Tai Fang Mountain stood amongst a mountain range that was neither too big nor too small and stretched from north to south across a wide region.
The original mountain was considered to be a lush and verdant land, covered in flowers and trees, exuding a beautiful and refreshing spring like air, but now the entire range had become a battlefield.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces gathered on the south side of the mountain while the allied forces from the Great Han Dynasty occupied the north.
A young man and two young women looked out across the once pristine mountain that had now become a warzone. During these past few months, Tai Fang Mountain had been severely damaged, and traces of blood and dead bodies were scattered everywhere. It was unknown just how many cultivators had lost their lives here.
In the confrontation between these two sides, such a scene was not uncommon.
After all, in this war, Tai Fang Mountain was just one point along the front!
Since leaving the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, the Hu Sisters moved as fast as possible to reach this place because this was where their fellow disciples and elders from Blood Battle Gang had been stationed.
Previously, they had also fought here but a few months ago they had been encountered enemy masters and were forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Along the way, Yang Kai had learned a lot of useful information from the two sisters.
Tai Fang Mountain wasn’t a key strategic location in the overall war, so there weren’t that many masters gathered here. Besides the Blood Battle Gang members, there were also people from Storm Hall here as well as numerous elites from various other second-class forces, all of them under the command of a single first-class family.
The Xiang Family!
Because the Great Han cultivators here had come from all over the dynasty and mostly belonged to second-class or lower ranked forces, the first-class Xiang Family held absolute authority.
Even if someone didn’t agree with it, they had no choice but to obey the orders of the Xiang Family here. After all, the background of the other was far superior.
Tai Fang Mountain’s camp was an easily defended site, with a lot of simple accommodations having been built over the past few months; it was a place where weary cultivators who had fought against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces could rest.
On this day, a dusty trio consisting of one young man and two young women walked up to the camp.
As the three approached the camp’s checkpoint, they were stopped by several bright clothed disciples and were asked to identify themselves.
These guards had noticed early on that Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters weren’t very strong; therefore, they hadn’t taken too many precautions, only stopping them to make some routine inquiries.
All of these male guards subtly sized up the Hu Sisters’ enchanting figures, but when they caught a glimpse of their dirty, pock-marked, and haggard faces, all of them immediately lost their appetites, and a faint trace of disgust flashed across their eyes.
The whole time Yang Kai remained indifferent and did not bother to comment.
Instead, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er quickly wiped off the disguises on their faces to reveal their original appearances.
After cleaning up somewhat, even though the tiredness was still apparent on their faces, it did little to diminish their outstanding beauty.
Suddenly, one of the guards who had been resting by the side of the road stood up and exclaimed, “Aren’t you the Hu Family’s two young ladies from Blood Battle Gang?”
“En!” Hu Jiao Er casually acknowledged.
“So it’s you two!” The first guard who had gone up to question them called out in joy and quickly said, “It’s good that you two girls managed to return safely, please come in.”
Saying so, the guard quickly opened the way and put on a humble expression “Please forgive us, we are only performing our duties and ask the two young ladies to not pay it mind.”
Hu Jiao Er’s brow furrowed, her expression neither warm nor cold as she led her sister and Yang Kai forward.
As they were about to pass, the guards all glanced towards Yang Kai skeptically, the one in charge asking cautiously, “Young ladies, excuse this humble one for asking, but this is…”
“My friend.”
“Oh. Since he is the young lady’s friend, then it’s alright.” The head guard said with a smile and didn’t dare to ask anything more.
When the three youths had disappeared into the camp, the head guard’s expression become solemn as he motioned to one of his subordinates, “Quickly inform the Young Lord that the Hu Sister have returned safely. Go now!”
“Yes sir!” One of the men nodded and dashed off.
Yang Kai followed behind the Hu Sisters as they walked through the camp and soon arrived at the inner dwellings.
“Over there!” Hu Mei Er suddenly shouted in surprise and pointed towards a nearby place.
Looking in the direction she pointed, Yang Kai saw a group of people gathered around, engaged in some kind of discussion.
“Uncle Le!” Hu Jiao Er also burst into a smile and hurriedly walked towards this group.
When these people perceived someone approaching them, all of them lifted their heads and glanced over.
The next moment, a burly old man who looked about fifty or sixty years old, trembled and jumped to his feet as he stared towards the Hu Sisters, as his aged eyes were filled with joy.
Guan Chi Le was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage Master and one of Blood Battle Gang’s strongest elders. He was also one of the men who had participated in the battle against Meng Wu Ya.
However, unlike Long Zai Tian, Guan Chi Le was extremely loyal to Blood Battle Gang and to the Hu family. He had even watched over the Hu Sisters as they had grown up, as a result, the two sisters’ relationship with him was quite good
“Young Ladies, is it really you?” Guan Chsi Le asked hesitantly.
“It’s us, Uncle Le!” Hu Jiao Er nodded with a warm smile adorning her beautiful face.
“You’ve really returned safely!” Guan Chi Le cried out and burst into tears.
The rest of the people around him also looked happily towards the Hu Sisters. Since the two sisters had disappeared, it had already been two or three months. The last time someone saw them, they were being chased into the Tai Fang Mountain range by a group of Devil Path masters, and no one had expected them to be capable of escaping. Yet now, all of a sudden, they had returned alive and well.
Since these people had all gathered here together, they were definitely not strangers, so all of them were undoubtedly thrilled that the Hu Sisters had returned.
This group was relatively small, only a dozen or so in number, but when Yang Kai swept his gaze past them, all of them were familiar!
All of these youths were either Blood Battle Gang or Storm Hall disciples!
Moreover, Yang Kai noticed his old acquaintance Fang Ziji amongst them!
It seems like this extremely patriarchal guy was actually pulled here to fight as well.
These two Sects’ disciples had been forced to come here to participate in this battle, so it was not surprising that they would gather together when not on duty.
“Good good! It’s good you’ve come back! Truly good! At last the Sect Master can rest assured.” Guan Chi Le quickly composed himself, repeatedly proclaiming as he firmly nodded. When he turned his gaze to Yang Kai, he couldn’t help his brow from wrinkling, suspiciously and asked, “Has this old man met this little brother somewhere before?”
Suddenly, the Hu Sisters didn’t know how to explain.
If it was just this group gathered here who knew Yang Kai’s identity it was nothing important, but if cultivators from other forces stationed here found out that Yang Kai was from High Heaven Pavilion, things would definitely not end well.
Fang Ziji shot a meaningful glance towards Yang Kai before hurriedly stepping forward to lightly cough while wearing an odd grin on his face as he cupped his fists, “Greetings, this one is Storm Hall’s Fang Ziji, I once had a friend who looks just like you! Dare to ask what this new friend’s name?”
“Yang Kai!” Even though Yang Kai was laughing to himself inside, his expression remained calm and composed.
“So it is Brother Yang! Good good, not only does this new friend look very much like my deceased friend, he even shares the same name as well! Hahaha, such coincidence, isn’t it?” Fang Ziji hit the shoulder of one of his nearby Junior Brother.
“Yes, yes…” That Junior Brother helplessly nodded, his shoulder obviously in some pain from how hard Fang Ziji had struck him.
The whole situation was… more than a little bit forced.
Everyone else also understood Fang Ziji’s meaning, and after a momentary gaff, all of them silently agreed to play along.
Guan Chi Le was a perceptive man as well as an old master, so after hearing Yang Kai’s name he also realized why he had felt that this kid was so familiar, [So it’s him!]
The whole group had a tacit understanding of the situation, so no one tried to make things difficult.
The scene was a pleasant one, but Yang Kai was keenly aware that the laughter and smiles of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Blood Battle Gang also concealed a hint of worry and anxiety.
While the group was chatting amongst themselves, Fang Ziji’s expression suddenly became cold as his eyes flashed an angry light, and his lips twitched slightly as he muttered, “Xiang Chu is coming.”
As he said these words, he unconsciously glanced towards the Hu Sisters.
Everyone suddenly went silent; Guan Chi Le’s face also grimaced. His expression was clearly displeased.
Noticing the obvious and dramatic change in atmosphere, Yang Kai scanned the area around them and quickly discovered a handsome young man accompanied by two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters striding towards them.
His robes were clean and tidy, and his smiling face was refreshing like a spring breeze that gave him a mild aura, the perfect image of a free spirited young noble master.
From his appearance, he seemed to only be around twenty five or so years old.
Xiang Chu!
As the first-class Xiang Family’s Young Lord, Xiang Chu’s identity and status was naturally not low, at least on par with the likes of Bai Yun Feng and Dong Qing Han, one of the leaders of the younger generation.
During the past month’s journey, Yang Kai had also heard the Hu Sisters mention this Xiang Chu a number of times; however, every time his name came up the two sisters’ expressions would cramp up before they quickly changed the subject.
Now seeing him with his own eyes, Yang Kai finally understood why the Hu Sisters didn’t want to talk about him.
Not only did the Hu Sisters’ expression look ugly, even the rest of the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall members couldn’t help frowning when they saw this youth.
Only Xiang Chu still maintained a mild smile as he casually strolled towards their group.
Walking right up to them with his eyes revealing a joyful light, Xiang Chu emphatically said, “Jiao Er, Mei Er, what happened to you two must have been terrifying. Thank goodness you’ve returned safely.”
Guan Chi Le’s old eyes couldn’t help narrowing as his aura fluctuated, but as soon as it did the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind Xiang Chu immediately locked their gazes on him.
Hu Jiao Er’s expression visibly dimmed as she said in a cold tone, “Young Lord Xiang, Jiao Er and Mei Er aren’t names you can call us sisters, haven’t I once told you this before?”
Xiang Chu showed a ‘surprised’ expression, like he had suddenly remembered something, and he cupped his fists and replied, “Young Ladies, please forgive this one. Reuniting after such a long separation caused this Young Lord to become too emotional and as such made a small slip of the tongue.”
“I hope there won’t be a next time!” Hu Jiao Er ruthlessly stated.
“Yes yes, there most certainly won’t be a next time.” Xiang Chu nodded before letting out a sigh, his expression becoming forlorn, “But this one must first apologize to the two young ladies.”
“Oh?” Hu Jiao Er’s frown deepened as she stared at him.
Xiang Chu smiled wryly and continued, “During that battle, when you two young ladies were being pursued, it was this one’s responsibility to come to your rescue, but alas, this young master was not strong enough and could only watch helplessly as you young ladies were trapped by those wicked devils. For the past three months, this one had been greatly concerned, unable to sleep at night, cursing the fact that I had not a pair of wings which could carry me to your side so that I might protect you.”
Suddenly wearing a radiant smile, “Fortunately, the two young ladies received the Heaven’s blessings and managed to return unharmed! It is a great relief for this one’s heart to know you are safe.”
Every word he spoke rolled off his tongue, as if he was completely sincere and his motives were as pure as the moon’s gentle rays.
In response though, the Hu Sisters remained cold and indifferent.
However, Xiang Chu didn’t seem the slightest bit put off by their attitude, and once more cupped his fists and politely said, “The two young ladies have just returned from a long and dangerous journey and must be tired. This one shall retire to allow the two young ladies to get some much-needed rest, if there is anything the young ladies require, please do not hesitate to ask this one. This Young Lord guarantees he will satisfy the young ladies!”
Finished, Xiang Chu flashed a final warm smile and then quickly departed.
Watching as Xiang Chu strode away, Yang Kai couldn’t help but grin wryly.
This group of people, who had never seen him before, had completely treated Yang Kai as though he was air.
The Xiang Family was a first-class family, so their treasured Young Lord acting aloof and domineering wouldn’t be abnormal.
But now, seeing this Xiang Chu first-hand with his elegant manners, harmless disposition, carefree and unrestrained personality, allowing people to have a positive impression of him, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be surprised.
Yang Kai could clearly see that this person had great interest in the two Hu Sisters and made no effort in hiding his meaning. On top of that, even though Hu Jiao Er responded so coldly to him, he did not respond with any kind of displeasure or annoyance, instead maintaining an ever-genial temperament.
Yang Kai couldn’t understand at first glance why the Hu Sisters and everyone else seemed to despise this young man.
However, everything must have a cause, and Yang Kai also understood well that one’s outer persona didn’t always reflect their true self. His intuition told him that this Xiang Chu must have a side to him that he didn’t expose to the public.
After Xiang Chu had departed, the genius of Fang Ziji approached Yang Kai and said with a chuckle, “Yang Kai, you mustn’t be deceived by that guy. Although he looks kind and harmless, his tongue is slippery and his mind is scheming, it’s just that he hides all of this deeply, or else there’s no way he’d be able to maintain his command over this place.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. He never had any intention of underestimating Xiang Chu’s depths.
People like Bai Yun Feng, who wore their arrogance on his sleeve and clearly treated people either with respect or disdain, couldn’t cause any threat to Yang Kai.
But someone like Xiang Chu who would smile warmly while plotting against you had to be guarded against.
“This place is actually under his command now?” Hearing this, Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help asking before glancing towards Fang Ziji strangely, “What exactly happened? He’s just a member of the young generation, how could he be put in command here? Are there not any Elders from the Xiang Family present here anymore?”
Fang Ziji however just laughed wryly and turned his gaze to Guan Chi Le.
Guan Chi Le hesitated a moment before saying, “The Young Ladies must be tired and should rest for now, as for these other matters, this old man will explain in the evening.”
“Good.” Hu Jiao Er nodded without hesitating; firstly, although she had noticed that something was unusual as soon as they had arrived at the camp, it didn’t seem to be a pressing matter. Second, she really did mean for her and Mei Er to clean themselves up. This past month of running and hiding with Yang Kai made it so they hadn’t had a chance to do so at all.
Women always loved to be clean.
“Yang Kai, you come with me.” Fang Ziji warmly said.
Yang Kai smiled and followed him away.
That night, around a big outdoor campfire, the cultivators from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all gathered round while Yang Kai and Fang Ziji both roasted some wild game atop the flickering flames.
The sizzling of oil and crackling of wood gentle echoed about.
After a long time, Hu Jiao Er finally asked, “Uncle Le, what happened? The number of masters here has dropped significantly. Where did the Elders of our Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall go?”
Three months ago, before the two sisters had been forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, there were many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters here, but now that they had returned, they soon discovered that there were less than ten such masters remaining. Aside from the two who served as Xiang Chu’s guards, the other Immortal Ascension masters here didn’t have particularly strong cultivations.
Although this location in relation to others on the front wasn’t too important, it wasn’t negligible either. With the camp’s current combat strength, if the enemy across the hill were to suddenly attack in force, everyone here would quickly be overwhelmed.
Guan Chi Le let out a sigh before calmly replying, “The situation has changed. A month or so ago, the Eight Great Families sent out a summons recalling all of the masters and elites who were participating in the war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. It seems that the Eight Great Families and the Demon Lord want to stage a decisive battle.”
“A decisive battle?” Hu Jiao Er exclaimed.
Guan Chi Le nodded sternly, “We’re not a proper army after all, all of us just happen to be grasshoppers on the same string. Although we started off with a great amount of hatred and enthusiasm, after fighting for so long most of us simply want this war to end earlier. It’s probably that the heads of both sides have reached some kind of consensus so most of the masters here have been transferred away, your father included.”
“Dad also left…” Hu Mei Er whispered softly.
Although Hu Man’s cultivation had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage and could be considered one of the elite able to look down disdainfully on the whole world, now that he was forced to participate in this so called decisive battle, if he was the slightest bit careless, there was still a chance he may die.
How could the the Hu Sisters not worry?
“It’s the same for our Storm Hall, the Sect Master and all the Elders left, fortunately the masters across the hill have also left.” Fang Ziji grinned wryly, his master was Xiao Ruohan, Storm Hall’s Sect Master.
“If it wasn’t for Sect Master’s request, this old man wouldn’t have been able to stay here.” Guan Chi Le’s blank look suddenly livened up, “Sect Master said that the two young ladies would surely return here one day, so he requested permission for this old man to remain here, firstly to take care of our disciples, and secondly, to wait for the two young ladies. Now it seems that Sect Master’s decision was the right one.”
Speaking till here, Fang Ziji suddenly cut in, his voice filled with extreme resentment and hatred, “If it weren’t for Senior Guan’s help, your Blood Battle Gang and our Storm Hall’s disciples would probably have all died.”
“What happened?” Hu Jiao Er’s face sank.
“The same as before,” Fang Ziji sneered, “Because our two Sects were lumped together with High Heaven Pavilion, none of the other Sects here have a very good opinion of us. When the two of you were here things were better because Xiang Chu would intervene here and there, but after you disappeared, Xiang Chu simply brushed us aside, and any dangerous task was then quickly pushed onto our two Sect’s disciples.”
His expression became cold, and then Fang Ziji angrily said, “When we first arrived here there were more than a hundred of us, but now? There’s only a dozen or so of us left.”
Having witnessed the tragic deaths of so many of his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, the pain Fang Ziji’s felt was difficult to describe.
Suddenly, Fang Ziji suddenly remembered something, quickly turning towards Yang Kai, “You shouldn’t mind me, I don’t mean anything else.”
“I know.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Although Fang Ziji went out of his way to not create a misunderstanding between them, Yang Kai knew very well that it was because of their relationship with High Heaven Pavilion that Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall received such harsh treatment.
Without a doubt, High Heaven Pavilion held some responsibility for these two Sect’s current circumstances.
However, these other forces were taking things too far! Just because it was the Sect the Demon Lord had come from, High Heaven Pavilion had been burnt to the ground while the treatment given to Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall was completely unreasonable.
Having heard Guan Chi Le’s remarks, Hu Jiao Er thought to herself for a moment before saying, “Since that’s the case, then this region is even less important than before, right?”
Guan Chi Le nodded lightly, “Young Lady is correct, as soon as three or five days, or as late as half a month from now, a decisive battle will be fought. The victor from that battle will essentially decide the outcome of this war, so whether it’s us or the forces on the other side of the mountain neither wants to stir up any trouble. As long as we wait until after the decisive battle is finished, both sides will likely withdraw from here so both sides here probably think fighting each other is pointless.”
“En.” Hu Jiao Er nodded slightly.
“That being the case, the Xiang Family simply gave command here to Xiang Chu.” Fang Ziji grinned wryly, “They probably wanted to use this rare opportunity for him to hone himself.”
There weren’t many opportunities for this kind of gathering. In this place, there were various elite disciples and elders of at least five or six forces. When this many parties gathered together, there would inevitably be disputes. If Xiang Chu could handle these matters well, it would prove he was also capable of handling matters related to the Xiang Family. Such experience would be of great use to him if he was to become Patriarch of the Xiang Family some day!
Clearly this was the Xiang Family’s way of training him as a future successor.
After learning about these things, the Hu Sisters were finally able to put down most of the burdens in their hearts, though they were still worried about Hu Man’s safety.
A short time later, the wild game was cooked and the fragrance of roasted meat wafted through the air. Yang Kai chewed on it with impunity, and it wasn’t long before the Hu Sisters were unable to bear the temptation and began eating gracefully.
In this one month following Yang Kai, life had been difficult and was very much lacking these simple pleasures.
After eating and chatting for a while, the serious atmosphere eventually became lighter, especially when the surviving members here thought that they’d soon be able to return to their Sects. Nothing would make them happier now; Fang Ziji even pulled out some wine he had hidden somewhere and drank heartily with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai even feared he would keel over drunk on the spot.
While they were enjoying themselves, a group casually approached them amidst the darkness.
The leaders of this group were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, neither of whom seemed very old.
In particular, the woman was particularly enchanting, wearing a tight-fitting garb that clearly highlighted her exquisite figure. Her sleeveless top exposed her two snow-white jade arms that even in the dark or night seemed to glisten like freshly fallen snow under the moonlight.
As these two walked closer, a malicious grin appeared on their faces and quickly spread to the rest of their companions.
When this group of newcomers was less than three meters away, the lead man suddenly ‘slipped’, nearly falling to the ground.
As a result of his actions, a large amount of dirt and sand was sent flying right into the faces of the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples.
“Ah…” The man exclaimed in an exaggerated manner, seeming to hurriedly try to stabilize his stance.
The people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall who just now were laughing, eating, and drinking of course noticed this sudden change and though Guan Chi Le immediately took action, he couldn’t stop all of the sand.
After all, packed into this ordinary soil was no small amount of True Qi.
*Pu pu pu…*
Everyone was pelted, many of their faces experiencing a stinging pain, and all of their drinks and food had been covered in dirt.
Quickly recovering, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all stood up and glared at these newcomers angrily.
What they saw there was a man exaggeratedly shaking his head, a fake look of shock plastered all over his face as he cried out, “That was close! I almost fell!”
The beautiful woman next to him giggled, “How could you be so clumsy Senior Brother Xie Rong?”
That Xie Rong replied, “Junior Sister Li Fu is mistaken! Senior Brother was watching a pack of monkeys doing tricks and accidentally stumbled.”
Li Fu laughed cheerfully, glancing around, wearing her best innocent smile as she pouted, “Senior Brother loves telling jokes, how could there be any monkeys out this late at night? How come Junior Sister can’t see them?”
Xie Rong smiled slyly “Junior Sister’s eyes aren’t very good, can’t you see, these monkeys not only do tricks but also eat meat and drink wine, isn’t that so strange?”
Li Fu suddenly wore an amazed expression, “Is that true? Do such entertaining monkeys really exist? Junior Sister must have a look at them! Where are they? Where?”
As she spoke, her seductive eyes glanced ‘unintentionally’ towards the campfire, a thick disdainful smile upon her face.
Everyone obviously knew that these two acting out this play were referring to the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall.
The conditions for the disciples of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall right now were very bad. Not only were they consistently sent to the most dangerous position during the battles with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces, even when they were resting in their camp, many people would intentionally come over to ridicule them.
There were five or six forces gathered here; except for the leading Xiang Family which was a first-class force, the others were all second and third-class Sects.
These forces, whether it was their numbers or strength, were similar to those of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall. Some of them were even slightly inferior, but they still dared to add insult to injury. When they were in a good mood, they’d come and laugh at them a few times, when they were in a bad mood, they’d hurl insults and abuse.
All of them innately felt like Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall owed them something.
When Hu Man and Xiao Ruohan were still here, the other Sects still had some reservations, but now that all of the masters here had left, what were left was just these idle rampant juniors, so the situation had clearly deteriorated.
Amongst their tormentors, the juniors from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court were the worst.
These days, the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples had suffered intense taunting and provocations; however, because they had suffered many casualties, leaving only a dozen or so of them alive, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.
This group, including the prideful Fang Ziji, in their hearts were deeply unwilling, but eventually held back, not wanting to provoke any trouble.
But their constant forbearance and patience had given rise to people like Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court who concluded that they were easily bullied trash. Today, when this group led by Xie Rong had passed by and seen these normally reserved youths drinking and eating meat, happily smiling, how could they let such a golden opportunity pass?
In any case, there was no war here and no sources of entertainment, what else could they do to pass their time?
Being glared at by the dozen Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang disciples didn’t affect Xie Rong and Li Fu at all. The two of them still stood there calmly as they sneered disdainfully. It seemed like they thought these hateful glares were the best source of entertainment rather than any kind of threat.
“All of you sit down!” Guan Chi Le’s old face was gloomy, and his eyes swept his juniors as he shouted.
The dozen or so disciples grit their teeth in hatred as their fists clenched up but in the end they still managed to hold it in and slowly sat down.
Although their blood was boiling, they also knew that if a fight was to really break out, the ones who would ultimately end up suffering would be them.
With their current combat strength they couldn’t win, and even if they somehow could, after the Xiang Family investigated, because of their circumstances, the situations of both Sects would only become worse.
All of them sat down one by one, Fang Ziji being the last to relent. The look on his face was rather twisted, and his brow was completely furrowed as it twitched every now and then.
Even if he was not resigned in his heart, he knew he had to be patient.
From the start Yang Kai’s expression had remained indifferent, and he dusted off the few grains of sand on the meat in his hand as he calmly observed the situation.
Some of these newcomers were True Element Boundary cultivators, but most of them had only reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary. This group’s strength wasn’t high, but with his keen perception, Yang Kai noticed that there were several Divine Senses remotely observing this scene.
Amongst them were two Divine Senses that exuded traces of vigilance and hostility. These were likely the elders of Xie Rong and Li Fu who were monitoring the situation here in order to prevent Guan Chi Le from harming their juniors.
There were also two Divine Senses that were significantly more powerful than the others, likely belonging to the two masters beside Xiang Chu.
Perceiving all this, Yang Kai grinned and sneered silently.
After seeing the people from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang forced to swallow their anger, Xie Rong and the others would normally laugh and walk off, but today they were obviously reluctant to do so.
As soon as the Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang disciples sat down, Xie Rong and Li Fu not only didn’t leave but instead stepped forward. Li Fu covered her mouth and smiled towards the Hu Sisters, casually saying, “You two sisters actually made it back! I heard that the two were forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Elder Sister is curious, in that demon filled Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land with so many obscene devils staring at you, how is it that two beautiful girls like you managed to escape?”
Hu Jiao Er’s expression became dark as she glared back at Li Fu, angrily saying, “What do you want to say?”
However, Li Fu just giggled and sneered, “Elder Sister is just curious how you two sisters managed to return from that hell. If you don’t mind, could you explain to Elder Sister exactly what you did to survive? For instance, how many men did you seduce and how many times did you sell yourselves to those devils…”
Hearing this blatant slander, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er’s eyes flashed a cold light.
“Oh oh… I apologize, Elder Sister said something uncouth.” Li Fu giggled lightly; although she had spoken words of apology, there was clearly no sincerity behind them.
The male disciples behind Li Fu also started towards the Hu Sisters with disdainful eyes, as if they were looking at two pairs of worn out broken shoes. Clear signs of ridicule, scorn, and even some obscenity were all mixed into their gazes.
“I’m also curious about this!” Xie Rong grinned, “Not only are we curious, everyone in our camp is also curious about how you two were to come back from that place alive and exactly what kind of methods you used.”
Hu Jiao Er’s brow furrowed as her breath quickened but quickly she wore a defiant smile, “What business is it of yours?”
“Naturally it’s our business.” Li Fu smiled maliciously, “If the two of you escaped from the place by betraying our Great Han Dynasty and colluding with those devils how could we just idly stand by and do nothing? Maybe you’ve already become servants to those Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land devils! Or perhaps you’ve brought back spies from that hell with you, in any case, we must thoroughly investigate!”
“That’s right!” Xie Rong’s eyes suddenly became cold as he glanced towards Yang Kai, staring at him and unhurriedly asked, “This friend looks somewhat strange, where exactly does he come from?”
Yang Kai who had been casually listening while he leisurely ate suddenly wrinkled his brow, suddenly realizing that this group of people had seemed to come specifically for him.
All their previous provocations had just been a set up.
“Inconvenient to say!” shaking his head, Yang Kai answered coldly and indifferently.
“Oh, inconvenient to say is it?” Li Fu sneered evilly.
Xie Rong calmly turned to the Hu Sisters, “He was brought here by both of you so you should be clear about his origins, right?”
“I don’t know, we happened to meet along the road.” Hu Jiao Er indifferently replied.
How could she explain where Yang Kai came from? Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang had fallen into disaster simply be being neighbours of High Heaven Pavilion, if they were to know Yang Kai was actually one those that Sect’s disciples he’d surely suffer a much worse fate.
If the people here were to act without restraint, he might even be killed on the spot.
“Sure enough, you’re suspicious!” Xie Rong righteously roared, “Capture him!”
“Who dares to!” Fang Ziji snarled and stood up. His True Qi surged forth like an erupting volcano.
When he moved, the others did too. All of them vigilantly stared at the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court disciples. The latter naturally refused to show any weakness as well and drew their weapons while circulating their True Qi.
The scene had rapidly turned violent.
“Hah!” Xie Rong taunted with a sly grin, “You dare to shield people from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land? You’re all dead!”
Grinning maliciously, a treacherous smile emerged on his face, like things had gone exactly as he planned, and he quickly shouted, “Do it!”
As soon as his voice fell, the two hostile Divine Senses that were locked on this place suddenly turned into a sharp attack filled with a decisive killing intent and plunged straight towards Yang Kai.
Perceiving this, Guan Chi Le’s face filled with rage as he roared, “Be careful!”
The two silent attacks struck Yang Kai’s mind, but in the next instant they had been dispersed by his Soul Palace.
Yang Kai’s face sank, and his eyes became cold.
He had thought that this group of people just wanted to provoke trouble, but now it seems their objective was not so simple.
In the direction the two Divine Senses had emerged from, a purple light flashed across the night sky.
An icy coldness suddenly burst forth and then disappeared without a trace, making everyone wonder if they were imagining things.
But then, two muffled sounds resounded from afar, and the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who belonged to Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court both went pale, and their eyes quickly turned bloodshot as they stumbled and nearly collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, both of these masters had simultaneously been attacked by Yang Kai’s Soul Skill. This bizarre Soul Skill was filled with a cold evil intent and had nearly frozen their Knowledge Seas.
Fortunately for them, they had immediately realized the danger they were in and swiftly defended themselves, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Hurriedly stabilizing their Souls, the two masters couldn’t help but look towards each other, and both of them were aware of the shock and panic in the other’s eyes.
Outside, Yang Kai had already moved.
After using his Soul Skill to counterattack those two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, he moved as swiftly as the wind and instantly arrived before Xie Rong.
Xie Rong still wore the triumphant expression on his face when Yang Kai’s palm landed on his chest and poured blistering True Yang Yuan Qi into his meridians, which sent a wave of extreme pain throughout his body.
Only a single scream was heard before a hand gripped his face and covered his eyes. In a flash, Xie Rong had been dazed and blinded.
“Ah…” The disdainful look on Li Fu’s pretty face instantly disappeared. It had never occurred to her that Yang Kai could survive the attacks of two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s other hand had already grasped Li Fu’s slender neck.
Viciously bringing his hand together, Yang Kai smashed Xie Rong and Li Fu’s heads onto on another, and the tremendous resulting force all but knocked the pair unconscious.
Before they had a chance to being circulating their True Qi, they had been repeatedly beaten into submission.
Both of these two were considered elites from their respective Sects, but at the moment they were like weak children in Yang Kai’s hands, utterly unable to resist.
*Peng Peng…*
After knocking their heads together, Yang Kai slammed Xie Rong and Li Fu into the ground, creating two human-shaped craters as the sounds of bones breaking and shrieks of pain rang out.
It wasn’t until that moment that the rest of the disciples on the scene regained their wits.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
The disciples of Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court all stared towards Yang Kai, and their expressions fluctuated rapidly between rage and fear.
“Who dares make a move!?” Yang Kai mercilessly stepped on Li Fu’s face, half burying her head into the dirt, not showing the slightest bit of restraint, which caused everyone’s eyes to widen.
In his other hand, a sword condensed from his True Qi appeared and arrived atop Xie Rong’s chest.
Under this dark night, the flickering light from the bonfire illuminated Yang Kai’s cold face and created a particularly brutal and terrifying picture.
Everyone from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang also stood around awkwardly, apparently stunned into silence as they stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
“Good! Who dares to move!” Fang Ziji was the first to awaken from this stupor, roaring fiercely as he smashed his cup onto the fire.
After a crackling explosion, under the influence of the strong alcohol, the bonfire spat flames like a Fire Dragon a dozen meters into the sky, making the scene even more intense than before.
The bonfire crackled as countless pairs of eyes concentrated on Yang Kai. Concern, surprise, shock, fear, humiliation, anger, a myriad of different emotions all surged forth at once.
One of the Thunder Light Sect’s people quickly stepped towards Yang Kai and with an ugly expression said, “This friend, if you wish to discuss things, can you first let our people go?”
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s response on the other hand was more visceral, and someone yelled in panic, “Quickly release Li Fu Senior Sister!”
Li Fu was a Heaven-sent female in her Sect, and was looked up to and admired by countless numbers of her fellow brothers. At this moment, seeing her enchanting face being stepped on by this brat’s smell foot, how could any of these young Soaring Rainbow Court disciples possibly tolerate such a grave offence?
What was this? It was an unforgivable insult!
Yang Kai however didn’t even blink. His eyes remained cold as he grinned, “Is there anything to discuss?”
“This friend, we haven’t acted against you yet you’ve so severely injured two of our members, don’t you think you’re being a bit excessive?” The young man from Thunder Light Sect replied in a dignified manner.
“Oh really? Interesting!” Yang Kai grinned fiercely and glanced over towards Guan Chi Le, “Senior, what do you think?”
Out of everyone present, only Guan Chi Le was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, so naturally no one else understood just how dangerous the last few moments were for Yang Kai.
The two Soul Skill attacks from the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders were undetectable to those who hadn’t cultivated their Souls yet. If Yang Kai hadn’t already cultivated his Divine Sense and been in possession of a defensive Soul Skill, it was almost certain that he’d already be dead.
To all the other juniors here, it had only seemed like Xie Rong had shouted, and then Yang Kai took the lead, making his all out attack seem rather arbitrary and overbearing.
However, Yang Kai and Guan Chi Le were clear about just who the first one to strike was.
Guan Chi Le was also somewhat confused; he didn’t understand how Yang Kai could still be alive, much less completely unharmed. When he heard Yang Kai’s question though, he quickly gathered his wits and stood up, and his expression was no longer the casual one he had been wearing. A touch of curiosity and admiration were apparent in his gaze when he looked at Yang Kai again.
After a moment of indifferent silence, Guan Chi Le smirked, “If it was I, I wouldn’t tolerate it either!”
“Haha, what Senior said is good!” Yang Kai laughed heartily and increased the amount of pressure he was applying to Li Fu’s face again.
“You… you dare do this to me!” Li Fu wailed and shrieked, as dirt and sand filled her mouth the moment she opened it. Her once pretty face was now bloodied and battered, and her eyes were filled with humiliation and unwillingness.
Overall, her strength wasn’t high, her aptitude also wasn’t very good, but in a second-class sect like Soaring Rainbow Court she was still considered one of the elite; with the addition of her innate beauty, naturally she was able to command the wind and rain and had grown a proud and arrogant attitude. Except for young talents like Xiang Chu, other males of her generation weren’t worthy of her attention and instead would fawn over her endlessly. When would she have ever suffered such humiliation?
Tasting the sand in her mouth and imagining how the face she was so proud of was being trampled on, Li Fu almost fainted from anger.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai spat as he shot her a cold glare.
“Go to hell…” Xie Rong obviously was unwilling to be controlled by others, cursing with all his might.
But before he could say another word, his face was greeted by Yang Kai’s fist.
With a loud bang, Xie Rong’s face was planted into the ground and at least five or six of his teeth were shattered, as his mouth filled with blood.
Frightened by this ruthless display, he didn’t dare speak again.
“Stop!” It wasn’t until that moment that the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court managed to arrive. After the two of them had been counterattacked by Yang Kai’s Soul Skill, they immediately realized that the situation wasn’t good and hurriedly rushed over; however, they still failed to arrive in time.
*Shua shua* The two Elders appeared at the same time and stood roughly five meters in front of Yang Kai, glaring at him coldly with a touch of wariness apparent in their eyes.
Guan Chi Le also moved at that moment, quietly putting himself between the two of them and Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised his eyes and observed these two.
The strength of these two weren’t very high, even lower than Guan Chi Le. Both of them had apparently only recently broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
After all, the real masters had already been recalled so those who were left behind were only responsible for supervising the remaining juniors and didn’t need to be that strong.
The three people glared at each other, and the atmosphere grew heavier by the moment.
After a long silence, the two Elders shifted their eyes towards Xie Rong, who was bloodied, and Li Fu, who was sunk into the mud, and couldn’t help but feel a burst of anger.
Seeing their juniors bullied so brutally made their expressions darken. What’s more, this had happened because the two of them had sneak attacked this young man yet had instead been injured when he struck back.
“We understand,” said the Immortal Ascension Boundary from Thunder Light Sect.
“Just some tit for tat!” Yang Kai replied sarcastically.
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary coughed and hesitated, “Young man, you should first let them go, this scene isn’t pleasant to look at.”
“That’s your business, not mine!”
The Elder’s face sank slightly and said, “Are you determined?”
The Thunder Light Sect’s Immortal Ascension Boundary Elder was also displeased, and his expression became cold, “Young man, the things just now was these two old masters’ responsibility, so how about you release our juniors? You should know, as long as we stay on the front lines, we’ll all need to rely on each other at some point.”
Everything that was being said had an air of ambiguity, so the others present only thought they were discussing the impoliteness of Xie Rong and Li Fu, but Yang Kai knew that they were actually referring to the attack these two had launched against him.
Grinning fiercely, Yang Kai shook his head, “Some things can’t be solved before everyone has arrived.”
“What is it you want?” The Thunder Light Sect’s master expression sank even more. Although he knew that Yang Kai wasn’t simple, he also didn’t fear him, but with Xie Rong and Li Fu’s life in his hands, lowering himself to this point was something he had to do.
“I don’t want anything!” Yang Kai sneering again and again as his True Qi violently circulated about his hands.
What Yang Kai really wanted was to clarify why these two people had tried to kill him!
He had only arrived here today with the Hu Sisters, so it made no sense that he had would suddenly provoke such intense murderous intent.
Although he had an idea about what was happening, Yang Kai also thought that his idea was somewhat embarrassing. In short, someone was jealous of him!
“This old master advises you to release them quickly, or you’ll definitely regret it for the rest of your short life!” The Elder from Thunder Light Sect suddenly said, no longer trying to be polite with Yang Kai, and he circulated his True Qi as he spoke to indicate what would happen if Yang Kai didn’t let their people go immediately.
“Are you threatening me?” Yang Kai frowned, and his expression became cold.
“You can think of it like that!” Thunder Light Sect’s Elder replied.
“And you?” Yang Kai turned his eyes to the master from Soaring Rainbow Court.
However this person simply snorted, saying nothing, obviously signaling their agreement.
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. His expression suddenly became ferocious as he shaped the True Qi in his hands into a pair of swords and swiftly slashed at Xie Rong and Li Fu’s shoulders.
With two crisp sounds, the faces of Xie Rong and Li Fu suddenly went pale, and after a brief stunned silence, terrified screams burst from their lips.
Each of them had lost an arm!
“You…” The masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court stared at Yang Kai in horror and disbelief. Neither of them had ever dreamed Yang Kai would act so mercilessly.
Guan Chi Le also couldn’t help feeling like he was staring at a madman, and his eyes filled with shock.
The same went for all of the juniors present.
Yang Kai face once again became indifferent, and he stared with scorn at the two masters before him as he coldly snorted, “Next time, I’ll strike their chests!”
“You dare!” The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders roared furiously, if Yang Kai really ran them through, how could Xie Rong and Li Fu possibly survive?
“You think I don’t!?” Yang Kai smiled viciously.
The two Elders could barely contain their rage. However, neither of them saw any trace of hesitation or doubt on Yang Kai’s face, nor did they hear any hint of deception in his voice.
Since he dared speak such a threat, he dared carry it out.
The two old men suddenly realized that the young man in front of them didn’t fear them at all. If he did, he wouldn’t have been so decisive. Moreover, his personality was one that would only eat soft food but refuse hard food. Them threatening him had only served to stir up his anger.
“Speak! What do you want in order to end this?” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary master took a deep breath and asked in a low growl.
“You two can’t give me the answers I want.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, and his gaze shifted slightly, as he stared towards somewhere in the distant darkness.
In the direction he was glaring, Xiang Chu couldn’t help rubbing his nose, and a wry smile blossoming on his elegant face.
“Young Master…” One of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him whispered, and his brow furrowed slightly, “Is he looking at you?”
“En.” Xiang Chu gently nodded, “Does he know that I’m here? How did he find me?”
“That young man’s intuition is far too keen!”
“Perhaps.” Xiang Chu felt this was all a bit too strange, but he couldn’t come up with a better explanation. Puzzling over it for but a moment, he once again wore a carefree smile and boldly stepped out of the shadows.
Soon after, Xiang Chu appeared in an inconspicuous place nearby and shouted, “What happened? Why did I hear the sounds of fighting?”
Seeing the man in charge of the camp appear, the tension between the two sides suddenly eased slightly.
However, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall couldn’t help showing worried expression, while those from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court sneered happily.
These youths all felt that since Yang Kai had blatantly attacked Xie Rong and Li Fu he would certainly receive some kind of punishment.
“Young Master Xiang!” The three Immortal Ascension Boundary experts present all quickly greeted Xiang Chu.
Xiang Chu only nodded lightly before smiling towards the Hu Sisters gently.
Xie Rong and Li Fu grit their teeth and endured their pain, calling out, “Young Master Xiang, save us! This man wants to kill us!”
As soon as they spoke though, Yang Kai sent out two palm strikes to their faces.
Two loud bangs harshly resounded through the night air.
Seeing this, Xiang Chu couldn’t help but frown slightly as the stared a dozen or so meters ahead at Yang Kai.
A trace of dissatisfaction flashed across his eyes but it was immediately hidden.
“Young Master Xiang, the situation is…” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder quickly approached and tried to explain what had just happened.
However, Xiang Chu raised his hand to stop him before sweeping his eyes across the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Hu Mei Er and asking, “Mei’er, can you explain what exactly happened here?”
Hu Mei Er was so concerned about Yang Kai right now that she didn’t even care that Xiang Chu had called her by her given name and instead immediately began recanting the events that had transpired just now.
“Is this true?” After listening to Mei Er’s version of events, Xiang Chu turned to the people of Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court and asked.
All of them suddenly hesitated, not knowing how to answer, and all of them simply directed their eyes towards their Elders.
Seeing this reaction, Xiang Chu sneered, “Oh? This young master asked a simple question yet none of you dares to answer?”
The crowd quickly lowered their heads and whispered, “Yes.”
Xiang Chu grinned and said, “So that’s the case. Then the cause of all this was Xie Rong and Li Fu’s inappropriate actions. Although everyone is from different forces, since we’ve gathered together here to fight against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land we are all part of the same team. Each of us is supposed to help and support one another yet you sought to provoke others and then were taught a lesson because your real skills were inferior. I believe everyone understands who is at fault here. Why haven’t all of you hurried to apologize to Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang’s disciples?”
“Apologize?” The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court couldn’t help but twitch slightly when they heard this.
Their juniors were also stunned silent and stared blankly at Xiang Chu in confusion.
A light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as a mysterious grin inexplicably formed on his face.
“Young Master Xiang…” Xie Rong mumbled through his broken teeth and blood leaked from his mouth as he spoke. He had been beaten and humiliated, and just when he thought that Xiang Chu would uphold justice for him he suddenly felt a cold fierce gaze land upon him, hurriedly shutting him up.
Wearing a big smile, Xiang Chu walked forward towards Yang Kai, “Friend, this Xiang Chu has been negligent in his responsibilities and has caused Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall to suffer this injustice. I understand that you are angry, but can you give I, Xiang Chu some face and forgive them? Only by continuing to live can they learn from this lesson and repent. As for tonight’s events, please be at ease, this Chu guarantees that such things will not happen again.”
Seeing him apologize so readily with a completely sincere expression, and his attitude neither haughty nor arrogant, if one didn’t know any better, they’d think Xiang Chu really felt like he had made a mistake.
Xiang Chu humbling himself so caught everyone here by surprise.
The juniors from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall also suddenly felt relieved and elated, though none of them understood how dangerous things were for Yang Kai just now and only thought of this as a fight between members of the younger generation.
Xie Rong and Li Fu who ridiculed them repeatedly had just suffered a big loss, and now Xiang Chu was biased against them, so how could they still be unsatisfied?
Only Fang Ziji and the Hu Sisters glanced towards Yang Kai thoughtfully, faintly feeling that something wasn’t right.
Across a dozen meters or so, Yang Kai stared back at Xiang Chu. It wasn’t until this moment that he truly understood what true hidden intentions looked like.
What had just happened here was obviously seen by the two masters behind Xiang Chu via their Divine Senses. Xiang Chu himself was also not far from here and had clearly watched everything play out, but when he stepped forward he still pretended to know nothing.
This person really hid himself well, a natural born snake.
“What other dissatisfaction does this friend have? If you have any requirements you should feel free to state them.” Xiang Chu smiled slightly.
“Seeing Young Lord Xiang act so fairly, I am naturally satisfied!” Yang Kai grinned.
“Good good!” Xiang Chu said with a warm smile and laughed, “Let us make big things small. Everyone here is a fellow comrade, there’s no need to let this situation become serious. We must know that our true enemy is the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. This friend, if you could please release them we can then resolve these matters peacefully!”
“Good!” Yang Kai dismissed his swords and then sent out two swift kicks.
With two bangs, Xie Rong and Li Fu flew back to their camps like rag sacks and were caught by their respective Elders, causing a few more of their ribs to break in the process.
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help but squint, but Yang Kai simply sneered back at him, completely unafraid.
“Little brat…” The Immoral Ascension Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court roared.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai turned to look at them, and his eyes were filled with a profound chill, and his tone was unquestionable.
Both of these masters were enraged, eager to rush forward and rip this arrogant junior in two, but both of them still first turned to Xiang Chu for his opinion, only to see him nod his head.
Seeing Xiang Chu’s response, even though the two of them were a hundred kinds of unwilling in their hearts, they couldn’t afford to affront him, and they muttered under their breaths, “Just now, our juniors had committed a grave offence towards Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall! This old master will strictly discipline these disciples and will not allow them to provoke any more trouble!”
“Scram!” Yang Kai sneered.
“Let’s go!” The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court each held Xie Rong and Li Fu and led their group of young disciples away hurriedly with their hearts filled with resentment.
After they left, Xiang Chu smiled at the Hu Sisters and then politely retreated.
Beside the campfire, it was silent for quite some time until suddenly the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall burst into cheers. All of them gazed towards Yang Kai with looks of respect and worship and treated him like a great hero.
Although all of them belonged to three different sects, but since they came here, these minor differences no longer mattered. With everyone working together and suffering so much injustice, they had long ago formed deep bonds of friendship. Now seeing Yang Kai act so decisively and exact revenge for them, naturally they felt jubilant and excited.
Only Guan Chi Le sat alone, with his brows slightly wrinkled and his expression pensive.
The Hu Sisters walked over and Hu Jiao Er whispered, “What happened just now?”
“Nothing.” Yang Kai shook his head gently. Just now, almost all of the juniors here realized nothing out of place, and there was no need to spoil their mood by telling them.
Fang Ziji also noticed that something more had happened, but although he still had his doubts, he didn’t ask any more instead changing the subject, “Shall we drink?”
“Good!” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Back at Xiang Chu’s temporary residence.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s masters had left the injured Xie Rong and Li Fu in their respective Sect’s care and then came there.
A short time later the door opened, Xiang Chu walked in and then sat down without saying a word. His two guards silently took up positions behind him to his left and right.
“Greetings Young Lord!” The two masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court hurriedly saluted, but their faces were filled with unwillingness and anger.
However, Xiang Chu simply glanced at them and lightly said, “Tell me, what happened just now? Why is that little brat still alive?”
The masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court exchanged a glance before recanting what they had experienced.
After listening to them, Xiang Chu’s brow wrinkled as he quickly asked, “What you’re saying is that not only were your Soul Skills blocked by him, you were instead injured by his Soul Skill?”
The two old men’s faces turned bright red, obviously quite embarrassed.
The Elder from Thunder Light Sect hurriedly continued, “Young Lord, I know this reason sounds far-fetched, but this old master guarantees it is the truth. Please investigate if you have any doubts!”
“Enough, I don’t doubt what you said.” Xiang Chu paused for a moment before suddenly turning to the two masters behind him and asking, “What do you think?”
One of them calmly responded, “If what these two say is true, that kid must have a high quality Soul type artifact on him.”
The other hurriedly added, “It may actually be two! One for defense, another to attack. If not, considering that young man’s cultivation, it would be impossible for him to display an offensive Soul Skill!”
“En.” Xiang Chu nodded, “I think so too.”
Suddenly grinning, “Interesting, he actually has a Soul type artifact. That’s not something an average person can have.”
The eyes of the Thunder Light Sect Elder flashed a cold light, and he solemnly said, “Young Master Xiang, do you want us to…”
“Do you have the ability?” Xiang Chu coldly snorted.
“As long as we can entangle Guan Chi Le, taking that little brat’s head is as easy as pie!”
“No, that brat’s already suspicious!” Xiang Chu shook his head slowly, his expression was rather unpleasant.
“Yes.”
“That’s right, how are Xie Rong and Li Fu’s injuries?” Xiang Chu asked with a hint of concern.
Both the Thunder Light Sect and the Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary experts gratefully replied, “That little brat was quite vicious with his strikes but still restrained himself somewhat, at the very least there’s no risk to their lives.”
Xiang Chu nodded and casually signaled to his guards.
Immediately, one of them took out a pair of pill bottles and threw them to the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders.
“These are special healing pills from my Xiang Family. After you return, dissolve them in warm water and feed it to them, they should be able to fully recover after about ten days,” Xiang Chu said.
“Many thanks, Young Lord!” The two elders rejoiced upon receiving this gift and hurried to thank Xiang Chu.
“Good, draw back.” Xiang Chu waved lightly, dismissing the two elders.
“Young Master.” After waiting for the masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to leave, one of the old man behind Xiang Chu took a moment and said, “Why are you so concerned with that young man? That little brat is certainly a little interesting but he’s hardly worthy of your attention.”
Xiang Chu smiled indifferently and slowly got up, “The first time I saw him I knew at first glance that he was very strong. Didn’t you notice that the whole time today he displayed absolutely no fear? Even when both of you showed up, he still maintained the same aggressive stance all while keeping an indifferent attitude. That kid is obviously not someone average. I can’t even estimate his true depths. Good, for now I won’t move against hi. Let’s wait a few days and see how things play out.”
“But after a few days, the war’s decisive battle will be over. At that time we’ll have to return to the clan. Young Master, aren’t you determined to bring those two Hu Sisters back with you?”
Xiang Chu grinned and nodded. “En, so I will have to solve this matter before we are summoned back. Otherwise it will be difficult to meet them later.”
Everything today was because Xiang Chu had seen the Hu Sisters getting along well with Yang Kai. Upon noticing this, he immediately wanted to get rid of Yang Kai. Therefore, he had used the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court as proxies. After they had killed Yang Kai, he would superficially punish Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court in order to win the Hu Sisters’ favor.
However, he hadn’t counted on Yang Kai’s strength being so tyrannical.
Casually stretching his back, Xiang Chu lightly said, “This is just the first round, nothing to get worked up over. This Young Lord will go rest.”
The two guardians looked at each other and couldn’t understand what their Young Lord was thinking. Tonight’s action had been quite hasty and carried an air of urgency, but now Xiang Chu seemed indifferent to everything. Neither of them could figure out what their Young Master was planning.
For the next ten days, there was peace and tranquility.
Although the confrontation with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land still technically continued, right now, neither of the forces stationed here had any desire for battle. Everyone’s mind was focused on outcome of the final battle, so there were essentially no battles fought.
The disciples from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court didn’t dare come to provoke trouble after they had eaten such a big loss that night. Even the juniors from other forces detoured around both the Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall disciples now.
Yang Kai took this time to enter secluded cultivation. His current environment was incredibly peaceful, and he temporarily had no immediate business to attend to, so naturally he made the best use of this rare idle time.
After half a month of cultivation, Yang Kai’s True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation had been fully consolidated and he was not far from breaking through to the Seventh Stage.
The next day.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er stormed into Yang Kai’s room.
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked the two sisters.
“We have to go out,” Hu Jiao Er grinned and said, “Xiang Chu said that this is the last mission we’ll be assigned. After we finish it, we’ll be allowed to return home.”
The thought of returning to their Sect and their family obviously made the two sisters quite excited.
“I’ll accompany you!” Yang Kai stated and quickly stood up.
Hu Jiao Er’s expression suddenly became solemn, and she shook her head, “You can’t.”
“Hm?”
Hu Mei Er continued, “Your identity is still unknown, if you go along with us it will only cause suspicion.”
Hu Jiao Er nodded slightly, “Because of Xie Rong’s prior accusations, many people now suspect that you are a spy from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and then looked at the two sisters thoughtfully, “How many people will be deployed this time?”
“Almost the entire camp is being sent, leaving only a minimum number of people behind to guard the camp. All you have to do is stay here and wait for us to return. This mission should only last half a day to three days.” Hu Jiao Er suddenly smiled happily, “Just sit tight. After the mission is completed, Big Sister here will take you home!”
Tai Fang Mountain, atop a ridge.
Hundreds of cultivators were scattered about, and they cautiously monitored their surroundings as they lay in ambush.
According to Xiang Chu, the spies on the other side of Tai Fang Mountain came back with intelligence saying a group of cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land would make a final attack today.
So in order to take the initiative, he wanted to set up an ambush here to crush the enemy forces.
Originally, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall were skeptical about this news; after all, neither side had shown any interest in fighting for quite some time now so it was odd that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil cultivators would choose to attack now in the waning moments of the war.
But not long after, a group of devil path cultivators really appeared, which instantly dispelled their doubts.
There weren’t many enemies in this assault, probably about sixty or seventy in total, and the number of Immortal Ascension masters was also miniscule. Under the effective arrangements and commands of Xiang Chu, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces suffered heavy casualties and were forced to flee in panic.
The battle didn’t last long, only about half a day before a complete victory was obtained.
When the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples gathered together afterwards, they were shocked to discover that there were a lot less of their allies around than expected.
After a closer look, they noticed that the ones who were missing were actually the cultivators from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court!
Immediately everyone realized something was wrong.
“Xiang Chu!” Hu Jiao Er went straight to the Young Master of the Xiang Family, asking with a solemn expression, “Where are Xie Rong and Li Fu?”
Xiang Chu showed a slightly surprised face and replied, “Weren’t they with you while you were fighting the enemy?”
“No!” Hu Jiao Er’s eyes went cold, “I haven’t seen them since the start of the fight!”
“What?” Xiang Chu also wore a confused look and wrinkled his brow for a moment as he watched Hu Jiao Er’s sullen expression, “You mean… bad! Quickly, return to camp!”
Issuing this order, the group of Great Han cultivators dashed off.
Hu Jiao Er stared at Xiang Chu’s back and gritted her teeth as her fists clenched, but eventually held her tongue and instead coordinated with her sister to maximize their speed and race forward as fast as she could.
With the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court cultivators suddenly disappearing, what they were up to was already obvious.
Originally Hu Jiao Er wasn’t worried about these two Sects seeking revenge from Yang Kai for the previous incident because everyone in the camp was supposed to be involved in this mission. With everyone together on the front lines she could easily monitor their movements, so Hu Jiao Er hadn’t given it any more thought.
How could she imagine they would suddenly disappear after the battle began? By the time she noticed it was already too late.
It seems like everything today was just an elaborate set up, a trap set for them and Yang Kai!
With the anxiety in their hearts surging, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er began to circulate their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, which caused their speed to instantly double, and their two shadows shot past Xiang Chu like meteors.
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help but squint slightly being surprised by the Hu Sisters’ sudden burst of speed, apparently not having expected the two sisters to be so formidable.
……
Back at the camp, Yang Kai sat cross-legged atop a mat, circulating his True Yang Secret Art as he silently awaited his companions’ return.
However, he didn’t have to wait too long.
When the Hu Sisters left, Yang Kai had regularly swept the area around him with his Divine Sense for any abnormalities.
Opening his eyes suddenly, a brilliant light flashed across them, and his lips curled into a vicious grin as he quickly mutter to himself, “They finally came.”
Since hearing that Hu Jiao Er and the others were going out on a mission, Yang Kai realized that someone would come to deal with him.
However, among the cultivators here, Yang Kai wasn’t concerned with anyone except the two Xiang Family Immoral Ascension masters! But it was impossible for those two to take action because their priority was to protect Xiang Chu and would therefore not leave his side. So, after Yang Kai analysed his current situation, he saw no reason to worry much less leave.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
From all around, the sound of clothes swishing could suddenly be heard. Obviously Yang Kai’s visitors didn’t have any intention of hiding themselves and blatantly took up positions to surround him.
A moment later, everything was silent again, and only a thinly veiled hostility and murderous intent lingered about.
“Since you’ve all come, why bother trying to hide!?” Yang Kai shouted before standing up and sending out a flurry of punches.
As these fist shadows flew out, the house Yang Kai had been staying in exploded into pieces.
Dust and smoke filled the air.
When everything settled again, a series of figures came into view.
Xie Rong of Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court glared at Yang Kai with a pure hatred. Both of them had suffered a major loss at Yang Kai’s hands, and were humiliated and disgraced in front of everyone from their Sects. Xie Rong still didn’t dare open his mouth to speak, fearing that others would see the ugly appearance of his broken teeth.
Behind each of these two stood fifty or so others, but with the exception of the two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts from that night, all of them were members of the younger generation.
Seeing all of this, Xie Rong let loose a burst of arrogant laughter and roared, “Little brat, let’s see if this time you won’t die!”
Li Fu’s pretty face also twisted into a malicious grin, “Never once has anyone shamed me so! I’ll make sure you pay back ten times what you owe!”
The two of them were originally in serious condition; however, with the help of the special healing pills Xiang Chu had provided, after half a month they had basically made a fully recovery, so once they learned that they were free to find trouble with Yang Kai, they naturally couldn’t wait to get their revenge.
“It’s impossible for you, you’re both too weak!” Yang Kai sneered contemptuously, and his expression showed a thick disdain.
Hearing this, Xie Rong and Li Fu glanced at each other and couldn’t help but remember back to that night when they were helpless to defend themselves as Yang Kai had beaten them, and it caused their pride and self-confidence to immediately plummet.
“Young man, you’re insane!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder snorted and stepped forward while staring coldly at Yang Kai, “With us old masters here today, do you think your end will be good?”
Yang Kai simply sneered and stared back at him, before casually asking, “All of this is Xiang Chu’s doing right? Including what happened that night.”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters grinned but didn’t answer.
Yang Kai had already planned to settle this at some point, so he didn’t mind their silence and nodded carelessly before asking, “What benefits did he offer you? Were they really worth you offending me?”
The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder laughed disdainfully, “Worth offending you? What dog shit do you count for? After today, you’ll be nothing but broken bones, what does it matter if we offend you?”
A cold light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as a malicious laughter leaked from his lips, “The price for offending me, I’m afraid you can’t afford it!”
As soon as his words finished, a purple light suddenly burst from his forehead.
[Soul Skill!]
“Spread out!” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder yelled, as he released his own Divine Sense in an attempt to intercept Yang Kai’s attack.
He had eaten a small loss that night and naturally knew the danger of this attack; therefore, he used his Soul’s full force.
However, he hadn’t anticipated that the Soul Skill used by this brat right now would be somewhat different from the previous time. The purple light shot forward into an empty space before suddenly expanding out. A purple halo visible to the naked eye spread to the entire surrounding area, instantly engulfing all the young disciples and causing them to grab their heads and cry out in pain.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders eyes bulged when they saw this, never having dreamed that Yang Kai’s Soul Skill could transform so drastically, catching them off guard and completely negating their efforts to stop it.
The effect was devastating as the purple halos pulsed outwards one after another.
It was as if someone had thrown a stone into a calm lake, causing a continuous burst of ripples.
Before anyone could react, four or five halos had already spread out.
A number of the young disciples who were swept up in this attack soon after ceased crying out as blood spilled from their eyes and noses, dying the ground around them a dark shade of red.
In an instant, eight people had died!
These juniors weren’t very strong nor did they possess artifacts that could defend against Soul Skills, so how could they possibly resist this kind of assault?
“Junior! You court death!” The two old masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court burst into fury and flew out to attack Yang Kai.
Laughing wildly, Yang Kai once again used his Soul Skill while simultaneously pushing out both his palms to summon the White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals to constrain the two old masters. Meanwhile, Yang Kai shot forward and flew into the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court disciple’s ranks and sent out a series of Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blasts in quick succession.
It was like a tiger descending upon a flock of sheep; this group of young disciples was completely unable to cope with Yang Kai’s onslaught. His strength was so fierce that every strike he sent out would collapse someone’s chest or crush someone’s limb, and there was almost no one who could withstand a single blow.
Only Xie Rong and Li Fu, after desperately joining forces, could barely block Yang Kai’s punch, but they were still sent flying over a dozen meters from the impact and fell to the ground unable to get up.
The two Immortal Ascension masters tore through the White Tiger and Divine Ox phantoms in short order, but the scene that greeted them was Yang Kai slaughtering their disciples. In the brief time they had been obstructed another six of their juniors had been killed. Immediately they charged forward and let out an enraged roared, “Little brat, you dare!”
“Dare or not dare, it’s already done!” Yang Kai sneered maliciously and snapped the neck of a Thunder Light Sect disciple before casually tossing his corpse away. The body tumbled five or six meters before stopping.
The hearts of the two Immortal Ascension Elders were nearly bursting with rage. Today, the two of them had led their juniors to find the trouble with Yang Kai, assuming they could settle things with a wave of their hands, but the battle had barely even begun and already a dozen of their disciples had died while their target, on the contrary, was completely unharmed.
Hurriedly charging in, the two old men finally managed to interrupt Yang Kai’s slaughter.
“Stand back!” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder snarled.
Hearing this command, all of the remaining juniors wore ugly yet relieved expressions as they retreated several tens of meters from the fight, and they trembled in fear as they gazed back upon the battle.
Without having to worry about injuring their juniors, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters began concentrating on the fight. Attacking together, they launched a flurry of fierce strikes, Their True Qi flashed about like lightning and enveloped Yang Kai in an inescapable torrent.
The two of them were extremely vexed. An Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s biggest advantage when dealing with a True Element Boundary cultivator was the use of their Soul and Divine Sense, but in front of Yang Kai, the two of them not only didn’t dare use their Souls, they also had to divert part of their attention to defend against his Soul Skills. It was easy to imagine how aggrieved they felt.
The three of them fought an exceptionally fierce battle, and although Yang Kai was obviously at an absolute disadvantage, all but completely suppressed by the two masters, he was able to somewhat hold his own. A True Element Boundary being able to withstand the attacks of two Immortal Ascension masters was already a shocking achievement.
Xie Rong and Li Fu paled as they watched, suddenly realizing that on that night, Yang Kai had been holding back against them. It wasn’t that they were negligent or caught by surprise, it was that from the start they were powerless to resist.
Even just now, though they had fully defended themselves, they hadn’t been able to escape Yang Kai’s attack.
“What kind of monster is he, how can he be so strong?” Xie Rong muttered incoherently with a look a pure disbelief plastered all over his face.
Li Fu nodded unconsciously, and her pale face was unable to utter any words as a cold chill ran up her back. In her heart, she infinitely regretted getting involved with such a freak.
His strength and ruthlessness had far surpassed Li Fu’s imagination, and even her original desire for revenge had been all but snuffed out.
Now, Li Fu only hoped that the Elders would be able to severely wound. or better yet kill Yang Kai on the spot. Otherwise, she would never be able to rest easy again.
Waves of heat billowed forth as Yang Kai pushed his True Yang Yuan Qi to the extreme and displayed the full range of his abilities without any hesitation, yet he was still unable to simultaneously confront these two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Not long after, his chest was struck by these two old masters, which caused Yang Kai’s face to pale slightly. As he flew backwards, Yang Kai crashed into a large tree, smashing it to pieces, before hitting the ground with a loud bang.
“Good!” Xie Rong couldn’t help shouting out in joy at that moment, as if he was the one who had managed to injure Yang Kai.
The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court swooped down and stood a couple dozen meters in front of Yang Kai, staring him down.
Although Yang Kai was wounded by them, both of them knew that it was only a superficial injury. The True Qi of circulating through this young man’s body was extremely rich and pure, enough so that he had resisted at least eighty percent of their attack.
However, the two were still satisfied with this result.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts had joined forces to bully a True Element Boundary junior. If they still couldn’t win, then what face would they have left?
“Brat, let’s see if you can act crazy in front of this old master again!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder bellowed angrily.
The Elder from Soaring Rainbow Court also glared at Yang Kai and coldly said, “You’ve killed so many of my Soaring Rainbow Court’s disciples; today you must pay this debt in blood!”
“Heh heh heh …” Yang Kai chuckled as he slowly stood. Although he looked a little miserable at this moment, he was still laughing. Wiping the blood from his mouth he lifted his eyes and stared back at the two Immortal Ascension masters, his fighting intent still raging forth.
“An Immortal Ascension expert. Sure enough, really extraordinary!” Yang Kai’s tone was slightly low, but rather than distressed it was eerily calm.
The two masters opposite him slightly frowned, unable to understand why the young man in front of them still looked calm, relaxed, and completely without fear.
His expression became cold, and the Thunder Light Sect’s expert roared, “Brat, although you’ve killed so many of our juniors, this old master is merciful and is willing to spare your life! Kneel down, waste yourself, and I’ll let you live!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Won’t kill me? Xiang Chu’s instructions I suppose?”
The two Immortal Ascension masters’ brows twitched simultaneously, secretly frightened at how perceptive Yang Kai was.
Yang Kai had killed so many of their disciples that if they were the ones making decisions, how could he possibly keep his life? However, Xiang Chu’s order had been to cripple Yang Kai, so they definitely couldn’t outright kill him! Obviously, Yang Kai being alive was of use to the Xiang Family’s Young Master.
The two factions wanted to form a good relationship with the Xiang Family, so how could they defy Xiang Chu’s order? He was the most likely candidate to become the next Xiang Family Patriarch, so it was imperative to be in his good graces. In the future, such a connection would be extremely beneficial for Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
Hearing Yang Kai’s veiled taunt, the master from Thunder Light Sect coldly snorted, “The heavens return kindness with fortune. Of course, that means retribution as well. This matter does not need Young Lord Xiang to meddle in!”
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder quickly followed up, “Damn little brat! Will you waste yourself or do you want this old master to cripple you?”
“Good, good, good!” Yang Kai nodded heavily, and a vicious grin appeared on his face as he sneered at the two old me, “Since you insist on acting as Xiang Chu’s dogs, I’ll treat you as such!”
“Little animal! You’re far too arrogant!” Thunder Light Sect’s Elder roared furiously.
“You really think you two with your Immortal Ascension First Stage cultivations can beat me?” Yang Kai’s look suddenly turned frigid, as he slowly lifted one of his hands. Along with this motion, the burning hot True Yang Yuan Qi that was originally surrounding him disappeared suddenly.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, but their instincts warned them that it wasn’t anything good. They hurriedly exchanged a glance, and then, without hesitation, charged forward again.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his index finger gently wiped across his brow as he eerily chanted.
The faint sound of his voice seemingly contained a mysterious power that caused it to ring clearly in everyone’s ears.
“Devil Transformation!”
*Hong…*
The entire world seemed to shudder. The ground shook, and the sky trembled. An overwhelmingly evil Devil Qi enshrouded the area.
This Demonic Qi was indescribably pure and tyrannical, making the surrounding area feel like it had been plunged into an icy hell. It affected everyone nearby, gripping their hearts with fear while stimulating their darkest impulses.
With this rapid change, the Heavens and Earth roiled; at this moment, Yang Kai seemed to have transformed into a different person.
Before the two masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court could reach Yang Kai, their expressions suddenly changed, and they let out a strange cry before abruptly retreating.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
After withdrawing a dozen or so steps, the two old experts managed to regain their footing as their eyes gazed towards Yang Kai, and their expressions became dignified.
The young man in front of them appeared the same as he did just a moment ago. In fact they couldn’t spot a single different, but his temperament and the aura he radiated were completely different. The only thing they could tell was that there was a huge difference in the strength of his Blood Force from before they had charged him.
If the previous Yang Kai made them feel troubled, the present Yang Kai gave them a feeling of dread.
Right now, they sensed fatal danger from him!
Both of them were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and possessed incredibly keen senses. Although they didn’t know how the young man in front of them had instantly undergone such a drastic change, their instincts were warning them that if they were to fight with Yang Kai now, they would very likely die!
Wild beasts rely on their instincts and intuition!
As for experts like them, their perceptions were even sharper than wild animals.
As soon as this idea flashed across their minds, both of the old men were shocked. How could a trivial True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator give them such an uneasy feeling?
There was also the demonic aura that surrounded them. Even if it was one of the Six Great Evil Kings of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they wouldn’t possess such stifling Evil Qi.
Before the two old men could compose themselves, a series of crackling noises rang out.
Looking straight ahead, with Yang Kai as its centre, they saw a wave of ice spreading outwards, blanketing the ground and freezing the air.
In just a few breaths, a radius of several meters had become a frozen glacier.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters once again retreated, and a glimmer or shock flashed across their eyes.
This cold aura and frigid ice wasn’t ordinary, it even seemed capable of freezing their True Qi; how would they dare easily contact it?
The younger generation disciples nearby shivered violently as horror filled their expressions.
This was the second time Yang Kai had used his Devil Transformation, yet he was still amazed by it. As he cracked his neck and stretched his arms, a burst of overwhelming strength seemed to ripple from his body.
With the exception of his face, Yang Kai’s body was covered from top to bottom in black tattoos. These patterns were intricate and complicated, depicting a mystical charm that was invisible to others.
“Little brat, you really are a spy from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!” The Immortal Ascension Elder from Thunder Light Sect suddenly shouted, drawing this conclusion from Yang Kai’s aura.
“Believe that if you want!” Yang Kai snapped back loudly before slowly lifting his hand towards the two Immortal Ascension experts, and then swiftly pressing his palm down a moment later.
From an outsider’s perspective, obviously nothing had happened, but the two old men were stunned as they suddenly felt like a mountain descending from the Heavens was pressing down on them. Under this pressure, the two experts nearly collapsed, and they increased their True Qi circulation to its limit but still were unable to fully offset it.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The sound of something breaking through the air in front of them caused the two old men to look up, only to see a series of jet black attacks flying towards them from Yang Kai’s direction.
These attacks were like snakes with bloody fangs, suddenly opening their mouths midair, darting about as they snapped towards them viciously.
*Kachaca…*
The ground where these attacks pass over resembled earth that had been ripped open by a fierce wind, and clearly visible gullies were formed as dirt was sent flying to either side. A shocking scene to behold.
These fierce incomparable attacks contained a concentrated frigid aura that seemed to freeze everything in their path and carried an overwhelming force as they sped forward.
The two elders were shocked and horrified, and their faces became pale as ugly expressions appeared on their faces, as both of them immediately did their best to avoid a head on confrontation.
“Trying to dodge?” Yang Kai laughed, while waving both his hands as he directed the Demonic Qi to send it chasing after the two old men.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai once again used his White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals, summoning the two black beast phantoms; however, this time he didn’t use them to attack the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters but instead sent them after the Thunder Light and Soaring Rainbow disciples.
The two beast phantoms seemed even stronger than the pair he had previously summoned, and in the next instant they appeared in front of a dazed Soaring Rainbow Court disciple.
This young disciple only had a Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation and hadn’t yet recovered from his shock. In the blink of an eye, this unfortunate junior had been shredded into a bloody pulp, not even having the chance to scream.
“Run, run, dodge all you want! If I can’t kill you, killing your disciples is just as good!” Yang Kai shouted ruthlessly.
Hearing this shout, those surviving disciples suddenly awoke from their stupor, and an icy chill shot up their spines.
“Shameless bastard!” The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court both cursed, their rage soaring to unimaginable heights.
Seeing the two phantoms rush up to another of their disciples, the two old men didn’t dare to escape again, and both of them sent powerful strikes towards the two black beasts, narrowly saving that disciple.
“No longer running?” Yang Kai had waited for this moment for a long time, sneering as a cluster of black lights flew out of from his body, once again turning into that snake like attack as it shot towards the two old men.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elders didn’t have time to avoid this attack as it converged towards them from all directions, so instead they fiercely pushed their True Qi and summoned their artifacts in an attempt to protect themselves, their whole bodies being wrapped up in darkness the next moment.
A series of rumblings rang out from inside that darkness.
Everyone’s eyes stared nervously at the mass of darkness, not knowing what kind of fate would befall the two people surrounded by it.
*Hua…*
The darkness suddenly collapsed and two figures fell from the sky. Both of them were disheveled and embarrassed, but otherwise seemed uninjured.
But if one looked closely, they would quickly discover that the two old men’s eyes that were originally sharp and serene were now flashing with all kinds of evil light as traces of black gas swirled around their bodies.
These black lights were actually wisps of the purest Devil Qi which had been condensed by Yang Kai; if an ordinary person were to touch it they would instantly die!
Yang Kai could ignore the effects of this Devil Qi, but others couldn’t.
The two old men had been affected by this Devil Qi at the moment, which had caused all the malicious and evil thoughts they had suppressed within themselves to rampage. If they couldn’t resolve this Devil Qi in short order, sooner or later they’d fall to the Devil’s Path.
But how could it be so easy to rid purify this Devil Qi? Even a master as powerful as Ling Tai Xu after being affected by a similar form of Demonic Qi had been unable to resolve it, let alone these two Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
To some extent, Yang Kai’s Devil Qi was even more potent than the Demon Lord’s.
“Ruthless little brat!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder roared as he glared at Yang Kai, and his eyes filled with incomparable hatred.
“I said that you can’t afford the price of offending me!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. His eyes were filled with a frigid indifference.
This was the first battle Yang Kai had after acquiring his Devil Transformation. Although he had long been aware that in this form his strength was greatly enhanced, the extent to which his combat efficiency had been enhanced even surprised him.
Without using the power of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, with his current cultivation, at best Yang Kai felt he was able to evenly match an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage expert.
But after using his Devil Transformation, he was able to completely suppress these two Elders without even using his full strength.
Feeling the power coursing through his body was very enjoyable, but Yang Kai knew not to allow himself to drown in it either
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A series of cracks appeared on the ground beneath the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elders as a hidden attack tunneled towards them.
Immediately frightened, the two old men’s faces paled as they instinctively leapt up to dodge.
Yang Kai sneered to himself as he waved his arms, controlling the dark Demonic Qi and sending it flying into the sky at a shocking speed, striking the two Immortal Ascension experts, further embarrassing them.
With the recent lesson still fresh in their memories, the two old men no longer dared to flee indiscriminately and stopped from time to time to jointly repel these attacks so as to avoid Yang Kai’s ferocious killing intent being directed towards their helpless disciples.
However, these attacks were too numerous and both of them had been influenced by Yang Kai’s Demonic Qi before, so right now they couldn’t exert their full strength nor control their bodies freely; therefore, moments later they found themselves suppressed by these black serpents.
At the same time, a black potent Devil Qi suddenly emerged from Yang Kai.
Sending out a deafening roar like the advent of a dragon.
Everyone’s attention was drawn towards this phenomenon, and all of them were immediately struck dumb.
A huge phantom had emerged above Yang Kai, appearing akin to a living entity, atop its head were two dragon horns and it exuded a chilly aura, and its basin sized eyes mercilessly stared down towards the two Immortal Ascension Boundary from the sky.
When this pair of eyes fell upon them, the Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court immediately smelled the breath of death.
Suddenly…
The phantom bellowed and drew out a large amount of Demonic Qi from Yang Kai and shaped it into a physical body.
What ultimately appeared before everyone’s eyes was a towering black dragon, its hundred meter long body condensed completely of vicious Evil Qi, exerting a kind of inexplicable pressure on everything in its surroundings.
This dragon was born from the combination of the dragon tattoo on Yang Kai’s back merging with the Demonic Qi stored inside the Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai possessed this dragon tattoo while Su Yan bore an Ice Phoenix tattoo.
This tattoo that should have been a symbol of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art had now, for some unknown reason, manifested itself in reality. Even Yang Kai had only felt that his back was a bit itchy and casually tried responding to this sensation, never having anticipated such a dramatic result.
Wherever the dragons passed, black snakes formed from Devil Qi followed closely, like the stars surrounding the moon.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s masters were trapped mid-air and were still struggling to break free, but before they could get extricate themselves, the huge dragon’s mouth was already upon them.
With a bone chilling crunch, the Immortal Ascension Boundary of the Thunder Light Sect was bitten in two, and his blood splashed out across the ground below.
The black dragon then soared a thousand meters into the air before turning around and dove back down. Its eyes were fixed on the Soaring Rainbow Court Elder.
Having just witnessed his companion die in front of him in such a gruesome manner, being torn in half and eaten, the Immortal Ascension expert from Soaring Rainbow Court was scared stiff, and under such tremendous pressure, his body had lost any ability to resist.
All of a sudden, this old man’s eyes flashed, like he had spotted a chance for survival, opening his mouth and yelling off into the distance, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao. Save me!”
Yang Kai’s expression became cold as he turned his gaze in the same direction and noticed as two mysterious lights quickly approached this place.
It was Xiang Chu’s two guards!
Both of them had cultivations at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage and were far stronger than these two Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders.
As these two flew over, they both sent out strikes towards the black dragon, Fang Lao angrily roaring, “Demon! You dare to hurt our people?!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, kicked off the ground, and flew in front of the Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder in a single bound, while summoning the Asura Sword to his hand.
*Zheng…*
Numerous sword cries sounded, and with a slash of the Asura Sword, an overwhelming sword wave greeted the attacks of Fang Lao and Xu Lao.
*Boom…*
A series of violent turbulence erupted midair, which pushed Yang Kai back a few steps before he managed to steady himself, and eventually stopped the other side’s attack.
The black dragon descended once more, and just when Fang Lao and Xu Lao managed to close to within two hundred meters, it bit off the head of the Soaring Rainbow Court Elder.
*Kacha…*
The master from Soaring Rainbow Court immediately became a headless body as blood spewed from where his neck once was like a spectacular fountain.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao saw everything but were helpless to do anything. The two of them immediately erupted in rage and mercilessly attacked. One of them sent out a fierce piercing wind, the other a golden light, using various Martial Skills to assault Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression remained as calm and indifferent as before, even when facing these two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters, almost like he was fighting two pieces of trash instead.
No longer holding anything back, a thousand blood-red petals suddenly fluttered, accompanied by a rich floral fragrance, every petal akin to an incomparably sharp blade.
Sword Qi flew about as the White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals shot forward.
The three quickly exchanged ten blows but Yang Kai had already fallen into a disadvantage. Even if he had summoned two Heaven Grade artifacts he was still unable to compete with these two masters.
Just as Yang Kai was thinking about whether or not to withdraw directly, two figures rapidly approached.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er!
The two beautiful sisters’ faces were both filled with anxiety, but after seeing that Yang Kai was unscathed, they couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. In the next instant when they saw Fang Lao and Xu Lao attack, anger quickly welled up inside them.
Without any discussion or hesitation, the two joined forces and joined the battle.
Their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art shined at this moment; both sisters’ cultivations were just True Element Boundary Fourth Stage, but using this mystical Secret Art, the force of their True Qi shot up exponentially, and each of them showed combat abilities not inferior to peak True Element elites, and when the two of them synchronized their swordplay, attacking in concert, they had enough strength to compete with an average Immortal Ascension First Stage master.
Either Fang Lao or Xu Lao could easily defeat them regardless of how heaven defying the increase in their combat strength was; however, these two flowers were Xiang Chu’s favored women, so neither of them dared injure them, which left the two old men feeling somewhat helpless.
Instead, with the Hu Sisters’ assistance, Yang Kai and his black dragon were finally able to defend themselves.
“Two Young Ladies!” Fang Lao’s expression became grim as he shouted, “This man is a demon!”
Hu Jiao Er simply snorted, “I don’t know whether he’s a demon or not, I only know that he is my friend!”
“Young Ladies, please stand back! You do not recognise this man!” Xu Lao also advised.
“If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill us first!” Hu Mei Er appeared more innocent and naive than her elder sister, but at this moment she firmly made her resolve.
“He’s already killed so many of our comrades from Soaring Rainbow Court and Thunder Light Sect. He’s already fallen onto the Devil’s Path! He’s no longer the person you knew! Now he has no consciousness and won’t recognize the two young ladies at all! Quickly separate yourselves from him!” Fang Lao argued anxiously.
Listening to these overtures, Yang Kai simply grinned, silently sending out an order, launching the black dragon towards him with a demonic roar.
“Presumptuous!” Fang Lao angrily shouted and sent out a palm strike towards the black dragon, striking its head dead centre, knocking it backwards before it had a chance to bite him. But Fang Lao was also shaken back a step, causing him to stare blankly at the hundred meter long dragon, and an uncomfortable feeling welled up in his heart.
“Stop!” An angry voice rang out through the air from somewhere in the distance.
After hearing this voice, Fang Lao and Xu Lao hesitated for a moment before glaring furiously at Yang Kai and then falling back.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er also hurriedly arrived at Yang Kai’s side and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, his eyes gazing forward.
After slaughtering so many cultivators from Thunder Light Sect and the Soaring Rainbow Court he had already achieved his purpose. At this moment, with his black dragon floating nearby, if Yang Kai wanted to leave, even Fang Lao and Xu Lao couldn’t restrain him.
Right now, Yang Kai was truly fearless.
Along his line of sight, Yang Kai carefully observed Xiang Chu as he approached the camp. Even with such a chaotic situation before him, this Young Master Xiang displayed a calm demeanor befitting the son of a great noble family.
However, while looking at the bloodied and broken bodies scattered across the ground, Xiang Chu’s eyes showed clear traces of surprise and discomfort.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
A large group of people emerged behind Xiang Chu soon after, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all anxiously looking around before their eyes quickly landed on Yang Kai.
Guan Chi Le’s old eyes narrowed as his heart shuddered. After seeing the two dead bodies of the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders, he couldn’t stop himself from trembling lightly.
Right now, clear lines had been drawn.
Except for the members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall who sided with Yang Kai, everyone else was clearly stood with Xiang Chu.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao even quietly circulated their True Qi, guarding against any actions Yang Kai might take.
As Xiang Chu swept his eyes across Yang Kai and felt the dense Evil Qi radiating from his body, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his brow, and when he saw the black demonic dragon that floated nearby, his expression became even sterner.
He could feel the frightening power this dragon resonated, and a coveting and greedy impulse flashed across his thoughts.
But as he examined further and discovered that this dragon was condensed purely from Evil Qi, Xiang Chu quickly dispelled these thoughts.
After looking around for a moment longer, Xiang Chu solemnly asked, “What happened here?”
Fang Lao hurriedly replied, “Young Master, when I and Xu Lao arrived, we discovered that this little brat had fallen to the Devil’s Path and was attempting to kill Cheng Ming of Soaring Rainbow Court. Unfortunately these two old masters were incompetent and couldn’t rescue Cheng Ming before…”
“Cheng Ming is dead?” Xiang Chu’s expression revealed a look of surprise.
“Yes,” Fang Lao nodded, pointing to a body not far away, “That is all that remains of his broken corpse!”
“What about the Immortal Ascension Elder from Thunder Light Sect?” Xiang Chu asked.
“Dead before we arrived.”
Xiang Chu involuntarily trembled.
He thought he had overestimated Yang Kai’s combat ability as much as possible, but he never expected that his ‘overestimation’ still far, far underestimated Yang Kai’s strength.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage Elders had actually been killed by him. Just how strong was he in the end?
“Young Master, that young man has already stepped into the Devil’s Practices, unable to recognize his friends of family any longer. This old master asks the Young Master’s permission to seek justice for our fallen comrades by executing him!” Fang Lao grunted.
Xiang Chu frowned, seeming to hesitate.
Hearing this request, Hu Jiao Er hurriedly interrupted, “Old bastard, who exactly has fallen to the Devil’s Practices?”
Hu Jiao Er had always been stronger willed than her sister. On any other day she would still treat Fang Lao as an honored Senior, however, at this moment, seeing him actually wanting to kill Yang Kai, she couldn’t help but curse him as an old bastard.
Fang Lao’s eyes twitched upon hearing a junior insult him so, but due to this girl’s identity, he couldn’t respond too forcefully and instead calmly replied, “Him? With his current appearance how hasn’t he fallen to the Devil’s Practices?”
Hu Jiao Er simply sneered, “If he’d already fallen into the Devil’s Practices, do you think we could still stand safely beside him? Are you blind?”
Hearing this argument, although they were annoyed with her tone, Fang Lao and Xu Lao also couldn’t help but hesitate, uncertain about what exactly was happening. Yang Kai’s current state was completely beyond their understanding. There was no doubt that he was under the influence of a Heaven shaking Evil Qi that should have completely distorted his consciousness, but the look in his eyes was clearly calm, without the slightest taint one would associate with the Devil’s Practices.
“Also, you only saw him kill Cheng Ming, have you ever once stopped to think about what the old dog did to him?” Hu Jiao Er’s tone became more intense.
Fang Lao moved his mouth to retort only to freeze up the next instant, and he remained silent for a few moments before saying, “This old master only believes what he has seen.”
Hu Jiao Er’s sneer became even deeper, “Two weeks ago, these people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court suffered a big loss at his hands. Today they abandoned their duties at the front lines and came back here in secret. For what purpose? I’m sure you can guess! Even if Yang Kai really killed them, it can only be considered self-defence. All the dead here brought this on themselves; what does it have to do with him? When an elder wants to kill you, do you have to stretch out your neck and let them cut off your head? If someone else attacks you, are you not allowed to resist?”
Guan Chi Le nodded firmly, “The First Young Lady is right! The people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court not only took action behind our backs but also deserted the battlefield in order to kill one of our own! The Young Lord must uphold justice!”
“Please judge the situation fairly Young Lord!” Fang Ziji barely managed to contain his smile while also adding his voice.
Xiang Chu smiled indifferently and said, “If things are really like this, this young master will certainly mete out punishment to those from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to serve as a warning to others!”
Pausing here though, Xiang Chu continued, “But in the end all of this is just your assumptions. All of you came back with me and none of you saw clearly what happened. Naturally this young master also did not witness what happened either; therefore, I suggest that the parties involved, both sides, explain exactly what happened here.”
“I have no objections!” Yang Kai grinned and nodded.
“This young master appreciates this friend’s understanding.” Xiang Chu nodded then turned to his guards, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao, gather up those who are still alive!”
“Yes!” The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters flew out and after a few short breaths had brought back all the juniors who had survived.
Many of them were seriously injured and could barely keep themselves from falling over. Xie Rong and Li Fu, although quite embarrassed, still couldn’t hide how badly beaten they were.
Quietly glancing towards Yang Kai, the two juniors quickly took back their gaze in a panic, and their junior brothers and sisters didn’t even dare to look at Yang Kai.
Over the course of the previous fight, a deep and profound fear of this mysterious youth had taken root in their souls.
Even the powerful Elders who were from their parents’ generation had been easily slaughtered by Yang Kai, so how could these young people have any ability to resist?
“Xie Rong. Li Fu.” Xiang Chu called out firmly.
“Ye… ye… yes…” Xie Rong trembled as he stuttered to respond, Li Fu, even more so, was unable to compose herself enough to speak.
Xiang Chu’s brow furrowed slightly but quickly put on a kind expression, “You two should have seen everything with your own eyes, right?”
“Ye… yes.”
“Good, then recount everything that happened, including all the details you can remember, if you dare conceal or lie about anything, you know the consequences!” Xiang Chu said lightly.
Xie Rong and Li Fu glanced at each other, but neither of them dared to speak.
Seeing this, Hu Jiao Er smirked, “A guilty conscience makes one nervous.”
Xiang Chu rubbed his forehead before grinning, “Jiao Er, please don’t say such things before we’ve made a conclusion.”
Hu Jiao Er coldly snorted in return, “Young Lord Xiang, I don’t want to remind you again, please don’t call my name so familiarly.”
“Apologise Young Lady Hu, I was distracted and spoke negligently.” Xiang Chu replied smoothly without a hint of embarrassment in his voice and once again turned to face Xie Rong and Li Fu before continued, “If you don’t dare to speak, then this Young Lord must conclude that you are in the wrong and will kill you right now!”
Xie Rong and Li Fu couldn’t help shuddering as their eyes met Xiang Chu’s.
However, Xiang Chu swiftly added, “But if you are the ones who have been wronged, this Young Lord also swears to uphold justice for you!”
Hearing this sentence, everyone from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang couldn’t help but frown.
Xiang Chu’s words sounded fair and unbiased, but upon further thought they held a profound meaning.
Sure enough, Xie Rong and Li Fu once again looked at each other, and their panic-stricken emotions gradually stabilized as they seemed to have found a support to lean on.
Li Fu finally managed to whisper, “Xie Rong, you say it.”
Xie Rong swallowed hard, grit his teeth, and nodded. “Good.”
Taking a deep breath and not daring to look in Yang Kai’s direction, he spoke in a deep and aggrieved tone, “Earlier today, when we were fighting on Tai Fang Mountain our two Sects ended up chasing down a group of Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators. After killing them, we discovered that we were not far from the camp and decided that backtracking to meet up with Young Lord Xiang wasn’t necessary, so we simply returned here.”
“Dog shit!” Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help shouting, “Since the beginning of the fight, I never once saw anyone from your two Sects! What ‘chasing down Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators?’ You clearly decided to sneak off and return to camp from the very start!”
“I swear what I’ve said is the truth! Young Lord Xiang, if you don’t believe me, you can search the western outskirts of the camp, there should still be some fresh bodies left there.”
Xiang Chu nodded slightly, “I’ll definitely investigate your claims. If you were chasing down our enemies, that is something to be commended, however… failing to return to the rally point was definitely a mistake in judgement by your two Sects. I have no choice but to reprimand you in regards to such an error, I assume you have no complaints, correct?”
“None!” Xie Rong and Li Fu shook their heads at the same time.
The Hu Sisters nearly choked on their anger as although Xiang Chu seemed to be properly handling matters, his statements and judgements so far were clearly favouring Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
“Continue!” Xiang Chu motioned casually.
“When we and our respective Elders returned to camp, we planned to send out a few of our members to report our situation to Young Lord Xiang but before we had a chance to sit down and rest, we suddenly felt an eruption of Evil Qi.”
“An eruption of Evil Qi?” Xiang Chu frowned.
“Right, we had never felt this kind of wicked aura before. The Elders of our two factions thought that some incredibly powerful demons had infiltrated the camp and thus led all of us back to confront them, but when we found the source of the aura it was actually… actually…”
“What, speak up?”
“It was that person.”
“What man?” Xiang Chu asked.
“The strange man the Hu Sisters brought back with them the other day!” Xie Rong replied in a horse voice.
Xiang Chu looked over at Yang Kai, who simply smiled back at him.
It was a plain smile filled with a look of self-confidence, leaving Xiang Chu at somewhat of a loss.
“And then?” Xiang Chu asked, turning his eyes back to the two juniors in front of him.
“Then… then… that man madly attacked us! Our two Elders couldn’t stop him and many of our fellow disciples were either killed or heavily wounded. In the end, the two elders sacrificed their own lives trying to save as many of us juniors as possible.” As Xie Rong recanted this horrific tale, his voice seemed to contain infinite grievances and pain, and even his breath quickened as he mournfully said, “This humble one begs Young Lord Xiang uphold justice and exact revenge for the fallen Brothers, Sisters, and Elders of our two Sects!”
Li Fu also shed tears as she frantically wiped her eyes, weeping as she added, “Young Lord Xiang please! This hatred cannot go unsettled!”
Listening to these two, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall ground their teeth, and a bitter rage and hatred welled up in their hearts.
Xiang Chu was silent for a moment before motioning, “You two, get up.”
“If Young Lord Xiang cannot uphold justice for us and kill this demon, we will kneel here forever!” Xie Rong and Li Fu declared as they lowered their heads to the ground.
Xiang Chu’s expression became somewhat displeased seeing their display, saying, “Things have yet to be made clear. All of this is just your side, but if you wish to kneel, then just kneel.”
Lifting his eyes, he smiled towards Yang Kai and continued, “This friend, your situation doesn’t appear to be so simply described, if you have something to say, this Young Lord will hear you out.”
The Hu Sisters turned and stared towards Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai simply shrugged and said indifferently, “Nope!”
“Yang Kai!” Hu Jiao Er’s beautiful face immediately cramped up, and she nervously seized his arm.
Xiang Chu was also quite surprised and couldn’t help looking at him strangely. It seemed like he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to not argue back.
Upon seeing the calm, disdainful look on his face, Xiang Chu had a faint bad premonition.
He dared not defend himself, and he didn’t seem the slightest bit nervous, so obviously he wasn’t afraid he would suffer any consequences from this situation. Was he simply arrogant, or was he still hiding something that gave him this sense of confidence?
“Yang Kai, you have to fight back, they’ve slandered you so, how can you just stand there and say nothing?” Hu Mei Er also pleased anxiously.
But Yang Kai just maintained a light smile and replied, “Since they already have the predisposition to condemn me, context does not matter. So let’s not waste our breath.”
At that moment, the Hu Sisters frozen for an instant before suddenly realizing that no matter what argument or defence Yang Kai put forward it was useless. His current state was enough for everyone to label him a demon!
Now that they were at war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, what was the fate of a demon that had appeared here? Everyone would slaughter him! So even if the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court people were the ones who acted first, Yang Kai’s reasons were meaningless.
Justifications? All of that was just wasted spit!
His expression gradually sinking, Yang Kai sneered, “Whether I am a man or a devil, that’s not for outsiders to decide.”
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help squinting as he stared at Yang Kai fixedly.
After a long time saying, “What this friend means to say is, this young master isn’t qualified to pass judgment on you?”
“You think you’re worthy?” Yang Kai looked at him indifferently.
“Bold!” Fang Lao shouted, “The Xiang Family is a first-class family, and the Young Lord is the commander of this camp, yet you, a mere stray dog, dares say the Young Lord isn’t worthy?”
“A first-class family, how awe-inspiring!” Yang Kai laughed rampantly.
“So be it! This Young Lord will let you understand the power of a first-class family today!” Xiang Chu was also angered by Yang Kai’s slights, and he coldly snorted, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao, capture this demon.”
“Yes!” The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters responded firmly.
“You dare!” The Hu Sisters flew out, placing themselves in front of Yang Kai.
Xiang Chu’s complexion sank and a hint of jealous anger flashed across his eyes. Taking a deep breath he said, “Two young ladies, if you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest you stand back. If you continue to insist on this course of action, this Young Lord will have no choice but to assume you are in league with this demon and capture you together with him!”
“Such great prestige!” Guan Chi Le took a step forward and sneered, “Young Master Xiang, is this how your Xiang Family handles its affairs?”
Xiang Chu’s expression became gloomy, “This how I, Xiang Chu, handle affairs! If this demon isn’t punished, how could our people feel at ease!”
Xiang Chu’s words were forceful and inspiring.
The people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court were originally miserable, but as soon as they heard this, their expressions became excited. Xie Rong and Li Fu also raised their heads with pride and glared with hatred towards Yang Kai, hoping to see a look of desperation on his face.
“Good good!” A booming voice suddenly echoed from the distance.
This unexpected change startled everyone, and all of them quickly turned in the direction from where the voice came from.
A few thousand meters away, a group of beasts flew across the ground towards them at an astonishing speed.
Cloud Treading Colts, a Third-Order Monster Beast that although not strong in combat, possessed great speed and endurance! On top of that, they were relatively docile which made them suitable for use as mounts.
A Cloud Treading Colt was capable of traveling several thousand kilometers a day, the best amongst them even capable of crossing ten thousand kilometers at once. Such speed was faster than most low level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and had the added advantage of a cultivator not needing to consume their own True Qi.
Therefore, amongst many large forces, it was common to domesticate some Cloud Treading Colts to use for transportation. However, the number of these Monster Beasts was not large, and each one was worth several tens of thousands of silvers. Besides first-class and great forces, others with weaker backgrounds had no way to afford such mounts.
To some extent, being able to ride a Cloud Treading Colt was a sign of strength and identity.
The newcomers approached to a distance of thirty meters or so before stopping. The age of their leader looked almost the same as Xiang Chu, and he obviously came from an impressive and powerful force. Behind him, he was followed by two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters.
Crossing a thousand meter distance had only taken them an instant.
“After not meeting for a few months, it seems Brother Xiang’s temperament is the same as always.” The leading youth laughed heartily. In front of the crowd, he didn’t bother dismounting and instead proudly sat atop his Cloud Treading Colt and looked down at everyone from above. Only when his eyes landed on Yang Kai did he display a slightly dignified air.
Such potent Demonic Qi was naturally not something they could ignore.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind the lead youth also fixed their gazes on Yang Kai and secretly circulated their True Qi to guard against any unforeseen threats.
“This guy is called Nan Sheng!” Fang Ziji knew that Yang Kai was ignorant of the circumstances and quickly approached to explain to him, “He’s the Young Lord of the Nan Family, another first-class family and has the same status as Xiang Chu. The Nan Family and Xiang Family have been marrying one another for several generations so the relationship between the two has always been very good. Be careful about him, he’s even more overbearing and uncompromising than Xiang Chu.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded slightly; if Xiang Chu was the kind of sinister character who plotted against you while wearing a smile, then this Nan Sheng should be a straightforward person who let his actions speak for themselves.
Xiang Chu gloomy expression finally settled when he saw this youth. Chuckling lightly as he cupped his fists and said, “Brother Nan, how come you’ve come here? Weren’t you stationed a few hundred kilometers away at a different section of the front?”
The Xiang Family was in charge of the Tai Fang Mountain region while the Nan Family had been given command of another section of the front line a few hundred kilometers away. It was also a first-class family and certainly had the qualifications to hold such a post.
Nan Sheng soon grinned, casually dismounted from his Cloud Treading Colt, and said, “Wasn’t the decisive battle finished two days ago? The Eight Great Families announced a couple days ago that we can go back, but as we were passing through we felt an unusual presence. Never did I expect to come across such a good show. How come you haven’t left here yet?”
While speaking, Nan Sheng looked Yang Kai up and down.
Xiang Chu’s face twitched slightly before replying, “We had just completed our last mission today and I was planning to tell everyone this good news after we had finished it, but I hadn’t thought some startling changes would have occurred here and thus haven’t had time to announce it.”
Suddenly, everyone from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall stared at Xiang Chu.
The decisive battle had already ended two days ago!
If they hadn’t inadvertently heard this news from Nan Sheng’s mouth, they might still have been kept in the dark!
If all of this was true, then how would the cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land come to attack their camp two days after the final battle?
What commander would do such a pointless act?
However, it was precisely at that moment that Yang Kai had encountered a problem here. Obviously there was more to the situation than met the eye.
In a flash, everyone had understood many of these key points.
“Changes…” Nan Sheng nodded slightly, frowning as he shifted his gaze to Yang Kai and said, “Him?”
“En.” Xiang Chu replied.
“A demon, heh, interesting!” Nan Sheng held his chin with one hand and looked over Yang Kai like he was evaluating a commodity. “This young demon actually has such a strong Evil Qi, it looks like his cultivation technique isn’t simple.”
“It’s definitely not simple.” Xiang Chu readily acknowledged in a serious tone.
Nan Sheng was slightly surprised, he had rarely seen Xiang Chu wear such a dignified look. Unable to hold back his curiosity he asked, “How so?”
“Two of our Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage masters were killed by him!”
“What?” Nan Sheng paled slightly while the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him were also equally shocked.
“Brother Xiang, you must be joking, right?” Nan Sheng paused for a moment before shaking his head, obviously he didn’t believe this outlandish claim. “He seems to only have a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation. How could he have killed an Immortal Ascension Boundary expert? Let alone two of them.”
“The bodies are right over there, how could I be joking with you? In fact, all the dead cultivators here died at his hands.” Xiang Chu shook his head grimly.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind Nan Sheng also came forward and whispered, “Young Master, this person can’t be underestimated. His Blood Force and his aura are both extraordinary, and the black dragon behind him is also unusual.”
Even the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of his own family spoke so seriously, which forced Nan Sheng to hurriedly stifle his cynicism and whisper, “If I were to face him, what would my chances of winning be?”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters silently groaned to themselves, at somewhat of a loss.
“Say it!”
“None!” The Immortal Ascension Boundary master grit his teeth and replied.
Nan Sheng took a deep breath and once again re-evaluated Yang Kai. Even if it was the juniors from Eight Great Families or the core disciple from the various great Sects, there were only a few people in his he stood no chance of winning against, but now this young demon had suddenly emerged and could also completely suppress him. Wouldn’t that mean his aptitude and strength were at least on par with those Heaven chosen geniuses?
His eyes narrowing slightly, Nan Sheng quickly said, “Such a dangerous character should be killed immediately, letting him live will only lead to more trouble in the future.”
Xiang Chu nodded, “I also think so.”
“Then why the hesitation?” Nan Sheng looked puzzled.
Xiang Chu could only grin wryly.
Nan Sheng swept the surroundings once again, frowning slightly, “These people are obstructing you?”
“En, it’s a bit complicated.” Xiang Chu nodded helplessly.
“Anyone who dares interfere, dies!” Nan Sheng coldly snorted, “Fighting together with demons at this time, even if we kill all of them nobody will object.”
The Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall cultivators all paled while staring alertly at Nan Sheng.
Originally, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters beside Xiang Chu were enough to suppress them. Now that Nan Sheng had brought two more equally powerful masters, if they were really to fight, none of them would survive.
“Junior Brother Xiang, why are you still acting so softly in this situation?” Nan Sheng glanced towards Xiang Chu with his head tilted, a slight look of displeasure on his face.
However, Xiang Chu wryly smiled, “Some people… I can’t bear to kill.”
As he spoke, his eyes drifted towards the Hu Sisters, leaving no ambiguity in his intentions.
The Xiang Family and Nan Family had been related through marriage for several generations. Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had even played with each other since childhood. They were as close as real brothers so when he saw Xiang Chu’s expression, Nan Sheng naturally understood what he was thinking.
Nan Sheng was well aware of Xiang Chu’s personality and methods, so with only a moment’s thought, he suddenly understood many things.
Some words were inconvenient for Xiang Chu say, but Nan Sheng could still grasp what he meant.
[Fuck, I had only planned to see him while passing through here but now I actually have to help this little brat with his schemes! This brat already has a few wives waiting for him back home but he’s still not satisfied!] Nan Sheng couldn’t help feeling depressed in his heart.
However, after stealing a quick glance at this pair of twins, they were indeed somewhat fascinating, and it was no wonder he had been tempted by them.
As such, Nan Sheng acted decisively, pointed to the Hu Sisters, and declared, “Two young ladies, do you want to die?”
Hu Jiao Er sneered back, “If it’s possible to live who would choose to die?”
“Good, step aside then, this matter has nothing to do with you, all we want is to kill that bastard beside you.” Nan Sheng ordered, all but disregarding the sisters’ opinions.
The Hu Sisters naturally shook their heads and stood firmly beside Yang Kai.
Nan Sheng was stunned, and a burst of complaints rattled around inside his head. [Damn that brat Xiang Chu, the two women he’s after already had a sweetheart, no wonder there was such a fuss.]
[I see!]
Under these circumstances, Nan Sheng finally understood everything. The drama that had unfolded before he arrived now abundantly clear.
Staring at them for a moment, Nan Sheng suddenly said, “Do you want to protect his life?”
The Hu Sisters were unhappy being stared at like this but eventually nodded their heads.
“Very well,” Nan Sheng laughed, “You two, marry my Brother Xiang and I, Nan Sheng, will guarantee his life for you!”
When this statement was made, everyone was shocked.
Xiang Chu immediately objected in a fluster, “Big Brother Nan you can’t! It’s true I have an interest in these two girls, but killing this demon takes precedent! How can we confuse our priorities here?”
Nan Sheng snorted in response, “What’s wrong? Here you can make the decisions, what you decide is what goes! If I support you as well then nobody will object.”
Turning back, he looked at the Hu Sisters and said, “What do the two ladies think?”
“In your dreams!” Hu Jiao Er refused quickly and decisively.
Nan Sheng’s face sank, and his gaze became slightly cold and contemptuous, so sneering he said, “You two seem to only be disciples of a second-class Sect, right? My Brother Xiang was born into a first-class family and is also a strong contender to be its next patriarch. Whether it’s status, strength, or looks, marrying him is nothing but beneficial to you. On the other hand, you two women are but trivial commoners, no matter what you try to achieve, sooner or later you’ll have to be married and now a Young Lord of a first-class family is willing to take you in! As far as I can see, you being able to marry my Brother Xiang is your life’s good luck!”
Although Nan Sheng’s speech was utterly offensive and demeaning, the Hu Sisters remained completely indifferent.
“I’ll say this once more, either he dies or you two marry my Brother Xiang and I let him live! How to choose, you can decide for yourselves.” Nan Sheng said in an overbearing tone, not giving the Hu Sisters any room to bargain, even sneering as he continued, “I’ll give you once incense worth of time, if by then you haven’t decided, I’ll show no more mercy. If anyone else objects or tries to stir up trouble, they’ll be executed on the spot!”
Done speaking, he stood beside Xiang Chu and gazed indifferently at the crowd.
From beginning to end, Xiang Chu had actually only said one sentence, and then was unable to interrupt again.
Things having developed to this point, the Hu Sisters would have to be stupid to not understand.
“Hmph, so all of this was all your doing.” Hu Jiao Er looked accusingly at Xiang Chu, “You set Yang Kai up like this and then planned to use him to threaten us right?”
Xiang Chu quickly wore an indifferent expression and said, “Jiao Er, if that’s what you think, then you have greatly misunderstood me.”
Nan Sheng couldn’t help roll his eyes, thinking that this little bastard still wanted to act aloof and arrogant at this point, if he had simply taken the direct approach anything these two girls said would be the same as farts.
Two second-class Sect’s female disciples, even if they were unwilling, what could they do in this situation?
“Whether or not I’m misunderstanding, you would know better than me!” Hu Jiao Er sneered disdainfully.
The Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall had suffered greatly for these past few months. Only a dozen or so of them remained of the hundred disciples who had come here, so those who remained had established extremely firm bonds.
Seeing Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu treat the Hu Sisters like cheap commodities to be bought and sold, how could they not become enraged?
Fang Ziji sneered as he looked at Nan Sheng, “Young Lord Nan, Young Lord Xiang, are first-class families free to determine whether our second-class Sect disciples live or die?”
“What do you want to say?” Nan Sheng muttered as he shifted his eyes towards Fang Ziji, a cold smile adorning his face.
“If that’s really the case, then of course I have nothing to say.”
“Then shut your mouth!” Nan Sheng casually flicked the dust off his sleeves and said indifferently, “If you want to blame something, then blame yourselves for being low born. Why do you think the world’s Sects and forces are divided into first, second, and third class? It’s so you wastes can recognize the gap in status between us! If you were from a first-class force, do you think you’d have to grovel so pathetically before this Young Lord?”
Nan Sheng sneered as he spoke, seemingly not feeling any problem with what he was saying. An air of superiority obvious in his tone stemming from his noble birth
Continuing, “If you belonged to one of those super-forces, heh, this Young Lord would have to bow down to you instead! This is the law of the jungle, that’s how it is. It’s almost funny that you can’t understand something so simple. One day, if you have strength and status far above mine, if You bully me, I swear I won’t have any complaints!”
“There will be such a day.” Fang Ziji said gloomily.
Nan Sheng in response just spat disdainfully.
All this time, Yang Kai had simply been watching and had not spoken. His hands held behind his back, quietly standing there observing the various parties argue amongst themselves, not bothering to express his own opinions. It was like everything happening had nothing to do with him.
However, it was clear that the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of the Nan and Xiang Families were constantly on guard against him.
Of all the members of the younger generation, only Yang Kai was worthy of their attention. Despite only having cultivation at the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage, his Blood Force’s intensity and True Qi’s potency were both astonishing, as such, it was impossible to figure out what his true strength was.
Yang Kai’s purpose in silently observing for so long was to see how many people here he could truly depend on and consider friends.
As the saying goes, only a distant road could test the strength of a horse. In order to learn about someone, one needed to spend a great amount of time with them.
It was only in moments of crisis that one could see a person’s true character and temperament.
If the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall chose to remain silent at this time and not involve themselves in his affairs, Yang Kai wouldn’t feel surprised at all.
In order to protect themselves, this was no doubt the smart thing to do. Right now, the Xiang Family and Nan Family held the absolute advantage, the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall weren’t their match at all. If they continued to resist, they would only bring destruction on themselves.
However, seeing the three he was closest to didn’t let Yang Kai down!
Neither the Hu Sisters nor Fang Ziji hesitated in the slightest to stand before him despite the great disparity in strength between them and the forces of the two first-class families.
With warmth in his heart, Yang Kai smiled and slowly walked to the front and reached over to the Hu Sisters’ shoulders.
After glancing around at the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Yang Kai directed his gaze towards Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng again, grinning as he whispered to the Hu Sisters, “Don’t worry about me, if I want to leave, no one here can stop me.”
Hearing these words, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er’s delicate expressions relaxed suddenly; although they didn’t understand where Yang Kai’s confidence came from, but from the firm and steady tone in his voice they didn’t doubt he could really accomplish what he said.
On the other hand, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu’s faces sank.
Fang Lao even let out a contemptuous snort, “Little brat, with the four of us here, you still dare boast so shamelessly?”
“Do you want to try me?” Yang Kai sneered back provocatively.
Fang Lao’s eyes flashed dangerously as he stared at Yang Kai, but to his surprise he didn’t see the slightest signs of panic in this strange youth’s expression.
No matter how absurd it sounded, it seemed like this kid really might have the strength to escape from here safely.
“Surround him!” Nan Sheng shouted angrily, Yang Kai’s aloof attitude and arrogant words having completely irritated him. No disciple of a mere second-class Sect had ever looked at him so disdainfully.
His gaze, like a sharp blade, had pricked his heart.
As the Young Lord of a renowned first-class family, this uncomfortable feeling had irked his pride.
The instant Nan Sheng spoke, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him flew out and landed behind Yang Kai’s back, forming a tight encirclement with the Xiang Family’s two masters.
However, even surrounded by four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters each at the Seventh or Eighth Stage, Yang Kai still looked calm and relaxed, only his eyes narrowed slightly indicating his seriousness.
In his present state, it would be simple to escape from two of these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but now that there were four of them, he would need to pay a certain price in order to withdraw.
Of course, this was all just Yang Kai’s assumptions, things would likely deviate from his expectations as soon as he actually tried.
But as long as they didn’t manage to kill him in a single blow, Yang Kai still had confidence in escaping.
“Go on, run! Let’s see how you escape now!” Nan Sheng taunted Yang Kai in an arrogant tone, “Four respected Elders, if these second-class Sect disciples, don’t know what’s good for them and try to interfere, kill them, no need to hold back!”
“Yes Young Lord!” The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang and Nan Family all nodded at the same time.
A loud roar sounded as the demonic dragon hovering behind Yang Kai slowly began circling around him, its pitch black eyes coldly glaring at the four old men.
Nan Sheng shifted his gaze towards the people of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, smirking as he ordered, “This Young Master will give you ten breaths to leave this demon’s side or else…”
Xiang Chu’s brow furrowed as he quickly said, “Jiao Er, Mei Er, don’t be so obstinate.”
“You are going too far!” Hu Jiao Er spat hatefully.
Xiang Chu couldn’t help his expression becoming cold. He really did have intentions towards the Hu Sisters, but it wasn’t like he had to have them regardless of the cost. As the Young Lord of a first-class family, what kind of beautiful woman couldn’t he acquire? Such beautiful flowers were only a kind of amusement to him, what he enjoyed most was the process of pursuing and conquering them.
But after all of these events, Xiang Chu gradually realized that he might never be able to conquer this pair of sisters, which caused frustration and anger to well up inside him.
This smoldering anger quickly turned into resentment until he finally let out a cold snort, no longer intending to bother with this fruitless game.
“Ten breaths are up!” Nan Sheng calmly declared as he swept his eyes over the crowd and causally ordered, “Begin!”
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters suddenly pushed their True Qi and silently signaled to each other with their eyes.
At that moment.
Suddenly, a bright and crisp Eagle’s cry resounded.
This cry was extremely piercing and seemed to contain a kind of inexplicable and mysterious power, even the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters couldn’t help pausing as they hurriedly looked up.
High up in the sky, more than a thousand meters up, a little golden light flickered.
That flash of gold was incomparably brilliant, like a tiny flash of sunlight, almost difficult to behold without averting one’s eyes.
As this golden light circled in the sky high above everyone’s heads, a series of eagle cries continued to ring out.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s face suddenly cramped up, and his expression constantly fluctuated as he stared at the circling golden light.
The originally explosive scene had been thoroughly disturbed by the sudden appearance of this golden eagle.
“Such a wonderful golden eagle!” Nan Sheng couldn’t help crying out in praise.
Although the golden eagle was over a thousand meters above them, no one here was an ordinary person, with the eyesight of a cultivator they were all easily able to clearly make out this bird of prey’s appearance.
“This golden eagle…” The Xiang Family’s Xu Lao suddenly frowned, trying to recall something from his distant memory.
“Haha, this Young Lord has decided, I must capture this beast and take it back with me!” Nan Sheng declared loudly, if here were to posses such a striking and majestic eagle it would definitely be something worth bragging about, and if he could raise and train it properly, in the future it would certainly be of great use to him.
Listening to Nan Sheng, Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling and sarcastically called out, “You can’t afford it.”
Nan Sheng casually glanced back at him and sneered without saying anything, turning to his Elders and asking, “Have you ever heard of such a beast?”
Xu Lao’s brow was still furrowed as he quietly muttered, “I seem to have heard of it somewhere…”
“Where did you hear of it?” Xiang Chu, who was also interested in this golden eagle, quickly asked.
Xu Lao frowned and thought hard but couldn’t recall just where he had learned of this beast.
High up in the sky, the cries of the golden eagle suddenly became more hurried and intense, as if it had found something that caught it’s attention. Immediately afterwards, like a streak of golden light, it dove down to where the crowd below was gathered.
As he was at a loss about how to capture this golden eagle, when Nan Sheng saw it approach them of its own accord, he was naturally overjoyed. Rolling up his sleeves, he smiled, “Interesting, after only just meeting this Young Lord, does this beast plan on also delivering itself to me?”
Xiang Chu also grinned slightly and added, “Big Brother Sheng’s charm is just that great, as such, Little Brother will not fight with you for it.”
Nan Sheng nodded happily before shooting a glare towards Yang Kai, “Little brat, seems you get to live a little longer. Just sit there and wait until this Young Lord catches that eagle.”
“By all means, have at it!” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and loosened his stance.
“Yang Kai, take this opportunity to escape!” Hu Mei Er quietly whispered to him.
However, Yang Kai simply shook his head and smiled.
“What are you thinking!?” Hu Jiao Er also anxiously scolded him, “If you really wait until after they catch that eagle, they’ll definitely focus on you again!”
“Impossible, they won’t have a chance!” Yang Kai laughed lightly, his expression completely relaxed.
The Hu Sisters were both worried and confused, not knowing why Yang Kai was apparently trying to show off.
A moment later, the golden eagle had already approached the crowd, and when it was only several dozen meters up, Nan Sheng suddenly leapt up into the air, his face filled with anticipation, and his hand reached out towards the eagle, trying to knock it down.
This golden eagle though wasn’t just attractive, its strength was also not low, and it easily avoiding Nan Sheng’s charge and swiftly counterattacked with a golden ray of light.
Nan Sheng expression also became serious, as he hurriedly dodged before immediately calling out excitedly, “A Fifth-Order Monster Beast! Two Elders, help me!”
A Fifth-Order flying Monster Beast, this was a truly rare treasure!
An ordinary Fifth-Order Monster Beast wasn’t particularly valuable, but it was another story altogether if it could fly. Whether it was used to scout an enemy’s camp or track their location, it could give one a decisive advantage, not to mention it could coordinated with it master in combat as well. If he could catch this Monster Beast, his Sect’s strength would increase greatly.
After seeing how great the eagle’s strength was, Xiang Chu couldn’t help having some stray thoughts, secretly regretting being so generous just now. Such an eagle was worth more than many ordinary Precious Treasures, but it was already too late, Xiang Chu knew that even if he regretted it now, he couldn’t rob this prize from Nan Sheng so he had no choice but to sit back and watch.
When the golden eagle’s wings were fully spread, they stretched more than a meter in length. Its claws were like steel, extremely hard and sharp, probably more so than ordinary forged weapons.
On top of this, it seemed to possess some naturally special abilities; the golden light it was able to freely radiate contained extraordinary power.
Although Nan Sheng could be considered as an elite amongst True Element cultivators, he still wasn’t fully capable of capturing this kind of Monster Beast, so after recognizing this, he immediately asked for assistance from the two Nan Family Elders.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators didn’t hesitate and, almost immediately after receiving his their Young Master’s command, sent out two Qi strikes towards the eagle, enough to completely restrict its movements.
“Wait!” Xu Lao, the Immortal Ascension Boundary master from the Xiang Family, suddenly shouted. Finally having remembered the origin of this golden eagle, he quickly did his best to stop the battle.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders who followed Nan Sheng couldn’t help but frown, not knowing what Xu Lao was up to, half suspicious and half puzzled, yet they ultimately didn’t stop their actions.
With two loud bangs, the golden eagle was swept up by two Elder’s moves, and its huge body tumbled several times through the air, nearly falling from the sky.
Although it was a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, equivalent to a human cultivator at the True Element Boundary, how could it withstand the attacks of two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters?
With it being knocked off balance Nan Sheng saw hope of capturing it alive, so letting out a loud laugh as he darted towards the eagle like a bolt of lightning with his hands outstretched as he tried to seize it.
Seeing this, the Xu Lao left his position next to Xiang Chu, dashed in front of Nan Sheng and yelled, “Young Lord Nan, you can’t!”
While shouting, Xu Lao went as far as to shove Nan Sheng, pushing him back quite a distance.
A crisp eagle cry sounded once more, but this time the eagle seemed a little flustered and angry, and it’s golden figure rapidly ascended back up into the sky before hovering nearby as it seemed to be staring down at its attackers.
“What is your meaning?” Nan Sheng, who felt he could have easily grabbed the golden eagle at that moment but was interrupted by Xu Lao at the last moment, was obviously greatly displeased. After regaining his stance, he couldn’t help but angrily stare at Xu Lao and Xiang Chu, before coldly asking, “Little Brother Xiang, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”
Xiang Chu also frowned, unclear as to why his family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary master had suddenly acted so rashly, wrinkling his brow as he said, “Xu Lao, what is this all about?”
Xu Lao, beads of cold sweat dripping down his forehead still, shifted his gaze from the eagle in the sky, cupped his fists said, “Young Lord Nan, I apologize.”
“Hmph!” Nan Sheng coldly snorted, his expression extremely ugly, “Tell me why you stopped me just now!”
Xu Lao wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, “This eagle already has an owner.”
“Already has a master?” Nan Sheng was startled for a moment before grinning maliciously, “So much the better, my Nan Family and my brother’s Xiang Family are first-class families! What trivial beast can’t we acquire? If this eagle truly has a master already, we can just let them gift it to this Young Lord instead!”
Hearing these words, Xu Lao couldn’t help but pale, and a half terrified look spread across his face.
Seemingly noticing the situation deteriorating, Xiang Chu took a deep breath and followed up, “Xu Lao, is there something special about this eagle?”
Xu Lao’s expression quickly became solemn and swept his eyes across the Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall disciples, except this time when he stared at these juniors his expression contained none of its previous contempt and disdain, but instead was extremely serious, even somewhat fearful.
Turning around, Xu Lao looked at the other three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and said with a grave face, “A Fifth-Order Monster Beast. A great golden eagle, does it not remind you of anything?”
When the three other Immortal Ascension masters heard him say this, all of them still had puzzled expressions.
Seeing their confused looks, Xu Lao couldn’t help laughing bitterly, “Should I say you’re all too ignorant? It hasn’t been that long, has it? Nearly two decades ago, throughout the entire Great Han Dynasty, several similar eagles created quite a stir…”
Nearly twenty years ago…
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning had just struck them, the three other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters recalled a certain important piece of information.
One of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Nan Family even involuntarily blurted out, “A Silver Blooded Golden Feathered Eagle?”
Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle!
As soon as this name came out, all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters present felt a cold chill shoot up their backs.
Fang Lao was even more disturbed, muttering under his breath, “The Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle?”
Xu Lao nodded, quickly saying, “Right, it should be one of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagles!”
“But… but how can that be? Isn’t there still a few years left before…?”
“I’m afraid… something extremely important has happened inside the Yang Family, so the Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagles were sent out ahead of time!” Xu Lao boldly speculated.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters didn’t make any efforts to hide what they were discussing, therefore everyone in the audience could hear them clearly.
The juniors from the second-class Sects listened in confusion, but Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, as leading figures in the younger generation of first-class families, understood and couldn’t help but exchange a look and tremble slightly as they did.
“What are they talking about?” Fang Ziji muttered as he frowned.
“Uncle Le, do you know?” Hu Jiao Er turned towards Guan Chi Le and asked curiously.
Guan Chi Le looked thoughtfully at Yang Kai before grinning and nodded slightly as he said, “Anyone from the older generation should be able to understand.”
“Please explain to us then.” Hu Jiao Er couldn’t understand how a trivial Fifth-Order Monster Beast had suddenly made the Xiang Family and Nan Family’s people suddenly become so serious.
[Even if the master of this golden eagle is some famous Immortal Ascension Boundary master, it shouldn’t be worthy of such fuss, right?]
“Good,” Guan Chi Le knew that there was no reason to conceal anything now. Since this golden eagle had appeared, it meant that in the coming period of time, the entire Great Han Dynasty would be swept up into a period of unrest, unhurriedly explaining, “All of you have heard of the Yang Family, right?”
To this, everyone nodded, the cuckoo bird Yang Family, the head of the Eight Great Families, who hadn’t heard of them?
“The Yang Family has a special method of training their direct descendants: they will send all of them outside the family to survive on their own for ten years of life experience! During this period, all of these Yang Family juniors can’t rely on the power of the Yang Family and are forbidden from revealing their identities. The Yang Family does this to encourage them to struggle and temper themselves.”
“After these ten years are up, these descendants will be collectively recalled and then forced to compete for right to be the next Patriarch of the Yang Family. However, after an entire decade, a person will experience great changes, especially those from the younger generation. Since they were forced to conceal themselves during this life experience, it was obviously quite troublesome to find them, so the Yang Family came up with a very special method to find these scattered descendants.”
“What method?”
“They used a special breed of Monster Beast!” Guan Chi Le stretched his finger and pointed towards the sky, “The Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle! At a young age, these flying Monster Beasts had been nurtured with Blood Essence from the Yang Family, so they are particularly sensitive to the Yang Family’s bloodline. As long as a member of the Yang Family’s direct descendants are within a certain range, they can accurately be found.”
After listening to this explanation, everyone present suddenly understood.
Since a Yang Family Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle appeared here, didn’t that mean that one of these scattered direct descendants of the Yang Family was here? But, who exactly was it?
Guan Chi Le glanced back at Yang Kai quickly before continuing, “There are only a dozen or so Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles in this world, all of which belong to the Yang Family. The Yang Family treats each of these beasts as a rare treasure. Besides when they need to seek out their direct descendants, they will essentially never be released, but once the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles appear, it means that the Yang Family is recalling these scattered disciples, which also means that… the Yang Family’s Inheritance War is about to begin!”
“The Yang Family’s Inheritance War?” Fang Ziji wrinkled his brow, apparently his curiosity had been piqued.
“En, the Yang Family’s Young Lords, after their decade of life experience, gather helpers and allies and hold a competition to decide who the next Patriarch of the Yang Family will be! The last time the Yang Family’s Inheritance War happened was eighteen years ago, and many people died. The Yang Family’s Inheritance War not only causes a big shuffle inside the Yang Family but also amongst all of the world’s great forces as many people from these forces participate in it. If you are also interested and have confidence in your strength, you can also participate.”
While Guan Chi Le was speaking, those from the Xiang Family and Nan Family didn’t interrupt, allowing the disciples from all of the second-class forces present to listen carefully.
After all, information like this was of great importance to these juniors and couldn’t be heard casually.
When Guan Chi Le finished his explanation, silence fell upon the crowd, and no one made a sound.
Off to the side, Nan Sheng gripped his fists tightly in silence as cold sweat dripped down his back. Just now he had been wantonly arrogant about wanting the master of this Golden Feather Eagle to offer it up to him, but after learning that this was an important Monster Beast raised by the Yang Family, how could he dare have such thoughts?
No wonder Xu Lao was so anxious to stop him, it turns out he had recalled this information earlier.
Nan Sheng secretly thanked the Heavens he hadn’t injured this Golden Feather Eagle with his family Elders just now, otherwise if the person from the Yang Family witnessed such a scene, he couldn’t imagine the consequences.
With how rare and precious these Golden Eagles were, coupled with the overbearing and domineering attitude of the Yang Family, if he had really wounded it, it would definitely not be as simple as offering money as compensation.
After a moment, Xu Lao rushed over to Guan Chi Le and said, “This friend seems to have very detailed information that even this old master doesn’t quite understand, many thanks for explaining.”
Guan Chi Le couldn’t help sneering when he saw this, “Anyone who was around eighteen years ago should know this, how is it possible that you don’t?”
With such a massive mutation in the situation, Xu Lao had intended to take this opportunity to ease the tension between the two sides on scene, so he had offered such an obvious flattery. But how could Guan Chi not understand Xu Lao’s intentions? So, Guan Chi Le directly threw out such mockery, cutting off Xu Lao’s naive thoughts right from the start.
After a brief silence, Xiang Chu couldn’t help asking, “But… I remember that the Yang Family only sent out this generation’s direct descendants five or six years ago, there’s still quite some time till the ten year deadline isn’t there?”
It was also because the Yang Family’s ten-year-life-experience period wasn’t even close to be being over that all of them hadn’t remembered from the start that this eagle was the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
If it was a few years later, when the whole world would concern themselves about the Yang Family’s movements, everyone would immediately recognize such a distinctive Golden Feather Eagle.
Nan Sheng also nodded slightly, “I’ve also heard about this. Is it possible that this Monster Beast is just similar to the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle?”
Xu Lao sighed and shook his head, “That is why I said that something significant must have occurred inside the Yang Family so they were forced to recall their descendants early. I have no doubt that this is one of the Yang Family’s Golden Feathered Eagle.”
“But if that’s true, then…” Xiang Chu’s face twitched as he swept his gaze across the crowd. When his eyes landed on Yang Kai, he couldn’t help trembling slightly and quickly turned away as he gripped his fists, “In other words, amongst the juniors gathered here, there is a Young Master Yang?”
Everyone was suddenly put on edge, and all of them glanced around at each other nervously.
Until just a moment ago, these two groups of people were engaged in serious conflict. Each of them ready to kill if need be, but in such a tense and explosive situation, they had suddenly learned that among these friends and foes, there was someone who absolutely could not be offended.
If this Young Master Yang was one of their allies, then everything was alright, but if he was one of their enemies…
In these circumstances, no one was able to remain calm.
Although a Young Lord of the Yang Family was present, how were they supposed to distinguish who it was?
Even those from the so-called first-class families weren’t qualified to associate with the Eight Great Families; what’s more, the Yang Family was the head of the Eight Great Families so its status was even more aloof.
The Young Lord from the Yang Family here had a chance to become the future Patriarch of the Yang Family, so now, while his strength was still low, was an excellent chance to befriend him, and doing so would naturally lead to many future benefits, so who would want to offend such a character at this time?
Unconsciously, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng both converged their imposing air as they gazed around the crowd. It was like they had suddenly become shorter.
On the other side, everyone from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall couldn’t help glancing over at Yang Kai with gazes filled with a mix of surprise and anticipation. They were all familiar with Yang Kai’s name and abilities and easily linked him with the identity of a Young Lord from the Yang Family, but it was still not convenient to directly inquire about it, so all of them were subtly trying to gleam some clues from his expression.
Yang Kai’s face, though, remained relaxed, as if everything happening had nothing to do with him, which conversely made him more suspicious.
Xiang Chu wore a forced grin as he cupped his fist and asked towards the crowd, “Who here is Young Master Yang?”
Not that he didn’t know Yang Kai’s name, but he did not dare to assume that he was the Yang Family’s Young Lord. Xiang Chu only prayed that the hidden Yang Family Young Lord was amongst his own camp now.
A simple query, yet no one answered.
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before laughing dryly.
*Ha Ha Ha Ha…*
Immediately, everyone’s eyes fell upon him, and under these watchful gazes, the black dragon that had been hovering above his head suddenly withdrew.
In the blink of an eye, a one hundred meter long dragon disappeared into Yang Kai’s body.
At the same time, the Heaven shaking Evil Qi also dissipated, and the youth pictured in everyone’s eyes once more took on the appearance of an ordinary True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator.
The people from the Xiang and Nan Family both looked unnerved.
Yang Kai voluntarily relaxing his combat stance only served to increase their worries, rather than diminish them.
Looking up into the sky at the still hovering Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, a grin slowly appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
Lifting his fingers to his mouth, Yang Kai let out a loud whistle.
As if it had received an order, the circling Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle swiftly responded, folded its wings and dove down towards the ground.
In an instant, it arrived atop the heads of the crowd. Its pair of bright eagle eyes stared with vigilance and hatred at the Nan Family trio as it slowly perched atop Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Spreading its wings wide, the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle cried out angrily at the Nan Family members.
Everyone from the Nan and Xiang Family immediately paled. Xiang Chu also stared at Yang Kai, dumbstruck and not able to believe what his eyes were seeing.
The moment the Yang Family’s unique Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle landed on Yang Kai’s shoulder, his true identity no longer required any speculation.
The Hu Sisters stared at Yang Kai blankly too, as if he had suddenly become a stranger.
Xie Rong of Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court went limp and collapsed to the ground. Both of them had willingly become Xiang Chu’s lackeys, helping him to abuse and shame, even attempt to murder Yang Kai, yet now, it seems they had only been scrambling for seeds while missing the melon in front of them. The one they had offended actually turned out to be a man who even Xiang Chu wouldn’t dare to offend.
This is a severe case of having eyes but failing to see!
Both of them had received extremely serious injuries, and one Immortal Ascension Boundary Elder from each of their Sect’s had died at Yang Kai’s hands. They had placed all their hopes on Xiang Chu to take revenge for them, and then in exchange for their loyalty, gain the support of the big tree that was the Xiang Family, but now…
Everything was in vain. Forget revenge, now that they had thoroughly offended a Young Lord from the Yang Family, they’d be lucky if they managed to keep their lives.
It was no wonder he had said that their Sects couldn’t afford the price of offending him.
They really couldn’t afford this!
“Young Master Yang?” Xiang Chu looked at Yang Kai hesitantly, his back covered in cold sweat. He was extremely unwilling, but unable to avoid asking.
Nan Sheng also opened his mouth, but no words came out, and his head was filled with feelings of regret.
He was supposed to have been an innocent bystander in all of this. He had only stopped here on his way back to the Nan Family, and had inadvertently been drawn into this situation, but now, unexpectedly, he had brought such massive trouble to himself. Had he only known, he would have rode his Cloud Treading Colt back to Nan Family as quickly as possible, not involving himself with any of this.
In response to Xiang Chu’s stuttered inquiry, Yang Kai only gave him a faint glance and then focused his attention on the feathers of the Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle on his shoulders.
This Fifth-Order flying Monster Beast was quite special. Its golden feathers seemed to radiate a golden sheen giving it a majestic appearance, and it had obviously been in the Yang Family for many years. It had also been raised with great care, as each of its feathers was sharp like a blade, and their hardness and sharpness was no less than an average Earth Grade Mid-Rank artifact. Along with its hook-like beak and razor sharp double claws, an ordinary True Element cultivator wouldn’t be its match. At the very least, one would need a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation to win against it.
Although Yang Kai didn’t speak, Xiang Chu didn’t dare reveal any displeasure even if he felt wronged and resentful, and instead he just stood there with his fists cupped and his head slightly lowered.
Nan Sheng’s face switched between white and red as he muttered unsteadily, “Young Master Yang, this Nan had eyes but failed to see. The matters just now were all this one’s misunderstanding. This humble one asks Young Master Yang not to take it to heart.”
Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help letting out a laugh seeing how Nan Sheng, who was extremely arrogant and overbearing when facing the dozen or so disciples from their second-class Sects just now, but currently had to humble himself in the face of a super-force like the Yang Family and all but bow down and beg Yang Kai for forgiveness.
Nan Sheng’s change in attitude was so great that it made people wonder if he hadn’t somehow been replaced by another person in that instant.
When Jiao Er’s laughter reached Nan Sheng’s ears, he felt even more unpleasant in his heart, and his face twisted into an ugly forced grin as he hastily said, “Young miss, this Nan had previous offended you and apologizes for it.”
“Hmph!” Hu Jiao Er sneered, not giving him the slightest face since she knew he wasn’t really apologizing to her.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Nan and Xiang Family also wore forced smiles and cupped their fists respectfully, “Young Master Yang, please forgive our prior rudeness!”
Yang Kai breathed out a tired sigh and stared at them indifferently before grinning lightly, “I do not blame the ignorant.”
Hearing him speak such words, everyone from the Xiang Family and Nan Family smiled in relief.
Right now, as long as Yang Kai didn’t intend to pursue it, everything would be fine, and with the Yang Family Inheritance War about to begin, Yang Kai, a Young Master of the Yang Family, would naturally need to gather various powers to help him in his bid to become the next Patriarch, so this was a good opportunity for both sides.
After all, the Xiang Family and Nan Family were both first-class families! With such a powerful boost to his strength, as long as Yang Kai wanted to, he could certainly win the Inheritance War. As the saying goes, there were no permanent enemies, only permanent benefits. Yang Kai hadn’t suffered any real losses today, so in the face of such enticements he would naturally be willing to let some things slide.
If they played their hand right, they might even have a chance to forge a friendship with the Yang Family’s Young Lord today.
With such thoughts swirling about their heads, their moods took a rapid turn for the better; both Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng wore expression filled with happiness and expectation.
But just as they were silently celebrating, the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle on Yang Kai’s shoulder suddenly let out a mournful screech, like it had just been injured, before throwing open its wings and soaring back up into the sky
“What just happened?” Xiang Chu asked unconsciously as he turned a blank stare towards Yang Kai, his expression filled with confusion.
The same was true of everyone else too.
What they saw there though was Yang Kai holding two golden feathers in his fingers. The two feathers flashed a golden light like finely-polished blades. They were long, thin, and smooth in shape. Clearly they had been freshly plucked from the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
No wonder the eagle suddenly flew up in fright.
After plucking these two feathers, Yang Kai didn’t even look at them before casually dropping them on the ground.
“Young Master Yang, what are your intentions?” Nan Sheng’s head was filled with fog as he cautiously inquired to Yang Kai.
This Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle was born noble and possessed fierce combat ability. It was an extremely valuable beast. On top of that, it could even be considered the auspicious messenger that sought out and saved Yang Kai’s life. Even if he wasn’t fond of it for some reason, Yang Kai shouldn’t have had a reason to harm it so.
[What does he want to do?] Nan Sheng couldn’t understand.
Xiang Chu, whose thoughts were far more devious than Nan Sheng’s, couldn’t help wrinkling his brow. He looked at the two gold feathers that had been dropped by Yang Kai and began to feel nervous; however, before he had enough time to figure out exactly what was happening, two figures suddenly appeared on the horizon and rapidly approached.
The speed of these two was extremely fast, and the auras permeating from them were formidable. At a glance, it was obvious that they possessed great strength.
The few thousand meters that separated the two groups closed in a flash.
The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man had an imposing figure and cold eyes. A long scar across his face coupled with his imposing impression to give him a sturdy and aggressive look, like a veteran warrior of countless battles.
The woman had a majestic appearance and graceful stature that made it impossible to tell her how old she was. She was a dignified and beautiful woman, with a pair of sharp eyes that seemed to flash with piercing light. There was no melancholy or joy apparent on her perfectly shaped face, only a look of cold indifference.
Both of these two were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but the imposing manner they radiated as far stronger than those of the Xiang Family and Nan Family.
The instant they saw them, everyone instinctively compared them with the four Immortal Ascension Elders from the Nan and Xiang Family, but all of them soon came to the same conclusion. Among the four old men, not a single one was a rival of either of these two.
Every one of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles would be followed by masters from the Yang Family so that, once the Yang Family’s Young Lord was found, he could be escorted home safely.
These two newcomers were obviously the ones accompanying this Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
Both of them had a jade talisman on their waists with a blood red “Yang” character inscribed on it.
“Yang Family Blood Warriors!” Fang Lao could not help shouting.
The Yang Family’s Blood Warriors had served the Yang Family for many generations and were their most trusted servants. Every one of them was exceptionally talented and had innumerable resources used to train them since birth.
Although their bloodlines weren’t as noble as the Young Lords and Young Ladies of the Yang Family, their position and importance was definitely not lower than any of these direct descendants.
The Yang Family had a Grand Elder who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary who was once one of these Blood Warriors. But now, the Yang Family treated him more as a respected protector. Even if a direct family descendant was to meet him, he would have to greet him respectfully.
Each Yang Family Blood Warrior represented a powerful fighting force, and all of them had the ability to fight ordinary cultivators at least one stage above their own cultivation. Within the same realm, they were basically invincible.
Their most important trait, however, was their undying loyalty; for the Yang Family, none of them would hesitate to give their life.
After all, since childhood, the Yang Family had given them ideological indoctrination to ensure they held the family’s benefit above all else. In order to cultivate these warriors, the Yang Family had truly paid an immense price.
If there was any suspicion left about the authenticity of the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, now that two Yang Family Blood Warriors had appeared, there was no longer any room for doubt
This Monster Beast was indeed the Yang Family’s unique Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and Yang Kai was really a Young Lord from the Yang Family.
“Where is the Young Lord?” The middle-aged man’s eagle like eyes swept over the crowd, his expression not changing in the slightest when it examined those from the Nan and Xiang family, as if they were no more consequence than anyone else here.
When he asked this question, the beautiful woman also scanned the crowd, trying to identify the Young Lord they had been sent to retrieve.
Almost everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on Yang Kai.
The next moment, the two Blood Warriors also cast their eyes towards him, but after seeing Yang Kai’s face and judging his age and cultivation, a tinge of suspicion crept into the expressions.
As Blood Warriors, they had naturally met with all of the Yang Family’s Young Lords, so even if they didn’t interact with them much, they would still be able to vaguely recognize them.
Both had assumed that with the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, as soon as they found the place where their Young Lord currently resided, as soon as they found a familiar face, they would be able to determine his identity.
But when they saw Yang Kai, they couldn’t help feeling a sense of incongruity!
Among the Young Lords whom the Yang Family had sent out for life experience this time, was there one at such a young age? And this appearance, he didn’t seem familiar to them.
It was no wonder they would suspect Yang Kai’s identity, after all, he was only around twelve years old when he left home and at the time was still no different from an ordinary mortal with no cultivation, but after five years in the outside world Yang Kai had undergone massive changes.
It was only after a long time that the exquisite looking woman suddenly exclaimed, “Little Lord?”
The middle-aged man’s vision also contracted tightly, and a wave of shock swept across his heart.
The Little Lord! For this time’s life experience, he was the youngest direct descendant sent out, the son of the Yang Family’s Fourth Master. But… wasn’t it said that the Little Lord was born with a congenital defect and was incapable of cultivating?
When they had left the Yang Family this time, the Blood Warriors had all been informed that if they were to meet the Little Lord, they had to be especially careful when escorting him back because it was highly likely that he would still be no stronger than an ordinary mortal.
The Yang Family had enemies everywhere, so it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to take this opportunity to assassinate these scattered Young Lords.
But now that they had found him, how could he be considered an ordinary person? Clearly, this youth was a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator! Such a realm, although not top tiered amongst his generation, couldn’t be considered weak either.
The middle-aged man and the beautiful woman both glanced at each other before their images flashed and they suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai, immediately sending out an invisible pressure that forced everyone around Yang Kai back several dozen meters.
The Yang Family’s overbearing attitude could be seen clearly!
The Hu Sisters who had been forced to retreat couldn’t help twitching their lips in annoyance.
“The ones beside me are all my friends.” Yang Kai lightly said to the two people before him.
The middle-aged man and the woman both maintained dull expressions, seemingly not taking Yang Kai’s words to heart.
Before Yang Kai’s true identity was confirmed, the two Blood Warriors wouldn’t display any unnecessary courtesy.
“Are you really the Little Lord?” The middle-aged man frowned at Yang Kai and asked firmly.
Yang Kai simply nodded slightly, lifted his hand, and pricked his finger tip with his True Qi, allowing a few drops of blood to immediately leak out.
The woman’s eyes flashed before she quickly took out a piece of jade and respectfully held it out with both her hands, accepting a drop of blood with it.
When the drop fell onto the jade, it disappeared instantly, like it had been inhaled. The originally unremarkable jade talisman began emitting a gorgeous glow immediately after.
Only when the blood of a direct descendant of the Yang Family was absorbed by this piece of jade would it radiate such a light.
It has been confirmed!
The middle-aged man and the beautiful women glanced at each other for a moment before kneeling respectfully, “Blood Warrior Tu Feng…”
“Blood Warrior Tang Yu Xian …”
““Have come to receive the Young Lord!”
“Rise!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian quickly stood up, and when they looked at Yang Kai again, clear signs of appreciation and respect could be seen on their faces.
If it were any of the other Young Lords from the Yang Family before them with a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation, they wouldn’t display any great change in expression.
But the Little Lord was different.
Because the Yang Family’s Fourth Master had been severely wounded that year, the Little Lord had been born with a congenital defect, and the first ten years of his life in the Yang Family had been passed as an ordinary person with no cultivation to speak of, but now he had actually grown to this point.
This meant that in only five years, without any assistance from the Yang Family’s resources, he had managed to cultivate to the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage!
Such cultivation speed made even Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian sigh in admiration. Who would look down upon this Little Lord again?
What’s more, this Little Lord was in a very dangerous place right now. This was the front lines of the war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. He, as a Young Lord of the Yang Family, dared to come here. His fortitude and courage were obviously not ordinary.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had secretly thought to themselves that this assignment would be boring and uneventful, but instead, the Little Lord had given them a pleasant surprise the moment they had met him.
Sure enough, the Young Lords of the Yang Family were all incredible talents, not a single one of them could be judged by common sense.
For a moment, both of them stared in admiration.
After observing Yang Kai for a while, Tu Feng took his vision back and lifted his eyes, asking in a deep voice, “Who is in charge here?”
A shiver running up his spine, Xiang Chu hastily stepped forward, smiling as hard as he could while cupping his fists, “Replying to Senior, this place is under the management of my Xiang Family!”
“The Xiang Family…” Tu Feng raised his brow before nodding slightly, “The decisive battle concluded two days ago, so if there are no further problems here we will be leaving together with the Young Lord, if there are still some issues left to be resolved, you may request the Little Lord to have us offer our assistance.”
“Junior wouldn’t dare!” Xiang Chu was now incredibly anxious to send these Yang Family members far away as quickly as possible, how could he dream of asking them to stay? “There are no remaining issues here and we were also just about to withdraw, Senior does not need to bother with us!”
“En.” Tu Feng nodded at Xiang Chu, quite satisfied with the youth’s respectful manner, but just as he wanted to take Yang Kai and leave, his eyes suddenly contracted, an explosion of murderous intent suddenly erupting from him.
Tang Yu Xian’s pretty face also became ice cold as her eyes fell towards a certain pair of objects on the ground.
The Xiang and Nan Family members who didn’t know what had suddenly gone wrong all trembled in fear when this aura enveloped them.
“Heh heh…” Tu Feng snickered twice, the scar on his face warping to become even more terrifying as he spoke in an icy voice, “I wondered why the eagle was frightened and kept hovering in the sky instead of landing. I understand now!”
Hearing these words, the Xiang and Nan Family members all jumped in fright.
Xiang Chu eyes also shot up, suddenly looking towards Yang Kai, finally understanding why Yang Kai had plucked two feathers from the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle seemingly for no reason, only to drop them on the ground.
He clearly wanted to frame them!
“Who attacked my Yang Family’s eagle?” Tang Yu Xian’s expression became even colder as her piercing gaze swept over the Nan and Xiang Family members loudly ordering, “Step forward!”
Tu Feng also showed a fierce grin as he added, “Each of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle is extremely precious and have not come out for quite a long time, now it seems some fools dare harm one of them. Interesting… truly interesting!”
“Respected Senior!” Xiang Chu stepped forward unsteadily, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, only now realizing the depths of Yang Kai’s scheme but helpless to avoid it, stuttering as he tried to explain, “It… it was we who had eyes but failed to immediately recognize this Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, but I swear to Senior we did not hurt it.”
“Didn’t recognize it?” Tu Feng coldly snorted, “What use are you eyes even if you have them!?”
Tang Yu Xian followed up, equally aggressively, “Didn’t hurt it? Then why are two of its feathers lying here?”
“Uh… that is…” Xiang Chu was speechless.
He knew he couldn’t say that it was their Yang Family’s Young Lord who pulled them out himself and dropped them there. Never mind if they would even believe such an explanation, it was already an established fact that they had attacked the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle. With so many witnesses here, they couldn’t deny it even if they wanted to.
The Yang Family’s domineering arrogance was well known, and now that they had ‘injured’ one of their precious eagles, how could they possibly escape here unharmed?
Seeing the Xiang and Nan Family members faces filled with indignation, unwillingness and regret, the formerly oppressed Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall juniors couldn’t have been happier.
Sure enough, they were suffering the karma of their actions, the Heavens were just!
Just as they had used the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to frame Yang Kai, now the tables had been turned on them.
It was like all the injustices and smears they had pushed onto Yang Kai now had to be choked down by them.
Xiang Chu wasn’t resigned to such a fate and wanted to speak a few excuses, but Xu Lao beside him simply shook his head slowly.
Trying to defend themselves to the Yang Family was tantamount to trying to reason with a beast, utterly pointless.
Wearing a dispirited expression, Xu Lao said, “This was all a misunderstanding; can we not try to resolve this civilly?”
“Hmph, you know what we expect!” Tu Feng sneered dismissively.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all went white.
After a few moments of hesitation, all of them sighed deeply, knowing that today they had kicked an iron plate.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders behind Nan Sheng walked out and glanced at each other, their expression incredibly gloomy. Immediately afterward, they each extended two fingers and shaped their True Qi into a blade.
The two masters from the Nan Family’s eyes were full of sadness, and they couldn’t help but slight quiver, hesitating as they stood there unsteadily…
Tu Feng coldly snorted as he stared at them, his own True Qi surging forth wildly. Tang Yu Xian ’s pretty face also wore a ruthless expression, as if to say that if they hesitated any further they would immediately kill them.
“Haa…” A faint sigh came from the two old men as they both closed their eyes with helplessness painted all over their faces.
Slashing their True Qi blades, with a flash of light, two arms from the elbow down were severed as blood splashed out onto the ground.
As soon as the deed was done, the two old men’s faces became pale as they quickly used their True Qi to seal their wounds, one of them trembling as he looked towards Tu Feng, “Sir, is this to your satisfaction?”
All the disciples from the various second-class Sects were astonished.
Although they had all long heard of the Yang Family’s overbearing nature, but they had never thought that they were aggressive to such a degree. A single question from one of their Blood Warriors had forced two masters to sacrifice an arm!
Those were two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters! Had they come from their Sects, they would have been honoured Elders who could stand shoulder to shoulder with their Sect Masters.
But now, they had actually been bullied to such an extent, yet didn’t dare to resist in the slightest.
It wasn’t until this moment that these second-class Sect talents truly understood. What was the Yang Family? What did the title of leader of the Eight Great Families mean? With such deep heritage and strength, even first-class Sects were simply trash before them.
However, Tu Feng only coldly replied, “I only see two arms, aren’t there four masters here?”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang Family suddenly became despondent.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao in fact hadn’t attacked the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and Xu Lao had also taken the risk of offending the Nan Family trio by forcefully preventing their actions; however, the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior apparently didn’t intend to spare them.
“Respected Warriors, we two did not attack the eagle!” Xu Lao leaked cold sweat from his forehead as he quickly tried to explain.
The loss of an arm wasn’t a minor injury. If one were to suffer such a loss, their maximum combat efficiency would drop twenty percent or perhaps even more. In the future, it would be equivalent to them becoming half-wastes.
But to these overtures, Tu Feng seemed completely indifferent, glaring back at them coldly and firmly declaring, “An arm or your life, decide quickly!”
Fang Lao and Xu Lao both paled, not having expected Tu Feng to be so unreasonable.
“After three breaths you won’t have a choice anymore!” Tu Feng threatened, continuing to press the issue.
The eyes of Xu Lao and Fang Lao suddenly dimmed as they glanced at one another, both shook their heads as they grinned bitterly.
“Two Elders, take this as I, Xiang Chu, owing you a debt!” Xiang Chu let out a grief-stricken sigh as he promised.
What could these two masters do but agree? Although their Young Lord was nearby, and they knew that these Blood Warriors wouldn’t kill a potential heir of a first-class family for no reason, killing them was not a big problem.
“Understood, Young Master!” Xu Lao and Fang Lao both wore resigned expression and no longer hesitated as they gathered their True Qi, condensed it into a blade, and each sliced off an arm!
“Sir, is this enough?” Xu Lao asked palely.
“Was there no one else?” Tu Feng asked incessantly, his eagle-like eyes sweeping across the crowd.
When his glance landed on Nan Sheng, the latter involuntarily shrank his neck.
Seeing this, Yang Kai grinned happily at him.
Nan Sheng’s face immediately went ashen.
After all, Nan Sheng was the first person to engage the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle! The Xu Lao and Fang Lao of the Xiang Family hadn’t even attacked it yet ended up in such a state.
“Looks like there’s one more.” Tu Feng obviously saw through Nan Sheng’s guilty conscience and the panic in his eyes, knowing that this matter must be related to him and swiftly asked, “Will you do it yourself or do you want me to?”
The faces of the four masters from the Nan and Xiang Family all cramped up again.
The Blood Warriors had forcing them to sacrifice an arm was something they knew they couldn’t avoid, but now Tu Feng actually wanted to demand the same from Nan Sheng it was a completely different issue.
Nan Sheng wasn’t some ordinary youth, he was the Young Lord of a first-class family, he was also the successor to the Nan Family, and it would be a major problem if he were to lose an arm here.
Knowing this, even though the four Immortal Ascension masters knew that the Blood Warriors were more powerful than them, they still glared towards Tu Feng with resentment and vigilance, secretly circulating their True Qi in preparation.
If this man wanted to persecute them further, they could only fight back desperately!
Yang Kai, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled and said, “Young Master Nan’s identity is noble, there’s no need for him to lose an arm.”
Tu Feng’s eyes flickered slightly but didn’t say anything whereas Nan Sheng who glanced over at Yang Kai showed a surprised yet grateful expression. Obviously he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would let him off so easily.
“He only needs to offer two fingers instead!” Yang Kai smiled calmly as he casually continued.
The gratitude in Nan Sheng’s eyes quickly receded and was instead replaced with extreme anger and hatred.
“En, since the Little Lord has decided so, you only need to pay two fingers.” Tu Feng nodded deeply, as if he had just given Nan Sheng a precious gift.
“Good!” Nan Sheng was also a decisive person. Not bothering to speak any more nonsense, he quickly drew a dagger from his waist and with a flash of light two fingers fell to the ground. Throughout the whole process he didn’t even bat an eye.
“I, Nan Sheng, will remember you!” Nan Sheng gritted his teeth and looked coldly at Yang Kai, muttering under his breath.
However, Yang Kai simply chuckled and replied, “Young Lord Nan, I think you are mistaken, the two fingers were just the punishment for harming the young eagle, did you forget that the grudges between us still need to be settled?”
As if he had just heard a demon’s whisper, Nan Sheng’s face suddenly went white.
There was indeed a big grudge between Yang Kai and them. Just now, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had wanted to send Yang Kai to his death, and if it weren’t for the appearance of the Golden Feather Eagle, they might very well have been involved in a life or death struggle right now.
Yang Kai clearly didn’t want to resolve their grievances peacefully, so he had taken the initiative to pull out those two eagle feathers, which allowed him to exact his revenge immediately!
Listening to him, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both looked indifferent, not showing the slightest surprise. It seemed as though they had long ago noticed the subtle tension here.
The two Blood Warriors simply remained silent and stared towards Yang Kai, curious to know how he would resolve things.
The task the Blood Warriors had received this time was only to safely pick up the Yang Family’s descendants and escort them back. There had received no other instructions. They had only forced the Nan and Xiang Family masters into such a pitiful state because of the Golden Feather Eagle’s injuries.
Now though, if Yang Kai were to look for trouble with these people, that would be his personal matter and the two Blood Warriors would absolutely not intervene!
They had sworn loyalty to the Yang Family, not Yang Kai. In other words, Yang Kai was not qualified to order them to do anything. Only if his life was in immediate danger would the two Blood Warriors act.
As they glanced around, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian suddenly felt that this time’s mission to pick up their Little Lord would be very interesting.
All of them were members of the Yang Family. Each of them had eyes higher than the top of their heads, so Yang Kai’s aggressive and unrestrained behaviour actually quite suited their appetites.
At that moment, both of them were actually looking forward to his performance.
Xiang Chu let out a bitter laugh before asking, “How does Young Master Yang intend to settle things?”
Since the other’s fists were bigger, Xiang Chu had no choice but to humble himself.
Xu Lao also endured the pain from his severed limb and frowned, “Though it may be too late for me to speak so, but as the saying goes, one shouldn’t be too rigid with their grudges. Having one more friend is always better than one more enemy. Young Master Yang, you will soon be participating in the Yang Family’s Inheritance War, yes? Please think twice before acting rashly.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold, snorting disdainfully, “Think twice you say? Bullshit!”
As soon as his voice fell, two blood-red petals suddenly flew out from his body.
These two petals gave off an odd floral fragrance that seemed to linger about everyone’s nose.
Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia!
The petals swayed and floated mid-air before suddenly turning into two red streaks that flashed across the battlefield.
Two ripping sounds immediately rang out, and soon after, Xie Rong of the Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court fell motionless to the ground.
Everyone in the audience was shocked!
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also couldn’t help looking towards Yang Kai in surprise. The Nan Family and Xiang Family members also nervously glanced around at one another.
It seems that no one had expected that under the watchful eyes of all these people Yang Kai still dared to kill.
Once Xie Rong and Li Fu died, the remaining disciples from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court could only stand there dumbfounded, staring towards Yang Kai in horror with an icy chill encompassing their entire being.
The two petals flickered again, and with a faint buzzing noise, all the juniors from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court, no matter where they stood or how they tried to evade, all lay dead after merely ten breaths of time!
As they swept their eyes over the field of dead bodies before them, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng suddenly stopped breathing and swallowed nervously.
“Within three months, I expect to see your sincerity for this offence, otherwise… I don’t mind tearing face with a pair of first-class families!” Yang Kai looked coldly at them as he laughed sinisterly, “As for your lives, I’ll let you keep them for a while longer.”
Xiang Chu’s expression was incomparably ugly as he felt a bitter taste spread throughout his mouth.
Nan Sheng was even worse off as he still held his wounded hand and glared back at Yang Kai hatefully.
After a long strained silence , Xiang Chu finally managed to pull a faint smile as he bowed deeply, “Many thanks for showing mercy, Young Master Yang! Let’s go!”
As soon as he finished this unpleasant farewell, Xiang Chu quickly led his forces away.
“Those three Cloud Treading Colts seem useful, leave them behind!” Yang Kai looked at the three Monster Beasts that the Nan Family rode over and shouted.
Nan Sheng, who had already mounted his steed, couldn’t help gritting his teeth in anger before quickly jumping off. He was then immediately held by the two Immortal Ascension Elders besides him as they swiftly departed.
Tang Yu Xian grinned as she looked towards Yang Kai approvingly. She felt deeply that this Little Lord seemed to have grown up a lot over the past five years, and he had learned to maximize his advantages.
As she was about to open her mouth and speak through, Tu Feng simply shook his head slowly.
“Little Lord, we will be waiting for you over there,” Tu Feng said casually. Even though he had the appearance of a muscle brain, his wits were actually quite sharp, understanding that Yang Kai and his friends still had things left to say, so he voluntarily withdrew along with Tang Yu Xian first.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded in appreciation.
When the only ones left were the members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, Yang Kai discovered that these people were all giving him a weird look.
Many of them had a look of reverence and awe in their eyes; however, Yang Kai was pleased to see that the Hu Sisters and Fang Ziji didn’t look at him much differently if anything, Hu Jiao Er’s beautiful face actually had a bit of anger about it.
“Is there anything you’d like to ask?” Yang Kai rubbed his nose as he looked at the Hu Sisters.
Hu Mei Er licked her parched lips, obviously wanting to ask many things but unsure of where to start.
However, before her little sister could compose herself, Hu Jiao Er firmly declared, “No!”
“Ah…” Yang Kai couldn’t help showing a stunned expression before confirming “Are you sure?”
“I said no, so I mean no! We already know everything we need to know, what else do we need to ask?” Hu Jiao Er mercilessly shot him down before signalling to her sister with her eyes, “Go on then, go back to your home!”
“Mmm…” Hu Mei Er glanced towards Yang Kai apologetically and smiled before quickly catching up with her elder sister.
Guan Chi Le also rushed over to Yang Kai, cupped his fists respectfully before letting out a carefree laugh and leading the others away.
Fang Ziji stayed a moment and quietly ask, “Brother Yang, is the Inheritance War exciting?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never participated before.” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Are there any requirements to participate?” Fang Ziji asked as his brow wrinkled.
“As long as we have a certain amount of strength, you can join, but you must first get my approval!” Yang Kai declared.
“Interesting, then I’ll have to pay you a visit later!” Fang Ziji laughed happily.
“I’ll be waiting for you!” Yang Kai smiled.
The wind swept through Yang Kai’s black hair as he stood there watching the dozen or so members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall set out. There were two young women amongst them who looked back from time to time until they had disappeared into the distance.
A moment later, like a pair of ghosts, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian appeared beside Yang Kai and waited quietly.
“I want to enter closed cultivation for a while, stand guard for me here!” Yang Kai calmly said before heading back into the camp to find a fairly spacious dwelling.
“Ah…” Tang Yu Xian muttered in a surprised tone.
After standing there for some time, Tang Yu Xian’s brow furrowed as she thought out loud, “Closed cultivation? Does the Little Lord want to break through?”
“En, probably.” Tu Feng nodded slightly, acknowledging Tang Yu Xian’s speculation, “His True Qi is pulsating slightly and indeed shows some signs of breaking through.”
“It seems like before we arrived, he experienced a great battle.”
If it weren’t for such a reason, he wouldn’t suddenly feel the impulse to break through without any prior warning.
Tu Feng smiled faintly as he looked up at the Golden Feather Eagle in the sky, quietly asking “Yuxian, are you thinking that the Little Lord is too lenient?”
Tang Yu Xian shifted her gaze towards Tu Feng and replied, “I think he is still young, so it’s inevitable that he wouldn’t be ruthless enough.”
However, Tu Feng slowly shook his and countered, “No, he’s definitely a member of the Yang Family. Even if he is still a child you shouldn’t underestimate him. You have been in the Yang Family for many years, how could you still be so naive? The Little Lord is definitely not as simple as he seems.”
“Why do you say so?” Tang Yu Xian’s curiosity was suddenly piqued.
“You saw that he and the Xiang and Nan Family kids have some kind of grudge, right?”
Tang Yu Xian laughed loudly, “I’m not blind, of course, I could see that. Also, it seems their grudge isn’t shallow.”
“Knowing that, what do you think the Little Lord should do?”
“Kill!” Tang Yu Xian said calmly and relaxedly, “There was no reason to hold back! During the Inheritance War, there is no need for such an ally! He has thoroughly offended these people, yet he went and released the tiger back into the mountains. I’m afraid that the Xiang and Nan Families will now become his enemies.”
“And that’s why I say you’re still too naive.” Tu Feng grinned, “The Little Lord couldn’t easily kill those two kids. They are both candidates for the next Patriarch of the Xiang and Nan Families. If he were to kill them, the Little Lord would only bring trouble to himself. Right now, he isn’t powerful enough to handle such troubles. What’s more, it would be impossible for him alone to kill those two with those four Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders watching.”
“Does he plan to win them over then?” Tang Yu Xian muttered unconvinced.
“No, after all they have a deep grudge between them, what use is there trying to win them over? Even if he could draw them in, it’s likely those two would only superficially support him. Instead of fighting outright which will gain him nothing, or trying to win them over which isn’t likely to provide him much benefit, it’s best if he intimidates them and shaves off as much of their strength as possible.” Tu Feng’s eyes flashed, “If he can deal them a blow so severe that it will cause them to tremble in fear at the mere sight of him, it would be best.”
“But the Little Lord obviously doesn’t have such methods or strength to accomplish that.”
“True, the Little Lord really can’t do that, after all, he’s still young. But to those two Xiang and Nan Family kids, he should have given a deep enough impression, otherwise he wouldn’t have acted so overbearing towards them. Hah, I’m rather looking forward to how he performs in the Inheritance War now.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu Xian was suddenly puzzled, “How come you suddenly become so interested in him?”
Tu Feng grinned, stretching out his hand and casually drawing the two golden-coloured feathers which were lying on the ground some distance away to himself before handing them to Tang Yu Xian, casually stating, “These two feathers aren’t damaged in the slightest so they obviously weren’t shaken off by an impact.”
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help squinting as she examined the two feathers, “These were pulled out? But who plucked them?”
“Who else?”
Tang Yu Xian stared blankly at the place where Yang Kai had secluded himself and exclaimed, “Is he really so sinister? He actually manipulated us!”
After realizing this point, she turned to Tu Feng and questioned, “Since you had seen through it long ago, why did you follow along with his scheme?”
“Was I supposed to expose him right then and there?” Tu Feng rolled his eyes, “No matter what, he’s still a Young Lord of the Yang Family, I couldn’t just let him lose face like that.”
“That smelly brat, he has such insidious methods!” Tang Yu Xian ground her teeth in frustration.
She had been just been manipulated into doing a junior’s bidding, so Tang Yu Xian was rather annoyed. Regardless of her status as a servant of the Yang Family, she was still a high level Immortal Ascension Boundary master, yet she hadn’t been able to see through this little trick. It was indeed a bit shameful.
Tu Feng’s brow furrowed suddenly as he said, “For this time’s Inheritance War, we don’t know which Blood Warriors will be asked to participate. If both of us are selected, we will need to find a trustworthy and strong Young Lord to follow during the battle, if we were to choose the wrong team, the consequences would be very serious.”
“Do you want to offer your services to him?” Tang Yu Xian also frowned slightly as she asked.
“No, at least not right now. We’ve only just met him and although his performance so far is decent, we should further evaluate him before making a decision. Heh, isn’t it one of the Yang Family’s unwritten rules that while escorting the Young Lords home, they are not only trying to win us over, but we are also observing them to see if they are worth serving?”
“Good, I’ll listen to you for now.” Tang Yu Xian nodded before suddenly wearing a fierce smile as she muttered under her breath, “I have to carefully polish my sight on the road home, I can’t have myself getting used by him so easily again!”
“Hahaha!” Tu Feng laughed loudly as he nodded happily.
Half a day later, Yang Kai emerged in a spirited manner.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both hurried forward and examined him, quickly discovering that Yang Kai had already broken through and reached the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage.
The two Blood Warriors nodded secretly to themselves, somewhat impressed that he had so quickly achieved a breakthrough after the battle. It seemed the Little Lord’s aptitude was quite high.
The only thing they found strange was that for more than ten years while he was in the Yang Family, why had be always been no better than an ordinary person? Over the past few years what exactly had happened to him that allowed him to achieve such a level of cultivation in so short a time?
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian stared silently at Yang Kai, their expressions indifferent, seemingly waiting for something.
“What has happened inside the Yang Family? Why are we being recalled so early this time?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he asked the pair.
Tu Feng’s face suddenly became a bit gloomy as he replied, “It seems the Patriarch was injured. In the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land masters, the Patriarch led the charge and was injured by the Profound Yin Ghost King and the Annihilating Poison King. Although he received prompt treatment and there is no immediate threat to his life, but the Family Elders said that the situation is not optimistic, so a candidate for the next Patriarch must be determined as soon as possible.”
“The Patriarch was injured?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise.
According to his memory, the Yang Family’s current Patriarch should be Yang Kai’s Grand Uncle Yang Ying Hao and his strength was not low. It seems that even characters of his stature had actually been injured in the decisive battle and the injury was also not light, otherwise there would not have been such a rush to recall the scattered Yang Family descendants to launch the Inheritance War.
“En, understood!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
When it came to the inner workings of the family, Yang Kai didn’t actually know much about it. There were even several of his uncles he had never greeted. Apart from his parents, Yang Kai did not have much affection for the others members of the Yang Family.
In fact, such an attitude was quite prevalent within the Yang Family.
Each of the previous generations direct descendants had been sent out of the family for ten years of experience in the outside world, after which they returned and worked together with those they had recruited to win the Inheritance War, so between lack of contact and vicious competition, the bonds between Yang Family members was particularly weak, at least nowhere near as deep as other great families.
Seeing him respond so flatly, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t seem surprised. The two of them had grown up inside the Yang Family for so long that they naturally knew the temperament of the Yang Family’s members.
“Little Lord,” Tu Feng calmly inquired, “If there is nothing else, let us return to the Yang Family first.”
Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he asked, “Is there any provision for the latest we must return by?”
“There is not,” Tu Feng shook his head slowly, “I would also guess you are the first Young Lord to be found. It was only two days ago that the Golden Feather Eagles were released. Yuxian and I were deployed soon after and were lucky enough to bump into you so quickly, as for the others, I’m afraid they’re still following the other Golden Feather Eagles in search of the other Young Lords.”
“Excellent.” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“Is there something else, Little Lord?”
“En, I wish to return to my Sect first!” Yang Kai replied as he nodded firmly.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help glance at each other in surprise.
The cuckoo bird Yang Family was quite famous for planting it’s descendants as disciples into foreign Sects after hiding their identities. Usually, after the ten year period expired, these Young Lords would sneak out of their Sects to avoid their Sect’s Elders and their Brother and Sister disciples from knowing.
After all, after living there for so many years, even the cold-hearted Yang Family descendants would develop some feelings towards their companions, so the act of deceiving their Sect mates would leave them feeling uncomfortable.
However, now one of these Young Lords not only didn’t intend to sneak away but actually wanted to return to his Sect. This was an interesting development.
The only question was, how was he going to explain to his Sect’s Elders and his fellow disciples when he got there?
Tang Yu Xian suddenly became curious, “What is the name of Little Lord’s Sect?”
Yang Kai chuckled as he glanced towards her, noting a faint smile upon her lips, as if she were looking forward to prying as much information out of him as possible before agreeing.
“It’s better if I not say it!”
Tang Yu Xian was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what he meant.
However, as a Blood Warrior, she knew well enough not to inquire any further, but still, she became faintly aware that the Little Lord had his own problems.
“Let’s go!” Turning away from her, Yang Kai shifted his gaze towards the three Cloud Treading Colts and declared to the two Blood Warriors.
The two exchanged a glance before nodding as they flew towards the Cloud Treading Colts.
Although they were Immortal Ascension masters that could soar through the sky at incredible speeds, since they had ‘acquired’ these Cloud Treading Colts, they were naturally happy to conserve their True Qi.
The three Cloud Treading Colts broke out into a sprint as high above them the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle followed along, from time to time letting out a crisp eagle’s cry.
From here to High Heaven Pavilion was at least ten thousand kilometres, so even if they rode the Cloud Treading Colts at full speed, it would still take two or three days to arrive.
However, Yang Kai didn’t ride at full speed but instead maintained a rather casual pace.
About the Yang Family’s unwritten rules, since Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian knew them, Yang Kai obviously did too.
Along the way home, his performance would affect the future decisions of these two Blood Warriors!
The Inheritance War was not just a battle between the several Yang Family Young Lords, in fact, their personal strength could even be said to be the least important factor.
What was most valuable during the Inheritance War was the strength and number of outside forces the Young Lords could rally to their cause!
The more support they managed to gather, the more forces which kneeled before them, the more it demonstrated the Young Lord’s connections and methods, which was of paramount importance to the next Patriarch of the Yang Family!
The Yang Family was the head of the Eight Great Families, what its Patriarch needed most was the ability to influence and lead others!
Yang Kai right now could only be considered poor and alone. He naturally cared a great deal about the opinions these two Blood Warriors who had come to escort him home had of him.
If he could prove his worth to them during this journey, it would be tantamount to having two powerful Immortal Ascension Boundary helpers once he reached home.
So for this trip, he couldn’t go too fast. If he went too fast, even if Yang Kai wanted to demonstrate his abilities there wouldn’t be enough time to do so, but he also couldn’t go too slow, or he ran the risk of appearing unmotivated or flat out lazy.
Yang Kai led the way forward, and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian followed along without complaint.
Each day they travelled two thousand kilometres or so, a fairly leisurely pace.
So after three days, they had only crossed half the distance.
That night, when the three of them stopped to rest, Tu Feng went hunting for some food while Tang Yu Xian looked for kindling nearby to raise a fire.
Soon after the campfire’s flames began crackling, Tu Feng returned with a full harvest. The two worked swiftly together to clean the game in a nearby stream before returning to the camp to grill the meat.
While the two were busy, Yang Kai kept whistling towards the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle resting atop a treetop several tens of meters away.
For the past few days, while they were travelling, Yang Kai would often call out to and tempt the Golden Feather Eagle.
But after three days, he hadn’t made any significant progress. The Golden Feather Eagle seemed to be very wary of him. That day, Yang Kai had plucked two of its golden feathers in order to frame Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, so even now, the young eagle regarded Yang Kai as its lifelong enemy! Each time Yang Kai moved any closer than he current was, it would let out a flurry of cries and flap its wings aggressively.
Even though it recognized Yang Kai as a direct descendant of the Yang Family it still didn’t seem to make a difference to the eagle.
Tang Yu Xian glanced over as she was roasting some skewered meat above the flames. Seeing Yang Kai still unable to make any headway with the eagle she couldn’t help grinning happily.
“Hmph, serves him right!” Tang Yu Xian muttered softly, “The Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle is only a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, but its intelligence is quite high. Since he’s plucked two of its feathers before, he shouldn’t even dream of getting close to it in this lifetime.”
Tu Feng also couldn’t help nodding, obviously agreeing with Tang Yu Xian’s thinking.
“The Little Lord should also know this, so why does he insist on pursuing such a thankless task?” Tang Yu Xian wrinkled her brow in confusion.
Tu Feng grinned meaningfully, “There is obviously an ulterior motive!”
“What do you mean?” Tang Yu Xian shifted her gaze and asked.
Tu Feng chuckled as he replied, “The Little Lord is trying to impress us by taming the eagle. Haven’t you noticed that our speed these past few days hasn’t been that fast? He’s clearly dragging out our time together.”
Tang Yu Xian was slightly surprised at first, but after thinking about it, she immediately felt that Tu Feng was right, her eyes flashing a brilliant light, “How come your thoughts are so meticulous, yet your beard isn’t long and white at all.”
Tu Feng chuckled loudly, “It’s not that I’m any more thoughtful, it’s just that you’re too young. The Little Lord’s intentions are so obvious that even a fool could understand them if they… ahem… I mean…”
“You mean, what?” Tang Yu Xian looked at him while showing a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, causing Tu Feng to suddenly groan.
Not pursuing his slip of the tongue, Tang Yu Xian turned her attention back towards Yang Kai and smiled lightly, “If that’s his plan, it seems he’s bound to be disappointed.”
“En, well, regardless of his intentions, our duty is only to protect his safety.” Tu Feng grinned before calling out to the other side, “Little Lord, the food is ready.”
Yang Kai responded with a sigh before returning with a bland look.
While eating, Tang Yu Xian smiled and looked at Yang Kai as she asked, “Little Lord, how are your efforts progressing?”
After listening to her question, Tu Feng quickly signalled with his eyes to her not to go into Yang Kai’s matters, after all, if she intentionally asked about an issue she knew he hadn’t made progress on, wouldn’t that inadvertently cause the Young Lord to lose face?
Actually, Tang Yu Xian’s intentions were good, she had simply wanted to remind Yang Kai not to pursue futile endeavours. The greater one’s expectations were, the greater the disappointment would be when they failed.
It was a lesson she thought should be learned by the younger generation.
But to her surprise, after listening to her question, Yang Kai simply made a faint grin before swallowing and casually replying, “I’m nearly there, I should be able to sooth its hostility towards me by tomorrow…”
Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng immediately froze up before staring towards Yang Kai’s innocently smiling face. At that moment, they didn’t know what to say.
Nearly there? Wasn’t it obvious he hadn’t made any progress at all?
On top of that, how could he be so sure that he could eliminate the Golden Feather Eagle’s hostility by tomorrow? This Monster Beast clearly held a deep hatred towards him for plucking two of its feathers, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it would never forgive him for that.
“Em? What’s wrong?” Yang Kai noticed them silently staring at him and couldn’t help but raise his head and ask.
“Ahem, no, it’s nothing.” Tu Feng quickly shook his head and smiled, “If so, I wish Little Lord the best of luck.”
This is a rather perfunctorily spoken statement, but Yang Kai seems to be unaware of that and simply nodded lightly, “En.”
Tang Yu Xian grinned as she suddenly felt a headache coming on.
In front of the Little Lord’s confident expression, she couldn’t exactly advise him against his current course of action, but if tomorrow the Golden Feather Eagle still ignored him, wasn’t he also going to lose a great deal of face?
If the Little Lord was simply ashamed it was one thing, but if he instead became unreasonably angry…
At that moment, Tang Yu Xian even shot a sharp glance towards the Golden Feather Eagle. As long as the Golden Feather Eagle encountered an ‘accident’ tonight, then the Little Lord wouldn’t need to feel embarrassed.
Looking at him together with Tu Feng, both of them lowered their heads and stifled their thoughts; they no longer wished to say anything more.
Yang Kai secretly observed the two Blood Warrior’s reactions while eating his barbecue, his innocent smile slowly transforming into an imperceptibly sly grin.
Early the next morning, Tang Yu Xian awoke at the crack of dawn, slowly got up, and emerged from her tent a moment later.
Not far away, Tu Feng was standing there with his arms cross, staring ahead motionlessly.
“What are you doing?” Tang Yu Xian walked over beside him and asked with a puzzled look.
“Hm…” Tu Feng casually made a gesture to her, indicating she should turn her gaze forward.
Secretly scoffing at his attempt to be mysterious, Tang Yu Xian rolled her eyes and looked in the direction he gestured and was immediately startled.
A short distance away, in front of his tent, the Little Lord was assuming an odd stance. With one foot on the ground and both his arms stretched out like two wings of a bird, he slowly and rhythmically swung them up and down.
At first glance, it seemed like he was imitating a bird soaring through the sky, his movements had an odd charm to them.
However, what made Tang Yu Xian even more surprised was that the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle was actually perched in front of the Little Lord imitating his stance.
With its two golden wings stretching out, a piercing cry resounded from its beak, and its wings swayed up and down sending out a gentle wave of wind.
The Golden Feather Eagle no longer displayed the intense hostility it had shown for the past few days, and instead, its cries seemed to contain a feeling of intimacy.
As time passed, when the rhythm of the man and eagle completely synchronized, the Little Lord and Eagle slowly lifted off the ground at the same time.
It seemed like at that moment, the two had united as one, perfectly coordinated with one another.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both stared at this scene dumbfounded.
Both of them were incredibly powerful and talented, but if they were honest with themselves, they had no way to make a Golden Feather Eagle so obedient. In fact, in the entire Yang Family, with the exception of ones who specially trained to raise them, the Golden Feather Eagles never became intimate with anyone, but now it was actually playing with the Little Lord.
On top of that, this was after the Little Lord had plucked two of its gold feathers!
For a moment, both Blood Warriors couldn’t help but wonder if they were still dreaming as they exchanged looks, and their eyes showed both confusion and shock. Neither of them had any idea what kind of magical method Yang Kai had used to achieve this.
After a moment, one man and one eagle had risen several tens of meters off the ground.
Then, with a loud laugh, Yang Kai suddenly flew directly to the Golden Feather Eagle, and under the watchful eyes of the two Blood Warriors, he landed atop the Golden Feather Eagle’s back, accompanied by a crisp resounding eagle cry as he did.
The back of the Golden Feather Eagle wasn’t very broad, just barely large enough for one person to sit down.
However, whether it was Tu Feng or Tang Yu Xian, they could clearly sense that Yang Kai was no longer using any True Qi to levitate at all. The Golden Feather Eagle was fully supporting him and flying of its own volition.
“Wasn’t that beast extremely vindictive and defiant?” Tang Yu Xian suddenly felt that her head couldn’t keep up with the reality before her.
Tu Feng grinned meaningfully before opening his mouth and replying, “Indeed, achieving such a feat is quite impressive, but if it’s just this… it’s still far from enough.”
Tang Yu Xian nodded slightly.
It was no simple matter to convince the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors to voluntarily submit. In particular, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were superb Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, so how could they surrender to him as easily as this eagle had?
After a long time, the Golden Feather Eagle slowly flew down, hovering roughly ten meters off the ground. Yang Kai jumped from its back and landed, and then the Golden Feather Eagle folded its wings and perched directly on Yang Kai’s shoulders.
Using its sharp hooked beak, it then began helping Yang Kai comb his hair.
“Little Lord’s methods are impressive.” Tu Feng complimented generously.
Yang Kai reached up and stroked the Golden Feather Eagle’s head and smiled, “I offended it a few days ago so it took some effort to make friends with it.”
“How did you do it?” Tang Yu Xian asked curiously.
Yang Kai faced her and solemnly replied, “I sincerely opened my heart to it and let it perceive my intentions.”
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but blink, pondering over Yang Kai’s profound statement.
“Let’s set off!” Yang Kai didn’t show off any further and firmly shouted as he turned to the Cloud Treading Colts.
Over the next few days, the groups’ speed was still not very fast, but it was obvious that the relationship between the Golden Feather Eagle and Yang Kai became closer and closer. This Fifth-Order Monster Beast seemingly had a clear insight into the various aspects of Yang Kai’s commands. Whatever orders it was given, be they simple or complex, were completed without any mistakes.
The two Blood Warriors couldn’t help being surprised by Yang Kai’s display.
In their opinions, even the members of the Yang Family who reared the Golden Feather Eagles wouldn’t be as adept at handling them as Yang Kai.
This time, even if the Little Lord failed to win the Inheritance War, he would have no trouble becoming the chief breeder for the Yang Family’s eagles.
Yang Kai on the other hand secretly felt the whole situation was funny; if it weren’t for the sake of winning over the two Blood Warriors, he wouldn’t have spent so much effort putting on a show of taming a mere Fifth-Order Monster Beast, as he could have simply used his Beast Slave Seal from the beginning.
But instead, he spent a few days playing with it to make it seem like he had struggled to achieve the current relationship.
Three days later.
High Heaven Pavilion.
The entire Sect was still devastated.
Here and there patches of scorched earth and collapsed buildings could be seen.
It was an awful sight to behold.
Yang Kai’s expression and mood were both gloomy.
This Sect, which had survived for centuries, now lay in ruins. If it was a few years ago, Yang Kai wouldn’t have had a sense of belonging here, but after experiencing so many things, Yang Kai had taken this place as his second home.
“Little Lord, this is your Sect?” Tang Yu Xian looked at Yang Kai curiously, not knowing why the scene before her looked as it did, a blasted ruin.
Yang Kai dismounted the Cloud Treading Colt and nodded slightly.
Tu Feng stepped forward and found a huge scorched plaque on the ground. After picking it up and turning it over, he and Tang Yu Xian examined it.
When she had asked Yang Kai about his Sect last time, Yang Kai had evaded her question which had caused her some confusion.
“High Heaven…” Tu Feng muttered as he read the partial text.
The plaque itself was burned and the last words couldn’t be made out; however, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both quite knowledgeable so they immediately thought of a possibility.
“High Heaven Pavilion?” Tang Yu Xian’s pretty face showed surprise as both she and Tu Feng hurriedly looked towards Yang Kai.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
The two Blood Warriors both sucked in a deep breath, unable to hide their shock!
High Heaven Pavilion. Originally it was just a random second-class Sect, but this Sect was now world-famous!
It was the Sect the new Demon Lord had originated from!
On top of that, it was said that when the masters from the Qiu Family came here to sanction the Sect they had suffered a major loss.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng had also disappeared here, along with Luo Xiao Man of Purple Fern Valley and the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng. In addition to those who went missing, several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had been heavily wounded.
After that incident, the Qiu Family’s masters sent out a startling message. High Heaven Pavilion had a top-class master who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master! No mere second-class Sect could possibly have a powerhouse of this level. The mere existence of such a figure watching over it allowed High Heaven Pavilion to be classified as a first-class force!
Because of Qiu Yi Meng’s disappearance, the Qiu Family’s masters had become enraged and burned down High Heaven Pavilion.
Even until now, there had been no news about the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady.
Such information wasn’t a secret amongst the Eight Great Families, so the two Blood Warriors from the Yang Family were naturally clear about this.
After learning about Yang Kai’s Sect, the two Blood Warriors couldn’t hide their shock.
Tu Feng stared at the broken plaque in his hands, hesitating on whether to keep holding it or to drop it, and a rare conflicted light flashed across his eyes.
Meanwhile, though, Yang Kai had already walked inside.
“Be careful Little Lord, there seem to be some people inside,” Tang Yu Xian hurriedly reminded.
“People inside?” Yang Kai was stunned, and he quickly swept the Sect with his Divine Sense, then a moment later showed a surprised expression.
There were indeed people inside, and quite a number of them at that, at least a few hundred or more.
A hint of suspicion welled up inside him, and Yang Kai hurried forward.
Having only walked a short distance, Yang Kai was greeted by an unexpectedly bustling scene inside High Heaven Pavilion. People were coming and going everywhere, and many of them were familiar faces. These people… were actually High Heaven Pavilion’s original members!
There were members of both the younger and older generations, and everyone was busy cleaning up the various ruins.
It seemed like they were in the process of rebuilding High Heaven Pavilion.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring blankly.
Because of High Heaven Pavilion’s relationship with the new Demon Lord, it had been condemned as an evil Sect, and Ling Tai Xu had thus dismissed ninety percent of its disciples, leaving only about a hundred core Sect members who had evacuated through the Void Corridor.
But now, how come there were so many people here? And they even had the courage to start rebuilding like this.
Weren’t they afraid that the Qiu Family would come looking for trouble again?
As he was gazing around in confusion, a High Heaven Pavilion disciple who passed by in front of him suddenly paused and looked at him in panic, calling out involuntarily, “Yang Kai?”
Awoken by this voice, Yang Kai turned his eyes towards this person and discovered that it was actually Cao Zheng Wen.
Originally one of the Great Elder’s low ranked disciples, he was later solicited by the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng, but after being defeated by Yang Kai, Bai Yun Feng no longer paid any attention to him. Cao Zheng Wen had spent several months in the Sect recovering from his injuries, as for the matter of joining the Bai Family, it had apparently fallen by the wayside.
Since then, everyone inside the Sect had a rather unfavourable impression of him.
“Senior Brother Cao!” Yang Kai called out unconsciously.
However, Cao Zheng Wen panicked and stepped back a few steps. The last time they had met, Yang Kai had instantaneously heavily wounded him, which left a kind of psychological shadow, so the moment he saw Yang Kai again and found that he was much stronger than their previous meeting, he was naturally quite frightened.
The two voices which had called out loudly immediately attracted the attention of many people nearby.
After they discovered it was really Yang Kai, the disciples of the High Heaven Pavilion all showed awkward expressions.
“Yang Kai? Where is he?” Yang Kai couldn’t help letting out a sigh as soon as he heard this voice call out from the distance.
Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw a handsome young man striding over to him. A black combat outfit accentuated his overbearing stance, and his eyes flashed as he looked coldly towards Yang Kai.
Approaching to within ten meters of Yang Kai, this youth glanced indifferently towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, although his eyes lit up slightly as they passed over Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful figure.
However, he immediately shifted his gaze back towards Yang Kai and nodded slightly with a smug grin on his face, “Junior Brother Yang, you’ve back.”
Yang Kai also grinned, “Senior Brother Xie!”
Xie Hong Chen, one of High Heaven Pavilion’s Core Disciples, and someone who had innumerable grudges and grievances with Yang KaI.
“It’s good that you’ve returned,” Xie Hong Chen said as he nodded flatly. Putting on a show of his status as a Senior Brother, he puffed out his chest as he arrogantly said, “Now that you’re back you can help rebuild the Sect together with us. We just happen to be short of labour around here. It looks like Junior Brother Yang has grown a lot in recent years so there are plenty of places where you can assist and show off the skills, don’t let the rest of us down.”
Yang Kai’s brow slightly wrinkled while Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t hide their surprise, as extremely odd expressions spread across their faces.
This person… was interesting.
Actually trying to arrogantly order a Young Lord of the Yang Family to help clear rubble while saying it was a chance to show off his skills.
The place where Yang Kai would show his talents was the Yang Family’s Inheritance War and definitely not here.
“Are these two your friends?” Xie Hong Chen turned his attention to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian and asked in a faint voice.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expression twitched slightly but they eventually didn’t speak. They were Yang Family Blood Warriors, and their official rank was lower than a Yang Family Young Lord, so naturally they weren’t qualified to be Yang Kai’s friends; however, Yang Kai simply admitting as such was quite flattering to them.
Xie Hong Chen though simply smiled and nodded, “Since they are friends of Junior Brother Yang then they are also friends of High Heaven Pavilion. If the two of you don’t mind, you can also help out around here, naturally, we will also provide enough benefits for your efforts.”
Both Blood Warriors’ brows twitched as somewhat mocking expressions spread across their faces.
The two of them had trouble maintaining a straight face as they glanced back and forth between themselves and Xie Hong Chen.
Although they were only ordinary Yang Family Blood Warriors and no doubt had a lower status than the Yang Family’s Young Lords, but that was still only a matter within the Yang Family. If they went out and announced their status, even if it was an Elder of first-class forces who saw them they wouldn’t dare treat them so frivolously, let alone ask them to act as labourers.
Was this little brat actually trying to get them to help rebuild the High Heaven Pavilion?
Also, did he really think he had enough benefits to entice a Yang Family Blood Warrior? That wasn’t something an average person could put out! Where was this little brat summoning such boundless courage from?
Xie Hong Chen, completely oblivious to the trouble his mouth had gotten him into, looked up into the sky and wrinkled his brow, muttering to himself, “What kind of eagle is that, it’s so irritating.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help scratching his nose as he stifled his laughter, glancing over towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian who were making even more awkward expressions.
The Golden Feather Eagle followed Yang Kai around faithfully and was circling up in the sky. The sounds of its cries had thus naturally attracted the attention of Xie Hong Chen.
Xie Hong Chen stared a moment before nodding slightly, and a hint of admiration flashed across his eyes, “Hmm, this eagle seems to have some extraordinary points though.”
Saying so, he quickly turned and shouted to the side, “Uncle Zhong.”
A middle-aged man about forty or fifty years old soon flew over. This man was also a former member of the High Heaven Pavilion, a disciple from the previous generation and had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage with a decent aptitude. As he landed he casually asked, “Is there something wrong?”
Xie Hong Chen turned his gaze up towards the Golden Feather Eagle and asked, “Uncle Zhong, can you chase that eagle away? We wouldn’t want it disturbing the two young ladies.”
Uncle Zhong also looked up but a moment later shook his head, “It’s too high, and the eagle itself looks like it possesses decent strength, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it.”
Xie Hong Chen frowned and looked displeased, waving his hand as he grunted, “It’s okay, carry on.”
“En.”
After Uncle Zhong left, Xie Hong Chen smiled indifferently, “Looks like I’ll have to do it myself. Junior Brother Yang, wait a moment while I handle this eagle.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai nodded as his expression remained indifferent.
The next moment, Xie Hong Chen shot into the sky and headed straight towards the Golden Feather Eagle.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t show the slightest desire to block him, instead of wearing a smug expression like they were looking forward to a good show as they stared at Xie Hong Chen’s back.
That was a Yang Family Golden Feather Eagle if it were so easy to catch or beat, it wouldn’t be a Monster Beast worthy of the Yang Family’s dedicated cultivation.
“Does the Little Lord and this man have some kind of resentment?” Tang Yu Xian looked towards Yang Kai with a smile. Just from the way, Xie Hong Chen spoke to Yang Kai and how he now was trying to show off his authority and skills, it was obvious to her that the two youths had some kind of grudge.
“It’s all in the past!” Yang Kai replied indifferently, gently shaking his head.
His dispute with Xie Hong Chen was just really just a petty squabble caused by jealousy, but now that their Sect had been destroyed and so much else had transpired, Yang Kai no longer cared about such trifles.
“Where is the eagle?” While Yang Kai was watching Xie Hong Chen, a concerned voice suddenly called out from nearby.
Immediately afterwards, two shadows quickly approached from the distance.
The first person was a young woman of around twenty years old. She had a tall figure, jade white skin, and a slim waist; her purple dress perfectly complemented her noble temperament giving her an impeccable appearance.
Next to her, there was an exquisite girl who seemed a few years younger. Although this girl was small, the pair of jade peaks rising above her chest could only be described as tremendous. It seemed like these two proud mountains would burst from the clothes which barely contained them at any moment as they bounced up and down in an exaggerated fashion. With a light blush on her small rounded face and a sleek shapely bottom that swelled just the right amount, the very sight of her made the nearby mean swallow unconsciously.
The pair of beauties stood and stared at the Golden Feather Eagle circling up in the sky, their expressions incredibly dignified. It was like they weren’t staring at an eagle but a giant monster.
When the two women arrived, the nearby High Heaven Pavilion disciples, regardless of whether they were male or female, young or old, all stopped what they were doing and respectfully saluted, “Greetings, Young Lady Qiu, greetings Young Lady Luo!”
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man did not even bother responding to these greetings though as their gazes remained fixed on the Golden Feather Eagle.
“Elder Sister Qiu, is it really ‘that’ eagle?” Luo Xiao Man, who despite her alluring figure still gave people a feeling of innocence, whispered quietly as she continued staring.
“It should be,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded heavily, “But I’ve only ever heard of it and have never personally seen one before.”
“That Xie Hong Chen flew up after it.” Luo Xiao Man stretched her finger and pointed at a figure up in the sky.
“What does that idiot think he’s doing?” Qiu Yi Meng’s pretty face became ice cold as she said a solemn tone, “He absolutely can’t kill that eagle.”
Kill the eagle? Even if one were to hurt it, the consequences would be dire! Although she had long since known that Xie Hong Chen was a man who liked to be in the limelight, Qiu Yi Meng could now only think of him as a brain-damaged idiot.
As long as someone had even a bit vision, they would notice that this eagle was extraordinary, right?
“Young Lady Qiu?” Tang Yu Xian looked suspiciously at Qiu Yi Meng and asked softly.
When Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man finally regained their wits, they both turned their eyes towards Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors, trembling in surprise as they did.
None of them had ever imagined they would meet again like this.
Yang Kai at least knew that they were being led around by Shan Qing Luo; however, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t know anything about Qiu Yi Meng’s situation since she had disappeared inside High Heaven Pavilion.
After carefully sweeping her eyes over Qiu Yi Meng, Tang Yu Xian confirmed that she was indeed the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady who had been missing for several months!
In her surprise, she couldn’t help calling out her name.
Surprised as well, Qiu Yi Meng quickly turned her eyes towards Yang Kai and couldn’t help freezing up.
Luo Xiao Man, on the other hand, reacted even more violently. Her beautiful face suddenly wore a frightened expression and quickly hid behind Qiu Yi Meng, before glaring back at Yang Kai for a while.
“Hm?” Tu Feng was suddenly puzzled, and his expression became strange, faintly feeling that the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady seemed to be familiar with their family’s Little Lord.
After a long time, Qiu Yi Meng smiled towards Yang Kai and then turned her attention back to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, sweeping her eyes across them.
Tang Yu Xian recognizing her wasn’t too surprising as she was a famous figure, but she had no idea who Tang Yu Xian was; however, when she saw the jade talisman on the two Blood Warrior’s waists, her pretty face couldn’t help but becoming serious, “Yang Family Blood Warriors?”
“Greetings, Young Lady Qiu.” Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian greeted respectfully.
Qiu Yi Meng’s position was equivalent to their Little Lord’s, or more accurately, her status was even higher than Yang Kai’s. After all, this young woman was the Heaven-sent genius of the Qiu Family. She was already one of the most dazzling females in the entire younger generation while Yang Kai was still just a disciple that had yet to return to the family.
Faced with such a figure, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t be sloppy.
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression underwent numerous changes as her eyes glanced back and forth across the three newcomers, but eventually her gaze fixed firmly on Yang Kai as she dumbfoundedly asked, “With two Yang Family Blood Warriors here along with the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and a youth whose surname is Yang, then would it be correct to assume you are one of the Yang Family’s direct descendants?”
After seeing all of this, if Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t guess the true identity of Yang Kai then she wouldn’t be Qiu Yi Meng.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded casually.
“Oh… It seems I was mistaken.” Qiu Yi Meng muttered begrudgingly. Although she knew that Yang Kai hadn’t disclosed his identity because of Yang Family’s rules, she still felt somewhat bitter about it.
Thinking back, she couldn’t help feeling ridiculous about how she had tried to recruit Yang Kai into the Qiu Family by offering ‘generous’ conditions while they had been trapped in Shan Qing Luo’s Palace.
As a Young Lord of the Yang Family, what resources could he possibly be lacking?
[No wonder he hadn’t spared my offer a single glance back then,] Qiu Yi Meng thought to herself. Originally she suspected him of being an arrogant youth whose eyes were higher than his head, but now she knew better. He hadn’t considered her offer simply because it was vastly inferior compared to his actual position.
Staring at Yang Kai’s calm demeanour, Qiu Yi Meng’s brow twitched as she felt the urge to slap him across his smug face for all the embarrassment she had suffered.
No one had ever let her suffer such a big loss.
“You… you’re a Young Lord of the Yang Family?” Luo Xiao Man also stared at Yang Kai with a dumbfounded look.
“Naturally!” Qiu Yi Meng sneered gently.
Luo Xiao Man was speechless, not knowing what to say.
She still remembered when Qiu Yi Meng had evaluated Yang Kai. She had mentioned that fortunately, he didn’t have a strong background. If we’re to have a strong background, then there might be no one in the whole world who could surpass him.
No, it seems that not only did he have a strong background, it was actually the strongest one possible! None could compare.
“Do the two young ladies know my family’s Young Lord?” Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes flashed as she curiously observed Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man.
As a woman herself, she sensed an unusual aura from the conversation these youths just had. It seems like there was something unusual between her family’s Little Lord and the two girls in front of him.
“En, I know him indeed!” Qiu Yi Meng showed a dazzling smile, but her teeth were clearly grinding as she did.
Hearing her response, a shiver ran up Tu Feng’s back as he was confused as to why he suddenly felt a chill in the air.
“Don’t be so hostile, I don’t owe anything to you.” Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng with a wry smile. He naturally felt the hostility coming from this young woman.
“You don’t owe us anything?” Qiu Yi Meng sneered, “I’d say you owe us a great deal.”
These words were quite ambiguous and immediately piqued Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s interest.
“Should I recount all of it for you?” Qiu Yi Meng stared at Yang Kai maliciously.
Yang Kai’s though maintained an indifferent attitude, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Hmm…” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled impishly, and her eyes flashed as she licked her lips and said, “Then I’ll start with what happened with Shan…”
“Hey…” Yang Kai’s expression quickly changed as he rushed forward and covered Qiu Yi Meng’s mouth.
Shan Qing Luo’s name was not something that could be mentioned casually.
Seeing their Young Lord act so boldly caused the two Blood Warriors’ brows to rise, and their expressions were somewhat intrigued.
That was Qiu Yi Meng! The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, one of the dynasty’s favoured daughters of Heaven, was the target of almost every great family’s Young Lords.
However, even after being treated like this, she didn’t strike back but instead simply struggled like an ordinary woman.
Exchanging a quick glance, the two Blood Warriors could see the excitement in each other’s eyes.
[There’s definitely something between them!] Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both thought in their hearts.
“Let go of me!” Qiu Yi Meng who couldn’t break free quietly muttered under her breath.
However, Yang Kai gave her a threatening look before slowly releasing his hand and taking a few steps back.
Frowning deeply, Yang Kai stared at her indifferently and stated, “I don’t owe you anything. Everything you encountered you brought upon yourself, it had nothing to do with me.”
“Heartless bastard!” Qiu Yi Meng cursed viciously.
“Don’t say those kinds of easily misunderstood words, we only met by chance, there’s no friendship between us!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt angry, as she found that none of her usual means had any effect on Yang Kai. If she had spent so much effort on any other young lords in the capital, they would all be more than willing to nod their heads and wag their tails for her, so why was this one always so cold towards her?
“There’s a lot of things I have to ask you, is there any place private we can talk?” Yang Kai said as he looked around.
Qiu Yi Meng snorted disdainfully; however, after calming herself for a moment she still nodded, “Come with me.”
The many High Heaven Pavilion disciples who had watched this scene play out all felt baffled.
Just now, Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng didn’t make any effort to conceal their discussion or their attitudes towards each other.
Just who Qiu Yi Meng was, they all knew quite well. Yet, it seemed like Yang Kai was acquainted with her, and their relationship was by no means simple.
What magical ability did he have in the end? How had he managed to become associated with the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady?
Not long after the group departed, Xie Hong Chen landed nearby with a slightly embarrassed appearance. After chasing after it for so long, he still hadn’t managed to even catch a single feather from the Golden Eagle, on the contrary, he had nearly been injured by it instead.
After landing, he quickly discovered that Yang Kai had disappeared.
“Where’s Yang Kai?” Xie Hong Chen asked the disciples around him coldly.
“Young Lady Qiu arrived and led him away.” A junior brother answered.
“Led him away?” Xie Hong Chen’s brow furrowed, and a look of disbelief spread across his face, “Are you sure she led him personally?”
The junior brother didn’t dare say he was certain about it but simply replied, “It seems like Young Lady Qiu wanted to discuss something with him.”
Xie Hong Chen nodded but was still suspicious. Why did Qiu Yi Meng want to talk to him? Previously she had given him authority over the rebuilding process so what qualifications did that little brat have to speak with her?
Unable to quell his doubts, he quickly walked toward the place where Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had temporarily taken up residence.
In a house nearby, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man sat in front of a table across from Yang Kai.
The house was very simple without any furnishings or decorations in it. It was obviously a newly built structure, probably erected specifically for the Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man while they resided in High Heaven Pavilion.
Outside the house, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian stood guard, indifferent to everything around them, and their expressions were cold and serious.
After the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady personally served tea, she sat back down and stared at Yang Kai for a moment before speaking, “If you have anything to ask, just ask!”
“When did she let you go?” Yang Kai lifted the teacup and casually asked.
“One month ago,” Qiu Yi Meng grinned wryly, obviously understanding that the ‘she’ Yang Kai was referring to was the Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo. “She really didn’t embarrass us and only took us around to various battlefields. Before the decisive battle, she let us go.”
“And, what happened?”
“A lot of my preconceived notions changed….” Qiu Yi Meng paused for a moment before earnestly saying, “I used to believe that the world’s evil was contained within the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and that all who lived there were demons and devils, but now I can’t think that way anymore. I saw many innocents brutally murdered by our so-called righteous path. I also saw many of our so-called just Sects commit numerous outrages inside the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land…. she was right that this world isn’t only black and white. Everyone has demons in their hearts, and everyone can become a demon, it all depends on whether or not they choose to give in to those urges or not.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly as he witnessed the great change Qiu Yi Meng had undergone. It was indeed a rare enlightenment.
Shan Qing Luo was right to bring her around the battlefield.
Perhaps Shan Qing Luo had hoped to use the power of the Qiu Family to change the world’s opinion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, possibly bring about a more permanent understanding and peace.
“After she let us go, the next place I came was here.” Qiu Yi Meng said with a smile.
“Then, does the Qiu Family know you’re safe?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
“I have already sent them a message informing them of my safety,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded, “I also sent a letter to Purple Fern Valley, as for the Bai Family…”
Yang Kai gazed sharpened slightly as he stared straight at Qiu Yi Meng.
However, the latter simply giggled, “Oh, don’t worry, I told Xiao Man to tell the Bai Family that Bai Yun Feng was hunted down by the Thunderbolt Beast King’s henchmen and was unfortunately killed. I made sure there was no mention of you and her.”
“En, good!” Yang Kai smiled with satisfaction. Although Bai Yun Feng’s death really didn’t have much to do with him, if the truth of the matter were to spread, it would likely stir up the Bai Family’s resentment.
These great forces were notorious for being unreasonable, and while he, a Yang Family Young Lord, would likely escape unscathed, High Heaven Pavilion might still be targeted.
Qiu Yi Meng slowly stretched herself, fully revealing her graceful curves, not giving the issue a second thought, and indifferently continued, “I once told you that if one day I could regain my freedom, I would help clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name! Right now, I don’t have enough authority to do so, so best I can do right now is help rebuild it and plan for the future.”
Although Qiu Yi Meng was the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, the matters surrounding High Heaven Pavilion were too serious and complex for her to call the shots.
At the very least, one of the leaders of a super-force would have to take the lead.
“So you’re the one presiding over the reconstruction work here?” Yang Kai asked as he stared at her.
“What do you think?” Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “High Heaven Pavilion has been declared an evil Sect, if I hadn’t shown up, who would dare to build anything here? I was prepared to declare it as a subsidiary of the Qiu Family for the meantime and look for opportunities later on the restore High Heaven Pavilion’s name as a favour to you.”
“No, there’s no such thing as selling me a favour, this is simply what your Qiu Family should do.” Yang Kai sneered back at her.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t immediately refute this time, instead just nodding as she said, “What you say makes some sense, after all, it was my Qiu Family that set this place ablaze in the first place, but now that you’re back, and with an appropriate backing, you should take over yourself. I’m too lazy to get involved. Heh, as the property of a Yang Family Young Lord, no one would dare say anything about it, right?”
Yang Kai was slightly stunned but also didn’t refute her. After contemplating for a long time, he felt that what Qiu Yi Meng proposed was indeed a good idea. Therefore he nodded in agreement, “Good, I give you my thanks.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed imperceptibly as she maintained her smile.
“But what about those people outside? Where did you find all of them?” Yang Kai questioned.
“From around the local area,” Qiu Yi Meng grinned as she casually propped up her head with her hands which were resting on the table, a bit lazily replying, “They’re were all hanging around the two other nearby Sects, so all I needed to do was speak a few words to those faction’s Elders and they were all allowed to come back here.”
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
Those people outside should all be the disciples who were tempted by Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang! However, it was unexpected for him that on the eve of the Sect’s disaster, Xie Hong Chen, who was a Core Disciple, had also abandoned High Heaven Pavilion, while on the contrary, Common Disciples like Li Yun Tian firmly stood with the Sect and finally escaped through the Void Corridor, fleeing ten thousand kilometers away.
It was only in times of crisis that one could truly understand what was in another’s heart.
However, Yang Kai didn’t give much thought to this matter, them choosing to leave the Sect at that time was their freedom.
It seemed that many of them were taken in by Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang, but now that Qiu Yi Meng had arrived and sought them out, with her identity as the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, what objections could Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall possibly say?
“One’s Sect should always be supported by one’s own people, don’t you agree?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled happily, as if looking forward to Yang Kai praising her efforts.
Yang Kai, unfortunately, turned a deaf ear to her, and instead chose to stare at Luo Xiao Man, the latter behaving like a vicious tiger had her in its sights.
Seeing this, Qiu Yi Meng simply rolled her eyes, knowing just how stubborn this young man was and did not force the issue any further.
“Right, when you came here, did you notice anything odd nearby?” Yang Kai suddenly recalled a certain point and inquired.
“Something odd?”
“En, like a place where Evil and Demonic Qi surged forth.” Yang Kai spoke in an intentionally casual tone.
“Oh, you mean that,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and nodded, “We didn’t see it when we arrived, but after listening to your Senior Brother Xie Hong Chen, it seems like the place you call the Coiling Dragon Stream was once erupting with Demonic Qi, so much so that the two nearby factions were preparing to relocate, but it seemed like something down below was continuously absorbing that Demonic Qi, so, after a few months, the place was restored to its former calm.”
“Has anybody gone down to investigate then?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly nervous.
What was absorbing the Demonic Qi, others might not know, but Yang Kai was clear.
Old Demon!
Upon returning here, Yang Kai had done a quick sweep of the area with his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t find any traces of Old Demon’s aura, therefore he had simply assumed he had been successful, but now had no idea where he had gone.
[Did that old devil want to take this opportunity to escape from his control?] Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of such a possibility.
It wasn’t impossible, Old Demon was a real Devil lord, not exactly someone who could be described as trustworthy and loyal.
“No, nobody has gone down there to check. The nearby cultivators were all extremely fearful of approaching the Coiling Dragon Stream!” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head.
That was also understandable. All of them had witnessed what had transpired here. At the time, the Demonic Qi soared to the Heavens and shook the very ground beneath them, and all of them felt a fatal threat from it. Although it now appeared safe and sound, nobody was daring enough to risk their life just to satisfy their curiosity.
“Do you know what’s down there?” Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze suddenly became sharp as she stared at Yang Kai.
“Nope.” Yang Kai shook his head perfunctorily.
Qiu Yi Meng snorted, knowing that he didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth.
“Forget it, if you don’t want to say then don’t. Let’s just focus on the rebuilding of your Sect. I’ve also lingered here for a long time and even though I’ve sent a letter back to the capital explaining the situation, I still have to go home as soon as possible, otherwise, my family would start worrying about me again. They might even send someone out to bring me back.” Qiu Yi Meng said bitterly. It seemed like she was somewhat reluctant to go back to the capital. “In which case, I think I’ll entrust the rebuilding efforts here to you instead of overseeing things myself. Right now everything has been given to that Xie Hong Chen to manage, but do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
“Leave things as it is, I believe in you!” Yang Kai simply nodded, not even pausing to consider the matter.
“How open-minded and generous of you,” Qiu Yi Meng said sarcastically, “Well whatever, you handle it, but let me say this, whatever happens, don’t come complaining to me. Although your Senior Brother acts like an elite, compared to you he’s not much better than trash, but if it’s just supervising some reconstruction, he should be capable enough.”
Luo Xiao Man who sat next to her also nodded imperceptibly.
Although she didn’t like Yang Kai and was even afraid of him, she also couldn’t deny that compared to those of his generation he was an outstanding talent.
Whether it was in terms of temperament, vision, perseverance or strength, he excelled far beyond his peers.
“Well, you should be clearer than I about the inner workings of your Sect, if you don’t feel comfortable leaving him in charge you can always swap him for someone else,” Qiu Yi Meng said carelessly.
“No need to bother, rebuilding the Sect’s buildings isn’t a big deal, let him manage it,” Yang Kai replied as he shook his head slowly and said before suddenly looking up towards the door and grinning, “Speaking of which, here he comes now.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly heard Xie Hong Chen’s angry roar from outside, “Why are you blocking my way? I need to speak with Young Lady Qiu!”
“Young Lady Qiu is currently discussing some matters with our Young Lord, so you can’t enter!” Tu Feng said coldly as he stood in front of the door.
Xie Hong Chen couldn’t help bursting out into a fit of laughter as he looked at Tu Feng disdainfully and said, “Your Young Lord? Oh, oh, what Young Lord could you be referring to? You’re not talking about Yang Kai are you? Perhaps you’ve got the wrong idea, this is my High Heaven Pavilion’s site, wherever I wish to go, none can stop me!”
As he spoke, it was obvious he was preparing to barge in forcefully.
“You may not enter!” Tu Feng remained firmly in place with an indifferent expression upon his face.
Xie Hong Chen’s face sank as coldly spoke, “Out of consideration for Yang Kai I’ll give you a little face, but if you don’t know what’s good for you and continue to block my path, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Tang Yu Xian immediately showed a dazzling smile, like she was looking forward to what came next.
Tu Feng, on the other hand, continued to stare indifferently at Xie Hong Chen, not the slightest bit of worry could be seen on his face.
Inside the house, Qiu Yi Meng grinned as she stared at Yang Kai, obviously eager to see how he would handle this debacle.
“Let him come in.” Yang Kai frowned as he called out. Xie Hong Chen could still be considered a disciple of High Heaven Pavilion and his Senior Brother, so in the beginning he had wanted to give him a little face, but now that he had made such a foolish display of himself, Yang Kai was obviously not going to be considerate with him anymore.
Hearing this command, Tu Feng obediently stepped aside.
Xie Hong Chen coldly snorted and adjusted his clothes before striding into the house.
But after seeing the situation inside, he couldn’t help but stare blankly.
What greeted him was the sight of Yang Kai sitting across the table from Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man. This kind of treatment was something Xie Hong Chen knew he couldn’t hope for.
Every time he came here to see Qiu Yi Meng, he would stand respectfully at the door and make his report before being sent off by her.
[How can Yang Kai sit there as though he is of their equal?]
Although the suspicions in his heart grew, Xie Hong Chen still wore a business-like smile on his face as he courteously spoke, “Greetings Young Lady Qiu, Young Lady Luo.”
“En,” Qiu Yi Meng responded with a sly grin, “You’ve come just in time, I was talking with your Junior Brother here about the rebuilding of High Heaven Pavilion, and it seems he has some ideas he wants to discuss with you.”
“Oh?” Xie Hong Chen chuckled lightly before turning towards Yang Kai, “What exactly is it that Junior Brother Yang wants to say?”
Although this voice was flat, it clearly contained some provocative tones.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly sat back and relaxed, as if she was a bystander watching a good show.
It was all she could do to stop herself from giggling. It seemed like this idiot still hadn’t figured out Yang Kai’s true identity. Not only was he speaking arrogantly in front of two Yang Family Blood Warriors, but he was also maliciously targeting one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords.
Even if someone was ignorant, how could they be stupid to such a degree?
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed and said, “I don’t have much to say, just a simple request.”
Xie Hong Chen laughed haughtily, “Request you say?”
“En.”
In front of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, Xie Hong Chen at least knew not to directly stir up trouble, so he could only pretend to be magnanimous and say, “Very well, let’s hear it.”
“Everything inside the Sect should be rebuilt exactly in accordance with the original layout and deployment. All buildings shouldn’t deviate from their initial position or appearance in the slightest. Senior Brothers have lived in the Sect for so many years that you should be very familiar with everything here. With you supervising, it should be accomplishable.”
Xie Hong Chen’s mouth twitched slightly when Yang Kai said these words. The tone he was speaking in was not one would use when making a request but rather one would use to give an order, and this naturally made him feel uncomfortable.
This was nothing short of a command!
However, as soon as he was about to rebut, Yang Kai continued, “If there is a shortage of people, you can ask for more to be dispatched from the nearby Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall. You can use the name of the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady over here and afterwards give them some compensation.”
Qiu Yi Meng could not help pouting slightly and stayed slient.
Shocked by what he heard, Xie Hong Chen couldn’t understand why Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t retorted just now.
“If there is a shortage of funds or supplies… send a letter to the capital and the Qiu Young’s Young Lady will arrange for it to be sent to you. Given the Qiu Family’s financial might, they shouldn’t care about such minor expenses, right?” Yang Kai turned his gaze towards Qiu Yi Meng and smiled.
“Shameless!” Qiu Yi Meng cursed as she ground her teeth.
Xie Hong Chen’s expression became solemn as he finally felt that things were more complicated than he had originally expected, though if, after seeing all of this, he still couldn’t at least figure that much out he would really be a fool.
The Junior Brother Yang in front of him he disdained so much now seemed to have some kind of relationship with Qiu Yi Meng. Otherwise, how could Qiu Yi Meng not react at all when he had provoked her so blatantly?
Rebuilding a second-class Sect wasn’t a big deal for a super-force like the Qiu Family, but it would still be a large amount of financial and material resources.
So how could Yang Kai, in just a few words, make such a sweeping decision? If he had absolutely no connection to Qiu Yi Meng, how could the latter simply agree?
A storm was suddenly set off inside Xie Hong Chen’s mind as he subconsciously realized that this Junior Brother of his wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
“Additionally…” Yang Kai tapped his fingers on the table for a moment and then said in a low voice, “Send out a message to every corner of the world, let all the disciples of High Heaven Pavilion…”
“Return home!”
The last two words he spoke were Yang Kai’s resolute decision. It was like a drum that had been struck, which caused the hearts of everyone inside the house to tighten, and a sense of awe swept over them.
Only after losing their Sect and being scattered by the wind would people realize just how stimulating the word ‘home’ was.
Silence prevailed inside the house, and even Qiu Yi Meng wore a solemn expression.
“Does Senior Brother have anything he’d like to add?” Yang Kai raised his eyes and stared at Xie Hong Chen as he asked.
Xie Hong Chen shook his head subconsciously and barely managed to mutter, “No.”
He had come here many times to discuss with Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man during this period of time, so he was relatively well informed about the matters regarding the rebuilding of the Sect so he really had nothing else to add.
“If so, then carry on.” Yang Kai stated definitively.
After Xie Hong Chen took some time to regain his wits, he hesitantly turned to Qiu Yi Meng and stuttered, “Young Lady Qiu, this…”
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly wore a displeased expression, “Didn’t you hear clearly?”
“I… I certainly heard, but… can Junior Brother Yang take responsibility for such decisions?” Xie Hong Chen desperately said, still unable to bring himself to believe what was happening.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just grinned wryly at his feeble protests and declared, “If he can’t take responsibility, then no one can.”
It was as if Xie Hong Chen had suddenly been struck by lightning as he blankly stared towards Yang Kai, and his eyes quivered slightly.
Yang Kai still remained indifferent though as he stood up and walked towards the door. But, as he passed by Xie Hong Chen, he suddenly paused and said in a low voice, “If you dare make a mistake while managing this project, I’ll make you regret being born into this world!”
Hearing these words, Xie Hong Chen could only feel a cold chill from the top of his head to the tips of his toes!
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even spare him a glance as she casually followed Yang Kai out.
When Luo Xiao Man was about to exit though, Xie Hong Chen suddenly reached out and blocked her path.
“What do you want to do?” Luo Xiao Man looked at him suspiciously, feeling that this fool was quite pathetic.
“Young Lady Luo, my Junior Brother… who exactly is he?” Xie Hong Chen licked his dry lips and asked softly.
Luo Xiao Man bit her lip as she continued walking towards the door but whispered back to him, “Your Junior Brother is a Young Lord of the Yang Family.”
After speaking so, she walked out without turning back.
Xie Hong Chen suddenly felt his entire body go soft as he sunk to the floor and landed on his butt with cold sweat pouring down his face.
A Yang Family, Young Lord!
Those few words had been like an eruption of thunder in Xie Hong Chen’s ears, shaking his consciousness.
The insignificant Junior Brother who was neither talented nor strong actually had such a fearsome background!
It was ridiculous that he had been targeting him for years, even secretly plotting against him.
What qualifications did he have to fight with him? What qualifications did he have to be jealous of him?
He must be clearly aware of everything that had transpired in the past, but why did he not kill him now?
To be spared under such circumstances, Xie Hong Chen not only didn’t feel happy, but instead felt like his heart and his pride had been reduced to ash!
It was even more unpleasant than if he had simply killed him!
The fact that he let him go definitely meant that Yang Kai disdained to even think about him anymore.
After all, would a tiger be concerned with the provocations of an ant?
“Ha… haha….” Laughing stupidly, Xie Hong Chen suddenly felt that in this life, he was undoubtedly a complete loser.
A thousand meters below the top of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Yang Kai entered his secluded home.
A group of people soon following behind him.
Looking around at the familiar scene before him, the faces of Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes.
Although the Sect was destroyed, it seemed like only this place was completely preserved.
Inside this secluded home, it seemed like the two women’s fragrance still lingered about the stone bed in particular stained with Su Yan’s scent.
Little Senior Sister had also often slept here; every time she fell asleep, no matter how one shouted she wouldn’t wake up. Even if he stole some small advantages from her, she would resolutely ignore him.
Yang Kai didn’t know if she was really sleeping or if she was just extremely shy to this day. Thinking so, he suddenly felt that he should earnestly apologize to Xia Ning Chang the next time they met.
Regarding Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai wasn’t worried. She must still be studying the Alchemic Way with Xiao Fu Sheng atop Medicine King’s Valley’s Hidden Cloud Peak right now. Along with Meng Wu Ya protecting her, she was definitely safe.
But what about Su Yan?
Since he was last separated with her, he had never heard from her again.
Where exactly did she go?
It seems the heaviness of Yang Kai’s mood didn’t escape the eyes of the two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng, and Luo Xiao Man, and all of them chose to stand quietly at the entrance of the cave without disturbing him.
After he walked inside, Yang Kai sat on the bed and stroked the smooth stone surface as memories seemingly flashed across his thoughts.
[I’m afraid it will be difficult to have a chance to return here again this time.]
After this, he would have to participate in the Inheritance War, the end of which was difficult to predict..
As his mood swung up and down, it wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai discovered just how much he liked this place.
Yang Kai only stepped out from the inner part of the cave after a long time.
The two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had been standing outside waiting patiently. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian still maintained their stalwart appearance, but it seemed like Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had gotten bored and had leisurely taken a seat.
After seeing Yang Kai’s composed manner, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.
For an entire day and night, although they hadn’t seen Yang Kai, they could clearly sense the mournful atmosphere from the inner cave.
They hadn’t expected the Little Lord to completely adjust himself so quickly.
But now, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian could clearly see his expression was calm and filled with confidence.
“Make yourselves comfortable, I’m going down to check things out!” Yang Kai greeted the crowd before swiftly moving towards the cave’s entrance.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly stood up and came over to him, staring at him curiously, “What exactly is down there?”
Ever since she had arrived here, Qiu Yi Meng had been curious about the Coiling Dragon Stream, but the disciples from High Heaven Pavilion had been too fearful to investigate. Even the people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall had strongly advised her not involve herself with the Coiling Dragon Stream.
So until today, Qiu Yi Meng had still not gone to explore the Coiling Dragon Stream.
But now that Yang Kai had declared he was going to enter it, she was naturally curious.
“Heh…” Yang Kai simply smirked and let out a sly laugh before directly descending into the canyon.
“That little…” Qiu Yi Meng grumbled but eventually didn’t chase after him.
Yang Kai clearly didn’t want her to follow him, so if she were to rashly try to tag along, it would only serve to annoy him.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had disappeared into the depths of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
“Apologies, Young Lady Qiu. My family’s Little Lord’s temperament seems to be a little terse.” Tang Yu Xian said with a light chuckle. She hadn’t known Yang Kai for more than a few days, but she was keenly aware that Yang Kai had many impressive points; things that his fellow peers didn’t possess.
Because of this, Tang Yu Xian was actually very optimistic about this Little Lord’s chances and immediately made an excuse for Yang Kai.
“It’s nothing.” Qiu Yi Meng replied in an off-handed manner.
Tu Feng looked at her thoughtfully and casually asked, “Are Young Lady Qiu and our Little Lord old friends?”
“Haha, I wouldn’t dare claim we’re ‘friends’.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly and slowly shook her head.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both couldn’t help feeling slightly surprised; Qiu Yi Meng, regardless of her identity or aptitude, was amongst the peak of her generation in the capital. The young lords of the Eight Great Families would all be proud to call her as a friend, but now she had intentionally humbled herself, even going so far as to say she wasn’t capable of calling herself Yang Kai’s friend. What exactly was this situation?
The bitterness and unwillingness in her smile was absolutely not false courtesy. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were naturally clear about this.
“You’ve probably also noticed how coldly he treats me.” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t shy away from things and instead stated the situation quite clearly, lightly saying, “Him and I, we’re just people who met by chance… nothing more!”
The two Blood Warriors immediately became curious, Tu Feng inquiring, “If possible, could Young Lady Qiu explain how you met one another? If it is inconvenient to say then simply treat it like I had never asked.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly before calming, and only after a long silence did she reply, “There’s nothing inconvenient. I had been in charge of the team that first came to High Heaven Pavilion to inquire about the new Demon Lord’s information, it was then that I met him and we became enemies. What happened that day, you most likely already know.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both nodded. High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master, together with four Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders engaged over a dozen Qiu Family, Bai Family, and Purple Fern Valley masters, but not only did they manage to escape safely, but they also injured several people. After that great battle, it became known that there was a supreme expert at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in High Heaven Pavilion.
“But what the rest of the world doesn’t know… is just how amazing this place is.”
“Amazing?” The two Blood Warriors couldn’t hide their surprise. For Qiu Yi Meng to make such a comment, it seems like there were still many details about that day that remained hidden.
“En, amazing. High Heaven Pavilion is an amazing Sect, and your Little Lord is also an amazing person!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled playfully.
Before that day, she had never thought that there was a way for one to connect two different locations more than ten thousand kilometres apart.
Nor had she dreamed that a young man from her generation, with a far lower cultivation than her own, could fight evenly with her.
It was also beyond her wildest imagination that someone could capture the heart of the Beguiling Demon Queen after only spending a single month with her.
If she were to speak objectively, Qiu Yi Meng believed herself to be a top-tier talent. If she was a man, she would surely become the next Patriarch of the Qiu Family! Unfortunately, the Heavens had made her a woman.
But even so, she didn’t dare to compare herself with Yang Kai.
The potential of this young man was terrifying. If he were to truly grow up, his achievements would far exceed those of the current masters!
Maybe, he could even create a new generation of legends!
“What exactly makes him so amazing?” Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes shimmered as she asked in anticipation.
“What exactly… Well, I don’t know how much I should say. If you want to know about it, you should ask Young Master Yang himself. If I say too much, he may really come to hate me… such a thankless endeavour, how could I willingly participate?”
“You…” The two Blood Warriors suddenly became disgruntled. Qiu Yi Meng had just stirred up their interest, only to not give them any satisfactory answers. This feeling of being stimulated and then let down was quite uncomfortable like a cat was clawing at their hearts.
If it were someone else who had spoken like this to them, the two Blood Warriors would have let her clearly experience the Yang Family’s information extraction methods, but since it was Qiu Yi Meng, there was really nothing more they could say.
Adjusting her appearance, Qiu Yi Meng solemnly continued, “Although it isn’t convenient for me to say too much, what I can tell you is that you should absolutely… absolutely… absolutely never underestimate your family’s Little Lord!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian nearly staggered upon hearing these words.
Qiu Yi Meng had used three ‘absolutely’ in a row, and the tone she spoke in was extremely dignified.
What did such a statement mean? This showed that the First Young Lady of the Qiu Family was very optimistic about Yang Kai! Enough so to throw her full support behind him.
“Anyone who looks down upon him will pay a heavy price!” Qiu Yi Meng’s smiled meaningfully as she let out a giggle.
Tu Feng’s mouth twitched slightly, suddenly feeling somewhat like he was dreaming.
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help furrowing her brow as she wondered why Qiu Yi Meng could make such a statement so confidently.
However, even if the two were suspicious, they also know Qiu Yi Meng would certainly not explain any further.
Facing such an impasse, the two simply nodded, “We’ll remember.”
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded slightly, seemingly casually asking, “For this time’s Yang Family Inheritance War, will the Blood Warriors be participating?”
Tu Feng smiled wryly, “We do not know at this point as there hasn’t been a clear announcement from the family.”
“If you do participate, if I were you, I would definitely choose to follow him!” Qiu Yi Meng said with a somber expression.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t show any change in expression but instead lightly replied, “Many thanks for Young Lady Qiu’s advice, if such a time comes to pass, we will consider it seriously.”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded once and then no longer spoke, knowing that no matter what she said, it would be also impossible to influence the thoughts of the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. At that time, if they had to choose who to follow, they would only rely on their own judgment to do so.
Her saying so much now wouldn’t play any big role in their decisions, at most, it would only make them anticipate Yang Kai’s upcoming performance.
At the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Kai stopped at the place where he had left Old Demon, but there were no traces of him to be found.
[That old devil must have left this place long ago, the soaring Evil Qi here has all been swallowed clean by him so he must have decided there was no point in remaining.]
Back then, Old Demon had said that he would come look for him after he finished absorbing the Demonic Qi here, but the events that had transpired before then were beyond both of their expectations.
The Qiu Family had arrived with a large number of masters, Su Yan and the others had flown ten thousand kilometer away through the Void Corridor, Yang Kai had been sent to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Whether it was him or Old Demon, neither of them could have predicted such startling changes.
Most likely, even if Old Demon really had the intention to find him, there would have been no clear direction for him to search.
If that was really the case, then Old Demon not having contacted him so far would be understandable.
But what if he had decided to betray him? Yang Kai wasn’t clear at all.
Closing his eyes, Yang Kai slowly let his Divine Sense sweep the surrounding area, and a moment later, his expression began to change, quickly turning to look at the side of the canyon.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it, there was nothing there to see, but under Yang Kai’s Divine Sense’s induction, he became keenly aware of something unusual.
In that spot, there was some trace of Demonic Qi left behind!
Focusing his sense towards the remnant Qi, an image slowly revealed itself.
Within the ripples of Demonic Qi, a blurry handwriting appeared on the grey canyon wall, and the message was clearly not very old, as if it had been written within the past few months.
With a glance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile.
Old Demon didn’t try to escape from him, if he had he wouldn’t have used such a discrete method to leave behind such a message here.
“Old Servant has already accomplished his task and has decided to go seek out Young Master. If Old Servant cannot find Young Master, he will return here after three months from the date of this message!”
This was clearly written by Old Demon for him. Old Demon must be planning to use three months to go out and inquire about Yang Kai’s information and would thus return here after that period of time.
Old Demon must have known that as long as Yang Kai was still alive, he would certainly come here to look for him.
This along was enough to prove that Old Demon was still loyal to him.
Smiling happily, Yang Kai drew a sword and wrote a line of text under the message.
“Central Capital, Yang Family Home!”
There was no need to say anything more, Old Demon only needed to see this and when he came back here.
After letting out a laugh, Yang Kai shot up like lightning towards his secluded cave.
Upon his return, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian cast an inquisitive gaze towards him.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure whether it was an illusion or not, but he somehow felt that these two were now observing him more carefully than before.
“Have you finished handling your business?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a slightly playful smile upon her lips.
“En.”
“Then what are your plans?”
Yang Kai grinned, proudly and confidently declared, “Head back to the Capital, and participate in the Inheritance War!”
Qiu Yi Meng slowly revealed an expression of such excitement before eagerly saying, “I also plan to head back. If you don’t mind, how about we travel together?”
Yang Kai gave a quick glance towards her before nonchalantly replying. “Do as you’d like!”
Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “Then I’ll be imposing on you.”
Yang Kai was puzzled by her remark, “Imposing on me?”
“You’ll know tomorrow,” Qiu Yi Meng said with a chuckle but didn’t answer and instead said, “Give me half a day, there’s still some things here I need to deal with. I’ll be ready to leave tomorrow morning.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded readily. Qiu Yi Meng had been here supervising the rebuilding of High Heaven Pavilion; naturally there would be issues she needed to resolve before she departed.
The next day, the group of people were ready to set out.
No one from High Heaven Pavilion came to see them off! Even the formerly arrogant Xie Hong Chen didn’t have the face to appear in front of Yang Kai and instead chose to silently preside over the reconstruction of the Sect.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai finally realized what Qiu Yi meant when she said she’d be imposing on him.
As the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle soared high above, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian each rode on a Cloud Treading Colt and stared towards Yang Kai awkwardly, but both of them smiled as if they were anticipating something.
Yang Kai frowned deeply as he glanced around, obviously somewhat depressed.
There were only three Cloud Treading Colts between them, the two Blood Warriors both rode one and Yang Kai rode the last, the question then was, which mount would Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man ride?
Tang Yu Xian could bring one with her, but the other?
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were both young girls and the road to the Central Capital was long and bumpy. No matter who they rode with, there was bound to be a certainly amount of physical contact.
“Xiao Man or I, you can choose yourself,” Qiu Yi Meng obviously understood this, grinning towards Yang Kai.
Her smile, while beautiful and captivating, seemed to contain many different emotions, teasing, anticipation, embarrassment, and so on.
Luo Xiao Man also realized the situation they were in and couldn’t help blushing bright red.
However, Yang Kai just snorted and said, “Yu Xian can take one, Tu Feng can carry the other, I’ll ride alone.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s smile quickly disappeared as she stared at Yang Kai, apparently not having thought he would reject such a great opportunity to be close to a beauty.
As for the two Blood Warriors, both of them couldn’t hide their surprise.
Tu Feng quickly coughed and commented, “I do not mind if the two young ladies have no objections.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly directed a glare towards him, causing Tu Feng to immediately stifle his words, a faint laugh taking its place.
“If so, I have a suggestion.” Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze quickly transferred back as she let out a giggle.
“What?”
“You and Tu Feng can ride together so that Xiao Man and I can have a mount to ourselves.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai resolutely refused. [Don’t screw with me! You want Tu Feng and I to ride a Cloud Treading Colt together?]
Qiu Yi Meng seemed to know that he would say so, so she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and then said, “Then you can ride together with Elder Sister Tang!”
Tang Yu Xian, who up to this point had been enjoying the role of bystander, suddenly blushed bright red upon hearing this suggestion. Since Yang Kai was one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords and she was a Yang Family’s Blood Warrior, if Yang Kai really insisted on sharing a Cloud Treading Colt with her, she would not refuse, but wouldn’t that be too awkward for her?
Suddenly, she was extremely nervous, for fear that Yang Kai would agree to Qiu Yi Meng’s suggestion.
“No!” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly feeling like the situation was more difficult than he had thought.
“There aren’t enough mounts, so we need to share, if you don’t agree with my suggestions then what do you propose?” Qiu Yi Meng casually said, maintaining her calm and composed smile, obviously she had already considered this issue yesterday.
Yang Kai remained silent for a long time but still couldn’t come up with a good idea.
“Hey, you’re a man aren’t you, make up your mind! Don’t make us sit here waiting all day for you.” Qiu Yi Meng urged.
Yang Kai ground his teeth for a moment longer before jumping up onto his Cloud Treading Colt and reaching out his hand.
Just as Qiu Yi Meng wore a victorious smile and was about to accept, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Luo Xiao Man, come up!”
The Qui Family’s Young Lady’s face cramped up on the spot before she stared blankly at Yang Kai, and a look of embarrassment flashed across her eyes, as she suddenly felt the urge to run up and slap Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Luo Xiao Man, like a frightened rabbit, recoiled sharply and hurriedly whimpered, “N.. n…no!”
Even she wasn’t quite sure why, but she deeply feared Yang Kai.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted impatiently, signalling to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian with his hand as he glanced back at the two young ladies.
“Haa…” Qiu Yi Meng let out an exasperated breath as she muttered under her breath, “How can you be so ruthless?”
“What ruthlessness are you talking about? If you don’t want to follow along with us you can find your own way back to the Central Capital. Just go hire a carriage or something.” Obviously Yang Kai really didn’t want to be entangled with her any further.
Qiu Yi Meng stared at him bitterly but quickly found that he wasn’t speaking in jest, letting out another sigh she turned to her side and said, “Xiao Man, go up.”
“I… I… I’m scared!” Luo Xiao Man whimpered as she burst into tears.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, he won’t bite you,” Qiu Yi Meng joked as she held Luo Xiao Man’s arms and, while the latter let out a pitiful cry, tossed her up behind Yang Kai before she mounted Tang Yu Xian’s Cloud Treading Colt.
“Hold on tight,” Yang Kai grumbled before rapidly urging his Cloud Treading Colt forward.
Helpless, Luo Xiao Man resigned herself to her situation and quickly wrapped her arms around Yang Kai, as her pretty face drained of all colour.
The entire party travelled forward in silence.
Qiu Yi Meng seemed quite angry and didn’t try to speak with Yang Kai again even when they stopped to rest. Luo Xiao Man on the other hand slowly relaxed after suffering silently for a whole day.
As the group galloped along the bumpy road, Yang Kai continuously felt two tremendously soft sensations press against his back. Experiencing this wondrous elasticity, he couldn’t help feeling his decision was correct.
[This little girl, Luo Xiao Man, she really has some capital, it’s fantastic!]
If he had chosen to take Qiu Yi Meng with him instead, he wouldn’t have been able to experience such enjoyment.
This discovery suddenly made him feel the trip back to the Central Capital wasn’t so bland.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian could also perceive the strained atmosphere lingering around their group, so they didn’t dare say much, as to not further the awkwardness of the situation. If not for the harsh wind, which whistled past their ears, there would be no sound at all.
Along the way, it seemed like the entire world had already become aware that the Yang Family was recalling their Young Lords and word of the Inheritance War was gradually spreading.
It was only a short while ago that the war between the righteous and evil Sects had broken, out and now the Yang Family was preparing to launch their Inheritance War, it seemed like this year the entire Great Han Dynasty was destined to be a restless.
The Inheritance War attracted the attention of millions of people.
Although the Yang Family’s Inheritance War ostensibly was about selecting its next Patriarch, but each time it happened it would inevitably involve a wide range of influences and many forces from across the dynasty would come to participate.
Those forces which participated would often send out their juniors to bear witness to the heritage and methods of the dynasty’s great families so that they could increase their experience and hone their skills.
On the other hand, it was also an opportunity to forge connections with the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families.
If these smaller influences could accurately judge the situation of these Yang Family Young Lords, there would no doubt be great benefits to them in the future.
In addition to the dynasty’s major forces, there were also many individual cultivators who would come to the Central Capital to seek their own opportunities.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and as such was a much-anticipated event. Some who took advantage of this opportunity would have a chance to leap over the Dragon Gate and became famous while others would only find themselves an early death.
Pros and cons coexist; the entire Inheritance War was a gamble.
Various forces and cultivators bet their lives hoping to secure their futures.
This war was the most important checkpoint for this generation’s Young Lords of the Yang Family.
Five days later.
After traveling some ten thousand kilometers the group was still some distance from the Central Capital.
When the three Cloud Treading Colt stopped for a rest, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly looked off into the distance, after a while saying, “The Lu Family’s home is near here, I’d like to make a detour there to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts.”
Then, turning to look at Yang Kai, she asked, “How about stopping there for a rest?”
When Yang Kai frowned and was about to refuse, Tang Yu Xian suddenly interjected, “Since it’s nearby, then we might as well take advantage of the opportunity, it shouldn’t delay us very long.”
Yang Kai looked at her suspiciously, not immediately understanding why she had made such a decision herself.
However, Tang Yu Xian simply smiled back and said, “The Lu Family seems to have ties to the Qiu Family, right?”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded, “Right, they’re one of our subordinate forces. Amongst the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, which family doesn’t have one or two such attached influences? Though the world is big, amongst the top forces there’s always some contact, the Lu Family and Qiu Family just happen to share a somewhat closer relationship, these years they’ve also come to visit my Qiu Family’s home quite frequently.”
Tang Yu Xian quickly followed up, “The Lu Family is also considered as a first-class family, Little Lord paying them a visit wouldn’t be inappropriate.”
Once she had mentioned the Lu Family’s status, Yang Kai immediately realized that Tang Yu Xian wanted to take the opportunity to win them over and see if they could become a boost to him in for the coming Inheritance War.
Even if he couldn’t draw them to his side, showing his face would still be a prudent move.
Although Yang Kai currently held the identity of a Yang Family Young Lord, but in the end that meant very little. A Yang Family Young Lord, who had no background or allies, was just a paper tiger even if he was somewhat stronger than his peers.
After realizing her intentions, Yang Kai no longer refused, “Good, this Lu Family can also be said to have some small influence, it wouldn’t be polite not to at least pay them a visit.”
Qiu Yi Meng scoffed lightly at Yang Kai’s dismissive response but didn’t haggle over the matter.
The Lu Family wasn’t originally a first-class family, but because of its close ties to the Qiu Family, after receiving such a great power’s assistance, it gradually became stronger, leading to it accumulating more Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, until finally it had been promoted.
This was something which had only happened in recent years.
In reality though, the Lu Family could only be ranked amongst the lower end of the dynasty’s first-class forces.
After being acknowledged as a first-class family though, the two nearby third-class forces had no choice but to submit to the Lu Family.
Lu Liang, the Lu Family’s current Patriarch, didn’t possess great strength, only achieving Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation, but as a Patriarch, individual strength wasn’t the most important requirement. His talents in communication and management were the biggest reasons for the Lu Family’s current prosperity.
It was also because of his persistent visits and overtures to the Qiu Family that the Lu Family had managed to win their favour.
When Yang Kai’s group arrived at the Lu Family’s compound, the guards immediately realized that their status was extraordinary and thus quickly came forward to respectfully greet them.
These Lu Family guards naturally had some vision so upon recognizing the Cloud Treading Colts, Monster Beasts that could only be bred by first-class forces; they immediately knew that Yang Kai was by no means an unimportant person.
After Qiu Yi Meng reported her identity and name, the guards immediately bowed respectfully to her, one of them hurriedly rushed into the compound, most likely to inform the leaders of the Lu Family.
The Lu Family home had many manors within its grounds, along with a number of pavilions, lakes, bridges, gardens and fields, giving one a refreshing impression.
The buildings weren’t grand, but were exquisitely built, refined and elegant.
Qiu Yi Meng led the way, Luo Xiao Man stood alongside her while Yang Kai followed behind them, and the two Blood Warriors brought up the rear.
As they walked forward, Yang Kai also glanced around appreciatively at the various sights.
Soon after Yang Kai’s group’s arrival, a number of people hurried over to greet them, one of them being the Lu Family’s Patriarch, Lu Liang.
Lu Liang wore long cyan robes and had a well-trimmed moustache that gave him a refined appearance; however, his narrow pair of eyes always seemed to be emitting a piercing light.
The first impression one would have of him was ‘shrewd’, and the second impression only reinforced that assessment.
As he walked out from inside the main hall, he wore a welcoming smile as he laughed loudly, before quickly coming before Qiu Yi Meng and bowing politely, “Young Lady Qiu, you honour my Lu Family with your visit!”
Although he was the head of a first-class family, the Lu Family was essentially a subordinate of the Qiu Family. So with Qiu Yi Meng’s status, it was only natural for Lu Liang to greet her so respectfully.
Moreover, it had always been Lu Liang who would visit to Qiu Family in the Central Capital, but now, for the first time, a member of the Qiu Family had actually come to visit. Lu Liang was naturally excited about such an event.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly wore a perfect smile as she nodded, “Uncle Lu is too polite. My companions and I happened to be passing by here and thought to stop over for a rest, I hope we’re not bothering you, are we?”
Lu Liang hastily waved his hand in reply, “Inconvenience, nonsense! The First Young Lady is more than welcome! Having Young Lady Qiu visit is my Lu Family’s privilege. The Lu Family will extend the warmest welcome to the young lady and her honoured guests.”
Qiu Yi Meng calling him Uncle had already made Lu Liang more than happy. All those years he had been running around the Central Capital was specifically to curry favour with the Qiu Family, and now it seemed his efforts had paid off.
With just a few words, the relationship between the two families had been pulled closer so the Lu Family Elders behind Lu Liang were naturally all smiling and bowing.
After exchanging these pleasantries, Lu Liang’s gaze shifted to the two Blood Warriors, his vision becoming slightly dignified as he swept his eyes past Yang Kai, asking, “Great Niece, this Young Lord is…”
Lu Liang’s wit was impeccably sharp so naturally he understood with one glance that Yang Kai’s identity was not low, otherwise, he would not be followed by two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled but didn’t speak a word and instead pointing upwards with her delicate finger.
At that exact moment, a golden feathered eagle flew past, drawing the attention of all the Lu Family masters; upon seeing this Monster Beast, Lu Liang understood just who Yang Kai was.
Returning his gaze to the youth before him, he quickly cupped his fists and greeted, “So it is Young Master Yang!”
“En, Lu Family Master.” Yang Kai stared back indifferently and greeted him.
The other Lu Family Elders were stunned as they secretly began to survey Yang Kai.
The Yang Family recalling its scattered Young Masters and the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles spreading out throughout the Great Han Dynasty, while the Blood Warrior masters followed close behind. How could such a major event not be known by the Lu Family?
However, they hadn’t expected that they would actually meet a Yang Family Young Lord at this time!
After careful examination, the young man in front of him appeared shockingly calm, with a firm and indifferent expression. Although he couldn’t see any special place, he was no doubt the Young Lord of a great family, and knowing that family was the world famous Yang Family, it was obvious he wasn’t ordinary.
Lu Liang laughed again before gesturing towards the pavilion behind him, “Great Niece, Young Master Yang, please come inside!”
While escorting these newcomers, Lu Liang quickly signaled to the others behind him, “Prepare the best food and drink, my Lu Family has the privilege of entertaining two distinguished guests today, we cannot show any neglect.”
“Yes!”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly and pulled Luo Xiao Man along with her. Yang Kai also didn’t hesitate to follow.
Inside the Lu Family’s main hall, a variety of delicacies were spread out atop a grand banquet table. There were a variety of rare fruits and sumptuous dishes all accompanied by flagons of fine wines served by the pretty maids.
The atmosphere in the hall was warm and the crowd cheerfully toasted one another.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were both women, naturally, they didn’t drink alcohol. Lu Liang apparently had anticipated this and had specifically prepared a fine fruit juice which was both fragrant and flavorful, yet would not make them drunk.
The two women also seemed to enjoy this drink.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s identity was somewhat special so although he was a man, no one dared to force him to drink too much. When the many Elders of the Lu Family proposed toasts, they would not mind if Yang Kai only took a sip from his cup.
Tang Yu Xian’s treatment was the same as that of Qiu Yi Meng Luo Xiao Man.
Only one person, Tu Feng, downed his drink proudly.
As a Blood Warrior of the Yang Family, his status wasn’t low even in front of these Lu Family Elders.
In response, the Lu Family’s Elders all frequently raised their glasses to Tu Feng.
Tu Feng sat next to Yang Kai with no intention of moving, but if someone came up to toast him, he would generously accept, making the scene more and more lively.
These members of the Lu Family were all considered overlords in this area, but in front of a Yang Family Blood Warrior, their status was nothing worth mentioning, so naturally their attitudes and gestures were extremely deferential.
In the past, they had only heard rumours about the Yang Family Blood Warriors but had never seen one with their own eyes. Now two of them had actually arrived at their family home, so naturally they wouldn’t let the opportunity to socialize with them go easily.
Lu Liang’s reputation as an eloquent host wasn’t undeserved, his conversation and oratory skills were outstanding, and although he frequently spoke words of praise, none of it sounded false or forced, allowing anyone who heard such overtures to feel comfortable and flattered.
After three rounds of drinks, everyone was quite surprised to find that Yang Kai didn’t carry the usual overbearing arrogance normally associated with young lords of his age. He treated everyone equally, not shunning or despising them due to the difference in status, but on the contrary, this only made the Lu Family members more confused.
Had Qiu Yi Meng not specifically stated that Yang Kai was a Young Lord of the Yang Family, and if it weren’t for the existence of the two Blood Warriors, Lu Liang would find it hard to believe that he was really who he claimed to be.
“Uncle Lu, it has been a long journey here, Xiao Man and I will take our leave here. Please excuse us!” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly said, as if she wasn’t interested in remaining any longer, and promptly stood up and walked towards the exit.
“Good!” Lu Liang hurriedly said, and immediately signalled to two pretty servants by waving, “Escort the two young ladies to their rooms to rest!”
“Yes!”
After Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had been led away, the banquet continued.
One of the Lu Family Elders suddenly let out a deep laugh and asked, “Patriarch, just drinking like this is somewhat tasteless. How about we add some entertainment?”
Lu Liang nodded slightly and agreed, “Indeed, it seems I’ve been negligent.”
As he spoke so, he clapped his hands loudly.
Immediately afterwards, a group of young women in exotic dress entered the hall and began singing and dancing.
Obviously, they had been waiting outside in anticipation of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man leaving early.
All of these women were born enchanting flowers, their bodies covered with thin layers of semi-transparent fabric, their delicate navels, white arms, and slender legs all exposed to the air.
Drums and gongs were heard all around, accompanying an array of flutes and strings.
These young women sang and danced gracefully, their voices complimented by the rhythmic background music. All of them wore enchanting smiles as their waists twisted enchantingly, as they beckoned and teased with their jadelike hands.
An alluring mixture of grace and charm was on full display, forming a picture that was difficult to turn one’s eyes away from.
These women also kept brushing past Yang Kai and others as they sat, each of them throwing coquettish looks mixed with a hint of shyness, inviting one’s imagination to wander.
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help frowning.
Although she wasn’t exactly happy with this display, she also understood Lu Liang’s intentions. She was also quietly observing Yang Kai’s reactions.
Tu Feng, on the other hand, watched unashamedly, the long scar across his face seemed to become more ferocious.
On the contrary, Yang Kai remained indifferent. Although his eyes seemed to be admiring the view before him as he glanced back and forth across these women, but there was no obscene light to be seen, only an aloof appreciation. Even when these young women danced right in front of him or rushed up to him and showed him favour, his reaction was still calm and temperate.
Seeing this, everyone else in the room couldn’t help feeling some surprise.
The youth, especially young men, having a liking for this kind of thing was basically a given. Amongst the Lu Family Elders who sat here, which one of them hadn’t once been young and frivolous? When they had been Yang Kai’s age, all of them indulged in fantasies about bedding the world’s various beauties and tasting their enchanting flavours.
Only when they had grown older did their mentalities change, instead focusing on pursuing other, loftier ambitions.
Lu Liang also intended to take this opportunity to explore Yang Kai’s preferences, to see which type of woman could attract his attention.
Little did he think that, in the face of this blatant temptation, this young man actually remained completely indifferent, not showing the slightest bit of care.
[This Yang Family Young Lord is unusual!]
Faced with such enticement yet being able to control his desires to such an extent, the firmness of this young man’s will was definitely amazing. As long as he could maintain such a strong mentality, his future accomplishments would certainly not be small.
In an instant, these thoughts flashed through Lu Liang’s head, making him secretly nod in satisfaction.
Tang Yu Xian also nodded appreciatively.
She had lived in the Central Capital year in and year out; naturally, she understood the disposition of these young lords. Most of them made no effort to disguise their intentions. Not to mention the capital’s young ladies, some of these young lords had even shown interest towards her, causing no small annoyance to her.
In contrast, Yang Kai’s current performance undoubtedly made Tang Yu Xian very happy.
Unbeknownst to these people, although these women were all beautiful, if one were to speak of beauties Yang Kai had seen, how could these young girls compare to the likes of Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, or the Hu Sisters?
In addition, having been plagued by the side effects of the Joyous Unification Art for many years, Yang Kai had long ago learned to ignore the temptations of such flowers.
In this world, unless Shan Qing Luo personally came forward to tempt him, it was unlikely that anyone could successfully enchant Yang Kai against his will.
These sultry little girls with their flirtatious glances and provocative dances were nothing more than a spring breeze to Yang Kai.
Not long after they had begun, Lu Liang casually waved to these young women who then respectfully withdrew.
As they were leaving the hall, many of them cast glances towards Yang Kai, seeming to understand that this young man’s status was unordinary. If they could somehow win his favour, they could leap from their current position and soar into the sky as phoenixes, no longer being lowly dancers in the Lu Family.
Lu Liang laughed upon seeing these attitudes, “These women were all children of poor or impoverished families in our domain. They were adopted and raised by my Lu Family; all of them are pure white jades, only when guests or great importance arrive will they come forward to dance. Would Young Master Yang be interested in receiving one or two? Having a few beautiful flowers to accompany you will certainly make the upcoming Inheritance War more pleasant.
However, Yang Kai simply smiled lightly and slowly shook his head.
In Lu Liang’s slender eyes, a light quickly flashed as he noticed Yang Kai was not putting on an act but really had no interest in these women.
If he was even casually interested, Yang Kai would only need to nod his head here and Lu Liang would definitely arrange it.
Another senior member of the Lu Family spoke up here in a timely manner, “Speaking of the Inheritance War, this old master can’t help remembering back to the battles twenty years ago, that Inheritance War was particularly fierce.”
“En,” another Elder echoed, “How many giants fell, how many families disappeared! It was a pity that my Lu Family was not strong enough to participate at the time, truly a pity.”
The Yang Family Inheritance War was about to unfold, and the various Yang Family Young Lords would surely be making a huge effort to win over supporters to help them win.
At this time, Qiu Yi Meng had intentionally brought Yang Kai to the Lu Family. Although he didn’t say anything, Lu Liang also knew that this was likely an opportunity.
Twenty years ago, the Lu Family was a small influence that could barely be called a local tyrant. Naturally, they didn’t qualify to participate in the Inheritance War.
But now, the Lu Family had grown into a first-class giant!
People seek greater heights just as water flows to the sea! How could the Lu Family pass up a chance to step onto a broader stage?
They had already attached themselves to the great tree known as the Qiu Family, if they could possibly forge a good relationship with the Yang Family, then the Lu Family’s future would be secured.
However, grabbing hold of the Yang Family’s thighs wasn’t that simple.
The Yang Family was a giant beast, and its Patriarch was its head!
Every time the Patriarch changed, it would always cause a lot of turbulence. Lu Liang was eager to participate in this Inheritance War but he had no way of knowing if Yang Kai had the qualifications and strength to win.
If the Lu Family threw their support behind Yang Kai only to see him lose the Inheritance War, this single failure would wipe out all of the Lu Family’s several years of hard work.
Lu Liang had to act prudently, this was something all the Lu Family Elders clearly understood.
The consequences of backing the wrong side were no joke! This was related to the future of their family.
The topic of the Inheritance War was gradually brought up by all the members of the Lu Family whether it was consciously or unconsciously, and all of them continued reflecting on the events from twenty years ago as they quietly observed Yang Kai’s reaction.
However, to their disappointment, Yang Kai didn’t seem interested in these things at all, and instead he just savored the various fruits and dishes before him while casually listening or showing an indifferent expression.
Due to his nonchalant attitude, the Lu Family Elders couldn’t understand what Yang Kai was thinking.
Slowly, the conversation drifted towards the current state of affairs.
Because the majority of the Yang Family’s Young Lords had yet to completely surface, no one knew what kind gains these Young Lords had made over the course of their outside experience.
But now that there was a genuine Yang Family Young Lord in front of him, Lu Liang was naturally interested in listening to Yang Kai’s strengths and connections.
Knowing that it was improper to bluntly ask about such details though, Lu Liang instead decided to ask several casual questions, but before he could get started, Yang Kai had already lazily stretched his back and yawned.
Seeing this, Lu Liang could only swallow back the questions he had.
“Is Young Lord tired?” Tang Yu Xian asked softly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Somewhat.”
Lu Liang’s eyes flickered before a smile appeared on his face, “Since Young Master Yang is weary from his travels, we will end things here for today. Come! bring Young Master Yang to his chambers!”
Yang Kai didn’t refuse, slowly getting up and nodding to the crowd, “If so, then I’ll take my leave.”
“Young Master Yang is too polite!” Lu Liang chuckled.
After draining what was left in their glasses, Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors departed as the Lu Family Elders looked on.
They had all thought that Yang Kai wanted to draw in the Lu Family so they had all made some mental preparations, each of them observing Yang Kai’s mannerisms carefully until just now. Lu Liang was even thinking that if Yang Kai didn’t bring up the subject himself, he wouldn’t say anything directly either. If he was to be rebuffed here, wouldn’t he lose too much face?
After all, he didn’t know anything about Yang Kai, naturally it was impossible to rush into becoming his allies.
It had never occurred to Lu Liang though that this Young Master Yang would not even mention anything about the Inheritance War and simply leave.
This was beyond everyone’s expectations.
“Patriarch!” A Lu Family Elder frowned awkwardly as he inquired, “It couldn’t be that he really came here just to rest?”
“It shouldn’t be.” Lu Liang mused for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “He must certainly have thoughts about recruiting us. Although he appeared very indifferent, I could still feel it.”
“Then why did he not show any intentions?” The man coldly snorted, “Is he not confident enough?”
Many people also agreed with this idea, nodding their heads lightly. If not for a lack of self-confidence, why would Yang Kai not even bring up the subject? At the very least, didn’t he plan to show off some of his strength in order to appeal to them?
“If that’s the case, my Lu Family shouldn’t put too much hope on him. Knowing that an alliance will fail, why bother wasting our resources?”
All of them had held great expectations for Yang Kai but now these hopes had greatly diminished.
Lu Liang on the other hand furrowed his brow, his eyes flashing a cunning light as a grin appeared on his face, “Rather than him not feeling confident, how is it that I feel he is examining our Lu Family instead?”
“Ah?” Everyone’s expressions suddenly cramped, “Him, evaluate our Lu Family? Does he have the qualification to do that?”
Even if he was a Young Lord of the Yang Family and could participate in the Inheritance War, he was not a master yet. What right did he have to pass judgement on the Lu Family?
Lu Liang simply chuckled though, “Have you forgotten? In the Inheritance War, it is not only we who are choosing a Young Lord of the Yang Family, but also they who are choosing us. Do you think that since we’re a first-class family, he should come grovelling to us to win us over?”
The Lu Family Elders paused for a moment before laughing wryly.
Someone quickly saying, “Patriarch doesn’t need to speak so harshly, we didn’t mean to say that much, right?”
“Good, good, although there is some truth to what Patriarch has said, doesn’t that little brat think too much of himself? Are his eyes fixed atop his head?”
Regardless of anything else, the Lu Family was also a first-class family and could provide Yang Kai with no small amount of help. Whether it was manpower, materials, or other aspects they couldn’t be considered weak. Wouldn’t it be Yang Kai’s good fortune to be able to recruit them into his camp?
Lu Liang glanced around before solemnly saying, “If my guess is right, this Young Master Yang… is not simple.”
After saying as such, everyone slowly pondered over the matter.
Even with the opportunity to win over a first-class family before him, he didn’t behave eagerly and seemed to be considering his situation first. If it wasn’t that he lacked confidence, then that meant that in his eyes, recruiting the Lu Family didn’t matter to him very much, or else he wouldn’t have to display such an indifferent attitude.
If he was really eager to lure in the Lu Family, his performance would have been different.
As such thoughts crossed his mind, Lu Liang increasingly felt that his guess was correct.
His expression became serious, and Lu Liang quietly said, “I don’t know how many days this Young Master Yang will stay in my Lu Family, but in any case, when you see him again, don’t bring up the Inheritance War and don’t display an overly anxious stance.”
Pausing for a moment, he then nodded and stood, “I’ll visit Young Lady Qiu to inquire about the situation first.”
As someone who she brought personally, surely Qiu Yi Meng would know something about this young master, right?
The rest of the Elders nodded. Lu Liang may not be the strongest amongst this group of people, but his prestige was absolutely the highest. In these years it was under his leadership, the Lu Family had flourished. His vision and methods were obvious to all.
Behind the Lu Family’s manor, in a spacious courtyard.
Yang Kai crossed his hands behind his back and stared off thoughtfully in one direction.
Whilst in the midst of this trance, Tang Yu Xian opened her mouth and asked, “Little Lord, why did you act like that? Those people might have misunderstood your intentions. Don’t you want to win over the Lu Family?”
Yang Kai turned to her and smiled indifferently, “If I said I don’t, would you believe me?”
Tang Yu Xian grinned mischievously and slowly shook her head.
If he really didn’t want to, he wouldn’t have agreed to with Qiu Yi Meng to come here. Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man came here because they wanted to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts, but Yang Kai could have simply parted with them and headed straight towards the Central Capital.
Since he agreed to come here, this Little Lord of hers must have a reason.
“Actually, I don’t really care about winning them over.” Yang Kai smiled temperately and shook his head, “Believe what you like!”
Tang Yu Xian suddenly looked suspiciously towards Yang Kai, seemingly wanting to see through his heart, but Yang Kai remained indifferent, without showing the slightest trace of lying.
Tu Feng’s brow also slightly moved as he stared at Yang Kai strangely.
In his situation, the more favour he could win, the more help he would have in the future, and right now was a great opportunity to increase his influence. If Yang Kai could demonstrate enough means and strength to convince the Lu Family, they would surely move closer to him.
Did he really have no intentions to do so?
“I don’t have any friendship with the Lu Family. If they help me, it will only be because of their own interests. I don’t like such relationships!” Yang Kai said softly. “Even if I can win them over now, when the situation becomes dangerous or disadvantageous to them, they’ll inevitably choose to abandon me. I only want allies who will stand firmly beside me no matter how bad things become or how hopeless the situation may seem.”
The two Blood Warriors both gawked for a moment before looking at Yang Kai slyly, seemingly thinking that this Little Lord of theirs was a little naive.
Everyone in this world scurried about desperately for the sake of profit and benefits, if there wasn’t anything for them to gain, who would be willing to share troubles and tribulations with you?
“You don’t believe such people exist?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully towards the two Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian can’t help but lightly cough, not knowing how to respond.
“There will be, you’ll see.”
Tang Yu Xian froze, unable to understand where Yang Kai confidence came from, but seeing his resolute and unwavering attitude somewhat touched her, so she soon wore a warm smile, “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
Tu Feng also laughed, “Good, right now, if the Little Lord truly expresses the idea of wooing them, the Lu Family will only be polite but insincere, and definitely won’t take a firm position. Such a result is as good as not doing anything in the first place.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded. “The Lu Family wants to know my background. I can see this too. Now, anything they say or do is just their probing for information. Before the situation is clear, it’s impossible for them to take a stand.”
The situation right now was naturally unclear. No one knew who all the Yang Family Young Lords were or what their strengths and statuses were like.
However, if you wanted to make a good friend, you must do so when he is small and weak. After he becomes strong, trying to befriend him will obviously not have the same effect.
Adding flowers to a bouquet is never as good as delivering charcoal in the winter.
“Well, although I’m not too interested in recruiting this Lu Family, the Lu Family definitely has something that makes me very interested, heh!” Yang Kai laughed mischievously.
“Em? What?” Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian asked curiously.
“I don’t know. Yet.” Yang Kai said flatly before turning around and walking into his room.
The two Blood Warriors couldn’t help being dazed.
There were obviously many things in this world that could arouse one’s interest, but Yang Kai didn’t know what that something was, so how could he know he was interested in it?
Seeing Yang Kai enter the house to rest directly, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both laughed wryly to one another, feeling more and more like they were unable to see through their Little Lord.
When Yang Kai was speaking with the two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, who had just finished their baths, had not yet had time to rest when a Lu Family maid came over to speak with them, “Young Lady Qiu, Patriarch Liang wishes to know if you have time to speak with him now?”
Qiu Yi Meng wiped her wet hair as her eyes flashed, immediately understanding what Lu Liang’s intentions were causing her brow to furrow slightly, “Good, please ask him to come.”
“Yes!” The maid respectfully retreated, and after a short while, Lu Liang walked in.
Smiling warmly, Lu Liang politely said, “First Young Lady, my Lu Family is not as splendid as the Qiu Family, therefore these accommodations are somewhat simple, please forgive me for this.”
Although this was a private meeting, Lu Liang did not dare to refer to her as a Great Niece any more. It was enough for him to call her so once or twice if he persisted in doing so it would inevitably incur the other party’s disfavour.
Lu Liang’s meticulous thoughts and sharp instincts made it impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly and said, “For Uncle Lu to so anxiously seek a meeting with me, it seems you must want information about Yang Kai quite badly, no?”
Seeing her cut straight to the point, Lu Liang didn’t show much of a surprised reaction, instead carefully replying, “En, the world’s situation right now is quite complicated and chaotic, how my Lu Family should act in these times is also uncertain. This one humbly asks the First Young Lady to express her opinion!”
As he spoke, he cupped his fists respectfully, his expression completely serious.
Qiu Yi Meng grinned, sat down at the table and casually asked, “Are you wondering why I brought him to your Lu Family, whether this move was meant as a suggestion to you?”
“First Young Lady is wise, this Elder really thinks so,” Lu Liang frankly admitted. The Lu Family rising to its current height was almost entirely due to it attaching itself to the Qiu Family, it could even be said that the Qiu Family was the Lu Family’s greatest benefactor.
Now, at this sensitive time, Qiu Yi Meng had brought Yang Kai to visit the Lu Family; Lu Liang naturally felt there was more to this than meets the eye.
Perhaps Qiu Yi Meng was optimistic about Yang Kai, so she had brought him here to win over the Lu Family, simultaneously this offered the Lu Family an opportunity to catch hold of Yang Kai.
Was this her way of soft selling?
If so, wouldn’t Qiu Yi Meng know more details about Yang Kai?
All kinds of speculations swirled through Lu Liang’s mind as he pondered over today’s sudden events.
Qiu Yi Meng, however, said, “There’s nothing wrong with you thinking so. I know you’re thoughts are meticulous, but I can tell you this, my bringing him here is not meant as a suggestion to you.”
“It’s not?” Lu Liang couldn’t help feeling surprised.
“No!” Qiu Yi Meng slightly bowed her head, a tinge of anger flashing across her eyes, “My purpose in coming to your Lu Family is merely to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts!”
“Ah…” Lu Liang was stunned and suddenly felt a slight headache coming on thinking that Qiu Yi Meng had only come to his Lu Family because of such a reason.
Quickly composing himself, Lu Liang nodded, “The Cloud Treading Colts that the First Young Lady wants will be ready by tomorrow.”
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded lightly.
Lu Liang opened his mouth to continue but suddenly hesitated to speak. Qiu Yi Meng knew what he wanted to ask so before he could follow up she said on her own initiative, “I don’t know what kind of connections he has, but I don’t dare underestimate him. He can often achieve remarkable and miraculous things, it is truly amazing.”
Lu Liang couldn’t help trembling.
This kind of assessment from Qiu Yi Meng really carried some weight.
Regardless of Yang Kai’s background and allies, it was not difficult to infer from the words Young Lady Qiu that his personal abilities were undoubtedly peerless!
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly grits her teeth, as anger resurfaced on her pretty face, and muttered under her breath, “Also, he’s someone who must seek vengeance for even the slightest grievance!”
Hearing Qiu Yi Meng’s tone, Lu Liang’s neck shrank. He didn’t know how she had offended Yang Kai before, but it looked as if she had suffered quite a lot at his hands.
All he could do in this situation was stare straight ahead and pretend he had heard nothing.
“It seems like he only does things according to his preferences. For anyone, whether their intentions are good or bad, he’s difficult to handle! If you don’t plan on making friends with him, I only have one piece of advice for you!” Qiu Yi Meng grinned knowingly.
“Please advise this one, First Young Lady!” Lu Liang hastily said.
“Absolutely don’t become enemies with him!”
Lu Liang stared at her for a moment before solemnly replied, “This one will remember Young Lady Qiu’s words.”
“En, that’s all I have to say.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded, truly not offering any further insights.
Understanding that she was signalling for him to leave, Lu Liang naturally bowed and turned to leave.
But just as he reached the door, Qiu Yi Meng said, “If you really want to gamble on the Inheritance War, you have to step up now, the sooner you move closer to one of these Young Lords, the better your future benefits will be!”
Lu Liang agreed and nodded, suddenly inquiring, “What about Young Lady Qiu? What side will you be standing on?”
In the Inheritance War, the other seven great families of the Central Capital would also participate; the Qiu Family was naturally not an exception. As the leader of the Qiu Family’s younger generation, Qiu Yi Meng would definitely take part, possibly even serving as the leader of her family’s participants.
“You don’t need to have any ideas about me, the Lu Family’s future and destiny are completely in your own hands. Which of the Yang Family’s Young Lords you stand with is a decision you must make yourself. Success and failure will all be determined by your own choices.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled temperately.
Lu Liang was a little disappointed. He knew that Qiu Yi Meng was saying so because she did not want to be responsible for whatever consequences may come.
The conversation over, Lu Liang swiftly departed.
The next day, at dawn.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian woke early and left their respective rooms only to spot Yang Kai slowly executing a set of forms as he faced towards the rising sun.
His movements were slow but meticulous, and his expression was solemn and serious.
“It seems the Little Lord likes getting an early start.” Tang Yu Xian smiled.
“Young people are always full of vitality, it’s a good thing.” Tu Feng also grinned.
“However, it seems like the forms the Little Lord is practising aren’t anything special. They seem more like they’d be good for ordinary people to use in order to temper themselves, especially the elderly.” Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help laughing as she covered her mouth.
Tu Feng couldn’t help turning his eyes to stare at her, signalling her not to say any more.
Although he also disagreed with Yang Kai’s current method of practice, but after all, he was still a Yang Family Young Lord, so how could they as Blood Warriors say such things behind his back?
If the Little Lord liked practicing as such, then there was no reason to stop him, even if he was just playing around, it’s not like he was doing anything dangerous.
Soon after though, Tu Feng’s brow suddenly furrowed, whispering quietly, “Something’s odd!”
“Hm?” Tang Yu Xian asked hurriedly.
“Look closer.” Tu Feng’s expression became serious as he and Tang Yu Xian carefully stared at Yang Kai’s actions.
Suddenly, Tang Yu Xian’s pupils contracted.
She quickly discovered that Yang Kai’s muscles seemed to be extremely stressed and the ground around his feet was soaking wet, clearly because he had sweat a tremendous amount.
Facing the sun rising in the east, Tang Yu Xian clearly saw atop Yang Kai’s face, on his forehead, drops of crystal beads quickly dripping down his skin.
The slow punching movements he was executing seemed to put an extremely heavy load on him, each step he took even caused the ground beneath him to tremble.
[This is….]
These were all clearly sights that could be seen when someone was under overwhelming pressure.
However, what Yang Kai was currently practicing was just a set of seemingly ordinary stances, Tang Yu Xian had even commented that it seemed suitable for the elderly to use as exercise. How could these movements be causing him such strain?
After observing for a while, the two Blood Warriors had to admit that right now Yang Kai seemed to be enduring an overbearing pressure. Inside his toned physique, there seemed to be a devastating force; however, this force seemed to be constrained by an invisible strength, literally suppressing the force within his body.
Rather, the explosive force within Yang Kai seemed to be fighting against this external pressure, maintaining a kind of odd balance inside and outside his body.
But, what exactly was this pressure?
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both deeply surprised by the scene before them. Inevitably, both of them released their Divine Senses in order to examine Yang Kai’s condition more closely, so they closed their eyes and concentrated their senses.
Faintly nosing the aura surrounding Yang Kai as he slowly wielded his fists, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian gradually incorporated their senses into Yang Kai’s surroundings.
With each action he took, the pair slowly observed a mysterious harmony in his movement.
All of a sudden, the pair’s Divine Senses harmonized with Yang Kai’s aura!
*Hong…*
Immediately, a feeling like the sky collapsing atop their heads appeared, like the Heavens themselves were trying to crush them.
*Bang…*
A loud burst of noise sounded as the ground the two Blood Warriors sunk.
A web of cracks spread out in all directions from where they stood.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s eyes shot open at the same time, and their faces cringed as horror flashed across their faces. The pair’s True Qi instinctively circulated like mad, desperately trying to resist this crushing pressure.
But the two Blood Warriors didn’t anticipate that the terrifying pressure they had just felt would instantly disappear once they took back their Divine Senses.
Bursting forth at full strength, but lost the object it was meant to resist, the pair’s True Qi directly exploded within their bodies.
Two loud bangs erupted as both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian paled and staggered back several steps unsteadily.
*Wa…*
The two immediately vomited a mouthful of blood at the same time before finally steadying themselves.
Yang Kai stopped his practice and frowned as he turned his head towards this disturbance.
While he was cultivating his Tempered Body Record, he also realized that the two Blood Warriors were behind him and could also feel that they had released their Divine Senses to observe him; however, Yang Kai hadn’t expected such adverse consequences to arise from their actions.
No one had ever observed him using their Divine Sense while he was cultivating this technique and as a result experienced the pressure he was under.
Because of their instinctual responses, the two Blood Warriors had suffered a loss.
Hurriedly lowering his stance, Yang Kai quickly walked over to the pair and asked, “Are you alright?”
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s eyes trembled lightly, not having the mind to inspect their own injuries, but instead stared at Yang Kai as if they were seeing some kind of monster.
That pressure they had just felt was definitely real.
With both of them having experienced it, how could it be fake?
But under such terrible strain, enough to even make them unable to resist, how exactly did the Little Lord withstand it?
Given his cultivation, his body should have long ago been crushed into dust. But instead…? The two of them were both high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters yet only by contacting this pressure they had wounded themselves.
If this matter was leaked out, wouldn’t they be laughed at by the other Blood Warriors?
For a long time, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were too shocked and embarrassed to speak.
But above all else, the two of them kept asking one question to themselves over and over again: How did the Little Lord survive under that pressure?