Yang Kai seemed to have changed the Spirit Array in his pill furnace instantaneously!
Moreover, none of them had seen him use the slightest amount of True Qi.
When portraying a Spirit Array inside a pill furnace, one had to pour their True Qi into it and carefully control it in order to succeed. It was like treating ones True Qi as ink and the pill furnace as paper.
However, Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of injecting his True Qi into the pill furnace just now.
Where did this new Spirit Array come from then?
“He used his Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense!” Du Wan’s eyes lit up as he quickly said.
“Impossible…” He Feng snorted and kept shaking his head, “While it’s possible to draw a Spirit Array with ones Spiritual Energy, it isn’t strong enough to be used for Alchemy. If someone tried to do that, it would only end up collapsing and destroying the materials inside.”
“See for yourself!” Du Wan didn’t bother explaining and simply motioned for the others to observe.
Of everyone here, only he knew that Yang Kai possessed an attributed Spiritual Energy because of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
The same as The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep.
Spirit Arrays built with ordinary Spiritual Energy really couldn’t be used for Alchemy, but those built from Conflagrated Spiritual Energy were different. Not only could they be used for Alchemy, they were actually superior to ones drawn with True Qi.
Everyone was now holding their breath and watching nervously.
Seeing Yang Kai not even hesitate to add the medicinal liquids he had condensed back into the pill furnace, each of them felt their hearts leap up into the throats.
All of them were afraid he would waste these precious materials.
Unexpectedly though, after the medicinal liquids were returned to the pill furnace, there was no signs of the Spirit Array shattering and the different liquids began mixing and smelting together, interacting with one another as a medicinal fragrance began to gradually leak out.
Each of the gathered Grandmasters was amazed, not understanding what kind of mysteries were hidden inside Yang Kai’s pill furnace that allowed this to happen.
Yang Kai’s expression remained completely focused, both his hands waving about as his True Qi surged up and down, controlling the furnace’s temperature precisely so as not to inadvertently damage the medicinal efficacies contained within.
Everyone’s eyes suddenly became bright again.
A moment later, a cracking sound rang out from inside the pill furnace, accompanied by a flash of light.
The Spirit Array Yang Kai was using was destroyed once again, causing the nerves the Grandmasters had just settled to once again tense up.
In the blink of an eye, a third Spirit Array appeared inside the pill furnace.
“This…” He Feng’s eyes widened, not having any idea what he should say anymore.
When each of them performed Alchemy, they too would change Spirit Arrays as the process went on, but such rapid and frequent replacements like the ones Yang Kai was using was something they had never even heard of before.
Also, they vaguely felt that Yang Kai was not just using his True Qi to perform Alchemy, but also his Spiritual Energy.
A two-pronged approach.
The strength of this little boy’s Spiritual Energy was also somewhat strange!
Yang Kai had a Third Order Transcendent Realm cultivation which was actually higher than any of the Grandmasters present. Thus, even though they noticed something out of place, it was impossible for them to unravel the secrets of Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, so naturally they were quite confused.
*Pa pa pa…*
Almost every half an incense stick worth of time, the Spirit Array inside Yang Kai’s furnace would be replaced. The several Grandmasters really couldn’t comprehend why Yang Kai was doing this as such frequent changes didn’t seem to serve any practical purpose and instead introduced a greater risk of failure.
Time passed by and a pill fragrance gradually began wafting through the air, one more potent than any of the ones the previous Grandmasters had managed to produce.
“It’s only been two hours…” Chang Bao’s fat trembled as he exclaimed in shock.
The appearance of a pill fragrance meant that the pill was about to be completed, yet from beginning to the end, Yang Kai had only spent two hours.
In comparison, they had each taken almost twice as long to refine their respective Saint Pills!
“Is this boy really refining a Saint Pill?” Hong Fang frowned, “Could it be he’s just using Saint Grade materials to refine a Spirit Grade Pill?”
Listening to this comment, the gathered Grandmasters thought it was indeed possible.
It wasn’t uncommon to refine lower-grade pills with higher-grade materials. Some less skilled Alchemists would even deliberately select high-grade materials to boost the success rate of the pill they were trying to refine.
At this moment, everyone felt that Yang Kai was probably doing something similar to this.
After all, the two hours was just too short a time to refine a Saint Pill, but for a Spirit Grade Pill, it was actually just right for someone Yang Kai’s age.
“Haa… this boy really scared this old master,” He Feng exclaimed exaggeratedly, “For a moment there, this old man thought the younger generation had already overtaken us and lost all confidence in himself.”
Chang Bao also chuckled, “But his performance is truly quite good, en, very good… Hey, Du Wan, you really should allow this little brat to come to my Lightning Flash City, I promise to not treat him poorly.”
Du Wan ignored the loose commentary and continued staring at Yang Kai instead.
He always felt that given Yang Kai’s personality, he would not engage in such wasteful and defeatist practices. Moreover, Du Wan knew Yang Kai was already a Spirit Grade Top-Rank Alchemist several years ago. If he really wanted to refine a Spirit Grade Pill, there was no need for him to intentionally choose Saint Grade materials.
Just want kind of pill was he refining? Only time would tell, but even someone as calm and steady as Du Wan couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious.
The pill fragrance continued to grow stronger and it was obvious it was nearing completion.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s hands began moving even more rapidly as visible golden True Qi appeared at his fingertips, drawing beautiful arcs through the air. As these arcs connected together, a mysterious and complex Spirit Array appeared.
Everyone stared wide eyed at this unexpected development.
This exquisite Spirit Array was then inserted into the pill furnace, quickly integrating into it and disappearing.
Inside the small pill furnace, a violent bang rang out as if the nearly formed pill had come alive and was struggling to escape.
The surrounding World Energy suddenly became turbulent and began flooding like a tide towards the pill furnace.
At this moment, it seemed as if Yang Kai’s little pill furnace had become a bottomless whirlpool, drawing in all the nearby World Energy.
Perceiving this, the expressions of everyone gathered inside the pill room changed greatly, none of them knowing what was happening.
After several breaths of time, everything became calm once more.
Yang Kai reached out and patted his furnace, causing the pill to leap out. Quickly catching it, Yang Kai stuffed the freshly refined pill into a prepared jade bottle.
Gently exhaling a breath, Yang Kai didn’t even look at the pill he had just refined and instead closed his eyes, sinking into a kind of meditative state, clearly reviewing his gains.
While he was at it, he also seemed to be restoring the energy he had consumed.
As the room falling silent, the five Grandmaster all exchanged glances hesitantly.
The pill was now inside a jade bottle so they could not immediately tell what grade it was, but from the strange phenomenon they had just witnessed, it was obvious to all of them that the pill Yang Kai had refined was very unusual.
After waiting for a time yet not seeing any signs of Yang Kai waking from his meditation, Chang Bao finally couldn’t take it anymore and called out, “Du Wan, open that bottle.”
“En, I’m also curious whether the boy refined a Spirit Grade Pill or a genuine Saint Pill!” Hong Fang also spoke up.
Yang Kai was a member of Grand Boulder City’s Alchemist Guild Branch, so right now the responsibility naturally fell to Du Wan.
With all his old friends urging him on, Du Wan was also helpless and acquiesced, “Okay…”
Stepping forward, Du Wan picked up the jade bottle as everyone else huddled around and stared at him unblinkingly.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Open it already,” He Feng eagerly shouted.
Du Wan smiled wryly and opened the jade bottle. The moment he did and smelled the scent of the pill within, his hand trembled.
Du Wan didn’t even have to look at this pill as he could tell from the fragrance alone that Yang Kai had without a doubt refined a Saint Pill!
[He has actually grown to this level!] Du Wan was amazed.
The jade bottle was quickly snatched up by He Feng and after he glanced inside, he called out hoarsely “It really is a Saint Grade pill?”
“Let me see that…” Chang Bao hurriedly said, grabbing the jade bottle and confirming for himself that inside it was a freshly refined Saint Pill, his fat jiggling as he stared at it in disbelief.
The jade bottle made its way around the Grandmasters until it finally landed in Kong Ruo Yu’s grasp.
After examining the pill for a moment, Kong Ruo Yu’s expression suddenly became solemn, double-checking to make sure she wasn’t seeing things before haltingly muttering, “You old farts, are your eyes blind?”
“What? Isn’t it a Saint Grade pill?” Chang Bao stared at her blankly.
“En, it’s definitely a Saint Pill. What is Senior Sister Kong trying to say?” He Feng frowned.
Kong Ruo Yu smiled strangely at their reactions before handing the jade bottle back to them and saying, “Look again, this is no ordinary Saint Grade pill.”
Seeing her so serious, everyone quickly leaned in to take a second look.
Observing the pill again, whether it was its fragrance, quality, or radiant aura, all of them met the requirements of a genuine Saint Pill.
As they were carefully examining it though, they noticed that the Saint Pill had some faint lines crossing its surface which seemed to fade in and out of existence, similar to the meridians of a human body.
Within these meridian-like lines, a subtle energy pulsed, and if they listened very carefully, they could even hear the sound akin to flowing water coming from the pill.
“Pill Veins?” Several of them all shouted at once.
“Heh heh, a Saint Pill which had given birth to Pill Veins refined right in front of this old lady! Truly an eye opening experience,” Kong Ruo Yu’s voice quivered, a somewhat unwilling look mixed with pleasant surprise filling her face.
“This…” Everyone else in the room found themselves too shocked to even speak.
Yang Kai simply refining a Saint Pill was enough to shock them, yet now the pill he had refined actually had Pill Veins.
This was a dream many Alchemy Grandmasters had pursued their entire lives yet few had ever accomplished.
Each of the five Grandmasters here had refined a lot of Saint Pills over their careers, yet none of them had ever refined one with Pill Veins.
Simply by possessing Pill Veins, the value and efficacy of this Saint Pill multiplied several times over. Most importantly though, it could be preserved forever.
As long as it was not physically destroyed, no matter how many years passed, the efficacy of this pill would never decrease!
This was the true value of Pill Veins.
Ordinary pills did not possess such an advantage. No matter how well they were preserved, over time their medicinal efficacies would leak out.
That was why, for ordinary pills, the sooner one took it after it was refined, the better.
Silavin: Okay. 10 Chapters this week. Woohooo!
Also, Rebuild World is out 😀 Yay!
Inside the pill room, the five Grandmasters took turns staring at the Saint Pill with Pill Veins that was just refined by Yang Kai, each of them rendered speechless for quite some time.
To the side, Mi Na heard everything that was just said and was also dumbstruck, her beautiful eyes constantly flashing with complicated light. From time to time, she would glance over at Yang Kai who was still meditating and grind her teeth, obviously somewhat unwilling.
“This boy… his luck is truly good,” After a long time, Chang Bao muttered with clear envy in his voice.
“En, too good in fact,” He Feng echoed.
Du Wan glanced over at them and murmured, “Is this really just luck?”
“What else could it be?” Hong Fang chuckled, “Pill Veins and Pill Clouds are the ultimate pursuit of every Alchemist; unfortunately, these two magical existences are extremely difficult to come by and no one knows for sure how they form. Every pill that gives birth to Pill Veins or a Pill Cloud is the result of coincidence of opportunity. However, it is undeniable that Alchemists must perform a perfect refinement to even have any chance of forming Pill Veins, from this point alone, it seems this little brat is better than us.”
“En,” Kong Ruo Yu also gently nodded, “When I had my epiphany that year, the pill I refined also could be called perfect, something I was very proud of, but now, compared with this little fellow, it seems it wasn’t actually much.”
Four of the Grandmasters present seemed to have attributed the appearance of Pill Veins to luck; only Du Wan didn’t comment.
Luck was no doubt an important factor, but the Alchemy process could not be discounted, especially this Saint Pill which Yang Kai had used so many different Spirit Arrays to form…
Du Wan faintly felt that this Saint Pill giving birth to Pill Veins was the result of Yang Kai’s efforts, not just luck.
“A youth’s potential…” Chang Bao’s said with a rare serious expression, “Should we bring out our own Saint Pills for comparison?”
“Is there any need?” He Feng blushed with shame. Before Yang Kai refined his Saint Pill, each of them had full confidence in their own and felt it was superior to the others present.
But now, in front of a Saint Pill that had given birth to Pill Veins, they no longer felt like there was any point to their little competition.
Even if they discounted the appearance of Pill Veins, just the time required for Yang Kai to refine his Saint Pill was something they couldn’t hope to match, causing them a great deal of embarrassment.
The five Grandmasters glanced around at each other silently before quietly stowing away the Saint Pills they had just refined, as if trying to hide them.
…..
Yang Kai had sunken into a state of enlightenment, his Soul Avatar standing in an empty space where nothing existed except a myriad of Spirit Arrays hovering high up in the sky.
Yang Kai’s consciousness shuttled back and forth amongst the massive wealth of information and knowledge he had gleaned from the True Alchemic Way over the past many years, all of it now seemingly on display right before his eyes.
Up until now, this seemingly unimaginably vast amount of knowledge and experience in the Alchemic Dao had just been scattered memories floating about Yang Kai Knowledge Sea, but at this moment, he actually felt that there were some subtle connections between all of it, slowly turning his simple memorization of it into a kind of comprehension.
It was as if a closed door had suddenly cracked open and was slowly exposing the hidden secrets of the Alchemic Dao to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai dove straight in and soon became obsessed, not daring to relax his mind for an instant as he soaked up this new enlightenment.
As time passed by, the True Alchemic Way, which had been engraved into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, was finally completely understood by him, leaving no more hidden places to uncover or explore.
Now, Yang Kai could recite and explain any section of the True Alchemic Way off the top of his head.
His understanding of Alchemy also sublimated and advanced to a new height.
Before, it was like he was standing before a great mountain, staring up at the mysteries of Alchemy, but now Yang Kai felt he was standing atop the clouds, looking down on everything, all of it within his control.
This also included the generation of Pill Veins and Pill Clouds.
These ultimate pursuits of Alchemy were not just chance coincidences but could really be produced by applying the appropriate process!
Pill Veins were like the meridians of a pill. With these meridians, a pill could be preserved forever.
A Pill Cloud was an enhanced version of Pill Veins.
Both of these were a kind of natural Spirit Array and could be comprehended and interpreted via a large number of Spirit Arrays which were contained within the True Alchemic Way. By compiling those Spirit Arrays ingeniously and refining a pill with them, it was possible to promote the chance of Pill Veins and Pill Clouds appearing!
At the last moment of refining the Saint Pill, Yang Kai had simply tried out this wild thought of his and to his great surprise and joy succeeded, allowing him to unexpectedly comprehend the mysteries behind forming Pill Veins.
This was what ultimately led to his leap in understanding and the enhancement of his Alchemic technique.
However, although by applying the correct process it was possible to promote the appearance of Pill Veins and even Pill Clouds, actually doing so was quite troublesome and had a fair chance of failure.
The Grandmasters had concluded that Yang Kai had gotten lucky, and in truth they weren’t wrong.
Thoroughly comprehending the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai felt his Alchemy skill had undergone encouraging improvements.
Still quite excited, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and glanced around, but upon seeing his surroundings, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat stunned.
He was still sitting cross-legged in the pill room, but the five Grandmasters, Ye Xiong, and Mi Na had all disappeared. There was only one young girl with a pair of twin-tails sitting down nearby, curiously observing him.
Seemingly because he had suddenly woken up, the young girl was surprised and couldn’t help letting out a cute yelp.
“Wu’er?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, “Why are you here?”
Wu’er quickly adjusted herself and grumbled back, “Why can’t I be here?”
Yang Kai chuckled at this sight, not quite sure why this little girl was acting a bit hostile towards him, quickly asking, “What about Grandmaster and the others?”
“They saw you not waking up after a long time and left, telling Wu’er to come here and watch over you until you woke up,” Wu’er muttered in a discontent tone.
“En, you’ve worked hard,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before standing up.
“Why you…” Wu’er snorted, “Since you’re already an Alchemist, why did you ask Wu’er for help performing Alchemy? Senior Sister laughed at me because of that…”
“Why would she laugh at you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“She laughed because a Mysterious Grade Alchemist like Wu’er was actually trying to help a Saint Grade Alchemist perform Alchemy… Are you really a Saint Grade Alchemist?” Saying so, Wu’er cocked her head to the side and stared at Yang Kai.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, not intending to hide this fact from her.
Wu’er however just grinned and said, “I don’t believe you, you can’t be a Saint Grade Alchemist, Senior Sister must have been lying in order to make fun of me again.”
“Why don’t you believe me?” Yang Kai suddenly felt interested.
Wu’er wore a serious expression as she said in a completely natural tone, “Saint Grade Alchemists all have long white beards… your hair is still black, so you can’t be one!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help bursting into laughter at this innocent comment.
Seeing him like this, Wu’er’s mood immediately soured, “What are you laughing at? Do you think that Wu’er is easy to deceive just because she’s young? Just you wait; I’ll let Senior Sister come tidy you up, she’s much more fierce than me! Also, these are the pills you wanted Wu’er to refine, there wasn’t quite enough time, so Wu’er only managed to refine thirty of them… The rest you can find a way to handle on your own, Wu’er will return your herbs to you!”
“No need,” Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Keep all of it for yourself. The pills will help you cultivate, they should be just right for your current strength. Those herbs will also be useful for you to practice with.”
Saying so, Yang Kai seemed to think of something and immediately began withdrawing Mysterious Grade herbs from the Black Book space, “I’ll also give you these, I have no use for them now anyways.”
Wu’er had originally wanted to reject his offer; after all, her Senior Sister had taught her that accepting gifts from strangers would come at a cost.
Although the person in front of her looked tall and heroic, that didn’t necessarily mean he was anything good.
However, before she could refuse, a massive pile of herbs appeared in front of her.
Wu’er’s jaw slowly began to drop as she stared at this sight.
These herbs weren’t very high grade, but they were indeed something she needed right now. By refining them into pills then taking them to sell, they would create a substantial amount of wealth for her.
More importantly though, they were perfect practice materials for her to improve her Alchemy proficiency!
Wu’er quickly swallowed back down the words of rejection she was about to utter.
Gradually, the pile of herbs in front of her transformed into a mountain, yet the young man in front of her still didn’t stop, as if he had an inexhaustible supply of treasures on him.
Wu’er stared dumbfounded at this.
Only after a long time did Yang Kai stop and say, “With this much you’ll need to prepare a few Universe Bags, go ask your Senior Sister or your master for some.”
“Eh? Ah… en…” Wu’er responded somewhat dazed.
Yang Kai smiled warmly, reached out and patted her head before walking out.
It took some time after Yang Kai left for Wu’er to come to her senses, quickly gripping her floral patterned skirt with both hands and rushing out, eager to ask her master for several Universe Bags.
Inside Old Man Du’s room, Du Wan sat in meditation, reflecting back on all the actions Yang Kai had taken that day while refining that Saint Pill, trying to picture each of the different Spirit Arrays which had been used in the process.
The more he thought about it, the more mysterious Du Wan felt the whole process was.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Old Man Du’s brow furrowed. Sending out his Divine Sense to see who it was, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face in the next instant, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed open the door and cupped his fists respectfully.
Old Man Du smiled, got up and greeted Yang Kai, pouring him a cup of tea before asking, “How was your harvest this time?”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded, sincerely continuing, “I must say my thanks to Old Man Du and the other Grandmasters. If not for all of you allowing me to observe your Alchemy processes, I would not have obtained this opportunity.”
“You’re too polite,” Du Wan shook his head, “You being able to gain so much is naturally due to your own skills. Ye Xiong and Mi Na were also both there, but they didn’t seem to gain much. Only you managed to reap so many benefits.”
“The other Grandmasters?” Yang Kai asked, looking around but not finding any of their figures.
“Gone, they came here just to see if this old man could unlock the secrets of that Spirit Array. After they achieved their objective, they waited half a month, but seeing you not showing any signs of waking up, they departed.”
“Oh, I had wanted to thank them in person,” Yang Kai felt somewhat regretful.
The several Grandmasters had not concealed anything when they performed Alchemy, which was equivalent to them exposing their most precious secrets to Yang Kai, something he was very grateful for.
“You’ll have an opportunity to do so in the future. Those old fellows are a restless bunch, they’ll likely be back in Grand Boulder City in the near future,” Du Wan chuckled, “It won’t be too late to express your gratitude when you next see them.”
After a while, Du Wan handed over the Saint Grade Low-Rank pill that Yang Kai had refined before.
This Saint Pill had previously been kept by the several Grandmasters, but now that Yang Kai was awake, Du Wan naturally returned it to him.
Yang Kai accepted it and gently grasped it, a thoughtful look soon appearing on his face.
Possibly because he had fully comprehended the True Alchemic Way, leading to a leap in his Alchemy skills, Yang Kai noticed that he could clearly feel all the details and nuances of the pill in his hand without even looking at it.
It was as if it was a part of him, a wondrous feeling.
“Right, I saw that at the last moment when you were refining this Saint Pill, you suddenly portrayed a large compound Spirit Array… Was that in some way related to producing Pill Veins?” Du Wan asked suddenly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Indeed, the appearance of Pill Veins was thought to be a purely coincidental occurrence, but at that moment I thought there were actually some subtle ways to promote the probability of Pill Veins being born, hence why I used so many Spirit Arrays.”
“Promoting the probability of their appearance?” Du Wan’s eyes lit up and hurriedly asked, “How much can you improve that probability?”
If this method was really effective, then Alchemy across Tong Xuan Realm would undergo a sensational change. Being able to frequently refine pills that gave birth to Pill Veins would allow the value of Alchemy to multiply several times over.
However, Yang Kai smiled wryly and shook his head, “I can’t give you an answer to that question, all I can say is that it can improve the chances of Pill Veins appearing to some degree. I’ve yet to comprehend and understand everything related to this as well… En, some time ago I came across an ancient Saint Pill that allowed me to spy on some of the Alchemy techniques a Grandmaster from long ago used. I hadn’t expected those techniques were actually to promote the appearance of Pill Veins.”
“A Saint Pill left over from ancient times?” Du Wan’s expression became solemn, “How did you know that Saint Pill came from a previous era?”
“Because it did not have Pill Veins… but a Pill Cloud. Through the condensation of its medicinal efficacies, I could infer that it had existed for at least a few thousand years!”
Du Wan inhaled sharply, his eyes flashing brightly, “A Saint Pill with a Pill Cloud? Where is it now? Can you let me see it?”
Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly and muttered, “I ate it.”
“Y… you… ate it?” Du Wan was stunned.
“I nearly exploded as a result!” Yang Kai smiled bitterly, thinking back to the scene when he had swallowed that ancient Saint Pill. It was truly a rash move, but thanks to consuming that ancient Saint Pill, his Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had finally evolved into a six coloured one.
“Such a waste of Heaven’s gifts!” Du Wan stood up and shouted angrily, “A Saint Pill that had given birth to a Pill Cloud was eaten just like that by you? How could you…. the nerve!”
Du Wan didn’t hold back, vehemently scolding Yang Kai for wasting such a precious treasure.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai couldn’t understand Du Wan’s mood. When one’s knowledge of Alchemy reached a certain height, they would be able to comprehend some of the methods and techniques another Alchemist used by examining their finished works, even possibly uncovering many long-lost Alchemy mysteries.
At the time, Yang Kai had similar thoughts, hence his decision to swallow the ancient Saint Pill in order to examine it while refining it.
It was no surprise that Du Wan became angry when he learned about this.
After ranting indignantly for a while, Du Wan took a deep breath and steadied himself, saying, “Fortunately your luck was good, or there wouldn’t be a Yang Kai today.”
Pill Clouds and Pill Veins were fundamentally different. Pill Veins could only guarantee that a pill could retain its full efficacy indefinitely, but a Pill Cloud would allow any pill to slowly absorb the surrounding World Energy, thus increasing its efficacy over time.
An ancient Saint Pill from thousands of years ago which had been nourished by its Pill Cloud would have condensed an unfathomable amount of medicinal energy.
Yang Kai not dying in a violent explosion after swallowing it was already a miracle.
“What exactly did you realize from that ancient Saint Pill?” Du Wan asked eagerly.
“That Pill Cloud… it had some traces of being artificially produced, that’s why when I was performing Alchemy a few days ago I took those actions. Looking back now, it seems that Pill Veins and Pill Cloud can really be artificially induced, even if the probability of producing them is still somewhat small,” Yang Kai frowned.
“Any increase in probability is good,” Du Wan’s immediately said, quickly following up, “You must study this method well. If you can one day fully comprehend it, it will have a huge impact on the entire Alchemy world. If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to ask, this old man will do everything in his power to help.”
“Then I must thank Old Man Du in advance, I will most likely be troubling you in the future,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
“Right,” Du Wan suddenly remembered something, reaching down and sifting through his Universe Bag, a moment later pulling out a golden token and handing it over, “This is your new identity token, the original one only recorded you as being a Spirit Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, right? Now that you are a Saint Grade Alchemist, you’ll have to change it.”
“No, Old Man Du… I don’t care about such things.”
Du Wan smiled at him knowingly and said, “I know that you don’t care about such formalities, but as the Manager of Grand Boulder City’s Alchemist Guild Branch, it is my responsibility to hand this token to you. En, if you agree, I’d actually like to report this to the guild’s headquarters! When those old stick in the mud learn there’s such a young Saint Grade Alchemist here, won’t their eyes pop out of their sockets?”
As if he could already see those people’s reactions, Du Wan smiled very cheerfully.
“Old Man Du, is there any way you can not report this?” Yang Kai bitterly said, “While high-level Alchemists indeed receive much respect and privilege, it’s also accompaniee by a lot of trouble… I don’t want people bothering me each day seeking Alchemy services.”
Du Wan’s expression became solemn hearing this and after a moment let out a long sigh, “I must ask you something, and I hope you will answer honestly.”
Seeing Old Man Du suddenly turn so serious, Yang Kai couldn’t help also become so, nodding, “Old Man Du, please.”
“Have you really not thought about dedicating your life to the pursuit of Alchemy?” Du Wan asked almost forlornly, “Seeing your recent performance, I believe you will one day reach even Old Man Li’s height in the Alchemic Dao. I don’t wish to see such Heaven defying aptitude buried in vain.”
Yang Kai smiled and firmly shook his head firmly, “Old Man Du… You and I are not strangers, so I won’t try to gloss over this. I told you once before, what I pursue is the peak of the Martial Dao, Alchemy is only an auxiliary in that pursuit… today, I still hold that same belief, which one is primary and which one is secondary cannot be confused.”
Du Wan’s expression dimmed slightly, seemingly somewhat saddened.
“However… studying Alchemy has brought me tremendous benefits and assisted me greatly in my pursuit of the Martial Dao, so in the future, as I cultivate the Martial Dao, I won’t slack in my study of the Alchemic Dao.”
Du Wan frowned and sighed, “When one studies two different paths, one is destined to be the main while the other the branch… But you are still young and have infinite possibilities ahead of you. En, good, this old man will do his best to live on to see if, while majoring in the Martial Dao, you can reach the pinnacle of Alchemy as well!”
Speaking these words, it was as if a knot in his heart was untied, allowing Old Man Du to let out a hearty laugh.
Yang Kai also grinned and nodded, “Then I must ask Old Man Du to wait and see.”
“En,” Du Wan gently nodded, “I won’t report your promotion to the Guild Headquarters, but in exchange you must promise me a request.”
“What request?”
“You’ve met Wu’er, yes?” Du Wan did not answer immediately.
Yang Kai nodded.
“What do you think of her?”
“Her aptitude is good, whether it is cultivation or Alchemy, she is far above average.”
Du Wan chuckled happily, “En, in my Alchemist Guild Branch, there are very few of us; not long ago, it was just Ye Xiong and Mi Na accompanying this old man. Ye Xiong is a little dull, but if there is enough opportunity in this life, he can still improve, even possibly becoming a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist. Mi Na is better than her master, but her future achievements are still likely limited. Without some life changing encounter, she won’t be able to surpass this old man… but about Wu’er, I am very optimistic.”
“The meaning of Old Man Du is…”
“Heh heh, if you have free time, I hope you can grant Wu’er some guidance. If your Alchemy skills were by chance buried and lost, this old man would die from regret.”
“Old Man Du is too serious.” Yang Kai quickly said.
“This old man can take responsibility and let Wu’er worship you as her master, what do you think?”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Old Man Du, like you said, I am still young and immature, how could I be qualified to take on a disciple? Also, I have many matters I need to attend to and won’t be able to dedicate a lot of time to caring for and raising her. I think it best if we go with your original thought and I simply provide her with some guidance from time to time.”
“Well… fine, this old man won’t force you.”
Du Wan making such a proposal was understandable to Yang Kai. As a cultivator who frequently ran around outside, his life was accompanied by many dangers. If one day Yang Kai was to accidentally die, all the Alchemy knowledge he had mastered would also fade from existence.
Old Man Du definitely didn’t want to see such a result.
Therefore, he had asked Yang Kai to teach Wu’er.
After agreeing to Old Man Du’s request, Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to return to Soaring Heaven Sect, so he asked Mi Na to send a message to the Sect saying he would be staying in the Alchemist Guild for a while.
He too needed to upgrade his Alchemy proficiency, as he was just a small step away from becoming a Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
Time passed by quickly as he spent his following days together with Mi Na and Wu’er.
Everything he had grasped about Alchemy he shared freely with the two girls, allowing Mi Na and Wu’er’s skills to grow rapidly.
From time to time, even Ye Xiong would shamelessly join in on Yang Kai’s lectures.
However, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the Spirit Arrays which he could quickly comprehend were actually quite difficult for others to grasp, even if he was there to personally guide them through it.
After thinking about it though, Yang Kai understood.
The reason he could so easily grasp these concepts was naturally because the True Alchemic Way had been directly branded into his Knowledge Sea, all of its mysteries and wonders available for him to review and study at a glance. Others were different, they had to learn everything from scratch.
Wu’er was the best of the three; after all, the time she had been exposed to Alchemy was the least so her ability to learn and accept new things was quite good. Mi Na was also quite flexible in this regard and learned nearly as quickly. Ye Xiong, on the other hand was another story, sometimes, even after hearing things explained multiple times and ways, he couldn’t comprehend them.
After such things happened two or three times, Ye Xiong was too embarrassed to return again.
As time went by, Wu’er’s attitude toward Yang Kai also gradually changed, going all the way from hostile to fondness and eventually reaching something akin to worship.
The little girl was lively and energetic, seemingly bursting with enthusiasm the whole day long, many ideas and insights popping out of her head as she voraciously learned. There were even times when some of her casual words allowed Yang Kai to gain something.
In a blink of an eye, three months had passed.
During this time, Yang Kai had remained inside the Alchemist Guild, teaching Wu’er and Mi Na while simultaneously polishing his own Alchemy technique.
Yang Kai watched as Wu’er’s skills rapidly grew, causing him to become even more enthusiastic about teaching her. Yang Kai had a very favourable impression of this slightly eccentric, energetic young girl.
One day, as Yang Kai was making himself busy inside the pill room, he suddenly noticed some movements behind him, quickly stopping what he was doing and turning to look at the exit only to find Old Man Du walking in with a worried look upon his face.
The three Juniors quickly got up to offer greetings.
Old Man Du waved his hand to stop them and said, “This old master has something to say. If you don’t have a compelling reason, in the near future, don’t go outside.”
“What happened?” Mi Na asked.
“The situation outside is somewhat turbulent…” Old Man Du said in a dignified tone, “If you exit rashly, you might find yourself in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Mi Na was puzzled.
Yang Kai also frowned and suddenly asked, “Is it related to the influx of outsiders in Grand Boulder City?”
Du Wan glanced over at Yang Kai in surprise, soon continuing, “En, it seems that you also noticed. A few months ago, many foreign cultivators suddenly appeared in Grand Boulder City and set up a temporary camp. They seem to have come here searching for something and have been recruiting others since they arrived.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Although Yang Kai had basically not left the Alchemist Guild since arriving here three months ago, the changes in Grand Boulder City did not escape the investigation of his Divine Sense.
Various groups of outsiders would frequently enter Grand Boulder City, buy up living materials and cultivation supplies from the various shops, and then rush out again. It was an unusual phenomenon.
Especially in the recent period, more and more foreigners were seemingly using Grand Boulder City as a transit point, staying for a while to re-supply before leaving just as quickly as they came.
It seemed like they were exploring the endless Snow Mountain Range.
Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Old Man Du, have you heard anything specific about all this?”
Du Wan gently nodded and, “I know a bit. Today, Ancient Moon Cave Heaven’s Ran Jing and Luo Sheng Sect’s Mao Da came to me and asked for my help refining a few Dispelling Poison Pills. When I casually asked them what for, the two of them said they were going to the depths of the Snow Mountain Range in order to search for something, the Dispelling Poison Pills were just a precaution… En, I assume whatever it is they’re searching for is related to something poisonous.”
After one took a Dispelling Poison Pill, one would temporarily be able to resist various types of toxins, and if the one to refine such a pill was a Grandmaster like Du Wan, it would basically make one immune to all poisons throughout the world. Although it was expensive, it was well worth the money.
As for Ran Jing of Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Mao Da of Luo Sheng Sect, Yang Kai was familiar with their names.
Centered around Grand Boulder City, there were four fairly prominent forces.
Soaring Heaven Sect, Bright Thunder Spirit Religion, Ancient Moon Cave Heaven, and Luo Sheng Sect.
Yang Kai has even served as an Honoured Guest in Bright Thunder Spirit Religion for a time.
When Yang Kai first came to Grand Boulder City, Du Wan had explained to him the various strengths and weaknesses of these four forces. Excluding Soaring Heaven Sect, the remaining three forces were similar in strength and composition, none of them possessing Saint Realm masters. Ran Jing and Mao Da were both Third Order Transcendents, similar in strength to Religion Master Xia Cheng Yin who had recently died.
Not only had many outsiders flooded into the Snow Mountain Range, but the nearby Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect had also gotten involved.
Listening to Du Wan, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something, his expression changing dramatically, immediately pushing his Divine Sense to its limits, forming it into a thread which contained a short message he sent thousands of kilometers away.
After a long time, his eyes shook as he took back his Divine Sense, his expression becoming extremely solemn.
“Old Man Du, I have to go out!” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“Ah?” Du Wan was stunned. He had deliberately come here to warn these three to not go outside but now Yang Kai had suddenly told him he needed to do just that. After thinking about it for a moment, he asked, “The matter these outsiders have come here to handle, is it related to you in some way?”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly as he said, “I hope I’m mistaken, but from what I can tell, that seems unlikely.”
Du Wan was deeply confused as he stared at Yang Kai for a while before finally relenting, “You must pay close attention to your safety. It would be best if you went back to Soaring Heaven Sect first and find your four Martial Seniors. As long as you have their protection, you shouldn’t encounter any danger.”
“En, I’ll do that,” Yang Kai replied casually before rushing out.
After he left, Du Wan slowly shook his head and grumbled, “If I knew it would turn out like this I wouldn’t have said anything…”
Mi Na’s brow furrowed deeply as she asked, “Old Man Du, what exactly is going on? What relationship does it have with Yang Kai?”
“I don’t know… I just hope he stays safe,” Du Wan replied, somewhat annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he would have pressed Ran Jing and Mao Da for details, as they surely knew more than they told him.
……
After leaving the Alchemist Guild, Yang Kai shot out like a bolt of lightning, bypassing Soaring Heaven Sect and flying straight towards the vast Snow Mountain Range.
With the news he heard from Du Wan, coupled with his own investigation, Yang Kai had vaguely guessed what was happening here.
He had never expected something so dramatic to happen though.
Waiting until there was no one around, Yang Kai unfurled his Wind and Thunder Wings, flew high up into the clouds, and boosted his speed to its limit, wrapping himself in his own Spiritual Energy to conceal his aura.
As he soared through the sky, from time to time, down below, Yang Kai spotted cultivators shuttling back and forth across the tundra.
Three days later, Yang Kai had traveled deep into the Snow Mountain Range.
An endless chain of mountains wrapped in glistening snow and ice stretched out in every direction.
Quietly releasing his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings, Yang Kai soon discovered a faint response, grinned, and flew off in that direction.
Half a day later, Yang Kai hid himself inside a small snowy mountain as he stared off in a certain direction.
In that direction, a large group of cultivators, numbering several thousand in total, were gathered, many of whom had come here from Grand Boulder City recently.
Among these thousands of people, Yang Kai noticed a particular Spiritual Energy fluctuation which had some subtle connection to his own Soul.
In that direction, Yang Kai silently sent out a Divine Sense message.
At the same time, inside a large tent, several Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators were silently cultivating. Although they had all reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the temperatures here were simply too cold and their consumption of True Qi just to stay warm was massive so they had no choice but to frequently restore themselves like this.
One of the youths who had been meditating suddenly opened his eyes as his aura fluctuated unstably.
When they noticed his strange behaviour, several other people inside the tent also opened their eyes and looked at him, quickly discovered that the young man had gone completely pale, as if he had just encountered something terrifying.
“Liu Gui, what happened?” One person hurriedly asked.
The young man named Liu Gui didn’t respond at first, his expression changing back and forth between bitter and helpless, only a while later replying, “It’s nothing you need to worry about, I just need to go out for a moment.”
“You want to go out now? We’re scheduled to go out tomorrow to search a new region, if you exit now, how will you support yourself later?” Someone else said.
Liu Gui however did not respond, simply getting up and walking out.
Seeing this, everyone in the tent slowly shook their heads and stopped paying attention to him.
All of these people belonged to the same force and were familiar with one another. The former youth called Liu Gui didn’t possess very good aptitude and was actually several minor realms below them not long ago, but for some unknown reason, over the past two years, his cultivation had soared, reaching the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, putting him on the same level as all of them.
This time they had come to journeyed tens of thousands of kilometers into the endless Snow Mountain Range just to seek out a single person. But amidst this seemingly infinite expanse of snow and ice, with no clues as to where that person was hiding, none of them thought they had a high chance of succeeding.
Liu Gui shuttled through the snow and after a while arrived in front of a different tent following the instructions he had just received.
This tent was very different from the others nearby. It was large and luxurious with subtle traces of light flashing around its perimeter. Obviously a Spirit Array had been placed around it, blocking anyone from probing inside it with their Divine Sense.
The only things people could notice about the inside of this tent was a faint green aura which lingered about it and the eerie cries which leaked out from within, causing everyone nearby to shudder unconsciously.
Standing outside the tent, Liu Gui couldn’t help swallowing hard, glancing around anxiously to make sure no one was paying attention to himself while trying to work up the courage to speak. However, before he could say a word, the tent’s entrance suddenly split open and a large hand grabbed Liu Gui, dragging him inside in the next instant.
Even with his Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation, Liu Gui wasn’t able to put up the slightest bit of resistance and could only stare helplessly as he felt the hand of death reach out towards him, his eyes filled with terror.
A strange laughter suddenly filled his ears as Liu Gui stared at the person in front of him, a man wrapped in a black robe covered in an eerie green aura. This man was currently staring at him coldly, his eyes seemingly pulsing a green light, making him appear extremely scary.
“Little brat, you’re quite courageous, actually daring to spy on This King’s tent!” The person wrapped in the green aura chuckled menacingly as he said, “Tell me, how would you like to die? This King will grant you this final request.”
Liu Gui’s face paled as he desperately squeezed out his words, “Forgive me, Senior Wu Jie, this Junior had no intention of spying…”
“Then why are you sneaking around outside my tent? Were you ordered by your War Spirit Temple’s Cao Guan to come here?” Wu Jie coldly snorted.
“No, Senior,” Liu Gui fell to his knees and hurriedly said, “This Junior was simply entrusted to deliver a message to Senior.”
“Entrusted? By who?” Wu Jie frowned.
“This…” Liu Gui hesitated, seemingly not daring to reveal the identity of his employer.
Wu Jie sneered, “What do you want to say to me?”
Liu Gui didn’t dare dally and hurriedly said, “He said… he wants to see you. As for his identity, he said that as long as I said the words ‘tearing space’, Senior would understand.”
As soon as Lui Gui spoke those words, Wu Jie’s expression changed dramatically, immediately waving his hand and activating all the barriers around his tent, completely isolating it from outside investigations, frowning as he stared at Liu Gui and said, “How are you related to him?”
Liu Gui let out a pained laugh, “Can I not say?”
“Then, let me ask you this. What are your thoughts on this?” Wu Jie stared at him coldly.
Liu Gui sighed helplessly and explained.
After understanding how Liu Gui was connected with that young man, and why he could receive orders from him, Wu Jie laughed raucously, causing Liu Gui a great deal of discomfort, as if his Soul was being stripped from his body.
After flying over a large stretch of the Snow Mountain Range, Yang Kai sat down quietly atop a small hill, the falling snow soon burying him.
Yang Kai was indifferent to this and instead focused on concealing his aura. Even if an ordinary Saint Realm master were to pass by, it was unlikely they would be able to notice him.
A short distance away from the mountain, a green streak of light was quickly approaching.
A moment later, the green streak of light came to a stop above the mountain top, revealing a black-cloaked figure; naturally, it was Wu Jie of Netherworld Sect.
In Wu Jie’s hand was a dispirited Liu Gui, the young disciple from War Spirit Temple seemingly having accepted his fate and making no attempt to resist.
“Where is he?” Wu Jie glanced around, asking coldly upon not finding any trace of Yang Kai nearby.
Liu Gui quickly said, “This is the location he gave me, is he not here?”
As he spoke these words, Liu Gui hurriedly searched his surroundings.
“What took you so long?” Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby, greatly surprising Liu Gui. Immediately after he identified the source of this voice though, Liu Gui wore a big smile and shouted, “Lord Holy Master!”
Wu Jie also starred in front of himself towards a nearby snowdrift, his eyes flashing brilliantly.
Soon, a person emerged from the snowdrift and with a light pulse of True Qi melted the snow which had covered him.
Wu Jie grinned, casually tossing aside Liu Gui before cupping his fists, “Sir Holy Master, it’s been several years; I see you’re doing as well as ever!”
As he spoke, his glowing eyes swept over Yang Kai, wondering how much this young Holy Master had grown, and upon discovering Yang Kai had actually become a Third Order Transcendent, his heart couldn’t help clenching slightly in shock.
“Sect Master Wu as well,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Wu Jie quickly said, “Heh heh, it took some time to escape those people’s detection, I hope Sir Holy Master won’t take it to heart.”
“Sect Master Wu appearing is all that matters,” Yang Kai replied lightly before finally glancing over at Liu Gui, “You’ve worked hard.”
Liu Gui quickly waved his hand, “It is my honour to work hard for Lord Holy Master; moreover, it is all thanks to Sect Master Wu’s strength that this lowly one could appear here… heh heh…”
As he spoke, Liu Gui wore a somewhat anxious expression, as if there was something he really wanted to say but didn’t dare to.
Understanding what all this was about, Yang Kai tossed him a jade bottle and said lightly, “This is your reward for this time. I may still have need of you in the future, go back and cultivate well.”
Liu Gui was overjoyed as he quickly caught the jade bottle, “Many thanks, Lord Holy Master!”
Last time, when Liu Gui brought Yun Xuan and Ruan Xin Yu of Bold Independent Union to see Yang Kai, he had obtained a bottle of pills as a reward. It was all thanks to that bottle of pills that Liu Gui’s strength had grown so rapidly recently. Today, Yang Kai had rewarded him with another bottle so naturally, Liu Gui was ecstatic.
Tightly holding the jade bottle, Liu Gui cautiously said, “If two Sirs have no further need of me, this lowly one will retire first. If I am gone for too long, those in my unit will become suspicious.”
“En, go!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Liu Gui took off and never looked back.
As Yang Kai was speaking with Liu Gui, Wu Jie just stood nearby and listened, showing no intention of interjecting, a somewhat puzzled look appearing on his face as he did so.
Only after Liu Gui left did Wu Jie ask curiously, “How are you related to that War Spirit Temple disciple?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly and replied, “When you all attacked Nine Heavens Holy Land, I subdued him and made him remain in War Spirit Temple, I never expected to get so much use out of him though. En, I hold his life in my hands so I feel relieved letting him run around, there’s no need for you to concern yourself over him.”
Wu Jie grinned and nodded, “Sir Holy Master’s vision is quite profound. Even seeing through this, it seems that your Soul is also stronger than mine now.”
If that wasn’t the case, when Wu Jie arrived here, he would have been able to detect Yang Kai’s existence.
A Third Order Transcendent having a stronger Soul than a First Order Saint, how was that even possible?
Wu Jie felt deeply shocked, though he didn’t show much on his face.
Saying so, Wu Jie waved his hand and a moment later, a creepy black wisp flew back to him from the direction Liu Gui left and soon disappeared into Wu Jie’s body.
“Sect Master Wu, how come you’re here?” Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he got down to business.
Back in Grand Boulder City, when Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, he faintly felt Liu Gui’s presence and couldn’t help feeling surprised. Since Liu Gui was here, it meant that War Spirit Temple had deployed its forces here, which in turn made it likely Netherworld Sect and Shattering Mystical Palace had as well.
These three forces formed the core of the crusade against Nine Heavens Holy Land.
However, this group of people travelling all the way to the endless Snow Mountain Range was nothing short of odd, and although Yang Kai had some guesses about their purpose, he still had to find Wu Jie to confirm it.
“You couldn’t still be chasing me, right?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared at Wu Jie with a grin.
Wu Jie sighed and said, “You could say that, but not at this moment. Simply put it, we’re here to find someone!”
“Who are you looking for?” Yang Kai continued to stare at Wu Jie, silently causing the latter to feel a faint sense of oppression.
Wrinkling his brow, Wu Jie explained, “This person should have some relationship with Sir Holy Master, and it seems that you also have some concerns regarding him, so Sir Holy Master has likely already guessed our purpose in coming here! It seems Sir Holy Master really does know the secrets of the Coffin Carrying Man ad even knows where he is hiding, yes?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he let out a sigh, it seems his enemies had really come here for the Coffin Carrying Man.
When he first met Wu Jie, Yang Kai recalled him seemingly casually mentioned that a cultivator from War Spirit Temple named Yao Di once witnessed him being abducted by the Coffin Carrying Man outside Raging Flame City. It was also because he seemed related to the Coffin Carrying Man that Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple were so reluctant to give up chasing Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai didn’t care what these two forces thought as he truly wasn’t afraid of them.
Unexpectedly thought, two years later these enemies of his had actually found their way to the endless Snow Mountain Range.
“Whether I know something or not isn’t of importance, just tell me, why did you all decide to come here?” Yang Kai frowned.
Wu Jie grinned and didn’t bother speaking any nonsense, directly explaining, “It was actually quite simple to trace Sir Holy Master here. Sir Holy Master caused both Zhang Ao of Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan of War Spirit Temple to lose a massive deal of face, so naturally, they spared no effort in investigating your background and origins. It wasn’t difficult to learn that Sir Holy Master originated from Soaring Heaven Sect… but what was surprising was that Sir Holy Master didn’t seem to have been born in Soaring Heaven Sect but instead came from some remote countryside and only joined Soaring Heaven Sect recently. Knowing this, it was easy to learn that Sir Holy Master served as an Honoured Guest in the nearby Bright Thunder Spirit Religion for a time. En, after questioning some disciples of Bright Thunder Spirit Religion, we learned that Sir Holy Master first appeared in the Snow Mountain Range, coupling that with the fact that Sir Holy Master’s last known appearance was when he was abducted by the Coffin Carrying Man, it was easy to draw some conclusions.”
“Seems your minds are quite sharp,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
He had been taken away by the Coffin Carrying Man and then appeared in the Snow Mountain Range, just this fact alone was enough for some people to infer that the Coffin Carrying Man might be hiding somewhere in this endless Snow Mountain Range.
And they were right!
Wu Jie’s expression became solemn suddenly as he continued, “Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both hate you deeply and extremely covet the strength behind the Coffin Carrying Man, so naturally they went all out to uncover this information; moreover, it truly wasn’t much effort, simply asking a few people was enough to learn all of this.”
“However…” Wu Jie continued with a somewhat grim look upon his face, “Despite guessing the Coffin Carrying Man is hidden somewhere in this Snow Mountain Range, with how vast this region is, trying to find a single person with no other clues was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack the size of a mountain, so originally Zhang Ao and Cao Guan weren’t willing to come here.”
“Hm, then why are you here?” Yang Kai frowned.
Wu Jie paused before wearing a bitter smile, “I’ll be honest, Sir Holy Master, two years ago or so, the three of us pursued you for a few months, but after thoroughly losing your tail the three of us returned to our respective Sects in defeat. At the time, Zhang Ao And Cao Guan both sat on pins and needles, worrying about when Nine Heavens Holy Land’s restored its former strength and sought revenge, thinking they needed to find a strong backer that could compete with Nine Heavens Holy Land or uproot and move their Sects! But before they could implement either of those plans, a mysterious individual appeared before Zhang Ao asking about Sir Holy Master. It was because of that mysterious person that we entered the Snow Mountain Range.”
“A mysterious individual?” Yang Kai’s brow rose, “Mysterious how?”
Wu Jie look became dignified, “That person completely concealed themselves in a black robe so we were unable to even determine their gender, all we know is that he or she possesses an unfathomable cultivation and is always accompanied by a subordinate. But that subordinate is actually a First Order Saint!”
Yang Kai’s face also couldn’t help becoming serious hearing this.
If this mysterious fellow’s subordinate was already First Order Saint, how strong was he himself?
“This time’s exploration was under the command of that person, so my Netherworld Sect had no chance to reject.”
“Do you know anything about that mysterious individual’s background?”
Wu Jie slowly shook his head, “He only promised us that if we followed him, Nine Heavens Holy Land would no longer pose a threat to us, so Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both immediately agreed, not only inviting all their allies to join this expedition, but also spending a massive amount of resources to rope in the nearby Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded. The Snow Mountain Range was so vast that it was only natural they sought out more manpower. Although there were no top-level masters in Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect, they didn’t lack people who could be used.
Ran Jing and Mao Da going to Grand Boulder City to find Du Wan in order to ask him to refine them Dispelling Poison Pills was obviously in preparation for facing the poisonous aura released by the Coffin Carrying Man.
“Although this Wu doesn’t know who that guy is… but in this world, there are very few who have achieved such profound cultivation, and… whether it was him or his subordinate, the auras surrounding their bodies is quite discomforting!”
“Oh, what kind of aura?”
Wu Jie lowered his voice and declared, “A demonic aura!”
Yang Kai’s expression changed greatly, “You mean that the person is from…”
Wu Jie slowly shook his head, “I can’t say for certain, but the aura around them certainly does feel like that. Sir Holy Master, I believe you should not involve yourself in this matter; it’s not something this Wu can help you with. To be honest, even I feel on edge every moment I stay here.”
“Don’t worry. I know what to do.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After meeting Wu Jie, Yang Kai confirmed his own guess, these people had really come to the endless Snow Mountain Range for the Coffin Carrying Man.
The Snow Mountain Range was vast, but with thousands of cultivators scouring it, it wouldn’t be long before they discovered the hiding place of the Coffin Carrying Man.
Yang Kai felt both agitated and frustrated. His Alchemy skill was still slightly lacking, otherwise, he would have already flown to the Coffin Carrying Man’s location and entered the Mysterious Small World inside the blood-red coffin.
What concerned him most though was the powerful mysterious individual mentioned by Wu Jie, this person’s presence was a massive unexpected variable. From Wu Jie description, it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to infer that this mysterious master was a Third Order Saint!
There really weren’t many such masters in this world.
Who could it be?
Yang Kai wracked his brain in confusion.
“Sir Holy Master?” Wu Jie saw Yang Kai lost in thought, not moving for a long time and couldn’t help calling out.
Yang Kai returned to his senses and was just about to speak when he suddenly wore a cold expression as he stared at Wu Jie meaningfully.
“Em, what happened?” Wu Jie frowned, not knowing why Yang Kai’s attitude had suddenly become so hostile.
“Wu Jie, I remember you saying your Netherworld Sect’s policy was to receive money in exchange for dispelling disasters.”
“En, this Wu has always maintained such a policy!” Wu Jie nodded firmly, “That was why even after offering tribute to Nine Heavens Holy Land, my Sect has not lacked supplies for its development.”
“Then… how much benefit did you receive from these people?” Yang Kai coldly spat, roaring in the next breath, “Even daring to betray me, your courage is not small!”
Wu Jie was startled, drawing back several steps as he asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai stared at him deeply, his Divine Sense piercing into Wu Jie’s mind in the next instant. The latter’s face changed greatly but noticing Yang Kai bore him no murderous intent, did not resist.
A moment later, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and nodded, “It seems like you were unaware…”
“You mean…” Wu Jie finally comprehended, his green eyes flashing brilliantly as he swept them over his surroundings, a moment later chuckling lowly as he quietly moved closer to Yang Kai.
“Come out! What point is there in still trying to hide now?” Yang Kai shouted.
“Fierce! Even being able to see through this technique, worthy of the one my Master is interested in, wouldn’t you say… Sir Holy Master?” With a series of snide comments, the space around Yang Kai and Wu Jie seemed to distort as a number of figures strangely appeared.
Upon hearing this voice, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he stared towards the source, fixing his gaze on a handsome middle-aged man and muttering in disbelief, “Yu Mo?”
The one who just spoke was no stranger, but instead someone Yang Kai was quite familiar with.
The Demon Land’s Demon Race master, First Order Saint Yu Mo of Sand City.
Beside Yu Mo stood a black-cloaked figure still wrapped in shadows. This individual’s aura was non-existent, as if they were an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before, but that did not stop Yang Kai from sensing great pressure from them.
As for the other masters in his surroundings, Yang Kai did not bother looking at them.
“Little brat, since I last saw you several years ago you’ve grown quite a bit!” Yu Mo commented, a calm and composed look upon his face as he stared towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shot him a faint glance before turning his eyes to the mysterious black figure, smiling bitterly as he said, “Since Yu Mo is here, will Senior Xue Li be making an appearance as well?”
Hearing this, the mysterious black-cloaked figure let out a laugh like a silver bell, causing many of the assembled masters to turn and stare in shock, all of them apparently never having imagined that the enigmatic master with unfathomable strength who was leading them was actually a woman!
Removing the black cloak, a beautiful woman with a gorgeous face appeared.
When Zhang Ao of Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan of War Spirit Temple saw this face, they both showed absent-minded expressions, as if their entire being had been drawn in by her.
Although Xue Li’s wasn’t a peerless beauty, she was incredibly attractive if one were to account for her fantastic strength and noble temperament.
“Hmph!” Yu Mo, clearly disgruntled, coldly snorted.
As if they were woken from a dream, Zhang Ao and the others quickly removed their gazes, their hearts filling with anxiety.
“Boy, you’ve caused this Queen no small amount of trouble!” Xue Li sneered lightly, “Since you escaped from my Sand City, I have been searching for you for three whole years. This Queen has never spent so much effort on anyone before.”
“Oh? I’m honoured,” Yang Kai laughed, his face still showing a calm and confident look.
“Senior Xue Li?” Wu Jie muttered to himself. Just now, he had clearly heard Yang Kai call this mysterious woman by that seemingly familiar name, a moment later his entire body trembling as he called out in shock “Demon General Xue Li?”
It was only now that Wu Jie finally figured out the true identity of this mysterious woman.
At that moment, his surrounding green aura became discovered as his blood ran cold.
Throughout the Demon Land, below the Demon Commander, there were four Demon Generals, each of them a top-level powerhouse, and Demon General Xue Li was one of them.
Wu Jie couldn’t believe such a figure had actually infiltrated so far into the Human Territory and even forced Zhang Ao and several others to work for her.
And obviously, she had done all of this just to get to Yang Kai!
What exactly did this young Holy Master posses that would cause someone like Xue Li to go so far?
The four words ‘Demon General Xue Li’ rang like thunder in the ears of the other Human masters as well, causing all of them to gawk as they once again stared at her, seemingly trying to confirm whether this was really the case or not.
Xue Li paid them no heed as her beautiful eyes were fixated on Yang Kai, an overwhelming sense of greed and desire apparent in their depths.
“Senior Xue Li daring to come here, are you not afraid be being besieged by my Human Race’s masters? This place is nowhere near your lands after all,” Yang Kai quipped.
In his heart, he was quite anxious though.
When he first heard Wu Jie describe this mysterious person, Yang Kai was still wondering who it might be.
His first thought was that it might be Demon General Gou Che!
Although he had never met Gou Che face to face, that Demon General had wanted to put him to death twice! So, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to send people here to kill him.
Even Demon General Meng Ge was a possibility.
After all, when Yang Kai was weak, he had killed his Soul Clone back in the Evil Cavern by taking advantage of the Demon Sealing Chain. Meng Ge should still remember his aura as a result.
However, Yang Kai hadn’t expected the one who had come was actually Xue Li.
Yang Kai simply felt that there wasn’t much hatred between them. Although he had escaped from Sand City in the past, he hadn’t damaged any of her interests or prestige, so would it really be necessary for her to pursue him for three whole years?
What’s more, she actually chased after him personally.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Xue Li just laughed, “If I was afraid, this Queen would not have come; although your Human Race certainly has a number of masters, which one would care about you?”
“Senior Xue Li seems to have great confidence in her strength!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“En, however… you’ve given me quite a surprise as well little boy. Your strength growing at such an astonishing pace is one thing, but more importantly, how did you discover this Queen’s presence? With your current cultivation, that should have been impossible.”
Hearing this, Wu Jie also turned a curious glance towards Yang Kai. Everything had happened too suddenly and even he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary, it was only after Yang Kai’s attitude suddenly changed that he realized something was afoot.
“Liu Gui died!” Yang Kai spoke flatly, “As the pawn I placed in your camp, of course I’d notice if he were to die.”
“I see!” Xue Li nodded lightly, faintly recalling their group had just killed a stray Immortal Ascension Boundary youth a moment ago, never having expected that would expose their presence.
“Sir Holy Master… things are quite difficult,” Wu Jie whispered to Yang Kai as he glanced around.
“Difficult indeed!” Yang Kai also frowned, “If I had known Xue Li was here, I wouldn’t have called you out, it was my mistake.”
Yang Kai had thought only people on Zhang Ao’s level were around and hadn’t anticipated a Third Order Saint Realm Master would also be present.
Wu Jie wanting to sneak off to meet him without her noticing was obviously not realistic.
“Wu Jie, you disappoint me, originally you were colluding with this little brat!” Zhang Ao suddenly roared, “No wonder you didn’t show much enthusiasm two years ago.”
“It seems that Brother Wu doesn’t want his Netherworld Sect to remain in this world any longer,” Cao Guan cynically said.
“Are you threatening this Wu?” Wu Jie glared back at these two coldly.
“So what if we are” Zhang Ao coldly snorted, “There’s still time for you to repent, out of respect for our many years of friendship, as long as you capture that little brat this instant, we will not embarrass you.”
Yang Kai snuck a glance towards Wu Jie, somewhat interested in how he would respond, but the latter simply snickered, “Aren’t you the ones mistaken here? Originally, we didn’t know the true identity of this person, but now that we know she is Demon General Xue Li, you still want to work yourselves to death for her? Did all of your brains melt or something?”
“Now that things have gotten to this point, we have no way back, at worst we’ll just have to migrate to the Demon Land!” Zhang Ao declared, his expression dim and helpless, suddenly turning to look face Xue Li and flatteringly speaking, “I just don’t know if Senior would be willing to accept.”
“Naturally this Queen is willing, there are still some idle places near my Sand City, vast regions that stretch tens of thousands of kilometres in every direction. If you’d like, I can grant those lands to you. Frankly, I quite enjoy watching you Humans fight amongst yourself,” Xue Li laughed.
“Tens of thousands of kilometres…” Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both heard this and suddenly became enthusiastic, a greedy lightly flashing across their eyes.
Governing a territory of several tens of thousands of kilometres, what kind of concept was that? If they could utilize it well, it would greatly benefit the development of their Sects.
Seeing their appearance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh.
These two idiots clearly had no clue about Sand City and its surrounding territory, if they did, they’d realize that Xue Li was obviously talking about the vast, barren dessert!
If Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and their subordinates were really thrown into there, it wouldn’t be long until only a few top masters remained, yet these two were actually looking forward to it, it was the epitome of stupidity.
Having surrounded him, and with Xue Li herself being present, she felt that it would be impossible for Yang Kai to flee, so she wasn’t in any hurry to act and was instead looking forward to watching a good show, pitting the Humans she despised against each other.
Yu Mo, who was standing beside her, seemed to also be acting quite casually, but in fact, he had locked onto Yang Kai with his Divine Sense and would immediately block him if he tried to escape.
This whole situation made Wu Jie, who was standing next to Yang Kai, uncomfortable. He felt as if a sword was being held to his neck.
“Sir Holy Master, this time, this Wu won’t be able to help you. Although I won’t work for that woman, if I remain here, I will definitely die in vain… so when the time comes, this Wu will immediately take his leave,” Wu Jie whispered.
“Good, you don’t need to care about me,” Yang Kai gently nodded, increasing his evaluation of Wu Jie once again after seeing his attitude. In the first place, he wasn’t counting on Wu Jie to help him, as long as he didn’t side with Zhang Ao against him it would be enough.
On top of that, if Yang Kai wanted to leave here, as long as he tore space, it should be possible for him to escape even from a master like Xue Li.
However, whether he could escape successfully or not was still up to chance.
With Wu Jie’s current strength, tearing space would come with huge risks, and once he failed, only death without burial would remain.
On the contrary, Yang Kai, who had grasped the true meaning of tearing space, was actually in a much better situation than Wu Jie.
“Mistress, should we begin?” Yu Mo was evidently becoming somewhat impatient as he quietly asked Xue Li.
“There’s no rush! I still have some things I wish to discuss with him,” Xue Li giggled before calling out to Yang Kai, “Boy, it would be in your best interest to obediently follow this Queen back to Sand City. Do so and I promise not to harm your life,” Saying so, her eyes flashed a cold light, “But if you dare to resist, then you’ll have to suffer a bit. Breaking your arms and legs will be the lightest of punishments while crippling your cultivation is entirely possible!”
“Senior must not underestimate this boy, he is as slippery as a snake, if he finds an opportunity to escape, it will be very difficult to corner him again…” Zhang Ao anxiously called out.
“Yes, Senior, the last time we chased him we were unable to catch up even after a few months. This little brat is the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land and has mastered their Nine Heavens Divine Skills, once we capture him, the method to cultivate the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, as well as their core inheritance, will be ours for the taking,” Cao Guan vigorously added, trying to tempt Xue Li into acting.
The last time they attacked Nine Heavens Holy Land, it was because they didn’t seize the opportunity when it presented itself that Yang Kai had humiliated them and then escaped unscathed.
“Shut up! How Mistress chooses to act is none of your business!” Yu Mo stared at Zhang Ao and coldly reprimanded.
Zhang Ao immediately felt awkward and resentful, his cultivation was higher than Yu Mo’s, but right now he had no choice but to choke down his anger.
“You think this Queen came here for the Nine Heavens Divine Skills and inheritance?” Xue Li glanced over at them with a sneer, “What do those count for?”
Both Zhang Ao and Cao Guan were stunned.
If it wasn’t for the Nine Heavens Hold Land’s inheritance, what did this woman travel hundreds of thousands of kilometres from the Demon Land for?
Yang Kai’s brows also rose as he said, “Senior Xue Li, I don’t believe I’ve done anything to offend you so. Although I can’t say our relationship was pleasant, back in Sand City, I did earn you a great deal of money, so why are you now trying too hard to oppress me?”
This was what Yang Kai most couldn’t understand. If there weren’t enough benefits to doing so, it was impossible for a character like Xue Li to leave the Demon Land so easily, what did he possess that was so attractive to her?
“You want to know why?” Xue Li smiled softly.
Yang Kai wore a serious expression and nodded.
“Good, in any case, since I’ve already found you and you have nowhere to flee, I might as well let you understand,” Xue Li suddenly became talkative, seemingly alright with solving Yang Kai’s confusion, causing everyone else to perk up their ears as well.
But in the next instant, Xue Li waved her hand and used her True Qi to isolate them from the outside, leaving on Yang Kai, Yu Mo, and herself to talk in private.
Yang Kai’s expression also changed as he quickly glanced around but soon discovered that he was unable to see or perceive anything beyond the cyan barrier which had appeared around him; even Wu Jie, who was practically standing shoulder to shoulder with him, had somehow disappeared.
This woman’s means… they were really unfathomable! Yang Kai thought to himself with a hint of dread.
On the other hand, Xue Li’s beautiful face filled with excitement as she waved her jade finger and sent a blade of True Qi towards Yang Kai without the slightest murderous intent.
Yang Kai frowned but did not evade, allowing the light blade to gently brush past his arm.
*Chi…* A light splashing sound rang out.
From his arm, Yang Kai felt a tiny prick after which his dark red blood mixed with a hint of golden radiance began leaking out before his powerful flesh healed itself in the next instant.
“Sure enough!” Xue Li’s eyes filled with a near-fanatical lus,tre as she stared at Yang Kai’s wound.
Yu Mo, who was still standing next to her, furrowed his brow, still not comprehending what was happening.
“Are you curious as to why a great Demon General like myself would personally chase after you for so long?” Xue Li asked.
Yang Kai nodded.
“Hehe…” Xue Li smiled tenderly, “Naturally it’s because you and I have the same power flowing through our blood!”
Saying so, Xue Li suddenly reached out and cut her own jade arm, a trace of blood soon flowing out across her pure white skin.
“Mistress…” Yu Mo exclaimed, but in the next moment freezing in place.
Because the blood trickling down Xue Li’s arm had a faint golden radiance to it as well, though noticeably weaker compared to the one Yang Kai possessed.
Her wound also healed at a visible rate under the influence of some strange force, but it actually closed much slower than the one she inflicted on Yang Kai, there was simply no comparison between the two.
“Demon God Golden Blood!?” Yang Kai called out in alarm.
“You really know!” Xue Li could barely contain her own excitement, her pretty face warping in desire.
“How come you have Demon God Golden Blood?” Yang Kai stared at Xue Li in disbelief.
“I could ask you the same thing!” Xue Li took a step forward, a crushing pressure suddenly descending upon Yang Kai, nearly causing him to collapse as his breathing became laboured.
“Demon God Golden Blood?” Yu Mo’s look also changed greatly, “The blood of the legendary Great Demon God? How can this little brat possess it!? Isn’t the golden hue in his blood because of the Yang Attribute True Qi he cultivates? Does this mean he is a member of our Demon Race?”
Saying so, he stared towards Yang Kai in shock, many subtle changes occurring in his mentality at that moment.
“No, he’s Human,” Xue Li slowly shook her head, “As for where he acquired his Demon God Golden Blood, I’ll have to ask him. The Demon God Golden Blood is truly similar in colour to his Yang Attribute True Qi which is why this Queen was fooled at first; in fact, if I hadn’t watched his last fight in the Death Arena, even I would not have suspected anything!”
“Is that why Mistress suddenly decided against killing him at that time?” Yu Mo suddenly realized.
Back in Sand City, Xue Li truly planned on killing Yang Kai, but after watching his last battle in the Death Arena, Xue Li had suddenly changed her mind and instead ordered Yu Mo to capture and bring Yang Kai back.
Yu Mo had never been able to figure out why Xue Li’s attitude had changed so dramatically at that time; that is, until now.
“Since Mistress has Demon God Golden Blood, does that mean she is a descendent of Great Demon God?” Yu Mo asked excitedly, turning a reverent gaze towards Xue Li.
The Great Demon God was the object of worship for the entire Demon Race. Even if he had passed away countless years ago, his majesty and influence had in no way diminished.
Each new Demon Commander wanted to reproduce the glory of the Great Demon God in this world, but none had ever succeeded.
There was also a legend amongst the Demon Race that although the Great Demon God had passed on, his inheritance still existed, but no one had been able to find it.
Now that Xue Li had Demon God Golden Blood flowing through her veins, it was reasonable to assume she was a descendant of Great Demon God and thus his legitimate successor.
Yu Mo was overjoyed because this meant, in time, Xue Li would at the very least one day become Demon Commander, the supreme ruler of the Demon Race.
Unfortunately, Xue Li slowly shook her head and denied, “This Queen is not a descendant of Great Demon God, I only inadvertently obtained a drop of Demon God Golden Blood many years ago and managed to refine it. It was thanks to that drop of Demon God Golden Blood that this Queen has her current achievements!”
Suddenly gritting her teeth, she continued, “But this little bastard’s body seems to have even richer Demon God Golden Blood than this Queen, and he clearly knows some secrets about Great Demon God. I suspect he even knows where Great Demon God’s inheritance is hidden.”
Yu Mo’s eyes lit up as he turned a fiery gaze towards Yang Kai.
If this was true, and as Xue Li said they were able to obtain the inheritance of Great Demon God from this brat, it was not necessarily impossible to return the Demon Race to the height of its former glory.
Just imaging such a future caused Yu Mo’s heart to pound and his blood to boil.
“Boy, don’t you think it’s about time you should come clean to me?” Xue Li smiled towards Yang Kai, “In front of this Queen, petty tricks won’t be enough to save you, since I have finally found you, you no longer have any hope of escaping.”
“What does Senior wish to know?” Yang Kai still didn’t show any signs of panic and asked indifferently.
“Where did you obtain your Demon God Golden Blood?”
“And if I refuse to say?” Yang Kai sneered.
Xue Li was slightly startled by his defiant attitude but soon gently nodded, “Then you’ll have to suffer a bit, even if I cripple and waste you, you’ll still be able to speak. Moreover… Demon God Golden Blood is a wondrous treasure, even if you don’t cooperate, I can just kill you and then extract the Demon God Golden Blood from your corpse.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have such skill!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Now he understood that Xue Li had come for the blood in his body while Zhang Ao and Cao Guan wanted to obtain the secrets of the Coffin Carrying Man. Because of this, Xue Li was able to subdue and use Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others. Ironically, Xue Li was unaware that the Coffin Carrying Man which was being eyed by Zhang Ao was actually the key to what she most wanted to obtain.
“Bold!” Yu Mo shouted, his aura becoming dangerous, “Last time I let you escape, but this time you shouldn’t even dream of fleeing!”
As he spoke, his Demonic Qi flared up and his entire figure transformed into a thick black mist and pounced towards Yang Kai, like a ferocious black spectre.
Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp as he summoned his Silver Leaf Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact, transforming it into a silver barrier that blocked the black mist.
In the next moment, a wave of silver light burst forth from the black mist and proceeded to tear a hole right through the cyan coloured barrier Xue Li had erected.
Like a Great Peng, Yang Kai spread his wings and soared up into the sky.
Ordinarily, Yang Kai was not willing to use artifacts in battle, but with the enemy in front of him was the Demon General Xue Li so he did not hesitate to summon his Saint Grade Top-Rank Silver Leaf artifact.
If he hadn’t, there would have been no way for him to escape.
In a burst of silver light, the Divine Sense that were locked onto Yang Kai were all dispelled and in Xue Li’s brief moment of shock, Yang Kai had already soared a thousand meters into the sky.
“Such a powerful artifact!” Xue Li also felt the terrible power contained within the Silver Leaf artifact and furrowed her brow, seeming quite disgruntled.
Yu Mo’s figure flickered and chased after Yang Kai, his Demonic Qi roiling as he used an exquisite Martial Skill to block Yang Kai’s path, sneering as he shouted, “You think you can run?”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to him and simply lifted his hand up high before making a slashing motion towards the empty space in front of him.
The next moment, a dark crack appeared mid-air right in front of Yang Kai.
Yu Mo was suddenly dumbstruck, feeling like he was staring into a bottomless abyss, the threads of Divine Sense he used to probe this crack seemingly sinking into it, never to return.
This dark crack was like the mount of a great beast which could swallow everything, including his Divine Sense, into it.
“Yu Mo, draw back!” Xue Li hurriedly shouted. Although she didn’t know what kind of method Yang Kai had just used, the aura which pulsed from this strange dark tear made even her feel restless.
From what little she could sense, the physical space around the dark crack seemed to be somewhat fragmented.
At the same time she shouted to Yu Mo, Xue Li’s Demonic Qi surged up, transforming into a number of thin threads that flew straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was already half-way into the crack but before he could fully dive into The Void, Xue Li’s attack hit his shoulder, instantly dislocating and fracturing it.
The violent burst of energy caused the dark crack to become unstable and as if a slumbering beast which had been awoken, Void Energy flowed out from it.
Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai plunged into The Void, shooting a hate filled glare back towards Xue Li as he did.
The void tear quickly sealed after Yang Kai entered, returning the world to its original calm.
Atop the small snowy mountain, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and all the other masters stared blankly towards the spot Yang Kai disappeared, each of them visibly shaken.
Yu Mo’s face was also somewhat pale as he landed back on the ground, frowning deeply as he quietly asked, “Mistress, what was that?”
“I don’t know…” Xue Li slowly shook her head, quickly releasing her Divine Sense to scout the surrounding area, her expression dimming greatly a moment later as she spoke, “That boy is already a hundred kilometers away!”
“What?” Yu Mo was shocked. That little human brat was right in front of him only a moment ago yet now he was a hundred kilometers away? How was that even possible?
Even a master like Xue Li wouldn’t be able to travel such a distance in such a short period of time. Could it be that human boy had somehow accessed a hidden Void Corridor?
Gazing carefully at the spot where the dark crack had appeared, Yu Mo was unable to find any clues.
“Where is that other man who was just with that little brat?” Xue Li turned around and asked upon noticing that Wu Jie was not there.
“He escaped!” Zhang Ao hurriedly replied.
“Wastes!” Xue Li gnashed her teeth. This entire group of masters had tightly surrounded those two yet they actually let both of them escape. Yang Kai being able to escape wasn’t too surprising; after all, the method he used was simply too inexplicable, even Xue Li was unable to block it, yet the other man was just an ordinary First Order Saint, how could he too have escaped?
“Mistress, do we pursue them?” Yu Mo asked quietly.
“Of course we pursue them, even if I have to chase him to the ends of the earth, I must catch him! This time he should give up any idea of escaping!” Xue Li snorted before her tender body transformed into a streak of light and shot off towards where Yang Kai had reappeared.
Yu Mo hurriedly kept up.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both looked at each other, the latter asking hesitantly, “Brother Zhang, what do we do?”
“What else can we do now but follow them?” Zhang Ao smiled bitterly. He had never imagined the mysterious person who had brought them to this endless Snow Mountain Range would be Demon General Xue Li, but now that he did, there was only one path forward for him to walk.
Otherwise, once news of them colluding with a Demon General spread out, his Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan’s War Spirit Temple would definitely condemned by the entire Human Race and would no longer have any place in the world.
Now, he could only hope Xue Li would keep her word and allow him and Cao Guan to settle in that vast unclaimed territory she governed.
The various Human Saint Realm and Transcendent Realm masters soon began using their movement skills to chase after Xue Li.
A hundred kilometers away, the surrounding space suddenly twisted in on itself and in the next moment, a dark crack appeared and Yang Kai tumbled out, his face as pale as ice.
“The power of a Demon General really lives up to its name!” Lightly coughing a few times, Yang Kai grit his teeth and stood firm.
He had thought that with his ability to tear space, he would easily be able to escape, but in reality he had greatly underestimated Xue Li’s tyrannical strength.
While Xue Li really didn’t understand the Divine Ability Yang Kai had used to tear space, for a master on her level, just by using her instincts and conventional methods, she could still throw his plans to escape into chaos.
However, it was also thanks to his ability to tear space that Yang Kai was even able to escape from such a tight encirclement.
Releasing his Divine Sense to scout his surroundings, Yang Kai’s expression immediately darkened.
He found that Xue Li was actually rapidly approaching his location and was now less than fifty kilometers away. At this rate, it would only be a few tens of breaths before she caught up with him.
Gritting his teeth even harder, Yang Kai once again tore space and dove into The Void.
Xue Li, who was rushing over, suddenly came to a halt and fully released her powerful Divine Sense, a frown soon appearing on her face.
A moment later, Yu Mo caught up and saw her hovering mid-air, quickly approaching and asking curiously, “Mistress, have we already caught up with him?”
Xue Li slowly shook her head, “His aura has disappeared. I don’t know what kind of method he is using but it’s almost as if he can open Void Corridors and use them to instantly move hundreds of kilometers away in an instant…”
“Is there such a magical method in this world?” Yu Mo was stunned.
“In the ancient past, there were many methods that we cannot even begin to comprehend, each one of them is not something we should underestimate,” Xue Li said before waving her hand, “Don’t talk, I have to search for his position… heh, little boy, you think I’ll let you escape so easily? You are looking down far too much on this Queen!”
Yu Mo immediately bowed and stood back, silently waiting for Xue Li’s next order.
Inside the boundless darkness of The Void, Yang Kai gasped for breath as he sat down cross-legged, looking quite helpless.
Xue Li’s pursuit was too fast and tearing space consumed far too much of his strength. At most, he could display it one more time before he became an arrow at the end of its flight, and even if he were to escape a few hundred kilometers in at once, he knew it wouldn’t help things as Xue Li would certainly catch up in short order.
As such, he simply decided not to leave.
By hiding inside The Void, even if Xue Li’s methods were extremely profound, there was no way for her to catch him.
Taking out some good pills, Yang Kai immediately swallowed them down.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s gradually restored himself. Fortunately, the injury he suffered under Xue Li’s attack was not serious and with the assistance of his Demon God Golden Blood, had basically healed.
Just as Yang Kai opened his eyes, his ears caught a faint sound coming from nearby.
His brow furrowing, Yang Kai listened carefully and a moment later, turned an awkward look towards a certain direction and flew off.
As he approached, the sounds became more and more obvious; it seemed like someone was gasping for breath while violently struggling, as if death was upon them.
A short time later, Yang Kai finally arrived at the source of the sound.
Staring forward, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling surprised as he called out, “Sect Master Wu?”
In front of him, submerged in a pocked of void turbulence was Wu Jie who had tightly wrapped himself in his green aura while struggling to free himself. Unfortunately for him, the more he struggled, the deeper he fell.
The void turbulences were like a swamp, constantly sucking his body in, wanting to swallow him whole.
Wu Jie was covered in wounds and his breathing was chaotic, the green aura wrapped around his body was also noticeably dimmer than usual, it seemed he was already a lamp running out of oil.
Yang Kai never expected he would meet Wu Jie here, in The Void.
Wu Jie had also never expected that in this life or death crisis, someone else would appear, but when he suddenly heard Yang Kai’s voice and looked up to see the young man standing not far away. What’s more, the void turbulence which was threatening to consume him whole was actually gently flowing around Yang Kai, not influencing him in the slightest.
Immediately overjoyed, Wu Jie quickly begged, “Sir Holy Master, save me!”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and with a wave of his hand, released a strange force which smoothed out the void turbulence trapping Wu Jie.
Wu Jie took this opportunity to escape and hurried over to Yang Kai’s side, a big smile forming on his pale face as he said, “Many thanks Sir Holy Master, your life saving grace was really too timely.”
“You’re too polite; Sect Master Wu also used this method to escape?” Yang Kai instantly realized what had happened.
Wu Jie’s presence here meant he had no doubt torn space to escape. Thinking back, Yang Kai hadn’t seen Wu Jie back on that snowy mountain peak, so he had obviously fled before Yang Kai freed himself from Xue Li’s grasp.
“En,” Wu Jie nodded quickly, “But I didn’t expect my luck to be so bad, after escaping from them I nearly died here.”
“En, this place truly is quite dangerous,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Wu Jie turned a thoughtful look towards Yang Kai at that moment, “But from what I can see, Sir Holy Master seems to have already comprehended the mysteries of this place.”
“At least more so than you,” Yang Kai bluntly admitted.
Wu Jie’s face went black, but he didn’t argue.
The method of tearing space was something he had given Yang Kai, yet now the disciple had become the master with Yang Kai’s abilities far surpassing his own in this field.
But regardless, Wu Jie was grateful for Yang Kai’s prompt assistance.
“Xue Li is still chasing me, so we temporarily can’t leave this place. Sect Master Wu should make use of this time to recover,” Yang Kai glanced over at him and declared, “If we exit now, we’ll certainly be caught by that woman.” “
“Restore? Here?” Wu Jie was flabbergasted, his eyes noticeably bulging.
“Is there a problem?”
“No problem! With Sir Holy Master’s asylum there is no problem! Then this Wu will not be polite,” Wu Jie was quick to adapt, not asking for any explanation and instead simply taking out some pills and Crystal Stones before sitting down and circulating a healing art.
Yang Kai didn’t bother him and instead silently observed this endless void.
He hadn’t thought that if two people tore space at the same time they could meet each other in The Void. Originally, Yang Kai thought that The Void was some kind of independent space but now it appeared that it was actually a universal one. That was the only possible explanation that he and Wu Jie would meet.
It seemed like there were still some hidden mysteries here he had yet to comprehend.
In the skies above the endless Snow Mountain Range, Xue Li’s face remained tranquil as she stood, unmoving.
Yu Mo stood nearby, silently waiting.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the other masters had all caught up, all of them standing around as well.
“Brother Zhang, that woman has been standing in that exact spot for so long already, could it be that little brat has already escaped?” Cao Guan whispered in a slight uneasy tone.
Zhang Ao’s expression was also quite gloomy, his Divine Sense constantly scanning the surrounding area as he muttered back, “I don’t know. I can’t find any trace of that little bastard’s aura… but that woman much stronger than me, perhaps she has found some kind of clue and is currently tracing it.”
“The growth of that little brat is too terrifying, the last time we were chasing him it took him months to throw us off, yet this time he immediately managed to evade our sensation, and… his cultivation has actually reached the Third Order Transcendent Realm!”
Zhang Ao let out a soft breath, “Allowing him to remain will only lead to disaster! This time, no matter what, we must kill him, otherwise when he really matures he will certainly exact his revenge.”
“It is exactly as Brother Zhang says… I just hope that woman isn’t just a pretty face.”
The voices of the two men were extremely light so naturally they weren’t worried Xue Li would hear them, otherwise they wouldn’t dare speak so casually about a Demon General.
After a while, Xue Li’s beautiful eyes suddenly shot open, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
Her cultivation was deep and profound so although she didn’t understand what kind of method Yang Kai had used to move hundreds of kilometers in a flash and completely hide his own aura from her senses, she was still able to use her incredibly sharp senses to find some traces of him.
However, what surprised her was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to be in this world, but rather some kind of separate space. On top of that, the space he was in was filled with a strange energy that even caused her to feel somewhat uneasy, so she didn’t dare to recklessly probe it with her Divine Sense.
She felt like she could see Yang Kai standing in the distance, but his figure was blurry and ethereal.
Sneering, she muttered, “You think this Queen has no way to reach you in that strange place?”
Saying so, her hair danced and a large number of them fell from her head, each of them filled with a rich amount of Demonic Qi. A moment later, these fallen hairs transformed into terrifying vipers that quickly shot forward, seemingly baring their fangs towards the empty sky.
Seeing Xue Li suddenly take action, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others immediately took note and focused their attention.
A strange scene then took place right before their eyes.
The space in front of Xue Li seemed to distort and ripple, like it was a calm lake that had been disturbed by a falling stone. The vipers then shot into the centre of those ripples and disappeared.
No one knew where it was going or what it was trying to accomplish.
Even Xue Li wore a pensive look. The Divine Ability she had just used had a superior homing effect. Of course, the premise was that she could grasp some traces of Yang Kai’s location.
Normally, she was unwilling to use this ability; after all, in order to display it she had shed a large number of her beautiful hairs. Although Xue Li was a Demon General, she was also a woman, losing so many hairs all at once was naturally a distressing matter for her, and if she were to use this ability too often, it was possible she would become bald.
How could Xue Li accept such an appearance?
But this time, in order to force Yang Kai out from his hiding place, Xue Li had decided to make this sacrifice.
Even with this Divine Ability though, Xue Li couldn’t accurately determine where Yang Kai was; fortunately, both her Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi were attached to her hairs, so the attack would be able to find Yang Kai autonomously with no need for her to personally direct it.
Clenching her teeth as she grimaced, her heart filled with bitterness, Xue Li swore that once she forced Yang Kai out, she would teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
Inside The Void, Wu Jie was still restoring himself. Unlike Yang Kai, he didn’t carry with him a massive amount of high grade resources so naturally it took him longer to recover.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was observing the surrounding space, trying to uncover more of its hidden mysteries.
Suddenly, a feeling of uneasiness hit Yang Kai, causing all of his hairs to stand on end, as if great danger was quietly approaching him.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he quickly released his Divine Sense around himself.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
With a sharp tearing sound, a spot in the distance tore open and hundreds of black serpents appeared and swam towards their position.
Yang Kai was shocked because from these serpents, he detected Xue Li’s aura!
Every one of these snakes contained a substantial amount of power and with hundreds of them swarming towards him, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of impending death.
Also detecting something was wrong, Wu Jie’s eyes shot open as he urgently asked, “What happened?”
Just as he uttered these words though, he saw the approaching snakes and shivered in fright.
“Sect Master Wu, we need to leave!” Yang Kai’s expression was incredibly ugly; he really couldn’t understand how Xue Li’s attack had penetrated The Void and found them. The means of a Third Order Saint were really unpredictable.
However, from this scene Yang Kai judged that Xue Li wasn’t able to personally come here so he relaxed quite a bit.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai opened a new space crack and hurried out.
“Wait for me!” Wu Jie called out and immediately followed.
Immediately after leaving the chaotic void, Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing, “Smelly whore!”
The instant he left The Void, Xue Li’s Divine Sense had firmly locked onto him.
About a hundred kilometers away, Xue Li grinned fiercely, her pretty face distorting with greed as she faced towards Yang Kai’s direction and shouted through her grit teeth, “This Queen thought you’d never show up!”
Her tender body flickered and shot off.
Yu Mo quickly kept up.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others all exchanged helpless glances before also activating their movement skills and following after them.
Currently, they all felt like puppets on strings, incapable of acting independently or even making their own choices, only able to chase after Yang Kai’s ass while coughing on his dust.
“Is that woman chasing after us still?” Wu Jie saw Yang Kai’s bitter expression and quickly asked.
Yang Kai gave him a faint glance and nodded lightly.
“Then it seems we’re at a dead end!” Wu Jie smiled bitterly.
“Sect Master Wu, there should still be enough time for you to save yourself,” Yang Kai frowned at him.
“Save myself?” Wu Jie asked in confusion.
“Draw a line with me and pledge allegiance to that woman just like Zhang Ao and Cao Guan.”
“Sir Holy Master must be joking, although this Wu admits he is a sinister villain, pledging allegiance to that woman is no different than feeding myself to a tiger. Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are destined to be abandoned by her, why should I try to hire myself to her knowing she’ll just kill me in the end?”
“Oh? Sect Master Wu is really far thinking,” Yang Kai was genuinely surprised.
“This Wu already told Sir Holy Master a few years ago, I have no other strengths other than knowing what must be done…” Wu Jie grinned.
“Good! Then currently you have two options.”
Wu Jie looked confused for a moment but quickly cupped his fists, “This Wu hopes Sir Holy Master will enlighten him.”
“Separate from me, and escape by yourself! Xue Li’s currently goal is me, so she probably won’t care whether you live or die, before she catches me, you may be able to escape!”
Wu Jie knit his brow and didn’t immediately make a decision, instead asking, “What about the second option?”
“Stick with me!”
“I’ll follow you!” Wu Jie said without a moment’s hesitation.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring at him blankly, to which Wu Jie smiled and said, “Sir Holy Master currently looks annoyed and angry, but in no way panicked, so this Wu figures Sir Holy Master has some way to escape. Although I might be able to escape by separating from you, if Sir Holy Master is indeed caught, I know I won’t be spared. Xue Li may not kill me, but Zhang Ao and Cao Guan definitely will… so I’m still safer with you. Besides, this Wu was just saved by Sir Holy Master, if I abandon you now, wouldn’t that be paying a life saving grace with betrayal?”
Yang Kai stared at him deeply before wearing a grin, “Sect Master Wu is quite clever.”
“Sir Holy Master is too polite.”
“Good, let’s go!” Yang Kai said, waving his hand and tearing space once again, leaping back into The Void along with Wu Jie.
Back in The Void, Yang Kai felt Xue Li’s viper attack lock onto his aura once again.
Not paying any attention to this homing attack, Yang Kai quickly found his bearings before tearing space once more and exiting The Void.
A moment later, Yang Kai and Wu Jie appeared atop the Snow Mountain Range. Without a pause, Yang Kai tore space again.
After tearing space a total of three times within a short ten breath span, Yang Kai and Wu Jie were nearly a thousand kilometers away from where they stared.
Wu Jie couldn’t help but revealing a look of shock; he found that every time they exited The Void, the surrounding environment would become colder. It seemed as if the two were consistently traveling deeper into the Snow Mountain Range.
Thinking about it for a moment, Wu Jie called out in shock, “Can Sir Holy Master navigate accurately from within The Void?”
“More or less!” Yang Kai replied while taking out a pill and restoring his Spiritual Energy consumption.
Wu Jie’s expression became strained; he found that the more he contacted this young Holy Master, the more he couldn’t see through him.
The method to tear space was something he had taught Yang Kai only two or three years ago, yet after such a brief period, not only had he comprehended plenty of The Void’s mysteries, he was also able to find his way within it and even determine where he would emerge from it.
Wu Jie simply couldn’t imagine how he managed to accomplish this.
In order to simply use this Divine Ability, Wu Jie had spent more than ten years of hard effort, and even though he was able to comprehend some things, he still didn’t dare use it at will.
In fact, counting a moment ago, Wu Jie had only used this Divine Ability three times in his entire life.
“Where are we going?” Wu Jie quickly gathered his wits and no longer thought about such things, quickly focusing on the situation at hand.
“You’ll know when we get there,” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings to find his way amidst all the snow and ice.
At the same time, Xue Li, who was now nearly a thousand kilometers away, was also rushing forward, her entire body pulsing with powerful Demonic Qi, flying across the snowy terrain at an incredible speed, constantly drawing closer to Yang Kai.
For the Demon God Golden Blood in Yang Kai’s veins, or the inheritance, there was nothing she wouldn’t do!
As long as she could obtain Yang Kai’s Demon God Golden Blood, Xue Li was confident she could even compete with the current Demon Commander.
If she was very lucky, she might even be able to uncover some hidden secrets about the Great Demon God from Yang Kai.
With such a rare opportunity right in front of her, how could Xue Li bare to let it go?
For this matter, she had concealed herself and dove deep into Human territory, bringing along only Yu Mo, leaving Sand City unattended for several years.
From what she could sense, Yang Kai was constantly moving deeper into the Snow Mountain Range, seemingly moving toward some kind of goals, making her even more excited.
Xue Li didn’t know why, but she instinctually felt that wherever Yang Kai was headed, it was somehow related to Great Demon God!
In the skies above the endless Snow Mountain Range, Yang Kai and Wu Jie fled while Xue Li and the others followed, the distance between them slowly growing closer.
By now, Wu Jie was continuously leaking cold sweat. Although Xue Li was still quite far away, just her aura alone was enough to cause him panic.
Suddenly, Yang Kai came to a stop and spread his Divine Sense out, a moment later turning towards a particular direction and shouting, “Here!”
As he shouted, his figure flickered and shot a thousand meters forward.
Wu Jie didn’t dare to delay and hurriedly followed after Yang Kai.
A moment later, a cave that had been completely hidden by snow was dug up by Yang Kai. With a smile on his face, Yang Kai dove inside.
Seeing that Yang Kai seemed quite familiar with this place, Wu Jie couldn’t help revealing a thoughtful look, but he didn’t ask much, and instead just silently kept up.
Inside the cave, the air was so cold it felt as if it could freeze one’s Soul. Upon entering this place, Wu Jie had to circulate his True Qi in order to withstand the chill in his surroundings.
While looking around, he followed close behind Yang Kai.
A short time later, Yang Kai came to a stop again and stared forward.
Following his gaze, Wu Jie’s eyes bulged as he took a few steps backwards and exclaimed, “The Coffin Carrying Man?”
In front of the pair, at the bottom of this cave, a tall figure covered in half-rotting flesh lay with its back against the icy walls, completely still and unmoving.
Wu Jie had never seen the Coffin Carrying Man before, but he recognized him at a glance.
Because there was a large gloomy blood red coffin on his back!
However, what surprised Wu Jie the most was that the Coffin Carrying Man seemed to have perfectly melded into his surroundings, a thin layer of ice even appearing on his skin while not the slightest bit of Death Qi leaked out from his body.
“En, he is who Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are looking for,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“En… it seems like Sir Holy Master really is related to the Coffin Carrying Man,” Wu Jie’s expression fluctuated, faintly feeling like he was witnessing something historic, silently wondering just what hidden secrets lay buried before him, unable to help some excitement from appearing in his heart.
“Good, I indeed have a connection with him!” Yang Kai admitted without hesitation before ignoring Wu Jie’s reactions before walking over and calling out to the Coffin Carrying Man, “Senior, Senior!”
The Coffin Carrying Man offered no response.
Wu Jie’s brow furrowed but he kept his silence. Although he could tell that, just as in the legends, the Coffin Carrying Man in front of him was already dead, since Yang Kai was calling out to him, he must have some kind of plan.
After a few more attempts, the Coffin Carrying Man suddenly showed some reactions.
The Death Qi which had been concealing itself within his body suddenly became active and the icy layer which covered his flesh creaked, as if it would soon break apart.
Wu Jie narrowed his eyes, not even daring to blink.
*Kacha…*
Spider web like cracks soon appeared on the ice and the Death Qi contained with it began spilling out, becoming more and more intense with every passing breath.
Suddenly, the icy layer burst apart, transforming into dust and the Coffin Carrying Man, who should have died many eons ago, actually slowly opened his eyes.
Wu Jie was startled by this sight and couldn’t help retreating a few steps.
When the Coffin Carrying Man’s eyes blinked open, an aura far stronger than his own suddenly pulsed.
A Second Order Saint’s aura!
That is to say, this Coffin Carrying Man was actually a Second Order Saint Realm powerhouse.
Or rather, he had at least been one when he was alive.
His pair of terrifying eyes though were completely blank, like dead fishes, only adding to his fearful appearance.
“Senior, I must enter!” Yang Kai stared at the Coffin Carrying Man, not even sure he could understand his words or not, but given the circumstances, all he could do was try his luck!
Fortunately, the Coffin Carrying Man seemed to somehow understand, his blank eyes brightening for the briefest of moments, clearly conveying a sense of joy and excitement, the next moment, his giant body standing up.
The rich Death Qi and the putrid toxins leaking from his body quickly filling the entire ice cavern, causing it to melt and distort.
Even someone as strong as Wu Jie felt somewhat dizzy after being exposed to these toxins, quickly holding his breath in response.
A touch of red light suddenly bloomed from the blood red coffin behind the Coffin Carrying Man, in the next moment its lid slowly opening.
Yang Kai grinned, “Many thanks, Senior.”
As he spoke, he didn’t hesitate to grab the nervous Wu Jie and leap into the open coffin.
At the same time, Xue Li, who was still rushing over, couldn’t help exclaiming, “Demonic Qi? The aura of Great Demon God?”
Sensing these, Xue Li pushed her speed even higher, seemingly unable to wait to find the source of these auras.
…
Demon God Citadel.
Li Rong, the leader of the Ancient Demon Clan, stood quietly on the highest deck of the castle, staring out at the chaotic sky, her pretty face wearing a wistful expression, as if she was waiting for something.
Light footsteps resounded behind her but Li Rong didn’t have to look back to know it was Han Fei.
Sure enough, a moment later, Han Fei, in a plain light coloured dress appeared and stood beside her, turning her eyes towards the sky.
Two beautiful and graceful women, one as cold as ice the other as pure as jade, the breeze gently blowing through their long hair and dresses, surely this was the most enchanting scene in the entire Mysterious Small World.
Many Ancient Demon Clan disciples who happened to be passing by down below and inadvertently saw this picturesque scene couldn’t help sighing in appreciation.
However, when they remember the tyrannical methods and strength Li Rong and Han Fei possessed, they all quickly averted their eyes and scurried away, not daring to take a second look.
“Haa…” Han Fei suddenly sighed, softly whispering, “Senior Li, do you know how long it has been?”
Li Rong shook her head, “There is no sun, moon or stars here, so I can’t grasp the passage of time, but it should have been at least five or six years.”
“Perhaps even longer!” Han Fei nodded lightly.
“When will we be able to see the outside world?” Li Rong sighed faintly.
“That depends on the growth of that little guy.”
“En, everything will be up to how fast he can mature. When he left here, he was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage cultivator and his Alchemy level seemed to be around the peak of the Spirit Grade, wanting him to become capable of refining a Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill should take him a decade or so.”
“Is Senior Li so optimistic about him? With his aptitude in Alchemy, it indeed shouldn’t take him very long to reach an appropriate level of skill, but in order to refine a Saint Pill he will need a corresponding cultivation. He’ll need to raise both his Alchemy proficiency and cultivation greatly. Is it really possible to do so in less than ten years?” Han Fei brushed her windswept hair back behind her ear as she turned to look inquisitively towards Li Rong.
“If ten years isn’t enough then we’ll wait twenty years. If that still isn’t enough then we’ll wait thirty years. No matter how long it takes, one day I believe our clan will be able to leave here,” Li Rong smiled slightly, a look of yearning appearing on her pretty face.
The Ancient Demon Clan had been sealed in this small place for too long. For so many generations, so many millennia they had waiting without ever seeing any hope of leaving, but now, a light had finally appeared in the endless darkness, and the one who brought them this light was none other than the new possessor of the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Both Li Rong and Han Fei believed that this was all the arrangement of Great Demon God and that Yang Kai was the one destined to free them from this Mysterious Small World.
“We can wait, but outside he has no one to depend on, no one to protect him as he grows. Whether or not he encounters any kind of accident is uncertain,” Han Fei couldn’t help voicing her concerns.
Li Rong’s heart tightened at these words, not daring to think too deeply about them.
This was the very issue she was most worried about.
With Yang Kai’s aptitude, as long as there were no accidents, it was all but guaranteed he would grow to a point where he could fulfill his promise to them, but the outside world was by no means free from danger and accidents were also a normal part of life.
The Ancient Demon Clan was sealed inside this Mysterious Small World though, so even though she wanted to help him, there was simply nothing she could do!
“Even if he hasn’t yet grown to such a point, if he could find some time to come and see us, just to let us know he is safe, it would certainly be good,” Li Rong muttered in complaint.
If Yang Kai wanted to enter this place, he could do so very easily, all he needed to do was find Coffin Slave Senior and ask to enter; then, in order to leave, all he’d need to do would be to ask Li Rong to let him out.
It was because of this that Li Rong didn’t understand why they hadn’t received any word from Yang Kai even after so long.
Han Fei suddenly wore an awkward look as she whispered, “Hua Mo said… he probably won’t be back.”
“What do you think?” Li Rong turned to look at her.
“I think he will come back!” Han Fei replied without any hesitation, “When he set out, he quietly left us with so many Crystal Stones. He also isn’t a cold-hearted person, if he never planned on coming back, he would certainly have not left so much wealth behind for us. I’m sure he thought it would help us strengthen ourselves so that when he did return we would be able to provide him with even greater support.”
Li Rong smiled lightly and nodded, “I think so too. Hua Mo… he didn’t interacted with him much so it is only reasonable for him to have some suspicions.”
Han Fei nodded in agreement, suddenly saying excitedly, “But thanks to the Crystal Stones and Pills he left behind, our clansmen have really experienced an explosion in growth these past few years. Two have even broken through to the Saint Realm. Even Hua Mo and myself have made some small breakthroughs.”
“En, we really should thank him for this,” Li Rong also looked happy.
Before Yang Kai exited this Mysterious Small World, he secretly left behind a large amount of Crystal Stones and finished pills, resources that were urgently needed by the Ancient Demon Clan.
They had been sealed here for countless years so their reserves of Crystal Stones had long been used up and they were unable to refine pills on their own, so the best they could do was directly ingest raw spirit herbs, but now that there were pills they could use, the effects were noticeably better.
“The two newly promoted Commanders, have they managed to consolidate their cultivations yet?” Li Rong asked with concern.
“En, their cultivations are now stable. Hua Mo has been lecturing them on the mysteries of the Saint Realm to speed up their development.”
“That’s good…”
“We should go back inside, the wind is quite cold today.”
“En,” Li Rong glanced back at the sky one last time before walking back inside together with Han Fei.
Just then, however, a bang resounded through the air and the two beautiful women couldn’t help freezing up, turning around in the next instant to stare at the source of the sound, their eyes flashing with shock as their pretty faces overflowed with surprise.
High up in the sky, a bright red light appeared, followed by what seemed like a great bolt of lightning descending from that light and falling a dozen or so kilometers away from Demon God Citadel.
Faintly, Li Rong and Han Fei even saw a vague figure inside that bolt of red light, one that was all too familiar to them.
Exchanging a quick glance, Li Rong and Han Fei both shot out like lightning bolts, soaring towards the figure’s landing point.
At the same time, Hua Mo, who was teaching the two newly promoted Saint Realm Great Commanders inside the citadel, also stood up, and after probing the situation briefly, the expression on his old face lit up as he loudly shouted, “You two, come with this old master!”
Saying so, he too rushed out.
The two new Great Commanders immediately followed Hua Mo.
All of Demon God Citadel was instantly abuzz with activity.
The Ancient Demon Clan clansmen all around the citadel all turned their attention towards the direction of the disturbance and soon saw all their leaders rush out to investigate, initiating a frenzy of discussion.
Every time Coffin Slave Senior caught someone and sent them into this place, a similar scene would occur, so when they saw the red bolt of light, all of them realized that an outsider had entered this Mysterious Small World.
The Great Commanders would obviously handle this matter.
But how fierce must this newcomer have been to have attracted the attention of all five Great Commanders?
The clansmen of the Ancient Demon Clan all had various suspicions. Only a young girl named Guan’er clenched her fists as she began to shout, “He came back! That man actually came back! We’re saved!”
The relationship between Yang Kai and Great Demon God, except for the few Great Commanders, was only known clearly by Guan’er, so she easily concluded that the one who had suddenly entered the Mysterious Small World just now must have been Yang Kai.
Besides him, Coffin Slave Senior should not have allowed anyone else to enter.
A dozen or so kilometres outside Demon God Citadel, Yang Kai and Wu Jie, wrapped in a blood-red light, fell to the ground and stood firm. A moment later, Yang Kai noticed that several tyrannical auras were rapidly approaching here.
Smiling slightly, Yang Kai realized that Li Rong and the others had grown anxious after so long and couldn’t wait to see him.
However, what made Yang Kai feel slightly confused was that there were actually five Saint Realm masters approaching; at the same time, Li Rong and Han Fei’s strengths both seemed to grow significantly.
These tyrannical auras naturally did not escape Wu Jie’s perception and after he quickly confirmed the cultivations of the people approaching, his face couldn’t help paling slight as he asked, “Sir Holy Master, what is this place?”
“A Mysterious Small World!” Yang Kai replied casually, waving lightly to Wu Jie, “Come with me.”
Wu Jie’s expression cramped slightly, but he didn’t ask anything more and simply followed behind Yang Kai.
This place was actually a Mysterious Small World, something he couldn’t quite comprehend because the last thing he remembered was being dragged into that blood-red coffin by Yang Kai.
Could it be that the mystery that had puzzled the world for countless years, the secret hidden inside the blood-red coffin the Coffin Carrying Man carried, was actually a Mysterious Small World?
Also, the aura pervading this Mysterious Small World also caught Wu Jie’s attention. There seemed to be a large number of Demon Race members wandering about and the air contained traces of potent Demonic Qi.
The Demonic Qi pulsing from the five masters who were rushing over was particularly striking.
What exactly was this new Holy Master of the Nine Heavens Holy Land involved in? What exactly was this place he had just stepped into? Wu Jie couldn’t help feeling anxious.
A moment later, two beautiful figures descended from the sky and fell right in front of Yang Kai.
“Master!” Li Rong hurriedly shouted, a brilliant light flashing across her beautiful eyes, seemingly not having expected Yang Kai to suddenly appear.
A moment ago, she had just been complaining to Han Fei that Yang Kai didn’t come back to report his safety from time to time, yet here he was standing right in front of them.
“Han Fei greets Master!” Han Fei’s expression was as chilly as ever, carefully examining Wu Jie as she greeted Yang Kai.
Under her gaze, Wu Jie couldn’t help feeling a sense of tension, the green aura surrounding his body twisting and coiling like a snake.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he shuffled closer to Yang Kai, seemingly looking for a sense of security.
By the time the two ladies had finished giving their greetings, Hua Mo had also rushed over with the two new Saints, tears gathering at his old wrinkled eyes, “Master, you’ve returned! This old master knew you would not abandon my clan.”
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “Hua Mo Great Commander is too polite, since I gave all of you my word, naturally, I will not renege on it. En, I’ve returned.”
Han Fei glared over at Hua Mo, snorting under her breath, wondering where the old fart who kept clamouring to her all day that Yang Kai wouldn’t be coming back had gone.
“En, are these two newly-promoted Saints?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the two figures next to Hua Mo. Although he felt that they were familiar, he didn’t know their names.
“Greetings, Master,” The two quickly stepped forward and cupped their fists.
Li Rong smiled and nodded, “It is all thanks to the materials left by Master that these two could have their present accomplishments. Good, this is Great Commander Yin Ya and Great Commander Xue Ji.”
After some quick introductions, Yang Kai somehow remembered the two men’s names.
Suddenly, Han Fei’s beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Yang Kai and shouted, “Master’s growth is truly terrifying, are you now already a Third Order Transcendent? Could it be more years have passed than we thought?”
Hearing these words, Li Rong and Hua Mo also quickly investigated Yang Kai’s cultivation and were shocked by what they discovered.
“It hasn’t been that long, about five or six years,” Yang Kai replied lightly, “Good, there’s no time to waste, let’s talk as we walk.”
Seeing his expression suddenly become dignified, Li Rong and the others also became serious, faintly realizing that something was not quite right.
Li Rong turned her attention to Wu Jie and asked in a quiet voice, “Master, who is this?”
Yang Kai casually replied, “A friend from the outside. Later you can ask him about the specific situation, right now I need to immediately start the Alchemy process.”
“Alchemy?” Li Rong exclaimed, “Do you mean…”
“En, some people outside are seeking Coffin Slave Senior’s position while chasing me down, so I have to bring you all out of here as soon as possible, otherwise things will become quite troublesome.”
“Who dares do this?” Li Rong’s aura suddenly changed, becoming violent and dangerous.
“A Demon General named Xue Li!” Yang Kai frowned, “She seems to have inadvertently obtained some Demon God Golden Blood long ago and is now coveting my blood.”
“A Demon General?” Han Fei narrowed her eyes, “I’d like to see what kind of level today’s Demon Generals are at!”
“You’ll have such an opportunity,” Yang Kai turned to look at her meaningfully.
As the group walked forward, Wu Jie lagged behind slightly and took another close look at the cultivations of these five unknown masters, his shock only deepening the more he observed them.
What surprised him the most was that the strongest of these five Saints, one of the beautiful women, was only a Second-Order Saint, but although that was the case, the pressure he felt from her when her anger had just flared up was in no way inferior to the one Xue Li brought him.
Wu Jie even suspected that this woman was not weaker than Xue Li.
The other four were all First Order Saints, with the second beautiful woman and the old man having reached the limits of the First Order, both of them possessing denser auras than his own.
If he had to fight any of these three, Wu Jie estimated that his only option would be to flee.
The remaining two males seemed to have broken through recently, a point he confirmed from the discussion Yang Kai had with them.
However, Wu Jie didn’t know why, but he still felt a slight pressure from these two as well.
Who were these people, and why was their strength so strange?
Moreover, how these people addressed Yang Kai made a big impression on Wu Jie.
Although his heart was filled with doubts, Wu Jie knew the value of silence and obediently shut his mouth and simply followed behind the crowd.
A few breaths later, the group returned to Demon God Citadel.
Gazing out, Yang Kai saw many Ancient Demon Clan clansmen standing around in front of the citadel, staring curiously.
From amongst the crowd, a young girl waved her hand in excitement and shouted, “Yang Kai, Yang Kai!”
Looking towards the source of the sound, Yang Kai smiled and waved back to her.
The young girl was none other than Guan’er, the one who had been responsible for taking care of him when he first arrived here and also Li Rong’s personal maidservant.
“That foolish little girl!” Li Rong ground her teeth before hurriedly addressing Yang Kai, “Master, there’s no need for you to pay any attention to her, I will certainly teach her a good lesson and let her realize the difference in status between you.”
In response, Yang Kai simply chuckled, “There’s no need for that, all of you should act more relaxed, also, stop calling me Master, it’s quite uncomfortable.”
“… Then how should we address you?” Li Rong asked.
“How did you call me in the beginning?”
The three old Great Commanders glanced around at each other, recalling how they originally called Yang Kai and immediately blushing with shame.
When Yang Kai was first brought before them, the three of them had called him human boy, or despicable Human, or little brat etc…
Now though, how could they dare call him such names?
Once inside Demon God Citadel, Guan’er ran over, bowed perfunctorily, and then proceeded to follow Yang Kai around happily.
It was as if she had not spoken at all since Yang Kai left and was now making up for the lost time.
Seeing how Yang Kai smiled happily, not showing the slightest intent of chastising Guan’er, Li Rong also couldn’t help smiling as she shook her head.
After talking for a while, Guan’er suddenly looked towards Wu Jie and asked, “Who is this silent guy who follows you around like some kind of ghost? Why did you bring him here?”
Wu Jie’s face immediately went black.
Yang Kai shook his head wryly and didn’t answer her question, instead turning to Li Rong and saying, “I want to use that underground secluded room. I’ll come out after a maximum of three days. As for the situation outside, just ask Wu Jie, he’ll be able to answer any questions you have.”
“Good,” Li Rong and the others all nodded quickly.
“Hey, Sir Holy Master…” Wu Jie hurried stepped forward and pulled Yang Kai aside, anxiously whispering, “Staying here alone… will I be in any danger?”
Yang Kai laughed aloud, “No, you can rest assured.”
“But why do these people all seem like members of the Demon Race?” Wu Jie looked around in confusion.
“Because they are Demon Race people, and not ordinary ones at that!” Yang Kai smiled and patted Wu Jie’s shoulder, “Well that’s how it is, time is running out and I have work to do, so until I get back, take care of things.”
Saying so, Yang Kai walked off.
Wu Jie gawked for a moment before helplessly shaking his head.
Li Rong and others also stopped, not following after Yang Kai, digesting the words he had said as looks of anticipation filled their faces.
Three days, in just three days, the long imprisonment of their Ancient Demon Clan would come to an end and their clansmen would finally be able to step into the vast outside world, where the sun, moon, and stars filled a never-ending sky.
The five Great Commanders of the Ancient Demon Clan eagerly looked towards the direction Yang Kai and left and were unable to calm themselves for quite some time.
“Senior Li, we should spread the word to our fellow clansmen,” Hua Mo said quietly.
“En,” Li Rong gently nodded, “It’s time.”
Saying so, she turned her pretty eyes towards Wu Jie and smiled warmly, “Master said your name was Wu Jie, correct?”
“Yes,” Wu Jie’s expression was a little cramped and uneasy. Half an hour before, he and Yang Kai were being chased down by a Demon General and were forced to escape into this Mysterious Small World, yet not there were actually five Demon Race Saints standing in front of him. Wu Jie couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of despair, as if he had escaped from the tiger’s cave only to enter the wolf’s den.
Fortunately, these people didn’t seem to hold any malicious intent towards him and their relationship with Yang Kai also didn’t seem shallow.
“Since you are master’s friend, you are not an outsider. Please come with me, we need to ask you about the outside situation,” Li Rong gently nodded before leading the way into the Citadel’s depths.
“Please!” Han Fei also motioned coldly.
Wu Jie let out a forced laugh before quickly following behind Li Rong.
In truth, he too had many questions he’d like to ask these Demon Race masters.
…..
Deep beneath Demon God Citadel, in a familiar underground chamber, Yang Kai did not immediately begin refining the Saint Pill, and instead sat cross-legged in meditation.
Steadying his breathing, he slowly calmed and adjusted himself.
This secret room was where he had cultivated the Demon God Transformation, so he was quite familiar with the environment.
With Yang Kai’s current Alchemy level, he could be said to have reached the limit of the Saint Grade Low-Rank and was just one step away from the Mid-Rank.
However, that did not mean he was incapable of refining a Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill.
With the appropriate auxiliary Spirit Arrays and his Myriad Drug Liquid, refining a Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill shouldn’t be too difficult.
Emptying his mind and settling his pulse, Yang Kai entered into a state of tranquility, various insights into pill refining flashing across his thoughts as he immersed himself in the Alchemic Way.
The knowledge and experiences he had comprehended from the True Alchemic Way as well as his own personal hardships and achievements in the field of Alchemy all coalesced and crystallized in Yang Kai’s mind.
It was like he was an outsider, silently observing his own growth in the Alchemic Way, from when he first began refining the lowest Common Grade pills, to his experiences with Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Mysterious Grade, Spirit Grade, then finally Saint Grade pills…
In a flash Yang Kai reviewed his own rapid growth in the field of Alchemy, each pill he had refined seeming like a brand new life, full of vigor and vitality.
Before he knew it, he had grown to the point where he could easily refine Saint Grade Low-Rank pills.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly shot open and an unwavering self-confidence pulsed from his body. He was certain that in his current state, he would successfully refine the required Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill.
Pulling out the various Spirit Grade and Saint Grade herbs he had collected over the years, Yang Kai carefully arranged them in front of himself.
Pouring his Spiritual Energy into his small pill furnace, Yang Kai swiftly began portraying an exquisite Spirit Array to promote the chance of successfully refining a pill.
Taking hold of one of the herbs, a burst of golden light erupted as Yang Kai gathered his True Qi into his hand, creating a blazing hot inferno which burned away all of its impurities.
A short time later, a green teardrop sized ball of pure medicinal liquid was all that was left, a potent fragrance and aura wafting from it.
Wrapping this drop of medicinal liquid in his True Qi, Yang Kai suspended it next to his pill furnace before picking up the next spirit herb and repeating the process.
As he continued refining the spirit herbs, Yang Kai also completed the Spirit Array inside his pill furnace.
One spirit herb after another was refined in an orderly manner.
Now, in front of Yang Kai’s eyes, there was only the world of Alchemy, the herbs in front of him, his pill furnace, and nothing else. Yang Kai had even temporarily forgotten the important purpose of the Saint Pill he was refining, not allowing any stray thoughts to affect his current mood, his movements remaining smooth and undisturbed.
Inside the underground chamber, a potent medicinal fragrance began to spread.
……
Inside the main hall of Demon God Citadel, the five Great Commanders of the Ancient Demon Clan all sat with dignified looks upon their faces. After learning about the current situation in detail from Wu Jie, all of them clearly realized why Yang Kai was so eager to return and refine the Saint Pill which would restore their freedom.
To put it simply, time had run out and he now had no choice but to act now.
“Xue Li should have found the Coffin Carrying Man and if my assumptions are correct, she should currently be fighting with him now,” Wu Jie said as he swept his eyes over the five powerhouses before him.
“The Demon General called Xue Li, is she a Third Order Saint?” Li Rong frowned slightly.
“Yes, she is one of the top masters of our world, each of the Demon Race’s four Demon Generals are on a similar level!”
“Senior Li, Coffin Slave Senior should have only been a Second Order Saint before he died and his body has obviously degraded after so many years. He won’t be able to hold off that Demon General for long,” Han Fei said, her voice filled with anger, anxious to rush out right now and assist Coffin Slave Senior.
“Coffin Slave Senior indeed shouldn’t be that woman’s opponent, but so long as that woman wants to inquire about Great Demon God’s secrets, she won’t use extreme methods… so we shouldn’t need to be too worried, we also only need to hold out for three days,” Li Rong said softly, a moment later suddenly remembered something, “But according to Master, that woman inadvertently obtained some Demon God Golden Blood a long time ago and successfully refined it. I just hope she won’t display any of Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities; if she does, things will become troublesome.”
“Demon God Divine Abilities?” Wu Jie’s eyes narrowed as he hesitated before finally deciding to ask, “Are you referring to… the legendary Great Demon God?”
“Indeed!” Hua Mo nodded firmly.
Wu Jie’s mouth twitched and he didn’t dare to ask anymore, the matters surrounding the Great Demon God were not things someone of his level could casually inquire about, and the more he knew, the more difficult his life would become.
Just as the few people were speaking, a violent aura suddenly appeared outside and with a creaking sound, the entire Mysterious Small World seemed to be tremble slightly.
Li Rong’s pretty face went cold as she swiftly got up from her chair and moved outside, carefully staring up at the sky.
The rest of the group also rushed out.
“It’s begun…” Li Rong said faintly, “It should be the fallout of that Demon General and Coffin Slave Senior’s fight affecting us.”
“Daring to raise her hand against Coffin Slave Senior, just wait for me to get out of here and I’ll make her pay!” Han Fei coldly snorted.
Wu Jie suddenly remembered that he and Yang Kai had entered this place through the blood red coffin behind the Coffin Carrying Man and couldn’t help worrying, “If Coffin Slave Senior is defeated, and the blood red coffin behind him is destroyed… what will happen to this place?”
Li Rong glanced over at him and grinned, “This Mysterious Small World was forged by Great Demon God himself using one of his most powerful Divine Abilities. That blood red coffin you spoke of acts as both the seal and vessel of this place so if it is destroyed, everything in this Mysterious Small World will be exiled to The Void with no hope of ever escaping.”
Wu Jie’s face went pale as he muttered under his breath, “I hope that Coffin Slave Senior can sustain…”
Everyone present, including the various leaders of the Ancient Demon Clan, had similar worries, but the one who was most unsettled was by far the outsider Wu Jie.
The five Great Commanders apparently had some confidence in Coffin Slave Senior and were also convinced that Xue Li would not rashly destroy the blood red coffin.
That is, unless she gave up on unlocking the secrets of Great Demon God.
The changes inside the Mysterious Small World caused panic to spread amongst the Ancient Demon Clan clansmen so Hua Mo and Yin Ya and Xue Ji all had to appear personally and calm them while simultaneously relaying Li Rong’s proclamation that Yang Kai was currently refining the Saint Pill which would allow them to finally leave this place.
Upon learning this, the Ancient Demon Clan went from panicking to celebrating.
One day passed, two days passed…
As time flow by, the Mysterious Small World became increasingly unsettled until two days later all the shaking stopped and everything became calm once more.
Perceiving this change, Li Rong and the other Great Commanders wore sad expressions.
They know that that either Coffin Slave Senior had managed to repel that Demon General, or Coffin Slave Senior had been defeated by her.
The latter was far more likely as Coffin Slave Senior’s opponent was a top ranked Third Order Saint.
Coffin Slave Senior had guarded this Mysterious Small World for countless years and although none of the Ancient Demon Clan who currently lived here knew what he looked like much less met him, each of them had a profound respect for him in their heart.
It was because of him that every ten years, a candidate who could free their clan from this eternal prison would be sent in, ultimately leading to Yang Kai’s arrival which allowed Li Rong and others to finally see hope of freedom.
But now, before the Ancient Demon Clan could escape from this place, Coffin Slave Senior encountered a powerful enemy, causing Li Rong and the other Great Commanders to become quite on edge, wishing they could leave right now and see just how Coffin Slave Senior was doing.
However, until Yang Kai finished refining the required Saint Pill, none of them could leave, so even if they were incredibly anxious, there was nothing they could do about it.
Just then, the World Energy inside the Mysterious Small World once again became disordered and began rapidly flowing towards a particular direction.
Everyone was shocked by this development and quickly began investigating, further surprised by what they discovered.
The place where they perceived all of this World Energy was flowing towards was actually the underground chamber Yang Kai was currently using for Alchemy.
There was also a vague fresh pill scent wafting towards them from that direction.
Realizing what all this could mean, everyone’s mood became tense.
A short time later, the flow of World Energy subsided and a figure soon appeared before everyone’s eyes; it was none other than Yang Kai.
“Master…” Li Rong called out hesitantly, her voice trembling somewhat.
Yang Kai grinned before stretching out his hand towards her, “Fortunately, I did not fail my mission, and the refinement was successful.”
Atop his palm was a longan sized pill that was exuding dense rays of light.
Several pairs of eyes stared fixedly at this Saint Pill. Hua Mo’s eyes even began watering up.
“As for how this is supposed to be used, I’ll leave that up to you,” Yang Kai frowned and solemnly handed the Saint Pill to Li Rong.
After all, there was only one Saint Pill but thousands of Ancient Demon Clan members, Yang Kai really didn’t know how to distribute the effects of this Saint Pill to all of them.
“Han Fei and I will handle that,” Li Rong carefully clasped the Saint Pill before shooting Han Fei and quick glance, the two of them nodding firmly before flying up to the highest point of the citadel.
“We must convene all of our clansmen,” Hua Mo said, taking Yin Ya and Xue Ji with him to spread the word.
Yang Kai looked up and observed as Li Rong and Han Fei stood mid-air above the citadel, seemingly arranging some kind of Spirit Array, an exquisite and mysterious energy pulsing from their location s they worked.
Heeding the call of Hua Mo and the two new Great Commanders, all of the Ancient Demon Clan quickly began to gather.
Atop Demon God Citadel, Li Rong and Han Fei busied themselves while Hua Mo, Yin Ya, and Xue Ji arranged the still gathering Ancient Demon Clan clansmen.
While all this was happening, Yang Kai silently watched while he restored himself.
Wu Jie, who was standing beside Yang Kai, tried to speak up a few times but always seemed to hesitate and stop at the last moment.
“If Sect Master Wu wishes to ask something, please feel free,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Wu Jie paused for a moment before cupping his fists and saying, “Then this Wu will not be polite… May I ask what Sir Holy Master’s relationship with these Demon Race people is?”
“If I told you they are my subordinates, would Sect Master Wu believe me?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes towards Wu Jie, a playful grin appearing on his face.
Wu Jie expression became serious as he stared at Yang Kai for a moment before firmly nodding, “This Wu believes!”
He had stayed here for the past two days and just from the way the several Saint Realm masters addressed and acted towards Yang Kai, he could infer what the true situation was, so now that Yang Kai had frankly admitted to it, how could Wu Jie still not believe it?
“How did Sir Holy Master manage to subdue these subordinates? After all, they’re from the Demon Race!”
“So what if they’re from the Demon Race?” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Since ancient times, Humans and Demons have been mortal enemies,” Wu Jie stated, as if it was only natural the two races should hate each other.
“If they are willing to be loyal to me and are useful to me, why does it matter if they’re from the Demon Race? Isn’t it the most fundamental truth that all of us were born into this world? What need is there to draw lines between us?”
Wu Jie gawked at Yang Kai, somewhat unable to wrap his head around what the latter just said.
Unlike Yang Kai, he was born and raised in Tong Xuan Realm.
The natives of Tong Xuan Realm all had a strong sense of rejection and distrust towards other races, Wu Jie included, who even now felt that associating with this group of Demons was destined to end in tragedy.
Yang Kai’s open-minded appearance was somewhat unacceptable to him.
Think for a while, Wu Jie quickly said, “But Sir Holy Master, have you ever thought about what would happen if word of this were to spread out? You may never be able to stand tall in the Human Territory ever again, even Nine Heavens Holy Land and Soaring Heaven Sect may be implicated.”
Yang Kai just shook his head and firmly declared, “I don’t care what the world thinks, they can say whatever they want about me, if anyone comes to find trouble with me, I’ll deal with them directly.”
Wu Jie’s mouth twitched, quietly muttering under his breath, “Sir Holy Master is really unusual.”
Shaking his head again, he continued, “There is just one point that this Wu hasn’t been able to figure out though, this group of Demons are quite powerful, five of them having even reached the Saint Realm. How could such a group of Demon Race people, known for having greater pride than even our Human Race, willingly become Sir Holy Master’s subordinates given your cultivation and strength?”
There had never been a case where those of the Demon Race became subordinates to a human, any member of the Demon Race would rather die than suffer such humiliation.
However, Wu Jie could clearly see that not only were Li Rong and the other Demon Race Saints extremely respectful towards Yang Kai, they also seemed almost eager to serve him.
“Because I am the Great Demon God’s successor,” Yang Kai grinned.
Wu Jie’s face twitched even harder as he awkwardly laughed, “Sir Holy Master must be joking…”
Yang Kai didn’t bother explaining any further and simply asked, “What are Sect Master Wu’s plans now?”
“My plans?” Wu Jie frowned, “I haven’t thought much about that, surviving this current crisis has been all that has occupied my thoughts recently, but Sir Holy Master can rest assured that everything this Wu has seen these past few days will never leave my lips.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I know that Sect Master Wu is not such a person, you don’t need to make any promises to me.”
Wu Jie no longer spoke, turning his attention back towards the top of Demon God Citadel along with Yang Kai.
Over there, Li Rong and Han Fei seemed to have completed whatever it was they were working on and the former reverently held up the Saint Pill Yang Kai had just refined, slowly closing her beautiful eyes.
In the next moment, Demonic Qi began flooding out from both Li Rong and Han Fei.
A brilliant light blossomed at the two beauties’ feet and quickly transformed into a profound Spirit Array.
As the light from the Spirit Array flashed, the Saint Pill in Li Rong’s hands suddenly burst open, transforming into a fine mist that spread out and gently rained down on the Ancient Demon Clan clansmen gathered below.
These Ancient Demon Clan clansmen did not dare to neglect and immediately began circulating their Secret Arts, absorbing the effects of the Saint Pill into their bodies, each of them flashing a happy expression.
*Kacha…*
The sound of bones creaking and flesh squirming rang out.
Yang Kai was surprised to discover that some subtle and bizarre changes were occurring in each of the Ancient Demon Clan’s bodies, as if some kind of invisible shackles that had been binding them were being shattered.
They were slowly being set free.
This scene continued for the better part of an hour before the mist from the Saint Pill finally began dissipating, all of its effects being absorbed by the Ancient Demon Clan’s clansmen.
Li Rong and Han Fei both opened their eyes and stared down at the scene below with warm smiles.
“Senior Li, everything is in order,” Hua Mo shouted up from down below.
“Is everything packed up?” Li Rong asked.
“Everything that must be taken with us has been packed.”
“Good!” Li Rong gently nodded, unable to conceal the excitement on her pretty face, sweeping her eyes over the crowd below and shouting, “Today, our clan will depart from this place. Each of you should take another look around and engrave this sight into your eyes. For thousands of years this has been our family’s home, but we will never return to it again.”
Each of the clansmen of the Ancient Demon Clan gazed around themselves, some complex emotions surfacing on their faces.
Since the moment they were able to think for themselves, they all wished to leave this place and see the outside world, but when the moment finally came, it was inevitable that they felt a slight sense of loss.
After all, this was the place where they were born and raised.
“All Great Commanders, please come up,” Li Rong waved.
Hua Mo, Yin Ya, and Xue Ji all flew up to where Li Rong was standing, the five Saints exchanging a silence glance before nodding, the next moment each of them pushing their strength and tearing open a hole in the Mysterious Small World’s space.
Their approach was not the same as the method Yang Kai used to tear space and was only a unique technique designed to open the exit of this Mysterious Small World to the outside world.
The last time Yang Kai left, Li Rong and the other Saints had used this method to send him out.
“I’ll take the lead, the rest of you should follow after me while protecting our clansmen!” Li Rong said, immediately soaring up into the tear.
After her figure disappeared, Han Fei and the others began arranging groups of their clansmen to leave the Mysterious Small World in an orderly fashion.
……
Atop the endless Snow Mountain Range, Xue Li stared down with a dignified expression while Yu Mo stood nearby wearing a similar look.
Simultaneously, Zhang Ao and Cao Guan, who were not far away, both showed looks of lingering fear.
Down below, several mountain peaks had been razed to the ground as a result of the clash between the Second Order Saint Coffin Carrying Man and the Third Order Saint Demon General Xue Li.
A vast area was now bathed in thick poisonous gas and no one among them dared go down and explore, the once white Snow Mountain Range now dyed a toxic shade of green.
Those whose strength wasn’t quite as good, upon sniffing this poisonous gas, were killed on the spot and soon melted into pools of puss; several Shattering Mystical Palace disciples who had been sent down to investigate had suffered such a fate.
“That damn Coffin Carrying Man, clearly he was a member of our Demon Race yet he actually dares raise his hand to this Queen, he deserves to be damned!” Xue Li’s pretty face warped as she angrily shouted.
A few days ago, she had been pursuing Yang Kai’s aura when it suddenly disappeared in this very location. Upon arriving here, Xue Li quickly discovered the Coffin Carrying Man inside an ice cave but before she could say anything, the Coffin Carrying Man suddenly attacked her.
Facing a living corpse that had reached the Second Order Saint Realm, Xue Li complained constantly.
After a hard two day long struggle, she finally managed to destroy his physical body, but even after doing so, the putrid toxins released upon his destruction had exploded out and blanketed the surrounding area, forcing Xue Li and everyone else to retreat while using various methods to slowly dissipate the poisonous fog.
The blood red coffin being protected by the Coffin Carrying Man had caught Xe Li’s attention though.
From it, Xue Li sensed an aura which greatly excited her, the aura of Great Demon God!
She could all but conclude that this blood red coffin had something to do with the legendary Great Demon God.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan stood to the side, staring at all of this, feeling particularly helpless in their hearts.
They had come here for the secrets of the Coffin Carrying Man, but now, the fruits of their labour would all be going to Xue Li, but in the face of this Demon General, they really had no other choice but to wait and see while suppressing all their bitterness in their hearts.
The poisonous gas which had enveloped the surrounding region gradually weakened and after some time they could finally begin investigating the situation.
Just as they were about to send in more people though, a red light bloomed and an aura which even made Xue Li feel somewhat uneasy spread out.
Her beautiful face becoming solemn, Xue Li stared towards the red light and soon saw a female figure appear and fly up in the air. Waving her hand to dispel the poisonous gas around her, this female swept her eyes over her surroundings and her expression soon becoming cold.
She was apparently staring at the broken and scattered remains which belonged to the Coffin Carrying Man.
“A Second Order Saint?” Xue Li stared at this beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
Xue Li had clearly felt that this newly appeared woman’s body contained a rich Demonic Qi, so she was clearly a member of the Demon Race.
But how did such a woman suddenly appear here?
The other party also seemed to have noticed her existence and even though a fair distance separated them, Xue Li could tell that this unknown female was directing a cold and gloomy look towards her, not showing the slightest bit of fear, even giving off a kind of provocative aura.
Xue Li smiled silently back at this woman, being a Minor Realm higher than her, naturally she wasn’t afraid.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
One after another, flashed of red light burst forth and with each one a new Demon Race member appeared, each of them quickly gathering around the woman who had first appeared.
After finding a place to settle down, each of these newly appearing Demon Race members began looking around curiously, their faces filled with clear excitement.
Breathing in the cold air, picking up the snow at their feet, cheering out happily as they seemingly played around.
It was almost as if they were children who had never seen such sights before.
It was currently late at night and cold moonlight poured down. These icy moon beams seemingly caught this group of newcomer’s attention, many of them soon turning their eyes towards the sky, a look of wonderment flashing across their faces.
Xue Li and the others silently observed all of this, not making any sudden moves, their brows all furrowing deeply, none of them understanding where so many Demon Race people had come from.
The Ancient Demon Clan clansmen who had been imprisoned for generations were seeing the outside world for the first time, causing all of them to feel a sense of rebirth, their bodies trembling as they found it difficult to suppress their excitement, many of them even bursting into tears as they roared towards the sky.
The scene was as lively as it was strange.
Xue Li and her group had quickly become spectators that no one paid any attention to.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai and Wu Jie finally came out of the Mysterious Small World with Han Fei that Xue Li’s eyes lit up, a look of greed flashing across their depths.
Deep inside the Snow Mountain Range, nearly a thousand Ancient Demon Clan clansmen had emerged from their Mysterious Small World and were now scattered around a wide area.
Not far away, headed by Xue Li, Yu Mo, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan and many others were on high alert as they stared curiously as this group of people who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Suddenly, the surrounding World Energy became disturbed and the Ancient Demon clansmen who had just appeared seemed to be drawing vast amounts of it into their bodies.
In an instant, all the World Energy within a dozen kilometer radius was sucked dry.
From even farther away, World Energy quickly flooded in to fill this void only to be quickly consumed by the Ancient Demon clansmen in the next moment.
A storm kicked up and a horrifying pressure soon descended upon all who were present.
Feeling this pressure, everyone’s expression changed greatly.
The Ancient Demon clansmen showed looks of surprise but soon set their confusion aside and opened themselves up to this Heavenly baptism.
Wu Jie narrowed his eyes as he stared around, exclaiming after a moment, “Are they all going to break through?”
The movement of the surrounding World Energy and how it was being drawn in were both clear signs of impending breakthrough, but this breakthrough was not for just one or two individuals; in fact, nearly all one thousand of the Ancient Demon clansmen seemed to suddenly be on the verge of breaking through.
As for those who weren’t, it was still quite apparent that their strength was rapidly improving.
Yang Kai’s expression also changed, recalling the moment he had arrived in Tong Xuan Realm from his previous world and how his strength had also grown in a flash.
After the invisible shackles which were sealing his potential were broken and he received the blessings of this new world, it was only natural for his cultivation to soar.
The clansmen of the Ancient Demon Clan were now facing a similar situation.
Looking around, Yang Kai was surprised to find that among the Ancient Demon clansmen who were about to break through, Han Fei and Hua Mo were also included and were currently causing the biggest disturbances.
The two of them were both masters at the peak of the First Order Saint Realm, breaking through now would allow them to become genuine Second Order Saints.
The breakthrough of any Saint Realm master was a serious matter.
The two of them also understood this and immediately used their movement skills to fly far away in order to avoid the crushing World Energy baptism they were about to receive from affecting the breakthrough of their clansmen.
Yang Kai glanced over at Li Rong expectantly and found that although she wasn’t about to break through, she was still literally glowing as new found strength overflowed from her body. Obviously, when she left the Mysterious Small World, she too had gained tremendous benefits.
The same was true for Yin Ya and Xue Ji.
“Senior Li…” Yang Kai called out to Li Rong, “Shouldn’t the clansmen disperse some more?”
There were too many of them trying to break through here so when the World Energy Baptism truly began, the pressure would multiply in intensity, if they didn’t disperse, there would likely be casualties.
But at this moment, under the watchful eyes of their enemies, it wasn’t a wise idea to spread out.
“No,” Li Rong slowly shook her head, “Has Master forgotten what the speciality of our clan is? Han Fei and Hua Mo have already left to ensure their baptisms won’t disturb the rest of the clan’s breakthroughs, so the other clansmen should be just fine.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai remembered that the greatest strength of the Ancient Demon Clan was their tyrannical physiques.
Among cultivators of the same realm, Ancient Demon Clan clansmen had the most intrepid physical strength.
Moreover, they could also summon their Demon Crests to further enhance their bodies.
In order to bear the World Energy baptism, what was most necessary was to have a sturdy physical form.
Seeing Li Rong not at all concerned, Yang Kai naturally relaxed.
“Also, the biggest problem right now is not the clansmen’s breakthrough. Master.” Li Rong turned her eyes to Xue Li and asked. “is that woman one of the current Demon Generals?”
“Yeah, she’s a Third Order Saint Realm master.”
“En, not bad,” Li Rong chuckled as she looked over Xue Li, “It seems that my Demon Race has not suffered significant decline.”
At the same time, Yu Mo frowned as he whispered to Xue Li, “Mistress, what should we do now? From the looks of it, it seems like many of these people who suddenly appeared are about to break through, should we…”
Xue Li slowly shook her head, “They are my Demon Race’s people, although I don’t know why they associate themselves with that little human boy, but if we act now, it will only provoke their hatred. When they are finished, we can speak and if possible, bring them back to Sand City with us. Four First Order Saints and a Second-Order Saint is a formidable force! If I can subdue them, my Sand City will instantly become superior to those other three’s territories.”
“Mistress is wise!” Yu Mo nodded, saying no more.
The number of Demon Race people who had suddenly emerged wasn’t small, and there was a significant amount of powerful masters amongst them; if this force could really be subdued, it would certainly become a massive boon, allowing Xue Li’s strength to dominate above the other three Demon Generals’ forces.
“They don’t seem to be planning to interfere,” Li Rong looked at Xue Li and grinned.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “That woman probably thinks you are not her opponent so it doesn’t matter if she allows all of you to breakthrough.”
“Then she’s in for a surprise,” Li Rong said meaningfully.
Yang Kai glanced over at Li Rong and to his surprise he could see a thick self-confidence flashing across her eyes, stirring a number of thoughts in his head.
He had never seen Li Rong take action before and only knew that she was a well-established Second-Order Saint, a Minor Realm lower than Xue Li.
But listening to her tone, it seemed like Li Rong didn’t put Xue Li in her eyes.
Yang Kai grinned and said nothing more, but inside was looking forward to the show to come.
He very much wanted to know what kind of scene it would be when these two women began exchanging blows.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Ancient Demon Clan clansmen were beginning their breakthroughs.
The surrounding atmosphere became solemn and dignified.
*Hong long long… kacha…*
A terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the Heavens above and slammed into the crowd of Ancient Demon clansmen.
With an audible snort, a number of the Ancient Demon clansmen who were breaking through suffered injuries and blood began to leak from the sides of their mouths.
If only a single one of them was breaking through, with the quality of their physiques, they wouldn’t have suffered any kind of injury from this level of pressure, but with so many of them gathered together to break through, the power of the World Energy baptism had clearly exceeded such a threshold.
All of them stood close to one another but were still evenly spread out, a number of them soon showing signs of being unable to continue standing.
However, the injured Ancient Demon clansmen not only didn’t panic, but instead began laughing, turning stubborn looks towards the Heavens as their flesh began to distort, waiting for the second round of the World Energy baptism to descend, each of them wearing looks of anticipation, seemingly hoping it would be even more violent than the first.
Wu Jie had already distanced himself from them for fear of being implicated.
Yang Kai also flew over to him at that moment, calmly standing beside him and watching.
“Lunatics…” Wu Jie’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “These people are simply a group of madmen, how can they bear such a fierce Heavenly baptism? They’re simply courting death!”
“That may not be so,” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head.
“Does Sir Holy Master think they can withstand this? Some of them were even injured in the first round of this baptism, it is difficult for this Wu to imagine how they will insist to the end. Right now, it’s obvious they should spread out to increase the chances of all of them successfully breaking through, so why did they choose to huddle together? I really can’t understand.”
“An average Demon Race person probably wouldn’t be able to withstand this, but they are not ordinary Demon Race people,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Wu Jie looked at him with a frown, his confusion only deepening.
The Demon Race was the Demon Race, how was one group of them different from another?
*Hong long long…*
The waves of pressure continued to descend from the Heavens, bombarding the Ancient Demon clansmen, causing all of them to gain fresh injuries and bleed profusely.
But this group of demons seemed to have gone crazy, the more blood they saw, the more excited they became, their voices echoing throughout the night sky as they screamed and howled, creating a terrifying scene.
The disciples of Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple stared at them with horror and even masters like Zhang Ao and Cao Guan couldn’t help shuddering.
Hundreds of people breaking through at once was a spectacular display no one present had ever witnessed or even dreamed of before.
In the distance, two other earth-shaking movements were occurring.
Naturally, this was the fallout from Han Fei and Hua Mo’s breakthroughs, the disturbances they were creating in no way weaker than the one occurring right before everyone’s eyes.
Xue Li’s beautiful eyes flashed with pleasant surprise, her desire to subdue this group of Demon Race people growing even stronger.
Everyone in front of her, no matter how high or low their cultivation and regardless of their age, exuded the purest Demon Race aura from their body, violent, bloodthirsty, and cruel…
Xue Li appreciated their might.
She was secretly thinking to herself that these people were the true Demon Race.
Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Xue Li called out, “You there, woman, what is your name? Where do you come from?”
Li Rong smiled gently and asked back, “Are you talking to me?”
“Yes,” Xue Li nodded sincerely, “This Queen is one of the four current Demon Generals, Xue Li, tell me your name and origin!”
Addressing another member of the Demon Race, one whom she was higher in realm than, it was only natural for Xue Li to speak so authoritatively.
“Since you are a Demon General, could it be that you cannot see through the origins of my clan?” Li Rong waved her sleeves as she questioned Xue Li, her voice filled with a dignified tone.
Xue Li frowned and replied in a disgruntled tone, “Should this Queen have seen such a thing?”
Li Rong chuckled, “This Queen, this Queen… Does a mere Demon General dare call herself so in front of me? It seems my Demon Race has truly forgotten its origins and legacy.”
Hearing these words, with the exception of the Ancient Demon Clan and Yang Kai, the expressions of everyone present became weird.
Xue Li sneered towards Li Rong, her eyes flashing a cold light.
She was obviously irritated.
The reason why she did not stop this group of from breaking through was because they were all from the Demon Race and she wanted to leave a good impression, making it easier for her to subdue them, but never had she expected this female leader of their’s to speak so rampantly.
In this world, the only one who dares speak this way to Xue Li was the Demon Commander herself!
Even the Demon Commander would not casually use such a tone with Xue Li though.
“Do not treat the favour of this Queen as weakness,” Xue Li coldly snorted, “If you were not also a member of my Demon Race, this Queen would have already taken action; then how could your people have so leisurely made their breakthrough? Since you, a trivial Second-Order Saint dares act dissolute in front of this Queen, I must teach you a good lesson!”
“A good lesson indeed must be taught here,” Li Rong’s pretty face became cold, “After several thousand years, it seems my clan’s name has been forgotten by this world’s Demon Race… Today, to mark our return, I will use your death to remind everyone just who we are!”
Xue Li narrowed her eyes and shouted, “Who are you?”
Atop the endless Snow Mountain Range, two powerful and beautiful women faced off against one another, tension rising as sparks flew between them.
Both of these women were apex level characters, both in terms of strength and beauty.
This made everyone present secretly eager, each of them wanting to know what the scene would be like if a fight really happened.
However, what made people feel strange was that the beautiful woman with only a Second-Order Saint Realm cultivation appeared calm and leisurely while the world-famous Demon General Xue Li actually wore a dignified expression.
This caused many to wear confused looks.
Li Rong glanced around at her clansmen who were still in the midst of their breakthroughs and feeling that they were nearly finished, she no longer held back, “Coffin Slave Senior, were you the one who killed him?”
“Do you mean that Coffin Carrying Man?” Xue Li’s expression became sullen, “So what if I did? As a member of my Demon Race, he actually dared raise his hand against this Queen, so he deserves to be damned!”
“Good! So you admit it!” Li Rong took a deep breath, her full peaks heaving once as sorrowful look flashing across her face. She coldly whispered, “Coffin Slave Senior has paid an unimaginable price for my clan for countless years, yet I never imagined that the moment before we regained our freedom, he was killed by you… Demon General Xue Li, you will pay for that!”
Saying so, Demonic Qi suddenly burst forth from her body, engulfing Li Rong in a thick black mist as she rushed straight towards Xue Li.
“I commend your courage!” Xue Li sneered, seeing Li Rong actually take the initiative to attack her, flying forward without hesitation to meet her head-on.
In a flash, the two beautiful and fascinating figures collided and a terrifying clash between two Saint Realm masters erupted.
Everyone’s entire focus was immediately attracted to this rare sight.
“Sir Holy Master, this group of Demon Race people you found are a bit strange,” Wu Jie’s mouth twitched slightly as he whispered to Yang Kai.
The ordinary clansmen had actually gathered together to break through and the beautiful woman who appeared to be their leader actually took the initiative to challenge Demon General Xue Li; it was as if she was trying to smash a rock with an egg.
Although there was only a single Minor Realm separating the Second Order and Third Order Saint Realm, the difference in combat power was actually quite vast.
Wu Jie thought that Li Rong would soon be defeated.
He had already begun sweeping his eyes over the surrounding area to determine which direction he should flee when Xue Li’s attention was no longer upon him.
“Of course they’re a bit abnormal,” Yang Kai chuckled, “It’s probably a result of being imprisoned for too long.”
That being said, Yang Kai could understand Li Rong’s current mood.
Coffin Slave Senior had been destroyed by Xue Li, his flesh and bones crushed and scattered across the barren tundra, how could Li Rong not be enraged?
Upon seeing this tragic scene, Li Rong had not immediately rushed to exact revenge upon Xue Li only because she had to safeguard her clansmen as they broke through, but now that their promotion was nearing its end, she naturally could not wait to get started.
High up in the night sky, two beautiful women viciously fought one another, as if there were sworn enemies, Demonic Qi flying back and forth as it slowly filled the surrounding region, subtle yet powerful energy fluctuation constantly occurring as the two clashed, causing everyone who witnessed them to narrow their eyes and tremble in awe.
Battles between Second Order and Third Order Saint Realm masters rarely happened and were almost impossible to spectate.
Yang Kai, who had been closely watching, couldn’t see which side had the advantage.
However, from the degree of volatility in their auras, it was clear that Li Rong was slowly being suppressed.
The Dark Demonic Qi in the surrounding suddenly condensed together into a giant python and bared its fangs as it flew towards a certain spot on the battlefield.
At the same time, potent Spiritual Energy which belonged to Xue Li shelled a certain place in the sky.
In that exact spot, Li Rong, who had just appeared, seemed to be affected by Xue Li’s Divine Sense attack, freezing up for an instant, causing her to get swallowed by the giant black python.
Gasps resounded as Zhang Ao and Cao Guan, who had been watching the battle closely, were shocked and amazed by Xue Li’s methods.
A Second-Order Saint had only managed to last half the time it would take to burn a stick of incense against her before being defeated. Zhang Ao secretly estimated that if he was the one who had been fighting Xue Li, he would have lost even quicker.
Though, the beautiful woman who had inexplicably appeared had already performed very well.
*Chi chi chi…*
Just as everyone began whispering amongst themselves, a cracking sound resounded from the body of the python and in the next moment, in a great burst of light, it exploded into a million pieces and Li Rong re-emerged, a drop of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. It was obvious that during this confrontation, she had suffered a small loss.
Xue Li stared down at Li Rong from above, a smug look of confidence and disdain flashing across her face as she declared, “Daring to act dissolute in front of this Queen with only such meagre skill? I’ll give you one last chance, submit to me and I will spare your life!”
Li Rong lifted her jade hand and wiped away the blood at the corner of her lips as she stared back at Xue Li indifferently.
A moment later, Li Rong gently closed her beautiful eyes and her aura suddenly underwent an earth-shaking change.
Pitch black Demonic Qi surged out from her tender body and soon condensed into thin lines which spread across her skin, glowing ominously before they all sunk into her physique.
On Li Rong’s gorgeous face, strange black tattoos appeared.
These obsidian tattoos added a sense of wildness to her beauty.
Demon God Transformation!
Li Rong cultivated the most orthodox Demon God Transformation and although it was not comparable to Yang Kai’s, it was still capable of greatly enhancing her combat power and vitality.
Li Rong was only a Second-Order Saint, but after summoning her Demon Crests, her violent aura swelled to the point where it was essentially on par with Xue Li’s.
As if in response to Li Rong’s Demon God Transformation, the Ancient Demon clansmen who were in the final stages of their breakthroughs let out great roars, like a pack of ferocious beasts.
Demonic Qi began leaking from all of them as well, quickly forming varying amounts of Demon Crests on their faces and torsos.
From the Heavens above, the last round of the World Energy baptism descended upon the roaring Ancient Demon clansmen who still faced it without condensing any of their Demonic Qi, resisting it completely with just the strength of their flesh.
From their bodies, the crisp sounds of bones fracturing under this pressure rang out as several hundred people all simultaneously rose a Minor Realm.
Xue Li’s beautiful eyes trembled while Yu Mo’s expression became solemn; shivering ever so slightly.
The moment the two of them saw the Demon Crests appear; they couldn’t help remembering an ancient story.
“You’re…” Xue Li shouted like a crazed woman, seemingly having realized what Li Rong and the other’s origins really were yet not daring to actually speak it aloud, “Are you ‘that’ clan?”
According to legend, in the era when Great Demon God ruled supreme, there was a small clan among the Demon Race who had been his most loyal and dedicated servants
This clan was personally cultivated by Great Demon God and had the noblest lineage of the entire Demon Race with the exception of Great Demon God himself.
In front of that clan, the title Demon General was worthless.
Any Demon Race person who saw anyone from this clan would have to act respectfully to them, for they were the direct servants of Great Demon God, the most glorious members of the entire Demon Race.
At that time, the highest pursuit of all Demon Race cultivators was to join this clan; unfortunately, they never accepted outsiders to avoid diluting their bloodlines. Although this limited their numbers, their incredible individual strength more than made up for it.
Almost every member of this clan could fight and defeat opponents above their realm while the greatest of them were even capable of challenging those more than one Minor Realm above themselves.
This small clan of Demon Race masters followed Great Demon God on his many crusades, making great contributions to his glorious name, even acting as his representatives in ruling the world.
They were Great Demon God’s vanguard and a symbol of his invincibility!
Legend has it that when they fought at full strength, their bodies would be covered in intricate tattoos called Demon Crests. These Demons Crests contained the power of Great Demon God. Once they summoned their Demon Crests, few could challenge them.
However, since the fall of Great Demon God, this clan had disappeared.
That clan was referred to as the Ancient Demon Clan!
After so many years, no one knew if the old legends were true or not, many people even believing that this legendary clan was only a fabrication that people used to increase Great Demon God’s prestige.
But now this legendary clan had actually appeared in front of Xue Li.
The Demon Crests which covered their skin was the best proof of this.
Xue Li felt incredible power flowing through these Demon Crests.
“You finally recognize us?” Li Rong stared at her sarcastically, nodding faintly a moment later, “It seems you’re not completely blind after all.”
“Impossible!” Xue Li roared, no longer showing any of the aloof demeanour a Demon General should possess as she pointed and screamed, “You should have all died thousands of years ago! The ancient records clearly stated that Great Demon God personally crippled all of you because you violated an inviolable command!”
As a Demon General, Xue Li naturally knew some secrets that others weren’t privy to.
She had also read the ancient records regarding the Ancient Demon Clan.
It was said that for some profound yet unexplained reasons, Great Demon God had deliberately destroyed the Ancient Demon Clan before his fall.
So Xue Li had always assumed this clan was long gone.
“If you don’t believe it, you just need to verify it for yourself with your body!” Li Rong coldly snorted, rushing forward for a second time.
Xue Li’s thoughts and emotions were in chaos, allowing Li Rong to appear right in front of her and point her glowing finger towards her, an amazing amount of power condensed at its tip, causing Xue Li to freeze up in shock.
“Mistress!” Yu Mo exclaimed and was just about to rush to assist her when the two newly promoted Great Commanders from the Ancient Demon Clan, Yin Ya and Xue Ji blocked his path.
The two of them snickered as they flanked Yu Mo, causing the latter to immediately fall into a disadvantage.
A pitiful scream suddenly resounded as Xue Li was sent flying like a paper kite, a new bone-deep gash appearing on her slender shoulder that leaked out fresh red blood tinged with a hint of golden radiance.
“You think you’re worthy of possessing Great Demon God’s Golden Blood?” When she saw this faint golden hue, Li Rong’s eyes became even colder as a thick murderous intent pulsed from her body, her attacks suddenly becoming both swifter and sharper.
Xue Li hurriedly regained her composure. The shock she had received a moment ago had caused her reactions to become dull and allowed Li Rong to get in a clean hit. Now that she knew she was facing a master from the Ancient Demon Clan, Xue Li didn’t dare act carelessly.
They were warriors straight out of legends!
It wasn’t until this moment that Xue Li realized that her opponent truly had the capital and strength to fight with her, even though her cultivation was a Minor Realm lower.
“What are you still standing around gawking at!?” Yu Mo, who was being suppressed by Yin Ya and Xue Ji roared, “If you want to live, come up and help, or else all of you will die!”
Obviously, he was shouting towards the still dumbfounded Zhang Ao and Cao Guan.
Hearing this, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan and the other human Saints glanced around at each other with complex looks but soon grit their teeth and summoned their artifacts, preparing to rush up and assist Yu Mo.
The battle between Xue Li and Li Rong was basically a showdown between the peak level cultivators of this world; it was so intense that Zhang Ao and Cao Guan weren’t willing to intervene it at all possible.
So they immediately rushed up and wanted to open a path for Yu Mo.
Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple had a total of four Saints between them, with Zhang Ao being the only Second Order. This kind of strength was not negligible, and after they joined the battle, the situation immediately reversed and Yin Ya and Xue Ji found themselves quickly being suppressed.
Five against two, even if Yin Ya and Xue Ji have both used their Demon God Transformations, they still found themselves in danger.
“Sir Holy Master, do you want my help?” Wu Jie leaned over and asked quietly.
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head. Wu Jie wouldn’t be able to make much of a difference in this kind of battle. Yang Kai had been planning to take action just now but after sensing something, he realized it wasn’t necessary.
From the distance, two figures were rushing over.
It was none of than the two Great Commanders Han Fei and Hua Mo who had successfully broken through.
The former’s aura was ice cold while the latter’s was overbearing. They had yet to arrive but their auras were already exerting pressure on the enemy cultivators, allowing both Yin Ya and Xue Ji to grin fiercely and counterattack recklessly.
A several kilometre radii of the pure white Snow Mountain Range had now been blanketed in black Demonic Qi.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Ice spikes filled with concentrated destructive power flew over from the horizon towards Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the other human Saints. Sensing the approaching crisis, Zhang Ao and the others all hurriedly tried to dodge but from the dark shadows down below them, countless strange hands reached up and entangled them.
Like a ghost, Hua Mo had rapidly closed the distance between them and used an exquisite technique to summon these bindings from the shadows, hampering the enemy’s movements.
Suddenly suffering this coordinated attack, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan and the others immediately became distressed. With the exception of Zhang Ao, who had slightly higher strength, the other Human Saint Realm masters were suffered direct hits and were heavily wounded.
“They’re finished,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, no longer paying any attention to that battle and instead focusing on the one high up in the sky.
There, the battle between Li Rong and Xue Li has reached a superheated level, the latter had suffered a small loss because of her lapse in concentration but after focusing herself she was able to hold her own.
The two beautiful women seemed to have reached a stalemate in their contest.
Potent energy fluctuations propagated from these two peak level masters as they fought, causing the world around them to tremble and creak.
Under those fluctuations, Yang Kai felt as if the surrounding space was on the brink of collapsing.
Yang Kai’s heart raced as he watched this top-level battle play out, focusing all his attention on it, trying to extract useful insights from it.
However, to his disappointment, Xue Li no longer seemed to have any motivation and was simply striving to fend off Li Rong’s attacks and defend herself rather than seek victory.
When Xue Li noticed that Han Fei and Hua Mo had arrived, that last remnants of her desire to fight disappeared.
Under the cold moonlight, a great bang erupted and the two females flew apart.
Separated by a thousand meters now, the two beautiful women stared each other down with solemn expressions. Li Rong’s eyes flashed with infinite murderous intent and hatred while Xue Li’s eyes were filled with hesitation.
The Ancient Demon Clan was a legendary existence for all members of the Demon Race.
Li Rong was only a Second-Order Saint yet she could already fight evenly with a Demon General. If she were allowed to reach the Third Order, it was likely that even the current Demon Commander would not be her opponent!
Realizing this, Xue Li’s confidence wavered, wondering whether she should continue treating this legendary clan as her enemy, even secretly regretting killing the Coffin Carrying Man.
If she had not destroyed his corpse, all of them would have been able to sit down and discuss things; after all, they are all from the Demon Race, there was no need for them to kill each other in front of these Humans, allowing them to scoff at them for their lack of unity.
But from the look in Li Rong’s eyes, Xue Li knew there was no way this enmity could be resolved, it had reached a level where there could only be one survivor!
Gritting her teeth, Xue Li muttered, “Ancient Demon Clan… This Queen has experienced your methods today… When the Demon Commander comes to visit you, I hope you can still maintain your arrogance!”
Saying so, Xue Li’s tender body suddenly began squirming like a snake and the sound of bones snapping rang out. In the next moment, Blood Qi burst out from her body.
Li Rong’s beautiful face changed dramatically but it was too late for her to stop Xue Li even though she knew what she was trying to do.
*Peng…*
A muffled bang rang out and Demon General Xue Li’s body burst into a bloody fog, even her bones disintegrating in a crimson flash.
Yang Kai and Wu Jie, who were paying close attention to this battle, saw this scene and were instantly dumbstruck, neither of them even having imagined Xue Li would choose to blow herself up, especially when the fight was nowhere near being decided.
However, faintly, Yang Kai felt that something was off, silently thinking it was impossible for Xue Li to just up and die like this.
“Blood Escape?” Li Rong gnashed her teeth as she stared towards the blood fog in front of her. The fog seemed to contain strange yet powerful energy within it but that soon disappeared and the blood fog then swiftly dissipated, quickly fading into nothingness.
At the same time, just as Han Fei was about to strike down Yu Mo, the latter was shielded by a thin layer of red blood which had a faint golden radiance to it.
This blood layer wrapped Yu Mo up before transforming into a crimson bolt of lightning that soared away towards the horizon.
Li Rong stared sullenly towards the direction this crimson bolt escaped, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth but not making any attempt to pursue.
She had not anticipated that Xue Li would have such a technique up her sleeve. Although this technique consumed a vast amount of True Qi and vitality, it was a perfect method of escape. Once Xue Li displayed it, Li Rong no longer had a way to block her.
Because this was one of the Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities!
It seemed like Xue Li had gotten lucky when she refined the Demon God Golden Blood she inadvertently obtained and managed to comprehend some of the mysterious abilities belonging to Great Demon God.
However, just as everyone thought that Xue Li had successfully escaped, a radiant golden glow suddenly emerged from another point on the horizon and swiftly pursued her.
High up in the sky, a golden chain tore through the sky, as if it was a great dragon with a mind of its own.
This golden chain left behind a long afterimage, like a golden river that divided the Heavens in half, the purest of Yang Attribute auras radiating from it.
As this aura passed by them, all of the Ancient Demon clansmen frowned, showing an uncomfortable expression.
“Demon Sealing Chain?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
At a glance, he recognized this magnificent chain-like artifact as the same one he had obtained back in High Heaven Pavilion. It was thanks to this Demon Sealing Chain that Yang Kai was able to kill Demon General Meng Ge’s Soul Clone as well as the Demon Lord Yang Bai.
After coming to Tong Xuan Realm and entering Soaring Heaven Sect, Yang Kai returned the Demon Sealing Chain to its original owner.
Today, it should be in the hands of Chu Ling Xiao.
“Demon woman, you think you can despise my Human Race so? Coming and going as you please without any consequence?” A mighty bellow rang out, echoing throughout the surrounding world.
There seemed to be a mysterious force contained within this voice, deafening those who heard it and causing their blood to boil.
Everyone present heard this voice and couldn’t help their vitality from tumbling as their faces flushed.
At the same time this voice rang out, the Demon Sealing Chain whipped through the air, drawing a brilliant golden arc that seemed to bypass space itself.
A moment later, Xue Li’s pitiful scream reached everyone’s ears.
The blood-red bolt of lightning burst open, revealing Xue Li’s bloody and distressed figure, but she did not even stop for a second and only fled even faster.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became awkward.
He knew the owner of this voice was none of than the Martial ancestor of Soaring Heaven Sect, Chu Ling Xiao!
“Master!” Li Rong quickly arrived beside Yang Kai, her pretty face wearing a dignified expression as she quickly said, “The strength of the one approaching coming is very strong, and his artifact seems to be designed to restrain my Demon Race… Wait a moment, if something happens, Master must clearly draw a line between himself and my clan, after which I will lead the clansmen to hide deeper into this Snow Mountain Range.”
Yang Kai glanced at her before letting out a wry laugh and shaking his head, “No, I’ll handle this.”
Li Rong stared at him blankly for a moment but did not object, simply nodding her head and saying nothing more.
“Did Xue Li decide to flee because she detected this master approaching?” Yang Kai asked thoughtfully.
“Most likely,” Li Rong nodded, “Neither of us was capable of defeating the other, but if someone else on our level were to interfere… Even if she wanted to flee at that time, she wouldn’t be able to.”
“No wonder,” Yang Kai nodded.
No wonder Xue Li had so decisively broke off her fight with Li Rong and displayed such a profound Divine Ability just to escape, originally she was aware of the approaching threat.
It seemed this woman’s sense of smell was quite sharp.
“Right, I believe you just called the method Xue Li used ‘Blood Escape’, are you familiar with it?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
“If I am not mistaken, that should be one of Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities,” Li Rong gently nodded before quickly comforting, “There is no need to be jealous of her, Master, when the Demon God Golden Blood inside you reaches a certain concentration, you will naturally be able to comprehend it.”
“I’m not jealous, just curious,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Speaking of Divine Abilities… Yang Kai had already obtained one after he refined a drop of Demon God Golden Blood, Soul Fission. Even now, his Soul Clone was being nourished inside his Knowledge Sea, waiting for the day it would become complete and ready to use.
However, it was still a surprise that Xue Li had comprehended this Divine Ability belonging to Great Demon God.
After Xue Li escaped, Zhang Ao and Cao Guan did not dare put up any more resistance, gathering together all of their subordinates in one place as they stared vigilantly towards Han Fei and the other Demon Race Saints around them.
They had followed Xue Li to the endless Snow Mountain Range this time thinking they had found a big backer and would no longer have to worry about Nine Heavens Holy Land seeking revenge, but things had actually developed into this abysmal situation.
Last time they joined forces to attack Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai managed to convince the Monster Race Great Senior to help him, causing serious damage to each of their Sects.
This time, Yang Kai had pulled off an even bigger stunt, somehow recruiting this powerful group of Demon Race people, one of them even capable of fighting on par with a Demon General, each of them a madman, unable to be reasoned or bargained with.
At this moment, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others couldn’t help admiring Wu Jie to some extent, realizing that he was far more forward-looking than them.
Panic-stricken in his heart, Zhang Ao actually showed nothing on his face as he shouted out, “My Human Race’s master is about to arrive. If you Demons don’t run now when will you?”
Just now, when they saw Xue Li injured by the golden chain, Zhang Ao and the others finally saw hope, silently thinking to themselves that as long as this Human Race master arrived, they would be saved.
“That’s right!” Cao Guan echoed, “We don’t wish to be enemies with you, we were simply tricked into coming here by that cheap whore Xue Li. There’s no bitter hatred between us so why not just part ways here and never meet again? It should be the best solution for you too…”
The Ancient Demon Clan however made no response, only turning their attention to Yang Kai while waiting for him to speak.
Zhang Ao and the others quickly realized that this boy they had all once looked down on was now the only one who could determine whether they would live or die. Thinking about the debacle with Nine Heavens Holy Land two or three years ago, where they had hunted Yang Kai for months, fear once again welled up as they stared vigilantly towards him.
Clearly they were afraid that the next words to leave this little brat’s mouth would be an order to kill them.
Fortunately, the Human Race master who had just injured Xue Li was closer than they anticipate and arrived swiftly. After seeing this newcomer, Zhang Ao and the others smiled happily, all the fear and worry leaving their faces as they regained their confidence.
Because they found that it was not just one person who had come, but five!
One Third Order Saint and four First Order Saints instantly appeared in the sky above everyone, each of them wearing a slight frown as they stared down at this unusual gathering.
The one in the lead was a white-haired sage-like old man who despite his seemingly reserved temperament and aura was clearly an extremely powerful master. The other four were also not weak, seemingly having broken through to the Saint Realm for a number of years now.
The five Saints who just arrived, consisting of four males and one female, only glanced around for a moment before all of them turned their gazes towards Yang Kai, looks of incomprehension plastered all over their faces.
The one woman even began glaring at Yang Kai, grinding her teeth as her lips squirmed slightly, seemingly muttering something to herself.
From the way her lips moved though, it seemed as if she was repeatedly cursing.
The arrival of these five people brought great joy to Zhang Ao who immediately rushed over and cupped his fists, “Dare I ask this Brother’s honoured name and which force you hail from?”
The old man at the head of the group glanced towards Zhang Ao and narrowed his eyes slightly, “Soaring Heaven Sect’s… Chu Ling Xiao!”
“Chu Ling Xiao?” Zhang Ao muttered, smiling happily in the next instant as he loudly declared, “So it is Brother Chu. Please forgive this one’s rudeness. This Zhang has long since heard of Brother Chu’s great name, and after witnessing Brother Chu’s might, clearly it is well-deserved, even that evil wench Demon General Xue Li fled at the mere sight of Brother Chu, truly impressive.”
“Who are you?” Chu Ling Xiao swept his eyes over the Ancient Demon Clan before turning back to Zhang Ao and asking, his tone indifferent.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan quickly reported their names.
“Shattering Mystical Palace, War Spirit Temple?” Chu Ling Xiao thought for a moment before continuing, “What are the two of you doing here, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from your respective Sects? Moreover, dragging so many people along with you.”
Sensing some blame in Chu Ling Xiao’s tone, Zhang Ao couldn’t help wincing slightly.
Although this place was not close to Soaring Heaven Sect; regardless of how one put it this was still close to Soaring Heaven Sect’s territory. As outsiders passing through and even operating in this region, they should have gone to pay a visit to the overlord of this region, but for this expedition into the Snow Mountain Range, they had only used a lot of money to forcefully invite the nearby Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect to assist them.
There were no powerful masters in these two forces, which was why Zhang Ao and Cao Guan weren’t worried about them stirring up any trouble.
Zhang Ao quickly tried to explain, “We were simply following clues regarding the legendary Coffin Carrying Man and inadvertently arrived here when suddenly this group of Demons suddenly appeared. It seems that Demon General Xue Li was up to something nefarious here and we unintentionally stumbled upon it. If it weren’t for Brother Chu’s prompt arrival, I’m afraid none of us would have been able to escape from her poisonous grip!”
Zhang Ao spoke these words with a trembling voice and pained look upon his face, as if he was speaking from his heart while suffering great injustice.
Cao Guan also hurriedly echoed his statements.
Li Rong sneered softly, her beautiful face filled with disappointment, “These people are true masters at reversing black and white. Master, may I shut them up forever?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Li Rong had not bothered concealing her voice so her words quickly reached Zhang Ao’s ears, the latter puffing up his chest and flying into a rage as he shouted, “Slut, in front of one of my Human Race’s top powerhouses, you dare act dissolute? Obediently surrender and we may spare your lives!”
At this moment, Zhang Ao’s attitude had taken a complete turn from just a moment ago.
Before Chu Ling Xiao arrived here, he and Cao Guan only spoke softly, showing deference and asking to resolve the situation peacefully.
But the moment Chu Ling Xiao arrived, their attitudes instantly changed, becoming arrogant and overbearing.
This display only made Li Rong look down on them even further.
“Brother Chu!” Zhang Ao turned back to Chu Ling Xiao, “This group of Demon Race evildoers must be the subordinates that Xue Li brought to our Human Race’s territory. Brother Chu does not need to speak any nonsense with them, it would be best to immediately kill all of them and those two human traitors with them!”
Saying so, he pointed indignantly towards Yang Kai and Wu Jie.
“Is that so?” Chu Ling Xiao glanced at him faintly before shifting his eyes to Yang Kai again, letting out an exasperated sigh.
Right now, all he wanted to know was how this little Martial Grandson of his kept managing to involve himself in such troublesome matters; also, from what Chu Ling Xiao could see, Yang Kai’s relationship with this group of Demons was not superficial.
[This little brat…] Chu Ling Xiao secretly shook his head, his mood quite complicated.
“Master, if that old man and the others take action, you first withdraw together with Han Fei, she will protect you safely,” Li Rong whispered into Yang Kai’s ear as she raised her guard.
Chu Ling Xiao gave her a lot of pressure, as the master who had long reached the Third Order Saint Realm; he was indeed a top level powerhouse of this world.
What concerned Li Rong the most though was the chain-like artifact he had used to injure Xue Li.
The pure Yang Attribute that pulsed from it restrained their Demonic Qi inside their bodies greatly. In the hands of a master like Chu Ling Xiao, the power it could display was not to be underestimated.
After suffering that strike, Li Rong estimated that Xue Li would need at least a month or two to completely heal.
“Old man?” Yang Kai brow rose as he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, not responding to Li Rong’s concerns and simply stepping forward towards Chu Ling Xiao and cupping his fists, “Disciple Yang Kai greets Ancestral Founder!”
“Ancestral Founder?” Li Rong couldn’t help covering her mouth in surprise, her beautiful pupils shivering slightly, seemingly shocked that Yang Kai actually had such a relationship with this kind of Human Race master.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan were also both stunned, suddenly recalling a critical piece of information they had discovered before.
Yang Kai was a disciple of Soaring Heaven Sect!
In all the excitement just now, they had temporarily forgotten this point.
“Smelly brat, get over here now!” Fei Yu, who was standing behind Chu Ling Xiao, shouted.
“Coming…” Yang Kai’s shoulders drooped helplessly as he quickly walked over.
Arriving in front of these five, Yang Kai wore a big awkward smile.
Nearby, both the Ancient Demon Clan and Zhang Ao’s group stared over towards them, listening carefully, wondering what these six would say.
Knowing this, Chu Ling Xiao waved his hand and erected a barrier to isolate them from outside probing.
“How did Ancestral Founder and four Martial Seniors know to come here?” Yang Kai’s brow twitched slightly, somewhat restlessly looking around at these familiar faces.
Cang Yan quickly explained, “When that Demon woman arrived here, Ancestral Founder detected her, but not knowing what her purpose was, we decided to observe her quietly first. It wasn’t until today when that great battle broke out that we decided to take action. When that Demon woman fled, she suffered a heavy blow, but it seems she still managed to get away.”
“So that’s it!” Yang Kai suddenly understood.
Although Chu Ling Xiao was in retreat almost all year round in his secluded residence, when a master like Xue Li arrived within a few thousand kilometers of him there was no way she could evade his detection.
In an instant, Yang Kai had a clear and profound understanding of Chu Ling Xiao’s tyrannical strength!
He had long speculated what level this Ancestral Founder of his had reached.
But now Yang Kai was able to confirm that Chu Ling Xiao was indeed a Third Order Saint that stood close or is at the apex of those at his level.
This made sense though as after all, he had killed a Demon General in the past!
“Smelly brat, weren’t you exploring the Alchemy Way with Old Man Du in Grand Boulder City? How come you suddenly rushed out here?” Fei Yu was both angry and confused; some time ago, Mi Na had visited Soaring Heaven Sect to relay Yang Kai’s message to her, saying he would be staying in Grand Boulder City for a while and not to worry about him. Fei Yu believed this and didn’t bother going to Grand Boulder City to find him but now they had suddenly met here, thousands of kilometers away from where Yang Kai was supposedly staying.
“It’s a long story… Where should Martial Nephew begin?” Yang Kai replied seriously.
“Just tell us all that you can. As for what you can’t, there’s no need to force yourself, this old master is also quite curious how this situation came to be,” Chu Ling Xiao smiled as he spoke to Yang Kai, no trace of blame in his tone, seemingly not intending to chastise Yang Kai for being too close to the Ancient Demon Clan.
Yang Kai glanced at him then at his three Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt, discovering curious looks on all of their faces.
Nodding lightly, Yang Kai began, “Then disciple will speak, Ancestral Founder, Martial Seniors, try not to be too surprised.”
“Hmph, who do you think we are? Do you think it’s that easy to surprise us?” Fei Yu spat disdainfully.
“I suppose I must start from the time shortly after I arrived here in Tong Xuan Realm. This will take a while to say…” Yang Kai thought about it and began from the point where he encountered the Coffin Carrying Man in Raging Flame City and how he was captured and thrown into a Mysterious Small World by him. Just as Yang Kai anticipated, it wasn’t long before Chu Ling Xiao and his several Martial Seniors wore shocked looks upon their faces.
Yang Kai didn’t dare mention anything about his Unyielding Golden Skeleton or his relationship with Great Demon God, instead only explaining how in exchange for rescuing the Ancient Demon Clan, they had agreed to serve him.
Although there were holes and inconsistencies all over the place in his story, Chu Ling Xiao and the others didn’t ask any question and just listened to his explanations quietly.
Understanding why this group of Demon Race people were so close to Yang Kai, Chu Ling Xiao thoughtfully asked, “So what you mean to say is, they are completely obedient towards you?”
“En.”
“Is there any chance of them revolting?”
“None!” Yang Kai firmly declared.
Chu Ling Xiao stared at him deeply, seemingly trying to see into the depths of his Soul, a moment later his gaze softening as he nodded, “Very good, although you are not old, you act in a calm and composed manner and should not bring any harm to our Human Race. Since they are willing to obey you, they can also be regarded as a force in their hands… but remember, that power is a double-edged sword, if you wield it unskillfully, you will only end up harming yourself.”
Yang Kai wore a thoughtfully look as he nodded, “Disciple will remember.”
“Moreover, you will certainly become the target of countless people’s hostility. If you are not prepared for such a reality, I advise you to give them up now. Once you accept them, your future road will become filled with thorns with many masters you have never even met before declaring you a life and death enemy!” Chu Ling Xiao spoke solemnly.
“Disciple is aware!”
“Good, then this old master will say nothing more,” Chu Ling Xiao smiled, “Soaring Heaven Sect cannot accommodate them, so where do you plan on having them stay? Will you be leading them to the Demon Land?”
If this group of Ancient Demon clansmen were placed in Soaring Heaven Sect, never mind what outsiders would think, even the disciples inside Soaring Heaven Sect would likely find it unacceptable.
Doing so would have a massive negative impact on Soaring Heaven Sect’s reputation.
Outsiders may think that Soaring Heaven Sect was colluding with the Demon Race.
Hearing this from Chu Ling Xiao, Yang Kai knew he couldn’t hide it anymore and said, “Disciple already has a place in mind where they can stay.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“I’ll take them to Nine Heavens Holy Land, which is on the edge of the Human Territory, bordering the Monster Domain, there should be no problem if they settle down there.”
“Nine Heavens Holy Land?” Cang Yan frowned, “Are you familiar with that place? How could they possibly agree to allow you to place a thousand members of the Demon Race there?”
“I also heard that there was a great upheaval in Nine Heavens Holy Land and that it was currently being occupied by a Great Senior from the Monster Race,” Fei Yu also said with concern, “If you go there now, even if you have some kind of acquaintance, you won’t be able to find them. That Monster Race Great Senior is a top-level Third Order Saint, not someone you’ll be able to negotiate with.”
Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly as he quietly muttered, “Martial Seniors need not be worried; actually, disciple is the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land…”
The jaws of all four Martial Seniors dropped at that moment as they stared dumbly towards Yang Kai.
Even Chu Ling Xiao gawked at him for a moment.
Only after a long time did Cang Yan hesitantly asked Yang Kai, “Little Martial Nephew, are you joking… or is that really the case?”
“Does it look like I’m cracking a joke?” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.
“The new Holy Master?” Li Wan’s mouth twitched continuously, seemingly unable to process what he just heard.
Fei Jian thought for a moment before nodding, “Good, I really heard that Nine Heavens Holy Land had a new Holy Master and that he was quite young…” Saying so, he swept his eyes up and down Yang Kai, seemingly contemplating the possibilities.
“Why you smelly little brat!” Fei Yu shouted, “What else are you still hiding from us!? Out with it! All of it!”
“Nothing!” Yang Kai shrank his neck, “I was looking for a chance to tell Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt, but there just hasn’t been an opportunity to so… heh heh.”
“That Monster Race Great Senior… can you handle him?” Chu Ling Xiao looked at Yang Kai somewhat skeptically.
“Ancestral Founder can rest assured, I have an agreement with that Monster Race Great Senior for them to guard Nine Heavens Holy Land. Now I can return there to claim it back though.”
“En, you really have such power in your hands now,” Chu Ling Xiao glanced over towards Li Rong and the others and smiled slightly, “Although this old master does not have any good impressions of the Demon Race, from what I can see, they truly care about you. That woman there was the one who fought against Xue Li, yes?”
“En, Xue Li killed the Coffin Carrying Man, the hatred between them cannot be easily resolved.”
“Very well, this group of Demon Race people… handle them as you see fit. If it were not you standing in front of this old master, it would be absolutely impossible for me to agree to let them go.”
“Many thanks, Ancestral Founder,” Yang Kai said gratefully.
Yang Kai once again felt deeply how much faith and care Chu Ling Xiao and his Martial Seniors gave him.
Just as Chu Ling Xiao had said, if it had been anyone else standing here right now, he would not be willing to give up.
“Martial Ancestor, what about those Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple people?” Cang Yan’s brow wrinkled slightly, a slight glimmer of light flashing across his eyes, “If we just let them go, many of little Martial Nephew’s secrets will soon spread out!”
Chu Ling Xiao’s brow wrinkled for an instant before casually saying, “This old master brought you four here today only to intercept Demon General Xue Li, as for the others… I saw nothing.”
Hearing this, the Four Soaring Heaven Sect Saints were momentarily stunned before they quickly turned meaningful grins towards Yang Kai, chuckling slightly as they did so.
Cang Yan then patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Little Martial Nephew, take care of yourself, if you ever encounter any problem you cannot solve alone, feel free to return to the Sect at any time, Soaring Heaven Sect will always be your home.”
“I’ll leave your room in Serene Resplendent Peak free, remember to come back often to visit,” Fei Yu said with a smile.
“If you don’t show up every now and then, we’ll go to Nine Heavens Holy Land instead so we can witness the prestige of the new Holy Master! I heard that there are several Saintesses over there… each of them a great beauty…” Li Wan grinned meaningfully.
Fei Jian remained silent as always, simply nodding lightly towards Yang Kai.
“Martial Uncles, Martial Aunt…” Yang Kai’s lips trembled slightly, not knowing what to say, only feeling warmth in his heart.
“Let’s go, we need to see if we can catch up to that Demon Woman. After suffering a blow from my Demon Sealing Chain, she no doubt suffered serious damage,” Chu Ling Xiao’s eyes suddenly became sharp as he stared towards the horizon, swiftly wrapping his True Qi around the other four before transforming into a bolt of light which shot off into the distance.
“Brother Chu… Brother Chu!” Seeing this, Zhang Ao couldn’t help feeling shocked and calling out in panic.
He never expected that Chu Ling Xiao would simply ask a few questions of them before flying off, not even bothering to put in a word for them much less save them.
“Brother Zhang, we’ve clearly been abandoned. That damn Chu Ling Xiao and this little bastard are no doubt working together!” Cao Guan’s complexion became incomparably cold and gloomy.
Realizing this, their heart sank into a dark abyss.
The thousand or so Ancient Demon clansmen rushed over and surrounded them as Demon Crests appeared on the faces of the five Saint Realm masters, their auras all surging up and filling with fighting intent.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others could not help but stumble back a few steps as they hurriedly began gathering their strength, gulping in horror as they stared around at the Ancient Demon clansmen.
“Master, how should we deal with these people?” Li Rong asked lightly.
Yang Kai grinned silently.
Seemingly aware of Yang Kai’s murderous intent, Zhang Ao hurriedly called out, “Holy Master Yang, is there a need to act ruthless? This time it was indeed we who were in the wrong, but there is always room to negotiate! When we meet in the future, it isn’t impossible for us to be friends! This Zhang can also swear that nothing that has transpired here today will leave any of our lips!”
“Always room to negotiate?” Yang Kai chuckled, “Is there any need for that? I think that after today, we will never meet again!”
Saying so, his eyes flashed a cold light as he decisively shouted, “Kill!”
Since the crisis at Nine Heavens Holy Land, this group of people had constantly been acting against him, even just now they had been trying to reverse black and white and confuse right and wrong. Leaving such people alive will surely lead to disaster in the future.
Yang Kai was by no means a magnanimous person, rather, he was someone who needed to seek vengeance for even the slightest grievance.
With his character, now that he had them cornered, how could he allow Zhang Ao and Cao Guan to survive?
When Yang Kai gave the order, the thousand Ancient Demon clansmen all cheered excitedly, summoning out all kinds of strange and ancient artifacts as they rushed towards the Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple cultivators.
The Ancient Demon Clan had been imprisoned for too long.
They were the elite of the Demon Race, the epitome of bloodthirst and brutality…
Their innate temperament which had been suppressed deep in their bones for thousands of years, unable to be released, now finally had a chance to re-surface.
Each of them held nothing back, using their full strength right from the start as they crashed down upon the Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple disciples like a tsunami.
The four Saints of these two forces were also being eyed by Han Fei and the other Ancient Demon Clan Saints.
Han Fei and Hua Mo, who had just broken through to the Second Order Saint Realm, were in desperate need of a bloody battle to consolidate their cultivations and improve their understanding of their current realm, so naturally, they showed no mercy.
Although Zhang Ao was also an established Second-Order Saint, facing the Ancient Demon Clan masters using their Demon God Transformations, he was unable to even fight back. Li Rong didn’t even make a move, simply allowing the others to fight to their hearts’ content.
Hot blood splashed and screams echoed through the air as the once pure white Snow Mountain Range was dyed dark red.
As fresh corpses were rapidly created, everyone who witnessed this scene had a look of horror fill their face as fear flashed across their eyes.
The ruthlessness of the Ancient Demon Clan not only frightened the enemy but even Wu Jie, who was spectating nearby, couldn’t help shivering unconsciously.
They way they fought was the very definition of savage. Even if their opponent was already dead, they would continue ripping them apart. No one who died did so with a whole corpse, many of them even shredded into so many pieces they could no longer be identified.
In the midst of this fierce battle, the Ancient Demon clansmen subconsciously licked their lips and glared at their opponents cruelly, seemingly revelling in their wanton slaughter.
Even Guan’er, who usually wore a sweet and cheerful expression, seemed to have transformed into another person entirely, her pretty face filled with ferocious murderous intent as her Demon Crests pulsed with Demonic Qi, often causing her opponents to lose all fighting spirit before she even laid a finger on them.
“Let no chicken or dog remain!”
Li Rong called out, waving her hand and sending out several bolts of blood-red light which flew through the crowd and quickly seized several Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple cultivators. These cultivators desperately tried to escape but were unable to resist and were soon crushed into bloody pulps as they let out tragic screams.
In the next instant, Li Rong’s figure flickered and shot towards Zhang Ao.
Wu Jie’s mouth went dry, his body trembling as he stared out at this bloody purgatory, feeling no small amount of fear.
It was as if all the Ancient Demon clansmen were filled with madness, excitedly swimming through the crowd, killing one enemy after another as they bathed in their blood.
They clearly enjoyed this kind of killing; no need for mercy or restraint, simply slaughtering everything before them.
Wu Jie finally realized just how terrifying this group of Demons was and couldn’t help feeling a chill in his heart.
Compared with the Demon Race people he knew, this group of people were more like real demons!
The cruel madness on display in front of him even began to influence his mind, causing his blood to boil up. Gradually, Wu Jie’s eyes became red and his trembling stopped, a kind of bloodthirst slowly building up inside him, urging him to charge forward and join this savage battle.
This feeling continued to build until Wu Jie almost could not control himself.
“Wu Jie!” Suddenly, Yang Kai’s shout resounded in his ear.
Hearing this call, Wu Jie’s body shivered and clarity returned to his bloodshot eyes, the thirst for slaughter quickly fading.
Swiftly recovering, Wu Jie dripped with cold sweat and hurriedly shielded his consciousness, fearing he would once again be influenced by the aura the Ancient Demon Clan was emitting.
“Many thanks, Sir Holy Master!” Wu Jie quickly thanked Yang Kai, in his heart admiring him even more than before.
This young man’s cultivation was lower than his own yet he could remain completely clear-headed even in this situation. Obviously, Yang Kai’s mental strength had exceeded his own.
Realizing this, Wu Jie was filled with amazement.
Every attack from the Ancient Demon clansmen cut off a limb or head from their enemies, causing blood to spray out.
The black Demonic Qi released by them seemed to take on a life of its own and like a giant beast slammed into the crowd with overwhelming force, destroying what little will to resist the remaining Shattering Mystical Palace and the War Spirit Temple cultivators had, their screams of terror ringing out as they died in despair.
The pure and pristine Snow Mountain Range has become a purgatory filled with blood that flowed like meandering streams, with residual flesh and bones scattered about.
Soon, the disciples of these two forces were all either dead or dying.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the other Saints had become desperate, madly shouting as they tried to resist but in front of Li Rong and the other Ancient Demon Clan Saints, they were helpless, their struggles only serving to prolong their suffering.
The human race Transcendent Realm masters soon fell too.
The four Saints were also gradually losing ground.
Zhang Ao continued to display extraordinary strength, the aftermath of each of his attacks killing several low-level Ancient Demon clansmen, infuriating Li Rong who only intensified her assault.
Yang Kai was indifferent to all of this as he deeply understood the law of the jungle.
Time passed quickly, and soon the battle subsided.
Dead bodies filled the area and the victorious Ancient Demon clansmen howled towards the Heavens, seemingly finding it difficult to accept that the battle was over, their Demonic Qi and thick killing intent clouding the sky, causing the entire region with gloom.
Of Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple’s four Saint Realm master, three had been killed in battle and only Zhang Ao remained.
Li Rong bound him with a thick blood-red energy rope, completely restricting his movements and strength, before dragging him over and tossing him in front of Yang Kai.
Standing at the center of this Shura purgatory, Yang Kai closed his eyes and activated the Demon Eye of Annihilation in his Knowledge Sea, swiftly absorbing all the scattered Soul remnants from the recently deceased cultivators.
Zhang Ao waited with trepidation, wondering what kind of fate he would face, cold sweat dripping down his back as he stared at Yang Kai in horror.
Only after a while did Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Zhang Ao in front of him.
“Holy Master Yang… regardless of anything else, this Zhang is still a powerful master. I ask you to show mercy and spare my life, and in exchange, this Zhang is willing to become Holy Master Yang’s servant and faithfully obey any command given to him!” Not waiting for Yang Kai to speak, Zhang Ao hurriedly stated, fearing he would immediately be executed.
Seeing him act so timid and weak, Li Rong and others couldn’t help revealing looks of disdain.
“A powerful master… good, you did manage to pursue me for several months,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “But I apologize, I have no interest in you, I already hold enough strength in my hands. Moreover, keeping you around doesn’t bring me any advantage.”
“Holy Master Yang, please wait, no matter what it is you want…” Noticing Yang Kai’s murderous intent, Zhang Ao was really afraid, hurriedly turning to the nearby Wu Jie and shouting, “Sect Master Wu, out of respect for our many years of friendship, please help me say a few words.”
Wu Jie sighed deeply and shook his head, “Brother Zhang… A single misdeed may be forgiven, but a series of them may not… this Wu advised you two years ago to take a step back, but you insisted on acting ruthlessly. Now that the situation has reversed, what more can this Wu say? Also, it was only thanks to Sir Holy Master’s assistance that this Wu managed to maintain his feeble existence, how could I speak against him now?”
Seeing Wu Jie refuse his request, Zhang Ao was somewhat dejected but hurriedly recovered and said, “Holy Master Yang, I have a secret. As long as you promise not to kill me, I can tell you all about it.”
“A secret?” Yang Kai chuckled, “Who doesn’t have secrets? Does your secret even have any value to me?”
“This secret may be related to the legendary Starry Sky, and I think Holy Master Yang should be interested. You are the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, sooner or later you will reach the peak of the Third Order Saint Realm, the only thing left for such a powerhouse to pursue is the path to the Starry Sky!” Zhang Ao explained.
Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly, truly feeling somewhat interested, bending down slightly as he stared at Zhang Ao, “How do you know your secret is related to the mystery of the Starry Sky?”
“Because this Zhang personally experienced it once, as if I was floating amidst an endless blackness with faint stars far off in the distance, a very unusual scene…”
“Master, this guy is just trying to stall for time by making up wild stories,” Han Fei shouted coldly.
Yang Kai raised his hand to calm her before gesturing to Zhang Ao, “Continue.”
Seeing that Yang Kai really seemed to be interested, Zhang Ao suddenly felt a lot more spirited and quickly said, “There was also a very strange force in the surroundings. Even though this Zhang was already a Second-Order Saint at the time, it was still somewhat difficult to resist that pressure. It felt almost as if my entire body would be crushed to pieces in the next moment. I believe that only a Third Order Saint would be capable of bearing that horrible force with their flesh.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly. What Zhang Ao just said matched almost perfectly with his own experience in the Starry Sky, adding greatly to the latter’s credibility. Only those who had experienced the Starry Sky in person could describe it so accurately.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai grinned, “You said you had some secret yes? What does it have to do with the Starry Sky? How do you know that what you experienced was actually the Starry Sky?”
“Speaking truthfully Holy Master Yang, at first this Zhang didn’t pay much attention to all of this, until one day I obtained a very strange stone inside the Sect. That stone didn’t belong to this realm… over the following years, this Zhang often managed to obtain some scattered stones from that place until one day I discovered something far more valuable.”
“Oh? What?” Yang Kai asked dryly.
“That thing is in this Zhang’s Universe Bag, feel free to check for yourself. After seeing it, you will know if this Zhang is making up stories or not,” Zhang Ao said.
Yang Kai glanced over at his Universe Bag and reached out for it but just as he was about to open it, Li Rong quickly stepped forward, “Master, allow me.”
She clearly distrusted Zhang Ao and feared he had left some kind of trap behind in his Universe Bag.
Hearing this, Yang Kai nodded and handed the Universe Bag to Li Rong.
Li Rong accepted the Universe Bag and immediately opened it, but before she could even begin to examine it, a strange burst of energy shot from it and sank into Li Rong’s forehead.
Li Rong’s movements went stiff and her tender body trembled slightly, seemingly suffering a great deal of pain.
“There really was a trap!” Han Fei’s expression became even colder, patting her hand towards Zhang Ao in the next instant, shattering half the bones in his body.
“Don’t kill him yet!” Yang Kai hurriedly stopped her, his expression quite gloomy as he hurried over and examined Li Rong’s injury.
If Li Rong had not suddenly interceded, it was likely he would be the one writhing in pain right now!
“I’m fine… it was just an attack by a wisp of his Divine Sense,” Li Rong held her forehead and whispered, “It contained a kind of enslavement command, I’ve already resolved it.”
As an even more powerful Second-Order Saint, Zhang Ao’s secret arrangements obviously were ineffective against Li Rong.
Zhang Ao immediately looked dispirited and somewhat unwilling.
What he didn’t know was that even if this attack had been taken by Yang Kai, it would not have had any effect.
He had used all his cunning to try to lure Yang Kai into exploring his Universe Bag so he could control him in one fell swoop, but unfortunately for him, he had failed.
After suffering Han Fei’s attack, Zhang Ao could only lie spread out on the ground, his entire body screaming out in pain as he glared around at his captors.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly as he stood up and walked over to Zhang Ao, nodding lightly, “It seems you have more courage than I gave you credit for! Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Zhang Ao’s eyes blazed with hatred and helplessness, refusing to say a word, obviously knowing there was no longer any hope of escape this time.
After watching him for a while, Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently, “Kill him!”
Zhang Ao roared at that moment, “Kill me and you’ll never learn that secret!”
He made his final effort.
The only answer he received though was Han Fei’s fatal strike.
Unnoticed by anyone though, Zhang Ao’s Soul remnant which leaked from his Knowledge Sea was absorbed by Yang Kai.
Sending his Soul Avatar into his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai carefully placed the Spiritual Energy remnant which belonged to Zhang Ao into a separate corner, preparing to examine it later when he had some free time.
Yang Kai was actually quite interested in the secret Zhang Ao was talking about before he died.
Now, there was no one left from Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple, only Wu Jie remained standing, wearing a complicated look upon his face, feeling a tinge of sadness but also a great sense of fortune. Thankfully he had taken the initiative to speak with Yang Kai two years ago and negotiate for peace, otherwise he and his Netherworld Sect’s elite would definitely be amongst the field of corpses spread out before him.
“Wu Jie, are there any dead from your Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai turned and asked.
Wu Jie slowly shook his head, “Before I made my escape I sent a message to my Vice Sect Master telling him to take our people and leave; Zhang Ao and the others were only interested in chasing you so they didn’t bother with them. The only dead here belong to Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple, even those guys from Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect seemed to have abandoned them.”
“En, very good,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“My people haven’t left very far…” Wu Jie sensed, “Sir Holy Master, can I call them over?”
Yang Kai nodded, not preventing him.
“Senior Li…” The newly-promoted Yin Ya and Xue Ji flew over, holding a Universe Bag in their hands and reporting, “What remains of Coffin Slave Senior have been collected.”
Li Rong’s expression became gloomy as she accepted the Universe Bag.
Yang Kai glanced over at her and softly spoke, “Please restrain your grief, Coffin Slave Senior faithfully completed his long mission and can now rest.”
“En, it is as Master says.”
“Tonight, we’ll rest here and allow all of you to adapt to the outside world. We’ll clean up and leave tomorrow morning.”
“Yes!” Li Rong took the lead and began organizing the others.
It was only now that the Demon Crests which covered all of the Ancient Demon Clan gradually dispersed, the thick Demonic Qi which filled the air also dissipating, allowing the surrounding atmosphere to finally relax.
There were some casualties among the thousand Ancient Demon clansmen who fought in this battle, but the number was quite small, somewhere between twenty and thirty in total. Now that it came time to bury them, the living couldn’t help shedding some tears.
All of them had been waiting countless years to experience the outside world and had finally managed to come out from that Mysterious Small World today, but before they could even see any part of it, some of them had lost their lives. Their living companions naturally felt sorry for them.
But soon, the Ancient Demon Clan’s mood lifted, many of them staring up at the moon and stars in the sky, unable to peel their eyes away, a sense of anticipation filling their hearts, imagining just what the rising sun tomorrow would look like.
Late at night, the Snow Mountain Range air felt unusually cold.
However, the Ancient Demon clansmen were completely unaffected, some of them even laid down half naked on the snow to experience this unfamiliar coldness.
At some point, snow had started falling, causing gasps of surprise to ring out as the Ancient Demon clansmen held out their hands to catch the falling flakes.
Everything about the outside world was fresh and new for them.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged off to the side, refining and absorbing the Soul remnants he had absorbed of those who had died in the previous battle just now while comparing and cataloguing their insights into the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way with his own.
“Master,” Li Rong came over and softly called out.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked up at her, “What happened?”
“I found something strange.”
“Oh? What?”
Li Rong quickly handed over what was in her hand.
The moment Yang Kai accepted it, he felt an odd sensation pulse through his body. Staring blankly at it, he discovered this object was a dark red stone about the size of a small clenched fist.
Yang Kai’s knowledge at a considerable level. Because of his immersion in Alchemy, he had become quite skilled at identifying or at least evaluating this world’s rare treasures, spirit grasses, and spirit medicines.
However, he was at a complete loss regarding this stone.
It had a reddish colour to it and felt somewhat damp, as if it had just been plucked out of a stream of water, but there was no sign of liquid anywhere on its surface.
What drew Yang Kai’s attention the most though was the huge force of vitality contained inside this stone.
In fact, listening carefully, Yang Kai could even hear a thumping sound coming from it along with the sound of flowing water.
There was also a thick bloody smell that wafted from it.
“Where did you find it?” Yang Kai asked.
“It was inside the Universe Bag of that person.”
She was talking about Zhang Ao but obviously never bothered to remember his name.
Yang Kai looked it over a while longer before shaking his head, “You’re unable to recognize what it is?”
Li Rong slowly shook her head, pondering for a moment before suggesting, “Perhaps Hua Mo will be able to identify it, he is the oldest of my clan…” Saying so, she silently sent him a Divine Sense message.
Hearing her call, the leaders of the Ancient Demon Clan gathered together.
The dark red stone was passed around between the five Saints but each of them only took a moment to observe it before shaking their heads. Like Yang Kai, they also noted the thick bloody smell coming from it, wondering why this strange stone seemed like it was filled with a massive quantity of blood.
“Sir Holy Master… can you let me take a look?” Wu Jie suddenly said.
Yang Kai casually tossed the stone over to him.
Wu Jie grabbed it and examined it carefully before condensing some of his True Qi at his fingertips and injecting it into the stone, causing it to emit a strange force that seemed to disturb the blood inside it.
Seeing this, the Ancient Demon Clan’s Saints couldn’t help staring in surprise.
Wu Jie nodded lightly as he handed the stone back to Yang Kai and said, “If I am not mistaken, this should be a Blood Essence Stone!”
“Blood Essence Stone?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed while Li Rong and the others also wore confused looks, obviously never having heard of such an item before.
“What Zhang Ao was talking about before he died may be true…” Wu Jie spoke thoughtfully, “I thought he was just trying to lure Sir Holy Master into the trap that was set on his Universe Bag, but perhaps there was more to it than just that.”
“You mean, what he was saying about the Starry Sky?”
“Indeed,” Wu Jie nodded sincerely, “Because this Blood Essence Stone is not a product of Tong Xuan Realm, but something from the Starry Sky!”
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up!
The Starry Sky was a place of legend in Tong Xuan Realm, one no one had ever truly explored.
Yang Kai and Di Yao had visited the Starry Sky through the Thousand Year Demon Flower many years ago and Yang Kai had even spent a year or so in it, but the Starry Sky was simply too vast to explore in such a short time. As such, after breaking through to the Transcendent Realm, Yang Kai had immediately rushed back.
“Sir Holy Master is aware that some unique products from the Starry Sky appear in Tong Xuan Realm from time to time, yes?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai nodded, “I’ve seen some of them before.”
Back when he was a ‘guest’ of Bright Thunder Spirit Religion, Du Wan had taken out a strange blue stone that originated from the Starry Sky and used it to for a barrier to resist the destructive power of the Wind Eye exploding, after which the stone had shattered.
“Most of these unique products are strange stones which inadvertently land in our World after drifting here from the Starry Sky. Some have no effect and are just ordinary stones, making them worthless, but this Blood Essence Stone is different!”
“How do you know all this?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Wu Jie shrugged his shoulders, “I had an acquaintance who possessed a similar stone before, but the one he had was much smaller than this one.”
“What is it used for?”
“If Sir Holy Master injects his True Qi into it, you will be quickly come to understand what use it has!” Wu Jie smiled mysteriously.
Yang Kai didn’t ask any more and simply held out the Blood Essence Stone and poured his True Qi into it.
In an instant, the stone went from dark to bright red and released a brilliant crimson light that caused the hearts of everyone nearby to jump.
The Blood Essence Stone then began emitting a strange force that drew in all of the spilt blood from the surroundings, literally pulling it out of the ground it had just soaked into a few hours earlier.
At a speed visible to the naked eye, subtle depressions in the area around Yang Kai began to appear as more and more blood was drawn out of it.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Tens of thousands of tiny blood droplets flew over from the surrounding dozen kilometer radius and sank into the Blood Essence Stone.
The Great Commanders of the Ancient Demon Clan all watched this fantastical scene in amazement.
The blood which flowed towards the Blood Essence Stone and was swallowed up was clearly the blood from the people who had died here before.
The Blood Essence Stone was like a bottomless pit, no matter how much blood it absorbed, it never seemed to be filled.
With the influx of fresh blood, the red radiance of the Blood Essence Stone and the blood smell it gave off became stronger and stronger.
After a while, the streams of blood flowing towards the stone gradually weakened until they finally ceased altogether. The Snow Mountain Range, which had moments ago been stained dark red with blood, had once again becomes pure white, as if it had never been dirtied in the first place.
Yang Kai couldn’t help showing a look of surprise and admiration.
The Blood Essence Stone in his grip now seemed to have taken on a life of its own and was bursting with vitality.
Sending his Spiritual Energy into the Blood Essence Stone, Yang Kai manipulated a wisp of the strange energy contained within it and drew it out, inhaling it into his lungs.
Upon doing so, Yang Kai felt as if his own vitality had surged and noticeably strengthened, his entire physique seemingly rejoicing as it filled with explosive power.
“This is…” Yang Kai quickly revealed a joyful expression as he called out to Li Rong, “Bring over one of your seriously injured clansmen!”
Li Rong gently nodded, and quickly left.
Returning a moment later, she brought an Ancient Demon clansman who had lost his arm.
Even though his arm had been cut off in battle not long ago, the Ancient Demon clansman still wore a leisurely face, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary
“Greetings, Master!” The Ancient Demon clansman hurriedly bowed.
What Yang Kai’s true identity and his relationship with the Ancient Demon Clan was, Li Rong had carefully explained to all her clansmen already.
“Rise, where is your severed arm?” Yang Kai asked.
“I threw it away,” The clansman replied simply, speaking as if he had tossed away a piece of trash rather than his arm, at the same time directing a curious look towards Yang Kai, wondering why he would ask such a question.
“You threw it away?” Yang Kai’s face went black, “Go get it back.”
“En,” The clansman nodded, not asking anything, simply walking off in a certain direction to look for his lost arm.
Han Fei’s brow furrowed slightly as she couldn’t help asking suspicious, “Master, could it be you want to… connect his severed arm?”
“It’s worth a try,” Yang Kai chuckled, “There is an astonishing amount of vitality contained within this thing, it may be possible to use it to reconnect his arm.”
Saying so, he glanced over at Wu Jie and asked, “Is this the use of the Blood Essence Stone you spoke of?”
Wu Jie laughed lightly and replied, “I only know that it has a very powerful healing effect and is also helpful for those who cultivate blood related Secret Arts and Martial Skills. As for whether or not it can be used to reconnect severed limbs, this Wu is unsure.”
“Not only can it serve as an auxiliary support for those who cultivate blood type Secret Arts and Martial Skills, anyone can make use of it,” Yang Kai gently nodded, glancing down at Blood Essence Stone, “The products from the Starry Sky are truly amazing. Just that tiny wisp of its energy allowed my strength to grow. If it was to be used in battle, it may be possible to turn defeat into victory!”
Hearing him say these words, everyone also became interested in the Blood Essence Stone.
A short time later, the Ancient Demon clansman finally found his severed arm.
However, because it had been several hours already, the severed arm had long gone stiff and was even partially frozen.
The wound was quite flat, obviously having been cut off by a sharp weapon, which was actually a stroke of luck as this would make it easier to connect.
Yang Kai instructed the clansman to hold his severed arm up to the place it was cut off and then began willing the energy inside the Blood Essence Stone out.
A faint red mist like a tiny snake leapt out and poured into the wound.
Everyone watched this scene intently; although somewhat doubtful it would succeed, still quite curious what the ultimate result would be.
The Ancient Demon clansman did not show much expression on his face, a severed arm being reconnected was something that even peak Third Order Saints were incapable of whereas he was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage cultivator. Although his physique was strong, what had been cut off was cut off for good, how could it be joined together once again?
He did not have any expectations and only complied because of Yang Kai’s identity.
However, with the influx of energy from the Blood Essence Stone, the casual look on his face gradually gave way to one of shock and ecstasy, his eyes bulging as he stared at his wound, full of anticipation, his body even trembling slightly, unable to restrain the excitement he felt in his heart.
The stiff frozen arm, under the influence of Blood Essence Stone’s energy, gradually became warm and even began to tingle slightly, sensations slowly being restored to it.
Trying his luck, the clansman attempted to move his fingers and actually managed to succeed, his middle finger twitching ever so slightly.
Seeing this, everyone’s eyes lit up as their expectations rose even higher.
Time passed slowly as Yang Kai continued to pour energy out of the Blood Essence Stone onto the arm of the Ancient Demon clansman.
Gradually, the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the eye and after half an hour, only a faint scar remained and the formerly severed arm had been completely re-attached.
After half an hour, Yang Kai took back the Blood Essence Stone and said to the Ancient Demon clansman, “See if there’s anything out of place.”
The clansman quickly clenched his fist and swung his arm around, soon bursting into a joyful shout as his face filled with excitement, “It’s really connected!”
Li Rong and the others all looked on in shock, somewhat unable to believe their eyes.
The severed arm had been reconnected, something that should have been impossible had just happened right before their eyes, making all of them realize just how extraordinary the Blood Essence Stone was.
“The flesh has been fully connected, but your bones will need some time to mend, don’t use too much force in the near future and rest up so you can heal,” Yang Kai ordered.
The Ancient Demon clansman nodded firmly, his face filled with extreme gratitude, “Many thanks Master, many thanks!”
Although he didn’t care much about losing his arm originally, but seeing his body become complete again, naturally he was happy.
“En, go,” Yang Kai smiled and dismissed him.
The man respectfully bowed before excitedly running off.
Yang Kai inspected the Blood Essence Stone in his hand and was keenly aware that the energy contained within it had been noticeably consumed.
This was an amazing treasure, it seemed able to transform ordinary blood into this wondrous energy which had incredible healing and enhancing effects.
The products of the Starry Sky were really extraordinary.
After observing it for a moment, Yang Kai tossed the Blood Essence Stone to Li Rong and said, “See if any of the clansmen need treatment. There’s still a lot of blood energy left inside it so there’s no need to be stingy.”
“Yes,” Li Rong replied quickly before rushing off with the other Great Commanders.
There were only a thousand or so Ancient Demon Clan clansmen, so each one that died was one less, Li Rong, therefore, attached great importance to each and every one of them.
After they left, Wu Jie slowly swept his eyes over the Ancient Demon clansmen and muttered, “They are a very powerful clan.”
Yang Kai glanced at him and nodded gently.
“Sir Holy Master, do you really intend to take them with you?”
“Yes.”
Wu Jie frowned slightly, “Is it that Sir Holy Master is unwilling to give up such power?”
“Why should I give it up?”
“Taking them with you will lead to much trouble, unless Sir Holy Master brings them to the Demon Land or the neutral territory.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said bluntly, “I will bring them back with me to Nine Heavens Holy Land!”
Wu Jie couldn’t help feeling complicated when he thought about Nine Heavens Holy Land and this group of Demons coexisting.
Also, if they really went to Nine Heavens Holy Land, they would become his Netherworld Sect’s neighbours.
“To be honest, this Wu would rather not get involved in any of this, Sir Holy Master,” Wu Jie said with a forced smile.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said leisurely, “I won’t force anyone to be involved with me. You coming forward to reconcile with me has nothing to do with this situation, you are free to make your own decisions. Of course, I also won’t hold this against you, and your Netherworld Sect has no need to worry about itself.”
Wu Jie nodded, suddenly grinning meaningfully as he whispered, “In light of all this, this Wu really should stay far away from Sir Holy Master, but… This Wu’s instincts are telling him that Sir Holy Master won’t fall so easily and instead will become an important figure in the future. I very much want to see what kind of height you will grow to in the future; will it be glory or destruction!”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, “If I am destroyed, you probably won’t be able to escape either, but if I can reach the peak of this world, Sect Master Wu will also obtain great benefits.”
“This Wu only asks for his Sect to survive!”
“That much I can promise you.”
The two looked at each other and grinned.
“Sir Holy Master should get some rest, there’s still time until dawn when you planned to set out. Nine Heavens Holy Land is not a short distance from here, so there will likely be much trouble for you on the road.”
Saying so, Wu Jie took his leave.
…..
A few thousand meters up, a black cloud could be seen flying forward. Inside this black cloud were figures, about a thousand in total.
These were all the Ancient Demon clansmen.
Leaving the Snow Mountain Range while heading for Nine Heavens Holy Land, they had to pass through the territory of many Human forces; such a large group of Demon Race masters naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Yang Kai didn’t want to have any conflicts with these people and neither did Li Rong, so they could only choose to fly high up in the sky while trying to avoid the sight of outsiders.
In front of the black cloud, Wu Jie scouted the road with the people from Netherworld Sect, searching for uninhabited places to traverse.
In Soaring Heaven Sect, atop Serene Resplendent Peak, Cang Yan and the others gazed towards the rolling black cloud as it flew past, each of them unable to stop themselves from chuckling.
“That little brat…” Cang Yan shook his head slowly.
“I hope his journey is safe,” Fei Yu said worriedly.
“There are so many powerful masters among that group of Demons, how could he possibly be harmed?” Li Wan laughed, “I think the ones we should be worried about are the people who try to get in his way. Little Martial Nephew’s temper isn’t very good, if someone tries to pick a fight with him, they might just end up dead.”
Once he killed anyone though, Yang Kai’s position would become even more difficult.
“Worrying about it is useless. Since Martial Nephew made this choice, he naturally has a plan to handle it. It’s really interesting, as the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, actually leading such a powerful group of Demon Race cultivators… just what is Little Martial Nephew planning on doing?”
The few of them all guessed what Yang Kai was thinking but eventually gave up, shaking their heads helplessly as they watched the black cloud quickly depart.
Inside the dark cloud, Li Rong showed a look of surprise when she learned what their destination was, “So we are heading to Nine Heavens Holy Land and Master is actually the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land? Amazing.”
“Oh? Despite being trapped in that Mysterious Small World you actually know about Nine Heavens Holy Land?” Yang Kai glanced over at her curiously.
“I read about it in the clan’s ancient records,” Li Rong smiled, “It was said to have been a very powerful Sect. In the era when Great Demon God was still alive, Nine Heavens Holy Land was one of the strongest forces in this world and the Holy Master of that time seemed to have also fought with Great Demon God once. The records say that man ultimately lost but he still managed to wound Great Demon God. It was one of the few times Great Demon God had suffered serious injuries in battle.”
Yang Kai expression changed as he nodded slightly.
Li Rong had read about this from the Ancient Demon Clan’s ancient books, but Yang Kai had actually seen some scattered fragments of that earth-shaking battle when he refined the drop of Demon God Golden Blood back in the Holy Tomb.
The thousand or so Ancient Demon clansmen were all quite excited; although they didn’t know where they were headed, for them, simply being able to leave that Mysterious Small World and see the vast world outside was the greatest gift.
As such, each of them was constantly looking around, trying to take in their surroundings.
For a dozen or so days everything went smoothly.
Wu Jie exploring the road ahead saved Yang Kai a great deal of trouble.
After a dozen days though, Li Rong suddenly frowned as she stared down at a spot below.
At the same time, Yang Kai also noticed something. A group of people down below had noticed them and several Transcendents were now following them, seemingly examining them.
“Master, do you want to send someone to deal with them?” Li Rong asked.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before and nodding slightly, “Don’t kill them, just make them stop following us.”
“En, Yin Ya!” Li Rong called out.
Great Commander Yin Ya quickly separated from the group and flew down.
A moment later, a brief battle took place.
Soon, Yin Ya caught up with them and reported, “They aren’t injured but they also won’t be moving around for the next three to five days.”
Li Rong nodded, “En, well done, our clan has just re-entered the world so we should avoid provoking trouble.”
And so the group continued forward.
However, as time passed and the distance they travelled grew, the aura released by the Ancient Demon clansmen alarmed more and more people.
Each time someone got too close, Yin Ya or Xue Ji would go down and handle the situation, making it so these pursuers would be unable to continue following them in short order.
Although they always held back and never hurt much less killed anyone, word of such a large number of Demon Race people passing through the Human Territory still rapidly spread out.
This caused the road ahead of Yang Kai’s group to constantly be filled with waiting parties.
Most of these people were Transcendents who wisely kept their distance. Upon realizing how many powerful masters were among the Ancient Demon Clan, few dared to approach them, most simply following from a distance while observing them.
Of course, there were the occasional few with eyes above the top of their heads who openly intercepted them while shouting impertinent remarks, forcing the masters from the Ancient Demon Clan to shut their mouths.
These people were like flies to honey though and by the time they expelled one batch another had shown up.
Although Yang Kai was quite annoyed by all this, he was powerless to do anything about it.
The hatred between the Human and Demon Races could not be resolved overnight so it was inevitable that some people would show up to monitor the Ancient Demon Clan. It was impossible to simply kill them for doing this as it would only lead to them becoming enemies of the entire Human Race.
After two months, the group arrived just outside Nine Heavens Holy Land’s territory.
By now, the number of pursuers behind them had reached the hundreds, almost all of them Transcendents with more than a dozen of Saints.
This kind of force was not something Yang Kai could simply ignore.
The time had come to have a chat with them.
Instead of rushing forward with the Ancient Demon Clan to Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai had them settle down at the base of a nearby mountain and set up a temporary camp while he took Li Rong with him and flew over to the place where their pursuers had gathered.
A dozen or so kilometres away, after discovering that the Ancient Demon Clan had stopped moving, this group of human masters also came to a halt, all of them releasing their Divine Senses to monitor the other side’s movements.
The face of each of these masters was extremely solemn.
“Old Chu, there seems to be someone coming over from that side…” Someone suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone else nodded as they detected the auras of Yang Kai and Li Rong approaching.
“A Third Order Transcendent and a Second-Order Saint, neither of them trying to conceal their movements… do they want to talk to us?” Someone guessed.
If not, how could only two of them come here?
“Like we can talk to some Demon Race bastards! As soon as they get here we should kill them directly!” An old man shouted, his face filled with hostility.
“En, this would be a perfect opportunity to ambush them.”
p.s- last week of the month so those who are thinking of joining the Patreon, do so after the start of the month.
The hundreds of Human masters had come from some twenty to thirty different forces, and although most of them had never met one another before, having reached their level of strength, they were not nameless and unrecognizable.
In particular, the few Second-Order Saints were quite famous.
The one called Old Chu was one of them.
Ignoring the clamouring of the ones who clearly bore hatred towards Demons, the man called Old Chu sank into contemplation for a moment before nodding slightly, “If they wish to talk, we should talk… this old master is also quite curious about what their objective and destination are, the direction they are headed is not towards the Demon Land but rather the Monster Domain.”
A look of doubt filled his old face.
“I agree, we should at least hear them out. So far, they haven’t killed anyone, obviously, they don’t want to stir up too much trouble,” Another scholarly looking man said. Although this man looked middle-aged, he was actually older than almost everyone present as he too was one of the few Second-Order Saints.
Since these two had spoken their opinions, no one else dared say anything more, everyone simply taking a step back to observe the situation.
These several hundred Human Race masters thus waited silently.
After about the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, two figures appeared and walked towards the crowd.
Seeing the appearance of these two, everyone felt surprised.
Because the one in the lead was actually a young man wearing a common black robe that could be found in any cheap shop.
Behind this young man was a beautiful mature woman with a noble temperament.
The beautiful woman clearly possessed a Second-Order Saint Realm cultivation, but before she even arrived in front of them, every single one of the gathered Human Race masters felt a sense of pressure from her, attracting all of their attentions.
Old Chu, however, was surprised about something else. Although the woman, whether it was in terms of strength, looks, or demeanour, was clearly the most eye-catching, the seemingly ordinary young man had a certain aura about him that made him difficult to ignore.
In fact, this youth’s presence faintly overshadowed that of the beautiful woman.
What’s more, the beautiful woman always remained a half step behind him, following him as if she was a common escort.
This was clearly an action one would take only if they were following their superior.
Old Chu and several of the top masters in the crowd glanced around at each other, each of them noticing the doubts in the other’s hearts, wondering just what the relationship between these two people was.
A moment later, the young man and beautiful woman came to a stop ten or so meters in front of the crowd.
Looking at them from such a close distance, Old Chu and a number of the others quickly discovered that the young man’s eyes shone like stars and contained not the slightest hint of anxiety. Even facing a few hundred powerhouses, this youth was clearly still relaxed without any fear, his clear eyes slowly sweeping over the people in front of him, seemingly examining their respective cultivations.
The beautiful woman stood behind him, motionless, faint ripples of power gently pulsing from her body.
Old Chu and the other leaders secretly took a breath to steady themselves.
As soon as Yang Kai came to a stop, he felt countless Divine Senses land upon him, unscrupulously inspecting his cultivation. Sensing this as well, Li Rong frowned, her pretty face flashing a cold light, but before she could open her mouth to say something Yang Kai waved his hand to stop her.
Grinning, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Following us across such a great distance must have been quite strenuous. Now that we’ve reached this point though, this Junior wishes to make some things clear. Would it be convenient for us to have a discussion?”
Old Chu and the others frowned slightly as they turned their gazes towards Yang Kai, only now determining that this beautiful woman was really just this youth’s follower, otherwise it would not be possible for him to be the one to speak.
“Good!” The person called Old Chu steadied himself and smiled, “This old master and these many friends had such intentions.”
As he spoke, along with the middle-aged scholar and the belligerent old man who was clamouring to ambush Yang Kai earlier stepped forward.
Yang Kai nodded secretly, knowing that these three were the most powerful amongst this gathering of masters, each of them a genuine Second-Order Saint. These three obviously came from different forces, but standing together they really could represent everyone else here.
Old Chu began by introducing himself, “This old master is Chu Yi of Veiled Heaven Palace.”
Saying so, he pointed to the middle-aged scholar and continued, “This is Fang Yue Bai of Mist Lock Tower.”
Finally, addressing the red-faced old man, “This is Wu Zheng of Free And Unfettered Spirit Temple!”
Yang Kai nodded to each of them in turn, a genial look upon his face.
“How should we address little brother?” Chu Yi looked towards Yang Kai with sharp eyes and asked.
“Some of your group already know my identity. Senior Chu may wish to ask them, obtaining an answer should prove quite simple,” Yang Kai smiled, not answering the question directly and instead glance towards the back of the crowd.
In the direction he was looking stood a few familiar figures, ones he had seen the last time Zhang Ao and Cao Guan had crusaded against Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Of course, Yang Kai didn’t know their names.
After Yang Kai appeared, these people all showed looks of shock which quickly transformed into terror, seemingly recalling the bloody massacre Yang Kai had initiated back at the Nine Peaks two to three years ago.
“Trying to act mysterious? Who do you think you are? Old Chu asked you a question, answer him!” The red-faced Wu Zheng coldly snorted, as if he was quite unhappy with Yang Kai, his eyes filled with disdain.
Yang Kai felt quite puzzled, wondering if he had offended this old man somewhere.
“Might as well!” Chu Yi chuckled, looking back, “Do any of you know this little brother’s identity?”
Several people immediately walked out from the crowd and came over to Chu Yi, whispering a few words to him.
Hearing what these people said, Chu Yi wore a look of surprise as he turned back to Yang Kai and exclaimed, “So little brother is the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land! Please forgive my disrespect.”
Fang Yue Bai and Wu Zheng were also taken aback.
“Senior Chu is too polite,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Chu Yi’s expression suddenly became serious as he narrowed his eyes slightly, “Since you are the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, am I correct in assuming you are human?”
“Naturally.”
“Then why is Holy Master Yang travelling together with so many Demon Race people? And from what this old master can see, your relationship with this lady is not simple!”
“Not simple how?” Yang Kai chuckled.
“It is almost as if you have a master and servant relationship, and… you are the master, while she is the servant!” Chu Yi frowned, boldly speculating.
Thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai simply nodded, “Senior Chu has good eyes, this Junior is impressed. This group of Demon Race people are indeed my subordinates. They obey only me!”
Although he had his speculations, Chu Yi still couldn’t help feeling stunned, a look of disbelief filling his face.
Fang Yue Bai and Wu Zheng also gawked as they turned dumbfounded gazes towards Li Rong, trying to glean some clues from her response, but to their shock, not only did she not refute this claim, she even wore a happy smile as if serving this young man was an honour for her.
Those that saw this found it quite difficult to accept!
Although Second-Order Saints weren’t the very peak of this world, they were still incredibly rare masters.
If she wanted to, this beautiful woman could establish her own Sect and become an overlord who ruled over a vast territory.
She had such qualifications.
But such a master was actually content to be a mere servant of the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land? What kind of shocking and amazing means did this kid named Yang Kai possess that allowed him to subdue a Second-Order Saint and allow her to willingly serve him?
After a moment, a number of people began directing ambiguous stares towards Yang Kai and Li Rong, thinking this youth’s ‘abilities’ must be quite fierce to allow him to conquer a woman like Li Rong.
Their gazes contained both admiration and envy.
Noticing the strange look in the eyes staring towards her, Li Rong’s expression became cold as she released the full force of her Divine Sense onto them, causing all of them to look away while a cold chill ran up their spines.
*Ahem ahem…* Chu Yi coughed twice, his old face looking slightly embarrassed. A moment ago, such a thought had also crossed his mind, but he had quickly denied it.
It was impossible to subdue such a splendid woman so simply.
What’s more, there were nearly a thousand other Demons nearby, with several Saints among them; they couldn’t all have been subdued by Yang Kai through mere personal relations.
Fang Yue Bai suddenly laughed, “Although what Holy Master Yang says is difficult for us to believe, since that lady does not refute, we must take your claim seriously; however… Holy Master Yang appearing before us with just her accompanying you, are you not looking down on all of us too much?”
The way this statement was worded quickly provoked a response from many of the gathered human masters, causing them to glare towards Yang Kai, as if they wanted to immediately attack to show they were not to be underestimated.
In response, Yang Kai remained as calm as ever and simply smiled back at Fang Yue Bai, “It is not that I do not put all of you in my eyes; on the contrary, coming here with just the two of us was to show my sincerity. If I had really brought a large number of masters along with me, it would indeed prove I respected your collective strength, but I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to talk like this and would instead have immediately fought.”
Fang Yue Bai was slightly shocked by this response but soon burst into laughter, “Holy Master Yang is really extraordinary, no wonder you were able to become the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land!”
“Now can we talk?” Yang Kai smiled lightly, directing his full attention to the three masters in front of him.
Fang Yue Bai nodded while Chu Yi and Wu Zheng did not express any objections.
Yang Kai then began, “All of you following behind us for so long was all because you were concerned about the sudden appearance of so many Demons in our Human Territory, yes? Because you felt unease about their presence and didn’t understand their intentions, you pursued us just in case, correct? “
“Indeed,” The three nodded, “So many Demons travelling through my Human Race’s land while possessing such incredible strength, it is hard for us not to become suspicious. The friends gathered here today have all come because of such concerns.”
“Then all of you may feel relieved as our destination is right before us, once we arrive there, we will not take any actions which will harm our Human Race.”
“Your destination is close?” Chu Yi frowned and looked ahead, his expression suddenly changing, “Does Holy Master Yang intend to bring this group of Demons to Nine Heavens Holy Land?”
“They are my people now, naturally I plan to arrange a place for them in Nine Heavens Holy Land. Is there any problem?”
“Of course there is a problem!” Wu Zheng shouted, “Although you are now the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, Nine Heavens Holy Land is also part of my Human Race’s domain, placing so many vile Demons there is highly improper!”
“That is my business, not something Senior Wu needs to trouble himself with,” Yang Kai glanced over at him indifferently, “Does Senior Wu always try to meddle in other Sect’s affairs?”
“You will face universal condemnation for this and sooner or later be destroyed!” Wu Zheng sneered.
“If such a day comes, Junior will only have himself to blame,” Yang Kai glanced over at Wu Zheng with a hint of impatience.
This guy seemed to specifically be opposing him, naturally annoying Yang Kai somewhat, wondering why this old man was sticking his nose into his business.
Chu Yi hesitated a moment before saying, “Holy Master Yang, your Nine Heavens Holy Land is one of the leading forces of our Human Race. It has stood and prospered for thousands of years. This old master has even read that when we openly fought the Demon Race many centuries ago, Nine Heavens Holy Land made many meritorious contributions! Great Elder Xu Hui’s reputation is known quite well by this old master. Now, Nine Heavens Holy Land is indeed yours to command but this old master must ask, why are you willing to take in and shelter so many from the Demon Race? Since ancient times, Humans and Demons have been intractable enemies… Surely Holy Master Yang understands this, yes?”
“Naturally I am aware of our two races’ history,” Yang Kai nodded gently, “But these Demon Race subordinates of mine were actually imprisoned inside a Mysterious Small World for thousands of years and it was only by accident that I managed to discover them and then bring them out. They haven’t been in contact with the outside world for millennia and have long forgotten about the hatred which exists between Humans and Demons, about this, I ask that all of you feel relieved. This Junior can guarantee that they will not bring any harm to our Human Race or its interests.”
“A Mysterious Small World?”
“Imprisoned for thousands of years?”
“Is that true?”
A burst of chatter erupted from the crowd, many people directing looks of envy towards Yang Kai, secretly wondering why it had not been them who had found that Mysterious Small World? If they had found it, perhaps they would have been the ones to conquer so many powerful Demons.
Yang Kai turned his eyes to Li Rong who quickly followed up, “Good, our clan had been trapped inside that Mysterious Small World for thousands of years and it was only two months ago that we finally returned to the outside world. At that time we swore a vow in the name of Great Demon God that in this life we would only give our loyalty to Young Master. As for the hatred between you Human and my Demon Race, we have no interest. Now we only seek for a place to live peacefully.”
Hearing these words, Chu Yi’s expression changed noticeable as he stared deeply towards Li Rong.
He knew what kind of status Great Demon God had in the hearts of the Demon Race. No one from the Demon Race would dare swear a vow in the name of Great Demon God lightly.
Li Rong speaking so seriously allowed Chu Yi to feel much more relieved.
“There must be places for you to live in the Demon Land. Is it really necessary to settle down in Nine Heavens Holy Land?” Fang Yue Bai frowned, “Since you are all from the Demon Race, isn’t it obvious that you should return to the Demon Land? In a sense, it is your home.”
“They can’t go there,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Why?”
“Because a few days ago they got into a fight with Demon General Xue Li, the latter suffering a serious injury and being forced to flee back to the Demon Land. If they try to go to the Demon Land, what difference is that with courting disaster?”
“Demon General Xue Li?”
“She was injured?”
“When did this happen?”
“Who injured her?”
Another round of chatter began as many people were once again left in shock and disbelief.
Yang Kai just shrugged his shoulders, “They have become enemies with Xue Li, so it is impossible for them to return to the Demon Land… Moreover, since they are capable of starting a fight with a Demon General, even though they too are Demons, it means they are enemies with the Demon Race! The enemies of our enemies are our friends, are they not?”
Fang Yue Bai and Chu Yi exchanged a glance with one another before gently nodding.
The latter said, “If things are indeed as you have said, then all of this is understandable. This old master very much wants to believe Holy Master Yang’s words, but I’m afraid I must inquire about the details of those events more carefully before coming to a final decision.”
“If you wish to inquire about what I have told you, I suggest you go to Soaring Heaven Sect. That night, when the fight with Xue Li occurred, Soaring Heaven Sect’s Martial Ancestor, Chu Ling Xiao, was also present, it was he who wounded Xue Li.”
“So Soaring Heaven Sect was involved!” Chu Yi’s eyes lit up, suddenly understanding as he nodded repeatedly, “In that case, this old master will certainly pay a visit to Soaring Heaven Sect!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Very good. Just one last thing, I have sworn that my Demon Race subordinates will not act in any way to endanger our Human Race, but if anyone comes looking for trouble with them or with me, do not blame this Holy Master for responding in kind.”
Wu Zheng coldly snorted, his face unpleasant, feeling that Yang Kai was acting far too arrogant and was simply unaware of how high the Heavens were.
“En, have I satisfied your doubts? If so, please feel free to disperse, you have been chasing after us for many days now and must be tired. Oh, you may also come to my Nine Heavens Holy Land for some time; in any case, you’ve traveled all the way to our doorstep, you might as well step inside.”
Hearing this, Chu Yi shook his head and smiled wryly, “No, I’ve heard that your Nine Heavens Holy Land is currently being occupied by a Monster Race Great Senior. Holy Master Yang should first think about how to solve your immediate troubles. But Holy Master Yang, this old master must give you one last word of advice!”
“Senior Chu, please speak freely…”
“Those Demon Race subordinates of yours, they may not be as peaceful as they seem. If they stir up any kind of trouble, it will greatly damage your Nine Heavens Holy Land’s reputation!”
“Many thanks for your reminder, I will look after them well.”
“En,” Chu Yi gently nodded, directing a somewhat complicated look towards Yang Kai, then Li Rong before turning around and leaving.
Fang Yue Bai also paused for a moment before bidding his farewells to Yang Kai and following after Chu Yi.
As soon as these two left, more than half of the several hundred Human Race masters also departed.
Only Wu Zheng lingered, staring coldly towards Yang Kai and Li Rong, a look of resentment filling his face; the Human Race masters who stayed behind had similar looks upon their faces.
Yang Kai understood that those like Chu Yi and Fang Yue Bai were reasonable individuals, so after dispelling their fears they would naturally leave.
But Wu Zheng and the others who remained were obviously far less willing to compromise, all of them seemingly unable to accept the idea of Demons residing in a Human Sect.
Even though Nine Heavens Holy Land had nothing to do with them.
Putting it nicely, they were standing up for the world’s common people, putting it crudely, they were acting out of prejudice and spite.
“Boy, I hope you can really restrain them well, otherwise the consequences will be serious,” Unable to stir up any trouble on his own, Wu Zheng simply left behind this thinly veiled threat before angrily storming off.
The rest of the remaining Human masters also drifted off. Yang Kai turned to Li Rong and smiled, “Let’s go back.”
Li Rong nodded and kept up.
Not far away, a group of Human Race masters who still seemed unwilling stared at this scene, one of them walking up to Wu Zheng and whispering, “Senior Wu, are we really going to allow those Demon Race bastards to stay in Nine Heavens Holy Land? They’re nothing but a scourge, if we leave them alone, they’ll sooner or later lead to disaster.”
“What else can we do? Since the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land accepts them, what are we outsiders supposed to say? At most we can call for others to not associate with Nine Heavens Holy Land in the future in order to isolate them somewhat,” Wu Zheng grumbled, knowing that most of those gathered here already had little to no contact with Nine Heavens Holy Land, clenching his teeth as he muttered, “Chu Yi and Fang Yue Bai don’t want to meddle in this, could it be you can’t even see that much?”
“Senior Chu and Senior Fang may not see them for the threat they are, but Senior Wu is obviously different. If you really want to deal with those Demons, this humble one actually has a suggestion, perhaps it will yield some positive results,” One person grinned treacherously.
“Oh?” Wu Zheng raised his brow, “Let’s hear it!”
“The reason Senior Chu and Senior Fang don’t want to interfere is because those Demons have not yet caused any trouble, but given the temperament of those Demon Race bastards, they will cause trouble sooner or later. Instead of waiting for that day then, why don’t we help the situation along? As long as they dare to kill some people, will our Human Race’s powerhouses be able to sit back and watch? At that time, not only will Senior Chu and Senior Fang be forced to confront them, even stronger experts will be drawn in as well!”
Wu Zheng’s eyes brightened, thinking that what this man was saying made sense, quickly urging him, “Explain carefully.”
The man eagerly continued, “There are many people who bare hatred towards the Demon Race, as long as we spread the news of so many Demons settling here, will we even need to worry about no one coming to seek trouble with them? They may deal with it patiently once or twice, but that brat surname Yang will probably also try to restrain them somewhat. If it continues to happen, once they find it intolerable… heh heh!”
Someone else chimed in, “Right, Nine Heavens Holy Land is now occupied by a lot of rare Monster Beasts, their skin, blood, claws, and bones are all excellent Artifact Refining materials… I believe there will be many interested in such information.”
Wu Zheng raised his brow as he stared at the two men who had just spoke, a smirk soon filling his face, “You’re certainly treacherous enough!”
“Senior Wu’s praise is too kind,” The two men grinned slyly.
“Good, then spread the news quickly. Also, make sure to conceal how many masters and what their true cultivations are, we don’t want to frighten everyone into not coming,” Wu Zheng sneered.
“Senior Wu is wise!”
…..
Returning to the place where the Ancient Demon Clan was staying, Han Fei, Hua Mo, and the other leaders immediately gathered around and asked about the situation.
“Just a group of people with too much free time, no need to pay them any mind!” Li Rong said indifferently before turning to Yang Kai and asking, “However, Master, that Monster Race Great Senior seems to still be over there. How do you plan to deal with him? Every Monster Race Great Senior is not to be underestimated.”
“En, the rest of you continue to wait here, I’ll go have a chat with that Great Senior,” Yang Kai knit his brow.
Asking them to come and asking them to leave were two very different things. The last time, Yang Kai had no other choice but to invite the Monster Race Great Senior over, but now that he wanted them to get out, things might not go so smoothly.
If things didn’t go well, the situation could become ugly.
Although the power Yang Kai currently had at his disposal allowed him to not fear the Monster Race, he also wasn’t keen on the idea of starting a large scale conflict; after all, when all was said and done, the two of them were neighbours with the Beast Sea Jungle right next door.
After taking a quick rest, Yang Kai brought Li Rong with him and headed for Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Half a day later, inside a great palace in Nine Heavens Holy Land, the Monster Race Great Senior was silently contemplating the Heavenly Way when he suddenly opened his eyes and stared off into the distance.
Soon, as if his eyes were capable of piercing space itself, the Monster Race Great Senior’s gaze landed on Yang Kai and Li Rong.
Yang Kai, who was walking along, paused at that moment and directed a grin towards a certain place in the distance.
Li Rong’s pretty face also became dignified as she too stared off towards the horizon, the Demonic Qi in her body surging up.
After a brief moment, the Great Senior back in the palace hall took back his vision and slowly shook his head.
“Great Senior, what happened?” From one of the nearby rooms, Cai Die walked in and asked.
“That smelly brat is back,” Great Senior grinned, “It looks like he wants to claim Nine Heavens Holy Land back.”
Cai Die’s beautiful brow furrowed slightly, “You mean… Yang Kai?”
“Who else besides him could it be?” Great Senior nodded lightly.
“He’s back so soon? It’s been less than three years,” Cai Die frowned, “This place’s World Energy aura is much denser than in the Beast Sea Jungle, and there are so many pills and Crystal Stones here. These past few years our clan’s strength has grown rapidly. Great Senior, I really don’t want to give up this place.”
Great Senior smiled at her and said, “Then what do you want to do? I made an agreement with him before to temporarily take care of Nine Heavens Holy Land rather than seizing it by force. Now that he’s back, naturally we should return it to its original owner. Not to mention our Monster Race owes him a great graciousness, if not for him, the problem with the Beast Transformation Pond would never have been solved.”
“Is there any other way?”
“You can act shamelessly!” Great Senior laughed, seemingly cracking a joke and waving his hand as he said, “Go greet him.”
Cai Die nodded her head and disappeared.
On the outskirts of one of the nine peaks, a burly figure descended from the sky in front of Yang Kai and Li Rong, the ground shaking from his landing as he shouted, “Who dares approach my Monster Race’s territory? Turn back now or grandpa here won’t act polite!”
Saying so, this figure puffed out his chest and lifted his head, his hair blowing in the wind, putting on the pose of a great and powerful master, but when his eyes landed on Yang Kai and Li Rong, his expression suddenly changed to one of shock and surprise.
“Monster Race territory?” Yang Kai also smiled, “Brother Kuang, I think you’ve made a mistake, this place is my Nine Heavens Holy Land, since when did it become part of your Monster Race’s territory?”
“Yang Kai?” Kuang Shi called out in surprise while rushing over. Li Rong’s eyes narrowed slightly but seeing Yang Kai not give any instructions, she simply stared at this wild-looking man vigilantly without immediately taking action.
As he ran over, Kuang Shi laughed loudly, “Haha, I was wondering what arrogant fellow had wandered over, turns out it was you. Why didn’t you send a message in advance that you were coming?”
“Aren’t I greeting you now? It’s been a few years since we last met but it seems Brother Kuang has grown quite a lot.”
“Thanks to you, thanks to you!” Kuang Shi couldn’t help grinning, “With so many Crystal Stones to mine and pills those Alchemists refined, it’s only natural my strength has grown… but compared to you, it seems that my progress isn’t worth mentioning. How is your cultivation already on par with mine?”
The last time he saw Yang Kai the latter’s cultivation was much lower than his own, but now both of them were Third Order Transcendents.
Kuang Shi thought that his recent progress was fast but seeing Yang Kai now, he couldn’t help feeling envious.
“I say, brother, you coming back so soon wouldn’t be because you’re planning on taking this place back, right?” Kuang Shi asked bitterly.
“Good, it’s already been two or three years since I had to hand it to you guys, I’m sure you’ve already exploited those Crystal Stone lodes a lot by now.”
“More like only two or three years…” Kuang Shi appeared quite dispirited, “Forget it. In any case, it’s not my job to worry about these matters. Are you going to see Great Senior? Great Senior should be in the palace atop the centre peak right now. Unfortunately, I can’t accompany you there, Senior Cai Die sent me here to guard this entrance.”
“No need to accompany me, someone has already come to greet us,” Yang Kai chuckled, turning his eyes towards a seven coloured stream of light which was rapidly approaching.
A moment later, the beautiful sight of Cai Die’s multi-coloured wings appeared in front of Yang Kai.
After casting Yang Kai a faint look, she quickly turned her attention to Li Rong.
Even as a master at the Second Order Saint Realms, Cai Die felt a sense of pressure from Li Rong. This feeling was quite inexplicable, making her faintly sense that this woman’s strength was superior to her own.
“Miss Cai Die!” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists.
Cai Die took back her eyes from Li Rong and focused her attention on Yang Kai, directly asking, “What are you doing here?”
Yang Kai heard these words and couldn’t help feeling a bit dumbfounded, quickly recovering though and smiling, “Naturally I am here to see Great Senior and ask him to honour our agreement.”
Cai Die’s brow furrowed slightly as she solemnly asked, “If it’s about these nine peaks… how about allowing my clan to use them for a few more years?”
“Isn’t that somewhat inappropriate?” Yang Kai said somewhat helplessly and gently shook his head, “My people are also waiting to settle down here.”
“Just a few more years… After a few years, we will definitely withdraw from here!”
Yang Kai became slightly disgruntled as a frown appeared on his face, “Is this the meaning of Great Senior or your personal request?”
“Great Senior is not a person who fails to keep his word, this is entirely my own intentions! If you agree, I can give you some benefits.”
“And if I don’t agree?”
“I will make you agree!” Cai Die stared at Yang Kai stubbornly.
Yang Kai sighed and waved his hand in annoyance, “I’m too lazy to deal with you, Li Rong, help me block her!”
“Yes!” Li Rong shouted, her tender body flickering as she charged directly towards Cai Die.
Cai Die ignored her, fluttering her wings as she sent out a seven coloured beam towards Yang Kai. This shroud of light contained a soft yet potent strength that instantly wrapped around Yang Kai, seemingly trying to bind him.
However, in the next instant, Cai Die’s beautiful brow furrowed, because she had actually lost all trace of Yang Kai, her seven coloured light grasping onto nothing but air, Yang Kai seemingly having vanished like a ghost. Swiftly spreading out her Divine Sense, Cai Die found that Yang Kai had at some point bypassed her and was already more than a dozen kilometres behind her.
Cai Die was dumbfounded by this unexpected development, but before she could figure out how Yang Kai had managed to shake off a Second-Order Saint like her, Li Rong had already arrived in front of her and she had no choice but to defend herself.
In front of the main hall, Yang Kai leisurely appeared and walked straight inside.
Upon stepping into the hall, Yang Kai saw the Monster Race Great Senior looking at him with a smile.
“Great Senior, it’s been too long,” Yang Kai offered greetings and walked toward him.
Great Senior simply shook his head, “It hasn’t been long at all. It feels like it was just yesterday when we last met.”
“Great Senior must be joking, it has already been almost three years since we last stood here together. En, good, I’ve come to retrieve my domain,” Yang Kai countered.
“Don’t worry, I won’t try to hold on to this place,” Great Senior laughed somewhat wryly, “Cai Die was acting on her own, I’ll reprimand her for that. However, who is that woman you brought with you? How come her aura is so strange?”
“Hm? Strange how?”
“Like you, although her cultivation realm is apparent at a glance, her true combat potential cannot be judged from that alone, it seems like she’s able to fight across realms!” Great Senior quickly said.
“Heh heh, how much time does Great Senior need?” Yang Kai shook his head, showing no intention of discussing this topic.
“Good, give me half a month, I’ll have my clan withdraw from here by then,” Great Senior’s look suddenly became serious again, “I hope that after this time, we can still be on good terms.”
“Of course, of course. I also hope we can continue to obtain rare herbs and ores from your side, just like when the old Holy Master was alive. We can exchange what we both need from each other.”
“En, very good!” Great Senior nodded with satisfaction.
Yang Kai was also very satisfied. Originally, he had thought things would not be so simple, but Great Senior seemed like he had no desire to bargain back and forth, a true man of his word.
Working with such people made Yang Kai feel relieved.
Great Senior suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, “Kid, there’s one thing that has been bothering me though, can you explain it to me?”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Why do I feel Monster Qi from you? Although it is very weak, there is no doubt a trace of Monster Qi within your body… and this Monster Qi doesn’t seem to be ordinary, it carries with it a noble and majestic aura, even some similar to this King’s!”
Yang Kai expression fluctuated, understanding that what Great Senior was sensing was the Dragon Emperor’s aura within him.
The true body of Great Senior was that of the Scarlet Flame Thunder Dragon, a distant relative of the True Dragons.
He was truly worthy to represent the Monster, in Monster Beast. His senses far surpassed anyone’s expectations.
“The last time I saw you, you didn’t have this kind of aura, what exactly did you encounter these past few years?” Great Senior stared at Yang Kai, sincerely asking.
“I haven’t encountered anything unusual, I just wandered about here and there.”
Great Senior dumbly laughed and shook his head, knowing that Yang Kai didn’t want to say anymore, deciding not to pursue the issue.
After reaching an agreement with Great Senior, Yang Kai departed satisfied. In just half a month he would be able to recover Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Leaving the nine peaks, Yang Kai quickly noticed that Li Rong and Cai Die were still fighting high up in the sky.
Although it wasn’t a life or death struggle, two masters at such a high level fighting was still an earth-shaking scene.
The fluctuations from their battle had attracted many Monster Race masters over, Kuang Shi amongst them.
“Who is fiercer?” Yang Kai landed next to Kuang Shi and asked as he stared up into the sky.
“The woman you brought with you! She seems to still be holding back while Senior Cai Die is already somewhat flustered,” Kuang Shi replied full of enthusiasm, continuing to run is mouth as he sloppily grinned, “Fights between beautiful women are really quite attractive, Senior Cai Die’s torn clothes are really a sight to behold.”
“Be careful what you say, lest Cai Die hear and pull out your tongue!” Yang Kai warned.
“There’s no way, right?” Kuang Shi said with a frightened look, “I spoke very quietly, she couldn’t have heard me.”
“The forest has ears…” Yang Kai grinned as he glanced over towards the side.
Following his gaze, Kuang Shi’s eyes landed on Mao Niang who was standing nearby, her ears perked up, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation.
After discovering she had been discovered, Mao Niang smiled sweetly and stuck out her hand to Kuang Shi, “If you want me to not tell Senior Sister Cai Die, hand over all your Crystal Stones.”
“Great Aunt, mercy! I only have ten Crystal Stones left!” Kuang Shi wore an extremely bitter look and begged, “Please find it in your generous heart to pretend your honourable self never heard anything, this Kuang Shi will surely remember this great graciousness for the rest of his life.”
“Not interested, just give me however many you can, even ten is better than nothing.”
Yang Kai smiled wryly and shook his head. No longer paying attention to these two, he called out towards the sky, “Li Rong, let’s go.”
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s call, Li Rong immediately pulled back and gently brushed her hair back, shooting a relaxed glance towards Cai Die before quickly flying down and accompanying Yang Kai off.
Floating mid-air, Cai Die gasped for breath, her milk-white peaks heaving up and down as a lingering fear gripped her heart.
She had never expected that a fellow Second-Order Saint could actually overpower her so easily. Throughout the entire fight, she had been completely suppressed, never once able to seize the initiative.
On the other hand, her opponent was calm and relaxed the whole time.
[That woman… so fierce!] Cai Die unwillingly admired.
Not making any attempt to pursue, Cai Die silently watched Yang Kai and the mysterious woman leave before turning around and flying back towards the main hall.
Looking at Yang Kai’s appearance, it seemed that he had finished negotiating with Great Senior and had obtained favourable results. Cai Die didn’t want to give up Nine Heavens Holy Land, but she would never do something to damage Great Senior’s face. If it was Great Senior’s order, she would obey it no matter what.
“Master, is everything alright?” Li Rong asked quietly on the way back.
“En, Great Senior was easy to speak to and agreed to honour our previous agreement,” Yang Kai nodded.
“That’s good!” Li Rong also looked relieved. Following behind Yang Kai, she opened her mouth once in a while, seemingly wanting to say something but always hesitating at the last moment.
Perceiving this, Yang Kai smiled and said, “Whatever you want to say, even if it’s just something trivial, feel free to say it.”
Since leaving the Mysterious Small World, Yang Kai had noticed that all of the Ancient Demon Clan’s members had changed their attitude towards him and become extremely respectful and obedient.
Their attitude revealed just how high Yang Kai’s position in the Ancient Demon Clan was.
However, Yang Kai was somewhat unable to adapt to this kind of treatment.
“I just wondered if my clan had brought too much trouble to Master!” Li Rong apologized with a smile, “The hatred between Humans and Demons is very deep. Us following Master will certainly create some unnecessary incidents in the future. That crowd of Human masters following us all the way here is a perfect example. If it had really turned into a fight with them today, whether we won or lost, it would definitely affect Master negatively…”
“Such is the price I must pay in order to obtain your strength. You don’t need to concern yourself about it,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Also, I don’t care about how others view me, those who support me are my friends, those who dare oppose me, are my enemies. Plain and simple. The hatred between Humans and Demons means nothing to me.”
Li Rong’s beautiful eyes flashed as she was secretly taken aback by Yang Kai’s open-mindedness.
Even if they had been sealed inside that Mysterious Small World for thousands of years, the Ancient Demon Clan still had a deep-rooted mentality of rejecting outsiders, unable to accept or approve of those who did not belong to their race.
Yang Kai on the other hand seemed to have no concept of racial discrimination.
Yang Kai openly accepted the Ancient Demon Clan and had friendly dealings with a Monster Race Great Senior, he even address one Monster Race master as brother… It seemed as though he really didn’t care about the differences between them, something Li Rong honestly found amazing.
“Please rest assured Master, after everything is settled, I and the other Great Commanders will ensure our clansmen behave and will make sure they do not have any conflicts with the original inhabitants of Nine Heavens Holy Land. We will definitely not cause any difficulties for Master,” Li Rong solemnly promised.
“You don’t need to feel so restrained, to me, you are my people and Ning Heavens Holy Land’s people are also my people, there are no distinctions between you.”
“Many thanks, Master,” Li Rong said, obviously feeling grateful.
Yang Kai not having any prejudice against them despite being Human made Li Rong secretly feel that the Ancient Demon Clan had chosen to follow a good master.
Returning to the location of the Ancient Demon Clan once more, Yang Kai informed the other Great Commanders that after half a month he would bring them to Nine Heavens Holy Land, then let them make arrangements for the clansmen to live here until the time arrived. Receiving this order, the Great Commanders got to work.
They had no problem living here for half a month. The Ancient Demon Clan had just re-entered this world, so any place was fresh and new to them; they could take this opportunity to explore their surroundings and familiarize themselves with it
After all, from now on they would be living in the nearby nine peaks.
The Ancient Demon clansmen were dispatched in groups of three or four to scout out the local region.
Those who stayed behind began to build some simple accommodations and search for some food, all of them keeping busy.
It was a bustling sight.
A slight sound of footsteps suddenly came from nearby as Yang Kai was relaxing in the shade. Gazing towards the source of the sound, Yang Kai saw Wu Jie wrapped in his familiar black robe walking over towards him.
Arriving, Wu Jie nodded lightly, “Sir Holy Master!”
“Your Netherworld Sect’s disciples?” Yang Kai asked, not seeing anyone else from Netherworld Sect around.
“I had my Vice Sect Master take them back first. En, I also ordered them prepare some living supplies and have them brought here.”
“Many thanks for that.”
“Sir Holy Master is too polite,” Wu Jie smiled, “Everyone here will be neighbours in the future, such minor things are no trouble at all.”
After a pause, Wu Jie asked, “How does Sir Holy Master plan to handle Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple?”
“What are your thoughts?” Yang Kai asked.
Wu Jie hesitated a moment before seriously saying, “Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the other leaders of their Sects perished back in the Snow Mountain Range, so there are very few Transcendent Realm masters left; however, there are still many disciples around. Each of the two sects should have somewhere between three to four thousand disciples. There aren’t many powerful masters among these three to four thousand but they are still the foundations of their respective Sects.”
“Slaughtering them…” Yang Kai began.
Wu Jie shivered, his face going pale.
Yang Kai smiled and continued, “Isn’t very realistic, but simply driving them away is also not possible. It will be too difficult to ensure they don’t linger around and stir up chaos.”
“It is exactly as Sir Holy Master says,” Wu Jie nodded in agreement, “Moreover, they definitely don’t know that Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and their other leaders have already lost their lives. Once they learn of this though, there will definitely be turmoil inside the two sects. If we let things progress to that point without interfering, it will be impossible to clean the situation up.”
“Tell me about your idea,” Yang Kai looked deeply at him.
“The best solution is to absorb them! The two Sects have so many disciples between them, so there’s bound to be some with excellent aptitude who with enough cultivation can become masters in the future.”
“Absorb them… good, you can handle that yourself,” Yang Kai waved his hand and nodded
Wu Jie was somewhat stunned, “Does Sir Holy Master not want to participate?”
“I have no interest in those people, and it is well known that I now have a large number of Demon Race subordinates. Making such an aggressive move is not a good idea,” Yang Kai chuckled, continuing meaningfully, “Sect Master Wu can take this opportunity to expand the strength of Netherworld Sect. Absorb what can be absorbed, expel that which cannot! Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple are both strong forces, so they’re bound to have many good things stored away.”
Wu Jie expression changed. Thinking about it for a moment before excitedly cupping his fists, “Many thanks, Sir Holy Master!”
The three forces near Nine Heavens Holy Land had always lived in its shadow. Shattering Mystical Palace was the most powerful thanks to the Second Order Saint Zhang Ao while War Spirit Temple came second. Netherworld Sect was actually the weakest existence.
Now that Wu Jie had been presented with such an incredible opportunity, how could he not feel excited?
There were no masters left in either of these two Sects capable of fighting him. If Wu Jie still could not handle this, he had simply cultivated to the Saint Realm in vain.
Wu Jie seemed to already be able to see his Netherworld Sect rapidly expanding after absorbing all the wealth and talent from these two Sects.
Although excited, Wu Jie also felt a slight sense of guilt.
If not for Zhang Ao and Cao Guan acting so unscrupulously, how could Wu Jie have obtained such great fortune? Wu Jie had only secretly made a deal with Yang Kai because he felt the latter had incredible potential, and he had been proven right in short order. A golden opportunity had landed in front of him without the need for him to even do anything, all thanks to his foresight.
Excited, Wu Jie bowed and said that he would return to his Sect immediately, extending an invitation to Yang Kai to visit Netherworld Sect for a few days.
In any case, it would still be another half a month before the Monster Race Great Senior withdrew, so Wu Jie naturally wanted to take this opportunity to improve his relationship with Yang Kai.
Regretfully, Yang Kai declined his invitation.
“Your Netherworld Sect is only a few hundred kilometers from here. When I have time, I’ll send a message to you about patronizing your Sect,” Yang Kai glanced around at the bustling Ancient Demon clansmen and felt that leaving them right now was not a good choice.
Wu Jie did not insist, simply excusing himself and flying off.
One day later, a number of disciples from Netherworld Sect arrived, bringing with them a batch of living materials, enough for a thousand people to use for half a month.
Li Rong and the others were quite pleased with Wu Jie’s gesture.
Finished building enough temporary huts amidst the jungle, the Ancient Demon clansmen began exploring their surroundings curiously, keeping themselves busy.
Inside the largest hut, Yang Kai sits cross-legged on top of thick piles of furs, his consciousness immersed in his Knowledge Sea as he concentrated on probing the Soul remnant which belonged to Zhang Ao.
Two months ago, after Zhang Ao’s death, Yang Kai had used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to extract this Soul remnant and store it in a corner of his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai mainly wanted to spy on his memory to see if he could uncover the secret related to the Starry Sky Zhang Ao was speaking about just before his death.
Yang Kai had intentionally not used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to purify this remnant and was instead carefully combing through its content, trying to extract as much information from it as possible.
After a person’s physical body died, their Soul would retain all of their feelings and experiences for a time. If left alone though, all of this would dissipate in short order.
Of course, the Souls of powerful masters could remain behind longer, some of them even powerful enough to retain their sense of self and if they could find an appropriate body, even possible seize control of it in order to revive themselves.
Examining another Soul remnant like this was a complex and dangerous task, even those with incredibly powerful Souls and Spiritual Energy didn’t dare read others’ residual thoughts lightly, because one moment of carelessness could lead to one’s own nature, memories, and even identity becoming distorted, sometimes leading directly to them lose all sense of self and going insane.
It was only thanks to his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea which had some innate resistance to such occurrences that Yang Kai dared act so recklessly.
Still, Yang Kai acted very cautiously while scanning these memories, not letting Zhang Ao’s residual thoughts affect his own. Once he felt any sign of contamination, Yang Kai would immediately stop and purge it.
Slowly, various scenes appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes, all of which were from Zhang Ao’s pre-death memories.
These scenes were intermittent and very inconsistent, most of which Yang Kai only briefly examined before ignoring and moving on.
His Spiritual Energy was being rapidly consumed, forcing Yang Kai to stop and rest every two hours or so.
Only after completely restoring his strength would he continue his examination.
It wasn’t until five days later that Yang Kai finally caught a glimpse of the Starry Sky secret Zhang Ao had mentioned amongst his chaotic memories.
Vaguely, Yang Kai could see a stone forest that had various stone pillars jutting out from a grass filled field. It was here that Zhang Ao had discovered a number of exotic stones.
The Blood Essence Stone was also found here.
From this brief memory, Yang Kai saw Zhang Ao fumble about for a while, taking some indistinct actions before suddenly opening a Void Corridor. Only after hesitating for a long time did Zhang Ao step through it.
The next moment, what appeared before Zhang Ao’s eyes was the vast Starry Sky, with millions of points of light from distant twinkling stars in the background and a terrifying destructive energy brushing against his flesh. All of this was a familiar experience to Yang Kai.
Just as Yang Kai wanted to take a closer look, the scene was suddenly interrupted.
Yang Kai sighed as he took back his consciousness. Although he couldn’t see where the stone forest was, he knew it should be somewhere in Shattering Mystical Palace’s territory, so it wouldn’t take too long for him to find it.
Having found what he was looking for, with a single thought, Yang Kai opened the Demon Eye of Annihilation and used it to completely purify Zhang Ao’s remnant Soul.