“No, I’ve only somewhat recovered,” Yang Kai smiled and replied.
Although he had saved Gou Che and the other Demon Race cultivator from the Sun Clan, he didn’t have any intention to really forge a friendship with Gou Che.
Rescuing them this time was a means to an end. Yang Kai hoped to take advantage of the other party’s status to move about freely in the Demon Land!
As such, Yang Kai didn’t tell Gou Che the whole truth. He was still somewhat wary of this Demon Race man, feeling that Gou Che didn’t actually treat him sincerely and wouldn’t care much about the fact that the former had saved his life.
“Brother Gou Che, you’re certain this desert is inside the Demon Land? Are you familiar with this region?” Yang Kai asked.
Gou Che frowned and shook his head, “This desert is a very dangerous area, even my Demon Race try to avoid traveling through here. In this place, no matter how strong you are, there are things you can’t easily overcome. I’m only certain we’re in the Demon Land, but as to which direction we should go to reach civilization, I’m also at a loss. All we can do is start walking and hope we’re going the right way, and that we don’t run into any of the more troublesome dangers lurking around. Pray we don’t get lost, once that happens… I’m afraid we won’t ever be able to leave this desert.”
Hearing Gou Che’s speech, Yang Kai and An Ling’er both felt somewhat gloomy, secretly thinking to themselves that their luck had really been quite bad recently. First they had been chased by Saintess Nan back in the archipelago, then forced to flee into an unexplored Void Corridor only to fall into the hands of the Sun Clan. Now, even after a death-defying escape, they had wound up in this seemingly endless desert in the middle of the Demon Land.
The ups and downs of life really made one feel helpless.
Soon after Gou Che finished explaining their situation, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he stared off in a certain direction, whispering quietly, “Someone’s approaching!”
Probing this newly appeared aura for a moment, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to Gou Che and said, “It’s your clansmen!”
“Oh?” Gou Che replied casually, “That guy didn’t die? He didn’t return last night so I thought must have fallen out here. Seems his luck wasn’t so bad.”
When Gou Che spoke his tone was light and carefree, apparently not showing any concern about his fellow clansman’s life, as if he didn’t care whether the latter lived or died one bit.
Realizing this, Yang Kai frowned slightly.
A short time later, the Demon Race man who Yang Kai had rescued from the Mysterious Small World returned with a delighted look upon his face, “I found a way out!”
Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed, Gou Che asking urgently, “Really?”
The man smiled and nodded, “I’m certain; I’ve explored this desert once before. At that time, I once encountered an oasis and made a distinctive mark on one of the trees. I came across that same oasis last night. It seems our luck isn’t bad, this place is on the periphery of the desert. We only need to travel a few days in that direction to leave.”
As this Demon Race man spoke, his expression became more and more excited, having some difficulty containing his joy.
Yang Kai and An Ling’er also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like they had finally seen light after a long eternity in the abyss.
Only needing a few days to leave this place seemed lucky enough. When they went back, Yang Kai considered finding a place to enter secluded retreat for a while.
“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and lead the way, I’m dying of thirst here!” Gou Che waved his hand and began running off in the direction the other Demon Race cultivator pointed.
The latter also didn’t speak any nonsense and quickly chased after Gou Che.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said to An Ling’er, the latter nodding slightly as she kept pace with Yang Kai, walking side by side with him.
As she observed the two Demon Race cultivators rushing forward in a jubilant mood, An Ling’er turned to the side and quietly whispered, “Yang Kai, you have to be careful about that Gou Che. If you trust him too much you’ll only end up suffering!”
“Do I need you to remind me?” Yang Kai chuckled, “I never had any intention to trust or make friends with him, but right now we’re in the Demon Land. If we want to leave here safely, our best bet is to take advantage of his status.”
An Ling’er nodded lightly as she said, “Fortunately he didn’t see much of your true ability back in that Mysterious Small World, otherwise things would be even more dangerous.”
“If he were to learn your true identity, it would also be bad,” Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he said, “Never reveal your status to him, and try to avoid using any of your Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Divine Skills”
“I’m not some naive little girl, how could I possibly be so careless?” An Ling’er smiled confidently.
“Hurry up, Brother Yang, what are you doing?” Gou Che suddenly turned back and yelled at Yang Kai.
“We’re coming!” Yang Kai responded before turning back to An Ling’er, “Let’s pick up our pace.”
The other Demon Race man’s sense of direction was quite good, even walking through this vast sea of sand with next to no landmarks for reference, he was able to accurately lead the way. This was especially impressive seeing how his Demonic Qi and Divine Sense were both still sealed, meaning he was relying solely on his own skill and instincts right now.
After walking for roughly three hours or so, a faint speck of green appeared on the horizon.
An oasis!
In such a vast desert, only a few magical places like this one existed where one could find water and plants. Almost every desert had such places, but no one knew how they were formed or how they endured.
Big oases could remain for hundreds or even thousands of years without any change, providing invaluable places for travelers to stop and rest.
An oasis was often a life-saving place in the eyes of desert travelers.
Seeing the oasis appear up ahead, the two Demon Race men began running even faster, rushing forward as if they couldn’t bear to wait a moment longer.
After the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, Yang Kai and An Ling’er also arrived at the oasis’ edge. Unlike the outside desert’s blistering heat, this place was actually just slightly warm, huge cactus and broad leafed trees blowing in the breeze, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
A large, sparkling lake lay in the center of the oasis. This lake’s water was crystal clear, like a bottomless mountain spring, and had many strange and exotic plants growing along its shore.
When Yang Kai and An Ling’er arrived here, they found that Gou Che and the other Demon Race man had not entered the water or even approached it but had instead hidden themselves behind a big rock on the shore and were holding their breaths as they stared towards the lake, their expressions filled with a mix of caution and obscenity.
Sensing Yang Kai’s arrival, Gou Che quickly motioned to him, telling him to keep quiet, the look on his face quite strange.
Yang Kai frowned, not comprehending what was going on, quickly bringing An Ling’er over to the other to and peeking out from behind the rock; however, he didn’t see anything of note at first glance.
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai asked quietly.
“Look over there!” Gou Che quietly pointed to a certain spot on the nearby shore.
Yang Kai and An Ling’er both turned their gazes in the direction he pointed and suddenly froze up.
On the shore, there were some neatly folded clothes, and from their style, it was obvious they belonged to a woman.
These clothes were here, but the person was nowhere in sight, so the obvious conclusion was that they were currently swimming at the bottom of the lake.
Yang Kai suddenly understood. Gou Che and the other Demon Race man hiding here was all so they could peek at this bathing beauty.
“Shameless!” An Ling’er’s cheeks immediately went red as she grit her teeth and a cold light flashed across her beautiful eyes, turning to Yang Kai and sharply saying, “Don’t you dare join them!”
Yang Kai curled his lips and firmly declared, “I’ve always been a paragon of virtue, I would never participate in this kind of dirty matter.”
Even as he spoke these words though, his eyes drifted back towards the lake.
Seeing this, Gou Che smiled towards Yang Kai and chuckled lowly, “I knew Brother Yang was a man of great culture.”
At that moment, Gou Che felt that Yang Kai was suddenly much more pleasing to the eye.
Yang Kai quickly said in a serious tone, “Perhaps this isn’t such a good idea, if you’re discovered by her…”
“Who does it matter if she discovers us? Is she going to eat me or something?” Gou Che snorted without any concern.
Although he couldn’t use any of his strength right now, in the end, he still had a distinguished identity. As the son of a Demon General, there were very few people who would dare to attack him, so even if he was caught peaking, he didn’t care.
“Brother Gou Che, surely you don’t lack women, why bother doing this?” Although Yang Kai also understood a man’s desire to seek out beauties, something about this particular situation caused him to feel uneasy so he quickly tried to persuade Gou Che to leave this place.
Gou Che sneered in response, “Naturally I’m not lacking in women, but such thrills are always welcome.”
The other Demon Race man next to him also nodded, obviously agreeing with Gou Che’s point of view. Their two pairs of eyes then continued to stare at the lake’s surface, both of them looking forward to the moment when the woman at the bottom of the lake would appear.
Seeing this, Yang Kai felt helpless and no longer wasted his breath.
At that moment, a ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the lake and the two Demon Race men’s breathes suddenly halted, their eyes opening wide in anticipation.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A burst of noise suddenly rang out and a series of sharp water arrows shot out from the surface of the lake.
Everyone’s expression changed dramatically. Yang Kai and An Ling’er reacted quickly and managed to avoid these attacks, but Gou Che and the other Demon Race man weren’t so lucky. For the sake of getting a better view, they had completely pushed themselves up against the rock, so by the time they noticed the incoming attack, it was too late for them to avoid it.
With a loud bang, the rock shattered and the sand flew up into the air. Stone debris shot forth, bringing with it a not weak force, cause Gou Che and the other Demon Race man to fly back, both of them unable to open their eyes as they howled miserably.
The two of them had instantly become battered and bruised.
Yang Kai caught a glimpse of a pure white form emerge from the lake, carrying with it a graceful and glamorous air.
But before he could get a good look at this figure, he lost track of it, a cold chill running up his spine as his eyes shot open in surprise.
After everything settled down, Gou Che roared angrily, “Fuck, damn whore, you dare attack this master?”
The moment he spoke these words though, Gou Che was struck by some invisible force and sent flying through the air again, hitting the ground hard and tumbling several times. When he stood up again, his cheek was swollen and a blazing anger filled his eyes. Having suffered such humiliation, the only thing on his mind right now was to fight this unknown attacker, his eyes darting around searching for his target.
He didn’t have to look long though. Standing a short distance in front of them was a beautiful woman who had just left the lake, her eyes coldly glaring at Yang Kai and his group. Her body was full of mature charm, with long shapely legs, which peaked in an out of her pale blue dress. Her twin peaks were a grand sight to see and her shoulders were half exposed. Perhaps because she had just been bathing, her clothes tightly clung to her body, highlighting her excellent style.
Just by standing there she exuded a sense of beauty difficult to ignore.
Unfortunately, at this moment, the woman’s pair of beautiful eyes were filled with murderous intent and a dangerous aura pulsed from her body, causing everyone around to shiver unconsciously.
Yang Kai eyes narrowed, secretly cursing Gou Che, wondering why, of all people, he had to annoy such a dangerous woman.
When he arrived here, Yang Kai didn’t dare use his Divine Sense to examine the area, lest he annoy unnecessary trouble, so it was only after this woman attacked that he realized Gou Che had provoked a true master.
The other side clearly knew that someone had been peeking at her and had immediately took action upon leaving the lake.
Gou Che, who didn’t seem to know the meaning of fear, shouted out as he held his swollen face, “Damn woman, you dare hit me again?”
“So what if I hit you?” The woman glanced over at Gou Che coldly, “If you dare spew another disrespectful word from your mouth I’ll kill you!”
“Oh?” Gou Che snickered, “I’d like to see if you have the courage to lay one finger on me again!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp blade of energy rushed towards Gou Che’s and instantly pierced his shoulder.
Blood gushed out from the wound like a fountain and Gou Che’s face went pale, staring dumbfounded at the woman in front of him.
He hadn’t expected this woman would really attack him the moment he spoke, the sharp pain coming from his shoulder finally causing him some panic.
Although he was a womanizer and a delinquent, Gou Che wasn’t a fool. From the methods this woman had shown so far, he knew that even if he was in peak condition, he wouldn’t be her match. With a bloody hole in his shoulder, Gou Chen became much more obedient, though the look of anger on his face didn’t fade, he at least stopped talking and simply glared at the woman instead.
“Humans?” The woman curiously sized up Yang Ling and An Ling’er, her brow furrowing slightly, “Since when did my Demon Race begin associating with humans? Interesting!”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he moved An Ling’er behind him and condensed his True Qi, preparing to act at a moment’s notice.
“Hmph!” The woman snorted disdainfully, stepping forward lightly as she flicked her wet hair, glancing over at Gou Che and the other Demon Race man, “Your Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy seemed to be sealed, was it these human brats who did that to you?”
Gou Che said nothing but the other Demon Race man shook his head slowly and explained, “It was not them. We accidentally fell into a Mysterious Small World some time ago and were captured by the natives. It was thanks to this human boy that we were able to escape.”
“Wastes!” The woman’s expression immediately became cold, “Members of my Demon Race actually needing to rely on the pity of humans to live on dishonourably? Do you think you still have the qualifications to live in this world!?”
Saying so, the woman lifted her slender finger and shot out a number of energy spikes.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Instantly, the Demon Race man had a few bloody holes opened on his body, a pitiful grunt leaking from his lips as he sunk to the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with shock and horror.
The woman did not intend to kill him, she was just dissatisfied with him relying on Yang Kai to survive and decided to give him some punishment.
“So, what kind of skill do you possess?” The woman turned her attention to Yang Kai, her Divine sense quickly sweeping him like a frigid gust of wind, examining him from head to toe.
“Another waste!” The woman lost interest immediately after she probed Yang Kai and learned what his current cultivation was.
A moment later, the woman sneered and declared, “Your courage isn’t small, daring to be impolite to me. For that I should teach you what the true meaning of suffering is, but today I am in a good mood, so I won’t immediately kill you. Come with me!”
Saying so, she waved her jade hand and a carriage-like artifact with a giant bed shrouded in a translucent pink canopy appeared out of thin air, a distinctly feminine fragrance wafting from it.
The woman gracefully stepped over to the carriage, parted the curtains, and stepped inside, casually releasing two bursts of energy towards Gou Che and the other Demon Race man as she did.
The next instant, the two of them felt all the seals in their bodies shatter, causing both of them to smile unconsciously.
“Little human girl, you also come up!” The woman reclined on the fragrant bed, her graceful curves on full display, putting on a relaxed and lazy appeared as she beckoned to An Ling’er.
An Ling’er was extremely wary and turned to Yang Kai to silently ask what she should do.
Yang Kai nodded lightly to her, so An Ling’er cautiously boarded the carriage and stood beside the bed nervously.
“You three carrying the carriage, don’t tell me you need me to teach you how to do even something so simple?” The woman said lazily in a voice extremely pleasant to the ear.
Yang Kai couldn’t help wrinkling his brow.
Gou Che roared angrily, “What thing are you? You actually want father here to be your carriage bearer? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“Why should I care who you are? If you don’t want to die, move your feet. If you don’t hurry I don’t mind finishing you off right now!” The woman’s beautiful eyes flashed a cold light, her Demonic Qi rumbling ominously, as if she really would execute him if Gou Che dared to refuse.
Gou Che ground his teeth but he had no choice but to act obediently in the face of absolute power, shutting his mouth, stepping forward, and hoisting the carriage onto his shoulders.
Yang Kai and the other Demon Race man shot each other a quick glance before also walking over helplessly.
After receiving directions from the woman, the three new coolies flew up into the sky at an extremely fast speed.
Atop the large bed, An Ling’er sat, her back as straight as a board, observing the surrounding environment as she followed the woman’s instructions to massage her shoulders.
The woman apparently had no intention to communicate further, simply lying there with her eyes closed, enjoying the service.
As the delicate fragrance wafted past his nose, Yang Kai grumbled in annoyance. Originally, he had wanted to safely leave the Demon Land with the help of Gou Che, but now it seemed like there was no chance of that, it wasn’t even certain this bastard would be able to protect himself. Yang Kai would have to figure out something on his own.
Half a day later, a huge city wall appeared in front of everyone’s eyes. This city was located quite near the desert and its walls were comprised entirely of stones harvested from there, giving the entire city a yellowish colour.
Inside the city, countless demons came and went.
When the city came into sight, Gou Che’s eyes suddenly bulged as he cried out in a hoarse voice, “Sand City? Then you are…”
“Shut your mouth!” The woman didn’t even open her eyes as she shouted lightly.
Gou Che’s hurriedly shrunk his neck, now seemingly terrified, all of his previous arrogance instantly vanishing without a trace.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s expression also changed.
Soon, the carriage arrived in the sky above Sand City. Following the woman’s instructions, the carriage quickly came to a huge palace at the centre of the city.
The palace was built in a very unique architectural style, as if it was a mountain range all on its own, the highest peaks reaching several hundred meters into the sky.
Flying to the front of the palace and standing before its highest point, looking down, it was possible to overlook the entire city, giving one a wondrous feeling.
However, the palace seemed somewhat out of place in this city. Its walls and grounds were all constructed of white jade stone and ornate carvings of dragons and phoenixes adorned its great pillars and halls.
Precious crystals were inlaid wherever one looked.
When the carriage arrived, a tyrannical looking Demon Race man quickly came over and respectfully said, “Mistress, you’ve returned?”
The woman nodded lightly and stepped down from the carriage.
“These people are…” The man glanced over at Yang Kai and others with a puzzled expression, only when his eyes landed on Gou Che did a glimmer of suspicion appear on his brow, staring at the latter that seemed somewhat familiar.
“Send someone to pass Gou Qiong a message, tell him if he wants to see is precious son in one piece, he needs to prepare enough ransom to exchange for him!” The woman glanced over at Gou Che before continuing, “En, also tell him that there are three others accompanying his son, whether he redeems them as well is up to him.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. This conversation clearly indicated that this woman had long ago seen through Gou Che’s identity. But even though she knew who he was, she still dared treat Gou Che like that, and from the way she so casually spoke Gou Qiong’s name, it was easy to infer just what this woman’s identity was!
Gou Qiong was one of the four Demon Generals, the only ones who dared not put Gou Qiong in their eyes were the other Demon Generals!
Amongst the four Demon Generals, there was only one female: Xue Li!
She bore a feminine name and was a charming lady. However, even her elegance could not overshadow her ruthless and cruel personality.
The woman who they accidentally met was actually a Demon General! And Gou Che, not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth, actually dared try to peek at her naked body!
Yang Kai couldn’t wait to beat Gou Che to a pulp in order to vent the rage in his heart.
“Mistress, I doubt that Gou Qiong will care about the lives of these three,” Xue Li’s subordinate smiled grimly, as if taking pleasure in others’ misfortune as he stared at Yang Kai and the other.
“Just pass the message to him anyways. Right, tell Gou Qiong that this little human brat is his son’s saviour,” Xue Li stressed, “I’d like to see how Gou Qiong will treat this matter.”
“Oh? How surprising, a Demon General’s heir actually owing his life to a human, interesting… Subordinate will go and deliver this message personally.”
“Go!” Xue Li waved her hand.
“Senior Xue, Senior Xue…” Gou Che called out hastily.
“What?” Xue Li gave him a faint look.
“Is it possible to discuss this matter? If you want a ransom, I can collect it on my own, there’s no need to bother my father over such trivial matters,” Gou Che pleaded with an awkward look upon his face, apparently afraid Gou Qiong would blame and punish him.
“This matter is beyond your ability to control,” Xue Li coldly snorted, no longer paying any attention to him, turning around and walking into the palace.
Immediately after, a group of Demon Race guards came over and escorted Yang Kai’s group of four into the palace.
The three men were brought to rooms in one wing of the palace while An Ling’er accommodations were arranged next to Xue Li.
Unlike back in the Sun Clan, no restrictions or seals were placed on them. Xue Li seemed quite confident that none of them could escape. Not only did she not limit their freedom in any way, she even had meals delivered to them three times a day, treating each of them more like guests than prisoners.
Although there wasn’t anyone guarding them, Yang Kai still behaved honestly, not making any attempt to escape.
In the presence of Xue Li, Yang Kai knew he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he tried; what’s more, he had been separated from An Ling’er. Yang Kai had no intention of abandoning An Ling’er here and escaping by himself.
Gou Che seemed to be aware of his blunder this time and was now behaving very docile, as if completely exhausted by the situation, no longer showing any hint of his former arrogance.
Xue Li had sent a messenger to Gou Qiong, not selling her fellow Demon General the slightest bit face and directly asking for a large ransom amount in exchange for his son. Yang Kai figured Gou Qiong wouldn’t care about his or An Ling’er’s death and at most would redeem Gou Che and the other Demon Race man.
Yang Kai had previously heard about the four Demon Generals, the top masters of the Demon Race, each of them possessing tyrannical strength and influence.
These four masters each governed territories in the north, east, west, and south corners of the Demon Land, guarding its borders and preserving order. Normally there was very little exchange between them, but apparently, the only woman among them, Xue Li, did not have a very harmonious relationship with the other three Demon Generals.
It was for that reason that the territory she governed was relatively desolate. Whether it was in terms of ambient World Energy density or the richness of the land’s resources, Xue Li’s territory was incomparable to the other three Demon Generals’.
Even the relatively uninformed Yang Kai had heard such rumors before, but upon seeing the situation for himself, he realized these rumors weren’t groundless.
Xue Li’s capital was Sand City, which was situated near the vast, uninhabitable dessert, and her relationship with Gou Qiong was obviously bad.
However, since she sat in the position of a Demon General, there was no doubt she had her own unique skills and means. Such a woman couldn’t be treated lightly, so Yang Kai doesn’t dare take any rash actions.
As such, Yang Kai spent his days in the palace quietly, without trying to stir up any kind of trouble.
Gou Che on the other hand apparently tried numerous times to escape, but each time his attempts were foiled by the masters serving under Xue Li and then beaten mercilessly as punishment.
After suffering like this for a month or so, Gou Che finally became resigned to his fate.
Learning from Gou Che’s mistakes, Yang Kai became even more cautious about his actions.
More than a month later, Yang Kai, who was meditating in his room, suddenly heard footsteps outside and opened his eyes, staring towards the door calmly.
After a while, the door was opened, and the Demon Race master who had sent the letter to Gou Qiong walked inside and said to Yang Kai, “Get out, Mistress wants to see you!”
Yang Kai stood up silently and followed after him.
The man turned and looked at Yang Kai a few times as they walked forward, each time snickering faintly, as if he was seeing something quite amusing, a taunting look in his eyes.
Yang Kai frowned and instinctively noticed something was wrong, but he did not ask anything because he knew this man wouldn’t reveal anything to him.
After walking for some time, the man led Yang Kai to a grand hall.
There was a grand and spacious chair at the front of this hall, covered in luxurious furs and blankets dyed a dark red colour, giving it a majestic appearance. Xue Li lay there silently, her shapely body with all its exquisite curves on full display, her eyes closed and hands folded as if she was in a meditative state.
In the center of the hall, a large incense burner released a pleasant scent which filled the room.
An Ling’er, dressed up as a maidservant, stood next to Xue Li with a somewhat tense posture.
Seeing Yang Kai arrive, An Ling’er’s beautiful eyes lit up briefly as she threw him a look of concern. In response, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head, signaling to her that he was fine.
After being captured and brought here, the two of them had not seen one another. Yang Kai had been confined in his own room while An Ling’er had been accompanying Xue Li. In this Sand City palace, the only humans were Yang Kai and her, so An Ling’er naturally placed all her hopes on him and was obviously concerned about his well being.
Seeing him safe and sound now, An Ling’er couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, smiling to Yang Kai slightly but not daring to make any unnecessary noise.
Yang Kai looked around and soon found that Gou Che and the other Demon Race man were also standing here, the expressions of both of them full of panic and fear, like a pair of mice that had seen a cat.
“Mistress, we’ve brought them,” Xue Li’s subordinate quietly reported.
Xue Li nodded lightly, slowly opening her pair of enchanting eyes and glanced down, slowly straightening herself up while stretching her waist lazily.
Her movements allowed the blouse she wore to rise up and reveal her flat white belly and delicate navel, filling the air with an intoxicating air.
No one dared to stare at her though; no one but Yang Kai that is.
Xue Li’s eyes immediately became sharp as she glanced towards Yang Kai. As if he had just been burned, Yang Kai felt a slight pain on the skin of his face, but he did not avert his gaze, remaining indifferent as always.
Xue Li didn’t seem to care about such trifles and instead got down to business, “Gou Qiong replied.”
Gou Che’s body trembled, wringing his hands nervously as he stared up at Xu li and asked in a half whisper, “What was his response?”
“Hehe… you are his son. After falling into my hands, what do you think his response was? En, your father paid enough ransom to redeem you.”
Hearing this, Gou Che’s expression changed to one that was an odd mix of happiness and depression.
Happiness because he could finally escape from Xue Li’s grasp, but depression over what kind of punishment he would suffer once he returned home. This contradictory mood was openly expressed on his face, making it particularly entertaining to see.
“What about me?” The other Demon Race man asked anxiously.
“You were also redeemed!” Xue Li nodded lightly, a teasing smile creeping onto her face as she next said to Yang Kai meaningfully, “You and this little human girl as well, Gou Qiong redeemed all of you.”
An Ling’er was first stunned, then happy, her furrowed brow relaxing somewhat.
On the other hand, Gou Che and the Demon Race man both wore strange looks upon hearing this, the two of them shooting a glance over towards Yang Kai before both of them lowered their heads, their expressions somewhat complicated.
Yang Kai simply frowned, not only not showing the slightest joy but instead looking quite gloomy as he asked boldly, “Are all you Demon Race people so generous?”
“Hm?” Xue Li’s brow rose as she looked at Yang Kai, smiling lightly as she replied, “Gou Qiong is not the generous type, this time was simply an exception!”
“Is the ransom you demanded a large amount?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Xue Li. Even facing one of the four Demon Generals, he didn’t show any signs of fear or cowardice, his expression always calm and composed.
“It wasn’t a lot, but it also wasn’t a small amount. It was just enough for Gou Qiong to be annoyed for a while!” Xue Li smiled as she stared at Yang Kai with interest and even some appreciation. In front of her, few people could remain as calm as Yang Kai. Even the son of Gou Qiong was acting like a timid rat, and contrasting the two, Xue Li suddenly felt that this human boy was more worthy of her attention.
At the very least, he had more backbone than many of the Demon Race men she had seen.
Yang Kai nodded gently before suddenly turning to look at Gou Che and asking, “Brother Gou Che, Senior Gou Qiong spending so much money this time, do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
“Ah?” Gou Che was startled and for some reason didn’t dare to return Yang Kai’s stare, his eyes darting about randomly as he somehow muttered, “I have no thoughts…”
As he spoke, his expression was incredibly awkward.
“Does Brother Gou Che really have nothing to say?” Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a sneer as he pressed the issue.
Gou Che slowly shook his head.
The other Demon Race man next to him also stared at the floor and held his tongue.
[So… it’s like that huh?] Yang Kai thought, aware that he was most likely jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
At the front of the hall, An Ling’er stared at this exchange suspiciously, unable to understand why Yang Kai’s attitude towards Gou Che had suddenly changed so much, becoming cold and aggressive.
Xue Li and her subordinate both made no attempt to interrupt this exchange, each of them just grinning, seemingly enjoying the show.
“Good!” Yang Kai grinned, “Then I suppose this is goodbye, Brother Gou Che. Heh, our friendship really was quite short…”
When Gou Che heard these words, his face became somewhat red with embarrassment.
Yang Kai ignored him and turned to look at Xue Li, asking her seriously, “Senior, if I said I want to refuse the ransom that Gou Qiong paid for me, will you immediately kill me?”
“Oh?” Hearing this, Xue Li’s beautiful eyes couldn’t help flickering with a touch of praise, asking lightly “Do you actually wish to refuse?”
“Yes, I refuse!”
“Hehe…” Xue Li suddenly wore an amused smile, giggling happily, her proud peaks trembling noticeably.
Her subordinate also wore an interested expression as he stared at Yang Kai, a touch of praise flashing across his eyes.
After taking a moment to calm herself, Xue Li softly spoke, “If you refuse Gou Qiong, that means I will lose a certain amount of benefits, so naturally I’d want to kill you. I have been holding on to you for so long, feeding and housing you, am I just supposed to accept such a loss? However… the ransom has already been delivered to my hands so I won’t be letting go of it so easily, I can also use this as a way to slap Gou Qiong’s face… Good, I can spare your life.”
Yang Kai’s face immediately went black as his mood became gloomy.
He realized that Xue Li’s insidious words were pushing the responsibility onto him and placing him in direct opposition to Gou Qiong. Although this was a trivial matter, how could a man of Gou Qiong’s status possibly bare being insulted so? He had kindly paid enough ransom to buy Yang Kai’s freedom yet the prisoner in question had actually rejected his offer. If word of this were to spread out, the world would no doubt treat Gou Qiong as a joke for being despised by Yang Kai.
A solemn Demon General being despised by a mere human boy would no doubt anger Gou Qiong.
Although all of that was nothing but a farce!
“I accept your request!” Xue Li smiled brilliantly, quickly waving to Gou Che and the Demon Race man, “Get out, if I can still find you with my Divine Sense within half an incense worth of time, don’t blame me for being impolite to you!”
As soon as she spoke these words, Gou Che and the Demon Race man immediately transformed into streaks of light, flying out of the palace without so much as a glance back, in the blink of an eye already flying several thousand meters away, obviously using their full strength to flee as fast as possible.
Xue Li wasn’t kidding, her Divine Sense had been locked onto Gou Che and the other Demon Race man. If they didn’t flee far enough fast enough, she really would kill them.
This woman was simply a vicious viper!
“You humans really are quite astute,” Xue Li said cynically, “But since you refused the ransom that Gou Qiong paid for you, you have to prove that you have enough value to me. My Sand City does not support wastes!”
“So you won’t just let me go?” Yang Kai asked mockingly.
“Let you go?” Xue Li sneered, “Humans who enter my Sand City can only leave one way: Death! But since you seem to be somewhat out of the ordinary, I don’t plan on killing you right away. En, don’t disappoint me, otherwise I’ll let you experience a life far worse than death.”
Saying so, she stood up and moved to leave the room.
“Senior…” An Ling’er hurriedly shouted, a look of desperation flashing across her beautiful eyes, “Can you give us a moment to talk?”
Xue Li frowned slightly but didn’t object, simply turning around and leaving, silently acquiescing.
After Xue Li left, one of her subordinates grinned and sharply said, “If you have anything to say, hurry and say it. Don’t make me wait, I don’t have much patience.”
Saying so, he too walked out of the hall.
Only Yang Kai and An Ling’er remained now.
The Nine Heavens Holy Land Saintess quickly came over and asked Yang Kai about his present condition, a thick meaning of concern and worry in her voice. Yang Kai repeatedly assured her he was fine and then asked her how she was doing.
An Ling’er smiled bitterly and replied, “Senior Xue hasn’t mistreated me so far, she only has me accompany her and take care of some minor tasks, so you don’t need to worry about me. More importantly… Why did you refuse Gou Qiong’s offer to redeem us?”
“Do you think I shouldn’t have refused?”
“I don’t know, but that Xue Li is not a good person, I’m afraid if we remain here we’ll encounter danger sooner or later.”
“She is not a good person, but neither is Gou Qiong,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I refused because I want to keep control of my own life.”
“Ah? Why do you say that?” An Ling’er was lost.
Yang Kai explained carefully, “If I accepted his ransom, it that means I will owe him my life. No matter what kind of excessive demands he makes, I won’t be able to refuse.”
“But… you also saved Gou Che’s life. If you take that into consideration, shouldn’t the two things offset one another?”
“You’re still so silly,” Yang Kai knocked her head lightly, “That’s the biggest problem here.”
An Ling’er rubbed her forehead while staring at Yang Kai as if she had been greatly wronged, “I don’t get what you’re saying, explain it clearly.”
“Haa…” Yang Kai looked at her and shook his head, “You being able to grow up must not have been easy. You must thank your Nine Heavens Holy Land for keeping you inside the Sect all these years, if you had gone out on your own, I don’t know how many times you’d have died already.”
An Ling’er pursed her lips unhappily.
“I saved Gou Che, that life-saving grace should have become something we could rely on to leave the Demon Land, but now it’s actually a fatal problem. Think about the identity of Gou Che: His father is Gou Qiong, a Demon General. Didn’t Xue Li say this when we first met, ‘A solemn Demon General heir actually needing a human to save his life…’”
“The meaning of that statement was that he should not have been saved by me, or at the very least, he shouldn’t have been saved by a human. If I really accepted Gou Qiong’s ransom and allowed him to redeem us, within a few days, both you and I will wind up dead in some roadside ditch!”
“Ah!” An Ling’er yelped as she covered her mouth.
“The best way for Gou Qiong to not let news of this disgrace spread out is to silence all the witnesses to the crime. With no evidence, no one will know that his son had been saved by a mere human,” Yang Kai smiled coldly, a dangerous light flickering across his eyes.
“Isn’t all that just your speculations?” An Ling’er was somewhat unable to believe what she just heard.
“It’s not a guess, it’s a fact!” Yang Kai concluded, “Gou Qiong is not a generous man, so how could he suddenly be kind enough to redeem his son, a stranger, and two humans? You should know that the amount of ransom he paid was not small, clearly he has an ulterior motive… If my guess is right, on the way to Gou Che’s home, there are already masters waiting for us in ambush. Once we show up, all that will be waiting for us is death!”
An Ling’er tender body trembled as a sense of escaping from certain doom suddenly overcame her.
“This point, Xue Li was also well aware of! But she didn’t make any effort to inform us. That woman really is sinister…” Yang Kai gnashed his teeth.
“No wonder when you refused she smiled so weirdly, so it was like that,” An Ling’er suddenly realized; at the same time, she also felt a great sense of admiration for Yang Kai.
If it had been just her instead, she would likely have happily left with Gou Che, happily fantasizing about how Gou Qiong would thank her for saving his son, not realizing the hidden murderous intent behind all of this!
As a hint of fear flashed across her eyes, a sense of anger also welled up inside her, “Gou Che, that ungrateful dog, how could he not have known how his father thinks?”
“Hmph, he couldn’t be clearer,” Yang Kai sneered.
“You should have left him to rot in that Mysterious Small World!” An Ling’er cursed furiously.
“That was my mistake, I wanted to borrow his identity and status; unfortunately, it seems trying to be clever actually made me into a fool. Well, at least it wasn’t a total loss; he did bring us out of that desert. Without him, we might have been lost in that place for the rest of our lives. Even if we had made it out, we probably would have been chased down by other Demon Race cultivators instead of standing here comfortably in Sand City right now.”
Everything has its pros and cons, it all depends on how one thought about it.
Gou Che had truly acted cold and ruthless, but Yang Kai had never been sincere towards him either, so there was nothing to really be disappointed about.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Right now, we need to consider how to survive while still in Xue Li’s hands. Since you’re by her side, pay attention and observe her carefully, see if there’s something we can use, perhaps some casual discovery will prove to be a breakthrough point for us.”
“En,” An Ling’er nodded firmly, feeling a kind of solidarity and shared sense of destiny with Yang Kai.
As they were speaking, Xue Li’s subordinate called out to them from outside the hall, urging them to hurry up, so Yang Kai quickly said goodbye to An Ling’er and departed and was returned to his room again.
Time passed and everything was quiet.
Since Yang Kai rejected Gou Qiong’s ransom that day, he seemed to have been forgotten by Xue Li, and before he knew it, two months had gone by.
Yang Kai was also happy with the status quo for now; besides meditating and cultivating throughout the day, he spent his time communicating with the Divine Tree.
After several months, the Divine Tree’s consciousness had matured greatly, and it was now possible for Yang Kai to hold simple conversations with it.
From Yang Kai, the Divine Tree had learned a lot, and its wisdom was still growing rapidly. Today, it possessed ability equal to that of a six or seven-year-old child; besides being slightly mischievous, everything about it was excellent.
The Divine Tree was now rooted in the Black Book space and Yang Kai could supplement his own Yang Qi and Spiritual Energy from it any time or place. It was as if Yang Kai was carrying a massive storage space of energy with him which was extremely convenient to use.
After two months of dedicated cultivation, Yang Kai’s strength had increased significantly.
One day, when Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar dove into the Black Book space, he found something out of place.
The rare ores he had stored in the Black Book space seemed to have decreased in number somewhat.
These ores were collected from the last time Yang Kai entered the Starry Sky. After passing through the Starry Sky Storm, he had found many precious ores left behind from the Asteroid Sea. He wanted to use these ores to create some powerful artifacts, but had never had time to find a suitable Artifact Refiner.
Yang Kai wasn’t too clear about the exact quantity of these ores, but after checking it over a few times, there were indeed fewer than he remembered.
In the place where he had been keeping them, there was some scattered gravel remaining. These leftovers were completely composed of impurities. In other words, the essence of the original ores had been consumed, leaving only dregs behind.
Yang Kai was puzzled and quickly used brought his Soul Avatar into the Divine Tree’s core to ask it about it.
Yang Kai thought that the Divine Tree had secretly absorbed the essence from these ores but after hearing his question, the Divine Tree actually shook its head and said it had done no such thing.
Yang Kai laughed dumbly at this response and didn’t ask again.
The consciousness of the Divine Tree was only equivalent to that of a child, it was only normal for it to lie a little about such things at this age.
Yang Kai naturally didn’t have any intention to blame it, if the Divine Tree needed these ores, he would happily give all of them to it.
“Good, if these stones are useful to you, you can use as many as you want, you don’t need to ask me first. Right, there is also a pool of medicinal liquid over there, you can absorb one drop of it every day, it may help your growth.”
The Divine Tree rejoiced slightly and immediately reached out a branch towards the pool of Myriad Drug Liquid and took a drop, a moment later releasing a long, satisfied sigh.
Seeing this, Yang Kai smiled warmly, but soon after he noticed that someone was approaching his room so he quickly informed the Divine Tree before returning his consciousness back to his body.
Just as he opened his eyes, the door was pushed open and Xue Li’s subordinate waved towards Yang Kai indifferently, “Get out, Mistress wants to see you.”
Yang Kai frowned for a moment but refrained from asking anything and quickly followed the man out.
Yang Kai didn’t know what this man’s exact cultivation was, but from the pressure he felt and how highly Xue Li’s trusted the latter, it was likely this man was a Saint Realm master.
The Demon Race was generally longer lived than those of the Human Race, so from appearance alone, this person didn’t seem very old. He looked like a handsome thirty-year-old man who constantly had an arrogant expression on his face.
Only when he was in front of Xue Li would this man restrain himself, not daring to act prideful in the slightest.
“Friend, how should I address you?” Yang Kai asked suddenly.
The man turned his head and stared at Yang Kai for a moment before chuckling, “Mistress said your courage wasn’t small, it seems she was right! Boy, you don’t seem to have the awareness a prisoner should have.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and replied casually, “Although I have indeed been confined by you, since you haven’t done anything to me after so long, it means that I still have some use to you. Why should I act anxiously for no reason?”
“Seems your head isn’t too bad either, good, I like it!” The man laughed before saying, “Call me Yu Mo.”
“The names of your Demon Race people are really weird…” Yang Kai shook his head.
“I think the names of your humans are the weird ones!” Yu Mo grinned.
“What does your Mistress want from me this time?” Yang Kai asked again.
“I don’t know, maybe she thinks you no longer have any value and has decided to kill you,” Yu Mo grinned as he took pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune, continuing scornfully, “You’d better prepare yourself, otherwise you may find yourself lacking a head without even knowing why.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched slightly but he managed to maintain his indifferent expression somehow.
Seeing this, Yu Mo nodded secretly, feeling like this little brat was indeed somewhat different. Any average person would probably be panicking after hearing such words, but this boy actually still looked quite carefree.
In the same hall as before, Xue Li was waiting, but An Ling’er did not appear this time.
Yu Mo brought Yang Kai here, bowed respectfully, and then stood to the side, staring at the latter coldly.
Xue Li nodded lightly, lifted her eyes and swept Yang Kai, calmly saying, “I’ve kept you alive until today, are you ready to create some value for me?”
Yang Kai frowned, “What are you referring to?”
Xue Li laughed lightly before slowly standing up and continuing, “I told you before, my Sand City does not raise wastes! Since I allowed you to live, naturally I have a use for you. Good, a First Order Transcendent, it’s not easy to acquire such cultivation at your age. You should be a Core Disciple of some big force, yes?”
Yang Kai neither confirmed nor denied.
“Well that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care which force you are from, since you’ve fallen into my hands, you have no choice but to obey me. If you dare to defy my commands… you know the consequences…”
Saying so, her beautiful misty eyes flashed a cold light.
“What do you want me to do then?” Yang Kai asked calmly.
“Kill! Or being killed!” Xue Li giggled and said, “Yu Mo, explain to him carefully, it’s time for him to make his debut.”
Sitting her perfectly shaped bottom back down on her luxurious chair, Xue Li assumed a lazy positing while staring at Yang Kai faintly.
Yu Mo straightened his back and spoke to Yang Kai next, “The land around Sand City is barren, and the other places governed by Mistress Xue Li are not any more bountiful, even the World Energy is thin in her lands! Moreover, because this place is close to the vast desert, hardly any traders pass through here, so it is reasonable to say that General Xue Li’s territory should be very poor.”
“Could it be that it isn’t?” Yang Kai tilted his head and asked.
Yu Mo grinned and continued, “Not only is it not poor, on the contrary, the richness of Sand City is unmatched by any city in the Demon Land. The wealth that flows in and out of this place every year is simply incalculable.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, somewhat surprised.
Yu Mo looked at Yang Kai proudly, thinking this little brat would ask why, but after waiting for an awkward amount of time and seeing him not have any such intention, Yu Mo grew annoyed and said, “Because Sand City has something that can attract all of the Demon Land’s people. This one feature has made Sand City the most popular among all the Demon Land, even the other three Demon Generals have temporary residences here!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling somewhat interested, “What kind of place can attract so many people?”
“The Death Arena!” Yu Mo grinned, “Simply put, it is a stage that allows cultivator within the same round to engage in life or death contests. Masters from all over bet Crystal Stones or materials on the competitor they fancy, and if that person wins, they can gain a certain amount of income. The odds are all different for each contest and the gains are not fixed. If your luck is good enough, you can win a dozen times what you initially bet!”
“Isn’t that just gambling?”
“En!”
“And the banker is your Sand City? If that’s so, you will profit either way,” Yang Kai grinned.
“We also need to cultivate, and that requires materials and supplies, but this territory is too poor, so we can only find ways to gain profits from those wealthy people’s pockets.”
“So you want me to fight, right?”
“Good. Recently in the fights, we’ve had a string of bad luck and have lost quite a few Crystal Stones. You are a First Order Transcendent, so although you’re not much to look at, if you play your role right, we should still be able to recover some of our losses,” Yu Mo nodded slightly.
“Are there any benefits in it for me?” Yang Kai asked.
“You actually want benefits?” Yu Mo snorted.
“Of course, you want me to fight with my life on the line, don’t tell me there aren’t any benefits for me in this at all?” Yang Kai replied as if it were only natural.
“Interesting. Mistress, what do you think?” Yu Mo looked over at Xue Li and asked.
“Give him a little something.”
Yu Mo nodded his head in acknowledgement, turning back to Yang Kai and saying, “Since Mistress has said so, as long as you can let us win, we’ll give you a share of the profits.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Good.”
He then turned to Xue Li and asked, “If I can collect enough money this way, will you let me buy my freedom?”
Xue Li’s opened her eyes slightly, stared at Yang Kai coldly, and then closed them again before saying, “That will depend on my mood. If you behave well, I might consider it, but if you dare try to bargain back and forth or raise any fuss, I’ll immediately kill you. Yu Mo, test his ability. He better not just be trash that can only talk big.”
As soon as she spoke those words, a terrible pressure burst from Yu Mo’s body and engulfed Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s body bent and his knees sank, almost falling to the ground in that instant. Realizing the tyrannical force this aura contained, Yang Kai’s expression changed greatly as he madly circulated his True Qi to resist the pressure coming from Yu Mo.
“Hm?” Yu Mo was also greatly surprised by this development. From the moment he had laid eyes upon him, he had not liked Yang Kai, so he wanted to take this opportunity to teach this human boy a harsh lesson and have him beg for mercy. Yu Mo had wanted to let Yang Kai fall to the ground and eat dirt, crushing the always indifferent look on the latter’s face, so he was quite surprised when this little brat actually withstood the pressure he applied.
His eyes flashing a cold light, Yu Mo increased the pressure he was emitting again.
Yang Kai let out a grunt and his body once again began sinking, his knees bending further as his face turned red, clenching his teeth as he glared angrily towards Yu Mo.
*Kacha…*
The white jade floor suddenly shattered and cracks spread out from the position Yang Kai was standing, causing the hall’s walls to creak slightly from the load.
Xue Li also finally opened her eyes and stared deeply at Yang Kai, a look of anticipation appearing on her pretty face, as if she wanted to see just how the latter would resist Yu Mo.
Under Yu Mo’s terrifying aura, Yang Kai’s body quivered and blue veins began appearing on his skin, but after ten breaths of time, he seemed to have adapted to the pressure and his body slowly began straightening up again.
Yu Mo’s look changed upon seeing this. He was clearer than anyone about how much power he was using. Under such pressure, forget a First Order, even a strong Second Order Transcendent cultivator shouldn’t have been able to put up any kind of struggle, only a Third Order would barely be able to resist.
But this little brat had actually managed to do just that, although it was obvious it wasn’t easy for him to do so.
Coldly snorting, Yu Mo’s increased his power for the third time.
*Ka…*
Yang Kai’s legs sank into the ground all the way to his knees this time.
At that moment though, Yang Kai made a move, his body lifting off the ground like an arrow shot from a bow, True Yang Yuan Qi gathering in his hands as rapidly approached Yu Mo. The True Yang Yuan Qi conjugated to summon out a large golden sword in his hands, and before he could reach Yu Mo, Yang Kai had already swung it down.
Murderous intent flashed across Yu Mo’s eyes and his own Demonic Qi took on a dangerous aura.
“Enough!” Xue Li lightly said, her voice echoing throughout the hall.
Like an invisible shockwave hit him, Yang Kai’s body suddenly came to a halt and the Profound Heavenly Sword held in his hand shattered into pieces and disappeared into the wind.
Yu Mo’s quickly took back his strength before frowning towards Yang Kai who was standing nearby, coldly asking, “Boy, were you trying to kill me just now?”
Yang Kai only grinned back at him fiercely.
“Yang Qi, an annoying Qi as always!” Xue Li frowned, seemingly unhappy.
Although with her cultivation there was no way Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi could have any kind of suppressive effect on her, it was still repulsive to her, like fire and water. The Demonic Qi within her body was naturally rejecting Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi.
“Your strength isn’t bad, this King has apparently been looking down on you,” Xue Li nodded lightly. Being able to persist for so long under Yu Mo’s pressure and even daring to fight back at the last moment, trying to kill the latter, this human boy’s combat power and willpower far surpassed what his present cultivation realm suggested was possible!
As a Saint Realm master, Xue Li’s vision would not be mistaken on this point.
“Mistress, we can make good use of this,” Yu Mo swept Yang Kai indifferently, a sinister glint flashing across his eyes.
“Good, it’s time we made those bastards bleed,” Xue Li smiled coldly, “Arrange a match for him tomorrow, I want him to obtain victory after a difficult struggle!”
“Yes!” Yu Mo snickered as he looked at Yang Kai like a wild wolf eyeing a lamb.
“I have another request!” Yang Kai cracked his shoulders and quickly added before Xue Li could get angry, “This is the last one!”
“Say it!” Xue Li said unhappily.
“Give me an artifact that can change my appearance. I don’t want my true face to be seen by too many people, or there will be a lot of you demons chasing me in the future,” Yang Kai said.
Xue Li was startled for a moment but quickly recovered, grinning as she said, “You think quite far ahead.”
As long as Xue Li managed things properly, Yang Kai could bring her a great deal of wealth and all the Demon Race powerhouses she scammed wouldn’t dare direct their anger at her, so naturally their grievances would land on Yang Kai. That meant that even if he were to gain his freedom from Xue Li, he wouldn’t likely be able to escape the Demon Land alive.
Yang Kai already had such an artifact, the one Du Wan gave him.
However, he didn’t dare to use it; after all, that was the artifact he had used to change his appearance when he harvested the medicinal liquid of the Thousand Year Demon Flower. Once someone recognized that, it would bring him even more trouble, so he could only ask Xue Li for something similar.
“I don’t have an artifact like that,” Xue Li shook her head, “But I can give you a mask, just use that to cover your face.”
“Good enough!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Take him away! Have a good rest tonight, you better not die tomorrow!” Xue Li laughed.
Yu Mo brought Yang Kai back to his room again but before leaving used several seals on his True Qi. In an instant, Yang Kai felt as if his True Qi flow had slowed several times over and even his movements were somewhat sluggish.
“Do you know why I did this?” Yu Mo asked.
Yang Kai gently nodded, not putting up any resistance. From what Xue Li had just said, it was easy to infer that she wanted him to fight a desperate battle tomorrow in order to fool the eyes of those rich Demon Race masters, causing them to misjudge his strength. That way, in the future, they underestimate Yang Kai’s strength, bet against him, and lose their money, allowing Xue Li to profit.
Without Yu Mo applying these seals, Yang Kai was likely to expose some of his strength mistakenly. The Demon Race powerhouses that were betting weren’t blind, so even a slight upsurge of strength would cause them to realize that something was amiss.
The Death Arena was the biggest feature of Sand City, many great characters from all corners of the Demon Land would raise fighters or captured slaves and arrange them to fight life or death battles in the Death Arena.
There were no rules or restrictions. As long they were a member of the Demon Race, they were eligible to enter and participate.
Regarding the naturally cruel and bloodthirsty Demon Race, this was undoubtedly very attractive. They could enjoy these blood-stained battles while also gambling and earning Crystal Stones, so the Death Arena’s was always quite popular, and for this reason, Sand City was able to gather a great amount of wealth and supplies all year round.
Among the four Demon Generals, Xue Li was undoubtedly the wealthiest.
Yu Mo gave a simple explanation about the Death Arena to Yang Kai and then left.
With nothing to do overnight, Yang Kai simply adjusted himself to his peak condition.
The next day, at noon, Yu Mo came again and led Yang Kai out.
Leaving the giant palace, Yu Mo flew towards a certain position in Sand City where a huge ring-shaped arena had been set up.
The venue’s setup was not poor and at its centre was a giant stage surrounded by a variety of sturdy barriers. Around this stage were a massive number of seats. Currently, these seats were filled with Demon Race spectators who were watching a battle between two cultivators on the centre stage.
The strength of these two cultivators wasn’t very high, but the fight was quite fierce, both of them covered in bloody scars, each of them glaring hatefully towards the other. The two repeatedly used their artifacts and Martial Skills to hack, pierce, and slash at their opponent, dying the surroundings dark red.
When the battle finally came to an end, the crowds in the stands cheered raucously.
Yang Kai watched the whole situation calmly with an expression of indifference.
Yu Mo turned to him and sneered, “When your turn comes, you’ll fight an opponent with a similar cultivation, but unlike you, he’ll be able to use his full strength. Right now you can probably only use half your strength, so you best be careful. Although I don’t care whether you live or die, Mistress hopes you can bring her some wealth, so you best not disappoint her.”
“I know!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
When the two of them arrived here, from the highest point in the stands, a cold look shot towards them. Yang Kai looked back and saw Xue Li sitting there, with An Ling’er standing by her side.
When their four eyes met, An Ling’er couldn’t help wanting to call out to Yang Kai, but Xue Li immediately gave her a stern look.
Receiving this silent warning, An Ling’er didn’t dare to say anything, and Yang Kai also shook his head, indicating to her that she shouldn’t act rashly.
Having arrived at the Death Arena, Yu Mo led Yang Kai to a poorly lit underground tunnel and walked inside.
After arriving at the end of the tunnel, a faint light shone from up ahead, and a ramp leading to the interior of the Death Arena appeared.
A group of Xue Li’s subordinates were waiting here and when Yu Mo arrived, they all respectfully greeted him.
“Sir Yu Mo, is this the little human brat that’s fighting this time?” Asked a man with a sallow complexion.
“Good, the announcements have been made and the odds are set,” Yu Mo nodded lightly.
The yellow-faced man snickered as he swept his eyes over Yang Kai, snickering under his breath, “Boy, best stay alert, your opponent isn’t one to be taken lightly, he’s won three times already, most cultivators in the same realm as him can’t even last as long as it would take an incense stick to burn. Well, try not to die too pitifully out there.”
“We’ll talk about it again if he’s able to last an incense stick worth of time,” Yang Kai replied indifferently, not showing the slightest bit of panic.
“Ho…” The yellow-faced man was surprised for a moment before he sneered again, “Where did this little brat come from, acting so arrogant. Hah, grandpa here would like to see just how you plan to kill your opponent within an incense worth of time!”
Yu Mo also glanced over at Yang Kai and coldly snorted, obviously feeling like Yang Kai was boasting shamelessly. Although he had personally tested Yang Kai’s strength and knew this human boy wasn’t ordinary, now that the latter could only use half his full strength, even being able to survive would be questionable. As for such big talk, Yu Mo thought Yang Kai was simply overreaching himself.
Yang Kai no longer said anything and just waited quietly.
Inside the Death Arena, the battle between the two cultivators had already reached a conclusion. One person had been dismembered, the other had been crippled. Some people immediately came out and cleaned up the stage. The winner was now a disabled waste, so after quickly consulting with the Death Stage’s administrators, the cleanup crew, obviously used to dealing with such situations, directly killed him before disposing of his corpse.
As blood stained the ground once more, cheers erupted from the stands again.
After waiting for the cleanup to finish, Yu Mo turned to Yang Kai and nodded, “It’s your turn, remember what Mistress said yesterday!”
Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, simply accepting the mask Yu Mo had prepared for him, covering his face, and stepping forward.
From the ramp on the opposite side of the stage, another man slowly walked out as well. This man was bare chested and had huge, rippling muscles, his entire physique seemingly containing a kind of explosive power. In comparison, Yang Kai, who was a head shorter, appeared somewhat scrawny.
As this competitor approached, a murderous intent rose from him like a fierce storm, seemingly wanting to tear Yang Kai limb from limb with just his aura alone.
However, Yang Kai remained unmoved, like a ten thousand year old reef. When the murderous intent struck him, it was as if it took the initiative to separate and flow past him.
High up in the stands, many people showed an interested look, thinking this life or death battle should be very exciting. An Ling’er, who was standing next to Xue Li, also silently gripped her fists and watched nervously.
A moment later, the fighters came to a stop less than ten meters apart and stared down one another.
The burly man opposite Yang Kai also seemed to be a human who had the misfortune of being captured by the Demon Race. According to Yu Mo, most of the cultivators that entered the Death Arena were prisoners like Yang Kai. In order to save their own lives, they chose to fight here. Others had taken the initiative to hire themselves to wealthy Demon Race masters specifically to participate in the Death Arena, using it as an opportunity to gain benefits and status. Still others were specially trained by certain powerhouses for the explicit purpose of fighting here.
No matter what reason they had for entering the Death Arena though, there was ultimately only one objective – killing the enemy!
“Boy, cowering behind a mask, are you too ashamed to show others your true face? Hah, if you kneel down to give I, your grandpa, three kowtows, I’ll give you a painless death!” The brawny man shouted, his voice like booming thunder, causing Yang Kai’s ears to ring.
The burly man’s outburst wasn’t just meant to intimidate Yang Kai though; it also contained a subtle Divine Sense attack. If Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea defences were lax and this Divine Sense attack managed to affect his Soul, he would instantly lose all will to fight and would end up being suppressed by his opponent, unable to even resist.
However, such a low-level trick obviously wouldn’t work against Yang Kai, his aura not even rippling as he simply stared back at the burly man indifferently, slowly examining his body while circulating his True Qi.
Thanks to Yu Mo, Yang Kai’s current True Qi circulating speed was greatly reduced, and his own reaction speed had become much slower. Without lifting the seals placed on him, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to bring out his peak strength.
But Yang Kai still felt it wouldn’t be too difficult to handle this loud man.
“Boy, are you deaf?” The brawny man cried out once more.
Just as he shouted though, the burly man saw Yang Kai’s figure flicker and a pointed murderous intent rapidly approach him from the side. The big man’s eyes flashed a cold light as his mouth curled into a provocative grin but didn’t make any attempt to dodge.
*Hong…*
A dull thud resounded as Yang Kai’s punch hit his opponent’s ribs, but the burly man actually remained in place, his body as hard as an iron plate. In fact, it was Yang Kai who felt pain from the rebound of his fist hitting the other side!
The strength of this burly man was quite good! Yang Kai immediately realized why his opponent was able to win three games in the Death Arena. The combat experience and ability of this brawny man was obviously far beyond what an ordinary cultivator possessed. If it weren’t, he would have died long ago in this forsaken place.
His initial strike having no effect, there wasn’t even time for Yang Kai to withdraw before the big man smirked and responded. At some unknown point, the burly man had lifted his hand up high, condensed his entire body’s True Qi into it, and swung it down mercilessly.
As his hand chopped down, the mass of True Qi burst out, transforming this knife-hand into the equivalent of a great hammer strike.
This attack has not even arrived yet the entire Death Arena’s stage sunk from the pressure, showing just how horrifying the power of this strike was.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed and he responded somewhat clumsily, unable to withdraw his fist in time.
The next moment, the burly man’s knife-hand chopped directly onto Yang Kai’s arm.
With a crisp sound, Yang Kai’s arm broke and limply fell to his side. It was only then that Yang Kai managed to retreat and open up some distance between him and his opponent.
From the stands, hisses of shock could be heard.
These Demon Race masters who were spectating the mask wearing Yang Kai’s match had noted his calm appearance at the start and thought he possessed some kind of special skill, but now seeing his arm broken so easily, they were obviously disappointed.
“Ah!”
An Ling’er screamed as a look of worry flashed across her pretty face.
Xue Li’s gaze sharpened as she stared at Yang Kai down below, grinning slightly.
Atop the Death Arena’s stage, Yang Kai, who had his arm broken just now, had only just regained his footing when the burly man rushed in front of him, two black arcs of lightning swirling around his arms, giving him a fierce appearance.
From his sturdy body, a bloody and brutal aura burst forth as a cold light concentrated in the palm of his hands.
Immediately, on the burly man’s palms, two black lightning-like balls of energy the size of washbasins appeared, emitting a thick murderous aura.
Both his palms struck towards Yang Kai.
Surges of lighting erupted!
The burly man clearly wanted to kill Yang Kai with this one strike!
Yang Kai didn’t have any ability to resist and under the pressure of the black lightning which came at him from both left and right, he couldn’t even dodge. In the blink of an eye, his whole body had been struck by countless palms, turning into a scared and bloody mess, making him look quite miserable.
The boos from the stands grew even louder.
What the crowd wanted to see was a bloody battle, not a one-sided slaughter.
The performance of Yang Kai really made one want to curse, and the unlucky Demon Race masters who had placed bets on him made no attempt to hide their dissatisfaction.
Even Xue Li’s brow wrinkled slightly, her expression growing colder by the moment.
She suddenly thought that Yang Kai’s earlier performance was nothing but a freak accident and that his real ability wasn’t that good. If that wasn’t the case, how could he be so pathetic in front of a cultivator in the same realm?
If he continued to take this assault like this, he wouldn’t survive long!
[Another waste!] Xue Li’s coldly snorted to herself, gradually losing all interest in Yang Kai.
Fresh blood stained the ground and Yang Kai looked more and more distressed. On the other hand, his opponent only became fiercer, trying to capitalize on his current advantage.
The burly man struck mercilessly, sending Yang Kai flying up into the sky with a punch to his jaw, then knocking him into the ground as soon as he fell back down.
Dust flew everywhere and no one was able to see what was happening on the battlefield. On top of that, because of the multi-layered barriers around the Death Arena’s stage, even the Saint Realm masters in the audience couldn’t gain anything more than a vague impression with their Divine Senses. All anyone could tell was that the fight had come to an end.
[How boring!] Many people thought to themselves.
However, before they could start grumbling out loud, a burst of murderous intent filled the air and a gust of wind burst forth, expelling all the dust from the stage.
After everyone saw the situation in front of them, they couldn’t help calling out in shock.
Yang Kai, who should have fallen to the ground and been beaten to death, at that moment, had used his unbroken arm to grab hold of his opponent and pin him to the stage.
That hand was firmly gripped the back of the burly man’s neck, like a great vice, and no matter how the latter struggled, he couldn’t break free.
No one saw what happened just now, all they knew was when the dust scattered, this scene had appeared before them, it was truly surprising.
They had seen before Earth shattering counter attacks launched at the last moment in order to win a battle, but never once had a situation as strange or confusing as this one occurred.
As silence filled the arena, the mask worn by Yang Kai’s face seemed to give off a cold glint.
Wind and Thunder Qi surged up in Yang Kai’s palm and then poured into the burly man, forming a killing storm inside his body.
*Peng…*
In the next instant, the big man’s strong body directly burst into a bloody fog, not even leaving behind any bones!
High up in the stands, Xue Li’s beautiful eyes lit up as a hint of surprise flashed across them. She hadn’t thought Yang Kai would put on such a strange and wonderful performance, her thin red lips curling into a grin.
“How great is his real strength?” Xue Li suddenly whispered to An Ling’er.
“I won’t tell you!” An Ling’er shook her head repeatedly.
“You won’t tell me?” Xue Li didn’t get angry and instead showed a thoughtful expression while flashing a playful smile, “Then I’ll just have to figure it out myself.”
Turning her eyes back to the Death Arena below, Xue Li watched the scarred and broken armed Yang Kai walk step by step towards the exit, thinking to herself that this human brat she had randomly picked up was indeed out of the ordinary!
In the stands, after a long silence, an eruption of noise burst out, most people complaining loudly about this nonsensical result, discussing what exactly had just happened.
When Yang Kai returned to the dark ramp, Yu Mo’s eyes flashed a cold light as he stared fixedly at him.
As for the yellow-faced man, he just dumbly stood in place, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
After less than the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, this arrogant little human boy had really killed his opponent.
“Did the match look difficult enough for you?” Yang Kai took off the mask and shot a glance towards Yu Mo.
Yu Mo’s mouth twitched once before he nodded lightly.
Not only did the match appear difficult, it was quite realistic, without the slightest flaw. Even Yu Mo thought that Yang Kai was dead, only to be surprised at the last moment.
[This boy’s courage really isn’t normal. Wasn’t he even slightly worried about taking so many attacks head on?]
Yang Kai tightened his muscles and with a crisp sound his broken arm snapped back into place.
“Next time, arrange a Second Order Transcendent opponent for me, that way I can earn more profits. The sooner I accumulate enough wealth, the sooner I can go free!” Yang Kai grinned.
Yu Mo couldn’t help feeling a bit annoyed suddenly.
Returning Yang Kai to the palace, Yu Mo then left to allow the former to recuperate.
After this time’s victory, Yang Kai’s treatment also improved greatly. Many good dishes to help him recover his stamina and strength were served to him and An Ling’er even received permission from Xue Li to visit him once.
The two of them talked for quite some time before An Ling’er left.
After a three day interlude, Yang Kai’s second bout was scheduled.
Perhaps because of his bizarre performance last time, when the masked Yang Kai appeared again, he attracted a lot of attention.
This time, his opponent was a genuine Second Order Transcendent.
After a hard fight, Yang Kai barely managed to escape death and obtain a come-back victory, causing all the Demon Race spectators cry out in surprise, none of them able to believe what they had just seen.
Defeating someone in a higher realm was a feat not many could achieve, especially after one reached the Transcendent Realm where each Minor Realm represented a massive increase in combat power.
Normally, a Second Order Transcendent cultivator would easily be able to put a First Order Transcendent to death, but this common sense was actually flipped on its head by Yang Kai.
Just like last time, Yang Kai’s True Qi had been restricted by Yu Mo’s sealing technique, so he wasn’t able to display his full strength, so unlike the act he had put on before, this time Yang Kai really was fighting desperately.
In a life or death struggle, Yang Kai was able to grasp many things he had been unable to before, causing him to somewhat rejoice. He felt fighting such a desperate battle was of great benefit to his growth.
As such, Yang Kai didn’t actually feel much resentment about having to participate in these fights and was instead almost looking forward to it.
This was a rare opportunity for him to temper himself!
The growth of a cultivator couldn’t be separated from reality, fighting real life or death battles would often bring one more benefits than simply remaining in secluded retreat. Of course, this was premised on being able to survive such fights.
After thoroughly understanding this, Yang Kai began urging Yu Mo to arrange stronger opponents for him!
Yu Mo was dumbfounded and often stared at Yang Kai as if he was staring at someone screwed loose in the head. He had never seen a captured prisoner like Yang Kai actually requesting to fight more often in the Death Arena.
Xue Li on the other hand was quite open-minded, arranging fights for Yang Kai whenever he requested them.
The strength of Yang Kai’s opponents also continuously increased, causing him to suffer more and more hardships with each passing bout. But each time it looked like it was all over for him, Yang Kai would somehow pull off a miracle and win.
Over the next three months, Yang Kai fought a total of fourteen times on the Death Arena’s stage. All fourteen of his opponents were Second Order Transcendents. Some were from the Human Race and Monster Race, while there were still others belonging to the Demon Race, each of them competing in this blood sport for one reason or another, but all of them eventually finding defeat at Yang Kai’s hands.
Through these life or death battles, Yang Kai reaped a huge harvest, not only gaining a greater understanding of his own strength, but also all the accumulated insights into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao of his defeated opponents after he devoured the remnants of their Souls.
The rate at which his strength grew could only be described as astonishing.
After three months of repeated fights, Yang Kai had also inadvertently become something a celebrity, there was basically no one who lived in Sand City that didn’t know of him. Xue Li’s masked human subordinate who, despite only having a First Order Transcendent cultivation, had killed more than a dozen Second Order Transcendents.
In the Death Arena, the odds of Yang Kai winning changed over and over again, but this still couldn’t stop others from betting on him with great enthusiasm.
Xue Li, as the arena’s banker, naturally wouldn’t lose money in this kind of gambling, but seeing Yang Kai’s horrifying rate of growth caused her some suspicion.
She, compared to anyone else, understood what was happening, how Yang Kai was achieving his rapid increase in strength by constantly defying death in combat.
One day, a messenger arrived at Xue Li’s palace and requested an audience. After meeting with Xue Li for some time, the messenger finally departed with a satisfied look upon his face.
An hour later, Yang Kai was summoned.
Inside a side hall, Xue Li was lying upon a great bed, her perfectly shaped bottom facing upwards as her proud peaks were squeezed beneath her body, her chin resting gently upon her hands, a most stimulated posture.
An Ling’er was half-kneeling beside her while massaging Xue Li’s shoulders.
There was a delicate, mature fragrance lingering about the hall that tickled one’s nose.
Yu Mo brought Yang Kai into the hall, bowed, and then moved to the wall, not daring to lay eyes upon Xue Li.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stood at the edge of the bed and swept his eyes over Xue Li’s wondrous body.
This Demon General was as vicious as a snake, but it was undeniable that she was a great beauty filled with mature charm, unlike An Ling’er who still retained a kind of youthful innocence.
Such a woman had a fatal enticement to any man.
However, a character like Xue Li probably would not be tempted by any man, the only thing that could move her was strength, overwhelming and all conquering strength!
After waiting for quite some time, Xue Li suddenly said, “Gou Qiong sent me a messenger a moment ago.”
“Hm?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, “Is it related to me?”
“Yes, Gou Qiong seems to want to kill you.”
“Then how did you reply?” Yang Kai looked at her coldly as he mockingly asked, “Don’t tell me you agreed to sell me?”
“This King indeed thought about it, but I still refused him!”
“Why is that?”
“Because he is Gou Qiong!” Xue Li sneered, “If he wants something, obviously I won’t happily comply; however, his messenger made an interesting proposal which I did agree to.”
Yang Kai didn’t ask anything and just waited for her to explain.
“Tomorrow, on the Death Arena’s stage, you’ll fight someone sent by Gou Qiong! If you win, you’ll be able to earn enough ransom money to free yourself. If you lose, you’ll have nothing, including your life!” Xue Li said lightly.
Yang Kai raised his brow and snickered, “The fighter sent by Gou Qiong shouldn’t be weak, right?”
Xue Li glanced at him teasingly and nodded, “A Third Order Transcendent!”
Hearing this, even Yu Mo, who had been keeping his head down to the side, also showed some response.
“Seems you two are collaborating to put me to death,” Yang Kai grinned wryly, not showing the slightest sign of panic.
“He indeed wants you dead, but I, I want to know where your limit is!” Xue Li’s pretty face became slightly cold, “Don’t think this Queen doesn’t know you’re still concealing your true strength, it seems you still have a lot of cards you’ve yet to play!”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, not acknowledging or denying her speculation.
“Therefore I am very much looking forward to your performance tomorrow, don’t disappoint me.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see!”
Xue Li sneered lightly, calling out to Yu Mo next, “Remove all the seals on him, I want to see if he can survive against Gou Qiong’s pawn!”
Yu Mo nodded lightly, quickly revolving his True Qi and lifting the seals that had been dampening Yang Kai’s strength.
“I have a question. If I win tomorrow’s match, you said I’d have collected my own ransom. What about An Ling’er?”
Xue Li looked at him and grinned, “Of course you’ll only have collected enough for yourself, but… I can give you a chance. If you win tomorrow, I’ll let both of you go!”
“You’ve said so yourself!” Yang Kai laughed, “A Demon General’s words should be credible, yes? I hope you won’t go back on them!”
Xue Li closed her eyes and made no response.
The surrounding earth was dyed completely red from the countless lives which were reaped here, traces of battles wherever one looked. This was the Death Arena!
A number of Demon Race powerhouses who had access to inside information were already waiting in the stands early today. After watching a few fierce battles, a masked human slowly came out of the underground ramp.
In an instant, the arena was filled with cheers.
Over the past few months, Yang Kai had shown many thrilling and suspenseful battles to these demons, making him famous throughout Sand City.
Today, the battle between Yang Kai and another master was the ultimate finale.
Because there were rumors that his opponent this time was different from the past, it was actually a Third Order Transcendent master!
Since the opening of the Death Arena, there had never been a match between two opponents with such a great disparity in cultivation realms. With two Minor Realms separating the fighters, in the eyes of those who were uninformed, the result was a foregone conclusion.
But for those who had seen Yang Kai’s dozen plus battles, there were still some who had hopes he would create a miracle one again!
Hatred between different races played no role here, because Yang Kai’s performance was just that astounding, providing the very height of entertainment to the Death Arena’s loyal customers.
“Is this the little human brat who has won more than a dozen matches in the Death Arena, the one who barely survives each time?” In the stands, a Saint Realm master with sharp eagle-like eyes turned to the man beside him and asked.
“Yes, Senior Feng Biao. His performance is really outstanding, even the elite juniors from our Demon Race are far inferior to him!” The person next to him replied immediately.
“Hmph, after today, he’ll be nothing but another corpse!” Feng Biao coldly snorted, looking as if he was quite reluctant to allow Yang Kai to continue breathing.
“What Senior says is absolutely right… After all, his opponent is different from the previous one,” The man nodded repeatedly, suddenly lowering his voice as if he had some concerns, “But Senior, he is the champion trained by Senior Xue Li, if we really kill him and Senior Xue Li decides to blame us…”
“She won’t,” Feng Biao shook his head decisively, “This fight was set up at Sir Gou Qiong’s request. I negotiated with Xue Li personally yesterday and reached an agreement that no matter what happens today she will not hold us responsible!”
The man heard this and suddenly showed a somewhat confused expression, wondering why General Gou Qiong was so concerned about this Human.
Only a small number of people knew that the son of Gou Qiong was saved by Yang Kai. Feng Biao had been sent here this time specifically to deal with this issue once and for all, but he had been ordered to keep his mouth shut about the details, so even the subordinates he had brought didn’t know the whole story.
Although Xue Li was no friend of Gou Qiong’s, she also wouldn’t do something as petty as spreading such a story around to shame the latter, she was only interested in confronting Gou Qiong head on!
“Senior, that Yu Mo is coming!” The man whispered suddenly.
Feng Biao’s eyes narrowed as he glanced up to see Yu Mo flying towards him from a distance, the latter landing next to him a moment later and sitting down casually.
Both of these two were First Order Saints and served Demon Generals who were at odds with each other, so naturally there was no goodwill between them.
As their four eyes met, it was as if invisible sparks filled the space between them.
“Yu Mo, it’s been so long since I last saw you!” Feng Biao greeted with a cold look upon his face.
Yu Mo smiled back lightly and replied, “Feng Biao, even after not seeing you for so long, I still can’t get used to your face. Every time I see your dumb look, it makes me want to kill you!”
“Same to you!” Feng Biao sneered back, his True Qi slowly beginning to condense, his hostility filled eyes glaring towards Yu Mo.
Yu Mo curled his lips at that moment and continued, “This time I haven’t come here to pick a fight with you, I just want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Looking at you, it seems that you’re quite confident about today’s battle!”
“Hmph, saying something so obvious!”
“My Sand City’s Death Arena promotes gambling. If you’re so confident, why not make a bet with me. When the battle is over, you may be able to pick up some extra benefits that way!”
“Do you think you need to remind me of that?” Feng Biao said with obvious displeasure, “I’ve already bet 200,000 Crystal Stones!”
Yu Mo wore an expression of surprise and said, “Worthy of Feng Biao, such boldness! It seems you want to take my Sand City for all its worth.”
“Can’t you handle even that little?” Feng Biao smiled contemptuously, “If I can’t afford it, I can withdraw right now, as long as you, Yu Mo, in front of everyone, bow down and apologize to me!”
“You must be joking, since Sand City has opened this business, naturally, no matter how big the bet, we can swallow it. In fact, I just wanted to ask you, since this is such a rare opportunity, why not wager some real money?” Saying so, Yu Mo shot a provocative look towards Feng Biao.
In response, Feng Biao narrowed his eyes and asked, “Real money?”
“En, how about wagering everything you own. If I remember correctly, you have a number of good artifacts on you, right?”
Feng Biao frowned as he stared suspiciously at Yu Mo, coldly saying, “Seeing you like this, it appears you have quite some confidence in that human boy.”
“Think whatever you’d like. Maybe he’ll win, maybe he won’t, but whether you gamble or not is up your own courage!”
Feng Biao stared at him deeply. Although he knew that this guy, who was always as incompatible with him as fire was with water, was provoking him, he couldn’t back down now and simply nodded “Good, then I’ll bet all my artifacts as well!”
Saying so, he flicked his wrist and a glowing chainmail armour, a long halberd with a shocking aura, and a jet black saber appeared in front of Yu Mo.
These three items were all Saint Grade artifacts, each one of them a priceless treasure. These artifacts were the ones Feng Biao most valued and frequently used. If he were to lose them in this time’s gambling, his combat effectiveness would drop significantly.
After handing over these three Saint Grade artifacts, Feng Biao even took down his Universe Bag from his waist and tossed it over to Yu Mo, saying as he did so, “If we’re going to do this, we might as well do it thoroughly, what do you say?”
Yu Mo’s eyes brightened, didn’t speak any nonsense, and simply smiled, turned around, and left.
Feng Biao didn’t make any attempt to stop him nor did he ask any question. Although the two of them weren’t on friendly terms, they would still abide by the verbal agreement they had reached.
A moment later, Yu Mo returned to Xue Li.
“Is everything arranged?” Xue Li looked down at Yang Kai who was standing in the middle of the Death Arena and asked softly.
“Good, Feng Biao put out all his belongings,” Yu Mo nodded lightly, frowning in the next instant, “Mistress, are you really so confident about that little brat? To be honest, although his previous performances were quite surprising, this time I honestly don’t favour him. It’s quite likely he’ll die here. Him dying isn’t a big deal, but with Feng Biao gambling so much money, when that boy dies, it will be a big loss to Sand City.”
“I don’t know!” Xue Li’s said as she shook her head and some slight confusion flashed across her eyes.
Yu Mo was immediately dumbstruck.
As one of the four Demon Generals, a master that had few equals throughout the world, Xue Li naturally had extremely profound insight and vision, but this time it seemed like even she was uncertain about the situation.
“I am also gambling here. Although from any reasonable perspective, that little brat is undoubtedly a dead man, but…”
Saying so , Xue Li turned to look at An Ling’er who had been standing there silently the whole time and smiled slyly, “From beginning to end, this little girl hasn’t shown any signs of concern.”
Yu Mo couldn’t help turning to look at An Ling’er and indeed found that this was the case. Even though this little human girl knew Yang Kai would be facing a very strong enemy today, her expression remained calm.
Xue Li had obviously realized some information from An Ling’er’s behaviour.
“I asked her several times what the true extent of that boy’s strength was but she always refused to answer me. But that only makes me even more curious!” Xue Li reached out and gently stroked An Ling’er’s face, scaring the latter terribly.
“Tell me, has he ever fought with such an opponent before?” Xue Li suddenly asked in a solemn tone.
An Ling’er’s beautiful eyes became dull in that instant but quickly recovered their light as a look of struggle appeared on her face, the scene of her and Yang Kai being chased down by Saintess Nan and facing off against the Sun Clan’s masters in that Mysterious Small World flashing across her mind.
Even so, An Ling’er wore a pained expression as she somehow managed to shake her head.
Xue Li reluctantly sighed, “Her willpower is also quite remarkable, it seems she’s cultivated a very powerful Secret Art.”
“However, just from how she responded now, it’s fairly obvious that boy down there had fought against such a master before and managed to survive, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so relaxed just now.”
“En,” Xue Li nodded lightly, “If this time he still doesn’t die, in the near future, he will definitely become the most dazzling person in the entire realm. At that time, he may even exceed the strength of the Demon Commander and become a supreme existence!”
Yu Mo’s body trembled lightly, “Does Mistress really evaluate him so highly?”
“He has the potential!” Xue Li categorically said, a trace of cold killing intent flashing across her beautiful eyes.
“It’s a pity that such a person is not a member of our clan. If he was a member of the Demon Race, he would be worth cultivating,” Yu Mo had been following Xue Li for many years so he naturally knew what she was thinking right now and couldn’t help feeling a bit distressed.
Such astonishing aptitude only made this human boy a bigger threat, if such a genius was not killed early, it would inevitably have a significant negative impact on the entire Demon Race in the future.
As such, today, this little brat’s fate had already been decided, because even if he were to win this fight, Xue Li planned to kill him.
Looking down at the Death Arena’s stage where Yang Kai was silently waiting for his opponent to appear, Yu Mo sincerely pitied him.
After a long wait, Yang Kai’s opponent finally appeared. This person looked like he was walking in a leisurely manner but his speed was actually extremely fast, and in just the blink of an eye, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
Wearing plain black robes which could be found in any ordinary shop, this man had a majestic yet cold aura which was perfectly highlighted by his jet black shoulder length hair and profound gaze.
A surging malevolent intent pulsed from this man’s body and his Demonic Qi was incomparably pure; obviously, he was a lot stronger than an ordinary Third Order Transcendent master.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as his heart sank somewhat.
Even with just a glance, he could tell that his opponent was no easily pinched persimmon, this time he would have to go all out if he wanted to win.
Although Yang Kai had his Soul Devouring Insects and was thus not afraid of any opponent under the Saint Realm, this situation was different. In front of so many Demon Race masters, he couldn’t expose his Soul Devouring Insects, so he could only defeat his opponent head-on.
Moreover, Yang Kai also wanted to test just how much he had grown during this period of time.
As Yang Kai was observing his opponent, his opponent was also observing him, his eyes focused intently as if they were trying to see through all this masked youth’s secrets.
Although the man couldn’t see Yang Kai’s face, he could feel the murderous intent pulsing from the latter’s body. This aura was extraordinarily rich and not the slightest attempt to conceal it was being made. Even facing an opponent whose realm far exceeded his own, the eyes of this masked youth only showed a burning desire to fight.
This was no ordinary opponent!
This man only observed Yang Kai for a moment before coming to this conclusion, a hint of caution flashing across the depths of his eyes.
With such a massive gap in cultivation yet still being so eager to battle meant only one of two things, either this youth was absurdly arrogant or he had complete confidence in his ability!
Someone who could win more than a dozen fights in the Death Arena could not possibly be the first. If that was the case, he would have died long ago, but did that mean this little human brat thought he could actually put up a fight against a Third Order master with his puny First Order Transcendent cultivation?
The man suddenly felt that things had become interesting.
When Yang Kai’s opponent appeared, chatter erupted throughout the Death Arena’s stands. Many Demon Race cultivators pointing towards Yang Kai were pointing towards Yang Kai’s challenger with suspicion and excitement, many of them obviously recognizing the other’s identity.
“Isn’t that Sir Gou Qiong’s subordinate Di Xiao?”
“It’s him. When I visited Qing Liao City before, I saw him once. It really is Di Xiao!”
“Why would he appear in the Death Arena?”
“It’s said that he is Sir Gou Qiong’s strongest fighter below the Saint Realm and that he is only one step away from breaking through and becoming a Saint.”
“This human boy versus Di Xiao, I’m afraid the outcome is set! Di Xiao’s strength isn’t comparable to an ordinary Third Order Transcendent. As Sir Gou Qiong’s vanguard, he has made many great achievements in battle and is said to even be able to hold his ground against a Saint Realm master for a short time.”
“En, what a pity. After today, I’m afraid we’ll never get to see this masked kid fight on the Death Arena’s stage again.”
“A trivial human boy, who cares if he dies? I hope Di Xiao kills him quickly, this little brat has acted arrogantly for long enough. Does he think no one in my Demon Race is his equal?”
“Good, good, although I enjoy watching him fight, he is, after all, a human.”
The whispering voices came from all over and reached Yang Kai’s ears, causing him to wrinkle his brow slightly. He hadn’t expected his opponent today to be so famous amongst the Demon Race.
Gou Qiong sending such a master to deal with him, it was obvious what kind of importance the former placed on this matter.
Di Xiao suddenly grinned and said, “Friend, although we come from different races, I heard that you have defeated more than a dozen Second Order Transcendent opponents, each time narrowly escaping death. I admire you quite a bit. If possible, I’d like to become friends with you, but since I was ordered by Sir Gou Qiong, this time I must take your life, when the time comes, please don’t blame me.”
Yang Kai’s brow moved slightly but didn’t speak, choosing to remain silent as always.
“Then… let’s get started!” Di Xiao cupped his fists as he said these words and then, in an instant, vanished like a ghost.
Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically.
Quickly retreating from where he was standing, Yang Kai fell back a couple dozen meters, clenched his fist, condensed his True Qi, and then struck the ground with an earth shaking force.
*Hong…*
The entire Death Arena stage trembled violently, the rippling waves only stopping once they reached the ring’s surrounding barriers.
A giant pit with a depth of several meters appeared in an instant.
From the pit, a flash of cold light shot out, as if it was tearing space, ignoring all obstacles and distance and arriving in front of Yang Kai’s chest in the next instant.
*Pu…*
Like a blossoming red flower, blood splashed out as Yang Kai coughed, staggering back a few steps as he directed a dignified stare in front of himself.
On his chest, there was a longan sized wound which was leaking fresh blood even now, dying his robes a dull red.
Exclamations came from all directions as many eyes among the spectators flashed with surprise, shocked by Di Xiao’s tyrannical strength.
Everything happened too quickly. Di Xiao had used some kind of profound movement skill, vanished from in front of everyone’s eyes, snuck underground, then sent out a lightning fast attack that could pierce through any kind of defence and wounded Yang Kai before the latter had time to react.
Since his debut on the Death Arena stage, Yang Kai had fought more than a dozen times, and although each time he escaped from death he would become bruised and bloody, there was never a time as dangerous as just now. The match had only just begun yet he had already been injured by his opponent.
On top of that, this injury was not light, his face going slightly pale as he panted for breath, only able to steady himself some time later.
Di Xiao stood not far away, a smile upon his face, staring at Yang Kai as if he hadn’t ever moved; however, if one looked closely, they would notice a trace of dissatisfaction between his brows.
Di Xiao thought that even if his attack wasn’t able to kill Yang Kai, the latter would at least be wounded to the point where he would lose all ability to fight back; he hadn’t expected this human boy to actually only receive a light injury.
[This little brat… was somewhat strange! His physique seemed to be quite tenacious and had invisibly resolved most of the power of my strike.] Di Xiao evaluated
“Fierce!” Di Xiao expressed sincere admiration, “I never imagined someone like you existed among the Human Race!”
“You’re not too bad yourself!”
“Let’s try this again!” Di Xiao snorted, not giving Yang Kai any time to recover, a number of tornadoes suddenly appearing around him. These tornadoes were massive and extended all the way up into the sky, throwing the entire Death Arenas stage into chaos.
The loose gravel on the ground was swept up in this whirling wind, making the tornadoes even more dangerous.
Next, an incredibly potent Demonic Qi burst from Di Xiao’s body and dyed the tornados pitch black.
At some unknown point, dark clouds appeared in the sky over the Death Arena, obscuring the sky and creating an especially dignified atmosphere.
Countless incomparably sharp wind blades appeared at the edges of the tornados, whirling about at incredible speed, slicing through everything they touched with ease.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
In an instant, the wind blade had completely wrapped up Yang Kai, leaving him no path to Heaven, nor road to Hell.
Yang Kai let out a low roar and the earth beneath his feet abruptly collapsed. Next, at his fingertip, he condensed a drop of Yang Liquid and transformed it into the shield which he then placed atop his head.
The wind blades struck in the next moment, bombarding Yang Kai from all directions, causing his True Yang Yuan Qi’s shield to deform greatly. It was like Yang Kai was adrift the midst of a great storm, his boat constantly in danger of being destroyed, yet through this onslaught, Yang Kai remained unharmed, successfully resisting the innumerable wind blades.
All the Demon Race spectators up in the stands cried out in shock.
Yang Kai only had a First Order Transcendent Realm cultivation, yet he had actually been able to resist the powerful attack of Di Xiao, a genuine Third Order Transcendent powerhouse, without even suffering the slightest injury. This development made the audience quite uncomfortable.
Di Xiao was no ordinary Demon Race cultivator; he was one of Demon General Gou Qiong’s most trusted subordinates and could almost be considered the first person in the entire Demon Race below the Saint Realm.
The number of masters who had died at Di Xiao’s hands were countless; moreover, he was a talent Gou Qiong had personally taken an interest in, raising the former to become one of his future elites. As such, Di Xiao’s strength was not comparable to an ordinary Third Order Transcendent.
Even from up in the stands, the Demon Race cultivators could feel just how horrifying Di Xiao’s power was, yet such power couldn’t even break the True Qi shield Yang Kai had hastily condensed, obviously this was an unexpected development.
“Mistress, he really does possess astonishing potential!” Yu Mo called out, “In all the matches he fought up to now, he never displayed such means.”
Xue Li’s beautiful eyes flashed a cold light, “Only using his True Qi, he was able to withstand that attack, it’s obvious the purity and density of his True Qi is no weaker than Di Xiao’s. Good, very good!”
The cultivators around Xue Li were also paying close attention to this match now, unable to hide their shock.
Only An Ling’er wore an anxious look upon her face. Although Xue Li had just been praising Yang Kai, An Ling’er did not miss the coldness in this Demon General’s tone.
The more outstanding Yang Kai’s performance was, the more determined Xue Li would be to kill him!
However, if Yang Kai lost to Di Xiao, he would still die.
In either case, Yang Kai’s situation right now could only be described as perilous. An Ling’er thoughts were in chaos, not knowing what she should do.
“Interesting!” Di Xiao stared at Yang Kai as the latter continued to resist his attack.
Originally, when Gou Qiong sent him here to kill a little human brat, Di Xiao had thought it was a severe case of overkill and couldn’t work up any motivation. It was only after arriving in Sand City and hearing about Yang Kai’s various achievements that Di Xiao thought such a person was worthy of him executing.
However, that was all, he hadn’t really put Yang Kai in his eyes.
But now, after discovering that this human boy actually had enough strength to fight back against him, Di Xiao felt genuine excited.
Di Xiao was the kind of person who enjoyed fighting and was always eager to bathe in blood. On top of that, his favourite thing was to watch his opponent tenaciously resist yet ultimately fail and succumb to their demise.
At that moment, Di Xiao’s mentality underwent a subtle change and he began to regard Yang Kai as a real opponent.
The Demonic Qi which spewed out from Di Xiao’s body instantly increased a lot.
The tornados which were swirling around him like dark dragons also merged together and formed one giant mass, engulfing the entire Death Arena stage.
The surrounding barriers creaked under the impact of this wanton storm and ripples visible to the naked eye began to appear.
However, these barriers were all personally erected by Xue Li and obviously Di Xiao wouldn’t be able to destroy them so the Demon Race spectators in the stands weren’t worried, all of them still focusing all their attention on the match before them.
At this point, Yang Kai had been completely covered by wind blades and tornados.
The wind blade swept over him like a plague of locusts descending upon a field, overwhelming in number, their sharp auras constantly trying to tear him apart, the aura of death lingering about them.
There was nowhere to escape, and it was impossible to avoid them!
Yang Kai was cornered.
*Kacha…*
The shield he had condensed from his Yang Liquid was unable to withstand this persistent bombardment and directly collapsed.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s body was impacted by countless wind blades, his clothes shredded as blood splashed out. In less than a breath of time, Yang Kai’s skin was filled with innumerable wounds and his robes were broken and tattered.
Di Xiao grinned as he stared mercilessly at Yang Kai, as if he was looking at a dead man.
The next moment though, Di Xiao’s smile went stiff.
Yang Kai, who should have been killed, slowly straightened himself up while slightly lowering his head, staring back at Di Xiao with a gloomy and sinister expression, a burst of strange and creepy laughter leaked from his lips.
With a sneer, Yang Kai stretched out a hand and pulled off his tattered shirt, revealing his toned physique and rippling muscles that seemed to contain a shocking amount of power.
Standing in the center of the raging wind blades, Yang Kai remained unmoving, like a great mountain, resisting the surrounding storm without flinching in the slightest.
“Friend, it seems your strength isn’t much!”
An uproar spread throughout the crowd instantly when Yang Kai uttered these words.
The Demon Race spectators up in the stands were all shocked and amazed.
All of them had thought that this time, with Di Xiao personally taking action, Yang Kai would be swiftly defeated, even killed, but the situation in front of them differed greatly from their expectations, giving them a not small surprise.
Even wrapped completely in wind blades, Yang Kai’s body didn’t receive any noticeable damage, only suffering some minor cuts. It seemed his physique had reached an incredible degree of fortitude, allowing him to withstand such attacks head on.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Yang Kai’s provocation made Di Xiao’s expression become somewhat ugly, the latter smiling sullenly as he shot back, “You really don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! I must see how long you can keep spewing such nonsense!”
Saying so, Di Xiao waved his hands, and the swirling tornado that encompassed the entire Death Arena stage rapidly contracted, focusing all its destructive force on Yang Kai’s position, firmly trapping him in place.
As the tornado rapidly contracted, the number and intensity of the wind blades also greatly increased, forming a dark, dense killing zone around Yang Kai.
Like an angry black dragon, it slammed and whipped against Yang Kai.
“Shaping True Qi is something I can do too!” Yang Kai grinned, and with a great roar, a huge dragon head appeared above his head.
A dazzling golden radiance cut through the dark wind, bringing with it a shocking and violent momentum.
A long body quickly formed behind the golden dragon head and in the next instant, it shot out, colliding with the dark tornado, the two entities tearing and ripping into each other.
Over the entire Death Arena stage, a swirling storm of gold and black rampaged.
The golden dragon Yang Kai had just summoned was the very same one that was tattooed on his back. Before, Yang Kai was only able to use this hidden power when he was in his Devil Transformation state, but ever since his visit to Ice Sect, where he had blended souls with Su Yan, he discovered he could release it even in his normal state. On top of that, the golden dragon was also linked to Yang Kai’s Soul so it was far more agile and responsive than Di Xiao’s simple Martial Skill.
The two dragons fought one another, creating an incredible fierce display.
Everyone’s full attention was fixed on this magnificent scene, all of them staring up into the sky above the Death Arena stage, wondering which dragon would be the ultimate victor.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
With a series of deafening explosions, as if a volcano was erupting, the two dragons intertwined, and the dark tornado was gradually beaten back by the golden dragon, retreating in defeat over and over again, its colour quickly dimming.
True Yang Yuan Qi had always been the nemesis of Demonic Qi, so the aura the golden dragon radiated made every Demon Race cultivator present feel uncomfortable.
Suddenly, a pair of shouts resounded and the two figures who had been standing atop the Death Arena stage all this time flickered and collided, fresh blood splashing out as they did.
At some point, when everyone’s eyes had been attracted to the two dragons colliding up in the sky, Yang Kai and Di Xiao had also begun engaging in a fierce battle.
Terrible bursts of energy filled the Death Arena stage. After the two figures separated from one another, Yang Kai wiped his hand across his chest, his fingers dripping with blood as he did.
Yang Kai felt an excruciating pain at that moment. Even though he had only clashed with Di Xiao for a few breaths, he felt like his body had been pierced by thousands of attacks, his chest and arms now bearing numerous bone deep wounds.
Gou Qiong’s high regard for Di Xiao was no misplaced. As a peak Third Order Transcendent, the latter indeed possessed battle sense and combat experience far beyond average, allowing him to capitalize on any opening presented before him.
However, although Yang Kai’s condition was miserable, Di Xiao’s wasn’t much better.
One of Di Xiao’s shoulders had been torn apart and a great chunk of his flesh was now missing, causing blood to flow down his side uncontrollably, his imposing aura also showed some signs of disorder as his face distorted from the pain.
Staring at one another, panting for breath, the eyes of the two fighters atop the Death Arena stage both turned red at the same time. At this moment, blood-thirst had consumed both Yang Kai and Di Xiao’s hearts, the only thought now being to fight and slaughter the opponent in front of them!
When she saw the blood flowing from Yang Kai’s abdomen, Xue Li, who had been lazily sitting the whole time, suddenly leapt to her feet, her beautiful eyes trembling as she stared towards the Death Arena stage, a look of disbelief covering her face, as if she had discovered something impossible.
“Mistress!” Yu Mo saw this and couldn’t help calling out.
Xue Li’s brow furrowed deeply as she took in a deep breath, relaxing her shocked expression and sitting down again only several breaths later.
Yu Mo wore a puzzled expression, not understanding why Xue Li had suddenly had such a violent reaction. Although Yang Kai’s performance was indeed far beyond everyone’s expectations, could that alone cause her to act so out of character?
[What did Mistress just discover?] Yu Mo thought about it for a while before slowly shaking his head and focusing his attention back on the battle down below.
Killing intent flowed out in great waves, and even from where he was standing high up in the stands, Yu Mo could clearly sense it, quickly steadying his mind lest he inadvertently be affected by it.
Di Xiao and Yang Kai were evenly matched, each of them matching the other blow for blow; no one could predict what the final outcome would be now.
The thick and powerful Demonic Qi that emerged from Di Xiao’s body created a dark domain around him filled with evil energy.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was like a small burning sun, his True Yang Yuan Qi surging towards his surroundings, blocking the attacks of Di Xiao’s Demonic Qi. The two opposite energies collided with one another violently, each one trying to annihilate the other.
Both fighters pushed their strength to the extreme, neither of them daring to hold back or show mercy.
Great howls and deafening roars filled the air.
A shocking murderous intent pulsed from Yang Kai who now could only think of killing, shouting towards the Heavens, forgetting everything else, his only desire now was to destroy the enemy before him.
True Yang Yuan Qi madly surged forth and suddenly suppressed the other party’s Demonic Qi.
Di Xiao’s expression tightened and he didn’t dare hesitate, his body flickering and instantly appearing above Yang Kai as he sent out a devastating palm strike filled with deadly aura towards the masked human youth below.
The surrounding ground instantly disintegrated and transformed into fine dust, but Yang Kai managed to avoid this strike at the last moment and counterattack, sending out his own palm strike filled with dense True Yang Yuan Qi towards Di Xiao.
Without the slightest reservation, the two fighters atop the Death Arena stage used all their skill and strength to clash with one another.
Di Xiao’s cultivation was higher than Yang Kai’s by two Minor Realms, but his Demonic Qi was being suppressed by Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi so he could only bring out about eighty percent of his maximum strength, causing him to feel extremely annoyed and frustrated.
As the contest between Yang Kai and Di Xiao become more and more intense, the surrounding World Energy became increasingly turbulent, shrouding their figures and obscuring their auras.
The spectators up in the stands now could only see vague figures flickering about and were unable to determine the exact situation atop the stage.
This was a true death match!
Blood constantly spattered onto the cracked ground as deafening explosions continuously rang out. Both Yang Kai and Di Xiao had been consumed by madness and had lost track of everything else around them. This kind of fierce battle caused everyone who witnessed it to tremble from excitement and fear.
A variety of exquisite Demon Race Martial Skills were released from Di Xiao’s hands, each one causing Yang Kai to suffer greatly. In response, Yang Kai used the flexibility and potency of his Yang Liquid to rip apart and penetrate Di Xiao’s defences.
The two figures entangled and violently bombarded one another, each attack carrying with it a ruthless killing intent. As they fought, flashes of light constantly burst out and as the area around them seemed to explode as if it was being engulfed in a meteor shower, dazzling the spectating crowds.
Before anyone knew it, half of the Death Arena stage had been destroyed.
There had never been a battle which caused such destruction to the Death Arena before. Every Demon Race spectator felt his or her blood boil, many of them wishing they could throw all caution to the wind, jump down from the stands, and join this bloody fight to the death.
Di Xiao became more and more shocked as the battle dragged on. Never had he dreamed that a human boy whose cultivation was far lower than his own could actually possess such strength.
His own killings strikes continuously rained down on Yang Kai but often could only superficially wound the latter, never once delivering the intended fatal blow; his opponent’s body was like a lump of steel, completely unlike the fragile humans he had fought before.
However, what shocked Di Xiao the most was Yang Kai’s resiliency and endurance.
Each and every move the two of them made contained the maximum amount of force possible, neither of them holding anything back, so after such a long fight Di Xiao was very flustered and had consumed a massive amount of his Demonic Qi, causing both his momentum and strength to fall far below his peak.
But this Human boy was different, he had somehow managed to maintain the same level of output this entire time, never once weakening, even becoming somewhat more intense as time passed.
It was like his body contained an inexhaustible supply of True Qi!
In addition, the more Yang Kai was wounded, the more brutally he fought back, as if the pain was a drug stimulating his bloodthirsty nature.
As the battle dragged on, Di Xiao noticed something which truly made him afraid.
The wounds Yang Kai had suffered throughout their fight were actually healing at a speed visible to the naked eye; for instance, the dense injuries he had previously received from the opening salvo of wind blades had now basically disappeared.
[This kid can even restore his own injuries in the middle of a fight?]
Di Xiao hadn’t seen Yang Kai take any kind of pill or elixir; moreover, there was no time for him to have done so.
For the first time, Di Xiao discovered that such a strange person actually existed, not only could he compete with the so called favoured Sons of Heaven, he actually far exceeded them.
This discovery struck a deep blow to Di Xiao’s pride, causing his mood to become somewhat gloomy.
He was an elite amongst the elite of the Demon Race. At just eighty years old, he had already reached the very peak of the Third Order Transcendent Realm and was expected to break through to the Saint Realm before the age of one hundred!
A one hundred year old Saint Realm was a rare presence throughout the entire realm.
Some of the great forces of the Tong Xuan Realm managed to raise their own elite disciples to the Transcendent Realm at very young ages, but once they reached that realm, almost all of them would experience a sharp decrease in their rate of growth and fewer still managed to become Saints before the age of one hundred.
But he, Di Xiao, had such potential! Gou Qiong had high expectations for him and gave him the best cultivation environments and resources to support his growth.
Di Xiao has always been proud of this and felt that one day he could certainly become the first person below the Demon Commander, or possibly even the Demon Commander himself!
But now, he had received a devastating blow. If what Gou Che had reported was the truth, then this human boy who was even now fighting evenly with him was only twenty-five or six years old.
Could it be that he had been cultivating for so many decades in vain?
When masters fought, it was not only a contest of their skills but also a battle of their wills.
As soon as Di Xiao’s state of mind became disturbed, the stalemate was broken and his momentum collapsed, allowing Yang Kai to completely suppress him.
The Demon Race spectators up in the stands also quickly discovered that the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Originally, the gold and black auras in the Death Arena stage were equal in intensity to one another, but suddenly the dark Demonic Qi belonging to Di Xiao weakened while the annoying golden aura shone brilliantly.
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn’t sit still.
“Impossible! Can this boy even defeat Di Xiao?”
“How can this be? Di Xiao is a Third Order Transcendent, two full levels higher than him.”
“If Di Xiao is defeated, my Demon Race will lose all face!”
“Is… is that guy really real? A First Order Transcendent being able to defeat a Third Order, if he were to becomes a Saint…”
Even Feng Biao, who had been sent by Gou Qiong to oversee this task, had a gloomy look upon his face as his brow furrowed deeply, his hands crushing the arms of his chair unconsciously.
Xue Li was also leaning forward now, her powerful Divine Sense penetrating the Death Arena’s barriers as she carefully observed the changes in the battle.
No one in the audience had a clearer idea of what was happening than her because she was the one who had constructed the barriers around the Death Arena stage in the first place. Her original intention was to make it so that the cultivators who fought would not receive any interference from the gamblers on the outside, so even if they were top-level masters, if they tried to peep through these barriers, all they’d be able to discover was some vague details.
Xue Li was different though, her beautiful eyes easily able to track Yang Kai and Di Xiao’s movements.
The battle turning out like this was truly beyond Xue Li’s expectations, even if she managed to glean some clues from An Ling’er’s behaviour, inferring the possibility that Yang Kai might win, it was still difficult to believe what she was seeing.
This fight was also far more exciting than she anticipated!
Also, as Xue Li spectated the match, the murderous intent that originally filled her eyes slowly faded and was instead replaced with a thick sense of confusion.
With a thunderous explosion, the gold and black energies which had been entangled with each other this whole time suddenly separated and two silhouettes retreated backwards, coming to a stop a dozen meters or so apart.
Dust blew about and the battlefield lay in ruins, everyone up in the stands held their breath, the entire Death Arena falling silent as all eyes stared towards the stage down below, wondering who had come out on top.
Gradually, the dust settled and the two fighters’ figures appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Sharp breaths were drawn as the Demon Race spectators couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Di Xiao was bathed in blood, with almost no part of his body still intact. All over his scarred skin there were clearly visible palm print, fist marks, etc…
Gou Qiong’s elite subordinate seemed to be exhausted, his laboured breathing clearly ringing in everyone’s ears, illustrating just how weak he currently was.
Yang Kai was also covered in blood that, under the strong rays of the sun, seemed to glow a faint golden colour, giving him a strange appearance. There were many scars and wounds all over his strong body, numbering no less than the ones on Di Xiao’s.
The only difference between the two was the look in their eyes; Di Xiao’s originally confident gaze was now dull while Yang Kai’s was filled with strength.
Di Xiao had been defeated!
As long as one wasn’t blind, they would be able to see this.
“I’ve underestimated you… you’re truly strong!” Di Xiao coughed a few times, spitting out some blood and viscera from his mouth.
“Anyone who looks down on me has to pay the price!” Yang Kai grinned and took a deep breath before lifting his foot and slowly walking forward, his True Qi surging once more, his eyes filling with murderous intent.
It was clear he planned to kill the person in front of him and bring this deathmatch to a close!
Seeing his intentions, Feng Biao, who had been in something of a daze in the stands, came to his senses and stood up, shouting in an angered voice, “Little brat, you dare!”
As he shouted, his figure flickered, disappearing from where he stood and shooting towards the Death Arena stage like a bolt of lightning.
Despite Di Xiao disappointing Sir Gou Qiong’s expectations, actually losing to a little human brat, he was still one of Gou Qiong’s most elite warriors. Yang Kai couldn’t be allowed to simply kill him here.
Feng Biao couldn’t just sit idly by and watch, he had to take this opportunity to finish off Yang Kai!
“Yu Mo!” On the other side of the arena, Xue Li suddenly shouted.
Yu Mo nodded lightly and also shot out.
A moment later, Yu Mo appeared in front of Feng Biao, blocking his way.
“Make way!” Feng Biao shouted furiously, not having any scruples about this being Xue Li’s site, sending out a palm towards Yu Mo as the latter responded in kind.
The two First Order Saints instantly engaged in an astonishing fight over the Death Arena, each move they made shaking the Heavens, causing the hearts of all the spectators down below to clench.
All the Demon Race spectators present were dumbfounded. They hadn’t expected to see such a wonderful battle between peak Transcendent Realm cultivators today and now they were even being shown a rare fight between Saint Realm masters. This unexpected development immediately invigorated them, drawing their full attention.
“Yu Mo, what’s the meaning of this?!” Feng Biao couldn’t get rid of Yu Mo’s entanglement and immediately interrogated him, “You know who Di Xiao is. If he dies here, can you withstand Sir Gou Qiong’s anger?”
“Idiot! Whether Gou Qiong is angry or not has nothing to do with me!” Yu Mo sneered, “This is Sand City, my Mistress’ site, or did you forget even something so basic?”
“Are you trying to force Sir Gou Qiong and Xue Li into a war!”
“I have no such intent; however, the Death Arena has the rules of the Death Arena. Two people enter, only one may leave alive, this rule may not be broken!”
“You…” Feng Biao ground his teeth as he continued the fight with Yu Mo. Still managing to focus on the ground, Feng Biao saw Yang Kai arrive in front of Di Xiao and condensed his True Yang Yuan Qi into his fingertip and calmly pointed it towards the limp, Di Xiao.
Di Xiao was thoroughly exhausted and didn’t even have the strength to stand properly much less put up any kind of resistance. At this moment, he was simply looking to the sky helplessly.
Feng Biao quickly shouted, “Little brat, if you dare do this, you’re dead!”
Just as he said these words though, the True Qi gathered at Yang Kai’s fingertips transformed into a sharp blade and stabbed into Di Xiao’s chest.
Di Xiao’s body shook, and the blood gushed from his chest like a fountain, his eyes opening wide as he fell backwards.
*Peng…*
A puff of dust flew up.
“That little brat…”
“He really killed Di Xiao.”
“Interesting! I don’t think even Miss Xue Li can protect him now!”
“If Miss Xue Li doesn’t protect him, he’ll definitely die!”
In midair, seeing with their own eyes that Di Xiao had died, Feng Biao and Yu Mo also stopped fighting, the former’s face becoming extremely gloomy, his eyes staring hatefully towards Yang Kai, seemingly want to tear off the latter’s stupid mask to see just what kind of bastard was beneath it.
Yu Mo’s eyes also flashed as he was secretly shocked by Yang Kai’s boldness, quickly returning to Xue Li’s side without saying a word.
Next to Di Xiao’s body, Yang Kai stood quietly, his back straight and motionless.
Under the influence of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, an undetectable Soul remnant poured into Yang Kai’s mind and was absorbed.
Gradually, the atmosphere and aura in the surroundings became strange and the fluctuations pulsing from Yang Kai’s body underwent a subtle change.
The deep rage and hatred in Feng Bao’s eyes which were staring at Yang Kai were suddenly replaced with a thick shock and jealousy.
“Mistress…” Yu Mo also exclaimed, his eyes narrowing as he stared towards Yang Kai.
Xue Li’s complexion also changed again upon feeling the energy fluctuations coming from Yang Kai, a look of genuine surprise filling her face.
“Mistress, could it be…” Yu Mo’s voice trembled as he hesitantly spoke.
“En, it’s an epiphany, this boy…” Xue Li’s beautiful eyes flashed a strange brilliance, “A few months fighting life or death battles here have probably allowed him to comprehend many things and today’s battle allowed all of that to sublimate, resulting in sudden enlightenment.”
“Inconceivable!” Yu Mo cried out in amazement, “Does he want to break through here? Isn’t he acting a bit too supercilious?”
Di Xiao had just been killed by him and Feng Biao couldn’t wait to put him to death, the Demon Race spectators in the stand also were filled with indignation and many were clamouring for Yang Kai’s life. This was quite likely the worst possible time for a breakthrough.
If the situation wasn’t handled well, it might turn into a riot where the angry crowd directly swarmed him.
“Mistress, in this situation, do we just sit back and watch?” Yu Mo turned to Xue Li and asked.
As long as Xue Li didn’t speak, Yang Kai would definitely die today, no Demon Race cultivator wanted to let such a monstrous human boy continue breathing. Although Yang Kai had brought them a lot of excitement and entertainment, the situation was different now.
Everyone here was no well aware of how terrifying this boy’s potential was!
“Nonsense, of course we’re not going to just sit back and watch. Relay my command, anyone who dares to enter the Death Arena stage before he finished breaking through is to be killed without mercy!” Xue Li’s beautiful face filled with an inexplicable excitement.
“…ah?” Yu Mo let out a gaff; dumbfounded by the order he had just been given.
Just before, Xue Li had clearly decided to kill Yang Kai today regardless of whether he won or lost the fight, so this sudden and drastic change in attitude greatly confused Yu Mo.
If they really wanted to kill this human brat, they didn’t even need to act. Feng Biao and the other Demon Race spectators would happily murder Yang Kai while he was breaking through.
Earlier, Yu Mo had only blocked Feng Biao to suppress Gou Qiong and maintain the rules of the Death Arena.
Was this little brat’s performance so impressive that Xue Li was reluctant to kill him? Yu Mo secretly speculated but still couldn’t understand.
However, he didn’t ask anything and simply carried out his orders, spreading out his Divine Sense in the next instant to relay Xue Li’s command.
The next moment, from outside the Death Arena, a large number of powerful Demon Race masters appeared, taking up defensive positions around the broken stage.
Seeing this scene, everyone understood that Xue Li intended to shelter Yang Kai and immediately dismissed all thoughts attacking, contenting themselves to just holler and scream angrily.
Yang Kai, standing atop the Death Arena’s stage, seemed completely unaware of all this.
But, in truth, he was also paying close attention to his surroundings, so the behaviour of Xue Li’s subordinates also caused him to feel a bit confused. However, since this woman didn’t seem to want to immediately kill him, Yang Kai focused his attention back onto breaking through safely, clearing his mind of all distractions and entering a state of enlightenment.
Outside the Death Arena stage, countless Demon Race spectators shouted and cursed but none of them dared to make any rash moves.
Atop the stage, the surrounding World Energy churned violently.
After what seemed like a long time had passed, a burst of energy that cracked the surrounding earth suddenly burst out with Yang Kai at its center.
All of the World Energy in the area began madly swirling about as if it were being drawn in by a giant whirlpool, crashing against the Death Arena stage’s barriers.
“Such terrifying World Energy!” Yu Mo’s eyes went round as he couldn’t help calling out in shock.
Xue Li also had showed a look of surprise, her beautiful eyes flashing a strange light as she muttered under her breath, “He really has enough capital to act so crazily, this kind of World Energy baptism is comparable to something a Third Order Transcendent Realm Master would face. No wonder he was able to kill Di Xiao.”
The spectating Demon Race cultivators who saw this scene also didn’t have pleasant looks upon their faces. If the one currently standing on the Death Arena stage was Di Xiao, they would be cheering joyously, but a human boy showing such potential only made them feel uncomfortable.
As a tidal wave of World Energy flowed towards the Death Arena stage, Yang Kai closed his eyes, his face filled with a look of comfort as the faint golden glow shrouding him became more and more dazzling.
All of a sudden, the violent storm of World Energy rushed towards Yang Kai’s body and within ten breaths was completely absorbed by him.
The chaotic aura within the Death Arena also became tranquil.
Staring at Yang Kai now, the expressions of the surrounding Demon Race masters were unsightly as they grumbled in their hearts but were unable to vocalize just how they were feeling at the moment.
Yang Kai, who had been severely wounded in his battle with Di Xiao, was now recovering at an astonishing speed, the minor injuries he had suffered already completely healed while the major ones were no longer a hindrance to his movement.
Xue Li beautiful eyes shrank upon seeing this and she licked her thin red lips as she stared excitedly towards Yang Kai.
Atop the Death Arena stage, Yang Kai gently clenched his fists and felt the power flowing through his body, extremely satisfied.
This time’s breakthrough had gone incredibly smoothly.
The insights and sentiments he had gained over the past few months of difficult fights had been like nourishment for his body and Soul, allowing him to reach the edge of a breakthrough, and after a fierce battle with Di Xiao, he managed to spy on the mysteries of the Second Order Transcendent Realm.
The purity and density of Yang Kai’s True Qi had risen to a new level, and even his Spiritual Energy had sublimated, becoming more powerful than before.
Yang Kai couldn’t have been more pleased with this outcome. The only thing that made him feel helpless was that he was still standing in the middle of the Death Arena, surrounded by Demon Race masters.
What’s more, Xue Li was looking on!
The killing intent Xue Li had towards him had not gone unnoticed by Yang Kai, so he never dropped his guard against her, but with the huge gap in their strength, he still couldn’t help feeling powerless.
Although Yang Kai didn’t understand why she suddenly decided to protect him and allow him to break through here, he knew this woman didn’t do so out of kindness. His best option was still to leave Sand City as quickly as possible.
Considering all this, Yang Kai turned his eyes towards Xue Li and shouted, “Senior Xue Li, are the words you spoke to me before still valid?”
Xue Li’s beautiful eyes narrowed as she laughed charmingly, “What words are you referring to?”
“You promised me that as long as I can win in this battle, you will let me and my companion leave! It can’t be that Senior Xue Li doesn’t intend to keep her word?” Yang Kai continued to shout, making sure his voice could be heard by all the surrounding Demon Race spectators.
Xue Li let out a light snort as she stared at Yang Kai from far away, a trace of hatred flashing across her beautiful eyes.
Although the two of them indeed had such an agreement, Xue Li never had any intention of complying with it, but now that Yang Kai had exposed it in front of so many people, Xue Li would have to consider it again.
A Demon General failing to keep their word would greatly harm Xue Li’s reputation.
“Smelly brat!” Xue Li ground her teeth angrily, fully realizing Yang Kai was doing this to force her hand knowing she couldn’t refuse him in the presence of so many witnesses.
“Mistress, he’s seeking his own death!” Yu Mo said, taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune as he grinned, “Just let him leave, then he’ll die without us having to lift a finger!”
As he said so, Yu Mo glanced over at Feng Biao who was even now exuding a thick murderous intent. Yu Mo knew that Feng Biao was the one who most wanted to put Yang Kai to death.
“The key is that I don’t want him to die now!” Xue Li grumbled.
Yu Mo was stunned and didn’t dare say anything more.
“Does Senior Xue Li want to renege on her promise?” Atop the Death Arena stage, Yang Kai shouted for the third time, his face was filled with an unreadable smile.
Xue Li let out a soft breath, causing her proud peaks to undulate exaggeratedly; slowly getting up, she said to Yang Kai in a calm voice, “Naturally this King will not, you and your female companion are free to leave. Wherever you decide to go now, you may go, no one here will try to stop you!”
Yang Kai stared at her deeply, cupped his fists and bowed lightly, “Many thanks, Senior Xue Li!”
Saying so, Yang Kai soared up from the Death Arena stage, arriving beside Xue Li in the blink of an eye, grabbed hold of An Ling’er, and shouted, “Let’s go!”
“Little brat, I believe we will meet again soon!” Xue Li suddenly whispered, the words directly reaching Yang Kai’s ear, causing his heart to tremble. Sweeping his eyes towards Xue Li, Yang Kai suddenly discovered that this vicious woman was staring at him profoundly.
[Cheap whore!] Yang Kai secretly cursed, realizing that Xue Li had no intention of letting him go so easily. In front of all these Demon Race spectators sitting around the Death Arena, going back on her word would make her lose too much face so she had no choice but to agree to his demands for now, but she was no doubt planning to make a move behind the scenes.
As soon as Yang Kai and An Ling’er left, he estimated multiple pursuers would follow!
Even so, Yang Kai simply smiled confidently and replied, “Really? I believe we’ll never see one another again!”
“We’ll see!” Xue Li coldly snorted.
Yang Kai brought An Ling’er up into the sky and soared off towards the horizon like a bolt of lightning.
From the Death Arena’s stand, those who were particularly angry and wished to kill Yang Kai also got up and left in groups of three or four, quickly following after the latter.
Xue Li and Yu Mo both ignored this, pretending they saw nothing, making no attempt to block these people.
Feng Biao, who was Gou Qiong’s representative, stood in place, his face showing a contemplatively look for a moment before turning his gaze to Xue Li, grinning meaningfully, and also flying off.
“Mistress, if all of them really pursue that little brat, he may really end up dead!” Yu Mo whispered.
Not to mention the First Order Saint Feng Biao who as pursing him, just the gathering of Demon Race masters who had left to chase Yang Kai were enough to kill him.
Although Yang Kai’s combat ability was out of the ordinary and he had just broken through a Minor Realm, he had just fought an intense battle with Di Xiao so it was likely he wouldn’t be able to exert anywhere near his peak strength.
After the ones pursuing him caught up, the only possible result was his death!
“En, he’s dead!” Xue Li grit her teeth, obviously somewhat annoyed, “That little brat brought this upon himself. If he obediently stayed here I wouldn’t have killed him, but he just had to go seeking death all on his own.”
“Then…”
“Go bring him back!” Xue Li ordered, “Don’t let anyone else capture or kill him.”
“Yes!” Yu Mo bowed before chasing after Yang Kai.
“Hmph, actually daring to say we’ll never see one another again? I’d very much like to see what kind of expression you show this King when we next meet!” Xue Li smiled lightly, got up, and strolled casually towards her palace to await the moment Yang Kai was captured.
Outside of Sand City, Yang Kai flew while tightly holding An Ling’er, his speed pushed to his current limit, the two of them leaving a long afterimage behind them.
“Are you alright?” An Ling’er asked, full of concern, she had seen just how seriously injured Yang Kai was just now in his battle against Di Xiao. Right now what he needed most was rest but instead he had to madly consume his True Qi.
“I’m fine,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Yang Kai was clearer about his condition than anyone so he couldn’t help marveling at the astonishing restorative power of his Demon God Blood. Normally, after suffering such heavy injuries, Yang Kai would have to cultivate for several days in order to recover, but now, the Demon God Blood in his body was actually mending his wounds at a rate visible to the naked eye, so although he wasn’t perfectly healed, flying and even fighting wouldn’t be an issue.
On top of that, the thing Yang Kai least had to worry about was his consumption of True Qi; with hundreds of drops of Yang Liquid in his Dantian and more than sixty Divine Tree fruits in his Black Book space, his reserve of True Qi was essentially unlimited.
“It seems like someone is chasing us!” An Ling’er suddenly whispered, her beautiful face paling.
“Not one, many!” Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged. With his unusually powerful Divine Sense, he had long ago noticed they were being pursued and even knew the exact number and cultivation of the ones chasing them.
There was quite a large number of Transcendents accompanied by two or three Saints in the lead group.
Behind these people was Feng Biao who had firmly locked his Divine Sense onto him like maggots on rotting bones.
Still further behind Feng Biao was Yu Mo!
Xue Li really had sent him to chase after them, causing Yang Kai to curse in his heart, swearing one day he would teach that viper woman a good lesson.
All in all, more than half of the masters from Sand City were now pursuing Yang Kai and An Ling’er.
Although bitter in his heart, Yang Kai revealed nothing on his face and simply continued flying forward at his current speed.
The Demon Race masters who chased after them from Sand City had all summoned their own artifacts and were doing their best to quickly shorten the distance between themselves and Yang Kai.
After half an hour, Yang Kai had flown several hundred kilometers but his pursuers were now closing in.
Noticing this, An Ling’er became anxious and hurriedly used her Secret Art to help promote the circulation speed of Yang Kai’s True Qi.
“They can’t catch us,” Yang Kai comforted her gently while continuing to maintain his flight speed, waiting for the right opportunity.
From what Yang Kai could perceive, most of his pursuers were not worth being worried about. As soon as he released his Soul Devouring Insects, the vast majority of them would die.
The only ones Yang Kai needed to pay attention to were the Saint Realm masters and Feng Biao and Yu Mo behind them, these masters were still difficult opponents for him to face!
However, noticing that Feng Biao and Yu Mo were maintaining a certain distance from him and not approaching any closer, seemingly staying at the limit of where their Divine Senses could track him, Yang Kai immediately felt like his chance had come!
Whether it was Feng Biao or Yu Mo, both of them obviously had great confidence in their own strength and were unwilling to work together with other Demon Race cultivators, so they consciously maintained some distance between themselves, the other pursuers, and Yang Kai.
This however gave Yang Kai an opportunity.
With a whoosh, Wind and Thunder Qi surged up and Yang Kai’s Wind and Thunder Wings unfurled from his back.
With a flicker of these wings, Yang Kai’s already quick pace suddenly multiplied several times over. Meanwhile, An Ling’er narrowed her eyes and circulated her True Qi in order to resist the violent surge in wind pressure around her.
In an instant, the pair left Feng Biao and Yu Mo’s Divine Sense’s coverage range.
An Ling’er couldn’t help letting out a shout; although this wasn’t the first time she had seen Yang Kai use his Wind and Thunder Wings, having already witnessed them back when they were fleeing from Saintess Nan, no matter how many times she saw them, should couldn’t help feeling fascinated by their beauty.
Such a pair of wings should not be owned by a man, but instead by a woman.
Even so, seeing Yang Kai like this, An Ling’er felt he seemed quite heroic at the moment.
An Ling’er pursed her lips slightly as she stared at Yang Kai’s profile, her eyes blurring slightly, unconsciously pressing her tender body closer to his as she tightly held onto him with her arms.
“Hey, why are you going starry eyed in this kind of situation?” Yang Kai immediately noticed An Ling’er’s abnormal behaviour and turned a dumbfounded gaze towards her as an amazingly soft and elastic sensation made contact with his arm, causing his fierce momentum and tension to rapidly deflate.
An Ling’er’s face suddenly flushed bright red and immediately shot back indignantly, “What nonsense are you talking about? I… I just thought that the outside world is truly filled with wonder, completely different from what I imagined it would be like back in the Holy Land.”
Since her first encounter with Yang Kai, An Ling’er’s days had truly been filled with excitement. All this stimulation frightened her and caused her much grief, but it was also incredibly thrilling; it was as if, so long as she stayed together with Yang Kai, no matter what kind of danger they encountered, they would be able to safely pass through it.
“An average person can’t have such an exciting life!” Yang Kai laughed somewhat dumbly, waving his wings rhythmically, pushing his speed faster and faster, transforming into a streak of light that shot across the sky.
The expressions of the Demon Race masters who had been tailing the pair all abruptly changed when this occurred. All of them were closing in on Yang Kai, but in the blink of an eye, they had actually completely lost track of him.
Amongst the group of pursuers, even three Saint Realm masters couldn’t hide their shock. Not daring to hold back any longer, they quickly pushed their speed to its maximum and shot off in the direction Yang Kai fled.
A moment later, two figures flew over and joined the pursuit. Obviously these two were Feng Biao and Yu Mo who noticed something had gone wrong and thus increased their pace.
The expressions of the two Saints were particularly awful, especially Yu Mo’s. It wasn’t until now that he realized that even in that brutal life or death battle with Di Xiao, Yang Kai had still been hiding his strength.
With the astonishing speed Yang Kai just displayed, it would have been easy for him to have Di Xiao dancing in the palm of his hand, but he had actually concealed it until just now; obviously he had done so in order to get his pursuers to lower their guard, giving him a chance to escape.
As a result, Yang Kai really managed to escape from his pursuers’ Divine Sense search range.
“That damn brat!” Yu Mo’s face twisted in anger as he cursed while continuing to chase after Yang Kai.
An hour later, the Transcendent Realm Demon Race masters who had been pursuing Yang Kai finally came to a stop. They had no idea which direction Yang Kai and the few Saint Realm masters had gone or any way to track them, so after letting out a few bitter sighs and curses, they turned around and headed back to Sand City.
Three thousand kilometers from Sand City, Yang Kai’s expression became gloomy.
He found that he had still underestimated the means of these Saint Realm masters. Although Yang Kai had already used his Wind and Thunder Wings to flee from the range of their Divine Senses, he could clearly tell that, using some unknown method, they were still actually chasing after him.
The Demon Land was vast, and Yang Kai wasn’t even sure where he was, so he could only chose to flee in a random direction and pray that he eventually left this place.
Yang Kai’s powerful Spiritual Energy played a vital role at this time; although his True Qi cultivation was only at the Second Order Transcendent Realm, his Spiritual Energy was no weaker than a Saint Realm master’s.
His Divine Sense’s strength was actually even greater than Feng Biao and Yu Mo’s, allowing him to grasp their location even when they couldn’t grasp his.
With this advantage to aid him, Yang Kai somehow managed to avoid populated regions and being discovered by other Demon Race masters, saving him a lot of unnecessary trouble.
After fleeing for a long time though, even Yang Kai began to feel fatigued. Whether it was physically or mentally, he had consumed a great deal of stamina, even An Ling’er’s face was dispirited, obviously tired out.
Repeatedly escaping and hiding, the pair still couldn’t get rid of Feng Biao and Yu Mo’s pursuit. The other Saint Realm masters had given up after chasing Yang Kai for a few days, but these two were like rabid dogs, swearing not to rest until they sank their teeth into their prey.
Feng Biao and Yu Mo, who both found the other unpleasing to the eye, even formed a kind of subtle camaraderie born of mutual hatred during this seemingly never ending chase.
Time flew by and soon half a month had passed, then one month…
Carrying An Ling’er with him, Yang Kai had now crossed hundreds of thousands of kilometers of the Demon Land. The only upside was that the Demonic Qi which constantly lingered in the air seemed to be getting thinner, causing Yang Kai to secretly rejoice, feeling like he had not chosen the wrong direction and that so long as he kept this up, they would soon be able to leave the Demon Land.
As long as they left the Demon Land, Feng Biao and Yu Mo would likely stop pursuing them.
With a renewed sense of hope, Yang Kai suddenly became full of energy.
One day though, as Yang Kai was soaring forward, his expression suddenly became solemn and he quickly came to a halt, staring fixedly at a patch of jungle in front of him.
From the direction he was staring, Yang Kai noticed the aura of a large number of masters seemingly concealing themselves while waiting in ambush.
When Yang Kai came to a stop, from the jungle below, a pair of cold eyes fixed onto him.
“Such a vigilant brat!” The Demon Race said in praise as a look of surprise flashing across his face. He and the people he had brought with him had perfectly concealed their auras and hidden themselves amongst the environment, but had unexpectedly still been discovered by their target.
“Still trying to act stealthy at this point? Just show yourselves!” Yang Kai observed for a moment before suddenly calling out.
The leader of this group of Demon Race masters grinned and no longer tried to conceal himself, soaring up into the air to face Yang Kai directly.
Observing this Demon Race master, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling somewhat suspicious. He had never met, or even seen this man before, but from the other side’s attitude, it was obvious he was waiting here for him and An Ling’er.
This person’s cultivation was also not weak, probably a Saint Realm master, and even if he wasn’t as strong as Feng Biao or Yu Mo, he wasn’t much worse. Behind this man, there were also a number of powerful masters who seemed to be curiously eyeing Yang Kai.
Hearing a rushing sound coming from behind him, Yang Kai’s face sank, realizing that Feng Biao and Yu Mo were quickly approaching.
Sure enough, a moment later, these two made dogs appeared and stopped close behind Yang Kai.
“Yu Mo, this is the human brat you said escaped from Sand City?” The Demon Race master in front stared at Yang Kai and casually asked.
With an ice cold expression, Yu Mo nodded and said, “Yeah!” Then turning to Yang Kai and cursing, “Damn brat, you really run fast! If I didn’t send word to City Lord Man to block your path, I’m afraid I really wouldn’t have been able to stop you!”
As he spoke, a look of deep hatred flashed across his eyes.
After receiving Xue Li’s orders, Yu Mo thought he would quickly be able to capture Yang Kai and return to Sand City, but after an entire month of pursuing the latter, not only was Yu Mo thoroughly exhausted, he had nearly failed his mission.
Right now, Yu Mo was feeling quite aggrieved and depressed, secretly swearing to himself to brutally torment Yang Kai the whole way back to Sand City after capturing him in order to vent the hatred in his heart.
After listening to Yu Mo, Yang Kai suddenly understood that, while chasing him, the other party had used some method to convey a message to this City Lord Man, telling the latter to set up an ambush here.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. In the end, this was someone else’s territory. Although he had managed to escape for a while, he was finally blocked today. This was no doubt a hopeless situation.
As Yu Mo and City Lord Man were conversing, Feng Biao simply stood to the side, his eyes drifting back and forth, seemingly observing the situation.
He and Yu Mo’s purposes were different, his objective was to kill Yang Kai in order to complete the task given to him by Gou Qiong, but now that Yu Mo had called a helper, he suddenly felt that things had become difficult.
His eagerness to stir up trouble was not missed by Yu Mo and even City Lord Man could easily guess what he was thinking, the latter letting out a laugh as he said, “Isn’t this Feng Biao? Instead of staying in Qing Liao City and serving Sir Gou Qiong, you’ve actually come all the way out here to this remote wilderness. What do you plan to do?”
Yu Mo said lightly, “Feng Biao, I’m not interested in embarrassing you today, withdraw!”
Feng Biao coldly snorted before turning his gaze towards Yang Kai, glaring hatefully at him for a moment before turning back to Yu Mo, backing off a short distance, and faintly saying, “If you want to catch him, so be it, I won’t interfere, but everything that’s happened up till now, I will fully report to Sir Gou Qiong. I hope you can afford the consequences!”
Seeing Feng Biao take a stand, Yu Mo no longer spoke any nonsense with him, turning to Yang Kai and sneering, “Little brat, will you surrender without a fight, or do you want me to catch you? I’ll tell you in advance, if you chose the second option, you won’t get off with just some light injuries!”
“Are you so confident that you can catch me?” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Hearing this, City Lord Man’s eyes bulged for a moment before he snickered dismissively, “Yu Mo, what kind of background does this human kid have? His arrogance is simply heaven defying.”
In front of three Saint Realm masters, actually daring to spout such words, could it be this kid was messed up in the head?
“He has the capital to act so arrogant. Di Xiao was killed by him in the Death Arena of Sand City, one-on-one!” Yu Mo explained faintly.
“What?” City Lord Man was stunned, “Are you sure you aren’t mistaken? That Di Xiao was actually killed by him? He seems like he’s only a Second Order Transcendent!”
“I saw it with my own eyes, how could I be mistaken, and… when he killed Di Xiao, he was only a First Order Transcendent, after killing Di Xiao, he broke through to his present realm.”
“Is that true?” City Lord Man asked in disbelief, shocked to the point of speechlessness.
“Do you think Feng Biao and I would chase after him for an entire month if it wasn’t?” Yu Mo ground his teeth, “Fuck, don’t mention it any more, it’s shameful to even bring it up.”
“Ha ha ha ha!” City Lord Man burst into laughter, a look of ridicule appearing on his face, “You chased after him for a whole month yet still couldn’t catch him?”
As he laughed, his face suddenly became cold and he solemnly said, “If that’s the case, this little brat really must have some skill.”
Though City Lord Man seemed like a gruff and brutish person, he was no fool. He knew that given Yu Mo’s personality, there was no way he would be praising a human cultivator unless there was no other alternative.
Realizing this, City Lord Man immediately understood that there was probably something special about this human boy. Killing a Third Order Transcendent with only a First Order cultivation… No one from the Demon Race could accomplish this kind of feat. On top of that, the one who was killed was Di Xiao, a man who always killed people in higher realms than his own; this only further emphasized how absurd this human’s strength must be.
“Gu Man, this time I’ll have to bother you to take action while I stand guard!” Yu Mo glanced over at Feng Biao who was standing not far away, indicating that he obviously didn’t trust Feng Biao and was concerned the latter would try something once he saw an opening.
“No problem, I like destroying the pride and self-confidence of young brats, especially ones like this human… Hah, this will be fun!” Gu Man nodded casually, lifting his head arrogantly as he waved to his hand, “All of you go test his skill. Don’t get careless, I don’t want to have to collect your corpses if you screw up!”
The masters behind City Lord Man all snickered as they turned malicious stares towards Yang Kai.
Yu Mo frowned and faintly felt that this course of action was somewhat improper, but he soon felt that so many people dealing with Yang Kai shouldn’t be a problem so he made no attempt to stop them.
“City Lord, if we catch this human brat, can we get some kind of reward?” One of the masters suddenly asked, apparently wanting to extract some benefits from Gu Man.
“Rewards your ass! Father here was sent to the edge of the Demon Land by Sir Xue Li to serve as City Lord of this desolate waste yet you dare ask me to reward you? If you want something, ask Yu Mo,” Gu Man spat angrily.
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes light up as his mouth curled into a slight grin.
Gu Man’s words were nothing but curses and complaints, but they had actually revealed a piece of information that made Yang Kai quite excited.
This place really was at the edge of the Demon Land! That meant that as long as he could escape from here, he could leave the Demon Land.
“Enough! After grabbing him are you still concerned you won’t get any benefits?” Yu Mo shouted, “Gu Man, you never change. If not, how could Sir Xue Li have sent you here? Your short-sightedness is the reason you never make any progress!”
Even after being insulted so, Gu Man didn’t get annoyed and just laughed heartily, “You heard that right? Yu Mo just said that there’ll be reward for catching him. What are you waiting for, hurry up you idiots!”
As soon as the masters behind Gu Man heard this, their auras became fierce as they directed menacing stares towards Yang Kai, quickly spreading out to surround him.
Yang Kai didn’t panic and simply observed his surroundings with cold eyes, secretly preparing to unleash his Spiritual Energy to release his Soul Devouring Insects and kill all the cultivators here below the Saint Realm!
Just as the two sides were on the verge of clashing though, An Ling’er suddenly shuddered and a look of fear and panic appeared on her pretty face, quickly pulling on Yang Kai’s clothes to get his attention.
“What happened?” Yang Kai brow rose slightly as he asked under his breath, thinking An Ling’er might have sensed the other side trying to pull some kind of trick he had missed.
However, An Ling’er’s beautiful eyes simply trembled as she gently lifted her finger and pointed to the distant horizon, “Over there!”
Unconsciously glancing in the direction she was pointing, everyone was immediately dumbstruck.
In the distance, where the sky met the earth, a thick and tumultuous dark cloud had suddenly appeared and was now rapidly approaching them. From this dark cloud an ominous and eerie aura that made one feel particularly uncomfortable and a potent yet somewhat incoherent Spiritual Energy radiated.
Everyone present paled slightly upon noticing this newcomer.
“Saintess Nan?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
“It must be!” An Ling’er gently nodded, her beautiful eyes becoming dim and gloomy.
“Fuck!” Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing under his breath. Whether it was being chased by Yu Mo and Feng Biao or being ambushed by Gu Man, Yang Kai was still able to maintain his calm because he still had cards to play. He believed that as long as he used his Devil Transformation, he could successfully bring An Ling’er and escape from here.
But at this critical moment, this never killing before death, after death slaughter a million corpses previous generation Saintess had actually appeared, disrupting all of Yang Kai’s plans and causing him a great deal of anxiety.
Yang Kai had already experienced Saintess Nan’s methods and knew that he was unable to resist her, even if he had broken through to the Second Order Transcendent Realm, he didn’t have any confidence he could flee from her.
Being able to escape from her hands last time was entirely thanks to the Void Corridor at the bottom of the sea, but now that Yang Kai had encountered Saintess Nan in this vast wilderness, there was no possibility of him fleeing successfully.
Yang Kai was agitated, but so were Feng Biao and Yu Mo.
They were both Saint Realm masters, so naturally they were able to sense how tyrannical the approaching person was. This was an existence that caused even them to feel dread.
Just what kind of powerful master would come to this remote place? Unable to understand, they both unconsciously glanced over towards Yang Kai, wanting to obtain some kind of clue from him.
“If you don’t want to die, I suggest you let us go, my reinforcements will be here soon!” Yang Kai looked at them coldly, trying his best to put on a calm appearance.
Seeing this though, Yu Mo just snickered, “If the one coming is your reinforcements, why are they directing murderous intent towards you and that woman you’re holding?”
Yang Kai curled his lips helplessly, knowing there was no way he could fool Yu Mo and the other Saints here.
“Boy, you sure know how to stir up trouble, actually provoking such a powerful enemy, you being able to live until today is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Do you think I intentionally go around making powerful enemies?” Yang Kai grumbled indignantly. If he hadn’t inadvertently learned those three Nine Heavens Divine Skills from An Ling’er and become stained with her aura, Saintess Nan wouldn’t be targeting him like this.
“Yu Mo, this aura of that person is a little weird…” Gu Man frowned as he carefully probed the approaching master, feeling that the Death Qi aura coming from them was far too heavy and that they lacked any kind of vitality a living person should have. Shaking his head, he asked, “What should we do?”
“Quickly capture this little brat first!” Yu Mo didn’t dare to delay and immediately tried to seize the initiative. No matter how odd this newcomer’s aura was, Yu Mo was certain they possessed terrifying strength. Even if he and Gu Man joined forces, it was unlikely they’d be able to defeat this person.
Delaying here would only bring them more troubles.
“Don’t bother, I’ll go with you!” Yang Kai said freely and easily, his attitude taking a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn. If he went with Yu Mo and the others, there was a chance he could survive, staying here would only mean certain death. Right now, he still didn’t have the ability to resist Saintess Nan!
“Seems you know your limits, boy,” Yu Mo nodded lightly, expressing satisfaction, but soon his look changed again, a bitter smile appearing on his face, “I’m afraid it’s too late though… this person is too fast!”
Just as these words left his lips, from the dark rolling cloud which was still a fair distance away, a hand seemingly carved of the finest jade stretched out towards them.
As this jade-like hand reached towards them, it grew larger and larger until eventually it seemed to cover the entire sky, blocking out all traces of light!
Heaven Covering Hand! The hand that can cover the Heavens.
The Demon Race masters all began cursing while Yang Kai hastily retreated from this place together with An Ling’er.
*Hong…*
The earth shook and the patch of jungle that Gu Man and the others had previous hidden in was blown away, leaving behind only a dozen kilometer long palm print.
It was as if the region had been struck by some kind of natural disaster, the wind whipped and sand and dust flew in every direction. A few of the Demon Race masters with bad luck were unable to escape and were flattened on the spot.
Everyone else, by pushing their strength to its limits, barely managed to avoid this calamity.
Yu Mo and Gu Man gathered together, both their faces unsightly. Even though the two of them already knew the strength of the approaching person was higher than their own, it wasn’t until the other side attacked that they discovered they had still underestimated this person.
Second Order Saint! This person had at least reached such a realm.
Standing mid-air, Yu Mo and Gu Man didn’t show any fighting intent, only wishing they could quickly flee from this place, but they didn’t dare make any rash movements because ever since that huge palm had been thrown at them, a powerful Divine Sense had locked onto their bodies. Once they tried to escape, they would certainly be greeted by a ruthless attack.
Both of them took a deep breath and turned their eyes towards a certain spot in the distance. From the direction they were staring, the graceful figure of a woman dressed in a long white dress was slowly approaching.
She had exquisite looks and a noble and holy temperament; a rare beauty.
But at the moment, her expression was faint, and there was a thick Death Qi between her brows, making her complexion appear somewhat dark.
From her, Yu Mo and Gu Man couldn’t feel the slightest trace of life.
As she walked forward, energy gathered at her slender fingertips, quickly shaping into sharp blades that shot towards everyone around her.
The Demon Race cultivators below the Saint Realm didn’t have the slightest ability to resist and within a few breaths had all been killed by this woman.
Seeing this, Gu Man’s eyes went red as he shouted, “Whore, you dare attack my, Gu Man’s people?”
Yu Mo also wore a gloomy expression as he shouted out, “Damn woman, not even saying a word before indiscriminately killing everyone in sight, don’t you think you’re going too far?”
Facing the angry roars of these two men, Saintess Nan didn’t respond at all and simply continued to leisurely step forward, her beautiful eyes not even blinking.
In his heart, Yang Kai cheered while maintaining a solemn look upon his face.
Saintess Nan was already dead and obviously wouldn’t respond no matter what Yu Mo and Gu Man said, so naturally Yang Kai was happy to sit back and watch them confront one another.
The only problem now was how to escape from this previous generation Saintess. Even if Yu Mo and Gu Man worked together to intercept her, Yang Kai estimated that they wouldn’t be able to block her for long!
Still standing in mid-air, as they watched Saintess Nan approach, the hairs on Yu Mo and Gu Man’s necks all stood on end, the two of them quickly exchanging a glance before condensing their strength.
They knew that today, they could not avoid fighting this woman.
Even Feng Biao, who had so far been sitting back and observing, began to prepare himself. He too had been locked onto by Saintess Nan’s Divine Sense, so if he wanted to live, he could only temporarily join forces with Yu Mo and Gu Man to resist her.
The three First Order Saints immediately gathered together and relaxed slightly, even if they couldn’t defeat Saintess Nan, working together, they shouldn’t have too much trouble escaping her.
A moment later, when Saintess Nan had approached within three hundred meters of them, a thick Demonic Qi burst out from the three Demon Race Saints, each of them using their full strength to launch a pre-emptive strike.
In response, a giant sword appeared in the sky and immediately slashed down towards the three Demon Race Saints, carrying with it an earth shattering power.
Profound Heavenly Sword!
This giant sword projected an overwhelming power causing Yu Mo, Gu Man, and Feng Biao to tremble in fear.
The three Saint Realm masters from the Demon Race didn’t know anything about their opponent and instantly found themselves embroiled in a difficult struggle with Saintess Nan.
Although there were three of them, Saintess Nan’s cultivation was higher than their own by a Minor Realm so she wasn’t at any kind of disadvantage.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was overjoyed.
Without a word, he quickly pulled An Ling’er and began escaping!
“That damned brat…” Yu Mo saw this but couldn’t do anything about it, grinding his teeth angrily. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to complete his task this time and thus directed his anger towards Saintess Nan, even summoning his Saint Grade artifact and launching one ruthless blow after another towards her.
After the time it would take to burn half a stick of incense , Yang Kai and An Ling’er had managed to flee about a hundred kilometers, but with this much distance between them, they could still feel the fallout from the battle of the four Saint Realm masters, causing them a bit of lingering fear.
Yang Kai had always felt that there was some kind of fundamental difference between the Saint Realm and Transcendent Realm. Yang Kai sensed that the energy flowing in every one of the Saint Realm masters he had met was somewhat different from the True Qi flowing through his meridians.
Not having arrived at such a height, Yang Kai didn’t know much about the secrets of the Saint Realm, so he could only wait and ask about it later.
“Ah…” An Ling’er suddenly shouted, narrowing her eyes as she stared towards a spot in the distance, seemingly sensing something.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s expression also sank. Using his Divine Sense, he had discovered several tyrannical presences in front of them that were rapidly approaching!
The auras of these people were no weaker than Yu Mo’s and one of them was even comparable to Saintess Nan’s!
In this remote wilderness, suddenly encountering so many Saint Realm masters was not something Yang Kai could simply ignore!
Just as Yang Kai wanted to draw An Ling’er away from the approaching masters, the latter suddenly smiled and her expression relaxed, “It’s my Holy Land’s people!”
“Ah?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“We’re saved, it must be a team led by Great Elder Xu Hui!”
Hearing what An Ling’er just said, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled. Calling all of this a coincidence was a bit of a stretch. However, when he thought about it, if it really was a group of masters from Nine Heavens Holy Land, they only needed to follow Saintess Nan and they could sooner or later find An Ling’er, the premise being that An Ling’er was still alive of course.
Yang Kai’s first instinct was to escape. He really didn’t want to have any contact with the people from Nine Heavens Holy Land, but as soon as this idea came up, he immediately dismissed it.
If he were to suddenly flee at this time, it would only cause the approaching group of masters to be suspicious. Also, Yang Kai wasn’t sure what Saintess Nan would do after he separated from An Ling’er. If Saintess Nan were to disregard Yu Mo and the other Demon Race Saints and instead chase after him, he wouldn’t be able to resist. In this situation, Yang Kai’s safest choice was undoubtedly to meet with the masters ahead.
“An Ling’er…” Yang Kai suddenly whispered.
“Hm?”
“During this time, how have I treated you?”
“How have you treated me?” An Ling’er was stunned by this question, quickly recalling the events of the past few months, her cheeks blushing slight as she replied softly, “Very good.”
Whether it was the exploration of the Ancient Ruins, the time spent in the Mysterious Small World, or their stay in the Demon Land, Yang Kai had always taken very good care of her. Even during the times it was difficult for him alone to escape he had never abandoned her, the two of them sharing trials and tribulations together for nearly a year. An Ling’er has long ago regarded Yang Kai as someone she could trust with her life.
“Then do me a favour. When we meet your Holy Land’s people, don’t mention anything about me becoming a Holy Master candidate or about me learning three of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills from you!”
“You don’t want to become Holy Master?” An Ling’er clearly understood Yang Kai’s intentions behind this request.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I’ve told you many times before, even if I don’t become your Holy Master, I can still reach that height. If I become your Holy Land’s Holy Master, I’m afraid it won’t even be three hundred years before I become a pile of bones! I absolutely reject that kind of future as it will make many people sad!”
“Would those people happen to be women?” An Ling’er whispered, his voice containing a hint of bitterness.
“*Ahem*… only one or two…” Yang Kai’s face became awkward.
“Good, since you so firmly reject the idea, I won’t say any more. When we reach a safe place, you should find a way to leave on your own, I don’t think Great Elder and the others will try to embarrass you,” An Ling’er pursed her lips slightly.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, his pace remaining unchanged, flying straight ahead to rendezvous with the approaching group of masters.
As the two were speaking, several power Divine Senses swept towards them. After only a brief examination, these Divine Senses revealed a hint of joy and excitement, clearly identifying An Ling’er’s life aura.
A few moments later, a few indistinct figures appeared in Yang Kai’s eyes and from the distance a voice called out, “Is that you, Your Highness Saintess?”
“Great Elder!” An Ling’er responded quickly.
“It really is Your Highness Saintess!” The figures immediately sped up and in the blink of an eye arrived in front of Yang Kai and An Ling’er.
Four Saints!
Leading this group was the so called Great Elder Xu Hui, the one An Ling’er said was a Second Order Saint no worse than Saintess Nan. He was a slightly older man with sharp eyes and a temperate demeanor.
Behind him, there were three other Saints, which should be masters from Nine Heavens Holy Land.
This kind of tyrannical lineup showed just how rich Nine Heavens Holy Land’s heritage was; after all, if the old Holy Master and Saintess Nan were still alive, there would be two more top level masters in this Holy Land.
Soaring Heaven Sect was considered a powerful force, but it only had two Saint Realm masters, Chu Ling Xiao and another old Martial Uncle Yang Kai had never met before.
Compared to Nine Heavens Holy Land, Soaring Heaven Sect was a bit weaker.
With this kind of background, Nine Heavens Holy Land could be considered an extremely powerful and influential force in Tong Xuan Realm, but after the old Holy Master and Saintess Nan fell, Nine Heavens Holy Land’s strength should have fallen greatly.
“This is surely the blessings of the Old Holy Master’s soul in Heaven. Your Highness Saintess is really safe!” Xu Hui quickly cupped his fists and bowed, looking as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The other three masters also showed similar expressions. It was obvious how worried they were about An Ling’er’s safety, quickly inquiring about her wellbeing the moment they met her.
An Ling’er waved her hand lightly and assured them she was alright.
As they spoke, the eyes of Great Elder Xu Hui suddenly shifted to Yang Kai, a look of approval flashing across his face as he asked, “Then this should be the future Holy Master?”
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly, his brow furrowing. This old man saying such words the moment they met had caught him off guard.
An Ling’er was also taken aback and quickly shook her head, “No, Great Elder, you’re mistaken…”
“Ho ho, Your Highness Saintess doesn’t have to explain, everything that happened back in the Seven Family Alliance’s archipelago, we have heard about from Qian Ning!” Xu Hui quickly said, revealing a look of appreciation and satisfaction, “So young yet able to comprehend several Nine Heavens Divine Skills all at once, this is a feat no previous Holy Master has ever achieved.”
Yang Kai was even more shocked now, but he managed to maintain an indifferent expression, showing no intention to speak.
Instead, it was An Ling’er who asked anxiously, “Did Uncle Qian survive?”
Back in that remote archipelago, in order to buy time for Yang Kai and An Ling’er to get away, Qian Ning and the other Nine Heavens Holy Land masters had launched a suicide attack against Saintess Nan. Yang Kai witnessed Saintess Nan kill these masters, leaving not even bones behind, so logically there was no way they could have survived.
Indeed, Xu Hui shook his head and explained, “He died, everyone from that expedition team, with the exception of Your Highness Saintess, died; however, before he fell, Qian Ning managed to send out a message. It was because of this that we learned that the future Holy Master had been found. Ever since then, we have been chasing after Saintess Nan, hoping we would one day find the two of you!”
This was basically the same as what Yang Kai guessed had happened, but when he thought about Qian Ning, he couldn’t help grinding his teeth. If he was determined to die then he should have just died, but in his last moments he had actually caused so much trouble. His death really wasn’t worth pitying!
An Ling’er snuck a peek at Yang Kai, and seeing the unhappy look on his face, she couldn’t help worrying, uncertain of what she should do in this situation.
“This isn’t a place we should stay for long, we must quickly leave!” Xu Hui quickly swept his eyes around as he hurriedly urged.
The other Saints also nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled and finally spoke, “Saintess Nan… do you plan to just ignore her?”
Xu Hui smiled awkwardly and replied, “Saying this will likely make you laugh, but I may not be Saintess Nan’s opponent, so even if we want to stop her, we can’t!”
“Then, from now on, she will always chase after me and An Ling’er?” Yang Kai said in a disgruntled tone.
“Once we return to the Holy Land that won’t be an issue. Once you enter the Holy Land, Saintess Nan will no longer pursue,” One of the other Saint Realm masters quickly said.
“That is why we must swiftly return to the Holy Land!” Xu Hui explained, speaking as politely as possible to Yang Kai, seemingly quite respectful towards him.
The other Saints also showed a polite attitude, so although Yang Kai was unhappy about this situation and didn’t want to have anything to do with Nine Heavens Holy Land, for now he could only agree to follow them back.
Yang Kai decided to observe the situation for now. If on the road things took a turn for the worse, he would immediately separate from this group and not appear before anyone from Nine Heavens Holy Land until he fully matured.
But Xu Hui and the other Saints here knew he had studied several of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, so Yang Kai worried they wouldn’t easily let him leave, causing him quite some headache.
Seeing him not object, Xu Hui’s expression relaxed and quickly wrapped Yang Kai and An Ling’er in his True Qi before flying off.
A short time later, their group left the Demon Land.
Saintess Nan’s Divine Sense, which had been locked onto Yang Kai and An Ling’er, was also cut off because of the increasing distance.
It was only now that Yang Kai breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As they flew along, Xu Hui appeared calm and composed, but in reality, he was secretly observing Yang Kai, a sense of amazement filling his heart as he did.
He could see that An Ling’er seemed to care deeply about Yang Kai, and not as a Saintess concerned about a future Holy Master, but as a woman concerned about a man. From time to time, when Yang Kai revealed a sullen or dignified expression, An Ling’er would appear panicked and her pulse would race.
This future Holy Master… was really quite extraordinary!
Who An Ling’er was, Xu Hui knew better than anyone else. Which Saintess cultivated by the Holy Land didn’t have eyes atop their head? This future Holy Master actually being able to so quickly capture Her Highness Saintess’ heart fully explained how great his charm and methods were.
From this point alone, it could be seen this young man had gained Her Highness Saintess’ full approval.
What was even more commendable though was this young man’s cultivation, he was actually already a Second Order Transcendent!
All this time, Xu Hui had been speculating about what kind of cultivation the future Holy Master currently had, feeling like it wouldn’t matter even if he was only reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary. With the Holy Land resources and dedicated cultivation, it would only take a few dozen years for him to reach the peak of the Martial Dao, but reality had given Xu Hui a pleasant surprise.
Such a young Second Order Transcendent was a rarity throughout the entire continent.
Thinking about the message left by Qian Ning before his death, Xu Hui couldn’t help but smile. The more he looked at Yang Kai, the more pleasing he appeared to the eye.
“Right, Your Highness Saintess, how did you escape from the Seven Family Alliance archipelago? As far as I know, that entire island chain was destroyed by Saintess Nan and there were almost no survivors!” Xu Hui asked curiously
An Ling’er glanced over at and upon seeing him nod, she began narrating what happened in the Ancient Ruins beneath the sea.
“A Void Corridor?” Xu Hui brow rose, celebrating in the next breath, “The Heavens truly must be blessing my Holy Land. So, when you came out of the Void Corridor, you found yourselves in the Demon Land?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded quickly, fearing An Ling’er would let slip what happened in the Mysterious Small World, “After arriving in the Demon Land, we accidentally fell into the hands of Xue Li and only managed to escape a few days ago!”
“Demon General Xue Li?” Xu Hui paled at the mere mention of this name, the other three Saints also showing looks of shock, as if they couldn’t believe Yang Kai and An Ling’er could actually escape from such a master, causing them to greatly admire this pair of juniors.
All of them couldn’t help thinking to themselves at that moment that if they fell into the hands of Xue Li, they would certainly have become prisoners for the rest of their lives.
Thinking so, the Saint Realm masters of Nine Heavens Holy Land treated Yang Kai, this future Holy Master, even more respectfully.
Flying past famous mountains and rivers, Xu Hui and the other Saints never once slowed down, crossing several tens of thousands of kilometers every day, having long escaped from Saintess Nan’s pursuit.
On the way, Xu Hui casually inquired about Yang Kai’s origins. Upon learning that he was actually from Soaring Heaven Sect, Xu Hui felt a little surprised.
Soaring Heaven Sect was also considered a powerful force; however, it was quite far from Nine Heavens Holy Land so they had next to no interactions with one another.
“Soaring Heaven Sect also recently experienced a massive increase in strength; it seems that they all of a sudden had four new Saints.” At the mention of Soaring Heaven Sect, one of the old men from the Nine Heavens Holy Land team couldn’t help shouting, “Right now, their overall strength may actually be above our Holy Land.”
“Four new Saints?” Yang Kai smiled slightly upon hearing these words, immediately thinking of Cang Yan, Fei Yu, and his other Martial Uncles. It seems like the medicinal liquid of the Thousand Year Demon Flower from Floating Clouds City really helped them break through.
“I also heard about that, it is said that those four went to Floating Clouds City along with an Alchemist nearly two years ago to compete for the Thousand Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid… If I remember correctly, the Alchemist who accompanied them was a young man. En, his description is somewhat similar to the future Holy Master!” Saying so, Xu Hui turned a meaningful look towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression however remained indifferent, as if he simply hadn’t heard what was said. Right now, no matter what Yang Kai said, it would only cause more suspicion; this old man Xu Hui had obviously already had some guesses of his own.
However, this old man wasn’t malicious towards him, so Yang Kai was temporarily not worried.
Seeing Yang Kai not respond, Xu Hui just smiled lightly, “There’s no need to envy others. My Holy Land has a new Holy Master, so it won’t be long before our strength recovers to its peak, possibly even growing beyond that!”
“Yes, that’s right!” The crowd quickly shouted out in agreement, all of them seeming to have great expectations for Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned at this and solemnly said, “Seniors, I have no desire to inherit the position of Holy Master. Once we reach a safe place, I plan to leave.”
“Ah?” Xu Hui was stunned, “You don’t wish to become Holy Master?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I have already spoken with An Ling’er about this many times. I learned three of your Nine Heavens Divine Skills without understanding the implications of doing so. From now on, I can swear not to use these three Divine Skills.”
“This…” A few people suddenly found themselves unable to say anything.
An Ling’er bit her lip lightly and added, “I have a lot of responsibility for this matter, he did not intentionally learn my Holy Land’s Divine Skills, if you wish to blame someone, please only blame me.”
Xu Hui frowned, glancing back and forth between Yang Kai and An Ling’er, his thoughts were unreadable. Suddenly smiling, he said, “Let’s not discuss this matter right now. Seeing how little brother is from Soaring Heaven Sect, we will not embarrass you. If it is convenient, let us first return to the Holy Land so we may properly entertain little brother. After having a look at the Holy Land with your own eyes, if little brother still insists on leaving, we won’t force you to remain!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed and knew that in front of so many Saint Realm masters he couldn’t just refuse.
Once he rejected their offer, it was likely they would instead use forceful means to detain him. Although they wouldn’t harm him, they would definitely find a way to bring him back to Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Xu Hui had already made the biggest concession he could here. Given his status and strength, if he really decided to force Yang Kai to come with them, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to resist, this alone illustrated Xu Hui’s sincerity.
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, wanting to avoid any further disputes for the time being.
Seeing him agree like this, An Ling’er couldn’t help showing a happy smile.
The group continued forward.
Different from the previous harmonious atmosphere though, after learning that Yang Kai did not intend to become the new Holy Master, Xu Hui and the other three Saints suddenly fell silent, constantly meeting eyes while exchanging messages with their Divine Senses, seemingly discussing something.
Yang Kai noticed this but pretended not to.
A short time later, the four Saints suddenly began chattering incessantly, describing the power and heritage of Nine Heavens Holy Land, obviously trying to seduce Yang Kai by explaining all the benefits he could receive by becoming Holy Master.
Yang Kai allowed them to carry on until their tongues grew tired, treating their words like the passing wind, never showing the slightest bit of interest, causing Xu Hui and the others to feel somewhat helpless.
However, from their descriptions, Yang Kai gained a better understanding of just how monstrous this force was.
Although each Nine Heavens Holy Land Holy Master did not live a long life, every one of them became a peak Third Order Saint.
As long as it possessed a Third Order Saint, any force would be considered a top force.
Moreover, the way the Holy Master cultivated was different from ordinary cultivators. Inside the Holy Land, there were some places where only the Holy Master could enter. In these sacred grounds, the Holy Master’s strength would grow extremely quickly. How this worked though was something of a mystery to Xu Hui and the other Saints.
With multiple Saintesses assisting him cultivation, as many as eight and as few as three, it was difficult for each Holy Master’s strength to not improve rapidly. Every Saintess was carefully selected, each one possessing superior aptitude and beauty. These Saintess were also completely obedient towards their Holy Master.
It could be said that as long as one became Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, not only could he enjoy having three wives and four concubines, but he could also rise to the peak of this world in terms of strength and status.
The only drawback was limited longevity!
Not only was the lifespan of each Holy Master short, so too were the lives of his Saintesses.
The previous Holy Master originally had six Saintesses, but over the past fifty years, five of them had fallen, leaving behind only Saintess Nan.
When the old Holy Master died, Saintess Nan also fell.
The previous generation’s Holy Master and Saintess had all passed on, so now all hope for the Holy Land was pinned on Yang Kai and An Ling’er. How could Xu Hui and the others possibly allow Yang Kai to so easily leave?
“Great Elder, what about Xiao Lian and the others?” An Ling’er realized something from Xu Hui’s words and couldn’t help asking.
Xu Hui’s expression immediately became gloomy, and he hesitated for a while before replying, “All of them died. Of this generation’s four Saintesses, only you remain, the other three were killed by Saintess Nan!”
“Ah…” An Ling’er cover her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
She had held out some hope that her sisters had also found appropriate candidates to become the new Holy Master which would allow Great Elder Xu Hui to not force Yang Kai into the position, but those hopes were dashed now by this sad news.
But thinking about it carefully, none of the Saintess’ teams had a Saint Realm master with them, so once they were discovered by Saintess Nan, there would be no way they could escape.
She was extremely fortunate to have met Yang Kai and to have coincidentally learned about the existence of a Void Corridor. If not for those two strokes of luck, her fate would likely have been the same as her three sister Saintesses.
“I am deeply sorry, Your Highness Saintess!” Xu Hui quickly consoled, “As such, the Holy Land’s future depends on the two of you.”
Saying so, he quickly turned to face Yang Kai, “Little brother, please excuse this old master for being so frank, but if little brother refuses to accept the position of Holy Master, I’m afraid within a hundred years the Holy Land will disappear.”
Xu Hui’s words were spoken in a very earnest and dignified tone.
The other three Saints also quickly pleaded, “We too must ask little brother to accept our rude request, the Holy Land’s inheritance cannot end with our generation!”
Yang Kai gently sighed as he stared off into the distance, “The tides rise and fall, flowers blossom and wilt, such is the way of the world. No force can survive forever, even someone as strong as the Great Demon God has faded into the annals of history. And… someone suited to become Holy Master are not limited to just me are they? It’s just that An Ling’er has not found another candidate yet.”
“Little brother apparently doesn’t know the whole story, otherwise you would not say such words. Each of our Holy Land’s Saintesses can only choose one candidate to become the next Holy Master, once she had chosen, she will never be able to sense another potential candidate!”
“What you mean to say is that in this world, only I can become your new Holy Master?” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly feeling like the situation had become difficult.
Xu Hui and the others all nodded solemnly.
“If little brother does not agree, then our Nine Heavens Holy Land can only wait for its demise!”
“Little brother, we beg of you, please inherit the position of Holy Master!”
“Don’t try to force me, forcing me will make me angry!” Yang Kai shot them a stern look.
Xu Hui’s expression changed and quickly waved his hands, “We wouldn’t dare!”
Seeing Yang Kai growing impatient, An Ling’er quickly said, “Didn’t Great Elder just say we wouldn’t discuss this matter for now, why are you bringing it up again?”
Xu Hui smiled awkwardly as he said embarrassedly, “This old man was impatient just now, please don’t mind me. Little brother, let us first return to the Holy Land and allow little brother to experience our Holy Land’s culture and livelihood. This old man will certainly entertain you well.”
“En, at this pace we should arrive within three to five days,” Another person quickly chimed in.
Beautiful scenery all around, extremely rich World Energy, subtle barriers and formations scattered in and around the surrounding mountains, isolating this stretch of land from the outside world.
Nine Heavens Holy Land!
This ancient force had exited for countless centuries, leaving behind an illustrious history. Its strength was outstanding, with few Sects throughout Tong Xuan Realm being its equal.
However, when Yang Kai arrived here for the first time, he felt that this Holy Land was submerged in a somber atmosphere, probably because the old Holy Master had died and the new Holy Master had yet to appear.
Nine Heavens Holy Land, like Soaring Heaven Sect, was situated amongst a mountain range, but unlike Soaring Heaven Sect’s Hundred Peaks Formation, Nine Heavens Holy Land only had a Nine Peaks Formation.
Although this number was relatively small, the arrangement of these nine mountains had a great agreement with the Heavenly Way, so the Spirit Array based on them was no worse than Soaring Heaven Sect’s; in fact, it was even stronger.
Whether it was defensive strength, or the rate at which it gathered World Energy, this Nine Peaks Formation was superior to the Hundreds Peaks Formation.
Amidst these nine spirit peaks, beautiful palaces were scattered about, providing enough shelter for over ten thousand disciples. The entire Nine Heavens Holy Land was like a paradise, brimming with life and vitality.
When Xu Hui and the other Saints brought Yang Kai and An Ling’er back to the Holy Land, they didn’t bother concealing themselves and instead landed right in the centre of the Holy Land’s great square, as if trying to announce their presence. The old man then leading the way towards a magnificent palace.
On both sides of the road, a large number of the Holy Land’s disciples rushed over to respectfully greet Xu Hui and the other Saints.
Upon seeing An Ling’er’s figure, these disciples would all loudly and enthusiastically call her name while wearing near fanatically expressions regardless of whether they were male, female, young, or old.
As the only unfamiliar face, Yang Kai also gathered a fair amount of attention.
Such a young man, being respectfully escorted by Great Elder Xu Hui and the other Sect Elders, it was easy for these Holy Land disciples to infer this newcomer’s identity.
Whispers immediately spread throughout the crowd as the various disciples of Nine Heavens Holy Land quietly pointed to Yang Kai, all of them spiritedly discussing whether this youth was the new Holy Master the Saintess had found, their faces filled with a mix of excitement and curiosity.
It was as if as long as Yang Kai succeeded the position of Holy Master, Nine Heavens Holy Land would be saved!
Those who had slightly better vision and had determined the truth of the matter even began respectfully cupping their fists and bowing to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai on the other hand showed no response, remaining as indifferent as always.
Xu Hui and the other Saints secretly nodded their heads upon seeing this, their evaluation of Yang Kai rising even further.
Although Yang Kai was a disciple of Soaring Heaven Sect, he was still a young man; they had deliberately led him along this path to allow him to experience the wealth and prosperity of the Holy Land as well as evaluate the strength of its disciples. However, even in the face of all of this, Yang Kai had not shown any signs of panic or fluster and remained perfectly calm, as if he had experienced great winds and waves, allowing Xu Hui and the other Saints to hold him in high esteem.
This future Holy Master’s mental strength and temperament were both extraordinary!
Xu Hui and the others all silently exchanged glances, becoming even more determined to make this youth inherit the position of Holy Master.
The entire way was filled with great hustle and bustle.
In front of Yang Kai was a grand palace built of precious stone with many magnificent columns upon which were carved vivid images of dragons and phoenixes.
When they arrived here, Xu Hui turned around and waved his hand gently.
The spectating Holy Land disciples saw this and quickly dispersed, each of them still carrying much curiosity and doubt in their hearts, wondering who this unnamed youth was and whether or not he would inherit the position of Holy Master and save the Holy Land from its current predicament.
“Little brother, please!” Xu Hui lowered his head slightly in a respectful manner.
Yang Kai sighed reluctantly and frowned, “Senior, I have simply come to the Holy Land as a guest, is there any need to be so formal?”
Hearing this, Xu Hui understood that Yang Kai was still reluctant to accept the Holy Land, smiling lightly as he nodded, “What little brother said is right, let us go together.”
“En.”
Once inside the palace, under the arrangement of Xu Hui, everyone was seated around a magnificent table and soon, a grand banquet was prepared. Just from looking at it, it was clear that Xu Hui and the other Elders were giving Yang Kai a welcoming reception.
At the banquet, Yang Kai didn’t show any urgency or nervousness, as if he was just an ordinary passerby, only exchanging a few toasts with Xu Hui while enjoying the lively scene.
Yang Kai found that it was actually quite easy to get along with this old man as long as the latter didn’t mention anything about the Holy Land or Holy Master.
Xu Hui’s strength was high and his background was not shallow, but he was still friendly and approachable; however, Yang Kai knew that this was because this old man was trying to build a good rapport. If Yang Kai was just some other youth, it was unlikely Xu Hui would be behaving so patiently with him.
As wine was served, a group of young girls were called in to perform various songs and dances.
These girls were all quite beautiful and wore thin, yet tasteful robes, revealing just enough to entice one’s fantasies. With a variety of temperaments, yet all showing a refined grace, these young girls were a dazzling sight to behold.
Yang Kai appreciated this show very much but his vision remained clear throughout, without the slightest obscene light.
Sitting beside him, An Ling’er saw this and couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction.
After some excitement, the banquet wound down and Xu Hui and the others also took their leave, never once mentioning anything about the Holy Master position to Yang Kai, appointing a maidservant to lead him to his room.
Yang Kai was taken to a giant room in one of the palace’s wings, its floor covered in luxurious carpeting and its walls decorated with exquisite stones which provided soft lighting. There was an incense burner in its centre that gave off a gentle scent that caused one to relax and feel their tension melt away.
“Young Lord, do you wish to bathe? There is a large pool in the adjacent room with warm water already prepared,” The maidservant asked softly.
Yang Kai glanced over at her briefly before slowly shaking his head and signaling for her to draw back.
The maidservant politely nodded, bowed, and then retired.
After waiting for this young girl to leave, Yang Kai walked over to the door, opened it, and looked at the somewhat hesitant An Ling’er who was outside, “Why are you just standing out here, come inside?”
“Ah… en…” An Ling’er nodded and slowly stepped inside.
“You came at just the right time, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Yang Kai said, grabbing hold of An An Ling’er’s hand and bringing her over to the bed.
An Ling’er’s face blushed slightly but she didn’t put up any resistance and simply let Yang Kai lead her around.
A moment later, sitting on the edge of the bed, she wore a somewhat flustered expression but still managed to maintain her calm.
Yang Kai also sat down on the bed, turned to look at her, and smiled bitterly, “Xu Hui showing me off to your Holy Land’s disciples and bringing in a group of dancers to seduce me. Obviously, he doesn’t have any good intentions.”
“Great Elder just wants you to inherit the position of Holy Master, why do you make it sound so insidious? Also, those girls weren’t mere dancers, they are all excellent disciples of my Holy Land who have gone through a strict selection process. Only when the most distinguished of guests arrive will they be called out to perform,” An Ling’er bit her lip gentle, a slight bit of resentment appearing on her face as she asked once more, “You really don’t want to become Holy Master?”
“I don’t!” Yang Kai shook his head firmly before wrinkling his brow, “Tell me honestly, is what Xu Hui said before really true?”
“What?”
“After you chose me, you can no longer choose another.”
An Ling’er paused for a moment before gently nodding.
“Your Holy Land is really strange, regardless of how you think about it, I’m just an outsider; how can you hand over such an important position like Holy Master to a strange? Why don’t you just select a candidate from within your own ranks?”
An Ling’er simply smiled softly, “This has been our custom since ancient times. I think you’ve heard by now that every Holy Master of our Holy Land has been brought back by us Saintesses from the outside world, yes?”
“En.”
“While that is basically the case, there was one exception… If I recall correctly, the Holy Land’s ancient records state that about nine hundred years ago, the new Holy Master was actually a disciple of the Holy Land. At that time, several Saintesses reacted to him so he was chosen as the new Holy Master, but since then, such a situation has not occurred again. Haa… if a disciple of the Holy Land could become the next Holy Master, we Saintesses wouldn’t have had to go out searching for candidates, then Xiao Lian and them…” Suddenly recalling the fate of her sisters, An Ling’er’s eyes became slightly red.
“I’m sorry…” Yang Kai stuttered awkwardly, not knowing how he should comfort her.
An Ling’er rubbed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “If you insist on not becoming Holy Master… I will help you speak to Great Elder and the others.”
“Don’t bother, you’ll just be wasting your time,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Since Xu Hui has already determined that I am the only possible candidate now, no matter what you say, it won’t work.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know…” Yang Kai sighed helplessly. Although Xu Hui wouldn’t dare use too forceful of an approach, he also wouldn’t give up no matter what, causing Yang Kai no small headache.
If it weren’t for the life of each Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land being so short, Yang Kai probably wouldn’t have any problem inheriting the position. After becoming Holy Master and increasing his strength to a certain point, he could just clean up Xu Hui to solve the grudge in his heart.
But the drawbacks of inheriting the position of Holy Master were enough to put Yang Kai off.
An Ling’er looked somewhat embarrassed, her brow knitting slightly as she whispered, “Regardless of anything else, you should stay here for a while. Saintess Nan may be waiting outside, it’s not safe for you to leave right now. Wait a few days and then take a look at the situation again.”
“Good, it seems that’s the only choice,” Yang Kai nodded, “Right, I’ll have to trouble you to send a message to Soaring Heaven Sect telling them that I am well so they don’t worry.”
“Rest assured, I’ll certainly relay your message,” An Ling’er nodded.
“Thank you.”
“No need to be polite…” An Ling’er smiled, her mood becoming slightly better, leisurely standing up as she said, “Then you rest for now, I’ll head back first. If you need anything, just tell me, I’ll let Xu Hui arrange it for you.”
After An Ling’er left, Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he quietly released his Divine Sense into his surroundings.
As Yang Kai expected, the palace had a large number of masters hidden just outside, quietly monitoring his every move.
Yang Kai snickered but didn’t care, he knew that Xu Hui would make sure of such arrangements.
However, he had no plans to leave Nine Heavens Holy Land right for the moment. Just as An Ling’er said, Saintess Nan may be waiting outside. Leaving the Nine Peaks barrier now would be akin to walking into a death trap.
Before he could come up with some practical way to evade Saintess Nan, Yang Kai didn’t want to act rashly.
The people of Nine Heavens Holy Land didn’t have any malicious intent towards him, they simply wanted him to assume the position of Holy Master. So long as he continued to stubbornly refuse, they probably would have no way to force him. In short, this was a battle of wills.
In the meantime, Yang Kai felt he could take advantage of this opportunity to consolidate his cultivation after his most recent breakthrough. Having decided on his short term course of action, Yang Kai’s mood noticeable improved.
Using his Divine Sense to penetrate every inch of his body, Yang Kai carefully examined all the changes his True Qi and physique had undergone. After breaking through to the Second Order Transcendent Realm, Yang Kai felt that his True Qi’s density and purity had improved significantly once again.
In that last life or death fight, his physical body had also become sturdier.
His Spiritual Energy had also undergone a kind of sublimation. Under the constant nourishment of the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, the growth Yang Kai’s Soul had experienced as a result of this breakthrough was quite gratifying.
Right now, Yang Kai felt that even in a frontal collision, his Spiritual Energy strength wouldn’t be weaker than that of a First Order Saint.
Coupled with the potency of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, if an ordinary First Order Saint really tried to fight with him in this way, Yang Kai felt he would be the one to come out on top.
This comprehensive rise in strength greatly increased Yang Kai’s confidence. This past year filled with setbacks and misfortune had been like a driving force pushing him to become stronger.
Any master, in a life or death battle, would be able to gain insights he would otherwise be unable to acquire. Only by pushing oneself to the edge of death could some things be understood.
It could be said that every true master had experienced many life or death situations, allowing them to temper their spirit, which in turn gave them the will to survive and pursue greater heights of the Martial Dao.
The spoilt children who grew up in greenhouses, sheltered from such trials and tribulations, would no doubt be able to advance smoothly and rapidly upon the road paved for them, but upon encountering even the slightest setback, would become lost and fade from glory.
Yang Kai obviously belonged to the former type. Since he began to cultivate, his path had been filled with thorns, and only by dragging his broken and bloodied body through many life and death crises had he achieved strength far beyond his peers.
Everything Yang Kai now possessed had been won through his own efforts, his strength the result of steadfast determination and hard work, not just luck.
Realizing all of this, Yang Kai’s mentality had gradually undergone some subtle changes, becoming more confident and feeling that as long as he was given enough time, he could rise to the peak of the Martial Dao and overlook all mortal beings.
Calming himself, Yang Kai continued to examine the changes in his body.
What surprised him the most was that the golden blood flowing through his veins seemed to be much more concentrated than before.
Both Li Rong and Han Fei had said that once his blood become completely golden in colour, it would be equivalent to him possessing the blood of the Great Demon God and would allow him to manifest the Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities.
The Great Demon God was a legendary figure, a man recognized by the Three Clans as the first master under Heaven. During his time, no one dared to challenge his majesty.
The wondrous uses of the Demon God’s Golden Blood were endless. It was because the Demon God’s Blood flowed through his veins that Yang Kai’s body was so study and his physical strength had reached such an astonishing height.
Yang Kai could hardly imagine how strong his physique would become once the transformation of his blood was complete.
The reason the Ancient Demon Clan’s bodies were so formidable was because they had inherited some blood from the Great Demon God. Compared to them though, Yang Kai’s golden blood was undoubtedly the most orthodox inheritance and was thus far purer.
As he immersed his consciousness into the Black Book space and communicated with the Divine Tree, Yang Kai’s simultaneously circulated his Secret Art and began cultivating.
Just as Yang Kai was constantly growing, so too was the Divine Tree evolving. With Yang Kai’s permission, the Divine Tree had been absorbing a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid every day. Thanks to this, its consciousness seemed to have become clearer and its intelligence was also rapidly increasing; now, not only could it communicate clearly with Yang Kai, it even began asking him questions.
Like he was caring for a young child, Yang Kai did his best to answer the Divine Tree’s inquires.
Time flew by and suddenly more than two months had passed since Yang Kai arrived in Nine Heavens Holy Land.
After spending so much time here, Yang Kai had gradually become accustomed to Nine Heavens Holy Land and aside from not being able to leave easily, the treatment he received was quite good.
Great Elder Xu Hui and the other Elders seemed to be receiving him as the highest grade of guest, not only sending him a large number of pills and elixirs to assist him in his cultivation, but also providing several young beautiful maidservants to tend to his day to day needs; they even brought Yang Kai a large number of Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Martial Skills and Secret Arts for him to use as references.
Aside from not touching any of the maidservants, Yang Kai accepted what he could. He spent all his time diligently, allowing him to quickly consolidate his Second Order Transcendent cultivation.
Xu Hui and the other Saint Realm masters would also visit Yang Kai frequently to chat, though they tactfully avoided the subject of the Holy Master’s succession. Occasionally, when they supposedly had free time, Xu Hui or one of the other Elders would bring Yang Kai out to sightsee and allow him to experience the Holy Land’s rich heritage and natural beauty.
It was obvious they wanted to use such an approach to impress Yang Kai, hoping he would take the initiative to accept the position of Holy Master.
Unfortunately for them, even after two months of this, Yang Kai’s stance had not changed, causing Xu Hui and the others to grow somewhat anxious.
Atop one of the nine spirit peaks, inside a majestic building, the Holy Land’s Elders and Protectors gathered together for a discussion headed by Xu Hui.
Nine Heavens Holy Land’s original lineup was incredibly strong, with the old Holy Master standing at the top with his Third Order Saint Realm cultivation, followed by Saintess Nan and Xu Hui who were Second Order Saints, then finally the remaining Elders and Protectors Yu Ying, Luo Sheng, Shi Kun, Meng Tian Fei, and Cheng Yue Tong. These five people were all First Order Saints, Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong being women.
A single force having so many Saint Realm masters was extremely rare throughout Tong Xuan Realm.
“Great Elder, what is the attitude of the future Holy Master?” A middle-aged beauty Yu Ying asked. She wore a bright red dress that perfectly outlined her rich, mature body. Her skin was smooth and tender and she possessed a graceful style that was complimented by a pair of bright and pure eyes.
Listening to her question, everyone gathered here cast their eyes towards Xu Hui with concern.
In response, Xu Hui frowned and sighed, “He still shows an abundance of reluctance. Although I have never deliberately mentioned this matter during our time together, it is obvious he has no intention of becoming the Holy Land’s next Holy Master.”
“This boy is really quite interesting…” Luo Sheng said with an astonished look upon his face, “Throughout the world, which young man doesn’t want to become the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land? It’s like reaching the sky with a single step, yet since he arrived here he has always remained indifferent, as if we’re trying to force some unwanted burden onto him.”
“Pay attention to your words, that’s the future Holy Master you’re speaking of, not some random ‘boy’!” Cheng Yue Tong, who wore a sleek white dress, coldly said to Luo Sheng, the latter smiling awkwardly as he glanced over at Great Elder Xu Hui. Upon finding the latter not looking angry, Lou Sheng breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“However, it truly is quite strange,” Cheng Yue Tong frowned slightly, “Is it possible he disdains to join our Holy Land?”
“How can that be?” Shi Kun snorted, “Although the old Holy Master has fallen, our Holy Land is still a great force, second to none in this world. Whether it is fame or heritage, it is far better than his Soaring Heaven Sect, how could he not understand that?”
“It is not impossible!” Xu Hui suddenly said, “I personally took him to visit the Holy Land’s various spirit peaks while showing him the heritage of our Holy Land, and although he listened carefully and offered his praise, he never once showed the shock a young man his age should show, as if everything in his eyes was just fleeting clouds.”
“Did that boy… *ahem*, the future Holy Master really show such a reaction?” Luo Sheng asked curiously.
“Great Elder, do you know what he likes? If so, we can try to approach him by offering him that,” Meng Tian Fei suggested, “The Holy Land cannot go one day without a Holy Master, yet it has already been over a year since the old Holy Master passed away. Fortunately we have sought a future Holy Master and brought him back to the Holy Land, causing quite a stir amongst the disciple. Many of them are wondering when the ascension ceremony will take place and have begun to ask questions. Such uncertainty has even started to affect their cultivation. The situation can’t be left as is for much longer.”
“En,” Yu Ying also nodded, “If we know what he likes, we can retain him. At the very least, we can let him have some sense of belonging to the Holy Land. Only by doing so can we guarantee the Holy Land’s future prosperity.”
“He likes strength!” Xu Hui’s eyes flashed, “After all my observations, I found that the only constant with him is his pursuit of power. Besides that, everything else for him seems superfluous. Even the maidservants I sent to serve him have failed to catch the slightest bit of his attention!”
“There’s actually a young man in this world who doesn’t like beauties?” Luo Sheng’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as if he had just heard something unbelievable.
“Do you think everyone is like you, obsessed with women?” Yu Ying coldly snorted, her expression becoming unpleasant, causing Luo Sheng’s neck to shrink up.
“Could it be he likes Her Highness Saintess and is putting on such a performance for her?” Cheng Yue Tong suddenly thought of a possibility. In front of a woman he favoured, no man wanted to show off his ugly side, many of them even often trying to appear noble and heroic in order to attract the other party’s attention. If it was because of Saintess An Ling’er, Yang Kai acting so would not be unusual.
Everyone gathered here was a seasoned person and understood this point.
However, Xu Hui just smiled bitterly, “It’s not like that. On the contrary, it is Her Highness Saintess who adores him, yet he seems to only treat her as a friend.”
“Poor Ling’er…” Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong both muttered, feeling somewhat mournful.
The two of them had watched over An Ling’er as she grew up, so naturally they had some sentiments towards her.
“The future Holy Master is no ordinary person…” Xu Hui suddenly said, “I have never met such a young Second Order Transcendent before, have you?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Soaring Heaven Sect… they’ve raised a rare genius. But it’s strange we have never heard anything about him up till now. Such an outstanding youth should be famous throughout the world yet he has somehow managed to remain hidden all this time, it’s seriously incomprehensible! Moreover, he actually brought Her Highness Saintess and escaped from Demon General Xue Li’s hands. I can’t even imagine how he accomplished that.”
“He also escaped from Saintess Nan’s pursuit…”
As these words were spoken, everyone’s heart quietly filled with shock one more.
Having never discuss the matter, no one had paid it much mind, but thinking about it now, it was really an unbelievable feat. A Second Order Transcendent repeatedly escaping from Saint Realm masters determined to capture or kill him, and even bringing another person along with him, this would only be possible with either Heaven defying luck or possessing astonishing methods.
The people gathered here were more inclined to believe it was the latter of the two possibilities, making it even more difficult for them to estimate Yang Kai’s real depths.
Those who became Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land had come from all different walks of life and their aptitudes had ranged from outstanding to below average.
Therefore, even if a particular generation’s Saintesses only brought back a low level Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, Nine Heavens Holy Land was confident it could cultivate them into a top level master, not to mention Yang Kai whose aptitude and starting cultivation were simply a hundred times better than that.
“In any case, we must find a way to let him inherit the position of Holy Master! Without the Holy Master’s Spirit Ring, many critical locations in the Holy Land cannot be opened. This matter cannot be delayed any further!” Xu Hui suddenly declared firmly.
“But isn’t he still unwilling?” Yu Ying frowned, feeling the situation was somewhat awkward.
“So what if he’s not willing? With so many Saint Realm masters here are you saying we can’t even accomplish this?” Shi Kun said, evidently growing impatient.
“Do you want to use force?” Yu Ying’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Shi Kun coldly.
“I also had such intentions!” Xu Hui let out a long breath, “His manner is very firm, and continuing to wait won’t help matters. Given that, we might as well take a gamble and send him into the Holy Tomb!” “
As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s brow wrinkled. It seemed that this Holy Tomb contained danger that caused even Saint Realm master like them some anxiety.
“If… if he can’t come out?” Cheng Yue Tong asked, a hint of worry in her voice, “Ling’er is the only Saintess left in this generation and she has already chosen him so she won’t be able to find a second candidate. If he fails to come out…”
“If he can’t come out, then my Holy Land can only seclude itself from the world and wait for the next generation of Saintesses to mature.”
The next generation of Saintesses had not even been selected yet, so it would be at least twenty years before they could mature. Twenty years may not seem long, but if the Holy Land lacked a Holy Master, no one could obtain the old Holy Master’s Spirit Ring from the Holy Tomb and many important places would be inaccessible. Not having access to these critical locations would be enough to bring down even a colossus like Nine Heavens Holy Land.
This was the reason why for the past two months these Saints had not dared to act rashly, but seeing Yang Kai remain so stubbornly opposed had caused Xu Hui to think twice.
“But he has yet to fully comprehend all of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, how is he supposed to go inside? It is said that the Holy Tomb is the place where the Nine Heavens Divine Skills were created and one needs to be proficient in them in order to enter.”
“He has learned three of the Divine Skills, that should be enough. This is all for my Nine Heavens Holy Land. Even if he is the future Holy Master, if he must be sacrificed then we must not hesitate!” Xu Hui shouted, “If he can come out smoothly, presumably he will be grateful for our decision today!”
“Good!” Shi Kun, Meng Tian Fei and the others nodded in agreement.
No Holy Master had ever come out of the Holy Tomb and not had a sense of belonging to the Holy Land. The reason these Holy Masters who were brought back by the Saintesses dedicated their lives to the Holy Land was inseparable from the secrets contained inside the Holy Tomb.
Although no one here knew what exactly was hidden inside Holy Tomb, they were all well aware of this point.
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong, the two middle-aged beauties both had uncertain expressions on their faces, obviously not fully onboard with this idea, but under the circumstances they knew not to raise any objections here.
Having come to a consensus, this group of Saints quickly took action, preparing to send Yang Kai into the Holy Tomb.
The next day, Yang Kai, who was meditating inside the palace, opened his eyes upon perceiving Xu Hui and the other Elders approaching.
Yang Kai also noticed that something was a little different this time. This time, the ones who had come weren’t only the ones he had seen before, but even some he had never met before.
Although they did their best to conceal it, Yang Kai could sense a kind of solemn and serious mood from these people’s breathing and aura, causing him to become somewhat alert, not knowing what they were planning.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. After Yang Kai allowed them to enter, the door was pushed open and Xu Hui and the other Elders and Protectors all stepped inside.
Yang Kai couldn’t help raising his brow, faintly feeling that Xu Hui was about to tell him something important related to the Holy Master’s position. If not, there would be no need to assemble all of the Holy Land’s masters here.
After exchanging greetings, Xu Hui introduced Yang Kai to the other Elders assembled here, Yang Kai politely greeting them in turn.
“What important matter does Great Elder have to discuss today?” Yang Kai asked bluntly, making no attempt to hide his own wariness.
“Today I want to ask little brother to accompany us to a certain place!” Xu Hui showed a faint smile and said kindly.
“I believe I have toured your entire Nine Peaks region, are there still other places I’ve yet to see?”
“En, my Holy Land has a number of restricted areas that little brother isn’t normally able to see. Today we wish to take you to one of them.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and asked, “Since it is a restricted area, isn’t it inappropriate for an outsider like me to visit it?”
“Little brother is not an outsider, and on top of that, no one may enter this particular place except little brother!” Xu Hui replied solemnly.
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “No one but I can enter. Does that mean that only those qualified to become Holy Master may enter this place you speak of? Heh heh, this matter, can I refuse?”
Xu Hui’s expression became somewhat embarrassed as he cupped his fists and said, “I must ask little brother to forgive our forcefulness. Please accompany us!”
Yang Kai gently sneered, sweeping his eyes over the Saint Realm masters in front of him, secretly estimate what kind of chance he would have if he were to put up a resistance here, quickly dismissing the idea.
There were simply too many people here, and each of them was a powerful Saint. Yang Kai felt that even if he used his full strength he wouldn’t be able to escape from here.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s look relaxed and shrugged his shoulders, “Then… I must ask you to show me the way.”
Hearing this, everyone smiled happily, Xu Hui especially as he quickly motioned, “Please!”
Xu Hui had thought that today there would be have to deal with some unpleasantness with this future Holy Master and had made up his mind to use whatever means necessary should Yang Kai resist to bring the latter to the Holy Tomb.
So it came as a pleasant surprise when Yang Kai actually took a step back and agreed to go with them, allowing him to avoid an awkward situation. After all, if Xu Hui were to displease the future Holy Master today, there was no telling what kind of retaliation he would face in the future.
Once outside the palace, everyone surrounded Yang Kai and quickly flew towards one of the spirit peaks. This group appeared completely casual at the moment but in fact, they were all paying close attention to Yang Kai’s movements; once he showed any signs of resistance, there was no doubt they would immediately take action against him.
“Great Elder, can you tell me where you’re taking me this time?” Yang Kai asked on the way.
Xu Hui hesitated for a moment before honestly replying, “The Holy Tomb!”
“Holy Tomb?” Yang Kai was stunned, “Why does that sound like some kind of burial place?”
“You’re not wrong,” Xu Hui nodded heavily, “When each of my Holy Land’s Holy Masters realize their time of death is approaching, they will enter the Holy Tomb! So it is indeed a burial ground. It is the resting place for all of my Holy Land’s previous Holy Masters!”
“Is it dangerous?” Yang Kai asked with a smiling, seemingly just casually making conversation.
“For any of us, it truly is dangerous. Anyone who is not a candidate to become Holy Master will die if they enter, but for little brother, it can be thought of as a kind of final test!”
“What do you mean?”
Xu Hui once again hesitated to respond.
Seeing this, Yang Kai immediately said, “If you don’t want to say then don’t bother. I don’t have any interest in learning others secrets, especially ones of such importance. The more one knows, the more dangerous it is for them.”
To Yang Kai’s words, Xu Hui smiled awkwardly, “It’s not that it is impossible to say… Since things have reached this point, this old master won’t hide anything from you. Little brother only knows that each new Holy Masters is brought back by the Saintesses from the outside world, but what you may not know is that every time the Saintesses go out to make a selection, more than one candidate is brought back. This is because my Holy Land has several Saintesses in every generation and each of them finds a Holy Master candidate according to their own vision and Secret Art’s induction. Through the installment of each Saintess, these candidates comprehend the Nine Heavens Divine Skills and then enter the Holy Tomb. Only the one who can return from the Holy Tomb alive will then become the true Holy Master!”
“Then it seems I’m quite lucky, there’s no one to compete with me this time,” Yang Kai said sarcastically.
Xu Hui just laughed awkwardly and nodded, “You can say that.”
“What’s inside?” Yang Kai asked, his tone suddenly becoming serious.
“This old master doesn’t know… I only know that it is the place where all previous Holy Masters are buried. Other than that, I know nothing else about what is inside. Not only me, the other Protectors and Elders have no knowledge of what is contained inside the Holy Tomb because only those who have learned the Nine Heavens Divine Skills are eligible to enter!”
“So what you mean is, the Nine Heavens Divine Skills are the key to entering?” Yang Kai asked thoughtfully.
“Most likely; however, what is certain is that there are real dangers inside. Little brother, once you enter, you must be careful, negligence will only result in irredeemable accidents.”
Cheng Yue Tong quickly added here, “Although there are dangers, there are also many benefits.”
“Benefits?” Yang Kai turned to her, his interest immediately piqued, “What kind of benefits? Explain clearly.”
Cheng Yue Tong smiled and continued, “I can’t say for certain, but whenever they needed to enter secluded retreat, all previous Holy Master would choose to do so here, and each time they came out after, their strength would improve greatly. On top of that, each time the old Holy Master entered, he would obtain some fair gains from inside.”
“Indeed, the artifact used by the old Holy Master was brought out from the Holy Tomb. That was a Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact. There aren’t many such artifacts in the entire world!”
“Every artifact used by the previous Holy Masters was similarly powerful, and all of them are buried inside the Holy Tomb. So to speak, this is a big opportunity for little brother. Perhaps you may be able to obtain a useful artifact from inside,” Xu Hui elaborated.
“Saint Grade Top-Rank artifacts? Why didn’t you say so earlier! If you had told me that from the beginning, I’d have already entered that Holy Tomb, there would have been no need for all these games!” Yang Kai suddenly looked very excited.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
“Taking risks is one of the things I enjoy most,” Yang Kai grinned, an unreadable expression appearing on his face, “The more dangerous the place, the more I feel like visiting it, especially places like your Holy Tomb where even surviving is not a certainty!”
Xu Hui’s face twitched upon hearing this, suddenly finding that he couldn’t completely understand Yang Kai.
Xu Hui and the others soon brought Yang Kai to the base of one of the nine peaks.
Yang Kai looked around curiously for a moment but the only thing of note he could see was a flat stone embedded in the mountainside with two magnificent words carved into its slightly mossy surface.
Holy Tomb!
This was obviously the entrance to the Holy Tomb.
Yang Ka’s brow rose. Although he couldn’t see anything with his eyes, he noticed a faint energy fluctuation coming from this stone slab in front of him.
Xu Hui stepped forward and formed a few mysterious hand seals before patting his hand on the stone, causing ripples across its surface, as if a stone had been thrown into a calm lake. A moment later, a hole appeared in the center of the stone.
Upon seeing this hole, Yang Kai couldn’t help calling out in shock, “A Void Corridor!”
Xu Hui gently nodded, “Good. Beyond this lies the Holy Tomb, the final resting place of all previous Holy Masters. Naturally, the inside of the Holy Tomb is a Mysterious Small World. Every perspective Holy Master has to pass this test before officially succeeding the position. Little brother, you must be careful inside. If nothing else, you must bring out the Holy Master’s Spirit Ring which should be with the old Holy Master, it is the key to many important places in the Holy Land.”
“En, you must surely come back alive!” Yu Ying said seriously.
“The Holy Land’s future rests in your hands,” Cheng Yue Tong whispered solemnly.
Everyone else also wore looks of anticipation and concern as they stared at Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Yang Kai just glanced around at them and chuckled, “I think you should instead pray I never come out.”
“Why is that?” Xu Hui asked curiously.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light as he glared at them, “If I come out, I’ll make sure you pay for this!”
Everyone was startled by these words and only now realized just how angered Yang Kai was at being forced to enter the Holy Tomb, but before any of them could say anything, Yang Kai plunged into the Void Corridor and disappeared.
“This future Holy Master is clearly one to hold a grudge… It can’t be he really plans to seek compensation from us after exiting, right?” Shi Kun frowned.
Xu Hui’s expression also fluctuated, letting out a deep sigh a moment later, “It seems his disposition… isn’t very mature.”
“Well, in any case, all of this was Great Elders proposal, we just went along with it. If the future Holy Master really does intend to blame us, Great Elder will be here to shoulder the responsibility!” Meng Tian Fei said, clearly taking some pleasure in Xu Hui’s misfortune.
All the other Saints immediately cast contemptuous looks towards him.
…
Once Yang Kai entered the Holy Tomb, the Void Corridor closed. All around him, fluorescent green wisps floated about, like tiny spirit. A cold breeze gently permeated this space, carrying with it indistinct cries and howls, causing one to shudder.
The ambient light was not bright, leading to limited visibility, but the density of World Energy was quite astonishing, so thick it had almost condensed into a white fog that filled this space.
This Mysterious Small World had richer World Energy than any place Yang Kai had ever seen with the exception of an Earth Vein. It was obvious why each Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Holy Master would choose to enter retreat here.
With this kind of ambient World Energy, one wouldn’t even need to use any pills or Crystal Stones to cultivate; all they’d need to do is breathe.
This was indeed a cultivation paradise, the only drawback being its gloomy atmosphere.
As he observed his surroundings vigilantly, Yang Kai couldn’t help going slightly pale.
In his perception, several powerful energy auras had suddenly appeared and were rapidly moving towards him.
These auras were extremely strange. They seemed to have always been here but only when Yang Kai appeared did they become active.
Before Yang Kai had time to react, these energy auras had already engulfed him.
Yang Kai hurriedly condensed his True Qi into a protective barrier but soon he found that things weren’t what he had expected.
These strange energy auras that had gathered around him weren’t causing him any harm.
Wrinkling his brow, Yang Kai carefully examined these auras and a moment later a look of shock appeared on his face.
He found that there were a total of nine distinct energy auras, each of them containing a profound and abstruse sentiment, similar to a remnant Soul yet seemingly naturally produced.
Three of these energy auras also contained something which felt familiar to Yang Kai.
Carefully probing one of these auras with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai immediately recognized traces of one of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills.
The Profound Heavenly Sword!
Yang Kai’s expression changed and a certain suspicion appeared in his heart. Quickly probing the other two energy auras he felt a sense of familiarity towards, he soon recognized them as insights of the Imprisoning Heaven Chain and Great Heavenly Attraction.
These three Divine Skills were exactly the three moves Yang Kai had learned from An Ling’er, yet now they had appeared in this place.
[So, these nine auras in front of me are the nine, Nine Heavens Divine Skills?] Yang Kai frowned slightly, almost certain of his guess.
That old fart Xu Hui had said that in order to enter the Holy Tomb, one must learn the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, because only if one comprehended the Nine Heavens Divine Skills could they enter safely.
The nine energy auras in front of him should be obstacles meant to test him. Without breaking through them, he couldn’t penetrate further into the Holy Tomb.
Yang Kai instantly understood the mystery of this Holy Tomb. After thinking about it, he sat down cross legged in front of the energy aura that represented the Profound Heavenly Sword.
The Nine Heavens Divine Skills were all quite unusual, they could be displayed as Martial Skill with True Qi or as Soul Skills with Spiritual Energy, something Yang Kai had never encountered before.
If he wanted to break through this barrier, Yang Kai’s only choice was to comprehend and displays all of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense burst forth and his invisible Spiritual energy quickly transformed into a giant sword that cut towards the energy aura in front.
Nothing happened though!
Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense attack had vanished into the energy aura, like a drop of water sinking into a vast sea.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, using his Profound Heavenly Sword a few more times to attack the energy aura yet each time he failed to achieve any noticeable results.
Yang Kai suddenly felt that this test might not be as simple as he originally thought.
After carefully recalling what Xu Hui and the other Saints had said and reviewing everything he had learned about Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai suddenly thought up a possibility.
Could it be that he was not skilled enough at displaying the Nine Heavens Divine Skills causing him to fail to break through the blockade of this energy aura in front of him?
Yang Kai had learned his Nine Heavens Divine Skills from An Ling’er, so his comprehension of them was only as good as hers. An Ling’er was still young so her understanding of the Divine Skills was still somewhat immature. As such, it was reasonable that Yang Kai couldn’t display the full profoundness of the Divine Skills.
Yang Kai had witnessed Saintess Nan using the Profound Heavenly Sword, it was on a completely different level than his own. Obviously Saintess Nan’s comprehension of the Divine Skills had reached an extremely high level.
Moreover, each prospective Nine Heavens Holy Land Holy Master had to enter the Holy Tomb before he could qualify to inherit the position. What was most important though was that those who came before Yang Kai didn’t necessarily have higher strength yet they had passed through the Holy Tomb, so the conditions to clear this test had nothing to do with strength, it only depended on one’s comprehension of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills!
Considering all this, Yang Kai didn’t rush to show his poor Nine Heavens Divine Skills but instead immersed his consciousness in the Profound Heavenly Sword energy aura in front of him, carefully perceiving its mysteries.
As time passed, Yang Kai gained much, repeatedly comprehending the insights contained within the Profound Heavenly Sword energy aura, his understanding of its mysteries constantly deepening, soon becoming so familiar with it; it was as if it had been branded into the depths of his soul.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes again, he discovered he could perceive the various traces within the energy aura in front of him and all of its mysteries and hidden rules had become clear.
Spiritual Energy bursting forth once more, Yang Kai again displayed the Profound Heavenly Sword.
This time, Yang Kai used the purest form of this Nine Heavens Divine Skills, its profoundness several times greater than the one he learned from An Ling’er.
With a great cracking sound, the energy aura in front which was bombarded by Yang Kai’s Profound Heavenly Sword shattered.
A long winding road suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai, leading straight into the depths of the Holy Tomb.
Yang Kai smiled slightly and instantly understood the mysteries behind this Holy Tomb.
For those who entered here that hadn’t practiced the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, they would likely be torn to dust by these nine energy auras, but those who had were different. As long as one could crack any of these energy auras, they could then find their way out.
On top of that, the more of these energy auras one solved, the clearer their path and the safer they would be!
What Xu Hui said was right, the Nine Heavens Divine Skills were indeed the key to entering the Holy Tomb.
Yang Kai didn’t immediately rush forward but instead turned his attention to the other energy auras.
In any case, he had been forced into the Holy Tomb by Xu Hui and the others. If he didn’t fish enough benefits from here before going out, wouldn’t that be too much of a waste?
Each of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills was incredibly powerful and profound. After seeing Saintess Nan display them multiple times, Yang Kai had already had ideas about learning them. Now that such a good opportunity had appeared in front of him, how could he simply pass it up?
Not to mention that by solving more of these energy auras, Yang Kai would be safer in this place.
Making up his mind, Yang Kai immediately began to spy on the mysteries of the other two Nine Heavens Divine Skills he was familiar with.
Four days later, he cracked the Imprisoning Heaven Chain energy aura, then three days after that the Great Heavenly Attraction energy aura was solved…
After that point, Yang Kai’s pace slowed noticeably. The first three Divine Skills he had already learned a fair deal about from An Ling’er so his starting proficiency was quite high. The remaining six though, were Divine Skills he had never studied before, naturally this meant Yang Kai had to start from scratch. It was fortunate that these energy auras contained all the mysteries of the Divine Skills within them, so all he had to do was study and comprehend.
Cultivation knew no years. This saying was not false, as Yang Kai immersed himself in the Nine Heavens Divine Skills inside the Holy Tomb, he quickly lost track of time. On the other hand, the Elders and Protectors outside the Holy Tomb quickly began to worry.
For the first few days after Yang Kai entered, all of them held great expectations, hoping he would suddenly emerge from the Holy Tomb, bring with him the Holy Master’s Spirit Ring, and inherit the position of Holy Master.
Ten days later, everyone became slightly anxious, although none of them said anything out loud; all of them began wondering if Yang Kai had encountered some kind of difficulties inside.
A month later, everyone’s expression had become dignified.
Two months later, despair appeared on their faces and forlorn sighs could be heard frequently.
Three months, four months…
As time passed, fewer and fewer Elders and Protectors remained here, all of them now believing it was impossible for Yang Kai to appear before them again.
Every Holy Master candidate who entered the Holy Tomb had to pass this test. This was well documented in Nine Heavens Holy Land’s historical records.
Xu Hui and the other Elders naturally knew that this process would take some time.
The fastest time a candidate had cleared the Holy Tomb’s test was fifteen days, while the slowest one took two months.
However, it had now been four months since Yang Kai entered the Holy Tomb and there was no sign of him, this led Xu Hui and the others to believe Yang Kai was already dead.
The various Protectors and Elders all sighed heavily as they departed one by one; they all held important positions and had many things to deal with, how could they continue to wait here in vain?
Even Xu Hui, who had initiated this matter, left after four months.
Only An Ling’er remained outside the Holy Tomb.
Three days after Yang Kai entered the Holy Tomb, An Ling’er learned of this incident, but even though she immediately rushed over and openly complained to Xu Hui and the other elders, there was nothing that could be done.
These past four months she had been waiting here, but no matter how eager she was, Yang Kai never appeared.
On a certain day, two beautiful women, Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong, came together and saw An Ling’er still standing outside Holy Tomb, causing the two of them to sigh.
“This little girl, she’s still waiting here,” Yu Ying said faintly.
“We were too anxious, not only have we ruined our Holy Land’s one hope, we also destroyed a bright young man’s future,” Cheng Yue Tong’s pretty face also flashed a trace of embarrassment and remorse.
“What use is saying this now? When Great Elder made this proposal, we didn’t raise any objections, all of us carry some responsibility,” Yu Ying slowly shook her head. “Fortunately, the one this little girl sent to deliver a message to Soaring Heaven Sect was intercepted by Great Elder, otherwise, if Soaring Heaven Sect were to learn about this, they would certainly not let our Holy Land off.”
“En, such an outstanding young talent, no matter which Sect he belonged to, would be vigorously cultivated,” Cheng Yue Tong said with a hint of anxiety.
Right now, Nine Heavens Holy Land was now suffering from many external troubles, if they suddenly made enemies of Soaring Heaven Sect as well, it was likely they would need to immediately activate the Nine Peaks Array and isolate themselves from the outside world. If that were to happen, even if they raised a new generation of Saintesses, they would not be able to leave to seek out a new Holy Master.
“In the end, did we think too highly of him, or did he just happen to have bad luck?” Yu Ying sighed, “Each of the past Holy Master candidates received some advice and guidance from the previous Holy Master before entering the Holy Tomb, but this time he had to dive in completely unprepared, it must have been too difficult for him…”
“Let’s go take a look,” Cheng Yue Tong said, stepping forward.
A moment later, the two of them arrived in front of the Holy Tomb. An Ling’er, who heard movement behind her, turned her head and saw them arrive, nodding her head slightly to greet them before turning around again.
In the past, An Ling’er and these two female Elders were quite close, but the relationship between them had now grown a bit cold, obviously as a result of them forcing Yang Kai to enter the Holy Tomb.
Exchanging a somewhat depressed glance with one another, Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong didn’t know how to comfort this young girl and instead stood there staring at the entrance to the Holy Tomb awkwardly.
After a long silence, Yu Ying finally spoke up, “Ling’er, don’t wait any longer, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to come out.”
An Ling’er just shook her head in response.
“Listen to us, go back and rest, you’ve been waiting here for four months already,” Cheng Yue Tong also advised.
“He will come out,” An Ling’er said solemnly in a firm tone.
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong were stunned for a moment before the two of them wore forced smiles and asked, “How do you know that? No Holy Master has ever taken so long to return from the Holy Tomb.”
An Ling’er just confidently said, “Just because others couldn’t, doesn’t mean he can’t. None of you have witnessed his skill, so it’s only natural for you to think that way, but I know he will come out.”
The two beautiful women narrowed their eyes and tentatively asked, “What kind of skill does he possess to makes you evaluate him so highly?”
Although Yang Kai’s aptitude was obviously uncommon and his strength wasn’t bad, the two middle-aged beauties had never actually seen him take action so naturally they didn’t know his true depths. An Ling’er on the other hand was different, the time she spent with Yang Kai was not short, so she was obviously clearer on his details.
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong suddenly became somewhat curious and wanted to find out more from An Ling’er.
“I can’t explain it too well, but he can always manage to pull off miracles one after another. Surprising those around him to no end. On top of that, he said… even if it doesn’t enter my Holy Land, he will reach the same height as the old Holy Master within thirty years!”
“The same height?” Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong both wore stunned expressions, “The peak Third Order Saint Realm?”
An Ling’er nodded sincerely.
Yu Ying smiled wryly, “He is now a Second Order Transcendent, wanting to become a Third Order Saint within thirty years… I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
“En, there aren’t many Third Order Saints in the entire world,” Cheng Yue Tong also smiled, the two women apparently thinking that Yang Kai was just shamelessly boasting.
Both of them were well aware of how difficult it was to improve one’s strength after reaching the Transcendent Realm. Their aptitudes were considered excellent, or else it would be impossible for them to have reached the Saint Realm, but even they had trouble progressing now.
Even if Yang Kai’s aptitude exceeded their own; impossible things were still impossible.
In this world, which Third Order Saint was not at least a hundred years old? Even if they looked young, each one of them had experienced the long passage of time and only through constant accumulation had they reached their current height.
Yang Kai seemed to only be in his twenties, saying he could reach such a level within thirty years, wasn’t that like saying he could stand at the top of this world at only fifty years old?
Reaching the Saint Realm before one turned one hundred was extremely rare, a fifty year old Third Order Saint was simply impossible!
[Youthful ignorance!] Both Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong pursed their lips, thinking Yang Kai was just a boy who didn’t understand the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
“Why are you smiling like that?” An Ling’er turned and stared at them angrily, “Since he dared to say that, he can certainly achieve it. Just you wait, within thirty years he will definitely become a Third Order Saint.”
“He needs to come out from inside the Holy Tomb first,” Yu Ying frowned slightly, turning a worried look towards An Ling’er, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Ling’er, do you like him that much? Otherwise, how could you speak like that about him?”
An Ling’er’s face immediately went bright red as she hung her head in embarrassment.
“I don’t hate him…” After a moment of silence, An Ling’er whispered softly, “But more than that, I feel guilty towards him. I was the one who involved him in all of this, if I hadn’t taught him the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, he wouldn’t have encountered so much misfortune and he wouldn’t have been forced into the Holy Tomb by all of you. He should have had a better future…”
“That was our decision, it has nothing to do with you,” Yu Ying sighed, assuming full responsibility here.
“Elders, can I ask something of you?” An Ling’er suddenly raised her head and spoke with a deep seriousness.
“Speak,” Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong nodded lightly.
“If… if he can return from the Holy Tomb, can you let him leave? He truly doesn’t want to remain here,” An Ling’er smiled bitterly, “Perhaps for others, becoming Holy Master of the Holy Land is a dream come true, but for him, it is nothing but a shackle. Forcing him to stay here does not have any advantage to him, do you really want to obtain a Holy Master who so wholeheartedly rejects the Holy Land?”
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong’s brows furrowed, exchanging awkward glances with one another, unable to simply agree to this request, causing them to feel somewhat embarrassed.
An Ling’er continued, “Don’t both of you think he won’t ever come out? That since he died he won’t reveal any of the Holy Land’s secrets? Since that’s the case, what difference is that with complying with this?”
“This… this has to be discussed with Great Elder,” Yu Ying smiled reluctantly; “We can’t take responsibility for such a decision.”
“I can promise you!” A loud voice suddenly came from afar, a streak of light rushing over and the figure of Great Elder Xu Hui appearing in front of Holy Tomb.
“Great Elder,” Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong greeted hastily.
Xu Hui nodded lightly before turning to look at An Ling’er, “Your Highness Saintess, what you just said, I can promise you!”
“Really?” An Ling’er smiled happily.
“En, Elder Yu and Elder Cheng can testify to it!” Xu Hui said, nodding firmly, “Of course, the premise is that he can come out, and he really does not want to become Holy Master!”
“He should not be willing.”
“That may not be the case…” Xu Hui smiled meaningfully, “Perhaps when he comes out, there will be no need for us to ask and he will take the initiative to inherit the position of Holy Master… no Holy Master candidate who has ever successfully left the Holy Tomb has not pledged their life to the Holy Land.”
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong eyes flashed slight as smiles appeared on their faces.
Although none of them knew what mysteries were hidden inside the Holy Tomb, what Great Elder Xu Hui said just now was true. Every Holy Master candidate who returned from the Holy Tomb wholeheartedly considered the Holy Land his home and worked tirelessly to support it, even if they had come from a completely different Sect or family.
“Does Great Elder also think he can return?” An Ling’er focused on this point, her eyes shining brilliantly.
“I hope so…” Xu Hui slowly shook his head, “But I don’t think there’s much of a chance.”
“Just wait; he’ll definitely give all of you a surprise!” An Ling’er gently clenched her fist.
The three Elders all looked at her curiously, not knowing why she was so confident that Yang Kai, who had entered the Holy Tomb for more than four months, could return safely.
……
Inside the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai let out a low shout and a burst of Spiritual Energy surged up from his Knowledge Sea before slamming into a mass of energy floating in front of him.
Accompanied by the crisp cracking sound, the last of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills energy auras shattered and all of its profound insights flowed back into Yang Kai’s mind, allowing him to thoroughly comprehend it.
Profound Heavenly Sword, Imprisoning Heaven Chain, Great Heavenly Attraction, Capturing Heaven Net, Heaven Covering Hand, Punishing Heaven Spear, Grand Heavenly Shield, Flickering Heavenly Shadow, Scarlet Heavenly Arrow…
All of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, now seemingly incomparably familiar. These nine Divine Skills were astounding, far superior to any Martial Skill or Soul Skill Yang Kai had previously encountered.
After such a long period immersed in their study, Yang Kai had mastered the Nine Heavens Divine Skills.
Also, with the World Energy aura in this place being extremely rich, by practicing here for several months, Yang Kai had not just become proficient in the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, but he had also made great progress in his cultivation.
Every time he broke through one of the Nine Heavens Divine Skill energy auras, the road in front of Yang Kai became clearer and more spacious. After fully comprehending all nine of them and shattering the last energy aura, the entire Mysterious Small World seemed to become brighter, allowing Yang Kai to see the full extent of the Holy Tomb.
Releasing his Divine Sense to explore his surroundings, Yang Kai suddenly showed a surprised expression.
The World Energy was so rich that Yang Kai originally thought that this Mysterious Small World was extremely vast, but from what he could tell, it was actually only about as large as a mid-sized town. This was without a doubt the smallest Mysterious Small World Yang Kai had ever seen.
Yang Kai couldn’t fathom where the near inexhaustible supply of World Energy was coming from in such a tiny space. It was almost as if there was some great source of World Energy which was constantly yet undetectably being poured into this Mysterious Small World.
Throughout the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai sensed all kinds of dangerous Spirit Arrays. These arrays all gave off potent energy fluctuations and radiated a dangerous aura. Once someone accidentally touched one, they would likely suffer a terrifying attack.
Yang Kai could now see through all of this, that was how clear his surroundings had become. It was likely related to the Nine Heavens Divine Skill energy auras he had shattered before, the more of them that were broken, the more traps were revealed.
Yang Kai had shattered all nine energy auras, so naturally he could see all the mysteries hidden inside the Holy Tomb.
Not far away, there were several skeletons scattered about, their flesh already completely gone and their possessions all turned to dust.
These skeletons should have been the Holy Master candidates who had entered the Holy Tomb in the past but had failed to pass the test and died here. From what Yang Kai could tell, these skeletons’ ages varied greatly and were spread out across the entire Holy Tomb, their number not small.
In addition, there were a number of large coffins which placed in different locations around the Holy Tomb.
These coffins were all different shapes and colours, but one thing they shared in common was the grim aura they emitted.
Yang Kai quietly condensed his True Qi to guard against any accidents and walked towards the nearest coffin.
Quickly arriving in front of this coffin, Yang Kai found that it was no covered and inside there was a neatly dressed, handsome, middle-aged male corpse.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as his eyes were attracted to a bronze ring on the corpses’ left hand.
Standing beside the coffin for a long time, Yang Kai eventually determined that there was no hidden dangers and reached out his hand to touch this ring.
If his guess was right, this ring should be the Holy Master’s Spirit Ring that Xu Hui had mentioned.
All previous Holy Masters would enter the Holy Tomb with the Holy Master Spirit Ring when they felt their time of death was approaching, and the next Holy Master’s first and most important task was to retrieve this ring from the Holy Tomb.
This was because this ring was related to the operation of the entire Nine Heavens Holy Land, without it, many important places were inaccessible.
Also, from the condition of this corpse, it was obvious it had died just recently.
It was absolutely the previous generation’s Holy Master!
A Third Order Saint Realm master, only living a short three hundred years before dying of old age, throughout the entire world, such a phenomenon could only be found in Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Observing this man for a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning slightly, thinking that if he were to become the master of this place, three hundred years later this would be his fate.
A pitiful and lamentable prospect.
After removing the ring from the fingers of the previous generation’s Holy Master, Yang Kai examined it carefully but soon shook his head. He couldn’t recognize what this ring was made of and could only say that it was some kind of special artifact because inside the ring there some vague energy fluctuations which even after thousands of years did not seem likely to dissipate.
These energy fluctuations were odd and seemed to follow some inexplicable law Yang Kai couldn’t quite make sense of.
As he was staring at it, Yang Kai suddenly felt a powerful suction force emerge from the ring. It was as if a big invisible hand had appeared, broke through space, and dove straight into the depths of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, causing his Soul to shudder slightly.
“Great Heavenly Attraction!” Yang Kai paled, instantly recognizing the burst of energy from the Spirit Ring as one of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills and quickly trying to resist, but before he could even blink, a dim light flashed and he felt something disappear from his Knowledge Sea.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt a subtle connection between himself and the Holy Master Spirit Ring.
Yang Kai’s face became gloomy as he stood there, staring at the Holy Master Spirit Ring in his hand, wishing he could immediately destroy it.
Great Heavenly Attraction could forcefully remove another’s Soul brand, allowing one to control it. Yang Kai had initially caught An Ling’er off guard and used this trick to obtain her Soul brand. With it, Yang Kai gained control over whether An Ling’er lived or died and could even spy on the changes in her mood.
However, at this moment, this Holy Master Spirit Ring had used the Great Heavenly Attraction to obtain Yang Kai’s Soul brand.
Needless to say, this was something the previous generation’s Holy Master had secretly arranged.
A move made by a Third Order Saint was not something Yang Kai could resist or dispel.
This also meant that if Yang Kai were to throw away this ring, he would also be throwing away his Soul brand. Once it was obtained by an enemy, it would be equivalent to seizing control of Yang Kai’s life.
Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing repeatedly. Originally he planned on taking this Holy Master Spirit Ring and use it as a bargaining chip to obtain his freedom from Xu Hui, but now, this Holy Master Spirit Ring was his and absolutely couldn’t be handed over to someone else.
Yang Kai’s mood suddenly became awful.
Before Yang Kai could compose himself though, from the body of the previous generation Holy Master in the coffin, a huge wave of energy rushed out.
At the same time, from all the coffins inside the Holy Tomb, similar waves of energy burst forth and rushed towards Yang Kai.
It was as if they were being drawn towards Yang Kai somehow.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt his Knowledge Sea’s defenses torn apart and these masses of energy pour into his head, causing his consciousness to become chaotic.
Yang Kai went pale and didn’t dare hesitate, quickly sitting down cross legged and immersing his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea.
In his Soul Avatar form, Yang Kai swiftly examined his Knowledge Sea and found that it was now turbulent and stormy. It seemed that his Knowledge Sea had automatically responded to this invasion by counterattacking.
The sea of flames roared as waves crashed back and forth, battering these invaders which seemed to instinctively fear Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and were fleeing in all directions.
While they were rushing about, these invaders were releasing invisible spiritual energy fluctuations towards Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar.
Yang Kai immediately wore a suspicious expression, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the energy masses which had rushed into his Knowledge Sea, his mind gradually stabilizes.
The roaring sea water and flames also calmed down.
From what Yang Kai could see, these energy masses were actually the wills of the old Nine Heavens Holy Land Holy Masters. Strictly speaking, they were remnant Souls.
However, Yang Kai couldn’t sense any conscious thought from these Soul remnants; they seemed to only be autonomously completing some final task their previous owners had set at their time of death.
These energy masses didn’t have any hostile intent and were simply releasing continuous bursts of Spiritual Energy towards Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar, seemingly trying to convey something.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to lower his Soul’s defences and accepting whatever it was that these Soul remnants were trying to instill into him.
After a while, Yang Kai’s expression became strange.
Unlike what he expected, these Soul remnants weren’t trying to teach him some kind of Secret Art or Martial Skill, but rather were trying to apply some kind of brainwashing to him.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s views towards Nine Heavens Holy Land underwent some subtle changes, suddenly feeling like staying here wouldn’t be so bad. By becoming Holy Master he would not only gain great wealth and status, he would be able to command thousands of disciples and arrive at the peak of Martial Dao in the shortest time. It was far better than trying hard on his own.
Such thoughts caused Yang Kai’s will to soften and a sense of laziness to take over. He also felt that the remnant Souls of the past Holy Masters were warm and friendly and that he wanted to hear more of their teachings.
However, a sense of deep repulsion soon emerged from the depth of his soul. His heart clenching from those thoughts and Yang Kai quickly cut off the connection of his Soul Avatar with them. He hastily expelled all these misleading thoughts, turning a cold eye to the Soul remnants floating around him.
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai sneered, his eyes flashing a cold light.
Yang Kai had always been curious about why the Holy Masters brought back by the Saintesses would be so willing to join the Holy Land, even if it meant their lives would be greatly shortened. It turns out they were indoctrinated by these Soul remnants inside the Holy Tomb.
If not for his Soul being far stronger than normal, it was likely Yang Kai would have followed in these people’s footsteps and been completely brainwashed within an hour or two.
The Spiritual Energy bursts emanating from the Soul remnants of these previous Holy Masters had a strong enticement to them. Under their influence, anyone would quickly feel a sense of connection and affection towards Nine Heavens Holy Land, regarding it as their own home and a place they needed to protect.
Even the strongest of the previous Holy Master candidates who entered the Holy Tomb and passed its test were merely First Order Transcendents, so their Souls weren’t very strong. But Yang Kai was different, his cultivation was far stronger and his Spiritual Energy was even stronger than that, giving him a certain ability to resist this kind of spiritual attack.
Additionally, he had never wanted to become Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, allowing him to quickly come to his senses.
Understanding all of this, Yang Kai suddenly became fearless. If it was some other kind of restriction or technique, he might be worried, but the biggest mistake the remnant Souls of these previous Holy Masters was diving into his Knowledge Sea.
In this place, only he was the master!
Trying to communicate with the remnant Souls, Yang Kai didn’t receive any response. These previous Holy Masters had died long ago and these remnant Souls had simply been preserved in this place via some strange method, but none of their consciousness remained, they simply carried out this one task mechanically.
The mental attacks of these Soul remnants continued uninterrupted, using all kinds of appeasement and inducement, trying to shake Yang Kai’s Soul, causing him to gradually grow impatient. After failing to communicate with them, Yang Kai decided to put an end to this once and for all and opened the Demon Eye of Annihilation floating over his Knowledge Sea.
The golden eye stared down at these Soul remnants like a majestic king before shooting out a beam of golden light.
With a great whoosh, all the remnant Souls of these once powerful Third Order Saints were instantly purified.
Inside the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai spent a few days meditating as he absorbed the essence of the Nine Heavens Holy Land’s previous Holy Masters’ remnant Souls.
His harvest was unimaginably huge!
Although Yang Kai’s cultivation realm hadn’t changed at all, because he assimilated the sentiments and insights of so many Third Order Saint Realm masters, his understanding of his future path had become incomparably clear.
As long as his physique and True Qi could keep up, his cultivation would be able to advance without any worries. It could be said that before becoming a Third Order Saint, he would not encounter any bottlenecks when trying to break through.
Such fortune was something all cultivators could only dreams of.
The reason why it was so difficult to break through to higher realms was that every time one reached a critical point, they would encounter bottlenecks. If they failed to spy on the mysteries of the next realm, they would forever be unable to break through.
All cultivators encountered bottlenecks along their path, preventing them from advancing further. Even those favoured Sons of Heaven with incredible aptitude who rapidly progressed and caused the world to marvel at their talent when they were young, would often times later in life encounter insurmountable bottlenecks and find themselves unable to advance any further.
If they encountered some kind of opportunity or if their luck was good enough to break through that bottleneck though, their strength would increase sharply.
So, bottlenecks were something that every cultivator worried about, and no matter who it was, they would encounter at least some in their pursuit of the Martial Dao.
Yang Kai had also encountered several bottlenecks in the past and only after overcoming several life and death situations had he managed to surmount them.
But from now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about this problem. Before becoming a Third Order Saint, his cultivation path would be smooth.
Letting out a gentle breath, Yang Kai stood up and felt that his entire world had undergone some subtle changes, a sense of connection and understanding permeating his soul, giving him a wondrous and mysterious feeling.
Suddenly, from the coffin in front of him, Yang Kai felt some faint energy fluctuations, and after inspecting this anomaly for a moment, a smile appeared on his face.
Upon direction a thread of his Divine Sense towards the source of the energy fluctuations, a stream of light burst forth from the coffin and flew straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stuck out his hand and the stream of light landed on his palm; examining it, it turned out to be a small silver leaf.
The veins on this leaf were distinct and lifelike, as if it had just been plucked from a tree, but this seemingly simple and delicate leaf was actually radiating a shocking aura!
Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact!
Xu Hui and the other Elders had said that the artifact used by the previous Holy Master was of this grade, and that there weren’t many like it throughout the entire world.
This Silver Leaf artifact bore the Soul mark of the previous generation Holy Master, but since Yang Kai had purified all the remnant Souls of the previous Holy Masters with his Demon Eye of Annihilation and absorbed their essence, naturally he could control their leftover Soul marks.
In other words, if there were any artifacts left in any of these coffins, Yang Kai could easily obtain them without worrying about any kind of backlash.
Yang Kai had never seen an artifact like this one, but the variety of artifacts throughout the world were many and they came in all shapes and sizes. This Silver Leaf obviously possessed incredible power but since he had not refined it, Yang Kai couldn’t be clear about its use, so for now he simply stored it into his Black Book space.
Avoiding the various arrays and barriers inside the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai eagerly walked towards the second coffin.
He intended to sweep this place clean!
Making his way around, Yang Kai reaped a great harvest once again. These coffins all belonged to previous Holy Masters who were top level powerhouses, so naturally the artifacts they used were outstanding as well.
Almost every coffin had at least one Saint Grade artifact, most of them Mid-Rank with a small number only Low-Rank. Unfortunately, the only Top-Rank Yang Kai obtained was the Silver Leaf, showing just how rare such powerful artifacts were.
Although these artifacts were all not bad, Yang Kai actually wasn’t that interested in them. These swords, halberds, and spears weren’t suitable for him to use as he had never studied any weapon techniques, he was more accustomed to using his own hands and feet when it came to fighting.
The only item which drew Yang Kai’s attention was a dark red Armour Artifact. This armour was light yet dazzling and had a beautiful design. It could absolutely withstand the attacks of a lower level Saint Realm masters.
This armour was designed for a woman. Yang Kai was certain of this as he had taken it off a female corpse.
The coffin where he had found this armour was different from the others. There were two skeletons lying inside of it, one of them a previous Holy Master and the other one of the Saintesses from that generation. The two of them were embracing one another, even in death, causing even Yang Kai to let out a faint sigh.
This Armour artifact would actually make a good gift, whether it was for Su Yan or Xia Ning Chang.
Thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai decided to collect it as well.
Soon, Yang Kai stopped in front of the last coffin, but what made him surprised was that there was no trace of any artifacts inside, and unlike all the others, this coffin was actually sealed shut and encased in multiple layers of barriers. These barriers had obviously been in place for many, many years and were thus showing some signs of degradation.
Also, for some unknown reason, when Yang Kai stood in front of this coffin, he felt the blood stir and his heartbeat become stronger. It was as if something inside the coffin was calling out to his blood.
After staring for a while with a frown upon his face, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Because of the barriers, he couldn’t effectively investigate the inside of the coffin to figure out what was happening.
However, only this coffin was sealed, making it obvious that this particular Holy Master didn’t want others to open it and investigate the secrets hidden inside.
If it weren’t for his strange induction, Yang Kai also would have simply let things be as he didn’t sense any artifacts inside, but now he couldn’t bring himself to simply ignore it.
Even though he tried, Yang Kai couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai’s expression became firm and he lifted his hand and punched towards the coffin, sending out a burst of True Qi.
The barrier set up by a Third Order Saint, in theory, would be impossible for Yang Kai to break, but this Holy Master had died countless years ago so the barrier was now nowhere near its peak strength.
It took Yang Kai less than half an hour to break through all the barriers.
As the last rays of light faded, the final barrier sealing the coffin lost its effect. Yang Kai took a deep breath, reached out and unsealed it.
After a putrid gas leaked out, the skeleton that appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes causing him a great deal of shock.
This skeleton was severely damaged, with broken bones and fractures all over. From what Yang Kai could tell, over eighty percent of this skeleton’s bones had some kind of injury on them.
Yang Kai was astonished!
Every Holy Master lying here was a peak Third Order Saint, and this one was no exception. When one reached such a realm, their flesh and bones would become incredibly tough and very few attacks could damage them.
However, the scene in front of Yang Kai showed that this Holy Master had fought with a powerful enemy before he died and regardless of whether he won or lost, had actually taken a severe beating. The reason why this master had died was definitely related to these injuries!
What kind of person could kill a peak Third Order Saint?
Somewhat absent minded, Yang Kai’s gaze drifted over the broken skeleton and eventually landed on a jet black bottle.
Before he died, this Holy Master had folded his hands and tightly held this black bottle to his chest. This bottle also had several restrictions on it and was clearly trying to seal something inside.
A terrifying energy pulsed from this bottle, immediately making Yang Kai feel like his whole body was throbbing.
*Kacha…*
A crisp sound rang out suddenly. It seemed like when Yang Kai broke the barrier around the coffin, he had caused the contents of the bottle to become unstable and at this moment it was violently rampaging, trying to break free of its prison.
The black bottle couldn’t bear such strain and within moments countless cracks appeared on its surface while the light from the seals also began to fade.
Yang Kai stood by and watch, not making any attempt to interfere. He faintly felt that whatever was inside the bottle had something to do with him.
Together with the scene in front of him, he even had some guesses as to what was happening.
*Kacha…*
With a crack, the black bottle shattered and a brilliant golden light burst forth, brightly illuminating the entire Holy Tomb.
The various barriers and Spirit Arrays all over the Holy Tomb were smashed by this golden light and ceased to function.
A terrifying Demonic Qi, centered on the golden light, erupted into the surroundings, sending all the scattered coffins hurtling through the air before causing them to explode, turning all the skeletons of the previous Holy Masters into dust.
Yang Kai stared intently at the golden light, his expression fluctuating as he muttered under his breath, “Demon God Golden Blood?”
From the golden light Yang Kai could smell a strong bloody scent; there was no doubt this was a drop of blood. Moreover, this drop of blood was like the purest molten gold. It exuded a rich Demonic aura that made even Yang Kai fearful. To actually be grasped by a deceased Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, besides being a drop of Demon God Golden Blood, Yang Kai couldn’t think of any other possibilities!
Why was there a drop of Demon God Golden Blood here thought? What kind of relationship was there between his Holy Master and the legendary Great Demon God?
Before Yang Kai could organize his thoughts though, the drop of Demon God Golden Blood floating in front of him, as if having discovered its target, suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a golden afterimage and it rushed directly towards Yang Kai’s brow, entering his forehead and disappearing before he could react.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression twisted.
The golden blood in his veins seemed to have been hyper-stimulated and was on the rampaging wildly. This quickly spread to his meridians and physique, causing multiple explosions all over his body. Within a few breaths, Yang Kai was covered in wounds and his whole body felt as if it was on fire, causing him unbearable pain.
A dazzling golden light shrouded Yang Kai. Unable to bear the pain, Yang Kai lifted his head and roared as this Mysterious Small World was filled with a thick bloody aura, transforming it into a strange red and golden space.
Yang Kai’s Unyielding Golden Skeleton squirmed and creaked as the Demonic Qi stored inside it burst forth and transformed into Demon Crests covering his skin, disappearing into his physique in the next instant.
The red and gold Mysterious Small World was suddenly submerged in a thick darkness without a single trace of light.
Inside this darkness, Yang Kai grit his teeth and trembled, his skin filled with cracks as red blood oozed out onto the ground.
However, in front of his eyes, a series of illusory scenes began unfolding, depicting an earth-shattering battle.
Yang Kai didn’t open his eyes nor did he use his senses to try to perceive anything, yet the scenes of this battle still vividly appeared in his consciousness.
Soon, Yang Kai found himself drawn in by this battle, even forgetting the extreme pain he was experiencing, all his attention focused on it.
The battle was between two extremely powerful masters, every move they made containing unimaginable power. It was as if these two really had the power to destroy the world.
One of them was a man who gave off a shocking Demonic Qi while the other was a temperate middle-aged man.
The appearance of the former was familiar to Yang Kai, and after thinking about it for a moment, his eyes lit up and immediately understood who this master surrounded by Demonic Qi was.
The Great Demon God!
This was the Great Demon God!
Yang Kai had seen the statue of the Great Demon God back in the Mysterious Small World where the Ancient Demon Clan lived; it was very similar to the person in front of him, practically identical.
The Great Demon God was a legendary existence; during his time, no one was his opponent, the recognized first master under Heaven! Under his command, the Demon Race reigned supreme and even the Human Race with its superior population had to bow and give way.
Since then, no leader of the Demon Race dared to use the title Demon God, all of them instead calling themselves Demon Commander, such was the extent of their worship and respect towards the Great Demon God.
It was said that there was once a Demon Commander who in his arrogance named himself Demon god, and as a result, within a few days, was besieged and killed by his own subordinates.
From this it was obvious just how much influence and prestige the Great Demon God still had in the Demon Race even after his fall.
However, the scene in front of Yang Kai was probably from before the Great Demon God matured and reached that peak. Even so, the masters who could fight one on one with him were still extremely rare.
This middle-aged man was one such person!
He was that era’s Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land! The one whose body Yang Kai had discovered broken and shattered within the sealed coffin.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling somewhat agitated. He didn’t know why he could see this battle which had occurred countless years ago, but he faintly felt it was related to the drop of Demon God Blood. Perhaps the Demon God’s Golden Blood carried with it some memories of the Great Demon God.
The Great Demon God and the Holy Master of the time were both Third Order Saints, it was truly a showdown between peak level masters.
What lead to this battle, Yang Kai didn’t know, by the time he began observing the two masters were already engaged in an intense struggle, both of them holding nothing back.
From the ground to the sky, the sky to the Starry Sky, and then back to the ground from Starry Sky, the scene changed rapidly as the two fought. Their strength seemed even, neither one of them gaining any advantage over the other.
The more Yang Kai watched, the more enthralled he became, unable to think of anything else.
Being able to witness such a high level battle had great benefits to his growth. The Juniors of great forces would often be taken by their Seniors to observe the battles of high-level cultivators so they could witness what true combat looked like, hopefully allowing them to gain some form of inspiration or insight in the process.
It could be said that the scene in front of Yang Kai was a rare opportunity!
The methods these two men used in their battle caused Yang Kai to sink into contemplation while fixedly observing them.
After an unknown amount of time passed, the stalemate between the two men was gradually broken.
Whether the Holy Master made some slight mistake or he couldn’t see a path to victory and his momentum faded, he suddenly found himself at a disadvantage.
The Great Demon God on the other hand was like a raging beast, taking this opportunity to ruthlessly suppress his opponent.
As Yang Kai watched this battle with great relish, the picture in front of him suddenly changed again. Probably because so much time had passed, the memories stored in the Demon God’s Golden Blood weren’t very coherent.
When the vision stabilized again, Yang Kai saw that the battle had already been decided. That generation’s Holy Master coughed up a large amount of blood and his face went pale, his figure quickly transforming into a streak of light as he fled from the Great Demon God.
Before leaving though, he took with him a drop of the blood from the Great Demon God.
The Great Demon God just stood in place, staring coldly and arrogantly towards the retreating figure, not showing any intention to pursue, a moment later his figure also fading away.
The scene in his mind was then cut off…
Yang Kai let out a long breath and slowly calmed his racing heart.
He had never expected he would one day witness the Great Demon God in such a way. Since coming to Tong Xuan Realm, he had heard many legends about this man from many different people and knew that he was somehow inextricably linked with himself.
The Unyielding Golden Skeleton was from the Great Demon God’s body and the Demon Eye of Annihilation was once his eyes, even the Wordless Black Book had been created by him. Unfortunately so many years had passed since the Great Demon God’s time so Yang Kai never had a chance to witness his true strength.
However, now he had.
The inheritance left behind by the Great Demon God had been of great help to Yang Kai’s growth, but Yang Kai felt that he would not be bound by the Great Demon God’s path. On the contrary, Yang Kai was convinced that he could one day exceed the Great Demon God and arrive at a height far surpassing his past achievements.
Only by doing so could he live up to inheritance he received and also prove that all he had obtained was not simply given to him by the Great Demon God.
After watching this great battle, Yang Kai finally understood what had happened to the Holy Master inside this last coffin.
The wounds this Holy Master’s bones suffered should have been caused by the Great Demon God. After that battle, the former had returned to the Holy Land and soon after passed away. The reason he had left behind a drop of Demon God Golden Blood was likely because he couldn’t accept this outcome.
This series of coincidences led to Yang Kai accidentally obtaining this drop of Demon God Golden Blood and being able to observe such a fierce battle.
Inside the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. The darkness that had permeated this space had faded and the original gloomy atmosphere had been restored.
Examining himself, Yang Kai was slightly surprised.
Although he had suffered numerous injuries all over his body, with his powerful restorative abilities, such wounds were irrelevant. What he cared about though was that because he had absorbed a drop of Demon God Golden Blood, the blood flowing through his veins had undergone significant changes.
The amount of golden blood Yang Kai possessed increased noticeably and the Demonic Qi which filled his Unyielding Golden Skeleton had become even more potent.
Additionally, he had even comprehended one of the Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities!
Soul Fission!
By using one’s own Soul brand as a base and filling it with a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, one could nourish it using special methods to grow a second Soul. This second Soul could then be split from one’s body and move independently, essentially a Soul Clone.
The strongest of Soul Clones could display over eighty percent of all of its original’s abilities.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, remembering the Soul Clone of Demon General Meng Ge who he met in his previous world.
Inside the Evil Cavern, Yang Kai, without knowing anything, had used the Devil Sealing Chain to kill Meng Ge’s Soul Clone, and was subsequently threatened by the Demon General.
It wasn’t until coming to Tong Xuan Realm that Yang Kai understood just what kind of powerhouse Meng Ge was.
At that time, Meng Ge should have been using this Soul Fission Divine Ability and somehow sent his Soul Clone to the Evil Cavern. However, compared to the Great Demon God’s Soul Fission Divine Ability Yang Kai had just obtained, there was a big gap in performance.
Simply put, Meng Ge’s Soul Clone was far too weak.
Yang Kai guessed that Meng Ge had discovered some ancient books left behind by the Great Demon God and used them to replicate this Divine Ability, but it had turned out far inferior to the original.
Cultivating Soul Fission had many advantages. Once one’s Soul Clone was formed, one would have two Souls inside their Knowledge Sea. Having two Souls cultivating at once meant the growth of one’s Spiritual Energy would be twice as fast.
Of course, the price one had to pay in order to cultivate a second Soul was massive! Cultivating Soul Fission required a huge amount of Spiritual Energy.
However, for Yang Kai, this was not a problem. With the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus constantly nourishing his Soul, his Spiritual Energy could be recovered far more rapidly than others.
Sweeping his eyes around his surroundings, Yang Kai discovered that the Holy Tomb was now a complete mess. It seemed like because of his entry this time, this Mysterious Small World had been all but destroyed.
From now on, any Holy Master candidate who came here would likely not be able to gain any benefits, nor would they receive any brainwashing from their predecessors.
Even Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward. Although he had been forced to enter this place by Xu Hui and the others, the Holy Tomb was also one of the pillars of Nine Heavens Holy Land’s foundation. If the Elders and Protectors of Nine Heavens Holy Land were to learn that he had ruined this place, they definitely wouldn’t let him off easily.
At the very least, they would force him to accept the position of Holy Master to take responsibility.
On top of that, the Holy Master Spirit Ring had absorbed Yang Kai’s Soul brand.
Yang Kai suddenly felt things have become complicated and unless he was willing to go to war with Nine Heavens Holy Land, the situation had become set.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Yang Kai didn’t rush to leave the Holy Tomb and instead began cultivating the Great Demon God’s Soul Fission.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai condensed a Soul brand and then using some special methods began injecting his Spiritual Energy into this brand, building and nourishing his Soul Clone.
The Spiritual Energy required for this process was immense and even with the help of the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus Yang Kai couldn’t keep up with the consumption. Fortunately, there were many pills inside the Black Book space, including those for restoring Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai also had a large amount of Myriad Drug Liquid left so he wasn’t worried about his Spiritual Energy running dry.
Days flew by.
Yang Kai had no intention of quickly leaving the Holy Tomb, hoping that with the passage of time, he could fade from the memories of Xu Hui and the other Nine Heavens Elders. And so he continued to cultivate.
Only when he had reached the minor accomplishment stage of the Soul Fission Divine Ability did Yang Kai decided to stop.
From now on he didn’t need to actively cultivate this Divine Ability as his second Soul would now continue to strengthen itself all on its own. Unfortunately, until it reached full maturity it would not have its own consciousness and could not provide him with any assistance. Once it reached maturity, Yang Kai would also need to find a suitable container to implant it into in order to create a true Soul Clone.
Right now, his Soul Clone lacked the ability to think for itself and could only be manipulated directly by Yang Kai. But sending it into places that were inconvenient or dangerous for him to go might prove useful at some point!
Slowly standing up, Yang Kai looked around for the Holy Tomb’s exit.
Moments later, Yang Kai sensed a faint energy fluctuation and moved towards it, soon arriving in front of a stone wall. After pouring his True Qi into this wall, a Void Corridor appeared in front of him and he stopped through, returning to the outside world once more.
Yang Kai arrived in front of the same blue stone entrance to Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Holy Tomb he had entered from.
As soon as he appeared, Yang Kai immediately concealed his aura and quietly probed his surroundings.
He wasn’t sure how long he had stayed inside the Holy Tomb but he knew it wasn’t a short amount of time. Since there wasn’t anyone around anymore, obviously Xu Hui and the others had left long ago.
This was the perfect time for him to sneak away.
As long as he left Nine Heavens Holy Land, he would be like a bird returning to the sky, a fish swimming through the sea. It would be incredibly hard for Xu Hui and the others to bring him back once more.
However, after carefully examining the situation around him, Yang Kai’s expression became somewhat strange.
The entire Nine Heavens Holy Land was in a state of confusion. It seemed like a big battle had just occurred as traces of destruction could be found all around. There were many houses and buildings among the Nine Peaks that had broken walls or collapsed roofs.
Yang Kai also smelled a faint scent of blood in the air and cries of pain reached rang in his ears.
Suddenly, Yang Kai sensed a familiar life aura. This person seemed to have noticed his presence causing their aura to fluctuate wildly.
Yang Kai turned his head just in time to see An Ling’er.
This Saintess, a symbol of purity and nobility, currently had a blue cloth wrapped around her head and her white dress was covered in dust and blood, clearly she had just been involved in a fight.
When she saw Yang Kai, a look of joy and disbelief filled An Ling’er’s beautiful face as she stood there dumbfounded.
Before she could open her mouth to speak though, An Ling’er saw Yang Kai’s figure flicker and in the next moment appear in front of her. Her mouth was covered and her movements sealed, causing her to be unable to resist as Yang Kai quickly brought her to relatively secluded pavilion a short distance away.
“I’m letting you go now, don’t shout!” Yang Kai whispered.
A hint of panic flashed across An Ling’er’s pretty eyes before she quickly nodded.
Yang Kai released her and then quickly backed away, lest she misunderstand his actions as an attempt to silence her.
“You came out?” An Ling’er glanced around nervously before whispering.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Just now.”
“You really came out!” An Ling’er breathed out a sigh of relief, a light smile appearing on her face. She had been worried about Yang Kai this entire time so seeing him now, safe and sound, it was like a large stone had been lifted off her heart, causing her to relax.
Yang Kai being forced into the Holy Tomb was something An Ling’er always felt she carried a large responsibility for. During this time, she had always been blaming herself to the point where it had affected her health.
Now though she could finally feel at ease.
“It’s good that you’ve come out!” An Ling’er gently patted her chest, “Since you’ve come out, you should quickly leave before Great Elder or any of the others find you.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he stared towards An Ling’er and asked, “Are you willing to let me just leave?”
“En,” An Ling’er revealed a forced smile, “I know you don’t want to be here, trying to force you to stay would only make you hate me. Since that’s the case, I might as well just let you go.”
Yang Kai expression softened and a hint of gratitude appeared on his face.
“What are you staring at me like that for? If you’re discovered you won’t be able to get away!” An Ling’er frowned.
“I was just thinking you look much more attractive now!” Yang Kai flattered shamelessly.
An Ling’er’s face blushed bright red as she angrily spat, “Don’t try to sweet talk me now, I’ve known you’re not a good thing since long ago. Don’t think you can win my favour after all this time.”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly before putting on a serious face and cupping his fists said, “This is goodbye then, I hope there’s a chance for us to meet in the future.”
“En, go quickly. Head south, Great Elder and the others are currently north of this place,” An Ling’er urged.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, quickly found his bearings and then quietly flew off towards the south.
Shortly after Yang Kai’s departure, a figure emerged from the shadows and walked towards An Ling’er.
“Ah, Elder Yu Ying!” An Ling’er was startled and called out unconsciously.
Yu Ying stared in the direction Yang Kai disappeared for a while before letting out a sigh and faintly asking, “Are you really willing to just let him go like that?”
“You saw?” An Ling’er’s expression became somewhat awkward. She didn’t know when Yu Ying had arrived behind her but from the latter’s tone of voice it obvious she had seen and heard everything just now.
“I only saw him hurriedly leave, without any hesitation.”
“There’s nothing here that would cause him to hesitate,” An Ling’er said with a forced smile.
“What about you? You exhausted yourself worrying about him, spent so much time together with him, shared so many hardships together with him, even admired and respected him. Aren’t the two of you at least more than friends?” Yu Ying looked faintly towards An Ling’er.
An Ling’er shook her head gently, “While he is certainly somewhat hateful, I don’t think I’m worthy to be joined together with him. Moreover, I truly don’t think of him in that way, just being friends with him is probably for the best. En, undeniably, following beside him I felt a deep sense of security, making me mistakenly feel like I was the younger one, and I would always be protected by him… but with the current position the Holy Land is in, I don’t think it’s right to implicate him. Elder Yu Ying, can you not mention this to Great Elder? We might as well just say he died here.”
Yu Ying’s brow furrowed deeply, seemingly weighing the decision.
An Ling’er quickly hugged Yu Ying’s arm, acting the part of a spoiled child.
Faced with this combination of soft and hard sell tactics, Yu Ying could only smile bitterly and rub her forehead, “Alright, alright… Nothing happened here and I didn’t see anything… I won’t say a word about this to anyone. Ling’er, you’ve exhausted yourself these past few days, you should quickly go back and have a rest. We Elders will take care of the problems outside, you don’t need to worry about them. All the Holy Land’s hopes now can only be pinned on you. You must diligently cultivate the Saintess’ Secret Arts for now. If the Holy Land can survive this crisis, it will be up to you to train a new generation of Saintesses.”
Seeing Yu Ying agree to her request, An Ling’er immediately became joyful.
However, when the two of them remembered the Holy Land’s precarious situation, their eyes noticeably dimmed. Whether the Holy Land could survive the current catastrophe or what the future held, neither of them could say.
Perhaps, within a short time, everyone here would die. If not for this cruel realty, it would have been impossible for Yu Ying to so easily agree to An Ling’er’s request.
“Elder Yu Ying is apparently quite amenable,” A light voice suddenly reverberated throughout the pavilion, making it impossible to determine exactly where the person speaking actually was.
Yu Ying’s beautiful face paled as she quickly condensed her True Qi, shouting aggressively, “Who goes there!”
As soon as these words left Yu Ying’s lips, a figure emerged a few steps away from her, a somewhat teasing smile upon his face.
“Flickering Heavenly Shadow?” An Ling’er cried out, immediately recognizing this Nine Heavens Divine Skill. This was a very profound movement skill that was equally useful for concealing one’s presence or escaping from an enemy.
Recovering from her shock, An Ling’er stared at Yang Kai who had suddenly returned and couldn’t help asking, “Why didn’t you leave?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders before seemingly unintentionally shooting a glance towards Yu Ying.
When he had left just now, he noticed that this woman was hiding behind An Ling’er, so in order to insure news of his re-appearance was not leaked, he had concealed himself in order to monitor these two. By doing so though, he had overheard the conversation between the two women and suddenly felt that simply disappearing on his own would leave a sour taste in his mouth.
“How did you deceive my Divine Sense? I clearly noticed that you had already traveled far away, just when did you come back?” Yu Ying stared at Yang Kai, a look of incredible disbelief spread across her face.
She was a genuine First Order Saint, but Yang Kai was still able to silently approach this close to her without her noticing. That meant that if Yang Kai had harboured any hostile intent towards her, it was quite possible she would be a corpse right now.
Immediately realizing this, Yu Ying’s tender body shivered as a cold sweat dripped down her back, suddenly discovering that this future Holy Master was somewhat beyond her ability to understand or control.
“No need to be so nervous, it’s not like I’m going to eat you,” Yang Kai grinned, intentionally not answering Yu Ying’s question, his expression then quickly becoming serious as he asked, “On the other hand, I’m somewhat curious about what you two were just discussing. What exactly happened to your Nine Heavens Holy Land while I was gone?”
An Ling’er opened her mouth to explain but before she could get a single word out, Yu Ying quickly cut her off, “Does that have anything to do with you? Since you’re unwilling to inherit the position of Holy Master, is there any point in asking about that?”
Yang Kai knit his brow and felt somewhat confused.
The last time he had seen her, this beautiful woman had spoken and acted very respectfully towards him, yet this time it was as if she had encountered an enemy and was harshly rejecting him.
Yang Kai had no intention of haggling over the issue with her though so he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded, “If you don’t want to say that’s fine too, I don’t have a habit of prying into other people’s business. Farewell.”
Saying so, he really turned around to leave.
“Wait!” Yu Ying suddenly called out again.
“What now?” Yang Kai shot an impatient look towards her.
Yu Ying’s expression became a complicated mix of embarrassment and reluctance, only speaking again after a long silence, “Don’t rush off, I’ll explain everything to you.”
“Sorry, I don’t want to know anymore. The more I know, the more trouble it will be!”
“You…” Yu Ying gawked at him, her face turning from green to red to blue as she grumbled, “How can you like this?”
This boy was acting completely like a delinquent, without the slightest majesty or nobility a Holy Master should have. Didn’t he enter the Holy Tomb? How come his attitude was still so defiant?
In the past, everyone who had passed the Holy Tomb’s test and re-emerged had treated the Holy Land as their home.
Yu Ying simply couldn’t understand.
Seeing this beautiful woman at a loss, Yang Kai’s mood suddenly became excellent, sitting down on a nearby stool in the corner pavilion before turning to An Ling’er, “You tell me.”
An Ling’er snuck a glimpse towards Elder Yu Ying only to see her glaring towards Yang Kai viciously, as if she couldn’t wait to peel his skin, eat his flesh, and drink his blood. Understanding what Elder Yu Ying was feeling all too well as she had experienced similar incidents many times in the past when it came to Yang Kai, An Ling’er did her best to stifle her laughter for a while before pursing her lips and saying, “Why do you want to know about this? Once you know, it will only bring you trouble.”
“From what you two discussing just now, the situation is quite serious, of course I’d want to know. Besides, you just said we’re friends… I don’t have many friends,” Yang Kai suddenly said solemnly.
An Ling’er’s expression changed greatly upon hearing these words, a meaningful smile soon appearing on her face as she said, “That Gou Che will definitely regret not treating you sincerely in the future!”
“En, he will,” Yang Kai grinned, his face filled with confidence.