Tao Yang didn’t hold any hope, he was just afraid of angering this master, so he only pretends to be open-minded.
But after talking to him for a while, Tao Yang’s expression slowly became solemn. He found that this middle-aged man really hadn’t specialized in Artifact Refining and it was very likely that he rarely did any Artifact Refining himself, but he indeed possessed some mastery in the subject. This Senior’s knowledge of Artifact Refining techniques far exceeded his own understanding and insights. The many things he spoke about were completely unheard of and were beyond this world’s current Artifact Refining standards.
It didn’t take long for Tao Yang’s solemn emmxpression to become one of shock. Even Wu Yan, who had formerly disdained to participate in this conversation, began listening in.
After half an hour, Wu Yan finally couldn’t help but get involved. He put forward his own opinions on the issues of Artifact Refining while discussing and debating ideas with Senior De…
War City, inside Yang Kai and his Little Senior Sister’s room, Yang Kai let out a long breath and the bone shield in his hands finally turned into a stream of light, disappearing into his body.
Refining a Mysterious Grade artifact had taken Yang Kai a full five days, and even this was only achievable with his extremely pure True Yang Yuan Qi. If someone else at his cultivation level wanted to refine this Mysterious Grade artifact, without ten days to a half month, it would be fundamentally impossible.
As soon as the the bone shield entered his body, Yang Kai understood its structure and functions and after a moment of contemplation, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
A Mysterious Grade artifact was really out of the ordinary. The role it could play was not small, if used properly, it could turn the tide of a battle.
Yang Kai naturally had his reasons for refining this bone shield and not the ice mirror or small sword.
The grade of the ice mirror was higher than that of the bone shield, so the time it would take to refine would be much longer. As for the small sword, it was a Soul type artifact and Yang Kai was conscious of the fact that although his Divine Sense was powerful, without a Knowledge Sea, he would find this artifact difficult to refine.
Therefore the bone shield became the natural first choice.
When the bone shield entered his body, the innate technique of this Mysterious Grade artifact became known to Yang Kai. On top of that, his True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation had been fully consolidated.
Yang Kai estimated that if he were to refine the ice mirror now he could immediately break through to the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage!
As one’s strength increased, if they wanted to break through to the next realm it wasn’t enough to simply accumulate True Qi, it was just as, if not more important to strengthen one’s mental fortitude and deepen one’s understanding of the Martial Dao.
Once both these requirements were met, the accumulation of True Qi would become very easy.
As he was studying the mysteries of the bone shield, Yang Kai suddenly felt a ripple in his mind and couldn’t help lifting his head, turning his eyes in a certain direction as a thick smile appeared on his face.
“Old Demon, you’ve finally appeared!” Yang Kai grinned, quickly getting up, opening the door and going out.
“Little Lord!” Ying Jiu appeared like a ghost.
Yang Kai gave him a faint look and swept him with his Divine Sense, quickly nodding as he realizing he had fully restored his strength before casually saying, “Cultivate yourself. For the time being, I have no urgent tasks for you.”
“Yes!” Ying Jiu’s figure gradually faded into the shadows.
In fact, Ying Jiu was a little surprised, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to have no reaction to his current state; apparently he had complete faith in Meng Wu Ya being able to break the Qi Binding Seal.
The door to the room next door suddenly opened and Meng Wu Ya stepped out with a dignified expression, staring off into the distance.
“There’s a strong Demonic Qi!” Treasurer Meng looked at Yang Kai intentionally or unintentionally as he spoke, “And it’s somewhat familiar!”
“You’ve met before.” Yang Kai grinned.
Meng Wu Ya’s brow wrinkled for a moment before his eyes widened, “That Devil Lord?”
“Correct.” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Once, a long time ago, in his secluded cave below the Coiling Dragon Stream, Meng Wu Ya had forcefully removed Old Demon from Yang Kai. At the time, the two had gotten into an odd argument but because Old Demon was only a Soul form Treasurer Meng was able to easily suppress him, but Yang Kai was keenly aware that even then Meng Wu Ya was somewhat wary of Old Demon.
“Since it is him, then this old master won’t find trouble with him. When he gets here let him come see me,” Meng Wu Ya said, a faint look of reminiscence creeping into his expression.
Yang Kai was surprised but quickly nodded.
“You little brat. Don’t think badly of this old master, but you better be careful with that Devil Lord, he’s not as simple as you think.”
“I know.”
“Also, make sure he doesn’t act out, those eight masters in War City who are monitoring everything must have detected him already.”
Remembering this point, Yang Kai suddenly felt some headaches. There were currently Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Central Capital Eight Great Families who were tasked with supervising War City and the Inheritance War. The Old Demon’s aura couldn’t possibly have been missed by these eight people and although he served Yang Kai, if he were to act too outlandishly, these eight masters would certainly not just sit by and watch.
After a few words, Meng Wu Ya turned around and walked back into his room.
Yang Kai wore a helpless look before shaking his head and walking out. He really wanted to know what Old Demon had been up to these past few months.
Moreover, from what he had sensed, Old Demon wasn’t alone but was actually accompanied by Leng Shan as well.
Since Leng Shan was with him, the disciples from Ghost King Valley he knew would definitely be with her as well; this was something far outside Yang Kai’s expectations.
As he was walking towards the mansion’s entrance, Yang Kai called out to a passing cultivator and said, “Go and call Qiu Yi Meng!”
“Yes!” The man responded and hurriedly left to find Qiu Yi Meng.
At the compound’s entrance, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady appeared, a curious look upon her face, “What is it?”
“We are receiving some guests!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Guests?” Qiu Yi Meng’s frowned for a moment but immediately grinned, “Someone’s coming to support you?”
“Something like that.” Yang Kai said ambiguously.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly as she looked at him. Although she didn’t know how he knew someone was coming, since he said so, he probably wasn’t wrong, so she simply nodded, “It’s always good to have more people, and our strength will definitely grow.”
“The ones coming right now are a little different, you’ll have to take special care in their arrangements. Pay special attention to not let them have any conflicts with the other forces in the house.”
“What do you mean?” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t understand, what force could make Yang Kai pay such attention to? Whether it was a super-force, first-class families, or second-class Sects, Yang Kai’s attitude towards them had always been the same, he never looked down on those who came from weaker forces and never curried favour with those who came from stronger ones. It was exactly because of his fair and even handed manner that everyone in the mansion felt at ease.
But now, he actually wanted her to pay special attention to these newcomers. Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help wondering if there was something different or special about this group which would cause Yang Kai to concern himself with them.
“They come from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, do you understand?” Yang Kai turned his eyes and looked at Qiu Yi Meng.
In the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s mind, the images of two women suddenly appeared, one was a mature and seductive beauty, the other was a naked girl with a white liquid dripping from her lips, “Is that Demon Queen coming?”
“No, they’re from the Ghost King Valley.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Qiu Yi Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief before nodding, “I understand.”
Since they came from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they were Evil Sect disciples and may have grudges with the Sect forces in the house. If things weren’t handled well, it would only cause a fire in the backyard.
But since when did this smelly man have a relationship with Ghost King Valley?
Qiu Yi Meng was once again surprised by the number of Yang Kai’s allies.
After a not long or short wait, a large group of people walked in front of the house; more than thirty of them in total. Seeing this, Qiu Yi Meng welcomed all of them with a big smile.
Yang Kai held his hands behind his back and stood there quietly, his eyes landing on a middle-aged man at the head of the group, his lips slowly curling into a grin.
Turning his gaze to the ones behind him, every Ghost King Valley disciple that he had met in the Evil Cavern was there.
But what really surprised and excited Yang Kai was that his friends from Treasure Instrument Sect were with them as well!
Not long after the start of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai had the Bamboo Knot Gang deliver two letters which had resulted in his Little Senior Sister immediately rushing over.
Unfortunately, Treasure Instrument Sect hadn’t responded. As for the other forces in his compound, they had all gathered here on their own accord without Yang Kai needing to ask!
But now, Tao Yang and the others from his Sect had finally appeared, lifting a big weight from Yang Kai’s heart. The only thing that made him feel strange was why these three groups of people had arrived together.
On top of that, Yang Kai was curious why both the Ghost King Valley and the Treasure Instrument Sect members all showed such great respect towards Old Demon.
What exactly had Old Demon done? Yang Kai frowned and thought.
After having been separated for so long, Old Demon seemed a bit nervous as he led everyone forward. Although he didn’t want to publicise the real nature of his relationship with Yang Kai, he still cupped his fists respectfully and said, “Young Master, please calm down… this old man wishes to die old… and as a humble husband!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted and cut him off, “I thought you wouldn’t show yourself in front of me for the rest of your life!”
Old Demon’s expression suddenly became panicked, quickly trying to explain, “No no, hasn’t this old master come? Before I just had a little accident, haha…”
“We’ll talk about your ‘accident’ later.” Yang Kai gave him a sharp look.
Old Demon winced but eventually nodded, glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng who stood next to Yang Kai with a smile, secretly praising this unknown girl for her vision, thinking she was at least qualified to warm the Young Master’s bed.
Qiu Yi Meng returned the gesture to Old Demon. Although this person gave her an uncomfortable feeling, he was still someone who had come to support Yang Kai.
Behind them, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect members watched this scene play out.
On their way here, the two factions had thoroughly experienced the power and mystery of Old Demon. Those from Ghost King Valley watched as their Ghost King Seals were fed a black mist by him, causing them to fall into a deep sleep while undergoing an astonishing evolution. Wu Yan and the other Treasure Instrument Sect members had also gained many inspirations and insights into the Dao of Artifact Refining from Old Demon. Whether it was in demeanor or speech, everyone treated him very respectfully.
However, such a mysterious, powerful, brutal, and bloodthirsty master, in front of Yang Kai, actually seemed more like a mouse meeting a cat.
[What is happening?]
All of them were stunned by this display.
“Brother Yang, long time no see!” After collecting themselves, the Ghost King Valley disciples, along with Tao Yang and his fellow disciples came forward.
“En, too long indeed.” Yang Kai glanced around at all of them, “I’m glad all of you came. You didn’t encounter any trouble on the road, did you?”
As he said these words, he shot a glance over at Old Demon, he was really afraid that this wily old Devil Lord had done something to them.
“No no, just some minor troubles, fortunately, this Senior arrived in time to help, allowing us to arrive here safely.” Everyone spoke at once.
All of them understood what should be said and what should not, how could they suddenly expose the cruel methods Old Demon had shown them?
The atmosphere was harmonious and everyone seemed to be getting along.
Qiu Yi Meng looked around and found that eight of the younger cultivators had wrapped white cloth around their hands, giving them a somewhat ghastly appeared, and quickly realized that these people should be the disciples from Ghost King Valley.
But when she learned the origins of the other members of this group, Qiu Yi Meng could barely contain her excitement.
These people were actually Artifact Refiners from Treasure Instrument Sect! Qiu Yi Meng was even more surprised when she learned that their leader was actually Wu Yan. When it came to Treasure Instrument Sect, besides the Sect Master himself, Wu Yan’s Artifact Refining methods was the best.
It was rumored that Wu Yan had traveled all over the Great Han Dynasty and even to many foreign lands for twenty years in order to successfully absorb the very best Artifact Refining flames in this world, a process that had actually changed his physique and True Qi attributes.
This man was a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner that could even refine Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifacts.
Amongst the Artifact Refining community, his reputation was no less shocking than Xiao Fu Sheng’s was in the world of Alchemy.
However, Artifact Refining was even more complicated than Alchemy. It took a long period of time and required a great many materials to forge a single high grade artifact. In addition, cultivators had a much greater demand for pills than artifacts, so in terms of public reputation; Wu Yan was vastly inferior to Xiao Fu Sheng. This was similar to how Treasure Instrument Sect’s reputation was inferior to Medicine King’s Valley.
But that still didn’t detract from Wu Yan’s outstanding accomplishments and magical methods in Artifact Refining.
Besides this Grandmaster, there were nearly twenty other members of Treasure Instrument Sect, all of whom were excellent Artifact Refiners.
How could Qiu Yi Meng dare neglect them?
Together with Yang Kai, she quickly settled the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples into their own courtyards, all of them expressing excitement and enthusiasm as they busied themselves.
Silently calculating in her head, Qiu Yi Meng discovered that Yang Kai’s current amount of support had reached an incredible level. A dozen or so large and small Sects plus masters from Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect. Such a gathering was enough to make everyone’s eyes red.
What she wanted to know the most though was, how did he do it?
Looking at the figure of the man walking in front of her, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady couldn’t help gently biting her lips, unable to take her eyes off of him!
With her head filled with strange and confused thoughts, Qiu Yi Meng quietly followed behind Yang Kai in some sort of daze. She kept imagining what the future of this young man would look like.
Of course, she was imagining a much farther future as she was already certain Yang Kai would defeat his brothers and win the Inheritance War, becoming the next master of the Yang Family.
Her breathing became slightly quick as she thought about it; once again thanking the Heavens she had chosen to go against her family in order to help him.
“Old servant greets Young Master!” When she was still lost in thought, a sudden voice reached Qiu Yi Meng’s ear and brought her back to reality, only to look over and witness a shocking scene.
She saw the middle-aged man who all the Ghost King Valley disciples and even Treasure Instrument Sect Wu Yan treated respectfully now kneeling on the ground, with his head deeply bowed.
Old servant? Young Master?
Qiu Yi Meng gasped as she quickly covered her slack jawed mouth, trembling at what she saw.
Although she was still not aware of Old Demon’s strength, but the pressure she felt from him was heavier than any of the Blood Warriors in the mansion.
That was to say, this gloomy middle-aged man was definitely stronger than any of these Blood Warrior.
But at this moment, he was actually humbling himself and even claimed to be a servant? Even the Blood Warriors around Yang Kai didn’t show him this kind of loyalty. What was all this about?
Unconsciously turning her eyes to Yang Kai, she found that his expression was still indifferent, as if he felt nothing wrong with this situation, instead just lightly saying, “Get up, there’s no need for such displays between you and I.”
“Many thanks, Young Master.” The middle-aged man said joyfully, his tone containing clear signs of reliefs.
Turning to the still dumbfounded Qiu Yi Meng, Old Demon smiled at her and said, “Little girl, no one here is an outsider, there’s no need to hide the relationship between myself and Young Master, but I do hope you won’t reveal it to anyone else. My Young Master usually likes being low-key.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly recovered from her initial shock and replied seriously, “Senior, please rest assured, I…*ahem*, I haven’t seen anything. You two continue to talk.”
In fact, right now she knew it would be best to leave quickly.
The fewer secrets she knew, the safer she would be. However, strong curiosity was part of her nature so Qiu Yi Meng stood in place, not moving.
Silently wondering how this mysterious and powerful master had come to have a master, servant relationship with Yang Kai.
Just how had this smelly brat achieved this?
“How’s your body?” Yang Kai didn’t drive Qiu Yi Meng away; after all, Qiu Yi Meng was his second in command, it was best not to deceive her about his relationship with Old Demon, at least it was better than her grow suspicious of him.
Listening to Yang Kai, Old Demon’s expression suddenly became thankful as he quickly replied, “These past few months I’ve adjusted quite well to it, there should be no problems within 30 years or so.”
“What about thirty years later?” Yang Kai frowned, the whole concept of seizing another person’s body was all a bit above his head.
“That depends on old servant’s efforts, if I can perfectly integrate my Soul with this body, there’ll be no need to change it in the future, but if I can’t, I’ll have to find a replacement after 30 years.”
“En, if there’s anything I can help with, just ask.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, not feeling any need to act polite with Old Demon.
“Thank you, Young Master. For the time being, there’s no problems.”
“Good. If you have nothing else to do, there’s somebody who wants to see you.”
“Who?”
“Meng Wu Ya!” Yang Kai’s lips curled upwards as he observed Old Demon’s reaction and sure enough, a look of dread flashed across his face. He knew that in their initial encounter, Meng Wu Ya’s had made a profound impression on Old Demon, even causing him to be fearful, confirming once again that Treasurer Meng wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
“That old ghost!” Old Demon ground his teeth bitterly, “Old servant will go speak with that old fart and settle our grudge once and for all!”
As he said, he turned a knowing look to Yang Kai and said, “Young Master, you play with this girl. Your very humble old servant will go look for him now.”
Yang Kai’s face went black as he waved his hand.
Old Demon’s figure disappeared in the next breath.
Now there was only two people left in the hall.
“Can you tell me who that Senior is?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help asking curiously.
However, Yang Kai just shook his head.
“Forget it. If you want to act mysterious go ahead, I’m already used to it.” Qiu Yi Meng scoffed.
“How is everyone progressing in refining their new artifacts?” Yang Kai turned to her and inquired, while he had spent the last few days refining his new artifacts, everyone else in the mansion had been doing so as well.
“Most of them are almost done, in the next two days or so more than half should exit their retreat.” Qiu Yi Meng grinned. “What about you? How much progress have you made?”
“I’ve only finished refining one.”
“So fast?” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face twitched. The artifacts obtained by Yang Kai were all Mysterious Grade so with his cultivation five days was definitely not enough time for him to successfully refine even one of them, but after being shocked for a moment, Qiu Yi Meng regained her composure. The man in front of her had brought forth so many miracles that she had gradually gained some immunity.
“With the people from Treasure Instrument Sect arriving today, you’ll be busy for a while. I’ve already allocated a place for them to set up an Artifact Refining workshop, so you’ll have arrange it with them. If you need materials, just let me know. I’ve already accumulated a lot; in addition, let the Pill Room refine a batch of pills that can quickly restores True Qi. Artifact Refining requires a great deal of True Qi, so we can’t let those Artifact Refiners become worn out.”
“I know.”
“That’s all.” Yang Kai nodded, stood up and walked towards the inside of the mansion.
Staring at his fading back, Qiu Yi Meng opened her mouth to say something but quickly swallowed the words back down. She didn’t quite know why, but recently she had always wanted to say a few extra words with him.
After Yang Kai left, Qiu Yi Meng shook her head with a smile as she slowly understood that the mysteries surrounding this man had become something of an obsession to her. She found herself constantly wanting to dig up all the secrets he was concealing in order to satisfy her own curiosity.
The next day, Yang Kai came to Treasure Instrument Sect’s courtyard and negotiated with Wu Yan for a while, the two sides eventually reaching a consensus.
Treasure Instrument Sect was different from Medicine King’s Valley. The Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley were here to learn the Alchemic Way from Xia Ning Chang, but Treasure Instrument Sect had come to seek asylum.
One of the conditions Tao Yang had to achieve for Wu Yan to take part in the Inheritance War was to convince Yang Kai to declare that Treasure Instrument Sect was under his protection after he became head of the Yang Family.
If Yang Kai failed to win the Inheritance War, he would have to use his own strength to protect Treasure Instrument Sect from the harassment of other forces.
Yang Kai naturally accepted.
Tao Yang felt quite apologetic but there was nothing he could do about it. This was related to the future stability of his Sect, as just a young disciple he had no right to speak.
After the negotiations, Treasure Instrument Sect immediately dedicated themselves to Artifact Refining.
During their discussions, Wu Yan had also taken a look at the artifacts Yang Kai had obtained at Po Jing Lake and had confidently declared that everything below Mysterious Grade could be upgraded by him, possibly even increasing it a whole rank, but even if he couldn’t achieve such a leap in quality, they would still be better than they originally were.
He was of such a calibre!
Yang Kai was very grateful; upgrading an artifact was completely different from refining a new one. The former was essentially re-refining a finished product and was no doubt more time and cost efficient, so Yang Kai had let Qiu Yi Meng spread the word that any cultivator in the mansion could seek out the Treasure Instrument Sect group to repair or upgrade their artifacts.
After handling the Treasure Instrument Sect issues, Yang Kai rushed to Meng Wu Ya’s room.
Old Demon had gone to see Meng Wu Ya yesterday and there had been no news from them since. What these two old men would do when they met up really worried Yang Kai.
If the two of them were to really fight, his entire house would be annihilated in an instant.
However, Yang Kai soon discovered that his concerns were unnecessary.
After entering Treasurer Meng’s room, all he saw was Old Demon sitting face to face with him, both of them sneering somewhat at each other, half like they were fighting, half like they were having a nice chat. The entire scene was quite awkward.
“You two, enjoying your chat?” Yang Kai boldly inserted himself between them and asked.
“En,” Meng Wu Ya nodded lightly while Old Demon didn’t make a sound, from his expression it seemed like he had suffered a loss.
“Good, then if you’re not busy, I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai said with a grin.
“What does Young Master want to discuss?” Old Demon quickly asked.
“It’s about that mysterious master!” Yang Kai looked at Meng Wu Ya whose brow wrinkled slightly, suddenly realizing what he wanted to say.
That last time both he and Yang Kai had noticed the mysterious master’s intrusion but before either of them could arrive she had already escaped.
Then at Po Jing Lake, this mysterious master had appeared once again and even snatched a Mysterious Grade artifact!
The existence of this person made Yang Kai somewhat unnerved, the sooner they were dealt with the better.
Old Demon wasn’t clear about who this mysterious master was so he asked curiously.
Yang Kai told him the shot version of his two encounters with her.
After listening to this, Old Demon felt slightly shocked as he looked at Meng Wu Ya, “Even you didn’t catch a glimpse of this person’s face?”
Treasurer Meng slowly shook his head, “There’s some kind of special aura around this person isolates them from other’s investigation. I’d guess that even if an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary wanted to, it won’t be easy. As long as this person wants to hide himself, no one will be able to find him.”
“Impressive!” Old Demon said then quickly sneered, “But from the fact that this guy was injured by Ying Jiu and Young Master, his personal strength doesn’t seem to be very high.”
Near the Pill Room, the mysterious master had suffered a hit from Ying Jiu’s Flickering Shadow Strike and was slightly injured, then at Po Jing Lake, she hadn’t been able to completely avoid Yang Kai’s sword wave. If her strength was really high enough to avoid detection from the likes of Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon, these situations wouldn’t have occurred.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “But even still, this person is definitely a formidable master.”
“What does Young Master want to do?” Old Demon looked up and grinned.
“I’ll say this first, don’t expect this old master to intervene.” Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai and said, “This old master is only here to protect Chang’er. As for this whole Inheritance War mess, this old master won’t get involved.”
After saying that, he let out a somewhat tired sigh, “This old master is getting on in years, if I were to intervene in you young people’s affairs I’d have no face left at all.”
“I never wanted you to intervene,” Yang Kai chuckled, “I just wanted to ask you two if you had any good ideas about how to expose that person?”
Meng Wu Ya shook his head while Old Demon grimaced slightly. If even Meng Wu Ya had no way to draw this mysterious master out, Old Demon obviously wouldn’t either. Only if this person appeared in Yang Kai’s mansion again would there be a chance, but after being almost caught last time, as long as they weren’t an idiot they wouldn’t try again anytime soon.
“Young Master, do you have any information on that person at all? Even Old Servant can’t make porridge without rice.” Old Demon asked.
“Information… there is one thing.” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“Oh? What?” Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon looked over at it at the same time.
“She’s a woman!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
“How do you know?” Treasurer Meng frowned.
Yang Kai smiled as he pulled out a long blue silk like hair from his sleeve and held it up, “This fell off her at Po Jing Lake.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “However, I don’t know why her hair looks like this. Both of you are experienced and knowledgeable, have you ever seen this colour of hair before?”
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon looked at the blue strand of hair at the same time and couldn’t help showing some surprise.
This strand of hair was very different from an ordinary woman’s hair, for almost all people, whether they were man and woman, their hair would be black, but this strand was actually a unique color of pale blue.
Besides being unusually smooth and supple, this colour was quite unusual.
After a moment, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon exchanged a glance and, each of them seeing a strange look in the other’s face.
Seeing this kind of reaction, Yang Kai secretly began guessing what they were thinking about.
After a short silence, Meng Wu Ya said, “I don’t know who this woman is, and I’ve never heard of anyone with this particular colour of hair, but I would guess it’s related to her cultivation technique and physique. Yang Kai, don’t make things too difficult for this person. She may come from an extraordinary place.”
If Meng Wu Ya said so, although he didn’t provide any specifics, Yang Kai still nodded in a dignified manner.
He hadn’t intended on acting ruthless in the first place.
Suddenly Old Demon let out an evil laugh, “Young Master, if this hair is really from that woman, Old Servant might have a way to find her!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “How sure are you?”
“Heh heh… Soul tracking is one of this old servant’s specialities, just sit back and prepare for a good show! With this hair of hers to use as a medium, she’ll have nowhere to hide!” Old Demon said confidently.
“Evil Demon Techniques!” Meng Wu Ya snorted disdainfully.
Instead of being offended, Old Demon just grinned more cheerfully.
Yang Kai didn’t care what means he used as long as he could find the mysterious woman, asking, “How long do you need?”
“Old Servant can finish the preparations in ten days, but everything after that will depend on luck, if that woman never comes close to this old servant again, there’ll be no way to track her!”
“Then prepare as soon as possible!” Yang Kai firmly declared.
No matter what kind of purpose this woman had for approaching the Pill Room, since she wasn’t successful the first time, she would definitely try again, and judging from her appearance at Po Jing Lake, this person absolutely wasn’t timid and didn’t hold anyone in her eyes. Someone who would steal something right out from under the noses of this world’s heroes would surely have a great deal of self-confidence and arrogance. She wouldn’t retreat simply because of a little setback. After she found a way to completely conceal her aura, she would definitely come again.
All Yang Kai had to do was wait for her next visit before springing his trap!
Handing the light blue hair over to Old Demon, Yang Kai hurried away.
Quickly finding Qiu Yi Meng near the Artifact Refining workshop, Yang Kai secretly spoke a few words to her. No one knew what the two discussed, only that after Yang Kai whispered something to her, Qiu Yi Meng vehemently objected, even going so far as to grab Yang Kai’s arm and refuse to let go.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady rarely ever acted so boldly. From birth, she had received strict education on etiquette and behaviour from her tutors, but now she had actually latched onto Yang Kai in full view of the surrounding crowd, almost as if she was begging him not to abandon her. All around, everyone was silently speculating about what was happening.
In the end, Yang Kai managed to break free from Qiu Yi Meng’s grip and strode away, leaving the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady standing there in a frustrated and angry state.
“Young Lady Qiu, what did Junior Brother Yang just say?” Lan Chu Die had just finished having her artifact looked at and had come out for a breath of fresh air when she saw this scene and found it quite curious.
“Nothing.” Qiu Yi Meng quickly regained her composure and slowly shook her head.
Lan Chu Die smiled and no longer asked, knowing that she wasn’t qualified to contact too many high-level secrets with her current identity.
On the other hand, the Hu Sisters looks out the window and also witnessed this scene.
“Did you see that? That smelly brat is too shameless! Actually flirting with that Qiu Family woman in public! Mei’er, you must be careful of him! Don’t get swept up in his pace!” Hu Jiao Er ground her teeth as she complained to her little sister.
Hu Mei Er on the other hand just held her slightly blushed cheeks and stared at where Yang Kai had just been, obviously not having heard a word her Elder sister had said.
Seeing this spellbound appearance, Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help but sigh, reaching out her small jade hand and pinching her little sister’s dainty nose, wiggling it slightly, “Cultivate!”
“Ah… en.” Hu Mei Er nodded and reluctantly took back her gaze.
Although the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall joined Yang Kai later than the other forces in the house, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t supply them with any less pills. With the help of the Mysterious Grade Pills that seemed to flow freely from the Pill Room, the Hu Sisters’ rate of progress was better than ever and after only a few days of cultivation their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art was showing signs of a breakthrough.
Also, after repeatedly taking these pills, the Hu Sisters clearly felt that there were some subtle changes occurring in their bodies and it was now easier for them to absorb the surrounding World Energy than ever before. Their meridians were tougher and more flexible, allowing them to circulate their Secret Art even more quickly.
Having witnessed Yang Kai’s aptitude and strength made both of them feel pressured, and they knew if they didn’t work hard, they would only be left behind by him, so naturally they didn’t slack at all in their cultivation.
…………
Night time, War City eastern corner, Yang Wei’s mansion.
Yang Wei, who was refining the Mysterious Grade artifact he had obtained a few days ago, suddenly heard a knock at his door and his brow couldn’t help but wrinkle as he called out, “What?”
“Eldest Young Lord, someone’s come to visit.” Meng Shan Yi’s voice came from outside, a hint of awkwardness in his tone.
“Who?” Yang Wei’s eyes flashed. Meng Shan Yi knew he was in the process of refining a Mysterious Grade artifact yet he had still come to disturb him, obviously this guest was unusual.
But what person could cause Meng Shan Yi’s tone to become so strange?
“I think it’s probably Yang Kai!”
“Ninth Brother?” Yang Wei’s voice suddenly increased in pitch slightly, his tone also becoming somewhat strained.
Soon, the door was opened and Yang Wei appeared in front of Meng Shan Yi with a sullen face, asking in a serious tone, “Is it really Ninth Brother?”
Meng Shan Yi grinned awkwardly as he scratched his head, “I can’t see his face but Senior Ying Jiu is beside him, it’s basically impossible for Ying Jiu to be following anyone else.”
Yang Wei’s eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded, “Since Ying Jiu is here, it must be Ninth Brother.”
Suddenly grinning, Yang Wei mutter, “Such boldness, it seems I still can’t see through Ninth Brother.”
Although he had formed a temporary alliance with Yang Kai during the Po Jing Lake artifact snatching battle, in the end, the two were still opponents So; Yang Kai daring to visit his out with only Ying Jiu for protection showed his courage wasn’t ordinary.
“Eldest Young Lord, this is a rare opportunity!” Meng Shan Yi’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, “Considering Yang Kai’s performance since the start of the Inheritance War till now, he will definitely become a stronger opponent than even the Second Young Lord, so now that he’s appeared in our territory all alone…”
As he said so, he made a slicing motion across his neck.
However, Yang Wei just snickered and slowly shook his head.
“Eldest Young Lord!” Meng Shan Yi’s tone rose once more, unable to understand why Yang Wei didn’t want to take advantage of this chance, “This is too good an opportunity to pass up! If you don’t take him out now, I’m afraid there won’t be a second chance.”
In the beginning, no one was optimistic about Yang Kai’s chances, but in one night he had turned all that around and now the number of people betting on his victory was only growing. This wasn’t without reason either; the pace of development at Yang Kai’s mansion was nothing short of astounding.
The gap between him and his brothers was gradually expanding and as time passed this gap would only become bigger and bigger until he ultimately eliminated all of them and become the final winner.
Meng Shan Yi felt like he could all but see that day coming so, as an ally of Yang Wei, how could he not be worried?
But faced with such a tempting opportunity, the Eldest Young Lord suddenly seemed to have some brotherly scruples; it was nothing short of foolishness.
“I have my own thoughts on this matter, don’t say anymore!” Yang Wei waved his hand and strode away.
Meng Shan Yi was depressed as he smiled bitterly, but after thinking about it for a moment, his expression suddenly became firm before he quickly turned around and disappeared into the darkness.
In the main hall, Yang Kai wore a black robe covering his whole body and sat quietly. Behind him, Ying Jiu wore an indifferent expression and spread out his Divine Sense, alert for the slightest signs of danger.
Seeing Yang Kai so calm and relaxed, not showing the slightest signs of fear or distress, Ying Jiu couldn’t help secretly admiring him.
Earlier, Yang Kai had suddenly told him to follow him out and Ying Jiu didn’t ask any questions; just quietly sneaking out of the house with him, only to receive a great shock soon after.
Yang Kai’s destination turned out to be Yang Wei’s mansion! Ying Jiu didn’t dare relax in the slightest as he stood guard.
Thinking about the dispute that had broken out between the Little Lord and Qiu Yi Meng during the day, Ying Jiu suddenly understood why the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had suddenly acted so out of character and desperately tried to stop him.
After entering the hall, Ying Jiu noticed several powerful Divine Senses sweep over them, but no one had physically stepped forward. Even Yang Wei had yet to appear.
Ying Jiu knew that the masters in Yang Wei’s mansion had all locked their Divine Senses onto this place.
However, Ying Jiu knew he was not the only one aware of this, his Little Lord must have also been aware, yet he still looked as calm as ever.
“Ninth Brother, you’ve got some guts! Daring to come to my house all alone, aren’t you afraid I’ll make it so you never leave?” A cold voice suddenly came from deeper inside the mansion, echoing throughout the main hall, “Or did you think no one was in here so you can barge in here on your own?”
Yang Kai only felt Yang Wei’s voice enter his ears from all around, causing them to buzz slightly. At the same time, a Spiritual Energy wave crashed towards him, but there was no murderous intent behind it, obviously it was just to probe.
A few days ago, Yang Kai and Liu Qing Yao had exchanged two moves and Yang Wei had observed all of it from only a thousand meters away, but in that brief exchange, he still couldn’t fully grasp what Yang Kai’s strength was; so naturally he was curious about his youngest brother’s true ability.
Yang Kai remained indifferent, allowing this Spiritual Energy wave to rush into his mind unopposed as he chuckled, “Afraid? If I thought Big Brother would do that, I wouldn’t have come!”
“Ha ha!” Yang Wei laughed and finally appeared from the dark and came towards Yang Kai.
Ying Jiu quickly scanned the area but was surprised to discover that Yang Wei was actually alone; he didn’t even have a Blood Warrior guarding him. Although there were many strong people around the hall, if Ying Jiu wanted to seize Yang Wei, it would only take an instant.
These two brothers… Ying Jiu shook his head slightly, it seemed like they really had faith in one another.
Yang Kai took of the hat which was covering his face and smiled at Yang Wei, the latter clapping his hands and immediately summoning a maid to serve tea.
After the maidservant left, Yang Kai began, “Big Brother, is this the first time we’ve talked like this?”
“Indeed.” Yang Wei nodded. From when he was a child until now, Yang Wei had given off a solitary aura, and had never been close to any of his brothers, so this was actually the first time Yang Kai had a face-to-face conversation with him.
“Ninth Brother, you coming to see me at such a time, are you planning to take action?” Yang Wei went straight to the subject, apparently having some speculations in his heart already.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing, “The family must be quite dissatisfied with the Inheritance War’s progress, otherwise they wouldn’t have invested a thousand artifacts to speed up the process. Since they want us to act faster, we can only comply, otherwise they’ll use less friendly methods to motivate us from behind. I’m sure Big Brother understands this point, right?”
“Of course! I’m sure everyone understands.” Yang Wei nodded.
“In that case, if we don’t act now, others will seize the initiative,” Yang Kai said in a low tone. The attitude of the family was very obvious. The artifact snatching battle was a way for them to silently urge them to fight; all of the brothers knew that.
Once the individual camps had finished distributing and refining these artifacts, there would definitely be those who couldn’t wait to use them.
“Who does Big brother think will be the first target to be attacked?”
Yang Wei glanced at him and said decisively, “You already know the answer, so why bother asking? It’s not me, but you!”
“I think so too.” Yang Kai grinned.
Among the remaining six Yang Family Young Lords, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang were blood related brothers while Yang Shen and Yang Ying were similarly related. Although they were still technically opponents, while there were still other enemies in the Inheritance War, they would support each other.
Soft persimmons should be pinched. If they really wanted to make a big move, then these pairs of brothers would definitely join forces to attack either Yang Kai or Yang Wei who appeared to be alone.
Yang Wei was the eldest, so on the first night of the Inheritance War he had given his younger brothers some leeway by not immediately attacking so the four would definitely not attack him first.
Under these circumstances, Yang Kai would definitely be attacked by everyone within ten days!
His light was too strong and not too long ago he had snatched two Mysterious Grade artifacts, how could his brothers give him time to breathe?
Alone, Yang Kai didn’t place any one of the four in his eyes, but if all of them teamed up, it would cost him greatly to fend them off. Only if both Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon took action could he reduce the risks somewhat.
It was because he understood his current position that Yang Kai had rushed to Yang Wei to discuss things with him.
“Who do you plan on attacking?” Yang Wei asked as a bit of excitement flashed across his eyes.
“Fifth Brother.” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Wei paused for a moment to think before suddenly understanding, coldly snorting, “Fifth Brother choosing Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian as his subordinates was really not a wise move!”
Amongst the remaining six brothers, Yang Kang was definitely not the weakest, but Yang Kai had still chosen him as his first target. The only explanation was because Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were currently his assigned Blood Warriors.
If it wasn’t for a series of coincidences before the start of the Inheritance War, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian would have been following Yang Kai right now.
Yang Kai choosing Yang Kang as his target also showed he cared a great deal about Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.
“And so? What do you want your eldest brother to do?” Yang Wei asked curiously.
“I’d like you to block Second Brother. I’m afraid that Second Brother won’t sit still once he gets word of what’s happening.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Not a problem!” Yang Wei nodded, but he quickly wore a sly grin, “However, what’s in it for me?”
Yang Wei obviously wanted to reap some benefits from this. After all, he and Yang Kai were still rivals. Thus, it was impossible for him to help Yang Kai without getting anything in return, and even if he was willing to do so, his allies wouldn’t be.
Since Yang Kai wanted Yang Wei to take care of Yang Zhao, he had to offer up enough sincerity!
These brothers always settled their accounts.
“What does Big Brother want?” Yang Kai had already considered this issue before he came so he wasn’t surprised by this request.
Coughing light, Yang Wei smiled, “Big Brother has always had his eyes on those Alchemists in your house. Of course, I don’t want many of them. How about just five?”
Yang Kai immediately wore a dumbfounded look, “Big brother, your appetite is too big!”
“Too big?” Yang Wei smiled wryly, “You have thirty Alchemists in your house. I only want five of them.”
“I can’t make decisions for them,” Yang Kai shook his head. “Big Brother knows what kind of temperament Alchemists have. Even though they reside in my house, they’re only cooperating with me at best. I can’t order them around. How about this, instead of the Alchemists themselves I’ll give Big Brother a batch of Mysterious Grade pills.”
“Mysterious Grade Pills?” Yang Wei heard these words and couldn’t help grinning happily, “Delivering me a batch of Mysterious Grade pills, Ninth Brother really acts boldly! Good, your big brother accepts!”
He also knew that acquiring five Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists was basically impossible, so he didn’t have any expectations of success, he just wanted to open the bargaining with something big and from his perspective, it had paid off.
Still grinning, a dangerous light flashed across Yang Wei’s eyes as he asked, “When are you planning to act?”
“Tomorrow!”
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed and a hint of doubt emerged on his face.
He hadn’t expected Yang Kai to move so swiftly!
Tomorrow, according to normal circumstances, many cultivators in Yang Kai’s house should have just finished refining the artifacts they had snatched a few days ago. Him choosing such a time to attack obviously took that into consideration.
However… what about the Mysterious Grade artifact he acquired?
Yang Wei estimated it would take at least eight more days for him to finish refining his own Mysterious Grade artifact, and that it would be similar for the others as well.
“I’ll wait for your signal!” Yang Wei didn’t go any deeper into it. As far as he knew, for these Mysterious Grade artifacts, if one could use one, everyone could use one, while if one couldn’t use one, no one could use one. In either case, the situation was balanced.
During their conversation, Yang Wey shot a glance towards Ying Jiu unconsciously, a deep trace of doubt flashing across his eyes.
During the battle of Po Jing Lake, Ying Jiu was among the six Blood Warriors affected by the Qi Binding Seal, so Yang Wei didn’t understand why he would be the one escorting Yang Kai right now, but as he stared, he noticed that Ying Jiu showed no signs of his True Qi being sealed.
What did that mean though? Had he already broken the Qi Binding Seal?
“Then that’s settled,” Yang Kai slowly stood up and smiled, “Now that our business is over with, let’s talk about something else.”
Yang Wei showed a confused expression.
“Still planning on hiding? Show yourselves already.” Yang Kai swept his eyes across the hall and coldly snorted.
At the same time, Ying Jiu’s figure suddenly faded into thin air, disappearing as if he had never existed.
Yang Wei’s look changed abruptly as he glanced around, his complexion immediately turning red.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
A group of people suddenly appeared from all directions and surrounded Yang Kai and Meng Shan Yi walked in from the main entrance, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Shan Yi!” Yang Wei’s expression became ugly as he shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”
As he spoke, his True Qi violently surged upwards as anger flashed across his face.
Meng Shan Yi looked at Yang Wei, grit his teeth and cupped his fists, “Eldest Young Lord, forgive me. Shan Yi wants to take this opportunity to eliminate the Ninth Young Lord!”
Saying so, he turned to look at Yang Kai and continued, “Ninth Young Lord, don’t blame this Meng for acting underhanded, with such a rare opportunity presenting itself, this Meng has no choice but to grasp it. If you must blame someone, then blame yourself for coming in the first place. Know that this decision has nothing to do with the Eldest Young Lord, it was all this Meng’s own ideas, if you wish to retaliate in the future, please only seek out this Meng.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Big Brother certainly didn’t know about this. If he did, he wouldn’t have bothered talking so much.”
Listening to these words, Meng Shan Yi nodded gently, “As long as Ninth Young Lord understands.”
Yang Wei took a deep breath and calmed down, his expression becoming gloomy as he said, “Shan Yi, you’ve made a mistake this time!”
However, Meng Shan Yi just smiled and shook his head, “Since Eldest Young Lord doesn’t want to act ruthlessly here, then I shall act in your place!”
“I don’t mean that,” Yang Wei helplessly sighed as he said in a disappointed tone. “Do you really think Ninth Brother would dare enter this place if he wasn’t certain he could withdraw? Do you really think that just these few people can force him to stay behind?”
“If you really think so, you can try.” Yang Wei said calmly.
Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling awkward.
He hadn’t thought Yang Wei wouldn’t even try to stop him from carrying out this plan but after a moment he smiled and nodded firmly, “Thank you, Eldest Young Lord!”
Yang Wei said nothing and just stared at him with a trace of pity.
“Ninth Young Lord, pardon my offence!” Meng Shan Yi’s expression became solemn as he gave the signal to attack.
In an instant, more than a dozen masters who had at least reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stages attacked Yang Kai.
This was Yang Wei’s mansion’s main hall, and although the space wasn’t small, it also wasn’t big! Meng Shan Yi couldn’t arrange too many people to come in, so he went for quality instead. Of the masters he had brought, five had even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage; with such a luxurious lineup Meng Shan Yi felt confident they could easily take down Yang Kai.
At the same time he gave the command, Meng Shan Yi glanced over at where Ying Jiu was formerly standing.
Ying Jiu didn’t appear, but when the crowd of Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators’ attacks were just two meters away from their target, Yang Kai’s mouth curved into a grin.
A cold gloomy light suddenly bloomed from Yang Kai’s body and a dark energy wave burst out. To the horror of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, all of their Martial Skills seemed to sink into this gloomy light like stones falling into the ocean, causing a small splash before disappearing completely..
Seeing this, all of their expressions filled with shock.
Staring carefully, these masters soon discovered the source of the phenomenon.
In Yang Kai’s hands, at some point a small bone shield had appeared. This roughly plate-sized bone shield was irregularly shaped, and its edges were covered in sharp spurs, while the centre face had a giant open mouth carved into it. Its fangs gave all who stared at them chills.
At this moment, the bone shield gave off a faint glow while Yang Kai simply held it up and stood there quietly, giving off an immovable, impregnable feeling.
Yang Wei’s expression cramped and Meng Shan Yi couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
This bone shield was clearly the Mysterious Grade artifact that Liu Qing Yao had snatched a few days ago and then threw to Yang Kai.
But it had only been seven days since then, so how had Yang Kai already managed to refine it?
It wasn’t easy to overcome the defence of a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. The attacks just now hadn’t been everyone’s full strength, otherwise, if these dozen or so Immortal Ascension masters all struck in earnest they could definitely wear down this bone shield.
With not much time to think about the problem, Meng Shan Yi once again yelled, “Attack!”
The dozen or so masters no longer held back, all of them using their strongest Martial Skills and artifacts, creating an Earth-shattering wave of attacks that quickly engulfed Yang Kai.
*Hong hong hong…*
The sound of explosions rang out and the hall trembled violently, numerous tiny cracks even began appearing on the surrounding walls.
Yang Kai retreated continuously under the bombardment as his face turned red, he was clearly under tremendous pressure, but his bone shield still firmly guarded his front, none of the Martial Skills or artifact strikes managing to overcome the bone shield and, oddly, the giant open mouth on its face would swallow the resultant energy waves, leaving nothing left.
What made people feel even more confused was that as this energy was swallowed, the bone shield rapidly increased in size.
After a full round of attacks, the bone shield had expanded to three times its original diameter and Yang Kai could now completely hide behind it.
Meng Shan Yi’s eyes narrowed. He never thought that a trivial Mysterious Grade Low-Rank defence type artifact could withstand the intense barrage of so many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters!
He too had a Mysterious Grade artifact but its effect was nowhere near as good as this bone shield.
[What in the world?]
As he stared at the bizarre scene before him, he suddenly noticed that Yang Kai’s eyes had become dangerous. Suddenly, Yang Kai lifted the odd shaped bone shield and slammed it down, causing the floor to cave in under it and open up a large pit.
The next moment, the bone spurs around the edge of the bone shield all shot out.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
These spurs were both sharp and swift, the aura the gave off was both awe inspiring and unstoppable.
In a flash, the dozen plus Immortal Ascension Boundary masters’ expressions all changed greatly as they hurriedly defended themselves.
*Hong…*
From the giant mouth on the bone shield’s face, a beam of energy shot out, causing everyone to burst out into panic, it was as if all the energy that had been swallowed was now being spat back at them.
The energy beam that carried a scent of destruction and was as thick as a man’s thigh flew straight towards Meng Shan Yi.
The terrifying pressure of this attack descended on him, and in the face of certain death Meng Shan Yi even lost the will to escape.
“Ji Li!” Yang Wei roared.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of Meng Shan Yi, his face was expressionless and only his eyes radiated a strong light.
One of the two Blood Warriors protecting Yang Wei!
As soon as he appeared, he let out a low roar and a dazzling golden light erupted from his burly body, it was as if he had been transformed into a golden statue, his exposed skin shining brilliantly.
Two great fists smashed out and met the energy beam head on.
With a loud bang, Ji Li was flung backwards, the golden light around his body dimming greatly while the energy beam fully dissipated.
Meng Shan Yi stood stiff, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as his expression was still filled with panic.
Slowly managing to turn his eyes towards Yang Kai again, he couldn’t help revealing a look filled with fear.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The dozen or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all managed to either dodge or block the bone spurs which promptly returned to the edge of the bone shield and after spitting out the energy beam, the bone shield rapidly shrank back down to its original size.
The scene suddenly became silent and no one dared to make any rash movements.
Yang Kai had successfully blocked all of their strikes and even launched a counterattack with his Mysterious Grade artifact, while Ying Jiu, who was hidden in the shadows, had yet to attack!
This time, even if they could take down Yang Kai, the price they would have to pay would be enormous.
“Capable of both offence and defence. Ninth Brother, you got a good artifact.” As if nothing had happened, Yang Wei stared at the bone shield on Yang Kai’s arm and said enviously.
“Surely Big Brother’s artifact isn’t bad either, right?” Yang Kai smiled and put the bone shield away.
Yang Wei let out a laugh but said nothing back, both of them knew that although Yang Wei’s artifact definitely wasn’t bad, it wouldn’t compare with the bone shield.
Judging from what just happened, this bone shield had a special ability that could swallow attacks, store them, and then send them back. Very few such artifacts had ever appeared in this world.
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed as he thought about it. In different people’s hands, this bone shield would definitely play different roles.
“Ninth Young Lord,” Meng Shan Yi spoke hesitantly, still somewhat unsettled as he looked straight at Yang Kai and asked in a deep voice. “Just now… did you really want to kill me?”
The damage caused by that energy beam was too great. Even though Meng Shan Yi had a Mysterious Grade artifact, it wouldn’t have been enough to save him.
If he had taken that attack head on, he might very well have died.
During the Inheritance War, death wasn’t unusual, but those who died were normally ordinary masters and disciples. As for the Young Lords and Young Ladies from the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, no one dared to kill them. As proof, over the years, no leading member of the younger generation from the Central Capital had ever died in the Inheritance War, even instances of them being heavily injured was quite small.
However, a moment ago, if it wasn’t for Ji Li defending him at a critical moment, Meng Shan Yi was afraid he would become the first to break this tradition.
Whether or not Yang Kai really intended to kill him, Meng Shan Yi had his concerns.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai gave a non-answer as he grinned at him.
Meng Shan Yi’s expression went black, his heartbeat speeding up a lot. It seemed like the Ninth Young Lord… really had some killing intent towards him.
“Big Brother, that’s how it is. Ninth Brother will take his leave.” Yang Kai nodded towards Yang Wei before wearing his face covering hat and walking towards the exit.
No one stopped him; Meng Shan Yi didn’t dare order another attack, and since Yang Wei didn’t have any intention of blocking Yang Kai’s way, the dozen or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters naturally wouldn’t act rashly.
After Yang Kai had left, Yang Wei patted Meng Shan Yi’s shoulder and said, “Ninth Brother just wanted to give you a warning, he didn’t really intend on killing you.”
“Who knows?” Meng Shan Yi took a deep breath and calmed his frayed nerves, “In any case, I now know just how crazy the Ninth Young Lord is.”
Grinning wryly as he shook his head, “But as said, Ninth Young Lord daring to come here really was because he was certain he could leave. That bone shield… it’s too strange, even if it is a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact, it shouldn’t have been able to display such power.”
If all Mysterious Grade artifacts were so powerful, what would the point in cultivating be?
In general, a Mysterious Grade defence type artifact shouldn’t have been able to withstand the attacks from so many masters.
“I’m afraid Fifth Brother is out of luck!” Yang Wei said solemnly.
“Indeed.” Meng Shan Yi nodded in agreement.
Refining a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact so many days ahead of everyone else and Ying Jiu suddenly breaking the Qi Binding Seal restoring his peak strength, Yang Kai now had an overwhelming advantage over Yang Kang.
How could Yang Kang resist?
When Yang Kai brought his troops to attack Yang Kang, the latter most likely would still be trying to refine his own artifact. One was prepared, one would be caught off guard, and coupled with the difference in quantity of Blood Warriors and artifacts, Yang Kang’s defeat was all but assured!
“Shan Yi, you’re not suited for using plots,” Yang Wei frowned and said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t have used our own people to launch an attack here, I would have secretly sent word of Ninth Brother’s whereabouts to my other brother’s houses and then just sat back and watched the show.”
Listening to Yang Wei’s plan, Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling stunned, turning a look of surprise towards Yang Wei. He had never thought that this blunt and stoic young man could actually come up with such sinister ideas.
But as he thought about it, Yang Wei’s proposal really was the perfect solution! If he had done so just now, he could have just relaxed and watched his enemies fight amongst themselves.
Suddenly feeling annoyed, he couldn’t help complaining, “Eldest Young Lord, since you had such an idea, why didn’t you tell me?”
In response, Yang Wei slowly shook his head, “I will settle things with him in the future. Before the end of the Inheritance War, I won’t attack Ninth Brother!”
“Understood.” Meng Shan Yi nodded lightly. Recalling the scene where he had just been exposed to mortal danger, he still felt slightly cold, and no longer dared to object.
Outside Yang Wei’s house, Yang Kai walked alone through the darkness. Such a big movement had obviously attracted many people’s attention.
When he snuck out he quickly hid himself and fortunately he didn’t seem to arouse anyone’s attention.
Ying Jiu followed close by in the shadows. Yang Kai quickly ducked into a dark alleyway and paused, taking several deep breaths to calm the raging blood in his chest.
Next Chapter>>
“Little Lord!” Ying Jiu’s concerned voice called out from behind.
“It’s nothing!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly as a deep feeling of powerlessness crept onto his face.
From Yang Wei and Meng Shan Yi’s point of view, just now, he had performed brilliantly; one person and one artifact resisting the bombardment of more than a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but in reality Yang Kai had greatly overdrawn his strength to accomplish this feat.
Even if the bone shield was a Mysterious Grade artifact, it was impossible for an ordinary True Element Boundary cultivator to make it display such power.
Artifacts and Martial Skill were essentially the same: They were just auxiliary boosts, and a cultivator’s true foundation was their own strength.
The bone shield was indeed extraordinary. With it, even someone like Dong Qing Han could fully defend himself against masters below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage.
But using the artifact’s functions consumed a lot of True Qi too.
In that instant, Yang Kai had to pour more than a dozen drops of Yang Liquid into the bone shield in order for it to successfully swallow up all of those attacks.
For any other cultivator at the same level, supply that much True Qi was absolutely impossible, even blocking a single Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master would be difficult.
The defensive strength and absorption limit of the bone shield was directly related to the amount of True Qi poured into it by its wielder.
The more True Qi one poured into the bone shield, the more attacks it could absorb and the stronger its defense would be.
Such a large consumption in such a short amount of time had put enormous pressure on Yang Kai. However, such a display was the best way to convince Yang Wei that attacking him then and there was futile.
[My cultivation is still too low. If I can break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the consumption to achieve the same result will be much less.]
Yang Kai’s vision gradually became firm as he couldn’t wait to improve, suddenly feeling the urge to return to his room and enter retreat.
This subtle change in expression wasn’t missed by Ying Jiu, the shadow-like Blood Warrior realizing what Yang Kai was thinking and feeling somewhat impressed.
It seemed like; the Little Lord was the kind of person who grew stronger in the face of adversity.
After being ambushed by so many powerful masters, an ordinary cultivator would definitely have some fear and unease carved into their heart. Forget about fighting back at the time, even in their future cultivation, they would inevitable be haunted by some inner demons and would be unable to overcome these heart flaws for the rest of their life.
But the Little Lord’s heart was strong and his will to pursue the Martial Dao was as firm as a rock. Not only did this incident not affect him, it had also raised his fighting spirit higher. With this kind of mentality, as long as he had enough opportunity and talent, there was nothing the Little Lord wouldn’t be able to achieve.
Thinking so, Ying Jiu casually asked, “Are we going back now?”
Ying Jiu couldn’t think about how during the day, Qiu Yi Meng had desperately tried to prevent Yang Kai from acting alone but ultimately failed in her attempts. Right now, could she possibly be sleeping peacefully knowing he was out here?
By heading back early, it would also let Young Lady Qiu breathe a sigh of relief.
Over the course of the Inheritance War, Qiu Yi Meng had been so busy she barely had any time to rest, so although Ying Jiu wouldn’t bring this up to Yang Kai, he naturally didn’t want to let the Qiu Family’s Young Lady pass a sleepless night.
“I have a place I need to go.” Yang Kai replied with a hint of helplessness on his face.
Ying Jiu nodded slightly and said nothing, simply following behind Yang Kai.
After a long time walking through War City’s streets, the two arrived in front of a large building with no signs of people around; even the giant front gate was unguarded.
At first glance it was almost like an abandoned palace.
But looking up, Ying Jiu’s expression became solemn.
This huge building was the very core of War City, the Seal Temple!
The Central Capital Eight Great Families Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters residence!
What was the Little Lord doing here? Ying Jiu felt suspicious.
Looking up at the Seal Temple, Yang Kai also felt depressed. When he left Yang Wei’s compound, an old voice suddenly sounded in his mind, ordering him to come here.
This was a summons from a Yang Family Grand Elder. Yang Kai had no choice but to comply!
It seemed like every move he made, no matter how well he concealed himself or tried to remain discrete, it had not escaped the supervision of these eight masters.
This feeling of constantly being monitored made Yang Kai quite uncomfortable.
Feeling so unwilling in his heart, his expression was obviously also not good.
Walking up to the front of the temple, Yang Kai hadn’t even had time to report his arrival before the closed door slowly opened.
Rolling his eyes slightly, Yang Kai let out a sigh and led Ying Jiu inside. After the two walked in, the door slowly closed. During the whole process, neither of them saw a single figure nor felt any energy fluctuations.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly impressed with the abilities of these Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The Seal Temple’s floors were covered in red carpet and the surrounding walls were adorned with glowing gems. Even in the dark of night, the hallways were as bright as day.
On the numerous stone pillars were carvings of powerful and ancient birds and beasts.
When Yang Kai observed these gems and carvings, his expression became pensive, subtly feeling that these things weren’t randomly arranged but rather contained some inexplicable mysteries.
But even if he continued analysing them he didn’t seem to gain any insights.
Shaking his head helplessly he could only move on.
The World Energy in the Seal Temple gave off a pure and natural feel. Even though Yang Kai knew he was inside a building, he felt the air and aura around him was more comparable to a great spiritual mountain range, sometimes even feeling like he could hear some birds and insects. If he closed his eyes he could almost picture himself walking across a small bridge that spanned a gently flowing brook filled with clear spring water.
This mysterious atmosphere was simply everywhere!
Unlike Yang Kai who was curiously exploring his surroundings, Ying Jiu’s attitude was more cautious, standing at attention with his back fully straightened.
No one came to guide them or lead the way, but Yang Kai still felt as if a voice was telling him which way to go.
The whole experience was somewhat awe-inspiring.
A while later, a bright light appeared in front of the pair; this light seemed to come out of nowhere and without any prior warning.
By the time Yang Kai and Ying Jiu reacted, they discovered that they had arrived at their destination.
Inside the main hall of the Seal Temple, eight white-haired old people sat before a round table in front of them. Each of these people gave off an aura that seemed to separate them from the mortal world. At the centre of the table, which was also the center position of the hall, was a huge luminous ball gently floated in the air.
The arrival of Yang Kai and Ying Jiu didn’t disturb these eight people. Each of them continued to form mysterious hand seals, some of them frowning in contemplation, some of them smiling in satisfaction as they all seemed to direct a flow of energy towards the floating sphere of light.
When it absorbed these streams of energy, the glowing sphere would also show some subtle changes, as for what these changes meant it was unclear.
Yang Kai and Ying Jiu unconsciously held their breaths as they stared at the glowing ball, trying to enlighten themselves as to the meaning of these eight master’s movements.
Time passed by.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai suddenly felt like something flashed before him and he awakened from his half entranced state, discovering that he had somehow been transported somewhere completely different. He was originally some distance from the round table, observing the glowing sphere but now he found himself standing atop of lush field of grass with blue sky and white clouds atop his head as a gentle spring breeze bringing a refreshing scent to his nose.
High in the sky, a series of violent energy fluctuations burst out, making it difficult for Yang Kai to keep his balance.
As he looked up, Yang Kai breath stagnated.
A battle was being fought in the sky by the Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had been sitting at the round table. Each of their moves was difficult to describe, they couldn’t be described simply in terms of attacking or defending, they seemed to have no set pattern or rules but instead were free flowing, conforming to some order that was beyond Yang Kai’s understanding.
The eight of them fought in a great melee, everyone was everyone else’s opponent, and each time their attacks collided, the Heavens and Earth would shake as violent winds mowed down the grass below.
“Hm?” Someone suddenly exclaimed, re-directing his attention to the ground below and discovering Yang Kai standing there with a confused yet thoughtful expression, surprising him greatly.
This sudden change caught the attention of others seven masters who them also discovered Yang Kai’s presence, all of them ceasing their battle as surprise filled each of their expressions.
“Brother Yang, is this that junior from your family?” A slightly fat old man asked.
Yang Li Ting nodded lightly as he stared at Yang Kai with interest.
“Junior Yang Kai greets eight Seniors!” Yang Kai also quickly composed himself and respectfully bowed.
“Impressive, to actually be able to break into our mental construct, Brother Yang, seems your Yang Family has no lack of successors.” Another short old man laughed.
Although these people had secluded themselves and their attachment to the mortal world was weak, at this moment they couldn’t help feeling a trace of envy when they saw Yang Kai.
Yang Li Ting didn’t say anything, he didn’t even nod, and Yang Kai only felt that this Yang Family Grand Elder’s eyes only flashed briefly as he stared at him.
“Greetings, Grand Elder.”
“En, you’re called Yang Kai, right?” Yang Li Ting stood tall and crossed his arms behind his back. Although his hair was white, his complexion was youthful and his gaze anything but dim.
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. This Yang Li Ting before him was one of the Yang Family’s five Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders, if he was to count by generation, then he would be his ancestor with an age of at least two hundred years old.
With a gap of several generations between them, and the Yang Family itself not placing an emphasis on family bonds, while Yang Kai might respect Yang Li Ting’s strength, he had no sense of intimacy with him whatsoever.
“Do you know why I summoned you here?” Yang Li Ting seemed to be interested in testing Yang Kai, only offering questions and no answers.
“Junior has some ideas.” Yang Kai grinned.
It had been quite some time since the beginning of the Inheritance War, but Yang Li Ting had chosen to call him here at this moment, so Yang Kai could guess the reason with a fair degree of certainty.
Old Demon’s appearance in War City, and the powerful Demonic Qi he radiated from his body had obviously drawn the attention of the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The eight of them would not intervene in any way in the Inheritance War, their only job was to protect the younger generation cultivators from attacks launched by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so now that such a high-level Devil Lord had appeared in his mansion, it would be more unusual for them not to summon Yang Kai.
“I ask you then, where did that man come from?” Yang Li Ting didn’t bother with any nonsense and went straight to the point and when he asked this, his eyes seemed to be peering into the depths of Yang Kai’s soul.
Yang Kai frowned when he noticed this probing, but he didn’t say anything about it, simply replying, “I don’t know his origins.”
“You don’t know?” Yang Li Ting’s brow wrinkled as displeasure appeared on his face. Although he felt that Yang Kai was deliberately concealing something, he also noticed that he didn’t show any signs of lying.
In fact, Yang Kai really wasn’t clear about Old Demon’s origins. When they had first met in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave, Old Demon was just a weak spirit whose memory was chaotic and disordered; he couldn’t even remember his own name. As time passed, Yang Kai didn’t bother asking him about his past so naturally he didn’t know where Old Demon was from.
“Although I am not clear about his origins, Junior is certain he is not a person from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.” Yang Kai also knew what Yang Li Ting was worried about so he quickly added this point.
Yang Li Ting was at a loss for words as he stood there frowning, only speaking again after a long silence, “According to the rules of the Inheritance War, anyone, no matter their origin, as long as they are associates of you Juniors, is eligible to participate; after all, this battle is also a test of your connections. Since he has some sort of relationship with you, if this old master was to drive him out of War City or kill him directly, you may not be satisfied as it would be akin to us indirectly suppressing you which would run counter to the Inheritance War’s purpose.”
Each word spoken from this elder made Yang Kai felt disgruntled. Although he was being talked down to, he made sure not so show anything on his face.
“We summoned you here only to clarify his identity. In any case, we will permit him to participate in the Inheritance War and to stay inside the borders of War City, but our tolerance is limited to that. If this old master finds out that he had nefarious intentions then whether or not he is your henchman I’ll ensure he will never leave this place.” Yang Li Ting said indifferently, “In addition, when the Inheritance War ends, he must immediately leave, otherwise this old master won’t give you any face.”
“Junior understands.” Yang Kai responded with a blank expression.
Although he was still young, his future was unlimited, one day he may be able to hold up the sky with one hand and crack the Earth under his foot but for now, Yang Kai was still just a weak Junior. If he were to openly disobey Yang Li Ting he would no doubt suffer.
Although Yang Li Ting was a Yang Family Grand Elder and in name Yang Kai was his descendant, but they had never contact each other before and were essentially strangers. This made Yang Li Ting’s words a warning which carried no room for questioning.
“You may go.” After that, Yang Li Ting waved his hand, turned around, and flew back up into the sky to resume his battle with the other seven.
Experiencing all this, Yang Kai felt a bit sullen in his heart, although he was willing to leave, he had no idea how to.
He didn’t even know how he came in.
After spending some time unable to find an exit, Yang Kai was about to ask when a booming voice entered his ear, “Why haven’t you left?”
Just as the voiced reach him, a huge force slammed into Yang Kai’s body. Unable to resist in the slightest, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards by this thrust and the picturesque scenery around him disappeared.
Looking around, Yang Kai found himself back in the temple’s main hall, the round table with the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters sitting around it and the huge glowing ball once again a short distance away. The eight masters continued interacting with the glowing sphere, exploring the mysteries of the Martial Dao, as if nothing had happened.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
Yang Kai involuntarily retreated backwards, causing Ying Jiu great shock as he stepped forward to help him.
After recovering his balance, Yang Kai discovered that his True Qi was fluctuating somewhat while his Soul felt as if a thousand needles were piercing it.
Only after coughing out a mouthful of blood did he feel better slightly.
Ying Jiu’s expression changed, not understanding what had just happened to Yang Kai for him to be injured.
Since coming here, Yang Kai had simply stood there without saying a word while Ying Jiu had remained silent and waited, so this sudden unexpected change was naturally quite confusing to him.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai wiped the blood from his mouth as he narrowed his eyes slightly at the old men around the round table before quickly leading Ying Jiu out.
Inside the mental world, the eight masters stopped their melee temporarily, the other seven of them shaking their heads as they looked at Yang Li Ting. The slightly fat old man who spoke earlier commenting, “Brother Yang, it’s it a bit too much to treat your junior like that?”
“Indeed, although his gaze was a bit overbearing, he’s still just a youngster. Which one of them doesn’t act somewhat arrogantly? Besides, it’s not like he actually showed you any disrespect.”
“If you keep acting like this towards him, he’ll definitely have some resentment towards you. That little brat is quite good, your Yang Family may even have to depend on him in the future, and if your attitude drives him away, wouldn’t that be a big loss?”
The seven old men all chimed in, none of them understanding why Yang Li Ting had just dealt with his descendant so harshly.
Yang Li Ting coldly snorted, “So what if he leaves? Does my Yang Family not have any other successors? When this old master was speaking to him just now, he clearly showed some signs of ignoring me. Making him suffer a bit was just a warning. I presume he now knows not to disregard this old master’s words!”
“Even so, Brother Yang still went too far just now. Why should you bother yourself with the antics of a child?”
“Brother Yang’s actions really were a bit too much this time. Him being able to break into our mental construct with his own abilities shows that his aptitude is outstanding; could anyone else from your Yang Family’s younger generation accomplish such a feat? Don’t say just your juniors; even the ones from our seven families don’t have anyone who could replicate what he just did.” The speaker kept shaking his head.
“Enough. How this old master handles affairs in his family is no concern of you all. Now, are you going to keep nagging or are we going to fight?” Yang Li Ting grumbled unhappily, having the other seven old men here continuously accuse him, of course he wouldn’t feel happy.
“Of course we’ll fight! Well, just wait until the day that little brat really walks away. On that day, we’ll see if you regret it or not, hahaha!”
“Mm? What? Something’s wrong!” The Qiu Family’s Grand Elder, Qiu Dao Ren, suddenly called out in surprise, his expression becoming quite strange.
The other seven people also showed a look of surprise as they looked around at each other.
“It seems like that little brat actually received an unexpected blessing.” The slightly fat old man laughed as he looked at Yang Li Ting with interest.
“It really is an unexpected blessing.”
“Brother Yang, this wasn’t your original intent?” One of the seven looked at Yang Li Ting with a puzzled expression.
Yang Li Ting just slowly shook his head as he knit his brow slightly. Just now he really had only intended to punish Yang Kai a bit for his arrogance so he would realize the gap between the two of them in terms of strength and seniority and also to teach him a lesson not to make friends with such wicked people.
However, he hadn’t expected that under the pressure he had just subjected this little brat to, he would actually show signs of breaking through.
[Strange!] Yang Li Ting frowned. He didn’t know how this younger generation child’s depth. After being attacked, this brat actually managed to clear some kind of obstacle in his heart and grab hold of an opportunity to break through.
Inside the Seal Temple hallways, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his expression becoming serious as he showed some signs of discomfort.
Ying Jiu also noticed this, thought that perhaps Yang Kai was injured more heavily than he had expected and quickly asked.
In response, Yang Kai simply waved his hand and said, “Go back and tell Qiu Yi Meng that tomorrow’s plan will proceed as we discussed and that she will be in command of the whole operation.”
“Little Lord, you…”
“I still have something I need to do here.” After saying so, Yang Kai turned around and found an empty room, quickly entering and shutting the door.
Ying Jiu was stunned for a while but then turned around and left the Seal Temple without further hesitation.
The Seal Temple was very large yet there were only eight people inside. The eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters didn’t require anyone to tend to their needs them, so there were no maids or servants.
The room Yang Kai dove into was naturally one that was unoccupied.
After entering the room, he sat down and crossed his legs.
For a while now, Yang Kai had been on the verge of breaking through, but he had yet to reach the limit of his current cultivation. If he were to arrive at said limit, then the breakthrough process would be smooth and simple.
However, Yang Kai’s current situation was a bit special. He didn’t have any indications of breaking through, but under the pressure Yang Li Ting had given him, the True Qi and Spiritual Energy had surged to resist.
With the pressure and upsurge creating an unusual state, Yang Kai had touched the threshold of the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
A breakthrough was just a step away!
For tomorrow night, Yang Kai hoped he would be able to face the battle with a stronger cultivation.
Calming himself and focusing his thoughts, Yang Kai began circulating his True Yang Secret Art while he closed his eyes and recalled the scene he had seen in that mental world, allowing the True Qi in his body to flow freely.
Although Yang Kai didn’t witness much, but every action of the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had coincided with the movement of the Heavens, each of their action containing their comprehension of the Martial Dao.
Such a scene was of great use to anyone who saw it.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s emotions gradually calmed down and as he replayed what he saw over and over again, the mysterious sounds from when he first entered the Seal Temple reaching his ears once more.
The clear mountain river, the gently spring breeze, it was like being in a paradise that allowed one to fully relax and integrate with nature.
…………
Yang Kai Mansion.
As the flickering candlelight jumped, the worry on Qiu Yi Meng’s face only grew deeper. She sat at her table with her hands clenched and her breath held as she carefully listened to the movement inside the mansion, constantly sending out her Divine Sense so that she wouldn’t miss the slightest change.
When anyone approached her room, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help secretly paying extra attention, but every time this happened she ended up disappointed.
During the day, Yang Kai had told her about what he planned to do tonight and she had immediately tried everything she could think of to stop him, but that smelly man didn’t give her the slightest bit of face and immediately got rid of her entanglement.
Then, in the evening, he had quietly left the house, putting her completely on edge and more than just a little irritated; she almost hoped that Yang Kai would screw something up and not come back tonight at all!
As she thought about how she was acting right now, she couldn’t help feeling like she was an abandoned wife who was waiting for her husband to come back after he had gone out for the night.
Thinking so, Qiu Yi Meng’s face went bright red as her temperature rose and she quickly shook her head of such thoughts.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Qiu Yi Meng frowned and called out, “Who is it?”
“Young Lady Qiu.” Ying Jiu’s voice came from outside.
Qiu Yi Meng immediately wore a smile, quickly got up and opened the door, but all she saw was Ying Jiu’s pair of sharp eyes shining in the darkness while in front of and behind him there was no one else, “Is that bastard not with you?”
Ying Jiu slowly shook his head.
“What happened?” The Qiu Family First Young Lady’s beautiful face couldn’t help going pale.
Ying Jiu was always with Yang Kai, but now he was alone and Yang Kai was missing. Could it be…
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t dare to think about it anymore.
“Little Lord has a matter to attend to and is staying in the Seal Temple for the time being.” Ying Jiu replied honestly.
“The Seal Temple?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help muttering in shock, her tone somewhat unstable.
She was obviously aware of the Seal Temple. That was the place where the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters secluded themselves. In fact, everyone in War City knew at least that much.
Without being summoned by those eight masters, no one could enter.
So why did Yang Kai go to the Seal Temple? Did the eight masters there have something they needed to discuss with him?
Thinking about the issue for a moment, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled happily for Yang Kai, nodding lightly as she replied, “I understand.”
Since he was staying inside the Seal Temple, there were absolutely no problems with his safety.
After breathing a sigh of relief, she continued, “About tomorrow night…”
“Little Lord says that everything will be entrusted to you.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s brow suddenly twitched as she ground her teeth and cursed, “That smelly man, pushing all the work onto me again.”
“I’ve delivered Little Lord’s message. Ying Jiu will now retire.” Saying so, Ying Jiu disappeared into the shadows.
As she returned to her room, Qiu Yi Meng’s tiredness was completely blown away, quickly taking out a pen and paper and listing the manpower available to her and the enemy; the number of masters each one possessed, and every possible scenario she could imagine regarding the upcoming offensive.
Early the next morning, many cultivators exited their retreat and began testing the power of their newly refined artifacts.
These artifacts were the ones that were snatched back at Po Jing Lake, and had basically all been distributed by Qiu Yi Meng, so these days, everyone had been focusing on refining them.
Qiu Yi Meng, who had spent a sleepless night, quickly convened the leaders of the major forces in the mansion and held a war council.
She didn’t say too much detail, just disseminating information to the appropriate leaders prepare their people and disclosed some general information about tonight’s battle.
When they received the word, everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
“You two Hu Sisters will also join us tonight.” Qiu Yi Meng looked over at Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er with a smile.
Hu Jiao Er immediately nodded, “Good.”
She knew in her heart that the Blood Battle Gang hadn’t brought many people, and even fewer masters. Qiu Yi Meng allowing them to come tonight was obviously giving them a chance to earn a little more credit.
Leng Shan wore an apologetic look, “This time, it seems my Ghost King Valley won’t be able to participate, the primary Martial Skill we all use is temporarily sealed.”
“Then I’ll be troubling you to watch the house.” Qiu Yi Meng had already made proper arrangements.
“Thank you.” Leng Shan replied gratefully.
A while later, the arrangements of which forces were staying behind and which ones were deploying was completed. Qiu Yi Meng had taken into consideration the mood of each force and created a plan that everyone was satisfied with.
Everyone soon dispersed and returned to their respective housings to rest before tonight’s action.
Time marched on and soon it was night.
No one expected that such a large-scale movement would take place so soon after the battle at Po Jing Lake.
Inside War City’s eastern mansion, Meng Shan Yi walked up to Yang Wei’s door and gently knocked, “Eldest Young Lord, it’s starting.”
Opening the door, Yang Wei walked out from the inside, his eyes flashing a confident light as he nodded slightly, “We’ll also move out.”
“Eldest Young Lord, something about tonight’s plan confuses me.”
“What?”
“Ninth Young Lord is going to attack Fifth Young Lord and we are responsible for occupying Second Young Lord’s attention, but what about the Sixth and Seventh Young Lords? If they catch wind of this wouldn’t they also head out?”
“As long as they’re not idiots of course they’ll move.” Yang Wei nodded gently.
“Then what about Ninth Young Lord’s…” Meng Shan Yi muttered, pausing for a moment before his expression suddenly cheered up, “If that’s the case, then while Ninth Young Lord is suppressing Fifth Young Lord, his backyard will catch on fire.”
Yang Wei looked at Meng Shan Yi slightly oddly before grinning, “Shan Yi, it’s as if you’re looking forward to such a scene. Are you scared of my Ninth Brother?”
Meng Shan Yi suddenly looked awkward before turning the question around “Eldest Young Lord, are you not worried about him?”
“What use it worrying? All I have to do is what I agreed to, if things turn out badly, it has nothing to do with me.” Yang Wei slowly shook his head and firmly declared, “If Ninth Brother moves fast enough tonight, so fast that Sixth and Seventh Brother have no time to react, he can achieve his objective without worrying about his rear lines taking damage. If he’s too slow… he’ll just have to deal with some losses.”
Meng Shan Yi looked at Yang Wei and contemplated his word and realized that he was saying that even if Yang Kai acted too slowly, at most he’d take some damage but wouldn’t be completely defeated.
[Is Eldest Young Lord’s evaluation of Ninth Young Lord really so high?]
However, after thinking about it, with Ying Jiu and the bone shield at his disposal, it wasn’t impossible for Yang Kai to quickly capture Yang Kang.
In the calm serene night, an odd tension seemed to be quietly spreading.
Yang Kang’s Compound.
Yang Kang was concentrating on refining his new Mysterious Grade artifact. Over the past few days, he had been constantly pouring his True Qi into it and the effect had been good. As long as he was given another five or six days, he would be able to freely use this Mysterious Grade Low-Rank artifact. At that time, his overall strength would rise a whole nother level!
With a Mysterious Grade artifact, even if he was facing an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary master, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. It could be said that the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake had greatly increased the combat strength of each of the Yang Family Young Lords.
As he sat silently in his room, focusing on refining this artifact, his closed door was suddenly opened.
Yang Kang was slightly stunned, but before he could understand what was happening, a slender shadow leapt towards him and a brilliant flash of light appeared in his eyes. It seemed like two daggers shimmering with cold light were rapidly flying towards him.
His chest tightened and an instinctive sense of crisis flooded his mind.
“Fifth Young Lord, watch out!” Tang Yu Xian’s clear voice echoed in his ear as a potent Spiritual Energy wave flushed towards the approaching shadow.
The slender figure didn’t continue its assault towards Yang Kang but instead retreated out the door.
Under the pale moonlight, Yang Kang saw the appearance of his assailant and his hair all stood on end as a cold chill shot up his spine
“Ying Jiu!”
Ying Jiu grinned before his body quickly faded and disappeared.
The next moment, Tang Yu Xian appeared next to Yang Kang and asked, “Fifth Young Lord, are you alright?”
Yang Kang didn’t respond for a while, taking a moment to press down the fear in his heart before slowly shaking his head, “I’m fine, fortunately Yu Xian noticed in time.”
If it weren’t for Tang Yu Xian’s swiftly executed Soul Skill, given Ying Jiu’s strength, he would have already captured Yang Kang.
This shadowy Blood Warrior was a master of concealment and assassination, he was all but impossible to guard against, making him extremely terrifying!
However, just now, Ying Jiu could have easily launched another attack, so why did he give up? And that smile he flashed before his departure was also intriguing.
After a moment, Yang Kang suddenly understood, slamming his fist onto the table, “He was just messing with me!”
The Blood Warriors who participated in the Inheritance War were forbidden from taking the initiative, and were only responsible for defense and counter-attacking. That is to say, a moment ago, even if he didn’t resist Ying Jiu at all, nothing would have happened to him.
The attack he had launched just now was obviously just for show and he had no intentions of actually striking him. As for that last grin of his, Ying Jiu was probably just laughing at his panicked reaction.
“How come Ying Jiu is able to move around freely?” From their brief exchange, Tang Yu Xian had noticed something more important and was frowning in thought.
During the battle at Po Jing Lake, six Blood Warriors had been hit by the Qi Binding Seal and as a result, even now, Tu Feng was basically sidelined, yet Ying Jiu, who had been one of the six, affected, was actually here and seemed perfectly fine.
“Ninth Brother!” Yang Kang’s expression twisted in anger, completely ignoring the strange circumstances surrounding Ying Jiu’s presence, instead just roaring in hatred towards Yang Kai.
Right then, Tang Yu Xian’s expression suddenly paled as she called out, “Fifth Young Lord, many people are approaching!”
“What?” Yang Kang froze up, “Who’s coming?”
“I can sense Xiao Shun’s aura! There is also a large group of masters, all of them from the Little Lord’s allied forces, it looks like… Little Lord is going to attack.”
“Is he insane?” Yang Kang couldn’t sit still anymore, quickly jumping up and hurriedly dashing out.
What was Ninth Brother up to at such a time? Everyone was either licking their wounds from the Po Jing Lake artifact snatching battle or busy trying to refine the artifacts they obtained, yet he couldn’t sit still and had actually gone out seeking trouble with others.
Starting a fight right now wouldn’t just disrupt his allies who were trying to refine their newly acquired artifacts; it would also delay him from refining his own Mysterious Grade artifact. What benefit did that have to him?
Even if the two of them were at odds with each other, there was no need for his Ninth Brother to act so rashly. As much as Yang Kang didn’t want to admit it, once everyone had finished refining their own artifacts, his Ninth Brother would still hold a certain advantage in terms of manpower and resources.
Just as he rushed out of his room, the sounds of shouting and killing immediately reached his ear and the energy fluctuations of Martial Skills and artifacts made Yang Kang realize that Yang Kai really was attacking at this time.
It wasn’t just a trick like he had thought!
The ones who had come to his house hadn’t even said a word and had simply begun their assault.
Outside the mansion, floating in the sky, a group of nearly two hundred people stood tall with Qiu Yi Meng at their centre.
Yang Kai currently had a total of fourteen allies, not counting the two special forces of Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect of course.
In addition to the Qiu Family and Huo Family cultivators, the Blood Battle Gang, Dong Family, Purple Fern Valley, Pure Heart Palace, Tian Yuan City, and Duan Mu Family had all been deployed.
The Qiu Family forces here weren’t actually that strong; after all, the members of the Autumn Rain Hall were mainly untalented disciples or old wounded veterans.
As for the Huo Family, there were only two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters while the Blood Battle Gang had almost no Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators. Besides them, all the other forces only had four or five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters here.
The overall strength and quantity of their high end masters couldn’t be compared with the masters in Yang Kang’s compound.
But… Qiu Yi Meng was still completely confident of their victory.
Because she had brought two Blood Warriors this time, and there was also the sinister and mysterious master – Old Demon!
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t fully understand the extent of Old Demon’s strength, but she was certain that he was at least stronger than any of the Blood Warriors!
With these three people here, it was only a matter of time before Yang Kang was defeated.
It was because she was absolutely certain of her victory that Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even bother to say hello before ordering the attack.
The cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound were caught unprepared by this sudden barrage of Martial Skills and artifact attacks, and within moments they had already lost more than a dozen people.
After recovering from their initial shock, Yang Kang’s allies hurriedly defended themselves and began to counterattack, but all of them still seemed a little panicked and they had difficulty coordinating their response.
With Yang Kang yet to show up, these people lacked a leader to rally behind while the Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng couldn’t gain control of the overall situation.
“Young Lady Qiu, please permit we, five old masters, to enter the fight!” One of the Duan Mu Family’s masters said, his voice filled with murderous intent.
The Duan Mu Family was originally allies of the Yang Family Third Young Lord, Yang Tie. However, on the first night of the Inheritance War, Yang Tie had been eliminated. In that battle, everyone from the Duan Mu Family except these five masters had died.
The cultivators from Yang Kang’s camp had been the initial aggressors in that battle, so now that they had met once again, they were anxious to seek revenge for their fallen comrades.
“Don’t rush in.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and shook her head slowly, “We need to observe the situation first.”
Although Yang Kang’s cultivators had been caught by surprise, they were still the defending force and thus had a big advantage in terms of fortifications and numbers. On the other hand, only half of Yang Kai’s allies had been dispatched here. If they acted rashly, the damage they suffered would increase significantly.
Qiu Yi Meng’s strategy was simple, until Yang Kai arrived to take command, they would simply bombard Yang Kang’s forces from afar.
Yang Kang’s compound was filled with explosions, but the people brought by Qiu Yi Meng never engaged the enemy cultivators in close combat, they only stood high in the sky and sent out various long range Martial Skills and artifact waves without any thought to conserving their True Qi.
In just a few moments, Yang Kang’s mansion had multiple collapsed sections and had all but become a smouldering ruin while the defending cultivators, having lost any form of cover, were now dodging about like headless flies.
Although they hadn’t taken many losses, this display was a great humiliation to them.
Eventually, Yang Kang’s allies couldn’t endure it anymore and some of them began leaping up into the sky, trying to close in to counterattack.
Although Gao Rang Feng saw this, before he could call out to stop them, these cultivators had were subjected to concentrated attacks under Qiu Yi Meng’s command.
The battle was progressing well and many cultivators in the sky couldn’t wait to charge in, seize Yang Kang or capture the flag to obtain the final victory.
As he stood mid-air, Huo Xing Chen muttered under his breath, “Qiu Yi Meng, doesn’t you letting Ying Jiu sneak in violate the rules of the Yang Family Inheritance War?”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head casually, “Ying Jiu knows what to do, as long as he only pretends to attack Yang Kang, it’s not a violation of the rules. How could a Blood Warrior screw something so simple up?”
“But then why did you make him sneak in at all? If he can’t seize Yang Kang or snatch the flag, why send him in the first place?” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t understand.
“In order to frighten Yang Kang.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled.
Huo Xing Chen spat disdainfully, obviously he didn’t believe this statement. He knew Qiu Yi Meng wasn’t bored to such an extent, so he just rolled his eyes. Huo Xing Chen figured that Qiu Yi Meng had pulled this stunt in order to make Yang Kang mistakenly think that Yang Kai was here.
Speaking of which, he didn’t know where Yang Kai was tonight; he also hadn’t seen him around yesterday. However, Ying Jiu and Yang Kai had always been inseparable. Since Ying Jiu had appeared, Yang Kai must be hiding somewhere nearby, waiting to execute some kind of plan.
Huo Xing Chen nodded secretly, confident in his analysis.
“Fifth Young Lord!?” Gao Rang Feng anxiously shouted. Gao Rang Feng was a successor to the Gao Family and although he was neither young nor weak, but in the Inheritance War he was just a foil. Now that people were knocking down the door, Gao Rang Feng could only temporarily hold the defence line together while waiting for Yang Kang to come out and take control of the situation.
“I’m here!” Yang Kang’s expression was gloomy as he stepped out of a broken wall together with Tang Yu Xian, glancing around before letting out a cold snort.
“Fifth Young Lord!” When he saw Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief and hurrying to his side, anxiously reporting, “Qiu Yi Meng brought a lot of people and suddenly started attacking, we were caught unprepared and more than twenty people have already died.”
“I know.” Yang Kang nodded sternly before looking up at the crowd above and shouting, “Ninth Brother, get out here and let’s talk!”
“Fifth Young Lord.” Qiu Yi Meng laughed lightly as she greeted Yang Kang. Standing there, her perfect curves were highlighted by her tight fitting dress which gently fluttered in the night breeze, revealing glimpses of her snow white legs that when illuminated by the bright moonlight seemed to give her a jade-like luster, fascinating anyone who saw her.
Even in this smoke-filled battlefield, there was no shortage of bloody male cultivators who greedily stared at her and were secretly tempted.
Along with Lan Chu Die and Luo Xiao Man, two women with phenomenal capital, and the two beautiful Hu Sisters, it was a feast for many people’s eyes, causing many of the men down below to feel quite jealous of Yang Kai.
They suddenly discovered that there were so many beautiful women allied with Yang Kai! This was definitely not the case with Yang Kang.
As the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was greeting Yang Kang, she never ceased giving out instructions to her troops. The cultivators around her continued to use their Martial Skills and artifacts to attack the defenders below.
“Where’s Ninth Brother?” Yang Kang’s brow wrinkled and his face twisted with displeasure. Apparently he thought that Yang Kai should come out and negotiate with him now; Qiu Yi Meng’s status wasn’t low but she still wasn’t qualified to make final decisions here.
“Pardon me, Young Master Kang, Yang Kai is occupied with something else right now and won’t be able to speak with you for a while. I’ve been given full responsibility for this battle, so I hope Fifth Young Lord can ask his allies to show mercy. Don’t worry, we’ll finish up here as quick as possible and try not to cause too much damage.” Saying so, Qiu Yi Meng let out a burst of charming laughter.
Yang Kang’s expression went black as a malicious smile crept onto his face, “Good good good! Seems Ninth Brother really doesn’t put his Fifth Brother in his eyes! If so, then Fifth Brother doesn’t need to order his allies to show any mercy. Since you’ve all come, then don’t expect to leave!”
Apparently, Yang Kang had really been enraged.
The Inheritance War was a contest to decide the next Yang Family Patriarch, a competition which compared each brother’s connections and personal charm. Right now, his Ninth Brother’s forces had actually come to attack him yet he didn’t even bother to show up. This alone gave Yang Kang a feeling of being despised; he was a prideful man and could not endure such contempt.
With his heart filled with anger, Yang Kang gave the command to launch an all-out attack.
Hearing this, Gao Rang Feng was shocked. Although Yang Kai’s forces here were definitely smaller in number and weaker in strength, right now Yang Kang’s forces had a big advantage because they were the defending side. If they continued to hold their ground, they would eventually wear down their attackers and have a better chance of repulsing or even defeating them.
Moreover, the cultivators from Yang Kai’s house launching such a fierce attack had definitely disturbed the other Young Lords who would surely take action to capitalize on this situation. At this time, their best choice was to draw things out as much as possible until Yang Kai’s mansion came under attack. Once that happened, these attacking forces would have no choice but to withdraw to bolster their base’s defence. At that point, as long as Yang Kang pursued and eliminated these people, defeating Yang Kai in one fell swoop was completely possible.
Unfortunately, Yang Kang’s anger had clouded his judgement and he didn’t even consider any of this. Right now, he just wanted to win back as much face as possible, but if he did this it would surely lead to him suffering much greater loses.
Quickly stepping forward to block Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng hurriedly urged, “Fifth Young Lord, I think maintaining our defences is the best plan right now, don’t be drawn in by their taunting…”
But before he could finish, Yang Kang interrupted impatiently, “So I should just let these bastards stand on top of my head and piss on me all the want? If it were you, could you endure it?”
Gao Rang Feng froze up for a moment, faintly thinking that Yang Kang had a point, but he quickly shook his head and insisted, “It’s not the same…”
However, once more, before he could finish, Yang Kang cut him off and ordered the offensive.
Immediately, a large number of cultivators flew up from the ground and launched an attack towards the invading forces, sending out a brilliant array of Martial Skills and artifact strikes which quickly closed in on Qiu Yi Meng and the others.
Seeing this, Huo Xing Chen let out a laugh, “Yang Kang really is straightforward.”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head slightly in response, “He’s just relying on numbers!”
None of the Yang Family Young Lords were fools. Even if Yang Kang was more impulsive than the others, it was impossible for him to throw himself headlong into a hopeless situation.
The battlefield was his mansion, and all of his manpower was currently here, naturally he felt there was no need to fear this inferior force brought by Qiu Yi Meng.
As she spoke, Qiu Yi Meng silently conveyed several instructions to her allies.
The cultivators from Yang Kang’s house were greatly angered and had charged in recklessly, fully pushing their True Qi to strike back at their attackers, but as they closed to a distance of ten meters, everyone around Qiu Yi Meng suddenly dispersed.
This sudden change disoriented the cultivators who had just flown as their targets scattered about randomly, none of them knowing who they should pursue.
Yang Kang, who had adopted a wait and see approach, was still down below and couldn’t efficiently issue new commands.
After a short pause, Yang Kang’s allies also split up and began randomly chasing after the escaping targets.
“Now!” Qiu Yi Meng shouted a single command and everyone who was running away suddenly turned and released their strongest Martial Skill.
The flash of light in the sky was so brilliant that most people couldn’t even open their eyes and amidst the chaos, screams of pain resounded as blood rained down over the compound.
Yang Kang heart jumped into his throat as he suddenly realized he had been tricked.
He could only stand there and watch as the forces brought by Qiu Yi Meng released blinding attacks and then crash into his allies, forming a tight encirclement.
*Peng peng peng…*
Bodies continually fell from the sky and smashed into the ground, bloody and beaten.
In less time than it took to drink half a cup of tea, this confrontation had ended.
Yang Kang’s forces had suffered heavy losses.
“Young Lady Qiu, there’s no need to go through all this trouble,” Old Demon, who was standing next to Qiu Yi Meng, said as he shook his head, “All we need to do is grab that little brat in order to win, right?”
“Correct.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded gently.
“Then this old master can just go do that. The woman beside him is good, but she shouldn’t be able to stop me.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly and shook her head, “Senior, this Junior doesn’t doubt your strength, but the Yang Family Blood Warriors are somewhat special, with their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill they can greatly increase their combat strength for a short time, allowing even someone at the Eighth Stage to fight a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, are you certain you can beat her in a short time?”
“Hm… if that’s the case then it would be a bit difficult.” Old Demon was surprised by this information and realized that Tang Yu Xian was a powerful opponent. Right now his strength was comparable to a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master. If he was to really fight with her, Tang Yu Xian would definitely not be his opponent, but if all she wanted to do was delay him that wouldn’t be an issue.
Without Yang Kai here, Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu were unable to move, so even if Old Demon was able to tie down Tang Yu Xian, with their remaining manpower, wanting to capture Yang Kang would be quite difficult.
[Why has that bastard still not shown up?] Qiu Yi Meng angry thought to herself, doing her best not to show any sign of her displeasure on her face.
If Yang Kai was here, things wouldn’t be so troublesome, he could simply lead Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu to attack Yang Kang and end all of this.
“In any case, it seems I must ask Senior to take action.” Qiu Yi Meng said as she adjusted her plan, since Yang Kai wasn’t here, she had to have Old Demon attack. Originally she had planned for Old Demon to remain a hidden card, someone to use in emergency situations, but now it seems that it wouldn’t be possible.
Yang Kang had just suffered a big loss so it was unrealistic to expect him to fall for the same trick again, in which case she could only launch a frontal attack.
“No problems Young Lady Qiu, just tell me who you want me to take out?” Old Demon grinned fiercely.
“No one in particular, I just want Senior to create as much chaos as possible! If possible, please also eliminate a few high-level people, such as the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters, as well.”
“A simple task!” Old Demon laughed wickedly as a black light spread out from his body.
The black light that emerged from Old Demon’s body soon became a dark red colour, like thick blood.
As this light spread out, bloody, gloomy, and violent atmosphere descended upon Yang Kang’s cultivators and their faces began to contort as they struggled to resist.
But no matter how they tried, none of them could stop this mysterious attack.
With a bang, the bloody light hit the ground and dug out a deep pit.
“Huo…” A bestial roar resounded as a violent aura swept across the compound, shaking the balance of all who heard it.
Staring at this phenomenon, the cultivators in Yang Kang’s house all wore stunned expressions.
Inside this deep pit, at some point, a human shaped figure with a strange face that had no nose stood tall. This creature’s body and eyes were crimson red and it gave off a bloody aura.
As it continued to roar, a great bubble of blood began to emerge at its feet.
*Plop plop…*
The bubble burst open and the ground was dyed red, soon transforming into a thick, sticky swamp, as if a pool of blood was oozing up from the depths of the earth, constantly spreading across the field.
“What the hell is that?” Everyone’s nerves tightened as they shouted, but no one seemed to recognize this thing. It appeared human, yet not at the same time, it had no signs of emotion or intelligence in its eyes, only infinite killing intent.
If one were to say it wasn’t human, they’d be right, but aside from its strange face and a huge bulge on its forehead, all its other features were human like.
“Senior, what is this?” Qiu Yi Meng’s face was also slightly pale. Although she had instinctively felt that Old Demon wasn’t a good person, after witnessing this scene, she discovered that she had far underestimated Old Demon’s demonic nature.
Looking at the expanding blood pool below her, Qiu Yi Meng even faintly felt a chill run up her spine.
“Heh heh… this is a Blood Demon Puppet this old master refined recently!” Old Demon replied proudly, apparently quite pleased with his handiwork.
Qiu Yi Meng’s brow wrinkled as she stared at this Blood Demon Puppet, but she wisely stopped talking.
This Blood Demon thing was already attacking; the blood pool beneath its feat seemed to have an incredible adhesion force that could lock down any cultivator unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
Howling wildly, the Blood Demon rushed up to a nearby cultivator and slashed its hand down at him, transforming this person into a bloody fog which was quickly absorbed by it, seemingly increasing the Blood Demon’s strength slightly in the process.
The red figure flashed in and out of the crowd and within ten breaths of time, all the cultivators caught in the blood pond had been killed.
The Blood Demon never paused. Wherever it went, the blood pool would spread, and once someone was seized by this blood, as long as their cultivation was below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, they had no hope of breaking free and were only able to stand there, waiting for death.
“Kill him!” Yang Kang also noticed the amazing destructive power of the Blood Demon and quickly ordered the masters in his camp to attack.
Although even Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth and Seventh Stage masters didn’t dare get too close to the Blood Demon, a number of them pulled out their artifacts and readied their Martial Skills to attack from a distance.
The Blood Demon was very agile and managed to avoid several of these strikes, but with so many masters targeting it, it could not dodge them all.
These masters were unrelenting and their barrage of attacks had soon blasted off the Blood Demon’s legs, causing it to collapse in its own pool of blood.
“Cheap tricks!” Yang Kang saw this scene and couldn’t help snorting coldly, though he was secretly breathing a sigh of relief to himself. If such a monster had been allowed to rampage throughout his forces unchecked not only would it deal significant damage to his allies it would also have a devastating effect on morale.
“Senior…” Qiu Yi Meng on the other hand was worried; she hadn’t expected that the monster Old Demon had summoned which seemed so terrifying would be defeated so easily.
However, Old Demon just grinned mockingly and said, “Wait a moment.”
Just as he spoke so, the blood Demon actually lifted itself up with its arms and began absorbing a large amount of blood from the pond into its broken limbs.
As it sucked up this blood, the place where the Blood Demon’s legs were cut off squirmed and inflated as something emerged from them.
A few breaths later, two brand new unbroken legs appeared.
“How can that be?” Someone cried out. Not only were the cultivators on Yang Kang’s side shocked, even Qiu Yi Meng and the allies around her were dumbfounded.
It was capable of regenerating its shattered and broken legs… could this thing really be described as human?
This bizarre scene had completely exceeded everyone’s understanding.
“This old master is also going to join in the fun!” Old Demon sneered before turning into a flash of black light and descending into the battlefield.
The Soul Breaker Awl, which had not appeared for a long time, emerged from his arm and gently floated around his shoulders as if it had a mind of its own while sending out terrifying pulses of energy.
The Soul Breaker Awl’s power had been restored to the point where it was as strong as a Mysterious Grade artifact!
Feeling the strange aura and tremendous pressure from Old Demon, Yang Kang’s cultivators were shocked. Even Tang Yu Xian wore a solemn expression as she whispered, “Fifth Young Lord, don’t leave my side.”
Yang Kang’s mouth was dry as he nodded unconsciously, suddenly feeling a sense of fear and helplessness.
Of his two Blood Warriors, Tu Feng currently couldn’t fight, and there were no other Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters under his command, so how was he to resist this sinister master?
Tang Yu Xian alone could probably delay him for a while, but if she was tied down by him, who would be left to guard him?
As he was stared at by this man, Yang Kang even felt like his soul was being slowly sucked away.
While Yang Kang was still trying to compose himself, Old Demon had already taken action, releasing all kinds of demonic Martial Skills while the Soul Breaker Awl flitted about the battlefield. Anywhere he went, Yang Kang’s cultivators would fall into a panic.
Coupled with the revived Blood Demon Puppet that was wreaking havoc nearby, Yang Kang forces were instantly overwhelmed and were having trouble just defending themselves.
“Why do I feel like… they can finish this on their own?” Huo Xing Chen tensed up slightly as he watched Old Demon and the Blood Demon Puppet’s one sided slaughter.
Each of these two was extremely tyrannical. The Blood Demon, needless to say, was almost immortal, in only a short period of time its body had been smashed and broken several times but regardless of how bad the damage was it would immediately regenerate.
As for Old Demon, his strength was incredible, no one could withstand more than three of his attacks as he smashed his way through the crowd, wantonly killing, leaving only a trail of bloody corpses behind him.
However, after observing for a while, Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, “With just the two of them, it’s impossible to end this.”
Old Demon and his Blood Demon Puppet were incredibly fierce, but two hands couldn’t block four fists, even tigers could be defeated when they were surrounded by wolves, and on top of that, it wasn’t like Yang Kang lacked masters of his own.
The weakness of the Blood Demon Puppet had been discovered by these masters.
In order to active its astounding regenerative abilities, the Blood Demon Puppet had to consume blood from the blood pond beneath it!
Noticing this, many cultivators who cultivated Fire or Ice attribute Secret Arts were targeting the blood pond, freezing or burning it away, thus cutting off the Blood Demon’s ability to heal itself.
Old Demon also saw this and could only snort coldly and recall the Blood Demon.
“It’s our turn!” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and said solemnly.
The cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound were in complete chaos, now was the perfect opportunity to press their advantage and wear down his forces.
“It’s been too long,” Huo Xing Chen grinned and rushed straight down, finding no one willing to challenge him, he flew directly to Gao Rang Feng and shouted, “Brother Gao, let’s exchange some pointers!”
Gao Rang Feng’s expression dimmed as he sneered back, “Brother Huo, do you think you’re my opponent?”
Although they had never fought on another before, Gao Rang Feng still felt that a delinquent like Huo Xing Chen wasn’t worthy of his attention.
“Whether or not I’m your opponent will only be clear after we fight!” Huo Xing Chen grinned, storing his folding fan behind his back smoothly.
“As you wish,” Gao Rang Feng coldly snorted.
The two Central Capital Young Lords instantly confronted one another, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters responsible for protecting them also clashing with their respective opponents.
A short distance away, Lu Song, who had been careful to avoid the calamity that was Old Demon, was targeted by Dong Qing Han.
These two had last met during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake where Lu Song had intentionally pestered Dong Qing Han, almost costing him the Heaven Grade Top-Rank Soul type artifact.
At the time, prioritising the overall situation, Dong Qing Han chose not to fight with him but instead evade.
But now the situation was different and it was his chance to attack, so Dong Qing Han naturally intended to settle their grudge and make this foolish Lu Family Young Master scram out of War City!
The Hu Sisters and Guan Chi Le also descended onto the battlefield, the twin flower’s delicate bodies suddenly radiating a soft glow which seemed to link their Souls and True Qi together. Once they entered this mystical state, even though they both were only True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivators, they were more than capable of fighting ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
When Qiu Yi Meng, who was secretly observing them, saw this, her eyes flashed, realizing that this beautiful pair of sisters wasn’t ordinary.
Fan Hong of Purple Fern Valley and Zuo Fang of Pure Heart Palace led their forces and charged straight into enemy lines.
The five masters from the Duan Mu Family were the most ferocious in their assault, their combined momentum amazing as they held none of their strength back, slaughtering anyone who got in their way! To them, this was a battle for revenge!
“Young Lady Qiu, please allow this unworthy one to serve as your escort and protect your safety.” Liu Fei Sheng declared, clear traces of infatuation plastered all over his face. After arriving at Yang Kai’s mansion, Liu Fei Sheng had almost become Qiu Yi Meng’s personal bodyguard, following her around wherever she went.
By now, everyone well understood he was obsessed with this Young Lady Qiu.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had subtly tried to distance herself from him, but Liu Fei Sheng either didn’t realize or didn’t care, insisting on maintaining close contact with her, and because he was technically Yang Kai’s ally, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t use more forceful methods to make him yield and helplessly ended up letting him do as he pleased.
However, whenever she found an opportunity to avoid him, she would have no qualms about it.
“No need, Xiao Man staying with me is enough,” Qiu Yi Meng flashed a polite smile and declined Liu Fei Sheng’s offer.
“As you wish.” Liu Fei Sheng hesitated for a moment before nodding, leading his Tian Yuan City forces to join the battle.
Up in the air, only Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were left with the two Blood Warriors standing nearby.
Since Yang Kai wasn’t here, Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu couldn’t do anything, even if someone was to attack Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man right now, they could only stand by and watch.
After all, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man weren’t their masters, they were just two of Yang Kai’s allies.
Thanks to the ruckus Old Demon and his Blood Demon Puppet had caused, Yang Kang’s cultivators were now in disarray, so when Dong Qing Han and the others descended upon them, the situation immediately became a group of one on one fights.
This was exactly what Qiu Yi Meng wanted to see!
The other party had more people and a geographical advantage, if they couldn’t seize the initiative and disrupt their coordination, it would be quite difficult to launch an attack. When it came to single combat, Qiu Yi Meng was confident that no force would be able to resist them.
The Mysterious Grade pills they had received from the Pill Room almost on a daily basis had not gone to waste! Qiu Yi Meng felt that both her cultivation and overall combat potential had increased by leaps and bounds and she had barely had time to cultivate as she was constantly dealing with administrative work. If even her strength had increased so much under these circumstances, just how much would everyone else have grown?
Standing midair, in her heart, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt like she was overlooking the whole world!
At this point in the battle, it was an assured victory on their end. It could be said that Yang Kai’s presence was completely unnecessary. However, if he were present, the casualties on their end would definitely have been smaller.
[Where exactly did that bastard go? At such a critical time, he actually just up and disappeared.]
As Qiu Yi Meng was silently grumbling to herself, Xiao Shun suddenly heard something and grinned, “Young Lady Qiu, Little Lord is approaching.”
Hearing this, Qiu Yi Meng turned her head towards a certain direction and really saw a figure rapidly flying towards them and a moment later, Yang Kai appeared in front of her.
Standing next to Qiu Yi Meng, Yang Kai glanced down at the chaotic battlefield expressionlessly.
The situation of the war seemed to be similar to what he expected.
“I thought you weren’t going to come.” Qiu Yi Meng pouted.
“Something came up that couldn’t wait,” Yang Kai responded casually.
“What exactly was so important that…” Qiu Yi Meng began to complain but before she could finish speaking she noticed a change in Yang Kai’s aura and her jaw dropped, staring at him in a dazed manner for a while before stuttering, “You… you broke through again?”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master now and could already use her Divine Sense, so as long as Yang Kai didn’t deliberately conceal his aura, it was easy for her to notice his increase in cultivation.
She finally knew why Yang Kai was late, if he suddenly encountered an opportunity to break through, he naturally couldn’t pay attention to anything else. Understanding all this, her previous displeasure melted away and she even felt a bit happy for him.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, gently clenching his fist. True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, just one step away from the Immortal Ascension Boundary! At this moment, the power flowing through his body was undoubtedly stronger than ever before.
“What we do next is up to you to decide,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and shifted the topic back to the battle in front of them. Before Yang Kai answered though, she threw out a couple of her own thoughts, “I don’t think ruthlessly purging them is very realistic, the most efficient course of action would probably be for you to lead Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu to quickly capture Yang Kang then after you obtain victory you can try to win over the survivors to increase your strength.”
However, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head, “I can’t conquer them.”
“I know that it’ll be more difficult than that, but if you don’t try you’ll never know.” Qiu Yi Meng frowned slightly; Yang Kai was always arbitrarily making decisions without accepting her opinion.
Conquering the cultivators that were still alive was indeed quite difficult; after all, the two sides had just been killing each other and the blood of their comrades still wet each other’s hands.
“If I say I can’t conquer them, I can’t conquer them.” Yang Kai obviously didn’t want to discuss this topic.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t say any more, instead just staring at him somewhat bitterly. In reality though, she also agreed with Yang Kai on this point. She just felt she had to at least mention this option.
Just like the five masters from the Duan Mu Family, if after Yang Kang and Yang Ying had slaughtered their friends and family, they tried to conquer them, would they have accepted? The answer was obviously no.
After forging such a deep-seated enmity during tonight’s battle, with Yang Kang’s forces suffering huge losses, them joining Yang Kai’s side was basically impossible.
Even if they took a step back and agreed to join Yang Kai, how could they possibly integrate themselves with his original allies? Up until now all of them had been enemies, spending each day together from this point forward would certainly lead to problems.
Even with Yang Kai’s phenomenal personal charm, it would be impossible to let all of them forget about the blood debts they owed one another.
“Since they can’t be conquered, it’s best if we quickly end things.” Qiu Yi Meng let out a long sigh, a trace of helplessness appearing on her face.
Now that Yang Kai was here, he could take Ying Jiu and Xiao Shun and swiftly capture his Fifth Brother. With the manpower available to him right now, Yang Kang had no chance of resisting an attack from two Blood Warriors.
But contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai laughed maliciously as his mouth curled into a grin, “Quickly end things? But I just came.”
“…What do you want?” The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady asked curiously.
“I want them to despair!” Yang Kai’s expression became cold and solemn as he turned and stared into Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes, “Don’t forget, if I don’t carve fear deep into these people’s hearts they’ll still have thoughts of opposing me and will definitely join my enemies to seek revenge!”
When that happened, the one these people would join would definitely be Yang Zhao!
There was no question about it; after all, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang were blood brothers.
Staring into Yang Kai’s frigid eyes, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt her whole body go cold, as if she could see mountains of corpses and rivers of blood in his gaze.
She had never realized that Yang Kai could be so ruthless.
Yang Kai’s appearance naturally did not go unnoticed by Yang Kang, the latter turning a pair of flame filled eyes towards the former and angrily roaring, “Ninth Brother!”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became warm and friendly as he called out in a casual tone, “Good evening, Fifth Brother!”
Seeing Yang Kai’s smug, superior attitude, Yang Kang almost vomited blood, gripping his hands so tightly his nails drew blood he muttered backs, “Good good, Ninth Brother’s methods are truly fierce, Fifth Brother has tasted them thoroughly!”
Yang Kai’s smile slowly converged as he faintly said, “Xiao Shun, Ying Jiu, follow me.”
Xiao Shun grinned and nodded while Ying Jiu silently faded into the shadows.
Looking down, Yang Kai picked a random spot on the battlefield and charged forward.
The cultivators supporting Yang Kang were already in disarray at this point and with Yang Kai leading two Blood Warriors into the fray, the situation deteriorated even further.
Everyone was hard pressed to respond to Yang Kai’s attacks and harassment but by the time they tried to hit back, they would immediately be set upon by the two Blood Warriors. On top of that, Yang Kai’s personal combat strength was not to be underestimated; even ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary masters couldn’t ignore his strikes.
Wherever Yang Kai went, it was almost as if a tornado swept through, leaving nothing but dead bodies and destruction in his wake.
He was like a great spear, thrust forward with unstoppable momentum, no matter how his enemies tried, they were incapable of resisting.
With the Yang Family’s rules about Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance war, Yang Kai’s current tactics was almost akin to cheating; at the very least it was a roguish behaviour.
Anyone who saw these three coming towards them would immediately pale and desperately try to avoid him.
Yang Kang’s expression quickly transformed from anger to confusion. He really didn’t know what Yang Kai was up to, he clearly had an absolute advantage, but instead of attacking himself or the flag, he had instead entered the crowd and was leading the two Blood Warriors to randomly slaughter.
Amidst all the chaos, a cultivator suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kang.
Yang Kang, who was now facing imminent defeat, eagerly asked, “What is happening with my Second Brother?”
As soon as the attack on his house had begun, Yang Kang immediately sent messengers to Yang Zhao’s to request reinforcements, and now one of them had finally returned.
The cultivator quickly replied, “Fifth Young Lord, Second Young Lord is unable to move.”
“What?” Yang Kang nearly choked as he nervously asked, “What happened?”
“The Eldest Young Lord brought his forces and is currently harassing Second Young Lord, so he can’t send any help.”
Yang Kang’s expression became desperate as he staggered back a few steps and muttered, “How could this happen?”
It was impossible that while he suddenly came under attack by his Ninth Brother, his Eldest Brother had coincidentally gone to find trouble with his Second Brother. Was it possible that his Ninth Brother had teamed up with his Eldest Brother?
“Fifth Young Lord, Second Young Lord told me to deliver you a message,” The cultivator opened his lips but hesitated, as if the words were caught in his throat.
“What is it?” Yang Kang eyes flashed, grasping desperately to any trace of hope.
“Second Young Lord said…” The cultivator’s brow filled with sweat as he somehow managed to squeeze the words out, “Admit defeat, Ninth Brother won’t kill you anyways.”
After a pause, he quickly added, “That’s what Second Young Lord said.”
“Admit defeat?” Yang Kang repeated a sentence a few times before suddenly bursting out into laughter, “Me? Admit defeat? How can this Yang Kang possibly admit defeat!?”
Facing this desperate situation, and having his last hope ruthlessly cut off, Yang Kang’s expression became somewhat hysterical as he roared out, “Ninth Brother!”
This roar spread across almost half of War City and anyone who heard it couldn’t help trembling at just how much unwillingness and fighting spirit it contained.
When Yang Kai heard this, he halted his movement mid-air and turned his eyes towards Yang Kang, looking down at him lightly.
“Ninth Brother, everyone underestimated you. Fifth Brother did as well, but Fifth Brother isn’t defeated yet. If you want to beat me, do you dare do it yourself!?” Yang Kang’s eyes were ablaze with raging flames, it wasn’t the look of someone who had accepted defeat, but of one who was still struggling to achieve victory.
“Alright.” Yang Kai grinned and easily agreed to Yang Kang’s request before saying, “But I have a condition.”
“Say it,” Yang Kang took a deep breath and calmed his rampant emotions.
“After tonight, the surviving cultivators from your house must leave War City!”
Yang Kang’s eyes blinked before immediately understanding his intentions, sneering in response, “Are you afraid that they’ll go join Second Brother?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change.
He wasn’t afraid! With his absolute advantage here, he could simply kill all of them, cutting the weeds and pulling out roots completely. Yang Kang believed that if he didn’t agree to this condition, Yang Kai would really do something like this.
Beat the snake until it’s dead to avoid future calamity and not allowing the tiger to return to the mountain ends all troubles.
If he gave these people a way out of this hopeless situation now, even if in the future they still decided to oppose him, they would be hesitant to act ruthlessly towards him.
The reason Yang Kai would make such a request was obviously because he didn’t want to take things too far.
“Good!” Yang Kang nodded, straightening himself up before leaping into the sky with Tang Yu Xian.
Since he was destined to be defeated, he would at least make one last stand, allowing himself to meekly be capture wasn’t the style of the Yang Family.
Tang Yu Xian took a half step forward and stood in front of Yang Kang, her lithe body emitting a faint light as a bitter smile crept onto her face, turning her eyes to Yang Kai and saying, “Little Lord, this day has finally come.”
If it wasn’t for the disaster which had befallen Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng would right now be the ones standing beside Yang Kai, enjoying the sweet taste of victory again and again.
But… even though she was extremely unwilling to, Tang Yu Xian at this moment had to see Yang Kai as her enemy.
“Yu Xian, you don’t have to intervene this time, this is between me and Ninth Brother.” Yang Kang also understood the relationship between Tang Yu Xian and Yang Kai and shook his head slightly.
“Fifth Young Lord,” Tang Yu Xian smiled, the small dimples at the corners of her mouth gently showing. “Blood Warriors never abandon their duty. The only mission we Blood Warriors have in the Inheritance War is to protect you Young Lords, so even if you don’t allow it, for this battle, I must participate.”
Yang Kang couldn’t help feeling slightly moved.
The reason he chose Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian as his followers was originally to mess with Yang Kai, and over the past few months, he had continuously been suspicions of Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s loyalty. When he really confronted Yang Kai, he was afraid that they wouldn’t give it their all.
But now, it seemed like he had been wrong. Even in this doomed situation, Tang Yu Xian still insisted on fulfilling her responsibility as a Blood Warrior.
“I will accompany you then, Yu Xian!” Ying Jiu suddenly appeared and said.
The two Blood Warriors faced off against one another calmly until, suddenly, their True Qi became violent.
Soon, the Blood Force of both Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu began to surge upwards along with their True Qi, both reaching an entirely new realm of power.
Mad Tyrant Blood Skill! The two of them both possessed combat strength equivalent to Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
*Xiu xiu…*
The two figures disappeared at the same time, leaving behind only two red streaks of light smashing against one another in the night sky.
Down below, Old Demon felt these fluctuations and couldn’t help looking up, his expression becoming slightly dignified, “It seems that they really are somewhat capable.”
With their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill activated, Old Demon still felt like neither of them alone would be his opponent, but if he wanted to defeat either of them, it would take him some time.
Tang Yu Xian was occupied by Ying Jiu and the Qi Binding Seal prevented Tu Feng from fighting, so right now no one was guarding Yang Kang.
“Fifth Brother, after you!” Yang Kai stared at him, his expression indifferent.
Yang Kang’s face twisted awkwardly before he let out a long sigh, his eyes focusing as cold light flashed across them, his breathing gradually becoming calm as his aura turned sharp.
[Not bad!] Yang Kai thought to himself.
He suddenly discovered that his Fifth Brother wasn’t as impulsive as he had thought. Amongst their generation, he could be considered as one of the elites.
In battle, the more emotional you were, the more likely you were to find yourself at a disadvantage.
When cultivators fought, rather than momentum, cultivation, methods, or experience, the most important factor was one’s own temperament.
During a fight, if one became distracted by outside factors, it would be difficult for them to exert their full strength and it was more likely they would reveal flaws, some of which could be fatal.
A cultivator who rushed forward in a rage wouldn’t be able to make sensible decisions in battle and would gradually lose control of the situation, quite possibly costing them their life.
As soon as Yang Kang was about to fight, he forcefully calmed himself down, displaying the demeanor of a true master. If he was given another twenty years, he would definitely become one of this world’s powerhouses, but for now, he was still too young.
Although Yang Kai was technically younger than him, his range of experiences was far broader. Different life experiences would naturally cause people to mature at different rates.
“Ninth Brother, you being able to exchange blows with Liu Qing Yao means I am definitely not your opponent.” Yang Kang said calmly, he didn’t seem to think admitting this was shameful in the slightest, “But if you want to beat me, you’ll have to pay a price!”
As he spoke, a compass-like object appeared on his wrist.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, frowning towards Yang Kang as he asked, “Why bother?”
“I am a Yang Family direct descendant. You should have already been well aware of our Yang Family member’s temperaments!” Yang Kang sneered; however, his expression still remained indifferent.
A faint trace of lightning suddenly emerged from the compass and the space around Yang Kang seemed to creek under the force as a dangerous atmosphere spread out from him.
Yang Kai immediately moved, shooting out like a lightning bolt, fast and decisive, sending a palm strike straight towards Yang Kang’s chest. The palm print was bright red, obviously filled with True Yang Yuan Qi, and gave off a stifling aura.
Yang Kang simply stared at this palm print calmly, not making any attempt to dodge.
*Peng…*
Yang Kang coughed and was thrown backwards, but he still smiled and let out a great laugh, “Ninth Brother, try the power of this Mysterious Grade artifact!”
The compass on his hand seemed to instantly swallow all of his body’s True Qi and in a flash, a brilliant light blossomed and potent energy fluctuation rippled through the air.
*Kachaca…*
A lightning bolt as thick as a human thigh suddenly shot out from the compass. This lightning bolt transformed into a giant, extremely lifelike dragon, two sharp horns adorning its head, its body several tens of meters in length, its mouth fiercely biting as it flew towards Yang Kai as if pouncing towards its prey.
Yang Kai swiftly withdrew, his figure flickering a few times before finally reappearing several hundred meters away.
The lightning dragon’s first strike had been avoided and it quickly flew up into the night sky and disappeared, but Yang Kai still felt a cold chill run up his back. Without any hesitation, he summoned the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia and used the thousand blood-red petals to form an impervious defense layer.
Without any warning, the lightning dragon that had just disappeared suddenly reappeared around Yang Kai and once again fiercely attacked.
The petals fluttered as the lightning dragon swayed and when the two collided together, a tremendous explosion burst out.
Seeing Yang Kai wrapped up in the lightning dragon, Yang Kang grinned. He didn’t use any probing strikes or hold back at all, he put everything he had into this one blow because he knew that with Ninth Brother’s combat strength, this would be his one and only chance.
[It’s just a pity… I only managed to half refine this artifact.]
The compass was the Mysterious Grade artifact he had obtained during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake. It contained a mysterious and powerful lightning. This lightning was both swift and overbearing; if he was able to completely refine it, Yang Kang felt that simply relying on this artifact he could compete with ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai didn’t give him that opportunity.
As a last resort, Yang Kang how no choice but to use this half-refined artifact to unleash this strike.
The price he had to pay to do this was huge.
Without completely refining this artifact, Yang Kang was unable to properly control it. The moment the lightning dragon appeared, he too was subjected to a huge backlash. Similarly, due to his lack of control, the lightning dragon could not display its full might. Worse of all, activating an artifact without being fully consolidating it had led to its demise. It will no longer be of any use unless an Artifact Refining Grandmaster was to repair it. Only after that could this artifact collect lightning from its surrounds and be used again.
Using it this was brought great harm to both the cultivator and artifact, so no cultivator would easily do such a thing.
Of course, this wasn’t as bad as when Liu Qing Yao sacrificed his Water Moon Blue Wave Armour. That Mysterious Grade artifact had disappeared completely and there was no chance of repairing it, but in exchange it had not caused Liu Qing Yao any backlash.
However… Yang Kang was satisfied.
Even if his Ninth Brother was ridiculously strong, could he block the full powered strike of a Mysterious Grade artifact? As long as he managed to injure him, Yang Kang felt like he had achieved his goal – even if he lost, he had made his enemy pay a heavy price!
Qiu Yi Meng was also worried about Yang Kai when she saw him engulfed by the lightning dragon, her brow leaking cold sweat as she naturally noticed the tyrannical power of this attack, uncertain if Yang Kai could block it.
But seeing Xiao Shun standing next to her still wearing an indifferent expression, Qiu Yi Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Yang Kai’s life was really in any danger, Xiao Shun wouldn’t have just stood by and watched, no matter what, Yang Kai’s safety was the highest priority.
*Hua…*
In the sky, the blood-red petals suddenly scattered and fluttered down, bringing a floral scent with them.
The Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia’s defense… was broken through!
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help shouting, but before she could catch her breath, a fierce suction appeared in Yang Kai’s position.
It was as if a great whirlpool had formed mid-air that fiercely pulled in all the lightning around it. Even though the lightning dragon put up a fierce resistance, it was unable to stop itself from being devoured.
Soon, the lightning dragon flickered and disappeared, leaving behind a completely unscathed Yang Kai. At this moment, he held a table sized bone shield in his hand, which has had a giant open mouth carved on its face.
Around the open mouth, there seemed to be a few residual traces of lightning.
“These Mysterious Grade artifacts are really amazing.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. His Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia couldn’t resist the attack of the Mysterious Grade Compass so he had no choice but to summon the bone shield and swallow the lightning dragon.
“Damn it!” Witnessing this scene, Yang Kang couldn’t help cursing, his body losing all strength as he began falling from the sky.
The compass had sucked up all of his True Qi so he was unable to continue fighting. He had hoped that his strongest blow just now could at least cause some trouble for Yang Kai. Injuring him would be even better.
As for killing Yang Kai, Yang Kang didn’t even consider the possibility. Given Yang Kai’s incredible combat strength, Yang Kang knew he didn’t have the ability to kill him, and even if he did have the necessary strength, he still wouldn’t dare have such thoughts, after all, the two of them were still brothers.
But seeing him use that bone shield to completely ignore his last ditch attack really made him feel aggrieved and unwilling.
Xiao Shun glanced at Yang Kai and saw him nod his head, the former shooting forward and catching Yang Kang before carrying him down to the ground and declaring, “Fifth Young Lord, you’ve lost.”
“What are you so smug about?” Yang Kang coldly snorted, bitterly spitting, “It wasn’t you who beat me.”
Yang Kang’s face was slightly smudged black and his hair was slightly charred, when he had released the lightning dragon, he was affected by it so he had suffered some injuries and his appearance was messed up.
Resisting the urge to smile, Xiao Shun simple nodded, “Please don’t be angry Fifth Young Lord, you should quickly return to the Central Capital and tend to your injuries.”
“Mind your own damn business!” Yang Kang’s mood was obviously not very good and Xiao Shun no longer paid him any mind, quickly returning to his previous position.
The fight between the two Yang Family Young Lords was decided in a single blow; seeing this, all the cultivators down below gradually ceased their resistance.
After all, Yang Kang had already been captured, which meant that he had been eliminated from the Inheritance War. Since he was out already, continuing to resist was meaningless.
On the other side, Gao Rang Feng looked at Huo Xing Chen helplessly, grinned, and shook his head, “Young Lord Huo, since Fifth Young Lord lost, there’s no need for us to continue fighting.”
“We haven’t decided a victor yet, why are you so anxious? They are them, we are us, come come, let’s continue our fight!” Huo Xing Chen said with a wretched smile, apparently still full of enthusiasm.
Seeing this, Gao Rang Feng reluctantly grit his teeth and said, “This Gao admits Young Lord Huo is the victor. I am not your opponent.”
In truth, he was also speechless. Never had he expected that this pleasure seeking delinquent Young Lord would be able to so easily overpower him even though the two had equal cultivations.
[This is impossible. When did Huo Xing Chen become so strong?]
“Well, as long as you say so.” Huo Xing Chen laughed when he heard Gao Rang Feng back down; now in a good mood he called out happily, “Brother Gao, this fight hasn’t dampened our friendship, right?”
“Yes, yes.” Gao Rang Feng actually disliked Huo Xing Chen quite a bit, even feeling somewhat ashamed that they shared similar status, so although he paid him some lip service, he was actually thinking that the two of them didn’t share any friendship in the first place.
“Hahaha, good, I’ll be sure to invite you to the brothel next time!” Huo Xing Chen shamelessly said, making no attempt to conceal his voice.
Gao Rang Feng’s face went black, seemingly too embarrassed to answer.
“I understand, we’re both men after all.” The Huo Family Young Lord laughed wretchedly once more.
When the dust settled, Yang Kang had lost.
But in a corner of the battlefield, Dong Qing Han was still facing off against the Lu Family’s Young Master. Lu Song’s strength wasn’t bad; he had fought against Dong Qing Han at Po Jing Lake a few days ago, so both of them were familiar with each other’s methods.
Tonight, Dong Qing Han had deliberately sought him out, quickly drawing Lu Song into a fight.
However, Lu Song had never thought that after only a few days, Dong Qing Han’s strength would actually increase so much. After only a few rounds, Lu Song was defeated without even being able to fight back. Now, all he could do was awkwardly run from his attacker.
[What’s gotten into this guy tonight? How is he able to continuously display such strength?] Lu Song thought to himself as he fled in panic, his face bruised and swollen.
“Run! Run from this Young Master! Let’s see just how far you can flee!” Dong Qing Han hollered spitefully, his slightly chubby body flickering as he appeared in front of Lu Song again, slapping his palm towards his face.
Lu Song raised his arms to defend himself, but his opponent was too quick and agile and changed the direction of his palm before he could react.
With a bang, Lu Song felt a stinging pain on his face.
As the saying goes, beat others to cover up your weakness, curse others to hide your shortcomings, Dong Qing Han behaving so roguishly almost made Lu Song vomit blood. He was also the Young Lord of a first-class family, but with so many eyes on this battlefield staring at him, how could he possibly prevent this shameful display from being spread around?
“Dong Qing Han, don’t push me too far!” Lu Song roared as he pulled away from Dong Qing Han.
“If I push you too far, what exactly will happen?” Dong Fatzi sent another slap towards his face.
*Pa…*
The anger in Lu Song’s heart burned furiously, completely overwhelming his ability to think, yet he still was unable to stop a single one of Dong Qing Han’s attacks, his eyes turning bloodshot as his face was slapped once again.
“Blind fool, why haven’t you scrammed out of War City yet?!” Dong Qing Han spat disdainfully while releasing another slap.
“Cousin!” Lu Song screamed towards a certain young woman floating nearby.
“No one can save you now!” Dong Qing Han shouted and slapped again.
Up in the sky, Qiu Yi Meng glanced over briefly, shook her head, then completely ignored Lu Song’s plea for help.
After he was driven out of the house by Yang Kai that day, Qiu Yi Meng had privately talked to him, telling him to leave War City as soon as possible, and to forget about participating in the Inheritance War. This was Qiu Yi Meng’s final kindness to Lu Song, knowing he had eyes that failed to recognize his situation and had offended someone he absolutely should not have offended, bringing a calamity to the Lu Family.
But this little brat ignored her warning entirely and ran and hired himself to Yang Kang after licking his wounds so he could seek revenge on Yang Kai.
Now wanting to ask for her help… it was far too late.
Dong Qing Han wouldn’t kill him, but maybe after suffering this kind of humiliation he would open his eyes and realize that the Inheritance War wasn’t something he was qualified to participate in.
The scene became tranquil. After Yang Kang fell from the sky, everyone stopped fighting, the only exception was Dong Qing Han who was in no hurry to torment Lu Song, the latter squealing like a pig every so often, sending chills up people’s spines.
The atmosphere amongst Yang Kang’s allies was bleak. In this battle, all of them had suffered heavy losses, and the total number of casualties reaching over fifty percent, none of them had imagined things would end this way.
Although the strength Yang Kang had gathered wasn’t the strongest, it also wasn’t the weakest. Even if someone were to beat them, they hadn’t thought it would become a one sided slaughter.
Unfortunately, staring around at this bloody reality shook them awake.
Without anyone knowing, Yang Kai had silently managed to gather the power to overwhelm any of the other Yang Family Young Lords.
Staring up at the young man floating high in the sky, many couldn’t help showing a look of powerlessness.
“Retrieve the flag!” Yang Kai indifferently ordered.
Xiao Shun’s figure flickered as he disappeared into Yang Kang’s mansion to claim the final prize; no one stood in his way, no one dared.
Losing his flag also meant that Yang Kang had been completely eliminated.
Lying on the ground, Yang Kang slowly closed his eyes, from this point forward, everything that happened in War City had nothing to do with him.
“This Young Lord offers you a chance to live!” Yang Kai shouted as he looked down at the remaining cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound.
Everyone couldn’t help holding their breath as they listened with rapt attention.
“Collect all the supplies in my Fifth Brother’s house and deliver them to me, then leave War City and don’t return, otherwise… I will show you no mercy!”
No one answered. No one even accused him of robbery since all of this was what Yang Kai deserved as the victor.
After experiencing the brutal slaughter tonight, the cultivators lucky enough to survive had no courage to remain, not to mention, Yang Kang had already agreed to this condition with Yang Kai before, since their leader had accepted this deal, as his allies they should support him till the end.
“Does anyone not understand? If you don’t understand, there’s no need to think about it, you can just remain here forever!” Yang Kai said coldly as he swept his eyes over the crowd.
“We understand, rest assured Ninth Young Lord, we understand!” Someone shouted, obviously afraid that Yang Kai would lose patience with them and simply kill them off.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“We should hurry back.” Qiu Yi Meng whispered in a dignified tone, cautiously hinting, “I wanted to end this quickly, but now that you’ve dragged things so long. There aren’t many people left back at the mansion, if Yang Shen or Yang Ying hear about this who knows what action they’ll take.”
Yang Kai’s house’s defence was currently at less than half strength. When Yang Shen and Yang Ying got wind of this, they would certainly bring as many of their forces as possible and try to seize his flag.
Even if Qu Gao Yi was there, it would still be difficult to fend them off!
“I did it intentionally!” Yang Kai grinned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother should be leading their forces over right now, right?” Yang Kai replied carelessly.
“Are you sure they have already taken action?” Qiu Yi Meng beautiful face paled.
“Of course.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Then why aren’t you worried at all?” Qiu Yi Meng almost shouted, she really didn’t understand why Yang Kai would deliberately delay here for so long so that Yang Shen and Yang Ying would attack him.
“Don’t worry about it, the flag will be fine,” Yang Kai shook his head lightly. Although Qu Gao Yi wasn’t enough to ensure the flag’s safety, Meng Wu Ya was also in the house.
Although Treasurer Meng said that he wouldn’t intervene in the Inheritance War, but if a crisis came knocking at his door, he obviously wouldn’t just stand idly by; Yang Kai had absolute confidence in him.
“Tonight is a rare opportunity!” Yang Kai chuckled, “Sixth Brother’s place is the closer of the two, so we’ll head there.”
Qiu Yi Meng went stiff as she stared at Yang Kai, “How much do you want to end tonight?”
“As much as possible.” Yang Kai replied casually.
Tonight was indeed a rare opportunity!
Yang Kai had refined his Mysterious Grade artifact many days in advance of his brothers and with the arrival of Old Demon and the restoration of Ying Jiu, his current advantage was massive.
These advantages could only be exposed once, the next time he wanted to use them his brothers would surely have made preparations and their effect would be significantly reduced.
Yang Zhao’s House.
Yang Zhao could only smile wryly and lead a group of cultivators to confront Yang Wei in front of his gate.
The two brothers simply exchanged a few words then stood back, no fighting broke out.
Yang Zhao knew that his Eldest Brother was simply here to stop him from deploying his forces and had no real intention to fight with him.
Suddenly, someone rushed over and whispered something into Yang Zhao’s ear, causing the latter’s expression to sink.
At the same time, someone also came up to Yang Wei and relayed the same information.
A moment later, the two brothers exchanged a glance and Yang Zhao said, “Big Brother, how much about Ninth Brother’s current strength do you know?”
“I know a bit, but I didn’t expect him to be this powerful.” Yang Wei shrugged lightly.
Yang Kang being eliminated was a result they had expected, but Yang Kai basically not losing any manpower in order to accomplish this came as a surprise.
Whether it was Yang Wei or Yang Zhao, they both felt that even if Ninth Brother beat Fifth Brother, it would be a costly victory; after all, when one attacked and the other defended, the latter occupied a significant advantage.
But now that they received news of the battle, both of them couldn’t help showing some signs of surprise and dread on their faces.
“Big Brother, listen to me, how about the two of us join forces? Ninth Brother is too strong, this time he easily defeated Fifth Brother, if we sit back and do nothing he will continue to grow stronger. Once that happens, even if we do unite it will be difficult to win.”
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed and he didn’t respond immediately.
Yang Zhao smiled and continued, “Big Brother, what is there to hesitate about? Ninth Brother is strong now. If I’m right, his next goal will be either Sixth Brother or Seventh Brother. After defeating both of them, we’ll become his only obstacles, if confrontation is inevitable, why not join forces now and eliminate him first?”
However, Yang Wei just shook his head, “My allying with him tonight was a one-time deal, but if he wants to defeat Six Brother and Seventh Brother, I’m afraid he’ll still need some time. When he really sets his eyes on us, it won’t be too late to join hands to resist.”
Yang Zhao hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Very well.”
“Since we’re done here, I’ll head back first.” Yang Wei no longer said anything and immediately led his group away.
Watching Yang Wei’s figure disappear, Yang Zhao’s brow wrinkled deeply as he muttered, “Ninth Brother, oh Ninth Brother. Just what kind of monsters have you recruited that allowed you pull this off?”
After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhao quickly found the person who had just reported to him and asked him for more details about the battle at Yang Kang’s compound.
Upon learning about the bloody methods of Old Demon, Yang Zhao couldn’t help feeling shocked, “Isn’t he a demon?”
“According to this subordinate’s observations, he is indeed a demon! Fifth Young Lord’s cultivators were completely helpless against that master. Without him, Fifth Young Lord wouldn’t have suffered such a tragic loss.”
Before, at the artifact snatching battle, the supporters of the brothers were all basically equal in strength, even if there were some gaps, they weren’t big, therefore, no one dared take the initiative to attack anyone else, none of them wanted to drop a stone on their own foot after picking it up.
However, after the battle at Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai suddenly managed to open a wide gap in strength between him and his brothers which brought great shock to Yang Zhao.
Who exactly was this bloodthirsty demon? Why had he never heard of him before?
“Xin Rou.” Yang Zhao quietly called.
“What orders does Second Young Lord have?” Ye Xin Rou walked up and softly asked.
“Is there any word about that mysterious master yet?”
Ye Xin Rou slowly shook her head, “Not yet, since that person disappeared at Po Jing Lake, he hasn’t appeared again.”
“Continue looking for him!” Yang Zhao frowned, “Be sure to find that person and recruit him to our side no matter what!”
The mysterious master who appeared at Po Jing Lake had taken away the eighth Mysterious Grade artifact; it wasn’t just Yang Kai who cared about her identity, Yang Zhao was also quite concerned with her.
If he could win over such a powerful master, Yang Zhao wouldn’t have to fear Yang Kai. Thinking so, Yang Zhao naturally spared no effort to inquire about her; unfortunately, after so many days, there was still now news.
Tonight, Yang Kai suddenly attacked Yang Kang and Eldest Brother Yang Wei led people to contain Yang Zhao. Their actions led the two battlefields to be filled with smoke, shrouded with a tense atmosphere.
After receiving the news, Yang Shen saw an opportunity that he could use and immediately sent word to Yang Ying. The two of them organized quickly and brought a large number of their allies to attack Yang Kai’s house and seize his flag.
At this time, Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Kai, and Yang Kang had committed their full attention to the situation in front of them and deployed a great deal of their forces, seemingly leaving their rear open to attack.
In order to ensure victory, whether it was Yang Shen or Yang Ying, not only did they bring their sole remaining Blood Warriors, they also brought seventy percent of their allies as well.
They wanted to break through Yang Kai’s remaining defences as quickly as possible.
Not to mention the ambitious Yang Shen, anyone who found themselves in these circumstances would make such a decision.
It could even be said that this was the only proper course of action to take.
However, Yang Shen had seriously miscalculated the situation.
He had thought that Yang Kai and Yang Kang would fight for a long time and that he and Yang Ying could easily capture the flag hanging in Yang Kai’s mansion.
In his mind, he had already imagined the scene where he and Yang Ying won a brilliant victory and returned in triumph before Yang Kai and Yang Kang had decided a winner.
The two groups acted swiftly and soon gathered outside Yang Kai’s compound.
After a few exchanges, the cultivators in Yang Kai’s house were unable to hold their ground and were forced to retreat.
The only forces that remained to defend the house were Ten Thousand Flower Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, Xiang Family, Reflecting Moon Sect, Blood Battle Gang, and Ghost King Valley, how could these few people resist the combined forces of Yang Shen and Yang Ying?
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen were both gone, so at first everyone was like a headless fly, but Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s Big Senior Sister Han Xiao Qi remained calm and collected.
Under her steady command, the remaining forces gradually stabilized their positions.
Unfortunately, the absolute disparity in strength still made everyone feel powerless to resist.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying were both overjoyed and quickly entered the main hall to snatch the flag.
Upon their arrival, Qu Gao Yi didn’t hesitate to activate his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill and charge straight into the fray, displaying the determination to block ten thousand men with his body alone! After falling into a delicate stalemate here, Yang Shen and Yang Ying both became somewhat anxious.
At that moment, one of their allies ran over and reported a shocking piece of news.
Yang Kang had been defeated!
His defeat was also overwhelming, to that point that he was unable to retaliate! Yang Kai had then led his allies and retreated from Yang Kang’s compound.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying were both so shocked that they didn’t hesitate to lead their own Blood Warriors into the fight in an attempt to end things here before Yang Kai returned.
Qu Gao Yi’s strength was amazing, but in the end he was just one man; on top of that, either of Yang Shen and Yang Ying’s Blood Warriors could tie him down.
When the two Yang Family Young Lords and their respective Blood Warriors joined the battle, Qu Gao Yi was outnumbered and unable to fully defend the hall.
Just as the flag was about to fall into their hands though, a white-haired old man suddenly appeared. His expression was extremely strained and bitter, as if he was extremely reluctant to even be here, yet he still easily blocked the cultivator that was approaching the flag.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying’s eyes both went red; victory was within their sight, yet out of nowhere this damn old man had shown up and blocked them.
In this situation, how could they be willing to give up? Both of them immediately commanded the numerous masters on their side to attack!
They soon discovered though that the strength of this old man was extraordinary; together with Qu Gao Yi and the remaining Immortal Ascension masters from Yang Kai’s allies, the flag’s defence was impenetrable, not even a mosquito could break through.
For a long time, Yang Shen and Yang Ying desperately attacked.
But to their surprise, Yang Kai still hadn’t returned yet.
Thinking about this odd situation, an astonishing possibility suddenly came to mind. Before they could even say anything though, one of their allied cultivators ran over to them in a panic and screamed, “Sixth Young Lord, it’s a disaster! Ninth Young Lord took his people to attack our base instead of returning here!”
Hearing this, Yang Shen suddenly felt like he had been thrown into a tub of ice cold water!
He had planned to take advantage of the weak defence at Yang Kai’s house, how was he to know that after defeating Yang Kang, Yang Kai would have the exact same idea?
“Sixth Brother…” Yang Ying shot a terrified glance towards Yang Shen.
“Retreat!” Yang Shen immediately roared, how could he dare hesitate? There was no chance of victory here and his backyard was already on fire, Yang Shen obviously had no intention of sticking around.
Yang Ying ground his teeth and glared hatefully towards the white haired old man, also giving the order to retreat to his troops.
Halfway back to his house, Yang Shen suddenly ran into a group of familiar cultivators and his face immediately went pale.
“Sixth Young Lord!” The cultivators also saw Yang Shen and Yang Ying and quickly approached, tears and snot still pouring out of their eyes and noses as they bitterly sobbed, “Ninth Young Lord was too shameless, he rushed into the mansion with his forces then robbed and slaughtered wantonly, we… we couldn’t resist and failed to protect the flag!”
Yang Shen couldn’t help falling to the ground, with a deep sorrow and despair covering his face.
He was definitely tonight’s biggest loser.
Against Yang Kang, Yang Kai had launched a frontal assault, and although Yang Kang wasn’t his opponent and was ultimately defeated, he still put up a fight. However, what about himself? Just because he thought he was clever and tried to take advantage of the situation, he instead had been plotted against and eliminated without even the chance to resist!
Never had he expected the battle between Yang Kai and Yang Kang to end so quickly, and never had he imagined that Yang Kai’s remaining defense would be so strong.
One wrong move and he had lost everything!
“Sixth Brother…” Yang Ying stuttered, unsure of how he should comfort him, only able to softly call out to him.
Yang Shen suddenly became extremely calm and in a solemn voice said, “Seventh Brother, take Six Brother to the main family and exchange me for some supplies. In addition, take these remaining cultivators with you!”
“Sixth Brother!” Yang Ying’s cried out as his jaw dropped, but he once again didn’t know what to say. The two of them were blood related brothers and during the Inheritance War they had naturally helped one another so now that he had lost his flag and been eliminated, all Yang Shen could do was strengthen Yang Ying’s position as best he could.
“What are you still standing around for!? Ninth Brother’s appetite is limitless! After he finishes with my house he will definitely head for yours. Go back now!” Yang Shen roared.
These words shook Yang Ying out of his stupor, only nodding once to Yang Shen before hurriedly bringing his forces back to his base.
“Sixth Young Lord, since you’ve been eliminated, this Luo Hai will take his leave.” The Blood Warrior beside Yang Shen suddenly said.
Yang Shen glanced over at him and said with a wry smile, “Are you going to Ninth Brother’s place?”
Luo Hai nodded, not making any attempt to deny.
“Have you been waiting for this day for a long time?” Yang Shen sneered, seemingly quite angry.
Luo Hai however remaining unmoved, not even answering.
“Why do all you Blood Warriors insist on supporting Ninth Brother? Does he really have such great ability that all of you are willing to serve him?” Yang Shen said enviously, his tone filled with deep weakness.
“Why we Blood Warriors wish to support Ninth Young Lord is something you, Sixth Young Lord should understand.” Luo Hai replied.
“Just because he chose Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu? Such a small thing was really enough to earn all of your gratitude?”
“Yes!” Luo Hai firmly declared.
Seeing this, Yang Shen let out a long sigh and, feeling slightly disheartened, waved his hand, “Go. You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”
Luo Hai politely cupped his fists before turning around and leaving.
Looking at Luo Hai’s receding figure, Yang Shen smiled wryly. He too had the opportunity to recruit Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu. Not just him, all the Yang Family Young Lords with enough merits had his opportunity, but none of them could grab hold of it. Only Ninth Brother had this ability.
If he had been the first to recruit Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, would all the Blood Warriors now be choosing to support him? Certainly, but that was only under the premise that he was able to last until now.
At the time, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were both seriously injured, unable to display even thirty percent of their full strength. None of them dared to pick them as their guards.
Even until now, Yang Shen didn’t understand what Heaven defying means his Ninth Brother had used to heal Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu’s injuries and grow from the weakest position to one that dominated above all of them.
Yang Shen’s House!
A group of people excitedly sorted through the supplies in Yang Shen’s warehouse, grinning happily as they carried box after box out with them, fully enjoying this rich harvest.
Seventy percent of Yang Shen’s forces had gone out with him, so when Yang Kai arrived here, he encountered almost no resistance and captured the house almost immediately.
The whole process was swift and easy.
When the cultivators in the house fled, Yang Kai didn’t bother pursuing them, only ordering his people to ransack the house and take away the materials.
“Yan Ling Xing greets Little Lord!” A burly man with freckles on his face came up to Yang Kai and said politely.
Yang Kai glanced at this man before nodding slightly.
This person was the Blood Warrior who had been protecting Yang Shen during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake and like Tu Feng had been affected by the Qi Binding Seal, his True Qi being sealed and losing all combat strength.
At this moment, he was no different from an ordinary person except for his great physical strength.
When all the the cultivators in Yang Shen’s house ran away, only he stayed behind.
“This subordinate is willing to follow Little Lord into battle and hopes Little Lord will not refuse!” Yan Ling Xing quickly said.
“I also had such intentions.”
Hearing these words, Yan Ling Xing grinned happily and offered his thanks.
Qiu Yi Meng watched this scene and couldn’t help shaking her head and smiling.
She had read many records of the Yang Family Inheritance War, and knew that in the past, whenever a Yang Family Young Lord was defeated, the Blood Warriors around him would become recruitment targets for the other Young Lord’s. The sudden availability of these Blood Warriors would send the remaining Young Lords into a frantic battle to win them over.
But this time, all of the Blood Warriors who became ‘free’, without exception, immediately chose to follow Yang Kai.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t understand just what kind of charm this bastard possessed that allowed him to obtain the loyalty of the entire Blood Warrior Hall.
If this scene just now had been seen by Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, or any of Yang Kai’s other brothers, their eyes would probably have gone red with jealousy.
“Yang Kai, where do we go now?” Qiu Yi Meng was too lazy to think about it and simply asked.
“Home of course. Where else do you want to go?” Yang Kai looked at her and grinned.
Seeing the smug look on his face, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help spitting disdainfully, “I thought you would lead us to Yang Ying’s House.”
To this comment laced with sarcasm, Yang Kai just shook his head, “I have no such plan for the time being; Seventh Brother should have gathered all of his and Sixth Brother’s forces and returned to his compound by now. If we were to attack them, our losses wouldn’t be small. We’ll wait a few days and then talk about it. As for tonight… this harvest is big enough.”
“Why, how modest of you.” Qiu Yi Meng snorted.
This harvest was far more than ‘big enough’, it was simply a bumper crop!
Yang Kang was defeated, his flag and supplies all collected, and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had been recruited.
Yang Shen was defeated, his flag and supplies all collected, and Yan Ling Xing and Luo Hai had been recruited.
In just one night, the strength of Yang Kai’s forces had increased massively. Also, the amount of war material at his disposal had more than doubled.
The sun was shining in the sky awash with colour.
Yang Kai’s mansion was full of excitement, just like the New Year, and the cultivators who were coming and going were all smiling and happy.
In last night’s battle, Yang Kai almost became the only winner, and these cultivators who followed naturally felt excited.
In the courtyard, thousands of Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials were arranged in a dazzling display.
These materials were all seized from both Yang Kang’s and Yang Shen’s houses.
Before the Inheritance War began, Yang Kai was collecting Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials, and others naturally did the same. After the start of the Inheritance War, those who used to rely on Yang Kang and Yang Shen also carried a lot of supplies.
Coupled with the materials they had collected over the past few months, it can be said that every Young Lord had gathered an amazing amount of wealth and supplies.
The two treasuries of Yang Kang and Yang Shen had now been cleared out by Yang Kai, the materials now belonging to him.
In each box, each material was labelled with the name of the material, the role, and the age of the material.
As soon as a skilled Artifact Refiner or Alchemist took a glance, they would know how to use these materials.
The leaders of all forces gathered, and all of them had a look of excitement on their faces.
“See for yourself if there are any material that can be taken for cultivation. If any suit you, you don’t need to be polite. You can take it yourself.” Yang Kai announced. His words agitated his followers, who had nothing to say. They immediately started searching through the materials.
The women were holding back from embarrassment and fidgeted about for a while. Huo Xing Chen and others could be seen putting a lot of materials into their arms before the women bit their teeth and went forward to find suitable materials for cultivation.
In a short time, everyone found one or two materials that were suitable for their own use, and they were happy to collect them. Even Qiu Yi Meng had found a pearl-like object that exuded a radiant glow and carefully put it away in her clothes.
“What are you looking for?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai.
“It’s all mine, so why should I look for something?” Yang Kai smiled and said, “Wait for people to sort out these materials then send them to the Pill Room and Artifact Refining rooms.”
“I know.” Qiu Yi Meng worked hard with no complaints, she turned to him and asked, “Who is your next target?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
Last night, not only did they harvest these supplies, but also the loyalty of four more Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, Luo Hai, Yan Ling Xing! All of them were at Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage and could be considered to be at the apex of this stage.
However, Tu Feng and Yan Ling Xing were both restrained by the Qi Binding Seal and sought help from Meng Wu Ya to undo the seal.
Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu had an altercation that cost them too much strength. Ying Jiu did not retreat, and both of them had used the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, neither holding back.
Their relationship is loyal, but only loyal to the Yang Family philosophy: They were to guard the young Lord and spare no effort.
When Qu Gao Yi guarded the flag last night, he was hit hard. The unrestrained True Qi and Spiritual Energy that crashed into him placed a huge burden on his body.
So at this time, Yang Kai’s house seems to be strong and resilient, but in fact, the only Blood Warriors that could be of use are Xiao Shun and Luo Hai, who were the most recent addition to Yang Kai’s followers.
With just these two Blood Warriors and Old Demon, attacking any of the remaining three Young lords was not an option because there was no advantage.
Especially now that Yang Ying had Yang Shen’s men added as his followers. His group had grown to be the largest out of all the Yang Family contestants. If one were to judge their overall might, it would no doubt be amongst the top.
Besides, Eldest Brother Yang Wei was always calm and collected, and Yang Kai estimates that he held back when containing Yang Zhao.
Meanwhile, Yang Zhao was the most secretive of the brothers in War City and may be more difficult to deal with than Yang Ying.
Therefore, Yang Kai was not prepared to take any action in the near future. As a result, the cultivators in Yang Kai’s group of followers needed to cultivate and raise their own strength. Second, he himself needed to consolidate the foundation of the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
Everyone had to wait until the Blood Warriors restored their strength before the storm arrives.
The news of last night’s battle was also quickly spread throughout the Central Capital and War City.
The result of Yang Kai defeating his two brothers in one night had shocked everyone. Old Demon’s cruel means are more exaggerated and embellished to describe the extreme bloody means. Therefore, everyone would know that there was a demon among Yang Kai’s followers.
Yang Kai was secretly frightened.
Central Capital Eight Great Families, and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had always been incompatible with each other, and the two had a terrible battle only half a year ago, both sides suffered losses. Yang Ying Hao, the head of Yang Family, was jointly wounded by the Profound Yin Ghost King and the Annihilating Poison King. Yang Ying Hao used a secret method to drive out the injury, but it drained his 30 years of his lifespan.
During this sensitive period, Yang Kai actually dared to collude with a demon, which was simply too bold.
If this information was used by his enemies, it was likely to bring some unimaginable changes and turnarounds to the Inheritance War.
Surprisingly, when Old Demon had entered War City, the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary elders in Seal Temple didn’t even intervene. Yang Kai wondered if the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary elders had acquiesced in Old Demon’s actions.
Looking back at the results of last night’s battle, everyone knew that the Yang Family was afraid to reprimand Yang Kai after all the miraculous deeds he accomplished.
The Yang Family disliked the slow progress of the Inheritance War, so they set up a thousand artifacts as a primer to lure them into battle, and finally planted Qi Binding Seal in eight Mysterious Grade artifacts, imprisoning six Blood Warriors.
Without the six Blood Warriors stirring up the Inheritance War, the progress of the Inheritance War would undoubtedly speed up a lot.
However with Ying Jiu suddenly dismissing the Qi Binding Seal, Yang Kai had one more Blood Warrior. This meant that Yang Kai has two top-notch strengths over the other Young Lords!
Without these two people, Yang Kai could not accomplish the feat that he pulled off last night.
In other words, the Po Jing Lake event, which was hosted by the Yang Family had indirectly helped Yang Kai win last nights battle.
The path of fate is like curved roads, twisting and turning. However, in all periods throughout history, there have always been geniuses that could foresee what is ahead and control it.
After this war, the power of Yang Kai’s group had completely eclipsed the other Young Lords! Everyone knew that in the Inheritance War, the one with the last laugh would undoubtedly be Yang Kai.
There is almost no suspense!
In Yang Kai’s Mansion, after everyone found the right material, they went into closed door cultivation and Yang Kai was preparing to go find his Little Senior Sister to ease his physical and mental exhaustion. While he was at it, he also planned to get some pills for cultivation. However, before he could see her, a message was suddenly passed from the outside.
“Ninth Young Lord, Lu Liang seeks an audience. He also hopes that the Young Lord will give him a chance to speak!”
“Lu Liang?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows and glanced at Qiu Yi Meng. “Your uncle is here.”
Qiu Yi Meng glanced at him and frowned. “I am afraid it’s because of what Lu Song did.”
”You should see to it. I am occupied.” Yang Kai said freely.
”No, people have come to see you. If you avoid seeing them, you will raise suspicion.”
”What’s wrong? He is only here because of Lu Song to apologize for his actions, and I have to go out. I don’t know what else to say, but you are cousins. There is nothing wrong with opening up and saying what’s on your mind. That’s it.” Yang Kai finished, not waiting for Qiu Yi Meng’s reply, and walked to the back hall.
Qiu Yi Meng sighed and thought that what Yang Kai said was reasonable. She told the cultivator next to him to send the materials in the yard to the Pill Room and Artifact Refining room, then stepped out with a look of helplessness. Lu Liang would come to see her. For what reason, Qiu Yi Meng can almost guess from what he said, but just because she guessed it, she felt helpless.
At the door, Qiu Yi Meng saw Lu Liang standing by the door. Behind him was Lu Song, whose face was swollen like a pig.
Last night, he was taught a lesson by Dong Qing Han. When he thought of the malicious means of the fatty, Lu Song shuddered a little, but his heart was filled with hatred. It was quite obvious to see the hatred surface on his face. Qiu Yi Meng saw this and secretly shook her head. The heart of this person was so rotten that he couldn’t help himself.
Lu Liang looked extremely embarrassed. The Inheritance War was the business of the Young Lords, and Lu Liang, the patriarch of Lu Family, shouldn’t have come to visit Yang Kai himself, but the fact that he was doing this with his son was too disappointing. Lu Liang was forced to make a trip.
When he got to the door, he was stopped by the two gatekeepers.
Coincidentally, the two gatekeepers were part of the Dong Family!
When they saw Lu Song, they had a look of ridicule, referring to him as a disgrace. Lu Liang could only helplessly chuckle.
He couldn’t slap these two men. Even though he had the strength to do so, if he really did, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the consequences. Yang Kai’s mansion was filled with masters.
”Uncle!” Qiu Yi Meng gave a smile and a cordial greeting, easing Lu Liang’s embarrassment.
”I wouldn’t dare take the greeting of Young Lady Qiu, this Elder is afraid!” Lu Liang put his posture very low, his mouth humble. While he greeted, he looked back at Lu Song, “Still not greeting Young Lady Qiu?”
Lu Song was a little unwilling, but still cupped his fists, “Cousin.”
Qiu Yi Meng just smiled and nodded, not caring about him, and just said, “Come in.”
Listening to her, Lu Liang eased his nerves. Qiu Yi Meng is will welcome him. Obviously, she cared about the relationship between the two of them and didn’t want to ask about the problem.
This means that they will have an opportunity to resolve this matter.
Into the main hall, Qiu Yi Meng had people serve them tea, she took a sip, and said, “Why did Uncle come to War City?”
Lu Liang sighed deeply. “Young lady, don’t hesitate to say that this Elder is thick-skinned this time. Compared to the Lu Family’s future, what is my old face? If it hadn’t been for this filth, would this Elder be like this?”
Lu Liang shouted, “On your knees!”
Lu Song’s look was stunned, and a sullen color appeared on his swollen cheeks as though the instructions were unclear, “Why?”
Lu Liang was enraged. “Because this old master told you to!”
Lu Song glanced back at Lu Liang. “I will not kneel! I have never kneeled to anyone since I was a child!”
“If you don’t kneel, I will break your legs!”
“I’m not scared to fight you!” Lu Song showed no sign of worry. He has been doted on so much that he had never been beaten by Lu Liang. Lu Liang’s attitude towards him was naturally loving.
The father and son pair began to argue back and forth noisily. Qiu Yi Meng frowned and said with an indifferent tone, “Uncle, if you just want to educate your son, return to the Lu Family. You don’t have to do it here.”
Lu Liang was shocked by Qiu Yi Meng’s indifference, but did not feel any heartache for his son. He went to Lu Song and grabbed him then pushed him onto the ground.
Being forced onto the ground, Lu Song’s face turned red as he knelt on the floor, feeling nothing but disgrace! He looked at Lu Liang with eyes filled with hatred and humiliation.
”You dare to stubbornly talk back to this old master. I’ll cripple your cultivation!” Lu Liang stated in a cold and calm manner.
He was being serious.
Seeming to be aware of how serious Lu Liang was, Lu Song didn’t dare to make another sound.
”I’ve shown Young Lady Qiu something unsightly.” Lu Liang said as he cupped his fists.
Qiu Yi Meng felt as though there wasn’t any meaning to Lu Liang’s visit. She knew of Lu Liang’s intentions, but she had a headache when she had to deal with such an unruly person.
Lu Song, in terms of quality, was not as good as Huo Xing Chen. Although Huo Xing Chen is always aloof and unfettered, he still has a keen eyesight and knew that following Yang Kai is the best decision.
“Let’s just get this matter dealt with, Uncle.” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t want to see Lu Song’s face ever again, but she was too polite to say it.
Lu Liang sighed and said, “This time, Elder was going to Central Capital to see your father. But along the way, I got some news that made me very surprised.”
“When this disgraceful little brat was driven out of the mansion by the Ninth Young Lord, he did not send a letter to Lu Family to tell this Old Man the truth. Instead, he deliberately concealed this from me. This Elder always thought that he was following the Ninth Young Lord until this information was brought to my attention. Only then, did this Old Man know that he was relying on the Fifth Young Lord.”
“Uncle…” Qiu Yi Meng shouted to indicate that Lu Liang shouldn’t say something of unimportance. It did not matter whether Lu Liang knews about what his son was doing at that point in time. Instead, all that matters now was what Lu Liang was about to do
Lu Liang did not continue with his words just now instead he said with a smile, “Young Lady Qiu. This Old Man just wants to ask… How is the Ninth Young Lord’s attitude regarding this matter?”
“His attitude?” Qiu Yi Meng sighed, then said with a bitter smile, “Uncle, you are making a fuss over such a trifling matter.”
”Ah?” When Lu Liang heard this he had a puzzled look.
“Lu Song is nothing in Yang Kai’s eyes. It was by the Dong Family’s hand that he was injured to this state. To Yang Kai, if Lu Song really angered him, do you think he’d still be alive right now?“
”He would dare kill me?” Lu Song snapped.
”You can try and see if he dares to kill you!” Qiu Yi Meng said coldly.
Lu Song’s heart turned cold, and his face immediately lost its look of arrogance.
”Uncle,” Qiu Yi Meng turned to Lu Liang and calmly said. “Lu Song came to me to take refuge. I had a part in him being driven out by Yang Kai because I don’t think he is suitable to be a part of Yang Kai’s followers. You should be clear on what kind of person your own son is. If he stayed as a follower of Yang Kai, one day, he will get himself killed. So I told him to do something and let Yang Kai find an excuse to drive him away.“
Lu Liang had a bitter smile and nodded. “Young Lady Qiu means well, this Old Man is grateful.”
”The next day, I spoke to him and told him to leave War City, but he didn’t listen to me and stayed instead. Siding with Yang Kang, that is his blunder.”
“Yang Kai hadn’t heard the news, and even if he had, he would’ve shown no interest in the matter. He cannot blame you since he refused help, but would you expect him to rely on no one?“ Qiu Yi Meng sounded harsh, but she held no ill intention.
”Now that it’s done, he can only blame himself.” Qiu Yi Meng said, then she stared at Lu Liang, “If anyone is to blame, I can only blame you for letting him participate in the Inheritance War.”
”It’s was this Old Man’s fault!” Lu Liang looked awkward. He naturally knew of his son’s disposition. He wanted Lu Song to go out and gain experience, and the Inheritance War was a great chance for just that. Aside from experience, Lu Liang wanted Lu Song to temper himself so that he can later inherit the position of Lu Family Patriarch.
Lu Song was warned repeatedly before his arrival, but he took the advice lightly.
”Yang Kai does not blame you. You can rest assured that this is not the case. Even if Yang Kai becomes Lord of the Yang Family, the Lu Family will not be implicated.”
On hearing Qiu Yi Meng’s words, Lu Liang breathed a sigh of relief.
What he feared most was a situation like that. Looking at this event, Yang Kai would be the next Yang Family’s Patriarch. If, one day, he has to work hard to liquidate the hatred that was bred from Lu Song’s actions during the Inheritance War, the Lu Family will suffer greatly.
”Thank you, Young Lady Qiu for pointing this out!” Lu Liang thanked her constantly, and also relaxed a lot then paused, and said with some embarrassment, “Young Lady Qiu, this Old Man must ask again, does the Ninth Young Lord still need manpower? “
Qiu Yi Meng looked up at him and asked, “What does Uncle want to do?”
Lu Liang rubbed his hand and smiled. “This Old man only wants to make up for this little bastard’s mistake! Don’t worry, as long as the Ninth Young Lord gives the word, my Lu Family will do anything for nothing in return.”
”I am afraid that there is no such opportunity.” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head.
”Is Young Lady Qiu not at ease about this wretched brat Lu Song, this idiot? He’s going to remember eating this loss. I think he will take note from now on. Just…”
”Uncle, when Yang Kai and I visited you in Lu Family, I said that if I were you, I would definitely choose Yang Kai as an ally! “
”Yes.” Lu Liang looked bitter, remembering when Qiu Yi Meng did say such a thing, but he did not pay attention to it since he firmly believed in his own judgment. From the very beginning, he was concerned about Yang Kai, and later he was too slow. Yang Kai’s attitude had changed drastically.
”But you…” Qiu Yi Meng sneered, “Giving him three million silver, you were really generous at that time Uncle.”
Lu Liang’s old face turned red. He could not wait to find a hole to hide in.
Three million silver was indeed a lot, but for the Lu Family and for the Yang Family Young Masters who participated in Inheritance War, it is just a drop in the bucket. When Yang Kai left the Lu Family, Lu Liang only gave him three million silver, even with his relationship with Medicine King Valley’s Xiao Fu Sheng.
Who knew what he was like?
Who knew he’d be bursting with popularity now that he was at the peak of his power?
If he knew that Yang Kai would achieve as much as he had, Lu Liang would have long tied the Lu Family to Yang Kai whether he asked for people, money or supplies. What complaints would he have? What would slow him down?
Lu Liang regretted not following Yang Kai so much that his intestines had turned green.
”It’s getting late, Uncle. To provide charcoal in the snow is not the same as putting the icing on the cake. I have matters to attend to, so I will not be seeing you out, Uncle.” Qiu Yi Meng finished, walked away.
Lu Liang stood in place, stunned, his face going through a myriad of expressions and his heart filling with mixed feelings, but mostly of confliction.
The Lu Family was personally developed by him. It was originally a second-class force. He hugged the leg of a superpower like the Qiu Family and gradually promoted to a first-class force under the Qiu Family.
Over the years, Lu Liang had always wanted to take the Lu Family one step further, and Inheritance War was the best chance! As long as the position is right, the Lu Family could definitely get another step up again.
Unfortunately, Lu Liang had let the opportunity slip through his fingers!
Even when there was room for redemption when Lu Song brought the supplies. If Lu Liang hadn’t sent Lu Song to deliver the supplies and instead let another Lu Family disciple come over to preside over the matter, then maybe he could have laughed with the other cultivators under in Yang Kai.
”You disgraceful bastard!” Lu Liang slapped Lu Song in the face so hard that he flew directly out of the mansion.
”Hey, why did you hit me?” Lu Song said with swollen cheeks as he stared at Lu Liang incredulously.
Lu Liang took a deep breath and quickly said, “Step down from the position of the family heir, your younger brother is more suitable than you.”
After this matter, Lu Liang finally realized that if the family really handed it to Lu Song, it would only take a few years for the family to completely dissolve under Lu Song’s management.
”But my younger brother is the son of Second Uncle…” Lu Song stayed.
”I mean it! Go home.” Lu Liang didn’t look at his son, he held his hands behind him as he strode onward. Behind him, Lu Song had a look as though he had lost his soul.
It seems that Lu Song didn’t think that just because of his actions during the Inheritance War, the position of heir to the family head would be deprived.
…………
In Little Senior Sister’s room, Yang Kai had already regarded the room as his own. If there was nothing wrong, he would stay here for several days.
Yang Kai obtained a batch of freshly refined pills from Xia Ning Chang, then plunged into a deep state of cultivation.
It would take at least a few days for the Qi Binding Seal on Tu Feng and Yan Ling Xing to be lifted. Ying Jiu, Qu Gao Yi and Tang Yu Xian have taken a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid and some recovery pills, but even with that it would take a few days for them to recover.
Yang Kai was only one step away from Immortal Ascension Boundary. How could he possibly slack off?
Refining the artifact while cultivating.
The bone shield had played a great role in last night’s battle. It was made clear the tyranny of mysterious grade artifacts, which proves that the Mid-Mysterious grade mirror was in urgent need of refining as well.
With the Mysterious grade pills that Little Senior Sister made, the True Qi consumed while refining artifacts replenished quickly. Additionally, the spiritual energy used to perceive the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way was also replenished quickly.
Yang Kai’s cultivation was almost a single-minded one, but in terms of results, it was slower than his usual speed.
Feeling a bout of sudden inspiration, Yang Kai realized the true essence of the True Alchemic Way. His face changed to reveal the expression of shock, and silently tried to grasp it.
The Alchemic Way in True Alchemic Way was very different from the general Alchemist approach. The mystery of it was hard to measure by common sense.
Combining all the knowledge previously gained from the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai now had a deeper understanding of Alchemy.
Through the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai’s knowledge of alchemy was already one of the best in the world. The only thing that he lacked was hands-on practice.
Yang Kai knew that there would be opportunities in the future since he was still young.
He had a lot of time in his life, and could always try something different. It’s not impossible to see through the mysteries of martial arts through alchemy. Xiao Fu Sheng said that Alchemists can stand at the martial peak.
Time flew by and even when the sun rose, Yang Kai remained immersed in cultivation; unable to extricate himself.
It wasn’t until there was a knock at his door that Yang Kai awoke from his meditative state.
With his brow wrinkled, Yang Kai waved his hand slightly, sending a soft breeze out that opened the door, revealing Qiu Yi Meng’s figure.
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked at her and asked.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady came in and quietly replied, “Someone from the Yang Family came and brought a decree from the Elder Hall… you’ve been ordered to quickly return to the Central Capital!” Finished delivering the message, she stared straight at Yang Kai, her eyes flashing a concerned light.
She didn’t know why the Elder Hall would suddenly summon Yang Kai back.
Yang Kai also showed a slightly confused expression, stroking his chin a few times before asking, “They want me to return to the Central Capital alone? What about Big brother, Second Brother, and Seventh Brother?”
“It seems only you have been called.” Qiu Yi Meng licked her dry lips.
“Got it.” Yang Kai slowly stood up, his brow furrowing further.
This summon from the main family was quite unusual. Why would they only summon him back to the Central Capital? The last time messengers were sent out from the Yang Family was only a few days ago to inform all of the Young Lords about the appearance of artifacts at Po Jing Lake, but what about this time?
“Yang Kai, I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this!” Qiu Yi Meng’s tone was a bit solemn, her two jade hands fidgeting slightly, making a display of her inner tension.
The Yang Family only calling Yang Kai back to the Central Capital was definitely not for no reason, but as for what that reason was, she was still unclear.
Also, Yang Kai traveling back to the Central Capital would provide an opening for his brothers to take advantage of.
“Since it is an order from the main family, for the round trip there won’t be any concerns regarding my safety,” Yang Kai shook his head, he was confident that if he was ambushed on the way to or from the Central Capital and lost, the family wouldn’t stand by and say nothing or they would lose a great deal of face.
“You should take precautions anyways,” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and continued, “I’ve already informed Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian to prepare; they’ll escort you there and back.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The family had ordered him to quickly return to the Central Capital, so Yang Kai didn’t dare delay, immediately setting out.
Outside the main entrance, Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, who had both already recovered from their previous injuries, stood waiting. The stoic Ying Jiu remained silent as always, not saying a single word, while the mature beauty Tang Yu Xian wore a happy expression as she called out, “Little Lord.”
Returning to Yang Kai’s service had made both Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng feel a deep sense of satisfaction. This past half a year, although they had served Yang Kang diligently, the entire time they did so, they wondered when they would be able to reunite with Yang Kai and witness the miracles he seemed capable of performing over and over again.
“Have you already recovered from your wounds?” Yang Kai also asked in a pleased voice.
“Thanks to Little Lord’s gift, I’ve made a complete recovery,” Tang Yu Xian smiled brilliantly, gratitude flashing across her beautiful eyes.
After activating her Mad Tyrant Blood Skill and battling with Ying Jiu it would have been reasonable to spend quite a bit of time healing, but after taking the magical pill Yang Kai gave her, both Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu had both restored themselves to their peak in only a day or two.
Although she had already experienced this once before, Tang Yu Xian still found it difficult to believe.
“Good, if there is time later, I’ll have to consult with you about the use of Soul Skills.” Yang Kai grinned before mounting his Cloud Treading Colt.
“Of course Little Lord. Please feel free to ask at any time.” Tang Yu Xian replied frankly.
Among the many Blood Warriors, Tang Yu Xian was the most skilled in the use of Soul Skills and Divine Sense. Each Blood Warrior had their own speciality. Qu Gao Yi was good at rapid outbursts of strength, Ying Jiu was good at concealment and assassinations; while Tu Feng was good at frontal battle and Tang Yu Xian’s accomplishments with regards to the Soul were second to none in the Blood Warrior Hall.
“Come back quickly and be careful along the way.” Qiu Yi Meng looked at the three people on their mounts and called out softly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly before urging his mount forward, the three Cloud Treading Colts soon rushing off towards the Central Capital.
Outside the mansion, a cold breeze blew past, causing Qiu Yi Meng’s blue silk dress to flutter in the morning sun. The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s stood there for a long time, the uneasiness in her heart becoming stronger as time passed.
“Pass down my orders, everyone is to suspend their cultivation, divide into two teams, and guard the mansion in rotating shifts, if any enemy appears, kill without mercy! Maintain the highest level of alert until Yang Kai returns!”
“Yes!”
As evening fell, the huge Central Capital, like a sleeping dragon, sat upon a vast swath of land, the bright stars shining brilliantly in the darkening night sky above.
Three Cloud Treading Colts rushed into the exclusive Yang Family South Gate.
The guards at the gate didn’t even time to call out to them before the three rode past, leaving only a cloud of dust in their wake.
“The Ninth Young Lord returns home. Stand down!” Tang Yu Xian turned back and yelled, the guards immediately stopping, some were even trembling lightly.
Ninth Young Lord… Yang Kai!
This name resounded like a thunderclap, piercing all of the guards’ ears. None of them dared step forward lest they offend him, all of them quickly sneaking back to the gate, pretending they had seen nothing.
Inside the Fourth Master’s house, the Yang Family Fourth Master and Dong Su Zhu were awakened from their cultivation by the sound of Cloud Treading Colts, both of them rushing outside and quickly spotting Yang Kai coming towards them followed by Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.
“Kai’er?” Yang Ying Feng was surprised while Dong Su Zhu’s eyes teared up, soon rushing forward and embracing Yang Kai, kissing his forehead gently before hurriedly checking to see if he had any signs of injury.
Since the beginning of the Inheritance War, mother and son had not exchanged a single word as direct family members weren’t allowed to go to War City.
“Mother…” Yang Kai couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into. Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu were right behind him and had seen this entire display. What face would he have left in front of them from now on?
As he spoke, he quickly glanced backwards, but whether it was Tang Yu Xian or Ying Jiu, both were doing their best to maintain straight faces as they silently stared down at their toes.
After a while, Dong Su Zhu finally vented the worry in her heart and contented herself to just holding Yang Kai’s hand, though her eyes were still tearful.
“Kai’er, why have you come back?” Yang Ying Feng asked the important question.
“The Elder Hall ordered me back,” Yang Kai replied, his brow wrinkled as he stared at his father, apparently the Fourth Master was unaware about this situation as well.
“The Elder Hall…” Yang Ying Feng really hadn’t heard anything regarding thing. Although he was a member of the Yang Family, his position wasn’t very high up so he wasn’t always informed about the Elder Hall’s decisions.
“Come inside first.” Yang Ying Feng took a deep breath and said.
“Mother is going to give you a good meal.” Dong Su Zhu said, hurriedly beckoning to Tang Yu Xian, “Yu Xian, you come help.”
“En.”
Inside the house, the lights glowed brightly.
The family of three gathered around the table while Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian stood behind Yang Kai and no matter how Dong Su Zhu invited, they steadfastly refused to sit down.
“Why did the Elder Hall call you back to the Central Capital? Did they say anything to you?” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked, suddenly hearing about his son being summoned by the Elder Hall caused a number of ideas to pop into his head.
“They didn’t.” Yang Kai didn’t know anything either, but the command of the Elder Hall was to quickly return, so Yang Kai could only hurry back.
It was already night by the time he arrived, so he could only wait until tomorrow morning to go to the Elder Hall and understand the situation.
“You don’t have any speculations? Have you perhaps done something that would arouse the attention of the Elder Hall?” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked.
“Father, are you thinking it’s related to that demon?” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “It’s impossible for him to be the reason the Elder Hall summoned me. I have already reached an agreement with Grand Elder Yang Li Ting about him. Grand Elder allowed him to participate in the Inheritance War, but after the Inheritance War is over, he must leave immediately.”
“Grand Elder also summoned you?” Yang Ying Feng couldn’t help showing some surprise.
Yang Li Ting was a member of the Yang Family’s oldest living generation, even the Yang Family Fourth Master had never personally spoken to him, yet now his son had been fortunate enough to be summoned by him.
This was a great honor for the Yang Family Fourth Master; however, he quickly noticed that whenever Yang Kai mentioned Yang Li Ting, his expression became somewhat strained and bitter, causing him to wonder what exactly had transpired between the two.
“Kai’er, no matter what you may think, you are a Yang Family person, when it comes with Devil Path cultivators, if you can avoid them, avoid them, lest people start making unreasonable claims.” Yang Ying Feng solemnly reminded.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, he naturally understood the Fourth Master’s meaning.
Over countless years, the Yang Family had played a leading role in the confrontation with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Devil Path cultivators, but now Yang Kai was associating with an extremely powerful demon and had actually brought him to participate in the Inheritance War.
If Yang Kai really became the heir to the Yang Family with the help of this demon, it would be easy for negative rumours to start spreading.
“If it’s not about that demon…” The Yang Family Fourth Master tapped the table with his fingers as his eyes narrowed, “Then perhaps it’s about Ying Jiu breaking the Qi Binding Seal.”
During their conversation, the Fourth Master noticed Ying Jiu’s condition and was quite puzzled about it.
Among the six Blood Warriors who had been hit by the Qi Binding Seal, five of them were still currently unable to use their True Qi, yet somehow Ying Jiu appeared perfectly fine.
The Qi Binding Seal was a technique of one of the Yang Family’s other Grand Elders, Huang Jiu Zhou. Yang Kai suddenly being recalled to the Central Capital to question him about how he had so easily broken this technique was also possible.
“There’s no point in guessing, we’ll understand everything tomorrow.” Yang Kai shook his head, too lazy to think about it any further.
“Fair enough, have a good rest tonight, no matter why you were summoned by the Elder Hall… It’s definitely not a good thing.” Yang Ying Feng sighed, in the past he had been summoned several times by the Elder Hall and each time he was either assigned some unreasonable task or was disciplined for violating some family law, so that place had left a kind of psychological shadow in his heart.
Putting aside this topic for now, the room immediately become livelier. As the family of three talked and laughed, the warm and peaceful atmosphere even infected Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian a bit.
It was like they had temporarily escaped from the bloody Inheritance War and were enjoying a short period of peace.
A quiet night passed.
The next day, Yang Kai said goodbye to his mother and father, and under the extremely reluctant gaze of Dong Su Zhu, he, Tang Yu Xian, and Ying Jiu rushed to the Elder Hall.
“Ninth Brother!” As soon as Yang Kai reached the Elder Hall’s main entrance, someone called out to him.
Turning his head towards this voice, Yang Kai saw Yang Tie standing nearby, seemingly waiting for him.
Last night, when Yang Kai entered the South Gate and returned to the family, news of his arrival quickly spread so Yang Tie knowing he was here wasn’t surprising.
“Third Brother.” Yang Kai stepped forward and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
Yang Tie chuckled, pausing for a moment to find his words before saying, “Third Brother just wanted to thank you for helping the Duan Mu Family obtain revenge.”
“There’s no need for that. They have helped me a great deal; it is I who should thank Third Brother for sending me five strong masters,” Yang Kai smiled slightly. On the first night of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai had captured Yang Tie but instead of bringing him back to the main family to exchange for resources, he had let him go. In order to reciprocate, Yang Tie had let the five surviving masters from the Duan Mu Family offer services to him which was a pleasant surprise for Yang Kai.
These days, during several battles, the five Duan Mu Family masters had contributed a great deal; after all, the five of them were all Immortal Ascension cultivators, one of them even reaching the Eighth Stage.
Yang Tie nodded lightly, his eyes suddenly becoming dignified as he said solemnly, “When you meet the Elders, you must not shrink back or show any weakness, or else… you’ll suffer.”
Yang Kai was stunned and wanted to ask Yang Tie to clarify himself but by the time he gathered his wits, his Third Brother had already left, leaving him no chance to ask any questions.
[Does Third Brother know something?] Yang Kai silently speculated.
Although Yang Tie’s personal strength wasn’t outstanding and his performance in the Inheritance War was even somewhat unsightly, his father still had a fair bit of power in the Yang Family.
At least compared with the Yang Family Fourth Master, Yang Tie’s father undoubtedly had higher status and was privy to more of the Yang Family’s secrets.
Did his Third Brother perhaps hear some news from his father? Yang Kai frowned slightly, savouring the words of his Third Brother for a while before shaking his head.
In any case, why the Elder Hall had ordered him to return would become clear in a moment.
Smiling wryly, Yang Kai stepped towards the Elder Hall.
This was the third time that Yang Kai had come to the Elder Hall. The first time was because of the Golden Feather Eagle, the second time was because of the Blood Warriors. Every time Yang Kai came here, he would see these white haired old men standing around, immersed in their own projects.
But this time, the situation was somewhat different.
Leading Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, as they walked into the Elder Hall, Yang Kai suddenly found the dozen or so Elders were all sitting.
They were divided into two groups, seated on opposite sides of the hall, each of them wearing an indifferent expression.
Sitting at the head of the hall was the Elder Yang Kai was most familiar with, Yang Zhen.
They all seemed to be waiting for him.
This arrangement… it was like they’re here to pass some kind of judgement. Seeing this, Yang Kai silently asked himself if he had done anything worth assembling so many Elders.
Although he was suspicious in his heart, he maintained a calm demeanor and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Kai greets the Elders!”
Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian also saluted.
“You two, draw back!” Yang Zhen waved his hand towards the two Blood Warriors, his old pair of eyes lingering a moment longer on Ying Jiu.
Not only him, the other dozen plus Elders also stared, surprise and confusion flashing across each of their expressions.
Previously, Ying Jiu had suffered damage to his foundation and recently had been hit with the Qi Binding Seal, but at this moment, not only had he returned completely unharmed to the family with Yang Kai, the aura he gave off was noticeably stronger as well. This alone was worthy of the Elders’ scrutiny.
In truth, none of them understood how this had happened.
Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian exchanged a glance before stepping back, neither of them daring to disobey Yang Zhen’s command.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression becoming pensive.
These Elders not only welcomed him with such a luxurious lineup, they had also expelled his two Blood Warrior guards, forcing him to face off against all of them on his own, greatly magnifying the pressure he felt.
If it was anyone else standing where he was, they would definitely feel nervous and be unable to summon much courage. After listening to whatever these Elders had to say, it was likely they wouldn’t have the guts to argue back.
[Are they trying to intimidate me?]
[What exactly do they intend to do?]
After Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian left, more than a dozen Elders secretly observed Yang Kai’s reaction. When the discovered that his expression was unchanged and was still as calm as the moment he walked in, all of them couldn’t help feeling a little surprised.
This was the first time they had seen such a mentally firm youngster, many of them felt that even the Eldest Yang Wei wouldn’t have fared this well under their combined pressure.
“I don’t know what important matter the Elders wish to discuss to have specially summoned this Junior, may I ask what this is about?” Yang Kai ignored the probing looks from the old men around him and directly spoke to Yang Zhen, getting straight to the point.
“Naturally we have reasons for calling you back to the family.” Yang Zhen sat in the Elder Hall all the year round, dealing with the affairs of the family, so his cold expression had become all but fixed. When people saw him, most of them couldn’t help panicking slightly.
“This old master asks you, what method did you use to allow Ying Jiu to recover from his injuries? What method did you use to allow him to break the Qi Binding Seal? Also, according to the information this old master has received, the Blood Warriors in your house often sustain serious injuries but within one or two days, they always manage to completely heal, how did you accomplish such a feat?”
Yang Kai knit his brow as he asked, “Did Elders call this disciple back at such a critical moment just to ask about such trivial matters?”
Although his tone was flat, everyone could hear the questioning in his words.
This period of time was extremely important to all the Yang Family Young Lords involved in the Inheritance War. If the Elder Hall had really sent an urgent summons to Yang Kai right now simply for this, it was at least inappropriate.
The old men in the Elder Hall stayed here all year round, but they shouldn’t be bored to this extent.
Yang Zhen lightly coughed as he replied seriously, “Naturally not!”
“Are these questions something the family wishes to ask, or is it… the Elders who are asking?”
Yang Zhen was stunned; he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be able to remain so calm and clear-headed when he facing more than a dozen Yang Family Elders, “This old master and all the other Elders are the ones asking, everyone is very curious about how you achieved these things.”
“Since it is not the meaning of the family…” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “Please excuse this Junior for not responding.”
Hearing this, the dozen or so Elders all shook their heads regretfully; even Yang Zhen’s expression became a bit ugly.
None of them had thought Yang Kai would dare not answer their question, and find such a brilliant excuse to justify his response.
Since it wasn’t the will of the family, then he didn’t have to answer. Then, could these old men abandon all face and use their seniority to force him to answer? Obviously not.
“Respected Elders, Junior has a great many things to attend to. If there is something you wish to say, please just say it.” Yang Kai’s tone gradually became impatient; the behaviour of the old men in the Elder Hall made him feel both irritated and unnerved.
The first thing they had done was try to intimidate him so that he wouldn’t talk back; clearly they were going to do something that harmed his interests. If not, why would they go through all the trouble of setting up such an elaborate display?
Since they were planning to make things difficult for him, and remembering the words his Third Brother had spoken to him outside the hall, Yang Kai naturally didn’t need to act polite.
“Very well, this old master won’t beat around the bush anymore.” Yang Zhen nodded, his eyes becoming sharp as he stared at Yang Kai and said, “It’s about the Blood Warriors who serve you, the family has made a decision.”
“The Blood Warriors?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, a bad feeling welling up inside him but outwardly doing his best not to show any weakness to Yang Zhen.
As the two stared at each other, Yang Zhen couldn’t help feeling the urge to avert his eyes, patiently and calmly nodding before continuing, “En, according to the information this old master has obtained, the number of Blood Warriors you have gathered now totals seven, correct?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
Ying Jiu and Qu Gao Yi were the first to follow Yang Kai, Xiao Shun came after his Eighth Brother Yang Quan was defeated, and Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, Luo Hai, and Yan Ling Xing were recruited a few nights ago when he eliminated Yang Kang and Yang Shen.
In total, Yang Kai’s house current had seven Blood Warriors, all of whom had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage.
“If you didn’t have the means to break the Qi Binding Seal and a method to quickly allow the Blood Warriors to heal from serious injuries, everything would be alright! Even if all seven of the Blood Warriors gathered around you, they wouldn’t be able to show display too much destructive power, but you indeed do have such unusual means.” Yang Zhen stood up from his chair, crossed his arms behind his back and walked over beside Yang Kai, the two of them facing opposite directions as he said, “If this old master’s guess is correct, right now, the seven Blood Warriors serving you have all been completely restored to their peak, correct?”
From the conditions of both Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian who had escorted Yang Kai here, the answer to this question was obvious.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded once more.
“Then, if this old masters is correct, your next step will be nothing more than to take these seven warriors and crush the remaining Yang Family Young Lords one by one with overwhelming force, while in the process, recruit the remaining Blood Warriors serving them. Is there anything wrong with this old master’s analysis?”
“Elder is not wrong. If Junior had not been recalled by the family, I would have begun acting tonight!” Yang Kai admitted calmly.
Yang Zhen sighed lightly, “Seven Blood Warriors, heh heh. No one would be capable of stopping you, you being able to create such a miracle, and you’ve really shocked us old men! Although Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, and Yang Ying all have a lot of forces and supporters behind them, each Yang Lord had one of their Blood Warriors unable to act. Once you lead your seven Blood Warriors and launch an all-out attack, each of them will quickly fall and victory will easily be yours.”
As he said this, Yang Zhen could almost see the scenes where Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, and Yang Ying helplessly tried to resist, only to fail miserably. This was exactly what Yang Kai had planned to do all along!
“However…” Yang Zhen turned his head towards Yang Kai and solemnly declared, “This is inconsistent with the original intention of the Inheritance War and is not in line with Yang Family’s intention when we allowed Blood Warriors to participate.”
Yang Kai sneered deeply, upon hearing these words, if he still couldn’t figure out why the Elder Hall had summoned him, he would be a fool.
As a raging anger began to spread through his chest, Yang Kai took a deep breath and stared at Yang Zhen sarcastically, “Respected Elders shouldn’t intend to recall the Blood Warriors serving me to the family, right?”
Although he had already noticed the change in Yang Kai’s attitude and tone, Yang Zhen didn’t pay it any mind. Young people were always hot blooded, if Yang Kai wasn’t angry at this time, he wouldn’t be a proper young man.
“Correct, it’s good that you understand!” Yang Zhen nodded calmly.
“I don’t understand!” Yang Kai’s expression was dim, he no longer cared that the other party he was speaking to was a Yang Family Elder, or even his own ancestor, his attitude was unflinching.
Yang Zhen continued unperturbed, “As this old master pervious said, you leading seven Blood Warriors to attack the remaining Yang Family Young Lords is inconsistent with the original intentions of the Inheritance War. The intention of the Inheritance War is something you should be clear about. It is a comprehensive competition to test each of your connections and personal charisma! Those who have established a wide network of supporters and have strong leadership skills can gather more strength. Because the winner of the Inheritance War will become the next Yang Family Patriarch. If you wish to lead the Yang Family in the future, you should be able to do so by amassing the most external support and cleverly defeating your adversaries. Relying on the Blood Warriors who were born and raised in the Yang Family to win simply proves nothing.”
Inside the Elder Hall, Yang Zhen gave a lecture to Yang Kai and sounded reasonable.
“Elder, the Blood Warriors choosing to support me, doesn’t that demonstrate my methods and personal charm?” Yang Kai looked at him with cold eyes.
“Ah…” Yang Zhen stuttered but quickly recovered, “It only shows that you see things further ahead than others and are adept at using schemes!”
He was naturally referring to Yang Kai choosing to use Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu in order to gain the respect and favour of the entire Blood Warrior Hall.
At the beginning, he was also shocked by Yang Kai’s boldness, but now it seemed like this little brat always had the means to cure Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, so there was never any risk in him choosing them.
However, the truth was only he could do this; none of the other Yang Family direct descendents had such ability.
“Is that not proof that my methods are superior?” Yang Kai’s face was gloomy.
“Well, sort of.” Yang Zhen pondered a moment before admitting, “But the Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance War was originally because the family wanted to ensure the safety of each of you during the early stages of the conflict. Since ancient times, this has always been the case and has never changed. If you were really to lead a large number of Blood Warriors now to attack the rest of your brothers, it would be contrary to the family’s original intention of allowing the Blood Warrior to participate in the Inheritance War.”
“That’s the family’s miscalculation, what does it have to do with me?” Yang Kai sneered, refusing to back down at all.
He had worked hard to gather enough power to dominate above his other brothers and was on the verge of launching a single crushing offensive to end things once and for all, but now, at this critical moment, he was recalled by the Elder Hall and had extremely detrimental conditions forced upon him. Just how could Yang Kai just roll over and accept?
“It really was the family’s miscalculation; no one could have imagined that there would be a Yang Family junior who could gather so many Blood Warriors.” Yang Zhen sighed, “Over the years, the Yang Family Blood Warriors have participated in the Inheritance War many times, but never once had a situation like this occurred, you’ve accomplished something all us old men admire.”
“Elder, please don’t beat a dead horse, this disciple can’t afford it.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Yang Zhen’s brow twitched, clearly feeling some anger, but he somehow maintained his calm. The other Elders in the hall all remained expressionless but secretly they were enjoying watching Yang Zhen being embarrassed, especially since the one embarrassing him was a junior.
“I have already explained our reasons. Most of the Blood Warriors around you must be recalled to the family.” Yang Zhen reiterated bluntly.
“This is clearly the family trying to suppress me!” Yang Kai shouted, arguing back, “No matter how many Blood Warriors I managed to gather, that is something I achieved on my own, what right does the family have to recall them? How I make use of the Blood Warriors serving me is my freedom! Isn’t the family afraid that if they do this they will suffer the ridicule of this world’s people? You Elders should have some awareness! The Inheritance War is an age old tradition, it’s not some child’s game where the rules can be bent and broken whenever you wish!”
“Impudence!” Yang Zhen finally couldn’t hold back his temper, angrily roaring as let out a burst of True Qi, smashing a nearby table into dust, “How dare talk back to this old master, do you want to rebel?”
“Since Elder is in the wrong, why can’t this Junior point it out? What have I said that isn’t the truth?” Yang Kai sneered, glaring back strongly at Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen grit his teeth and grumbled a few times but eventually didn’t say anything.
The other Elders in the room saw that the atmosphere was rapidly deteriorating and knew they couldn’t just sit back and watch, one of them quickly standing up and saying, “Yang Kai, restrain your anger. This time, it really is the family that is in the wrong; after all, we didn’t think anyone could gain the support of so many Blood Warriors, but what Yang Zhen said is also reasonable. If you think about it, if you were to win the Inheritance War with just Blood Warriors, would that bring you any honour or glory? After this time, the family will more carefully consider the issue of Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance War, but for now this is the only course of action we can take.”
“I only value the results, the process… doesn’t matter!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. “Whether it is glory or disgrace, that’s a matter for the Elder Hall to care about, and as for the next Inheritance War, that’s none of my concern. I gathered all these Blood Warriors not by relying on threats, coercion, or any other kind of despicable method; they serve me willingly of their own volition. In short, if the family wants to recall the Blood Warrior supporting me, I firmly refuse!”
After a pause, Yang Kai solemnly added, “If the family insists on doing this, then I’ll withdraw from this Inheritance War!”
“You dare threaten us?” Yang Zhen’s eyes flashed a gloomy light, the aura around him gradually becoming dangerous.
“If the Elders wish to thinks so, so be it. If the rules can be changed at any time to suit whatever whim you have, then the Inheritance War is nothing more than a child’s game. I have no patience to participate in such a farce.” Yang Kai sneered, cupped his fists, and shouted, “Good day!”
“Stop right there!” Yang Zhen roared.
Yang Kai obviously paid this warning no mind, continuing to step towards the exit, but after only a few steps, he stopped because a tall figure with a dignified aura had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Although he maintained an indifferent expression, inside Yang Kai felt as if he was facing a mountain, a single glimpse all it took to cause his breathing to be disordered.
A moment later, the immense pressure disappeared.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, cupped his fists and shouted, “Greetings, Great Uncle!”
The person who had appeared was actually the current Yang Family Patriarch, Yang Ying Hao!
Yang Ying Hao nodded gently and walked over to him, “Don’t be in such a rush, I’ll speak with you.”
“Greetings, Patriarch!” All of the Elders in the hall stood up and bowed, although each of them was one or two generations older than Yang Ying Hao, but in the Yang Family, the Patriarch represented supreme majesty, even if it was Yang Zhen and the other Elders they still had to salute.
“Everyone sit!” Yang Ying Hao said calmly before walking over towards Yang Zhen’s position. Quickly taking notice of the broken table and pile of dust nearby, he frowned and sighed, “Elder Zhen, your temper hasn’t changed after so many years.”
In response, Yang Zhen snorted and said, “After so many years, I’m afraid I can’t change it.”
One of the Elders laughed and said, “Wolves wander the world eating meat, while dogs wander the world eating shit, such is the way of life.”
Everyone laughed at this snide comment and the atmosphere abruptly eased.
Yang Ying Hao appearing clearly indicated he knew things would become unpleasant and that he would need to speak with Yang Kai personally. No matter what, one would need to give the Patriarch face, so even if Yang Kai wasn’t willing, he could only remain.
“Looking at this situation, you should have already informed Yang Kai, correct?” Yang Ying Hao asked.
“En.” Yang Zhen stood by his side and nodded.
Looking over at Yang Kai, Yang Ying Hao said, “This was the family’s mistake. On behalf of the family, Great Uncle should apologize to you.”
“Junior doesn’t dare accept.” Yang Kai quickly stated his mood gradually calming down. The family’s decision to recall most of his Blood Warriors still made him upset, but facing the strength of the family and the Elder Hall, he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
Regardless, he was still a member of the Yang Family and his parents were also in the Yang Family, if he continued to take a hard stance, there would no doubt be consequences, not to mention, him participating in the Inheritance War was because he still had a wish he needed to fulfill.
“I know you are still unconvinced, but this is the decision of the family. It cannot be changed. From now on, the Inheritance War will also have a rule that every Young Lord may never have more than two Blood Warriors supporting them!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he sneered, “That is to say, even if I later defeat my brothers, I cannot gather the Blood Warriors currently serving them?”
“Indeed!” Yang Ying Hao nodded. “Blood Warriors are too powerful, especially when they use their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, you should have experienced this already!”
“So this rule was created specifically for me?” Yang Kai snickered, “I don’t know if I should feel honoured or not, in short, my mood right now is a complex.”
“It’s not aimed just at you. Previously, the Elders of the family were also somewhat worried that you would gather all the Blood Warriors to your side like this, but at the time everyone generally felt it was impossible. However, now that you’ve actually accomplished this, we have no choice but to wrong you like this.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Not to mention, the people from Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect you recruited have already given you a big advantage! These two forces should not be involved in the Inheritance War. You should have heard that when the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists joined your house, all the other Yang Family Young Lords jointly protested, but the family did not interfere because that was your own personal connection. But the situation is different with the Blood Warriors, they serve the Yang Family so them participating is not due to your personal connections.”
Yang Kai remained silent and expressionless, but he too realized that Yang Ying Hao’s words just now cut to the heart of the issue and weren’t without reason.
“The family is fair, since we must recall most of the Blood Warriors serving you, you will naturally be compensated. What do you desire? Speak, as long as the family is capable of accomplishing it, we will not let you suffer.”
Now that things had developed to this point, Yang Kai also knew he was powerless to resist, he simply didn’t have the qualifications or ability to confront the family, so even if venting his anger here might make him feel better it would ultimately be a thankless endeavour.
“I do have a request!” Yang Kai held his tongue for a moment before declaring.
“Say it.” Yang Ying Hao gestured.
“For my Grand Master and High Heaven Pavilion’s good name to be restored!” Yang Kai looked straight into Yang Ying Hao’s eyes, “High Heaven Pavilion is not evil, only the Demon Lord is!”
Hearing this, everyone in the hall trembled lightly, a deep sense of fear flashing briefly across their eyes, even Yang Ying Hao, who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, was no exception!
Demon Lord!
In the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, Yang Ying Hao had also met this man once. Though they were both Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, this person still gave him a feeling of oppression.
Facing that man, Yang Ying Hao even had an impulse to back down and surrender!
He knew that this Demon Lord’s strength in the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was above his own.
“This is your request?” Yang Ying Hao couldn’t help feeling a bit troubled. Any matter related to the Demon Lord was very important, and as the Patriarch of the Yang Family, the head of the alliance against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, to suddenly rectify the name of the Sect which had given rise to the Demon Lord was somewhat difficult.
“That is my only request!” Yang Kai said seriously.
His reasons for participating in the Inheritance War were not the same as everyone else’s. In truth, he didn’t care about being the Yang Family’s Patriarch! Yang Kai’s ultimate objective was to use his own strength to clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name; this was also his father’s, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s wish.
As long as Sect’s reputation was restored, Ling Tai Xu and the Elders, as well as the high-level disciples who supported them, could return to their rightful home.
“If Patriarch can promise me this, not just agreeing to the Blood Warriors supporting me being recalled, I can even quit the Inheritance War right now!” Yang Kai firmly said.
Hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked, each of them staring at the youth in front of them with great surprise.
Yang Kai’s expression was calm and his eyes were crystal clear. Obviously he was being sincere.
Seeing this, Yang Ying Hao’s expression suddenly changed as he exclaimed, “So the biggest purpose of your participation in Inheritance War is this, correct?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “Only the Patriarch of the Yang Family has the ability to clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name.”
“You don’t want to be the Yang Family’s Patriarch? To stand at the summit of this world, able to summon the wind and rain with a wave of your hand?” Yang Ying Hao’s eyes narrowed as he asked sharply.
However, Yang Kai just grinned back at him with a smirk on his face and said, “What’s so good about being the Yang Family Patriarch? It’s ridiculous, after sitting in that position, one doesn’t even have time of cultivate. Great Uncle, aren’t you the best example? Although you’re an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, in my opinion, amongst those who have reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, you should be considered relatively weak, right?”
“Outrageous!” Yang Zhen roared, his eyes turning red. He had never seen anyone speak so flippantly to Yang Ying Hao.
But with a wave of his hand, Yang Ying Hao stopped Yang Zhen from reprimanding Yang Kai any further, instead grinning as he nodded, “Correct, among Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, I really am one of the weakest. Becoming such an existence is the sorrowful fate of those who become the Patriarch of the Yang Family. You being able to see through this is beyond my expectations.”
But after a pause, Yang Ying Hao took a deep breath and continued, “But have you ever wondered why every Yang Family Patriarch is an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator?”
“Why?” Hearing these words, Yang Kai suddenly became curious.
That’s right, according to the family’s records, the Patriarch of the Yang Family has indeed, without exception, been an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was the pinnacle of this world and the few people who achieved it could overlook all others.
Was it really possible that every Yang Family Patriarch possessed such amazing talent and aptitude?
Moreover, Yang Ying Hao age wasn’t great, at most only around fifty years old, but at such an age he had already broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, then just how terrifying was his aptitude?
But with such great talent and aptitude, why was his strength ranked amongst the worst of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?
“Because the Yang Family’s heritage allows its Patriarch to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!” Yang Ying Hao looked straight at Yang Kai and answered.
Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically, suddenly realizing he had inadvertently learned one of the Yang Family’s great secret.
“Do you understand what I mean?” Yang Ying Hao asked.
Yang Kai shook his head. Although he had his speculations, he didn’t dare try to confirm them.
“Haha.” Yang Ying Hao smiled, “Do you think that being the Yang Family Patriarch only means painstakingly working for the family? Becoming the Patriarch also has great benefits. I’m not afraid to admit that your Great Uncle’s aptitude still has some gaps compared to your father’s; unfortunately, he was affected by a stubborn illness and so his strength stagnated. Of course, recently, for some unknown reason, his cultivation has been growing by leaps and bounds.”
As he spoke these works, intentionally or unintentionally he stared at Yang Kai, seemingly having some speculations of his own; of course, Yang Kai stared back at him indifferently, not revealing anything.
“Well let’s not discuss him, just take Great Uncle as an example. If I let myself cultivate diligently on my own, right now, I would probably be at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. I understand my own aptitude best. Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary is my limit, and there is certainly no way I could break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in only fifty years. In fact, many cultivators are capable of reaching the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, but those who can take a step further and reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary are still quite rare.”
“However, because I became the Patriarch of the Yang Family, Great Uncle was able to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary almost five years ago!”
Yang Kai expression changed once more, this time showing clear surprise, “So you mean the Patriarch’s position is related with your current cultivation?”
“You can say that!” Yang Ying Hao gently nodded, “As for how the two are related, I can’t tell you, you just need to know this much.”
“Why is Patriarch telling me all this?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Although by listening to Yang Ying Hao, he did develop some curiosity towards the Patriarch position, it was only a slight interest.
“I just felt like mentioning this, you don’t have to worry about it.” Yang Ying Hao smiled faintly.
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before shaking his head, quickly following up, “What about my request?”
Yang Ying Hao paused to think a while, eventually replying, “I do have the ability to restore High Heaven Pavilion’s name, but if I were to agree to your request right now, I’m afraid that the world will misunderstand and believe I am using this condition to let you give up the Inheritance War, so… I refuse!”
Yang Kai’s expression sank.
“If you want your Sect’s reputation to be cleared, you can rely on your own ability to do so! Or, do you think that without a few extra Blood Warriors you won’t win the Inheritance War?”
Yang Kai looked indifferent and shook his head, “Patriarch, trying to goad me is pointless.”
“Then prove it with your own strength!” Yang Ying Hao smiled slightly, “Still, the Blood Warriors must be recalled, and your loss is something the family will still compensate for. Put forward a different request, I have come here today specifically to handle this matter.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, knowing he was powerless to really change anything here.
The family had long ago decided that even if he were to raise a fuss, they would not back down.
Frowning and pondering for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing a bright light, “I want all the Blood Warriors who follow me now, and all those who pledge to serve me from now on, to belong solely to me!”
Yang Ying Hao’s face cramped as he stared at Yang Kai while Yang Zhen and the other white haired Elders all gasped. It seemed like they had greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s appetite.
“This request… is too unreasonable.” Yang Zhen coldly snorted.
The masters from the Blood Warrior Hall had always been faithful to the family and would never pledge their loyalty to an individual; however, Yang Kai had now made such a request. If they were to agree, that meant that at least seven Blood Warriors would become his exclusive subordinates.
“I only have this request, whether you agree to it or not, Patriarch, that is your decision to make.” Yang Kai reiterated, making a display of his seriousness.
Although Yang Ying Hao, as the Patriarch of the Yang Family, was used to great winds and storms, at this moment he couldn’t help feeling some headaches.
No one had ever made such a grand request to him, it could even be considered downright rude.
But he had just rejected Yang Kai’s other request. If he were to refuse once again…
What’s more, all of this was because the family had pledged to compensate him for his losses.
Smiling wryly, “More than half of those Blood Warriors still won’t be allowed to participate in the Inheritance War, what use is their loyalty to you?”
“I naturally have uses for it.” Yang Kai faintly replied.
Yang Ying Hao let out a long sighed, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face, but after staying silent for a while, he nodded. “Good, I accept!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring at him in surprise; even he hadn’t expected Yang Ying Hao to agree so easily.
Yang Zhen of course hurriedly tried to object, “Patriarch, you can’t…”
“It’s fine!” Yang Ying Hao waved his hand, “Yang Kai is also a Yang Family member. Even if the Blood Warrior belong to him, they still belong to the Yang Family.”
“Although that’s true, still…”
“Enough. This time, everything is the fault of the family.” Yang Ying Hao obviously didn’t want to discuss this topic any more, turning his eyes to Yang Kai and saying, “Since I have accepted your request, I hope you can make good use of these Blood Warriors. The family spent a great deal to cultivate them after all!”
“I know. Many thanks, Great Uncle.”
“But you must choose two Blood Warriors to be involved in the Inheritance War, once you’ve made your choice, the others may not contribute anything from now on.”
“Right now?” Yang Ka’s brow wrinkled.
“Right now!”
Yang Kai suddenly felt a little awkward.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were the first to follow him while Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were the first he got to know and were the ones who escorted him back to the Central Capital, as for Xiao Shun, Luo Hai, and Yan Ling Xing, Yang Kai hadn’t spent much time and wasn’t familiar with them, obviously he wouldn’t select them, but that still left four to choose from.
After only a moment’s hesitation, Yang Kai’s look became firm, “Then I choose Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.”
“En, very decisive. That is how a Yang Family man should be!” Yang Ying Hao commended, “Our business here is concluded then, return to War City as soon as possible.”
“Junior will take his leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists once more, turned around, and quickly left the Elder Hall.
Outside the door, Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian both had sweat on their foreheads as they waited anxiously.
The quarrels in the Elder Hall had naturally reached their ears, so they were secretly worried about Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai came out, the two nodded towards him with gratitude. Yang Kai choosing them to help him win the Inheritance War made them feel honoured and proud.
After exiting the hall, Yang Kai didn’t say anything, but anyone who saw him could tell his mood wasn’t very good at the moment.
Returning to the Fourth Master’s residence, Yang Kai left behind some Myriad Drug Liquid for Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu before riding off with Ying Jiu and Yang Yu Xian.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s silence made Ying Jiu and Yu Xian both feel on edge. They wanted to relieve some of the bitterness in his heart but neither of them knew what word to speak.
As they anxiously rode forward, Yang Kai, who sitting atop his Cloud Treading Colt in the front, suddenly burst out into laughter.
The two Blood Warriors both exchanged a confused glance when they saw Yang Kai’s joy filled face, his former frustrated and disappointed expression entirely blown away.
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian gently bit her lips, wondering why his state of mind had suddenly changed so much.
But in response, Yang Kai simply laughed even louder.
Suddenly realizing something, Tang Yu Xian called out, “Little Lord’s look just now was just an act for others to see.”
“After suffering such a big loss, of course I should show others an aggrieved expression. If I were to look excited, I’m afraid the Elders would become suspicious.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
This time, it could be said he had made a massive profit.
Although the family’s orders had a detrimental effect on Yang Kai’s progress in the Inheritance War, in the long run, Yang Kai would undoubtedly be the biggest winner.
So many Blood Warriors now becoming one person’s dedicated servants, this was something that had never happened in the Yang Family’s entire history.
Blessings and misfortune really comes in pairs.
What’s more, although only two Blood Warriors were allowed to participate in the Inheritance War now, couldn’t he still win? Yang Kai had absolute confidence in his future!
All the way back, his mood was jubilant.
A hundred kilometers away, after half an hour of riding, Yang Kai returned to his mansion.
The unique sound of Cloud Treading Colt’s alerted Qiu Yi Meng. Once she heard that familiar sound, the maiden Qiu, who was anxiously waiting in the mansion, rushed out to meet Yang Kai, her beautiful pair of eyes carefully observing him and secretly guessing why the Yang Family had suddenly ordered him to return to the Central Capital.
After seeing Yang Kai’s dull expression, she couldn’t help trembling slightly as she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Yang Kai’s look clearly indicated that the reason he was summoned to the Yang Family wasn’t a good one. Several thoughts turned over in Qiu Yi Meng’s mind, but she didn’t dare to immediately ask, instead just silently ushering him into the mansion.
Inside the main hall, the young leaders of many forces gathered together.
They had all heard about Yang Kai being recalled to the Central Capital and naturally wanted to know why.
A dozen pairs of eyes looked straight at Yang Kai, waiting for him to speak. The hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
“I have good news and bad news.” Yang Kai let out a long breath and looked around, “Which would you like to hear first?”
“Since there’s both good and bad,” Huo Xing Chen grinned and shook his head, “Then let’s hear the bad new first. It can’t be worse than the news we received this morning.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, although he did not know what Huo Xing Chen was talking about; he temporarily didn’t go into it. If anything of paramount importance had happened in War City, Qiu Yi Meng would definitely have already informed him.
“The bad news is that only two of the Blood Warriors who have pledged their support to me will be allowed to participate in the Inheritance War. The rest will not be able to contribute anything and must immediately stand down.”
“What?” Everyone called out in shock; Qiu Yi Meng frowned deeply and solemnly asked, “What do you mean?”
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai simply explained the family’s decision.
After comprehending the deeper meaning of his words, everyone became filled with indignation and anger.
“What the hell!” Huo Xing Chen yelled, “Does your Yang Family think this is some kind of child’s play? Can they just alter the rules of Inheritance War so haphazardly?”
“That’s right, how could they do this?”
“If this is put in place, the gap in strength between us and the others has been shortened greatly.”
Everyone was shouting and accusing the Yang Family Elder Hall, even the cold beauty Han Xiao Qi wore a look of anger on her face.
Originally, their position was all but invincible. With seven Blood Warriors on his side, Yang Kai had more than enough strength to sweep away all the remaining Yang Family Young Lords, but now, it would undoubtedly be significantly harder.
“Yang Kai, didn’t you resist your Yang Family Elder Hall’s decision? These Blood Warriors all willingly came to support you. Are you really going to let them be recalled for some bullshit reason?” Huo Xing Chen shouted angrily.
“Enough!” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and shouted, when she heard this news just now she also felt a suffocating anger in her chest, but after calming down, she soon noticed that even as Yang Kai explained this detrimental situation, he didn’t have an unpleasant look on his face.
From this she could tell that he didn’t actually care about this result.
“What’s the good news?” Qiu Yi Meng turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Let’s hear it.”
The crowd suddenly quieted down and looked at Yang Kai.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth slowly rose until a wide smile appeared on his face, “The good news has nothing to do with you, it doesn’t even have anything to do with the Inheritance War, it’s solely about me.”
“From now on, all the Blood Warriors here, and those that pledge their support to me in the future, will become loyal only to me!”
When everyone heard this, they all froze up and didn’t know what to say, but after thinking about it for a moment they quickly realized the incredible benefits of this.
“Seriously?” Dong Qing Han stuttered, his expression filled with disbelief, “Did the Yang Family really agree to that?”
“Yes!”
“What the hell!” Huo Xing Chen also gawked.
Qiu Yi Meng wore a wry smile and shook her head slowly, “Yang Kai, you’ve really made a big profit this time.”
So many Blood Warriors, from now on pledging loyalty only to Yang Kai, which was to say that no matter whether he could win the final victory in the Inheritance War or not, his position in the Yang Family will not be low!
With so many Blood Warriors as followers, how could his status be anything but great? He would at least become one of the top Elders!
Yang Family Elder, such a character was at least comparable to the patriarch of a first-class force!
“The family probably agreed to my condition because they felt pressured to give me some kind of appropriate answer.” Yang Kai chuckled, “If it weren’t for them meddling in things like this, I wouldn’t have been able to fish up such a big advantage.”
Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded, “In the short term, this is indeed bad news for the Inheritance War, but in the long-term it is quite beneficial for you. In any case, first and foremost, congratulations.”
This sentiment was loudly echoed by everyone in the hall.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, but as was about to speak, he noticed that everyone seemed to be hiding a faint sense of worry, causing him to knit his brow and ask, “Did something happen last night?”
He had only been gone for one night, yet his allies had such a dramatic change of look, something big must have transpired after he had left.
Hearing his question, everyone awkwardly coughed and looked away.
Qiu Yi Meng also smiled bitterly, “Nothing gets past you, and I was just going to tell you about it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, she continued, “Like you, I also have good news and bad news, which one do you want to listen to first?”
“The bad news!” Yang Kai immediately said.
“Yang Ying… forfeited!”
“What?” Yang Kai was dumbstruck.
“You heard right, your Seventh Brother, Yang Ying, forfeited last night!”
“What happened?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, this was a development he had not anticipated.
At this point, there were only four Young Lords remaining in the Inheritance War.
Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Kai, and Yang Ying! Among the four, Yang Kai had the largest number of masters; with just the seven Blood Warriors he had the strength to overwhelm everyone else, not to mention Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya.
On the other hand, Yang Ying had the most supporting forces and the largest number of people, none of the other three came anywhere close.
After Yang Kai’s sneak attack on Yang Shen’s compound where he successfully obtained his flag, all of Yang Shen’s allies, with the exception of the two Blood Warriors, were gathered by Yang Ying.
In other words, Yang Ying currently possessed the combined forces of two Young Lords!
No matter how one looked at it, Yang Ying wasn’t the weakest of the four.
But now he actually took the initiative to forfeit! This was beyond everyone’s expectations, and it had actually happened last night when Yang Kai left War City.
“I don’t know what the specific situation is,” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head, she had only received the news herself this morning. “It’s said that your Second Brother went to Yang Ying’s mansion alone and talked with him well into the night. He must have promised him some kind of generous benefits and conditions in exchange for Yang Ying forfeiting.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrows, quickly understanding, “So, all of Seventh Brother’s allies…”
“They’ve already swore allegiance to your Second Brother.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly and said.
After absorbing the people from Yang Ying’s house, Yang Zhao’s strength had reached an incredible degree! It was different from Yang Kai, he now possessed the strongest force.
“Last night really brought great storms.” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as a sneer appeared on his face.
[I leave for only one night, and such a big event happens in War City. Second Brother’s methods are impressive!]
If he wasn’t summoned to the Elder Hall yesterday, Yang Kai would have already taken all his Blood Warriors last night and stamped out his Seventh Brother.
But now, Yang Kai has completely lost all of his accumulated advantages and instead was forced into a defensive position because of his Second Brother’s movements.
The situation had changed drastically and the difference in position was quite unbearable.
Him being summoned by the Elder Hall yesterday evening and his Second Brother making such a big move that night, whether or not it was a coincidence or something more sinister, Yang Kai had no way of knowing.
But now, the outcome of the Inheritance War was no longer set, at the very least, Yang Zhao had become a tough bone to gnaw, while Eldest Brother definitely had many hidden strengths!
Of the three remaining brothers, who would win the final victory was a topic of concern for people all over the world.
“What’s the good news?” Yang Kai calmed down and asked.
“This good news is only about you once again.” Qiu Yi Meng showed a look of helplessness on her face and clapped her hands, “Come in.”
Soon after, two people walked into the hall.
After seeing these two, Yang Kai immediately understood what Qiu Yi Meng meant.
These two were the Blood Warriors that had been serving his Seventh Brother!
Now that Yang Ying has voluntarily forfeited, they had the opportunity to choose a new master to follow, and as expected, like the other Blood Warriors, they had chosen to come to Yang Kai.
However, in accordance with Yang Kai’s agreement with the Elder Hall, these two couldn’t make any contribution to the Inheritance War.
“Wu Ju and Fu Cong greet Little Lord!”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I assume you heard everything I said?”
“Subordinates indeed heard.” Both of them nodded and grinned, “From now on we will be in Little Lord’s care.”
“As will I be in yours!”
“Subordinates will retire!” The two came out to see Yang Kai and then immediately left.
“What do you plan to do now?” Waiting for two Blood Warriors to leave, Qiu Yi Meng asked softly.
“Observe the situation.” Yang Kai was also somewhat helpless. Although the forces he had gathered currently were by no means weak, without the ability to deploy all of his Blood Warriors, he could no longer act as unscrupulous as before. Not to mention, Yang Zhao now had an immense numerical advantage that he had to guard against.
Great changes occurring in a single night, such was the impermanence of the world.
Although everyone felt some indignation for Yang Kai, thinking about how he now had so many Blood Warriors serving him directly, their sense of injustice faded greatly.
After they dispersed, each of them went back and began cultivating again.
In another room, Yang Kai assembled all the Blood Warriors under his command.
Counting the two newcomers who came this morning, there were now nine Blood Warriors inside his mansion! An amazing number!
The decree of the Elder Hall had reached the ears of many Blood Warriors thanks to Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.
Looking at the masters in front of him, Yang Kai said, “Of you nine, I can only choose two to participate in the Inheritance War. Ying Jiu has been responsible for my personal safety all this time and when it comes to concealment and assassination, no one can compare, so I chose his. As for Tang Yu Xian, her proficiency in Soul Skills is unparalleled among all the Blood Warriors so I also chose her; I hope you don’t have any complaints.”
“Subordinates don’t dare!” Everyone immediately replied.
“I knew you wouldn’t.” Yang Kai nodded. “In fact, there is another reason for choosing Yu Xian…”
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help being curious.
Yang Kai grinned, “Given the choice, of course I’d want to have a beautiful woman by my side.”
Even with Tang Yu Xian’s calm demeanour and rich experience, she couldn’t help blushing bright red and stuttering, “Little Lord…”
The expressions of everyone else in the room also twitched slightly.
Yang Kai let out a laugh and no longer talked nonsense, seriously saying, “Although the rest of you can’t contribute directly to the Inheritance War, you can still instruct the others in the mansion regarding cultivation.”
“A simple matter.” Tu Feng nodded.
Each of these people was a master from the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall, all of them had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage, so giving pointers to the Young Lords and Young Ladies in the mansion was really just a simple matter.
Presumably, once they heard about this, all the cultivators in the mansion, even those from the older generation, would be ecstatic and immediately seek the guidance of the Yang Family Blood Warriors; after all, this was not an opportunity ordinary people could get.
After talking with the Blood Warriors, Yang Kai made them disperse.
Only Tang Yu Xian remained.
Unsure why Yang Kai made her stay, Tang Yu Xian was blushing slightly from the joke Yang Kai made earlier.
“Yu Xian, everyone is not an outsider, I have something to discuss with you.” Yang Kai looked serious and whispered.
“Little Lord, please speak. Yu Xian is listening,” Tang Yu Xian said while calming herself.
“I don’t know, can you feel it?” as Yang Kai said, a sudden powerful Divine Sense burst out and shrouded Tang Yu Xian.
Tang Yu Xian’s tender body trembled, her beautiful face wearing a look of fascination as she stared at Yang Kai.
“Do you feel it?” Yang Kai asked.
Tang Yu Xian took a while before nodding lightly, “Little Lord, is this your own Divine Sense?”
“Not bad!”
Yang Kai had already started to cultivate his Divine sense. However, this fact was unbeknownst to Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng, and he only chose to reveal it because Yank Kai wished to consult Tang Yu Xian about her Divine Sense.
“I see… the Divine Sense that eclipsed Yang Tie’s mansion that night was Little Lord’s!” Tang Yu Xian suddenly realized. After several months, she could still remember the first night of the inheritance war. Yang Tie’s mansion was under siege and Yang Kai had managed to abscond with his brother while a powerful Divine Sense suddenly shrouded Yang Tie’s mansion, deterring their group from engaging.
At the time, she was still suspicious of which master it was.
“Lord, you are only at True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, so how could you…?”
His Divine Sense was as strong as someone at the summit of Immortal Ascension. Although Yang Kai had only been cultivating it for months, no one would be able to tell. It could easily be mistaken for a master who has trained their divine sense for decades.
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head hinting her not to probe deeper. “Your skills in Soul Skill are better than most. I want to learn from you.”
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon were both masters of high skill, and their abilities in Divine sense are certainly not weaker than Tang Yu Xian, but everyone has their own strengths.
Yang Kai was only one step away from Immortal Ascension Boundary. Naturally, he wanted to prepare in advance, especially for Immortal Ascension Boundary.
True Element Boundary is a watershed for a cultivator where Yuan Qi in the body will turn into True Qi, which will become richer and purer.
Immortal Ascension Boundary was also a huge watershed. Cultivators will open their Knowledge sea and cultivate their Divine sense.
“What does the Little Lord want to ask?” Tang Yu Xian asked, calmly regaining her composure.
Yang Kai thought for a moment ”For example, how did you open your own Knowledge Sea?”
“I remember that I took some Precious Treasure for my Divine Soul,” Tang Yu Xian recalled and slowly said. “If this is not clear, then Little Lord, allow this subordinate to demonstrate. I still remember the situation at the time.”
“Demonstrate…? How?”
“If Little Lord enters my Knowledge Sea!” Tang Yu Xian exclaimed, directly releasing the defence of her Knowledge Sea.
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded, as his divine sense rushed into Tang Yu Xian’s mind.
Looking around, Yang Kai could see a clear boundless sky and a vast blue ocean stretching endlessly. This Endless Sea contained Tang Yu Xian’s Divine Soul. Yang Kai couldn’t hold his astonishment.
So far, Yang Kai had broken into the Knowledge Sea of three people.
The first was Shan Qing Luo, the second his Little Senior Sister, and the third is Tang Yu Xian.
When breaking into someone else’s Knowledge Sea, you can clearly feel the changes in their heart and thoughts. This is a very subtle feeling, and any change in their mind was impossible to conceal.
Therefore, if the relationship is not particularly good, cultivators will not release the defence of their Knowledge Sea.
The Knowledge Sea of the three had different feelings for Yang Kai.
Shan Qing Luo’s Knowledge Sea contained fascinating temptation, a vast divine Knowledge Sea that seemed to be able to inhale Yang Kai’s Soul, making people unable to extricate themselves.
Little Senior Sister’s Knowledge Sea gives a fresh and natural feeling. Staying in her Knowledge Sea, you can forget all your troubles and worries. Her atmosphere was very calming.
Tang Yu Xian is quite mature, the breeze in her knowledge sea was like the bosom of a plump woman, closely wrapping Yang Kai.
At this moment, Tang Yu Xian’s Soul body was not that far from Yang Kai.
The ocean underneath suddenly rolled up a wave after wave and the once clear sky begun to change as if a storm was coming.
Yang Kai stood stunned.
“It was the first time that someone has broken into my Knowledge Sea and I am not used to it.” Tang Yu Xian apologized.
The situation in the Knowledge Sea clearly reflected Tang Yu Xian’s inner changes: Right now, she was undoubtedly nervous. After all, all her greatest secrets lay in front of Yang Kai, which was a bit shameful for any woman.
If Yang Kai went too deep into her Knowledge Sea, he can even peek into all the bits and pieces that she had experienced since she was a child till now, but Yang Kai would never do that.
Listening to her say this, Yang Kai just nodded and waited for her mood to calm down.
Sure enough, after a while, the sea had calmed down again.
“Little Lord, look carefully. I will begin the demonstration now.” Tang Yu Xian whispered. Yang Kai’s vision soon went dark.
Everything had disappeared. From the Endless Sea to clear skies and breeze, there was only darkness.
Surrounded by nothingness, his body seemed to be in chaos.
he knew that Tang Yu Xian was showing the development and formation of her Knowledge Sea, and now he had to pay attention.
He didn’t know how long he was in that place of emptiness and chaos. Eventually, one or two free energies were born, just as the first life at the beginning of the heavens and earth, full of vitality and energy fluctuations.
Tang Yu Xian’s Divine Soul thread!
These two energies were swimming in this chaos, like a candle in the wind and rain, or like the snow under the sun.
Subtle, but delicate!
But it caused some strange changes in the Nothingness, and chaos was no longer the only theme in this world. In the darkness, the Divine Soul threads appeared one after another, lighting up the dark space.
Initially, these Soul threads were scattered, not even forming nearby. Some Soul threads shattered and were attributed to nothingness, but eventually they began to take form.
As this continued, more and more Divine Soul threads survived.
Gradually, this piece of nothingness and chaos became a starry night sky.
As time passed, these Soul threads gathered together, and the subtle energy was twisted into one. There was a sudden rush of water.
In this world of nothingness, a small stream appeared, the stream flowing and stretching into the distance.
More and more magnificent, larger and larger. The stream became a river, the river became the Endless Sea, and the Endless Sea radiated outward in all directions, ending out of sight!
As the heavens and the earth split apart, chaos disappeared.
The darkness was expelled, and Yang Kai’s eyes lit up!
The breeze came, and the water was flowing underneath. Tang Yu Xian stood still in front of him quietly. She gave a soft breath, and there was a tired look on her Soul Body.
The demonstration just now was very exhausting.
“Does Little Lord understand?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly but did not answer, he was immersed in the artistic conception that grew from nothing to something.
Opening the Knowledge Sea is the same as opening a world! A world belonging to only one person.
This demonstration by Tang Yu Xian has given Yang Kai a big gain! How to open his own Knowledge Sea in the future, how to promote Immortal Ascension Boundary, he has a lot of ideas.
The only difference now was the crucial moment and cultivation level.
Yang Kai believed that if he has enough strength to promote to Immortal Ascension Boundary, he would be able to open his Knowledge Sea quickly.
“In fact, if Little Lord wants to refine his divine sense, I have a suggestion.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was looking at her.
“Little Lord can find a partner… well, when two people dual cultivate!” Tang Yu Xian’s face became a little red.
Yang Kai laughed, “Isn’t that a soul union?”
“Yes.” Tang Yu Xian suddenly apologized. There was a faint feeling of being encouraged by the Little Lord.
“I heard that once you try this kind of thing, it’s easy to get lost.” Yang Kai smiled weirdly.
Soul union- when two people start to blend their souls, one can feel a joy that surpasses the flesh by a thousand times. Although the pleasure was immense, to blend one’s divine soul can make the memories of the two fuse. It was a risky endeavour that can change their character, to the point where they lose themselves.
“Others may get lost, but Little Lord has a strong heart and should be fine.” Tang Yu Xian paused and said, “Absolutely no problem.”
“So sure?” Yang Kai smiled and nodded. “I will consider it.”
There was one person in mind, but he didn’t know where they were now.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art with Su Yan went to the second-order, and if the third-order is in their heart, it will certainly resonate with their divine souls.
It is also a good idea to use dual spiritual and enhance each other’s Divine sense.
“Thank you for your time.” Yang Kai solemnly said.
“Little Lord is polite. Such a small task should be expected by his subordinates.” Tang Yu Xian smiled.
Yang Kai gently nodded and was about to withdraw from Tang Yu Xian’s Knowledge Sea. Suddenly his expression changed, and he couldn’t help but scream, his brow wrinkled.
“What happened?” Tang Yu Xian asked.
“There is movement!” Yang Kai’s look sank and disappeared the next moment.
Tang Yu Xian was stunned and quickly left her Knowledge Sea.
Opening her eyes, she watched Yang Kai quickly stand up and leave.
At the same time, the mansion resounded a burst of horrible laughter, “Since you’re here, why hide it? Show yourself to me!”
Immediately, inside the mansion, there was a wave of earth-shattering energy fluctuations. The earth began to move, and a red light started rising in a certain position over the mansion.
Tang Yu Xian’s face changed, not knowing what has transpired.
Everyone in Yang Kai’s mansion went on high alert when they heard Old Demon’s shout.
When Yang Kai arrived at the place where the ruckus originated, he found that it was once again not far from the Pill Room, but this time there were three layers of people surrounding the scene, all of them fully circulating their True Qi, each of them on high alert as they stared towards the centre of the circle.
When they noticed the arrival of Yang Kai, everyone gave way and allowed him to pass.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and calmly looked inward.
At the centre of the encirclement the, Qiu Yi Meng stood next to Old Demon, her eyes staring with curiosity and horror at what lay before her.
“Young Master, that person came!” Old Demon looked a little excited, saying so as he pointed towards his captive.
Yang Kai’s eyes followed Old Demon’s finger and saw a few meters away a number of red lights rising from the ground, like red iron columns, forming a circular cage. Within the cage was a figure that repeatedly attacked the red bars but seemed unable to break them or escape.
Everyone stared in amazement; even Qiu Yi Meng was extremely surprised.
Because this figure wrapped in red lights was almost transparent, if one didn’t look carefully they wouldn’t have even noticed it. This figure moved fluidly, like a clear stream of water flowing through the air, distorting one’s view of the opposite side when they looked through it.
Even until now, no one had seen the true appearance of this figure.
This kind of concealment technique had completely exceeded everyone’s scope of understanding!
Ying Jiu was also a master of stealth and assassination and had the ability to blur his image, but he did so by using a special technique where he circulated his True Qi in a specific way to avoid people’s perception.
On the other hand, this mysterious person’s method was quite different, everyone could tell she was clearly there, but they still could see right through her!
After only a glimpse, Yang Kai realized he had still underestimated this mysterious master’s methods.
This mysterious master in the cultivation of stealth appeared before Yang Kai twice. However, each time, she would manage to slip away without him managing to even catch a glimpse of her. It was only by chance, back on their second encounter in Po Jing Lake, that Yang Kai managed to get one strand of her hair. Furthermore, thanks to Old Demon’s own methods, Yang Kai could pass him the task of locating her using this strand of hair.
It wasn’t until today that his efforts had paid off; Old Demon had noticed the aura of this mysterious master and then proceeded to trap her here.
Even though she was trapped, she didn’t seem to be worried at all, just walking around in the small light cage faintly staring out at the surrounding crowd, as if she was observing them, just like they were observing her.
“Hm… a woman?” Qiu Yi Meng called out in surprise, she clearly saw the two bulges on this figure’s chest and although it was just a glimpse, it at least confirmed her gender.
“Girl, reveal yourself.” Yang Kai face became serious, lightly ordering.
The opposite party remained indifferent and didn’t answer, not showing up, just standing there quietly, Yang Kai even felt her eyes staring at him.
“I just have some questions to ask, I hope that you can comply!” Yang Kai frowned.
However, there was still no reply.
Yang Kai’s expression became impatient. He didn’t know why this person had attempted to sneak into the Pill Room twice, and he didn’t know which faction she belonged to, but if such a master was left alone, he was afraid that everyone in the house would feel uneasy. Moreover, seeing her absolute refusal to cooperate, Yang Kai felt it was useless to say any more.
“I’ll give you ten breaths of time to appear, think about it!” Yang Kai’s tone became solemn as he quietly waited.
Soon, ten breaths passed.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and stared at the transparent figure, coldly ordering, “Do it, if she dares to resist, it doesn’t matter if you kill her!”
Old Demon cackled wildly and stepped forward. At the same time the figure trapped by the red light beams apparently hadn’t thought that Yang Kai would be so ruthless, her figure solidifying for a brief moment before quickly fading again.
“Bind!” Old Demon shouted, causing the red light cage to pulse with a strange energy and contract towards the trapped figure inside.
“Heng, you think this is enough to capture me?” Just as the red lights were about to bind the woman, she suddenly spoke.
When her voice reached their ears, everyone’s expression suddenly changed.
It wasn’t that this sound was grating or difficult to listen to, but rather… it was quite soft and tender.
As a person grew older, not only does their physical shape change, but there are also subtle changes in their appearance and tone of voice. Older people tend to have a more mature sound than those of the younger generation.
But the voice of this mysterious master was very tender and crisp, listening to her voice alone; everyone immediately felt that she could be no older than twenty.
Think this, everyone shook their heads secretly.
It was impossible for a less than twenty year old girl to have such incredible strength! Qiu Yi Meng was twenty-two this year and had just reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage.
Liu Qing Yao was even older.
Was it possible this young woman’s aptitude was far superior to even Qiu Yi Meng and Liu Qing Yao’s? Or perhaps her voice was just naturally soft in tone; everyone had their own guesses.
As soon as the mysterious woman spoke, the complacent look on Old Demon’s face suddenly disappeared and without hesitation he quickly retrieved something from his sleeve pocket.
At the same time, with a light giggle, the figure of the woman surrounded by red lights suddenly burst.
Yang Kai leapt forward and shot out his palm in an attempt to seize her.
He had already witnessed this scene twice, and each time this mysterious master had escaped like this.
As his hand reached his target, Yang Kai only caught a trace of mist and the woman once again disappeared right before everyone’s eyes.
The entire room was stunned silent!
Not only the various young geniuses, but many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and several of the Yang Family Blood Warriors were present, yet none of them understood how this person had escaped.
On the other hand, Old Demon’s face filled with excitement. He squeezes the things he just took out and filled it with his True Qi, causing it to slowly light up.
“Capture!” Old Demon snorted, and the thing in his hand turned into a stream of light that shot off into the distance, flying towards some unknown place in War City at an incredible speed.
“Hee heh, this old master knew she would use this trick!” Old Demon smiled smugly as the stream of light disappeared.
“How sure are you?” Yang Kai asked. He too hadn’t seen clearly what Old Demon had just taken out, but he felt it should be the light blue hair he had given him last time.
“This old master’s methods, well… just wait and see.” Old Demon said with great confidence.
Yang Kai nodded lightly while the several Blood Warriors looked at Old Demon incredulously. They weren’t inexperienced people, but the various means and methods Old Demon had displayed were all completely foreign to them; they couldn’t help wondering exactly who Old Demon was and where he came from.
War City, Wind Inn, inside a single room, a young girl slowly opened her beautiful eyes and smacked her red mouth, muttering to herself, “How vexing, actually setting up such a big trap for me. Shameless! I didn’t want to do anything bad, I just wanted to look for someone, and yet… hmph!”
The three times she had met that youth who seemed to be even younger than her, were all able to be perceived by him. This fact made her upset.
In such a backward and barbaric land, how could there be such a powerful young man? Although his strength was quite low, if he wasn’t born here but instead came from the land she was from, he would probably accomplish some big things; however, since he was born here, his future achievements would probably be quite limited.
Thinking so, the girl’s mood suddenly became better as she gloated somewhat about Yang Kai’s humble origins.
*Xiu xiu…*
Suddenly hearing a burst of wind, the girl’s skin went tight as a feeling of danger swept over her, causing a chill to shoot up her spine, suddenly becoming uneasy.
Before she could even understand what was happening, the window flung open and a stream of light flew in.
The light flew towards her and struck her directly.
“Ah…” The girl was caught off guard and she fell to the ground in shock, but when she climbed back up, the stream of light had disappeared.
Quickly checking herself, she found that her body had no trace of injuries but indistinctly she felt that she was missing something!
What was missing? The girl checked several times but didn’t discover anything out of place, shaking her head helplessly as her red lips pouted, quite puzzled about what just happened.
Yang Kai House, everyone had already dispersed.
Only Old Demon and Yang Kai stayed behind.
The master and the servant were quietly waiting.
A short time later, the stream of light returned and Old Demon reached out and caught it, grinning as he said, “Young Master, if you please!”
While speaking, he handed over the thing he caught.
Picking it up, Yang Kai looked it over carefully and couldn’t help laughing.
He had only caught a glimpse of it before and hadn’t paid attention to what Old Demon crafted from that woman’s hair, but now that he saw it, it seemed to be a doll!
Old Demon actually had this kind of skill! The doll made from the hair had blurry facial features and its appearance was quite generic, obviously it was just a rough work.
But at this moment, this little doll exuded a faint glow and there seemed to be a faint energy circulating within it.
“Young Master, this is old servant’s special Soul Binding Curse! This doll has been connected with that little girl’s Spiritual Essence. As long as you manipulate this doll, no matter how far away that girl is, be it thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers, she will experience the same thing.”
“What happens if I twist off this thing’s head?” Yang Kai glanced over at Old Demon.
“That girl will die!” Old Demon smirked, “It can be said that she is now completely under Young Master’s control!”
“Not bad!” Yang Kai’s wore a smile, obviously quite satisfied.
Old Demon grinned and nodded, “This seems to be how Old Servant used to control his minions, on that day, seeing that hair, I suddenly remembered.”
“So, it seems your previous days weren’t very kind to you. Having to use this method to control your henchmen, who would be willing to serve you?”
“Well, this was old servant’s last resort.”
Yang Kai shook his head and stopped discussing the problem, instead turning his attention to the doll, extending his finger and gently flicking its forehead.
That night, Yang Kai’s mansion!
The burning torches everywhere illuminated the entire mansion while the moon hung high in the sky, all around, War City was passing a peaceful, quiet night.
“You’ve come?” Yang Kai, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at a certain patch of darkness, a smile on his lips.
Old Demon, who was standing guard beside him, also let out a laugh, disturbing the once peaceful night.
“Since you’ve come, why not show yourself?” Yang Kai called out.
The door suddenly opened and Yang Kai’s eyes stared straight ahead, spotting a nearly transparent figure in the pale moonlight. This figure, just like earlier today, was like a clear stream of water and slowly walked into the room, coming to a stop roughly ten meters away from Yang Kai.
Old Demon secretly circulated his True Qi while Ying Jiu, who was hiding in the darkness, also focused all his attention on the mysterious master, not daring to miss a single movement.
“As timid as a mouse!” From the place where the almost transparent figure stood, a disdainful, yet somewhat sweet and tender female voice called out, apparently mocking Yang Kai for having two masters guarding him at this time.
“Show your true face!” Yang Kai didn’t care, quietly calling out.
“A rat like you isn’t qualified to see this young lady’s face!” The person in front of him snorted before pausing for a moment, “Unless, you let those two beside you leave first!”
Yang Kai smiled playfully, silently taking out the little doll made from this person’s hair.
As he did so, he could clearly feel the woman’s gaze lock onto the doll; her gaze seemingly filled with dread and bitterness, obviously anxious to snatch it and then disappear into the night.
After a short standoff, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand.
“Young Master!” Old Demon’s expression changed slightly, quietly objecting.
“It’s alright.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Old Demon frowned then nodded, “Then old servant and Ying Jiu will wait outside, if Young Master has any instructions, just call out!”
After saying that, he walked towards the door. Passing by the mysterious woman, Old Demon suddenly muttered, “Don’t mess with my Young Master, or your future will be miserable.”
The mysterious woman just snorted coldly.
After Old Demon and Ying Jiu went out, the mysterious woman became relaxed. With the two masters constantly staring at her, even she was a little nervous.
Noticing the subtle change in her demeanor, Yang Kai lightly laughed, “It seems like you’re not very strong.”
If she was worried about Ying Jiu and Old Demon, obviously she wasn’t a top powerhouse.
“Stronger than you at least.” The woman shot back, not wanting to show any weakness.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly, in this situation, this woman… actually responded to his simple taunting, she was obviously somewhat immature, how old was she? At this point, Yang Kai was also quite curious.
“Now, as you wished, my two guards have left. Show your true face!”
“Hehe…” The woman giggled, although her body was all but transparent, it was still easy to tell her style was excellent, coupled with her pleasant laughter she gave off a teasing aura, “You just want to see me?”
“Right!” Yang Kai slowly got up and walked towards her.
The mysterious woman’s breath suddenly stagnated, it was like Yang Kai truly didn’t fear the immensity of Heaven, even in the absence of any followers, and he dared approach her.
Even if he came right up to her, the woman shouldn’t have anything to fear, yet at this moment she couldn’t help feeling a sense of crisis.
Quickly shaking her head, the woman dispelled the uneasiness in her heart and her aura suddenly became dangerous, coldly saying, “I’ll give you a chance, hand over that thing in your hand.”
“And if I say no?”
“All the people who angered this young lady have never had a good end!” The woman snorted, her almost invisible body suddenly bursting, filling the room with a strange mist that quickly wrapped surrounded Yang Kai.
Sensing the movement inside the room, Ying Jiu, who was standing at the door, wanted to rush inside, but Old Demon promptly held him back.
Slowly shaking his head, Old Demon said, “Young Master won’t suffer any harm.”
“If something happens to him, you’ll pay with your life!” Ying Jiu coldly shouted.
Old Demon smirked, “In terms of loyalty, this old master is no worse than you. Don’t worry, the one who is in danger is that woman, daring to threaten Young Master, her end will certainly be miserable.”
As soon as he spoke these words, a pitiful scream erupted from inside the room. It was the voice of the woman, and listening to her cries, it seemed like she was suffering from some kind of inhumane torture.
Among her screams once could also make out Yang Kai’s low-pitched sneers.
Ying Jiu’s expression immediately became awkward. In his mind, he couldn’t help imagining a scene where a strong man was brutally tormenting a weak, helpless girl while laughing maliciously at her suffering.
His blood suddenly became cold.
Inside the room, Yang Kai stood in the same place, holding the little doll in his hand, squeezing and bending it with his fingers. Every time he moved it, the woman’s screams would resound again.
After a while, a figure suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, the mist around him was still too thick so he couldn’t see everything, but under this painful torture, the woman twitched and spasmed on the ground, like a quail in winter, her tender body trembled, her silky light blue hair scattered around like a waterfall. She seemed delicate, helpless, and pitiful.
Seeing all this, Yang Kai remained indifferent, releasing some scorching True Yang Yuan Qi from his body to evaporate the remaining mist before calmly walking up to the woman and looking down at her.
Seeing her light blue hair which shimmered like a clear lake, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little surprised.
It was the first time he had seen such hair, supple, elegant, and beautiful! Anyone would find this kind of blue silk attractive upon laying eyes on it.
The mysterious woman’s body was also relatively small, her hair long enough to reach all the way down her back, her legs curled up as both her hands held her head, lying on the ground motionless, only her delicate mouth moved slightly as she gasped for breath.
Through the gap between her fingers and hair, Yang Kai saw a pair of bright eyes glaring at him hatefully; moreover, although this woman seemed to be in a weak and pitiful state, she was actually maintaining a defensive stance, ready to counterattack.
As long as Yang Kai went a step further, she would launch a lightning fast strike.
With a slight grin, Yang Kai stopped where he was.
Seeing this, the woman’s eyes suddenly became disappointed.
“Get up!” Yang Kai said lightly as he stared down at her.
The woman slowly shook her head, her attitude remaining firm.
“Don’t act like I’m forcing myself on you, I have no interest in old women!” Yang Kai snorted.
“Who is an old woman!?” Almost like a cat that had its tail stepped on, the woman immediately jumped up from the ground and glared at Yang Kai, her teeth grinding fiercely as her full chest heaved up and down, her long silky hair fluttering about, brushing past her well rounded hips and bottom.
After she spat these words, seeing Yang Kai’s proud smile, the woman realized that she had been baited, her expression becoming ugly as her cheeks flushed slightly.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s gaze also became strange as he stared straight at the woman in front of him skeptically.
He discovered that this woman’s face was as immature as her voice.
The years had seemingly not left any trace upon her.
A woman, even if she had a beautiful face, couldn’t avoid the passage of time, unless she used some kind of rare Precious Treasure.
For example, although Dong Su Zhu and Tang Yu Xian both looked young, many people even mistakenly thinking Dong Su Zhu was the Yang Family Fourth Master’s daughter, but if one looked closely, they would still notice that they weren’t young girls.
But the woman in front of him was different; Yang Kai instinctively felt that if she hadn’t taken some beauty preserving Precious Treasure, she would really be a twenty year old girl.
As for her cultivation… Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept over her and suddenly froze.
Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage!
This was the first time Yang Kai had clearly judged her cultivation. From the very first time they met, his Divine Sense couldn’t elucidate her realm, even Meng Wu Ya couldn’t tell, it was as if she had a special method to conceal herself from being investigated by other’s Divine Senses.
“What do you want to do here?” Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp as he interrogated, causing the woman’s beautiful face to pale slightly, her body instinctively shrinking back somewhat.
“I asked you, what are you doing here?” Yang Kai stared at her.
“What have I done to you? Why are you torturing me like this?” The woman suddenly became aggrieved her beautiful pair of eyes slowly becoming watery.
From when she was a child till now, she has never suffered such bitterness. This evil man tightly held onto a little doll made from one of her hairs and while he held it, he seemed able to control her every action, even whether she lived or died!
“I just came here to find someone, I haven’t done anything bad. Why are you treating me like this?” The woman said with an aggrieved expression.
“Find someone? Who are you looking for?” Yang Kai frowned.
“I’m not telling you!”
“How old are you?” Yang Kai suddenly felt a headache, inferring from her strength, it was absolutely impossible for her to be young, yet from her tone of voice and way of acting, it really was like she was just a little girl.
Under the Heaven’s, was there really such a strong girl? Even Su Yan right now he guessed would only have reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second or Third Stage.
“I’m not telling you this either, a woman’s age is her biggest secret.” The woman licked her lips and glared back at Yang Kai, suddenly thinking he wasn’t as vicious as she imagined, her expression relaxing quite a bit.
“Old Demon!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted out.
Old Demon swiftly came in, “Old Servant is here.”
“Seal this woman’s True Qi, strip her, and tie her up outside the house!”
“Yes!” Old Demon responded quickly and without hesitation.
The woman’s face which had just relaxed quickly became pale as she stared at Yang Kai incredulously. She never expected this man to not only be vicious, but also shameless to this extent.
In her mind, the scene of her being stripped naked and put on display for all to see outside the mansion flashed; picturing it, she couldn’t help shuddering.
Seeing Old Demon smirking evilly at her, her figure immediately disappeared, even her aura vanished.
“You think you can run?” Yang Kai sneered, viciously squeezing the doll again.
Along with a loud scream, the woman who had just disappeared once again appeared and fell to the ground and writhed about, unable to move as she liked, appearing extremely tragic.
Inside the room, Yang Kai calmly sat on his chair.
Ying Jiu and Old Demon also returned to the room and stood behind him while the mysterious woman stood in front of them.
After eating a few losses, she became quite honest. She knew that as long as the little doll made from her hair was in Yang Kai’s hand, she could not escape his evil grasp.
Her two jade hands tightened and loosened repeatedly, showing her inner nervousness. Lowering her head slightly, it seemed like she had become docile and resigned to her fate, but the beautiful eyes hidden under her bangs were always watching Yang Kai’s movements, waiting for him to reveal any flaw she could take advantage of.
From time to time, her delicate lips would part as she silently cursing the youth in front of her.
“Your very existence makes me nervous!” Yang Kai said frankly, “You seem to have some special abilities that are beyond my control. For people like you, the best course of action would be to immediately execute you!”
“What? Really?” The woman looked up and gawked towards Yang Kai, quickly understanding he was being serious and was not just threatening her. Realizing this, she turned pale, this was the first time she had seen such a decisive and ruthless young man.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Therefore, what I ask, you answer. If there is anything that makes me dissatisfied… you understand.”
“…En.” The woman wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded gently. Facing absolute strength, she didn’t dare to resist.
“What is your name?”
“Shui Ling…” The woman bit her lip and replied reluctantly.
“Shui Ling?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, this name really matched with her abilities, but in Yang Kai’s memory, he had never heard of her before, even her surname wasn’t familiar.
“Where are you from?”
“Water Spirit Temple…”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled even further, in his mind, he quickly skimmed through all the forces he knew of, but none of them seemed to be related to this Water Spirit Temple. It was clearly the first time he had heard of this force.
On the other hand, when he heard the name ‘Water Spirit Temple’, Old Demon who was standing behind him, suddenly furrowed his brow. The expression in his eyes was thoughtful and slightly suspicious, it seemed like this name had triggered something in his chaotic memories, but after pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head. His memories were still too garbled so even though he felt this Water Spirit Temple was familiar, he couldn’t recall anything about it.
“Don’t bother, you don’t know about my Water Spirit Temple.” Shui Ling saw that Yang Kai was trying to recall something and giggled, her voice containing a hint of scorn, seemingly ridiculing Yang Kai as if he was an ignorant bumpkin.
“How do I know you’re not just making up a name to fool me?” Yang Kai snorted, the look in Shui Ling’s eyes made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Obviously, even as a prisoner, Shui Ling wasn’t really nervous. It was almost like she was… a child of a super force that had been detained by some second or third-class force and had no fear of her captors.
“I haven’t, it’s just that you’re nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well.” Shui Ling slowly shook his head, her pale blue hair swayed from side to side like gently flowing water.
“Water Spirit Temple… there is indeed such a force. You don’t have to investigate this point further. When the time is right, I’ll tell you about it.” Just as Yang Kai was becoming impatient, Meng Wu Ya’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Alright.” Hearing this, Yang Kai didn’t press the issue, simply thinking of the Water Spirit Temple as being some kind of secluded force.
“However, since this little girl is from the Water Spirit Temple, you must treat her carefully, otherwise it will bring disaster to your Yang Family.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched slightly.
The Yang Family was already the first force of the Central Capital. Even throughout the entire world, it was a leading super force!
But listening to Meng Wu Ya, the power of this Water Spirit Temple seemed to be above the Yang Family!
How could that be? How could some secluded force have such capability?
Quickly steadying himself, Yang Kai continued his questioning, “Age?”
Shui Ling frowned deeply, gently biting her lower lip as she whispered, “Can I not tell?”
Yang Kai shook his head firmly.
“Nineteen years old!” Shui Ling’s expression was quite unhappy. For women, no matter how old they were, age was a sensitive topic, especially when the one asking for it was a man.
Yang Kai sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling like all of this was some kind of dream.
He could judge from Shui Ling’s demeanor that she was telling the truth. In other words, she was really a nineteen year old girl! Moreover, this perfectly explained the immaturity in her speech and attitude.
However, a nineteen-year-old Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master, it was unbelievable! Such aptitude and talent greatly surpassed all the young talents Yang Kai knew of.
The Central Capital’s First Young Lord, Liu Qing Yao, wasn’t even worthy of holding her shoes!
In an instant, Yang Kai’s assessment of the Water Spirit Temple reached an unprecedented height! This secluded force being able to cultivate a genius like Shui Ling, saying they were above the Yang Family was definitely not nonsense.
Although he was greatly shocked inside, he maintained a calm, indifferent expression, not revealing the slightest flaw.
Perceiving this, Shui Ling was somewhat disappointed. She was also hoping to see Yang Kai’s panicked expression to sooth the hate in her heart a bit.
“How old are you?” Shui Ling asked curiously.
“Eighteen this year.” Yang Kai replied, his attitude calm and relaxed.
“Really?” Shui Ling was surprised, “You’re don’t act like it.”
Suddenly adding, “But your aptitude is only decent.”
She had taken for granted that she was currently a prisoner when she made this evaluation, seemingly finding it perfectly natural to judge his qualifications given her own talent.
Knowing she had said this with no other intent, Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help twitching slightly as he slowly grinned, “Does your Water Spirit Temple have many people my age but are much stronger?”
Shui Ling snorted disdainfully, “Let’s say, if you were to enter my Water Spirit Temple, amongst the younger generation, your qualifications would be ranked in the hundreds.”
“What about you?” Yang Kai showed a very interested look.
Shui Ling suddenly wore a proud expression while holding up three white fingers, “Amongst the top three.”
“Oh, interesting.” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “If I have time, I must go visit your Water Spirit Temple and take a look its younger generation.”
Shui Ling smiled slyly, “Depending on you? I’m afraid you have no such qualifications. My saying you’re aptitude is decent only means for this place, over there you wouldn’t count for anything.”
“Where is ‘there’?” Yang Kai frowned, catching something in her words.
*Heng!* Shui Ling raised his head proudly and snorted, quipping back at Yang Kai, “I know you don’t believe my words, but what of it? I’ve only spoken the truth, what, does the truth hurt?”
Yang Kai simply smiled at her cheap provocation, a burning desire suddenly flashing across his eyes and he calmly declare, “To your Water Spirit Temple, I’ll definitely go.”
Shui Ling gradually withdrew her arrogant attitude, instead staring at Yang Kai like he was some kind of fool. She really didn’t understand why this youth in front of her was excited after hearing her words.
What kind of weirdo was he?
“I still have a few questions.” Yang Kai didn’t continue dwelling on this topic. Shui Ling wasn’t very mature and having a petty argument with her wasn’t productive.
“After you ask them, can I leave?” Shui Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Do as you like.” Yang Kai smiled.
“Then hurry up and ask,” Shui Ling said, her face filled with excitement and expectation, apparently quite anxious to escape from this place.
“You said that you came here to find someone, who were you looking for?” Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he finally reached this topic.
“I don’t know her name.” Shui Ling shook her head, “She is always wearing a veil so I don’t even know what she looks like…”
“Why are you looking for her?” Yang Kai’s gaze instantly became sharp, causing a chill to shoot up Shui Ling’s spine, suddenly feeling like she was being stared at by a poisonous snake. She felt that if she spoke the wrong words here, she would ruthlessly be killed.
Unable to stop herself from trembling slightly, she turned her eyes towards Yang Kai worriedly, not knowing why his demeanor had suddenly changed so much. After calming her nerves slightly, she cautiously replied, “Her physique is strange, and her qualifications are better than yours so I wanted to recruit her into my Water Spirit Temple…”
Yang Kai jumped up, his True Qi bursting out.
Shui Ling was shocked and quickly stepped back, putting up a defensive posture as she nervously called out, “What are you doing?”
“How do you know that her physique is strange?” Yang Kai stepped closer to Shui Ling, his vast Spiritual Energy totally engulfing the space around her.
The person Shui Ling was looking for was undoubtedly Xia Ning Chang! This explained why she repeated tried sneaking into the Pill Room.
However, her noticing Xia Ning Chang special constitution made Yang Kai feel very uneasy. Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was extraordinary, it made her the perfect Alchemist, no one could exceed her aptitude in this regard!
Meng Wu Ya had always protected Xia Ning Chang and prevented her from being coveted by others, but if Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was to be exposed, even Meng Wu Ya wouldn’t be able to protect his Little Senior Sister.
At that time, Little Senior Sister’s fate would definitely be something Yang Kai didn’t want to see, no matter whose hands she fell into.
Yang Kai had to take precautions, if there was no other way, he didn’t mind killing Shui Ling here and now.
“I just know!” Shui Ling cried out, she saw the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes and was instantly terrified, her eyes filling with fear as she hastily retreated.
“How do you know?” Yang Kai continued to ask, not giving her time to breathe.
“I knew the moment she entered the city that day! When I saw her, I just know… It may be because her physique is similar to mine!”
Yang Kai’s footsteps stopped, he was now less than half a meter away from Shui Ling as he stared deeply into her eyes.
Shui Ling felt an icy chill wash over her, it was like under the gaze of this man, she had been stripped naked and all her deepest secrets were revealed.
“You also have a special constitution?” Yang Kai was amazed.
Shui Ling nodded gently, taking a deep breath as her racing heart slowly calmed down, she suddenly found that this youth, who was both younger and weaker than her, gave her a frightening sense of oppression, something even the elites from her Water Spirit Temple couldn’t compare to.
At such a close distance, one attack was all she needed to restrain or even kill someone nearly an entire Great Realm above her, but Shui Ling didn’t dare do so. Her instincts were telling her that even without the restraint of the small doll, she wouldn’t be able to kill this young man.