With the addition of the Firebird Artifact Spirit and giant dark green dragon, the Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect cultivators’ already bad situation immediately worsened.
When Yang Kai first acquired the Firebird, its strength wasn’t too great; however, over the past few years, it had refined three wisps of Sun’s True Fire and two Heaven Scorching Thunder Fires, all of which contributed significantly to its growth.
Today’s Firebird had no trouble defeating a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator on its own.
What’s more, the Firebird possessed a high level of sentience and had its own consciousness, so it understood how to wait for openings and opportunities to defeat its opponents without needing help or commands from Yang Kai.
Although the giant dark green dragon transformed from the Dragon Bone Sword was no match for the Firebird Artifact Spirit in terms of sentience and intelligence, it was refined from the bones and Soul of an Ancient Divine Spirit, so the Dragon Pressure it exuded alone was enough to suppress most opponents. With Yang Kai controlling it, the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword became a fearful opponent.
Moreover, this artifact could grow further. Whether it was an innate or acquired Divine Ability, the Dragon Bone Sword was able to swallow and refine the vitality of any cultivator it killed to increase its power.
Giant fireballs spewed from the Firebird’s mouth and flaming feather blades shot from its wings in all directions while the giant dark green dragon opened its giant maw and spat out a dense poisonous mist. This poisonous mist was so deadly that even Origin Returning Realm Masters did not dare despise it.
Pitiful screams sounded one after another as enemies died in rapid succession under the attacks of the Firebird and Dragon Bone Sword.
“Sect Master Yang, this old master wishes to negotiate!” Liang Yong’s expression changed dramatically as sweat dripped down his face while he desperately urged his artifacts to protect him from three Ninth-Order Cloud Beasts. Seeing his companions die one by one before his eyes, Liang Yong had finally begun to panic as he realised death was approaching.
If it was just Yang Kai, they could have won with ease considering the strength they had brought with them.
But with so many powerful auxiliary methods, this idea was no longer realistic.
Liang Yong did not want to die here.
“What more is there to say now?” Yang Kai’s sneering voice echoed from all around. Liang Yong tried to find traces of him but was unable to achieve anything. Seeing the Firebird Artifact Spirit fly straight towards him after killing one of his companions, Liang Yong trembled and quickly shouted, “Do you think my Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect wanted to deal with you like this? If so, you are completely mistaken.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was really taken aback.
“Liang Yong, if you dare leak these secrets, you’ll die like a dog!” From a short distance away, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong quickly shouted.
As soon as these words sounded though, more than a dozen Golden Threads strangely appeared, tangled together, and soon condensed into a giant golden spear that shot towards Si Tu Hong.
Si Tu Hong was already in a desperate situation, trying to resist the torrential attacks of the Cloud Beasts surrounding him, so how could he possibly have the spare capacity to guard against this golden spear now?
With a great roar, Si Tu Hong pushed his Saint Qi as hard as he could to form a protective barrier around his body, hoping to block the blow.
Unfortunately for him, he had greatly underestimated the power of Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads. The Golden Blood Threads already possessed unrivaled sharpness, and after Yang Kai gained the ability to transform them into various weapons, this sharpness only increased.
The golden spear quickly struck Si Tu Hong, punctured through his Saint Qi guard with ease, and proceeded to pierce a gaping hole into his body.
Fortunately, at the last moment, Si Tu Hong managed to twist his body and avoid taking a critical hit. Although this blow was extremely powerful, it failed to outright kill him.
But his luck ended here.
The Cloud Beasts that had been besieging him pounced at that moment and completely overwhelmed him.
Screams rang out, causing the few people who remained to drip cold sweat. After only three breaths, the sounds from the Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Vice Sect Master stopped abruptly, and his life aura completely disappeared.
“Now you can talk!” Yang Kai’s voice sounded again.
Liang Yong turned his head and suddenly found that Yang Kai had already appeared, standing not far away, looking at him with a gloomy expression. The Cloud Beasts that had been attacking him seemed to have received some kind of order and ceased for the moment, but they all remained close, baring their fangs as they carefully stared at him.
Two more screams rang out as two more of Liang Yong’s companions fell.
Liang Yong scanned his surroundings and quickly discovered that only two people remained alive in this strange world, him and Yang Kai. Everyone else who accompanied Liang Yong had died a miserable death, not only having their bodies torn to shreds and then consumed, even their Remnant Souls had been consumed.
Their Souls had been extinguished in the truest of senses!
One had to know that a cultivator who reached the Origin Returning Realm would have their Spiritual Energy leak out from their Knowledge Sea and dissipate into the world after death. This dispersion happened quite violently and was easily noticeable, but at this moment, Liang Yong was unable to detect any signs of this natural process occurring.
He had no idea what was going on.
But the strangeness of the situation only caused him greater fear.
Gulping unconsciously, Liang Yong felt a sense of fear he had not experienced in nearly a hundred years.
“Are you going to talk or not?” Yang Kai asked impatiently.
“Things have reached this point, so this old master naturally has no reason to conceal anything. If Sect Master Yang wishes to know something, this old master is willing to divulge everything he knows!” Liang Yong took a deep breath, his expression seemingly calm, but only he knew how much he was suffering on the inside.
“Then tell me what your words meant,” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
Liang Yong flashed a wry smile, “If this old master speaks, can Sect Master Yang give this old master a chance to live?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai grinned.
Liang Yong shook his head, “Whether I live or die is completely up to Sect Master Yang, but since Sect Master Yang wishes to know some secrets that this old master can explain, why should I speak if this old master can’t obtain any kind of advantage?”
Yang Kai squinted slightly as a cold glow flashed across his eyes, only after a long silence nodding, “Good, if the value of the information you tell me is high enough, I can spare your dog life; after all, you’re only acting on orders here and there is no personal grudge between us. However, if you are just trying to stall for time, I’ll deliver you a fate worse than death!”
“Rest assured, what this old master has to say will definitely be of great interest to Sect Master Yang; however, verbal statements aren’t guarantees, how is this old master supposed to trust Sect Master Yang?”
“You have no choice!” Yang Kai snorted coldly and took a step forward.
At the same time, the Cloud Beasts that were gathering around Liang Yong also let out a low growl, as if they were eager to pounce and only waiting for Yang Kai’s order to tear this enemy to pieces.
Liang Yong’s complexion darkened as he quickly raised his hands and said, “I understand… people under the eaves have to bow, this old master will talk.”
“Seems you’re not completely stupid!” Yang Kai sneered.
“This time…” Liang Yong frowned, as if deliberating what words to use before slowly continuing, “This time, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect were ordered to act.”
“Ordered?” Yang Kai was surprised, “By who?”
“This…” Liang Yong hesitated as a hint of fear flashed across his face, “Even if this old master does not say, it shouldn’t be too difficult for Sect Master Yang to guess with your intelligence, yes?”
Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously but quickly understood, “You mean Star Emperor Mountain?”
Yang Kai was no longer a Saint Realm cultivator who knew nothing about this Cultivation Star; he had been on Shadowed Star for many years now and naturally understood the power and influence Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect wielded. Ordering these two great forces to team up and deal with him was something only Star Emperor Mountain was capable of.
“This old master never said anything, everything is just Sect Master Yang’s own speculations,” Liang Yong quickly drew a line between them, but Yang Kai could tell his guess was correct from his manner and tone.
However, he didn’t have any kind of interaction with Star Emperor Mountain, right?
“Is it because of my Starship?” Yang Kai asked coldly.
“Partially, the other reason is because of a certain person,” Liang Yong was also considered to be a high-level officer of Heaven Battling Union, so naturally he understood some of the deeper reasons behind this time’s action.
“Elder Ye!” Yang Kai immediately thought of Ye Xi Yun.
She was the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain but Yang Kai didn’t know why that was the case. Now, however, it seemed Ye Xi Yun and the current Star Emperor Mountain had some grievances between them.
[Right, she was poisoned before we met, but anyone who could poison her must have extraordinary strength. Could it have been Star Emperor Mountain’s doing?]
Seeing Yang Kai sink into contemplation, Liang Yong stood in place anxiously and waited, only after a long silence tentatively asking, “Sect Master Yang, this old master has already said everything he knows, is it enough to satisfy you?”
“You’re certain you’re not omitting anything?” Yang Kai glared at him coldly, “You must know by now that even if there are more than a dozen people outside, you cannot stop me from leaving. If I later find out that you’ve concealed something from me here, heh heh, I wonder if Elder Liang has any descendents who would be willing to pay him filial piety when he is gone?”
Liang Yong’s face changed as a look of struggle flashed across his eyes, gritting his teeth eventually before saying, “Sect Master Yang should be careful of the old man with grey hair wearing brown robes!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile, before nodding his head, “Alright, many thanks for Elder Liang’s warning!”
Liang Yong could not help gasping for breath, this feeling of his life hanging by a thread was simply too terrifying.
“Sect Master Yang, this old master really knows nothing else, so…
“Rest assured, I always mean what I say,” Yang Kai gently nodded. As he said just now, he had no grudge with Liang Yong, so it didn’t matter to him whether he killed him for not.
With a flash of Divine Sense, the surrounding Cloud Beasts once again transformed into white clouds that floated back up into the sky.
The strange Spirit Array world also seemed to distort and blur at that moment and soon shattered.
When Liang Yong regained his composure, he realised he had reappeared outside the palace with his remaining dozen or so companions all looked over in his direction.
In the next moment though, these dozens or so masters showed looks of shock.
There were scattered bones all over the ground, without the slightest trace of flesh, blood, or vitality left on them, as if they had been exposed to the elements for countless years, leaving behind only bleached remains.
The vital essence of each of these fallen cultivators had been swallowed by the Dragon Bone Sword, leaving nothing behind.
Surrounded by these bones, Yang Kai stood with a smug look upon his face, with only Liang Yong still left alive a short distance away.
The remaining people who had fallen into his Spirit Array had all fallen.
Everyone could hardly believe their eyes.
How long had it been? Since Yang Kai took out the Array Plate until now, less than an incense stick of time had passed, yet a dozen Origin Returning Realm masters had actually been killed by Yang Kai in such a short time.
What happened inside that Spirit Array?
No one knew, but none of them dared to underestimate Yang Kai.
“It’s good to see that you’re still alive!” Qu Zheng stared at Yang Kai with red eyes, murderous intent pulsing from his body. Seeing the culprit who had murdered his son, Qu Zhen was unwilling to let him escape and declared, “You really didn’t disappoint this old master, this old master must personally take your life!”
As soon as he spoke these words, Qu Zheng’s body flashed and he shot towards Yang Kai like a charging tiger.
“Union Master must not!” Shouts rang out from all directions. Half of their group had died at Yang Kai’s hands, so it was apparent that this boy’s strength wasn’t trivial. Qu Zheng was enraged right now and charged without thinking about the consequences, but regardless of the outcome of this fight, Qu Zheng would ultimately be the one to suffer.
If he failed to win, he would definitely be injured.
But if Yang Kai was killed, Star Emperor Mountain would definitely hold him accountable.
As such, as soon as Qu Zheng acted, many tried to stop him.
However, their efforts were to no avail. Qu Zheng only wanted to put Yang Kai to death to avenge Qu Chang Feng now, so how could he bother listening to others’ dissuasions?
Halfway to his target, Qu Zheng brought his palms together and condensed so much Saint Qi onto them it became visible before he struck towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai simply looked at him with a sneer, not showing the slightest bit of fear as he too pushed out his palm, condensing a massive palm print that seemed to completely cover the space in front of Qu Zheng, even temporarily obscuring the sun’s light from reaching him.
Heaven Covering Hand!
Qu Zheng’s expression became solemn. Although he was livid right now, as a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, he had experienced countless battles across his life and accumulated a wealth of combat experience, so he immediately noticed the huge danger this palm print posed.
But he still had no intention of withdrawing, instead pushing his Saint Qi even harder.
The two palms collided and a thunderous rumbling resounded as raging energy fluctuations and powerful gusts of wind spread out.
Qu Zheng was sent flying while Yang Kai was also forced back more than a dozen steps.
This confrontation actually resulted in a draw!
Fang Peng saw this and paled.
Being able to repel Qu Zheng’s anger-filled strike meant that Yang Kai’s strength wasn’t inferior to his opponent’s! In other words, the two of them were equally matched.
This boy was a true monster.
“Brother Qu, calm down!” Fang Peng roared, “Those who have died cannot be brought back, losing your temper here will not help matters. If you want the enemy to suffer, there are other ways than simply killing him.”
Qu Zheng heard this and the crimson hue in his eyes dissipated a little, seemingly recovering his composure as he glared coldly towards Yang Kai and inhaled lightly before nodding his head and saying, “What Brother Fang said is right, this Qu acted impulsively.”
Finally responding, it was only now that Qu Zheng remembered that this time’s action was not to simply kill Yang Kai but rather to capture him alive.
As these two talked, Yang Kai looked on indifferently, but out of the corner of his eye, he stole a glance towards an old man with grey hair in a brown robe.
This old man should be the one Liang Yong warned him about.
At first glance, this person seemed inconspicuous as he stood casually among the crowd, but when Yang Kai inspected him carefully, he couldn’t help feeling an uncomfortable aura coming from it.
This aura actually made Yang Kai somewhat anxious.
Not daring to observe too carefully so as not to startle this snake, Yang Kai was unable to figure out what kind of skill this old man possessed that could cause him concern.
However, if his guess was right, this old man should be from Star Emperor Mountain. This time, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had teamed up to deal with him because Star Emperor Mountain had ordered them to. As the mastermind behind this operation, Star Emperor Mountain would naturally send someone to observe and participate.
[He has hidden perfectly.] Yang Kai would not have noticed this old man if Liang Yong hadn’t warned him as Qu Zheng and Fang Peng’s presence completely overshadowed him.
“Sect Master Yang is truly a hero among the younger generation, this old master is deeply impressed!” Fang Peng waved his hand lightly, a trace of regret and anger flashing across the depths of his eyes; after all, half of the masters Yang Kai had trapped and killed inside that Spirit Array just now belonged to his Thunder Typhoon Sect, and many of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
Having so many top-level masters die for no reason naturally caused Fang Peng’s heart to bleed.
After this battle, although its foundation would not be shaken, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s strength would definitely take a hit. Moreover, if this news were to ever leak out, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s prestige would plummet.
“Sect Master Fang still thinks he can capture me with just the people you have left?” Yang Kai smiled and looked at him lightly.
“Haha, this Fang thought this operation was foolproof before, but after seeing Sect Master Yang’s methods, this Fang doesn’t dare think like that anymore,” Fang Peng slowly shook his head, looking helpless.
“Sect Master Fang thinking so is naturally for the best,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“Although this Fang had no intention of being enemies with Sect Master Yang, after you killed so many of my subordinates, I cannot simply let you go like this. En, please wait a moment Sect Master Yang, there are two friends here who would like to see you.”
“Two friends?” Yang Kai frowned and suddenly realized something was wrong.
“Bring them here!” Fang Peng clapped his hands as he shot a triumphant look towards Yang Kai.
Following his order, two streaks of light suddenly appeared not far away and rapidly flew over. After these lights faded and the figures inside revealed themselves, Yang Kai couldn’t help his eyes from shrinking as a stern look appeared on his face.
The figures that appeared were none other than Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu who had been accompanying him just a few days ago!
These two had obviously experienced a difficult battle and were now bloodied and dishevelled. At this moment, the two of them looked quite miserable, with Qian Tong’s left arm twisted and broken while Fei Zhi Tu had several small holes in his chest and abdomen which seemed to be the result of him being stabbed with a bladed weapon.
Being dragged here, both of them smiled bitterly and helplessly towards Yang Kai.
They hadn’t expected to be plotted against here, moreover to be used against Yang Kai! Both Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had underestimated Qu Zheng and Fang Peng’s courage.
It was known that Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had high enough status that even Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect would not offend them easily, but being commanded by Star Emperor Mountain, how could Qu Zheng and Fang Peng care what Shadow Moon Hall thought?
“We were ambushed,” Qian Tong pursed his mouth and said dryly.
Although they were sneak attacked, the winner was the king while the loser was the villain, and this was shown by his ugly complexion.
If not for them being caught by surprise, given their strength, how could he and Fei Zhi Tu have been captured alive? Even if they couldn’t win, couldn’t they run away? Both of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, but it was precisely because they weren’t wary of their surroundings that they had been successfully ambushed. After falling into a disadvantage at the start of the fight, they were unable to run away.
Moreover, in order to deal with the two of them, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had sent out six masters of their own; facing such odds, the result was obvious.
“I can see that,” Yang Kai gently nodded. “Are you two alright?”
“We won’t die at least, we’ve just had our Saint Qi sealed,” Fei Zhi Tu grinned, seemingly not in terrible shape.
“That’s good!” Yang Kai took a breath before turning his head and squinting towards Fang Peng, “Sect Master Fang, what’s the meaning of this?”
“Nothing much,” Fang Peng chuckled with an amiable expression, “I just heard that Sect Master Yang has some special skills so we decided to take precautions early. I never expected those precautions would actually come in handy. Sect Master Yang seems to have quite a good relationship with Elder Qian and City Lord Fei, yes? I wonder if you would be willing to surrender without a fight for them?”
“You want me to surrender?” Yang Kai sneered, “Is Sect Master Fang sleep talking? If this matter were to spread out, what would the world think of your Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union?”
Fang Peng shook his head gently, “It doesn’t matter what the world thinks, the key is what Sect Master Yang chooses. Sect Master Yang has also killed a lot of us, so how about we end today’s matter here? As long as you don’t resist, this old master will guarantee no more harm will come to Elder Qian and City Lord Fei. Everyone here is a famous figure on Shadowed Star so this old master would like to avoid completely tearing face between all of us, otherwise, it would become awkward when we meet in the future, don’t you think?”
His words were spoken benignly, as if he was only persuading Yang Kai to give up some unimportant trifles.
“And if I say no?”
“Haha…” Fang Peng laughed and pondered for a moment before saying, “It seems that Sect Master Yang hasn’t figured out the seriousness of this matter yet.”
“Since he doesn’t understand, this old master will make him understand!” Qu Zheng suddenly spoke up.
Saying so, his figure flickered and instantly arrived in front of Fei Zhi Tu. Under Fei Zhi Tu’s stunned gaze, Qu Zhen summoned a short spear-like artifact into his hand and without any hesitation stabbed towards Fei Zhi Tu’s chest.
With a gruesome sound, blood splashed out.
Fei Zhi Tu’s body was pierced through, with the short spear coming out his back covered in red blood.
“Old Fei!” Qian Tong was shocked, never having expected that Qu Zheng would be so decisive and ruthless.
*Cough cough…*
Fei Zhi Tu coughed up a blood mist towards Qu Zheng, but the latter did not even try to evade, letting the blood mist stain him red, causing his already hideous face to look even more hysterical.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
Under the investigation of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could tell that although the blow just now didn’t directly kill Fei Zhi Tu, it had grazed his heart. As long as the blow had been shifted slightly, Fei Zhi Tu would have instantly died.
Such a serious injury, even with the foundation of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, would not be easy to heal.
“Haha, Union Master Qu has just experienced the pain of losing his son, so although this old master has managed to persuade him not to act rashly, Sect Master Yang should probably avoid irritating him at this moment,” Fang Peng leisurely said. “Sect Master Yang doesn’t want to see Elder Qian and City Lord Fei die here because of you, right? Whether they live or die is entirely up to you to decide.”
“Yang Kai, you have ten breaths, consider carefully. If you can’t provide this Union Master with a satisfactory answer, I will immediately kill them!” Qu Zheng growled.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu wore resentful looks as they were being treated as bargaining chips to threaten Yang Kai. Both of them felt terrible, but unfortunately, the seal in their bodies made it so their Saint Qi couldn’t circulate at all, making it impossible for them to help Yang Kai.
“Good, I’ll go with you. Release Elder Qian and City Lord Fei!” To everyone’s surprise, Yang Kai agreed immediately, but his face was extremely ugly.
“Yang Kai, you…” Qian Tong looked at him with bitter guilt, “You don’t have to do this!”
Qian Tong was blaming himself for being careless and falling into his enemy’s hands, but most of all for dragging down Yang Kai in the process.
“Haha, Elder Qian is being too distant. Since this Junior came to Shadowed Star more than ten years ago, he has received much care from both of you. Now that the two Seniors are in trouble, this Junior will not stand idly by, let alone that this matter is mainly my fault. How could I just ignore your plight?” Yang Kai grinned brightly.
“Excellent! Excellent!” Fang Peng laughed while clapping, “Sect Master Yang is a man of deep sentiment, understanding how to show gratitude, this old master is ashamed of his inferiority!”
“Enough nonsense, you’ve obviously been planning this a long time and have even taken such extreme measures all to capture this Sect Master. Let those two go and this Sect Master will go with you!” Yang Kai turned a glare back towards Fang Peng.
“Haha, this old master is grateful for Sect Master Yang’s cooperation. Naturally, we will release these two, but before then, I must ask Sect Master Yang to allow this old master’s subordinates to place some seals to avoid any accidents. This is good for both you and us, what does Sect Master Yang think?” Fang Peng looked at Yang Kai with a smile, a trace of vigilance flashing across the depths of his eyes.
Yang Kai had given up far too easily.
This made Fang Peng suspect something was wrong.
He had ordered the capture of Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu to coerce Yang Kai into surrendering, but he hadn’t really expected this boy to just surrender without a fight. Was this boy so righteous and benevolent? Fang Peng was a little skeptical.
If it was him, he would never do this, his life was more important than anyone else’s, why would he give it up for others?
As long as Yang Kai’s strength wasn’t sealed, Fang Peng wouldn’t be able to relax.
“No problem!” Yang Kai still agreed easily though, “Sect Master Fang can act at will.”
Fang Peng’s brow furrowed before immediately giving a signal. Two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters then approached Yang Kai from left and right, both of them remaining highly vigilant of Yang Kai suddenly going back on his word, but even when they approached to within half a metre of him, Yang Kai still didn’t move, instead just sneering towards them.
This made the two of them blush from their overly cautious behaviour.
It was truly embarrassing for them to be so on edge when facing a mere Junior.
There was no need for Fang Peng to issue any orders; the two masters both formed a series of hand seals before placing their palms on Yang Kai one after another.
A seal instantly formed inside of Yang Kai’s body, causing his aura to rapidly deflate.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this. No matter how Heavenly defying Yang Kai’s methods were, he could not make any more waves without the ability to use his Saint Qi.
Fang Peng was overjoyed.
Although he had lost a lot of manpower during this operation, in the end, they had succeeded.
However, at that moment, a mutation suddenly occurred.
A scorching power suddenly rose from where Yang Kai stood, and in the next moment, dark Demonic Flame enveloped Yang Kai, making him look like a burning ball of black fire.
Yang Kai’s aura, which just disappeared, suddenly surged upwards again.
“Impossible!” The two masters who had placed the seals on Yang Kai just now exclaimed in shock, their eyes fully rounded.
When they had applied the seals, they had used their full strength, so even a cultivator in the same realm as them would not be able to break through them in short order, yet the Saint Qi in Yang Kai’s body was actually so pure and vigorous that he was instantly able to free himself.
With horrified gazes, the pair quickly tried to retreat, lest Yang Kai suddenly attack.
However, Yang Kai did not try to stop them at all. Instead, his body flickered, as if he were about to escape.
“You’re not the only one who is proficient in the Dao of Space here! This old master long expected you to try this, halt for this old master!” An angry shout came out and the figure of Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng appeared strangely beside Yang Kai. At the same time, a strange energy fluctuation spread from his body, covering Yang Kai.
Space Force!
While everyone else relaxed, Mo Xiao Sheng still paid close attention to Yang Kai’s movements so he could react to any move the boy made.
He had full confidence he could stop Yang Kai! Although he knew that Yang Kai also cultivated the Dao of Space, he had been immersed in this field for countless years and was certain he would not lose out to a mere brat. His pride could not be so easily trampled.
He wanted to prove to everyone who was superior here.
Space Force swirled around Yang Kai, disturbing The Void, and creating an invisible shackle that forced Yang Kai’s disappearing body to re-materialize.
Mo Xiao Sheng smiled proudly.
But in the next moment, his smile stiffened and was quickly replaced with a dumbfounded expression.
“Showing off meagre skills before an expert!” Yang Kai coldly snorted before his figure disappeared again.
“How?” Mo Xiao Sheng stood there dumbfounded, unable to even understand how Yang Kai had broken through his blockade or even when he had done so. At that moment, a terrifying thought suddenly flashed across his mind, causing him to lose his ability to think calmly.
[Can it be? This little brat’s comprehension of the Dao of Space is greater than my own?]
Frightening energy fluctuations suddenly surged as a short, pitch-black arrow suddenly appeared out of thin air and shot towards Qu Zheng like a bolt of lightning.
No one dared to underestimate the horrific killing power behind this small arrow.
The middle-aged Second-Order Origin Returning Realm woman from Heaven Battling Union had died tragically after being hit by this attack, unable to even put up any resistance, dying in an instant, so Qu Zheng was well aware of how powerful this short arrow was.
Flurried, he didn’t dare resist this arrowhead on and quickly used his movement skill to dodge.
*Xiu…*
The short, pitch-black arrow scratched Qu Zheng’s body as it flew past, but another Origin Returning Realm master not far away was not so lucky. In the next instant, the short arrow pierced his chest and he instantly died.
“Where is he?” Fang Peng yelled, releasing his Divine Sense without reservation. Soon, he found traces of Yang Kai. He did not know when, but Yang Kai had actually rushed over towards Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu and was rapidly approaching them now.
The short arrow just now was just a way to force Qu Zheng to withdraw while Yang Kai’s ultimate goal was clearly to rescue Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
“This is bad!” Fang Peng’s face darkened, and he shouted sharply, “Stop him!”
“Those who stand in my way will die!” Yang Kai roared, raising his hands, and releasing two pitch-blade blade-like attacks that instantly cut towards the heads of the two enemies escorting Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
These two saw Yang Kai as a tiger descending from the mountain and their hearts filled with panic. The two of them wanted to avoid these two bladelike attacks, but having received Fang Peng’s order, they had to grit their teeth and stand their ground while summoning their artifacts.
A golden light suddenly blossomed and before these two had time to move, they suddenly noticed that Yang Kai’s left eye was covered in a golden halo and was releasing an irresistible majesty.
Within this golden light, there was a faintly lingering multi-coloured glow.
The golden light and multi-coloured glow seemed to possess a magical power that made it seem like their Souls were being pulled into an endless abyss, causing them to freeze up, unable to move or even speak.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was Great Demon God’s Divine Ability, which Yang Kai had inherited and combined with the Coloured Glass Bead that Dai Yuan had given him. The current Demon Eye of Annihilation combined with Coloured Glass Divine Light was even more powerful than before.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was capable of suppressing Souls while the Coloured Glass Divine Light had the power to restrain one’s body and Soul, the two naturally complemented and enhanced one another.
Although these two people could quickly break through this kind of suppression and restraint, a short pause was all Yang Kai needed.
The pitch-black Space Blade accurately passed through the two of them and silently left crescent-like cuts on their bodies.
Their flesh, blood, bones, five viscera, and six organs which were touched were all banished to The Void!
Everything happened in a flash, from Yang Kai using his Feather Spirit Arrow to repel Qu Zheng to releasing his Space Blades to kill the two who were escorting Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu all occurring in the blink of an eye.
In the next moment, he was already in front of Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, grabbing each of them with one hand and pushing his Space Force again to leave this place.
But at that moment, an angry shout rang out.
“Wishful thinking!” From the crowd, an old man with grey hair wearing a brown robe stepped forward as Saint Qi surged from his body and a longan sized bead appeared in his hand.
As soon as this bead appeared, everyone paled.
Because the aura which was pulsing from this bead made everyone tremble with unease. Regardless of the strength of this aura, its feel was all too familiar.
“Emperor Pressure!” Fang Peng’s eyes narrowed as he called out in surprise.
It was indeed Emperor Pressure, the same power which was released by the Emperor Garden; however, this Emperor Pressure was nowhere nearly as strong. Still, this coercive force made any who felt it feel humble and small, as if by the pressure alone was able to grind them down into dust.
The grey-haired old man’s Saint Qi surged as it poured into the bead he was carrying and with a great roar, it transformed into a stream of light that shot towards Yang Kai at phenomenal speed.
Mid-air, this bead split into two, then into four, then into eight…
Soon, the sky was filled with identical beads that all but enveloped the space around Yang Kai. This was not the end though; each of these beads seemed to be real, nothing like an illusion, and each one was releasing terrifying arcs.
The sound of thunder was deafening as these arcs of lighting flew out like silk threads towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, his expression never looked more solemn.
He felt the touch of death coming from these lightning bolts and instantly understood that if he could not find a way to handle them, he would immediately die.
With his heart pounding violently, Yang Kai did not dare hold back, summoning his Purple Shield and activating its sandstorm ability before releasing his Firebird Artifact Spirit and transforming it into a fiery red light that wrapped around him, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu.
Next, Yang Kai released nearly a hundred Golden Blood Threads from his hands before weaving them together to form an airtight net around them.
Even after successively deploying three powerful layers of protection, Yang Kai still felt uneasy.
But there was no more time for him to react as the countless lightning arcs had already reached him.
*Kacha…*
The outermost layer of defence, the sandstorm, instantly collapsed and the Purple Shield reappeared, its light halo severely dimmed, obviously having suffered a severe loss of spirituality. On the contrary, the myriad bolts of lightning remained undiminished as they struck towards the net woven of Golden Blood Threads.
Being struck by the lightning arcs, the brilliant golden radiance coming from the Golden Blood Threads suddenly dimmed and Yang Kai couldn’t help coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.
His Golden Blood Threads were existences that straddled the line between Secret Techniques and artifacts that were directly connected to his body and Soul. As such, when his Golden Blood Threads took damage, Yang Kai would also suffer. This was the only drawback of his Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique.
Yang Kai suffered a small loss at this moment.
Fortunately, this minor flaw did not detract from the Golden Blood Thread’s power, and as they passed through the golden net, the seemingly unstoppable lighting arcs finally lost some of their power.
Immediately after, the remaining lighting arcs hit the Firebird Artifact Spirit’s light curtain.
Crisp bird cries rang out as the curtain of extremely hot flames distorted greatly, warping space itself within the surrounding thousand metres. The imposing flames and overbearing lightning formed a kind of violent stalemate, clashing fiercely with one another as Yang Kai looked on anxiously.
However, Yang Kai’s face soon became extremely gloomy.
As the owner of the Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai could naturally feel just how much pressure it was under at this moment.
[It can’t stop them!]
If Yang Kai allowed this to continue, the Firebird Artifact Spirit would almost certainly be destroyed entirely, disappearing from this world.
Just what kind of artifact was that bead? How could it possess such power and why was it giving off Emperor Pressure?
Within a short moment, the Artifact Spirit’s light curtain was on the verge of breaking and the intense heat it was giving off was quickly dispersing, as if it was being doused with water. At the same time, the crisp bird cries were rapidly becoming noticeably fainter.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and took back his Firebird Artifact Spirit.
He didn’t want to let the Artifact Spirit fall here.
A crimson-red ray of light flew into Yang Kai’s body, but without the Firebird’s protection, the countless lightning arcs once again charged towards him unhindered like the sharpest of blades.
Yang Kai’s face was pale, but in this moment, he could only push his Saint Qi to its limits to protect himself.
“Yang Kai, this old master will help you!” Fei Zhi Tu’s voice suddenly came from the side. Using some unknown Secret Technique, Fei Zhi Tu had regained the use of his sealed Saint Qi and hurriedly summoned his Blue Jade Bowl.
A faint blue light poured out from the bowl like gently falling moonlight, quickly transforming into a tangible barrier that blocked the path of the incoming lightning.
A series of loud sizzling noises rang out as the lightning arcs hit this faint blue barrier, causing it to rapidly dim.
After only three breaths, Fei Zhi Tu coughed up a mouthful of red blood and his face turned as pale as paper, his aura rapidly diminishing in the process.
The Blue Jade Bowl he relied on the most also let out a loud cracking sound before breaking apart and scattering to the ground.
This powerful Origin Grade High-Rank artifact was actually destroyed by the lightning arcs after a single encounter!
This caused Fei Zhi Tu’s already bad condition to further worsen!
“Old Fei!” Qian Tong’s expression changed drastically as he looked over at him nervously. Fei Zhi Tu just shook his head slowly, not even having the strength to speak. He suffered heavy injuries when they were captured, and was later pierced through by Qu Zheng’s short spear. Now an artifact which was closely connected to his Soul had been destroyed, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he was completely drained at this moment.
However, his efforts weren’t in vain. After being blocked by the Blue Jade Bowl, the lightning arcs weren’t nearly as powerful as before, and although they were still quite strong, Yang Kai no longer felt a deadly threat from them.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The charging lightning arcs plunged into Yang Kai’s body like steel needles, causing countless tiny holes to appear on his body and spilling a copious amount of his blood.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and in the next moment his Saint Qi burst out, enveloping Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, his face extremely gloomy.
Everyone’s eyes bulged when they saw this. All of them asked themselves if they would have been able to survive the violent attack just now, and the answer all of them arrived at was ‘no’, but Yang Kai had managed to accomplish this. Although Fei Zhi Tu’s desperate assistance was also a factor, Yang Kai had taken the entire remaining force of the lightning arcs with his body. But instead of his aura fading, it was madly increasing.
Was this boy even still human? Was he really just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator?
Fang Peng and Qu Zheng’s faces were filled with shock, and even the grey-haired old man showed a look of dread on his face.
“Yang Kai, we need to leave here first. Old Fei…” Qian Tong shouted anxiously.
Yang Kai’s rapidly swelling aura stagnated abruptly, as if he had suddenly regained his composure and he gently nodded, biting the tip of his tongue before spitting out a drop of Golden Blood from his mouth. This drop of blood flickered slightly before seemingly disappearing into thin air.
Immediately after, a strange wave of power surged in front of Yang Kai and a small black crack suddenly appeared.
Initially, this crack was small and insignificant, but soon it expanded, as if two invisible hands were tearing it open.
Inside this crack was a pitch black chaotic was nothingness, as if anything that fell into it would be swallowed and disappear forever.
“Impossible!” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes trembled violently as he exclaimed, “Impossible, this is absolutely impossible, there’s no way! That’s a Void Crack!”
“What?” Fang Peng was shocked, “A Void Crack?”
Everyone was stunned as they stared blankly at the crack which led to The Void, all of them unable to believe their eyes, but when they sent their Divine Senses into the black nothingness, they really couldn’t sense anything.
Only Yang Kai stood calmly in front of the Void Crack, guarding Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu as he swept his eyes around coldly with a vicious expression on his face, “This Sect Master will remember the gracious gift he was bestowed today and will be sure to return it a hundred times over in the future!”
His voice was like the frigid wind of the Nine Nether Purgatory, causing everyone to shiver from head to toe.
As soon as his voice fell, his figure flickered and dove into the Void Crack!
“Stop him!” The grey-haired old man was the first to recover from his shock and shout.
But by that time, there was no trace of Yang Kai left, and the attacks everyone released on instinct simply submerged into The Void like stones sinking into the sea, not even creating any ripples.
After a breath, the Void Crack automatically closed and disappeared.
Everyone’s expressions turned ugly as their faces paled.
“Impossible! That is absolutely impossible!” In front of the silent palace, only Mo Xiao Sheng’s muttering echoed.
Having suffered a thorough defeat in the field he was proudest of, Mo Xiao Sheng’s pride had been ripped to shreds.
Qu Zheng and Fang Peng looked at each other and could only see annoyance and dread in each other’s eyes. Qu Zheng turned to look at Mo Xiao Sheng and quickly asked, “Great Elder, are you certain that was a Void Crack?”
“Haha…” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes remained unfocused as he said with a sad smile, “This old master wishes he was mistaken, but that was without a doubt a Void Crack! He can actually tear space. At such a young age he has achieved this kind of mastery over Space Force? It is over, it’s all over, no one on Shadowed Star can capture him. If he wishes to leave, no one can stop him! All this time, he was just toying with us! “
“No one can stop him?” Qu Zheng complexion turned ugly.
Mo Xiao Sheng slowly shook his head with a look of despair, “Union Master, you don’t understand just how difficult it is to deal with someone who cultivates Space Force, but this old master understands… After failing to kill him this time, we will never have a second chance.”
Qu Zheng frowned deeply.
Recalling the threat Yang Kai gave before he left, his heart could not help but clench up.
High Heaven Sect was located deep inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, a land that none could trespass, and Yang Kai himself was so difficult to handle, even capable of tearing space. Having thoroughly offended him this time, it would likely be difficult to sleep peacefully in the future!
“Old Bai, this…” Fang Peng, who had remained silent until now, turned his head to look at the grey-haired old man in brown robes.
The old man’s aura was quite feeble at this moment. It seemed that it cost him a great price to use the bead-like artifact. Hearing someone call out to him, this old man surnamed Bai coldly snorted and said, “Even the Annihilation Thunder Bead couldn’t force him to remain. This is no longer a matter this old master can handle, I must return to the Mountain and report to the Sect Master. Any further action will be coordinated by him, this old master will take his leave.”
After he said this sentence, he did not care what other people thought. He summoned his Star Shuttle and flew off.
Fang Peng wasn’t even able to get a word off and could only watch in annoyance as the old man flew off, cursing under his breath once he was certain the old man was out of hearing range.
The reason why he and Qu Zheng offended Yang Kai this time was because of the orders they received from Star Emperor Mountain, resulting in their two forces suffering heavy losses. Yet now that everything failed miserably, the other side was actually abandoning all responsibility?
What was this? Dismantling a bridge after crossing the river? Disposing of trusted allies after they outlived their usefulness?
Failing to obtain any benefits while provoking a dangerous entity, Fang Peng felt the impulse to cough up blood.
However, when he thought about Qu Zheng, he suddenly felt better. Although Thunder Typhoon Sect had also suffered a loss this time, Fang Tian Zhong was still alive, unlike Heaven Battling Union’s Young Union Master Qu Chang Feng.
“Brother Qu, this matter will end here. This Fang will also take his leave,” Fang Peng said with a light cough.
“Brother Fang wants to leave just like that?” Qu Zheng raised his eyes and glared at him.
Fang Peng snickered, “Brother Qu, you also heard what that boy said before he left, he’s clearly not going to let today’s matter drop. This Fang is going to return as quickly as possible to make some arrangements before entering retreat for a few years. Even if that boy is strong, he won’t dare attack my Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters, right? If he were to do that, he would truly be too arrogant. Brother Qu, I advise you to go back as well. Quickly order your disciples to return to your Sect and not go out unless necessary to avoid them being picked off one by one before the situation calms.”
“Is Brother Fang really such a coward? After being threatened once you actually intend to make like a turtle?” Qu Zheng stared at him contemptuously.
“When did I say anything like that…” Fang Peng spat disdainfully, “This Fang simply wishes to gain the most while losing the least. In any case, this matter is Star Emperor Mountain’s responsibility now, I don’t want to stick my nose into it unnecessarily.”
“Hmph, if I cannot obtain vengeance for the murder of my son, this old master would not be a man! If Brother Fang wishes to act like a turtle and cower, so be it, but this old master and that brat are absolutely irreconcilable. If he dares to attack my headquarters, this old master must make him never return!” Qu Zheng roared, his expression grim.
“Then I hope Brother Qu can fulfil his wish as soon as possible!” Fang Peng cupped his fists slightly before waving his hand and quickly leaving with the rest of the surviving Thunder Typhoon Sect masters.
“Coward!” Qu Zheng looked at Fang Peng’s disappearance and spurned contemptuously, but soon his expression became sad again as he looked towards a certain spot, his heart filling with pain, “Collect the Young Union Master’s corpse, we’re returning!”
“Yes!” Someone walked over and immediately picked up Qu Chang Feng’s headless corpse before the remaining Heaven Battling Union Masters followed after Qu Zheng and left.
How did you guys feel? What are the more memorable fights for you?
A few tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Ancient Sect Ruins, there was a barren mountain with such thin World Energy aura that there was hardly any vegetation, making it look extremely desolate.
In such a place, cultivators could rarely be found because no herbs, treasures, or anything of value could be found here, making it unattractive to explore.
The mountain wasn’t big and only stretched a dozen kilometres or so, similar to the old Dragon Cave Mountain, but it was far worse in terms of scenery and aura.
A streak of light swiftly approached from a distance, and as it passed through this barren mountain, it suddenly came to a halt before flying down and rushing into a natural cave halfway up the cliff.
When the light dispersed, three figures appeared.
Everyone looked quite dishevelled, with blood staining all of their clothes as if they had just experienced a very difficult battle and barely escaped with their lives.
These three were Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu.
A few tens of thousands of kilometres was a safe enough distance. It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t want to travel further; it was just that Fei Zhi Tu’s state wasn’t optimistic now. He didn’t dare delay any longer, and this barren mountain was a decent spot to hide and rest.
After rushing into the cave, Yang Kai immediately put Fei Zhi Tu down, allowing him to lean against the cave wall before placing his fingers on his wrist and using his Saint Qi to examine his injuries.
Fei Zhi Tu’s injuries were by far the most serious among the trio, with his aura extremely weak and chaotic, as if he was a lamp running out of oil.
After a moment, Yang Kai frowned, his face gloomy.
“Yang Kai, Old Fei…” Qian Tong was as anxious as an ant on a hot wok, not even caring to deal with his own injuries as he asked Yang Kai nervously.
“His situation isn’t good,” Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, immediately raising his eyes to stare into Fei Zhi Tu’s as he asked, “City Lord Fei, what kind of Secret Technique did you use to cause such harm?”
“Haha…” Fei Zhi Tu gave a miserable laugh, his face as pale as paper as he slowly shook his head, “It wasn’t a Secret Technique, this old master hasn’t cultivated such a Heaven-defying Secret Technique.”
“If it wasn’t a Secret Technique, could it be…” Qian Tong’s expression changed when he heard this, as if he suddenly remembered something.
“En, when they captured us, this old master took out that Yuan Burst Pill and hid it under his tongue while they weren’t paying attention!”
“A Yuan Burst Pill?” Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically. As an Alchemist, he had naturally heard about this pill as well as the terrible side-effects it caused. Although a cultivator’s strength would be greatly increased for a short time after taking it, the backlash would cause unimaginable damage to a cultivator once the medicinal efficacies passed.
This pill granted a burst of strength by overdrawing a cultivator’s vitality!
This kind of pill was rarely refined by Alchemists and was even more rarely used because one needed to be prepared to perish after taking it!
It was no wonder Fei Zhi Tu had been able to instantly break through the seals placed on him and restore his strength, it turns out he had hidden such a pill in his mouth in advance.
Yang Kai instantly understood what had transpired.
While the trio spoke, the medicinal efficacies of the Yuan Burst Pill seemed to have completely disappeared and the true backlash began to appear.
Fei Zhi Tu’s black hair turned white at a speed visible to the naked eye and even his skin began to shrivel and dry up, leaving many deep wrinkles on his face.
In mere breaths, it seemed he had aged hundreds of years.
Fei Zhi Tu originally looked like he was only in his early forties, the prime of his life, but now he had the appearance of an old man who was approaching his death.
Even his cultivation gradually began to drop, from Third-Order Origin Returning Realm to Second-Order, then First-Order before teetering on the brink of dropping to the Saint King Realm.
“Old Fei…” Qian Tong was heartbroken. The friendship between him and Fei Zhi Tu was hundreds of years old, so he knew better than anyone where that Yuan Burst Pill had come from.
When the two of them were young, they had gone out together for life experience and had found a single Yuan Burst Pill in some ancient ruins. Qian Tong had scoffed at it but Fei Zhi Tu decided to keep it. Unexpectedly, Fei Zhi Tu had found an opportunity to use it after close to three hundred years.
For a moment, Qian Tong felt deep pain and guilt wrack him.
If it was he who had been the one to keep that Yuan Burst Pill, then he would be the one suffering from its backlash today rather than helplessly watching his old friend pass away before his eyes.
Fei Zhi Tu was already seriously injured, and now that the backlash from using the Yuan Burst Pill surfaced, in addition to the shock his Soul received after the Blue Jade Bowl was destroyed, it was clear he wouldn’t survive long.
“Old Qian, why do you look like your father and mother just died?” Fei Zhi Tu grinned, “I understand my own situation best, this time it was you and I who failed to pay attention to our surroundings and caused such a huge mess. My old bones aren’t worth feeling sad about. Old Qian, listen, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect actually dared to risk public condemnation by attacking both of us, so there’s a good chance that they have someone backing them they can rely on.”
“Someone to rely on? You mean…” Qian Tong frowned.
“This is just my own guess, but whether it’s true or not, I’m not certain. In any case, don’t rush to take revenge, our Shadow Moon Hall isn’t any stronger than those two forces, and if all of this was plotted by ‘them’, we will be the only ones who suffer in the end.”
“Just leave the matter of revenge to me, City Lord Fei need not worry about this,” Yang Kai reassured.
“Haha, you’re too thoughtful Yang Kai. If that’s the case, this old master won’t say anymore,” Fei Zhi Tu gently nodded before falling silent.
Qian Tong’s eyes became wet as tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.
“Why are the two of you acting like this is a lifelong separation?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, “Although the damage to City Lord Fei’s foundation is quite grave, it’s not like all hope is lost.”
Hearing this, Qian Tong’s eyes lit up.
Fei Zhi Tu also looked over at Yang Kai in amazement.
As he said just now, he understood his own situation the best. If he had just been seriously injured this time, it wouldn’t be a major problem, all he would need to do is enter retreat for a few years to recuperate and he would be able to recover, but after taking that Yuan Burst Pill, things were different. His vitality had been severely overdrawn and he could no longer stop his foundation from crumbling. He would definitely die within a few days, possibly even a few hours.
“Yang Kai, please don’t make jokes at a time like this. If you really have a way to pull Old Fei back from the gates of death, please use it quickly. This old master will certainly remember this gratitude for the rest of his life!” Qian Tong said anxiously, as if he was a drowning man grasping at straws.
Fei Zhi Tu also looked at Yang Kai expectantly.
If they could live, who would choose to die? However, did Yang Kai really have a way to save him from this kind of situation or was he just trying to comfort him?
“Junior is naturally not making a joke with two Seniors,” Yang Kai nodded before putting on a serious look, flipping his wrist, and taking out a jade bottle from his Space Ring. Uncapping this bottle, a strong, refreshing aroma instantly diffused.
When this fragrance entered his nose, Fei Zhi Tu’s pale face suddenly became a little ruddy and even his extreme weariness was slightly dispelled.
“What is this?” Qian Tong was an experienced man and at a glance could tell that whatever was inside this jade bottle was something extraordinary, but unfortunately he couldn’t identify it at all.
From its colour, white and flawless, it almost looked like some kind of milk.
“Two Seniors should be familiar with the Three Great Divine Waters, yes?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“What? The Three Great Divine Waters?” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were shocked.
“En, this bottle contains one of them, Life Revitalizing Jade Cream!” Yang Kai said before flicking his wrist and extracting a drop of the pure white Life Revitalizing Jade Cream from the bottle, wrapping it in his Saint Qi, then floating it towards Fei Zhi Tu.
“It’s actually Life Revitalizing Jade Cream!” Qian Tong was ecstatic. If this was really one of the rumoured Three Great Divine Waters, then Old Fei really could be saved.
The biggest reason for his current state was his overdrawn vitality which made it impossible for him to suppress his other injuries. However, if he could restore his vitality, it wouldn’t be a problem to suppress his physical wounds with his cultivation.
The greatest function of Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, one of the Star Field’s Three Great Divine Waters, was to replenish vitality.
It was the perfect medicine for this situation.
Qian Tong was overjoyed!
“City Lord Fei, please accept this!” Yang Kai said seriously.
Fei Zhi Tu’s face twitched slightly with excitement and he didn’t hesitate to open his mouth and swallow the small drop of Life Revitalizing Jade Cream.
As he swallowed this drop of liquid, Fei Zhi Tu felt a stream of warmth flow from his mouth straight down to the abdomen before a wave of vigorous vitality began spreading out inside his body. Feeling this, Fei Zhi Tu was shocked and couldn’t help closing his eyes and circulating his Saint Qi to refine the raging medicinal efficacies.
Seeing Fei Zhi Tu’s aura stabilizing at an extremely rapid pace and that there was no longer any worry about him losing his life, Qian Tong couldn’t help shedding some tears as he celebrated his old friend escaping from the gates of death.
“Yang Kai, the weight of this gift is simply too great!” Qian Tong wiped the corners of his eyes as he looked towards Yang Kai gratefully.
“Elder Qian is too polite, Senior Fei was implicated by me and even forced to take that Yuan Burst Pill to help this Junior resist that last attack. This Junior has nothing but gratitude in his heart, so a trivial drop of Life Revitalizing Jade Cream is not even worth mentioning. Actually, Elder Qian, your injuries…”
“This old master is fine, I can break the seal placed on me on my own, I simply need to meditate for a few days. As for this arm… haha, it’s not an issue, although this old master is getting on in years, he’s still strong and healthy, a mere broken arm won’t be a problem to fix.”
“Alright, if that’s the case, Elder Qian should focus on his own recovery. I have some healing pills here, they should help Elder Qian achieve twice the results in half the time,” Yang Kai said, taking out a few bottles from his Space Ring and pouring out a pill from each before handing them to Qian Tong.
Qian Tong originally wanted to refuse; after all, as a Shadow Moon Hall Elder, how could he not have healing pills on him? But when he saw what kind of pills Yang Kai took out, he swallowed the words which came to his lips back down and accepted them with a smile, “Kid, you really have many good things on you, it would be impolite for this old master to refuse.”
“This is what I should do, this Junior will stand guard for two Seniors, so two Seniors can concentrate on healing!”
“Yeah. You should also deal with your own injuries, don’t allow any hidden dangers to remain behind.”
And so, the three each found a spot in the cave, sat down cross-legged, and began meditating.
Fei Zhi Tu’s injuries were the most serious, but at least he no longer had to worry about losing his life. As for how much of his strength he could restore, that would depend on his own ability. Qian Tong’s injuries weren’t a big problem and neither were Yang Kai’s.
With his Golden Blood, Yang Kai’s restorative ability was many times stronger than average and his physical body was also quite resilient, so even if he was hit by those lightning arcs, he hadn’t suffered much damage. All he needed to do now was restore himself and he would be fine.
Half a month later, three rays of light shot out from the cave and soared towards the horizon, soon disappearing.
After such a long period of recuperation, Qian Tong and Yang Kai had basically recovered but Fei Zhi Tu had not.
Although Yang Kai had managed to save him from the gates of death and essentially negate the backlash from the Yuan Burst Pill, Fei Zhi Tu was still unable to return to his peak. His face was ruddy and his hair, while still white, had a healthy sheen to it, no longer making him appear sickly.
However, his cultivation could only be restored to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm.
It seemed it would be impossible for Fei Zhi Tu to return to his peak in short order, and he estimated that it would be ten or twenty years before he would see hope of breaking through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm again. While this result was no doubt frustrating, it was still within the realm of acceptable.
Moreover, this kind of increase in cultivation was just restoration, not a real breakthrough, so Fei Zhi Tu would not encounter any kind of bottleneck, all it would take is time.
In time, he will surely be able to fully restore himself.
With all three of their conditions being fine, they travelled together towards the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had used their full strength to deal with Yang Kai this time and Yang Kai had not concealed anything from Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu. After learning that the entire incident was arranged by Star Emperor Mountain, whether it was Qian Tong or Fei Zhi Tu, they were deeply disturbed.
Neither of them dared return to Shadow Moon Hall, for fear of being found there and captured to threaten Yang Kai again.
Fortunately, only the two of them had some friendship with Yang Kai in Shadow Moon Hall, so as long as they weren’t there, Star Emperor Mountain would obviously not attack Shadow Moon Hall.
Going to the impenetrable Flowing Flame Sand Field was their best choice. Even if Star Emperor Mountain set out in full force, there was no way they could reach them there.
When Yang Kai came here originally, he had flown the entire way, entering one city after another to purchase cultivation materials in bulk, but now he chose not to waste so much time on the road.
Taking advantage of several Space Arrays, it only took Yang Kai’s group ten or so days to reach the periphery of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Over the past ten days, the three of them had also inquired about the news, but unfortunately, they were not able to learn anything of importance.
What had transpired in Fallen Emperor Mountain that day was completely concealed from the rest of Shadowed Star.
On the contrary, news of Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect suddenly increasing the defences around their headquarters to their highest level spread out like wildfire.
No one knew why these two giants suddenly reacted like this, no one other than Yang Kai and the other two beside him that is. Obviously, these two great forces were worried that Yang Kai would seek revenge and were already making preparations.
[But could they do anything to stop me?] Yang Kai thought to himself and sneered.
He didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble, and there really hadn’t been much hatred between him and Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union, but since they took the initiative to attack him this time, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t just let it go.
Before leaving Shadowed Star for a long voyage, he would need to settle this problem first, otherwise he would not be able to be at ease. After all, this voyage could not be completed in a short time and once he left, only the Heavens knew how long it would be before he returned.
Outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, in front of the palace where the Space Array that connected the inside and outside was located, Yang Kai wore a gloomy expression.
This could not be helped, as the palace where the Space Array was arranged had been destroyed and was now completely unusable. There was also a lot of dried up blood staining the surrounding area which clearly indicated there had been a battle here.
The High Heaven Sect disciples who generally guarded this place had low strength, so Yang Kai could not say for sure whether they were dead or alive.
Unable to directly use the Space Array to enter High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai could only take out his communication artifact and send a message inside.
Although he could also use one of his Star Emperor Tokens to enter and exit safely, the protection granted by a Star Emperor Token was limited to a single person, which meant he couldn’t bring Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu through the Flame Area with him safely.
After waiting for less than an hour, a small yet exquisitely designed Starship flew out from the Flame Area and stopped in front of Yang Kai’s trio.
It was the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle previously refined by Yang Yan.
When the hatch opened, Wu Yi’s figure appeared.
“Yang Kai, you finally came back,” Wu Yi’s expression was a little anxious, but after seeing Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, she quickly offered her greetings.
“We’ll talk inside,” Yang Kai gently nodded before ushering Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu into the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle. The shuttle hatch closed a moment later and with a slight shake, returned the way it came at an incredible speed.
“Who destroyed the Space Array? Did the disciples guarding it suffer any casualties?” Yang Kai asked after entering it.
“We’re not clear who it was that attacked, but the disciples who were on guard duty during that time were only slightly injured, so there’s no major problem. A dozen or so days ago, a group of uninvited guests suddenly appeared outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field and attempted to capture the Space Array. Fortunately, the disciples reacted quickly and triggered the self-destructing Spirit Array arranged by Yang Yan before evacuating to the Sect.”
“En, that’s good,” Yang Kai gently nodded, High Heaven Sect had very few disciples, essentially all of them cultivators who had followed Wu Yi to leave the Hai Ke Family. They had supported each other from that day until today, so if there had been casualties among them because of this attack, they would certainly feel forlorn.
“Yang Kai, do you know who tried to attack our High Heaven Sect?” Wu Yi asked angrily.
“Probably Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect,” Yang Kai said lightly.
“Them?” Wu Yi’s pretty face changed slightly, “Why would they suddenly try to attack us? Did we offend them somehow?”
“Little girl, an ordinary man is innocent, but treasures can make him guilty, you should understand such a truth. You really have not offended those two forces, but since they covet your possessions, they would naturally take action. This time, while Yang Kai was out, he was also ambushed by them,” Qian Tong sighed.
“Their courage isn’t small!” Wu Yi shouted, her pretty face turning stern, “My High Heaven Sect simply wishes to reign over our little domain and has no interest in stirring up conflicts with the world, but do they really think we’re so easily bullied? It seems that if we don’t make them suffer, they won’t know what’s good for them.”
Yang Kai and the others all looked at her in amazement.
Fei Zhi Tu even began clapping as he smiled, “You may be young, but your spirit certainly isn’t small, little Girl! Worthy of someone who follows Yang Kai, your courage is commendable!”
Wu Yi’s pretty face blushed slightly upon receiving such praise as she quietly replied, “Junior was just speaking casually, how we act will all depend on Sect Master’s intentions. The two Seniors must not laugh.”
“Naturally, we must teach them a lesson,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Every grudge must have its revenge, it’s as simple as that.”
Wu Yi’s expression instantly brightened.
After an hour, the battle shuttle arrived atop High Heaven Sect’s Main Square and the group inside exited. Yang Kai asked Wu Yi to arrange a place for Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu to rest while he walked to Hundred Flowers Peak alone.
He wanted to find Ye Xi Yun and ask for advice.
Atop Hundred Flowers Peak, Ye Xi Yun was tending to the various flowers calmly. Her cultivation had reached the apex of this world, so she no longer bothered cultivating. With the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles preventing her from breaking through to the Origin King Realm, no matter how she tried to cultivate, it would not help her in any way.
So usually, she would tend to trivial matters while disciplining her heart and mind, hoping that one day she would obtain a chance to break through to the Origin King Realm.
As a result, her temper has always remained indifferent.
“Sect Master has returned?” Ye Xi Yun called out lightly before Yang Kai even walked over; obviously, she had noticed his presence.
“En.” Yang Kai gently nodded, walking straight over to her as he observed her pruning a certain plant.
“Did your trip go smoothly?”
“Not at all.”
“Oh?” Ye Xi Yun finally turned to face him, “What happened?”
“I was ambushed!” Yang Kai brow twitched slightly as he briefly recounted what happened in Fallen Emperor Mountain.
“You mean Star Emperor Mountain was stirring up things from behind the scenes?” Ye Xi Yun’s elegant face went slightly cold.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter. No matter who the enemy is, if they dare to provoke me, I’ll make them regret it.”
“Sect Master naturally understands how to separate gratitude and grievances.”
“I came here this time to ask you if Star Emperor Mountain possesses some kind of bead-like artifact that can split into innumerable copies of itself and release powerful bolts of lightning.”
“Does Sect Master mean the Annihilation Thunder Bead?” Ye Xi Yun frowned slightly, “Were you attacked by this artifact?”
“En, I almost died!” Yang Kai still felt some lingering fear from that incident. When he remembered the power of that artifact, he could not help his heart from pounding. He had never encountered such a powerful artifact before. “Is that so-called Annihilation Thunder Bead an Origin King Grade artifact?”
“It’s not Origin King Grade,” To Yang Kai’s surprise, Ye Xi Yun slowly shook her head before putting down the pruning shears in her hand, straightening herself up, and sinking into contemplation, seemingly digging through her memories. It was a while before she began moving again, walking over towards the nearby stone pavilion while beckoning, “Let’s talk over here, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai followed closely.
Inside the stone pavilion, the two took seats across from one another. Ye Xi Yun personally poured a cup of tea before pushing it gently over to Yang Kai. Brushing her hair back lightly, she finally continued, “Sect Master being able to withdraw even after taking a strike from the Annihilation Thunder Bead is no small accomplishment, this Queen seems to have underestimated you yet again.”
“I was just lucky. That Annihilation Thunder Bead has such great power, how could it not be an Origin King Grade artifact?” Yang Kai took a sip of the tea as he glanced at Ye Xi Yun suspiciously.
“It is one of Star Emperor Mountain’s most precious treasures and has surpassed the Origin King Grade. It is an Emperor Artifact!”
“An Emperor Artifact?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “An artifact used by the Great Emperor?”
“Precisely,” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded.
“How could that be?” Yang Kai was dumbstruck. He had seen an Emperor Artifact before, namely the Three Blazing Flame Rings! Unfortunately, Yang Yan was only capable of collecting a single one of these three flame rings while the remaining two still lay on Shadowed Star, forming the Flowing Flame Sand Field, the strongest shield which protected High Heaven Sect.
“The Annihilation Thunder Bead is indeed an Emperor Artifact, but with the strength of the people from Star Emperor Mountain, they can barely use it at all. Even if I use it personally, I am still unable to draw out even ten percent of its power!”
“Is it really that terrifying?” Yang Kai paled in amazement.
“En, the power of an Emperor Artifact is not something you or I can fathom. Moreover, forcefully activating an Emperor Artifact with such a low cultivation is extremely taxing. Wasn’t the aura of the person who attacked you with the Annihilation Thunder Bead weak and chaotic after the fact?”
“Indeed!”
“En, if he was capable of drawing out the full power of the Annihilation Thunder Bead, let alone Sect Master, even an Origin King could easily be killed.”
Yang Kai was now thoroughly shocked.
If it were not for Fei Zhi Tu sacrificing his Blue Jade Bowl at the critical moment to block those lightning bolts, Yang Kai would have been severely injured. This time, he had managed to escape by luck, but what about the next time?
“Sect Masters doesn’t need to worry too much. Although an Emperor Artifact’s power is unfathomable, because of the limits of the user’s cultivation, it is not as dangerous as you might think. After using it to deliver a single blow, it essentially cannot be used again in quick succession. You have experienced it personally, so you should understand this better than anyone else,” Seeing the anxious look on Yang Kai’s face, Ye Xi Yun comforted him lightly.
“That’s true,” Yang Kai gently nodded, the fear on his face greatly dispersing as he felt relieved.
The power an artifact could display was always linked to its wielder’s strength, so even if the artifact’s grade was high, if the cultivator using it wasn’t strong enough, it wouldn’t be able to display much might.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword was like this. Although Yang Kai could use it quite flexibly now, he could tell that it had great untapped potential.
The reason he could not access this potential wasn’t because of the Dragon Bone Sword, but rather because of himself.
His strength was limiting the performance of the Dragon Bone Sword.
“If Sect Master plans on acting, you might as well bring this Queen along. Star Emperor Mountain has already strayed from its proper path, so this Queen cannot just stand idly by, and… I also want to meet with a few old friends and settle our accounts.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brows, suddenly becoming somewhat curious.
He had always wondered why Ye Xi Yun had left Star Emperor Mountain all those years ago; after all, she had been the Sect Master of the greatest power on Shadowed Star, possessing the pinnacle of status and respect. If not for extreme difficulties, she definitely wouldn’t have given such a position up to live in seclusion for a hundred years.
However, this kind of issue was quite difficult to ask about. If Ye Xi Yun was willing to explain, Yang Kai would certainly be willing to listen, but if she didn’t, no good would come of prying.
The only thing Yang Kai could be sure of now was that there was deep grievance between Ye Xi Yun and Star Emperor Mountain.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai didn’t bother dwelling on the subject and instead said in a serious tone, “I have a plan, but I’d like Great Elder to listen and give her input if she notices any errors or deficiencies…”
And so, Yang Kai explained his battle strategy.
After an hour, Yang Kai left Hundred Flowers Peak and returned to First Heavenly Palace.
Inside the silent palace, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and took out the Feather Spirit Arrow before beginning to pour his Saint Qi into it to recharge it.
This artifact he obtained in Fallen Emperor Mountain was extremely powerful, and although it could only be used a limited number of times in any single battle, that did not detract from its utility. With this artifact’s power, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator could instantly be killed, while even a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master like Qu Zheng would not dare take its strike head-on.
During the battle in Fallen Emperor Mountain, Yang Kai had exhausted the Feather Spirit Arrow’s energy, so he needed to recharge it now.
Half an hour later, the Feather Spirit Arrow was fully recharged.
Yang Kai carefully put away this strange artifact, but just as he was about to start making some other preparations for the upcoming action, his expression suddenly changed as he turned his gaze towards a certain spot on the ground and grinned, waiting quietly.
A moment later, a small head appeared strangely from the ground, its body filled with rough edges and a bulky build; however, this creature’s two eyes were extremely bright and flexible.
Stone Puppet.
When Yang Kai went out this time, he had not brought the Stone Puppet with him and instead left it in the Sect.
For one thing, Yang Kai hadn’t expected that there would be so many twists and turns on this trip or any kind of great battle; if he had expected a fight, he would have brought the Stone Puppet along to help him.
Secondly, the Stone Puppet currently had another task.
The Stone Puppet was now responsible for caring for the stone embryo of the other Stone Puppet. After leaving the Emperor Garden last time, Yang Kai merged the Blood Essence Stone he found with the stone embryo, hoping to give birth to a second Stone Puppet. He had left Xiao Xiao the duty to watch over the stone embryo at that time.
Now that Yang Kai had returned to Sect, Xiao Xiao noticed his presence and immediately rushed over to First Heavenly Palace.
Not knowing what kind of progress the second Stone Puppet had made, Yang Kai was full of expectations.
However, when he observed the Xiao Xiao closely, Yang Kai could not help frowning and quickly asked, “What happened?”
The Stone Puppet’s originally clear and bright eyes were now showing signs of panic. As soon as he rushed out of the ground, he immediately scrambled over in front of Yang Kai with his hands and feet before reaching out and pulling on his shirt, letting out some incomprehensible sounds as he eagerly tried to drag Yang Kai out.
“What happened?” As Xiao Xiao’s owner, Yang Kai could naturally feel his anxiety and restlessness; however, the Stone Puppet had a low level of sentience to begin with. Yang Kai had only given him a single drop of Golden Blood when it was born, so he couldn’t clearly tell what he was thinking.
“You want me to come with you?” Yang Kai asked again, to which the Stone Puppet nodded repeatedly.
“Lead the way!” Yang Kai gently nodded, letting the Stone Puppet drag him outside.
Soon, the Stone Puppet brought Yang Kai outside High Heaven Sect’s headquarters and to the depths of the continuous mountain range.
High Heaven Sect’s headquarters stood where the ancient Supreme Profound Sect’s ruins were. The Supreme Profound Sect’s ruins covered an extremely wide range though, so High Heaven Sect, with its tiny population, only occupied a small portion of it.
The place the Stone Puppet took Yang Kai could also be regarded as the headquarters of the Supreme Profound Sect, just a different, far away peak.
This peak was extremely tall, towering up into the clouds, and had extremely beautiful scenery.
An hour later, the Stone Puppet led Yang Kai to the top of this mountain, where a spacious platform like a square and a gorgeous palace stood.
Obviously, this palace had been built by Supreme Profound Sect before, but it was now empty.
As soon as they entered the palace, Yang Kai spotted a strange blood-red stone about the size of a washbasin sitting on the floor. There were visible wisps of World Energy being absorbed into this stone.
There were even loud, rhythmic thumping sounds, similar to the beating of a heart, coming from the blood-red stone.
Naturally, it was the second Stone Puppet stone embryo!
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
The stone embryo had been well taken care of by Xiao Xiao, and after integrating the Blood Essence Stone, it now possessed its own life force, but strangely, the creature inside, despite clearly being alive, had yet to break through its shell. From the strength of the aura it was emitting, Yang Kai estimated it should have been born some time ago.
Yang Kai frowned.
With his eyesight, he could naturally see that something was wrong with the stone embryo, it was no wonder Xiao Xiao had become so frantic.
After arriving here, Xiao Xiao rushed over to the stone embryo, circling it anxiously, scratching his ears and cheeks, making him look like a monkey that had an itch he just couldn’t scratch no matter how hard he tried.
“Let me see, don’t worry,” Yang Kai comforted. Hearing these words, Xiao Xiao became obedient and immediately sat aside, watching eagerly.
The birthing process for the stone embryo is the same within its kind, so even if Xiao Xiao’s intelligence was not great, he could still understand how to care for members of his own race.
Yang Kai walked up to the stone embryo and scanned it with his Divine Sense, his face changing slightly as he did.
An unimaginable amount of energy had been condensed inside the stone embryo, and it was actually constantly being strengthened. It seemed like because the World Energy here was so rich that the stone embryo was simply continuing to draw it in without reserve.
The heartbeat sound became more and more obvious as well, but no matter how Yang Kai probed it, the unborn creature inside still showed no signs of trying to emerge from its shell. Yang Kai was not even able to sense any kind of Soul fluctuations.
The absence of Soul fluctuations meant that this life-form had yet to achieve sentience.
Yang Kai was confused.
He did not know how to handle this situation.
It was only because Yang Yan had explained the strange Stone Puppet race to him that Yang Kai even understood this kind of creature existed, but as for how to ensure it could be born safely, he had no clues.
Perhaps if Yang Yan was here, she could provide some assistance.
Unfortunately, Yang Yan had now merged with the Great Emperor’s true body and had fallen into a deep slumber since returning from the Emperor Garden. Even if Yang Kai went to her, he would not be able to get any help.
After thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai reached out and touched the stone embryo.
In any case, the energy stored inside the stone embryo at this moment was simply too immense, to the point where it was dangerous. The stone embryo failing to be born smoothly or produce sentience was likely related to this.
Too much of a good thing was dangerous.
Yang Kai wanted to guide away some of the energy inside so as not to cause any further harm to the fragile stone embryo.
However, when his hand touched the stone embryo, a complicated pattern suddenly appeared on its surface. This pattern began whirling and glowed brilliantly as a terrifying burst of energy began to surge from inside.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed drastically, and he hurriedly withdrew.
With a thunderous bang, the burst of energy erupted and shot directly into the sky.
After a few breaths, a hole appeared in the clouds up above, as if a hole had been pierced through the sky.
Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked and did not dare act rashly anymore.
Xiao Xiao stared at him and began uttering some inexplicable words again, as if begging him to do something, his eyes filled with sadness.
Yang Kai could only shake his head slowly though.
At this point, he was truly helpless, only able to allow nature to take its course.
As if understanding Yang Kai’s thoughts, Xiao Xiao’s expression became despondent as his head drooped down, just sitting there stupidly and staring at the stone embryo in front of him.
As time passed slowly, the energy contained in the stone embryo became greater and greater, and the throbbing heartbeat became more and more rapid, so rapid that it even began to cause Yang Kai’s own heart to throb.
This heartbeat, despite being rapid, was extremely regular, like someone beating a drum in a steady rhythm; however, the light patterns on the stone embryo’s surface were now flickering randomly.
This situation continued for a full five days, only changing on the fifth day.
The blood-red light coming from the stone embryo suddenly increased in intensity and at the same time, a sensational energy fluctuation burst out from the stone embryo.
Yang Kai opened his eyes wide and stared at this strange phenomenon.
In the next moment, the light patterns on its surface began to dim and the rapid heartbeat also fell silent. At the same time, the terrifying energy fluctuations contained inside the stone embryo seemed to instantly disappear.
Yang Kai’s heart sank, and he released his Divine Sense to probe the stone embryo, but doing so only caused his expression to darken.
Even the strong life aura which had been coming from the stone embryo had now vanished, now making it seem like any ordinary rock one would find by the roadside.
Xiao Xiao was also aware of this and quickly rushed over to the stone embryo, patting it gently with both hands, crying out incoherently. Quickly, he picked up the stone embryo and rushed over to Yang Kai, lifting his arms up, obviously begging him to think of something.
Yang Kai opened his mouth to say something, but unable to find any words, he could only let out a deep sigh.
As Xiao Xiao’s owner, Yang Kai could naturally feel his irritability and anxiety, and if he could, he would definitely not refuse Xiao Xiao’s request.
However, Yang Kai knew next to nothing about Stone Puppets and had no idea what had gone wrong at this moment, causing the second Stone Puppet to not only fail to break out of its shell but also lose its vitality.
Even if he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.
The master and servant were connected, so Xiao Xiao was aware of Yang Kai’s helplessness, causing the light in his eyes to gradually dim.
Sniffling lightly, Xiao Xiao was like an aggrieved child.
After a long time, Xiao Xiao gently placed the stone embryo in front of Yang Kai, treating it extremely carefully, as if he was afraid that acting roughly would cause damage to the stone embryo.
Immediately after, Xiao Xiao rushed to the edge of the cliff that was ten thousand metres high and began banging his chest with his hands, making a drum-like sound, his small body quickly growing bigger, in the blink of an eye becoming a stone giant several tens of metres high.
Like a huge gorilla standing on the top of the peak, straightening up his rickety waist, Xiao Xiao turned his face towards the Heavens.
A long cry, like a billowing dragon roar, came from his mouth.
This howl spread across the sky, containing unimaginable force that stirred up the sea of clouds around the peak.
This howl was filled with indelible pain and sorrow.
Drops of some kind of crystal-clear jade slipped from Xiao Xiao’s eyes and fell to the ground, clinking as they hit the hard earth.
Xiao Xiao wept!
Yang Kai never imagined there would come a day when he would witness a Stone Puppet crying. He could not imagine just how significant this second Stone Puppet’s stone embryo was to Xiao Xiao, but from the sadness the latter showed now, it was obvious just how depressed and lonely he felt.
It was as if he was the only one of his kind in this world, destined to be alone for his entire life.
Yang Kai watched this for a moment before his expression changed suddenly and he swiftly moved to the stone embryo, stretched out his hand, and cut open his wrist with one of his Golden Blood Threads.
A long, bone-deep wound instantly appeared and Yang Kai’s golden blood began leaking out drop by drop onto the stone embryo.
[It should not be like this!] Xiao Xiao’s birth had gone extremely smoothly, but Yang Kai had also been quite stunned and confused at that time. It was Xiao Xiao who had merged with the Blood Essence Stone inside the Black Book Space and then broke out of the shell easily almost entirely on his own.
[Why is the second time so different?] Even at this moment, the life fluctuations inside the stone embryo had disappeared.
Regardless of why, this was one of Xiao Xiao’s own kind, and regarding its birth, Xiao Xiao obviously had a thousand times more expectations than Yang Kai himself.
Yang Kai did not believe that a creature with such strong vitality could really just die like this.
He had to try everything, then leave the rest to fate!
With a dripping sound, drop after drop of pure Golden Blood fell onto the stone embryo.
There was an unimaginable amount of vitality contained in Yang Kai’s Golden Blood, and when Xiao Xiao was born, Yang Kai had only needed to give it one drop to form a connection between them.
But now, Yang Kai did not concern himself about costs.
Perceiving Yang Kai’s movements, Xiao Xiao immediately turned around and ran over, squatting in front of Yang Kai, looking at him with gratitude, often glancing over at the stone embryo, a mixture of anxiety and anticipation filling his face.
As time passed, the stone embryo was completely dyed golden, but to Yang Kai’s disappointment, his Golden Blood did not seem to play any role as the stone embryo showed no signs of absorbing it.
This saddened him.
Xiao Xiao was also as anxious as an ant on a hot wok, fidgeting about unceasingly.
Suddenly, a faint pulse came from the stone embryo. Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly when he felt this, not certain if it were just his imagination, but after carefully using his Divine Sense to investigate, he couldn’t help smiling joyfully.
There was a weak fluctuation coming from the stone embryo.
A fluctuation of life!
Like a single spark setting fire to an entire prairie, this extremely weak fluctuation, which seemed like it would be snuffed out at any time, rapidly began to strengthen and the stone embryo began to absorb the pure Golden Blood dripping on its surface.
*Dong dong…*
A heartbeat-like sound echoed against from the top of the peak, signifying the rhythm of life.
Yang Kai grinned and the sadness in the Stone Puppet’s eyes disappeared, replaced with tension and worry.
*Dong dong…*
The heartbeat grew louder and the interval between each beat grew shorter and shorter. Life fluctuations once again spread from the stone embryo and the faded light patterns glowed brightly once more. However, different from before, instead of a pure blood-red colour, there was now a tinge of golden light mixed into this radiant halo, giving it a more mysterious and profound appearance.
Each of the elaborate patterns on the surface of the stone embryo flashed as if they had a life of their own.
Yang Kai was surprised when he saw this. When Xiao Xiao was born, nothing like this had happened, making him wonder just what differences there were between this second Stone Puppet and Xiao Xiao.
Three days passed by.
Yang Kai had already stopped dripping Golden Blood onto the stone embryo, and after absorbing twenty or thirty drops of pure Golden Blood, the stone embryo regained its original brilliance.
At this moment, Yang Kai and Xiao Xiao were both waiting anxiously next to each other.
A soft cracking sound suddenly rang out, causing Yang Kai’s expression to lift as he quickly stared at the stone embryo.
With just a glance, Yang Kai could not help becoming overjoyed as he saw a small crack appear on the stone embryo.
Not long after this crack appeared, more cracks began to form one after another, and soon the stone embryo was covered with dense, criss-crossing cracks, like a giant cobweb.
*Kacha…*
In the next moment, the stone embryo broke apart, revealing the life-form inside.
The second Stone Puppet!
Just like a chick breaking through its shell, it pushed its way out of the stone embryo with difficulty before glancing around at this new and unfamiliar world.
Its movements were awkward as it had just been born and it took it quite some time before it fully emerged from the stone embryo and sat on the ground.
However… instead of grey, it was actually a golden Stone Puppet, a fact that surprised Yang Kai quite a bit. This Stone Puppet’s body was completely golden in colour, possibly as a result of it absorbing so much of Yang Kai’s Golden Blood.
Just like when Xiao Xiao was born, after this golden Stone Puppet sat upright, the first thing it did was swallow all the fragments of the stone embryo into its belly at a speed so fast it didn’t even look like it was chewing.
After it finished its first meal, it simply sat there foolishly, motionless.
On the contrary, Xiao Xiao jumped up and down, his joy beyond any words.
Quickly, Xiao Xiao rushed up to its new companion, reached out, picked it up, placed it on his shoulders, and then began running around the mountain peak in frantic circles, over and over again, seemingly unaware of the meaning of fatigue.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter as he watched this scene, but soon his brow slightly furrowed.
Stone Puppets naturally had low levels of sentience and intelligence, even Xiao Xiao was the same. Right now, Xiao Xiao was simply acting happily as a result of the safe birth of his companion, probably joyful he would have company in the future, but Yang Kai faintly felt something was wrong.
There seemed to be something amiss with this new golden Stone Puppet.
After some time, Yang Kai called out for Xiao Xiao to stop frolicking and put down the Stone Puppet.
Xiao Xiao always obeyed Yang Kai’s orders, so he complied immediately.
Yang Kai then began to perform a careful examination.
After a while, his brow furrowed further.
Sure enough, this golden Stone Puppet, although appearing much stronger than Xiao Xiao had when he had first been born, clearly had lower sentience than Xiao Xiao. In fact, saying this golden Stone Puppet’s intelligence was completely chaotic was not an exaggeration.
After Xiao Xiao put it down, it just stood there, far less active than Xiao Xiao.
Yang Kai tried to give it a few orders, but it did not respond at all.
[Incomplete sentience!] Yang Kai’s complexion sank.
Although the sentience of Stone Puppets wasn’t high, it still possessed full awareness of itself, but this golden Stone Puppet essentially had no sentience, possibly as a result of the strange circumstances of its birth.
The current golden Stone Puppet, although a living creature, was all but brain dead.
Realizing this, Yang Kai turned silent.
Fortunately, Xiao Xiao couldn’t perceive such matters, otherwise, Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of grief he would be showing now.
As Yang Kai was deep in thought, Xiao Xiao already opened his mouth and spat up several pieces of rare unrefined ore and eagerly offered them to his new friend.
Although the golden Stone Puppet didn’t have complete sentience, its instincts were apparently still intact, so it did not hesitate to accept these raw ores and began gnawing on them, crunching a few times before swallowing them into its stomach and then continuing to stand still.
Xiao Xiao didn’t seem to understand how he had offended this new companion of his, making it so indifferent to him, so after scratching his head in confusion, he could only take out a few more ores.
The latter did not reject, accepting everything it was given.
Looking at the golden Stone Puppet, Yang Kai sighed. Although this situation was better than when he first arrived, it was far from perfect. Even after giving his all, the end result was that this golden Stone Puppet was born without a conscience, giving Yang Kai a feeling of powerlessness.
After staring at it for a while though, Yang Kai’s expression changed and he suddenly remembered something, his brow furrowing and un-furrowing in rapid succession.
Soon, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he began studying the golden Stone Puppet carefully, a hint of excitement creeping onto his face as he did.
He suddenly remembered how he could make this golden Stone Puppet act on his own.
The golden Stone Puppet was unresponsive now because it had incomplete sentience, so if he could solve this problem, all other problems would be solved as well.
Yang Kai could not repair its incomplete sentience, but he could implant a different one!
This was the perfect situation to use his Soul Fission technique!
Soul Fission was a Divine Ability created by Great Demon God. On Tong Xuan Realm, Great Demon God was a legendary figure, the strongest cultivator to ever emerge.
Back in Nine Heavens Holy Land, when Yang Kai had first entered the Holy Tomb, he had managed to obtain a drop of Great Demon God’s original orthodox Golden Blood, and after refining it, comprehended this Divine Ability from Great Demon God.
Although he cultivated it at that time, Yang Kai had never found a suitable host body, so his Soul Clone had sat idle in his Knowledge Sea.
Later, after entering the Star Field and getting trapped on the floating continent, Yang Kai had been forced by Gui Zu to test his experimental Space Array, and instead of risking his true body, had opted to use his Soul Clone. After sending his Soul Clone into the unstable Space Array, it had been greatly damaged and almost destroyed, but after allowing it to recover for so many years, it had now been fully restored.
Not only that, but it was also many times stronger than before.
This Soul Clone was a very special existence because Yang Kai had cultivated it artificially, meaning it wasn’t tethered to his own Soul. Therefore, it wouldn’t bring any harm to him even if it were destroyed.
When he cultivated Soul Fission, Yang Kai understood that he would be able to create a physical, sentient clone of himself as long as he found a suitable host body for his Soul Clone, one he could send into places that were inconvenient for his true body to go, and do things that were inconvenient for his true body to do.
An example of this was Yang Yan; she was the Great Emperor’s Soul Clone.
Great Demon God was only a Saint King, but he was a true genius that managed to create the Soul Fission Secret Technique that was on par with the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s own Secret Technique. It wasn’t difficult to understand how Great Demon God became a legendary figure whose name lasted through the ages.
The golden Stone Puppet had no sentience, but it had an incredibly powerful physical body, so wasn’t it the most suitable carrier possible?
Yang Kai stroked his chin as he stared at the golden Stone Puppet, silently contemplating this issue.
After a long silence, Yang Kai decided to give it a try. He didn’t know if he could succeed, but it was better than simply leaving the golden Stone Puppet in a brain-dead state.
Ordering Xiao Xiao to stand guard nearby, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in front of the golden Stone Puppet and released a tidal wave of Spiritual Energy, soon after which a fuzzy figure suddenly shot out of his forehead.
This figure was somewhat illusory and unstable, but if one looked closely, they would find that it was somewhat similar to Yang Kai in appearance.
Naturally, it was the Soul Clone Yang Kai had cultivated inside Knowledge Sea all these years.
The Soul Clone then rushed into the golden Stone Puppet’s forehead and disappeared.
…..
Inside High Heaven Sect’s grand discussion hall, all the Sect’s Origin Returning Realm masters had gathered, headed by Great Elder Ye Xi Yun. Wu Yi and Qian Yue were also present as they held important administrative positions.
Not only that, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu also sat here.
The hall was all but silent, with cups of tea placed in front of everyone that were frequently replaced by attending disciples when they became cold.
“Where did Sect Master go? Why haven’t we seen him for over a month? We sent some disciples to check up on him but he doesn’t seem to be in First Heavenly Palace either,” Chang Qi turned to Ye Xi Yun and asked with some worry, “Great Elder, do you know where Sect Master is now?”
“He’s still inside the Sect, but this Queen doesn’t know where exactly he’s gone. He seems to be cultivating some kind of Secret Technique, and a powerful one at that, so this Queen doesn’t dare to disturb him. We’ll just have to wait,” Ye Xi Yun replied lightly.
With her powerful cultivation, she had sensed the abnormal movements coming from one of the farther mountain peaks a few days ago, so she was able to determine Yang Kai’s location, but it was also true that he seemed to be immersed in cultivating some kind of Secret Technique, so she had no plans to spy on him.
“I’m certain Sect Master will return shortly. Before he left though, he already discussed the details of our upcoming action with this Queen and I feel there are no issues with the plan. En, all the Elders gathered here will be accompanying us while Deacons Wu Yi and Qian Yue will be left to take care of the Sect.”
“Yes,” Wu Yi and Qian Yue nodded.
“Elder Huang Juan is in the process of breaking through, so you must also look after her to make sure no one disturbs her retreat. Also, that little girl Yun’er has far too much energy, once this Queen leaves, she may not be willing to settle down. The two of you will have to make sure she cultivates properly.”
“Great Elder may rest assured, Elder Sister Qian Yue and I will take care of everything in the Sect, it is all of you who must promise to return safely,” Wu Yi said in a solemn tone.
“En, with the Starship Madam previously refined, I think there shouldn’t be any difficulty with this time’s action. Right, have all the necessary personnel and materials been loaded onto the Starship?”
“Everything is in order!”
“Very good,” Ye Xi Yun nodded lightly before turning to look at Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, “I’ll have to ask two Junior Brothers to contribute this time as well.”
“Senior Sister Ye is too polite,” Qian Tong chuckled, “Old Fei and I were caught after being sneak attacked last time. If not for Yang Kai turning the tables and rescuing us, we would both likely have been killed to silence any witnesses to that incident! This time, both of us are duty-bound to assist.”
Fei Zhi Tu also nodded in agreement. If Fang Peng and Qu Zheng hadn’t used such insidious means that day, how could he have fallen into his current pitiful state? Not only had his hair gone grey, but his cultivation had also fallen by a Minor realm. Whenever Fei Zhi Tu thought about this, his anger burned fiercely.
“Hm? Sect Master is back,” Ye Xi Yun’s expression suddenly changed as she glanced towards the entrance to the hall.
Hearing this, the others also turned around to look.
Sure enough, a moment later, a streak of light flew over from afar, and when it scattered, Yang Kai’s figure appeared. Although he seemed slightly tired, his eyes were bursting with radiant energy.
“Has Sect Master had some kind of opportunity?” Ye Xi Yun seemed to have noticed something.
“That’s right,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, not explaining anything, his eyes instead sweeping around the hall before he asked solemnly, “Has everything been prepared?”
“Yes!”
“Then let us depart!” Yang Kai smiled brilliantly.
With these words, everyone rose from their seats and walked out.
In the square outside, the Origin King Grade Starship had already docked and its hatch was wide open. A group of people filed inside and, a moment later, the Starship lifted off and then shot out like a bolt of lightning, accompanied by a low hum, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
…..
Heaven Battling City was enormous and covered a very wide area with tens of millions of cultivators living inside, tending to and frequenting a great number of shops and other establishments.
This was the headquarters of Heaven Battling Union. As one of the two giants of Shadowed Star, Heaven Battling Union’s illustrious name was enough to attract countless cultivators from far and wide.
Some of these cultivators hoped to join Heaven Battling Union while others were searching for opportunities. Still others came to set up shops in order to earn Saint Crystals.
Heaven Battling City was one of the largest cities on Shadowed Star and was divided into two regions, the Inner City and the Outer City.
The Outer City was where Heaven Battling Union interacted with foreign cultivators. Various shops were also scattered about here. As for the Inner City, only disciples of Heaven Battling Union could enter and exit. Intruders were killed without mercy.
Heaven Battling City had existed on Shadowed Star for thousands of years and had only grown more prosperous with time. This was inseparable from the rising strength of Heaven Battling Union. Every great force had its ebbs and flows, and Heaven Battling Union was no exception. Although its name resounded like thunder, it too had its enemies.
Over the past few thousand years, Heaven Battling City had suffered numerous attacks from powerful enemies, but every time, it had endured. Even when Heaven Battling Union was at its weakest, and the number of masters that it had at its command was at its lowest, it had still managed to survive.
The most dangerous of these events was when the Ancient Yang Sect launched a full-scale assault a few thousand years ago.
At that time, in addition to Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect on Shadowed Star, the Ancient Yang Sect was also on the same level, even somewhat stronger than the other two. It had long been forgotten why, but at that time, the Ancient Yang Sect and Heaven Battling Union were locked in a feud which one day erupted into a full-scale conflict.
At that time, Heaven Battling Union was the weakest of the three great forces, and had the least number of masters, so it had no choice but to pull all its forces back and defend.
The Ancient Yang Sect deployed all of its elites, and when its grand army reached the gates of Heaven Battling City, Heaven Battling Union was at great risk of falling.
However, after a great battle, although Heaven Battling Union suffered heavy losses, it managed to repel the Ancient Yang Sect by employing a strategy of mutual annihilation. In desperation, the Ancient Yang Sect could only retreat.
At that time, Heaven Battling Union relied on its Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array to stubbornly defend its Inner City.
Ordinarily, Sects did not set up their headquarters inside cities, most of them choosing to occupy vast mountain ranges instead; after all, with so many people living inside a city, there would be an excess demand on the ambient World Energy that was not conducive to the cultivation of the Sect’s disciples.
It was rumoured that the reason Heaven Battling Union chose to establish its headquarters in Heaven Battling City was because there was a Frozen Jade Ice Spring in the Inner City. The endless chill which radiated from this Frozen Jade Ice Spring was what allowed Heaven Battling Union to arrange the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array and it also served as its Array Core.
After that battle, the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array became famous, known to all across Shadowed Star.
Later, the Ancient Yang Sect offended Star Emperor Mountain and was wiped out; its original headquarters becoming the now famous Grand Burial Valley.
Yang Kai and Yang Yan had visited that place once and obtained the Sun’s True Essence and Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade Pedestal, two supreme treasures. The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was also obtained from there.
Without the suppression of the Ancient Yang Sect, Heaven Battling Union flourished, otherwise, it was uncertain whether there would even be a Heaven Battling Union today.
Originally, as one of the two giants of Shadowed Star, Heaven Battling Union did not put anyone in its eyes and acted in a blatantly superciliously fashion.
But since two months ago, some rumours had begun spreading through the Outer City.
The rumours said that Heaven Battling Union had offended someone they couldn’t afford to and was now in a horrendous situation, akin to walking on thin ice.
When this news spread, nine out of ten people sneered.
Who could Heaven Battling Union offend that would warrant them worrying? It would be enough for others to not come looking for trouble with them instead, who would dare pluck this tiger’s beard? Besides Star Emperor Mountain, no other force could suppress Heaven Battling Union. Not even Thunder Typhoon Sect had such ability.
However, where there was smoke there was fire, and it wasn’t long before Heaven Battling Union began contracting its forces and limiting traffic in and out of Heaven Battling City, causing much speculation to arise among the common people.
Heaven Battling Union had been a dominant force for countless years and always acted arrogantly and domineeringly. Many Sect families that had been unwilling to submit to their authority had been destroyed in retaliation.
Many even began to wonder if Heaven Battling Union had actually offended Star Emperor Mountain and was going to follow in the footsteps of the Ancient Yang Sect.
If that was the case, it would be quite interesting at least.
In any case, the atmosphere in the city had become different from the past. Heaven Battling Union disciples were constantly rushing about, buying up materials in bulk, as if they were making war preparations.
At this moment, two First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators were flying slowly over the city, both of them wearing Heaven Battling Union uniforms. However, unlike the ordinary disciples, these two had an additional overlapping sword crest on their uniforms and were radiating a potent murderous intent.
Law Enforcers!
Heaven Battling City was a massive city, so naturally, there was a need for some law enforcers to patrol and monitor people’s movements. If anyone was found to be violating the rules and making trouble, they would be punished by the Law Enforcers.
A minor offence would often result in a Saint Crystal fine while a serious offence could result in execution.
As a result, the cultivators in Heaven Battling City were always wary of cultivators wearing this particular uniform and were always cautious to not draw their attention.
At this moment, the two Law Enforcers both had concerned looks upon their faces.
“Brother Huang, do you know what happened? Since Union Master and Great Elder returned last time, they have been constantly issuing inexplicable instructions, and now they are even making the Sect’s disciples buy up supplies like crazy. Could it be that Heaven Battling Union is really going to war?” The short-haired man on the left asked suspiciously.
“Brother Chu is asking the wrong person, this Huang is just a lowly Law Enforcer like you, how could this Huang know something Brother Chu doesn’t know?” The other elderly man on the right shook his head slowly and smiled.
The short-haired man chuckled, “Brother Huang is too modest. Although we’re both Law Enforcers, Brother Huang is different from this Chu who joined the Union from the outside. I’ve long heard that Brother Huang and Great Elder Mo are related, so how could Brother Huang not have heard anything yet?”
The elderly man heard this and smiled proudly as he replied, “Although this Huang and Great Elder Mo have some relationship, it can barely be described as distant relatives, if the relationship really was close, this Huang would have long ago been serving as a Deacon in the Inner City, why would he still be out here as a Law Enforcer having to deal with lowly city merchants and trivial matters all day long?”
“That being said, Brother Huang still has more opportunities to visit the Inner City. With Brother Huang’s aptitude, if he remains in the Inner City for a few years, he will definitely break through to the Second-Order. This Chu is quite envious. One day, if Brother Huang rises to glory, he must not forget to help this Chu out a little.”
“Naturally, naturally. You and I have shared a friendship for several dozen years already and you’ve been quite good to me, so how could I simply forget about you?” The elderly man laughed, seemingly in a good mood. Looking around and seeing nobody else nearby or anyone paying attention to them, he turned his eyes forward unassumingly and lowered his voice to say, “Brother Chu, although this Huang is not sure what happened in the Union, when I went to ask Great Elder about a certain matter a few days ago, I accidentally overheard him talking to Union Master about that boy named Yang Kai.”
“Yang Kai?” The short-haired man frowned, faintly feeling that the name was familiar. After thinking about it carefully, a look of surprise filled his face as he muttered, “That High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master?”
“Exactly. The High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master!” The elderly man nodded lightly.
“Oh, why were Union Master and Great Elder talking about him? Could it be that this matter is related to him?”
“En, it seems that the last time Union Master and Great Elder took a group of the Elders out, it was to deal with him. Unfortunately, that little brat is a cunning fox and managed to escape. Before fleeing though, that boy uttered some kind of threat about retaliating against our Heaven Battling Union.”
“Hmph, a fool who doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!” The short-haired man sneered, “The boy is a mere Junior, yet he dares say such things. He must be courting death.”
“This Huang thinks so too.”
“But… even if he was sure to get revenge, why are Union Master and Great Elder reacting so dramatically? Could it be that our Heaven Battling Union has some reason to fear him?”
“Don’t take the situation too lightly, Brother Chu!” The elderly man said with a solemn expression, “That little brat truly does not have much ability as he’s just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, the same as you or I. Being able to cultivate to such a degree at such a young age proves he has a good aptitude, but if we were to fight with him, either of us could easily kill him. However, don’t forget that High Heaven Sect has an Origin King Grade Starship!”
Hearing this, the short-haired man’s face darkened and he nodded, “I’ve also heard the rumours saying High Heaven Sect has such a Starship, but whether they are true or not, no one will confirm. Even if he has an Origin King Grade Starship, what does that matter? Our Heaven Battling City is not some weak vegetarian, if he dares bring that Starship here, it will be no different from trying to smash a stone with an egg. The tens of thousands of elites of our Union will ensure he never leaves this place!”
“Haha, what Brother Chu says is true, it’s just a Starship, and it seems that it’s actually quite small as well, nothing worthy of fear. Union Master and Great Elder are simply being too cautious,” The elderly man laughed in a disapproving manner.
Suddenly though, his laughter stopped, and he fell silent.
“What happened?” The short-haired man looked at him suspiciously, not understanding why his demeanour suddenly changed.
The elderly man did not answer though, instead just staring towards the distant horizon, only after a long silence asking, “Brother Chu, look over there, is there something approaching?”
“Something approaching?” The short-haired man looked in the direction his partner was pointing and quickly spotted a small black spot quickly approaching Heaven Battling Union.
This black spot was originally quite inconspicuous, and because the distance between them was too far they were unable to identify what it was.
But soon, a vague outline of the object appeared in the vision of the pair.
It was actually a long, shuttle-shaped, black Starship.
In the blink of an eye, the Starship had arrived fifty kilometres outside Heaven Battling City and, in a flash, came to a halt.
“A Starship!” The short-haired man and the elderly man exclaimed at the same time.
A profound energy fluctuation pulsed from this Starship, and although it was not large, only a hundred metres or so in length, facing this smooth, black Starship, the two of them couldn’t help feeling like they were in the presence of a terrifying beast that caused a feeling of terror to well up in their hearts.
“The Origin King Grade Starship!” The short-haired man exclaimed again, “Could it be…”
He had just been gossiping about the Origin King Grade Starship of High Heaven Sect with his partner, but could it be the same one that now appeared in front of them? After all, with the limited ability of Artifact Refiners on Shadowed Star, no Origin King Grade Starship had ever appeared before. Let alone Origin King Grade, there were not even any Origin Grade Mid-Rank Starships.
Then there was only one explanation.
This was the High Heaven Sect’s Starship.
This Starship could be considered small, and suspended in the sky above Heaven Battling City, it only seemed smaller compared to the massive city; however, its sudden arrival had caused quite a stir.
Countless eyes were now cast towards this Starship, and countless people were now staring at it, wondering what it was and what it was doing here.
The next moment though, the answer to all these questions became clear.
A dazzling light suddenly appeared on the Starship’s hull and gradually brightened until it was as dazzling as the sun.
As the intensity of this light increased, sensational energy fluctuations also began radiating forth.
“A Crystal Cannon!” The short-haired man and the elderly man stared dumbfounded at this scene. Under the pressure of the massive energy buildup, both of them felt their bodies become heavy, their Saint Qi stop circulating properly, and even moving became difficult.
They could feel how much power this Crystal Cannon was building up. Such an attack, not to mention hitting them, even if it grazed them, they would instantly be vaporized, Soul and all.
But… there had never been anyone who used a Starship to attack the headquarters of another great force.
The Starships on Shadowed Star were at best Origin Grade Low-Rank. Such a Starship did not have extraordinarily strong offensive or defensive capabilities, and on top of that, it was massive, making it not ideal to use in a tangled battle between cultivators. If one found its way into a tangled melee, it would only become a massive target that would swiftly be destroyed before being able to play any significant role.
Today though, the tens of millions of cultivators living Heaven Battling City bore witness to this historic event.
A Starship arrived outside of Heaven Battling City and began charging its Crystal Cannon, announcing their malicious intent.
Just as everyone was still stunned, a bright beam of light blazed from the Starship and silently shot forth with a force that seemed to crush everything in its path like dry weeds and rotten wood, transforming a swath of buildings into dust while visibly distorting space in its wake.
*Hong long long…*
A moment later, sounds of explosions resounded inside of Heaven Battling City. The path the Crystal Cannon passed through was now devoid of any structures and violent energy still chaotically rampaged about. It seemed that even the World Principles could not repair the damage caused by Crystal Cannon in short order.
There were no casualties, fortunately, as this Crystal Cannon volley only destroyed a lot of buildings inside Heaven Battling City. Apparently, it was only meant as a demonstration.
“Not good, we need to return to the Inner City and report this to the Elders!” The short-haired man and the elderly man both dripped cold sweat as they shouted, neither of them daring to remain, using their Star Shuttles to rush at full speed to the Inner City.
The extravagant and boastful words the two of them had just been spewing were tossed from their minds completely as, in the face of such a powerful enemy, they could only run away.
There was no need for any kind of reminder from these two as, after the Crystal Cannon strike, all of Heaven Battling City had been thrown into chaos and countless people ran about in panic, some even being injured and trampled in the stampede.
A tender voice suddenly called out from the Starship in the next moment. This voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted to everyone’s ears, allowing all to clearly hear it.
“This Queen’s name is Ye Xi Yun and has the honour of serving as Great Elder of High Heaven Sect. On orders from our Sect Master, I have an announcement to everyone in Heaven Battling City. High Heaven Sect has no quarrel with the world and simply wishes to peacefully develop itself, but Heaven Battling Union trampled upon that simple wish with its treacherous means and attempted to bring harm to our Sect. Today, we are here to settle our grievances with Heaven Battling Union and do not wish to involve the innocent. Please withdraw from Heaven Battling City within a quarter of an hour if you have nothing to do with this matter. My honoured Sect and Heaven Battling Union’s battle will commence after that brief grace period, and anyone who remains will be considered an enemy and shown no mercy!”
With these words, the whole city flew into an uproar.
Basically no one had heard of Ye Xi Yun, and only some old Origin Returning Realm masters recognized her name and knew of her incredible strength.
But it did not matter who she was, her desire to attack Heaven Battling Union’s headquarters was incredible enough.
Was Heaven Battling Union a force that was easily bullied? Bringing only a small Starship to attack a behemoth like Heaven Battling City, were the people from this High Heaven Sect all fools?
Such boastful conduct was truly laughable.
Most people present thought that High Heaven Sect was simply overreaching themselves.
However, some well-informed people knew about the mysteries of High Heaven Sect and the tyrannical power of this Starship, so after some slight hesitation, they didn’t dare remain in the city, packing up their belongings and quickly withdrawing.
Regardless of what grievances there were between High Heaven Sect and Heaven Battling Union, and no matter who won or lost in the end, once the two sides fought, it would be a disaster. When the city was on fire, the fish in the moat would also be affected, so if they did not leave now, they would surely get caught up in the chaos.
For a time, Heaven Battling City became a flurry of chaotic activity as many cultivators flew outwards.
Most people chose to remain though; after all, packing up all their valuables was no simple task. Many people who had opened shops in the city had a massive quantity of supplies on hand, how could they just abandon them here?
These people also knew that Heaven Battling Union would not sit back and watch idly, so they took the mentality of waiting and seeing how the situation developed.
If this High Heaven Sect was just an embroidered pillow, imposing to behold but weak in true strength, then there was nothing for them to worry about. If they proved they could really compete with Heaven Battling Union though, it would not be too late to pack up and leave at that point.
Heaven Battling Union truly did not sit back and watch. With High Heaven Sect arriving and smashing their front gate, if Heaven Battling Union did not provide an appropriate response, wouldn’t their prestige take a fatal blow?
Immediately, more than a dozen streaks of light rushed out from the Inner City and arrived at the outskirts of the Outer City, stopping a thousand metres away from the newly arrived Starship.
Among the dozen or so people, the one leading them was red-faced, crooked nosed, cross-eyes, and had messy hair, giving him quite a funny appearance, but the powerful aura that radiated from his body made it impossible to take him lightly.
A peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master!
“It’s Heaven Battling Union’s Second Elder Lu Feng!”
“Even he has been alerted. The people around him are all elites of Heaven Battling Union as well, so it seems there’s going to be a good show.”
“Who the hell is High Heaven Sect? Their courage is so big.”
“Whatever their origins, that short-tempered Lu Feng will definitely make them regret appearing here. Heh heh, just watch.”
The city instantly became abuzz with discussion as everyone looked up into the sky, waiting for the good show to start.
In Heaven Battling Union, there was an enormous number of masters, with no less than ten people having reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm alone. Among these people, the Second Elder, Lu Feng, was quite famous.
Yang Kai had already met Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng and Third Elder Liang Yong, so he understood their great strength quite well, but compared to Lu Feng, they actually lacked in terms of ruthlessness. As such, Lu Feng held the position of Head of the Law Enforcement Hall! This hall’s purpose was to maintain order and punish disciples who committed mistakes in the Union.
Anyone seized by him ended up crippled as best.
In Heaven Battling Union, the most feared Elder was definitely Lu Feng.
Just now, Lu Feng had been leading his people out to deal with some trivial matters in the Outer City, but suddenly this scene had occurred, so he rushed over immediately.
Glancing around, it was obvious their opponent had used a Crystal Cannon to clear a swath several thousand metres long in Heaven Battling City. Inside the swath, nothing remained, while to its sides hundreds of structures had collapsed into piles of rubble, the mere sight of which infuriated Lu Feng.
Heaven Battling Union had enjoyed the highest level of prestige for so many years and had never encountered such an embarrassment before.
Staring coldly at the hundred-metre long black Starship, Lu Feng roared, “Lowly scum, you dare come to Heaven Battling City and run rampant? Quickly come out and face death!”
This roar was deafening and echoed throughout all of Heaven Battling City, allowing all to feel just how enraged Lu Feng was at this moment.
There was no sound from the Starship, however, no answer, no rebuttal, not the slightest movement at all; it simply hovered mid-air silently, as if there were no living people inside.
However, the inexplicable pressure it radiated still felt like a ten thousand ton boulder weighing down on all who saw it.
“Good, good, good. You dare not place this old master in your eyes? Do you think this old master can’t touch you as long as you hide inside that shell of yours? Watch how this old master smashes your trivial Starship!”
Saying so, Lu Feng’s Saint Qi surged madly and with a flick of his wrist, a giant axe appeared in his hand. This giant axe was nearly two metres tall and had a snow-white blade that radiated an incredibly sharp aura.
As Saint Qi poured into it, the giant axe artifact suddenly burst with dazzling light and Lu Feng lifted it high, swiftly condensing a massive phantom axe composed of pure energy above him.
This phantom axe was several hundred metres long, as if the giant axe Lu Feng had summoned had been enlarged hundreds of times over, and a shocking energy fluctuation pulsed from it.
All onlookers paled at the mere sight.
Lu Feng’s shocking reputation was not undeserved. As Heaven Battling Union’s Second Elder, he was no ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm.
As soon as the Second Elder took action, the others following behind also began to act, summoning their respective artifacts and preparing their own Secret Techniques one after another, filling the sky with a dazzling array of light.
Under Lu Feng’s control, the huge phantom axe fell like a guillotine, slashing towards the Starship fiercely.
The other attacks followed suit.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
A series of violent noises spread out, and fearful energy fluctuations erupted in the spot where the Starship hovered.
However, the Starship didn’t budge, only condensing a thin, delicate-looking light curtain around itself.
All the attacks were blocked by this shield, causing no damage at all.
The eyes of everyone on the scene bulged, and even Lu Feng, who had always been arrogant and domineering couldn’t help gawking, almost thinking he was seeing an illusion as he cried out, “Impossible!”
He was the clearest about how much power had been behind his attack just now. Although it seemed like his strike had been hastily and casually executed, he had actually poured his full strength into it. But even this blow was unable to shake the enemy Starship in the slightest.
Even if it really was an Origin King Grade Starship, it shouldn’t be this powerful!
Did that seemingly fragile light curtain protecting its hull actually have such astonishing defensive strength?
As everyone was staring dumbfounded, a slight humming noise sounded from the Starship, and soon, profound and complicated patterns began appearing around its hull. These patterns visible to the naked eye soon gathered together in the sky above it.
In the blink of an eye, these patterns condensed into a massive Spirit Array.
World Energy poured madly into this Spirit Array.
At the centre of this Spirit Array, something slowly emerged, as if it was being summoned by the Spirit Array from the endless void.
Soon, this object manifested clearly before everyone’s eyes.
It was a spear composed purely of energy, one only as thick as a child’s arm and two metres in length, releasing an extraordinary pressure.
The spear trembled slightly before piercing forward, seemingly ignoring space itself as it blasted towards Lu Feng and the dozen Heaven Battling Union masters.
“Not good!” Lu Feng’s expression changed dramatically as he cried out.
From the time he took action until the Starship counterattacked, only a breath had passed. He hadn’t expected the other party to be so decisive, not even bothering to exchange any words before resorting to such powerful methods. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late for him to try to evade.
As a last resort, he could only summon his defensive artifact, throw it forward, and transform it into a sea blue light curtain to try to protect himself.
The blue light curtain had barely taken shape though before it was shattered.
A ray of light passed through the location where Lu Feng and more than a dozen people were located before continuing forward towards the Inner City of Heaven Battling City. A full breath later, a violent explosion sounded from a remote part of the Inner City.
When everyone looked back into the sky, the place where Lu Feng and the other masters had been standing was now empty, only a faint blood mist falling from the air remained.
The spectating cultivators were dumbfounded as they stared at this scene in disbelief, as if they had just seen something impossible.
The blow just now did not appear as domineering as the previous Crystal Cannon volley, but it was far more terrifying.
Everyone felt a chill shoot up their spines as their hearts were gripped with fear and the looks they directed towards the Starship changed dramatically. No one could ignore the lethality of the Starship’s attack just now.
The same tender voice which had spoken earlier came from the Starship once more, “There is not much time left. If you wish to leave Heaven Battling City, please depart immediately. When the time comes, my High Heaven Sect will immediately attack this place and any who remain will bear the consequences.”
Heaven Battling City fell silent for a short moment before erupting into chaos once more as countless cultivators rushed out of the city, none daring to remain or hold a wait-and-see mentality.
They originally thought that this Starship was nothing to fear and that, it would not take long for Heaven Battling Union to destroy it with their countless masters.
But the tragic death of Lu Feng changed their minds.
Even a master like Lu Feng was unable to shake this Starship, nor survive a single blow from it. Today, it seemed Heaven Battling Union was in great danger.
At this moment, everyone regarded this Starship as a real threat to Heaven Battling Union.
No one wanted to sacrifice their life here meaninglessly, so naturally, they ran as far as possible.
Inside the Starship, aware of the departure of these cultivators, Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction.
According to his previously inquired intelligence, there were tens of millions of cultivators living in Heaven Battling City, but less than one percent of them truly belonged to Heaven Battling Union. Yang Kai was unwilling to kill so many innocents or become the target of public anger.
After all, the Starship couldn’t stop the attacks of tens of millions of people. Any defence had its limits.
As such, the scene in front of him made him happy.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, who had come along to help out, were also stunned, unable to return to their senses for a long time.
Although the two of them came to contribute their strength to this action, they were truly frightened by the power of the Starship.
They had never seen how terrifying an Origin King Grade Starship was, but judging from their experiences, High Heaven Sect’s was clearly of the highest grade even amongst Origin King Grade Starships.
“Sect Master, the Heaven Punishing Divine Lance array is quite powerful,” Ye Xi Yun reported softly, “Even if this Queen was struck by it, it would likely cause severe wounds at least.”
“Naturally, anything Yang Yan refines is always of the highest quality,” Yang Kai grinned.
After the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, the world only knew that High Heaven Sect possessed an Origin King Grade Starship and that its Crystal Cannons were extremely powerful, but they had no idea just how many other terrifying devices had been installed into it by Yang Yan.
The previous Heaven Punishing Divine Lance and the protective shield were just the tips of the iceberg.
With this Starship alone, Yang Kai was confident Heaven Battling City could be razed to the ground, otherwise, he would not have taken such an aggressive stance and openly attacked Heaven Battling Union.
“However, the consumption of Saint Crystal Sources is a bit big, more than five times that of a Crystal Cannon shot!” Ye Xi Yun frowned.
“It’s fine, we don’t lack Saint Crystal Sources now,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
The Starship being able to output so much power was directly related to the existence of Saint Crystal Sources. If Saint Crystals had been used as an energy source instead to activate the defensive shield and the Heaven Punishing Divine Lance, the power would have been reduced by about half.
Saint Crystal Sources were different though, they contained a massive amount of pure energy incomparable to Saint Crystals of equal volume.
This treasure could only be produced by the Stone Puppet. After swallowing three or four pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystals, the Stone Puppet could refine a single Saint Crystal Source, so it was easy to imagine how precious they were.
There had only been one Stone Puppet before, but now Yang Kai owned two Stone Puppets, so the speed of manufacturing Saint Crystal Sources had naturally doubled. As long as the supply of Saint Crystals could keep up, producing Saint Crystal Sources was no longer a problem.
“Yang Kai, those Saint Crystal Sources…” Qian Tong coughed dryly to the side, seemingly hesitant to speak up.
“If Elder Qian wants some, please just wait until this matter is settled and I will deliver some to you and City Lord Fei. These things are far better than Saint Crystals for cultivation,” Yang Kai naturally knew what he wanted and openly agreed.
“Great, it would be impolite for this old master to refuse such generosity,” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu looked at each other and saw the joy in the opposite’s eyes.
Since entering the Starship, what they have seen and heard caused them to call out in alarm over and over again. The space inside the Starship was much larger than it looked from the outside, which was naturally quite astonishing and clearly a result of an application of Space Force. However, everything else inside the Starship also caused them to feel a deep sense of yearning, especially those Saint Crystal Sources which were powering it.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had never seen such a thing before.
After the Starship displayed overwhelming power, cultivators in Heaven Battling City rushed to flee.
Such a huge matter was naturally not missed by Heaven Battling Union.
At this moment, inside the main palace in the Inner City, after Qu Zheng heard the report from a subordinate, he slammed the table with his fist and shouted, “They’re going too far! With just that Starship, that brat actually dares to not put my Heaven Battling Union in his eyes. I must see how that brat plans to raze my Heaven Battling City to the ground!”
Saying so, he hurriedly walked out, as if planning to meet the enemy head-on.
Qu Chang Feng had died tragically at Yang Kai’s hands, angering Qu Zheng so much he was unable to sleep at night. Now that he learned his hated enemy was knocking at his front door, Qu Zheng was, of course, anxious to avenge his son.
Mo Xiao Sheng, on the other hand, frowned but ultimately did not try to stop Qu Zheng. After all, Heaven Battling Union had just been humiliated and if they did not respond to this attack, it would only lead to the world looking down on Heaven Battling Union even more.
But before Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng could leave the palace, another disciple ran up to them in a panic, kneeling hurriedly when he saw them and shouting, “Union Master, Great Elder, it’s terrible!”
“What’s all the fuss about, has High Heaven Sect done something again?” Qu Zheng shouted angrily.
“Union Master is wise, Second Elder has fallen!”
“What?” Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng were both taken aback. From the time news reached them about High Heaven Sect flying their Starship over to attack the city until now, only ten breaths had passed, yet Second Elder Lu Feng had fallen in that short span of time?
This was simply too fast.
Lu Feng being able to become the Second Elder of Heaven Battling Union was proof enough of his great strength. In fact, if not for Mo Xiao Sheng having cultivated the Dao of Space, he would not be Lu Feng’s opponent.
What kind of scheme had the other party used to kill Lu Feng in such a short time?
“How did the Second Elder fall? Give us a detailed report!” Mo Xiao Sheng did not dare to neglect this issue and quickly asked.
The disciple naturally did not dare to conceal anything and relayed everything he knew in a rapid but thorough fashion.
After listening to this report, Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng both exchanged a glance and saw the panic in each other’s eyes.
A single blow from that Starship had vaporized Lu Feng and a dozen Heaven Battling Union elites. Just how terrifying must that attack have been? Was that Origin King Grade Starship really so powerful?
This news completely subverted Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng’s cognition and understanding of Starships.
They had always felt that Starships were too big, sluggish, and fragile to be used in combat. Besides being used to transport supplies and visit nearby Asteroid Seas to mine ore, they had no other use.
Not only that, but the cost to build and operate them was extremely high. Worse, if one wasn’t careful, their Starship would be easily destroyed.
Therefore, even if Heaven Battling Union was one of the two giants of Shadowed Star, it only had a total of five Starships. Over the years, these five Starships had only travelled to nearby Asteroid Seas and Dead Stars to mine ore, never once being used in combat.
But today, High Heaven Sect’s Starship had arrived outside Heaven Battling City and displayed remarkable might.
Was the gap between Origin Grade Low-Rank Starships and Origin King Grade Starships really so vast?
If even Lu Feng could not withstand a single blow from that Starship, neither of them would be able to either.
“Union Master, if what this disciple said is true, we might not be able to go out to meet the enemy, we can only resist them here in the Inner City!” Mo Xiao Sheng frowned deeply.
“I understand what Great Elder is saying, but if we don’t meet the enemy head-on now, Heaven Battling Union will become a joke to everyone on Shadowed Star. They will think we are all cowards and incompetent!” Qu Zheng declared with a stern countenance.
“Union Master must not act rashly, let outsiders say whatever they will. High Heaven Sect daring to openly attack Heaven Battling City is all because they are relying on that Starship. Once that Starship is destroyed, they will be tigers without teeth, unworthy of fearing. However, if we want to destroy that Starship, I’m afraid that it will be impossible relying solely on manpower, we can only take advantage of our Grand Spirit Array!”
“Great Elder means…” Qu Zheng stared at him.
“Exactly that,” Mo Xiao Sheng grinned, “Our Heaven Battling Union has stood tall in this city for thousands of years and never once suffered such humiliation. Since High Heaven Sect intends to attack us though, we can just sit here and wait for them to come to us. Since ancient times, the winner was king while the loser is the villain, so long as we emerge victoriously, what worry would we have about restoring our prestige?”
Qu Zheng took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart, after a long time calming down and nodding, “What Great Elder said is right. Since that’s the case, order for the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array to be opened at full strength. This old master must see whether that little brat’s Starship or my Heaven Battling Union’s Grand Array is stronger!”
….
Inside the Starship, Yang Kai and the others waited for the stated quarter of an hour.
A quarter of an hour later, the entire Outer City of Heaven Battling City was empty with tens of millions of cultivators all having evacuated. The once-bustling streets and shops at this moment were all silent and the dazzling array of goods which had been on sale were all taken away.
It was not an exaggeration to say the current Outer City had been abandoned.
These cultivators, however, did not go too far. Although the Starship had killed Lu Feng with a single blow, and everyone felt that High Heaven Sect could pose a threat to Heaven Battling Union, no one was certain what the outcome of the following battle would be.
If High Heaven Sect won this battle, with the way they had conducted themselves so far, it was unlikely they would then implicate the innocent.
If Heaven Battling Union won, all of them could simply return to continue with their business.
As such, no matter what, nothing would happen to them.
What’s more, this kind of battle was sure to be extremely exciting. No one disliked watching such a good show, so they were determined to remain here and observe.
Suddenly, a massive crowd of cultivators formed ten kilometres outside Heaven Battling City, all of them staring at the Starship and the Inner City.
Many thought that after suffering such a great insult, Heaven Battling Union wouldn’t be able to restrain themselves and would come out to face the enemy head-on, but to their disappointment, even after the Starship slowly began making its way towards the Inner City, there was no movement from Heaven Battling Union.
All of a sudden, boos rang out!
Heaven Battling Union had thrown its strength around for many years now, constantly acting arrogant while exploiting the cultivators operating shops in this city, so not many had a good impression of Heaven Battling Union. At this moment, seeing Heaven Battling Union act so timid, these people couldn’t help ridiculing them.
The cultivators with close ties to Heaven Battling Union immediately retorted, and the two sides quickly began to quarrel, ultimately resulting in a big fight breaking out.
At first, the battle was just a small scuffle, but as time passed, more and more cultivators were drawn in as everyone began venting their grievances and indignations.
The battle between High Heaven Sect and Heaven Battling Union had yet to even begin but the cultivators who had fled from the Outer City in advance had already come to blows, blood flowing and screams resounding with increasing frequency.
At least millions of cultivators got wrapped up in this dispute and the number of casualties was countless.
By this time, the Starship had already set sail for the Inner City.
Although they didn’t meet any kind of obstruction along the way, Yang Kai didn’t attack the Outer City of Heaven Battling City; after all, there was no point in venting anger at empty buildings.
“Sect Master, they seem to have opened their Sect Defending Array!” Ye Xi Yun swept their destination with her Divine Sense and reported.
“I noticed,” Yang Kai grinned. “I’ve heard about the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array which covers the Inner City of Heaven Battling City. Its might is supposed to be praiseworthy.”
“What are your orders then, Sect Master?”
“Simple, we rush in!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The Starship only paused for a moment before charging straight into the Inner City.
The Inner City was currently covered in a dense layer of what appeared to be mist and fog, but if one looked closely, they would notice that this fog was composed of extremely cold air.
The Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array was arranged using the Frozen Jade Ice Spring inside the Inner City as its Array Core; however, there were three Frozen Jade Ice Springs in total. These three springs had accumulated an enormous amount of Ice Attribute Energy over thousands of years and pulsed with a chill that could instantly freeze any Origin Returning Realm master into an ice sculpture that fell into it.
At this moment, the frigid aura from the three springs was being poured out to cover the entire Inner City in a thick mist, which was both real and illusionary. As soon as the Starship entered deep into it, it disappeared.
“Impressive, the thick cold energy in the air can actually freeze Divine Sense, the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array is worthy of its reputation!” Qian Tong frowned. He had just tried to scan their surroundings, but the instant he released his Divine Sense he was forced to withdraw it otherwise it would have been frozen solid.
Inside the Starship, without being able to use their Divine Senses, everyone was as good as blind.
Of course, there was no way the Starship refined by Yang Yan could not make up for this deficiency.
At this moment, inside the ship’s control centre, a surveillance array was operating and disciples from High Heaven Sect were using them to regularly monitor the Starship’s surroundings.
Soon, there was a reaction from the surveillance array.
“Sect Master, there’s a team of twenty plus people approaching from the left, ten kilometres out.”
“After ten breaths, fire three of our Crystal Cannons in that direction!” Yang Kai grinned.
Qian Tong and the others inside scratched their cheeks and paid silent tribute to the group who were attempting to launch a sneak attack.
After ten breaths, three pure white beams of light silently shot out, wiping out the enemies which were discovered by the surveillance array.
“Overconfident fools,” Ye Xi Yun slowly shook her head. The cultivators on Shadowed Star all severely underestimated the terrifying power of this Origin King Grade Starship, but this couldn’t be helped as even she would likely have disdained it had she not seen the mysteries inside for herself.
After all, no one on Shadowed Star had ever used a Starship in combat.
“Sect Master, another group is approaching,” Another disciple reported.
“En, process them in the same manner,” Yang Kai said lightly.
He had never fought such an easy battle before; by relying on the power of the Starship, he could instantly and silently kill his enemies without even having to lift a finger.
This feeling of being in absolute control was quite enjoyable.
Heaven Battling Union sent three waves of people in total, but none of these groups managed to approach to within a kilometre of the Starship before they were killed.
Three waves of people, a total of sixty to seventy people with no lack of Origin Returning Realm masters, had died so worthlessly. After Qu Zheng learned of this, he almost coughed up blood.
After realizing that it was impossible to launch sneak attacks, Heaven Battling Union was unwilling to sacrifice any more in vain and ceased their attempts.
“Sect Master, they seem to have stopped their attacks,” Ye Xi Yun frowned.
“If they refuse to act, then we will begin levelling the Inner City, we’ll eventually destroy the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array’s Cores as long as we keep firing,” Yang Kai sneered.
As long as the Array Cores were broken, Heaven Battling Union would become a fish on the chopping block.
A moment later, the hull of the Starship hummed lightly and one pillar of white lighter after another blasted out in all directions, each one carrying with it Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power.
The rumbling sounds never ceased from the places which could neither be seen by one’s eyes nor observed by one’s Divine Sense. The entire Inner City of Heaven Battling City was instantly thrown into chaos. Wherever the white beams of light from the Starship’s Crystal Cannons passed, everything was turned into nothingness.
Over twenty percent of Heaven Battling Union’s several-thousand-year foundation was wiped clean in just half a stick of incense’s time.
Everyone was capable of perceiving just how great the loss Heaven Battling Union was suffering due to this scattered bombardment because not only were buildings collapsing everywhere, but the screams of many cultivators also rang out before they died.
It was the terrifying screams that caused the survivors to panic.
Even so, no one from Heaven Battling Union dared to come out and fight.
Yang Kai’s brows gradually furrowed as he realized he had underestimated the patience of Qu Zheng and the other leaders of Heaven Battling Union.
The power of the Starship’s Crystal Cannons was indeed not small, and they did not lack Saint Crystal Sources to power them; however, continuously using them in this fashion would definitely put a huge strain on the Crystal Cannons, and once their limits were reached, they would no longer be able to fire for quite some time.
Even if these things were refined by Yang Yan herself, this was a limitation that could not be overcome.
Heaven Battling Union was determined to outlast them and would only move once the Starship’s attack softened.
Realizing this, Yang Kai simply sneered and began releasing his powerful Divine Sense all around.
The frigid energy in the air could freeze ordinary Divine Sense, but Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was actually able to shuttle about unimpeded.
All thanks to his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!
Yang Kai’s Mutated Knowledge Sea was filled with extremely hot Spiritual Energy and could restrain the impact of the fierce cold energy. Although he couldn’t say he was unaffected, the hindrance was almost negligible.
Time seemed to pass by extremely slowly as Yang Kai carefully searched through the ice mist.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and a ferocious grin crept onto his face as he ordered, “Fire a Crystal Cannon shot thirty degrees to the left, fifteen kilometres out!”
The disciple responsible for controlling the left forward quarter Crystal Cannons didn’t understand why Yang Kai issued such an order, but he did not hesitate to immediately adjust one of the Crystal Cannons and fired.
Yang Kai continued to scan the area and soon nodded lightly, “Adjust two degrees left and decrease range by half a kilometre!”
“Yes!”
At the same time, in the direction the Crystal Cannon was firing, somewhere more than a dozen kilometres away, there was a seemingly large ice spring covered by many exquisite Spirit Arrays. These Spirit Arrays not only concealed this spring but also served as a strong defensive shield for it.
From the mouth of this spring, a rich stream of Ice Attribute energy gushed forth, fueling the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array.
A Frozen Jade Ice Spring!
This spring was one of the Array Cores of the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array.
There were currently three Origin Returning Realm masters guarding this place, all of whom were sitting cross-legged beside it, their brows furrowed with anxiety as they glanced around the fog-filled Inner City.
With High Heaven Sect’s Origin King Grade Starship charging into the Inner city, all of Heaven Battling Union’s cultivators were now trembling in fear. Even a powerful master like Lu Feng had been killed in a single blow, so no one dared confront this Starship head-on.
They could only rely on the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array and hope it was powerful enough to stop the enemy Starship.
A white beam of light suddenly shot above their heads, causing the three masters’ eyes to bulge as they nervously began to condense their Saint Qi.
This beam of light was one of the enemy’s Crystal Cannons. Although the three of them knew there were many concealment and defensive Spirit Arrays arranged at their location, none of them were confident these Spirit Arrays could withstand the bombardment of those Crystal Cannons.
If they were unable to resist, the three of them may follow in Elder Lu Feng’s footsteps.
Fortunately, their worries seemed unnecessary. Although the white beam of light was indeed terrifying, it flew past them some distance away, not causing any harm to the three of them or the Array Core.
The three Origin Returning Realm masters were unable to help wiping the sweat from their foreheads and exhaling heavily.
“It’s fine, it was just a coincidence. With the Grand Array covering the entire Inner City, those clumsy fools should not be able to find the location of the Array Core. Union Master said that as soon as their energy supplies are exhausted, we will be able to launch a counterattack,” Among the three masters, a big bearded man spoke up, seemingly comforting his companions and himself.
“But from how aggressive the other party has acted so far, they must have come prepared for this. What if the Grand Array can’t stall them for long enough?” A woman in fancy robes asked with a worried look.
“Hmph, what’s there to fear? A Starship’s Crystal Cannons may be powerful, but their consumption is also massive, it shouldn’t be long before they run out of energy. Moreover, Crystal Cannons all have a limit on the number of times they can fire, making it impossible to use them too many times in short order. We just have to wait. Those fools from High Heaven Sect are now just headless flies. If this battle goes well, our Union will not only be able to kill those bastards but also capture that Origin King Grade Starship. Just think what kind of advantage that will bring us,” The last old man said quickly, his character seemingly steadier than the other two.
Hearing what he said, the other two’s eyes lit up and they couldn’t help imagining that terrifying Starship being owned by Heaven Battling Union, settling their nerves for a time.
At that moment though, another beam of white light shot past them nearby.
“This…” The bearded man saw this and couldn’t help leaking cold sweat once more.
The Crystal Cannon shot this time seemed to land much closer to them than the previous time.
Before they could even recover though, a third pillar of white light surged straight towards them.
“Not good!” The old man exclaimed, standing up and sternly shouting, “Activate the arrays!”
As soon as the old man shouted, the three of them urged their Saint Qi with all their strength and poured it into the nearby Spirit Array. The next moment, a thick light curtain appeared, covering the trio as well as the Frozen Jade Ice Spring.
*Hong…*
The thick light curtain could not withstand the power of a single Crystal Cannon volley and was broken after resisting for less than three breaths.
The trio’s complexion changed drastically seeing this.
Fortunately, all of them were experienced veterans and summoned their personal defensive artifacts one after another in order to resist the remaining power of the shot.
The Crystal Cannon’s power continued to rain down on them.
Loud grating sounds rang out, but the white beam of light gradually dimmed as well, finally disappearing a few breaths later.
The three protectors staggered unstably, each of their complexions extremely pale. The woman in elegant robes even felt something hot and sweet fill her throat, causing her to cough up blood. All of the trio’s protective artifacts shattered soon after.
“Another volley is coming, three this time!” The bearded man yelled in horror.
The woman and the old man’s faces went ashen as they turned and stared blankly at the three rapidly approaching white beams of light, unable to believe their eyes.
The enemy had actually found the location of the Array Core! But how was that possible? How did they do it?
Resisting a single shot just now had left all three of them severely injured, so there was absolutely no way they could block a triple volley!
The spot where the Frozen Jade Ice Spring sat shook violently and the three Origin Returning Realm masters silently disappeared. All that was left behind when the dust cleared was a massive crater several dozen metres in diameter.
Inside the Starship, Yang Kai snickered before ordering the disciples to redirect their fire.
At the same time, in an extremely fortified palace in the Inner City, Mo Xiao Sheng’s complexion changed dramatically as he turned to Qu Zheng who was sitting at the head of the hall and quickly reported, “Union Master, one of the Array Cores, has been destroyed!”
“What?” Qu Zheng stood up from his chair and stared at Mo Xiao Sheng incredulously, “How could it have been destroyed? Did one of the enemy attacks hit it by chance?”
Mo Xiao Sheng slowly shook his head, “This old man doesn’t know, but the three guards assigned to that spring were killed and the surrounding area was destroyed. Whether it was deliberately done by the enemy or not though, we can’t just sit here waiting for death.”
“What does Great Elder propose?”
“Maximize the Grand Array’s output and freeze the enemy Starship to death!” Mo Xiao Sheng declared.
Qu Zheng heard this and couldn’t help frowning slightly, a look of hesitation appearing on his face, as if he was worried about something.
“Union Master, High Heaven Sect arriving here in their Starship has created a situation where either they die or we die, if we hesitate any longer, we won’t be able to fight back when the two other Array Cores are destroyed. Although activating the Grand Array’s full power will cost an enormous price, it’s better than the alternative.”
“Great Elder is right,” Qu Zheng took a deep breath and his gaze became firm. “Fine, order for the Grand Array’s output to be increased to the maximum. Even if this old master must use up our entire foundation, he will not allow High Heaven Sect to obtain victory!”
“Yes!” Mo Xiao Sheng nodded before quickly pouring his Divine Sense into the communication artifact in his hand to disseminate the appropriate orders.
The next moment, the entire Inner City stirred. The air was already filled with Ice Attribute Energy, but in an instant, the chill in the air became even more terrifying. Even the Starship’s hull became covered with the thick layer of ice.
The freezing of the hull hindered the Starship’s operations, and even those who were inside it began to feel a bone-chilling cold, like their very souls were being frozen.
“What happened? Why did it suddenly become so cold?” Qian Tong asked with an ugly expression.
“The other side must have noticed our movements and taken countermeasures,” Yang Kai frowned. Under his Divine Sense probing, he could see two springs gushing out cold energy even more fiercely than before, like a terrifying volcanic eruption. Even the guards which were standing by next to these Array Cores had hastily evacuated, not daring to remain nearby for long.
*Kacha…*
A crisp creaking sound resounded from outside the Starship, indicating that the hull was beginning to warp.
Not only that, but the rich Ice Attribute Energy outside unexpectedly began condensing into various strange beasts. Each of these beasts was crystal clear, like ice sculptures, and exuded potent energy fluctuations.
It wasn’t long before the Starship was completely surrounded by countless ice beasts.
Seeing this, everyone in Starship furrowed their brows.
Many of them had long heard of the power of Heaven Battling Union’s Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array, and they found that it was deserving of its reputation after seeing it with their own eyes. With such methods at its disposal, Heaven Battling Union could ensure the safety and stability of Heaven Battling City’s Inner City.
As soon as the ice beasts took shape, they charged towards the Starship fiercely, instantly drowning it in a horde of claws and fangs.
Everyone couldn’t help becoming somewhat anxious, fearing the Starship would be destroyed if this continued.
Yang Kai’s face also became extremely gloomy. Standing up, he shouted, “Activate the protective barrier again, ignore the ice beasts, destroy the last two Array Cores at all cost!”
A moment later, the thin film enveloped the Starship. Although this shield looked fragile, no matter how the ice beasts attacked, they were unable to breach it; however, with the clawing and biting of so many ice beasts, the glow of this film was fading at an extremely fast rate.
Even a large number of ants could kill an elephant. Although the Starship was of the highest grade, it could not withstand the onslaught of so many ice beasts and would be destroyed sooner or later.
At that time, more than ten pure white light beams suddenly shot out from the Starship’s hull and struck towards a certain position.
Concerned about the survival of the Starship, Yang Kai did not dare delay and constantly issued targeting corrections to the disciples controlling the Crystal Cannons.
The dozen or so light beams flew out together in a spectacular display of might.
Just ten breaths later, the second Array Core was destroyed.
Then soon after, the third Array Core was broken!
The Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array, which had been shrouding the entire Inner City, instantly stopped working and the ice beasts which had been condensed from the pure, rich Ice Attribute Energy quickly disintegrated into glowing light particles before disappearing altogether.
The crisis had been easily resolved!
However, everyone in the Starship was still sweating heavily.
A strong wind blew through and the lingering ice fog was swiftly dispersed. Without the constant supply of Ice Attribute Energy from the three Array Cores, the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array was useless, and the entire Inner City of Heaven Battling Union’s Heaven Battling City gradually appeared before High Heaven Sect’s eyes.
“Hahaha, that old fart Qu Zheng is probably so mad he’s coughing up blood,” Fei Zhi Tu let out a hearty laugh. On Fallen Emperor Mountain, he had thought he was a dead man, and although Yang Kai had managed to save his life, his cultivation had dropped a Minor Realm so he hated Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect bitterly.
Now seeing that even the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array had no way to fight High Heaven Sect’s Starship, Fei Zhi Tu’s mood was quite good.
Qu Zheng truly did fly into a rage.
He never dreamed that the Grand Array Heaven Battling Union was so proud of would be destroyed so quickly and easily, unable to play any role at all.
Up to now, the enemy had yet to even show their faces, only hiding inside their Starship and using their Crystal Cannons to pound them into submission.
Qu Zheng had never felt so powerless.
“We are going to face the enemy! Even if we have to drown them in our own blood, we must destroy that Starship!” Qu Zheng shouted furiously, his voice spreading out to the Heavens.
Now that their Grand Array had been destroyed, Heaven Battling Union’s only option was to launch a frontal assault and rely on human wave tactics to triumph.
As long as High Heaven Sect lost their Starship, Heaven Battling Union could still turn this defeat into victory!
As soon as this order was given, countless cultivators rushed out of their hiding places and charged towards the Starship menacingly.
Unexpectedly, even when this force rushed to within a thousand metres of the pitch-black Starship, it still showed no signs of movement, simply allowing the Heaven Battling Union cultivators to surround it.
There were at least thousands of cultivators in this encirclement, all of them having at least reached the Saint Realm.
This force represented eighty percent of Heaven Battling Union’s total strength, with the remaining cultivators having a strength that was too low to play any role in this kind of battle.
Surrounded by these thousands of people, the Starship was like a tiny boat adrift in the vast ocean, unable to tell which way was which.
Heaven Battling Union’s cultivators all exuded a fierce murderous intent as they prepared to attack.
But in the next moment, multi-coloured rays of light suddenly blossomed from the ship’s hull, causing the originally black exterior to instantly emit a dazzling radiance.
These multi-coloured rays of light immediately enveloped the surrounding several-thousand-metre radius and flooded the minds of all the cultivators present with a numbing sensation.
In an instant, many of the cultivators with lower strength went stiff, their Saint Qi no longer circulating properly. Screams rang out as these cultivators fell from the sky, as if their strength was being suppressed by some strange force.
Even the cultivators with slightly higher strength could not completely resist the effects of this suppression and felt a sense of terror deep in their Souls.
“Coloured Glass Divine Light! Impossible! This is Coloured Glass Divine Light!” Some slightly knowledgeable cultivators yelled out in shock.
As cultivators of Shadowed Star, they had heard of Coloured Glass Divine Light.
However, Coloured Glass Divine Light was something exclusive to Coloured Glass Sect’s cultivators, and even then, only one or two cultivators per generation could produce it.
And yet, Coloured Glass Divine Light was currently being emitted by High Heaven Sect’s Starship. Looking carefully, it seemed that the entire hull of this Starship was made from Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass, which was the source of this overwhelming Coloured Glass Divine Light!
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were also stunned, neither able to figure out what was going on.
“Yang Kai, is this really Coloured Glass Divine Light?” Qian Tong asked with a strange expression.
It was not surprising he couldn’t believe his eyes as Coloured Glass Sect protected Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain so tightly that outsiders were never even allowed to approach it. In fact, most cultivators from Coloured Glass Sect were not even allowed to approach Coloured Glass Mountain.
So where did Yang Kai get this Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass?
And how did he acquire so much that he could cover his entire Starship with it? Just how much Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass would be needed to achieve such a feat?
“En, it’s Coloured Glass Divine Light,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before grinning grinned, “Coloured Glass Sect is not the only one with access to Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass.”
“En…” Qian Tong nodded suspiciously. Although he wanted to believe Yang Kai’s words, as far as he knew, the only source of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass on Shadowed Star was owned by Coloured Glass Sect.
[Who would believe such silver-tongued rhetoric? This boy really knows how to spill nonsense. But when did he manage to obtain so much Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass?]
Qian Tong then remembered hearing about Yang Kai visiting Coloured Glass Sect a few years ago as a guest, could it have been at that time?
Qian Tong did not dare think about it anymore. If this kind of news were learned by Coloured Glass Sect, they would never let him off.
As the two talked, panic-stricken screams continued to ring outside. Falling from the height of a few thousand metres was dangerous, even for cultivators with decent cultivation. Saint Kings basically did not need to worry about their lives as their physical bodies would already be strong enough to resist such a fall. Other than ending up a little embarrassed, they would not suffer any negative consequences.
However, the Saints were not so lucky.
One after another, these unfortunate Saint Realm cultivators cried out in pain as their limbs broke. Some with poor physiques even ended up bloodied and crippled.
The number of cultivators gathered around the Starship dropped by seventy percent in an instant.
But this wasn’t over yet. Moments after the Coloured Glass Divine Light shrouded these cultivators, causing their Souls to fill with unease, a fist-sized crystal suddenly appeared above the Starship. Around this crystal, a profound and complex Spirit Array instantly appeared.
Ripples of light began propagating from the crystal in the next moment and were amplified many times over by the surrounding Spirit Array, sending them pulsing out in all directions.
When these ripples swept over them, the eyes of all the Heaven Battling Union cultivators glossed over and their faces filled with confusion.
They suddenly found that all kinds of hallucinations had inexplicably appeared around them, as if they had fallen into a terrifying illusion.
Suddenly, the cultivators of Heaven Battling Union fell into chaos, crying out madly one after another.
Yang Yan had poured all of her skill and effort into refining this Origin King Grade Starship and consumed countless rare materials in the process.
Eighty percent of the wealth and materials Yang Kai had obtained over the years had been invested in this Starship, hence its power had reached such a frightening level.
Needless to say, the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass was from Yang Kai’s trip to Coloured Glass Sect with Dai Yuan. He had Xiao Xiao steal it directly from Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain at that time.
Coloured Glass Sect truly guarded Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain heavily, making it impossible for ordinary people to even get close enough to try mining any Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass.
However, Xiao Xiao was different.
Devouring ore was its innate talent, a Divine Ability no ordinary person could replicate. Even Origin King Realm masters would have a headache trying to break off a piece of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass from Coloured Glass Mountain, yet to Xiao Xiao it was no different from delicious food.
During his visit to Coloured Glass Sect, Xiao Xiao had performed a great merit.
As for the fist-sized crystal which now floated above the Starship, it was naturally the Illusion Stone brought back by Yang Kai from the sixth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field!
This Illusion Stone was an extremely rare treasure that could innately induce hallucinations. By using it as the core of a profound Illusion Array arranged by Yang Yan, the power it could display was simply unimaginable.
Even Origin Returning Realm masters could not resist the effects of the Illusion Stone, so everyone surrounding the Starship was instantly caught in an inescapable illusion.
“We can begin now.” Inside the Starship, Yang Kai grinned and said with a cold expression.
Hearing this, everyone’s look became inspired.
“Open the hatch!” Yang Kai commanded.
With a slight rumbling, the Starship’s main hatch opened and with Yang Kai in the lead, Ye Xi Yun, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Chang Qi, and all the other Origin Realm Elders from High Heaven Sect set out.
As they flew out of the Starship, the sight in front of everyone left them profoundly shocked.
All the Heaven Battling Union cultivators, regardless of their cultivation or strength, now had glossed eyes and their expressions were constantly changing as they had fallen into illusions they were unable to extricate themselves from, many of them seemingly trying to defend themselves from invisible enemies.
Others still calmly in place, as if concentrating on something profound and mysterious they could not understand.
However, no matter who it was, it was obvious they were completely oblivious to the terrible fate which was approaching them.
“Kill!” Yang Kai raised his hand and accompanied by a piercing cry, his Firebird Artifact Spirit flew out and transformed itself into a giant ball of flame that rushed towards the nearest group of enemies, instantly burning them to death.
Ye Xi Yun and the others immediately dispersed, summoned their artifacts, and released their Secret Techniques to slaughter their enemies with little to no resistance.
Yang Kai wandered about the sky as he manipulated dozens of Golden Blood Threads, slicing through the dazed enemies.
Additionally, wherever Yang Kai went, all cultivators at or below the Saint King Realm clutched their heads and screamed, as if they were suffering from unimaginable torture, their Souls being extinguished a moment later.
Tiny insects invisible to the naked eye and even difficult to detect using Divine Sense were viciously rushing towards these Saints and Saint Kings, causing them to inexplicably die.
Soul Devouring Insects!
Now that Yang Kai’s strength had reached such a height, and the enemies he was encountering were growing stronger and stronger, the Soul Devouring Insects he had been nurturing in his Knowledge Sea all these years were no longer able to play a big role in battle, but for massacring weaker enemies at times like this, they were actually an ideal weapon.
Soul Devouring Insects specialized in devouring Spiritual Energy. Once they invaded a cultivator’s Knowledge Sea and drained it dry, that cultivator would inevitably fall.
Yang Kai was like a god of death as he swept over the battlefield, leaving only corpses in his wake.
Heaven Battling Union’s many cultivators had become living targets, unable to put up any kind of resistance at all, allowing even Chang Qi and the other weaker Elders to kill with impunity.
Inside the main palace, Qu Zheng and the other leaders of Heaven Battling Union wore ashen faces as their bodies trembled violently.
None of them had ever imagined High Heaven Sect’s Starship possessed such terrifying means and was equipped with so many unimaginable methods. In the face of these means, their Sect’s prided elites were as vulnerable as three-year-old children.
Qu Zheng’s heart felt like it had been run through with a sword! Heaven Battling Union’s inheritance, built through thousands of years, was going to be destroyed under his watch.
At this moment, he somewhat regretted provoking Yang Kai; even if he had violated Star Emperor Mountain’s instructions, perhaps the result wouldn’t have been this bad.
Defeat was now inevitable!
Qu Zheng knew better than anyone that the moment the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array was destroyed, the battle was already over.
The Grand Array that he was most proud of and relied upon was destroyed by the enemy in no time at all.
Even if he somehow managed to kill Yang Kai now, the losses Heaven Battling Union suffered could simply not be made up.
On top of that, was Yang Kai someone easy to kill? Qu Zheng wasn’t confident he could kill a cultivator proficient in the Dao of Space, who could even tear space and flee!
“Union Master…” Mo Xiao Sheng called out gloomily from the side, his already old face seeming even more withered than before and his expression extremely grave, “We need to go.”
“Go?” Qu Zheng turned his head to look at him and shook his head slowly, “This Qu is Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master, I have pledged to live and die together with the Union. This Qu will not go!”
“Union Master, in the green hills, one need not worry about having firewood. We underestimated the strength of High Heaven Sect and our losses are incalculable, but there is a chance we can avenge our dead companions as long as Union Master survives. If you die here, there will be no one left to seek vengeance!” Mo Xiao Sheng tried his best to persuade him.
Qu Zheng glanced over at him and said sternly, “Even if that is so, in this world, where can we go? This Qu can still fight, and even if this old master dies here, he will drag that little bastard down with him.”
“Union Master, have you forgotten who caused this incident in the first place? We can go there, presumably, they won’t just sit back and watch,” Mo Xiao Sheng quickly said.
Qu Zheng frowned and began pondering carefully.
Liang Yong, who had been standing to the side, hurriedly added, “Yes, Union Master, momentum is on High Heaven Sect’s side now, so we really must consider withdrawing for the time being. We don’t have a way to deal with that Starship, but Star Emperor Mountain may.”
In the hall, seeing the Great Elder and Third Elder trying their best to persuade Qu Zheng, others quickly followed suit.
After all, if there was a way to live, who would choose to die? The other party’s Starship was simply too terrifying, not an existence ordinary cultivators could compete with.
Everyone was afraid that Qu Zheng would order them to go out and meet the enemy, so they wanted to hurry and leave this place.
For a time, everyone talked over each other, creating a chaotic atmosphere.
Qu Zheng seemed to recover his composure after hearing all these voices and swept his gaze across the hall before gently nodding and saying, “Fine, then we will temporarily withdraw to Star Emperor Mountain!”
“Union Master is wise!” The hearts of everyone present immediately relaxed as many breathed sighs of relief.
…..
In the Inner City, the screams had not stopped since they began. One after another, the cultivators who were affected by the Coloured Glass Divine Light then dragged into an illusion by the Illusion Stone died at the hands of High Heaven Sect’s forces.
Out of the thousands of cultivators, ninety percent had already fallen.
As time passed, the influence of the Illusion Stone gradually weakened.
After the hallucinations in front of them disappeared and they saw that the battle was lost, the Heaven Battling Union cultivators still alive were all horrified and did not dare to remain and fight. Using their movement skills and summoning their defensive artifacts, these survivors all fled.
It was an overwhelming defeat!
The entire Inner City seemed to be stained red with blood and the ground was now littered with broken limbs and pieces of meat. A rich bloody atmosphere permeated the huge city, making any who smelt it feel nauseous.
Golden light filled the sky as dozens of Golden Blood Threads cut through any enemies in Yang Kai’s path as his expression remained as tranquil as an ancient well.
Although he had run rampant among the enemy cultivators and beheaded so many of them, his clothes were still clean, not stained by a single drop of blood.
Suddenly, Yang Kai raised his head and looked in a certain direction, frowning slightly.
A familiar power fluctuation came from the direction he was looking, Space Force!
In an instant, he understood what this fluctuation meant and a cold smile appeared on his lips. Reaching out, Yang Kai swiped his hand through the air.
A pitch-black Void Crack appeared strangely and Yang Kai plunged inside, his body disappearing in the next instant.
In the Inner City of Heaven Battling Union, in a chamber deep underground, more than a dozen Elders of Heaven Battling Union and Protectors had assembled.
At this moment, each of these Elders and Protectors was staring at a massive Space Array in front of them with both hope and anxiety.
Heaven Battling Union was one of the two giants of Shadowed Star and had prospered for thousands of years, so it had arranged several emergency escape routes for itself. This large underground Space Array was one such route.
This Space Array had never been used in the several-thousand-year history of Heaven Battling Union because none could force them to use it.
But today, this dust-laden Restricted Area had finally been opened.
Qu Zheng planned to use this Space Array to escape a million kilometres away from Heaven Battling City.
Although it had never been used, this Space Array was still intact, so it only needed to be re-activated and charged with enough Saint Crystals before it could be used.
“This King and Great Elder will go on ahead, Third Elder, you stay behind to bring up the rear,” Qu Zheng casually ordered before stepping onto the Space Array with Mo Xiao Sheng.
Liang Yong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he quickly choked these words back down before cupping his fists and nodding, “Yes!”
He was truly afraid of Yang Kai. Last time, in Fallen Emperor Mountain, he had barely managed to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp. Although Yang Kai had kept his word and not killed him, Yang Kai had simply become a nightmare to him.
Naturally, he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
However, since the Union Master had given orders, Liang Yong had no choice but to obey.
This Space Array could only teleport five people at once, so this withdrawal had to be done in batches.
After Qu Zheng and another four people stood atop it, a burst of light burst out from the Space Array and soon enveloped them.
The figures of these five began to fade, and they were about to leave, but at the last moment, a sudden mutation occurred.
A short distance away from the array, a strange energy fluctuation appeared and space began to warp. A moment later, a long pitch-black tear unexpectedly emerged.
“This is…” Everyone was dazed, some not even understanding what this anomaly was.
“Void Crack!” Qu Zheng shouted. In Fallen Emperor Mountain on that day, he had seen a similar scene, so now that he was seeing it again he was naturally able to identify it.
As soon as his voice fell, a figure shot out from the Void Crack and without pausing for an instance reached out its hand and grasped towards the already activated Space Array.
An obscure and secretive force swept out.
The Space Array, which had originally been shining brightly, suddenly flickered and the dazzling light coming from it dimmed at an extremely fast speed.
“Not good!” Mo Xiao Sheng shouted before grabbing Qu Zheng’s arm instinctually and leaping out like a frightened rabbit.
In a flicker, the two figures disappeared and then reappeared several dozen metres away.
“Yang Kai!” Standing firm, Qu Zheng glared fiercely at the figure that emerged from the Void Crack, a vicious expression filling his face, as if he couldn’t wait to drink this boy’s blood
“Union Master Qu, where do you think you’re going?” Yang Kai gave him a sneer.
Before Qu Zheng could answer this question though, he suddenly heard someone next to him call out in alarm, “Elder Zhou, Protector Qi…”
This voice was filled with panic and seemed to be greatly frightened.
Qu Zheng frowned and glanced over with a sullen expression, but what he saw caused him to shiver from head to toe.
Atop the Space Array, three incomplete corpses were left behind!
Judging from the remnant clothes on these three corpses, it was clear they belonged to Qu Zheng’s subordinates who had been standing beside him just a moment ago, preparing to teleport away. Now, however, their upper bodies had strangely disappeared, leaving behind just their smoothly severed lower halves.
“Great Elder!” The person who spoke just now screamed again as he turned his attention to Mo Xiao Sheng, his eyes trembling violently.
A dripping sound filled the hall.
Qu Zheng turned his head as well and couldn’t help his eyes from shrinking.
Great Elder Mo Xiao Shen, who had helped him escape the Space Array just now, was missing an arm. The wound he suffered was extremely smooth, just like the others.
“You can even interrupt the Space Array’s transmission!” Mo Xiao Sheng’s face went pale, as if he was holding back severe pain. Staring at Yang Kai in disbelief, he grits his teeth and shouted, “You actually managed to comprehend the Dao of Space to such an extent?”
“A minor matter!” Yang Kai looked at him indifferently, not denying the charge.
Qu Zheng’s expression fluctuated. With his experience and eyesight, he could tell how his three subordinates died and how his Great Elder had lost an arm.
It was because the transmission was interrupted!
The Dao of Space was mysterious and difficult to understand, but its power was extremely terrifying. How could one’s end be good if their teleportation was disturbed mid-transmission?
No wonder Great Elder had so hastily taken him out of the Space Array, it turns out he had noticed something wrong ahead of time.
If Mo Xiao Sheng had not acted as swiftly as he did, it was likely Qu Zheng would only have half his body remaining atop the Space Array.
Understanding this, Qu Zheng couldn’t help leaking cold sweat.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, felt a little annoyed. He had noticed the energy fluctuations of the Space Array before, so he had hurriedly rushed to this place. His timing was spot on, but unfortunately, Qu Zheng still managed to escape.
[Dang… this Mo Xiao Sheng has some commendable attainments. If he had not noticed the disturbance, Qu Zheng would definitely have died!]
But it didn’t matter in the end. Since Yang Kai had already arrived here, no one could escape.
Beating the snake to death to avoid future calamity was a truth Yang Kai knew better than anyone!
Yang Kai was alone, but he was not afraid as he swept his eyes over the room.
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Xiao suddenly appeared in front of him, the huge Heaven Shaking Pillar resisting on his shoulders, his eyes glancing around with clear ill intent.
The huge Heaven Shaking Pillar, when contrasted with his small body, looked quite funny.
But no one dared to underestimate Xiao Xiao. Even Qu Zheng frowned as he felt an unimaginable pressure from Xiao Xiao, even greater than the one he felt when facing Yang Kai.
[A strong enemy!] Qu Zheng secretly thought. He had heard about this strange creature and how even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master could not take a head-on attack from it, but he didn’t know whether this was true or not though.
Before he could finish his thoughts, Yang Kai raised his hand again and the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword appeared. Pouring Saint Qi into the bone sword, a giant dark-green dragon quickly manifested and floated beside Yang Kai, it’s two giant eyes staring down imposingly at the crowd below.
The Dragon Pressure that instantly covered the hall caused everyone to tremble.
Golden Blood Threads appeared next, releasing a dazzling golden radiance.
A loud bird cry rang out as the Firebird Artifact Spirit flew out and spread its wings, raising the temperature in the hall significantly.
Yang Kai was going all out!
Although the people in front of him had already lost their will to fight, Yang Kai didn’t dare to underestimate them. In a one-against-many scenario, Yang Kai could not afford to let his guard down, especially since Qu Zheng was still unharmed.
Yang Kai had never fought Qu Zheng personally, but he had witnessed the latter’s power in Fallen Emperor Mountain.
That Great Sun Radiant Seal had particularly impressed him.
As such, once he decided to take action, Yang Kai had brought out eighty percent of his methods.
“Union Master Qu, when you plotted against this Junior, did you ever think the situation would wind up like this?” Yang Kai looked down at Qu Zheng coldly, “You and I had no meaningful grudge between us, but Union Master Qu insisted on embarrassing me, so he should be prepared to face my revenge. En, I’ll quickly send you to meet with Qu Chang Feng. Fathers and sons should be together, after all, and I think Qu Chang Feng should be quite lonely right now!”
“Arrogant little brat!” Qu Zheng’s expression suddenly became ferocious, like a mad beast.
The death of Qu Chang Feng was the greatest pain his heart had ever had to bear! Naturally, he knew his child best, and although Qu Chang Feng was a little domineering and flippant, his aptitude was first-class and he would surely have become a true hegemon if given time.
Yet before such a bright future could come to pass, Qu Chang Feng had been brutally killed by Yang Kai in Fallen Emperor Mountain.
At this moment, with the murderer casually standing before him, even a stoic man wouldn’t have been able to control their rage, let alone Qu Zheng who had a naturally fiery temperament.
“Good, good, good, you go too far, little brat! If this old master doesn’t kill you today, he would no longer be a man!” Qu Zheng yelled.
Mo Xiao Sheng felt the situation deteriorating. A battle between masters was always extremely dangerous, but now, Union Master Qu had been completely provoked and thrown into a rage with just a few words; how was he going to exert his full strength in such a state? But as things were, the only thing Mo Xiao Sheng could do was endure the severe pain from his wound and shout, “Yang Kai, you look down on my Heaven Battling Union too much! Since you dared to break into this place alone, it shall be your burial place. Everyone, with me! Today, either he dies, or we perish!”
With these words, the rest of the people summoned their artifacts one after another, filling the room with a dazzling glow as the ambient energy began to churn.
Liang Yong’s movements were the fastest, summoning a long, sword-like artifact into his hands and madly pouring his Saint Qi into it. Staring at Yang Kai fiercely, he roared, “Boy, suffer death!”
As he shouted, the long sword in Lian Yong’s hands glowed a cyan light and shot a wave out towards Yang Kai.
At the same time, the others also displayed the power of their artifacts one after another, firing them towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai remained indifferent though, not even attempting to dodge, simply observing coldly as if he didn’t feel any threat at all.
*Peng peng peng…*
Xiao Xiao struck his chest repeatedly, causing a dull sound to ring out as he opened his mouth and growled like a mad gorilla. As he struck his chest, Xiao Xiao’s small figure suddenly grew larger, and a several-dozen-metre tall giant stood before Yang Kai in an instant.
In the next instant, the various artifact attacks landed on Xiao Xiao’s body and burst into dazzling explosions of light, the clanging and clattering sounds constantly echoing, but not only did Xiao Xiao not show any intention to retreat, he even remained essentially uninjured. All that happened under this bombardment was Xiao Xiao being forced to take a single step backwards.
Stone Puppets’ innate Divine Ability was to swallow ore, which they could then smelt and refine into their purest form. However, they could also absorb these essences and use them to strengthen themselves.
Over the years, Xiao Xiao had swallowed countless ores, most of which were extremely rare and high-quality. Not only had he provided great assistance to Yang Yan with her Artifact Refining, but he had also obtained great nourishment and growth.
Although these attacks were terrifying, using them against Xiao Xiao was completely ineffective.
The hardness of Xiao Xiao’s body was as tough as an Origin King Grade defensive artifact.
Suddenly, among the clattering explosions, Qu Zheng’s muffled cough and enraged roar rang out.
Everyone frowned, wondering what happened to Qu Zheng.
Even Yang Kai was at a loss.
As the glow from the explosions dissipated, Yang Kai gazed past Xiao Xiao’s giant body and looked towards Qu Zheng, his expression turning somewhat strange in the next instant.
He found that Qu Zheng’s chest had half a sword sticking out from it, obviously having been run through from behind. Covered in blood, Qu Zheng couldn’t help staggering forward, his face extremely pale.
The sword which pierced him was clearly of extraordinary quality, definitely an artifact at or above Origin Grade Mid-Rank. The blade of the sword was covered in a brilliant cyan light that continuously burst with terrifying power as it destroyed the inside of Qu Zheng’s body, rapidly worsening his condition.
Now far from Qu Zheng, Liang Yong wore a complicated look on his face, as if feeling a little guilty.
“Liang Yong, you dare betray us?” Mo Xiao Sheng turned and stared at Liang Yong in disbelief, shouting out mournfully as he did.
Qu Zheng also turned a sullen look to Liang Yong and coughed as he grit his teeth and asked, “When did he buy you over? Was it back on Fallen Emperor Mountain?”
Liang Yong’s face twitched as he glanced over at Yang Kai for an instant before saying in a bitter voice, “Sect Master Yang never bought This Liang, but… A wise man knows when to submit to the circumstances. Union Master and Great Elder insisting on fighting against the tide has brought disaster to the Union. This Liang, as Third Elder, cannot sit by and watch everything our ancestors worked so hard for be destroyed at your hands!”
“Self-righteous nonsense. Seeking personal gain so shamelessly, this King never knew you were such a person, Liang Yong,” Qu Zheng sneered.
Qu Zheng never imagined that he would actually be stabbed in the back by his own Third Elder at this critical moment. If Liang Yong’s signature long sword artifact had not still been sticking out of his body, Qu Zheng might still not believe this was really happening.
“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t know this before, Union Master should be able to understand it today,” Liang Yong’s face was red with embarrassment, but if he wanted to survive, this was his only option.
The others here might not know how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was, but he did.
Regardless of how many people were on their side, if they really fought here, it would not be an easy battle, and even if they could defeat Yang Kai, they couldn’t kill him.
The means Yang Kai already showed were appalling enough, so just how much was he still holding back? The last time he experienced Yang Kai’s methods, Liang Yong was lucky enough to survive, but he didn’t want to try his luck again.
“Promising!” Yang Kai grinned suddenly. He hadn’t expected the situation to develop this way either, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t to his liking. Although he was confident he could kill all the people here, it would definitely be difficult and require him to use most of his means and methods. Now that his enemies were actually fighting amongst themselves, the problem became much easier to solve.
“Sect Master Yang is too kind,” Liang Yong cupped his fists with and said with a flattering look covering his face. Immediately after, Liang Yong looked around at the others present and shouted, “Smart birds choose the best trees to roost on, I believe this Liang does not need to teach you all this. As for what you should do now, you should also understand!”
The remaining Heaven Battling Union cultivators wore ugly expressions as they glanced around at each other, temporarily falling into a dilemma.
However, no one treated their life as expendable, so all of them turned their gazes towards Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng in the end while silently condensing their Saint Qi.
“Excellent!” Qu Zheng laughed, “I didn’t expect that my Heaven Battling Union had raised a pack of white wolves. This Qu was blind to have never seen your true colours.”
“Why must Union Master put it like that?” Liang Yong slowly shook his head, “The winner is the king while the loser is the villain. What do you want to do, Great Elder? This Liang has always admired Great Elder’s wisdom and fortitude, if Great Elder is willing to…”
“Do you think this old master is as shameless as you? All of you should not shame this old master,” Mo Xiao Sheng sneered, interrupting Liang Yong before he could even finish speaking.
“In that case, I must ask Great Elder and Union Master to depart together!” Liang Yong’s eyes became sharp as he waved his hand and in the next moment, all the attacks which had originally been targeting Yang Kai were now directed towards Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng.
Without any suspense, after a half cup of tea’s time, the battle was decided.
Mo Xiao Sheng had lost an arm, and although such an injury was not life-threatening, it still had a significant impact on the strength he could display. As for Qu Zheng, he had suffered a sneak attack from Liang Yong, a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and had only survived this long thanks to his great strength.
Both of them were wounded, so how could they withstand the attacks of Liang Yong and the others?
Yang Kai didn’t even need to take action as Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master and Great Elder were killed before him.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t relax his vigilance, keeping the giant dark-green dragon floating beside him with the Firebird Artifact Spirit circling above while the Stone Puppet protected his front.
As soon as the battle was over, Liang Yong sent a signal with his eyes to a certain cultivator who immediately understood and pounced towards another of their companions, a Second-Order Origin Realm Protector, and swiftly killed him.
Yang Kai simply observed with a smile, not showing any intention to intervene.
“Reporting to Sect Master Yang, Protector Liu was a close friend of the Union Master, so although he had outwardly surrendered, he must have been holding a grudge in his heart. No one knows whether he would simply wait for an opportunity to avenge Union Master in the future, so we’ve taken the liberty to deal with him now,” Liang Yong took the initiative to explain.
“Cruel and merciless!” Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “It seems I looked down on you, Elder Liang.”
“Sect Master Yang is too polite,” Liang Yong let out a hollow laugh.
“What about these remaining people?”
“These people should be fine.”
“En,” Yang Kai stared at him deeply, an ambiguous smile creeping onto his lips as he said, “Did Elder Liang not consider that this Sect Master would simply take advantage of this opportunity to rid himself of all of you now that you no longer have any value?”
Liang Yong’s face changed slightly, and even the remaining survivors wore wary expressions.
Squeezing out a smile, Liang Yong said, “Sect Master Yang must be joking. We have already demonstrated our intentions clearly. We simply ask Sect Master Yang to not punish us too severely and spare our lives!”
“Why should I let you keep your lives? You even betrayed and killed Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng. If I let you survive, how can I guarantee that one day you won’t treat me the same way?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly, his tone of voice cold and sharp. Meanwhile, as if affected by his mood, the giant dark-green dragon behind Yang Kai also assumed a threatening posture.
The Dragon Pressure also became heavier!
“We would not dare!” Liang Yong was thoroughly frightened and hurriedly bowed his head, “We can swear an oath to the Heavens that in the future, we will only follow Sect Master Yang’s lead, go through fire or water, never refusing under any circumstances.”
“If such oaths were useful, Union Master Qu and Great Elder Mo wouldn’t have died here. On the day you joined Heaven Battling Union, didn’t you make similar oaths?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
Liang Yong’s expression became awkward and he grew noticeably more anxious. Now, he didn’t know how to gain Yang Kai’s trust and let him show mercy.
If Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng were still alive now, the Heaven Battling Union group might still be able to put up a fight, but now they were no different from fish on a chopping block, waiting for Yang Kai’s judgement. Liang Yong and the others didn’t have any ability to resist now.
“I’ll give you a chance to persuade me. If you can convince me of your usefulness, I may be willing to spare you, but if you can’t, don’t blame this Sect Master for not showing mercy. Elder Liang is also a cruel and ruthless person so I’m sure you understand,” Yang Kai’s impatient voice sounded and his eyes gradually became cold.
Liang Yong was startled and couldn’t help shivering as he knew Yang Kai that was not one to make idle threats, so he hurriedly tried to come up with a logical reason they should be spared.
Everyone else also stared towards Liang Yong eagerly, their hearts clenched up tightly.
Yang Kai didn’t urge them any further and simply stood there and waited.
After a while, Liang Yong’s nervous expression calmed down and he seemed to become confident, clearing his throat and cupping his fists before saying, “Let me first say that we neither had nor have any intentions of becoming enemies with Sect Master Yang. We participated in the incident that occurred in Fallen Emperor Mountain last time simply because we were ordered to do so. Now, Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng are dead and the Union’s forces have suffered massive losses. On top of that, the Myriad Ice Spirit Sealing Grand Array has been destroyed, crippling the Union’s core foundation! When we joined Heaven Battling Union, we took oaths simply to express our loyalty, but now we must take them in order to survive; after all, even if Sect Master Yang shows mercy and allows us to live, what awaits us is nothing but hardship. Without an established headquarters, we will all certainly become targets for our enemies. Hitting others when they are down is a truth we cannot avoid.”
“That’s none of my concern,” Yang Kai looked at him with a sneer.
“What this Liang wants to express by saying all this is that if we wish to survive, we must find someone or something which can support us! And Sect Master Yang is the best choice!” Liang Yong looked at Yang Kai solemnly.
Yang Kai gently nodded, grinning as he said, “En, keep talking.”
Hearing this, Liang Yong’s expression became spirited, knowing the other party had taken some interest in his words. “If Sect Master Yang wishes to kill us, it will not take him much effort, but Sect Master Yang doesn’t stand to gain anything from our deaths. However, if Sect Master Yang is willing to spare us, this Liang and his companions will definitely be able to bring many benefits to Sect Master Yang.”
“For example?” Yang Kai squinted at him.
“Haha, now that Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng are dead, and Second Elder Lu Feng has also fallen, this Liang should be the highest-ranking member of the Union. This Liang has no special talents, but he is willing to manage Heaven Battling City for Sect Master Yang, every year turning over all its profits in the form of tribute! As far as this Liang knows, Sect Master Yang’s High Heaven Sect is located inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, so while there is no fear of it being attacked, it also likely lacks all kinds of cultivation resources, as it is extremely inconvenient to trade with the outside world. With Heaven Battling City under Sect Master Yang’s control though, the disciples of High Heaven Sect will not have to worry about supplies in the future. Heaven Battling City has been a centre of commerce for thousands of years with tens of millions of cultivators living and passing through here with great frequency. I believe that with Sect Master Yang’s intelligence, he can imagine just how great the profits Heaven Battling City earns a year are.”
After speaking till here, Liang Yong stopped and waited for Yang Kai’s reply.
He was completely confident this argument would convince Yang Kai.
Sure enough, after a moment, Yang Kai nodded, “Elder Liang’s eloquence is exceptional, this Sect Master has indeed been moved by you.”
When these words fell, the Firebird flew back into Yang Kai’s body and the giant dark-green dragon transformed back into the Dragon Bone Sword again. Even the Stone Puppet, which was several dozen metres tall, shrank back down to its original size.
The heavy atmosphere suddenly disappeared.
Liang Yong was overjoyed and quickly bowed, “Many thanks for showing mercy, Sect Master Yang!”
The other survivors quickly followed suit, hoping to show their loyalty lest Yang Kai find them unpleasant to the eye and decide to kill them.
“From now on, there is no more Heaven Battling Union!” Yang Kai declared indifferently, “Heaven Battling City is now the exclusive property of High Heaven Sect. If anyone tries to invade, they will be enemies of High Heaven Sect! Liang Yong, your strength is good, so you will take up the post of City Lord and manage this city for this Sect Master!”
“Yes! Subordinate will definitely live up to Sect Master Yang’s trust!” Liang Yong replied solemnly.
“Alright! I hope you won’t disappoint me. Relay my orders: Tell your people to stand down, if they don’t, they will likely all die,” Yang Kai chuckled, his face filled with amicability, as if all the unpleasantness from a moment ago had never happened. Finishing issuing instructions, Yang Kai took out a communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it so he could tell Ye Xi Yun and the others to stop their assault.
After a quarter of an hour, the Inner City of Heaven Battling City became calm, but the dead bodies and blood all over the ground remained as evidence of the fierce battle which had taken place here.
From the underground hall, everyone else departed to calm the remaining Heaven Battling Union disciples and convey Yang Kai’s order, leaving only Liang Yong and Yang Kai.
“Where’s Heaven Battling Union’s storehouse? Take me to have a look,” Yang Kai ordered Liang Yong.
“Yes, please come with me, Sect Master,” Liang Yong did not dare to refuse and quickly led the way.
As a Sect that stood at the peak of Shadowed Star for thousands of years, the accumulated wealth of Heaven Battling Union was naturally unimaginable.
This was especially the case since it controlled Heaven Battling City! The wealth gained from Heaven Battling City every year was nothing short of extraordinary.
But now, all of these resources had become Yang Kai’s property.
It took a full two days for Yang Kai to organize the things in Heaven Battling Union’s storehouse and store them into Space Rings.
In two days, Liang Yong and the other surviving Elders unleashed a startling purge, eliminating all those who dared to oppose them as well as anyone who once strongly supported Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng, bringing what remained of Heaven Battling Union’s forces under their complete control.
News of the great battle had already spread. The tens of millions of cultivators who had withdrawn from Heaven Battling City had now returned, and although one of Shadowed Star’s great behemoths had fallen, these individuals’ lives didn’t change much.
High Heaven Sect’s Starship did not damage the outer city, so these people only needed to return to their original stores with their goods and they could reopen for business. The only real change was that their taxes would now be turned over to High Heaven Sect rather than Heaven Battling Union.
Not many people had thought that this was how things would end.
Heaven Battling Union had disappeared, and High Heaven Sect only relied on a single Starship to destroy this behemoth.
The tyrannical power of this Origin King Grade Starship was deeply rooted in everyone’s mind now.
Five days later, the pitch-black Starship flew out from Heaven Battling City and shot towards the horizon. In the main square of the Inner City, Liang Yong and the other high-level officials who once belonged to the Heaven Battling Union respectfully sent them off before letting out sighs of relief.
Although they had already surrendered and Yang Kai showed no signs of purging them, each day was one that they could not feel at ease. All of them were worried Yang Kai would go back on his word and kill them, and it wasn’t until this moment that they could finally put down this worry.
Yang Kai had left Ge Qi behind in Heaven Battling City to serve as Vice City Lord!
In name, Ge Qi was there to assist Liang Yong, but everyone knew that his real purpose was to monitor the latter.
Liang Yong had betrayed and stabbed Qu Zheng in the back to save his own life. Yang Kai would not leave such a snake without proper supervision, otherwise, it would be impossible to guarantee that he wouldn’t stir up trouble.
If it was anyone else remaining here, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to rest easy, but Ge Qi was different.
Although Ge Qi only had a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, he was raised by and grew up under Ye Xi Yun’s tutelage.
As long as Ye Xi Yun still lived, Liang Yong wouldn’t dare attack Ge Qi. Leaving Ge Qi behind to remind Liang Yong of his position from time to time should be enough to deter the latter from having crooked thoughts and ensure that the required tribute would be handed over to High Heaven Sect in full each year.
When the Starship left, not only did Liang Yong and his group see them off, the entire Outer City’s population gave them a resounding cheer as they waved towards the Starship with happy expressions.
The destruction of the Heaven Battling Union had made these cultivators, who were usually exploited and humiliated, cry out in happiness. On top of that, Liang Yong had ordered all taxes in the city to be lowered, so the general populace was happy.
From just this action, it was clear Liang Yong had some talent as a leader. Knowing that Heaven Battling City had changed ownership, it was precisely the time to buy people’s favour, therefore he took such action on behalf of Yang Kai to raise both of their images.
Inside the Starship, the Origin Returning Realm masters from High Heaven Sect were immersed in a joyful mood themselves as they counted their own gains, laughing and smiling the whole time.
Everything in Heaven Battling Union storehouse was packed into Yang Kai’s Space Rings, just waiting to be taken back to fill up High Heaven Sect’s reserves.
But the spoils Chang Qi and the others obtained from killing enemy cultivators were left to themselves.
Each of these people had killed countless enemies, so how could their harvest be anything but rich?
Even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu both sat cross-legged on the ground, constantly pouring things from one Space Ring after another, taking whatever materials they needed while discarding the rest.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter when he saw this and even Ye Xi Yun couldn’t help smiling to the side.
“Sect Master, since we were delayed for five days in Heaven Battling City, Thunder Typhoon Sect should have already received words of what transpired here. I’m afraid their defences will be far more difficult for us to breach.”
Suddenly, Ye Xi Yun reminded him.
“En.” Yang Kai is gently nodded. In fact, he also knew that speed was of critical importance in war, but he had no choice but to remain in Heaven Battling City for some time; after all, Yang Kai didn’t want to simply abandon such a massive industry. Today’s High Heaven Sect disciples were quite scarce and didn’t require so many materials, but what about in the future?
Yang Kai had to plan for the long-term.
“It’s fine, since Heaven Battling Union couldn’t stop us, Thunder Typhoon Sect shouldn’t be able to either. No matter how tough their defences are, they’ll still be useless as long as they can’t break the defences of our Starship.”
“Nevertheless, Sect Master should act carefully!” Ye Xi Yun cautioned. Although she was much older than Yang Kai and had far greater experience, Yang Kai was still High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, so the final decisions for important matters would always rest with him. All she could do was advise him.
“En, have the disciples increase our speed a bit, Thunder Typhoon Canyon is a considerable distance away after all!” Yang Kai ordered.
A moment later, the Starship, which was already flying as swiftly as the wind, increased its speed further.
Thunder Typhoon Canyon was situated amongst a lofty mountain valley with an extremely wide area and rich World Energy aura.
It was the headquarters of Thunder Typhoon Sect. Unlike Heaven Battling Union, which made its headquarters inside a city, the headquarters of Thunder Typhoon Sect was situated far away from the crowded hustle and bustle. The World Energy aura here was wonderful and the nearby mountains provided excellent grounds for their disciples to go out for experience. It wasn’t an exaggeration to describe it as a cultivation paradise.
Since the founding of Thunder Typhoon Sect, Thunder Typhoon Canyon has always been its territory.
When Thunder Typhoon Sect was not well-known, many Sects had taken a fancy to this treasured land and tried to capture it, but all of them had failed and instead become stepping stones to Thunder Typhoon Sect’s rise.
As such situations repeated themselves, Thunder Typhoon Sect grew rapidly and eventually became one of the two giants of Shadowed Star.
The perimeter of Thunder Typhoon Canyon was surrounded by a poisonous miasma and was difficult to approach for outsiders. This provided a layer of natural defence for Thunder Typhoon Sect. To cross it, disciples needed to take a special detoxification pill in advance or use the Space Array directly.
Otherwise, even Saint Kings would not be able to withstand the miasma’s corrosion. In the case of light poisoning, one’s limbs would go numb and their Saint Qi would not circulate well, but in severe cases, people were known to fall to the ground and die instantly.
This was the largest reason why Thunder Typhoon Sect was able to maintain control of this land.
In addition to this natural barrier, it was rumoured that there were countless Spirit Arrays arranged inside Thunder Typhoon Canyon that would send any who dare intrude to their death.
Although Yang Kai had his Starship to rely on, he did not take these defences lightly. Thunder Typhoon Canyon was different from Heaven Battling City; after rushing in, it might be difficult to get out.
So after the Starship passed through the poisonous miasma, Yang Kai ordered the ship to slow down significantly while constantly scanning their surroundings and proceeding cautiously.
However, to his surprise, the road they passed through was extremely smooth. Let alone triggering any of the Spirit Arrays, the Starship did not even encounter a single living person.
Under the investigation of his powerful Divine Sense, Yang Kai was able to determine the situation within a radius of a hundred kilometres!
The massive Thunder Typhoon Sect headquarters was empty, seemingly having been evacuated early.
Yang Kai frowned.
Ye Xi Yun was also shocked. Although they had rushed into Heaven Battling City and destroyed Heaven Battling Union with unstoppable force, demonstrating the brilliance of High Heaven Sect, Thunder Typhoon Sect was also a well-known great Sect so there was no reason for them to simply retreat without a fight.
How much courage would it take to give up one’s Ancestral Foundation which they had occupied for almost ten thousand years? What kind of prestige would a leader need to have their entire Sect’s population obey such an order?
Yang Kai could not help feeling that Fang Peng was a more difficult opponent than Qu Zheng.
“Yang Kai, Thunder Typhoon Sect actually withdrew ahead of time, what should we do?” Qian Tong asked, somewhat dumbfounded. He had thought there would be a repeat of previous events, where they fought a difficult battle, but reality had turned out very differently.
“Interesting!” Yang Kai sneered.
The foundation of a Sect lies in its cultivators, not its territory, if the people survived, there would always be a chance to make a comeback; Fang Peng clearly understood this truth.
High Heaven Sect’s punch landing on soft cotton caused everyone inside the Starship to feel somewhat vexed.
“Since we’ve come already, there’s no reason to simply leave empty-handed. Level Thunder Typhoon Canyon,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Since Fang Peng doesn’t want this ten thousand year legacy, we don’t need to leave it for him.”
“Ruthless!” Qian Tong’s mouth twitched.
After the order was issued, Crystal Cannons began firing, razing everything in the Starship’s path.
The violent rumbling sounds never ceased as the many structures which composed Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters were turned to dust under the Crystal Cannon fire.
As he was observing leisurely though, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, and a look of surprise came to his face as he sent out his Divine Sense towards a certain direction.
He sensed a not weak energy fluctuation from that direction, not like an artifact, but rather like a large number of Saint Crystals piled up together.
Had Thunder Typhoon Sect evacuated in a hurry and failed to collect this wealth, or was it some kind of trap?
Regardless of which it was, no one disliked having more Saint Crystals, and from the strength of the energy fluctuations he sensed, Yang Kai estimated that there were at least a few hundred million of them at that location. Such a number was a massive amount of wealth even for Thunder Typhoon Sect.
“There’s something interesting over on that side, I’ll go check it out,” Yang Kai stood up and said.
“Sect Master, it may be a plot,” Ye Xi Yun frowned.
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai grinned, “While it’s obviously some kind of trap, I still want to know what tricks Fang Peng is up to. You all remain in the Starship; I’ll be right back.”
Saying so, Yang Kai has rushed out of the Starship before soaring off towards the source of the energy fluctuations.
A short time later, Yang Kai arrived in front of a grand palace and released his Divine Sense to inspect it, not encountering any obstruction to his investigation.
The palace was empty save for some tables and chairs, but there was a secret room which was piled high with a countless number of High-Rank Saint Crystals below it.
There were indeed hundreds of millions.
Yang Kai didn’t want to let go of such a huge amount of wealth, and emboldened by confidence in his strength, he proceeded straight into the palace, fumbled around for a moment to find a secret door, then went straight down to the secret room.
After a while, Yang Kai came to the secret room and when he looked inside, his eyes could not help lighting up. After making sure that there was nothing suspicious around him, he waved his hands and began sweeping the piles of Saint Crystals into his Space Rings.
At the same time, in a different secret room far below Thunder Typhoon Sect headquarters.
At this moment, five elderly cultivators were sitting in the middle of this secret room. Each of these five people had snow-white hair and appeared extremely old, as if they had experienced endless years of wind and rain and no longer had much vitality left in their bodies.
However, each of these five was a master at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm!
The five elders each sat at the corner of an elaborate Spirit Array which had clearly been arranged far in advance. This Spirit Array was incredibly profound and radiated a dangerous aura.
Silent, with no Saint Qi fluctuations to speak of, these five more closely resembled corpses than people.
But when Yang Kai walked into the secret room above, the five elders seemed to sense his presence and opened their eyes.
“He’s come!” A yellow-faced old man muttered.
“Indeed, a bold young lad,” Another old woman nodded lightly.
“Since he’s come, let us begin!” A third person said lightly, “Heaven Battling Union was unable to resist that Origin King Grade Starship, so my Thunder Typhoon Sect should also be unable to resist, but if that boy wants to seize our ten-thousand-year foundation, he will have to pay for it with his life.”
“Haha, even if he loses his life to this Profound Yin Ten Sides Array, he can still be proud.”
“Enough idle chatter, Junior Brothers, Junior Sisters, it has been this old master’s honour to know you these past few hundred years, but our time of separation has now come. I wish all of you good fortune on the journey ahead!” The first yellow-faced old man spoke again.
It seemed that his prestige among this group was remarkably high, so after he spoke, the others also wore solemn looks.
The old woman to his side glanced over and smiled lightly, “Senior Brother too.”
A trace of remembrance flashed across the yellow-faced old man’s eyes, but soon his expression became resolute and he uttered a soft voice, “Begin!”
As soon as his voice fell, he began to madly pour his Saint Qi into the node of the Spirit Array before him.
The other four followed suit.
The five-cornered array suddenly released a dazzling light and as the intensity of the glow increased, the Spirit Array seemed to come alive and began rotating, turning faster and faster at a rapid pace.
As this Spirit Array activated, the complexions of the five elders turned pale and the last remnants of their vitality faded rapidly.
This Spirit Array not only seemed to absorb their Saint Qi, but also their vitality.
Letting out muffled shouts, the five elders continued exerting their full effort.
Slowly, this Spirit Array began to tremble and as it rapidly rotated and began to rise upwards, soon shooting towards the ceiling of the secret room and then disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this scene, all five of these elders smiled before collapsing limply on the ground, each of them now so emaciated and weak that it became clear they would soon die.
At the same time, in the secret room filled with Saint Crystals, Yang Kai’s movements paused and he frowned deeply.
A sudden sense of unease had swept over him at that moment.
Before he could identify the source of his unease though, a powerful energy fluctuation suddenly appeared beneath his feet and a massive Spirit Array flew out from below, directly enveloping the entire secret room. The Spirit Array’s patterns seemed to be formed from the strongest of metals, instantly transforming the secret room into a solid cage.
Violent energy fluctuations spread from all around and dazzling rays of light blasted out from below the countless Saint Crystals as a fearful aura began to rise.
Yang Kai swiftly realized what was happening and with a sudden wave of his hand, swept away a massive pile of Saint Crystals to reveal a melon-sized crimson-red crystal which had been buried below. At this moment, the red crystal was emitting a dazzling light and an astonishing and unstable energy fluctuation was pulsing from within it.
“A Profound Explosion Crystal!” Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he cried out, “So that’s what this is all about!”
Thunder Typhoon Sect had used hundreds of millions of Saint Crystals to set up this secret room knowing that even if people understood it was a trap, they would still jump into it.
After all, greed was a universal trait!
However, once anyone entered this secret room, Thunder Typhoon Sect would spring this deadly trap.
The Spirit Array which had just appeared did not have any kind of lethality and was instead just a restraint to imprison people inside this room. The real danger came from the Profound Explosion Crystals hidden below the piles of Saint Crystals!
Profound Explosive Crystals were rare treasures that had extremely unstable energy stored within them and would explode if exposed to some kind of shock. Under normal circumstances, they were not very useful, and because they were rare and expensive, cultivators barely ever used them.
Thunder Typhoon Sect had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to find such a large piece of Profound Explosive Crystal, and more than one at that. Below the piles of Saint Crystals, Yang Kai spotted at least five places which were glowing bright red.
In the face of such a massive explosion, even an Origin King Realm master would not necessarily be able to survive, let alone Yang Kai.
Thunder Typhoon Sect genuinely thought highly of him!
As such thoughts flashed across his mind, the red light became more and more violent, and in the next instant, a thunderous boom rang out, vaporizing the entire palace in an instant.
A red beam of light that pierced the sky shot out from the ground and Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters was completely levelled in the enormous subsequent explosion.
The wave of energy which was released swept out like a great tide, bursting through everything in its path, causing the light from the sun itself to appear dull.
A dozen kilometres away, inside the Starship, everyone was dumbfounded as they stared at this scene in shock.
Even Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful face paled slightly, but fortunately her will was strong, so when she saw the terrifying aftermath approaching, she quickly yelled, “Activate the shield!”
Soon, a thin membrane-like shell appeared around the Starship.
The violent winds and waves of energy hit the Starship in the next instant and sent it hurtling into the canyon side.
Inside the Starship, everyone was thrown off their feet. With faces filled with horror, they all instinctually urged their Saint Qi to protect their bodies while summoning their defensive artifacts.
Inside a deep underground secret room, a Void Crack suddenly appeared, and Yang Kai’s figure fell out, his face still covered in some lingering fear.
It was not that Fang Peng did not know he could tear space, but he had still set up such a destructive trap. Likely, Fang Peng understood that he would not be able to preserve Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters, so instead of allowing Yang Kai to pick through it with impunity, he had decided to take the initiative to destroy it. Additionally, perhaps Fang Peng was hoping that, by some stroke of luck, Yang Kai would not notice the Profound Explosion Crystals until it was too late.
Even if it was uncertain, it was worth a shot!
In any case, Fang Peng’s plan had failed. Now, before the Profound Explosion Crystals burst, Yang Kai had escaped, and following the direction the strange Spirit Array had appeared from, travelled deep underground.
Inside the underground secret room, which was only dimly lit, five people lay on the ground, their breathing clearly somewhat shallow.
Yang Kai could see immediately that these people would die soon so he could not help frowning.
It seemed that the five of them were the ones who had acted just now; after all, in such a big Sect that boasted ten thousand years of history, there would always be some people who were willing to stay and die with the Sect at the most dangerous moment, giving their lives for it.
“You really didn’t die; Fang Peng wasn’t mistaken!” A weak voice came from the side, and when Yang Kai looked over, he saw a skinny yellow-faced old man lying there staring back at him with a look of disbelief and some slight unwillingness, “Space Force truly deserves its reputation!”
“Senior’s praise is unwarranted!” Yang Kai snorted before walking over and stopping about five steps in front of this yellow-faced old man, “Even knowing that this kind of petty plot couldn’t kill me, Fang Peng still made the five of you stay behind just to die? He truly is ruthless!”
The yellow-faced old man simply chuckled in between gasps, “He did not ask us to stay, we asked him to let us stay. Boy, you are going to try to sow discord even in this situation?”
A slightly awkward light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes before he chose to remain silent.
The yellow-faced old man let out a slight cough before continuing, “The five of us didn’t have long to live, so if we could bury you along with us, it would naturally be a huge gain. This was the last act we could do for our Sect before dying, so even knowing the chances were slim, we had to try.”
“The dying need not speak so much nonsense,” Yang Kai spat disinterestedly, “Tell me where Fang Peng is and I’ll leave your corpse whole!”
“Haha, seems you’re one for straight talk, Little Boy. En, if I had met you a few hundred years earlier, perhaps this old master would have wanted to become friends! Fang Peng said… he said…”
“What did he say?”
“He said you can go to Star Emperor Mountain… to find him!” The yellow-faced old man seemed to have exhausted the last of his strength squeezing out these few words, his vitality completely disappearing once he was done.
The other four in the room had already departed for the next world while Yang Kai and the yellow-faced old man were talking.
Frowning as he glanced around at these five, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Not having any interest in moving them, he stretched out his hand and swiped the air in front of him, opening up a Void Crack into which he disappeared.
…..
Above Thunder Typhoon Canyon, High Heaven Sect’s Starship hovered mid-air and opened its main hatch wide, allowing Ye Xi Yun and the others to rush outside and scan the area anxiously.
The explosion had subsided, but when they looked around, the originally magnificent Thunder Typhoon Sect headquarters had been reduced to rubble and a giant crater over a thousand kilometres in diameter had appeared.
Yang Kai, however, was nowhere to be seen!
Everyone felt as if their hearts were caught in their throats.
If it were not for the Starship’s protective barrier, the intense explosions just now would likely have killed all of them, let alone Yang Kai who was likely at the centre of the blast.
Everyone was worried about him, worried he had fallen here.
“Are you looking for me?” A voice suddenly came from behind, shocking everyone and causing them all to turn their heads around to discover Yang Kai standing not far away, completely unscathed.
Everyone’s expressions became extremely weird as they did not even notice when Yang Kai appeared, as if he had suddenly materialized out of thin air.
“Yang Kai, are you okay?” Qian Tong asked hurriedly.
“I’m fine, let’s go inside first,” Yang Kai stepped into the Starship, turning around once to beckon the others to follow.
A short time later, the Starship turned around and flew out of Thunder Typhoon Canyon.
Inside the Starship, Yang Kai briefly recounted the results of this trip, drawing a sigh from everyone’s lips.
“Those five should be the Grand Elders of Thunder Typhoon Sect, each of them at least one or two generations older than Old Fei and myself!” Qian Tong whispered, “Actually, all great forces have such characters, there are even a few in Shadow Moon Hall, but they normally don’t involve themselves in worldly affairs and are in seclusion all year round. Unless some major event occurs, like a threat to the Sect’s existence, they will not appear, choosing to die from old age instead!”
“En, although those five were enemies, their actions are still worthy of admiration,” Fei Zhi Tu nodded lightly to the side.
“Regardless of whether they are respectable or not, Fang Peng has now escaped to Star Emperor Mountain, which saves me from wasting time to find him,” Yang Kai snorted softly. If Fang Peng had gone into hiding, it would truly be troublesome to look for him as he could be anywhere on Shadowed Star, but since he had chosen to retreat to Star Emperor Mountain, it made life much easier for Yang Kai.
The Starship’s next destination was Star Emperor Mountain, after all!
Fang Peng had likely guessed this too, so he had chosen to go there to wait.
“Great Elder,” Yang Kai raised his head to look at Ye Xi Yun, “Now that we’ve reached this point, I believe you should have nothing left to hide. I haven’t asked you anything about Star Emperor Mountain before, but now, I have no choice. Please explain its situation to us, the more detailed the better.”
“This Queen never intended to conceal anything, it’s just that Sect Master never asked about it before,” Ye Xi Yun brushed her hair back behind her ear, “Since Sect Master wants to know, this Queen will naturally explain everything she knows.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
“Uh… Yang Kai, should Old Fei and I leave?” Qian Tong hesitated. Understanding that Yang Kai and Ye Xi Yun’s discussion would be about the secrets of Star Emperor Mountain, he felt awkward remaining.
“No need, there are no outsiders here,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“Then… alright,” Qian Tong no longer insisted, sitting back down as he looked towards Ye Xi Yun and Yang Kai, listening intently. He was also quite curious about Star Emperor Mountain; after all, this great force had always been extremely mysterious, but it was still the undisputed strongest force on Shadowed Star.
“Where should I start?” Ye Xi Yun wrinkled her brow slightly, as if trying to find the appropriate words. After a while, she continued, “The outside rumours that say Star Emperor Mountain is related to the Great Emperor are not groundless; in fact, they’re essentially true! Star Emperor Mountain is best described as a branch of the Supreme Profound Sect!”
“A branch of the Supreme Profound Sect?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
“Yes!”
“Supreme Profound Sect?” Qian Tong frowned, “What Sect is this? Why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”
Fei Zhi Tu also shook his head slowly, indicating he too had no idea about this force.
Yang Kai grinned and explained, “The site occupied by my High Heaven Sect was the former headquarters of Supreme Profound Sect. It was an ancient Sect which dissolved over ten thousand years ago. You two never having heard of it is understandable.”
“So that’s it!” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu nodded in understanding.
“Please continue, Great Elder,” Yang Kai motioned.
“Supreme Profound Sect was the place where the Great Emperor resided on Shadowed Star, and it was also the force which was nourished by the Great Emperor. But because a terrible enemy on par with the Great Emperor appeared one day, a catastrophic battle broke out. Although the Great Emperor emerged victoriously, she then fell into a deep sleep after that great battle to heal and the region around Supreme Profound Sect became the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Sect Master should know all these things.”
“En, I’ve heard these details before,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Yang Kai wore a casual expression as he truly had learned about this history some time ago, allowing him to remain calm. On the other hand, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes were bulging at this moment and their breathing had become quick as astonished expressions filled their faces.
Although Ye Xi Yun had only said a few words, it was enough for them to glean some incredible information.
The rumoured Starry Sky Great Emperor, who could cover the Heavens with one hand, actually had an enemy who could rival her! And during some kind of fierce battle, even though she managed to kill that enemy, the Great Emperor seemed to have been seriously injured.
Did that enemy have the same cultivation as the Great Emperor? This was a frightening thought.
After the two of them fought, the Flowing Flame Sand Field appeared on Shadowed Star…
Moreover, listening to the meaning of Ye Xi Yun’s words, the Great Emperor seemed to still be alive and was only asleep right now!
As a legendary figure, the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s prestige was rooted deeply in the hearts of all cultivators, and her strength was undisputed. According to legend, she could pluck the moon from the sky, destroy whole Cultivation Stars in a single attack, and traverse the entire Star Field in a single day.
There were simply too many legends about the Great Emperor, most of them fantastical and near unbelievable. Although Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had profound respect for the Great Emperor, they had never thought such a powerful existence was still alive.
At this moment, when they heard such secrets for the first time, the shock in their hearts was beyond describable, and both of them lost their composure and ability to even think for quite some time.
This was also because Ye Xi Yun was the one saying these things, allowing them to somewhat believe them. If someone else had been telling this story, the two of them would likely just sneer.
“Regardless of the outcome of that great battle, Supreme Profound Sect was deeply affected, suffering heavy losses with very few survivors. Those who did survive that calamity could only move elsewhere. They were the founders of Star Emperor Mountain!” Ye Xi Yun began speaking again, pulling Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu attention back to reality.
“On Star Emperor Mountain, there is a portrait of the Great Emperor, so this Queen on that day…” Ye Xi Yun hesitated here, not sure if she should finish her words.
Yang Kai, however, knew what she wanted to say.
The reason she showed such reverence and respect towards Yang Yan when she saw her was because Ye Xi Yun recognized that Yang Yan was the Great Emperor as her image perfectly matched with the portrait which had been passed down in Star Emperor Mountain since ancient times.
Ye Xi Yun had studied the Great Emperor’s portrait countless times over the past few hundred years.
“The ancient founders of Star Emperor Mountain decreed that Star Emperor Mountain only existed to serve the Great Emperor, and that the Great Emperor would awaken again one day. At that time, Star Emperor Mountain was to become the Great Emperor’s right arm! For over ten thousand years, every generation Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain has abided by these ancient teachings, never involving themselves in the matters of the outside world, nor interfering in external grudges or grievances; only calmly waiting for the day when the Great Emperor would awaken. During the hundreds of years this Queen led Star Emperor Mountain, she too upheld this philosophy and mindset.”
“However, too many years have passed, and the legacy of the Great Emperor has become more the stuff of myth and legend than fact. Not only do outsiders doubt how authentic the existence of the Great Emperor is, but even those from Star Emperor Mountain have begun to believe such ramblings. Those who do not wish to follow our traditions and seek to deny the legacy of the Great Emperor sought to dominate Shadowed Star! A hundred years ago, this Queen was plotted against and ultimately forced out of Star Emperor Mountain and into seclusion.”
“The one who forced you out was unwilling to remain unknown and wanted to reign as a true ruler, right?” Yang Kai sneered. Although Ye Xi Yun had not spoken too clearly, Yang Kai wasn’t a fool and soon understood the twists and turns of the story.
“En, and judging from the reactions of Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, that usurper had been planning this move for some time. He actually subdued Qu Zheng and Fang Peng secretly and made them serve him using some unknown promise of benefits!” Ye Xi Yun nodded lightly.
“Such things are inevitable.” Yang Kai frowned.
In truth, when Yang Kai first heard rumours about the Starry Sky Great Emperor, he hadn’t taken them too seriously; after all, there were always legends of ancient times and great cultivators, but most of them were simply made up by people who are idle and bored with no link to reality.
He used to think that the Great Emperor’s existence was one such made-up rumour.
However, as Yang Kai came into contact with more and more things in the Star Field and understood more and more about its history, he began to believe that the Great Emperor had indeed existed and was not just a fabricated legend, all the way up until Yang Yan began recovering her memories.
It wasn’t only Yang Kai who thought this way, countless people in the Star Field thought so as well.
Although Star Emperor Mountain was a branch of Supreme Profound Sect, the reason for its founding had lost most of its weight after ten thousand years of waiting.
Having the necessary strength to dominate Shadowed Star, but instead being forced to cultivate in seclusion, dying of old age with no one ever even knowing of one’s existence; such a fate may not have bothered Ye Xi Yun, but it surely tormented those with ambitions.
Nevertheless, Star Emperor Mountain had strict rules, and anyone who violated their ancestral precepts would be killed without pardon.
If one wanted to break these precepts, they first had to gain absolute control.
As a result, Ye Xi Yun was driven away, one day.
“I remember that you were poisoned a few years ago when Ge Qi brought that Star Emperor Token to Heavenly Fate City to trade for a detoxification pill…” Yang Kai looked at Ye Xi Yun thoughtfully.
“En, it was that person’s doing,” Ye Xi Yun nodded, “After all, his position was not earned righteously, so each day this Queen lived on, he would live in fear. It took him a hundred years to find the place where I had secluded myself after he secretly poisoned me. Fortunately, Sect Master possessed the perfect pill for my condition, otherwise, even if this Queen did not die, my cultivation definitely would have dropped. This time, this Queen should settle accounts with that man.”
“Every grudge has its revenge, just as it should be,” Yang Kai grinned.
Ye Xi Yun brushed her hair back and said leisurely, “Actually, it doesn’t matter to this Queen whether she holds the position of Sect Master or not, but that man abandoned the ancestral traditions of Star Emperor Mountain, which is akin to betraying the Great Emperor: An intolerable offence. This Queen must clean up the Sect on behalf of the fallen ancestors.”
When she declared so, Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu nearby couldn’t help shivering when they felt this aura.
“How many masters does Star Emperor Mountain have?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Xi Yun laughed, “Actually, Star Emperor Mountain has always had very few members. Although it occupies the best cultivation land on Shadowed Star, the number of people in each generation never exceeds three hundred. When this Queen was in charge of Star Emperor Mountain, there were actually even fewer than that, only a trivial two hundred. The numbers there should be similar now.”
“Two hundred!?” Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and the others present were dumbfounded. Such a small number was unexpected. Everyone knew that there were not many members of Star Emperor Mountain, but no one thought there would be this few.
Could such a force really stand at the top of Shadowed Star’s power pyramid?
“Sect Master must not underestimate these two hundred people. Of these two hundred, at least eighty percent are Origin Returning Realm masters, with around forty or fifty having reached the Third-Order. Moreover, Star Emperor Mountain also has several Origin King Grade artifacts and even some Emperor Artifacts! This level of combat power cannot be belittled,” Ye Xi Yun urged in a deep voice.
“Emperor Artifacts…” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Like that Annihilation Thunder Bead?”
“En, the Annihilation Thunder Bead is one of them, but while the Annihilation Thunder Bead is powerful, Sect Master has already managed to survive a strike from it, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to face it again. If one can avoid this first strike, that Emperor Artifact is useless.”
“Alright, since the person using it isn’t strong enough, that Emperor Artifact really can’t play much of a role,” Yang Kai nodded.
He had suffered a great loss because he did not know anything about the Annihilation Thunder Bead last time, but if Yang Kai were to face it again now, he should be able to deal with it calmly.
Although he did not have to worry about himself, whether the Starship could block the Annihilation Thunder Bead’s blow was something Yang Kai was uncertain about.
“In addition to the Annihilation Thunder Bead, there are two other Origin King Grade artifacts that we need to be wary of. Star Emperor Mountain originally had three Origin King Grade artifacts, but the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp was brought out by this Queen. As for the remaining two…”
A single great force controlling three Origin King Grade artifacts was astonishing on Shadowed Star. For example, Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union both possessed one Origin King Grade artifact and treated their respective artifact as their Sect’s highest treasure, never daring to use it lightly.
But now, Heaven Battling Union’s Origin King Grade artifact had become one of Yang Kai’s trophies.
Next, Ye Xi Yun described the power and appearance of the two Origin King Grade artifacts that remained on Star Emperor Mountain in detail and about the various aspects Yang Kai needed to be careful of.
Yang Kai listened very seriously.
Frankly speaking, Star Emperor Mountain’s strength was far greater than Heaven Battling Union or Thunder Typhoon Sect. Although the total number of cultivators that belonged to Star Emperor Mountain was small, the proportion of high-level cultivators was completely unbalanced. With fifty Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters alone, it would not be a problem for Star Emperor Mountain to dominate Shadowed Star and sweep away any Sect that opposed them.
Seeing his brow furrow, Ye Xi Yun smiled and said, “Sect Master does not need to worry too much. Although that usurper has been in charge of Star Emperor Mountain for a hundred years, his behaviour and beliefs are incompatible with the philosophy of Star Emperor Mountain, not to mention that he seized his position unjustly, so he likely hasn’t been able to subdue the other masters who reside there. Even if he has won some people over during these years, this Queen also has her own supporters!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he looked at her brightly.
“In the past, many received kindness from this Queen on Star Emperor Mountain, so they likely will not act against me. Moreover, for the past hundred years, they thought that this Queen was dead, which made it easier for them to accept that man’s rule, but now… In all honesty, Sect Master, since the day this Queen reappeared a few years ago, some people have secretly contacted this Queen and asked her to return to Star Emperor Mountain, but this Queen always refused.”
“Such a thing happened?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“At this point, this Queen has no reason to hide anything,” Ye Xi Yun smiled lightly. “Ever since she was a child, this Queen’s Honoured Master instilled the idea into her that the Great Emperor was supreme. Now that this Queen can directly serve the Great Emperor, returning to Star Emperor Mountain just to seize back an empty title is pointless. However, since Sect Master now intends to attack Star Emperor Mountain, this Queen should naturally put in her best effort.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai was extremely pleased.
He had still been debating whether to use the Starship’s great power to conquer Star Emperor Mountain just as he had Heaven Battling Union, but without full assurance of success, he had been hesitating. Now that he heard what Ye Xi Yun said, he could not help but feel overjoyed.
“To that end, this Queen would like to request Sect Master give her a few days so I can visit Star Emperor Mountain in advance. Not everyone there is an enemy of Sect Master.”
“You can act as you see fit, I’ll just wait for good news,” Yang Kai agreed.
“Good, then this Queen will take one step ahead, I hope Sect Master can catch up slowly!” Ye Xi Yun was a decisive woman, so after she finished their discussions, she immediately prepared to depart for Emperor Mountain.
A short time later, a brilliant beam of light shot out from the Starship and flew straight towards the direction of Star Emperor Mountain.
After Ye Xi Yun left, the Starship slowed its pace considerably.
Since he had to wait for Ye Xi Yun to process things ahead of their arrival, Yang Kai did not plan to rush forward and instead decided to enter secluded cultivation.
Yang Kai had many things to attend to; he had yet to even digest all the benefits he obtained from the Emperor Garden last time. Whether it was studying the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture or perfecting his Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique, both required enormous time and effort.
Moreover, Yang Kai needed to spend some time refining the Revitalizing Jade Cream to purify all the blood in his body into pure Golden Blood.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art also needed to be cultivated.
With so many things to do, Yang Kai always found himself lacking time, so now that some had suddenly been freed up, he was not willing to waste it.
On Fallen Emperor Mountain, because Yang Kai had absorbed such a large quantity of Pure Spirit Qi, his cultivation had reached the peak of the First-Order Origin Returning Realm and it was now possible for him to break through any time he wished.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to break through too quickly though, as that would cause his foundation to become unstable, so he kept suppressing this impulse and did not actively try to increase his Saint Qi capacity, instead choosing to focus on cultivating his various Secret Techniques and absorbing Alchemy knowledge.
This way, even without raising his realm, he could still enhance his strength.
Inside a cultivation room aboard the Starship, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, took out the Sun’s True Essence and the other five elements supreme treasures, laid out a simple Spirit Array, then began absorbing the pure elemental energy within these treasures to temper his body following the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. At the same time, he used his Soul Avatar inside his Knowledge Sea to comprehend the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Even focusing on two different tasks at once, Yang Kai did not feel troubled and greatly increased his efficiency instead.
Time passed slowly, and ten or so days passed by in what seemed like just a moment.
While Yang Kai was immersed in cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art and studying the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, he suddenly realized that someone was calling out to him with their Divine Sense.
His brow twitching slightly, Yang Kai returned his consciousness to his body and put away the five supreme treasures before exiting the cultivation room.
In a certain hall of the Starship, a group of powerhouses had gathered.
Ye Xi Yun had also returned, but the atmosphere inside the hall still felt a bit tense as not only was Qian Tong and the others present, but there were also some unfamiliar faces mixed in.
These strangers consisted of a solemn-looking middle-aged man, a dignified looking beauty, and a skinny old man whose eyes appeared particularly energetic.
All three of these new faces were peak level Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, and from the Saint Qi fluctuations emanating from them, it was clear they were a fair bit stronger than ordinary Origin Realm masters.
Even Qian Tong could not help showing some trepidation when facing these three.
When Yang Kai walked into the hall, the three new faces all cast their gazes towards him with a certain degree of scrutiny.
Although they did not deliberately release any of their power, the innate auras these three radiated were not weak. If an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master had been exposed to this kind of display, they would likely have been quite intimidated.
Yang Kai’s steps also paused slightly, but a light expression soon returned to his face as he casually walked in, like he was only exposed to a light breeze.
A hint of surprise flashed across the depths of the eyes of these three.
They had come here with Ye Xi Yun this time all in order to see just who it was that could win her respect and service, and the moment they saw Yang Kai, they immediately determined he was no simple character.
This boy had the makings of a great expert, but that alone was not enough to convince the three of them to support him. There were always young people with aptitude and talent, but whether they could truly mature or not was always questionable.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, just shot Ye Xi Yun a questioning look, wondering what these three people were doing here.
Of course, Yang Kai could guess where they came from.
Since they had accompanied Ye Xi Yun from that place, it seemed her plan was proceeding quite smoothly.
“Please have a seat!” Yang Kai smiled lightly before walking over to the head of the main table and sitting down himself, calmly calling out, “Junior Yang Kai, greets three Seniors, may I ask how to address three Seniors?”
“This old master is Yang Xiu Zhu!”
“This Mistress is called Lin Yu Rao!”
“This one’s name is Chu Han Yi!”
The three all reported their names.
“These three are all pillars of the Sect and have a high degree of prestige and connection amongst the other members,” Ye Xi Yun added.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and his smile became brighter.
If their prestige and connections were strong, it meant that dealing with these three would be equivalent to gaining the support of many of Star Emperor Mountain’s masters. Ye Xi Yun’s words were short but meaningful, a point Yang Kai understood well.
“Senior Yang, Senior and this Junior have the same surname, no wonder Junior felt a sense of familiarity with Senior even though it is our first meeting, like he was meeting a distant relative. Junior will have to ask Senior to show him some care in the future,” Yang Kai glanced over at the old man and smiled.
Yang Xiu Zhu, however, showed no reaction at all. Even the beautiful woman Lin Yu Rao and the middle-aged scholar Chu Han Yi only stared back at him stoically.
Yang Kai could not help feeling extremely embarrassed.
Understanding after this brief exchange that these three could not be won over by flattery or platitudes, Yang Kai immediately put away such thoughts and wore a serious expression, “Since three Seniors came together with Great Elder, you must already know what this Sect Master is planning to do next. What thoughts do the three Seniors have regarding this matter?”
“What Sect Master Yang plans to do next, we three have already heard about from Sect Master Ye, but if I may be so presumptuous, although Sect Master Yang has this tyrannical Starship, it may not be sufficient to defeat Star Emperor Mountain. Does Sect Master Yang believe this Starship can withstand a blow from the Annihilation Thunder Bead?” Yang Xiu Zhu asked in a deep voice.
“Probably not!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
Although this old man’s attitude could not be described as friendly, his vision was quite sharp, as were his words.
The Annihilation Thunder Bead was exactly what Yang Kai was worried about. Although he was certain he could personally avoid it, the Starship could not. The Starship’s size was simply too great, and once it was hit by the Annihilation Thunder Bead, it was highly likely to suffer severe damage.
It was even possible it would be destroyed directly.
The Starship was the primary reason Yang Kai had managed to defeat Heaven Battling Union, but it could not display the same effect against Star Emperor Mountain.
Unless Yang Kai could force Star Emperor Mountain to waste the one shot the Annihilation Thunder Bead could produce, the Starship alone would not be able to emerge victorious.
“Since this Starship cannot withstand such a strike, does Sect Master Yang believe that you can capture the Sect with the power of your current forces? Star Emperor Mountain has stood on Shadowed Star for over ten thousand years and is by no means weak. Is Sect Master Yang not underestimating this matter too greatly?” Yang Xiu Zhu coldly snorted, obviously not optimistic about Yang Kai’s ability.
“Haha…” Yang Kai didn’t take offence, instead just laughing lightly and saying in a compatible manner, “Senior prefers straight talk it seems. Very well, then I will be equally direct! This Sect Master just heard Senior call Great Elder Ye Sect Master, but according to what I know, the position of Sect Master on Star Emperor Mountain is held by someone else. It seems that in three Seniors’ hearts, Great Elder Ye is Star Emperor Mountain’s true leader!”
Yang Xiu Zhu nodded, “Indeed! Since that usurper stole the post of Sect Master a hundred years ago, he has been harshly suppressing dissidents and targeting all who dare question him. We three have been quite dissatisfied with him these past few years. Even when it comes to cultivation resources, we are now forced to seek everything on our own, delaying our cultivation greatly. We used to think that Sect Master Ye had fallen, so we were willing to accept such circumstances, but now that we know Sect Master Ye is still alive, we wish for her to return to power.”
“Junior is sincerely impressed with three Seniors’ loyalty and devotion!” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“There’s no need for frivolous flattery. We three have come here today only because of Sect Master Ye’s request, not because of you. Let us be clear upfront, even if you manage to convince us of your cause, we will not provide you with any direct assistance; after all, those you oppose, regardless of their current conduct, are our fellow Brothers and Sisters. We old masters have not taken up arms in many years, and do not wish to be stained in blood once more, particularly if that blood is from our own side.”
Lin Yu Rao and Chu Han Yi nodded in agreement.
“Then what are you doing here?” Yang Kai was stunned and his expression became somewhat unhappy.
“If Sect Master Yang can persuade us three to your cause, then out of respect for Sect Master Ye, we will provide as much help with this matter within our abilities as we can.”
“Within your ability??” Yang Kai frowned.
“For example… convincing our fellow Brothers and Sisters to not be your enemy!”
“How many?” Yang Kai frowned.
“At least half!”
“A reasonable number…” Yang Kai pondered. If half of the masters on Star Emperor Mountain remained uninvolved, his chances for victory would rise dramatically. Moreover, even if just half stood by, presumably those who remained would not dare act easily.
“We all grew up on Star Emperor Mountain since infancy and are as close as true brothers and sisters. Most of us adhere to the same philosophy as Sect Master Ye, with only a few who are truly dissatisfied with our current condition. So, with the three of us acting as advocates, coupled with Sect Master Ye’s past prestige, Sect Master Yang may be able to achieve his wish this time,” Yang Xiu Zhu said again.
“Alright, there is some truth to what you say, but how should I convince you to support me? ” Yang Kai looked at the three of them.
“That will be up to Sect Master Yang himself,” Lin Yu Rao smiled.
“Understood,” Yang Kai gently nodded before furrowing his brow slightly.
From the previous discussion he had with Ye Xi Yun and the brief contact he had now, Yang Kai deeply understood that Star Emperor Mountain’s members were truly aloof from world affairs. Since they had lived their entire lives on Star Emperor Mountain and rarely had contact with the outside world, influenced by the environment they grew up in, they possessed almost no concept of greed or ambition.
As such, if Yang Kai wanted to convince them to support him, wealth was probably useless; instead, he would have to give them something else they desired.
On top of that, whatever he proposed should not bring harm to Star Emperor Mountain itself, otherwise, he would arouse their resentment.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai smiled confidently.
Perceiving the change in his expression, Yang Xiu Zhu and others could not help frowning, not knowing what Yang Kai had thought of, immediately looking towards him intently.
“Three Seniors have already reached the peak of the Origin Returning Realm, so surely you have thought about going a step further on the Martial Dao, yes?” Yang Kai looked at the three with a smile.
“A step further!” Yang Xiu Zhu’s and the others’ expressions all lit up as they stared towards Yang Kai in amazement, asking eagerly, “Do you have a way?”
No cultivator did not want to climb to the peak of the Martial Dao. Now that they had chosen to tread upon this path, only by continuing to move forward and climb higher could they enjoy better scenery. No one was willing to remain stuck where they were.
“Haha, Junior doesn’t have the ability to break through the shackles of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, but three Seniors have surely seen that Junior possesses an Origin King Grade Starship. To be honest, after settling this matter, Junior was planning to embark on a long-distance voyage,” Yang Kai said without hesitation.
“A long-distance voyage?” Yang Xiu Zhu and others’ eyes sparkled, immediately understanding what he implied, a look of hope flashing across their faces, “You mean…”
“En, since Shadowed Star’s World Principles prohibit us from advancing any further, all we must do is leave. Junior doesn’t mean to boast, but with the quality of this Origin King Grade Starship, a long-distance voyage should not be an issue. En, I previously invited Elder Qian and City Lord Fei from Shadow Moon Hall, as well as members from Clear Sky Sect to accompany me, having three Seniors join us is a simple matter!”
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others all became visibly excited and seemed to be on the verge of agreeing.
[Success!] Yang Kai grinned.
But soon, Yang Kai noticed that something was wrong. The excited looks on Yang Xiu Zhu and others’ faces calmed down extremely rapidly and were replaced with frowns containing what seemed like guilt.
“Are three Seniors not satisfied with this proposal?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Yang Xiu Zhu glanced at him before shaking his head and smiling bitterly, “Sect Master Yang must be joking, such a good chance, presumably no Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would refuse. It naturally has an unimaginable attraction to us, but… If we three were to really agree to Sect Master Yang’s request because of this condition, we would be no better than sinners who sold off their Sect for personal glory, so we must ask Sect Master Yang to forgive us, but we cannot agree to your proposal.”
[Damn it, these stubborn old goats!] Yang Kai cursed to himself.
Even currently, these three were actually still thinking about their fellow Sect Brothers and Sisters. To a certain extent, Yang Kai admired them, but because their attitude was hindering his own interests and goals, he could not help finding these three a bit irritating.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had other proposals ready.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai quickly said, “I heard from Great Elder Ye before that Star Emperor Mountain is descended from Supreme Profound Sect! Presumably, three Seniors know that my High Heaven Sect currently occupies Supreme Profound Sect’s ruins!”
Hearing this, Yang Xiu Zhu opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything and just sighed heavily.
He could not take back the inheritance of his ancestors and had now even allowed it to be occupied by outsiders. Naturally, he had nothing to say, let alone words to blame Yang Kai.
“Why does Sect Master Yang raise this point?” Chu Han Yi frowned.
“What if I were to say that after this matter has ended, I can allow all of Star Emperor Mountain’s population to return to Supreme Profound Sect?” Yang Kai smiled crookedly, “Since you have all strictly adhered to your ancestral teachings for over ten thousand years, you must want to return to your ancestors’ original home to have a look and seek out the hidden mysteries which remain there, right? I can satisfy this desire; not only that, I can allow all of you to live there in the future, to regain the original foundation and heritage of your ancestors, to breathe the same air and watch the same scenery as they and the Great Emperor once breathed and saw.”
Inside the hall, Yang Kai’s expression remained calm, but Yang Xiu Zhu and the other two masters from Star Emperor Mountain were extremely excited!
Since ten thousand years ago, when their ancestors had been cut off from Supreme Profound Sect by the Flowing Flame Sand Field, every generation of Star Emperor Mountain had dreamed of returning to their ancestral land. But with the impassible flame barriers of the Flowing Flame Sand Field baring their path, there was simply nothing they could do.
Yang Kai’s proposal had scratched the unscratchable itch Yang Xiu Zhu and the others had always felt.
If they belonged to some other great force, perhaps this offer would not have been of much interest to them. Their ancestors’ legacy belonged to their ancestors, ten thousand years had passed, their current Sect had developed well, and even their name had changed, so why worry about reclaiming their ancestral land?
However, for the people from Star Emperor Mountain, the situation was a little different.
Because of their ideals and beliefs, their very doctrine taught them to revere the Great Emperor above all else!
The Supreme Profound Sect was the Sect supported by the Great Emperor ten thousand years ago, the place where the Great Emperor lived. Star Emperor Mountain, which was founded afterwards, was not comparable to the Supreme Profound Sect.
That piece of land not only represented the heritage of their ancestors, but was the ultimate symbol of their devotion to the Great Emperor.
There was no Star Emperor Mountain cultivator who did not wish to return to their ancestral land to pay homage to the former residence of the Great Emperor!
Yang Kai’s proposal went straight to the hearts of Yang Xiu Zhu and the others and could even be said to be more attractive than the first one he made.
The first proposal was only aimed at the three of them, but this one was for all their Sect Brothers and Sisters.
The three of them looked at each other and clearly saw the intentions in the other’s eyes.
“En, now that Senior Ye is also High Heaven Sect’s Great Elder, and considering that you are descendants of Supreme Profound Sect, it is completely appropriate for you to enter and live there,” Yang Kai struck while the iron was hot.
“Are you not afraid that the guests will seize the role of host for themselves?” Yang Xiu Zhu looked at Yang Kai with gleaming eyes and asked straightforwardly.
“Senior jests, without even mentioning the fact that Great Elder is there, knowing the three Seniors’ conduct and character, Junior has great confidence you will not chase after fame and fortune in such a dishonest manner. There is nothing to worry about.”
“You’re certainly confident enough!” Yang Xiu Zhu nodded, “Fine, we old masters can agree to help you if these are your terms! But we must say in advance, if we and our fellow Star Emperor Mountain companions truly return to the ancestral land, we must request Sect Master Yang to divide a separate area for use to reside in. We will not be joining High Heaven Sect, please understand this, Sect Master Yang.”
“You won’t join?” Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he silently cursed this old dog for being so unamiable. Yang Kai had tried so hard to win them over, even bringing their ancestor into the discussion, because he was planning on merging the many masters of Star Emperor Mountain into High Heaven Sect, but his intentions had clearly been seen through and cut off right from the start.
This made Yang Kai somewhat disgruntled.
A mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Although Yang Kai was not worried about these people really having ill intentions towards High Heaven Sect, there being so many Origin Returning Realm masters from Star Emperor Mountain he could not control was not a scenario Yang Kai wanted to see.
If that were the case, it would be difficult to guarantee that there would be no friction and conflict between the two forces over time.
Thinking so, Yang Kai showed a look of regret, “Fine then, since Senior has made such a request, Junior naturally has no reason to refuse, but… it’s a pity!”
“What’s a pity?” Yang Xiu Zhu knew that Yang Kai was up to some kind of scheme, but he still couldn’t help feeling curious, so he asked suspiciously.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai chuckled, “I was just thinking that if you joined High Heaven Sect, in time, you may have an opportunity to see the Great Emperor, but if you insist on remaining separate…”
“What?” Yang Xiu Zhu was thoroughly shocked, while Lin Yu Rao and Chu Han Yi also showed looks of astonishment.
“Sect Master Yang, what do you mean by this?” Lin Yu Rao’s tender body leaned in slightly.
“Didn’t Great Elder tell you?” Yang Kai turned his head to Ye Xi Yun, keeping the three of them in suspense.
Ye Xi Yun slowly shook her head, understanding Yang Kai’s plan but not planning on spoiling it, simply smiling as she said, “This is a matter of utmost importance, this Queen didn’t dare to reveal it lightly.”
“En, fair enough, this kind of secret really cannot be casually divulged. The fewer people who know the better,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Sect Master Yang, what you said just now… what do you mean?” Yang Xiu Zhu asked eagerly, an anxious expression filling his face, “Why does it sound like… the Great Emperor is now… in High Heaven Sect?”
When he spoke these words, even he found himself taken aback and quickly shook his head in disbelief.
“Senior is correct, the Great Emperor is indeed in High Heaven Sect right now!” Yang Kai grinned.
“How can that be?” Yang Xiu Zhu and the others suddenly jumped out of their chairs, their bodies trembling and looks of pure shock covering their faces.
“Junior has no need to deceive you, but you can just ask Great Elder if you don’t believe me,” Yang Kai motioned.
The three instantly cast their eyes on Ye Xi Yun, who simply nodded lightly.
Yang Xiu Zhu was flabbergasted, the shock of this news hit him like a ten-thousand-ton hammer to his forehead, causing him to completely lose composure and become unresponsive for quite some time.
After all, the Great Emperor was a legendary figure from ancient history. Although Yang Xiu Zhu and the others always believed that the Great Emperor was still alive and sleeping in some secret place, that was just a belief, in the end.
When beliefs become reality, even those who believed in them would have doubts. This was only natural when confronting a situation where all one’s hopes, or fears, could become true.
“Do you have proof?” Lin Yu Rao called out haltingly, “Is there some way we can prove your words are true? Even with Great Elder as a guarantor, this is not a truth we can easily believe. We must ask Sect Master Yang to show us some evidence.”
Yang Xiu Zhu and Chu Han Yi also seemed to recover from their shock and nodded firmly.
“What kind of proof do you want?” Yang Kai laughed.
“Anything is fine. As long as you can prove that this matter is true… This old master and his companions will agree to join High Heaven Sect, without hesitation!” Yang Xiu Zhu burst out with a ferocious expression that declared he would not let Yang Kai go easily if he did not produce sufficient proof of his words.
If the Great Emperor was truly in High Heaven Sect, would there be any shame in joining it?
If this was so, even if Yang Kai was not trying to win them over, they would take the initiative to beg him for the opportunity to join!
“Without even mentioning if I have any proof, even if I do and I took it out, could you recognize it?” Yang Kai smiled contemptuously.
“Whether or not we can recognize and accept is a matter we have the ability to judge, but if Sect Master Yang is simply making wild claims, this old master will not be forgiving!”
Yang Kai brow furrowed slightly, not having expected things to develop in this way, and for a moment he felt somewhat helpless as he did not have anything. He couldn’t think of anything he could use as evidence to back up his claims.
However, in a flash of inspiration, Yang Kai thought of something and let out a laugh, “If that’s the case, then I may be able to satisfy you.”
Saying so, something suddenly appeared in the palm of his hand and he held it high.
A potent Emperor Pressure suddenly filled the hall.
Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically when they saw this object.
After gawking for a moment, Yang Xiu Zhu called out in alarm, “Star Emperor Token! An actual Star Emperor Token!”
It was not that he had never seen a Star Emperor Token before. Star Emperor Mountain possessed two Star Emperor Tokens in the past, one of which was enshrined in Star Emperor Mountain’s grand hall and was treated as a symbol of the Great Emperor for all Star Emperor Mountain cultivators paid homage to.
The other Star Emperor Token served as the status symbol of Star Emperor Mountain’s Sect Master and was passed down from one Sect Master to the next.
Of course, the latter Star Emperor Token was taken away by Ye Xi Yun when she was driven from Star Emperor Mountain and had now fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Yang Xiu Zhu had naturally visited the grand hall many times to worship the Great Emperor’s status symbol, so he was no stranger to Star Emperor Tokens.
However, the Star Emperor Tokens he had seen had all lost their power.
The piece in Yang Kai’s hand right now was complete, that is to say, the Divine Ability of the Great Emperor was still sealed within it, a legendary power great enough to easily kill an Origin King Realm master!
Yang Xiu Zhu’s eyes trembled violently.
Even Ye Xi Yun’s expression became solemn.
Both Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes bulged as they stared.
None of them had imagined Yang Kai still possessed such a Heaven defying card!
With this token, he could easily wipe out Star Emperor Mountain and unify Shadowed Star.
Along with the shock they felt, Yang Xiu Zhu and the others became extremely frightened, as they could not help imaging what would happen if they had refused to help Yang Kai and forced him to use extreme measures. If he had decided to use this Star Emperor Token to deal with Star Emperor Mountain, it was likely that none of their two hundred Brothers and Sisters would have survived.
“This Star Emperor Token was handed to me personally by the Great Emperor, as for whether you believe me or not, it’s up to you. Yes, besides this thing, there are some secrets the Great Emperor told me that may serve as evidence to support my claim.”
“Please continue, Sect Master Yang!” Yang Xiu Zhu no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai, even adopting a respectful tone and expression.
“The Great Emperor explained to me that the Flowing Flame Sand Field is nothing more than one of her Emperor Artifacts, the Three Blazing Flame Rings! I’m sure many of you elders have been to the Flowing Flame Sand Field before and know about its details. The three flame rings combined make up a single Emperor Artifact. As for the first Flame Area disappearing some time ago, it was all because the Great Emperor collected it.”
The jaws of everyone in the room dropped.
When had they heard such sensational secrets?
Even Ye Xi Yun did not know that the Flowing Flame Sand Field was actually made up of a single Emperor Artifact, and her eyes couldn’t help lighting up.
The existence of the Three Blazing Flame Rings was mentioned in Star Emperor Mountain’s ancient records and was rumoured to have been the artifact the Great Emperor most relied upon.
With the Great Emperor’s unfathomable abilities, it was not unimaginable that she could transform her artifact into one of Shadowed Star’s Forbidden Zones.
“Sect Master Yang means to say… the disappearance of the first layer Flame Area was because the Great Emperor personally collected that ring flame?” Yang Xiu Zhu asked with a trembling voice.
“En, this Sect Master witnessed it with his own eyes.” Yang Kai nodded.
Gasps sounded throughout the hall.
Everyone present fully understood just how terrifying that Flame Area was. When the Flowing Flame Sand Field closed, anyone who so much as stepped into the Flame Area would die, even if they were a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
When the first layer Flame Area disappeared, all of Shadowed Star went into an uproar as no one could understand why the outermost layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field would simply vanish. Almost coincidentally, High Heaven Sect became that region’s master a short time after.
Now, the people here had learned the truth of the matter from Yang Kai.
Despite how sensational this story was, it was difficult not to believe this story!
Even taking the entire Star Field into consideration, who else would have such immeasurable ability besides the Great Emperor?
At this moment, Yang Xiu Zhu and the others were about eighty percent convinced Yang Kai was telling the truth, the remaining twenty percent simply being a measure of natural cautious scepticism.
“Dare I ask… the relationship between Sect Master Yang and the Great Emperor…” Lin Yu Rao asked cautiously.
“Would you believe me if I told you she was a close female friend?” Yang Kai laughed.”
“Haha…” Yang Xiu Zhu’s face twitched as he let out a hollow laugh.
Observing the room, Yang Kai knew that he had done enough to prove his point, continuing to bring out more would only cause everyone to lose their minds, so after keeping the Star Emperor Token, he slowly said, “Seniors, I believe I’ve proven myself. It’s time for the three Seniors to make a choice.”
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others glanced at each other for a moment before silently reaching a consensus, cupping their fists as they bowed politely, “Subordinates greet Sect Master!”
Yang Kai had indeed proven himself. Whether it was the Star Emperor Token that retained the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability or the secrets about the Three Blazing Flame Rings and the Flowing Flame Sand Field, none could be obtained by an ordinary person. Aside from the Great Emperor herself, who else could understand so many shocking facts?
There was much here that even Ye Xi Yun didn’t know!
Moreover, Yang Xiu Zhu and the others had great faith in Ye Xi Yun’s character and knew that she would not deceive them, so when she vouched for this matter, they had already more than half believed. All the other motions they went through just now were for the sake of prudence as this matter was of great importance.
Now that they knew that the Great Emperor resided in High Heaven Sect, how could they refuse to join?
Being a part of the Sect that the Great Emperor oversaw and living in the same world was the greatest of honours. They could wish for nothing more!
“Good!” Yang Kai laughed happily, waving his hand sharply as he called out, “Who has some good wine? Bring out a few bottles, this Sect Master wants to share a toast with these three Seniors!”
Yang Xiu Zhu showed a slightly awkward look on his face before waving his hand slightly, “I’m afraid we will have to refuse Sect Master’s kindness as none of us are good with wine. Moreover, this matter is far from settled, so we might as well wait before drinking freely.”
“Sect Master, all three of them are constantly in secluded cultivation so they really are bad at this,” Ye Xi Yun added.
Yang Kai simply nodded in understanding, saying freely, “Since that’s the case, then never mind. Junior deeply admires how three Seniors are not only indifferent to fame and fortune, but also to the temptations of appetite!”
“Sect Master is too polite,” Yang Xiu Zhu smiled modestly.
“This Junior is still confused about something though, so I would like to ask the three of you about it,” Yang Kai’s expression turned serious.
“Please ask, Sect Master. If the three of us know anything, we won’t conceal it,” Yang Xiu Zhu gestured with his hand.
“I want to know why Star Emperor Mountain suddenly decided to act against me, is it really just because of this Starship?” Yang Kai squinted at them, “Since the three of you live on Star Emperor Mountain, surely you must have heard some rumours regarding this issue. If you can dispel this Junior’s doubts, Junior will be very grateful!”
If it was just Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect that attacked him, Yang Kai could still understand; after all, whether it was the previous battle on Dragon Cave Mountain or the events related to the Emperor Garden’s opening, High Heaven Sect and these two Sects had some grievances.
Moreover, the rapid rise of High Heaven Sect was a threat to their status.
If they had chosen to attack him, they would have had some reasons, but why was Star Emperor Mountain the one to initiate hostilities? There was no intersection between himself and Star Emperor Mountain. Yang Kai had thought it over many times and all he could think of was the saying ‘an ordinary man is innocent but treasures make one guilty’.
“Sect Master’s speculations are mostly correct, the root of this conflict is indeed this Starship. This Origin King Grade Starship symbolizes hope, there is no great force that does not wish to possess it, and Star Emperor Mountain is no exception!” Saying so, Yang Xiu Zhu glanced over at Ye Xi Yun and continued, “If Sect Master Ye was still in power, however, I doubt this unfortunate series of events would have happened, but that usurper is different. However,…”
“However?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“This Starship is only one of the reasons!”
“There’s another?”
“According to what this old master has overheard, the other reasons Sect Master Yang was attacked was due to the Great Emperor’s legacy within the ancestral land,” Yang Xiu Zhu said solemnly.
“The Great Emperor’s legacy within the ancestral land?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Indeed. The Supreme Profound Sect’s ruin that is currently occupied by High Heaven Sect is the place where the Great Emperor stayed in the past. As Sect Master said before, perhaps there are other mysteries which remain hidden there! That usurper who holds the position of Sect Master wants to unearth these mysteries, but he had no way to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field; however, since High Heaven Sect can enter it, then you must know a way. That is why that usurper started this plot!”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai showed a look of understanding.
It seemed that these random words he had said only to win them over were the right prescription for the problem. Yang Xiu Zhu and the others agreeing so readily was likely because they also thought that there were hidden mysteries in High Heaven Sect just waiting to be discovered.
Unfortunately,…
There certainly were mysteries to be found, but they were likely located where the Great Emperor currently slept, so besides Yang Kai and Ye Xi Yun, no one else could even approach them.
Whether it was the Starship or these hidden mysteries, in the final analysis, it was all because of the desire to reach the Origin King Realm!
The suppression and restraint of the World Principles here only fueled the desire of those who had reached the apex of Shadowed Star to ascend further along the Martial Dao. This Starship and those ethereal mysteries provided hope of doing just that, so Star Emperor Mountain would certainly covet them.
“Now that these old masters are helping Sect Master in this matter though, that usurper won’t be able to cause any stir. However, Sect Master must still be wary of the Annihilation Thunder Bead. Sect Master also cannot count on our traditionalist faction in Star Emperor Mountain in regards to the Bead, as none of us are allowed anywhere near the Annihilation Thunder Bead. If we could simply seize it, Sect Master would not have anything else to worry about,” Yang Xiu Zhu looked ashamed.
“Senior’s consideration is more than enough. It’s just a simple artifact, this Sect Master has my own countermeasures,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Alright,” Yang Xiu Zhu gently nodded before suddenly thinking of something and saying, “Right, there is one more thing Sect Master should keep in mind.”
“Please do tell, Senior!”
“That usurper seems to have been cultivating a certain Secret Technique for several dozen years now. Unfortunately, Subordinate does not know any details about this Secret Technique, but for that usurper to spend so much time on it, it definitely cannot be trivial. If Sect Master encounters that man, you must make self-preservation his top priority,” Yang Xiu Zhu solemnly urged.
“I’ll remember,” Yang Kai agreed solemnly.
“En, if everything here is settled, the three of us will take our leave. We will head back to the Sect first to prepare for Sect Master’s arrival. I hope Sect Master can wait here for news from us; it won’t be too late to act afterwards.”
“Sounds good, I’ll entrust this task to you!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others returned the courtesy before hurriedly departing.
Inside the hall, Yang Kai smiled quite happily, secretly thinking that with Yang Xiu Zhu and the others assisting from the inside, this trip to Star Emperor Mountain would likely be much smoother than he anticipated. While success seemed to be within his grasp though, Yang Kai didn’t dare relax as he could not tell what other cards Star Emperor Mountain was hiding!
“Sect Master, this Queen will also retire for now,” Ye Xi Yun said goodbye and left.
Only Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu remained inside the hall.
Elder Qian and City Lord Fei stared at Yang Kai in a daze with cramped expressions upon their faces.
“What do you two want to say?” Yang Kai glanced at them.
“Ahem…” Qian Tong gave a light cough and asked earnestly, “Yang Kai, just now, you said that the Great Emperor… is in High Heaven Sect, is this news true or false?”
Qian Tong still couldn’t believe this earth-shattering news.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yang Kai, it was just that this news was really too shocking.
“What does Elder Qian think?” Yang Kai didn’t answer the question directly, putting on a mysterious act.
“How should I know? I’m asking you!” Qian Tong grumbled.
“Hahaha,” Yang Kai laughed.
Fei Zhi Tu chimed in at that moment, “If what you say is true, then this old master wants to join High Heaven Sect.”
“Old Fei, you…” Qian Tong looked at him in amazement.
“Me what? In any case, this old master is just idling away as a lowly City Lord. Shadow Moon Hall won’t be affected whether I am there or not. If I can enter the Sect of the Great Emperor, that would be the greatest of honours!” Fei Zhi Tu snorted.
“Please don’t mention this again, City Lord Fei. Otherwise, this Junior is afraid the old Hall Master will want to go all out with me when he finds out!” Yang Kai waved his hand quickly.
Seeing Qian Tong also put on a look of contemplation, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling startled.
Yang Kai wanted to win over Yang Xiu Zhu and the others from Star Emperor Mountain, but he had no intention to snatch people away from Shadow Moon Hall as well.
Not only did High Heaven Sect have only a few disciples, but its high-end combat power was lacking even more!
There were only a few Origin Returning Realm masters in the Sect, most of whom were in the First-Order. Even Yang Kai was in this realm.
Only Ye Xi Yun could act as a true support for the Sect!
However, if Yang Kai could rope in all the members of Star Emperor Mountain, the situation would be very different; High Heaven Sect would become the top force on Shadowed Star in a single bound!
Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union were now gone, so only Star Emperor Mountain stood above High Heaven Sect. As such, after solving Star Emperor Mountain, High Heaven Sect would naturally become Shadowed Star’s leading force.
This would be of great benefit to future development.
This was also why Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to bring out that Star Emperor Token and expose the existence of the Great Emperor.
He was very enthusiastic about Yang Xiu Zhu and the others. These people were all aloof from the world and free of material desires, possessing pure intentions while lacking an interest in intrigue. Once they joined High Heaven Sect, they could immediately become the hope and support of the entire Sect.
…..
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others worked extremely quickly.
After just two days, Ye Xi Yun received a message from them. Receiving this news, Yang Kai immediately ordered the Starship to proceed to Star Emperor Mountain.
Star Emperor Mountain was situated amidst a grand mountain range that was both majestic and beautiful. These mountains were rich in World Energy and cloaked in mist all year round. Looking from a distance, it seemed like a paradise that was somehow separate from this world.
The survivors of Supreme Profound Sect choosing to establish their new headquarters here certainly had excellent vision.
Members of Star Emperor Mountain rarely left this mountain range and even interfered with worldly affairs even less, instead choosing to remain in isolated self-development. However, no one dared to underestimate this Sect.
Amongst the general populace, perhaps not many even knew of Star Emperor Mountain’s existence, instead more familiar with Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, Coloured Glass Sect, Shadow Moon Hall and other first-class great forces.
However, all first-class forces revered Star Emperor Mountain as supreme!
For ten thousand years, Star Emperor Mountain had been the strongest force on Shadowed Star, with no outsiders ever daring to step within ten thousand kilometres of its territory.
But today, High Heaven Sect’s Starship flew in openly, without any hesitation, and proceeded towards its central domain.
At the same time, a crowd of cultivators that represented almost eighty percent of Star Emperor Mountain’s population had gathered atop Star Emperor Mountain’s main square.
Besides some who were in secluded retreat or others who were at critical points in their cultivation, every cultivator had assembled here.
There still weren’t many though, a mere two hundred or so in total.
However, if one looked closely, this gathering of two hundred people was still quite shocking.
Of these two hundred, more than one hundred and fifty were Origin Realm masters, with a full forty of them having reached the Third-Order! As for those below the Origin Realm, there were only a trivial few dozen.
No other great force would have such a lopsided disparity in population and strength. Although lower-level cultivators didn’t possess as much power, they were the hope of every Sect’s future, so whether it was Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, Shadow Moon Hall, Coloured Glass Sect or any other big Sect, they would always have a massive number of low-level cultivators with a proportionally smaller number of high-level masters.
Star Emperor Mountain’s situation, however, was the exact opposite.
The reason for this was because of the strict requirements to join Star Emperor Mountain.
The threshold to worship Star Emperor Mountain as one’s Sect was so high it was nigh impossible to meet. One needed to have superb aptitude as well as be incredibly young. Most people brought to Star Emperor Mountain from the outside were less than ten years old. This age was the best for indoctrination, which was why through the generations Star Emperor Mountain’s reverence for the Great Emperor had not faded.
Because each new disciple would be instilled with this concept by the older generation as they grew from infancy to maturity.
However, once one joined Star Emperor Mountain, they would be able to enjoy the best cultivation environment and the most abundant cultivation resources on Shadowed Star.
Star Emperor Mountain would use all of its resources to pave the way for its disciple’s cultivation.
In exchange, one needed to break through to the Origin Returning Realm before they turned forty years old!
If one was unable to achieve this, their cultivation would be abolished and they would be expelled from Star Emperor Mountain.
These rules were strict and cruel, but the results they produced were remarkable.
By adhering to this doctrine, the cultivators of Star Emperor Mountain cultivated extremely quickly, allowing Origin Returning Realm masters to appear one after another.
Rising stars like Qu Chang Feng, Fang Tian Zhong, Wei Gu Chang, and other leaders of the younger generation on Shadowed Star all broke through around this age, as did Yang Kai.
However, as a cultivator’s strength advanced, they would age slower, allowing them to retain their youthful appearances.
Yang Kai was thirteen years old when he entered High Heaven Pavilion, and now looking back, it had been about twenty or thirty years since then.
Yet, he was now just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
It was not an exaggeration to say that any randomly chosen cultivator from Star Emperor Mountain was comparable to Qu Chang Feng or Fang Tian Zhong.
Additionally, because Star Emperor Mountain had endured since ancient times, it possessed countless Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of the highest quality, allowing its cultivators to display combat prowess greater than outsiders in their own realm.
Once a Star Emperor Mountain disciple successfully broke through to the Origin Returning Realm before the age of forty, they would be able to descend from the mountain for life experience and to temper themselves; of course, this was done incognito.
The reason why the Ancient Yang Sect was destroyed overnight by Star Emperor Mountain two thousand years ago was because one such wandering disciple had been murdered by them.
For various reasons, the number of mid and high-level cultivators in Star Emperor Mountain was unusually large compared to the lower level disciples.
Among these lower-level disciples, their cultivations were uneven, but each one was quite young and immature. The youngest one, who was just recruited into Star Emperor Mountain a year ago, was only eleven years old, but already had a Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivation, one step away from entering the True Element Boundary.
This was unimaginable in any other Sect. Perhaps Heaven Battling Union or Thunder Typhoon Sect could cultivate such a disciple, but such cases were rare, while in Star Emperor Mountain, it was the norm.
At that age, Yang Kai had yet to even read up on the Martial Dao…
Today, two hundred members of Star Emperor Mountain gathered in the main square, but despite the crowd, there was no sound. All of them seemingly waited quietly for something with solemn expressions.
This crowd was naturally headed by Yang Xiu Zhu, Lin Yu Rao, and Chu Han Yi.
While waiting, the three met eyes and passed Divine Sense Messages between themselves frequently, as if deep in discussion.
After a long time, someone in the crowd could not help asking, “Brother Yang, didn’t you say that Sect Master had something important to announce? Why have we been waiting here for so long, yet not seen any trace of Sect Master? This old master needs to go back and enter seclusion to finish cultivating his Shocking Wave Burst technique, this matter cannot be delayed!”
“Yes, Brother Yang, you said that Sect Master has something important to tell us all, which is why this old woman left her cave mansion. This old woman’s White Dragon Pill is in the final stages of refinement. If something were to happen to it, are you able to compensate this old woman for her losses?” Another old woman yelled impatiently.
As soon as these two spoke up, everyone else began shouting as well.
Most of these people were in retreat in their secluded homes all year round, cultivating Secret Arts or Secret Technique, or practising Artifact Refining or Alchemy. Usually, they refused to go out, so it was quite rare to see so many of them gathered together at once.
Two days ago, Yang Xiu Zhu, Lin Yu Rao, and Chu Han Yi had sent out a joint message saying that the Sect Master was calling for an assembly to discuss an important matter.
Although the three of them weren’t in the current leadership’s favour, their reputations from the past were still apparent, so when all three of them sent out such a message, naturally not many dared to ignore them and arrived one after another.
After waiting for a long time though with the Sect Master nowhere to be seen, it was only natural that complaints would arise.
“Everyone please remain calm and wait a moment longer!” Yang Xiu Zhu shouted, raising his eyes towards the horizon but unfortunately not seeing what he was looking for still.
“Until when do you expect us to wait?” An old woman said with a disgruntled look, coldly snorting as she slammed her cane against the ground, “Let me state this clearly, this old woman will give you face and wait one stick of incense worth of time more. After that, if the Sect Master does not show up, this old woman will leave. Don’t blame this old woman for not telling you in advance.”
“Indeed!” Someone echoed, a slight look of suspicion appearing on his face a moment later, “Brother Yang, since when did your relationship with Sect Master improve so much? Why did he choose you to convey his instructions? Isn’t this kind of announcement normally Elder’s Bai responsibility?”
He vaguely remembered that Yang Xiu Zhu and the Sect Master did not see eye to eye.
“Yang Xiu Zhu, your courage isn’t small!” An angry shout suddenly came from the distance. Along with this shout, a red light shot over and soon landed in front of the crowd, dispersing to reveal three figures.
“Bai Xi!” Yang Xiu Zhu narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the leader of this group, a faint trace of fear flashing across his eyes.
This grey-haired old man wore brown robes and had a stoic look of indifference on his face while the powerful Shi and Saint Qi fluctuations which pulsed around his body demonstrated that he was a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
If Yang Kai was here, he would definitely recognize this person.
This old man was the one who had attacked him with the Annihilation Thunder Bead in Fallen Emperor Mountain that day.
“Elder Bai!” Seeing this old man appear, many people in the crowd bowed and saluted.
Bai Xi held the position of Great Elder in Star Emperor Mountain, and although many people here had the same cultivation as him, it was natural to give him some respect due to his position. Additionally, Bai Xi was a crony of the Sect Master, so others had to take the initiative to salute him.
However, seeing Bai Xi’s raging appearance, everyone was puzzled and wondered why he was so angry.
“Yang Xiu Zhu, after not seeing you for just a few months, you’ve gotten much bolder, even daring to fabricate a command from the Sect Master! Tell me, what are you plotting here?” Bai Xi glared fiercely as he shouted at Yang Xiu Zhu.
“What? Faking the Sect Master’s command?” An exclamation came from the crowd and in an instant, countless stunned and suspicious eyes stared towards Yang Xiu Zhu and the others.
Such a matter had never happened before on Star Emperor Mountain. With Star Emperor Mountain having so few members, everyone was as close as blood brothers and sisters, so while they quarrelled, there were rarely any true fights among them.
Why had Yang Xiu Zhu been willing to risk universal condemnation by falsifying a command from the Sect Master?
What did he hope to achieve by doing this?
Bai Xi was a close confidant of the Sect Master, so since he said the order was false, it definitely was.
“You believe this old master faked a command from the Sect Master?” Yang Xiu Zhu stared back angrily at Bai Xi and sneered, “This old master is not so bold as to ignore the ancestor’s decrees. All of Star Emperor Mountain reveres the Sect Master as our leader, this old master is well aware of this credence as well as the punishment which awaits all those who violate it!”
“Good!” Bai Xi also sneered, “This Bai met with Sect Master less than a cup of tea ago and rushed here straight afterwards. If Sect Master had issued any instructions to assemble, how could this Bai not know about them?”
“Because you don’t need to know!” Before Yang Xiu Zhu could answer, a tender yet resolute voice echoed through the air.
Immediately after, in a flash, the figure of a beautiful woman wearing noble and elegant robes strangely appeared and stood proudly mid-air, her pair of phoenix eyes gazing down like icy blades.
Bai Xi turned back abruptly, and when he saw this figure, he was so shocked he could not help calling out hoarsely, “Sect Master Ye!”
“Senior Sister Ye!”
“It’s Senior Sister Ye! Impossible, didn’t Senior Sister Ye already perish? Is this old master getting on in years and seeing things?”
“Is that you, Senior Sister Ye? It’s you isn’t it?” The old woman who had been arguing with Yang Xiu Zhu just now suddenly shot forward, her body trembling as she stared at Ye Xi Yun with a look of surprise and confusion.
Ye Xi Yun turned to this old woman and smiled, “I haven’t seen you in a hundred years, Junior Sister Lan’s heart seems to have matured much!”
Xu Xin Lan was shocked, and tears soon filled her eyes, but she still let out a burst of happy laughter, “Senior Sister Ye’s elegant demeanour has only grown stronger. Junior Sister did not expect that she would be fortunate enough to see Senior Sister once more in this lifetime!”
“Many thanks for Junior Sister’s concerns. Because of the machinations of certain individuals, I’ve had been forced to live in seclusion for the past hundred years.” Ye Xi Yun said softly.
“Someone dared plot against Senior Sister? Who dares!” Xu Xin Lan suddenly roared, her expression becoming cold and vicious. Suddenly thinking of something though, a touch of gloom appeared between her brow as she gloomily asked, “Could it be…”
“En,” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded, “This Queen has returned to settle these old accounts and to clean up the Sect.”
“Good!” Xu Xin Lan grit her teeth and shouted, “Junior Sister will join you. Even if Junior Sister dies here, she must gnaw off a piece of that animal’s life!”
As these two spoke, the two hundred cultivators assembled on the main square all had their minds sharply turned.
Although most of these people were in retreat on Star Emperor Mountain all year round, even ignorant of Ye Xi Yun’s appearance in the outside world, participation in the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, and subsequent joining of High Heaven Sect, with just these few words, they were clear about what had transpired. They were aloof of worldly affairs, but not stupid, so with just a little thought, they understood the cause and effects of this matter.
Even if they didn’t know all the details, forming an educated guess which closely approximated the truth wasn’t difficult.
Conspiring against the previous Sect Master, driving her away from Star Emperor Mountain, seeking power to usurp the throne, rebelling against the Sect! These were unforgivable crimes on Star Emperor Mountain.
What’s more, among these two hundred people, many were notified by Yang Xiu Zhu in advance and understood that there would be such a big show today. Now that Ye Xi Yun had returned, these people were naturally overjoyed.
All of them had received some degree of favour from Ye Xi Yun in the past.
When Ye Xi Yun was in charge of Star Emperor Mountain, their cultivation environment was much better than it was now, and since Ye Xi Yun disappeared, their treatment had become noticeably worse.
Comparing the two sides, many naturally hoped that Ye Xi Yun would return to power again.
Moreover, such a return was more than justified!
A hundred years ago, Ye Xi Yun was already the strongest master on Shadowed Star. Now that a hundred years had passed, it was likely that her strength was even greater, so who else was more qualified to assume the position of Sect Master?
Even Yang Xiu Zhu and the other peak Third-Order Origin Realm masters were inferior to Ye Xi Yun in terms of age and strength.
Atop the main square, Ye Xi Yun stood proudly mid-air with more than two hundred Star Emperor Mountain cultivators all looking up at her.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others glanced at each other, and feeling that the time was right, they quickly half-kneeled on the ground and shouted in a loud voice, “Subordinates welcome Sect Master’s return to the mountain!”
“Subordinates welcome Sect Master’s return to the mountain!” The others Yang Xiu Zhu had contacted in advance also followed up, half-kneeling and echoing loudly in unison.
Those who were not informed all witnessed this and, realizing the flow of events, also offered similar greetings.
A large part of these people had no opinion either way as to who should be the Sect Master, not preferring Ye Xi Yun or the current Sect Master. They belonged to the faction which simply wished to not get involved in any trouble, so seeing the trend of events flowing in a particular direction, they simply followed along.
The trio lead by Bai Xi who arrived earlier were now panicking, their faces going from red to blue, looking extremely disturbed and anxious.
“Bai Xi!” Yang Xiu Zhu yelled, “The Sect Master stands before you, why haven’t you kneeled!”
“She is no longer the Sect Master, that position is occupied by another now. Why must this old master bow to her?” Bai Xi coldly snorted. He was a sharp old fox and knew that the situation was hopeless, but what he hadn’t expected was that even after a hundred years of painstaking management, the current Sect Master still hadn’t been able to accumulate enough prestige. On the contrary, Ye Xi Yun only had to re-appear after a hundred years and the current Sect Master’s foundation collapsed to pieces.
The current Sect Master’s status looked quite ridiculous at this moment.
On the one hand, it was only natural for Ye Xi Yun to be held in such high regard considering her noble and fair character. On the other hand, it was also natural for the current Sect Master, who used a plot to usurp his position, violating millennia of traditions passed from by their ancestors, to be despised!
Regardless of righteousness or tradition, the current Sect Master simply couldn’t measure up to Ye Xi Yun.
Bai Xi was certain that even if he surrendered now, it would not help him one bit. After Ye Xi Yun took care of the current Sect Master, the next to be killed would likely be him.
That was why he refused to give in!
“Impudence!” Yang Xiu Zhu slowly got up, his eyes flashing a cold light as he glared at Bai Xi, clear murderous intent pulsing from his body.
Lin Yu Rao and Chu Han Yi also moved at this moment, using profound movement skills to suddenly appear on the left and right sides of Bai Xi, cutting off all avenues of escape.
“Bai Xi, the ancestral precepts state that no Star Emperor Mountain disciple can kill another, but out of respect for our many years of brotherhood, I will give you one chance to cripple your cultivation and commit suicide!” Yang Xiu Zhu declared to Bai Xi indifferently.
“You want this Bai to waste his cultivation?” Bai Xi laughed, “Yang Xiu Zhu, are you perhaps sleep talking? Since the ancestors declared that we cannot kill one another, I’d like to see how you force this Bai to submit!”
He unexpectedly wore a confident and complacent look.
Yang Xiu Zhu frowned, his expression turning frigid.
A few days ago, one of the main caveats they had made when agreeing to help Yang Kai was that none of them would participate in the fighting or contaminate themselves with the blood of their brothers and sisters. The reason for this was precisely because of the restraints of their ancestral traditions. Now though it looked like Bai Xi was going to shamelessly take advantage of this point, making Yang Xiu Zhu feel somewhat awkward.
“Star Emperor Mountain disciples really can’t kill one another, but this Queen is now High Heaven Sect’s Great Elder, so there’s no problem if I take care of you,” Ye Xi Yun snorted coldly before lifting her jade hand, then lightly pressing her palm downwards, as if she was just gently brushing the air.
However, Bai Xi instantly went into a panic as his eyes bulged and his Saint Qi madly burst together with his Shi as he lifted both his hands towards the sky.
*Kacha…*
A silent explosion occurred deep in the depths of Bai Xi’s soul and, as if struck by lightning, his body trembled and staggered backwards. Opening his mouth, Bai Xi coughed up a bloody mist before he stared up towards Ye Xi Yun incredulously and shouted, “Your Shi has reached the grand accomplishment stage!?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s eyes bulged as they stared towards Ye Xi Yun in shock.
Only when a cultivator broke through to the Origin Returning Realm would they be able to comprehend Shi, and only when one’s Shi reached the grand accomplishment stage would they be eligible to break through to the Origin King Realm.
This was a necessary condition, otherwise, no matter how much one cultivated as an Origin Returning Realm master, it would be impossible to touch the threshold of the Origin King Realm.
Origin Realm masters on Shadowed Star were as numerous as the hairs on an ox; the main square here actually had more than one hundred and fifty cultivators of this level gathered, but none of them had managed to cultivate their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage, even Yang Xiu Zhu and the others all felt that they had yet to completely master their Shi.
This was a realm they simply could not reach.
But now, they had witnessed a true grand accomplishment stage Shi!
When Ye Xi Yun struck, it had been silent and invisible, but the fluctuations of her Shi were still obvious. Everyone had clearly felt the power which directly destroyed Bai Xi’s defences and seriously wounded him!
As Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, the gap between Ye Xi Yun and Bai Xi was clear.
However, Yang Xiu Zhu and the others present somehow felt that Ye Xi Yun’s Shi seemed to be somewhat qualitatively different from their own.
“Fool, do you think this Queen was using Shi?” Ye Xi Yun snorted softly. After that strike, she had not bothered following up immediately, instead just looking down below coldly with a mocking expression.
“That was not Shi… then…” Bai Xi’s mind turned sharply, and soon his face lost all coloured as he pointed towards Ye Xi Yun in terror, “Could it be that you…”
“Domain!” Yang Xiu Zhu let out a gasp, his eyes suddenly bursting with shock as his body trembled with excitement.
He immediately understood why he felt that Ye Xi Yun’s Shi was a little different from his own.
He recalled some secrets recorded in the Sect’s ancient books at that moment.
It was rumoured that when one cultivated their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage, they would gain some comprehension of the mysteries of a Domain. This was a power that only Origin Kings could master and was many times more powerful than Shi.
Domain!
This was a height that Shadowed Star’s cultivators could never reach.
Could it be said that their Sect Master had reached this state? However, looking again, Ye Xi Yun was clearly still just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, so there could only be one explanation.
That is, Ye Xi Yun’s cultivation had reached the absolute limit of the Origin Realm and she now had the qualifications to break through to the Origin King Realm, but because of the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, she has been unable to break through.
[A harrowing reality!] Yang Xiu Zhu sighed.
Although they lived in an isolated place like Shadowed Star, Yang Xiu Zhu knew that even considering the entire Star Field, there were very few Origin King Realm masters, and each one was an extremely prestigious existence. Their Sect Master had the talent and aptitude to reach this level, but she was simply born in the wrong place. Shadowed Star had become a cage that prevented her from truly spreading her wings and soaring!
“Former Sect Master deserves her reputation as a genius only seen once in ten thousand years, this Bai is truly impressed!” Bai Xi clasped his, clenched his teeth and shouted fiercely, “But so what? Although this Bai’s strength is truly inferior to yours, if you wish to kill me, you must be willing to pay the price!”
As soon as he spoke these words, Bai Xi flicked his wrist and summoned a longan sized bead into his hand.
Emperor Pressure immediately filled the air!
Everyone present paled.
“Annihilation Thunder Bead!” Ye Xi Yun narrowed her eyes, “Is this what you’re relying on?”
“So what if it is?” Bai Xi laughed, “This Bai knows what former Sect Master is capable of, but can you block this Emperor Artifact? If This Bai must die here today, he will at least be able to bury you along with him! Now, why don’t we all sit down and have a good talk to come up with a way to resolve this conflict?”
“I refuse!”
An indifferent voice suddenly rang out from a short distance away.
This voice was strange and barely anyone on the scene had heard it before. Turning to look at the source of the sound, everyone saw a young man with a heroic look and a sardonic smile on his face walking over towards them unhurriedly.
“Yang Kai!” Bai Xi narrowed his eyes and shouted.
Many cultivators from Star Emperor Mountain wore strange expressions.
Who Yang Kai was, most of them had no clue; after all, they had not even heard the news of Ye Xi Yun resurfacing, so it was only natural for them to not know about Yang Kai’s existence.
Seeing that this young man was only a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, yet he had dared to rashly intrude upon Star Emperor Mountain, many felt quite puzzled.
However, even in this tense moment, these people did not become confused and simply assumed that this Yang Kai boy must have followed Ye Xi Yun here. Not saying anything, they all just observed Yang Kai curiously, wondering why he did not show any fear towards the Emperor Artifact.
One had to know that this was an artifact that even Ye Xi Yun could not possibly resist head-on.
“Taking that thing out just to scare people again,” Yang Kai curled his lips with a look of disdain, “Old dog, if you’re ready to die, then go ahead and use that Thunder Bead, you will certainly be able to kill me or Great Elder, so you won’t suffer a loss, but… are you prepared?”
Bai Xi’s face sank as he glared towards Yang Kai savagely and shouted, “Little brat, don’t go too far!”
“Am I the one that is going too far?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully as he quipped, “Old dog, are you really so ignorant of your situation? This Sect Master is standing right in front of you, so all you have to do is use the power of that Thunder Bead. If I can’t avoid it, I will die, but you will die too. If I can avoid it though, I’ll live but you’ll still die. So what choice will you make?”
Bai Xi’s face went from blue to white as he gripped the Emperor Artifact in his hand, not daring to take any rash actions.
No matter what he chose to do, he would definitely die a miserable death, causing him to hesitate.
“Of course, there is a third option,” Yang Kai grinned extremely brightly.
“And what’s that?” Bai Xi became curious.
“Hand over the Emperor Artifact to me, and I’ll spare your life!”
“In your dreams!” Bai Xi exclaimed.
On Shadowed Star, Origin King Grade artifacts were few and far between, each one a hallowed treasure of a powerful Sect, not to mention Emperor Artifacts. After experiencing the power of an Emperor Artifact, how could Bai Xi be willing to just surrender it?
What’s more, he wouldn’t believe Yang Kai’s rhetoric. Likely, the moment he handed over the Emperor Artifact, he would become a fresh corpse.
“In that case, don’t blame this Sect Master for being ruthless!” Yang Kai declared impatiently before shouting, “Come out!”
With this shout, the clouds up above suddenly began to churn and a moment later, a one-hundred-meter-long, pitch-black Starship strangely appeared.
It was as if the Starship had always been there, yet no one had noticed it.
A great uproar spread among the numerous cultivators gathered below, all of them revealing looks of shock and disbelief.
There were many cultivators here, most of whom were Origin Returning Realm masters, yet no one had noticed this Starship hiding so close by, an astonishing revelation. If it had not taken the initiative to show itself, it was likely everyone present would have remained ignorant.
Moreover, this Starship seemed quite unusual, far more powerful than any Starship they had seen before, almost as if… it was an Origin King Grade Starship!
The sight of it made the audience dumbfounded!