“Isn’t it President Hua?” Just as Hua You Meng was lost in her own thoughts, a voice suddenly called out from the side. After hearing this voice though, Hua You Meng could not help frowning as she turned her head toward its source.
Not far away, a man who seemed to be about thirty years old walked straight toward the pair, a lewd smile on his face as his two eyes constantly swept over the sensitive parts of Hua You Meng’s body.
This man was dressed in luxurious clothes and had overall good looks, but his narrow eyes gave him an insidious air. When he stared at her like this, Hua You Meng suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Behind this man, there are two Origin Returning Realm cultivators with cold expressions on their faces, obviously guards.
“Jiang Chao!” Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes could not help flashing with a light of disgust and fear, but soon, she thought that she was not alone now and was being accompanied by Yang Kai, so she quickly restored her indifference.
“Haha, meeting President Hua here by chance. This must be fate,” Jiang Chao didn’t seem to notice Hua You Meng’s revulsion and spoke to her with great enthusiasm.
“President Jiang surely jests. You and I are both Presidents of our respective chambers of commerce. As the saying goes, your closest peers are also your rivals, there is certainly no fate between you and me,” Hua You Meng said coldly.
“Rivals?” Jiang Chao didn’t pay her insults any mind and simply grinned widely, “I prefer the saying that one is most intimate with their rivals. If that’s the case, this Young Lord would very much like to be President Hua’s rival.”
Hearing this blatant innuendo in his words, Hua You Meng could not help her pretty face from sinking as she snapped, “President Jiang, please show some propriety!”
“Haha, why need does this Young Lord have to show propriety in front of you? We will soon become one family after all.” Jiang Chao laughed, “By the way, have you considered the proposal I made to you six months ago? This Young Lord’s patience is running a bit thin. President Hua suddenly left Purple Star City half a year ago, making it impossible for this Young Lord to find you, but now that we’ve encountered one another again, I hope you can give this Young Lord an answer.”
Hua You Meng’s expression was extremely ugly as she ground her teeth and glared at him.
Jiang Chao saw this but simply sneered, “President Hua, you should know well that your little chamber of commerce is incapable of accomplishing anything significant on its own, yes? Since that is the case, it would be best to merge it with this Young Lord’s Saint Yuan Chamber of Commerce. Under this Young Lord’s leadership, what worry will you have about being able to develop in the future? If it were not for President Hua being a woman, with such small shoulders to carry such a heavy burden, do you think this Young Lord would offer you such a big opportunity? This Young Lord always shows tender affection and simply cannot bear to watch a beauty suffer.”
“President Jiang, I already gave you an explicit answer last time. My Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will never merge with your Saint Yuan Chamber of Commerce. Please give up and never bother me again,” Hua You Meng finished speaking and quickly turned to Yang Kai. “Let’s go.”
“Go?” Jiang Chao’s narrow eyes narrowed further as he moved quickly to block Hua You Meng’s path, “You think you can just leave? Since we have met today, don’t even think of leaving without giving me a satisfactory answer. Today, you have to agree to my proposal, even if you don’t agree!”
“You can’t stop me!” Hua You Meng exclaimed, “This is Purple Star City…”
“Ha!” Jiang Chao sneered, “So what if it is Purple Star City? President Hua seems to be misunderstanding this Young Lord’s previous courtesy for weakness. Have you forgotten about my identity? This Young Lord truly has not done anything yet, but even if he did, so what? What’s more… This Young Lord has heard that your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce made some trouble at the city gate yesterday. Although this Young Lord does not know why nothing has happened to you yet, if this Young Lord were to seize you and hand you over to the guards, surely he would be rewarded rather than punished.”
Hearing him mention his identity, Hua You Meng seemed to have remembered something and her pretty face could not help paling slightly, looking quite fearful.
Seeing her hesitancy, Jiang Chao sneered, “President Hua, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a loss. This Young Lord only has so much patience. Give me a satisfactory answer now and we will still be one family. If not…”
Hua You Meng looked helpless and had no choice but to turn to Yang Kai imploringly.
Yang Kai sighed, knowing that he would not be able to stay out of this matter anymore and took a step forward, patting Hua You Meng’s shoulder before having her step back behind him. Looking at Jiang Chao in front of him, Yang Kai suddenly chuckled, “Friend, did you forget to bring something when you went out today?”
Jiang Chao looked Yang Kai over with his slit eyes and spat fiercely, “Where did you come from little brat? You dare speak to this Young Lord?”
Seeing Hua You Meng’s docile and submissive appearance towards Yang Kai, he suddenly felt flames of jealousy burning in his heart, so he didn’t choose to be polite.
“You dare to call yourself ‘Young Lord’ in front of me, it seems you really forgot something when you went out today,” Yang Kai smiled.
Jiang Chao coldly spat, “Boy, why don’t you tell me what this Young Lord forgot!”
Yang Kai lifted his hand lightly, and before Jiang Chao could even react, Yang Kai tapped his finger on his forehead, smiled, and said, “Didn’t this friend forget his brain when he went out?”
Jiang Chao stumbled back several steps as a look of horror appeared on his face. He was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, yet he could not even resist a light tap on his forehead, showing just how great the gap in strength between him and his opponent was. Given that, if the other party had any murderous intent just now, wouldn’t he already be dead?
Thinking so, Jiang Chao suddenly broke out into a cold sweat while simultaneously becoming angry out of shame and shouting, “Bastard, you dare mock me?”
Yang Kai laughed heartily and shook his head, “If you really brought your brain with you, how could you not understand the reason why we are still doing fine after beating someone up at the city gate yesterday?”
“What? Why is that?” Jiang Chao was confused by Yang Kai’s words.
“So, it turns out that friend didn’t go out without his brain but instead has a pig’s brain!” Yang Kai showed a sudden look of understanding.
*Puchi…*
Hua You Meng heard this and could not stop herself from laughing, but quickly realizing she was acting inappropriately, she hurriedly covered her red lips with her delicate hand.
“Impudence!” Jiang Chao was furious and his Saint Qi unconsciously burst forth as he charged forward, wanting to beat Yang Kai up.
The expressions of the two cultivators who had been following him changed drastically when they saw this and they both hurried forward to grab him, one of them seeming to realize something and quickly whispering into Jiang Chao’s ear.
Jiang Chao snorted and shouted angrily, “Has some kind of background? Even if he does, could it be stronger than this Young Lord’s? This Young Lord is a member of the Jiang Family! My Grandfather is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder! Whose background could be bigger than mine?”
Yang Kai took a look at Hua You Meng in amazement, “Is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder from his Jiang Family?”
“En, Elder Jiang Chang Feng is one of his Jiang Family’s Ancestors,” Hua You Meng nodded solemnly. Because of this, she was helpless regarding Jiang Chao’s harassment. Although Jiang Chao and the Eighth Elder were separated by many generations, possibly only meeting a few times a year and making them practically strangers, he could still walk sideways in Purple Star City with such a background.
Jiang Chao had taken an interest in Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and Hua You Meng personally for more than just a day or two, and if it were not for Hua You Meng actively avoiding him, it was difficult to say how things would have ended up already.
“Boy, are you scared?” Jiang Chao looked at Yang Kai triumphantly, “Kneel down and admit your mistakes now and this Young Lord may spare you, otherwise…”
“Otherwise?” Yang Kai looked at Jiang Chao with a smile, without any fear.
“Ignorant boy!” Jiang Chao raged and his anger overcame his hesitation, waving his hand as he commanded, “Take him for me!”
The two cultivators behind him hesitated, knowing that Yang Kai was not someone they should provoke, but since Jiang Chao had given an order, they had no choice but to obey. With a flicker, the two of them rushed towards Yang Kai one after another.
Both of these guards were Third-Order Origin Realm masters, and their personal strength was quite good, so although they were unable to figure out Yang Kai’s depths, they thought that the other side wouldn’t be able to resist when they teamed up.
But reality was destined to surprise them. Just as they rushed out towards Yang Kai, before they could even use any of their methods, they saw Yang Kai grin at them and simply wave his hands lightly.
This action was carefree and casual, as if he was driving away an annoying fly.
However, these two light slaps caused them to be simultaneously involved in a vortex of power they could not break away from.
“This is…”
“Not good!” The two yelled at the same time as they madly pushed their Saint Qi to resist, but in front of the powerful vortices, their Saint Qi was as vulnerable as weak as paper and was instantly shredded.
Two screams rang out as the two guards were thrown to the left and right respectively, smashing the shop walls on either side of the street and leaving behind gaping holes.
Suddenly, much cursing and scolding sounded from the nearby shops as many cultivators rushed out of the damaged buildings, searching for the one who dared stir up trouble in Purple Star City.
Jiang Chao standing stunned, his slit eyes bulging wide as he drew a sharp break and stared at Yang Kai in amazement, instantly understanding something and calling out in alarm, “Origin King Realm!?”
Although his two guards were not masters that stood at the apex of Origin Realm, they were definitely not weak, but the two of them had been defeated swiftly with just a light slap to the air. Only an Origin King would be able to accomplish this.
This simple-looking young man, who was definitely less handsome than him, was actually an Origin King? And he had just cursed him as a bastard?
Jiang Chao’s teeth began to chatter as he stared at Yang Kai in horror, feeling like the light smile on the other party’s face now looked quite terrifying.
He wanted to escape, but was shocked to discover that he couldn’t even circulate his Saint Qi at all. His feet seemed to be fixed in place and he was only able to watch as Yang Kai stepped towards him slowly.
The aura of death which began to shroud him caused Jiang Chao to shiver in fright!
“Who dares act dissolute in Purple Star City!” An angry shout suddenly came from far away and a group of guards flew out of the crowd, instantly surrounding the place where Yang Kai and Jiang Chao stood, glaring at the two troublemakers with gloomy faces.
“Purple Star City expressly forbids fighting and killing! If anyone dares disobey, their cultivation will be wasted, and they will be thrown into the Frozen Prison or immediately killed. Commander Lu has publicly proclaimed this several times, yet there seems to be some who still don’t take it seriously. This Vice Commander is here to ensure that those who refuse to obey Purple Star City’s laws… ah… So, it was Sir here… Qu Zheng greets Sir!”
Purple Star City Guard’s response time was fast. It had only been five breaths or so since Yang Kai swatted away the two Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators, yet someone had already rushed to the scene.
What’s more, the one who appeared was Qu Zheng, one of the eight Vice Commanders of Purple Star City’s Guard!
Hearing Qu Zheng’s stern shout, all the onlookers felt that Yang Kai was about to face great trouble and would possibly even lose his life.
In Purple Star City, there were very few fights so the guards had nothing to do all day; as such, when even a small dispute broke out, they would deal with it harshly. Yet today, someone thrashed two Origin Realm cultivators in the street, so how could this young man’s fate possibly be good?
After hearing Qu Zheng’s voice, Jiang Chao became so excited tears nearly left his eyes. Right now, he was like a wronged young wife who saw her in-law’s family come to her rescue. Staring at Qu Zheng, Jiang Chao was eagerly awaiting him to uphold justice for him…
However, Qu Zheng’s abrupt change in attitude caused Jiang Chao’s anxiety to resurface.
Qu Zheng actually called this bastard ‘Sir’ and was now bowing to and flattering him…
[Just who the hell is this boy?] Jiang Chao was completely confused.
“So it is Vice Commander Qu!” Yang Kai recognized at a glance that this person was the Vice Commander who came to deliver the box of land deeds to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Although the two had never met face to face, with Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, he naturally remembered Qu Zheng’s appearance.
The reason why Qu Zheng was able to recognize Yang Kai was some simple deductive reasoning.
At this moment, a young man who he could not see through stood next to Hua You Meng. Besides the Great Sir Commander Lu told him about, who else could it be?
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, Qu Zheng immediately confirmed his guess and knew that this was the Sir who even Commander Lu had to treat with great respect!
Qu Zheng immediately became even more humble and waved his hand quickly, “I dare not! Sir is too polite. How could this Qu call himself Vice Commander in front of Sir?”
After speaking, he asked carefully, “Sir, what happened here?”
“Nothing much,” Yang Kai chuckled and pointed at Jiang Chao. “This friend here wanted to rely on his status to annex President Hua’s Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, but after being rejected by President Hua, he became angry out of shame and tried to use force. This King couldn’t just stand by and watch so he simply gave him a small lesson.”
“What?” Qu Zheng was furious, “Who doesn’t fear the Heavens and dares to use force against President Hua? Are they impatient to die?”
Saying so, he cast a menacing glance towards Jiang Chao, but after seeing the other party’s face clearly, Qu Zheng could not help being startled, “Young Master Jiang?”
Upon recognizing Jiang Chao, Qu Zheng’s mood turned gloomy…
Jiang Chao, a mere rich second generation, had a conflict with Sir. What was Qu Zheng supposed to do? Although Jiang Chao was a waste, he was still the descendant of Elder Jiang Chang Feng, not someone a small Vice Commander like him could afford to offend. This mysterious Sir, however, was someone even Commander Lu treated with reverence. Sandwiched between these two, how was Qu Zheng supposed to settle this matter?
Qu Zheng suddenly wished he had never come to this place…
However, there was no point in regretting now. Qu Zheng could only curse Jiang Chao in his heart while wondering how this good for nothing rich second generation could be so blind as to offend this Sir.
“So it is Vice Commander Qu! Please enforce justice for this Young Lord!” Jiang Chao saw Qu Zheng’s apprehensive look and was immediately overjoyed, putting on a pitiful expression as he pleaded, “Vice Commander Qu, this Young Lord was not trying to use force on President Hua and was simply trying to have a discussing with her about merging our two chambers of commerce. Vice Commander Qu must also know that in business, both parties must meet to agree on mutual terms in order to be successful, but this man came in out of nowhere and indiscriminately attacked my two guards! Vice Commander Qu, just look at them! They haven’t even gotten up yet! Who knows if they’re even alive or dead? I don’t know whether they have families of their own or parents they need to care for, but in their condition…”
Speaking with emotion, Jiang Chao began shedding tears and snot.
“This…” Cold sweat broke out on Qu Zheng’s forehead as he constantly lifted his hand to wipe it. This was no longer a situation a small Vice Commander like him could handle. No matter who he sided with, he would offend the other.
“Vice Commander Qu, you just said that Purple Star City does not allow anyone to fight or kill within its borders, and if there are violators their cultivation will be crippled and they will be thrown into the Frozen Prison, or they will be executed on the spot! This man clearly despises our Purple Star City’s laws. I ask Vice Commander Qu to enforce the law impartially to preserve the peace of Purple Star City!” Jiang Chao said with a rousing tone, secretly celebrating to himself as he imagined the scene of Yang Kai being brought down and shamed.
Yang Kai only looked at him like a fool.
Qu Zheng’s expression had gone completely ugly and he could not wait to slap Jiang Chao’s mouth shut.
Purple Star City indeed had such rules, but everything depended on who those laws were aimed at. People with enough background could ignore these rules, and the Sir standing in front of Qu Zheng was obviously one such person.
Qu Zheng did not dare to deal with Yang Kai, much less the ability, but he was backed into a corner by Jiang Chao’s words, so now he felt like he was being roasted on a fire, uncomfortable all over. More than anything though, he hated Jiang Chao to death.
“Vice Commander Qu, do you want to arrest this King?” Yang Kai looked at Qu Zheng with a smile.
“Sir surely jests! I wouldn’t dare!” Qu Zheng’s forehead was now dripping wet and his face was flushed red, “The circumstances here are unclear. This Qu needs to investigate before making a decision.”
Jiang Chao slit eyes widened as he exclaimed in dissatisfaction, “Vice Commander Qu, why are you speaking such nonsense? My two guards being injured is a clear fact, what more needs to be investigated?”
[Damn your eighteen generations of ancestors!] Qu Zheng cursed viciously in his heart…
Just when he was at a loss and did not know how to deal with the matter though, Qu Zheng suddenly raised his head and perked up his ears, as if he had heard something, his face soon filling with joy.
In the blink of an eye, Qu Zheng restored his calmness and he cast a stern gaze towards Jiang Chao. Under the Young Lord’s stunned gaze, Qu Zheng yelled, “Young Master Jiang, the truth of this matter has been illuminated. What happened today is not the fault of this Sir but is instead a result of your endless pestering and disrespect. This Sir only acted to give some slight punishment for your offence.”
“Huh?” Jiang Chao was taken aback, never having expected Qu Zheng would dare to say this. What’s more, Qu Zheng only stood in place and did nothing, so how could he now ‘know the truth of the matter’?
“Young Master Jiang, since you are the guilty party, please come with this Vice Commander,” Qu Zheng was already incredibly angry with Jiang Chao, so now that he had someone stronger supporting him and didn’t have to fear any consequences, he was looking forward to dealing with Jiang Chao.
“Qu Zheng, you dare!” Jiang Chao shouted, “You dare arrest me?! This Young Lord is the grandson of Eighth Elder! If this matter today is brought to Eighth Elder’s attention, do you think you’ll have a good end?”
Qu Zheng’s face changed slightly, but he soon sneered and shouted, “Young Master Jiang’s courage is great! This Vice Commander is responsible for enforcing the law on behalf of Purple Star City and Purple Star! Even if this matter is brought to Eighth Elder’s attention, he will not raise any objections, but you dare try to intimidate and threaten this Vice Commander? Do you not put Purple Star in your eyes?”
“What bullshit are you spouting?” Jiang Chao roared at the injustice he felt, never having imagined things would develop like this.
“You have no say in this matter, come with this Vice Commander immediately.”
“Qu Zheng, don’t use chicken feathers as arrows! Think carefully about this Young Lord’s identity before you act!” Jiang Chao tried to act strong and snarled.
Qu Zheng simply waved his hand impatiently and shouted, “Take him!”
Several Purple Star City guards rushed forward and subdued Jiang Chao.
Jiang Chao struggled violently while cursing everyone around him.
Qu Zheng frowned and said, “Seal his meridians.”
When the guards holding down Jiang Chao heard this, they slapped their palms onto his back and rendered him immobile, unable to even speak.
“Vice Commander Qu enforces the law impartially and acts with high character and integrity. This King is impressed!” Yang Kai smiled at Qu Zheng and cupped his fists.
Qu Zheng flushed and said humbly, “Sir is too polite, this is only this Qu’s duty. En, since the culprit has been caught, this Qu won’t disturb Sir any further.”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Qu Zheng bowed once more before leading the guards off quickly.
The many onlookers were still in shock to this point, unable to believe that Jiang Chao, who had always walked sideways in Purple Star City, had actually been captured and taken away by Qu Zheng. When everyone looked at Yang Kai now, their expressions contained a mix of awe and fear, wondering just what this young man’s origins were that actually made Qu Zheng favour him so heavily over Jiang Chao.
Hua You Meng’s face was also blank.
Although she knew that Yang Kai could even scare Lu Tian Feng and his identity must be extraordinary, in front of everyone’s eyes, Qu Zheng had actually given no face to Eighth Elder Jiang Chang Feng to support him!
How high did Yang Kai’s status have to be for Qu Zheng to make such a choice?
Was he even more powerful than Purple Star’s Eighth Elder?
Hua You Meng stared at the stalwart figure in front of her in a daze, like she was trying to see through a cloud of mist shrouding a giant mountain, confusing her beautiful eyes.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai whispered to Hua You Meng before walking towards the direction of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Before leaving though, Yang Kai glanced up in a certain direction and grinned slightly.
“Ah… en,” Hua You Meng followed in a kind of trance.
A thousand or so metres away from where Yang Kai and Jiang Chao’s little conflict occurred, there was a restaurant called First Under Heaven.
This First Under Heaven establishment had nine floors. The first through third were for ordinary cultivators to drink and have fun while the fourth floor and above were reserved for those with strength and status. The higher the floor, the higher the requirements to enter.
The ninth floor only entertained peak-level masters and it was not possible to enter it with money alone; one needed to have a high reputation and status as well.
It was said that First Under Heaven was actually the private industry of several Elders from Purple Star.
At this moment, two people were sitting by a window on the ninth floor looking down at the scene below.
One of these two was an old man with half-squinted eyes. This old man’s aura was reserved to the limit, but the occasional energy fluctuations that came from him indicated he was an Origin King.
Opposite the old man sat a young man dressed up in noble attire. This young man had a folding fan in his hand and wore a proud and aloof expression that seemed to come from his very bones. His temperament and aura were quite extraordinary.
Both the old and young man stared at Yang Kai’s fading back, remaining silent for quite some time. The old man wore a solemn expression, but the young man seemed to be quite interested in Yang Kai, even showing a faint smile on his lips.
After Yang Kai’s back disappeared from his vision, the young man smiled slightly, “Interesting!”
“Rude boy!” The old man coldly snorted.
“Why does Old Ji say that?” The young man looked at the old man in surprise.
Ji Jun snorted, “That boy discovered that this old master and Second Young Master were sitting here, and also seemed to realize that the change in Qu Zheng’s attitude had something to do with us, but rather than thank us he simply chose to leave. How is that not rude?”
The young man was slightly surprised, “That person was even able to sense where Old Ji was hiding?”
Ji Jun nodded, “Second Young Master may not have seen it clearly, but that man glanced towards us directly before he left. Obviously, he found us long ago.”
The young man raised his brows, “Old Ji is a master at the peak of the First-Order Origin King Realm. Without a Divine Sense equivalent to a Second-Order Origin King’s, it should be impossible to find Old Ji. Doesn’t that mean this person really has a Second-Order cultivation?”
Ji Jun frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before saying, “This old master didn’t dare to probe too much, so he is unable to judge the cultivation of this person exactly. Although Lu Tian Feng had direct contact with him, according to him, he also could not see through the other party’s strength… so it seems that even if this person isn’t as strong as this old master, he may not be far off. As for whether he is a Second-Order or not, that remains to be verified.”
The young man grinned, “Good, good! It seems he dares act so arrogant because he has the strength to back it up; en, very much to this Young Lord’s liking.”
“Second Young Master…” Ji Jun looked at the young man hesitantly, “Do you want to recruit this person?”
The young man nodded, “Yes, the waters in Purple Star City have become turbulent for some time now. The faction headed by Great Elder is actively acting and has already touched many things it shouldn’t. If this Young Lord does not act decisively, then Purple Star’s surname will surely change.”
Ji Jun’s face changed slightly as he coldly snorted, “Great Elder’s faction must be seeking death if that’s really the case. After Master returns, they will all definitely be held accountable. However, Second Young Master, you… you have been keeping a low profile for so many years, so why are you anxious this time? Master and Young Master have been missing for almost two years, but after the Master left two years ago, he said that he and the Young Lord would be going out to take care of some important matters. They may return any time now. If Master returns and finds Second Young Master has… Second Young Master should understand. With Master’s ability, there are not many people in the Star Field who can threaten him, and fewer who can kill him. He will return sooner or later.”
A faint worry flashed across the young man’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as he chuckled and said, “What Old Ji said is true, but it is not that this Young Lord is anxious, it’s just… time will not wait for me. What’s more, I am not doing this for my sake, but for the Zi Family. Even if Father comes back, he won’t blame me for my actions.”
“I hope so,” Ji Jun nodded worriedly, seeing the young man in front of him insist on this, ceasing his admonishing.
“Old Ji, from your perspective, do you think I can win this person over?” The young man stared in the direction Yang Kai was leaving and asked.
“Everyone has a price, it only depends on whether Second Young Master can afford it.”
“En, what Old Ji said is true,” The young man smiled lightly. “In that case, we need to find out this man’s wants. Heh, Purple Star’s Third Venerable… This is a force that cannot be underestimated. At this point, he must not be allowed to slip away from this Young Lord’s palm!”
As he spoke, he clenched his fist, as if to clench the entire world, his purple hair flying out behind him…
When Yang Kai and Hua You Meng returned to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he could not help frowning as he narrowed his eyes towards the inside.
He discovered that there was an Origin King in the chamber of commerce, sitting in the backyard at this moment. Yang Kai did not know what this person was here for, only that the aura wasn’t familiar, so it definitely wasn’t Lu Tian Feng.
At that point in time, Gao Hong hurriedly came out from the chamber of commerce to greet them with an anxious look on her face.
“Sister Hong, what happened?” Hua You Meng looked at Gao Hong suspiciously.
Gao Hong glanced at Yang Kai and said softly, “Eighth Elder is waiting in the back… for Sir!”
“Eighth Elder?” Hua You Meng’s mind went dizzy as she almost fell over, her beautiful eyes glancing over at Yang Kai with a complicated look in them, feeling quite uneasy.
Since Yang Kai appeared in their Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, these great Sirs, who Hua You Meng only knew of before by reputation, were visiting her small shop one after another, causing her to feel like she was caught in some kind of strange, fantastical dream.
It was almost like the small Five Paths Chamber of Commerce had become a giant invisible vortex that was drawing in these powerful masters one by one.
What worried Hua You Meng was that any one of these Sirs could grind the chamber of commerce into dust with a single finger. Worse yet, it was actually Eighth Elder, the ancestor of Jiang Chao from before, who had come here. Could it be that the Eighth Elder’s sudden visit was related to what happened just now?
Hua You Meng panicked suddenly and could only turn to Yang Kai pleadingly, “Sir.”
Yang Kai just frowned slightly before saying, “I’ll go take a look.”
Although he had already expected to be embroiled in countless troubles once he took out the Venerable Token, he hadn’t expected trouble to find him so quickly.
Yang Kai had never met Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, but the latter was no doubt an Origin King Realm master. Yang Kai also did not know what purpose the other party had in coming here, but he was at least certain it had nothing to do with Jiang Chao; after all, the timing was too tight. This Eighth Elder could not possibly have taken action so quickly for such a minor matter.
It seemed this Eighth Elder had some other business with him.
In the backyard, a white-faced old man was waiting gloomily, an extremely impatient look on his face. It was none other than Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng. To the side, Xia Jing Wu, Yao Qing, Hai Tang, and several others were standing nervously, stiff smiles pasted on their faces as none of them dared to even breathe loudly.
How were they even supposed to handle a Sir of this status? Although many came and went in Purple Star City, the overwhelming majority were Origin Returning Realm masters or Saint Kings. In fact, before recently, none of them had even spoken to an Origin King before.
The encounter with Lu Tian Feng last night was the first time any of them had been close to such a master.
But today, an Elder with even higher status than Lu Tian Feng had appeared! What’s more, this Eighth Elder didn’t seem to be in a very good mood. An oppressive aura radiated from his body, causing Xia Jing Wu and the others’ blood to roil. It was only with some difficulty that all of them managed to suppress the rioting of their vitality, so they didn’t cough up blood.
“You call this tea?” Jiang Chang Feng impatiently took a sip from the teacup on the table before furiously throwing it onto the ground and shouting, “You’re quite bold! This Elder came here in person, yet you dare use such poor quality tea to entertain him? Could it be that you don’t put this Elder in your eyes?!”
Xia Jing Wu shivered with fright as he was forced to the ground by the other party’s coercion and tremblingly said, “Eighth Elder, please understand, that was not our intention. This Distant Mountain Fog Tea is the best our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce has to offer.”
“This is your best tea? It’s nothing but garbage!” Jiang Chang Feng coldly snorted, his expression extremely displeased.
Xia Jing Wu smiled bitterly just thinking of the other party’s strength and status. How could the tea their small chamber of commerce possibly compare to the tea this Eighth Elder drank on a day to day basis?
This Distant Mountain Fog Tea was a rare and expensive brew for Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, but it was directly rated as trash by Eighth Elder.
Hai Tang and Yao Qing looked at the tea splashed on the floor and distressed expressions flashed across their faces. They were quite reluctant to drink this tea themselves and reserved it only for entertaining honored guests.
“Sir, please calm yourself. If this tea does not suit Sir’s taste, shall this old man go out and buy some better tea?” Xia Jing Wu accompanied him carefully.
“Hmph, there’s no need,” Jiang Chang Feng said gloomily, “This Elder didn’t come here to drink tea. Where is the one I’m looking for? Why is he still not here?”
“This…” Xia Jing Wu turned his head and looked out the door, but not seeing any approaching figures, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, “Reporting to Eighth Elder, that Sir went out with our President early in the morning and I don’t know where they went.”
“Then why aren’t you out looking for him?” Jiang Chang Feng was in an irritable mood and as he asked, he exerted an even stronger pressure onto Xia Jing Wu and the others and shouted, “I’ll give you a stick of incense worth of time, if you can’t find him by then…”
“You’ll do what?” Before Jiang Chang Feng’s words were finished, a different voice sounded from the chamber of commerce. As soon as this voice spoke, a person suddenly appeared from the building and quickly stood in front of Xia Jing Wu and the others, lifted his hand, and gently scattered the pressure weighing on them.
“Sir!” Xia Jing Wu and the others stared at Yang Kai’s back joyfully, “You’ve returned.”
Yao Qing and Hai Tang also looked at Yang Kai with grateful expressions. Although they were not familiar with Yang Kai, him appearing at this moment and helping them earned their gratitude.
As an Origin King himself, Yang Kai faced this Eighth Elder without any fear.
Yang Kai swept his eyes back and frowned when he saw Xia Jing Wu and the others’ condition, a trace of anger flashing across his face as he stretched out his hand to pull them up one by one before saying, “You can leave now.”
“Yes!” Xia Jing Wu and others did not raise any objections hearing these words and quickly ran out, panting heavily after they reached the interior of the shop, their faces pale.
In the backyard, Yang Kai turned his head to look at Jiang Chang Feng coldly before sneering, “Your Excellency certainly has an imposing air!”
Jiang Chang Feng frowned as he looked at Yang Kai, releasing his Divine Sense blatantly to probe him, seemingly wanting to spy on Yang Kai’s cultivation, but in the next moment, he realized that he could not see through the other party’s background.
Just when Jiang Chang Feng wanted to take his Divine Sense back, a look of amazement appeared on his face, because the other party’s body seemed to have turned into a whirlpool that drew in his Divine Sense continuously.
Jiang Chang Feng was shocked and desperately urged his Divine Sense to break free.
At that exact moment, the whirlpool that was holding his Divine Sense disappeared strangely.
Jiang Chang Feng couldn’t stop his actions in time, so his Divine Sense was drawn back forcefully, causing a powerful gust of wind while also rocking his Knowledge Sea.
With a muffled snort, Jiang Chang Feng stumbled back a few steps, his face turning pale as if he had suffered some small injuries.
There was a sneer at the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth as he looked at him mockingly.
This grin made Jiang Chang Feng a little bit embarrassed as he realized he had kicked an iron plate. More-so irritated though, he shot back, “Friend, what is your intention here?”
“What do you think my intention is?” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Seeing Yang Kai not give him any face, Jiang Chang Feng glared but didn’t dare try to test him again; after all, he had wanted to use his Divine Sense to probe Yang Kai’s depths but how could he have known this young man would have such strange methods, causing him to suffer a small loss?
Taking a deep breath to calm his roiling vitality, Jiang Chang Feng suppressed his anger and said, “Is this friend my Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
Yang Kai looked at him lightly and did not even respond, instead walking over to the table, picking up the pot of Distant Mountain Fog Tea, pouring himself a cup, then taking a sip before putting on a look of ecstasy and praising, “Good tea, good tea!”
Jiang Chang Feng’s old face was incredibly cold and gloomy as he knew this young man was doing this deliberately because of what happened just now. His annoyance at not being given any face began irritating him again. Regardless of anything else, he too was an Origin King; when had he ever been so despised? Unable to contain himself any longer, Jiang Chang Feng coldly snorted before proceeding, “This old master is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng. Dare I ask if this friend is my Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
Yang Kai picked his ear indifferently before sitting down and glancing back at Jiang Chang Feng frivolously, “Old Thing, in front of whom are you calling yourself ‘old master’? Who exactly are you calling your friend?”
“You…” Jiang Chang Feng was furious, trembling with anger.
Yang Kai just coldly snorted though, “You know that this King is a Purple Star Venerable, yet you still dare to show such disrespect? Have you lived all these years in vain?”
Since he knew that the one he was dealing with was Jiang Chang Feng, Yang Kai didn’t even make an effort to be civil. If the upper beam was crooked, the lower beam would be too. Yang Kai had just witnessed Jiang Chao’s disgraceful behaviour, so he was certain Jiang Chang Feng was also another waste.
Seeing Xia Jing Wu and others being persecuted by Jiang Chang Feng so ruthlessly without cause, Yang Kai only felt more annoyed.
What everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce experienced was essentially Yang Kai’s fault, so he was going to get some justice for them and did not display a courteous attitude.
Those who held a Purple Star Order were Purple Star Venerables, a position that was not below the top three Elders of Purple Star in terms of rank and privilege. Jiang Chang Feng was only the eighth-ranked Elder, so it stood to reason that when he saw Yang Kai, he should assume the stance of a subordinate. Yang Kai took full advantage of these rules, making Jiang Chang Feng helpless even if he was enraged.
As such, when Yang Kai’s words were uttered, Jiang Chang Feng could only endure.
Taking a deep breath to calm his anger again, Jiang Chang Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Just because Your Excellency says he is a Venerable, he is? Only those who hold a Venerable Token personally granted by the Sect Master can become one of my Purple Star’s Venerables. So far, Sect Master has only granted such tokens to two people, and as far as this old master knows, Your Excellency is not one of them!”
Yang Kai glanced at him faintly before taking out the Purple Star Order and tossing it over while snapping in an arrogant tone, “See with your own dog eyes if this Venerable Token is real or fake.”
Jiang Chang Feng hurriedly caught the Venerable Token and began carefully inspecting it. After he finished though, a look of confusion appeared on his face as he muttered, “This Venerable Token is real, but… why have my Purple Star’s Elders never been informed about the appearance of a third Venerable? When did Sect Master give Your Excellency this Venerable Token?”
“Is that any of your business?” Yang Kai sneered, “Or what? Does Eighth Elder believe your Sect Master needs to report his actions to you?”
Jiang Chang Feng’s face changed drastically as he said in a flurry, “Naturally not! This Jiang has no right to question how Sect Master acts.”
“Since you have no right to question then keep your mouth shut.”
Jiang Chang Feng’s expression fluctuated several times, but he eventually managed to choke down his anger before holding the Venerable Token in both hands and walking over to Yang Kai, “This Venerable Token is indeed authentic, so it is a certainty that Your Excellency is my Purple Star’s Third Venerable. This Elder had previously offended Third Venerable and asks to be forgiven!”
Yang Kai glanced at him sideways before continuing to drink his tea. A moment later, he clearly enunciated, “Do you think this King wanted to be a Venerable of your Purple Star? If it were not for Zi Long’s persistent pleading, this King would never have accepted this Venerable Token. What a farce!”
Jiang Chang Feng’s jaw dropped wide in astonishment as he stared at Yang Kai in shock. He did not know if these words were mere bluster or the truth; after all, the facts couldn’t be verified by anyone.
However, regardless of the case, holding onto the Venerable Token was inappropriate so seeing Yang Kai make no effort to take it back, Jiang Chang Feng could only respectfully place it onto the table before backing away.
“Eighth Elder appearing here is not just to verify the identity of this King, is it?” Yang Kai spat out a tea leaf as he looked at him indifferently.
Jiang Chang Feng’s heart clenched as he suddenly remembered he had an actual purpose in appearing here and quickly said, “Please understand, Venerable. This Jiang came here on orders from the Great Elder.”
“Great Elder?” Yang Kai’s brow rose.
“Indeed, Great Elder was very pleased to hear that my Purple Star had received another Venerable, so he instructed this Jiang to come here especially to invite Venerable to the Inner City to chat.”
“Not interested!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
“Huh?” Jiang Chang Feng looked at Yang Kai in amazement with a stunned expression.
“You can’t understand simple words? I said I am not interested. You can go.”
Jiang Chang Feng suddenly burst out into cold sweat as he hastily said, “Venerable, this Jiang is here to invite you on behalf of the Great Elder!”
“I heard it, so what?”
[So what?] Suddenly Jiang Chang Feng found out all the humiliation he just endured was not unjust. This enigmatic Venerable did not even give face to Purple Star’s Great Elder, so how could he care about a mere Eighth Elder?
Suddenly, Jiang Chang Feng felt less stifled in his heart.
However, having received orders to come here, Jiang Chang Feng could not just go back like this, so he frowned and said to Yang Kai solemnly, “Venerable, Sect Master is not currently here to assume command of Purple Star City, so all of Purple Star’s affairs are being managed by Great Elder. Isn’t Venerable refusing this invitation a bit inappropriate?”
“Inappropriate how?” Yang Kai looked at Jiang Chang Feng with a smile.
“That is…” Jiang Chang Feng could only think that Yang Kai was intentionally acting dense. How could not giving Great Elder face possibly be appropriate?
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “This King is Purple Star’s Venerable, not some Purple Star lackey. Even if Zi Long wants to see me, he has to visit me personally. If he has some request for me, he must first discuss it with this King and receive this King’s agreement. Go back and tell Gong Sun Liang that if he wants to see this King, he can come here himself! This King doesn’t have so much leisure time to listen to his nonsense!”
The Gong Sun Liang Yang Kai mentioned was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder! A powerful Second-Order Origin King.
Jiang Chang Feng’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he finally realized just how arrogant and domineering this new Venerable was, and while somewhat disturbed in his heart, he also could not help laughing wryly to himself.
“Get out!” Yang Kai saw Jiang Chang Feng still lingering and shouted impatiently. Mixed in with Yang Kai’s shout was the power of his Divine Sense, which caused Jiang Chang Feng to tremble and a look of horror to fill his face. Hastily, he nodded, “Since that is the case, this Jiang will take his leave. Please excuse me, Venerable!”
Saying so, he tried to quickly depart.
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted again.
Jiang Chang Feng was shocked, turned around to Yang Kai in confusion, and asked, “What else does Venerable have to say?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and said in a cold tone, “Since today is our first meeting, and this is your first offence, just leave some Saint Crystals as compensation. When you go back, bring a message to Gong Sun Liang: If any blind fool comes here to trouble Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and frighten this Venerable’s friends, the matter won’t be resolved with just some Saint Crystals. This King will go to the Inner City in person and have a good chat with him.”
When he spoke the word ‘chat’, Yang Kai put a heavy emphasis on it while wearing a fierce grin.
Jiang Chang Feng was stunned for a moment before he seemed to understand what Yang Kai meant and a strange expression appeared on his face, “Venerable is asking this Jiang to leave Saint Crystals here to compensate those people?”
“After wounding others in their own home, you want to just leave?” Yang Kai looked at him sarcastically, “It’s fine if you don’t want to leave any Saint Crystals. Where there is grievance, there is revenge. This King will simply make a move, as long as you withstand it, you can go!”
Jiang Chang Feng was taken aback by this. Although he had not been in contact with Yang Kai for long, he understood that the other party was strong enough to back up his arrogant behaviour. With his First-Order Origin King cultivation, he would never be able to compete. Taking a single move from Yang Kai couldn’t kill him but being injured was certain.
After weighing his options in this situation, Jiang Chang Feng did not hesitate to take out some Saint Crystals from his Space Ring before angrily spitting, “As per Venerable’s command, this Jiang would not dare disobey. This Jiang will be certain to convey Venerable’s words to Great Elder precisely!”
“That would be best!” Yang Kai smiled wickedly, as if he didn’t even fear the Heavens.
Jiang Chang Feng snorted coldly before turning around and walking away.
After Jiang Chang Feng left, Yang Kai frowned imperceptibly and began to think.
He suddenly felt that there were some swirling currents under the calm appearance of Purple Star City.
When he went out with Hua You Meng today, he encountered a conflict between the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Purple Star, then someone secretly showed favour to him as they were returning back where he then found Jiang Chang Feng waiting for him.
There were indications that Purple Star City was about to undergo some great change and experience a period of unrest.
“Sir…” Hua You Meng walked in, and after seeing Yang Kai sink into deep thought for a while without saying a word, she could not help calling out worriedly.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai looked up at her.
“These Saint Crystals…” Hua You Meng pointed at the Saint Crystals which had been scattered all over the floor. Although she did not have an exact count, she was certain there were at least 300,000 piled up, a dazzling sight to behold.
“Oh, these are the compensation given by Jiang Chang Feng to Uncle Xia and the others. Have them share them amongst themselves,” Yang Kai explained with a smile.
“Compensation… compensation?” Hua You Meng’s expression was dazed and surprised.
“Yeah, just now, Elder Jiang’s anger frightened Uncle Xia and the others quite a bit. Elder Jiang felt sorry for his rash actions and left some Saint Crystals to comfort them.”
Hua You Meng showed an expression somewhere between laughing and crying hearing this. With her shrewdness, how could she not know Yang Kai had extorted this compensation for Uncle Xia? As Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng was aloft and arrogant, not caring at all about the life or death of ordinary cultivators and he certainly wouldn’t take the initiative to compensate one unless someone forced him to do so.
Understanding this, Hua You Meng nodded gratefully to Yang Kai and said, “Many thanks, Sir.”
“By the way, can I trouble you to do something for me, President Hua?”
“Sir only needs to issue an order and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will do everything in its power to carry it out. Also… Sir does not need to call this Mistress ‘President’ anymore, it’s not a title this Mistress can afford before Sir. Sir should just… address this Mistress by her… name,” As she spoke, Hua You Meng blushed and lowered her head.
Yang Kai lightly coughed and said, “Ah, en, I want you to investigate if there have been any signs of unrest or trouble in Purple Star City recently. Your chamber of commerce has operated in Purple Star City for a few decades now so surely you have some sources of information.”
“Signs of trouble?” Hua You Meng frowned but did not ask too much, immediately replying in a serious tone, “Sir may rest assured, this Mistress will go all out!”
Late at night, the moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds.
In Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s backyard guest house, Yang Kai, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, formed a seal with his hands, pushed his Space Force and disappeared.
A moment later, near the Inner City, Yang Kai appeared in the darkness.
It had been two days since he came to Purple Star City, and although he had been delayed because of the issues with Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he had never forgotten his original purpose. So tonight, he was going to try to sneak into Purple Star Palace to steal the Star Emperor Token.
If he managed to succeed, he would immediately leave. The undercurrents and upheaval in Purple Star City had nothing to do with him.
As for the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he would carry them off with him at worst. Yang Kai was not planning on abandoning them to take the blame for him.
Purple Star City was divided into Inner and Outer Cities. The Outer City could be entered by any cultivator as long as they paid a certain amount of Saint Crystals, but the Inner City was open only to cultivators belonging to Purple Star. Of course, the Inner City of Purple Star City was the most prosperous and World-Energy-rich area.
Many of Purple Star’s Elders, Protectors, Deacons, and other various high-level officials lived in the Inner City, occupying good pieces of land and enjoying endless cultivation resources.
In the Inner City, there was a guard every three steps and a watchtower every five steps. The defence was extremely strict.
Nevertheless, these defences were practically useless in front of a powerful cultivator like Yang Kai. He did not even need to deliberately use his Space Force to conceal himself; simply wrapping himself in his Divine Sense was enough for him to break into the Inner City. Even if he passed close to a guard, they would not notice his presence.
The average cultivation in the Inner City was much higher than that in the Outer City, and as Yang Kai infiltrated, he was secretly shocked to discover more than one Origin King aura. Each of these Origin Kings was like a dormant lion, entrenched in their own territory. Any signs of trouble would be enough to disturb these masters.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was extremely powerful, so he was able to avoid all dangers in advance while concealing himself perfectly.
Walking in the dark, his footsteps were neither fast nor slow, his body not releasing any discernible fluctuations. Quickly, Yang Kai approached a huge palace compound at the centre of the Inner City.
Purple Star Palace!
This was a symbol of Purple Star’s power, a sacred place revered by the billions of cultivators who lived under Purple Star’s rule.
The entire palace complex was built of a type of purple jade, giving it an extreme magnificence. From a distance, Purple Star Palace was like a purple torch flame that stretched up into the sky, almost as if the sun would rise from it in the next moment to illuminate the world.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense slightly to observe the movement inside Purple Star Palace while muttering to himself, “Five, six, ten, twelve… good, here.”
Moving along a certain path, Yang Kai quickly came to a certain location where the defensive barrier was weaker. Smiling with satisfaction, his body flickered as he directly entered.
Zi Dong’s knowledge was indispensable to him being able to enter Purple Star Palace so smoothly.
Although Purple Star Palace was enormous, it still had a powerful barrier arranged outside it that was impossible to pass through without a special token. Once anyone tried to force their way in, the barrier would react and alert everyone inside; however, things were different with guidance from Zi Dong. He was Purple Star’s Young Master and had lived in the Purple Star Palace all year round, so he knew the weakness of this barrier very well.
As the saying went, a thief in the family is the hardest to ward against.
Although there were not many barriers or defensive arrays inside Purple Star Palace, each one was extremely powerful and extremely well hidden. Yang Kai’s goal this time was stealth, so he did not want to expose his position. This was where Zi Dong came in handy.
Before coming here, Yang Kai had asked Zi Dong about the situation inside Purple Star Palace. Zi Dong did not dare to hide anything, explaining everything he knew about Purple Star Palace’s defensive arrangements. This knowledge, of course, was not comprehensive as Zi Dong, Purple Star’s Young Master, wasn’t responsible for such things.
Fortunately, this information was enough, and Yang Kai felt that, there would not be any problems as long as his luck wasn’t too bad.
While observing the surrounding environment and avoiding various barriers and traps, Yang Kai quietly approached a palace in the centre of Purple Star Palace.
This was where Purple Star’s Vault was located, and it was also the palace with the strongest defences. However, it was still easy to reach this place for Yang Kai because Zi Dong knew the situation here well. Yang Kai also had the key to open the vault.
As long as he could get close to that palace, his chances of success were high!
Time passed slowly as Yang Kai moved closer and closer to the palace.
With only a third of the distance left to his destination from where he entered, Yang Kai, who was still walking stealthily, suddenly came to a halt as his face sank. At that moment, he felt he had touched some kind of barrier, which sent out energy fluctuations to the surroundings.
[Shit!] Yang Kai’s face turned green as he never expected that the barrier arrangements in Purple Star City would be so well concealed that even his Divine Sense could not find them all.
In the next moment, Yang Kai felt two powerful Divine Senses sweeping towards him.
Both of these Divine Senses could only have belonged to Origin Kings, so someone had obviously noticed the movement here.
Despite Yang Kai being a powerful master himself, he could not help feeling a cold sweat at this moment. Though he was proficient in the Dao of Space and was a Second-Order Origin King, this place was still the centre of another’s territory, with countless masters present. Neither the conditions nor the terrain were to Yang Kai’s advantage. If he were really to become entangled here, it was difficult to say whether he could escape.
Not daring to hesitate, Yang Kai’s fled quickly.
But at that moment, a powerful Domain pressed down out of thin air, one that seemed capable of sealing off this space, making it impossible for Yang Kai to leave immediately.
“What rat dares run wild in my Purple Star Palace!?” An angry shout came from afar, shaking all the cultivators in Purple Star Palace before a massive vortex suddenly appeared above Yang Kai’s head. From that vortex, a giant palm that seemed to cover the Heavens and Earth manifested and pressed downward.
“Second-Order Origin King!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and immediately judged the true level of the person who was attacking him.
This opponent wasn’t actually present but was instead attacking from afar. Such ability was not something a First-Order Origin King could possess, only a master who had reached the Second-Order many years ago could have such means.
The palm formed from the concentration of energy pressed down while a seemingly irresistible suction force came from it, trying to draw Yang Kai into it and not let him break free.
This was definitely a powerful Secret Technique, and if Yang Kai had only been a First-Order Origin King, he may not have been able to easily block it, but now that he was a Second-Order master, equivalent to the cultivation of his attacker, Yang Kai naturally didn’t have anything to fear.
Instead of resisting, Yang Kai straightened his body and rushed towards the giant palm.
Midair, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to eject several dozen Golden Blood Threads, which released a blinding golden radiance that shot forward with Yang Kai following closely behind.
*Hong…*
With a loud explosion, the world shook.
The golden radiance penetrated the giant palm, causing it to shatter and disperse. At the same time, the force which was sealing the surrounding space collapsed.
Yang Kai immediately tore space and disappeared.
In the next moment, three figures arrived at the scene of the incident, one after another. The first to arrive was an old man with a beard that hung down to his chest, grey hair, and a cold, gloomy face. Scanning the surrounding area though, a clear look of shock flashed across his eyes.
Soon after, a man and a woman appeared, but before they were able to figure out what was happening, they saw the old man standing mid-air and immediately wore respectful looks, cupped their fists together, and shouted, “Great Elder!”
This old man was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder, Gong Sun Liang!
A Second-Order Origin King and one the strongest masters in the Star Field, one whose prestige was not inferior to that of Purple Star’s Sect Master Zi Long.
“Great Elder, what…” The female Origin King asked hesitantly.
“Someone trespassed into the Purple Star Palace!” Gong Sun Liang shouted with a gloomy face.
“What?” The other male Origin King’s complexion changed, “Who would dare be so presumptuous?”
“I don’t know!” Gong Sun Liang shook his head and narrowed his eyes, “Whoever it was, he was strong, able to break through this old master’s Extinguishing Void Palm, a feat no ordinary person could achieve.”
The two Origin Kings exchanged a glance and both saw the shock on each other’s face.
They had been far away just now, so although they had noticed the energy fluctuations here, they had not seen exactly what happened and did not know that someone had actually exchanged blows with the Great Elder and even broke his Extinguishing Void Palm until now.
The female Origin King hesitated before asking, “Doesn’t that mean that the other party was a Second-Order Origin King?”
As soon as she said this, she herself was shocked. If a Second-Order Origin King really wanted to cause trouble in the Purple Star Palace, it would be a disaster. Besides the Great Elder, everyone else was just a First-Order.
There was a world of difference between the First Order and Second Order!
“Whether he was a Second-Order or not is something this old master cannot determine, the opponent took action rapidly before disappearing, and their speed of escape is…” Gong Sun Liang’s brow furrowed deeply, unable to understand how this mysterious intruder had just vanished in the blink of an eye. Even when he pushed his Divine Sense to its limits, Gong Sun Liang was unable to notice any of the other party’s aura.
It was almost like the scene just now was a play he had put on himself.
While these three had been speaking, more masters who were alarmed had rushed over.
Even Zi Wu Ji had flown over together with Ji Jun.
“Second Young Master!” Everyone saluted Zi Wu Ji. Although everyone knew that Zi Dong would be the next Sect Master of Purple Star, Zi Wu Ji was still Zi Long’s son after all, so they could not simply disregard him.
Only Gong Sun Liang stood firm without offering any form of greeting.
“Wu Ji greets Great Elder!” Instead, Zi Wu Ji needed to salute Gong Sun Liang.
This all stemmed from the fact that he was not Purple Star’s Young Master; if it had been Zi Dong here, the situation would be different.
Gong Sun Liang did not utter any words, simply nodding lightly with an indifferent expression.
Seeing this behaviour, Zi Wu Ji’s eyes flashed a cold light before he wore a light smile and asked, “Great Elder, what’s going on here? How come this Wu Ji sensed someone fighting?”
But Gong Sun Liang turned a deaf ear to him, as if he had not heard Zi Wu Ji’s question, not even bothering to acknowledge it.
Everyone’s expressions fluctuated when seeing this, and the atmosphere quickly became tense.
Since there are people asking why there is a next chapter Patreon link, it is cause there were people who asked where they can read ahead.
Also, this has been done for all novels on this site when I was still doing it manually (for MP, it was around chapter 15xx). Just that Martial Peak stretched from Monday to Sunday, meaning that you don’t see it since I schedule that chapters on Sunday. (For other novels that end on Friday, you can technically see the Patreon link on Saturday, which will be updated to link to the chapter on Sunday.)
Now that it is automated, and I no longer manually set the links on each chapter, I just set it to how it was suppose to be.
Well, I guess most of the readers don’t know this since they don’t read the other novels on this site. But for those that do, this should not be that much of a surprise.
Anyways, I won’t address this anymore even if some don’t read this footer note.
Though, I want to address an issue, which is that the Patreon link is still there even though the latest chapter is already out. This is more of a caching issue on the CDN. We messed around with the code some more and it should be fixed now. If you see Next Chapter (Patreon), that means you are getting the updated template of the chapter. If it is still an issue, for now, you can just go to the index or the homepage to get to the new chapter.
There another method, such as entering the number of the browser and tab, it would auto-fill. Not sure if it works for you. I use Vivaldi so yeah.
Although everyone knew that the Second Young Master and Great Elder were incompatible, they had always maintained a public sense of decorum up until now. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two parties seemed to have become more and more volatile over the past year.
The reason was simple: The Great Elder was Young Master Zi Dong’s grandfather, and his daughter, Gong Sun Yu, was Zi Dong’s biological mother. With this kind of relationship, Gong Sun Liang spared no effort to support Zi Dong, waiting for him to become the Sect Master of Purple Star.
Zi Wu Ji’s mother, on the other hand, was just a woman from a small family on Purple Star; as such, how could he compare with Zi Dong?
Gong Sun Liang had always looked down on Zi Wu Ji.
Roughly two years ago, Zi Long and Zi Dong had left Purple Star together and had yet to return. So, those with power on Purple Star had begun struggling for power and profit.
Especially over the past year, Zi Wu Ji had secretly moved to win over many masters. Gong Sun Liang had also begun to amass support, and the conflict between the two parties had become almost impossible to hide.
The actions of these two sides had caused many of Purple Star’s masters to split into three distinct factions. One of these factions supported Zi Wu Ji while another faction was headed by Gong Sun Liang, both taking advantage of Purple Star’s Sect Master and Young Master’s absence to further their own agendas. The rest were cultivators who were waiting for Zi Long’s return without joining either side.
Since the two were secret opponents, Gong Sun Liang certainly would not be willing to talk to Zi Wu Ji.
Zi Wu Ji frowned as some displeasure appeared on his face; after all, he was still Purple Star’s Second Young Master. Gong Sun Liang not giving him any face in front of so many masters was a difficult insult to swallow.
“Gong Sun Liang, how dare you act so dissolute!” Ji Jun, who had been standing behind Zi Wu Ji, suddenly shouted, “Second Young Master asked you a question, why have you not answered?”
Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed as he looked down at Ji Jun coldly, snorting as he said, “Who are you accusing of acting dissolute? This old master is Purple Star’s Great Elder. With Sect Master not here, all decisions fall to this old master. What thing are you to dare yell at this old master?”
Ji Jun smiled coldly, “Gong Sun Liang, don’t think that others don’t know what you are thinking. With the tiger not home, the monkey acts like a king. When Sect Master returns, we’ll see how arrogant you can be.”
“Who did you just call a monkey?” When had Gong Sun Liang ever been so insulted? He could not help angrily glaring at Ji Jun.
“You know it in your heart,” Ji Jun sneered again.
“You court death!” Gong Sun Liang was furious and the Saint Qi in his body surged fiercely, seemingly on the verge of attacking Ji Jun.
Everyone’s face changed drastically.
“Great Elder, please restrain your anger!” Zi Wu Ji suddenly stood forward and blocked Ji Jun, hurriedly cupping his fists and saying lightly, “Old Ji has always been blunt with his thoughts, if he has offended you, this Wu Ji will apologise on his behalf and hope that Great Elder will not take it to heart.”
“Hmph,” Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted in a noncommittal manner.
Zi Wu Ji simply chuckled in response, “This is not the time for infighting. Right now, what’s most important is to figure out who it was that broke into Purple Star Palace. I do not know what this person’s objective is, but if they have malicious intentions, the situation is worrying. What does Great Elder think?”
Gong Sun Liang also recognised that this was not the time to fight with the other party. The sudden intrusion of a Second-Order Origin King to Purple Star Palace had simply agitated him a bit too much. As such, he quickly held his tongue.
Zi Wu Ji continued, “With my father not here and my eldest brother out accompanying him, Purple Star Palace currently has no leader. Although this Wu Ji is willing to offer his assistance, he is somewhat powerless to help. Since Great Elder is in charge of all matters in the palace, I will have to entrust Great Elder to find out who this intruder is and what his purpose is. I hope Great Elder can find this villain and tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces to serve as a warning. Otherwise, what face would our Purple Star have?!”
Gong Sun Liang frowned and quickly spat, “There is no need for the Second Young Master to say anything more, this old master will handle the matter appropriately. Second Young Master should withdraw.”
“En, Wu Ji will take his leave!” Zi Wu Ji nodded and smiled before leaving calmly with Ji Jun.
After he left, Gong Sun Liang shouted, “Spread out and search the palace, don’t let off even the slightest clue! That person could not have gone far and must be using some kind of Secret Technique to conceal their aura. If you find them, don’t engage, notify this old master and he will arrive as quickly as possible!”
“Yes!” Everyone agreed and dispersed.
For a time, Purple Star Palace was abuzz with activity with masters combing every path and flying across the sky. Powerful Divine Senses continuously swept every corner of the grounds as they continued an exhaustive search…
“Second Young Master, why must you show such tolerance to that old fart?” Ji Jun asked in a disgruntled tone on the way back.
A sneer appeared on Zi Wu Ji’s face as he snorted lightly, “It’s not time to tear face with him yet. Let that old thing act arrogant for a while more.”
Ji Jun frowned, but having received such an answer, he didn’t refute.
“However… the thief who suddenly appeared this time has helped me greatly,” Zi Wu Ji smiled lightly. “No matter who this person is, this Young Lord must offer his sincere thanks.”
Ji Jun frowned and thought about it for a moment before asking, “Second Young Master means that this intruder helped you distract that old fart?”
“That is part of it,” Zi Wu Ji smiled slightly, “The person who appeared is clearly very strong, capable of casually exchanging blows with Gong Sun Liang before freely leaving. He must also be a Second-Order Master and Gong Sun Liang finding him will not be easy. Old Ji, think about it, if that old thing can’t find this person, what face will he have left?”
“Indeed!” Ji Jun’s eyes flashed with joy, “If he can’t find that person, that old fart will be disgraced. Hahaha, no wonder Second Young Master was so eager to withdraw just now, so it was for this reason!”
“Why else do you think this Young Lord would act so cooperative? Although this matter is somewhat troublesome, it can also be a good opportunity to accumulate prestige if handled properly,” Zi Wu Ji stroked his chin lightly. “But… who would dare to break into my Purple Star Palace? Among the Star Field, Second-Order Origin Kings are a rarity, and each of them is a well-known master. None of them would need to act so sneakily.”
For some reason, when Zi Wu Ji said this, Yang Kai’s image suddenly flashed across his mind.
Yang Kai was Purple Star’s Third Venerable and only recently appeared in Purple Star City. Tonight, Purple Star Palace was broken into, so Zi Wu Ji naturally thought of Yang Kai.
“Could it be him?” Zi Wu Ji couldn’t be sure, but a thick suspicion appeared between his brow that he could not dismiss.
In a certain courtyard inside Purple Star Palace, Yang Kai was concealing himself while silently observing the masters of Purple Star Palace search for him.
He had made this trip in vain now that he had been noticed, and to make matters worse, he could not leave freely at the moment. With so many masters’ Divine Senses probing around, he would definitely be noticed if he made too much movement.
As such, he could only endure and wait for an opportunity to present itself.
Time passed slowly, but Yang Kai was not in a hurry. The coming and going masters in the sky passed by not far away, but not one of them ever noticed him.
Suddenly, a familiar figure fell not far away, took a look around, then walked straight towards a certain pavilion.
In front of this pavilion were several Origin Realm masters standing guard. After seeing this visitor though, all of them saluted, “Subordinate greets Seventh Elder!”
“En,” This Seventh Elder gently nodded and asked, “Nothing has happened inside, right?”
“Reporting to Seventh Elder, there has been nothing unusual,” The lead Origin Realm guard replied respectfully before asking suspiciously, “Seventh Elder, what happened just now? Why did this subordinate sense someone was fighting?”
“Someone trespassed into Purple Star Palace. Great Elder was concerned they might have come for the people inside, so he asked me to come and have a look. Open the barrier.”
“Yes,” The several Origin Returning Realm masters heard this and without hesitation took out a kind of stone tablet like artifact from their Space Rings and poured their Saint Qi into them. The next moment, a layer of ripples appeared around the pavilion as a barrier opened.
Seventh Elder then walked straight inside. A short while later, an angry series of curses rang out from inside.
However, these curses quickly turned into miserable cries, as if whoever was shouting was being beaten by this Seventh Elder.
Seventh Elder walked out a moment later with a hint of irritation on his face, coldly snorted, and said, “Overconfident fool, daring to act against this old master. If you did not have some use left, I would have taken all your lives! Watch these people well, if any of them manages to escape, it will be all of your heads!”
The Origin Realm guards all wore terrified expressions as they hurriedly nodded in acknowledgement.
Seventh Elder then flew off into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After the Seventh Elder left, the several Origin Realm masters looked at each other with solemn expressions, preparing to activate the barrier again.
In his hiding spot, Yang Kai wore a strange expression as he stared towards the pavilion with a suspicious look on his face.
From the voices that were angrily cursing just now, he seemed to have heard one that was familiar to him!
This was a completely unexpected development.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai made up his mind, and before the barrier was raised again, his figure flickered and rushed directly into the pavilion.
The Origin Realm masters who were opening the barrier frowned as at that moment they all felt a slight sense of unease, but that feeling disappeared in the next instant, leaving them all at a loss.
However, none of them discovered anything wrong, so they did not pay this incident any mind and simply activated the barrier again.
Inside the pavilion, Yang Kai revealed himself leisurely.
Before he could see the scene inside the room clearly, two figures suddenly rushed up and tried to attack him.
Yang Kai’s face sank and his Domain burst forth, completely solidifying the surrounding space. Under his delicate control, the Domain field he formed was extremely small, only covering the interior of the pavilion, without touching any of the barriers outside.
“Shhh…” Yang Kai quickly stretched out his finger and gestured.
Only then did he see the situation inside the house clearly.
There were a total of five people inside, all of whom were Origin Realm cultivators, the strongest of which was a Third-Order. Four of these people were complete strangers to Yang Kai, but one young man was actually familiar to him.
At this moment, the young man was held mid-air by Yang Kai’s Domain and had a suspicious expression on his face as he stared at Yang Kai fiercely, but in the next moment, his eyes bulged and he pointed towards Yang Kai as he haltingly called out, “You…”
Yang Kai grinned, “Brother Shen Tu, the world is really too small. I trust you’ve been well since we last met?”
The young man in the house turned out to be Shen Tu, the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou and Xue Yue’s Second Brother!
When Yang Kai was first trapped on the floating continent, Shen Tu was among the others with him. Both of them had low strength at the time, only Saints with Shen Tu’s cultivation being slightly higher at the Third-Order.
The two had cooperated with each other on the floating continent and also formed a friendship.
Later, after escaping from the floating continent, Yang Kai followed Shen Tu to the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce: Water Moon Star. Since then, several dozen years had passed.
Yang Kai never expected to meet Shen Tu on Purple Star, so this sudden reunion came as quite a surprise.
Shen Tu also looked at Yang Kai as if he could not believe what he was seeing. Only after Yang Kai took the initiative to say hello did Shen Tun rub his eyes vigorously and ask, “Yang Kai?”
“It is this Yang!” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Why are you here?” Shen Tu frowned and asked in amazement.
“That’s a long story… Brother Shen Tu, can you let these… en, can you calm them down?” Yang Kai looked at the other four cultivators who were glaring at him sternly.
Shen Tu gently nodded and called out, “All of you stop, Brother Yang… he’s an old acquaintance of mine!”
The four Origin Returning Realm masters looked at each other and withdrew their Saint Qi one after another. Yang Kai saw that they were no longer aggressive and withdrew the Domain.
In an instant, everyone in the pavilion regained their freedom.
“You’ve actually reached the Origin King Realm?” Shen Tu was shocked by Yang Kai’s sudden appearance just now and only now realized his true cultivation, his face filling with disbelief.
His cultivation had been slightly higher than Yang Kai’s back then, but after a few dozen years, he had only reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm while the Yang Kai had arrived at the Origin King Realm. Comparing the two sides, it was only natural for Shen Tu to be shocked.
One had to know that breaking through from the Origin Returning Realm to the Origin King Realm was no simple feat. Throughout the ages, how many promising talents had become stuck at this juncture, unable to make progress for a lifetime?
Every cultivator that was able to break through to the Origin King Realm was not just talented, they also needed great luck and opportunity.
“I was just lucky,” Yang Kai chuckled lightly.
Shen Tu shook his head slowly. As the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, his vision and experience were naturally extraordinary, so how could he believe Yang Kai was simply ‘lucky’. Obviously, Yang Kai was just acting humble. However, this was not a good opportunity to discuss this matter. Frowning slightly, Shen Tu looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression in silence for a while before asking in a solemn voice, “Brother Yang, I have to ask… you suddenly appearing here, are we… friends or enemies?”
“Friends… not enemies!” Yang Kai said sincerely.
Shen Tu looked overjoyed and could not help but laugh, actually walking forward and giving Yang Kai a bear hug, patting him on the back vigorously as he said, “Brother Yang, it’s been several dozen years! I’ve missed you!”
He was so enthusiastic that Yang Kai actually felt a bit embarrassed.
Shen Tu then said, “Back then, I learned that something happened to you after you took that Starship to leave Water Moon Star. Almost all the cultivators on that ship perished, and there has been no news from you since then, making this Shen Tu feel quite guilty!”
“That had nothing to do with you, it was just bad luck,” Yang Kai felt his sincerity and his heart warmed.
When he left Water Moon Star that year, he had chosen a Starship at will. No one thought that Xue Yue would also take that same Starship, becoming targeted and destroyed as a result.
When they reached a certain Asteroid Sea, they were bombarded by a special type of explosive artifact that killed everyone else aboard except for Yang Kai and Xue Yue.
It was also on that occasion that Yang Kai accidentally discovered that Xue Yue was a woman, leading to many subsequent matters.
After a while, Shen Tu let go of Yang Kai and said with emotion, “For so many years, I have been inquiring about you. Third Brother seemed to know something, but he would not say anything no matter how I asked. In fact, he would beat me severely each time!”
Shen Tu gritted his teeth in frustration, “That bastard, he’s so disrespectful! If it wasn’t for my strength being inferior, I’d have already taught him a lesson.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched slightly when he heard this. At that time, Xue Yue had lost all face in front of him, and was even taken advantage of; Shen Tu asking about that incident was nothing short of asking for a beating.
“Everything is alright now, I’ve finally seen you alive and well again,” Shen Tu exhaled heavily, as if he was breathing out all the anxiety that had been weighing his heart down for the past few decades, feeling much more relieved.
“I’ve been fine, sorry for worrying Brother Shen Tu.”
“Second Young Master, this is…” One of the Origin Returning Realm masters who had been watching patiently until now finally couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Tu laughed heartily and introduced, “This is Brother Yang Kai, he is a life and death friend with this Young Master. Come here quickly, greet Brother Yang!”
When these four heard this, they didn’t dare to neglect, quickly stepping forward and cupping their fists, “Greetings, Senior Yang!”
Yang Kai was an Origin King Realm, as well as a brother to Shen Tu, so they could not show any disrespect.
Shen Tu touched his chin and pondered for a moment before asking, “Yes, Brother Yang is now an Origin King, so should I call you Senior too?”
“Brother Shen Tu must be joking!” Yang Kai waved his hand, “However, I’m quite curious. Why are you here… and seemingly under arrest?”
Listening to what Yang Kai said, Shen Tu was immediately filled with outrage and cursed, “Damn it! This Young Master also doesn’t know what’s going on. This time, I received an order from the chamber of commerce to deliver a batch of materials ordered by Purple Star, but how was I supposed to know that I would be captured as soon as I entered Purple Star City? I still haven’t even been able to ask what this is all about, it’s a great misfortune.”
“Purple Star captured you without saying anything?” Yang Kai was shocked. “Don’t they know that you are from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?”
“How could they not know?” Shen Tu grumbled angrily, “That group of Purple Star bastards have truly eaten some bear hearts and leopard galls, daring to attack this Young Master! Just wait, when this Young Master escapes one day, he will bring a hundred Starships here to raze Purple Star to the ground!”
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Kai’s face at that moment as he speculated, “So, the battle in the city during the day was related to you?”
“En,” Shen Tu nodded, “I wanted to escape, but I failed and was shamefully captured again.”
“Second Young Master, this Elder feels like Purple Star is undergoing some kind of upheaval!” A sallow-looking old man said from the side.
“Why does old Sir say that?” Yang Kai looked at him.
“It’s just a feeling. Since entering Purple Star City, this Elder felt that something was not right. It’s as if something is churning in the darkness. What’s more, they knew our identities yet they still dared to detain us for some unknown purpose… Although Purple Star is strong, it’s not stronger than our Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. If there wasn’t something happening inside Purple Star, this Elder simply can’t comprehend their actions.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I also think something is happening inside Purple Star.”
“Let them sort out their own problems, this Young Master just wants to leave this damned place now,” Shen Tu said angrily before suddenly turning to Yang Kai again and asking, “By the way, Brother Yang, why are you here?”
“Haha, I’m here to steal something,” Yang Kai grinned and explained what had happened just now.
The several people in the room were dumbfounded as they directed looks of admiration towards Yang Kai.
Daring to sneak into Purple Star Palace to steal something required a boldness and courage that no ordinary master could possess. What’s more, even after being discovered, he had still managed to elude capture, causing everyone to raise their evaluation of Yang Kai’s strength once again.
“Now that I’ve alerted the enemy though, I can only put my plans aside for now,” Yang Kai helplessly rubbed his forehead.
“Brother Yang, can you leave here?” Shen Tu asked while looking at Yang Kai.
“The barrier outside is very powerful, and if I forcefully break through, I will definitely be discovered, but if you can help me attract some attention, I can leave safely.”
“Not a problem, just leave it to us,” Shen Tu grinned, “Brother Yang, can you help me bring someone a message after you leave here?”
“Who?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously.
Shen Tu leaned forward and whispered something into Yang Kai’s ear.
Yang Kai’s expression quickly became strange hearing this message.
“I’ll leave the rest up to you, Brother Yang!” Shen Tu cupped his fists sincerely.
“Rest assured, I’ll deliver your words,” Yang Kai nodded. “Don’t worry too much, I’ll find a way to get all of you out.”
“I’m not worried,” Shen Tu smiled broadly, “With my identity, these Purple Star dogs wouldn’t dare do anything extreme to me unless they really want to start a war between our two great forces.”
After saying so, he suddenly took a step back and began shouting, “Bastards! Kill me! Just kill me!”
While shouting, he winked at the other Origin Realm masters behind him.
Everyone immediately understood and began yelling while pushing their Saint Qi violently, raising as much of a fuss as they could.
The movement inside the pavilion quickly spread out, causing the expression of the Purple Star cultivators outside, who were in charge of guarding, to change dramatically.
After a moment, one of the guards called out in alarm, “Not good, they’ve gone crazy! Quickly, stop them!”
None of them dared to neglect and they quickly opened the barrier to rush inside and quell the riot.
The moment the barrier was lowered, Yang Kai’s figure flickered, and he rushed out to seek a hidden corner to conceal himself.
Inside Purple Star Palace, many masters conducted an extensive search, but none managed to discover anything.
After waiting for a long time, Yang Kai found a suitable opportunity to tear space and silently depart.
Although he failed to achieve his original objective, the unexpected discovery of Shen Tu’s situation meant Yang Kai did not leave without any gains.
Inside Clear Sky Auction House’s inner courtyard, Li Nuo was sitting cross-legged in meditation but was unable to calm her restless emotions.
“Who!?” Suddenly, Aunt Chun’s shout rang out outside.
At the same time, a man’s voice rang in Li Nuo’s ears. When she heard this voice, Li Nuo went stiff, but a look of pleasant surprise soon appeared on her face as she quickly raised her head to stare out the window.
Unfortunately, the sky was pitch black, with only the faintest rays of light appearing in the east.
Dawn was about to break!
A smile appeared at the corner of Li Nuo’s lips as she called out, “Aunt Chun, come back, the one who came is harmless. In fact, he’s brought me some good news!”
For the next few days, everything was calm.
After sneaking into Purple Star Palace that night and alerting his enemies, Yang Kai did not act rashly again. He believed that the level of alert in Purple Star Palace had been raised to the extreme now, and even with his abilities, he was not certain he could sneak in again.
Hua You Meng took advantage of her connections to probe into the situation in Purple Star City over the recent period and reported everything she learned to Yang Kai.
It was then that Yang Kai learned that, because Zi Long and Zi Dong had been away from Purple Star for such a long time, the other leaders in Purple Star had split into several factions. Among these factions, the ones led by Second Young Master Zi Wu Ji and Great Elder Gong Sun Liang were by far the strongest and were now secretly clashing with one another.
Although Purple Star’s higher-ups tried to conceal this matter, paper could not cover fire and word had already begun to leak out, allowing Hua You Meng to easily uncover the truth.
But the information she was able to obtain was all well-known, nothing specific or particularly insightful.
Yet this was enough. It allowed Yang Kai to understand just what was brewing beneath the calm façade of Purple Star City.
There were only two things that Yang Kai cared about right now: Stealing the Star Emperor Token and getting Shen Tu and his entourage out safely. Unfortunately, no good opportunity had presented itself yet, so he could only continue to wait patiently.
Time flew by, and the day of Clear Sky Auction House’s auction soon arrived.
Yang Kai had nothing else to do at the moment, so he gladly accompanied Hua You Meng to the auction after all. The value of the land deeds that were being auctioned on behalf of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce this time was too large, so if there was no master present, it was impossible to guarantee that others would not get malicious ideas.
Hua You Meng was incredibly happy to see this as she had been wondering how to invite Yang Kai to come with her. Now that he had volunteered to accompany her, her gratitude towards Yang Kai rose even higher.
On the day of the auction, Hua You Meng dressed up in a tight-fitting purple dress that perfectly complemented her figure and noble temperament. As she walked next to Yang Kai down the street, she drew the attention of many.
Presenting the invitation she had received, a member of Clear Sky Auction House’s staff led Yang Kai and Hua You Meng to one of the private rooms, offered some spirit fruits and tea, then respectfully withdrew.
Hua You Meng stood sternly to the side, and only after Yang Kai urged her several times, did she restlessly take a seat.
There was still some time before the auction started, so Yang Kai looked around to ease his boredom.
After a short while though, he could not help frowning as a hint of suspicious appeared on his face.
“Sir, has something happened?” Hua You Meng’s attention had always been on Yang Kai, so seeing his expression change at this moment she could not help asking quickly.
“Is there something extremely valuable being auctioned today?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
“I don’t know…” Hua You Meng smiled awkwardly.
“En, never mind,” Yang Kai smiled slightly before taking back his Divine Sense and frowning slightly.
Just now, he had noticed that there were many Origin Kings in this auction house!
This was quite strange. There were not many things that could attract the attention of Origin Kings in this world, and even if something like that did appear, it shouldn’t have made it all the way to Clear Sky Auction House’s auction floor.
An Origin King would not visit this kind of auction house for no reason. In fact, if not for him accompanying Hua You Meng today, Yang Kai would not have even considered coming here either.
But now, there were at least five Origin Kings present besides him.
Private Rooms A1 through A4 all had Origin Kings in them. Of special note was room A1, where even Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was being blocked slightly. Obviously, someone very strong was inside.
What’s more… the aura coming from this room gave Yang Kai a familiar feeling.
In fact, the person in room A1 was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder Gong Sun Liang, whom Yang Kai had fought with a few days ago!
This auction was actually able to attract Gong Sun Liang, which showed that there was definitely something good here!
This discovery immediately raised Yang Kai’s interest in this auction.
After a short wait, a beautiful figure appeared lightly on the high platform in the middle of the auction house. It was Li Nuo.
Smiling faintly in her sleeveless, low cut cyan dress that exposed her slightly pinkish arms as well as part of her deep valley to the air, Li Nuo appeared particularly seductive. Her long, beautiful legs were also adorned with a pair of special jade sandals that drew the eyes of many of the cultivators to her. From the crowd, countless greedy looks were directed towards her unscrupulously.
Li Nuo paid these gazes no mind and simply smiled warmly as she spoke, “Thank you all for coming to today’s auction. This Mistress is grateful for your attendance, as it brings great honour to my Clear Sky Auction House. This Mistress is Li Nuo, and will serve as the host of today’s auction. I hope that everyone will treat this Mistress favourably.”
Saying so, she gave an elegant salute.
“Without further delay, today’s auction will officially begin, however… let this Mistress first say that among today’s auction items, there are many extremely valuable treasures. Ones that will satisfy the desires of everyone present!” While saying so, she glanced towards the A Block private rooms, and although she did not state things clearly, her meaning was self-evident.
Yang Kai smiled knowingly and thought to himself that with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce backing it, Clear Sky Auction House was certainly out of the ordinary. Otherwise, it would have never been able to come up with items that could even tempt Origin Kings.
“Let’s have a look at the first auction!” Li Nuo called out before gesturing to the side. The next moment, a woman dressed as a maidservant and with a brilliant smile on her face brought out a tray.
This tray was covered with a red cloth that was made of some unknown material that seemed capable of blocking the Divine Sense of most of the cultivators in the auction house, causing everyone to feel somewhat eager and to crane their necks to get a better look.
There was also a curious look in Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes as she stared at this tray fixedly.
Although it was not the first time that she had participated in an auction, it was the first time she had the privilege of entering a private room, a completely different experience compared to squeezing into the seats in the auction house’s lower section.
“It’s just an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, you don’t need it,” Yang Kai saw the eager look on her face and immediately spoke.
Hua You Meng was taken aback, “Sir, can you see what is beneath that cloth?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “That red cloth is made from the silk of a Red Snow Heavenly Silkworm. Its only effect is to block Divine Sense, but its effects are limited to Origin Realm cultivators. It can’t block the Divine Sense of an Origin King.”
Hua You Meng gently nodded as a look of longing appeared in her eyes. She was also a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator now. If she had enough opportunity, she could also try to break through to the Origin King Realm, but the chances of that were not very good. She had broken through many years ago, but she had still yet to condense her Shi to the grand accomplishment stage, much less touch upon the mysteries of Domain.
In all likelihood, breaking through again in this lifetime was hopeless!
On stage, Li Nuo smiled lightly, walked forward, and lifted the red cloth covering the tray, revealing the contents to everyone.
Sure enough, it was an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, a delicate-looking dagger that exuded a deep chill.
Li Nuo picked up the dagger, twirled it in her hands, then poured her Saint Qi into it, causing the dagger to buzz and reveal a flowing set of runes on its blade.
In an instant, the already strong chill became even more piercing.
Li Nuo held the dagger in her hand as she pushed her Saint Qi again, “This Severing Yuan Dagger was forged from Deep Sea Cold Iron with Cold Ocean Sand and the fangs of a Ninth-Order Black-Eyed Tapir Monster Beast by an Origin Grade High-Rank Artifact Refiner. It is capable of releasing extremely frigid energy and specializes in piercing protective Saint Qi. Please observe.”
Saying so, she actually stabbed her arm.
Everyone saw as the tip of this dagger quickly struck Li Nuo’s Saint Qi protection, and the layer of Saint Qu around her body was torn through.
Fortunately, Li Nuo’s control of her strength was excellent, so despite the dagger piercing her protective Saint Qi, she was not injured in the slightest.
Withdrawing the dagger, Li Nuo smiled and said, “Although the Severing Yuan Dagger is only an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, if used properly, it can provide a great boost even when fighting Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators. What’s more, it is easy and quick to refine. This Mistress does not need to explain further how valuable such an artifact is. The starting price is 150,000 Saint Crystals, please!”
As soon as Li Nuo’s voice fell, bids flew out from the house seats as many were obviously extremely interested in this artifact.
Hua You Meng also looked interested as this dagger was small and suitable for women, but remembering Yang Kai’s words just now, she reluctantly held herself back.
At that moment, Yang Kai spoke, “This dagger has a slight defect. If I’m not mistaken, it is probably a failed product.”
“Failed product?” Hua You Meng was startled when she heard these words.
“Yeah, did you notice that, when Li Nuo was demonstrating the power of the dagger just now, she intentionally used an Ice Attribute Secret Technique first? One probably needs to cultivate an Ice Attribute Secret Art or Secret Technique in order to use this dagger. Seeing how you don’t have any cold attributes in your Saint Qi, even if you were to obtain this thing, it won’t be of any use.”
“Is that true?” Hua You Meng was shocked, “Then isn’t Li Nuo deceiving others by doing this?”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “You can’t say that. At most, you can only say she didn’t give a complete explanation. What’s more, if this dagger is really obtained by someone who cultivates an appropriate Secret Art, its power will still be commendable.”
“En, this Mistress understands,” Hua You Meng gave an enlightened nod.
In the hall, the bids continued to come in and the base price of 150,000 quickly rose to 280,000.
The first item being so popular made Li Nuo happily smile.
The most important thing about an auction was to have a good start. This would stimulate the enthusiasm of the participants and raise the price of all the following items.
After the price climbed to 320,000, the bids gradually became scarce; after all, this was about the upper limit of the price of an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, any more and it wouldn’t be worth it.
Not every cultivator had so many spare Saint Crystals. Even if one was able to earn a large amount of Saint Crystals, they would still need to buy a variety of pills and also use Saint Crystals for their cultivation. In the end, artifacts were just auxiliary tools.
Eventually, this Severing Yuan Dagger was bought by a male cultivator in the hall for 350,000 Saint Crystals.
The auction continued in full swing. After the first item sold for such a good price, the enthusiasm of a large number of cultivators was high and each subsequent item that was brought out was steadily bid on, filling the hall with excitement.
Artifacts, pills, herbs, ores, even Secret Arts and Secret Techniques… all kinds of items were available at this auction.
Time flew by, and soon the auction had reached the two-hour mark. Almost every auction item brought out during this period sold for a very high price, allowing Clear Sky Auction House to earn a hefty profit.
However, the cultivators who participated in the auction up until now had almost all been from the lower seats while very few from the private rooms had made any bids. As for the five Origin Kings in the A Block private rooms, none had even spoken so far, making Yang Kai wonder all the more, what they were waiting for.
Hua You Meng, on the other hand, had participated twice and managed to obtain both an artifact and a powerful Secret Technique which she was currently studying happily.
The auction was approaching its end, so Yang Kai knew that the main event would soon make an appearance, raising his own enthusiasm a bit.
“The next item to be auctioned is a Spirit Pill, an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill!” Li Nuo said with a smile on the auction stage.
As soon as her voice fell, there was an uproar in the hall as many looked at Li Nuo in surprise.
After all, Origin King Grade Spirit Pills were extremely rare, no matter where one went, and it was even rarer to see one appear at an auction. Generally, the cultivators that obtained Origin King Grade Spirit Pills would do everything in their power to conceal its existence and either use it for themselves or their family. The other option would be to privately look for a master to exchange such a pill for a large amount of Saint Crystals. A Spirit Pill being auctioned off was an unusual occurrence.
Only auctions with strong heritage would auction Origin King Grade Spirit Pills.
Although Clear Sky Auction House was a well-known institution in Purple Star City, it was by no means the biggest, and it had never auctioned truly expensive items before. Yet this time, it had suddenly brought out an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill to auction, exceeding everyone’s expectations and immediately raising the excitement in the hall.
In private room A5, Hua You Meng also stopped what she was doing and looked down at the stage with interest.
Li Nuo smiled lightly, walked out a few steps to a maidservant who had just appeared, reached out to pick up a jade bottle from the tray, shook the bottle, and immediately smiled, “This jade bottle contains an Origin King Pill!”
*Hong…*
The cultivators in the hall immediately erupted after Li Nuo’s voice fell.
“What, an Origin King Pill?”
“It’s actually an Origin King Pill? Lady Li Nuo, are you serious?”
Li Nuo smiled and said, “This is my auction house, so how could I dare deceive you. This Spirit Pill is indeed an Origin King Pill. Please see for yourselves.”
Saying so, she opened the jade bottle and poured out a round pill. When this pill appeared, its fragrance filled the air and many cultivators instantly wore looks of ecstasy as they felt their bottlenecks loosening slightly.
Just smelling the fragrance of this pill had such a magical effect, so how amazing would it be to actually take it?
Sure enough, it was an Origin King Pill!
The Origin King Pill was a Spirit Pill that all peak Origin Returning Realm masters craved for because it could increase the chance of them breaking through to the Origin King Realm. After taking this Spirit Pill, one would be able to more easily sense the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. Allowing them an easier time to condense their own Domain.
Although this kind of pill was not a miracle cure that could bring someone back from the dead, it had a fatal temptation to all Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
The Origin King Pill was an Origin King Grade Low-Rank Spirit Pill, which meant it needed to be refined by an Origin King Grade Alchemist. What’s more, the ingredients required to refine the Origin King Pill were quite scarce, so Origin King Pills were a rarity throughout the Star Field.
Combining all these factors made every Origin King Pill invaluable.
“I believe this Mistress doesn’t need to explain what role this pill is to perform,” Li Nuo seemed to have expected the crowd’s reaction and smiled. “This Origin King Pill’s base price has been set at 20 million Saint Crystals. Everyone, please!”
When her voice fell, the entire hall went silent, with no one even daring to bid.
20 million Saint Crystals was not a sum an ordinary cultivator could take out. Only those with the backing of a great force or a big family or Sect would have such strong financial resources.
However, Li Nuo was not in a rush because she knew that this Origin King Pill would definitely sell, it’s just that those who wanted it weren’t in a rush to bid.
*Huchi… huchi…*
In room A5, the sound of heavy breathing rang out. Yang Kai turned his head and saw that Hua You Meng was anything but calm, her tender body trembling lightly as her cheeks flushed and her fists clenched together, her pair of beautiful eyes staring at the Origin King Pill on the stage.
She was also a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, and although she had not made much progress in her cultivation since she had reached her current realm, how could she possibly remain calm with an Origin King Pill appearing right in front of her? This wasn’t just any Spirit Pill, it was an opportunity to reach the Origin King Realm.
If she could really use this Origin King Pill to break through to the Origin King Realm, let alone 20 million, even 200 million would be worth it.
In her excitement, she unconsciously blurted out, “20 million!”
Her voice broke the treacherous silence at the scene, causing Li Nuo to look up and cast a kind smile towards room A5.
“25 million!” As soon as Hua You Meng’s voice fell, a voice from the B Block private rooms immediately followed, directly increasing the price by 5 million.
No one could sit still any longer and new bids began flooding in, all of them from the private rooms.
In just ten breaths of time, the price had risen to 80 million.
Hua You Meng pretty face could not help going slightly pale as she realized that she was unable to compete for this Spirit Pill. 80 million was simply an unbearable number for her, and although there was still the thirty land deeds that were about to be auctioned off, just how many Saint Crystals could she obtain from that?
The competition for the Origin King Pill had only just begun, so who knows what kind of final price it would fetch.
Maybe it would not be enough even if she used all the Saint Crystals she gained from auctioning the land deeds, and she didn’t have the courage to do so anyway.
“100 million!” From a private room in B Block, an old voice called out. Although this voice tried to sound calm, everyone could hear the excitement and anxiety in it.
As soon as this price was called, the scene fell silent again.
An Origin King Pill was indeed precious, but it only increased the chances of one successfully breaking through, it was not a guarantee. It only brought a glimmer of hope.
A price of 100 million had already reached the limit of what most cultivators could afford.
So, after the initial enthusiasm, many people began to calm down and stopped increasing the price.
For a time, no new bids were made.
Li Nuo was not worried at all though. Standing on the stage, she smiled and asked, “The old gentleman from room B8 has bid 100 million. Is there any higher offer?”
“There isn’t, quickly begin the count!” The cultivator from room B8 yelled anxiously.
He could not easily take out 100 million Saint Crystals, but it would be worth it to obtain an Origin King Pill, so he was quite fearful someone else would try to compete with him now and urged vigorously.
“Haha, 110 million!” At that moment, hearty laughter came from one of the private rooms, raising the price by 10 million.
“Who!? Which bastard dares to bid against this old master, damn it!” The cultivator in room B8 was incensed and immediately cursed.
However, when he noticed that the voice actually came from room A2, his face changed drastically.
He was only in room B8, while the other party sat in room A2, meaning the other party’s status was no doubt higher than his own.
At that moment, from room A2, a powerful Divine Sense burst forth and blasted towards the cultivator in room B8.
A muffled snort sounded as the old man in room B8 turned pale, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth as he stared at room A2 in horror and shouted, “Origin King!”
“Hmph, since we’re here to participate in the auction, obey the rules. The next time you show such disrespect, this King will take your life!” Another voice sounded from room A2.
“Yes, yes. What Sir said is correct,” The cultivator in room B8 did not dare to complain, simply nodding in fright as cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Although the room was isolated by a barrier, and he could not see the other side’s face, just the fact that the other party was an Origin King meant he could not provoke them.
“Bold. In Purple Star City, someone actually dares to say they will kill people at will. Do you not put the rules of Purple Star City in your eyes?”
Suddenly, another old voice sounded out and everyone was stunned when they heard it. It seemed that things were destined to not be calm today. Looking towards the source of the voice, everyone quickly discovered that the speaker turned out to be in room A1!
This was the noblest room in the entire auction house, and many had been trying to guess who had been occupying it, but as soon as this voice came out, someone immediately called out in alarm, “Great Elder, it’s Great Elder!”
“Heavens! It’s Great Elder! I was fortunate enough to witness Great Elder scolding someone from far away two years ago. There’s no doubt, it’s Great Elder’s voice.”
“Why is Great Elder here too?”
For a time, the auction house was abuzz with conversation.
But if Great Elder Gong Sun Liang was really sitting in room A1, this was an understandable reaction; after all, Great Elder had the highest authority on Purple Star currently.
This made many wonder who was sitting in room A2 though, as it seemed Great Elder didn’t have a very cordial relationship with him.
“This old master wants this Origin King Pill. 200 million!” Gong Sun Liang said unhurriedly.
*Hua…*
The cultivators in the hall went into an uproar again, not only because Gong Sun Liang was taking part in the auction, but also because the bid he made was so terrifying, directly increasing the price of this Origin King Pill from 110 million to 200 million.
Everyone couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration towards this Purple Star Great Elder. The wealth he carried on him was probably something that an ordinary cultivator couldn’t spend in a hundred generations.
“210 million!” To everyone’s surprise, the person who had previously bid in room A2 actually bid again.
“300 million!” Gong Sun Liang said with a cold snort.
“310 million!”
“500 million!”
…..
Everyone’s expression went dull as their eyes bulged listening to the bids coming from these two private rooms in A Block.
Even Yang Kai frowned as he showed a strange look.
Although an Origin King Pill was of great value, wasn’t a price of 500 million Saint Crystals too unreasonable? Moreover, with Gong Sun Liang’s cultivation, this Origin King Pill was of no use to him at all. Even if he wanted to buy it for one of his Juniors or a descendant, he still would not normally spend such a massive amount to do so.
Yang Kai was quite confused.
As soon as Gong Sun Liang’s 500 million Saint Crystal bid came out, the bidding from room A2 suddenly stopped, seemingly unable to keep up with this furious pace.
At that moment, in Room A2, Zi Wu Ji gloomily stared in Gong Sun Liang’s direction, his fists clenched tightly around bits of broken wood from what was once his chair’s armrest.
Ji Jun, who was standing next to him, also had an ugly face.
“Second Young Master, this old fart is absolutely doing this intentionally!” Ji Jun exclaimed angrily.
“This Young Lord is not a fool. How can I not know this?” Zi Wu Ji ground his teeth, “I was wondering why he suddenly appeared today at Clear Sky Auction House. It turns out he came here deliberately to cause trouble for this Young Lord. That old dog really has too much free time.”
Ji Jun said with a cold face, “This old fart is definitely afraid that you, will gain more strength, Young Lord. That is why he is so insidiously trying to hinder you.”
“One day, this Young Lord will make him pay the price!” Zi Wu Ji swore sternly.
The sky-high price of 500 million had exceeded his expectations, and although he was Purple Star’s Second Young Master, because he had been concealing his ambitions for so long, he had no force of his own and thus lacked deep financial resources. All the resources from Purple Star were put towards his big brother, Zi Dong.
If it hadn’t been for Zi Long and Zi Dong going missing for the past two years, Zi Wu Ji would have chosen to keep lying low.
But if he wanted to fight with Gong Sun Liang now, he needed great strength and prestige, so this Origin King Pill was particularly important to him. If he could use this pill to help him quickly break through to the Origin King Realm, it would be a great boost to his current position.
An Origin King Pill was something even he could not obtain easily!
After pondering for a moment, Zi Wu Ji did not shrink back but gritted his teeth and shouted, “600 million!”
600 million Saint Crystals was already his bottom line! It was also the largest amount he could bring out right now. If Gong Sun Liang increased the price again, he could only give up.
Unsurprisingly, Gong Sun Liang did not give him any face and quickly said, “1 billion!”
The way he called out, it was as if it was just 100 thousand, or 100 million, not 1 billion.
As soon as this bid was made, everyone’s complexion changed. Even Li Nuo, who was standing on the auction stage with a smile on her face, could not help wrinkling her brow slightly as she had a bad premonition in her heart.
“1… 1 billion!?” One of the cultivators down below exclaimed, “Am I hearing things? Did Great Elder just bid a billion Saint Crystals?”
“I must be hearing things also; how could such a high price be called?”
“En, an Origin King Pill is, of course, expensive, but one can’t sell for a billion Saint Crystals. The last time the Glorious Source Auction House sold an Origin King Pill, it only went for 580 million.”
“As expected of Great Elder, he is simply too wealthy, a billion is like nothing to him!”
Various opinions appeared, but some with shaper minds noticed a deeper meaning behind this bid.
Gong Sun Liang’s unrestrained increase in price was obviously because he had some kind of disagreement with the people in Room A2, but even if that was the case, wasn’t taking out a billion Saint Crystals a bit too much?
“Gong Sun Liang, are you deliberately making trouble?” From Room A2, Ji Jun couldn’t bear it any longer and shouted accusatorily.
*Hong…*
The hall erupted again as everyone stared towards Room A2 in shock, wondering who was so bold to dare call Great Elder directly by his name.
An originally unremarkable auction, because of these successive changes, had suddenly become treacherous, and a dangerous aura now permeated the entire auction floor.
On the stage, Li Nuo’s palms had also begun to sweat as a faint uneasy look flashed across her beautiful eyes.
Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Gong Sun Liang didn’t get angry and warmly smiled instead, “Ji Jun, what do you mean by this? This Elder has taken a fancy to this Origin King Pill, what’s wrong with him bidding for it?”
“What’s wrong, you know it in your heart!” Ji Jun coldly snorted and said, “Even if you are Purple Star’s Great Elder, one billion Saint Crystals can’t be taken out casually. Fine! Now that you have already bid, I want to see how you plan to pay for it! Lady Li Nuo, this old master suspects Gong Sun Liang is fraudulently bidding and is simply not capable of paying a billion Saint Crystals here and now! I ask that you confirm the authenticity of his bid.”
“Well…” Li Nuo showed hesitation. Asking Gong Sun Liang to prove he could pay a billion Saint Crystals, wasn’t the same as courting death?
Gong Sun Liang had already made his bid, and whether he could pay it or not, this Spirit Pill was already his. Even if Clear Sky Auction House suffered a loss here, they could only choke it down.
“Nonsense! Questioning the credibility of Great Elder, are you seeking death, Ji Jun?!” From Room A1, another voice rang out before Gong Sun Liang could respond.
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard this voice as he recognized it as Eighth Elder Jiang Chang Feng who had visited Five Paths Chamber of Commerce before.
“I am only seeking to enforce justice! If Great Elder can really pay the billion Saint Crystals, this Ji will have nothing to say,” Ji Jun did not back down.
“Ji Jun, you dare!” Jiang Chang Feng yelled, a strong Saint Qi fluctuation bursting from Room A1, as if a fight was about to break out.
In the hall, all the cultivators panicked, their faces filled with fright.
If these two parties really fought, they were the ones who would suffer. The fallout from a battle between Origin Kings was not something they could withstand.
“Why bother stooping to his level, Eighth Elder?” Gong Sun Liang chuckled, “Since he wants to verify if this old master’s words are credible, then let him. Lady Li Nuo, please bring that Spirit Pill here.”
“Yes,” Li Nuo heard this and stepped towards Room A1.
A moment later, she entered the room with a smile on her face, placed the jade bottle in her hands in front of Gong Sun Liang, and said, “Great Elder, this is the Spirit Pill you won.”
“En.” Gong Sun Liang nodded lightly, not even glancing at Li Nuo directly.
To the side, Jiang Chang Feng coldly took out a ring and gave it to Li Nuo before saying loudly, “Lady Li Nuo, please confirm whether there are a billion Saint Crystals inside.”
Li Nuo took the ring solemnly and used her Divine Sense to sweep its content, her complexion changing slightly as she did as a smile soon reached her lips, “The quantity is confirmed, this transaction is thus complete. Great Elder is a man of integrity and did not make a fraudulent bid.”
“With the transaction taking place in your room, who knows if it is real or not?” Ji Jun sneered again.
Jiang Chang Feng snorted gloomily, “Ji Jun, Lady Li Nuo has personally verified the amount, how could this transaction be fake? As the owner of this auction house, she would never compromise when it comes to business.”
“Lady Li Nuo is nothing but a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, how could she dare say otherwise under your despotic power?”
“Enough, Old Ji. There’s no need to say anymore,” In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji said lightly.
Ji Jun’s face remained irritated, but he obediently stopped speaking.
Zi Wu Ji chuckled, turned to Room A1, and said, “Congratulations Great Elder for winning this Spirit Pill.”
Gong Sun Liang replied in kind, “Second Young Master is too polite, winning an auction is just a matter of wealth. However, this Spirit Pill has no use for this old master. On the contrary, it would be of some small use to you, Second Young Master. If Second Young Master wants it, this old master can give it to you, what do you say?”
In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji frowned deeply before relaxing and smiling, “Great Elder must be joking, how could this Wu Ji bear to accept such a precious gift?”
The words the two spoke now were said in a normal, almost cordial tone, as if the whole dispute just now never even happened.
Only now did everyone in the hall learn that Room A2 was occupied by Purple Star’s Second Young Master, Zi Wu Ji.
Thinking about the competing bids between the two parties and the various rumours which had been swirling around recently, everyone immediately understood that the discord between the Second Young Master and Great Elder was real. After understanding this, many people felt a sense of anxiety.
For most cultivators, who was in charge of Purple Star didn’t matter to them; however, they had no choice but to care about being involved in the confrontation between these two sides.
The auction of the Origin King Pill came to an end, with no one knowing whether Li Nuo had truly received the billion Saint Crystals.
The next item to be auctioned was the land deeds that Hua You Meng handed over to Clear Sky Auction House.
Only merchants from big firms were interested in these land deeds, so none of the masters from the A block participated. On the other hand, many from the B Block competed fiercely over these.
If all the shops on Soaring Dragon Street could be owned and operated by a single firm, that chamber of commerce would be able to make a massive profit, so how could any merchant miss this opportunity?
As such, the competition quickly became fierce.
The starting price of 100 million Saint Crystals rose steadily and finally stopped at 260 million.
In Room A5, Hua You Meng nearly fainted from happiness.
Although Li Nuo had explained to her before, Hua You Meng had still never expected that these land deeds would really sell for such a high price.
A million Saint Crystals was already a huge number to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, let alone hundreds of millions.
With 260 million, the development of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was no longer just a dream. On top of that, it would allow all of them to boldly purchase cultivation resources to enhance their own strength.
With greater strength, the development of the chamber of commerce would also become smoother, creating a kind of snowball effect.
And all of this was brought to her by the man sitting beside her.
Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai in a daze, with a look filled with gratitude on her face.
“Sir, would you taking ninety percent of these Saint Crystals and leaving us with ten percent be acceptable?” Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai timidly. Even if it was just ten percent, that was still more than 20 million.
Yang Kai glanced at her and chuckled, “These Saint Crystals are from selling your land deeds, why should I take ninety percent?”
“Even if that is technically true, how could this Mistress have acquired those land deeds without Sir?”
Yang Kai just waved his hand lightly, “Saint Crystals are meaningless to me. The things I need cannot be bought with Saint Crystals.”
“But…”
“There’s nothing more to discuss,” Yang Kai interrupted her with a smile.
“Sir…” Hua You Meng whispered, almost sobbing from her speechlessness as she felt so touched. If at this moment, Yang Kai asked her to give herself to him, she likely would not even hesitate…
“The next item to be auctioned will be the final one,” On the stage, Li Nuo said loudly, “However, please forgive this Mistress and the appraisers of Clear Sky Auction House for their limited vision. What this item is exactly is not known.”
“Huh? You dare to put out an item to auction you can’t identify? Isn’t your Clear Sky Auction House being a bit unreasonable?”
“Yes, don’t think that ordinary cultivators like us are so easy to deceive! Our Saint Crystals aren’t so light they can be carried off by the wind.”
“Why make such a fuss? Since this item is the last one to appear, it must be of great value, perhaps even more precious than that Origin King Pill. Let us take a look at it first.”
The cultivators in the hall immediately began to argue.
Li Nuo turned a deaf ear to the shouts of the cultivators in the audience and simply gestured sideways, summoning a maidservant to immediately present the auction item.
This time, there was no red cloth to conceal the item, so everyone was able to see that it was actually some kind of ore.
This ore was about the size of a small melon, its whole-body round and radiant, exuding a light blue colour.
Judging from the posture of the maidservant holding it, this item was not heavy.
The noise in the audience gradually subsided as everyone’s eyes were attracted to this ore, many staring curiously while Divine Senses were also being extended from the private rooms, constantly scanning this unknown item.
However, no one was able to see any clues.
Even Yang Kai frowned with a suspicious look on his face.
One had to know that there were few things in this world he could not see through with his current Divine Sense, but this ore was one of them. From this fact alone, even if this last auction item was not a priceless supreme treasure, it was still a rare and valuable item.
Yang Kai’s interest was thus stimulated.
On the central platform, Li Nuo lightly curled her red lips and said softly, “This item was something my Clear Sky Auction House coincidentally obtained, and ever since we did, we have been studying it; unfortunately, no one from Clear Sky Auction House has been able to identify its use as of yet and we were only able to conclude that it is a good Artifact Refining material. Today, with so many powerful masters present, perhaps there is a Sir who will be able to identify this bead and knows its true purpose. This Mistress hopes that if any Sir is able to do so, please enlighten me to dispel this Mistress’ doubts.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? How could you bring something like this out to auction?” Someone immediately yelled impatiently.
Li Nuo just smiled lightly however and declared, “The final auction item, the unknown Artifact Refining material, base price…30 million!”
In the hall, many cultivators burst into laughter after experiencing a brief silence. Obviously, they all felt that Li Nuo’s reserve price was ridiculous.
Li Nuo did not care though, and just stood atop the stage with a smile on her face.
As she had said, this item had been studied by Clear Sky Auction House for many years, but nothing was ever discovered about it. Even Aunt Chun was unable to judge what it was for, but that did not hinder its value.
Li Nuo had compared it with some Origin King Grade Artifact Refining materials already but discovered that no matter which Origin King Grade material it was, it was not as firm as this.
In other words, this ore was at least Artifact Refining material at the Origin King Grade.
It would be best if this thing could be sold, but it also did not matter if it couldn’t be. It would be perfectly acceptable for this auction to fail.
After a long time, with no one bidding, it seemed this last auction item was destined to not be sold. Li Nuo glanced around with her beautiful eyes, and couldn’t help showing a look of disappointment realizing this.
“Lady Li, could you allow this King to investigate that item?” Suddenly, a calm voice spoke from one of the private rooms.
Li Nuo followed the voice to its source and discovered it belonged to the occupant of Room A5. Smiling lightly, she nodded and said, “Naturally that is not a problem. Please wait a moment, Sir.”
Saying so, she gestured to the maidservant and had her quickly walk towards the room where Yang Kai was.
In Room A5, Yang Kai frowned as a solemn look appeared on his face.
Hua You Meng asked in surprise, “Sir, do you recognize this thing?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I’m not sure, that’s why I want to take a closer look.”
Hua You Meng nodded.
Nearby, in Room A1, Jiang Chang Feng’s face changed slightly as his expression turned sullen, “Great Elder, the one who spoke just now is ‘that’ man.”
Gong Sun Liang raised his brow before narrowing his eyes, “My Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
“Indeed!” Jiang Chang Feng nodded sincerely, “Just a few days ago, this Jiang was ordered by you to invite this person to the Inner City, but he rudely refused. This Jiang specifically explained that Great Elder had requested to meet with him, but he refused to give any face. This man is simply too arrogant.”
Gong Sun Liang stroked his beard and snickered, “Anyone who has the ability can be arrogant. This old master wanted to find a chance to meet this person another day, but I didn’t expect to meet him here today. Since that’s the case… we can talk now. This old master wants to see if this Venerable’s strength is real or if he is just a fraud!”
Jiang Chang Feng was surprised when he heard these words as a grin appeared on his face just imagining Yang Kai’s coming misfortune. He knew that, while Gong Sun Liang acted as if he did not care on the surface, in truth, he was very upset about not being given any face.
Inside Room A5, Yang Kai held the unknown auction item and observed it solemnly, probing it with his Divine Sense.
Hua You Meng and the maidservant did not dare to bother him.
At first, nothing unusual stood out, but at a certain moment, Yang Kai’s complexion could not help changing and a piercing light flashed across his eyes, as if he had been attacked by someone and he pushed his Divine Sense madly to condense a barrier around him.
*Pa…*
A faint sound rang out as Yang Kai’s Divine Sense defense was broken in an instant, but just as he was about to resist again, suddenly, everything subsided.
The entire auction house was now silent, with ninety-nine percent of the cultivators present pale and trembling.
The moment when Yang Kai Divine Sense broke out, it was as if a dormant dragon had stuck its head out from its cave, causing everyone to cower in fear.
Fortunately, this ominous pressure disappeared as quickly as it appeared, otherwise, many in the audience would have had their minds crushed.
Inside the private room, a light of pleasant surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes, and immediately after, he returned the auction item to the maidservant with a calm expression and said lightly, “That will be all. You can return.”
“Yes!” The maidservant took the auction item and hurriedly left, not daring to even breathe heavily.
“This old master would also like to observe the item, I wonder if Lady Li Nuo can be accommodating?” Gong Sun Liang’s voice came from Room A1.
He was also quite curious. He did not know why Yang Kai suddenly released such a powerful Divine Sense fluctuation, but whether it was because of something Yang Kai did himself or because of this final auction item, Gong Sun Liang was determined to find out.
“Naturally, there is no problem if Great Elder wants to look,” Li Nuo pursed her lips and smiled.
The maidservant quickly turned around and brought the last auction item to Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang observed it for much longer than Yang Kai, but he did not cause a sensation like the latter did. The entire audience remained on edge, but they began to breathe a sigh of relief after a while, thinking that the Great Elder was truly the Great Elder; how could some outside powerhouse be comparable to him?
With Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang taking the lead, the masters in the private rooms all put forward similar requests.
The last auction item was passed between the hands of many masters and did not return to the auction stage until after a stick of incense worth of time.
Li Nuo smiled and said, “Now that so many Sirs have seen, I wonder if there is anyone who can tell this Mistress what material this is? If anyone is willing to inform this Mistress, if that Sir is able to obtain it in the coming auction, this Mistress can offer that Sir a ten percent discount.”
“Lady Li Nuo, this old master is not talented and can only tell that this material is extremely hard, Origin King Grade at the least,” From one of the B Block private rooms, an old voice sounded immediately.
“What point is there in saying that? This old master can also tell that this is a piece of Origin King Grade material, but what it is exactly is unknown.”
“Could this be a piece of Phoenix Star Silver? It is rumoured that Phoenix Star Silver is formed when an Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix releases its fire breath to smelt together extremely hard ores, sealing some of its Fire Attribute essence into it. This old master can sense a hint of heat overflowing from this object which is remarkably similar to the rumoured Phoenix Star Silver.”
“Old Xu, are you blind? Phoenix Star Silver should be a fiery red colour, this thing is a pale blue. Obviously, it’s something else!”
“This…” The person who had spoken before was speechless, apparently feeling that his guess was too arbitrary.
“Hehe,” Li Nuo stood on the stage and smiled slightly, “Sirs, please calm yourselves, let us auction this thing first and then discuss it, shall we?”
She could also see that this group of people did not recognize what this last auction item was and therefore wasn’t prepared to waste any more time.
“It is as Lady Li Nuo says.”
“Good, this old master bids 30 million!” From a B Block private room, the old man who just hypothesized the item was Phoenix Star Silver called out.
Regardless of this thing’s true identity, there was no doubt that it was a piece of Origin King Grade material, and a very large piece at that. If this item could be brought back and refined into an artifact, it would definitely be worth spending some Saint Crystals on.
An Origin King Grade artifact could become a family heirloom. Many Sects didn’t even have a single Origin King Grade artifact.
“31 million!”
“33 million!”
After being investigated by the various masters, this last auction item suddenly became a popular one, and although its price did not rise very high, it at least avoided the fate of being unsold.
Soon, the price rose to 42 million.
By this time, many people had gradually withdrawn.
Perhaps in the hearts of these people, it was not cost-efficient to spend so many Saint Crystals on an unknown item. Only three or five people were still bidding. If no one else stepped in now, this item would likely be sold for around 50 million.
This was indeed the case as, after another round of price-raising, the bids finally came to a halt at 51 million. At this time, no one tried to increase the price further.
A hint of disappointment flashed across Li Nuo’s eyes seeing this, but just as she was about to ask if there were no other bidders, a voice from Room A5 spoke, “60 million!”
Yang Kai had made a bid.
Li Nuo raised her eyes towards Room A5 as a trace of shock flashed across them.
Yang Kai had remained silent until just now, so she thought he had no interest in this item. Now, she knew he did not want to waste his time bidding against these people and simply wanted to swoop in at the end and have the last word.
This was a tactic used by powerful cultivators and was tried and tested.
Was he able to identify this material? Li Nuo was suspicious; after all, Yang Kai was the first to check the auction item just now and he had also made a stir while doing so.
If someone told her that Yang Kai paid such a high price without knowing anything, Li Nuo would not believe it.
However, she knew better than to ask anything and simply waited for the final price to be called.
Yang Kai making a bid here caused others to suddenly become dumbfounded.
Without even mentioning that this price had exceeded everyone’s bottom line, just Yang Kai’s immense strength was enough for them to not dare challenge him.
As such, after the price of 60 million was called, no one tried to enter another bid.
Li Nuo also spoke very quickly, “This Sir has bid 60 million, is there any higher offer? If not, this Mistress will begin the count…”
Li Nuo had a good impression of Yang Kai, not only because Yang Kai gave her an approachable feeling when she first met, but also because of the message that night.
Li Nuo heard at the time that it was none other than Yang Kai who secretly sent her that message!
As such, she naturally considered Yang Kai an ally, and now seeing him bid, she of course did not hesitate to support him, planning on quickly ending the auction so he could acquire this item.
At the same time, she felt a bit annoyed in her heart. If she knew that Yang Kai was interested in this thing, she would not have put it out for auction and simply given it to him. However, this did not matter much. At worst, she could simply return his Saint Crystals later to not let him suffer a loss.
Various thoughts floated across Li Nuo’s mind as she kept talking, “60 million once…”
“70 million!” Before Li Nuo could make it to the second count though, another bid came in.
Li Nuo raised her head in amazement and looked to the side to discover that the new bidder was none other than Great Elder Gong Sun Liang, causing her to frown slightly.
Inside from A5, Yang Kai also raised his brow, feeling quite surprised, but soon, he quoted a new price, “100 million!”
*Si…*
The cultivators in the hall gasped.
In the past, few items exceeded 100 million Saint Crystals during Clear Sky Auction House’s auctions, but today, the last three items met this standard. The Origin King Pill even managed to reach a billion Saint Crystals in price.
This unknown Artifact Refining material had also broken the 100 million mark, and this was just the beginning…
For a time, everyone became excited. The confrontation between two Origin Kings, whether in terms of strength or wealth, was always quite thrilling. How could they miss this good show?
As soon as Yang Kai’s voice fell, Gong Sun Liang called out, “200 million!”
Everyone was stunned as their hearts shook!
Gong Sun Liang had only participated in the bidding for two auction items today, but the way he increased the price for each item he bid on was so arrogant and unrestrained that it was like he did not put his opponent in his eyes.
This wasn’t just bidding anymore; it was simply overwhelming others with money.
Thinking so, many people showed a thoughtful look, wondering whether the Sir in room A5 had somehow offended the Great Elder, causing Great Elder to deal with him in the same manner he dealt with the Second Young Master.
“Haha, Great Elder’s financial strength is truly great, this one is impressed!” Inside his private room. Yang Kai smiled lightly and called out directly, allowing everyone in the hall to hear his words.
“This friend is too polite; it is just a trivial 200 million Saint Crystals. When one reaches the realm that friend and I have, Saint Crystals are meaningless,” Gong Sun Liang replied indifferently.
“What Great Elder said is correct,” Yang Kai agreed, “In view of that, then…”
Yang Kai’s voice paused slightly, causing all the cultivators in the hall to turn sideways and perk up their ears, as if trying to hear more clearly.
“500 million!”
As soon as these words came out, the hall boiled again, with everyone’s eyes bulging as they stared around blankly, wondering if they had heard wrong.
Great Elder’s price increase was ruthless, but this person was even more ruthless than Great Elder! What were the origins of this man, daring to so blatantly compete with the Great Elder? Doesn’t he know how to write the word ‘death’?
Atop the high platform, Li Nuo’s beautiful eyes filled with restlessness as she secretly scolded herself for putting this thing up for auction at all. Now, this had caused a hostile relationship to form between this Sir and the Great Elder. If things were not handled well now, it would be a disaster. While worrying in her heart, she quietly sent a message to Aunt Chun who was hiding nearby, asking her to look for an opportunity to settle this matter peacefully.
Inside room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s voice called out once more, “Friend, are you sure you want to pay 500 million for this thing?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “What’s wrong? Great Elder was willing to spend a billion Saint Crystals on a worthless Origin King Pill, so why can this King not spend 500 million on this unknown Artifact Refining material?”
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted.
Yang Kai addressing himself as ‘this King’ in front of him upset him greatly. In addition, the last time he asked Jiang Chang Feng to invite Yang Kai, the other party did not give him any face, so his tone became cold, “There is nothing wrong with it, I’m just afraid Your Excellency might be too caught up in the bidding and not be able to pay up later.”
“There’s no need for Great Elder to worry about that,” Yang Kai chuckled, “Great Elder can afford to pay a billion Saint Crystals, so naturally this King can too.”
Being rebuffed again, Gong Sun Liang became even more unhappy and said without hesitation, “600 million!”
“One billion!” Yang Kai did not back down.
These few words caused the price of this unknown Artifact Refining materials to rise to the same level as the previous Origin King Pill, which was not only shocking but also quite ironic.
Is there anything in this world worth a billion Saint Crystals? An Origin King Pill was certainly not worth that much, and this unknown Artifact Refining material was not either, only face was worth so much.
A cold light flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes but just as he was about to increase the price again, Zi Wu Ji’s chuckle suddenly came from room A2, “You two have such immense wealth, Wu Ji is deeply impressed. However, Great Elder, you just spent a billion Saint Crystals, so do you still have the ability to increase the price?”
Zi Wu Ji was still quite disgruntled at the moment. He had been defeated earlier by Gong Sun Liang, losing out on the Origin King Pill, so he was in a foul mood. At this moment, he saw Yang Kai fighting against Gong Sun Liang, so how could he just sit on the sidelines? Immediately he stood up to help Yang Kai.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend! Zi Wu Ji thought clearly in his mind. On top of that, he wanted to win over Yang Kai in the first place, so how could he not support him now? This was the perfect time to sell a favour so Zi Wu Ji spoke without hesitation.
“Is this old master’s ability to pay any concern of Second Young Master’s?” Gong Sun Liang’s expression was gloomy as he spat coldly.
“Wu Ji naturally has no right to interfere with Great Elder’s private affairs, but… now that my honoured father and eldest brother are not on Purple Star, Great Elder leads Purple Star. Great Elder’s reputation is not just his own now, but also that of all of Purple Star, so due care must be taken when matters of integrity and credibility are concerned. Before, Great Elder managed to acquire that Origin King Pill, but no one saw whether Great Elder paid the full billion Saint Crystals he bid. Of course… Wu Ji has confidence in Great Elder’s character and does not doubt his righteousness, but there are thousands of cultivators in this hall now, so it is difficult to say whether everyone has the same trust Wu Ji has. I’m afraid that even now some are suspecting Great Elder acted deceptively and forcibly acquired that Origin King Pill.”
“Impudence!” Jiang Chang Feng roared, “Whether the billion Saint Crystals were paid just now or not, Lady Li Nuo knows best. Lady Li Nuo has personally verified this matter already. What are Second Young Master’s intentions still trying to dispute the truth of this matter?”
“Hehe, it is as Eighth Elder said. Those billion Saint Crystals were surely paid just now!” Zi Wu Ji chuckled.
“Exactly!” Jiang Chang Feng’s face went dark.
“However, doubt only grows when proof is repeatedly denied,” Zi Wu Ji ignored Jiang Chang Feng’s clamour and continued. “Since Great Elder now represents all of Purple Star, even the slightest suspicion against him cannot be tolerated, otherwise my Purple Star will have no credibility at all. Great Elder stands below one but above ten thousand, everything he says and does is an example to my Purple Star, so certainly he does not want such uncertainty to persist.”
Inside room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes were half-squinted, but after Zi Wu Ji finished speaking, he said indifferently, “Then in Second Young Master’s opinion, how should this old master win the trust and others? Please enlighten us, Second Young Master!”
“Wu Ji would not dare act so presumptuous, Great Elder is too serious!” Zi Wu Ji quickly acted humbled, “This matter can be solved simply: If Great Elder wishes to bid again, he only needs to provide proof his offer is real, so… why not send the appropriate number of Saint Crystals to the stage for all to see so none may doubt my Purple Star’s reputation again!”
Zi Wu Ji clever use of words, trying to entrap him, annoyed Gong Sun Liang greatly, so he silently motioned to Jiang Chang Feng. The latter understood his intentions and immediately shouted, “Nonsense, how could there be such an auction in this world…”
“Good idea,” Yang Kai smiled and interrupted Jiang Chang Feng’s words, using his Divine Sense to render the other party unable to speak as he said, “I have no objections. Since I want to bid, I don’t want to be accused of fraud, that would only make me look foolish. En, Young Master Wu Ji’s thoughts are quite keen!”
“This Sir is too polite,” Zi Wu Ji was ecstatic and while answering he quietly whispered to Yang Kai, “Sir, this Wu Ji has 600 million Saint Crystals here, if Sir needs them, this Wu Ji will definitely help!”
“No need. Second Young Master’s kindness, this Yang has noted,” Yang Kai echoed, “I wonder what Great Elder thinks?”
Gong Sun Liang was now even more annoyed, but he was also riding a tiger and could only nod, “Fine, this old master will accompany you!”
He was Purple Star’s Great Elder and had the strongest financial resources in Purple Star City, competing with him this way was the height of folly!
“Since the two Sirs have reached an agreement, this Mistress will do everything she can to facilitate,” Li Nuo sighed secretly. Although the atmosphere in the auction room was still quite tense, there were at least no signs a fight would immediately break out. Turning in Yang Kai’s direction, she called out, “This Sir just bid one billion…”
“En, I don’t have that many Saint Crystals,” Yang Kai replied lightly.
“You don’t have enough Saint Crystals yet you still dare to bid, haha, isn’t this exactly the fraud you spoke of just now?” Jiang Chang Feng laughed.
“Eighth Elder, this Sir only said he does not have so many Saint Crystals, not that he couldn’t pay. Does this Sir perhaps have other items he wishes to barter?” Zi Wu Ji immediately cut in.
“Second Young Master is correct,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “I don’t have so many Saint Crystals, but I do have other treasures that can be offered. Lady Li Nuo, does this violate your auction house’s regulations?”
“No, my Clear Sky Auction House can accept other items of corresponding value,” Li Nuo said seriously.
“Good, then please take a look at this,” Yang Kai said while throwing a jade bottle casually, which under his exquisite Saint Qi control flew precisely to the stage.
Countless eyes fixed onto the jade bottle as everyone wondered what pill was inside that could possibly be worth a billion Saint Crystals.
Li Nuo caught this jade bottle suspiciously, opened its lid, and peeked inside, only to call out in alarm in the next moment, “This is… an Origin King Pill!”
“What? An Origin King Pill?”
“It couldn’t be?”
“This Sir actually has an Origin King Pill in his hands?”
As soon as Li Nuo’s voice fell, the cultivators in the hall erupted, all of them stretched their necks to try to get a better look at the stage, their eyes seemingly trying to penetrate the jade bottle to see whether there was really an Origin King Pill inside or not.
Li Nuo knew that further words would be pointless so she quickly poured out the contents of the jade bottle.
In an instant, a rich pill fragrance filled the hall.
When the original Origin King Pill was taken out, everyone had smelled its unique fragrance, so after smelling it again so soon, everyone was able to conclude this new pill was an Origin King Pill.
If there was any difference, it was that this pill fragrance… seemed to be more intense.
“Look, isn’t this Origin King Pill slightly bigger than the one from just now? Could its quality be better?”
“Nonsense, how can you judge the quality of a Spirit Pill by its size… however, judging from the colour and richness of its scent, it does seem higher quality than the one from earlier.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Uh… in a sense.”
The cultivators on the auction house floor endlessly called out while, in Room A2, Zi Wu Ji’s eyes were glued to the Origin King Pill on the stage, joy nearly bursting from his heart.
The Origin King Pill that was auctioned off before was snatched from him by Gong Sun Liang, causing him to feel helpless and annoyed, but just when he thought he had missed this opportunity, Yang Kai had unexpectedly taken out another Origin King Pill, one of even higher quality at that.
How could Zi Wu Ji not be pleasantly surprised?
No matter what, he needed to find a way to obtain this Origin King Pill. With the help of this Spirit Pill, he could attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm as long as he could prepare appropriately!
Once he succeeded, he would have a far stronger position with which to challenge Gong Sun Liang!
“How much is this King’s Spirit Pill worth?” Yang Kai’s voice floated out from his private room.
Li Nuo eyes flashed for a moment before she laughed lightly, “Because the Origin King Pill just now was sold at a price of one billion, this Origin King Pill is naturally worth such an amount in this Mistress’ eyes!”
Obviously, she was assisting Yang Kai.
A haze flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes as he snorted coldly, “Lady Li Nuo, you should think clearly. This old master was willing to spend a billion to buy that Origin King Pill, but that does not mean it is really worth that price. If you intend to say it is worth a billion Saint Crystals, this old master will not agree.”
Li Nuo frowned and was about to say something when Zi Wu Ji’s voice suddenly came out, “Great Elder, don’t worry, this Wu Ji will purchase this Spirit Pill for a billion Saint Crystals.”
Although he did not have a billion Saint Crystals on him now, with his status and position, it would be fine to just give Li Nuo an IOU.
Li Nuo nodded lightly before turning to smile towards Gong Sun Liang, “Since that’s the case, does Great Elder still have any objections?”
“Hmph,” Gong Sun Liang just coldly snorted and quickly declared, “1.1 billion!”
“Great Elder, please send enough Saint Crystals or items of corresponding value to the stage to show fairness!” Zi Wu Ji needled loudly.
Gong Sun Liang said nothing as he sent a Space Ring from Room A1 towards the stage.
Li Nuo stretched out her hand, grabbed it, and began to investigate with a solemn expression.
Zi Wu Ji grinned lightly and said, “Please look carefully, Lady Li Nuo; after all, this is a huge number, not something that can be counted in a short time.”
As soon as this statement came out, many people could not help showing a thoughtful look and silently nodded to themselves. How could such a large number of Saint Crystals be counted at once? But when Li Nuo went to Room A1 to count Saint Crystals just now, she had confirmed the number instantly. Was there something nefarious afoot?
Great Elder could not have actually failed to pay the appropriate number of Saint Crystals, right? If that was the case, it would simply be going too far.
This time, Li Nuo counted for a full incense stick worth of time before smiling and declaring, “The number is confirmed, it is indeed 1.1 billion Saint Crystals!”
“Great Elder is indeed wealthy; this one is truly impressed!” Yang Kai smiled and acknowledged.
“If Your Excellency is unable to increase the price, this last auction item will belong to this old master,” Gong Sun Liang replied lightly.
Yang Kai just chuckled, stretched out his hand, and threw out an object from his private room to land in front of Li Nuo.
It was another jade bottle!
“A pill again?”
“Could it be another Origin King Pill?”
“Of course not, the Origin King Pill can only be refined by an Origin King Grade Alchemist, and its main ingredient is extremely scarce. It is a rare treasure one can only hope to see once in a lifetime, so how could another one possible appear today? This jade bottle must contain some other type of Spirit Pill.”
“That makes sense, but this Sir has an extraordinary background. I think the value of this new pill shouldn’t be any lower than that of an Origin King Pill.”
Everyone was immersed in discussion as they curiously speculated about the pill inside the jade bottle, wondering what kind of treasure Yang Kai had put out this time.
Li Nuo opened the jade bottle and glanced inside suspiciously, only to have her tender body shake noticeably as a look of pure shock appeared on her face as she shouted, “Another Origin King Pill!”
“What? It really is another Origin King Pill?”
“How many Origin King Pills does this Sir have in his hands!”
“Sir, do you want a servant? This old man has a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation. If Sir is willing, this old man would like to offer Sir a lifetime of service!”
“Bullshit! Old Chen, you want to follow this Sir even at your age? You want that Origin King Pill that desperately? With your aptitude, even if you get an Origin King Pill, you can’t break through to the Origin King Realm. Giving it to you would only be a waste! Sir, please take a look at this Sun’s aptitude. This Sun is already a pinnacle Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator with solid Saint Qi and Shi just below the grand accomplishment stage. Please let this Sun offer his service to Sir!”
“Old Sun, you dare to slander this Chen’s reputation? This Chen will fight with you!”
“You two old fools, how could you think yourselves worthy of serving this Sir? Sir, this Mistress has a Special Constitution, and although it does not compare to the legendary Wonderful Furnace Divine Body, it is not far off. Is Sir interested in having a taste? Although this Mistress is only a small Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator now, she will definitely be able to break through to the Origin King Realm sooner or later. If Sir is willing to accept, this Mistress will offer herself as a maid or servant!”
“You whore, how many thousands of men have you been sullied by already? Do not dirty this Sir with your filth! Sir, please accept this Mistress as your servant, I promise I have never been touched by a man before and still retain my purity.”
“No, choose me! I know several boudoir arts that will definitely please Sir!”
The entire auction hall suddenly became as noisy as a hawkers market, with numerous Origin Returning Realm cultivators shouting in the direction of Room A5, everyone trying to promote themselves while some women even shamelessly tried to use seduction.
Yang Kai had taken out two Origin King Pills at once, so everyone could see how wealthy he was. If he could take out two so easily, there may be more. An Origin King Pill was a priceless treasure for any Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and had a near-fatal temptation to them. If any of them could follow Yang Kai and obtain an Origin King Pill, a lifetime of service was really a cheap price to pay.
Inside the private room, Hua You Meng’s pretty face distorted as she watched a sea of women who had clearly been deflowered throwing coquettish glances towards the man next to her, her brow twitching from a mixture of disgust and disdain.
However, when she cast her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai, even she could not help being somewhat tempted; after all, she was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator as well!
On the stage, Li Nuo looked at the funny scene below with a wry smile, not knowing what she should do. She had hosted many auctions before, but she had never seen a situation like this.
Her limelight had actually been stolen by a bidder, but she didn’t complain, only feeling this was all… quite strange.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai coughed lightly and said, “Everyone’s sincerity, this King has noted, but this King has no intention of taking any followers. What’s more, these Origin King Pills were only obtained by this King by chance. There are only two, no more.”
Yang Kai really only had two. He had refined them himself on the floating continent in case he needed to take one during his breakthrough to the Origin King Realm, but his breakthrough had gone smoothly in the end so he no longer had a use for these Origin King Pills.
As soon as Yang Kai finished speaking, many cultivators showed looks of disappointment and besides a few people whose eyes still shone brightly, the rest sat down and no longer shouted.
Yang Kai then directed his attention to Li Nuo and asked, “How valuable is this Origin King Pill?”
Li Nuo said without hesitation, “Since the Origin King Pill just now was worth a billion, then this one is the same.”
Gong Sun Liang angrily snapped, “Can you find another person who is willing to spend a billion to buy it?”
Li Nuo suddenly showed a look of embarrassment.
Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh at this and said, “Lady Li Nuo does not need to make things awkward, just mark its value at 500 million.”
Li Nuo showed a look of gratitude and nodded, “Since Sir has said so, then 500 million it is. Does Great Elder have any objections?”
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted in response.
Everyone knew the value of an Origin King Pill was between 500 to 600 million, with many people even willing to spend more than that. As such, an estimate of 500 million was actually quite low. With Yang Kai being so generous, if Gong Sun Liang still objected, he would only look petty.
Li Nuo smiled slightly, “This Sir from Room A5 has offered 1.5 billion. Does Great Elder want to increase the price?”
Inside Room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed with struggle.
Jiang Chang Feng whispered from the side at that moment, “Great Elder, what special use does that thing possess? Why are you and that person willing to bid such a large amount of money to win it?”
Gong Sun Liang just glanced at him, sneered, and said, “Nothing, we are competing for face.”
“Uh…” Jiang Chang Feng began to leak cold sweat, thinking that a battle over face could actually cost a billion Saint Crystals. These two were truly prodigal. After grumbling silently to himself, he followed up, “If that is the case, Great Elder should not fight with him anymore. This is Purple Star, does Great Elder need to worry about him not giving face?”
A gloomy light flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes before he finally nodded and said, “Fine, this matter will stop here.”
Although he still had the ability to continue bidding, just looking at Yang Kai’s momentum, he wasn’t sure he would be the ultimate winner. As Jiang Chang Feng said, this was Purple Star, where he was the one in charge. What did it matter if he allowed the other party to have a small win for now?
Saying so, his figure actually flickered and he disappeared from the private room.
In Room A1, Jiang Chang Feng looked helpless, knowing that Gong Sun Liang had thrown this to him to clean up and causing him to curse silently to himself.
On the stage, Li Nuo waited for a while, but seeing that Gong Sun Liang still had no intention of increasing the price, she began the countdown joyfully. After a full three count, the unknown Artifact Refining material went to Yang Kai.
When the maidservant brought the unknown material to Room A5, Yang Kai directly stuffed it into his Space Ring, his face filling with joy.
Hua You Meng was very curious, wondering what secrets this material had that it could actually make Yang Kai so happy.
The auction then came to an end, and the cultivators who came to participate left one after another. After most people had gone, Jiang Chang Feng stealthily went to find Li Nuo to retrieve the Saint Crystals that Gong Sun Liang had previously given to her.
That was 1.1 billion Saint Crystals, so they could not just be abandoned.
In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji paced back and forth uneasily, looking up from time to time, as if waiting for something.
After a long time, the door was opened wide and Ji Jun’s figure was revealed.
Zi Wu Ji’s expression shook as he asked urgently, “Old Ji, how did things go?”
Ji Jun grinned, cupped his fists, and said, “This old man has not failed Second Young Master. Both matters were successful.”
“Really?” Zi Wu Ji was overjoyed, “Excellent! After everything is settled, this Young Lord will not forget Old Ji’s valuable contributions!”
Ji Jun just shook his head and said, “Second Young Master is too serious. This old master has watched over you since you were but a small boy, so doing this much is only natural. There is no need to give this old master any credit.”
Saying so, he took out a jade bottle and said, “Second Young Master, please have a look. This is the Origin King Pill that this old master just bought from Lady Li Nuo. Lady Li Nuo offered her thanks to Second Young Master for lending his aid to her during a difficult situation and decided to sell this Origin King Pill to Second Young Master at the last price you bid, 600 million Saint Crystals.”
“Oh?” A look of surprise flashed across Zi Wu Ji’s eyes, “Was Li Nuo always so bold?”
Ji Jun also wore a suspicious expression on his face, “There is no good or evil in business, and Li Nuo is a shrewd businesswoman, taking the initiative to abandon 400 million Saint Crystals… this old master does not believe she doesn’t have a reason… Perhaps she is acquainted with that Sir.”
Zi Wu Ji thoughtfully said, “What Old Ji means is that she is thanking me for assisting that Sir by giving me such a big discount?”
“Besides this, I cannot think of another reason!” Ji Jun nodded sincerely.
“Is that so,” Zi Wu Ji pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement with Ji Jun’s speculation, “If that is the case, then we need to give greater care to this Clear Sky Auction House. En, enough about this for now though, what about the other matter I asked you to do?”
“That Sir has agreed. I have asked Lady Li Nuo to arrange a secret room for Second Young Master and him to meet privately. Please come with me, Second Young Master!”
Zi Wu Ji’s eyes flashed with joy as he quickly left with Ji Jun.
Behind Clear Sky Auction House, in a secret room with multiple barriers isolating it, Li Nuo and Hua You Meng stood quietly outside. Not long after, Zi Wu Ji and Ji Jun arrived.
The two women hurriedly saluted with Li Nuo smiling and saying, “That Sir is inside. Second Young Master, please.”
“Many thanks, Lady Li Nuo,” Zi Wu Ji cupped his fists politely.
“Second Young Master is too polite, it was but a small effort.”
“Regardless, this Young Lord will not forget what happened today. If there is a chance in the future, he will certainly repay this favour!”
Li Nuo smiled and did not say anything more.
Zi Wu Ji then brought Ji Jun and stepped forward.
Inside the room, Yang Kai sat alone on a chair, his eyes closed tightly, as if he was comprehending something.
Seeing this scene, Zi Wu Ji immediately held his breath and motioned to Ji Jun, signalling for him to go out.
Ji Jun frowned and said in a low voice, “Second Young Master…”
“Old Ji, I have a sense of discretion,” Zi Wu Ji looked at Ji Jun sincerely.
Seeing this, the latter had no choice but to withdraw.
Soon, there was only Yang Kai and Zi Wu Ji left in the room. Yang Kai did not move, didn’t open his eyes, and didn’t speak, so Zi Wu Ji didn’t dare to disturb him rashly, instead just standing back and waiting quietly.
He mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was comprehending something, but in reality, Yang Kai had sent his consciousness into the Small Sealed World.
Inside the Small Sealed World, there was no one else besides Yang Kai’s huge Embodiment, Firebird Liu Yan and Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao.
The Embodiment was formed by refining the entire floating continent and was naturally far too big to fit inside a Space Ring. Only an Emperor Artifact like the Small Sealed World was capable of accommodating it.
Since the last time he had collected his Embodiment, Yang Kai had not paid much attention to it, so at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly realized that his Embodiment had actually become much smaller.
Yang Kai was ecstatic. It seemed that as time passed, his Embodiment would continue to purge the impurities from its body, so although it was becoming smaller, its strength was actually growing.
This was similar to Artifact Refining in a sense, and the innate Divine Ability of the Stone Puppet clan was enough for the Embodiment to accomplish it. It seemed that in the future, it would become smaller and smaller.
Of course, it couldn’t return to the size of Xiao Xiao’s natural state, and Yang Kai did not have any desire to see that. As long as its size of his Embodiment could be reduced by half, that would be enough. The current Embodiment was so massive it gave any enemy it faced a strong sense of oppression, but being too large also made it inconvenient to move about, which was a negative.
Liu Yan was still devouring and refining some strands of Sun’s True Fire, an extremely time-consuming process, but with each successful refinement, her strength would noticeably increase.
Xiao Xiao was doing something similar.
Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan were two of Yang Kai’s biggest supporters, so he could not favour one over the other. Now that he had allowed Liu Yan to absorb as much Sun’s True Fire as she wanted, he could not allow Xiao Xiao to fall behind.
But Xiao Xiao’s actions were a little different from Liu Yan’s. Liu Yan would absorb a strand of Sun’s True Fire, then refine and absorb it into her body to increase her strength, while Xiao Xiao would directly swallow the Sun’s True Essence!
This approach was more domineering and dangerous than Liu Yan’s, but it had higher growth potential.
When Yang Kai arrived, his two big helpers were working hard cultivating, but even after so many years of consumption, the piece of Sun’s True Essence remained essentially unchanged, in the same exact state Yang Kai had first found it, exuding a terrifying heat.
Worthy of being refined from the core of a Sun Star, it was truly a priceless treasure. The energy contained inside this small fist-sized ore was impossible to estimate.
Yang Kai brought the unknown Artifact Refining material into the Small Sealed World with him, and with a thought, summoned both Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan.
The next moment, Liu Yan in her human form appeared in front of Yang Kai and said lightly, “Greetings Master, what orders does Master have?”
“You two, swallow and refine the outer layer of material from this thing,” Yang Kai pointed to the unknown material that he spent two Origin King Pills to obtain.
“This is…” Liu Yan stared at the melon-sized ore for a moment before a look of astonishment appeared on her face, “Master, what is this? Why do I feel that it is of great help to me!”
“The outer layer is Phoenix Star Silver!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
During the auction, one cultivator had speculated that this was a piece of Phoenix Star Silver, and he was not wrong. Phoenix Star Silver was formed when an Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix used its flames to smelt together various types of ores and left behind some of its aura inside the resulting ingot, making it extremely valuable.
Liu Yan was originally an Artifact Spirit and her innate form had been that of a Firebird. In this world though, the noblest species of Firebird was naturally the Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix!
This was also the reason she could feel that the outer layer of Phoenix Star Silver was of great help to her. If she could devour and refine this Phoenix Star Silver, she might be able to comprehend some slight inheritance of the True Phoenix which formed it.
“The outer layer?” Liu Yan showed a thoughtful look, “That means there is something inside?”
“En, leave what’s inside of it, it’s useful to me!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Master, what is inside this thing?”
“An Origin Essence Crystal!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and uttered a few words solemnly.
“Origin Essence Crystal?” Liu Yan was shocked, “The Origin Essence Crystal that only a Third-Order Origin King can condense?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded heavily. Although he was now a Second-Order Origin King, he had only just broken through to this realm and was ignorant about how to go about forming an Origin Essence Crystal of his own.
However, he had at least come into contact with a real Origin Essence Crystal before!
The mission entrusted to him by Monster Emperor Star’s Red Moon Tribal Lord was to enter the Blood Prison Trial and obtain the Origin Essence Crystal of Monster King Mad Crocodile!
However, that Origin Essence Crystal was from a Monster Race master, so in terms of form, it more closely resembled a Monster Core. What existed inside this Phoenix Star Silver was no doubt the Origin Essence Crystal of a Human Race master!
It was for this reason that he had spared no expense to compete with Gong Sun Liang for it!
Yang Kai believed that even if Gong Sun Liang did not know what was inside the outer layer of Artifact Refining material was an Origin Essence Crystal, he definitely knew it had extraordinary value, which was why he kept raising the price.
In that auction room, only he and Gong Sun Liang had reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm, and only their Divine Senses could pass through the outer layer of Phoenix Star Silver to see a trace of what really lay inside. No one else was capable of this, making it impossible for anyone else to judge the true value of this Phoenix Star Silver.
The biggest difference, however, was that Yang Kai was certain about what was inside while Gong Sun Liang only had a guess.
If Gong Sun Liang had been certain, there was no way he would have given up so easily. In all likelihood, he would have fought Yang Kai to the bitter end to obtain it.
An Origin Essence Crystal was of unimaginable value to an Origin King Realm cultivator as it could provide great assistance in making a breakthrough from the Second-Order to the Third-Order. Chi Yue had asked Yang Kai to help her obtain the Origin Essence Crystal from Mad Crocodile for this exact reason.
The current Yang Kai was comparable to Chi Yue from that time, so this Origin Essence Crystal was of great use to him.
Throughout the entire Star Field, how many Third-Order Origin Kings were there? These people were all old monsters who the general public didn’t even know were still alive. When these old monsters really reached the end of their lives, they would choose to die in seclusion, causing their Origin Essence Crystals to become lost.
As such, an Origin Essence Crystal was a treasure that simply could not be bought with money.
Yang Kai was able to obtain this Origin Essence Crystal because of pure luck. Compared with the Origin Essence Crystal that existed inside, the value of Phoenix Star Silver was not worth mentioning, so Yang Kai generously gave it to Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao to swallow and refine. Phoenix Star Silver was of great use to Xiao Xiao, while the True Phoenix aura contained in the Phoenix Star Silver was of great significance to Liu Yan. Coupled with the Sun’s True Essence, Yang Kai believed that his two big helpers would see even greater improvement in the future.
As for why this Origin Essence Crystal was wrapped in Phoenix Star Silver, Yang Kai did not know.
Perhaps a Third-Order Origin King was burnt to death by a True Phoenix many years ago, causing their Origin Essence Crystal to fuse together with some nearby ore.
This was nothing more than a guess, but it was probably close to the truth.
It was precisely because of the existence of the Origin Essence Crystal inside that the colour of this Phoenix Star Silver was so unique.
After dealing with matters inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai sent his consciousness back to his body and opened his eyes leisurely.
Glancing faintly at Zi Wu Ji who was standing to the side, Yang Kai said, “Take a seat, Second Young Master.”
Although he had been dealing with the Origin Essence Crystal inside the Small Sealed World just now, Yang Kai was still aware of Zi Wu Ji’s arrival, so he wasn’t surprised at all.
Seeing him act so amiable, Zi Wu Ji smiled happily and quickly said, “In front of Sir, Wu Ji can stand and talk.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes lightly before saying, “Young Master Wu Ji is Purple Star’s Second Young Master. Our statuses aren’t too different, so it would be inappropriate for you to stand up and talk.”
Zi Wu Ji only cupped his fists and said in neither a humble nor overbearing tone, “If that is the case, then Wu Ji asks Venerable to forgive his presumptuousness.”
Saying so, he sat down opposite Yang Kai before taking the initiative to pick up the teapot and pour a cup for Yang Kai, showing extreme courtesy.
Yang Kai smiled slightly and said, “This King must first thank Second Young Master for his follow up a few days ago.”
Zi Wu Ji was startled but quickly realized what Yang Kai was referring to and hurriedly said, “Venerable is too serious, Jiang Chao is nothing but a pitiful weakling. Daring to offend Venerable is a sin worthy of death. Although Wu Ji ordered Vice Commander Qu Zheng to arrest him forcefully, Great Elder’s influence is simply too great, so that waste was eventually released and ultimately not punished.”
Yang Kai simply chuckled, “Since Second Young Master also knows that Jiang Chao is just a pitiful weakling, how could this King care about him?”
Zi Wu Ji immediately cupped his fists and said, “Sir Venerable is benevolent, this Wu Ji is impressed.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Enough idle talk, Second Young Master having Li Nuo make this arrangement in secret is not for such trivialities, is it?”
Zi Wu Ji looked straight ahead and said, “Wu Ji heard that Purple Star’s third Venerable had appeared. Sir Venerable’s strength is also profound, a true blessing for my Purple Star…”
“Get to the point!”
Zi Wu Ji’s voice stopped abruptly, and he pondered for a moment before standing up and bowing deeply, “Wu Ji respectfully requests Venerable assist me in taking control of Purple Star!”
His expression was firm and his voice was sonorous and powerful, but after he said these words, big beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Obviously, he was extremely nervous and still struggling deep in his heart.
After not receiving any response for some time, Zi Wu Ji quietly looked up only to see Yang Kai looking at him with a smile. This smile was very meaningful, and although the other party’s gaze didn’t seem to give off any kind of pressure, they were so piercing that it was as if they could see straight into his soul.
Zi Wu Ji heart jumped as he suddenly felt that all his secrets were seen through, but he still grits his teeth and shouted, “Please assist this Wu Ji, Venerable!”
“Bold!” Yang Kai slammed his fist on the table and shouted with a cold, gloomy tone.
Zi Wu Ji shivered as he seemed to understand something and stared towards Yang Kai in amazement.
Yang Kai sneered, “Second Young Master, I didn’t expect you to be so treasonous! You know that this King is a Purple Star Venerable, under one but above ten thousand, a representative of Purple Star’s majesty and strength, yet you dare ask this King to help you subvert your father’s rule? Are you trying to force this King to kill you?”
Zi Wu Ji hurriedly said, “Please restrain your anger, Venerable. As Purple Star’s Second Young Master, Wu Ji understands the order of things, it’s just…”
“It’s just, what?” Yang Kai glared at Zi Wu Ji, releasing his Domain to enshroud him, as if he would kill him in the next instant if he dared utter something dissolute.
The sweat on Zi Wu Ji’s forehead fell like raindrops, and for the first time in his life, he felt a real threat of death. Under the pressure of Yang Kai’s Domain, he almost lost the ability to think and collapsed to his knees.
But at the critical moment, he bit his tongue and cleared his mind just enough to say, “If this was an ordinary time, Wu Ji would not dare to have these unreasonable thoughts. Purple Star has been commanded by my Zi Family for generations, and my father Zi Long is the sole overlord of this world, Wu Ji’s most respected and admired person. How could Wu Ji dare be disrespectful to him? But… father has already fallen, and eldest brother has disappeared, so Purple Star is currently a dragon without a head. If this Wu Ji does not stand up here, who else can?”
“What did you just say?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared hard at Zi Wu Ji, a true murderous intent rising from the depths of his heart.
He never expected that Zi Wu Ji knew that Zi Long had died.
Although he didn’t know how he learned it, it was clear this was not some random guess but a statement made with full confidence.
But apart from Yang Kai and Gui Zu, there was no one else present when Zi Long died, so how could Zi Wu Ji know about this? Yang Kai completely couldn’t figure it out.
Zi Wu Ji seemed to have calmed down a lot and his speech gradually became clear. Looking directly into Yang Kai’s eyes without fear, he replied, “Venerable does not need to deceive Wu Ji. Wu Ji learned about his father’s death long ago.”
Saying so, he laughed despondently and said, “Venerable must be suspicious of how Wu Ji knows about this. It’s rather simple actually, my father had a Life Lamp that continued to shine as long as he was alive. Only one person in the world knows about the existence of this Life Lamp and this is my mother! Even my eldest brother Zi Dong does not know of this Life Lamp.”
“A Life Lamp?” Yang Kai raised his brow. Although he had never heard of such a thing, he figured it was similar to the Ice Soul Bead that Su Yan had condensed before. If it broke, it meant the person it represented had died.
“En,” Zi Wu Ji nodded sincerely, “Although my father has many wives and concubines, Wu Ji’s mother is his favourite, so she was given this Life Lamp. After the Life Lamp broke, Wu Ji was informed about this matter by his mother.”
“Since Zi Long cares about your mother so much, why not train you as his successor?” Yang Kai sneered.
Zi Wu Ji smiled bitterly, “Venerable only came to Purple Star recently, so he is probably not clear about the situation. Purple Star is indeed headed by my honoured father, but under father, Great Elder is the most powerful person, and my eldest brother’s mother is the daughter of Great Elder…”
“En, I understand,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. In short, this was a political move by Zi Long. This also explained why such a weak-minded boy like Zi Dong had become Purple Star’s Young Master. Yang Kai had thought Zi Long had simply spoiled his son too much, but now it seemed there were other reasons as well.
“Venerable doesn’t seem to be surprised by the news that my honoured father has fallen. Wu Ji assumes Venerable already knew, yes?” Zi Wu Ji looked at Yang Kai and asked lightly.
“What makes you think so?” Yang Kai asked back.
“Haha, when my father went out with Eldest Brother before, he went to the legendary Severed World… an extremely dangerous and crisis-ridden place. Even my father was not certain he could return safely. My father should have fallen there… Venerable, you suddenly appeared in Purple Star City after that event, and Wu Ji had never heard of you before. Wu Ji guessed that you should have met my father in the Severed World and become my Purple Star’s third Venerable there. Perhaps Venerable was even there when Father fell, making it impossible for you to be surprised by this news.”
“Your analysis is reasonable!” Yang Kai nodded approvingly, but in the next instant his face suddenly became cold and a thick murderous intent burst from his body, “But today’s situation could also be explained by this King having killed Zi Long. Did Young Master Wu Ji not consider this possibility?”
Zi Wu Ji’s complexion changed slightly but he didn’t become flustered, instead calmly saying, “Wu Ji naturally considered such a possibility, but he decided the chances of that being the case were negligible. It is not that Wu Ji questions Venerable’s strength, but Venerable was able to obtain my honoured father’s approval, so there is no doubt Venerable possesses shocking strength and means. Despite that, Venerable should not have the ability to kill a character like my father. As such, my honoured father’s death should have nothing to do with Venerable.”
Ordinarily, there would be nothing wrong with Zi Wu Ji’s speculation, but he had seriously underestimated Yang Kai’s strength and the situation before was not just Yang Kai and Zi Long fighting, but Gui Zu and Yang Kai’s Embodiment battling together.
“Besides, there is another more important reason. My eldest brother is still alive. If my father had really been killed by Venerable, eldest brother would definitely not have survived.”
“Your elder brother also has a Life Lamp?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
“Naturally,” Zi Wu Ji nodded.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling fortunate that he had not destroyed Zi Dong’s Soul, otherwise, his arrival on Purple Star would have begun with an encirclement from all of Purple Star’s masters.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s eyes gradually softened and he sighed, “Young Master Wu Ji, you are quite smart! If I were Zi Long, I would definitely train you as my successor!”
Zi Wu Ji smiled happily and humbly said, “Venerable is too polite, Wu Ji is only doing his best to survive.”
Yang Kai then sighed and said, “You are correct. Zi Long did fall in the Severed World. I also met Zi Long there and shared a life and death experience with him. He invited me to join Purple Star after we managed to survive and this King also agreed, but who would have thought that there was a Divine Bird Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock in that damned place. That wicked beast was stronger than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King, and your father was unfortunately struck by its Seven Coloured Radiant Light when it went on a rampage, causing his demise.”
Listening to what Yang Kai said, Zi Wu Ji immediately cried bitterly and sorrowfully, with tears trickling down his face…
Yang Kai looked at him coldly as he secretly admired his acting skills.
This Zi Wu Ji was definitely a talented schemer and was putting on quite a convincing performance, as if he was really devastated by this news, but it was precisely because of his desperation that he appeared artificial.
After all, he had learned of his father’s death long ago because of the broken Life Lamp. Now that Zi Wu Ji was appearing in front of Yang Kai, his current ‘sorrow’ was clearly nothing more than an act, but this also made it difficult for Yang Kai to determine if Zi Wu Ji bought his story or not.
However, whether Zi Wu Ji believed him or not didn’t really matter, Yang Kai just needed to take one step at a time.
After crying for some time, Zi Wu Ji gradually composed himself and after wiping his tears, he said in a trembling voice, “I’ve shown Venerable something disgraceful.”
“It is only natural for Second Young Master to be saddened!” Yang Kai patiently comforted.
“Venerable, this Wu Ji still has something he is unclear about and hopes Venerable can provide some clarity,” Zi Wu Ji quickly recovered, seemingly turning his grief into strength.
“Go ahead,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“My eldest brother… where is he now?” Zi Wu Ji asked in a low voice.
Yang Kai looked at him and smiled lightly, “And why do you want to know that?”
Zi Wu Ji quickly said, “The Severed World is so dangerous that even a master like my honoured father fell inside, so my eldest brother should not be safe. Perhaps, it was thanks to Venerable that he was able to survive, so the only one who would know my eldest brother’s whereabouts would be Venerable.”
“So?” Yang Kai’s brow rose, “What’s wrong? Does Young Master Wu Ji want this King to hand over your eldest brother to you to ‘deal’ with?”
Zi Wu Ji waved his hand in trepidation, “Wu Ji wouldn’t dare! Wu Ji never had such intentions! Eldest brother and Wu Ji are both the same now. With Father having already fallen, how could Wu Ji possibly have any ill intent towards his brother? It’s just that Wu Ji would like to ask if Venerable coming to Purple Star at this time was because he was entrusted to by eldest brother?”
“Nonsense, what kind of identity does this King have? Even if he is Purple Star’s Young Master, has no right to command this King,” Yang Kai sneered.
Zi Wu Ji was overjoyed hearing this and nodded, “Then everything is simpler. Venerable had a fated friendship with my honoured father, so Venerable definitely cannot bear to watch Purple Star fall into the hands of outsiders. If that truly happened, how would my father ever rest in peace? Venerable, please help Wu Ji to prevent that from happening!”
Yang Kai remained silent, seeming in deep thought.
Zi Wu Ji, however, decided to strike while the iron was hot and said, “Venerable has already met my eldest brother and certainly knows what his character is. From Venerable’s point of view, who would be more appropriate to sit in the position of Purple Star’s Sect Master between us?”
When he said this, Zi Wu Ji didn’t bother concealing his ambition anymore, his eyes flashing a brilliant light.
Yang Kai said lightly, “Although Zi Dong has a good aptitude and steady temperament, he is inferior to Young Master Wu Ji in terms of strategy. He may become a powerhouse, but he will never become a ruler.”
“Many thanks for your praise, Venerable!” Zi Wu Ji accepted this evaluation without hesitation before quickly saying, “Venerable, father and eldest brother have been missing for nearly two years now so their reputations still carry great prestige, but Great Elder has not stopped manoeuvring behind the scenes, and if things continue this way, Purple Star’s situation will soon become worrying. Venerable has accepted the Venerable Token from my honoured father, so Wu Ji considers him to be of similar faith. If Venerable were to lend his assistance now, Wu Ji is assured of success.”
“You have such confidence?” Yang Kai frowned.
Zi Wu Ji smiled confidently, “My Zi Family is supreme on Purple Star! Wu Ji has been keeping a low profile for many years, but now that I dare to jump out and fight with that old fart, I have prepared well. All that is missing is someone who can compete with that old fart head-to-head! Venerable’s arrival gives Wu Ji great hope!”
Yang Kai looked at Zi Wu Ji in surprise as he realized he had been slightly underestimating him. From Zi Wu Ji’s tone, it was apparent he already managed to win over many powerful cultivators to work for him.
Yang Kai did not care about the power struggles inside Purple Star one bit; after all, his purpose here was only the Star Emperor Token, but the last time he went to Purple Star Palace, he had alerted the enemy, making a stealthily approach far more difficult. As such, Yang Kai now felt that using Zi Wu Ji to get his hands on what he wanted was a good alternative.
At this point, Yang Kai pretended to think.
Zi Wu Ji did not dare to bother him rashly and could only stand in unease and wait.
After a long time, just when Zi Wu Ji’s anxiety was about to boil over, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Young Master Wu Ji being so open and honest pleases this King greatly. I believe that if Zi Long knew all the effort Young Master Wu Ji was putting forth, he would laugh heartily from his place of eternal rest.”
“Does Venerable mean…” Zi Wu Ji looked at Yang Kai in surprise and joy.
“It is not impossible for me to help you. As a Venerable, I should contribute to Purple Star’s prosperity, and this King is not so cold-blooded he can just stand by and watch as Purple Star’s foundation falls into the hands of others, but…”
“What are Venerable’s requirements? Please just speak them and if Wu Ji can handle it, he will definitely not refuse!” Zi Wu Ji was very eager for success and didn’t even wait for Yang Kai to finish speaking.
“Very well,” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “This King only has two requirements. The first is that this King wants to enter your Purple Star’s Vault to take something from it. This was an agreement your father made with me when I became a Venerable!”
“The Vault!” Zi Wu Ji looked surprised before immediately revealing a bitter smile, “Venerable may not know, but Purple Star’s Vault is the most heavily guarded location in Purple Star Palace. Although Wu Ji can approach it, he cannot open it as he does not possess the key. Wu Ji has never actually entered the Vault before. Only my honoured father and eldest brother have the right to do so.”
“I have the key,” Yang Kai said, “Second Young Master need not concern himself about this point.”
“Father’s key is in Venerable’s hands?” Zi Wu Ji was shocked.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
Zi Wu Ji’s face changed slightly, seemingly thinking of something, but he quickly composed himself and nodded, “If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t be a difficult matter to handle. As the Second Young Master, Wu Ji naturally has the right to approach the Vault.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction, “The second thing is to release the people of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce that are being held captive.”
Zi Wu Ji heard this and immediately wore a look of distress as he helplessly said, “Venerable may not be aware, however, those people were not imprisoned by Wu Ji, but rather by Great Elder. The ones guarding them all belong to Great Elder.”
“Of course I know he is responsible,” Yang Kai said coldly snorted. “Second Young Master is too busy just taking care of himself now, how could he have time to meddle with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? However, this King is very curious: Why would Great Elder do this?”
Zi Wu Ji’s face turned gloomy as he explained, “If Wu Ji has not guessed wrong, it was probably that old dog’s method to suppress me.”
“Oh? Do explain!” Yang Kai frowned.
“Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is a behemoth that, while not stronger than my Purple Star, is also not weaker,” Zi Wu Ji said in a low voice, “The one who came to Purple Star this time and was detained by Great Elder seems to be the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President. If Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce learns about this, they will take action. This matter could be made bigger or smaller quite easily. At worst though, it could lead to a war between our two forces. However, this matter could also be solved with some simple compensation. If Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce really gets news of this incident, as long as no one of importance has died, Great Elder just needs to hand over a scapegoat to settle the matter, making big things small and small things nothing. If that happens, I believe that Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will not try to escalate matters further, as they would not want a war with Purple Star either. Of course, the scapegoat that is delivered must be of a certain status or this plan will not work. No ordinary cat or dog would be enough to quell the anger of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce!”
“And that scapegoat is you?” Yang Kai suddenly understood.
“Apart from me, who else in Purple Star can take on this role?” Zi Wu Ji sneered, “If Wu Ji is handed over, then Purple Star will have to change its surname.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai finally figured out why Purple Star would suddenly detain Shen Tu. It was a method Great Elder was planning to use to deal with Zi Wu Ji. It could only be said that Shen Tu had bad luck when he set out on this mission, entering into this undercurrent without any knowledge.
“So, if Venerable wants to save those people, that old fart needs to be dealt with first!”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Venerable, are you… familiar with those Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce people?” Zi Wu Ji couldn’t restrain his curiosity and asked.
Yang Kai just glanced at him lightly.
Zi Wu Ji immediately smirked and said, “Wu Ji has said too much.”
“Enough, this King now wants to know how Second Young Master plans to deal with Great Elder. Don’t tell me you don’t have a complete plan?”
“Naturally not!” Zi Wu Ji’s face showed a confident look, “Wu Ji has been preparing a long time for this day to come. With Venerable’s help, this matter may finally succeed. Wu Ji’s plan is like this…”
Zi Wu Ji then began to detail his thoughts and ideas.
Yang Kai listened calmly while secretly feeling surprised in his heart. He didn’t expect that, with Zi Wu Ji’s means and abilities, he was actually able to endure until today before revealing his true face. Moreover, the number of masters on Purple Star he had won over was considerable.
This boy really knew how to bide his time and wait for his opportunity.
After listening, Yang Kai silently summed the matter up and felt that it had a high chance of success, immediately causing him to raise his evaluation of Zi Wu Ji and comment, “If the Purple Star can be controlled by Second Young Master, its future will definitely be more brilliant.”
“Venerable surely jests,” Zi Wu Ji smiled humbly.
“Alright then, it’s getting late. This matter will end here for today. When the day arrives, this King will go to find Second Young Master.”
“Wu Ji respectfully sees off Venerable!” Zi Wu Ji got up and bowed.
Outside the room, Yang Kai greeted Li Nuo before taking Hua You Meng back to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Inside the room, Zi Wu Ji could not hide the joy on his face as he smiled silently.
When Ji Jun came in and saw him like this, he was pleasantly surprised and asked, “Young Lord, did you reach an agreement with that Sir?”
Zi Wu Ji nodded.
Ji Jun palmed his right fist with his left and exclaimed, “Excellent, after so many days, we can finally breathe easy. However, Young Lord, is that Sir credible?”
Hearing Ji Jun’s question, the joy on Zi Wu Ji’s face reduced as he said, “It should be possible. That Sir does not have a strong sense of belonging to my Purple Star, so he will not be loyal to any side. As long as I can meet his requirements, he can be used by me. But having said that, we should still take precautions… Old Ji, follow me back to Purple Star Palace to see my mother.”
Ji Jun looked stern as he asked, “Young Lord is going to ask that Sir to intervene?”
Zi Wu Ji nodded, “Yes. My Purple Star has more than one Venerable.”
…..
After returning to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce with Hua You Meng, Yang Kai entered retreat while also asking the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce to not go out for the time being.
In fact, there was no need for him to even ask this, as when Hua You Meng returned with more than 200 million Saint Crystals, Xia Jing Wu and others were completely shocked.
None of them had even dreamed they would see such a huge number of Saint Crystals in their lifetime, yet now this massive wealth was right in front of them.
None of them could believe it at first.
After half a day, everyone gradually accepted this reality, and under the instructions of Hua You Meng, they allocated 20 million Saint Crystals to buy precious cultivation resources.
Over the next few days, everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce only wanted to enter secluded cultivation; how could they even think of going out?
Time flew by, and half a month later, it was the day Purple Star paid tribute to its ancestors.
On this day each year, Purple Star’s high-level officials would gather to pay their respects to their ancestors under the leadership of Purple Star’s Sect Master, to comfort their ancestors in the afterlife.
There was a huge ancestral hall set up in Purple Star Palace where tablets for all the Elder level figures from Purple Star were set up. Not just those from the Zi Family, but all who had made great contributions to Purple Star were memorialized here.
This was a major event for Purple Star, and no one dared to treat it carelessly.
Purple Star’s senior management spent great effort every year to prepare for this ceremony, considering all aspects.
As such, all of Purple Star’s executives would arrive at Purple Star Palace on time and gather in the direction of the ancestral hall.
Almost all eyes were focused on the ancestral hall at this time, so the protection of other places was largely ignored.
Yang Kai also came to Purple Star Palace at this time.
After showing his Venerable Token to the guards at the palace gate, he was welcomed inside respectfully.
After a short walk, a figure suddenly appeared and said to the guard, “Withdraw, this old master will take charge from here.”
“Yes.” The guard bowed and retreated quickly.
Yang Kai looked at the man and cupped his fists lightly, “Elder Ji!”
This person was none other than Ji Jun who had always been following Zi Wu Ji.
Ji Jun smiled and replied politely, “Ji Jun greets Venerable Yang. Venerable, please come with me. Second Young Master has already arranged everything.”
“En, lead the way!” Yang Kai nodded lightly before following Ji Jun inside.
Ji Jun was undoubtedly familiar with Purple Star Palace and led Yang Kai through a series of paths for half an hour before arriving at a well-secured palace at its centre. This palace was built from some unknown material that appeared extremely solid and had many defensive barriers erected around it.
However, no cultivators were guarding this place at the moment, obviously all having been transferred away.
Standing in front of this palace, Ji Jun wore a nearly frantic look that could not be concealed. Taking a deep breath to calm his rampaging mood, he quickly said, “Venerable Yang, this is Purple Star’s Vault. Second Young Master has said that all that is necessary to open it is the unique key and a drop of Blood Essence from a direct descendant of the Zi Family.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed hearing this, “I still need a drop of Blood Essence from the Zi Family’s direct line? How come I haven’t heard about this until now?”
Whether it was Zi Dong or Zi Wu Ji, neither had told him this secret. Zi Wu Ji concealing something from him, Yang Kai could understand, after all, the two weren’t close and although they had reached an agreement with one another, this was a relationship built on benefits, not trust.
However, Zi Dong not saying anything about this, annoyed Yang Kai greatly.
Ji Jun chuckled, “Please calm yourself, Venerable, this is only a minor matter. Young Master Wu Ji has already prepared a drop of his Blood Essence for Venerable.”
Saying so, he wiped his Space Ring and took out a transparent bottle. This bottle had a drop of red blood in it that gave off a faint purple brilliance. It seemed that there was some mysterious power contained in this drop of blood.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and before Ji Jun realized what had happened, Yang Kai had already seized the drop of Blood Essence, causing the latter’s face to change drastically.
He was a First-Order Origin King, but before he noticed Yang Kai had been able to snatch something from his hand. It was obvious from this alone how great the gap in their strength was.
“Venerable, this…” Ji Jun looked at the drop of Blood Essence anxiously and stammered.
“How do I use this thing? Tell me,” Yang Kai spoke lightly, but his tone was filled with a commanding presence that allowed no resistance.
Ji Jun’s face was ugly, but he did not dare to disobey and replied, “Just apply this drop of Blood Essence to the key.”
Yang Kai nodded, stretched out his hand, and opened the bottle cap. With a surge of Saint Qi, Yang Kai made the drop of Blood Essence fly out of the jade bottle and directly splash onto the key he had taken out at some point.
The golden key seemed to come alive at that moment and quickly swallowed Zi Wu Ji’s Blood Essence. There was even a faint sucking sound. The next moment, the golden key turned into a tiny dragon with two horns and a faint purple halo. Circling the air a few times, it then plunged into the front door of the Vault.
The heavy door which seemed to be impregnable suddenly flickered as a series of ripples appeared on its surface.
“Elder Ji should wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back,” Yang Kai spoke before his figure flashed and flew into the Vault.
“Wait!” Ji Jun had received Zi Wu Ji’s instructions to not let Yang Kai out of his sight, so how could he allow him to enter the Vault all alone? However, before Ji Jun could follow, the Vault door returned to its normal state, barring him from entering.
Everything happened so fast that Ji Jun nearly smacked into the door.
“This is bad!” Ji Jun jumped anxiously as he cursed Yang Kai mercilessly in his heart.
This was Purple Star’s Vault, which had stored its most precious treasures for countless years. Although there were not many things inside, each item was a key part of Purple Star’s heritage and foundation. Now that Yang Kai had entered all alone, only the Heavens knew what he would do. Would he really keep his promise to only take a single item?
Because of this concern, Zi Wu Ji had told Ji Jun to follow Yang Kai closely, firstly to prevent Yang Kai from becoming greedy, and second because he wanted to know what Yang Kai wanted to take away.
No one expected Yang Kai’s movements to be so fast though, to the point where even a First-Order Origin King like Ji Jun was caught completely off guard.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Ji Jun’s face was as ugly as if his father had just died thinking about how he would explain this to Zi Wu Ji later. All Ji Jun could do now was pray that Yang Kai would not be too greedy and only take what he had been promised.
Inside the Vault, Yang Kai looked around and soon found that this place did not occupy a very large area and there weren’t many things inside. However, everything he saw made his eyes shine brightly.
Even with the current height of his vision, the content of Purple Star’s Vault amazed him.
There were no Saint Crystals here, but there were many big and small jade bottles, all kinds of artifacts, various Secret Arts and Secret Techniques…
Even without investigating them carefully, Yang Kai could tell that everything here was a rare treasure.
Yang Kai stood on the spot, grinned meaningfully, then immediately stretched out his hand and summoned the Soul Sustaining Bowl into his palm. His gaze becoming sharp, Yang Kai sent a pulse of his Divine Sense into the bowl.
The next moment, a miserable scream came from the bowl and Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar appeared in a flicker, crying out in pain and fear, “Sir, what happened?”
Yang Kai looked at him mockingly and revealed a vicious grin as he spoke, “Zi Dong, come take a look, do you recognize this place?”
Zi Dong turned his head and looked around and his face suddenly changed, muttering under his breath, “Purple Star’s Vault? How could you…”
Before he finished speaking though, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly put on a flattering smile, “Congratulations Sir, this is my Purple Star’s Vault, hehe…”
“Don’t feign stupidity in front of this King!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “To enter this Vault, one needs a drop of Blood Essence from your Zi Family’s direct line, why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“Please calm yourself, Sir! This Dong simply wanted to wait until Sir was fully prepared before explaining this matter; however, there was simply no chance to do so. This Dong never intended to conceal anything!”
“Trying to act clever now?” Yang Kai sneered, “Do you think I don’t know what you were plotting? Did you want to borrow my hand to get rid of your second brother Zi Wu Ji?”
Zi Dong’s face paled as he went speechless.
Obviously, Yang Kai was right.
“Zi Dong, you may have thought you were acting smart, but you only harmed yourself in the end,” Yang Kai snickered.
“Mercy! Mercy Sir! This Dong won’t dare repeat this mistake!” Zi Dong’s Soul kowtowed directly in the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
“Now you want mercy? Why didn’t you think about your position earlier?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, and while talking, he pointed his finger towards Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar.
As soon as he pointed his finger, Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar was struck hard, and like a cloud hit by a burst of wind, it began to scatter. A terrified scream rang out, but even that quickly weakened, eventually disappearing altogether.
Yang Kai had no remorse in killing Zi Dong. This boy had made trouble for him again and again in the Severed World and even forced Xu Wei to try to kill him. If Zi Dong did not have some use still, Yang Kai would not have kept him in the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
At this moment, knowing that this boy was still trying to use him, how could Yang Kai let him survive?
With Zi Dong’s Soul being destroyed, Yang Kai simply stored the Soul Sustaining Bowl away. This was a very strange artifact, and it may have some role to play in the future.
Only now did Yang Kai begin to investigate the Vault’s contents.
Opening a nearby jade bottle, Yang Kai immediately became excited.
There were not many pills placed in this Vault, only eight different types in fifty-two different bottles, but each and every bottle held a Spirit Pill of Origin King Grade! These Spirit Pills would have a huge effect on the cultivation of any Origin King and were preserved here by Purple Star for many years.
Yang Kai was naturally not polite and swept all of them into his Space Ring.
The various artifacts were also not overlooked.
Five of the artifacts placed here were Origin King Grade, with the highest quality being Origin King Grade Mid-Rank, while the other four were Origin King Grade Low-Rank.
In addition, the rest were Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts.
These Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts were also different from ordinary Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts. Each of these artifacts had great power and even if they had not quite reached Origin King Grade, the difference wasn’t great.
There were also the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that Purple Star had collected over the years. Yang Kai did not let these go either. Now that High Heaven Sect had thousands of disciples and was on its way to becoming a massive hegemon, if Yang Kai could bring back these Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, it would provide the disciples more choices to enhance their strength.
How could any Secret Art or Secret Technique placed in this Vault be bad? Cultivating these techniques would ensure that High Heaven Sect’s disciples had an advantage over average cultivators from the start. This would allow the disciples of High Heaven Sect to surpass their peers by a wide margin in the future.
In addition to these things, there were many rare and precious Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials.
Yang Kai stuffed everything he came across into his pockets.
All at once, he had made a massive profit.
Yang Kai did not have the slightest guilt about this. Although he had told Zi Wu Ji that he only wanted to take one thing, how much he took was beyond Zi Wu Ji’s control after entering this Vault.
Yang Kai never had a good impression of Purple Star, so acting ruthlessly towards them was no burden to him.
The harvest was huge, but Yang Kai still had not found what he needed.
However, he was not in a hurry and instead calmly cast his gaze on a few boxes which were placed in the most inconspicuous corner.
There were a total of three boxes over there, arranged one by one. If his guess was not wrong, the Star Emperor Token should be hidden in one of these boxes.
The Star Emperor Token was related to the key he needed to enter the Star Boundary and seek a higher Martial Dao, so Yang Kai naturally cared very much about it.
As of now, he had collected six of the nine tokens, and with the one from Purple Star, that would make seven, leaving just two more to gather before he could open the passage to the Star Boundary.
This was why he had put in so much effort here on Purple Star.
When he came to the three boxes, Yang Kai examined them for a while to confirm there were no barriers protecting them before reaching out and opening the first.
Inside this box there was something that resembled a crystal.
Yang Kai soon showed a weird look on his face as even after carefully investigating this crystal, he was unable to determine what it was. This crystal was round, pure, and flawless, while somewhat resembling a Saint Crystal.
However, it was definitely not a Saint Crystal.
A single piece of Saint Crystal could never have been preserved inside Purple Star’s Vault.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and picked up this round crystal from the box but after lifting it up, his expression only became stranger as he found no discernable energy fluctuations coming from it at all, almost as if it was just a useless decoration.
When he probed it with his Divine Sense though, his face abruptly changed as he whispered in amazement, “this powerful?”
At that moment, he felt an unimaginably mass of energy inside this unremarkable crystal!
This energy was vast like an ocean, and when Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into it, he was stunned to discover that he simply could not estimate its total amount, as if it was endless, causing his heart to pound slightly.
“Is it really some kind of Saint Crystal?” Yang Kai was a little unsure as he could feel that the energy contained in this crystal had no impurities and could be easily absorbed and refined by a cultivator. This thing could absolutely be used as an auxiliary to cultivate, just like a Saint Crystal, but how could any Saint Crystals possess such powerful energy?
Yang Kai tried circulating his Secret Art to absorb the energy inside the crystal and found the process was incomparably smooth, the energy simply flowing into his meridians from his palm without resistance.
Yang Kai immediately felt refreshed, as if he was being enveloped by this massive warm energy.
After only a moment of absorption, Yang Kai found that he had taken in a few hundred Saint Crystals worth of energy, but this round crystal actually showed no signs of change, as if the energy it contained was limitless.
“Is this an Earth Vein Crystal?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered a rumour he had once heard, and his eyes lit up.
Earth Veins were the results of massive amounts of World Energy accumulating and solidifying underground over eons of time. Earth Veins could not be moved or transferred and where one existed, the ambient World Energy would generally be richer. Great forces would try to build their headquarters on top of Earth Veins so their disciples could have better cultivation environments.
The more powerful the Sect was, the more it tried to occupy an excellent Earth Vein.
Earth Veins were divided into three grades, with the most inferior type being quite common. Beneath every Spirit Mountain and River, there would be at least one Low-Grade Earth Vein. Mid-Grade Earth Veins, however, were few and far between, with High-Grade ones being extremely rare.
Below High Heaven Sect, there was a highest of High-Grade Earth Vein, which was why its ambient World Energy was so rich.
Earth Veins were not just divided by grade, but also by size. Some Earth Veins occupied vast areas while some only extended a few kilometers, every size was possible.
Legend had it though that in the highest quality Earth Veins, where World Energy had gathered in one place for many, many years, a crystal core could form, an Earth Vein Crystal!
Earth Veins could not be moved, but Earth Vein Crystals could be carried with you.
Carrying an Earth Vein Crystal was equivalent to carrying the highest quality Earth Vein on the person. With an Earth Vein Crystal, there was no need for a cultivator to have Saint Crystals anymore as they could simply absorb energy from the former, causing their cultivation speed to increase hundreds, if not thousands of times over.
Yang Kai had never seen an Earth Vein Crystal before and had only heard rumours about them.
But now, in this Purple Star Vault, there was actually an Earth Vein Crystal!
This was a Heaven defying treasure, and although it could only be used by one person at a time, unlike an ordinary Earth Vein that could be shared by a whole family or Sect, with this crystal, a cultivator being unable to cultivate quickly was simply impossible.
Holding this Earth Vein Crystal, Yang Kai’s grin nearly reached his ears.
At his current level of cultivation, there were very few things in this world that could hold his interest, but this Earth Vein Crystal was undoubtedly one of them.
Putting the Earth Vein Crystal into his Space Ring, Yang Kai did not think too much before picking up the second box.
Upon opening it, Yang Kai saw a special token lying inside. A faint Emperor Pressure pulsed from this token as the character for ‘Emperor’ was carved on its face. What else but the Star Emperor Token could it be?
Yang Kai stored this away with no trace of politeness.
At this moment, he had officially obtained his seventh Star Emperor Token.
Yang Kai then cast his eyes onto the last box.
The two previous boxes had an Earth Vein Crystal and a Star Emperor Token inside, both of which were priceless treasures, so Yang Kai was naturally looking forward to what was in this third box.
Upon opening the box though, Yang Kai did not even have time to see what was inside before his face drastically changed and he was forced to circulate his Secret Art madly to suppress the boiling of his blood.
At the same time, a shocking dragon roar sounded from his body.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword shot out uncontrollably and transformed into a giant dark green dragon, floating above him, its giant head staring down at the third jade box, seemingly transfixed by the object inside of it.
Yang Kai glanced up at his Dragon Bone Sword which had assumed its dragon form and quickly formed a series of seals to take it back into his body. Even after completing this though, Yang Kai felt his blood rampaging, like something inside this third box was calling out to it, making it run wild.
Yang Kai looked into the box cautiously and found that what was inside was a single, palm sized scale.
This scale had the same shape as a fish scale, but there were many mysterious patterns on it and it was releasing a kind of ancient and savage aura that caused one’s heart to palpitate just from a mere glance.
“Dragon Scale!” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock, “It’s actually a Dragon Scale!”
He had never imagined that what was inside this third box would be a Dragon Scale, a genuine Dragon Scale!
Yang Kai possessed a Golden Divine Dragon Source and had cultivated Monster Race’s Monster Transformation Secret Technique while his Dragon Bone Sword was refined from a piece of dragon bone and Dragon Bead. In this world, it was likely no one had a better understanding of True Dragons than Yang Kai.
So when he saw this scale, Yang Kai knew that it was an authentic Dragon’s Scale.
This was a scale from a legendary Ancient Divine Spirit Dragon!
The Dragon Pressure that radiated from this scale was so strong it was almost tangible and it resonated strongly with the Golden Divine Dragon Source in Yang Kai, making it impossible for him to calm his raging blood.
Ancient Divine Spirits only existed in legends. True Dragons, true Phoenixes, Qilins, Pixiu, all of them were Ancient Divine Spirits, but no matter which, no one alive had ever met one.
If Yang Kai had not obtained the Golden Divine Dragon Source and Dragon Bone Sword and heard personal testimony from Yang Yan, he would also probably believe Ancient Divine Spirits were nothing but myths.
His Golden Divine Dragon Source was obtained from Tong Xuan Realm’s Dragon Valley and the Dragon Bone Sword’s components were obtained from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and both had ancient history to them. Now, in Purple Star Vault, Yang Kai had found a piece of authentic Dragon Scale.
Yang Kai’s eyes shined brightly as his heart filled with excitement.
Such a piece of Dragon Scale, and even the Dragon Bone Sword, to others, would only be excellent Artifact Refining materials, but they had a far more profound use for Yang Kai.
The first half of the Monster Transformation Secret Art Chi Yue had given him described how to draw out power from the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body to transform himself into the shape of a Dragon and enhance his strength; however, this was still only borrowed strength.
The latter half of this Secret Art was about how to integrate various parts from ancient Monster Beasts to acquire the Divine Abilities of those Monster Beasts.
For example, if Yang Kai could integrate this Dragon Scale into his body, he would obtain defense like a true Dragon’s.
Even the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and Yang Kai could fuse together, essentially replacing his spine with True Dragon Bone.
This was an unimaginable improvement and once successful, Yang Kai’s strength would surely soar.
However, up until now his strength had not been high enough for Yang Kai to dare attempt something like this, so he had always used the Dragon Bone Sword as an artifact instead. Now that he was a Second-Order Origin King though, he was nearly qualified to attempt this assimilation.
If he could take in his Dragon Bone Sword and this Dragon Scale, Yang Kai would be able to display some of a Dragon’s Divine Abilities.
This was almost unimaginable.
Yang Kai thought it would be difficult to see another authentic Dragon material in his lifetime, but now he had found a Dragon Scale here.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab the Dragon Scale but unexpectedly, before he could, a terrifying force erupted from it and bombarded him.
This power swiftly wrapped around Yang Kai’s hand and held it tightly in place while simultaneously exerting a terrifying pressure, causing creaking sounds that make it seem like his bones would crack in the next instant.
Yang Kai showed a look of surprise at first but quickly recovered and coldly snorted, “Dragon Transformation!”
As soon as these words fell, a golden light burst forth and a billowing Dragon Pressure erupted from his body. The hand that Yang Kai stretched out suddenly became thicker as Dragon Scales condensed from his Saint Qi began to appear on its surface. Soon, Yang Kai’s right hand looked exactly like a Dragon’s Claw.
Dragon Pressure filled the air as faint howls and roars resounded.
Although this was a Dragon Scale, it had fallen off countless years ago whereas Yang Kai’s Golden Divine Dragon Source was essentially alive and came from an extraordinary true Dragon; how could a mere Dragon Scale resist its prestige?
The power which was locking Yang Kai’s arm in place was steadily worn down under the aura of his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
Soon, a dense crackling sound filled the air as the power from the Dragon Scale collapsed.
Yang Kai grasped the Dragon Scale and lifted it up, observing it for a moment before smiling and placing it back in its original jade box before tossing it into his Space Ring.
Once the Dragon Pressure dissipated, Yang Kai dismissed his Dragon Transformation and the atmosphere inside Purple Star’s Vault was restored to normal again. However, looking around, this small Vault was now completely empty, making it seem somewhat desolate.
Outside the door, Ji Jun paced back and forth anxiously, glancing at the gate to the Vault from time to time, but not seeing Yang Kai appear.
[That bastard is definitely ransacking the Vault!] Ji Jun understood what was happening, but was powerless to do anything about it, making him feel like his heart was being repeatedly stabbed.
While Yang Kai was cleaning out Purple Star’s Vault, a good show was also happening in the ancestral hall of Purple Star Palace.
Since Zi Wu Ji had decided to have a showdown with Gong Sun Liang today, he no longer restrained himself and instead took a forward and aggressive stance.
Gong Sun Liang noticed this, but he didn’t take it to heart, simply choosing to observe everything indifferently.
Many of Purple Star’s leaders also faintly felt that today’s atmosphere was slightly different and became somewhat anxious. Fortunately, everything proceeded as smoothly as usual, and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the Heavens went off without a hitch.
Half a day later, everyone poured into the ancestral hall to prepare for the last worship ceremony.
The offerings had been prepared long ago, and inside the hall, Purple Star’s members were split into four ranks while Gong Sun Liang stood at the head of the hall and gave a speech praising the great achievements of Purple Star’s ancestors. The atmosphere in the ancestral hall was extremely solemn as everyone felt a sense of pride in their identity.
After a long time, Gong Sun Liang looked down and shouted, “Before our great ancestors, disciple Gong Sun Liang, on behalf of all of Purple Star, offers these tributes to the ancestors’ spirits. May the ancestors bless our Purple Star with eternal prosperity! Light the incense!”
When these words were spoken, three incense burners were lit.
Gong Sun Liang was about to receive these burners when suddenly a voice called out, “Great Elder, please wait!”
Gong Sun Liang frowned, turned his head to look in the direction the voice came from, half-squinted his eyes, and said, “Whatever it is Second Young Master wishes to discuss, it can wait until after this old master finishes placing these three incense sticks. No one may interfere with the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.”
Zi Wu Ji just smiled lightly though and said, “What Great Elder said is absolutely right, but Wu Ji thinks it is wrong to hand these three incense sticks to Great Elder.”
“This old master is Purple Star’s Great Elder, what is inappropriate about him placing these three sticks of incense?” Gong Sun Liang said lightly, his half-squinted eyes revealing a substantive coercion as he stared at Zi Wu Ji.
The latter showed not the slightest fear, however, and continued to speak, “In the past, this ceremony was presided over by my Lord Father and Eldest Brother, now that Lord Father and Eldest Brother are not on Purple Star, Wu Ji should be the one to take their place.”
“Second Young Master wants these three sticks of incense?”
“Of course!”
“Haha, Second Young Master surely jests, Master and Young Master are not on Purple Star, so this old as Purple Star’s Great Elder is responsible for fulfilling their duties in their absence. There is no need for Second Young Master to concern himself with this.”
“Great Elder, the Zi Family’s blood flows through this Wu Ji’s veins, and the Zi Family is the foundation of Purple Star. This matter most definitely concerns this Wu Ji.”
“Do you insist on this?” Gong Sun Liang stared at Zi Wu Ji indifferently.
“I hope Great Elder will cooperate,” Zi Wu Ji stared back at him in a neither humble nor submissive manner.
Gong Sun Liang grinned as he began pushing his Saint Qi slightly, trying to give Zi Wu Ji a little pressure. Placing the incense was only one step in the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, but it had extraordinary meaning. If he were to compromise today, it would mean acknowledging Zi Wu Ji’s status as equal to Zi Long or Zi Dong’s, something Gong Sun Liang would naturally not allow.
However, what Gong Sun Liang could not have imagined was that as soon as his Saint Qi left his body, a series of cracks would suddenly sound.
In the next moment, countless gasps could be heard.
Gong Sun Liang’s face sank as his eyes landed on Zi Wu Ji’s triumphant smile, a bad premonition suddenly filling his heart.
“The Ancestral Tablets have broken!”
“What?”
“Heavens, the Ancestral Tablets really broke!”
From all around, shouts rang out from all Purple Star’s leaders, causing Gong Sun Liang to swiftly turn his head around, only to have his old face go incomparably pale.
At this moment, most of the memorial tablets in the hall had broken. Even if a few of them had not shattered completely, they had countless cracks on their surface and were clearly on the brink of collapse.
These tablets represented the ancestors who had made great contributions to Purple Star in the past. Each of these ancestors had been a powerful master who was famous in his or her time and that even today was admired and respected by the trillions of cultivators who lived under Purple Star’s rule.
After their deaths, their descendants would place a tablet here to be forever remembered by future generations.
These tablets represented a kind of spirit, a kind of faith.
No one dared to be disrespectful to them! Even Zi Long, the current Sect Master of Purple Star, had to act respectfully when he entered this place.
But now, these symbols of belief had all crumbled into dust.
Gong Sun Liang’s heart trembled as he turned and glared at Zi Wu Ji.
After all, his grandfather’s ancestral tablet was among these.
Before he could speak though, Zi Wu Ji coughed out a mouthful of blood and with a face filled with sadness and despair, he pointed at Gong Sun Liang and haltingly shouted, “Great Elder… You are too vicious! Even if you are dissatisfied with this Wu Ji’s conduct, a small punishment or scolding would have sufficed, but in your rage, you’ve even gone so far as to shatter my Purple Star’s ancestral tablets? Do you even put my Purple Star in your eyes?!”
Gong Sun Liang was startled and immediately shouted angrily, “Zi Wu Ji, don’t talk nonsense…”
“Talk nonsense?” Zi Wu Ji wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered, “With so many in the ancestral hall seeing what happened just now, how could this Wu Ji be speaking nonsense? Yes, Wu Ji did offend you, but this… how could this be necessary?”
“Great Elder, you’ve gone too far! Every ancestral tablet here contains a wisp of its owner’s Soul, destroying the tablet is tantamount to killing all of our ancestor’s Souls, allowing them to really disappear into nothingness! How can you even stand before them now so shamelessly!” Someone shouted right after Zi Wu Ji spoke.
“Such viciousness and cruelty! Great Elder, what is the meaning of this?”
“Great Elder, explain your actions immediately!”
Behind Zi Wu Ji, a group of cultivators stood up one after another to accuse Gong Sun Liang. Zi Wu Ji looked sad and indignant as he covered his chest with his hands, but a sense of pride flashed across the depths of his eyes.
Gong Sun Liang wore a deep and profound expression, as by now, he had figured out he had been led into a trap. He did urge his Saint Qi just now, but he just wanted to teach Zi Wu Ji a small lesson for his presumptuousness. How could he have known his Saint Qi’s fluctuations would actually break these tablets?
Saint Qi fluctuations of that degree could never have had such a drastic effect.
The only explanation was that these tablets have long ago been rigged to react to his Saint Qi.
“Zi Wu Ji! This old master looked down on your courage!” Gong Sun Liang did not even try to explain anything, instead just turning a look of admiration towards Zi Wu Ji. Daring to use these ancestral tablets was something even he had never conceived, so Gong Sun Liang could not help admiring Zi Wu Ji’s determination and cruelty.
“What does Great Elder mean? Wu Ji does not understand. Right now, Great Elder should be giving a reasonable explanation for what has happened to the ancestral tablets, not trying to distract us with nonsense!” Zi Wu Ji forced the issue back to the broken ancestral tablets, vowing to confront Gong Sun Liang to the death today!
“An explanation?” Gong Sun Liang sneered as his eyes swept over the masters behind Zi Wu Ji, causing all of them to tremble and look away in horror.
Although these people had decided to follow Zi Wu Ji and were impressed by his plans and methods, the Great Elder was still the Great Elder. He was a man who was both majestic and commanded great respect. All of them could not help feeling fear when so blatantly opposing Gong Sun Liang.
Zi Wu Ji was aware of this and cursed all of them in his heart as wastes. Blocking Gong Sun Liang’s line of sight, he shouted in a low voice, “Great Elder, do you really not put my Purple Star’s ancestors in your eyes? No? With such arrogance, what qualifications do you have to occupy the position of Great Elder?”
“Is that all you want to say?” Gong Sun Liang smirked, “Boy, you’re quite good. If not for Dong’er, Purple Star may really have fallen to you in the future, but unfortunately… you are destined to be just another pitiful weakling. Boy, if you want an explanation, this old master will give you one!”
As soon as these words fell, Gong Sun Liang stepped forward and reached out to grab Zi Wu Ji.
He knew that everything today was an elaborate trap set against him, and no matter whether those tablets had been rigged or not before, it was still a fact that he was the one who shattered them. There was simply no way to explain that away.
Since there was no way to justify himself, he simply decided not to try.
Determining who was right was not something that could only be done with words, it could also be done with fists!
Seeing Gong Sun Liang rushing at him, Zi Wu Ji was not shocked and instead rejoiced. Wearing a confused expression on his face, he retreated and shouted, “Gong Sun Liang, are you really trying to start a fight in the ancestral hall? This is an intolerable show of disrespect to the ancestors and nothing less than a betrayal of Purple Star! Although you committed a great crime today, you are still the Great Elder. If you simply remain in the ancestral hall for a decade to repent, you may still be forgiven, why make things even worse for yourself!?”
No matter what, Zi Wu Ji had to first push all the blame onto Gong Sun Liang today so that any action he took next would be justified.
“Impudence! How this old master acts, you have no right to comment on!” Gong Sun Liang shouted coldly, not paying any attention to Zi Wu Ji at all.
Just when he was about to grab Zi Wu Ji though, a figure swiftly rushed in from outside and barred his path.
Gong Sun Liang’s complexion changed as his claw turned into a palm that he pushed forward.
This newcomer also sent out a palm.
The two palms touched silently, causing the two figures to simultaneously retreat.
At that moment, a sudden burst of energy in the space between the two figures appeared, shattering space itself before radiating outwards and causing the entire ancestral hall to collapse while shaking the whole Purple Star Palace.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
All Purple Star’s masters flew out from the ruins one by one, their expressions gloomy to the extreme as they stared at the destruction below.
This ancestral hall had stood on Purple Star for over ten thousand years and was regarded as the most sacred place by all Purple Star cultivators, yet today it had been destroyed!
Everyone felt incredibly uncomfortable and saddened by this.
Up above, Zi Wu Ji had a pale face as fear lingered in his heart.
Although everything was still going according to plan, the moment Gong Sun Liang attacked him, he felt the aura of death pressing down on him. In front of a Second-Order Origin King, he simply had no power to resist.
[Strength! Only personal strength can be counted as real strength!] Zi Wu Ji secretly clenched his fists as he muttered to himself.
On the other side, Gong Sun Liang narrowed his eyes as he stared at the figure standing in front of Zi Wu Ji.
This man seemed to only be about thirty years old and had a fresh, mild-mannered look to him; however, his eyes reflected a type of vastitude that one could only acquire with age and experience, making him appear more mature and stable.
Even at this moment, this man had a wine bottle in his hand, one that was overflowing with a rich aroma.
After exchanging blows with Gong Sun Liang, this wine bottle didn’t spill a drop.
Looking at Gong Sun Liang with a smile, this man said, “Great Elder, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”
A dignified look flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s face as he stared at this man and said, “Li Mao Ming! You really were in Purple Star City. It seems that you have decided to stand behind the Second Young Master and support him?”
The man named Li Mao Ming smiled upon hearing these words and replied, “Great Elder is too serious, this Li is Purple Star’s second Venerable, so when such a big event is happening in Purple Star, I cannot just stand idly by. As for supporting the Second Young Master, hm… that’s not quite right. I am here because I was entrusted to by another.”
Gong Sun Liang sneered, “I’m afraid that there’s only one person in this world who can move you. Li Mao Ming, even after so many years, you haven’t been able to extricate yourself it seems. It really amazes this old master.”
A sad look flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes, but he quickly shook his head and chuckled, “This Li doesn’t understand either. Let us not talk about this now though. Great Elder might as well accompany this Li to have a few glasses of wine instead. Why doesn’t everyone just sit down and talk things out? Everyone here is one big family, why make things difficult for one another?”
Saying so, he held the bottle of wine in his hand up towards Gong Sun Liang, as if he was really inviting him to have a drink.
The tense atmosphere that was on the verge of exploding suddenly became a bit more tranquil after Li Mao Ming made his appearance.
Some of Purple Star’s leaders frowned as they observed Li Mao Ming from afar, wondering who this man was. Purple Star indeed had two Venerables before, but very few knew who these two were.
Having arrived at this moment though, it was obvious this Li Mao Ming was one such Venerable.
“So, it’s him! I remember now!” Someone suddenly showed a look of enlightenment and called out.
Someone next to him immediately asked, “Brother Zhang, do you recognize this Venerable?”
“I have only heard rumours of him before, but this is the first time I have seen him,” The cultivator surnamed Zhang whispered back.
“Brother Zhang, can you tell us what the origins of this Venerable Li are? Why did Great Elder say that he has been unable to extricate himself?”
Hearing this person’s question, the cultivator surnamed Zhang suddenly became energetic and he whispered in a quiet tone, “This is a secret that only a few people know. Firstly, have you heard of the Second Young Master’s mother?”
“She was the number one beauty of Purple Star back then and her reputation was thunderous. How could anyone not have heard of her?”
“Then the rest is easy to explain. I heard that the woman Venerable Li loved the most was Second Young Master’s mother.”
“Huh?” The cultivator was taken aback and said in astonishment, “But, Second Young Master’s mother is Sect Master’s…”
“Yes, this Venerable Li was apparently a close brother and rival of Sect Master in his youth, but because of Second Young Master’s mother… Hey, you understand. Love is not something one gets to decide upon, everything is up to fate. That woman chose Sir Sect Master, and afterwards this Venerable Li disappeared. Even Sect Master apparently did not know where he had gone. The only one in this world who could invite him to appear here would be Second Young Master’s mother.”
“So something like that happened. With this Venerable here, doesn’t that mean Great Elder cannot do anything to Second Young Master?” The speaker was extremely excited, after all, he was also on Zi Wu Ji’s side. The stronger Zi Wu Ji was, the safer he would be.
“Possibly,” Although the cultivator surnamed Zhang seemed to know some secrets, he was not completely confident in his heart.
“Li Mao Ming, if you can retreat now, this old master will accompany you to enjoy some good wine another day,” Gong Sun Liang stared at Li Mao Ming and quickly asked, “What do you think of this old master’s proposal?”
“I’ve been entrusted by another to be here. This is a matter of loyalty, so it would be improper to simply retreat!” Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head, lifted the bottle, and drank from it casually before saying, “Wine does not taste as good when drunk alone.”
Gong Sun Liang frowned slightly for a time before muttering quietly, “What if this old master wants you to repay that favour from all those years ago?”
As soon as this statement came out, Zi Wu Ji, who has always worn a triumphant look, suddenly had a change in expression as he looked at Li Mao Ming in amazement as asked, “Venerable Li, do you owe this old thing a favour?”
Li Mao Ming blinked and thought about it for a while before he laughed somewhat awkwardly and said, “En, I really owe him a favour. If Great Elder did not mention it though, this Li would have forgotten.”
Gong Sun Liang’s lips curled slightly as he spoke, “Brother Li may have forgotten, but this old master hasn’t. That was no small favour. This old master paid a heavy price back then.”
Li Mao Ming looked straight ahead and cupped his fists, “Great Elder’s grace back then, this Li will keep in mind.”
“There’s no need for that, this old master only asks you to retreat now and then you and I will owe each other nothing.”
Before Li Mao Ming had a chance to say anything though, Zi Wu Ji cut in anxiously, “No, Venerable Li, don’t forget what you promised that person.”
Li Mao Ming frowned and nodded, “Naturally, I remember. You may rest assured, as long as I am here, no one can hurt you.”
Zi Wu Ji was immediately overjoyed, “Many thanks, Senior Li.”
Gong Sun Liang heard this and became angry, “Brother Li is apparently not a man of his word.”
Li Mao Ming felt a slight headache as he said, “Great Elder, there is a priority to everything in life. This Li already promised to protect Second Young Master’s safety, so Great Elder making things difficult now truly puts this Li in an awkward position.”
Gong Sun Liang was very annoyed at first, but after carefully parsing Li Mao Ming’s words, his eyes flashed brightly and he said, “You’re here to protect Second Young Master’s safety?”
“Exactly!” Li Mao Ming nodded sincerely, “The Zi Family’s blood flows through Second Young Master’s veins, after all. No harm should come to him.”
“Fine!” Gong Sun Liang laughed, “If that’s the case, then you can stand there and protect him, this old master won’t act against him!”
Saying so, Gong Sun Liang waved his hand and said with a sneer, “Take these people behind Second Young Master for me but be careful not to harm Second Young Master!”
“Yes!” Everyone heard this and responded immediately by rushing towards Zi Wu Ji; however, none of them attacked him directly and instead focused on the cultivators who had chosen to support him instead.
Before Zi Wu Ji’s people could react, they were already under attack.
Suddenly, a grand battle broke out in the skies above Purple Star Palace. Dazzling rays of Saint Qi and an endless stream of brilliant artifact attacks filled the air, causing the surrounding space to tremble and the ambient World Energy aura to become chaotic.
Zi Wu Ji’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Li Mao Ming in a panic, “Venerable Li, how could you act this way?”
Li Mao Ming glanced at him with a smile and said, “Second Young Master, I promised that person to protect you, so I will fulfil that promise, but the lives of others are not this Li’s concern.”
Zi Wu Ji was incredibly anxious, but there was nothing he could say. Sweeping his eyes around, he found that all the masters he had won over were now caught in a difficult fight.
Li Mao Ming spoke again, “En, the overall situation has been determined. Second Young Master, why not have a glass of wine?”
“If you want to drink, you can drink by yourself!” Zi Wu Ji was extremely annoyed at this moment, so how could he agree to such a ridiculous request.
Up in the sky, the battle quickly developed into a stalemate. Since Zi Wu Ji dared to confront Gong Sun Liang openly today, his side’s strength was naturally comparable. Basically, the two factions were equal to one another in terms of combat strength, so after the initial scramble, it became impossible to see who had an advantage.
However… Gong Sun Liang hadn’t taken action yet!
As a Second-Order Origin King, the balance would surely be broken once he joined the battle.
As if to manifest his fears, Gong Sun Liang rushed to the side of Purple Star’s Third Elder before Zi Wu Ji could organize his thoughts.
This Third Elder had a First-Order Origin King cultivation and was among the first to support Zi Wu Ji. He was regarded as Zi Wu Ji’s right-hand, but despite being a powerful master in his own right, when facing Gong Sun Liang, he was quickly suppressed, and it wasn’t long before he fell into grave danger.
Zi Wu Ji’s face darkened as he roared, “Venerable Yang, please make a move!”
As soon as his voice fell, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared directly beside Gong Sun Liang, and with a slight sigh, he sent out a palm.
Yang Kai was extremely annoyed right now.
He had gained a lot from Purple Star’s Vault, and he planned to immediately leave after he was finished; after all, his goal had been achieved and he had no need to bother with Zi Wu Ji’s troubles.
The people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and Li Nuo of Clear Sky Auction House had already made preparations to leave Purple Star, so all that was necessary was for Yang Kai to depart.
But Yang Kai did not anticipate that Shen Tu and the others would be transferred away by Zi Wu Ji.
Yang Kai couldn’t find any trace of Shen Tu inside Purple Star Palace, so he had to quietly release Xiao Xiao to search for them.
Now that he had heard Zi Wu Ji’s call, he could only play along with him.
As soon as Yang Kai appeared here, a profound light flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes as he stared forward, a feeling of shock filling his heart.
Although he had long ago noticed that there was another Second-Order Origin King in Purple Star Palace, he was unable to see how Yang Kai had suddenly appeared here.
It was almost as if this Venerable Yang simply crossed space to appear!
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Li Mao Ming’s expression became solemn, his carefree and easy demeanour from before disappearing as he whispered, “Second Young Master, is this the Third Venerable I’ve heard so much about recently?”
“En,” Seeing Yang Kai appear, Zi Wu Ji’s expression finally calmed down and he asked. “What does Venerable Li think of this Venerable Yang?”
“He’s strong!” Li Mao Ming quickly said, “His Saint Qi is more vigorous than both mine and Great Elder’s.”
Zi Wu Ji smiled and said, “So Great Elder is not his opponent?”
Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head and said, “The strength of a cultivator cannot be judged by the quality of their Saint Qi alone. There are many other factors involved, but… if this person restrains Great Elder, Great Elder won’t be able to move about freely.”
“If Venerable Li can offer his assistance, today’s matter can be settled decisively,” Zi Wu Ji’s eyes lit up as he stared towards Li Mao Ming.
But the latter just laughed and shook his head, “I only promised to protect your safety. All the people present are fellow brothers and sisters of Purple Star. How can I, Li Mao Ming, attack them?”
Zi Wu Ji frowned hearing this and a trace of hesitation flashed across his eyes before he finally steeled himself and whispered quietly, “What if I were to help you court my mother, finally allowing you to fulfil your lifelong dream. Would that be enough to let you take action?”
“What did you just say?” Li Mao Ming’s face sank as he glared at Zi Wu Ji, “You know the words you spoke just now tarnish your mother’s reputation greatly! If I hear you speak similar words again, I’ll break all your limbs!”
Li Mao Ming had been laughing and joking since he appeared, but after hearing Zi Wu Ji’s words, his expression became extremely serious and his eyes pulsed with cold light.
Being stared at like this, Zi Wu Ji could not help shivering. He did not doubt the authenticity of the other party’s words and knew that Li Mao Ming would really break his hands and feet if he misspoke.
However, Zi Wu Ji also learned from Li Mao Ming’s reaction that his mother held a sacred and inviolable position in his heart, causing him to immediately become overjoyed.
After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Zi Wu Ji continued, “Please calm your anger, Venerable Li, it was Wu Ji’s fault for being unclear just now. The truth is…”
Zi Wu Ji did not speak the following words out loud but instead stared at Li Mao Ming and moved his lips, apparently sending his message directly to the other party’s ear.
Li Mao Ming, who had always been as tranquil as an ancient well, suddenly showed a look of shock on his face as he exclaimed, “What did you say? Zi Long, he…”
“It’s true.” Zi Wu Ji nodded sternly, “Since she learned of this, my mother refuses to eat or drink and even has trouble sleeping. Venerable Li, Honoured Father, and my mother were all friends in the past so Wu Ji was hoping Venerable Li could find an opportunity to comfort her. Wu Ji fears that if she continues like this, it will begin to affect her health, or worse. If something extreme were to happen…”
Li Mao Ming, who appeared strong and heroic, staggered slightly as an expression of disbelief appeared on his face, his eyes flashing a complicated light as he seemed to be lost in reminiscence, a deep sadness apparent from his whole body. After remaining silent for quite some time, Li Mao Ming chuckled with bitter, wry laughter as he muttered, “Zi Long, you… you really…”
Li Mao Ming was unable to finish his words though as he seemed to choke on them.
“Venerable Li, you should consider what Wu Ji just said. Wu Ji is very worried about his mother’s condition,” Zi Wu Ji said softly.
Li Mao Ming took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and glanced over at Zi Wu Ji before saying coldly, “I will visit her, but that has nothing to do with today’s matter. This King will not treat this as a transaction. If you really are filial, you should respect and care for your mother, not use her as a bargaining chip! If you try to do something like this again, I won’t forgive you easily.”
Zi Wu Ji’s complexion changed slightly as he felt a deep annoyance in his heart, but he wore an obedient look on the surface and nodded, “Venerable Li is right, Wu Ji was mistaken.”
[Fool! No wonder he lost to Father in the competition that year. A loser deserves to be a loser for the rest of his life!] Zi Wu Ji cursed in his heart.
During the time these two spoke, Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang had already exchanged hundreds of moves, and the World Energy around them had grown far more chaotic. No one dared to approach within a thousand metres of this battle. After hundreds of moves with neither side being able to gain an advantage, Yang Kai suddenly spoke audibly, “This King is a Purple Star Venerable. It is a matter of righteousness to defend the peace of Purple Star, why would he need any benefits?”
Gong Sun Liang’s whole face twitched visibly as, even though he knew Yang Kai was spouting nonsense, he could do nothing about it.
With a sullen look, he shouted in a low voice, “If that’s the case, then don’t blame this old master for being ruthless.”
Saying so, he formed a seal with his hands and pushed his Saint Qi madly.
Yang Kai frowned as he thought this old man was going to use some profound Secret Technique. Not daring to underestimate his opponent, Yang Kai hurriedly withdrew to put up a proper defence. Although he did not put Gong Sun Liang in his eyes, the other part was still a Second-Order Origin King, so acting cautiously was not unwarranted.
However, the moment Yang Kai fell back, Gong Sun Liang flashed a smirk and his figure flickered, splitting into two, then four, then eight…
In the blink of an eye, there were hundreds of Gong Sun Lians floating in the sky, each one of them extremely lifelike.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed!
This was undoubtedly an immensely powerful Secret Technique, and had utility as both a method of attack and escape.
Moreover, even using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai was unable to tell which of these Gong Sun Liangs was the real one as each of them gave off an identical aura.
As soon as this move was executed, not just Yang Kai’s complexion turned solemn, but Li Mao Ming, who had been spectating the battle from a distance, also turned serious. Li Mao Ming’s eyes flashed a lavender light as he swept them over these countless phantom images, as if trying to identify which one was the real one.
Gong Sun Liang’s laughter rang out from all around, “Second Young Master, you have forced this old master’s hand! I hope you can bear the consequences!”
Saying so, all these phantoms no longer paid any attention to Yang Kai and instead shot off into the battlefield.
“Ah…” A scream rang out as a cultivator who was locked in combat was suddenly blasted out by the Great Elder. A fresh palm print appeared on this unfortunate man’s chest which had clearly collapsed in from the impact.
Mid-air, this person bled profusely as bits of his shattered internal organs spewed out from his mouth. This man died even before he hit the ground.
A series of screams came out one after another, each of them belonging to a cultivator who had sided with Zi Wu Ji, all of them Origin Realm masters.
In the battlefield, Gong Sun Liang’s figure was everywhere, with no one able to tell which one was an illusion, and which wasn’t. It was as if all of them were real. After they took action, these phantoms were able to quickly cut down Zi Wu Ji’s people.
In an instant, everyone was in danger as all the cultivators who were approached by Gong Sun Liang panicked and fled.
But in front of a Second-Order Origin King, how could they escape?
In the blink of an eye, several people were brutally murdered, each of them a pillar among Zi Wu Ji’s supporters.
Blue veins throbbed on Zi Wu Ji’s forehead as he clenched his fists and turned in the direction of Yang Kai to roar, “Venerable Yang, stop him!”
Yang Kai just stroked his chin as he stood mid-air though and shook his head, “Second Young Master is asking for something quite difficult. This King cannot see any flaws in Great Elder’s technique, so how is he supposed to stop him?”
These words were polite but clearly insincere. Yang Kai had been forced into this battle and did not plan on exerting any real effort. It did not matter to him what became of Purple Star, much less the lives of these people.
He just wanted to stall for time.
Once Xiao Xiao rescued Shen Tu and the others, he could leave this place immediately.
However, even just standing still and observing for a while, Yang Kai had already discovered some clues and gained some insight into how Gong Sun Liang’s trick worked. What is more, if he used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, finding the real Gong Sun Liang would be simple.
Hearing Yang Kai’s irresponsible answer, Zi Wu Ji nearly coughed up blood from anger.
If all his people were killed, he wouldn’t need to keep fighting; after all, without any supporters, what point would there be in struggling any further? Glaring at the situation in front of him grimly, Zi Wu Ji eventually roared, “If that’s the case, then I ask Venerable Yang to seek a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!”
Yang Kai raised his brow when he heard this and showed a smirk, “That’s easy enough.”
Saying so, he stretched out his hand and released several dozen Golden Blood Threads, all of which transformed into sharp flying blades that shot off in all directions like arrows.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Wind-splitting sounds echoed through the sky and soon, several screams rang out.
Eight Origin Realm cultivators who were heavily engaged and had lost track of their surroundings were hit by Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads and their defensive Saint Qi and artifacts were instantly destroyed. The Golden Blood Threads penetrated their vitals and directly reaped their lives.
With Yang Kai’s current cultivation, how could these Origin Returning Realm cultivators, who were already in the midst of battle, resist his sudden attack?
The Golden Blood Threads flew back and forth again, once again taking a number of lives.
After only ten breaths, Yang Kai had caught up to Gong Sun Liang in terms of kills.
Gong Sun Liang roared in anger. Origin Realm cultivators were the indispensable backbone of any great force; after all, very few could reach the Origin King Realm. Often, the strength of a great force depended not only on the number of Origin Kings it commanded but also on the number of Origin Realm masters it could dispatch.
After today’s war, no matter who won and who lost, Purple Star’s foundation would suffer severe damage.
This was a result that neither Gong Sun Liang nor Zi Wu Ji were willing to see, but it was an unavoidable result.
The end of one era and the arrival of another was always accompanied by much blood and sacrifice.
High up in the sky, all the Origin Realm masters, and even the First-Order Origin Kings were terrified. The situation at this moment was almost as if Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang were engaged in a competition to see who could kill the most people the quickest, a contest to see who would be unable to bear the cost first and back down…
In front of these two Second-Order Origin Kings, no one was able to put up meaningful resistance.
Standing next to Zi Wu Ji, Li Mao Ming, who seemed to be uninterested in everything in the world, wore a heavy look on his face as he realized that Purple Star would really be finished if he did not make a move.
He never expected that things would develop to this point.
If he made a move now though, it would be akin to dropping a stone on his own foot because of what he had just said.
Just as he was feeling a terrible headache from this internal conflict, Gong Sun Liang suddenly roared, “Li Mao Ming, if you still remember the favour from all those years ago, you will help this old master stop that boy first! You don’t want to see Purple Star suffer such a heavy loss, right?”
Li Mao Ming frowned and hesitated, “This Li does not want to see his brothers and sisters die needlessly, but Second Young Master’s safety…”
“This old master won’t make things difficult for you! This old master swears he won’t move against Second Young Master, and even if this old master ends up controlling Purple Star in the end, he will ensure Second Young Masters safety and prosperity!”
Li Mao Ming’s expression turned to one of struggle.
Zi Wu Ji stared at Li Mao Ming in amazement, “Venerable Li, you wouldn’t…”
“Things have reached this point, so I cannot remain idle,” Li Mao Ming sighed, “You may rest assured. With me, no one in this world can hurt you, mother and child. I will fight with my life on the line to protect you both.”
Saying so, his figure flickered and disappeared from where he stood.
Zi Wu Ji was stunned for a moment before he began cursing angrily, accusing Gong Sun Liang of being sinister and contemptible and Li Mao Ming for failing to keep his word. At this moment, he no longer had any scruples, completely discarding his prior elegant demeanour.
He was truly angered.
Li Mao Ming was constrained by the favour he owed Gong Sun Liang and was forced to fight Yang Kai. As a result, Zi Wu Ji was bound to suffer a complete defeat in today’s battle. Even though Li Mao Ming said he would protect his safety and Gong Sun Liang also promised his safety and prosperity, the leadership of Purple Star, a position which stood above trillions of others, was not something he would ever get a chance to acquire again.
The only hope was if Yang Kai could defeat both Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming!
But how could that be possible? All three of them were Second-Order Origin Kings, so their strengths should be similar. In that situation, one person couldn’t defeat two.
Despair soon filled Zi Wu Ji’s eyes.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The sound of air being cut apart rang out as the countless Gong Sun Liangs rapidly gathered and revealed his true body again. Standing in place, he stared at Yang Kai coldly without saying a word.
Not far from him, Li Mao Ming’s figure also appeared.
The two of them flanked Yang Kai from left and right.
Yang Kai just flashed a playful smile though as he stretched out his hand and summoned back his Golden Blood Threads.
Only now did everyone else breathe a sigh of relief. In a short thirty breaths of time, the total number of cultivators who died to these two Second-Order Origin Kings had exceeded sixty.
These sixty individuals were all Origin Realm Second or Third-Order masters, pillars of Purple Star!
Fortunately, the crisis seemed to be over now, leaving many with feelings of lingering fear as well as deep sadness.
As if everyone had come to some kind of silent agreement, the fighting ceased everywhere. The remaining Origin Realm masters knew that victory or defeat had nothing to do with them and would ultimately be decided by the three masters up above.
There was simply no meaning in them fighting anymore, so they did not bother trying to spill any more blood.
In an instant, the noisy battlefield calmed down and all eyes turned to stare at Yang Kai, Gong Sun Liang, and Li Mao Ming, everyone’s expression extremely solemn.
All the cultivators belonging to the Second Young Master’s side looked depressed, as if their parents had just died. They were not blind after all and understood that their chances of victory were slim. If Yang Kai lost this confrontation, they would become the losers, and the fate of the defeated was never good.
“What’s wrong? Do you want to team up to suppress me?” Yang Kai smiled as he looked around, not showing any kind of panic.
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted and remained silent, as if he was extremely angry with Yang Kai. On the other hand, Li Mao Ming pondered for a moment and politely said, “Your Excellency, since your surname is Yang, this Li will call you Brother Yang. Brother Yang, since you have received the Venerable Token, you are my Purple Star’s Venerable, my Purple Star’s person. Today’s situation, I imagine you do not want to see either.”
Yang Kai chuckled, and said casually, “Naturally.”
Li Mao Ming gave a hearty laugh, “It’s good that Brother Yang thinks so. Since Brother Yang has Purple Star in his heart, why not hear this Li’s proposal?”
“Brother Li, please!” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
“Today’s matter should end here, otherwise, if we continue, it will damage Purple Star’s very foundation, which helps no one. There are no enemies here, so should we not be able to stop and talk things out?” Li Mao Ming sincerely asked Yang Kai.
Not far away, Zi Wu Ji was extremely nervous, his face filled with anxiety lest Yang Kai nod his head. If that were to happen, his defeat would be complete.
He could not help praying secretly in his heart that Yang Kai would vow to fight to the end, if he did, he would still have a chance.
What he did not expect though was that Yang Kai would nod without hesitation after listening to Li Mao Ming’s words, “What Brother Li said is correct, this Yang had similar thoughts and originally planned to stop here; after all, there are two of you, so I can’t win anyway, right?”
Zi Wu Ji’s face became stiff hearing this and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, he understood that he really had no chance of winning. He had never expected that a Second-Order Origin King master like Yang Kai would be so spineless! Compared with him, Li Mao Ming was much more reliable.
Yang Kai agreeing so readily stunned Li Mao Ming for a moment. There was now no need for all the bitter-sounding persuasive remarks he had originally prepared, so he couldn’t help smiling and saying, “Brother Yang is truly righteous, this Li admires. Great Elder, what do you think?”
He turned his head to look at Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang squinted at Yang Kai and quickly said, “Stopping here and making peace is permissible!”
Li Mao Ming was overjoyed, but before he could say anything, Gong Sun Liang continued, “But this Venerable Yang killed so many masters today that this matter cannot simply be dropped.”
Li Mao Ming frowned as a look of displeasure appeared on his face, wondering why Gong Sun Liang was acting so uncompromising.
“Then what do you suggest?” Yang Kai raised his brow as his eyes collided with Gong Sun Liang.
“Not putting the lives of Purple Star’s disciples in your eyes at all, what right do you have to occupy the position of Venerable? A position that is worshipped by all of Purple Star’s citizens?” Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted and said, “Your Excellency should return the Venerable Token to Purple Star. My Purple Star does not need a Venerable like you!”
As soon as he said this, Li Mao Ming’s face could not help changing slightly. Glancing over at Gong Sun Liang with complicated eyes, he seemed to want to say something, but ultimately, he just sighed and held his tongue.
With his intelligence, he naturally saw through Gong Sun Liang’s true intentions.
Today, even though these two had agreed to stop and make peace, an enmity had been formed between them, and Yang Kai was still technically supporting Zi Wu Ji’s side. If Gong Sun Liang wanted to completely control Purple Star, Yang Kai’s presence would be an obstacle, therefore it would be best to eliminate him here.
Otherwise, Gong Sun Liang would not be able to stabilize his position in the future.
For this reason, Gong Sun Liang made such a proposal.
However, this proposal was obviously very insulting, and Li Mao Ming did not know if this Venerable Yang would be willing to accept it. If he became angry and lashed out, the situation would be difficult to handle.
Li Mao Ming was incredibly anxious as he carefully observed the changes in Yang Kai’s attitude, preparing to intervene if anything went wrong to try to re-start negotiations.
Unexpectedly though, Yang Kai did not show the slightest signs of anger and instead just smiled casually, “So that’s what you’re after. Very well, this King also didn’t want to be a Venerable from the start. Since Great Elder wants this Venerable Token back, he can have it!”
Saying so, he summoned a token into his hand and tossed it towards Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang swiftly caught the token which flew towards him and after taking a quick look, he saw it was indeed the Venerable Token, causing him to freeze in place.
He also did not expect that the other party really didn’t put the Venerable Token in his eyes and would simply give it back after he asked, causing some slight disbelief. Gong Sun Liang didn’t really want to deprive Yang Kai of his Venerable identity, he just wanted to create a situation where he could retreat in order to advance, making another less offensive request.
Yang Kai’s cooperation suddenly disrupted his plan.
Gong Sun Liang did not know what to say.
“Haha… Brother Yang is truly a free and easy person; this Li is extremely impressed!” Li Mao Ming looked at Yang Kai like he was some kind of freak before turning to Gong Sun Liang and saying, “Great Elder, Brother Yang has already returned the Venerable Token, so today’s matter…”
“This is not over yet!” Gong Sun Liang waved his hand, interrupting Li Mao Ming’s words as he stared at Yang Kai aggressively, “Although the Venerable Token has been returned, the fact that Your Excellency has killed so many people can’t just be left alone.”
“You have something more to say?” Yang Kai could not help but sneer. He truly did not care about being a Purple Star Venerable as this time he had only come to Purple Star to take the Star Emperor Token. Now that he had succeeded, he never planned to come here again, so the Venerable Token was useless to him. Since Gong Sun Liang wanted it, Yang Kai had no qualms about handing it over.
However, watching the other party still so reluctant to let things go annoyed Yang Kai greatly.
Gong Sun Liang continued, “For the crime of killing others, one should pay with their life! But Your Excellency is too strong for this old master to take your life, so why does Your Excellency not pay some compensation instead as an explanation to the people below!”
“Haha!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but grin as he stared at Gong Sun Liang with interest, “Compensation? Fine, what kind of compensation do you want?”
Gong Sun Liang looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression as his lips moved.
Li Mao Ming did his best to eavesdrop on what was being said but was unable to tell what Gong Sun Liang had asked for, making him feel quite helpless.
In his opinion, it would be best if today’s affairs had ended here and now. He not only repaid Gong Sun Liang’s favour, but he did also so without having to fight Yang Kai. Now though, it seemed Gong Sun Liang had taken some awful medicine, which made his greed run wild.
Li Mao Ming believed that whatever Gong Sun Liang wanted Yang Kai to hand over was extremely valuable, and if they failed to reach an agreement, it would surely reignite the conflict.
Quite disgruntled with these developments, Li Mao Ming still raised his vigilance to prepare for any fallout.
Sure enough, after Gong Sun Liang’s secret message was sent, Yang Kai nodded, “So you want that thing, I understand.”
What Gong Sun Liang wanted was the Origin Essence Crystal he obtained in the auction half a month ago! This old man must have noticed it was something extraordinary back at the auction but wasn’t sure what it was at the time. However, it seemed that after these past few days, he had managed to determine the true identity of that object.
“Hand over that thing and this old master will let you leave!” Gong Sun Liang quickly said.
“And if I refuse?” Yang Kai squinted at him.
Gong Sun Liang said arrogantly, “Your Excellency best consider his situation carefully before speaking. Although your strength is good, if I join forces with Brother Li, defeating you will not be a problem. Are you really going to stand against this old master?”
“Laughable!” Yang Kai mocked, “It’s you who is reaching out for a yard after taking an inch! You want my things? Alright, take it yourself if you have the skill!”
As soon as Li Mao Ming saw this, he knew that these two had fallen out and he could not help wearing a gloomy expression.
“In that case, it’s useless to say more. Brother Li, accompany this old master!” Gong Sun Liang roared as his Saint Qi burst from his body and he summoned a short sword artifact into his hand. Grabbing this sword, he charged out.
Gong Sun Liang was an established Second-Order Origin King with great strength. Summoning his artifact only increased his combat capacity while at the same time he pushed his Domain towards Yang Kai in an attempt to suppress him.
In an instant, the space around Yang Kai became extremely viscous, with even the flow of World Energy seeming to freeze.
With a single step, he suddenly appeared over Yang Kai’s head and slashed down with his sword.
A dazzling brilliance and shocking energy fluctuation erupted from his sword as a wave that seemed capable of cutting the world apart flew out.
Yang Kai simply stood in place, staring at his opponent coldly. Just when the attack entered range though, Yang Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and summoned the bladeless Dragon Bone Sword into it to block the incoming sword.
*Hong…*
With a thunderous bang, a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering shockwave visible to the naked eye exploded outwards from where the two swords clashed.
The attacking Gong Sun Liang’s face changed drastically as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, staring at Yang Kai who was so close at hand in amazement with a look of disbelief on his face.
Although he had fought against Yang Kai just now, he had only been probing his strength and had not used his all, but just now, in order to obtain that Origin Essence Crystal, a treasure which would give him a chance to reach the Third-Order Origin King Realm, Gong Sun Liang had not held back.
The blow he just delivered had a hundred percent of his strength behind it but was easily blocked by his opponent.
Not only that, but the counterforce he felt from Yang Kai was almost irresistible. Under the impact of this force, Gong Sun Liang felt like he was on a small boat in a stormy sea, the waves crashing in on him from all sides, threatening to drown him at any moment.
Gong Sun Liang was terrified when he realized this and while struggling to resist, he shouted, “Brother Li, what are you waiting for!”
He had to ask for help from Li Mao Ming.
Li Mao Ming frowned and shook his head, “Why… why…”
While complaining though, he too used his Domain to suppress Yang Kai.
In the end, he still owed Gong Sun Liang a favour and Yang Kai had returned the Venerable Token, meaning he was no longer a Purple Star Venerable; there were no moral concerns about him making a move against Yang Kai now.
Even so, he did not want to fight against a cultivator who was in the same realm as himself, so this time he only released his Domain to exert some pressure on Yang Kai instead of actually making a move.
From the left and right, two Second-Order Origin King Domains pressed down like two giant mountains, trying to crush everything between them to dust.
And at the very centre point of this vice was Yang Kai.
This put Yang Kai under great pressure and forced him to divert part of his strength to resist Li Mao Ming’s Domain. Gong Sun Liang saw this and immediately moved to regain the initiative, quickly suppressing Yang Kai.
While putting pressure on Yang Kai, he grit his teeth and spoke to Yang Kai sincerely, “Young man, there is a saying ‘A wise man will submit to the circumstances.’ Hand over that thing and this old master will no longer embarrass you, you can even receive high-level treatment as a guest of Purple Star, what say you?”
“Why do you sound like victory is already within your grasp?” Although Yang Kai had a difficult expression on his face, his demeanour was still extremely leisurely as he glanced over at Gong Sun Liang and asked in a composed tone.
Gong Sun Liang laughed at this question and spat, “Because this old master already has victory in hand!”
“Is that so!” Yang Kai grinned viciously and in the next moment, his Domain burst forth.
*Weng…*
With a low hum, the surrounding space destabilized, as if it was about to collapse and cave in.
Like a giant rock had been dropped into a calm lake, the power of Yang Kai’s Domain formed visible ripples in space as it spread outward.
*Kacha…*
A faint, cracking sound spread out.
Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming’s faces changed greatly as the former exclaimed, “How can this be?”
He was shocked to discover that under the joint pressure of his and Li Mao Ming’s Domain, Yang Kai had not been suppressed; in fact, he was the one breaking their combined Domains apart.
Gong Sun Liang’s heart shook!
He had broken through to the Origin King Realm almost a thousand years ago and reached the Second-Order more than three hundred years ago. In other words, his Domain had been condensed and refined over nearly a millennium! For a thousand years, he had forged his Domain through his own unique comprehensions and insights. Few people in the entire Star Field could surpass him in this regard.
Li Mao Ming’s history was similarly profound.
But now, their two Domains combined could not push back Yang Kai’s and were literally cracking apart when faced with the latter’s. What did that mean? It meant that their two Domains put together were weaker than his!
This discovery made Gong Sun Liang’s blood run cold and his eyes filled with horror.
Only now did he realize that Yang Kai had never once used his full strength. Gong Sun Liang had overestimated Yang Kai’s strength as much as he thought possible, but he found he had still greatly underestimated his opponent, in the end.
“Not good!” Li Mao Ming shouted as he quickly withdrew his Domain, his face completely pale.
His Domain being cracked meant his foundation was cracked. If this continued and his Domain broke, it would most likely result in his realm regressing. Such a consequence was not something any Origin King would be able to bear.
Fortunately, he quickly realized what was happening and retracted his Domain, otherwise, he would have been in great danger.
With his Domain withdrawn, Gong Sun Liang alone could obviously not resist Yang Kai’s might and a dense series of cracks sounded through the air. Together with these sounds, Gong Sun Liang’s body trembled, and blood began to leak from his seven orifices.
His Domain, which had been condensed for a thousand years, was showing signs of collapsing.
After this battle, even if Gong Sun Liang did not die, he would need to enter retreat for at least a hundred years if he wanted to repair his Domain.
The battle was not over yet though, and from point blank range, Yang Kai pressed his Dragon Bone Sword fiercely towards Gong Sun Liang, sending an overwhelming force towards him that sent the latter flying.
*Huo…*
A resounding dragon roar filled the world as the Dragon Bone Sword transformed into a giant dark green dragon, its body swaying back and forth as its giant eyes fixed onto Gong Sun Liang. Diving towards its prey, it opened its giant maw and bit towards him, seemingly intending to swallow him whole.
“A Dragon Bone artifact!” Gong Sun Liang’s eyes bulged at this sight. Although he had felt that the other party’s artifact was somewhat different when Yang Kai had taken out the Dragon Bone Sword, he could not figure out why until now. This artifact was refined from Dragon Bone!
Those were the bones of an Ancient Divine Spirit! Any artifact created from such materials would be at least Origin King Grade.
The rich, nearly tangible Dragon Pressure impacted Gong Sun Liang’s Soul and body, causing him to tremble in fear and horror.
This was a kind of instinctual fear, as no one could face an Ancient Divine Spirit without having such emotions. This was something on a fundamental level!
Biting the tip of his tongue, Gong Sun Liang forcefully dispelled the discomfort in his heart and swiftly formed a series of seals with his hands while pushing his Saint Qi madly.
The next moment, his short sword artifact released a radiant light and transformed into a giant flood dragon.
This flood dragon gave off a dazzling multi-coloured light and had a mouth filled with sharp, jagged fangs. Releasing a roar, it shot towards the giant dark green dragon.
The two transformed Origin King Grade artifacts met mid-air and began to clash, releasing violent energy fluctuations that shook the whole of Purple Star City. The houses down below shattered like they were made from thousand-year-old rotten wood, bursting into pieces as massive gullies and trenches were dug out from the fallout of this great battle.
The surviving Origin Realm masters who had been observing from nearby were all hit hard as well, their expressions changing drastically as they did their best to retreat while defending themselves, each of them showing looks of shock from the terrifying aftermath they were subjected to.
Only a few of Purple Star’s Elders remained where they stood by relying on their high cultivations, but judging from their expressions, it was no easy task for them to resist the fallout from this battle. Each of these Elders’ expressions was extremely solemn but none of them were willing to withdraw or even close their eyes as they fixedly observed this raging conflict.
Battles between Second-Order Origin Kings were an extremely rare occurrence, and being able to spectate one was an even rarer opportunity. Anything they learned from observing this battle would surely benefit them greatly.
With a huge burst of energy, Yang Kai disappeared like a ghost, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Gong Sun Liang.
“You…” Gong Sun Liang gasped. At this moment, his momentum was already quite weak, and now that Yang Kai had mysteriously appeared within striking range…
Yang Kai did not say a word, his expression cold and determined as his fist flashed with five-coloured light, sending a punch towards Gong Sun Liang.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
This exquisite Body Tempering Secret Art was usable both offensively and defensively, able to penetrate the hardest of defences and protect against the most brutal of attacks. Yang Kai’s fist, covered in his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, was as solid and sturdy as an ordinary Origin King Grade artifact.
If this punch landed, Gong Sun Liang would take severe damage!
This fist was not swung very fast, and its path was extremely clear, but Gong Sun Liang was stunned to discover that he couldn’t dodge or avoid it at all.
This fist carried with it an absolute suppressive force! It was an attack that could not be resolved no matter what method he used!
If he was at his peak, Gong Sun Liang might have been able to retreat, but at this moment, having just suffered serious damage to his Domain, how could he resist? Only able to watch this glowing fist close in, Gong Sun Liang’s heart filled with panic.
At the crucial moment, a figure appeared in front of Gong Sun Liang. It was Li Mao Ming!
Li Mao Ming’s face was also extremely dignified as he lifted the wine bottle in his hand to his mouth and took a deep drink before spitting out fiercely.
*Hu…*
A blue flame burst forth from Li Mao Ming’s mouth and created a barrier between him and Yang Kai’s fist.
This flame was not hot, but extremely cold instead. As soon as this blue flame appeared, the whole surrounding world seemed to freeze over.
The five-coloured glow on Yang Kai’s fist flickered violently, as if it was about to be extinguished while at the same time a deep chill travelled up his arm all the way to his chest.
Yang Kai could not help trembling under this impact.
Glancing at the wine bottle and the blue flames in front of him, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he realized this was a rare and powerful treasure.
“Brother Yang, stop!” Seeing Yang Kai’s actions slow down, Li Mao Ming hurriedly shouted.
Yang Kai’s eyes simply narrowed though and ignoring Li Mao Ming’s plea, he shouted in a low voice, “Dragon Transformation!”
*Kacha…*
Yang Kai’s arm inflated to twice its normal size in that instant and under the shocked gazes of Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang, Dragon Scales condensed from Saint Qi covered his arm and his outstretched fist transformed into a terrifying dragon claw. The Golden Divine Dragon aura that diffused from Yang Kai’s arm caused the two men facing it to tremble.
The wall of blue flame which was separating the two sides was easily broken through as these flames were unable to harm Yang Kai’s dragon-scale-covered arm in the slightest.
Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang’s eyeballs bulged as they reacted instinctually and combined their strengths to counterattack, releasing a strike that was not weaker than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King’s attack towards Yang Kai’s terrifying dragon claw.
*Hong…*
High up in the sky, as if it was the end of the world, a brilliant burst of light erupted as a thunderous explosion rang out, blinding and deafening all who were observing.
In the next instant, three figures were sent flying out from the centre of this explosion.
All of Purple Star City shook as countless cultivators looked up into the sky towards the great battle, all of them filled with anxiety.
Ninety-nine percent of the people in the city didn’t know what was happening, only that there were extremely powerful masters engaging in a life or death battle. Everyone knew that when the city gates were on fire, it was the fish in the moat who would be affected first, so none of them wanted to get close, much less be involved.
Swiftly, throngs of people rushed towards the city gate, trying to escape from Purple Star City to avoid being swept up into the chaos.
There were also some courageous cultivators who, instead of running from the battle, ran towards it, hoping to fish in troubled waters.
The more dangerous a place, the greater the opportunity. This was an eternal truth.
Inside Purple Star Palace, Zi Wu Ji grinned silently as a fanatical look appeared on his face.
He never imagined that Yang Kai would be this powerful.
When Li Mao Ming was constrained by the favour he owed Gong Sun Liang and joined forces with him to fight against Yang Kai, Zi Wu Ji had thought that all was lost and his plans had ended in failure, causing him to feel desperate.
But now, his spirits had been lifted once more because, in the confrontation of the three Second-Order Origin Kings, Yang Kai actually had the upper hand against the combined forces of Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming.
Was this Venerable Yang really so amazing? Even his father Zi Long would not be able to compete with such methods, right? Zi Wu Ji could not believe what he was seeing, but that did not stop him from enjoying it. A beautiful picture of his future began to expand once more before him and Zi Wu Ji was so excited he could barely restrain himself shouting out loud for Yang Kai to cut down Gong Sun Liang once and for all.
Up in the air, Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he straightened himself up, his eyes gleaming as he stared ahead.
A few kilometres away, Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming both had pale faces as they stared back in shock.
In that head-on confrontation just now, none of them had profited and Yang Kai was certainly injured; however, Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang were not the least bit pleased as it was clear they were still worse off.
This result was unacceptable to both Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming!
Together, the two of them could exert strength almost on par with a Third-Order Origin King, but Yang Kai was able to repel them! Didn’t that mean that he was qualified to compete with a Third-Order Origin King all by himself?
Such a possibility subverted Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang’s entire perception of reality!
Although the Second Order and Third Order only differed by a single Minor Realm, the gap in strength between the two was as wide as the gap between Heaven and Earth. In the Origin King Realm, every step forward represented a massive promotion of strength. What’s more, there wasn’t the slightest sign of fear in the other party’s eyes. Instead, only an endless fighting spirit could be seen, causing both Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang to shiver…
Just what kind of freak was he? The two of them now found that they couldn’t understand Yang Kai in the slightest.
*Keng…*
A crisp sound rang out from above at that moment as the two Origin King Grade artifacts clash seemed to come to an end. The giant dark green dragon transformed back into its Dragon Bone Sword form while the flood dragon restored its short-sword appearance. Both the sword-shaped artifacts flew back to the hands of their respective owners.
The Dragon Bone Sword was still undamaged, its green halo as bright as ever.
On the contrary, Gong Sun Liang’s sword had gone dim and its aura was fluctuating somewhat chaotically!
Looking at his sword, Gong Sun Liang’s heart ached, causing his already tenuous condition to worsen. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, his aura weakened noticeably and became somewhat dispirited.
“Brother Yang, stop!” Li Mao Ming’s expression drooped as he stared towards Yang Kai solemnly. His tone was filled with an imploring tone as he truly did not want to fight anymore. He had only made an appearance today because he was entrusted by ‘that person’ to protect Zi Wu Ji’s safety. Later, he was forced to engage in a confrontation with a cultivator of the same realm, which he was reluctant from the start to do. Now, he found himself facing Yang Kai, a true monster he had never seen the likes of before.
“You say fight and I have to fight, then you say stop and I have to stop? Do I not have any face at all?” Yang Kai grinned grimly.
“What do you want in order for this to end? Just say it! No one is an outsider here so everything is open to discussion!” Li Mao Ming still regarded Yang Kai as one of them, seemingly valuing the Venerable position very highly.
“What I want is simple!” Yang Kai grinned and took a step forward, “A fight to the death! Whether you come at me one on one or both together, I don’t care!”
“You…” Li Mao Ming looked anxiously at Yang Kai and pleaded, “Why are you acting like this?”
He never thought that Yang Kai would make such a ridiculous request. Those at the Origin King Realm generally avoided head-on conflicts because no Origin King was good to provoke. Everyone had trump cards they held in reserve that they would only use under desperate circumstances. Li Mao Ming had never met anyone like Yang Kai who seemed so eager to wage what would normally be considered a self-destructive battle.
“I only broke through to the Second-Order Origin King recently and this is the first time I’ve run into opponents of the same level, so I want to verify where my bottom line is!” Yang Kai grinned ferociously.
“Bullshit!” Before Li Mao Ming spoke, Gong Sun Liang could not help but curse as he glared at Yang Kai angrily, an unforgettable hatred blazing in his eyes as he shouted, “An old monster still wants to pretend he’s young? Have you no shame?”
He also thought that Yang Kai was not very old at first; after all he still retained a youthful look, but after fighting with him, he immediately concluded that Yang Kai was a cultivator that had lived for a thousand or more years, otherwise it would be impossible for him to have such strength.
If he really did just break through to the Second-Order and could already suppress both him and Li Mao Ming, then Gong Sun Liang might as well just commit suicide and be done with it.
“Believe what you like, there is no other way to settle this matter today.” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
Seeing him act so aggressive, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed with anger and he opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find any words in the end.
He was deeply regretting his actions now.
If he had just settled for emerging victorious in the power struggle today, none of this would have happened, but because he was greedy and wanted to snatch the Origin Essence Crystal from Yang Kai’s hands, he had instead brought great trouble upon himself.
Already, his Domain had been damaged, his artifact had lost a great deal of spirituality, and his body had been injured…
If he wanted to completely recover, at least a century of secluded retreat would be necessary.
It was useless to regret now though, so Gong Sun Liang forcefully suppressed the bitterness in his heart.
“If the two of you won’t make the first move, I will!” Yang Kai declared as he began to condense his Saint Qi.
At that moment though, he suddenly frowned and looked in a certain direction.
At the same time, Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and even the Origin King Elders of Purple Star had their faces changed slightly as they all looked in the same direction.
Over there, a figure had appeared on the horizon and seemed to be casually strolling towards them. At first, this figure seemed quite far away, but he appeared in the centre of the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
The newcomer was an old man with snow-white hair and a long beard that matched his linen robes. His appearance, while spotlessly clean, was also incredibly plain, making him look no different from an ordinary old man.
But Yang Kai’s expression was extremely solemn as he stared at this old man because he felt an incredible pressure radiating from him!
After arriving in the middle of the battlefield, this old man swept his eyes around with a gloomy expression on his face.
Everyone who came under his gaze could not help turning aside their eyes and lowering their heads.
The vast area fell silent suddenly as everyone even suppressed the sound of their breathing, lest they draw this old man’s attention.
“Hmph!”
After a long time, the old man snorted softly.
This sound seemed common, but it was laced with some kind of mysterious force that made it hit everyone’s chest like a drum, causing their bodies to shake and their blood to roil.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as a brilliant light flashed across them.
Third-Order Origin King!
Since the old man showed up, he had his suspicions, but it was only now that he was able to determine that the other party was a genuine Third-Order Origin King!
This old man was a supreme existence whose equals in the entire Star Field could be counted on a single hand.
A name quickly popped into Yang Kai’s mind.
[Kuang Shi Zong!]
Zi Dong had once told him about the cultivation and quantity of Purple Star’s masters, so Yang Kai knew that Purple Star had a Third-Order Origin King supporting it, and that person was Kuang Shi Zong.
The seniority of this old man was terrifying, and even Zi Long had to address him as Martial Uncle when he saw him!
However, no one knew where this person was, as no one on Purple Star had seen him for two hundred years. Some people said he had long ago passed away, while others speculated he had travelled to some dangerous place in the Star Field to seek a higher Martial Dao. There were even some who thought he had shattered space and left the Star Field altogether…
No one had thought he had secluded himself in Purple Star City though and would appear at such a time.
Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and all the Origin King Realm Elders finally recovered at this moment and respectfully bowed in the direction of Kuang Shi Zong, “Greetings, Martial Ancestor!”
Many of the Origin Returning Realm cultivators also knew who this old man was and did not dare show any negligence, each and every one of them bowing their heads in reverence.
“You still put this Martial Ancestor in your eyes?” Kuang Shi Zong looked at everyone coldly, causing cold sweat to leak from their foreheads. Even Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming had their heads lowered at this moment, like children who had been caught after making a great mistake, not daring to speak.
“It seems you’ve all made great progress these past two hundred years,” Kuang Shi Zong sneered sarcastically, “Reducing Purple Star City to such a state, you think you are worthy of the foundation passed down to you by my Purple Star’s ancestors?!”
Facing this question, everyone shivered in place as more cold sweat poured down their faces.
“If this old master didn’t appear, were you planning to completely demolish Purple Star Palace?”
“We wouldn’t dare!” Gong Sun Liang replied with trepidation.
“Why wouldn’t you dare? Don’t all of you have the courage? Or do you only have the courage to act but not the courage to admit?”
“Disciples have been unfilial, please forgive us, Martial Ancestor!” Gong Sun Liang cried out loudly.
“Disciples have been unfilial, please forgive us, Martial Ancestor!” Countless people shouted in unison from down below.
“What is this matter all about?” Kuang Shi Zong roared, his white hair blowing despite there being no wind, his face filled with anger, “Explain now!”
Gong Sun Liang’s body trembled but he did not dare to conceal anything, quickly explaining the cause and effect of today’s events.
In front of an old monster like Kuang Shi Zong, Gong Sun Liang didn’t dare to play any tricks, so his narration of the events of today contained no slander or embellishment.
When Kuang Shi Zong heard that all the ancestral tablets had been broken, he became furious and a terrifying pressure fell upon the audience. This pressure was so heavy it felt as if the sky had collapsed and was now weighing directly on everyone’s heart.
Kuang Shi Zong shot a fierce glare towards Zi Wu Ji at that moment, causing him to immediately cough up a mouthful of blood.
With his shrewdness, how could Kuang Shi Zong not understand that the broken tablets were something Zi Wu Ji had engineered. This was an intolerable disrespect to the ancestors, so he punished him.
Hearing that Yang Kai had fought two opponents at once and actually held the advantage, Kuang Shi Zong raised his brows and looked at Yang Kai with interest.
Yang Kai showed no fear though and simply grinned back at him.
After a while, Gong Sun Liang finished speaking and stood quietly in place, waiting nervously.
The atmosphere was solemn, and no one dared to speak. The place where Kuang Shi Zong stood was the focus of everyone present as no one knew what he was thinking at this moment.
Only after a long silence did Kuang Shi Zong suddenly say, “Why has this old master not heard about my Purple Star having a third Venerable? Boy, where did you obtain your Venerable Token?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly and said, “Senior’s question is quite strange, the Venerable Token was naturally given to me by Zi Long.”
“He gave it to you? When, where?” Kuang Shi Zong stared sternly at Yang Kai as he pointedly questioned.
Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and all the others all looked suspiciously at Kuang Shi Zong, not knowing why he would ask these seemingly irrelevant questions.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he suddenly had a bad premonition, but he still calmly said, “What does Senior mean by asking this?”
“What do I mean?” Kuang Shi Zong’s face suddenly became solemn as he took a step towards Yang Kai. It was only a step, but Kuang Shi Zong’s aura seemed to crash towards Yang Kai as a result, forcing him to retreat three steps as his face flushed slightly.
“Zi Long… Where is he? Is he dead or alive?” Kuang Shi Zong asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly and did not make a sound. Kuang Shi Zong asking such a question obviously meant he either already knew the answer or was trying to force a response from Yang Kai in order to make a determination, so the best course of action was to not speak.
“Refusing to speak? Is that a confirmation of your guilty conscience?” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Boy, you may not know, but becoming a Venerable of Purple Star is not just about holding a Venerable Token. It is also required for this old master to consent before anything becomes official. Without a nod from this old master, Zi Long would never give out a Venerable Token no matter how much courage he had. You hold a Venerable Token, but this old master knows nothing about your existence, so does Zi Long no longer put this old master in his eyes or is there something else afoot here? Care to explain?”
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai could not help but chuckle and casually said, “Maybe Zi Long was planning to discuss the matter with Senior after thinking about it for a while, and… the Venerable Token has already been returned to Great Elder by me, so why don’t we end things here for today?”
“Hmph!” Kuang Shi Zong coldly snorted, ignoring Yang Kai and instead turning to Zi Wu Ji and coldly asking, “Is your father’s Life Lamp still intact?”
Zi Wu Ji had just suffered a heavy blow, but he was not critically injured and was currently adjusting his breathing. Hearing this question though, he trembled and hesitated, debating whether he should lie or not, but soon he resigned himself and answered honestly, “Reporting to Martial Ancestor, Lord Father’s Life Lamp… has broken!”
“What?” Everyone was shocked, and even Gong Sun Liang showed an expression of disbelief.
They naturally knew what a Life Lamp was and what it meant for it to have broken.
This meant that Zi Long had fallen! Purple Star’s Sect Master had died!
Only Li Mao Ming, who received the news from Zi Wu Ji earlier today, remained relatively calm, though a sad and bitter smile still adorned his face. He and Zi Long were as close as siblings when they were young, and though they had later parted ways because of a woman, they were still brothers, not enemies. When he learned that Zi Long had fallen, Li Mao Ming was not the least bit happy and instead was extremely sad.
“As I thought!” Kuang Shi Zong sighed, his already old face seemingly ageing noticeably.
After remaining silent for a moment, he turned to Yang Kai again, his eyes as sharp as a falcon’s, as if they could penetrate everything in the world, and quickly asked, “Where did Zi Long die?”
“The Severed World!” Yang Kai answered with a frown.
“Who killed him!?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Oh? Does Senior feel that the death of Brother Zi Long has nothing to do with me?”
Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Although you are quite good, you’re not qualified to kill Zi Long. If that weren’t the case, do you think this old master would be bothering to speak with you now? This old master would have already taken your life to avenge Zi Long.”
“Senior’s mind is sharp!” Yang Kai wore a look of admiration before immediately showing a pained look, “Brother Zi Long died under the Seven-Coloured Radiant Light, it was not under anyone’s hand!”
“Seven Coloured Radiant Light!” Kuang Shi Zong’s face changed. Obviously, he knew what the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was, perhaps he had even entered the Severed World before and thus knew of its power. Lightly nodding, he muttered, “If that is the case, then it was his own fault for acting reckless.”
“After Brother Zi Long died, I picked up his Space Ring, and as for the Venerable Token… haha…” Yang Kai smirked.
“What? You mean you never were my Purple Star’s Venerable?” Gong Sun Liang could not help but yell in a cracking voice.
“Great Elder, forgive me, forgive me!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him with a smile.
“You… you!” Gong Sun Liang’s blood rushed to his head and his heart nearly burst from his chest.
Kuang Shi Zong glanced at him coldly before turning to Yang Kai and saying, “Boy, you are not my Purple Star Venerable, you deceived your way into this place, and damaged my Purple Star City! These sins is unforgivable!”
“It wasn’t just me!” Yang Kai protested.
“If it weren’t for you, how could today’s situation have happened?” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai coldly, his murderous intent so strong it was tangible.
Yang Kai secretly became vigilant and condensed his Saint Qi, preparing to defend himself.
But to his surprise, Kuang Shi Zong did not immediately attack but instead said, “Boy, this old master will give you two options. One, this old master kills you here and now to comfort the departed souls of my Purple Star’s ancestors! Two, you join my Purple Star officially and work for my Purple Star! Choose!”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Why must Senior try to embarrass me? I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to join Purple Star, so what should be done?”
“Boy, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, this old master appreciates talents and does not want to see someone like you die young, you should consider well before replying.”
“I have considered it thoroughly!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
Kuang Shi Zong narrowed his eyes as he stared at Yang Kai and said unhurriedly, “You pretending to be my Purple Star Venerable, even going so far as to infiltrate my Purple Star Palace and involve yourself in this muddy water was for more than just your own entertainment, yes? If this old master isn’t wrong… you came here for these people.”
Saying so, Kuang Shi Zong stretched out his hand and waved and from down below, a slight exclamation rang out, then a loud roar accompanied by violent energy fluctuations burst forth as Kuang Shi Zong’s face went cold and he clenched his fist.
Several figures flew over towards him uncontrollably at that moment and immediately arrived beside him.
Amazingly, it was Shen Tu and his entourage.
Behind Shen Tu and the others, Xiao Xiao held the Heaven Shaking Pillar and was in close pursuit. Xiao Xiao’s body had already swelled up to his Stone Giant form and seemed to be trying to save Shen Tu and the others, but was powerless to do so.
Shen Tu and the others wore panicked expressions at this moment. They had just been rescued by Xiao Xiao and were about to use the chaos to escape from Purple Star City when they were suddenly subdued by Kuang Shi Zong and instantly became the focus of everyone’s attention.
Kuang Shi Zong fixed Shen Tu and the others in place not far away before turning and frowning at the Stone Puppet below, some curiosity apparent in his gaze.
Even with his insight and experience, he could not tell whether the Stone Puppet was a creature or a puppet and could only vaguely feel that this stone-like thing was not simple.
“What is Senior’s meaning here?” Yang Kai squinted at Kuang Shi Zong.
“Nothing,” Kuang Shi Zong saw Yang Kai become somewhat anxious when Shen Tu and the others and couldn’t help but smile, “So you’re from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? However, this old master has never heard of anyone like you in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Who are you?”
“Junior is an unknown person, Senior has naturally never heard of him, but I must say, a Senior of your level resorting to such underhanded methods… if word of this were to spread out, wouldn’t it invite ridicule?” Yang Kai’s face was as cold and gloomy as ice.
“Who would dare laugh at me? This old master will kill him and all his family,” Kuang Shi Zong said indifferently. “I will give you one last chance, swear allegiance to my Purple Star and I can release this trash, otherwise, all of you will die here today!”
Shen Tu was suspended in mid-air and his strength was completely imprisoned, so all he could do is look towards Yang Kai with a wry smile and say, “Brother Yang, forget about us, just think of a way to esca…”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly paled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Second Young Master!” The cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce were shocked and one of them even turned his head and cursed at Kuang Shi Zong, “Old Bastard, how dare you…”
*Peng…*
Halfway through his sentence though, his head suddenly burst open, spraying a mess of red and white all over before his headless corpse fell to the ground.
Shen Tu and the others turned pale immediately as they expected that a master like Kuang Shi Zong would actually lower himself to killing an Origin Realm cultivator he had already subdued.
At that moment, none of them dared to say anything again, for fear of causing their own death.
“This old master’s patience is limited. Next, it will be him. This boy seems to have some value. If you do not want him to die, you should seriously consider this old master’s offer,” Kuang Shi Zong pointed at Shen Tu, his expression cold and unfeeling.
As soon as this was said, Shen Tu could not help shivering slightly.
“You dare!” Yang Kai shouted angrily, his complexion becoming fierce.
Without even mentioning his personal friendship with Shen Tu, just Xue Yue’s existence was more than enough for Yang Kai to act here. If he really let Shen Tu die at Kuang Shi Zong’s hand, Yang Kai would no longer have any face to see Xue Yue.
After all, Shen Tu was Xue Yue’s Second Brother.
Kuang Shi Zong looked startled for a moment before a strange grin appeared on his face, “No one has dared speak to this old master that way for many years. Interesting, boy, open your eyes and watch whether this old master really dares to kill him!”