When the stone statues dashed close to the spot, the four people that lie in ambush quickly lured two stone statues out of the crowd. Lan Chudie and Nie Yong in one group, while Zuo An and Du Yishuang in another. They moved the two stone statues away from each other and began attacking.
So far so good. With two people in one group, they will be able to sooner or later defeat the stone statue.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had the most relaxed role. He only needed to run and hide around the stone pillars and very easily make the stone statues lose sight of him. Although there were many stone statues initially, after a few times of repeating this strategy, the group chasing him got smaller and smaller.
After 15 minutes, there were only 3 stone statues chasing after him.
Yang Kai looked around and decided not to make them lose sight of him. Instead of following the plan and losing them entirely, he led the three back to the ambush spot. After all, after such a long time, the fight there should have ended and they should have gotten enough rest.
As Yang Kai expected, as he was running towards the ambush spot, he saw all four of them sitting in meditation, waiting for him to return.
While they were waiting, the earth suddenly tremored as the three statues ran towards them.
The four people quickly opened their eyes and Nie Yong shouted in rage. “That useless waste! To think he would direct the stone statues here! Should we retreat first?”
To him, he thought that Yang Kai did not manage to shake off these stone statues. Thus, without any other option, he directed them back here.
Lan Chudie hesitated for a moment but shook her head. “Yang Kai should not be such a person. What’s more, if you listen carefully, you can tell that there are at most 2 or 3 stone statues chasing after him.”
“There are three!” Zuo An explained. “My hearing is better than the average person!”
“He did this intentionally!” Lan Chudie smiled. “Everyone, prepare to attack!”
During their little chat, Yang Kai’s figure could. From a distance, he made certain hand signs, directing towards them.
Finally, the form of the three stone statues showed itself.
He directed them to follow the plan as before. However, this time, Yang Kai would divert one away while they focused on the other two. When the fight ends, Yang Kai would return with the remaining one for them to destroy.
“I see. That’s a good plan…” Lan Chudie smiled to Yang Kai. In her plan, they were to be in groups of two when confronting the stone statues. Since there were three, she had initially thought Yang Kai wanted them to fight all of the stone statues as the same time.
After the battle,
Yang Kai excitedly thought of how he would have a look at the spoils of the battle earlier. Unfortunately, the battle ended up with no treasures as the other four looked around but found nothing.
However, this time, they were lucky. Out of the three stone statues Yang Kai lured in, one of them contained a stone baby!
This stone baby had the same number of red veins inside as the previous one but they were all in different locations. This was a different type of Martial Skill.
Du Yishuang passed the stone baby to Lan Chudie.
Lan Chudie accepted it with a bow. “The first time, we got one out of two stone statues. Now, we got one out of 5 stone statues. It seems that it is entire up to luck that we will be able to receive this…”
Nie Yong grinned, “If there are about a hundred stone statues, if we managed to destroy all of them; that would mean that we can at least obtain 20 stone babies!”
If one were to split 20 stone babies in a group of 5; that would mean that each person would obtain 4 Martial Skill each!
The vision of everyone burnt with greed.
However, Lan Chudie controlled herself, as her composure still retained some semblance of elegance. “Let us restore first. When we are well rested, we can do this again!”
Everyone nodded as each member took out a Medicine Pill from their bags and sit in meditation. That is all except for Yang Kai, since he cannot afford a Medicine Pill. However, he does not need one since he had only been running around.
Nie Yong, wanted to flirt with Lan Chudie. When they were about to sit in meditation, he also wished to sit next to Lan Chudie. However, this time, Lan Chudie had a cold expression on her face as she cast the boy away.
Yang Kai sneered secretly. Lan Chudie was a female with ambition. For such a woman, who has self-confidence and a man like Nie Yong would never be able to tame her. At most, he would just serve as her pawn.
To obtain Lan Chudie’s heart, one must surpass her in strength, confidence, and influence. Only when she adores you, then you would be able to win her heart.
Although it is unpleasing to hear, Lan Chudie is a realist! Although she seems to be quite elegant and gentle, Yang Kai knows that this is just a front. She is arrogant and narcissistic. Knowing her own beauty, she will only bring herself close to men who have potential or strength. In other words, Nie Yong is nothing to her.
While the four were meditating, Yang Kai moved to the area, where he had discarded the Yang Stones. Due to the thing only adding to his weight, being a burden, he had no choice to place leave it on the ground. However, right now, since the group was all resting, Yang Kai could take this opportunity to absorb more Yang energy into his Dantian.
He carried the bag of Yang Stones to a secluded location and began absorbing. He needed to make sure that no one was aware of his abilities.
After half a day, everyone was fully rested and ready to go. Meanwhile, Yang Kai had managed to absorb half of the Yang Stones that he had carried with him. So he walked back to the group prepared for their second assault!
The four people were done resting for a while now. They were all waiting for Yang Kai to get back. Meanwhile, Nie Yong was whispering to himself, cursing Yang Kai.
After Yang Kai arrived, Lan Chudie took a deep breath. Her gigantic chest expanded, till the clothes around them stretched to its extreme limits. She looked at all the member and asked: “Is everyone done?”
“Yeah!” Nie Yong said excitedly.
“Then we will do it again.” Lan Chudie turned her vision to Yang Kai. “Do you want to change roles?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need. After the first attempt, I have already experienced the dangers and I’m confident in surviving now.”
He was not willing to battle with those stone statues. After all, hitting them with his fist would also injure him.
“Alright then. Looks like we will be depending on you again.” Lan Chudie smiled while she schemes.
Whenever she smiled, Yang Kai had a vague feeling that it was a gift for someone venturing into danger.
If she was smiling to Nie Yong, it was for encouragement. However, this was not the case for Yang Kai.
Without delving too much into it, Yang Kai ran back to the area to lure the stone statues.
This time, although Yang Kai did his task perfectly, the group messed up. When it was time to lure two away, they were blocked by another stone statue. Dealing with three stone statues confused their positions and nearly cause some casualties.
After those three were dealt with, Yang Kai came back with two more and they were also quickly destroyed.
Even after the incident, the group’s moral was high. They had managed to receive two stone babies!
Now, the group has managed to collect four stone babies. With just one more, the group can finally distribute amongst themselves.
Yang Kai was filled with excitement. After all, the thing he most lacks in combat was finally going to land in his hands. Naturally, he wished for them to be already able to divide the Martial Skill Technique.
Over the next few days, the group repeated the same process. They would lure, then battle, and then rest for half a day before starting again.
Unfortunately, after destroying their 30th stone statue, they were unable to receive any stone babies. Each time they looked forward to searching the rubble remains, they were all excited, to only end up with a disappointed expression.
What’s worse, each time Yang Kai lured them, it became increasingly harder to isolate two from the group. Likewise, the stone statue’s strength also strangely increased.
There was one time where Lan Chudie and the rest tried to isolate two of the stone statues, to only be chase by numerous stone statues. They ended up being only capable of fleeing before regrouping again.
As they continued their attempts, the situation gets harder. The whole thing quickly becomes increasingly dangerous. However, the fifth stone baby did not appear. Finally, the group had a discussion.
“If we continue on like this, we would definitely have some kind of incident.” Nie Yong spoke with worry in his voice.
Zuo An spoke in a low voice. “Now, we only have four sets of Martial Skill but five people. If we don’t continue, how do we divide?”
Everyone was silent. Nobody would be willing to let go of a Martial Skill. After all, they had worked so hard for these past few days just thinking about obtaining one Martial Skill themselves.
Nie Yong thought of an idea and smiled at Yang Kai lightly, “ Lan Female Apprentice had said it before. We will allocate the treasures based on contributions. Since Yang fellow apprentice is the weakest out of us four, then, shouldn’t you resign your rights to the Martial Skill Techniques?”
Yang Kai sneers at Nie Yong.
Nie Yong continued, “Naturally, Yang Fellow apprentice also worked hard and we must compensate you with some money?”
Zuo An’s brow wrinkled but did not speak. After all, he also supports this proposition.
Naturally, Du Yishuang supported Yang Kai, “How is that fair! Like any of us have enough money to compensate for a Martial Skill Technique!”
Yang Kai continued to sneer. Although he was looking at Nie Yong, at the corner of his eyes, he was secretly looking at Lan Chudie, waiting for her response.
Lan Chudie’s decision will decide Yang Kai’s following actions from this point on.
As expected, Lan Chudie kept silent, causing Yang Kai to sneer even more.
After a moment of silence, Lan Chudie said, “We will try one more time to see if we can obtain another one of those stone babies. It is not good that one of us is left with nothing. But, I will guarantee that if we cannot obtain another stone baby, I will go back to school and do everything in my might to compensate!”
Her words seemed to be addressed toward the group but Yang Kai knew that it was meant for herself.
“This is our last chance. Yang Fellow Apprentice, note that our intentions are good.” Lan Chudie stood up as she looked towards Yang Kai. “Yang Fellow Apprentice, you must be exhausted.”
Yang Kai did not look back at her and nodded, setting out to walk towards the stone statues.
Realizing his desolateness, Lan Chudie’s pupils flashes through a light apology but quickly vanishes.
After repeatedly doing the same thing, Yang Kai was already familiar with the task and could carry it out with ease. However, this time, he had other plans.
As usual, he lured all the hundreds of stone statues back to the ambush point. Lan Chudie and the others would then take the opportunity to lure two out of the group but this time, it was different.
Lan Chudie’s complexion changed “Nie Yong, lure two of them out!”
“Why me?” Nie Yong shouted, startled.
Du Yishuang coldly ridiculed. “Did you not say that baiting them was an easy task? Since Yang Kai could lure a hundred, what are two stone statues?”
“Who said that it was easy?” Nie Yong cursed. However, he did not have the means to oppose the will of these two females. Without a choice, he went out to attack two stone statues and lured them out of the group. Once they were lured out, he ran back hastily.
Although they had planned on luring out only two, Nie Yong accidentally lured out three. This made matters difficult but after experiencing combat for a while, they would now be able to beat three stone statues.
While the four people were fighting, Yang Kai routed back, close to the combat zone. He climbed on top of a stone pillar to look behind him to find that there were still some stone statues chasing after him.
So far so good. Yang Kai exclaimed in his heart as half of his plan was already made successful.
Yang Kai had the idea of luring all the stone statues back to trap Lan Chudie and others while they were fighting. However, Yang Kai changed his plans as he did not wish to be too evil.
With three stone statues, it would take the group a longer time to defeat them. That was good enough already. All Yang Kai needed to do was to delay them. Else, the group may figure out his plans.
Either way, Yang Kai would not do this if he could trust the others. Since Lan Chudie is too realistic and cares for herself, more than the group’s well-being, Yang Kai could not place faith in her to make matters fair for himself.
If they did not obtain a stone baby, Yang Kai would definitely not get anything in return. She would definitely lead the group out of this area and give the excuse; we tried.
Hence, he only had himself to depend on.
For the past few days, Yang Kai had been wondering, why are these stone statues chasing after them? Perhaps, deeper within the area, they were protecting something!
This thing should be more valuable than any kind of Martial Skill that the stone statues contain.
This may only be a guess but it is worth it to try.
Yang Kai directed the horde chasing after him, further from the center. After having a distance away from the area, he revolves his True Yang Yuan Qi within his body and produced flames at the bottom of his foot. Hastily, he ran back to the area where the stone statues rest.
This time, his speed was incomparable to his normal running speed. Unfortunately, these methods of usage of True Yang Yuan Qi cannot be considered to be a Martial Skill. They can only be considered as a skill.
However, there was a downside to using True Yang Yuan Qi. It was too consuming. In just a short 7 minutes, Yang Kai’s meridians dried up.
Fortunately, using 1 Yang Drop manages to completely restore his meridians.
After consuming four Yang drops, Yang Kai finally returned to the stone statue’s area.
When he went deeper, the flat grassy floor turned into concrete. Without much time till the stone statues all return, Yang Kai did not take much time to check every area for safety.
Hastily, he ran deeper to check if his theory was right. Finally, he saw it. At the center of the area, there was a gigantic pit. Around this pit and inside were guarded by stone statues that seemed to be more aggressive than the ones he normally baits around.
That’s it!
Yang Kai knew that this place was extremely dangerous and became more cautious. He quietly and slowly walked closer to the pit. In his experience, once he approaches too close to these stone statues, they would start moving. However, he could not fight them right now. The group of weaker looking stone statues could come back and surround him while he fought.
As Yang Kai slowly walked closer to one of the stone statues as he moved towards the pit. However, he was shocked to find that they were not moving.
[??]Yang Kai continued to probe the stone statue, to make sure it was safe. However, no matter how close he got to it, the thing did not respond. Thus, Yang Kai grew more courageous and tried to weed out trouble. Without allowing these things to start moving, Yang Kai revolved his True Yang Yuan Qi and fiercely pounds onto the stone carvings; Aiming to destroy it in the shortest span of time.
Yang Kai punched landed, causing some stone chip to fly from uber stone statue (called it this just for reference). However, there was no response from the uber stone statue.
Yang Kai tried again and noticed that his True Yang Yuan Qi that he used to punch the uber stone statue was absorbed!
After a few more punches, Yang Kai could see a hint of red light coming out from the uber stone statue, as some of his stolen Yang Yuan Qi fluctuates inside it. Suddenly, the uber stone statue’s hand started to slowly move, causing Yang Kai to be startled.
It was absorbing his Yang Yuan Qi as a power source! Thankfully, it only had a little bit of Yuan Qi from Yang Kai, otherwise, Yang Kai expected it to be moving as quick or even quicker than the normal stone statues.
When Yang Kai finally uncovered this fact, instead of stopping his attacks, his attacks became more ferocious.
Let’s see if I will destroy you before you get the chance to move! Yang Kai’s eyes glimmered with stubbornness. Even with his fist covered with blood, Yang Kai was relentless.
As the Yuan Qi the uber stone statue absorbed becomes more and more, it’s movements also became faster. It managed to lift it’s hand up, stone eyes’ locked onto Yang Kai, preparing to strike down.
However, the uber stone statue’s chest was full of cracks; due to Yang Kai’s relentless attacks.
The uber stone statue’s hand slammed down as quickly as it could but Yang Kai managed to dodge the attack without a problem. Once the stone palm landed on the ground, a dust cloud formed as the strong wind currents produced by the collision made Yang Kai’s hair and clothing rustle.
*Rumble*
Quickly, Yang Kai’s two fists were coated in flames as the speed and power of his movements heightened.
*Bang*
Yang Kai’s fist collided into the uber stone statue’s chest, causing the deep cracks to finally break down into bits of rubble. The uber stone statue took a fatal strike as its body quickly developed cracks all over, turning rubble.
Inside the rubble, Yang Kai managed to find a stone baby.
He had wasted enough time here. Yang Kai could hear the stone statues that he lured away were about to come back.
Yang Kai complexion sank as he quickly placed the stone baby into his clothing, in the chest area, and ran away.
Yang Kai took a circular route to avoid all the stone statues and returned back to the group.
When he arrived, Du Yishuang was extremely happy to see Yang Kai. “Yang Kai! We manage to find one stone baby!”
“Hehe, it seems that my luck is quite good.” Yang Kai chuckled as he avoided looking at Lan Chudie. However, when the girl saw Yang Kai’s fist full of blood, she quickly grabbed his hands and asked with knitted brows. “How did you get this injury?”
Her appearance looked kind and gentle, as though she truly cared for the well-being of her Fellow Apprentice.
Yang Kai quickly withdrew his hands. “There were several stone statues that managed to catch up to me. In the end, I had to fend them off to escape.”
Lan Chudie was stunned for a moment but her composure quickly changed as she smiled. “As long as you’re safe, it’s alright.”
“Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s first distribute the stone babies and strengthen ourselves before doing anything.” Zuo An proposed.
Lan Chudie nods, “Yeah,” as she took out all five stone statues and placed them in front of the group.
The numbers of red veins within these five stone babies were the same. Thus, all of them were of the same grade of Martial Skill. Without obtaining the Martial Skills themselves, all group members would not know what type of Martial Skill the stone baby contained. Thus, their decision was entirely based up to luck.
After these few days of hard work, everyone’s eyes were glued onto the five stone babies. Their benefits, in the end, were based on luck. Nonetheless, even if they were to obtain something lesser than the others, they still obtained a Earth Grade Martial Skill!
“So, who should select first?” Nie Yong eagerly asked. Although he wants to be the first to choose, it was not good to self-proclaim it out loud.
“I think Yang Fellow Apprentice should get to choose first. After all, he was the one that took the most risk and also received some injuries. To be fair, he should be the first one to choose.” Lan Chudie smiled towards Yang Kai.
The priority to select was actually of unimportance. After all, the first one to select would not necessarily mean that the person would receive the best Martial Skill. This was the same for the last person to select. Hence, it did not matter who selected first. However, Lan Chudie proposed this just to seem as though she was fair and just. Planning for others to have a good impression of her.
How would Yang Kai not know her own thoughts? The boy impolitely nodded and said, “Since Female apprentice had said so, then I will be the first to choose.”
Yang Kai conveniently took up one stone baby and retreated back.
Lan Chudie and the others also went up and chose based on their individual’s strength.
“Since we have all chosen our Martial Skill, we will each find a place to cultivate the Martial Skill first. After one day’s time, we will gather here again.” Lan Chudie told everyone.
Everyone nods and was about to leave to their respective places.
Du Yishuang, who was a little worried for Yang Kai tapped on his shoulder and said “Yang Kai, let me help0 to wrap up those wounds.”
Yang Kai did not decline, “Thank you”.
Lan Chudie departs after hearing the two’s conversation. Her delicate eyebrows slightly wrinkled as she walked off.
Since Du Yishuang needed to bandage up Yang Kai’s wounds, there was only Du Yishuang and Yang Kai left at the meeting location. “I’ll wait a while for you to check the stone baby for the Martial Skills. If you don’t find it useful, I don’t mind exchanging mine with yours. I don’t really need an Earth Grade Martial Skill.”
Yang Kai smiled, “there’s no need. Since this is an Earth Grade Martial Skill, anything that came out will definitely be good.”
“Well, aren’t you aloof?” Du Yishuang no longer pressed the issue. Once she bandaged up Yang Kai’s hands, she stood up, “I will go and cultivate my Martial Skills then. We will meet again tomorrow!”
Looking at her back, Yang Kai spoke, “If there are any problems that occur in the future, you know that I will probably leave the group.”
Du Yishuang did not reply but secretly in her heart, she said, I know…
This group was not united. All members only participated in this group due to the unknown dangers inside a Heaven Cave Inheritance. What’s more, Lan Chudie is not a great leader. She is able to maintain the group in face value but for someone who only considers success and failure, the welfare of the group would not really matter to her. Hence, more than a group, we are mere tools for her to use. Even if this group were to continue, once they were to face a great danger, Yang Kai expects Lan Chudie and most of the rest to abandon him.
After everyone left, Yang Kai moved to a secluded location and took out the two stone babies from his clothe.
Yang Kai looked at both stone babies in his hands and smiled. The stone baby he found was extremely different from the one he chose from the group. The veins in the special stone baby were not only a lot more than the one he received from the group, it was also golden in colour!
What rank is this Martial Skill? Yang Kai wondered.
According to Lan Chudie, 30 veins would mean that the Martial Skill was at least an Earth Middle-Grade Martial Skill. Thus, the Martial Skill within this special stone baby could be either an Earth High-Grade Martial Skill or a much higher grade! A higher grade would mean a Heaven Grade Martial Skill!
When Yang Kai had thought of the possibility; his breathing became heavy and ragged. He was right to take that risk early on. The risk was truly worth its rewards!
However, which one to cultivate first? Yang Kai wondered.
The higher grade Martial Skill that he got with him will require more time than the other Martial Skill. That would also mean that it would take more time for Yang Kai to cultivate, learn and practice the higher grade Martial Skill. With the time limit of one day, he may not have enough time…
Yang Kai’s vision turned to the lower grade Martial Skill. Currently, the most important thing is to increase one’s strength in the shortest time possible to increase a person’s survival chances while having more opportunities to find more treasures.
Yang Kai started to concentrate on the lower grade Martial Skill. He poured his Yuan Qi into the stone baby as he memorized the flow of the Yuan Qi of the Martial Skill. After 2 hours, Yang Kai completely memories the flow of Yuan Qi to activate the Martial Skill but when he opened his eyes, he saw that the stone baby had completely turned to dust.
Yand Kai was not too bothered about the destruction of the stone baby. He had already gotten what he wanted. However, now he knew that the stone babies will only allow one person to learn its Martial Skill before turning to dust.
Yang Kai stood up and revolved his Qi around his body; similar to what he learned from the stone baby. As expected, since this was only the first time practicing a Martial Skill, he was unable to utilize the Martial Skill that he had learned. However, he was not discouraged as he immediately tried again after his first failed attempt.
After a few more tries, Yang Kai gradually got used to the flow of his Yuan Qi, within his 30 Meridians. He could feel his fist gradually becoming more powerful.
Finally, Yang Kai felt confident and focused all his might on an attack with this Martial Skill. He clenched his fist and it vibrated vigorously. Yang Kai continued to focus, trying to reach the most powerful state the fist can be. Suddenly, he slams his fist onto the ground!
*Bang!* a sound of a huge explosion occurred as the ground seemed the experience a miniature explosion. Yang Kai’s vision shivers as he could not believe the power of this Martial Skill!
What kind of Martial Skill is this? Isn’t this too powerful?
*Hey guys, check out the Major Announcement to know what’s up. An important message there!
This was the first Martial Skill that Yang Kai had obtained. So far, throughout all his battles, he had relied on the Yang Drops within his Dantian. However, such a method of battle was inefficient as it quickly depletes his Yang Drop deposit. Likewise, this method was incomparable to the effectiveness in a battle of a Martial Skill, which relied on Yuan Qi, instead of Yang Yuan Qi.
Although the Martial Skill was shown to be extremely powerful already, Yang Kai knew that this Martial Skill could be much stronger and more practical in the future. Naturally, after he had more practice with it. The first major thing he needed to improve on was the speed of the attack. It was not practical for Yang Kai to stand there and condense his energy to his fist.
However, this all takes time and experience to improve. There was no use rushing.
Yang Kai took a deep breath as he thought about the scene earlier and was choked with emotions.
Yang Kai looked at the dust on the ground and sighed. The stone statue did not provide him a name for this amazing Martial Skill. Hence, Yang Kai knitted his brows to think of one. [Burning Sun’s Blast] sounds nice…
When the 30 Meridians’ Yuan Qi gather and release in an explosive fashion, anyone who was hit by this strike will definitely suffer some serious injuries. However, Yang Kai estimated that he could only perform this move 3 times before his whole Yuan Qi is depleted.
Previously, Yang Kai would not dare show his skills to others when threatened. However, now, with so much spare Yang Drop within him, he was no longer worried. If he was against a group, he had enough Yuan Qi to deal with all of them.
With the use of Yang Drops, Yang Kai could use Burning Sun’s Blast consecutively, without stop! Thus it was extremely beneficial for him to have this.
It was truly fortunate that Yang Kai had gotten Burning Sun’s Blast. If he had gotten a Martial Skill Technique that was based on swords, it would be utterly useless to him!
Yang Kai focused on continuing his training to quickly increase his mastery over Burning Sun’s Blast. He spent the rest of the day arduously practicing to strengthen his battle capabilities.
After one day, Yang Kai managed to practice Burning Sun’s Blast, till he reaches a small level of mastery. However, he needed to stop and gather back to the meeting spot.
When he went back, he could see the satisfactory look on everyone’s faces; all except for Nie Yong.
It seems that nearly everyone’s harvest this time is not small.
Only Nie Yong was cursing with discontent. According to him, the Martial Skill that he had obtained was a whip law Martial Skill. A Martial Skill that was utterly useless to him.
Du Yishuang looked and smiled towards Yang Kai, “That evil boy has gotten retribution for all his evil doings. He only has himself to blame.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
With a few comforting words from Lan Chudie, Nie Yong’s depression was greatly elevated.
The five members then started to walk again. However, while they were walking Lan Chudie noticed that Yang Kai no longer carried a big bag with him. “What happened to the Yang Stones that you’ve picked up?”
Yang Kai nonchalantly replied. “I’ve discarded them.”
Nie Yong saw Yang Kai’s aloof expression and felt sour. Nie Yong snorted. “It’s too late to regret later.”
Yang Kai did not bother responding to Nie Yong. After all, all the Yang stone’s energy had already been absorbed by him.
Since this place did not have a Sun nor Moon, Stars nor Clouds, Yang Kai was unable to tell how much time has passed. However, he could estimate that they had spent two days walking to exit the stone pillar area.
Along the way, the group had run into the corpses of disciples from the three schools. Although the group did not know what these dead disciples encountered during their exploration here, these corpses became a strong reminder to stay alert and vigilant.
One the group entered a jungle area, they breathed out a sigh of relief. The number of corpses and possible hidden dangers of the previous area gave the group a sense of constant danger. Seeing this new location, and made them feel a short-lived sense of safety. Furthermore, in a jungle, the existence of Spirit Herbs is definitely not going to be a few.
The team quickly regained their vigilance as they walked through the jungle.
After walking for a while with Zuo An lead the path, Zuo An’s brow wrinkled as he concentrated on the floor. There were numerous footprints.
After a short moment, Zuo An exclaimed, “ There were definitely a group of people that passed by recently. What’s more, this group is big.”
Nie Yong Happily sounded off. “Then there should be guys from our schools!”
Zuo An’s brow wrinkled. “Let’s not decide so haphazardly. We can’t be sure that only disciples from the three schools are inside the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance.”
After hearing Zuo An’s words, the group became terrified. What kind of figure could possibly live here when the place has been sealed for more than a thousand years?
Zuo An quickly tried to calm everyone down, “I did not really think of what I just said. These footprints should belong to people from our schools.”
“Oh, then let’s chase up to them! If we meet that Su Female Apprentice or Xie Fellow Apprentice, they can protect us.”
Lan Chudie’s brow wrinkled as she nods in agreement. In this group, everyone’s cultivation level is not exactly the highest out of all the disciples in their respective schools. Although she has to give up her leadership role, it was much safer if she were to follow the stronger disciples from High Heaven Pavilion.
“Then let’s go.”
As the group followed the trail, they saw more and more footprint on the ground. After half a day, the group saw a small lake. Around the lake were numerous footprints that covered the place. Apparently, this had become a rest spot for many disciples. With so many disciples being willing to rest here and without corpses, this place must be a safe spot.
After a short discussion within the group, they decide to rest up first before proceeding with anything else.
All five dispersed around and sat in meditation to rest. After a while, Lan Chudie stood up from her meditation and sat beside Du Yishuang. She whispered to the frail-looking girl in a soft voice. Initially, Du Yishuang shook her head slowly but after contemplating for a while more she clenched her teeth and nodded while blushing.
Afterwards, Lan Chudie arrives in front of Yang Kai and pat on his shoulder.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked as he looks at Lan Chudie.
“Come with me”, Lan Chudie said while checking up on Nie Yong and Zuo An secretly.
Yang Kai’s brows wrinkled. Although he did not know what she was about to request, he followed her.
After walking for a while, Yang Kai saw Du Yishuang sitting down on a rock, waiting.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai was unaware of what they were planning and asked.
Lan Chudie blushes with a smile, “Little sister Du and I want to take a bath here…”
Yang Kai’s face immediately becomes strange and he sizes up both girls. Du Yishuang blushing became even heavier but Lan Chudie charmingly stomps her feet. “What are you thinking? We only want you to protect us and not let anyone close!”
Yang Kai cannot help but chuckle. “Lan Female Apprentice, why do you ask me of all people? For this matter, you should have asked Nie Yong. That boy will certainly agree to your request!”
Lan Chudie knew that Yang Kai was discontent with her due to the decisions she made over the past few days. However, she could not help but get angry, “Of course it’s because I trust you more than him.”
“Lan Female Apprentice, you trust me?” Yang Kai smiled. “If you shower, I will definitely peep”
Lan Chudie smiled back at Yang Kai. “If you did so, I don’t mind. However, what would Little Sister Du say?”
Yang Kai coughed, he was unable to decline her. Let alone, for Du Yishuang to bathe, he was indeed the best choice.
“Alright then. Just bath quickly.” Yang Kai nodded.
Seeing him comply, Lan Chudie smiled. “Thanks. Please stay here while we bathe.”
Du Yishuang pulled on Yang Kai’s arm and urged the boy. “You absolutely cannot peek!”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.” Yang Kai answered while looking at the lake. There was a small water body nearby, which has a giant stone by the side that acts as a natural wall. So long as the two girls hid behind the stone, it would be hard for anyone to peek at them.
*Splash* those two girls entered the water body as Yang Kai went to the place that could see them. Naturally, as they entered, both girls secretly checked if Yang Kai turned his head around to peek. Of course, Yang Kai did not pay attention to them. He sat down and meditated. As long as someone wants to peek, he would need to pass Yang Kai’s position.
Although Yang Kai does not like Lan Chudie, they currently do not have any enmity. Moreover, they are currently in the same group and those choices that would lead to disadvantaging him did not end up doing so. Yang Kai also wants to quickly leave this group and join us with Su Mu. Thus, he does not want any further trouble with Lan Chudie.
While meditating, Yang Kai could hear a faint sound of footsteps coming closer. When Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked around, he saw Nie Yong creeping up softly. He was breathing heavily as his slowly slid his head to peek behind the huge rock.
Noticing Yang Kai’s gaze, Nie Yong turned his head and returned a despising smile, threatening him. “You have seen nothing. If you dare say anything, I will personally make sure that you will no longer be able to walk!”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and scoffed. Nie Yong actually thought that he was afraid. Without wasting much time, Yang Kai quickly ran forward.
The laughter of the two girls and the splashing of the water acted like demons whispering to Nie Yong’s ear. As he thought about Lan Chudie’s smooth skin and plentiful breast, his heart boiled; making it impossible for him to resist the temptation.
The boy then quickly walked, following the sound to see this huge rock blocking his view of paradise.
Yang Kai sneers as he breathed in as much air as possible and shouted “Nie Fellow Apprentice. What are you doing over there?!!!”
Yo, so I’ve received some feedback about my comments and it was kinda a distraction to some. So I think I will change the color of the words to make it hard to read. (Feedback on this please.)
Also, I’m glad that there are so many supporters for this novel.
MP2O – 16 votes!!
MP2E – 11 Votes!!
Alright. Many probably haven’t read the comments yet so I’ll take the opportunity to announce that I will be posting out both versions. Because MP2O is top, I will be posting that out a day earlier. However, you guys won’t get to see it too soon. Around Jan or Feb next year!
Okay next thing, so I’ve received some valuable feedback to addressing the Fellow Apprentices as Elder Sister or Junior Brother… etc
So, another voting shall commence for a week. Please only comment on this page. It’s tedious to flip through all the pages I will upload.
Just want it to stick with Fellow Apprentice, type FA.
Wish for it to be Elder Sister or Junior Brother, type SB
Finally, wish it to be Elder sister apprentice or Junior brother apprentice, type SSBB.
Abruptly, the sound of water splashing and laughter from the two girls paused.
With their silence and the blaring sounds of moving water, anyone could tell that the two girls were scuttling to get their clothing.
Nie Yong quickly reacted. The boy got startled and jumped. He hastily ran off, only leaving Yang Kai with a gaze filled with hatred. Never would he have imagined that Yang Kai would dare to offend him.
Yang Kai smiled and shouted out, “Coward!”
Soon after, Lan Chudie and Du Yishuang appeared from behind the rock. They were drenched but clothed. Du Yishuang was blushing while her eyes avoided his. Meanwhile, Lan Chudie looked at Yang Kai indifferently and muttered, “Thank You.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Yang Kai replied.
When the three were on their way to return back to the group, they could feel a large, sudden fluctuation of Yuan Qi.
They looked up, in the direction of the fluctuation and saw rays of light piercing through, above them. They could hear echoes of people shouting “kill!” alongside an enraged roar emerging from a powerful and furious beast.
The three’s faces paled as they started to realise what the source of the roar was. There are Monster Beasts here!?
What’s more, it sounded like there were hordes of people battling this one Monster Beast!
Nie Yong and Zuo An ran out from the bushes and joined the three. Their complexion was no better than Lan Chudie and Du Yishuang’s.
Du Yishuang stared at Nie Yong with disgust. Meanwhile, Lan Chudie kept calm and asked Zuo An. “What can you recognise from the sounds?”
Zuo An’s voice sank as he spoke. “There are more than a hundred people there. What’s more, from the power of its roar, the Monster Beast they are fighting is horrifically in the Sixth Realm!”
Everyone froze as their skin turned a shade paler. A Sixth Realm Monster Beast was equivalent to a cultivator in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Those that entered the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance were disciples that were at most in True Element Boundary. How could they possibly face this Monster Beast? Even with a hundred people, this battle is nothing more than suicide for all of them.
“This Monster’s roar seems weaker than a usual Sixth Realm Monster Beast,” Zuo An brows furrowed. “It is likely that it was sealed previously and had just regained consciousness.”
The seal of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance broke a few days ago. Although they do not know what the Monster Beast was doing here, it was definitely sealed for a very long time. Hence, it went into dormancy, waiting for a chance, for someone to break the seal. Being dormant for such a long time would certainly weaken it, rendering it unable to display its full strength.
Everyone felt a little bit relieved since the theory made sense. Otherwise, why would just over a hundred disciples be willing to battle this Monster Beast?
Suddenly, Zuo An’s brows jumped. “The Monster Beast is hurt!”
An odd change in its grumbling bellows could be heard. The Monster Beast gave another angry and unwilling roar and the people became silent.
“What happened?” Lan Chudie asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” Zuo An said while he shook his head. “Should we go and have a look?
Lan Chudie’s eyebrows wrinkled as she contemplated for a long time before looking back at all four members. “Let’s go and have a look. There are bound to be disciples there who are in True Element Boundary, as well as Separation and Reunion Boundary. Since we are all from the same school, we are obliged to help. However, this is highly dangerous, so it is up to you to decide.”
“Naturally, we must go!” Nie Yong nodded. After the awkward moment, he wanted to quickly leave the group and join up with his other Fellow Brothers.
“I will go as well.” Zuo An added.
Lan Chudie peered over at both Du Yishuang and Yang Kai as they both nodded.
“Then we go!”
The five quickly sped through the jungle as they headed for the battle zone.
After a long time, they came across a large group of disciples gathered together.
The large group was split into two as a line separated them. Each side had equal numbers, but Yang Kai and the group could not identify anyone in the darkness.
Then, a familiar voice vocalised, “Fang Ziji! Do you and your Storm House believe that we are so weak to be taken advantaged by you? Do you believe that you have the skills to force us to do as you please?”
“Xie Fellow Appentice!” Nie Yong called out in delight.
Lan Chudie smiled while Yang Kai’s complexion darkened.
To think that of all people, Yang Kai had to encounter Xie Hongchen!
Du Yishuang expressed a similar countenance like Yang Kai. The group of five quickly split up as rejoined their respective schools. Although Du Yishuang had spent but a few days with Yang Kai, they developed a close relationship. Unfortunately, if the schools were to clash she would have no choice but to side with her own school and reluctantly battle Yang Kai.
Facing Xia Hongchen’s taunt, Fang Ziji scoffs, “Xie Hongchen, I do not wish to fight a fight that already has a clear winner. You were only just promoted to True Element Boundary and are not my match. Do not humiliate yourself.”
“What did you say?” Xie Hongchen said coldly.
Meanwhile, many of the High Heaven Pavilion Disciples were clamouring and shouting, telling Xie Hongchen to teach Fang Ziji a lesson.
Fang Ziji snorted. “Only Su Yan from High Heaven Pavilion can be considered my match!” he chuckled.
“Then how about you try me out?”
“If you persist, I do not mind. However, I do not wish for someone like you to be humiliated in front of all your Fellow Apprentices.”
Although Xie Hongchen knew that he was currently not a match to Fang Ziji, with the disciples watching him, he could not back down. Just when Xie Hongchen was about to attack, Nie Yong ran out from the jungle bushes and shouted. “Xie Fellow Apprentice!”
When Xie Hongchen heard his familiar voice, he immediately turned his head, frown transitioning into a smile. “Nie Fellow Apprentice! We finally meet again!”
Nie Yong quickly rushed to join the group of High Heaven Pavilion Disciples.
The other four took their time to follow. Since Du Yishuang and Zuo An were not High Heaven Pavilion disciples, it will be hard to join them. As for Yang Kai, he had some grudges with Xie Hongchen and could not easily join the High Heavens Pavilion group.
Knowing Yang Kai and Xie Hongchen’s relationship, Lan Chudie looked at Yang Kai with a weary smile and left the boy.
Du Yishuang whispered to Yang Kai. “I thank you for you kindness and support for these past few days. It’s regrettable that we must part…”
Yang Kai smiles and nods, “It’s alright. I understand. Go.”
Du Yishuang turned her head to Zuo An and asked. “So, Zuo An, do you want to join me or Sister Lan’s group?” Since Zuo An is from Bloody Battle Gang, he would be left alone. Hence, it was best for him to temporarily join one of the big groups here.
Zuo An quickly replied. “I believe it’s better to join you.”
Zuo An knows that Du Yishuang was a kind hearted and good natured girl. Although he does not know the characters of the other disciples within Storm House, Du Yishuang would protect him since she was the one to offer him to join. Compared to Lan Chudie, Zuo An trusts that Du Yishuang would take better care of him. At the very least, Du Yishuang would not scheme against him.
Du Yishuang nodded and brought Zuo An to the Storm House group.
Lan Chudie opened her mouth and said. “Let’s go.”
Yang Kai took a little while, his eyes scanning to see if Su Mu, Su Yan or Xia Ning Chang were within the High Heaven Pavilion Disciples here. Seeing that none of them was present, Yang Kai knew that he was bound to be ridiculed and bullied in rejoining his group with Xie Hongchen leading. “You go.”
Lan Chudie knew Yang Kai’s worries and quickly told him, “Fellow Apprentice. It’s best to just endure. It’s better to be in a group in this unknown place filled with danger.”
Yang Kai shook his head as he still stood resolutely.
When Nie Yong joined the group, he quickly conversed with many of the disciples there. They were all happily exchanging greetings and laughing. Obviously, most of these disciples were on friendly terms with Nie Yong. After greeting them, Nie Yong quickly went to Xie Hongchen’s side and began a conversation in whispers. The boy turned his head as he stared at Yang Kai with hostility.
60 metres away, Xie Hongchen looked at Yang Kai with disdain and disgust.
Fang Ziji, unbeknownst of the situation, spoke out. “Xie Hongchen, since you no longer wish to fight, let us both collaborate and kill that Monster Beast! We can split the treasure it yields amongst ourselves.”
Xie Hongchen turned his head, look at Fang Ziji and smiled. “This matter, we will discuss later. I have some other more important matters to deal with first.”
Xie Hongchen smiled at Lan Chudie and greeted. “Sister Lan Apprentice, it must have been very difficult for you. You have found us, so do not worry anymore. You are safe with our numbers now.”
Lan Chudie nodded gently and pulled at Yang Kai’s clothes. However, Yang Kai refuses to move.
Xie Hongchen smiled brilliantly, “Yang Fellow Apprentice! Since everyone is from the same school, it is my duty to protect you. Come and join us!”
At that very instant, Nie Yong shouted angrily, “Xie Fellow Apprentice! Have you forgotten what he has done? He humiliated you! Why must we allow him to join us?”
Xie Hongchen’s complexion turned cold. How could he possibly forget what had happened? While he was trying to enforce the rules within the school, Su Yan came to Yang Kai’s rescue and held his hands! Thinking about it, Xie Hongchen’s blood boils with rage.
Xie Hongchen took a deep breath and maintained his forced smile. “That time, Yang Fellow Apprentice was naïve and did not know any better. I believe he most certainly has changed. Right?”
When he spoke, Xie Hongchen’s lips twitched while he stared at Yang Kai’s cold face.
After hearing Xie Hongchen’s words, the High Heaven Pavilion Disciples all felt moved. To think that Xie Hongchen forgave Yang Kai despite the injustice! Xie Hongchen is magnanimous!
“Yang Kai! Quickly kowtow and apologise!” roared the disciples.
“Yang Kai! Xie Fellow Apprentice is kind enough to not pursue the matter any further. However, his forgiveness does not represent ours. If you don’t apologise, I will consider you an enemy!” one of the Fellow Apprentice screamed, with little concern for his own name.
“Yes! Yang Fellow Apprentice does not have any pride. He dares to woo Su Female Apprentice with one as weak as himself. He is simply a toad looking to eat goose meat! It’s best he looks into a mirror and gives up!” many Female Disciples clamoured together against Yang Kai. Similar to vixens, they nagged.
Yang Kai’s facial expression shows no change. He remained aloof.
Lan Chudie pulled Yang Kai aside and whispered to him, “Fellow Apprentice, if you are a real man, you must adapt to the situation. Just throw down your pride for a moment. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes.
“What?” Lan Chudie questioned as a frown stretched across her cheeks.
“You don’t have to explain to me. You don’t know Xie Hongchen’s true intentions. You don’t know what he’s done and will do to me later on.” Yang Kai snorted as he looked at Lan Chudie with a hint of resentment.
Lan Chudie claimed frustratedly, “How would I know what he did to you?”
“We may be Fellow Apprentices and, for the past few days, have been helping each other survive, but we are in no way friends. You don’t have to think that you have abandoned me and feel guilty about it. My matters do not require your care.” Yang Kai said coldly.
Lan Chudie clenched her teeth as her face turned slightly pale. “Why don’t you know what’s good for you?”
Lan Chudie stomped away. She no longer wanted to pay attention to him. Lan Chudie quickly paced to Xie Hongchen’s group and turned her head. “You are right. I don’t owe you anything. Seeing as how you are so carefree, I’ll let you deal with your own affairs.”
Xie Hongchen, within his group of High Heaven Pavilion Disciples was grinning slyly. He was enjoying the scene of Yang Kai suffering isolation and bullying from his very own supporters. As he smirked, he stood there pridefully and arrogantly, mocking Yang Kai.
Xie Hongchen thought to himself: To join my team to survive? Fine! You little boy first have to admit your mistakes and kowtow. If you are not willing, you can wander alone around this dangerous place. Let’s see if you can survive!
Xie Hongchen’s eyes glimmer as he awaits Yang Kai’s decision.
After a while, Yang Kai spoke. “This big group of disciples can only group up and act mighty against me. Urging me to apologise just to gain favour from those that are stronger. Why would I join you?”
While cutting deeper into the sea of disciples, Lan Chudie heard what Yang Kai said. Noticing how his words were also a response to her, her chest wells up with humiliation and discomfort.
However, Lan Chudie’s discomfort soon turned to self-convinced fury. If I do not earn the favour of the powerful, in this dangerous place, how am I going to survive? Naturally, I must earn the support of someone likes Xie Fellow Apprentice. How could I possibly choose to side with someone who is weaker than me? You still dare to complain about me after taking care of you for these past few days. If you were stronger, people, including me would naturally want to be your ally.
I have already urged you but you paid little to no heed to my words. This is the path you have chosen and yet you blame me? Thinking about this, Lan Chudie no longer felt remorse for leaving Yang Kai.
After speaking, Yang Kai wasted not a second longer and strode back into the bushes and away from these two groups.
Seeing how Yang Kai was walking away safely, Nie Yong wanted to quickly stir up more trouble. “Yang Kai is simply too much. He dares to speak like that to our Fellow Apprentices and we’re letting him walk away?”
From the darkness, a ball of flame were quickly conjured and launched towards Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai remained solemn and calmly dodged the attack. The boy pays no heed to the direction it came from and proudly vocalised, “Xie Hongchen, what is the meaning of this? I will make sure Su Female Apprentice hears about this and see to it that you will receive retribution for all that you have done!”
Xie Hongchen’s complexion sank. He knew that Yang Kai was referring to Long Hui’s matter. He had thought that Long Hui would be able to kill Yang Kai with absolute certainty. Unexpectedly, Yang Kai managed to survive and learned of his implications in the matter.
A few days ago after Yang Kai’s return to the High Heaven Pavilion, Xie Hongchen slept on pins and needles. His fear was not of Yang Kai, but of retribution from Meng Wu Ya after seeing them return to the school in each other’s company.
However, since Meng Wu Ya did not act against Xie Hongchen, he thought that he was safe. That both Yang Kai and Meng Wuya had no knowledge his involvement in the matter. In hearing Yang Kai’s words, he knew that the said matter would be exposed sooner or later. Rapidly, his murderous intentions transformed to reality as he signalled to Nie Yong hastily.
Nie Yong grinned with delight. Because of Yang Kai’s exposure of his plans to peep at Lan Chudie and Yishuang earlier, he hated Yang Kai! To earn the consent of Xie Hongchen to go after Yang Kai was a delightful discovery.
Nie Yong shouted angrily. “Yang Kai! Your bold impudence against Xie Fellow Apprentice requires more than punishment. I will teach you a lesson personally!” He raised his arm and started inciting. “Which Fellow Apprentice wants to join me in disciplining this arrogant boy?”
Immediately, a group of disciples rushed to Nie Yong’s side and started chasing after Yang Kai.
Lan Chudie half raised her hand, wanting to speak out. She could find not a single word leaving her throat as she helplessly observed the group pursue Yang Kai with the intention to draw blood.
Du Yishuang reacted without delay to try and aid Yang Kai, but was intercepted and impeded by Fang Ziji.
“Fang Fellow Apprentice, let me go! I need to help him, he saved my life not too long ago!” Du Yishuang urged.
“This is not a matter for you to interfere in!”
“But…”
Fang Ziji looked at Du Yishuang intensely and shifted his attention to two Female Apprentices and demanded, “Look after her and make sure she does not leave the group.”
“Yes,” the two Female Apprentices responded in compliance as they briskly secured Du Yishuang’s arms.
Fang Ziji looked at the vanishing figure of Yang Kai and leered happily. “To think that High Heaven Pavilion has such disgraceful internal problems. This is nothing short of laughable.”
Du Yishuang continued to struggle in vain. Meanwhile, Zuo An tried to console her, “You don’t have to be too worried. Although that boy is a mere Initial Elementary Stage 7, he had always made me feel threatened… It is entirely possible for him to come out of this unscathed.”
“Are you sure?” Du Yishuang stopped struggling and asked in a soft voice.
“My intuition implies as such.” Zuo An answered confidently. His intuition has also been the reason for his absence in provocations against Yang Kai.
Running deeper into the jungle, the numerous shadows trailing Yang Kai failed to disappear.
“Yang Kai, in these few days we’ve spent together, our friendship has deepened considerably. I’m willing to minimise your suffering, as long as you let me catch you!” Nie Yong gleefully taunted.
“Friendship?” Yang Kai sneered. “With someone like you? Don’t make me nauseous!”
“Good! Good! I love what you have said!” Nie Yong lividly howled in response, tilting his head back just a little. “Fellow Apprentice! This boy has received an Earth High Grade Martial Skill! If we can hold him down and get it out of him, all of us will be able to learn it!”
“An Earth High Grade Martial Skill?!” The group of pursuers called out in alarm. Quickly, their motivation turned into greed as they sped up. Being in such a large group over the course of the past few days made it necessary for them to split almost everything they had. In the end, the disciples did not obtain anything worthwhile. However, in light of hearing such a palatable opportunity, why would they ever give up?
“Yang Kai, why do you insist on resisting and being stubborn?” An apprentice swung his sword at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai instinctively felt danger behind him and quickly sidestepped, avoiding the blow and losing no speed.
In the same position, Yang Kai felt another sword strike approach his front, forcing him to stop abruptly. The hunting group took the chance and surrounded him.
Yang Kai looked around and counted five. Every single one of them was in the Qi Transformation Stage and worse, their cultivation level was greater than Nie Yong’s.
The five people who encircled Yang Kai scoff at him. “Yang Fellow Apprentice! You have done a crime and I am here to punish you in the name of justice,” jeers Nie Yong.
Yang Kai undauntedly snorted. “Is peeping on women bathe not counted as a crime?”
Nie Yong’s face flushed. The other four disciples looked at the embarrassed boy in confusion, which only made things worse.
A disciple from the left spoke out, “Yang Kai, if you consider yourself our Fellow Apprentice, we will not take your life. If you tell us the Earth High Grade Martial Skill Technique, not only will we leave you unharmed, we will also persuade Xie Fellow Apprentice to forgive you.”
“Fellow Apprentices, It’s not that I wish to decline, but I decline.” Feeling pressure, Yang Kai did not whimper. Instead, he held his head high and puffed out his chest. “If you would like to try and take it from me, then it will depend on your skills.”
A Disciple from the opposite side shouted angrily. “We proposed a toast and you did not eat. Instead, you choose to forfeit. Do you think that we won’t kill you, just because we are apprentices from the same sect? Since you have already offended Xie Fellow Apprentice, you can consider yourself dead. If we kill you here, no one would know and we will never be punished!”
Out of the five Disciples, Nie Yong was the one who hated Yang Kai the most. Unwilling to wait any further, he beckoned, “The time for idle chat is over! We just need to torture him for the Martial Skill Technique!”
When they were dividing the stone babies, Nie Yong was extremely envious of Yang Kai’s choice. Although he did not know what Yang Kai received, he was certain it must be useful from the boy’s smug face.
With a warcry, Nie Yong’s fist rushed ahead and a familiar cool breeze followed. A dangerous aura threatens Yang Kai!
Nie Yong had decided to use his strongest Martial Skill to incapacitate Yang Kai.
Meanwhile, the other four disciples stood there and watched. After all, the difference in the cultivation level between the two left them with credence of an imminent victory.
One of the Disciples casually commented, “Nie Fellow Apprentice’s cool breeze palm has reached such a high level of proficiency. He must have been training hard to perfect it.”
All the three other disciples gave an approving nod. The cold breeze palm is one of High Heaven Pavilion’s Earth Low Grade Martial Skill can only be obtained with 500 contribution points. It goes without question, that Nie Yong invested countless amount of hours and effort for it. Thus, it is also expected of him, and anyone else in that case, to train arduously with it. For the group, using such a Martial Skill with such a high levelled cultivator was enough to deal with Yang Kai. There was no suspense as the group simply waited for the inevitable.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, decided that he would welcome the palm attack with his very own!
As the palm approaches Yang Kai, he could feel the Yun Qi within his Meridians in his left arm become weaker and colder.
Nie Yong grins. “Yang Kai, I will make sure you lose an arm today and carve it into your head as a lesson taught by me!”
Yang Kai’s face darkened as he forcibly stimulates the Yuan Qi within his body to counter Nie Yong. Nie Yong realized instantly that his Martial Skill was not working out as planned.
“You think you can oppose me?” Nie Yong clenched his teeth. He cannot humiliate himself now. “Your Yuan Qi may be fierce, but you are still too weak to resist me!”
The cool breeze palm was inching closer to Yang Kai by the second. With no choice, he stimulated his 30 Meridians and demonstrated his proficiency in Burning Sun’s Blast.
“I said that you are too weak!” Nie Yong sneered after feeling a weak Qi condense into Yang Kai’s fist. With such weak Qi, Yang Kai will lose his arm!
As their palms collided, the Qi within Yang Kai’s fist erupted with a thunderous bang as a red, vibrant fiery ray of light was produced. It was so strong it was like staring at the sun, temporarily blinding all that were nearby.
“What?!” Nie Yong cried out. He did not expect Yang Kai’s Martial Skill to hide such lethality under the guise of weakness. Unexpectedly, their powers were evenly matched as the explosion pushed the two boys to retreat a few steps.
Nie Yong was forced back into a tree, as he vomited and spat fresh blood. He had retained severe injuries that he could not predict.
Likewise, Yang Kai did not feel any better than Nie Yong. With such a large difference in cultivation level, it was impossible to escape unharmed even with his higher level Martial Skill.
Using the blinding flash as cover, Yang Kai wasted no time in continuing his elude. He stimulated his Yang Yuan Qi and continued to run. Since the other four were of higher cultivation level than Nie Yong, Yang Kai stood no chance should he have stayed. The only option was to flee.
Meanwhile, the four were paralyzed by shock. To think Nie Yong was unable to defeat Yang Kai! When they regained their composure, Yang Kai was long gone.
From far away, Yang Kai shouted, “Nie Yong, we shall say goodbye for now. The next time we meet, I will take your life.”
Yang Kai’s voice echoes, leaving the group in disarray.
“Nie Fellow Apprentice!” One of the Disciples rushed to Nie Yong’s aid. He had blood flowing from the corner of his mouth as his eyes were dull with unwillingness and dread. His entire complexion pale as a ghost after the costly exchange.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m alright!” Nie Yong supported his own body to stand. “Yang Kai has been injured as well. We must quickly pursue him! We can’t let him escape!”
“We are still to pursue?” Some members challenged as they looked at each other with hesitation. They did not have any enmity with Yang Kai. They only planned to cheer for Nie Yong and look good in front of Xie Hongchen. Now that Yang Kai has run off in an unknown direction, it would prove to be dangerous to resume the chase, with potential for traps and the Monster Beast.
Nie Yong understood their thoughts and hurriedly stressed. “Did you not see the power of his Martial Skill? He had only got the chance to practice it for a few days and its power is immense! Don’t you want such a Martial Skill for yourself?”
The other disciples nodded in unassertive agreement.
However, the group found the need to add, “Even if we are to pursue him, we are only here for his Martial Skill. If you want to deal with him, do not count on us. This is your own grudge and we will not involve ourselves in it. If you are to kill him, you must be the only one to suffer the consequences.”
“That is only natural!” Nie Yong fiercely scowled at them. “He dares to threaten me! What is he to have the gall to take my life? When I get my hands on him, we’ll see who will the last one laughing!”
The four disciples thought Yang Kai worthy only of punishment, not death. However, now that he had completely enraged Nie Yong, they all knew that his capture would mean his death.
Meanwhile, over by the small lake where Lan Chudie and Du Yishuang bathed, Yang Kai expulsed blood from his mouth. Now that he knows his current level of strength, he knew extending the fight would only result in him dying.
The highest in the group is probably a Qi Transformation Stage Level 7 or 8! If he was only able to barely manage to hold Nie Yong off, he would have no chance against the rest.
This fight cannot be compared to the one at Nine Yin Mountain Valley. After all, all the cultivators who were present there were of almost the same level as himself.
If not for Burning Sun’s Blast, Yang Kai would most likely be dead.
The cold effects from Nie Yong’s Cold Breeze Palm are now lingering and setting in within his body. Yang Kai had to remove the effects posthaste to prevent further and more severe injuries.
Sensing that someone was closing the distance between them, Yang Kai bent his waist and held his breath and dove into the pond to hide.
Yang Kai does not have the means to cope with any kind of dangers right now. Thus, he could only follow the safest and most familiar route to escape. To end up at the small lake; which provided a good hiding spot. If the group were to dive into the lake to check, Yang Kai could deliver a surprise attack to send the attackers into confusion once more. Were they willing to risk taking on such an attack after watching Nie Yong suffer his blow?
Yang Kai continued diving deeper into the shroud of darkness.
Though the lake was not that big, Yang Kai was surprised at its deepness. After diving for some time, he had not reached the lake bottom. What’s more, the lake was so cold at the deeper levels it pierced his skin to the bone.
Yang Kai stopped and swum towards the surface instead. He listened to sounds around him, trying to locate the others.
As he had suspected, Nie Yong and the others caught up to him. Although he tried to hide his tracks, Nie Yong, who spent a few days following Yang Kai before, could get a vague sense as to where he would choose to go.
After hearing their faint voices, Yang Kai heard a large splash from above him. Panic started plaguing his mind as he thought he had completely underestimated Nie Yong’s contempt. He had never thought that Nie Yong would track him down so vigorously, going so far as to search deep in the lake.
Without any other choice, Yang Kai could only choose to continue diving, in hopes of not getting caught.
Fortunately, Yang Kai thinks and cultivates True Yang Secret Art. With True Yang Yuan Qi circulating, the icy cold water would not be as much a hindrance to him. Thus, he could dive even deeper than Nie Yong and the others.
After a while, the person who jumped in arose and left the water.
Unable to find a lead on Yang Kai, the group did not tarry and walked to search in other places.
Being in the water for so long holding his breath, caused Yang kai to feel dizzy. Even if he had cultivated to Initial Element Stage 7 and was stronger than a mortal man, he still has limits.
Thankfully, Yang Kai was able to get a breather without the group of Disciples around. Suddenly, he heard a whistling sound as he continued to surface. He looked around and scanned his surroundings, but strangely he could not find the source of the sound.
As Yang Kai continued to search, the sound became louder. From a soft whistle, it turned to a breeze.
Is it coming from the bottom?
Since there was nowhere else the sound could come from, Yang Kai refocused his attention to the darkness below him. He swam down. As he carefully looked around the area, the sound grew even louder. When he focused harder, a faint glimmer could be seen. He drew closer to the source and found a shiny but black cave entrance.
Yang Kai’s eyes glimmered with joy. To be able to produce such a sound meant that the cave would have to contain air. Seeing it as a chance to find a safe haven away from Nie Yong to recuperate, Yang Kai swam in.
Nie Yong would definitely still be searching for Yang Kai outside. Even if the group had gone somewhere else, resurfacing was still a risk.
The cave was considerably deep, probably more than a hundred meters. Initially, the cave tunneled downwards, then horizontally and later, vertically. When Yang Kai was nearly out of breath, he managed to arrive at a pocket of air.
Yang Kai used his hands to wipe droplets off his face. He looked around to find that the pocket of air was not just a pocket, but a large, empty space.
This should still be part of the cave, Yang Kai thought. The small lake was on top of a mountain peak, allowing it to have sufficient space for a connection. Since Yang Kai could hear a breeze from the cave entrance, he knew that there must have been a hollowed out area that contained air.
The cave was surprisingly dry. Yang Kai quickly got out of the water and inspected the dark area for signs of life. He realized that there was him and only him, and he sighed loudly with relief.
Sitting cross-legged, Yang Kai quickly revolved True Yang Secret Arts to dry his clothes and started to drive out the cold effect that was still in him.
Since Nie Yong was a few cultivation levels higher than himself, Yang Kai was not confident he could drive out the coldness completely within his body. Thankfully, Yang Kai noticed that his Yuan Qi was vigorous enough. If it was other Cultivators at his level, they could only helplessly wait for the coldness to spread and corrode their Meridians.
In such situations, a Cultivator’s strength is essential, determining life and death!
A hefty amount of time passed and Yang Kai vomited a puddle of black blood, which indicated that he has successfully dispelled the coldness from his body.
Although his face was pale, he was smiling. He no longer had to worry about his Meridians.
Cool Breeze Palm! Yang Kai noted. This Martial Skill’s might is strong. Especially with the effects of the injecting coldness into the opponent’s body, similarly to the Burning Sun’s Blast, with the only difference being heat instead of cold. It was only fortunate that this Martial Skill was not as strong as Burning Sun’s Blast.
Having meditated for half a day, Yang Kai set out to look around the cave.
Previously, he was in an emergency state and needed to remove the coldness that plagued his body. He could not fully explore the cave he resided in due to his injuries. Now that his movement is no longer impaired, he naturally decided to delve deeper into the abode that may have very well saved his life in the first place.
Yang Kai assumes that he was still in the middle of the cave tunnel. With only rumours and hearsay to guide him, Yang Kai reached out both his arms in opposite directions. His left palm just barely senses a draft coming from the direction it faced. As the rumours have it, the hand that feels the wind will lead to the exit.
Yang Kai thought for a moment and walked in the direction of the palm of his right hand. It was better to go deeper into the cave than outside, since the hunters may still be lurking around the pond above.
After a long and tiresome walk, Yang Kai detects the scent of a herb. In such a dimly lit environment, who would have thought that herbs would grow?
Yang Kai approached the herb but could not tell if this thing was uncommon or not, but since this cave has dense Yin Qi and this was within the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, he thought it must have some value to it!
However, Yang Kai held off of picking the herbs now. Since he does not have a suitable container for them, he decided that it would not be a problem for him to come back to them later.
Yang Kai continued exploring and discovered that there were actually countless herbs growing around the cave. This could only mean that this place has been out of contact with humans for a very long time. People would have picked this place clean in the blink of an eye.
After walking for two hours, Yang Kai could see a glimmer of light shining from deeper within. Suddenly, he could hear a faint sound calling out, as though to summon him towards the light.
Yang Kai turned vigilant and sauntered quietly towards it.
As he slowly but surely caught up to the little gleam which grew not brighter but bigger, Yang Kai found that the light was no exit nor sunbeam. Instead, the light was emitting softly from a circular bead the size of a fist like an oval lantern, and provided a reasonable amount of visibility.
When Yang Kai inspected the bead and its surroundings, he noticed an old, weathered skeleton. The skeleton sat cross-legged and wore an expensive and magnificent purple gown for males. His two empty eye sockets stared deeply at Yang Kai like a teacher dumbfounded by his student’s stupidity, giving him the impression that this skeleton was more than it seemed.
Who knows how many years has passed since the owner of the skeleton died.
The Yin Qi was denser here and it could very well be because of the skeleton’s presence. Yang Kai felt that it was once an evil person. The skeleton produced a sort of Evil Qi, striking fear in the arrogant boy.
Was he the one who made Heaven’s Cave Inheritance? Yang Kai suddenly realized that a cultivator must have created this place.
If that was the case, wouldn’t this cave hold the inheritance?
Suddenly, Yang Kai hears a resounding crash that snaps him out of deep thought.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed as he turned around to discover a gargantuan boulder blocking the path from which he came. He looked back at the bead and noticed that it was flickering as the space around him now resonates with a wild howl and loud shriek.
A cold wind struck Yang Kai’s body as the warmth he felt now chilled him down to his toes and fingers.
To counter this unwelcome change, Yang Kai quickly revolved his True Yang Yuan Qi once again. He paid full attention to his surroundings for dangers and enemies while he tried to evict the cold.
The shrieking and howling continued for a long time. Those sounds were meant to confuse and disturb the minds, but this trickery had little to no effect on the unyielding mind that Yang Kai’s head housed.
As time passed, the shrieking and howling started to irritate Yang Kai. Although it was subtle, Yang Kai discerned that the sounds were now different.
Yang Kai kept himself calm as he continued to stay on high alert. He could not risk making a mistake. He knew he had to stay calm and in control of himself, so he sat down cross-legged in a familiar meditation posture.
The sound and the bead’s flickering continued, making the environment look and feel gloomy. However, Yang Kai was unaffected. His aura and facial expression persisted.
After a few hours, the shrieks and howls dissipated. The bead’s flickering also reverted back to normal. Since he could no longer turn back, Yang Kai moved not one bit and yelled, “Why don’t you show yourself?”
Yang Kai’s lips confidently simpered as he yelled once more, “Whoever it is that dares to play these cheap tricks, show yourself!”
Yang Kai’s shout echoed through the cave when suddenly a strange cackle could be heard. When Yang Kai first heard this laughter, the hairs on his body stood. It was so petrifying and coarse that even Yang Kai’s five main internal organs shivered.
It was not just his body that felt uncomfortable. Even the bead trembled from the laughter.
Immortal Soul Attack? Yang Kai’s colour switched. He initially had thought that someone was trying to drive him away from this cave to monopolize the treasures here, but at this very instant, he knew that that was not the case.
An Immortal Soul attack was something that only a cultivator at Immortal Ascension Stage could perform. No disciples that entered could have done this!
“Young boy, your willpower is impressive. Your courage also surprises me. To think that you would dare to speak in such a manner in front of this old man!” the same coarse voice trailed and moved about, disclosing no information for Yang Kai for where it may be coming from. It was almost as though the walls spoke.
“Who are you?” Yang Kai maintained his solemn look and asked.
“Who am I? I don’t remember. I’m probably the master of this place,” the coarse voice chuckled almost comically.
“You are the master of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance?” Yang Kai raised his voice to ask.
The three school’s disciples totaling over a thousand people gathered together in search of this mystical inheritance. It was said that whoever could obtain it and survive would one day be able to reach the prestigious altitude of its very master.
Yang Kai never thought that he would manage to obtain the inheritance. He only entered this place to explore and gather treasures and advantages. However, with the inheritance right up in his face, how could he not be interested?
Yang Kai felt excitement rush through his limbs, even though he wished to stay calm.
The coarse voice waited for the perfect opportunity to speak again. “That’s right. I was the one who created this place! Boy, do you want to obtain my inheritance?”
Yang Kai did not respond. Instead, he took some time to consider the proposition.
“I have been watching you and noticed that you are injured. Do you seek revenge? Do you wish to make sure that the person who injured you will be afraid of you? To know that you are no common pushover?” The coarse voice speculated. It sounded like a demon’s soothing melody playing it Yang Kai’s ears. He furrowed his brows and interrupted, “Hold on for a moment, I’m thinking!”
“You heart holds a deep hatred buried inside. A hatred others cannot see or imagine. You want to get stronger. You want to make sure that everyone who has ever looked down on you will regret their actions. Isn’t it?”
Yang Kai was trying to keep calm, but anger soon replaced it, driven and encouraged only by excitement from the thought of the sheer power he could receive. His forehead wrinkled and he looked as though he was struggling. Though what the voice said was somewhat wrong in terms of morality, it spoke correctly. Yang Kai truly felt as such deep down inside.
Yang Kai spoke in a soft but strong quivering voice, “That’s right…”
“If you wish so, just nod and this old man will give you my inheritance! Isn’t this a great opportunity for you to get back at them?” The voice continued. “Are you willing to decline such an opportunity? Just a simple nod.”
“If you let go of this chance, make sure that you will not regret it.”
The voice messages Yang Kai in consecutive pulses, causing him to feel confused as he was slowly being misled.
You could see the confusion in his eyes; as his head swayed slightly. His lips were opening and closing as though he wishes to accept this opportunity. Then, Yang Kai’s confusion turned to determination. His face now changed to that of a person who felt fear and on his forehead were droplets of cold sweat.
The opposing person with no knowledge of what Yang Kai has just done asked once again, “Well? What do you choose?”
Noticing that Yang Kai has no reaction now, the coarse voice sounded surprised, “To think you are willing to bite your own tongue to awaken yourself! What impressive willpower!”
“Who are you?! And what technique did you use to manipulate my mind just now?” Snorted Yang Kai.
“You are certainly an impressive young boy, to have been able to stay in reality. As for who I am? Who am I?”
“Even if you do not say, I know!” Yang Kai’s resolute gaze fell on the skeleton. “I have heard that cultivators of the Immortal Ascension Boundary and any above it, so long as they have developed their Divine Sense and keep it secure, they can stay alive even if their mortal bodies were to disintegrate and die. They can even seek another body to host them. You should be one of the many cultivators who died here years ago! And right now, you wish to take my body! Trying to mislead me into accepting you!” Yang Kai exclaimed with eyes full of dread.
After a moment of silence, the coarse voice laughed hysterically. “Fierce! To think some trivial young cultivator with only the strength of Initial Element Stage 7 is capable of figuring all this out! You truly are a talent worthy of praise. Even this old man admires you!”
The voice descended into one with gloom, “Do you not fear me despite this realization?”
Yang Kai gave a smile filled with ridicule. “Why should I fear you? If you had a method to control my mind with force, you would have no need for this conversation. You may have been a cultivator who exceeded my imagination, but that was before you died. Right now, you are only capable of tricks!”
“So remind me, why should I fear you?” Yang Kai derided. “On the contrary, aren’t you afraid? If I find and destroy the object that houses your Immortal Soul right now, won’t you die?”
“Young boy, aren’t you unruly?” The voice replied. “You think that I was speaking to you just to mislead you? HA HA! This old man just needs three seconds to completely erase your mind and take over your body. You won’t have a single chance to retaliate!”
Do check out the announcement that is made today!
Hearing the voice’s words, Yang Kai darkened. Without any hesitation, Yang Kai raised his fist and accelerated it towards the skeleton and shrieked, “Wishful thinking!”
How many years have passed since this man had died? When the blow Yang Kai’s fist impacted the skeleton, it effortlessly passed through its bones and shattered them into dust. Yang Kai did not waver from the seeming simplicity of the fight. Instead, he turned to be more vigilant.
“Enough. You may have been right, but you chose the wrong skeleton to attack!” The voice complacently gibed as the bead suddenly dimmed and an illusionary face emerged from the bead, brimming with Black Qi. The face looked terrifying; as though it was an evil spirit with little to no concern for life, as though it killed anything it wanted without blinking an eye.
The Immortal Soul was not inside the skeleton. It was inside the bead that created light!
Yang Kai was about to strike the menacing bead, but the new face opened its mouth as a piercing howl deafened Yang Kai. It made his mind feel like it was pierced with a million needles!
Yang Kai knew then that the skeleton did not lie. The result of the attack by the skeleton is only one piece of evidence of possibly countless more that proves his ability to forcefully take his body from him.
While the Immortal Soul continued to seep into Yang Kai’s body, he heard a maniacal laughter from his own chest.
Yang Kai’s body grew stiff and trembled with the struggle as he speedily lost control over it.
“Ha! Ignorant young boy, it was delusional to think that you can resist me. Watch as I wipe away your consciousness and occupy your body!” Chortled the invasive voice that now came from Yang Kai’s guts.
Yang Kai was startled, but he had no intention of yielding.
“Yes… Your body is, unfortunately, quite weak. I will use it to seek a better and stronger body later. Do not worry, when I have taken it from you, any hatred you may feel towards others will be settled by me. Just be obedient and stop resisting. It will save you the pain and save me the time!”
“Dream on!” Yang Kai thought.
“Why do you still revolt? It is good fortune to be liked by this old man. Why are you not content?” The face heard Yang Kai’s voice from within his heart and smiled. “Since you are not willing to concede, this old man has no choice but to erase your consciousness. You will realize how painful it is to have your consciousness wiped away. No average man can handle such pain and remain normal.”
Yang Kai’s head suddenly felt like it was hit by a sledgehammer. The pain was a million times as before. It was excruciating, so much that Yang Kai let out a shrill and ear-splitting screech! His clothes quickly turned damp from his sweat and his body convulsed like a seizure.
“Since you were who chose to suffer, you have no right to complain,” The old man snorted.
Yang Kai could feel his consciousness fade away like a waterfall flowing. His vision would flicker as he endured the pain. His eyes turned bloodshot as the boy held on, unwilling to give up.
“What?” The old man sounded off in surprise. “You are still able to resist me. How strange…”
While the old man spoke, Yang Kai could feel his own bones transmitting a warm sensation as his own Immortal Soul slowly stabilized. The pain was also greatly reduced.
Suddenly, a huge suction occurred in his mind.
“What is this?” The old man was struck by panic and squealed with confusion. “What is this?! This is not what I wanted! Nooo!”
The old man’s pitiful yell slowly fades as Yang Kai regained the senses in his mind. He could feel that something was imbued into his golden bones.
When the pain vanished and Yang Kai could feel his body again, he took a deep, long breath.
The Immortal Soul attack lasted only for ten seconds, but to Yang Kai it felt like a century. Putting up such resistance against the Immortal Soul attack only emboldened Yang Kai’s willpower.
A sad and miserable voice could be heard, and like a mouse meeting a cat, the shivering and frightened voice profusely begged for mercy.
When Yang Kai noticed the golden bones within his body, he found a face now within them, filled with nothing but fear.
“Young hero. Great young hero, this old man made a mistake. Please forgive me and let me leave and I will never do this again.” The old man sounded desperate as he pleaded. The old man did not know what happened to him, but could feel eyes filled with evil staring at him, waiting to devour him; just like how a ravenous neanderthal would stare at a delicious meal.
Yang Kai’s looked strange.
The last time he was in the Nine Yin Mountain, the golden bones absorbed half of the Nine Yin Congealing Yuan Nectar and stored it within himself, waiting to be used for when Yang Kai breaks through the True Element Boundary.
Today, the golden bones managed to absorb the old man!
Although Yang Kai knew that the golden bones were capable of absorbing energies besides Yang Attribute, he had not imagined that it was even remotely capable of absorbing others’ Immortal Soul!
The Immortal Souls of cultivators is also considered to be energy. In fact, they made almost entirely of energy. With regards to the golden bones, it should come as no surprise that such energy could be easily absorbed.
While the voice continued to beg and wail, Yang Kai revolves True Yang Secret Arts slowly. During the process, the old man began to feel his whole Immortal Soul burn with scorching, pure energy.
The old man pitifully exclaimed, “What are you doing? Stop. Please!”
Hearing a slight response from his voice, the old man knew then that Yang Kai was experimenting.
“Young Hero, please don’t do this. You will only be extinguishing my Immortal Soul…”
Yang Kai was dauntless. He continued to revolve True Yang Secret Art. As time passed, the pleading voice dwindled and became softer and weaker. The old man implored Yang Kai for the entirety of the revolving. He dared not stop, in hopes that Yang Kai would change his mind.
As he estimated, Yang Kai soon stopped revolving and returned his focus to the golden body.
“Many thanks, gracious Young Hero, for showing mercy!” The old man waited for some time to restore his Yuan Qi and shuddered with fear while expressing his gratitude.
It seems that he had become the opposite of what he was; from a robust, strong-willed man to a delicate flower; weak and fragile.
“What benefits would sparing you reap for me?” Yang Kai sniggered.
Since Yang Kai almost crossed the doorway to death, it was only fair that this Old Man experienced a taste of his own medicine.
Yang Kai did not wish to keep this old man with him. In the short amount of time they have met, Yang Kai could tell that he was as evil as the foulest demon. Yang Kai was fortunate that the old man’s strength was low; otherwise, he would have likely been dead.
The thought of absorbing and essentially devouring such an abhorrent character disgusted Yang Kai to his very core.
“Benefits? There are of course benefits!” The old man rapidly replied, knowing that his explanation was crucial.
“Speak, then,” Yang Kai calmly queried.
“I do not know what benefit this Young Hero wishes for. What do you want?” The old man poked.
“En?” Yang Kai responded, having expected a better reply.
“Young Hero, do not misunderstand! I have been dead for numerous years. Sealed in this place to only be awakened for a few days. With my extensive experience, I can certainly deliver benefits. Please, just give me a moment to recollect,” the old man corrected himself as he twitched with pangs of fear.
Yang Kai waited silently and patiently, knowing full that the old man spoke truthfully.
Moments after, the old man cried out in pleasant surprise. “Young Hero, I just remembered that at your present strength, you will need some high-level defensive Martial Skills. Please wait a moment and I’ll deliver one to you.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai straightened his body and enthusiastically promised, “I will spare your life if you bring me a satisfying Martial Skill.”
Hearing his words, the old man relaxes and quickly follows, “I will certainly make you satisfied. All the Martial Skills I know are at least of Mystery Rank.”
Yang Kai’s breathing spurred. Martial Skills were divided into ranks. From the lowest grade to the best grade: Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Mystery Grade, Spirit Grade and finally Saint Grade. Naturally, as the grade scales so does the rarity of the Martial Skill. Even in the Great Han Dynasty, there were only a handful of Mystery Ranked Martial Skills!
A few days ago, Yang Kai had risked his life with Lan Chudie, taking much time and effort to obtain an Earth Grade Martial Skill. To think they were all satisfied with the grade of their hard work. But how could an Earth Grade compare to a Mystery Grade Martial Skill?
The Old Man could see the hope and delight plastering Yang Kai’s face, and slackened. He knew that in order to live, he had to please the boy. As a few minutes passed, the Old Man spoke slowly, “The Martial Skill is called Devouring Hearts.”
Yang Kai’s raised a brow in interest.
“It is simple to cultivate this Martial Skill. Every day for a hundred days, you must eat the hearts of three children and build up the blood. You will then achieve the Small Accomplishment Stage of Devouring Hearts, but this stage is more than enough to kill enemies by bursting their blood vessels!” The old man confidently promoted.
To the old man’s dismay, however, Yang Kai’s face turned black and sour. “This skill is unacceptable!” Yang Kai cut rudely into the Old Man’s explanation, disallowing him to continue.
“Okay, there’s another Martial Skill called Fallen Red.”
Yang Kai nodded. The name of this Martial Skill was nice and poetic. It must certainly be something graceful and majestic.
The Old Man smiled. “It’s even easier to cultivate this Martial Skill. All you need to do is to mate with a virgin maiden and collect her first drop of virgin blood. As long as you can collect female blood, you can cultivate this Martial Skill in almost any setting. Furthermore, the higher the maiden’s cultivation level, the faster your cultivation. If you just accumulate the virgin blood of a hundred females, you will undoubtedly achieve the Big Accomplishment Stage! Young Hero, you are both formidable and majestic. Spending a night with 10 virgin maidens a day should be a simple task for you. In just a mere 10 days, you can reach the Big Accomplishment Stage!”
Yang Kai looked uncertain and questioned, “Isn’t this just simply gathering Yin energy to supplement the growth of Yang Energy?”
“Yes! Young Hero is clever and knowledgeable! This is gathering Yin to supplement Yang.”
“Another one!”
The old man sank but continued at the thought of his life hanging in the balance. “The next Martial Skill is called Love Fist.”
“Another one!”
“No, another!!”
The Old Man’s was perplexed. If he had hands and skin, he would be nervously wiping sweat off his forehead right now. All these Martial Skills were, astonishingly, not to the tastes of Yang Kai.
To cultivate such evil was the same as waiting to be struck by lightning!
Yang Kai felt greedy at the thought of the power of these Martial Skills, but he refused to let it drive him.
After going through so many Martial Skills, the old man felt terrified that Yang Kai was not pleased.
“Young Hero, there is one Martial Skill that I cannot remember. I’m not lying!”
“If you are only able to give me such evil Martial Skill techniques, what’s the use of keeping you alive?” Yang Kai spoke in a foreboding voice. Whatever the old man has to offer would be evil since he himself is an evil cultivator.
“Young Hero, please repress your anger. I will try my best to remember! Having just woken up caused my memory to be chaotic. I need time to recall. Just give me a little bit of time. Just a little bit more and I will be able to remember something that is satisfactory.”
“I’ll only give you one more chance, so you best make good use of it!”
“Yes. I will certainly not disappoint.”
Yang Kai did not bother to respond to the old man again. The Martial Skills would require time to practice and he was in no rush to gain another. Likewise, the Old Man was too weak to escape Yang Kai now. Thus, he had no worries and could afford to wait.
Yang Kai took out the Golden Stone Baby from his bosom and revolved his Yuan Qi to feel the golden veins within; spying on its mysteries.
To know only the Burning Sun’s Blast places Yang Kai at a disadvantage. He needed to learn more Martial Skills for a variety of attacks. While Yang Kai was recuperating, he planned on cultivating his Second Martial Skill.
He needs to strengthen himself to fend off the bullies once he leaves the cave.
Within this Golden Stone Baby were 70-80 golden veins. This is very likely to be a Heaven Grade Martial Skill, maybe even a Mystery Grade Martial Skill!
Yang Kai took the daylight to memorize all the revolutions within the Golden Stone Baby. Similar to the previous Stone Baby, the Golden Stone Baby soon turned to ash once yang Kai took back his Yuan Qi.
For the rest of the day, the Old Man racked his brain to remember. Although he had thought of some other advantages he could provide, the Old Man did not dare interrupt as Yang Kai was in deep concentration. The Old Man could only panic in silence and wait within the Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai did not bother with the Old Man as he was too busy concentrating on the Martial Skill technique he had received from the Golden Stone Baby. He sat cross-legged and revolved his True Yang Yuan Qi within his body, in accordance with the routes laid out by the Golden Stone Baby. Yet, after one revolution around his Meridians, Yang Kai had discovered that he did not experience the same sensation of discovery, unlike when he had first tried out Burning Sun’s Blast. Instead, he felt a faint backlash grazing the back of his hands, causing him to jerk in surprise.
Was the flow wrong? Yang Kai doubted.
That’s impossible. I clearly followed everything laid out by the Golden Stone baby without the slightest deviation.
Yang Kai revolves again and felt the same backlash.
What’s wrong? Isn’t this a Martial Skill? Why am I not feeling the same sensation as I did when I learned Burning Sun’s Blast?
Why does this Martial Skill seem so different from the rest?
Yang Kai thought as he inspected the mysteries surrounding this Martial Skill. He could not come up with an explanation, instead, only slowly practicing and feeling.
Yang Kai relaxed and revolved his Yuan Qi again. With each revolution, he felt the same exact backlash over and over, as though someone was beating it. However, he knew that it was harmless.
As more time was burned, Yang Kai had revolved his Yuan Qi 1000 times. On the 800th, he could felt soreness take over, but he could no longer detect the backlash.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes to look at the back of his hands, there was, shockingly, a myriad of designs. They were strange, and Yang Kai could only describe it as a starry night sky. When Yang Kai revolved his Yuan Qi, the little stars gloriously sparkled.
What’s more, Yang Kai could clearly feel an invisible space opening up below his hands.
With a Yuan Qi revolution, space opens up while the little stars on the back of his hands shine gloriously. It felt like space was for storage.
After practicing for a little while longer, Yang Kai could not imagine a useful function this Martial Skill would provide. He could not even use it to kill an ant, let alone another cultivator.
Yang Kai continued rotating his Yuan Qi. Unanticipatedly the Star Chart burst out from his hands, and his fingertips had a faint glowing light, though incomparable to the constellation on the back of his hand, which irradiated the entire cave as though it was bathing in sunlight. Yang Kai then submerged his hand into the ground, and poured his Yuan Qi into the space, causing a ferocious tremor.
Realising what he had done, Yang Kai brightened up.
Although this Martial Skill was exceptionally consuming, the eruption of power that this Martial Skill caused was definitely much more powerful than that of which is caused by an ordinary bomb explosion. It was at least twice the lethality!
Yang Kai estimated that if he did not invest as much Yuan Qi as he did, the explosion would have been much tinier.
This Martial Skill is too strange! Yang Kai’s brows creased as he tried to determine the uses of this Martial Skill.
Suddenly, from inside his body, Yang Kai could hear a cautious and flattering voice call out. “Young Hero… Young Hero…”
Yang Kai’s squinted further as he ignored the voice and focused on the Martial Skill.
“Young Hero, I think I know what that Martial Skill is capable of. Do you care to listen?”
Without an immediate response, the Old Man was forced to wait anxiously. He impatiently wished to show his value to Yang Kai to convince the boy not to eviscerate his existence.
The Old Man could tell that Yang Kai had a firm and resolute disposition that most cannot hope to compare with. Besides, Yang Kai has a tendency to hide his true intentions with a façade, which caused the Old Man to shiver in anxiousness.
Even more, time passed, then Yang Kai opened his mouth, “What do you know? Speak.”
The Old Man did not complain, as he had an opportunity presented to him. Instead, he sounded extremely grateful and promptly clarified, “I am not sure what this Martial Skill is called. However, I recall watching someone use it. When you activate it, it will open up space which you and you alone can access. I believe that the might of this Martial Skill highly depends on how much Yuan Qi is deposited into this space.”
“Young Hero, you should be able to store Yuan Qi into this space over time and use it in an appropriate situation. This Martial Skill has powerful destructive capabilities but is difficult utilise. If no Yuan Qi is stored within this space, it will be harmless. When the space is used, all Yuan Qi you have garnered in it will fuel a powerful explosion, then you will need time to refill the space to use it again.”
The old man pressed on as he noticed Yang Kai’s attentiveness. “Though this Martial Skill can, practically, be used only once every battle, it is unnecessary to continuously practice to bolster it. All you need to do is regularly store Yuan Qi and, maybe if you get caught in a desperate situation, use it. Its might and power will certainly aid you in those times.”
Once he finished, the Old Man went dead silent, so as to avoid annoying Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s lips slowly curved into a wide smile. The old man’s explanation was similar to his own conclusion. However, it was more comprehensive and in-depth, allowing the boy to gain a deeper understanding of this Martial Skill.
Instead of the usual cultivation, this Martial Skill simply required him to store Yuan Qi and use it for an explosion!
How fortunate must he be to obtain such a Martial Skill perfect for one like himself!
Yang Kai could not help but chuckle in delight. Others would need to restore their Yuan Qi through normal means. Meanwhile, Yang Kai can do it through Yang Stones and store them as Yang Liquids inside his Dantian.
“I need to investigate this Martial Skill further, so do not disturb me.” Yang Kai warned the Old Man.
“Yes… I understand…”
“What you said was not enough for me to let you live. So, continue to think of what you can offer me!”
The Old Man felt bitterness. The way Yang Kai conducts himself was no different from an old cunning fox.
How he regretted his decision for trying to steal Yang Kai. But right now, the Old Man could only sigh as Yang Kai continued to concentrate on pouring Yuan Qi into the special space.
The speed in which he poured was absurd and unscrupulous as he did not have to worry about running out of Yuan Qi.
The Old Man initially wanted to remind the boy not to consume his Yuan Qi too quickly, as it will burden his mortal body. However, after Yang Kai’s words rung in his head, the Old Man decided to not say anything.
Humph! It was you who ordered me not to disturb you. So, I will not bother to remind you!
It’s much better if your Yuan Qi depletes! Then, I will look for an opportunity to leave your damn body. Boy, you can only blame your own ignorance for what is going to happen.
If Yang Kai wishes to cultivate back every bit of Yuan Qi he spends here, it would take at least 35 days!
Right now, he has spent nearly all the Qi he had by storing it in the space.
The Old Man realized that Yang Kai was weakening and continued to wait excitedly for a golden opportunity to escape this body, but before he could even begin to plan, Yang Kai instantly recovered his Qi and vitality again!
Who would have thought Yang Kai would completely regain his Yuan Qi and vitality once it was depleted?
What happened? The Old Man nearly went insane from this strange situation. In all his years, he had never seen something like this. He felt his heart pulsate as he could not believe what he was witnessing. Was he being delusional? No, it couldn’t be. Everything was too real to be an illusion. But he clearly felt the boy exhausting his Yuan Qi! How is it possible for him to restore it in a flash? He must have misread his amount of Qi. The Old Man consoled himself while he attentively observed Yang Kai with full attention.
As even more time elapsed, the Yuan Qi within Yang Kai’s body was completely gone as the Start Chart at the back of his hand flickered.
The Old Man now pledged his own Immortal Soul that he had truly seen the boy completely deplete his own Yuan Qi. He waited for a few seconds to continue observing Yang Kai and convinced himself that he in no way mistaken. Before he could think of his next move, however, the Old Man was struck like a wooden chicken and would only stare at the scene. Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi must have been utterly exhausted, but it had restored itself again, and the old man thought he had an infinite supply of Yuan Qi!
The Old Man felt an indescribable shock. He thought that he had seen everything. It was general knowledge that the Yuan Qi within a person, regardless of their cultivation level, would at least require time to fully restore!
If everyone could restore themselves as Yang Kai did, what would happen to the world?
Just what kind of Martial Technique did this boy cultivate to go against heaven’s will?
The old man could only helplessly look at Yang Kai with dread and despair. With the ability to fully restore his Yang Qi whenever he likes, what kind of terrorist would this boy grow to be in the future? Coupled especially with the perfect Martial Skill, he could easily unleash explosion after explosion with no concern for his Yuan Qi! His battle efficiency would perhaps be greater than, if not equal to that of a hundred cultivators!
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The Old Man could not help but look up to Yang Kai.
The truth is, Yang Kai seemed to have endless Yuan Qi only because he has the ability to accumulate them.
The True Yang Secret Arts that Yang Kai cultivates and the Martial Skill that Yang Kai had just received both share similar abilities. Both are able to store an accumulated amount of Yuan Qi. True Yang Secret Art allows Yang Kai to absorb Yang Yuan Qi and turn it into Yang Liquid, storing it in his Dantian. Meanwhile, this Martial Skill allows Yang Kai to inject his Yuan Qi into a pocket of space, which can be used in the form of an explosion.
However, there are some differences between the two. In his Dantian, Yang Kai is able to store limitless amounts of Yang Liquid. Meanwhile, the space from the Star Chart on his hand was different. It had a limit.
Yang Kai spent two days converting 10 drops of Yang Liquid into Yuan Qi and injected it into the space. He could feel the saturation in it.
Once Yang Kai felt that it was enough, he began to revolve True Yang Secret Arts to restore his Yuan Qi once again. Whenever he felt the Star Chart on the back of his hand crave for more Yuan Qi, he would inject more into the space and rinse and repeat the process. It was an easy Martial Skill that took little time to master. It was the perfect Martial Skill for Yang Kai.
Two more days passed, and Yang Kai opened his eyes to find that the Star Chart now looked more lifelike. The constellations seemed as though it was real, and grew on his hand. It was now comparable to the stars of the night sky!
By simply concentrating, Yang Kai managed to make the Star Chart invisible, as it hides under his skin.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and exhaled. The Star Chart was an outstanding attention magnet. It would no doubt raise suspicions, causing potential problems. Thankfully, it is easy to conceal..
Yang Kai recalled something and asked the old man, “You said that you have seen this Martial skill before. Do you know its name?”
“I apologise for my incompetence, Young Hero, but I cannot recall”. The old man’s voice sounded as horrific as before but had a tad bit more obedience in it after two days.
Yang Kai’s eyes sparkled. Although he does not know what caused it, he could tell that the Old Man has gained a newfound respect for the boy.
“Alright. I’ll give you an opportunity. Help me give it a name.” Yang Kai remembered himself previously taking a while to decide on a name for the Burning Sun’s Blast. With the old man’s presence, why not make use of him to choose a name that may strike fear in enemies’ hearts? What’s more, the old man is seasoned. Surely, a simple task as thinking of a name is easy for him.
“Yes!” The voice that had been silent for a long time changed its tone. “Since there is a Star Chart on the back of your hand, why don’t we call it the Star Mark?”
“Star Mark… The mark of stars…” Yang Kai muttered before nodding, “Yes. Star Mark sounds good!”
The old man zealously congratulated Yang Kai. “Congratulations in mastering the Star Mark, Young Hero! With such unparalleled talents and matchless vigour, there will come a day when everyone will only look up to your figure in awe!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Humph!”
The Old Man shut up after realising that his flattery produced an undesirable effect.
“Have you thought of a means to save your life?” Yang Kai provocated.
The old man remembered how fragile his life is and petitioned, “Young Hero! If you spare me, I will certainly deliver you a sacred treasure!”
Yang Kai looked around the cave and spoke, “If you actually had a sacred treasure on you, its home would be this cave. All I have to do is to look around, meaning I don’t need you. So remind me, what is the point of keeping you alive with this information in hand? If you ask me, you living is against my personal interest. I’d rather build you up and absorb your strength.”
The old man wasted no time in begging once again for mercy, “Young Hero. Please have mercy! I will recognise you as my sole master for life! As long as you keep my Immortal Soul Brandmark on you, you can decide my death in an instant! Please! I beg of you! Show mercy, Young Hero!”
“Oh? Yang Kai’s opinion seemed to sway as he opened his mouth to answer, “How do I know if what you are saying is true?”
The Old Man made a forced smile. “I am currently trapped within your body and I have no idea how to escape. You can kill me with a snap of your fingers. Young Hero, how would I possibly dare to deceive you?”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything. Although the thought of keeping such evil around was revolting to him, he thought it’d be a waste to kill him, given his vast knowledge and extended experience.
Only because Yang Kai wished to obtain as much knowledge as he could this Old Man has, he hesitantly spared him.
Yang Kai’s silence only worsened the old man’s anxiety. He nervously spoke, “Young Hero. If you spare my life, I will show you how to use the Sacred Treasure I kept here. However, if you kill me, you will not be able to use this Sacred Treasure…”
“Why?” Yang Kai asked.
“Because my Sacred Treasure is an evil weapon! It pulls the Immortal Souls of victims when it makes contact! Young Hero, your Yuan Qi’s attribute is Yang. It is impossible for you to use it without me.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath as he responded naught once again, and a frown slowly formed over his cheeks.
The Old Man knew that the decision Yang Kai makes now would determine his life and death. Naturally, he dared not interrupt. His chances of dying were already fairly high, and he did not want to escalate it any further.
Only after a long time did Yang Kai speak again. “How do I get recognized as your master? What do I need to do?”
Instantly, the old man’s heart sank and he spoke like he was shivering in the cold, “Young Master, please relax. This old servant will enter your mind and pass to you my Immortal Soul Brandmark.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s lips curled.
The old man then elaborated, “Young Master, please understand. Even if you were in the Immortal Ascension Boundary, you do not have the means to use your own Divine Senses. I plead that Young Master believes in this Old Servant’s sincere intentions.”
“Then, hurry!” Yang Kai demanded and relaxes himself.
The Old Man stuttered in shock. As Yang Kai’s decision made him express more admiration towards the boy. If it was others, they would fear to take upon themselves such a risky endeavour. Yang Kai, however, was able to catch the bull by its horns and tame it like it was a timid little dog.
In actuality, Yang Kai did not need to feel worried at all. The last time the old man invaded his mind, he was able to prevent it by absorbing his Immortal Soul into his golden bones. If Yang Kai feels such an attack begin to occur again, he could quickly force the old man to stop by building up the Immortal Soul.
Sure enough, the old man had no evil intention in fear of Yang Kai. He submerges into the boy’s mind with a wisp of his Divine Sense, carefully and neutrally passing the boy his Immortal Soul Brandmark.
The old man then finally spoke, “Young Master, it’s done. From now on, this old servant’s life and death is all in your hands.”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and could feel a strong bond between himself and the Old Man. However, it was not a mutual relationship.Yang Kai had complete dominance over the old man.
“Do you need time to restore your Immortal Soul’s Spirit Essence?” Yang Kai asked in a gentle tone.
The Old Man replied. “After passing you my Immortal Soul Brandmark, I think I really do need to rest and replenish myself, but Young Master, you don’t have to be too worried. I will not make you lose anything. So, can you please take away your intention…?”
Yang Kai confidently grunted and spread out his intention.
In the next moment, a pitiful yell emerged. It was almost as though someone was being cooked in boiling oil.
“Young Master please forgive this Old Servant for his impudence! What I said was true!”
The Old Man kept begging for solace before Yang Kai let him off, “If you dare have any disloyal thoughts, I will torture you until you wished for death!”
“Old servant does not dare!” He sounded like he was shaking with fear. With what has happened, he has discovered that Yang Kai was a ruthless person.
After being able to completely subdue the Old Man, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
“What would I call you?” Yang Kai asked.
The Old Man hesitated, “… You can call this Old Servant anything you wish. However, I do vaguely remember others calling me the Old Demon! But, I cannot say for certain if that was my given name or not…”
Yang Kai’s forehead pressed against his brows, “Old Demon? You seriously are a devil incarnate!”
The Old Demon smiled awkwardly, “That is a thing of the past… a thing from a very long time ago. From this point onwards, this Old Servant will obey no one but your commands.”
“What about the Sacred Treasure that you’ve said?”
“Young Master, please redirect your attention to the Old Servant’s bleached bones…”
Following the Old Demon’s guidance, Yang Kai went back to the spot littered with the dust of his bones to find a piece that looked like a rib. However, this bone was entirely different from the other bones that crumbled like a cookie. This bone was jet black in colour! When Yang Kai listened closely to that very bone, he was shocked to detect a faint sound of shrieks and howls emanating from it!
“What strong Evil Qi!” Yang Kai commented.
The Old Demon explained, “This thing is called the Soul Breaker Awl. It was built up and chiselled into the Old Servant’s own bone. It has taken many lives before… so the Evil Qi is slightly overwhelming.”
“When you refined this, did you built up many Immortal Souls?” Yang Kai inquired further.
The Old Demon gave a hallowed laugh, “Young Master is wise. But because of that reason, it is not suitable for you to wield. If you were to build it up and exude your control over it, I fear that the weapons will greatly diminish in power. However, with the Old Servant’s Immortal Soul to act as a bridge for you, you do not have to worry. Unfortunately, this thing consumes much Yuan Qi and with my current strength, I will not be able to display its full might.”
The news did not perturb Yang Kai. He could tell that one day, he will be able to fully utilise this weapon with all its potential. Currently, its power was equal to that of an Earth Low Grade Attack Treasure.
“How do I use it?”
The Old Demon taught Yang Kai the methods of control and within another few days’ time, Yang Kai managed to learn how to use the Awl. Black Qi spawned out from Yang Kai’s fingertips, linking to the Soul Breaker Awl, causing it to encircle him. Yang Kai could also feel that he had a light relationship with this weapon, with the Old Demon’s Immortal Soul acting as a middleman between the both.
With a few experiments, Yang Kai felt satisfied. Although it consumed a lot of Yuan Qi due the need for it to pass through the Old Demon as a proxy, Yang Kai still managed to receive an Attack Sacred Treasure.
The Old Demon mentioned, “Young Master, if you wish to build it up thoroughly, it will require a lot more time.”
While saying his piece, the Old Demon felt extremely uneasy. He still fears annoying Yang Kai.
“I do not intend to fully build it up. It will be controlled by you.”
“Many thanks, Young Master!” The Old Demon gratefully replied.
Yang Kai did not wish to waste time to build up the Soul Breaker Awl. After all, he could already use the Old Demon to control it. Why would he need to waste any more time to build it up? The Old Demon’s life is his, anyway.
Strings of black gas oozed from Yang Kai’s fingertips and moved towards the Soul Breaker Awl. It was none other than the Old Demon, placing his Immortal Soul within the Soul Breaker Awl.
Yang Kai then took a look around the place again and expressed some disappointment, “You only have this one Sacred Treasure?”
The boy knew that the Old Demon was a high-level cultivator in his life before death. For such cultivators, there was almost no chance for them to have only one Sacred Treasure.
The Old Demon forced a smile, “Young Master, you know that this place previously had a war that changed everything. When I was involved in the fight, all my other items were completely destroyed. The only thing that I could salvage was this Soul Breaker Awl…”
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“A War?” Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. “Tell me more.”
“Yes!”
The Old Demon narrated as Yang Kai listened, working the cogs in his brain to link together different chunks of information and history like a crossword puzzle.
Although the Old Demon could not recount much as all his memories were still fragmented, the data he did contribute into the pool of remembrance was proof enough of his involvement in the war. What’s even more interesting was the fact that it was a war dictating an army against just two people, a man and a woman! Although the couple died in battle, they still decimated the majority of ranks of the opposing cultivators.
“…Old Servant flees with a fatal wound from the battle. Unfortunately, I was unable to recuperate and I died here…” The Old Demon’s voice seemed to be both hesitant and terrified.
“Do you remember anything else?”
“There was a dragon and a phoenix! When they both combine and complement each other, their might surpasses all imagination. It was because of their attack, that the Old Servant fell…”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He recalled that a few days ago, above the entrance of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, there was a dragon and phoenix encircling the sky.
The Old Demon silenced himself and seemed frightened.
“So, according to you, this place wasn’t made to contain your inheritance.” Yang Kai wanted to reaffirm.
“Young Master, please calm down. Earlier on, I was thoughtlessly speaking. However, I truly possess an Inheritance. If the Young Master wishes, I will be glad to pass it to you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no interest in it.”
The Old Demon was disconcerted with Yang Kai’s reply. Although his status in life was still a blur to himself, he knew that he was at least a ludicrously high levelled cultivator. It was, in fact, normal to him for cultivators to wish to be taken under his wing, but in the eyes of Yang Kai, he was nothing.
[Yeah… it’s true that once a phoenix loses its fire, it turns into a chicken…] The Old Demon sobbed.
The bead that accompanied the Old Demon’s now crumbled skeleton had also turned useless. It would disintegrate easier than the bones did should anything even graze its surface.
Having looked around the cave again, Yang Kai did not discover anything else. With a sigh, the boy decided to leave the place.
Since this place had been his home for some time, he could not assess what was happening within the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. How much treasure was left for him would now depend on luck.
Before arriving at the sealed stone gate, the Old Man had taught Yang Kai the technique unseal it. As the gate was removed, a sudden ray of light, alternating between red and white launches at him.
Yang Kai’s demeanour changes as his instinct makes him launch his fist against the bolt. [Who is attacking me?!]
Instead of blindly following its given path, the bolt seemed to have some form of awareness and dodged the boy’s futile attack. It quickly flew around his arc of attack in an attempt to close distance.
Immediately, Yang Kai retreated. He anxiously readied his other hand to grasp the flare.
Yang Kai, readier than ever then manages to grab the unknown matter, but his face showed not victory but confusion.
The thing that flew towards him was not an attack. At this point in time, it was struggling to escape his palm like a worm.
When the boy first felt the thing on his hand, he had doubts. Bashfully, he opened his palm slightly to get a closer look. This thing turned out, oddly enough, to be a ginseng that had the shape of a human! The ginseng was strange to look at, with red and white each occupying half of it, like it was celebrating a wedding and mourning at a funeral at the same time. When Yang Kai inspected the energy within it, he could sense two different types of energy. The red energy was burning hot while the white was cold. Both energies are of two different worlds, but they seemed to perfectly coexist within the ginseng. It seemed nothing short of magical.
It continued to wiggle and strain to escape Yang Kai’s hand, but to no avail.
“Yin Yang Monster Ginseng!” the Old Demon screamed in shock.
“You recognise this thing?” Yang Kai asked.
“It is a wonderful treasure! This is a Mystery High-Grade Sacred Treasure!” The Old Demon shouted in enthusiasm for the first time, startling Yang Kai.
Before Yang Kai could inquire further, he heard footsteps ahead of him.
“There are some people here!” Yang Kai looked intensely in the direction of the footsteps and tightened his grip on the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng.
When Yang Kai pocketed the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, it stopped struggling and grew docile.
As Yang Kai prepared for the worst, he could hear a familiar voice, “Elder sister, did it really run into this cave?”
A female voice replied, “Em, it definitely snuck inside. If it hadn’t I wouldn’t have bothered entering this place.”
The two voices hardly sounded different but one was gentler and charming, giving a person a sense of comfort.
Yang Kai’s squinted his eyes. He did not anticipate meeting those two here.
“Wow! There are many different types of herbs here!”
“Yeah… but let’s not harvest them first. We should look if there’s any danger inside.”
The sisters moved closer and closer to Yang Kai. He did not avoid them but instead started walking forward to greet them.
“Who’s there?”
Yang Kai coughed, “we meet again…”
After hearing Yang Kai, the gentler voiced person took a step back in surprise. “Yang Kai?!”
“Lady Mei’er!” Yang Kai gave a slight bow and turned his attention to the other girl, “Lady Jiao’er, long time no see.”
The two girls were none other than Blood Battle Gang’s top beauties, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er!
Hu Jiao Er frowned at meeting Yang Kai. “Brat! To think that I would meet you here!”
The previous time, Yang Kai had felt up both sisters’ buttocks to compare their sizes, to which Hu Jiao Er took to heart.
Hu Mei Er was more surprised than anything jumping to question, “Why are you here?”
“I actually found this place accidentally.” Yang Kai did not wish to inform them of the events that transpired.
During the chat, the two sisters walked closer to the boy, as Hu Jiao Er stared at Yang Kai indifferently, throwing out her chest and raising her hind legs.
The Old Demon quickly spoke to Yang Kai, “To think that in this world, there would be two girls who look so similar but aren’t twins! Young Master, if you cultivate the Fallen Red with these two, it’d be half the work for twice the results!”
“You! Shut up!” Yang Kai shut out the thought.
The Old Demon was put in his place, daring to utter nothing but a quiet sigh.
“Did you anything enter just moments ago?” Hu Mei Er opened her mouth to ask.
Having eavesdropped on their conversation, Yang Kai knew Hu Mei Er was referring to the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng. The boy did not try to conceal the fact and nodded, “Yeah I’ve seen it.”
“Where is it?” Hu Jiao Er hastily asked.
Yang Kai points to his chest as the two sisters widened their eyes in surprise. “Did you actually manage to collect it?” Hu Jiao Er probed.
“Yeah, although I’m not sure why. Once it was placed on my chest, it became incredibly docile.”
Hu Jiao Er’s chest puffed and puffed as she took deep breaths trying to calm herself down.
The two sisters had actually been pursuing that thing for days, scaling several mountains braving the wilderness to finally end up in this cave, just to have Yang Kai receive it without putting in a lick of effort!
How unlucky it was for the sisters! Hu Jiao Er nipped on her lips. She considered taking the Ginseng by force but decided otherwise due to her sister’s presence. For some reason, her sister felt guilt towards Yang Kai, so she would interject should she start a fight.
“Make sure you keep it safe.” Hu Mei Er felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her chest.
“What’s so good about this brat?” Hu Jiao Er sized up Yang Kai and suddenly asked with disbelief. “You are already in Initial Element Stage 7?”
Hu Jiao Er’s face was riddled with shock. The last time they met, Yang Kai was still in the Tempered Body Boundary. How is it possible to break through to Initial Element Stage 7 within such a short span of time? Even if he had some fortuitous encounter here, isn’t this too huge a jump of cultivation level?
Hu Mei Er is only in Initial Element Stage 2!
“Compared to Lady Jiao Er, what is a mere Initial Element Stage 7?” Yang Kai was amazed by the magnanimity of the two girls. It was strange that they did not ask for the Ginseng from him.
Hu Jiao Er snorted to show her displeasure towards Yang Kai.
“Since there are so many different types of herbs here, don’t hesitate to collect them.” Yang Kai did not wish to owe them any favours. The value of the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was definitely much higher than any herb found within the cave. It was only fair for them that Yang Kai to let them have all the herbs they want, since he had accidentally taken the Ginseng from them.
“Like I need you to tell me that!” Hu Jiao Er stared knife and daggers towards Yang Kai.
“Elder Sister!” Hu Mei Er knew her elder sister’s irritation towards Yang Kai and shook her arm.
“Fine… I understand…” Hu Jiao Er helplessly replied as she surveyed the area. She reached the dead end of the cave entered shortly and decided to mention, “For the past few days, both of us have climbed countless mountains in chase of that thing. Right now, we must rest and recuperate. So you, help guard the place.”
“ I understand.” Yang Kai nodded his head.
The two sisters then walked hand in hand, towards the end of the cave. While they were walking, Hu Mei Er looked back with a smile, trying to apologize for her sister’s behavior.
When they arrived saw the Old Demon’s bleached bones, their face was filled with surprise. Simultaneously, the two sisters looked towards their left. They looked at each other and winked.
Yang Kai noticed the wink and was puzzled at what they had discovered. He could not see what they saw.
“What are you two looking at?” Yang Kai could not help but ask. He wondered what had caught their attention.
The two girls did not respond as their minds were immersed in something.
Yang Kai’s felt frustrated by the lack of knowledge.
After half a day, the two sisters sat down cross-legged and began their meditation. They closed their eyes and began meditating.
When Yang Kai looked, he thought that he was starting to see things. He saw one person, then two people.
The boy shook his head in surprise, rubbing his eyes and clearing his vision. Meanwhile, the Old Demon gave his observation, “Perhaps, this is their opportunity…”
“Will they succeed?”
“It depends on them… I cannot tell…”
“That isn’t the inheritance you left behind, is it?” Yang Kai held his breath.
“Of course not.”
The whole situation was strange, but since they have discovered something, Yang Kai could not leave them alone while they meditated. Since they were somewhat considered friends of his, he could only stand by the entrance and calmly wait for them to finish.
After guarding the two sisters for three days, the cave end where they sat suddenly had an eruption of bright lights. Two golden lights on top of the sisters’ heads vanished from sight. Meanwhile, the Yuan Qi from their body started to revolve in unison, causing the cave walls to hum.
Yang Kai looked at the two. Their Yuan Qi seemed as one. A line of light connected between Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er. Gradually, their Yuan Qi balanced out.
Over time, the Yuan Qi subsided, returning the cave back to its tranquil state.
The two sisters simultaneously took deep breaths and opened their eyes at the same time. Their two pupils looked towards each other, unable to hide their surprise.
“Congratulations.” Yang Kai spoke out. He had defended the two girls for three days now and still could not figure out how they obtained the inheritance left here. The only thing he knew was that this inheritance did not belong to Old Demon.
According to the Old Demon, the war had caused countless high cultivation levelled experts to fall. Hence, the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance should have more than one type of inheritance. It was The Hu sisters’ luck that they were able to obtain one of them.
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, the two girls turned their heads at the same time to look at him and said with almost exactly the same voice, “Thanks!”
After both of them spoke, they each looked at each other and pursed their lips into a smile.
Yang Kai seemed confused as he looked at the two beauties before him. He couldn’t tell which sister was which. It was as though the two turned into duplicates, without a single sliver of difference.
“Can you guess who I am?” the woman on the left spoke with a smile as her eyes twinkled with complacency and cunningness.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Lady Jiao Er.”
The woman’s playful smile fell apart almost instantly. “Did you blindly guess?”
“Lady Mei Er would never ask me this sort of question.” Yang Kai replied.
Hu Jiao Er pouted, “It seems as though you understand my little sister very well.”
On hearing what he said, Hu Mei Er’s cheeks flushed with red as she avoided eye contact with Yang Kai.
Hu Jiao Er’s smile reappeared and she resumed to speak, “I really have to thank you for allowing us this opportunity.”
Yang Kai had defended the sisters for the entire time their minds were completely indisposed. If Yang Kai wished to do anything to them, he would have been able to get away with it. Instead, Yang Kai had dutifully stood guard for three whole days, making sure not to disturb them. His actions only made Hu Jiao Er admire rather than spite him.
Hu Jiao Er thought that maybe Yang Kai isn’t as bad as she thought.
“Don’t worry about it. We should leave.” Yang Kai had been wanting to exit since three days ago, but was delayed by the two sisters. Protecting them only made him more impatient to leave.
The two sisters simultaneously nodded and stood up.
As the three ambered slowly to the exit, the sisters would pick as many herbs as they could. Yang Kai kept to his word and did not take a single one. Having the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was more than sufficient for him.
During the three days, Yang Kai had inquired about the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng. He found out that the Ginseng was extremely helpful for his cultivation. Due to its speciality in containing both Yin and Yang Qi, the Ginseng could actually be used for Alchemy. However, it was most efficient to use it to promote one’s cultivation. Unfortunately, Yang Kai would need to find a female cultivator who cultivates Yin and marry her to share and fully utilise the Ginseng’s drug efficacy.
When Yang Kai is in love and cultivates with this female, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng would separate its two energies and enter their bodies. As their hearts become one, they would both simultaneously rise in cultivation together.
The unfortunate part is having to search for such a girl to cultivate with.
The only reason why the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng is labeled as a Mystery Rank is the difficulty in finding an opportunity to cultivate with another partner who fits the requirements. If the two cultivators manage to meet these conditions, the real value of this herb cannot even be calculated.
Since the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng contains Yin and Yang energy, it was naturally attracted to sources of said energy. As such, it was attracted to Yang Kai, who practices the True Yang Secret Art.
In those three days, Yang Kai had fed 1 drop of his Yang Liquid to the Ginseng. Tasting the Yang Drop gave the Ginseng a look of enjoyment. It was then attracted to him more than ever, like a magnet to steel.
After picking the herbs, the Hu sisters discussed a little and presented half of their harvest to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately rejected, “I took your stuff. It is only fair that you take all of this in penance.”
Hu Jiao Er smiled at him. “Silly boy. Knock it off. Who said it was yours?”
Yang Kai smiled back. “Can you two ladies tell me how it is like outside?”
Yang Kai had been stuck here for quite some time knew nothing of the situation outside. Out of curiosity and precaution, he had to ask.
“Do not call me lady. You sound so strange.” Hu Jiao Er knitted her brows, “We both have names. Call us Jiao Er and Mei Er. If you feel a little sorry for your actions, you can address me as sister Jiao Er.”
Yang Kai nods, “I think calling you by your name will be better.”
Hu Jiao Er puffed a little in fickle anger in her eyes and changed the topic, “Let’s start moving. We can chat while we walk.”
The three conversed while they strolled, giving Yang Kai an idea of the atmosphere outside.
Although all three disciples began in different positions, in the time that has passed, they have managed to travel to the center.
Some people have obtained benefits, but many others have died.
The three school disciples all united their strengths under the top disciples to fight a few powerful Monster Beasts around. There were 9 Monster Beasts in total and each has achieved the cultivation level of 6th step/realm. It was fortunate that these Monster Beasts had only just awoken from their slumber and were weakened. Otherwise, the price to take them down would have been much higher, leading to more deaths.
The Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was actually one of the treasures that the Monster Beasts protected. It was capable of sensing trouble and escaped, only to be pursued by the Hu sisters and finally settling its home in Yang Kai.
“Before we left, we managed to kill 8 of the 9 Monster Beasts. The last one is the strongest. It is probably in 6th step/realm peak. Temporarily, nobody has dared to engage it.” Hu Jiao Er smiled. “Just for the treasures that were protected by these Monster Beast, many disciples have gone practically insane.”
Hu Mei Er fiercely nodded in agreement, “Yes. I never knew of such people, who were able to steal things so easily…”
The three continued to chat as they slowly paced out of the cave.
When they exited, a ferocious roar could be heard from far, causing a small, insignificant quake. The three were stolen from their conversation and seriousness overtook their faces.
“Which brave idiot provoked it?” Hu Jiao Er sighed.
According to her, this Monster Beast was in the 6th step/realm peak. That is equivalent to an Immortal Ascension Boundary Peak cultivator! Even if it had been sealed for thousands of years, it was a far cry from what the school disciples could handle.
When the three school disciples united to eliminate the other 8 Monster Beasts, it cost them heavy numbers. Now, provoking such a powerhouse was going to be a much bigger massacre!
“I’m going to take a look!” Yang Kai’s vision quickly moves to the direction of the roar and ran with his quickest speed.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er were a little slower to react but they launched forward right behind Yang Kai.
The two sisters were unable to keep up with Yang Kai!
When Yang Kai turned around to check on the two sisters, he was surprised. He discovered that both of them were breathing in at the same time. Moreover, Hu Mei Er had no problems keeping up with Hu Jiao Er, who had problems running though she had asthma.
Yang Kai questioned, [Just what kind of inheritance did they obtain to cause such an effect?]
Yang Kai stared at the woman on the left for a long amount of time, turning her red, “What are you staring at me for?”
“Are you Jiao Er or Mei Er?” Yang Kai asked as he could not distinguish between the two sisters at all.
The beauty chuckled, “I’m Mei Er.”
The other beauty quickly interrupted, “No, I am Mei Er. Elder sister, please do not lie right now. We don’t need any more trouble.”
“Who are you calling elder sister? You are the elder sister!” the woman on the left anxiously asked.
“Please elder sister, he cannot recognize us.”
“I’m not the one misleading anyone, elder sister!”
Yang Kai felt dizzy from the confusion.
The two sisters look at Yang Kai and laughed together, which made him realize that he was being taken for a fool.
“We were just joking. You aren’t angry right?” Yang Kai could not tell which sister was speaking.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not.”
“Then why the long face? Give us a smile.”
Yang Kai coughed and looked away, ignoring the two sisters.
After a few kilometers of running, the three had finally arrived close to the source of the roar. They looked at the Monster Beast and were dumbfounded, freezing on the spot as if a blizzard swept through them.
At a viewable proximity, it was a Giant Tortoise Monster Beast, about a hundred meters in length. Its body was comparable to that of a hill. As it walked, each step was nothing less than a stomped and caused the ground to shiver. Its carapace had deep outlines, highlighting its thick, impenetrable figure. Its tail was long and widened towards the tip, looking like a gigantic hammer. Although it was not very fast, each step it took covered a lot of ground. With its sheer size and incomparable power, a swing of its tail was enough to produce a strong gale of wind.
Whoosh! The sound of movement was constant as more than a hundred disciples were in mid-air, attacking the Monster Beast, but even with the endless barrage, it remained indomitable. With its unrestrainable power, each attack and roar made the disciples terror-stricken.
When Yang Kai looked up into the sky, he recognised many of the disciples.
Su Yan, Xie Hongchen, Lan Chudie and many other familiar faces were all grouped together, flying up in the sky. These people were all High Heaven Pavilion disciples!
Meanwhile, Blood Battle Gang and Storm House disciples were all watching the battle unfold by the side, eyes filled with pleasure.
Although Su Yan was the strongest in High Heaven Pavilion, she was unable to afflict any damage on the Monster Beast. As each movement she made was followed by wind and snow, she could only slow down the Monster Beast with her Cold Yin Yuan Qi, so as to prevent more casualties in the High Heaven Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the defence of this Monster Beast was too strong. Covered by an almost impenetrable hard tortoise shell and thick, resistant skin, it was similar to a walking Defensive Sacred Treasure. Although it was sluggish, anyone under Immortal Ascension had no chance against it.
On the field, there were numerous corpses. It could easily be deduced that they were High Heaven Pavilion disciples.
“To think that the High Heaven Pavilion would actually dare to provoke it.” Hu Jiao Er’s brows wrinkled. “However, it can’t be Su Yan who did it. She is not that stupid.”
Meanwhile, a youth was running towards the two girls, his eyes filled with affection. However, his brows immediately wrinkled once he spotted Yang Kai mixed with them.
“Jiao Er?” the youth came to a halt as he looked for Jiao Er amongst the party of three.
“Long Jun. What happened here?” the real Jiao Er opened her mouth to ask.
Long Jun did not hide his glee in watching other’s misfortune. “That idiot actually dared to gather a group of people to steal the treasure that Monster Beast was guarding while it was still asleep. They did not seem to care or think that they would come back with many dead.”
Yang Kai immediately asked, “What did Xie Hong Chen obtain?”
If that Xie Hong Chen did not obtain anything, why would that Monster Beast bother chasing him down?
Long Jun looked towards Yang Kai and couldn’t bear but to speak to assert his authority, “And who are you?”
Hu Jiao Er immediately rolled her eyes. “Just answer him. I would like to know too.”
Long Jun restrained himself. “I am not exactly sure what he took. According to the man himself, he does not have anything on him.”
Hu Jiao Er responded in disbelief, “It is impossible that he did not steal anything! It only looks to draw his blood, how is it possible that he does not possess anything the Monster Beast seeks?”
Long Jun bowed slightly. “I agree. However, since Xie Hong Chen refuses to hand it over, High Heaven Pavilion can only face the Monster Beast’s anger. It is only because Su Yan intervened and is slowing down the Monster Beast right now, otherwise I estimate that many of them would be dead by now.”
Mei Er snorted, showing her despise for Xie Hong Chen. “To think that he would be able to hide behind a woman and use her as a shelter. Despicable!”
“I concur wholeheartedly.” Long Jun nods continuously. “Storm House’s Fang Zi Ji and I actually wish to help High Heaven Pavilion, but we cannot support Xie Hong Chen knowing his deeds.”
In reality, the two sects do not wish to be involved in the fight. Even Su Yan could do nothing but slow the Monster Beast down. The others would contribute very little if they jumped in the fray.
Not to mention, why should they aid Xie Hong Cheng to protect what he had obtained? It was he who provoked the Monster Beast, so this is his responsibility.
They can surely help when all’s said and done, but only on the condition that Xie Hong Chen delivers to them what he obtained!
Another reason as to why the two sects have not made any moves was to make sure that High Heaven Pavilion was in a direr situation. Once they are desperate, giving up what Xie Hong Chen is hoarding would be such a small price to pay to save what little they have left.
Yang Kai’s gaze was fixed onto Su Yan. She was pale and looked exhausted as she had consumed a lot of her Yuan Qi, but with several High Heaven Pavilion disciples fighting alongside her, how could she possibly retreat and abandon them? It would only mean the doubtless deaths of dozens of High Heaven Pavilion disciples.
The only reason that some of them are still alive is because of her slow.
Ice seemed to conjure out of thin air as Su Yan danced around gracefully like a butterfly. In a flash, flowers made of ice shot towards the Monster Beast and grew on its flesh. Those attacks lowered the surrounding temperature, causing a layer of ice to form on the Monster Beast, further slowing it down.
Meanwhile, countless fireball attacks were pelting the giant tortoise’s shell, but to no avail.
“Xie Hong Chen! I ask you one last time! What did you take?” Su Yan’s beautiful eyes stared at the tortoise, unwilling to let her concentration wander.
Hearing her ice-cold words made Xie Hong Chen tremble in fright. He had enraged Su Yan.
Su Yan never loses her temper, but this time was vastly different. In front of her were numerous High Heaven Pavilion disciples, killed for absolutely nothing. As the most senior apprentice of the sect, how could she remain uncaring?
Xie Hong Chen hesitated. His face was filled with fear and panic. He quickly snapped out of it and said, “Su Yan. Why do you also suspect me? If I did take anything, how is it possible for me to keep it from you?”
Su Yan burned with hatred and loathing. With her sharp voice, she yelled, “High Heaven Pavilion Disciples fall back!”
There was no point sieging the tortoise. They could only escape. None of them could tell if the Monster Beast would pursue them, but their of surviving would drastically increase by retreating.
With Su Yan’s command, many High Heaven Pavilion Disciples scattered for their lives, fleeing from the Monster Beast.
The bolts and attacks that shot around the sky started to fade along with the number of people. A few remained to hold the tortoise off.
Su Yan aggressively repeated herself, “Go! Now!”
As she yelled, the layer of ice that covered the Monster Beast exploded. With the shackle now taken off, the Monster Beast restored its agility once more, regardless of how little it may be.
Its giant tail swept across the sky towards the High Heaven Pavilion Disciples who persisted in battle. A few were hit square in the body, resulting in bursts of viscera and red. The lucky ones the tail missed were swept with the wind current it caused, causing them to lose their balance and fall.
The Tortoise gave out a ferocious roar, as its eyes turned to Su Yan and charged forward.
Su Yan did not falter and kept slowing it down. Naturally, it would be irritated by her and prioritised killing her first.
Su Yan moved both of her hands and drew peculiar hand signs, chilling everything that surrounded her. It was as if the entire world entered an ice age. An icy blue hue replaced the heat as the ground was laminated with frost and snow started falling from the clouds.
Everyone was now watching Su Yan. At this moment, her pale cheek turned ruddy again, as she now looked like a floating fairy maiden. It was as though she was a being that descended from the heavens, untouchable and unattainable by the mortal world.
The Tortoise gave another loud, intimidating roar and dashed forward. The distance between the two rapidly closed up but Su Yan remained unfettered.
The coldness that spread the landscape was now gathering on Su Yan, as a huge pure form appeared behind her. The form was like a much bigger version of Su Yan; in fact, several times larger than her.
This almost ethereal form wore white, which highlighted its exquisite and graceful body. It was womanly, seemingly capable of causing the downfalls of nations. Each of its features was enlarged by the same ratio, without the slightest defect. It was so beautiful that it could suck the souls out of people.
The huge frozen body shot its eyes open, encasing the area in frost once again. This time, it was much colder. Those who watched could feel their body freeze up as shivers took control of their senses.
With a wave of her hand, Su Yan made the menacing frozen form fly forward towards the Monster Beast. When the two beings collided, the frozen body entered the Monster Beast. Almost immediately, another layer of ice started to form on the Monster Beast’s skin. This time, it was much thicker. Its limbs quickly froze as it slowly came to a stop.
Blood started to appear around Su Yan’s lips. She had consumed a precariously excessive amount of Yuan Qi. Her slender body started to sway in midair as she tried to resist falling, but her efforts to stay were in vain.
Although the Monster Beast could no longer move, its inertia caused it to continue moving towards Su Yan. Its sheer size made it impossible to stop their collision.
Su Yan watched helpless as the Monster Beast approach her. As she fell, her initial emotions faded. She could only feel a lingering regret.
Suddenly, people started to scream.
The cultivators who observed the magical altercation had only just reawoken from being stunned by awe in seeing a goddess, but Su Yan was now going to fall to her death and perish.
While the cultivators screamed, a small figure was darting towards to Su Yan. As the person ran, a small trail of fire emerged in his footsteps
The figure burst into a ball of flame as he turned into a red flash of light with his ever more increasing speed.
The youth ran directly under Su Yan, to where she would land. He jumped up, and with his two arms, caught the falling goddess. When the youth landed back on the ground, he bent his back and his knees to make it as soft a landing as possible. With haste he brought the goddess to safety, leaving the Monster Beast behind him.
In that moment, time didn’t seem to move.
Several hundred people were still vacant and shocked. There were still screams echoing in the battle’s wake.
For now, a shadowy figure engulfed in red can be seen dashing at high speed. The figure left a trail so obvious that his start point and path of travel could be deduced, from where he stood to where Su Yan was falling.
The huge Monster Beast was still sliding fast from inertia. A few feet from it, a man and a woman could be seen in each other’s arms, as though they planned to stay together through life and death.
In that instant, Yang Kai and Su Yan’s eyes met.
Su Yan looked with terror, but in eyes of Yang Kai there was sadness, as if he took pity on her.
That kind of look gave Su Yan an undescribable, unfamiliar feeling. No one has ever looked at her like that. It was always an elder who looked with respect, her colleagues and friends with admiration, her juniors and disciple with respect and worship and perhaps, a few others who stared with envy.
But this pitying and sad look, it was actually the first ever for Su Yan.
She is so beautiful and talented that no one has ever found the need to look at her the way Yang Kai does right now.
Why is he taking pity on me? Why does he look so sad? Those eyes were like a needle, piercing Su Yan’s heart and mind, still feeble from the aftermath of her move. She felt unbearable pain.
And yet, she could feel why he would look that way.
Her focused changed, and she noticed how warm and comfortable she felt. The body of the one who held her is very warm. It has been a very long time since she last felt like this. She cultivated Ice Heart Secret Art which froze her heart and mind to all emotions. In her world, everything is frozen. There was nothing else there but the cold for any of the damned who would find himself there.
Warmth and cold are opposite elements, they repel each other. She should loathe this feeling but why does she feel the most comfortable in a long time? She wanted to forget everything in the warmth. She laid in his arms and thought that even if seas were to dry and mountains were to crumble, or even if the sky fell, she would never want to leave the mysterious person’s embrace.
Su Yan couldn’t help but hug him tightly again.
As people came back to reality, time moved once again.
“It’s Yang Kai!” Hu Jiao Er called out snappily. She didn’t notice that it was Yang Kai who moved to catch Su Yan. She was too shocked by the method he used. When she came out of her trance, Yang Kai was no longer by her side.
Hu Mei Er covered her mouth in shock. With shivering eyes as she looked upon the turtle Monster Beast, she could not see straight from fright.
“He is seeking death!” Long Jun commented loudly.
Yang Kai’s back was hit by the frozen turtle Monster Beast. Yang Kai tried to dodge as he was far from being able to follow up with Su Yan and continue attacking the beast, but he could not evade it even if he wanted to. His strength was still not up to par.
When the turtle Monster Beast and Yang Kai were about to collide with each other, Yang Kai bent his back like a bow and took advantage of this opportunity to face forward to draw support to reduce as much damage as he could like a cushion.
Inevitably, Yang Kai and Su Yan crashed with the turtle’s chest and were sent flying dozens of feet. As they rolled from the impact of the landing, they still held each other tumbling and bumping until they came to a stop.
Yang Kai was in a bad position. His face was pale white, but Su Yan, who remained in his arms was unharmed. Only her clothes and hair were dishevelled.
Yang Kai lost all of his strength and spat blood onto Su Yan’s chest.
Su Yan’s eyes quivered. There were mighty waves filling her inner emotions and this movement was something she could not calm. She slowly and gently placed her left hand on Yang Kai’s forehead, to stroke and to comfort him as they both laid motionless.
Yang Kai protected her with his own body when they tumbled. Almost all of the impact was absorbed by him. She remained unscathed and untouched.
The frozen Monster Beast slid along the ground, making a screech like scratching glass with a sharp object, leaving a deep mark. It then gradually came to a stop, not too far from Yang Kai and Su Yan.
The world became deadly quiet. Everyone muttered nothing. They looked at where Yang Kai and Su Yan were, witnessing a tired and
hurt couple embracing.
If it was somewhere else it would have caused public criticism and jealousy.
Who dares to be intimate with Su Yan? Every inch of her flesh is sacred and noble. A common person can only look but never touch.
But right now, not only is a man is hugging her, he is also burying his head in her chest, smelling and touching her soft and fragrant body.
Even with all of that going on, nobody thought of it as improper. Could you be angry at a dead person?
Is there any use in being mad at the deceased? He sacrificed his life to protect Su Yan. He could have enjoyed paradise instead of dying.
Everyone had little doubt that Yang Kai had died under the direct impact of such force.
Only Xie Hongchen’s eyes turned after seeing this.
The last time he saw Yang Kai holding hands with Su Yan he almost went mad with jealousy. That is a scene that he cannot forget, like a nightmare. Remembering it is akin to a hot knife cutting through his skin. But now, this person has crossed the line in making a move on her in front of so many people. How could he be expected to endure this?
The sight of them made his emotional floodgate open and reveal all his resentfulness and anger as he huffed like an angry bull, losing all sense of reason. He glared lividly at Yang Kai, full of murderous intent from the bottom of his heart.
Su Yan who is lied under Yang Kai, both a thousand feet away from Xie Hongchen, lifts her eyes slowly and looks at him with an ice-cold look.
Xie Hongchen twitched at her stare and pulled himself together. He turned his gaze to the floor as he was filled with chagrin and remorse.
If he had been bold instead and rescued Su Yan, he would have been the one enjoying all of this, wouldn’t he? He was much stronger than Yang Kai, meaning he would have likely avoided death should the turtle Monster Beast collide with him.
If all he had to do was to get severely injured to receive Su Yan’s favour, he would have looked like a winner as Yang Kai does right now.
So, why? Why is it that at that moment he was unable to react? Why was he so immersed in Su Yan’s illusionary shadow, neglecting her crises? Why was Yang Kai not immersed himself?
He missed such a great but unexpected opportunity… He missed it!
A strong wind blew and the world stayed silent.
Su Yan’s beautiful hair swayed in the win. Yang Kai’s clothes fluttered, too.
None dared to go forward. Everyone stood in their places like statues.
Su Yan looked up towards the chaotic sky. A gentle sound came from her mouth, a singing that could not be heard by anyone but Yang Kai.
The singing voice had a trace of longing for a person she yearned for. Her hands continued to pat Yang Kai’s head like a loving mother, like she was fulfilling her duty to coax her child to sleep in peace.
Nearby, the giant turtle Monster Beast raised a forelimb, a ferocious expression frozen and framed in ice as if he was getting ready to turn Yang Kai and Su Yan into little more than a bloody pulp.
The song was like a picturesque story of a tragedy suffered by a beautiful but bleak woman.
As the song ended, Su Yan stopped and exhaled. The wind blows apart Yang Kai’s fringe as Su Yan says in a soft voice, ”Let’s get up.”
“What song is that?” Yang Kai asked in a soft and a weak voice still staying motionless in the same spot.
Su Yan remained silent for a long time, then slowly replied, “I don’t know, it is a song from my memories.”
“It’s a good song.” Yang Kai sat up slowly. The corner of his mouth was still dripping with blood, face still pale and body still shivering as he supports himself with a little strength.
Su Yan looked at him lightly as a variety emotions which welled up in her settled down and vanished, leaving behind only coldness.
Yang Kai sighed. He knows that Elder Sister forcefully suppresses emotions in her heart, making her tranquil like a frozen lake.
He puts out a hand to ask for her support. Su Yan helps Yang Kai with her strength and both of them got on their feet.
Su Yan was covered in dust, her hair ruffled. But she still gave out a sacred aura and hasn’t lost her imposing manner.
“How is this possible?” People called out in alarm. Everyone looked at the pale young boy with disbelief.
The person who they thought had just died, is now standing like it was nothing, though he was clearly injured. Though he seemed frail and miserable, his life was no longer in danger.
Is his body made of iron or something similar? He bore that enormous hit and still lived. How is that possible? On the side of the Bloody Battle Gang, Long Jun’s jaw was wide open. The shock robbed his speech away from him.
Even Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er could not calm down; they were taking deep heavy breaths. Hu Mei Er was hanging a wide, light smile like a heavy load was been lifted off her chest. The corner of her eyes glittered with her tears while she muttered to herself quietly, “Good, good.” In saying this, she covered her mouth and sobbed.
Hu Jiao Er who was also staring at the pair hurriedly lifted her hand to her own tears.
What is going on with her? Hu Jiao Er was startled. Yang Kai was no longer repugnant to him, but for a moment there was a sharp pain in her heart. But Hu Jiao Er also knows that no attention would be paid to her in the climax of such a moment.
It is possible for her to weep for a person who she doesn’t even know well? Besides, though she no longer hated him, she still did not harbour positive feelings about him.
Looking at her own younger sister, the sisters felt relief in their mind after such great tension. This relief from anxiety and weight was filled with ecstasy, and it came from the bottom of Hu Jiao Er’s heart.
Hu Jiao Er’s eyes were traced with respite and confusion.
Storm House’s Fang Ziji’s eyes gleamed with comfort and said slowly,” Elder sister Du, he is alive!”
Du Yishuang felt a rush of excitement as her cheeks flushed beet red. Patting her chest, she says,” He frightened me a moment ago. It would have been a great pity should he have died. He is a good person.”
On the High Heaven Pavilion side, Xie Hongchen looked defeated and lifeless.
If only he had seized that opportunity. Now that Yang Kai had basically become a loved one to Su Yan, he became green with envy to the point of dread. He had never suffered such a painful and costly defeat. He couldn’t think properly.
Lan Chudie’s eyes shone at Yang Kai’s face as if she was lost in a dream.
When she fought with the Tortoise Monster Beast some time ago she received some wounds. Her clean clothes were stained with her own blood. She was breathing heavily and shortly, almost like she was hyperventilating. Looking at the man and woman standing under the foreboding shadow of the Tortoise Monster Beast, she felt a surge of emotion.
The man who rescued Su Yan did so in disregard of his-starlight-life, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of all women present. Lan Chudie was no exception.
If a man is willing to pay for a woman’s life with his own, even if he’s weaker than her, then why can’t she be with him? Women’s requests are sometimes tall, and sometimes small, and sometimes a few words or a little action can open up their heart and leave a beautiful image of him behind.
Now that the woman who is standing under that Monster Beast has found her ideal man, won’t she be happy?
But on remembering that incident, Lan Chudie felt dejected. She forced herself to smile.
“Do you still have the strength to fight?” Yang Kai asked Su Yan, pointing towards the Monster Beast.
“I do not have any strength left.” Su Yan shook her head slowly. “We need to hurry; this monster is too strong. I can only freeze it for half a minute. If we don’t leave now, we will never even dream of escaping alive.”
“Even if we were to leave, where will we go?” Yang Kai chuckled. “It was pursuing Xie Hongchen, but now it will pursue you without a doubt. We can only escape if you alone leave.
“In that case, I will leave. I can’t allow High Heaven Pavilion to suffer anymore for me than it already has.”
“What can you do?” Yang Kai said ominously. ” Senior Sister, you think too highly of yourself.”
Su Yan looked at Yang Kai with surprise.
[Is he reproving me? He actually dares to reprove me?]
Even the elders in the sect have never done so, but Su Yan was not angry as she did not disagree with him.
“Take a look at the High Heaven Pavilion disciples.” Yang Kai said, directing at the disciples; some breathing heavily in the atmosphere, others sitting cross-legged on the ground, all seizing the valued time-out to recover and regenerate. “Even if you were to leave, can you guarantee that this Monster Beast will not kill them? Without you, they will only die a quick death!”
“Then what do you think we should do?” Su Yan questioned.
“It’s simple. We just need to kill it.” Yang Kai cracked into a smile as his forehead emitted droplets of cold sweat.
“Kill it?” Su Yan was startled by Yang Kai’s brazen and voracious appetite for feats that few others would try. To be able to flee with their lives from the face of this Monster Beast is a bargain few would contest, but to kill it?
As Yang Kai and Su Yan spoke, a flicking movement could realize from the Monster Beast from under the thick layer of ice. “How has it already passed?”
“Looks like we don’t have time for more discussion!” Yang Kai said to Su Yan while waving his hand. ”You need to draw back now! We will try and kill it, but if we fail we will hopefully still have time to run.”
The sound of ice disintegrating and cracking grew louder and louder. the still frozen Tortoise Monster Beast slowly rotated his body and turned its scarlet eyes toward Su Yan and Yang Kai. To it, the two were as small and insignificant as ants.
“Retreat!” Yang Kai roared at Su Yan, who showed no signs of movement from her spot.
Su Yan’s body jerked and she quickly moved a distance away from the Monster Beast. The remaining injured disciples of High Heaven Pavilion did the same.
Yang Kai kept his foot stationary in front of the Tortoise Monster Beast. The thin figure of Yang Kai standing in the shadow of the giant made it look nothing short of mighty.
Yang Kai stood looking like a confident wall blocking the Monster Beast. He was like a shield that could shelter the onlookers from wind and rain.
He started raising his hand up slowly. Those who watched did not see anything unusual, but they could feel the power of one thousand, ten thousand hands emerging and combining to contain the force of a five thousand kilogramme sledgehammer.
*Crack*. The sound of a bone dislocating could be heard.
Starlight began to sparkle and a frightening momentum erupted from Yang Kai. His clothes flapped and his hair danced as a strong wind began to orbit around him.
“Everyone!” Yang Kai screamed with his inexhaustible strength, detonating from his body.
Finally, his right hand came to a stop and with a roaring sound, he turned his palm into a fist.
Yang Kai’s place brightened up as if it has become a beautiful starry night sky. His right fist was also covered in the dazzling light. Slowly, his hand began to move inch by inch, back from its position and ballooned with strength with each passing moment.
“If you are willing…”Yang Kai muttered unhurriedly as his eyes became red. He controlled the energy contained in his fist with all his might.
“What kind of Martial Skill is this!?” Fang Ziji’s face changed greatly. Even though they were thousands of feet from Yang Kai, they could still easily feel its fearsome vigour, all concentrated in this one, solitary, minute fist.
What’s more, the fist was still poised in building strength. It did not show any signs of stopping. It was already scary, what would happen once it discharges? What kind of terror would it cause?
“So beautiful…”Hu Mei Er and Hu Jiao Er uttered in unison. There were stars littered and twinkling everywhere like a night sky. The people watching the scene felt engrossed in its beauty, almost forgetting the imminent danger they may face.
The earth underneath Yang Kai’s foot began to quake, unable to withstand such colossal strength. Cracks in the dirt formed around him and slowly, his body began to sink in the ground and his legs started to bend.
As the Monster Beast continued to thaw rapidly from his icy prison, his scarlet eyes no longer saw resentment and hatred, but instead filled with panic and fear with an overwhelming urge to flee. It just wanted to run. It feared Yang Kai’s fist more than anything else. The tortoise was sealed for many years. It was weak. It was not easy for it to regain its consciousness, but it cannot even enjoy its short amount of time out from its slumber. It did not want to be hurt and fall into boundless, deep sleep again.
But the ice that bounded it hindered its movement.
“Then give me a hand…”Yang Kai opened his mouth a third time. He was only able to say a few words at a time and needed to concentrate on accumulating energy. Those few short sentences made people know of its meaning and the concentration required to control his accumulated power.
With those words, Yang Kai jumped into the air with an accelerated speed, bringing the starry sky with him.
The Starlight sparkled with boundless radiance and power to overcome everything.
Within a few seconds Yang Kai was a hundred feet high in the air and as he came to hover, he immediately moved towards the direction of the Monster Beast’s head.
Suddenly, the layer of ice cracked apart and a loud roar pierced the eardrums of everyone around. “Roooooaaaaarrrrr….” Although ear deafening, its roar did not contain the subjugating power it once had. It was now filled with dread; a roar of panic.
“Help me!” Yang Kai roared. Even with his voice was going against the roar of the Tortoise Monster Beast, it was no weaker. With utmost clarity, his voice managed to reach everyone’s ears.
His fist was quickly wrapped in a thick coat of star light. As the starlight gyrated around his hand, it was fluctuating in speed. For a second, it was fast and bright, in another, it was slow and dull. This was an erratic light show presented to everyone present.
*Bang!* Yang Kai’s fist made contact with the head of the Tortoise Monster Beast.
It blared out like a burst of loud thunder. Such a tiny fist going against something the size of the Tortoise Monster Beast seemed laughable. However, a single pound from his fist sent tremor in everyone’s heart, as if this fist disintegrated their mind and soul.
A halo erupted, engulfing the entire head of gigantic Tortoise Monster Beast. The force of the meteor-like fist made the Monster Beast stagger back; wind and dust were brought forth from its wake. [A miracle!], the thought ran through the minds of spectators in awe.
The force was so strong that Yang Kai flew back, rotating in air, to only staggered and fall down. His right hand was soaked in blood, shivering uncontrollably. It took him some time to steady himself. With a look of disdain towards the Tortoise Monster Beast, a few meters away from him, his weak body emitted a bloodthirsty aura.
Meanwhile, the audience could not help but gasp in awe. Everyone’s eyes were shivering with disbelief. No one could have imagined such a sight; a Monster Beast that even Su Yan could only slow down had been forced back by a boy. Not to mention, the Martial Skill that made it possible. When they recalled their first impressions of this Martial Skill, no one would have thought that such a majestic starry sky would wield such terrifying power.
Looking his frail back facing against the Monster Beast, Su Yan’s heart cannot help but violently palpitate. She was well aware that this scene would be burnt into her mind, unforgettable. The back of a boy younger than her, that managed to accomplish what she could not.
Hu Mei Er face turned flush red. she looked at Yang Kai of panic struck expression. Meanwhile, Hu Jiao Er’s heart began to accelerate.
[What is this?] Hu Jiao Er became restless. The feelings she had right now were not her own. They were produced by her younger sister and transmitted to her. The thought of her own will being twisted like this made her heart drop in fear.
Lan Chudie’s heart also palpitated in excitement but unlike the Hu sisters, she showed a despondent look. The instant she felt a burst of emotions, she recalled her own relations with Yang Kai to only end up in disappointment.
A back to rely on was something every woman seeks. Watching Yang Kai exhibit such traits made all the women’s hearts set aflutter. It could even be said that such a reliable back melted into their hearts as a brandmark.
“Amazing!” Fang Ziji spoke from his heart. However, many were not as optimistic as him. They realized their meager strength and muttered in a low-spirited voice, “To think that there is this kind of Martial Skill in this world and there is someone who can also display it…”
“Why, why, why?”Xie Hongchen muttered with a lifeless voice, ”Why wasn’t it me to obtain the Martial Skill? Why was it not me? If I had that Martial Skill, everyone’s focus would be on me and I would be bathing in their admiration! Why does it have to be him? He is merely lucky.”
“Why aren’t you helping? If this thing doesn’t die now, the only chance you have to survive is to run!” Yang Kai spoke in a loud voice, reverberating within the ears of everyone around. When they could finally digest his words, everyone realised the gravity of the situation they were in.
Su Yan immediately shouts, ”Help us!!”
This made all High Heaven Pavilion disciples ready to fight.
“Elder sister!”Hu Mei Er turned her face eagerly towards Hu Jiao Er for her approval.
“Jiao Er, let’s not mix in this turbid water. Who knows if that monster beast still has the strength to counterattack. It will be better for us to watch the disciples of High Heaven Pavilion from the side,” Long Jun suggested.
“You shut up! Coward!” Hu Mei Er wickedly stared at Long Jun.
Long Jun became speechless.
Hu Jiao Er forced a smile on her face. Looking at her younger sister and then at Yang Kai, a tender feeling beat in her heart. She then shouted, “Disciples of Bloody Battle Gang, go forth and aid them!”
Then, she dashed forward to be first in line to assist.
On the other side at Storm House, Du Yishuang looked at Fang Ziji and said anxiously in a soft voice, “He rescued my life.”
Fang Ziji pinched her nose then said, “Then what will you do if I said we should sit at the foot of the mountain?”
“I will despise you and look down on you for the rest of my life!” Du Yishuang protested boldly to her elder fellow apprentice.
“Hey…” Fang Ziji uttered with helplessness. “Since you put it that way, what else can I do?”
He smiled widely. “Today I have experienced the boldness of a hero, so how can I, Fang Ziji fall behind? Storm House men obey and follow the order, so now come and kill along with me. Let’s let everyone see how masculine Storm House males are!”
“Yeah!” Storm House disciple roared.
“Senior brother, what about us, the female disciples? What are we supposed to do?” Du Yishuang asked without forgetting.
“Sit on the sideline, and obediently observe. So long as you females help your husbands bear strong children, you do not need to think of anything else.” Then, he musters a group of disciples and herds it towards the Tortoise Monster Beast.
“Hmph!” Du Yishuang puffed. ”I know that you think of men to be superior to women, but when it comes to strength I am not any less powerful than you.” With saying this, she tagged along.
After these many past days, only seven hundred to eight hundred people were remaining from three sects. Some were killed by the turtle monster beast, but eighty percent of the ones remaining still had the strength to fight.
As for the remaining 20%, some were either injured and would not be able to contribute anything or their strength was too low, so even if they came forward to help it wouldn’t matter.
The enthusiasm was shocking. Three main disciples of three sects, three forces, three directions but the target was only one crawling on the ground: the Tortoise Monster Beast.
Yang Kai’s Star Mark injured it acutely, which is significant enough to incapacitate it even if it did not lose its life.
The first to rush in happened to be the High Heaven Pavilion disciples. They displayed their most powerful Martial Skills and attacked relentlessly. The scene looked like they were matches throwing fire at it.
The next to follow through was the Bloody Battle Gang and the last was Storm House.
Of all those people, only a few have achieved True Elementary Boundary. Su Yan did not have any strength to continue fighting, and Xie Hongchen hadn’t gotten back his composure. So the only ones remaining were Fang Ziji, Long Jun and Hu Jiao Er.
However, they were in the first or second boundary of the True Element Boundary. It was very difficult to inflict any effective damage to the almost impregnable Tortoise Monster Beast.
Their attacks were small and trifling, causing an inconsequential effect.
This was such the for disciples still circling the Monster Beast. Though they saw that their attacks did not bear any results, the disciples of the three sects did not retreat in discouragement. They continued to release barrages of killing strikes that tickled the Tortoise. From its position, there were still sounds of dings and dongs from the inconsiderable impacts pelting its shell.
Yang Kai stood in the same spot grinning.
He thought that it was the perfect time to use Star Mark. Inspiring everyone to unite and resume their siege was more than worth it.
Su Yan looked upon the majestic scene as if it was a miracle.
All the disciples from the different sects always used to battle against each other, particularly and especially in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, constantly struggling with each other. She was always unhappy with the internal conflicts, so she took to traveling alone, separate from the noisy fighting, but with her status and prestige she would only need to say a word and all disciples of the High Heaven Pavilion will gather to be by her side.
With the imminent slaughter of High Heaven Pavilion Disciples, Su Yan had no choice but to fight back. Even if it was Xie Hongchen who brought forth this catastrophe, she simply could not allow her sect’s Disciples to be massacred. Never would she have expected such a turnabout, a reversal that was only possible due to the man in front of her.
No one could make the disciples of the three schools cooperate with each other to this degree. Everyone present didn’t battle with each other, they didn’t mistrust each other, but they all are holding a single thought and that is to kill this Turtle Monster Beast.
This event in itself is a miracle!
Looking at his right arm dripping with blood, Su Yan’s heart ached a little without even realizing it.
She wanted to help him treat his injury, but she held herself back.
What this man represented at that moment were strength and determination. If she went forward to help, there would be emotions and feelings involved and he didn’t need those feelings, not at this time.
But at this moment from the corner of her eye, Su Yan saw the girl Hu Mei Er from the Bloody Battle Gang approaching Yang Kai with an anxious expression and enquiring about his injuries, then taking out few bottles of medicine and applying it on his injuries. She then tore her sleeve and wrapped his arm with the cloth.
On seeing this, Su Yan’s eyes dimmed a little and she turned her face in the other direction.
Perhaps because of the joint attack of three sects, the Turtle Monster Beast showed signs of awakening. Slowly but surely, its eyes were beginning to refocus and its huge body began to move. This only instilled haste and a tinge of fear in the attackers, who then ramp up their attacks to try and quicken the process.
Suddenly a female voice sounded, “Hit its head, it has wounds there!” This was the voice of Du Yishuang from Storm House.
Fang Ziji and Hu Jiao Er listened and hastily moved to above the head of the Turtle Monster Beast and sucked their tongues in.
They discovered that on its head, there were large cracks and fresh red blood can be seen flowing from it. Since his head was hidden in the shell, one would have to look carefully to discover the wounds.
“Damn it!” Fang Ziji could not bear it and cursed. He had been fighting for a long time but to no avail, and here is a ready-made foot long wound.
This was the effect of Yang Kai’s attack. How mighty was his fist to cause such a serious wound?
Although his mind was in shock he still cooperated with Hu Jiao Er and started redirecting their attacks against the wound. It made the Monster Beast violent with its movement.
“Women, get out of the way.” Fang Ziji shouts to Hu Jiao Er who was attacking with him.
“Only in eyes of idiot males is a girl is inferior to a boy, so I will not lower myself to your level.” Hu Jiao Er snapped coldly.
In all of the three sects’ disciples, Fang Ziji has a male superiority complex, thinking that only males can be decision makers when it comes to important matters, not caring to even consider women. In his eyes, only Su Yan is a female who he sometimes looks up to.
According to rumours, once when he was with his teacher, the sect Master of Storm House, Xiao Ruohan, he advised him to not recruit female disciples in the future, and naturally Xiao Ruohan ignored Fang Ziji, but the matter is that they discussed it together in Black Plum Village’s Spring Breeze Drizzle Building and this talk became an extremely embarrassing thing for the pair when they finally got the news of it.
After that, Fang Ziji never mentioned this matter further, but his mentality has not changed.
It’s not that he disliked females, but in his opinion men and women were two different species, where the former was nobler than the latter.
I am a man and I am proud of it, I am a man and I am proud! Those type of thoughts.
Those were his moral ideals. Fang Ziji thought that females should not do what they were not meant to do.
He was quite young and dashing, still. He was tyrannical and always serious about everything. Therefore, he never had a lack of female admirers.
Unfortunately, he was frequently contradictory.
Hu Jiao Er’s reply made Fang Ziji furrow his eyebrows, then he sent a fierce attack towards the head of the Turtle Monster Beast while shooting back angrily,
“Bitch,”
“who are you calling an idiot?”
Hu Jiao Er follows with another killing strike against the same spot without faltering and replied, “Stinking brat! If you so dislike females, why don’t you go to your fellow male apprentices to make happy love with them?”
Her remarks turned Fang Ziji pale and gave him a strong urge to vomit.
To do it with his Fellow Male Apprentice……
Just imagining such a scene gave Fang Ziji a bout of dizziness.
Hu Jiao Er laughed lightly, as she took pleasure in his misfortune.
“A lady who is not concerned about her words and impressions on others.” Fang Ziji said with a unendurable feeling, ”Anyone who marries you would have terrible luck.”
“Nobody needs your concession!” Hu Jiao Er blushed slightly and rolled her eyes.
“I don’t want to bicker with you. Let’s see who can strike this Monster Beast fatally.” Fang Ziji said.
“Hmph, you are not my match!” Hu Jiao Er sneered.
Without waiting for them, a pure white form suddenly appeared in front of the Monster Beast. The form was surrounded by an ice cold mist, and she pointed her jade finger towards the Monster Beast’s wound an ice cold white energy was presented.
The ice cold energy was absorbed by the gashing wound and suddenly, a bright burst of scarlet red blood spouted out of it, looking beautiful.
The scarlet blood changed into shards of icicles and drilled into the skull of Monster Beast.
“Roar….” the Turtle Monster Beast suddenly got on his feet and facing upward, it gave a loud roar. Its huge body became unsteady and began to sway. Its red eyes began to weaken as its eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Fang Ziji and Hu Jiao Er turned their heads to see a pale-faced Su Yan, who had exhausted what little strength she had been able to accumulate to provide the killing blow.
After exhausting her last scrap of strength, Su Yan tried to turn her head but fell. She didn’t have any more strength to fight again.
Fang Ziji and Hu Jiao Er felt the chilling aura that Su Yan was sending out, noticing its difference from her usual aura.
In the past, that coldness was pure through and through with no attribute attached to it.
But now, this chill seemed to be much different, making it hard to endure.
“ Who annoyed her?” Fang Ziji asks doubtfully.
“How would I know?” Hu Jiao Er replied impatiently. She was from the Bloody Battle Gang and she thought that the disciples of other two schools were no good.
With Fang Ziji himself being a perfect specimen, she didn’t need to look any further for reference.
Looking at the other side on High Heaven Pavilion’s Su Yan was now emotionless like an ice baby. She always remained indifferent and unapproachable. She didn’t even look at Xie Hongchen, a person who was willing do anything for fame and power.
Her Bloody Battle Gang, though not the strongest were at the very least normal. Only when both sisters grew up could they then give a helping hand to their father in managing the Bloody Battle Gang.
“If nobody annoyed her, why would she attack with the just restored Yuan Qi?” Fang Ziji couldn’t understand her motive, shaking his head looking at Hu Jiao Er, who was still attacking the Turtle Monster Beast while he was distracted. He shouts angrily, ”You… you…woman, even if you won like this it wouldn’t be counted as a victory!”
Announcement coming up soon!
Hu Jiao Er laughed slyly, “Since you said that you want to have a bet with me a victory is a victory no matter how I obtain it. Also, let me remind you that I am a female and since you believe men are above us, what is the point of competing with me in the first place?”
After hearing this Fang Ziji became speechless, and when he came to his senses he said, “No man can ever win against a woman in a debate.”
Of the fate of the Tortoise Monster Beast, half of it was decided when the three sects came together to defeat it, and the other half was decided when Su Yan used her remaining strength to destroy its crippled life. The Tortoise no longer had the strength to fight back, its death was only a matter of time.
All of this was made possible by the overpowering punch from Yang Kai. It motivated the disciples of the three sects, igniting their will to fight and giving them the courage to overcome this colossal difficulty.
However, the punch ruptured the blood vessels in his right hand. Hu Mei Er was helping him wrap it with a bandage.
Yang Kai never imagined that the Star Mark was this powerful. He was on the verge of losing control when using it, and the recoil of that punch left him paralysed, leaving him temporarily disabled.
If it was not so, why would he have remained unmovable like a pole at this time? The adrenaline that was running through his body settled down and only now was he was able to feel the pain from the damage his body had sustained.
Looking at the several hundred disciples that were attacking, Yang Kai did not see Xie Hongchen among them. Instead, he was somewhere else staring at the sky with a blank face. After Yang Kai attacked the Tortoise Monster Beast, Xie Hongchen was stupefied and he was only able to compose himself after a little while.
He knew that Yang Kai had obtained a top-grade inheritance, otherwise his strength would never let him wield such power.
That punch gave a Peak Sixth Realm Monster Beast such heavy injuries.
Yang Kai cannot be given the opportunity to grow further. If he does, not only will Xie Hongchen be unable to woo Su Yan, he himself would be in very big trouble.
So, as his crisis needed solving, a ruthless gleam flashed across Xie Hongchen’s eyes. He looked at the person who was standing quite a distance from him.
That person was Nie Yong.
He was also injured in the fight alongside Lan Chudie, and right now he was rejuvenating not far from Yang Kai.
Nie Yong was in a confused state. He was unable to judge what his heart was going through at this moment. He and Yang Kai had clashed many times when they entered the cave. He had even caused many obstacles and made people chase him down.
But they were unable to locate his hiding place, so that matter came to an end at that time. However, the existence of Yang Kai was like a fish bone stuck in his throat, neither able to stomach it nor cough it out.
He still remembers the words that Yang Kai spoke when he escaped from him.
After such a short time, Yang Kai had already become strong and formidable. This almost made Nie Yong piss in his pants. If that punch were to land on him he would have certainly met a short and cruel death.
Now, what should I do? What the hell should I do? Everyone’s attention was focused on that Monster Beast and nothing else, but when that Monster Beast dies how would I be able to bear his anger?
The nervous and anxious Nie Yong saw Xie Hongchen give him a signal with his eyes.
He clearly understood the meaning of the signal his brother was giving him, but he was startled by it.
On seeing this, he turned serious. He understood that if he wanted to live, the only way was to kill Yang Kai. Otherwise, he would surely exact his revenge. Moreover, his brother also wanted Yang Kai dead. Once he has killed him, with his brother shielding him everything would turn out just fine.
After seeing Yang Kai’s punch, Nie Yong had lost his ability to assess the situation calmly and had pinned all his hopes on Xie Hongchen.
Standing up, Nie Yong slowly walked toward Yang Kai step by step.
Yang Kai acted as if he was unaware of the impending doom. He simply stood at the same spot without moving a finger.
Nie Yong was increasing his pace step by step. The only person near Yang Kai right now was Hu Mei Er of the Bloody Battle Gang. As long as he moved fast enough he can surely make a killing strike.
As for the matter of killing at a more suitable time, it was already out of consideration.
Everyone was focused on the Tortoise Monster Beast and no one had noted the movements of Nie Yong, except for one person.
That person was Lan Chudie.
Yang Kai crossing the sky to rescue Su Yan followed by his punch to severely injure the Monster Beast.. those scenes were replaying in her mind over and over, causing a feeling of loss in her heart.
She had not thought that the person who had followed her for days and did as he was told would show such fearsome strength. If she had known earlier…
Ed note: (Well if you only saw him as a goffer what did you expect?)
This feeling was like discarding a hunk of jade because she thought it was a normal stone. This mistake made Lan Chudie extremely regretful.
Everyone was still watching the battle unfold, but she was looking at the back of Yang Kai, a dazzling back that was taken from her. Comparing Xie Hongchen’s character and his was like comparing excrement to diamond.
This disaster was brought about by Xie Hongchen to be solved by this person standing in front of her, so such a standard was understandable.
The movement of Nie Yong quickly brought the attention of Lan Chudie. At first, she thought that Nie Yong had restored his injuries and was going to enter the battle but observing for a few more moments, that didn’t seem to be the case. The target of Nie Yong was unexpectedly Yang Kai. Moreover, Nie Yong was also using his World Qi while walking, and she was able to feel its slight fluctuation.
Lan Chudie is an intelligent woman. She immediately understood what Nie Yong wanted to do. When she was about to shout to warn Yang Kai, she saw him turn his head to look at Nie Yong mockingly.
He smiled like a sly devil.
Nie Yong came to a halt. He fearfully looked at Yang Kai. He didn’t know that Yang Kai realized his motive but, being his stare terrified him.
His look was like looking at a dead person.
“Brother Nie.” Yang Kai turned around slowly and maintained his smile.
“Brother Yang.” Nie Yong gulped, unable to move even though he clearly wanted to.
“Do you want to kill me?”
Those words made Nie Yong so frightened he took a few steps back and waving his hand own hands quickly, he said with a smile, ”Brother Yang, why would I do such a thing? We are from the same sect and we are brothers, how can I commit such a deed?”
Nie Yong felt the skin on his face twitch because of the nonsense pouring out of his mouth, but he couldn’t help it as he was panic-stricken.
That one fist can cause such heavy damage to a Peak Sixth Realm Monster Beast, how could he not panic? And to make things worse, they had such recent burning enmity.
While speaking, Nie Yong slowly moved back step by step while laughing awkwardly. Presenting himself as harmless as possible, he moved almost like a pendulum.
“Nie Yong!” Yang Kai screamed angrily, his face twisted with such anger he looked like a maddened evil spirit.
Nie Yong was afraid, so afraid he could not bring the guts to utter any sound. He turned around and ran for his life. He had not even taken ten steps before he heard howling and sobbing voices following him.
When he turned around to look, he felt his soul leave him. He noticed a dark awl, coming from Yang Kai, flying towards him with eerie laughter.
This laughter was so strange and evil it reduced Nie Yong’s courage to nothing.
Even after taking some distance from Yang Kai, Nie Yong refused to sit and wait for his death. When he turned around to fight, Nie Yong discovered that it wasn’t as bad and as terrifying as he had expected. With his current strength, although it was difficult to resist, it was insufficient to kill him.
Nie Yong felt relief as he knew that at present Yang Kai’s situation was not as good as he was letting on. However, he would still need to expend some strength to escape.
With this surprising discovery, Nie Yong began to fight back while still retreating. He was somehow able to deflect the attacks but was still unable to escape from the evil awl that was chasing him. It made laughing sounds that no one would ever forget, especially him.
What is this ghost? Even if it is a secret treasure, it can follow a target? Yang Kai is standing motionless in the same place. Why won’t he attack me?
He heard footsteps emerge from nowhere behind him and was once again shocked. Nie Yong turned to see Lan Chudie supporting her injured body, coming towards him with a calm expression.
Nie Yong suddenly became happy as he shouted, ”Sister Lan, please save me!”
Lan Chudie looked at him lightly which gave Nie Yong a very bad premonition. Looking uncertain, he suddenly felt a palm hit him violently on his chest.
“Aaahhhh!” Nie Yong howled pitifully and suddenly came to a stop. Suddenly a wild laughter transmitted from the black fog. Was it an accident? Nie Yong was unable to understand what was going on.
“Why did sister Lan…….” Nie Yong’s body shivered fiercely and before completing his sentence, both his eyes slowly lost their light as his body fell over softly.
Lan Chudie took heavy breaths in big gulps. She stared at Nie Yong and discovered that his chest did not have the slightest signs of injury. I couldn’t even penetrate his flesh? That’s awful…
Seeing this, she became flustered.
Vaguely, Lan Chudie heard Nie Yong’s whining voice, making her go numb. Her face lost all colour.
She looked at Yang Kai on the side and saw him looking at her coldly.
As Lan Chudie’s heart suddenly became chaotic, she replied, whilst clenching her teeth, “He wanted to kill you.”
Yang Kai remained silent. He lifted his hand and the black awl that he released suddenly became a beam of light and entwined on his finger, then vanishing without a trace.
They looked at each other for a long time, then he slowly shifted his vision, not saying a word. Looking at this Lan Chudie smiled mockingly herself. She felt that she had become as fragile as a vase and if she fell she would break into pieces.
“Hahahahaha!” Within Yang Kai, the Old Demon laughed wildly like a madman while he chewed on something.
Yang Kai knew that what he was chewing was Nie Yong’s immortal soul. But for Yang Kai, this was unexpected as he did not know that Soul Breaker Awl had such a strange function.
“I want to kill more. I want to kill!” The Old Demon was shouting while chewing on Nie Yong’s immortal soul. “It has been a long time since I have heard such a sweet sound, since I have tasted such a freshness and softness. Little Master, if you want to kill some more you can send this old servant without any hesitation.”
Yang Kai’s thoughts moved and the laughter of Old Demon turned into shouts of misery and begged for mercy.
After some time when Old Demon recovered slightly but, was still out of breath as he asked cautiously, “Little Master, why did you punish me?”
“Why did you not tell me about the real function of the Soul Breaker Awl?”
“You never asked me about it, Young Master.” Old Demon said accusingly, then flatly continued, “Moreover, this thing is too evil and I thought if Young Master knew, he would be discontent about it.”
“I, at this moment, am very discontented.” Yang Kai adds. ”I am extremely unhappy about it.”
After hearing this Old Demon started to shiver.
After waiting for a good long while, Yang Kai said, “This will be the first and last time. Remember, it’s the last time. If you dare to conceal anything ever again, you know the consequences.”
Official Chapter Title: The Death of Nie Yong
“This old servant would never dare to do so!” The Old Demon said submissively and promptly. “Young Master, that little girl who helped you a moment ago, has got quite a decisive personality, she gave a good blow.”
“What are you implying?”
“This old servant has taken a liking to her. If Young Master gives his permission, this old servant can train her for a few years and she will be a big boost to Young Master for sure!”
“I do not like her!” Yang Kai said coldly.
“Everything will be as Young Master decides.” Old Demon didn’t dare say anything else and just sighed, thinking how it was a pity.
The death of Nie Yong took Hu Mei Er by surprise, and the disciples of the High Heaven Pavilion recovering on the side were also surprised. They only heard the angry howl of Yang Kai and saw the desperate run of Nie Yong, who was being followed by a black fog, and while Nie Yong retaliated, Lan Chudie gave him a sneak attack which stopped Nie Yong from escaping.
It was almost as if everyone had a question mark hanging over their heads, unable to react to such a bizarre situation.
At this moment, the huge Turtle Monster Beast gave out its last cry of misery and dropped to the ground. All the disciples surrounding its lifeless body gave a loud cheer.
Hu Jiao Er chuckled with satisfaction, then said, “Fang Ziji, looks like the final strike was dealt by me.”
Fang Ziji replied in a depressed voice, “You were so shameless, so what was the point of that bet?”
Hu Jiao Er smirked and taunted, “Looks like someone can’t accept his loss.”
Fang Ziji flared up. “Who can’t accept a loss?! If you did not attack it when I was in shock, you wouldn’t have won this easily. You’re a woman, I will not lower myself to your level!”
“Well, it seems to me like you just don’t want to accept your loss.” Hu Jiao Er commented.
On hearing this, Fang Ziji’s face turned red from shame. He replied and changed the topic, “I don’t want to argue with you, the main priority is acquiring the Monster Core.”
While speaking, Fang Ziji inserted his hand into the forehead of the Monster Beast, searching for its core. In just a few moments, he fished out a brown coloured Monster Core dripping with blood.
Staring at the Monster Core in his hand, Fang Ziji felt thrilled and exclaimed, “The Core of a Peak Sixth Realm Monster Beast, how much would it sell for?”
Long Jun looked at him lightly then said in a soft voice, “Elder Brother Fang was not thinking of having sole possession of it, was he?”
The Core was the most precious object in the body of a Monster Beast. For this one, its shell also had a very high value because it could be used as a refining material, but the shell was huge, so at present who would be capable of carrying it out of here?
At this moment everyone was focused on Fang Ziji. “I was just thinking of doing so.” Fang Ziji said lightly and calmly.
Long Jun took a fighting stance in response. On the contrary, Hu Jiao Er looked at him with a face full of smiles.
“But I do not dare to do so!” Fang Ziji said curling his lips, “If I took it all for myself would you let me leave?”
Hearing this Long Jun contemptuously smiled, “Elder Brother Fang is a sensible person after all.”
“Does anyone have any idea how we will split this Monster Core amongst ourselves?” Fang Ziji turned his head to look at everyone who helped fight this Turtle Monster Beast. All the other Monster Beasts were hunted separately by everyone, so it wasn’t a problem, but everyone had collaborated to kill this Monster Beast, so everyone having a share was natural.
Everyone became silent and started to ponder on how they would divide the Monster Core.
Perhaps the only way was to turn it into cash, then dividing it equally between all three Sects.
Long Jun thought about it and wanted to present his idea when Fang Ziji suggest, “This victory was all thanks to the help of junior brother Yang, how about we let him decide about it?”
Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised to hear that from Fang Ziji, so he himself, standing a few feet away, started to ponder it himself.
Long Jun said in dissatisfaction, “He may have been the one to damage the beast heavily, but in this fight the Bloody Battle Gang also helped, and a lot of disciples were injured by it, so it is only given that we will need some type of compensation, don’t we?”
Fang Ziji said pointing at the body of the Tortoise Monster Beast, “If you want, you can take the shell. My Storm House will not stop you.”
Hearing such words Long Jun became speechless and was exasperated. That tortoise shell was almost pristine despite all the attacks that pelted it, so it was no doubt that it would be an excellent raw material, but at present who would be able to cut it to carry it out away?
During the debate, Fang Ziji’s complexion changed suddenly and he threw the Monster Core. Instead of falling to the ground, the Core started spinning in mid-air.
With the spin, a strange suction was activated and it started attracting things from all directions. From Fang Ziji’s inner upper pockets, two more Cores flew out.
It was same for Hu Mei Er and Long Jun.
The Monster Core that was hidden in Xie Hongchen’s chest pocket also flew out.
These Cores were collected when the three sects killed the other eight Monster Beasts. They had obtained them with great difficulty and with the help of many people. They were not even able to look at them properly since their efforts were now being taken away.
The eight Monster Cores formed a strange pattern and were all spinning around the newest one, which belonged to the Turtle Monster Beast. With its revolution, a dark strength was pulled from the entire Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. This pull caused everything to shake violently. Within all the chaos, a giant dark vortex appeared in the sky. It’s sudden arrival made everyone present tremble with fear.
Nobody knew what was happening, except for the Old Demon, who was exploding in excitement. His cheery voice was heard in Yang Kai’s mind, “The Grave of Beast Souls!”
Yang Kai suddenly realized that the Old Demon knew about this place, so he hurriedly asked, “Tell me about it.”
Old Demon said, “Young Master, I finally understand. Originally, this place was sealed with nine Monster Beasts. They were all only a test. If all of them were not killed, then this phenomenon would not be triggered. Now that all the Monster Beasts have died, the requirement has been met for the phenomenon to occur. This formation will absorb the cores of these nine Monster Beasts and will give you a reward.
“A reward?”
“It’s the thing that is hidden in the clouds above!” The Old Demon said slowly. “Yes, it looks like that, and according to this old servant’s estimate, that is the genuine inheritance hidden here!”
“The inheritance!” Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to see that the vortex that appeared in the sky was getting bigger and bigger. That place looked like it was in chaos, and whoever dared to enter it would be swallowed whole.
The disciples of the three sects ran away like mice, and none dared to stand underneath it.
“Yes, that should be the case.” The Old Demon continued, “After all, this place was the host of a humongous war, and many experts died here and left behind many inheritances. But it looks like there might have been a supreme expert, and he has probably hidden his inheritance in the sky.”
Yang Kai became enlivened.
“Young Master, you need to hurry away from this formation. It can affect you.” The Old Demon warned.
Yang Kai did not heed the Old Demon, but instead looked at Hu Mei Er who was still standing beside him and said, “Tell your elder sister to make everyone move as far as they can away from the vortex.”
Hu Mei Er nodded her head and dashed towards Hu Jiao Er.
Then Yang Kai shouted at the disciples of High Heaven Pavilion, “If you don’t want to die, then move at least five kilometers away from here!”
Many people ignored him despite his loud warning.
Yang Kai didn’t care about them. He had already warned them, it is now up to them to decide whether they want to listen or not. Without worrying any further, Yang Kai himself started to retreat quickly.
Su Yan glanced at him, then turned around to order without hesitation, “Disciples of High Heaven Pavilion, withdraw to a five-kilometer distance from here!” Her words had a heavier weight. Everyone hurried to retire in the same direction as Yang Kai.
At the other side, Hu Jiao Er had received her little sister’s message and also issued the order of retreat.
Fang Ziji looked at Yang Kai like he was measuring him, then said while laughing, “We will also move back!”
The disciples of the three sects ran with lightning speed and stopped at a distance of five kilometers.
They turned around to see that the nine Monster Beast cores were exuding a dazzling light. It looked like there was a mysterious relationship between all of them. With the continuous revolution of the Monster Cores, the vortex in the sky did not stop expanding.
A huge suction was still spreading from the vortex, such that the corpse of the Turtle Monster Beast had started floating in the air, the vortex rapidly pulling it. When the corpse flew into the vortex, it left behind no trace.
This caused everyone to be struck with fear.
If they had not withdrawn to the suggested distance, they would have suffered a similar fate to the Tortoise Monster Beast’s corpse.
Rejoicing, many people turned to look at Yang Kai, their faces filled with admiration.
A strong wind blew, flapping everyone’s clothing violently. Many people were still frightened. A lot of the group who had entered for the inheritance were from the younger generations and did not have much experience. There were many people who hadn’t even left their sects for a long period of time, so how could they see such a scene without flinching?
“Do we need to draw back more?” Su Yan came beside Yang Kai and queried.
Yang Kai looked at her then shook his head. Su Yan sighed with relief on Yang Kai’s confirmation.
“About Nie Yong, you don’t need to worry. I will report it personally to the Elder Assembly.”
“Thanks,” Yang Kai nodded his head.
Yang Kai had only killed Nie Yong just a few moments ago. It happened very quickly, but how could Su Yan miss such a scene? There was nothing more on the matter to investigate.
“There’s something in the sky!” Suddenly, shocked voices were heard from everyone.
Yang Kai turned his gaze quickly to the sky alongside everyone else, only to find a golden light glittering from within the vortex. That golden light was dazzling, illuminating everything around it. It was like a hand that tore the sky open, showing the treasure hidden within.
Amongst the sea of people and widespread confusion, someone could be loudly heard yelling, “What is that?!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and looked closer at the light in the sky.
At the top of where the light originated, he thought he saw the shadow of an angel standing at the corner of a house. From within, something was gradually descending.
A little more time passed, and Yang Kai discovered that it was not the corner of a house, but stairs; golden stairs that shimmered with the brightest hint of value.
These stairs were very long, with landings in between them. These stairs gradually came into everyone’s view.
The descent of the golden stairs was sluggish. Along with it, the vortex also began to fluctuate.
After waiting for a few minutes, more steps appeared in the vortex, but after some time they were unable to discern the difference between them.
“Old Demon, is this the inheritance which you mentioned?” Yang Kai asked in his mind.
“Young Master, I do not know what inheritance is hidden in there. It can only be obtained if you are able to pass its test. Looking at those steps, if it is what this old servant thinks it is, then they are at least ten thousand in number, which means that climbing them would be the final test. Since ten thousand is only this old servant’s estimate, it is possible that there would fewer or more than expected.”
Yang Kai started to mull over it. Although the inheritance had revealed itself, they would need to start climbing to know how long it will take to get to the top. He stopped thinking about it after a while as there was a more pressing matter.
Currently, Yang Kai’s strength would be in the lower range among these 700-800 disciples, so would he even have a chance at claiming the inheritance?
Almost as if he knew Yang Kai’s doubts, the Old Demon said slowly, “Young Master does not need to be extremely worried about it. If you are destined to claim the inheritance, your strength will matter very little, but if the method to acquire it is otherworldly difficult, strength would contribute nothing. Young Master, did you forget the chance that the two little girls stumbled upon?”
A happy feeling emerged in Yang Kai’s heart.
He saw with his own eyes the chance the Hu sisters received. He had discovered that cave first and had even been inside it for several days, but they were the ones that were able to obtain the inheritance because they were destined for it.
“Yes, that seems to be the case.” Yang Kai let go of his worries. He glanced back at the sky another time, then turned around. Since he knew that it would take some time for the stairs to completely descend, he simply looked for a secluded corner, and then sat cross-legged in that spot.
Since he needed to snatch this inheritance, he decided that the first step was to restore his strength.
According to Yang Kai’s estimate, the process of the stairs setting up would take at least two to three days, so he would have that much time to recuperate.
Su Yan looked at him in slight surprise, thought about it, then she also left the crowd and found herself a place to sit down not too far away from Yang Kai.
The younger generation looked at the calm disposition of Yang Kai and Su Yan helplessly. Since they were nowhere close to being experts, they were unable to detach themselves from their worldly desires and display the kind of composure Yang Kai and Su Yan showed. Therefore, they looked quite immature compared to the two.
When someone coughed lightly, they began to gather their thoughts with a tinge of embarrassment, then scattered to find a place to meditate. Some ordinary disciples also formed a group, and started to talk and made noise. Amidst the noise, there was still a lingering overtone of shock and awe.
The two Hu sisters ran to and sat on either side of Yang Kai. No one knew what they were thinking.
Yang Kai opened his eyes slightly to peek at their faces. The sisters were both smiling at him sweetly, making him unable to distinguish who was who.
Yang Kai’s eyes turned a little hesitant to open any further.
“What?” looking at Yang Kai’s disposition, Hu Jiao Er asked immediately. “Us sitting beside you is your good luck. Why are you giving us such a dirty look?”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, so he smiled and commented, “It’s an honour to have such beautiful flowers by my side. How could I give you two a dirty look?”
After all, they had cooperated several times and had come to know each other quite well. They were no longer strangers like before. With their bond, jokes accompanied their regular conversations.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Hu Jiao Er replied with a sweet anger, “You have quite a sweet mouth on you!”
Hu Mei Er also added, “I thought you were a simple person, I hadn’t thought that you could also say such cheesy lines.”
Yang Kai says with a serious face, “Those words came from my heart. It was not simple flattery.”
The two sisters smiled pleasantly. It was like the blooming of two very beautiful flowers bringing colour and joy to the world.
After thinking a little, Yang Kai pointed out, “It looks like the people on your side don’t like me very much.”
Both of the sisters looked at each other and then said in one voice, “Do you fear them?”
Yang Kai grinned and said, “I am actually quite fearful of them, but they don’t have the qualifications to become my enemy, so you don’t need to be bothered about it.”
Hu Jiao Er then replied, “You have already offended the male disciples of High Heaven Pavilion, so what can the disciples of my Bloody Battle Gang count for?”
She was talking about the incident where he saved Su Yan and was able to occupy some advantage.
Immediately, Yang Kai grimaced as if in great pain.
Hu Jiao Er laughed in a playful manner then gave him a coquettish look, “Do you want me to give you a kiss so that others can envy you?”
Yang Kai peeked at her again, leaned then extended his face near her, “I wish for it with all my heart.”
Hu Jiao Er blushed immediately then exclaims angrily, “You want a beauty like me to kiss you?”
“Elder sister, you need to stop your teasing! Let him rest first. He has quite a few heavy wounds.” Hu Mei Er shook her elder sister’s arm. She was having a hard time enduring the flirting.
Hu Jiao Er then adjusted her position beside Yang Kai and closed her eyes obediently.
Yang Kai and Hu Mei Er looked at each other and smiled. Then they also adjusted their position and started meditating one after the other.
Along with the passage of time, the disciples of the three sects also lost their initial curiosity, and begin to restore their Yuan Qi, occasionally opening their eyes to check for changes in the sky above.
Two days of meditation, silence, the occasional noise and complaints passed.
Yang Kai felt someone stand in front of him. He opened his eyes, only to meet Storm House’s Du Yishuang and another handsome man.
This man was Fang Ziji who had proposed to give Yang Kai the Core of Tortoise Monster Beast.
“Yang Kai, how are your wounds?” Younger Sister Du asked with serious concern.
“Well, it doesn’t look that bad.” Yang Kai’s lips beamed, then he looked at Fang Ziji who cupped his fists and asked, “Who might this brother be?”
Yang Kai didn’t recognize Fang Ziji, but during the negotiations two days before he had shown goodwill toward Yang Kai, therefore, he didn’t have too large a sense of revulsion towards him.
“I am Fang Ziji.” He said returning the courtesy, then he gives a light laugh then continued, “Brother Yang’s punch from two days ago was forceful, and made me feel heartfelt admiration towards you. I’m also jealous of the public attention you’ve been getting.”
“Brother Fang is overpraising.” Yang Kai chuckled.
Fang Ziji continued, “Brother Yang has an indomitable spirit and I, Fang Ziji, have always admired that kind of people. If we weren’t from different sects, I would want to become actual brothers with you, sharing hardship as well as weal and woe together.”
Hu Jiao Er twisted her face and mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, “Disgusting.”
Fang Ziji looked at her in contempt.
Du Yishuang pulled the arm of Fang Ziji, then said with a forced smile, “Sister, you are not helping.”
Then she looked at Yang Kai and said, “Please don’t mind him, my fellow brother has issues.”
“What… Sister, what did you just say?” Fang Ziji immediately turned to stare at Du Yishuang.
“Let it be, Brother Fang, you have a big heart, so why bother with such small matters?” Yang Kai’s lips curled upwards. He did not imagine the number one from Storm House to have such an interesting personality.
“Brother Yang, only you understand me.” Fang Ziji said emotionally.
Hu Jiao Er interrupted with a casual sentence, “Yang Kai, you should be careful. This person doesn’t like females and thinks of them as akin to mud, and they are never able to get his approval. If you become too friendly with him, perhaps he will develop a special fondness for you.”
She covered her mouth and giggled wryly. Her words could very easily be misunderstood.
Yang Kai’s complexion immediately turned blue and he tried to edge away.
Fang Ziji said in a panic, “Hey, don’t slander me as you like. Brother Yang, don’t listen to her nonsense. I am not that kind of person.”
Yang Kai gave a slight cough and gave a complicated look.
Fang Ziji became anxious, then, with a spark of inspiration, he pulled the hand of Du Yishuang close to his chest, gave her a hug, and then kissed her on the lips.
Yang Kai looked thunderstruck.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er looked at this scene with their mouths wide open.
Struggling, Du Yishuang gave a light moan; both sisters’ faces became crimson.
After an awkward amount of time in silence, Fang Ziji let go of Du Yishuang, wiped the corner of his mouth and then grinned, “So, Brother Yang, you should believe me now.”
Yang Kai looked at him full of surprise, then gave him a thumbs up saying, “Brother Fang showed the boldness of a real man. Really admirable.”
Hearing this praise, Fang Ziji gave an exaggerated laugh. While he was laughing, junior sister Du was blushing, then she suddenly slapped Fang Ziji in the face.
“You bastard!” Du Yishuang stomped her feet, then covered her face with both hands and ran away.
“Run slowly or you might slip!” Fang Ziji shouted while rubbing his burning cheek.
“Brother Fang, will… will you not pursue her?” Yang Kai said while staring at Du Yishuang’s back.
“You don’t need to worry, she is just throwing a noisy tantrum. She will come back when she has settled down.” Fang Ziji said without a care.
And accurately, after only a few moments, Du Yishuang walked back, her face still blushing. Her head was lowered and her hands kept twisting the hem of her clothes. She had a delicate, embarrassed look.
“Hey.” Fang Ziji gives Yang Kai a wink with a self-satisfied look.
“Fellow Brother…” Du Yishuang pulled Fang Ziji’s arm without shame.
“What are you doing?” Fang Ziji raised his eyebrows and gave a smug look, still looking satisfied.
Du Yishuang lifted her hand and with an incomparable speed, flung her palm against his other cheek, then clenched her teeth and lashed out, “You are a very big bastard.”
Firing her second palm, junior sister Du looked like she had removed a foul taste from her mouth. She then turned around and stomped away arrogantly.
Fang Ziji rubbed his cheeks and looked at her with eyes wide open.
*giggles*… Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er giggled uncontrollably. They didn’t expect circumstance to develop in that direction. They were now filled with admiration for Du Yishuang.
“Fellow sister, this… this…” Fang Ziji was stuttering. No one could tell how he felt, then he turned to look at Yang Kai and clumsily smiled and said, “When I meet her again I will straighten her out. She has acted against the heavens.”
Hu Jiao Er clapped her hands and said, “That was a really good play. Very comfortable to watch. Ohhhh Fang Ziji you, are now heaven..”
Fang Ziji twitched, then heaved a great sigh and recited, “A rose is not a rose without its thorns.”
Yang Kai coughed lightly interrupting Hu Jiao Er’s retort, then asked Fang Ziji, “Brother Fang, did you come to me for something?”
Fang Ziji turned stern and turned to look at the spot ten li away from them, then asked earnestly, “I came here only to ask brother Yang if he knows something about what is happening.”
His question also piqued the interest of Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er. The both of them looked at Yang Kai with full attention
Yang Kai’s vision glittered, he didn’t reply immediately. Fang Ziji then continued, “Brother Yang doesn’t need to hide, everyone can see you know something. But if Brother Yang is not comfortable with publicising his knowledge, I can understand.”
Yang Kai considered as he looked at him. He understood where this was coming from. Before when he had notified everyone about being ten li away from that place, he made everyone aware of the potential disaster. If he didn’t know, how was he able to notify everyone?
However, it didn’t matter if he told them what he knew. Either way, they would discover what it is when the cloud layers have finally descended. Someone would nose around it and eventually understand.
He looked at Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er, who still looked at him attentively.
A few seconds passed and Yang Kai lets loose his thoughts, “I don’t know too much about it. After the steps in the sky come down, I will inspect it.”
Fang Ziji continued to ask, “Will it be dangerous?”
Yang Kai smiled yet again. “Brother Fang, even I am not too clear about it.”
Fang Ziji nodded obediently, cupping his fists as he soberly replied, “Many thanks, brother Yang. If someday when you have the time, I invite you to visit Storm House as a guest. Us brothers will have a good chat over a cup of wine.”
“Thank you!”
After Fang Ziji left, Yang Kai looked at the Hu sisters then said with a smile, “I know that you also want to know about it, otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting beside me just to make the disciples of the Bloody Battle Gang jealous.”
“Do you think we are here to gather information?” Hu Jiao Er disputed.
Hu Mei Er said hurriedly, “We are not here because of that! we’re just…”
Hu Jiao Er abruptly interrupted without letting her finish her sentence, “Did you think we approached you to squeeze secrets out of you??”
She did not like how Yang Kai thought of them. [Does he actually think that we approached him with an ulterior motive? I thought he had a better impression of us.]
Realising he enraged her, he decided to keep silent.
Hu Jiao Er continues, “Since we will climb those steps together once they reach the ground, I will take it upon myself to be responsible for your protection should any problem occur. At the same time, you need to tell us everything you know. How does this deal sound?”
“Protection?” Yang Kai looked at the girl with one eyebrow raised.
“In your current condition, don’t you think you need protection?” Hu Jiao Er chuckled. “Well, I guess you could always find Su Yan to protect you. Although after you saved her, she seems to have been ignoring you these past few days”.
Yang Kai did not argue. He was well aware that when the time came, they would have to move together, which means they might as well help each other.
Hu Jiao Er snorted and pulled her own sister away from Yang Kai.
After waiting for a whole day, the thing hidden in the sky was finally exposed and showed a complete picture of what was behind it. All the people that were waiting stood up and looked at the thing five kilometers away.
Cultivators who were standing below watched a huge palatial construction emerge from the sea of clouds down directly in front of everyone. In front of it was a huge number of steps, which were so numerous that everyone thought that they would not be able to climb them.
[Is the inheritance located there?] Yang Kai thought as his breathing became heavy.
All the disciples of the three sects became anxious and excited at the same time. Although they did not have as much information as Yang Kai, they could all easily tell that this colossus building must hold great treasures. Now, everyone was just waiting for the flight of stairs to reach the ground so they can start climbing.
Finally, under the attentive gaze of countless of people, the flight of stairs made contact with the ground. A loud pounding could be heard as the ground trembled. The clouds and objects in the sky then vanished into obscurity.
The pounding and trembling continued for quite some time before settling down. The flight of stairs also stably landed on the ground.
Suddenly, one scream after another sounded out and several hundred people rushed to the flight of stairs.
Yang Kai also started to walk to its side. He was not as anxious as the rest because he knew from the Old Demon that obtaining the inheritance was based on chance and not speed.
In front of him was a pure white figure. When he carefully looked at it, he noticed that it was Su Yan. The sleeves of her clothes were fluttering about as she moved. She was neither running like the rest nor taking a stroll like Yang Kai. Instead, she was traveling at a walking pace, emitting a noble aura.
When she turned her head back to look at Yang Kai realizing that his vision was locked onto her, her long eyelashes slightly vibrated as she opened her mouth to speak. However, no words came out.
In the next moment, their vision was blocked out by the running crowd of disciples. Yang Kai’s flirtatious smile turned to that of sadness.
Meanwhile, the two beautiful Hu sisters came beside him once again with one on the left and the other on the right. They displayed winning, coy smiles that could even charm a ghost.
Hu Jiao Er then spoke out, “Since I said that I will protect you, I will keep my word. You don’t have to worry. The both of us have already received an inheritance, so we will not compete with you on this one.”
Yang Kai regained his composure when he could no longer see Su Yan.
“Hey, you brat! I’m talking to you!” Hu Jiao Er angrily scolded Yang Kai because he completely ignored her.
“Yes. I heard.” Yang Kai responded.
Hu Jiao Er snorted and muttered to herself in a soft voice, “Like you actually paid any attention to what I said…”
After walking for 5 kilometers, the three arrived in front of a lavish, green and golden jade step.
In front of the gigantic flight of stairs was a dim screen of light. It faintly resembled multiple gates placed next to each other.
The disciples from the three sects tried to find a way through the screen of light. Over time, the number of people that were present was reduced. The disciples were either going in groups or one by one into the gate of light, reducing the population at the bottom of the steps.
The entire scene was extremely bizarre. Although there was a screen of light in front of them, they were able to see the flight of stairs behind it. How was it that when people managed to find a way past the screen of light, they were completely invisible? Did the screen of light consume them?
Watching this scene, the Hu sisters could not help but back off with trepidation.
“Yang Kai, where did they go?” Hu Jiao Er anxiously asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I do not know…”
Then Yang Kai arrived in front of the screen of light and placed his hand on it. As his hand passed through, ripples on the screen could be seen, but his hand completely disappeared on the other side.
“Are we going in?” Hu Mei Er, who was less courageous than her sister voiced with fear.
Yang Kai looked up into the sea of clouds and entered without scruple.
Watching him enter, Hu Jiao Er ground her teeth. Holding her sister’s hand, she shouted, “Let’s go in as well!”
Once they stepped through, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the place looked exactly the same from the other side. Numerous flights of stairs led up towards the sky.
After looking around, he did not see anyone else’s trail. Yang Kai thought to himself and concluded, [each gate must have led to an independent space. It seems that the people who go through the same gate will stay together.]
When Yang Kai turned back, the ripples on the screen of light completely disappeared. When he blinked his eyes, the screen of light also vanished.
Without feeling too much concern about it, Yang Kai placed his foot on the first step of the flight of stairs and clenched. His brow wrinkled as he felt his body suddenly suppressed.
“What happened?” Hu Jiao Er asked after seeing Yang Kai’s expression.
“Come here and try for yourself.” Yang Kai spoke gently.
The two sisters did not hesitate and went forward. Both of them walked around to the sides, finally lifting their feet and placing them on the first step.
“How do you feel?” Yang Kai asked.
“There is energy invading my foot.” Hu Jiao Er replied.
“It is hot energy!” Hu Mei Er continued to elaborate.
“This is probably a test.” Yang Kai showed a faint smile which was completely different from the two Hu sisters’ expression. He had discovered that this energy was Yang attribute energy!
By revolving True Yang Secret Art, Yang Kai could absorb the energy from the platform. Thus, instead of damaging him, the platform was actually fuelling him!
This was entirely different for the two Hu sisters. For them, they would need to direct Qi to resist the Yang Energy from burning their feet.
“If this is a test, then it is too easy. This level of energy is too weak to do much.” Hu Mei Er could resist the energy penetrating her foot with ease.
“Don’t underestimate this test.” Hu Jiao Er looked at her sister. “The steps here may not contain a lot of energy but could we say that for certain about the steps on top? It is likely that the higher we go, the more energy we will have to resist. This will probably last until we can resist no longer…”
“Let’s not be hasty and jump to conclusions. Let’s test it out.” Yang Kai took another step, and another step, till he reached the fourth step.
Meanwhile, the two sisters followed behind.
After walking without rest for more than a hundred steps, they had discovered that Hu Jiao Er’s prediction was right. The higher they went, the more Yang Energy drilled into their foot, and the more Yuan Qi they had to use to resist it.
After a whole day of endless climbing, the two sisters could not help but bottle up their complaints about the hardships they had to face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was enjoying his time climbing the steps. By climbing his first hundred steps, he had managed to acquire one drop of Yang Liquid and stored it within his Dantian.
After their three-hundredth step, Yang Kai and the Hu sisters could tell that they were starting to slow down. Since they had to resist the Yang Energy, the Hu sisters felt their whole body slowly turn stiff. However, it was still not strong enough to stop them.
It was surprising that Hu Mei Er managed to pass through their three-hundredth step with relative ease. This was despite her cultivation level being only Initial Element Stage 2.
Once they passed the four hundredth step, the toll on the sisters was becoming obvious. The two of them would need to about three breaths to climb another step. Not to mention, they were already starting to perspire.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was still extremely relaxed. However, instead of chatting with the girls, he was more concerned about this test. It was unlikely that the test only consisted of climbing stairs. That would be way too easy. He suspected that unknown dangers lurked somewhere and was trying to remain alert.
At their four hundred and ninetieth step, the two sisters looked towards Yang Kai, who had a face full of satisfaction. They were convinced that the boy was simply putting on a strong front. How was it possible for him to pass through these steps and still be so joyful? These steps were extremely tiring to climb. To think that they even swore that they would protect him. The irony…
Yang Kai looked at them and proposed, “Let’s take a break first.”
“No!” Hu Jiao Er clenched her teeth and took a step in front of Yang Kai.
Once Hu Jiao Er climbed up ten more steps to the five hundredth step, she suddenly fell. Fortunately, Yang Kai was quick enough to pull her back to a lower step.
They looked at each other and Hu Jiao Er said in surprise, “It changed!”
Yang Kai’s brows wrinkled but he did not bother to question her. He took a step up to the five hundredth step and could feel that the energy penetrating his foot was no longer that of Yang Energy, but ice cold.
The sudden change must have startled Hu Jiao Er, causing her to fall.
“Is this also part of the test?” Yang Kai had a weary smile. He had hoped that the steps were all going to deliver Yang Energy. In this case, being a Yang attribute cultivator makes it easy for him to arrive at the top of the stairs. However, now with the energy changing to that of cold. it was drastic enough to be an opposite of the Yang Energy.
When the cold energy drilled into Yang Kai’s body, the boy had two choices. He could either revolve True Yang Yuan Qi and resist the energy or he could revolve True Yang Secret Art to build up this cold energy into his bones. Regardless of the technique he chose, he would need to use up his Yuan Qi. However, the latter was definitely going to take a bigger toll on him.
If Yang Kai did not have so much Yang Liquid within his Dantian, he would have chosen the first option. With a reserve of more than 100 drops of Yang Liquid, he would be able to use True Yang Secret Art without much worry.
When the boy started revolving True Yang Secret Art, he allowed the cold energy to penetrate directly into his Golden Bones. With the circulation of his Yang Yuan Qi, he resisted the cold energy from spreading throughout his body.
“Let’s go.” Yang Kai turned around and smiled at the two sisters, showing the way forward.
Hu Jiao Er was irritated by Yang Kai and whispered to her sister, “Why is he being so smug?”
Hu Mei Er bitterly smiled back, “He isn’t…”
Disclaimer: we are note responsible for any smashed phones!
“He’s definitely being smug! He dares to show such attitude to me!” Hu Jiao Er clenched her jaw and revolved her cultivation technique alongside her sister to resist the cold energy slipping into their bodies. Step by step, they pursued Yang Kai.
After the first day, all three of them had finally reached the thousandth step. When they arrived, Yang Kai took another step upwards and was delighted and surprised. The energy that emitted from the steps had now completely changed to Yang Energy.
With the change of energy types every five hundred steps, more than 90% of disciples had given up by the time they reached the thousandth. The sudden changes of energy made it unbearable for those disciples, forcing them to stop.
Those that had surpassed the thousandth step were all the elites of their respective sects. They all managed to surpass the milestone only due to their cultivation levels.
In actuality, Hu Mei Er should not have been able to climb so high due to her limited cultivation level. However, she managed to do so without much hint of exhaustion. On the other hand, her sister Hu Jiao Er was pale with exhaustion.
The three rested for half a day before continuing.
At that point in time, past the three-thousandth step stood a figure clad in pure white. She was taking her time climbing each step. Even at that level, she continued to climb almost effortlessly. From the start, her demeanour remained calm as she scaled the stairs, similar to taking a leisurely stroll.
Even as the sleeves of her clothes fluttered about, she remained indifferent. Occasionally, she would use her hand to gracefully comb the hairs on her face back behind her ears.
The energy from the ground invaded the soles of her feet, but before it could even hurt her, the energies seemed to vanish.
Her entire face was flawless still, with skin as delicate as a baby’s. Obviously, this was Su Yan.
Su Yan cultivated Ice Heart Secret Arts. Similar to Yang Kai, she had a superior advantage within this test. She could easily climb without much effort.
Of course, out of the three sects, Su Yan and Yang Kai were not the only ones that cultivated Yin and Yang-based cultivation techniques. There were approximately 700-800 disciples who cultivated Yin and Yang, but even when they realized the advantages they had in this test, they simply could not hope to compare with Su Yan. The cultivation techniques that each person held had different ranks. Naturally, Su Yan no doubt had the highest ranks of cultivation techniques.
There were only a handful of people that made it above two thousand steps.
Xie Hongchen was sitting cross-legged, gasping for breath with a sinister and vicious look on his face. He was trying to restore his Yuan Qi with Pills.
“With me here, the inheritance is mine! So long as I have obtained the inheritance, who cares about the disciples from the three sects? I will make High Heaven Pavilion strong enough to dominate the other two sects, and make them bow down to us! Those that question or defy me will die! And Yang Kai, you are going to be the first! This day will mark me, Xie Hongchen, as the overlord!”
Xie Hongchen seemed crazy. The Yuan Qi within his body was chaotic and not flowing normally. With such erratic fluctuations in his Yuan Qi, Xie Hongchen’s strength seemed to be comparable to those in the Qi Transforming Stage.
The incident pertaining to the fight against the Tortoise Monster Beast was still flashing through his mind constantly. What was circulating within his thoughts were not the scenes where the three sects colluded to bring down the beast, but instead were of the people’s spiteful gazes towards him. It was mainly due to him that the Monster Beast became enraged. However, it was not him who took it down. It was Yang Kai’s attack that gave the opportunity for the three sects to strike, finally killing the Monster Beast.
Although no one had spoken directly to him about this incident, Xie Hongchen could detect their spite and hatred from their gazes. Even his Junior Sisters looked at him with apprehension.
This made Xie Hongchen burn with rage.
[No one is allowed to look at me like that! No one!] Xie Hongchen thought to himself.
In front of Xie Hongchen by several hundreds of steps was Fang Ziji. He was gasping for breath while each of his steps seemed to cause his body to shiver.
“… It’s time to rest.” Fang Ziji was patient. He knew that the inheritance depended on an opportunity, and the flight of stairs was merely a front. Climbing up should not be the determining factor for the successor. Thus, even if he had a strong desire to obtain the Inheritance, he was not as crazed as Xie Hongchen.
“It seems that this test is specifically meant for cultivators that cultivate Yin and Yang.” Fang Ziji took out a Medicine Pill from beneath his clothes on his chest and ingested it. “ What’s the point of me actually continuing? Could this all be a simple waste of time? I might as well explore more of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance with a few Senior and Junior Sisters. There is a much greater chance of getting something.”
The more he thought about it, the more Fang Ziji felt what he was doing was pointless. Before long, he stood up, but only to descend.
Once he reached the ground level, he saw Du Yishuang low-spiritedly sitting crossed-legged as well.
“Junior Sister Du, why did you come out?” Fang Ziji accidentally asked.
Du Yishuang coldly moved her gaze away from him as she recalls his frivolous attitude. Her cheeks flushed a little as she turned her head and snorted.
“Junior Sister, I was just looking for a person to be with, only to find you here.” Fang Ziji walked up to Junior Sister Du and hugged her without a second thought.
“What are you doing!?” Du Yishuang struggled, but in vain because of Fang Ziji’s strength. With his burning hot, iron-like hands wrapped around her waist, Du Yishuang felt her heartbeat speed up.
“If you don’t release me, I will bite you!” Du Yishuang seemed like a small tigress and opened her mouth ready to bite.
“When a man is doing something, a woman just needs to shut up and wait!” Fang Ziji aggressively forced his actions on.
Du Yishuang felt even worse as she failed to break free of his invasive grasp.
Close to the two-thousandth step was Long Jun from the Bloody Battle Gang. He was also sitting cross-legged restoring his energy. Since the three sects’ strongest disciples did not differ too much in terms of strength, it was only normal that the height they were able to reach was about the same.
Unlike Xie Hongchen and Fang Ziji, Long Jun was extremely anxious. He was not confident in his ability to obtain the inheritance. Even when his strength was considered to best out of all the three sect disciples, if one were to take into consideration his age, he would not seem to be as impressive as the others.
Besides the few disciples who’ve managed to climb close to the two-thousandth step, the remaining few elite disciples were mostly above and around the one-thousandth step.
At this point, many people were already struggling to progress any further. After the one-thousandth step, they needed to rest for a long period of time before being able to climb up again. Some people actually considered those as opportunities. With the difficulty of climbing, it would add another set of criteria that would allow them a chance at the Inheritance. As long as they persisted a little bit longer and further and were more determined than the rest, they would have a chance to reach the top and obtain the Inheritance.
Lan Chudie, on the other hand, was struggling to climb anymore after her first few hundred steps. Normally, she would stand tall and proud but all of her hair was covered in frost. Her whole body was shaking with her uncontrollably jittering teeth, but she still pushed on and refused to give up.
On occasion, she thought of Yang Kai’s indifferent gaze towards her and could not help but feel upset.
With both her fists clenched, her breathing ragged, she took another step up.
She was an ambitious girl. She was willing to attach herself to any powerhouse, but was that a mistake? She was merely a girl without much talent. She has been laboriously cultivating the whole time in High Heaven Pavilion to only reach Qi Transforming Stage 7. Compared to the genuinely powerful cultivators, what significance could she possibly be in their eyes? Thus, she had to follow another powerful cultivator, to be protected under their wing. That was her only choice for survival.
She was not Su Yan. She was not strong. The only thing she had were her wits. Maybe one could include her body which made men drool, but Lan Chudie never regarded that as a strength. If she would classify her beauty, it was more of a burden. Only capable of flaring up men’s desires, while provoking the dangerous envy of women.
Several days before at Yang Kai’s moment of crisis, she just stood there silent. She did not wish to get drawn into the conflict. Maybe if she had added a few words of assistance, he would not have held such a gaze of unfeeling towards her.
Lan Chudie thought to herself, [ Why can’t you forgive me? If anyone was in such a situation, would they have chosen to support you? If only you were stronger…]
After climbing up a few steps, her whole body seemed to change. When she turned her head to check herself, her pale cheeks suddenly had dimples on it.
While she was indulging in her own thoughts, she had suddenly broken through to the next stage. Qi Transforming Stage 8!
When she closed her eyes to feel her newfound power circulating through her body, her eyes glimmered in delight. She continued upwards, to discover that the path was now much easier to climb. Her mood had rapidly changed to that of joy as she pressed on.
After half a day of rest, Yang Kai and the two Hu sisters finally continued their journey.
After the one-thousandth step, they could feel that the difference in energy produced by each step was increasing over the last. At first, the Hu sisters could climb without the need to rest, but the more they climbed, the more rest they required.
Yang Kai was also the same. Although he had an extremely strong cultivation technique, True Yang Secret Art, his cultivation level was still too low. It was impossible for him to climb the stairs with ease like Su Yan.
Therefore, the three had to take their time to move. Finally reaching the two-thousandth step with their vision blurred from exhaustion, they sat down to rest once more.
The climb that changed energies every five hundred steps forced the trial challengers to adapt. This not only made them have to consume more Yuan Qi, this was also a test of their mental endurance.
While the two Hu sisters huffed as their bosoms swayed up and down, Yang Kai was still relaxed. Although he had also used large amounts of Yuan Qi, the Yang Liquid in his Dantian made it much easier for him to cope.
“Aren’t you tired?” Hu Jiao Er could not bear but ask Yang Kai, whom after so long, did not seem to be the slightest bit tired. If Hu Mei Er did not obtain the inheritance with her, Hu Jiao Er highly doubted that her sister could continue past the thousandth step. Right now, Yang Kai who was also in the Initial Element Stage was able to surpass the two thousand step mark. Furthermore, she had not seen him take any Medicine Pills along the way. How was it possible for him to have so much Yuan Qi?
“Fortunately…” Yang Kai sat on the steps and waited for the two Hu sisters.
“You monster!” Hu Jiao Er exclaimed while smiling bitterly.