The days aboard the Starship were quite uneventful.
Time passed by as Yang Kai quietly cultivated in seclusion.
One day though, a disciple came to knock on the door and reported, “Sect Master, we’ve arrived!”
“We’ve arrived?” Yang Kai opened his eyes, a hint of excitement flashing across them, and his figure flickered, leaving his room and entering the hall.
At this time, the Starship was quietly moored a million or so kilometres outside a Cultivation Star.
When the disciples in charge of controlling the Starship saw Yang Kai appear, they all turned to him, waiting for his orders.
Without Yang Kai’s order, they didn’t dare act rashly.
However… was this Cultivation Star really the Sect Master’s homeland? Why did it seem so… desolate?
When the disciples looked at Tong Xuan Realm, they all felt puzzled.
When Yang Kai’s eyes landed on Tong Xuan Realm, however, his expression dimmed slightly.
In the past, his vision had not been profound enough, and he had never witnessed the wonders of the Star Field, so he wasn’t able to judge Tong Xuan Realm accurately. On the contrary, he used to think Tong Xuan Realm was a rich cultivation land.
But now that he had returned from the Star Field after several dozen years of cultivation and exploration, he could see what was wrong with Tong Xuan Realm at a glance.
It was old!
An aged, desolate, and somewhat melancholic air lingered about this star, with a hint of grey in its aura, showing that it was clearly weakening.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched.
He never knew his homeland was in such a state before, or perhaps he just never realized it was a problem until now.
It seemed that on Tong Xuan Realm, the Saint Realm being the peak of the Martial Dao was not without cause.
This was different from Shadowed Star. Shadowed Star’s World Energy was abundant, but cultivators were unable to comprehend the mysteries of the Origin King Realm due to the invisible suppression of its World Principles.
Tong Xuan Realm, on the other hand, didn’t have this kind of World Principles suppression, but… the World Energy here was so thin that it simply couldn’t meet the requirements for cultivators to advance to higher realms.
The Saint Realm was its limit.
At this moment, Yang Kai gained insight into the source of Tong Xuan Realm’s deficiencies.
“Sect Master, shall we…” The disciple to his side turned to him and respectfully asked his opinion.
“Take us down,” Yang Kai waved lightly.
Receiving these orders, the disciples controlling the Starship prepared to descend to the surface.
The hundred-metre-long Starship passed through a grey layer into the atmosphere of Tong Xuan Realm, loudly arriving on this seemingly backwards Cultivation Star.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense expanded like a tide and instantly enveloped the surrounding hundred-kilometre radius to determine their current position.
The aura here was weak, but it was filled with Demonic Qi.
[The Demon Land?] Yang Kai’s brow rose.
Tong Xuan Realm was divided into three separate domains, the Human Territory, Demon Land and Monster Domain, each ruled over by one of the Three Clans. Among these three regions, the Human Territory had the largest area, occupying almost seventy percent of Tong Xuan Realm, followed by the Demon Land, and then the Monster Domain.
Unexpectedly, upon his return to Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai actually came directly to the Demon Land, a somewhat surprising result.
Leisurely, Yang Kai raised his head and looked in a certain direction.
When he sent out his Divine Sense, he had detected several life auras at the edge of his perception, one of which had a Third-Order Saint Realm cultivation and also seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t immediately remember who it was.
Few were capable of possessing a Third-Order Saint Realm cultivation in the Demon Land, the most likely candidate being one of the Demon Generals.
The Demon Race originally had four Demon Generals, all of whom were Third-Order Saints.
The other party had apparently noticed the Starship’s arrival and were hurrying over to investigate.
Thinking it would be best to simply ask this party for information, Yang Kai lightly ordered, “Wait here. I’ll go meet them.”
Saying so, his figure flickered and he arrived outside the Starship to wait for the approaching party’s arrival.
A distance of a hundred kilometres could be crossed in an instant by the current Yang Kai. After having cultivated the Dao of Space for so many years, Yang Kai could ignore space and cross The Void with ease.
However, for a Third-Order Saint Demon General who did not have a suitable flight type artifact, even if they went all out, it still took a cup of tea worth of time to cross this distance.
A short time later, a large mass of black Qi appeared in Yang Kai’s vision. This black Qi was filled with a violent and bloody aura and several figures were hidden inside of it.
The black Qi billowed and soon came to a halt about a thousand metres in front of Yang Kai.
As this black Qi dispersed, the figures inside were finally revealed; a sturdy-looking man with a stern look on his face, holding a spear-like artifact, stood at their fore.
At this moment, this man was staring forward in trepidation, his red eyes filled with shock.
He wasn’t looking at Yang Kai, but rather at the Starship behind Yang Kai. As a Demon General, he naturally knew that there was a similar existence buried deep beneath the Demon Capital.
That was a vessel that the Bone Race had used to arrive on Tong Xuan Realm many millennia ago, a special flight type artifact which seemed to be called a Starship.
Unfortunately, that Starship had been thoroughly destroyed by Great Demon God, leaving only a pile of broken metal behind. Even so, its very existence was a top secret and it had been sealed tens of thousands of metres below the Demon Capital.
Could someone from beyond Tong Xuan Realm have arrived here again? Thinking so, this Demon General was taken aback.
The last time this happened, Great Demon God had sacrificed himself to save Tong Xuan Realm, a fact that the Demon Race took immense pride in.
But now, who would be there to hold up the sky and save Tong Xuan Realm?
Perhaps that Human Race boy from back then might have this ability; after all, when the Bone Race reappeared, Tong Xuan Realm’s Three Clans had united under his leadership to defeat them.
But it was said that he had left Tong Xuan Realm more than thirty years ago, and so far there had been no news from him. Whether he was even alive or dead was unknown.
A lot of distracting thoughts flashed through this Demon General’s mind, but having faced many great storms before he quickly composed himself, displayed the warlike nature inherent to the Demon Race, and shifted his eyes solemnly towards Yang Kai.
The next moment, however, he showed a dumbfounded expression, as if he had seen a ghost, opened his mouth wide, and pointed to Yang Kai, “You…you…”
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Demon General Meng Ge, haha, it’s been many years. How is Brother Meng doing?” Yang Kai grinned at him.
“Are you Holy Master Yang?” Meng Ge’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had never expected that the person who came here aboard this Starship would be the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land.
This boy was none other than the Human Race youth who had disappeared more than thirty years ago.
When the Bone Race resurfaced, the Three Clans had joined forces, and Meng Ge had fought side by side with Yang Kai, so he remembered his face, and now hearing Yang Kai’s voice, he immediately became certain of his guess.
There was no doubt this person was that boy.
This was nothing short of shocking. This boy hadn’t been heard from for several dozen years, yet now he appeared here, owning a Starship like this. Where did he go all these years? It was rumoured he left Tong Xuan Realm to enter the Star Field. Did he succeed?
Thinking so, Meng Ge could barely contain his shock as he trembled slightly and his eyes glazed over.
“Yeah, it is this Yang. Does Brother Meng not recognize me?” Yang Kai chuckled.
“How could that be?” Meng Ge shook his head, “Although I’ve not seen you for many years, this Meng will never forget Holy Master Yang’s face.”
“Good, how has Zhang Yuan been doing in recent years?” Yang Kai asked again.
“You mean Sir Demon Commander?” Meng Ge frowned, a trace of dissatisfaction appearing on his face. Zhang Yuan was the Demon Commander of the Demon Race and a top master on Tong Xuan Realm. Even though Yang Kai was strong, and the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land, in the end, that would only put him on par with Sir Demon Commander in terms of status. Proper etiquette would be to refer to Zhang Yuan by his title, rather than just his name.
This boy’s tone was simply too rampant, speaking as if he was an Elder addressing a Junior, naturally causing Meng Ge some discomfort.
Replying in a flat tone, “Sect Master Yang need not worry, Sir Demon Commander has been in good health and has been in retreat in the Demon Capital in recent years.”
While speaking, he released his Divine Sense to probe Yang Kai, wanting to know how much the cultivation of this human youth had grown after several dozen years.
If he remembered correctly, this boy should have been a First-Order Saint when he left, so after several dozen years, it was likely he had reached the Third-Order Saint Realm at most.
However, after a brief sweep with his Divine Sense, Meng Ge’s expression changed drastically.
He discovered that he could not sense Yang Kai’s depths at all, and the moment his Divine Sense swept across him it was like throwing a stone into the sea, unable to create the slightest ripple.
[How is that possible?] Meng Ge’s expression immediately became dumbfounded as his eyes bulged once more.
With his Third-Order Saint Realm cultivation, even if Yang Kai had also reached this height, he wouldn’t be able to hide his cultivation from his Divine Sense exploration.
Not even a Saint King, the realm Great Demon God had reached, could achieve this.
Could it be that… this boy had reached this level, or possibly even higher?
When this thought crossed his mind, Meng Ge’s shivered from head to toe and his eyes filled with horror, hoarsely asking, “Holy Master Yang… what realm are you now?”
“What realm?” Yang Kai raised his brows. Meng Ge’s movements were not missed by him, but Yang Kai didn’t mind. The Demon Race were all like this, straightforward and rebellious by nature. Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai replied, “What realm I’ve reached would mean nothing to you right now, but you’ll find out soon enough. En, I’ll have to trouble you to go to the Demon Capital and ask Zhang Yuan to come to Nine Heavens Holy Land to see me. I just came back, so I need to hurry back to Nine Heavens Holy Land.”
Meng Ge gulped hard, the confusion and fear on his face gradually receding, like a cornered beast that was surrendering.
This time, he didn’t care about Yang Kai’s arrogance, faintly guessing that Yang Kai had reached a height beyond his imagination. This speculation made him shocked and terrified, and at the same time also some excited.
“Holy Master Yang may rest assured, I will return to the Demon Capital immediately and inform Sir Demon Command of this news,” Meng Ge quickly said.
“En. Right, one more thing,” Yang Kai scratched his cheek awkwardly, “Which direction is Nine Heavens Holy Land?”
Meng Ge was stunned for a moment before pointing a certain direction.
“Thanks,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before his figure flickered and disappeared. A moment later, the pitch-black Starship slightly trembled before shooting off and disappearing from Meng Ge’s vision.
“Sir, who was that little human brat? He was so arrogant he never even put Sir into his eyes,” A Demon Race man who followed Meng Ge called out in dissatisfaction.
Although the relationship between the Three Clans had become more harmonious after they joined forces to defeat the resurgent Bone Race, that didn’t mean there were no disputes between them, especially when it came to cultivation resources.
Now, however, there wasn’t an atmosphere of life or death enemies when different races met.
Still, no one from the Human Race would dare trespass into the Demon Land at will.
But now a human boy had appeared here, not putting Sir Meng Ge in his eyes, and even fearlessly called the Demon Commander by his name, causing this group of Demon Race members to feel quite dissatisfied.
If it weren’t for Meng Ge holding them back, these Demon Race members would likely have charged forward to teach that human boy a harsh lesson.
“Shut up!” Meng Ge shouted, “That person… is someone you cannot provoke, I cannot provoke, even… even Sir Demon Command cannot provoke him. Don’t even discuss him behind his back!”
“What? Even Sir Demon Command cannot afford to provoke him?” The several Demon Race members were shocked and their eyes bulged, “Who is he?”
“His name, you’ve all heard before,” Meng Ge frowned, “He is the Lord of Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai!”
The faces of the several Demon Race members immediately became stern as they quickly held their tongues.
Today, Nine Heavens Holy Land held a dominant position on Tong Xuan Realm, standing atop all of the Three Clans with countless Saint Realm masters at their disposal. No great force could be compared with it.
However, although Nine Heavens Holy Land had reached the height of fame over these past few decades, their Holy Master had seemingly disappeared.
Unexpectedly, the young man they just met was the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land.
“A great change is approaching,” Meng Ge murmured while looking up at the grey sky. Soon after, he turned around and hurried back to the Demon Capital.
He needed to bring news of Yang Kai’s return to Demon Commander Zhang Yuan as soon as possible.
…..
Nine Heavens Holy Land was situated on nine tall peaks that formed a powerful Spirit Array. On Tong Xuan Realm, Nine Heavens Holy Land enjoyed the highest reputation. There were innumerable masters in the Holy Land, and although it had not recruited any new disciples in recent years, its population was still quite large and had no shortage of wealth.
The reason for this was not only because of the great power Nine Heavens Holy Land possessed, or the close ties it had to great forces of the Human Race, but rather because of the famous Alchemist who resided here.
Several top Alchemists were living here all year round.
Cultivators who came here to request Alchemy basically always obtained the pill they desired. As long as one could pay enough remuneration and materials, they would leave with their requested pill after a few days.
Relying on the income from Alchemy services alone, Nine Heavens Holy Land never needed to worry about having enough cultivation resources.
Outside the Holy Land’s Nine Peaks, a line several kilometres in length, composed of at least a thousand cultivators, snaked back and forth. These cultivators were all waiting here to request Alchemy services from Nine Heavens Holy Land, and as some left satisfied, others would join the line.
Although the line was long, it was extremely orderly. Everyone kept their place, and any newcomer obediently joined the end of the line, with no one daring to try to jump the queue.
Anyone who dared to do otherwise had already been taught a harsh lesson.
Of the cultivators waiting in line, the ones who had been here the longest had been waiting for a month, but even they showed no impatience, simply standing there expectantly, waiting for the people from Nine Heavens Holy Land to greet them and accept their materials.
To pass the time, these cultivators would talk amongst themselves, whispering rumours to one another or exchanging information.
On this day, however, a young man suddenly walked towards the Nine Peaks. His figure was heroic, and his eyes shone a profound light, but him looking around constantly made him look like someone from the countryside who had never seen the world. There also seemed to be a kind of nostalgia in his expression.
After seeing the long queue, this sense of nostalgia only became more obvious.
“Looks like some things haven’t changed,” Yang Kai grinned, and while walking forward, he looked at the cultivators who came to request Alchemy with interest.
When he still lived in Nine Heavens Holy Land, such a scene outside the Holy Land was common.
Unexpectedly, nothing had changed several dozen years later other than the fact that even more people were here to request Alchemy services.
“Hey brat, what do you think you’re doing?” Suddenly an angry shout came from the crowd.
Yang Kai turned his head and found a burly man glaring at him.
“Where are you from boy? You want to jump the line?”
“Young man, if you want to survive, just go to the back and wait obediently. Don’t think you’re anything special, everyone who comes here must follow the rules.”
“Hmph, if he dares to jump in the line, I’ll twist his head!”
“Young man, go to the back and line up. If you’re found by someone from Nine Heavens Holy Land you’ll only receive a harsh lesson, but if you provoke these people, your end will be miserable.”
Before Yang Kai could even say anything, many from the crowd began calling out, one after another discouraging him from acting rashly, many of them casting him pitiful or derisive looks.
As if Yang Kai’s end would truly be ugly if he didn’t follow their advice.
“I didn’t come here to ask for Alchemy,” Yang Kai touched his nose.
“Everyone who wants to jump in the line says that. Boy, it seems that you won’t regret unless you see your coffin. Do you want Father here to teach you a lesson?” The big man who yelled at Yang Kai first coldly snorted and clenched his fists as he stared at him menacingly.
“I really didn’t come here to ask for Alchemy though,” Yang Kai said helplessly.
“Then what are you here for?” The big man asked reluctantly, his eyes filled with aggression, as if he wouldn’t let Yang Kai off without first getting an explanation.
“I’m just going home, I’m from Nine Heavens Holy Land,” Yang Kai scratched his cheek.
“You’re what?” The big man scanned Yang Kai up and down, a clear look of disbelief on his face. Suddenly, he waved to the side and shouted, “Brother, please come over here.”
The one he called out to seemed to be a cultivator on patrol, and hearing this shout, the latter rushed over, took in the scene, frowned, and asked, “What is it? Is there someone trying to break the rules again?”
“Heh heh, Fellow Brother, take a look at this guy, he said he’s from your Holy Land but I say he’s just trying to jump in the line. Brother, take a look and see if he is from your Holy Land,” The big man pointed to Yang Kai and said to the disciple of Nine Heavens Holy Land.
The disciple heard this and nodded before taking a careful look at Yang Kai, a moment later shaking his head and saying, “I’ve never seen this person before; moreover, he doesn’t have our Holy Land’s robes or symbol anywhere on him.”
Saying so, he gestured to a mark on his own robes.
“Sure enough, this little brat is spewing nonsense,” The big man looked at Yang Kai mockingly, taking pleasure in his misfortune, “Pretending to be a Holy Land disciple, you’re dead.”
“You don’t know me?” Yang Kai asked the disciple.
“Should I know you?” The other party snorted.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before nodding, “Looking at your age, you probably joined the Holy Land not long ago. It’s fine, which Elder is on duty here today?”
Hearing his question, the disciple’s expression immediately became suspicious, uncertain if Yang Kai was just talking nonsense or really had some relation to the Holy Land.
Although he had grown up in the Holy Land since he was a child, he was now just twenty-five years old. When Yang Kai was in the Holy Land, he hadn’t even been born yet, so naturally he had never seen Yang Kai’s face.
Surprised but not daring to be negligent, the disciple hesitantly said, “It is Elder Shi who is on duty today.”
“Elder Shi?” Yang Kai frowned, but soon a figure emerged from the depths of his memory and a slight smile appeared on his face, “Shi Kun?”
“En,” The disciple was shocked, really not understanding who Yang Kai thought he was, even daring to call Elder Shi directly by his name; and from listening to his tone, it seemed this stranger was quite familiar with Elder Shi.
“Take me to see him, he’ll recognize me,” Yang Kai said casually, but soon changed his mind, “Forget it, I’ll go myself.”
Saying so, his figure suddenly disappeared.
The group who were watching all had their eyes bulge as shock filled their hearts.
“What? Where did that guy go?” The burly man from just now looked around but he couldn’t see any trace of Yang Kai, a faint trace of sweat appearing on his brow.
He thought he had provoked some kind of hidden master.
Everyone else also had similar expressions on their faces and for a time they felt a chill down their backs.
Inside a pavilion not far away, at this moment, Shi Kun was sitting cross-legged in meditation, seemingly comprehending something.
Suddenly, Shi Kun opened his eyes, as if sensing something, and shouted, “Bold!”
He noticed at that moment that someone had broken into the pavilion.
As one of the Holy Land’s Elders, his job here was to maintain order, but not even the disciples on guard duty could dare to disturb him without first asking for permission, yet now some bold fool had actually rashly intruded while he was in the middle of comprehending a Secret Technique.
Shi Kun was naturally furious.
Fortunately, he had not been at a critical moment in his comprehension, otherwise it was very likely he would have experienced cultivation deviation from being disturbed.
He shouted sharply as he gazed towards the direction of the intruder.
However, the next moment, Shi Kun’s jaw dropped and he froze in place.
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile and called out, “It’s been many years since we last met, but it seems Elder Shi’s temper has grown shorter!”
“Holy… Holy Master?” Shi Kun exclaimed in shock, never having expected the one who had disturbed his meditation was Holy Master Yang Kai who had been gone for several dozen years.
At first, Shi Kun could hardly believe his eyes and rubbed them vigorously, but even after doing so, the person in front of him was still the Holy Master.
Although Shi Kun hadn’t seen him in several decades, and the Holy Master was still quite young when he left, it seemed like the years had left no trace on him.
Shi Kun became so excited his body began trembling.
“Not bad, not bad at all. You’ve also reached the Second-Order Saint Realm, it seems you haven’t been idling these years,” Yang Kai gently nodded, seeing through Shi Kun’s realm at a glance.
“Subordinate Shi Kun greets Holy Master. Welcome back to the Sect, Holy Master!” Shi Kun hurriedly half-kneeled on the ground, shouting in an excited voice.
“Get up,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Shi Kun quickly got to his feet as he continued staring at Yang Kai in disbelief, as if he was having a dream, pursing his lips for a moment and hesitating before asking, “Holy Master, have you really returned?”
“En, I’m back. How is the Holy Land now?”
“Everything is in order, Holy Master need not worry,” Shi Kun quickly replied, because of the ups and downs of his mood, his blood seemed to be surging, causing his face to flush.
“Very good!”
“Holy Master, please hurry back to the Holy Land, since you left, Great Elder and the others have been worrying day and night. Once they learn you’ve returned safely, they will certainly be very happy,” Shi Kun cupped his fists.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “Come with me.”
Saying so, he stretched out your hand and wrapped Shi Kun in his Saint Qi.
The next moment, both of them disappeared from the pavilion, and when Shi Kun looked around, he suddenly found that he and Yang Kai had reached the inner sanctum of the Holy Land’s nine peaks.
“This is great, nothing has changed,” Yang Kai stood mid-air as his Divine Sense swept across the Holy Land, nodding in satisfaction.
Shi Kun was in something of a daze, not understanding how he had arrived at the inner peaks, but soon he realized that this was Yang Kai’s doing.
But what exactly had he done? It was all too bizarre. Shi Kun felt both reverence and awe.
Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, took a step forward, heaved a deep breath, and shouted out to the Nine Peaks, “Holy Master has returned to the Sect!”
This shout echoed throughout the Nine Peaks.
All movement in the Nine Peaks seemed to be overwhelmed by this shout, and a strange atmosphere suddenly filled the Holy Land, along with complete silence.
However, a moment later, the Nine Peaks seemed to burst into a frenzy, with streaks of light shooting up from each of the peaks and rushing over at full speed.
Inside the Pill Room, the Saint Grade Alchemist Du Wan was refining a Clear Snow Pill, a Saint Grade Low-Rank pill. The person who requested this pill was also waiting outside the Nine Peaks at the moment, and their status was not low, so Du Wan had taken action personally.
It had been more than a day since Du Wan began, and at this moment the Pill Room was filled with a strong fragrance and a faint chill. Carefully controlling the heat, Du Wan was staring at his pill furnace, preparing for the final moment where he would condense the pill.
To the side, Chang Bao sat with his great belly and rotund face, squinting his eyes as he observed and studied Du Wan’s refining techniques.
The expressions of the two Saint Grade Alchemists were both solemn and excited.
These two had been the managers of Alchemist Guild branches in Grand Boulder City and Lightning Flash City respectively, holding great status, but after studying Alchemy together in Nine Heavens Holy Land, they had both promoted to the level of Saint Grade Alchemist. So, they both resigned from their previous post and had joined Nine Heavens Holy Land.
In addition to the two of them, there was also Hong Fang, He Feng, and Kong Ruo Yu who were all now Saint Grade Alchemists as well.
The Alchemy level of Tong Xuan Realm had undergone explosive growth since Yang Kai had left, with all the credit being given to the Old Man of Heaven’s Keep Li Rui’s generous teachings, and the inspiration of Xia Ning Chang.
Previously, only Li Rui had been a Saint Grade High-Rank Alchemist.
The pill refining was now at a critical juncture, and Chang Bao’s small eyes narrowed tighter, filled with light as he sweat just as much as Du Wan.
Even they could not guarantee a one hundred percent success rate when refining Saint Grade pills. Du Wan’s refinement being so smooth this time was a combination of his own skill as well as luck.
At this most critical moment, there was no room for negligence or disturbance.
However, right then, a loud shout suddenly came from outside, penetrating even the barriers around the Pill Room, reaching straight to the ears of the two Saint Grade Alchemists.
Du Wan’s old hands shook, and his Saint Qi became slightly disordered.
Immediately after, a bang resounded from the pill furnace in front of him.
A burnt smell soon filled the air.
Du Wan was stunned, and his expression contorted into a truly ugly one.
Chang Bao also frowned deeply.
They had fallen short!
[That idiot Shi Kun! His life is over! Du Wan will certainly hold him responsible for this failure.]
Chang Bao immediately took pleasure in Shi Kun’s misfortune in his heart.
“Old Chang, what did that boy Shi Kun just say?” But contrary to Chang Bao’s expectation, Du Wan did not get angry right away, instead turning a strange look towards him and asking.
“I didn’t hear clearly,” Chang Bao shook his head.
Although both of them had heard Shi Kun yelling something just now, Chang Bao hadn’t cared about its content because all his focus had been on the pill refinement.
“Did I hear him say something about the Holy Master?” Du Wan frowned.
“Holy Master?” Chang Bao was stunned, but soon seemed to think of something, and like a cat that’s tail had been stepped on, his plump body showed unimaginable lightness as he leapt up from the ground and shouted, “You mean that Holy Master?”
Nine Heavens Holy Land had only one Holy Master, and that was Yang Kai.
Since Yang Kai had left, the position of Holy Master had remained vacant, but in the eyes of the cultivators of Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai was and always would be their Holy Master.
“I could have sworn I heard Shi Kun saying something about the Holy Master returning to the Sect,” Du Wan knit his brow.
“Are you sure?” Chang Bao yelled.
“I’m not certain.”
The two looked at each other for a moment before both of them rushed out towards the door of the Pill Room where they were greeted by the equally flustered He Feng, Hong Fang, and Kong Ruo Yu. Dashing out of the Pill Room all together, all of them showed spiritedness not inferior to youths hundreds of years their junior.
“Old ghosts, wait for this old master!” Chang Bao struggled to move his fat body as he yelled from behind.
Of course, no one answered him, all of them only rushing out even faster.
Atop another of the Nine Peaks, inside a mountainside secret room, a rich Demonic Qi swirled.
Inside this secret room, two beautiful women with closed eyes were synchronizing their breathing, one possessed a dignified and elegant air while the other was cold and aloof, two vastly different temperaments.
The former had a peak cultivation at the Third-Order Saint Realm while the latter was a Second-Order Saint.
Both were wrapped in a thick swirling Demonic Qi, apparently cultivating some kind of Secret Technique.
When Shi Kun’s voice reached them, however, the two women opened their eyes involuntarily, with the dignified beauty turning to her companion, frowning, and asking, “Han Fei, did Shi Kun just say… the Holy Master had returned to the Sect?”
The cold beauty heard these words and her tender body trembled, carefully thinking for a moment before she gently nodded.
Four eyes suddenly met, before an amazing brilliance flashed across them. No longer giving any thought to the Secret Technique they were cultivating, two tender bodies wrapped in black Qi rushed out of the secret room and soared up into the sky.
Similar scenes were happening all over the Nine Peaks.
This was no doubt the liveliest the Nine Peaks had been in the past several decades. At this moment, the masters here who were worshipped and admired by countless cultivators across Tong Xuan Realm all suddenly seemed to lose all sense of dignity and turned into hot-blooded youths.
When Holy Land Great Elder Xu Hui ran out, he couldn’t even be bothered using the doors and smashed his way through the walls of his palace directly, nearly causing it to collapse.
Elder Yu Ying knocked over and broke a set of vases she had treasured for over a hundred years in her hurry.
Saintess An Ling’er had been bathing at the time but still leapt from her bathroom after hurriedly throwing on her clothes, not even bothering to dry herself.
…..
All of this was happening because of the words which had just echoed across the Nine Peaks.
The Holy Master had returned!
Everyone wanted to know whether this news was true or not. Everyone wanted to see the face of the young man they had not seen in over thirty years. As such, everyone rushed out of the places they were staying and soared towards the source of the voice from just now.
Streams of light swiftly came and gathered in front of Yang Kai.
After seeing Yang Kai’s face clearly, everyone showed a look of pleasant surprise; some were so joyful they were unable to stop themselves from weeping.
All the Elders of the Holy Land, Du Wan, Chang Bao and the other Alchemy Grandmasters, as well as the leaders of the Ancient Demon Clan, gathered together.
Just in terms of Saints, more than ten were present.
This was a force capable of sweeping the entire Tong Xuan Realm, an existence no one dared to underestimate. It was precisely because of these peoples’ existence that Nine Heavens Holy Land had become famous across Tong Xuan Realm.
Yang Kai’s eyes swept across these familiar faces and his heart could not help warming as a brilliant smile blossomed on his face.
After not seeing them for several dozen years, all his old friends were still well, there could be no better news.
“It’s really Holy Master!”
“Holy Master is back, he’s really back.”
Shouts of joy rang out from the crowd as everyone celebrated with excitement in their eyes.
“Subordinate Xu Hui, together with all the Holy Land’s Elders, greets Holy Master. Welcome back to the Sect, Holy Master!” Xu Hui had always been attentive to etiquette and despite his own excitement did not forget courtesy and hastily shouted.
The other Holy Land Elders also hurriedly saluted.
“There’s no need for such formalities, I’ve simply come home,” Yang Kai waved, an invisible force lifting everyone up.
“Master…” On a different side, Li Rong, the leader of the Ancient Demon Clan, called out through her tears.
Han Fei, who was standing beside her, also had red puffy eyes.
Yang Kai had inherited the mantle of Great Demon God, so for the Ancient Demon Clan who had served Great Demon God for generations, Yang Kai was their Lord and Master, a position not even the current Demon Commander Zhang Yuan could compare to.
So even if Yang Kai was not in Nine Heavens Holy Land, they had chosen to remain here to wait for him.
In fact, for the Ancient Demon Clan, the Demon Land was the ideal place for them to live, but out of respect for Yang Kai, Li Rong had eventually decided to let the Ancient Demon Clan settle in Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Looking at Yang Kai’s face, Li Rong’s heart trembled.
When Yang Kai left, she had asked to follow him, to use her own life to protect him, but Yang Kai was completely uncertain about his future at that point so he didn’t dare to bring Li Rong, making her stay behind.
Over the past several decades, Li Rong had spent countless days and nights worrying. Whenever she thought about Yang Kai being all alone in the vast outside world, she would have trouble sleeping and eating. She hated that she had not insisted on following him at that time and allowed her Master to wander alone.
She blamed herself greatly and felt truly tortured over the years.
Now seeing Yang Kai return safely, she could not help weeping with joy.
“Don’t cry, this is a happy occasion, I’ve returned, haven’t I?” Yang Kai laughed and comforted her.
“Yes!” Li Rong pursed her red lips and nodded in response.
She would meet any of Yang Kai’s requests unconditionally.
“Little brat, you came back?” At this moment, a cry of pleasant surprise suddenly came from the side.
Yang Kai turned his head and soon spotted Meng Wu Ya flying over.
Even after not seeing him for several dozen years, Meng Wu Ya was still the same, dressing in extremely plain robes with his somewhat dishevelled hair and beard. If he were to walk amongst a crowd, many would only think of him as a dirty old man, never realizing he was a peak Third-Order Saint Realm master.
“Treasurer Meng, I trust you’ve been well since we last met!” Yang Kai smiled brightly.
“Of course I have been good, seems you’ve been living well yourself, you little brat. This old master can finally feel relieved,” Meng Wu Ya nodded heavily, a pleased smile on his face.
Meng Wu Ya could be said to have watched over Yang Kai’s growth from the very start. Back then, he had been hiding his identity and staying in High Heaven Pavilion as the treasurer of the Contribution Hall. He had first met Yang Kai and became close because of his treasured apprentice Xia Ning Chang.
So, after seeing Yang Kai returning to this place several decades later, it was as if a big rock was lifted from Meng Wu Ya’s heart.
His concern for Yang Kai was not inferior to anyone else’s.
Yang Kai instantly began looking around, and noticing this, Meng Wu Ya seemed to know who he was looking for, grinned meaningfully, and took the initiative to speak, “Ning Chang is at a critical moment of her retreat, so it’s not convenient for her to see you, but I’m sure she will the moment she exits her seclusion. En, as for your Grand Master, he does not live in Nine Heavens Holy Land but instead over at War Spirit Temple’s former grounds together with your Yang Family and the others from that side.”
“En, I’ll visit them later,” Yang Kai took a deep breath, calming his mood a little.
Back then, he had brought his relatives and friends from the Great Han Dynasty to Tong Xuan Realm, but since Nine Heavens Holy Land didn’t have enough space to house them all, Yang Kai decided to have them stay in the former War Spirit Temple and Shattering Mystical Palace ruins a thousand or so kilometres away. These two great forces used to be enemies with Yang Kai but were both wiped out by him in the end. However, their Sect foundations were left behind, so it was the perfect ready-made place to settle the cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty.
After several dozen years, his friends and relatives from the Great Han Dynasty had also settled down and developed steadily. Protected by Nine Heavens Holy Land, they lived a safe and worry-free life, as if they had come to a paradise.
With so many old acquaintances meeting each other, the atmosphere was naturally quite lively.
The Holy Master returning to the Sect was a grand, joyous event for Nine Heavens Holy Land. After everyone welcomed Yang Kai back to the main peak, Great Elder Xu Hui ordered a big banquet to be arranged immediately.
Anyone with even the slightest status in the Holy Land attended.
No one asked Yang Kai where he had been and what he had done these past few decades, all of them simply happy he had returned safely and was now sitting and chatting with them just as before.
The atmosphere of the banquet was noisy, as everybody raised their glasses over and over again. Even women like Li Rong and Han Fei got drunk.
This night was doomed to be sleepless.
The banquet started at sunset and continued into the early morning.
Most of the people present had already drunk several rounds, with only Xu Hui remaining perfectly sober.
At a certain point, Yang Kai called out to him.
“Holy Master, what are your orders?” Xu Hui asked respectfully.
“How have the Hu Sisters been all these years?” Yang Kai asked casually as he watched the sunrise over Tong Xuan Realm he had not seen in so long.
“Reporting to Holy Master, the Hu Sisters have been very well these past few years. The two of them have been cultivating diligently in Twin Spirit Pavilion, and with Wu Fa and Wu Tian’s careful guidance, their growth has been quite astonishing. A few years ago, the two sisters broke through to the Saint Realm and took up the mantle of Tong Xuan Realm’s most glorious rising stars!”
“En,” Yang Kai lightly nodded.
His relatives and friends from the Great Han Dynasty had all basically been settled in the ruins of War Spirit Temple and Shattering Mystical Palace, but the Hu Sisters, who had inherited the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, the foundational inheritance of Twin Spirit Pavilion, had chosen to live and cultivate there instead.
With the aptitude of the two sisters and the magical Secret Art they cultivated, it was only natural for them to reach the Saint Realm after several dozen years.
However, this was only the expected result on Tong Xuan Realm’s with its extremely thin World Energy. If the two sisters had instead lived on Shadowed Star, their achievements would be far greater than this.
They would definitely be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Qu Chang Feng and Fang Tian Zhong.
“Contact Hu Jiao’er and Hu Mei’er and tell them to come to Nine Heavens Holy Land,” Yang Kai ordered.
“Right away!” Xu Hui hurriedly responded, a sly expression suddenly appearing on his face. “If they hear Holy Master has returned to the Sect, they will likely hurry over on their own even without an invitation.”
Yang Kai glanced over at him sideways, to which Xu Hui just smiled dryly.
“Also, send a message to the Great Seniors of the Monster Race asking them to come to Nine Heavens Holy Land. I have something I wish to discuss with them.”
“Yes, Subordinate will see to it immediately. Does Holy Master have any other instructions?”
“No, go on.”
Xu Hui bowed and withdrew, not bothering to ask anything, simply going about the tasks he had been assigned.
Looking back at the messy palace, Yang Kai grinned before his figure flickered and he disappeared to somewhere else on the Nine Peaks.
The place he arrived at was none other than the room where Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang was currently in retreat. Standing outside this cultivation room, Yang Kai could smell Xia Ning Chang’s gentle scent and could not help feeling refreshed.
He did not know what Xia Ning Chang was in retreat to cultivate, but he didn’t intend to bother her, instead just quietly releasing his Divine Sense to check on her a bit.
With his current tyrannical cultivation, this kind of silent investigation would be impossible for Xia Ning Chang to detect.
He only wanted to see if everything was well with his Little Senior Sister, but when his Divine Sense swept over where Xia Ning Chang was, he could not help frowning as a look of shock filled his face.
Xia Ning Chang’s cultivation… had reached the Second-Order Saint King Realm!
[How is that possible?] Yang Kai almost thought something was wrong with his senses.
He quickly and carefully investigated the situation, but no matter how he saw it, his previous thoughts seemed to be correct.
Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang really was a Second-Order Saint King!
Yang Kai was thoroughly astonished.
Although he was now a Second-Order Origin Realm master, a full Great Realm higher than Little Senior Sister, that was because he had been in the Star Field for several dozen years. Only with the nourishment of abundant World Energy and many opportunities was he able to possess his current cultivation.
Even if Little Senior Sister was an astonishing talent, in Tong Xuan Realm, a place where the World Energy aura was so thin, it should have been absolutely impossible for her to reach the Second-Order Saint King Realm. The aura here simply could not meet the requirements to break through to such a realm.
It was not an exaggeration to say that with this kind of cultivation, Xia Ning Chang already stood far above the peak of all of Tong Xuan Realm. If she was willing to, she could subdue the entire star on her own.
In the past, Great Demon God was able to reach the First-Order Saint King Realm, yet Little Senior Sister had managed to go a step further than even him.
But how did she do it?
Yang Kai was startled and uncertain. Sometimes, such an accident was not a good thing.
He began to investigate Xia Ning Chang’s status more carefully.
But at that moment, the Saint Qi in Xia Ning Chang’s body seemed to become disordered and there were signs of it roiling through her meridians. Little Senior Sister unconsciously groaned as a look of pain appeared on her pretty face. Obviously, she was suffering greatly.
“Cultivation deviation!” Yang Kai’s complexion darkened, his figure flickering and arriving beside Xia Ning Chang in the next instant.
Stretching out his hand to her back, Yang Kai’s powerful Saint Qi burst forth.
Cultivation deviation was an extremely dangerous situation, and if he had been a cultivator in the same realm, there would have been nothing he could have done to help. In fact, external interference in such a situation would likely just make the situation worse.
Ordinarily, cultivation deviation could only be resolved by the party in question through great effort and perseverance.
But Yang Kai was currently an entire Great Realm higher than Xia Ning Chang in terms of cultivation, so it was not a problem for him to assist her.
Under Yang Kai’s guidance, the Saint Qi in Xia Ning Chang’s body gradually stabilized, and the pained look on her pretty face subsided.
Yang Kai finally felt relieved.
As the disordered Saint Qi in her body was smoothed, Xia Ning Chang seemed to feel that someone was helping her, her long eyelashes trembling a few times before her beautiful eyes opened.
The next moment, a mixed look of joy and loss flashed across her face.
She smiled sweetly, stretched out her delicate jade white hand, and touched Yang Kai’s cheek, whispering under her breath, “I can only see you in my dreams, so I hope… this is a long one, so I won’t have to wake up alone again.”
She obviously thought she was dreaming.
Yang Kai felt a deep pain in his heart, as if someone had grabbed hold of it and clenched tightly, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Although he opened his mouth, Yang Kai found no words.
Back then, he had hot-bloodedly left Tong Xuan Realm, and although his goal was to look for Su Yan, doing so had clearly caused Xia Ning Chang deep pain.
But at that time, she had not tried to stop him in the slightest, instead supporting Yang Kai’s decision completely.
She had shown incredible kindness when she asked Yang Kai to find Su Yan and bring her home.
After more than thirty years though, Yang Kai still had not found Su Yan but had forced Little Senior Sister to spend more than thirty years in loneliness.
He felt deeply ashamed of himself for wronging this gentle and innocent woman and blamed himself entirely.
“Rest, rest well, everything is fine now,” Yang Kai embraced Xia Ning Chang and gently poured his Saint Qi into her body, causing her to fall asleep.
Xia Ning Chang blinked as a trace of nostalgia flashed across her beautiful eyes. She seemed unwilling to just fall asleep and she wanted to keep her eyes open to continue gazing upon the man in front of her.
But in the end, she could not resist Yang Kai’s methods and her eyelids eventually grew heavy, sealing shut as she breathed smoothly.
Yang Kai stared at her with a gentleness in his eyes that could melt the coldest of hearts. Next, however, as he gently cradled her, his Divine Sense locked onto a certain position in Xia Ning Chang’s body.
His face suddenly becoming menacing, he shouted sharply, “Get out!”
As he shouted, Yang Kai pressed his hand towards Xia Ning Chang’s abdomen and sent out a majestic pulse of Saint Qi.
All at once, he grasped and pulled out a grey mass of energy from Xia Ning Chang’s body.
As soon as this grey aura left Xia Ning Chang, it began screaming and struggling, as if it possessed its own sentience and was desperately trying to escape from Yang Kai’s clutches.
Yang Kai’s face sank as he quickly increased his Saint Qi output. At the same time, several dozen Golden Blood Threads shot out and fused together in a dazzling golden light. After the radiance faded, the several dozen Golden Blood Threads had woven together to form a net around the grey aura.
Yang Kai stared at this strange object coldly as he continued using his Divine Sense to scan it, wanting to figure out what it was.
When he had sent his Saint Qi into Xia Ning Chang’s meridians just now, he accidentally discovered this grey Qi hidden in her body.
He had not taken action immediately, instead choosing to let Little Senior Sister fall asleep peacefully before dealing with it.
He did not know if Xia Ning Chang’s cultivation deviation was related to this grey aura, but he could tell it was not something she had cultivated herself and was instead some kind of foreign object. What he could not tell, however, was why it was attached to her.
It did not seem to be some type of Soul, because Xia Ning Chang showed no trace of being taken over.
[If so, what is it?] Yang Kai frowned deeply as even with his knowledge and experience; he couldn’t identify what this mass of grey Qi was.
The battering sounds continued as the grey aura flickered back and forth inside the golden net, like a beast trapped in a cage, unable to escape.
Suddenly, Yang Kai raised his brow as he showed a look of surprise.
He felt traces of Xia Ning Chang’s life and Soul Brand inside this mass of grey Qi.
Which meant Xia Ning Chang knew about its existence and had refined it.
However, Yang Kai still felt like this was not anything good as it seemed to have a kind of invisible connection with Little Senior Sister, and this connection caused Little Senior Sister’s vital aura to also turn somewhat grey!
This discovery made Yang Kai’s heart sink even further.
If his judgment was not wrong, then this mass of grey Qi and Little Senior Sister shared a symbiotic relationship. If one suffered, both suffered, if one prospered, both prospered. If he rashly destroyed it, Little Senior Sister would likely die as well.
This mass of grey Qi gave off an extremely uncomfortable feeling and gave off an aura like that of a senile, dying old man.
With Xia Ning Chang having a symbiotic relationship with it, how could it be good for her future?
Yang Kai could not help wearing a deep and profound look.
Although he wanted to immediately free Little Senior Sister from this worry, Yang Kai had no idea how to even start and did not dare do so before he fully understood the essence of this grey Qi.
Moreover, he vaguely felt a profoundness from this grey Qi that he could not completely fathom, and as he examined it, he felt like he was on the verge of comprehending something deep in his heart.
Even after further investigation though, he still could not learn anything of note.
This mass of grey Qi seemed to be able to exclude Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
Xia Ning Chang breaking through to the Saint King Realm in a place like Tong Xuan Realm was no doubt linked in some way to this strange grey Qi.
This thing probably allowed her to comprehend a more profound level of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao and provided her with the energy she needed to break through while also tightly binding itself to her.
But Yang Kai could not tell whether this was a blessing or a curse.
Just as Yang Kai was at a loss, the grey Qi bound by the golden net suddenly began struggling much more intensely; however, this time, instead of pointlessly trying to break free, it instead directly burst into millions of tiny pieces of grey Qi and slipped through its bindings.
Yang Kai did not have any time to react, and the mass of grey Qi managed to escape.
Immediately after, it flew downwards at remarkable speed and sank into the ground, disappearing from Yang Kai’s sight.
Yang Kai swiftly sent his Divine Sense into the ground but was unable to sense its existence anymore.
It had simply vanished.
Standing in place, Yang Kai wore a solemn look with a deep frown on his face.
It seemed that he would have to wait for Little Senior Sister to wake up before he could get some answers from her.
He did have a guess in his mind, but he could not be sure.
Looking at the peacefully sleeping Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai gently picked her up by her waist, placed her on the bed, leaned over and kissed her on her forehead, and gently brushed her hair back before leaving silently.
A few breaths later, a thousand kilometres away, above the former site of War Spirit Temple.
Yang Kai stood mid-air, looking down as he spread his Divine Sense out like a tide.
Familiar auras appeared everywhere under his investigation, appearing like bright stars in the night sky.
Grinning widely, Yang Kai felt warmth in his heart that he had missed these past several dozen years. Immediately, he used his Divine Sense to send a simple message to all his relatives and friends, ‘I’m back’!
A scene just like what happened yesterday at Nine Heavens Holy Land appeared next.
The former War Spirit Temple site immediately erupted as rays of light shot up into the air from various places of retreat and rushed towards the place where Yang Kai was.
Everyone was so excited that as they met each other halfway they could not help asking one another to confirm whether they too had heard about Yang Kai’s return.
Only after arriving high up in the sky and seeing Yang Kai standing there did everyone dare to believe the authenticity of this news.
Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, Qu Gao Yi, Ying Jiu… All the Blood Warriors who fought alongside Yang Kai in the Inheritance War arrived in the first batch, each of them trembling with excitement as they called out to their Young Master and bowed deeply.
The Yang Family’s First Brother Yang Wei, Second Brother Yang Zhao, Third Brother Yang Tie, Fourth Brother Yang Xin Wu… All the brothers gathered as they hugged Yang Kai for the first time in decades.
“Haha, you bastard! You’ve been away for so many years, it’s like you wouldn’t return until after I died,” The Huo Family current Patriarch, Huo Xing Chen, laughed and appeared nearby.
After several decades, the suave Central Capital Wolf had become a middle-aged man, but rather than looking old, he instead just seemed more mature and his hot temper had been smoothed by time, making him even more handsome than before.
Next to Huo Xing Chen was Qiu Yi Meng, with tears in her beautiful eyes as she bit her red lips and stared at Yang Kai in disbelief, seemingly wanting to say something but too scared to open her mouth, worried that if she were to speak she would wake from this beautiful dream.
“Brother Huo, Sister Qiu!” Yang Kai turned to the two of them and gently nodded.
Huo Xing Chen chuckled before glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng, sighed to himself silently.
He realised something from the way Yang Kai addressed Qiu Yi Meng; by only using her surname.
Dong Qing Han and Dong Qing Yan also came, calling out to their cousin, livening up the atmosphere even more.
Yang Kai’s gaze suddenly turned to a certain spot next, however, as three streaks of light hurriedly rushed over towards him.
When these lights dispersed, three figures appeared.
The first was a man with a sage-like temperament who was dressed in clean scholarly robes, followed by a man with a tall stature and a woman who seemed quite cute and petite.
Yang Kai stood before these three and bowed lightly, “Grand Master!”
Ling Tai Xu nodded repeatedly, laughing heartily, “Good, good, it’s good that you’re back.”
“Father, mother!” Yang Kai next turned to the pair standing behind Ling Tai Xu and bowed again.
The Yang Family Fourth Master was a man of iron, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t find the right words to say and could only wipe the corners of his eyes quietly and nod, “Your Mother… missed you very much.”
There was no need to say this, though, as Dong Su Zhu was already crying like a child suffering from unimaginable grievances. Hurriedly, she flew forward and hugged Yang Kai tightly, weeping uncontrollable, unable to form any words at all.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai could only smile.
Several dozen years had passed, but his mother’s childish character had not changed in the slightest, a fact that allowed him to relax unconsciously.
“Why you, what kind of cultivation do you have now? Why can’t I sense anything from you at all?” Huo Xing Chen walked up carelessly and circled Yang Kai as he asked in surprise.
Everyone else was also taken aback and released their Divine Senses to scan Yang Kai’s body.
However, none of them achieved anything, feeling like their Divine Senses were simply sinking into the ocean, unable to create the slightest ripple.
This discovery shocked everyone and made them subconsciously feel that Yang Kai’s current cultivation had already surpassed the level of Tong Xuan Realm.
“The Origin Returning Realm,” Yang Kai let go of Dong Su Zhu and patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. He did not know how to explain to everyone what the Origin Realm was, so after a moment he simply said, “En, two Great Realms above the Saint Realm.”
Gasps resounded from all around.
The Saint Realm was the pinnacle of Tong Xuan Realm, and above it was the Saint King Realm, but throughout the ages, only the Great Demon God had reached that realm.
But now, Yang Kai had surpassed this legendary realm, taking a further step on the Martial Dao.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful eyes dimmed suddenly as bitterness flooded her heart.
She suddenly felt as if there were a thousand mountains and rivers between herself and Yang Kai. He now stood high up amongst the clouds while she was still stuck on the ground looking up, unable to reach him at all.
Huo Xing Chen pursed his dry lips as he gave a wry smile while glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng, not knowing how he should comfort her.
Although the Qiu Family’s Young Matriarch had an outstanding aptitude and hadn’t needed to worry about cultivation resources after she came to Tong Xuan Realm, she was still just a Third-Order Transcendent now, not even reaching the point of True Qi Sanctification yet.
The gap was simply too big…
“The outside world is filled with so many unimaginable and exciting things, I’ll tell you all about them, but let’s go back first,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“En, en, let’s return first!” Yang Ying Feng nodded and yelled spiritedly.
This group of people then rushed back down to War Spirit Temple’s grounds.
Inside a grand hall, everyone sat together watching Yang Kai and listening to him talk about the strange and wonderful Star Field.
“Kai’er, are there really countless Cultivation Stars in the vast Star Field?” Ling Tai Xu asked in disbelief.
“En, I alone have visited around six or seven Cultivation Stars. In addition, there are Ore Stars and Medicine Stars suitable for mining ore and cultivating herbs,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“Incredible,” Huo Xing Chen’s jaw dropped so far, he could nearly fit his fist inside.
“In the Star Field, are Saints weak?” Dong Qing Han asked timidly. After several dozen years, Fatty Dong was chubbier than ever.
“Very weak,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “In the Star Field, most cultivators can reach the Saint Realm, and those with good aptitude can do so by their twenties or thirties.”
Everyone looked at each other with a look of shame.
There was only one person sitting here who was a Saint, Ling Tai Xu, the Sect Master of High Heaven Pavilion. Others who had astounding aptitude, like Qiu Yi Meng, had only reached the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, while Fatty Dong and Huo Xing Chen had both just broken through to become Transcendents.
The younger generation here was nearly fifty years old and used to think highly of their own achievements, but now when Yang Kai talked about the situation in the Star Field, they couldn’t help feeling ashamed, wishing they could find holes to crawl into and hide.
“The frog at the bottom of the well is unaware of how vast the sky truly is!” Ling Tai Xu sighed deeply.
“Grand Master need not belittle himself so improperly. The cultivators in the Star Field can achieve this kind of feat because the World Energy of their Cultivation Stars is extraordinarily rich. Tong Xuan Realm, on the other hand… is not suitable for cultivators to grow on. If given the same cultivation conditions, everyone here would have no trouble breaking through to the Saint Realm,” Yang Kai said seriously.
“Even if that is so, isn’t it extremely difficult to enter the Star Field?” Ling Tai Xu slowly shook his head as he laughed at himself, “Truthfully, your Grand Master and Brother Meng joined forces to try to enter the Star Field ten years ago, but the two of us barely got a hundred thousand kilometres from Tong Xuan Realm before we were forced to retreat. There seems to be a kind of magical power flooding the Star Field that pressures one from all directions. If one’s physique is not strong enough, it seems they cannot even survive for long in that environment much less explore it.”
“The power of the Starry Sky,” Yang Kai gently nodded, but soon grinned and said, “But Grand Master need not worry about this. I’ve returned this time to take all of you to the Star Field, to a better Cultivation Star.”
Inside the hall, the expressions of everyone turned excited as they looked to Yang Kai in surprise.
“Really?”
“How are you going to do that?”
“There’s so many of us, can you really take all of us?”
Everyone asked in a rush, obviously interested, and extremely excited about what Yang Kai just told them. They could not wait to leave this backward place and travel to a star with far richer World Energy where they, just like Yang Kai, could see a wider and more wondrous world.
Although everyone was excited, they also understood that leaving Tong Xuan Realm and entering the Star Field would not be a simple matter.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya had been unsuccessful even after teaming up, so the difficulty could easily be imagined.
But now that Yang Kai had issued such a statement, everyone’s hopes were roused.
“Settle down, settle down!” Ling Tai Xu waved his hand and called for order, “Since Little Yang Kai has made such an announcement, he surely has a solution to this problem, yes?”
Saying so, he looked towards Yang Kai with a smile.
“Grand Master understands well, it truly won’t be a problem to bring all of you to the Star Field. En, in fact, not just everyone here, but also all your clansmen and even all of Nine Heavens Holy Land. It will just take a little time to organize everyone but we can all go at once.”
“All at once?” This time Ling Tai Xu was also shocked.
War Spirit Temple and Shattering Mystical Palace currently housed three or four thousand people from the Central Capital while Nine Heavens Holy Land had more than two thousand disciples.
Adding these two groups together yielded as many as six thousand people. How was Yang Kai going to take away such a massive group with him? The power of the Starry Sky was extremely oppressive, and even if he was an Origin Returning Realm master, Yang Kai couldn’t possibly shelter so many people.
“En, I have my methods, Grand Master need not worry,” Yang Kai grinned, “The key is whether you are willing to go.”
“Of course we’re willing!” Huo Xing Chen called out immediately and eagerly, “When will we be leaving?”
“Haha, Brother Huo doesn’t need to be in such a rush. Although you are the Patriarch of a family, this kind of important matter still needs to be discussed with your clansmen. Perhaps there will be some who don’t wish to leave here. If you are willing to come with me, you’re more than welcome, if not, I won’t force you. En, this goes for the Qiu Family, Yang Family, Dong Family, and everyone else. Sister Qiu, Big Brother, Cousin, you are now all leaders of your various families, so you should discuss this matter carefully with your respective Elders.”
“We know,” Yang Wei and Dong Qing Han nodded.
Qiu Yi Meng also nodded in agreement, her previously dim eyes showing a glowing lustre again after hearing this news.
If she was able to enter the Star Field, she would be able to reach a higher level, and although she didn’t believe she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Yang Kai, narrowing the distance between them should be possible. Perhaps one day, she would be able to touch him…
She saw a faint hope, but that was enough to restore her radiant look.
“Does that mean we won’t be separated from each for so long again?” Dong Su Zhu looked at Yang Kai excitedly.
Yang Kai was her only child, but since he turned thirteen years old, she had barely spent any time with him. It was not so bad at first as, although she couldn’t see Yang Kai, she at least knew he was in High Heaven Pavilion and living well while, during the Inheritance War, Yang Kai was only a hundred kilometres away from her.
But since Yang Kai left Tong Xuan Realm and journeyed to the Star Field, not only had she not been able to see him for thirty years, she wasn’t even able to hear a single bit of news about him.
Had it not been for Yang Ying Feng’s painstaking efforts to soothe her mood these years, Dong Su Zhu would have already collapsed.
Today, learning that she could also go to the Star Field with her son, Dong Su Zhu was incredibly elated.
Yang Kai looked at her and gently nodded.
Dong Su Zhu laughed joyfully as she smiled from the bottom of her heart.
“This matter can’t be delayed, I’m going right now to convince those old fogies.” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t sit still and quickly got up and left, a look on his face saying he wouldn’t allow anyone to dare disagree with him.
“I’ll go too,” Yang Zhao also got up and left.
Qiu Yi Meng followed close behind.
None of them were willing to waste any time.
All of them longed to see a higher level of the Martial Dao and experience the mysteries of the Star Field.
Soon, only Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai’s parents were left in the hall.
Their family had at last reunited.
There were endless words and endless thoughts to exchange.
After learning that Yang Kai still couldn’t find Su Yan’s whereabouts, Dong Su Zhu sighed and comforted him.
She liked her daughter-in-law Su Yan very much.
“Little brat, you worrying whole-heartedly about Su Yan is fine and all, but have you ever given any thought about how to deal with the ones you’ve left behind here?” Yang Ying Feng suddenly looked at Yang Kai and asked pointedly.
“Little Senior Sister?” Yang Kai chuckled, “I’ve already gone to see her, but there seems to be a little something wrong with her so I’ll have to speak with her carefully when she wakes up.”
“Don’t play dumb!” Yang Ying Feng glared at him, “There’s more than Xia Ning Chang here, there are several others.”
“Since when were there so many?” Yang Kai asked back with a wronged look.
“Hmph, there’s one here in War Spirit Temple and two over at Twin Spirit Pavilion! You think your Father is blind?” Yang Ying Feng snickered, “You may not have said anything to your Father, but he is clearer about this than anyone.”
Yang Kai instantly blushed awkwardly.
Dong Su Zhu simply giggled to the side while quietly raising her thumb up to Yang Kai. Yang Ying Feng had been deeply in love with her his entire life and she was his only wife, a fact she was quite satisfied with; however, when it came to her son, she hoped he would be accompanied by many beauties. The best case would be for him to quickly give her one or two… no, ten grandchildren so that she and his father would not be bored in the future.
Even if Yang Kai wasn’t there to attend to them, they could busy themselves raising their grandchildren.
“Good, good, let’s not interfere in the matters of the young. Yang Kai is not an unreasonable boy anymore, he will obviously treat those little girls appropriately,” Ling Tai Xu interjected.
With his Master speaking, Yang Ying Feng immediately shrank his head before nodding.
All of War Spirit Temple and Shattering Mystical Palace were abuzz with activity as the big families who had come here with Yang Kai held high-level meetings, everyone seemingly discussing something of great importance.
Everyone soon learned that Yang Kai had returned and also that they were being given an opportunity to travel to the Star Field.
No one would be forced, though. Everything was voluntary.
Nine Heavens Holy Land also received a message from Yang Kai and reacted in a similar fashion to War Spirit Temple’s side. In addition, Yang Kai sent a message to Soaring Heaven Sect.
Two days later, Yang Kai returned to Nine Heavens Holy Land.
He went directly to the cultivation room where Xia Ning Chang was in seclusion.
Little Senior Sister was still asleep, however. It seemed like her recent cultivation deviation had exhausted her quite a bit.
Yang Kai came up to her, held her jade white hand, and poured some Saint Qi into her body gently.
After a while, Xia Ning Chang’s long eyelashes fluttered and Yang Kai sat down on the edge of her bed, facing her with a warm smile.
Soon after, Xia Ning Chang opened her beautiful eyes, and when she saw Yang Kai’s face, she instantly fixated on him.
Four eyes suddenly met, just like they had accidentally back in the Nine Yin Mountain Valley all those years ago.
There was warmth as well as a slight hint of panic.
Soon though, Xia Ning Chang pursed her lips and tittered lightly.
“Why are you laughing?” Yang Kai asked while looking at her with a smile.
“Because this dream has lasted so long!” Xia Ning Chang held Yang Kai’s big hand tightly, as if she was unwilling to let go.
Yang Kai grinned, leaning down, and kissed her jewel-like red lips affectionately.
Little Senior Sister instantly found it difficult to breathe.
As their lips overlapped and pressed against one another, her temperature rose and her beautiful eyes became blurred.
“In your dreams, do you do these kinds of things with me?” Yang Kai looked at her meaningfully.
Xia Ning Chang’s pretty face immediately blushed as she shifted her body to bury her head in Yang Kai’s clothes, seemingly afraid to meet eyes with him again.
Yang Kai got the answer he was looking for and laughed happily.
Suddenly, Xia Ning Chang’s tender body trembled and she hurriedly sat up before freezing in place. Her beautiful eyes focused on Yang Kai’s face as surprised and doubt flashed across them.
“Junior Brother, you…” Xia Ning Chang opened her mouth, her brows furrowed cutely, seemingly still somewhat confused.
“I’m back,” Yang Kai said softly.
Little Senior Sister immediately covered her delicate mouth with her hands as her limpid eyes filled with mist.
Tears began sliding down her cheek as her eyes quickly turned red.
She finally realized that everything was real, that she wasn’t dreaming.
The man who she had been thinking about every day for the past several decades was now here, sitting on her bed, looking at her affectionately. Xia Ning Chang’s heart nearly melted from the tender affection she felt at this moment.
She couldn’t believe it!
“I’m really back,” Yang Kai stretched out his hands and embraced her tightly, pressing their bodies together as if he wanted them to become one.
A light whimper came from Xia Ning Chang as she hugged Yang Kai back just as tightly, cries leaking from her lips.
These cries pierced Yang Kai’s heart.
Straightening himself up, Yang Kai forcefully blocked her cries.
Soon, clothing was scattered, and a spring-like atmosphere filled the room.
All lovesickness and longing that had been fermenting over the past few decades all burst forth at this moment, transforming into a pure happiness and passion that made Xia Ning Chang lose herself in bliss.
Love between men and women had always been this way.
After an hour, a completely energized and rejuvenated Yang Kai took big strides out from the cultivation room.
By his side, Xia Ning Chang wore a veil and followed with her head down in embarrassment.
Her exquisite earlobes and slender neck were still a light shade of pink.
Like a withered flower which had just been watered by the spring rain, Xia Ning Chang at this moment had an unimaginably sensuous aura around her which was enough to drive even the most sage-like men mad with fervour.
The pair’s hands were closely linked, just like their hearts.
From nearby, a flash of light quickly approached, seemingly looking to discuss something with Yang Kai, but after seeing this scene, this figure immediately turned around and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“Master…” Xia Ning Chang whispered, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into and hide herself.
Naturally, she saw that the person who had escaped just now was Meng Wu Ya.
Yang Kai grinned and laughed foolishly, resulting in Xia Ning Chang biting her red lips and stomping her foot in annoyance.
“Forget it, it must not have been important otherwise Treasurer Meng wouldn’t have just left,” Yang Kai comforted, “Right, Little Senior Sister, I have something to ask you.”
“What’s the matter?” Xia Ning Chang looked up at him timidly, met Yang Kai’s gaze, then quickly turned aside shyly.
This shy appearance caused Yang Kai’s blood to boil and he very much wanted to turn around right then and there to return to that secluded room…
Circulating his Saint Qi to suppress these urges with great difficulty, Yang Kai wore a solemn look and asked, “When I helped you smooth the flow of your Saint Qi, I discovered a strange grey Qi in your body; what was it?”
“That thing…” Xia Ning Chang heard this and frowned slightly as she replied, “Actually, I don’t know either.”
“You don’t know?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“En, it followed me all by itself, oh, where did it go?” Xia Ning Chang suddenly found that something was wrong. The mysterious grey Qi that had always existed in her body had disappeared at this moment.
After asking Xia Ning Chang carefully about the issue, Yang Kai realized that it was a coincidence that she managed to obtain that grey Qi.
It was just after Yang Kai had left Tong Xuan Realm, and Xia Ning Chang was feeling incredibly lonely. In order to pass the time, she could only sit in Nine Heavens Holy Land and refine pills every day.
She possessed the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, so performing Alchemy was the same as cultivation to her.
While a large number of pills were refined, Xia Ning Chang’s own cultivation increased at a terrifying speed, without any kind of bottleneck at all.
After only a few years of hard work, she had become a Saint, catching up to Yang Kai’s cultivation when he had left.
Then one day, bored, she secretly ran out to travel alone and encountered this grey Qi in a hidden underground cave.
Since she collected that grey Qi, her cultivation pace became even more astonishing. Within just ten years, she broke through from the Saint Realm to the Saint King Realm, and another ten years later reached the Second-Order Saint King Realm.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed was something that ordinary disciples of great forces on Shadowed Star may not be able to achieve it.
But in this barren Tong Xuan Realm, Little Senior Sister had accomplished such a feat.
The reason Xia Ning Chang had her current achievements was inseparable from that mass of grey Qi.
“After you obtained it, did you feel any discomfort?” Yang Kai asked seriously.
“There wasn’t any kind of discomfort per se,” Xia Ning Chang thought carefully, “It’s just that sometimes I would suddenly feel tired and become lethargic, not even wanting to think. Hehe, it was almost as if I suddenly became old.”
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Junior Brother, is there some kind of issue with that thing?” Xia Ning Chang asked.
“I can’t say for certain whether it is a blessing or a curse,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, a little worried.
“Then what is it?”
“I’m not certain, but I have a guess. If this guess is correct… Then, this is an astonishing opportunity for Little Senior Sister!” Yang Kai looked at Xia Ning Chang with scorching eyes and an excited expression.
This vague guess was enough to make his blood boil!
“Right, where did you obtain it, do you remember?”
“En,” Xia Ning Chang nodded.
“Take me there!” Yang Kai said, reaching out to embrace Xia Ning Chang’s slender waist, summoning his Star Shuttle, and shooting out like a bolt of lightning from Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Following the route Little Senior Sister laid out, Yang Kai flew through the air with her at great speed.
Only a day later, the pair arrived in the sky above a certain mountain range tens of thousands of kilometres long.
Xia Ning Chang’s memory was excellent, so even after more than twenty years, she still clearly remembered the exact spot she found the grey Qi that day.
Soon, the two landed in a secluded mountain valley and Yang Kai put away his Star Shuttle. Xia Ning Chang then led the way forward on foot.
Not long after, a deep and dark cave appeared before the pair, Xia Ning Chang pointed to it, and said, “Junior Brother, I was exploring this cave and found that thing at the deepest level.”
“Then let’s go in and take a look,” Yang Kai smiled. Emboldened by his strength, he took Xia Ning Chang’s hand and dove into the cave.
It was extremely dark inside, and the air was still, but not damp.
As soon as he entered the cave, Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly.
He felt the World Energy aura was incredibly rich in this cave!
Of course, it was only rich compared to other places on Tong Xuan Realm and could not be compared to other famous Cultivation Stars like Shadowed Star in the Star Field.
Nevertheless, this was still quite a rare find.
Moreover, the deeper they dove, the richer the aura became.
Yang Kai’s expression grew brighter as he became more and more certain his guess was correct. Otherwise, there would be no other explanation for the increasingly dense World Energy aura here.
This really was a Heaven-sent opportunity for Little Senior Sister! If that grey Qi was handled well enough, it would bring Xia Ning Chang unimaginable benefits, akin to allowing her to emerge from a cocoon and transform into a butterfly.
The two held hands as they descended step by step.
Suddenly, Yang Kai seemed to feel something and quickly paused.
At the same time, Little Senior Sister cheered happily, “It’s here, I can feel it!”
A mass of mysterious energy was approaching from the front at an extremely rapid speed. Yang Kai Divine Sense swept out and confirmed that the approaching energy was the same one he had extracted from Little Senior Sister a few days ago.
The grey Qi had sunk into the ground that day and returned to where it was originally located, but now that it felt Xia Ning Chang’s aura, it had come out on its own to meet her.
A moment later, the grey Qi arrived in front of them.
However, it did not dare leap out towards Xia Ning Chang directly and instead stopped about ten metres away from Yang Kai.
It felt threatened by Yang Kai!
“Junior Brother…” Xia Ning Chang looked at him and asked for his opinion.
“Let it come. I didn’t want to startle it that day, I just wanted to see what it was,” Yang Kai backed off and gave way.
Xia Ning Chang called out immediately, and as if it sensed her beckoning, the grey Qi flew past Yang Kai and sank directly into Xia Ning Chang’s chest, disappearing in the next instant.
Xia Ning Chang’s tender body shivered slightly as she let out a slight gasp.
A flash of golden light suddenly burst from Yang Kai’s left eye as a narrow and majestic golden pupil appeared, staring towards Xia Ning Chang.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Under his penetrating gaze, Yang Kai saw Little Senior Sister receive the mass of grey Qi into her body, after which a grey aura that was invisible to the naked eye emerged around her.
This kind of aura was generally only possessed by extremely long-lived elders, and once it appeared it would signify that its owner did not have long to live.
Little Senior Sister was still at the height of her youth, so the only reason she would possess such an aura was because of the grey Qi!
Yang Kai was not surprised by this, however, seemingly having expected it all along, so he didn’t become anxious and instead just beckoned to Little Senior Sister and said, “Come with me!”
Xia Ning Chang gently nodded and followed behind Yang Kai step by step.
The two continued deeper for quite some time and distance. Along the way, Yang Kai felt the surrounding World Energy aura grow denser and denser, but despite the aura being so rich, it didn’t give Yang Kai any sense of comfort; on the contrary, it gave him a slightly depressed feeling.
When the surrounding World Energy density reached nearly the same level as Shadowed Star’s average, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang came to a huge underground cave.
A faint source of light seemed to be shining from the ground up ahead and seemed to be sending out some kind of inaudible message, beckoning the two of them to come forward.
Receiving this call, Xia Ning Chang’s beautiful eyes became dazed and her body began to step forward unconsciously, like a moth to the flame.
Yang Kai’s face sank, and he let out a low grunt while sending a pulse of his Divine Sense straight into Xia Ning Chang’s Knowledge Sea.
Little Senior Sister’s tender body shuddered, and her face turned pale as the blankness in her eyes disappeared. After recovering her senses, a look of fear filled her face.
“Junior Brother, I…” Xia Ning Chang was a little at a loss. She did not know what was wrong just now, but it felt as if some external force had overridden her will and was forcing her to act without her consent.
“En, look over there!” Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction.
Xia Ning Chang looked in the direction he pointed and her beautiful eyes trembled.
There was a large pile of corpses, all of them extremely dried up, some of which had changed completely into ashes, but from the traces that could be seen on some of the bleached bones, it was clear that these people had all of their strength and vitality rapidly drained away, leading to their deaths.
“Who are these people, why did they all die here?” Xia Ning Chang leaned against Yang Kai, seemingly trying to find some sense of security.
“If my guess is correct, they all had similar experiences to yours.”
“The same as me?” Xia Ning Chang frowned in confusion for a moment, but she was both beautiful and intelligent so after some quick contemplation she understood, “You mean, they all obtained that grey Qi before?”
“Probably,” Yang Kai nodded.
“But why…” Xia Ning Chang only felt cold all over as the scene from just now appeared in her mind again. If not for Yang Kai promptly waking her up, her fate would likely have been the same as these unfortunate souls.
“Because the main body of that grey Qi wanted to supplement its strength. It chose you and nurtured you to make you stronger because the stronger you became, the more benefits it could obtain.”
“Why would it want to do this?” Xia Ning Chang looked puzzled.
“Because it’s about to die!” Yang Kai replied with a shrug of his shoulders, “These are all my guesses, but we should be able to tell if they’re correct soon enough.”
Saying so, Yang Kai held Xia Ning Chang’s hand and walked forward.
As the pair stepped through the sea of bones, a horrifying crackling sound occasionally rang out, sending shivers up their spines.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he observed the faint light up ahead.
Not long after, the pair arrived at the source of this light.
A deep underground chasm appeared in front of the pair, one that was so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom, but if one looked down, they could see a faint grey light deep into the abyss, like a massive burning lamp.
This light was extremely dim, and its colour was exactly the same as the grey Qi obtained by Xia Ning Chang.
“As expected!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. After seeing the huge, gloomy lamp-like light, he immediately affirmed his previous guesses.
“Junior Brother, what is this?” Xia Ning Chang looked at the grey fire suspiciously, faintly feeling that the grey Qi in her body was closely related to it, as if the two were one existence.
“The Star Source!” Yang Kai muttered as his expression suddenly filled with excitement.
“Star Source?” Xia Ning Chang was confused.
“Any Cultivation Star will have a source of power, akin to the star’s life made manifest. This source is the key to the survival of this star, like a heart!” Yang Kai calmly explained. “Because there is a Star Source, a star will have vitality. Without it, the star will become a Dead Star. There are countless such stars in the Star Field, perhaps all of them at one point supported life, but over time, and the weakening and eventual death of their Star Sources, this vitality also ceased to exist. Humans fade out just like lamps, but so do stars. Once the Star Source in front of you disappears, Tong Xuan Realm will also die and become a Dead Star.”
Xia Ning Chang looked at Yang Kai in total surprise.
She had never thought that even stars were born, aged, weakened, then eventually died. Yang Kai’s words undoubtedly gave her a great shock.
However, since it was her Junior Brother, she naturally believed him.
Thinking of Tong Xuan Realm completely losing its vitality and collapsing into a silent wasteland, Xia Ning Chang’s tender body couldn’t help shiver. She couldn’t imagine just how many would suffer and die if Tong Xuan Realm were really to suffer such a fate.
She suddenly felt extremely forlorn.
“Junior Brother, do you have a way to reinvigorate it?” Xia Ning Chang suddenly asked.
Yang Kai turned his head to her and gently nodded.
“How? Junior Brother, please teach me!” Xia Ning Chang bit her red lips and said eagerly.
“You are the key,” Yang Kai took a deep breath, “Although a Star Source has its own life, it does not possess sentience and is instead a kind of massive gathering of profundities. It choosing you was originally to absorb you, after which Tong Xuan Realm could replenish itself somewhat and delay its approaching death, but if this is handled well, not only will we be able to fully rejuvenate Tong Xuan Realm, but Little Senior Sister will also gain enormous benefits.”
Xia Ning Chang was again shocked.
Yang Kai turned his head away from her and towards the massive grey flames down below.
A Star Source! Since he entered the Star Field, he had often heard about such things, but he had never truly witnessed one before.
Whether the mass of energy in the depths of the floating continent was its Star Source or not remained to be verified.
It could be said that the massive grey fireball in front of him was the first Star Source he had seen!
This was a Heaven-sent opportunity!
The power of a Star Source was extremely terrifying, and anyone who wanted to even approach it had to take a huge risk. It was for this reason that even Origin Kings didn’t dare get close to a Cultivation Star’s Source at will.
Star Sources were also incredibly difficult to refine, and if one was not careful in the process, they would suffer backlash from the full power of a star and instantly die.
Throughout the ages, many Origin King Realm masters had been born in the Star Field who later died while trying to refine a Star Source.
In the current Star Field, there were countless Cultivation Stars; however, there were only a handful of masters who had refined a Star Source and become a true Star Master.
There was no Origin King who treated their own life casually. Many would rather spend their lives cultivating desperately rather than rushing to refine a Star Source.
But now, such an opportunity lay in front of Xia Ning Chang.
Compared with other Cultivation Star Sources, Tong Xuan Realm’s was undoubtedly old and dying.
Because of this, when Xia Ning Chang was possessed by this Source, she would occasionally feel lethargic, lazy, and aged.
It wasn’t because she had become old, but rather that the Star Source was approaching its death!
This Star Source itself had chosen Xia Ning Chang and allowed her to partially refine it.
Although Xia Ning Chang was only a Second-Order Saint King and lacked in terms of cultivation, if she had enough perseverance and courage, she may be able to fully refine this ageing Star Source.
Even Yang Kai was a little envious of this opportunity!
Although there were no doubt some dangers, the arrow had already been shot from its bow so there was no turning back.
The Star Source was already closely connected with Xia Ning Chang, and if it were to perish, Xia Ning Chang would inevitably follow it to the grave. Only by completely refining it would both have a chance to survive.
In the future, as Xia Ning Chang grew and became stronger, this mass of grey flames would also have an opportunity to re-ignite and rejuvenate Tong Xuan Realm with vitality.
Of course, the premise was that Xia Ning Chang became strong enough!
After Yang Kai explained the truth of the matter and what was at stake, Xia Ning Chang nodded without hesitation, “I’m willing to refine it!”
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback at first, but soon smiled and nodded, “Alright, in fact, Little Senior Sister doesn’t need to worry too much. Since it has already chosen you, it must have already decided that you were compatible. Little Senior Sister only needs to work hard to let it fully accept and integrate with you. Once you succeed, you will no longer be separable, and you will become the Star Master of Tong Xuan Realm, the supreme ruler of this star, its destiny and glory will be yours to determine!”
“En,” Xia Ning Chang is nodded heavily, not overwhelmed by the glorious prospects described by Yang Kai but instead asking seriously, “But how exactly should I refine it?”
“Come here, I’ll pass you a special Secret Art for refining Star Sources,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before pulling Xia Ning Chang to sit down nearby.
After Xia Ning Chang let go of her Knowledge Sea defences, Yang Kai sent his Soul Avatar into her Knowledge Sea and began to teach her a profound and mysterious Secret Art.
Star Refining Art!
This was something Yang Kai obtained from the Emperor Garden.
Yang Kai had thought he would have to wait until he needed to refine a Star Source before using this particular Secret Art, but now it had unexpectedly benefited Xia Ning Chang.
This Secret Art had been hidden inside a Stone Monument.
That day, Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had encountered Xue Yue in the Emperor Garden and, as a result of their battle, the Stone Monument was destroyed. A stone tablet had emerged from the debris of the Stone Monument with three ancient words inscribed on it.
Xue Yue seemed to value this stone tablet greatly and practically begged Yang Kai to give it to her.
Yang Kai had almost complied.
But in the end, Xue Yue had missed the opportunity to obtain the stone tablet because the Emperor Garden had suddenly closed.
After returning to High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai had studied this stone tablet carefully and realized that it contained a Secret Art called the Star Refining Art. The three ancient words on the stone tablet were the name of this Secret Art.
This Secret Art only had one use: to refine Star Sources. It had been passed down by the Starry Sky Great Emperor and was incredibly profound and mysterious.
Xia Ning Chang using it to refine this Star Source would absolutely yield twice the result with half the effort.
Passing this Secret Art to Xia Ning Chang was simple and only took Yang Kai about half a cup of tea’s time to complete. Not only had he given her the Secret Art itself, he had also passed her all of his own relevant experiences and enlightenments.
Withdrawing his Soul Avatar from her Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai waited quietly.
Xia Ning Chang needed time to understand this Star Refining Art.
The sun set and the moon rose as time silently passed by inside the cave.
After a full month, Xia Ning Chang suddenly opened her beautiful eyes and exhaled gently, her pretty face seeming a little tired but a glow of excitement still filling her expression.
“Junior Brother, I’m ready.”
“Let’s start then,” Yang Kai looked at her with firm eyes.
Xia Ning Chang nodded slightly, got up, and walked towards the crevice.
When she came to the edge of the abyss, she stared down at the mass of grey flames which leapt up from below and her mouth began moving slightly, seemingly communicating with the Star Source, “If by giving you my life, I could reignite you and save the star from death, I would be willing, but if not, please accept me, merge with me, and allow me to stand together with you. I will work hard to cultivate, become stronger as soon as possible, and restore your vitality!”
The huge grey flame below remained motionless, seemingly not reacting at all.
But soon, there was a loud sizzling as the grey flame flickered from side to side, as if it were a giant flower bud that was slowly blooming, allowing Xia Ning Chang inside.
A smile appeared on Xia Ning Chang’s face and she called out softly, “Thank you!”
As soon as these words fell, she jumped down.
Yang Kai’s face changed dramatically.
The situation had developed far faster than he had expected. He hadn’t realized that Little Senior Sister would act so decisively.
By the time he reacted, it was already too late to stop her.
Rushing to the edge of the abyss and looking down, Yang Kai saw that the massive grey flame had actually closed up again, sealing Little Senior Sister inside.
An indescribable force suddenly rushed up from below and threw Yang Kai out towards the distant rock face.
Even if this Star Source was waning and severely weakened, it was still not something Yang Kai could approach easily.
It obviously did not want Yang Kai to interfere with the process.
Yang Kai got up from the ground, his face gloomy, but fortunately he could still feel Little Senior Sister’s aura down below.
And so, he began an extremely nervous wait.
There was nothing he could do to interfere now; he could only wait for the results to appear.
Suddenly, a mystical aura began to defuse through the underground abyss, one that soothed Yang Kai’s irritable mood.
Frowning slightly, he immersed himself in sensing this aura.
Faintly, he seemed to be able to comprehend something.
Hastily closing his eyes, Yang Kai began to investigate carefully.
In the vast Star Field, amidst the endless darkness, there was nothing, not even light. This seemed to be an extremely ancient age, one that was impossible to trace.
Yang Kai looked around but could not see anything, not even himself.
Time passed little by little in this desolate loneliness.
He didn’t know how many hundreds of thousands of years passed, but all of a sudden, one day, amidst the dark and boundless Star Field, a little light suddenly appeared. This light was small at first, but it soon spread out like fire across a prairie.
The entire Star Field became turbulent from this massive shockwave of energy.
Millions of large or small meteorites flew about before gathering together and merging under the influence of some kind of magical force.
Many grains of sand would eventually build a tower, and gradually, a star appeared in the Star Field.
This was a newly born star, without any energy fluctuations, and still engulfed in darkness. It drifted along like a helpless child wandering the vast Star Field without any destination, even forgetting where it originally came from.
Millions of years passed, and finally, this wandering star arrived at a massive Sun Star and for the first time felt a gentle light full of warmth.
It stopped here and began to orbit around this Sun Star.
Gradually, life began to sprout on its surface as green plants and flowers pushed up from the ground.
After millions of years of evolution, finally, sentient creatures began to appear on this star. They were ancient creatures belonging to the oldest of races.
They eagerly learnt, grew, and became stronger as they lived.
They branched out and soon split into different races.
Human Race, Monster Race, Demon Race, and many other strange races.
No longer satisfied with the life they currently had, these races began to fight for various resources, discovered ways to make themselves stronger, and eventually began to cultivate.
Some races perished while others rose and became stronger.
Silavin: Hey guys, I just read a few comments and this has been coming up over and over again.
‘What happened to Yang Kai’s Demonic Transformation?’
It has merged with his Yang Qi to form the Demonic Black Flame.
To be fair, it is logical to think he is still able to use it. But, then again, he also does not use Yang Qi anymore. So, we could think of it that the two Qis within his body has fully merged, which created the Demonic Black Flame.
As time passed, and as the evolution of the various races continued, this star gradually became colourful and filled with energy. As the major races grew prosperous, the star itself also prospered.
All living beings drew energy from the star unrestrainedly, obtaining various things that were beneficial to themselves.
At some point, however, the star began to grow old.
It no longer had as much energy for the beings to cultivate with, and it no longer had excess energy to give birth to precious and rare cultivation materials.
It began to become barren. It was strong in will but weak in strength, and looking at the countless creatures living on it, it felt helpless.
The prosperity of ancient times gradually faded away and the World Energy aura became thinner and thinner. At the same time, the cultivation realms of cultivators became lower and lower.
No one could sense higher levels of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
It had grown old, like a kind father, a kind mother, who took pains to raise its children, raising them with unconditional love, granting them every request it could without complaint.
However, it could no longer provide any more help to its children.
It had once been youthful and full of vitality, but now, it could barely manage to maintain its feeble existence.
Its children call it Tong Xuan Realm!
…..
Yang Kai woke up from that mysterious state, and his eyes flashed with the vicissitudes of life.
He had witnessed the birth of a Cultivation Star, watched it prosper, weaken, and gradually tread upon the path to death. Like this Cultivation Star, he had seemingly experienced hundreds of millions of years, giving him an indescribable feeling.
Yang Kai’s state of mind and mood received an unprecedented consolidation. At this moment, his understanding of the world had reached an incredible height, just like a wise man who had lived countless years, his eyes flashing with wisdom.
He felt that even if he broke through to the Origin King Realm right now, his mental state would not have a single flaw!
His perception of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way had now far surpassed his own cultivation!
The improvement of one’s mental state normally required a great accumulation of time and for one to experience the world around them, which happened to coincide with the strange experience Yang Kai just had.
The cultivation of one’s mood and state of mind was ethereal and unexplainable, but it was no doubt real, something each individual had to sense and evaluate independently. Yang Kai had not expected that Little Senior Sister refining the Star Source would let him benefit in such a way.
He wanted to immerse himself in that wonderful atmosphere again, but no matter how he tried, he could not find a way to enter that mysterious state.
This made him sigh a little.
Suddenly, Yang Kai seemed to have noticed something, and his expression sank. Quickly getting up, he rushed over to the edge of the crevice.
He could hear Little Senior Sister’s pained groans coming from down below, as if she was experiencing extreme hardship!
Reaching the edge, Yang Kai only saw the massive swaying grey flames, with Little Senior Sister nowhere to be seen. However, he could still feel that Xia Ning Chang was wrapped in the grey fire, tossing about somewhat violently.
The surrounding World Energy had gathered madly towards the underground cave from the surrounding several hundred-kilometre radii, possibly even further.
It seemed like all of Tong Xuan Realm’s World Energy had become a bit chaotic as a result.
Little Senior Sister’s cultivation realm was increasing at a terrifying speed at this moment.
Originally, she had only been a Second-Order Saint King, but at this moment, she had already reached the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm.
A moment later, she directly broke through to the Third-Order Saint King Realm!
This was just the beginning though and her cultivation continued to rise.
Soon it reached the peak Third-Order Saint King Realm and seemed to touch upon the threshold of the Origin Returning Realm!
Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked.
Such unrestrained breakthroughs in one’s cultivation would put a tremendous load on the body of a cultivator, but with Little Senior Sister’s aptitude, this should still be tolerable.
What worried Yang Kai was not this though, but rather it was the surrounding World Energy which… seemed to no longer be rushing towards this place.
The massive amount of World Energy which had gathered before had been consumed by Xia Ning Chang’s breakthrough to the Third-Order Saint King Realm and her attempt to reach the Origin Returning Realm.
Xia Ning Chang’s aura could also now faintly be felt from the massive grey flames, which showed that her fusion with the Star Source was proceeding very smoothly, but it was precisely because of this smoothness that Little Senior Sister was now facing difficulties.
There was no more World Energy for her to break through to the Origin Returning Realm, nor enough aura to receive her World Energy baptism once she did.
This was a breakthrough to a new Great Realm, and there was no room for any mistakes. If this breakthrough failed, with Xia Ning Chang’s current state of integration with Tong Xuan Realm’s Star Source, her fate would likely be miserable.
Yang Kai began worrying silently.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he thought up a solution.
If there was not enough World Energy, he could just use Saint Crystals instead! Yang Kai had not used Saint Crystals before when making breakthroughs because Shadowed Star’s World Energy aura was enough to fully meet his needs.
Now that the ambient World Energy of Tong Xuan Realm could not satisfy Little Senior Sister, however, he could simply use Saint Crystals to make up for the shortfall.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and his ring flashed, after which a massive number of white, shimmering Saint Crystals poured down like rain.
Before these Saint Crystals could reach the bottom of the abyss, they all exploded into dust and released an enormous amount of pure energy which then gathered toward the location of Xia Ning Chang and the huge grey flame.
Xia Ning Chang’s pained moans faded, and the chaotic aura down below began to calm. Even the swaying of the grey flames stabilized noticeably.
Yang Kai smiled happily and poured out more Saint Crystals.
For this long-distance voyage, he had brought a lot of Saint Crystals with him, including all that he had plundered from Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters that day, as well as some of what was in High Heaven Sect’s reserves.
At this moment, these hundreds of millions of Saint Crystals were all thrown into the crevice by Yang Kai.
The World Energy gradually grew richer, and the huge grey flame became vigorous. Little Senior Sister’s aura stabilized, and everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.
Yang Kai felt Xia Ning Chang’s aura rising rapidly and soon it broke through the shackles of the Third-Order Saint King Realm.
A stunning World Energy baptism followed!
The World Energy transformed from all the Saint Crystals Yang Kai had poured out converged into waves of fiercely surging aura that crashed towards Little Senior Sister like mighty ancient dragons.
A pair of small hands weaved back and forth inside the grey flame, forming a series of profound seals to guide the rush of World Energy from the baptism of breaking through to a new Great Realm to temper her body and spirit.
The whole process was shocking, but without much danger.
After the surging World Energy calmed down, the huge grey flame in the abyss down below suddenly disappeared.
The cave returned to a state of darkness.
However, from the tender body of Little Senior Sister, there was now a faint glow, like that of a goddess descending to the earth, solemn and inviolable.
Yang Kai stood above the abyss, looking at her quietly, dazzled by her in every way.
Little Senior Sister was now a genuine Origin Returning Realm master, and although she was just a First-Order, with Tong Xuan Realm’s Star Source and her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, her potential was surely unlimited.
Such terrifying potential even eclipsed Yang Kai’s.
He did not feel any sense of inferiority though, he just felt that he needed to work even harder in the future.
Otherwise, it would certainly be embarrassing if one day he was overtaken by his woman.
Little Senior Sister did not move, simply standing mid-air, her eyes closed eyes tightly, a profound look upon her pretty face, seemingly silently comprehending something.
Only after a long time did Xia Ning Chang suddenly open her beautiful eyes, a look of joy at her great harvest flashing across her face as she flew upwards.
Yang Kai smiled, stretched out his hand to hold her, and brought her into his embrace.
“Junior Brother, I seem to have surpassed the Saint King Realm,” Xia Ning Chang said excitedly.
“En, you have indeed,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
“What is this realm called? It gives me a strange but marvellous feeling.”
“The Origin Returning Realm, I too am currently in this realm. When one reaches this realm, their first priority is to condense their Shi. I will explain the process to you a little later when we have more time.”
“En.”
“Let’s head back first. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I’m afraid the people in the Holy Land should be growing somewhat restless by now,” Yang Kai suggested as he tried to lead Xia Ning Chang outside.
“Allow me,” Xia Ning Chang stopped him, with an eager expression on her face.
Yang Kai glanced at her before quickly understanding and gently nodding.
Xia Ning Chang stretched out a finger and tapped the air in front of her.
This gesture was made smoothly and innocently, as if it was simply gently caressing the air.
A vortex suddenly appeared as a result, however.
As soon as this vortex formed, Xia Ning Chang pulled Yang Kai into it.
When the two reappeared, Yang Kai suddenly found that he was already standing in Nine Heavens Holy Land, in front of the cultivation room Xia Ning Chang had been using for her retreat.
In one step, the two of them had crossed nearly a million kilometres!
Even Yang Kai who cultivated the Dao of Space could not achieve something of this level.
“Junior Brother was right, with this Star Source, I feel like I have become the master of this star. With a single thought, I can go to any place and even mobilize the energy of the entire star as I see fit,” Xia Ning Chang explained softly.
“This is the power of a Star Master,” Yang Kai smiled softly, “That’s why those Origin King Realm masters always want to refine Star Sources, because they can gain unimaginable benefits and insights from it. Little Senior Sister, Tong Xuan Realm and you are now inseparable. You are also the first person in history to refine a Star Source at the Saint King Realm. The prosperity or decline of this star in the future is now closely tied to your cultivation. Whether you can rejuvenate our homeland will depend completely on your efforts.”
When Yang Kai said so, Xia Ning Chang suddenly felt a heavy pressure.
It was as if the future of hundreds of millions of creatures on this star were now placed on her delicate shoulders.
But soon, Xia Ning Chang composed herself and nodded firmly, “I will definitely work hard to not let it die.”
“En, let’s go. Many people are waiting for us,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before pulling Xia Ning Chang towards a certain palace.
Yang Kai could sense countless familiar auras from this palace who seemed to be waiting for his arrival.
Inside Nine Heavens Holy Land’s largest meeting hall, the scene was quite crowded.
Representatives from the Human, Demon, and Monster Races had all assembled.
Almost all those of great status from the star were present.
This was an extremely terrifying force.
Although the number of people was large, the scene was actually extremely quiet as many would glance towards the hall’s entrance from time to time, seemingly anticipating someone’s arrival.
There was only one person in Tong Xuan Realm who could gather the masters of the Three Clans together like this and have them wait patiently for him for so many days.
Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Holy Master!
“Simply shameless!” Meng Wu Ya ground his teeth, feeling bitter in his heart as he pounded the arm of his chair angrily.
He thought that Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang had been spending the recent time lost in the throes of passion and completely forgotten about time.
It had been more than a month since the two of them last appeared, causing the masters from the Human, Demon, and Monster Races to wait for them idly, naturally causing Meng Wu Ya a great deal of embarrassment.
He had raised Xia Ning Chang for so many years and taught her diligently all that time. He was Xia Ning Chang’s only relative in this world.
But now, the moment Yang Kai returned, he had snatched up his treasured apprentice and taken her away from him!
Meng Wu Ya knew that this time there was no turning back. In Xia Ning Chang’s mind in the future, her master would always come second, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
The only consolation Meng Wu Ya took in all of this was that his precious disciple’s thirty years of waiting had not been in vain. That little bastard Yang Kai had finally returned.
The whole situation was really quite astonishing, and Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help shaking his head as he reflected upon it, a strange mix of emotions filling his heart.
The Great Seniors of the Monster Race and the Demon Generals of the Demon Race, on the other hand, were currently both occupied with each other. The masters from these two races were sitting opposite one another, their eyes glaring back and forth, making the atmosphere in the hall quite tense and strained.
Although the Three Clans had joined forces once thirty years ago, there had been many small scale conflicts between them over cultivation resources over the past few decades, and the friction between the Monster Race and Demon Race had been the most serious.
Fortunately, both the Monster Race Great Seniors and the Demon Generals understood how to exercise restraint and had not acted personally, otherwise, the conflict would definitely have escalated greatly.
Since it was just the younger generation and lower-level subordinates who were competing with one another, there was still some room for compromise.
The situation could remain calm when the masters from these two races were separated by millions of kilometres, but now that they were all here together in Nine Heavens Holy Land, and after spending many days in boredom, everyone was beginning to feel irritable, and Meng Wu Ya was beginning to have trouble suppressing the tensions between the two groups.
If it were not for him, Ling Tai Xu, and Chu Ling Xiao being present, three top-level Saint Realm masters from the Human Race, these two groups would likely already have begun to fight.
[Such a headache! That bastard boy has completely fallen into a land of tenderness and forgotten about the suffering of us old masters!]
At this moment, Meng Wu Ya scolded Yang Kai in his heart for his impropriety.
It was unknown which Great Senior from the Monster Race or which Demon General from the Demon Race that finally struck the other party’s nerves, but a quarrel eventually broke out. Initially, it was just two people competing with one another, but as the situation intensified, all of the Great Seniors and Demon Generals were drawn in to support their own side.
The situation soon became a bit chaotic.
Finally, Thunder Dragon Great Senior and Demon Commander Zhang Yuan also had to wade into the muddy waters.
“Thunder Dragon, this Senior has been in retreat in recent years, but has not been able to find a suitable opportunity to verify his results, why don’t the two of us take advantage of this rare meeting to compare notes?” Zhang Yuan looked at Thunder Dragon Great Senior with a smile, his eyes filled with an aggressive fighting spirit.
“Sounds good, this King also happened to have some gains over the years and happens to need an opponent to test them on. I’ve long heard that Brother Zhang Yuan’s Profound Heavenly Seal has unparalleled might. Even Brother Meng had suffered a lot as a result of it back then. This King is eager to experience it,” Thunder Dragon grinned back, unafraid.
“Don’t pull this old master into this!” Meng Wu Ya suddenly became disgruntled.
After being hit by Demon Commander Zhang Yuan’s Profound Heavenly Seal, most of Meng Wu Ya’s cultivation had been sealed, and he had to escape to the Great Han Dynasty to avoid calamity. It was the greatest shame of his life.
Although Zhang Yuan had used a powerful Spirit Array back then to help him to defeat Meng Wu Ya, this incident was still the one Meng Wu Ya disliked discussing the most.
Immediately, Thunder Dragon Great Senior and Demon Commander Zhang Yuan became locked in a confrontation. The two of them did not make any big movements, instead choosing to release their Divine Senses to silently compete with one another.
However, this kind of battle was actually far more dangerous than one where fists were being exchanged. One moment of carelessness and both of them could end up seriously wounded, their Souls possibly even being instantly extinguished.
Everyone in the hall understood this and grew solemn, the previous noise gradually subsiding as no one dared to disturb these two, all staring nervously at the master of their respective clan, fearing they might have an accident.
The powerful Divine Senses of two Third-Order Saints soon filled the entire hall, eliciting shock from the surrounding crowd with each violent exchange.
The battle quickly reached a fever pitch, with Thunder Dragon and Zhang Yuan both giving it their all but neither being able to obtain a decisive advantage.
The faces of the masters gradually turned pale as fine sweat began leaking from their foreheads, their Divine Sense conflict growing ever more dangerous.
Meng Wu Ya and the other masters present all wore solemn, ugly expressions.
None of them could intervene anymore and could only wait quietly for the outcome of the battle between Thunder Dragon and Zhang Yuan to be decided, but from the current situation, the most likely outcome would be both of them suffering a loss.
Once that happened, however, the tensions between the two races would only escalate, a result the Human masters here wanted to see the least.
“Where is Yang Kai?” Ling Tai Xu asked anxiously.
Meng Wu Ya shook his head as he truly didn’t know. He had gone to the cultivation room Xia Ning Chang was using a few days ago, but did not find any trace of Yang Kai or his Treasured Apprentice. No one knew where these two had gone now.
“The situation is deteriorating,” Soaring Heaven Sect’s Sect Master Chu Ling Xiao frowned. Things developing like this was somewhat unexpected.
At that moment though, a hearty laugh rang out from the entrance.
“It’s so lively here, when did the fighting start?”
As soon as this voice rang out, a pair of silhouettes appeared outside the door and Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, in her customary veil, walked in together.
Everyone was attracted by this voice and when they looked over they couldn’t help feeling a bit startled.
Many here had heard of Yang Kai’s return, but they were still doubtful until they saw him at this moment.
Meng Wu Ya’s eyes were attracted to Xia Ning Chang instantly as he narrowed them somewhat suspiciously. He felt that after this past month, his Treasured Apprentice had undergone some kind of intangible change, making her seem innately loftier and extra-mundane…
“Little Martial Nephew!” A soft voice called out as a pretty shadow rushed out from the hall and landed directly in front of Yang Kai. Smiling as she looked him up and down, she began nodding in approval and said, “Good, I’ve not seen you in a few dozen years but you’ve already become much more attractive as a man. Even Martial Aunt’s heart is fluttering a bit.”
Yang Kai’s face turned pitch-black as he subconsciously glanced over at Xia Ning Chang before coughing and saying with some embarrassment, “Martial Aunt, can’t you act a bit more dignified?”
His Martial Aunt, Fei Yu, heard this and immediately did the opposite, casting him a flirtatious and amorous gaze.
She had come here together with Chu Ling Xiao after receiving the news from Nine Heavens Holy Land that Yang Kai had returned.
Now that they had just met, Fei Yu had instantly begun toying with him.
Although feeling somewhat awkward, Yang Kai more-so felt warm-hearted. When he lived with his Martial Aunt Fei Yu in Soaring Heaven Sect, she had always acted free-spiritedly, often lying on the ground with her clothing in chaos after getting dead drunk, not putting up the slightest guard against him.
After several dozen years, seeing his Martial Aunt still acting the same, Yang Kai suddenly felt like he had gone back in time.
“Your Martial Aunt is still a full flower at the height of her youth!” Fei Yu snorted before smiling brightly and saying, “Cang Yan, Li Wan and Fei Jian are all here too together with Martial Ancestor!”
Saying so, she gestured towards the hall.
Yang Kai gently nodded, stepped forward, and said a few words with Cang Yan and his other Martial Uncles before arriving in front of Chu Ling Xiao and solemnly bowing, “Disciple Yang Kai, greets Martial Ancestor. Disciple apologizes for having made Martial Ancestor wait.”
“It’s okay, no need to be so polite,” Chu Ling Xiao nodded happily, releasing his Divine Sense to sweep Yang Kai but quickly discovering that just as Ling Tai Xu and the others had said, Yang Kai’s current cultivation had become unfathomable to the point that he could not sense anything about it.
Perceiving this, Chu Ling Xiao only smiled more heartily, “Yes, very good, very good! Sure enough, you’ve broken through the limits of this world. This old master is proud of you, in the future, it seems the important task of promoting the Sect must be handed over to you!”
“Martial Ancestor is too kind, disciple still has many shortcomings and will need more guidance from Martial Ancestor and Grand Master.”
“Good boy,” Chu Ling Xiao laughed happily as he and Ling Tai Xu exchanged a glance, both of them feeling heartened.
“Martial Ancestor, please wait a moment, it seems these two friends have gotten a bit hot-tempered. Disciple will first act as a peacemaker for them,” Yang Kai grinned and turned to look at Thunder Dragon Great Senior and Demon Commander Zhang Yuan who were still competing with their Divine Senses.
“Be careful not to injure them,” Ling Tai Xu urged quickly.
“Rest assured Grand Master, no harm will come to them,” Yang Kai said confidently before releasing his own Divine Sense into the air.
The others in the hall didn’t dare interfere in the Divine Sense competition of two Third-Order Saints, but to Yang Kai, this kind of fight was no different from a pair of children playing with one another.
A slight whoosh sounded from mid-air before Thunder Dragon and Zhang Yuan’s figures both trembled. At that moment, they felt that their entangled Divine Senses had just been separated by a pair of giant invisible hands.
This kind of force made them feel extremely powerless as they were unable to put up the slightest resistance!
*Hong…*
A burst of light appeared and Thunder Dragon and Zhang Yuan were both forced back several steps before they could stabilize their posture, after which both of them turned extremely shocked looks towards Yang Kai.
He had separated them with complete ease.
“You two, while it was wrong of me to keep you waiting, en, I encountered something unexpected and it took longer to resolve than expected, but you don’t need to become so aggressive every time you meet, do you?” Yang Kai looked at the two with a smile.
Thunder Dragon took a deep breath, as if he hadn’t yet calmed his fluctuating mood, hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fists and said, “Excuse me.”
Zhang Yuan was not a hot-tempered youth, so seeing Thunder Dragon take the lead, he immediately laughed and followed up, “Many thanks, Holy Master Yang. If I have caused any offence, please forgive me.”
“En, that’s better, we all live under the same blue sky, so why always fight whenever we meet?” Yang Kai gently nodded, very satisfied with the attitude of the two. Turning around and seeing so many people standing in place, staring at him strangely, Yang Kai waved his hand and, “Please have a seat. I’ve called all of you here today because I have something I wish to discuss with you.”
“Haha, after hearing that Holy Master Yang had returned, this Senior travelled night and day to reach the Holy Land from the Demon Capital as quickly as possible, but I wonder what kind of important matter Holy Master Yang has summoned all of us here to discuss? Since the masters from all three races are here, presumably whatever Holy Master Yang wants to say is not trivial, yes?” Zhang Yuan seemed to ask casually, but there was a deep dread lingering the depths of his eyes.
Just now, when Yang Kai separated him and Thunder Dragon, although Zhang Yuan was not able to sense much, he could tell that the current Yang Kai was not someone he could compare with.
Did this boy want to unify the whole realm and make the Demon Race and Monster Race submit to him?
Just thinking so, Zhang Yuan’s expression became stern.
It wasn’t that he was particularly small-minded. On the contrary, Zhang Yuan had a heroic spirit, similar to most Demon Race and Monster Race masters, but as the Demon Commander, he had to consider this possibility.
Thunder Dragon was also thinking so. If this was the case, even if the Demon and Monster Races joined forces, they wouldn’t be able to resist, so they could only allow matters to take their course or face disaster.
Hearing his question, Yang Kai glanced at him thoughtfully then smiled, “Demon Commander Zhang doesn’t need to worry, I won’t be staying long. In fact, I’m afraid I will be departing quite soon.”
“You’ll be leaving soon?” Zhang Yuan was taken aback, exchanging a glance with Thunder Dragon, both of them extremely surprised.
Yang Kai didn’t seem to have any ambitions of conquest…
“Yes, the wonders of the Star Field are quite unforgettable, so I don’t plan to remain here for long,” Yang Kai laughed.
Thunder Dragon’s eyes lit up, and he asked quickly, “Is the Star Field truly filled with such excitement? If so, can Holy Master Yang tell us about it?”
The other masters from the Three Clans also perked up their ears as they stared towards Yang Kai, listening carefully.
“Yes, please talk about it, this old master is also very curious,” Chu Ling Xiao smiled and said. Although he had heard much about the Star Field from Ling Tai Xu after he came here, this was still second-hand knowledge and lacked a certain flavour of realism. What Yang Kai had seen and heard with his own eyes and ears would naturally have a more profound weight, so now that Yang Kai was here, Chu Ling Xiao would naturally want to ask him about it.
“Since Martial Ancestor has asked, Disciple will naturally not refuse,” Yang Kai chuckled. After pondering for a while, he began speaking, “There are indeed many wonders in the Star Field, many things we have never even dreamed of before…”
Inside the hall, everyone listened with the utmost concentration.
Time passed little by little, but no one’s enthusiasm faded. On the contrary, their expressions only became more excited.
The vastness of the Star Field amazed them again and again, and the talk of wondrous sceneries and abundant cultivation materials made them yearn greatly. Above the Saint Realm was the Saint King Real, then the Origin Returning Realm, then the Origin King Realm, knowledge that made them blush with embarrassment.
They fully understood the meaning of the words frog at the bottom of the well.
According to Yang Kai, the World Energy of most Cultivation Stars in the Star Field was extremely rich, and Saints were nothing in such places. Only when one reached the Origin Returning Realm could they barely be counted as master, and only Origin Kings could be considered true powerhouses.
Everyone’s blood was burning as their eyes flashed with desire and hope.
They longed to have such a cultivation environment and abundant cultivation materials. They were eager to go further on the Martial Dao and become legendary Saint Kings, Origin Returning Realm masters, and even Origin Kings…
Yang Kai did not make any kind of embellishment or exaggeration in his descriptions, instead just calmly explaining what he had learned about the Star Field and what he had seen and heard over the decades.
However, this was enough. After he finished speaking, everyone’s mood had become chaotic and they were unable to calm themselves down for a long time.
Yang Kai had seen all kinds of wonderful and magical things, but they had been stuck on Tong Xuan Realm, a place most Star Field cultivators would be completely indifferent to, using materials those cultivators would treat as garbage.
This discovery made everyone depressed, ashamed, and even deeply embarrassed!
Zhang Yuan and Thunder Dragon, who had just been at each other’s throats before, now couldn’t help exchanging a glance and laughing bitterly. Suddenly, they felt that their previous fight was naive and pointless…
“En, the Star Field is truly filled with wonders! This old master wishes he could take a look. If this old master could experience this kind of magical scene in his lifetime, he would be able to die without regrets!” Chu Ling Xiao took a deep breath and declared.
Thunder Dragon and Zhang Yuan also opened their mouths, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, they were unable to.
Silence filled the hall for some time before Zhang Yuan sighed and asked in a somewhat depressed tone, “Then dare I ask, Holy Master Yang, for what reason have you called the masters of the Three Clans here this time?”
Hearing his question, Thunder Dragon quickly turned his gaze to Yang Kai, also quite curious.
Yang Kai smiled and responded, “To lead you to the Star Field!”
A single stone thrown had sent out a thousand waves. Everyone was clearly shaken by these words, and their eyes filled with excitement as they looked towards Yang Kai, as they had never expected him to say such a thing.
It was undeniable that the previous descriptions Yang Kai had given them had aroused their yearning and curiosity towards the Star Field, and everyone present earnestly wished to experience it for themselves.
But… Was the Star Field that easy to enter? They could not reach the Star Field, so they could only dream about it while envying Yang Kai’s opportunity and admiring his courage and strength.
But now, Yang Kai had actually extended an open invitation to them.
Everyone was stunned.
“Of course, I won’t force any of you, this is only a proposition. I will be leaving after some time, and those who are willing to follow me can. As for those who are unwilling, they can remain. I came back specially for this purpose,” Yang Kai added.
“Is that true?” Zhang Yuan stood up abruptly as he stared at Yang Kai with scorching eyes.
“Holy Master Yang, you’re not joking, right?” Thunder Dragon also asked incredulously.
Although they didn’t know exactly how difficult it was to bring someone into the Star Field, it definitely wouldn’t be easy. If Yang Kai had such ability, he would give priority to his relatives and friends from the Human Race, but now he was making an offer to the Demon and Monster Races as well. Both Zhang Yuan and Thunder Dragon couldn’t believe what they were hearing and were more than a little confused in their excitement.
“I’m not joking,” Yang Kai replied seriously.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhang Yuan and Thunder Dragon were both stunned.
After a long, stunned silence, Zhang Yuan asked solemnly, “Dare I ask Holy Master Yang, what kind of price do we need to pay? Pledge our loyalty and submit to you?”
“Haha…” Yang Kai smiled, a trace of disdain appearing on his face as he said lightly, “Why would I need you to submit to me or give me your loyalty? En, to be perfectly blunt, with a single finger I can force all of Tong Xuan Realm to bow down to me. If I wanted you to submit and swear your allegiance to me, there would be no need for any nonsense, I could just use force to suppress you directly.”
Zhang Yuan and Thunder Dragon both began sweating…
Neither of them thought Yang Kai was blustering. From Yang Kai’s previous explanation, with his current tyrannical cultivation, none of them could put up any resistance against him.
This young man had already surpassed the legendary Great Demon God of the Demon Race! He had travelled further and stood at a higher peak.
Even if Great Demon God resurrected and appeared here now, he would likely only be able to look up to him.
“Then why is Holy Master Yang…” Thunder Dragon looked at Yang Kai hesitantly.
“Everyone here is an old friend, if I can offer you a helping hand, why wouldn’t I? I have no other motives,” Yang Kai said lightly.
Both Zhang Yuan and Thunder Dragon instantly felt ashamed, wishing they could find holes to crawl into and never come out of again.
Swiftly, Zhang Yuan cupped his fists and said in a dignified tone, “Holy Master Yang is a man of high character and integrity. It was this Zhang Yuan who was overly suspicious and pessimistic. If this Zhang has offended Holy Master Yang in any way, please forgive me!”
Thunder Dragon quickly expressed his sincere apologies as well.
“It’s fine, you two are leaders of your respective clans, you should be considering things more critically,” Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, indicating he didn’t mind their suspicions. If he was in their place, he would be behaving the same way.
The two masters both relaxed hearing this.
“While there are many wonders in the Star Field, there should also be many dangers too, correct? If Holy Master Yang brings so many people into the Star Field, will you be able to shelter them?” Thunder Dragon asked with some worry.
“There are dangers, so whether you follow me or not is completely up to you. Of course, you can also choose to remain here. Perhaps Tong Xuan Realm will be rejuvenated one day and become like other Cultivation Stars in the Star Field where you can sense a higher level of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao; however, I don’t know how long that will take.” Yang Kai smiled lightly as he glanced over at Xia Ning Chang meaningfully.
After refining the Star Source, becoming a Star Master, and breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, Xia Ning Chang’s aura had become considerably stronger, and the grey aura which had lingered about her had also become much lighter.
As long as she could continue to break through at this speed, one day she would be able to stand at the top of the Star Field, and at that time, all of Tong Xuan Realm would benefit.
“This matter is of great significance, so please allow me a few days, Holy Master Yang. I need to discuss this carefully with my clansmen,” Zhang Yuan said.
“Naturally,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Immediately, Yang Kai ordered some of the disciples to show the Demon and Monster Race masters to their accommodations so they could have some private conversations.
There was no need for negotiations on the Human Race side. Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai’s relatives and friends from the Great Han Dynasty and even Soaring Heaven Sect immediately decided to follow Yang Kai to the Star Field. Of course, some disciples were unwilling to leave their native home and wanted to remain in their original Sect, so the various Human Race masters simply granted them their permission.
Not everyone had a fearless spirit and thirst for adventure; in order to gamble one’s life for as of yet unseen wonders, great courage and a strong yearning for a higher Martial Dao were necessary.
However, there weren’t many people who refused, only about thirty percent of each Sect.
Everyone dispersed, as there was much they needed to handle.
Soon, after the hall emptied, Yang Kai smiled and walked over to a pair of women who appeared to be twin sisters.
As Yang Kai approached, the breathing of the two women seemed to quicken slightly, as if they were very excited.
“Jiao’er, Mei’er, long time no see,” Yang Kai smiled and greeted.
There had been too many people just now, so he hadn’t had time to personally greet the Hu Sisters, but now that he was free, he naturally wanted to speak with them a bit.
Moreover, they seemed to be waiting here for him for that purpose.
The two women opposite him smiled and spoke in unison, “It has been a long time, have you been doing well?”
“I have indeed!” Yang Kai nodded before he frowned slightly awkwardly.
His eyes kept glancing between these two, but he still could not tell who was Hu Jiao’er and who was Hu Mei’er.
This discovery made him scratch his head in confusion.
The two sisters had cultivated the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, so not only had their appearances become exactly the same, even their temperaments and the life auras coming from their bodies were identical.
It was as if they were one person standing here!
Moreover, their cultivation had actually reached the Second-Order Saint Realm rather than the First-Order that Great Elder Xu Hui had reported to him earlier.
This rate of cultivation was quite astonishing, leaving Yang Kai somewhat speechless.
Although Little Senior Sister had reached the Origin Returning Realm, far higher than the Hu Sisters’ current cultivation, she had obtained the greatest of opportunities, refining a Star Source to do so.
The Hu Sisters certainly didn’t have such a Heaven defying opportunity, but in this barren land with thin World Energy aura, they had managed to reach their current level through their own efforts. This demonstrated that their aptitude was indeed extraordinary.
Seeing Yang Kai’s face full of confusion, the woman on the left smiled and said, “I’m Jiao’er!”
“I’m Mei’er!” The woman on the right added.
Their voices were soft and pleasant to the ear. Their two temperaments from before seemed to have completely changed, becoming a fusion of the elder sister’s boldness and the shyness of the younger sister, making them even more attractive.
“If you didn’t tell me, I really wouldn’t have been able to tell,” Yang Kai scratched his head.
This somewhat naive gesture made the two women laugh.
“Very few people can tell us apart,” Hu Jiao’er curled her lips into a smiling, “Even father often confuses us.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. If even Hu Man couldn’t distinguish which of his two daughters was which, it wasn’t surprising for Yang Kai to be unable to tell them apart either. “By the way, you two heard about the discussion just now. Do you plan to stay, or…”
“We’re coming with you!” Before Yang Kai could finish speaking, the two women replied in unison, as if they shared the same heart and had no need to discuss anything beforehand.
“If that’s the case, then you should quickly prepare, I don’t plan to wait too long, I’ll be leaving in half a month.”
“Alright, we’ll meet with father first and then send a message to our two Masters,” Hu Jiao’er said without delay before immediately leaving with Hu Mei’er.
However, the two seemed a bit reluctant.
After not seeing him for so many years, they really wanted to talk to Yang Kai more, but when they thought about how they would be able to meet each other frequently in the future, they didn’t feel as rushed.
When passing by Xia Ning Chang, the two girls were gently nodded to her, their beautiful eyes flashing with envy.
Xia Ning Chang could accompany Yang Kai freely, but they couldn’t…
“Little Senior Sister, during this next half a month, I have something I need to teach you.” After all the people in the hall left, Yang Kai quickly walked towards Xia Ning Chang and dragged her towards her cultivation room.
What Yang Kai wanted to teach to Xia Ning Chang was naturally how to condense her Shi.
He had condensed his Shi with the help of the Emperor Pressure from the Emperor Garden, a rather unique method that, although it produced amazing effects, was clearly not suitable for Xia Ning Chang.
However, the basic insights and comprehensions about how to condense Shi were more or less universal. What’s more, he had learned many valuable experiences from Qian Tong and the other masters he was close with.
Now, he was going to teach everything to Xia Ning Chang.
Additionally, Yang Kai taught Little Senior Sister what he had learned from the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Little Senior Sister had a Special Constitution, the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, so she possessed innate ability and talent when it came to refining pills, not needing anyone to teach her in order for her to advance. However, the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture was filled with profound knowledge that would be of great help to Xia Ning Chang when it came to raising her Alchemy skills.
Half a month was neither long nor short.
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang did not leave their cultivation room during that time.
Naturally, they took some time out to spend together. Yang Kai would enjoy the company of this gentle beauty and, on occasion, suddenly make love to her.
Since setting foot into the Star Field, Yang Kai had essentially had no intimate contact with any woman, so now that he had been reunited with Little Senior Sister, who he didn’t need to restrain himself around, he was like a freed beast that had just found its favourite prey and pounced without reserve.
Xia Ning Chang’s complexion also grew better and better, her already jade-like skin gaining a shimmering lustre to it.
She was like a beautiful flower that had just been moistened by the morning dew…
After half a month, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang exited their retreat together.
Xia Ning Chang was naturally unable to condense her Shi after only half a month, but receiving Yang Kai’s dedicated teaching, she now at least understood what Shi was and had gained some slight experience with this magical power; now, all she needed was enough time to cultivate it properly.
The True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture was also effortlessly learned by her, the various techniques and Spirit Arrays recorded in it often causing her eyes to shimmer and glow.
Nine Heavens Holy Land was now completely crowded with about ten thousand members of the Human, Demon, and Monster Races now gathered here.
Among these ten thousand, about two thousand were from the Holy Land, four thousand were from the Great Han Dynasty, one thousand were from the Monster Race, and two thousand were from the Demon Race.
Even with so many gathered, however, the scene was extremely quiet, with no one even whispering. Everyone was simply waiting silently for Yang Kai’s arrival.
Everyone was eager to know what method Yang Kai would be using to bring so many people into the Star Field at once.
In a brilliant flash of light, Yang Kai appeared, and ten thousand pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Looking out across the crowd, Yang Kai gently nodded, “Now that everyone is here, let’s begin!”
“Yang Kai, what do we need to do? Just give the order!” Thunder Dragon called out.
“Exactly. We will cooperate fully,” Zhang Yuan nodded in agreement.
“You don’t need to do anything, just relax and don’t resist!” Yang Kai smiled slightly before taking out a seemingly inconspicuous bead and suspending it in front of him, attracting everyone’s attention.
They didn’t know what mysteries this bead held, or why Yang Kai had brought it out at this time.
The answer was quickly revealed, however. Yang Kai stretched out his hand and with a flick of his wrist, the bead flew out like an arrow from the string and arrived atop the place where the thousands of people were gathered.
With a soft pop, a magical power emerged from the bead and as it swept outwards, everyone felt as if they were being held by a strange force.
Out of trust in Yang Kai, no one circulated their strength or tried to resist this force.
A burst of light blinded them in the next moment, and after their sight was restored, everyone suddenly realized that they had come to a completely strange place.
This was not Nine Heavens Holy Land, but the scenery was still extremely beautiful.
Moreover, the World Energy here seemed to be extremely rich, more than a hundred times higher than the average on Tong Xuan Realm. This discovery shocked everyone greatly!
“Huh, what’s this?” A Demon Race man suddenly discovered something in this new world and shouted as he pointed towards a certain place.
Following his gaze, everyone immediately spotted a roughly one-hundred-metre long pitch-black ship quietly suspended in the air.
“A Starship!” Demon Commander Zhang Yuan called out in shock.
Although he had received a report from Demon General Meng Ge that Yang Kai had a powerful Starship in his possession, he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes yet, so he wasn’t sure whether this was true or false. Now that this Starship had appeared in front of him, he immediately understood that this news was real.
There was a Starship buried beneath the Demon Capital, but that Starship was in tatters… and, in terms of grade, it seemed like it wasn’t even worthy of carrying shoes for the ship in front of him.
Zhang Yuan had keen eyesight and could naturally see how extraordinary this Starship was at a glance.
What made him even more surprised, however, were the people standing around the Starship. When these people saw a massive crowd of people suddenly appear, they all directed curious looks towards them.
Out of habit, Zhang Yuan released his Divine Sense to sweep these unknown cultivators, but expression changed dramatically in the next instant!
He discovered that the cultivation of each of these people was much higher than his own, and although they didn’t give him the same feeling of oppression as Yang Kai, Zhang Yuan was certain each of these cultivators was a legendary Saint King!
Had they already entered the Star Field?
Were these people cultivators from the Star Field?
All sorts of suspicions flashed across Zhang Yuan’s mind, as well as many of the others gathered here.
“Don’t be nervous!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly came from a certain place and his figure quickly appeared in front of the Saint King Realm cultivators as he explained, “These are disciples from my Sect.”
“Disciples greet Sect Master!” Immediately, this group of cultivators, who gave everyone from Tong Xuan Realm an unattainable feeling, saluted Yang Kai.
“En,” Yang Kai gently nodded before turning to the one who seemed to be in charge and saying, “Liu Ping, these are my relatives and friends from my homeland, I will be taking them back to Shadowed Star with us so they will need to remain here for the time being. Take good care of them. “
“Yes!” The disciple named Liu Ping quickly nodded.
Yang Kai next came over to Chu Ling Xiao and Ling Tai Xu and bowed, “Martial Ancestor, Grand Master, this is a Small Sealed World. Although it’s not very big, it is more than enough to accommodate a trivial ten thousand people. It is safe here, and I will let you out when we reach our destination. Disciple lacks talent but in a place called Shadowed Star, he has founded High Heaven Sect. Until we reach there, I will need the two of you to take charge here. En, the journey will probably take quite some time, at least several years. If you have any questions, you can ask these disciples of mine, they will give you their full cooperation.”
“Sure. Go on, you don’t need to worry about us here,” Chu Ling Xiao smiled kindly.
Chu Ling Xiao had no idea how precious and Heaven-defying the Sealed World Bead and Origin King Grade Starship were; if he did, he wouldn’t be acting so calmly.
“Disciple will head out first, when I am free, I will come to visit you,” Yang Kai said before leaving the Small Sealed World.
After Yang Kai left, the disciple named Liu Ping ran over immediately and greeted Ling Tai Xu and Chu Ling Xiao.
He had heard clearly just now how Yang Kai addressed these two old men as Martial Ancestor and Grand Master, so although his cultivation was much higher than these two, he didn’t dare show any negligence, bowing respectfully as any Junior would.
Seeing this boy behaving like this, Chu Ling Xiao and Ling Tai Xu did not have any scruples and immediately began inquiring about Shadowed Star and High Heaven Sect to Liu Ping. After learning that High Heaven Sect was now the greatest Sect on Shadowed Star, basically having dominated the entire star, the two of them couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride.
In just a trivial thirty years, Yang Kai had used his own power to subdue an entire Cultivation Star. This was not something an ordinary man could accomplish and they were left in awe of Yang Kai’s abilities.
Quickly, they began to ask more questions.
Having settled things in the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai put it away before sweeping his Divine Sense across the now empty Nine Heavens Holy Land. Putting away the slight nostalgia in his eyes, he turned to Xia Ning Chang, who was standing next to him patiently, he said, “Little Senior Sister, can you help me find someone?”
Xia Ning Chang did not enter the Sealed World Bead; she was now in the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, and would not hinder Yang Kai. As she had just made a breakthrough, there were a lot of things to learn, so Yang Kai allowed her to follow him. It was convenient to teach while they travelled.
What’s more, travelling with a beauty was very pleasing to the eye.
Listening to Yang Kai, she immediately asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Old Man Li!” Yang Kai looked at her.
Xia Ning Chang suddenly came over, gently nodded, closed her beautiful eyes, and started to search.
Now that she was the Star Master of Tong Xuan Realm, having refined the Star Source, she could travel back and forth anywhere in the mainland with a single thought. On Tong Xuan Realm, she was the master!
It was a simple task for her to find someone.
She communicated with the Star Source of Tong Xuan Realm with her mind and sensed the messages sent by the flowers and trees on the mainland, distinguishing the traces of the person she was looking for. In less than half a day, she opened her beautiful eyes and whispered softly, “Found him!”
Yang Kai was shocked and stepped forward and grabbed Xia Ning Chang’s little hand, “Take me to him.”
Xia Ning Chang gave a gentle nod and aimed the index finger of her jade white hand in front of her. From the void, a dark whirlpool appeared immediately, as if to swallow everything. The two stepped into it and disappeared.
Atop an unnamed barren and desolate mountain, there stood several thatched huts.
No one would have thought that this was where the reclusive Old Man of Heaven’s Keep, Li Rui, who was famous throughout the continent, lived.
Yang Kai held great respect for Old Man Li, not only because he was the longest-lived wise man in the entire continent, having lived for thousands of years under the cultivation of Saint Realm, but also because of how Old Man Li had generously taught Yang Kai.
Old Man Li once came to Nine Heavens Holy Land and helped Yang Kai greatly. At the time when the Bone Race recovered, Old Man Li managed to call on the whole human race to unite with his great reputation.
Upon returning to Nine Heavens Holy Land this time, Yang Kai had not found Old Man Li and his Disciple Di Yao.
Obviously, with Old Man Li and Di Yao’s personalities, it was probably impossible for them to stay in one place for a long time, so they left Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Now that Yang Kai was going to return to the Star Field, of course he wanted to take Old Man Li with him.
“It’s here?” Xia Ning Chang had brought Yang Kai to this barren mountain that was less than a thousand feet high, and Yang Kai could not help but frown.
“En.” Xia Ning Chang nodded gently. “But I didn’t sense Old Man Li’s aura. Only Senior Brother Di’s…”
After hearing what she had said, Yang Kai had a bad feeling. He looked up and saw the simple thatched houses. In front of the thatched houses were a few medicine fields. However, what was planted was not the spirit grasses used for cultivation, but simple ordinary medicinal herbs.
These herbs were effective for treating ordinary people, but they were of no use in cultivation.
There was one person. He was taking care of the herbs in the middle of the Medicine Garden, watering, and fertilizing, repeating the monotonous movements with a meticulous expression.
Yang Kai stepped towards him.
“Here to see a doctor?” The man who was watering heard movement and asked casually without raising his head.
“Brother Di, it’s been a long time!” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile as he greeted him.
Di Yao’s movements paused, as if he realized something. He slowly straightened up and looked at Yang Kai. After seeing Yang Kai’s face clearly, he could not help grinning.
A smile filled with flawless white teeth, coupled with his jade, flowery face that almost made any women jealous. The round sunset behind him poured on him, giving off an afterglow, a sputtering golden halo.
[This brat is still as handsome as ever…]
Di Yao took two steps forward and gave Yang Kai a strong hug.
“Brother Yang, when did you come back?” He did not seem surprised at all, as if he knew Yang Kai would return safely.
“It’s been almost two months.”
Di Yao gently nodded, shook off the dirt on his hands, and greeted enthusiastically, “Come on, today we drink to celebrate!”
“Yeah!” Yang Kai responded readily.
In front of the thatched hut, the two sat on the ground. There was no food, only the shining stars in the sky and the oncoming breeze as dishes to go with the drink. Xia Ning Chang sat to the side, holding a jug in her hand, and poured wine for Yang Kai and Di Yao.
The sky was full of stars, and in front of a thatched house, friends had finally gathered after a long parting. It was a happy occasion.
“Master, he passed away more than 20 years ago.” Di Yao suddenly blurted out.
Although he had guessed as much, when Yang Kai heard the news, the hand with which he held the wine glass slightly shook.
Di Yao grinned and said, “His last moments were very peaceful. After all, Master was already so old. It was time.”
With the cultivation of Saint Realm, living for thousands of years was simply not something others could do. Old Man Li had been proficient in pharmacology and used elixirs to regulate his body to live so long.
“Brother Di!” Yang Kai thought for a while but didn’t know what to say.
Di Yao smiled and said, “Master is still here. He continues to live in my heart.”
Yang Kai looked at him, and laughed, relieved.
“Brother Yang, for you to come all this way. Did you have something to ask Master?” Di Yao asked.
“It’s nothing, it’s just that I’m leaving again and wanted Old Man Li and Brother Di to join me.”
“Into the Star Field?” Di Yao narrowed his eyes.
“Yup.” Yang Kai nodded.
Di Yao fell silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, “The master raised me and taught me, treating me with kindness as great as that of the mountains. I can’t let him be here alone.”
Yang Kai opened his mouth, but before he could persuade him, Di Yao smiled and said, “Brother Yang doesn’t need to say more, I have decided!”
Seeing him so insistent, Yang Kai could only sigh.
They continued to drink, binge, and get drunk!
When dawn came, Di Yao lay on the ground, slumbering. Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang found a simple tomb at the top of the mountain and worshipped it devoutly. After leaving some cultivation resources for Di Yao, he left silently.
“Are you really going to leave Senior Brother Di there alone?” Xia Ning Chang asked with a little unease.
“It’s his own decision.” Yang Kai responded lightly.
“But…” Xia Ning Chang seemed to want to say something.
“It is not necessarily a bad thing. Once your cultivation enters a higher realm, you will be rejuvenating the mainland. At that stage, it would be inconsequential for Brother Di to leave.”
Xia Ning Chang nodded, indicating that she understood. After thinking about it, she asked, “Where are we going now?”
“There should be a shortcut to Star Field from our original world. We are looking to find someone we both know!” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
After a while, the two came to the site of the Free and Unfettered Spirit Temple, and through the Void Corridor, they entered a place not far from the High Heaven Pavilion.
After the seal set by the Great Demon God was lifted, Tong Xuan Realm and their original world were connected.
This was the starting point of his life.
After arriving, when Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense through, he immediately noticed that there were many more people in the original High Heaven Pavilion, and he did not know which family or Sect occupied it. However, it felt quite prosperous.
Yang Kai chose not to bother them. The cultivators here were as weak as children to him.
He did not go to Central Capital either. The original Central Capital was Eight Great Families. The three families close to him were all in the Sealed World Bead, and the only remaining five families were now thriving there. Yang Kai was too lazy to bother with them.
He took Little Senior Sister and flew directly towards Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Although Little Senior Sister was the Star Master of Tong Xuan Realm, in this world, which had its own World Principles, she could not travel thousands of kilometres in a flash.
Yang Kai did not know how this world was formed, but after witnessing Tong Xuan Realm’s process from birth to prosperity to decline, he vaguely felt that this world should be related to the ancient powerful cultivator.
It might have been created by someone who cultivated to a Heaven defying level. After all, the one who created this place does not necessarily mean that they are the same ones who develop it.
Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was as chaotic as ever. In the past, several Evil Kings ruled and suppressed it. Although this land had bred filth and evil, there were still some rules to follow.
But since the death and disappearance of the Evil Kings, Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land has become an even more chaotic and evil land.
Everyone understands innately what it means to be a decent person. Nonetheless, they burn, murder and pillage. Anything can happen here, and there was no reason to anything. Only one law existed: the one with the bigger fist makes the law.
The two of them continued to walk without stopping, what they saw and heard was nothing but horrible.
Yang Kai could maintain his indifference, his heart was unmoved by their actions, as though it was still water. However, Little Senior Sister was different. She could not help but teach a lesson to those who only knew to bully the weak.
Fragrance City, originally a city under the jurisdiction of Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo, and the last piece of pure land in Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Unfortunately, ever since Shan Qing Luo’s disappearance, this last piece of pure land had also been corrupted, and the city has been dark and chaotic.
When passing by, Yang Kai could not help but miss it.
Back then, he had known the devilish woman of this land, but after Yang Kai returned from Tong Xuan Realm, he could not find her.
He had thought it would be impossible to find Shan Qing Luo ever again.
He would have never thought that he would meet her in the Emperor Garden, learn about her current whereabouts and fight together with her.
Yang Kai felt that he could not forget about this extremely charming devilish woman…
The place he was going to on this trip was Spider Mother’s Den. According to Shan Qing Luo’s maidservant, Bi Luo, she and Shan Qing Luo had been taken to the Monster Emperor Star when they accidentally activated the altar in Spider Mother’s Den.
So, Yang Kai also wanted to use the altar. If he succeeded, not only could he stop by to see how the devilish woman was doing, but also save a lot of time.
He did not want to spend years on Starship; he just wanted to hurry.
Spider Mother’s Den was not too far from Fragrance City, only a few tens of thousands of kilometres. At Yang Kai’s current speed, it would only take half a cup of tea’s time to arrive.
Spider Mother’s Den, was in tatters; after it collapsed that year, no one had cared about this place.
Upon arriving, Yang Kai walked into the huge spider statue with ease and found a strange altar.
The altar was only about the size of a person but had many mysterious and complicated patterns carved on it. Some of these seemed to form a wonderful Spirit Array, and others were like ancient characters.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense but did not notice anything abnormal from it.
On the altar, there were still some dark black stains.
These were, naturally, the blood Shan Qing Luo shed that day!
“Junior Brother, what is this?” Xia Ning Chang tilted her head and asked doubtfully.
“This is the shortcut,” Yang Kai smiled lightly and began explaining in detail.
Hearing that Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo had entered the Star Field directly from here, Xia Ning Chang immediately became curious.
She finally learned who it was Yang Kai said they were going to meet, and after doing so, she couldn’t help giggling as she glanced over at Yang Kai meaningfully.
“En, it’s not what you think…” Yang Kai argued weakly, “Forget it, I will study this thing, feel free to do as you please.”
“En,” Xia Ning Chang nodded, sat down in a clean place nearby, and began comprehending the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture while trying to condense her Shi.
Yang Kai reached out and touched the strange runes and patterns engraved on the altar in front of him, releasing his Divine Sense as he studied them carefully.
Since Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo could reach Monster Emperor Star from this place, it meant that this altar was able to open a portal between the two places. In other words, as long as the conditions were met, this altar could form a stable Void Corridor.
This was far more profound than even the most powerful Space Arrays Yang Kai had seen.
Yang Kai knew that some of the most ancient Space Arrays in the Star Field were capable of transporting cultivators from one Cultivation Star to another, spanning billions of kilometres in an instant, but this kind of Space Array was extremely rare. On top of that, most of these ancient Space Arrays were heavily damaged and using them was extremely risky.
Perhaps someone like Heaven Battling Union’s Mo Xiao Sheng could repair an ordinary Space Array, but he would be absolutely helpless in front of these super long distance Space Arrays.
In general, even if a great force was in possession of this kind of special Space Array, they would only use it as a last resort, instead preferring to spend a large amount of time using a Starship to sail from one point to another rather than risking their lives.
The orthodox method to activate this altar was to make use of Shan Qing Luo’s bloodline. Back then, she and Bi Luo had accidentally activated this altar with her blood.
Yang Kai naturally couldn’t use this method. Although his Golden Blood was powerful, it obviously didn’t have the same composition as Shan Qing Luo’s blood.
He could only rely on his own profound comprehension of the Dao of Space.
One by one, Yang Kai investigated the ancient runes on the altar, but he obtained no reaction from it at all. Not becoming anxious, Yang Kai continued immersing his consciousness into these patterns.
Progressively, Yang Kai uncovered their mysteries.
These ancient characters almost behaved as if they had a mind of their own and were subtly interlinked with one another.
Yang Kai gradually began comprehending them.
Trying repeatedly, Yang Kai studied the altar and he felt that he had some gains as time progressed, but even after many careful investigations, he achieved nothing…
Time passed by. Little Senior Sister sat quietly to the side, not bothering Yang Kai at all. Right now, she was immersed in the process of condensing her Shi and comprehending the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and had lost track of her surroundings.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and a light flashed across them, as if he had had a significant gain.
Injecting his Space Force into the ancient altar, Yang Kai began connecting the various complicated patterns and runes together in a specific sequence.
It was like threading a needle, tying the runes and patterns closer together one by one until they formed a single inseparable whole.
When his Space Force penetrated the last rune, the patterns on the altar suddenly burst with light, as if given new life, and floated up into the air.
These runes and patterns swam about like fish, rearranging and combining until finally they formed a closed illusionary gate in front of Yang Kai!
“Little Senior Sister!” Yang Kai shouted.
Xia Ning Chang quickly opened her eyes and with a flicker, arrived next to Yang Kai and held his hand.
She knew the time had come!
Yang Kai paused a moment as he stared at the illusionary gate with an extremely dignified look on his face.
Although he had successfully used his comprehension of the Dao of Space to inject his Space Force into the altar and activated it to form this gateway, he didn’t have the key to open it.
Shan Qing Luo’s blood was that key, something he naturally lacked.
However, Yang Kai had his own methods.
Condensing his Space Force at the tip of his finger, he stabbed it forward and then slashed it down fiercely!
Space trembled and a small crack soon appeared on the closed door. Initially, this crack was very small, almost imperceptible, but it was expanding at a very rapid rate.
In the blink of an eye, it swallowed the entire gate, revealing a pitch-black passage.
This was a fully formed Void Corridor that connected two points many billions of kilometres apart!
Inside, there was nothingness and chaos, like the giant mouth of a beast that was capable of swallowing the entire world.
Xia Ning Chang’s tender body couldn’t help growing slightly tense as she held onto Yang Kai’s big hand a bit tighter.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate, however, pulling Xia Ning Chang along with him into the vortex. When the two of them were gone, the black corridor closed again and disappeared.
Everything around them had gone silent and dark, with nothing but darkness behind or ahead of Xia Ning Chang and Yang Kai.
However, from within this darkness, Xia Ning Chang could feel a kind of mysterious power flowing, like a rushing river that was trying to drag her under.
Yang Kai quickly protected her!
This was the Void, a mysterious and indescribable place that was all but impossible for ordinary people to reach, and a forbidden area where it was difficult for anything to survive.
Any master that became lost in this mysterious place would eventually become engulfed by the darkness, never able to emerge from it again.
Even Yang Kai, when traversing this place, raised his vigilance to its highest level, using his Divine Sense to constantly and carefully survey their surroundings so he could bring Xia Ning Chang to avoid the deadly currents of the Void.
This strange place also seemed to affect one’s senses, even how they perceived the passing of time.
Yang Kai could only push his Space Force desperately to resist this outside interference.
When Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo had used the altar to travel to Monster Emperor Star back then, it would not have been dangerous at all because Shan Qing Luo’s bloodline had properly activated it. Alternatively, Yang Kai had used a special method to forcefully open the altar, so the risks he was taking by using it were many times greater.
Fortunately, his accomplishments in the Dao of Space were quite profound, so even if he currently felt like he was treading on thin ice, he could still barely manage it.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure how much time passed before he suddenly led Xia Ning Chang towards a certain spot. After arriving, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and swiped forward again, tearing space, and bringing Xia Ning Chang out from the Void into an unknown place.
Little Senior Sister didn’t recover her senses until this moment, and the confusion in her beautiful eyes gradually cleared up.
To her, only a moment had passed, but what she didn’t know was that Yang Kai had been struggling for many days in the Void to bring them here.
That mysterious place had greatly affected Xia Ning Chang’s judgment of the passage of time.
Currently, the pair was in some kind of damp, dark, underground cave that had a pile of white bones scattered around it. Judging from the scale of these bones however, whatever creature they belonged to must have been enormous when it was still alive.
“This is…” Xia Ning Chang looked around curiously.
Yang Kai walked forward, reached out his hand, picked up one of the bones, and examined it carefully before grinning, “We’ve arrived, this is Monster Emperor Star!”
“Monster Emperor Star?” Xia Ning Chang murmured, “The star where Elder Sister Qing Luo is?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded, he was able to make this judgment thanks to the white bones around them.
If he guessed correctly, these white bones should be the remains of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider.
All those years ago, when Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo arrived here, the first thing they encountered was the corpse of a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Shan Qing Luo had absorbed the Source of this Variant Ancient Divine Spirit and was taken in by the Red Moon Tribal Lord as her adopted daughter, allowing her to integrate into Monster Emperor Star.
If not for this series of events, with her identity as a human, how could Shan Qing Luo have gained a foothold on this Monster Race star? It would have been even more impossible for her to have reached the terrifying height of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master in just a few dozen years without such support.
The Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source had helped Shan Qing Luo a lot. Her bloodline originally had some traces of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s, which was why she could activate the altar in the first place and obtain this opportunity!
Opportunities like this were truly quite mysterious. Yang Kai had worked so hard over the years and his luck was indeed good, but he had only broken through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm while Shan Qing Luo was still one step ahead of him.
Yang Kai pondered as he recalled all the information Bi Luo had revealed to him in the Emperor Garden that day.
He didn’t know much about Monster Emperor Star, only that it was a Cultivation Star dominated by the Monster Race. Although there were also Humans on Monster Emperor Star, they were all subjects to the Monster Race’s rule.
The Human Race had its own set of advantages and uses, so despite the Monster Race being in a dominant position here, they did not seek to exterminate all humans and instead just let matters drift. Only if some kind of master that threatened the Monster Race’s dominance emerged from the human population would the Monster Race’s masters step in to kill them.
On Monster Emperor Star, the Human Race essentially had no status.
The Ten Great Tribal Lords were the masters of Monster Emperor Star, and each one had reached the Origin King Realm.
The Red Moon Tribal Lord, who received Shan Qing Luo as her adopted daughter, was one of them.
Yang Kai thought for a moment, but quickly concluded that this really was all he knew, leaving quite a lot to be desired.
“Let’s go outside first,” Yang Kai said to Xia Ning Chang before leading her out of the underground cave.
When they came outside, Yang Kai suddenly discovered that he was actually part-way up a lofty and majestic mountain with a rich ambient World Energy aura. However, there was also a thick Monster Qi lingering in the air.
From the surrounding mountains, the roars of ferocious Monster Beasts could be heard from time to time.
Yang Kai really wondered how Shan Qing Luo had left this place safely; obviously she had experienced a lot of hardship.
Collecting himself, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle and led Xia Ning Chang swiftly across the jungle.
This place may be extremely dangerous for others, but to Yang Kai it was nothing. Beneath the Origin King Realm, he didn’t fear anyone, and he could even calmly face an ordinary Origin King.
Since he had cultivated the Dao of Space, few people could compel him into a hopeless situation, unless they trapped him inside a small enclosed space like how Star Emperor Mountain’s Sect Master Qi Tian Che had done.
However, even trapping Yang Kai wasn’t sufficient as his opponent would need enough strength to completely suppress him as well.
Qi Tian Che didn’t have such strength, which resulted in his death…
What Yang Kai needed most right now was information.
It should be easy for him to find where Shan Qing Luo was; after all, she was the adopted daughter of the Red Moon Tribal Lord, so she would be wherever the Red Moon Tribal Lord was.
Shan Qing Luo’s heart-piercing cries from when the Emperor Garden closed still echoed in Yang Kai’s ears.
Now that he had come to Monster Emperor Star, naturally, he needed to see for himself if that enchantress was living well.
A few days later, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang flew out from the deep mountains and lush forests. Along the way, Yang Kai had encountered a lot of Monster Beasts, but all of them were feral so he could not glean any useful information from them, making him feel quite helpless.
He could only pin his hopes on meeting someone in the future.
While speeding along aimlessly with Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to scan their surroundings.
Suddenly, he noticed something, turned towards a certain direction, and said, “There’s movement over there, let’s go take a look.”
“En,” Xia Ning Chang naturally had no objections.
The pair landed and walked side by side in the direction Yang Kai pointed out just now, a short time later encountering a team of about a dozen cultivators.
These cultivators exuded a wild aura quite different from the aura a human cultivator possessed. Additionally, each of them had some physical characteristics that resembled a Monster Beast.
The dozen or so cultivators in this team obviously belonged to the Monster Race!
Each of these Monster Race cultivators was riding a wolf-shaped Monster Beast and wore matching golden armour, giving them an imposing appearance. Even though there were only a dozen or so of them, as they rode forward, they appeared akin to a torrent of fine steel and created quite a loud disturbance.
Sweeping them with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that the strongest cultivator from the Monster Race cultivator was just a Second-Order Saint King, so he had nothing to fear.
Taking Xia Ning Chang with him, Yang Kai walked out openly to greet this group.
“Excuse me,” When he got closer, Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists to the Monster Race cultivator who seemed to be the team’s leader.
The other party had obviously spotted him a long time ago and rode his wolf-shaped Monster Beast mount over to Yang Kai while looking down at him condescendingly, a natural air of contempt and scrutiny flashing across his eyes.
The Monster Beast mount also projected a malicious aura towards Yang Kai’s face, as if it could not wait to stretch out its mouth and see if Yang Kai tasted delicious or not…
Yang Kai just smiled lightly to all of this.
This was Monster Emperor Star, a world dominated by the Monster Race, so it was only natural for Monster Race cultivators to have a natural sense of superiority when facing those from other races. They felt that no race could compare to their supreme Monster Race and that none were more powerful than them. In front of the Monster Race, all others could only bow their heads and serve them!
“Humans?” The lead Monster Race cultivator squinted at Yang Kai, recognizing his origins immediately.
The wolf-shaped Monster Beast mount also growled, seemingly perceiving its master’s dislike for these two and began circling around Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang.
After returning to his previous position, the Monster Race cultivator coldly snorted and said, “What are you two humans doing out here?”
“Haha, we accidentally lost our way, if you would not mind, could you tell us where this place is?”
“This is the Red Moon Territory!” The Monster Race cultivator replied proudly, “It is the region under the jurisdiction of the great Red Moon Tribal Lord. Don’t you know even this?”
“En, I know this is the territory of Red Moon Tribal Lord,” Yang Kai chuckled, “What I want to ask is, where is the nearest city? If it is convenient, can you tell me where Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace is located?”
“Why do you want to know where Lady Tribal Lord’s palace is located?” The Monster Race cultivator suddenly wore a cold expression after hearing this as he glared at Yang Kai more and more unkindly, “What are your intentions here?”
“Nothing serious, I just happen to have a friend who lives in Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace. I was hoping to see her,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“A friend…” The Monster Race cultivator was taken aback for a moment but soon burst into laughter filled with mockery; even the other Monster Race cultivators began laughing.
“Human, I advise you to give up, no one is allowed to approach Lady Tribal Lord’s palace without being summoned, not even my Monster Race, let alone you humans! However, you may rest assured, Lady Tribal Lord has always been kind to you humans. If your friend is a servant in the palace, he or she should be living well.”
He subconsciously thought that the friend Yang Kai was referring to was just an insignificant person in the palace.
This was normal though, the humans in Lady Tribal Lord’s palace were all either beautiful women or handsome men who served as nothing more than servants.
In the territory of the Monster Race, humans always had low status.
“En, many thanks for this friend’s reminder; however, I still wish to know where the palace is,” Yang Kai insisted.
“Humans are always as arrogant as you, that’s why I can’t stand you all!” The Monster Race cultivator snorted coldly as he declared arrogantly, “I can tell you, but why should I? Give me a reason.”
“Here!” Yang Kai nodded before throwing out a bag of Saint Crystals.
The Monster Race cultivator caught this bag, opened it, and suddenly became ecstatic as he exclaimed, “High-Rank Saint Crystals!”
As soon as these words came out, the other Monster Race cultivators showed a greedy look as they stared back and forth between the package and Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang.
Malicious glints were mixed in with their gazes.
“Can you tell me now?” Yang Kai looked at the other party with a smile.
“Of course, you’re quite tactful for a human so I’ll tell you,” The Monster Race cultivator hesitated for a moment before his expression settled and he began telling Yang Kai what he wanted to know.
A short time later, Yang Kai cupped his fists to the Monster Race man before taking Xia Ning Chang away.
“Leader, those humans were obviously quite rich, why did you let them go?” A Monster Race cultivator who seemed to be relatively young approached and asked indignantly.
“Hmph, you think I can’t see how rich he is?”
“Then why didn’t we bury them here? This is the wilderness, so even if Lady Chi Yue doesn’t allow us to kill humans at will, no one will know if they die here.”
“Idiot! If we really tried that, the ones who would be buried here wouldn’t be them but us!”
“Huh… that’s not possible, is it?” The Monster Race youth was not convinced.
“Of course it’s possible, even though he was so rich, when he was facing so many of us, did you ever see him show the slightest bit of fear? Even the human woman next to him was completely calm. What does this mean? It means that neither of them puts us in their eyes! You idiots were blinded by those Saint Crystals and completely ignored their strength. Because this is the wilderness, I don’t dare to act rashly, otherwise…”
Hearing what his team leader said, the Monster Race youth couldn’t help leaking cold sweat as he glanced reluctantly in the direction Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang left while sighing, “That woman looked tender and delicate, if I could have just a bite…”
Some cultivators from the Monster Race were transformed from Monster Beasts, so they still maintained their habits of eating other creatures raw.
But in general, there were not many such cultivators. Most Monster Race cultivators were born in human form and just retained some traces of their Monster Beast heritage.
Clearly, this Monster Race was born a Monster Beast and had achieved human form later, which was why he had no interest in Xia Ning Chang’s face, which was hidden behind her black veil, but instead coveted her fair skin and delicate physique.
Soft and tender humans were always delicious, especially young human women…
“Enough nonsense, Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord’s son should already be on his way here, we need to find his whereabouts and then send word back to so that Lady Tribal Lord can send out a proper escort. We cannot afford a single mistake in this mission,” The lead Monster Race cultivator quickly said, but soon, a layer of haze appeared on his face as he ground his teeth, “I don’t know how many women from our territory will be ruined at the Young Lord’s hand.”
Hearing him mention this Young Lord of Lord Qian Yan, all the Monster Race cultivators fell silent, as if they deeply dreaded him.
…..
“Junior Brother, what should we do now?” Xia Ning Chang followed behind Yang Kai and asked softly.
“Let’s go to the nearest city first,” Yang Kai sighed. Although he had easily learned the location of the Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace from the Monster Race cultivator, it was impossible for him to just go there to find Shan Qing Luo.
The Monster Race man he spoke to had said very clearly that no one was allowed to approach the Tribal Lord’s palace without being summoned.
Even those from the Monster Race did not dare violate this rule, not to mention that Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang were just humans.
Chi Yue, one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords on Monster Emperor Star, was inside that palace, so even if Yang Kai was confident in his strength, he wouldn’t dare act carelessly around an Origin King Realm master like her. On top of that, from what Bi Luo had told him, Chi Yue seemed to be a Second-Order Origin King.
If he were to try to force his way in, he would likely die!
He had to think of a better way. It would be best if he could send a message to Shan Qing Luo and let her come out to see him herself.
Yang Kai was lost in thought.
One day later, he and Xia Ning Chang arrived in front of a Monster Race city.
Shimmering Moon City was a little different from the cities Yang Kai had previously been to. The buildings in this city were filled with a rough and wild style that matched with the Monster Race, and while not exquisite, it still had a grand and imposing feeling.
Naturally, it was not just the Monster Race that lived in this city, there were also humans who were coming and going.
Red Moon Tribal Lord was better in this regard compared to other Tribal Lords. In her territory, no Monster Race could kill innocent humans without cause. Although humans still had low status, they had their own talents, and it was these talents Chi Yue fancied, which was why she created a space for humans to survive in.
The other nine Tribal Lords did not share Chi Yue’s level of foresight.
This was especially true for Wild Lion Tribal Lord who was the most addicted to killing and slaughter. In his territory, if there were traces of any humans, his children would follow his doctrine and kill all humans on sight, partaking of their flesh and blood.
As a result, the humans that originally lived in his territory had all scattered and fled, most rushing to Red Moon Territory, a relatively safe region for Humans.
Generally speaking, the two races lived in harmony in Shimmering Moon City. Of course, humans always had inferior status.
When entering Shimmering Moon City, Monster Race cultivators only needed to pay three Mid-Rank Saint Crystals, but Yang Kai needed to pay one High-Rank Saint Crystal.
Regarding this, Yang Kai had no complaints. After paying two High-Rank Saint Crystals, he entered the city together with Xia Ning Chang.
The extremely spacious street was large enough to accommodate several carts driving side by side, and on both sides of the street was a wide variety of shops that had dazzling wears on display. Human and Monster Race cultivators went to and fro, creating a bustling atmosphere.
The owners of these shops also attended to their customers with great zeal, actively soliciting business for their stores.
Yang Kai walked around the streets and soon discovered that most of these stores were opened by humans, with stores run by Monster Race cultivators being the minority.
In terms of business, humans obviously had more talent than the Monster Race.
Observing the wares along the road, Yang Kai’s eyes gradually brightened.
He found many cultivation materials on this Monster Emperor Star that were not available on Shadowed Star. This was normal though, as every star had its own unique products.
Monster Emperor Star was a Cultivation Star that was dominated by the Monster Race, so here, the most common goods on the market were naturally Monster Beast parts and Monster Cores.
When he discovered this, Yang Kai could not help feeling shocked.
He had not expected that everyone was openly selling Monster Beast parts in a city ruled by the Monster Race.
This was genuinely surprising; after all, many Monster Race cultivators were born as Monster Beasts, so didn’t they feel disgusted by such businesses?
It would be the equivalent of someone in a city on Shadowed Star selling human limbs or organs… no one would patronize such a shop.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai relaxed and found this practice quite reasonable. Since the business of selling Monster Beast parts was thriving, everyone had become accustomed to it. What’s more, not all of the Monster Race were transformed from Monster Beasts, and even those who were would have plenty of experience killing other, weaker Monster Beasts when they too were Monster Beasts in order to consume their flesh and swallow their cores to strengthen themselves.
Yang Kai began simply observing with interest.
“Junior Brother, there are so many high-end materials here,” Xia Ning Chang’s eyes also shined brightly.
On Tong Xuan Realm, she was restricted by the level of materials available and could not refine higher grade pills, but after arriving here on Monster Emperor Star, it was like she had just entered a giant treasure trove. The dazzling array of high-end materials made her wish she could buy them all then go back and refine pills immediately.
Now that she had refined its Star Source, the prosperity or decline of Tong Xuan Realm was closely related to her cultivation, so Xia Ning Chang could not wait to improve her strength.
To her, performing Alchemy was the same as cultivating, and by doing so she could rapidly improve her strength.
“En, it’s a pity that we don’t have that many Saint Crystals left,” Yang Kai also felt the situation was a bit troublesome.
Since Xia Ning Chang took a fancy to these materials, how could he not? However, most of the Saint Crystals he had brought with him had been used up when Xia Ning Chang refined the Star Source. What he had left was only some reserves and were not enough to purchase these materials in large quantities.
Seeing the disappointment in Xia Ning Chang’s eyes, however, Yang Kai smiled lightly and said, “But, buying a few ingredients should not be a problem.”
Little Senior Sister smiled immediately as her eyes bent into happy crescents.
The two quickly walked into a nearby shop and began checking out its wares while bargaining with the owner.
Half a day later, Xia Ning Chang’s Space Ring was filled with many Alchemy materials.
There were also many valuable treasures in Yang Kai’s Space Ring. There were herbs he obtained from the floating continent and Emperor Garden in the past, along with others he had brought with him from Shadowed Star. If these herbs were paired with the right Monster Beast parts and Monster Cores, Yang Kai would be able to use many of the ancient pill recipes in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Yang Kai had not been able to acquire the materials needed for these ancient pill recipes so far because most of them required specific Monster Beast parts or Monster Cores, and on Shadowed Star, the number of powerful Monster Beasts was quite low. Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice.
But on Monster Emperor Star, many things satisfied his requirements. If nothing else, the amount of Monster Beast materials here was enormous.
Yang Kai was already considering whether he should stay in this place for a while and search through it carefully.
In addition to Alchemy materials, cultivating Blood Beasts as well as refining Origin King Grade Spirit Pills required Monster Beasts.
However… not having enough Saint Crystals was a big problem.
After buying these materials, Yang Kai brought Xia Ning Chang to the nearest inn and asked for a good courtyard.
Although the architectural style of Shimmering Moon City was quite wild and rough, the rooms in the courtyard Yang Kai booked were quite delicate. Besides having an excellent environment, this courtyard also had barriers around each of its rooms which could block the Divine Senses of others.
This was to ensure the privacy of guests.
The owner of this inn was a Monster Race cultivator, but he was not as domineering as others of the Monster Race. On the contrary, this old man was quite amiable and he warmly received Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, changing the pair’s impressions of the Monster Race, somewhat.
After settling Xia Ning Chang in, Yang Kai left the inn and began to search for information in Shimmering Moon City.
He hadn’t forgotten that his main purpose in coming here was to look for Shan Qing Luo. Currently, the biggest problem he had was finding a way to approach the Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace.
After staying in Shimmering Moon City for several days, Yang Kai was no closer to finding a solution to this problem.
Instead, he had bought some precious Monster Beast materials using the limited Saint Crystals he had left.
“Young man, you seem to have something on your mind.”
On a certain day, while Yang Kai was drinking at the inn, lost in thought, the owner walked over with a smile, set down a plate of snacks, then sat down opposite him.
“These past few days it seems you’ve been looking for people to inquire about how to visit Lady Tribal Lord’s palace, but why do you want to see Lady Tribal Lord?” The old man from the Monster Race, who appeared about sixty years old, had a rickety waist and amicable smile. In recent days, he had taken care of Yang Kai well and done his best to satisfy any requests the latter had.
Seeing the owner sitting down on his own initiative, Yang Kai chuckled and replied, “To tell you the truth, Old Man, I’m not asking about Lady Tribal Lord’s palace because I wish to see her.”
“Oh?” The owner of the inn looked at him with interest, “Then what do you want to do? Do you realize that your inquiries had begun to attract the attention of many people? The Monster Race isn’t too friendly to humans here.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai gently nodded. He had indeed noticed how over the past few days, whenever he asked about this topic, the Monster Race cultivators he spoke with either mocked him or dismissed him. Some even spoke ill of and threatened him.
If it were not for the laws Chi Yue had instated, it was likely the Monster Race cultivators would have attacked him already.
A trivial human daring to inquire about Lady Tribal Lord’s palace really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
“You don’t want to see Lady Tribal Lord? Then what do you want?” The inn owner asked.
“Actually, I have a friend who should be in Lady Tribal Lord’s palace, one who I haven’t seen in several dozen years. The last time we met we were forced to make an abrupt farewell, without even enough time to say a proper goodbye, so this time I wanted to meet with them and have a good chat,” Yang Kai answered honestly.
“A friend… heh heh, a woman, right?” The owner of the inn smiled meaningfully with an expression that said he knew everything already.
Yang Kai gave a dry laugh.
“Does that woman like you?” The inn owner asked again.
“Old Sir must enjoy gossiping,” Yang Kai flushed slightly.
The old man just smiled lightly in response, not pressing the subject anymore and instead just saying with some emotion, “Young man, you’re quite fortunate. That woman you came here with is also a good girl, simple and pure, yet outside there is another woman who keeps you in her heart. En, this old man is somewhat envious.”
Shifting the subject, the old man continued, “Actually, if you want to know what is happening in the palace, it’s actually quite simple.”
“Oh? Please enlighten me, Old Sir,” Yang Kai immediately became energetic and asked humbly.
“Every month, some people will leave the palace to purchase supplies from the surrounding towns. Shimmering Moon City is not too far from the palace, and it is also quite prosperous, so it is generally regarded as one of the primary destinations for such trips. You only need to wait a few days in order to see some of the maidservants from the palace here; if you’re lucky, it might even be the woman you wish to meet.”
He obviously thought the same as the previous Monster Race cultivator, that Yang Kai’s friend was a maidservant in the palace.
After all, most humans who were able to enter the palace of Lady Tribal Lord had such statuses.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Although the owner of the inn had misunderstood the identity of Shan Qing Luo, this wasn’t a problem.
If one of the maidservants that came out from the palace could pass Shan Qing Luo a message from him, then everything would be solved.
“Many thanks, Old Sir!” Yang Kai cupped his fists happily.
“It’s fine, this old man didn’t do anything worthy of thanks.”
“Old Sir,” Yang Kai looked at him curiously and asked, “I feel that your attitude towards humans is very different from others of the Monster Race, do you not discriminate against humans?”
“Discriminate? Why should I?” The owner of the inn looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “You humans are fine the way you are. This old man once knew a very special human when he was young…”
Yang Kai clearly saw a strong, almost inexhaustible tenderness flash across the old man’s eyes at that moment.
Yang Kai suddenly understood something then.
“Never mind, just pretend I didn’t say anything. Young Man, take your time, this old man is getting on in years and needs to lie down for a while,” The owner of the inn suddenly became somewhat disinterested and saying so, stood up to leave, his waist seemingly even more rickety than before.
Yang Kai sighed at this sight.
It seemed that when this inn owner was young, he was in love with a human woman.
Love across races was something that was the subject of disgust in any place, not to mention this was Monster Emperor Star, where the Monster Race ruled supreme and humans had no status whatsoever.
It was precisely because such love was forbidden in many places that inter-racial couples were often split apart and eventually forced into committing suicide, inspiring many an epic story.
Yang Kai did not think too much about this issue, however, simply drinking a few glasses of wine before returning to his courtyard. After updating Xia Ning Chang, who was still studying Alchemy, Yang Kai went straight to the city gate.
According to the owner of the inn, it would be a few days before the maidservants from the palace came here to purchase supplies, but Yang Kai intended to get there ahead of time and come up with a way to send a message to Shan Qing Luo.
Not far from Shimmering Moon City gate, in a certain teahouse.
The location of this shop was good; one could see all the cultivators coming and going from the city gate. Yang Kai had already spent several days at this teahouse without seeing any trace of the maidservants from the palace.
On this day, just as he was sipping tea to pass the time, a commotion suddenly arose at the gate.
The cultivators who were waiting in line to enter the city suddenly separated to the sides of the road, as if they were giving way to some important figure. There were also shouts coming from the crowd and Yang Kai vaguely heard someone yelling, ‘They are here”.
[Have the maidservants from the palace finally arrived?] Yang Kai immediately thought.
The commotion at the city gate also reached the teahouse and the cultivators inside quickly began walking out and gathering on the street. It didn’t take long before the spacious street was filled with people, all of them staring towards the city gate.
Although there were many people, they were all practically silent.
Yang Kai also walked out of the teahouse, mixed into the crowd, and stared towards the city gate with a look of expectation, hoping he would find a suitable candidate to accept his request to deliver a message.
The earth trembled slightly due to vibrations conveyed from afar, as if thousands of troops were marching towards here.
Yang Kai frowned at this as he realized that things seemed a little different from what he thought; After all, if it was just a group of maidservants coming out to purchase supplies, there wouldn’t be this much of a commotion.
What’s more, since these maidservants came once every month, the residents of Shimmering Moon City shouldn’t be surprised by their arrival or be gathering around out of curiosity.
Realizing this, Yang Kai felt a little disappointed. It seemed that the maidservant group wasn’t coming today.
However, he was still quite curious about who it was that had come to Shimmering Moon City to attract so many onlookers.
A short while later, a majestic wolf-shaped Monster Beast charged in from outside. Atop this Monster Beast, there was a Monster Race cultivator that Yang Kai was familiar with.
“Make way, make way!” The Monster Race cultivator rode into Shimmering Moon City and yelled loudly, waving a long whip in his hand to disperse the crowd on the streets further.
Following closely behind him, more than a dozen wolf-shaped Monster Beasts appeared. Each of these Monster Beasts was mounted by a Monster Race cultivator and all of them quickly began clearing out the crowds together with their leader.
[Aren’t they the Monster Race team I asked for directions a few days ago?] Yang Kai looked at the lead cultivator and quickly recalled.
“Friend, which Great Sir has come to Shimmering Moon City? Why is such a fuss being raised?” A questioning voice suddenly came from the side. Obviously, the owner of this voice was also confused and was asking others for information.
“I don’t know,” The person being questioned answered faintly, apparently also in the dark.
“You don’t know who is coming yet you still came out here to see them?” The questioner asked unhappily.
“I just came to take a look without knowing, aren’t you the same?”
“Ah, en…”
Just as everyone was feeling confused and whispering amongst themselves, two giant heads suddenly entered the city gate. These two heads had large, single horns atop their head and were covered in dark coloured scales which looked particularly hard. Snake-like eyes exuding cold light glanced around the crowd, causing many to shudder in fear.
“Those are…” A knowledgeable person immediately exclaimed as he saw through the origins of these two Monster Beasts.
The full picture of these two Monster Beasts quickly appeared before everyone’s eyes. Aside from their giant heads, these two Monster Beasts also had large wings on their backs and their bodies were covered in large dragon-like scales. Long tails flicked about behind them, seemingly containing explosive power.
“Ninth-Order Thunder Flame Flying Lizard Monster Beasts!”
Not all Monster Beasts had the ability to assume human form. Some Monster Beasts would maintain a beast form throughout their lives, and this Ninth-Order Thunder Flame Flying Lizard was obviously one of them. Amongst Ninth-Order Monster Beasts, it was a famous existence. Born proficient in both Thunder and Fire Attributes, with a violent and cruel temper, even Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators who encountered them would have no choice but to flee.
There weren’t many masters who were capable of subduing this type of Monster Beast.
But now, these two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards had been reduced to beasts of burden. They were bound by their necks and their reins extended behind them to a luxuriously decorated carriage that was slowly entering Shimmering Moon City.
This carriage was very extremely ornate, and as its wheels turned, a faint jingle could be heard coming from it that was quite pleasing to the ear.
The carriage had an open top with no doors or windows, only some pink curtains hung around it. It seemed that the owner of this carriage enjoyed being seen and noticed by onlookers.
There were three people in this carriage, but almost everyone’s eyes focused on a single one at this moment.
A man in white robes and a face like a jade carving sat on the soft couch of the carriage, the casual yet luxurious and majestic air around him unconsciously made those who saw him feel inferior.
At first glance, most would only think that this man was particularly handsome, but the more one stared, the more they became transfixed.
His eyes had a divine light to them that seemed to exude a peculiar power. Any woman who met eyes with him would begin to lose herself in them, like moths to a flickering flame, anxious to recklessly throw themselves at him.
A stunning woman was laying her head on the man’s lap as he used his delicate hand to stroke her luscious black hair. The woman’s eyes were slightly squinted, revealing a look of extreme enjoyment, as if she were a pet that was basking in its owner’s caress.
Another woman was lying in the arms of the man, with the same dazzled look on her pretty face, a faint pink hue radiating from her skin as she panted slightly, her red lips shining with an amorous light.
Although he was being watched by countless people, the man still smiled lightly, his eyes filled with a kind of wicked light that was capable of bewitching any woman he gazed upon, setting their heart aflame and drawing them in to offer their entire beings to him.
“I know who he is, he’s Young Master Wicked Eyes! It’s Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord’s Young Lord Mi Tian!” An exclamation came from the crowd, revealing the lofty identity of the man sitting on the carriage.
Many people recognized him in fact.
The complexions of all the men present changed drastically as the look in their eyes as they stared towards Mi Tian quickly went from curiosity to dread.
This couldn’t be helped, Young Master Wicked Eyes Mi Tian’s reputation on Monster Emperor Star was really too terrifying. It was rumoured that even if the number of women who had died at his hands wasn’t a thousand, it was at least eight hundred. Worse, these women weren’t taken by force but offered their lives to him willingly.
It was said that Mi Tian had cultivated some kind of Secret Technique that resembled gathering Yin to supplement Yang, and that any woman who spent the evening with him, no matter how outstanding, would be dead by morning.
Even so, there was still no lack of women who rushed to accept Mi Tian’s embrace.
The most hateful thing about this Mi Tian was that whether they were Human or Monster Race women, he accepted them all.
With so many women having fallen prey to him, generally, no matter where Mi Tian went, men would not allow their women to come out and show their faces and would try their best to avoid having their lovers and relatives meet him.
No one had heard that Mi Tian would be coming to Shimmering Moon City though, so no one had taken precautions. If they had known earlier, they would have avoided him like a viper rather than gathering around to greet him.
But now, with these two Ninth-Order Thunder Flame Flying Lizards present, and Mi Tian already before their eyes, how could they do that?
It was all over! Many cultivators looked towards their women and saw looks of admiration and desire as they stared at Mi Tian. Seeing this, these men wished they could rush up and shred Mi Tian’s corpse into ten thousand pieces.
But these were just their secret desires.
Without even mentioning that Mi Tian was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, with few worthy to be his opponent, his two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts were also not to be provoked easily.
Most importantly, there was a huge backer behind Mi Tian.
Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord!
With the father being a true Origin King Realm master, who would dare attack his son? Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord doted upon his son greatly, there was no other explanation for him giving Mi Tian two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards just to pull his carriage.
Standing in the crowd, Yang Kai also learned the identity of this man from the exclamations and discussions of the people around him; however, he couldn’t help feeling the situation was a bit strange. Why would the Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord’s favoured son come to Red Moon Territory?
As far as Yang Kai knew, the relationship between the Ten Great Tribal Lords on Monster Emperor Star was not very harmonious.
However, Yang Kai merely found this curious and didn’t think too deeply about it. After learning that the person who caused the commotion was not the group of maidservants he was waiting for, Yang Kai’s interest in watching faded completely.
The look on Young Master Wicked Eyes also annoyed Yang Kai, it was a natural kind of arrogance that seemed to proclaim that all women in the world belonged to him.
Yang Kai wanted to turn around and leave, but after emerging from his own thoughts, he was immediately stunned.
All the cultivators, who were originally standing on both sides of the street, were now down on one knee at the moment in order to respectfully welcome Mi Tian into the city.
When Yang Kai turned his head and looked around, his brows furrowed.
He suddenly discovered that he was like a crane amongst chickens…
There were countless onlookers present, but all of them were half kneeling on the ground right now, with only Yang Kai standing around in a daze.
Mi Tian glanced over and tilted his head up slightly at this sight. Even though he was just sitting on his carriage, staring down disdainfully at Yang Kai from above, his eyes seemed to emit an oppressive aura.
“Bold!” An angry shout came from the side as one of the Monster Race cultivators who was riding a wolf-shaped Monster Beast that had led Mi Tian into the city brought his mount in front of Yang Kai and waved his long riding whip as he reproved, “Why have you not kneeled yet!”
Saying so, he advanced towards Yang Kai, as if he wanted to teach him a lesson.
Yang Kai just stared back at him indifferently though.
The Monster Race cultivator was stunned as he suddenly recognized Yang Kai’s face. [Wasn’t this the human who had asked me for directions the other day?]
At that time, he had felt this human was somewhat unfathomable…
Thinking so, the Monster Race cultivator slightly shook his wrist and the whip he originally sent straight towards Yang Kai deviated slightly, hitting the air and making a loud cracking sound.
Since he could not figure out Yang Kai’s depths, he didn’t dare to act rashly. On the other hand, he needed to maintain Young Lord Mi Tian’s face; after all, all the Monster Race masters here had knelt down to salute Mi Tian, but a trivial human actually remained standing. This was unacceptable.
This was a naked display of contempt towards Mi Tian as well as an insult to the Monster Race as a whole.
As such, this Monster Race cultivator was at a loss for a moment, not knowing what to do, quickly turning his eyes to Mi Tian for help.
“Human, you’re quite bold. You dare refuse to kneel in the presence of this Young Lord?” Mi Tian smiled softly, seemingly harmless to humans and animals alike, but everyone could clearly hear the contempt in his words.
Mi Tian’s distinguished status and superb strength gave him the qualifications to act this way though.
[This human boy’s fate would surely be miserable!] Many cultivators thought so and some could not help directing looks of sympathy towards Yang Kai.
Most in the crowd, however, were just taking pleasure in another’s misfortune. With Yang Kai attracting Mi Tian’s attention, perhaps even the notorious Young Master Wicked Eyes would not have any extra energy to pay attention to the various beautiful women in Shimmering Moon City.
Thinking so, many people felt grateful to Yang Kai and quietly pressed down the heads of the beautiful women next to them to prevent them from revealing their faces.
“Kneel?” Yang Kai chuckled, undauntedly meeting eyes with Mi Tian and asking, “Why?”
[This shameless Monster Race boy actually wants me to kneel?] Yang Kai had rarely heard such wild words.
In all honesty, Yang Kai didn’t want to stir up trouble on Monster Emperor Star, so if Mi Tian pretended not to see him and simply let this incident pass, things would have been fine, but now that conflict seemed inevitable, Yang Kai was naturally not going to back down.
“Because you’re human!” Mi Tian sneered, releasing an aggressive air, “Humans must kneel down when they see this Young Lord!”
As if feeling their master’s anger, the Thunder Flame Flying Lizards pulling the carriage became violent and turned their gazes towards Yang Kai while spraying hot air from their nostrils, their eyes filling with a bloodthirsty and cruel light.
The complexions of the people around Yang Kai changed drastically, and without hesitation, all of them scattered away, not daring to remain close to him, fearing that after the city gate caught fire, the fish in the moat would be affected.
In an instant, with Yang Kai as its centre, a hundred-metre radius had become free of all others.
Yang Kai became more and more conspicuous.
“Human, on Monster Emperor Star, you’d better not act so presumptuous, otherwise you’ll pay a heavy price!” Mi Tian looked at Yang Kai indifferently. Even the two stunning women who were fawning on Mi Tian glared at Yang Kai, as if blaming him for his rudeness.
“Monster Emperor Star is my Monster Race’s territory, as for you humans… En, it’s best if you humans keep your heads lowered and remain obedient. However, this Young Lord is not a petty man. Since this is your first offence, I can treat it as if I never saw anything. Kneel down and this Young Lord will spare your life!” Mi Tian pointed his finger downwards and declared in an imposing manner.
“And if I don’t?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light as he stared back at Mi Tian with a smile.
“You have no choice!” Mi Tian coldly snorted.
As soon as he spoke these words, the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard on the left suddenly opened its jaw and a ball of flames wrapped in arcs of lightning shot out towards Yang Kai.
Feeling the horrific killing power of this thunder-fireball, many cultivators were shocked.
Although most of them had heard about the terrible power of Thunder Flame Flying Lizards before, few had seen one with their own eyes. Today was an eye-opening experience for them.
No wonder Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators had no choice but to flee when they encountered a Thunder Flame Flying Lizard. This thunder-fireball alone could not be resisted by ordinary Origin Returning Realm masters.
As the terrifying thunder-fireball rushed towards his face, Yang Kai simply stood in place, as if unaware of the approaching danger. It was not until the thunder-fireball was right in front of him that he lifted his hand and grabbed towards it.
[Courting death!] Many cultivators who saw this scene had such thoughts in their hearts.
The attack of a Thunder Flame Flying Lizard was not so easily dealt with. It seemed there was something wrong with this boy’s head, trying to take this attack head-on with nothing but his body. No wonder he dared challenge Mi Tian.
A shocking scene appeared next, however.
When Yang Kai hand grasped the thunder-fireball, instead of him being directly burned to ashes as everyone expected, the thunder-fireball froze in place.
An extremely mysterious force burst forth at that instant, and in a flash, as if it was somehow being deflated, the terrifying thunder-fireball shrank at an extremely rapid pace until it finally disappeared.
Yang Kai stood in place, completely unharmed.
Gasps sounded from all around.
Mi Tian also finally sat up, pushing the woman who was half lying on his lap out of the way as a look of interest flashed across his eyes.
“Not bad, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!” Mi Tian grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, “No wonder you dare act so rampant, it turns out you have some small skill!”
The moment Yang Kai acted, Mi Tian was able to detect Yang Kai’s cultivation.
The Second-Order Origin Returning Realm was not weak on Monster Emperor Star, not to mention that this boy was a human!
Monster Emperor Star was dominated by the Monster Race, and although there were abundant materials and World Energy here, Origin Realm masters rarely emerged among humans, as those with high aptitude were generally strangled in the cradle.
The Monster Race wouldn’t allow Human Race masters to rise up. They allow humans to survive because they fancied the unique talents of the Human Race, but how could they permit the Human Race an opportunity to oppose the Monster Race’s hegemony?
So, after realizing that Yang Kai was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, Mi Tian suddenly became interested. Standing up on his carriage, he waved his hand and coldly ordered, “Kill him!”
The two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts immediately became violent as they stood upright, opened their mouths, and gathered flame and lightning in preparation to attack.
A panic ensued at the city gates as most of the cultivators gathered quickly fled.
Yang Kai let out a defiant laugh as he shouted, “Two mere beasts dare act wild before me!”
Golden light flashed, and under the control of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, two Golden Blood Threads shot out like arrows towards the Thunder Flame Flying Lizards.
Two pillars of fire spurted from the mouths of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizards, greeting the Golden Blood Threads head-on; however, these flame jets were unable to even impede the speed of the Golden Blood Thread’s charge. The flames which caused everyone else to pale in fright were actually unable to even damage the Golden Blood Threads.
In the blink of an eye, the Golden Blood Threads shot into the Thunder Flame Flying Lizards’ mouths.
The next moment, the two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts roared as their massive bodies swayed from side to side, colliding with and collapsing all the nearby buildings.
The Golden Blood Threads which had rushed into their abdomens were still under Yang Kai’s control and were now wantonly cutting into these two beasts’ bodies, causing unimaginable damage and pain to them.
Yang Kai did not remain idle either as his figure flickered and rushed out, instantly arriving in the air above one of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard’s heads and sending out a punch.
This punch seemed like a casual strike without any hidden power and mystery behind it.
But when this fist hit the head of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard, it was as if the huge Monster Beast had been struck by a ten-ton hammer. First, its skull distorted from the blow, then it crashed to the ground like a falling meteor.
The entire city felt as if it shook from the impact!
A big crater immediately appeared in the ground as the head of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard sunk into it.
Worthy of a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, however, even after its insides were torn up by a Golden Blood Thread and its head was smashed by Yang Kai, it still had not died. On the contrary, it only grew fiercer, and with a thunderous roar, it spread its large wings and flapped hard, trying to escape from Yang Kai’s range.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered again and arrived directly in front of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard, planting his feet on its lower jaws while lifting his hands up towards the sky, holding up the upper palate of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard’s giant maw.
“What is he doing?” The onlookers were all stunned as they gawked at Yang Kai in shock.
From his posture, it looked as if he wanted to rip this Ninth-Order Monster Beast in half, but the tiny body of a human formed a sharp contrast with the giant mouth of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard.
No one doubted this Thunder Flame Flying Lizard could swallow down this human boy whole.
Yang Kai’s body was bent like a shrimp, and his exposed muscles were clearly bulging out, as if exerting an unimaginable strength.
He and Thunder Flame Flying Lizard were now having a simple competition of strength.
Everyone thought Yang Kai was crazy.
It was well known that in terms of physical strength, the Monster Race was born with a decisive advantage, not to mention a huge Ninth-Order Monster Beast such as this Thunder Flame Flying Lizard. In particular, the bite force of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard was truly astonishing.
Yang Kai taking the initiative to enter this Monster Beast’s mouth was nothing short of challenging the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard’s greatest strength.
Was there something wrong with this guy’s head? Many people could not help wondering to themselves.
However, the results of this contest came quickly and were completely beyond everyone’s predictions.
Just as the crowd was suspecting if Yang Kai had some kind of mental issues, his bent body suddenly straightened up.
In an astonishing burst of strength, the giant mouth of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard failed to stop Yang Kai’s body from uncurling.
The huge jaw curved unnaturally before suddenly its upper half flew up while its lower half crashed to the ground.
*Ci la…*
With blood splattering through the air, the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard’s head split in two, its muscles and tendons pulled apart by an unstoppable force right before everyone’s eyes.
The audience went silent as they all stared sluggishly at Yang Kai, as if their heads could not keep up with what their eyes were seeing.
If someone said that Yang Kai was a Monster Race master renowned for his physical strength, this scene might be explainable, but… he was just a human!
Can humans really have such terrifying power?
*Hong…*
With a loud thud, the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard’s huge body fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Yang Kai stood mid-air, covered in blood, an astonishing murderous aura pulsing from his body, like a god of slaughter from ancient times, causing all who saw him to shudder.
Turning his head to the other Thunder Flame Flying Lizard that was currently rushing over towards him, Yang Kai grinned menacingly.
Although this Thunder Flame Flying Lizard was unable to assume human form, its sentience wasn’t low, so when it saw its companion killed by this human in such a brutal and unbelievable way, how could it dare get any closer?
With a low growl from its throat, this beast beat its wings violently, trying to stop itself from advancing.
It was too late, however. Yang Kai dashed forward and arrived in front of the second Thunder Flame Flying Lizard, twisted his body, and dove straight into its open mouth.
In the next moment, a terrifying sound came from inside the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard, causing those who heard it to shiver uncontrollably. Visible to the naked eye, a surge of energy burst from the beast’s neck before sliding down to its abdomen.
*Hong…*
A giant hole suddenly exploded in the abdomen of the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard, and Yang Kai’s figure sprang from it.
The second Thunder Flame Flying Lizard crashed to the ground, its life aura extinguished.
Everything happened too fast. From the point Mi Tian ordered Yang Kai’s death, to the time Yang Kai killed the two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards, only three breaths passed.
This change happened so fast the crowd was not even able to keep up with what was happening.
It was not until Yang Kai burst out of the abdomen of the second Thunder Flame Flying Lizard that they suddenly recovered.
Two extremely powerful Ninth-Order Monster Beasts… had died just like that.
[Were those really Thunder Flame Flying Lizards? They were not some kind of weak Monster Beast that just looked like Thunder Flame Flying Lizards, right? Right?] This kind of thought flashed across everyone’s mind as they stared blankly at Yang Kai.
The violent and brutal fighting style he displayed dazzled and terrified everyone present.
Battles between Monster Race cultivators were known for being wild and violent, something most Monster Race cultivators took pride in.
They felt that battles between the Monster Race were real battles. As for fights between humans… they were just fancy shows.
However, the human in front of them, confronting Young Lord Mi Tian, had shocked the crowd with a true display of ruthless violence!
The audience was stunned silent.
Even Mi Tian now stared at Yang Kai solemnly.
He found that this human was… not affable.
Although the two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards used to pull his carriage had lost of their innate ferocity because they had been domesticated since childhood and weren’t comparable to Monster Beasts of the same species who were born and raised in the wild, they weren’t creatures a mere Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator could kill at will.
In front of Mi Tian’s eyes, the two Monster Beasts who had pulled his carriage had both died without even being able to put up the slightest resistance.
Mi Tian thought for a moment and concluded that even he could not replicate this feat! Releasing his Divine Sense suspiciously, he probed Yang Kai but still found that this human had a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivation and was not hiding his strength at all.
Mi Tian narrowed his eyes as a cold light flashed across them, his blood starting to boil slightly as he did.
The Monster Race was militant, and Mi Tian, as the Young Master of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord, still had bloodthirsty and violent impulses ingrained in his bones. Due to his noble status, he was simply better at controlling them than others of his race.
However, at this moment, he felt Yang Kai would be a good opponent, one he could fight without holding back.
*Kacha…*
A slight noise suddenly rang out from Mi Tian’s body, one that was nearly imperceptible, but almost like every part of his body was shaking very subtly.
This was a sign of excitement!
“What’s going on here!” At that moment, several rays of light flew over from afar, and before these people arrived, an angry shout rang out.
Immediately, these rays of light fell in front of the crowd, and after seeing the Monster Beast bodies as well as the tense atmosphere in front of the city gate, these newcomers could not help gawking momentarily.
“Sir Ma Ge Na!” The Monster Race cultivator, who was riding the wolf-shaped mount, hurriedly got down and respectfully saluted these new arrivals.
The City Lord of Shimmering Moon City was a Monster Race master named Ma Ge Na. As the master of such a prosperous city, he naturally had a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation.
However, even though he was the City Lord of Shimmering Moon City, he knew nothing about what had transpired here, or even about the arrival of Mi Tian.
It was not that Ma Ge Na was particularly ignorant of his surroundings, it was just that Mi Tian had acted too unreasonably. Originally, the team of cultivators riding wolf-shaped Monster Beasts were only responsible for finding Mi Tian’s whereabouts and then reporting back. Afterwards, a proper reception would be sent out to escort him directly to the City Lord’s Mansion.
But Mi Tian had refused to allow these Monster Race cultivators to send word back to Ma Ge Na, and after meeting them, coerced them into bringing him directly to Shimmering Moon City.
Obviously, he was well aware of his poor reputation and that everyone would try to avoid him wherever he went, so in order to not have news leak, giving the residents of Shimmering Moon City time to hide their beauties, he did not allow anyone to inform Shimmering Moon City’s City Lord of his location.
Mi Tian planned to first patronize Shimmering Moon City and pick out some new ‘toys’ before heading to Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace.
His plan was quite good, but unexpectedly he had run into and provoked Yang Kai the moment he entered the city, resulting in his two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts being killed.
“Young Lord Mi Tian?” Ma Ge Na recognized Mi Tian’s identity immediately and his complexion became gloomy. Obviously, he too didn’t want to invite Mi Tian into his city to cause trouble.
“Haha, Mi Tian greets Senior Ma Ge Na, Mi Tian has arrived here uninvited and hopes Senior won’t take offence,” Mi Tian cupped his fists, his seemingly harmless, bright smile causing countless women to swoon.
“What’s all this about?” Ma Ge Na calmly looked at the Monster Race cultivator who had been riding his wolf-shaped mount.
The Monster Race cultivator leaked cold sweat as he could tell the City Lord was very upset and didn’t dare to conceal anything, quickly and succinctly explaining everything that had transpired.
“Impudence!” After hearing that Yang Kai had killed Mi Tian’s Monster Beasts, Ma Ge Na suddenly roared as he glared sharply at Yang Kai.
Although he did not like the idea of Mi Tian womanizing in his territory, a human daring to challenge a noble of the Monster Race was definitely not something he could tolerate. Comparing the two issues, his displeasure with Mi Tian showing up uninvited was nothing of concern.
However, who exactly was this young human, who was capable of killing two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts in such a short time? The strength required for such a feat was quite extraordinary.
Staring at Yang Kai suspiciously, Ma Ge Na was unable to remember when such an expert appeared amongst the Human Race.
Yang Kai straight-up ignored him, however, and instead silently stood for a moment before waving his hand and retrieving two golden lights from the dead Thunder Flame Flying Lizards. These two golden lights danced around Yang Kai’s fingertips, as if they had spirituality.
Looking at these two Golden Blood Threads, which now had a hint of red in them too, Yang Kai smiled with satisfaction.
He had been unable to find suitable Monster Beasts to condense Blood Beast from, but suddenly ran into two perfect specimens, so when Mi Tian picked a fight, Yang Kai had not hesitated to respond.
The Blood Beast Secret Technique, which was condensed from the essence of a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, was not bad.
After he took the Golden Blood Threads back, the corpses of the two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards on the ground suddenly shrivelled, as if wilting away, their vitality and essence all drained clean in an instant.
“Hm!” Mi Tian’s eyes lit up, “What Secret Technique is this!?”
He seemed to be quite interested as he directed a look of surprise towards the two Golden Blood Threads dancing between Yang Kai’s fingers, his eyes not even blinking.
Although he was a noble amongst the Monster Race, Mi Tian was quite interested in the various Secret Techniques humans used. Humans were not comparable to the Monster Race in terms of physical strength, but when it came to the creation and use of Secret Techniques, the Monster Race was clearly inferior.
Both races had their own advantages.
Mi Tian understood this well, and was different from many Monster Race masters in that he did not reject or despise the Secret Techniques used by humans; he did not think they were merely flashy with no substance and instead was willing to calmly study and comprehend them.
With the powerful body of the Monster Race, combined with the Human Race’s ever-changing and mysterious Secret Techniques, Mi Tian believed that one day, he could create his own unique style of fighting and reach greater heights than even his father Qian Yan to stand atop Monster Emperor Star’s Ten Great Tribal Lords!
This position had been vacant for a long time.
Now, he was quite interested in Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique.
He had studied the Secret Techniques of many humans before so his vision was quite sharp and he was able to tell how extraordinary these two Golden Blood Threads were at a glance, moreover… after emerging from the Thunder Flame Flying Lizard corpses, these two Golden Blood Threads seemed to have gained spirituality!
[He had to obtain them!] This overbearing thought flashed across Mi Tian’s mind and he quickly pointed at Yang Kai and said, “Human, give this Young Lord those things in your hand and this Young Lord will forgive your previous transgressions.”
Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked at him, curled his lips and grinned, a moment later taking back the two Golden Blood Threads as he said concisely, “No!”
Mi Tian frowned and stared at him strangely for a moment before chuckling lowly, “Human, is there something wrong with your head? Do you think that after killing this Young Lord’s two Monster Beasts you can just walk away? Do you think you can leave Shimmering Moon City alive? If you want to survive, obediently cooperate with this Young Lord and I can spare your life, don’t you refuse a toast just to drink a loss!”
As he spoke, Shimmering Moon City’s City Lord Ma Ge Na and several Origin Returning Realm masters nearly turned dangerous glares towards Yang Kai, preparing to take action at any moment.
Regarding Yang Kai, Ma Ge Na unconditionally supported Mi Tian.
As such, he stared at Yang Kai with an unkind look and said coldly, “Boy, you should learn to appreciate kindness, in my Shimmering Moon City, you can’t act so presumptuous.”
“Presumptuous?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at him, not giving him the slightest face as he declared arrogantly and aggressively, “So what if I act presumptuously? Are you going to bite me?”
“Bold!” Ma Ge Na flew into a rage. He had lived for so many years but had never met such an audacious human before. Even taking all of Monster Emperor Star into account, which other human was so ignorant of the immensity of Heaven and Earth? No matter how powerful a human was, they would have to show deference to any Monster Race, let alone a City Lord like him.
Ma Ge Na glanced over at Mi Tian, and Mi Tian happened to look over at the same time.
When their eyes met, they both understood each other’s thoughts.
They needed to join forces to capture or kill this human, otherwise, the entire Monster Race would lose all face here today.
But before they could act, a strange energy fluctuation suddenly erupted from somewhere in Shimmering Moon City. Mi Tian and Ma Ge Na were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters so naturally they immediately detected this disturbance.
What puzzled them, however, was they could not identify what had caused this strange energy fluctuation.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he raised his head and glanced in the direction the energy fluctuations had appeared, frowning as he pondered for a moment before thinking of something and dashing off.
His speed was nothing less than quick!
“Stop right here!” Ma Ge Na roared furiously, throwing out a punch the moment Yang Kai moved in an attempt to intercept him.
A gleam of purple light suddenly appeared as Yang Kai summoned his Purple Shield and easily blocked the blow, not even slowing down as he rushed off.
He had a bad premonition about this situation, so how could he waste any time here?
As his figure flickered, Space Force fluctuations wrapped around his body and in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai disappeared.
Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian were left stunned!
Neither of them had seen how Yang Kai left just now. Their eyes and Divine Senses were obviously locked onto him, but the other party had somehow easily thrown them off.
The two Monster Race masters couldn’t help showing solemn looks, and after exchanging another glance, they both rushed off towards the source of the strange energy fluctuations.
They too wanted to know what had happened and why such a strange phenomenon had appeared.
In front of a certain inn inside Shimmering Moon City, a large number of cultivators had gathered. These cultivators were all attracted here by the strange occurrence that was happening. There were Human and Monster Race cultivators, males and females. At this moment, everyone was standing around in the street in front of the inn, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.
When Yang Kai arrived here, he looked up into the sky and immediately showed a helpless, wry smile.
His premonition was right.
The owner of the inn was also standing in front of the inn, his waist as rickety as always as his arms were folded across his chest. Like most people, he was looking up into the sky with a complicated expression flashing across his face and a glint in his eyes as if he was trying to discern something.
When Yang Kai arrived, the old owner immediately noticed him and he hurriedly beckoned, “Come here, Young Man.”
Yang Kai glanced over at him and quickly rushed to his side, a somewhat apologetic look on his face as he said, “Old sir, I’m afraid I’ve caused you some trouble.”
The old man chuckled and shook his head, “This old man’s troubles aren’t worth mentioning, it’s your troubles that seem somewhat big.”
Saying so, the old man glanced lightly over at the two Monster Race masters, Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian, who had arrived at some point. The corners of the old man’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch as he added, “Your troubles don’t seem to be limited to what’s happening in the inn either.”
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed dryly, not knowing what to say.
If it was just about Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian targeting him, Yang Kai wouldn’t care. All he would need to do is take Little Senior Sister with him and tear space to escape them completely. Monster Emperor Star was so big that there would always be a place for them to hide.
What’s more, if it was someone below the Origin King Realm, Yang Kai didn’t need to fear. If they really fought, Yang Kai wouldn’t mind turning all of Shimmering Moon City upside down.
But now, the vision in front of him gave him a headache.
After coming here, he could see at a glance that this phenomenon was caused by Little Senior Sister.
Xia Ning Chang had been living in the inn these days, leading a simple life of refining pills from various materials and improving her cultivation.
Yang Kai didn’t disturb her either.
He had never expected that in this place, Little Senior Sister would actually refine such an incredible pill.
Yang Kai had a similar experience before, so he could tell that this startling phenomenon was a precursor to the refinement of a pill that formed Pill Clouds!
When Yang Kai was back on Rainfall Star, he had refined a Fire Attribute pill that formed Pill Clouds in order to treat Xue Yue who had been poisoned by the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, and a very similar phenomenon had appeared at that time.
Of all the pills Yang Kai had refined so far, only that particular one had formed Pill Clouds and it was after that experience he deeply learned that Pill Clouds weren’t something one can seek but can only encounter by luck! This was different from Pill Veins as with Yang Kai’s Alchemy skills he could easily refine a pill that formed Pill Veins.
However, the exact method to consistently refine pills that formed Pill Clouds was still a mystery to him.
With Little Senior Sister’s Special Constitution and her Heaven-defying talent in the Alchemic Way, reaching this point was almost a given.
But this was Monster Emperor Star, and they were currently inside Shimmering Moon City! Once this pill was refined, it would definitely attract the attention of countless masters, especially Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian who were just quarrelling with Yang Kai; these two would definitely not let go of this pill.
They also wouldn’t let Xia Ning Chang go free!
An Alchemist who could refine a pill that formed Pill Clouds had obviously reached an astonishing height in the Alchemic Way and was well deserving of the title of ‘Grandmaster’! How could the Monster Race not try to possess such a Heaven defying talent?
Yang Kai’s expression fluctuated as various thoughts flashed across his mind, considering the stakes of the situation at hand.
He couldn’t stop Xia Ning Chang now. Chance and opportunities were extremely important in Alchemy, and Little Senior Sister being able to complete this refinement would have enormous benefits to her growth. To stop her now would be tantamount to denying her all the enlightenments this opportunity would bring and may even negatively affect her future achievements.
No matter what, she had to finish refining this pill successfully.
It seems… what came next would truly be troublesome.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai’s eyes became as cold and sharp as a blade.
Both Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian were staring blankly at the sky as right above the inn, a massive amount of World Energy was gathering, as if attracted by something, and it wasn’t long before a small vortex appeared, rotating slowly as it absorbed and drew in more World Energy to strengthen itself.
“Senior Ma Ge Na, what is this? Is some kind of rare treasure about to form?” Although Mi Tian had sharp eyesight, he had never witnessed the refinement of a pill that formed Pill Clouds, so he was completely lost at this moment and had to defer to an elder like Ma Ge Na.
Ma Ge Na frowned as he continued staring up into the sky, trying to determine what had caused this phenomenon, but after some time he slowly shook his head slowly, “This City Lord also does not know.”
“Even Senior is unable to recognize what is happening?” Mi Tian was surprised.
“The world is vast and filled with innumerable strange phenomena, so it is not surprising this City Lord does not recognize this particular one. En, can anyone here identify what is happening?” Ma Ge Na turned to the other Origin Returning Realm masters and asked.
Everyone shook their heads one after another, all of them never having witnessed something like this before.
“Interesting,” Mi Tian smiled brightly, flashing his flawless teeth just the right amount to emphasize his handsome face, his somewhat wicked appearance dazzling many of them women present who were secretly casting him glances, “From the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like someone is breaking through or cultivating some kind of Secret Technique. It also doesn’t look like the birth of some rare treasure, so what could be the cause?”
“The solution is simple, we just need to take a look,” One of Ma Ge Na’s Second-Order Origin Returning Realm subordinates declared as he unscrupulously released his Divine Sense towards the inn.
But before his Divine Sense could reach the outer walls, this master suddenly noticed a dangerous aura strike towards him and, in the next instant, he felt his Divine Sense being scorched by a kind of burning heat.
With a scream, this Monster Race master couldn’t help stumbling backwards a few steps as he clutched his head, a splitting headache causing his face to pale!
Instantly, all eyes turned to Yang Kai.
Everyone had felt that it was Yang Kai who just released that Divine Sense attack and forced this man back, causing him to suffer greatly!
Ma Ge Na’s expression turned incredibly gloomy as Mi Tian flashed a playful grin.
“That was just a warning. If anyone dares try to spy on what’s happening inside, don’t blame me for being impolite,” Yang Kai stood alone in front of everyone, his voice cold and callus.
Right now was a critical moment for Little Senior Sister, one that even he dared not peek on, so how could Yang Kai allow these Monster Race cultivators to use their Divine Sense to pry? What if they interfered with Xia Ning Chang’s Alchemy?
Yang Kai and the Monster Race master were both Second-Order Origin Realm cultivators, but when it came to a competition of Divine Sense, the Monster Race man was vastly inferior. Realizing this, Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian’s already high evaluation of Yang Kai rose significantly once more.
“Boy!” Ma Ge Na’s deep voice boomed, “Are you really so determined to oppose my Monster Race?”
“You have courage and strength, but you’re too overconfident,” Mi Tian chuckled lightly as he sneered.
Yang Kai didn’t speak and instead just stared at them coldly. No one doubted Yang Kai’s determination and the Monster Race masters who had just now wanted to use their Divine Senses to spy on what was happening in the inn quickly dismissed such thoughts, a faint trace of fear flashing across their eyes.
Obviously, this human did not have a build comparable to those from the Monster Race, but with him standing there, all the Monster Races cultivators felt as if they were staring at a tall and solid mountain, blocking all wind and rain from reaching the inn behind him.
While some Monster Race cultivators felt fear towards Yang Kai, others actually felt a hint of admiration.
Not every human was so bold, daring to use their strength to face so many Monster Race masters without backing down.
“Good, good, good! Boy, you don’t put this City Lord or the Monster Race in your eyes and you even dared oppose Young Lord Mi Tian, so today this place will be your burial ground. I hope you are prepared!” Ma Ge Na could no longer bear it. He was already dissatisfied with Yang Kai, and now seeing him take such a domineering stance, how could Ma Ge Na compromise?
Right now, his priority was to kill this human boy. As for what mysteries were hidden in the inn, it wouldn’t be too late to investigate afterwards!
“Boy, your death has come!” Mi Tian snickered towards Yang Kai as murderous intent flashed across his eyes.
He seemed to be calm and carefree, but how could he not be angry with Yang Kai for killing his two Ninth-Order Monster Beasts? Now that he had an opportunity to team up with Ma Ge Na against this enemy, Mi Tian was naturally going to take it.
All the other Origin Returning Realm masters began condensing their energy in preparation to attack Yang Kai as well.
“You want my life? Let’s see if you have the ability!” Yang Kai coldly snorted as an invisible force centred around him suddenly spread out. All the cultivators who were wrapped up in this force felt themselves being suppressed and their bodies becoming sluggish, as if they had fallen into a pit of mud. Even the Saint Qi in their meridians was no longer flowing smoothly.
Shi!
As soon as Yang Kai released his Shi, Ma Ge Na couldn’t help paling slightly.
He was shocked to discover that even his own attainments in Shi were inferior to this human youth.
How was that possible though?
He was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master while this human boy had only reached the Second-Order. Although it was only one Minor Realm of difference, this should have been an insurmountable gap, so why was this boy’s Shi stronger than his own?
Many Monster Race cultivators already released their own Shi to resist Yang Kai’s, but even so, none of them could completely counter the invisible suppression they were facing.
On top of that, every Monster Race cultivator had noticed that in the Shi of this human boy, there was a special power mixed in. This power sent chills down their spines, as if they would be cut down so long as they moved.
Yang Kai’s Space Force had been integrated into his Shi and was one of the strongest cards in his hand that he would not expose unless absolutely necessary; even so, the Monster Race masters who were enveloped by Yang Kai’s Shi could still feel a strange, invisible murderous intent swirling around them.
Ma Ge Na’s complexion had gone pale while Mi Tian’s expression was also solemn.
The two Monster Race masters had not expected Yang Kai’s comprehension of Shi to be so profound, and recalling how great his physical strength and Divine Sense were as well, for a while, they didn’t dare to act rashly.
On the contrary, it was the owner of the inn whose eyes were originally somewhat dispirited that suddenly lit up as he stared at Yang Kai in surprise.
Immediately, he raised his head again and carefully studied the phenomenon occurring in the sky while sniffing the air lightly.
Soon, he seemed to have discovered something and amazement flashed across the depths of his eyes!
“Stop!” He shouted, “Everyone calm down.”
Yang Kai glanced over at him with a strange expression.
Ma Ge Na frowned deeply, as a look of anger appeared on his face. He was the City Lord of Shimmering Moon City and in this place, none should be able to posture before him or order him around, much less an old innkeeper.
When his Divine Sense swept over this old man and found no trace of cultivation, Ma Ge Na became even more unhappy.
“Old man, you have no right to speak here, step aside!” Mi Tian snorted coldly.
“Haha…” The innkeeper did not show the slightest fear, instead just chuckling lightly as he glanced over at Mi Tian profoundly.
Mi Tian frowned in that instant as he instinctively felt something was wrong. Staring at the innkeeper suspiciously, he hesitated before asking, “Where has this Young Lord met you before? Why does your face seem somewhat familiar?”
“Being able to see some clues so quickly. Worthy of Sir Qian Yan’s son, your eyesight is indeed extraordinary!” The owner of the inn applauded, taking a tone of an Elder complimenting a Junior.
This caused Mi Tian’s expression to sink as he demanded in a low voice, “Who are you?”
Ma Ge Na was also stunned. He had never thought about the owner of a little-known inn in his city possessing some kind of shocking background. If this old man did not possess extraordinary status, there was no way he would address Mi Tian in such a manner.
Observing this situation, Yang Kai could not help grinning slightly.
This old innkeeper attracting everyone’s attention was something Yang Kai more than welcomed in this situation. Of course, Yang Kai was also quite curious about the origins of this innkeeper who obviously gave off no energy fluctuations from his body. However, since he could speak freely in front of Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian without any fear, it was clear this old man was no ordinary Monster Race master.
The old man smiled faintly and then, in front of everyone’s eyes, underwent a jaw-dropping transformation.
His rickety waist slowly straightened up, and his short body grew taller. His dry, wrinkled skin became rosy with a healthy complexion and the creases on his face all smoothed out.
He seemed to become several dozen years younger at that moment, going from an old man to a middle-aged one.
What’s more, as his body shape changed, his aura also changed drastically.
Originally, when anyone swept this man with their Divine Sense, they would detect no energy fluctuations and would assume he was just an old Monster Race man that had never cultivated, but at this moment, a powerful aura radiated from his body and continued to increase in intensity until it reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Even compared with Ma Ge Na or Mi Tian, this middle-aged man was clearly superior.
Yang Kai stared at the innkeeper in a daze, almost unable to believe his eyes.
Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian were also stunned, never having expected that someone in this world would be capable of concealing themselves this deeply.
If not for the innkeeper taking the initiative to expose himself, no one present would have ever seen through his depth.
“You… are you Sir Ba He?” Ma Ge Na took a closer look at the face of the innkeeper before calling out in shock.
After the innkeeper’s face changed, Ma Ge Na recognized him almost immediately and his voice could not help shaking as a terrified expression filled his face.
“What? He’s actually Sir Ba He?”
“Impossible, wasn’t Sir Ba He killed by the Lady Tribal Lord herself? Why is he still living?”
“No, it’s true, he is Sir Ba He! When Sir City Lord and I went to the palace to see Lady Tribal Lord two hundred years ago, we were fortunate enough to greet him once. At that time, he was still Lady Tribal Lord’s first general!”
“To think this is Sir Ba He! Things have become too interesting.”
All kinds of shouts came from all around, causing Yang Kai’s brow to furrow slightly when he heard them.
He could clearly see that this innkeeper had quite a reputation and even Ma Ge Na was respectful towards him.
Who was this guy? Why was everyone saying he was Red Moon Tribal Lord’s strongest general but also saying he was killed by her? What was the truth?
Yang Kai was both confused and puzzled.
“So, it is Senior Ba He!” Mi Tian took a deep breath, “No wonder Senior looked familiar. Mi Tian greets Senior Ba He!”
Although they were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, Ba He seniority and status was higher than any other Monster Race cultivator present, even the Young Tribal Lord Mi Tian didn’t dare neglect etiquette.
“Haha, Young Lord Mi Tian need not be so polite. You are a rising star of my Monster Race and have a great chance of breaking through to the Origin King Realm in the future,” Ba He praised.
Mi Tian smiled faintly and replied, “Senior Ba He’s words are slightly mistaken; this Young Lord does not have a great chance of breaking through but will certainly break through. It is just a matter of time.”
[This boy was certainly arrogant!] Yang Kai glanced at him and chuckled to himself.
However, it was undeniable that Mi Tian had the capital to back up his confidence.
Ba He just gently nodded, “En, then I wish you the best in achieving your lofty goals.”
“Sir Ba He…” Ma Ge Na leaked some cold sweat from his forehead as he stared at this man who had disappeared for almost two hundred years then at the strange phenomenon up in the sky, “What exactly is happening inside?”
“What’s happening?” Ba He hesitated for a moment before saying, “I don’t know the exact situation, but it’s best everyone be patient for now and not cause any disturbance. This old master is the owner of this inn, so he has a responsibility to protect it and its guests, so I must ask all of you to give this old master some face.”
“Ah… Since Sir Ba He has said so, let us wait,” Ma Ge Na nodded.
In front of Ba He, he did not dare act presumptuously.
“What about this human?” Mi Tian suddenly turned to Yang Kai and sneered, “Does Senior Ba He also wish to protect his safety?”
“Naturally, this young man is also my guest,” Ba He replied lightly.
“Haha, then Mi Tian will give the Senior face, but that is limited to right here, right now. He killed my two Monster Beasts, so sooner or later that account must be settled,” Mi Tian laughed as he aggressively stared at Yang Kai and declared, “Human, don’t let this Young Lord find an opportunity, otherwise…”
Yang Kai snorted disdainfully, not caring about Mi Tian’s threat at all. Right now, making sure no one disturbed Xia Ning Chang was his top priority, everything else came second. If they could calm the surrounding storm, no matter who it was, Yang Kai could not hope for more.
But… what exactly was Ba He’s objective here?
Yang Kai pondered as he observed this innkeeper. From the onlookers just now, Yang Kai had vaguely heard some secrets and knew that this Ba He had been in hiding for the past two hundred years, but now he had suddenly revealed his identity and was intentionally shielding him and Xia Ning Chang.
What were his intentions for doing so?
Yang Kai obviously did not believe Ba He was doing this just to protect his inn’s guests!
The older people become, the wilier they behave; no one holds up such righteous principles.
“Hey, what’s this fragrance!” Suddenly, an exclamation came from the crowd.
“It smells so refreshing, almost like the scent of a pill.”
“Is an extremely high-quality pill being refined?”
“Could it be that this phenomenon was caused by Alchemy?”
A single comment stirred up a thousand waves as everyone clamoured to give their opinion.
Xia Ning Chang’s Alchemy had created an incredibly conspicuous and magnificent phenomenon, but in its early stages, not many were capable of identifying it. Even masters with extensive knowledge such as Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian couldn’t recognize the cause, but as time passed, and a strong medicinal fragrance began to diffuse, what was happening inside the inn could no longer be concealed.
As the intensity of the pill fragrance increased, almost everyone began casting fiery eyes towards the inn.
Everyone had already discerned that this fragrance was originating from this seemingly simple inn.
Almost every cultivator present had an infatuated and intoxicated look on their face. Just smelling this medicinal fragrance was enough to give people a feeling of enlightenment, so what kind of effect would eating such a pill have?
Also, just what kind of pill could produce such a potent fragrance and create such an astonishing vision!
The eyes of many cultivators gradually become fiery and filled with greed…
If it weren’t for Ba He, Ma Ge Na, and the other masters standing in front of the inn, it was likely it would already have been destroyed by a rush of onlookers trying to get their hands on this pill.
“Young Lord Mi Tian…” After judging that the vision in front of him was indeed caused by Alchemy, Ma Ge Na quietly glanced over at Mi Tian and sent him a message with his Divine Sense.
“This old dog Ba He seems to want to monopolize this pill. No wonder he did not hesitate to reveal his identity today after concealing himself for over two hundred years! Obviously, the pill about to form is no trivial thing, but I don’t know which human Alchemist is responsible for refining it,” Mi Tian responded coldly.
“Then we…”
“If he wants to monopolize it, he needs to have the ability! Two hundred years ago, he fell out of favour with Red Moon Tribal Lord but somehow managed to escape with his life and conceal himself. Since he has exposed himself today, his good days are over. Presumably, even if we kill him, Lady Chi Yue will not blame us.”
“Ah… good, we’ll act according to Young Lord Mi Tian’s intentions,” Ma Ge Na replied. Although he didn’t like Mi Tian’s style, it was undeniable that joining hands with him now was his best choice; after all, Ba He’s prestige was too strong, and if he were to remain alone, Ma Ge Na wouldn’t have the guts to fight against Ba He. As for who would ultimately obtain this pill… this was Shimmering Moon City was his territory, so how could Mi Tian compete with him for it?
The two Monster Race masters had decided to wait until the pill was finished being refined before taking action. How could a pill coveted by a master like Ba He not be valuable? No matter what, they had to snatch it. Perhaps after consuming this pill they would be able to break through the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm in one fell swoop and reach the Origin King Realm.
After all, Ba He had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm more than two hundred years ago and was well known as the most likely on Monster Emperor Star to break through and reach the status of Tribal Lord.
As Ma Ge Na and Mi Tian were communicating secretly, Ba He glanced over at them seemingly unintentionally and flashed a faint smile.
“Young man, don’t you want to go to the palace to visit your old friend?” Ba He suddenly sent a Divine Sense message to Yang Kai.
“En, Old Sir… rather, what advice does Senior Ba He have?” Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously, wondering why the other party had suddenly mentioned this.
“I don’t have anything as exaggerated as advice, but… this old master does have a way to ensure that you enter the palace safely!”
“Really?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
“Indeed! But this method has some risks to it. If you believe this old master, this old master will act immediately, if not, just pretend I hadn’t said anything.”
“Haha, Junior and Senior only just met, believing or not believing in one another need not be mentioned,” Yang Kai was no longer a hot-blooded young man who would easily believe an unfamiliar person.
“Having such concerns is natural, but honestly… This method also has certain risks for this old master. If you can cooperate with this old master, this old master can promise that as long as he still lives, no harm will come to you.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly, but after pondering for a moment, he said, “Can Senior explain his plan first?”
“Certainly,” Ba He agreed easily, not trying to bargain back and forth, and bluntly explained his plan to Yang Kai.
After Yang Kai finished listening, his brow furrowed even deeper, “There are indeed some risks, but… Senior has apparently thought this matter through quite thoroughly. However, if we act according to Senior’s plan, will we, Senior Sister and Junior Brother, be able to maintain our freedom?”
“Then you’re refusing?” Ba He asked disappointedly.
“No, I accept. Senior can act freely,” Yang Kai grinned.
Ba He glanced at him in amazement, seemingly not having expected that Yang Kai would act so rashly. Although Ba He wasn’t worried about failure and was certain he could gain Yang Kai access to Red Moon Tribal Lord’s palace with his plan, to Yang Kai and the woman performing Alchemy in the inn, it was not necessarily a good deed.
Ba He had been prepared to be rejected.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai had easily agreed.
Ba He stared at Yang Kai with a weird expression, secretly feeling that this human boy was simply too fearless, but since he had already agreed, that really wasn’t his concern anymore.
Thinking so, Ba He smiled lightly and opened his mouth to say out loud, “This pill is clearly still being refined, yet the phenomenon it inspired is already so magnificent, so there is no doubt it will be a supreme pill. Also, judging from the richness of this fragrance, this pill must at least be Origin Grade.”
“What Sir Ba He said makes sense,” Ma Ge Na agreed casually, not understanding what Ba He was plotting.
“I believe only Lady Tribal Lord is qualified to possess such a pill. What does City Lord Ma Ge Na think?” Ba He smiled as he glanced over.
“Indeed!” Ma Ge Na frowned more deeply, faintly feeling something was wrong.
“The Alchemist who refined this pill must also be a Grandmaster level figure.”
“En,” Ma Ge Na nodded, a bad premonition welling up in his heart as he suddenly understood what Ba He was implying.
“Lady Tribal Lord has always regarded such talents extremely highly and the palace has spared no efforts to recruit them over the years. It seems you’ve received a stroke of good fortune now that such a talent has appeared in Shimmering Moon City, Ma Ge Na. With your savvy, surely you must know what to do next,” Ba He looked at Ma Ge Na with a smile.
The latter wore a solemn expression as he said loudly, “Many thanks for your advice, Sir, this Ma Ge Na understands. After this Grandmaster finishes refining this pill, I will escort him to the Lady Tribal Lord’s palace personally!”
“En, as long as you please Lady Tribal Lord, the reward you receive will not be small,” Ba He chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Ma Ge Na’s eyes lit up and he smiled more naturally, quickly cupping his fists and saying, “Fortunately, Sir has such far-sighted vision!”
After saying so, he shouted loudly, “Come!”
A group of Monster Race masters immediately rushed over.
“Disperse all the miscellaneous people here and kill anyone who dares to approach within a hundred-metre radius of this inn. No one is to disturb the Alchemy Grandmaster inside!”
“Yes!”
To the side, Mi Tian froze up in a dumbfounded state.
The agreement he had just secretly reached with Ma Ge Na had been destroyed by a few words from Ba He. Not only that, but Ma Ge Na had also thoroughly changed to Ba He’s side and even took the initiative to provide guards to protect the Alchemist inside the inn.
Ba He had no intention to covet the pill being refined, and on the contrary, seemed intent on delivering this Alchemy Grandmaster to the palace!
The Monster Race was not proficient in Alchemy, this was a well-known fact; however, while humans might be suppressed on Monster Emperor Star, masters who were skilled in Alchemy would frequently appear. Red Moon Tribal Lord protected humans within her territory and allowed them some space to develop because she wanted to obtain these humans with special talents.
Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, etc…
Every ten years, Alchemy and Artifact Refining competitions were held in Red Moon Territory, and those humans who stood out were able to shed their lowly status, move into the palace, and serve the Tribal Lord.
Chi Yue’s palace had constantly been recruiting such talents over the years, and an Alchemy Grandmaster capable of refining a pill which caused such a startling phenomenon would, needless to say, be extremely favoured by Red Moon Tribal Lord.
In other words, it was as if the Grandmaster in the inn had obtained Red Moon Tribal Lord’s protection. Even if Mi Tian was bold, in Red Moon Territory, he did not dare oppose Red Moon Tribal Lord as that would be equal to opposing all the masters in Red Moon Territory.
Instantly, he had been reduced to a spectator…
Mi Tian felt as if he had just been made to swallow a fly.
Watching the numerous Monster Race masters of Shimmering Moon City surrounding the inn, Yang Kai chuckled.
He wasn’t afraid of going to the palace. Even if the Red Moon Tribal Lord was an Origin King Realm master, as long as he found a chance, with his abilities in the Dao of Space, he could leave whenever he pleased, not to mention he was also an Alchemy Grandmaster!
His current Alchemy skills were even higher than Xia Ning Chang’s, and he could refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills! If his skill was to be exposed, Red Moon Tribal Lord would likely treat him as a guest of honour!
After all, Origin King Grade Alchemists were incredibly rare even when the entire Star Field was taken into account. As for Monster Emperor Star, such an Alchemy Grandmaster had never before appeared.
“Young man, this old master can only help you until here, as for what happens once you’re inside the palace, that will be up to your own means. However, this old master will warn you in advance, if you want to survive, it would be best to not act too impudently once there,” Ba He glanced at Yang Kai and whispered.
Yang Kai didn’t comment but instead asked with interest, “Senior Ba He not hesitating to reveal his identity at this time was not just to help our Senior Sister and Junior Brother pair, so what is your real purpose? If it is convenient, could you tell me?”
“Naturally it was not just to help you. En, I just wanted to take this opportunity to return to the palace and ask Lady Tribal Lord for forgiveness,” A desolate look flashed across Ba He’s face.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he suddenly remembered the stories the Monster Race onlookers had been talking about, saying that Ba He was supposed to have been killed by the Lady Tribal Lord herself two hundred years ago.
Now, however, it seemed he was alive and well.
Obviously, something had happened between Ba He and Red Moon Tribal Lord. At least, the rumours were wrong and Ba He had not been killed by Red Moon Tribal Lord. Perhaps Chi Yue had let him go at that time.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t interested in digging up other people’s histories and simply nodded, “If that’s the case, then this is just us temporarily cooperating, each obtaining what we need.
“Ah… Besides returning to the palace, this old master wants to ask for your help with one more thing,” Ba He suddenly said with some embarrassment.
“What?”
“I want to request aid from your Senior Sister to create a pill!” Ba He said bluntly, quickly adding, “You may rest assured, I have collected all the necessary materials and only need them to be refined into the appropriate pill, after which I will offer a generous remuneration!”
“Let’s talk about this when the time comes. Depending on how Senior Sister’s mood is, perhaps she will be willing to help you,” Yang Kai grinned.
[This bastard boy… he’s trying to break bridges after crossing the river,] Ba He couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
The phenomenon grew ever stronger as time passed and it was not long before a giant vortex seemed to cover the entire sky, gathering a terrifying amount of World Energy towards itself in the process.
Such a vision was no less intense than the World Energy baptism a cultivator would undergo when breaking through to the Origin Realm; possibly even more intense than that.
No matter who it was, none of them could believe that a trivial pill refinement could cause such a startling sight.
Everyone only became more curious, wondering what kind of pill the Grandmaster inside was refining.
However, the rich medicinal fragrance allowed them to understand that this unrefined pill was at least Origin Grade!
Origin Grade Alchemists on Monster Emperor Star numbered only about a dozen or so, with the most skilled having reached the Origin Grade High-Rank. Even on Monster Emperor Star, despite this Grandmaster being only human, no Monster Race cultivator dared not show him respect.
Humans truly had low status on this Cultivation Star, but the truly talented were able to obtain extremely high prestige; the polarization was quite shocking.
All this was due to the wise leadership of Red Moon Tribal Lord though. If she had not dedicatedly recruited talents from the Human Race, Red Moon Territory would not be as powerful as it was today. Among the ten territories on Monster Emperor Star, Red Moon Territory was definitely ranked amongst the top three.
One had to understand, a thousand years ago, Red Moon Territory was the weakest territory on Monster Emperor Star.
Red Moon Tribal Lord had been able to overturn this status in only a thousand years, and it was believed that, in time, Red Moon Territory would become the most powerful territory on all of Monster Emperor Star.
Unlike the Monster Race cultivators who were just watching the show, Yang Kai was also an Alchemist, and from the medicinal fragrance in the air as well as the phenomenon up in the sky was able to judge Little Senior Sister’s progress in her pill refinement. He was currently paying close attention to the changes in the vortex as well as the intensity of the medicinal fragrance as he secretly felt anxious for Xia Ning Chang.
This was the first time that Xia Ning Chang had refined a pill which formed Pill Clouds. If she was successful, her Alchemy skills would grow by leaps and bounds, and with her Special Constitution, this time’s Alchemy would no doubt provide her with some special insights that would allow her to make great strides in her comprehension of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way.
The insights and experience she would gain this time were of great significance to Little Senior Sister.
Yang Kai attached more importance to this than anything else, so he had spread his Divine Sense out to cover the entire inn and prevent anyone from engaging in mischief.
Fortunately, with masters like Ba He and Ma Ge Na presiding over the situation, and with so many Monster Race Origin Realm cultivators standing guard, no one dared stir up trouble.
“The medicinal fragrance is growing even richer, it seems the refinement is about to finish!”
“Just what kind of pill is being refined? How could just sniffing this medicinal fragrance loosen my bottleneck slightly?”
The surrounding cultivators were still discussing amongst themselves, but no one was able to guess just what kind of pill was being refined.
At this moment, the swirling vortex high up in the sky suddenly changed again, as if an inexplicable attraction came from the inn, madly pulling in the condensed World Energy.
The huge vortex spun rapidly as it stretched downwards into the shape of a funnel.
Just half a cup of tea’s worth of time later, the whirlpool disappeared and the World Energy which had gathered disappeared without a trace. Even the medicinal fragrance that had lingered in the air rapidly faded away.
Inside the inn, everything was silent.
Was it a success? Or was it a failure?
Countless cultivators craned their necks and stared around, wanting to know what the final result was of the Alchemy the Grandmaster inside the inn had just completed.
They didn’t know if this Grandmaster was old or young, male or female, but inexplicably, everyone in the crowd was looking forward to the Alchemy being successful and couldn’t help feeling somewhat nervous.
Not only were the ordinary cultivators feeling so, Ma Ge Na, Ba He, and Mi Tian were too. Even if they behaved calmly, the light in their eyes gave away their true thoughts.
Only Yang Kai, after a moment of silently probing, smiled lightly.
The refinement was successful!
With Little Senior Sister’s talent in Alchemy, under the condition that she was not disturbed, it was only natural she would succeed; however, now she would need some time to sort through all the insights and perceptions she had gained.
Yang Kai did not clarify the situation to the crowd and instead just focused on standing guard while waiting.
One day passed, two days passed…
Many cultivators who had come to simply watch the excitement couldn’t bear the boredom that ensued while waiting for the results, so they quietly dispersed, leaving behind only the masters who were somehow, somewhat related to this matter.
Ba He turned his gaze to Yang Kai from time to time, as if hoping to glean some clues from his manner, but to his disappointment, Yang Kai’s expression remained unreadable. Unable to infer anything, Ba He could only wait patiently.
In a flash, five days went by.
There was still no movement inside the inn.
No matter who it was, they would become impatient after waiting for so long.
“Enough!” Mi Tian shouted suddenly, “It seems the Alchemist inside the inn failed and no longer dares to come out to meet us. Senior Ma Ge Na, order your men to capture this person immediately.”
“Capture? Capture who?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at him and sternly declared, “Who dares!”
Mi Tian sneered and said, “Human, where do you think you are? Do you still think you can decide what happens here? Senior Ma Ge Na, this person is so presumptuous, not even putting you in his eyes at all, if you don’t take action, this Young Lord will take this opportunity to settle his previous grievances with him.”
Ma Ge Na frowned, not knowing what he should do in this situation, unconsciously glancing towards Ba He for advice.
Seeing this, Ba He just faintly said, “Even if this Grandmaster failed this refinement, being able to create such a grand disturbance by simply performing Alchemy clearly demonstrates incredible skill. Lady Tribal Lord appreciates such talents the most.”
Hearing this, Ma Ge Na suddenly came back to his senses and nodded firmly, “What Sir Ba He said is right. This City Lord has never met anyone who can cause such a phenomenon by performing Alchemy. This talent must be brought to Lady Tribal Lord unharmed.”
Just as everyone was conversing, however, the light sound of footsteps suddenly came from the inn.
Everyone’s expression changed as they quickly cast their gazes towards the source of this sound.
A smile came to Yang Kai’s face as he walked over quickly.
A moment later, a beautiful form with a graceful figure stepped out of the inn. This woman had a slender waist and flawless jade-white skin that was both delicate and supple.
Mi Tian originally had a lot of hostility towards the so-called Grandmaster in the inn, even wishing he could kill him quickly and be done with it, but when he saw this figure, he was startled and his eyes instantly began scrutinizing her.
As the Young Lord of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord, he was born with a lofty status and because of his special cultivation art, Mi Tian had no shortage of women and beauties around him from both the Monster and Human Race.
However, when he saw this figure, his eyes couldn’t help lighting up.
Just her figure was this enchanting, so Mi Tian really wanted to know what her face would look like.
Moving his gaze up, Mi Tian couldn’t help but frown.
This woman actually covered her face with a black veil, making him unable to see her true continence; however, her clear and flawless eyes, like the purest gems in the world, instantly drew his attention.
This woman’s white forehead was also dotted with a small sapphire which further emphasized her beauty.
[Pure!] This was Mi Tian’s first impression of Xia Ning Chang.
Her purity was like that of a clear mountain stream, igniting a fire in Mi Tian’s heart and making him strongly desire to tarnish her, dyeing her in his colours.
Examining it again, Mi Tian suddenly discovered that the black veil covering her face no longer looked objectionable, but instead added a layer of cleanness to her already pure air, taking it to an even higher level.
Without this veil to obscure her face, this pure beauty would actually have less appeal. It was precisely because they could not see her true appearance that she could make those who gazed upon her even more interested.
Mi Tian’s interest was aroused and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips while a wicked light flashed across his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Junior Brother!” Xia Ning Chang looked a little nervous and apologized softly.
When she was performing Alchemy, she had noticed some movement outside the inn, but with her attention completely focused on her refinement she did not pay any attention to this commotion. It wasn’t until she had finished her Alchemy that she realized what had happened.
Refining this pill had created such a massive disturbance so it was only natural for so many people to have gathered around out of curiosity.
Now, seeing so many people outside, and Yang Kai standing before all of them, she immediately understood how much pressure he had endured for her during her Alchemy.
“Don’t say such things, it’s thanks to Senior Sister that we will soon be able to enter the palace,” Yang Kai grinned, taking her little hand and leading her over to Ba He.
The corner of Mi Tian’s eyes twitched as the gaze he directed at Yang Kai became more and more hostile.
It was as if something he decided was his had been touched by someone else!
“A woman?” Ma Ge Na was dumbfounded.
When Xia Ning Chang appeared, the Monster Race masters standing guard were stunned.
None of them had expected that the Alchemy Grandmaster in the inn was actually a woman, and such a beautiful, pure, and young woman at that!
In their imagination, anyone who can become a respected Alchemy Grandmaster would be an old man with grey hair. How could they not be stunned when reality turned out so different from their imagination?
Ma Ge Na could hardly believe his eyes and unconsciously turned to Ba He for confirmation.
“There’s no need for doubt, she is the Grandmaster, en, she came here together with this human boy,” Ba He said lightly.
Hearing this, Ma Ge Na became convinced and quickly took two steps forward, cupped his fists, and said, “Shimmering Moon City’s City Lord, Ma Ge Na, greets Grandmaster! Grandmaster has laboured diligently!”
On his face, he wore the friendliest smile he could manage.
Xia Ning Chang was slightly flurried at first but soon calmed down and replied with an elegant bow, “Sir City Lord is too polite, the title of Grandmaster is something this young woman is unworthy of!”
The sound of her voice was clear and sweet, dazzling countless Monster Race cultivators.
So pure, with such a pleasant voice, and highly proficient in Alchemy, such a human… regardless of the differences in status between the two races, such a woman was worthy of pursuing with reckless abandon.
Unfortunately… looking at Yang Kai holding Xia Ning Chang’s little hand, every Monster Race male couldn’t help spraying jealous light from their eyes, like sharp arrows they hoped could riddle Yang Kai full of holes to soothe the hatred in their hearts.
Xia Ning Chang’s humility made Ma Ge Na laugh and hurriedly say, “Right, young lady, let me introduce to you the first master of my Monster Race below the Origin King Realm… En, he was also once the first general under Red Moon Tribal, Sir Ba He!”
“Greetings, Senior Ba He,” Xia Ning Chang bowed once more.
Ba He chuckled and said, “Young lady need not be so deferent, it was this old master’s honour to witness such a grand event.”
He still needed to ask Xia Ning Chang for help, so he didn’t dare assume too arrogant a tone.
“This is the Young Master of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord, Young Lord Mi Tian,” Ma Ge Na next pointed to Mi Tian and offered introductions.
Mi Tian took a step forward and put on a harmless smile as he politely said, “Mi Tian being able to bear witness to this young lady’s presence is truly his good fortune.”
Xia Ning Chang gently nodded, not giving more of a reply.
She didn’t know why, but she felt that although this Mi Tian acted perfectly in front of her, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat vigilant of him.
Yang Kai simply sneered to the side.
“Young lady, the pill you refined a few days ago, was the refinement…” Ma Ge Na looked at Xia Ning Chang with a look of expectation, wondering if she had been successful or not.
Ba He also focused his attention on her.
Xia Ning Chang frowned and turned to Yang Kai for guidance.
She didn’t want to show the results of her labour to everyone here.
“Show them, whether we can enter the palace or not depends on that pill,” Yang Kai whispered in her ear, his affectionate behaviour causing Little Senior Sister’s tender body to tremble slightly as a pink hue dyed her delicate earlobes.
However, since Yang Kai had said so, she did not try to conceal it anymore, lifting her little hand and summoning a jade bottle into her palm.
Yang Kai picked up the jade bottle, didn’t even look at it, and threw it to Ba He directly, “The pill is inside, please have a look for yourself, Senior.”
Ba He’s expression turned serious as he carefully held the jade bottle, slowly opened it, and poured out the pill inside.
When the pill appeared, Ba He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Pill Clouds!”
These two small words shook everyone who heard them to their core.
Ma Ge Na’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he stared straight at the pill.
On the surface of this pill, there was a thick layer of clouds which seemed to be rich in aura.
These were indeed Pill Clouds, there was no need to doubt it. Although none of the Monster Race masters present had ever seen a pill that formed Pill Clouds before, the moment they laid eyes on this pill, they immediately recognized that it possessed the legendary Pill Clouds!
The surrounding World Energy was slowly and steadily gathering towards this pill as well, providing further proof.
If given enough time, the medicinal efficacies contained in this pill would reach an extremely terrifying height; of course, that would take an extraordinary number of years to achieve.
Even so, such a pill’s value was already inestimable.
“Sir Ba He, is this an Origin Grade pill?” Ma Ge Na leaned forward and asked with a trembling voice.
“En, it is indeed an Origin Grade pill!” Ba He nodded the shock on his face not having diminished at all.
The higher the grade of the pill, the harder it was for it to form things like Pill Veins and Pill Clouds. If an excellent Alchemist was lucky enough, they might be able to rarely refine Low-Grade pills, such as Earth-Grade, that formed Pill Veins or Pill Clouds.
However, Ba He had never heard of any Alchemist who could refine an Origin Grade pill that formed Pill Veins, let alone Pill Clouds which were superior to Pill Veins.
This was a feat that not even the best human Alchemist on Monster Emperor Star could achieve, and that Grandmaster was an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist!
How high must this woman’s attainments in Alchemy be? Was this just a lucky coincidence or was it a reflection of her true skill that she was able to refine an Origin Grade pill that formed Pill Clouds!
Ba He was shocked to the extreme.
It was only now that he finally understood that the previous phenomenon which had appeared was not due to some extremely high-grade pill being refined, but rather because a pill that formed Pill Clouds had been refined. This was far more valuable than a mere High-Grade pill!
It could be said that because she was capable of refining such a pill, this human woman had the capital to look down upon all of Monster Emperor Star.
She was more than deserved the title of Grandmaster!
Ba He looked in awe towards Xia Ning Chang for a while before solemnly saying to Ma Ge Na, “Moreover, this is an Origin Condensing Pill!”
Ma Ge Na drew a sharp breath.
The Origin Condensing Pill was only an Origin Grade Low-Rank pill, but the difficulty of refining it exceeded even some Origin Grade Mid-Rank pills because this pill could help a cultivator break through their bottleneck to reach the Origin Returning Realm.
With such an Origin Condensing Pill, it could be said that any Third-Order Saint King could break through to the Origin Returning Realm without any hindrance or worrying about failure.
“So this Grandmaster is at least an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist?” Ma Ge Na asked breathlessly.
“I cannot judge…” Ba He didn’t dare to make any assumptions as he carefully put the pill back into the jade bottle and then into his Space Ring, “No matter what, this Grandmaster must be escorted to the palace safely, you should understand what to do!”
“Sir Ba He may rest assured; I understand what must be done!” Ma Ge Na nodded solemnly.
Lady Tribal Lord had been actively recruiting special talents from the Human Race for so many years and this woman was her absolute favourite type, so how could Ma Ge Na not pay special attention to her?
After confirming the grade and value of this pill, Ma Ge Na’s attitude towards Xia Ning Chang became even more respectful and he strongly invited Xia Ning Chang to rest in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Xia Ning Chang felt quite aggrieved at this moment.
The first pill she had ever refined that formed Pill Clouds had been silently taken away by this Monster Race master.
Yang Kai had to comfort her for a while before her mood finally improved.
Yang Kai naturally understood the intentions behind Ma Ge Na inviting them to the City Lord’s Mansion, so he stepped up and agreed in Xia Ning Chang’s place.
Ma Ge Na realized from this that Yang Kai was the one who spoke for Xia Ning Chang, so out of respect for her, his attitude towards Yang Kai also changed dramatically, completely glossing over all the trouble he had caused previously in Shimmering Moon City and enthusiastically inviting the Senior Sister and Junior Brother pair to his residence so he could properly entertain them.
Mi Tian also naturally entered the City Lord’s Mansion together with them.
As the Young Lord of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord, he should have been the focus of everyone’s attention no matter where he went, but for this trip to Shimmering Moon City, his limelight was completely stolen by Xia Ning Chang.
Regarding this though, Mi Tian was neither jealous nor angry; after all, this beautiful woman would sooner or later be his, so he wouldn’t care about the small things now.
He took it for granted!
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang spent the next two days at the City Lord’s Mansion.
Over the past two days, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang stayed in their courtyard and discussed the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture together.
After refining an Origin Condensing Pill that formed Pill Clouds, Xia Ning Chang’s insights on the Alchemic Way had truly improved by leaps and bounds, even allowing Yang Kai to benefit greatly from their discussion.
Two days later, Ma Ge Na personally came to inform Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang that everything had been prepared and they were only waiting for the two of them before setting off to the palace of Lady Tribal Lord.
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang didn’t delay and happily followed Ma Ge Na out of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Outside, more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters were waiting in formation, all of them wearing solemn expressions, as if they would soon be headed to some great battle.
In truth, they were only responsible for escorting Xia Ning Chang safely to the palace.
For a talent like Xia Ning Chang, Ma Ge Na had spared no effort and directly assigned most of the masters in Shimmering Moon City to her escort.
Together with masters like Ba He and Mi Tian, it was highly unlikely anyone would be blind enough to provoke this group.
Ma Ge Na had prepared a gorgeous carriage for Xia Ning Chang as well, and although the two Monster Beasts pulling it weren’t on par with Mi Tian’s two Thunder Flame Flying Lizards, they were still powerful Eighth-Order Monster Beasts.
Facing Ma Ge Na’s fervent requests, Xia Ning Chang reluctantly boarded this carriage. A group of a dozen wolf-riding guards cleared the way forward, followed by more than a dozen Origin Returning Realm masters while the rest were arranged to the sides of the carriage. More guards were responsible for patrolling around and keeping miscellaneous people away as this grand procession departed from Shimmering Moon City.
Although with the cultivation level of these people, it would have been faster to use Star Shuttles, in order to emphasize Xia Ning Chang’s importance, Ma Ge Na had still put on such a big show.
Borrowing her limelight, Yang Kai sat on the carriage together with Xia Ning Chang.
It wasn’t that he wanted to show off, but Little Senior Sister seemed quite uncomfortable by herself as she was not used to receiving such opulent treatment.
In the end, Yang Kai could only accompany her to keep her calm.
Mi Tian rode a wolf-shaped Monster Beast behind the carriage, with his eyes almost spitting fire.
Such an outstanding woman could only be matched with him, and while this human called Yang Kai had good combat strength, he was still just a lowly human.
The intimacy of the two on the carriage almost blinded Mi Tian’s eyes…
[Just you wait, sooner or later this Young Lord will settle accounts with you for killing his two Monster Beasts!] Mi Tian spat in his heart.
The whole journey was calm and uneventful. This was Red Moon Territory, and Shimmering Moon City’s City Lord had personally brought a large number of Origin Returning Realm masters to escort a human Alchemy Grandmaster to the palace. After this news spread out, no Monster Race cultivator dared come make trouble.
The speed of the carriage was extremely fast, almost comparable to flying.
After just five days of travel, a large group of majestic buildings appeared in the distance.
There were many palaces and pavilions with the main palace of the Red Moon Tribal Lord being constructed atop a grand mountain. From the bottom of the mountain all the way up, one could see smaller, neatly arranged palaces and facilities linked by wide passageways.
This was Half-Moon Mountain, the residence of Red Moon Tribal Lord!
In the eyes of all Monster Race cultivators who lived in Red Moon Territory, this was a holy land where their glorious leader, Lady Chi Yue, lived year-round.
Yang Kai stood on the carriage as he stared ahead profoundly.
“Is Sister Qing Luo over there?” Xia Ning Chang asked softly.
“She should be,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
“I wonder how she is now, she must be even more beautiful than before,” Xia Ning Chang murmured.
She had naturally met Shan Qing Luo many times before, and although that was back in the Central Capital many years ago, this seductive woman had still left a deep impression on her.
Xia Ning Chang had never met such an enchanting woman before and even she couldn’t help finding herself attracted by her charms.
It was as if Shan Qing Luo was born to mesmerize, and Xia Ning Chang doubted if there was any man in this world who would not be bewitched by her.
“You’ll know soon enough,” Yang Kai patted the back of Xia Ning Chang’s hand as he embraced her waist and lightly flew down from the carriage.
“Lady Chi Yue’s palace is truly extraordinary, this Young Lord has long wished to lay eyes upon it and it certainly does not disappoint,” Mi Tian avoided looking at the intimacy between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang so as not to fill his heart with anger and instead chose to focus on the palace before them.
“Let’s go, we’ll have to walk from here. Lady Tribal Lord should have already received news of our arrival so someone will definitely come to meet us,” Ma Ge Na waved his hand and ordered the other Monster Race masters to remain here and wait before leading Yang Kai and the others forward.
Red Moon Tribal Lord had indeed received the news long ago and there was a group of people waiting at the foot of the mountain.
When Ma Ge Na and the others arrived here, the lead Monster Race cultivator who was waiting gave Xia Ning Chang a faint glance before gently nodding, “Many thanks for your hard work. Lady Tribal Lord has commanded that for the merit of escorting this Grandmaster to the palace, Ma Ge Na will receive a rich reward in the future. For now, however, please rest at the palace’s guest accommodations.”
Ma Ge Na smiled widely and quickly offered his thanks.
The lead cultivator nodded lightly before suddenly turning his gaze to Ba He and shouting, “Seize him!”
Suddenly, several Monster Race cultivators appeared from all directions and rushed towards Ba He. Ba He just stood there and did not put up any resistance, allowing the Monster Race masters to shackle him and seal his Saint Qi.
“It’s been so long, Dong Shi, but I see you’re still as merciless as always!” Ba He smiled.
“You, on the other hand, have become far more shameless, this time you won’t walk out of Half-Moon Mountain alive again!” The Monster Race cultivator called Dong Shi coldly snorted.
“Whether I can live or not will be up to Lady Tribal Lord to decide. Dong Shi, you and I have known each other for so many years, so I’ll be counting on you to put in a good word for me later.”
“In your dreams!” Dong Shi snorted at him, “But you can rest assured, as long as Lady Tribal Lord orders your death, I will personally send you on the road.”
“You really are ruthless.”
Ba He had been detained! This result stunned Yang Kai, but seeing Ba He’s confident look, Yang Kai estimated that he didn’t have to worry about his life.
Mi Tian was also warmly entertained while Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang were escorted into Half-Moon Mountain by a Monster Race woman, walking along a well-maintained mountain road towards the summit.
It was impossible to tell what lineage of Monster Beast the Monster Race woman walking in the front descended from, but despite her petite frame, she seemed to possess incredible vigour and strength. She had a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation and her two ears were cat-like, short, and delicate.
Yang Kai was not surprised by such sights and instead focused on taking in the scenery of Red Moon Territory’s holy land.
The surrounding World Energy was extremely rich, indicating that a high-quality Earth Vein should be running beneath Half-Moon Mountain, otherwise it would not be able to satisfy the large number of Monster Race cultivators living here.
“Miss, are we going to see Lady Chi Yue now?” Yang Kai asked after some time.
“Lady Tribal Lord has many important matters to attend to, so she won’t be receiving you immediately, that responsibility has been given to someone else,” The Monster Race woman in front didn’t look back as she replied lightly.
“Understood,” Yang Kai nodded, not asking any more questions.
Although Xia Ning Chang’s performance in Shimmering Moon City was shocking, Chi Yue was one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords and an Origin King Realm master, so not welcoming Xia Ning Chang personally was only to be expected.
However, Chi Yue would not show any disrespect to Xia Ning Chang either, so she should have arranged for someone of high status and competence to receive Xia Ning Chang.
Yang Kai only wanted to look for that Enchantress, Shan Qing Luo, so whether he could meet Chi Yue or not did not matter to him. In fact, not seeing Chi Yue might even be better. After all, facing an Origin King still meant a great deal of pressure for Yang Kai.
Hearing the Monster Race woman escorting them say that someone else would be greeting them allowed Yang Kai to relax.
As they followed this woman, Yang Kai was considering how he should find and contact Shan Qing Luo.
In this kind of place, he did not dare to use his Divine Sense too presumptuously as doing so would most likely cause trouble.
After walking for about half an hour, the Monster Race woman brought Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang to a magnificent palace and walked straight in.
Inside the palace, within a spacious and brightly lit hall, many Monster Race cultivators were lined up on both sides as they curiously looked towards the door.
They had all received news about a human who refined a pill that formed Pill Clouds in Shimmering Moon City and that City Lord Ma Ge Na would soon be escorting her to the palace to enter Lady Tribal Lord’s service.
Everyone was naturally curious about what kind of human possessed such amazing Alchemy skills.
Sitting at the head of the hall were two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
The one on the left was a burly man that had an imposing and terrifying look to him.
The one on the right had beautiful features and seemed to exude an infinite charm. She was naturally gorgeous, but sitting next to this gruff man only increased her appeal.
Many of the Monster Race cultivators waiting down below would glance towards this woman from time to time, but all would soon turn away as they were afraid of being caught in her charms and staring unconsciously.
Currently, the brawny iron tower of a man on the left was fidgeting noticeably, looking slightly uncomfortable, obviously somewhat impatient with the current situation.
On the contrary, the woman on the right had a slightly furrowed brow as a look of confusion filled her face. Her beautiful eyes were cast towards the outside of the hall, as if she was trying to peer through space.
As time passed, the woman’s expression began to change, gradually filling with delight and excitement. Her originally lazily sitting figure straightened up and her tender body could not help trembling slightly.
Her beautiful eyes flashed with amazing brilliance and she bit her luscious red lips lightly as an expectant look appeared on her pretty face accompanied by a slight smile.
The many Monster Race masters below were instantly captivated by this scene and felt their hearts begin to pound as their mouths dried up.
They had never seen this woman smile like this before and it instantly caused all the colour in the world to drain away. For a moment, none of them could resist the temptation brought out by this smile and all of them couldn’t wait to lose themselves in it, even if that meant never being able to emerge from the darkness and see light again, they would not hesitate.
A series of loud snorts echoed in the hall in the next instant as many of the Monster Race masters noticed something was wrong and hurriedly circulated their Saint Qi to stabilize their minds, some even causing themselves harm to quickly extricate themselves from their daze.
If they were to lose themselves any further, they would really be unable to save themselves!
A walking disaster! The adopted daughter of Lady Tribal Lord was an immense source of trouble! Even the most famous fox-race woman from the Monster Race was not as enrapturing as this woman.
She was just a human, so why were her charms so overwhelming? Many Monster Race masters could not understand no matter how they puzzle over this issue.
Not even the greatest of the Monster Race’s younger generation were worthy of her.
“Why haven’t they come yet? Uncle here can’t stand all this waiting!” A thunderous shout suddenly sounded inside the hall, completely shaking free the hearts of the still somewhat dazzled Monster Race cultivators, all of whom raised their heads to look at the burly man seated next to the charming woman.
This big man seemed to be sitting on pins and needles, rubbing his palms together as he turned his head to the coquettish woman next to him, putting on a flattering appearance, then asking with an ugly smile, “Little sister, how about you wait here and let big brother go attend to some other business?”
The coquettish woman glanced over at him, pursed her lips and chuckled as she said, “Yu Xiong, this duty was given to us directly by Adoptive Mother. The one coming here is an Alchemy Grandmaster, so our etiquette cannot be lacking. If you escape now, once Adoptive Mother finds out, Little Sister won’t put in a good word for you.”
“Ahem…” Yu Xiong smiled awkwardly, a chill running up his back as he thought about how terrifying his adoptive mother was when she was angry, his tall and sturdy body seemingly shrinking a bit as he waved his hand, “I was just making a casual suggestion, don’t take it seriously, okay!?”
As soon as Yu Xiong’s words fell, a Monster Race woman walked in from outside and gave an elegant bow before lightly saying, “Masters, I’ve brought our honoured guests!”
“Finally!” Yu Xiong snorted coldly, an unhappy look on his face, “Father here must see if this Alchemy Grandmaster is really capable or if she’s like the previous ones who are just after fame and status. Don’t blame father here for tearing her to pieces if so.”
Because Chi Yue attached great importance to humans with special talents, many humans in Red Moon Territory dreamed of entering Lady Tribal Lord’s service and living on Half-Moon Mountain.
However, most of these people were obviously not capable and only knew how to boast about their skills while trying to hide their incompetence. Without exception, these people were brutally killed by Yu Xiong.
So this time, Yu Xiong didn’t have much hope there was really a human who was capable of refining an Origin Grade pill that formed Pill Clouds. He figured it was just Shimmering Moon City’s City Lord wanting to reap some profits by making up an elaborate story.
“Show them in!” The bewitching woman next to Yu Xiong suppressed her excitement as best as possible as she ordered.
“Yes!” The Monster Race woman nodded before turning to look back at the door to the hall and beckoning.
A man and a woman, walking side by side, entered immediately after. The man was stalwart, and the woman was delicate and petite, the two of them gazing around the hall randomly but soon fixing on the beautiful woman.
Yang Kai grinned at this sight while Xia Ning Chang also pursed her lips and giggled.
The tender body of the enchanting woman sitting up ahead also trembled slightly as a faint trace of mist began covering her beautiful eyes. Fortunately, she had impeccable temperament and managed to not lose control in front of this crowd.
After taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down her pounding heart and lifted her delicate chin slightly, directing her mesmerizing eyes towards Yang Kai, a complicated mix of love and hate flashing across their depths unbeknownst to anyone else in the hall as she ground her teeth slightly.
“Masters, these are the two guests,” The Monster Race woman reported back.
“Hey, wasn’t there only supposed to be a woman Alchemy Grandmaster? Why is he here?” Yu Xiong looked at Yang Kai curiously.
The Monster Race woman replied, “These two seem to be Senior Sister and Junior Brother, so they came here together.”
“So he’s just a boy toy!” Yu Xiong sneered, “Father here despises this kind of person the most.”
He subconsciously regarded Yang Kai as a useless man who had latched onto and was leeching off Xia Ning Chang.
Yang Kai did not care about Yu Xiong’s evaluation as all his focus was directed towards the beauty in front of him, a playful smile filling his face. As if she could not stand the aggressive and unflinching gaze of Yang Kai, the enchantress shot him a wicked look, her beautiful eyes filling with the meaning of rebuke.
This scene was not missed by the massive crowd…
“Bold human, why are you not bowing down?” From both sides of the hall, many Monster Race masters began angrily shouting.
Red Moon Territory had sent out so many people and even had two highly respected masters receive this pair which was more than enough face for an unproven Alchemy Grandmaster, but upon first meeting, these two humans actually just refused to show the slightest hint of humility.
These two standing in the hall motionlessly seemed to say they did not take anyone here seriously.
Without Lady Tribal Lord’s recognition, all humans were just trash! Only the Monster Race reigned supreme here.
What angered the Monster Race masters the most though was that since the hall, the boy toy had been staring at their Young Lady without blinking, as if he wanted to eat her alive.
The audacity!
Even if their Young Lady was incredibly charming, a trivial human could not be allowed to act so presumptuously and blaspheme her so.
Many Monster Race masters were glaring at Yang Kai at this moment.
“Hey, you little shit. Where do you think you’re staring at!?” Yu Xiong also found that something was wrong, got up immediately, and glared at Yang Kai viciously, “You think Father here won’t dig out your eyes if you keep staring?”
“Human, there are some in this world you cannot lay eyes on lightly, especially when you’re just a boy toy!” A Monster Race master ridiculed from the side.
This human boy was simply too much! Although the woman next to him had her face covered, it was obvious just from her figure and the tone of her skin that she was a rare beauty, yet this boy toy wasn’t satisfied with her and actually dared to covet their Young Lady, it was simply unacceptable!
This human race woman must also be blind, choosing such a loose man to accompany her. Such an excellent Alchemy Grandmaster could only be paired with the young elites of the Monster Race.