If it wasn’t for Yang Kai inadvertently leaving a shadow in Shan Qing Luo’s heart, the Demon Queen wouldn’t currently be suffering from this torment, but now that her sentiments towards him had grown to such an extent, Shan Qing Luo had to separate herself from Yang Kai and focus wholeheartedly on suppressing her desires. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The moment she lost control, either Shan Qing Luo would die, or Yang Kai would.
It was for this reason that Bi Luo hated Yang Kai so much.
As the two were arguing, a familiar figure reappeared and stood staring helplessly towards the pair.
“You…” Shan Qing Luo stared at Yang Kai in shock, muttering, “Why did you come back?”
“I know that your current condition isn’t good,” Yang Kai sighed gently; Shan Qing Luo’s abnormal state was incredibly obvious, how could he not have noticed? A moment ago, he had only pretended to disappear so he could listen to this enchantress’ true feelings.
Her steadfast determination and willingness to sacrifice herself for him had touched Yang Kai deeply.
“Since you came back on your own then everything is simple! Mistress, you don’t have to suppress yourself anymore, just take his life.” Bi Luo enthusiastically encouraged as she glared towards Yang Kai.
“You seem to be quite prejudiced against me,” Yang Kai returned a sharp glance to Bi Luo.
“Good!” Bi Luo shouted resolutely, “I can’t wait to peel your skin, drink your blood, and eat your meat! If it weren’t for you, how could my Mistress have fallen into such terrible hardship?”
“Even without me, there would eventually be some other men who would enter her heart; such is the tragic fate of her Poison Widow Body lineage!” Yang Kai replied coldly.
Bi Luo wanted to argue back but didn’t know what to say, choosing instead to bite her lip.
“You have to leave, quickly!” Shan Qing Luo’s breathing accelerated rapidly. As early as six months ago the sentiment within her heart had reached a level where she had difficulty suppressing it. While she was unable to meet Yang Kai this past half a year, her condition had become slightly better, but now that they had reunited and spent three days together, suppressing her impulses was becoming impossible and each time she forcefully did so it would result in a severe backlash, “Go now while there’s still time.”
Yang Kai however slowly shook his head and declared firmly, “The problem between you and me must be resolved; evading the issue won’t solve anything.”
“This is what you said yourself,” Bi Luo smiled brilliantly, twirling her figure and sending out a brilliant flash of light. Suddenly, a faint melody began filling the world as Bi Luo softly whispered, “Mistress, the time has arrived, and you don’t need to suppress yourself anymore.”
All around the three people an intoxicating sense of enchantment emerged and Bi Luo no longer displayed any of her former aggression and anger, instead, an aura similar to Shan Qing Luo’s gently wafted from her body.
Bi Luo also cultivated a profound Seduction Technique.
When she displayed her Seduction Technique, her target surprisingly wasn’t Yang Kai but instead Shan Qing Luo.
“Bi Luo, you…” Shan Qing Luo was already having difficulty resisting the impulses in her heart so when Bi Luo suddenly used her Seduction Technique, it was as if a dam had burst as those desires flooded out, drowning her rational mind.
The overwhelming emotions Shang Qing Luo was now experiencing instantly destroyed her sincere wish to protect Yang Kai, leaving her with only one instinctual thought.
To embrace Yang Kai! If she was currently like an ancient block of ice, then Yang Kai was akin to a burning flame. All Shan Qing Luo wanted to do was approach him and either extinguish his fire or melt herself.
A bewitching moan leaked from her luscious red lips as the Beguiling Demon Queen’s face blushed bright red, her smooth slender neck turning a faint shade of pink. An intoxicated expression covered her face as her eyes quickly blurred as she made no attempt to hide her burning desire to devour Yang Kai.
The surrounding world also underwent a strange mutation and a wondrous scenery filled with countless young girls singing and dancing appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. Each of these girls were beautiful and seductive, their enchanting figures all only half covered, further emphasizing their bountiful peaks and secret valleys. In an instant, all of them encircled Yang Kai, sinfully calling out to and flirting with him.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched.
Shan Qing Luo’s Seduction Technique had grown even stronger than before. At this moment, she hadn’t even deliberately displayed it, this fantastical illusion he had been drawn into was nothing more than her instinctual response to her current condition.
“Break!” Yang Kai coldly shouted, circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art causing the world around him filled with flirtatious young girls to shatter and disintegrate into tiny particles of light.
“Hehe…” Bi Luo smiled charmingly, “You bastard, give up, no man can resist my Mistress’ Seduction Technique, emm…”
As she spoke, her two slender legs involuntarily clamped shut as she felt a burst of heat pass through her lower abdomen. As the cold wind blew past her now slightly moist precious treasure, a slight chill ran up her spine further stimulating her body, causing her to nearly lose control of the impulses in her heart.
Clearly she had also been influenced by Shan Qing Luo’s Seduction Technique.
“I’ll tidy you up later!” Yang Kai glanced at her coldly and grumbled in a disgruntled tone.
“Hmph, you’ll have to live through this first!” Bi Luo panted for breath as she clenched her legs and twisted her hips, biting her thin lips as she stared at Yang Kai with hot eyes.
It was as if she wanted to rush over and ‘go all out’ with Yang Kai, but she stubbornly resisted this urge.
A delicate fan shaped artifact appeared in the Beguiling Demon Queen’s hand at this moment, various images of men and women embroidered on its surface. These handsome men and beautiful women were all half naked and were engaged in pleasurable acts, all of them seemed to be drowning in happiness, their lifelike faces filled with happiness and joy.
“Soft Silk Fan.” Yang Kai solemnly muttered.
This artifact was an heirloom that has been passed down from generation to generation in Shan Qing Luo’s family. Coupled together with the unrivaled Seduction Technique of the Beguiling Demon Queen, it was able to display a truly fearsome power.
Shan Qing Luo gracefully waved the fan and the men and women on its surface become more active, all of them soon rushing out of the fan as if they had suddenly come to life before pouring into Yang Kai’s mind.
*Pa pa pa pa…*
These illusions that invaded his subconscious only lasted a short breath of time before disintegrating into powder.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art easily broke Shan Qing Luo’s Seduction Technique even with the assistance of her Soft Silk Fan, allowing Yang Kai to remain unaffected.
However, Shang Qing Luo in her current intoxicated state didn’t seem to realize so after using her Soft Silk Fan, Shan Qing Luo simply giggled happily and in a burst of fragrant wind rushed in front of Yang Kai, stretching out her jade hands and gently wrapping them around his neck as she licked her supple lips with her small scarlet tongue. As her breathing became somewhat ragged, her perfectly shaped snow white peaks heaved up and down and slowly pressed against Yang Kai’s firm chest, bringing with them an amazing elasticity as she drew him into her embrace, bringing her delicate mouth closer and closer to Yang Kai’s own.
Yang Kai’s body twitched and heat began flooding his lower half; at this moment, he sincerely wished he could let go of all his constraints and fight a hundred rounds with the incredible beauty before him.
But once the Beguiling Demon Queen’s emotional state reached such a high, her every breath would fill with a potent toxin that no man could withstand.
“You little seductress…” Yang Kai smiled helplessly and lifted his reached his hand behind Shan Qing Luo’s head, sending out a violent burst of True Qi.
Suffering this sharp blow without the making the slightest effort to defend herself, Shan Qing Luo’s eyes quickly lost their light and the amorous music with seemed to pervade the air gradually faded to the wind. Falling into a stupor, her body went limp and sank into Yang Kai’s arms.
Bi Luo, who was waiting nearby to witness this exciting scene, had been thoroughly affected by the surrounding atmosphere and her two small hands were unconsciously kneading her milk-white bosom, her face filled with joy and anticipation, but upon seeing Yang Kai’s actions just now, all colour was drained from her face.
“Get over here!” Yang Kai slung Shan Qing Luo over his shoulder gently before smirking towards Bi Luo.
“What do you want to do?” Bi Luo immediately became vigilant and quickly stepped back, “What happened to my Mistress?”
“I killed her already, now it’s your turn.” Yang Kai sneered, a ruthless glint flashing across his eyes.
Bi Luo’s trembled violently as her eyes filled with tears before suddenly crying out hysterically, “I’ll kill you!”
Like an enraged beast, she recklessly charged towards Yang Kai and swung her fists.
Unfortunately for her, Yang Kai simply extended his hand and easily restrained her.
While carrying Shan Qing Luo on his shoulder, Yang Kai held Bi Luo under his other arm quickly, lifted his free hand and slapped it down on her perfectly rounded bottom.
*Pa…*
Bi Luo went stiff from head to toe, as shame and anger burst from her heart, but at the same time, she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body, like Yang Kai’s harsh slap had unleashed some long suppressed desire deep inside her, causing her to feel a kind of devastating pleasure.
*Pa…*
After the second strike, Bi Luo finally called out in alarm as she began struggling and squirming fiercely, shouting wildly as he punched and kicked Yang Kai.
But Bi Luo’s struggles were pointless because in his first strike Yang Kai had sealed her True Qi and was now meeting out her punishment in a rhythmical manner.
Gradually, Bi Luo struggled less and less and her cries of protest began changing into seductive moans. With each proceeding slap, her body filled with heat and became more and more limp, her face blushing and intoxicated pink.
Noticing this, Yang Kai was dumbstruck, “There is something wrong with your taste.”
“What’s it to you, you bastard? Put me down already!” Bi Luo suddenly regained her senses and angrily shouted.
*Pa…*
A squeal of pleasure resounded through the air once more.
One day later, Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, Fragrance City.
Inside Shan Qing Luo’s palace, Yang Kai suddenly appeared together with the Beguiling Demon Queen and Bi Luo.
The mature beauty who Yang Kai he met before, Yun Li, along with young girls Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing heard the news and hurriedly rushed over, all of them genuinely happy to see Yang Kai again.
However, upon seeing Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo’s current states, they couldn’t help feeling shocked.
The Beguiling Demon Queen was unconscious, while Bi Luo’s eyes were red and swollen, it seemed like she had been crying for a long time but at the same time her face also had a strange glow about it, as if she had just run through a spring shower that had moisturised her skin giving it a faint radiant lustre.
When Yang Kai put her down, Bi Luo let out a small yelp as her legs went soft and she sank to the floor, her two small hands unconsciously reaching down and rubbing her butt as she gnashed her teeth.
“Bi Luo, what’s wrong with you?” Yun Li hurriedly asked.
“No…nothing…” Bi Luo replied stutteringly, her face blushing a light pink as she snuck a glance towards Yang Kai. Her beautiful eyes now flashed a terrified light and contained none of her previous domineering arrogance.
The slaps she had suffered on the road here had left a deep shadow in her heart.
“What about the Mistress, what happened to her?”
“Mistress, she… had an accident.” Bi Luo’s expression sank once again.
“Let them rest first.” Yang Kai said.
“Good,” Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing quickly held Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo and sent them back to their room.
Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, where Yang Kai had once lived.
Inside the second floor room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his expression quite gloomy.
Shan Qing Luo’s relationship with him was not very profound; in fact, it was only because of a set of coincidences and accidents that Yang Kai had planted a seed of sentiment in her heart, inextricably linking the two of them together. If Yang Kai wanted to resolve Shan Qing Luo’s current crisis now, he had no idea where to begin so obviously he was feeling somewhat anxious.
Though it resembled being poisoned, Shan Qing Luo’s current state was actually a natural result of her special constitution, so the Myriad Drug Milk would have no effect on her.
Thinking it over for a while, Yang Kai eventually left the Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
Upon investigating Shan Qing Luo’s condition, although her life wasn’t in immediate danger, thanks to his True Qi blockade, it would be quite some time before she could regain consciousness. In the meantime , Shan Qing Luo’s body was radiated an intense heat like soldering iron, and if this persisted for too long, she would undoubtedly die.
Even if she was a powerful Transcendent, she could not resist this fate.
After asking Yun Li to take care of her, Yang Kai went to find Bi Luo in order to inquire about any clues she might have to resolve this crisis.
Shan Qing Luo’s palace was neither small nor big so it did not take long for Yang Kai to learn where Bi Luo lived from one of the maidservants.
Upon arriving at Bi Luo’s room, Yang Kai gently knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Probing the situation inside the room with his Divine Sense, he discovered that Bi Luo was indeed inside but appeared to be asleep.
Hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai eventually pushed the door open and walked in.
The picture that greeted him thought caused Yang Kai to chuckle.
Bi Luo was sprawled out across her bed, motionless, covered with only a thin bedding, her delicate curves completely exposed and her hips arched up high, tickling one’s fantasies. However, her bottom seemed to be a bit swollen. Whether it was her natural state or a result of Yang Kai’s spanking was another issue for another time.
From her bare shoulders, it was easy to infer that this young woman was not wearing any clothes at the moment.
Yang Kai remained indifferent and walked over to her bed, found a chair, and sat down.
Seemingly sensing the presence of someone in her room, Bi Luo finally slowly opened her eyes and after seeing Yang Kai’s face, she awkwardly squirmed and quickly covered herself with her beddings, staring back at him with a weak and fearful expression.
“What are you doing here?” Bi Luo asked coldly.
“Did your Mistress tell you about me and her?” Yang Kai asked.
Bi Luo nodded lightly and upon realizing that Yang Kai had no ill intentions, relaxed significantly.
“Since you know about us, you must know about the overbearing curse the Poison Widow Body carries.”
“So what if I know about it?” Bi Luo rested her chin on her hands and assumed a comfortable posture, continuing, “I can’t bear any of Mistress’s burden for her but you… Hmph, if you have the heart, you should sacrifice yourself to help her.”
“Do you want me to give you another lesson?” Yang Kai said coldly as he glanced towards her ass.
Bi Luo grit her teeth in anger as she glared hatefully towards Yang Kai, but after experiencing such torment once, even if she was quite dissatisfied, she didn’t dare argue back for fear she might stimulate an unwanted response from him.
“If I satisfy her urges now, I’ll die.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “You don’t know how dangerous being with her is, the moment we become intimate, I’ll be poisoned by her and never again wake up. I’m not a fool.”
“You may not be a fool but my Mistress is!” Bi Luo’s tone suddenly became sharp and harsh, “For you, she is willing to suffer the backlash from her constitution and die! If a day ago you hadn’t come back on a whim, she… she would have…”
As he words trailed off, Bi Luo began to weep.
If Yang Kai hadn’t come back, Shan Qing Luo definitely wouldn’t have been able to last until he finished his business in the Central Capital and came to see her.
“Her being able to go so far for me honestly deeply touched me,” Yang Kai let out a sigh, “Although the Poison Widow Body’s lineage appears to be unfeeling, in truth, they are more passionate and caring than any other women.”
These words seemed to touch Bi Luo’s heart, causing her to look up at Yang Kai brightly. Taking a moment to wipe the corners of her eyes, she whispered, “If Mistress could hear your words I’m sure she’d be very happy.”
“I came here to find you, not to quarrel with you, but because you have accompanied Shan Qing Luo for many years. In all that time did you not hear her say anything about how to dissolve the sentiment in her heart?” Yang Kai asked.
Unfortunately, Bi Luo just slowly shook her head, “Once her sentiments have reached such a state, they can no longer be lifted, if you want to save Mistress’ life, the only way is for you and her to… to…”
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “In other words, the situation is either she dies, or I die?”
Bi Luo nodded gently, “I hope you’re the one to die.”
Yang Kai chose to ignore her comment.
Bi Luo continued to softly weep for some time until she suddenly recalled something and hastily said, “Right, Mistress once said that if her sentiment couldn’t be dissolved, the only solution would be to resolve the issue with her special constitution that linked the release of a deadly toxin to her emotional state. If the issue of her poison backlash could be solved, then even if you and Mistress really… you know… neither of your lives would be at risk.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow, seemingly seeing a glimmer of hope, “Did she have any idea how to accomplish that?”
“That was only something Mistress hypothesized about, how could she have developed a practical method?” Bi Luo’s expression sank once more.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s expression became pensive, as if he had grasped a faint idea but had yet to completely think through it.
Bi Luo fell silent and stared at Yang Kai, wondering just what kind of scheme he was thinking up.
After a long silence, Yang Kai suddenly stood up, a thick smile adorning his face as he let out a hearty laughed.
“What are you so happy about?” Bi Luo was shocked and a little annoyed by this sudden change.
“I think I might have a way.”
“What way?” Bi Luo curiously asked.
“Shan Qing Luo’s physique was inherited from her mother, and her mother inherited it from her mother, and so on and so on. But she once told me that her Special Constitution was originally formed when her ancestor accidentally broke into the Spider Mother’s lair and was affected by its poison. Instead of dying immediately, that ancestor somehow survived and became the first Poison Widow Body owner and each generation afterwards always consisted of a single daughter who would inherit the Poison Widow Body. Since the poison of the Spider Mother was the original source of her Special Constitution, maybe that Monster Beast knows how to resolve its flaw…”
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Pacing back and forth while rubbing his chin, Yang Kai quickly formed a plan and asked, “Bi Luo, where did the Spider Mother go? Did it die in the final battle?”
During the last part of the Central Capital’s final battle, he had been deep underground so he was unclear about what had transpired on the surface.
“The Spider Mother shouldn’t have died. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land suffered heavy losses and four of the Six Great Evil Kings died in battle. Only my Mistress and the Lightning Flash Shadow King managed to survive, but the Central Capital’s forces never found the Spider Mother’s corpse, so I’m fairly certain it managed to escaped.”
“Escaped? Good!” Yang Kai said, “If that’s the case, I should be able to find it.”
“Do you know where it is?” Bi Luo asked.
“Of course I know.” Yang Kai smiled confidently.
When he initially met Shan Qing Luo, the two of them had journeyed together to the Spider Mother’s den, so he had a fair understanding of where it was located.
“If that’s the case, we can summon all the masters within Mistress’ domain, capture the Spider Mother, and get the information we need.”
“No need, it’ll be faster if I go by myself.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Bi Luo couldn’t help feeling surprised, “The Spider Mother has an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation, can you beat it on your own?”
“Just wait here for me, I’ll return soon with good news!” Yang Kai smiled and strode out.
“Wait! Wait for me; I’ll go with you…” Bi Luo hurriedly shouted but as she tried to get up, a stinging pain on her backside suddenly caused her to fall back onto the bed and by the time she recovered, Yang Kai had already disappeared.
Leaving Fragrance City, Yang Kai followed the path in his memories all the way to the Spider Mother’s den.
Shan Qing Luo had originally passed through the territory of the Thunderbolt Beast King before arriving at the right place and in his memory there was a very distinct lake nearby.
Four of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Great Evil Kings were dead and although the Lightning Flash Shadow King had successfully escaped, no one knew where he had disappeared to.
The Lightning Flash Shadow King was obviously concerned that the masters from the Central Capital would join forces to hunt him down so he had naturally gone into hiding.
In the final battle, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land suffered severe losses so during Yang Kai’s journey he never once encountered any decent masters.
Basically, Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivators were now the strongest masters in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
After suffering the treachery of Yang Bai, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s The foundation had been so badly damaged that even after decades, it would not be possible for them to recover back to their original strength.
So even though Yang Kai made no attempt to conceal himself as he swaggered throughout the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, no one came forward to find trouble with him, most people instead hurriedly trying to avoid his sight hoping he would ignore them.
Three days later, Yang Kai finally arrived at a familiar patch of jungle and after half a day of searching, discovered the cave he and Shan Qing Luo had once occupied together.
If was in this very spot that Yang Kai had accidentally invaded the Beguiling Demon Queen’s Knowledge Sea and planted his image into her heart.
At that time, Yang Kai was only a True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator and had been easily captured by her.
Today, he had already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage.
Spreading his powerful Divine Sense out across a several kilometer radius, Yang Kai quietly surveyed the surrounding area.
Whenever he discovered flowing water, Yang Kai would carefully inspect the region around it to see if it was the lake they had passed by.
After two days of persistent searching, Yang Kai finally found the right place.
Landing beside the lake where he had once stayed, Yang Kai smiled slightly before turning towards the location of the Spider Mother’s den.
Leaping into the sky again, he shot off in the direction of his destination.
An hour later, a huge canyon-like region appeared in Yang Kai’s eyes and as he stared down into its depths, he saw countless spider eggs lining the bottom of the trench along with a great many silk spider webs.
Here and there, he could also see the bones of some unfortunate cultivators who had accidentally strayed into this area and had been taken as captured as food for the Monster Beasts here.
Down below, numerous calf-sized spiders scurried back and forth, creating a lively scene, and at the very end of the canyon was a gigantic spider statue. Although Yang Kai couldn’t tell how long ago this statue had been erected, it was clearly quite ancient yet very well preserved.
Yang Kai floated above the canyon, his eyes coldly sweeping over it as he spread out his Divine Sense to investigate the interior of the statue.
There, he felt an aura not inferior to a Transcendent Realm master.
The Spider Mother! Sure enough, it had managed to escape from the Central Capital and return here.
Just as Yang Kai’s Divine Sense locked onto the Spider Mother’s existence, a burst of laughter resounded in his mind, “Hehe… Such a familiar scent, this flavour… It should be the Central Capital Yang Family’s little brat, no?”
Yang Kai coldly snorted before calling out, “Spider Mother, please come out and meet with me!”
“Since you’ve come all this way, why not come down here to speak?” There seemed to be a touching of charm in this pleasing voice, which unconsciously caused anyone who heard it to obey.
If Yang Kai had not seen the true face of the Spider Mother, from just her voice alone he would no doubt imagine that she was a stunning woman.
In fact, the Spider Mother’s face really was quite enchanting, no worse than any top level human beauty. Any man who saw such a beautiful face would inevitably be infatuated with it.
But when combined with the gigantic body that crawled around on eight sharp legs, one could only feel shocked and disturbed, unable to appreciate a single bit of her face’s charm.
With the Spider Mother sending out such a warm invitation, Yang Kai had no reason to refuse, so he flew down into the canyon and hovered in front of the huge spider statue.
“Hehe, little brother’s courage is really big.” The Spider Mother’s sweet voice continued to sound in his mind.
The other giant spiders, which were at least half the size of an ox, also moved quickly and surrounded Yang Kai, shaking their mandibles towards him, their small beady eyes giving off a threatening light as their mouths showed traces of silk thread, ready to be sprayed towards him at a moment’s notice.
The giant spiders were all Sixth-Order Monster Beasts and they numbered fifty or so in total while there were countless smaller spiders also scurrying about.
Yang Kai heard that the Spider Mother had reached an agreement with the Thunderbolt Beast King and temporarily followed his commands when Yang Bai invaded the Central Capital. In return, the Spider Mother had also received many benefits from the Thunderbolt Beast King.
These Sixth-Order spiders should have been a result of the benefits provided by the Thunderbolt Beast King.
The last time Yang Kai was here, he had not sensed so many formidable spiders.
The ground trembled slightly as something large seemed to be emerging from the depths of the spider statue.
A few moments later, the Spider Mother finally showed up.
While the lower half of her body was still that of a huge spider, her upper half was now actually that of a beautiful woman. Accompanying her flawless face were elegant smooth shoulders and a milk-white set of peaks that towered proudly, all of which was fully exposed to the air. Atop these twin peaks that while stop firm yet seemed to contain an infinite amount of elasticity were two pink cherry that were both dainty and enchanting. Her entire image seemed designs to stimulate the desires inside men’s hearts, inviting them to leap towards her in the hopes of taking a bite of her sweet fruit.
Seeing the Spider Mother’s current appearance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but sneer, “It seems like even though the Central Capital won the war, you’ve managed to gain a lot of benefits.”
The last time he saw her, the Spider Mother’s only human features were her beautiful face, but now her entire upper half had transformed into an exquisite and fascinating female form.
The Spider Mother smiled charmingly and nodded, “En, I ate a great many masters there and greatly enhanced my True Qi and physique, allowing me to evolve into the form you see now. The taste of those masters’ True Qi and flesh was simply wonderful! But when the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was defeated, I had no choice but to escape. Thinking back on those days of endless feasting really stimulates my appetite.”
As she said so, she turned her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai and used her small red tongue to seductive lick her luscious lips, “Your scent is also wondrous. It makes me wonder just what you’d taste like.”
“You want to eat me?” Yang Kai pointed to herself and laughed, shaking his head dismissively, “Spider Mother, although your intentions are in no way wrong, I’m afraid you do not have the ability to do so.”
The Spider Mother smiled teasingly, “Are you sure?”
“Naturally, since I dared to come here, obviously I am confident in my ability to take care of you.” Yang Kai declared firmly, his eyes suddenly becoming cold.
The Spider Mother’s pretty face also became dignified. Although she was only half human half Monster Beast, her thoughts were not in any way inferior to a full fledged human master. Naturally she noticed Yang Kai’s fearless demeanor.
Although she didn’t understand what he was relying on that gave him such confidence, she decided it was better to tread carefully.
“Of course, I could also not embarrass you.” Yang Kai suddenly smiled and said calmly, “I didn’t come here today to fight with you this time, if you want to rule over this place as its queen, as long as you don’t make any moves against the Central Capital, I couldn’t care less.”
“Oh?” The Spider Mother was a little surprised, “Then for what purpose did little brother come here?”
“To make a trade with you!” Yang Kai said.
“What kind of trade?”
“Tell me how to solve the Poison Widow Body’s flaw and in return, I’ll tell you how to fully transform into human form!” Yang Kai directly made his proposal; Shan Qing Luo was still waiting back in Fragrance City for him so he had to act fast.
“Do you really understand the method to transform into human form?” The Spider Mother’s expression suddenly became excited as she screamed out.
Seeing her react so strongly, Yang Kai’s expression brightened, thinking that his guess was right. The Spider Mother was the only Seventh-Order Monster Beast he had ever seen and it seemed like, for this highly-intelligent Monster Beast, its biggest goal was to assume human form.
Moreover, it had obviously been working hard towards that end.
“Have you ever heard of the Beast Transformation Pond?” Yang Kai smiled cunningly and cast the bait in his hand.
“Beast Transformation Pond?” The Spider Mother’s beautiful eyes shimmer as her body trembled lightly, suspiciously asking “What is that?”
“The essential component you need in order to assume human form, a profound and mysterious place!” Yang Kai continued to tempt.
“Where is it?” The Spider Mother’s expression became more and more excited as she quickly took a few steps forward, her aura gradually becoming forceful and dangerous.
Yang Kai still maintained a relaxed expression though and slowly shook his head, “If you want to know where it is, you first have to tell me how to resolve the Poison Widow Body’s poison backlash.”
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t actually know where the Beast Transformation Pond was.
It was just something he had heard Shui Ling inadvertently mention back in War City.
When Shui Ling first saw the Spider Mother on the day of the invasion, she had confidently declared that without help from the Beast Transformation Pond, the Spider Mother had no hope of completely assuming human form.
This one offhanded comment had revealed a great many things to Yang Kai, so he had taken special note of it. News of the Beast Transformation Pond was also the only bargaining chip he had to tempt the Spider Mother with.
The Spider Mother’s excited look quickly converged as she stared at Yang Kai fixedly, a while later wearing a tender and charming smile, “How do I know if you’re telling me the truth or not? Beast Transformation Pond, huh, I’ve never heard of such a place before.”
“Just because you’ve never heard of it before doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Do you want to remain in your current shape for the rest of your life? Do you not want to truly assume human form?” Yang Kai looked up and down the Spider Mother sarcastically, “Heh, quite pitiful if you ask me.”
“Shut up! Don’t speak about my body so casually!” The Spider Mother shouted angrily, obviously she was also quite dissatisfied with her half-human, half-Monster Beast form.
After taking a moment to calm herself down, she asked, “You came here to ask me about this for that Beguiling Demon Queen, right? How is her situation now? Has her sentiment reached the Grand Accomplishment Stage and now she needs to mate with you?”
“Seems like you already know,” Yang Kai’s heart jumped slightly, since the Spider Mother understood this much, obviously she had a farm more profound understanding of the Poison Widow Body than anyone else; after all, this Special Constitution had been granted by her.
“Good, I agree to your proposal!” Spider Mother nodded gently, “First tell me where I can find this Beast Transformation Pond then I will tell you how to solve the Poison Widow Body’s flaw.”
“You think I’m a three year old child?” Yang Kai sneered and shook his head, “I don’t trust you.”
“I don’t trust you either,” The Spider Mother smiled tenderly, “It seems I need to use some method to make you honest.”
Saying so, the giant spiders gathered around Yang Kai suddenly assumed an aggressive stance, apparently have received an order from the Spider Mother to prepare to attack Yang Kai.
“You can try if you, let’s see if it’s you or I that dies!” Yang Kai shouted as he stretched out his hand and summoned a gigantic bone shield.
This bone shield was several times larger than Yang Kai himself and had a great many scars and cracks along its surface while several of the bone spurs around its edge had broken off completely.
However, despite the obvious damage it had suffered, the terrifying aura the bone shield gave off was enough to cause the Spider Mother to tremble.
“What kind of artifact is that?” The Spider Mother couldn’t help taking a few steps back and asking cautiously.
“A Mysterious Grade artifact!” Yang Kai sneered, calmly explaining, “This artifact of mine was originally only the size of a washbasin but it has the ability to absorb the energy of any attack launched against me. The more energy it absorbs, the bigger it becomes. This stored energy can be released at will by me to attack my enemies. Given its current size, you should be able to imagine just how much energy this thing contains right now; so, what do you think your odds of surviving such an attack would be?”
On top of that, the energy contained within the bone shield right now was no ordinary energy, but was actually the force of void that had erupted from the Void Corridor when it collapsed under the Central Capital.
No mere Transcendent Realm master would be able to withstand it.
If it really came down to a fight with the Spider Mother, With his own skills and strength, Yang Kai did not feel too overwhelmed by her. But in this situation, summoning the bone shield undoubtedly created a bigger deterrent.
The Spider Mother’s pretty face paled slightly as she glared towards Yang Kai menacingly. Only after a long while did she suddenly laugh, her pair of snow white jade peaks bouncing rhythmically in a near hypnotic manner, “You won’t kill me, clearly you want to know the method to resolve the Poison Widow Body’s flaw quite badly.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “Indeed, that’s why we’re talking right now. Think of a safe way that both of us can accept that will allow us to get the answers we want.”
“I can’t think of a way,” The Spider Mother said expressionlessly, fling the problem back to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression became dignified as he sank into contemplation for a while. A moment later, seemingly thinking of something, he slowly proposed, “How about this, you send your Soul into my Knowledge Sea and I’ll show you the secrets of the Beast Transformation Pond, that way you’ll know I’m not lying to you.”
“Oh?” The Spider Mother’s eyes flashed brilliantly as she licked her bright red lips, “You’re not afraid I’ll try to harm you? I didn’t think you were so reckless.”
“If you’re so confident in your abilities, how about I send my Divine Sense into your Knowledge Sea instead?” Yang Kai smiled.
The Spider Mother decisively shook her head.
Everyone’s Knowledge Sea contained their most closely guarded secrets and under normal circumstances one would never allow a stranger to enter it. Yang Kai’s proposal sounded quite sincere, but the Spider Mother couldn’t help feeling like he was scheming something.
“Then you enter my Knowledge Sea and we both share our respective secrets, that way everyone gets what they want. Also, since my cultivation is lower than yours, you shouldn’t be afraid to enter my Knowledge Sea,” Yang Kai continued solemnly, “If you don’t agree to this proposal, then I’ll just have to settle things the hard way. I’ll kill you, capture your Soul, and then extract the information I want from it.”
Saying so, Yang Kai’s eyes became cold, as if to say that if the Spider Mother refused, he would immediately attack.
The Spider Mother grit her teeth and replied, “There’s no need for you to be so anxious, it’s not like I disagree with your proposal. Little brother, after we exchange secrets, how about we have a little fun with our Souls? The aroma of your Soul is quite delightful, Elder Sister very much wants to have a taste.”
“No thanks,” Yang Kai replied flatly, “I have no interest in your lower half.”
“Hehehe…” The Spider Mother giggled playfully, “Does that mean you’re interested in my upper body?”
“Enough nonsense, let’s get this over with,” Yang Kai spat impatiently.
“Good, let loose your Knowledge Sea’s defences.” The Spider Mother nodded, quickly sending out her Soul manifestation towards Yang Kai’s mind.
Seeing the Spider Mother really send out her own Soul without any fear, Yang Kai could not help but curl his lips into a weird smile.
Muttering in a low voice, “Spider Mother, you should give up any thoughts you might have of causing trouble in my Knowledge Sea. Although my realm is not as high as yours, but my Spiritual Energy is far stronger than an average Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.”
Listening to his warning, the Spider Mother’s last trace of worry quickly disappeared, conveying back to him, “Don’t worry. If you want, I’m more than happy to blend Souls with you, but if you’re prefer not to, I won’t try to force you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and put down the last of his Knowledge Sea’s defences.
The next moment, the Spider Mother’s Soul broke into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Above an endless sea, the Spider Mother’s Soul phantom gradually appeared, but unlike her physical body, her current appearance was completely human, her upper body fascinating and enchanting, while her lower body was no less wonderful. Two slender legs that seemed to be carved from the purest, softest jade while between them lay a completely smooth flower petal, from top to bottom, her bare skin completely exposed to the air.
Floating above Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, she glanced around gracefully without revealing the slightest bit of nervousness.
She was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, the equivalent of a Human Transcendent Realm master, while Yang Kai was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator. With such a massive gap in strength, she was absolutely fearless.
Yang Kai’s Soul phantom also quickly appeared in front of her and after sweeping his eyes over her, his brow wrinkled slightly as he let out a snort, “Is this the form you want to evolve into?”
“That’s right,” The Spider Mother nodded gently, twirling in place slowly as she showed off her delicate body, emphasizing her smooth round bottom and her full milk white chest, “What do you think? Interested?”
“Absolutely not!” Yang Kai spat.
“Hehe…” The Spider Mother smiled and didn’t care, “Is that Beguiling Demon Queen with the Poison Widow Body’s physique not lewd as well? Good good, let’s not talk nonsense, quickly show me the secrets of the Beast Transformation Pond.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Indeed, I don’t want to speak any more nonsense with you.”
As he spoke, he suddenly wore a cunning grin.
The Spider Mother’s expression gradually became dignified as she stared towards Yang Kai deeply. His strange performance here made the Spider Mother quickly realize what he was up to, doing her best to calm herself down as she muttered, “So it was a trap all along.”
“Good,” Now that things had reached this point, Yang Kai no longer needed to pretend.
“Hmph,” The Spider Mother sneered, “Your acting skills are quite good, putting on such a grand performance just to temp my Soul into your Knowledge Sea.”
“Even if you know that now, it’s already too late.”
“With your current cultivation, do you really think you can trap me here? If I want to leave, you won’t be able to stop me!”
“That’s where you’re wrong, I already told you, without enough confidence I wouldn’t be here in the first place. Since you’ve come in, there’s no way I’ll just let you leave.”
“Hmph, just a brat who doesn’t know how high the Heavens are!” The Spider Mother cursed, her Soul phantom transforming into a stream of light as she shot out, trying to exit Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
But the instant she moved, the endless sea beneath her suddenly became turbulent and great waves soared into the sky, covering both the sky and earth, cutting off all possible paths of escape.
The Spider Mother’s Soul phantom soared about and crashed into this wall of water multiple times but was completely unable to break through it, eventually coming to a halt and turning to stare at Yang Kai in shock, “How can your Spiritual Energy be so powerful?”
This little brat’s Spiritual Energy was actually not weaker than her own, she even suspected it might be stronger, for it that was not the case; she would not be incapable of escaping.
“Tell me how to resolve the poison in Shan Qing Luo, and I’ll let you leave, otherwise this will be your burial place!” Yang Kai declared firmly.
“In your dreams! Try saying that again after I swallow your Soul!” The Spider Mother’s eyes became ice cold as she screamed hysterically and rushed towards Yang Kai, trying to forcefully blend their Souls together, hoping to disturb his concentration, allowing her to escape.
But she had not travelled more than a few meters before a majestic and awe inspiring pressure suddenly emerged from within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and descended upon her. Upon feeling this aura, the Spider Mother immediately froze up and involuntarily stared towards this pressure’s source; what she saw caused her to tremble violently. Floating high in the sky a fair distance away was a giant eye that gave off a dazzling golden radiance. This golden eye appeared akin to a divine presence to the Spider Mother and gave her the urge to fall to her knees and worship it.
*Xiu…*
A beam of golden light suddenly shot out from the golden eye and brushed past the Spider Mother Soul spirit.
*Tss…*
When the golden light made contact with the Spider Mother’s Soul phantom, it was as if a beam of hot summer sun had hit a patch of snow, causing a part of her Soul to be instantly melted and purified.
A pain filled scream leaked from the Spider Mother’s mouth, her pair of beautiful eyes staring towards the golden eye in utter terror.
“What… what is that?” The Spider Mother asked haltingly.
“The key to restraining you,” Yang Kai replied calmly and said, “If that golden light hits you directly, you’ll instantly die, your consciousness wiped from existence. What you experience just now was just a warning, I have no time to waste with you so tell me what I want to know, otherwise don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
The Spider Mother glanced back and forth between Yang Kai and the slowly opening Solitary Golden Eye, a look of pure hatred flashing across her face.
Panting heavily, her proud chest heaving up and down, the Spider Mother was obviously completely enraged.
“I’ll give you until the count of three, if within three breaths you don’t tell me what I want to know, you’ll die,” Yang Kai said flatly, issuing an ultimatum, raising his fingers as he slowly began counting, “One… two…”
“Wait!” The Spider Mother exclaimed, “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me, after you get what you want, you’ll let me go!”
“I promise you!” Yang Kai nodded without hesitation.
The Spider Mother stared at him deeply, hesitating for a moment before waving her hand, sending out a small ball of light from her Soul phantom towards Yang Kai.
This ball of white light was formed from the Spider Mother’s own Soul and Spiritual Energy, so separating it from herself meant she would lose that part of her memory.
Doing this would obviously damage her Soul.
Yang Kai smiled happily and reached out his hand to accept this ball of light, but before he could grasp it, the Spider Mother suddenly leapt towards him.
Wrapping herself around him, she laughed wildly, “I’m going to swallow your Soul! Your Spiritual Energy is so powerful, it will be enough for me to enjoy for quite a while. Hahaha, with us being so close now, do you still dare use that golden light against me?”
The Spider Mother felt that as long as she was entangled with Yang Kai’s Soul phantom, he would have no way of killing her without killing himself as well.
At the same time, she could use her own Divine Sense to harass Yang Kai’s Soul phantom, allowing her to wear down his defences and slowly consume him.
However, Yang Kai just stared at her coldly, his face completely indifferent as he sneered, “That thing is mine, naturally it’s impossible for it to hurt me, you’re too naive.”
The Spider Mother’s smile instantly stiffened on her face as she desperately stared into Yang Kai’s eyes one last time.
*Xiu…*
A beam of golden light shot towards the two Soul phantoms, instantly engulfing the Spider Mother’s seductive form.
Without even enough time to scream, the Spider Mother’s consciousness was disintegrated, only leaving behind a mass of pure energy.
“Hmph, bringing about one’s own end.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. If the Spider Mother had obediently cooperated, Yang Kai didn’t mind letting her go; after all, he had no deep animosity towards her.
But after inspecting the memories that were given to him by the Spider Mother a moment ago, Yang Kai’s expression became awkward.
The Spider Mother hadn’t cheated him, the small ball of light indeed contained the method to solve the flaw in Shan Qing Luo’s physique, but this method… actually still required the Spider Mother to die!
Yang Kai needed to let Shan Qing Luo swallow the Spider Mother’s blood essence and monster core, essentially using poison to attack the poison, in order to relieve the toxic backlash in her body.
It really was a case of reaping what one sowed.
Yang Kai shook his head helplessly.
Temporarily putting aside the Spiritual Energy mass the Spider Mother left behind after her death, Yang Kai quickly opened his eyes.
The giant spiders gathered around Yang Kai seeming felt the death of the Spider Mother and immediately began fiercely attacking him, seeking revenge.
Coldly snorting, Yang Kai’s pushed his True Qi violently and sent out a pulse of energy which killed or severely wounded all of the nearby spiders.
These Sixth-Order spiders were only equivalent to low level Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators and were clearly no match for the current Yang Kai.
After only a few breaths, a large number of giant spiders had died and those who could still move began fleeing in all directions. Yang Kai didn’t bother pursing these fugitives and instead directly flew towards the giant spider statue and landed beside the Spider Mother’s corpse.
Plunging his hand into her chest near where her heart should be, Yang Kai quickly extracted a seven coloured monster core. This monster core contained a massive amount of energy and as Yang Kai started at it, his hand gradually became numb and quickly turned black.
[Such strong toxin!] Yang Kai’s face instantly changed as he hastily threw this monster core into the Black Book space, hurriedly circulating his Secret Art in order to dispel the toxins that had invaded his body.
After expelling all of the poison from his arm, Yang Kai quickly extracted the Spider Mother’s blood essence and then turned to leave.
Two days later, inside Fragrance City.
The moment Yang Kai came back, he heard the sounds of weeping from inside Shan Qing Luo’s room.
His expression sinking sharply, he quickly pushed open the door.
Inside the room, Bi Luo was kneeling beside Shan Qing Luo’s bed, shedding giant tears, Yun Li, Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing were present as well, also weeping sorrowfully.
The inside of the room was stiflingly hot, almost like an oven.
The source of this blistering heat was actually Shan Qing Luo’s body.
Her breathing was very rapid and her body was a shade of red more similar to molten iron than human flesh. Her thoughts were also quite blurred as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
When she noticed Yang Kai had returned, Yun Li was immediately overjoyed and hurriedly shouted, “Young Master Yang, you’re back.”
Hearing this, Bi Luo was stunned and quickly turned her head towards him, her eyes red and swollen as she stared nervously at Yang Kai, her lips quivering as if she wanted to say something but was unable to form her words.
“How is her condition?” Yang Kai asked eagerly.
Bi Luo slowly shook her head, tears once again welling up in her eyes, obvious the situation was not optimistic.
“Stand aside,” Yang Kai reached out and gently pulled Bi Luo away from the bed, replacing her at Shan Qing Luo’s side before quickly taking out the Spider Mother’s monster core and blood essence and feeding them to the Beguiling Demon Queen.
“What do you give Mistress?” Bi Luo hurriedly asked.
Yang Kai briefly explained.
Bi Luo was dumbfounded, “Did you kill the Spider Mother?”
“En, the only way to solve the poison in Shan Qing Luo’s body is with poison,” Yang Kai sighed deeply, “I just hope this method is successful.”
“It has to work! If it doesn’t then… then you must commit suicide together with Mistress to apologize!” Bi Luo shouted at Yang Kai, her voice filled with grief.
Yang Kai glanced back at Bi Luo once and then didn’t bother paying attention to her anymore, turning back to Shan Qing Luo’s bed, placing his hands on her fiery shoulders and injecting his True Qi into her body in order to help circulate the energy from the Spider Mother’s monster core and blood essence.
Inside Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, Yang Kai closed his eyes and absorbed the Spiritual Energy left behind by the Spider Mother after her death, enhancing his strength and his understanding of Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
Suddenly smelling an enchanting fragrance that wafted past the tip of his nose, Yang Kai slowly blinked, only to discover Bi Luo half-squatting in front of him, a strange light smoldering in the depths of her beautiful eyes as she stared at him curiously.
“What?” Yang Kai asked somewhat vigilantly. This little girl had always been hostile to him so now, suddenly seeing her stare at him with a curious and almost fascinated look made Yang Kai somewhat uncomfortable.
“I suddenly thought that you’re quite fierce,” Bi Luo grinned, “How did you kill the Spider Mother alone? It was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast. Even Mistress said that she wasn’t confident she could defeat it. The Thunderbolt Beast King and Spider Mother only had a partnership of equals because he was unable to subdue it. Just what method did you use to kill it and extract its Monster Core.”
It seemed like after Yang Kai rescued Shan Qing Luo, Bi Luo’s hostility towards him had vanished.
However, Yang Kai still furrowed his brow and didn’t answer, instead asking, “How is your Mistress now?”
“Everything is fine. She still has her Poison Widow Body Special Constitution, but the toxic backlash has been solved,” Bi Luo smiled charmingly as she stared into Yang Kai’s eyes. Bi Luo was an enchanting woman in her own right and because she had spent many years in Shan Qing Luo’s service she had even cultivated a very profound Seduction Technique. Even if it wasn’t to the same degree as Shan Qing Luo, the charm Bi Luo had as a woman was far from ordinary, “Mistress is currently attacking her bottleneck so when she next comes out her strength will have increased dramatically.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai finally put down the burden in his heart, “Then the matters between her and I have been solved.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “En, since she is in retreat, I won’t bother her. I should head back to the Central Capital and have a look at the situation over there. I’ll have to ask you to inform her of my whereabouts when she exits her seclusion.”
“You can’t go!” Bi Luo suddenly rushed up and grabbed one of Yang Kai’s arms.
Yang Kai stared at her with a dumbfounded look, “Why can’t I leave? There’s nothing more for me to do here.”
“Well… In any case, you can’t go. When Mistress exits her retreat, the first thing she’ll want to do is see you! If you just leave now, she’ll definitely be sad.”
“You’re not serious, right?” Yang Kai suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Bi Luo’s eyes shifted a few times before she suddenly smiled, “If you stay here, I’ll show you something nice.”
“Something nice?”
Bi Luo’s face turned bright red as she suddenly stood up resolutely, her tender body trembling slightly as she lifted her arms and slowly removed her robes, unveiling her perfectly proportioned snow-white body to Yang Kai’s eyes. It was as if the most exquisite jade carving had appeared before him out of nowhere.
Her proud peaks that seemingly defied gravity were dazzlingly soft and her waist was thin and delicate without the slightest excess fat. Further down her most intimate place flashed in and out of view as her two long, slender legs shifted back and forth charmingly. The entire room slowly began filling with an intoxicating fragrance that seemed to gently waft from her naked form.
Standing in front of Yang Kai without a stitch of clothing on her, gently twisting her hips, showing off her exquisite curves, such a scene was enough to arouse the flames of passion from any man. Bi Luo was truly as beautiful as an Immortal Fairy, causing any male who saw her to want to embrace and devastate her maliciously.
Her pretty face was dyed red while her normally pure white neck had a healthy pink tinge to it as well, biting her luscious lips gently, she didn’t dare to look directly into Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Beautiful?” Bi Luo asked, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.
But this tiny voice finally shook Yang Kai out of his daze, his dumbstruck expression instantly being replaced by one filled with burning passion and lust.
However, this animalistic gaze only lasted a moment before his eyes became clear again, a strange smile slowly spreading across his face, “This situation seems a bit off doesn’t it? Don’t you like women? Why are you suddenly showing so much enthusiasm towards me?”
Bi Luo somewhat coyly replied, “Oh… Men aren’t so bad either… Is there something wrong with having a taste for both men and women?”
Yang Kai face went dark.
“Fine fine,” Bi Luo suddenly snorted, “Mistress said in her current state she’s unable to serve you, so she sent me here to replace her, firstly to take care of your ‘needs’, and secondly to thank you for everything you did for her. Mistress pledged that when she exits her retreat she’ll personally go forth into ‘battle’.”
Having spilled the truth already, Bi Luo no longer acted shyly and instead boldly stepped forward and pushed Yang Kai down onto the bed, smoothly mounting his body as she grinned teasingly, licking her red lips as a look of debauchery flashed across her face, “However, if you want to play today, I’ll accompany you. There’s no need to hold back.”
Yang Kai smiled back at her, extended his hands towards her and gently held her waist, only to in the next moment lift her up, sit her onto the bed, and wrap the nearby beddings around her, covering up her figure and stepped aside without saying a word.
“You…” This time it was Bi Luo’s turn to be dumbstruck as she stared blankly at Yang Kai.
The last time he was a guest at the Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, he obviously wasn’t such a gentlemen and had even forced her to taste something she had never experienced before, yet this time when she took the initiative to seduce him, he was actually completely indifferent?
Did he lose his manhood or something?
“I’m not in the mood.” Yang Kai shook his head gently and sighed.
Su Yan had been brought to an entirely different world by Meng Wu Ya and Yang Kai had absolutely no idea how she was. On top of that, there were so many things he had to deal with that Yang Kai really didn’t have time to enjoy the company of women, especially one whose tastes were as ‘exotic’ as Bi Luo’s. He was afraid that if he really got involved with Bi Luo, the consequences would be beyond his ability to withstand.
“Qing Luo…” Yang Kai called out suddenly.
Shan Qing Luo’s voice quickly resounded in his mind, “Little bastard, since when did you become such a gentleman?”
How could Yang Kai not have detected that her Divine Sense had been paying attention to the movement here since the beginning?
“I’ve always been a virtuous gentleman.” Yang Kai righteously declared.
Shan Qing Luo giggled happily, obviously not believing a word he said.
A while later, Shan Qing Luo sighed quietly, “Are you really leaving?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“Then go, when I come out, I’ll come find you.”
“I’m afraid this time you won’t be able to find me, the place I’m going to is not in this world.”
Shan Qing Luo curiously asked, “You’re going to that higher world?”
“You know about it?” Yang Kai asked in amazement.
“I heard about it from Yang Bai, but I don’t know very much. However… you still have my Soul Seeking Seal within your body, even if you travel to the ends of the earth, or even beyond, I’ll still be able to find you.” Shan Qing Luo said smugly.
Yang Kai grinned, “If that’s what you think, then you’re welcome to try, in any case, take care of yourself!”
Saying so, Yang Kai glanced back at Bi Luo, who was no lying down atop the bed, and sent out a whip made of True Qi that gently struck across her smooth white bottom.
Bi Luo let out a half yelp, half moan, her face instantly flushing bright red as a trace of excitement flashed across her eyes.
Seeing her reaction, Yang Kai laughed happily and flew out the window, a moment later disappearing across the horizon.
Bi Luo slowly got up, wrapping a thin sheet around her body as she walked over to the window and leaned against it, staring off in the direction Yang Kai disappeared as she muttered, “Mistress, letting him go just like that, are you alright with that?”
“You took the initiative to seduce him whole-heartedly yet you couldn’t even force him to remain for a single breath. Obviously, he has many important things weighing on his heart right now. Although that little bastard likes to act shamelessly, a woman’s body alone isn’t enough to confuse him. Trying to seduce him with only beauty isn’t possible. In his heart I have some weight, but that weight isn’t very great. Later, when that weight becomes heavy enough, we’ll naturally be together.”
“Love and sentiment are really troublesome,” Bi Luo mumbled.
“Good, he seems to have left something behind, it’s probably for you, have a look at it yourself,” Shan Qing Luo gently reminded before focusing her attention back on her own cultivation.
Hearing this, Bi Luo turned around and walked towards the bed, lifting the ruffled beddings she quickly found a small sealed bottle and picked it up, curiously looking it over.
…………
Central Capital.
The vast majority of the Central Capital City was still in ruins. Although many cultivators from all over the Great Han Dynasty’s forces had come here to help in the reconstruction due to the now incredibly rich World Energy that pervaded the Central Capital, the work still proceeded quite slowly. At this rate, it would likely take more than a decade to restore the Central Capital to its former glory.
The masters from the Eight Great Families were also participating actively in this reconstruction work.
As for the eight young family heads, with assistance from the older generation masters, were now smoothing commanding the situation and everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Qiu Yi Meng also busied herself, wearing a silk scarf tied atop her head; she now looked like an ordinary village girl, or rather a beautiful village girl.
“Matriarch, there’s no need for you to personally handle such menial labour, you can simply direct operations here from the sidelines. What would happen if you damage your delicate skin by slaving away in these dirty ruins under the hot sun?” A old Qiu Family female Elder kindly advised Qiu Yi Meng who was currently digging through the rubble with her bare hands.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just shook her head with a smile, “It’s alright, in any case, I’m bored just sitting around signing paperwork. If I don’t do something to keep myself occupied… I always have some unwanted thoughts occupying my mind.”
“Is Matriarch still thinking about that little brat from the Yang Family?” The old woman grumbled before suddenly sighed, “To die so young, the Heavens truly must have been jealous of his talents.”
“Grandmother!” Qiu Yi Meng’s face suddenly became upset as she quietly rebuked, “He’s not dead.”
The old woman opened her mouth and wanted to console Qiu Yi Meng, but she couldn’t find any words to say.
After more than half a year, the Yang Family’s little brat had yet to appear; if he was still, he should have shown up long ago.
Ninety nine percent of people now firmly believed he was dead.
Only the youths who had resided in his mansion during the Inheritance War were still convinced that Yang Kai was alive, but obviously none of them could say where he currently was.
Only the young could have such unwavering trust in a person, the old woman lamented endlessly.
Suddenly, a piercing eagle came echoed throughout the sky, a hint of surprise and joy apparent within its resounding tone. When she heard this eagle cry, Qiu Yi Meng instinctively looked up and saw a giant Golden Feather Eagle transform into a streak of golden light and quickly dash beyond the Central Capital’s borders.
In their search for Yang Kai, naturally they had utilised the unique sensing abilities of the Yang Family’s Golden Feather Eagles.
However, a dozen or so Golden Feather Eagles had been searching for half a year and had yet to produce any results.
Only the Golden Feather Eagle that belonged exclusively to Yang Kai had been constantly hovering over the Central Capital since Yang Kai disappeared- until today, when out of nowhere it suddenly shot off.
“What happened to that eagle?” The Qiu Family Elder muttered, slightly surprised.
Qiu Yi Meng, who was still staring in the direction the eagle disappeared, suddenly became incredibly excited, a brilliant light flashed across her beautiful eyes as she shouted joyfully, “He’s back, he’s finally back!”
Shouting so, her body flickered as she hastily chased after the Golden Feather Eagle.
“He really didn’t die?” The old woman called out in shock, releasing her Divine Sense towards the direction Qiu Yi Meng had just flown. Unfortunately she was not able to detect anything out of the ordinary.
Thirty kilometers or so outside the city, Yang Kai noticed a streak of golden light flying towards him from Central Capital, causing him to smile warmly as he flew forward to meet this old friend.
A moment later, the Golden Feather Eagle’s figure flew over. Yang Kai reached out his hand and the Golden Feather Eagle perched cheerfully on his shoulders, quickly proceeding to comb his slightly messy hair with its beak, obviously very pleased that its master had returned.
“It seems your sense of smell is getting more and more sensitive!” Yang Kai laughed as he rubbed the eagle’s head.
He had not expected that upon his return to the Central Capital, the first one to come out and meet him would actually be this eagle.
Soon after the eagle reached him, a beautiful young woman soared over.
Qiu Yi Meng pushed her speed to the limit and had all but caught up to the eagle by the time it reunited with Yang Kai.
“Long time no see!” Yang Kai greeted her with a cheerful smile.
Qiu Yi Meng’s face flooded with a mix of excitement, delight, concern, worry, and a myriad of other emotions as she came to a halt ten steps in front of Yang Kai, tears instantly filling her big beautiful eyes as she stared at him.
She didn’t dare to approach any closer, for fear that all of this was just an illusion that would collapse and disappear the moment she touched him.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked gently.
Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath, steeled her will, and stepped towards him. As soon as she was within arm’s reach, her pretty face flashed a glimmer of ruthlessness as she grabbed his arm and viciously bit down on it.
Staring up at Yang Kai’s face, her teary eyes filled with grievance, confirming that he was really real; she gradually loosened her bite and simply sobbed instead.
Yang Kai sighed, “Looking so sad and forlorn upon seeing me again, have I really bullied you so badly?”
“I… I thought… I thought you were really dead… that you died… You’ve been gone for over half a year… Where… Where have you been all this time?” Qiu Yi Meng finally couldn’t stand it and burst into tears, wailing like a lost child that had finally been reunited with her family, venting all the fear and anxiety she had accumulated in her heart these past seven months, her delicate body becoming slightly limp as she slowly squatted down, her shoulders quivering, appearing truly pitiful and helpless.
Yang Kai’s mood suddenly became complicated. Uncertain of what he should do, he stood there dumbly, waiting for her to vent for a while before slowly reaching out and helping her up.
Qiu Yi Meng wiped the corners of her eyes with as she did her best to choke back her sobs, her face blushing slightly, seemingly quite embarrassed.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you cry,” Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing, “It’s such a contrast from how you normally look, like two completely different people.”
“You bastard!” Qiu Yi Meng punched Yang Kai angrily, her sobs mixing with a tinge of laughter.
Taking a deep breath and finally regaining her calm, Qiu Yi Meng restored her usual self-confident look, but seeing the teasing grin on Yang Kai’s face and realizing he was still making fun of her even now, she swiftly trampled his foot and snorted coldly, turning around and walking back towards the Central Capital.
But on her face, there was still a big happy smile.
Yang Kai scratched his head and mused to himself that even such an intelligent and valiant woman also had such a fragile side.
It seemed like the movement of the Golden Feather Eagle had alerted the people of the Central Capital, so before Yang Kai even reached the city limits, large numbers of people had already come out to greet him.
From far away, Huo Xing Chen shouted in a tearful voice, “Young Lord Kai, Young Lord Kai, you really didn’t die! I had always said that good people don’t live long but scourges endure for a thousand years!”
Yang Kai’s face immediately went black.
Behind Huo Xing Chen was Dong Qing Han and Dong Qing Yan, the four girls from Ten Thousand Flower Palace, Luo Xiao Man from Purple Fern Valley, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu from Reflecting Moon Sect, Zuo Fang from Pure Heart Palace, Chu Jing Shan from Soaring Feather Pavilion, the Hu Sisters of Blood Battle Gang, Fang Zi Ji from Storm Hall, Tao Yang from Treasure Instrument Sect…
Almost all of the younger generation of the leaders from his mansion had arrived, each and every one of them wearing excited smiles.
These people quickly flew over to Yang Kai and Huo Xing Chen even crashed into him and gave him a big bear hug.
“Young Lord Kai, you’re finally back, you nearly scared all of us to death!” Huo Xing Chen breathed a heavy sigh of relief and said sincerely.
Yang Kai felt quite touched in his heart as he gently pushed Huo Xing Chen away and said seriously, “I missed all of you too, come, everyone give me a hug, I need to see how all of you developed while I was away.”
“Shameless!” Han Xiao Qi of Ten Thousand Flower Palace turned red and couldn’t help shouting.
A burst of laughter resounded as Yang Kai glanced over at Luo Xiao Man and nodding approvingly, “Good, it seems Xiao Man’s chest has become even bigger since I left.”
“Nonsense…” Luo Xiao Man’s face turned red as she whispered in a grieved tone.
“Alright, stop fooling around. Let’s head back so we can talk,” Qiu Yi Meng said as she glared towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, who had been missing for half a year now, suddenly returned to the Central Capital, causing a great stir. The thirteen Blood Warriors from his mansion and the other young Patriarchs and Elder of the Eight Great Families immediately rushed to the Yang Family main hall upon receiving this news.
Inside the hall, the Yang Kai’s parents both cried tears of joy as Dong Su Zhu held tightly onto Yang Kai’s hand, as if she was afraid that he would suddenly disappear again.
The great hall was filled to the brim with all of the important figures from the Eight Great Families clamouring about, welcoming Yang Kai home.
These people all stared curiously at Yang Kai, wondering just where he had been these past seven months and why he hadn’t appeared until now. They also hoped he could tell them just what had transpired beneath the Central Capital half a year ago.
Why had so many people gone missing? Why was it that only Yang Kai had returned so far?
All kinds of doubts swirled about people’s hearts.
“Ninth Brother,” Yang Zhao suddenly stood up, “Since you’ve returned safely, this Yang Family Patriarch’s position…”
Yang Kai quickly raised his hand and interrupted him, smiling as he shook his head, “Second Brother, I have no desire to hold that position, the title of Yang Family Patriarch suits you far better than I.”
Yang Zhao slowly shook his head in response, “In the Inheritance War, I was thoroughly defeated, what qualifications do I have to hold the position of Yang Family Patriarch?”
Yang Kai disagreed though, “Second Brother is being far too modest, your means and ability are obvious to everyone, and the Inheritance War can’t prove anything.”
“But……”
“First listen to what I have to say.”
Yang Zhao paused before nodding slightly.
“I am going to be leaving here soon, so it’s impossible for me to take on the position of Yang Family Patriarch.” Yang Kai slowly said.
Dong Su Zhu trembled violently and couldn’t help grabbing Yang Kai’s hand even tighter as she asked nervously, “Where are you going?”
Yang Kai pointed his finger towards the sky, “A higher world!”
Inside the main hall, everyone stared at him blankly.
“The world we live in right now is not the only world. There are some places out there that we have never heard or seen before, similar to how we never knew that the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is actually known as the Transcendent Realm!”
Many people in the halls suddenly showed curious expressions.
“Demon Lord Yang Bai’s leading the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to attack the Central Capital was all in order to travel to that higher world.”
“What does attacking the Central Capital have to do with traveling to another world?” Dong Qing Han asked in confusion.
“Beneath the Central Capital, there is an Earth Pulse, and at the heart of that Earth Pulse, there was a portal that led to that higher world. Yang Bai’s real objective was that portal.” Yang Kai took a short breath and continued, “Seven months ago, he started that war in order to obtain enough fresh blood to locate and open the Earth Pulse with a special blood sacrifice ritual, allowing him to enter it and find that portal. The eight old Patriarchs followed him down there in order to stop him and I, together with Old Demon, Treasurer Meng, Senior Sister Su and Senior Sister Xia also pursued him. During the final battle, Treasurer Meng managed to kill Yang Bai, but in an attempt to drag all of us down with him, Yang Bai detonated all of his Demonic Qi causing the Earth Pulse and portal to become unstable and explode.”
Everyone held their breath as the listened to Yang Kai’s story with rapt attention.
What Yang Kai was narrating now was exactly what they had been puzzled about for the past half a year, what had happened in the depths below the Central Capital!
“Before the portal collapsed, Treasurer Meng managed to safely take his apprentice and Senior Sister Su through and safely arrive at that higher world.”
Meng Wu Ya transmitted some information to Yang Kai at the last moment before the Void Corridor fully collapsed which was how the latter knew that his two Senior Sisters and Treasurer Meng had survived.
“Unfortunately, I was a little late in entering and the force of the void sent me to the Endless Sea Islands instead of that higher world. For the past half a year I have been in the Endless Sea Islands recovering.”
Everyone suddenly understood what had taken place but they were still no less shocked.
The battle underground half a year ago actually had so many unexpected twists and turns.
“What about the eight former Patriarchs?” Someone asked nervously.
“They… they likely died,” Yang Kai’s expression became a little gloomy, “They entered the portal after me so while the force of the void sent me far away, they must have taken it head on along with the shockwave from the Earth Pulse exploding. They’re probably buried deep underground. It’s a great loss for the Eight Great Families.”
Hearing this news, everyone couldn’t help feeling a little depressed.
“But you managed to survive,” Ling Tai Xu nodded gently, “We all thought that everyone who went down there had died, but now we know that some of you managed to survive, this is truly good news.”
Meng Wu Ya surviving that incident obviously made Ling Tai Xu quite happy.
The main hall fell silent for a while before Qiu Yi Meng asked, “Yang Kai, you said you are going to a higher world, do you know anything about that place?”
“I do, but not much,” Yang Kai shook his head, a meaningful grin suddenly appearing on his face as he turned his eyes towards a remote corner of the hall, “Although I am somewhat ignorant about that place, there is someone here with knowledge of it, am I right, Shui Ling?”
In the corner of the hall, a young girl with light blue hair that stood out from the crowd leaned against the wall, calmly chewing on a piece of fruit as if this conversation had nothing to do with her, but when Yang Kai turned his gaze to her, Shui Ling couldn’t help grinning.
“If I’m not mistaken, you should be from that world, right? The same as Treasurer Meng and Old Demon.”
At that moment, everyone’s eyes turned towards Shui Ling.
“What of it? Why are all of you staring at me for?” Shui Ling said in a slightly annoyed tone. She was upset that she hadn’t followed Meng Wu Ya at that time, because if she had, she could have returned home seven months ago and not had to idle away in this backwater place any longer.
“I’d just like to know what that world is like,” Yang Kai asked politely.
“Is that all?” Shui Ling furrowed her brow slightly, “If you want me to describe it for you, I don’t think I can give you a complete picture.” Thinking about it for a moment, she continued, “But for example, in this place, you divided Sects and Families into Super, First, Second, and then Third class forces, correct?”
Yang Kai nodded, urging her to continue.
“Then if we were to consider your Central Capital Eight Great Families as a single force, by that world’s standard you’d only be a second-class force at best.”
Hearing this, everyone suddenly went slightly pale.
Yang Kai thoughtfully asked, “What about your Water Spirit Temple?”
“First-class.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help taking a sharp breath, discovering that he had still far underestimated this higher world; however, knowing how great the disparity between here and there was only caused him to yearn for it even more.
“The density of World Energy in the Central Capital right now is barely equivalent to that world’s average World Energy concentration while the places where large forces are entrenched, the World Energy auras there are more than ten times greater than this place. As for the Holy Land, where the super forces occupy, the density of World Energy is many times greater than even that.”
Shui Ling’s words were somewhat vague but this small bit of information was already enough to make everyone in the hall aware of that higher world’s heritage and strength, causing many people’s eyes to go red with envy.
The current Central Capital’s rich World Energy had already made it this world’s greatest cultivation paradise.
But if what Shui Ling said was true, then over there, any abandoned backwater countryside would have a comparable World Energy density while there were also many places that were vastly superior. Who among them wouldn’t yearn to experience such a world?
If a cultivator were to cultivate in a place with such rich World Energy, they would be able to achieve double the results with half the effort, enabling them to improve their strength many times faster than here.
Obtaining such a paradise was the goal of many cultivators and great forces.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, finally understanding why although Shui Ling was not much older than him, she was already a Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage. Of course, that was six months ago. Now, she had reached the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary and was only a step away from breaking through to the Transcendent Realm.
Having such cultivation at such a young age, it was nothing less than astonishing.
“You all now know that what you know as the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is called the Transcendent Realm correct, but as to what lies beyond the Transcendent Realm, do you have any idea?” Shui Ling smiled slightly.
“Please enlighten us!” Yang Zhao’s eyes shining brightly as he humbling asked.
“Those who ascend beyond the Transcendent are known as Saints! Above the Transcendent Realm is the Saint Realm!” Shui Ling did not hold everyone in suspense and directly dispelled their doubts, “On the other side, only forces with Saint Realm masters can be considered top forces. My Water Spirit Temple only has one such powerhouse, so we can barely be counted as a first-class Sect. On top of that, artifacts, Precious Treasures, and pills that are capped here at the Mysterious Grade here have two additional levels over there that correspond to the Transcendent and Saint realm, respectively known as Spirit Grade, and Saint Grade.”
“Spirit Grade and Saint Grade?” Everyone murmured in amazement.
Shui Ling suddenly knit her brow, “I don’t know why but there seems to be some kind of shackle related to this world’s Heavenly Law that hampers the development of your cultivators and simultaneously limits the grade of artifacts and pills that can be refined.”
Shui Ling held nothing back in her explanations, directly illuminating the issues and limitations this world apparently had.
Inside the main hall, everyone inquired curiously about the other world, and the more they learned, they were filled with wonder and amazement because everything there was so far beyond the scope of their understanding.
The question and answer session continued on and time passed by inadvertently, yet no one felt the slightest bit bored. It seemed like all of them had suddenly become eager young scholars with strong desires for knowledge. The things they learned from Shui Ling broadened their horizons, which greatly pleased them.
After a whole day, with evening approaching, everyone had dry mouths from all the questions they had asked and even Shui Ling was beginning to get irritated. Answering one or two people about a few issues was no problem, but dealing with over a hundred had severely taxed her patience.
“Good,” Yang Kai saw her appearance and stepped in and ended the conversation, “Don’t ask anymore, the more you ask, the more anxious you’ll feel.”
“After hearing all this, do you still want to go there?” Ling Tai Xu’s eyes flashed brilliantly as he stared towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded firmly, “I have to go.”
Su Yan was there, Xia Ning Chang was also there, and at the very least he had to find both of them.
“I’ll support your decision!” Ling Tai Xu smiled, “Men should be like this, you should not restrict yourself to this small place.”
“Many thanks, Grand Master!”
Since Ling Tai Xu had said so, Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu naturally would not raise any objections, and although they were somewhat reluctant to part, this was the path Yang Kai wanted to pursue. How could they stand in his way?
“I’ll scout the path ahead, and after establishing a footing there, I’ll return and open the way for everyone else.” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “The reason I wanted Shui Ling to tell all of you about that world was to let you know the difference between there and here. After I leave, you can’t relax, otherwise when I one day return, if your strength is too low, you may not be able to cross over to the other side.”
“Naturally,” Huo Xing Chen’s eyes burned with fighting spirit, “If we never knew this than so be it, but now that we do, of course we can’t slack off. Whether it’s here or there, everyone has a head, two arms, and two legs. Why should we just lie down and accept people from there being stronger than us?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, their enthusiasm and spirits all lifted to new heights.
As night fell, everyone began dispersing and soon there were only two people left in the hall, Yang Kai and Shui Ling.
Looking at her doubtfully, Yang Kai wanted to know why this woman had specially stayed behind waiting for him.
“When are you planning on leaving?” Shui Ling asked eagerly.
“Why does that matter to you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Of course it matters to me. Your servant, Old Demon, said that one day you’d be able to lead me back there, why else do you think I’ve stuck around here and even offered you my help?”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before grinning lightly, “You don’t know how to get back?”
Shui Ling blushed faintly and nodded.
Yang Kai laughed, “So that’s it, I always wondered why you suddenly became so polite and friendly, it turns out it was for this.”
“Do you know the way there?”
Yang Kai neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions.
“In any case, no matter where you go, I’ll follow you.”
“Good, it just so happens I’m lacking a guide,” Yang Kai did not refuse.
“When are we going to start?” Shui Ling asked excitedly. Although Yang Kai hadn’t said so, she was confident that he knew a way to get there.
“It’ll be a little while longer, I still have some things here to deal with,” Yang Kai thought for a moment and said, “At most it’ll be another month.”
“Good,” Shui Ling nodded happily.
Leaving the Yang Family grounds, Yang Kai flew over to his mansion.
Ling Tai Xu had told him just before he left that after Meng Wu Ya disappeared, the Heavenly Palace that was guarding the mansion could no longer be actuated. It was still in an active condition so the barrier protecting the mansion was still intact, but aside from Ling Tai Xu, no one else could enter it, they could only exit.
So now the entire house was completely empty.
The Heavenly Palace was a very powerful artifact, so when Yang Kai decided to leave this place to search for Su Yan, naturally he planned to take this artifact away with him and return it to Meng Wu Ya.
Landing outside the house, Yang Kai walked towards the barrier and just as he expected, the Heavenly Palace opened a path for him to pass though.
This was obviously something Meng Wu Ya had set up before he left, leaving behind instructions allowing only Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu to freely enter and exit the Heavenly Palace. If anyone else wanted to enter from the outside, they’d first require Meng Wu Ya’s permission.
Inside the quiet mansion, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense to every corner of the house, carefully examining the mysteries of the Heavenly Palace.
The body of the Heavenly Palace was just a small item that could fit on top of one’s palm, but after filling it with True Qi, it could open an impenetrable barrier, so now, if Yang Kai wanted to find it, it was actually not an easy task.
After a long period of searching, Yang Kai still had no clues.
But Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry; although he wanted to bring the Heavenly Palace back to Meng Wu Ya, if it wasn’t possible, he wouldn’t be too reluctant.
At worst, it could only be said that Treasurer Meng was too careless and accidentally lost this artifact.
Returning to his previous room and sitting down cross-legged, Yang Kai took out a small piece of flaming jade from the Black Book space and stared at it hesitantly.
This piece of jade wasn’t very large, only about the size of a fist, and its shape was somewhat odd, almost like a small doll that had indistinct facial features as well as stubby limbs.
This was the jade core from the Yang Crystal Jade Bed he had obtained from Lu Si.
When Yang Kai was a guest at the Lu Family home, he had traded a letter to Xiao Fu Sheng for this Yang Crystal Jade Bed from Lu Si.
After absorbing the Yang Yuan Qi contained inside the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, what remained was this jade core.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had determined that this piece of jade had already produced a True Spirit, and if given a hundred more years or so, it may be able to evolve to the point where it could break free of this jade core and become a true independent, sentient being.
A Jade True Spirit was a legendary existence, every True Spirit that had managed to emerge would possess unrivaled strength and power when fully matured.
Each True Spirit could become an existence that even Transcendents would yield the way to!
Tang Yu Xian had sternly warned Yang Kai not to get any ideas about absorbing the Jade True Spirit, because doing so would be extremely dangerous.
But now, after Yang Kai learned from Shui Ling about the immense disparity between this world and the other world, he felt like he had no choice but to take some risks such as refining this Jade True Spirit.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage wasn’t weak, but it was also by no means strong! Over there, there were many Transcendents and even numerous masters who had reached the Saint Realm. If he wanted to survive in such a dangerous and unfamiliar world with no backing, Yang Kai needed to have the strength to protect himself.
Yang Kai didn’t want to all of a sudden break through to the Transcendent Realm by refining this Jade True Spirit, that was too unrealistic, but he figured that absorbing this concentrated Yang Yuan Qi energy would at least increase his strength somewhat before setting out, allowing him a little more leeway if he encountered any unexpected danger.
After hesitating for a long time, Yang Kai’s look suddenly became firm.
He needed to become as strong as possible as quickly as possible in order to embark on the road to that higher world.
Staring hard at the jade core in his hand, he decided to take the risk.
Wealth and danger always coexisted, and with the Heavenly Palace still operating, even if he failed in his attempt to refine the Jade True Spirit, he could easily escape.
Gripping the jade core with both hands, Yang Kai began circulating his True Yang Secret Art, immediately exerting a huge suction force and beginning to peel away the concentrated Yang Yuan Qi stored within.
A constant stream of energy began flowing into Yang Kai’s body; even if this jade core was many times smaller than the original Yang Crystal Jade Bed, the energy contained within it was many times richer.
Yang Kai was slightly shocked as he sensed just how much Yang Yuan Qi was pouring into his meridians and how quickly they became saturated.
*Dida…*
A drop of Yang Liquid condensed and sank into his dantian for storage.
*Dida, dida…*
The sound of Yang Liquid drops condensing sounded again and again in rapid succession.
As Yang Kai gladly endured this strenuous process, he couldn’t help paling slightly as well.
The amount of energy contained within the jade core was somewhat beyond his expectations.
After half a day of constant absorption, there were no more than two hundred more drops of Yang Liquid inside his Dantian while only the surface of the small jade core had been peeled off.
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt a burning sensation in his hands and at the same time, a terrifying destructive aura suddenly descended upon him. Yang Kai expression changed greatly as his eyes shot open and stared towards the jade core. What he saw was the jade core suddenly melt into a liquid that began slipping through his fingers.
*Tsss…*
Yang Kai’s hands were instantly burned and oozed blood, the violent heat given off by the jade liquid was something even he couldn’t withstand.
Not daring to hesitate, he quickly leapt up and retreated.
*Hu…*
As the liquid hen the liquid hit the ground, a large burst of flames erupted and began rapidly spreading out, temporarily blinding Yang Kai’s line of sight.
After falling back even further and composing himself, Yang Kai’s expression became dignified.
In the position where he had been meditating, a human-shaped figure completely composed of bright orange flame had emerged.
This eerie figure had fuzzy facial features and strange misshapen limbs, all of which was purely composed of flame.
A violent heat swept out in all directions, lighting Yang Kai’s mansion on fire and even reducing some buildings to ash instantaneously.
Even the air began distorting under this intense blaze, but what caused Yang Kai’s expression to be particularly dignified was the ruinous and brutal aura which radiated from this flame figure.
The Jade True Spirit already had some self-awareness, but before it could truly become sentient it had been stripped away from its jade core by Yang Kai, so at this moment it only had the most primal and primitive of instincts.
All the Jade True Spirit knew to do now was burn, burn everything, reduce anything within its sight to ashes!
*Hu…* With a roar akin to one from a giant fire dragon, the Jade True Spirit launched itself towards Yang Kai, the only other living thing nearby, at a terrifying speed, bringing with it an overwhelming heat and energy.
Yang Kai’s eyes shrank as he hurriedly evaded, but the flame-creature still managed to nick his arm as it passed by.
The skin on Yang Kai’s arm instantly shrivelled up like it had been baked in flames for day, immediately peeling off and disintegrating into dust, causing a pain so sharp that Yang Kai couldn’t help but scream.
Locking his eyes onto the Jade True Spirit again, Yang Kai became even more aghast.
What he cultivated was the True Yang Secret Art, and the True Yang Yuan Qi inside his body was akin to the blazing sun. Ordinary high temperatures had no way of affecting him at all, but the heat given off by this Jade True Spirit was simply too intense.
This kind of heat and temperature had gone far beyond his ability to withstand; it was on an entirely different level.
Not allowing Yang Kai a moment to relax, the Jade True Spirit immediately launched another attack.
Inside Yang Kai’s mansion, the only living thing being other than itself was Yang Kai, so the Jade True Spirit, whose instincts drove it to incinerate everything in its path, was completely fixated on Yang Kai.
The flame creature transformed into a great wave that instantly swept forward and surrounded Yang Kai before launching an attack from all directions towards him.
Yang Kai’s pupils suddenly enlarged because at this moment he was completely engulfed by the flames and had absolutely no path of escape.
The Flaming Yang Wings, which he had not used for a long time, instantly opened on his back like a giant blazing bird spreading its wings, wrapping up Yang Kai in a kind of fire barrier and allowing him to rapidly dive through the surrounding flames.
*Hong…* A violent explosion sounded and what was left of Yang Kai’s house was reduced to ash in an instant. The house was gone and the ground was transformed into scorched earth while countless pillars of flame leapt towards the sky chasing after Yang Kai’s flickering figure.
Perceiving this great disturbance, many cultivators in and around the Central Capital quickly arrived.
After seeing the situation inside the Heavenly Palace, Huo Xing Chen was stunned, “What’s going on? Young Lord Kai disappeared for over half a year but the instant he comes back he suddenly gets involved in such an intense fight?”
Although the Heavenly Palace had an isolation function that blocked all outside Divine Sense probing so they were unable to feel the intense temperature inside, the terrifying pressure given off by the Jade True Spirit was enough to make them shudder.
“What is he doing?” Qiu Yi Meng was incredibly anxious, her beautiful eyes staring at the scene playing out before her, only somewhat able to make out Yang Kai’s fluttering figure inside the Heavenly Palace.
The flaming world inside was completely isolated from any attempt at outside investigation.
After a while, the chaotic scene gradually became clearer.
Yang Kai was now quietly floating midair, staring down below with a solemn expression as the distorted flame creature twisted and burned while roaring angrily towards him.
“What the…” Huo Xing Chen was dumbfounded as he stared at the pair of wings protruding from Yang Kai’s back.
Everyone else was also stunned silent.
No one knew that Yang Kai actually possessed such a fantastical technique as he had never once used his Flaming Yang Wings during the Inheritance War.
“So pretty…” Luo Xiao Man murmured, somewhat fascinated by the brilliance and beauty of Yang Kai’s flaming wings.
“Is that… the Jade True Spirit?” Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful face discoloured as she exclaimed.
Tu Feng’s face was also ugly as he stared at this living flame.
The two Blood Warriors immediately realized just what Yang Kai was fighting with.
“What Jade True Spirit?” Qiu Yi Meng asked anxiously.
Tang Yu Xian quickly explained to Qiu Yi Meng what actually happened in the Lu Family and after listening to her, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady also began recalling such an incident.
When Yang Kai came back from Lu Si’s Yang Crystal Jade Bed, Qiu Yi Meng also saw it with her own eyes, but what she didn’t know was that Yang Kai got such a dangerous treasure from the Yang Crystal Jade Bed.
“That’s not something that can be dealt with easily!” Tu Feng frowned. Although he had now become a Transcendent, and even though the Heavenly Palace was still active, the Jade True Spirit still brought him a lot of pressure.
If was him inside, Tu Feng estimated that he would very quickly be burnt to death by those flames.
“Little Lord seems to want to absorb the power of the Jade True Spirit in order to strength himself,” Tang Yu Xian bite her red lips, “But it seems he was a bit too hasty.”
She was silently blaming herself for not making it clear enough to Yang Kai, causing him to mistakenly feel that with his current strength he had a chance to successfully absorb the power of the Jade True Spirit.
“Is there any way you can help?” Qiu Yi Meng asked nervously.
Unfortunately, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian shook their heads, “The heat inside there is not something we can bear, the reason Little Lord is still capable of resisting is because of the Secret Art he cultivates.”
Moreover, they couldn’t enter the Heavenly Palace in the first place.
Qiu Yi Meng, whose thoughts were currently a bit chaotic, had completely forgotten this point.
“Hah…” Huo Xing Chen suddenly grinned and shook his head, a profound glint flashing past the depths of his eyes as he said meaningfully, “After being together with Young Lord Kai for so long, do you still not understand his personality? Since he dared to do this, he definitely has enough confidence in his ability to succeed. Let’s just sit back and watch.”
Listening to these words, everyone expression suddenly brightened.
Yes, Yang Kai had never been one to act recklessly, and every action he took was always well thought out and considered. In fact, time had proven over and over again that the decisions he made were the correct ones.
What’s more, it was useless to worry about him now as there was nothing they could do to help, what they should do now is believe in him.
“But what if…” Qiu Yi Meng was still a little uneasy.
“If he really can’t succeed, Young Lord Kai will simply escape. Didn’t you notice that he deliberately choose to refine that Jade True Spirit inside the Heavenly Palace? He obviously did that to protect against any unexpected events like this.” Huo Xing Chen replied confidently.
His analysis of the situation was quite sharp and he explained it clearly and eloquently enough that no one could rebut.
Inside the Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai stared at the raging flames down below while continuously using his Divine Sense to try to subdue the Jade True Spirit.
If he wanted to finish absorbing the power of the Jade True Spirit, he would first have to force it to surrender.
However, the extreme power of the Jade True Spirit coupled with its thirst for destruction had made it instinctually arrogant so it was consciously refuse to submit to Yang Kai.
A flash of hot flames burst forth one more and spread throughout the entire Heavenly Palace.
Yang Kai coldly snorted as his Flaming Yang Wings waved, dodging in and around these erupting flames to quickly arrive at a particular spot in the mansion.
This was the location of the Su Yan’s room.
Of course, since the entire building had been destroyed by the Jade True Spirit, it was now just a flat open space.
When he arrived here, Yang Kai stopped dodging and dove towards the ground, breaking through the surrounding rubble he quickly flew down into the wreckage, only to return a moment later carrying a giant block of ice in his hands that was even now emitting strong waves of cold Qi.
Su Yan’s Ice Crystal Jade Bed!
Previously she had been using this ice crystal bed to cultivate, but after she was brought to the higher world by Treasurer Meng, this ice bed had been left behind here.
Ice and fire had always been each other’s greatest nemeses.
Yang Kai had long ago planned on using this ice crystal bed to counter the flames of the Jade True Spirit.
After sensing the presence of its nemesis, the always aloof Jade True Spirit suddenly stared towards the ice crystal bed as a violent light flashed across its misshapen eyes.
It immediately sent a blast of heat towards the ice crystal bed.
When the cold and hot Qi met, they instantly began neutralizing each other, sending out a cloud of white mist.
Yang Kai was unscathed.
In this collision between fire and ice, he had become just another spectator.
An angry roar rang out and the all of the dispersed flames inside the Heavenly Palace were quickly taken back by the Jade True Spirit. In the next moment, these flames condensed into a strange beast that snarling and rushing towards Yang Kai, its facial features warping constantly.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and stared at the rushing Jade True Spirit beast, but this time, instead of trying to avoid it, he simply picked up the ice crystal bed.
“Devil Transformation!” Shouting eerily, an earth shaking pressure began radiating from Yang Kai’s body as a pure and rich Demonic Qi burst forth from his Golden Skeleton quickly filling the Heavenly Palace. Simultaneously, he lifted the ice crystal bed up high and then slammed it towards the oncoming beast.
Outside the Heavenly Palace, all anyone could see at this moment was a burst of light followed by a billowing cloud of swirling energy.
This cloud had three distinct colours.
The red raging flames, the pure white icy chill, and the pitch black Demonic Qi.
These three colours swirled about the Heavenly Palace creating a terrifying yet beautiful scene.
It could be seen clearly that the red cloud currently occupied the absolute upper hand while the white and black segments were quickly being dispersed.
Seeing these, everyone involuntarily clenched their fists and silently prayed for Yang Kai’s safety.
At the same time, all of them admired Yang Kai’s courage and wit, thinking to themselves that if it were them in his place they would have immediately run away without making any effort.
However, Yang Kai was persisting, and his black Demonic Qi, although greatly suppressed, still had yet to fully dissipate.
Gradually, the red flames were no longer as strong as they once were, apparently having been weakened significantly as the white ice and black Demonic Qi gradually began to re-emerge.
A burst of wild cheers broke out as the surrounding crowd celebrated joyfully.
As the white and dark lights within the cloud became stronger, the two together began to push back against the red flames.
At this moment, the situation had become a stalemate with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
Time passed, the moon rose and fell, and an entire day had come and gone.
The situation inside the Heavenly Palace was still ongoing and the destructive aura pulsing from it had now spread across the entire Central Capital, causing the previous night to be quite restless, resulting in many being unable to sleep or eat in peace.
However, those who had come to Yang Kai’s house to observe the situation had not left or rested, all of them waiting patiently for the moment when Yang Kai would safely emerge.
Suddenly, the white ice light suddenly weakened significantly. No one knew what was going on, but a moment later the red flame light also began to dim while the black Demonic Qi suddenly became dominant.
Seeing this scene, everyone once again cheered happily as they knew that Yang Kai had fully grasped the initiative. They were now no longer worried, but instead looking forward to what kind of changes Yang Kai would have after this event and to what extent his strength would grow as a result of absorbing the Jade True Spirit.
As time passed, the three coloured cloud inside the Heavenly Palace began to visibly change.
The black Demonic Qi became more and more prevalent as the red and white fire and ice light gradually disappeared.
After nearly a month, a loud bang resounded, and the entire Heavenly Palace became completely filled with black light, all traces of red and white thoroughly annihilated.
Immediately, the black Demonic Qi began rushing towards a single point, as if a great whirlpool had appeared and was vigorously swallowing it up.
Soon after, Yang Kai’s figure appeared in the eyes of the crowd, the dense ruinous aura that had covered the Central Capital finally fading as he came into view.
*Xiu…* The Heavenly Palace which was surrounding Yang Kai also apparently exhausted its energy supply and collapsed.
Yang Kai didn’t know what grade of artifact the Heavenly Palace was, but seeing how Meng Wu Ya had left long ago yet it was still able to guard Yang Kai’s mansion until now, its power was obvious to all.
A little palace shaped object gently floated through the air and arrived in front of Yang Kai who casually reached out and received it.
This artifact belonged to Meng Wu Ya, so when Yang Kai tried to communicate with it using his Divine Sense it did not respond at all. Having expected this though, Yang Kai simply gave up trying and stored it into the Black Book space.
Quietly standing in the same place and feeling the changes he had undergone, Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a smile.
The people surrounding the mansion also stepped forward at this time, each of them wearing a joyful face as they swarmed around Yang Kai.
“Young Lord Kai, it looks like your harvest this time isn’t small,” Huo Xing Chen laughed.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Not too bad.”
The thirteen Blood Warriors on the other hand were slightly puzzled because after absorbing the power of the Jade True Spirit for an entire month, Yang Kai’s cultivation hadn’t changed at all, he was still at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage.
This discovery made them somewhat confused.
If there was no change in his cultivation, where had all the power Yang Kai absorbed from the Jade True Spirit go?
That overwhelming destructive energy was clearly contained a large amount of extremely pure True Yang Yuan Qi and should have been enough for Yang Kai to advance at least two or three Minor Realms.
However, since Yang Kai didn’t open his mouth to explain, none of them asked. Sometimes, an increase in strength didn’t always necessitate an increase in realm. Vaguely, the thirteenth Blood Warriors now felt a sense of pressure when facing Yang Kai which they had not felt previously.
It seemed like, if Yang Kai wanted to, he would be capable of taking any of their lives in an instant.
Unable to understand and unwilling to ask, they simply shook their heads and smiled.
Having absorbed the power of the Jade True Spirit and receiving the Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai had now completed all of his remaining business in the Central Capital and it was time for him to depart.
The only thing he felt regretful about was that Su Yan’s Ice Cyrstal Bed had completely melted in his fight with the Jade True Spirit.
In the end, the grade of the Ice Crystal Bed was unfortunately inferior to the Jade True Spirit.
After spending another three days in the Central Capital making some travel arrangements and saying goodbye to his friends and family, Yang Kai embarked on his next journey.
Shui Ling was the only one to follow him and was clearly quite excited to finally be leaving.
Outside the Central Capital’s gate, a large group of people came to see Yang Kai off, many of them with wet, puffy eyes, quite reluctant to see him go.
“With Young Lord Kai traveling there, it seems that other world won’t be as peaceful from now on,” Huo Xing Chen muttered under his breath, seemingly prophesying the future.
…
All the way, Shui Ling’s demeanor was particularly upbeat. Since she had accidentally fell into this world, she had been unable to find a way back and two years had passed by. Now that she had hope of returning home, naturally she was quite happy. As they traveled together, she would often tell Yang Kai various things about the other world.
Yang Kai didn’t respond much to her and simply listened in order to learn as much information as he could.
Shui Ling wasn’t annoyed by his silence though and also didn’t try to hurry their pace, welcoming opportunities to stop and rest along the way.
The speed of these two was neither fast, nor slow, flying the whole way under their own power while enjoying the different local customs and sceneries, allowing them to relax even though Yang Kai’s heart was still full of expectation and enthusiasm for the future.
Ten days after their journey began, Shui Ling still didn’t see anything that resembled a way home and finally couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore, asking, “Where are we now?”
“Tian Lang Dynasty!”
“Tian Lang Dynasty?” Shui Ling was slightly surprised. She had already been in this world for two years so she had obviously heard about the Great Han Dynasty’s neighbouring country, how the latter’s social customs were quite different, and how the land there was quite barren in comparison to the Great Han Dynasty.
“No wonder these women dress so shamelessly,” Shui Ling muttered under her breath as she stared towards a pair of young beautiful women a slight distance ahead of them. These two women wore colourful sleeveless robes that showed a great deal of their skin, even exposing their smooth flat midriffs and the deep valley between their proud peaks.
As for their lower bodies, they only had short skirts from which their long slender legs extended.
These two women, as they walked in front of them, even shot flirtatious glances towards Yang Kai as the smiled charmingly.
“What are we doing here? Is there a way to get to the Tong Xuan Realm from here?” Shui Ling is puzzled.
Tong Xuan Realm was the higher world’s formal name. Over there, the World Energy was abundant and powerful Sects and masters were everywhere.
“I’m came here to find someone,” Yang Kai explained casually before raising his hand and calling out, “Young ladies, please wait a moment.”
The pair of young women were slightly surprised to be solicited so boldly and immediately halted their footsteps, the older of the two smiling warmly towards Yang Kai and asking, “Is there something we can help little brother with?”
Her face wore an interested expression as she seemed to be carefully checking Yang Kai out.
Yang Kai paid no mind to this; he already understood the boldness of the girls from Tian Lang Dynasty and knew that such behaviour was just how they normally acted.
“I just wanted to ask for directions, do you know how I can get to Sen Luo Temple?” Yang Kai asked casually, not bothering to conceal his goal.
However, as soon as he spoke these words, the looks on the two women’s faces changed sharply, the older girl’s expression became cautions as she quickly asked, “You want to go to Sen Luo Temple?”
Pausing for a moment before further interrogating, “Why do you want to go to the Sen Luo Temple?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, faintly realizing that something wasn’t quite right but still calmly replying, “I’m looking for someone, I left something with her some time ago and need to retrieve it.”
“Who are you looking for? What did you leave with her?” The girl continued to ask.
Yang Kai smiled wryly, he had just arrived in Tian Lang Dynasty and was unfamiliar with its landmarks, so upon finally encountering these two young women he had naturally wanted to ask them for direction, but he had never expected them to react so vigilantly towards him, apparently when he said he was looking for Sen Luo Temple he had caused some kind of misunderstanding.
He didn’t know anything about the internal affairs of Tian Lang Dynasty and didn’t want to get involved in any matters regarding Sen Luo Temple, all he wanted to do was look for Zi Mo and retrieve the thread of Divine Sense he had planted in her mind all those years ago.
Having been reminded by Old Demon, Yang Kai knew that leaving that thread of Divine Sense in the mind of another posed a danger to himself. Once the other party died, Yang Kai would suffer a blow to his Soul as well.
Of course that was not his only purpose in coming here. After retrieving his thread of Divine Sense, Yang Kai also wanted Zi Mo to lead him to Tian Lang Dynasty’s most famous Forbidden Zone.
These two girl’s intense reaction and wariness towards him had slightly irked Yang Kai though.
His expression suddenly becoming somewhat cold, he let out a sneer and grinned fiercely, bluntly replying, “There’s no need for you to ask so many questions, just tell me what I want to know.”
Seeing the gentle young man in front of them suddenly undergo such a dramatic change in personality caused the two young women to retreat a few steps and begin circulating their True Qi, preparing to hit back against Yang Kai if he made any aggressive moves.
Yang Kai simply snorted and released a huge pressure from his body, causing the girls in front of him to suddenly feel like they were carrying mountains on their shoulders, their pretty faces to cringe as they began panting for breath.
The older girl’s face went pale as she realized just how horrifying Yang Kai’s strength was, stealthily flicking her delicate hand, seemingly sprinkling something on the ground.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly stretched out his hand and created a strong suction force.
*Xiu xiu xiu…* A few small objects that had just burrowed into the ground quickly flew into Yang Kai’s palm.
“Soul Controlling Insects?” Yang Kai’s muttered curiously as he stared at the small bugs on top of his palm, a touch of nostalgia flashing across his eyes.
Many years ago, in that isolated world, several cultivators from Tian Lang Dynasty had used these same Soul Controlling Insects to enslave hundreds of Monster Beasts and cause great damage to the Great Han Dynasty cultivators.
Zi Mo had also wanted to use this trick to deal with Yang Kai, but he had easily resolved it.
Just now, this girl sprinkling these few Soul Controlling Insects towards the ground was obviously trying to do the same thing as Zi Mo had once done and control Yang Kai.
But having experienced this situation once before, how could Yang Kai allow her to succeed?
When he so easily dealt with their Soul Controlling Insects, the two girls expression became panicked as the older of the pair shouted in fright, “How did you know?”
“Of course I would know.” Yang Kai smiled smugly.
“Impossible, from the way you dress you’re clearly cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty. The Soul Controlling Insects are one of our faction’s core inheritances, how could you possibly understand them!”
“Your faction’s core technique?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, his sinister grin becoming slightly more menacing, “What is your relationship with Zi Mo?”
The beautiful girls showed a dumbstruck expression as she exclaimed, “Do you know our Senior Sister?”
“Senior Sister?” This time Yang Kai was the stunned one. He had just asked casually but never expected this pair of girls to really have such a relationship with Zi Mo.
When he first encountered her, Zi Mo had told Yang Kai she belonged to one of Sen Luo Temple’s factions that focused on the study and control of special types of insects, so when he saw this girl also used Soul Controlling Insects, Yang Kai naturally thought she might be connected to Zi Mo somehow.
Suddenly meeting her Junior Sisters… Yang Kai’s expression became a bit awkward. Apparently, such coincidences did happen.
(Pewpew: Pft, coincidence? More like inevitability! Why invent a stranger no one will remember when you can just let your characters meet and get it over with…)
“En, Zi Mo is our faction’s Big Senior Sister! How do you know her?” The girl asked.
“We’re old… acquaintances.” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Since you are Zi Mo’s Junior Sister, I’ll return these Soul Controlling Insects to you.”
Saying so, he tossed the small insects back to the girl.
The girl reached out and looked Yang Kai up and down, her expression now containing some slight confusion and embarrassment, but also a deep sense of dread.
“Take me to see your Senior Sister, I have something I need to discuss with her.” Yang Kai faintly said.
The two young girls stared at him, but after hesitating for a while, the older girl nodded gently.
People below have to bow to those with power. Such is the way of the world.
As the pair lead the way, Yang Kai and Shui Ling casually following behind, from time to time the two young girls would glance back and whisper amongst themselves, apparently not understanding how their Big Senior Sister knew this Great Han Dynasty cultivator, and from his demeanor it seemed like he and their Big Senior Sister seemed to have some history.
He wouldn’t be here to seek revenge, would he? The pair secretly guessed, suddenly becoming somewhat worried.
This youth seemed to be about the same age as them, but they were unable to see through his cultivation, which obviously made them feel anxious.
If he was really here to settle a grudge, these girls weren’t too worried; after all, their faction also had a powerful master protecting them. If he arrogantly tried to barge in, he would no doubt only be seeking his own death.
Considering all this, the pair settled down and walked forward while trying to strike up a conversation with Yang Kai, hoping to glean some information from him about his origins.
Facing the inquiry of these young girls, Yang Kai chose to remain completely silent, trying to show the demeanour of a powerful master.
Shui Ling, who on the other hand was still in a good mood, immediately began mingling with these two fellow females and was soon chattering non-stop, but whenever they asked anything about Yang Kai, Shui Ling cleverly changed the subject.
Along the way, the pair of girls from Sen Luo Temple didn’t manage to obtain any useful information.
They still didn’t know what purpose this young male and female had for coming to Sen Luo Temple, or what their relationship with their Big Senior Sister Zi Mo was.
Half a day later, Yang Kai suddenly came to a halt and turned his head towards a certain direction, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
He had suddenly a sense of resonance, a fluctuation that belonged to his Soul.
Zi Mo should be close by.
The leading girls also stopped walking when they noticed Yang Kai stop, not knowing what to do; however, Yang Kai was too lazy to explain anything to them and instead just shot off in the direction he sensed the familiar aura.
“Hey…” The pair from Sen Luo Temple cried out in shock and tried to ask what was happening, but by the time they came to their senses Yang Kai had already disappeared.
A short moment later, in the sky over a lush jungle, Yang Kai stood mid-air, staring down at the land below him, his brow furrowed slightly.
In front of him was a range of low undulating mountains covered in a thick jungle, with not the slightest traces of any buildings much less the grand constructions of a Super Force. Instead, some fifty kilometers away Yang Kai discovered a large number of magnificent structures and could sense the auras of many powerful masters.
That place should be the real base of Tian Lang Dynasty’s Sen Luo Temple.
But if that was so, what was Zi Mo doing here?
As far as he could see, there were no unusual fluctuations here, nor even the shadow of people. There also didn’t seem to be some kind of Heaven’s Cave in the depths of these mountains, so Yang Kai was quite confused.
Slightly releasing his own aura, soon after, an angry voice echoed from the depths of the mountain below, “What do you want? We’ve already left Sen Luo Temple like you wanted. Are you people really so ruthless you want to ignore all our former ties and friendships and slaughter us to the last?”
Yang Kai was stunned but quickly smirked and called out teasingly, “Silly girl, is your temper still so hot? Before asking who it is you suddenly begin interrogating and accusing me?”
“You are…” The voice of the woman down below trembled slightly, seemingly trying to recall the identity of this familiar voice, a moment later exclaiming, “That bastard Yang Kai?”
“You can leave out the ‘bastard’ part out, can’t you?” Yang Kai’s face went black.
“Hehe…” A pleasant bell-like laughter resounded from the mountain below and after a few breaths a large stone suddenly moved to the side exposing a deep cave from which a beautiful young woman stepped out.
It was Zi Mo, dressed in her usual high exposure clothes, stimulating the fantasies of any man who saw her. Looking up, she saw the familiar face of Yang Kai standing in the sky and wore a delighted expression, seemingly not having thought that after these few years she could actually see him again, immediately flying up towards him.
Gently curling her lips, she said, “You bastard, aren’t you some kind of big shot in the Great Han Dynasty? Why come all the way over to Tian Lang Dynasty to make trouble?”
“I missed you, so I came to see you,” Yang Kai smiled happily.
Zi Mo rolled her eyes, “You think I’m some naive little girl you can easily lie to?” Turning her eyes next to Shui Ling who was standing next to Yang Kai, she sneered and quipped, “You ‘miss me’ yet you bring along another woman when you come to see me? Hmph, that’s just like you, unable to go without a beauty on your arm.”
“Hey, don’t say that, I have nothing to do with him.” Shui Ling grumbled unhappily.
“That doesn’t matter. As long as you stick around him long enough, sooner or later you’ll become his woman. If you want to keep your innocence, the farther away from him you stay, the safer you’ll be,” Zi Mo said in a completely serious tone.
“We haven’t seen each other for a few years and the first thing you do is slander me? When did I ever do wrong you?” Yang Kai suddenly felt a big headache coming on.
Zi Mo bit her luscious lips and blushed faintly, “When did you ever wrong me? All those years ago when you touched and kissed me so forcefully, that wasn’t wronging me? If it wasn’t for that small accident I would have already lost everything to you…”
As she spoke, she wore a pitiful expression, as if she had experienced the greatest shame under the Heavens at Yang Kai’s hands.
Shui Ling quickly turned to stare at Yang Kai badly, gnashing her teeth in indignation as she shouted, “I always knew you were such a bastard!”
“Lies! All lies! She’s slandering me! Don’t you believe me?” Yang Kai shouted furiously.
“Big Senior Sister, Big Senior Sister!” At this moment, the two young girls who had lead Yang Kai here finally caught up and flew over to Zi Mo before pointing towards Yang Kai, “This person said that he came here looking for you.”
“En, I know. There’s no need to be nervous, he’s not an enemy,” Zi Mo’s aggrieved expression instantly changed to a kind smile as she casually explained, “Although he’s the biggest bastard under the heavens, he also my savior.”
“Oh,” The two girls nodded and finally relaxed completely.
“An old friend from far away has come to see you yet this is how you treat me?” Yang Kai sighed helplessly, “Haa… Women really are the most ruthless creatures.”
“Stop putting on airs,” Zi Mo rolled her eyes again before waving her hand, “Come inside first, we can talk there.”
“Big Senior Sister…” The two other girls were shocked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to master later,” Zi Mo said calmly.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, although there were a lot of doubts in his heart, he also knew that he shouldn’t ask too many questions, the more he did the more trouble he’d bring to himself.
Flying down together with Shui Ling, the group of five walked into the cave leading to the base of the mountain.
A few steps into the cave, Zi Mo tapped the wall in a few spots and the big rock at the entrance rolled back and sealed the exit again.
Inside this mountain cave, every dozen steps or so there was a bright shining stone so it was not in any way dark or difficult to see.
Zi Mo led the way, a light smile adorning her face and a certain bounce in her step the whole way forward, seemingly not having felt so relaxed in a long time.
Bringing Yang Kai to a spacious stone room in the depths of the mountain, Zi Mo settled him and Shui Ling in and had her two Junior Sister bring over some fresh fruit.
“We don’t have much in the way of refreshments here so you’ll have to make do with this,” Zi Mo laughed.
Yang Kai nodded, indicating he didn’t mind, quickly picking up a plump red fruit, polishing it slightly on his robes before tossing it over to Shui Ling.
Shui Ling caught it, but having seen the whole process, was quite unwilling to take a bite.
“You wait here for a moment, I need to inform my Master about you first; after all, outsiders normally aren’t allowed into this place,” Zi Mo smiled and said, “But considering who you are, I decided to act first and explain later.”
“It seems like my face isn’t small.” Yang Kai smiled smugly.
Giggling slightly, Zi Mo left, leaving behind her Junior Sister who were now all staring at Yang Kai, their beautiful eyes filled with curious light.
Yang Kai didn’t know what they were expecting and didn’t bother to ask, instead choosing to wait quietly.
Spreading out his Divine Sense quietly, after quickly investigating his surroundings, Yang Kai’s expression became slightly weird.
He discovered that there were about a hundred people living in this mountain and that there was a Transcendent Realm master assuming command, probably the Master Zi Mo spoke of. Other than this powerhouse, there were only a few Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, a dozen or so at most, while the rest were mainly at the True Element Boundary or Separation and Reunion Boundary. Also, from their auras, Yang Kai could infer that over eight percent of these cultivators were from the younger generation.
[It seemed like Zi Mo’s current situation isn’t good!] Yang Kai thought secretly.
Fifty kilometers away from this place was Tian Lang Dynasty’s only Super Force, Sen Luo Temple, of which Zi Mo was supposedly a disciple. By all rights, she and the other cultivators here should be living within the boundaries of the Sect, yet they were instead here in this underground cave.
On top of that, when Yang Kai arrived here, Zi Mo had said some intriguing words.
The whole situation seemed like some kind of internal Sect dispute, Yang Kai secretly shook his head.
About half an hour later, Zi Mo returned, a slightly annoyed look upon her face, “Master has allowed you to stay here for a while but you must depart as soon as possible. With the current state of affairs, it’s not convenient for us to be to receiving outsiders.”
“Good, I wasn’t planning to stay here for long anyways.” Yang Kai nodded.
“What are you here for?” Zi Mo sat down and asked curiously.
“To set you free,” Yang Kai .
Zi Mo was shocked, not immediately comprehending what he meant, but soon shaking her head lightly, “It doesn’t matter, I don’t care.”
“But I care,” Yang Kai laughed, not bothering to explain any further, quickly arriving beside Zi Mo and saying, “Just relax, this won’t take long.”
Zi Mo looked at him timidly for a moment before closing her eyes and relaxing her Knowledge Sea’s defence.
The next moment, she felt a huge and devastating Divine Sense pour into her Knowledge Sea.
The power of this Divine Sense absolutely terrified Zi Mo causing her beautiful face to go completely pale.
Moreover, this Divine Sense was actually seemed to be composed of violent and ruinous burning flames so hot that they could reduce her Knowledge Sea to ash in the blink of an eye.
As such terrifying thoughts filled her heart, this overwhelming Divine Sense suddenly withdrew from her Knowledge Sea.
“Done,” Yang Kai smiled.
Zi Mo opened her eyes slowly and suddenly felt as if some kind of invisible shackle that had been binding her had disappeared, simultaneously delighting her while giving her an odd sense of loss.
Suspiciously glancing towards Yang Kai, Zi Mo frowned and asked, “What realm are you now?”
“Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage!”
Gasps rang out as the two girls from Sen Luo Temple were shocked as they stared at Yang Kai incredulously.
Neither of them had expected that this youth who they had been dealing with had such incredible strength.
Their Big Senior Sister already had the best aptitude in their entire faction’s younger generation but was still only and Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivator; compared with this man, they were as far apart as the Heavens and Earth.
“It seems like after we parted you had many more adventures.” Zi Mo gazed at Yang Kai somewhat enviously.
“I was just lucky,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “Enough about that, other than retrieving my property, I also wanted to ask you for your help.”
“My help? With what?”
“I need to go to your Sen Luo Temple’s Forbidden Zone, the Abandoned Earth!”
Zi Mo’s face changed slightly.
The Abandoned Earth was a desolate region where not even grass survived. Everywhere one went there faced life threatening crisis, and a mysterious energy capable of slicing apart anything or anyone randomly swirled about. No one knew how this place was formed or what secrets it hid, only that everyone who had dared enter its depths had died.
There had even been several Transcendents who had attempted to investigate the mysteries hidden in the deepest parts of the Abandoned Earth, but even they had failed to return.
The Abandoned Earth’s fearsome name commanded the same fear in Tian Lang Dynasty as Nether Mountain did in the hearts of the Great Han Dynasty’s cultivators.
Both of these places were the most forbidden of Forbidden Zones where no idle traveller dared to go.
The last time Yang Kai and Zi Mo went for life experience in that Isolated World, they had only traveled around the outermost region of Nether Mountain and had never saw true horrors hidden deep within.
So when she heard Yang Kai wanted to go to the Abandoned Earth, Zi Mo couldn’t help feeling some fear, “What are you planning to do there?”
“Since I want to go there, I naturally have my reasons, but I don’t know where it is, so I can only ask you to show me the way. Rest assured, I just want you to bring me there and don’t need you to accompany me into its depths, so you won’t be in any danger.”
“You really must hate living a calm and steady life.” Zi Mo looked towards Yang Kai like he was some kind of madman.
Shui Ling, on the other hand, wore an excited expression, faintly understanding that the way home must be hidden in this so called ‘Abandoned Earth’.
When she heard Yang Kai make such a request to Zi Mo, Shui Ling couldn’t help feeling a bit excited.
Zi Mo grit her teeth and grumbled, “You bastard, I knew you weren’t kind enough to come here just to find me. Turns out you had another purpose all along.”
Yang Kai laughed sheepishly.
Zi Mo scowled at him badly before letting out a sigh, “The Abandoned Earth hasn’t been peaceful recently.”
“Oh? What happened?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Since long ago, the masters of Tian Lang Dynasty recognized that there were incredible secrets hidden inside the Abandoned Earth, so sometimes people would take the risk of entering it in order to seek out these mysteries. A short time ago, a lot of forces teamed up in order to launch and exploration of the Abandoned Earth, if you go there now and are discovered, even with your current strength, I’m afraid you won’t have a good end.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, since I dare to enter there, I will not be afraid of those people.”
Zi Mo groaned under her breath, “Your tone is still so wild.”
Hesitating for a moment, Zi Mo finally said, “You wait here for a bit, I need to consult with my Master. If Master allows me to go out, I’ll take you where you want to go. If I can’t get permission to leave though…. I’ll give you directions and you can go there yourself, the Abandoned Earth isn’t that difficult to find.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Saying so, Zi Mo disappeared into the cave network again.
The two girls who they had originally met on the road still stood around curiously looking at Yang Kai and Shui Ling, who was now gnawing away at the red fruit in her hand happily. On the other hand, Yang Kai had gone silent again, basically ignoring their slightly rude stares.
Half an hour after, Zi Mo came back and said, “Master said that since you have a life-saving grace with me, this time he’ll allow me to help you, follow me.”
Yang Kai smiled, stood up, and along with Shui Ling, walked out with Zi Mo.
A short time later, the trio reached the large boulder again and after Zi Mo removed it, they exited the mountainside.
However, just after they stepped out, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he turned his gaze towards a spot in the distance.
Zi Mo also frowned and stared in the same direction.
From the direction they were staring, a group of people quickly appeared, with a young man at their head, a mocking grin plastered all over his face.
The young man had an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivation, so it was obvious his aptitude was quite good. As for the people around him, most of them were also Immortal Ascension cultivators, numbering only a dozen or so in total.
This group of people flew forward and immediately blocked the trio’s path, sneering deviously the whole time.
After seeing the outfits of Shui Ling and Yang Kai, this group of people couldn’t help knitting their brows, especially when they noticed Shui Ling’s unusual pale blue hair. The leading young man showed a strong interest in her and kept sweeping his gaze wantonly over Shui Ling, from time to time an obscene light flickering across the depths of his eyes.
Shui Ling’s face and figure were both quite outstanding, and coupled with her hair that seemed to shimmer like water, it was only natural she became the focus of much unwanted attention.
“Xing Bao, what are you doing here?” Zi Mo immediately stepped forward and coldly asked the youth, her beautiful face now filled with loathing.
The young man named Xing Bao smiled back smugly and replied, “Junior Sister Zi’s question is quite interesting. This place is within the territory of my Sen Luo Temple, so why can I not be here? Oh right, Junior Sister Zi is no longer recognized as a disciple of Sen Luo Temple, perhaps I should call just call you Zi Mo now!”
As he spoke these words, the arrogance on his face only became thicker.
The group of people behind him also wore disdainful expression, clearly taking great pleasure in other’s misfortune.
Zi Mo’s tender body slightly trembled before she coldly snorted and shot back, “My Imperial Insect Faction has only temporarily withdrawn from Sen Luo Temple and has not formally separated from the Sect.”
“What? Zi Mo, do you still not know that Lord Sect Master has ordered the expulsion of your Imperial Insect Faction from Sen Luo Temple? If that wasn’t the case do you think that half dead old Master of yours would be able to bring all of you wastes out with him alive? Whatever the case, since you now know you’re not disciples of my Sen Luo Temple, you should know you can’t stay within our territory any more. Hurry up and get the hell out, if you dare linger here any longer, even if you want to leave, you won’t be able to.”
Zi Mo’s face changed from red to blue, “Are you really so ruthless?”
“Hah, ruthless, why shouldn’t I be?” Xing Bao coldly snorted, suddenly breaking out into a sinister laugh as he continued, “Well, it’s not like there isn’t any room for negotiation, as long as you can persuade your Master to submit to my father, you can still return to Sen Luo Temple.”
“Never,” Zi Mo sneered, “You want my master to crawl back and submit to your father? In your dreams.”
Xing Bao slowly shook his head, “Since you insist on being stubborn, you’ll have to pay the appropriate price.”
Saying so, Xing Bao waved his hand and said, “Capture these two Great Han Dynasty cultivators, let Zi Mo have a look at what fate awaits those who dare to offend us!”
Immediately after Xing Bao issued these orders, the people behind him quickly moved forward, snickering as they flew towards Yang Kai and Shui Ling.
For certain reasons, Xing Bao was not willing to directly deal with Zi Mo, but Yang Kai and Shui Ling were clearly cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty, so he naturally had no scruples about handling them.
Yang Kai simply sighed and shook his head.
He had already realized that something was afoot in Sen Luo Temple but he had intentionally not asked Zi Mo about what was happening because he was afraid of getting involved and delaying his departure, but now it seemed trouble had come looking for him instead.
Shui Ling glanced over at him silently, seemingly asking for instructions.
Yang Kai turned his eyes towards the sky, indicating he didn’t care what happened next.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Shui Ling snorted lightly and pointed her palm at her would-be attackers, sending out a small ball of water towards each of them.
These balls of water were only about the size of a palm, but when they hit the approaching cultivator’s bodies, they immediately expanded and engulfed their targets, completely submerging them in a watery prison.
The formerly menacing Sen Luo Temple cultivators instantly transformed into miserable drowning curs, struggling violently in an attempt to escape from these water balls yet completely incapable of resisting.
Shui Ling reached out once more and instantly trapped Xing Bao inside a water ball as well.
A dozen or so cultivators had been trapped inside Shui Ling’s floating water balls and no matter how fiercely they struggled or how hard they pushed their True Qi, they were all incapable of freeing themselves, stunning and terrifying all of them.
Zi Mo was also dumbstruck by this scene, never having expected that the pretty young girl with shimmering blue hair was actually such a powerful master.
On top of that, the methods Shui Ling used were something Zi Mo had never heard of before, much less seen.
“Bitch, let me go this instant!” Xing Bao shouted as he struggled, squirming around awkwardly, constantly making threats towards Shui Ling, “If you dare to hurt me, you’ll die a miserable death!”
“Ridiculous!” Shui Ling spat disdainfully, but after all, this was someone else’s site so she wasn’t planning on taking things too far, only intending on giving them a harsh lesson.
However, Xing Bao not only did not appreciate this mercy but instead became even more rampant and arrogant. Seeing that Shui Ling wasn’t showing any killing intent, he quickly calmed down and wantonly shouted, “I’ll remember you, you slut! When I get out of here, I’ll definitely let me my father capture you for me and then I’ll discipline you well! My father is the Sect Master of Sen Luo Temple, just you wait, I’ll make sure you suffer miserably, hahahaha!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help gawking, staring towards Xing Bao like he was some kind of fool as he whispered to Zi Mo, “What’s wrong with him? Is he messed up in the head or something?”
Zi Mo didn’t respond and instead was focusing her attention on Shui Ling.
Thanks to Xing Bao’s rampant words, Shui Ling had been thoroughly enraged, her eyes becoming cold as she gripped her hand, causing the dozen or so water balls to rapidly contract.
“Don’t!” Zi Mo cried out in shock.
*Peng peng peng peng…*
The sound of bursting bubbles resounded one after another, as a dozen bloody flowers suddenly blossomed mid-air.
Not even their skeletons were saved as these dozen people were transformed into minced meat and blood.
Zi Mo’s tender body trembled.
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai came to his senses and angrily shouted towards Shui Ling, not having anticipated her to act so ruthlessly.
Shui Ling shot back in a wronged tone, “They insulted me, so I killed them.”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead and suddenly felt a great headache.
“What?” Shui Ling stared at Yang Kai in confusion, “What’s the big deal with killing a few pieces of trash? You’ve killed so many people already, don’t tell me you’re still not using to seeing people die?”
“Killing these wastes isn’t the problem, the problem is killing them here in someone else’s territory,” Yang Kai sighed, “Seems things are about to become troublesome.”
“Troublesome indeed,” Zi Mo stared speechlessly at Yang Kai, thinking to herself she really couldn’t have any connection with this man again. This bastard had only just arrived in Tian Lang Dynasty yet he had already provoked so much trouble.
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “What’s done is done, they’re already dead and won’t suddenly resurrect even if we want them to.”
A figure suddenly appeared nearby, his eyes staring coldly at the scene below before turning towards Yang Kai, “Little friend, do you think this old master can use those words to smother the anger of Sen Luo Temple?”
“Probably not.” Yang Kai smiled calmly.
“Master!” Zi Mo shouted, “I’m sorry, I didn’t react in time…”
The old man floating nearby simply raised his hand to stop her and shook his head, “It’s not your fault, they’re the ones who killed them.”
Saying so, a crushing pressure filled with killing intent descended towards Yang Kai and Shui Ling
However, Yang Kai just casually stepped forward and stared back at this old man fearlessly, “What does Senior intent to do here?”
“This old master intends on capturing you two and then bringing you to Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master to face punishment, lest my Imperial Insect Faction be implicated by your reckless actions,” The old man replied flatly.
“Master!” Zi Mo exclaimed, but the moment she opened her mouth, the old man waved his hand and bound Zi Mo in place with his True Qi, apparently not wanting her to interject.
Zi Mo was incredibly anxious and was desperately trying to signal Yang Kai to quickly flee this place.
Her Master was a genuine Transcendent Realm powerhouse, in Zi Mo’s mind there was no way the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage Yang Kai could hope to resist him.
But after listening to the old man’s declaration, Yang Kai still remained calm, simply nodding once, “Senior doing so is only natural, but if Senior thinks capturing us will be easy, this Junior will have to disappoint you.”
Yang Kai’s expression was completely carefree, as if he didn’t know how to write the word ‘death’.
The old man stared at Yang Kai deeply, not sure why this weak little brat still seemed so calm even now, suddenly bursting into laughter a moment later, “Interesting. Truly interesting, are all cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty as rampant as you?”
“Not all of us,” Yang Kai replied, his brow wrinkling slightly, the old man suddenly withdrawing his killing intent made him feel somewhat puzzled.
The old man nodded and continued, “Good, since you killed those brats, this old master really should capture you here and now, but this old master suddenly doesn’t feel like doing so. Since little friend acts so crazily, you should have some impressive hidden methods. This old master wants to see how you escape the pursuit of Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master.”
Having said so, the old man waved his hand again and freed Zi Mo, calmly saying, “Zi Mo, lead them to the Abandoned Earth, then make sure they know to never comes to my Sen Luo Temple in the future.”
Apparently finished with what he wanted to say, the old man’s figure flickered and disappeared.
Zi Mo quickly bowed towards the hidden cave in the mountainside, “Many thanks, Master.”
Zi Mo hurriedly led Yang Kai and Shui Ling out of the jungle and then rushed towards the Abandoned Earth, seemingly afraid that her master would change his mind.
Half a day later, her speed gradually eased up, gently gasping, she turned to look at Yang Kai and Shui Ling helplessly, “You two… haa…”
“Your master is quite interesting,” Yang Kai commented.
“Master isn’t someone who doesn’t distinguish between right and wrong. He is also quite grateful to you for killing those people, so he decided to let you go.”
“Grateful?” Yang Kai shook his head, “I doubt that, as to why he let us go, he seems to have his own considerations.”
“Considerations?” Zi Mo asked suspiciously.
Yang Kai smiled slightly before swiping the back of his hand lightly, opening a small cut out of which blood oozed. Staring for a moment, Yang Kai swiftly pinched a small object that seemed to be crawling out of the wound.
“A Tracing Insect?” Zi Mo’s expression changed greatly, turning her gaze back to Yang Kai and asking, “Did master plant it on you?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai asked with a sly expression on his face.
Zi Mo immediately felt embarrassed. Secretly planting a Tracing Insect on Yang Kai, only her master could accomplish something like that. Moreover, the grade of this insect wasn’t low; at first glance it was obvious it belonged to her master.
“Don’t worry about it, your master doing this really indicates he didn’t want to kill us; after all, we took some revenge for your Imperial Insect Faction and I also saved your life once. He probably did this so he can have an excuse to calm your Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master’s anger.” Yang Kai analyzed, as if seeing through all of Zi Mo’s master’s thoughts, quickly returning the Tracing Insect to his body.
“You…” Zi Mo was dumbfounded, “Why did you put it back?”
“If I kill it, how would your master explain himself to Sen Luo Temple?” Yang Kai smiled, “If I haven’t guessed wrong, this little bug can be used to locate my position, yes?”
“En, Tracing Insects come in male, female pairs. Right now, the female has been planted on you so as long as one has the corresponding male, they can easily seek you out,” Zi Mo nodded lightly.
“This things male partner must be in the hands of Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master by now.”
Yang Kai’s clear understanding of the situation caused Zi Mo to nod in admiration.
“You’re not worried?” Zi Mo stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shook his head, “If he dares to come, I’ll make sure he never goes back.”
“You’re as crazy as ever.”
“Enough about that. What’s going on with Sen Luo Temple?” Yang Kai finally couldn’t help but ask.
Yang Kai had intentionally acted ignorant before because he was worried about getting caught up in some unforeseen trouble, but now that he was already involved, naturally he wanted some more information.
Zi Mo gently breathed a sigh of relief, “Sen Luo Temple is the only Super Force in Tian Lang Dynasty, but within the Temple itself there are five different factions and our Imperial Insect Faction is the smallest and weakest of those factions. Every ten years, one person from each of the five major factions will be elected to compete for the position of Sect Master. The current Sect Master is the father of that bastard Xing Bao. Meanwhile, Xing Zong, the current Sect Master is a competent leader and a strong master, but his thirst for authority and power is too strong, so with the end of his term approached, he used some means to win the support of the other four factions. However, my master was not willing to compromise and insisted on following the teachings of our ancestors. As a result, our Imperial Insect Faction was thoroughly suppressed by Xing Zong and over the past year or so we’ve steadily been pushed out of Sen Luo Temple and forced to live in that mountain’s jungle.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, now having at least a basic understanding of Sen Luo Temple’s situation.
There were only a hundred or so people in the Imperial Insect Faction, so although there was a Transcendent Realm master leading them, facing the suppression of all of Sen Luo Temple’s other factions, it was obviously impossible for them to resist, leading to their exile from the Sect.
“Although we have temporarily left Sen Luo Temple and have done our best to distance ourselves from the Sect’s internal disputes, they still aren’t willing to let us live in peace. Xing Bao often brings people to trouble us or apply pressure, trying to force us to compromise and submit to his father’s authority, but so far Master has stubbornly refused.”
“No wonder when I first arrived you said those words to me.” Yang Kai smiled.
Zi Mo smiled faintly, “I didn’t know it was you; after all, it’s been so many years since we separated, how was I to know you were even still alive?”
Suddenly letting out a sigh, Zi Mo grumbled, “Well, the situation is like that.”
Yang Kai nodded silently. If Zi Mo had been a cultivator from the Great Han Dynasty, he could easily invite her to go to the Central Capital, but since she belonged to Tian Lang Dynasty, it wasn’t convenient for Yang Kai to interfere too much, even if Zi Mo was willing to move to the Central Capital, her master definitely would not be.
Judging from his uncompromising attitude towards Xing Zong, that old man obviously had a stubborn personality; such people were generally not willing to leave their homelands behind.
Yang Kai was unwilling to intervene in another Sect’s matters, but if they decided to find trouble with him, he would respond in kind.
At the same time, above a lush jungle fifty kilometers outside Sen Luo Temple.
A tall man with a stern face who appeared to be in his forties suddenly flew over.
Staring down at several piles of minced meat and dried blood, the stern faced man’s breath became ragged as a violent True Qi began surging from his body, turning towards a nearby mountain and roaring angrily, “Liu Yun, get out here!”
“Sect Master, I’ve been waiting for you,” Zi Mo’s Master appeared and calmly greeted.
“Who killed Xing Bao?” Xing Zong furiously interrogated, his aura fluctuating wildly as he was on the verge of erupting, staring at Liu Yun with an expression that seemed to say ‘if you can’t give me a satisfactory answer I’ll kill you where you stand’.
“It was two cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty.”
“Cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty?” Xing Zong fumed, “Why would cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty appear here? Are you saying you colluded with outsiders to attack my son?”
“Sect Master must be joking, if I wanted to act against your son, Xing Bao would have been dead many times over by now, it is only because of Sect Master’s face that this old master tolerated his arrogance,” Liu Yun coldly snorted, clearly not afraid of Xing Zong’s threatening posture.
In response to these ruthless words, Xing Zong’s anger slightly abated, but he still refused to let the issue drop, “What exactly happened?”
Liu Yun’s tone also became more temperate as he narrated the course of events, shrugging his shoulders indifferently, “This old master didn’t expect the two of them to kill so decisively, by the time I realized it was already too late.”
“Where are they now?” Xing Zong asked, “Did you capture them already and were just waiting for me to arrive?”
Liu Yun slowly shook his head, “They’ve fled.”
Xing Zong’s aura became dangerous once more, “With you here, they still managed to escape? Could it be you just stood by and watched them leave?”
“You could say that; after all, I have no enmity with them, so why would I attack them for no reason?” Liu Yun calmly retorted.
Hearing this, Xing Zong’s anger fully erupted, a thick killing intent burst forth from his body as he coldly shouted, “If you don’t give me an explanation right now, I’ll personally exterminate your Imperial Insect Faction.”
To this naked threat, Liu Yun simply sneered, “This old master just thought that seeking revenge for the death of one’s child should be solved by Sect Master himself. Therefore, this old master decided to take a step back so as not to interfere in this important affair.”
Saying so, he took out a small insect and held it up, “Sect Master should know what this is, correct?”
“A Tracing Insect?” Xing Zong’s eyes flashed brilliantly.
“Indeed,” Liu Yun nodded gently, “This male Tracing Insect’s female partner has been planted on the person who killed Xing Bao. As long as Sect Master has this, it should be easy for him to track down the murderer.”
“Give it to me,” Xing Zong hastily put his hand out.
However, Liu Yun shook his head once more, “It’s not impossible for this old master to hand this Tracing Insect over to Sect Master, but I have some conditions.”
“You dare discuss conditions with me?” Xing Zong grinned fiercely, “You think that without that Tracing Insect I can’t find those two? Laughable, as long as they’re still in Tian Lang Dynasty, I will find them eventually!”
“If Sect Master knew where those two were going, you may not be so confidant,” Liu Yun sneered.
Xing Zong’s brow furrowed for a moment before he asked, “Where did they go?”
“The Abandoned Earth!”
Xing Zong’s expression immediately became ugly. Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he asked, “Your conditions, let’s hear them!”
The Abandoned Earth, even if it was Xing Zong, he couldn’t guarantee that he could find one or two people inside that Forbidden Zone. The energy inside that place was far too chaotic and dangerous, without some kind of reliable guidance, it was even possible that he could lose his way and never be able to leave.
“The Imperial Insect Faction returns to Sen Luo Temple, and the ten year tradition of electing a new Sect Master is restored according to our ancestral teachings! If Sect Master refuses, this old master will immediately crush this insect!”
“You dare!” Xing Zong roared as he flew into a rage.
Liu Yun sneered dismissively, gathering his True Qi into his palm, calmly waiting, exhibiting a completely uncompromising stance towards Xing Zong.
After rampaging for a moment, Xing Zong grit his teeth and nodded, “Good, I swear to you, as long as I can take revenge for my son’s murder, I will fulfill all of your conditions.”
“I hope Sect Master will honour his words!” Liu Yun said coldly. Although he did not have much faith in Xing Zong, right now this was the best he could hope for, so he decisively tossed the male Tracing Insect over.
Reaching out and grabbing the Tracing Insect, Xing Zong coldly snorted before turning and flying towards the Abandoned Earth.
…………
Two days later, at the periphery of the Abandoned Earth, Yang Kai’s trio came to a stop.
Looking at the barren wasteland that stretched out before them, completely devoid of all life, Yang Kai and Shui Ling were both somewhat amazed.
The aura surrounding this place was extremely odd, giving them a truly ominous feeling, no wonder it had become Tian Lang Dynasty’s most dangerous Forbidden Zone.
“We’re here,” Zi Mo said with a tinge of panic apparent in her voice, apparently quite unwilling to go any further.
“Thank you,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, over the past two days, Zi Mo had told Yang Kai everything she knew about the Abandoned Earth in the hopes that it would at least somewhat useful to him.
“Do you really want to go in?” Zi Mo stared at Yang Kai anxiously, wondering just what he was going to do in the Abandoned Earth.
“I have to.”
“Then I’ll wait here for you to come out,” Zi Mo sighed and no longer tried to dissuade him.
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head, “After we go in, I’m afraid we won’t see each other for a very long time; at the very least, I don’t plan on ever coming out from this place again. You should return to Sen Luo Temple.”
Zi Mo was dumbstruck.
“Go back and tell your master, if he dares plot against me again, even if he is your master, I’ll still kill him!” Yang Kai grinned fiercely, his face filled with an evil light, laughing recklessly as he led Shui Ling into the Abandoned Earth.
Zi Mo stood silently for a moment before quickly coming to her senses, shouting out, “Yang Kai, be careful. Don’t you dare die.”
Yang Kai didn’t look back, just waving his hand casually as he continued forward.
Soon, both his and Shui Ling’s figure disappeared from Zi Mo’s view.
Seeing him vanish, Zi Mo suddenly felt an odd sense of loss.
In truth, her friendship with Yang Kai wasn’t too deep; it was just that when she was together with him in that Isolated World, his various performances and achievements had left a deep impression on her. This time, when they reunited after all these years, the shock Yang Kai brought here was even greater.
Unknowingly, this bastard of a man had actually become an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage master.
Perhaps because he was the most outstanding man she had ever met, Yang Kai’s departure had made her feel a little regretful.
A place with no life, where not even grass grows. An endless wasteland where dust and gravel swirl randomly and one care barely see ten meters in front of their face.
This was the Abandoned Earth!
Upon stepping into this place, Yang Kai couldn’t help becoming more vigilant. According to Zi Mo, the flow of energy in the Abandoned Earth was chaotic and disaster could strike at any moment. If someone was even a little careless, even their bones might not remain.
Moreover, due to this chaotic energy, it was very difficult to maintain a sense of direction, so it was easy to become lost. Every year, a large number of powerful masters would come here seeking opportunities, but most of them would never return.
How did the Abandoned Earth form? Zi Mo didn’t know too much, only that this place had suddenly appeared some two hundred years ago.
The region where the Abandoned Earth now stood on had not always been this desolate. Although it wasn’t a rich vibrant land, at the very least, there were flowers and trees and traces of human activities.
The appearance of the Abandoned Earth more than two hundred years ago had created a big stir and to this day was one of the greatest mysteries in Tian Lang Dynasty.
But while Zi Mo didn’t know the origins of the Abandoned Earth, Yang Kai did.
Tian Lang Dynasty’s most famous Forbidden Zone was actually created by Meng Wu Ya.
Treasurer Meng had passed Yang Kai a message at the last moment before the void corridor to Tong Xuan Continent collapsed.
In that Divine Sense message, he had told Yang Kai a route to take to get to Tong Xuan Continent; it was because of this message from Meng Wu Ya that Yang Kai had come here.
If it weren’t for Meng Wu Ya, Yang Kai would never have known that there was a hidden void corner in this Abandoned Earth. If he could find it, he could travel to the other world.
When Meng Wu Ya first arrived in this world from Tong Xuan Continent, he had used the void corridor where the Abandoned Earth was now located, and in order to protect this passage, he had used a profound technique to create a protective array here, turning this place into a kind of Forbidden Zone.
Over time, feeding on the surrounding World Energy, this array became more and more dangerous and eventually grew beyond the scope that Meng Wu Ya could control, gradually growing to its current size and scope.
Two hundred years ago, Meng Wu Ya had come to this world through this void corridor, so just how old is Treasurer Meng? Yang Kai recalled the content of the message he had received and couldn’t help wondering.
Treasurer Meng was really mysterious. Every time Yang Kai thought he had figured Meng Wu Ya out, he would quickly realize that he actually understood nothing about him. Yang Kai even faintly thought that Meng Wu Ya’s current Third Order Transcendent Realm cultivation was not his full strength.
[That old fox!] Yang Kai grumbled to himself as he shook his head.
Shui Ling followed Yang Kai’s footsteps closely; although she was already a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, this place still gave her a rather insecure feeling. She did not dare stray too far from Yang Kai for fear of them being separated.
Walking only a short distance, Yang Kai suddenly paused, closed his eyes and listened carefully, a moment later his expression becoming solemn as he grabbed Shui Ling and pulled her forward rapidly.
After only rushing out several dozen meters, a terrifying wind howled behind them.
Shui Ling turned around instinctively to look and immediately went pale; in the place where the pair had just been standing now stood a great tornado that stretched high in to the sky, fierce blades of wind that contained a terrifying energy constantly flying out from it, digging up the surrounding earth.
“Follow me closely,” Yang Kai said, “The energy here is too chaotic, if we’re not careful we may die here.”
Shui Ling’s beautiful face, which was now drained of all colour, nodded repeatedly, and asked somewhat nervously, “This place is so dangerous and there are no Precious Treasure, so why did that Zi Mo girl say a lot of masters from Tian Lang Dynasty still come here seeking opportunities?”
“Because these chaotic energy flows are actually a portrayal of a profound Martial Skill,” Yang Kai explained casually.
“These things are the result of a Martial Skill?” Shui Ling was stunned.
“En, many years ago, in order to protect the secret of this place, someone released a lot of high-end Martial Skills in this area and then, through some special methods, preserved their destructive power. Although as time passed, the form of these Martial Skills dissipated and the energy become chaotic, they still contain wisps of that master’s comprehension of the Martial Dao. If someone is able to comprehend part of those sensibilities from these chaotic energies, they might be able to piece together some profound Martial Skills, so… do you think those masters won’t be tempted?”
“What master possesses such skill?” Shui Ling was dumbstruck, “It shouldn’t be possible to preserve the destructive power of Martial Skills for so long.”
“Nothing is impossible. Also, you’ve already met that person.” Yang Kai smiled.
“Who?” Shui Ling was now even more confused.
Yang Kai didn’t answer despite Shui Ling’s multiple inquiries, so after a while she couldn’t help snorting disdainfully, “You’re really just lying to me. How could someone from the Great Han Dynasty understand the secrets of this place when that Zi Mo who has lived here all her life doesn’t?”
However, apart from this explanation, Shui Ling couldn’t think of any benefit in this place that would be attractive enough for the masters of Tian Lang Dynasty to risk their lives here.
As Yang Kai and Shui Ling proceeded, the two would encounter violent energy storms almost every hour. These storms would release potent bursts of energy that was composed of multiple chaotic attributes, making them particularly difficult to block .
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s senses were outstanding and he was always able to notice some abnormalities at the most critical times and lead Shui Ling away from danger.
After two or three days walking inward, Shui Ling’s beautiful face was matted with dust and dirt and her shimmering light blue hair was dishevelled and caked with mud.
The deeper the pair went, the more dangers they encountered and the more frequent the chaotic energy storms occurred. By this point, Shui Ling had become quite helpless so even though she didn’t know what Yang Kai’s ultimate goal was, she didn’t become anxious and just docilely followed behind him.
She knew that Yang Kai would surely lead her home.
At the same time, in a different location inside the Abandoned Earth.
More than a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were following a glowing ball of light. This ball of light wreaked havoc wherever it flew and contained a formidable power.
These dozen or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters shouted and yelled to each other while under the leadership of one person, scattered around and tried to spy on the mysteries of this light sphere.
After much effort, just as they were on the verge of success, a figure suddenly came from a distance. This newcomer’s aura was violent and dangerous and quickly arrived in front of them.
The earth trembled when he landed.
“Who are you?” The leader angrily questioned.
“Xing Zong!” The person who came announced his name in a low voice, and although he was doing his best to suppress the anger of his heart, anyone who heard him could tell he was not happy.
“Xing Zong?” Hearing this name, the leader of this group’s face changed dramatically and he quickly stepped forward. After seeing Xing Zong’s face and confirming his identity, the leader immediately became respectful. He cupped his fists and greeted, “So it is Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master.”
Sen Luo Temple was the only Super Force in Tian Lang Dynasty, so its status was completely unmatched.
Although the people gathered here now all had not small prestige in Tian Lang Dynasty, facing Xing Zong they still couldn’t help becoming respectful, all of them offering polite greetings.
Xing Zong simply nodded lightly.
The leader of this group wore a big smile on his face as he cautiously asked, “Did Sect Master Xing come to the Abandoned Earth in search of opportunities as well?”
In response, Xing Zong coldly snorted, “I don’t have so much free time.”
“Then for what reason has Sect Master Xing come here today?” The leader asked, slightly puzzled.
The Abandoned Earth was not a hospitable place, and since Xing Zong wasn’t here seeking inspiration, why had he suddenly decided to come here?
“My son was killed by two cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty, since you arrived here, have any of you seen a pair of foreigners?”
Hearing this, the leader’s expression changed to one of astonishment, “Young Sect Master was killed by cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty?”
The other masters gathered here also became indignant.
The reputation of Sen Luo Temple in Tian Lang Dynasty wasn’t very good, but the son of its Sect Master being killed by two Great Han Dynasty cultivators naturally aroused some ire.
No matter what contradictions cultivators had, when facing foreign enemies, they would feel a common enmity.
“None of us have seen such a pair, but since they dared come to this place, they definitely have some skill,” The leader muttered.
How could someone without any skill or strength dare enter the Abandoned Earth, what difference was that from seeking death?
“Sect Master Xing, do you have need of our assistance?”
Thinking for a moment, Xing Zong nodded and said, “Good, I have a method of that can trace their approximate location, so it is only a matter of time before I find them. All of you follow me and if they try to escape, help me block them.”
“It is our honour to be of service to Sect Master Xing,” The leader yelled, casting aside any thought of the light sphere he had been studying for so long and immediately ordering his men to follow Xing Zong.
Selling Xing Zong a favour at this time by helping with some minor matters would definitely have advantages in the future.
Not long after, this group met another batch of Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators. This group was quite small, only numbering five in total, but after hearing Xing Zong’s purpose for coming here, they immediately expressed their willingness to cooperate.
All together, a Transcendent Realm and more than twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters began closing in on Yang Kai and Shui Ling.
With the Tracing Insect leading the way, Xing Zong wasn’t worried about whether he could find Yang Kai or not.
The special link between the male and female Tracing Insects was valid even in this chaotic environment.
Yang Kai and Shui Ling were still walking deeper into the Abandoned Earth, proceeding neither quickly nor slowly. Both were not aware of the great danger those pursers behind them posed.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the pair arrived in front of a region that was perfectly calm with a dark curtain surrounding it. Seeing this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, a touch of joy surfacing on his face.
The message that Treasurer Meng had sent him had been too hasty so although there was some guidance in it, Yang Kai was afraid he would lose his way in the Abandoned Earth, but now seeing this island of calm in the storm he was finally able to relax.
They had arrived!
Inside this calm region was the void corridor that led to Tong Xuan Continent.
“Yang Kai, this place gives me a bad feeling,” Shui Ling muttered, her tender body shivering as she stared forward. Right now, she felt a profound chill brushing past her face and so long as she dared to step forward, she would die a gruesome death.
“Danger isn’t just in front of us,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, turning around and staring at the region behind them.
There, a number of vague figures could be seen. The two sides were separated by only a hundred meters or so but these people were all standing still, as if they didn’t dare to approach this place.
Shui Ling cried out in shock, never having expected to meet people here at this critical time, and from the auras these people were giving off, it was obvious they did not have friendly intentions.
A hundred meters behind Yang Kai and Shui Ling stood more than twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters along with Xing Zong, each of them staring forward with solemn expressions, a tinge of fear flashing across the depths of their eyes.
“Sect Master Xing, the Abandoned Earth’s absolute death zone is in front of us, do you really want to go in?” The former Great Han Dynasty asked in horror.
This so called absolute death zone was a place that no one, no matter who they were, had ever come out of alive.
Not even Transcendent Realm masters could survive here!
Once, when a powerful Transcendent from Tian Lang Dynasty attempted to unravel the mysteries of the Abandoned Earth, he had inadvertently strayed into this area and had died. When this news spread, it had shocked all of Tian Lang Dynasty. From then on, one hundred meter area in front of Xing Zong and the other Immortal Ascension masters had become known as the absolute death zone.
Anyone who came to the Abandoned Earth would take care to stay as far away from this place as possible.
None of them had expected that the two Great Han Dynasty cultivators they were chasing had actually ran here, causing all of them to become somewhat hesitant.
Even Xing Zong was slightly anxious, learning from his predecessor’s mistakes and not underestimating this place.
But after hesitating for a moment, Xing Zong steeled his will, “What is there to fear? Aren’t those two safe and sound right now? It seems that those old rumors aren’t true. If you don’t have the guts to go any further, then just stand back and watch. I can easily take care of those two trivial Great Han Dynasty cultivators myself.”
Xing Zong had brought these twenty or so people along with him out of an abundance of caution. Although he was a Transcendent, and killing these two cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty would be as easy as flipping his hand, but inside the Abandoned Earth, not everything could be measured by common sense, having a few extra helpers around in this place wasn’t a bad idea.
Having made up his mind though, Xing Zong strode forward, anger and hatred reappearing on his face as he closed in on his targets.
The other twenty or so masters exchanged a few nervous glances before reluctantly following.
The hundred meter gap was quickly crossed.
When Xing Zong arrived in front of Yang Kai and Shui Ling and saw their faces, he couldn’t help feeling surprised.
He had never expected that the two Great Han Dynasty cultivators he had been chasing were so young.
Noticing the presence of a group behind them, Yang Kai casually placed his hand on the back of his nape and removed the Tracing Insect, burning it to ashes.
“I take it you’re Sen Luo Temple’s Sect Master?” Yang Kai glanced over at Xing Zong casually and asked in a carefree tone.
Xing Zong coldly snorted, his face twitching slightly as his eyes became slightly bloodshot, “Since you can recognize my identity, you should be the one who killed my son, yes?”
However, Yang Kai just smiled and shook his head, “Nope, she’s the one who killed him.”
Saying so, Yang Kai calmly pointed his finger towards Shui Ling. In response, Shui Ling put on the timid expression of one who dared commit a wrong but dared not accept responsibility, quickly hiding herself behind Yang Kai.
She didn’t know why Yang Kai was so calm facing a Transcendent Realm master, but understanding his personality Shui Ling realized that Yang Kai must have something to rely on so she didn’t hesitate to push all the trouble onto him.
Xing Zong’s eyes narrowed, turning a fierce glare towards Shui Ling as he angrily spat, “It doesn’t matter which of you did the deed, both of you will have to pay the price!”
Yang Kai cocked his head to the side and stared at Xing Zong for a moment before chuckling and asking, “And why kind of price does Sect Master Xing wants us to pay?”
“For murdering my son you must pay with your lives! Only your blood and souls can comfort my son’s spirit in heaven!”
“Can we not sit down and discuss this?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, “To be honest, although your son’s behaviour was repugnant, I didn’t have any desire to kill him, but my companion here has something of a short temper, so when your son sexually harassed her she struck him down in a single blow. All of this was his fault. If you considered it seriously.”
“Scoundrels!” Xing Zong roared, interrupting Yang Kai’s casual explanation, “Just because he harassed her a bit she had to take his life?”
“If I didn’t kill him there, it wouldn’t have ended with a little harassment. About your son’s character, you should be the most clear,” Shui Ling poked her head out from behind Yang Kai and shot back indignantly.
Xing Zong took a deep breath and quickly glanced over Shui Ling and quickly noticed that beneath all the dirt and dust her features and style were indeed quite astounding, immediately understanding what Xing Bao had been up to.
“What you’re saying is, my son was the one to commit the first wrong?”
“En,” Shui Ling nodded.
“Good, then I’ll give you a chance to choose, choose how you want to die!”
The group of masters behind Xing Zong snickered as they stared at Yang Kai and Shui Ling, secretly shaking their heads, thinking that these two Great Han Dynasty cultivators really had eyes but failed to see. Filling the son of Sect Master Xing, they had sealed their own fate.
“It seems like there’s no room to negotiate then,” Yang Kai shook his head helplessly, “I only intended on passing through Tian Lang Dynasty and did not want to have any conflict with you Tian Lang Dynasty people, nor did I want to kill people needlessly.”
“You’re still thinking about killing people?” Listening to Yang Kai’s words, Xing Zong couldn’t help staring at him as if he was some kind of fool, coldly snorting, “You don’t have to worry about such things anymore, soon, you’ll be nothing but a corpse, you’ll never kill anyone ever again.”
In response, Yang Kai simply grinned and suddenly summoned his gigantic Bone Shield. The Bone Shield was now several times larger than him and the sharp spurs around its edge were no more akin to large spears, the great beast maw on its face pulsing with a horrific energy.
“Bye~” Yang Kai lifted the Bone Shield up and pounded it down towards the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators.
Xing Zong and the more than twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters suddenly felt a sense of terror wash over them.
As soon as this thought flickered across their minds, a terrifying energy seemingly capable of shattering the Heavens and destroying the Earth surged towards them.
A beam of light visible to the naked eye shot from the beast mouth on the Bone Shield’s face, bringing with it the power of the void, carving out a hundred meter swath in the Abandoned Earth.
In this hundred meter region, everything was instantly vaporized by the unstoppable power of the void.
He Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Tian Lang Dynasty didn’t even have time to react before they were reduced to dust.
Only Xing Zong, with his Transcendent strength, managed to resist for a moment, but even he was only able to let out an unwilling scream before being annihilated.
Shui Ling was stunned.
Although she knew that Yang Kai had something up his sleeve which allowed him to act so calmly, she hadn’t expected his trump card to be so ferocious.
As a result, by the time she recovered from her shock, all of their enemies were dead, including the Transcendent Realm powerhouse.
Shui Ling had never thought a Transcendent Realm master could be so frail and vulnerable.
A number of Spiritual Energy remnants were silently drawn into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea in the next instant.
Furthermore, the huge Bone Shield also shrank down to its original size after expending all of its stored energy.
*Kacha…*
A large number of cracks immediately appeared all over the Bone Shield, causing Yang Kai’s brow to wrinkle; letting out a sigh he quickly stored it away.
The Bone Shield had suffered a great deal of damage the last time he had used it to protect himself when the Void Corridor beneath the Central Capital had collapsed, and after using it in such a condition, it had only become further damaged.
If he couldn’t find an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to fix it, he probably wouldn’t be able to use it anymore.
The chaotic energy in the surroundings also underwent some subtle changes. It seemed like the previous attack Yang Kai had unleashed had disrupted the flow of energy in this region of the Abandoned Earth, causing them to become even more unstable and dangerous. Noticing this, Yang Kai and Shui Ling’s expression both became dignified.
Glancing around, the pair saw signs that the chaotic energy here was on the verge of exploding.
“Stick close,” Yang Kai did not hesitate, quickly turning around and rushing forward, Shui Ling following right behind him.
Charging towards the dark curtain, Yang Kai sent out waves of True Qi towards it in a special pattern.
This pattern was something Meng Wu Ya had passed to Yang Kai in his final message and was the key to breaking through the last barrier in this place in order to arrive at the location of the Void Corridor.
If one didn’t have this method and rushed into this dark curtain, they would immediately be killed by the remaining destructive energies left behind by Meng Wu Ya.
Sure enough, although the energy in this place still swirled about chaotically, when Yang Kai approached, he did not encounter any resistance.
Passing through a sea of flame and ice, a wall of lightning, and various other mysterious energies, Yang Kai finally arrived in front of a great stone wall with Shui Ling.
Having reached his destination, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and furiously poured his True Qi into the stone wall.
The stone deformed in the next instant and the familiar energies of the void began pulsing from it.
“The way home!” Shui Ling’s eyes flashed brilliantly as she called out in an excited tone.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai grabbed Shui Ling and flung her into the Void Corridor, jumping after her in the next moment.
Inside the corridor it was pitch black, everywhere one looked there was only a vast emptiness as if nothing existed in this place, no sun, no moon, no sky, no earth.
The feeling of emptiness that surrounded them caused even the usual calm Yang Kai to feel somewhat anxious.
In the next instant, a small hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed hold of Yang Kai’s hand, naturally it was Shui Ling!
She was also nervous and afraid and unconsciously sought some sense of security from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai squeezed her hand gently, offering what little comfort he could.
This time the Void Corridor had a very different feeling than in the past. The last time Yang Kai used a Void Corridor it had only been to travel across a large part of the Great Han Dynasty so the distance hadn’t been too great, but now he was actually crossing worlds.
If Yang Kai had to describe it, it was as if he was falling through a never ending expanse.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai suddenly saw a glimmer of light in front of his eyes and the darkness surrounding him quickly disappeared. Replacing it was a vast blue sky, and a fresh scent of earth soon filled his nostrils.
*Pa pa…*
Two splashes rang out as Yang Kai and Shui Ling hit what seemed to be a marshy ground.
Quickly recovering, the two stood up and looked around.
The pair found themselves in the middle of a muddy swamp surrounded by a forest of short trees with many small beasts scurrying back and forth nearby, probably disturbed by their sudden arrival.
There didn’t seem to be any danger nearby, but Yang Kai’s expression was still somewhat solemn.
It was because the World Energy here was extremely rich, even more so than the Central Capital after the Earth Vein had detonated. In this place, the millions of pores on his skin all automatically opened and his True Yang Secret Art circulated furiously, drawing in this rich World Energy at a breathtaking pace.
“Haha!” Shui Ling burst into joyous laughter, “I’m back, I’m back, I’m finally back!”
“This is the Tong Xuan Realm?” Yang Kai turned to her and asked.
Shui Ling was so excited that even though she was covered from head to toe with mud and her light blue hair was completely dishevelled, she didn’t seem to care, or even notice. Instead, she rushed over to Yang Kai and hugged him so tightly he nearly choked from the force, “Thank you, thank you for bringing me home!”
Yang Kai’s heart sped up and all kinds of thoughts flashed across his mind, turning his head to look up at the blue sky, a big smile slowly forming on his lips.
[Tong Xuan Realm, I’m finally here!]
This was the sky that Su Yan and his Little Senior Sister were staring up at, this was the same land that they stood on now.
This was the place where Treasurer Meng and Old Demon had come from.
As long as they were here, he would eventually be able to find them!
Yang Kai took a deep breath and slowly tried to regain his composure.
In the swamp, Shui Ling completely let loose, not minding her sloppy appearance, simply celebrating and dancing around joyfully.
Infected by her jubilance, Yang Kai’s mood also gradually became bright.
As he let go of all of his tension, Yang Kai began to feel like something was off because his body had never before felt so unrestrained, as if a layer of shackles that had been weighing him down had suddenly been lifted.
His True Yang Secret Art circulated faster and faster and the True Qi in his meridians flowed much more smoothly than before.
“Shui Ling…” Yang Kai called out, his brow furrowed slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Shui Ling stopped her revelry for a moment and stared at him curiously.
“I have to break through.”
Shui Ling covered her mouth in shock and asked, “Right now?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, immediately sitting down and closing his eyes.
Thinking about it for a moment, Shui Ling suddenly understood, “That’s right, in your former world there was a layer a shackles that seemed to fetter the development of all cultivators, but after arriving here on the Tong Xuan Continent, those shackles vanished, creating an opportunity for you to break through, it’s just…”
Taking a glance around, Shui Ling frowned slightly, the two of them didn’t even know where they were right now so to break through in such an environment was not ideal. If Yang Kai’s breakthrough was to be disturbed by a powerful Monster Beast or some other hidden danger, the consequences would be serious.
“Can you suppress it?” Shui Ling proposed.
Yang Kai struggled to open his eyes, and with a single glance said all he needed to say. Closing his eyes again he quickly calmed himself and focused on his breakthrough.
“Forget I asked.” Shui Ling sighed helplessly. Sudden breakthroughs like this were great strokes of fortune that could not be asked for, so intentionally trying to suppress one was quite unreasonable.
Now that things had gotten to this point, all Shui Ling could do was spread out her Divine Sense to scan the local region and probe for any signs of danger.
During her investigation, Shui Ling found nothing within a radius of ten kilometers that could pose a threat to them and subsequently relaxed, waiting quietly while Yang Kai completed his breakthrough, observing the surrounding territory in an effort to determined where they were.
More than a dozen kilometers away from Yang Kai and Shui Ling’s position, a small group of people were quietly lurking behind some tall grass.
There were only eight people in this group, but all of them were Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, the leader a beautiful young woman with a plentiful chest and excellent style. She wore a tight fitting light blue dress that had a long slit down her skirt, revealing her slender jade white thigh.
This style of clothing provided excellent flexibility while not limiting her range of motion, but any time, whenever she made any big or rapid movements, her wondrous legs would become fully exposed.
The beautiful spring scenery made the males of her group breathe a little harder and their mouths go dry. Those of these men that crouched behind her would unconsciously stare at her snow white skin that was exposed to the air as well as her shapely hips and well-rounded bottom. The natural seductive power of her body and her current posture that further emphasized her abundant capital caused blood to rush to many of their heads.
However, due to the status of this woman, all of these men only dared to secretly steal glances at her, none of them having the courage to get up to any kind if misconduct.
This young woman in front seemed to not care about these nervous gazes behind her; not only did she not try to awkwardly hide herself but she was even able to maintain a calm smile.
“All of you are breathing too heavily, keep it down. If that thing is startled by you and runs away, I’ll hold all of you accountable,” Suddenly, the young woman faintly warned.
The men assembled behind her all awkwardly cringed before nodding lightly, consciously turning their eyes away from her beautiful figure.
“Do all of you know what our goal is this time?” The young woman asked softly.
This time all of them nodded firmly.
“Good,” The young woman expressed her satisfaction and smiled, “This Scarlet Blood Orchid is a World Spirit Treasure, so it already has a certain amount of sentience, don’t underestimate it. According to the information I gathered, this Scarlet Blood Orchid already has seven leaves, which would make it at least a thousand years old. It is incredibly valuable, and as long as we can obtain it, everyone will naturally obtain many benefits.”
One of them men behind her with a big bushy beard grinned, “Young Lady, if we succeed here, what kind of reward can we get?”
“Twenty Crystal Stones per person,” The young woman replied.
Hearing this, everyone’s breathing became heavy again; it seemed like twenty Crystal Stones was a huge amount for them.
In an instant, everyone’s fighting spirit had risen to a new height, the beautiful young woman’s figure no longer clouding their eyes as all of them held their breaths and completely focused their attention on the task at hand as they waited for the Scarlet Blood Orchid to make an appearance.
“Soon,” The young woman whispered, “Every month, it will surface here for a time to absorb some sunshine and today is the day it’s scheduled to appear. It won’t be long until we achieve our goal.”
“Don’t worry, Young Lady. The barriers and traps we set are more than enough to capture it, as long as it dares to appear, it won’t be able to escape.” The man with the big beard confidently said, chuckling under his breath.
“Very good, the Young Master of Langya Sacred Ground is currently wounded and is in desperate need of this Scarlet Blood Orchid to recover from his injuries. You should also be aware of the benefits our Bold Independent Union will obtain if we can forge a relationship with Langya Sacred Ground,” The young woman gently breathed, her plentiful chest trembling slightly, drawing eyes once more.
Everyone present nodded again.
The Bold Independent Union’s strength wasn’t bad, but without a true powerhouse assuming command, it was still disparaged by many forces in the nearby region, while Langya Sacred Ground was a true great force. If they could forge a strong relationship with Langya Sacred Ground this time, it would be quite beneficial to Bold Independent Union’s development.
“It’s here!” In the next moment, one person quickly called out.
Everyone in the group looked up towards the water in front of them anxiously.
There, in the middle of the swamp, amidst the murky muddy water was a faint red glow and as time passed, the red glow became brighter and clearer.
Gradually, a blood red seven leaved orchid began emerging from the swamp, the lines on its surface which resembled meridians giving off a soft glow.
Everyone’s breathing became rapid as they stared at this thousand year old Scarlet Blood Orchid, each of their hearts pounding fiercely, threatening to make unwanted noise, fortunately all of them hurriedly calmed themselves.
A moment later, the Scarlet Blood Orchid gradually exposed itself completely.
Although it was a plant, since it was a World Spirit Treasure, it had its own consciousness and sentience so it was able to detect danger and was capable of taking actions to protect itself.
“Young Lady…” The big bearded man couldn’t control himself and called out.
“Wait!” The young woman quickly said, “It’s quite crafty, showing itself like this is still just to probe.”
Sure enough, as soon as the young woman said so, the Scarlet Blood Orchid rapidly sank into the mud and disappeared.
A short while later, it still had not resurfaced, causing everyone to feel slightly anxious, worrying about whether their whereabouts had been exposed causing the Scarlet Blood Orchid to withdraw.
Only the young woman still wore a confident expression.
After almost half an hour, the red light re-appeared beneath the murky water’s surface and soon the Scarlet Blood Orchid showed itself for a second time.
This time, it had completely emerged from the water and quickly arrived at a nearby patch of grass, taking root and exposing its seven leaves completely to the sun.
“Now!” The young woman shouted.
This was no doubt their best opportunity as the Scarlet Blood Orchid was now in its most relaxed state.
As soon as the bearded man heard the order, his hands quickly moved, forming a series of seals in order to activate the traps they had set.
But before these traps and barriers could activate, more than a dozen kilometers away, a powerful burst of energy erupted. Sensing the arrival of this intense energy fluctuation, everyone’s face couldn’t help sinking.
The young woman didn’t hesitate, her lithe body suddenly transforming into a stream of light as she shot out towards the Scarlet Blood Orchid.
Unfortunately, she was still too late. When it noticed this energy fluctuation, the Scarlet Blood Orchid immediately leapt into the swamp and disappeared, causing the young woman’s hand to grab nothing but air, her pretty face cramping up as she stood there with her rage soaring to the heavens.
The other members of her group slowly walked over, all of them showing aggrieved looks.
Twenty Crystal Stones had just disappeared in front of them, obviously none of them was in a good mood.
“How come there are other people here?” The young woman angrily shouted, turning to glare the bearded man, “Didn’t you say that everyone within a fifty kilometer radius had been dispersed?”
In order to obtain the Scarlet Blood Orchid this time, their Bold Independent Union had begun making preparations any entire month ago and had designated everywhere within fifty kilometers of here a forbidden zone, not allowing anyone to set foot in this region.
Before this action, their group had also performed an intense search of the area and had not found any outsiders, but now, this energy fluctuation was clearly a sign that someone had just had a breakthrough.
The bearded man blushed and opened his mouth timidly, “We really didn’t discover anyone within fifty kilometers of this place during our morning search.”
“So how did this happen?” The young woman roared, “We already promised Langya Sacred Ground that we would deliver them the Scarlet Blood Orchid within half a month, now what are we going to do?”
The bearded man was dumbstruck for a moment before hesitantly saying, “We can try again…”
“Try again?” The young woman sneered, “The Scarlet Blood Orchid is thoroughly frightened and has already sunk into the swamp. We’ll be lucky if it appears again half a year from now, how are we supposed to try again? Do you want to go down and look for it on your own?”
All of them were hit with a stream of harsh rebukes but none of them dared to raise any objections, their faces all just becoming uglier.
The young woman panted for breath in between her angry outbursts, obviously incredibly mad.
Victory was within her sight yet this sudden unexpected event had caused all of her plans to fail, naturally the young woman was thoroughly enraged.
Standing there for a moment to regain her composure, the young woman soon turned towards the direction the energy fluctuations had originated from and scowled, “Come with me, I want to see just who it was that spoiled my good deed !”
“If we find that bastard I’ll definitely kill him!” The bearded man quickly expressed his anger.
The young woman shot an angry glare at him, immediately shutting him up.
More than a dozen kilometers away, Yang Kai gently clenched his fists and wore a satisfied look on his face.
Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage; after just arriving in this world and breaking free of the shackles that had bound him previously, he had managed to break through a Minor Realm and simultaneously absorbed all of the Spiritual Energy remnants in his Knowledge Sea, he had obtain a lot of benefits in a very short time.
“Congratulations,” Shui Ling walked over from afar and smiled, offering her sincere congratulations.
Yang Kai faintly shook his head, Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage, such a cultivation on the other side was not bad, but after learning about Tong Xuan Realm and understanding the mysteries of the Transcendent and Saint Realms, Yang Kai didn’t dare think too much of himself.
Such cultivation was still somewhat weak when compared to a Transcendent Realm master.
It seemed like it was necessary for him to raise his strength as soon as possible in order to survive in this vast and magnificent world as well as enable himself to find Su Yan and Little Senior Sister.
Without enough strength, he wouldn’t even be able to protect himself much less others.
“Did you manage to figure out where we are?” Yang Kai asked.
When Yang Kai was in the midst of his breakthrough, Shui Ling had gone to explore the surrounding region, hoping to discover their current location.
In response to his question, Shui Ling shook her head, “Although this swamp has some distinct features, there are too many places like it in Tong Xuan Continent. I don’t know exactly where we are but we should at least be in the Human Territory.”
“Human Territory?” Hearing this unfamiliar term, Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask.
“Oh, that’s right, I forget to tell you that in the Tong Xuan Realm, not only is there the Human Race, but there is also the Demon Race and the Monster Race. These two other races are very strong and are capable of standing as equals with our Human Race. The region controlled by the Human Race is generally referred to as the Human Territory, the region occupied by the Demon Race is known as the Demon Land, and the Monster Race has its roots in the Monster Domain. There’s also a neutral zone that sits at the intersection of these three major regions and there are also some other minor races scattered about. You can learn about them later.” Shui Ling casually explained, not going into too much depth; after all, this information was just common knowledge here, as long as Yang Kai continued to live here, he would gradually learn what he needed to know.
Yang Kai on the other hand was stunned.
Shui Ling smiled and continued, “You remember that Seventh-Order Monster Beast spider over there, right? If that spider managed to assume to a complete human form, she would then become part of the Monster Race, but that would require the assistance of the Beast Transformation Pond. The Beast Transformation Pond is a supreme treasure of the Monster Race. Well, there’s no need to worry too much about it, you’ll see many things you hadn’t ever heard or even dreamed of after staying here for a while.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “It seems I’m really quite ignorant.”
Suddenly remembering something, Yang Kai asked, “Demon General Meng Ge, have you heard that name before?”
Hearing this, Shui Ling turned an aghast look to Yang Kai, “How do you know about him?”
“He really exists?” Yang Kai was amazed. He had just asked casually, but seeing Shui Ling’s reaction, it seemed that this Demon General Meng Ge really was a character from Tong Xuan Continent, and a particular bad person at that.
When Yang Kai delved into the Evil Cavern in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land for life experience, he had encountered a great whirlpool of Demonic energy, and from that whirlpool, a giant egg was produced. Later, four powerful Demon Path cultivators came to investigate this disturbance and had encountered the newly hatched Demon General Meng Ge, who had proceeded to instantly kill two of them and causing the other two heavy losses, suffering deep wounds in the process.
Finally, Yang Kai had used the Devil Sealing Chain on the severely weakened Demon General and somehow managed to kill him. At the end of his life though, Demon General Meng Ge told Yang Kai that the entity in front of him was only a Soul Clone and that his true body would remember Yang Kai’s aura.
Yang Kai had never managed to figure out who this Demon General Meng Ge was, but when he heard Shui Ling mention the Demon Race and Monster Race, he had suddenly thought of it.
“He’s not a member of the Human Race, but rather a powerful master from the Demon Race!” Shui Ling stared at Yang Kai with a somewhat panic stricken expression, smiling bitterly, “You’re really quite strange, how is it that you know Devil General Meng Ge’s name even though you’ve never left that world before?”
Yang Kai simply explained the chain of events that took place in the Evil Cavern all those years ago.
Hearing this story, Shui Ling’s face went pale, staring at Yang Kai quite sympathetically, “You actually destroyed his Soul Clone… From now on, you absolutely must avoid him; he is one of the Demon Race’s true masters, not someone you can afford to face.”
“Just how powerful is he?” Yang Kai asked hesitantly.
“From what you said, that Soul Clone of his most likely wasn’t yet a Transcendent, but his true body has a Saint Realm cultivation. As for what order Saint he is, I’m not certain, but many masters from the Human Territory fear him.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and let out a sigh. He hadn’t expected that he had offended such a powerful figure, nodding lightly, “I understand.”
Just as he finished speaking, Yang Kai’s face suddenly became cold as he quickly turned his eyes to the side.
Shui Ling also frowned, directing her gaze in the same direction.
Over there, a group of Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator’s auras were rapidly closing in on them, and although they seemed to be trying to conceal themselves, they obviously couldn’t hide from Yang Kai’s perception.
And inferring from their actions, it was clear this group of newcomers was aiming for them.
“Seems we’ll have an opportunity to figure out where we are,” Yang Kai grinned to Shui Ling, the latter smiling back calmly.
Shui Ling found that after following Yang Kai around for so long, she had become much more bold and courageous. If she had encountered this kind of situation in the past, she would definitely have already fled, afraid of getting into any kind of trouble.
A moment later, the figures of eight people appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. The one who appeared to be their leader was a young woman with a mature air about her with a full chest, rounded hips, and slender legs. She wore a light blue tight fitting dress with a long slit down the side that perfectly accentuated her beautiful figure.
Seeing her, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed an appreciative light.
After coming to Tong Xuan Realm, the first stranger he met was actually a beautiful young woman, it was quite unexpected.
However, the young woman’s expression was gloomy, seemingly quite unhappy.
The seven people behind her also had cold auras, and upon seeing Yang Kai and Shui Ling, they immediately took an aggressive stance.
The bad attitude of this group of people caused Yang Kai to feel somewhat puzzled; he had no idea when or how he had offended them.
But having faith in his strength, he simply chose to remain silent and wait.
The young woman who led this group quickly approached to within ten meters of Yang Kai and swept her eyes over him and Shui Ling coldly, a look of annoyance filling her face.
“Who are you and why are you here?” The young woman coldly interrogated.
“We’re just travelers who were passing by,” Yang Kai replied casually, “We accidentally strayed into this swamp and lost our way, could you tell us where we are right now?”
“You want to know where this is?” The young woman became even angrier as she shouted, “You dare to ask me where this place is?”
“En, because we really can’t find our way out,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders calmly. Back in Tian Lang Dynasty, he and Shui Ling had traversed the Abandoned Earth for quite some time before entering the Void Corridor and being spat out into the middle of this swamp, so right now they really did look two lost, weary, and travel-worn travellers.
“If it’s convenient, would you mind telling us?” Yang Kai smiled benignly, continuing to ask, assuming the posture of someone harmless to humans and animals alike.
“Convenient, why would it not be convenient?” The young woman sneered and waved, “Ji Hong, grab these two, since we couldn’t obtain the Scarlet Blood Orchid, we’ll take them back instead!”
“Yes, Young Lady!” The bearded man shouted, leading the others in their group forward immediately.
“Wait!” Yang Kai raised his hand, although he also saw the hostility in the eyes of these people, since he had just arrived here Yang Kai wasn’t willing to stir up trouble easily. Everyone in this group had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary and was obviously acting together, so it was quite likely they belonged to some local force. Killing them wouldn’t be difficult, but dealing with the fallout would be troublesome.
Moreover, the young woman’s words had confused Yang Kai.
Being targeted for no apparent reason, Yang Kai felt like they were deliberately making trouble.
“What’s a Scarlet Blood Orchid?” Yang Kai asked.
“The World Spirit Treasure?” Shui Ling guessed, apparently familiar with the term.
“That’s right, a World Spirit Treasure, a seven leafed Scarlet Blood Orchid!” The young woman coldly acknowledged.
“What does that have to do with us? We haven’t seen any World Spirit Treasure,” Yang Kai argued back, wondering if these people thought they had stolen their treasure.
“You haven’t seen it? Haha…” The young woman smiled, suddenly thinking that capturing these two without explaining was a bit rash, patiently asking, “Just now, was it one of you who broke through?”
“Yes, what of it?” Yang Kai asked back, the young woman in front of him was indeed a beauty but her words and actions were all over the place and she wouldn’t get to the point so he was beginning to become annoyed.
The noise he had made during his breakthrough was too loud, so Yang Kai didn’t bother trying to deny it.
“Good! Because of the disturbance caused by your breakthrough, you frightened off the Scarlet Blood Orchid and wasted all the arrangements we spent the last month putting together, so you tell me, do you still think this has nothing to do with you!?”
“Uh…” Yang Kai was stunned as he turned to look at Shui Ling, both of them showing helpless expressions.
Connecting all of this young woman’s words together, Yang Kai quickly understood what was going on.
He had also seen World Spirit Treasures before, such as the Yin-Yang Monster Ginseng and the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew. These special treasures all have their own consciousness’ and knew how to seek opportunities and avoid danger, so the energy fluctuations from his break through a moment ago really might have startled the Scarlet Blood Orchid and caused it to flee.
After unravelling the whole story, Yang Kai’s stomach full of grievances disappeared and was immediately replaced by a sense of awkwardness.
“I apologize; we didn’t know you were attempting to capture a World Spirit Treasure, if we had known… ahem…” Yang Kai said helplessly.
In truth, even if he had known, this sudden breakthrough was not something he could have suppressed.
Although all of this was unintentional, and Yang Kai did feel some regret and responsibility, it could only be said that these people’s luck was just too bad.
“Your apology is useless to us,” The young woman sneered, “We had an extremely important use for that Scarlet Blood Orchid, do you think all of this can be resolved with just a few words?”
“Then what do you want?” The apologetic tone in Yang Kai’s voice quickly faded, and a dismissive sneer crept onto his face.
If this group was willing to be reasonable, Yang Kai had no problem compensating them for their loss, but the aggressive attitude of this young woman made Yang Kai feel quite disgruntled so he stopped acting humble.
If it really came down to a fight, Yang Kai was confident he could kill all of these people within ten breaths.
It was now up to them to show some restraint.
Yang Kai’s sudden change in attitude caused the young woman to be stunned as she quickly shot back, “What? You want to pick a fight with my Bold Independent Union in our own territory?”
“Bold Independent Union?” Shui Ling smiled suddenly, “It turns out that you are disciples of Bold Independent Union. That would make this place Western Lake Marsh, correct?”
“Indeed,” The young woman nodded and looked suspiciously towards Shui Ling, “It seems you’re not totally ignorant, just who are you?”
Shui Ling’s smile grew bigger as she calmly replied, “I’m from Water Spirit Temple.”
Hearing this, the faces of the young woman and seven people behind her all changed greatly as the stared towards Shui Ling.
Seeing this change, Yang Kai secretly thought that Water Spirit Temple’s strength and reputation wasn’t as weak as Shui Ling had originally told him.
Shui Ling had previously disclosed a lot of information to Yang Kai including how different Sects were classified here and had even frankly admitted Water Spirit Temple was just barely a first-class force because they had a single Saint Realm master protecting their Sect.
Her modesty had made Yang Kai think Water Spirit Temple wasn’t very strong.
But now, seeing the big dramatic transformation in attitude of these Bold Independent Union disciples, Yang Kai realized that the force Shui Ling belonged to wasn’t weak.
At the very least, when the young woman leader heard the name Water Spirit Temple, her expression became dignified and she restrained much of her initial hostility while even a hint of dread flashed across her eyes.
Staring at Shui Ling hesitantly for a moment, the young woman and her group took a few steps back and began whispering to each other.
Yang Kai had no intention or interest in spying on what they were discussing so he just stood in place and waited quietly.
Shui Ling’s expression also completely relaxed. Before figuring out where they were, she hadn’t dared to reveal her identity, but now knowing they were in Bold Independent Union’s territory, she had no more scruples.
Water Spirit Temple was not too far from Bold Independent Union, only about half a month’s journey, so the two forces would occasionally engage in trade and had some small friendship.
The group from Bold Independent Union whispered back and forth while occasionally glancing over at Yang Kai and Shui Ling, seemingly trying to determine the validity of Shui Lin’s statement.
After a brief discussion, the young woman let out a sigh and called towards Shui Ling, “Miss, since you say you’re a disciple of Water Spirit Temple, would you mind showing us some identification?”
“Sure,” Shui Ling smiled and took out a blue Jade Token and casually threw it to the young woman.
The young woman caught it and after a quick examination, wore an even more solemn expression, nodding her head as she said, “This Jade Token does contain a trace of Water Qi and should have been carved by a master who cultivates the Water Attribute, but I’m sorry, I’ve never seen this kind of Jade Token before, so I cannot definitively determine you are a Water Spirit Temple disciple.”
Saying so, she threw the Jade Token back and the last trace of hostility on her face disappeared, only leaving behind a look of helplessness.
After a moment of hesitation, the young woman continued, “So, if it is convenient, can the two of you come to my Bold Independent Union for a while? If we can confirm that you are indeed a disciples of Water Spirit Temple, we will no longer investigate what happened here today, but if you’re not… You understand.”
The young women’s words were neither angry nor depressed, neither arrogant nor servile, fully demonstrating her adaptability and ability as a leader.
“Good,” Shui Ling smiled, not trying to refuse.
In any case, her identity was real, as long as Bold Independent Union inquired slightly, they would soon be able to confirm this.
“Yang Kai, what do you think?” Shui Ling also consulted Yang Kai; after all, she knew Yang Kai was someone who only ate soft food but refused hard food. These people clearly wanted to detain them, if that angered him and he was unwilling to cooperate, then their only option would be to fight.
But Yang Kai this time just shrugged his shoulders, “It doesn’t matter, I don’t know where to go from here anyway.”
Shui Ling couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The young woman nodded and waved, “Then it’s settled!”
Saying so, she turned around and led the way, Yang Kai and Shui Ling following close behind, and the other seven Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators bringing up the rear.
Their formation clearly showed they were still wary of Yang Kai and Shui Ling’s identities and motives.
As they walked through the marsh, the young woman also intentionally or unintentionally asked Shui Ling some questions, all of which Shui Ling care-freely responded to, making no attempt to hide anything.
And the more the two talked, the more the young women felt Shui Ling wasn’t lying.
“Right, you mentioned a Scarlet Blood Orchid, right? What’s all that about?” Shui Ling asked casually.
The young woman wore a forced smile but did not avoid the topic, briefly explaining what had just happened.
As she listened to their story, Shui Ling turned to Yang Kai stuck out her tongue playfully.
Yang Kai wore an innocent expression; he too didn’t know what importance the Scarlet Blood Orchid had to these people.
“After fleeing this time, it will be at least half a year before it shows itself again and it is quite likely it will leave this area of the swamp altogether. Finding it again will be quite difficult,” The young woman sighed.
“Why is that Scarlet Blood Orchid so important to you?”
“The orchid isn’t something our Bold Independent Union has great need of, but it is essential for the Young Master of Langya Sacred Ground. We promised to hand over that Scarlet Blood Orchid to Langya Sacred Ground half a month from now, but since we’ve lost our only opportunity to obtain it, I don’t know how we’re going to explain ourselves to them.”
“Langya Sacred Ground’s Young Master? Mu Hui? Was he injured?” Shui Ling was surprised.
“Does Young Miss know Young Master Mu?”
“En, we’ve met before,” Shui Ling nodded.
The young woman’s eyes flashed as she let out a laugh, her attitude becoming noticeably warmer, “It looks like young miss really is a disciple from Water Spirit Temple.”
“Naturally, our Water Spirit Temple and Langya Sacred Ground are close friends. Seeing how Mu Hui is the one who needs that Scarlet Blood Orchid, maybe I can help you.”
“Hm?” The young woman paused, directing a puzzled look towards Shui Ling.
“You said the Scarlet Blood Orchid dove into the depths of the swamp, yes?”
“That’s right.”
“Take me to where it disappeared and I’ll see if I can find it again.”
The group of people from Bold Independent Union stared blankly at Shui Ling. After a moment silence, the young woman smiled and shook her head, “Your offer is quite kind, but the swamp there is very muddy and over a thousand meters deep, even if you are a Water Attribute cultivator, it is impossible to find that orchid in such an environment. I know that everyone from Water Spirit Temple majors in Water Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skills, but…”
“I’m not just skilled in Water Attribute techniques,” Shui Ling smiled confidently.
Shui Ling possessed the Water Spirit Body, a genuine special constitution, so in a place like this with lots of water, all of her abilities would be enhanced ten or twenty percent.
The young woman thought about it for a while before finally agreeing, turning in a different direction and waving, “This way.”
At this point, she decided to let Shui Ling give it a try. It didn’t matter if she was unsuccessful, but if she somehow managed to succeed, Bold Independent Union would be able to fulfill its commitment to Langya Sacred Ground.
A short time later, the group of people arrived at the place where the Scarlet Blood Orchid had disappeared. Around the area, Yang Kai detected several barriers and traps and confirmed that these people had not been lying. They had indeed been waiting here to capture the Scarlet Blood Orchid, but at the last minute had fallen short.
“There,” The young woman pointed to the swamp in front of them.
Yang Kai quietly released his Divine Sense and attempted to prove the depths below, but he was unable to discover anything.
“I’ll go down and have a look,” Shui Ling said, diving into the murky water and disappearing.
The young woman and the others from Bold Independent Union glanced over at Yang Kai once before no longer paying any attention to him, instead just anxiously waiting.
After the time it would take for a stick of incense to burn, bubbles began forming on the swamp’s surface, raising everyone’s tension even further.
*Hua…*
Shui Ling jumped out of the swamp. Her clothes weren’t the slightest bit wet, but her face somewhat pale and her lips were purple, trembling as if she had just experienced a deep chill.
The group from Bold Independent Union looked to her with anticipation.
Unfortunately, Shui Ling shook her head.
Seeing this, all of them revealed a look of disappointment.
“What happened down there?” Yang Kai asked in concern. Shui Ling currently looked like she had just emerged from a thousand year old glacier and was obviously chilled to the bone, traces of Cold Qi and frost wafting from her body.
“I’ll explain later,” Shui Ling quickly circulated her Secret Art to dispel the Cold Qi in her body.
A little while later, after Shui Ling had recovered somewhat, she let out a long breath and said, “Although I couldn’t bring it back, I did find where it was hiding.”
“You found it?” The young woman’s eyes lit up as she called out in surprise.
“En, but by myself, I have no way of obtaining it.”
“Why?” The young woman asked urgently.
“Because it’s hiding beneath a layer of Ice Flame Star Sand.”
“Ice Flame Star Sand?” Everyone from Bold Independent Union exclaimed, a greedy light flashing across their eyes.
“What’s that?” Yang Kai asked; seeing everyone’s reaction he immediately knew this Ice Flame Star Sand was some kind of precious treasure.
“A Spirit Grade Top-Rank Artifact Refining material. It has an extremely low natural temperature and is a greatly sought after by many Transcendent Realm masters, even some Saints use it when refining their artifacts,” Shui Ling explained lightly.
The expression of the Bold Independent Union group lifted greatly.
“So it’s hiding beneath a piece of Ice Flame Star Sand,” The young woman nodded repeatedly, “Although I know the places where World Spirit Treasures are born normally have some precious materials nearby, I didn’t expect it to be this.”
“It’s more likely that the Ice Flame Star Sand contributed to the birth of Scarlet Blood Orchid,” Shui Ling smiled, “But regardless, the ice that’s formed down below is very thick, I can’t break it.”
“I’ll help you!” A chubby man from Bold Independent Union immediately came stepped towards Shui Ling and summoned a ball of flame onto his palm, proudly declaring, “I cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art, perfect for melting through ice.”
But in response, Shui Ling shook her head, “No, your strength is too low.”
“I’m an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator!” The chubby man said, clearly a little dissatisfied.
But Shui Ling still just shook her head, “I have a helper in mind already, there’s no need for you to come up. Yang Kai, come with me, of the people here, I’m afraid only you can break open that layer of ice!”
The chubby man squinted towards Yang Kai and suddenly became angry, “You say I’m not good enough, but instead want to take this Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage kid instead?”
“Since I’ve said he can help, naturally he is capable. Or do you not want that Scarlet Blood Orchid? Right now I’m helping you for free you know.”
The man suddenly closed his mouth.
The young woman quickly laughed and said, “There’s no need to quarrel, we’ll leave it up to you.”
Although the Ice Flame Star Sand was valuable, Bold Independent Union’s current priority was the Scarlet Blood Orchid so the young women naturally didn’t want to make Shui Ling unhappy.
Shui Ling nodded and before even asking for his approval, pulled Yang Kai into the swamp.
After they disappeared, Ji Hong, the bearded man in the Bold Independent Union party, suddenly realized something and cursed, “Shit, Young Lady, you don’t think those two would take this opportunity to escape do you?”
Hearing this, the young woman’s beautiful face suddenly went pale, thinking such a scenario was possible.
In truth, there was no reason for this pair of strangers to help them, and facing the temptation of a World Spirit Treasure and a Spirit Grade Top-Rank material, it wasn’t impossible for them to simply rob them and disappear.
“They shouldn’t,” They young women replied somewhat faintly.
“Then why did she insist on bringing that youth with her even though he’s so weak? Clearly she wanted to create an opportunity for the two of them to snatch those treasures and then escape.”
Thinking this was a reasonable hypothesis, the entire Bold Independent Union group was filled with indignation and anger.
The young woman’s face became uglier and uglier and she felt an impulse to dive after them in order to confirm their suspicions, but no one among her group had cultivated a Water Attribute Secret Art so it was impossible for them to dive to the bottom of this swamp.
Sending out her Divine Sense, she also was unable to detect either of the pair’s auras.
At this moment, the young woman suddenly felt a bit depressed.
The swamp’s water was so murky that no sunlight could penetrate into its depths.
As they descended, Shui Ling used her water manipulation abilities to create a clear bubble of air around them so Yang Kai didn’t feel smothered or breathless.
Using their Divine Senses, they could easily examine their surroundings.
Sinking down for quite some time, Yang Kai realized that the young woman from Bold Independent Union wasn’t mistaken, this swamp really was more than a thousand meters deep.
Only someone like Shui Ling who possessed the Water Spirit Body could freely access this place, anyone else, even if they cultivated a Water Attribute Secret Art, would probably suffer a massive drop in mobility.
After reaching a certain depth, Yang Kai began to feel the surrounding temperature drop and the further they went the colder it became.
It wasn’t long before Shui Ling couldn’t bear it and her teeth began chattering. Seeing this, Yang Kai quickly released some of his True Yang Yuan Qi and immediately dispelled the surrounding chill.
“I was right to bring you along,” Shui Ling chuckled, Yang Kai’s control over his True Qi had reached a very profound level. If she had instead brought along the self-recommended man from Bold Independent Union, Shui Ling was quite certain him releasing his Flame Attribute True Qi would conflict with her water manipulation technique.
Yang Kai, on the other hand was different, he could easily dispel the Cold Qi around them while not damaging the bubble she had created to protect them.
Below them, through the murky water, a glimmer of light came into sight, like a cluster of white flames that swayed in the wind.
However, there was still a fair distance between them and the source of this illumination and a thick ice barrier was blocking their way, making it difficult for Yang Kai to get a clear picture of what was glowing.
“The flickering white flames are the grains of Ice Flame Star Sand; the Scarlet Blood Orchid is hiding further beneath them,” Shui Ling explained, “This ice is a couple dozen meters thick, can you break it open quietly?”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I can try.”
Saying so, Yang Kai exited Shui Ling’s air bubble.
After leaping out of the bubble, Yang Kai suddenly felt stiff, like a great mountain was pressing down on him, causing his bones to creak.
Without the protection of Shui Ling barrier, Yang Kai had to resist the surrounding water pressure all on his own.
“If it’s too difficult you don’t have to force yourself,” Shui Ling urged.
Yang Kai nodded once before closing his eyes. After taking a moment to adapt to the huge water pressure, he slowly began.
From the palm of his hand, True Yang Yuan Qi burst out and like a sharp blade, it sliced deep into the ice layer in front of him, melting it away at a rapid pace.
As he pushed his True Qi fiercely, Yang Kai bore through the thick ice like as easily as smashing a piece of rotten wood.
Shui Ling brought her bubble and quickly followed behind Yang Kai.
In this way, Yang Kai managed to bore through the several dozen meter thick ice layer in less time than it would take to boil a cup of tea.
The pair soon arrived at the location of the Ice Flame Star Sand.
“You collect the star sand while I go deal with the Scarlet Blood Orchid!” Shui Ling said excitedly, darting away towards the Scarlet Blood Orchid.
A mysterious force soon created a large barrier around the surrounding water, keeping the Scarlet Blood Orchid from running away.
Yang Kai glanced around once at Shui Ling’s methods before turning his attention back to the white flame-like grains, casually digging them out and stuffing them into his Black Book space.
Although these things appeared like flames, they were actually solid grains of star sand. They were quite different from ordinary sand however, each grain like a beautiful gem that gave off a cold, biting aura.
Even the inexperienced Yang Kai could tell this was a valuable treasure.
Having just arrived in Tong Xuan Realm and encountering such an opportunities, it was a good sign.
There were only about a hundred grains of Ice Flame Star Sand but Yang Kai was in no rush, taking his time to collect all of them. After a while, Shui Ling came over, a joyful look upon her face as she held the seven-leafed World Spirit Treasure in her hand and beckoned towards Yang Kai.
With her ability to control water, in this environment, the Scarlet Blood Orchid obviously couldn’t escape from her grasp.
Having finished his work as well, Yang Kai smiled and rejoined her inside the bubble.
“Let’s go up, that group should be pretty anxious by now,” Shui Ling grinned, clearly guessing what the group from Bold Independent Union must be thinking.
Above the swamp, the group of people from Bold Independent Union all had ugly expression as they continued to wait quietly.
The bearded man suddenly let out cold snort and said, “It’s been almost an hour yet those two haven’t come up yet, they must have ran.”
“They better not let me see them again or I swear I’ll chop their corpses into ten thousand pieces!”
However, the young woman scolded her companions lightly, “Don’t make such irresponsible comments, that girl should indeed be a disciple of Water Spirit Temple, and her identity is definitely not low.”
“What makes you say that, Young Lady?”
“She has a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation. Besides a disciple with extraordinary status from a powerful Sect like Water Spirit Temple, who else could have such great strength at such a young age? Someone of such high status shouldn’t lie to us…” Though she said so, the young woman’s voice grew quieter as she spoke, seemingly trying to convince herself to trust Shui Ling with this explanation.
“Even she has such an identity, both the Scarlet Blood Orchid and Ice Flame Star Sand are rare treasures. It’s difficult to guarantee they won’t covet them for themselves.”
“If this is the case, then we can only accept that our loss is deserved!” The young woman sighed, “All of this is a result of us not having enough ability.”
“Ha…” Everyone sighed.
In this world, those who have the ability can obtain good things while those who don’t are only capable of watching from afar. This kind of situation was not uncommon, quite often a person would discover some treasure only to have someone stronger swoop in and snatch it from them. When this happened, the original finder could do nothing but glare hatefully.
“Look, there’s movement!” As they were sighing, the bearded man suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the swamp in front of them.
From beneath the surface, some ripples of energy slowly emerged.
Seeing this, the group from Bold Independent Union immediately sighed with relief while the young woman felt a great weight lift off her shoulders.
A moment later, a giant bubble of water broke through the surface and Yang Kai and Shui Ling emerged.
Shui Ling quickly flew over and landed in front of the group, “You should have brought a special container for this World Spirit Treasure, yes?”
“En!” The young woman nodded quickly, opened a small bag tied to her waist and removing a white jade box engraved with a number of Spirit Array lines.
Yang Kai secretly noted that the small bag on the young woman’s waist was actually a Universe Bag.
Seeing this, Shui Ling nodded slightly, “It seems you came fully prepared.”
Saying so, she casually handed over the Scarlet Blood Orchid.
The young woman’s expression became slightly awkward for a moment before happily reaching out and accepting it, “Thank you!”
Her manner was sincere, with not the slightest false pretense.
Placing the Scarlet Blood Orchid in the jade box, the young woman activated the Spirit Array and firmly secured the World Spirit Treasure.
“What about that Ice Flame Star Sand?” The bearded man couldn’t help asking.
“Ji Hong!” The young woman’s expression became cold as she angrily shouted.
“Haha, I’m just asking!” Ji Hong scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he smiled towards Yang Kai, “Fellow Brother shouldn’t mind me, I’m just naturally curious. It you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to, whether you obtained it or not, it was yours in the first place.”
Yang Kai smiled and suddenly found that this big man was actually somewhat interesting, although he was saying to not worry about it, he was still indirectly inquiring about the Ice Flame Star Sand.
“It’s fine, we indeed managed to obtain it,” Yang Kai frankly admitted.
“Brother has such good luck, I’m so jealous!” Ji Hong grinned, also not concealing his thoughts.
Watching this exchange, the young woman could only shake her head and turn to Shui Ling, “For Young Miss’ assistance, my Bold Independent Union is very grateful. En, according to union’s rules, each of us can receive twenty Crystal Stones as a reward for completing this mission while as the captain of this team I can obtain fifty, would you accept eighty percent of that as a token of our thanks?”
With a total of eight people, seven of whom could obtain twenty Crystal Stones while the young woman obtained fifty, the total reward for this mission was one hundred and ninety, so eighty percent would come out to one hundred and fifty-two Crystal Stones.
The young woman suddenly offering such a generous thank-you gift caused the rest of her team members’ faces to sink.
But after thinking about it, without Shui Ling and Yang Kai choosing to assist them, they wouldn’t be able to obtain anything for this mission and would likely be punished instead, so their moods quickly balanced out.
Shui Ling smiled and pointed to Yang Kai, “Give it to him, I don’t need Crystal Stones.”
Yang Kai didn’t ask much, although he didn’t know what these Crystal Stone were or how much value they represented, from the expressions of these people he could tell that these Crystal Stone should be a good thing.
“Alright,” The young woman smiled, “In addition, if the two are willing to sell us that Ice Flame Star Sand, I can guarantee you both a satisfactory price.”
“Hehe…” Shui Ling giggled, “A Spirit Grade Top-Rank Artifact Refining material, we don’t plan to sell it. Keeping it for ourselves will be more useful.”
“This…” The young woman was slightly disappointed, but she was not reluctant, soon nodding, “Let’s not discuss this for now, you can take your time to consider my offer, if you change your minds feel free to seek me out. This place is only three days away from our Bold Independent Union’s headquarters, Bold Independent City, would you care to accompany us there so we may offer you our hospitality?”
After this incident was resolved, the young woman no longer showed any hostility and instead began trying to forge a relationship with the two.
Shui Ling glanced over at Yang Kai and seeing him nod gently, decided to accept.
Shui Ling nodded, “Good, we were just looking for a place to rest.”
“Please!” The young woman said, glancing at Yang Kai intentionally or unintentionally as if she was re-examining him.
The quick exchange between Shui Ling and Yang Kai just now had not escaped her eyes.
This, however, only raised more doubts in her mind; Shui Ling seemed to be a very high-ranking member of Water Spirit Temple, so why did it seem like she was following this youth’s lead? Whenever a decision had to be made she would always solicit his opinion before making a choice.
Just what kind of background did this youth have to actually make a high-ranking disciple of Water Spirit Temple pay such attention to him?
The young woman was puzzled and couldn’t help feeling curious about Yang Kai.
As they traveled, the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.
The young woman deliberately made a few attempts to probe Yang Kai’s identity in casual conversation but Yang Kai never let anything slip, causing her some grief.
Through their conversations, Yang Kai and Shui Ling also learned that this young woman’s name was Yun Xuan and she was a team leader of one of Bold Independent Union’s external units.
The members of this team were the seven people accompanying her.
Bold Independent Union was a little different from other forces in that it had semi-permanent teams that were responsible for seeking, gathering, and transporting materials and finished products. These teams would travel all year round outside of Bold Independent Union’s headquarters looking for various business opportunities and in return, Bold Independent Union provided them with resources and a safe environment to cultivate in.
As a result of Bold Independent Union’s unique hierarchy, its name had spread quite far and was well known amongst common cultivators, many of whom wanted to join Bold Independent Union to take advantage of its less rigid system.
It was also for this reason that while the number of Bold Independent Union’s disciples was quite large, the number of masters it had was low. Compared with other local forces, Bold Independent Union was considered weak.
Yun Xuan reacted as she did when she heard that Shui Ling was a Water Spirit Temple disciple for this reason. Well aware of the status of the Water Spirit Temple, Yun Xuan was not willing to offend Shui Ling.
However, now that they had acquired the Scarlet Blood Orchid, and their task had been completed smoothly, whether Shui Ling was a true disciple of Water Spirit Temple didn’t matter as much anymore.
After two days, the group of ten left the swamp.
One day later, a huge city surrounded by a vast forest appeared in Yang Kai’s eyes; Bold Independent City, headquarters of Bold Independent Union.
This short three day trip had allowed Yang Kai to truly understand how rich the ambient World Energy of Tong Xuan Realm was. Along with the dialogue exchanged amongst this group of people, he also came to realize just how rich and vast this land was; many resources he had never heard of were often mentioned, along with many famous masters.
Yang Kai’s horizons were broadened greatly, and even his state of mind underwent some subtle changes.
At the gate of Bold Independent City, a number of cultivators who appeared to be guards were checking the passing pedestrians, staring at them vigilantly but not making any attempt to stop anyone.
Under the leadership of Yun Xuan, Yang Kai’s group of people easily entered the city.
The bustling atmosphere was obvious even before they entered the gates as cultivators shuttled back and forth just like an endless stream.
Yun Xuan proudly smiled and explained, “Because our Bold Independent Union mainly deals in cultivation resources, our headquarters is always very lively. Many people come here in order to purchase various Alchemy or Artifact Refining materials. In this realm, with the exception of the Merchant Union’s headquarters, Merchant City, our Bold Independent City has the widest selection of goods. Of course, Merchant Union has connections and dealings with all three major races, so that’s not something we can match, hehe.”
“All three major races?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“En, Merchant Union’s Merchant City is located in neutral territory which allows them to smoothly conduct business with the Demon Race, Monster Race, and Human Race. Didn’t you know?” Yun Xuan’s beautiful face wore a stunned look as she stared at Yang Kai.
“I rarely come out and walk around so my knowledge of the world is somewhat lacking,” Yang Kai replied calmly and casually.
Yun Xuan nodded lightly and didn’t ask any more; not wanting to annoy Yang Kai. These past three days she noticed that while Yang Kai was not very talkative, he showed exceptionally strong curiosity and interest in even some commonly understood things, this was clearly the performance of someone lacking worldly experience.
However, his mind was also very sharp and his thoughts were quite profound. Anything he wasn’t clear about would quickly be understood after making his own observations and asking a few questions. This only further confused Yun Xuan, making her wonder whether he was a little countryside brat who had never seen the world or an old soul who had traveled many lands and seen many storms.
In summary, whenever Yun Xuan faced him, she felt an inexplicably pressure and bewilderment.
“If the two of you have no objections, why not stay at our team’s lodging while you’re in the city? We purchased our own house inside the city and although it’s not much, it’s certainly better than staying at an inn,” Yun Xuan sent out an invitation.
“Sure,” Shui Ling readily accepted, she couldn’t wait to find a place to clean herself up, she hadn’t had an opportunity to wash her body properly during these past few days of traveling.
“Ji Hong, show them the way,” Yun Xuan lightly said.
The bearded man nodded, “Leave it to me.”
“Please go on ahead, we have to go make a report to the Union and hand over the Scarlet Blood Orchid. When we’re finished, we’ll come join you.”
Yang Kai nodded and then followed the bearded man along with Shui Ling as he walked off into the city.
A short time later, the trio came to a small house that Ji Hong enthusiastically introduced. Upon stepping into the yard, he quickly summoned a few servants and told them to prepare a hot bath and arrange rooms for Yang Kai and Shui Ling.
The house itself was quite simple and although it was located in the city’s downtown area, since it came with a security barrier, once they were inside the bustling noise from the street was greatly reduced.
Yang Kai, who had spent many years in a small rotting cabin and then camping in caves and forests, didn’t feel any sense of discomfort in this place.
In the evening, a maid came and called him, saying that dinner had been prepared.
Exiting his room, Yang Kai immediately met Shui Ling who had now restored her beautiful appearance.
The two met eyes, let out a light laugh, then set out for the dining hall together.
At this simple evening banquet, Yun Xuan and her small team were very hospitable and repeatedly proposed toasts. Shui Ling said that she didn’t drink but Yang Kai did not decline, eagerly tasting all of the exotic and foreign food and wine this new world had to offer.
Yun Xuan also handed over the previously agreed upon 152 pieces of Crystal Stone to Yang Kai, giggling happily as she joked, “Be sure to save it, don’t go blowing it all at once. There are many places in Bold Independent City that are difficult to resist for youths like you, hehe…”
As she spoke, her mood was light and playful, probably because of the alcohols, her tone no longer as rigid and her face blushing a faint shade of red, making her all the more attractive.
The bearded man saw Yun Xuan’s appearance and immediately cast Yang Kai aside while trying to get Yun Xuan even drunker, clearly holding some ulterior motives.
Yun Xuan, however, didn’t refuse, and continued drinking happily, causing Yang Kai to be stunned.
After passing half the night in this lively manner, Yang Kai and Shui Ling both took their leave while the people from Bold Independent Union persisted, but it wasn’t long before the last of them, Ji Hong, collapsed, all of them having been cleanly out drunk by Yun Xuan.
Back in his own room, Yang Kai took out a Crystal Stone from the Black Book space and carefully examined it.
He quickly discovered that this Crystal Stones contained a very pure World Energy that could easily be absorbed and refined into True Qi by cultivators.
Although he had already quietly asked Shui Ling about the function and worth of these Crystal Stones, Yang Kai only now realized just how precious they really were.
If they had these stones back in the lower realm, the cultivators back there would have been able to improve their cultivations at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, there was no such convenient resource there.
Crystal Stones were Tong Xuan Realm’s hard currency and were useful for cultivation, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining, almost all goods and services were priced in Crystal Stones.
Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing in admiration, never having expected that such a magical thing could exist in this world.
Since coming to Tong Xuan Realm, he had truly stepped into a different world, everything around him so strange, fresh, and new.
Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and confirmed who his visitor was, then quickly opened the door, allowing a moonlight bathed Shui Ling to enter.
“What’s up?” Yang Kai asked.
“Nothing. I just can’t sleep so I decided to come over and talk with you,” Shui Ling sat down on a nearby chair and casually poured herself a cup of tea.
“I noticed you went out earlier today for a while. Did you manage to contact your family?”
“You noticed?” Shui Ling asked him, slightly surprised.
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
“Good, I did get in touch with my family. My Water Spirit Temple has a presence in Bold Independent City, so I went there and let them know about where I’ve been and what happened to me these past two years. About half a month from now someone will arrive from the main Sect to pick me up and escort me back.”
“Just who are you in Water Spirit Temple? From what I’ve gathered, your status shouldn’t be low.”
“Hehe, I’m the daughter of Water Spirit Temple’s current Sect Master.”
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and smiled, “So you’re the Little Princess of Water Spirit Temple.”
Shui Ling smiled teasingly, “So what if I’m a Little Princess? Wasn’t I still bullied all that time in your mansion? You were ordering me around as and when you like!”
Yang Kai smiled and asked, “Are you going to look for revenge now?”
“I’m not that bored,” Shui Ling waved her hand casually, Yang Kai leading her back home was something she was extremely grateful for, and how could she still be worried about some petty revenge?
“However, I do have a request I hope you can listen to,” Shui Ling’s expression suddenly became serious.
“Oh?”
“Can you join my Water Spirit Temple?” Shui Ling went straight to the point.
Yang Kai stared back at her strangely, his brow furrowing slightly, “Why do you want me to join?”
“Because I’ve seen you create many miracles and I believe that with your skill and aptitude, your future achievements in Tong Xuan Realm will be great. Therefore, I hope you can join my Water Spirit Temple. As long as you agree, I can promise you the best cultivation environment and resources so you can quickly increase your strength. You’re also eager to find your friends, right? With my Water Spirit Temple’s help, finding them will be much easier.”
“Your offer is really quite generous,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“You’re worthy of such an offer, and you shouldn’t doubt I have the ability to fulfill them either.”
“I believe you,” Yang Kai nodded. Since Shui Ling was the Little Princess of Water Spirit Temple, she really had such ability.
“Then do you agree or not?” Shui Ling asked eagerly.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai shook his head and decisively said, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but you lived and worked beside me for so long in the Central Capital, so you should understand my personality.”
“Of course I understand, and I can promise you that we won’t place any limitations on you, as long as you agree to join Water Spirit Temple, you’ll be free to do whatever you want.”
“Joining Water Spirit Temple is itself the biggest limitation,” Yang Kai smiled.
“Sure enough…” Shui Ling sighed faintly, although she knew there was at least an eighty percent change he would reject her, she still couldn’t help trying to lobby him, hoping that after Yang Kai had drank so much wine, he would agree in a drunken stupor.
However, ever after all that alcohol, he seemed to be as alert as ever.
“Forget it, I won’t force you, but if you are ever willing to come to Water Spirit Temple, just tell me.”
Yang Kai neither accepted nor rejected her final offer.
After a peaceful night’s rest, Yun Xuan took the initiative to come over in the morning and offered to take Yang Kai and Shui Ling on a tour of Bold Independent City.
Yang Kai also wanted to observe the customs and culture of this new world so he naturally accepted.
Looking at her relaxed demeanor and healthy complexion, Yang Kai suddenly had a clear understanding of this young woman’s incredible alcohol tolerance.
According to the house’s servants, after taking down all the other members of her team last night, Yun Xuan drank a few more jugs of wine before calmly returning to her room to sleep.
Such alcohol capacity was quite shocking to Yang Kai, causing him to raise his opinion of her somewhat.
Bold Independent City was not small; although it wasn’t as big as the Central Capital in terms of area, compared to any other city from that world, it was a colossus.
From time to time, in the sky up above, some strange Monster Beasts would fly by, cultivators riding on their backs. In addition to using Monster Beasts as flying mounts though, there were also some who used artifacts specially designed for transportation. Each of these flying artifacts was beautiful crafted and very eye catching.
Yun Xuan explained that anyone who dared to fly over Bold Independent City possessed great strength or status, while unimportant people like them could only walk along the streets.
Apparently, the difference in class and status were present no matter what realm one found themselves in.
Bold Independent City was really bustling, and as Yang Kai observed the crowds and the individual cultivation realms of these people, he couldn’t help feeling slightly shocked.
It seemed like in Tong Xuan Realm, Immortal Ascension cultivators were a common sight. Over sixty percent of the cultivators Yang Kai spotted wandering Bold Independent City’s streets had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary while he could even occasionally encounter some Transcendent Realm masters.
In his former realm, Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators were considered masters and in some places those at the True Element Boundary were treated like kings, but here, the Immortal Ascension Boundary was nothing.
Yun Xuan soon brought them to a large building. Yang Kai noticed that the flow of traffic here was even heavier than other places. Cultivators were entering and exiting rapidly and most of them wearing expressions of joy, tension, or expectation. This mix of happiness and anxiety confused Yang Kai somewhat, causing him to wonder what exactly this place was.
Inside a grand hall, there were a number of paths that lead to smaller side rooms, outside of which were long lines of cultivators.
Yun Xuan led the Yang Kai and Shui Ling towards one of the innermost rooms.
Inside this room, the floor was covered in a thick carpet and there were many lifelike carvings and sculptures adorning the walls. In the middle of the room was a small Incense Burner that emitted a pleasant fragrance obviously made from precious herbs which added to the warm atmosphere.
Behind a desk at the back, a slightly fat old man sat on a large wooden armchair, indifferently staring at a Peak Immortal Ascension cultivator in front of him, a slight look of impatience apparent on his face.
When Yang Kai followed Yun Xuan into the room, he overheard the old man say to the cultivator in front of him, “Without a sky poison feather, this old master can’t fix this artifact for you. On top of that, you’re not a disciple of my Bold Independent Union so the cost is automatically twenty percent higher. You don’t have appropriate materials and you aren’t offering enough compensation, yet you still dare ask for this old master’s services? Just who do you think this old master is!?”
Saying so, the old man casually shooed the man in front of him away, “Get out, when you find the right materials and collect enough of a reward, then you can come find this old master, otherwise you can go ask some other Artifact Refiner, the cost they charge won’t be as high as this old master.”
“Grandmaster…” The cultivator still wanted to beg, but after seeing the old man’s cold glare, he quickly swallowed down the rest of his words, shook his head and helplessly turned and left.
When this customer passed through the doorway and let out a heavy sigh, Yang Kai caught a glimpse of an artifact in his hands and remembering what the old man in the back had just said, Yang Kai suddenly understood what was going on here.
The old man sitting inside also quickly noticed Yun Xuan outside and couldn’t help smiling brightly, beckoning her over, “Yun girl, come in, come in.”
Yun Xuan showed a faint smile and walked inside, politely calling out, “Grandmaster Ma.”
The old man’s smile became even brighter upon hearing Yun Xuan call him so, none of the impatience and arrogance he had shown his previous client remaining on his face, instead becoming warm and friendly. This made Yang Kai quite surprised, and also caused him to wonder what kind of charm Yun Xuan had that could make this old man’s attitude undergo such a big transformation.
Even if she was a disciple of Bold Independent Union, that alone couldn’t explain the old man’s dramatic change.
Moreover, the look on this old man’s face was genuinely warm, like that of an elder meeting his treasured granddaughter.
“What artifact did you damage this time?” Grandmaster Ma smiled and shook his head, “Let me see it.”
Yun Xuan spat out her tongue adorably like a child as she turned her palm up and summoned a flash of light into her hand. Yang Kai quickly noted that what Yun Xuan summoned was a spear-like artifact, which was fairly high grade.
However, this spear’s body had some cracks on it at the moment and the spear head had a few spots dotted atop it, like it had been corroded by something.
“Seems the battle you had was not simple,” Grandmaster Ma’s expression sank slightly as he turned to look at Yun Xuan thoughtfully, sighing a moment later, “Ha… Silly girl, why are you acting so recklessly?”
Yun Xuan chuckled lightly, “I just wasn’t careful enough and accidentally allowed this to happen.”
“Why you, this old man really doesn’t know what to say to you.”
“Oh stop treating me like a child!” Yun Xuan spoke, acting like a spoiled child, taking out some materials and Crystal Stones and handing them to Grandmaster Ma, “These are the materials and reward for the repair.”
“There’s no need for any reward,” Grandmaster Ma shook his head.
“I’m also a Common Disciple in the Union, how can I so blatantly break the rules?”
“Since I said there’s no need, then there’s no need. Or what, are you looking down on this old master?” Grandmaster Ma said with a stern face, pretending to be angry.
Yun Xuan stuck out her tongue again and eventually took back her Crystal Stones.
“Come back for it in three days, this time this old master will refine it to the point you won’t be able to damage it again!” Grandmaster Ma declared confidently.
“Thank you, Grandmaster Ma.” Yun Xuan said happily.
“Does Grandmaster repair artifacts?” Yang Kai, who had been silently watching until now, finally asked.
The clothes Grandmaster Ma wore were tasteful and embroidered on his chest was a set of special symbols. Although Yang Kai didn’t know what these symbols represented exactly, it was clear to him that it was some kind of rank insignia for Artifact Refiners.
It was similar to the symbols he had seen Alchemist’s wear on their chests.
Hearing this, Grandmaster Ma turned a dumbfounded look towards Yang Kai and asked, “This old master has studied Artifact Refining for decades now, naturally I can repair artifacts. Are you a new member of Yun Xuan’s team?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Yun Xuan quickly explained, “Grandmaster, this is… um, a friend of mine, he’s not a member of my team.”
Grandmaster Ma smiled lightly, “Your friend seems a bit friendless and unlearned. Even after entering the unions Artifact Hall he’s still wondering what we do here.”
“He recently arrived here from a remote region, so he hasn’t quite adapted to the surroundings yet,” Yun Xuan said before quietly turning to Yang Kai and explaining to him, “This is the Artifact Hall of our Bold Independent Union, inside here there are a number of skilled Artifact Refiners, but Grandmaster Ma is the best. No matter what kind of artifact it is, if you bring it to him, he can repair it.”
Saying so, Yun Xuan suddenly understood, “Do you have an artifact that needs to be repaired?”
Yang Kai nodded and took out the Bone Shield.
The entire Bone Shield had suffered great damage when it had protected Yang Kai from the force of the void when the Void Corridor beneath the Central Capital collapsed, and had then further been damaged when he used it to create a large explosion in the Abandoned Earth.
Yang Kai had wanted to find a chance to repair it but he hadn’t expected Yun Xuan to bring him to the place he was looking for all of a sudden. This was like someone sending him a pillow just as he wanted to take a nap.
Grandmaster Ma reached out and took the Bone Shield, gently stroking it a few times before releasing his True Qi to investigate its internal structure, his face quickly filling with annoyance, “Which bastard refined this artifact?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know.”
“Incompetent, too incompetent. Although the materials used in this artifact aren’t very expensive, the end product still shouldn’t be such a low-grade artifact!”
Yang Kai smiled helplessly. Mysterious Grade Low-Rank, in his previous Realm, it was already a rare and precious treasure, but here, Grandmaster Ma had all but called it trash.
“The technique used to craft this shield is so juvenile; the Artifact Refiner who refined this artifact should be dragged out and put to death!” Grandmaster Ma shouted in annoyance.
Yun Xuan quietly whispered, “Grandmaster has very strict standards for Artifact Refining.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He also saw that this Grandmaster Ma should be obsessed with Artifact Refining so he would not only be strict with himself, but also with others of his profession.
After ranting on for a while, Grandmaster Ma looked up at Yang Kai and sighed, “Yun Xuan said that you came out from some remote place, and sure enough, only in those backwater regions would they use such inferior methods to refine artifacts, some of the techniques that were used to forge this artifact were eliminated over a thousand years ago.”
“Can Grandmaster still repair this artifact?” Yang Kai asked.
“As long as you have appropriate materials, I can fix it!” Grandmaster Ma declared confidently, “What materials do you have on you?”
“Uh…” Yang Kai thought about it for a moment and soon realized that the only thing of value he had on him was the Ice Flame Star Sand he had acquired a few days ago, quickly taking it out, “Will this work?”
“Spirit Grade Top-Rank Ice Flame Star Sand?” Grandmaster Ma’s face suddenly lit up as he stared at the ice blue flickering grain of flame resting atop Yang Kai’s hand.
After this grain of Star Sand was taken out, the temperature in the entire room rapidly dropped, causing both Yun Xuan and Shui Ling to shiver.
Aware of their distress, Yang Kai quickly pushed his True Qi and wrapped it around the Ice Flame Star Sand to contain the chill.
Seeing this, Grandmaster Ma secretly nodded to himself, thinking: [This little brat’s True Qi is pure and his control is quite good. Although his methods are a little dull, he definitely has enough raw skill.]
“This Ice Flame Star Sand can indeed be used to repair your artifact.” Grandmaster Ma calmed himself before asking. Although a Spirit Grade Top-Rank material was very expensive, as the best Artifact Refiner in Bold Independent Unions Artifact Hall he had seen many such treasures before so he naturally wouldn’t lose his composure.
“However, using a Spirit Grade Top-Rank to repair a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank artifact, you should be able to understand. Using this Ice Flame Star Sand on this Bone Shield…” Grandmaster Ma’s mouth slightly twitched, “It’s too much of a waste.”
“As long as the Bone Shield can be repaired it’s fine,” Yang Kai insisted.
“Do you really want to do this?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Grandmaster Ma wrinkled his brow slightly but no longer tried to persuaded him; in any case, the artifact and materials belonged to Yang Kai, so how he wanted to use them was his business. Letting out a sigh, Grandmaster Ma continued, “Good, since you insist, this old master will accept your request, but if you want to fully repair this artifact, just this Ice Flame Star Sand isn’t enough, you’ll need some other supplementary materials.”
“What kind of materials?” Yang Kai asked.
“Black Fog Iron or Sky Cicada Jade, either of these two materials would work. If you find the former, I can help you upgrade this Bone Shield into a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifact, if it’s the latter, I can help you promote it to Mysterious Grade Top-Rank or even Spirit Grade, it all depends on what you can afford,” Grandmaster Ma said proudly.
“Black Fog Iron, Sky Cicada Jade?” Yang Kai muttered these two names.
“One is a Mysterious Grade material while the other is Spirit Grade.” Shui Ling explained quickly.
“Where can I find these two materials?”
“That’s your problem,” Grandmaster Ma snorted, seemingly a little unhappy with Yang Kai’s wasteful manner, “But as long as you have enough Crystal Stones, you can buy anything in Bold Independent City, not to mention Black Fog Iron and Sky Cicada Jade aren’t particularly precious so the local shops should have some in stock.”
“Uh, then, how many Crystal Stones would it cost to buy one of these two materials?” Yang Kai asked Shui Ling.
Shui Ling smiled lightly, “With your net worth, you probably can’t afford them.”
Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly. He had thought he had obtained a considerable amount of wealth when he received 150 Crystal Stones, but now it seemed that this amount was still not much.
“Don’t look at me, I don’t have any Crystal Stones,” Shui Ling also said helplessly, she had lived in the Central Capital for more than two years and had long ago exhausted the Crystal Stones she had on her.
Yun Xuan heard their conversation and after hesitating for a moment, clenched her teeth and said, “I have a piece of Sky Cicada Jade here.”
Yang Kai stared at her blankly.
“I don’t have much use for it anyway, so I’ll give it to you,” Saying so, Yun Xuan reached out and took a piece of jade from the Universe Bag on her waist.
Yang Kai’s brow tightened as he accepted the piece of jade, “Then I’ll consider this a loan from you.”
“No need,” Yun Xuan smiled lightly.
Grandmaster Ma wasn’t sure who Yang Kai was or what his relationship with Yun Xuan was, but seeing her act so warmly towards him, even trying to gift him a valuable material like Sky Cicada Jade, he couldn’t help wondering.
Just what value did this boy from some remote land have that was worth investing in? Grandmaster Ma pondered to himself.
When Sky Cicada Jade and Ice Flame Star Sand were handed over to Grandmaster Ma, he reigned in his wandering thoughts and coughed lightly, “You are not a disciple of my Bold Independent Union, so in truth, the cost of repairing this artifact should be 20% higher…”
As he said so, he glanced over at Yun Xuan and smiled slightly, “But out of consideration for Yun girl’s face, this old master will only charge you 100 pieces of Crystal Stone. You at least have that much, right?”
Thinking that this country boy would be dirt poor, Grandmaster Ma didn’t dare ask for too much, lest he embarrass Yun Xuan.
Thankfully, Yang Kai nodded and freely took out a hundred pieces of Crystal Stone and handed them over.
Grandmaster Ma showed a satisfied expression and declared, “Good! Come back in ten days and I’ll give you your new artifact, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!”
“Then we’ll take our leave first,” Yun Xuan nodded lightly before leading Yang Kai and Shui Ling out.
After leaving the Artifact Hall, Yang Kai asked, “How many Crystal Stones is that Sky Cicada Jade worth?”
However, Yun Xuan just laughed and said nothing while Shui Ling casually pointed up towards the sky.
Yang Kai’s face immediately became awkward.
There was nothing on him of much value he could give Yun Xuan as compensation. He was not prepared to expose the Myriad Drug Liquid yet, and the Ice Flame Star Sand had all been given to Grandmaster Ma. He had originally planned on splitting the grains with Shui Ling but now even that wasn’t possible.
Fortunately, with Shui Ling being the Little Princess of Water Spirit Temple, she probably wouldn’t care about such minor gains and losses.
“I’ll definitely pay you back,” Yang Kai reiterated. He did not like owing people favours, especially unfamiliar people, not to mention Yun Xuan showing such a warm attitude towards him was because of Shui Ling’s status.
Yang Kai knew that with his current identity and strength, there was no reason Yun Xuan would gift him such a valuable material just to establish a connection.
“I told you there’s no need, you…” Yun Xuan pursed her lips and smiled before shaking her head, “Fine, fine, do as you like, let’s go back for now.”
“There’s still something I’d like to buy first.” Yang Kai said.
“Oh? What do you want to buy? Just tell me and I’ll lead you to an appropriate shop,” Yun Xuan stared at him with interest.
“Some spirit herbs.”
“What do you want to buy herbs for?” Yun Xuan asked, her beautiful eyes suddenly flashing a brilliant light, “Are you an Alchemist?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have some interest in Alchemy, so I thought I’d try my hand at it.”
“You do?” Shui Ling was also dumbfounded. The time she had spent with Yang Kai wasn’t short, but she had never once seen him show any interest in pill refining. She knew that Yang Kai had a very close relationship with his ‘Little Senior Sister’ Xia Ning Chang, and that the latter had astonishing talent in the Alchemic Dao, but she never thought Yang Kai would have an interest in Alchemy as well. Shui Ling couldn’t help feeling somewhat confused.
“I just want to try it casually,” Yang Kai replied.
In any case he currently was idle, Grandmaster Ma had said it would be ten days before he could retrieve his Bone Shield so Yang Kai was just looking for something to pass the time.
On top of that, he was sincere when he said he was interested in Alchemy, it was just that he had never had an opportunity to practice it.
Before reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, one should not practice Alchemy, that was the teaching of Medicine King’s Valley’s Hidden Cloud Peak’s Xiao Fu Sheng! Yang Kai has already broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary some time ago so he had obviously met this condition.
Yang Kai previously had never needed to worry about pills for his cultivation as Little Senior Sister had constantly provided them to him. But now, he was alone in the Tong Xuan Realm and had no idea where Treasurer Meng, Su Yan, or Xia Ning Chang was, so he had to make plans for his future.
Besides, having such a skill would be better than nothing.
“I don’t understand you,” Shui Ling shook her head.
“Then come with me, I’ll take you to a medicine herb shop. What kind do you want?”
“The lower the grade, the better!” Yang Kai replied.
Yun Xuan was stunned, “The lower the better? Have you never performed Alchemy before?”
Only some apprentices who had yet to enter the Alchemic Way would choose the lower grade of herbs to practice.
“He’s never even tried before!” Shui Ling smiled.
“Seems you really are just trying casually,” Yun Xuan smiled, showing no intention of trying to stop him, leading Yang Kai and Shui Ling to another part of the city.
The further they walked from downtown, the lower the grade of resources were being sold, even the realms of the surrounding cultivators was lower than before.
Yang Kai knew that this region of Bold Independent City’s was where the lowest level cultivators came to shop.
Not long after, the group of three came to a medicine shop that was filled with a variety of low-grade materials. There were many Alchemy and Artifact Refiner apprentices looking about for materials to practice with here.
Although the material grades were low, the prices were also cheap. However, because many novices would purchase large quantities of these practice materials, business was actually good.
Under the guidance of Yun Xuan, Yang Kai purchased a large number of low-grade herbs with his remaining 50 Crystal Stones and left with satisfied look on his face.
Back at Yun Xuan’s team’s house, Yang Kai entered his room, closed the door, set up a simple barrier, and began his journey into the Alchemic Way.
About the mysteries and theory of the Alchemic Way, Yang Kai already had a deep understanding.
Over the years he had constantly been studying the True Alchemic Way which gave him a very broad range of knowledge about Alchemy, even more so than Xia Ning Chang.
With regards to the construction of various Spirit Arrays, the selection of herbs, the mastery of fire, and the experiences of various Alchemy Grandmasters, no one could match him.
What Yang Kai lacked now was only practical experience.
Moreover, the attributes of his True Qi and Spiritual Energy were also quite suitable for Alchemy.
His extremely pure True Yang Yuan Qi was perfectly suited for smelting and refining herbs.
It could be said that when it came to performing Alchemy, Yang Kai’s basic attributes were superb. Although he wouldn’t be able to compare with Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, his starting point was at least much better than other Alchemists.
Pouring out the pile of low-grade herbs he had purchased, Yang Kai next summoned the little Incense Burner from the Black Book space.
This Incense Burner was the treasure that had appeared when he had unlocked the third page of the Black Book, and after he began studying the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai realized that it was not just a simple incense burner.
It was also a pill stove that could be used to perform Alchemy!
The Incense Burner and the True Alchemic Way were meant to complement each other, but without the accident that occurred in Medicine King’s Valley where the True Alchemic Way contained inside the Pill Saint’s portrait was forcibly transfer to his Soul, Yang Kai might have missed the opportunity to enter the Alchemic Way.
The original owner of the Black Book seemed to have no intention of letting his successor study Alchemic Way, or at least had not meant to give him the True Alchemic Way.
However, it seems the Heavens had other plans.
Placing the small Incense Burner in front of himself, Yang Kai began injecting his True Qi into it following a pre-set path.
Soon, luminescent lines began appearing on the Incense Burner’s surface and it expanded to the size of a small water basin.
Yang Kai took his hands back and nodded with satisfaction.
The size of a pill furnace, to a certain extent, was a visual representation of the skill of an Alchemist.
Generally, the larger the pill furnace they required, the worse the Alchemist’s skill was, because while performing Alchemy, an Alchemist would need to use their own True Qi to portray different Spirit Arrays inside the furnace and use these Spirit Arrays to enhance the refinement and purification of medicine herbs and fuse the resulting medicinal liquid into a solid pill.
If an Alchemist possessed enough skill, no matter how small the pill furnace they used was, they could accurately portray and utilize these Spirit Arrays.
The current water basin sized pill furnace was suitable for Yang Kai to practice with. With such a large pill furnace, the tolerance for inaccuracy in his portrayal of the various Spirit Arrays would be slightly higher while the additional True Qi he would need to consume in order to do so was not an issue.
Recalling the recipe for one of the simplest pills, Yang Kai found the corresponding herbs from his pile of ingredients and placed them by his side; turning to the furnace again, he formed a series of hand seals and then began pouring his True Qi into it.
Soon, a simple Spirit Array was formed inside the pill furnace.
Because he was practicing, Yang Kai chose a Spirit Array that would increase the chance of successfully refining a pill. This Spirit Array was amongst the most basic he knew and was not too difficult to compose.
With his current True Qi manipulation abilities, Yang Kai could relatively easily control the shape and stability of this Spirit Array.
Inspected the Spirit Array inside the pill furnace, Yang Kai was extremely satisfied.
Orderly placing the spirit herbs into the pill furnace, Yang Kai then began pouring his True Qi into it, using his True Yang Yuan Qi to refine these herbs and extract their medicinal essence.
While he completed this process, the myriad of valuable experiences of various Alchemy Grandmasters he had read in the True Alchemic Way appeared in Yang Kai’s mind, allowing him to compare them to his current process.
These Alchemy Grandmasters also were one ignorant of the Alchemic Way and its profound mysteries.
But through their own efforts, they step by step rose to the peak of world and gained the respect of their peers.
Yang Kai proceeded cautiously, because the amount of True Qi he injected into the furnace would have a direct impact on the refinement of the spirit herbs’ medicinal properties. If he poured in too much True Qi, he would burn the herbs but if he put in too little, he would fail to completely refine them and would be unable to form a pill.
Alchemy was a profession that required one to have strict control over their own True Qi.
As the spirit herbs were refined into medicinal essence under the influence of Yang Kai’s True Qi, they began merging together and undergoing miraculous changes.
However, just as Yang Kai was about to succeed in this refinement, a puff of black smoke suddenly appeared from the pill furnace and a burnt smell quickly filled the room.
Yang Kai immediately stopped injecting his True Qi and wrinkled his brow.
He knew that this time’s Alchemy was a complete failure. It seemed like he had injected too much of his True Qi into the furnace and had burnt down all the herbs inside.
Taking out the burst waste material from the pill furnace, Yang Kai didn’t rush to start again but instead sat there calmly began mentally reviewing everything about the process he had just experienced, trying to confirm what he did correctly and what he did wrong.
It was quite some time before Yang Kai began his second attempt.
Due to his previous failure, the Spirit Array Yang Kai had drawn on the inside of the pill furnace had also been destroyed, so he first had to re-draw it.
Meticulously using his True Qi he once again engraved the pill furnace with his desired Spirit Array.
However, this time he did not succeed so easily. Due to a slight bit of carelessness, one of the True Qi lines Yang Kai drew when portraying the Spirit Array was distorted, causing the half-completed Spirit Array to burst.
Inside the pill furnace, a burst of chaotic energy quickly erupted and blasted out like a wild bucking horse.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a throbbing headache, quickly realize that understanding the theory behind Alchemy and actually using it were completely different matters.
Having understood this point, Yang Kai also realized just how envious Little Senior Sister’s aptitude was. With her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, she was naturally talented in all things related to Alchemy. Any amount of herbs she touched could be perfectly refined and combined just by waving her hands.
After three consecutive failures, Yang Kai finally managed to engrave a stable Spirit Array inside the pill furnace.
Because of the nature of these Spirit Arrays, one needed to dedicate all their attention while portraying it as it had to be done in one complete motion. If there were any mistakes or deficiencies during this process, the Spirit Array would instantly collapse.
This task was quite draining on one’s True Qi and nerves.
Only a complete Spirit Array with no flaws would be of any use during Alchemy.
It was easy to say, but when one tried to do it, they would quickly come across a number of difficulties, and becoming impatient or impulse would only compound these problems. Fortunately, Yang Kai’s will was firm and demeanor resolute; he would not be discouraged by one or two failures.
To him, every failure only added to his experience.
When the Spirit Array stabilized, Yang Kai once again placed the herbs into the pill furnace in order and then began pouring his True Qi into it. The herbs were quickly refined into medicinal liquids and began blending together.
Various medicinal essences emerged and began amalgamating, each one having its own unique properties that when combined led to new effects.
This time, Yang Kai controlled his True Qi even more carefully, but he still ultimately failed.
While he was attempting to remove the impurities from the herbs and condense them into pure medicinal liquids, there was a sudden explosion inside his pill furnace and a familiar burnt smell once again permeated the room.
Sitting in the same spot, unmoving, Yang Kai quietly reflected on this latest failure for a while before returning to his senses.
Adjusting his mood and returning himself to his peak condition, he started again.
Failure, failure…
Failing over and over again would normally cause one to feel a sense of helplessness, but Yang Kai maintained his calm, repeatedly dumping the refuse materials from his pill furnace, pondering over where he went wrong, and then trying again.
He knew that every time he failed, he would make some progress.
Practice makes perfect, this saying was not just empty talk! Alchemy was not something one could learn or perfect in a single night; Yang Kai was just getting started.
The amount of destroyed materials in the room continued to pile up and the smell of burnt ash grew stronger by the hour, yet Yang Kai’s determination never wavered
Time passed slowly.
By now, eighty percent of the low-grade herbs Yang Kai had purchased for fifty Crystal Stones had been consumed, but Yang Kai still hadn’t produced a single finished pill.
He was now in an almost obsessed state, so meticulously focused on the task in front of him he ignored everything else.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai had long ago lost track of how many attempts he had made.
However, this time was different from the past, a kind of innate confidence welled up inside him, and his instincts were telling him that this time he would surely succeed.
He already couldn’t be more familiar with engraving the Spirit Array into his pill furnace so it only took Yang Kai ten breaths to do so.
Placing the herbs into the furnace one at a time, he once again began injecting his True Qi and refined them up. Pushing his True Qi through this raw medicinal liquid, he quickly burned away the impurities and purified the medicinal essences.
There were no mistakes made during this entire process. Yang Kai gave off the appearance of a skilled veteran and the pill gradually began taking shape.
Soon, a faint scent began leaking from the pill furnace.
Yang Kai’s spirit shook, and he became even more careful about controlling the output of his True Qi during these last crucial moments.
A short time later, when all the medicinal liquids had been purified and refined to their limits, Yang Kai suddenly took back all of his True Qi.
The Spirit Array inside the pill furnace immediately contracted like a great net, binding all of the medicinal liquids together and condensing them into a round pill.
*Ding dong…*
A crisp sound emerged out of the pill furnace.
Yang Kai was exhausted and sweating all over, but that did not dampen the joy in his heart, quickly opening his furnace and removing the finished pill.
An attractive, delicate fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose as he stared at the small pill in his hands. After painstakingly refining all of those herbs, all of their medicinal essences had been condensed into this thumbnail sized pill.
Carefully inspecting his word, Yang Kai quickly discovered that the first pill he had ever successfully refined was actually just a Low Quality Common Grade Pill.
The materials he had used were all Earth Grade materials because no one sold Common Grade herbs in the Tong Xuan Realm. If one wanted those they could just pick them like wild flowers by the roadside.
Only Earth Grade materials and above had any value.
Using Earth Grade herbs to refine a Common Grade pill was a complete and total waste of materials, but Yang Kai was still extremely satisfied, because this was the first pill he had ever personally refined.
Holding this pill, Yang Kai carefully recalled everything he did and felt during the refining process.
Yang Kai thought to himself that if he could further extract the medicinal essences from the herbs, remove more of the impurities, and control the heat distribution better, the grade and quality of the pill would rise again.
After this first success, Yang Kai deeply realized the profoundness of the Alchemic Way and gained a much greater appreciation of the mysteries Alchemy hid.
In order to become a qualified Alchemist, having vast knowledge was not enough, Yang Kai also had to accumulate massive amount of practical experience through repeated trial and error.
The road leading to this first success had given Yang Kai his first taste of this experience.
After a short break, he continued working hard.
Time passed by quickly and soon, ten days had elapsed.
The fifty Crystal Stones worth of herbs Yang Kai had purchased had now been completely consumed.
Just as he was about to exit, Yang Kai heard some light footstep outside his room. From the sound of these footfalls, Yang Kai immediately identified his visitor.
Smiling lightly, Yang Kai waved his hand to dispel the barrier surrounding his room and opened the door.
In the hallway outside stood Shui Ling, a slightly complex look upon her face.
After sniffing the smell wafting from Yang Kai’s room, she quickly waved her hand in front of her nose and frowned, “What is that?”
In response, Yang Kai could only scratch the back of his head awkwardly.
Not far away, Yun Xuan and the big bearded man also appeared and walked over.
Seemingly knowing that Yang Kai had been practicing Alchemy these past few days, the bearded man rushed forward towards Yang Kai and grinned, “Brother Yang, how’d it go? Did you manage to refine any good pills? Quickly show us.”
“Ji Hong!” Yun Xuan gave him a harsh glare.
Yang Kai had admitted to her that he had never performed Alchemy before and had only bought those herbs in order to casually experiment. Without anyone to guide or teach him, it would be strange if he had managed to refine anything.
If Alchemy was really so easy to learn, the title ‘Alchemist’ wouldn’t be so honorable.
From the smell that drifted from his room, and the big pile of burnt waste piled up inside, Yun Xuan already knew just what kind of setbacks Yang Kai must have suffered.
“Haha, I was just asking,” The bearded man laughed casually, apparently not having any malicious intent.
Yun Xuan shot Yang Kai an apologetic glance and hesitated for a moment before saying, “If you really want to study Alchemy, I can get you an apprenticeship with one of the Union’s masters. If you have someone teaching you, your chances of becoming a qualified Alchemist will be much better than if you just experiment on your own.”
“Thanks, but there’s no need, I really just wanted to give it a try,” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head.
Yun Xuan gently nodded, not pressing the issue any further, simply thinking that Yang Kai was a bit odd. Obviously he was interested in studying Alchemy, but he was not willing to be taught, preferring to seclude himself in his room and fumble through things on his own.
Yun Xuan sighed secretly. If he continued on like this, he would likely never successfully refine a single pill for the rest of his life; however, this was his own private matters so it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to continue inserting herself.
“Yang Kai, the people from the Temple are here to pick me up,” Shui Ling said.
“Oh? Congratulations,” Yang Kai smiled warmly.
“En, I wanted to tell you in person before heading out,” Shui Ling continued.
A group from Water Spirit Temple had arrived in Bold Independent City a couple days ago, but since Yang Kai was in secluded retreat practicing Alchemy, Shui Ling felt it was inappropriate to leave without saying goodbye.
After all, it was Yang Kai who had brought her back.
Now that the time of their parting was at hand, Shui Ling didn’t feel too sad and instead was quite relaxed, chatting happily with Yang Kai and the others as they walked outside.
Outside Yun Xuan’s team’s house there was a luxurious carriage drawn by several Monster Beasts waiting. Beneath the feet of these beasts one could see a small swirling stream of wind.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help showing some admiration.
“Young Lady!” Outside the carriage, a Transcendent Realm master stood waiting, calling out respectfully upon seeing Shui Ling come out, his expression remaining solemn.
Shui Ling nodded lightly to this master before turning to look at Yang Kai once more, “No matter what, I still must thank you. Here, take this Blue Water Jade Pendant, if there ever comes a day when you need help, bring this with you to Water Spirit Temple and look for me. Also, I’ll do my best to find the whereabouts of your friends. If I obtain any news about them, I’ll find a way to inform you.”
“Thank you,” Yang Kai reached out and took blue jade pendant and gave his sincere thanks.
Watching this scene, the Transcendent Realm master couldn’t help taking a quick look at Yang Kai, seemingly wondering just what it was about him that caused his Sect’s Young Lady to pay so much attention to him, even to the point where she had given him her Blue Water Jade Pendant.
Yun Xuan’s beautiful eyes also flashed as she glanced suspiciously towards Yang Kai.
Although Shui Ling had lived together with them for several days and the two of them had built up some small friendship, Yun Xuan has still not yet figured out what the true nature of the relationship between Yang Kai and Shui Ling was.
“Well then, I’m off,” Shui Ling smiled, turned, and walked over to the carriage.
From beginning to end, the Transcendent Realm master remained calm and composed, not sparing Yang Kai or any of the others a second look before taking a seat in the driver’s position and injecting his True Qi into the carriage. The Monster Beasts also responded at the same time and bursts of wind erupted from around their hooves, the entire carriage lifting off the ground in the next moment and ascending into the sky.
“Worthy of Water Spirit Temple’s Little Princess, her private carriage is really impressive,” The bearded man said, an envious light flashing across his eyes.
This elegant carriage was actually a special kind of flying artifact and its grade was definitely not low. Refining such an artifact was neither cheap nor easy so only forces as powerful as Water Spirit Temple possessed them.
After watching Shui Ling leave, Yun Xuan smiled and said, “Good, I’ll take you to the Artifact Hall to retrieve your Bone Shield. Grandmaster Ma should have fixed it by now.”
Yang Kai smiled happily, greatly looking forward to it.
Besides the small sword in his Knowledge Sea, the Bone Shield was the only artifact Yang Kai currently had.
And in the Tong Xuan Realm, where masters appeared one after another and crisis loomed around every corner, Yang Kai felt that his Bone Shield would be able to play an important role, so he had not hesitated to use the precious Ice Flame Star Sand and borrow Yun Xuan’s Sky Cicada Jade in order to let Grandmaster Ma repair it.
With the Bone Shield, he would gain another layer of protection.
Now that ten days had passed, it was naturally time to retrieve his Bone Shield.
Upon hearing this, the big bearded man and the others all expressed interest in coming along to see just what kind of artifact Yang Kai was having fixed, so Yun Xuan could only helplessly let them follow.
Arriving at the Artifact Hall, Yun Xuan led Yang Kai back to the innermost room where they found Grandmaster Ma waiting.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, Grandmaster Ma didn’t say much and simply handed over the Bone Shield.
The patterns and designs on the Bone Shield had returned to their original appearance and nothing about it seemed particularly out of the ordinary, but when Yang Kai held it in his hands he immediately felt that the Bone Shield was a little different.
All of the scars marring the shield’s face had been completely repaired and the bone spurs around its edge had also been reconnected but it also had a kind of icy chill circulating around it, clearly having taken on some of the characteristics of the Ice Flame Star Sand.
The Bone Shield’s grade was now also much higher than before!
Yang Kai was incredibly happy.
“Mysterious Grade Top-Rank, unfortunately it couldn’t be promoted directly to Spirit Grade, but it should be enough for you for now. With it, anyone below the Transcendent Realm won’t be able to break through your defense and even if you have to face a Transcendent, you’ll be able to put up some resistance,” Grandmaster Ma said lightly.
“Many thanks, Grandmaster Ma,” Yang Kai nodded in appreciation.
“No need for that, this is just business. This time, this old master especially helped you out of consideration for Yun girl’s face, but, next time, you need this old master to fix an artifact; you won’t get off so lightly.”
Yang Kai gently nodded and Yun Xuan smiled and said, “Then we’ll be taking our leave.”
Hearing this, Grandmaster Ma suddenly let out a sigh, “Yun girl, take care of yourself, there’s no need to act so rash.”
“I know, thank you for your concern, Grandmaster.”
Upon leaving the Artifact Hall, the bearded man and the others rushed over to see Yang Kai’s artifacts, and Yang Kai didn’t refuse, taking the Bone Shield out to let them observe it, secretly anticipating seeing the envy in their eyes.
Although all of them also had Mysterious Grade artifacts, most of them were just Mysterious Grade Low-Rank so there was still a noticeable gap with his Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Bone Shield.
Also, the Bone Shield was an artifact that specialized in defense. Having such a treasure was almost equal to having an extra life, so all the others were quite jealous of Yang Kai.
“Yang Kai, I’m afraid we won’t be able to continue accompanying you,” Yun Xuan looked at him slightly apologetically, “The Union has assigned us another mission so we’ll have to leave here soon. If you’d like, you’re welcome to continue staying in our house for now, but I can’t say for certain when we’ll be back.”
Yang Kai’s expression became serious, hesitating for a moment before saying, “I’d like to accompany you.”
“You want to come with us?” Yun Xuan was confused for a second before suddenly smiling, “Do you want to join our Bold Independent Union?”
However, Yang Kai shook his head, “I owe you a favour for that piece of Sky Cicada Jade, if I accompany you out and bump into some kind of opportunity I’ll be able to pay you back. Don’t worry, I won’t ask for anything regarding your mission’s reward.”
Yun Xuan’s brow suddenly furrowed slightly, apparently somewhat unease; after all, she was not very familiar with Yang Kai and had been treating him in such a warm manner mainly out of consideration for Shui Ling’s face.
Now that Shui Ling was gone though, she didn’t need to concern herself with Yang Kai so much anymore.
Gifting him that piece of Sky Cicada Jade in order to build a connection with Water Spirit Temple was a price she could afford.
But now Yang Kai suddenly saying he wanted to act together with them for their mission put Yun Xuan in a difficult position.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation wasn’t low, but Yang Kai seemed quite young so she had questions about his real combat power, if her team suddenly found themselves in a dangerous situation and he panicked, it would very likely bring trouble to her team and cause unnecessary losses.
As a team leader, Yun Xuan had to consider such issues.
“If you let me come with you, maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Yang Kai said when he saw her hesitant expression, “In any case, while we’re together, I will follow your commands.”
“Surprised?” Yun Xuan smiled thinly, hesitating for a moment longer before suddenly nodding, “Good, since you want to return my favour in this manner, I won’t refuse you, but you must remember, during this mission, you must faithfully obey my orders, if because of you any of my team members encounter life-threatening danger, I’ll make you pay an appropriate price.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders casually and agreed.
He really didn’t like the feeling of owing others and had constantly been looking for an opportunity to pay Yun Xuna back for the piece of Sky Cicada Jade she had given him. Only after he did so could he depart from here and begin looking for Su Yan.
“Then let’s move out,” Yun Xuan waved her hand.
There is no need to prepare anything, the members of the Yun Xuan’s team were all long-time veterans so before they had left the house they had already gathered their equipment and supplies.
After Yun Xuan’s team exited Bold Independent City, the bearded man quickly ran up to Yang Kai and pulled his arm, asking curiously, “Brother Yang, what do you mean pleasantly surprised? What kind of surprise will we get to see if you come with us?”
Yang Kai already had a profound understanding of this bearded man’s persistent shamelessness, so he chose to observe the philosophy that silence was gold.
The entire journey, Yang Kai used his abnormally powerful Divine Sense to investigate their surroundings, hoping to find something of value.
Unfortunately, he gained nothing for his efforts.
However, from the chatter between Yun Xuan’s team members, Yang Kai gradually figured out what their mission was.
Apparently a number of unknown Monster Beasts had appeared in a place called Thousand Leaf Forest which was roughly seven or eight days travel from Bold Independent City. Many passing cultivators and even disciples of Bold Independent Union had lost their lives to these beasts.
Thousand Leaf Forest was incredibly valuable to Bold Independent Union, not only because of the rare herbs that grew in this forest, but also because of the Sun Tin ore vein that lay in the middle of the forest.
This Sun Tin ore wasn’t a particularly high grade material, but if Artifact Refiners smelted and refined it, it had many uses.
This accentuated the value of Thousand Leaf Forest to Bold Independent Union.
According to those who managed to escape with their lives, the strength of these Monster Beasts wasn’t great, all of them barely Sixth-Order, but their number were quite large.
Another team had been sent ahead to investigate the situation and now Yun Xuan’s team was being deployed as reinforcements to annihilate the Monster Beasts.
The Monster cores from these Monster Beasts as well as their various body parts and blood were all useful Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials. With such a juicy piece of meat being served up to them, how could Bold Independent Union not try to swallow it?
The entire trip was quite relaxed and after eight days, a vast and boundless forest appeared in front of Yang Kai’s eyes.
On the outskirts of the forest, a young man stood waiting and when Yun Xuan’s team, or rather Yun Xuan appeared, his face lit up and he warmly greeted her, “Yun Xuan, you’ve finally arrived?”
His smile was sincere and there were clear signs of love on his face. He seemingly was quite concerned with Yun Xuan and when he spoke, his gaze never left her for an instant.
Yun Xuan stared back at this young man in amazement, “Zhuo Luo, why are you here? Weren’t you out completing a different assignment?”
The young man named Zhuo Luo smiled and replied without disguise, “I heard that you would be coming here, so I decided to come offer my assistance.”
Yun Xuan couldn’t help but frown, her expression immediately becoming a few degrees colder, “What is the current situation?”
“Xin Yu’s team has already been here for more than a dozen days and have investigated everything regarding this pack of Monster Beast. They’ve concluded that they really aren’t that strong so we’ve only been waiting for your team’s arrival before beginning the cleanup,” Zhuo Luo politely explained.
“Good. Lead the way.” Yun Xuan nodded lightly.
Zhuo Luo smiled happily and led Yun Xuan’s team towards a nearby area.
“Fuck, it’s this bastard again,” The bearded man and many of the others suddenly began grumbling in dissatisfaction, all of their eyes glaring towards the young man named Zhuo Luo, their teeth grinding so hard it was audible to Yang Kai who was standing nearby.
“You guys have some kind of grudge?” Yang Kai asked offhandedly.
“There’s no grudge between us, it’s just uncomfortable having to see him,” Ji Hong muttered, “This little brat mouth only spouts crap and his attitude is terrible. Every day, all he’s thinking about is women. Many of the female disciples in the Union have already been harmed by him and six months ago, he began targeting our team’s captain. Of course, Captain never paid any attention to him, but even so… Don’t judge him by his clean appearance, it’s all a facade. He’s just a sinister brat who many times has used the excuse of doing missions to try to get close to Captain.”
“Oh…” Yang Kai faintly felt he shouldn’t delve into the subject any further.
To him, the internal struggles of Bold Independent Union had nothing to do with him, so he naturally wouldn’t go sticking his nose into other people’s business.
Ji Hong didn’t bother lowering his voice much so Zhuo Luo obviously heard him, the latter turning around a shoot at glance over at Ji Hong and grinned disdainfully.
After about a half a day or so following Zhuo Luo through the forest, Yang Kai suddenly felt the auras of several people waiting up ahead.
From a quick estimate, there were at least a dozen or so.
Bold Independent Union disciples functioned in small teams whenever they went on missions, each team consisting of about five to eight members. For example, Yun Xuan’s team had a total of eight.
Zhuo Luo had brought his team to help, and this Xin Yu, who had apparently been the first sent here to gather intelligence, was also the captain of her own team.
However, Yang Kai was keenly aware that amongst the cultivators waiting for them, there was also a Transcendent.
Obviously, Bold Independent Union was concerned there might be some unforeseen accidents here, so they had deployed a Transcendent in order to oversee the operation. With such a master assuming overall command, everyone would feel much more secure.
When they finally emerged from the forest and into a clearing, Zhuo Luo waved to the people in front and called out, “Yun Xuan’s team is here.”
The Transcendent Realm master, a middle-aged man, gave a light nod in response.
Beside this master stood a petite woman with a somewhat arrogant expression on her face. This woman had a full chest, shapely hips, causing Ji Hong and the men in Yun Xuan’s team to unconsciously sweep their gazes over her, their eyes becoming somewhat bloodshot as their temperatures rose.
Noticing this rude reaction, the young woman just coldly snorted. Her expression grew dark as she stared daggers towards Yun Xuan.
As for the manga, I spoke to Ninjascans and they have committed to posting one chapter a week starting from 1st of April.
Yun Xuan quickly came forward politely greeted the Transcendent Realm master, “Uncle Sun, I’ve kept you waiting.”
Sun Ying smiled and shook his head, “I just came. Have you been well, Little Yun?”
“Everything is fine with me, thank you in advance for your assistance here, Uncle Sun.”
“En,” Sun Ying nodded lightly, hesitantly following up, “If you have time, you should go see your father. He…”
“Uncle Sun!” Yun Xuan frowned, directly cutting him off.
“Alright, alright, alight. I won’t say any more,” Sun Ying sighed helplessly.
Seeing this scene play out, Yang Kai realized that this group had various different issues, but he smartly kept his silence and stayed out of it.
Yun Xuan turned to the other young woman next and nodded, “Junior Sister Ruan, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”
Ruan Xin Yu coldly snorted, grumbling back unhappily, “If you had come earlier it would have been better. We’ve already been waiting here for you for several days. If not for the Union’s orders, I’d have insisted that my team complete this mission ourselves and claim all the credit.”
Yun Xuan smiled back faintly, “Junior Sister must be joking. Since the Union issued such orders, they must have a good reason.”
Ruan Xin Yu’s pretty face become gloomier, seemingly wanting to rebut Yun Xuan’s argument when Sun Ying suddenly clapped his hands and interrupted, “Good, that’s enough of that. You two girls are both disciples of the Union yet you always quarrel every time you meet. Do you really have such deep enmity that you can’t resolve it peacefully?”
Even with Sun Ying stepping in to mediate, Ruan Xin Yu maintained her cold expression while Yun Xuan wore her pale smile, causing this Transcendent Realm master no small headache.
“Oh…” Suddenly, Sun Ying discovered Yang Kai, a trace of suspicion flashing across his face, “Yun girl, how come your team has one more person today. Is he a new Union disciple?”
Saying so, Sun Yin quickly gave Yang Kai a once over with his Divine Sense, and after seeing his cultivation, he couldn’t help nodding lightly, thinking that possessing such strength at such a young age wasn’t bad. The only thing that confused him was that Yang Kai wasn’t wearing a Bold Independent Union’s disciple’s robes.
“He’s not a disciple of the Union,” Yun Xuan said.
This time, even Ruan Xin Yu and Zhuo Luo’s interest was piqued.
When Bold Independent Union disciples went out to execute missions, it was simply common sense not to bring outsiders along, so Yun Xuan’s behaviour was quite puzzling to them.
“He wants to join Bold Independent Union, so this time I brought him out to evaluate his performance in the field,” Yun Xuan calmly explained, secretly giving Yang Kai a wink.
Seeing this, Yang Kai remained silent and played along.
“So that’s it,” Sun Ying nodded, “Very good, then this old master will also take a look at his potential during this mission. However, if he passes, which team should he be assigned to? Your team is already full, Yun Xuan.”
“If you don’t mind, how about joining my team?” Zhuo Luo sent out an invitation.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled ever so slightly, somewhat uncertain about how he should answer. Thankfully Yun Xuan quickly stepped in, “There’s no need to consider such things right now, he might not even meet the Union’s requirements, let’s focus on completing our task first.”
“Good,” Zhuo Luo smiled and nodded, “Little Brother, work hard. I believe that Yun Xuan’s judgement isn’t bad, don’t bring shame to her this time.”
Ruan Xin Yu on the other hand just looked Yang Kai over and sneered, “Just a dull brat!”
Yang Kai hadn’t said one word the whole time, giving her the mistaken impression that he was a bit slow. Coupled with her grievances with Yun Xuan, naturally she found him not pleasing to the eye.
“Xin Yu, your team arrived here earlier and was responsible for investigating the situation, give us a brief explanation.” Sun Ying had also used his Divine Sense to explore the surrounding area, but he didn’t want to interfere as much as possible so he pushed Ruan Xin Yu to take the lead.
Getting down to business, Ruan Xin Yu’s expression became serious as she began explaining, “The situation here is similar to the information obtained from the Union’s survivors’ testimony. The Monster Beast that suddenly appeared here are Metal Devouring Beasts that mainly consume ores and minerals. Our Bold Independent Union’s Sun Tin Ore mine has essentially been taken over by them and they’ve built a nest inside. There are around forty to fifty of them in total, the majority of which are Sixth-Order with a few only at the Fifth-Order. So far no signs of a Seventh-Order have been found.”
“Metal Devouring Beasts?” Hearing this, Yun Xuan’s beautiful eyes lit up.
“En, Metal Devouring Beasts, everyone here should have heard of this Monster Beast before and know what they’re worth.”
Zhuo Luo suddenly got excited, “Of course we know. This is stroke of good luck. If we can grab all of these Metal Devouring Beasts, it’ll be a huge boost to our Union’s Artifact Refiners. As long as we properly rear these Monster Beast, we won’t have to worry about smelting Sun Tin Ore anymore. This will be a huge merit for us.”
Even Sun Ying showed a faint smile, “Your three teams’ respective strength isn’t weak so you should have no difficulty handling some Sixth-Order Monster Beasts as long as you don’t let them besiege you. Good, our goal then is to capture alive these Monster Beasts, not to kill them. Each of you must take that to heart, if any of them die it will be a big loss to the Union, understand?”
Everyone nodded and suddenly looked motivated, as if these Metal Devouring Beasts had some kind of great value to them.
Only Yang Kai remained confused.
“Yun Xuan, Zhuo Luo, Xin Yu, each of you send half of your members out to help this old master arrange a barrier to prevent those Metal Devouring Beasts from running away. It’s already getting dark, so once the barrier is up, everyone can rest for the night before we take action tomorrow,” Sun Ying directed.
A moment later, half of the Bold Independent Union disciples went out with Sun Ying to set up a barrier around the mine.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and began restoring himself.
The bearded man soon walked over with a sullen expression and sat down opposite Yang Kai, seemingly a bit bored.
Yun Xuan hadn’t brought him along so he was feeling somewhat disgruntled.
“Brother Ji, what kind of Monster Beasts are these Metal Devouring Beasts? Why did everyone suddenly become excitement when you heard their name?” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before asking.
On the journey here, Yang Kai had gotten the impression that this groups mission was to exterminate these invasive Monster Beasts in order to obtain materials and monster cores. Yet after arriving here, their objectives had suddenly changed to capturing these Monster Beasts alive. This made Yang Kai wonder why these Metal Devouring Beast were more valuable alive than death.
Hearing Yang Kai’s question, Ji Hong’s jaw dropped slightly as he stared back at him blankly, “Have you never heard of Metal Devouring Beasts?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Just what hole did you crawl out of?” Ji Hong was thoroughly speechless, staring at Yang Kai as if he was a complete country hick.
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed somewhat embarrassedly.
“I really can’t understand you,” Ji Hong shook his head and patiently explained, “From the name Metal Devouring Beast you should be able to figure out their distinguishing trait. These Monster Beasts don’t eat plants or flesh, only minerals. As a result, their physiques are quite special and after eating a sufficient amount of ore, they’ll automatically process it within their bodies, discharging a fully refined product later.”
“You mean they shit metal?” Yang Kai’s face went black.
“In the bluntest sense, yes, but that shit has many valuable uses to us. Compared to ores processed by ordinary Artifact Refiners, the ones refined by Metal Devouring Beasts have far fewer impurities. As a result, they can be used to refine stronger and higher quality artifacts. You should be able to understand why we are so interested in capturing them instead of killing them, right?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “You want to bring them back to the Union and use them to refine your raw ores and minerals.”
“Exactly, with these Metal Devouring Beasts, the Union will be able to save a great deal of manpower, allowing the Artifact Refiners who are freed up to attend to other, more valuable tasks,” Ji Hong said enthusiastically, his face filled with excitement, “Forty or fifty Metal Devouring Beasts is quite a large number. The more our team catches, the better our rewards will be. Maybe this time, if we can snatch all of them up, we’ll all be able to become captains and interact with Yun Xuan on equal footing, hehe.”
Ji Hong was incredibly eager to get started, practically overflowing with energy.
“What is Yun Xuan’s situation exactly?” Yang Kai suddenly asked. Over the time they had been together, Yang Kai had noticed a great deal; he faintly felt that Yun Xuan’s identity was somewhat different than just Common Disciple of Bold Independent Union, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Ji Hong’s enthusiasm immediately gave way to awkwardness, hesitating for a while before saying, “I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to discuss Captain’s circumstances. If you want to know, you should ask her yourself, but I can’t guarantee she’ll tell you.”
Yang Kai gently nodded and let the subject drop.
Later in the evening, Sun Ying and the others came back having completed the perimeter barrier. Now everyone was just waiting for the dawn.
That night, everyone sat quietly in meditation adjusting their condition as they looked forward to tomorrow.
A fragrant scent suddenly brushed past the tip of Yang Kai’s nose, causing him to blink and open his eyes where he saw Yun Xuan’s graceful figure standing in front of him. The sky was still dark, and from the surrounding blackness it seemed to be the darkest time before dawn.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked.
“We’re about to begin. When we do, make sure you act carefully and follow my instructions. Don’t make any mistakes. If you die, I don’t know how I’ll explain myself to Miss Shui.”
“Understood.”
“Good, yesterday I said you wanted to join Bold Independent Union, but that was just a way to smooth the situation over, whether you want to join or not after we’re done here will be up to you,” Yun Xuan brushed her hair back gently, revealing a delicate earlobe and cheeks that seemed as ripe as a peaches.
Staring off towards the horizon where the first rays of dawn were rising, Yun Xuan suddenly asked, “How old are you this year?”
“Twenty,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“A twenty year old Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage, heh, time really does fly,” Yun Xuan’s beautiful eyes suddenly blurred as she stared towards Yang Kai, seemingly recalling some past memories, only returning to normal a while later and smiling, “You’re still so young, so you definitely can’t die, if you die, everything ends.”
Yang Kai brow furrowed slightly, feeling like Yun Xuan’s words carried some deeper hidden meaning, but just as he was about to ask, Sun Ying’s voice rang out, “Get ready to move out.”
Everyone who wasn’t already awake opened their eyes, a look of excitement appearing on their faces.
Yun Xuan’s expression also became serious as she quickly assembled the members of her team.
A short time later, everyone was ready to go, and under Sun Ying’s leadership, they made their way towards the Sun Tin Ore mine.
Halfway up a small mountain, there was a dark cave. This was the entrance to Bold Independent Union’s mineral lode inside Thousand Leaf Forest. Yang Kai perceived some kind of energy fluctuation around this cave entrance and figured it was related to the barrier the members of Bold Independent Union had set up yesterday.
Sending out his huge Divine Sense, Yang Kai quickly began probing the depths of the mountain and soon found the aura of a number of Monster Beast. If the information was correct, these were the Metal Devouring Beasts they were after; most of them were indeed Sixth-Order’s Monster Beast.
“Open!” Sun Ying shouted, holding up his hand and pouring his True Qi into the energy barrier, causing a visible gap to open.
After probing the mountain with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai faintly realized that there was more than one barrier erected here.
He knew that Sun Ying had only opened a single barrier last night to prevent their prey from escaping though.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, faintly feeling that something was off.
“Enter!” Sun Ying waved his hand and walked into the cave, the others following close behind.
The mine was quite deep and the path down was a long twisting passage.
Along the way, there were traces left behind of something gnawing on the walls and there were no traces of Sun Tin ore anywhere to be seen; the Metal Devouring Beasts had obviously cleaned this section out completely.
These Monster Beasts took minerals as food, so once they had finished eating what was available in the surrounding areas, they had apparently moved inwards and were now several kilometers from the entrance, scattered about scavenging for food. This situation was quite convenient for Bold Independent Union as it would allow them to capture them one by one.
After walking a short while, a fork in the path appeared.
Sun Ying paused for a moment to inspect the area in front of them before saying, “Yun girl, your team has the most people, and with your strength you should be able to handle yourselves on your own. Xin Yu’s team has the least members so I will follow them. If you encounter any unforeseen accidents, notify me immediately and I’ll quickly come to your aid.”
Yun Xuan nodded firmly before leading the members of her team and Yang Kai into the channel on the left.
“Yun Xuan, be carefully,” Zhuo Luo said in a concerned, affectionate tone…
Of course, he received no response, Yun Xuan acting as if she hadn’t heard him at all. Ruan Xin Yu couldn’t help but laugh at this as she stared at Zhuo Luo scornfully, “Stop wasting your effort.”
“Alright, let’s get going,” Sun Ying knew that this particular group had a lot of emotional baggage and did not want to give them any more time to bicker, immediately signaling for everyone to continue with their mission.
After Yun Xuan’s team had walked a fair distance, Yang Kai quickly caught up to Yun Xuan and whispered, “With Senior Sun leaving the barrier in that place; will there be any problems?”
“What kind of problems?” Yun Xuan stared at him blankly.
“This way, without him opening the barrier, although the Metal Devouring Beasts can’t escape, doesn’t that mean we can’t exit either?”
“We’re here to capture those Metal Devouring Beasts, why are you worried about being able to exit?” Yun Xuan frowned and suddenly understood, “Are you afraid there’ll be some kind of danger?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Yun Xuan laughed in spite of trying not to, “You’re worried too much. Ruan Xin Yu’s team have already been investigating this place for more than a dozen days, and Uncle Sun also personally checked the situation here. Naturally they determined there wasn’t any danger here so they decided to erect that barrier. But don’t worry, if we really run into trouble we can’t solve, Uncle Sun will quickly help us.”
Listening to these words, Yang Kai knew it wasn’t a good idea to press the issue so he simply closed his mouth and nodded.
Yun Xuan looked at him for a moment before whispering, “Being cautions is a good thing, but if you want to be a real man, you have to be bolder, or you’ll never accomplish anything significant.”
Because she was worried that if she spoke to loudly she would disturb the nearby Metal Devouring Beast, Yun Xuan not only lowered her voice but also brought her lips close to Yang Kai’s ear.
As her intoxicating fragrance quietly drifted into Yang Kai’s nose, his face couldn’t help going slightly stiff.
Noticing her gaff, Yun Xuan’s face blushed faintly, quickly pulling away and letting out a cough, “Follow behind me, as long as I don’t give the order, don’t move about arbitrarily.”
Yang Kai secretly smiled, thinking to himself that this young woman really regarded him as a kid. Although it was true he wasn’t very old, the amount of worldly experience he had was immense.
“Captain!” At that moment, the bearded man suddenly called out; the entire team went silent and stared towards a bend up ahead.
From around the corner, a clear sound of chewing could be heard and a quick sweep with their Divine Senses clearly told them that they had come across their target.
“Only one,” Yun Xuan smiled, “Our luck is good.”
“Heh heh!” Ji Hong smirked as he rolled up his sleeves, the others also showing looks of excitement.
Gathering everyone’s attention, Yun Xuan quickly made a few gestures and the rest of the team soon nodded and spread out.
Sensing some subtle energy fluctuations, Yang Kai realized that two people were setting up something nearby, probably a trap. Everyone else stood guard to avoid having their movements startle the nearby Metal Devouring Beast.
A short time later, everything had been prepared.
Ji Hong glanced over at Yun Xuan.
Yun Xuan nodded.
Ji Hong smiled fiercely as he licked his lips and in the next instant summoned a giant axe into his hand. When this axe appeared, a cold murderous intent and bloody aura leaked out.
Ji Hong tightly gripped his axe and leapt out, rushing forward what raising a loud war cry.
The gnawing sound suddenly stopped and Yang Kai clearly felt that the nearby Monster Beast’s aura quickly become dangerous.
Ji Hong’s provocation had obviously angered the Metal Devouring Beast.
*Dong dong dong…* The earth trembled, lightly at first but growing heavier every moment until from around the corner big silver coloured head appeared. This head had two golden horns and its eyes emitted a faint metallic lustre. Its physical strength, accompanied by its strong murderous intent was nothing to scoff at.
Metal Devouring Beast!
This was also the first time Yang Kai had ever seen this Monster Beast. From a quick glance, Yang Kai determined it was about six meters in length, and one and a half meters tall. It was slightly fat and chubby, its belly jiggling as it ran but despite that, its speed wasn’t slow.
What most caught Yang Kai’s attention was the armoured plating that wrapped its body; this thick plating looked quite sturdy and obviously wouldn’t be easy to break open.
These pieces of armor resembled a turtle’s shell and covered everything with the exception of its tail and underbelly, leaving few weaknesses to target.
As soon as Ji Hong got within ten meters of the Metal Devouring Beast, he suddenly turned around and ran back.
He never intended to confront this Sixth-Order Monster Beast head on.
“Come on!” Ji Hong yelled as he ran, his and everyone else in the team’s faces filled with excitement.
Just as he reached the location of the trap, Ji Hong leapt forward across it but the Sixth-Order Metal Devouring Beast, with its fat body, obviously wasn’t capable of such movement and crashed directly into it.
The two cultivators who were standing by didn’t need to wait for Yun Xuan’s order before activating the trap.
A flash of light burst from the ground and a series of energy ropes sprung up, wrapping tightly around the Metal Devouring Beast.
Its four clumsy limbs quickly entangled, the massive body of the Metal Devouring Beast continued forward a few dozen meters under the influence of its own inertia before coming to a stop, leaving behind a deep gully-like trail on the ground behind it.
“Break both of its horns!” Yun Xuan shouted, taking the lead, a powerful force erupting from her tender body as she charged towards the Metal Devouring Beast.
The other members of her team also hurriedly kept up.
The Metal Devouring Beast struggled violently and wreaked havoc in the mine tunnel while releasing golden beams of energy from its two horns which puncture many holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling, but as a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, it was only equivalent to an Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator and with its mobility severely limited it couldn’t deal any effective damage to Yun Xuan’s team.
After only a few breaths of time, the Metal Devouring Beast’s hard horns were cut off by Ji Hong’s big axe.
Seemingly enduring excruciating pain, the Metal Devouring Beast wailed loudly.
Yun Xuan leapt forward and quickly bound its mouth, silencing it.
“Captain!” Ji Hong smiled sheepishly, handing over the two horns he had just cut down to Yun Xuan, the latter nodding with satisfaction as she stowed them in her Universe Bag.
Because of its diet, a Metal Devouring Beast’s horns were excellent Artifact Refining materials, so they couldn’t be wasted. “Too easy,” Ji Hong shook his head and said proudly.
“A Sixth-Order Monster Beast’s intelligence isn’t very high and with our pre-arranged trap, it only makes sense we were able to easily capture it. If we had to fight it head on, we would have had a significantly harder time. Its armour is thick and difficult to penetrate while the energy attacks it releases from its horns can’t be ignored, an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator wouldn’t be its opponent and inside this mine, our mobility is quite limited making it harder for us to display our full strength. Don’t underestimate the enemy just because things went well this time,” Yun Xuan sternly said so that Ji Hong and the others wouldn’t suffer unnecessary losses due to carelessness.
“Yes ma’am,” Ji Hong nodded repeatedly.
Yun Xuan smiled, “Good, let’s keep moving. For now we’ll leave this fellow here; we’ll find a way to ship him back to Bold Independent City when this is all over.”
Encouraged by this first victory, everyone’s spirits rose to a new height as they enthusiastically walked forward.
Using this method, after half a day, Yun Xuan’s team easily captured three Metal Devouring Beasts.
All this time, Yang Kai had not acted.
This wasn’t because of Yun Xuan’s previous instructions to him to not act on his own, but because Yun Xuan’s team had no need of his help as they so far encountered minimal difficulty capturing these Metal Devouring Beasts.
The reason Yang Kai came this time was mainly because he wanted to return Yun Xuan’s favour. If he ended up not having any opportunity to act here then he wouldn’t impose himself and would instead think of another way to pay her back.
However, after observing for half a day, Yang Kai knew that it was impossible for them to capture all the Metal Devouring Beasts this way.
First of all, the number of trap artifacts they brought wasn’t enough, and second, not every Metal Devouring Beast acted alone.
As if to prove his analysis right, in front of their team, the auras of two Metal Devouring Beasts close to each other soon appeared, if they attacked one, the other would surely be alerted as well.
Sure enough, after Ji Hong came back from scouting ahead and described the situation to Yun Xuan, the latter’s brow couldn’t help furrowing.
“How many beast traps do we have left?” Yun Xuan asked.
“Three.”
“Set all of them up,” Yun Xuan thought for a while and said.
“En.” With a nod, the members of her team set about arranging these three beast traps.
After everything was ready, Ji Hong once again ran forward and shouted to provoke the two Metal Devouring Beasts and a moment later led both of them back.
However, when the two beasts hit the first trap, it didn’t have nearly the same effect as before.
The charge of the two Metal Devouring Beasts was so strong that any of the trap’s bindings were instantly shattered, only leaving behind light particles as remnants to highlight its failure.
The second trap also only managed to slightly slow down the pairs speed while the last trap finally bound one of them.
The remaining Metal Devouring Beast continued its charge towards Yun Xuan.
“Attack!” Yun Xuan didn’t panic, seemingly having expected such a result, and calmly issued the order to attack, the cultivators hidden to the left and right of the tunnel immediately using their Martial skills and artifacts to bombard the charging beast.