“You were struck by lightning, Old Qian?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“En,” Qian Tong nodded, “Although I did not suffer much harm, the power of Heavenly Lightning is still not to be underestimated.”
Fei Zhi Tu’s jaw dropped as he called out in alarm, “I thought you were cultivating some kind of profound Secret Technique that triggered that lightning strike! So it was actually because of this?”
“What nonsense Secret Technique!?” Qian Tong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “You know all of the Secret Techniques our Shadow Moon Hall possesses. Which one can possible cause Heavenly Lightning? This old master has no time to cultivate any Secret Techniques now anyways, all my focus is on consolidating my realm.”
“What about the Earth-Fire last time?” Dong Xuan’er asked from the side.
“What Earth-Fire?” Fei Zhi Tu asked in astonishment.
Dong Xuan’er blinked her big eyes and explained, “Two months ago, a terrifying Earth-Fire suddenly appeared in Honoured Master’s retreat and burned it to the ground.”
“Such a thing happened?” Fei Zhi Tu was surprised.
“That was also a result of this old master being rejected by Shadowed Star’s World Principles!” Qian Tong grumbled in annoyance, “Since this old master returned to Shadowed Star, he has encountered this kind of thing more than once. Although they have all been resolved by this old master, never causing any real damage, I also have no way to concentrate on cultivating. Not only that, when this old master flies, powerful Astral Winds sometimes emerge from The Void and hammer my Knowledge Sea, draining my Spiritual Energy. This old master no longer dares to fly too high or for too long for fear of the consequences!”
“Heavenly Lightning, Earth-Fire, Astral Wind…” Yang Kai muttered aloud, “Old Qian, it seems that life has been hard for you!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s teasing, Qian Tong felt both aggrieved and helpless.
Living constantly on edge was extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, Qian Tong had not entered secluded retreat these days. If he was disturbed while in deep meditation, it would very likely lead to a dissonance in his cultivation. Once that happened, it would be difficult for him to emerge unscathed despite already reaching the Origin King Realm.
“How could this be possible!” Fei Zhi Tu had an incredulous expression on his face as his eyes flashed with surprise, “This City Lord has lived for hundreds of years but this is the first time I have ever heard of anything like this.”
“It is a first for this old master as well,” Qian Tong sighed heavily before he directed an expectant look towards Yang Kai, “Yang Kai, you are now Star Master of Shadowed Star, can you figure out a way to remedy this old master’s situation?”
Qian Tong was truly quite troubled not knowing when something like Heavenly Lightning or Earth-Fire would befall him, making it impossible to enter retreat. Now all he could hope for was that Yang Kai had a solution.
But to his great disappointment, Yang Kai could only slowly shake his head, “While I can communicate with the World Principles of Shadowed Star somewhat, it is still impossible for me to alter them in any way.”
Hearing this, Qian Tong released another sigh.
The hall went silent for a while as the expressions of everyone present became heavy.
Shadow Moon Hall now possessed the only Origin King on Shadowed Star, which was no doubt a glorious achievement, but with Qian Tong now being rejected by the World Principles, it was terrible news.
After a while, Qian Tong suddenly said, “It seems that the only way now is for this old master to leave.”
“Old Ghost Qian, are you planning to leave Shadowed Star?” Fei Zhi Tu was shocked.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er also looked at Qian Tong with dismay, seemingly wanting to say something to dissuade him, but uncertain where to start from.
“If this old master doesn’t leave, he will face troubles for the rest of his life and will be unable to cultivate again,” Qian Tong smiled lightly, “This old master finally managed to reach the Origin King Realm, so he does not want to remain stuck here forever. This old master still wants to reach greater heights and see broader horizons!”
“At your age, you still haven’t outgrown such ambitions?” Fei Zhi Tu smiled wryly.
“Old Fei, are you willing to remain in the Origin Returning Realm for the rest of your life?” Qian Tong asked back.
“Impossible!” Fei Zhi Tu snorted, “If not for this City Lord’s realm falling last time, he would have left Shadowed Star together with you. Whether this City Lord can touch the mysteries of the Origin King Realm or not, he must at least try.”
“En, people seek greater heights just as water flows to lower places!”
“Since you’ve already decided, there’s nothing more to say. You need not worry about Shadow Moon Hall, I will take care of it,” Fei Zhi Tu said sternly.
“Yang Kai, if this old master wants to leave this place, he must rely on your strength!” Qian Tong looked at Yang Kai.
“Naturally, that’s not a problem,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Actually, I was just about to implement a plan that aligns quite well with Old Qian’s intentions.”
“Oh, what plan?” Qian Tong heard this and his eyes suddenly brightened.
“I am going to construct a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array!”
“You mean an Ultra-Long Distance Space Array that can connect one Cultivation Star to another?” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu exclaimed together, looking at Yang Kai with extreme shock.
Yang Kai nodded, “Shadowed Star has been closed off from the Star Field for long enough. It’s time we were re-connected with the broader world. If this can be achieved, after a Shadowed Star cultivator reaches the peak of the Origin Realm, they can freely leave to explore the mysteries of the Origin King Realm.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu remained silent for a long time, but their eyes were wide with shock.
After a long while, Qian Tong asked nervously, “Can this really be achieved?”
“We’ll have to try to find out,” Yang Kai chuckled, “At the very least, I don’t think there will be a problem arranging an appropriate Space Array.”
“What if masters from other Cultivation Stars try to invade Shadowed Star via the Space Arrays you arrange? Wouldn’t that pose a serious problem?” Qian Tong showed a trace of worry.
“Haha, you don’t have to concern yourself about that,” Fei Zhi Tu laughed, taking out a few tokens with the character “High” on them from his Space Ring and explaining. “Without one of these, it is impossible to use the Space Arrays arranged by Yang Kai.”
“What is this?” Qian Tong was puzzled.
“A Transmission Token!” Fei Zhi Tu immediately explained, and after Qian Tong understood the purpose of these Transmission Tokens, he could not help nodding thoughtfully, “Yang Kai, it seems like you’ve been planning this for some time now.”
“Of course! Arranging Space Arrays across Shadowed Star was simply a way of practising for this,” Yang Kai smiled.
His ultimate goal was to connect Shadowed Star with the Star Field! This was not just a whim, but something Yang Kai had been thinking about for some time now.
Currently, it took far too long to reach the populated regions of the Star Field from Shadowed Star, but if a Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array were available, this problem would cease to exist.
In the current High Heaven Sect, there was more than one peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and as Sect Master, Yang Kai had to make plans for the future. Even he himself was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and urgently needed to leave Shadowed Star to prepare to break through to the Origin King Realm.
What’s more, arranging Space Arrays allowed Yang Kai to cultivate his Space Force.
These days, he found that his comprehension of the Dao of Space had become more profound.
Naturally, Yang Kai was not about to abandon such a beneficial project.
“Great! This old master can rest assured knowing you’ve thought this matter out so thoroughly. You becoming Star Master is a true blessing to Shadowed Star!” Qian Tong laughed.
“Then do you want to leave with me now or wait until I finish setting up the Space Array before departing?” Yang Kai asked.
Qian Tong thought about it for a while before saying, “This old master will remain on Shadowed Star for a while and leave after you’ve finished setting up the Space Array. There are still some things to deal with in Shadow Moon Hall after all.”
“En, look forward to good news soon,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Finished with his business, Yang Kai did not remain in Heavenly Fate City for a long time and instead returned directly to High Heaven Sect.
After summoning Elders of the Sect, Yang Kai informed them about his next plan, causing Ye Xi Yun, Yang Xiu Zhu, and all the others to excitedly agree.
Needless to say, Ye Xi Yun was the one who most hoped to break through to the Origin King Realm on Shadowed Star. Last time, she had chosen to remain in High Heaven Sect to take care of Yang Yan, causing her to miss such an opportunity.
If Yang Kai could really set up Space Arrays on other Cultivation Stars though, she would be able to free herself from the shackles of Shadowed Star any time she wanted.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others also held similar mindsets. Last time, they had failed to break through after surviving the Blood Prison Trial, but that did not mean they did not still have a chance. All of them intended to strive for a breakthrough, and even if they failed, they would not regret trying.
“Since everyone agrees, this Sect Master will implement his plan,” Yang Kai grinned and looked around, “But before I begin, I need you to help me gather some supplies!”
“What supplies?” Ye Xi Yun asked.
“Space Spirit Crystals!” Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, “The most critical material for arranging Space Arrays is Space Spirit Crystal! Depending on the transmission distance between two Space Arrays, the number of Space Spirit Crystals required also varies, and for Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays, the more Space Spirit Crystals, the better!”
“Understood. I’ll handle it!” Ye Xi Yun nodded.
Now that High Heaven Sect influence had spread across all of Shadowed Star, it was not an issue for it to collect materials. The only question now was how many Space Spirit Crystals High Heaven Sect could purchase.
After all, Space Spirit Crystals were rare, and even if some were found occasionally, it would almost always quickly be used to refine Space Rings.
Yang Kai had a large amount of Space Spirit Crystal before which he collected from the lode under Dragon Cave Mountain, but after cultivating his Space Force with it for so long, he had used all his reserves up.
During these past few months, the Space Spirit Crystals Yang Kai had used to arrange Space Arrays on Shadowed Star had been sourced from the major Sects and cities he had visited.
“Three months, in three months I will leave Shadowed Star! I hope you can help me raise enough Space Spirit Crystal by then!”
“Yes!” The Elders nodded before quickly scattering, intending to contact the various forces on Shadowed Star to begin this mass purchase.
Yang Kai believed that after three months, a big harvest should be waiting for him.
While the Elders of High Heaven Sect bustled about, Yang Kai now found himself with some idle time. After spending a few days accompanying his parents and brothers, he then took Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang out to wander around Shadowed Star.
Yang Kai didn’t know when he would next have free time, so he naturally hoped to accompany his two Senior Sisters for the next three months and enjoy their company.
To Yang Kai, this was a simple but treasured luxury.
“Is this Grand Crystal Mountain Range where Coloured Glass Sect is located?” Su Yan asked as she looked around at the rolling hills below.
“En,” Yang Kai standing next to her nodded, releasing his Divine Sense and, with the assistance of his powers as Star Master swept the mountain range’s several tens of thousands of kilometres. Smiling, he continued, “It looks like Coloured Glass Sect’s headquarters didn’t suffer too much damage during the Corpse Spirit Religion chaos. It still looks quite similar to when I last came here.”
Xia Ning Chang looked into the distance and said softly, “The World Energy on the Shadowed Star is really not comparable to Tong Xuan Realm. Every place we’ve travelled these days, whether in terms of aura or scenery, is far better than Tong Xuan Realm.”
Saying so, she looked a little sad.
Yang Kai was Shadowed Star’s Star Master while she was the Star Master of Tong Xuan Realm. For every Star Master, the Cultivation Star that they refined the Star Source of was like the closest of partners, like their own child.
Tong Xuan Realm’s withered aura made Xia Ning Chang somewhat depressed.
“Star Master and Cultivation Star are closely related. Little Senior Sister, you only need to work hard to improve your cultivation and Tong Xuan Realm will be rejuvenated one day,” Yang Kai comforted.
“En,” Xia Ning Chang nodded.
“Let’s go. Sect Master Gong should have received word of our arrival already,” Yang Kai held the two women’s hands as he led them forward.
It had been almost three months since they started wandering Shadowed Star.
Over the past three months, Yang Kai’s trio had visited almost all the famous spots on Shadowed Star and experienced all kinds of local customs and traditions. The waves on the Limitless Ocean were magnificent while the silence of the vast desserts was breathtaking. Many famous mountains and rivers now bore the footprints of these three.
This three-month-long journey would surely become one of the most beautiful memories in the hearts of the trio.
Coloured Glass Sect was the last stop set by Yang Kai!
Yang Kai’s reason for coming here wasn’t actually to sight-see though, but rather to ask Gong Ao Fu for something.
Although Gong Ao Fu had led Coloured Glass Sect’s survivors to join High Heaven Sect during the Corpse Spirit Religion war, and she herself became one of the Elders of High Heaven Sect, after Corpse Spirit Religion was destroyed, Yang Kai had allowed Gong Ao Fu to return to Grand Crystal Mountain Range.
He knew better than anyone just how meaningful one’s ancestral heritage was to a cultivator.
Just like how he built a Sect on Shadowed Star called High Heaven Sect, even if Gong Ao Fu stayed in High Heaven Sect, where there were better conditions for her own growth, she would never be able to forget Coloured Glass Sect. Eventually, it would no doubt disturb her heart.
What’s more, when Gong Ao Fu joined High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai had promised that he would allow her to rebuild Coloured Glass Sect in the future.
Allowing her to return was simply fulfilling his original promise.
Gong Ao Fu was naturally extremely grateful, and although she led the cultivators of Coloured Glass Sect back to Grand Crystal Mountain Range, she had sworn an oath that Coloured Glass Sect would belong to High Heaven Sect as a subordinate Sect from now on!
This was the first attached force High Heaven Sect possessed! And it was a very powerful one at that.
When Yang Kai arrived here with Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, Gong Ao Fu was immediately notified.
When the trio reached the main peak of Coloured Glass Sect, a dense group of people were assembled already, headed by a beautiful woman with a rich, mature style. Naturally, it was Gong Ao Fu.
Dai Yuan still wore her pockmarked and pitted appearance, appearing extremely ugly, making Gong Ao Fu look all the more beautiful.
Behind these two were the only remaining Elders and elite disciples of Coloured Glass Sect, Yin Su Die among them.
Seeing Yang Kai land in front of them, the assembled group all solemnly saluted.
“Subordinate Gong Ao Fu greets Sect Master, greets Madame Sect Masters!” Gong Ao Fu said quickly.
“There are no outsiders here, Sect Master Gong need not be so polite!” Yang Kai waved his hand while Su Yan smiled at Gong Ao Fu, accepting the title of Madame Sect Master with confidence. Xia Ning Chang, on the other hand, even with her veil, had obviously gone bright red, her delicate earlobes looking like they were on fire.
After so many years, Little Senior Sister was still just as shy and innocent as ever.
“Sister Dai Yuan, it’s been a long time,” Yang Kai turned to Dai Yuan next and a knowing light flashed across his eyes. Others did not know what kind of face was hidden beneath her disfigured disguise, but Yang Kai did.
Dai Yuan’s figure was indeed exquisite, but her face was quite unappetizing, making it extremely difficult for people to have a good first impression of her.
Yang Kai and Dai Yuan could not have lived in more different worlds; one was a dragon that soared through the sky while the other was an ant crawling on the ground.
As such, no one knew why Yang Kai cared so much about Dai Yuan.
Facing Yang Kai’s greetings, Dai Yuan just nodded slightly, not showing any particular enthusiasm.
Gong Ao Fu smiled next to her and quickly said, “I received word from Great Elder Ye that Sect Master has been wandering Shadowed Star for the past few months. Has Sect Master had any significant gains?”
“We were simply touring the scenery, how could there be any gains?” Yang Kai chuckled and shook his head.
“Sect Master and the two madams are perfectly matched; it seems walking hand in hand together was the biggest gain of the past three months.”
Yang Kai met eyes with both Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, all three of them smiling at each other lightly.
Although they knew that Gong Ao Fu was simply offering some light flattery, none of them were turned off by such words.
“However, I wonder why Sect Master has decided to visit my Coloured Glass Sect? If it is just to sight-see, then subordinate will quickly make proper arrangements. There are many picturesque sceneries in Grand Crystal Mountain Range.”
“Unfortunately, that is not why I’ve come here today,” Yang Kai shook his head. “I came here to make a request.”
“Please name it, Sect Master!” Gong Ao Fu smiled, “If not for Sect Master’s care, my Coloured Glass Sect would have ceased to exist long ago, whatever Sect Master needs from my Coloured Glass Sect, we will be honoured to prepare, why act so politely?”
Seeing her comply so easily, Yang Kai nodded, “Then I will be succinct. I came here to obtain some Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass. Your Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain was not destroyed by Corpse Spirit Religion, right?”
“Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass?” Gong Ao Fu raised her brow, “Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain is one of Shadowed Star’s greatest treasures. The Corpse Spirit Religion was unable to destroy it, but if Sect Master wants Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass, things might be a bit difficult. We have accumulated some Coloured Glass Sect over the years, but only two or three fists worth. I don’t know if this is enough for Sect Master?”
“Certainly not!” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
“Then… shall I have Dai Yuan use her Secret Technique to collect some?” Gong Ao Fu asked hesitantly.
In Coloured Glass Sect, only Dai Yuan who had cultivated the special Secret Technique was able to extract and refine Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass.
So even though Coloured Glass Sect possessed a great treasure like Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, it was unable to actually use it fully, a rather depressing situation.
“Disciple cannot mine much, but I believe Yang Kai has his own methods!” Dai Yuan looked at Yang Kai elegantly.
“Impudence!” Gong Ao Fu shouted as she turned her beautiful eyes towards Dai Yuan and declared majestically, “How dare you call Sect Master by his given name!”
Although her tone was filled with the meaning of blame, Gong Ao Fu’s attention was completely focused on Yang Kai. Noticing that Yang Kai did not seem to be angry, she immediately calmed down.
“It’s fine, I’ve known Sister Dai Yuan for a long time, so it’s not a big deal for her to address me by name,” Yang Kai laughed lightly.
Dai Yuan, on the other hand, ground her teeth as she glared at Yang Kai angrily.
Before Corpse Spirit Religion ravaged Shadowed Star, she and Yang Kai had been friends on equal footing, always addressing one another informally, but now, this sly fellow had leapt to become someone who could order her Honoured Master around.
Dai Yuan naturally felt very awkward.
“Many thanks for Sect Master’s understanding. Subordinate has been neglectful in teaching Dai Yuan,” Gong Ao Fu bowed her head before quickly changing the topic, “Does Sect Master have a way to mine Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
“In that case, there’s nothing more that needs to be discussed. Please feel free to take as much as what Sect Master wants. Even if we mine it ourselves, we don’t actually have many uses for Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain at the moment. Sect Master, please come with me.”
Gong Ao Fu agreed immediately and led the way.
Yang Kai, Su Yan, and Xia Ning Chang quickly followed.
The cultivators of Coloured Glass Sect were also very curious about what method Yang Kai had to mine the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass, so naturally, they followed along, eager to see what happened.
“You fool!” Yin Su Die watched the crowd fly away before getting close to Dai Yuan and muttering in frustration, “When Sect Master took the initiative to bring you to greet him, why did you just brush him off?”
“Then what should I have done? Gone up and pushed myself onto him?” Dai Yuan cast her a dismissive glance.
Yin Su Die choked on her words for a moment before thinking about it and suddenly giggling, “If it was me, I would do just that. He is the strongest man on Shadowed Star, so there’s no shame in actively trying to approach him.”
“It may be as you say, but do you think you can compare to the two women beside him?” Dai Yuan shot Yin Su Die a contemptuous look.
Yin Su Die gawked as she recalled the demeanour and appearance of Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, a sense of inferiority instantly welling up inside her.
Su Yan was wrapped in a cold aura that, while invisible, was extremely strong, giving her great pressure. With Su Yan standing there, Yin Su Die could not work up the courage to talk to Yang Kai.
As for the other delicate, veiled woman, she had a holy and inviolable aura that made any woman who saw her feel inferior!
“Who cares, I still have a chance as long as Sect Master is happy!” Yin Su Die coldly snorted.
“I have no time to waste with you!” Dai Yuan gave her a blank look before shaking her head and following after the crowd.
“Stupid Senior Sister! Ugly woman!” Yin Su Die cursed as she pointed at Dai Yuan indignantly.
Dai Yuan simply pretended not to hear anything.
Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain was actually a single giant Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass ore. It was extremely heavy and had a rather plain appearance, but it was a fact that this Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass was innately able to produce Coloured Glass Divine Light.
Coloured Glass Divine Light had a profound suppressive effect on all five elements, as well as the Soul.
The Coloured Glass Bead Dai Yuan gave Yang Kai many years ago was something she had formed after ingesting small bits of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass over many years. It was similar to a Monster Beast’s Monster Core. This Coloured Glass Bead had been refined by Yang Kai and integrated into his Demon Eye of Annihilation, greatly enhancing its power.
In addition, Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass had a mysterious ability to transform into a myriad of different forms.
Rumour had it that if one used Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass to refine an artifact, that artifact could change into a variety of different forms when confronting an enemy, making it extremely difficult to defend against.
The Origin King Grade Starship of High Heaven Sect was refined with a large amount of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass, which not only greatly improved its defensive capabilities but also allowed it to disguise itself as a meteorite with the assistance of many profound Spirit Arrays.
Only Yang Yan could possibly refine such a masterpiece, however, as no other Artifact Refiner in the Star Field was capable of refining so much Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass into the hull of a Starship.
In front of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, with everyone watching, Yang Kai simply released Xiao Xiao and allowed him to mine at will.
The Stone Puppet had an innate Divine Ability to devour all kinds of rare ores and refine them into the purest of essences. Since the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass was technically a type of ore, naturally the Stone Puppet had no difficulty with it.
Even Domain Stone Mountain in the Blood Prison was hollowed out by Xiao Xiao, so how could a mere Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain resist his jaws!?
Under the astonished gazes of Gong Ao Fu and the others, Xiao Xiao quickly tottered up to Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, opened his mouth, and began biting into it.
*Ka Ka Ka Ka…*
Crunching sounds rang out as the Stone Puppet gnawed a hole into Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within moments, the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, which had baffled Coloured Glass Sect for thousands of years, was missing a big piece.
The cultivators of Coloured Glass Sect were dumbfounded.
Soon, Xiao Xiao’s whole body had penetrated into Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, and although no one could see how he was moving now, the continued crunching sounds clearly indicated that he was still swallowing a large amount of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass.
“Sect Master, does this living puppet really have such a magical ability?” Gong Ao Fu exclaimed.
She knew about the existence of Xiao Xiao; after all, during the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain back then, she had witnessed him from a distance. However, at that time, the Stone Puppet was in his stone giant form and was waving around the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
Gong Ao Fu never knew that in addition to its astonishing strength, the Stone Puppet could even easily eat Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass.
“Hehe, he’s a very special existence and has helped me a lot over the years,” Yang Kai answered casually, not bothering to explain and instead turned thoughtful as he said, “I need a lot of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass…”
“Please help yourself, Sect Master, it doesn’t matter even if you dig out all of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain!” Gong Ao Fu took the initiative to express her stance before he finished speaking.
“It’s nothing so exaggerated,” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “This Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain is not small, I only need about one percent of it.”
“Even so, at the current rate, that should take two or three days. If Sect Master doesn’t mind, why not spend some time on the main peak to rest first? After two days we can come back here to check on your Stone Puppet’s progress.”
“Sure,” Yang Kai nodded.
Gong Ao Fu personally led Yang Kai, Su Yan, and Xia Ning Chang to the main peak where she immediately had the best palace prepared for them.
She did not arrange a banquet for Yang Kai because she knew he did not care for such things, simply instructing a few disciples to serve his trio diligently but not disturb him unless absolutely necessary.
Three days later, everything was in order. Xiao Xiao had swallowed Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass for the past three days straight, causing his belly to swell noticeably.
Yang Kai had him spit out the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass immediately, and after storing it into a Space Ring, he bid farewell to Gong Ao Fu.
Before leaving, he left some Origin Grade artifacts for Coloured Glass Sect, as well as some Origin Grade pills used for cultivation.
This was a kind of compensation for him taking away so much Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass. Whether it was Origin Grade artifacts or Origin Grade pills, both were extremely rare and valuable on Shadowed Star, so Gong Ao Fu happily accepted them and brought all the Elders and elite disciples to see Yang Kai off.
Ten days later, inside High Heaven Sect.
In the main square outside the meeting hall, a brand new Space Array had been arranged by Yang Kai.
This Space Array was somewhat different from the ones Yang Kai had arranged on Shadowed Star previously. The main difference was that it was much smaller while also possessing a more profound aura.
This was a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array!
This was the Space Array Yang Kai would use to locate High Heaven Sect!
Just like how he had done before, with this Space Array in place, all Yang Kai needed to do now was arrange another Space Array on a nearby star and he would be able to create a two-way link between them.
With this, High Heaven Sect now had two main Space Arrays.
One was arranged outside High Heaven Sect to connect it with the rest of Shadowed Star, while the other was arranged inside the Sect in preparation to connect with the rest of the Star Field.
During the past three months, High Heaven Sect had devoted all its efforts and resources to collecting Space Spirit Crystals for Yang Kai, but had still only managed to gather two thousand pieces.
These Space Spirit Crystals represented almost all of what was currently available on Shadowed Star, and unless some new Space Spirit Crystal mineral lodes were discovered, there would likely be a shortage of them in the near future. However, according to Yang Kai’s calculations, these Space Spirit Crystals would be enough to arrange three or four Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays.
After taking care of some last issues and bidding farewell to his family and friends, Yang Kai once again visited the sixth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field and chatted with Yang Yan for a while before summoning his Star Shuttle and flying off into the Starry Sky.
In High Heaven Sect, ten thousand people looked up into the sky to watch the departing light until it disappeared from sight.
“Be safe!” Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang stood atop different peaks as they shared the same silent wish in their hearts.
…..
Millions of kilometres from Shadowed Star, an invisible Astral Wind blew about recklessly, creating numerous big and small Starry Sky Storms which crashed together, were worn down, and then gathered together over and over and over again.
A vast and chaotically drifting Asteroid Sea which could rip apart any cultivator or Starship who tried to break through it haphazardly also swirled about.
This was the great barrier which isolated Shadowed Star.
The cultivators of Shadowed Star called it the Dead Zone!
Several million kilometres wide, this Dead Zone wrapped Shadowed Star in an all but impenetrable barrier that prevented anyone from leaving or arriving on Shadowed Star.
If it was just these dangers though, it would not be enough to stop Origin King Realm masters from arriving here, and even if Shadowed Star was quite remote, there would always be an Origin King who was curious and visited over a ten thousand year period.
However, the Dead Zone was also flooded with a certain power that even Origin King Realm masters dreaded.
Emperor Pressure!
Only Emperor Pressure could deter Origin Kings from approaching.
When Yang Kai left Shadowed Star with Qian Tong and the others last time, he had relied on the powerful defences of the Origin King Grade Starship to pass this region, but this time, he had come out alone and naturally left the Origin King Grade Starship behind in case some kind of accident occurred.
As such, Yang Kai was only able to rely on himself.
He did not know how this Dead Zone was formed before, but after hearing about so many ancient secrets from Yang Yan, he clearly realized that this Dead Zone was the remains of the battlefield between Yang Yan and the Insect Emperor.
That was why this place was still filled with Emperor Pressure and why it was so extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, although the Emperor Pressure here was indeed terrifying, it was not the first time that Yang Kai had experienced it. When the Emperor Garden had truly opened, Yang Kai had even used the Emperor Pressure it released to integrate his Space Force into his Shi.
In regards to withstanding Emperor Pressure, Yang Kai was more confident than anyone.
Rushing straight into the Dead Zone, Yang Kai began dodging the flowing asteroids which came at him from all directions.
The invisible Star Field Astral Winds sliced past him like sharp blades, cutting into his flesh, causing a harsh metallic sound to ring out constantly.
Five coloured light blossomed from Yang Kai’s figure suddenly as he began using his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to protect his body!
With the constant use of Shadowed Heaven Pills, Yang Kai’s physical strength had already grown to an unimaginable state.
The invisible Astral Winds which could even force back an Origin King now could not even harm Yang Kai, and the occasional asteroid which managed to hit him would break upon impact.
Yang Kai charged into fierce Star Field Storms without fear and was instantly swallowed up by it.
Before long, Yang Kai rushed out from the other side of the storm safe and sound.
Cutting a path through all these obstacles, Yang Kai’s momentum was unstoppable!
Yang Kai was even able to leisurely feel the mysteries of the ambient Emperor Pressure that flooded this place.
This was even more helpful to his growth than absorbing the energy inside Domain Stones.
Yang Kai’s Shi had already reached the grand accomplishment stage, and his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy had all reached the pinnacle of what an Origin Returning Realm master could possess.
If not for him being suppressed by Shadowed Star’s World Principles, Yang Kai could have already attempted to break through to the Origin King Realm.
As time passed slowly, his gains grew bigger and bigger.
However, Yang Kai soon discovered a problem. While it was indeed a rare opportunity to experience to comprehend the Emperor Pressure inside the Dead Zone, he clearly felt that it was too profound for him to grasp, unlike the energy inside Domain Stones.
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai understood.
He was currently at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm, with the next realm being the Origin King Realm. After the Origin King Realm though, there was a higher realm, and above that was the realm where Yang Yan stood, the true owner of this Emperor Pressure.
It was indeed a bit too ambitious to try to comprehend Emperor Pressure right now.
Yang Kai was like a child who had not yet learned to crawl trying to stand up and run, he was obviously somewhat incapable.
It seemed that the best time to experience the mysteries of the Dead Zone would be after he reached the Origin King Realm!
Realizing this, Yang Kai no longer wasted his time and rushed forward as fast as he could.
With the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai did not have to worry about getting lost in the vast Star Field. By using his Star Chart, Yang Kai was also able to estimate the distances between different stars and Shadowed Star, allowing him to choose ideal places to arrange Space Arrays.
Many days later, Yang Kai landed on an icy Dead Star.
There were countless Dead Stars in the Star Field, ones without World Energy or even World Principles. Perhaps after billions of years, some of the Dead Stars could evolve and give rise to life again, but such matters were too remote for mere cultivators to consider. However, most Dead Stars would remain barren and desolate from birth to destruction.
After landing, Yang Kai didn’t immediately rest but instead began surveying the surrounding three-hundred-thousand-kilometre region.
After confirming that there were no living creatures here, he found a mountain valley-like area and began preparing to arrange the first Space Array!
This Space Array would be a transfer point for Shadowed Star to contact the outside world, and was an indispensable strategic location.
Xiao Xiao was released by Yang Kai and allowed to roam around freely.
Over the past year or so, Yang Kai would occasionally land on some Dead Stars, and each time he would let Xiao Xiao out to explore and see if he could reap any gains.
Xiao Xiao did not let him down either. With his extraordinary innate talent, Xiao Xiao was often able to find some rare ores, but the number was not too great, nothing Yang Kai took to heart, so he simply allowed Xiao Xiao to refine and absorb them himself.
By absorbing the essence of these ores, Xiao Xiao was able to grow stronger.
Xiao Xiao quickly disappeared from Yang Kai’s field of vision, after which, Yang Kai took out various things from his Space Ring and began to arrange the Space Array.
The mountain valley he chose was not small, and if one looked down from high up above, it would seem more like a giant trench dug into the Dead Star.
Yang Kai found a well-concealed spot near one of the rock walls and began to melt the various ores he had brought out, moulding them into various parts of different sizes that he piled up nearby.
These parts would comprise the base of the Space Array, and as long as they were completely refined and assembled appropriately, all Yang Kai would need to do was use his Space Force to carve the Spirit Array into it and the Space Array would be complete.
This was not Yang Kai’s first time performing this work. Before leaving Shadowed Star, he had personally arranged a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, so this wasn’t a difficult task for him.
All it took was some time.
There were no other people here to help him, so Yang Kai had to handle everything on his own, which naturally meant it took a little longer.
Fifteen days later, Yang Kai had finished arranging the Space Array. With its small size and position beneath a rocky overhead, if one did not search for it carefully, it would not be discovered.
However, if it were just this, the safety of this Space Array could not be guaranteed.
As Yang Kai poured his Saint Qi into the Space Array in front of him, it began to change colour and soon blended in with the surrounding land.
At first glance, this Space Array would only seem like another rock. One would need to closely examine it to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Before leaving Shadowed Star, Yang Kai had gone to Coloured Glass Sect and collected a large amount of Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass for exactly this purpose. All along, he intended to use the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass as one of the primary materials in the Space Array’s base so he could conceal it like this.
Although this was a Dead Star, who could guarantee that no cultivator would not come here? If this large, flat circle were spotted by a passerby, it would become troublesome.
But it was a different story with the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass. Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass could assume a myriad of different forms, so by refining it into the array base and adding a concealment Spirit Array, Yang Kai was able to camouflage the Space Array almost perfectly.
Furthermore, by adding Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass into the array base, the Space Array itself became much sturdier, so even if it were struck by a meteor or hit by a storm, it would not be damaged.
After checking over his work and confirming everything was in order, Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction.
Done with the preparations, Yang Kai then began to engrave the Spirit Array into the base before finally pouring his Space Force into it.
The circular array quickly began to hum.
Yang Kai smiled, his expression was filled with joy. This slight movement meant that this Space Array had successfully connected with the one he arranged in High Heaven Sect, but whether it could teleport him there or not still needed to be tested and verified.
Naturally, he was the only one who could perform these verification tests. As Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he did not need to worry about something going wrong in the transmission process as he could simply disrupt it or tear space to escape from The Void.
Summoning Xiao Xiao back with a thought, Yang Kai stood there and waited quietly.
It took a full day for Xiao Xiao to arrive, quite a long time all things considered.
If it was not for the special Soul connection between Yang Kai and Xiao Xiao, allowing the former to know the latter was safe, Yang Kai might have thought an accident had befallen Xiao Xiao.
Yang Kai glared at Xiao Xiao and was about to reprimand him when suddenly his gaze froze on the latter’s belly.
Xiao Xiao’s belly was actually completely round, and at a glance, it was obvious this little fellow had swallowed a massive amount of ore over the past half a month. If this weren’t the case, considering Xiao Xiao’s almost bottomless stomach, this would have been impossible.
Yang Kai was naturally quite surprised.
During his one year journey, Yang Kai had landed on many Dead Stars, all of which had been extremely barren. Some of these Dead Stars did not even have a single thing of value on them.
However, Seeing Xiao Xiao gain so many ores from this Dead Star, it was obvious that despite lacking any kind of World Energy, this place was definitely rich in ore.
Additionally, the grade of the ore the current Xiao Xiao would take interest in was not low.
“Spit it out and let me see,” Yang Kai said to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao scratched his head slightly, then opened his mouth and began spitting out a stream of ore without hesitation. These ores were different in size, shape, and colour, and continued to pile higher and higher until it gradually formed a small hill.
After spitting out its haul, Xiao Xiao patted his now flat belly with an innocent expression on his face.
“This is…” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he stared at the mountain of ore in front of him. Picking up a washbasin size piece of silver ore, Yang Kai examined it with his Divine Sense and quickly muttered, “Heaven Seeking Silver?”
Yang Kai was no longer a naïve backwater boy. After so many years of experience wandering the Star Field, his vision had become quite sharp and his knowledge was now quite deep. He did not dare claim he would recognize all the materials in the Star Field at a glance, but at the very least he could identify most of them.
This washbasin sized silver ore was obviously the Origin Grade High-Rank Heaven Seeking Silver! If a small amount of this was added to an artifact while it was being refined, it could greatly improve the elasticity of that artifact, making it much more difficult to damage during battle.
Heaven Seeking Silver was an extraordinary auxiliary material that could be added to almost any kind of artifact, a universally useful material. If a cultivator possessed an artifact which was extremely valuable to them, they would often try to find materials that could enhance their quality, often leading to fierce competitions.
Heaven Seeking Silver was such a material, and its value wasn’t low!
An egg-sized piece of Heaven Seeking Silver would sell for at least one hundred thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals.
In other words, this washbasin sized Heaven Seeking Silver lump was worth at least several million Saint Crystals!
Yang Kai had not even recovered from his surprise when his eyes were next attracted to a big piece of ore which was emitting a golden glow.
“Profound Star Essence!”
“Five Coloured Sand!”
“Blue Phoenix Tear Iron!”
…..
“So many Saint Crystals?”
Yang Kai checked through the hill of ore and was repeatedly stunned by the great harvest Xiao Xiao had reaped this past half month.
Quickly estimating the value of this pile of ore in front of him, Yang Kai was shocked to discover that Xiao Xiao’s half-month of work was almost equivalent to the value of an entire medium-sized Sect on Shadowed Star.
The ores in front of him were all excellent materials for refining artifacts and some were even Origin King Grade. What Yang Kai was most confused by though was the massive quantity of Saint Crystals Xiao Xiao had brought back.
It was at least somewhat understandable that this Dead Star had a great deal of precious ore, but without World Energy, how could Saint Crystals possibly be produced here?
Saint Crystals were generally only formed on Cultivation Stars where there was rich World Energy and should never appear on Dead Stars.
Yang Kai’s eyes flickered as two completely different guesses came to his mind. Without hesitation, he pointed at the pile of ores in front of him and asked Xiao Xiao, “Where did you find these? Lead me there!”
Xiao Xiao immediately used his hands and feet to scamper across the ground in a certain direction.
Ten thousand kilometres away from the mountain valley where Yang Kai arranged the Space Array there was a giant pit which Xiao Xiao jumped down into.
Yang Kai followed closely.
Before setting up the Space Array, Yang Kai had surveyed the surrounding three hundred thousand kilometre region, and though he had noticed this giant pit, he hadn’t cared about it at the time.
Xiao Xiao had obviously found something good inside of it though!
This pit was very deep, and as he descended it, Yang Kai was assaulted by loud gusts of wind. Of course, this was not a problem for Yang Kai and he ignored it while releasing his Divine Sense to probe the situation down below, getting a good picture despite it being pitch black.
After descending roughly three thousand metres, Yang Kai’s landed at the bottom of the cave.
Standing firm, Yang Kai began expanding his Divine Sense outwards.
After a brief investigation, he was immediately shocked.
This underground space was not a small, empty cavern like he had expected, but actually a massive subterranean space that even his Divine Sense couldn’t completely cover!
The air here was a bit dry, but it was not difficult to breathe, and under Yang Kai’s Divine Sense investigation, he surprisingly discovered a large number of broken and collapsed buildings nearby that seemed to extend outwards for a great distance.
It turned out to be a giant ruin!
And judging from the style of these buildings, it was obvious that they were relics from a very distant era, at least several tens of thousands of years ago.
From the layout of these ruins, it was also clear that it was once the headquarters of a great Sect!
“I see…” Although Yang Kai’s expression displayed shock, his heart remained quite calm.
All of this was like what he had guessed.
After discovering that Xiao Xiao had brought back a lot of Saint Crystals, Yang Kai came up with two possible explanations.
One possibility was that this Dead Star was remarkably close to forming its own World Principles. If that was the case, then while there would be no signs on the outside of the Dead Star, Saint Crystals could still be produced below ground.
These Saint Crystals would exude aura for countless years to come, filling the Dead Star with World Energy and eventually allowing life to evolve.
This was the process by which a Dead Star evolved into a Cultivation Star. Such a Dead Star could be regarded as a newborn among the stars.
However, Yang Kai had not discovered a single induction that World Principles were forming here.
As such, this possibility was quite remote.
Yang Kai’s second guess, and the one he thought most likely, was that this Dead Star was not dead a very long time ago, but a real Cultivation Star. However, due to some kind of change, the World Principles had collapsed, and its aura had dispersed, turning it into what it was now.
Tong Xuan Realm may have gone down this path to becoming a Dead Star after several tens of thousands of years if there was no outside intervention.
All things were born, grew old, and then died; stars were no exception.
Although Yang Kai did not know what caused this star to become a Dead Star, he could tell from the materials brought back by Xiao Xiao that this place was obviously rich in resources and had a beautiful scenery long ago! The ruins in front of him were also clearly a great Sect’s headquarters.
A beckoning sound from nearby interrupted Yang Kai’s train of thought and turning to look, he saw Xiao Xiao motioning him to follow.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and with a flicker chased after him.
Along the way, Yang Kai was mindful of his surroundings, but soon discovered that his caution was unnecessary. Because there was no World Energy aura here, even if there were intact Spirit Arrays in these ruins, they could not activate.
In other words, this ruin was perfectly safe.
Soon after, Xiao Xiao brought Yang Kai to a large storehouse where a massive amount of ore was piled up along with many jade bottles and some other miscellaneous items.
The contents of the jade bottles were obviously pills.
Yang Kai picked up a few jade bottles to investigate but found that all the pills here had lost all their efficacy and crumbled into ashes, so he no longer bothered with them. There were also traces of withered herbs that had also lost their medicinal properties many years ago and become little more than garbage.
There was a large amount of Saint Crystals here as well, but these Saint Crystals had basically lost all their internal energy due to improper preservation. The Saint Crystals devoured by Xiao Xiao were probably the only useful ones left.
Inside this storehouse, the only thing of value that remained was the ore!
Ores were durable, and even if they were not preserved in a special way, their properties would not degrade.
Inside the storehouse, there was still several times more ore than had been consumed by Xiao Xiao, all of which was rare and valuable.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and collected all the ore into his Space Ring with a wave before bringing Xiao Xiao to continue exploring the area.
A day later, Yang Kai had made a sweep of the entire ruin.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai did not have any more gains, as everything of value was probably stored in that storehouse. Even Space Rings, which he found on some remains, had collapsed due to the lack of World Energy support, destroying everything inside of them.
However, Yang Kai did discover that, in this massive underground space, this ancient ruin was only the tip of the iceberg.
This underground region was like an entire expansive world, its area was extraordinarily vast!
Yang Kai decided to do some exploration.
After leaving the ruins, Yang Kai flew forward for only half a day before he came to a desolate mountain range that was pocketed with countless tunnels that appeared to be mine-shafts.
After arriving here, Xiao Xiao, who had been following Yang Kai the whole time, showed an expression of eagerness, as if he was very interested in the interior of this mountain range.
“Are there more ores in here?” Yang Kai turned his head and asked.
Stone Puppets were particularly sensitive to ore, and the more valuable the ore, the more it stimulated their appetite. Just like how wolves were sensitive to the smell of meat, Stone Puppets had a unique sense for ore!
Hearing Yang Kai questioning, Xiao Xiao nodded quickly.
“Then we should go take a look!” Yang Kai laughed before stretching out his hand, wrapping Xiao Xiao up in his Saint Qi, and rushing into the mountain range.
Soon, Yang Kai’s voice rang out from one of the mines, “An Annihilation Crystal lode!”
Sure enough, there was a mineral lode here, and of the extremely rare Annihilation Crystal!
Annihilation Crystal could not be used to refine artifacts because it naturally repelled World Energy, like fire and water. If it were used to refine artifacts, no one would be able to use them.
However, this ore was still extremely precious.
Because it naturally repelled World Energy, it could be used to arrange certain types of Spirit Arrays! A Spirit Array arranged with Annihilation Crystal could suppress a cultivator’s Saint Qi, meaning that if one were trapped inside, they could only rely on their physical strength to survive, just like on Shadowed Soul Island!
The famous Annihilation Isolation Array required Annihilation Crystal for its Array Core.
Without being able to use Saint Qi or artifact’s, could a cultivator really still be called a cultivator? The residents of Shadowed Soul Island used Shadowed Heaven Pills to temper their bodies so they could survive in that place, but not every cultivator had access to things like Shadowed Heaven Pills, and not every cultivator would focus on Body Tempering.
The Annihilation Isolation Array was a deadly trap for almost all cultivators, even Origin Kings who fell into it would find themselves in great difficulty.
Although this Spirit Array was indeed quite powerful, Annihilation Crystal was extremely rare and difficult to find!
However, there was actually an Annihilation Crystal lode here, and judging from the exposed crystals dotting the mine walls, it was a rich mineral lode!
Mineral lodes could be roughly divided into third categories, rich, ordinary, and poor! Each category had its own standard.
Generally speaking, a mineral lode that had reached the rich grade could be mined at will, making it a resource of extraordinary value as well as one that was extremely rare.
Yang Kai did not expect that he would actually find a rich Annihilation Crystal lode here.
Xiao Xiao had already rushed forward and was swallowing down pieces of ore rapidly, taking a large amount of Annihilation Crystal into his belly.
Yang Kai also did not hesitate, rushing forward and joining in the mining efforts.
Although this place was affected by the Annihilation Crystal ore, making it difficult for Yang Kai to use his Saint Qi, with his intrepid physical strength, his mining speed was only a little slower than Xiao Xiao’s.
In less than a day, Yang Kai had mined at least five hundred pieces of Annihilation Crystal. As for how much had been swallowed by Xiao Xiao, that was impossible to calculate.
Five hundred Annihilation Crystals were enough to set up a Spirit Array covering an entire small Sect. Of course, no Sect would be stupid enough to do this, because if they did, no one would be able to cultivate inside its perimeter anymore.
Without being able to sense World Energy, how was one supposed to cultivate?
Annihilation Crystal was most suited for arranging Spirit Arrays in some special locations, such as Restricted Areas or traps!
Despite Xiao Xiao and Yang Kai’s wanton mining though, this mineral lode did not seem to have decreased in supply at all. Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could not help but sigh. Him wanting to mine this place fully by himself was simply unrealistic.
He would have to delay his efforts here for several years in order to finish such a project.
After grumbling for a moment, Yang Kai ceased his efforts and recalled Xiao Xiao before diving further into the mountain range to explore.
Another day later, under the guidance of Xiao Xiao’s sharp senses, Yang Kai came to another mountain range and after examining the situation inside of it, Yang Kai could not help calling out in surprise, “Heaven Grasping Jade!”
This place turned out to contain a Heaven Grasping Jade lode, an ore that could nourish one’s Soul!
Heaven Grasping Jade was a very special type of jade that had a deep green colour. Once stimulated with enough Saint Qi or World Energy, this jade released a soft energy that could nourish one’s Soul and strengthen their spiritual energy.
This was a natural process somewhat similar to the effects of Yang Kai’s Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, but it was far less effective.
The Soul Warming Lotus could exist inside a cultivator’s Knowledge Sea and constantly nourished their Soul. The reason Yang Kai’s Soul was so much stronger than average was because it had received the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus for so many years.
However, the Soul Warming Lotus was an incredibly rare supreme treasure, so how could it possibly be obtained easily? This was a treasure that even Origin Kings would covet.
Heaven Grasping Jade was different. Even though it was far less effective than the Soul Warming Lotus, that did not make it any less valuable as it was the best material for gently enhancing one’s Soul. Heaven Grasping Jade would appear on the market occasionally, but each time it did there would be a mad scramble to obtain it.
Heaven Grasping Jade was an incredibly valuable cultivation material!
But here, there was a mineral lode of Heaven Grasping Jade.
Judging from the scattered green light, this Heaven Grasping Jade lode wasn’t too rich, but it was also not barren, firmly placing it into the normal mineral lode category.
While Yang Kai was stunned, Xiao Xiao had already begun to devour the nearby Heaven Grasping Jade.
Yang Kai also quickly collected a hundred or so pieces of Heaven Grasping Jade before stopping and bringing Xiao Xiao to continue his exploration.
He faintly felt that this Dead Star he had accidentally landed on was a massive, untapped source of wealth!
Three days later, Yang Kai found a Blue Phoenix Tear Iron lode.
One month later, Yang Kai had discovered a total of eight mineral lodes, with one of them being a Saint Crystal lode!
He did not continue to explore at this point, as after a month he had vaguely understood that this Dead Star was actually once an Ore Star.
Each Cultivation Star had its own World Principles, and these World Principles were all roughly the same, but there were still some subtle differences.
These differences would lead to vastly different materials being produced on that Cultivation Star.
Some stars were better suited to growing herbs, resulting in them being classified as Medicine Stars.
On a Medicine Star, a herb which normally took a hundred years to reach maturity may only take fifty, thirty, or even just ten years to mature.
Other stars naturally formed ores at a higher frequency than average; these stars were known as Ore Stars.
On an Ore Star, there would be a dazzling variety of rare and precious ores in rich quantities.
In the Star Field, the most powerful forces all controlled a certain number of Ore Stars and Medicine Stars. For example, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce that Xue Yue belonged to had more than one Ore Star and Medicine Star. It was precisely because of this kind of heritage that Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was able to do business throughout the entire Star Field and become so famous and powerful.
This Dead Star that Yang Kai stumbled upon was undoubtedly an Ore Star, and judging from the quantity and quality of the mineral lodes he had discovered so far, even amongst Ore Stars, this star was considered superior.
Right now, what needed to be done was to develop this place!
If High Heaven Sect could control this Ore Star, how could it not grow strong in the future?
Yang Kai’s heart pounded slightly faster as he became excited at such prospects.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai immediately began to set up a Space Array just outside the location of the Saint Crystal lode he was at to connect with the one he had arranged in the mountain valley on the surface.
Because this was not a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, Yang Kai only needed about a day to complete it and after standing on it, he inserted enough Saint Crystals to activate it and teleported back to the mountain valley on the surface.
Without delay, Yang Kai took out another batch of Saint Crystals and inserted them into the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array at his feet, locked onto the light in the distance of The Void that represented Shadowed Star, and activated the array.
When Yang Kai returned to Hundred Flowers Peak, Ye Xi Yun, who was instructing the little Lin Yun’er, was stunned for a moment. Before he could say anything, she asked suspiciously, “Sect Master, why have you returned so soon? Did you encounter some kind of danger?”
Her surprise was understandable; after all, the last time Yang Kai left Shadowed Star, he had been gone for eight years. From Yang Xiu Zhu and the others, Ye Xi Yun had learned just how remote Shadowed Star was and understood that simply travelling to a nearby Cultivation Star took well over a year.
But now, only a year later, Yang Kai had returned to Shadowed Star.
Why would he return so quickly this time?
“I found an Ore Star,” Yang Kai said concisely, and while answering Ye Xi Yun’s words, he swept Lin Yun’er with his Divine Sense.
Yang Kai was shocked to discover that this little girl, who possessed the Tyrant Strength Body and was only about fifteen years old, had physical vitality rivalling an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master who had lived for hundreds of years!
Although her petite body still looked delicate and weak, the strength contained within it was impossible to ignore.
Compared with the last time Yang Kai saw her outside Clear Sky Sect’s Black Sea City, Lin Yun’er had grown slightly taller, and her body had begun to acquire some slight curves while her legs had become longer and slenderer. Her hair was tied up in a bun behind her head, giving her a heroic look.
Seeing Yang Kai staring at her, Lin Yun’er smartly greeted him as Uncle Sect Master.
Yang Kai nodded gently in response.
“An Ore Star?” Ye Xi Yun’s eyes lit up.
Although she had lived her whole life on Shadowed Star and had never seen the wonders of the Star Field for herself, that did not mean Ye Xi Yun was unaware of what discovering an Ore Star meant.
An Ore Star represented wealth, power, and bright future prospects!
Especially for a Sect.
“A rich Ore Star?” Ye Xi Yun asked with interest.
“Very rich, rich beyond your imagination!” Yang Kai replied seriously, “I only explored it for a month and already found eight mineral lodes ranging from rich to poor, including an Annihilation Crystal lode, a Blue Phoenix Tear Iron lode, a Heaven Grasping Jade lode, a Mountain Piercing Ice Copper lode, a Water Cloud Steel lode, and a Saint Crystal lode!”
“So many?” Ye Xi Yun, who was normally extremely calm and composed, could not help feeling shocked by this piece of news Yang Kai had brought back, her beautiful brow rising slightly as her long eyelashes fluttered.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!” Yang Kai emphasized.
“Are there any dangers?”
“None. It’s a Dead Star without any World Energy!” Yang Kai laughed, “If there was any discernible danger, I wouldn’t have made a special trip back. I searched it for a month and I didn’t even see a single living thing, let alone anything dangerous.”
“Then Sect Master intends to…” Ye Xi Yun looked at Yang Kai with bright eyes.
“Naturally, we need to deploy a large amount of manpower to begin mining it!” Yang Kai grinned, “However, even for High Heaven Sect, that Ore Star is too big to monopolize. Invite some of the Sects that had good relationships with us and are reliable to share this news with, to join us.”
“Since it is Sect Master’s orders, this Queen will naturally not object, but… Although there are a few Sects we can cooperate with on this project, we cannot just give them benefits in vain. We should allow them to mine the ore there, but have them pay thirty or forty percent to High Heaven Sect as tax. Also, this will have to wait until after we establish a foothold there.”
“Yeah, Great Elder’s thoroughness is reassuring,” Yang Kai nodded. “But Shadow Moon Hall…”
“Shadow Moon Hall is naturally an exception!” Ye Xi Yun smiled. She also knew that the friendship between Yang Kai and Qian Tong has transcended mere profits and benefits.
“Great, I’ll leave processing this matter in your hands. I’ll refine some special Transmission Tokens as well to assist in the project,” Yang Kai finished speaking and left immediately.
Because there was a need to bring many people to the Ore Star to mine it this time, special Transmission Tokens needed to be specially refined.
It took some time for Yang Kai to finish refining fifty special Transmission Tokens.
This type of Transmission Token was different from the previous ones and could ensure that fifty people could pass through the Space Array arranged by Yang Kai at once. Moreover, when Yang Kai refined these Transmission Tokens, he also set up a Spirit Array inside that would only respond to his or Ye Xi Yun’s Saint Qi. This way, if one wanted to use this Transmission Token, they would first need Ye Xi Yun to pour her Saint Qi into it.
Although this method was a bit cumbersome, it could ensure safety and guarantee that if this Transmission Token ever fell into enemy hands, they would be unable to use it.
Anyone who needed to use this Transmission Token must obtain Ye Xi Yun’s approval!
These special Transmission Tokens were much more cumbersome to refine, so it took Yang Kai ten days to complete all fifty.
Once he was finished, Yang Kai went to see Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang again, but surprisingly, both were in retreat.
With no other alternative, Yang Kai could only give up. In any case, after he completed the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array network, he could return to High Heaven Sect at any time, so he was not in a rush to disturb them.
By now, Qian Tong had led a group of Shadow Moon Hall’s elites to High Heaven Sect.
He was obviously quite interested in the news from Ye Xi Yun, so this time, he brought a thousand disciples with him. For Shadow Moon Hall, which was still in the process of rebuilding, these thousand people were actually quite a large number.
After arriving at High Heaven Sect and listening to Yang Kai explain the situation regarding the Dead Star, Qian Tong immediately said, “What are we waiting for then? We should rush over immediately! If we can mine all those rare ores, how could we not get rich?”
“Old Qian seems anxious to leave Shadowed Star,” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
Qian Tong was stunned for a moment before he let out a hearty laugh, “Indeed, this old master has been struck by lightning a few times these past few days. As time passes, the World Principles here are repelling this old master more and more. This old master was originally worried about what he would do if you did not return for a dozen years. Now that there is such an opportunity, this old master is very eager to take it. Yang Kai, you can rest assured, with this old master overseeing that Ore Star temporarily, if any blind fools come along and try to cause trouble, this old master will take care of them.”
“Since Old Qian has said so, I really can rest assured,” Yang Kai nodded, stood up, and waved, “No point in delaying any longer, let us set out.”
Before the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array inside High Heaven Sect, more than two thousand cultivators had gathered.
Among these two thousand people, half belonged to Shadow Moon Hall while the rest belonged to High Heaven Sect.
The cultivations of these people were varied, with most being Saint Kings while a few were Origin Realm masters. While mining could be performed by Saints and Saint Kings without a problem, there would always be a need for some masters for security.
Teams of fifty people were quickly organized, with each team leader holding a Transmission Token given to them by Ye Xi Yun. These groups took turns boarding the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, with Qian Tong being in the first batch to explore the way and ensure there was no danger on the other side.
White light flashed brilliantly as the Space Array continued to operate almost without pause.
A stick of incense worth of time later, all two thousand people had disappeared.
On the cold and deserted Dead Star, two thousand people appeared inside a deep mountain valley. Turning their heads and looking around, almost everyone felt a little nervous.
For these two thousand people, it was their first time experiencing the vastness and horror of the Star Field. This Dead Star, without World Energy or living creatures, was quite a dark and foreboding environment for them.
Seeing Yang Kai appear with the last batch of people, Qian Tong rushed over and asked, “Is this the Ore Star you spoke of?”
“En.”
“It doesn’t appear very bountiful,” Qian Tong knit his brow.
Yang Kai laughed and said, “A Dead Star is naturally filled with a desolate aura, so of course it doesn’t appear bountiful. The real mysteries are hidden here!”
Saying so, Yang Kai lightly tapped his foot.
“Underground?”
“En, come with me!” Yang Kai beckoned before leading the way.
The team of two thousand cultivators followed after Yang Kai, remaining vigilant of their surroundings as they set out.
However, after discovering that there was really nothing here to be wary of, everyone slowly relaxed.
Without World Energy, it was incredibly difficult for anything that could pose a threat to appear here.
It took the team of two thousand about an hour before they arrived at a giant pit which Yang Kai promptly dove down into.
The two thousand cultivators orderly followed him down.
Soon, everyone stood in front of an ancient ruin.
Listening to Yang Kai’s various speculations about these ruins, Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun could not help sighing slightly.
Birth, ageing, sickness, and eventually death, such is the Heavenly Way that even stars could not escape. But if that was so, could cultivators defy that natural order? Perhaps they too would become just a handful of scattered ash after many years. Perhaps the now powerful High Heaven Sect and Shadow Moon Hall would one day fall into ruin and be forgotten by history.
The expressions on these two leaders became somewhat complicated and forlorn when thinking about such a future.
“My idea is this: We use this place to set up a camp, as there is already a site ready to be used here. All it needs is a bit of repair and tidying up. With this place as the centre, everyone can spread out and explore, mine ore, then return here to rest and recuperate, what do you two think?” Yang Kai asked as he pointed to the ruins before them.
“Very good! I don’t have a problem with it,” Qian Tong nodded.
“Great Elder?” Yang Kai turned to Ye Xi Yun.
“Naturally, I have no objections.”
“But the building materials…” Qian Tong frowned.
Ye Xi Yun laughed lightly and said with a smile, “We’ve brought enough. Since Sect Master has had this idea for some time now, how could we not make appropriate preparations? Before we came, we had the disciples gather any necessary supplies.”
“In that case, this old master will be profiting from your preparedness,” Qian Tong laughed before turning around and shouting, “Shadow Moon Hall disciples, assist your brothers and sisters from High Heaven Sect in building some houses here. This will be our temporary home.”
The thousand Shadow Moon Hall disciples voiced their understanding and got to work.
The ruins, which had been abandoned for countless years, suddenly became lively again, with two thousand people wandering about, setting up houses with the various materials they had brought.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai began arranging a Space Array here!
Since this would be their main camp, there was naturally a need for a Space Array here to contact the outside. Whether it was the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array in the mountain valley on the surface or the Space Array Yang Kai had left outside the Saint Crystal lode before, there was a need for this place to be connected to them.
By doing this, it would be far more convenient for the disciples to make roundtrips while mining ore, saving much time and effort.
Ten days later, inside the original ruins, there was now a cluster of newly built houses. Because this would be a long-term camp, the disciples of the two great forces had spared no effort in their construction.
These houses were not exquisite in design, but they were extremely practical. Living in them would be just like living in their respective Sects, except for the lacking of World Energy.
However, this was not a big problem. If one really wanted to cultivate, they simply needed to rely on Saint Crystals.
Along the roads of the former ruin, light stones were hung at regular intervals to provide a soft illumination, brightening up the originally dark and dreary space.
Yang Kai had informed Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun about the locations of the eight mineral lodes he had already found; as for how they were mined, Yang Kai did not need to concern himself. Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun would take charge of everything.
If they needed more manpower, they could always bring people over from Shadowed Star at any time; Yang Kai had arranged everything for them.
Not only that, once everything in the camp was in order and the disciples began mining operations, Yang Kai went out alone, and within a ten-million-kilometre radius, he arranged several Space Arrays!
Over the next several dozen years, these Space Arrays arranged by Yang Kai would allow the cultivators from Shadowed Star to move about easily within this range.
One month later, Yang Kai was ready to leave.
After all, his original intention was to open up a connection between Shadowed Star and the outside world; finding this Ore Star was just an inadvertent harvest.
Now that things were settled on this Ore Star, there was not any reason for Yang Kai to delay his trip further.
Standing amidst the ruins, Yang Kai summoned Xiao Xiao back!
Since arriving on this Ore Star, Yang Kai had never taken Xiao Xiao back, because this place was a paradise for him. By devouring all kinds of rare ores, Xiao Xiao could strengthen himself, and if there was enough of a particular type of ore, Xiao Xiao might even be able to acquire new abilities related to their properties.
His lava armour was a perfect example!
This was an ability Xiao Xiao gained after refining some of the Sun’s True Fire.
As soon he donned his lava armour, no one could approach to within ten metres of Xiao Xiao, as the heat he gave off was enough to force even Origin Realm masters back.
In any case, the resources on this Ore Star were extremely abundant, so no matter how much Xiao Xiao swallowed, the overall amount would not decrease. As such, Yang Kai had left Xiao Xiao to his own devices.
However, when he tried summoning Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai discovered that Xiao Xiao had dug extremely deep into the star, apparently having found something good.
Perceiving Yang Kai’s call, Xiao Xiao began tunnelling his way back up from below.
An hour later, Xiao Xiao appeared in front of Yang Kai.
But with just a glance, Yang Kai could not help becoming worried.
Because Xiao Xiao’s current state seemed somewhat improper.
Xiao Xiao had always appeared a bit gruff and silly because his sentience simply was not very high, a trait that was reflected by his somewhat dull outward appearance. However, at this moment, he appeared even dimmer than before, with the intelligent glint in his eyes now severely diminished.
When he walked about, Xiao Xiao staggered and swayed, as if he was drunk.
Yang Kai was taken aback and instinctually thought that Xiao Xiao had swallowed something he should not have, causing some kind of accident. But after performing a thorough check, Yang Kai was surprised to find that nothing was wrong with Xiao Xiao. In fact, his physical condition had never been better.
Additionally… Yang Kai sensed a strange, mysterious power coming from Xiao Xiao’s body.
This kind of power was familiar to Yang Kai as it was like the World Principles he felt as he refined the Star Source of Shadowed Star to become its Star Master.
“World Principles?” Yang Kai’s complexion changed drastically as he quickly began investigating more carefully.
After a long, silent probe, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and knitted his brow.
He did not feel anything was wrong with Xiao Xiao, but it was also undeniable that he now gave off a trace of World Principles from his body. This fluctuation was quite faint, though, countless times weaker when compared to Shadowed Star’s.
However, World Principles were still World Principles, a concept that even Origin Kings were unable to touch!
The question was now, how could Xiao Xiao suddenly begin giving off traces of Heavenly Law?
After recalling all his previous experiences in search of an answer, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as a bold guess emerged in his heart, “Did you swallow and refine the Star Source of this Dead Star? Did this Dead Star actually have a Star Source to begin with?”
Xiao Xiao raised his dim eyes and looked at Yang Kai with a blank expression for a while before raising his foot and began stumbling about before tripping over himself and falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he realized that Xiao Xiao wasn’t in any danger, but was simply unable to completely digest the power of the Dead Star’s Source, causing his control over his own strength to become unstable. Realizing this, Yang Kai simply took Xiao Xiao back into the Sealed World Bead.
However, this entire situation was quite a surprise to Yang Kai.
That this Dead Star still had its own Star Source was a shocking discovery.
It should be impossible for a Dead Star to possess a Star Source because, without World Energy, there simply could not be World Principles, naturally meaning there was no way for a Star Source to be born. This was the same concept as a person dying and their body rotting, their essence disappearing leaving behind only withered bones.
However, there were always exceptions to the rules.
According to Yang Kai’s own previous speculations, this Dead Star was originally an extremely vibrant Cultivation Star that had for some reason died throughout thousands, if not millions of years. As such, some of its original Source could have remained.
Xiao Xiao had obviously dug deep underground and found the remains of this Star Source and swallowed it.
This was a great blessing. If it was the Star Source of a true Cultivation Star, Xiao Xiao would never have been able to refine it.
This kind of refining was completely different from the refining Yang Kai performed to become a Star Master. Star Master and Cultivation Star were closely linked, sharing honour and disgrace. After Yang Kai became a Star Master though, Shadowed Star’s Star Source still existed, there was now just a mysterious connection between them that allowed Yang Kai to use many conveniences on Shadowed Star that others could not.
Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, had directly swallowed and absorbed this place’s Star Source, meaning it was gone forever and would not be completely converted into Xiao Xiao’s strength.
Various thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s head, making him more and more certain his guess was correct.
Since Xiao Xiao was fine though, Yang Kai was no longer as worried about this. After talking to Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun, he departed from the Ore Star and continued his journey.
Traversing the Star Field was desolate and lonely, especially in this region where there were no Cultivation Stars at all.
Through his Star Chart, Yang Kai confirmed that the nearest Cultivation Star was at least a year away.
Not becoming irritable or impatient, Yang Kai would sometimes travel under his own strength, while at other times he would land on an asteroid and cultivate while allowing it to carry him forward.
Sometimes, he would land on Dead Stars he came across to search for gains.
However, Dead Stars were Dead Stars in the end, and despite searching a number of them, Yang Kai didn’t have much of a harvest. It could be said that his discovery of that Ore Star was simply a stroke of luck.
Such an accident was not going to happen a second time.
That being said, Yang Kai arranged another Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array on a certain Dead Star he passed by, connecting it with the previous one.
During this period, Xiao Xiao had been asleep inside the Sealed World Bead, not moving at all. However, Yang Kai was aware that Xiao Xiao was now slowly releasing a thick, impurity-like casing from his body, forming a kind of stone cocoon around himself.
This was quite similar to his original state as a stone embryo.
[Could Stone Puppets evolve?] While Yang Kai was suspicious, he was also looking forward to it, wondering what kind of changes Xiao Xiao would experience after he emerged from the cocoon.
After many days of cultivating, Yang Kai also faintly noticed a kind of barrier blocking his path forward.
This was the barrier which separated him from the Origin King Realm! Only by breaking through these shackles could Yang Kai reach the Origin King Realm.
At this time, if he could find a Cultivation Star and enter retreat for a year, or even half a year, Yang Kai was confident he could make a breakthrough attempt.
One day, Yang Kai was performing a check on Xiao Xiao’s condition.
Because Xiao Xiao had not moved at all for the past year or so, Yang Kai would check in on him occasionally. This time, however, some faint fluctuations were coming from the cocoon, a clear sign Xiao Xiao was about to emerge from it.
Joyful, Yang Kai immediately looked for a place to stay for a while to wait for Xiao Xiao to complete his evolution.
After scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai rushed straight towards a nearby Asteroid Sea.
This Asteroid Sea was quietly suspended in the void, with no signs of movement at all within or around it, the perfect place to enter retreat for a while.
However, when Yang Kai approached the Asteroid Sea, he suddenly frowned.
He noticed that several auras were trying to conceal themselves in this Asteroid Sea. Although these people were doing their best to remain hidden, it was obvious each one was a powerful Origin Realm master.
It was only because Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was much more powerful than average that he could notice this group.
These people sneakily hiding here were obviously plotting something nefarious.
Yang Kai felt his luck was quite bad, as he did not want to be caught up in this kind of turbid water, so he quickly turned around and left.
However, his figure had only moved slightly when a brilliant glimmer flashed in the distance, transforming into a beam of light which shot out from behind one of the asteroids.
A terrifying power radiated from this streak of light as it rapidly closed the several-dozen-kilometre distance between Yang Kai and the asteroid, causing him to feel a slight tightness on his skin.
“An Origin King!” Yang Kai’s face sank when he realized there was an Origin King Realm master hidden in this Asteroid Sea! Even he had not noticed the presence of such a powerful master until just now.
Although with his current strength, Yang Kai was already invincible under the Origin King Realm, facing an Origin King still put a great deal of pressure onto him.
Origin Kings and Origin Realm masters were completely different existences, and there was a vast gap between them, which was why so many remained stuck at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm their entire life, never able to spy on the mysteries of the Origin King realm.
This hidden master suddenly making a move obviously indicated they intended to kill Yang Kai with a single blow.
However, the master who took action greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s strength. Faced with such a terrifying blow, Yang Kai let out a long roar, stretched out his hand, and weaved together hundreds of his Golden Blood Threads to condense a great golden shield to protect himself!
*Hong…*
With a loud bang and a flash of golden light, Yang Kai was sent flying as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The sturdy shield he condensed from hundreds of Golden Blood Threads had failed to completely block this blow, which shocked him greatly.
However, at the moment of impact, Yang Kai was able to see clearly what he had been attacked by.
It was a long spear over three metres in length and the thickness of a small child’s arm, its whole form radiating a dazzling light and an extraordinary energy fluctuation.
An Origin King Grade artifact!
Although the spear’s main thrust was blocked by the blood shield Yang Kai condensed, the sharp aura it gave off was not completely dissipated and managed to pierce his body, making him feel as if he had been stabbed by countless tiny needles and causing his meridians and physique to ache while his face to distorted.
With the cultivation of the person who launched this sneak attack and the terrifying power of this spear, an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would have been killed instantly, but thanks to his strong foundation and form, Yang Kai was only slightly injured.
From when he left Shadowed Star until now, this was the first encounter Yang Kai had with foreign cultivators, but he never expected that he would actually be attacked by an Origin King with an Origin King Grade artifact.
Yang Kai’s heart filled with anger as he turned his head and glared towards the distant Asteroid Sea like a fierce beast before turning around and flying off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After delivering its blow, the long spear which hit Yang Kai flew back the same way it came and landed in the hands of a middle-aged man standing on a huge asteroid.
The middle-aged man had a sinister look about him and wore dark blue robes on his body. A gloomy aura pulsed from his figure, making none dare to approach within ten metres of him.
Holding his artifact, the middle-aged man showed a look of surprise on his face, as if he was shocked he could not kill Yang Kai.
“Interesting. Not only was he able to sense our presence, he even managed to survive after taking this King’s attack,” The middle-aged man smiled fiercely before glancing over in the direction Yang Kai escaped and asking. “Do any of you know who that was?”
Around this man there stood at least twenty Origin Returning Realm masters, all of them above the Second-Order. Hearing this question, these masters exchanged glances before all shaking their heads, indicating that none of them knew who Yang Kai was.
“Since none of you know him, he must really be a passerby,” The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before declaring. “But this matter is very important and there is no room for mistakes, so even if he was just passing by, we cannot let him go.”
“Sir, after taking your blow, will he survive?” Someone asked.
Just now, they all saw the attack this middle-aged man launched and none of them were confident they could take it without dying! Although the other party’s origins were unknown, he was still just an Origin Realm cultivator in the end, so it should be impossible for him to live.
“It never hurts to be cautious. Zhang Fu and Liu Dong, go bring his corpse back to this King!” The middle-aged commanded, clearly thinking that Yang Kai surviving was simply a stroke of luck and he escaped on the verge of death.
“Yes!” Two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators who were named immediately summoned their Star Shuttles and chased after the escaping Yang Kai.
Thirty thousand kilometres away from where Yang Kai had been attacked, atop a drifting asteroid, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, watching the direction he had come from, waiting quietly.
Although he did not know why that Origin King had just attacked him, judging from how they were stealthily trying to conceal themselves, it was fairly obvious they were lying in ambush for someone, and even if Yang Kai had only passed by on accident, he might have disturbed their plans.
In other words, the other party had attacked him in an attempt to silence the witness to the crime.
That being the case, even if he tried to escape now, the other party would definitely not let him go! Yang Kai was certain someone would come to pursue him soon.
It was precisely because of this judgment that Yang Kai had deliberately stopped and did not leave in a hurry.
After inexplicably suffering such a big loss, how could Yang Kai simply walk away? Although the opponent’s attack was terrifying, Yang Kai also noticed that the one who delivered it was just a First-Order Origin King.
He had even killed Luo Hai, so why would he need to fear a mere First-Order Origin King? Although there was no Star Emperor Token for Yang Kai to use anymore, even if he could not defeat this Origin King, he would have no problem escaping.
Luo Hai had chased Yang Kai for several months through the Star Field back then, causing him extreme distress but never capturing him. Could this unknown First-Order Origin King be faster or more powerful than Luo Hai?
Yang Kai’s guess was correct, and after waiting just half a cup of tea’s time on this asteroid, two rays of light suddenly appeared in the distance. Judging from the brightness and speed of these streaks, the pursuers who had arrived were two Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators.
A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Yang Kai’s lips but as his pursuers got closer, he quickly put that expression away and instead wore one of panic, hurriedly leapt up from the asteroid, summoned his Star Shuttle, and continued to fly forward.
However, making the most of this act, Yang Kai deliberately moved at much less than his peak speed, pretending his injuries were not light and giving the appearance of an arrow at the end of its flight.
When the two cultivators named Zhang Fu and Liu Dong saw this, they exchanged a knowing glance before following behind Yang Kai at a leisurely pace, intending to play a game of cat and mouse and enjoy this little distraction before killing him.
Flying forward, Yang Kai would occasionally look back, as if he was afraid that he would be overtaken.
This sight made Zhang Fu and Liu Dong even more unscrupulous, not only intentionally tailing behind Yang Kai instead of immediately attacking, but also repeatedly taunting and threatening him.
After an hour, estimating that he had travelled far enough now, Yang Kai suddenly came to a stop, turned around, and stood his ground.
With a flash of light, Zhang Fu and Liu Dong appeared in front of Yang Kai and stood at a distance of about three hundred metres, looking at him mockingly.
The taller Zhang Fu swept his eyes over Yang Kai and snickered, “Boy, you’re pretty good. Even after suffering a blow from Senior Li’s Soul Breaker Spear, you didn’t immediately die. This Zhang is impressed!”
“Senior Li?” Yang Kai frowned, his face pale and gloomy to the extreme, coughing frequently as he asked, “I have no grievances with you, why would your Senior Li attack me? “
Zhang Fu smiled coldly as he casually played with a ring-shaped artifact he was holding as he spoke lightly, “We truly have no grievances or grudges between us, you can only blame your bad luck for passing through here. Heh heh, Senior Li hates it when his plans are interrupted the most.”
“What plans?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Dong, standing next to Zhang Fu, cut in impatiently, “Brat, you’re about to die, why bother asking so many questions?”
“It is precisely because I’m about to die that I’m asking, so at least I don’t die ignorant!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
“You want to understand why you’re about to die?” Zhang Fu looked at Yang Kai and sneered.
“Yes!”
“It’s not that I can’t tell you. You-” Zhang Fu said in a joking tone, but Liu Dong interrupted him before he finished.
“Enough nonsense, just hurry up and kill him, it’s important we bring his corpse back to Senior Li as quickly as possible!”
“Fair enough!” Zhang Fu nodded in agreement before he glanced towards the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s hand, “This brat was able to take Senior Li’s strike without dying, so he can’t be an average guy. There must be many good things on him. How about we split whatever is in his ring fifty-fifty?”
“Agreed!” Liu Dong nodded.
The two of them began deciding how to divide up Yang Kai’s belongings before even finishing him off. In any case, Senior Li only said they needed to bring his corpse back, he never said anything about the treasures on him. Naturally, these items would line their pockets as they believed that with his status and strength, Senior Li would disdain to snatch them from them.
“You want my things?” Yang Kai grinned slightly as he suddenly spoke in a cold tone, “I’m afraid they’ll cost you your lives!”
“Insane brat!” Liu Dong snorted coldly, but in the next moment, his complexion changed drastically, and his eyes bulged as he stared towards Yang Kai’s original location, because no one was there.
At some point, Yang Kai had mysteriously vanished.
Suddenly Liu Dong felt a faint chill run across his neck, and he heard Zhang Fu’s horrified shout ring in his ears, “Brother Liu, dodge!”
Liu Dong was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, so the moment he noticed Yang Kai had disappeared, he realized something was not right. Hearing Zhang Fu’s warning, he pushed his Saint Qi to its limits and tried to flee without any hesitation.
But to his horror, the Saint Qi in his body was instantly suppressed by an astonishing Shi, causing not just him, but the space around him to completely freeze.
Could such a powerful Shi really exist? Liu Dong felt his blood run cold as he desperately tried to push his own Shi to resist.
This was a standard part of battle between Origin Realm masters, where the difference in strength between their respective Shis ultimately determined who emerged victoriously.
However, the reality in front of Liu Dong only made him more desperate. The Shi he released from his body was like a snowflake under the scorching sun, melting away in an instant, unable to even take shape.
At that moment, he felt a chill come from his neck and as he gazed down, he saw a headless corpse standing in the void, red blood spraying from its neck like a beautiful fountain.
This person’s clothes, figure, and even the ring on his hand looked so similar to his own.
[I’m already dead?]
Cold sweat leaked from Liu Dong’s forehead as he faintly realized his situation, but soon darkness overtook him, swallowing his consciousness and vitality.
“Can you explain now?” When Yang Kai reappeared, he was already standing just ten metres in front of Zhang Fu, his complexion ruddy with no sign that he was injured at all.
Staring at Zhang Fu coldly, Yang Kai played with a single Golden Blood Thread at his fingertips that waved around like a living snake, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Zhang Fu shuddered as he felt a cold chill from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his spirit almost collapsing entirely!
Liu Dong, whose strength equalled his own, was decapitated by this young man in a single instant.
When it happened, Zhang Fu only saw a golden light flashing across Liu Dong’s neck, he did not even see how Yang Kai moved.
Did such a powerful Origin Realm cultivator exist in this world?
Even if Senior Li wanted to kill them, he could not have done so this easily, right?
Zhang Fu stood on the spot with a pale face as big beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and slid down his face.
“Your companion was a bit tactless, so he died!” Yang Kai looked at Zhang Fu indifferently, without the slightest emotion in his eyes, making Zhang Fu sweat even more profusely.
He wanted to escape but found that he couldn’t muster the courage.
He had a feeling that if he really tried to run, he would be the next one seeing his own decapitated body.
“I hope your answers can satisfy me!” Yang Kai continued to put pressure on Zhang Fu as he observed his victim carefully.
Zhang Fu’s complexion was forlorn, and his eyes showed a clear light of fear. Pursing his dry lips, he asked, “If I tell you what you want to know, will you let me go?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai sneered.
Zhang Fu’s body trembled as he gathered his courage and said, “Since you won’t let me go, why should I cooperate with you? Either way, I’ll die.”
“I can kill you quickly, so you won’t even notice you died!” Yang Kai smiled gently.
This smile was like that of a reaper from hell and Zhang Fu felt that this young man he was facing was scarier than Senior Li.
“I need to think about it!” Zhang Fu gulped hard as his eyes drifted about, obviously trying to find a way to escape.
Yang Kai just observed with a smile for a moment before flicking his wrist, causing the golden thread at his fingertips to flicker. Zhang Fu saw this, screamed, and hurriedly tried to dodge.
However, before he could dodge, a powerful Shi wrapped him up making it impossible for him to even move!
Zhang Fu’s eyes shrank as he looked down to find that the tips of his fingers on his left hand had been sheared off, as if they were sliced by some kind of extremely sharp blade, leaving a smooth wound that blood continued to splash out of.
The pain of this injury was nothing for a battle-hardened Origin Realm master, but what frightened Zhang Fu was that he had no power to fight back in front of Yang Kai.
Both of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, but the other party was like an aloof god who could easily control his life or death!
The golden light flashed again…
Zhang Fu felt a twang of pain again as his left fingers were shaved down slightly more, the severed pieces drifting away slowly right before his eyes.
The other party did not speak anymore and simply kept waving his hand, sending out the golden thread every once in a while.
Another slice was taken, then another…
Zhang Fu’s left hand was slowly but surely cut away and soon disappeared altogether, leaving him with only a handless left arm. Yang Kai showed no intention of stopping though and instead continued his task with meticulous precision, cutting off small pieces of Zhang Fu’s left arm now that his hand was gone.
What caused Zhang Fu to tremble though was that while this young man continued this slow torture, he spoke in a callous voice to explain what he was doing. “After cutting off your left arm, I will cut off your right, then your left leg, then your right leg. I believe that with your cultivation, you won’t die even after that, so I’ll then begin cutting off parts of your body, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you survive long enough to witness your heart being cut apart, so you understand exactly how you died.”
Zhang Fu could no longer hold back the panic in his heart and shouted, “Enough, whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you! Just stop!”
One death was not equal to another. Suffering slowly and dying painlessly were completely different concepts. Zhang Fu could not bear watching himself slowly be cut apart; just thinking about such a scene made him shudder uncontrollably.
Yang Kai paused and looked at him lightly before chuckling, “If you’d done this earlier, you could have avoided some pain. What was there to hesitate about?”
Zhang Fu grit his teeth and spat, “The winner is the King, the loser is the villain, just tell me what you want to know.”
“Good! Who are you!” Yang Kai went straight to the point.
“We’re from Sword Union!”
“Sword Union?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Sword Union was one of the Star Field’s hegemons, a super force that controlled several Cultivation Stars. Although it was not as large as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, its strength was not to be underestimated.
In fact, Yang Kai had some dealings with Sword Union’s cultivators before, but that was many years ago. In the Star Field, in addition to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Sword Union, there was another super force Purple Star, as well other significant players like Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair, each one occupying their own territory, fighting amongst themselves for dominance.
“Who are you trying to ambush by hiding here?” Yang Kai asked again.
Zhang Fu’s eyes flickered as his look became hesitant, but in the end, he grit his teeth and replied, “The one we’re here to ambush is also from Sword Union.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a strange expression.
Zhang Fu quickly explained, “I’m not lying to you! The one we’re here to ambush is our enemy! Although everyone belongs to Sword Union, there are different factions!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. From the other person’s eyes, Yang Kai could see that he wasn’t lying and his explanation was also reasonable.
For a great force such as Sword Union, its internal structure was naturally complicated and power struggles were inevitable; however, setting up an ambush like this seemed somewhat excessive.
“Explain in detail,” Yang Kai asked, just to be safe.
Since Zhang Fu had chosen to cooperate, naturally he did not try to hide anything and immediately told Yang Kai everything he knew.
In Sword Union, there were apparently several different factions, but two dominated above the rest. One faction was led by the current Union Master while the other was headed by the Vice Union Master. These two factions had been fighting one another for many years.
The Senior Li Zhang Fu mentioned before, whose real name was Li Ming Hai, belonged to the Vice Union Master’s faction.
This time they were here to ambush the rising star of the Union Master’s faction, the direct descendant of Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun, Gu Jian Xin!
“A rising star, even the descendant of your Union Master, is actually worth dispatching an Origin King to ambush?” Yang Kai looked at Zhang Fu in astonishment before pensively asking, “What is it about this person that you are all so afraid of?”
Zhang Fu smiled bitterly, “If it was just an ordinary Origin Realm master, naturally we wouldn’t need to pay him so much attention, but the Young Union Master possesses the Universe Sword Body and has now reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. If he breaks through to the Origin King Realm, the Vice Union Master’s faction will have no future, so we need to take advantage of this time, when he has no strong guardians, to take action. Your appearance disrupted Senior Li’s plan, so he tried to kill you.”
“Universe Sword Body?” Yang Kai touched his chin, “Some type of Special Constitution, isn’t it? What’s so terrifying about it?”
“The Young Union Master is only sixty years old this year yet has already reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, what isn’t terrifying about it?” Zhang Fu said solemnly, “I think your true age is also not very big, and your strength is quite good, but if you were to be facing our Young Union Master, it’s not certain who would win or lose!”
“Really?” Yang Kai chuckled.
A cultivator who reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm in less than sixty years was indeed a top talent! However, Yang Kai was only about fifty, even younger than this Gu Jian Xin!
When cultivators cultivated, they often did not notice the passage of time, so they didn’t care much about age.
“If it’s true what you say, then I am somewhat interested in your Young Union Master,” Yang Kai snickered.
Zhang Fu swept his eyes over Yang Kai before nodding, “People like you will collide with each other one day, creating great sparks, but… that will all depend on the Young Union Master escaping this tribulation alive! Good, have I told you everything you want to know?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded lightly at him.
“Then do it!” Zhang Fu urged impatiently, but there were still no signs of Yang Kai acting. Instead, his consciousness just became blurred in the next moment.
Sure enough… he did not even know what happened!
Standing in place, Yang Kai took Zhang Fu and Liu Dong’s Space Rings then burned down their bodies with his Demonic Flames. Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle again and flew back the way he came.
He had not sought trouble, but that Li Ming Hai hadn’t even said a word and tried to kill him for simply passing by. How could Yang Kai tolerate such an affront? After being beaten by someone, how could he not hit back?
Yang Kai was planning on joining the fun! If he could find a chance to kill Li Ming Hai, that would be best.
In the Asteroid Sea, the group of cultivators headed by Li Ming Hai waited quietly, like patient beasts ready to pounce.
After a long time though, someone frowned and said, “Why haven’t Zhang Fu and Liu Dong come back? With their skills, could they have failed?”
“Did they encounter some kind of danger?”
“Is there any danger around here? You don’t want to say they were killed by that guy, do you?”
“How could that be? That guy took a blow from Senior Li and was lucky to have even survived. How could he have the strength to fight against Zhang Fu and Liu Dong? However, it is strange they have not come back after so long, should we go out and look for them?” A man asked Li Ming Hai.
“No, if they cannot even handle such a simple matter, their lives are worthless! Do not act carelessly, within a day or two the Young Union Master’s Starship will pass through here. Just wait quietly.”
“Yes!”
After a brief conversation, the group of ambushers went silent, only occasionally glancing in a certain direction, looking forward to the arrival of the Young Union Master’s Starship.
This Asteroid Sea was quite large, so it was easy to hide in, otherwise, Li Ming Hai would not have chosen to ambush Gu Jian Xin’s Starship in this place.
It was because it was so big that Yang Kai was not spotted when he snuck around and approached.
At this moment, Yang Kai had gotten to within a hundred kilometres of Li Ming Hai’s group.
He also hid behind a big asteroid and stared in the direction of Li Ming Hai with a cold expression.
With his current strength, he could simply have charged forward and attacked. Even if he could not kill Li Ming Hai this way, it would not be a problem for him to kill a few of his subordinates and retreat calmly.
But Yang Kai didn’t choose this course of action. It was Li Ming Hai who injured him before, so he wanted to settle accounts with him personally.
Yang Kai was also waiting. Waiting for the Young Union Master to arrive and for the two sides to fight so he could find an opportunity to launch his own sneak attack, repaying the earlier favour he received in kind!
Somewhere in the Asteroid Sea, Yang Kai concealed both his figure and aura. He believed that it would be impossible for them to find any trace of him even if they were separated by just a hundred kilometres and the opponent was an Origin King Realm master.
Taking the opportunity, Yang Kai inspected Xiao Xiao’s condition again.
It was because he noticed some changes in Xiao Xiao before that he thought about entering this Asteroid Sea to stop for a while, ultimately resulting in him being sneak attacked by Li Ming Hai.
With some time on his hands now, Yang Kai naturally turned his attention to Xiao Xiao again.
After a brief inspection, Yang Kai was overjoyed.
The stone cocoon which had formed around Xiao Xiao now showed visible cracks, similar to the ones which appeared when he was first born. This was an obvious sign that Xiao Xiao was about to break out of his shell.
It was not suitable to have him break out in the Asteroid Sea. Yang Kai didn’t know if the Stone Puppet’s evolution would cause any obvious signs. If he stayed here, it would only be discovered by Li Ming Hai and others.
With no other choice, Yang Kai could only dive into the Sealed World Bead with Xiao Xiao.
Since bringing the elites from the Human, Monster, and Demon Races from Tong Xuan Realm to High Heaven Sect, the Small Sealed World had once again become vacant.
Staring at the stone cocoon in front of him, Yang Kai waited quietly.
Soon after, the stone cocoon made a cracking sound, and the existing fissures became bigger and denser.
Finally, after cracks filled the entire stone cocoon’s surface, Xiao Xiao burst out of it.
Xiao Xiao’s body dexterously fell in front of Yang Kai, his eyes which had been somewhat dull before were now extremely bright, seeming to contain the light of wisdom.
Discovering that Yang Kai was watching him, Xiao Xiao grinned, then stood there scratching his head with his knee-length arms.
Yang Kai stroked his chin as he released his Divine Sense and scanned Xiao Xiao.
“Nothing changed!” After a long while, he murmured with a suspicious look on his face.
After this most recent evolution, Yang Kai had expected Xiao Xiao to experience some kind of radical change, but now it seemed his expectations were a little too high. Xiao Xiao did undergo some changes after swallowing so many rare ores on that Dead Star.
After absorbing the essence of these ores, Xiao Xiao had become noticeably stronger.
This was similar to how a cultivator would take pills used for cultivation, resulting in a definite increase in strength.
But other than that, there did not seem to be any big changes!
If there was anything, it was that Xiao Xiao’s eyes had become nimbler, a clear sign his sentience had increased, but it had still not reached a remarkable level.
“Show me your bigger form!” Yang Kai commanded.
Xiao Xiao immediately obeyed and transformed into his stone giant form, reaching a dozen metres in height, giving off an awe-inspiring and oppressive air!
“And your lava armour?” Yang Kai asked again.
Xiao Xiao’s surface instantly released flaming hot Sun’s True Fire, creating a layer of flowing, terrifying magma around him.
“Yeah… there are no noticeable changes!” Yang Kai frowned as he felt he was failing to understand something. It was reasonable to think that after swallowing the remnant Star Source of that Dead Star Xiao Xiao had obtained some great benefits.
After all, after swallowing it, his reaction was extremely strong and even caused him to revert to a stone cocoon form.
But the final result turned out to be so anticlimactic.
Unable to understand it for the time being, Yang Kai did not bother continuing to probe this matter. There was plenty of time in the future to study what had happened so Yang Kai simply commanded Xiao Xiao to resume his regular form and left him in the Small Sealed World.
As soon as he returned to the asteroid he was hiding on before, Yang Kai realized that something had changed.
A hundred kilometres away, Li Ming Hai’s group had used some kind of Secret Technique to further conceal their auras, almost disappearing from Yang Kai’s perception.
Additionally, in the distance, a Starship was slowly approaching!
This was the Starship of Sword Union’s Young Union Master!
This Young Union Master had come rather quickly. No wonder Li Ming Hai had not hesitated to attack Yang Kai. Obviously, the time before their plan was to start was very soon and Li Ming Hai had not wanted there to be any accidents.
In the end though, not only had Li Ming Hai failed to kill Yang Kai, he had also provoked a hidden enemy for himself. If Li Ming Hai knew this, it was not clear how he would react.
Yang Kai looked towards the location of the approaching Starship and judged it would be at most an hour before the two parties met. Unable to stop himself from drawing a sharp breath, Yang Kai waited in anticipation for a good show!
As time passed little by little, the atmosphere in the huge Asteroid Sea seemed to become tense.
Soon, Yang Kai discovered that Sword Union’s Young Union Master was travelling in a convoy of Starships, with the centre one being slightly larger, about three hundred metres in length.
The left and right Starships were only two hundred metres each.
A small fleet of three Starships!
As they were still too far away, Yang Kai did not know what grade these three Starships were, but they weren’t lower than Origin Grade.
Sword Union was indeed a super force! Origin Grade Starships were considered strategic assets to the Sects on Shadowed Star, but Sword Union could send out three together.
However, the appearance of these three Starships was far different from the one refined by Yang Yan. Bluntly put, these Starships looked more like big sailing ships, especially the one in the middle. It was like a great ocean vessel sailing across the Starry Sky. Its bow was quite sharp, and the body was slender, almost giving it the appearance of a long sword from a distance.
On the decks of the three Starships, cultivators could be seen moving about.
The approaching Starships were clearly unaware of the crisis waiting in ambush in this Asteroid Sea and sailed straight towards it at speed. When the distance shrank to only fifty kilometres though, Li Ming Hai, who had been hiding behind a giant asteroid, decided to take action.
Even if they were separated by a hundred kilometres, Yang Kai could clearly feel a powerful wave of energy well up and from several nearby locations in the Asteroid Sea, an intense light appeared.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of white light beams shot out from the Asteroid Sea like arrows from a bow, showering down on the three Starships in the distance like a rain of lightning.
With such an obvious disturbance and such powerful energy fluctuations, the three Starships obviously took notice and the cultivators on deck all rushed out, summoned their defensive artifacts, and protected the Starship as best they could.
The three Starships themselves also reacted extremely quickly.
With a brilliant flash, a visible energy barrier surrounded each of the three Starships. The Starships also rapidly changed course in an attempt to dodge the incoming fire.
However, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates had been waiting here for quite some time and were well prepared. The sneak attack they launched was perfectly timed, making it impossible for the three Starships to avoid being hit.
The several dozen white pillars of light hit upon the three Starships like a giant wave crashing upon them.
A brighter light erupted as the Starship on the far left was unable to withstand this attack, its shield shattering before its hull was penetrated by several beams of light, resulting in severe damage and a massive explosion!
No one could escape from the ship’s destruction.
The cultivators on this Starship, along with the Starship itself, were extinguished entirely by Li Ming Hai’s first sneak attack!
The Starship on the right had better luck. Although its defensive shield was also worn down rapidly, it had suffered far fewer attacks and its hull was only penetrated by two pillars of light.
Although the Starship was clearly crippled, it did not explode apart, so at least part of the crew had managed to survive.
The cultivators who survived fled from the Starship in a hurry though with everyone in a flurry as they searched for the enemy. After seeing what had become of the left-most Starship, these survivors felt both fear and anger deep in their hearts.
Among the three Starships, only the one in the middle, the largest, remained in relatively good condition.
Although it had withstood more attacks than the other two ships, this Starship was obviously of a very high grade and its defensive shield was not completely breached, though it had become extremely dim.
Before the survivors could recover, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates rushed out.
Immediately after triggering the pillars of light, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates took action, seemingly having anticipated this situation. Arriving in front of the surviving starships, these ambushers summoned their offensive artifacts and began attacking.
The already dim defensive shield was quickly broken.
“Li Ming Hai! So it’s you!” From the middle Starship, a terrifying roar rang out. By listening to this voice, it was clear it belonged to a young man who was filled with monstrous anger, “You dare attack this Young Master? Do you understand the consequences of your actions?”
“The consequences of attacking the Young Union Master, this old master is well aware,” Among the crowd, the exposed Li Ming Hai remained indifferent, not showing the slightest panic. “This old master is also an Elder of Sword Union, so how could he not understand the rules? However, if Young Union Master thinks he can dissuade this old master with such flimsy talk of rules, this old master will have to disappoint.”
“Good, very good! It seems that you are ready to bear the violent anger of this Young Master,” From the Starship, Gu Jian Xin’s voice echoed and soon, a young man appeared on its deck. This young man had a brave and heroic appearance, with a handsome face and a sharp light in his eyes that seemed to gleam like swords.
Sword Union’s Young Union Master, Gu Jian Xin!
Standing tall, like a sword, on the Starship’s deck, even facing an Origin King like Li Ming Hai, he did not show the slightest bit of fear, his expression simply remaining cold and indifferent.
Next to Gu Jian Xin there were two women, one to the left, one to the right. One was tall and had rich curves and lustrous eyes. The other was quite petite and had a delicate-looking face and long black hair that reached all the way down her back. These two women had completely different appearances and temperaments, but they both shared the same fearless, even somewhat eager, look on their faces as Gu Jian Xin.
Li Ming Hai and Gu Jian Xin’s eyes collided and sparks seemed to fly.
The former soon frowned slightly though.
He was shocked to discover that Gu Jian Xin’s aura was thicker than when he saw him last.
It seemed the rumours were true. If there were no surprises, Young Union Master Gu Jian Xin would be able to attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm within the next three to five years!
Once he successfully reached the Origin King Realm, with his Universe Sword Body’s Special Constitution, coupled with the Left and Right Sword Servants, no ordinary First-Order Origin King would be his opponent. He would even be able to fight with some Second-Order Origin Kings!
A true monster! No wonder Vice Union Master Wei Qian Zong was so eager to eradicate Gu Jian Xin, obviously, he had noticed just how terrifying the latter’s growth had become.
Fortunately, a rare opportunity had presented itself here today. As long as Gu Jian Xin died, Sword Union would fall into the Vice Union Master’s hands in the future; after all, a genius who failed to mature was no genius!
“Li Ming Hai, this Young Master has only one question!” Gu Jian Xin stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, “How did you know that this Young Master would travel through here?”
Li Ming Hai narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Young Union Master already knows the answer in his heart, why bother asking this old master?”
Gu Jian Xin nodded lightly, “It seems that there are traitors around this Young Master. Very well, once this is all over, this Young Master will route them out.”
“Young Union Master need not worry about such matters as you have no future!” Li Ming Hai waved his hand and shouted, “Kill them all, don’t let a single one escape!”
If there were any survivors from this incident, it would bring great trouble, so Li Ming Hai didn’t plan to leave any witnesses alive.
With the order given, the Origin Realm masters around Li Ming Hai took action, attacking the enemy cultivators who had escaped the right escort Starship.
Atop the middle Starship where Gu Jian Xin stood, a large number of cultivators also emerged, eager to meet the enemy.
Instantly, the Asteroid Sea was filled with brilliant flashes of light as artifacts and Secret Techniques continued to bloom.
Although there weren’t many people on Li Ming Hai’s side, thirty at most; all of them were masters at or above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, giving his side a very high combat effectiveness. On the other side, Gu Jian Xin had two hundred or so cultivators supporting him, but their cultivations were somewhat mixed and the number of masters they had was less than Li Ming Hai’s side.
Most importantly though, with an Origin King like Li Ming Hai presiding over the situation, the pressure on Gu Jian Xin’s side was too great, making it difficult for the Origin Realm masters on the latter’s side to display their full strength.
As such, when the two sides made contact, Gu Jian Xin’s side immediately began suffering heavy casualties while Li Ming Hai’s side remained undamaged.
For the start, Li Ming Hai’s group had absolute superiority over Gu Jian Xin’s people.
The battle had already started, but Li Ming Hai did not rush to take action, instead just staring at Gu Jian Xin and the two women next to him with a solemn look on his face.
It seemed that this man and two women in front of him were opponents worthy of him taking seriously.
He didn’t move, but Gu Jian Xin, whose side was clearly weaker, naturally didn’t dare to act rashly, only able to watch his subordinates fall one by one in frustration.
After a long silence, Li Ming Hai said faintly, “Young Union Master, do you want to take your own life or do you need this old master to send you on your way?”
“Old dog, you think you’ve already defeated this Young Master?” Gu Jian Xin shouted coldly.
Li Ming Hai slowly shook his head, “Since this Li dared to appear here, naturally he is fully prepared. Young Union Master is indeed a dragon among men, with your Universe Sword Body and your Left and Right Sword Servants who have cultivated together with you since childhood, you are truly extremely difficult to deal with, but… Young Union Master has not arrived at the Origin King Realm, after all. If you had already reached the Origin King Realm, this old master would definitely not be your opponent. Unfortunately, Young Union Master is destined to be unable to escape today.”
“Whether I can escape this crisis today or not, you will know after you try,” Gu Jian Xin roared as he summoned a white long sword into his hand. Sword light surrounding his body, he soared up from the deck!
This sword light was like a rising sun covering the earth, brilliant and majestic.
When he moved, the two women who had been standing behind him also moved. Like Gu Jian Xin, they summoned their swords, released brilliant sword light from their bodies, and followed after Gu Jian Xin.
Different from Gu Jian Xin, however, the sword light these two females emitted manifested as a great crescent moon and a sea of shimmering stars.
The three sword lights rapidly merged into one and exuded a shocking momentum that far surpassed what an Origin Returning Realm master should be able to. A long sword light cut through the void and slashed towards Li Ming Hai in the next instant!
Li Ming Hai’s eyes flashed as he was truly shocked by the might of Gu Jian Xin’s Secret Technique, calling out loud, “Sun, Moon, and Stars, the Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique is truly deserving of its reputation! With just this, Young Union Master can already be considered invincible in the Origin Returning Realm! Unfortunately… your Left and Right Sword Servants are slightly worse than your own, and you are not an Origin King. Let this old master show you just how big the gap between the Origin Realm and the Origin King Realm is!”
Saying so, an invisible force spread out from Li Ming Hai’s body.
Domain!
Li Ming Hai had broken through to the Origin King Realm over five hundred years ago and could already be considered an established master in this realm. Even if he had no hope of advancing his cultivation higher in the future, and his Domain was not that strong, in the end, it was still a Domain!
An Origin Returning Realm cultivator who was enveloped in a Domain was destined to be completely suppressed, unable to resist.
However, Li Ming Hai’s Domain was actually unable to stop Gu Jian Xin’s trio. From the sword light of these three, a new force emerged suddenly and easily broke through the Li Ming Hai Domain suppression.
Li Ming Hai’s eyes shrank as he shouted in a low voice, “Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror! To think Union Master gave you this treasure!”
The Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror was an Origin King Grade artifact, and after being activated, it could nullify the effects of an Origin King’s Domain to a large extent. If the opponent wasn’t strong enough, it was even possible for this mirror to shatter their Domain entirely.
This strange treasure was quite famous throughout the Star Field; after all, artifacts that could resist Domain were extremely rare.
With the help of this treasure, Gu Jian Xin and his two Sword Servants weren’t suppressed by Li Ming Hai’s Domain and were able to send their attack towards him.
Facing the Sun, Moon, and Stars Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique, Li Ming Hai didn’t dare act carelessly. Flipping his wrist, the long spear artifact which he had used to attack Yang Kai before appeared again and he began pouring his Saint Qi into it. A shocking force condensed at the tip of the spear as Li Ming Hai flew forward to meet Gu Jian Xin’s trio in close combat.
The clank of metal rang out instantly.
Sword and spear shadows flooded a massive region as the four figures of Li Ming Hai and Gu Jian Xin’s trio were engulfed by brilliant flashes of light.
In the distance, Yang Kai stared at all of this in amazement, an expression of surprise on his face.
Being able to compete with an Origin King with just an Origin Returning Realm cultivation was not something that could normally be achieved, but Gu Jian Xin had done just that. Even though he was drawing strength from the two women behind him, it was clear he wouldn’t be suppressed any time soon.
Moreover, the cultivation of those two women was obviously inferior to Gu Jian Xin, both of them seemingly just Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators; however, it was also clear that these three had cultivated some kind of profound Secret Technique that allowed them to consolidate their strength and exert a force far beyond that of an ordinary Origin Realm master.
[This Young Union Master of Sword Union is quite impressive!]
When the battle between the two sides started, Yang Kai had already left his hiding place and stealthily approached the battlefield to observe more closely.
Eighty percent of his attention was focused on Li Ming Hai as he looked for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
To deal with an Origin King like Li Ming Hai, if the right timing was not grasped, it would only result in alerting the enemy, so Yang Kai had to wait patiently.
Originally, he was a little worried that Gu Jian Xin and the others would be defeated in a single blow, but now, it seemed like this Young Union Master could actually fight on for some time.
While observing the fight, Yang Kai noticed a few streaks of light escaping towards the Asteroid Sea.
Obviously, the battlefield had begun to expand, with some cultivators trying to escape, and this Asteroid Sea, which was filled with obstacles, was undoubtedly the best place to escape to.
Two weaker cultivators appeared to be fleeing, and from the outline of their figures, they were probably women. At the same time, a cultivator from Li Ming Hai’s side was chasing after them.
Judging from the aura fluctuations, the two escaping women were Third-Order Saint Kings. Such cultivations really had no use in this kind of battle.
The cultivator chasing behind them was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and with the vast gap in their strengths, it was nothing less than a miracle these two women had even managed to escape this far.
Because of Li Ming Hai’s order not to leave anyone alive, the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master didn’t intend to let the two women go and hurriedly chased after them, closing the gap between them rapidly.
The relationship between these two women was obviously close, as even when they were fleeing, they didn’t abandon one another and kept guarding each other tightly. What made Yang Kai feel helpless though, was that the direction they were moving towards was actually where he was hiding.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would fly past him within a few breaths.
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai prepared to take action.
A moment later, the two women who were escaping flew past the asteroid where Yang Kai was hiding. At such a close distance, and with the two women already looking for suitable hiding places, they naturally found Yang Kai right away.
When their eyes met, Yang Kai was stunned for a moment while the two women on the opposite side were also stupefied.
In the next instant, the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had been chasing them arrived though and sent out a palm towards the two frozen women.
Judging by the power of this attack, even if these two women resisted with all their strength, they would probably be seriously injured at best.
However, the palm the man sent out suddenly collapsed half-way to its target.
“What happened?” The Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had been chasing the pair of women was startled, but before he could react, he saw a golden light flash in front of him and vaguely felt a golden thread-like object cut through his neck.
The Saint Qi he used to protect himself was like paper in front of this golden thread, unable to play any effect at all. After a slight stinging pain, the cultivator’s vision grew dim and faded into darkness.
In the Asteroid Sea, Yang Kai looked at the two women standing nearby in amazement.
These two women were undoubtedly more surprised than Yang Kai though. When the Origin Returning Realm master who was chasing them died all of a sudden, the two women screamed and turned around, wanting to see who it was that saved them.
Seeing none of their allies nearby though, the two women finally turned their eyes back to Yang Kai as they had a fairly good guess what had just transpired. But despite knowing in their hearts what the truth was, their beautiful eyes still showed incredible shock.
“What are you dawdling for? Come here quickly!” Yang Kai called out in a low voice while beckoning to them.
Only then did the two women come back to their senses, exchange a glance, and quickly hurried over to a spot ten metres away from Yang Kai while eyeing him suspiciously, their expressions wavering in uncertainty.
Yang Kai looked at them with a grin and said teasingly, “What’s wrong? After only a few years you don’t recognize me anymore?”
Hearing his words, the two women gasped fiercely and confirmed the guess in their hearts was not wrong, but because of this, they felt more and more shocked, the taller of the two covering her mouth as she called out hesitantly, “Yang Kai?”
“Is it really you? Did you kill that person just now? When did you become so powerful? Why are you here in the first place?” The other woman, who seemed to be younger, quickly spat a flurry of questions before suddenly becoming alert again and asking, “Are you with Li Ming Hai?”
As soon as she began speaking, she seemed unable to stop, leaving Yang Kai no gap to answer her questions.
The older woman observed Yang Kai seriously for a moment before slowly shaking her head, “Little Sister, don’t talk nonsense. If he was with Li Ming Hai, why would he bother helping us just now?”
Yang Kai chuckled, looking at the younger woman and teasing, “He Miao, seems you are still as scatterbrained as before.”
He Miao heard this, and her face turned red as she shyly said, “I’m sorry, I was just too frightened.”
“It’s alright,” Yang Kai smiled lightly as he observed the two women and said with nostalgia. “I didn’t expect that we would meet again in such a place after a few dozen years.”
These two women were the very same ones Yang Kai had first met when he entered the Star Field, He Zao and He Miao.
After escaping from the floating continent all those years ago, they had never met one another. So, upon seeing them here, Yang Kai was also quite surprised. But after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai recalled that these two sisters, He Zao and He Miao, were disciples from Sword Union, so while unlikely, it wasn’t impossible for them to be here.
Nevertheless, being caught up in this kind of incident, it seemed these two sisters had quite the bad luck.
“En, it’s been many years since we last met,” He Zao sighed, “I didn’t expect you to be so powerful now. You killed that person just now, right?”
“En.”
Seeing Yang Kai admit it, even though they had their suspicions, the two sisters were still a little speechless.
When they met Yang Kai for the first time, Yang Kai was nothing but a First-Order Saint, and even their own cultivations were higher than him at the Third-Order and Second-Order Saint Realm.
After thirty years, the two sisters had used their excellent aptitude and hard work to rapidly reach the Third-Order Saint King Realm.
But compared to Yang Kai, their achievement seemed completely insufficient!
Being able to kill a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master instantly, even under the premise of a sneak attack, proved that Yang Kai was at least an Origin Realm cultivator himself! And most likely… a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master!
The moment when Yang Kai showed his hand, He Zao felt an energy fluctuation not weaker than the Young Union Master Gu Jian Xin.
Both sisters were deeply shocked.
Suddenly, He Zao’s expression changed again and she asked solemnly, “Yang Kai, can you please help us?”
“With what?”
“Please save our Honoured Master!”
“Your Honoured Master?” Yang Kai frowned, but quickly realized that He Zao should be referring to that beautiful woman Yue Xi!
When they were trapped on the floating continent that year, the Honoured Master of the He Zao and He Mao sisters, Yue Xi, was also there. Yang Kai had some dealings with her, but they had not been very pleasant. Because Yang Kai’s birthplace was too remote and his cultivation wasn’t high, Yue Xi had looked down on him.
Furthermore, Yang Kai also killed Yue Xi’s other disciple at that time, causing her to bear open hostility towards him.
But later, Yue Xi’s perception of Yang Kai improved for various reasons and ultimately, with his help, she and her two disciples were able to successfully escape the floating continent. On top of that, it turned out that her last disciple wasn’t a good thing, and his death wasn’t worth pitying.
“Yue Xi is here too?” Yang Kai glanced towards the battlefield again, only to see a large area of brilliant flashes and chaotic energy fluctuations, making it impossible for him to tell who was fighting from this distance.
An anxious look appeared on He Zao’s face, “We were only able to escape thanks to Honoured Master delaying the enemy, but her situation is not optimistic. I don’t know how long she can hold on, Yang Kai, can you…”
She obviously knew that her request was a bit excessive. The battlefield was in a state of chaos right now and even an Origin King Realm master was fighting. Anyone who entered haphazardly would certainly be at great risk.
However, He Zao was just a Third-Order Saint King and was unable to help Yue Xi at all, so she could only swallow her embarrassment and ask Yang Kai for help.
“Big Brother Yang…” He Miao also called out in a pitiful voice with a pleading look on her face. Her previous liveliness had all but vanished and she now appeared quite helpless and forlorn. Thinking that the Honoured Master who raised her might fall in that battlefield, He Miao almost burst into tears.
Perhaps because of their experience when escaping from the floating continent, or perhaps because Yang Kai just killed a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator with a single blow, the two sisters had inexplicable confidence in him and believed that if he took action, their Honoured Master could be saved.
Yue Xi had a bad impression of Yang Kai at the beginning, but she had only the warmest of intentions for her two disciples, otherwise, she would not have taken such great risks to delay the enemy in order to let He Zao and He Miao escape.
Yang Kai brow furrowed deeply.
Seeing this, He Zao and He Miao did not dare to urge him and simply waited anxiously.
After a short silence, Yang Kai raised his eyes and said seriously, “The main reason why I am hiding here is to launch a sneak attack against that Li Ming Hai!”
He Zao and He Miao suddenly exclaimed as they stared at Yang Kai in shock, an incredible brilliance flashing across their beautiful eyes.
An Origin Returning Realm master wanting to sneak attack an Origin King! This was like an ant hiding in the shadows, then stretching out its leg to try to trip an elephant, a completely unbelievable scenario.
“I’m serious. When I passed by here before, I was attacked by him, which is why I remained!” Yang Kai looked at them lightly. “So it’s not convenient for me to come forward now.”
The brilliance in the sisters’ eyes quickly dimmed.
“However, since He Miao calls me big brother, I can’t just sit back and watch,” Yang Kai chuckled.
He Miao looked at Yang Kai in pleasant surprise, and the pale, bloodless complexion on her face was replaced with a shy blush.
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly called, and in the next moment, a stream of fiery red energy burst from his body before quickly condensing into a human figure.
In the blink of an eye, a glamorous woman with an exotic figure appeared strangely in front of He Zao and He Miao.
This glamorous woman had fiery red hair which looked like the most gorgeous of burning flames and her clothes were all crimson red in colour. At such a close distance, both He Zao and He Miao felt an astonishing and dangerous energy fluctuation coming from this woman.
This was an aura of pure destructive power!
“Master, what are your orders?” As soon as the woman appeared, she asked Yang Kai respectfully, without even looking at He Zao or He Miao, as if in her eyes, the two women were like air and could be ignored.
“Accompany and protect them!” Yang Kai pointed to He Zao and He Miao.
The woman finally glanced towards the two sisters and nodded lightly.
“Yang Kai, she is…” He Zao asked hesitantly.
“My friend, you can call her Liu Yan!” Yang Kai replied.
Even Yang Kai did not notice that when he introduced Liu Yan to the two sisters this way, her beautiful eyes flashed with a subtle but extremely bright light.
“So it is Elder Sister Liu Yan. We will be imposing on Elder Sister then,” Although He Zao saw that Liu Yan didn’t have a physical form, the other party’s sentience was clearly quite high, so she did not dare act negligently.
“Liu Yan will obey Master’s orders!” Liu Yan didn’t say much, replying promptly and concisely.
“En, go,” Yang Kai nodded faintly at Liu Yan. Liu Yan nodded back before her body transformed back into a stream of fiery light and dove into He Zao’s body before she could even react.
He Zao exclaimed in shock, but soon, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
Because she felt that there was a terrifying power now hidden within her body. Although this power was not under her control, and even brought her some discomfort from its heat, with this power, she was confident she could save her Honoured Master!
Turning a look filled with gratitude to Yang Kai she bowed her head, “Thank you!”
“Be careful!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
The He Zao and He Miao sisters looked at each other quickly before turning around and flying towards the battlefield.
With Liu Yan’s assistance, the safety of the two sisters was assured. Since she swallowed and refined the Heavenly Thunder Fire in Brilliant Flame Sect, not only had Liu Yan’s sentience evolved greatly, her strength had also soared!
Before swallowing the Heavenly Thunder Fire, she was able to fight against Third-Order Origin Realm masters.
After swallowing it, she was now capable of competing with an ordinary First-Order Origin King.
On the battlefield, there was only one Origin King, Li Ming Hai, so no one else was Liu Yan’s opponent. It was conceivable that once He Zao and He Miao returned with Liu Yan, the entire course of the battle would shift dramatically, flipping which side was overwhelming the other.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai refocused his attention on Gu Jian Xin and Li Ming Hai.
Their battle was the fiercest in the entire battlefield and gave off the greatest energy fluctuations, so it was easy for Yang Kai to find them at a glance.
Gu Jian Xin and his Left and Right Sword Servants were still fighting together as one, wrapping themselves in three the image of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, releasing potent Sword Qi waves towards Li Ming Hai who used his long spear to nimbly fight back against them.
The two sides seemed to be locked in an even battle so far!
After observing for a moment though, Yang Kai could tell that Gu Jian Xin’s side was starting to have difficulties.
When he and the two women performed this Secret Technique before, the Sun, Moon, and Star Sword Brilliances were extremely bright, with a radiant sun, bright crescent moon, and sea of stars supporting and enhancing one another, but now, these three manifestations were slowly beginning to dim and their aura had become somewhat depressed.
On the other hand, Li Ming Hai’s strength had not diminished.
It seemed that, if nothing happened, Gu Jian Xin would ultimately lose.
Taking advantage of the fierce fighting between them, Yang Kai also began to draw closer.
Gu Jian Xin being able to fight until now was already quite impressive, and even if at that last moment, he was unable to cause heavy losses to Li Ming Hai, he should at least be able to wear him down and draw his full attention.
As long as Li Ming Hai’s attention was diverted, Yang Kai could take the opportunity to attack.
Soon, Yang Kai had approached to within ten kilometres of the battle’s perimeter! This was the limit of how close he could get, any closer and Li Ming Hai would definitely notice him.
Just after Yang Kai concealed himself once again, Li Ming Hai’s shout rang out, “Young Union Master, if this is the extent of your ability then this old master will be sending you to the afterlife today!”
Gu Jian Xin did not respond, but it was not clear whether he disdained to do so, or he did not have the spare capacity to. The sword light he and his Left and Right Sword Servants were emitting suddenly bloomed, transforming into a massive sword thousands of metres long and swiftly chopped towards Li Ming Hai’s head.
Li Ming Hai saw this and laughed loudly, “Paltry tricks! Even now you insist on this futile resistance, Young Union Master?”
As soon as these words fell, the Soul Breaker Spear in Li Ming Hai’s hand flicked and from its tip a profound dark light shot out to meet the massive sword light.
The white and black rays of light collided and burst into a massive explosion that sent out a wave of powerful ripples. These ripples of energy were violent enough to force all the surrounding Origin Returning Realm masters in the vicinity to retreat.
The two opposite energies clashed in the void, but soon, the stalemate was broken.
Li Ming Hai had used some kind of Secret Technique to greatly increase the intensity of his dark light and directly suppressed the sword light.
A loud bang resounded.
The sword light burst to pieces and a muffled snort echoed as three shadows shot out in different directions.
Gu Jian Xin’s face was pale and there were clear traces of blood at the corners of his lips; obviously, he had suffered some injuries.
His Left and Right Sword Servants were in even worse condition. These two attendants had cultivated together with Gu Jian Xin from when he was a child until now, and as auxiliaries who supported him, their cultivation had always been one step lower than for Gu Jian Xin’s.
As a result, the two Sword Servants suffered greater damage in this exchange. The Left and Right Sword Servants coughed up blood as their tender bodies tumbled uncontrollably, their robes dyed a dark crimson-red.
Li Ming Hai’s eyes flashed a ruthless light, but instead of taking this opportunity to take Gu Jian Xin’s life, his figure flickered and he thrust his spear towards the Left Sword Servant who was closest to him.
As an Origin King, his combat experience was naturally extremely rich, and although this might be the best time to kill Gu Jian Xin, given the latter’s extraordinary identity, and the fact that he was carrying a famous artifact like the Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror, there was no telling what other kinds of life-saving treasures he had on him.
Li Ming Hai was not confident he could kill Gu Jian Xin in a single blow.
As such, he chose to attack the Left Sword Servant. As long as the Left Sword Servant died, Gu Jian Xin would no longer be able to use his Sun, Moon, And Stars Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique. Once that happened, Li Ming Hai was confident he could slowly wear down Gu Jian Xin until he died!
Witnessing Li Ming Hai’s actions, the Right Sword Servant’s beautiful eyes filled with determination and anxiety, hurriedly stabilizing her tumbling figure before pushing her Saint Qi and gathering her sword light again as she flew towards the Left Sword Servant.
Gu Jian Xin also let out a near-hysterical shout, “Ling Yue, watch out!”
As he shouted, he too desperately rushed over.
Three figures rapidly moved towards the Left Sword Servant, shrinking the distance between them in an instant.
A sardonic grin appeared at the corner of Li Ming Hai’s lips and when he felt that the timing was just right, he suddenly whirled around and threw the Soul Breaker Spear in his hand towards the Right Sword Servant.
Everyone was stunned.
Only now did they understand that Li Ming Hai’s initial goal was not the Left Sword Servant, but the Right Sword Servant!
Or perhaps, he had reacted in the moment after discovering a better target…
After the Soul Breaker Spear flew out of Li Ming Hai’s hand, it transformed into a giant python which opened its blood-red mouth and bit towards the Right Sword Servant, as if wanting to swallow her whole.
This was a genuine Origin King Grade artifact, not something the Right Sword Servant could handle alone. If she were to take this attack head-on, death was the only possibility.
At that moment, Gu Jian Xin’s body released a flash of brilliance and using some kind of Secret Technique or artifact, he instantly appeared in front of his Right Sword Servant, grabbed hold of her, and placed his body between her and the incoming attack. At the same time, a cyan coloured Artifact Armour that seemed to be composed of numerous tiny scales appeared on Gu Jian Xin’s body.
On the Artifact Armour, flowing runes and light flashed, and at first glance, it was obviously a high-grade defensive artifact. After being activated by Gu Jian Xin’s Saint Qi, the Artifact Armour released a firm energy barrier.
The moment the light barrier formed; Li Ming Hai’s attack reached its target.
The giant python smashed up against Gu Jian Xin’s Artifact Armour.
The bright energy light film dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, only managing to persist for two breaths before bursting apart. The python’s remaining power struck Gu Jian Xin’s body at that moment, causing him to fly out while coughing up mouthfuls of blood onto his Right Sword Servant and turning his face pale and bloodless.
“This old master admires Young Union Master’s loving heart and righteousness, but… though you managed to save one, can you save the other as well?” Li Ming Hai’s triumphant voice sounded with a hint of sarcasm and mockery.
Gu Jian Xin, who was still tumbling flying backwards, fixed his eyes and found that Li Ming Hai was now flying towards the Left Sword Servant again and was condensing his Saint Qi onto his palm.
From that palm, a powerful vortex began to form!
With the power of this vortex, coupled with the innate pressure of an Origin King Realm master, the Left Sword Servant was suppressed to the point where she could not move or put up any resistance.
However, as death befell her, she did not show the slightest worry about her own safety, instead turning her beautiful, worry-filled eyes towards Gu Jian Xin. Seeing that Gu Jian Xin had not been killed and had only suffered a serious injury, her expression relaxed, and her red lips moved lightly.
He could not hear her voice, but Gu Jian Xin knew that she was telling him to escape!
“Li Ming Hai!” Gu Jian Xin roared like a wounded beast, his voice filled with hatred as he echoed through the void, his eyes going completely bloodshot.
“Young Master, you must go!” The Right Sword Servant, who was still being held in Gu Jian Xin’s arms, firmly grasped him, and cried out pleadingly, “Sister Ling Yue would not want you to throw your life away here. As long as you can escape, Sister Ling Yue’s death won’t be in vain!”
Gu Jian Xin froze in place as he hesitated about what to do, but in the next instant, the rage-filled expression on his face changed to one of utter astonishment. Immediately, a burst of pleasant surprise flashed across his eyes as his gaze landed behind Li Ming Hai.
Gu Jian Xin had suddenly discovered that a figure had appeared behind Li Ming Hai at some unknown point. This person was like a ghost, approaching to within ten metres of Li Ming Hai without the old dog Li even noticing.
Immediately, this mysterious young man waved his hand through the air rapidly, sending out a series of pitch-black, crescent-shaped blades that flew towards Li Ming Hai.
Each of these attacks gave off a profound and mysterious power that even from a great distance, Gu Jian Xin was able to clearly sense it.
As soon as this attack was launched, Li Ming Hai noticed and he roared, “Who!”
Hurriedly turning around, Li Ming Hai pushed his palm out towards this unknown assailant.
Shock and excitement filled Gu Jian Xin’s face when he saw Li Ming Hai’s palm fail to fully disperse this wave of attacks, allowing several the black crescent blades to reach his arm.
Suddenly, little pieces of the old dog surnamed Li’s arm vanished!
As if they never existed, they were swallowed by The Void…
When the pain of losing his arm finally registered, Li Ming Hai roared madly as he stretched out his undamaged arm and drew the Soul Breaker Spear back to him. His eyes practically spitting fire, he glared at the young man who attacked him and shouted, “Junior, I’ll make you pay for this!”
“You won’t have the chance!” The young man coldly snorted as he summoned a bladeless, green long sword with a flip of his wrist. The long sword trembled and twisted slightly as it transformed into a giant dark-green dragon that pounced towards Li Ming Hai.
A mighty dragon roar shook the sky as thick Dragon Pressure descended from above, causing Li Ming Hai to let out a strange cry as he quickly pushed the Soul Breaker Spear’s power, transforming it into its giant python form.
The two transformed artifact monsters collided with each other violently, but how could a mere python ever defeat a dragon? After only a brief resistance, the python was destroyed by the dragon!
Li Ming Hai finally showed a look of horror in his eyes as he hurriedly searched for the young man who attacked him, but to his shock, he was unable to find him anywhere! Just as he mysteriously appeared, after summoning this terrifying dragon artifact, the young man had vanished like a ghost.
A thick murderous intent suddenly appeared behind him, causing Li Ming Hai heart to jump and he instinctually released his Domain in an attempt to regain the initiative.
Although their confrontation had been brief, Li Ming Hai had keenly noticed that the young man who attacked him was only a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. To deal with an Origin Realm cultivator, Domain was undoubtedly the best choice!
Not everyone was like Gu Jian Xin, possessing an extraordinary treasure like the Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror that could resist Domain.
Li Ming Hai’s had made the best response possible, but to his shock, the moment his Domain spread out, it was met by a potent Shi, one that was not only unsuppressed by his Domain, but was even able to confront it head-on.
There was a mysterious power integrated into this Shi.
The surrounding space began to collapse, and innumerable tiny Void Cracks began to fill Li Ming Hai’s surroundings, enveloping him in an airtight field!
“Space Force!” Li Ming Hai exclaimed.
At that moment, the giant dark-green dragon that destroyed the giant python rushed over and opened its giant maw to bite towards Li Ming Hai.
Behind him, an icy chill struck Li Ming Hai as an intense murderous washed over him like a tidal wave.
He was completely surrounded, with no way out!
“Old dog Li!” Gu Jian Xin rushed over and released a dazzling sun-like sword light towards Li Ming Hai.
At the same time, the surrounding burst with golden light as hundreds of golden threads slashed through space.
The Void Cracks around Li Ming Hai’s body also rapidly enlarged and traversed towards him.
In that instant, Li Ming Hai was submerged by a myriad of different deadly attacks.
The place where Li Ming Hai stood was instantly enveloped by a dazzling burst of light, blinding all who were nearby and releasing a Heaven destroying and Earth-shattering energy fluctuation.
Gu Jian Xin flew out again even faster than before, but fortunately, the Right Sword Servant, having anticipated this moment, was there to catch him.
With a loud cough, Gu Jian Xin slumped over into the arms of his Right Sword Servant and sprayed out a thick blood mist.
“Young Master!” The Right Sword Servant cried out as her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
Gu Jian Xin did not have the luxury to answer as his eyes fixed straight ahead.
He did not know if Li Ming Hai was dead, but the piercing feedback he felt from his sword just now was a clear indication that he had managed to stab Li Ming Hai’s vitals.
Nevertheless, his opponent was an Origin King! This was the first time Gu Jian Xin had truly fought an Origin King in a life or death battle, so he was naturally somewhat inexperienced. Before seeing Li Ming Hai’s corpse with his own eyes, he dared not act carelessly.
The brilliant flash of light gradually dissipated, and a figure emerged.
Gu Jian Xin’s eyes shrank suddenly.
Li Ming Hai!
Even after suffering such a terrifying attack, Li Ming Hai had not died. However, having been struck by such a powerful wave of attacks, Li Ming Hai had been reduced to a dishevelled and embarrassing appearance. His clothes were ragged and the Artifact Armour he had summoned in the nick of time was also clearly destroyed.
What made Gu Jian Xin overjoyed though was that Li Ming Hai’s injuries were obviously not light, with blood leaking from many places and numerous wounds so deep that his bones were showing.
On Li Ming Hai’s face, an expression filled with anger and fear had appeared.
He was truly frightened as he felt the threat of death just now!
Unable to calm his nerves, Li Ming Hai looked around, his gaze only staying on Gu Jian Xin and the Right Sword Servant for a moment before it continued scanning the surrounding void.
Unfortunately, Li Ming Hai was not able to achieve anything as he couldn’t discover a single trace of the mysterious young man who attacked him before.
“Junior, this old master will make you pay the price one day!” Li Ming Hai tried to put up a strong front as he shouted before turning into a stream of light and fleeing towards the distance, leaving behind a trail of blood as he flew.
“He must not escape!” Gu Jian Xin shouted towards the void as he gasped for breath.
Just as his voice fell, from somewhere in the void, a multi-coloured burst of light appeared, and a five coloured Sword Qi formed into a giant blade that flashed towards the fleeing Li Ming Hai.
Li Ming Hai was horrified when he felt this approaching attack and hurriedly used a Secret Technique to protect himself.
Unfortunately, he was strong in will but weak in strength, and the method he used was only able to block the five coloured Sword Qi for an instant before it was shattered. The sword wave sliced through Li Ming Hai’s body before disappearing into the distance like a shining comet.
Li Ming Hai’s body froze in place, his eyes wide and unmoving.
The vitality of his body and the light in his eyes quickly dissipated.
A dignified Origin King Realm master died here!
Gu Jian Xin, who was watching from a distance, could not figure out the situation. After being severely wounded, he did not dare to act rashly and just continued to stare at Li Ming Hai’s body vigilantly. Soon though, the still-shaken Left Sword Servant flew over and inspected Li Ming Hai before happily flying over to rendezvous with Gu Jian Xin.
When his Left Sword Servant returned, Gu Jian Xin asked eagerly, “How is it?”
“Li Ming Hai is dead!” Left Sword Servant replied.
Gu Jian Xin exhaled a long breath, his whole figure relaxing as he limply fell into the Right Sword Servant’s embrace as he said with some lingering fear, “Good, good, as long as he’s dead it’s good!”
“Young Master, that person just now…” The Left Sword Servant wore a suspicious look on her face.
“He’s not from our Sword Union,” Gu Jian Xin shook his head, took out some pills from his Space Ring, stuffed them into his mouth, and said, “We can figure it out later, but we need to go support the others first. Old Dog Li brought a lot of masters with him, I am afraid they won’t… huh…”
While Gu Jian Xin spoke, he turned his head and looked towards the distant battlefield and was greeted by a strange scene.
Many of the cultivators from his side were still alive while, on the contrary, Li Ming Hai’s subordinates were almost all dead or severely injured. Gu Jian Xin had been fighting Li Ming Hai just now, so he did not have the time to pay attention to anything else, so this scene came as quite a surprise to him.
Gu Jian Xin was naturally well aware of the gap in strength between the two sides and knew his side was far weaker than Li Ming Hai’s.
After all, Li Ming Hai had laid an ambush for him here, so how could he not have made appropriate preparations?
This time, Gu Jian Xin was lucky enough to kill Li Ming Hai and keep his life thanks to the help of that noble stranger, but how were his subordinates also able to emerge victoriously?
Gu Jian Xin could not believe his eyes.
However, after watching for a while, he finally understood what was happening.
It turned out to be because of Yue Xi and her two Disciples!
Gu Jian Xin had met Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao before. In any case, the Master and Disciple trio were cultivators who followed him, so although Yue Xi was only a First-Order, she was still an Origin Realm master. Gu Jian Xin naturally had some impression of them.
At this moment, the Master and Disciple trio were leading the charge against the enemy who should be far stronger than them, but it was actually the three of them who were in complete control of the battle.
Whenever a battle erupted, a red light would burst from He Zao’s body and the enemy would inexplicably fall…
[What is that red light?] Gu Jian Xin could not understand it at all. He never knew that there was such an astonishing cultivator hidden amongst his subordinates who was capable of such an incredible feat!
The overall situation had been determined over there, with Li Ming Hai’s side’s defeat being inevitable. The few survivors from the original ambushers were now fleeing while Gu Jian Xin’s subordinates were in pursuit.
Gu Jian Xin felt relieved and took a deep breath before cupping his fists and calling out to the void, “Dare I ask honoured friend’s name? For this life saving kindness, this Gu is extremely grateful. If it is convenient, could friend come out and meet with me?”
“Haha, Young Union Master is too polite,” A hearty laughter came from nearby and Gu Jian Xin turned his head to find a familiar young man, who he might have met before but could not put his finger on it, was now slowly walking over to him.
Gu Jian Xin’s eyes flashed as his Left and Right Sword Servants looked at Yang Kai with curiosity and gratitude.
If it were not for Yang Kai’s sudden appearance, while it didn’t matter if they had died, it was certain their Young Master would have perished as well. As such, the Left and Right Sword Servants were extremely grateful towards Yang Kai, who had turned the tide of the battle, and their eyes reflected a kind light as they observed him.
Gu Jian Xin also observed Yang Kai carefully and confirmed that the other part was truly just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator as he had detected before. But the combat power this young man had shown before was clearly far beyond his realm.
Perhaps, even if he were to join forces with his Left and Right Sword Servants, they would not necessarily be this young man’s opponents! Gu Jian Xin was thoroughly shocked.
As Sword Union’s Young Union Master, from infancy until now, he had received resources and training beyond anything ordinary people could dream of. He also wasn’t a second-generation child with no ambition, he had lofty ideals and a broad future before him, so he had never slacked in his cultivation over the years.
He thought that there were few of his generation in the Star Field worthy to be his opponent within the Origin Returning Realm!
But today, he saw one! A cultivator of the same generation who made him feel intense pressure.
“Third Young Master Xue Yue?” Gu Jian Xin asked suspiciously.
Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly as he spat, “Do I look like such a womanly boy?”
Gu Jian Xin smiled awkwardly as his Left and Right Sword Servants also couldn’t help tittering lightly, the more playful looking Left Sword Servant even giggling out loud, but feeling that she was acting indiscreetly she quickly used her jade hand to cover her mouth.
“Sorry, this Gu and Third Young Master Xue Yue have not met for many, many years,” Gu Jian Xin explained. “Then is Your Excellency Zi Dong?”
“Who?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
“Purple Star’s Young Master…” Gu Jian Xin was at a loss.
“Ho, it seems Young Union Master believes only Young Masters from other great forces are qualified to speak with you?” Yang Kai looked at Gu Jian Xin with a smile.
“This Gu meant no such thing,” Gu Jian Xin said solemnly, “It’s just that this Gu finds it difficult to imagine that someone could become so strong without the support of such a great force! If I have shown any impropriety, please forgive me.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I am not a person from any great force. My name is Yang Kai.”
Gu Jian Xin was taken aback as he truly had never heard the name Yang Kai before. What was certain was that he was definitely not from any great force, but this reality only shocked Gu Jian Xin even more.
Cupping his fists solemnly again, he politely called, “So it is Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly before glancing towards the distance where the other battlefield had settled down. With Liu Yan’s help, how could Li Ming Hai subordinates have any chance to escape? All of them were executed without a single one being able to escape.
“Brother Yang, this Gu has a question, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask,” Gu Jian Xin suddenly spoke.
“When I passed by here before, Li Ming Hai attacked me by surprise, so I decided to lie in ambush here to return the favour,” Yang Kai glanced at him and answered before the question was asked.
“Brother Yang is brave, bold, and strong!” Gu Jian Xin brow jumped.
An ordinary Origin Returning Realm cultivator who was sneak attacked by an Origin King and managed to survive would normally run as far away as possible. They may gnash their teeth and curse violently to vent their anger, but very few would dare do what Yang Kai did, daring to come back and launch his own sneak attack.
Those who acted this way either didn’t fear the Heavens or had something to rely on that gave them confidence in success.
And from the results, it was obviously Yang Kai belonged to the latter category!
It seemed he had not used his full strength in the previous battle.
Moreover, this Yang Kai was obviously a man who sought revenge for any grievance he suffered!
“Since it was supposed to be a sneak attack, why didn’t Brother Yang wait for a better opportunity? For example, when old dog Li killed me and relaxed his guard? Brother Yang could have chosen to take action at that time and saved himself some effort,” Gu Jian Xin asked.
“Needing to put in more effort doesn’t mean I couldn’t kill him,” Yang Kai smiled confidently. “What Young Union Master wants to ask is why I saved you, yes?”
Gu Jian Xin nodded.
“It would be a pity for a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for his woman to die just like that,” Yang Kai replied.
Earlier, Gu Jian Xin had personally resisted Li Ming Hai’s blow for his Right Sword Servant, and Yang Kai was clear on how dangerous that was. If anything had gone wrong, Gu Jian Xin and his Right Sword Servant would have both died together.
Yang Kai had also fought side by side with Su Yan before against a master like Luo Hai, so he very much approved of Gu Jian Xin’s approach.
A man who was willing to go so far for his beloved was definitely not a cunning and sinister character.
Gu Jian Xin was stunned.
The Left and Right Sword Servants also blushed slightly as they glanced towards Gu Jian Xin with clear affection reflected in their beautiful eyes.
Soon though, Gu Jian Xin let out a hearty laugh and the last traces of vigilance in his eyes finally dissipated, saying with great heroic spirit, “It seems that Brother Yang is also a man among men. En, this Gu being able to encounter Brother Yang here is truly an honour!”
Yang Kai touched his nose and said, “The other reason is… I am acquainted with someone from your Sword Union.”
“Oh? Brother Yang knows someone from our Sword Union?” Gu Jian Xin asked with joy.
Without even mentioning that he now owed Yang Kai a live-saving grace, Gu Jian Xin felt it quite enthusiastic about Yang Kai and wanted to make friends with him. As such, hearing that Yang Kai had some contact with Sword Union already naturally made Gu Jian Xin incredibly happy.
“Who is it that Brother Yang knows?”
“They’re coming over now,” Yang Kai gestured.
Gu Jian Xin turned his head and soon found that the Yue Xi Master and Disciple trio, who had shined so brightly in battle, were flying over.
“So it’s them!” Gu Jian Xin was genuinely surprised.
He thought that the one Yang Kai knew was some top master among his subordinates, but it actually turned out to be these three.
Soon after, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao crossed the short distance separating them and saluted Gu Jian Xin before asking about his situation. After learning that the Young Union Master was fine, they all visibly relaxed.
“Big Brother Yang,” He Zao and He Miao turned to Yang Kai next. This time, they had relied on Yang Kai’s help to turn danger into safety, so they did not treat him as an outsider and called out to him charmingly.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, stretched out his hand, and took back a brilliant red light from He Zao’s body, sucking it into his palm.
“Thank you, Yang Kai. If not for your help, we would all have perished here. This Mistress and her Disciples are eternally grateful!” Yue Xi sincerely thanked him.
Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony and calmly accepted the other side’s gratitude.
“Brother Yang is actually acquainted with Lady Yue and her disciples, it seems all of this was truly predestined,” Gu Jian Xin laughed loudly. “If Brother Yang doesn’t object, why not come aboard this Gu’s Starship to rest? This Gu will offer the finest entertainment.”
Yang Kai heard this but did not immediately agree.
The reason why he stayed here was mainly because he wanted to launch a sneak attack on Li Ming Hai, so now that the latter was dead, he had no particular reason to remain.
Seeing him go silent, Gu Jian Xin did not try to urge him, but He Zao and He Miao both stared at Yang Kai pleadingly, as if hoping he would agree.
“Might I ask what Young Union Master’s destination is for this trip?” After a while, Yang Kai looked up and asked.
“Brother Yang can just call me Brother Gu, being referred to as Young Union Master seems a bit stiff,” Gu Jian Xin smiled. “As for Brother Yang’s question, this Gu is heading towards Azure Tree Star this time.”
“Azure Tree Star?”
“Yeah, it is one of the Cultivation Stars under the jurisdiction of my Sword Union and about a month’s journey away from here.”
“Is that so….” Yang Kai thought for a while before coming to a conclusion and nodding, “Since Brother Gu has made such a generous invitation, then this Yang will be imposing on you.”
Seeing Yang Kai agree, Gu Jian Xin’s eyes brightened, and he seemed to be extremely happy. Walking forward, he put his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and led him towards the Starship, acting like old friends who had just reunited.
Under the attack of Li Ming Hai and his group, one of the three Starships had been destroyed while another had been crippled, leaving just the largest Starship Gu Jian Xin was sailing aboard intact. Although this Starship was also somewhat damaged, it only needed some minor repairs before it was able to get underway.
Aboard the Starship, Gu Jian Xin arranged for quarters for Yang Kai before excusing himself so he could heal his injuries. Gu Jian Xin had just fought an intense battle against Li Ming Hai, and although he had not suffered any fatal injuries, he had several heavy wounds. This damage needed to be addressed quickly with pills and meditation.
Yang Kai naturally understood this and did not mind.
After a day of repairs, the Starship got underway again.
Yang Kai was given an extremely luxurious room by Gu Jian Xin, one that was not only large but ornately decorated, with hundreds of luminous stones providing a soft and warm light not inferior to natural sunlight.
There was also an incense burner in the room which a calming fragrance wafted from.
Yang Kai also had his reasons for accepting Gu Jian Xin’s invitation.
He had travelled quite a distance on his own while arranging Space Arrays on a few Dead Stars as transfer points. Now, he needed to connect this network to a real Cultivation Star, otherwise, the cultivators from Shadowed Star would have no end destination.
According to Yang Kai’s own observations from his Star Chart, this Azure Tree Star was quite a good Cultivation Star.
If Ye Xi Yun and the others could travel through the Space Array network to Azure Tree Star, they could take advantage of the World Energy and World Principles there to attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Another reason was that he did not have many Space Spirit Crystals left.
Although Ye Xi Yun and the others had collected almost the entire supply of Space Spirit Crystals available on Shadowed Star for him before he left, the amount required to arrange a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array was simply too great.
The Space Spirit Crystal he had on hand was only enough to arrange one more Space Array!
He needed to find a way to acquire more.
Azure Tree Star was a Cultivation Star under the jurisdiction of Sword Union, and Yang Kai now had a friendly relationship with Gu Jian Xin, the Young Union Master, so he could use this opportunity to acquire more Space Spirit Crystals.
Before doing so though, Yang Kai could take a trip back to the Ore Star to see if Qian Tong, Ye Xi Yun and the others had found a Space Spirit Crystal mineral lode. If so, it would save him some trouble.
Sitting down in his room, Yang Kai took inventory of his gains.
He had not actually acquired much though; after all, he had only killed three people in the conflict. Needless to say, Zhang Fu and Liu Dong’s Space Ring basically had nothing of interest to Yang Kai, all of their items would likely wind up in High Heaven Sect’s storehouse.
As for Li Ming Hai’s Space Ring, there was a lot of wealth stored inside.
Of note was the Origin King Grade Soul Breaker Spear artifact which had now fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Even considering the entire Star Field, Origin King Grade artifacts were rare things that could not be purchased at will! However, Yang Kai was not too excited about this artifact as among the people he knew, there wasn’t anyone suited to using it.
For now, he could only set it aside.
While taking inventory, a knock suddenly came from his door and after a moment of surprise, Yang Kai called out casually, “Come in.”
The door opened and two beautiful figures walked in one after the other.
“Big Brother Yang!” He Miao greeted him crisply before setting down a few trays on a nearby table together with He Zao.
Yang Kai glanced over and found that these trays were filled with exquisite delicacies and wine, but he did not pay these things too much mind. At his level of strength, even the finest of foods and wines were nothing but luxuries to stimulate the palate without much practical purpose. Only some special dishes were capable of improving his strength directly.
“Are we disturbing you?” He Zao was a little more mature and when she saw Yang Kai wearing such a casual appearance, she asked worriedly.
“No,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before motioning, “Have a seat.”
“We couldn’t,” He Zao waved her hands, “We are here to serve you, standing is more appropriate. If you have any instructions, please don’t hesitate to tell us.”
“Gu Jian Xin asked you to come?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En,” He Zao lowered her eyes respectfully, while on the other hand, He Miao looked around curiously.
Obviously, she had never entered this type of luxurious room before.
“Then first sit down, this is an order,” Yang Kai smiled.
He Zao hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly and taking a seat with her sister. After assuming an extremely respectful posture, however, He Zao saw He Miao’s restless appearance and shot her a vicious glance.
He Miao spat out her delicate tongue before finally settling down as well.
“It seems that every time I meet you, your situation is quite bad,” Yang Kai said with a smile.
The first time he met these two sisters in the Star Field, they were being chased by Purple Star’s cultivator. Just now, they had been ambushed by Li Ming Hai here. Although the situation was different, the circumstances were quite similar.
Hearing Yang Kai’s joke, He Zao’s face flushed while He Miao muttered, “We should be the ones saying that.”
“He Miao!” He Zao glared at her little sister immediately, causing He Miao to pout in dissatisfaction, “What’s wrong, Big Brother Yang won’t care.”
He Zao’s expression became helpless as she looked at Yang Kai apologetically, “Please forgive my little sister, Big Brother Yang, she grew up a bit spoiled.”
“It’s fine, there’s no need to be so nervous,” Yang Kai waved his hand. When he met the two sisters back then, because everyone had similar strength, with their cultivation being higher than his own, they were able to interact as members of the same generation. Now though, with such a massive gap in strength appearing between them, He Zao was having some difficulty adapting.
After all, even their Honoured Master was only a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, while Yang Kai had become a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master and was even on good terms with their Young Union Master.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai could only change the subject and promptly asked about how they had been these past years.
With nothing to hide, He Zao immediately explained.
After escaping from the floating continent all those years ago, they had gone their separate ways. Yue Xi took the two sisters back to Sword Union, but because such massive losses were incurred during this operation, with a Starship destroyed and many Sword Union cultivators dying, as the leader at the time, Yue Xi almost suffered a disaster. In the end, though, a high-level Elder from Sword Union stepped forward to put in a good word for her, allowing Yue Xi to escape heavy sanction.
For this reason, Yue Xi and her two disciples began to follow Gu Jian Xin, because that Senior who spoke for them was one of the Young Union Master’s supporters.
This time, Gu Jian Xin had set off from Sword Union’s Home Star for Azure Tree Star on some kind of business, and Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao had followed along. Never had they imagined they would get involved in such a battle and almost lose their lives.
After finishing her story, He Zao did not ask Yang Kai about his experiences over the years as she was aware her status and identity were not high enough to know.
Yang Kai nodded faintly and said, “By the way, how much do you know about your Young Union Master, Gu Jian Xin?”
“Young Union Master?” He Zao was startled, “Does Big Brother Yang want to know more about the Young Union Master?”
“En,” Yang Kai was satisfied seeing her understand his intent. “Tell me whatever is convenient for you to disclose.”
He Zao smiled lightly, “I don’t know much actually, so there’s nothing inconvenient to talk about. Young Union Master can be said to be the most talented genius in Sword Union in the past thousand years. He is currently less than sixty but has already reached the peak of the Origin Realm. There are also rumours that he will be able to break through to the Origin King Realm within three to five years!”
Yang Kai nodded while sipping his tea, motioning her to continue speaking with his eyes.
He had already learned this information from Liu Dong before.
“Young Union Master is humble, respectful, and righteous. He is the successor Union Master has placed his hopes on. Not only is his cultivation high, but his combat strength is also excellent as well. It seems that only Xue Yue, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Third Young Master, and Purple Star’s Zi Dong are able to compete with him among the younger generation of the Star Field.”
“Is that so…” Hearing this, another person suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s mind.
Xu Bin Bai!
The interesting young man Yang Kai met outside Green Mountains Star’s Blood Prison that day! It was said that he was the Disciple of an Origin King Realm master named Wu Dao. This Wu Dao’s cultivation was so profound that even Green Mountains Star’s Star Master Luo Hai was extremely respectful of him, addressing him as Senior Wu Dao!
Wu Dao was no doubt a genuine Third-Order Origin King and one of the divine dragons who one could never catch sight of.
The disciple of such a person could not be worse than Gu Jian Xin, Xue Yue, or Zi Dong, perhaps even slightly stronger, but this thought lingered in Yang Kai’s mind for just a second, and he did not annunciate it.
He Zao had lived in Sword Union for a long time and her strength was not very high, so the things she had come into contact with were quite limited, making her vision somewhat narrow.
“Young Union Master’s reputation in Sword Union is also excellent. If not, Honoured Master would not have chosen to follow him. En, Young Union Master is always accompanied by his Left and Right Sword Servants. I’ve heard that they have cultivated together since childhood and are like brother and sisters.”
“Probably not just brother and sisters,” Yang Kai chuckled.
When the Left and Right Sword Servants looked at Gu Jian Xin, there was clearly more than just friendship in their eyes.
He Zao pursed her lips as a trace of crimson filled her cheeks. Squeezing her dress slightly, she didn’t respond to Yang Kai’s comment and instead continued, “The Left Sword Servant is called Ling Yue while the Right Sword Servant is called An Xing. Young Union Master and his Left and Right Sword Servants have cultivated a profound method together known as the Sun, Moon, and Stars Secret Techniques. Combined, the three of them can exert a combat power far beyond their own cultivation level. However, even without the assistance of his Left and Right Sword Servants, the personal combat power of the Young Union Master alone is very strong, and an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cannot possibly be his opponent.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Whether a cultivator was powerful or not was often discernable at a glance. Gu Jian Xin gave Yang Kai a powerful feeling.
Clearly, Gu Jian Xin belonged to the elite of the elite!
“This is everything I know,” After He Zao finished speaking, she looked towards Yang Kai respectfully, as if waiting for his next instructions.
“Then Gu Jian Xin’s trip to Azure Tree Star this time, do you know what its purpose is?”
“I don’t, we were simply following orders. We didn’t even know where we were sailing to until Young Union Master mentioned it,” He Zao shook her head.
“Big Brother Yang, you are asking so many questions, so are you planning on being enemies with Young Union Master?” He Miao asked with some worry.
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “Why would I? There’s no grudge between us so how could I become Gu Jian Xin’s enemy? Besides, Gu Jian Xin should be a good person. However, since I have boarded his Starship, I naturally want to learn more about him. You don’t need to be so nervous.”
“Oh,” He Miao relaxed greatly while her little hand patted her rather well-endowed peaks, a relieved expression filling her face.
He Zao and He Miao were only Third-Order Saint Kings, and although they were somewhat young, they had a chance of becoming pillars of Sword Union in the years to come, but that was a matter for the future. With their current cultivation and status, they naturally did not have access to much high-level information.
To them, their current lives could be summed up in two words.
Follow orders!
There was no need to ask anything or even think too much, they simply needed to follow orders from above. Even if it was a task which would cost them their lives, they had no choice but to obey.
This was the sorrowful fate of cultivators at the bottom of great forces. These cultivators seemed to receive excellent shelter, but they lost some of their freedom in exchange. If Yang Kai really wanted to be an enemy of Gu Jian Xin, He Zao and He Miao would be put in a difficult position.
Afterwards, Yang Kai continued his conversation with He Zao and He Miao before asking them to leave.
“Big Brother Yang…” Before leaving though, He Zao suddenly turned around and called out.
“Is there something else?” Yang Kai looked at her.
He Zao bit her red lips lightly for a moment before shaking her head, “It’s nothing, please have a good rest. If you need anything, just summon us. We live in the fiftieth room of this wing.”
“Sure,” Yang Kai nodded suspiciously.
After sending the sisters off, Yang Kai stood there and pondered for a moment. He Zao must have wanted to say something to him just now, but ultimately decided not to.
Although he had only met these two sisters twice, after the experience back on the floating continent a couple dozen years ago, sharing adversity together, they could be considered quite close.
The encounter this time had reaffirmed their bond of friendship.
If He Zao really asked him for help, Yang Kai would not refuse, unfortunately, it seemed she had concerns of her own and decided not to say anything, making it tricky for Yang Kai to ask as well.
“Big sister, did you want Big Brother Yang to speak on our behalf?” He Miao asked He Zao when they returned to their own room.
“En,” He Zao nodded lightly as she said quietly. “Now, only Big Brother Yang can help us. Even Honoured Master is unable to solve this problem.”
“So why didn’t you say anything? Big Brother Yang is a good person, so he would definitely not sit back and watch if you asked.”
“I believe so too…” He Zao sat down on the edge of the bed. “But this matter has nothing to do with him; it’s our own affair.”
“Elder Sister…” He Miao lay down and rested her head on He Zao’s lap while whispering sadly. “If we don’t do something, we’ll really have to… with that person…”
He Zao reached out her hand a brushed He Miao’s hair, a trace of sorrow also appearing on her pretty face, “En, if it weren’t for Senior Qin’s shelter all those years ago, we and Honoured Master would not have escaped punishment and would perhaps not even be alive today. He is Senior Qin’s son, and it is precisely because of this that Honoured Master was unable to refuse Senior Qin’s proposal. It should be… our turn to repay him. Over the years, Senior Qin has done much for us after all.”
“I don’t want to!” He Miao stood up suddenly and displayed a fit of fierce anger as she clenched her fists and said firmly, “If that day comes, I’ll butcher that Qin Qi Yang brat first!”
He Zao was startled as she stared at He Miao in shock, quickly shouting, “You’re not allowed to talk such nonsense!”
He Miao pouted but did not speak anymore, sinking back down to the bed and falling into her big sister’s lap again.
Inside his room, Yang Kai had just sat down to meditate again when he heard another knock at the door.
This made him frown as he stood up slightly displeased and opened the door only to be met with a glamorous but slightly flustered face.
Yang Kai was stunned.
“Can I come in?” The visitor asked in a low voice as she looked around, seemingly afraid she would be discovered.
[What’s happening?] Yang Kai was even more at a loss; however, seeing the anxious look on the other party’s face, he did not refuse, moved to the side, and allowed this visitor to rush into the room, bringing with her a fragrant burst of wind.
After closing the door, Yang Kai turned to look at this beautiful woman and asked suspiciously, “Lady Yue, is there something you need to discuss with me?”
The person who had come was surprisingly the Honoured Master of He Zao and He Miao: Yue Xi!
Yang Kai was quite confused. The two sisters had only just left but now their Honoured Master had followed on their heels. What was happening here? If outsiders noticed this scene, it would certainly generate rumours about something unspeakable and shameful happening between him and these three.
“This Mistress greets Young Master Yang,” Yue Xi elegantly bowed and lightly opened her lips, saying, “This Mistress thanks Young Master Yang for his life-saving grace…”
“Speak frankly,” Yang Kai looked at her lightly.
Yue Xi’s face became stiff but soon she wore a bitter smile, bit her lips and hesitated for a moment before bluntly saying, “This Mistress wants to ask Young Master Yang to show mercy and save He Zao and He Miao from a miserable fate.”
“What’s happening to them?” Yang Kai frowned, “From what I can tell, they seem quite well without any signs of illness or injury. Is there some matter they need saving from?”
“It is true they are not ill or injured,” Yue Xi shook her head. “It’s just that they… one of them must marry a strange man, one who is not normal!”
Yang Kai squinted and stared straight at Yue Xi.
The force behind his gaze caused Yue Xi to feel quite pressured and her expression gradually became tense, a look of embarrassment and guilt flashing across her face, but soon, she raised her eyes again and stared straight at Yang Kai.
“Have a seat first, then we can talk,” To Yue Xi’s surprise, Yang Kai motioned to her to sit down then poured her a cup of tea.
“Many thanks,” Yue Xi took a deep breath and took a seat.
“I’ll need you to explain in more detail,” Yang Kai sat on the other side and asked.
Yue Xi nodded, “I should have made myself clearer. It’s like this.”
After listening to her speak, Yang Kai understood the whole story.
This matter was related to the events of that year. When Yang Kai had first met Yue Xi, she was a Third-Order Saint King and commanded a Saint King Grade Starship charged with performing some low-risk tasks in the Star Field.
During the events of that year, Sword Union had suffered huge losses. In the end, only Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao had survived. After returning to Sword Union’s Home Star, they faced a disaster they were unable to resolve.
According to the Union’s laws, the typical punishment would be execution to serve as a warning to others, or else to abolish her cultivation and expel her from Sword Union. As for He Zao and He Miao, they would likely degenerate into servants.
At the last moment though, an Elder from Sword Union named Qin Wu Hui had spoken on their behalf and saved their lives and status.
Qin Wu Hui was a master who followed Gu Jian Xin, and as such, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao became indirectly connected to Gu Jian Xin.
Qin Wu Hui was a good-natured person, and even after speaking up to defend Yue Xi and her disciples, he had not tried to threaten or abuse them in any way. In fact, he had taken care of the Master and Disciples over the years, causing the latter to be extremely grateful to him.
However, Qin Wu Hui had a prodigal son named Qin Qi Yang. This boy relied on his father’s prestige to run rampant on Sword Union’s Home Star. Although it could not be said he was completely lawless, he was certainly not a good thing either.
Qin Wu Hui accompanied and assisted Gu Jian Xin almost all the time and neglected to discipline his own son, simply allowing matters to drift.
On Sword Union’s Home Star, however, there were many people of high status and strength, and one day, Qin Qi Yang provoked an opponent he should not have. After falling into a trap, although he fought fiercely and managed to preserve his life, Qin Yi Yang suffered a serious wound to his Soul which essentially turned him into a fool.
Although his son had always been a good-for-nothing, he was still his son, in the end. When Qin Qi Yang degenerated into an idiot, Qin Wu Hui was extremely distressed, but surprisingly, his boy became much better behaved after the incident and no longer showed any of his previous delinquent tendencies.
After many years, Qin Wu Hui was now thinking about finding a marriage partner for his son so he could produce a few heirs.
But who would want to marry Qin Qi Yang, who had become a fool? Coupled with his previous miscreant reputation, no woman of status would be willing to marry him.
Qin Wu Hui’s status was not low, so he disdained to arrange a marriage with some ordinary women for his son.
Out of desperation, Qin Wu Hui could only target the two sisters He Zao and He Miao. Obviously, as long as either of the sisters could marry Qin Qi Yang and give birth to an heir for him, it would alleviate Qin Wu Hui’s concerns.
For this purpose, Qin Wu Hui even prepared a very generous amount of compensation!
He did not go directly to Yue Xi to discuss this matter though and instead reported it to Gu Jian Xin directly.
In a sense, this approach was quite despicable. Qin Wu Hui also agonized over the matter for a long time before ultimately deciding to put aside his face and act.
Qin Wu Hui had followed Gu Jian Xin for many years and was both hardworking and loyal. Now, he simply wanted to arrange a marriage for his son to extend his bloodline, so how could Gu Jian Xin refuse? After receiving this request, Gu Jian Xin directly summoned Yue Xi and told her to discuss with He Zao and He Miao about which of them would marry Qin Qi Yang.
With Gu Jian Xin interceding, there was simply no room for Yue Xi to manoeuvre.
For more than a year, Yue Xi had been stalling, and since Qin Wu Hui also knew that his actions were somewhat dishonourable, he did not try to urge her.
However, procrastination was not a solution. One day, either He Zao or He Miao would be forced to accept.
Yang Kai’s appearance gave Yue Xi hope! She couldn’t ask Gu Jian Xin to break off this affair, and Qin Wu Hui had treated the three of them quite kindly, so refusing was not an option, but Yang Kai was different. Yang Kai was not from Sword Union and it was obvious that Gu Jian Xin wanted to make friends with him, so perhaps just a few words would be enough to solve the tragic future of the two sisters.
Because of this consideration, Yue Xi had secretly visited Yang Kai to ask him to speak on their behalf.
After listening, Yang Kai nodded gently, “So that’s the situation!”
He somewhat understood what He Zao wanted to say before she left. It was likely she wanted to ask for help but was too embarrassed to speak of it.
“Young Master Yang, can you please show compassion and save those two girls? The two of them have lived a tragic life with no father or mother. This Mistress raised them both from infancy till now, treating them as my daughters and really cannot bear to see them forced into this fiery pit!” Yue Xi pleaded as she sobbed, “Senior Qin has been very kind to us, and if he wanted this Mistress to repay him in any other way, this Mistress would certainly not refuse, but this is about the future of those two girls, so this Mistress really cannot agree.”
“En, this matter is not your fault,” Yang Kai’s speech became milder. When he heard her request before, Yang Kai had misunderstood slightly, but after listening to Yue Xi’s explanation, he understood that this matter was truly beyond her ability to handle.
With Gu Jian Xin having spoken, how was she supposed to resist?
For Gu Jian Xin, satisfying Qin Wu Hui’s wishes was naturally the priority; after all, he was not familiar with He Zao or He Miao. What’s more, Qin Wu Hui had prepared plenty of compensation for them.
With his identity as a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, the compensation he came up with was surely extremely generous. For an ordinary woman, marrying into the Qin Family was akin to flying from the branch to become a phoenix.
It could even be said that Gu Jian Xin was being a bit inconsiderate in regards to this matter, but with his position and status, his decision was actually quite reasonable.
However, inserting himself into this kind of matter rashly also seemed inappropriate, causing Yang Kai to frown.
“Young Master Yang…” Seeing Yang Kai tapping his finger on the table, Yue Xi remained silent as long as she could, before she finally couldn’t help saying. “If Young Master Yang can let Young Union Master cancel this marriage, this Mistress swears that even if she must die the cruellest of deaths she will find a way to repay you.”
“There’s no need to act so seriously,” Yang Kai waved his hand. “It’s just that if I really come forward to resolve this matter, what do you plan to do in the future?”
Yue Xi was dumbfounded when she heard these words and was unable to react for a moment.
“Let me put it this way; you owe that Qin Wu Hui a great debt of kindness, so if this matter is truly resolved by me, then you three Master and Disciples will certainly bear the reputation of ingratitude. How do you plan on maintaining a foothold in Sword Union in the future under such circumstances?”
Not everyone knew or cared for the truth, and many only saw what was on the surface. What Yang Kai said was something that would transpire.
Irrelevant cultivators would definitely feel that Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao were repaying kindness with scorn…
“This…” Yue Xi thought about the cold glares and whispers behind her back she and her Disciples would need to endure from the people of Sword Union in the future and could not help shivering. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something, grit her teeth, and declared, “If Young Master Yang does not object, he might as well directly ask Young Union Master for those two girls directly. They only have Third-Order Saint King cultivations, so the Young Union Master will not refuse you. In the future, even if you take them as maids or concubines it won’t matter.”
“Are you serious?” Yang Kai was startled.
Yue Xi smiled, “This Mistress can see that those two girls have favourable impressions of Young Master Yang, so I am sure they will not reject you. After all, Young Master Yang is a dragon among men like Young Union Master.”
“You’re their Honoured Master, how…” Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly.
“Then Young Master Yang, this matter…” Yue Xi looked at Yang Kai nervously. Before getting Yang Kai’s exact answer, she could not rest assured.
“This matter isn’t so easy to manage,” Yang Kai frowned.
Yue Xi’s heart sank.
“First, tell me what that Qin Qi Yang’s exact situation is, and who is Qin Wu Hui precisely. What is his character like, and what is his status within Gu Jian Xin’s ranks?”
…..
After half an hour, Yue Xi left Yang Kai’s room and the sorrow which had adorned her brow for the past year had disappeared. Even her footsteps seemed to have become much lighter. Obviously, she received a positive answer.
For the next two days, the Starship sailed towards Azure Tree Star without any more surprises.
Yang Kai cultivated quietly in his room while also taking the time to refine a furnace of pills.
Two days later, a knock sounded from the door.
After receiving Yang Kai’s permission, the door opened and the He Zao, He Miao sisters walked in.
“Big Brother Yang, Young Union Master has arranged a banquet. We’ve been instructed to invite Big Brother Yang,” He Zao said.
“Okay,” Yang Kai nodded and stood up. “Lead the way ahead.”
“This way please!” He Zao and He Miao immediately walked ahead.
After a quick walk through the Starship’s corridors, the trio arrived at a magnificent hall. Inside this hall were a number of cultivators sitting in two rows at a giant table with food and wine arranged in front of them.
Gu Jian Xin sat at the head position with a ruddy complexion and his Left and Right Sword Servants standing behind him.
It seems that after a few days of meditation, Gu Jian Xin had essentially restored himself.
Seeing Yang Kai enter, Gu Jian Xin immediately got up and greeted him with a smile. The other cultivators present also quickly stood up and cupped their fists.
Many of them only knew about Yang Kai’s existence and that he was the one who had slain Li Ming Hai a few days ago, but had actually not greeted him personally. Seeing even Gu Jian Xin greet this young man so enthusiastically though, none of them dared show a lack of courtesy.
Yang Kai did not lack etiquette either and cupped his fists to those in the hall with a smile on his face. Seeing the relaxed and friendly smile on Yang Kai’s face gave the Origin Returning Realm masters present a good impression, feeling that he was powerful but not arrogant. Everyone understood why their Young Union Master had taken an interest in him.
“Brother Yang, over here!” Gu Jian Xin beckoned.
He Zao and He Miao led Yang Kai to the head of the table where a seat was prepared just below Gu Jian Xin’s before they withdrew a step and stood respectfully.
After Yang Kai took his seat, Gu Jian Xin smiled heartily, “Brother Yang, this Gu has been recovering these past few days and been negligent in his duties as a host. I hope Brother Yang will not take offence.”
“Brother Gu is too serious, healing should naturally be a priority,” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“Many thanks for your understanding, Brother Yang! Today’s banquet is just a small event to thank Brother Yang for his saving grace. Without you, Ling Yue, An Xing, and I would have fallen to old dog Li’s wicked scheme. From now on, Brother Yang is this Gu’s friend and benefactor!”
Many Origin Realm masters sitting below had a sharp light flash across their eyes.
Gu Jian Xin was a bold and free spirit, but he would never easily utter the word ‘friend’.
Now that he had spoken so, it meant he was determined to forge a friendly relationship with Yang Kai.
Moreover, after the word ‘friend’, Gu Jian Xin even went so far as to add the title of ‘benefactor’. These Origin Realm masters naturally understood what this implied.
“This glass is to show my respect for Brother Yang!” Gu Jian Xin drank his full glass in one go.
He Zao immediately stepped forward and filled Yang Kai’s wine glass before stepping back while still holding the pitcher, fulfilling the role of a maid diligently.
Yang Kai picked up his glass and said with a smile, “With Brother Gu being so straightforward, this Yang won’t stand on ceremony.”
Raising his glass, Yang Kai also drank it down.
“Good, no one will leave here sober today!” Gu Jian Xin laughed.
Music played and some young girls walked in from outside the hall one by one and began to sing and dance while waiters carried in a rich assortment of delicacies.
The entire hall instantly became lively.
The cultivators gathered in the hall were constantly making toasts, and Yang Kai did not refuse any of them. With a gentle smile and a calm expression, he had created a particularly good impression of himself after exchanging drinks with everyone.
From time to time, he would chat and laugh with Gu Jian Xin while occasionally glancing at the beautiful dancers.
Time flew by, the wine flowed freely, and the atmosphere in the hall became more and more lively.
Most cultivators were bold and unrestrained people, so this kind of free banquet naturally became a good place for them to let down their guard and express themselves. The cultivators who followed Gu Jian Xin each drank and laughed heartily.
Although Gu Jian Xin drank a lot, he never became drunk. During this time, he was observing Yang Kai.
A dazzling star like Yang Kai suddenly appearing in the Star Field naturally drew Gu Jian Xin’s curiosity, and he naturally wanted to use this banquet to try to learn some more about him.
To his disappointment though, Gu Jian Xin was not able to learn much.
When Yang Kai looked at the young women below who were dancing and singing, his vision remained clear without any obscene desire, and when he drank and chatted with his subordinates, he always behaved following proper decorum.
All in all, Yang Kai was mysterious, but worth making friends with.
After drinking three rounds, Gu Jian Xin suddenly said, “Brother Yang, this Gu has an awkward request to make. I wonder if you’d be willing to listen?”
As soon as this remark came out, the noise in the hall suddenly decreased and although the cultivators present seemed to be drinking and chatting amongst themselves, all of them undoubtedly heard Gu Jian Xin’s words and diverted part of their attention to listen.
“Brother Gu can speak frankly,” Yang Kai put down his glass and smiled lightly.
Yang Kai was actually somewhat surprised. Throughout the banquet, he had been looking for a suitable opportunity to discuss He Zao and He Mao’s situation with Gu Jian Xin, but before he could find one, Gu Jian Xin had spoken up first.
He wondered what this ‘awkward request’ would be.
“It’s like this,” Gu Jian Xin wore a solemn expression, “This Gu was ambushed by Old Dog Li and suffered great losses. Although Old Dog Li deserved his death, he was still one of my Sword Union’s Elders in the end, and the Soul Breaker Spear he wielded is a treasure my Sword Union spent countless materials and hired a renowned Origin King Grade Artifact Refiner to refine. Rather than Old Dog Li’s personal property, it is more appropriate to say it belongs to my Sword Union. Now that he is dead, however, it is this Gu’s responsibility to bring the Soul Breaker Spear back to the Home Star and inform the Union Master about what has transpired.”
Having said that, he looked at Yang Kai with some embarrassment.
Yang Kai immediately understood what he meant.
“Brother Gu wants to take back the Soul Breaker Spear?”
“En,” An awkward smile appeared on Gu Jian Xin’s face. “This Gu knows that this request is truly somewhat shameless. Since Old Dog Li was killed by Brother Yang, the Soul Breaker Spear should belong to you, but… without the Soul Breaker Spear, things will be difficult for this Gu upon his return, which is why I must ask for it back. Of course, this Gu guarantees he will compensate Brother Yang appropriately, so he does not suffer a loss in exchange for the Soul Breaker Spear. As for everything else Old Dog Li had on him, Brother Yang is free to keep them. Those things don’t belong to my Sword Union.”
“So that’s it,” Yang Kai gently nodded as he wore a look of contemplation.
Gu Jian Xin did not urge him and simply waited quietly.
Inside the hall, at some point silence had fallen as everyone paid full attention to what was happening at the head of the table.
After a while, Yang Kai nodded, “Good, the Soul Breaker Spear is an Origin King Grade artifact, and its value is not low. Brother Gu, if I return the Soul Breaker Spear to Sword Union, what compensation can I expect?”
“As long as the value does not exceed the value of the Soul Breaker Spear itself, this Gu will definitely acquire it for you!” Gu Jian Xin replied solemnly.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Since Brother Gu is so sincere, then this Yang will oblige. In any case, this artifact is of no use to me.”
He did not use a spear and there was no one among his close acquaintances who did, so Yang Kai didn’t feel much loss returning the Soul Breaker Spear.
Saying so, Yang Kai took the Soul Breaker Spear out of his Space Ring and placed it in front of Gu Jian Xin.
Gu Jian Xin gestured lightly, and the Left Sword Servant Ling Yue immediately stepped forward and collected this Origin King Grade artifact.
“For Brother Yang’s righteousness, this Gu is grateful. I wonder what kind of compensation Brother Yang wants in return? Although my Sword Union is not the strongest force in the Star Field, it is also not weak and possesses many rare cultivation resources and materials, pills and herbs. Even if Brother Yang wants some kind of profound Secret Art or Secret Technique, this Gu can find a way to acquire it for you!”
Yang Kai returning the Soul Breaker Spear without any hesitation was a great relief to Gu Jian Xin, so he was prepared to compensate him for his loss as much as possible.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and said, “There’s no need to rush this discussion of compensation, Brother Gu.”
“No rush?” Gu Jian Xin was taken aback.
“En, this Yang wants to ask: Who here is Senior Qin Wu Hui?”
*Shua Shua Shua…*
In the hall, almost everyone’s eyes turned towards a certain direction. Following these eyes, Yang Kai’s gaze landed on a thin old man wearing unremarkable grey robes who was sitting only a seat below Gu Jian Xin.
Being able to sit in such a position showed how high this man’s status was amongst this group.
Yang Kai suddenly calling his name caused Qin Wu Hui to show a puzzled look and he quickly stood up. Cupping his fists, this old man said, “This old master is Qin Wu Hui; there is no need for Young Master Yang to address this old master as Senior. What advice does Young Master Yang have?”
“Senior is too modest,” Yang Kai smiled. “Actually, I have something I wish to give Senior, and I hope you will not refuse!”
“You wish to give this old master something?” Qin Wu Hui was now completely confused.
He was certain he had never greeted or even met Yang Kai before today, and had no relationship with him, yet this young man suddenly wanted to give him something. Despite Qin Wu Hui’s vast knowledge and experience, Yang Kai’s actions left him baffled.
Before Qin Wu Hui could comprehend the situation though, Yang Kai tossed a jade bottle over to him.
There was no sign of any Saint Qi being used to send this jade bottle, so Qin Wu Hui simply caught it and asked in surprise, “Young Master Yang, this is…”
“Senior might as well open it,” Yang Kai smiled, “Naturally, you will know what is inside once you do.”
Qin Wu Hui furrowed his brow and turned his eyes towards Gu Jian Xin, but the latter just laughed loudly, “Since it was delivered to Elder Qin by Brother Yang, Elder Qin might as well take a look. This Young Master is also very curious about what Brother Yang is trying to peddle.”
Qin Wu Hui nodded and opened the bottle before everyone’s eyes before pouring out a pill onto his palm.
This pill was snow-white and only about the size of a bean, but when it appeared before his eyes, Qin Wu Hui’s suspicious expression suddenly became rosy, filled with surprise, excitement, and disbelief…
Immediately, he brought the pill to his nose, sniffed it carefully, and even licked it with his tongue.
He soon exclaimed, “This is… a Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill?”
“What?” Inside the hall, all the gathered cultivators called out in alarm as if an explosion had gone off, all of them gazing towards the pill in Qin Wu Hui’s hand in surprise before shifting to Yang Kai, seemingly eagerly waiting for him to answer.
Gu Jian Xin’s eyes flashed as well as he glanced towards Yang Kai thoughtfully and hesitantly asked, “Brother Yang, is this really a Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill?”
“Senior Qin’s vision is quite sharp; this is indeed a Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill!”
Receiving confirmation from Yang Kai, Qin Wu Hui was so excited that he almost jumped for joy.
Even Gu Jian Xin drew a deep breath and quickly said, “Brother Yang’s means are truly shocking!”
“It’s a mere pill,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Young Master Yang, why would you…” Qin Wu Hui came back to his senses and held the jade bottle tightly in his hand as he looked towards Yang Kai with a puzzled expression, wondering why this unknown young man had suddenly given him this Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill.
“I heard that during a battle against a powerful opponent, Senior Qin’s son suffered a severe injury to his Soul. This Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill should be the appropriate medicine for this situation. Although I dare not say it is a miracle cure, if used in conjunction with appropriate treatment, it should be able to fully restore Young Lord Qin’s Soul over time,” Yang Kai looked at Qin Wu Hui with a smile.
Qin Wu Hui looked at Yang Kai with a face full of excitement.
What happened to Qin Qi Yang had become something of a heart demon to him, and he had been searching for a pill to treat his good-for-nothing son over the years. Unfortunately, even with his capabilities and Gu Jian Xin’s backing, Qin Wu Hui had been unsuccessful in his attempts so far.
Injuries to the Soul were far more difficult to treat than those to the body, and only some extremely special pills would be effective. If it was only a minor injury, things wouldn’t be quite so difficult, but Qin Qi Yang had been wounded so badly that he had degenerated into an idiot, which was a grave injury.
According to Qin Wu Hui’s research, there were only a few pills in existence that could completely heal this kind of injury, but most of those pills were extinct, with either their recipe having been lost to history or the materials required to refine them having disappeared.
The Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill was one such pill. Qin Wu Hui was able to recognize this pill immediately because he had been constantly searching through ancient books these past few years. He also knew that in order to refine this kind of pill, one needed to use the Monster Core of a Seven Coloured Elk!
The Seven Coloured Elk was an ancient exotic Monster Beast that had long ago gone extinct in the Star Field; it was now impossible to find one anywhere.
Even if the Monster Core of a Seven Coloured Elk could somehow be found, it was also an essential component in refining treasures like the Ten Thousand Year Incense, so who would use it to refine a mere Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill?
Yet now, Yang Kai had suddenly taken one out!
Qin Wu Hui gripped the jade bottle tightly as his lips trembled, now knowing what to say.
“Brother Yang, I heard that this Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill is an ancient pill which can even enhance a cultivator’s comprehension and aptitude if taken. Is this true?” Gu Jian Xin suddenly asked.
Enhancing comprehension and aptitude would classify this pill as a Heaven defying treasure.
Generally speaking, qualities like aptitude and talent were innate and could not be changed by external forces unless one had some kind of extraordinary opportunity.
As such, after hearing Gu Jian Xin’s words, all the cultivators in the room were thoroughly shocked as they realized that the true value of this pill was actually far higher than the Origin King Grade Soul Breaker Spear!
An artifact was only an external tool and could not fundamentally change a cultivator’s ability like their aptitude or talent could. The more valuable item was obvious.
Yang Kai laughed loudly, “Brother Gu believes this kind of rumour? The Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill is indeed quite good, but it is not Heaven defying to such an extent. As far as I know, this pill does not affect one’s comprehension or aptitude, but it is the perfect medicine for healing one’s Soul.”
“So that’s how it is. If Brother Yang knows much about the Alchemic Way, could you perhaps also be an Alchemist?” Gu Jian Xin’s eyes lit up.
Yang Kai chuckled and shook his head, “I am not an Alchemist, this pill is something I obtained by chance in the Emperor Garden.”
He had already come up with an excuse for the origin of this pill.
“The Emperor Garden!” Qin Wu Hui gasped as he realized once again how precious this pill was.
“Is that so,” Gu Jian Xin also looked relieved, “Only in a place like the Emperor Garden would such an ancient pill exist. It seems that Brother Yang went to explore the Emperor Garden when it opened a few years ago, yes?”
“Indeed.”
A look of desire flashed across Gu Jian Xin’s face, but he soon sighed, “When the Emperor Garden opened, this Gu was in the middle of a critical retreat and could not enter. It’s a shame, if this Gu had gone, he may have been able to befriend Brother Yang a few years ago.”
“It’s not too late now,” Yang Kai smiled.
“True,” The regretful expression on Gu Jian Xin’s face disappeared and was replaced with a smile.
“Young Master Yang…” Qin Wu Hui stood tall with an expression of hesitation on his face. “This Qin is undeserving of such a gift!”
“Senior need not speak so,” Yang Kai interrupted him. “Giving this Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill to Senior Qin is actually because I need Senior Qin’s assistance with something.”
“Please name it, Young Master Yang!” Qin Wu Hui said hurriedly. He was actually afraid that Yang Kai would not ask him for something in return. There was no such thing as rewards for no effort. This Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill was invaluable and not something that could be given away casually, so hearing Yang Kai had something he wanted in return allowed Qin Wu Hui to relax somewhat.
“It’s like this,” Yang Kai mused. “As Senior knows, He Zao and He Miao are old acquaintances of mine that I met at got to know dozens of years ago. Meeting them again in this vast Star Field can be considered a kind of fate; however, I’ve recently learned that they have a somewhat complicated relationship with Young Lord Qin…”
Yang Kai did not go on because he believed Gu Jian Xin and Qin Wu Hui would be able to understand his meaning from just this.
As for the He sisters who were standing behind Yang Kai, their eyes widened after a moment of shock, and their faces filled with a pleasant surprise; even their breathing quickened slightly.
“So that’s it,” Gu Jian Xin grinned meaningfully as if he had learned some kind of special secret.
Qin Wu Hui showed a look of embarrassment and guilt on his face and quickly cupped his fists, “This matter stemmed from this old master’s selfishness, forcing He Zao and He Miao against their wishes into an unfortunate decision. On the other hand, Young Master Yang is so benevolent and righteous it brings shame to this old master’s heart. Having received this ancient pill which can help my good-for-nothing son recover, this old master guarantees that the previous agreement will be cancelled.”
“Many thanks, Senior.” Yang Kai picked up his glass and stood, smiling, “Senior is a straightforward and upright man, this cup is Junior’s respect for Senior.”
“I would not dare accept,” Qin Wu Hui also raised his glass quickly and with a solemn expression vowed. “My son was ignorant and the disaster he suffered was deserved. Now that Young Master Yang has provided a chance for him to recover, this old master has nothing but thanks to offer. This old master also promises he will discipline his son in the future and set him on the righteous path so as not to disappoint Young Master Yang’s benevolence!”
The two drank their glasses of wine before Yang Kai took his seat again.
In a seat in the corner of the hall, Yue Xi cast a grateful look towards Yang Kai.
She never expected that Yang Kai could solve this matter so easily. Originally, it seemed like a peaceful resolution had been impossible, as no matter how highly Gu Jian Xin regarded Yang Kai, it would be a huge loss of face to side with him over a loyal subordinate like Qin Wu Hui, while doing the opposite would not have yielded any good results either.
However, Yang Kai had managed to sweep this problem away without causing Qin Wu Hui to lose any face with a single pill, instead even gaining significantly.
It could be said that everyone was happy with this arrangement.
It’s just… this kind of price was something only Yang Kai could take out casually.
“He Zao, He Miao!” Qin Wu Hui did not immediately take a seat and instead called out to the two sisters before waving his hand and sending two streams of light towards them.
The two sisters had yet to recover from their excitement and joy and only reflexively grasped the two streams of light in their hands before turning their attention to Qin Wu Hui.
“This old master has troubled you this past year, accept these as compensation. I hope you can assist the Young Master with all your heart in the future and not bear a grudge against this old master,” Qin Wu Hui said sincerely.
“Disciple would not dare! Disciple thanks Elder Qin for his generous reward!” He Zao and He Miao bowed and spoke in unison before taking a look at what exactly they had been given.
After a glance, the two discovered that they were actually holding a pair of Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifacts! It was two identical scimitars that seemed to be capable of joining into one to form a single round flying blade.
With their cultivation and status, it was basically impossible for them to obtain Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifacts unless they were gifted by their Honoured Masters or an Elder.
However, Yue Xi herself was not rich, so how could she provide the two sisters with such powerful artifacts? Only someone like Qin Wu Hui could casually pull out and give away two Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifacts.
The two sisters understood that this kind of treatment was all due to Yang Kai! Without Yang Kai, how could Qin Wu Hui have given them two artifacts so freely?
Standing behind Yang Kai, staring at his back, both sisters’ beautiful eyes overflowed with gratitude.
“Brother Yang…” Gu Jian Xin smiled bitterly to the side as he rubbed his forehead lightly and said, “You doing this makes this Gu wonder how he is going to compensate you. We haven’t even finished discussing the Soul Breaker Spear either.”
He had to compensate Yang Kai for the loss of the Soul Breaker Spear, yet instead of making a request, Yang Kai had sent out another gift to Qin Wu Hui. While the exchange between Yang Kai and Qin Wu Hui might seem like a fair deal on the surface, as long as they were slightly discerning, anyone could see that Yang Kai had suffered a huge loss!
After all, whether it was Qin Wu Hui, He Zao, or He Miao, they were all members of Sword Union. Yang Kai had gifted a pill but received nothing in return; what’s more, the pill he delivered was an ancient one that could no longer be refined.
As such, Gu Jian Xin suddenly felt that he owed Yang Kai greatly.
“Brother Yang, we should discuss this matter now. What kind of compensation do you want? Please do not hesitate, this Gu is ready to lose a pound of flesh to you,” Gu Jian Xin joked.
“There’s no need to worry so much,” Yang Kai smiled, “Actually, I have already thought about what I’d like as compensation and for Brother Gu. It should be a simple matter.”
“Oh? Please do explain,” Gu Jian Xin put on a serious face as everyone else in the hall also looked curiously towards Yang Kai. Everyone wanted to know what he would ask for, especially Qin Wu Hui who seemed determined to fulfil any request Yang Kai made.
“Our destination for this trip is Azure Tree Star, right?” Yang Kai asked.
“Indeed.”
“And this Azure Tree Star is under the direct control of Sword Union?”
“Yes! Azure Tree is under the jurisdiction of my Sword Union,” Gu Jian Xin said proudly, “Regarding Cultivation Stars like Azure Tree Star, my Sword Union controls three!”
“Then this will be simple,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I want a site covering a radius of ten thousand kilometres. En, I do not need it to be a particularly rich region, just so long as it is not barren, it will be fine.”
“Ten thousand kilometres?” Gu Jian Xin frowned.
“Five thousand kilometres is also fine,” Yang Kai added.
“Hahaha, Brother Yang is far too polite, forget ten thousand kilometres, even a hundred thousand kilometres is fine!” Gu Jian Xin laughed and patted Yang Kai on the shoulder, “A hundred-thousand-kilometre territory on Azure Tree Star is nothing. Good, it’s settled then, when we arrive on Azure Tree Star, this Gu will have someone arrange it. As for what site Brother Yang would like, you can make your own decision!”
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment and unable to respond, but soon he smiled and nodded, “Since Brother Gu has said this much, this Yang will naturally accept.”
As the Star Master of Shadowed Star, owning a trivial hundred-thousand-kilometre territory did not have any big impact on him.
“There’s no need for politeness between us!” Gu Jian Xin stretched out and beckoned, causing Ling Yue to immediately step forward to fill his and Yang Kai’s glass.
“Brother Yang, might I ask what you want this site for? Do you plan on settling down on Azure Tree Star?” Gu Jian Xin asked with joy and expectation.
If Yang Kai really was planning to do so, it would undoubtedly be good news for Gu Jian Xin. He was still worried about having an opportunity to win over Yang Kai, but if Yang Kai wanted to settle on Azure Tree Star, how could there not be chances to recruit him in the future?
“I’ve no intention of settling down, but building a temporary residence might not be a bad idea,” Yang Kai smiled meaningfully.
“Brother Yang is a man of great ambitions it seems!”
“Brother Gu, might I discuss another business deal with you?”
“Brother Yang, please speak.”
“I need a large amount of Space Spirit Crystals. I don’t know if Brother Gu could provide them? Of course, I will purchase them with Saint Crystals or exchange them for other valuables so your Sword Union won’t suffer a loss.”
“Brother Yang is too serious, since it’s a transaction, this Gu will naturally not refuse, but… Space Spirit Crystals are a scarce commodity in the Star Field, so it will have to wait until we reach Azure Tree Star before I can make some inquiries for you.”
“Then I shall trouble you.”
…..
The banquet lasted for an entire day with everyone only departing after becoming thoroughly drunk.
Yang Kai returned to his room and washed himself before scattering the effects of the alcohol.
Later, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao came to visit him together and thank him.
To Yang Kai, this was nothing more than a trivial matter. The materials used to refine the Seven Orifices Cleansing Pill were all part of his collection and the only precious item used was the Monster Core of the Seven Coloured Elk.
Yang Kai had obtained this Monster Core after killing the Seven Coloured Elk Variant in the Emperor Garden but he had no use for it until now, so it wasn’t a loss for him to refine a pill with it this time.
But for the Master and Disciple trio, this was an important matter that greatly affected their futures.
Yang Kai could perceive their gratitude, which made him feel slightly complex emotionally.
With differences in position and power, the things one could accomplish also differed greatly, just like how an ant could not shake an iron rod with all its strength, but an ordinary mortal could easily pick it up just by reaching out.
After seeing off the Master and Disciple trio, Yang Kai entered into secluded retreat to cultivate his various Secret Techniques.
Whether it was his Golden Blood Threads, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, or Space Force, Yang Kai needed a lot of time to cultivate and consolidate them.
The road ahead was very safe. After being attacked by Li Ming Hai, the Starship did not encounter any disturbances and twenty days later, it arrived safely at Azure Tree Star!
In the Star Field, each Cultivation Star had its own World Principles, so there were inevitably differences between them.
Whether it was in terms of World Energy or materials produced, or the number of cultivators living on it and the heights they could reach, there was a huge contrast between different Cultivation Stars.
For example, Tong Xuan Realm’s World Energy was extremely thin, so cultivators were limited to reaching the Saint Realm.
On some Cultivation Stars, the limit was the Saint King Realm, Origin Returning Realm…
Although Shadowed Star had rich World Energy, enough to support cultivators reaching the Origin King Realm, because of the World Principle suppression, it was impossible for cultivators to spy on the mysteries of the Origin King Realm.
Among the many Cultivation Stars, the most bountiful ones would be taken as Home Stars of great forces.
For example, Water Moon Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Sword Star of Sword Union, Purple Star of Purple Star…
These Home Stars surpassed other Cultivation Stars in almost all aspects.
Azure Tree Star could only be regarded as an ordinary Cultivation Star with World Energy on par with Shadowed Star’s but with less than half the area.
In front of the Azure Tree Palace, Gu Jian Xin’s Starship descended slowly towards a square where a group of Sword Union cultivators were waiting to receive him.
The leader of this group was a beautiful woman with a stunning face and graceful figure. She was wearing a long black dress and had such abundant peaks that they nearly burst from their restraints. Her waist was slim while her legs were long and slender. On her face, she wore a warm smile that paired perfectly with her bright eyes while a mature aura lingered about her.
As soon as Gu Jian Xin disembarked from the Starship, he greeted this woman enthusiastically, “Aunt Lan, it’s been a long time.”
The beautiful woman called Aunt Lan smiled and said, “Greetings, Young Union Master. Subordinate has been anticipating your arrival.”
Saying so, she gave an elegant salute while the cultivators behind her also bowed in greeting.
“There are no outsiders here, so why must Aunt Lan act so politely?” Gu Jian Xin smiled and spoke. It was obvious that he had a good relationship with this beautiful woman.
“Courtesy cannot be abandoned!” Aunt Lan smiled sweetly before her pair of beautiful eyes swept the figures behind Gu Jian Xin, greeting Qin Wu Hui with a gentle nod then fixing on Yang Kai for a moment, a hint of suspicion flashing across her face.
She was naturally familiar with all of Gu Jian Xin’s important subordinates, but Yang Kai was a new face, which she found strange. Using her Divine Sense, she swept Yang Kai and discovered that he was actually a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, confusing her slightly more.
“It’s windy outside, let’s go inside before we talk further,” Gu Jian Xin did not immediately introduce Yang Kai to this beautiful woman and instead made such a proposal.
A gleam flitted across Aunt Lan’s eyes before she smiled and nodded, “Alright. This way, Young Union Master.”
Saying so, she led the way.
Azure Tree Palace was a symbolic building of Azure Tree Star, the headquarters established by Sword Union on Azure Tree Star to manage Azure Tree Star.
Yang Kai followed quietly while observing this beautiful woman named Aunt Lan.
Although he did not release his Divine Sense to investigate carefully, judging from the aura he felt from this beautiful woman, he was certain that she was an Origin King!
Thinking about it though, this was appropriate. Azure Tree Star was a critical Cultivation Star to Sword Union, so it was only natural that an Origin King Realm would be stationed here to preside over it. This beautiful woman named Aunt Lan should be a First-Order Origin King cultivator, because her aura had similar power to Li Ming Hai’s while it a far cry from Luo Hai’s.
The Azure Tree Palace occupied a wide area and after entering it and dispersing the miscellaneous people, Gu Jian Xin finally made introductions.
Through Gu Jian Xin’s introduction, Yang Kai learned that this beautiful woman was named Luo Lan, and she was indeed a First-Order Origin King as he suspected.
“Aunt Lan is the Star Master of Azure Tree Star and is responsible for all of Sword Union’s matters here!” Gu Jian Xin said.
“Star Master?” Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
“Haha, it’s not what Brother Yang thinks,” Gu Jian Xin seemed to already know what Yang Kai was reacting to and explained with a smile, “This Star Master is not the kind of Star Master you imagine, it’s just a title.”
“So, it’s just a title,” Yang Kai felt relieved; after all, from what he knew, essentially all Star Masters were Third-Order Origin Kings, as only they seemed capable of refining a Star Source somewhat safely.
Luo Hai becoming Star Master of Green Mountains Star was entirely thanks to luck, and Yang Yan was the one who helped Yang Kai become Star Master of Shadowed Star.
Luo Lan was just a First-Order Origin King, so if she had managed to become a genuine Star Master, it could only be said that she obtained the greatest of opportunities!
However, if it was just a title given to her, it was not such a big deal. Any Origin King sent by Sword Union to oversee Azure Tree Star would receive the title of Star Master.
This Star Master was nothing more than a status indicator and did not come with the conveniences and advantages a true Star Master should have.
“Little brother seems quite surprised, could it be you’ve met a Star Master before?” Luo Lan was a woman with keen intuition and immediately inferred something from the changes in Yang Kai’s expression.
“En… I had the honour of meeting Sir Luo Hai on Green Mountains Star a few years ago,” Yang Kai casually explained.
“Sir Luo Hai…” Luo Lan murmured, “A few years ago? It seems that this brother had participated in the Blood Prison Trial.”
“En.”
“Brother Yang also participated in the Blood Prison Trial?” Gu Jian Xin was shocked as he looked at Yang Kai in amazement.
It seemed that Yang Kai having his current achievements was not simply a matter of luck. Gu Jian Xin learned from Yang Kai that he had explored the Emperor Garden, and now it seems he also underwent the Blood Prison Trial.
Surviving and returning from the two fierce lands one after another with just luck was not enough. It took true ability.
“Impressive!” Gu Jian Xin expressed his sincere admiration, cupping his fists in respect.
“Haha,” Yang Kai chuckled slightly awkwardly.
“Unfortunately, it seems that less than two years after the Blood Prison Trial, Luo Hai was killed. This incident shocked the entire Star Field,” Luo Lan muttered quietly.
“This Young Master also heard about that incident. Unexpectedly, someone like Luo Hai could be killed; who could have been responsible??
Yang Kai remained silent, his expression calm.
“By the way, Aunt Lan, I was ambushed by Li Ming Hai on my way here this time,” Gu Jian Xin changed the subject abruptly.
“What?” Luo Lan’s beautiful face paled, “Were you hurt?”
“My injuries have already healed. It was all thanks to Brother Yang’s help though, otherwise, I’m afraid I would have met disaster.”
“Him?” Luo Lan glanced at Yang Kai suspiciously. Although she was not sure what happened, since Gu Jian Xin said that Yang Kai helped him escape danger, she naturally would not question him and said with a serious expression, “Many thanks for offering your aid, little brother. This Queen will certainly repay you for your efforts.”
“Senior is too polite, Brother Gu and I are like old friends. It was just some trivial assistance, nothing worth mentioning,” Yang Kai said modestly.
“Trivial…” Luo Lan’s expression became extremely weird.
Being ambushed by an Origin King was no trivial matter, and she could almost imagine the great risks involved. If one thing had gone wrong, Gu Jian Xin would likely not be standing in front of her right now, already buried in a remote corner of the Star Field.
“Where is that bastard Li Ming Hai now?” Luo Lan turned her gaze to Gu Jian Xin again as a cold murderous intent flashed across her beautiful eyes, “Daring to do such a thing, there will be no place for him in the Star Field again!”
“He’s dead!” Gu Jian Xin quickly said.
Luo Lan’s jaw dropped and only after a short silence did she ask, “How did he die?”
Gu Jian Xin only glanced over at Yang Kai as a response.
Luo Lan once again turned a suspicious gaze towards him.
Yang Kai smiled harmlessly and said, “I only gave him a sneak attack while he was concentrated on fighting Brother Gu.”
Luo Lan was again a little speechless but soon smiled and said, “Little brother conceals himself quite well.”
“He simply let success get to his head at the time,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.
Seeing his casual expression, Luo Lan immediately knew that Yang Kai did not want to talk about this topic anymore, so she smartly advanced the conversation, “Since even Li Ming Hai died, the situation can be considered closed; however, Young Master being able to escape this time was only thanks to a fortunate encounter with a noble person who provided assistance. You cannot act so recklessly in the future.”
“I know,” Gu Jian Xin nodded solemnly, “Oh yeah, Aunt Lan, I brought Brother Yang here this time mainly to consult with you about something.”
“Oh, what?”
“Brother Yang wants to build a palace on Azure Tree Star and needs a plot of land about a hundred thousand kilometres across, does Aunt Lan have any appropriate locations?”
“A hundred thousand kilometres…” Luo Lan pondered for a moment before saying, “There are many options, but I do not know what kind of location little brother would prefer, so why don’t we discuss this matter while consulting Azure Tree Star’s map tomorrow?”
“Sound good. I shall trouble you, Senior.”
“Little brother need not be so polite. You saved Young Master’s life, so a hundred-thousand-kilometre territory is nothing to Sword Union.”
“Junior will take his leave first then. I look forward to meeting you again tomorrow, Senior,” Yang Kai knew that Gu Jian Xin brought him over to meet Luo Lan and discuss his request for a piece of land, but now that introductions were finished these two certainly had other confidential matters to discuss which were not appropriate for him to overhear.
“I’ll see you out,” Gu Jian Xin gestured before leading Yang Kai out.
Outside, a maidservant was assigned to lead Yang Kai to a guest room in the Azure Tree Palace to rest.
After Yang Kai left, Luo Lan released her Divine Sense and opened the many barriers around the room to ensure no one could spy on this place before asking solemnly, “Young Master, that Yang Kai… is he credible?”
“En, according to my observations along the way, he has nothing to do with Sword Union and him appearing where Li Ming Hai was lying in ambush for me was simply a coincidence. It was Li Ming Hai who launched a sneak attack on him first.”
“He managed to survive a sneak attack from Li Ming Hai?” Luo Lan’s expression changed slightly.
“I don’t know how he managed that,” Gu Jian Xin slowly shook his head, “However, there is no doubt about his strength. What he said before was simply giving me face. Li Ming Hai dying was almost entirely thanks to him, and although part of the reason was him successfully launching a sneak attack…. Aunt Lan, you’ve lived many years, but have you ever heard of an Origin Realm cultivator killing an Origin King before?”
“No!” Luo Lan shook her head solemnly before glaring at Gu Jian Xin suddenly, “Oh? You said your ‘Aunt Lan has lived many years’? Are you saying your Aunt Lan is old?”
“Uh…” Gu Jian Xin scratched his head awkwardly and quickly wore a serious face as he tried to change the subject. “Moreover, according to my observations, he actually used Space Force to sneak attack Li Ming Hai!”
Luo Lan’s attention was on something important, so it took a while to process the additional information and asked, “Space Force? He’s able to use such a strange power in battle?”
“It’s more than that!” Gu Jian Xin recalled the scene at the time and his expression constantly fluctuated as he said solemnly, “His accomplishments in the Dao of Space seem to have reached an unprecedented level. He was able to condense his Space Force into a coherent blade that cut and exiled part of Li Ming Hai’s body to The Void!”
Luo Lan could not help gasping when she heard this.
“Suffice it to say, I only want to make friends with him, and definitely not become enemies, so I will have to ask Aunt Lan to pay some more attention to him in the future.”
“Rest assured, since he wants a hundred-thousand-kilometre territory here, there will always be opportunities for us to come into contact in the future,” Luo Lan’s beautiful eyes glowed with a strange light, as if she had become interested in Yang Kai, and continued. “Good, tell me in detail about the fight between you and Li Ming Hai. Aunt Lan is very curious.”
……
Either Sword Union always moved quickly, or Luo Lan was simply an efficient administrator, but Yang Kai had only stayed in the Azure Tree Palace for a single day before he was summoned by Luo Lan to discuss something.
Yang Kai naturally understood this was about the territory he asked for and did not delay.
Following the messenger who had come to summon him, Yang Kai made his way through the halls of the Azure Tree Palace for a short time before meeting a casually-dressed Gu Jian Xin in a certain corridor. The latter saw Yang Kai and beckoned to him with a smile.
The Left Sword Servant Ling Yue and Right Sword Servant An Xing were standing together with him.
“Brother Gu!” Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists.
“How is Brother Yang’s accommodation?” Gu Jian Xin asked enthusiastically.
“Extremely comfortable!” Yang Kai replied.
“That’s good, this Gu was worried he was not offering good enough hospitality, but since Brother Yang says he is comfortable, I can feel relieved.”
“En, Senior Luo asked me to see her…”
“It’s as you think,” Gu Jian Xin grinned at Yang Kai before drawing him along with him. “Follow me.”
Walking down this corridor, the group of four soon came to a light curtain which shrouded the way forward, making it impossible for anyone to see past it. This light curtain was like a waterfall that flickered with countless tiny flowing runes which swam about like small fish, giving it a mysterious and complex appearance.
Gu Jian Xin did not even spare the light curtain a glance and walked straight forward, only pausing for a moment to tell his Left and Right Sword Servants, “You remain here. Execute anyone who dares try to intrude.”
“Yes!” Ling Yue and An Xing nodded firmly as they stood outside.
Gu Jian Xin then led Yang Kai directly past the light curtain.
After experiencing a flash of light, Yang Kai found himself in a seemingly entirely different world.
The whole place was silent and there was nothing of note except for a huge spherical object positioned in the middle of the space.
This sphere was almost two dozen metres in diameter and had irregular patterns covering it, some of which were yellow, some blue, some green, all of them occupying different areas on the sphere’s surface.
As Yang Kai got close, he noticed the sphere was spinning clockwise at a subtle speed.
Luo Lan was standing nearby and greeted with a smile, “Little Brother!”
“Senior Luo!” Yang Kai hurriedly returned the courtesy, but soon his attention was attracted to the sphere in front of him again.
Luo Lan and Gu Jian Xin did not seem like they intended to explain and simply observed the changes in Yang Kai’s expression with interest.
Soon though, Yang Kai showed a look of understanding, turned to Luo Lan and Gu Jian Xin, and said in surprise, “Is this a model of Azure Tree Star shrunk down countless times?”
“Little Brother’s intuition is sharp!” Luo Lan smiled and nodded, “This is indeed a tiny replica of Azure Tree Star. It took many cultivators from our Sword Union a hundred years to survey all of Azure Tree Star’s environments, measuring each region and categorizing them to complete this design.”
“Is this the map Senior mentioned yesterday?” Yang Kai asked thoughtfully.
“Exactly!” Gu Jian Xin smiled and nodded, “The map that Aunt Lan was talking about yesterday refers to this thing, which was why we had to wait until today to let Brother Yang see it.”
“There are many conveniences to this thing,” Yang Kai muttered in surprise as he circled the sphere, soon understanding what the different colours represented.
The yellow colours represented plains, while the blue was water and the green was forest.
There were a small number of other colours also present which obviously corresponded to rarer areas like swamps and deserts.
Sword Union’s methods were impressive, but… taking a hundred years to complete a project like this was something only a super force could afford.
Looking closer, there were many large and small city-like signs on this sphere, which were obviously settlements where cultivators on Azure Tree Star gathered.
With this, Luo Lan would find it much easier to manage Azure Tree Star.
While Yang Kai observed, Luo Lan took the initiative to explain to him. As Yang Kai expected, the different colours really did correspond to different geographical environments, and depending on the colour’s depth, one could tell the richness of the ambient World Energy in those areas.
The lighter the colour, the thinner the World Energy and vice versa.
After briefly explaining to Yang Kai about this map, Luo Lan said, “The piece of land Little Brother wants, a piece of land a hundred thousand kilometres is neither big nor small, so this Queen has selected a few locations for you to choose from. Of course, these are just areas this Queen thinks are suitable. If Little Brother is not satisfied, he is free to choose any other spot on Azure Tree Star!”
Yang Kai was grateful and cupped his fists, “Junior will be accepting Senior’s good intentions then. Please advise me.”
“Little Brother need not be so polite,” Luo Lan smiled, stretched out her hand towards the large spherical map in front of her, spun it slightly then halted it at a certain position. Luo Lan pointed to a certain place and said, “This is the first place this Queen selected. This area is surrounded by mountains and rivers and is rich in materials as well as World Energy. There is also a city nearby, which would fall under Little Brother’s jurisdiction.”
“A city? Is that alright?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
He only wanted a piece of land that was not too barren and never expected he would actually be given an entire city to control.
“It’s no big deal, it’s just a single city,” Gu Jian Xin grinned.
“Indeed, on Azure Tree Star, even if there aren’t ten thousand such cities, there are at least eight thousand. Having Little Brother assume command of it would be this place’s blessing,” Luo Lan also added with a smile. Yang Kai did not know what Gu Jian Xin had told her yesterday, but he could tell that Luo Lan’s attitude towards him had changed subtly and was much more enthusiastic.
“If Little Brother is not satisfied with this place, then how about here,” Luo Lan waved her hand and spun the map again, pointing to another spot and explaining, “This place is also quite good. This Queen has been here before and can attest to its beautiful scenery and numerous great beauties…”
Seeing Yang Kai remain indifferent, Luo Lan immediately introduced him to the next place.
After introducing seven places in a row, Yang Kai still had nothing to say.
Strictly speaking, the places Luo Lan selected for Yang Kai were indeed quite good, with rich World Energy and numerous other advantageous conditions, each one an extremely generous proposal.
But Yang Kai did not seem to be satisfied with any of them, causing Luo Lan to be a little puzzled, not knowing exactly what he was looking for.
“Senior Luo, is there a suitable place on the sea?” Yang Kai saw that she was about to introduce the next place and quickly asked.
“On the sea?” Luo Lan raised her brow before smiling, “So Little Brother would like to live next to the sea! What do you think about this position?”
…..
Half an hour later, Yang Kai walked out of the mysterious space with a content look upon his face.
After making a few comparisons, he finally chose a place called Twin Shark Island.
It was difficult to classify Twin Shark Island as a single island or two, because if one looked from above, they would see that, although narrow and shallow, there was a connection between them. When viewed from the side, this island, or islands rather looked like two sharks advancing side by side through the sea, a very vivid image.
Hence the name, Twin Shark Island!
The area was very in line with Yang Kai’s requirements, no more, no less, exactly one hundred thousand kilometres in total.
Additionally, there was a medium-sized sea-side city five hundred thousand kilometres away from Twin Shark Island!
This island was relatively remote on Azure Tree Star, and Luo Lan and Gu Jian Xin could not understand why he chose such a place; after all, compared with the locations Luo Lan introduced to him before, Twin Shark Island’s only advantage was its rich World Energy aura.
It seemed like Yang Kai was going around the sun to reach the moon and intentionally took a bad deal.
But since Yang Kai had already decided, they did not try to persuade him otherwise.
And so, Twin Shark Island became Yang Kai’s territory from now on. As long as the faction Gu Jian Xin led still controlled Sword Union, no one would be able to take Twin Shark Island away from him.
This was also Gu Jian Xin’s commitment to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not care too much though; now that this site belonged to him, if someone dared try to take it from him in the future, they would first have to weigh the consequences.
The next day, Yang Kai bid farewell to Luo Lan and Gu Jian Xin and prepared to leave for Twin Shark Island.
Outside the Azure Tree Palace, Gu Jian Xin wore a slightly guilty expression as he said, “Brother Yang, unfortunately, this Gu cannot take you there in person. I have come to Azure Tree Star on important business, so my time is quite limited.”
“Brother Gu doesn’t need to pay it any mind, I can find my way to Twin Shark Island. Moreover, with this token given to me by Senior Luo, travelling and making arrangements will be convenient,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Gu Jian Xin nodded, “Indeed.”
Then, making a mysterious smile, he added, “But Brother Yang, there are a few people here who would like to travel with you to Twin Shark Island. I hope you won’t refuse.”
“Someone wants to go with me? Who?” Yang Kai frowned. He hadn’t heard anything about this beforehand.
Gu Jian Xin glanced to the side and after following his line of sight, Yang Kai saw three familiar faces.
“Young Master Yang!” Yue Xi walked over slowly and stood not far away.
“Big Brother Yang,” He Zao and He Miao also called out cheerfully.
Yang Kai looked at Gu Jian Xin, who shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “I’ve expelled them from Sword Union. As the Young Union Master, I have such rights.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed.
“Then, I asked them what they plan to do in the future, and they all said they wanted to follow you. I wonder if you’d be willing to take them in?” Gu Jian Xin added with a grin.
“Many thanks for your kindness, Brother Gu,” Yang Kai said seriously.
With his shrewdness, how could Yang Kai not notice that Gu Jian Xin was doing him a favour? After all, he was just a lone wanderer on Azure Tree Star, and although he was strong, there were always some matters that would be inconvenient for Yang Kai to handle in person, so having competent assistants was a necessity.
With Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao following him, the situation would be different. Some of the trivial matters that needed to be attended to could be left to them, and if it was ever inconvenient for Yang Kai to handle something personally, he could ask one of these three to manage it.
This move also spared Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao from enduring some awkward situations in Sword Union in the future. As Yang Kai said before, after the matter regarding Qin Qi Yang was dealt with in such a manner, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao would find it difficult to remain in Sword Union. No matter where they went, they would be accused of ingratitude.
Now that they had been expelled from Sword Union though, this would no longer be an issue.
Gu Jian Xin was a sharp individual and was trying to make the best impression he could on Yang Kai, so he had not hesitated to make this move.
This was a kindness to him, so Yang Kai naturally had no reason to refuse.
Turning to Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao, Yang Kai asked solemnly, “Are you willing to follow me?”
“As long as the Young Lord is willing to give us shelter, this Yue Xi is willing to do her best to serve him!” Yue Xi quickly replied.
“We are willing!” The two sisters said in unison.
“Good, then from now on, you will follow me,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Many thanks, Young Lord!” Yue Xi elegant bowed, her face overflowing with joy.
“Little brother…” Luo Lan, who was standing next to him, only spoke up now and said, “As for the Space Spirit Crystals you need, for the time being, this Queen is unable to gather much, but she will do her best to collect some and have them sent to you later. Would that be acceptable?”
“En, I’ll have to trouble Senior with this matter then.”
After Yang Kai chose Twin Shark Island as his site, he asked Gu Jian Xin and Luo Lan to acquire a large amount of Space Spirit Crystals for him, but these things were too scarce, so Luo Lan was unable to acquire a large quantity of them in such a short span of time. However, with her promise, Yang Kai was assured he would get some sooner or later.
Afterwards, Yang Kai took Yue Xi, He Mao, and He Zao, summoned his Star Shuttle, and left the Azure Tree Palace.
Gu Jian Xin and the others watched Yang Kai leave before returning to the palace.
Going to Twin Shark Island would take half a month despite using the Space Arrays on Azure Tree Star.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had the token given to him by Luo Lan, and with it, all the Space Arrays of the major cities on Azure Tree Star were open to him.
Following the route given to him by Luo Lan, Yang Kai travelled through various Space Arrays for half a month before arriving at Twin Shark Island.
Although Twin Shark Island was remote, it still had a Space Array used to connect with the outside world, and when the figures of Yang Kai and his group appeared on the platform, the cultivator responsible for guarding this place immediately came forward and swept his eyes over them before performing his routine duties, “Travelers, what business do you have here on Twin Shark Island?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and found that this person was only a Third-Order Saint King while the other cultivators responsible for guarding this place also were not very strong.
From the level of these cultivators, it could be inferred that the total strength of Twin Shark Island was not very high.
Yang Kai did not answer directly and instead took out the token given to him and showed it to this guard.
“What’s this?” The cultivator’s eyes narrowed slightly as a blank expression appeared on his face.
“You don’t know?” Yang Kai frowned, “Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what it is, what is your Island Master’s name and where is he? Take me to see him.”
The cultivator was shocked by Yang Kai’s aggressive questioning and domineering attitude. Although he did not recognize what this token represented, he could faintly guess that Yang Kai had a powerful background.
Immediately fixing his previous careless attitude, he replied suspiciously, “Island Master’s name is Zhu Liang. Dare I ask where these friends come from and how they know Sir Island Master?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Yue Xi coldly snorted, “Are you qualified to ask about my Young Lord’s identity? Hurry up and lead the way!”
As she spoke, she intentionally released a bit of her Shi, causing the guard to change in complexion and realize that this man and three women were not people he could contend with. As such, he quickly bowed and guided them.
This was another advantage of having confident subordinates. Yue Xi speaking up there would raise Yang Kai’s identity and status and avoid some troublesome inquiries.
Yang Kai shot Yue Xi an approving look, to which the latter responded with a smile.
The strength of Twin Shark Island’s Island Master Zhu Liang was not very high, only First-Order Origin Returning Realm. On such a remote island, it was quite rare for powerful cultivators to appear.
After Yang Kai showed him the token and Luo Lan’s handwritten note, Zhu Liang immediately acknowledged Yang Kai as this place’s new master.
Being able to assume command of Twin Shark Island so smoothly satisfied Yang Kai greatly.
“En, you will remain as Island Master in the future, and you will manage Twin Shark Island as before. I will not interfere in any of your affairs. If there are any problems you cannot handle, you can inform Lady Yue and she will convey it to me.”
“I understand!” Seemingly realizing Yang Kai was easy to get along with, Zhu Liang gradually became less nervous.
“Island Master Zhu…”
“I am just a subordinate,” Zhu Liang responded quickly, “Sir should simply call this Zhu Liang by his name.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Okay, tell me about the situation on Twin Shark Island.”
“Understood!” Zhu Liang gathered his thoughts for a moment before explaining, “Twin Shark Island is approximately one hundred thousand kilometres across and has fairly rich World Energy; however, it doesn’t produce any notable resources, making supplies a slight problem. Currently, there are roughly two hundred thousand residents on the island. The average cultivation level here is not high. Despite his lack of talent, your subordinate here is actually the strongest master on Twin Shark Island at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm. In addition to me, there are three other First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators on the island who serve as the Deputy Island Master and Elders. This lowly one has set up an Elder Council to manage the matters of Twin Shark Island with several elders…”
“Five hundred thousand kilometres east of Twin Shark Island there is a city which is connected via Space Array. In the surrounding million-kilometre region, there are many other islands with similar situations to Twin Shark Island, and the relationship between the islands is fairly peaceful with only occasional contact. The biggest danger here comes from sea beasts. Every year, sea beasts will attack the island, resulting in much damage and loss of life; however, Twin Shark Island will certainly be much safer and more peaceful in the future with Sir here!”
While explaining, Zhu Liang also took the opportunity to flatter Yang Kai.
Yang Kai paid this no mind though.
Zhu Liang continued, “The biggest output of Twin Shark Island and the nearby islands are the Monster Cores from sea beasts. Every year, many foreign cultivators come to Twin Shark Island to hunt these sea beasts…”
After half an hour of questioning, Yang Kai had a cursory understanding of the situation on Twin Shark Island.
Overall, he was quite satisfied with this place and found it very suitable for his next plan.
However, he needed to find an appropriate location before implementing that plan.
Yang Kai decided to handle this personally.
After dismissing Zhu Liang, Yang Kai assigned Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao some tasks before flying off on his Star Shuttle alone to investigate the terrain of Twin Shark Island.
This survey took Yang Kai eight days to complete.
In the end, Yang Kai chose an area in the southeast that was close to the sea and had excellent scenery. Most importantly though, there was a large amount of open space here with few traces of cultivators ever visiting.
Yang Kai found Zhu Liang again and asked him to recruit some cultivators from Twin Shark Island to build a palace there.
Yang Kai naturally was not going to let others work in vain and offered Saint Crystals as payment.
Would Zhu Liang refuse this golden opportunity? Even if Yang Kai did not pay, he would still do his best to fulfil Yang Kai’s request.
There were two hundred thousand people on Twin Shark Island, so Zhu Liang casually gave an order to recruit a thousand people and had them begin constructing a large palace at the place Yang Kai designated.
The cultivators began immediately and worked at an incredibly fast pace. Within half a month, a magnificent palace was built that stretched across a more than ten-kilometre-wide area.
Zhu Liang even paid out of his own pocket to add some furniture and decorations to the palace.
Once it was finished, Yang Kai moved in with Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao.
The palace was huge and seemed quite quiet and lonely with only four people inside of it.
Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao did not understand why Yang Kai had built such a huge palace here, but knowing it wasn’t their place to ask, they simply obeyed his instructions and served him with dedication.
That night, Yang Kai called them into his room.
“What orders does Young Lord have for us?” Yue Xi asked curiously.
“It’s nothing so serious. Have a seat first,” Yang Kai motioned to them.
After the three women were seated, Yang Kai continued, “Since you have chosen to follow me in the future, then I will not mistreat you. Having said so, I will inform you now that I have a Sect called High Heaven Sect, of which I am the Sect Master. The Sect’s headquarters is on a very remote Cultivation Star. Would you like to join High Heaven Sect?”
The Master and Disciples glanced at each other before looking at Yang Kai and without hesitation nodding together, “Of course we would.”
“En, then from now on, you are members of High Heaven Sect,” Yang Kai smiled and said, “The Sect headquarters is a long way away, so you won’t have an opportunity to visit it in the short term, but rest assured, a day will come when I bring you to see it. High Heaven Sect… in the future, it will not be weak.”
Next, Yang Kai asked about the Secret Arts and artifacts Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao used.
The three of them explained to Yang Kai in detail, without concealing anything.
Regarding Secret Arts, Yang Kai could not give them too many suggestions and could only allow them to explore slowly on their own, but when it came to artifacts, Yang Kai wasn’t stingy.
Yue Xi originally had two Origin Grade artifacts, but both were Low-Rank, and although they could boost her combat power slightly, the effect was extremely limited.
Yang Kai gave her his Feather Spirit Arrow and the Array Plate which had the Spectral Cloud Array sealed within it.
With the improvement of his strength, these two artifacts had become useless to him.
The Feather Spirit Arrow required one to pour their Saint Qi into it to fill it to a certain extent before releasing it all in one extremely potent attack. Unfortunately, the Saint Qi capacity only allowed it to be activated twice, after which it needed to be charged again.
With Yang Kai’s current methods, he did not need to use artifacts when confronting Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, and when dealing with Origin Kings, the Feather Spirit Arrow could not provide him with much help.
As such, he figured he could give it to Yue Xi.
The same was true for the Spectral Cloud Array Plate. It had little use to Yang Kai.
However, if these two artifacts were used effectively by Yue Xi, their peculiar abilities could greatly enhance her strength. With these two artifacts, Yue Xi could still pose a threat to a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator’s life despite her First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation.
Receiving these two artifacts, Yue Xi was unable to contain her joy.
Although she had Qin Wu Hui’s support in Sword Union and followed Gu Jian Xin, she could have never dreamed of receiving such treasures. Yang Kai’s wealth and generosity were simply shocking to her, in a pleasant way.
Yang Kai did not give any artifacts to the He Zao He Miao sisters because the two had just received a pair of Origin Grade Mid-Rank scimitars from Qin Wu Hui and were already busy adapting to their use.
When the two scimitars were combined into one, they formed a large, circular flying blade which was comparable to an Origin Grade High-Rank and possessed amazing lethality.
Having more artifacts wasn’t necessarily better.
Yang Kai handed two Origin Condensing Pills to He Zao and He Miao instead. In their current state, they only needed a bit more accumulation before they could attempt to break through to the Origin Realm.
In addition, Yang Kai gave the Master and Disciples a large number of Saint Crystals and pills they could use to cultivate before sending them to enter retreat.
Next, Yang Kai began arranging the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array in preparation to connect it to the transfer point he had built earlier.
Yang Kai deliberately chose the innermost palace as the location for the Space Array.
Refining all kinds of materials in a familiar way, engraving the Spirit Array, pouring his Space Force into it…
A few days later, a new Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array had been formed.
The Space Spirit Crystals in his hand had all been used up to finish this last Space Array! In fact, the number of Space Spirit Crystals almost failed to meet the needs of this array, but fortunately, Yang Kai’s calculations had been correct and he managed to complete it successfully.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai checked on Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao quickly, discovering that they were still in retreat. Nodding, Yang Kai then inserted enough Saint Crystals into the array and activated it.
In a flash, Yang Kai arrived on the Ore Star.
Among the underground ruins discovered by Yang Kai before, there was a brightly lit area with countless cultivators bustling about.
Yang Kai was surprised to discover that not only were there High Heaven Sect and Shadow Moon Hall disciples here, but also people from Clear Sky Sect and Coloured Glass Sect as well as many cultivators from Sects that had good relations with High Heaven Sect.
Evidently, Ye Xi Yun and the others had finished making preliminary arrangements here and had begun inviting cultivators from other Sects to come and mine this place.
“Sect Master Yang?” As Yang Kai was observing, a surprised call came not far away.
Yang Kai turned his head and discovered that the one who called out to him was none other than Mo Yu from Clear Sky Sect!
“Senior Mo,” Yang Kai said hello with a smile.
“It really is Sect Master Yang!” Mo Yu was overjoyed and quickly walked over, “I thought I had recognized the wrong person, but it turns out it really was you. Sect Master Yang, where did he come from?”
“Azure Tree Star!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Sect Master Yang’s abilities are astounding!” Mo Yu said with admiration, “If it weren’t for you, my Shadowed Star’s cultivators would have remained trapped forever, but now we can quickly and easily travel to other Cultivation Stars. I’m afraid no one other than our Shadowed Star cultivator’s can enjoy such convenience.”
“Haha,” Yang Kai laughed without denying it.
It was true. Without the Space Array based on his comprehension of the Dao of Space, ultra-long-distance teleportation was not possible. There may be so few Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Arrays in the Star Field, but those were definitely relics leftover from ancient times and did not have the stability and safety of the ones Yang Kai personally arranged.
No one dared to use those ancient Space Arrays unless absolutely necessary.
“Did Sect Master Yang come here to look for Great Elder Ye?” Mo Yu asked again.
“En, where are Great Elder and the others?”
“Come, I’ll take you there,” Mo Yu quickly led the way.
Because of the rise of High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star, countless Sects and families had begun forming closer ties with it. It was High Heaven Sect and Shadow Moon Hall who turned the tide of war when Corpse Spirit Religion was running rampant. This time, because Clear Sky Sect had a close relationship with High Heaven Sect, they were able to obtain an opportunity to come to the Ore Star to mine rare ores.
Mo Yu and Yang Kai shared a close friendship, so they chatted happily upon meeting once again.
Soon, Yang Kai saw Ye Xi Yun and Qian Tong, who were assuming command of the overall situation on the Ore Star.
After learning that he, Yang Kai, now owned a large territory on a Cultivation Star called Azure Tree Star and had connected it to the Space Array network, everyone was extremely excited.
This meant that the cultivators who had reached the limits of Shadowed Star now had a place where they could escape from the shackles of its World Principles and spy on the mysteries of the Origin King Realm.
Especially for Ye Xi Yun, she had been waiting for this day for a long, long time!
“When does Great Elder plan to leave?” Yang Kai looked at Ye Xi Yun and asked.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Ye Xi Yun shook her head and said, “I won’t be going there for now.”
Yang Kai went silent for a moment before quickly reacting, “Because of Yang Yan?”
“En!” Ye Xi Yun lightly smiled, “If I were to really break through to the Origin King Realm on Azure Tree Star, it would become difficult for me to stay on Shadowed Star for an extended period of time. Sect Master Qian’s circumstances are the best example. I think… only after she awakens, will I attend to my own affairs.”
“I see,” Yang Kai heard this and did not try to persuade her otherwise.
Ye Xi Yun had done much for Yang Yan. Last time, she had the opportunity to leave Shadowed Star with Yang Kai, but because Yang Yan was still slumbering, Ye Xi Yun chose to stay behind and stand guard. This time, she had made the same choice.
“Alright then,” Yang Kai smiled. “In any case, since it’s Great Elder, as long as the time is right, it shouldn’t be too difficult to break through to the Origin King Realm.”
“Sect Master thinks too highly of me,” Ye Xi Yun laughed lightly. “Throughout the ages, the Origin King Realm has always been the highest ambition of us cultivators. Countless Origin Returning Realm masters have been stuck at this juncture for their entire lives. It certainly won’t be that easy for me to reach that boundary.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, knowing that Ye Xi Yun was simply being modest.
If the previous Ye Xi Yun did not have complete confidence, the current Ye Xi Yun who had refined several Domain Stones and comprehended the mysteries of Domain had at least an eighty percent chance of smoothly breaking through to Origin King Realm.
“In any case, I came back this time just to tell you the good news,” Yang Kai turned his head and looked around, “As for when you will go to Azure Tree Star, you can arrange that amongst yourselves.”
“Don’t worry about this. When the time comes, Great Elder Ye, Brother Mo, and I will definitely organize a group of people to travel to Azure Tree Star,” Qian Tong laughed heartily. “How could we not grab hold of such a wondrous opportunity? Even if we break through to the Origin King Realm, it does not matter if we can’t remain on Shadowed Star for a long time. With the Space Array available, we can come and go freely, so Shadowed Star shouldn’t have any accidents.”
“Alright, when you go there, someone will be waiting to welcome you,” Yang Kai nodded, “By the way, you’ve been mining here for some time now. Have you found a Space Spirit Crystal mineral lode?”
“No,” Qian Tong shook his head and said. “This old master, Great Elder Ye, and Brother Mo have gone out several times to search for mineral lodes, but although this Ore Star is extremely rich, we’ve yet to discover a Space Spirit Crystal lode.”
Yang Kai was not surprised about this and had just been asking casually about Space Spirit Crystals, so he wasn’t disappointed with the negative response.
Yang Kai did not remain on the Ore Star for very long, and after explaining a few things while also getting some updates on the situation, he used the Space Array to return to his palace on Azure Tree Star.
This trip only took him half a day, so when he returned, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao were still in secluded retreat.
The rest of the day was spent without any surprises.
Zhu Liang brought the few Elders of Twin Shark Island to visit Yang Kai mainly to introduce themselves, but this was not surprising. Twin Shark Island was now Yang Kai’s territory and they would have to rely on him in the future, so how could they be negligent in such courtesies?
Yang Kai did not need to pay these few First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators much mind, simply entertaining them briefly before sending them away.
What Yang Kai was waiting for was word from Sword Union; he believed that, as a super force, they would surely be able to collect some Space Spirit Crystals for him. As long as he had enough Space Spirit Crystals, Yang Kai could set off again to arrange more Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays, eventually covering the entire Star Field, allowing Shadowed Star’s cultivator to travel wherever they wanted without worrying about the vast distances of the Star Field.
Tong Xuan Realm was especially important to Yang Kai!
He was eager to connect Shadowed Star to this homeland.
Unfortunately, there had been no news from Sword Union so far.
It was not until two months later that Yang Kai, who was cultivating, received a message from Yue Xi, “Someone from Sword Union is here.”
Yang Kai was very excited and got up quickly, going out to meet with this messenger as he secretly looked forward to how many Space Spirit Crystals he would be able to get this time.
He thought that Luo Lan would dispatch a subordinate of hers to complete this exchange, but Yang Kai was shocked to discover that Luo Lan had come herself!
“Why has Senior Luo come here in person?”
After inviting Luo Lan into the palace and offering her a seat in the greeting hall, Yang Kai could not help asking.
“Little Brother is Young Master’s friend. This Queen should naturally come here personally,” Luo Lan pursed her lips and smiled. “Why, am I not welcome?”
“Nonsense, Senior being able to visit my humble home is a great honour,” Yang Kai laughed heartily.
Of course, he did not believe that someone like Luo Lan would be so idle that she had time to come sight-seeing here, which meant that the reason she gave him was not the real one!
For a simple trade on behalf of Sword Union, Luo Lan could send any of her subordinates to complete it. Why would she need to come out in person?
Yang Kai faintly sensed that Luo Lan had some other purpose in coming here, but since the other party did not say anything yet, he didn’t ask.
“It’s quite quiet here,” Luo Lan turned her eyes around as she spoke. This palace stretched over ten kilometres in radius, but only Yang Kai, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao lived here. With the three women in retreat though, it was almost like Yang Kai was the only one who was present.
In normal times, the palace was indeed all but silent.
“Why not have Zhu Liang find some servants to take care of this palace?” Luo Lan asked, seemingly concerned.
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “That’s not necessary, I can handle things here myself, what would there even be for servants to do?”
“Fair enough, peace and quiet are best,” Luo Lan smiled before suddenly saying. “En, these are the Space Spirit Crystals that Little Brother requested. Although this Queen tried her best to collect them, as you know, Space Spirit Crystals are very rare so I don’t know if this quantity can meet your requirements.”
Saying so, Luo Lan took out a Space Ring, flicked her wrist, and sent it over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and caught it before sweeping its content with his Divine Sense, only to frown lightly at what he saw.
Luo Lan was observing carefully and couldn’t help asking in surprise, “What’s wrong? There are many Space Spirit Crystals in this Space Ring. Is it not enough for Little Brother?”
Yang Kai frowned and nodded, “It’s not much.”
Luo Lan wore a solemn look and asked, “What do you need so many Space Spirit Crystals for? These things don’t really have another purpose other than refining Space Rings, right?”
Yang Kai chuckled but did not answer.
Luo Lan seemed to realize she had asked something she shouldn’t have and apologized, “This Queen was simply curious, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Alright, if you wait for a while, I can contact the Home Star and have them collect some more for you.”
“How long would that take?” Yang Kai asked.
“The Home Star is not close to here, so even if they manage to collect some Space Spirit Crystals, it will take some time to deliver it. It would be at least a year, but even so, I don’t know how many Space Spirit Crystals they would be able to collect.”
“Forget it then,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
The Space Spirit Crystals that Luo Lan brought this time were not few, but for Yang Kai’s goal, they also weren’t many. These Space Spirit Crystals would only be enough to arrange a single Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, which obviously could not meet Yang Kai’s needs.
If he wanted to connect Tong Xuan Realm to Shadowed Star, he would need to build at least two or three Space Arrays to serve as transfer points in between!
“The formation of Space Spirit Crystals is quite difficult, and generally speaking, they only appear as by-products in different mineral lodes, making their number quite scarce. However, this Queen has heard of a place where numerous Void Cracks form large numbers of Space Spirit Crystals…” Luo Lan suddenly began speaking about a seemingly unrelated but associated topic, immediately acting mysterious and asking. “Is Little Brother interested in perhaps looking for Space Spirit Crystals on his own?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes before chuckling, “This is the real purpose of Senior coming here in person, right?”
Luo Lan smiled and did not try to deny it, “Since you’ve seen through me, then I won’t bother hiding.”
“Senior knows of a place where there are Void Cracks which form Space Spirit Crystals?” Yang Kai asked.
“En,” Luo Lan nodded. “I wonder if Little Brother is interested in going there?”
“And if I say I’m not?” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
Luo Lan didn’t seem surprised and simply laughed lightly, “Well… In addition to Space Spirit Crystals that may exist there, that place is also home to Shocking Void Beasts!”
“Shocking Void Beasts?” Yang Kai muttered under his breath as his eyes fixed on Luo Lan deeply and said, “It looks like Senior knows I am proficient in the Dao of Space. Was it Gu Jian Xin who told you?”
“If this wasn’t the case, do you think this Queen would come here in person?” Luo Lan smiled, “Since you used Space Force in front of the Young Master, you should have already known this would happen; however, you may rest assured, only I and Young Master know of this. No one else will.”
“It doesn’t matter if others know or not,” Yang Kai shrugged. “If I was afraid that people would know, I wouldn’t have used Space Force to kill Li Ming Hai.”
Luo Lan was startled, then smiled bitterly.
She could not help but feel like all the initiative she had in this situation was shattered by Yang Kai’s few words, making her feel somewhat weak.
After pondering for a while, she said in a serious tone, “Little Brother, since you cultivate the Dao of Space and have significant achievements in this domain, you must be aware of the benefits a Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core would have for you. This kind of exotic beast which can freely shuttle The Void is said to have gone extinct long ago, but there is one place where they still survive. If you can obtain one of their Monster Cores, I think your comprehension of the Dao of Space will increase a level. On top of that, there is a huge possibility that there are many Space Spirit Crystals in the place, more than enough for your needs. If I am not mistaken, you need Space Spirit Crystals to cultivate Space Force too, yes?”
Yang Kai neither confirmed nor denied her guess, simply asking, “And where would that be?”
Seeing him finally showing some interest, Luo Lan’s expression brightened but did not directly answer, instead asking, “If I told you that there is a higher realm above the Origin King Realm, would you think I am lying to you?”
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Luo Lan was stunned by his immediate response.
“Someone once told me that the Martial Dao has no peak! The Origin King Realm can naturally not be the ultimate goal of us cultivators,” Yang Kai explained casually.
“So that’s how it is!” Luo Lan relaxed and smiled; she had thought Yang Kai knew some terrifying information, but it turned out he just had his own dreams and aspirations.
In truth, Yang Kai really had this startling piece of information, but he had no intention of letting that be known.
Luo Lan added, “No one knows whether the Origin King Realm is the highest realm a cultivator can reach, but with a legendary character like the Starry Sky Great Emperor having once appeared, many Origin Kings feel that there must be a realm above the Origin King Realm. Additionally, above the Star Field we live in, there must also be a higher realm.”
“Why do you say that?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Because the place I spoke of to you is actually a fragment that was severed from that higher realm,” Luo Lan said solemnly. “We call it the Severed World, and the World Energy and World Principles of that place are somewhat different from those of any Cultivation Star in the Star Field. Not only that, but that place contains countless opportunities. Without even mentioning the various rare and precious cultivation resources there, some people even managed to bring back herbs and ores which surpass the Origin King Grade from it. These precious resources allowed some to easily enhance their cultivation. We Origin Kings have an exceedingly difficult time enhancing our cultivation, but if one is lucky enough to find some rare resource from that place, it may be enough to break through one’s shackles and reach a higher level.”
“The Severed World?” Yang Kai frowned.
“En, the World Principles there are more suitable for cultivators to cultivate in.”
“And that’s the place you want me to go to?”
“Yes,” Luo Lan nodded.
“If what you say is true though, wouldn’t those Third-Order Origin Kings who have secluded themselves from the world and go there to attempt to break through to a higher realm?”
“No,” Luo Lan smiled, “After all, that place is only a fragmented world, and although it comes from a higher realm, it still exists within the Star Field, so it cannot satisfy the needs of those Third-Order Origin Kings to make a breakthrough. There have been a few Third-Order Origin Kings who entered that place before, but the result was that none of them could enhance their cultivation further. Also… how many Third-Order Origin Kings do you think there are in the Star Field? Most of them are old monsters that no longer appear unless something sensational occurs.”
“But there will be Second-Order Origin Kings there, right?”
“Possibly,” Luo Lan nodded.
“Since it is a place where Origin Kings go to seek opportunities, why ask me to accompany you there? I’m only a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator,” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“You may be a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, but you’re anything but normal, right?” Luo Lan asked, “This Queen has never heard of any Third-Order Origin Returning Realm that can kill an Origin King, and don’t say it was because you made a sneak attack. If an Origin King could be casually killed just because they were sneak attacked, they would not be an Origin King. I came to you first because you are not weak, so you shouldn’t be a burden for me, but more importantly, I need your help specifically for something in that place!”
“You need my help specifically?” Yang Kai raised his brow thoughtfully but quickly understood, “Because I cultivate the Dao of Space?”
“Exactly!” Luo Lan nodded, her expression saying that it much easier dealing with a smart person, “The Severed World is filled with Void Cracks, some visible, some not, but all of them extremely dangerous, even to Origin Kings. Every time that place opens, several Origin Kings get lost to those Void Cracks, I do not want to suffer such a fate! Since you are proficient in the Dao of Space though, it should be easy for you to sense those Void Cracks.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded, “But… will it be alright for you to bring in an Origin Returning Realm cultivator like me?”
“Why not?” Luo Lan chuckled, “Any Origin King that is qualified to enter can bring another person with them, so you won’t be the only Origin Realm cultivator there!”
“There will be others?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Yes, but not many; however, since that place is extremely well suited for Origin Kings to cultivate in, it is naturally an excellent place for Origin Realm cultivators to cultivate as well. Some people even enter that place in order to break through to the Origin King Realm.”
Speaking until here, Luo Lan said, “That’s all the information I know about this. I came here today to ask Little Brother for his help; of course, this is also a good opportunity for you.”
“Opportunities are accompanied by risks.”
“You’re already a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator at such a young age, so you must have already experienced more than your fair share of risks, no?” Luo Lan giggled lightly, “Cultivation itself is a process of competing against others, the Heavens, and oneself. Only by going all out will one succeed!”
Yang Kai took a deep breath, pondered for a while, and said, “I need to think about this.”
“Naturally. In any case, there’s still time. Please give me an answer after careful consideration.”
Luo Lan being able to say so already showed her sincerity.
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “Good, then I’ll have to ask Senior to remain here a few days. I will have an answer for you three days later.”
“Then this Queen will wait for good news. If you can accompany this Queen, I believe the journey will be much safer.”
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai and Luo Lan left Twin Shark Island together and set off for the Azure Tree Palace.
In all honesty, Space Spirit Crystals that Luo Lan mentioned being formed in the Void Cracks did not have much attraction to Yang Kai. Although these things were scarce, Yang Kai only needed to travel to a few more Cultivation Stars and he would be able to collect a sufficient amount.
With the financial and material resources he currently possessed, he did not have any problem purchasing a large amount of Space Spirit Crystals, it would only take him some time.
What really attracted Yang Kai’s attention was the Shocking Void Beast which could freely shuttle The Void!
This was an exotic ancient beast that lived in The Void, and its Monster Core was of great help to those who cultivated the Dao of Space. Currently, Yang Kai had reached a bottleneck in his cultivation of the Dao of Space and opening the Sealed World Bead had become extremely slow; however, if he could obtain the Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core and use it as the primary material in a Spirit Pill, it would allow him to make a qualitative leap in his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
Since there would not be any Third-Order Origin Kings in the Severed World, Yang Kai had nothing to worry about.
He was confident that he could escape from a Second-Order Origin King with his current abilities.
As such, after three days of consideration, he agreed to Luo Lan’s request and decided to go with her to the Severed World.
Before leaving, Yang Kai ordered Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Mao to remain in the palace and told them that if a cultivator holding a token with the character for ‘High’ on it appeared suddenly, there was no need to panic because they were from High Heaven Sect. Just receive them courteously.
Although the Master and Disciple trio were confused, not understanding how someone would suddenly just appear in the palace, they did not ask anything and just accepted their task.
A few days later, Yang Kai and Luo Lan came to the Azure Tree Palace.
After arranging a room for Yang Kai to rest in, Luo Lan started making preparations. Since she was leaving Azure Tree Star on this trip, so naturally had many affairs to settle. She also had much to prepare to enter the Severed World.
As for Yang Kai though, he just sat in meditation in his room.
Gu Jian Xin was no longer here. According to Luo Lan, the Young Union Master of Sword Union had left more than a month ago, but he had repeatedly told Luo Lan to treat Yang Kai carefully.
Time flew by and soon a month had passed.
Yang Kai, who was meditating, received a Divine Sense Message from Luo Lan suddenly and immediately ended his retreat, opened the door, and walked out.
Outside the door, Luo Lan was waiting for him, and after seeing him come out, she gently nodded and led the way.
Outside the Azure Tree Palace, an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Starship had been prepared. The two entered the Starship, and not long after, it took off and headed towards the Star Field.
“The Severed World is located in a certain remote region of the Star Field and its entrance is wrapped in countless Void Cracks. Normally, it is impossible to enter, but once in a while, the surrounding Void Cracks stabilize, and the entrance can be opened. At that time, it is necessary for multiple Origin Kings to jointly execute a special Secret Technique. Once we get there, we will have to wait for some time before we can enter,” Luo Lan explained to Yang Kai as she led him through the Starship.
“Do you know the other Origin Kings who will be entering?” Yang Kai asked.
“I know some of them, and I will recognize the names of others even if I’ve never met them before; however, I won’t know all of them as the entry time for the Severed World isn’t fixed, so only those who receive the news and are hoping to search for opportunities or to break through will appear,” Luo Lan stopped in front of a certain room and said. “You can live here for the time being. If you need anything, just ask. We’ll arrive at our destination in about a month.”
Yang Kai nodded and entered the room.
Upon entering, Yang Kai walked over to the bed, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.
Nothing happened over the next month, which Yang Kai spent entirely in meditation. Luo Lan did not come to visit him during this time, nor did any of the Sword Union cultivators disturb him.
It was not until one month later that Yang Kai felt the Starship stop.
Luo Lan’s voice sounded outside his room soon after, “Yang Kai.”
Yang Kai’s figure flickered, and he opened the door, nodding to Luo Lan lightly before the two of them walked out.
The Starship’s main hatch opened, and the two rushed out like lightning.
After the two left, the Starship turned around and sailed back along the path it took.
Standing in the void, Luo Lan looked left and right to get her bearings before speaking, “Follow me.”
Saying so, she summoned her Star Shuttle and began leading the way.
Two streams of light, one in front and one behind, soared through the vast, empty Star Field.
Yang Kai remained silent as he followed behind Luo Lan, avoiding the occasional asteroid and Starry Sky Storm they encountered.
He did not know how much time passed, but at a certain point, Yang Kai suddenly saw a circular object floating in the void up ahead that exuded a dazzling brilliance.
Even from far away, Yang Kai could feel the fluctuation of Space Force coming from this object.
“Is that…” Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Luo Lan.
“En, that’s the entrance,” Luo Lan relaxed after seeing the scene ahead. “It seems that we’ve arrived early. The entrance has not stabilized yet and cannot be opened temporarily.”
“The Space Force fluctuations coming from it are indeed chaotic…” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
“You can feel them?” Luo Lan looked at him in surprise.
“You know I am proficient in the Dao of Space. Why wouldn’t I be able to feel them?” Yang Kai chuckled lightly.
Luo Lan’s eyes lit up, “It really was a wise choice to bring you here. At this distance, I can only feel that there is danger up ahead. Even if a Third-Order Origin King wanted to break in, I am afraid they would meet a terrible end. I don’t know what will happen next, but Yang Kai, you have to remember, don’t expose your ability in front of other people here, otherwise…”
“I know,” Yang Kai interrupted her, how could he not understand the truth that an ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make one guilty? If his ability to read Space Force fluctuations was really exposed, he would instantly become the target of every Origin King present.
Luo Lan gently nodded and continued flying together with Yang Kai.
The closer the pair got to the entrance, the clearer Yang Kai could sense the Space Force fluctuations, his eyes gradually revealing a trace of excitement. Originally, he had followed Luo Lan on this trip primarily to hunt a Shocking Void Beast and obtain its Monster Core, but what he had not anticipated was that he would have some gains even just by reaching his place.
Others could only sense that there was danger surrounding the entrance, but Yang Kai could feel the essence of the Space Force coming from it. The chaotic fluctuations here helped him comprehend the mysteries of the Dao of Space and it was not long before he reached a state of enlightenment.
A few hours later, the two had already arrived not far from the entrance.
Observing from a close distance, this entrance was about five kilometres in length and exuded a white brilliance, but in front of the entrance, a pitch-black Void Crack would flit about like a fish from time to time.
These swimming Void Cracks blocked anyone from attempting to pass through the entrance and were no doubt the most dangerous barrier here.
Near the entrance, there were already several figures waiting. There were not many people present, only seven or eight, most of them alone, with only a few clearly in pairs.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to investigate too presumptuously because he knew that these people were basically all Origin Kings!
These people stood far apart, indicating that they were from different great forces and had no plans to join forces. Some had closed their eyes and were resting while others were looking about, their outfits all quite different.
When Luo Lan and Yang Kai arrived, they immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
“Elder Luo dares to come to this place?” Not far to the left, a hoarse voice suddenly called out with a hint of frivolousness.
Luo Lan heard this voice, furrowed her delicate brow, and glanced over towards its source, her expression fluctuating a few times before she quickly said, “So it is Elder Cui! Since Elder Cui can come, why can’t this Queen come?”
The man surnamed Cui chuckled, “This Cui certainly didn’t mean to imply that, but… the Severed World is extremely dangerous. Is Elder Luo not afraid she might accidentally perish inside?”
“Elder Cui need not concern himself with this Queen’s safety, he should instead worry about his own,” Luo Lan snapped back.
As soon as these two met, they began bickering like this, so obviously, they were quite familiar with one another and had grievances between them. Yang Kai stood beside Luo Lan, observing this man’s words and expressions but remaining silent, simply taking note of him in his heart.
The man surnamed Cui nearly choked on Luo Lan’s blunt remarks, but he did not show any annoyance, instead, just grinned lightly, “Elder Luo, although there are some misunderstandings between you and me, in the end, we’re both Elders of Sword Union. Since we’ve both come here, why not work together? That way, it will be much safer for everyone.”
“This Luo Lan will take Elder Cui’s kindness to heart, but… this Queen is not alone this time. Elder Cui should invite someone else,” Luo Lan replied lukewarmly, rejecting the other party’s proposal.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, only now realizing that this man surnamed Cui was also an Elder of Sword Union.
It seemed that he was an opponent from Sword Union’s Vice Union Master’s faction, otherwise, Luo Lan would not have treated him so coldly.
The man surnamed Cui glanced at Yang Kai thoughtfully as his eyes flashed like a poisonous snake and he said, “Elder Luo brought this little boy with her? Why has this old master never seen him before? Elder Luo bringing a Junior here… do you want him to gain something from the Severed World, or perhaps expect him to break through to the Origin King Realm?”