Yang Kai had gradually relaxed after flying out a few dozen more kilometers.
But before he had a chance to catch his breath, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed again and he quickly glanced over towards a certain area in the jungle. In the direction he was staring, a scroll-like artifact appeared and a large number of beast images that were drawn upon roared fiercely, leapt off the parchment, and charged towards him.
Immediately behind this horde of beasts was a sharp beam of light that was also honing in on Yang Kai, an oppressive and dangerous aura radiating from it.
Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai immediately condensed a Grand Heavenly Shield, one of Nine Heavens Divine Skills.
A golden shield was quickly formed in front of him.
The beasts that had rushed out of the scroll didn’t slow their pace at all and slammed directly into the Grand Heavenly Shield, each of them shattering into a million points of light one after another.
The beam of light that followed also hit the Grand Heavenly Shield and made a crisp bang before being bounced back.
The Grand Heavenly Shield also collapsed at this point and Yang Kai let out a cough before turning a gloomy look towards the source of the attacks.
Over there, Zhang Ao was laughing happily, “Little bastard, you really dared to come out. It seems the Heavens are truly helping me!”
Cao Guan stretched out his hand towards the beam of light and a long sword type artifact flew into his palm. Wu Jie also floated behind these two like a spectre, staring at Yang Kai quietly.
This trio had thought there was no hope of them being able to capture Yang Kai and had actually been preparing to withdraw to reconsider their strategy when they suddenly got word that Yang Kai had exited the nine peaks.
Immediately overjoyed, the three of them quickly set out to pursue and seize Yang Kai.
However, to their great surprise, even without the power of the Nine Peaks Spirit Array backing him up, Yang Kai had actually managed to block Zhang Ao and Cao Guan’s first attack unscathed.
Only now did the three of them realize they had far underestimated Yang Kai’s personal strength.
“Let’s see where you run this time! This place is far from your nine peaks; even if you want to ask for help from that Monster Race Great Senior it’s impossible,” Cao Guan laughed heartily.
“You’re all really annoying,” Yang Kai glared at the three of them with obvious impatience.
He too had not expected to run into these three here.
Yang Kai had thought that after suffering defeat at the Monster Race’s hands, these three would sneak back to their Sects and seal up their gates, but unexpectedly they had actually not lost hope and were still lingering around.
Three Saint Realm master, one of whom had reached the Second Order; Yang Kai knew he was not their opponent. With his current cultivation and means, he was barely able to fight with a First Order Saint, but the chances of him winning were slim.
The Saint Realm and Transcendent Realm seemed to be fundamentally different. After encountering so many Saints and even competing against a number of them, Yang Kai was keenly aware of this fact.
However, these three wanting to capture him was also not realistic, a fact that allowed Yang Kai to remain calm and indifferent even in this situation.
“Heh heh, boy, there is no road to Heaven nor path to Hell for you, surrender without a fight and you can lessen how much you’ll have to suffer!” Zhang Ao coldly declare, silently releasing his Spiritual Energy towards Yang Kai as he spoke, wanting to influence his mind and dampen his will to resist.
Yang Kai however didn’t even blink, completely ignoring Zhang Ao’s Divine Sense attack.
Seeing this, Zhang Ao’s brow knit slightly. This little Second Order Transcendent Realm brat in front of him was like a bottomless black pit, no matter how much Spiritual Energy Zhang Ao sent out, he couldn’t see through the latter’s depths.
“You think you can capture me with just the three of you?” Yang Kai snickered mockingly, not putting these three in his eyes at all, “Give it your best shot, I’d like to see if you have any skill at all.”
“Boy, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!” Cao Guan gnashed his teeth, “If you come quietly, we won’t treat you poorly, but if force us to catch you, we won’t show any mercy.”
“Come! If this time you fail to catch me, I swear I’ll return this insult by exterminating your whole families!” Yang Kai’s look suddenly became fierce as he shouted out angrily. These three were worse than cockroaches, making Yang Kai fume with irritation.
In his heart, Yang Kai made a vow that once he grew up, he would find and kill these three.
“Unfortunately for you, you’ll never get the chance!” Zhang Ao stretched out his hand and manipulated his scroll-type artifact, creating a powerful suction force which made the space around Yang Kai to ripple and distort like the ripples on a pond, becoming thick and viscous.
A smug look of victory appeared on Zhang Ao’s face, thinking there was no way Yang Kai could escape from this imprisonment.
Yang Kai simply grinned in response, a cold light flashing across his eyes as he stood in place, not moving.
The suction force increased suddenly and the scroll-type artifact rapidly expanded, spreading out in all directions before wrapping tightly around Yang Kai.
Seeing this, Cao Guan was overjoyed and let out a raucous laugh.
Zhang Ao just coldly snorted, drawing his artifact back towards him, but after carefully examining it, his expression became dark and gloomy.
Yang Kai, who should have been wrapped up inside the scroll, had mysterious disappeared, there was simply nothing inside!
“It seems like he ran away a long time ago!” Wu Jie’s eyes flashed an eerie green light as he solemnly stated.
“Ran away?” Zhang Ao’s eyes suddenly bulged, “When did you run?”
“Probably the moment you attacked him… Jie jie jie… the Nine Heavens Divine Skills are truly impressive… this movement skill is not ordinary!” Wu Jie turned his head and looked off into the distance.
Following his gaze, Zhang Ao and Cao Guan quickly released their Divine Senses and sure enough, a dozen or so kilometers away, they caught a trace of Yang Kai’s aura. At this moment, Yang Kai was flying away at such an extraordinary speed it caused both Zhang Ao and Cao Guan to gawk.
The speed Yang Kai was displaying right now was actually faster than an ordinary Saint Realm master.
No wonder this little brat didn’t show any signs of panic, it turns out he had his own skill.
“Don’t even dream of escaping from my grasp! I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth if necessary!” Zhang Ao loudly declared, his body flickering and disappearing in the next instant.
Cao Guan also hurried to keep up.
Wu Jie actually calmly stood in place for a moment, a look of interest appearing on his face, but soon flew off at lighting quick speed, leaving a trail of green mist behind him.
As he flew forward, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense to grasp the movements of the three people behind him, his expression becoming even more cold and vicious.
He had not anticipated being chased like this, and although he was not afraid of his pursuers, Yang Kai still felt quite uncomfortable, so while racing forward, he continuously looked for opportunities to lose them.
However, these three were all Saint Realm masters, so it was no easy task to completely throw them off.
Time passed by and Yang Kai had lost ago lost track of how far he had flown. Although he had managed to shake off his pursuers a few times already, after a while, they would seek him out again, just like flies to honey, annoying him to no end.
Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of method these three were using to accurately lock onto his position from so far away.
It was only now that Yang Kai understood he had underestimated the attraction of Nine Heavens Holy Land’s core inheritance to these three. Just because he despised this inheritance which traded one’s lifespan for power didn’t mean others didn’t covet it.
Originally, Yang Kai planned on flying in the direction of Soaring Heaven Sect. As long as he returned to Soaring Heaven Sect, these three men wouldn’t dare chase after him and would have no choice but to withdraw.
However, as he flew and flew, Yang Kai lost his way and couldn’t identify which direction Soaring Heaven Sect was in, so he could only take one step at a time while choking down his smoldering rage.
One day, as Yang Kai was continuing his long distance escape, he suddenly came to a stop and stared off into the distance.
Up ahead of him, an unusual aura was slowly gathering, causing Yang Kai to feel vigilant.
A moment later, this aura became much stronger and right before Yang Kai’s eyes, a figure wrapped black robes that gave off an eerie green mist seemed to appear out of thin air.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at this newly appeared man for a moment before calling out in surprise, “Wu Jie?”
Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of Divine Ability this Netherworld Sect Sect Master had used, but it had somehow allowed him to instantly appear right in front of him. This method far surpassed Yang Kai’s understanding.
However, from Wu Jie’s appearance, he seemed to be extremely tired, his complexion pale as he gasped for breath and his True Qi fluctuating somewhat unstably.
Yang Kai quickly spread out his Divine Sense as far as he could and after discovering no other signs of danger nearby, he immediately took action, “Soul Battle Hall!”
A white light flashed and a mysterious force bursts out of Yang Kai’s body, catching Wu Jie off guard and forcefully pulling his Soul Avatar out.
“Ah…” Wu Jie was shocked and shouted, but in the next instant, his consciousness blurred. When Wu Jie regained his sensed, he discovered that his Soul Avatar had actually left his Knowledge Sea and appeared in a strange white world.
Not far away, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar was glaring at him viciously.
The Soul Battle Hall was the Saint Grade artifact that Yang Kai and An Ling’er had been trapped together in back in the Ancient Ruins beneath the sea and this was actually the first time Yang Kai had used it since acquiring it.
This artifact had a special effect that forcefully extracted the Soul Avatars of everyone within its range and pulled them into this space, forcing opponents into a contest between Souls.
However, there are great drawbacks to this artifact. When using it, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar would leave his body and also enter it, leaving his physical body in the real world vulnerable.
Wu Jie was a First Order Saint and has powers that Yang Kai did not quite understand. The risk of taking a strike now and having the two chase behind him were too high a rick so, he had not hesitated to summon the Soul Battle Hall and draw him into this space, preparing to end this as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai’s eyes burned with flaming fighting intent, he wanted to know if his current Spiritual Energy cultivation could really compete with a genuine Saint Realm master’s.
The Soul Battle Hall was the perfect place to try.
Realizing Yang Kai’s intentions, Wu Jie quickly raised his hand and said, “Boy, don’t be impulsive, I’m not here to fight with you.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he sneered, “Is there any point in saying such things now?”
“You don’t believe me?” Wu Jie looked at Yang Kai with a strange grin, “If I really had malicious intent towards you, I wouldn’t have appeared in front of you this way. I’m sure you can sense that my current strength is far from its peak level.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and stared at Wu Jie deeply, his Divine Sense continuously probing him, observing his reactions and responses, trying to discern if he was telling the truth or not.
Wu Jie’s manner was calm, and at this moment, he seemed completely honest and upright.
After a moment, Yang Kai withdrew his hostility and sneered, “If you’re not here to fight, why appear in front of me at all?”
“Naturally to discuss something,” Wu Jie saw Yang Kai take back his murderous intent and also relaxed, letting out an evil sounding laughter
Yang Kai was stunned and couldn’t help wrinkling his brow, “Are you perhaps misunderstanding something? The two of us are sworn enemies, what is there to discuss?”
“The two of us being sworn enemies, isn’t that just Sir Holy Master’s one sided opinion?”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
“My meaning is simple, this Wu is willing to exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk with Sir Holy Master. I wonder what Sir Holy Master’s opinion is?”
“You might be willing, but I am not!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “You have pursued and harassed me for many days now, yet you think with just a few simple words you can resolve this grudge? Aren’t you being a bit too naive?”
Wu Jie wore a helpless expression and replied, “This Wu was forced to act so… Zhang Ao and Cao Guan joined forces to pressure me, so I had no choice but to go along with them. When we attacked Nine Heavens Holy Land last time, I only brought along a few people from my Netherworld Sect and I never once took action, yet my forces still suffered a number of casualties at the hands of the Monster Race.”
“You got what you deserved,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, but he also knew that what Wu Jie said just now was not a lie. During the last battle, he really had not seen many cultivators from Netherworld Sect.
“Heh heh…” Wu Jie grinned wryly, “I know that Sir Holy Master probably does not believe this Wu’s words, but how should I put it… This Wu’s Netherworld Sect’s objective has always been to collect wealth to disperse disaster. I accepted benefits from Zhang Ao and Cao Guan so naturally I had to work with them, but now, this Wu has decided to withdraw from this matter.”
“Why?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he stared at Wu Jie curiously.
“Because I believe Sir Holy Master can become a great person! Zhang Ao and Cao Guan think that as long as they capture you, they can obtain the core inheritance of Nine Heavens Holy Land and become Third Order Saints, but I think they have simply been blinded by their own greed.”
“You don’t think so as well?” Yang Kai looked at Wu Jie with great interest.
Wu Jie firmly shook his head, “If becoming a Third Order Saint was really so easy, your Nine Heavens Holy Land would not only have your Holy Master break through to such a realm. If that was really the case, I’m afraid you would have already used such a method to become invincible throughout the world. Although I don’t know what that inheritance is, or what kind of secrets it hides, this Wu is clear that there is no such thing as benefits without cost. Every one of your Holy Land’s Holy Masters is short lived, and each generation only your Holy Master becomes a Third Order Saint. Although it is obvious this inheritance is quite profound and powerful, there are clearly many drawbacks as well. Even if we managed to obtain that inheritance from you, it’s not certain we will succeed in using it while the chance of failure is actually quite greater.”
“It seems you understand far more than those two,” Yang Kai couldn’t help improving his opinion of Wu Jie. This guy wrapped in black robes and green aura may seem like a sinister ghost, but his intelligence and wit were actually quite sharp.
“Sir Holy Master is too polite!” Wu Jie smiled and cupped his fists, displaying a modest and respectful manner, “It’s for these reasons this Wu does not want to become enemies with you. Also, you have proven your personal strength is out of the ordinary… I have never heard of a mere Second Order Transcendent being able to survive the pursuit of three Saints before. In fact, if it wasn’t for Zhang Ao’s Second Order Saint Realm cultivation, we would have long ago lost track of you. If things continue on like this, even if we pursue you for the rest of our lives we likely will never catch you.”
“But you actually managed to appear in front of me,” Yang Kai’s expression became cold, obviously quite concerned with how Wu Jie had magically overtaken him.
“The price I paid to do so though was enormous…” Wu Jie wore a forced smile and shook his head, “I’ll be honest with Sir Holy Master, when this Wu was young, he had a fortuitous encounter and obtained a mysterious technique which allows me to tear space and travel a thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye!”
“Tear space?” Yang Kai’s eyes shrank.
“Yes, but although this may sound simple, when executing this technique, it is easy to become lost in the Void, forever unable to find your way out. If it weren’t for us being absolutely unable to catch up to you, this Wu would never have used such a risky method! From the time I obtained this technique until now, this Wu has only used it twice, and each time was extremely dangerous.”
Wu Jie spoke very sincerely, not even concealing what method he used to appear before Yang Kai.
“Is Sir Holy Master perhaps interested?” Wu Jie suddenly smiled, “If you are, this Wu can freely offer this method to you.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai expression changed and his eyes flashed.
It would be a lie to say he was not interested in a method to tear space and instantly travel a thousand kilometers, but Wu Jie’s attitude so far was still concerning to him.
“What is it you want?” Yang Kai frowned and asked seriously.
“Sir Holy Master is quite cautious. Actually, this Wu does not want anything in particular at this moment, coming here to speak with you was simply to show my attitude… Good, Netherworld Sect is willing to always be on good terms with Sir Holy Master, I wonder if you understand my meaning?”
Yang Kai stared at him coldly and keenly grasped the key points in his words. The one Wu Jie wanted to make friends with was him, not Nine Heavens Holy Land.
For him, it was obviously more important to become friends with Yang Kai than Nine Heavens Holy Land.
“What advantage does that have for me?” Yang Kai relaxed as he could feel that Wu Jie was not telling lies because from the start, his Soul Avatar had not shown any unusual fluctuations.
“The method this Wu described earlier, could it be Sir Holy Master is not interested at all?” Wu Jie smiled, also relaxing somewhat, “This Wu does not have any particular strong points, but he understands what needs to be done! It is for this reason that Netherworld Sect could develop into the force it is today. Although Sir Holy Master’s cultivation is currently below this Wu’s, I believe that within a few years you will overtake me. I don’t want to sit idly by waiting for you to exact your revenge on my Sect, and… This Wu always felt that even if I was to fight with you now, I may not necessarily win.”
“You really do understand what must be done!” Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a fierce grin.
He suddenly found that this Wu Jie was quite interesting. Although he was no doubt a villain, he was an upfront and level headed one. Moreover, his vision and instincts were excellent. Inside this Soul Battle Hall, Yang Kai really didn’t fear him.
“Netherworld Sect received much favour from your old Holy Master and hopes to continue receiving such favour from you in the future. This Wu is not asking for much, he only wishes to secure a bright future for Netherworld Sect.”
“I can promise you that much!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Many thanks,” Wu Jie cupped his fists and bowed.
“In the future, you will rejoice that you made such a wise decision today,” Yang Kai laughed confidently.
“It seems Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are in for some misfortune…” Wu Jie said meaningfully as he exchanged a look with Yang Kai and laughed.
A moment later, he adjusted his expression and with a flick of his wrist, sent a glimmering ball of light towards Yang Kai and solemnly said, “Inside this are the memories of that fortuitous encounter this Wu had in the past. If you examine it briefly you’ll understand that what this Wu said is not false.”
“I’ll accept this then,” Yang Kai absorbed the ball of light into his Soul Avatar.
“Although this method is profound and shocking, this Wu must caution you, never use it unless absolutely necessary, otherwise you may find yourself lost in the Void, when this Wu first used it…” Coming to this point, it seemed Wu Jie recalled something terrifying and began shivering, unwilling to even remember it, “In any case, be abundantly cautious.”
“I’ll remember,” Yang Kai nodded, not bothering to check the information he received.
“There is still something I must tell you. This Wu estimates that Zhang Ao and Cao Guan will not give up on capturing you for some time so I have no choice but to continue chasing after you for a while. However, I don’t think Sir Holy Master will mind, there’s no way we can catch up to you anyways.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good… then this Wu will say goodbye!” Having obtained Yang Kai’s promise, Wu Jie looked very satisfied.
Yang Kai waved his hand and released the Soul Battle Hall’s bindings, allowing the pairs Soul Avatars to return to their bodies in the next instant.
Wu Jie nodded towards Yang Kai and was about to depart when a frown appeared on his face and he seemingly casually mentioned, “Right, has Sir Holy Master ever seen the Coffin Carrying Man?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light and his aura became dangerous.
Wu Jie jumped in surprise and quickly said, “No need to get so excited, I was just asking offhandedly.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I inadvertently heard that Cao Guan and one of his subordinates named Yao Di talking about the Coffin Carrying Man when they were talking about you, so I thought you may have seen the Coffin Carrying Man at some point.”
“Yao Di?” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly recalling a person by that name having been outside Raging Flame City that day, asking, “What else did they say?”
Wu Jie shook his head, “I didn’t hear clearly, they were quite covert in their conversation.”
As if he was speaking to himself, Wu Jie continued, “It’s rumored that the Coffin Carrying Man hides some kind of shocking treasure that anyone who unlocks his secret can obtain the power to become a supreme ruler… En, I don’t know if such rumors are true or false. Heh, well, pay it not mind, I was speaking thoughtlessly, I’ll take my leave!”
Saying so, Wu Jie flew off in a leisurely manner.
Gazing at his disappearing back, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. The rumors about the Coffin Carrying Man weren’t exactly true, but they also weren’t entirely wrong.
On the Coffin Carrying Man’s back, there was indeed a hidden power that could allow a person to become the ruler of a vast territory, but this power could not be wielded by just anyone.
Wu Jie seemingly unintentionally raising this was obviously his way of subtly warning Yang Kai not to reveal his relationship with the Coffin Carrying Man.
This fellow… his thoughts were quite exquisite, and he was also the type who acted decisively.
Just because he was optimistic about Yang Kai’s future, he had done his best to melt the enmity between them and instead become friends. From a certain perspective, Wu Jie was quite far-sighted.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai didn’t think too much about it, turned in a certain direction and flew off.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan were still chasing him and the former was a genuine Second Order Saint. Facing the Divine Sense probing of such a powerful master, Yang Kai had no choice but to flee as he couldn’t completely hide his aura.
In a flash, a month passed by, and Yang Kai faintly felt that he had gotten rid of Zhang Ao’s tracing.
After such a long chase, not only was Yang Kai depressed, it was likely Zhang Ao had also lost hope and had finally given up.
Spending a few more days wandering around to determine that he had really lost Zhang Ao, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he was not worried about them being able to catch him, being pursued by a Second Order Saint was by no means comfortable.
Spotting a lush and verdant mountain range up ahead with extremely rich World Aura, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense to inspect the area but discovered only some low level Monster Beasts.
Nodding with satisfaction, Yang Kai immediately flew towards one of the mountain peaks.
Deep in a remote mountain range surrounded by lush vegetation that exuded a peaceful atmosphere, a beautiful and refreshing spring-like day.
Inside a natural cave half-way up a certain peak, Yang Kai sat cross-legged as he reviewed a certain scene in his mind over and over again, examining it from every angle, studying it diligently.
This memory was of the fortuitous encounter Wu Jie had spoken to Yang Kai about and subsequently passed on.
After managing to lose Zhang Ao and Cao Guan, Yang Kai didn’t immediately rush back to Soaring Heaven Sect but instead found a secluded place to begin studying this profound method to tear space.
Yang Kai was very interested in this technique.
If he could successfully grasp it, in the future, should he encounter an enemy he could not match, he could still easily escape.
However, from what Wu Jie had told him before they parted ways, using this method was accompanied by great risks.
Calming his mind, the scene from Wu Jie’s memory appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes as clearly as if he had been there to witness it personally.
After a day or two, Yang Kai had thoroughly remembered all of this memory’s contents.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai let out a wry laugh, now understanding why Wu Jie had so easily handed over this extremely precious fortuitous encounter to him; it turned out the restrictions on its use were equally great.
Up until now he had still been wondering if Wu Jie was up to some kind of scheme, but after fully comprehending this tearing space method, Yang Kai realized he had been too suspicious. Wu Jie wasn’t plotting anything; it was just that whether he shared this technique with Yang Kai didn’t matter.
This method, while extremely profound and powerful, was actually also extremely simple.
It was like a combination of a Martial Skill and Soul Skill that consumed both True Qi and Spiritual Energy, and the amount consumed was astronomical.
Even someone as strong as Wu Jie, after displaying it once, was thoroughly exhausted.
Yang Kai was only a Second Order Transcendent; Wu Jie obviously thought that even if Yang Kai was able to comprehend this method, he wouldn’t be able to use it for some time.
Unfortunately for Wu Jie, he had looked down on Yang Kai too much. The True Qi and Spiritual Energy Yang Kai possessed were many times greater than Wu Jie imagined and were actually enough for him to display this method.
When using this method, the more True Qi and Spiritual Energy that was consumed, the farther away one could leap after tearing space.
Yang Kai completely immersed himself in this Divine Skill and quietly began comprehending it.
It was rumored that the Void Corridors and Mysterious Small Worlds scattered throughout this world were actually created in ancient times by extremely powerful masters.
Although these rumors weren’t necessarily true, Yang Kai realized from this point, just how high the strength and perception of the cultivators of that age were.
Tearing space and creating independent spaces were perhaps not difficult matters to them.
It was only because too much time had passed and the understanding of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way had greatly declined that this kind of profound skill had gradually faded from existence.
Perhaps, in today’s world, only the top masters in the Third Order Saint Realm could touch this threshold and move instantly across a dozen or even several dozen kilometers, but none of them could tear space and cross a thousand kilometers all at once.
The only way to achieve such a feat was to use a Void Corridor.
Time passed and the sun and moon rose and set many times. Without even realizing it, Yang Kai had sat in this cave for half a month or so before he felt he had thoroughly comprehended this Divine Skill and was now eager to try it out.
Although Wu Jie had repeated warned Yang Kai that he must be cautious when using it, since he had obtained such a magical technique, if he didn’t try it at least once, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to resign himself.
Only by personally experiencing it could Yang Kai determine if he could really tear space with this method or whether Wu Jie had just been exaggerating.
If he didn’t at least try it here, when he really found himself in danger in the future, it would be too risky to pin his hopes on this method he had no experience with.
After debating the issue in his head for a long time, Yang Kai eventually made up his mind and stood up.
True Qi and Spiritual Energy bursting out simultaneously, Yang Kai combined them with one another, causing a subtle change to occur and then bombarded the space in front of himself.
In front of Yang Kai, a series of ripples spread out, as if he had just thrown a stone into a calm lake.
When these ripples appeared, Yang Kai poured even more True Qi and Spiritual Energy into them, observing carefully as they slowly spread out.
After continuing this for a long time, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up as his thoughts became completely calm and tranquil. In that instant, he discovered that the space in front of him was now somewhat different from normal.
Before he had a chance to examine this space closely though, these minute differences vanished.
Taking a light breath, Yang Kai did not become anxious, restraining the release of his True Qi and Spiritual Energy and controlling his breathing.
Although he had thoroughly comprehended this Divine Skill, he still found it quite difficult to put into practice.
It really made Yang Kai wonder about how these ancient masters formed Void Corridors and Mysterious Small Worlds, moreover doing so inadvertently while they were in battle.
Compared with them, Yang Kai felt he was still far too weak.
Perhaps his current self, in front of those ancient masters, was no different from an ant.
Half a day later, when Yang Kai finished restoring himself to his peak state, he tried again.
True Qi and Spiritual Energy once again burst out and bombarded the space in front of Yang Kai, causing a new set of ripples to appear.
This time, Yang Kai could feel the changes in front of him much more clearly, causing him to celebrate slightly.
Gradually, the space in front of Yang Kai became somewhat wrinkled, or perhaps twisted, like a transparent piece of cloth that had been folded upon itself.
From this strange fold, some unusual energy fluctuations appeared.
Yang Kai’s spirit shook and without any hesitation he transformed his True Qi and Spiritual Energy into a sharp blade and slashed towards the fold.
*Ka…*
As if a door had been opened, a dark crack mysteriously appeared in front of Yang Kai. Staring into this tear in space, Yang Kai was unable to see anything, as if nothing at all existed inside it, causing him to wonder just what dangers it was hiding.
The aura around the mountain Yang Kai had secluded himself in suddenly became disordered as an unimaginable suction force emerged from this dark tear, madly swallowing the nearby World Energy, creating a violent storm.
As World Energy poured into it, the rift quickly collapsed in on itself.
Yang Kai didn’t even have time to observe it carefully before, in a flash of darkness, the rift disappeared and the twisted space in front of him returned to normal.
Yang Kai couldn’t help wrinkle his brow.
He clearly knew that he had only gotten halfway through displaying this Divine Skill and that as long as he could expand this tear in space enough he could enter it and explore what was inside.
Gently exhaling a breath, Yang Kai quickly inspected his current state and was shocked by what he discovered.
There was actually three or four drops less Yang Liquid in his dantian and about half the Spiritual Energy in his Knowledge Sea had been consumed.
Yang Kai was struck speechless. The cost to use this Divine Skill was far greater than he had imagined.
Even if he was in peak condition, he could only use it twice at most before he completely ran out of Spiritual Energy.
No wonder when Wu Jie appeared in front of him that day he looked like an arrow at the end of its flight. Displaying this method even with a First Order Saint’s cultivation must have been quite difficult.
Yang Kai quickly took a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid and swallowed some Spiritual Energy supplementing pills to increase the rate at which his Spiritual recovered.
After an hour, Yang Kai was fully restored and prepared to try again.
……
Through repeated trials and failures, Yang Kai gradually accumulated extremely valuable experience.
Three days later, after completely restoring himself, Yang Kai opened his eyes, full of confidence.
He believed firmly that this time he would successfully tear space.
Pushing his True Qi and Spiritual Energy in a controlled manner, much unlike his earlier attempts where he simply poured out as much strength as possible, Yang Kai merged the two energies together and bombarded the space in front of him.
An orderly series of ripples appeared and soon space began to wrinkle and distort. Seeing this, Yang Kai rapidly increased his output of True Qi and Spiritual Energy.
The dark slit appeared mid-air, as if a pair of invisible hands had torn the space apart, and suddenly expanded.
This tear in space soon began emitting a powerful suction force that madly swallowed the surrounding World Energy.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate and leapt into the crack.
After he entered, the jet black rift disappeared.
As a familiar feeling of dizziness came over him, Yang Kai smiled. Not only did he not panic, he instead wore a look of great anticipation.
Just as Yang Kai had expected, the tear in space he had created was basically identical to a Void Corridor’s entrance, he could tell because the feeling he got when crossing the two were extremely similar.
Previously, when Yang Kai had entered Void Corridors, he would feel a subtle sense of vertigo, but it would subside shortly after exiting it on the other side.
This time however, the sense of vertigo persisted and Yang Kai felt like he had stepped into a bottomless abyss and was even now continuing to fall, unable to see where it ended.
A kind of turbulent energy flow lingered that seemed to contain a terrifying destructive force lingered about Yang Kai.
A cold chill ran up Yang Kai’s spine as he focused himself and carefully moved about in order to avoid these patches of turbulent energy.
These void turbulences were not something he could resist right now as he estimated they were even more powerful than the ambient energy of the Starry Sky. Once he was sucked into one of them, it was very likely he would become lost forever.
These void turbulences were also the reason Wu Jie had so strongly cautioned Yang Kai against using this method casually.
The first time Wu Jie used this technique, he had probably suffered a big loss in this place, leaving behind a kind of mental trauma.
Yang Kai suddenly felt like he was riding a small boat in the middle of a storm. Although he was in constant danger of being destroyed, he somehow managed to avoid the surrounding void turbulences and remain safe while exploring his surroundings.
Yang Kai didn’t hurry to leave this place as he wanted to thoroughly study and comprehend this tearing space method. He faintly felt that all the secrets of this profound technique were hidden among this seemingly turbulent void.
As long as he could unravel the mysteries here, Yang Kai estimated he could freely tear space and not have to worry about the inherent dangers.
Time passed by and Yang Kai became absorbed in his comprehension, slowly relaxing.
It was only when the surrounding void turbulences suddenly became chaotic and violent that Yang Kai’s expression change and he quickly condensed his True Qi and Spiritual Energy together to tear open another rift in front of him and flee.
In a flash, Yang Kai returned to Tong Xuan Realm and felt the scorching sun beam down on him, as if he had emerged high up in the sky, a thick layer of clouds actually appearing below his feet.
This scenery alone was enough to allow Yang Kai to relax as he let himself fall towards the ground, pushing his True Qi gently to stabilize his figure.
In a flash, two months passed by. Yang Kai had spent these past two months familiarizing himself with this tearing space method.
He had spent more than half this time inside the Void, quietly perceiving the turbulent flow of the Void, trying to comprehend its hidden mysteries.
When his Spiritual Energy ran out, he would leave the Void, find a place to meditate and restore himself, then repeat the process again.
By now he was able to easily tear space, enter the Void, and re-appear elsewhere in Tong Xuan Realm.
However, even when Yang Kai exerted his full strength, the distance he could cross was quite short, roughly two or three hundred kilometers at once. On top of that, he had yet to grasp which direction he traveled, so when he returned from the Void, he would appear in a random spot.
Every time he used this Divine Skill, Yang Kai exercised a high degree of caution.
The turbulence inside the Void could not be taken lightly as the chaotic energy they contained was too unpredictable and difficult to guard against. There were several times when Yang Kai was almost caught up in these currents, and if he had not hastily escaped, he likely would never have been able to leave the Void again.
Yang Kai’s tyrannical physique also played a vital role during this period. Just like the Starry Sky Energy, the Void turbulences were extremely harmful to one’s body. Yang Kai estimated that even Wu Jie would have to summon his defensive artifact to ensure his safety each time he used this method.
One day, Yang Kai returned from the Void through the Void Rift and appeared inside a misty mountain valley.
Yang Kai was still unable to control where he re-emerged from the Void, so each time he came back, he would raise his vigilance in case he landed in some dangerous place.
This time too, Yang Kai immediately concealed his aura and quietly began exploring his surroundings.
After a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling stunned.
He discovered that there were actually a few hundred people of varying strength led by a First Order Saint Realm master gathered at the mouth of this mountain valley.
All of these people seemed to be solemnly and silently waiting at the edge of this valley. As for why they were behaving this way or why they were here, Yang Kai couldn’t tell.
Yang Kai quickly realized he had inadvertently intruded into the territory of some force, but seeing as the strongest master present was just a First Order Saint, he also wasn’t worried.
Quietly finding a place to sit down, Yang Kai concealed himself and his aura before starting to restore the strength he had just consumed.
Yang Kai didn’t bother investigating what the group of cultivators outside the valley were up to, but half a day later, after finished restoring himself, he was surprised to discover that this unknown Sect seemed to be carrying out some kind of sacred ceremony. All of these cultivators were acting very seriously and the ones with lower strength seemed to be filled with excitement and anticipation.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Yang Kai didn’t hurry to leave but instead decided to stick around and observe for a moment.
Another half a day later, the ceremony apparently ended and in a booming voice, the lone Saint Realm master began to solemnly chant some incomprehensible words.
A moment later, a cultivator with a Peak True Element Boundary cultivation strode into the mountain valley.
A Peak True Element Boundary would not be weak back in the Central Capital, but in Tong Xuan Realm, such cultivators either had mediocre aptitude or were very young.
The one who walked into the mountain valley belonged to the latter category.
Inside the thick mist, this individual walked straight towards Yang Kai. From his appearance, he appeared to only be a fourteen year old boy.
Not unlike Yang Kai many years ago, this slightly immature youth excitedly strode forward with an unyielding look upon his face that seemed eager for strength.
Yang Kai let out a chuckle as he such a thought came to mind.
Remaining hidden, his Divine Sense locked onto this boy, Yang Kai silently observed what he was doing.
This mountain valley was not too wide, but it stretched and twisted for quite some distance. The boy walking through the fog maintained a steady pace, his eyes focused ahead of himself.
But before this youth had gone more than a thousand meters, from the depths of the mountain valley, a gentle wind burst forth.
The youth was unable to resist this force and was pushed back towards the valley’s entrance.
After stabilizing himself, a discouraged look appeared on his face.
At the same time, Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, because when this thrust of wind appeared, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation from behind himself, as if something was trying to crawl across his back.
However, upon carefully examining himself, Yang Kai didn’t find anything at all on his back.
Yang Kai wore a puzzled expression and slowly shook his head.
After the boy was pushed back, he turned around, hung his head, and walked back the way he came. A moment later, upon leaving the mountain valley, everyone who was waiting there seemed to understand and sighed.
The First Order Saint simply glanced at the youth once before calmly shouting, “Next!”
Another cultivator, who was similar in age and cultivation to the first boy, then walked into the valley.
Like the first boy’s experience, after walking inwards a short distance, he was pushed back by the same soft force and turned back in frustration.
One by one, these youths walked into the valley, were repelled, and returned.
The Saint Realm master, who was presiding over all this, also began to appear somewhat low-spirited.
Yang Kai observed for some time before finally understanding. Although he didn’t understand the specifics of the ceremony these people were performing, it was in all likelihood some kind of test.
Unfortunately, it seemed like none of the youths gathered here were able to pass this test, each of them being blocked after advancing several hundred to a thousand meters into the mountain valley.
Out of the hundred or so young boys who had gathered at the mouth of the valley, fewer and fewer had not entered, those who had failed all wearing disappointed looks upon their faces.
Yang Kai turned his attention to the depths of the mountain valley at some point and narrowed his eyes.
Every time that gentle force appeared to push back these youths, Yang Kai would feel the same tingling sensation coming from his back. At first, Yang Kai thought it was just his imagination or perhaps some hidden master playing tricks on him.
But after experiencing this tingling sensation so many times and carefully investigating it over and over again, Yang Kai found that it was not like he originally thought.
The strange sensation he was feeling, as if something was crawling across his skin, was clearly coming from the Golden Dragon tattoo on his back.
Listening carefully, Yang Kai could even hear a subtle dragon roar from this tattoo.
The Golden Dragon tattoo on his back, and the Ice Phoenix tattoo on Su Yan’s, were things they obtained when they had inherited the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
What was the relationship between that and this place?
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai left his hiding place and walked deeper into the mountain valley.
Spreading out his Divine Sense, a moment later, Yang Kai wore a look of surprise.
Although he had been observing the movements of the group at the mouth of the valley, he had not yet carefully examined the surrounding terrain, so it wasn’t until now that he discovered that this winding mountain valley, from a bird’s eye perspective, was actually shaped just like a great dragon.
The mouth of the valley was the dragon’s tail, while the deepest depths was its head. There were also several offshoots from the valley in the shape of dragon claws, giving it a vivid and realistic look.
Moreover, the deeper Yang Kai ventured into the valley, the clearer the sensation coming from his back was and the faster the Golden Dragon tattoo swam about.
Sensing this, Yang Kai was even more convinced that this place was related to the inheritance that he and Su Yan had received back in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave.
[How could there be such a coincidence?] Yang Kai secretly thought to himself. He had only inadvertently arrived here while trying to master the technique to tear space.
If everything was as he suspected, then Yang Kai could even guess which force this place belonged to.
At the mouth of the valley, the Saint Realm master’s brow had by now completely turned into a frown as he shouted in a worn out voice, “Next!”
At this command, a young boy with somewhat delicate facial features stepped forward and walked towards the mountain valley.
When the youth disappeared into the fog, the Saint Realm cultivator couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
“Palace Master, this is the last person,” A nearby Transcendent Realm cultivator whispered.
The man referred to as Palace Master simply nodded slightly, “I know, it seems this time is also a failure.”
The Transcendent Realm cultivator frowned, “After three years training these hundred youths, which one of them hasn’t made good progress? Palace Master, could it be that our method is somehow wrong?”
The Palace Master glanced over at his subordinate and asked, “What are you suspecting?”
“Subordinate would not dare, but…”
“No buts!” The Palace Master scolded harshly, “Although our Sect is now not very strong, you must remember that long ago, we were one of this world’s most powerful forces! Anyone who saw us would treat us with courtesy, and our disciples could freely walk the world as no one dared to provoke us!”
“Yes.”
The Palace Master then let out a sigh, “Our ancestors recorded these things in our Sect’s ancient books so that we would never forget our past prosperity! Unfortunately, all these years, no one has passed the Dragon Valley’s test so it has been impossible for us to reproduce our past brilliance and glory!”
“Palace Master, you…” The Transcendent Realm cultivator curiously asked.
The Palace Master simply shook his head, “I did not pass the valley’s test, it was just good fortune that I was still able to break through to the Saint Realm, otherwise I’m afraid we wouldn’t have even been able to protect our Sect’s foundation.”
The group of youths standing nearby eagerly listened in on the conversation between these two masters, a look of curiosity appearing in their eyes.
At this moment, the fog that constantly shrouded the Dragon Valley suddenly became somewhat disordered and the enter mountain valley trembled slightly, startling everyone standing at its mouth, each of them wondering if some kind of accident had occurred.
The gathered youths even went somewhat pale with fright.
Suddenly, a great dragon’s roar resounded from the depths of the mountain valley and a dazzling golden radiance as brilliant as the noon sun shot into the sky.
The eyes of the man called Palace Master suddenly bulged as he stared dumbfounded at the golden light. The Transcendent Realm cultivator beside him also wore the same shock filled look.
The golden light began twisting and after a while, a dragon head filled with endless majesty was formed, proudly and indifferently overlooking the valley below.
Under its gaze, all the gathered cultivators couldn’t help feeling small and insignificant.
Even the First Order Saint Realm Palace Master couldn’t help trembling as he pointed towards the Golden Dragon high up in the sky and stammering, “It appeared, it really appeared… it’s exactly the same as what was recorded in the ancient book, the Golden Dragon’s head has appeared, the Dragon Emperor has returned…”
“Palace Master… this, does this mean… someone passed the test?” The Transcendent Realm master stuttered.
The Palace Master was too excited to compose himself as tears streamed down his face, not even reacting to his subordinate’s question as he stared fixedly at the Golden Dragon head for a moment. Only after a while did he suddenly ask, “The boy who just entered the Dragon Valley, what was his name?”
In the deepest part of the mountain valley, Yang Kai stared at the Golden Dragon head that suddenly appeared as his heart pounded furiously.
The tingling sensation Yang Kai had been feeling, had transformed into an intense throbbing that seemed to be resonating with the dragon roar coming from the valley. In the next instant, the Golden Dragon tattoo leapt off his back and flew straight toward the giant dragon head floating high up in the sky.
As the two dragons met, the intensity of the golden light rose drastically, to the point where no one could even open their eyes.
A moment later, the light faded and Yang Kai discovered that he was now inside a golden world filled with an unfathomable amount of pure energy. A Golden Dragon only a few meters in length was now swimming around him, constantly swallowing this rich golden energy.
Yang Kai probed this dragon slightly before relaxing his guard.
This several meter long Golden Dragon gave off the same aura as him and if Yang Kai’s guess was correct, it should be the tattoo which normally resided on his back. As to why it had suddenly manifested itself and was devouring this golden energy, Yang Kai did not know, but even so, he could tell that as it fed, this Golden Dragon was slowly growing both in size and strength.
From behind Yang Kai, all of a sudden, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground rang out. Turning around, Yang Kai saw a youth roughly fourteen or fifteen years old sitting on his butt staring back at him in terror.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
He had been so focused on the shocking scenes before him that Yang Kai had actually not even noticed when this youth had appeared.
This boy was a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, which in front of the current Yang Kai was no different from an ant.
After releasing his Divine Sense for a moment, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He didn’t know why, but his Divine Sense was unable to penetrate this ocean of golden energy so he was unable to determine what had happened outside.
Sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai confirmed that, besides the young boy in front of him, there was no one and nothing else present.
With a light smile, Yang Kai stepped towards this youth.
Yang Kai had many suspicions in his heart, and this boy was the perfect candidate to confirm them.
Seeing Yang Kai approach, the boy seemed to be overcome with fear and before Yang Kai could even speak a single word, the boy’s eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.
“Seriously?” Yang Kai gawked. Although he didn’t think he was particularly handsome, he also didn’t believe he appeared wicked. The timidity of this little brat was simply too great.
Without any choice, Yang Kai could only sit down and wait while carefully examining his surroundings.
This place had been completely engulfed by this golden energy ocean, and the Golden Dragon tattoo that usual rested on his back was still slowly swallowing it. Yang Kai tried to see if he could break through this energy blockade, but soon concluded it was futile.
The golden energy ocean was impregnable, and Yang Kai estimated that even if he used his Devil Transformation, he wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch on it.
By tearing space, he may be able to leave here, but when he tried to recall the Golden Dragon, it didn’t respond to him, so Yang Kai had no choice but to settle in.
In any case, it was unlikely anyone from the outside could come in here as well.
Turning his attention to the youth in front of him, Yang Kai was surprised to discover that this boy’s Secret Art was actually a Yang Attribute one, similar to his own, and although the True Qi flowing through this boy’s body couldn’t be considered outstanding, it was still not bad considering his cultivation realm.
After waiting for half a day, the boy finally regained consciousness.
Upon opening his eyes, the youth didn’t seem to understand the situation he was in. However, the moment he spotted Yang Kai sitting a short distance away, breaking into a smile, the youth hurriedly crawled in retreat; he dared not lessen his vigilance against this stranger in front of him.
The youth’s eyes were filled with dread.
Seeing this, Yang Kai chuckled, “Don’t be afraid, I just have some things I want to ask you.”
The youth, however, maintained his wariness, showing a stance similar to a rabbit cornered by an eagle, pushing his True Qi to its maximum, preparing to put up a final resistance.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a hint of approval.
In a sense, Yang Kai felt this boy was somewhat similar to himself, when faced with a strong enemy, he unconsciously wanted to resist.
“If I wanted to kill you, there’s nothing you could do to resist!” Yang Kai grinned fiercely.
Hearing these words, the youth seemed to be dumbstruck for a moment but soon let out a long sigh, and with a resigned expression, got to his feet, patted the dust from his pants, and bowed, “Please ask whatever you want, Senior.”
“Senior?” This time it was Yang Kai’s turn to be stunned. This was the first time he had ever been called this by another. Nodding slightly, Yang Kai figured that he really was the Senior in this circumstance. In terms of strength, he was far above this boy, and even in terms of age, he was around ten years older, being called Senior was understandable.
“What force do you belong to?” Yang Kai asked after a moment of contemplation.
The youths eyes flashed a confused light before he hesitantly answer, “Dragon Phoenix Palace… Doesn’t Senior know this already?”
“Dragon Phoenix Palace… Sure enough!” Yang Kai took in a breath. When he noticed the Golden Dragon tattoo on his back behaving unusually, he had guessed as much, so hearing this name from this boy’s mouth was just a way of confirming his speculation.
When he was back in Ice Sect, Qing Ya had mentioned Dragon Phoenix Heaven. Though the name was not exact, it was similar and unique enough to be recognisable to him.
Qing Ya told him that ‘the inheritance he and Su Yan had obtained may be related to Dragon Phoenix Heaven’. Many centuries ago, Dragon Phoenix Palace was a powerful force on par with the Ice Sect of that time, but it had gradually declined because of the loss of its core inheritance.
Although the long years had been unkind to it, causing it to wither away somewhat, like Ice Sect, Dragon Phoenix Palace had yet to disappear into the annals of history.
There were several forces which had similar experiences throughout Tong Xuan Realm, Dragon Phoenix Palace was simply one of them.
At that time, Yang Kai secretly decided that when he had free time he would pay a visit to Dragon Phoenix Palace to have a look around, but unfortunately, he had been involved in a series of troubles after leaving Ice Sect which kept him thoroughly occupied.
It was only a coincidence that while practicing his tearing space method he had come here today.
Perhaps this was also some kind of divine intervention or fate.
After learning that this place was Dragon Phoenix Palace, Yang Kai immediately affirmed that the inheritance he and Su Yan obtained back in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave was from this force.
“Senior… who are you? How did you open the Dragon Valley’s ancient barrier? Before now, all of us just thought it was some kind of legend.”
“Me?” Yang Kai thought about it for a moment, “In a sense I have some connection with your Dragon Phoenix Palace.”
The youth happily smiled upon hearing this and hurriedly asked, “Does that mean we’re all one family?”
“One family? Heh, well you can think that if you’d like.”
The young boy’s expression suddenly relaxed a lot, “That’s good, I thought my time of death had arrived.”
“Were you afraid I’d kill you?” Yang Kai squinted at him with a wry grin.
The youth scratched his head awkwardly and replied, “Please don’t take offence, Senior, Junior was simply thinking too much. Right, I should introduce myself, this Junior is Dragon Phoenix Palace disciple Sun Yu.”
“My surname is Yang…” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
“Greetings, Senior Yang,” Sun Yu’s bowed politely, as if he was greeting an Elder from his Sect.
It was only reasonable for Sun Yu to think like this; after all, this Senior Yang had the ability to open Dragon Valley’s ancient barrier, so he must have some relationship with Dragon Phoenix Palace. On top of that, Yang Kai had just acknowledged having some connection to his Sect, so Sun Yu immediately felt relieved and was no longer on edge.
“Come and sit down, there are many questions I still need to ask you,” Yang Kai motioned to Sun Yu in a congenial manner.
“Please speak freely, Senior Yang, disciple will do his best to answer your doubts,” Sun Yu nodded quickly.
After chatting with Sun Yu for a while, Yang Kai gradually understood Dragon Phoenix Palace’s current situation.
Simply put, it was neither weak nor strong. There was a single Saint Realm master in the Sect named Chen Zhou, he was the one Yang Kai had previously detected at the mouth of the valley.
Although just a First Order Saint, that was enough to barely guarantee the safety of Dragon Phoenix Palace.
The ceremony Yang Kai had witnessed was known as the Dragon Valley’s Trial and it was held once every three years. The various youths who participated were selected from Dragon Phoenix Palace’s disciples, like Sun Yu, as well as others from the nearby affiliated Sects.
The disciples who came from Dragon Phoenix Palace’s affiliated Sects and Families would have to return to their own forces if they failed to pass this trial.
Every past Palace Master of Dragon Phoenix Palace presided over this test in hopes that one day, one disciple would be fortunate enough to pass and revitalize Dragon Phoenix Palace.
Unfortunately, after innumerable years and many successive Palace Masters, no disciple had ever passed the Dragon Valley’s Trial. This had led to Dragon Phoenix Palace’s declining to the point where only the current Palace Master still believed there was any kind of hidden legacy inside Dragon Valley.
That was, until now when Yang Kai inadvertently arrived here, causing Dragon Phoenix Palace to once again see hope.
As Sun Yu was explaining all of this, he suddenly face palmed and jumped up, “Oh crap, Palace Master and the others must think I was the one who opened the barrier and passed the Dragon Valley Trial.”
“Just let them think so, what’s the problem?” Yang Kai smiled casually.
“But… this really has nothing to do with me, all I did was walk along the valley until a sudden strong force pulled me here. No no, this isn’t right, I have to tell Palace Master.”
“You can’t get out,” Yang Kai shook his head as he turned his eyes to the surrounding golden barrier, “Not only you, even I can’t get out. We’re stuck here until all of this golden energy has been swallowed up.”
“What?!” Sun Yu’s face went white, “Then… what should I do?”
“Wait,” Yang Kai replied briefly, not showing the slightest bit of anxiety.
Seeing this Senior Yang acting so calm and relaxed, Sun Yu also seemed to regain his composure and slowly sat back down.
After chatting a bit more, Yang Kai learned from Sun Yu that while the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance was hidden in Dragon Valley, Dragon Phoenix Palace had another restricted area called the Phoenix Nest!
Inside the Phoenix Nest was the inheritance of the Phoenix Empress.
Anyone who passed the Dragon Valley’s Trial would have to select a young woman to inherit the Phoenix Empress’ position and become his life partner.
Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress were the titles given to the two strongest masters of Dragon Phoenix Palace many centuries ago. With these two masters at the helm, Dragon Phoenix Palace was considered one of the most powerful forces in the world.
Nowadays, the leader of Dragon Phoenix Palace only dared call themselves Palace Master.
Yang Kai expression changed when he heard this, suddenly becoming interested in this so called Phoenix Nest. If his guess was right, there should be something important there for Su Yan.
“The disciples selected to participate in the Dragon Valley’s Trial will be granted a special Secret Art from Palace Master even if we fail to pass. As such, as long as we can find the right girl, we won’t cultivate too slowly in the future.”
“A Dual Cultivation Secret Art?” Yang Kai asked bluntly.
Sun Yu nodded slightly as his face turned somewhat red.
“Do you have a girl you admire?”
Sun Yu shook his head rapidly, his face becoming even redder, “But there are many beautiful girls in the Sect… we can choose freely from among them, but once we form a pair, it will be for life!”
Yang Kai expression changed, only those who had cultivated profound dual cultivation technique knew the true meaning of not separating for a lifetime. As such, Sun Yu’s words just now seemed to resonate with Yang Kai, causing the look in his eyes to become gentler.
Outside the Dragon Valley, all of Dragon Phoenix Palace’s leadership had come together and were staring excitedly in the direction of the valley’s depths.
Palace Master Chen Zhou wore the most joyful look of them all, with a gigantic smile plastered on his face.
Dragon Phoenix Palace was a little different from other forces because it practiced Dual Cultivation Techniques. As a result, basically every master here had their own life partner.
At this moment, Yu Ting Yi, Palace Master Chen Zhou’s companion, was also together with him, holding his hand gently but actually unable to stop his stalwart body from trembling lightly.
Yu Ting Yi looked like a beautiful middle-aged woman with an outstanding figure, but because her aptitude was slightly worse, she had fallen behind Chen Zhou’s cultivation slightly and was now only a Third Order Transcendent. Seeing her husband so unable to control himself, she couldn’t help laughing lightly, “Good good, just because that inheritance has reappeared, is that a reason to become so excited?”
Chen Zhou took a deep breath, “You don’t understand! All previous Palace Masters have taken the restoration of this inheritance as their highest responsibility, but now, after so many years, it has finally appeared under my watch, how can I not be excited? The reappearance of this inheritance means our Dragon Phoenix Palace will once again have a Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress. As long as we have these two masters, we will be able to restore our past prosperity…”
Saying so, he suddenly called out, “Has Xiao Ling still not returned?”
Just as Chen Zhou shouted, a figure flew over from the distance, calling out before he even arrived, “Palace Master, subordinate is back.”
It was the Transcendent who was previously with Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou rushed forward anxiously and asked, “Have you inquired where that disciple is from? Is he a disciple of my Dragon Phoenix Palace or one of our subordinate forces?”
“Reporting to Palace Master, the boy is called Sun Yu and he is a disciple of Dragon Phoenix Palace, he was born and raised in the Sect,” Xiao Ling replied quickly.
Hearing this, Chen Zhou couldn’t help smiling and nodding, “Good good good! Very good!”
Although it wouldn’t be much of an issue if this Sun Yu had come from one of the affiliated forces, since he had grown up in Dragon Phoenix Palace, his feelings towards the Sect would definitely be deeper, relieving one of Chen Zhou’s concerns.
“Who is his teacher?”
“Elder Ling Jian!” Xiao Ling answered before yielding the way, “Elder Ling, please come!”
Chen Zhou looked up and saw Ling Jian flying over, letting out a hearty laugh.
When the two sides met, Chen Zhou solemnly said, “Elder Ling has worked hard, you have cultivated a good disciple.”
Ling Jian’s face filled with smiles as he shamelessly accepted this praise.
Although Ling Jian was indeed an Elder, he was still just a First Order Transcendent. He was essentially the last ranked amongst all the Elders and was not taken seriously by anyone in the Sect. On top of that, he was already quite old so these years he had basically just hung up the title of Elder while whiling away his remaining lifespan.
Never had he imagined he would encounter such a miracle today.
The disciple he taught had actually opened Dragon Phoenix Palace’s most core formation that had laid dormant for millennia, and if all went well, that disciple would obtain the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance.
His disciple obtaining this inheritance meant his value as his master would also soar to untold heights.
In all likelihood, when the Dragon Emperor matured, Ling Jian’s status would probably be equal to the current Palace Master’s.
Usually, Chen Zhou wouldn’t even bother meeting with this old Elder, but today he didn’t dare act disrespectful, showing Ling Jian the utmost courtesy and politeness.
Ling Jian wasn’t able to adapt to this new reality so quickly, but that did not stop him from enjoying it.
All the higher-ups of Dragon Phoenix Palace were staring at him with intense envy, wondering why they had not been the ones to cultivate the disciple who obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance.
If they had been the ones to train such a disciple, it would be them talking and laughing merrily with the Palace Master right now.
The scene was quite lively as Chen Zhou constantly inquired about Sun Yu’s situation and information. In response, Ling Jian freely told everything he knew about Sun Yu, right down to the trivial anecdotes that had occurred when he was a baby.
Chen Zhou listened attentively to all of this and never once grew bored, instead only becoming more enthusiastic as he showered praise upon the old man, saying that Sun Yu was a good seed and that, in the future, Dragon Phoenix Palace would be relying on him and Ling Jian.
Ling Jian was so happy that he thought that even if he were to die right now, he would have no regrets.
The lively scene continued on for many days without subsiding. Every day, people gathered outside Dragon Valley and gazed fervently towards the valley’s depths. Of course, none of them could see anything, but that did not dampen their enthusiasm. Dragon Valley was normally filled with mist which blocked out all of the sun’s rays, but now it was actually shrouded in golden light and pulsed with an astonishing amount of energy, causing everyone to not dare to approach.
Palace Master Chen Zhou also took some protective measures, deploying all the elites of Dragon Phoenix Palace around Dragon Valley to guard against Sun Yu being disturbed while accepting this inheritance.
Time passed by, but no matter how long they all waited, Sun Yu didn’t emerge from Dragon Valley, inevitably causing them to feel anxious.
…..
Inside the golden energy ocean-wrapped world, Yang Kai was busy manipulating his pill furnace, adding herbs to it while refining pills with his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, polishing his skills and knowledge of Alchemy.
He was currently only one step away from evolving his Alchemy, and since he was stuck in this place with nothing to do, Yang Kai decided to practice his Alchemy skill.
Sun Yu, who was caught up in this situation, also seemed to be a diligent youth. After spending two or three days together with Yang Kai and learning he was temporarily unable to leave, he immediately began cultivating.
The golden energy in this place with incredibly rich and potent, but was actually not of the Yang Attribute and instead had a sacred quality to it.
Yang Kai couldn’t tell what exactly this energy was, but using it for cultivation would not be an issue.
Moreover, the power contained within this golden energy was astonishing. Even if Sun Yu could only absorb a tiny fraction of it, it would be enough to benefit him for the rest of his life.
One cultivated, one practiced Alchemy, and the two essentially kept to themselves like this as the days flew by.
Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about running out of Alchemy materials as before he left Nine Heavens Holy Land, he had emptied the Holy Land’s Treasury into his Black Book space. He currently had enough herbs and spirit medicines to last for quite some time.
One day, after Yang Kai just finished refining a Saint Grade pill, he noticed that Sun Yu had stopped cultivating and was currently sitting nearby and observing his movements curiously.
“Understood anything?” Yang Kai smiled.
Sun Yu shook his head honestly and replied, “Senior, the way you perform Alchemy is quite strange; at least, it’s very different from the way I’ve seen anyone else perform Alchemy.”
“Oh, how so?” Yang Kai asked.
“You don’t use True Qi… All the Alchemists I’ve seen refining pills are constantly pushing their True Qi and their rate of consumption is quite fast, but when Senior performs Alchemy you don’t seem to use True Qi at all. Also, the speed at which Senior refines pills is much faster than those people… What grade of pill are you refining? Mysterious Grade?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face went black, thinking this little brat really lacked vision, actually believing the Saint Grade pill he had just refined was a worthless Mysterious Grade pill.
Seeing his expression, Sun Yu wore a shocked look and gasped, “It wouldn’t be a Spirit Grade pill, would it?”
“En, that’s right,” Yang Kai didn’t want to explain too much to him.
“Senior is really fierce… Successfully refining a Spirit Grade pill in just one or two hours, if the Alchemists of our Sect were to learn of this I’m afraid they’d die of shame.”
As a man who had experienced many great storms and received no small amount of flattery in his life, Yang Kai was still somewhat pleased when he heard Sun Yu say this. Though, that was perhaps due to the pure look of admiration in this youth’s eyes.
“Why don’t you continue cultivating?” Yang Kai stored the Saint Grade pill away and asked.
Sun Yu smiled bitterly and replied, “I don’t know why but I can’t absorb the energy here… and the two Crystal Stones that I was carrying have also been used up.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, knowing what Sun Yu was saying was the truth. Although the energy here could be used, Sun Yu’s strength was still too low.
Furrowing his brow as he stared at this youth, Yang Kai suddenly asked, “Do you long for strength?”
Sun Yu gawked for a moment before nodding firmly.
“Why?”
“Because I’m a man!” Sun Yu spoke as if it was only obvious, “Of course I long for strength. Moreover, when one day I meet a woman I like, if I don’t have enough strength, how will I keep her safe?”
Yang Kai laughed at this response, “Very good!”
Men long for strength, there was no need for any complicated reason.
Sun Yu scratched his head as he observed Yang Kai reaction curiously.
Yang Kai suddenly wore a sincere and solemn look and said, “Kid, how about making a deal with me?”
“Senior need not act so polite, if you have any instructions, please tell me, this Sun Yu will do whatever he can to help,” Sun Yu replied earnestly.
However, Yang Kai shook his head and emphasized once more, “I’m only interested in making a deal with you.”
Sun Yu’s face also became serious, realizing that what Yang Kai was about to request of him was likely something important and not easy to handle. Contemplating for a moment, he still nodded eventually, “Many thanks for Senior’s consideration, please ask!”
“Since you want strength, I can give it to you!” Yang Kai grinned, “But you have to agree to my request… En, when we leave here, and you return to Dragon Phoenix Palace, don’t divulge anything about me.”
Sun Yu was stunned and couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
“I have my reasons,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Do you agree?”
“But Senior, since you can open the barrier here, you must have a deep relationship with my Sect… and Palace Master and the Elders of the Sect are surely looking forward to your…”
“For the time being, I don’t want them to know about me. When I have time, I will meet with your Palace Master to explain,” Yang Kai replied casually.
Yang Kai had still not finished dealing with Nine Heavens Holy Land’s mess, so if he were now get involved in Dragon Phoenix Palace’s affairs, he would likely no longer be able to rest due to overwork.
However, since the Phoenix Nest held the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance, he would definitely have to return here one day with Su Yan.
The people of Dragon Phoenix Palace must currently think that Sun Yu was the one who opened this formation and raising this youths strength would help Yang Kai conceal the truth, provided Sun Yu didn’t say anything.
Yang Kai appreciated this boy somewhat so he wasn’t willing to kill him to keep his secret.
With the resources Yang Kai had on hand, it would be simple to cultivate one youth. Even if Sun Yu’s aptitude was mediocre, Yang Kai had methods to improve it. What’s more, this boy cultivated a Yang Attribute Secret Art similar to Yang Kai’s so it could be said they shared a common source.
So long as Sun Yu nodded, he could obtain a wonderful opportunity that was simply unimaginable to others.
After thinking for some time, Sun Yu said, “Although I don’t know why Senior must do this, there is surely an important reason… I must only ask, does Senior have any hostile intent towards my Dragon Phoenix Palace?”
“Of course not.” Yang Kai laughed.
“Good, then I promise not to reveal your existence!”
“Very good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
Two months passed by.
Sun Yu, who was staying with Yang Kai, had rapidly improved his strength. In just two months, he had reached the Peak True Element Boundary from the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage!
Sun Yu was ecstatic.
He was only fifteen this year and his aptitude was only slightly above average. If he had cultivated at his previous rate, reaching the Peak True Element Boundary would have taken him at least for a year or so.
But now, he had actually accomplished this feat in just two months.
He knew that all the credit for this belonged to the Senior surnamed Yang, causing Sun Yu to become even more respectful towards Yang Kai.
Over the past two months, all this Senior had done was provided Sun Yu with some Crystal Stones for cultivation and made him drink a drop of unknown medicinal liquid every day.
Sun Yu had no idea what kind of mysteries this medicinal liquid hid, but after taking it for two months, he actually felt like he had been reborn.
His physique had become both more powerful and flexible than before and he could tell that his meridians had been strengthened and expanded. However, the biggest and most important change was that the purity and richness of his True Qi was now double what it had been before. When his True Qi flowed through his meridians, Sun Yu could even hear some subtle rushing sounds.
These were all signs he had grown more powerful.
The most intuitive manifestation of all this was Sun Yu’s consumption of Crystal Stones when he cultivated.
In the past, it would take Sun Yu five or six days to absorb all the energy in a single piece of Crystal Stone.
But now, he didn’t even need a full day to absorb a piece of Crystal Stone, and this rate of consumption was still gradually getting faster.
Fortunately, this Senior Yang seemed to be extremely rich, so Sun Yu didn’t need to worry about his consumption of Crystal Stones. Every time, Senior Yang would give him a pile of Crystal Stones, and once Sun Yu ran out, Senior Yang would simply hand him more.
On top of all this, Senior Yang provided many different pills to assist Sun Yu in his cultivation. Whether it was Mysterious Grade pills or even Spirit Grade pills, it seemed like this Senior Yang had an endless supply of them.
Sun Yu couldn’t even describe the gratitude he felt.
Sun Yu understood that although this Senior didn’t teach him any powerful or profound Secret Arts or Martial Skills, he was actually fundamentally improving his body while enhancing his physique and aptitude. This kind of chance would benefit Sun Yu for the rest of his life.
[Is this one of those legendary fortuitous encounters?] Sun Yu thought to himself excitedly.
When he was back in Dragon Phoenix Palace, Sun Yu had often heard from the masters around him talk about these kinds of fortuitous encounters. They said that such things could not be sought out and were essentially chance occurrences, but those lucky enough to obtain one would be able to leap over the dragon’s gate and soar into the sky. Of course, Sun Yu had only thought that such things were the stuff of rumour and legend and never took his Seniors’ ramblings seriously.
After all, how could one come across such a good thing so casually?
But now, how else could Sun Yu describe everything that was happening to him, besides as a fortuitous encounter.
In Sun Yu’s heart he secretly rejoiced that he was fortunate enough to be the last disciple to enter Dragon Valley and then get dragged into this golden world by that inexplicable force. He was overjoyed he had met such a good person like Senior Yang.
Sun Yu seemed to be able to see his own bright future beckoning to himself!
As such, Sun Yu put even more effort into his cultivation, not daring to slack off for a moment. Such an opportunity was not something that everyone could meet, and Sun Yu was terrified he would fail to live up to the care Senior Yang had shown him.
Sun Yu wished for nothing more than to be able to clone himself so he could cultivate twice as fast while not sleeping or eating.
Yang Kai did not miss Sun Yu’s efforts and was very satisfied with what he saw.
This young boy had perseverance, determination, and most importantly obedience and endurance.
Yang Kai grew fonder of him as time passed.
Originally, Yang Kai had simply wanted to give Sun Yu some small benefits as payment for sealing his lips, but watching this boy put in so much effort to his cultivation, Yang Kai soon began sparing no effort to train him.
Every day, Yang Kai would give Sun Yu a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid as well as Crystal Stones and Mysterious Grade and Spirit Grade pills he had personally refined without any reservations.
Everyone who worked hard should have such opportunities.
Yang Kai often thought about all the hardships he had to endure on his path to acquire his current strength and couldn’t help wanting to lend this boy a helping hand.
What was rare was that, despite being just a young brat, Sun Yu actually understood that rest and relaxation were essential parts of cultivation. After he rushed to the Peak True Element Boundary and cultivated for a while, Sun Yu encountered a type of bottleneck and immediately took a step back instead of recklessly charging ahead. He spent time observing Yang Kai perform Alchemy as well as took the initiative to ask some questions about the Martial Dao.
A True Element Boundary cultivator breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary was indeed a great hurdle. Yang Kai himself had been stuck at this point in his cultivation for some time and was naturally very experienced in how to handle it. Passing some small insights on to Sun Yu immediately allowed the latter’s eyes to light up, often leading the youth to sit in contemplation for long periods of time before once again beginning to cultivate.
Time continued to pass by.
One day, while Yang Kai was immersed in Alchemy, he suddenly noticed that Sun Yu, next to him, was giving off a faint pulse of Spiritual Energy, and couldn’t help showing a faint smile, stopping the movement of his hands and observing the youth intently.
Now was the most critical moment for Sun Yu to open his Knowledge Sea. No one could help him. Everything depended on his own efforts.
The process of opening his Knowledge Sea lasted for a few days, allowing Yang Kai to fully comprehend Sun Yu’s determination and perseverance; each time he nearly failed, Sun Yu would push through with sheer force of will.
Suddenly, inside Sun Yu’s inner world, the infinite void was torn asunder and an invisible space appeared as his aura underwent some subtle changes.
Immortal Ascension Boundary! He had finally broken through.
Yang Kai breathed a light sigh of relief. He had been with this boy for so many days now, observing the efforts he had made. Naturally, Yang Kai hoped Sun Yu would succeed.
Fortunately, the boy had succeeded.
Sun Yu’s Knowledge Sea was empty, completely unlike Yang Kai’s when he first broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Yang Kai had managed to cultivate out his Divine Sense while still at the True Element Boundary, so once he opened his Knowledge Sea, his was already abundant with Spiritual Energy, enough of which to form a vast sea.
Sun Yu, on the other hand, had to start gathering Spiritual Energy and form his Knowledge Sea from scratch.
“Senior…” Sun Yu’s face was filled with joy as he called out in excitement, speaking somewhat incoherently as he rejoiced, “I… I broke through… Immortal Ascension Boundary…”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “Have you realized the difference from how you used to be?”
“En, even when I close my eyes, I can still perceive everything around me.”
“Good, as your Soul becomes more powerful, the distance you’ll be able to sense things across, and how much detail you’ll be able to observe will also increase. Your present Soul is just like a candle in the wind, work hard to cultivate it.”
“Yes!” Sun Yu replied in a positive and respectful tone, quickly closing his eyes and beginning to meditate.
However, soon after, he awkwardly opened his eyes and stammered, “But Senior… I don’t know how to cultivate Spiritual Energy… Master never taught me this.”
When Sun Yu had entered Dragon Valley, he was only a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator. According to Ling Jian’s estimations, Sun Yu would need at least two more years before arriving at the Immortal Ascension Boundary, as such, he had yet to teach the youth anything about cultivating his Soul.
Hearing this, Yang Kai laughed in spite of trying not to. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he then began passing on his own attainments and experiences in this field to the boy.
Sun Yu listened attentively to nodded repeatedly.
“Good, the best was to cultivate one’s Spiritual Energy is to refine a Soul type artifact, this not only improves your combat strength but also strengthens your Soul,” Yang Kai then smiled and said, “I happen to have a Soul type artifact quite suitable for you to use.”
As he spoke, Yang Kai opened his palm and summoned out a delicate little sword.
This little sword was an artifact Yang Kai had obtained when he participated in the Inheritance War and it had accompanied him for many years now. However, it was only a Heaven Grade Top-Rank artifact and along with the improvement of Yang Kai’s strength, fewer and fewer opportunities had arisen for it to be used.
Sun Yu quickly waved his hand, “Senior, you have already given me so much, this artifact…”
“It’s of no use to me, it’s only Heaven Grade Top-Rank, keeping it would just be a waste, but for you, it’s just right.”
Hearing Yang Kai say this, Sun Yu hesitated for a moment before composing himself, reaching out, and respectfully held out his hands, “Many Thanks for Senior’s gift, Sun Yu will work hard to not bring shame upon Senior’s name!”
Yang Kai chuckled, wiped his Soul mark from the sword, and said, “Refine it carefully. When you can take this artifact into your Knowledge Sea, you’ll basically be finished.”
“En!” Sun Yu nodded then quickly set about refining the small sword.
Yang Kai no longer paid attention to him and resumed refining pills.
After much long and painstaking effort, Yang Kai’s Alchemy’s proficiency had finally advanced once more and he was now able to consistently refine Saint Grade pills.
He had become a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist!
He was only one minor rank away from meeting the requirements to free the Ancient Demon Clan.
Even throughout the entire world, there weren’t many Saint Grade Alchemists.
Du Wan of Grand Boulder City had also reached such a level in Alchemy; he was received courteously wherever he went and currently served as the respected manager of the Alchemist Guild’s Grand Boulder City Branch. With Yang Kai’s current skills and means, as long as he was willing, he too would be able to receive similar treatment.
However, Alchemy had always been an auxiliary pursuit to Yang Kai, a way to broaden his comprehension of the Martial Dao.
Yang Kai’s only wish was to pursue the peak of the Martial Dao.
Through studying Alchemy, Yang Kai had discovered many insights regarding his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea as well as many questions he needed to ponder, allowing him to become more and more skillful in manipulating it.
Although he was now just a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, Yang Kai estimated that if he used the Myriad Drug Liquid and auxiliary Spirit Arrays, there was a chance he could refine Saint Grade Mid-Rank pills.
The world formed by the golden energy ocean was still solidly wrapped around Yang Kai and Sun Yu, and the small Golden Dragon which had manifested itself from the tattoo on Yang Kai’s back was still swallowing this energy, its body growing larger by the day. As this Golden Dragon consumed this golden energy, it also began giving off a majestic and awe inspiring aura.
Yang Kai was not in a rush and simply continued going about his own business.
Recently, Yang Kai hadn’t had any time to pursue his own cultivation, so this was actually a welcome opportunity.
Just like the Golden Dragon, Sun Yu also showed rapid growth. After his physique was improved by the Myriad Drug Liquid, cultivating became much smoother and easier for him.
The small sword Yang Kai delivered Sun Yu took the later roughly one month to refine and after experimenting with its power, he soon fell in love with it.
Sun Yu’s current Knowledge Sea had a good accumulation of Spiritual Energy now as well.
Every day, he consumed many Crystal Stones and precious pills, and whenever he encountered a problem in his cultivation he couldn’t solve, all he had to do was consult Senior Yang to obtain appropriate guidance. Sun Yu felt he was the luckiest person alive and he now considered Yang Kai his own honoured master and respected him as such.
Anyways, I opened up the link a minute from this post.
here is the link!
There will be 9 chapters this week.
Once again, for those interested to join the MP Patreon, do so after this week. Way more beneficial to you when you start next week.
One day, as he was refining a Saint Pill, Yang Kai suddenly frowned.
He had inadvertently noticed that the Yang Liquid he had stored in his own dantian was almost exhausted. The last time he re-supplied himself with Yang Liquid, Yang Kai had thought it would be sufficient to last him for a least a decade or so, but now he discovered that his estimations were wrong.
Every time he tore space it required a few drops of Yang Liquid, Yang Kai had apparently used too much in order to become familiar with this method.
It was time to supplement it.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had some sixty or seventy Divine Tree fruits in his Black Book space, each of which contained an amazing amount of Yang Attribute Energy. If he consumed all of them, he could fill his dantian again.
The Divine Tree was now residing in his Black Book space as well, and although cultivating these fruits was a long and difficult process, simply storing them away and not eating them would be a waste, so Yang Kai didn’t hesitate.
Taking out a fruit, Yang Kai began taking big bites of it.
The sound of Yang Kai snacking woke Sun Yu from his meditation, causing him to glance over, his eyes lighting up in the next instant.
Sun Yu was now an Immortal Ascension cultivator so he could naturally see just how extraordinary the Divine Tree fruit was; the seemingly overflowing Yang Attribute Energy it contained was particularly appealing to him.
However, Sun Yu also didn’t dare reveal any kind of covetous attitude in front of Yang Kai.
While preparing to close his eyes and continue his meditate, Yang Kai suddenly smiled towards him and tossed him a small piece of the fruit, “It’s not that I’m trying to be stingy, but you can’t eat too much of this thing.”
Sun Yu’s face blushed as he bashfully accepted the small piece of fruit before popping it into his mouth.
A moment later though, Sun Yu’s True Qi violently rioted and his skin became bright red, all his pores opening wide as they sprayed out excess heat and energy, making it seem like he was on the verge of exploding.
Yang Kai paid the boy no mind and simply allowed him to handle this crisis on his own.
Sun Yu didn’t dare neglect and immediately began circulating his Secret Art as quickly as he could in order to absorb the massive amount of energy now rampaging through his body.
Only after a long while did the violent aura gradually calm down. At this moment, Sun Yu was bursting with life and his aura was also noticeably stronger, even his complexion looked more radiant.
“Want some more?” Yang Kai asked.
Sun Yu quickly shook his head.
The small piece of pulp he had just eaten had nearly caused his dantian and meridians to rupture. Seeing Yang Kai eat them one after another like ordinary snacks without so much as blinking made him realizes just how huge the gap between them was once again.
Although this fruit was definitely a good thing, Sun Yu had enough self-knowledge and naturally didn’t dare ask for more.
Yang Kai swallowed down all sixty or seventy fruits in short order, causing the number of drops of Yang Liquid in his dantian to increase by several hundreds.
Just as he was smiling with satisfaction, Yang Kai’s brow suddenly wrinkled and he quickly sent his consciousness into the Black Book space.
“What happened?” Manifesting his Soul Avatar in front of the huge Divine Tree, Yang Kai asked.
“There are some strange changes happening over there,” The Divine Tree sent him a message.
It had been a long time since Yang Kai had acquired the Divine Tree and its consciousness had greatly matured since then. Now, it had no difficulty communicating with Yang Kai and could clearly express its thoughts and meaning.
“Where?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Follow me,” A wisp of golden light suddenly emerged from the Divine Tree and flew off in a certain direction, leading Yang Kai.
Following after it, Yang Kai soon came to a certain spot in the Black Book space and looking around, his brow wrinkled and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
“Here!” The Divine Tree sent him another message as the golden wisp circled the area.
Even without it telling him though, Yang Kai noticed something was wrong.
There were many scattered pieces of gravel here and some precious ores he had been keeping were now gone.
In particular, the quantity of rare minerals he had brought back from the Starry Sky had noticeably decreased.
Yang Kai remembered that after the Starry Sky Storm, he had collected a large number of precious ores and stored them here. Later, he had also piled up the ores he had taken from Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Treasury here.
However, now there seemed to be something that was absorbing the essence from these ores and leaving behind only some useless impurities.
Yang Kai couldn’t help glancing over at the Divine Tree curiously.
Some time ago, Yang Kai had accidentally discovered a similar occurrence. At the time, he had thought it was the doing of the Divine Tree, so he hadn’t paid it much mind.
But now it was fairly clear this wasn’t the doing of the Divine Tree because it didn’t seem like it was lying to him.
“You’ve been staying here the whole time, did you notice anything?” Yang Kai asked after being unable to glean any clues from the pile of ores in front of him.
“Nothing,” Divine Tree hesitantly replied, “I only felt something strange was happening here.”
“Help me keep an eye on this, if you find something, tell me immediately,” Yang Kai said.
Something so strange happening inside his Black Book space had confused Yang Kai greatly.
The essence contained within these ores wouldn’t just disappear for no reason, there must be something consuming them. But since the Divine Tree didn’t do it, the question was who, or what did?
Yang Kai would feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat so long as he couldn’t solve this mystery.
Receiving a nod from the Divine Tree, Yang Kai left the Black Book space and continued practicing his Alchemy.
Several peaceful days passed by before Yang Kai once again felt the call of the Divine Tree.
Without hesitation, he sent his Soul Avatar into the Black Book space and asked, “Did you discover something?”
“En,” The Divine Tree once again sent out a golden wisp and the two of them flew over to where the pile of ores lay before it pointed, “It’s them, I felt them slowly absorbing the essence of those stones, I’m certain of it.”
Following the direction it indicated, Yang Kai gawked for a moment at what he saw.
Although Yang Kai had just haphazardly piled the ore he had collected over the years here, he still recognized the two stones on the other end of his gaze and even clearly remember when and where he had obtained them.
Because these two stones were quite special compared to the others scattered around.
It was the two pitch-black round stones.
The first of these two stones had been found inside the secluded ancient cave which was home to the Soul Devouring Insects. At that time, Yang Kai was on his way to Soaring Heaven Sect for the first time and had taken a detour to explore this ancient cave mansion with Cang Yan and Fei Yu. His Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt had brought back a few treasure from the depths of the cave, one of which was this pitch-black round stone which had finally been collected by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai obtained the second pitch-black round stone back in Floating Clouds City. While waiting for the Thousand Year Demon Flower to bloom, he had been forced to participate in an Alchemy contest by Du Wan and Mi Na, ultimately winning first prize as well as the right to pick two treasures from Du Wan’s Saint Grade Alchemist colleagues’ Universe Bags.
Because the two pitch-black round stones were very similar, almost identical, they had caught Yang Kai’s attention and he had spent some time carefully examining them, unfortunately he had never learned anything useful about them despite his efforts.
Never had Yang Kai imagined that the culprit for this strange occurrence in the Black Book space was actually them.
What kind of strange stone absorbed the essence of other rare ores? Yang Kai thought about it for a long time but still ended up drawing a blank.
After carefully probing the two stones with his Divine Sense again for a while, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly.
He discovered that some beautiful patterns, like the meridians of a human body, had appeared on the surface of the two pitch-black round stones. Unfortunately, these patterns only appeared intermittently, as if they had been damaged or worn out somehow.
This discovery greatly surprised Yang Kai.
When he first obtained these two pitch-black round stones, he had performed a detailed examination of them, but at the time, no such patterns had appeared at all.
The delicate and somewhat unclear patterns that had now shown up were obviously related to the two pitch-black round stones absorbing the essence of the ores around them.
On top of that, it was only now that Yang Kai could detected that there was some unusual energy flowing through these patterns, akin to the True Qi in a cultivator’s meridians.
These two stones really hid some kind of mystery!
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai decided to set the matter aside for now. After knowing what was happening inside the Black Book space, he was no longer overly worried and simply asked the Divine Tree to continue monitoring the two stones before he took back his consciousness.
Yang Kai faintly felt that the two strange stones weren’t simple, and if he continued to allow them to absorb mineral essences some unexpected changes would eventually occur.
The two stones absorbing the essence of other minerals would no doubt make them stronger, which meant Yang Kai would be able to use them to refine an even stronger artifact in the future.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai glanced around and saw the Golden Dragon was still consuming the surrounding golden energy and that it would not be done for a while yet. He also noticed Sun Yu still hard at work cultivating nearby.
And so, Yang Kai went back to practicing Alchemy.
Inside the Holy Tomb, Yang Kai had refined a drop of Demon God Golden Blood and acquired the Soul Fission Divine Ability Soul that once belonged to the Great Demon God. Since then, Yang Kai had been cultivating this Divine Ability and had made good progress thanks to his Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus constantly nourishing his Soul and Soul Clone.
At this moment, Yang Kai also clearly realized the benefits of cultivating Soul Fission.
When one cultivated this Divine Ability to the grand accomplishment stage, it would be as if they had two Souls and could thus cultivate Spiritual Energy twice as fast as others.
Yang Kai had never heard of any Secret Art that even remotely compared to such a boost in Spiritual Energy cultivation speed.
Although Yang Kai had not yet reached such a height, he could clearly feel that thanks to the existence of his Soul Clone, his Spiritual Energy was growing significantly faster than before.
As such, he had spared no effort to cultivate his Soul Clone in the hopes that one day it would be able to play its complete role.
Once he cultivated Soul Fission to its extreme, as long as he could find the right body for it, he could separate his Soul Clone from his Knowledge Sea and implant it into this second form, allowing him to essentially be in two places at once or explore some dangerous region without risking his life.
Yang Kai also began refining the Silver Leaf Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact which he had obtained from the previous Holy Master inside the Holy Tomb. This Silver Leaf was filled with a mysterious power and was extremely difficult to refine. Fortunately though, Yang Kai had plenty of time and was not in a hurry.
After confirming the source of the disturbance in the Black Book space, Yang Kai would check in on the two pitch-black round stones every few days to see what changes they were undergoing.
As time passed, the fine patterns on their surface became clearer and more coherent, the price paid though was that most of the minerals Yang Kai had collected had been reduced to dregs. Of the pile of ores he had harvested from the Starry Sky and Nine Heavens Holy Land, only about half remained.
If this kept up, within a year or so, the two stones would consume every last ore in the Black Book space.
Inside the golden energy ocean, whether it was Yang Kai or Sun Yu, both of them had lost track of the passage of time as they busied themselves with their own affairs. Occasionally, the two would stop what they were doing, relax, and chat, but after having rested themselves for a time, they would continue their work, neither one bothering the other.
The days that passed by were by no means wasted though, instead they were quite productive and meaningful. Both Yang Kai and Sun Yu obtained enormous growth and benefit from this unexpected accident.
Dragon Valley stretched and twisted like a real dragon laying on the ground. It was covered in a fog all year round and even the strongest of masters couldn’t see into its depths.
Initially, around Dragon Valley, many Dragon Phoenix Palace masters had hidden themselves and were constantly on guard, but as time passed, these masters had left one by one.
Now, only Palace Master Chen Zhou remained at the mouth of the valley.
At this moment, Chen Zhou stared towards the misty mountain valley with a worried look and sighed.
Two years ago, when the disciple named Sun Yu had managed to trigger the long dormant Dragon Valley’s barrier and summoned for the vision of the Golden Dragon head, all of Dragon Phoenix Palace celebrated.
The attention of all the top leaders of Dragon Phoenix Palace was constantly focused here, thinking that the Sect would soon enter into a new prosperous age and would one day stand at the summit of Tong Xuan Realm alongside its most powerful forces.
But after two years had passed, there was still no movement from inside the valley. Although everyone could detect the powerful energy fluctuations coming from within, the disciple name Sun Yu had never returned.
Gradually, people became disheartened, though none dared say so in front of Palace Master Chen. But in private, everyone had come to the conclusion that the disciple name Sun Yu had likely met with disaster.
He was only a boy at the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage. After not having appeared for so long, it was almost certain he had starved to death in the Dragon Valley.
Gazing at the golden light ocean, Chen Zhou sighed once more.
“Palace Master…” Chen Zhou’s companion, Yu Ting Yi, who was one of the few who still remained here, couldn’t help sighing and offering words of comfort, “The disciple who opened the barrier has obtained great fortune, he is surely alright.”
Chen Zhou did not respond, his expression simply becoming gloomier.
Yu Ting Yi reluctantly sighed again before turning to look at a nearby old man.
Besides Chen Zhou, the only other who had insisted on waiting here for the entire two year time was this old man.
It was Elder Ling Jian, Sun Yu’s master.
Elder Ling did not possess great strength or aptitude, his title as Elder more a formality due to his age than an indication of his status in Dragon Phoenix Palace. Before, he had no real power and was all but ignored by most.
Two years ago, when Sun Yu had suddenly opened the formation, Ling Jian’s status suddenly soared and almost every Elder who saw him would politely greet him, allowing him to enjoy almost unparalleled freedom and respect inside Dragon Phoenix Palace.
But now, no one treated him that way anymore.
Chen Zhou and Ling Jian stood next to each other as they stared into the mountain valley’s depths, sighing continuously as looks of sorrow filled their faces.
A figure quickly approached, and Elder Xiao Ling of Dragon Phoenix Palace soon appeared and quickly observed Chen Zhou’s expression before glancing over at Yu Ting Yi.
The latter slowly shook her head, her beautiful eyes filled with a helpless gloom.
Xiao Ling immediately understood; since the last time he came, no noticeable change had likely appeared in Dragon Valley. Shaking off these distracting thoughts, he respectfully cupped his fists and spoke, “Palace Master, the Elders request your presence to discuss some important matters.”
“Let them hold their discussion , just inform me of the result,” Chen Zhou Yi Xing waved his hand.
“Forgive me, Palace Master, but this matter must be decided by you personally, otherwise I would not have dared disturb you,” Xiao Ling replied awkwardly.
Chen Zhou frowned slightly, a look of annoyance appearing on his face.
Yu Ting Yi quickly said, “You should go, you have not asked about any of the Sect’s affairs for the past two years…”
“I must wait here for the Dragon Emperor to return!” Chen Zhou firmly declared, interrupting Yu Ting Yi before she could finish speaking.
Yu Ting Yi wore a forced smile in response.
“Do you think there is no hope left? Ignorance! The Dragon Emperor will return, we just do not know when!” Chen Zhou coldly snorted, his face showing a look filled with confidence.
Yu Ting Yi smiled and spoke, “If you say it will be so, it will be, but that also means there’s no need for you to be so anxious. The Elders are waiting for you, the sooner you take care of things the sooner you can return. Leave this place to Elder Ling and I, we will inform you immediately if anything happens.”
Chen Zhou glanced over at his wife for a moment before nodding lightly, “Then I’ll ask this of you, be sure you keep a close eye on this place.”
“En,” Yu Ting Yi nodded gently, feeling somewhat helpless in her heart.
Chen Zhou took one last long look towards the depths of the valley before turning around and preparing to leave with Xiao Ling.
At that moment though, Dragon Valley, which had remained silent for two whole years, suddenly pulsed, sending out a powerful energy fluctuation that blew away all the lingering mist, revealing itself in all its splendor.
Now, anyone standing at its mouth could see straight into its depths.
Chen Zhou’s steps immediately came to a halt and he began trembling with excitement, not daring to even breathe as he stared towards the valley.
The low-spirited Ling Jian also suddenly became excited as his old pair of eyes flashed with expectation, his wrinkled hands clenching tightly.
“There’s movement!” Chen Zhou couldn’t help shouting.
Xiao Ling, who had come to summon Chen Zhou, also couldn’t help stopping in place as he stared suspiciously towards the depths of the valley, his mood also becoming somewhat jubilant.
Although he and the other Elders were somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that Palace Master Zhou had cast aside all of the Sect’s affairs and had stubbornly remained at Dragon Valley’s mouth for the past two years, many of them even feeling that the disciple name Sun Yu had long ago perished, seeing this phenomenon still couldn’t help rousing Xiao Ling’s expectations.
After all, he too was a member of Dragon Phoenix Palace.
……
Inside the golden ocean at the end of Dragon Valley, the Golden Dragon had finally finished swallowing up all the ambient energy and its whole body was now emitting a dazzling light. It was as if it had become a true dragon and carried with it an aura of endless majesty.
Sun Yu, who had been meditating, was alarmed and awoke, instantly meeting the Golden Dragon’s eyes. In that instant, Sun Yu felt a sharp pain in his head and collapsed to the ground.
The moment he met eyes with the Golden Dragon, Sun Yu felt as if his Soul was being forcibly drawn out of his Knowledge Sea and crushed.
Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him and shielded him from the Golden Dragon’s view, allowing Sun Yu to quickly close his eyes and steady his mind.
A resounding dragon’s roar rang out as the Golden Dragon soared up into the sky.
The sky seems to explode as a burst of light so bright erupted that everyone within a hundred kilometers was blinded.
It was as if the Golden Dragon had been trapped for thousands of years and had just broken free, rejoicing as it soared through the sky. After a while, the Golden Dragon suddenly swooped down and slammed into Yang Kai, bringing with it a devastating power.
Yang Kai let out a shout as the Golden Dragon sunk into his body, immediately feeling like something he had lost had returned.
Along with this feeling of reunion, the Golden Dragon also brought with it a phenomenal amount of pure energy.
All of Yang Kai’s clothes were blasted into dust as this energy burst forth.
Yang Kai quickly condensed several Grand Heavenly Shields around Sun Yu while summoning his Silver Leaf Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact.
The Silver Leaf pulsed vividly before rapidly expanding and wrapping Sun Yu in a second layer of protection.
If Yang Kai did not do this, Sun Yu wouldn’t be able to resist the fallout from the energy explosion and would be instantly vaporized.
After spending a great deal of time, Yang Kai had finally finished refining this artifact which had belonged to the previous Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land. This Silver Leaf had the ability to transform into many shapes and sizes, giving it great flexibility whether it was used for attacking or defending, worthy of a Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact.
*Kacha…*
The sound of his bones dislocating crackled as Yang Kai’s flesh rippled, the True Qi in his meridians circulating as an unimaginable speed, exerting huge pressure on them.
A moment later, countless cracks appeared on Yang Kai’s skin and blood began pouring out, dying his surroundings a golden sheen. Fortunately, under the powerful restorative strength of the Demon God Golden Blood, the damaged areas were quickly repaired.
However, this didn’t mean that the energy rampaging through Yang Kai’s body had stopped. A cycle of damage and repair quickly formed.
During this process, Yang Kai not only didn’t show any signs of distress but instead wore an excited look upon his face.
When the Golden Dragon returned to his body and transformed back into a Golden Dragon tattoo, Yang Kai suddenly felt that the world around him had undergone some subtle changes.
The flow of energy between the Heavens and Earth had become clear and more distinct compared to before.
In the midst of all this, Yang Kai felt as if he had caught a glimpse of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. The insights and mysteries he had previously failed to grasp now seemed to be within reach of his fingertips!
Standing in place, Yang Kai calmed himself, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in this wondrous feeling.
Above Yang Kai’s head, wind and clouds swirled as the World Energy within a hundred kilometer radius began gathering, as if some great force was drawing it in.
These giant Heavenly Manifestations had naturally attracted the attention of all Dragon Phoenix Palace’s leadership, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and rushed towards Dragon Valley, each of them wearing looks of excitement.
Chen Zhou and Ling Jian, who had been standing guard here the whole time, stared bright eyed towards the depths of Dragon Valley, the latter even bursting into tears of joy.
Although none of them was able to detect Sun Yu’s aura, all of them knew that this scene must be related to the young boy. Perhaps he had successfully acquired the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and was now facing some kind of final test.
“These violent energy fluctuations are signs of a breakthrough!” Xiao Ling muttered to himself.
Yu Ting Yi is also nodded lightly, “The momentum is not inferior to someone breaking through to the Saint Realm!”
When Chen Zhou had broken through to the Saint Realm, there had also been a grand Heavenly Manifestation, but compared to the scene that was playing out before their eyes, it was still somewhat dwarfed.
Was the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance really so amazing? When Sun Yu entered Dragon Valley two years ago, his cultivation had only reached the True Element Seventh Stage. Just what standard had he reached now? No matter what, it was impossible for him to have reached the Saint Realm, so how was he supposed to withstand such a violent energy storm?
Everyone couldn’t help suddenly feeling worried.
Chen Zhou suddenly shouted severely, “Relay my orders! Create a blockade twenty kilometers outside the Sect! No outsiders may enter! If anyone dares try to intrude, no matter who it is, kill them without mercy!”
With such a massive movement happening here, it was bound to attract nearby masters. If anyone who harboured malicious and covetous intentions towards the new Dragon Emperor, this would be an ideal time for them to interfere.
Especially in the nearby Frozen Nether Cave Heaven. Two years ago, after obtaining news about the occurrences in Dragon Valley through various means, they had shown signs of wanting to make trouble, but after two years of silence, and not knowing whether Sun Yu was dead or alive, they hadn’t made any rash moves.
But today, with this Heavenly Manifestation appearing, they would definitely act.
Feeling the thick murderous intent pulsing from Chen Zhou’s body, Xiao Ling also realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly began making arrangements.
“The Dragon Emperor’s legacy has finally reappeared, these two years… I haven’t waited in vain!” Chen Zhou’s eyes began to water up as he felt that a great weight had lifted from his shoulders.
In the depths of Dragon Valley, Yang Kai stood silently amidst a sea of World Energy, as if the two had somehow become one, an experience Yang Kai had never had before.
The power within his body rapidly increased and soon reached its peak level, but there was no sign of it stopping and it continued to soar, breaking through all boundaries and limits.
Yang Kai clearly knew he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
It had been several years since his last breakthrough, and while waiting for the Golden Dragon to finish swallowing the golden energy ocean, Yang Kai had not slacked on his own cultivation and had also obtained many insights while studying Alchemy.
It could be said that breaking through right now was completely natural and that he wouldn’t encounter any bottlenecks.
The storm of World Energy around Yang Kai tempered his already solid physique and True Qi. His flesh and blood pulsed with unimaginable power.
Yang Kai was ecstatic.
Lowering his guard and opening his stance, Yang Kai completely immersed himself in this intense World Energy baptism.
Most cultivators would use their True Qi or artifacts to protect themselves during a breakthrough so as not to be hurt by the rampaging World Energy that gathered around them during the process.
Although this approach was much safer, the benefits one could obtain were reduced correspondingly.
Yang Kai did the complete opposite of this, using his tyrannical physique to directly withstand this external bombardment, tempering his flesh and blood to the extreme, forming a never ending cycle of benefits. This was why every cultivator paid special attention to their foundation, the firmer it was, the more benefits they could obtain and the greater the height they could reach in the future.
Yang Kai’s foundation was incredibly solid.
Shooting a glance over at Sun Yu, who was guarded by Grand Heavenly Shields and the Silver Leaf artifact, Yang Kai confirmed the youth was unaffected and put down the last of his worries.
A wave of World Energy fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning, bringing with it an overwhelming pressure and momentum, causing everyone from Dragon Phoenix Palace standing at the mouth of Dragon Valley to change complexion in shock.
Seeing such a powerful destructive force, none of them could guarantee that Sun Yu would be able to return safely.
Chen Zhou and Ling Jian were both anxious like ants on a hot wok, wanting to immediately rush to the depths of the valley to have a closer look but simultaneously worried they would disturb Sun Yu if they did so, causing them no small amount of grief.
At this time, Xiao Ling, who had left to arrange the blockade of the Sect, sent word that the nearby Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had indeed been alarmed by this situation and that enemy masters, under the leadership of two First Order Saints, were now heading towards Dragon Valley.
Chen Zhou’s face went cold and a sharp light flashed across the depths of his eyes.
Ever since Dragon Phoenix Palace had begun to decline, Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had begun to rise. There was an obvious friction between the two forces, but with each of them possessing Saint Realm masters, despite constant small skirmishes breaking out, no major conflict had yet to erupt.
Everyone knew that once a major battle took place, neither side would be able to emerge unscathed.
Although Dragon Phoenix Palace only had one Saint Realm master, Chen Zhou, if it became a life of death fight, Frozen Nether Cave Heaven would no doubt sustain unacceptable amounts of damage.
Frozen Nether Cave Heaven suddenly mobilizing all its forces at this time was no surprise to Chen Zhou.
“Elder Ling, I leave all matters here in your hands. If Sun Yu can return safely… Take him away from Dragon Phoenix Palace and tell him that the revitalization of our Sect will depend on him.”
“Palace Master!” Ling Jian’s face paled when he realized what Chen Zhou wanted to do.
“Xiao Ling, Ting Yi, come meet the enemy with me! I’d like to see what kind of ability they think they possess to so brazenly invade my Dragon Phoenix Palace!” Chen Zhou shouted before soaring off.
Xiao Ling and Yu Ting Yi also rushed to keep up.
At the mouth of the mountain valley now, only Ling Jian remained.
Staring towards the depths of the valley, Ling Jian only grew more anxious, muttering under his breath, “Smelly brat, still unwilling to come out? You really know how to torture this old master’s heart.”
Deep in the depths of Dragon Valley, World Energy continued pouring down from the Heavens towards Yang Kai who openly accepted every last bit of it, his face filled with excitement.
This situation lasted for an hour or so before the swirling World Energy began to thin out and the terrifying aura that engulfed Dragon Valley gradually subsided.
An invisible wave of pressure centered on Yang Kai suddenly spread around.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s body felt incredibly light and a joyous sensation spread across every inch of his body. Clenching his fists silently, Yang Kai could feel just how much his strength had increased.
Spreading out his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found the range and clarity of his perception had also grown substantially.
Third Order Transcendent Realm!
Just one step away from the Saint Realm.
Several dozen kilometers away, Yang Kai sensed some people were fighting, and it was an intense battle at that. There were even three Saints involved, causing Yang Kai to frown slightly, not knowing what was going on.
Yang Kai took his attention back and began examining the changes in his body.
The Golden Dragon tattoo had returned to his back but was now far more lifelike and was actually constantly swimming across his skin, appearing quite strange to the outside observer.
Also, at this moment, the Golden Dragon tattoo seemed to contain a massive amount of energy that caused even Yang Kai to feel somewhat nervous.
It gave off a profound and majestic aura that was familiar to Yang Kai.
Monster Qi!
Having coming in contact with members of the Monster Race and talked directly to a Monster Race Great Senior, Yang Kai was very familiar with Monster Qi and at this moment the energy radiating from his Golden Dragon tattoo actually contained traces of Monster Yuan Qi.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai understood.
The inheritance hidden here was the real Dragon Emperor’s inheritance!
What he and Su Yan received back in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave was just a primer, only after coming here and obtaining the hidden energy could they become the true Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress.
Yang Kai didn’t know why he suddenly understood all this, but he figured it had something to do with acquiring the true inheritance.
After carefully examining himself, Yang Kai felt extremely satisfied.
Taking out a set of clothes from the Black Book space and donning the, Yang Kai removed the protective layers around Sun Yu.
The Grand Heavenly Shields shattered and the Silver Leaf artifact was retrieved by him.
Sun Yu still appeared somewhat shaken by what had just happened but after seeing Yang Kai, he quickly cupped his fists, “Many thanks for rescuing me, Senior!”
He was well aware that if Yang Kai had not protected him at the critical moment, he would have long since departed for the next world. Even if he cultivated diligently for a few dozen years he might not be able to resist such a shocking display of power.
“A minor matter,” Yang Kai smiled faintly before turning his gaze towards the mouth of the valley, casually saying “There is a cultivator with a First Order Transcendent cultivation outside who seems to be waiting for you.”
“First Order Transcendent?” Sun Yu was surprised before immediately saying excitedly, “It must be Master. Oh no, we’ve been trapped here for so many days, Master has certainly become impatient waiting for me. Senior, do you know how long we’ve been staying here?”
“Probably about two years,” Yang Kai replied off-handedly.
“So long?” Sun Yu was dumbstruck; shocked that a whole two years had passed by, he had simply not felt the passage of time at all; following beside Yang Kai and reaping such enormous benefits had apparently diluted this feeling.
“Don’t be in such a rush,” Yang Kai smiled as he looked at the youth, “Do you remember the agreement between us?”
Sun Yu nodded solemnly, “I remember. To me, Senior is an honoured teacher, I will certainly not reveal your existence.”
“Very good.”
“But… if Palace Master and the other elders ask about the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, how should I answer them?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, feeling like there wasn’t really a good answer to this question. Although he had been training Sun Yu for a while, and the youth’s aptitude had undergone earth-shaking changes, allowing him to one day certainly have some achievements. The matter about the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance really wasn’t so easy to explain away, “Let’s put this aside for the moment, your Dragon Phoenix Palace’s masters are fighting with another group of people right now, and they seem to be at a disadvantage.”
“Engaged in battle?” Sun Yu frowned, releasing his Divine Sense but unable to perceive anything.
His cultivation realm wasn’t high enough so he could only perceive things within a few kilometers of himself, but after a little contemplation, he concluded, “It must be the people from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven. Hateful! That group of bastards must have detected the movement from this place and decided to launch a full scale invasion of my Dragon Phoenix Palace.”
“Is there some kind of grudge between your two forces?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Sun Yu shook his head, “It’s just them looking for trouble. Their Sect specializes in Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skills and my Dragon Phoenix Palace just happens to have something they greatly covet.”
Yang Kai frowned and suddenly understood, “The inheritance inside the Phoenix Nest?”
“Indeed,” Sun Yu nodded, “Since the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance has reappeared, the new Dragon Emperor will definitely need to find a favourable woman to inherit the Phoenix Empresses’ inheritance. That’s Frozen Nether Cave Heaven’s goal, once they succeed, perhaps they’ll completely annex our Dragon Phoenix Palace.”
Yang Kai let out a somewhat creepy laugh as he stared at the youth.
“Why are you laughing like that, Senior?” Sun Yu was confused.
“Looks like you’re in trouble,” Yang Kai said, clearly taking pleasure in the boy’s misfortune.
Sun Yu thought about it for a moment before his expression turned bitter, suddenly understanding. The leadership of Dragon Phoenix Palace currently thought he was the one who triggered the formation and received the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and even if they had tightly controlled this information, it was likely Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had learned about his identity. The purpose of Frozen Nether Cave Heaven’s invasion this time was obviously Sun Yu.
Clearly they intended to capture him and force him to choose a woman from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven to become the new Phoenix Empress and obtain the inheritance from the Phoenix Nest.
“Senior…” Sun Yu’s face filled with unease as he stared over at Yang Kai, silently praying for rescue.
“Don’t worry, since I was the one who created this issue in the first place, I’ll help you handle it. This is also an opportunity to let your Dragon Phoenix Palace’s leaders confirm that you obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance.”
Sun Yu breathed a sigh of relief, “Many thanks, Senior.”
“No problem!” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “You exit the valley, I’ll protect you from the shadows. Act bold and courageously.”
“Yes!” Having received this assurance from Yang Kai, Sun Yu felt greatly relieved and hurriedly rushed towards the mouth of the valley, as if he believed that with Senior Yang’s astonishing methods, repelling Frozen Nether Cave Heaven would be a simple task.
After Sun Yu left, Yang Kai turned his gaze in the direction of the nearby battle, his eyes flashing a gloomy light.
The inheritance hidden inside the Phoenix Nest belonged to Su Yan, yet this Frozen Nether Cave Heaven was actually looking to steal it, they must really be tired of living!
If not for this reason, Yang Kai would be unwilling to intervene in other forces’ disputes.
However, Dragon Phoenix Palace had a great many subtle connections with him so him taking action this time was simply like returning the favour for him obtaining the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance.
Do give me feedback on this one. The decision is kinda a grey zone for me.
Ling Jian stood at the mouth of the valley, anxiously waiting, muttering under his breath constantly, yet not seeing any traces of Sun Yu appearing.
Gradually, Ling Jian even began to think that his disciple had been killed in that terrifying World Energy storm.
Just as he was about to lose all hope, from the depths of Dragon Valley, a figure dashed out, causing Ling Jian to stare and tremble in shock.
This figure was quite similar to the Sun Yu in his memories but was somewhat taller and stronger. Ling Jian’s old dim eyes were somewhat lost for a moment as he stared fixedly towards the approaching youth.
After a while, the appearance of this figure finally appeared clearly in Ling Jian’s eyes, and upon confirming it really was Sun Yu, Ling Jian shed tears of joy and cried out, “Smelly brat, you are finally decided to come out. Do you know how much worry you’ve put me through!”
“Master!” Sun Yu also wore an excited expression, quickly rushing over Ling Jian and bowing politely to him, however, before Sun Yu could say anything, he was pulled by Ling Jian who hurriedly said, “Follow me! “
Seeing his old Master acting like this, Sun Yu suspiciously asked, “Where are we going?”
“Those Frozen Nether Cave Heaven bastards have launched in invasion. Palace Master and the other Elders have gone to confront the enemy but the other side has two Saint Realm masters. We can’t block them for long so Palace Master instructed me before he left that if you returned safely, I was to lead you away from here to safe location. Palace Master is entrusting the revitalization of the Sect to you.”
“Where is this safe location?” Sun Yu knit his brow.
“Twin Spirit Pavilion… My Dragon Phoenix Palace and Twin Spirit Pavilion have always been on good terms. If we go there, we can avoid this crisis and buy ourselves time for you to mature.”
Ling Jian had thoroughly considered this issue. His disciple Sun Yu had now accepted the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and would definitely grow into a supreme expert one day. He also urgently needed to find a favoured woman to inherit the Phoenix Nest’s inheritance. If they divulged all of this to Twin Spirit Pavilion, the latter would definitely be willing to shelter them.
As long as they could receive this kindness, letting Sun Yu look for a Phoenix Empress from Twin Spirit Pavilion wouldn’t be beyond reason.
No matter what, they couldn’t let the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance fall into the hands of an enemy like Frozen Nether Cave Heaven.
“I won’t leave!” Sun Yu suddenly broke away from Ling Jian’s grip and stood firmly in place.
Ling Jian glanced back and looked at him and anxiously shouted, “You smelly brat, ignoring your Master’s words at a time like this, do you want to irritate this old master to death?”
Sun Yu coldly snorted said, “With the Sect facing mortal disaster, how can I simply run away? Since Frozen Nether Cave Heaven dares to violate your territory, they must pay an appropriate price!”
Ling Jian suddenly became somewhat absent-minded, staring blankly at his disciple, unable to understand the situation for a while.
Although his disciple had obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, that still couldn’t explain his current confidence, actually declaring he wanted Frozen Nether Cave Heaven to pay the price for their actions. What did he have to back up such rampant talk?
Releasing his Divine Sense, Ling Jian carefully probed Sun Yu, but upon realizing his disciple’s current cultivation, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he struggled to speak, “Y… you…”
“You want us to pay the price? Hahahaha, boy, you’re certainly arrogant enough!” A burst of laughter suddenly came from nearby.
Along with this taunting voice, a number of figures appeared like ghosts, each of them dressed in long, pure white robes.
Sun Yu’s expression changed and instinctually leapt back towards Ling Jian. Ling Jian also wore a dignified expression as he stepped forward to shield his disciple, sweeping his eyes coldly over these newcomers as he muttered under his breath, “Frozen Nether Cave Heaven dogs!”
The ones who had appeared were cultivators from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven. There were five of them in total, all of them Transcendents.
This quantity and grade of expert against the First Order Transcendent Ling Jian, the end result was obvious.
It was because of this that these five had boldly shown themselves and were even now directing taunting gazes towards this Master and disciple pair.
The middle-aged man who appeared to be the group’s leader stared at Sun Yu with a smirk and teased, “Little brat, was it you who just said you wanted my Frozen Nether Cave Heaven to pay the price?”
Sun Yu’s face had drained of all colour and he didn’t dare to answer back.
Although he had been cultivated vigorously by Yang Kai and his aptitude had undergone an earth-shaking change, in the end, he was still just a naive sixteen year old boy who had never weathered any great storms before. Now facing five Transcendents, he had lost all courage before the fight even began, and if it weren’t for his Master standing in front of him, he likely would have already fallen into despair.
Hiding behind Ling Jian, Sun Yu glanced around rapidly, as if desperately searching for something, a moment later a smile appearing on his face and his nerves quickly settling.
After the middle-aged man taunted them once, he no longer paid any attention to Ling Jian or Sun Yu; instead, he and the other four men turned their eyes towards the direction of Dragon Valley, pondering, “The Heavenly Manifestation originated from over there somewhere, right?”
“En, this is Dragon Phoenix Palace’s Dragon Valley, where the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance lays hidden. I’d never believed that old story, but now it appears I have to. For the past two years, that Chen Zhou has apparently been guarding this place.”
“If that’s so, then is it certain that Dragon Phoenix Palace disciple obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance?”
“En, I’ve already inquired about this. The one who obtained the inheritance was named Sun Yu, a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage brat!”
“That boy’s luck is quite good then. Let’s go in, we’ll see who grabs him first!”
The five Transcendents completely ignored Ling Jian and Sun Yu, as if they weren’t even there.
Ling Jian was still on edge until a moment ago, when he heard this group’s conversation and realized there was still an opportunity for him and his disciple to escape. These five didn’t seem to know that the teenager in front of them was actually the Sun Yu they were looking for.
None of them had ever seen Sun Yu before and the change in Sun Yu’s cultivation had been too dramatic so these five not associating Sun Yu with the one they were looking for was reasonable.
“Sirs…” Ling Jian called out hesitantly, “If you wish to go in, this old man will not stand in your way, but can you let us leave first?”
“You want to leave?” The middle-aged leader glanced over at Ling Jian and chuckled before nodding, “Good, make that little brat cut off his tongue first! Actually daring to say he wants my Frozen Nether Cave Heaven to pay the price, the longer he keeps his tongue the more trouble it will cause him, he should remove it now to avoid disaster later.”
Ling Jian’s complexion changed but he still managed to squeeze out an ugly smile, “My disciple is simply young and ignorant, so this old man was specifically accompanying him. I hope good sirs can find it in their hearts to overlook this incident.”
“Ha ha ha ha!” The five Frozen Nether Cave Heaven cultivators laughed mockingly, finding this whole situation somewhat entertaining.
The middle-aged leader soon sneered, “It’s not like we can’t let him off, young people inevitably stupid mistakes and we don’t want to be accused of bullying the weak… En, since he’s your disciple, you’ll have to accept his punishment on his behalf. Kneel down and kowtow a few times, then shout that your Dragon Phoenix Palace people are all inferior to pigs and dogs then we’ll consider letting him go, how about it?”
Saying so, the middle-aged leader grinned threateningly towards Ling Jian.
Ling Jian’s expression immediately froze over, although he was old, he was still a man who had reached the Transcendent Realm; he still had his own pride and insistences.
This middle-aged man so wantonly demeaning them, how could Ling Jian not become angry?
But remembering the great task Palace Master Chen Zhou had entrusted him with, Ling Jian choked down his anger and under the humiliating gaze of the middle-aged man slowly began kneeling down.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man’s eyes shone with a sly light and sneered.
“Master…” Ling Jian suddenly reached out to support Ling Jian, his immature face now filled with an eerie coldness, its former timidity and fear seemingly having vanished into thin air, replaced instead with a thick murderous intent.
“Smelly brat…” Ling Jian stared at him suspiciously.
Sun Yu just shook his head slowly before stepping forward, past Ling Jian, and arriving in front of the opposite five men, “You came here looking for Sun Yu, yes?”
“You can sure spout a lot of nonsense, boy,” The middle-aged man grumbled unhappily.
“You don’t need to enter the valley to find who you’re looking for, I am Sun Yu!”
The middle-aged man gawked at Sun Yu’s statement, for a moment, unable to believe what he was hearing, the other four Transcendents also not faring much better than him.
“There’s no need for you to doubt my words!” Sun Yu snorted, “When I went in, I indeed was only a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, but that was naturally two years ago!”
“Two years to cross a whole Great Realm?” The middle-aged man exclaimed.
Sun Yu was now the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator. Compared to the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage, it really was an entire Great Realm of difference, if was because of this massive difference in strength that when the five of them had arrived here, none of them thought this boy was Sun Yu.
One of the other men’s eyes lit up, “Is this the so called power of the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance?”
“If you’d like to think so… you can!” Sun Yu snorted, his expression completely relaxed, facing these five Transcendent Realm masters without the slightest bit of fear, completely different from only a moment ago.
After listening and absorbing Sun Yu’s words, the five from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven suddenly stared towards him with excitement.
A cultivator using only two years of time to grow from the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage, this was nothing short of a miracle! Instantly, these five realized just how formidable the hidden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance really was.
All of them were no staring greedily towards Sun Yu.
“You smelly brat!” Ling Jian was so mad he coughed up blood.
These five had eyes but failed to see, none of them recognizing Sun Yu’s true identity which had created an opportunity for the two of them to escape. As long as he could keep Sun Yu safe, Ling Jian was prepared to endure any kind of insult, but this foolish disciple of his had actually gone and exposed himself. What different from that and throwing oneself into a flaming pit was there?
Lian Jian really wanted to know what the hell was going through his discple’s head right now; before, he wasn’t so dumb. Although Sun Yu’s aptitude wasn’t good by any measure, he was at least level-headed enough, not a genius but at least not a fool.
After entering Dragon Valley, did something happen to drastically change his temperament?
Ling Jian wished he could slap his disciple’s unconscious to shut him up.
“Master… it’s alright!” Sun Yu smiled lightly, nodding his head to his master, his expression filled with confidence.
Looking at his disciple’s calm smile, Ling Jian didn’t know why but he too seemed to regain his composure, the pressure he felt from the five Transcendents before him seemingly melting away.
Letting out a laugh, he nodded, “Good, since that’s the case, Master will accompany you, whether we live or die will be up to the Heavens to decide.”
“We won’t die, the ones who are going to die… are them!” Sun Yu’s tone became cold as he glared sharply at the five men in front of him, sending an aggressive and intimidating aura towards them.
The five men all unconsciously took a step back at that moment, each of them wrinkling their brows as they narrowed their eyes.
Sun Yu staring them down made the five Transcendents from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven feel uncomfortable for some reason they couldn’t understand.
Although this little brat had crossed an entire Great Realm in two years, in the end he was still just an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator. By all rights, he shouldn’t be able to put up the slightest bit of resistance against any one of them, much less all five.
But then why did this brat seem completely unafraid of them? In fact, the way he was staring at them was as if he almost pitied them.
After hesitating for a moment, the lead middle-aged man shouted, “Damn brat! Trying to play cheap tricks with us, I’d like to see how you kill us!”
Saying so, he waved his hand and shouted, “Catch this little brat and kill this old fogey!”
The four masters standing behind him immediately went into action, all of them shooting out like lightning, rushing towards Ling Jian and Sun Yu.
One of them grabbed towards Sun Yu, planning to capture him alive, while the other three mercilessly sent attacks towards Ling Jian, planning to instantly reap his life.
Ling Jian didn’t even have time to react before the attacks of the three men appearing in front of him, his hair standing on end as he saw his life flash before his eyes!
But in the next moment, something strange happened.
The four men who had rushed out, whether it was the one trying to capture Sun Yu or the three Transcendents attacking Ling Jian’s, all seemed to be caught by some invisible force, their actions immediately coming to a halt. In the next instant, all of them grabbed their heads as they fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
Spiritual Energy from each of their Knowledge Seas burst forth, as if they were trying to resist some invisible force which was destroying their Souls.
The lead middle-aged man’s eyes shrank as he called out to his comrades in alarm.
But none of them responded.
After a mere five breaths of time, the four men all lay silent on the ground, their body’s stiff, their vitality gone. They were all dead.
Ling Jian stared blankly at all of this, his eyes bulging.
Sun Yu also gulped and was breathing heavily, unable to steady himself for a time. A moment ago, the Frozen Nether Cave Heaven master had already caught his arm, yet now he was lying on the ground dead.
Sun Yu’s eyes filled with joy and excitement as he glanced around, understanding that all of this was because Senior Yang had taken action just now.
A move worthy of a powerful master!
These four Transcendent Realm masters, who had driven Sun Yu and Lian Jian to despair, had inexplicably died, and the lead middle-aged man standing only meters away hadn’t even seen how it happened.
Sun Yu put down the last of his worries and grinned fiercely towards the last remaining enemy.
Struck by this gaze, the middle-aged man couldn’t help retreating a few steps, a cold chill shooting up his spine.
“Boy, what did you do?” The middle-aged still couldn’t believe what he was seeing and shouted anxiously.
“What point is there in explaining to a dead man?” Sun Yu replied flatly, gently lifting his finger toward the middle-aged man.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man screamed in terror and hastily summoned his defensive artifact to protect himself while turning around and fleeing.
He had no idea what this boy named Sun Yu had done just now but whatever it was; it had killed four of his companions whose strength weren’t much different from his own. If he stayed here any longer, he would surely be the next to die.
Was this Dragon Emperor’s inheritance really so incomprehensible?
In any case, he had to warn the two Saint Realm Seniors of his Sect so they could take precautions.
“Death!” Sun Yu shouted.
As soon as his voice sounded, the middle-aged man, who had already flown over a hundred meters away, suddenly let out a pitiful scream and just like the other four, grabbed his head as he fell to the ground, struggling for a few breaths before going limp, his Soul erased from existence.
Five Transcendent Realm masters dying like this caused Sun Yu to flush with excitement as he constantly look around, his face filled with a look of praise and worship.
“Good job, keep up your performance,” The voice of Senior Yang sounded in his head, causing Sun Yu’s expression to fill with confidence and his body to brim with strength, like he couldn’t wait to fly straight to Frozen Nether Cave Heaven and launch and all out slaughter.
“Smelly brat…” Ling Jian’s lips trembled, his face still somewhat pale as he incoherently asked, “You… did you just kill five Transcendents?”
Even now, Ling Jian still couldn’t believe it. The scene in front of him was simply too ridiculous to be real.
He still remembered that two years ago his disciple couldn’t even beat a cultivator in the same realm, yet now he was actually able to handle five powerful enemies that even Ling Jian was no match against.
Ling Jian couldn’t help feeling like he was stuck in some kind of absurd dream.
“It’s not like that, Master, all of this is thanks to the power of the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance,” Sun Yu couldn’t bear to outright lie to his Master and replied vaguely.
Ling Jian was startled for a moment but soon burst into joyful tears, “The Heavens have eyes, the Heavens have eyes!”
“Master, I won’t flee to Twin Spirit Pavilion, I’m going to find Palace Master and help resolve the Sect’s crisis!”
“This…” After experience Sun Yu’s strange and inexplicable methods, Ling Jian was no longer as insistent as before, but he still had some lingering concerns, “There are two Saint Realm masters over there, although Palace Master can hold down one of them, but you……”
“Relax, Master, I have a sense of discretion!” Sun Yu smiled and glanced over towards Dragon Valley’s depths stealthily. Although he couldn’t see or perceive Yang Kai’s presence, he knew that Senior Yang was hiding nearby.
With this kind of backing, Sun Yu could freely act unscrupulous!
“Good, I’ll go with you. Leave explaining to Palace Master to me. The Sect is now facing a crisis, as disciples, we should be fighting for it, not thinking of how to escape!” Ling Jian declared imposingly, inspired by his disciple’s confidence and heroic demeanor.
And so, the Master and disciple pair flew off together to join the battle.
…..
Twenty kilometers or so outside Dragon Phoenix Palace, high up in the sky, a group of cultivators were engaged in a life or death struggle. Every moment someone being injured or dying, their corpses falling to the ground below.
Martial Skills and the artifact attacks lit up the sky as explosions boomed all around, vividly illustrating just how fierce this battle was.
Dragon Phoenix Palace and Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had a deep seeded enmity and this time Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had come fully prepared, turning out in full force, and with their advantage in terms of number of Saint Realm masters, they had quickly seized the initiative.
Less than half an hour after the battle began, Dragon Phoenix Palace had already suffered heavy losses.
Palace Master Chen Zhou and Yu Ting Yi stood side by side, numerous bloody scars covering their bodies, the two of them working together to somehow tie down the enemy’s two Saint Realm masters.
If not for them dreading Chen Zhou would launch a last, desperate struggle and drag one or more of them down with him, the two Frozen Nether Cave Heaven’s Saints would have already killed him.
“Bai Jing Chu, Yan Zhi, today, if my Dragon Phoenix Palace is not destroyed, I swear I will one day slaughter you and your entire Sect!” Chen Zhou roared, his voice booming like thunder, echoing throughout the sky, filled with anger, unwillingness, and remorse.
Yu Ting Yi stood shoulder to shoulder with her husband, panting for breath, her proud chest heaving up and down as blood dripped from her lower abdomen. She was only a Third Order Transcendent and had suffered no small injury in this high-intensity battle.
However, because of the Dual Cultivation Technique she and Chen Zhou practiced, when the two of them took action together, Chen Zhou’s strength would noticeably increase.
She had to go forth, for without her, Chen Zhou would not be able to fight two enemy Saints at once.
Bai Jing Chu and Yan Zhi of Frozen Nether Cave Heaven glanced at each other before jumping back out of the fight, the former laughing heartily as he shouted, “Chen Zhou, whether you are willing or now, since we have come here today, we are fully prepared to extinguish your Dragon Phoenix Palace. You need not worry about this point! As for you wanting to slaughter us, I’m afraid you’ll have no such opportunity.”
Chen Zhou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered as he said, “The Dragon Emperor’s inheritance has reappeared now, soon the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress will rise again, they will certainly avenge my Dragon Phoenix Palace.”
“Dragon Emperor inheritance?” Yan Zhi laughed mockingly as he quipped, “You mean that thing that was hidden in Dragon Valley? Good, my subordinates should have arrived by now, so I’m afraid your newfound Dragon Emperor is already our captive. Hahaha, rest assured, we’ll help cultivate your Dragon Emperor for you.”
“En, we won’t treat him poorly. It’s said that each Dragon Emperor needs to choose his own Phoenix Empress, my Frozen Nether Cave Heaven has a number of beautiful women he can pick from. Once he gets a taste of them, I’m afraid that little brat will completely forget about this waste of a Sect.”
The two enemy Saints casually taunting him caused Chen Zhou expression to change abruptly and his heart to sink.
Over at Dragon Valley, only Ling Jian was left. With just Ling Jian’s strength, there was no way he could resist too many masters. If Sun Yu was really captured, Dragon Phoenix Palace really would have no chance to rise again.
“Hateful!” Chen Zhou gnashed his teeth.
Yan Zhi’s eyes flashed in that instant as he sent out a burst of Spiritual Energy straight towards Yu Ting Yi beside Chen Zhou.
Having lost focus for an instant because of the enemy’s words, Chen Zhou was caught off guard and by the time he reacted, Yu Ting Yi had already been hit.
With a mournful wail, Yu Ting Yi flew backwards several dozen meters, as if she had been struck by a huge invisible force, her face draining of all colour as she fell to the ground below.
Chen Zhou eyes went bloodshot and desperately wanted to rescue her but Bai Jing Chu swiftly intercepted him and sneered, “Without your woman, I’d like to see how you plan on fighting with me!”
Dragon Phoenix Palace’s dual cultivation technique was profound, when a male and female pair who cultivated it fought together, their strength increased far more than the simple sum of their parts, so Yan Zhi had constantly been looking for an opportunity to knock Yu Ting Yi out in one fell swoop. Without her, neither he nor Bai Jing Chu feared Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou’s momentum flared up as he fought desperately against Bai Jing Chu, releasing one powerful move after another.
Yan Zhi didn’t intervene though, his eyes flashing a cold light as shot towards Yu Ting Yi, his murderous intent flaring up, obviously he wanted to take this opportunity to kill Yu Ting Yi.
“Get lost!” Chen Zhou saw that his companion was in imminent mortal danger and immediately became enraged, using the fan-like artifact in his hand to send out a thousand blades of wind, each as sharp as any treasured sword.
“Chen Zhou, it’s over. Don’t put up any useless resistance, just stand there and watch how your precious woman dies! Don’t worry; we’ll make sure to bury you along with her!” Bai Jing Chu didn’t flinch, summoning out his own cauldron shaped artifact and using it to send out a massive shockwave that blocked the wind blades as he constantly taunted Chen Zhou, trying to rile up his enemy.
In the next instant, Yan Zhi caught up to the unconscious Yu Ting Yi, snickered, and mercilessly struck towards her.
At that moment, a Silver Leaf shaped artifact flew out from somewhere, releasing a dazzling glow as it expanded and wrapped around Yu Ting Yi.
Yan Zhi’s palm strike landed squarely on this Silver Leaf, but upon impact, it was like all his strength sank into an endless ocean, as if he hadn’t struck a physical object at all.
On the other hand, the Silver Leaf sent out a brilliant flash and all the energy from Yan Zhi’s attack was reflected back, causing him to fly backwards miserably.
The Silver Leaf which wrapped Yu Ting Yi then flew off towards Dragon Phoenix Palace and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Chen Zhou couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, all his anxiety and worries abating. At the same time though, his brow wrinkled slightly, wondering which powerful master had just rescued his wife.
Sweeping the area with his Divine Sense, Chen Zhou didn’t find any other Saint Realm masters nearby and couldn’t help feeling confused. The Silver Leaf, which had wrapped up Yu Ting Yi and flown into the Dragon Phoenix Palace, quickly returned and once again transformed into a burst of light, revealing two figures, one old, one young.
This light halo was dazzling to behold and contained radiated strong energy fluctuations, seeming to contain enormous power.
Bai Jing Chu and Yan Zhi of Frozen Nether Cave Heaven both narrowed their eyes as they stared at this pair of newcomers suspiciously. They quickly discovered that these two people who had suddenly broke into the battlefield were not nearly as strong as they had anticipated.
The old man was only a First Order Transcendent and appeared to already have one foot in the grave, probably unable to put forward much battle strength.
The young one on the other hand was bursting with vitality, but was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage kid, far weaker than even the dying old man.
Ordinarily, Bai Jing Chu and Yan Zhi wouldn’t even spare these two a second glance, but the intense light halo surrounding them was not something they could simply ignore.
After all, this halo was formed by an artifact that had just rescued Yu Ting Yi. Yan Zhi, who had made contact with this artifact, was well aware of its power.
At the very least, it was a Saint Grade Mid-Rank artifact!
This was a treasure even Yan Zhi would drool over. There were only two Saint Grade artifacts in Frozen Nether Cave Heaven and both of them were only Low-Rank. Yang Zhi and Bai Jing Chu had both paid an incredible price to have a Grandmaster refine them.
In order to refine these two artifacts, Bai Jing Chu and Yan Zhi had nearly emptied Frozen Nether Cave Heaven’s coffers and had only managing to restore the Sect’s finances recently after many years of saving.
What kind of background did this old and young pair have? With such poor cultivation levels they were actually using such tyrannical artifacts.
As Bai Jing Chu and Yan Zhi were both lost in thought, Chen Zhou’s eyes shrank as he unconsciously shouted, “Sun Yu?”
At a glance, he recognized the young boy as the disciple who had entered Dragon Valley two years ago, while the old man standing next to him was none other than Ling Jian who had been guarding the entrance to Dragon Valley.
But why had this Master and disciple pair come out from Dragon Valley and rush to this chaotic battlefield?
Chen Zhou was incredibly anxious, worried about the injury Yu Ting Yi had suffered and also about Sun Yu, who had suddenly appeared in front of a strong enemy. Because of these concerns, Chen Zhou’s movements became somewhat dull and suffered a hit from Bai Jing Chu whom he was engaged in battle with, in an instant finding himself somewhat suppressed.
“Sun Yu?” Yan Zhi beady eyes swept the boy in front of him and muttered, “I heard that the boy who entered Dragon Valley bore that name… Little brat, are you that person?”
“So what if I am, old dog?” Sun Yu replied unafraid, not only acknowledging his identity but also insulting Yan Zhi.
Yan Zhi wasn’t angered though and instead let out a burst of laughter, “Haha, you really wear out iron shoes while seeking one’s own feet. This old master was worried those people wouldn’t be able to find you, but unexpectedly you’ve come to deliver yourself to me, very good, very good.”
“You mean those five Transcendents you sent to Dragon Valley?” Sun Yu sneered.
“How do you know about them?” Yan Zhi’s eyes narrowed and suddenly felt that something about this situation was off. Facing a master like himself, this youngster was far too calm, rather it was the old First Order Transcendent beside him that couldn’t bear to look Yan Zhi in the eye, seemingly under great pressure.
“Of course I know about them,” Sun Yu grinned meaningfully, “Because they died… died at my hands!”
“Died at your hand?” Yan Zhi stared dumbfounded for a moment before smirking and slowly shaking his head, “Boy, do you think this old master will believe the nonsense you just spouted? Before trying to act tough you should first consider your own weight!”
Five Transcendents, each of them not weak, being killed by a mere Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage brat? Although the artifact protecting him wasn’t ordinary, Yan Zhi didn’t believe Sun Yu had such great ability.
“Believe what you like, but the next to die will be you,” Sun Yu coldly snorted.
“Kid…” Yan Zhi laughed dumbly and said in a mocking tone, “You shouldn’t anger this old master, angering me won’t bring you any advantage. Although this old master won’t kill you, making you suffer a little bitterness isn’t an issue. Now, obediently surrender yourself so this old master doesn’t have to act impolite!”
Chen Zhou, who was still fighting Bai Jing Chu, obviously overheard this conversation and couldn’t help coughing up blood in anger as he shouted, “Ling Jian, you old coot! How could you allow Sun Yu to come here!?”
Even going all out now, Chen Zhou could barely tie down Bai Jing Chu while Yan Zhi could essentially move about unchecked; now that Sun Yu had appeared here, wasn’t the conclusion to this struggle already set?
Sun Yu was Dragon Phoenix Palace’s last hope; Ling Jian was really too ignorant.
“Palace Master, there is no need to worry!” Ling Jian was too timid to answer back but Sun Yu was not, clearly shouting, “Today, since disciple dares to come here, he has full confidence in his ability to resist! Since Frozen Nether Cave Heaven dares to invade my Dragon Phoenix Palace, they must pay the price in blood so they understand once and for all that we are not to be trifled with!” Saying so, he turned a fierce stare towards Yang Zhi and declared, “Old dog, you’re first!”
Sun Yu was young and impetuous, fully believing in Yang Kai’s words, so when he spoke just now he had done so loudly and without any hesitation. After the youth’s words passed out, all the cultivators who were fighting came to a halt and turned their attention towards him.
A moment later, the masters from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven burst into laughter as they began shouting words of mockery and ridicule while those from Dragon Phoenix Palace averted their eyes in shame.
To all of them, it seemed like this youth who had appeared out of nowhere was simply ignorant of the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
Yan Zhi was also greatly amused, crossing his arms before himself and wearing a look of self-aggrandization, “Boy, I’d like to see how you intend to make me pay. This old master will even stand here and not move so show me what you’ve got.”
“Heh heh, those five Transcendents also said something similar, that is… until they died…” Sun Yu laughed.
At that moment, a thunderous dragon roar rang out and an awe-inspiring burst of golden light shot into the sky.
Every cultivator below the Saint Realm was instantly blinded. Simultaneously, a pressure so overwhelming descended upon the crowd that many found themselves unable to breath for fear that if they made the slightest move they would be met with a swift and merciless death.
Even Yan Zhi, who had just been facing Sun Yu with a calm and relaxed look, immediately became alarmed.
From amidst the dazzling golden radiance, he sensed a massive object rush towards himself. Not daring to hesitate, Yan Zhi hurriedly gathered his strength to defend himself while at the same time summoning out a Spirit Grade Mid-Rank Grade defensive artifact.
If he didn’t go so far, he feared he would instantly be killed by whatever was approaching.
*Hong…*
Space itself seemed to collapse as a burst of violent energy erupted, sending out a powerful shockwave that blew away the surrounding clouds and toppled nearby trees.
Yan Zhi coughed out all the air in his lungs as he was sent flying like a paper kite. In that instant, he felt as if he had been struck by some giant irresistible force that crushed the meager strength he had managed to gather to protect himself. Recovering his balance, Yan Zhi heard a loud crack and glanced down only to see the Spirit Grade Mid-Rank artifact he had summoned nearly break in half while losing all function. It would need to undergo extensive repairs before it could be used again.
What was he hit with? Whatever it was, it had destroyed his Spirit Grade Mid-Rank defensive artifact with a single blow!
The golden radiance gradually began to subside and Yan Zhi finally saw what was attacking him.
His eyes shrank as he stared dumbfounded at the sight before him.
Hovering there midair was a hundred meter long Golden Dragon staring down at Yang Zhi. Its giant eyes were filled with contempt and disdain and under its gaze, Yang Zhi couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of humbleness and inferiority.
The Golden Dragon appeared sleek and agile and was covered in a layer of dazzling Golden Scales. These scales seemed impregnable, as if no attack could harm them. Its dragon claws also appeared extremely sharp and gave off a cold, murderous intent, making people not doubt that they weren’t inferior to even the highest-grade artifacts.
“An energy projection?” Yan Zhi frowned, but quickly denied his guess.
The Golden Dragon in front of him was too solid and too real, it was impossible for it to be a mere gathering of True Qi.
In other words, what stood before him, was a real dragon!
This was a king of the Monster Race, a legendary existence that could reach the Ninth-Order!
Yan Zhi had heard that the Monster Race had several Great Seniors, each of them Peak Eighth-Order Monster Beasts, and that one or two of them were distant descendants of True Dragons which was what had allowed them to reach such a height.
To the Monster Race, the True Dragon’s bloodline was the most noble of lineages.
Those Great Seniors were able to acquire strength equivalent to that of Peak Third Order Saints because of this pedigree, and now a real True Dragon was in front of Yan Zhi.
This was a legendary Ninth-Order Monster Emperor, an existence that far surpassed this world’s greatest experts.
Feeling the blazing energy pulsing from the Golden Dragon, Yan Zhi couldn’t stop himself from shivering.
Yan Zhi stood dumbly in place, Ling Jian who came with Sun Yu was also dumbstruck, his whole body trembling as he kept wiping his old dull eyes, seemingly trying to confirm if what he was seeing was some kind of hallucination.
Even Sun Yu wore a look of pure excitement, his eyes filled with worship as if he couldn’t wait to bow down and pay tribute to this majestic being.
“The power of the Dragon Emperor!” On the other hand, Chen Zhou couldn’t help shouting out as he stared absentmindedly towards the Golden Dragon. How couldn’t believe that a day had come where he could witness such a scene, nor could he believe that the young Sun Yu was actually capable of achieving this.
Two years ago, this common disciple was still unknown and only had a trivial True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation. Although he had then managed to obtain the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, Chen Zhou estimated that even if he was safe, Dragon Phoenix Palace would have to vigorously cultivate him for dozens of years before he really matured.
But unexpectedly, today, Sun Yu, who had just emerged from Dragon Valley, was capable of facing off against a genuine Saint Realm master and also summoning for the Dragon Emperor’s power.
Chen Zhou burst into a fit of joyous laughter, feeling like he wouldn’t mind even if he were to die right now because he had finally fulfilled his ancestors’ greatest wish.
Bai Jing Chu wasn’t in any mood to pester Chen Zhou, only capable of staring dumbly up towards the giant Golden Dragon, a sense of shock and awe filling his heart.
All the cultivators who had formerly been fighting with their lives on the line had completely stopped as they watched this sensational scene.
A huge panic and unease soon began to spread throughout the cultivator from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven, as if a great winter storm had suddenly descended upon them.
Twenty kilometres outside Dragon Phoenix Palace, a True Dragon appeared, bringing the heated battle to a halt.
Sun Yu, who was also in something of a trance, suddenly heard Yang Kai’s reminder in his mind and quickly composed himself, turning around and shouting towards Yan Zhi, “Today, this will be the burial place!”
As if responding to the young boy’s words, the dragon roared once more and shot forward like a great golden arrow straight towards Yan Zhi.
Yan Zhi didn’t dare to neglect and immediately summoned his Saint Grade Low-Rank artifact, the Profound Ice Sword!
When this artifact appeared in his hand, Yan Zhi’s momentum increased noticeably as an ice-cold chill pulsed from his body, matching the aura his Profound Ice Sword was giving off, the two seemingly merging into a single entity.
Before the Golden Dragon had even reached him, Yan Zhi swung his Profound Ice Sword, sending out a dazzling ray of frigid light from the Saint Grade longsword.
An ice-cold aura spread out from Yan Zhi’s location like a great winter storm had descended, causing the temperature within the surrounding thousand-meter radius to drop sharply.
The sword waves sent out from the Saint Grade Low-Rank artifact flew towards the Golden Dragon with imposing momentum.
The huge Golden Dragon did not make the slightest attempt to evade and crashed straight into the sword waves.
*Chi chi chi…*
Sparks flew as countless blades of icy Sword Qi landed on the dragon’s golden scales, but upon contact with the blazing hot aura, the Profound Ice Sword’s attacks all evaporated like droplets of water sinking into a raging inferno.
Seeing this, Yan Zhi’s eyes shrank as fear welled up in his heart.
Frozen Nether Cave Heaven specialized in Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skill, fighting a True Dragon which gave off such intense burning energy was like a mouse meeting a cat.
In this situation, Yan Zhi couldn’t even bring out eighty percent of the Profound Ice Sword’s full strength.
Yan Zhi also had other methods at his disposal but he didn’t dare to use them freely as, under the influence of the Golden Dragon’s burning aura, the power in his body no longer flowed smoothly, so the potential for backlash from failed execution of his techniques increased noticeably.
The True Dragon flew in front of him and opened its massive maw, causing Yan Zhi to shout and swing his long sword, sending out a giant blade of light towards the Golden Dragon.
His move just now had only been made in an attempt to buy himself enough time to escape. Facing a Ninth-Order Monster Emperor, Yan Zhi freely admitted he was not worthy to be its opponent; the majesty of the other party was simply inviolable, if he continued to entangle himself with it, he would definitely die.
In front of this monster, Yan Zhi felt like he was walking a fine line between life and death.
But how could he have imagined that his sword wave wouldn’t actually manage to block the charge of the Golden Dragon, or even freeze it in place for a moment?
Yan Zhi’s brow furrowed, feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
If this Golden Dragon really was a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, it would have been impossible for him to block it.
After examining it more closely, Yan Zhi discovered that although this Golden Dragon’s aura and imposing manner were indeed overwhelming, the pure strength within its body didn’t seem to match it.
The energy fluctuations Yan Zhi felt coming from this Golden Dragon were basically on par with his own, possibly even somewhat weaker.
Narrowing his eyes, Yan Zhi no longer tried to escape and instead began displaying one method after another to fight with this Golden Dragon.
Seeing the Dragon Emperor’s power re-appear in all its glory, Chen Zhou, who had been at a disadvantage in his fight with Bai Jing Chu, also felt inspired and quickly turned the tables on his opponent.
All the masters from Dragon Phoenix Palace were similarly roused, the original gloom in their eyes replaced with a near-fanatical brilliance. It was as if they could already picture their Sect’s bright future and were now fearlessly fighting back against the Frozen Nether Cave Heaven invaders, forcing them to retreat again and again in defeat.
Sun Yu, who was still protected within the Silver Leaf’s light halo stared out at the battlefield, clenching his fists as he silently cheered on the Golden Dragon.
In his heart though, he was feeling some slight confusion, wondering why Senior Yang had chosen to not show up in person but instead use the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance to confront the enemy. In his mind, with Senior Yang’s true ability, if he were to make an appearance, he would be able to easily beat Yan Zhi and the other invaders senseless.
Sun Yu’s vision and experience weren’t high, so he didn’t understand that Yang Kai was actually just a newly promoted Third Order Transcendent!
After a brief but fierce battle, Yan Zhi suddenly burst into laughter, “It turns out this giant worm is just mediocre, hahaha!”
When the Golden Dragon first appeared, Yan Zhi had really been frightened; after all, he was facing a legendary Ninth-Order Monster Emperor, but now he had determined that this Golden Dragon’s true strength was at best, comparable to his own. This meant that he had the power to resist it so he no longer held back, sending out a flurry of attacks, bombarding the dragon’s golden scales.
This Golden Dragon had apparently not fully matured and could only display strength equal to an initial stage Eighth-Order Monster Beast! Making this judgement, Yan Zhi calmed down.
The Profound Ice Sword emitted a chilly aura that collided head-on with the hot aura from the Golden Dragon. The two offset each other, creating a burst of fog that shrouded the entire sky, making it difficult for those standing at a distance to see anything but flashes of light coming from the battle.
Inside the layer of fog, as Yan Zhi and the Golden Dragon collided with each other over and over again, the former saw the later begin to show almost human-like expressions on its face.
Since a while ago, Yan Zhi had felt that instead of fighting a Monster Beast, he was fighting with another person!
As the battle progressed, Yang Zhi also discovered that this Golden Dragon’s movements were becoming sharper and more refined, as if it was rapidly becoming stronger, exerting more and more pressure on him.
Every time the incomparably sharp dragon claws slashed towards him, Yan Zhi had a misconception that they were tearing through space, causing cold sweat to trickle down his forehead.
His eyes flashing a cold light, Yan Zhi forcefully calmed himself and channelled his strength into the Profound Ice Sword, causing it to release a brilliant glow. In the next instant, at the tip of his long sword, Yan Zhi condensed a gigantic ice spike and sent it flying towards the Golden Dragon.
Facing this incredibly powerful and unavoidable attack, the Golden Dragon showed no fear, opened its giant mouth, and sprayed out a blazing hot golden beam of energy.
*Hong…*
The two masses of opposite attribute energy collided with one another and exploded in a brilliant display of light, blinding everyone in the surrounding area.
The scorching hot energy beam won out in terms of purity and density though so after melting away the ice spike, its remaining momentum shot towards Yan Zhi unimpeded.
Yan Zhi’s look became flustered as he hastily tried to dodge when suddenly a taunting voice resounded in his mind. Startled by this unexpected communication, Yan Zhi’s movements stagnated as he turned a shocked look towards the Golden Dragon not far away.
By the time he came to his senses, it was too late for him to escape.
The beam of golden energy which was still powerful enough to cause the surrounding atmosphere to warp hit Yan Zhi head-on, causing the latter to release a pitiful scream. Hastily releasing a burst of Cold Qi from his body, Yan Zhi desperately tried to offset the damage caused by the burning energy.
A moment later, after leaping out from the golden energy beam, Yan Zhi’s breath was in disarray. Although he had not been fatally wounded, his beard and hair had been completely burnt away and he appeared distressed.
Turning his eyes back to the Golden Dragon, Yan Zhi glared at it with undisguised hatred.
The voice that had disturbed his concentration just now should have been transmitted to him by the Golden Dragon in front of him, causing him to suffer a blow he should have been able to avoid.
However, what bothered him the most was that the voice he heard was too human-like as though it was from a Monster Beast.
“I don’t care if you really are the Dragon Emperor! Since you dare injure me, today, you must die!” Yan Zhi shouted angrily as he tossed his Profound Ice Sword up into the air.
The long sword instantly transformed into a giant bizarre shaped Monster Beast in midair, comparable in size to the Golden Dragon itself, and launched itself towards and entangled the Golden Dragon.
A fierce dragon roar rang out as the hundred meter long Golden Dragon struggled violently, but was ultimately unable to escape the binding of the transformed Profound Ice Sword.
Yan Zhi took this opportunity to concentrate a bone chilling energy into his hands and close in, sending a vicious double strike towards the Golden Dragon’s belly.
The golden scales which had so far been impervious to any kind of attack could not prevent this and were directly broken, allowing Yan Zhi hands to sink deep into the Golden Dragon’s flesh before finally being.
When Yan Zhi pulled out his hands, a dark red blood mixed with golden radiance splashed out.
“Ha ha ha!” Yan Zhi laughed madly, since the battle had begun, this was the first time he had managed to hurt the other party, making him see hope of victory. Not waiting for the Golden Dragon to counterattack, he quickly fell back and taunted, “You think just because you have this massive build you’re invincible? Naive!”
Hearing these words, the Golden Dragon seemed to become completely irritated and its huge body actually began to twist and distort before rapidly shrinking down.
Upon doing so it immediately escaped from the Profound Ice Sword’s entanglement.
Yan Zhi was stunned once more; he had never heard of a Monster Beast being able to freely adjust the size of its body.
He knew about Monster Beasts that had achieved human form, but the scene in front of him exceeded his knowledge by far.
Not waiting for him to come to his senses, the now much smaller Golden Dragon shot towards Yan Zhi, swiping its razor-sharp claws towards him, causing his hair to stand on end.
Yan Zhi quickly discovered that although his opponent’s body size had shrunk, its imposing aura and momentum had not changed at all. What was worse though was after it had reduced its size, it had become faster and more agile.
Suddenly, a number of golden energy chains appeared beside the Golden Dragon before sealing the space around Yan Zhi, trapping him in place.
Simultaneously, a great golden spear appeared out of thin air, carrying with it a Heaven destroy power.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
In a blink of an eye, this spear seemed to leap across space and pierce towards Yan Zhi.
“Impossible!” Yan Zhi screamed, his vision was still quite good so he could naturally tell at a glance that whether it was the chains binding him or the imposing spear trying to impale him, both were extremely profound Martial Skills.
How could a Monster Beast display such exquisite Martial Skills?
With a great shout, Yan Zhi somehow managed to throw his body aside, narrowly avoiding the golden spear, but failing to escape from the chains surrounding him.
When he made his desperate dodge, Yan Zhi inadvertently contacted one of the golden chains and suddenly felt his body become heavy, as if a mountain was pressing down on top of his head; even his Soul showed signs of being imprisoned.
Although this feeling only lasted a brief moment, in a contest between two evenly matched masters, even the slightest of gaps could greatly affect the outcome of the fight.
If Yan Zhi had ever been to Nine Heavens Holy Land or had ever met the old Holy Master, he would have immediately recognized these two Martial Skills.
Imprisoning Heaven Chain and Heaven Punishing Spear.
Two of the Nine Heavens Divine Skills.
The former was not only capable of binding the physical but also the spiritual while the Heaven Punishing Spear was unmatched when it came to killing potential.
Yan Zhi had no idea just how fearful these two Divine Skills were and had thus not paid enough attention to the Imprisoning Heaven Chain surrounding him. When he unintentionally brushed it, his Soul received a jolt, causing his thoughts to become dulled and his movements to become sluggish.
Entangled by chains and pursued by the spear, Yan Zhi immediately found himself in a dangerous predicament.
Yan Zhi continued moving about, but he couldn’t escape from this encirclement and began growing anxious. Just as Yan Zhi was feeling pressured, the now shrunken Golden Dragon once again took action, sending out another beam of burning hot golden energy. Yan Zhi cried out as he quickly pushed his True Qi to resist. In an instant, Yan Zhi’s hastily constructed True Qi defences were broken through and burst open.
Two Golden Dragon claws stretched out suddenly, piercing into either side of Yan Zhi’s chest and immediately beginning to pull in opposite directions.
Yan Zhi’s eyes went bloodshot as he felt the aura of death approach, understanding that he would not be able to escape from this calamity and screaming, “Don’t think it’ll be that easy!”
Madly pushing his True Q, Yan Zhi abandoned all defence and sent out a flurry of attacks towards the Golden Dragon.
Seemingly having expended all of his energy in this last desperate attack, Yan Zhi snickered before his aura suddenly deflated and his body lost all strength.
Dark red blood mixed with golden radiance sprayed everywhere as a deafening dragon’s roar echoed throughout the sky.
*Hua…*
Yan Zhi body ripped in two and his blood and organs splattered out. A terrifying scene to behold.
The cultivators who heard the thunderous dragon roar looked up just in time to see this bloody picture.
“Sect Master died?” The masters from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven stared dumbly towards the scattered flesh and blood falling down from above, all of them instantly becoming absent-minded, as if they were unable to accept such a result.
Less than an hour ago, Yan Zhi had fearlessly led them to invade Dragon Phoenix Palace, declaring that they would seize the brat who had obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and bring him back to Frozen Nether Cave Heaven to use for their own benefit.
But now, Yan Zhi had been literally torn in half by the Golden Dragon which had suddenly appeared.
A master who has reached the Saint Realm had actually died so miserably!
Throughout all of Tong Xuan Realm, there were not many masters who had reached such a height and each of them had cultivated diligently for at least one or two hundred years to have such achievements. Each of these masters possessed shocking methods and exceedingly high ability, not to mention various life saving cards, so over the years, there were very few Saints that actually died in combat.
At the very least, none of the cultivators from Dragon Phoenix Palace or Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had ever seen it in front of their eyes.
But now, such a scene that was hard to fathom, was playing out in front of them.
There were only two Saint Realm masters in Frozen Nether Cave Heaven; one of them had just died, and the other was currently being suppressed by Dragon Phoenix Palace’s Palace Master. Seeing this, the masters from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven all lost their fighting spirit, causing their momentum to plummet.
The dozen meter long Golden Dragon let out another great roar towards the Heavens, seemingly venting the pain from its wounds while also putting on a demonstration of its might.
Bai Jing Chu’s face went deathly pale and no longer dared to continue battling Chen Zhou.
Although he and Yan Zhi were both First Order Saints, he was still somewhat weaker than Yan Zhi. Witnessing Yan Zhi be killed by the Golden Dragon, Bai Jing Chu understood he had no chance of victory here.
“Retreat!” Bai Jing Chu shouted, hastily withdrawing from his fight before turning around and fleeing.
“You think my Dragon Phoenix Palace is some place you can come and go as you please?” Chen Zhou sneered, chasing after Bai Jing Chu and sending out a powerful slash.
Blood splashed out and Bai Jing Chu disappeared into the distance, leaving behind one of his arms that soon burst into a blood fog.
Chen Zhou came to a halt, abandoning his pursuit as he panted for breath.
He had suffered some minor injuries before but because of the appearance of the Dragon Emperor’s power, he had pushed through the pain and fought on, now he was an arrow at the end of its flight.
The remaining Frozen Nether Cave Heaven masters saw Bai Jing Chu flee and no longer dared to remain, all of them panicking as they scurried away like a pack of stray dogs.
It wasn’t until now that Chen Zhou had time to take a good look at the Golden Dragon that symbolized the Dragon Emperor, his gaze filling with a deep and solemn respect as he gazed upon it
However, Chen Zhou noticed something strange. After the Golden Dragon tore Yan Zhi in half, it became motionless, and its pair of giant eyes showed a thoughtful look, as if it was reflecting on the battle it had just fought, digesting the insights it had obtained.
Shaking his head, Chen Zhou convinced himself he was simply thinking too much.
A moment later, the Golden Dragon moved again, transforming into a stream of golden light as it shot towards Sun Yu then mysteriously disappeared.
At the same time, the light halo protecting Sun Yu and Ling Jian also withdrew.
Chen Zhou adjusted his expression and quickly dragged his tired body over to Sun Yu. But before he could say anything, Sun Yu respectfully cupped his fists and bowed, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
Ling Jian also hastily saluted.
Chen Zhou laughed heartily, “There’s no need for you to act so humble, you are now the Dragon Emperor of my Dragon Phoenix Palace, and it is I who should be saluting you. You acting so polite will only make things difficult for me.”
Sun Yu wore an awkward expression as he scratched his head, not knowing what he should say, causing his face to blush slightly.
Only he truly understood everything that had just transpired. A moment ago, he had only put in an appearance and said a few words, the one who actually killed Yan Zhi was Senior Yang, and it had nothing to do with him.
On top of that, Senior Yang had left his own artifact to protect him and his master during the fight.
Chen Zhou smiled brightly as he observed Sun Yu, liking him more with each passing moment, he was under the mistaken impression that this young Dragon Emperor was simply being humble.
“I must also thank Lord Dragon Emperor for rescuing this humble one’s life. If not for your prompt actions, I fear Ting Yi would have already…” Chen Zhou’s face showed a look of lingering fear. If not for the Silver Leaf protecting her at the last moment, Yu Ting Yi would definitely have been killed by Yan Zhi.
To Chen Zhou, Yu Ting Yi was his other half, the woman he shared life and death with, each of them regarded the other as more important than their own existence.
Sun Yu saving Yu Ting Yi had earned Chen Zhou’s heartfelt gratitude.
“It was only what I should have done…” Sun Yu kept waving his hand, the awkwardness and helplessness he felt only growing stronger.
Seeing the young boy’s shy appearance, Chen Zhou smiled and nodded, “Lord Dragon Emperor has just experienced a difficult battle and must be very tired. Elder Ling, escort Lord Dragon Emperor back to the Sect so he may rest, I will remain here to finish processing the battle’s aftermath.”
“Yes!” Ling Jian quickly and respectfully responded before leading Sun Yu back towards Dragon Phoenix Palace.
As he flew forward, Sun Yu kept glancing around, his expression cramping up slightly.
“Heh, Heh heh heh heh…” Ling Jian suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
“Master, what are you laughing about?” Sun Yu asked in a puzzled tone.
“Smelly brat, you’ve got good prospects… You actually managed to kill that Saint Realm master. I thought we were dead for sure this time,” Ling Jian didn’t treat Sun Yu nearly as respectfully as Chen Zhou had; after all, the two of them had a Master, disciple relationship. Ling Jian had essentially watched Sun Yu grow from infancy to today.
“Master… Let’s not discuss this matter anymore,” Sun Yu blushed.
“Good,” Ling Jian nodded quickly before solemnly muttering, “But the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance is really shocking. You can kill a First Order Saint Realm already, if you were to fully mature and become a Saint yourself, wouldn’t that mean you’d be unmatched in this world? By that time, my Dragon Phoenix Palace would be the most powerful force in Tong Xuan Realm. When that day comes, as your master I can definitely benefit from your fame.”
Ling Jian was essentially talking to himself out loud, his face showing a youthful exuberance unsuited to his age, as if he could already picture the wonderful picture Sun Yu would open up.
Sun Yu on the other hand just lowered his head and remained silent as he flew back towards the Sect with his shameless Master.
Back inside Dragon Phoenix Palace, the tense atmosphere had yet to fade. All of the Sect’s masters had gone out to meet the enemy so the only ones left were the young disciples and weaker cultivators. After seeing Sun Yu and Ling Jian return, these people quickly swarmed them and began asking what was happening.
Even Sun Yu’s suddenly emergence from Dragon Valley had been long forgotten by most.
Ling Jian immediately took advantage of his seniority and told the various disciples to disperse, only informing them that the Sect had achieved a great victory and that of the two Frozen Nether Cave Heaven Saint Realm masters, one was killed while the other had lost an arm before fleeing.
The disciples of Dragon Phoenix Palace grinned wryly at this story, none of them taking Ling Jian’s words seriously.
Although they weren’t very strong, they understood the gap between their own Sect and Frozen Nether Cave Heaven. The other side had two Saints while theirs only had one, how could such a result be possible?
Ling Jian didn’t bother explaining and simply brought Sun Yu back to their original residence and settled him in.
After Ling Jian left, Sun Yu breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxing his strained nerves as he glanced around and called out, “Senior, Senior Yang…”
“Don’t shout, I’ve been following you the whole time,” A familiar voice came from Sun Yu’s side.
Sun Yu turned towards the source of the voice and quickly saw Yang Kai sitting on a nearby bed. Having not even noticed when Senior Yang had come in, Sun Yu was once again impressed by his powerful means.
Quickly getting up, Sun Yu respectfully bowed, “The great graciousness of Senior Yang rescuing my Sect today will never be forgotten by this Sun Yu. In the future, I will definitely repay this favour!”
Yang Kai simply waved his hand and replied somewhat lethargically, “So long as you don’t reveal my existence its fine.”
Sun Yu was startled upon discovering that Yang Kai was covered in cuts and bruises and that his clothes were filled with blood stains. Especially prominent was a great wound on Yang Kai’s lower abdomen where a faint cold aura still lingered, causing the blood which flowed out to quickly freeze.
However, what puzzled Sun Yu the most was the faint golden hue that came from Yang Kai’s blood.
“Was Senior injured?” Sun Yu asked with concern.
“Just some minor scratches!” Yang Kai shook his head, “As long as I rest for a while these injuries won’t be a problem.”
“How was Senior hurt?” Sun Yu was greatly confused. From beginning to end, he had not seen Yang Kai take action, all the young boy saw was the giant Golden Dragon fighting with Yan Zhi. Although the Golden Dragon suffered numerous wounds in the battle with Yan Zhi, what relationship did that have with Senior Yang?
Also, the big injury on Senior Yang’s lower abdomen corresponded to the injury the Golden Dragon had suffered.
Sun Yu had clearly seen when Yan Zhi condensed all of his Ice Qi into his arms and inserted them into that position on the Golden Dragon’s body.
Dragon Phoenix Palace became extraordinarily lively and busy.
Frozen Nether Cave Heaven had invaded in force only to have one of its Saint Realm masters killed by the newly reborn Dragon Emperor, while the other lost his arm to Palace Master Chen Zhou.
When Chen Zhou and the other Elders returned in triumph, everyone burst into joy.
Never before had the Sect had so many reasons to celebrate.
Despite all the accumulated grievances, they had with Frozen Nether Cave Heaven, every time an incident came up, the cultivators of Dragon Phoenix Palace would be forced to swallow their anger and give way. Over the years, this had caused the disciples of Dragon Phoenix Palace to be unable to raise their heads in front of those from Frozen Nether Cave Heaven.
Every disciple of Dragon Phoenix Palace was quite hostile towards Frozen Nether Cave Heaven.
But this time, the enemy had suddenly launched a full scale invasion, sending out all of its masters, causing everyone to think today would be Dragon Phoenix Palace’s last day.
However, the end result was even more shocking.
From those who had returned from the battlefield, the disciples who had taken shelter inside the Sect learned that the reason for their unexpected victory was because of the sudden appearance of the Dragon Emperor.
And that Dragon Emperor was none other than Sun Yu, the youth who had become the most talked about disciple for the past two years!
The Golden Dragon that had soared into the air and displayed unmatched majesty had been witnessed by everyone who took part in the battle.
“The Sect’s chance to rise has come! Sir Dragon Emperor managed to kill that First Order Saint Yan Zhi with just an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation, after a few years, I’m afraid he’ll be able to compete with even Third Order Saints!”
“En, en, when Sir Dragon Emperor was fighting that Yan Zhi, I saw him standing back, not taking action personally. The entire time, his face remained calm and relaxed, as if he never doubted he would emerge victorious.”
“Are you saying he didn’t even go all out?”
“Of course he didn’t, if he did, I’m afraid even that Bai Jing Chu wouldn’t have been able to escape.”
“Fierce! The Dragon Emperor’s inheritance is truly awe-inspiring! I also heard that when Sir Dragon Emperor entered the Dragon Valley two years ago, he was only a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, yet after only two short years he had managed to reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage, such cultivation speed is simply astonishing.”
“I grew up with Sir Dragon Emperor… when we were children, I knew he was no ordinary person, now it seems I was right, hahahaha!”
“Really? Is there any inside news you can tell us?”
“Inside news… there is one thing, heh, but it’s useless to you.”
“Useless to us? Then who is it useful to?”
“To the girls of the Sect who haven’t yet selected a partner of course… I can tell you now; Sir Dragon Emperor doesn’t yet have a dual cultivation partner!”
“This… If any girl is able to catch his eye, wouldn’t she be able to soar from the branches and become a phoenix?”
“En en… Haven’t any of you noticed these days that many of our Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters have been frequenting the place Sir Dragon Emperor lives? Fortunately Palace Master placed him in a different palace, otherwise I’m afraid he wouldn’t be able to get a moment’s rest!”
“……”
Inside Dragon Phoenix Palace, discussion and gossip ran rampant. The young disciples would gather together in groups big and small and talk at length about Sun Yu.
The world-famous Dragon Emperor was a supreme powerhouse that emerged from Dragon Phoenix Palace many centuries ago. It was because of the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress that the Dragon Phoenix Palace had become a force which was second to none in its prime.
It was a pity that after many years the inheritance was broken and the Sect had gradually declined.
But today, the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance had reappeared and everyone believed that the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance would not be far behind.
Of course, this all depended on the meaning of Sir Dragon Emperor; after all, it was up to him to choose a lifelong companion.
Palace Master Chen Zhou was busy for several days dealing with the aftermath of the war while Elder Ling Jian, for his great meritorious service of training such an outstanding disciple, was directly promoted to the post of Great Elder of Dragon Phoenix Palace, becoming second in authority only to Chen Zhou.
A giant luxurious palace in the heart of Dragon Phoenix Palace that was constructed of the finest stone and decorated with the most exquisite of carpets and carvings.
This palace was equipped with some kind of Spirit Array which made the World Energy aura within its halls extremely rich.
This palace was the residence which Palace Master Chen Zhou usually lived in, but it had been given to Sun Yu as his new home a few days ago.
Outside, numerous masters from Dragon Phoenix Palace were hidden in the dark, their auras carefully concealed as they served as guards, monitoring everyone who approached within a certain distance of the palace.
Although Sir Dragon Emperor had already displayed incredible might, he was still just a sixteen year old boy, so Chen Zhou couldn’t help worrying about his safety. For fear of him encountering some kind of accident, Chen Zhou had naturally deployed some defenses around Sun Yu’s residence.
A few dozen meters outside the palace, a large crowd of young girls was making noise.
Each of these girls was born beautiful and had been cultivated diligently by Dragon Phoenix Palace specifically for the male disciples to choose as dual cultivate partners.
Several dozen girls were scattered about outside, each of them showing different styles of beauty, making for a dazzling and eye catching display.
Sun Yu stood near one of the palace windows and stared out at this sight, glancing around at several of his pretty Senior Sisters who were wearing thin, highly exposing robes while casting coquettish looks towards him.
This display of ten thousand charms stimulated Sun Yu’s heart like a gentle and enticing caress, causing his pulse to race and his face to blush bright red. He wanted to look away but simultaneously felt incredibly reluctant to do so, only increasing the helplessness he felt.
After staring for a while, Sun Yu somehow forced himself to close his eyes, took a deep breath, and circulate his Secret Art to calm his mood.
“Who isn’t a bit loose when they’re young? If you want one of them, as long as you say a few words to that Palace Master of yours, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to arrange things for you,” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
Sun Yu was startled and immediately became embarrassed, blushing again as he said, “Senior must be joking, I don’t have any such ideas.”
“Then what are you thinking about?” Yang Kai smiled teasingly from his perch atop a nearby jade bed.
Sun Yu thought about it carefully before replying, “Everything this Sun Yu has today is all thanks to Senior Yang’s blessing, I simply don’t have such skill. If it were not for Senior insisting on concealing himself, I would immediately report everything to Palace Master. The Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters have all come here with high expectations of me, so if I was to really choose one of them under false pretenses, they would definitely be disappointed in the future. Right now, what I must do is become stronger, strong enough so that none of them will be disappointed becoming my partner, only then can I seriously consider such matters…”
Reaching this point, Sun Yu began scratching his head awkwardly and saying, “Moreover, I’m still young… Master said that I’m still maturing, constantly thinking about such things isn’t good for me.”
“Ha ha ha ha!” Yang Kai laughed heartily, nodding slightly, “Fair enough. Then you should focus on becoming strong so when you do find a partner, you have the strength to protect her.”
“Good, it is just as Senior has said,” Sun Yu nodded and earnestly before asking, “Have Senior’s injuries been restored?”
“Almost,” Yang Kai casually responded. He has been healing here for a few days now. Regardless of anything else, Yan Zhi was still a genuine Saint Realm master, so the damage Yang Kai received in battle with him would not be restored in a short amount of time; especially the giant wound on his abdomen which contained an amazing destructive power. It took Yang Kai quite some time to disperse the residual Cold Qi from the wound before he could focus on healing it.
Sun Yu still didn’t understand why Yang Kai had been hurt because from his perspective, Yang Kai had never shown up during that fight.
The truth though was the Golden Dragon fighting Yan Zhi was none other than Yang Kai himself.
After obtaining the true Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, Yang Kai was able to use the enormous energy contained within his Golden Dragon tattoo to assume the form of a dragon.
This was still a type of True Qi transformation, but it was simply too real, essentially no different from a flesh and blood Monster Beast.
Since it was Yang Kai’s first time using such a method, he had initially made himself too large and could not immediately adapt, causing him to suffer a lot during the opening moments of his battle with Yan Zhi.
If Yang Kai were to use this method again, he would be able to perform much better than before.
After transforming into the giant Golden Dragon, both his strength and defence grew substantially.
If this hadn’t been so, Yang Kai estimated that if he wanted to defeat or kill a Saint, he would have to use his Devil Transformation.
Third Order Transcendent was just a stone’s throw away from First Order Saint, but ultimately it was not the Saint Realm.
Yang Kai had gained greatly from his battle with Yan Zhi; at the very least, he confirmed that it was not a problem for him to kill a First Order Saint with his current cultivation.
As for Second-Order Saints, such experts were quite rare, and Yang Kai couldn’t make any judgements without actually fighting one first.
While he was recovering, Yang Kai was also reminiscing about the bloody battle, examining his mistakes and silently learning from them.
“Senior…” Sun Yu suddenly stammered, “From now on, what should I do? Palace Master and everyone else really believe I’m the Dragon Emperor!”
“Let them think so… This way you can obtain the best resources. I believe that with your current aptitude, it won’t be difficult for you to become formidable.”
“This… Deceiving Palace Master and Master makes me feel quite ashamed.”
“Don’t think too much about it,” Yang Kai knit his brow, “When the time comes, I’ll personally explain everything. For now, all you need to do is cultivate diligently.”
“Good,” Having obtained Yang Kai’s promise, Sun Yu relaxed. If the real Dragon Emperor came forward to explain, presumably Palace Master and his Master wouldn’t blame him, right?
“En, if I haven’t guessed wrong, it won’t be long before your Palace Master begins pushing you to pick a Phoenix Empress.”
The Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress re-emerging was the greatest wish of not just Chen Zhou, but all of Dragon Phoenix Palace’s ancestors. Now that the Dragon Emperor had appeared, Chen Zhou would naturally expect the Phoenix Empress to quickly appear.
Only when both of them appeared would Dragon Phoenix Palace truly be complete.
Chen Zhou had not stopped the young girls from coming here, probably thinking it would be best if one of them could win Sun Yu’s favour.
Listening to Yang Kai, Sun Yu became nervous again, “What should I do?”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and simply said, “Just reject them all. You’re now the Dragon Emperor, Chen Zhou wouldn’t dare ignore your opinions. Just tell him you want to focus on cultivating for now!”
“Good idea!” Sun Yu nodded. As long as he entered secluded retreat and did not emerge for a few years, he could really become powerful enough to no longer feel embarrassed.
“I need to take a look at your Phoenix Nest, lead me there,” Yang Kai then said.
“Good… but Palace Master will definitely not let me go alone.”
“That’s fine, they won’t be able to find me,” Yang Kai smiled.
Sun Yu no longer said anymore and quickly went out to arrange it.
The Phoenix Nest was located not far from Dragon Valley, and Yang Kai was very curious what it was like, but he soon learned that it was actually just a jungle.
From above, the jungle itself though appeared to be shaped in the form of a great flying phoenix.
The jungle was comprized completely of a single species of ancient trees, all of which had grown to an enormous height after untold centuries of time.
Phoenix Nest was very different from Dragon Valley in that the latter was only approachable by the Dragon Emperor, no one else could even enter. Once an outsider tried to approach, they would be pushed away by an invisible force.
Phoenix Nest, on the other hand, hadn’t shown any kind of abnormal reaction for many years. It was as if it was just another ordinary jungle. There were even many disciples of Dragon Phoenix Palace who would come here to have romantic trysts.
However, after the Dragon Emperor had reappeared, Chen Zhou had listed Phoenix Nest as a restricted area and banned anyone from getting close.
When Sun Yu told Chen Zhou about wanting to visit Phoenix Nest, the latter was more than happy to comply as he thought Sun Yu was making preparations for the return of the Phoenix Empress. As such, Chen Zhou immediately sent a number of masters to escort Sun Yu to Phoenix Nest.
Arriving at the edge of the jungle, Sun Yu made up an excuse to have his Transcendent Realm escorts wait outside before he alone entered Phoenix Nest.
Sun Yu’s status was completely different now, so these Transcendent Realm masters didn’t dare disobey him. All of them had been among the people who witnessed Yan Zhi’s death, so they were well aware of what kind of power the Dragon Emperor possessed and were naturally not worried about Sun Yu’s safety.
Not long after walking into the jungle, a figure flashed and Yang Kai appeared beside Sun Yu.
“This is Phoenix Nest?” Yang Kai glanced around and asked curiously.
“En,” Sun Yu nodded, quickly explaining the details of Phoenix Nest.
Yang Kai listened attentively while not saying anything, simply walking forward in a certain direction.
Yang Kai felt that there was something in this Phoenix Nest that was calling out to him, causing the Golden Dragon tattoo on his back to become more active and give him a strange tingling sensation.
After explaining what he knew, Sun Yu cleverly and silently followed behind Yang Kai.
After walking for quite some time, the two suddenly emerged from the jungle and saw a small lakefront of them.
This lake was filled with clear, sparkling water but it was impossible to see very deep into it, much less find its bottom. The lake seemed to be covered by a strange and mysterious power. Standing on the shore and looking down, Yang Kai couldn’t help raising his brow slightly.
He found that there was a kind of hazy reflection in this lake, one of a majestic phoenix. It seemed real yet illusory all at once.
“This is Phoenix Lake. It is named so because of the inexplicable reflection that appears to be a phoenix; however, many people have dove down and investigated its depths over the years yet none of them found anything special,” Sun Yu explained casually.
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Yang Kai knew that some mysterious places would only respond when a specific person appeared. Except for that particular person, no one would be able to discover anything, even if they possessed incredible strength.
Standing on the shore of the lake, the Golden Dragon tattoo on Yang Kai’s back began swimming even more quickly, and there was even a feeling like it would rush out at any moment.
Gently taking a breath, Yang Kai did not suppress it any longer.
A moment later, along with a great dragon roar, the Golden Dragon tattoo leapt from Yang Kai’s back and manifested itself.
However, the current Golden Dragon was quite different from the one which had appeared that day in front of Yan Zhi. The current Golden Dragon was only five meters in length.
After rushing out of Yang Kai’s body, it swam a few circles through the air before plunging towards Phoenix Lake.
The lake surface rippled for an instant and then the Golden Dragon disappeared.
Sun Yu was excited as he carefully observed this scene.
Throughout Dragon Phoenix Palace, only he was aware of Yang Kai, the Dragon Emperor’s, secret. Furthermore, only he had been training by none other than the Dragon Emperor himself. This was something he naturally took pride in. Now he was about to witness the appearance of the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance. How could Sun Yu, as a disciple of Dragon Phoenix Palace, not be excited?
Sometime after the Golden Dragon disappeared into Phoenix Lake, the water’s surface became unsettled, as if there was some great energy rising up from its depths.
As the ripples spread, the phoenix image in Phoenix Lake began to twist and distort. If one were to stand back and observe from a distance, it would look like this illusory phoenix image was actually flapping its wings as it soared upwards from the bottom of the lake.
A tiny wisp of light suddenly fluttered over and sunk into Phoenix Lake.
After the first, a second came, then a third. Soon hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of these wisps began flying over, each one containing a mysterious yet profound power!
Yang Kai and Sun Yu were stunned by this sight, both of them quickly looking around, trying to determine where these wisps had come from.
The pair soon discovered that these wisps of light were actually flying over from the trees which Phoenix Nest was comprised of. When they had come here though, Yang Kai had not found anything unusual about these trees, so this development was quite shocking even to him.
Throughout Phoenix Nest, innumerable wisps of light were being released, just like a swarm of fireflies. These wisps rushed out of the jungle and quickly gathered towards Phoenix Lake.
The Transcendent Realm masters who were waiting outside Phoenix Nest also stared at this scene with wide eyes, unable to control their shock and excitement.
Even Chen Zhou, who was busy handling various affairs in Dragon Phoenix Palace, also quickly stared in the direction of Phoenix Nest upon noticing this development.
The Dragon Emperor had reappeared, and now Phoenix Nest had also begun showing remarkable changes. Clearly, the Phoenix Empress would soon also present herself.
The matters he was handling weren’t of vital importance so Chen Zhou immediately dropped them and soared off in the direction of Phoenix Nest. In Dragon Phoenix Palace, none of the other masters had any mood to continue working on their own matters with such an important event suddenly taking place, all of them quickly chasing after Palace Master Chen, heading towards Phoenix Next so they could witness the reappearance of the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance.
On the shores of Phoenix Lake, Yang Kai waited quietly while Sun Yu stared fixedly at the glowing wisps as they fell into the lake. It was as if he found himself in some fairyland, unable to extricate himself.
Sitting on the shore of the lake, Sun Yu clearly felt that the energy in the surrounding region had undergone a tremendous change.
There was a strong sense of majesty pulsing from the bottom of the lake, and it was growing stronger by the breath.
After what seemed like both a long yet short time, all the wandering wisps sank into Phoenix Lake. At that moment, the hazy phoenix reflection in the lake seemed to come alive and its wings began to flutter more and more quickly.
Suddenly, the lake seemed to explode and water shot up into the sky.
Amidst the great splash of water, a Golden Dragon and a blue Ice Phoenix appeared together.
A thunderous dragon roar and piercing phoenix cry resounded through the Heavens, the former resonant, the latter piercing, the two sounds mixing together and spreading out seemingly endlessly.
Yang Kai grinned as he stared up at the magnificent scene before him.
Similar to the True Dragon in legend, the Phoenix was another sovereign of the Monster Race, a supreme existence capable of reaching the Ninth-Order.
At this moment, the dazzling scene of a dragon and phoenix was on display. The Golden Dragon swam happily through the sky while the Ice Phoenix quietly floated atop the lake, its pair of bright eyes revealing an intelligent light, seeming to observe Yang Kai, carefully scrutinizing him.
A moment later, Ice Phoenix cried out lightly in a satisfied tone.
After letting out this cry, the Ice Phoenix suddenly trembled and its body transformed into a million wisps of light that scattered about and quickly disappeared.
Phoenix Lake became calm once more and the Golden Dragon flew back and returned to Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai closed his eyes at that moment and sunk into a state of contemplation and reflection.
The inheritance here was Su Yan’s, but she was currently in Ice Sect. He would have to go meet with her first before bringing her here to obtain what belonged to her.
Seeing Yang Kai not moving, Sun Yu also waited quietly, not daring to disturb him.
A while later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and said, “Sun Yu, I need you to do me a favour.”
Sun Yu immediately wore a serious look and replied, “Please speak freely Senior Yang.”
“Make sure your Dragon Phoenix Palace carefully looks after this Phoenix Nest.”
“Please feel relieved Senior Yang, Sun Yu will certainly not let any harm come to this place.”
“En.”
Sun Yu suddenly grinned and asked, “Does Senior already have someone in mind for this inheritance?”
Yang Kai gave him a stunned look and asked, “How did you know?”
“Senior’s aura just became very gentle, as if you were thinking about someone dear to you… If I am not mistaken, that person should be Senior’s companion.”
“Little brat, you’ve got good eyes,” Yang Kai laughed for a moment before nodding, “Good, things here have been settled, so I should make a move.”
“Ah, Senior, you’re leaving?” Sun Yu couldn’t help showing a hint of reluctance.
The achievements he had today were entirely thanks to Yang Kai. If it weren’t for him obtaining this opportunity two years ago, Sun Yu figured he would at best be an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivator, possibly even weaker, and his aptitude would be nowhere near as good as it was now.
With Sun Yu’s original aptitude, even if he cultivated diligently for his entire life, his limit would probably be the Transcendent Realm.
But now, he could clearly feel that it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the Saint Realm.
Such great fortune was bestowed to him by Yang Kai, causing Sun Yu to be eternally grateful.
“En, it’s about time I left. There are many things I need to attend to. Don’t worry, we’ll meet again in the future,” Yang Kai replied.
“En, then Senior must take care. Next time we meet, Sun Yu will not disappoint your expectations!” Sun Yu said sincerely as he cupped his fists, “Disciple will redouble his efforts to not bring shame upon Senior’s care and training!”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, no longer said anything, and simply flickered, disappearing in the next instant.
Staring off in the direction of Yang Kai’s departure, Sun Yu let out a low-spirited sigh before also turning around and departing.
After exiting Phoenix Nest, Sun Yu couldn’t help being shocked by the scene in front of him.
All the masters of the Sect had assembled here and were standing together with Palace Master Chen Zhou, waiting for Sun Yu.
After seeing Sun Yu come out from inside, all of them revealed looks of curiosity and expectation.
“Palace Master, Master…” Sun Yu cupped his fists.
Chen Zhou quickly returned the courtesy before hesitantly asking, “Lord Dragon Emperor, has the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance begun to materialize?”
The movements inside the Phoenix Nest had been witnessed by all of them so naturally the masters here had begun to speculate.
Sun Yu braced himself and replied, “En, somewhat.”
“You mean?” Chen Zhou was overjoyed.
“Er…” Sun Yu stammered for a moment before a thought flashed across his mind and he quickly stated, “There is no disciple in the Sect suitable to obtain the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance. Moreover, the time for it to be accepted by someone has not yet arrived.”
“Ah?” Chen Zhou suddenly became disappointed, anxiously inquiring in the next moment, “How long will we need to wait?”
Sun Yu shook his head, “This is a matter of fate, only the Heavens know. Even I cannot say.”
The ambiguity of his answer made Sun Yu feel somewhat uneasy, but upon glancing around, he saw that all of the Elders from the Sect actually wearing thoughtful expression, nodding lightly as if they seemed to think his casually made up statement made sense.
Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Sun Yu relaxed and declared, “I must enter retreat. You don’t have to concern yourself about the Phoenix Empress’ matters, she will appear when the time is right.”
“En,” Chen Zhou quickly nodded, “Right, Lord Dragon Emperor, how should we handle Frozen Nether Cave Heaven? Please give us your decision.”
“Palace Master should so as you see fit,” Sun Yu replied with a bitter smile, how was he supposed to make a decision about such important matters?
Hearing this, Chen Zhou no longer asked anything and simply returned to Dragon Phoenix Palace alongside Sun Yu and the other Elders before preparing the best cultivation materials and resources and arranging a secluded area for the ‘Dragon Emperor’ to enter retreat.
Yang Kai flew forward, swift as the wind and quick as lightning.
He crossed famous mountains and rivers with a joyful smile.
He had thought about going directly to Ice Sect to find Su Yan and bring her back to Dragon Phoenix Palace to obtain the Phoenix Empress’ inheritance, but he reconsidered soon after. If Su Yan was still in a state of frozen cultivation, going to see her now would only be a waste of time.
Also, he hadn’t returned to Soaring Heaven Sect for several years now. In fact, it had already been close to five or six years since he parted ways with his Marital Uncles and Martial Aunt back in Floating Clouds City.
Yang Kai felt that he should return to Soaring Heaven Sect, so he could at least inform his Martial Seniors and Ancestral Founder Chu Ling Xiao that he was alright.
Although he had been in Tong Xuan Realm for a number of years now, Yang Kai still didn’t have a place he felt a strong sense of belonging to; to him, even Soaring Heaven Sect was just the Sect the Ancestral Founder of the High Heaven Pavilion created.
His Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt were no doubt very good to him, but Yang Kai still found it difficult to feel a sense of intimacy towards Soaring Heaven Sect as he did with High Heaven Pavilion.
Regarding this world, he was simply a visitor.
The Central Capital and High Heaven Pavilion were his roots.
As such thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering how all of his friends and family back there were doing, many of their faces flashing before his eyes as he continued on his way.
When he left the Central Capital, Yang Kai had told everyone that when the time was right, he would return and bring them over to this new world. Thinking about it now though, his words had been a bit irresponsible; currently, he didn’t even know how to get back to that world.
Although he was now able to tear space, the most Yang Kai was capable of accomplishing was to move a few hundred kilometres in a random direction, and after displaying this method two or three times, his Spiritual Energy would be completely drained.
This method could only be used in the most urgent of situations or when there was some danger he could otherwise not escape from.
After thinking over the issue for some time, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up, remembering that both Chu Ling Xiao and Shui Ling of Water Spirit Temple had both found their way over to that side. Perhaps if he consulted with them, he too could find a way to return home.
However, before then, Yang Kai still felt he first needed to improve his personal strength, and second, establish a force he could control.
Otherwise, even if he brought his friends and family here, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee their safety.
The Ancient Demon Clan was a good choice!
Nine Heavens Holy Land was also an alright option. As for Dragon Phoenix Palace… Yang Kai wasn’t considering them for now. He would have to meet with Su Yan again before coming to any kind of decision about them.
Most importantly though was finding a site that could accommodate so many people.
Time unknowingly passed by and Yang Kai crossed a few tens of thousands of kilometres. Now, when he unfurled his Wind and Thunder Wings and used the Nine Heavens Divine Skill Flickering Heavenly Shadow, his speed could only be described as lightning quick.
Along the way, Yang Kai would stop at some towns in order to ask for directions until half a month later, he finally saw the endless Snow Mountain Range on the horizon and felt a faint yet familiar chill in the air.
He was almost there!
Soaring Heaven Sect was located just a thousand kilometres or so away from the Snow Mountain Range.
Two days later, Yang Kai finally returned to Soaring Heaven Sect.
Amidst the mountain valley surrounded by the Hundred Peaks Spirit Array, Yang Kai could see traces of cultivator activity. Smiling lightly, Yang Kai flew straight towards one of the peaks.
Arriving halfway up the mountain where a clear stream flowed, Yang Kai landed lightly next to a small cave.
Serene Resplendent Peaks!
This was the mountain peak which belonged to his Fei Yu Martial Aunt and was also the place where Yang Kai lived.
Walking into the cave, Yang Kai descended into the belly of the mountain. After several twists and turns, before he had even reached the living space, Yang Kai smelled a strong fragrance of alcohol.
Yang Kai’s face went black as he sighed, thinking that Fei Yu Martial Aunt was the same as always, completely addicted to wine; however, with such a thick fragrance in the air, Yang Kai really wondered just how much she had drunk.
A moment later, Yang Kai walked into the living space when suddenly a loud bang rang out nearby and a water curtain wrapped around him. This water curtain such a potent alcoholic fragrance that when Yang Kai unconsciously inhaled, he became slightly dizzy.
Hastily circulating his True Qi, Yang Kai quickly recovered from his drunken state.
From behind the water curtain, a jade hand shot out and accurately grabbed Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Yang Kai didn’t put up any resistance and simply let the jade hade catch him, waving his hand to cut open the water curtain in front of him and smiling as he glanced over, “Martial Aunt!”
Hearing this voice, the person behind the water curtain seemed startled and loosened their grip significantly.
Four eyes suddenly met. The beautiful pair of eyes flashed a deep sense of surprise as her drunken face exuded a different kind of brilliance.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s smile suddenly stiffened and he quickly shifted his gaze.
He had immediately found that his Fei Yu Martial Aunt had apparently just been bathing and, alarmed by his unannounced arrival, had only wrapped a thin bathrobe around her rich, enchanting figure. Even now, she was using one hand to hold this bathrobe so it would not slide off her wet body while her other hand was grabbing Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Her two long, slender, legs were completely exposed to the air while the deep valley between her full peaks glistened lightly and her long, wet hair cascaded down her fragrant shoulders, painting a captivating picture.
Yang Kai also thought he had briefly seen two delicate cherry coloured petals through the sheer bathrobe.
It seems he had picked the worst time to appear! Yang Kai thought to himself awkwardly.
Normally, no one would visit Serene Resplendent Peak. Even Cang Yan and the others would let Fei Yu know ahead of time before showing up, very much unlike Yang Kai who had just casually walked inside.
“I was wondering who would be so bold as to enter my home uninvited, it turns out it was you, you little brat!” Fei Yu grinned meaningfully, not only not releasing Yang Kai but instead dragging him towards her and putting him in a headlock, saying in a teasing tone, “Little Martial Nephew, after not showing up for so many years, this is the first thing you do when you get back? Don’t you think you’re acting a bit improper?”
Feeling an amazing elasticity on his back along with a pair of slightly more prominent bumps on his shoulder blades, Yang Kai hurriedly tapped Fei Yu’s arm and whimpered, “Martial Aunt, can you first let go of me?”
“Martial Aunt doesn’t mind, so what are you worried about? Are you afraid your Martial Aunt is going to eat you?” Fei Yu continued to tease, tightening her hold on Yang Kai, pressing her incredible capital even more onto his back as she breathed hot breathe across his ear.
“Martial Aunt must be joking…” Yang Kai pitifully cried out, feeling a sense of numbness spread from the base of his ear while unable to help his body from having certain other ‘reactions’.
Seemingly aware of this, Fei Yu let out a snort and finally released Yang Kai, directing a piercing stare at him with her pair of beautiful eyes, gritting her teeth as she complained, “Little bastard, have you had enough fun outside and finally remembered to return home?”
Yang Kai quickly sat down on a nearby stone bench and poured himself a glass of water, pretending to drink it calmly as he directed his eyes elsewhere, “Martial Aunt, can you wear proper clothes first before we talk? With you appearing like this, I feel somewhat uncomfortable!”
“Little hoodlum! You even have such a reaction to your Martial Aunt?” Fei Yu’s face blushed as she shot him a warning, “You sit right there and wait for me to tidy you up. If you dare move a single step from that spot, I swear I’ll chase you to the ends of the world and punch you black and blue!”
Saying so, her tender body flickered and disappeared.
Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, a look of helplessness filling his face.
His Fei Yu Martial Aunt really didn’t have the dignity a Marital Aunt should.
After a short wait, Fei Yu walked out again, this time fully, if not neatly dressed, a brilliant light flashing across her beautiful pupils as she smiled widely and sat down opposite Yang Kai, staring at him attentively.
“Heh heh, Martial Aunt, after not seeing you for several years, it seems you’ve become even more beautiful. A moment ago I didn’t have a chance to look closely but now that I do, it’s clear that you look even younger and radiant than before, just like a young woman in her prime!”
“Smelly brat, don’t think that by tossing out a few glib comments you’ll be able to appease your Martial Aunt!” Fei Yu quipped, the anger and frustration she had been suppressing for several years melting away.
Over the past few years, she had frequently inquired about and investigated into Yang Kai’s whereabouts but had never been able to discover anything. Naturally, this caused her a great deal of worry; after all, Yang Kai was from a remote backwater countryside and his strength wasn’t very high. When she last saw him in Floating Clouds City, he only had a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation.
How could Fei Yu not be worried?
Not only was she concerned about his safety, his three Martial Uncles were also worried about him.
Each of them had vowed that if Yang Kai managed to return safely they would teach him a good lesson!
However, after seeing Yang Kai again, Fei Yu somehow couldn’t get angry and only felt like a big stone had finally been lifted from her chest.
After staring at her wayward Martial Nephew for a moment, Fei Yu’s expression suddenly became solemn and quickly released her Divine Sense. Carefully probing Yang Kai, a look of shock appeared on her face as she couldn’t help covering her mouth and exclaiming, “Little Martial Nephew, what is your current cultivation?”
Although she could already tell, she simply couldn’t believe it.
“Third Order Transcendent!”
“You’re really a Third Order Transcendent?” Fei Yu leapt up and immediately arrived beside Yang Kai, grabbing his wrist and sending a thread of her own True Qi and Divine Sense into Yang Kai’s body to examine him in finer detail.
While she probed him, she asked nervously, “You haven’t cultivated some kind of forbidden Secret Art, right?”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and shook his head, “No. Also, such Secret Arts are only effective at rapidly increasing one’s realm during the early stages, how could they continue helping someone in the Transcendent Realm?”
Listening to him, Fei Yu nodded slightly in agreement.
Forbidden Secret Arts were ones that defied the natural order and went against the Heavenly Way. There were actually many such Secret Arts in this world, and cultivators who were blinded by power often chose to cultivate them, allowing them to grow rapidly early on. However, the higher the realm they reached, the weaker they became and the harder it was for them to advance due to the many hidden dangers in their foundations.
Before reaching the Transcendent Realm, so long as one had high enough aptitude, given the quality of Secret Arts and resources available in Tong Xuan Realm, it was not difficult to rapidly grow. For example, Shui Ling had already reached the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary before she was even twenty years old.
Such cultivation at such an age back in the Central Capital was simply extraordinary. At the time, even Yang Kai had no choice but to admit his inferiority.
Such young geniuses were common in Tong Xuan Realm.
Nevertheless, after reaching the Transcendent Realm, breaking through each minor realm was accompanied by great difficulties. Some people spent several dozen years just to break through a single minor realm, many not ever being able to advance for the rest of their life.
Fei Yu’s aptitude was also quite good, but even she took six or seven decades to cultivate from the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary to the Third Order Transcendent Realm, and she had remained in the Third Order Transcendent for another thirty or forty years after that before breaking through to the Saint Realm.
Counting strictly, Fei Yu was now over a hundred years old!
However, with such a formidable cultivation base and by using certain youth retaining techniques, she still had the appearance, and temperament, of a young woman.
When Yang Kai went to Floating Clouds City with her in the past, he was only a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, but today, after only five or six years, he had actually become a Third Order Transcendent.
This kind of cultivation speed was simply too terrifying.
Fei Yu was understandably worried he had taken advantage of some dubious method to achieve this.
After inspecting him for a while, Fei Yu’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed as she shook her head lightly, “There doesn’t seem to be any problems. Your True Qi is both pure and vigorous, not any worse than your Martial Aunt’s; however, just to be safe, we should get Cang Yan and them to check you out as well.”
Saying so, she sat herself back down and stared at Yang Kai curiously, “What exactly have you been up to these past few years? Since we parted back at Floating Clouds City, there’s been no news from you at all!”
“I…”
Yang Kai had just opened his mouth when Fei Yu suddenly interrupted, “Hold on a moment, Cang Yan and them will definitely want to hear this as well. I’ve already sent them a message so they should be here soon. You’d best be prepared though, those three smelly men all said they were going to teach you a lesson for the trouble you’ve caused.”
“Ah… en,” Yang Kai scratched his head, closing his lips, sitting up somewhat straighter on the stone bench.
Seeing his awkward appearance, Fei Yu didn’t feel like pressing the issue again and instead just lazily rested her cheek on her palm while grabbing a piece of spirit fruit to chew on as they waited.
After less than the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
“They’re here,” Fei Yu smiled faintly, sitting back comfortably as if she was preparing to watch a good show, her beautiful pupils flashing an interested light.
It seemed she was quite looking forward to how Cang Yan and the others would tidy up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai expression became somewhat dignified as he sat up straight, staring towards the entrance.
After a moment, three figures rushed in simultaneously; obviously, it was Cang Yan, Li Wan, and Fei Jian.
As soon as they entered, Li Wan shouted, “I heard that little bastard is back?”
Cang Yan also wore an austere expression, as if anticipating a coming storm while Fei Jian’s fingers were lightly rubbing, a dangerous aura pulsing from their tips.
Three pairs of eyes immediately locked onto Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai jumped to his feet and let out a hearty laugh, “Several Martial Uncles, congratulations on breaking through to the Saint Realm! It is really the great fortune of my Soaring Heaven Sect. With several Martial Uncles’ great strength, you will surely soon become famous throughout the world! Congratulations indeed!”
Fei Yu was startled by this sudden outburst, but soon wore a wry grin as she muttered under her breath, “Sly little bastard!”
The three men couldn’t help glancing around at each other as cramped smiles appeared on their faces. Although they had said they would teach Yang Kai a good lesson, that was only because of all of the worries he had caused them. Now seeing Yang Kai safe and sound, how could they really get angry with him?
Hearing Yang Kai suddenly say these lines as well caused them to laugh dumbly despite themselves and shake their heads despite trying not to.
Moreover, all of them being able to break through to the Saint Realm was in large part due to Yang Kai’s efforts. If it weren’t for him condensing the medicinal liquid of the Thousand-Year Demon Flower, even if Cang Yan and the others could still make this breakthrough, it would have taken them many more years, possibly even decades.
“Little brat!” Cang Yan’s serious expression melted away like a snowflake under the sun, a big grin soon replacing it as he heavily patted Yang Kai’s shoulder and looked him up and down, nodding as he said, “Good good good, two arms, two legs, and your head, seems everything is in place!”
“En, he actually looks more solid than before,” Li Wan also laughed.
Fei Jian narrowed his eyes slightly, “Your aura is also much denser.”
“It seems that you’ve grown up a lot outside these past few years. En, very good!”
His Martial Uncle had only offered some simple praise but Yang Kai could feel their deep sense of care towards him, warming his heart.
Fei Yu, on the other hand, waited for the three of them to finish their greetings before snorting lightly, “You three are also Saints now, yet you didn’t even bother to probe little Martial Nephew’s current cultivation?”
“What’s wrong with his cultivation?” Cang Yan frowned, releasing his Divine Sense and sweeping Yang Kai with it casually.
The next instant though, his eyes bulged as if he had just seen something impossible.
Li Wan and Fei Jian noticed this and also quickly checked Yang Kai, both of them soon showing similar expressions to Cang Yan.
Third Order Transcendent Realm!
This little Martial Nephew who had come from a remote backwater was now actually a Third Order Transcendent. His True Qi fluctuations clearly illustrated this.
“I remember when we left the Sect for Floating Clouds City, little Martial Nephew was only at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. Although after condensing the medicinal liquid of the Thousand-Year Demon Flower he broke through to the Transcendent Realm, it has only been five or six years since then, yet he has already grown to such a height. Cang Yan, you take a look to see if there are any problems with little Martial Nephew’s foundation,” Fei Yu quickly said.
Cang Yan expression quickly became serious as he began examining Yang Kai.
A moment later, he shook his head slowly, “Strange, very strange!”
“What’s strange?” Li Wan and Fei Jian asked somewhat anxiously.
“There’s no issue with little Martial Nephew’s cultivation. His foundation is very solid and the purity and density of his True Qi are almost no different from even our own.”
“Wha… how is that possible?” Li Wan exclaimed. Before going to Floating Clouds City, the three of them had only been Third Order Transcendents, yet now, Yang Kai had actually caught up with their cultivation at that time.
“If he didn’t obtain some incredible fortuitous encounter, it can only mean that little Martial Nephew… is an incredible Heaven defying genius!” Cang Yan’s eyes flashed as he stared at Yang Kai with great interest, “Little Martial Nephew, what exactly did you experience outside these past few years? “
“Oh, nothing much, I just casually walked here and there. As for fortuitous encounters, there were indeed a few things,” Yang Kai laughed wryly.
“Let’s hear it,” All four of the others in the room suddenly said curiously.
Yang Kai took a breath and, feeling slightly helpless, began to simply narrate what had happened to him these past few years. He didn’t dare mention the matters regarding Nine Heavens Holy Land and Dragon Phoenix Palace and instead emphasized his experiences in Ice Sect, the Mysterious Small World where he met the Sun Clan, and his time in the Demon Land. Listening to his story, his Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt couldn’t help revealing shocked expressions.
After Yang Kai finished his story, his four Seniors went silent for a long time.
Li Wan was the first to break the silence, sighing as he said, “You’ve certainly had many fantastical experiences. The Demon Land… Even we don’t dare venture into that place, it’s rumoured that there are powerful Demon Race masters everywhere, making it extremely dangerous for us Humans.”
“Oh right, little Martial Nephew, were you able to find the locations of those two Senior Sisters you were looking for?” Fei Yu’s beautiful eyes flashed, seemingly quite interested in both Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang.
“En, I already found one of them, she is currently cultivating in Ice Sect. As for the other, I am still uncertain of her exact whereabouts, but I believe I will be able to reunite with her soon,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good, you must bring them to the Sect at some point after you find them. I must see what kind of charm your two Senior Sisters possess to let you never forget about them.”
“There will be a chance.”
“En, enough about these matters, little Martial Nephew returning to the Sect after so long is a great good fortune, we must celebrate!” Cang Yan suddenly shouted, shooting a sly glance over towards Li Wan and Fei Jian.
Li Wan and Fei Jian immediately understood his intentions and fervently expressed their agreement.
Fei Yu smiled bitterly and said, “You stinky men are just after your Great Aunt’s Thousand Safflower Wine! I knew it from the moment you all said you’d rush to my Serene Resplendent Peak. I’ll say this now, this is the last time! Out of consideration for little Martial Nephew’s face, I’ll let you each drink one bottle today, but if you dare try this again, Great Aunt here will go all out with you!”
The three of them laughed slyly and quickly began to prepare.
After drinking to their hearts’ content, Cang Yan and the others were dead drunk and stumbled out of Serene Resplendent Peak. Before leaving though, they told Yang Kai to pay a visit to the Ancestral Founder. Chu Ling Xiao was apparently also quite worried about him.
Yang Kai readily agreed.
Fei Yu was also incredibly drunk; her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as her eyes so moist it seemed like they would squeeze out drops of water at any moment. Holding tightly to a big wine bottle, not caring the slightest for her sloppy appearance, she lay sprawled out across the stone table and was lightly snoring.
Seeing this all too familiar scene, Yang Kai shook his head helplessly and began cleaning up.
The next day, Yang Kai went to meet with Chu Ling Xiao.
Inside the same secluded room, Chu Ling Xiao sat atop his cushion quietly, as if he had not moved at all these past few years.
After seeing Yang Kai, Chu Ling Xiao smiled happily and lightly commented, “I heard from Cang Yan and those kids that you had reached the Third Order Transcendent Realm. Originally, this old master still had some doubts, but seeing you now, it appears to be true.”
“Disciple was just fortunate enough to encounter some opportunities; otherwise I would not have my current achievements.”
“You don’t need to be so modest, opportunities and adventures are another part of one’s strength; since you were able to meet them, the strength you gained also belongs to you.,” Chu Ling Xiao nodded lightly before narrowing his eyes ever so slightly as he stared at Yang Kai, “However, your aura is somewhat odd… Different from how it was previously. You now have an air of majesty around you that did not exist before! Curious, you are quite young and should not be able to exude such a lofty air. Just where did you acquire it?”
Yang Kai was stunned, not having expected Chu Ling Xiao to be aware of this.
The majestic and dignified aura belonged to the Dragon Emperor and was not strictly possessed by Yang Kai himself.
Before Yang Kai could answer though, Chu Ling Xiao waved his hand calmly, “This old master was just thinking out loud, you need not explain to me, everyone has some secrets that they don’t want others to know.”
Yang Kai laughed awkwardly before suddenly wearing a serious expression, “Right, Ancestral Founder, I have something I’d like to consult with you about.”
“En, go ahead,” Chu Ling Xiao nodded lightly.
“Ancestral Founder, have you constructed a Void Corridor before?”
“Oh?” Chu Ling Xiao smiled faintly, “How did you know?”
Yang Kai scratched his head and replied, “Ancestral Founder may have forgotten, but over on that side, inside High Heaven Pavilion, there is a Void Corridor which leads to a place about ten thousand kilometres away…”
“En, there indeed was such a thing,” Chu Ling Xiao thought about it for a moment before nodding, “En, I was the one who created that Void Corridor…. but that was not a result of my own skill, I only managed to create it by borrowing the power of an artifact.”
“Could Ancestral Founder speak about it in more detail?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
Although Yang Kai could now tear space, he wasn’t able to determine where he reappeared, when he emerged from the void, he would simply appear somewhere in the surrounding several hundred-kilometre region.
If he ever found himself in a dangerous situation, this uncertainty would become a major issue.
However, if Yang Kai could determine where he would reappear, this tearing space method would become of great use to him.
It was for this reason, among others, that he wanted to consult with Chu Ling Xiao about these things.
“That artifact was something I had inadvertently obtained many years ago. Although I knew it contained a trace of the power of void, I had never been able to use it nor understand the mysteries it contained. When I fought with that Demon General, the two of us inadvertently stumbled upon a hidden Void Corridor entrance and travelled to your world. After killing that Demon General, I founded High Heaven Pavilion over there, but was unable to find my way back here!” Chu Ling Xiao revealed a reminiscent look, “I stayed in that land for a number of years before, out of desperation, pinning my hopes on that artifact. Unfortunately, after I managed to activate the artifact, although I successfully created a Void Corridor, it was one that could only convey an individual ten thousand kilometres away rather than one that could cross worlds.”
Saying so, Chu Ling Xiao showed a slightly exasperated expression.
“Since that’s the case Ancestral Founder, how did you get back here?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder.
Chu Ling Xiao chuckled wryly, “A chance coincidence. Over there, there’s a place called Nether Mountain, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded. Nether Mountain was the greatest forbidden zone in the Great Han Dynasty. Yang Kai had even gone there once for life experience in a Mysterious Small World. It was also the place he first met cultivators from Tian Lang Dynasty.
Naturally he remembered that experience clearly.
“It was there that I found a Void Corridor and after I entered it I found myself back in Tong Xuan Realm.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up immediately.
Was there also a Void Corridor leading to this side hidden in Nether Mountain? Yang Kai knew nothing about it; he had only been able to arrive in Tong Xuan Realm thanks to Meng Wu Ya telling him about the Void Corridor in the forbidden land of Tian Lang Dynasty.
There was also the Void Corridor hidden in the Earth Vein beneath the Central Capital.
When he thought about it, Yang Aki realized that there were actually a lot of hidden connections between his old world and Tong Xuan Realm; it was just that most people knew nothing about them.
Conversely, there should also be a number of ways to get from Tong Xuan Realm back to that world.
After a long conversation with Chu Ling Xiao, Yang Kai unfortunately did not obtain any solid clues about returning home, but there was one thing he did learn. As long as he continued searching patiently, he would one day be able to find his way back to that world.
Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush though. In any case, he had neither the ability to protect nor a place to house his friends and relatives now.
For now, he decided to continue studying the tearing space Divine Ability he had obtained.
Leaving Chu Ling Xiao’s residence, Yang Kai flew back to Serene Resplendent Peak and casually informed his Fei Yu Martial Aunt he wanted to enter secluded retreat.
He had just broken through to the Third Order Transcendent Realm and had not yet had a chance to consolidate his cultivation, so he planned to do so now while studying the mysteries of tearing space.
In the depths of Serene Resplendent Peak there was an extremely expensive secret room entirely comprised of Crystal Stone. Before going to Floating Clouds City, Yang Kai had often spent time in this room studying Alchemy. When he asked, Fei Yu readily agreed to lend it to him.
After closing the chamber, Yang Kai reached out and waved his hand. In front of him, a dark crack split open and from it a chaotic and terrifying energy pulsed.
Yang Kai was already quite familiar with tearing space and could do so rather easily.
After Yang Kai dove into The Void, the dark tear in space quickly closed and vanished without a trace.
As always, a sense of weightlessness overcame Yang Kai the moment he entered The Void. Sitting cross-legged, Yang Kai circulated his Secret Art to consolidate his cultivation while releasing his Divine Sense into his surroundings to study the path of the void turbulent around him.
Yang Kai had always felt that there was some mystery hidden in these void turbulences but the reason no one had unravelled it so far was because these turbulences were simply too dangerous.
Even if a Saint Realm master managed to arrive here, they would not be able to withstand this turbulence and it would only be a short time before their physical body and Soul were torn to shreds.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, wasn’t worried about such things; his physical strength and Divine Sense were both out of the ordinary which gave him a great advantage in this plane.
Transforming his Divine Sense into thousands of individual threads, Yang Kai attached them to the void turbulences around him as he followed and studied them, trying to unravel the laws which governed them.
Yang Kai didn’t become anxious and focused on maintaining a state of mental tranquility.
As time passed, he gradually began to comprehend some simple rules of The Void, but he was still unable to grasp the key, leading him to further immerse himself in his studies.
Suddenly, the turbulences throughout The Void became unstable. Yang Kai quickly awoke from his meditative state and took back his Divine Sense threads. Looking around himself, he was shocked to discover that this entire region of the Void seemed to have become chaotic, with a powerful destructive energy and aura seemingly flooding in from all directions.
Yang Kai had frequently encountered this situation while experimenting with this tearing space method. It was quite similar to what he had experienced back in the Starry Sky; when the Starry Sky energy reached a certain concentration, a storm would form.
Inside The Void, there were Void Storms formed when the strength of the void reached a certain concentration.
This was a natural phenomenon.
Every time this happened, Yang Kai had swiftly avoided it. This time too, when he noticed the Void Storm approaching, Yang Kai’s first thought was to escape, but after thinking about it for a moment, his brow wrinkled and he slowly sat back down.
When he had explored the Starry Sky, he had been forced to endure a Starry Sky storm and as a result, benefited greatly from it, even breaking through to the Transcendent Realm. So, Yang Kai thought, if he now stayed here and felt the mysteries hidden inside this Void Storm with his own flesh and blood, perhaps he could unlock the secrets of tearing space which had thus far eluded him!
Thinking so, Yang Kai no longer rushed to leave and instead quietly sat amongst the turbulent flow of The Void while condensing all his strength in preparation for the arrival of the destructive storm front.
A moment later, the violent Void Storm swallowed engulfed him.
In an instant, all of Yang Kai’s clothes were turned into dust and his body was covered in wounds, leaving almost no place on his skin unharmed.
Yang Kai couldn’t help paling slightly.
Although Yang Kai knew that the energy which flowed here was even more mysterious and dangerous than the power which permeated the Starry Sky, it appeared he had still underestimated it.
Yang Kai hastily used all his strength to resist the ravages of the storm.
With his skin cut open, blood flowed out freely, covering Yang Kai in a layer of red and gold, while a profound and mysterious strength seeped into his physique.
A look of shock filling his face, as Yang Kai had to endure an aching pain all over his body and quickly investigated.
The strength which had seeped into his pores was obviously Void Energy, the basis of the method he used to tear space.
More and more Void Energy poured into his body and gradually reached a concentration that even Yang Kai felt was unbearable. It felt as if he was being sliced open from both inside and outside by a million tiny blades.
Moreover, because it was Void Energy that was tearing into him, Yang Kai’s entire figure had become somewhat intangible.
Yang Kai clearly knew that his hands and feet were right in front of his eyes, but because of the constantly twisting space around him, Yang Kai mistakenly felt like his limbs had actually spread out over a vast distance.
Not daring neglect, Yang Kai immediately shouted in a low voice, “Devil Transformation!”
Rich and pure Demonic Qi gushed out from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton and transformed into exquisite Demon Crests that covered Yang Kai’s skin before they sank into his physique and disappeared.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s vitality and physical strength rose madly along with his momentum and aura.
The pain which had just been unbearable suddenly became much lighter.
Gently breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense once more and began exploring this explosion of Void Energy while simultaneously allowing his body to bathe in and forcibly remember it.
Time had never passed so slowly, but gradually, Yang Kai noticed some subtle yet extremely gratifying changes in his perception.
The seemingly random movements of the void turbulences around him now, in Yang Kai’s perception, showed some faint semblance of order, allowing him to vaguely grasp their ebb and flow.
Yang Kai grinned happily and continued to maintain his current state, constantly trying to comprehend the mysteries of The Void through the Void Energy which flowed in and around him.
After what seemed like an eternity, yet for all Yang Kai could tell might have only been a fleeting moment, the Void Storm finally passed and everything became calm once more.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to find the originally chaotic yet empty Void before him was now filled with a near infinite number of faint points of light, almost like a beautiful starry sky.
Sweeping these points of light with his senses allowed him to read some subtle information from each.
Yang Kai brow wrinkled slightly as he continued to carefully examine these points, and as he gradually comprehended what each of them was trying to convey to him, his heart filled with excitement.
Focusing all his attention on one particular point of light, Yang Kai saw a palatial mountain peak appear in his mind. The mountain peak soared several thousand meters into the sky and was surrounded by many others. Its most distinguishing feature though was a great waterfall which fell into a river that ran beside a cave which led into its inner depths.
Immersing himself in this image, Yang Kai felt almost as if he was floating mid-air, overlooking this familiar mountain.
Serene Resplendent Peak!
It was his Fei Yu Martial Aunt’s private residence and the place he was currently cultivating.
Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai tore space at that point of light and stepped through.
Looking back, Yang Kai found himself standing inside a great forest bathed in beautiful and refreshing spring like sunlight with the sounds of a great waterfall pouring roaring in his ears.
Yang Kai immediately flew up into the sky and scanned his surroundings, barely able to contain his excitement.
Taking in everything around him, Yang Kai couldn’t help letting out a loud, hearty laugh!
The scene before his eyes, when seen from high above, was almost exactly the same as the one he had perceived from the point of light inside The Void.
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, so excited he wanted to throw his head back and let out a roar.
Today, he had finally, truly grasped the mystery of tearing space and no longer had to worry about losing his way and randomly appearing somewhere within a few hundred kilometers when leaving The Void.
Now, as long as he wanted to, he could roughly determine the direction and position he wanted to go.
Using his body to directly feel the mysteries of The Void had really paid off.
If he had known this method was feasible, Yang Kai would have long ago tried it instead of wasting so much time trying to slowly puzzle through this mystery.
Half-way up the mountain, a pretty figure swiftly flew over, seemingly alarmed because of all the noise Yang Kai had been making, wanting to investigate what was happening.
As she drew near Yang Kai who was still floating mid-air and laughing happily to himself, Fei Yu couldn’t wearing a strange look, placing her jade white hand onto her forehead to block the sun’s rays as she looked up and shouted, “Little Martial Nephew, weren’t you in retreat? What did you come out here to do?”
Upon hearing her voice, Yang Kai quickly looked over and smiled, “I thought I’d come out and take a walk today.”
“You came out?” Fei Yu frowned, “How come I didn’t notice?”
She too had been inside the mountain cave but had not noticed Yang Kai come out of the secret room, so naturally she was somewhat confused.
“Martial Aunt probably just missed me,” Yang Kai said casually.
Fei Yu didn’t ask anything more and instead just swept her eyes up and down Yang Kai a few times, seeming examining him with great interest, pursing her lips as she lightly said, “Little Martial Nephew, don’t you think there’s something a bit ‘off’ with you right now?”
“Something off?” Yang Kai frowned, not knowing what she was talking about.
“Little boy, your stature is quite good…” Fei Yu expressed her admiration, her fair white neck gradually blushing slightly, her pair of beautiful eyes staring at him appreciatively, “I never noticed underneath your clothes held such a treasure…”
Yang Kai’s stupidly grinning face immediately went black as he suddenly realized what she was talking about, his figure flickering in the next instant as he dove into the pond beneath the nearby waterfall.
Outside, Fei Yu nearly doubled over as her giggling voice resounded like a silver bell.
Yang Kai felt like dying. He had just been so immersed in his comprehension of tearing space that he had even forgotten that all his clothes were shredded to dust in the Void Storm.
It was no wonder his Martial Aunt had been staring at him oddly.
From the pond down below, Yang Kai stuck just his head up above the surface, wiped off the dripping water from his face and shouted, “Martial Aunt, couldn’t you have said something a bit sooner?”
Fei Yu floated down and gently poked the top of his head, still having trouble controlling her laughter as she mischievously grinner, “What’s the matter, your Martial Aunt here is so much older than you. What point is there in acting so bashful?”
Yang Kai retracted his head back into the water somewhat, revealing just his helpless eyes.
In front of Fei Yu, Yang Kai really couldn’t fight back; if it had been any other woman so blatantly sexually harassing him, Yang Kai would have already taught her that there were some men she couldn’t provoke.
But Fei Yu was his Senior and Martial Aunt…
“But seriously, what were you doing here. How did you get all those scars?” Fei Yu’s gaze immediately became serious as she asked with concern.
It wasn’t just Yang Kai’s unusual choice of attire that had caught Fei Yu’s attention just now, she had also clearly seen his bare skin had traces of dried up blood all over it, apparently he had just suffered numerous serious wounds.
“Just a bit of an accident…” Yang Kai replied faintly.
Determining that Yang Kai truly didn’t have any issues, Fei Yu relaxed and let the issue drop, bursting into giggles again before shaking her head and flying back down.
Yang Kai scrubbed himself inside the pool for a while before donning a new set of clothes.
Upon returning to the cave, Yang Kai saw Fei Yu smiling towards him.
“That’s right,” Fei Yu suddenly said, “Have you gone to see Old Man Du yet? After you didn’t return for over a year, he began sending Mi Na over every now and then to inquire about you. Both of them seemed quite concerned about you.”
“Oh, then I should go have a look then,” Yang Kai nodded, “I’m free at the moment so I might as well go now.”
“Good, the earlier you go, the earlier you can return!” Fei Yu waved her hand, knowing that Yang Kai was still somewhat embarrassed to be here right now.
“I might stay there for a while. There’s some Alchemy problems I’d like to discuss with Old Man Du.”
Fei Yu shot him a glance before snickering, “Do as you’d like. After all, the last time you ‘went out for a while,’ you didn’t come back for six years!”
She thought that Yang Kai was just looking for an excuse to avoid her for a bit but in fact, Yang Kai real did want to get Old Man Du’s advice regarding some issues regarding Alchemy.
As for today, Yang Kai’s Alchemy abilities were quite high, almost on par with Du Wan’s, and with the help of the many profound Spirit Arrays he knew, Yang Kai even felt he wouldn’t lose to Old Man Du when it came to purely refining pills.
However, Du Wan had been immersed in this field for a very long time, so he would naturally have his own unique experiences and insights.
Such things could only be accumulated over time and were exactly what Yang Kai was currently lacking, making them extremely precious to him.
In order to free the Ancient Demon Clan from that Mysterious Small World, Yang Kai’s Alchemy technique still needed to improve. Thus, he was quite eager to find ways to promote his Alchemy technique.
If he could acquire the Ancient Demon Clan’s strength, there were many more things Yang Kai could accomplish.
Bidding farewell to Fei Yu, Yang Kai left Soaring Heaven Sect and flew off towards Grand Boulder City.
Two hours later, he touched down outside the city gates.
Upon arriving here, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the city seemed to be much livelier than before. There were many foreign cultivators coming and going, all seemingly in a rush.
Yang Kai shook his head and no longer paid any attention to such things as he walked straight towards the Alchemist Guild.
Just after Yang Kai walked into the Alchemist Guild, a young girl who couldn’t be older than fifteen with her hair done up in a pair of swaying twin-tails rushed over and intercepted him.
Although she was young and her figure had yet to fully mature, it was clear she would soon become a beautiful young woman, a fresh and pleasant sight to behold.
The little girl rushed straight up to Yang Kai and stopped him in his tracks, placing arms akimbo as she questioned, “Who are you? How can you just casually stroll inside this place?”
Yang Kai swept his eyes over her quickly and discovered that this little girl’s cultivation was respectable enough; actually having already reached the True Element Ninth Stage, slightly better than Sun Yu from Dragon Phoenix Palace when Yang Kai first met him.
“Who are you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Grand Boulder City’s Alchemist Guild branch should only have three occupants, Du Wan, Mi Na, and Mi Na’s master Ye Xiong.
Since when did such a small girl take up residence here?
“What business is that of yours?” The opposite party huffed as she stared back at Yang Kai, dissatisfied, “This is the Alchemist Guild, don’t you know? It’s not a place just any random person can enter.”
“Random person…” Yang Kai nearly choked. This little girl was neither very old nor very tall, but her attitude was by no means small.
“Hmph, you must be someone looking for Alchemy services from Old Man Du or Master Ye, right? If you want to request them to perform Alchemy, come back in a month. The schedules of the two masters are currently full,” The little girl said, clearing thinking herself quite clever for figuring this out.
“It’s so busy here?” Yang Kai was amazed.
“Naturally, many people come here to request Alchemy from the two Grandmasters,” the girl replied proudly, as if she was the one being requested for Alchemy services by these people, her eyes flashing in the next moment as she suddenly said, “If the grade of pill you need refined isn’t that high, I can help you.”
“You also study Alchemy?” Yang Kai looked down at her, suddenly becoming somewhat interested.
“En, naturally, you shouldn’t underestimate me just because of my appearance, I’m actually a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist!”
“Oh? That’s quite impressive,” Yang Kai praised sincerely. So young yet already a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, it was a rare right indeed. On top of that, Yang Kai had never met this little girl before, so she must have only arrived within the last three to five years. She was probably a seedling Du Wan or Ye Xiong had come across and was now instructing in the Alchemic Dao.
Using only three to five years to become a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist proved how high this little girl’s aptitude was.
Hearing Yang Kai’s praise, the girl suddenly smiled and no longer felt that this young man in front of her looked so bad, “How about it? I can help you perform Alchemy. At or below Mysterious Grade Low-Rank my success rate is eighty percent!”
“Eighty percent, very good, how much do you charge for your services?” Yang Kai asked, rubbing his chin.
“There’s no charge!” The girl replied quickly, “Old Man Du and Master Ye said that I should take every opportunity I get to refine more pills so there’s no need to offer me any compensation. En, well, of course, if you feel like paying me… I’m not going to refuse. En, actually, Alchemy is quite laborious, each time Wu’er performs Alchemy, she drips with sweat and becomes quite tired!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help chuckling as he nodded, “So your name is Wu’er?”
“En!”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before taking out a batch of Heaven Grade and Mysterious Grade herbs from the Black Book space and handing them over to the little girl.
These herbs weren’t very high grade so they had almost no use to Yang Kai anymore, but they happened to be perfect for Wu’er to practice with in order to improve her Alchemy skills.
Yang Kai remembered when he first started practising Alchemy and all the struggles he went through to collect herbs and couldn’t help lending her a hand.
Wu’er’s eyes lit up as she quickly accepted the herbs and placed them into her Universe Bag.
“Help me refine a hundred pills with those,” After handing over the herbs, Yang Kai made a broad request.
“Good, with so many herbs, it should be enough,” Wu’er happily promised, “But a hundred pills will take some time, en, come back to me after one month and I should be able to hand them over to you!”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded before taking out some Crystal Stones, “This is your reward!”
“You’re also really giving me…” Wu’er looked up at Yang Kai timidly, her hands gripping her floral print skirt, looking somewhat hesitant and embarrassed.
“Performing Alchemy is laborious and time-consuming, naturally I should compensate you.”
“Then… Wu’er won’t be polite,” Wu’er said, accepting the Crystal Stones as a giant smile blossomed on her face, suddenly feeling like the young man in front of her was much more cordial than Old Man Du or Master Ye, nodding happily as she declared, “En, very good, after one month, you can come here to accept your pills, I’m going to go start refining them now. You won’t be disappointed!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, smiling as he watched her run off.
Rushing forward to happily, Wu’er turned a corner and accidentally bumped into Mi Na, the latter quickly catching Wu’er just as she was about to fall before lightly scolding, “Little girl, how can you be so energetic every day?”
“Senior Sister, look, look!” Wu’er handed over the Crystal Stones she was holding, causing Mi Na eyes to flash as she asked, “Where did you get so many Crystal Stones?”
“There’s still more in my Universe Bag, that person gave me more than twenty pieces!”
“Who gave these to you?” Mi Na couldn’t help but frown.
“A young man… He said he wanted me to help him refine a hundred pills and that these Crystal Stones were my reward!”
“A hundred pills?” Mi Na was stunned, “What does he want so many pills for? On top of that, he actually asked for specifically you to refine them?”
“En! The herbs are in my Universe Bag.”
Mi Na’s expression became sour as she snorted, “Must be some degenerate! That person is either blind or has some evil ulterior motive! Is he still in the guild?”
“I don’t know… he was here a moment ago,” Wu’er stared back at Mi Na in confusion, not understanding why her Senior Sister suddenly seemed unhappy.
“I’ll go take a look,” Mi Na said before running off.
Her Junior Sister was too young and was still in the process of learning Alchemy, if that person really wanted to find someone to perform Alchemy, he definitely wouldn’t have looked for Wu’er, she simply didn’t look reliable enough.
Mi Na instinctively thought that whoever this man was, he was trying to get close to Wu’er for some nefarious purpose.
A look of anger and righteous indignation upon her face, Mi Na was determined to confront this low-life and teach him that the Alchemist Guild was not to be trifled with.
But just as she reached the guild’s entrance hall, she saw a familiar figure standing around leisurely. Four eyes suddenly met and the slightly roguish looking young man grinned and called out, “Beauty, long time no see.”
Mi Na froze up as she stared at him foolishly for a moment before coming to her senses and exclaiming, “Yang Kai!”
As she called out, she rushed forward once more, this time with an excited smile upon her face though as she hurriedly asked, “Why you, did you finally come back?”
“En, I got back just a month ago.”
“Hmph, I thought you’d died out in the wood somewhere,” Mi Na grumbled, “Over the past few years, I’ve been sent by Old Man Du to Soaring Heaven Sect to inquire about your news many times, but there never was any.”
Inside the Alchemist Guild, seeing Yang Kai for the first time in years, Mi Na was quite happy.
However, when she remembered all the worry he had caused Old Man Du, Mi Na couldn’t help feeling somewhat resentful too. For this guy, she felt she had run back and forth to Soaring Heaven Sect so many times the hills in-between had gotten flatter.
“That’s why I came over to see you all,” Yang Kai smiled.
“Hmph, seems you still have some conscience left!” Mi Na snorted as she swept her eyes over him, suddenly thinking of something as she did, “Wait, the one who just asked Wu’er for Alchemy… wouldn’t be you, right?”
“En, it was me,” Yang Kai nodded.
Mi Na patted the chest and breathed a sigh of relief, “So it was you, good, I thought that it was some no good pervert eyeing Wu’er and planned on teaching him a lesson.”
Yang Kai just laughed, “It seemed like she needed some materials to practice with so I gave her some… Since when was there such a little girl here, I’ve never seen her before.”
Hearing this, Mi Na’s expression became somewhat gloomy as she quickly checked to make sure Wu’er had left before whispering, “Old Man Du and I picked her up on our way back… such a poor girl.”
“Picked up on your way back?” Yang Kai is stunned.
“En, on our way back here from Floating Clouds City, we passed by a village that had been attacked by a pack of Monster Beasts. Everyone in the village was dead except her. We found her alone and crying amongst the ruins and didn’t have the heart to just leave her so we brought her back with us to Grand Boulder City. When we found her, she was less than ten years old. She was incredibly thin and had lost the ability to speak, seemingly quite traumatized… It was only after caring for her for a few years that she turned into her current appearance, running around all day long with energy to spare. Haa… such a handful.”
Yang Kai smiled warmly and commented, “You really picked up a good seedling.”
“En!” Mi Na’s beautiful eyes shimmered, “Old Man Du was also quite surprised at Wu’er’s aptitude for Alchemy. When we brought her back, she hadn’t even begun cultivating, yet now she’s already reached the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage and her Alchemy level has recently broken through to the Mysterious Grade Low-Rank. Honestly, as her Senior Sister, I feel quite pressured. If I don’t work hard, that little girl will overtake me in a flash.”
Yang Kai chuckled at this, “It’ll be years before that happens.”
“I’m afraid it won’t take very long though…” Mi Na smiled bitterly, “I’m only a Spirit Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, only one grade higher than Wu’er, with how fast that little girl is growing, she’ll probably surpass me within ten years.”
Saying so, Mi Na suddenly looked at Yang Kai curiously and asked, “What about you? Have you been able to progress beyond the Spirit Grade Top-Rank?”
“Well, a little,” Yang Kai scratched his cheek, not daring to tell Mi Na the truth for fear of discouraging her.
“Fine fine, seeing you like this, it’s obvious you’re already able to refine Saint Pills. This girl is just a common mortal, I shouldn’t be trying to compare myself with you two freaks!” Mi Na grumbled in frustration, but in the next instant smiled, “Enough about that. Come with me, if Old Man Du knew you came back, he’d no doubt be very happy.”
Yang Kai gently nodded before following Mi Na into the Alchemist Guild.
Before they had gone far though, Yang Kai expression changed as he asked, “Is Old Man Du entertaining guests?”
Yang Kai could sense the auras of several individuals inside Old Man Du’s room as well as hear some light laughter. One of these auras belong to Du Wan while the others all possessed Transcendent Realm cultivations.
“En,” Mi Na responded, “They just arrived today actually.”
“Then I can wait.”
“No…” Mi Na smiled meaningfully, “I think those few guests will also want to see you.”
Yang Kai was momentarily stunned but quickly realized, “They couldn’t be the few I met back in Floating Clouds City?”
“Not bad!” Mi Na grinned as the two arrived in front of Du Wan’s room, calling out in the next moment, “Old Man Du, another guest has come to see you.”
The laughter and the conversation inside came to an abrupt halt as Du Wan immediately said, “Let him come back another time, today this old master won’t be seeing other guests.”
“Are you sure about that, Old Man Du? If that’s the case, then I’ll show him out,” Mi Na asked as she winked mischievously towards Yang Kai.
“Why you little…” Du Wan’s helplessly sighed before asking, “Who is it? From the sounds of it he must be a very important guest.”
Not waiting for Mi Na to answer, Yang Kai called out, “Old Man Du, it’s me, Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai?” Du Wan’s called out in surprise, a series of footsteps ringing out in the next instant and the door soon flying open, revealing Du Wan’s expectant face. After seeing Yang Kai, a look of pleasant surprise filled Old Man Du’s expression as he shouted “It’s you!”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
“Come in, come in!” Du Wan enthusiastically greeted Yang Kai, “It’s good that you’re back.”
“Haha, after wandering around outside for a while I just recently returned to the Sect where I heard that Old Man Du had asked Mi Na to travel to Soaring Heaven Sect several times to inquire about this Junior’s wellbeing. For all Old Man Du’s concern, Junior is very grateful,” Yang Kai said seriously.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, you are a member of my Alchemist Guild Branch. I am its Manager, naturally I should pay attention to your wellbeing,” Du Wan shamelessly smiled and said, “You came at just the right time actually, this old man was just talking about you with several old friends.”
As the two talked, they entered the guild’s back hall.
Inside a spacious room sat several figures with ages and temperaments similar to Du Wan’s, each of them stretching their necks as they looked over towards the door expectantly.
After the appearance of Yang Kai though, all of them couldn’t help showing confused looks.
“Hey, Du Wan,” An old man with a rather uncouth attitude called out, “Something’s not quite right, he doesn’t look anything like the little boy from last time. Did you think my eyes had gone dim and memory had gone bad and thus brought some random kid here to deceive me?”
This old guy was quite rotund and sat directly on the floor like a giant lump, resting his whole body on a nearby wall. Just speaking a few words causing him to pant slightly.
“En… although his age seems about right and the voice is quite similar, his looks are completely different!” Another old man said as he caressed his long beard, sweeping his eyes up and down Yang Kai.
“Heh heh, you two dullards, don’t you remember Du Wan received a special artifact as payment for Alchemy several years ago that could explain all this?” A third person seemingly saw through everything at once and said smugly, “If I recall, that artifact is able to change the look and aura of a person.”
“Then… this is that little brat’s true appearance and what we saw back then was just a disguise?” A fourth old man proposed.
“Junior Yang Kai greets several Grandmasters,” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists.
“Come come, have a seat first,” Du Wan warmly motioned, “All of us are used to acting freely, there’s no need for you to act polite.”
Yang Kai glanced around and found that these Grandmasters were indeed casually relaxing. Instead of sitting on chairs around a table they were all sitting on the ground, probably because out of consideration for their overly obese member.
Not standing on ceremony, Yang Kai sat down next to Du Wan.
Four pairs of eyes gathered onto Yang Kai with great interest, causing the latter to laugh somewhat wryly.
Yang Kai still remembered how back in Floating Clouds City he had ‘received’ some treasures from these four people’s Universe Bags for winning first place in an Alchemy competition.
“Du Wan, you were certainly cautious enough, having this little boy wear that disguising artifact, no wonder no one has found him despite having his portrait and searching for many years,” One of the old men smiled, “So it was like this.”
“If I didn’t take precautions he would have been in trouble,” Du Wan smiled, “Although some clues pointed to Soaring Heaven Sect, with Chu Ling Xiao sitting over there, no one dares make any trouble.”
Yang Kai had condensed the medicinal liquid of the Thousand Year Demon Flower, so naturally there were many inquiring about his whereabouts in order to snatch this precious treasure from him.
“Were you so confident he would be the one to obtain the Thousand Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid?”
“I just thought it best for him to not reveal his identity in front of so many people,” Du Wan smiled, “Still, even I was quite surprised he was able to obtain the medicinal liquid of the Thousand Year Demon Flower, it was really quite amazing.”
Saying so, Du Wan suddenly said, “Right, Yang Kai, let me formally introduce them to you, this is the Manager of Shattered Star City Alchemist Guild branch, Hong Fang, a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist!”
“Greetings Grandmaster Hong!” Yang Kai respectfully bowed.
“No need, no need!” Hong Fang caressed his beard and smiled, “It won’t take long before you reach the same level as me, being called Grandmaster by such a talent is troubling.”
Du Wan smiled and did not refute, next pointing to the fat old man, “This is the Manager of Lightning Flash City Alchemist Guild, Chang Bao, also a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist! En, Brother Chang indulges too much in food and drink, so his body has become like this. You should take heed not to indulge in such excess.”
Chang Bao immediately shot back, “Sampling the world’s delicacies is one of life’s greatest pursuits, Du Wan, you just don’t understand it.”
Du Wan ignored this comment and proceeded to point to another person, “This is the Manager of Three River City’s Alchemist Guild, Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist He Feng!”
Just after the introduction, He Feng smiled broadly and said, “Little boy, remember when I invited you to Three River City a few years ago yet you turned me down. Have you given the matter anymore thought?”
Saying so, he quickly tempted, “This old man has several beautiful granddaughters he can introduce you to. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you want them all as long as you agree to come to my Three River City’s Alchemist Guild.”
“Junior is grateful for all Grandmaster He’s concern, but this young one owes Old Man Du much grace so I must unfortunately refuse Grandmaster He’s kindness.”
He Feng narrowed his eyes and said, “Your courage is not small, no one has dared refuse this old master’s kindness before yet you’ve actually done so twice. Smelly brat, you’ve simply made this old master lose face!”
“Who told you to make a fool of yourself?” Du Wan laughed heartily, Yang Kai saying such words had obviously made him quite happy as he grinned from ear to ear, ignoring He Feng’s protest as he turned to the last person in the room, “Last but not least, this is Moon City Alchemist Guild’s manger, Kong Ruo Yu, also a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist!”
Yang Kai respectfully bowed once more.
Top Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were normally male because most women’s natural physiques were milder and more temperate, unsuited to handling the high temperatures and flames required to perform Alchemy and Artifact Refining, but this Kong Ruo Yu had actually become a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, which showed that she had clearly worked harder and possessed greater aptitude than others. If she had been born a male, her achievements would probably be even higher.
Inside Du Wan’s room, excluding Yang Kai, there were currently five Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemists, this was an incredibly luxurious lineup.
Throughout all of Tong Xuan Realm, the number of Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemists was probably no higher than twenty, each of them a world famous figure, yet in this place there were actually five.
Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemists were even rarer, numbering three to five at most.
As for Saint Grade Top-Rank Alchemists, there was essentially only the hidden dragon who showed his tail but never his face: The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep, Great Grandmaster Li Rui alone.
As Du Wan carefully introduced Yang Kai, the other four Alchemy Grandmasters also looked at Yang Kai with gratified expressions.
Yang Kai’s outstanding performance back in Floating Clouds City’s Alchemy contest had left a deep impression on them. Each of these old masters believed that in time, this young boy’s achievements would eclipse their own and usher in a new golden age for Alchemy.
Mi Na had left and returned with a tray of spirit fruits and fresh tea, offering them to these guests before drawing back once more.
She was not yet qualified to sit amongst these Grandmasters. Not just her, even her master Ye Xiong didn’t have the qualifications to participate in this conversation.
Du Wan inviting Yang Kai to sit among this group showed just how much value he placed on the young man.
These several Alchemy Grandmasters were all old friends so they didn’t maintain much decorum between them, freely speaking to one another while not minding Yang Kai’s presence in the slightest.
Yang Kai didn’t make a sound, only listening intently from the side, not showing the slightest impatience or boredom, instead quite interested in a number of the topics these five were discussing.
After talking for quite some time, Du Wan suddenly smiled and said, “Each of you live several tens of thousands of kilometers away yet you’ve all come here today to my Grand Boulder City. You probably didn’t do this just to chat about old times, yes?”
As soon as this was said, the four other Alchemy Grandmasters nodded seriously.
The old woman Kong Ruo Yu was the first to speak up, “There is truly something we wished to discuss with you. Chang Bao, you explain, you were the one who found it in the first place.”
Du Wan turned his attention to Lightning Flash City’s Alchemist Guild Manger.
Chang Bao expression also became solemn as he searched around in his Universe Bag for a moment before bringing out an incomplete animal skin. This skin was quite ancient and released a mysterious aura. Handing it to Du Wan, he simply said, “See for yourself.”
Du Wan accepted the animal skin and spread it out. After staring for a moment, he couldn’t help becoming absorbed in it.
The more he examined it, the more excited Du Wan’s expression became, as if he had just obtained some precious treasure.
Only after a moment did Chang Bao begin to explain, “This Spirit Array was something one of my disciples obtained and handed over to me. I have spent over a year studying it but was unable to decipher its mysteries, so I brought it to Brother He Feng…”
He Feng smiled bitterly and continued, “I was also helpless though, so the two of us sought out Brother Hong and Senior Sister Kong…”
“Even all together we couldn’t decipher it, but we knew that Brother Du was on the verge of becoming a Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, thus we all decided to come to Grand Boulder City to let you try,” Kong Ruo Yu followed up.
“En,” Du Wan nodded lightly, indicating that he understood, but after carefully studying the animal skin for quite some time, he slowly shook my head, “I’m afraid I must disappoint all of your expectations. This Spirit Array is very complex and complicated. It doesn’t look like the Spirit Arrays we currently use and appears to be more ancient; on top of that, it’s incomplete, this Du is also helpless to explain it.”
Listening to him, the other four did not show much of a disappointed look.
They had come here simply to try their luck and hadn’t really expected Du Wan to be able to easily unlock the secrets of this Spirit Array.
Du Wan mysteriously grinned at that moment though, “Although this old man can’t decipher it, there is someone in this world who can certainly explain this Spirit Array’s mysteries.”
“Who?” Asked the four in unison.
“The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep!”
Chang Bao couldn’t help rolling his eyes, “Grandmaster’s whereabouts are unknown. He is the hidden dragon who shows his tail but never his face, how do you propose we even begin to search for him? When I first began studying Alchemy, Grandmaster was already world famous. Even now that I am a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, I have never actually seen his true appearance, a fact I still deeply regret.”
Of the five Alchemy Grandmasters present, it was likely that only Du Wan had the honour of meeting The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep.
However, Du Wan didn’t say anything; after all, he had long passed the age where he needed to show off.
Intentionally or unintentionally glancing over towards Yang Kai, Du Wan said, “Perhaps in addition to The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep, there is someone else who can decipher this…”
“Du Wan, enough with the suspense, if you have an idea just say it!” He Feng urged him impatiently.
“Heh heh…” Du Wan chuckled.
Yang Kai did not miss Du Wan’s glance and understood that the latter was still convinced that there was a powerful Alchemy Grandmaster behind him, one who was likely on par with The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep; it was because of this that Du Wan had gave him a subtle look.
Helpless, Yang Kai sighed and said, “Old Man Du, can you let me take a look?”
Du Wan smiled happily and quickly handed the animal skin over.
Chang Bao suddenly became nervous, “Yang boy, treat that skin carefully. If you break it, I’ll drag you back to Lightning Flash City to compensate for it.”
“Don’t worry,” Du Wan chuckled calmly.
Of the five Alchemy Grandmasters here, only Du Wan paid close attention to Yang Kai, the others instead continuing with their discussion about the Spirit Array portrayed on the animal skin.
Each of them had spent a significant amount of time studying this mysterious Spirit Array and naturally had their own insights and opinions about it. Now that they were gathered together, they thought that by combining what they knew they might find a way to explain the Spirit Array diagram and complete it.
Yang Kai looked at the Spirit Array diagram and after some time his brow wrinkled slightly.
The Spirit Array portrayed on the animal skin was truly quite complex and actually seemed to be a compound array comprised of a number of simpler ones, causing it to become somewhat bloated.
After the Spirit Array diagrams were broken up and separated though, Yang Kai realized that their individual components resembled those recorded in the True Alchemic Way with only minor differences.
Alchemy was constantly evolving and the Spirit Arrays used to perform it were independently researched and developed by many different Alchemy Grandmasters all over the world. It was common for Spirit Arrays to change and develop over time, sometimes completely transforming from one age to the next.
With Yang Kai’s current vision, it was quite easy for him to spot the flaws and drawbacks in this Spirit Array diagram.
However, compared to the Spirit Arrays currently in use, the wealth contained in this Spirit Array diagram was massive, and once it was cracked it could bring about great development to the field of Alchemy.
Du Wan obviously expected him to speak up, and Yang Kai had no reason to refuse.
Comprehending the nature of this broken Spirit Array, Yang Kai began comparing it to the ones he inherited from the True Alchemic Way while extrapolating the missing segments.
After a long time, Yang Kai had completed a rough patch of the Spirit Array.
The other Alchemy Grandmasters were currently silent, apparently having reached a dead end in their attempts.
Du Wan, who had always been paying attention to the changes in Yang Kai’s expression, was still quite upbeat, but the other four were somewhat dejected because even with all of them together they failed to complete the Spirit Array, causing them all no small frustration.
“Did you understand it?” Du Wan asked suddenly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “En.”
The other four Grandmasters suddenly looked up in surprise and Hong Fang called out, “You’ve deciphered it?”
He Feng shouted, “Young man, you mustn’t speak irresponsibly, even us old fogies were helpless to understand this thing, how could you have cracked it so simply?”
“Whether he is boasting shamelessly or not, we’ll soon see,” Du Wan grinned.
Yang Kai also maintained his composure, taking out a few good pieces of jade from the Black Book space before holding them in his palm one at a time and using his Divine Sense to inscribe some markings onto them.
A few moments later, he handed the jades to Du Wan and explained, “After dismantling it, this Spirit Array can be broken down into these individual arrays, but as to what each one of them is used for, you’ll have to verify by actually using them for Alchemy. I hope this will be helpful to several Grandmasters.”
Du Wan’s nodded solemnly before accepting the jade pieces, keeping one for himself before distributing the remaining pieces to the other four.
Seeing this old and young pair both wearing such serious expressions, the other Grandmasters no longer commented and instead focused on the diagrams inscribed in the jade pieces.
After a while, the expressions of everyone changed and became somewhat complicated.
The pieces of jade rotated amongst the five Grandmasters as they examined the Spirit Array diagrams in each of them as they muttered, “It really was solved?”
When the several scattered Spirit Array diagrams in the jade pieces were put together, they indeed formed the large array portrayed on the animal skin. Not only that, the array was actually complete and even had some ingenious enhancements.
A problem that had baffled several Saint Grade Alchemists for over a year being solved so simply was somewhat difficult for all of them to accept.
“Young man, how do you understand this? These should all be long-lost ancient Spirit Array diagrams, you shouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn these at your age,” He Feng asked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’ll be honest with you, I obtained guidance from Old Man Li and even studied under him for a time.”
“Old Man Li? The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep?” Kong Ruo Yu exclaimed.
“Seriously?”
“You’ve met Grandmaster Li?”
“Where did you see him? What does he look like?”
At the mention of Old Man Li, these aloof and powerful Grandmasters transformed into eager young children, each of them calling out excitedly.
Yang Kai shot a glance over at Du Wan, the latter quickly coughing and muttering, “Actually… I too met him.”
“Du Wan, don’t try to shamelessly boast!” He Feng obviously didn’t believe him, grinning at him teasingly.
“It’s true,” Du Wan persisted, “It was back in Floating Clouds City. Old Man Li was there but he didn’t reveal his identity.”
“Do several Grandmasters remember that other young Alchemist at the Alchemy competition conference, the one who competed with me until the end?” Yang Kai asked.
“Naturally we remember!” Hong Fang nodded, “If I recall correctly, he was being escorted around by several masters from the City Lord’s Mansion… What does that have to do with Old Man Li though?”
“He is Old Man Li’s Legacy Disciple!”
“What? Legacy Disciple?”
“No wonder… no wonder that at such a young age he had such attainments in Alchemy, this old man had always been wondering which powerful master cultivated such a genius.”
“That little boy’s luck is truly enviable; actually receiving the favour of Old Man Li, his future prospects will certainly be limitless.”
The few of them couldn’t help feeling envious of Di Yao’s luck.
“After those events, I studied under Old Man Li for a time. En, these Spirit Array diagrams were learned from Old Man Li, that’s why I was able to comprehend them,” Yang Kai explained.
“So that’s it…” He Feng stroked his chin, seemingly believing what Yang Kai had said. Even Du Wan was nodding lightly, no trace of doubt apparent on his face.
However, when the four of them thought that they had actually been so close to Old Man Li yet didn’t even get to greet him, they all suddenly felt annoyed and jealous of Du Wan’s good fortune.
These ancient Spirit Arrays contained an enormous wealth of knowledge and although none of them currently understood what their true purpose was, that could be solved by simply investing enough time studying them.
Having unlocked the hidden secrets of these Spirit Arrays, the gathered Grandmasters were quite pleased.
Du Wan’s eyes flashed as a mischievous grin appeared on his face, “Old friends, being able to decipher the mysteries of this Spirit Array diagram was all thanks to little friend Yang Kai’s strength. If not for him, I’m afraid we would all die of old age before discovering their true purpose. Now that all of us have obtained such positive results, don’t you think showing some expression of sincerity is necessary?”
“Old Du, what are you trying to say?” He Feng’s brow furrowed.
Chang Bao even hurriedly covered his Universe Bag as he stared at Du Wan with great vigilance.
The last time these four had met back in Floating Clouds City, they engaged in a gambling match with Du Wan, resulting in their loss and the pilfering of their Universe Bags by Yang Kai. Now listening to Du Wan’s thinly veiled suggestion, all of them immediately became alert.
Du Wan pretended like he didn’t see this and instead turned to Yang Kai and smiled, “My old friends have always been generous, and you’ve just helped them solve a problem that had been troubling them for quite some time, I think they should offer you some thanks… En, don’t you agree? No need to hold back, feel free to rob- accept their charity.”
Listening to him, the four others in the room wore pained expressions, each of them wishing they could run up and slap the ungrateful wolf surnamed Du.
Kong Ruo Yu soon let out a sigh though and chuckled, “En, what Senior Brother Du said makes some sense, we certain have profited greatly from this trip, it’s fine if we offer a little something to Yang boy. All of us have our own face to consider. After having picked up such a bargain from a Junior, we should really thank him.”
With Kong Ruo Yu having expressed such an opinion, the other three had nothing more they could say.
He Feng grit his teeth and turned to look at Yang Kai, as if preparing himself for a great sacrifice as he boldly stated, “What would you like? Say it, and we will certainly satisfy you!”
Despite He Feng’s bold claim, when Yang Kai’s eyes wandered over to his Universe Bag, he couldn’t help flinching.
Chang Bao and Hong Fang also felt their hearts jump up into their throats, clearly fearing that Yang Kai would once again ransack their Universe Bags.
However, to their surprise, Yang Kai smiled and said, “Since several Grandmasters are willing, this Junior won’t be polite. En… this time though, I don’t want any of the treasures in your Universe Bags.”
The three old male Alchemy Grandmasters heard this and breathed a sigh of relief, each of them turning friendlier looks towards Yang Kai, silently praising him for knowing some discretion.
“Then what do you want?” Du Wan was surprised, “Wealth is the one thing my old friends do not lack. If you pass up this opportunity, it may not appear again anytime soon.”
“Du Wan, you shut up! Let the young lad speak for himself,” Chang Bao shot Du Wan a bitter glance.
“Good good, I won’t say anymore!” Du Wan said helplessly, immediately falling silent.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before asking, “Several Grandmasters are all Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemists, as a reward for unlocking this Spirit Array, how about refining a Saint Pill for me?”
“Refining a Saint Pill?” Chang Bao mouth twitched slightly.
“En, refining a Saint Pill!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
“Saint Pills aren’t something that can be casually refined,” He Feng stroked his chin. Although they were indeed all Saint Grade Alchemists, refining Saint Pills was still no easy task for them and was accompanied by great risks of failure.
On top of that, refining a Saint Pill was quite laborious.
It was because of this that every Saint Pill in this world was worth a fortune.
“Why not,” Du Wan suddenly chimed in, sweeping his eyes around at his old friends, “How many years has it been since we had a little competition? Why not take this opportunity to compare notes with one another? We can let Yang Kai and Ye Xiong act as judges to see who among us is better at refining Saint Pills.”
“Du Wan, do you think just because you’re about to promote to Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, you no longer need to put us in your eyes?” He Feng snorted.
“No no… it’s just that this is such a rare opportunity and now that it’s been brought up, this Du’s hands are feeling a bit itchy.”
“Good, I agree with Senior Brother Du’s proposal, it truly has been a long time since we’ve competed with one another,” Kong Ruo Yu also expressed interest.
“I have no objections,” Hong Fang shrugged his shoulders.
“Haa… very well, I guess these old bones will have to accompany you then…” Chang Bao huffed, his bloated body trembling as he grumbled.
“En, everyone, come with me,” Du Wan laughed, looking quite happy, before standing up and walking out while signaling for the others to accompany him.
Yang Kai asking these five to refine Saint Pills was by no means for the pills themselves.
Currently, if he wanted a Saint Grade pill, he could refine it himself. Although it was not easy to refine one, and the herbs were difficult to acquire, Yang Kai’s Black Book space was currently filled with vast amounts of wealth, so several Saint Pills weren’t really that valuable in his eyes.
What Yang Kai was interested in was the insights of these Alchemy Grandmasters and their Alchemy process, hoping he could observe and learn from them.
The Grandmasters were also aware of this but had not refused, not only agreeing but also secretly deciding to showcase their most exquisite Alchemy techniques for the young Alchemist.
Inside the pill room of the Alchemist Guild, the Grandmasters each found a comfortable spot, sat down, and took out their own pill furnaces and the corresponding herbs they would be using.
Each of these herbs was bursting with spiritual energy and were all clearly Saint Grade materials.
Also inside the pill room, Yang Kai, Ye Xiong, and Mi Na were also present.
This was a wonderful and rare opportunity, so Du Wan had naturally called over Ye Xiong and Mi Na too.
As for the little girl Wu’er, she was still too young and inexperienced, so even if she was allowed to watch, she wouldn’t learn anything.
Mi Na was so excited her cheeks were flushed as she sat beside Yang Kai and anxiously asked, “How come the Grandmasters suddenly decided to have an Alchemy competition? And refining Saint Pills, no less?”
“En, I haven’t witnessed Old Man Du perform Alchemy for quite some time, much less the other four Grandmasters. This is really a big event one doesn’t see every decade!” Ye Xiong was also very excited, staring at the scene in front of him with glowing eyes as he seriously said, “Mi Na, you must pay very close attention without even blinking! This will be incredibly beneficial to your future growth.”
“En, I know that, Master,” Mi Na nodded repeatedly, her expression quite serious.
“Is everyone ready?” Du Wan looked around with a smile and asked.
Everyone nodded lightly, indicating that they were finished with their preparations.
“En, why don’t we first introduce what kind of pill we will be refining,” Du Wan smiled and suggested, “This old man will be refining the Thick Ice Good Fortune Pill… it is an auxiliary cultivation pill for those who practice Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skill. After taking it, it allows one to create Cold Qi pressure inside one’s body, which helps purify and refine True Qi. En, the required materials are Profound Ice Jade Crystal Flower, Colourless Mineral Essence, Blue Blood Grass, The Monster Core of the Seventh- Order Ice Jade Python…”
Du Wan spoke in a clear voice, explaining the ingredients he would be using to the trio of onlookers, allowing each of them to wear a thoughtful look.
Each Alchemist would have his own unique habits and methods when performing Alchemy. Even their selection of herbs and the order in which they were utilized were of great importance and worth studying, not to mention how these materials would be combined and integrated with one another.
Du Wan clearly wanted Yang Kai and the others to learn these things, thus why he bothered explaining in such detail.
After he finished, Kong Ruo Yu smiled and spoke, “This old lady will be refining the Evading Death Pill, which has the effect of protecting ones Soul. If one receives a heavy or even deadly injury to their Soul, as long as they take this pill, it will provide a certain healing effect. The required materials are Asura Bone, Soulless Ghost Face Flower, Solid Spirit Rock Bamboo, Hundred Tribulation Congealed Jade Nectar…”
The several Grandmasters reported the names, uses, and precious ingredients of the Saint Pills they would be refining one after another.
Mi Na and Ye Xiong were both stunned as they listened to these explanations. Simply being able to gather together so many rare and precious herbs was a sight to behold.
Their expectations were only lifted higher by this as they felt their hearts beating slightly faster.
After they all finished, the five Grandmasters glanced around at each other and Du Wan announced, “Good, let’s begin!”
The other four nodded.
In the next moment, pure True Qi burst out from the five Grandmasters and the temperature in the pill room shot up.
Yang Kai stared intently at the five Grandmasters, observing how they manipulated their True Qi as well as which Spirit Arrays they chose to engrave on their pill furnaces.
As each of the Grandmasters engraved their respective Spirit Arrays, they purposefully slowed down and emphasized certain movements to allow Yang Kai and the others to observe clearly, making sure the marks they left with their True Qi were clearly visible. Yang Kai, Ye Xiong, and Mi Na were all able to glean much information about each of the Spirit Arrays before them during this demonstration.
Picking up one spirit herb after another and feeding them into their pill furnaces, the five Grandmasters moved their hands smoothly and quickly, swiftly extracting the medicinal liquid from each of them before separating them and moving on with the next.
As Mi Na stared at this process, she gasped in appreciation, only to quickly cover her mouth in the next instant, fearing she would disturb the Grandmasters.
Yang Kai was also dazzled by this display. Although his current Alchemy level was comparable to the Grandmasters in front of him, there were still much he could learn from them, especially with regard to their finer Alchemy techniques such as the detail they put into processing their medicinal liquids.
Comprehending these details would lead to great improvements in Yang Kai’s own Alchemy skill.
Each Grandmaster’s hands flew about both rapidly yet fluidly, appearing like an artistic display which contained the crystallization of their Alchemy insights.
Yang Kai became more and more engrossed as his whole consciousness gradually became immersed in this scene, simultaneously observing while pondering to himself what he would do differently at certain junctions compared to these Grandmasters, silently taking note of any place he found his own understanding or technique lacking by comparison.
Soon, Yang Kai forgot everything else around him, as his whole being submerged itself into the world of Alchemy, unable to extricate himself.
The same was true of Mi Na and Ye Xiong, both of them even forgetting the passage of time as they watched.
Amidst the sweltering heat of the pill room, blazing hot True Qi swirled as the Spirit Arrays engraved on each pill furnace was erased and re-drawn again and again. An excellent Alchemist would not use only one Spirit Array during Alchemy, and would instead carefully observe the intensity and temperature of their flames to replace their Spirit Arrays in order to achieve the best results possible.
From this point in particular, Yang Kai gained great inspiration. When he performed Alchemy, he normally used only a single Spirit Array, but now he felt that by using multiple Spirit Arrays at different times, the effects he could obtain would be much better.
The bursts of medicinal fragrance that would leak from each pill furnace now and again filled the pill room with a dream-like mist.
The expressions of the Grandmasters also became extremely solemn as the final moments of the Alchemy process approached, none of them daring to show the slightest carelessness as that may cause all their previous efforts to go to waste.
After four hours, the pill furnace in front of Du Wan suddenly hissed and shook, as if something inside had come to life and was desperately trying to escape.
Du Wan’s expression became dignified as he patted his furnace several times, pouring his True Qi into it to complete the final stages of the refinement.
A moment later, he gently tapped his pill furnace once and a snow-white nail-sized pill flew out.
Du Wan eyes flashed as he swiftly pulled out a high quality jade bottle, caught the pill, and sealed it inside the bottle.
Even as he did so, a thick pill fragrance wafted about the pill room.
Having just successfully refined a Saint Pill, Du Wan nodded to himself, seeming quite satisfied.
Mi Na and Ye Xiong also couldn’t help feeling excited seeing this scene.
The five Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemists had all begun refining their respective pills at the same time, but Old Man Du was the first to finish, it could be seen from this alone that his accomplishments in Alchemy were higher than the other four.
However, no one made a sound, only silently watching, waiting for the other four Grandmasters to complete their refinements.
Immediately after Du Wan was Kong Ruo Yu, only taking a stick of incense longer before she too extracted a Saint Grade Low-Rank pill from her furnace and stored it in her own jade bottle.
Half an hour later, Chang Bao, He Feng and Hong Fang also finished their pills.
Five Saint Pills being refined at once filled the entire pill room with a rich pill fragrance that was both refreshing and pleasant to the nose and spirit.
The five Grandmasters looked somewhat tired, especially Chang Bao whose large body was now dripping with sweat, his excess fat trembling as he breathed heavily and wiped his forehead constantly with his sleeve.
Glancing around, the five Grandmasters smiled at one another but none of them rushed to compare their finished Saint Pills, instead each of them pulling out a True Qi restoring pill and sitting cross-legged to recover.
Each of them needed some time to adjust themselves after this laborious process.
Refining Saint Pills had expended a great amount of their True Qi and Spiritual Energy.
It was only now that Mi Na and Ye Xiong dared to gasp as they reflected on everything that had transpired before them, both of them feeling like they had reaped a huge harvest, somewhat anxious to immediately refine some pills to verify the new insights they had just obtained.
“Yang Kai, which of the five Grandmasters so you think is the fiercest?” Mi Na stared in front of her intently and asked.
However, she received no response to her query.
Surprised by this silence, she quickly turned her head towards Yang Kai only to discover that he was wearing a contemplative expression, as if he was so lost in thought and had not heard her question at all.
“It looks like his gains were not small,” Ye Xiong smiled, “Don’t disturb him, he should have learned even more than us.”
Yang Kai had obviously sunk into a deep state of enlightenment. If he had not gained a massive harvest, reaching such a state would have been impossible.
Ye Xiong was somewhat envious.
“En,” Mi Na nodded quickly as she once against quieted her breathing, while waiting for the five Grandmasters to restore themselves.
A moment later though, Mi Na saw movement out of the corner of her eye and once again turned to face Yang Kai.
Looking curiously, Mi Na let out a surprised gasp.
She found that Yang Kai had at some point taken out his pill furnace as well as a number of Saint Grade spirit herbs, placed them in front of himself, and was now focused on portraying a Spirit Array into his furnace.
It was at this moment that the five Grandmasters finally finished restoring themselves and awoke from their meditation, Hong Fang letting out a loud laugh, “Our Saint Pills have been refined, now let’s let our judges see who the best among us is.”
“Good,” Chang Bao grinned meaningfully, “I hope that all of your Alchemy techniques haven’t regressed.”
“You should worry about yourself,” Du Wan shook his head and laughed, “For these past few years you’ve been patronizing a few too many restraints for your own good.”
Chang Bao grinned back at Du Wan, “But my Alchemy technique has not fallen.”
The Grandmasters all stood up as they bantered back and forth before walking over to where Yang Kai and the others were waiting.
However, they hadn’t taken more than a few steps before noticing what Yang Kai was doing and calling out in surprise.
“Oh, kid… Are you trying to show off meager skills before an expert?” He Feng said with a big smile, speaking teasingly but with no malicious intent.
On the other hand, Du Wan’s brow wrinkled as he suddenly realized something out of the ordinary. The only female Alchemist, Kong Ruo Yu, also wore a dignified expression as she raised her hand to stop her colleagues from stepping forward.
Mi Na and Ye Xiong also stepped away from Yang Kai and quickly approached the five Grandmasters.
“Old Man Du, Yang Kai suddenly started performing Alchemy, it seems like he harvested a lot of things and couldn’t wait to verify them,” Mi Na whispered.
“En,” Old Man Du nodded with a smile on his face, his eyes filled with appreciation, “Don’t bother him, he should have obtained an epiphany.”
“An epiphany?” Mi Na couldn’t help but frown, “Do such things happen in Alchemy?”
“Of course! Did you believe that one could only obtain an epiphany in the Martial Dao?” Du Wan whispered, “Such things are also possible in the Alchemic Dao. Once one enters such a state, everything around them fades away and only the sentiments and insights they suddenly obtained appear before their eyes. Right now, nothing exists in this world except his pill furnace and the herbs beside him… Fascinating, I wonder just what kind of breakthrough he’ll achieve.”
“En, speaking of epiphanies, I too once had the good fortune to obtain one many years ago,” Kong Ruo Yu recalled, “It was just as Senior Brother Du said, I couldn’t see anything else at the time, only my pill furnace and herbs. The only thing I could think of was refining that pill… Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I was never able to reach such a state again. Haa… just like the epiphanies in the Martial Dao, it is something that cannot be sought, only met by chance.”
“What happened then? Did Grandmaster Kong successfully refine that pill?” Mi Na asked curiously.
Kong Ruo Yu smiled and nodded, “Naturally I succeeded. Moreover, the quality of that pill was extremely good with almost none of the medicinal essence going to waste; it is a work I am still proud of to this day that is stored in my collection.”
“Amazing,” Mi Na said, her eyes’ filled with respect.
“Wait, haven’t you all noticed something odd about the materials this little boy selected…” He Feng frowned, “Why are there so many Saint Grade materials? It couldn’t be that he wants to refine…”
Hearing these words, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn back to the pile of materials in front of Yang Kai and upon careful examination they discovered that all of the herbs he had laid out were indeed Saint Grade.
“Is he trying to refine a Saint Pill?” Chang Bao exclaimed.
Du Wan’s eyes lit up as he chuckled, “If everything turns out well, he could refine a Saint Pill with these materials!”
“Du Wan, stop joking around!” He Feng rolled his eyes, “How hard it is to refine Saint Pills, all of us know well. It’s true his aptitude is astonishing and his skills profound, enough so that I can declare without doubt he will one day become a Saint Grade Alchemist whose achievements will far outstrip our own, but that’s a matter for the future. Refining a Saint Pill at his present age, isn’t that expected a bit too much?”
“Young people are always headstrong and fearless, thinking there is nothing they cannot accomplish by recklessly charging ahead, facing some setbacks along the way is by no means a misdemeanor. It’s just unfortunate that in his epiphany he did not chose Spirit Grade materials instead; if he had, he would likely have reaped more benefits,” Hong Fang said with a look of regret.
Chang Bao and Kong Ruo Yu also sighed in agreement, all of them feeling that Yang Kai trying to refine a Saint Pill now was him overestimating his skills.
Du Wan, on the other hand, just smiled lightly and said nothing more.
Although he hoped that Yang Kai would succeed, even he felt that Yang Kai was overreaching.
Being able to successfully refine a Saint Pill meant Yang Kai would already be qualified to call himself a Saint Grade Alchemist. One had to know that throughout all of Tong Xuan Realm there weren’t many such Alchemists, and each of them was an old monster who had been immersed in Alchemy for countless years.
Yang Kai was simply too young.
“We should observe what he does carefully so later we can give him pointers on any shortcomings he shows. That will be what’s best for his future growth,” Kong Ruo Yu suggest.
Everyone else nodded before silently focusing their attention on the pill refinement in front of them.
Yang Kai’s movements weren’t as fluid as their own but they were nonetheless meticulous and steady, each one executed with impeccable precision and timing.
Seeing this, the several Grandmasters were all secretly amazed.
Yang Kai’s foundational skills were incredibly solid and even to their highly critical eyes, the way he condensed his medicinal liquids was without the slightest flaw.
Moreover, the True Qi that he revealed from his body was both pure and vigorous. None of them knew what Spirit Array he had drawn inside his pill furnace in advance, but each herb he placed inside it was purified into the highest quality medicinal liquid without the slightest bit of waste.
The medicinal liquids that had already been condensed were then wrapped in his True Qi and suspended beside the pill furnace, waiting to be used later.
Witnessing these motions, each of the Grandmasters couldn’t help nodding lightly, showing their approval.
After roughly half an hour, all the herbs had been condensed into medicinal liquids, causing the five Grandmasters to be somewhat stunned.
Even if they were to trade places, they would not have been able to accomplish this step faster or better than Yang Kai; in fact, most of them would likely take even longer.
This could only mean that the purity and potency of Yang Kai’s True Qi was higher than their own and the Spirit Array he was using was superior.
After all the medicinal liquids were condensed, Yang Kai waved his hand quickly and a burst of light suddenly appeared inside his pill furnace. It seemed like he had instantly destroyed the Spirit Array which he had portrayed earlier.
Seeing this scene, Chang Bao couldn’t help muttering, “This little boy is too careless. Destroying his Spirit Array so haphazardly, how will he re-draw a new one in time?”
The medicinal liquids had already been condensed, and even tightly wrapped in True Qi. The longer they were left as is, the more their medicinal efficacies would diminish, so returning them to the pill furnace as soon as possible was of paramount importance.
They too would replace the Spirit Arrays they used during refinement, but only after fully preparing them beforehand. Also, they would not completely destroy their previous Spirit Arrays and instead use it to build up a new one, saving both time and effort, which increased their efficiency.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had directly destroyed his original Spirit Array.
Each of the Grandmasters couldn’t help showing a worried look, almost as if they could see Yang Kai refining an inferior quality pill, wasting a large number of precious Saint Grade materials.
However, Chang Bao had barely finished his words when another flash of light appeared inside Yang Kai’s pill furnace and it began twinkling faintly once again. Each of the Grandmasters had excellent vision so it only took them a moment to discover that a new set of markings was rapidly appearing inside the pill furnace.
“So fast?” He Feng was so stunned, somewhat unable to believe what he was witnessing, “That’s impossible…”
The shimmering rays of light were a clear sign that a new Spirit Array had taken shape.
It was only a moment ago that Yang Kai had destroyed his previous Spirit Array, yet he had already finished portraying the next. Such speed far exceeded the understanding of all five Grandmasters!