Kuang Shi Zong’s intent to kill was real, and he had the strength to back up his arrogance. He didn’t take Yang Kai’s threats to heart at all. Having made his decision, Kuang Shi Zong did not hesitate to act, stretching out his hand and pointing at Shen Tu as if he was really intending to kill him.
Shen Tu’s face paled as he felt the aura of death enveloping him, his whole body shivering from fright.
At that moment though, a mysterious power pulsed and Yang Kai’s figure suddenly disappeared.
Kuang Shi Zong’s eyes shrank and his outstretched hand suddenly clenched into a fist as the full power of his Third-Order Origin King cultivation gathered on it and blasted towards the space in front of him.
At the spot where Kuang Shi Zong punched, Yang Kai appeared like a ghost, shielding Shen Tu and the others behind himself, his face extremely solemn as both his palms stretched out towards the void.
Secret Technique, Exile!
Space Force surged as a black hole suddenly appeared in front of Kuang Shi Zong. This black hole was like the open mouth of an ancient beast that wanted to swallow him whole. The hole itself was filled with a chaotic nothingness that even a master like Kuang Shi Zong could not help trembling slightly before.
The powerful strength of a Third-Order Origin King burst forth.
*Hong…*
With a thunderous explosion, the black hole was shattered like a mirror, collapsing in on itself as the chaotic Space Force sputtered out in all directions, quickly transforming into countless blade-like attacks that launched towards Kuang Shi Zong.
“What a bold Junior!” Kuang Shi Zong was furious and his entire body shook as Saint Qi burst forth from it to form a protective layer that blocked the chaotic blades of Space Force.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
An endless series of sounds resembling something cutting through the air rang out as pitch-black crescent-shaped blades slashed towards Kuang Shi Zong.
Secret Technique, Moon Blade!
Kuang Shi Zong narrowed his eyes as he felt huge danger from these Moon Blades. Not daring to despise them, he opened his mouth and spat out a jade-pendant-like artifact that swiftly twisted and transformed into a giant bird.
This giant bird had three heads, each the size of a house, and its wings flapped wildly as it gathered the surrounding World Energy and condensed it into countless wind blades that it shot out to intercept Yang Kai’s Moon Blades.
There was a burst of explosions as the barrage of Moon Blades and Wind Blades clashed mid-air, creating a region of space that was literally being shredded apart.
A fist slammed out from the rampaging storm of explosions and flew towards Kuang Shi Zong, five-coloured light radiating brilliantly from it. It was Yang Kai’s Indestructible Sword Qi.
Kuang Shi Zong reacted just as rapidly and threw out a punch of his own.
With a bang, Kuang Shi Zong’s body was shaken and he was forced to retreat three steps before finally standing firm. On the other hand, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards, his face turning pale as he tumbled through the air while trying to use his Saint Qi to resolve the rampaging energy that had penetrated his body.
The conflict had happened so quickly that most did not even understand what had happened. Even the First-Order Origin King Elders who were watching were confused about what had transpired, while only Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming were able to witness the entire process.
The two of them could not help gasping as they exchanged a glance and saw the shock in each other’s eyes.
When the two of them joined forces to fight Yang Kai just now, they had been at a disadvantage, so they already knew Yang Kai was no ordinary Second-Order Origin King and had even guessed he might have the ability to fight a Third-Order.
But speculations were just speculations in the end; after all, neither of them knew just how strong a Third-Order Origin King really was.
However, at this moment, what they had only guessed at was really happening before their eyes.
Yang Kai had exchanged blows with Kuang Shi Zong, and although he had been at a disadvantage from start to finish, even winding up with some slight injuries, he was far from being defeated!
Who was Kuang Shi Zong? An old monster who had lived for thousands of years and had few equals throughout the entire Star Field. Each of these Third-Order Origin Kings had the power to destroy a small Star and were masters that ordinary people would never see in their lifetime. They were the supreme symbols of the peak of the Martial Dao, undefeated legends.
But Yang Kai was able to confront such a master head-on and not die.
Not only that…
He had also managed to rescue the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce from Kuang Shi Zong!
This scene shocked Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang to their cores and forced them to ask themselves if would they be able to achieve the same?
The answer was a resounding no! Most likely, they would have been heavily injured by Kuang Shi Zong’s first move and then been forced to retreat.
Above Purple Star City, Kuang Shi Zong’s expression fluctuated, not showing any embarrassment or anger, only solemness as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai without saying a word.
Not far away, Yang Kai stood before Shen Tu and the others, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his head slightly, and stared back at Kuang Shi Zong.
After a long time, Kuang Shi Zong asked seriously, “Space Force?”
“Senior’s perception is sharp!” Yang Kai grinned at him.
“You’ve actually managed to comprehend such an esoteric power? Even reaching such a level of proficiency!?” Kuang Shi Zong’s heart shook as his eyes nearly bulged.
Kuang Shi Zong had naturally heard of the Dao of Space as there were a number of people who had cultivated Space Force in the Star Field and even Purple Star itself, but most of these cultivators had only touched upon this mysterious force, and none could use Space Force in battle.
But the methods Yang Kai used just now clearly showed he had extremely deep attainments in the Dao of Space, otherwise, he would not have been able to move instantaneously or condense a blade of Space Force and form a chaotic black hole.
This was a shocking reality.
Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang were both stunned as well. Only now did they understand that what Yang Kai had just used was the extremely esoteric Space Force. Realizing this, both of their expressions turned even uglier than before.
Didn’t this mean that when Yang Kai had fought them just now, he was not using his full strength?
Fighting two against one, falling into a disadvantage, and not even being able to make the other side use their true strength… this ugly truth made Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming feel deeply ashamed.
“Since Senior understands, is he still confident in keeping me here?” On the other side, Yang Kai smiled and declared with a confident expression, “If I want to go, no one in this world can stop me!”
Hearing what he said, Kuang Shi Zong actually nodded slightly and said, “Although your words are crazy, you are indeed qualified to say them.”
“It’s good that Senior understands. Now, why don’t we discuss this matter? Today’s affair will end here, I will leave with my few friends, and Senior will forget about everything that has happened, how about it?”
“In your dreams!” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “It is true that since you are proficient in the Dao of Space, wanting to kill you is indeed impossible, but… That is only the truth if you were alone. Dragging along those dead-weights, do you still have the confidence to escape from this old master’s pursuit? No one here is a fool, so stop trying to play cheap tricks with this old master.”
Yang Kai brow twitched slightly as he said helplessly, “I didn’t expect that Senior would already see this far ahead. It is as you say!”
Shen Tu, who was being protected by Yang Kai heard this and a determined look appeared on his face as he said, “Brother Yang, just leave us here. If my life can ensure yours, this Shen Tu will die without regret.”
“We will follow Second Young Master to the death. On the road to the Yellow Springs, the journey won’t be lonely!” The several others expressed their opinions one after another, resolute as ever in the face of death.
Yang Kai turned his head, glanced at them, and smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, with things already having reached this point, naturally it is impossible for me to simply abandon you here. Today, all of us will leave here together!”
“Leave here together?” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Boy, you think too highly of yourself, in my Purple Star City, you don’t have the qualifications to act so impudently!”
Saying so, he waved his hand, and the eight Purple Star First-Order Origin King Realm Elders flew up to encircle Yang Kai together with Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang. In the blink of an eye, ten Origin Kings had surrounded Yang Kai while the Third-Order Origin King, Kuang Shi Zong eyed him covetously.
Shen Tu and his entourage wore gloomy expressions as they realized that this time they were really unable to escape disaster.
Yang Kai, however, just laughed loudly, “Interesting, interesting! It’s rare to meet so many masters at once, it’s really exciting! If that is the case, then I can really cut loose and run amok!”
Kuang Shi Zong frowned, seeing Yang Kai still acting so rampantly, wondering what other cards he was hiding, unable to stop himself from worrying slightly.
“Everyone, be careful!” Yang Kai grinned before waving his hand and shouting loudly, “Come out!”
As soon as these words fell, a huge creature suddenly appeared above Purple Star City, one that was as tall as a mountain and blocked out the sunlight with its shadow as soon as it manifested.
“What is that?” Someone could not help but exclaim.
“So big? A humanoid puppet?”
“What the hell is it?”
Everyone stared up at this huge figure and almost lost the ability to think.
This figure was a thousand metres high and had a human form but was clearly composed of rock! Its body was rough and angular, but also bulky and burly, giving it an imposing appearance.
From its body, there was no aura of life, but the pure pressure it radiated was comparable to that of a Third-Order Origin King.
Every Origin King Realm standing midair felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
The cultivators below the Origin King Realm were under even greater strain as some with lower strength even lost the ability to fly and fell from the sky screaming.
This stone giant’s eyes were bright though, as if they were full of sentience, and once it appeared, it immediately began falling straight down.
It was as if a giant meteor was crashing to the ground.
“Not good!” Kuang Shi Zong roared upon seeing Yang Kai’s huge Embodiment falling downward, but just when he was about to move to intercept it, the sky suddenly darkened again.
Accompanied by the crisp bird cry, a massive Firebird with a long flaming tail suddenly appeared and covered the sky.
This Firebird seemed to be composed entirely of flames and had faint streaks of lightning flashing across its figure. The aura of destruction coming from it caused the hearts of many to clench and as it flapped its wings the surrounding temperature rose sharply.
Things had not ended yet though as several Golden Blood Threads shot out and transformed into various roaring beasts. The Blood Beast Army had appeared.
Thunderflame Bird, Tail Crown Snake, Silent Vermillion Bird, Star King Turtle, Eight Eyes Demon Toad, Purple Thunderbolt Sky Leopard…
There were many others as well. Besides the Steel Flame Ghost Spider that Yang Kai had left in Tong Xuan Realm to guard Nine Heavens Holy Land, all his other remaining Blood Beasts were dispatched now. Every Blood Beast emitted a powerful energy fluctuation that was no weaker than a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master. Nearly twenty Blood Beasts gathered in one place, releasing a blinding golden light that seemed to soar up into the Starry Sky.
The situation had once again changed abruptly. So many strange creatures appearing above Purple Star Palace dazed the masters down below for a moment.
*Hou…*
A roar resounded across the sky as Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao, who had been standing to the side the whole time, received instructions from Yang Kai and slapped his chest with both fists like a war drum. As this drumbeat sounded, Xiao Xiao’s body grew even larger as he assumed his stone giant form.
In the next moment, a blazing fire emerged from Xiao Xiao’s body as a shocking scorching heat burst out, causing his skin to rapidly melt.
It looked as if he was wearing an armour of lava.
It was Xiao Xiao’s final form, the Lava Giant!
Xiao Xiao was now a hundred metres tall and his body was covered in molten lava, giving everyone around him an unimaginable sense of oppression. On his shoulder, he carried the thick Heaven Shaking Pillar that weighed several million kilograms. In Xiao Xiao’s hands, the Heaven Shaking Pillar looked as light as a feather, but when he swung it around lightly, all the buildings within a thousand metres exploded into dust.
The shockwave that rolled outwards as a result of this swing pounded the hearts of every Origin King present like a sledgehammer, eliciting looks of fear from them.
*Hong…*
At that moment, the Embodiment landed on the ground.
Yang Kai’s Embodiment, which was like a giant mountain, fell like a meteor and its impact caused the whole of Purple Star City to tremble. Even the houses far away in Outer City cracked at this moment, while the houses in the Inner City which were closer collapsed directly.
Yang Kai stood mid-air with a leisurely look on his face, grinning frivolously as he unscrupulously stared at Kuang Shi Zong, whose face on the other hand had gone from red to blue, and blue to green.
The Embodiment slowly raised one of its big feet and took a step forward.
The movements of the Embodiment were incredibly slow, as if it was struggling against some kind of profound seal that hindered its pace, but that single step was enough to leave a massive footprint in Purple Star City, crushing everything beneath it to dust…
The Embodiment made no attacking actions and simply walked back and forth.
But this was enough to bring unimaginable destruction!
“What the hell is that?”
“Quickly! Attack it! If we do not stop it now, Purple Star City will be destroyed!”
Many masters yelled and before Kuang Shi Zong even issued an order, they used their various methods to strike the Embodiment.
Ten Origin Kings, including two Second-Orders, unleashed their Secret Techniques without hesitation while also summoning their artifacts to attack. All these blows converged into a single powerful blow that struck towards the Embodiment in an attempt to prevent its actions.
A series of explosions rang out as earth and rock were sent flying. The brilliant flash from this detonation even forced the masters present to squint their eyes.
After the light dissipated and they witnessed the results of their assault though, everyone’s blood seemed to run cold.
Ten Origin Kings joining forces failed to destroy this behemoth. Although it seemed to have taken some damage and lost a fair amount of rocks from its body, the aura coming from the Embodiment had not waned in the slightest. On the contrary, it seemed to only become more ferocious.
This was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone Embodiment, so it had inherited Yang Kai’s character and thoughts, even his mannerisms, so how could it tolerate being attacked like this and not fight back?
A terrifying light burst from the Embodiment’s eyes as its huge body squatted slightly and one of its feet lifted up high before it stomped down fiercely.
*Kacha…*
Massive fissures opened up in the ground from the point of impact and rapidly spread out in all directions.
The Embodiment stretched out its hands towards the shattered earth, sweeping up countless big and small pieces of stone with an invisible force. The smaller rocks were only the size of melons while the bigger ones were comparable to houses.
The Embodiment let out a great roar next as it sent all the rocks and flying in all directions.
Such an attack may not have been able to harm an Origin King, and even the Origin Returning Realm masters could easily avoid it, but where these rocks flew, palaces and houses were levelled.
In just a short period of five breaths, half of the Purple Star Palace, centralized on the Embodiment’s location, was destroyed!
Kuang Shi Zong’s face was ugly to the extreme.
In his force’s supreme headquarters, a lone enemy was acting so rampantly while all of Purple Star’s high-end combat power was powerless to stop him. If word of this spread out, Purple Star would degenerate into a laughingstock across the entire Star Field. This would undoubtedly become the greatest stain on Purple Star’s reputation in its entire history.
He wanted to make a move to settle things quickly, but with Yang Kai’s full attention focused on him, he was unable to find an opportunity to act.
*Li…*
A piercing cry rang out suddenly as the Firebird, which had been floating lightly above Yang Kai’s head until now, flew out without receiving any kind of order.
Yang Kai raised his brow, wondering what Liu Yan was up to, but after quickly sweeping the battlefield with his eyes and noticing a certain something, he understood and didn’t try to stop her.
Liu Yan was extremely fast and with a single flap of her wings she had already crossed a kilometre distance.
Appearing right in front of Li Mao Ming, she opened her beak and spat out a streak of burning hot flames mixed with purple lightning.
Perceiving the terrifying power contained in this jet of flame, Li Mao Ming did not dare to neglect and hurriedly dodged while at the same time taking a deep drink from his wine bottle before spitting out a jet of blue flame towards Liu Yan.
Seeing this, Liu Yan’s eyes flashed a cunning light and instead of retreating, she actually shot forward, opened her beak and swallowed the blue flame into her mouth. At the same time, her belly swelled up and she let out a light belching sound, causing everyone who was watching to gawk.
She had directly sucked the blue flame into her stomach.
Having succeeded in her little plot, Liu Yan flew back towards Yang Kai without looking back.
Li Mao Ming on the other hand stood on the stop, his jaw dropped as he stared dumbly into space, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Only after a long silence did he return to his senses and exclaim, “My Blue Ice Flame!”
As he shouted, Li Mao Ming quickly formed a series of seals while pushing his Divine Sense and Saint Qi, trying to wrest control of the Blue Ice Flame from Liu Yan before she could refine it. Liu Yan’s Firebird form began to bulge and undulate, as if something was rioting inside her belly.
Flashes of red, purple, and blue light appeared continuously from her body.
Liu Yan could not help letting out painful cries.
She wanted to seize the Blue Ice Flame forcefully, which was naturally not an easy task and would require her to pay a certain price; after all, the Blue Ice Flame was no ordinary dead object, it was a rare treasure that Li Mao Ming managed to obtain after a near-death adventure he had many years ago.
Among the three colours that Liu Yan now glowed with, red represented her own Fire Attribute power, the purple was the Thunder Attribute power she obtained from swallowing and refining the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire before, and the blue was naturally the power of the Blue Ice Flame.
The three colours were in a state of chaos at the moment, with none having an advantage over the other, taking Liu Yan’s body as a battlefield in a seemingly endless struggle.
However, Liu Yan was no ordinary existence either. Having absorbed the Sun’s True Fire and the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, neither of which lost out when compared to the Blue Ice Flame, the stalemate only lasted a short time before the brightly flickering blue light began to dim.
At that moment, Liu Yan’s figure trembled, and the phantom image of a tripod-style furnace appeared within her.
This was her natal artifact, the Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace!
The Blue Ice Flame was quickly condensed and sealed by the Artifact Refining Furnace. Having gained control over this new flame, as long as she was given enough time, Liu Yan would be able to refine it into her being to increase her strength.
*Pu…*
In the distance, Li Mao Ming spurted out a mouthful of blood as he felt his connection to the Blue Ice Flame become severed. It was now impossible for him to retrieve it unless he were to kill this strange Firebird.
While Liu Yan and Li Mao Ming were fighting for control of the Blue Ice Flame, Xiao Xiao had been engaging in battle with Gong Sun Liang.
Although Xiao Xiao had assumed his stone giant form, compared with the enormous Embodiment, he still looked like a grandson in front of his grandfather. Gong Sun Liang saw that his strength was insufficient to deal with the Embodiment, so he instead turned his attention to Xiao Xiao.
Gong Sun Liang’s short sword artifact had been damaged quite badly already, losing much of its spirituality, so he was unable to use it again at this moment. Instead, he summoned a heavy-looking war-hammer type artifact.
Pouring his strength into this artifact, Gong Sun Liang slammed it down at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao met his attack head-on with a swing of his stick.
The hammer-like artifact exploded into dust on contact and Gong Sun Liang’s whole body was sent flying, the bones in both his arms shattering from the impact.
Only now did Gong Sun Liang realize how big a mistake he had made. Although his hammer artifact was not Origin King Grade, it was still Origin Grade High-Rank, Yet this extremely strong artifact exploded into dust, so it was not hard to imagine just how powerful this strong stone giant’s seemingly simple stick really was.
This strength alone was enough to win ten out of ten frontal contests!
The two Second-Order Origin Kings were both easily taken down, causing the remaining eight First-Order Origin King Realm Elders to exchange lost and helpless glances for a time.
The Embodiment continued its unhurried stroll, leaving deep cracks and gullies as it took each step, its very existence like a mountain pressing down on all the Purple Star masters’ hearts, making them breathless.
Even Shen Tu and his followers, who were being guarded by Yang Kai had their jaws dropped at the moment as they stared blankly at the scene before them, unable to believe what they were seeing.
With just his own strength, Yang Kai was fighting against all the masters of Purple Star, including eight First-Order Origin Kings, two Second-Order Origin Kings, and one Third-Order Origin King… But not only was he not losing, he also occupied the absolute advantage.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it possible.
Shen Tu was thoroughly shocked, but at the same time somewhat embarrassed and depressed.
Thinking back to when he and Yang Kai met for the first time, Yang Kai had been far behind him in terms of cultivation and the two of them had to mutually help one another in order to survive.
But upon meeting again, after just a few dozen years, Shen Tu found that his friend now stood at a height that he couldn’t see even by craning his neck up high. This massive gap would be impossible for him to close for the rest of his life…
This discovery made Shen Tu feel somewhat lost…
These years, he had not been wasting his time; rather, he had been working hard to cultivate, wanting to be recognized by President Ai Ou and wanting to surpass his outstanding Third Brother, but his achievements now seemed so worthless in front of Yang Kai.
“Senior, do you want me to continue?” Up in the air, Yang Kai, who had been silently confronting Kuang Shi Zong, suddenly smiled and asked with a leisurely expression, “If we continue this little show much longer, I am afraid Purple Star City will really be reduced to rubble… but, I suppose that’s fine too. Purple Star is so big and has thousands of cities, so even without Purple Star City, there are still others to stay in. En, maybe I should go visit those cities too. I believe I can see them all eventually if I have enough time…”
As soon as this remark came out, everyone from Purple Star trembled in fright.
If Yang Kai had said this before, most people would have laughed it off as some kind of wild joke, but after witnessing the destructive power of these strange creatures, no one dared to doubt Yang Kai’s ability anymore.
As long as he had enough patience, he could definitely level all of Purple Star with this strange army at his command!
Everyone looked at Kuang Shi Zong, and nine out of ten people had an imploring expression on their face.
They were truly frightened.
Although Yang Kai had been raising a big fuss, until now, he had not begun slaughtering people. If his hand was forced though, it wasn’t clear just how many of them would survive today.
“Enough!” Although Kuang Shi Zong felt deep anger in his heart, he still had to shout.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “So, is Senior willing to discuss terms with me?”
“You win!” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai with a sullen face and unforgettable hatred in his eyes, “Take those people and get out of my Purple Star quickly. If you dare to step into my Purple Star again in the future, this old master vows to kill you, no matter the cost.”
“Senior may rest assured, I won’t visit Purple Star ever again!” Yang Kai grinned, not caring one bit about Kuang Shi Zong’s threat. Anyone who had any intelligence knew that this was nothing more than empty posturing.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and a Second-Order Origin King, so no one in the entire Star Field could kill him unless they managed to trap him inside a sealed space and then wore him down by sending multiple masters to face him one after another.
“This old master does not consider this matter over, and one day soon, this old master will go to the Water Moon Star in person to speak with Ai Ou,” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai coldly as he emphasized every word.
Even now, he believed Yang Kai was a member of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
“Water Moon Star welcomes you any time!” Yang Kai smiled before turning to Shen Tu and saying, “Brother Shen Tu, everything has been settled, please leave first.”
“What about you?” Shen Tu frowned as he looked at Yang Kai, some faint worry on his face.
“I’ll stay here and watch them,” Yang Kai pointed down, “I’m afraid that if we try to leave together, they will try to intercept the Starship. Don’t worry, if I want to leave, they can’t stop me; I’ll join you later.”
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment before agreeing with this idea and simply cupping his fists and saying, “In that case, be careful, Brother Yang. I’ll be waiting for you aboard the Starship!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Be careful along the way.”
Shen Tu left without looking back together while the other cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce also nodded to Yang Kai to express their gratitude before quickly following.
Down below, Xiao Xiao reverted to his small and harmless appearance and shouldered his Heaven Shaking Pillar before chasing after Shen Tu and the others, seemingly having been ordered by Yang Kai to escort them to safety.
The many masters of Purple Star stood still, not daring to act rashly, only able to watch these few Origin Returning Realm cultivators fly off right from under their noses.
A look of humiliation appeared on all their faces as they gazed hatefully towards Yang Kai.
“You’re quite the cautious one, boy,” Kuang Shi Zong suddenly said.
“Senior is too kind, it is only normal to act cautiously under such circumstances,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“The one that left just now and the one still down below, what are they? Why has this old master never encountered their kind before? Are they puppets or some kind of life form?” Kuang Shi Zong asked with squinting eyes.
“They’re living creatures, but from a very rare race. If Senior wants to find one, I’m afraid it would be a futile quest.”
Contrary to Kuang Shi Zong’s expectation, Yang Kai did not try to conceal anything, instead giving him clear and direct answers, “I obtained these two by chance and coincidence.”
Kuang Shi Zong nodded lightly before turning his attention to the twenty or so Blood Beasts with interest, “What about these? You’re not going to tell this old master these are living creatures too, are you?”
“They’re condensed through a certain Secret Technique. Does Senior want to learn it? If so, I can teach you if you want,” Yang Kai said with a harmless grin.
“Forget it!” Kuang Shi Zong coldly snapped, “This old master is afraid he won’t be able to pay the price!”
He also knew that Yang Kai was simply chatting with him to pass the time, so he simply took the opportunity to gather some intelligence. As for Yang Kai saying he would teach him this Secret Technique, he would no doubt put forward some ridiculous demands in exchange, so Kuang Shi Zong wouldn’t embarrass himself by asking.
“Alright then,” Yang Kai did not care and no longer spoke to Kuang Shi Zong.
Suddenly, Li Mao Ming stepped forward with a depressed expression, cupped his fists and called out, “Brother Yang, can you give me back my Blue Ice Flame?”
“Blue Ice Flame?” Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked at Liu Yan thoughtfully, knowing immediately what Li Mao Ming was referring to.
“En, that Blue Ice Flame is of great use to me, if I lose it…” Li Mao Ming looked embarrassed.
“Haha, Brother Li is addressing the wrong person, you’ll have to ask her if you want that thing back,” Yang Kai pointed his finger at Liu Yan.
“Brother Yang must be joking,” Li Mao Ming’s mouth twitched, “Although this Li cannot see what kind of existence that is, it’s obvious that you are its master. Retrieving the Blue Ice Flame from it would only take a word from Brother Yang… Good, I can exchange it for an Origin King Grade artifact, what do you say?”
The condition put forward by Li Mao Ming was quite reasonable, so Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll ask for you.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look at Liu Yan and asked, “You heard what was said just now, could you return that blue flame? If you agree, just nod, if you refuse, shake your head.”
Liu Yan cast a sidelong glance at Yang Kai before turning her gaze aside indifferently.
Yang Kai saw this and smirked, “Brother Li, as you can see, she has a bit of a bad temper and probably doesn’t want to return it.”
“This…” Li Mao Ming was speechless.
At that moment, a Starship rose up into the sky from nearby and soon began to accelerate away at an extremely rapid rate, breaking through the clouds soon after and sailing towards the distant Starry Sky.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Everyone, this Yang will say his goodbyes here, perhaps we shall meet again on some distant mountain or field!”
Saying so, he recalled his Blood Beast Army, Liu Yan, and his Embodiment before his figure flickered and he chased after the Starship.
“Brother Yang, please wait! My Blue Ice Flame!” Li Mao Ming cried out pitifully but received no response.
“Martial Ancestor, are we just going to let him leave like this?” Gong Sun Liang stood beside Kuang Shi Zong and asked despondently.
Today’s battle not only brought great shame to Purple Star, but also to Gong Sun Liang personally. In this battle, he had suffered extremely heavy losses and did not want to let things end miserably.
Kuang Shi Zong heard these words but did not answer immediately, his eyes smouldering with a burning light, as if hesitating whether to take this opportunity to pursue or not.
“Not good, not good!” Suddenly a panic-stricken shout rang out and everyone turned to see a panicked Ji Jun, the one who had always been assisting Zi Wu Ji, run out.
“Old Ji, what happened?” Zi Wu Ji did his best to ignore the pain he was feeling and asked.
“Second Young Master, that Venerable Yang ransacked the entire Purple Star Vault!” Ji Jun shouted loudly.
“What?” Zi Wu Ji and Kuang Shi Zong’s faces changed drastically at the same time while everyone else present was filled with furious indignation.
“How did that surnamed Yang enter the Purple Star Vault? Where did he get the key? Who led him to it?”
“So that’s how it is, I was wondering why Second Young Master suddenly removed all the guards from around the Vault today, so it was for this reason!” Gong Sun Liang looked at Zi Wu Ji grimly, “Were you colluding with him all along?”
“I…” Zi Wu Ji felt his chest tighten as he suddenly found that he was unable to even make a convincing argument, only uttering anxiously, “He said he only wanted a single thing, how was I supposed to know he would be so insatiable? Even so, I made Old Ji follow him to monitor it.”
Becoming the focus of everyone’s attention once again, Ji Jun looked down in shame and muttered, “I was knocked out by him and did not awaken until just now…”
“You waste!” Kuang Shi Zong roared furiously as he waved his hand and sent out a surge of power that knocked Zi Wu Ji into a nearby wall, his life or death completely uncertain, before shouting, “Pursue him! No matter the cost, we must kill that boy in the Starry Sky today!”
“Yes!” Receiving their orders, everyone used their Movement Skills to fly off in a certain direction.
A short time later, more than a dozen Origin Grade High-Rank Starships were launched above Purple Star City, with a single Origin King Grade Starship leading the way, all of them soaring up into the Starry Sky a moment later.
The others may not know what kind of treasures were stored in Purple Star’s Vault, but how could Kuang Shi Zong not know?
Almost all the items inside weren’t of too much consequence and could be replaced given enough time, but that True Dragon Scale was a priceless treasure that had been in Purple Star’s possession since its founding. For thousands of years, the geniuses of Purple Star had tried to refine that Dragon Scales for their own use, with even Kuang Shi Zong having tried once, but none had succeeded so far.
In the end, it could only be stored away in the Vault.
Although no one could refine that Dragon Scale, it did not mean it had no value. On the contrary, its value was immeasurable.
Now that the Dragon Scale had been stolen by Yang Kai, how could Kuang Shi Zong let him simply swagger away? Now things had really developed to the point where either Yang Kai died, or he died.
All of Purple Star City had felt the shocking effects of today’s events. The fallout from the battle between so many Origin Kings had made many weaker cultivators panic, and now, seeing so many Starships set sail together, even a fool would know that something big had just happened to Purple Star.
However, no one knew the truth behind what was going on.
In the Starry Sky, Yang Kai quickly caught up with the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, and after sending a quite Divine Sense Message, its hatch was opened, and he flew inside where he found Shen Tu waiting for him together with everyone else.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu cupped his fists and with a solemn expression declared, “This Shen Tu will not forget this grace for the rest of his life. If Brother Yang has need of this Shen Tu’s assistance in any way in the future, he only needs to ask.”
Yang Kai laughed lightly, “Brother Shen Tu is too serious, we’re all one family so there’s no need to be so polite.”
[We’re all one family?] A trace of doubt flashed across Shen Tu’s face, but he did not think about it too much and just assumed Yang Kai was being polite with him.
However, Yang Kai being able to say this made him incredibly happy as it made it clear that Yang Kai did not despise him just because his strength had grown far beyond his.
Aboard the Starship, not only were Shen Tu and his escorts present, but also the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Hua You Meng, Xia Jing Wu, Yao Qing, Hai Tang, Gao Hong and all the others were currently staring at Yang Kai, their eyes clearly containing worry for him but also a sense of loss for themselves.
All of them had lived on Purple Star for their entire lives, and although none of them ever officially joined Purple Star, they still considered themselves half Purple Star cultivators. Now that they were suddenly forced to escape from Purple Star and would never be able to return, they couldn’t help worrying about their future as they had lost their sense of direction.
However, they knew that after Yang Kai raised such a ruckus on Purple Star, Purple Star no longer had a place for them. Only death would await them if they remained.
In addition to the people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Li Nuo from Clear Sky Auction House and the beautiful woman named Aunt Chun were also aboard the Starship, as well as some cultivators from Clear Sky Auction House.
At this moment, Li Nuo and Aunt Chun looked at Yang Kai with faces filled with gratitude.
The reason was simple: Their Clear Sky Auction House was one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s hidden assets on Purple Star, and after Yang Kai accidentally discovered that Shen Tu was imprisoned that day, the person Shen Tu asked him to contact was none other than Li Nuo.
After all this trouble, Clear Sky Auction House would certainly be unable to maintain a foothold on Purple Star, so Yang Kai had prepared Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Li Nuo, Aunt Chun and all the others associated with them beforehand to leave Purple Star once Shen Tu was freed.
The arrangements were perfect, and the plan went off extremely smoothly, but that was only thanks to the endless trump cards Yang Kai had in his possession together with his incredible combat power.
“President Hua, let me introduce you, this is the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, Shen Tu!” Yang Kai chuckled and pointed to Shen Tu.
Hua You Meng was extremely shocked when she heard these words, seemingly never having expected the young man who just fled into the Starship in such a dishevelled condition to have such an incredible background. Xia Jing Wu and the others from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce also gawked towards Shen Tu in disbelief.
Shen Tu grinned and said freely, “Since you are Brother Yang’s friends, then you are my, Shen Tu’s friends as well!”
“I was waiting for you to say that” Yang Kai smiled before saying “President Hua and her companions were implicated this time because of me and forced to leave Purple Star, so they currently have no suitable place to go. Brother Shen Tu, if it is convenient, could you find a place for them to stay on Water Moon Star?”
“Certainly,” Shen Tu thumped his chest and said righteously, “I own a million-kilometre-wide territory on Water Moon Star with seven cities and numerous big and small towns. If President Hua would like, you can accompany me back there to serve as a High-Level Managers in the chamber of commerce, handling various matters related to foreign trade.”
“A million-kilometre territory…”
“Seven cities…”
“High-Level Managers of the Chamber of Commerce?”
Everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was stunned, their jaws dropping as they could hardly believe their ears.
Before they met Yang Kai, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was just a small, little-known chamber of commerce that struggled to survive on the lowest rung of Purple Star City’s markets.
But now, with a single sentence, Shen Tu was able to elevate their position to one they could not even dream of reaching if they had toiled away for another thousand years.
With this kind of advantage, and the more than 200 million Saint Crystals currently owned by Hua You Meng, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s rise was all but inevitable.
“This… that is… is this really proper?” Hua You Meng’s face flushed with excitement as she stammered to Yang Kai.
“What could be improper?” Shen Tu laughed, “My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is based on business and Water Moon Star has more large and small chambers of commerce than Purple Star City. Since you are originally members of a chamber of commerce, then your ideas and intentions already coincide with my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s. By making you High-Level Managers, I will also have less to worry about, so I’ll be relying on you in the future.”
Yang Kai smiled at Hua You Meng and said, “Since Brother Shen Tu has said so, President Hua should not refuse.”
Hua You Meng still looked like she was in a dream, a beautiful smile adorning her face as she envisioned the bright future before her, unable to even reply until Xia Jing Wu lightly coughed to awaken her. Collecting herself quickly, Hua You Meng gratefully and elegantly bowed, “In that case, this Mistress will offer her sincere thanks to Second Young Master.”
Shen Tu waved his hand lightly and said, “President Hua is too polite. From now on, we are all one big family, you don’t need to act so courteously.”
Li Nuo stepped forward, took Hua You Meng’s arm, and said affectionately, “Elder Sister Hua, Junior Sister will also be working in Second Young Master’s territory in the future, so I’ll ask you in advance to take care of me then.”
“Junior Sister surely jests; it should be Elder Sister asking for your care.”
Inside the Starship, everyone was experiencing the joy of escaping from death and was looking forward to a beautiful tomorrow, causing the atmosphere to be extremely light and harmonious.
A moment later though, Yang Kai frowned, glanced back, and snorted softly, “It seems that Purple Star isn’t willing to give up so easily.”
Shen Tu’s face changed, “What’s the situation?”
“Ten Starships are pursuing us, nine Origin Grade High-Rank with one Origin King Grade Starship leading them!”
As soon as this statement was made, everyone’s expressions changed drastically.
Origin King Grade Starships were rare no matter what force it was. Even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce only had a few such ships. The same was true for Purple Star. It was not difficult to guess that the person commanding this Origin King Grade Starship was Kuang Shi Zong!
Although this Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was also Origin Grade High-Rank, trying to face an enemy which was both stronger and faster in the Starry Sky would only result in it and everyone aboard being blown to pieces.
Even with just the Origin King Grade Starship as their opponent, it was more than enough to consign them to death. Not to mention, the fact that there were nine other Origin Grade High-Rank Starships as well.
“What are we going to do?”
“We need to run!”
“We can’t escape, the other party’s Origin King Grade Starship is faster than ours, we might as well turn and fight!”
Everyone fell into a panic and began shouting.
Shen Tu, however, just turned to look at Yang Kai thoughtfully before suddenly bursting into laughter, “All of you calm down, with Brother Yang here, what is there to worry about? Brother Yang could bring us out from a place like Purple Star City, now we’re in the vast Starry Sky, an ocean wider than any fish could swim and a sky broader than any bird could soar, how could those bastards from Purple Star possibly stop us here?”
Hearing what he said, everyone’s flustered mood suddenly calmed down and they all turned to Yang Kai.
Seeing him still wearing a calm and fearless look, everyone else immediately knew that he must have a way to escape from their pursuers and immediately felt relieved, even becoming somewhat eager to see what magical method he would show them this time.
“Brother Shen Tu has such great confidence in me,” Yang Kai laughed before nodding, “Okay, just as Brother Shen Tu said, I can naturally keep everyone safe, just continue sailing forward and leave the outside affairs to me.”
Saying so, his figure flickered, and he disappeared from where he stood. When he reappeared, he had already arrived outside the Starship and stood atop its deck.
Looking towards the rear, Yang Kai was able to clearly see the ten pursuing Starships approaching at rapid speed, the lead Origin King Grade Starship exuding a terrifying momentum like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
After just ten short breaths, the distance between the two sides had halved, and soon the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship entered the range of the Origin King Grade Starship’s Crystal Cannons.
Kuang Shi Zong’s roar rang out at that moment, “Boy! Surrender everything you stole from my Purple Star’s Vault or this old master swears he will kill you today!”
This voice billowed like thunder, showing just how angered Kuang Shi Zong was.
Yang Kai just smiled slightly and called out casually, “Why is Senior so stingy? Purple Star is so wealthy and those things in your vault weren’t even being used, just let me take them with me for now and I’ll return them at some point in the future.”
“Return what you stole to this old master now and this old master can pretend nothing happened, otherwise, even if you can escape today, everyone in that Starship will be buried in the Starry Sky!”
“It seems Senior has no interest in negotiating,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders helplessly, “I have no intention of returning these things now, but if Senior continues to pester me about them, I would be happy to teach Senior an unforgettable lesson!”
“Bold! Do not think that just because you are proficient in the Dao of Space you can do whatever you want! This Starry Sky goes on forever, and there are countless capable masters you have not met, how could a frog at the bottom of the well possibly see how vast the sky truly is! This old master will give you one last chance, return what you stole or die!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Senior, I will also give you one last chance. End your pursuit now otherwise you may not be able to bear the consequences!”
“Good, good, good! Boy, for repeatedly insulting this old master, this old master will teach you how to show proper respect today!” With Kuang Shi Zong’s roar, several dozen Crystal Cannons emerged from the Origin King Grade Starship’s hull, each one covered in complicated glowing arrays.
A dazzling light burst forth, making the entire Origin King Grade Starship as bright as a dazzling sun.
Terrifying energy fluctuations filled the void.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he stood atop the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, took a deep breath, and pushed his Space Force madly.
*Hong…*
With a muffled thud, the Origin King Grade Starship of Purple Star shook slightly and dozens of pure white beams of light, like streaking comets, rushed out towards where Yang Kai stood, vaporizing any stray asteroids in the Starry Sky that were unfortunate enough to be in their path.
A Crystal Cannon volley was the most terrifying attack a Starship possessed. The Crystal Cannon volley of an Origin Grade Low-Rank Starship was capable of destroying a small city, and as the rank of a Starship increased, the power of its cannons increased geometrically. An Origin King Grade Starship Crystal Cannons bombardment could destroy a tenth of a small Cultivation Star.
Ten volleys were enough to destroy a Cultivation Star.
The columns of white light flashed forward and directly penetrated the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Like a snowflake under the scorching sun, the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship did not even manage to resist for a single breath before distorting and disappearing, seemingly vaporizing directly.
Seeing this scene though, Kuang Shi Zong was startled, apparently not thinking it would be this easy.
But in the next moment, he realized that something was wrong, and he quickly shifted his gaze.
Where he was now looking, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was safe and sound in the Starry Sky and still fleeing forward while Yang Kai stood atop it completely unscathed and wearing a carefree expression.
Kuang Shi Zong could even see a look of mockery on his face.
“He can teleport an entire Starship?” Kuang Shi Zong quickly understood what had happened and his entire body stiffened in place as if he had been struck by lightning, a look of shock covering his face.
Kuang Shi Zong had witnessed Yang Kai use Space Force before and had an idea about what he was capable of, but he had never imagined that not only was Yang Kai capable of teleporting himself without a trace, he could even move an entire Origin Grade High-Rank Starship with him as well.
This was no longer something within the realm of human ability, it was simply a miracle!
It was for this reason that the devastating Crystal Cannon volley did not have any effect.
As Kuang Shi Zong was lost in a daze, Yang Kai’s deep voice suddenly called out, “Since Senior insists on being stubborn, he must pay the price!”
“Not good!” Kuang Shi Zong exclaimed. Although he didn’t know what kind of method Yang Kai was about to use, he instinctually felt that things were about to take a turn for the worse, as if whatever Yang Kai was about to show him would be something he was completely incapable of resisting.
“Quick, activate all defences at maximum strength!” Kuang Shi Zong roared.
The cultivators responsible for controlling the Origin King Grade Starship did not dare to hesitate and quickly operated the Spirit Arrays in front of them to erect a powerful barrier around the ship. This barrier was powerful enough that even if a Third-Order Origin King used their full strength to attack it, it would not break.
But even so, Kuang Shi Zong was still uneasy, his hairs standing on end as he felt a lingering palpitation in his heart.
From the front, a faint purple light suddenly flickered.
This purple light was not dazzling in any sense, as different from the brilliant light of the dozens of Crystal Cannons from before as a firefly was to a full moon.
But when this purple light appeared, Kuang Shi Zong felt his heart clench. Staring wide-eyed at this purple light, he felt like he had been thrown into a winter blizzard and could not stop himself from shivering.
From where the purple light originated, he felt a majestic aura which made him instinctually want to kneel and surrender, even destroying the idea of trying to resist.
“Emperor Pressure!” Kuang Shi Zong was a Third-Order Origin King with vast life experience, so he immediately understood what this domineering force was.
Whatever the source of the purple light was, it was able to emit Emperor Pressure!
[Wouldn’t that mean… he possesses an Emperor Artifact? Impossible!]
Emperor Artifacts were things of legend that were rumoured to be the personal artifacts of the Starry Sky Great Emperor, treasures far beyond Origin King Grade!
If it really was an Emperor Artifact, this Origin King Grade Starship would not be able to stop it.
Realizing this, Kuang Shi Zong shouted hurriedly, “If you don’t want to die, run!”
As he spoke, he rushed directly to where the Starship’s hatch was located and punched it open before the cultivator controlling it even had a chance to respond, making a big hole in the sturdy hull before fleeing through it into the Starry Sky.
Kuang Shi Zong was the supreme existence of Purple Star, so seeing him so terrified, how could anyone else dare to remain? Everyone hurriedly followed Kuang Shi Zong to escape from the hole in the hatch.
Far away, Yang Kai held the Annihilation Thunder Bead in his hand and stared solemnly towards the Origin King Grade Starship chasing them, his Saint Qi flooding out of his body at an astonishing rate.
On the Annihilation Thunder Bead’s surface, a faint streak of purple lighting flickered back and forth as Yang Kai’s Saint Qi continued to pour in.
*Chi…*
At a certain moment, when the amount of Saint Qi poured in reached a critical point, a lightning arc suddenly burst out of the Annihilation Thunder Bead and shot out like a comet under the direction of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, piercing the Starry Sky. This purple bolt flew like an arrow from a bow straight towards the Purple Star Origin King Grade Starship.
Silently, this purple bolt of lightning impacted the barrier outside the Origin King Grade Starship, and despite the barrier being sturdy enough to resist the full-powered attack of a Third-Order Origin King undamaged, this small purple lightning bolt blew a giant hole in it.
Immediately afterwards, the hull was penetrated, and a massive hole was pierced straight through it all the way to the other side of the Starship before the purple arc continued through the barrier on the other side as well…
The purple lightning bolt remained undiminished in intensity as it swiftly flew towards one of the nine Starships that was following behind.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship did not even have time to evade before the purple lightning bolt struck, instantly vaporizing it.
Only then did a loud cracking sound echo from the leading Origin King Grade Starship.
The barrier arranged outside it shattered like a broken mirror as the massive hull was all but split in two.
Fortunately, the materials this Origin King Grade Starship were refined from were all extremely precious so despite being so damaged, it did not explode on the spot; however, it was clear this Origin King Grade Starship had basically been scrapped. In order to repair it, it would require almost as much money and manpower as simply building another from scratch.
In the Starry Sky, Kuang Shi Zong, who was the first to escape, stared at the scene in a daze, his blood running cold as his face turned pale and he muttered almost unconsciously, “It’s really an Emperor Artifact, a real Emperor Artifact!”
He could not understand no matter how he thought about it. Yang Kai himself was a supreme talent, had a large number of extremely powerful subordinates, was proficient in the Dao of Space, and possessed an Emperor Artifact!
Any cultivator that had any one of these advantages could run rampant through the Star Field, but Yang Kai actually had all of them!
Was there anyone in this world who could be his opponent? Even if Kuang Shi Zong’s cultivation realm was higher than Yang Kai’s, standing at the pinnacle of the Star Field’s Martial Dao, at this moment, facing the Heaven-defying methods that Yang Kai had shown him one by one, he could not help feeling a strong sense of powerlessness deep in his heart.
Just being proficient in the Dao of Space made Yang Kai invincible. In this entire Star Field, there was likely no one who could kill him. With such methods at his disposal, it would be a blessing for him to not find trouble with others. Who would dare take the initiative to annoy him?
For a moment, Kuang Shi Zong felt panic in his heart, a feeling he had not felt for many years and had nearly forgotten entirely.
He wanted to retreat!
Since he could not kill Yang Kai and was unable to face his Emperor Artifact’s attack, chasing him down now was just asking for trouble.
However, when Kuang Shi Zong raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Yang Kai, he immediately became overjoyed and hurriedly shouted, “Fire! Don’t let him get away!”
He surprisingly discovered that Yang Kai’s complexion had become pale after using the Emperor Artifact.
Kuang Shi Zong immediately understood that while this Emperor Artifact was extremely powerful, the price to use it was definitely not small. With Yang Kai’s current strength, he might not even be able to unleash a second attack.
Kuang Shi Zong’s guess was right.
Yang Kai really could not use the Annihilation Thunder Bead again.
He had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead several times before, and each time he did, his strength had improved greatly from the previous time, but despite that, it still completely exhausted his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy!
Although as his strength improved, the Annihilation Thunder Bead was able to display more and more power, being so completely drained all at once was a truly uncomfortable feeling.
Perhaps only a character on Yang Yan’s level could truly use the full power of the Annihilation Thunder Bead without any side-effects.
After displaying the Annihilation Thunder Bead, Yang Kai immediately crushed the Spirit Pill he had been holding in his mouth.
A flow of sweet, clear medicinal liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, turning into a refreshing heat that quickly dispersed to his limbs, allowing him to restore a certain amount of Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy in a very short time.
It was at that moment that Kuang Shi Zong issued the order to press the attack!
There were eight remaining intact Origin Grade High-Rank Starships, all of which swiftly pointed their Crystal Cannons towards where Yang Kai stood atop the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship.
Brilliant lights shone as a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering amount of power condensed from the eight Starships.
Yang Kai stared at this scene indifferently as he stood atop the ship, stared towards Kuang Shi Zong from afar, and said coldly, “Senior, this trip to Purple Star has made me very unhappy. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will come to greet you again to seek compensation. I pray you live a long life and don’t die before then.”
These words burned into Kuang Shi Zong’s heart like a soldering iron, causing him to tremble as he thought about Yang Kai’s various astonishing means. If he was able to escape today, then Purple Star’s future would no doubt be miserable.
Under his uneasy gaze, Yang Kai turned around and thrust his hands forward.
Something shocking happened next.
Yang Kai’s hands were directly inserted into the void, as if there was an invisible wall in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai vigorously pulled his hands to the sides.
*Kacha…*
Like Yang Kai was tearing about a thin curtain, a massive Void Crack appeared from where his hands spread, the entire process seemingly occurring freely and easily.
This Void Crack was like a giant beast opening its mouth to reveal a world filled with chaotic nothingness.
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship then slowly sailed into this blackness.
Kuang Shi Zong’s expression was incredibly ugly as he stared at the Starship diving into the Void, his Saint Qi surging several times, but he chose not to make a move in the end.
He knew that even if he attacked personally, he would not be able to stop Yang Kai from escaping and might even be dragged into The Void by him instead.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he did not need to worry about getting lost in The Void, but Kuang Shi Zong was different. Even if he was a Third-Order Origin King, once he fell into The Void, he would very likely become lost forever, unable to ever escape.
Only a deep unwillingness and fear lingered in Kuang Shi Zong’s heart.
The unwillingness was because not only did he fail to recover the treasures Yang Kai stole from Purple Star’s Vault, he had allowed the latter to have an opportunity to destroy an Origin Grade High-Rank Starship and an Origin King Grade Starship.
As for the fear, that was because of the last words Yang Kai left. Purple Star making such an enemy was an incredibly worrying prospect!
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship quickly disappeared into The Void, after which the Void Crack rapidly sealed itself.
Only then did the eight Crystal Cannon barrages from the Purple Star Starships fly over.
The hundreds of Crystal Cannon blasts were a far more dazzling display than the previous volley from the Origin King Grade Starship alone.
But all these beams of white, destructive light hit nothing but empty space and flew off into the distant Starry Sky!
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship and Yang Kai were long gone.
Kuang Shi Zong stood on the spot as if in despair, seemingly ageing several hundred years in an instant…
The remaining eight Starships also stopped, not knowing what to do.
After a while, many masters flew out of the Starship and gathered in front of Kuang Shi Zong, all of them looking at him with anxious expressions.
“Ha…” Kuang Shi Zong sighed deeply and laughed in a self-deprecating manner, “As I had always known, the talents from the next generation will supplant those from the old generation sooner or later. It is impossible to overcome old age.”
“Martial Ancestor…” Everyone was shocked, knowing that Kuang Shi Zong had suffered a complete defeat at Yang Kai’s hands this time, wanting to comfort him but not knowing what to say.
“It’s fine, let’s return. My Purple Star has experienced major changes. Zi Long is dead, and since Dong’er was with him, he has probably also met with disaster. Purple Star is currently a dragon without a head. In the future, Purple Star will…” Saying until here, his eyes scanned the surrounding crowd.
Gong Sun Liang straightened his chest quickly.
“You will be commanded by Wu Ji. Everyone will do their utmost to assist him and follow his orders,” Kuang Shi Zong turned to Gong Sun Liang and said. “You have suffered serious damage to your foundation this time, so you must enter retreat to recuperate.”
“Yes!” Although Gong Sun Liang was unwilling, he did not dare to object and could only nod in agreement; after all, what Kuang Shi Zong said was correct. The battle with Yang Kai had damaged his foundation, and if he did not attend to it carefully, it would likely lead to serious consequences, possibly even realm regression.
Compared to the position of Purple Star Sect Master, his own strength was more important.
“Disciple thanks Martial Ancestor! Disciple will do his best to lead Purple Star to glory!” Zi Wu Ji declared, his swollen nose and pale face unable to hide his exhilaration.
No matter how winding the process was and how many twists and turns there were along the way, he had managed to achieve his goal, in the end.
…..
Inside the Void Crack, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship sailed forward slowly, surrounded by spatial turbulence. Yang Kai remained standing on the deck, using his Space Force to surround the entire Starship so it did not get pulled into the chaotic currents around it.
Space Force inside the Void Crack was completely unpredictable and unstable, so unless a cultivator like Yang Kai was present to guide its flow, it would quickly try to crush any foreign matter. The chaotic Space Force was powerful enough to tear a Third-Order Origin King to pieces given enough time.
After experiencing some initial panic, everyone aboard the Starship gradually calmed down and no longer showed any fear; instead, many began to enthusiastically explore their surrounding environment.
After all, not everyone had the opportunity to enter the Void, much less in an absolutely carefree and safe manner.
Unfortunately for them, there was truly nothing in this space, leading to some slight disappointment.
The novelty of the situation soon wore off, and as everyone’s curiosity abated, they went back to attending to their own duties.
Some time later, a buzzing sound echoed throughout the Starship and bright light penetrated in from the outside as the stars reappeared before everyone’s eyes.
The Starship had transitioned back to the Star Field.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared in the middle of the crowd, his face pale and his footing a bit unstable.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu’s eyes bulged as he hurriedly moved to support Yang Kai.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and motioned Shen Tu to relax, “It’s just that my strength is overdrawn. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”
He had never tried to traverse the Void Crack with something as large as an entire Starship before, and although his current control of Space Force had reached a very high level, doing so had put a great load on Yang Kai, especially after just using the Annihilation Thunder Bead.
However, by doing this, Yang Kai also learned what the current limits of his Space Force were, which was a small gain.
“Then you should hurry up and rest, leave everything else to me,” Shen Tu quickly urged.
Hua You Meng and the others also looked at him with concern.
Yang Kai simply nodded, “It should be safe now, you can just sail on carefully. If anything happens, I will appear.”
“Rest easy, Brother Yang. Li Nuo, quickly arrange a room for Brother Yang,” Shen Tu turned to Li Nuo and ordered.
“Sir, please follow me,” Li Nuo hurriedly led the way.
Although Origin Grade High-Rank Starships were not uncommon among great forces in the Star Field, this particular Origin Grade High-Rank Starship was exclusively refined for Shen Tu and represented the best Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had to offer, so the interior decoration was extremely luxurious. Li Nuo led Yang Kai to the best room available before bowing and drawing back.
Yang Kai walked to the bed, sat down cross-legged, looked around for a moment, and soon found that the ambient energy in the air was extremely strong, probably a result of some kind of powerful Spirit Array.
The finest incense was also lit inside this room, filling it with a light fragrance that had a calming effect on one’s mind and spirit once inhaled.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and took out a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring before popping it into his mouth and swallowing it down. A moment later, the medicinal efficacies began to spread out and Yang Kai began to adjust his breathing.
Time flew by.
About six days later, Yang Kai managed to restore himself to his original state.
Inside the Void, Yang Kai had pushed himself to the limit, resulting in him gaining some insights into the use of Space Force, insights he planned on exploring after he has recovered.
After a few more days, Yang Kai showed a thoughtful look before a smile appeared on his face.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai confirmed the Starship was still sailing steadily in the Starry Sky and that everyone in the ship was performing their respective duties. Everything was calm and peaceful.
The final destination of this Starship was the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Water Moon Star, which was also one of the destinations of Yang Kai’s trip, so he simply sat back and relaxed.
He even had time to wonder what kind of expression Xue Yue would have when they met on Water Moon Star again.
When he thought of Xue Yue, Yang Kai could not help but also think about Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, and then Shan Qing Luo…
With a long sigh, Yang Kai’s heart filled with guilt…
Quickly shaking his head to dispel these negative emotions, Yang Kai put up a barrier around his room before immediately taking out the Sealed World Bead and entering it.
In fact, he could have used the Sealed World Bead to take away Shen Tu and the others back on Purple Star. This was the most convenient and fastest way to escape that situation.
But Yang Kai had intentionally chosen not to do so; after all, the existence of the Sealed World Bead was too Heaven-defying, it was literally a complete world one could carry on them, so the fewer that knew about it, the better.
Although he had now become strong enough to not fear anyone in the Star Field, Yang Kai still had to be careful. If someone troublesome were to take an interest in him because of the existence of the Sealed World Bead, the gains would not be worth the loss.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, it was incredibly peaceful.
Xiao Xiao was still devouring Sun’s True Fire when Yang Kai arrived in front of him and took out all the precious ores he obtained from Purple Star’s Vault.
When Xiao Xiao saw these ores, his two small eyes suddenly rounded and shined with a strong light. Rushing out, he grabbed at the ores and began stuffing them into his mouth.
There were no chewing motions as all of these ores were quickly thrown into his small stomach, not causing his belly to swell at all, as if they had disappeared into some bottomless pit.
Shortly after, all the ores had disappeared.
Xiao Xiao then turned to Yang Kai eagerly, a somewhat unsatisfied look from being half-full filling his face.
Yang Kai could only laugh wryly and say, “There’s no more, go refine those first!”
Although the number was somewhat small, all these ores had been placed inside Purple Star’s Vault, so each one was no doubt extremely valuable. Now that they had all been swallowed by Xiao Xiao, it would undoubtedly be helpful to his growth.
Xiao Xiao was quite easy-going, so after scratching his head slightly, he showed a silly smile to Yang Kai before running off to refine the ores with peace of mind.
Yang Kai cast him a light gaze before moving on.
At his next stop, Yang Kai came across a large Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace that was standing quietly on the ground. It was naturally Liu Yan’s artifact.
Inside the Artifact Refining Furnace, there were some occasional Firebird cries and every once in a while a burst of flames would erupt from the open furnace’s mouth. These bursts of flame not only contained the power of the Sun’s True Fire that Liu Yan had swallowed, but also the Heavenly Thunder Fire and Blue Ice Flame power as well.
Liu Yan was clearly working hard to digest the Blue Ice Flame.
Seemingly aware of the arrival of Yang Kai, a Firebird head poked out from the Artifact Refining Furnace, took a faint glance at Yang Kai, then dived back in again, and continued with her work…
“Seems like everything is fine!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Liu Yan had a casual look to her, so obviously she was not having any difficulties.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered next and he soon arrived at a secluded place.
This was where he had planted countless spirit grasses and spirit medicines, the medicine garden which had laid out before. All the precious herbs that Yang Kai had brought out from the Severed World, many of which had gone extinct elsewhere in the Star Field, were planted in this medicine garden, making for a thriving, vibrant scene.
There was a strong medicinal fragrance wafting about, one that smelt almost enlightening.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged next to the garden and began taking out a few things from his Space Ring before placing them in front of himself one by one.
The first of these items was a round, transparent crystal.
Earth Vein Crystal!
This was one of the three most valuable treasures that Yang Kai took out from Purple Star’s Vault. After observing the Earth Vein beads for a while, he did not hesitate to throw it into the centre of the Medicine Garden.
As soon as the Earth Vein Crystal touched the ground, it sank downwards like the earth was nothing but water.
The next moment, an eruption of World Energy occurred and with the Medicine Garden as the centre, a thousand-meter radius saw its ambient aura intensity jump over a hundredfold.
From the ground, a series of gossamer-like threads began to fly out and linger about in the air, instantly flooding the surrounding region.
“Spirit Qi Wisps!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw this, his expression filled with excitement.
World Energy was ordinarily invisible and intangible, and only when its concentration reached a certain critical limit did it become visible to the naked eye.
The layers of mist above the famous mountains and rivers were often actually the physical manifestation of concentrated World Energy and was a resource of great benefit to cultivators who cultivated there.
But this mist was still incomparable to Spirit Qi Wisps.
Spirit Qi Wisps were a higher level of World Energy, both denser and more refined than simple fog.
These wisps were the purest and most concentrated form of World Energy. Yang Kai reached out and grabbed a wisp as he circulated his Secret Art slightly. With little effort, this wisp disappeared into the palm of his hand, formed a stream of heat inside his meridians, and quickly flowed into his dantian where it was rapidly assimilated into his own strength.
The countless Spirit Qi Wisps which were floating around now made this region look like a fairyland, indescribably beautiful.
Several wisps soon began landing on the exotic flowers and plants planted in the medicine garden, causing them to sway slightly, as if exuding their joy.
Yang Kai did not expect that placing the Earth Vein Crystal here would lead to such a result. His original intention was simply to use the Earth Vein Crystal to provide the herbs in the medicine garden with a constant supply of World Energy, as well as create a good cultivation environment for him.
This result far exceeded his expectations.
This Earth Vein Crystal really lived up to its reputation. That a tiny Earth Vein Crystal was able to provide such a massive amount of World Energy was simply shocking.
Yang Kai observed for a while before noting that only the surrounding thousand meters radius had been affected; however, the small circular region had now become a cultivation paradise far greater than any spiritual ground in existence.
Sitting amidst the ocean of Spirit Qi Wisps, Yang Kai felt that he was able to absorb the ambient energy without even consciously trying to.
In such an environment, a cultivator could definitely grow at a speed a hundred to a thousand times faster than ordinary.
Quickly collecting himself, Yang Kai picked up the second item.
It was the seventh Star Emperor Token he obtained from the Purple Star Vault.
This one was no different from the previous six pieces. All of them were made from some unknown material and had a domineering ‘Emperor’ character engraved on its face. There was also a faint Emperor Pressure that still lingered about it.
After observing it for a while, Yang Kai took out the other six tokens.
When the seven Star Emperor Tokens were gathered, a sudden change occurred.
The seven tokens shot out from Yang Kai’s hands uncontrollably and flew up into the air in front of him, arranging themselves into a pattern in the blink of an eye.
It looked like a circle, but it was missing a few links.
Yang Kai immediately knew that it was because he was lacking two Star Emperor Tokens and that the pattern still wasn’t complete.
After the seven Star Emperor Tokens were suspended mid-air for a while, they suddenly fell downwards. Yang Kai reached out and swept them up into his palm before placing them back into his Space Ring.
He then cast his eyes towards the last two items.
One of them was a scale the size of a palm. It almost looked like a gigantic fish scale but was covered with mysterious patterns and gave off an imposing and ancient aura.
Dragon Scale! The scale of an authentic Dragon.
The Dragon Scale in front of him and the Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s body seemed to sense each other and began resonating, forcing him to suppress them.
Such a big piece of Dragon Scale, in terms of value, was not inferior to the previous Earth Vein Crystal. It was obviously happened upon by an ancestor of Purple Star, but unfortunately, no one from Purple Star had been able to truly make use of it after so many years. Kuang Shi Zong had also attempted to refine this Dragon Scale many years ago but was unsuccessful. In the end, he had to reluctantly give up and store it inside the Vault.
If a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner took this Dragon Scale as a primary material and used it to create an artifact, it would produce at least an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact; whether it was used to make an offensive artifact or defensive artifact, it would no doubt stand at the peak of the Star Field in terms of quality.
Of course, since a Dragon Scale was extraordinarily strong, using it to make a defensive artifact was the best choice, especially something like a shield.
Unfortunately, even an Origin King Grade Artifact Refiner may not be able to properly refine this Dragon Scale unless they possessed some kind of special divine flame.
Yang Kai was not an Artifact Refiner, so he could not smelt this piece of Dragon Scale, but he possessed a different advantage that no one else did.
He had the Golden Divine Dragon Source!
Amongst True Dragons, the Golden Divine Dragon was a supreme emperor, the ruler of all Ancient Divine Spirits! With the power of the Golden Divine Dragon Source and the Monster Transformation Secret Technique Chi Yue had given him, Yang Kai was confident he could completely refine this Dragon Scale into his body, integrating it into his own strength to gain part of a True Dragon’s Divine Ability.
The Dragon Scale was a True Dragon relic, and so was Yang Kai’s Dragon Bone Sword.
The Dragon Bone Sword was composed of a piece of Dragon Bone and a Dragon Bead. Yang Kai did not have the time or ability to refine this artifact and had definitely not brought it to its full potential. At the time, Yang Yan had simply passed him a special refining method that bypassed all the customary steps and allowed Yang Kai to use Liu Yan’s natal Artifact Refining Furnace to fuse the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead into an artifact.
This approach guaranteed the best use of the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
In other words, Yang Kai now had three Dragon relics in his hands: A Dragon Scale, a Dragon Bone, and a Dragon Bead!
If these three True Dragon artifacts could be completely integrated into his body, his strength would undoubtedly soar.
It would be impossible for others to do this, but Yang Kai, who possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source, could.
But, he was not in a hurry to do so; he turned his attention to the last item.
It was a hexagonal shaped crystal that looked similar to the Earth Vein Crystal, but also completely different. The Earth Vein Crystal completely restrained its internal energy and appeared ordinary from the outside. Only when one’s Divine Sense penetrated into the crystal would the massive quantity of energy inside become apparent.
But this six-sided prismatic crystal released a potent energy fluctuation that caused even someone as strong as Yang Kai to feel some slight pressure.
This crystal was the Origin Essence Crystal that Yang Kai had won at the auction. Only a Third-Order Origin King could condense the essence of their perceptions in the Martial Dao into an Origin Essence Crystal.
An Origin Essence Crystal had a fatal temptation to any Origin King Realm cultivator, far more so than Domain Stones.
Refining a Domain Stone could only allow an Origin King to sense the power of Domain and more easily form their own, but an Origin Essence Crystal could allow an Origin King to go a step further in their cultivation!
This was something Yang Kai needed urgently!
The Phoenix Star Silver wrapped around this Origin Essence Crystal had already been divided up by Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan, so as long as he could absorb the energy in this Origin Essence Crystal, Yang Kai believed that even if he could not immediately break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, reaching the peak of the Star Field, he would make the road ahead far smoother!
After looking back and forth between the Origin Essence Crystal and the Dragon Scale several times, Yang Kai finally made a decision. He would put the Origin Essence Crystal away for now!
He decided to refine the Dragon Scale first.
Refining and absorbing an Origin Essence Crystal was a very time-consuming process, and with many things still waiting to get done, Yang Kai felt like now was not the time to attempt to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
As for the three True Dragon relics, the Dragon Bone Sword itself contained both a piece of Dragon Bone and a Dragon Bead, which could still play some role in its current form, so the natural choice was to refine the Dragon Scale.
Considering all this, Yang Kai did not hesitate anymore, picked up the Dragon Scale, closed his eyes, and began to review the second half of the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
The Monster Transformation was the Monster Race’s supreme Secret Technique and allowed a Monster Race cultivator to exert a trace of the power of its ancestral bloodline. All Monster Race cultivators could trace their lineage to the ancient Monster Beasts and had vast hidden potential in their blood. The problem was finding a way to awaken and utilise it.
This was the focus of the first half of the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
As for the second half, it described the process needed to refine parts of ancient Monster Beasts into one’s own body.
The authentic Dragons, strictly speaking, were still Monster Beasts, the only difference was that they were born emperors of their kind. As such, Dragon relics were suited for the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
Yang Kai spent ten full days studying the Monster Transformation’s second half before he decided to put it into action.
Opening his eyes and exhaling lightly, a look of determination filled Yang Kai’s eyes as he pointed his finger like a knife, lifted his other arm, and slashed at his wrist.
In the next moment a cut was opened and golden blood began oozing out from it. The powerful healing ability of Yang Kai’s golden blood immediately took effect, and the wound began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking as if it would be healed in the next moment.
Yang Kai quickly picked up the Dragon Scale and stuck it onto the wound while circulating the Monster Transformation Secret Technique and pouring the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source into the Dragon Scale at the same time.
*Weng…*
A faint hum rang out as a huge phantom dragon head suddenly appeared from the Dragon Scale. This phantom dragon head was more majestic and terrifying than any dragon head Yang Kai had previously encountered and, before it, he could not help feeling as small and insignificant as an ant.
The dragon head stared at Yang Kai without emotion, releasing a supreme Dragon Pressure towards his heart.
*Hou…*
A dragon roar that resounded like thunder exploded in Yang Kai’s ears, its voice radiating an unquestionable might that caused Yang Kai’s pulse to unconsciously accelerate.
Dragon Pressure filled the air!
Yang Kai stared back at the dragon head coldly, without flinching.
After a short moment, the phantom dragon head shook slightly before suddenly transforming into a golden light and retreating back into the Dragon Scale.
At the same time, this piece of Dragon Scale, which has been detached from a true Dragon for tens of thousands of years, possibly even longer, seemed to come to life and began drinking Yang Kai’s blood at an astonishing rate.
*Gudong, gudong…*
A clear sound echoed from the Dragon Scale as Yang Kai’s blood flowed into it, dying it in a rich golden light.
A feeling of dizziness and discomfort rose from Yang Kai’s heart, causing a look of shock to appear on his face. Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai quickly exploded a drop of pure Golden Blood in his body to replenish his rapidly disappearing blood.
Another high-pitched dragon roar sounded from the Dragon Scale, as if it was extremely happy, and it began swallowing Yang Kai’s blood even more unscrupulously.
Contained in Yang Kai’s blood was an unimaginable amount of vitality, especially his pure Golden Blood, which was condensed from Life Revitalizing Jade Cream. Any drop of Golden Blood was a tonic that could bring someone on the brink of death back to life.
This massive amount of vitality was indispensable for refining this True Dragon relic.
As time passed, Yang Kai was forced to explode ten drops of pure Golden Blood, but the Dragon Scale still seemed unsatisfied as it continued to swallow all it was fed uncontrollably.
The entire Dragon Scale was now a pure golden colour, and the Dragon Pressure it radiated was even more powerful than before.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly felt that the flow of his blood stopped and he immediately became ecstatic, knowing that he had finally satiated this Dragon Scale. Turning his eyes towards it, Yang Kai discovered that the originally nigh indestructible Dragon Scale had now transformed into a halo of golden light that flowed like running water around the wound on his arm.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and prepared himself. With a single thought, a suction force appeared from his wound and drew this golden light into his body.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he grabbed the wound with his free hand, his whole body shuddering as his face went completely pale and beads of sweat began oozing from his forehead, soaking his clothes in an instant.
Unimaginable pain radiated from the wound and was seemingly magnified ten thousand times over as it strongly stimulated Yang Kai’s physique and nerves.
Yang Kai was no stranger to pain and had an incredibly firm will, but in the end, he was unable to hold back and released an unimaginable scream that resounded throughout the Small Sealed World.
The pain was simply unbearable, and Yang Kai could feel it countless times clearer than usual. He could clearly feel that the Dragon Scale, which was sucked into his body, was slowly creeping along his arm like flowing lava, burning down everything in its path as it slowly climbed higher.
Every moment brought an almost soul crushing agony.
Yang Kai’s pain filled screams rang out continuously.
In any case, he was the only living person in the Small Sealed World, so there was no need for him to feel embarrassed by this display.
However, Xiao Xiao who was refining ore and Liu Yan who was refining the Blue Ice Flame heard these screams and could not help looking over, both of their faces showing worried expressions as they feared that Yang Kai had encountered some kind of accident.
Yang Kai’s pitiful screams refused to subside even as his voice grew hoarse.
Naturally, he was suffering from unimaginably painful torment.
Every time the Dragon Scale moved upwards; Yang Kai felt as if his arm was being slashed apart by a thousand swords. Wherever the Dragon Scale passed, his physique and meridians were shredded, and even with Yang Kai’s tyrannical physical strength, he was unable to resist the corrosive force of the potent Dragon Pressure.
Fortunately, his vitality was extremely tenacious, so the rate at which he could heal was somehow able to keep up with the rate of the damage.
After an entire day, the golden light from the Dragon Scale flowed into Yang Kai’s heart.
*Peng peng…*
Two strong heartbeats sounded and Yang Kai’s whole body froze. The next moment, his heart completely stopped beating and he collapsed to the ground with a burst of golden light.
Watching from a distance, the already worried Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao were shocked and rushed over immediately. Liu Yan helped Yang Kai up as she hurriedly checked for any signs of breathing or pulse while Xiao Xiao stood to the side, jumping up and down anxiously but powerless to help.
After realizing that not only had Yang Kai’s breathing ceased, but his heart had also stopped, Liu Yan’s eyes could not help but darken as she raised her eyes to Xiao Xiao and slowly shook her head.
Xiao Xiao made a ‘wu wu’ sound from his mouth as he hurriedly pointed his finger at Liu Yan, then at Yang Kai, gesturing frantically as if imploring her to think up a solution quickly.
Liu Yan could only reply with silence though.
Suddenly, Yang Kai, who seemed to already be dead, opened his eyes and took in a sharp breath. As if his soul had just returned to his body, he clutched his chest and gasped as his eyes trembled violently.
*Dong dong…*
A heartbeat stronger than ever before sounded from his chest and continued to sound like a deafening war drum.
With time, this abnormal heartbeat gradually became stable and finally returned to normal.
It was not until this time that Yang Kai completely recovered and slowly stood up straight, his eyes filled with lingering fear.
Liu Yan frowned as she looked at him, and only after confirming that he seemed to be fine did she exhale with relief. Xiao Xiao had a simpler reaction as he simply jumped about at Yang Kai’s feet, a cheerful expression on his face.
“I had a small accident and caused you to worry,” Yang Kai smiled lightly as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
He had not expected this either. Just fusing with a single Dragon Scale was so dangerous. Everything had gone smoothly at the beginning, and even taking the Dragon Scale into his body, while painful, was still within the realm of his control, but when the dragon scale entered his heart, Yang Kai suddenly felt as if he was about to die.
Fortunately, his body was far from ordinary. Only by relying on his powerful vitality was he able to survive, and if it had been someone else, they would likely be dead by now.
With his powerful Second-Order Origin King cultivation, the mere refinement of a single True Dragon Scale had almost cost his life, so it was not difficult to imagine how dangerous this process was.
This was also only the first True Dragon relic Yang Kai planned to refine. If he wanted to refine the second and third pieces, it would likely not be possible in the near future. Only if he could dramatically improve his strength would be able to even think about refining the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
Seeing that he was fine, Liu Yan nodded slightly before her tender body flickered, transformed into her Firebird form, and rushed off to a certain place in the Small Sealed World to continue her retreat.
Xiao Xiao stood at Yang Kai’s feet, patted Yang Kai’s calf, and then patted his chest, trying to straighten up his rickety waist, as if telling Yang Kai that ‘next time you encounter danger, do not worry, just leave everything to me.’
He was the picture of reliability!
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted Xiao Xiao’s head with a cheerful expression on his face.
At that moment though, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and released his Divine Sense, his expression becoming a bit strange before he turned to Xiao Xiao and said, “You go back and cultivate, something happened outside. I’ll go check it out.”
Xiao Xiao seemed to understand and nodded, after which Yang Kai disappeared.
In the Starry Sky, the Starship, which was supposed to be sailing towards Water Moon Star, had come to a stop, and outside, a battle was raging.
Abroad this Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, the overall level of the cultivators was not low. In addition to Yang Kai, there was another Origin King: Aunt Chun of Clear Sky Auction House. She was only at the First Order, but an Origin King was still a top-level powerhouse.
Below her, whether it was Li Nuo, Hua You Meng, or several other cultivators belonging to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, they were all masters in the Origin Returning Realm, with no lack of those at the Third Order.
Such combat power was not weak.
But even so, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce side was being thoroughly suppressed.
Aunt Chun had been entangled by an enemy First-Order Origin King and had no energy to spare for anyone else while the several Third-Order Origin Returning Realms like Li Nuo and Hua You Meng had their own equally matched opponents.
As for Xia Jing Wu, Hai Tang, Yao Qing, and the others from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, they were all pale at the moment, obviously lacking in strength.
On the contrary, numerous enemies were facing them, many of them scattered around the perimeter, just waiting and watching for suitable opportunities to strike.
It could be seen at a glance that this battle had been taking place for some time now. Even Aunt Chun and the other Origin King had fluctuations in the Saint Qi aura indicative of excessive consumption.
However, it was because their opponent was also an Origin King master that neither side dared to use extreme measures and was instead focused on fighting a battle of attrition.
Once an Origin King was forced into a desperate situation, both sides would surely suffer.
“Why hasn’t Brother Yang come out yet?” Shen Tu pushed back an enemy and asked Yao Qing, who was panting next to him, quietly.
Yao Qing could only reply with a depressed look, “How should I know? I went to that Sir’s door to ask him for assistance, but he never responded.”
“Perhaps he’s in the middle of some kind comprehension and is unable to extricate himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t simply ignore this situation,” Shen Tu muttered with a heavy heart. Although there was not any need to worry yet with Aunt Chun here, if some kind of accident occurred, there was a chance all of them would become prisoners again.
Shen Tu could not help cursing his luck!
Ordinarily, a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was able to walk sideways in the Star Field; after all, as long as one recognized Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s flag, almost everyone would take the initiative to give way. However, things were drastically different this time. First, he had gotten swept up in Purple Star’s internal power struggle, getting captured and detained. Afterwards, Shen Tu managed to escape with Yang Kai’s help, but on the way home, he had encountered this mess.
Looking around, Shen Tu could not stop his heart from sinking as he found that his men’s conditions were deteriorating rapidly. If Yang Kai did not appear soon, his side would surely begin suffering casualties or be captured.
Just as he was feeling full of anxiety, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears, “Everyone stop, we’re all friends!”
Everyone from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was overjoyed when they heard this voice and immediately turned towards the source of this sound where they saw a familiar figure standing in the void. All of them were finally able to relax as their previous anxiety was swept away.
The appearance of Yang Kai seemed to give them infinite confidence.
This change surprised the group which was opposing Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
First-Order Origin King who was battling with Aunt Chun frowned upon hearing these words and shouted, “Nonsense! Who are you calling ‘friend!’”
Yang Kai, however, just looked over and chuckled, “What’s wrong? After only a few years, has Senior already forgotten this Junior?”
“Do you know this old master?” From a distance away, the enemy Origin King was startled before quickly thinking of something and exclaiming, “This voice…”
As he spoke, he turned around to finally take a look at Yang Kai, and after seeing this familiar figure, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he pointed and stammered, “You…you…”
“Senior Ba He, I trust you’ve been well since we last met!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him with a smile.
Ba He continued to stare at Yang Kai in a daze, only rubbing his eyes vigorously after a moment to make sure he wasn’t seeing things before calling out, “Yang Kai! It’s really you!”
“Hey, it’s Little Brother-In-Law!” A vigorous voice sounded from the side, seemingly addressing Yang Kai. The speaker was burly like an iron tower, with a shaggy beard on his face and a bear-like look that could intimidate anyone who stood before him.
“So Brother Yu Xiong is also here,” Yang Kai smiled as he addressed this man.
“Call me elder brother-in-law!” Yu Xiong insisted.
“Haha…” Yang Kai smiled without saying a word.
Yu Xiong could not help rolling his eyes.
With Yang Kai’s appearance, the fighting between the two sides abruptly came to an end as everyone looked at him with strange expressions; however, that did not mean anyone dropped their guard against their opponents.
“Brother Yang…” Shen Tu flew to Yang Kai’s side and asked softly, “Do you know this flock of Monsters?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “We have some friendship.”
When he discovered that the cultivators fighting Shen Tu belonged to Monster Emperor Star’s Red Moon Territory, Yang Kai was quite puzzled, wondering how they had met in this vast Star Field.
Ba He already having broken through to the First-Order Origin King Realm was within his expectations.
When Yang Kai first met Ba He, the latter was already a master at the same level as Ye Xi Yun. Ye Xi Yun was able to easily break through to the Origin King Realm, so Ba He was as well, especially since he had also gone to experience the Blood Prison Trial and obtained many benefits from it.
On the other hand, Yu Xiong was still a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, though his aura had become noticeably more condensed.
“Do you know what their background is?” Shen Tu looked at Yang Kai in surprise, “As far as I know, they are Monsters from Red Moon Territory on Monster Emperor Star. Do you also know that?”
“En, I know,” Yang Kai laughed and asked. “How did you wind up fighting?”
Shen Tu immediately sneered, “This group is clearly nothing good, just like those thieves from Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair, they wanted to snatch our Starship. Maybe they thought there was something good aboard it.”
Yang Kai frowned hearing this accusation.
Yu Xiong hurriedly objected though, “We’re nothing like your Human robbers! It’s you people who trespassed into my Monster Emperor Star’s territory, we are only protecting our borders!”
“Monster Emperor Star is nearby?” Yang Kai was shocked and swept his eyes around quickly, soon locating a familiar-looking star in the distance that was exuding a thick Monster Qi!
“Five million kilometres away!” Yu Xiong replied confidently.
“Five million kilometres? Don’t you think you Monsters are a bit too presumptuous?” Shen Tu snapped back with an unhappy expression on his face.
“Father here does not! Since I’ve said that this is my Monster Emperor Star’s territory, it is my Monster Emperor Star’s territory. You Humans have stepped into our land, so we need to teach you a lesson,” Yu Xiong said without the slightest hint of restraint.
“Bullshit! Monster Emperor Star is five million kilometres away, yet you claim we violated your borders?” Shen Tu sneered, “Haven’t you woken up yet?”
Yu Xiong tilted his head and looked at him faintly before asking Yang Kai, “Brother-in-law, this brat is quite unpleasant to the eye, does it matter if I kill him?”
As soon as this statement was made, the atmosphere between the two sides suddenly became tense again, with Aunt Chun particularly upset as she pushed her Saint Qi harder, staring at Yu Xiong with murderous intent. Ba He was naturally not willing to be outdone and quickly locked his Divine Sense onto Aunt Chun. Sparks flew and another fight seemed to be inevitable.
“Don’t make trouble!” Yang Kai just coldly snorted and slightly released his Origin King Realm aura.
Perceiving this power, Ba He immediately called out in alarm, “Yang Kai, you… you’re already a Second-Order Origin King?”
As he spoke, he almost bit his tongue as he stared at Yang Kai in utter shock, unable to believe what he was sensing.
When he saw Yang Kai just now, although he faintly felt that he was much stronger than the last time, Ba He had not thought too much about it, but when Yang Kai revealed his true strength, Ba He immediately realized that he had reached an even higher realm than himself!
How was that possible though?
When he met Yang Kai that year, Yang Kai was only a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. Even after leaving the Blood Prison Trial together, Yang Kai was still only at the Second-Order Origin Realm.
How many years had it been since then? Ten? Twenty? How could Yang Kai already be a Second-Order Origin King? Was there anyone in the world who could break through at such a rate?
Ba He stood dumbfounded on the spot.
“What? Second-Order Origin King? Senior Ba He, are you sure?” Yu Xiong also stared with bulged eyes.
“With something like this, how could I possibly make a mistake with my senses?” Ba He gulped as he felt his mouth go dry.
Anyone who knew about Yang Kai’s cultivation speed would not be able to remain calm. Compared with Yang Kai’s aptitude and promotion speed, Ba He felt he had spent all his life in vain.
Yu Xiong froze for a while before letting out a hearty laugh, “As expected of my amazing brother-in-law, only you can be matched with my little sister!”
He was a simple man and truly felt happy for Shan Qing Luo.
Hearing him mention Shan Qing Luo, Yang Kai’s expression also eased, and he opened his mouth to say, “Everyone, give me some face. Regardless of the cause of today’s matter, fortunately, there haven’t been any casualties so let’s end it here!”
Saying so, he turned to look at Ba He, then at Shen Tu.
Ba He nodded, “There is no hatred between us in the first place, and since they were brought here with you, Yang Kai, this old master will naturally not make things difficult.”
Shen Tu snorted, “I’ll give Brother Yang face as well. I didn’t know you knew these Monsters.”
“Okay,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning to Yu Xiong and asking, “How is Qing Luo now?”
“Little Sister?” Yu Xiong scratched his head before grinning widely, “Well, since she returned from the Blood Prison, she’s been in retreat. When she exits, she’ll be an Origin King. Adoptive Mother is extremely optimistic about her, so you don’t need to worry.”
“How is Senior Chi Yue?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Adoptive mother is also in retreat,” Yu Xiong grinned.
“Senior Chi Yue is in retreat… Does that mean…?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of something.
“Exactly,” Yu Xiong laughed, “When Adoptive Mother exits her retreat, all of Monster Emperor Star will become my Red Moon Territory’s.”
Chi Yue was originally a Second-Order Origin King, but now she had obtained the Origin Essence Crystal of Mad Crocodile Monster King and entered a state of retreat. If she could successfully break through, she would become the only Monster King level existence on Monster Emperor Star.
Among the Monster Race, only those who were Third-Order Origin Kings were qualified to be called Monster Kings! Right now, Chi Yue was still just a Tribal Lord.
Monster Kings ruled supreme over the Monster Race, so when she broke through, Chi Yue would become the sole leader of Monster Emperor Star.
“Then I’ll have to offer my congratulations to Senior Chi Yue,” Yang Kai’s expression changed as he proposed. “If it is convenient, I want to go to the Red Moon Territory to meet Senior Chi Yue. I wonder if Brother Yu can lead the way?”
“Call me Elder Brother-In-Law and I’ll bring you there!” Brother Yu chuckled heartily.
Yang Kai directly ignored him and turned to Ba He.
Ba He wore a somewhat embarrassed look as he replied slowly, “Yang Kai, you are not an outsider, so Monster Emperor Star and Red Moon Territory welcome you, but if you want to see Lady Tribal Lord… Now might not be an appropriate time. Just as Yu Xiong said, Lady Tribal Lord is currently in retreat and must not be disturbed.”
“I understand this; however, Senior Chi Yue is not in seclusion, only in retreat and I only need to say a few words to her so it won’t delay her too much.”
Ba He frowned while Yu Xiong did not interrupt anymore, knowing that this was a matter he couldn’t take responsibility for.
“Rest assured, if Senior Chi Yue is displeased, I will shoulder the responsibility, but… I believe Senior Chi Yue will be incredibly happy with the news I’ve brought and won’t blame you in the slightest.”
“Ha…” Ba He sighed. “Since you’ve said this much, what more can I say?”
“Many thanks then, Senior Ba He,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Brother Yang, you’re going to Monster Emperor Star?” Shen Tu’s face changed slightly, and he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, I need to meet with Senior Chi Yue,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “What about you? Do you want to wait here for me or accompany me to Monster Emperor Star?”
Shen Tu’s brow furrowed for a moment before he eventually said, “The Monster Race is known for its brutality, so I cannot let Brother Yang go on his own. If we go together, we can take care of one another. En, I’ve also wanted to see what Monster Emperor Star is like for some time now.”
“En, then we’ll go together!” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not minding.
Shen Tu gave the order and everyone else began making preparations. At the same time, a Starship sailed out from a nearby Asteroid Sea, one that clearly belonged to the Monster Race.
The Monster Race was not skilled at Alchemy or Artifact Refining, but not everyone who lived on Monster Emperor Star belonged to the Monster Race, there were also many Humans, but their status wasn’t very high.
Monster Emperor Star was divided into ten territories, each ruled by one of the ten Tribal Lords. The attitude towards Humans varied greatly from one territory to another; some territories killed humans on sight while others gave them space to live and develop as long as they did not exceed certain limits…
Red Moon Territory was without a doubt the most welcoming territory to humans, especially Alchemists and Artifact Refiners who could obtain even higher status than average Monster Race cultivators. It was also for this reason that the development of Red Moon Territory over the years was far faster than that of the other Tribal Lords’.
There were always many talented Humans who wanted to move to Red Moon Territory to offer their services to Chi Yue.
The Starship that Ba He, Yu Xiong, and the other Monsters rode was refined by these Human Artifact Refiners, and although it was only Origin Grade Mid-Rank, it was enough to support short-to-medium-distance sailings.
The two Starships sailed side by side towards the Monster Emperor Star at a rapid pace.
The five million kilometre distance was closed after just one day and night.
Half-Moon Mountain, where Chi Yue’s palace was built, was the central and most important location in all of Red Moon Territory.
When the two Starships broke through the clouds and arrived in the sky above Half-Moon Mountain, they saw that the mountains below were enveloped by the huge energy curtain that was emitting a dazzling light.
Outside this light curtain, there seemed to be many Monster Race masters gathered, with two who had particularly strong auras, their Monster Qi seemingly powerful enough to pierce the sky.
One of these two had spiked hair and was even taller and burlier than Yu Xiong, his chest bare and his muscles rippling with strength, giving him a particularly wild look.
The other person, on the other hand, appeared quite delicate, completely unlike a typical Monster Race. Instead, there was a kind of refined aura about this man that resembled that of a refined human scholar. This person’s eyes flashed a pale silver colour and seemed to contain some kind of mysterious power.
At this moment, many Monster Race masters were attacking the light barrier while the wild-looking Monster Race leader roared, “Chi Yue, we have arrived here from afar, yet you sealed off Half-Moon Mountain right before us. Is this your definition of hospitality? You look down on this Xue Jiao too much!”
As soon as this statement was made, the identity of this person was instantly clear. It was none other than Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord, one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords and the one who most despised Humans on Monster Emperor Star. It was said that there were no humans at all in his territory other than slaves as he had ordered the rest to be killed.
His roar garnered no response from Half-Moon Mountain.
Seeing this, the scholarly looking Monster Race leader standing next to him quickly said, “Brother Xue Jiao, why bother asking a question you already know the answers to? Chi Yue acting this way clearly shows she does not give us any face. You and I are both Tribal Lords, but when we come to visit her, she actually slams the door and refuses to even speak to us.”
“Since she doesn’t give this Xue Jiao any face, I need not give her any either!” Xue Jiao was already disgruntled and was only further infuriated when he heard these words, quickly calling out, “Chi Yue, only a few years ago, my son Xue Lian left from here to travel to the Blood Prison Trial, eventually dying inside. I have yet to settle this matter with you! Yet today, you go even further to humiliate me! Good, good, good, since that’s the case, I demand you face me in combat with our titles as Tribal Lords on the line! Do you have the guts?”
Still no response came from Half-Moon Mountain.
Xue Jiao ground his teeth in anger as he roared to the feminine-looking leader next to him, “Brother Qian Yan, this woman refused to even respond to my challenge. How should we proceed?”
Qian Yan, Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord narrowed his eyes and said, “Since she refuses to respond to the challenge, we have no other choice but to storm her palace. In any case, we cannot allow her to refine the Origin Essence Crystal of Mad Crocodile Monster King. If she succeeds and becomes a Monster King, this Monster Emperor Star will definitely not have a place for you and me!”
Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord heard this, and some fear flashed across the depths of his eyes before he clenched his fists and nodded, “You’re right. Since that’s the case, I ask Brother Qian Yan to join hands with this Xue to break through this Half-Moon Mountain barrier!”
“Brother Xue must not act rashly, this Half-Moon Mountain barrier is able to absorb the essence of the moon to continuously strengthen itself, so it will definitely not be easily broken.”
Xue Jiao curled his lips and spat, “This barrier is just a dead object, it can’t retaliate. If you and I cooperate, why would we fear it? Brother Qian Yan is simply too cautious. Do not forget, it was not only my son who died in the Blood Prison, but also your son! The one who killed them was that human boy, the one Chi Yue sent out with them, I don’t believe she didn’t have any hand in this.”
Hearing what he said, Qian Yan’s silver eyes also filled with murderous intent and he nodded, “Alright, we will act together.”
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords exchanged a glance before they began pushing their Monster Qi. In an instant, the world began to tremble as a soaring Monster Qi poured out from the two Tribal Lords and condensed into a physical manifestation of their might. All the Monster Race masters who felt this pressure instantly had their faces change and hurriedly backed away, lest they be affected by this rampaging power.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords wasted no time after making their decision. Xue Jiao let out a fierce roar as his burly body suddenly expanded and his vitality flared up so violently it actually became a visible red halo that pulsed from his figure.
With a flicker, Xue Jiao’s figure shot out like a bolt of lightning towards Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
The Monster Race was known for its physical prowess, and Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord was undoubtedly the most gifted in terms of physique. Even just a simple charge from him contained unimaginable destructive power.
As he flew forward, the ground beneath him and even the space around him cracked under his might.
*Hong…*
Xue Jiao smashed headlong into Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier, causing the entire mountain to tremble and the light curtain to flicker wildly, as if it was about to collapse.
Xue Jiao saw this and smiled happily, thinking that Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier was only worth this much, but just as he was about to add more force to his charge and completely break through, an extremely violent rebound force suddenly appeared, one that was even more intense than the one he had just used.
Having been caught off guard, Xue Jiao was too late to react and took the full brunt of this rebound force.
With a muffled grunt, his burly body was sent flying.
All the Monster Race masters looked at each other and saw the looks of horror on their faces.
Fortunately for Xue Jiao, Blood Flood Dragons have thick skin and a tough hide, so despite this rebounding force being quite strong, it was only able to embarrass him, not hurt him. To the side, Qian Yan said with a solemn expression, “It is rumoured that Half-Moon Mountain itself was formed from the remains of a giant ancient Monster King, so it has some unusual properties to it.”
Xue Jiao only glanced over at him, dissatisfied, though and snapped, “Stop commenting and help.”
Qian Yan nodded and began releasing a dazzling silver light from his eyes. This silver light quickly condensed into a physical substance and eventually took the shape of two sharp swords. With a flicker, these two swords shot off like arrows from the string and pierced towards the barrier like bolts of lightning.
Seeing this, Xue Jiao did not remain idle and quickly coordinated with Qian Yan’s Secret Technique, rushing forward again while throwing out his huge fist towards Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
The combined blows of two Monster Race Tribal Lords were enough to shatter the Heavens.
When the attacks arrived this time, the Half-Moon Mountain barrier flickered even more rapidly than before, but this time Xue Jiao was prepared and did not get flung back by the rebounding force.
After this one blow, the light from Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier seemed to dim slightly.
Seeing this, Qian Yan and Xue Jiao’s eyes flashed as the two of them exchanged a knowing glance. As Tribal Lords, naturally, they could see that as long as they joined forces and released a few more attacks of similar intensity, they could break down this troublesome barrier and dive into Chi Yue’s palace. No matter what, they had to stop Chi Yue from calmly absorbing the power of Mad Crocodile Monster King’s Origin Essence Crystal.
The two Monster Race masters who had violently been attacking the Half-Moon Mountain barrier up until now all stopped their movements. Both Blood Flood Dragon and Qian Yan have serious expressions, trying to dispel the discomfort in their hearts.
“Xue Jiao, Qian Yan, this Queen is a leader of the Monster Race just like you and does not want to make things difficult between us. If you leave now, this Queen can pretend nothing happened here, otherwise, you will have to pay the price for your actions today!”
“Chi Yue!” Xue Jiao and Qian Yan muttered at the same time.
They were all Monster Race Tribal Lords and had numerous dealings with each other before, so they could recognize Chi Yue’s voice. However, Chi Yue gave them a very different feeling from before. Her words were by no means fierce. Instead, they were quite measured, but just listening to them caused them a sense of dread, making them feel that if they continued their current actions they would really face unimaginable consequences.
The two Tribal Lords both felt their hearts shake as they exchanged an uncertain glance.
Qian Yan, however, grit his teeth soon and shouted, “Paltry tricks! If you had the ability, you would have lowered this barrier and invited us inside from the start!”
“Exactly!” Xue Jiao echoed from the side, “Chi Yue, you say we are all leaders of the Monster Race, but after I and Brother Qian Yan arrived here, you refused to even see us yet now you claim we should all show each other respect? If you believe that, open this barrier and let us in!”
“It’s useless to say more. Life or death, I leave the choice up to you, this Queen has already shown enough benevolence!” Chi Yue’s voice came from Half-Moon Mountain once more before falling silent again.
Both Xue Jiao and Qian Yan were oozing cold sweat from their foreheads as they both were faintly aware of something.
After a long time, Qian Yan turned his head to look at the Xue Jiao and asked, “Brother Xue Jiao, are you afraid?”
“I’ve never feared anyone before,” The Blood Flood Dragon snorted coldly.
“Very good,” Qian Yan nodded lightly before wearing a grin, “Since that’s the case, we should give it our all.”
Xue Jiao frowned, seemingly hesitant, but he steeled himself and nodded in the end, “Yes!”
As soon as his voice fell, the Monster Qi of the two Tribal Lords burst out again as they each used their own earth-shattering methods to attack Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
“Stubborn fools!” Chi Yue’s annoyed voice rang out as the World Energy in the surrounding region suddenly became turbulent. High up in the sky, a giant jade white palm rapidly condensed.
This palm fell from the sky and pressed towards Xue Jiao and Qian Yan.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords both felt their knees begin to buckle under the approaching palm as they stared up at it in horror. Xue Jiao even exclaimed, “Commanding Heaven and Earth, has she already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm?”
Qian Yan was also taken aback. The only reason why they dared to act presumptuously here was that they had the numerical advantage. As long as all of them were Second-Order Origin Kings, the side that had more was naturally held the advantage.
However, if Chi Yue had become a Monster King, a Third-Order Origin King Realm powerhouse, two of them would be no better than one.
At that moment, Qian Yan involuntarily began thinking of retreating, simply wanting to escape from Half-Moon Mountain, the farther away the better.
But soon, his silver eyes burst with brilliant light and he shouted, “No, it’s just a Secret Technique. Brother Xue Jiao, quickly!”
While he urged Xue Jiao, Qian Yan opened his mouth and let out a terrifying roar that created sound waves visible to the naked eye which shot towards the giant palm.
Xue Jiao had lost all fighting spirit and his face was ashen, but with Qian Yan’s shout, his survival instinct kicked in and he began releasing a violent power from his body as he sent a flurry of punches containing his full might into the sky.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Fist shadows and sound waves collided with the palm print outside Half-Moon Mountain and a chaotic explosion of energy accompanied a blinding light that seemed to engulf the entire world.
Only after some time did the light fade and the dust settle.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both wore beaming smiles as they exchanged a glance, quickly regaining their confidence while no further movement came from Half-Moon Mountain.
“Chi Yue really hasn’t broken through yet,” Xue Jiao grinned and muttered lowly, all the panic disappearing from his expression.
“We don’t have long though,” Qian Yan on the contrary remained worried, “Brother Xue Jiao, if we delay much longer, she’ll certainly succeed, and then there really will be no place for us on Monster Emperor Star.”
“I know,” Blood Flood Dragon’s eyes shone fiercely as he nodded firmly.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s quickly break this damn barrier! No matter what, we cannot let her succeed,” Qian Yan yelled angrily.
Just as the two Monster Race Tribal Lords were about to attack again though, a figure mysteriously appeared in front of them, standing mid-air, looking down at them indifferently.
“Who!?” Xue Jiao shouted.
“A human?” Qian Yan saw through Yang Kai’s identity at a glance and couldn’t help knitting his brow. Releasing his Divine Sense towards Yang Kai in order to probe his depths, his expression soon filled with shock as he called out, “A Second-Order Origin King!”
On Monster Emperor Star, this was an absolutely impossibility. There were no human Origin Kings here, and even Origin Returning Realm cultivators were extremely rare. As such, the only explanation was that this unknown young man had come from another Cultivation Star.
Looking at Yang Kai’s stance though, it was clear he was here to block them, which greatly confused Qian Yan.
“This guy looks familiar,” Xue Jiao muttered in a low voice, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Yang Kai hard, not knowing when he had met such a person before.
Yang Kai simply grinned back at the two Monster Race Tribal Lords as he spoke to Chi Yue in Half-Moon Mountain, “Senior, you seem to be having some trouble!”
“Little Bastard, it’s you!” Chi Yue was also greatly shocked by Yang Kai’s sudden appearance outside Half-Moon Mountain at this time.
“Ah? You’ve actually reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm already? How is that possible?” A stronger sense of astonishment soon came from Half-Moon Mountain as even the surrounding World Energy became a bit unstable in response to the swing in Chi Yue’s mood.
Yang Kai smiled lightly as he said, “The world is vast, and there are many shocking things in it, so nothing is impossible; however, rather than focus on such things, Senior should concentrate on herself right now.”
Chi Yue angrily snapped, “You think this Queen needs you to remind her of such things?”
“En, Junior has said something unnecessary,” Yang Kai chuckled. “Good, this little trouble, does Senior want Junior to help you solve it?”
“You’re quite confident,” Chi Yue was surprised, “How long has it been since you reached the Origin King Realm?”
“Hehe, against two Tribal Lords, Junior can’t guarantee too much, but self-protection won’t be an issue.”
“Oh?” Chi Yue was amazed, wondering just where Yang Kai was getting all his confidence from, but after a moment, she acquiesced, “It’s not convenient for me to act right now, so if you are really capable, play with them for a bit. In any case, you’re not an outsider, so it’s only natural you help me!”
“Junior won’t disappoint!”
“Be careful. Although this Queen does not know what miraculous elixir you took to raise your strength to this level in such a short period of time… All Origin Kings need a long accumulation of time to truly bring out their strength. In any case, don’t you dare die. This Queen doesn’t want Qing Luo to blame her in the future.” Chi Yue obviously thought that Yang Kai being able to reach his current cultivation so quickly was thanks to some kind of pill or treasure, and not an ordinary one at that!
“Many thanks, Senior. I will try my best to survive,” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
While the two talked, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan remained silent, but as time passed, the two Tribal Lords only grew angrier.
Yang Kai clearly did not put them in his eyes, making them extremely unhappy!
They were both famous Tribal Lords of Monster Emperor Star. Even considering the entire Star Field, they were top-level masters. When had they ever been so despised?
Qian Yan looked at Yang Kai gloomily and sneered, “It is said that the Humans are inherently arrogant. This Tribal Lord had some doubts before, but now it seems those rumours aren’t exaggerated…”
“The Human Race being rampant isn’t anything new,” Xue Jiao coldly snorted as he stared at Yang Kai fiercely, “But boy, this is my Monster Emperor Star. You’d best scram with your tail between your legs if you want to keep it.”
Yang Kai just smiled without saying a word, staring at the two Tribal Lords quietly, not even trying to make a rebuttal.
Qian Yan turned his silver eyes and said, “Boy, this King doesn’t know what your relationship is with Chi Yue, but if you continue to stand in our way, don’t blame us for being impolite. If you understand, quickly make way. This is my Monster Race’s business; it has nothing to do with you.”
“En, even if all of us are Second-Order Origin Kings, two versus one, do you think you stand any chance?” Xue Jiao shouted lowly.
“Whether I can win or not, you’ll know after we fight,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not backing down.
Qian Yan’s face sank, “Do you insist on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Nothing of the sort,” Yang Kai shook his head. “According to seniority, I have to address Chi Yue as Mother-In-Law, so how could mother-in-law’s affairs not be my business?”
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao suddenly showed strange expressions, but soon, Qian Yan seemed to think of something and shouted, “So it’s about that Half-Monster girl!”
The Half-Monster he referred to was naturally Shan Qing Luo. Shan Qing Luo was born human but possessed the Poison Widow Special Constitution and had absorbed a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source. Now, Shan Qing Luo could be considered half-human, half-monster. She was a rising star on Monster Emperor Star and was quite eye-catching, so it was only normal for all of Monster Emperor Star to know who she was.
Inside Half-Moon Mountain, Chi Yue’s voice suddenly sounded, “Smelly Brat, don’t act so familiar! This Queen hasn’t given you her permission yet!”
Yang Kai turned his head to look over there while saying with a chuckle, “It doesn’t matter if Senior agrees or disagrees, Qing Luo agrees.”
Chi Yue was suddenly speechless.
“Enough!” Qian Yan shouted angrily, his silver eyes glaring at Yang Kai coldly as he said, “Since you court death yourself, we will oblige! Xue Jiao, you play with him while I break this barrier!”
“En, leave him to me,” Xue Jiao said with a savage grin. Licking his lips, he stared at Yang Kai as if the latter were some kind of delicious meal. “The body of an Origin King is a real delicacy; I’ve not eaten something so good in a long time.”
“Stop wasting time and finish him off!” Qian Yan urged impatiently.
As soon as his voice fell, Xue Jiao rushed out at a shocking speed. Soaring through the air, he arrived right in front of Yang Kai in the blink of an eye before swinging down his thick, iron arm.
This blow seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary but supplemented by the powerful physical prowess of Xue Jiao and his shocking cultivation, it could easily shatter a huge mountain.
“Be careful!” Chi Yue’s voice rang out, accompanied by a hint of tension.
As a Monster Race Tribal Lord herself, she knew Xue Jiao’s strength intimately. Even she herself did not dare engage in close-quarter combat with Xue Jiao as his physical strength was beyond what an ordinary cultivator could handle.
Yang Kai stood still on the spot, however, and simply raised his arms to block in front of himself.
Seeing this, the Xue Jiao was stunned, but immediately he became overjoyed as he grinned and shouted, “Arrogant boy, just watch how this Tribal Lord smashes you to paste!”
As these words fell, his thick arm landed on Yang Kai’s arms.
*Dang…*
Like metal meeting metal, a huge, deafening clang rang out and spread throughout Half-Moon Mountain before spreading even further afield.
Xue Jiao’s confident expression immediately went stiff and was quickly replaced with a look of disbelief.
Qian Yan, who was preparing to attack the barrier, could not help freezing in place as he stared in a daze while Chi Yue’s gasp also echoed from inside Half-Moon Mountain.
At this moment, the three Monster Race Tribal Lords had been thoroughly shocked and could not help wondering if they were all dreaming.
Yang Kai slowly raised his eyes at that moment to meet Xue Jiao’s indifferently before he grinned, “Friend… you seem quite confident in your body.”
“You…” Xue Jiao’s complexion suddenly changed as his eyes shrank. He could not believe that his full-powered blow was so easily blocked by his opponent, and that his opponent showed no signs of backing away.
What’s more, he was attacking while the other side simply defended, meaning his blow was unable to cause any harm!
“Your body…” Xue Jiao suddenly seemed to understand something, and his eyes filled with surprise.
Yang Kai just smiled and said, “Sorry, my body also isn’t bad.”
Xue Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he realized his conjecture was right, but soon he became angry at being despised like this and his Monster Qi violently burst forth as he roared, “Trivial Human, you want to compete with my Blood Flood Dragon clan? Today, this King will let you know what the meaning of strength really is!”
Saying so, his fists slammed toward Yang Kai like raindrops, every punch causing the surrounding World Energy aura to fluctuate from sheer power.
However, something shocking happened next.
Yang Kai did not try to dodge or avoid this barrage of fists and instead let out a hearty laugh as he sent out his own flurry of punches.
Fist collided with fist as violent explosions rang out. It was as if two giant mountains were smashing against one another at high speed, each contact causing the vitality of all nearby to roil.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
In just a short thirty breaths of time, Yang Kai and Xue Jiao had exchanged an astonishing number of attacks.
But what was strange was that neither of these two masters retreated a single step back, both standing firmly mid-air, using the subtle movements of their bodies to disperse each other’s strength.
Such a simple and brutal battle was actually quite breathtaking, but Qian Yan nearby couldn’t help flashing a look of worry. This could not be helped though as Humans did not primarily rely on their physical strength fight. It was their array of Secret Techniques and artifacts that gave them their biggest advantage in combat.
Yang Kai had given up such advantages, though, to compete with Xue Jiao purely in terms of physical power, which only showed he had not yet used his full strength.
In this confrontation, Yang Kai was simply probing Xue Jiao!
If Yang Kai were to use his Secret Techniques or artifacts, his strength would undoubtedly rise dramatically.
Realizing this, Qian Yan hurriedly shouted, “Xue Jiao, stop playing around and finish him off quickly!”
Xue Jiao heard this and let out a great shout with a sullen expression, “Flood Dragon Transformation!”
After these words fell, Xue Jiao’s body suddenly released a shocking wave of vitality that was several times more violent than before. At the same time, his body swelled up and blood-red scales began appearing on his skin. Two horns protruded from his forehead as a long, dragon tail stretched out from his back.
Xue Jiao had inherited the blood of a descendant of the true Dragons, the Blood Flood Dragon.
The technique he just used allowed him to stimulate the power of his bloodline, raising his strength and vitality greatly for a short time. With his powerful body, enhanced by the ancient Blood Flood Dragon’s aura, Xue Jiao was able to crush all opponents who stood before him.
As soon as this Flood Dragon Transformation came out, unimaginable power burst forth and smashed against Yang Kai’s whole body, sending him flying.
Xue Lian roared, “Human, this King does not know how you’ve cultivated such a body, but in front of this King’s Blood Flood Dragon ancestors, you are far from enough!”
As he shouted, he chased after Yang Kai and using both his fists and feet he launched a storm of attacks towards Yang Kai’s vital points, each punch and kick he sent out causing the surrounding space to tremble under his might.
Yang Kai did not dare to neglect and hurriedly adjusted his strength to counterattack.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The two figures flitted across the sky as constant explosions rang out from the meeting of their blows.
Yang Kai was instantly put at a disadvantage and seemed to only be able to parry, not fight back.
Qian Yan saw this and sneered, “Foolish. Trying to compete with Xue Jiao in pure strength, this human’s head must be rotten.”
High up in the clouds, two Starships remained hidden, one of them belonging to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, the other to Red Moon Territory.
Yu Xiong, Ba He, Shen Tu and all the others were looking down nervously and naturally saw how Yang Kai was being suppressed.
“Brother-In-Law bit off more than he can chew,” Yu Xiong shook his head sadly. “Xue Jiao’s physical strength is the highest amongst the entire Monster Race, Brother-In-Law trying to confront him head-on like this is the worst choice he could make. If this goes on, little sister is going to be a widow.”
“Shut your damn mouth,” Ba He snorted coldly from the side.
Although Yu Xiong was Chi Yue’s adopted son and had a high status, Ba He’s status wasn’t any lower. He was Chi Yue’s most trusted general two hundred years ago, and now, after breaking through to the Origin King Realm, he was her first subordinate, entrusted with great responsibilities.
Yu Xiong did not dare act presumptuously in front of him.
Hearing Ba He’s scolding, Yu Xiong simply chuckled, “I was just commenting casually… Perhaps Brother-In-Law has some tricks up his sleeve still. In any case, he doesn’t look like the type to die young.”
Ba He shook his head, “He really is biting more than he can chew, but his cultivation isn’t any weaker than Xue Jiao’s, so this won’t be enough to kill him. However, some suffering is probably inevitable.”
As soon as Ba He spoke, a winner in the contest down below was decided.
With a loud bang, a figure blasted towards the ground like a ragged sack, leaving another figure proudly standing in the void.
All eyes turned to the figure who was still standing and found that a surge of Blood Qi surrounded him, with two long horns sticking out his head and a dragon tail extended out his back. It was Xue Jiao!
Xue Jiao was safe and sound, so Yang Kai was definitely the one who was sent flying.
This discovery made many people’s hearts sink and they all quickly looked down.
Down there, a huge crater had appeared and from its centre, a series of spider-like cracks radiated outwards. As for Yang Kai, he had disappeared, apparently having been buried underground.
“Hahahaha!” Xue Jiao laughed riotously up in the sky as he flashed a look of disdain, “A Human Origin King, mediocre!”
He was qualified to act so rampant though; after all, no matter how unpleasant Yang Kai was to his eyes, he was still a Second-Order Origin King. So easily suppressing an opponent of the same level, Xue Jiao was naturally in high spirits.
Seeing this situation, Qian Yan, who had been on the edge the whole time, could not help but breathe a sigh of relief before reminding in a deep voice, “Xue Jiao, any delay leads to more problems!”
Hearing this, Xue Jiao nodded and was about to fly down to finish the human off when Yang Kai suddenly leapt up from the crater below, dusted himself off, and said with an approving tone, “Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord’s reputation is well-deserved. In this world, I’m afraid that few can beat you with just physical strength.”
Qian Yan’s silver eyes shrank as he stared at Yang Kai in amazement; using his Divine Sense, he immediately discovered something that filled him with shock. Although Yang Kai seemed to be dishevelled and was covered in dust, he was completely uninjured.
[How could that be?] Qian Yan rubbed his eyes a few times before looking back at Yang Kai, wondering if he had seen wrong.
The attack Xue Jiao had used just now was not something so easily resisted. If it had been Qian Yan who had taken that barrage head-on, even if he did not lose his life, he would still be seriously wounded. But this human was also just a Second-Order Origin King, so how could he be unscathed?
Qian Yan didn’t detect any Artifact Armour on Yang Kai, and when he was fighting Xue Jiao just now, he had not used any kind of defensive artifacts…
In other words, this human had resisted all of Xue Jiao’s attacks with just his body and came out unhurt! Could it be that even after Xue Jiao used his Flood Dragon Transformation, this human’s physical body was still more powerful?
When such a thought crossed his mind, Qian Yan found it difficult to remain calm as fright flashed across his eyes.
On the other side, Xue Jiao could not stop his jaw from dropping as he stared at Yang Kai stupidly, completely losing the ability to think and no longer showing any of his former arrogance.
“However, if that’s all you have, it’s not enough!” Yang Kai looked up at Xue Jiao and said faintly.
Xue Jiao’s mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something, but found that no matter what he said at this moment, it would only further add to his humiliation.
Being so despised by a mere human, in the field he was most proud, Xue Jiao could not stop his heart from twisting in knots. Now, only blood could wash away this shame!
“Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord, you probably haven’t used your full strength yet, right? It is rare to encounter someone with such a powerful physique, so… I hope you can play with me for a bit longer!”
As soon as these last words were spoken, Yang Kai’s body shot into the sky like a lightning bolt.
As Yang Kai arrived in front of Xue Jiao, a brilliant golden light suddenly appeared on his body. This pale golden colour did not come from his Golden Blood though, but rather from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art’s Metal Sword Qi.
Covered in his Metal Sword Qi, Yang Kai’s figure appeared akin to a peerless unsheathed sword that could cut through the Heavens as it stabbed straight towards Xue Jiao.
Before this attack even arrived, Xue Jiao felt his pores shrink involuntarily. Under this terrifying thrust, how could he dare show any disdain? Immediately roaring, Xue Jiao pushed his vitality wildly, his whole body turning a brilliant crimson colour as he punched out at Yang Kai.
*Dang…*
A loud crashing sound rang out.
The glowing golden Yang Kai paused slightly before he was forced back a few steps, but this time, Xue Jiao was also forced to stagger backward. The expression on the latter’s face was no longer as easy as before because he was no longer able to completely suppress Yang Kai.
*Dida dida…*
A few very rhythmic sounds could be heard as blood dripped from Xue Jiao’s fist.
In this brief confrontation, Xue Jiao had actually been injured!
The Metal Attribute’s primary quality was sharpness, sharpness that could cut through anything. Although Yang Kai had not cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its highest level yet, he had still reached the minor accomplishment stage, so as soon as he pushed his Metal Sword Qi, he was instantly able to seize back the initiative.
“Mediocre!” Although Xue Jiao was shocked by Yang Kai’s methods, he could not keep losing face and simply sneered while flicking the blood from his hand.
“Really?” Yang Kai grinned, “Then I’ll have to ask Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord to wait and see what comes next.”
As soon as these words fell, the halo of light around him changed, going from pure gold to gold and brown.
Earth Sword Qi!
The Earth Attribute’s primary quality was resilience, so this Earth Sword Qi was able to form the strongest protection. Moreover, among the five elements, Metal was born from Earth, so when the Earth Sword Qi came out, it instantly resonated with the Metal Sword Qi, enhancing it further instead of making it duller.
As the two-coloured light halo swirled around Yang Kai’s body, he shot towards Xue Jiao again, staring at him indifferently as he raised his hand and slashed towards him.
Xue Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he quickly crossed his arms.
Yang Kai’s knife-hand slashed out and blood splashed as Xue Jiao roared and was sent flying backwards. On his arms, there was a long gash, out of which blood sprayed like a fountain, instantly staining his clothes red.
This wound was bone-deep and caused the surrounding flesh to squirm, making for quite a terrifying sight.
The pain and shame made Xue Jiao’s blood rush to his head and he roared, “Boy, don’t get too cocky!”
Monster Race cultivators had a certain innate drawback; once they became angered, they would lose their ability to remain rational and would begin acting on instinct. Even if Xue Jiao was already a powerful Tribal Lord-level existence, this characteristic was something which was deeply rooted in his bones and could not be completely eliminated. He was only slightly better at controlling it than other Monster Race cultivators.
At this moment though, having been pushed back by Yang Kai while using his Flood Dragon Transformation, Xue Jiao could not help becoming angry out of shame.
His body transformed again at that moment, releasing a dazzling red light as his figure inflated to more than a hundred metres in size, with blood-red scales and two giant crimson eyes. Glaring at Yang Kai, Xue Jiao opened his giant maw and shot out a beam of blood-coloured light towards him.
“Blood Flood Dragon Manifestation!” Up in the clouds, Ba He’s eyes shrank suddenly. He never expected that Yang Kai would be able to force the Xue Jiao to such an extent after seemingly being at a huge disadvantage.
The Flood Dragon Transformation was a method for Xue Jiao to draw out strength from his ancestral bloodline to enhance his strength, but the Blood Flood Dragon Manifestation was a complete simulation of those bloodlines, allowing him to fully assume the form of his glorious ancestors.
Xue Jiao showing this form was a sign he was really going all out.
The blood-coloured beam of light flew forward with an unstoppable might towards Yang Kai, and if he were to be struck by it, he would not get off lightly as he was.
What’s more, an overwhelming corrosive aura pulsed from this blood-coloured beam, one that would pose a deadly threat even to a Second-Order Origin King.
Yang Kai still did not dodge, instead just shouting out loud, “Water!”
When this word came out, a blue light emerged from his body and enveloped him.
This blue light was as deep as the sea, and while it did not seem to enhance Yang Kai’s strength significantly, it gave off a sturdy and reliable feel, like an ocean surrounding him that could block out any violent storm from the outside, keeping him safe.
The blood-coloured beam arrived in the next moment and completely engulfed Yang Kai.
Xue Jiao’s eyes flashed fiercely as he stared forward, searching for any signs of Yang Kai’s life aura.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice something shocking, and his eyes bulged as he shouted, “Not good!”
In his Blood Flood Dragon form, this shout rang out like booming thunder, causing the surrounding world to shake.
As soon as his words were spoken, a figure shot out from the blood-coloured beam of light, moving against its flow as if it were just a gentle breeze, and sent a fierce punch towards Xue Jiao’s giant head!
Who else but Yang Kai could it be?
However, at this moment, Yang Kai’s body was not just covered in three-coloured light, but four-coloured light.
In addition to the initial golden, brown, and blue colours, there was also a bright red mixed in, one that raged like a burning flame.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s momentum seemed to have risen ten times from where it had been originally!
It seemed that every time he released a new colour from his body, his power would increase again, seemingly without end.
*Hong…*
The fist hit Xue Jiao’s head and a scream resounded through the sky. The huge body of Xue Jiao was sent flying by this punch as he howled out continuously.
After tumbling through the air for more than a dozen kilometres, Xue Jiao finally managed to stabilize himself, but a giant scorched fist mark now adorned his head. Around this fist mark, there were still burning flames, and no matter how Xue Jiao urged his vitality, he could not seem to extinguish them.
“What kind of fire is this!” Xue Jiao exclaimed in shock.
“Sun’s True Fire!” Yang Kai grinned.
Hearing this, Xue Jiao’s face changed drastically.
Sun’s True Fire was formed from the core of a Sun Star, and like the Nirvana Flames possessed by the Ancient Divine Spirit Phoenix, was considered one of the greatest flames in existence, able to burn down anything it touched. Unless one had a Water Attribute treasure of equal rank, or they were somehow able to refine it into their own body, it was all but impossible to extinguish Sun’s True Fire.
Xue Jiao’s giant eyes flashed with despair as the Sun’s True Fire that had contaminated his head suddenly became violent and began engulfing his giant body.
Screaming out, Xue Jiao seemed to be suffering unimaginable pain.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened though, not showing any joy at having defeated a master at the same level, instead just focusing on Xue Jiao’s giant form being burned down by the Sun’s True Fire with a weird expression. After a while, he suddenly grinned and muttered, “So that’s how it is!”
“It looks like you noticed,” Qian Yan’s voice suddenly rang in his ears, and the moment it did, the Xue Jiao which was being burned by Sun’s True Fire transformed into a million points of silver light and dissipated from the world.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards the source of the sound, only to find that not far away, Xue Jiao was floating there unharmed. However, his eyes were still filled with shock and, beside him, Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord stared towards Yang Kai solemnly.
“When did you act? I didn’t even notice,” Yang Kai looked at Qian Yan with interest.
Not long ago, he thought that he had managed to defeat Xue Jiao, but the moment Yang Kai used his Sun’s True Fire on Xue Jiao, he suddenly understood the truth.
What he hit was not Xue Jiao’s real body, but some kind of illusion.
Being able to silently cause him to fall into an illusion was something only Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord could achieve!
“Do you think I’d tell you?” Qian Yan snickered.
Yang Kai just sneered, “It must have been when I was caught in that blood-coloured beam of light. The Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil really lives up to its reputation, this Yang is impressed.”
Hearing Yang Kai utter the name of his greatest Divine Ability, Qian Yan’s expression changed slightly, but when he thought about the human’s relationship with Chi Yue, he quickly relaxed.
He obtained his title of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord because of the existence of his Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil. This was an innate Divine Ability of the Thousand Eye Clan and no one else could learn or use it. This was also the skill he most relied on.
The existence of the Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil was a closely guarded secret, but since Yang Kai was so familiar with Chi Yue, it was only natural for him to have heard about it from her.
Looking at the four-colour halo around Yang Kai with a solemn expression, Qian Yan asked, “Your Excellency’s Secret Technique makes use of the Five Elements, right? Right now, you are only displaying four; why not show all five? Xue Jiao may not be your opponent, but if this King joins hands with him, if you don’t use all your strength, I’m afraid you won’t stand a chance.”
Yang Kai simply grinned and said, “As you wish!”
As soon as these words came out, the final green luminescence appeared.
Yang Kai’s already tyrannical momentum rapidly increased once more.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both saw this and could not help frowning.
The different Five Elements Sword Qi which currently lingered around Yang Kai’s body mutually promoted each other’s might, not only making for a dazzling display but also giving off a strong sense of oppression.
A hint of fear flashed across Xue Jiao’s eyes at this moment. If Qian Yan had not helped him secretly just now, he would definitely have been seriously injured. Only now did Xue Jiao understand just how difficult an opponent Yang Kai was. Both were Second-Order Origin Kings, but it was clear neither was Yang Kai’s opponent at all.
“This is your all?” Qian Yan looked solemn; however, he still sneered and shot back at Yang Kai confidently, “If this is all you have to worry, you’d best retreat now or you might get hurt.”
“Why bother with so much nonsense? What if I told you that your son died at my hands? Would you still let me retreat then?” Yang Kai looked over with cold eyes.
“What?” Qian Yan’s eyes instantly flashed with anger, “What did you just say?”
Xue Jiao suddenly thought of something and shouted, “So it’s you! I was wondering why you looked so familiar, it turns out you’re that little brat!”
“Xue Jiao, speak clearly!” Qian Yan’s silver eyes were filled with murderous intent as he turned to demand answers from Xue Jiao.
“You haven’t figured it out yet? He’s that human boy who came to Monster Emperor Star a few years ago and then went to the Blood Prison Trial with Xue Lian and Mi Tian!” Xue Jiao grit his teeth and roared.
“Impossible!” Qian Yan’s face changed drastically, “The Blood Prison Trial only allows Origin Realm cultivators to enter! How many years ago was that? How could someone who participated possibly have reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm already?”
“I also thought it was impossible!” Xue Jiao nodded lightly, “But the facts are right in front of us, so I have no choice but to believe!”
Qian Yan was stunned for a moment before he turned back to stare at Yang Kai again, nodding after a moment of silence, “Excellent, this King was never able to find his son, Mi Tian’s, murderer, but since you’ve decided to appear before this King today, don’t think you can escape alive!”
“Great!” Yang Kai laughed loudly.
“Xue Jiao, either he dies or we do!” Qian Yan was completely furious and did not wait before charging straight out towards Yang Kai, his figure mysteriously disappearing half-way there.
No one knew where he had gone.
However, Xue Jiao seemed to have long ago become accustomed to this scene and was not disturbed by Qian Yan’s disappearance, instead rushing towards Yang Kai even more fiercely than before.
The huge flood dragon body swam through the air, approaching close before shooting a beam of blood-coloured light.
Yang Kai saw this and sneered, “This trick is useless against me.”
“It doesn’t need to be useful!” Xue Jiao coldly snorted, his body flickering as the blood-red light shot forward, his tail sweeping out towards Yang Kai.
The scales on his tail jutted out like a series of extremely sharp spikes. If Yang Kai was struck by these, it would definitely draw blood.
Yang Kai avoided this tail sweep easily, but before he could adjust his stance, his brow suddenly wrinkled, and he hurriedly expanded his Domain in a hundred-metre radius all around himself.
Behind him, a figure mysteriously appeared. It was Qian Yan who had just vanished a moment ago.
At this moment, Qian Yan’s hand was stabbing forward like a blade towards the back of Yang Kai’s head.
However, encountering Yang Kai’s Domain, Qian Yan’s attack could not help stagnating for an instant. Not backing down though, Qian Yan released his own Domain to offset Yang Kai’s and pressed his attack.
Yang Kai waved his hand and summoned his Dragon Bone Sword before leisurely sweeping it backwards.
Qian Yan frowned when he saw this and was forced to give up his attack and retreat quickly.
He did not want to be swept by the Dragon Bone Sword. Although the Dragon Bone Sword had no blade or edge, anyone could see it was an Origin King Grade artifact. Being hit by such an artifact was definitely not a good idea.
“You want to leave? Aren’t you a bit naive?” Yang Kai snapped coldly as he suddenly increased the power of his Domain.
*Weng…*
The world trembled as the hundred-metre region around Yang Kai was solidified by him and innumerable tiny pitch-black fissures began to appear and disappear within this range a moment later.
“This is…” Qian Yan was shocked. He never expected Yang Kai’s Domain to have such terrifying might. Not only was it more condensed and powerful than his own Domain, it even incorporated some kind of profound and mysterious force.
This power was even able to make the surrounding space fracture, forming an uncountable number of tiny Void Cracks.
“Don’t panic!” At the critical moment, Xue Jiao’s roar sounded as he pushed his Domain, merging it with Qian Yan’s in order to counteract Yang Kai’s Space Force laced Domain.
*Kacha…*
Space only became more and more unstable though, and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.
Xue Jiao’s giant claw stretched out at that moment, ignoring the multitude of lacerations he suffered from the randomly floating Void Cracks, grabbed Qian Yan, and yanked him back.
A crisp, cracking sound rang out in the next instant.
The place where the three Second-Order Origin Kings’ Domains were superimposed, space shattered like a mirror, exposing a large rift to the Void. There was nothing in this rift, only chaotic darkness that caused anyone who gazed upon it to shudder.
Thankfully, this Void Crack did not last long. Under the power of Monster Emperor Star’s World Principles, it quickly repaired itself and everything was restored to normal a moment later.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords who had just retreated together though still felt their hearts pounding as they wore aghast looks on their faces.
Even two against one, they had found themselves at a disadvantage. This was a scenario they had never dreamed of before, but today it was happening right before their eyes.
[Were Human Race Origin Kings all so powerful?] Qian Yan and Xue Jiao asked this horrifying question in their hearts.
If that was really the case, was there any place for the Monster Race in the Star Field? As long as a few Second-Order Origin King humans came here today, Monster Emperor Star would be razed to the ground and their Monster Race would be driven out of their last paradise.
“We need to go all out, Xue Jiao!” Qian Yan quickly said. He knew that it would be impossible to beat Yang Kai if he did not lay everything on the line now.
When Yang Kai first appeared, he had said to Chi Yue that he would not have a problem keeping himself safe. At that time, Qian Yan had thought he was being arrogant, but now he understood the other party was not being rampant at all. Rather, he was actually being extremely humble.
Forget about protecting himself, he had an absolute advantage the entire time.
“Of course!” Xue Jiao growled lowly before opening his mouth and spitting out a fist-sized round bead.
“Monster Core!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he realized that Xue Jiao was really going all out.
Every Monster Race cultivator had a Monster Core, but none would ever use it easily, because to a Monster Race cultivator, their Monster Core was the crystalized essence of their life, as well as the source of their combat power.
If their Monster Core was damaged or destroyed, while it may not cause them to die outright, they would definitely experience a dramatic drop in strength, one they could never recover from.
As such, no Monster Race would use their Monster Core in battle unless they had no other choice.
Xue Jiao spitting out his Monster Core proved he had been backed into a corner, and that he could only resort to his most powerful method now.
Xue Jiao was a Second-Order Origin King, so his Monster Core itself was a rare treasure. If this Monster Core could be used as a pill spirit, it could definitely refine the highest quality Origin King Grade Spirit Pill.
Xue Jiao’s body could also be refined into an extraordinary Blood Beast!
A Blood Beast at the Second-Order Origin King Realm that bore the blood of an Ancient Variant Divine Spirit would no doubt possess astonishing strength.
Yang Kai was already making plans about how to best use Xue Jiao.
Unlike Xue Jiao, Qian Yan did not spit out his Monster Core but instead released a great roar before his body suddenly inflated, turning his originally feminine-looking figure into a bloated sphere.
His clothes bursting apart, Qian Yan’s upper body was fully revealed.
Seeing this new appearance, Yang Kai could not help his skin from crawling slightly.
Because he found that Qian Yan’s upper body had many eyes on it, each of them emitting a silver light as they stared towards him with unkind intentions.
Counting those eyes carefully, there were somewhere between seventy and eighty, each one exuding a mysterious energy fluctuation.
“Forcing this King to reveal this form to you, you should be proud of yourself!” Qian Yan shouted coldly before forming a series of seals with his hands, his expression becoming solemn.
In the next moment, all the eyes on his body, as well as the two which existed on his face from the beginning, burst out with blinding silver light as an illusory moon suddenly rose behind Qian Yan.
After the silver light poured into this full moon, it flickered slightly and took on a silver hue, as if coming to life.
A bad premonition struck Yang Kai’s body at that moment and before he knew it, he found himself in an empty void with only the giant silver moon hanging above him, staring down at him like a huge eye; cold and majestic.
The silver moon’s brilliance flashed and penetrated straight into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, slowing his thoughts and causing his strength to slowly dissipate.
The brilliance of this silver moon not only affected his mind but even his physical body.
Yang Kai was startled and realized that no matter who it was, he couldn’t underestimate any Origin King. Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai took a deep breath, stretched out his hand to bite his fingertip, and wiped the drop of blood he drew over his left eye.
The next moment, a dazzling golden light burst out from his left eye and it transformed into a majestic pupil. This golden eye was long and narrow and carried with it an aura of absolute destruction.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Yang Kai poured his Spiritual Energy into his left eye madly to stimulate the power of his Demon Eye of Annihilation as he stared at the silver moon hanging high in the sky.
No matter what kind of magical technique conjured up this silver moon, it was still being displayed by Qian Yan, so as long as Yang Kai could overpower Qian Yan, the silver moon would break!
The Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil carried with it the power to shatter the moon while the Demon Eye of Annihilation exuded a pure aura of destruction. The two bizarre eye powers began clashing in this illusory space.
Spiritual Energy surged madly as a terrifying golden light radiated from Yang Kai’s left eye, condensing into a beam that was nearly tangible as it shot towards the silvery moon in the sky.
The silver moon trembled slightly and showed some signs of instability, but it returned to its original state in the next moment. From the silver moon, thousands of strands of silver brilliance scattered forth like willow branches to greet the golden light of destruction.
The gold and silver light met.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Violent explosions rang out endlessly.
Yang Kai’s body shook wildly!
Although he could not see Qian Yan and did not know what his condition was, Yang Kai was confident that he would not be bested in this violent clash of Spiritual Energies.
This was not just a competition of eye powers, but also the strength of Soul cultivation.
In terms of pupil power, Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation did not match up to Qian Yan’s Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil. This was not to say that the Demon Eye of Annihilation was inferior, but rather that Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation was something he acquired from an inheritance and wasn’t something he was born with or cultivated himself.
On the other hand, Qian Yan’s Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil was an innate Divine Ability he was born with and had been tempering for thousands of years.
How could Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation compare? Naturally, it fell short.
However, Yang Kai’s Soul itself was definitely stronger than Qian Yan’s; after all, the Soul Warming Lotus had been nurturing his Soul for so many years that now his Divine Sense was no less powerful than a Third-Order Origin King’s.
Each side had its own advantages and disadvantages, so their battle was quite even. All around, gold and silver light clashed, forming a kind of stalemate in the air. One side would retreat while the other advanced, only for the momentum to shift in the next instant in a continuous cycle…
Like some kind of damn had broken, Spiritual Energy flooded out in a raging torrent.
Blood soon began to leak from Yang Kai’s left eye, covering half his face in glowing golden light, a strange and hideous sight to behold.
Yang Kai quickly realized that his situation was worrying.
If he was only fighting Qian Yan, this kind of competition wouldn’t be too big a problem. Whoever could persist longer would ultimately win or at worst, both sides would wind up suffering some degree of loss.
However, at this moment, he was facing two enemies! In addition to Qian Yan, there is also a Xue Jiao.
Yang Kai did not believe Xue Jiao would let off such a good opportunity to attack him.
Realizing this, Yang Kai no longer hesitated. Taking a deep breath, while continuing to push his Spiritual Energy wantonly, Yang Kai split his Divine Sense and used it to activate his stronger Soul Secret Technique, “Blossoming Lotus!”
As soon as these words fell, a lotus bud suddenly appeared in his golden left eye.
This lotus bud disappeared in the next instant though.
On the silver moon hanging high in the sky, the previous lotus bud mysteriously appeared.
Suddenly, like a great vortex, this lotus bud began madly absorbing Qian Yan’s Spiritual Energy, blossoming as it did.
Looking up, the silver moon seemed to have become a lotus flower that was in the process of blooming, making a radiant and beautiful scene.
An unbelievably miserable howl rang out in the next moment as the silver moon in the sky began to warp; however, no matter how it struggled, it was incapable of getting rid of the blossoming lotus’ entanglement.
In just three breaths of time, the lotus flower had half blossomed and the power the silver moon was able to exert to counteract the golden light had greatly reduced. Yang Kai’s expression turned fierce as he pushed his Spiritual Energy even harder than before.
*Peng…*
With a crisp sound, the huge silver moon high up in the sky shattered like a plate.
“Ah!” Qian Yan’s roar rang out at the same time.
The illusion surrounding Yang Kai suddenly cracked apart, returning him to the place he had originally been standing.
Before Yang Kai could recover though, he felt a deep chill overcome him and all his pores contracted involuntarily, as if death itself was approaching him.
“Boy, why aren’t you running!” Chi Yue’s soft voice rang out in his ears.
“Run? Where can you run?” Xue Jiao laughed wildly, “Chi Yue, you were able to stop me once, but let us see if you can stop me a second time! If you do not show yourself, this boy will die right now!”
As he shouted, a fist-sized blood-coloured bead that carried with it a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power shot towards Yang Kai’s chest.
The blood-coloured bead contained an unimaginable amount of raging vitality. It was Xue Jiao’s Monster Core he had spat out earlier.
He knew that Yang Kai’s physique was incredibly powerful and that ordinary techniques would all be rendered useless, so when Yang Kai was trapped by Qian Yan with the Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil, Xue Jiao had directly used his Monster Core to bombard Yang Kai.
The Monster Core of a Monster Race was stronger than any kind of artifact of the same level. This time, even if Yang Kai’s body was intrepid, he was certain to at least suffer severe injuries if not die directly.
This Monster Core was not very big, but it still felt like a giant mountain was hurtling towards Yang Kai at an incredibly fast speed.
By the time Yang Kai regained his senses, the Monster Core was already less than a metre away from him.
In order to end the battle with Qian Yan quickly, Yang Kai had consumed a great deal of his Spiritual Energy, so at this critical moment, he had a splitting headache and was unable to focus enough to use his Space Force to teleport away.
Seeing the Monster Core about to hit, Yang Kai grit his teeth and a thought flashed as he summoned a certain item.
A single scale the size of a palm suddenly appeared atop Yang Kai’s chest.
There were profound and mysterious patterns adorning this scale’s surface and it gave off an ancient and desolate feeling.
The Monster Core struck in the next moment.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai was hit by a huge force and flew out. Xue Jiao saw this scene and could not help being overjoyed and was just about to check whether Yang Kai was alive or dead when suddenly he heard a very slight crack.
When he heard this sound, Xue Jiao felt as if he was struck by lightning and his entire complexion changed drastically. Involuntarily, he opened his mouth and sprayed out a cloud of blood as his aura rapidly diminished.
“My Core!” Xue Jiao cried out with a pale face as his eyes fixed onto it and shrank dramatically.
There was a crack in his Monster Core, and although this crack was small, a Monster Core was so important to a Monster Race cultivator that even such a small crack caused Xue Jiao to suffer severe damage.
As if he had been thrown into a frigid blizzard, Xue Jiao felt cold all over as he could not understand what method Yang Kai had used just now to cause such damage to his Monster Core.
He vaguely saw a little bit of the situation and thought he saw Yang Kai summon something that looked like a fish scale in the last moment, but he was not certain.
But regardless of how it happened, the most important thing right now was to take back his Monster Core. Xue Jiao’s thoughts flashed as he summoned his Monster Core back, but before he could achieve this, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared in front of the Monster Core and snatched it with his hand.
Xue Jiao roared, “In your dreams!”
As he shouted, he desperately urged his strength to recall his Monster Core.
In an instant, the Monster Core of the Second-Order Origin King Realm master seemed to come alive and struggled fiercely to escape Yang Kai’s grasp.
The force it was able to exert was so great that Yang Kai almost lost control of it.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai suddenly growled and accompanied by a loud dragon roar, his arm suddenly inflated to twice its original size and his Saint Qi condensed into a layer of dragon scales. In an instant, his arm transformed into the appearance of a dragon claw.
Dragon Pressure billowed out.
Xue Jiao suddenly froze in place, not daring to move as he stared at Yang Kai blankly, his jaw hanging loosely, flapping as if he wanted to say something but was unable to form the words, pure shock filling his eyes.
His originally restless Monster Core also did not dare to move rashly once it was subjected to the thick Dragon Pressure. Instead, it was tremblingly as it was pinched in the palm of Yang Kai’s hand, seemingly instinctually feeling fear.
“Dragon Source! You actually have a true Dragon Source!” To the side, Qian Yan exclaimed and his nearly hundred eyes all bulged as they stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
His confrontation with Yang Kai just now also left him seriously injured, especially after he suffered a blow from Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique. That one technique had nearly drained all his Spiritual Energy. Qian Yan had been expecting Xue Jiao to end things for him, but how could he have known that Yang Kai still had other cards to play, including a True Dragon Source, something all Monster Race masters coveted!
“You’re human though, how could you have a Dragon Source?” Qian Yan’s voice was almost frantic and was laced with both anger and jealousy, “What’s more, you can actually use its power!”
Qian Yan could not help feeling a strong sense of powerlessness in his heart at this moment. The more he fought with Yang Kai, the less he was able to see his opponent’s bottom line.
Even after using a true Dragon Source strength now, Qian Yan faintly felt this was not Yang Kai’s strongest card…
“What kind of Dragon Source do you have?” Qian Yan asked in a low voice.
“Do you think I’d tell you?” Yang Kai smiled mockingly as he played with the Monster Core in his hand. It was quite strange, this Monster Core was originally quite unruly, but after Yang Kai showed the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, it suddenly became like a well-behaved rabbit. Even if he tossed it casually like this, it did not dare to fly away.
Nearby, Xue Jiao could not stop shivering.
This could not be helped since his Flood Dragon clan was descended from authentic Dragons, so there was a trace of Dragon blood in his veins.
What Yang Kai was displaying now was not only a legitimate Dragon Source aura, but one that belonged to the most powerful among all Dragons: the Golden Divine Dragon.
This aura had a natural and almost absolute suppression on Xue Jiao.
As such, Xue Jiao’s performance was far worse than Qian Yan’s at the moment.
Yang Kai played with Xue Jiao’s Monster Core while looking at the two Tribal Lords with great interest. His eyes made the two Tribal Lords feel cold as they could not tell what he was plotting now.
In fact, what Yang Kai was debating was whether he should kill them directly and refine them into Blood Beasts or take their Monster Cores first before refining them into Blood Beasts.
The Monster Core of a Second-Order Origin King was extremely rare and valuable, but without it, the Blood Beasts he could refine would certainly be weaker. However, if he completely refined them into Blood Beasts, he would not be able to use these Monster Cores…
This made Yang Kai hesitate as he was having a difficult time choosing what to do.
Unfortunately, just as he was debating to himself, Chi Yue’s voice suddenly came from Half-Moon Mountain, “Boy, let them go.”
As soon as Chi Yue said this, not only was Yang Kai stunned, but even Xue Jiao and Qian Yan were shocked and could not help turning to stare dumbly at Half-Moon Mountain.
None of them thought that Chi Yue would say such a thing.
After a long time, Yang Kai frowned and asked, “Senior, what are your intentions here?”
“I’m asking you to let them go,” Chi Yue’s voice spoke with extreme indifference, revealing no resentment or anger, as if she were speaking about some triviality, “Xue Jiao and Qian Yan have indeed offended me, but they are both Monster Race Tribal Lords in the end. If they die here, the strength of my Monster Race will drop sharply, which will be bad for my Monster Emperor Star.”
Hearing her say these words, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan could not help feeling somewhat excited and ashamed at the same time.
Compared with Chi Yue’s broad-mindedness, her concern for the Monster Race and Monster Emperor Star as a whole, their actions today felt a bit too petty.
“Beat the snake to death to avoid future calamity, let the tiger return to the mountain to court future disaster. Senior, have you thought this through clearly?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan immediately glared at Yang Kai, thinking that Chi Yue was already willing to let them go so why was a foreign human still making trouble!
Chi Yue snorted, “Does this Queen need you to teach her this truth? However, after receiving this lesson today, they will both need to enter retreat for at least ten years before they can recover. As for ten years from now… hehe, if I tell them to face east, would they dare face west?”
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan glanced at each other and both saw the extremely ugly look on their faces.
Although they were extremely unwilling, they knew that what Chi Yue said was true. Although Chi Yue only made a single move just now, the two Monster Race Tribal Lords vaguely felt that Chi Yue was close to breaking through, so as long as she was given just a bit more time, she would become the sole Monster King on Monster Emperor Star.
Once that happened, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan really would not dare to resist and could only submit to her.
The Monster Race always respected the strong, there was no greater truth!
At this point, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan both felt completely deflated and lost all fighting spirit. Cupping their fists, they weakly called out, “If we can escape this tribulation today, we will only obey Lady Monster King in the future, not uttering a single complaint!”
They even changed how they addressed Chi Yue.
“Your attitude changed quite quickly,” Yang Kai looked at them in astonishment.
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan blushed slightly before glaring towards Yang Kai.
“Since you’ve come to this understanding, this Queen will spare your lives today!” Chi Yue coldly snorted.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty!” Xue Jiao and Qian Yan looked overjoyed as they offered their thanks.
Yang Kai grinned at that moment though and called out, “Don’t be so happy yet, Senior Chi Yue said she would let you go, but I didn’t. Your lives are still in my hands.”
“Boy, what do you want?” Qian Yan looked up and asked angrily.
Xue Jiao also had a sullen face, but with his Monster Core still being held by Yang Kai, even if he was upset, he did not dare to say anything.
“I want… to cut out the weeds and pull-out its roots!” Yang Kai smiled evilly.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both involuntarily took a step back as they stared at Yang Kai warily.
“Ha…” Chi Yue sighed. “Boy, don’t scare them. Speak, what conditions do you need to let them go? If you wanted to end things once and for all, you wouldn’t bother with so much nonsense.”
“Senior seems to be misunderstanding me, I really do want to cut down the weeds and pull out its roots. Leaving them alive has no benefit to me after all. Don’t forget, their sons died at my hand, and such enmity is not easily resolved.”
“They both have so many heirs it doesn’t matter if one or two die!” Chi Yue sneered.
Although Qian Yan and Xue Jiao wore ugly expressions, they still nodded sharply.
“Then…” Yang Kai touched his chin and thought for a while, “If they swear, they won’t seek revenge against me in the future, I can let them go.”
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both exchanged a glance and immediately nodded before swearing an oath on their ancestors that they would never find trouble with Yang Kai in the future.
Chi Yue said, “Although my Monster Race is cruel and warlike, they place great importance on their ancestral heritage. No Monster Race would dare to violate such an oath, otherwise they will be ostracized by the entire Monster Race!”
“Alright then, they can go,” Yang Kai grinned and waved at Xue Jiao and Qian Yan.
Xue Jiao however continued to stare at Yang Kai eagerly and shout, “My Monster Core!”
“I’ll be keeping this Monster Core,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Just kill me then,” Xue Jiao snapped angrily.
Chi Yue sighed once more, “Boy, stop making trouble, give him back his Monster Core.”
Yang Kai wore a speechless look as he objected, “Senior, after exerting so much effort, I can’t leave without gaining any benefits, right? The price I paid just now wasn’t small.”
“Little bastard! You were just waiting for this Queen to mention this all along!” Chi Yue suddenly cursed as she understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
“What does Senior mean? I don’t understand at all?” Yang Kai said with an innocent expression on his face.
“Just tell me what you want!”
“I only want this Monster Core!” Yang Kai said with a firm expression.
“Lady Monster King, please enforce justice for me,” Xue Jiao turned to Half-Moon Mountain and called out pitifully, almost shedding tears.
He had spent thousands of years cultivating to reach his current achievements, but if his Monster Core was taken away by Yang Kai now, not only would his cultivation fall to below the Origin Realm, but he would also most likely never be able to take another step forward again in the future.
To Xue Jiao, this kind of fate was worse than death.
As such, he could only ask Chi Yue for help.
“Enough!” Chi Yue shouted, clearly quite annoyed, “Boy, return his Monster Core to him and I’ll give you three First-Order Origin King Monster Cores.”
“How about five?” Yang Kai bargained.
“It seems that you don’t want to see Qing Luo ever again…” Chi Yue said lightly, but from her tone, anyone could tell she was grinding her teeth at this moment.
“En… Since Senior has spoken, so be it,” Yang Kai said in an upright tone before tossing the Monster Core in his hand towards Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao caught it in a hurry, checked it carefully, and then swallowed it down after confirming that it was not in any danger, only then feeling relieved.
“You two scram, and remember: If you ever try something like this again, this Queen won’t be so forgiving!” Chi Yue declared firmly.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao had already suffered greatly here so they did not dare to object, simply cupping their fists before withdrawing.
After they left, Chi Yue snorted, “Little Bastard, you dare to blackmail this Queen? Just you wait for me!”
Yang Kai grinned happily.
“Come inside first.”
As Chi Yue’s voice fell, a hole in the barrier around Half-Moon Mountain immediately opened, leading to the inside.
From the clouds above, two Starships also sailed down.
A short time later, Yang Kai and the two Starships entered Half-Moon Mountain together and landed in the square.
Ba He, Yu Xiong, Shen Tu, and all the others disembarked one after another and stared at Yang Kai like he was some kind of monster.
Yu Xiong even gave Yang Kai a big thumbs up with a look of admiration.
Just now, all of them had clearly watched the battle between Yang Kai and the two Tribal Lords.
Facing two opponents who were also at the Second-Order Origin King Realm, not only had Yang Kai not fallen into a disadvantage, but he held absolute superiority and gained control over the enemy’s life or death in the end. It was an unthinkable outcome.
Even if it had been a Third-Order Origin King, they probably could not have done any better.
Yang Kai was a Second-Order Origin King, but just a few years ago he was nothing more than an Origin Realm cultivator. In other words, it had not taken him long to reach his current realm and achieve such shocking strength. After his realm fully stabilized, wouldn’t he be comparable to a Third-Order Origin King?
Shen Tu and the others were also shocked. Although Yang Kai had faced off against a master like Kuang Shi Zong back on Purple Star City, the two of them hadn’t really fought at the time as Yang Kai mainly used his helpers to threaten to destroy Purple Star City, forcing Kuang Shi Zong to compromise.
It was completely different from this head-on competition.
“Lady Tribal Lord has passed orders. It is not convenient for her to see you today, so she asks you to wait a few days. Once her condition stabilizes, she will call for you,” Ba He stepped forward and said to Yang Kai.
“No problem,” Yang Kai nodded.
He also knew that Chi Yue’s retreat would have been disturbed by today’s matters, and although the effects on her would not be great, she still needed some time to fully settle.
As such, he did not care too much.
Then, under the arrangements of Ba He and the others, the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Yang Kai were assigned living spaces inside Half-Moon Mountain.
There was no special treatment given to them, but also no particular restrictions either.
Yang Kai soon found that he was assigned lodging not far from Shan Qing Luo’s residence and understood that this was specially arranged by Chi Yue.
At night, when everything had quieted down, Yang Kai sat cross-legged in his room and used his Divine Sense to observe Shan Qing Luo’s palace cautiously.
Today’s battle had been quite dynamic, but it still did not have any effect on Shan Qing Luo. It was conceivable that she was at a critical juncture of her retreat at this moment and had blocked out all disturbances from the outside world.
Outside the palace where Shan Qing Luo lived, there were several powerful barriers activated.
However, in front of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, these barriers were as useful as air, so he easily broke past them.
On the second floor of the palace, Yang Kai saw Shan Qing Luo.
This seductive queen was even more elegant than before. When he had first met her, she was also able to fascinate anyone who laid eyes upon her, and with the improvement of her cultivation and the further integration of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source into her being, this enchantress’ charms were so strong it almost created a tangible aura around her body.
Even a man as stalwart as Yang Kai could not help becoming slightly lost as he gazed upon her.
It was like she was a great vortex that could suck in the gaze and even Divine Sense of any man, making them unable to extricate themselves.
At this moment, Shan Qing Luo sat cross-legged in a sleeveless robe, gently forming a series of seals with her jade white hands.
Yang Kai’s attention involuntarily lingered on those supple and bright arms for a while…
There was a profound Spirit Array depicted below Shan Qing Luo’s body, which was clearly activated as well as several Domain Stones lingering around her, their energy slowly being drawn into her body.
Around Shan Qing Luo, there was already an embryonic form of Domain that pulsed and fluctuated.
For an Origin Realm cultivator to break through to the Origin King Realm, the most difficult hurdle was not the accumulation of Saint Qi, but the comprehension of Domain.
Only by comprehending the mysteries of Domain could a cultivator break through their shackles and reached a new height.
In order to achieve this, an Origin Realm cultivator needed to condense their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage before slowly transforming it into a Domain.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai’s expression became warm.
Shan Qing Luo’s performance was truly worthy of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source she had absorbed. Her aptitude had undergone a terrifying improvement as a result, and her Shi was now beginning its transformation to Domain. As long as she had enough time, she would break through to the Origin King Realm as soon as the opportunity arrived!
Among the women Yang Kai knew in his early years, Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang undoubtedly had the best aptitude.
After all, she had a Special Constitution, the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, that gave her an extraordinary advantage over ordinary people, as well as a limitless future.
Second place would have to go to the seductive queen Shan Qing Luo. This enchantress also possessed a Special Constitution, but her physique was slightly flawed and not as useful as Xia Ning Chang’s.
High Heaven Pavilion’s Eldest Senior Sister Su Yan would be ranked third.
This was simply an innate disadvantage though, not because Su Yan’s aptitude was poor in any way.
However, it now seemed like there was already no difference in terms of cultivation aptitude between these three women.
Needless to say, Xia Ning Chang had refined Tong Xuan Realm’s Star Source and, coupled with her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, was now a Star Master. Her life was closely tied to Tong Xuan Realm, the two sharing both honour and disgrace.
The future of any Star Master was extraordinarily bright.
As for Shan Qing Luo, she had absorbed the Source of an Ancient Divine Spirit Variant, Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, not only making up for the flaws in her Special Constitution but also dramatically improving her own talent. The Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was no ordinary existence, it had the power to fight on par with Divine Spirits. In ancient times, it was also a hegemon that could not be underestimated.
As for Su Yan, with her Ice Phoenix Source and the Ice Heart Secret Art she cultivated in Ice Heart Valley, she had acquired an Ice Crystal Jade Body Special Constitution, and after entering the Heavenly Blessing’s Frozen Pond, she had obtained Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder, Bing Yun’s, Profound Frost Divine Sword. In terms of capability and potential, she was no worse than the former two now.
The best proof of this was that the cultivations of these three women were now all equal at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Shan Qing Luo was already preparing to break through to the Origin King Realm on Monster Emperor Star, and Yang Kai was confident that Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang were definitely not idling away in High Heaven Sect.
Now that Shadowed Star’s World Principles had been perfected, as long as they were sufficiently prepared, these two women would surely break through to the Origin King Realm smoothly.
Thinking so, Yang Kai showed a smile.
He suddenly found that the several women he was closest to had similar strength and aptitude, even including Xue Yue…
He even wondered who would come out on top if they were to fight…
Immediately after having such thoughts though, Yang Kai shivered and put such a terrifying scenario out of his mind. If these four were to really fight, Yang Kai imagined he would have no choice but to run away as far as he could.
Since Shan Qing Luo was at a critical moment in her breakthrough to the Origin King Realm, Yang Kai did not disturb her. After silently observing her for a moment and confirming that she was well, he quietly withdrew his Divine Sense.
Just as Yang Kai was about to adjust his breathing and calm his mind though, he suddenly raised a brow and looked towards the entrance to his room, flashing a light smile.
There seemed to be some movement outside, like someone was leaning against his door.
Yang Kai waved his hand and the door opened.
A soft cry came out as a figure stumbled into the room.
*Peng…*
The door closed again right after.
This visitor seemed to be a little wary and looked around hastily, but after seeing Yang Kai staring at her with a smile on his face, she could not help grumbling in annoyance.
“Since you wanted to come in, you should have just come in. Why wander around stealthily outside?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter as he stood up and beckoned to the woman, pouring her a cup of tea before setting it down on a nearby table.
The visitor was surprisingly Bi Luo, who had been following Shan Qing Luo as her maidservant.
Bi Luo had been together with Shan Qing Luo since she lived in Fragrance City in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. After that, the two had passed through the altar in the Spider Mother’s Den and travelled to Monster Emperor Star. Now, Bi Luo still accompanied Shan Qing Luo and had even followed her to enter the Emperor Garden some years ago.
Yang Kai had a profound impression of this woman who disliked men and was only attracted to women…
“Who are you accusing of acting stealthily?” Bi Luo snorted as she stared at Yang Kai with her sharp eyes, seemingly about to attack him as she snapped, “If you were aware I was here, why didn’t you call out to me or something instead of suddenly opening the door? Were you trying to scare me?”
“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault. Anyways, sit down and have some tea.” Yang Kai naturally was not stupid enough to quarrel with her over such trivial matters and instead just gestured to the seat in front of him.
Bi Luo took the seat in a huff, picked up the tea and drank it, then sat there without saying a word.
Yang Kai waited for a while, not knowing what Bi Luo was here for. Just as he was about to ask, though, Bi Luo suddenly raised her head and her beautiful eyes flashed with a kind of brilliance as she stared at him and asked excitedly, “I heard from Big Bear that you’re already a Second-Order Origin King. Is that true?”
“Big Bear…” Yang Kai had a strange look on his face, but suddenly that cheap elder brother-in-law of his, Yu Xiong, appeared in his mind as he smiled and nodded, “Yes.”
“No wonder you seem so much stronger than before,” Bi Luo stretched out her jade white hand carelessly and patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, a cheerful expression on her face. “Mistress’ vision is indeed exceptionally good, you’re a promising young man.”
Her expression and demeanour were completely natural at this moment, as if she was his elder and was paying him a comment for doing well.
Yang Kai just smiled warmly at this sight.
With his current identity and cultivation, except for a few old monsters who had not yet died of old age, only Bi Luo would dare talk to him like this.
But Yang Kai was not annoyed at this; instead, he was rather happy. After all, they had all come from the same tiny world, so there was a sense of comradery between them that was difficult to explain.
“You need to keep working hard to get stronger, otherwise, how will you protect Mistress in the future?”
“Yes, yes,” Yang Kai nodded nonchalantly, revealing a studious appearance.
Bi Luo squinted at him as her eyes flashed, seeming very satisfied with his performance.
However, Yang Kai keenly discovered that under Bi Luo’s seemingly happy face, there was some well-concealed sadness.
After a little thought, Yang Kai understood why Bi Luo was like this. Realizing this, he smiled and said, “You’re not bad either, you’ve already reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.”
Bi Luo’s innate aptitude was actually not very good. Putting aside the Great Han Dynasty, where her talent was top-notch, her aptitude was at best mediocre when considering the standards of the Star Field.
However, after following Shan Qing Luo to Monster Emperor Star through the altar and encountering the remains of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, when Shan Qing Luo had absorbed its Source, Bi Luo had reaped some benefits as well. Supplemented with the wealth of Red Moon Territory, she was able to reach the Origin Returning Realm without too much difficulty.
If she had not had such an opportunity and environment, she might still be a First or Second-Order Saint King.
“So what if I’m First-Order Origin Returning Realm?” Bi Luo laughed at herself, “Mistress is about to break through to the Origin King Realm… I don’t know how much longer I will be able to follow her.”
[So that’s it!]
Listening to the frustration in her tone, Yang Kai immediately knew that his guess was right. Bi Luo was obviously worried about the gap between her and Shan Qing Luo getting wider and wider, which was why she had such a mirthless aura about her.
Although her friendship with Shan Qing Luo was not ordinary. If there was too much difference in their strength, she would only become a burden to Shan Qing Luo if she continued to follow her.
Just like the Blood Prison Trial, Bi Luo was unable to accompany Shan Qing Luo because she was too weak.
With how much she cared about Shan Qing Luo, how could Bi Luo be willing to let Shan Qing Luo worry about her? When the gap between Shan Qing Luo and her got big enough, perhaps Bi Luo would just silently disappear.
Understanding this, Yang Kai only thought about it for a moment before smiling slightly and asking, “Are there no suitable Secret Arts or Secret Techniques for you here on Monster Emperor Star?”
Bi Luo nodded and replied, “Exactly. This is Monster Emperor Star, so with Mistress bearing the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source, she can be considered a Half-Monster Race and the Supreme Secret Arts and Secret Techniques here meant for the Monster Race suit her perfectly, but I cannot find one that is suitable for me. Although there are some human Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in Chi Yue’s palace, they are not high grade. I’m already using the best one available, but its effects aren’t ideal.”
Bi Luo looked quite upset.
“I have some here,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Bi Luo immediately raised her head to look at him, her beautiful eyes bursting with amazing light as she immediately reached out her hand with no trace of politeness, “Give it to me quickly, I’ll remember your favour for a lifetime.”
Black lines filled Yang Kai’s forehead when he heard her say these words, thinking they sounded a bit wrong.
Bi Luo also seemed to have noticed she was being a bit abrupt and apologized by spitting out her tongue playfully and saying, “If it’s convenient, could you teach them to me? I’ll treasure this favour and will no longer speak ill of you in front of Mistress.”
“You still speak ill of me in front of Qing Luo?!” Yang Kai was furious.
Bi Luo curled his lips and said, “Mistress is completely set on you, so she just treats anything I say as a joke…”
“And what exactly have you told her?” Yang Kai asked with some trepidation.
“Everything. There are no secrets between Mistress and me,” Bi Luo looked at Yang Kai innocently, with a naive expression on her face.
“Including that time in the…”
“Don’t mention that again! That is the single greatest shame of my life!” Bi Luo glared at Yang Kai in annoyance, her face flushing as she spoke as she subconsciously licked the corner of her lips, as if there was something there…
“Ha… to be young and frivolous again!” Yang Kai sighed heavily.
Bi Luo suddenly became uncomfortable. If not for her desperate desire for Yang Kai to give her a Secret Art suitable for Humans, she likely would have flown out the door already. Whenever she thought back on that day, she could not help wanting to find a hole to crawl into and never come out again.
Although several dozen years had already passed, she could still clearly recall that unique flavour…
“Enough, enough, let’s stop mentioning this matter and just pretend it never happened,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Bi Luo shrank back into her chair and nodded fiercely, even the tips of her ears now burning a deep crimson red.
“Let me see which of the Five Elements your body aligns with!” Yang Kai said as he stretched out his hand and placed two fingers on Bi Luo’s wrist.
Bi Luo remained motionless, allowing Yang Kai to investigate.
Soon after, Yang Kai opened his mouth and said, “En… of the Five Elements your constitution is most suited to fire as I expected.”
Bi Luo has always been somewhat irritable and impatient, which matched with the Fire Attribute.
“I cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art before and felt that I could do so much faster than with any other element,” Bi Luo said.
“That’s natural. Everyone’s body is different and has its own affinity with the five elements. If you are aligned towards the Fire Attribute, you should naturally cultivate a Fire Attribute Secret Art. Let me see if there is anything suitable for you to use.”
After saying so, Yang Kai began rummaging through his Space Ring.
Bi Luo waited expectantly, not daring to interrupt.
The Secret Arts and Secret Techniques Yang Kai possessed were all collected from Purple Star’s Vault.
How could the things placed in Purple Star’s Vault possibly be bad? It could be said that every Secret Art and set of Secret Techniques was a part of Purple Star’s core inheritance.
Yang Kai originally planned to bring these things back to High Heaven Sect to broaden the number of choices High Heaven Sect’s disciples had, but since Bi Luo needed one, Yang Kai was not going to be stingy.
Not long after, an ancient book appeared in Yang Kai’s hand and he tossed it over to Bi Luo while saying, “This Fire Crow Heaven Piercing Record should be suitable for you. Take a look.”
Bi Luo smiled happily, quickly grabbed it, and began flipping through it.
Yang Kai supplemented on the side, “This Secret Art has three parts to it and is exceptional. The first section alone is enough to support you reaching the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and forming pure Fire Attribute Saint Qi in your body. The second part will allow you to reach the Second-Order Origin King Realm. If you can find a Fire Crow Monster Core or Source, after refining it into your body, you’ll be able to improve your compatibility with this Secret Art further and reach the Third-Order Origin King realm. As for the third section of the art, it contains several associated Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. You can cultivate it at your discretion.”
When he was looking for a Secret Art just now, Yang Kai also glanced through this one and had a rough idea of its contents. Feeling it was quite suitable for Bi Luo, he had brought it out.
The strength of this Fire Crow Heaven Piercing Record could only be fully realized if one could find a Fire Crow Monster Core or Source to increase its power.
The Fire Crow was a kind of Ancient Divine Spirit Variant, and although it wasn’t as famous as the Dragon or Phoenix, and was even weaker than the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, it was still on the same level as the Xie Zhi. Rumour had it that this ancient Monster Beast could trace its lineage to the Fire Phoenix, but whether that was true or not was impossible to tell.
With the help of a Fire Crow’s Monster Core or Source, the power of this Secret Art would increase by at least ten percent.
This was a massive improvement for such a high-grade Secret Art.
When Yang Kai’s words reached her ears, Bi Luo was overjoyed and began happily flipping through the ancient book, as if she could not wait to start cultivating.
A Fire Crow’s Monster Core or Source may be difficult to find elsewhere, but this was Monster Emperor Star, a paradise for the Monster Race, so there was a decent chance a Fire Crow or one of its bloodlines could be found here.
It was for this reason that Yang Kai specially chose this Secret Art for Bi Luo.
Bi Luo finished browsing through the Secret Art very quickly before solemnly placing the Fire Crow Heaven Piercing Record into her Space Ring, turning her beautiful eyes to Yang Kai, and gently saying, “Thank you!”
“There’s no need for that,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, “You have been accompanying Qing Luo this whole time, never leaving her side. It’s what I should do to thank you.”
“It’s only natural for me to be with Mistress. I will not forget this favour. In the future, when I have the opportunity, I will thank you properly.”
Yang Kai did not say anything more.
Bi Luo obviously could not wait any longer and quickly got up while saying, “Then you have a good rest, I’m going to start comprehending this Secret Art.”
“En, go,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
After Bi Luo left, Yang Kai thought for a while before taking out his Purple Origin Furnace as well as a lot of precious herbs and began performing Alchemy.
Time flew by and soon a few days had passed.
On this day, Yang Kai was still in the middle of Alchemy when he suddenly heard Chi Yue’s voice in his ear, “Boy, come to my room!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed before he raised his head quickly, smiled, and called out, “I’ll be there in a moment, Senior.”
And so, after finishing the pill he was refining, Yang Kai packed up his things and headed towards Chi Yue’s bedroom.
He had visited Chi Yue’s residence once before so, naturally, he knew the way and did not need anyone to lead the way.
However, after he entered the central palace, Yang Kai found that the innermost room was blocked by a powerful barrier and a mysterious energy fluctuation radiated out from inside of it. Through this barrier, Yang Kai could vaguely see Chi Yue’s outline.
He knew immediately that Chi Yue was still in retreat and had simply split some of her attention to meet with him.
“I heard Yu Xiong say you came to Monster Emperor Star for a specific purpose? What did you want to see me about?” Chi Yue’s voice came from the front.
Yang Kai put on a serious look and said, “This isn’t something that can be made clear with a few words, but if Senior reads this, it should be sufficient for her to understand.”
Saying so, Yang Kai took out a jade slip from his Space Ring and used his Divine Sense to engrave some information into it before tossing it out.
The barrier in front of him opened slightly to allow the slip to pass through before it closed again.
Silence followed as Yang Kai knew that Chi Yue was investigating the jade slip, but he did not urge her and instead just stood by quietly.
After some time, the energy fluctuations from the room suddenly surged, becoming a bit unstable. It seemed that Chi Yue had been greatly stimulated by what she had just read, causing her Saint Qi to become slightly disordered, but she was a master who was on the brink of becoming a Monster King, so she only needed to focus for a moment to suppress these undulations.
A trembling voice soon came from the wing, one filled with shock and disbelief, “Have you seen the Starry Sky Great Emperor with your own eyes? And you lived with her for more than ten years?”
“I have seen the Great Emperor, but the one I lived with was her Embodiment, not her true body.”
“Although this Queen believes you would not deceive her, this is all too difficult to just believe. It’s not that this Queen suspects you, but… what evidence do you have?”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “It’s only natural for Senior to be suspicious. As for evidence though… Is this enough?”
Saying so, Yang Kai took out seven Star Emperor Tokens as well as the Annihilation Thunder Bead!
As the Emperor Pressure spread out, Yang Kai tried his best to use his Domain to suppress it, lest it interfere with Chi Yue.
That did nothing to dampen Chi Yue’s shock though as she gasped, “You’ve collected so many Star Emperor Tokens already? And what is that bead which is giving off such terrifying Thunder Attribute aura?”
“An Emperor Artifact! The Annihilation Thunder Bead,” Yang Kai faintly explained, “It was one of the Great Emperor’s personal artifacts, but she gave it to me.”
“It’s actually an Emperor Artifact!” Chi Yue exclaimed. If it were not for her being at a critical moment of her retreat, she would have rushed out to get a closer look. Even so, her voice clearly portrayed her shock.
“Senior seems to have heard of Emperor Artifacts.”
“This Queen is many times your age, why wouldn’t she have heard of them?” Chi Yue coldly snorted, but soon, a voice filled with envy called out, “You actually possess one of the Great Emperor’s artifacts. It seems what you wrote down on this jade slip is true.”
“Junior naturally wouldn’t joke with Senior about this kind of matter,” Yang Kai said sincerely.
“En, so like you’ve said, there are many other Star Fields like our own but because there is a powerful barrier separating them, we cannot cross over to them or even detect them?”
“I haven’t confirmed this, but the Great Emperor told me about it herself.”
“Since the Great Emperor said so, it must be right. Above the Star Field, there is the Star Boundary? And above the Origin King Realm, there is a higher realm?”
“Indeed!”
“Haha…” Chi Yue laughed suddenly as she quickly said, “This Queen really did not guess wrong. There is no end to the Martial Dao, who can truly stand at its peak? There are still greater heights to reach after the Origin King Realm!”
Her tone was filled with enthusiasm and excitement, seemingly quite happy to be able to verify one of her long-held conjectures.
Yang Kai understood how she felt at this moment. Any cultivator who yearned for strength would suffer a devastating blow if they learned that the Martial Dao really had an end to it. Knowing there were still greater heights to strive for though, any cultivator who yearned to improve themselves would feel great stimulation in their heart.
“Boy, you came to Monster Emperor Star to find this Queen because you lack the manpower to open the road to the Star Boundary?” Chi Yue suddenly asked softly.
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded and replied, “According to what the Great Emperor said, if you want to open the way to the Star Boundary, first you need to gather all nine Star Emperor Tokens; that shouldn’t be a big problem though as I already have seven.”
“What about the remaining two?”
“One is owned by Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and the other is in Sword Union!”
“Do you have any way to obtain them? You should know that those tokens are relics of the Great Emperor and neither of those two forces will let go of the one they possess easily.”
“Everything depends on one’s own efforts,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Yes. You should try to collect them first. If you fail, after this Queen breaks through to the Monster King Realm, she can go to those two force’s Home Stars and ask them for the Star Emperor Token. I’d like to see if they dare refuse,” Chi Yue said proudly.
Yang Kai’s face quickly turned black, “Just leave this to me, there’s no need for Senior to trouble herself.”
“What about the second requirement for six Third-Order Origin Kings? How many have you found so far?”
“En… I was going to ask Senior, but from your attitude, it seems Junior won’t have to make any attempts at persuasion.”
Yang Kai came to Monster Emperor Star because he wanted Chi Yue’s help. He knew that Chi Yue was already a master at the Second-Order Origin King Realm, and after obtaining the Origin Essence Crystal of Mad Crocodile Monster King, Yang Kai knew Chi Yue would soon be able to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm. There was also still a long time to go before the ten-year period he agreed with Gui Zu on arrived, so one of Yang Kai’s original intention was to visit Monster Emperor Star and talk to Chi Yue.
He had prepared various arguments to try to persuade Chi Yue to help.
But from the meaning of Chi Yue’s words, Yang Kai understood that she was already extremely interested in this matter and there was no need for him to even try to convince her.
“En, you need not say anything more! The Origin King Realm is not the end of this Queen’s Martial Dao. The Great Emperor is the ultimate goal of this Queen. With such a good opportunity before her, how could this Queen possibly pass it up, but… even if you search the entire Star Field, you may not be able to gather six Third-Order Origin Kings. This is a bit difficult.”
Chi Yue understood that gathering six Third-Order Origin Kings was actually more difficult than trying to collect all nine Star Emperor Tokens.
Because no one knew where most Third-Order Origin Kings were hiding, making it all but impossible to find them.
Purple Star had Kuang Shi Zong, but judging from the grievances between Yang Kai and Purple Star, Kuang Shi Zong would definitely not agree to this matter, and even if he did, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to trust him.
“Things aren’t as bleak as they seem,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Senior is one, and Junior can probably fill another spot. In addition, at my Sect, there is another person who is trying to impact the Third-Order Origin King Realm. If he succeeds, there will be three people.”
“Three… that’s still only half!”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I believe that if the news in this jade slip was released, someone will definitely come to seek me out on their own. Senior should also understand that, in the Star Field, those old monsters who had secluded themselves from the world spent all their time searching for a higher Martial Dao, right? Now that I can show them the way, they will definitely be interested.”
“Seems you’ve been planning this for a while.”
“Of course. But this is only a last resort, I will only do this if I can’t gather enough on my own.”
Having such a productive and pleasant conversation with Chi Yue was an unexpected joy for Yang Kai.
Sometime later, Yang Kai informed Chi Yue of the timeframe he had set and then left her palace. Chi Yue also promised to do her best to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm before the appointed time as well as organize everyone on Monster Emperor Star so she could join him to explore a broader, higher world.
The next day, Ba He came to Yang Kai’s room, handed him a Space Ring, and said, “These are the supplies Lady Tribal Lord has promised you. The three Origin King Grade Monster Cores are also inside. This level of Monster Core is scarce even on Monster Emperor Star and are considered rare treasures in the outside world. As for the other materials, you can check whether there are enough, if there are not, I will find what you need.”
Yang Kai took the ring, swept it with his Divine Sense, smiled, and nodded, “Thank Lady Tribal Lord for me, the materials are more than enough.”
“En, okay, but…” Ba He looked at Yang Kai with a slightly dazed expression and asked seriously, “Can you really arrange such an ultra-long-distance Space Array?”
After discussing all the details of his upcoming plan with Chi Yue yesterday, Yang Kai decided to arrange a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array on Monster Emperor Star to connect it with Shadowed Star. This way, once Shan Qing Luo successfully broke through in the future, she could immediately go to Shadowed Star.
Chi Yue was also shocked when Yang Kai informed her of his intentions, and although she found it difficult to believe Yang Kai had such skill, she also had no reason to doubt him, so she quickly ordered Ba He to prepare the necessary materials.
“It’s nothing special!” Yang Kai grinned.
Ba He hurriedly said, “This old master must have a look then. En, come with me.”
For some reason, the news that Yang Kai wanted to arrange a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array was even known to Shen Tu and the others.
When Yang Kai arrived under the guidance of Ba He at a huge open space inside Half-Moon Mountain, Yu Xiong, Shen Tu, Li Nuo, Hua You Meng, Aunt Chun, and various others were all waiting for him.
After seeing Yang Kai, Shen Tu greeted him with excitement, and asked, “Yang Kai, can you really arrange such a magical Space Array that can even cross between Cultivation Stars?”
Everyone else present also looked at him eagerly.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Shen Tu’s jaw dropped before his expression became incredibly excited.
“Don’t make such a big fuss, it’s just a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array,” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
“Just?” Ba He exclaimed in a weird voice from the side, “You underestimate the significance of this kind of thing far too much. All the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays in existence in the Star Field today are ancient relics, most of which are completely broken and useless, unable to be restored. You look down on just how significant a chance this can bring to the Star Field.”
“Indeed!” Shen Tu calmed himself somehow and nodded firmly, “Without mentioning anyone else, just my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce has established businesses across the entire Star Field, but voyages between various Stars take anywhere from three months to five years, wasting a massive amount of time in the process. If there was a network of Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays to connect even just our major Cultivation Stars, our transportation costs would decrease to nearly nothing! The benefits that would bring to the chamber of commerce would be astronomical! Within just a few years, the savings alone would add up to a terrifying amount of wealth!”
“It’s more than just that!” Ba He slowly shook his head as he chimed in, “If Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays could be used, cultivators would be able to more conveniently and safely travel between different Stars. If there was really such a convenient thing, who would risk their life boarding a Starship? At that time, you would only need to charge a fee for using the array and it would still make a lot of money. Yang Kai, don’t underestimate this ability of yours, if this Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array can really be arranged, it would definitely cause earth-shaking changes to the entire Star Field, making you nothing less than a hero to the world!”
Yang Kai took all this in and just nodded lightly.
It was not that he had never thought about this kind of thing, but because it was his own ability, one he had used frequently before, he didn’t think too much of it anymore.
However…
“What are you all so excited for?” Yang Kai looked at Ba He, Shen Tu and others in amazement.
Ba He was taken aback for a moment, but soon smiled and said, “It is this old master’s honour to witness such a momentous occasion, so naturally this old master is excited. It is like seeing a true Dragon suddenly appear in the present. Isn’t it only normal to be excited?”
Yang Kai thought for a while before agreeing with the sentiment.
“Yang Kai, can you help me arrange a few such Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays for Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? Rest assured, the materials and supplies required will be provided by our chamber of commerce and we can give you satisfactory reward,” Shen Tu sincerely asked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was about to simply nod and agree, when suddenly he thought of something, grinned, and said, “That’s naturally not a problem, but…”
“But what?”
“But I want to talk to President Ai Ou personally about this. I actually have something I want to ask him for, so this just happens to suit as a reasonable price for exchange,” Yang Kai smiled and said authentically.
From what Shen Tu said just now, Yang Kai also understood that these Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays he could arrange would have a huge effect on Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Perhaps arranging them could be used as a chip with President Ai Ou to exchange for the Star Emperor Token.
Although the Star Emperor Token was a relic left behind by the Great Emperor, it simply became a useless trophy after it was used. Yang Kai believed President Ai Ou should know how to choose.
What’s more, Yang Kai still had the Star Refining Art Ai Ou desperately wanted!
Thinking of this, Yang Kai felt confident that the Star Emperor Token in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s possession would soon be surnamed Yang.
Even the Star Emperor Token Sword Union had could be exchanged in this way.
Although Sword Union was not as big as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, it still controlled many Cultivation Stars, and if Yang Kai offered to connect them via Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays, he believed that Sword Union’s leadership would definitely agree to his request.
“That’s not a problem, but my father is not someone easy to negotiate with, be careful not to get butchered by him,” Shen Tu chuckled.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Such matters can be discussed later. Right now, this old master wants to witness the creation of a new Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array!” Ba He urged from the side.
Yang Kai nodded and no longer delayed, asking everyone to step back. Next, he began to take out the various necessary materials from his Space Ring and proceed to arrange the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array.
This was a process Yang Kai had done more than once or twice, so he was already quite familiar with it.
Various precious materials were taken out, smelted in Yang Kai’s hands, and then formed into different components before being assembled in order. Two days later, a huge platform had been forged, one that everyone present could feel a mysterious and magical aura pulsing from. Faint ripples began to appear around Yang Kai next as he seemed to be engraving something into the platform with his Divine Sense.
The entire process was quite uneventful to watch because no one present was proficient in Spirit Arrays.
Moreover, even if a real Array Master was present, they may not have been able to understand what was happening.
After all, Yang Kai was using his Space Force to construct the Spirit Array, something which was nigh impossible for others to comprehend just by observing.
However, because they were witnessing the birth of something so extraordinary, no one showed a look of impatience and all just stood quietly to the side, waiting.
Pieces of Space Spirit Crystal flew up next under an invisible power and burst into dust before merging together with the platform.
Ba He was observing silently from start to finish and a quick calculation he made in his head put the value of the materials Yang Kai had consumed in the past few days at 100 million Saint Crystals!
Even considering the entirety of the Star Field, this was a massive expenditure.
However, thinking about the function and purpose of this array, Ba He quickly felt relieved.
By the fifth day, when everything had taken shape, Yang Kai observed silently for a moment with some slight dissatisfaction. Soon after, he took out some Space Spirit Crystals he obtained in the Severed World from his Space Ring.
These Space Spirit Crystals were the ones that were naturally formed in the Void and were completely pure, hundreds if not thousands of times more so than the ones given to him by Ba He.
These pieces of Space Spirit Crystal were also shattered by Yang Kai and turned into a powder that was merged with the Space Array, instantly causing some noticeable changes. From a distance, it looked like the space around the platform was now warping and sinking into the Void.
Yang Kai quickly began the finishing touches.
After another day, everything was complete!
Everyone had been waiting six days now, and after seeing Yang Kai’s finish, they all could not help stepping forward.
“Does this thing… really work?” Yu Xiong asked as he tapped the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array with his finger, “How far away can it teleport someone?”
“This one is directly connected with Shadowed Star where my Sect is located,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. “As for how far that is, I can’t say for sure, but if you were to try to fly there on your own, it would probably take four or five years.”
*Si…*
Yu Xiong drew a sharp breath.
Ba He and the others were equally shocked.
Four or five years was enough time for any cultivator to enter secluded retreat and comprehend a profound Secret Art, cultivate a special Secret Technique, or refine a precious artifact, but with this magical array, all that time could be saved! It was nothing less than shocking.
“Do you want to try?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Of course I have to try it!” Yu Xiong quickly stood in the centre of the platform, an eager and fearless look on his face.
“This old master also wants to go,” Ba He walked up without any hesitation.
“Take me as well,” Shen Tu also sprang out.
“Second Young Master!” Li Nuo was shocked and was about to stop him when Shen Tu simply motioned to her to stop.
“Rest assured, there’s nothing to worry about. Even if something really goes wrong during the transmission, I can bring them back safely from the Void,” Yang Kai smiled confidently before taking out a few materials and beginning to refine something.
After a short while, a set of small tokens appeared in his hand.
“What are those?” Ba He asked thoughtfully as he observed the tokens in Yang Kai’s hand.
“Transmission Tokens!” Yang Kai explained, “Anyone who wants to use a Space Array arranged by me must be holding one of these Transmission Tokens, otherwise they will be exiled to the Void.”
Ba He’s eyes flashed as he quickly understood and said in admiration, “You’ve considered this carefully!”
A Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array did not just bring convenience to one’s own people, it also did so to one’s enemies. If an enemy were to use such an array to launch an invasion, the situation would be dire.
However, with the existence of these Transmission Tokens, this hidden danger could be completely eliminated.
Unless the enemy could collect a large number of such Transmission Tokens.
“Prepare yourselves,” Yang Kai called out before waving his hand and inserting a hundred or so Saint Crystals into the grooves at the base of the Space Array. The next moment, the entire platform began drawing power from these Saint Crystals and activated.
A dazzling light bloomed, and everyone who stayed nearby couldn’t help squinting.
When the light dissipated, everyone looked around and saw that there was no one in the centre of the array. Yang Kai and the others were nowhere to be seen.
Shadowed Star, High Heaven Sect’s main square.
The Space Array flickered, and four figures appeared at the same time.
Yang Kai stood quietly in the centre, smiling at Ba He and the others.
This kind of super long-distance teleportation always brought some physical discomfort to the traveller, and the lower one’s cultivation was, the more obvious the effects were.
Besides Yang Kai, Ba He with his First-Order Origin King cultivation was the strongest, so he was the first to recover, taking about five breaths of time before his eyes cleared up.
After ten more breaths, Shen Tu and Yu Xiong gradually regained their balance.
No matter who it was among the three though, all of them had a look of lingering fear on their faces.
The sensation of ultra-long-distance teleportation was best described as feeling like one was falling into an endless abyss, powerless to resist. Anyone who tried it once would most likely never want to try it again.
“This is the Shadowed Star you mentioned?” Ba He looked around as he released his Divine Sense, looking quite surprised because he discovered that this place turned out to be a true paradise, filled with beautiful mountains and rivers and rich World Energy.
“En, this is High Heaven Sect!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Suddenly, a Divine Sense belonging to an Origin King Realm master swept forth from one of the mountain peaks. This Divine Sense was so strong that it could only belong to a Second-Order Origin King.
The expressions on Ba He and the others could not help changing slightly.
Things had not ended, yet, as another powerful Divine Sense soon swept across them, and although this second Divine Sense wasn’t as tyrannical as the first, it still belonged to a First-Order Origin King.
The first Divine Sense quickly withdrew.
Yang Kai knew that Gui Zu had sensed the movement here, so he released his Divine Sense to investigate, but after discovering that it was Yang Kai, Gui Zu naturally didn’t concern himself any further.
After all, he was in the middle of a retreat at this moment, so he had no time to spare for anything that was not an emergency.
As for the second Divine Sense, which naturally belonged to Ye Xi Yun, it too quickly withdrew.
“Aside from you, your High Heaven Sect actually has another Second-Order Origin King and a First-Order Origin King?” Ba He asked in shock.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, glancing over to see Ye Xi Yun rapidly approaching.
Ba He let out a light gasp after confirming the truth.
He completely had not expected that this High Heaven Sect he had never heard of before actually had such powerful heritage!
Two Second-Order Origin Kings, plus a First-Order Origin King. Although the total number wasn’t very high, Origin Kings were still the highest combat power in the entire Star Field and it was rare to have even a single one in a Sect.
Not only that, there were many Origin Realm masters here, and they also occupied an exquisite cultivation paradise. In time, this High Heaven Sect would likely rise to the same height as the three great forces of the Star Field.
Ba He glanced over at Yang Kai in awe, as if seeing the infinite possibilities of his future.
A beautiful figure flickered and soon landed, taking a quick look at Ba He and the other unknown faces before turning and nodding to Yang Kai, “Sect Master, you’re back!”
“Great Elder, you seem to be well!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Ye Xi Yun nodded, “Many thanks for Sect Master’s concern, this Queen has been quite well. The Sect has also been calm and safe. These three are…”
“This is Senior Ba He and Yu Xiong from Red Moon Territory on Monster Emperor Star, and this is Second Young Master Shen Tu of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. They’re all my friends,” Yang Kai introduced them briefly to Ye Xi Yun.
The two sides then exchanged polite greetings.
Ye Xi Yun then asked, “How long will Sect Master be staying this time?”
“I’ll be departing right away, I just brought them here to test a new Space Array.”
Ye Xi Yun nodded gently, “Sect Master is busy it seems. Don’t forget to take care of your body when you are out.”
“I will, you can return to your own affairs.”
Ye Xi Yun nodded before flying off again.
While Ba He and the others were observing their surroundings, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to check on the current state of his relatives. After a short moment, a cheerful smile appeared on his face as he said, “The test was a success, so let’s head back.”
“Leave now?” Shen Tu’s face changed drastically, “Yang Kai, this can be considered our first visit to your home, so shouldn’t you provide some hospitality? Why don’t we spend a few days here before we leave?”
Yu Xiong nodded frantically to the side.
Even Ba He directed an imploring look towards Yang Kai.
The three of them had not yet recovered completely from the ultra long-distance teleportation yet.
“There’ll be a chance for that in the future,” Yang Kai grinned before immediately activating the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array beneath their feet. A white light flashed as Space Force surged upwards and the four figures disappeared.
The cries of Yu Xiong and Shen Tu were abruptly cut off…
By the time they recovered, they had returned to Half-Moon Mountain.
Li Nuo, Aunt Chun and the others all saw how pale Shen Tu was when he reappeared and quickly flocked to him with concern, their attitudes warm and caring, as if it had been dozens of years since they last met.
Ba He shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Your Space Array is indeed wondrous… but the side-effects of this teleportation are really…”
“Haha, for such convenience, there’s always a price to pay,” Yang Kai laughed.
This was not something that could be avoided unless one cultivated the Dao of Space like Yang Kai. Every teleportation via Space Array would cause discomfort when used, but there was not any permanent harm done.
“It’s as you say,” Ba He thought for a while and agreed with Yang Kai’s statement.
“Since my work here is done, it’s time for me to set off again. En, Senior Ba He, please pass this Space Ring to Bi Luo on my behalf. There are some pills and other things that I refined for her and Qing Luo inside.”
Ba He took it and swept the contents with his Divine Sense, his face immediately filling with shock once more, “You… so much!”
He was a First-Order Origin King and had extremely high status in Red Moon Territory, so the treatment Ba He enjoyed was absolutely one of the best, but he was still dazzled by the array of pills in this ring.
In particular, there were several Origin King Grade Spirit Pills that even he couldn’t help drooling over.
“Senior jests, it’s just a few pills.”
“Aren’t you afraid that this old master would pocket this for himself?” Ba He asked seriously.
Yang Kai just smiled and said, “If I didn’t believe in Senior, I wouldn’t have entrusted them to you.”
Ba He nodded and said with a solemn expression, “You may rest assured, I will safely transfer the contents to that girl, Bi Luo.”
Yang Kai thanked him again before walking towards the port where the Starship was waiting with Shen Tu and the others.
Ba He and Yu Xiong came to see them off.
Soon after, a hum came from the Starship and it slowly rose into the sky. After reaching a certain height, it began to rapidly accelerate and soon broke through into the clouds.
…..
It took at least half a year to travel from Monster Emperor Star to the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, and if there were any delays on the road, that time would only grow longer.
So, after the Starship set sail, Yang Kai entered retreat.
In the previous battle with the two Monster Race Tribal Lords, he had not used any of his helpers or outside boosts, only relying on his own strength and methods. He had not even used his Space Force, yet was still able to decisively defeat his opponents in a one versus two situation.
After that great battle, Yang Kai clearly understood where his bottom line was.
Although he was currently only a Second-Order Origin King, no one in the Second-Order was his opponent anymore, and if he used all his methods, he wouldn’t even need to worry about facing two or three enemies at once.
When facing a Third-Order Origin King, he would need to be more careful, but with his Space Force, he was confident he could escape even if he could not win.
In the battle with the two Monster Race Tribal Lords, Yang Kai had summoned the Dragon Scale he previously refined to block Xue Jiao’s mortal blow, even managing to damage his Monster Core in return. This was a testament to the strength and sturdiness of that Dragon Scale.
However, that was only Yang Kai summoning that scale, not really using it, and a far cry from controlling the innate Divine Abilities of a True Dragon hidden within it.
The Dragon Scale itself was essentially indestructible, and his Soul could only be damaged by someone with Soul cultivation on par with his own, so if Yang Kai could fully comprehend and utilize the Divine Ability contained in that Dragon Scale, he would have unbreakable defences. When facing enemies then, he could simply ignore defence and focus entirely on offence.
So, during the following time, Yang Kai constantly warmed the Dragon Scale in his body with his own Golden Blood and Spiritual Energy, hoping to unearth its true power while at the same time doing the same for the Dragon Bone Sword in anticipation of refining the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead it was made from in the future.
Staying inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai secluded himself from the outside world and devoted himself to meditating, causing time to simply fly by.
Luck favoured them the rest of the journey and no major incidents occurred, only some small Starry Sky Storms and stray asteroids barred their way.
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was Origin Grade High-Rank. It could easily resist Starry Sky Storms and avoid asteroids, so everything went smoothly for the entire trip.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly noticed a knock at his door.
Leaving the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai put away this Emperor Artifact and opened the door.
Outside, Hua You Meng stood quietly. After seeing Yang Kai appear, she took a step back and respectfully said, “Sir, Young Master Shen Tu asked me to inform you that we will soon reach Water Moon Star.”
“That quick!?” Yang Kai was stunned, feeling he had just entered retreat and then suddenly arrived at his destination.
Hua You Meng smiled and informed him, “Seven months have passed since Sir entered retreat…”
Yang Kai nodded, smiled, and said, “If that’s the case, let’s go to the bridge together.”
“Yes!” Hua You Meng nodded meekly before following after Yang Kai.
After walking for a while, Yang Kai suddenly turned around and asked, “By the way, Shen Tu said he would let your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce move into his territory and give you a position as a Head Manager in his place last time. Has there been any developments in this matter?”
Hearing this, Hua You Meng’s heart felt warm and gratefully replied, “Young Master Shen Tu said that once we arrive, he will immediately arrange a place for Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.”
“Have you agreed?”
“Yes, this is our chamber of commerce’s greatest opportunity.”
“Then I will have to congratulate President Hua. This Yang wishes President Hua and your chamber of commerce great fortunes in the future.”
“Many thanks for Sir’s kind words,” Hua You Meng thanked him in a low voice, but a somewhat lonely light flashed across her beautiful eyes.
A year ago, Hua You Meng would have been overjoyed at such good fortune befalling her, but after all her recent experiences, she didn’t know why there was a sense of loss amidst all the happiness when she thought about the future.
Looking at the broad back of the man in front of her, Hua You Meng knew that he would only be walking further and further ahead, and their paths would no longer intersect in the future.
Sniffling slightly, she was barely able to hold back her tears.
On Water Moon Star, there was a huge square in front of Shen Tu’s palace where the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship slowly descended and landed.
There were already many cultivators who had gotten word in advance and were assembled in a greeting party.
After the hatch opened and Shen Tu appeared, everyone shouted, “Welcome, Second Young Master! Second Young Master has worked hard!”
Shen Tu smiled and responded slightly.
The cultivators who greeted him below were his personal confidants and subordinates, so there was no need for politeness. Among them were many Origin Realm masters, but no Origin Kings.
These cultivators present all showed joy when they saw Li Nuo and Aunt Chun. Obviously, they had known each other a long time ago, but after seeing Yang Kai, they were a little surprised. They did not know where Yang Kai came from or who he was that he was actually able to accompany Shen Tu on his personal Starship.
Several people vaguely felt that Yang Kai was a little familiar, like a young man they had once met several decades ago, but after sensing Yang Kai’s powerful cultivation, they quickly dismissed such notions and began secretly speculating.
Shen Tu did not explain anything to them and simply ordered his people to arrange residences for Li Nuo, Aunt Chun, and everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. After that, he personally led Yang Kai to the room he had stayed in all those years ago.
“Brother Yang, you can rest here for a few days. Let me first go back and report what has happened to my Lord Father during this trip, as well as arrange a meeting for you.”
“Go ahead, I’ll be fine here,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Shen Tu nodded and left.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai stayed in Shen Tu’s palace awaiting news from him.
He came to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce this time first and foremost to ask for the Star Emperor Token in their possession, bringing his collection to eight. Secondly, he wanted to recruit President Ai Ou into his upcoming endeavour.
President Ai Ou had already broken through to the Second-Order Origin King Realm many years ago and was a peak-level figure in it, not far from the Third-Order Origin King Realm!
Yang Kai believed that Ai Ou should be able to break through within ten years.
If President Ai Ou agreed to assist him in opening the channel to the Star Boundary, the number of people Yang Kai would need to find would decrease by one.
As for Shen Tu’s report, Yang Kai believed it would only increase President Ai Ou’s interest in him.
After all, he had raised such a ruckus on Purple Star, it would be strange if Ai Ou weren’t celebrating. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Purple Star, and Sword Union were the top three super forces in the Star Field, and although there was some cooperation between them, there were also numerous points of contention. If there was a chance to hit Purple Star while it was down, Ai Ou would naturally not let it slip by.
So, Yang Kai was certain that Ai Ou would see him, and if he placed enough importance on him, Ai Ou might even come to visit him.
When the time came, he could have a good chat with Ai Ou.
He had the Star Refining Art in his hand and had close relationships with Xue Yue and Shen Tu, so Yang Kai believed it should not be difficult to exchange for the Star Emperor Token. As for whether he would agree to open the path to the Star Boundary with him, Yang Kai couldn’t tell, but everything depended on his own effort, so he had to try.
If Yang Kai was successful here, the chances of his ten-year plan succeeding would go up significantly.
Yang Kai felt that things would soon fall into place.
But to his surprise, he stayed in Shen Tu’s palace for eight days and still there was no contact.
This stunned Yang Kai and he began wondering if something unexpected had happened. During these eight days, even Shen Tu had disappeared, and when he asked some of the cultivators in the palace, all of them told him that Shen Tu had not returned after leaving for Water Sky City.
Water Sky City was the largest city on Water Moon Star and its status and function were essentially the same as Purple Star City on Purple Star.
This was where all the high-level masters of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce gathered and was the nexus of the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
According to the rumours, Water Sky City was the location of the strongest ambient World Energy in the entire Star Field and cultivating there would be faster than in any other cultivation paradise occupied by any other great force or Sect.
Finally, on the eighth day, Shen Tu appeared in Yang Kai’s room with a sullen face.
Seeing his sullen expression, Yang Kai’s heart suddenly sank, and he asked quickly, “Brother Shen Tu, what happened? How come you look so despondent?”
“Ha… it’s a long story.” Shen Tu sat at the table, poured himself a glass of water, drank it down in one go, then turned to Yang Kai with a guilty expression, “Brother Yang, I know you came to Water Moon Star this time to discuss some important matter with my father, but… I am afraid you’ve come at a bad time.”
It was not a surprise Shen Tu knew this as, back on Monster Emperor Star, Yang Kai had already mentioned he wanted to discuss an exchange with President Ai Ou. Shen Tu didn’t ask anything at the time, but he guessed that Yang Kai accompanying him all the way to Water Moon Star was because of something important.
Otherwise, Yang Kai, a Second-Order Origin King, would not have spent so much time to simply reminisce with him.
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Has something happened that is… occupying all of President Ai Ou’s attention?”
“En,” Shen Tu solemnly nodded, “Something really has occurred on my father’s side. When I went to see him, I did not even have a chance to meet with him. If you are not in a hurry, you can wait a little longer here, and once this situation has been resolved, I can arrange a meeting for you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and helplessly said, “If that’s the case, then there is nothing else to do. Don’t worry about it, it’s just waiting for a while.”
Shen Tu grinned, “I knew that Brother Yang would not make things difficult for me… but Brother Yang…”
Before Shen Tu could finish what he was trying to say though, he heard an angry shout from outside the palace, “Shen Tu!”
Hearing this voice, Shen Tu could not help turning pale as he began to tremble uncontrollable, as if he had just heard the reaper of death call out to him.
Yang Kai was also taken aback when he heard this voice and quickly released his Divine Sense with a weird expression on his face, one that soon gave way to a smile though.
Shen Tu immediately began to panic and smacked his forehead as he muttered, “This is bad, very bad, I was so absorbed explaining to you what happened I actually forgot that my third brother was still waiting outside. Speaking of which, do you know my third brother, Brother Yang? When he heard that you were with me, he dragged me back here to find you. He even beat me several times on the way over, blaming me for not telling him sooner! That damn boy simply doesn’t have any respect for his elders, just look at my eyes…”
Shen Tu leaned forward and pointed to the bruises around his eye sockets so Yang Kai could see them better.
“Haha…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
“If you don’t come out now, don’t blame this Young Master for tearing down your palace!” Xue Yue’s voice called again, echoing throughout the palace, causing many to jump in fright.
In Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, who did not know Xue Yue’s name? It was all but certain she was the next successor to the President’s position.
When she was angered, no one would not be scared.
Shen Tu all but wept in depression as she said, “Brother Yang, please come with me quickly. I do not know what possessed that boy. From birth till now, he has only ever visited my palace three times, but for some reason, he insisted on coming today. Rest assured though, no matter what grievances there are between you and him, I will mediate them for you, and if he dares try to embarrass you, I’ll… I’ll… I’ll lead you away…”
Shen Tu seemed to want to say a few ruthless words, but in the end, he did not have the courage.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter as he realized just how frightened Shen Tu was. He must have been bullied by Xue Yue so much that all thoughts of resistance had long been beaten out of him.
“Don’t worry, Xue Yue… Third Young Master and I know each other, but there are no grudges between us. He won’t be tearing down your palace today,” Yang Kai lightly coughed.
“That’s good, that’s good!” Shen Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Having said so, the two of them got up and walked one towards a certain hall.
Inside that hall, Xue Yue was bristling with anger, her handsome male face practically frozen over with gloom as her Saint Qi fluctuated somewhat chaotically, like it was on the verge of erupting.
She was truly enraged right now.
Not only was she angry that Shen Tu did not tell her earlier that Yang Kai had come to Water Moon Star, but she was even angrier that Yang Kai had come here and not immediately come to see her.
Didn’t that bastard know just now anxious she had been these days?
Last time, she had waited outside the floating continent for half a year, but Yang Kai never appeared. Finally, she was forced to leave with Ni Guang first, so she had constantly been worrying about his safety since then.
Although Ni Guang had guaranteed her that Yang Kai couldn’t die with that old ghost Gui Zu around, Yue Xue had never truly been able to relax.
After returning to Water Moon Star, she had constantly been inquiring about the situation, but had never been able to learn anything.
However, today, she had casually overheard that Shen Tu had brought a friend named Yang Kai to Water Moon Star…
Xue Yue immediately questioned him and determined that this Yang Kai was exactly the one she had constantly been thinking about.
It was like a punch to the gut…
There really were no good men out there, he simply did not consider her worries at all. When she saw him this time, she vowed she would beat him senseless to release the pent-up stress she felt! Xue Yue had decided ruthlessly in her heart.
To the side, Li Nuo and Aunt Chun were doing their best to placate and persuade Xue Yue in the beginning, but both quickly ceased their attempts as both women found that this famous Xue Yue Third Young Master currently had a very complicated expression on her face.
It was a look filled with conflicting love and hate, like he was about to shed tears of blood and weep from joy at the same time. Excitement, anger, and even anxiety were all mixed in…
This look… was obviously one of a woman who was trapped in a whirlpool of sentiments and emotions and couldn’t extricate herself, but at this moment it happened to appear on Xue Yue’s face.
He looked like a lovestruck young girl who was about to see her negligent boyfriend…
Both Li Nuo and Aunt Chun found this incredibly strange and did not know how or why Xue Yue would have such an expression.
Suddenly, the two of them remembered a terrible rumour and were unable to stop themselves from shivering. Looking at the incredibly handsome young man in front of them, whose face seemed to have been carved from the finest of jade, the two women suddenly felt a deep sense of regret and grievance.
For the first time, the two women felt a little dissatisfied and angry with Yang Kai!
“Old Third, have you gone crazy?” With Yang Kai following, Shen Tu seemed to have gained a lot of confidence and upon entering the hall, he shouted out preemptively.
Xue Yue’s eyes flashed an ice-cold light as they swept over Shen Tu, causing his neck to shrink involuntarily and his tone to dampen significantly, “Um… This is not your territory, nor your palace, don’t raise such a fuss. If someone overheard, they might mistakenly think Second Brother was bullying you, haha.”
Xue Yue seemed to not hear Shen Tu at all as her eyes were currently focused entirely on Yang Kai behind him, her cold eyes suddenly becoming somewhat warm and anxious…
Li Nuo and Aunt Chun looked at Xue Yue, then at Yang Kai, and were immediately able to affirm their previous conjectures, both letting out a sigh as they pined about how unjust the Heavens were…
“Brother Yang…” Xue Yue suddenly grit her teeth and spat his name.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched violently as he felt the intense anger coming from her, but he could only smile and cup his fists, “Third Young Master, I trust you’ve been well since we last met!”
“Thanks to you!” Xue Yue replied coldly.
Inexplicably, after hearing the conversation between the two, Shen Tu shivered and instinctively sensed that there was some kind of terrible grudge between the two!
Glancing at Xue Yue, then at Yang Kai again, Shen Tu coughed and prepared to act as a peacemaker, but before he could say anything, Xue Yue suddenly gave him a cold glare and declared, “You leave, I have something to discuss with this Brother Yang!”
She stressed the ‘Brother Yang’ extremely hard.
Shen Tu choked down the words he was about to say as he fought an internal battle with himself. On the one hand, his friend who he owed his life to was facing a terrible crisis, but on the other hand, his own life was hanging by a thread. Perhaps escaping into the green hills now would be the best choice, at least there would be no need to worry about firewood…
After hesitating for two breaths, he solemnly declared, “Alright then, if that’s the case, Second Brother will wait outside. You two… have a peaceful chat!”
Having said so, like his heels were greased, he quickly escaped from the hall, beckoning with his eyes to Aunt Chun and Li Nuo who seemed to be in something of a daze at the moment, to follow him.
The two women got the message, glared at Yang Kai faintly, then left together with Shen Tu.
*Peng…*
The entrance of the hall closed shut.
Shen Tu, Aunt Chun, and Li Nuo all hurriedly stopped, turned sideways, and raised their ears towards the door.
There were no signs of movement from inside though, neither fighting nor quarrelling, simply silence.
After a long time, Shen Tu finally could not restrain himself, and said anxiously, “Third Brother won’t dare act too presumptuous and try to fight with Brother Yang, would he? Brother Yang is a Second-Order Origin King, and if he were to hurt Third Brother, how would I explain it to father?”
“Second Young Master, there’s no need to worry about that,” Li Nuo glanced over at Shen Tu, pursed her lips and said with a wry grin, “It didn’t look like they were about to fight to me.”
“They weren’t going to fight?” Shen Tu was stunned, “Didn’t you see the way Third Brother was glaring at us just now? It was as though he wanted to drink our blood? While he might behave politely in front of outsiders, I know full well how bad his temper is. From childhood, it’s clear to me that Third Brother has the heart of a devil, and it looks like he and Brother Yang have a lot of grievances between them…”
“They may be rivals, intense ones in some sense, but I’m afraid that has nothing to do with any kind of grudge, rather…” As Li Nuo spoke, her mood became more and more embarrassed, and her cheeks began to dye slightly red.
“Rivals, but not over some grudge?” Shen Tu frowned before suddenly the truth of the matter dawned on him, “Then, they must be rivals in love! Could it be that Third Brother is trying to snatch a woman from Brother Yang? Which woman is so blessed that she was able to attract both of those two at the same time?”
Li Nuo rubbed her forehead when she heard this, feeling a slight headache coming on as she whispered softly, “It’s not about a woman… Didn’t you see how Third Young Master was eyeing Senior Yang?”
“Like a vicious butcher? Why?” Shen Tu asked innocently.
Li Nuo immediately face-palmed, her headache getting much worse as she felt completely incapable of explaining to her thick-headed Young Master.
Shen Tu saw this look and grumpily said, “Speak clearly!”
To the side, Aunt Chun coughed lightly, and with blushed cheeks spoke, “Second Young Master, if you think about it, Third Young Master is a true dragon among men, but have you ever seen him seek out any women all these years?”
“No,” Shen Tu thought for a while before shaking his head, “This is one of the few points this Young Lord actually admires about Third Brother. When it comes to such affairs, he always maintains an impeccable sense of professionalism, but… what does that have to do with today’s affairs?”
“Then, Second Young Master, have you heard of the… rumour about Third Young Master?”
“Which rumour? There are far too many!” Shen Tu spat disdainfully, “With his status and aptitude, how could there not be a plethora of rumours about him? Some people say that he is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior god, some say that he is secretly actually a woman. Hell, there are even crazy rumours out there about how he does not like women and instead prefers men, hahaha…. How could I believe such nonsense that people gossip about in the street markets? All of those are clearly just made up stories.”
Aunt Chun and Li Nuo just stared at him solemnly and silently.
Shen Tu’s laughter stopped abruptly, as if he suddenly realized something, and his face sank as he murmured, “Third Brother is still a man, but I have never seen him take any interest in any woman, or even get close to one for that matter. In the Chamber of Commerce, there have been several Elders who have introduced him to the young ladies from their families, each of whom is a stunning and talented beauty, yet none of them were ever able to enter Third Brother’s eyes, but… the way that boy was just looking at Brother Yang…”
Aunt Chun and Li Nuo nodded together hearing this, thinking to themselves that it took Shen Tu long enough.
“It couldn’t be?” Shen Tu quickly began leaking cold sweat.
“I certainly hope not!” Aunt Chun also said solemnly.
If things were really as they thought, then how many young girls in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would fall into depression? How many young women would have their hearts broken? It would definitely cause an unimaginable disaster.
Inside the hall, Xue Yue and Yang Kai stared at each other for a long time before Xue Yue ground her teeth and shouted, “You bastard!”
Saying so, she punched him as hard as she could.
But by the time fist fell on Yang Kai’s chest, it only landed softly and powerlessly.
Yang Kai just stood on the spot and chuckled lightly, allowing her delicate fists to hit him a few times so weakly that even his clothes weren’t ruffled.
Xue Yue raised her head and stared at him stubbornly, biting her thin lip lightly.
Yang Kai quickly reached out and embraced her.
Xue Yue struggled symbolically for a moment before settling down and leaning her blushed face into his broad chest.
With her hair right at the tip of his nose, Yang Kai could smell the natural floral fragrance that wafted from her and could not help feeling relaxed and comfortable.
“Since you came here, why didn’t you come to see me the first chance you got!?” Xue Yue complained quietly.
“I was planning to see you shortly after I arrived, but I didn’t expect that the matter I asked Shen Tu to handle for me would actually delay me for so long.”
“Useless Second Brother!” Xue Yue snorted coldly, seemingly pushing all the blame onto Shen Tu.
“Tell me, how did you manage to escape from Zi Long last time?” Xue Yue raised her head and looked at Yang Kai eagerly, as if she could not wait to hear what had happened after they had parted.
Her glamorous red lips, which were now right in front of him, looked exceptionally alluring to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could not help leaning in and taking a light peck.
Xue Yue’s face blushed red all the way to her ears and down to her neck.
Although she had some close contact with Yang Kai in the Severed World, that was during a life or death crisis. Xue Yue thought she was about to die and simply let go of all her inhibitions, but things were different this time.
Especially knowing that her Second Brother was still eavesdropping outside the door, she became incredibly tense as well as a bit excited.
Panicked, she hurriedly pushed Yang Kai away and quickly escaped from his embrace.
Yang Kai laughed at her behaviour, found a chair for himself, and sat down.
Xue Yue saw him acting so calmly and could not help angrily stomping her foot, her expression exactly like that of a wronged young girl.
In a huff, she sat down on the chair beside Yang Kai, poured a cup of tea graciously for him, then picked up a spirit fruit resembling a grape, peeled it, and popped it into Yang Kai’s mouth.
“Don’t keep me in suspense. How did you manage to escape? Wasn’t Zi Long dead set on killing you? Has the secret of the Immortal Divine Tree being in your possession leaked?”
Xue Yue asked a series of questions all at once, with clear worry on her face. However, after the last question she asked, she hurriedly added, “You can rest assured, I asked Uncle Ni not to tell anyone about the Immortal Tree.”
“I believe you,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
However, Xue Yue understood the nuance in Yang Kai’s words, how he believed in her, but as for Ni Guang… That had yet to be verified.
After all, Ni Guang was an executive member of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, so the secret about Yang Kai carrying something as important as the Immortal Tree was not something a single request from Xue Yue could silence. Even so, Yang Kai was confident that even if Ni Guang did tell the others, the number would probably not exceed what one could count on a single hand.
Everyone wanted to monopolize the best treasures, so widely publicizing the existence of one was never a good idea.
And so, Yang Kai began narrating the story of what happened after he left the floating continent that day.
After learning that Zi Long and Zi Dong had died at Yang Kai’s hand, Xue Yue could not help gasping.
Until now, she had not bothered to probe Yang Kai’s cultivation. She was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator right now, so it was basically impossible for her to see through Yang Kai’s depths if he did not want her to, but it was not an issue if Yang Kai didn’t block her Divine Sense.
“You’re already a Second-Order Origin King!?” Xue Yue was shocked.
Back in the Severed World, the two of them were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, yet now, after only a few years had passed, the man in front of her had arrived at the Second-Order Origin King Realm!
On the other hand, she was still languishing back in the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm.
Xue Yue suddenly felt a sense of crisis in her heart and almost wished she could go back right now, enter retreat, and breakthrough.
However, she was not a petulant little girl. Having dealt with so many matters for Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce on her father’s orders year in and year out, she had developed a tough and mature disposition, so she calmed her raging emotions after taking a deep breath and said cheerfully, “Since Zi Long is dead, and Zi Dong was buried with him, doesn’t that mean that Purple Star is now a dragon without a head?”
“En, not only is it a headless dragon, but it’s also… suffered some serious damage to its foundation.”
“Why do you say that?” Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai with a weird expression. Although Zi Long’s death was a huge blow to Purple Star, it was definitely not enough to damage its foundation severely, so she immediately realized that something else must have also happened to Purple Star.
“It’s nothing. I just went to Purple Star for a little trip and raised a bit of a fuss, injuring their Great Elder Gong Sun Liang severely during a bout of infighting they were going through. A lot of their masters also fell at that time!”
“Such a thing happened?” Xue Yue’s eyes flashed, “Tell me about it carefully.”
Yang Kai grinned and gestured to Xue Yue with his eyes.
Xue Yue glanced at him angrily but still reached out, peeled another spirit fruit, and fed it to him.
Yang Kai then began telling her what happened on Purple Star.
Xue Yue’s smile only grew brighter as time passed, eventually shaking her head and saying, “Right now, you’re probably the most hated enemy Purple Star has, but even a master like Kuang Shi Zong couldn’t stop you from destroying one of their Origin King Grade Starships. He’s probably feeling a deep sense of regret.”
“He was the one who insisted on killing ruthlessly, it’s not my fault,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“But how could Second Brother not report such a big incident to father? It’s too outrageous. Also, now I understand why Purple Star has suddenly begun acting so meek, even going so far as to withdraw a number of their businesses. It turns out it was all because of this,” Xue Yue showed a look of enlightenment. Many things she was unable to understand before now suddenly made sense.
“My father has been quite sad and distressed recently, so hopefully this news will bring a smile to him. I have to inform him immediately…” Xue Yue said with excitement.
Yang Kai looked at her in surprise hearing this and asked curiously, “If I remember correctly, don’t you hate President Ai Ou? Why are you so considerate to him now?”
Xue Yue smiled brightly as she replied, “That’s all in the past. I did hate him for forcing me to maintain this image all the time, never able to show people my true face, unable to live according to my own ideas, but things are different now. In this world… There is someone who knows my real identity and sees me for who I really am. That’s enough for me. What’s more, Father did everything he did to protect me, I don’t have a real reason to hate him.”
As she spoke these words, Xue Yue smiled sweetly, seemingly having broken free of all the misfortune and sadness she had to endure thanks to Yang Kai’s appearance.
Yang Kai also recalled that Xue Yue had told him in the Severed World that, as long as there was one person in this world who could treat her as an ordinary woman, she would be satisfied.
Yang Kai could not help feeling somewhat moved when he realized the powerful, stunning beauty, disguised as a man in front of him, actually had such a simple wish.
“What happened to President Ai Ou?” Yang Kai asked.
Xue Yue’s expression immediately darkened as she whispered, “It’s about Little Mother…”
“Little Mother…” Yang Kai was confused for a moment but quickly realized that Xue Yue must mean President Ai Ou’s current wife.
Xue Yue’s mother had passed away long ago, so it was understandable she would call Ai Ou’s current wife by such a name.
Xue Yue smiled bitterly, “Although my father has always been a man who stands above and rules over others, he has also always attached great importance to matters of sentiment. This is especially true of Little Mother, whom he cares deeply about and always tries to protect. A year ago, Little Mother entered retreat to break through to the Origin King Realm, but something went wrong at the time, leading to a dissonance in her cultivation. Her meridians were torn apart and she almost died on the spot. Father used everything at his disposal to somehow suppress the crisis at the time, and while he managed to preserve her life somehow, since then, Little Mother has been unconscious, and her life is in constant danger. For the past year, my father has tried every means to wake up Little Mother, but nothing has worked so far.”
“Something went wrong during her breakthrough to the Origin King Realm…” Yang Kai was shocked and instantly understood the seriousness of the problem.
If something went wrong at such a time, no matter how strong a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator they were, death was almost certain. The only reason why Xue Yue’s Little Mother did not die on the spot was because of Ai Ou’s great strength and resources.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President was a veteran Second-Order Origin King master.
“At that time, Little Mother’s body was mortally damaged, but father used some Heaven-defying method to rescue her from the gates of death and maintain her vitality. Then, six months ago, he took out an extremely precious treasure to heal Little Mother’s physical wounds.”
Xue Yue gave Yang Kai a meaningful look when she said this, and although she did not say exactly what precious treasure Ai Ou had used, Yang Kai knew that there were only a few treasures in this world that could bring someone back from the brink of death.
Such as the Immortal Source Liquid!
Back in the Severed World, a total of three drops of Immortal Source Liquid had formed on the Immortal Tree. The three Second-Order Origin Kings who were present negotiated to divide these three drops evenly. One went to Ni Guang, one to Zi Long, and the last to Gui Zu.
But Yang Kai managed to take away the entire Immortal Tree in the end, and was also given that drop of Immortal Source Liquid belonging to Gui Zu.
The drop owned by Zi Long had also been obtained by Yang Kai.
The precious treasure used by President Ai Ou half a year ago was definitely Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s drop of Immortal Source Liquid.
Immortal Source Liquid was the ultimate healing elixir, one which could restore life and vitality to someone already halfway into the grave, a treasure even Third-Order Origin King would covet.
Carrying a drop of Immortal Source Liquid on you was like carrying a second life, so Ai Ou being able to take it out and give it to Xue Yue’s Little Mother without hesitation showed just how deep his affection for her was.
“Although Little Mother’s life was saved, she still shows no signs of waking up. During this time, my father has frantically sought out many Alchemy Grandmasters to diagnose her condition, and after much careful investigation, it was concluded that Little Mother’s Soul suffered a severe wound and she will never wake up again unless she can obtain a powerful Origin King Grade Spirit Pill used to heal one’s Soul. And… even if such a Spirit Pill is successfully refined and taken by her, it is still unlikely Little Mother will wake up. My father has spent almost all his time and effort trying to help Little Mother this past year, and even I… feel quite distressed about it.”
Yang Kai listened quietly to slowly understand the whole story before asking in a serious tone, “Did those Alchemy Grandmasters say which Spirit Pill is required?”
“The Soul Source Restoration Pill!” Xue Yue said in a deep voice.
After consulting his memories for a moment, Yang Kai understood what kind of materials were needed to refine this Spirit Pill and what effect it could play. Fortunately, the pill recipe for the Soul Source Restoration Pill was recorded in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, but because that was the case, Yang Kai could not help commenting, “Your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is really filled with talented people, you even know about such an ancient lost Spirit Pill.”
If he had not accidentally obtained the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture in the Emperor Garden, he wouldn’t know so many ancient Spirit Pill recipes.
However, someone at Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce knew of it as well, worthy of one of the three super forces of the Star Field, its heritage was not shallow.
“You also know of it?” Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai in surprise, her beautiful eyes lighting up in the next moment as she said, “That’s right, you’re also an Alchemist!”
When she had been poisoned by the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, rendering her unconscious, it was Yang Kai who refined a pill with Pill Clouds that had saved her. Although she had been constantly thinking of Yang Kai all these years, and been inextricably entangled with him numerous times, she had completely forgotten he had such an identity as well.
Only now did she remember.
But soon, the light in Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes dimmed again as her voice sank, “The Soul Source Restoration Pill is supposedly an Origin King Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill, only an Origin King Grade Alchemist could possibly refine it. Although you are an Alchemist too, I’m afraid…”
Xue Yue did not finish what she was saying. It was not that she didn’t believe in Yang Kai’s abilities, it’s just that Origin King Grade Alchemists were far too rare. If one searched the entire Star Field, such Grandmasters were likely even rarer than Third-Order Origin Kings.
Yang Kai had reached the Second-Order Origin King at such a young age and had such incredible prowess in the Martial Dao, so how could his attainments in the Alchemic Dao also be so shocking?
Yang Kai did not try to explain and instead simply asked, “How does your Little Mother treat you normally?”
“Little Mother treats me exceptionally well. After my mother passed away, I grew up by Little Mother’s side… She taught me how to act and behave appropriately and also knows about all my secrets. When Father wasn’t around, she also secretly helped me dress up as a girl…” Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes showed a look of remembrance, a warm smile on her face as if he was thinking about something sweet, “But every time I dressed up like that, I would have to change back quickly. Father always became agitated whenever I appeared in my natural form!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, and from Xue Yue’s description, he could also imagine that this ‘Little Mother’ was a good wife and a loving mother.
“Why don’t I have a look?” Yang Kai suggested.
“Do you want to go?” Xue Yue looked at him in a pleasant surprise, “En, you’re also an Alchemist, perhaps you can communicate with the other Alchemists and see if there is some way to relieve Little Mother’s symptoms. Our chamber of commerce also a Foreign Elder Origin King Grade Grandmaster that my father sent someone to invite half a year ago.”
“He sent someone to invite them half a year ago, but they still have yet to come?” Yang Kai looked astonished.
“You greatly underestimate the arrogance of those Origin King Grade Alchemists. I said that the Grandmaster of our chamber of commerce was simply a Foreign Elder. You also have a Sect, so you should understand what the title of Foreign Elder means.”
“En, I understand,” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
The status of Foreign Elder was almost equal to the Supreme Elder but didn’t come with any of the responsibilities a Supreme Elder would have.
Foreign Elders usually just loaned their name or identity to a Sect in exchange for generous rewards but weren’t actually attached to that Sect and did not need to contribute anything in return. Even if the Sect encountered a disaster, a Foreign Elder could simply stand by and do nothing, and no one would criticize them.
On the other hand, a Supreme Elder was vastly different. Although their authority was so high that no one in the Sect would dare disobey their command, a Supreme Elder also had to live and die together with the Sect. If the Sect encountered disaster, a Supreme Elder could not stand idly by.
In a sense, the status of Foreign Elder was even higher than that of the Supreme Elder, because Foreign Elders could obtain benefits without taking any risks.
It could also be described as a Supreme Elder being part of the family, while a Foreign Elder was someone hired from the outside.
With the huge strength of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, coupled with Ai Ou’s face, he had sent someone half a year ago to invite this Grandmaster, but even now that Grandmaster had yet to appear. From this alone, it was clear just how arrogant this Origin King Grade Alchemist was.
Even so, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce didn’t dare to complain, and Ai Ou could only politely urge the matter, lest he upset the Grandmaster.
However, although this Grandmaster had still yet to appear, apparently, he would arrive on Water Moon Star in the next few days.
Ai Ou was now waiting anxiously and in no mood to meet with Shen Tu. This was also why Shen Tu spent a few days in Water Sky City waiting before coming back.
During that time, he didn’t even get to meet with Ai Ou, so there was naturally no opportunity for him to bring up Yang Kai’s request.
“In any case, let’s go take a look first,” Yang Kai suggested.
“Yeah, I’ll take you there. I believe that if Little Mother knew about you, she would definitely be happy for me,” Xue Yue said as she gently rubbed the half-fallen tears at the corner of her eye.
It seemed her Little Mother occupied an extremely important position in her heart, even more important than her biological father.
“Don’t cry, if we go out and Shen Tu sees you looking like this, I don’t know what he would think happened between us here,” Yang Kai stepped forward and helped her dry her eyes.
His gentle movements and deep voice made Xue Yue’s cheeks flush…
Soon, the door to the hall opened and Yang Kai and Xue Yue walked out one after another.
Shen Tu’s trio, who had been eavesdropping in front of the door, hurriedly jumped back, and stood to the side, casting suspicious looks at Yang Kai and Xue Yue in front of them.
In that moment, Shen Tu’s heart sank…
He discovered that his third brother’s eyes were slightly red, as if he had just cried, and there was a faint blush on his handsome cheeks that even a woman would be jealous of…
[Heavens! How could this have happened!]
What exactly happened inside between these two? That Third Brother of his, the most demonic existence in this world, was putting on such an expression now, one that even Shen Tu could tell was mixed with both joy, relief, confusion, and charm!
Shen Tu wailed inwardly as the way he looked at Yang Kai also changed significantly.
To the side, Li Nuo and Aunt Chun were also dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
Xue Yue clearly understood that these three were misunderstanding something, only causing the shyness in her expression to become more apparent and her eyes to dart about, a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
“Brother Shen Tu, I’ll be taking a trip to Water Sky City with Xue Yue.”
“Eh… ah… en…” Shen Tu responded purely on instinct, not even hearing what Yang Kai was talking about.
“Then I’ll take my leave,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, cupped his fists and said, “I’ll have to trouble Brother Shen Tu to look after Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.”
Saying so, he winked at Xue Yue and the two immediately summoned their respective Star Shuttles and flew off.
Only a long time after the pair had disappeared did Shen Tu and the two women finally recover.
Shen Tu gripped his head with both hands and cried out, “It’s over, it’s all over. How could Third Brother have so little propriety? How could it be like this…? And Brother Yang, he…. ha…”
He had to sigh, for both of them.
Aunt Chun and Li Nuo also wore similar expressions.
“It’s over for me now too,” Shen Tu collapsed to the floor and distress, clearly whelmed by the situation.
“Second Young Master, how is any of this related to you?” Li Nuo looked at him curiously.
“I was the one who brought Brother Yang here in the first place. If I had known he and Third Brother had such… preferences, I would have sooner died than brought him to Water Moon Star. It is all my fault… My father has always wanted me and my Third Brother to quickly get married so that we can have children and continue the family line, but with Third Brother like this now, how could he possibly have children? Doesn’t that mean this heavy burden falls completely on my shoulders now?” Shen Tu complained, clearly feeling immense pressure.
Li Nuo pursed her lips and said with a smile, “Extending the family line is a matter that will come naturally in the future. Second Young Master does not need to be worried about this.”
Shen Tu You suddenly raised his head and looked at Li Nuo seriously before saying, “Then why don’t we have a child!?”
Li Nuo blushed bright red before angrily glaring at Shen Tu before running off in embarrassment.
As she ran, she could hear Shen Tu’s shouts from behind, “Are you refusing or agreeing? Say something at least, don’t just run off! What am I supposed to think?!”
Aunt Chun watched the whole scene while shaking her head, a look of pure helplessness covering her face!
….
Water Sky City was the most prosperous city on Water Moon Star and it also had the strongest ambient World Energy. Any cultivator who wanted to enter had to pay a large amount of Saint Crystals as a toll, and if one wanted to stay in the city, they needed to pay an even larger amount.
Inside the numerous small residences had been opened up for rent to local and foreign cultivators.
Water Sky City itself was simply a money-making machine, earning innumerable Saint Crystals every day by simply existing.
Xue Yue brought Yang Kai into Water Sky City without even stopping to show his identification at the gates. The cultivators who were on guard duty also did not raise a single issue and let him pass, simply taking a glance towards Yang Kai curiously, wondering who he was that he could actually walk side by side with the Xue Yue Third Young Master.
Once they entered the city, wherever Xue Yue went, there were constant screams from women who would stop whatever it was they were doing to stare at him. Some pointed in joy, others showed looks of intoxication, still others who were bold enough sent winks and posed to emphasize their various assets. The most common reaction among these women, though, was simply adoration towards Xue Yue.
There were even some men who gazed at her obsessively.
The number of heads that would turn to look at Xue Yue as she passed through was at least ninety percent.
Xue Yue seemed to be used to this kind of scene, and after signalling to Yang Kai with her eyes, she immediately flew up into the air and soared towards the centre of Water Sky City.
Yang Kai smiled wryly before following behind her.
When the two of them left, a man rushed out into the middle of the street with some scrolls in his hands and shouted, “Selling portraits of Third Young Master made by a famous artist! They are life-sized and indistinguishable from the real thing! With them, one can gaze upon Third Young Master’s divine likeness all day and night! It will be as if Third Young Master is accompanying you wherever you go! One thousand Saint Crystals! Buy now while supplies last!”
As he shouted, he opened one of the picture scrolls in his hand.
On the scroll, there was a lifelike painting of a handsome man with a crown of jade upon his hand and a folding fan in his hand. Dressed in pure white robes and with long, jet black hair, it was a spitting likeness of Xue Yue. The corners of this Xue Yue’s mouth were slightly raised, as if smiling at those who were looking at the painting.
In an instant, countless women swarmed up and surrounded the painting seller. Some men also dove into the fray.
“Give me one!”
“I want two!”
“Quickly, here’s a thousand Saint Crystals, hand it over!”
“Wu wu, give me one please, my wife said that if I can’t buy one this time, she won’t even let me into the house! Wuwu, how I loathe you, Third Young Master!”
“Hey, who touched this Mistress’s chest just now! Show yourselves if you have the guts!”
“Cease your unsightly quarrelling! These portraits now all belong to Father here!” A tall middle-aged man with a thick beard dove into the crowd and pushed his Saint Qi, forcing everyone else back before he grabbed all the portraits the man was selling and stuffed them into his Space Ring. Sweeping his eyes over the crowd, this man snorted before declaring in a cold and domineering voice, “How could you vulgar plebeians possibly match Third Young Master? Only a hero like Father is a match for the glorious Third Young Master!”
*Ou…*
Up in the sky, Xue Yue staggered and almost fell.
Although they had already flown quite far, with her cultivation, she was able to hear all the voices down below and could not help shivering in both fright and disgust.
Yang Kai simply looked at her curiously and asked, “Is it like this every time you show up?”
“Almost…” Xue Yue said helplessly, “So under normal circumstances, I try not to appear at all.”
Saying so, she shot a faint glance towards Yang Kai and asked flatly, “You think it’s funny?”
“I didn’t laugh!” Yang Kai replied solemnly.
“Hmph! If you dare to laugh out loud, I’ll make you pay dearly!”
“I really didn’t laugh… BAHAHAHA!”
*Gabeng gabeng…*
Xue Yue ground her teeth so hard the grinding noise was audible.
In the central district of Water Sky City, the World Energy aura was so thick it was tangible, only one step away from forming Spirit Qi Wisps.
And at the heart of the central district, there was a majestic palace ground which was home to the headquarters of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. This was not only a centre of power, but one of wealth.
In the northwest corner of the complex, atop a certain palace, a burly, lion-like man stood with a deep frown on his face, pacing back and forth, from time to time looking outside expectantly, as if he was waiting for someone.
This man’s anxiety was written all over his brow which was furrowed so strongly it looked as if it would never relax again.
There were other people in the hall behind this man, and judging from how they were dressed, it was clear they were a group of Origin Grade Alchemists, one of the noblest existences in the entire Star Field.
However, none of these Alchemists dared to speak, lest they upset the burly pacing man.
This was understandable though, as this man was the leader of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, President Ai Ou!
Although Origin Grade Alchemists held a noble status, they were still far below the President of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. What’s more, all of them had been helpless in their attempts to treat President Ai Ou’s wife, leaving them quite a bit embarrassed. How could they possibly take the initiative to draw fire to themselves now?
Ai Ou had a naturally tough and sturdy build, and with his grand stature, he put an imposing pressure on any who stood in his presence. At this moment, he was also quite irritable, and his Second-Order Origin King Saint Qi would fluctuate from time to time, causing many Alchemists in the hall to complain in their hearts, but none of them dared utter anything out loud.
Suddenly, Ai Ou stopped, and his eyes burst with astonishing light as he turned towards the hall’s entrance.
The next moment, he beamed with joy and hurriedly called out with an anxiety-filled voice, “Is Grandmaster Zuo De here?”
In front of the main hall, two streams of light landed and dispersed to reveal two figures. One was Xue Yue, and the other was Yang Kai.
Hearing Ai Ou’s words, Yang Kai glanced back subconsciously but found that there was no one behind him. Xue Yue seemed to realize what was happening and quickly explained, “Lord Father, it’s not Grandmaster Zuo De who has arrived.”
“It’s not Grandmaster Zuo De!” Ai Ou’s face darkened, and he glanced coldly at Yang Kai before turning back and yelling at Xue Yue, “Since it’s not Grandmaster Zuo De or his entourage, why did you bring him here? Do you think you can bring just anyone here at such a time?”
After being scolded by Ai Ou, Xue Yue did not dare to refute, but instead just bowed her head to apologize, “Forgive me, Lord Father, but my friend is also an Alchemist, so…”
“An Alchemist!?” Ai Ou’s expression immediately cleared up upon hearing this and turned to look at Yang Kai again, only now noticing the other party’s cultivation and calling out in shock, “Second-Order Origin King!?”
He had not realized until this moment that Yang Kai’s cultivation was actually on par with his own.
Somewhat unable to believe his eyes, Ai Ou examined Yang Kai again more carefully, but confirming his initial reading wasn’t wrong, he could not help asking suspiciously, “Yue’er, since when did you have such a friend?”
Yang Kai didn’t look familiar at all, and although Xue Yue’s aptitude was incredible, she was still just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator now, it should be impossible for her to have a friend who is a Second-Order Origin King, making Ai Ou quite curious.
“He is the one I told you about… Yang Kai!” Xue Yue replied in a low voice as she stole a quick glance at Ai Ou’s expression to see what his response would be.
“Junior Yang Kai greets President Ai Ou!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and greeted him flatly.
Although he was a little unhappy that Xue Yue was reprimanded just now for no reason, it was Xue Yue and Shen Tu’s father who stood in front of him, so Yang Kai could not simply ignore courtesy.
“Yang Kai?” Ai Ou frowned for a moment, but suddenly seemed to think of something and asked, “You’re that Yang Kai?”
“It seems President Ai Ou knows something about me,” Yang Kai frowned slightly as the expression on Ai Ou’s face currently gave him a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
“Of course I do!” Ai Ou responded in a deep voice before suddenly pushing his Saint Qi madly and grabbing towards Yang Kai.
From his actions and posture, it was obvious he wanted to capture Yang Kai!
“Father!” Xue Yue’s face changed drastically as she could not understand why her father would suddenly just attack Yang Kai the moment he arrived.
As for Yang Kai, his face became cold as he stretched out his hand to push Xue Yue aside while at the same time condensing his own Saint Qi and sending out a powerful palm of his own towards the approaching claw.
*Hong…*
A thunderous bang resounded in the hall as the two Origin King’s clashed, sending out a violent burst of wind that made a mess of the surrounding.
Soon after, when the dust settled, Yang Kai had been forced back three steps while Ai Ou had only retreated two.
In this match, Ai Ou had come out slightly ahead.
In the main hall, a violent wind blew up and besides Xue Yue, who was being protected by Yang Kai, everyone else staggered and complained.
“President Ai Ou, what’s the meaning of this?” Yang Kai squinted at the bearded man in front of him and asked indifferently.
Ai Ou wore a look of surprise, his eyes narrowed slightly like a tiger ready to pounce, giving him an even more intimidating presence than normal, but soon, he burst into laughter and said, “As I suspected, a true young hero straight out of ancient times. Boy, Ni Guang told me much about you, but I did not believe half of it. However, it seems Ni Guang was actually underestimating you greatly. Your aptitude is even higher than Yue’er’s.”
“Senior is too polite, Junior simply had some opportunities,” Yang Kai replied flatly, his expression was neither humble nor overbearing.
Ai Ou nodded before suddenly stretching out his hand and declaring, “Hand it over.”
Xue Yue stood to the side with a pale face, not understanding why her father had attacked Yang Kai as soon as he entered, but upon hearing this, she suddenly understood.
Yang Kai frowned slightly but also quickly realized what all this was about and smiled, “What exactly is it that Senior wants to ask from me?”
“You know it in your heart!” Ai Ou said slightly impatiently.
Yang Kai shook his head, “If Senior wants that drop from me, I can tell Senior now, even if I gave it to you, it will be of no use. Madam Gu’s Soul is what is damaged now, and that thing can only be used to repair physical injuries. Senior should also know this in his heart. “
Xue Yue’s Little Mother was named Gu Bi Hu, a fact that she informed Yang Kai about on the way over, so Yang Kai addressed her as Madame Gu.
“Naturally, I know,” Ai Ou quickly said.
“Then does Senior want that thing?” Yang Kai raised his brows and said with a smile, “Please forgive this Junior for not being able to agree.”
Inside the hall, the crowd of Origin Grade Alchemists listened to this vague and nonspecific conversation with looks of curiosity on their faces, none of them knowing what this ‘drop’ Yang Kai was referring to was.
However, whether it was Yang Kai, Ai Ou, or Xue Yue, they all understood clearly what this was about.
The Immortal Source Liquid and the Immortal Tree!
Ai Ou attacking Yang Kai as soon as he came in was because he wanted to snatch the Immortal Tree to use to heal Gu Bi Hu. Immortal Source Liquid could not restore Gu Bi Hu’s damaged Soul, but the Immortal Tree was different. Refining the Immortal Tree could grant one an immortal and indestructible body, so repairing a damaged Soul would be a breeze.
“Don’t tell me you already refined it?” Ai Ou’s eyes flashed a terrifying light as he glared at Yang Kai in a near predatory manner.
Yang Kai simply laughed and said nothing.
Ai Ou’s heart suddenly sank as he felt this was a real possibility.
After all, according to Ni Guang, Yang Kai was still just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator like Xue Yue when they entered the Severed World, but what about now, only a few years later? This little brat had become a Second-Order Origin King!
Even if a cultivator had incredible opportunities, it was highly unlikely for their strength to increase so dramatically in such a short period of time.
The only explanation was that the opportunity he had was truly extraordinary!
Refining the Immortal Tree would obviously count as such an opportunity.
Ai Ou was not willing to give up and quickly pushed his Divine Sense, scanning Yang Kai’s body thoroughly only to be shocked at how monstrous the vitality contained within it was. The surging life aura coming from Yang Kai was potent enough to even frighten a master like him.
“You really merged with it!” Ai Ou exclaimed, as his face turned grey, the hope that remained in his eyes suddenly disappearing.
He was not depressed because he no longer had a chance to obtain a supreme treasure like the Immortal Tree, but rather because he couldn’t use the Immortal Tree to treat Gu Bi Hu.
Yang Kai did not explain anything though and simply let Ai Ou misunderstand.
After falling silent for a while though, Ai Ou suddenly muttered in a low voice, “Even if you have fused with it, it doesn’t matter, it’s precious energy should still flow through your blood. I just need to obtain your blood and she can be saved!”
Right now, he was like a man at his wit’s end, seeking any solution no matter how impractical or implausible.
Hearing what he said, Xue Yue’s face changed drastically, and she rushed out hurriedly to stand in front of Yang Kai and called out, “Father, you can’t be…”
“Stand aside, there’s no place for you to speak here!” Ai Ou roared.
“The dignified Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President, an overlord of the Star Field, turns out to be nothing more than this. Just as the saying goes, one cannot judge a man by his reputation alone!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“Boy, what did you just say? You should take care of how you speak!” Ai Ou narrowed his eyes and snapped.
Yang Kai sneered, “If it weren’t for Xue Yue’s face, would I even be standing here talking to you still? Just you acting against me just now was more than enough for me to raze your Water Sky City to the ground. If not for the fact that I can see your mind is unsteady because you are seeking treatment for your woman, today your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would be ground to dust and lost to the ages!”
Xue Yue’s face turned pale suddenly as she hurriedly tugged at Yang Kai’s clothes and whispered, “Have some discretion!”
Yang Kai smiled faintly and declared, “I will speak with discretion when your father calms down.”
Ai Ou also suddenly recovered, realizing that the one who stood in front of him was not some soft persimmon he could knead at will, but a Second-Order Origin King who could stand on equal footing with him and had almost the same strength!
If such a master really became enraged, then the situation could really deteriorate beyond redemption today. At the very least, the destruction of Water Sky City was almost assured.
“You’re certainly crazy enough, boy,” Although he had calmed down a lot, Ai Ou was still concerned about losing face and snapped back.
“I just came from Purple Star,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, only saying so much, but he believed that Ai Ou should understand his meaning.
Ai Ou was immediately stunned and stared at Yang Kai in amazement, as if he really understood something and whispered, “So, it was you.”
Although Xue Yue had not been aware of the great upheaval Purple Star experienced, Ai Ou, as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, had eyes and ears all over the Star Field. How could he not know about such a huge event?
After Yang Kai said this sentence, Ai Ou immediately understood that the instigator of the incident on Purple Star half a year ago was actually standing right in front of him.
Even a peak level powerhouse like Kuang Shi Zong took action personally but failed to stop him! Even if Ai Ou were to fight here personally, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be any more successful.
After understanding all of this, Ai Ou took a deep breath and nodded, “It was this King who was rude just now, please don’t take it to heart, Friend!”
Friend… Xue Yue’s face twitched when she heard this word, wondering how her father had suddenly become something like a peer to Yang Kai. Wasn’t this just causing chaos in the generations? Quickly glancing at Yang Kai, she shot him a rueful look.
Yang Kai also chuckled awkwardly as he said, “Senior is too serious, Senior is desperate to save his wife, it is only natural for him to act somewhat impulsive. Junior can understand.”
“If so, that is good. This friend is indeed a generous person. I have heard a lot about you and even Ni Guang had much praise for you. Since you’ve come to Water Sky City today, please feel free to relax here for a few days. When I have finished dealing with the matter at hand, I will speak with you again.”
Yang Kai listened to the tone of his words, and immediately understood that Ni Guang had not told Ai Ou about his and Xue Yue’s ‘relationship’. Otherwise, Ai Ou would definitely not be speaking to him like this.
“Father, Yang Kai is also an Alchemist!” Xue Yue saw her father calling Yang Kai ‘friend’ over and over again and felt incredibly uncomfortable, so she quickly changed the subject.
“Oh?” Ai Ou looked at Yang Kai in surprise, “Friend’s cultivation is so deep, but you are also proficient in the Alchemic Dao?”
“I’ve dabbled in it slightly!” Yang Kai said modestly.
“Isn’t it a bit more than that? Brat don’t act so humble,” A voice suddenly came from the side.
Ai Ou frowned as a hint of displeasure appeared on his face. There were not many people in this world who would dare to interrupt him when he was talking, but when he saw who it was who spoke, his expression could not help relaxing again. It seemed the one who spoke had some weight in his heart and Ai Ou was not willing to blame him.
Yang Kai also turned his head and looked but shock soon filled his whole facial expression.
Over there, where the crowd of Origin Grade Alchemists had gathered, a familiar face was smiling towards him.
“Grandmaster Zong Ao!” Yang Kai beamed happily and hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his fists.
The one who spoke was shockingly the Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist Zong Ao! When Yang Kai and Xue Yue went to Rainfall Star together, they had lived in Zong Ao’s house for quite some time.
At that time, Yang Kai’s strength was quite low and his accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao were also not high, while Zong Ao, on the other hand, was already an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist.
Yang Kai and Zong Ao had had several exchanges about Alchemy and both had reaped many benefits. The pill which was necessary to rescue Xue Yue was elucidated by Zong Ao, and then refined by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not expect to meet Zong Ao here.
However, when he thought about it carefully, it made sense because although Zong Ao had not formally joined Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, he had been living on Rainfall Star for over a century and could be considered at least an honoured guest of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Now that there was a problem with President Ai Ou’s wife, Zong Ao would naturally be invited over.
“Brat, don’t flatter me,” Zong Ao snickered wryly, “It’s only been a few dozen years yet you’re already a Second-Order Origin King while this old master is still lingering about in the Origin Grade High-Rank. It’s nothing less than a tragedy!”
“Grandmaster is too humble, back then your attainments and knowledge of the Alchemic Dao were already profound, and now they can only have advanced further. Clearly, you’re not far from reaching the Origin King Grade.”
Zong Ao smiled slightly with a hint of pride appearing on his face.
“Do you know each other?” Ai Ou asked in surprise.
Zong Ao grinned, “En, I had a few exchanges with him about the Alchemic Dao several dozen years ago. I also had a number of my Alchemy Furnaces snatched by him!”
Yang Kai laughed fondly and said, “Those Alchemy furnaces are no longer useful to me. If Grandmaster wants them back, I can return them to you.”
“No need, they’re useless to me as well,” Zong Ao waved his hand, “Just keep them as a memento.”
A light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes when he heard this and he speculated out loud, “It seems that Grandmaster really is about to reach the Origin King Grade. It also must have been you who provided the pill recipe for the Soul Source Restoration Pill.”
“En,” Zong Ao’s expression suddenly became solemn, “Madam Gu’s condition is easy to diagnose, but there are very few ways to cure it. Refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill is the easiest and most reliable method.”
“Have the materials been gathered?”
“Most have. All of the materials are precious and difficult to find, but with the financial resources of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, collecting most of them isn’t difficult. Unfortunately, the Monster Core of a Seven Coloured Elk is another story…”
“The Monster Core has already been found and was delivered to this King ten days ago!” Ai Ou interjected.
Seven Colored Elk was an ancient species that had long been extinct.
Its Monster Core was one of the main ingredients for refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill. And its heart was one of the main ingredients for refining the Ten Thousand Year Incense.
The Ten Thousand Year Incense had the effect of calming the Qi and Soul. Just one incense could last for ten thousand years. If the Ten Thousand Year Incense was lit when a cultivator was cultivating, his or her heart would not be consumed by their heart demon; his or her mind would remain clear. It was extremely useful for cultivation.
Now, the Rising Dragon Palace of the High Heaven Sect had a part of the Ten Thousand Year Incense burning continuously. Naturally, it was brought by Yang Kai from the Sixth Stage of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
If any High Heaven Sect disciple needed to break through, he or she could go to the Rising Dragon Palace and cultivate there. There wasn’t just Ten Thousand Year Incense but also the Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree, a Martial Dao precious treasure in itself that could help the disciples understand the True Essence of Martial Dao Heavenly Way.
As a matter of fact, Ten Thousand Year Incense and Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree had contributed a lot to the rapid progress of High Heaven Sect disciples over these years. Had it not for these two treasures, the overall strength of the High Heaven Sect would have been a level lower.
The Seven Colored Elk’s entire body was a treasure. Whether it was the Monster Core or the heart, they were very hard to find.
But who would have thought the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would actually found a Seven Colored Elk’s Monster Core. Even someone like Yang Kai could not help but be shocked.
Ai Ou took out the round and glittering Monster Core from his Space Ring while speaking.
“It sure is a Seven Colored Elk’s Monster Core!” Zong Ao cried in a low voice. His eyes were glued at the Monster Core, flickering with a fervoured look.
This kind of ingredient would pique any alchemist’s interest. There wasn’t any alchemist who didn’t want to use rare ingredients to refine pills, watch various ingredients refined and merged into a pill in their own hands. Every alchemist would be grateful to have a chance like this.
“Alas, this Monster Core should have been stored for a long time. A lot of its potency is lost.” Zong Ao heaved another sigh. Many alchemists nodded one after another, expressing their agreement.
Because the seven-coloured glow around the Monster Core felt a little dim, like a candle flickering in the wind that could go about at any moment.
“Yeah! Moreover… only one Monster Core was found. Even the Seven Colored Elk’s heart wasn’t found. If we had the heart, the effect would have been better with its assistance.” Ai Ou sighed continuously.
All the ingredients gathered all that was left was for the Origin King Grade Grandmaster Zuo De to arrive and refine the pill. Gu Bi Hu could be treated then.
“Senior, did Grandmaster Zuo De say when he would come?” Yang Kai asked, looking at Ai Ou.
Ai Ou forced a smile. “The message said that he will be in Water Sky City in the next few days. As for exactly when… I’ve no idea. But since so much time has already passed, I’m not in a hurry.”
He might have said this but everyone could see the impatience in his eyes.
He was a revered Second-Order Origin King Grade master, as well as the President of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. It was always others who waited for him; when did he have to wait for others? Only an Origin King Grade Alchemist could make Ai Ou lower his head. Even if he was feeling frustrated, all he could do was cool his head and keep on waiting patiently.
“This Grandmaster sure is putting on a lot of airs.” Yang Kai chuckled.
As soon Yang Kai said this, Ai Ou couldn’t help but glanced at Yang Kai, like Yang Kai spoke what was on Ai Ou’s mind.
But right then, an inopportune voice suddenly echoed in the room, “Your Excellency, what do you mean by this? Are you accusing Grandmaster Zuo De?”
“Huh!? I’m not.” Yang Kai innocently turned his head to look at the source of the voice.
Immediately, Yang Kai saw a crooked-nosed middle-aged man wearing an Origin Grade Alchemist robe let out a cold snort and continued, looking at Yang Kai with dissatisfaction, “As an Origin King Grade Alchemist, Grandmaster Zuo De is naturally neck-deep in work. It’s natural for him to be a bit late. Your Excellency, aren’t you being disrespectful to Grandmaster by saying so?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He immediately understood that this Alchemist must admire Zuo De very much, so he couldn’t bear to hear anyone speak ill of Zuo De.
He took a second look at the insignia on his robes and confirmed that this guy was an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist. Yang Kai didn’t bother to argue with him. He just chuckled and said, “This one apologizes for my slip of tongue.”
Just as cultivators revered stronger masters, the same was true in Alchemist circles. An Origin Grade Alchemist was already very high up the ladder, and an Origin King Grade Alchemist was even more remarkable. There were only a few of them in the entire Star Field.
Grandmaster Zuo De had countless admirers. This hooked-nosed middle-aged man was one of them. He couldn’t tolerate the sand in his eyes, so how could he let it go. “Your Excellency might be an Origin King Realm master but slandering Grandmaster Zuo De is still a pretty big mistake, even for you. This matter cannot be put to rest just like this. Or else, it would be pretty detrimental to Grandmaster’s reputation if the word got out. Can you really afford it if it really happened?”
After having labels unjustifiably pinned on him, Yang Kai’s face immediately sank. “Then what would you like me to do?”
“Apologize! After Grandmaster Zuo De arrives, you must apologize to him!”
“Hehe!” Yang Kai let out a grim laugh. “What!? So Grandmaster Zuo’s reputation is reputation, but this King’s reputation is nothing!?”
In any case, Yang Kai claimed himself to be a Second-Order Origin King. He had identity, status, and strength. How could he apologize to an Alchemist whom he had never met just for a slip of tongue?
Yang Kai suddenly found this hook-nosed middle-aged man to be a bit ridiculous.
“How can a trivial cultivator like you compare yourself with Grandmaster!?” The hook-nosed middle-aged man wasn’t the least bit afraid of Yang Kai’s Origin King Realm identity. Rather he was looking at him contemptuously.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and threatened, “This trivial cultivator can easily take your life!”
The hook-nosed middle-aged man’s expression immediately turned to worse. He hurriedly looked to Ai Ou and spoke, horrified, “Sir President, this person is arrogant and domineering; not only did he look down on Grandmaster Zuo Debut also dared to threaten me. I ask Sir President to uphold justice!”
Yang Kai immediately said, “President Ai Ou too is a… trivial cultivator!”
The hook-nosed middle-aged man’s jaw immediately dropped.
Ai Ou pursed his lips into a smile and looked up at the sky!
The hook-nosed middle-aged man’s words made him very unhappy. He was already terribly upset because of Gu Bi Hu’s injuries. How could he pay any attention to this Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist?
Not to mention, Yang Kai’s words resonated with him very much. As a matter of fact, Zuo De was already in the habit of putting on a lot of airs. Their Chamber of Commerce had bled a lot whenever they invited him to refine pills over the years.
Having noticed Ai Ou’s thoughts, the hook-nosed middle-aged man’s face turned ugly. He knew that he had gone a bit overboard just now. Not only did he scold Yang Kai but also offended Ai Ou. His intestines turned blue in regret. He still insisted, nonetheless, “So what if you can take my life!? I have no grudge with you, if you dared to do it, you will only be smearing your own name; you will be scorned by the entire world! Don’t forget, I’m an Alchemist, if you killed me, who would refine pills for you in the future!”
“Oh, I’m sorry but I too am an Alchemist!” Yang Kai smiled.
“You!?” The hook-nosed middle-aged man sneered. “I admit that you are highly talented when it comes to Martial Dao. You can fight on par with President Ai Ou without falling in a leeward position. But so what!? All your time and effort were spent on Martial Dao. You won’t have made much progress in Alchemic Dao! Even I can walk all over you with my one-hand behind my back!”
It might not have sounded pleasant but it was what was going in everyone’s mind.
Even though everyone knew Yang Kai was an Alchemist, no one believed that he had achieved much in Alchemic Dao. Even Zong Ao didn’t think that Yang Kai’s Alchemist level was much higher. After all, everyone’s energy was limited. It was already remarkable that he had achieved such a high level in Martial Dao.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “Forget it, I’m not wasting my words on you anymore. Think what you want!”
He truly didn’t want to squabble with someone like him.
“Hmph, don’t be so presumptuous!” Seeing Yang Kai back down, not only did the hook-nosed middle-aged man fail to restrain his arrogance but even grew even more arrogant. He thought that Yang Kai had gotten afraid of his Alchemist’s identity and didn’t dare to make any move on him. He continued, feeling even more reassured and emboldened, “We can put the matter between you and me to rest but you still have to answer for slandering Grandmaster Zuo De!”
“You are not finished yet!?” Yang Kai’s expression immediately turned colder. “Why would I need to answer you? Is Zuo De your father or grandfather? I just said that he is putting on airs and that’s all you have been going on about! Did I say anything wrong? As far as I know, President Ai Ou has already sent someone to invite him half a year ago, but he hadn’t shown up till today. If he is not putting on airs then what is it?”
Yang Kai spoke Ai Ou’s thoughts.
He might have been annoyed and frustrated by the delay shown by Zuo De, but when all was said and done, he was the one with the request. He could only keep his frustration hidden in his heart. He didn’t dare to voice it out. God knows how many times he had cursed Zuo De and his forefathers in his heart over these days.
When he heard Yang Kai, he felt a lot of his frustration vented. He found Yang Kai a lot pleasing to the eyes.
“How dare you address Grandmaster by his name directly!?” The hook-nosed man shouted in anger.
Yang Kai could not help but burst into laughter. He sneered and said, showing no respect to an Origin King Grade Alchemist that he should have, “So what if I called him by his name, isn’t he just an Origin King Grade Alchemist!?”
“You… you… you…” The hook-nosed man blew his top. His hand pointing at Yang Kai kept trembling in anger. He turned to Ai Ou and said, “Sir President, don’t you care that he is being disrespectful to Grandmaster so blatantly? If Grandmaster Zuo came to know of this, it would really make him angry.”
“Um…” Ai Ou stiffened upon hearing this. He looked at Yang Kai and requested a bit, “Friend, can you try to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all.”
The nearby Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai imploringly as well.
They were afraid that if this matter really reached Zuo De’s ears, that old guy with his temper would take advantage of it and try to exaggerate this. He might not turn around and leave but he would surely make the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s bleed.
Yang Kai nodded. “Since its Senior’s request, this junior will put this matter to rest here but if someone keeps on rambling, don’t blame this junior for teaching him a lesson.”
“That’s natural.” Ai Ou nodded slightly, giving Yang Kai a glance of gratitude.
The hook-nosed man’s face turned dark as he resentfully looked at Yang Kai. He looked as if he had something to say but when he saw the sharp gleam in Yang Kai’s eyes, he didn’t dare to be anymore presumptuous. He could only add, “Just you wait! When Grandmaster Zuo De arrives, you will be in serious trouble.”
“Hmm, I’m waiting!” Yang Kai nodded.
The original amiable atmosphere had been destroyed by the hook-nosed man. It rather grew stiffer, making it a bit awkward for everyone.