The Soaring Dragon Altar in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was actually nothing but a big scam.
The hundreds of Origin Kings who had gathered around really couldn’t accept this reality right away.
Near the Soaring Dragon Altar, everyone looked gloomy, especially as they glanced around at all the dead and broken bodies lying on the ground.
If the Soaring Dragon Altar was just a fraud, what had these people died for? Some of these people had relatives and friends among those who were still alive.
“Young Lady Qin, don’t you think you should give us an explanation about this?”
Suddenly, from the crowd, someone turned to look at Qin Yu, who was quite far in the rear, and asked coldly.
Qin Yu had also stopped in place a while ago, and because of her low strength, she had not advanced very far. At this moment, along with her guards, she was quite a bit behind the crowd, at least two hundred meters from the next closest person.
Hearing this accusation, Qin Yu frowned, raised her head, and said lightly, “What does this friend mean…?”
“Hmph, is Young Lady Qin not clear what I mean? You were the one who told us about this Soaring Dragon Altar, and we all believed you, but now it turns out to be nothing but a fake! After so many people were killed and injured here, does Young Lady Qin still want to feign ignorance?”
The speaker was filled with righteous indignation, as if Qin Yu had really cheated them and was responsible for the ones who had died.
What he said was in line with what many cultivators believed and there were not just a few who were staring towards Qin Yu with unkind expressions, seemingly wanting to vent their grievances on her.
Qin Yu’s brow furrowed even more severely, but before she could speak, the guard next to her couldn’t help coldly snorting and snapping, “This friend, would you mind thinking a bit before you speak? What does this matter have to do with my Young Lady?”
“What does it have to do with her? If it weren’t for Qin Yu Young Lady saying all that nonsense about this Soaring Dragon Altar, we wouldn’t have…”
“Wouldn’t have charged forward without hesitation?”
Before this man could finish speaking, Duan Tian Ci suddenly cut in and sneered, sending him a murderous glare, “Don’t be ridiculous. All of you know full well that even if Young Lady Qin didn’t say anything, with such a huge opportunity in front of you, you wouldn’t have just let it go.”
Duan Tian Ci was the son of the City Lord and his strength was not weak, so among the cultivators of Maplewood City, he enjoyed a very high status and popularity. Hearing what he said, many people lowered their heads and began to ponder, finding that what he said was indeed the truth.
Even without Qin Yu’s explanation, none of them would have just ignored this Soaring Dragon Altar. Just as they had now, they would have swarmed towards it and wound up in the exact same situation.
In other words, with or without Qin Yu, nothing would have changed.
“Young Lady Qin was kind enough to advise you, yet now you try to place the blame on her, have you no shame?” Duan Tian Ci looked at the cultivator who spoke before with a cold expression.
Naturally, this man didn’t dare disagree with Duan Tian Ci, and for a time, his eyes began to swim.
“Good, Young Lady Qin is not at fault. If anyone dares to accuse her again, they will become enemies of my Raging Fire Temple,” Zong Zi Jin added indifferently.
“My Jiang Family also agrees!” Jiang Chu He chimed in with a smile, not missing this chance to take the righteous stance and improve his Jiang Family’s reputation.
“Naturally, we won’t blame Young Lady Qin. What just happened was some irresponsible rhetoric by a few disgruntled miscreants. Young Lady Qin doesn’t have to care about such trivial whining.”
“Yes, if it were not for Young Lady Qin, we would not even know what this thing was, but instead of offering thanks some people actually dare make accusations. These people are simply a disgrace to my Maplewood City’s cultivators. It is embarrassing to even stand among them!”
…..
As the crowd swiftly took a stand, the face of the man who had just been accusing Qin Yu flushed a deep red, like he could not wait to find a hole to crawl into and never come out again.
Not far away, Qin Yu smiled and said elegantly, “Many thanks for all your understanding, but… this Mistress did not speak incorrectly, this Soaring Dragon Altar really has a very precious treasure.”
“Where?” Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin’s expressions became hot as they hurriedly asked.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he stared at Qin Yu fixedly, praying she would not say anything unnecessary.
Qin Yu smiled slightly and replied, “This Soaring Dragon Altar itself… is a treasure. Perhaps the things placed on it were merely illusions, but the Soaring Dragon Altar itself is refined from authentic Dragon Bone, an Artifact Refining material coveted even by Emperors.”
With just these words, everyone’s expressions became fierce again.
Qin Yu, however, quickly sighed, “But… with just our paltry strength, there is no way we can destroy this Soaring Dragon Altar or take it away, otherwise, it would not still exist inside this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. If that were possible, it would have been taken away by a powerful master long ago, and if we were to try to attack it, it would likely trigger a very powerful restriction, so this Mistress advises everyone to not act rashly.”
Hearing what she said, the expressions of Zong Zi Jin and Duan Tian Ci gradually calmed down as they turned to look at the huge Soaring Dragon Altar and sighed.
A giant treasure was right in front of them, but they were unable to seize it, leaving them with complicated expressions.
“By the way, Young Lady Qin,” Yang Kai, who had not spoken until now, suddenly cupped his fists and asked, “Since Young Lady Qin seems to know something about this Soaring Dragon Altar, dare I ask… when will we be able to leave here? After all, those who tried to retreat earlier… Everyone saw their end. We won’t be trapped here permanently, right?”
“Yes, Young Lady Qin, please advise us!” Many people also suddenly realized this problem and turned their attention to Qin Yu.
Qin Yu took a deep glance at Yang Kai before smiling and saying, “You can leave now. Once the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar have disappeared, the restriction will also lose its effect. What’s more, this Soaring Dragon Altar will disappear within half an hour. As for when it will re-appear, no one knows. However… you can also choose not to leave; after all, the Dragon Pressure still exists, and the benefits of cultivating here… this Mistress need not explain.”
Yang Kai felt quite uncomfortable under her gaze, always feeling like she could see through him, but he still knew how to express his gratitude, “Many thanks for your instruction, Young Lady Qin.”
Having said that, he did not move.
One should always learn from other’s mistakes. He did not want to be killed inexplicably by the light shot out from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
As such, he simply sat down cross-legged, took out a Source Condensing Pill, and swallowed it, using it in combination with the powerful Dragon Pressure here to further transform his strength.
Yang Kai was not alone in his approach, as none of the other cultivators moved either, all of them waiting for someone to take the risk first. Most cultivators followed Yang Kai’s example, sitting down cross-legged, obviously not wanting to waste this great opportunity.
As for the remaining people, they were eager to leave here and search for treasures elsewhere, but none of them had the guts to move, so their eyes continued to wander about, hoping for someone to make the first move.
Seeing this situation, Qin Yu smiled lightly, turned around, and walked outwards a few steps.
“Young Lady!” The guards around her were shocked and hurriedly called out, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
However, they soon relaxed as Qin Yu did not encounter an attack from the Soaring Dragon Altar. It seemed that what she said before was true: Once the treasure on the altar disappeared, the Spirit Array keeping them here also lost its function.
With Qin Yu setting an example, many cultivators also turned outwards and flew off.
Soon, there were only a few dozen cultivators left near the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Yang Kai was among them.
He had withdrawn the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source and was now using his body alone to bear the terrifying Dragon Pressure. Under the catalysis of the Source Condensing Pill’s medicinal efficacies, he felt his Saint Qi rapidly being transformed into Source Qi.
A quick calculation allowed Yang Kai to estimate that half an hour of cultivation here was worth about ten days of effort outside.
Just as Qin Yu said, half an hour later, accompanied by a rumbling sound, the Soaring Dragon Altar sank back into the ground under the influence of some inexplicable force.
Another half cup of tea’s time later, the Soaring Dragon Altar was gone.
Even the Dragon Pressure had disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai sighed and stood up.
Turning his head to look around, he saw the few dozen remaining cultivators also stand, some of them alone while others were in groups, but each of them lived in peace with one another at this moment.
Soon, the few dozen people flew off in different directions.
Yang Kai also arbitrarily picked a direction and left to continue looking for the Five Coloured Light Pillar that led to the second layer.
A short time later though, as he flew forward, he suddenly frowned and increased his speed.
After an hour, Yang Kai’s expression had turned ugly, and he came to a halt before turning around and staring behind himself.
Initially, there was no one behind him, but soon a streak of light appeared in the distance.
As this light drew closer, Yang Kai could see that it was actually a flight-type artifact similar to the ones he had previously seen.
On the deck of this ship, a slender figure stood looking in his direction. After seeing Yang Kai, this graceful figure turned around and seemed to issue some kind of order.
Soon, the ship arrived in front of Yang Kai and landed slowly.
“Young Lady Qin!” Yang Kai looked at Qin Yu and the few Origin King Realm guards who were accompanying her with a gloomy expression, “What are Young Lady Qin’s intentions? Did you think I would not notice you following me all this time?”
Qin Yu heard the meaning behind his tone and quickly apologized, “Please don’t misunderstand, Your Excellency, this Mistress was not intentionally trying to follow you. Your Excellency’s speed was simply too fast, and my Qin Family’s ship was unable to catch up, leading to the current situation.”
Yang Kai’s frown relaxed slightly as he asked, “Young Lady Qin means she has something to discuss with me?”
“Yes,” Qin Yu nodded when she heard these words.
“I do not believe Young Lady Qin and I have ever met before, so what is it that you are looking for me for?” Yang Kai looked confused, but instinctively rejected this frail-looking woman. In front of her, Yang Kai always had an inexplicable sense of insecurity.
“While it is true we have never met before, this Mistress simply had a question she wished to ask Your Excellency.”
“A question?”
“Good, may I ask Your Excellency’s surname?”
“That’s what you wanted to ask?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“Naturally not,” Qin Yu smiled before suddenly coughing slightly, taking a moment to compose herself before explaining, “What this Mistress wanted to ask was not this question…”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “My surname is Yang.”
“So, it is Brother Yang,” Qin Yu nodded before immediately moving her lips lightly, her delicate voice sounding directly into Yang Kai’s ears.
“Dare I ask Brother Yang, was there really no treasure on that Soaring Dragon Altar?”
“Dare I ask Brother Yang, was there really no treasure on the Soaring Dragon Altar?”
Qin Yu’s voice clearly rang in Yang Kai’s ears.
“Why would Young Lady Qin ask that?” Yang Kai looked at Qin Yu in amazement, looking extremely surprised.
Qin Yu stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes with a clear and flawless gaze, as if trying to see into the depths of his heart.
Yang Kai stared back flatly but soon frowned and asked in a low voice, “Young Lady Qin means… Could it be that among the dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar, some weren’t illusions?”
“Haha…” Qin Yu smiled, “This Mistress cannot say for certain and was just asking casually. At that time, only Brother Yang, Brother Duan, and Brother Zong were near the Soaring Dragon Altar, so only the three of you were able to check all the items carefully.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “I did not see any real treasures there, and according to my observations, neither of the other two obtained any benefits.”
“So that’s how it is, this Mistress simply thought too much,” Qin Yu nodded apologetically.
“Is this what Young Lady Qin wanted to ask?”
“Yes, it seems I have wasted Brother Yang’s time. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. If there is nothing else, then this one will take his leave,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned to go.
“Brother Yang, please wait!” Qin Yu suddenly called out.
“Is there something else?” Yang Kai frowned, a little displeased. If it were not for the fact that the other party was a weak woman who had a gentle and forthright temperament, he wouldn’t have bothered even speaking to her; after all, he and Qin Yu were strangers who had only just met.
“Please calm yourself, Brother Yang, this Mistress simply wanted to ask Brother Yang if he was seeking the entrance to the second layer?”
“What of it?” Yang Kai didn’t try to deny it.
“Then does Brother Yang know where that entrance is?”
Yang Kai shook his head. He only knew that the entrance was a Five Coloured Light Pillar, but where exactly that pillar was, he had no clue. Kang Si Ran had not mentioned anything about it at the time.
Nonetheless, since a giant Five Coloured Light Pillar was quite a dazzling sight, it should not be difficult to find. As long as he was close enough, he should be able to discover some clues.
However, seeing the look on Qin Yu’s face, Yang Kai suddenly realized that things might not be as simple as he thought so he could not help raising his brow and asking, “Does Young Lady Qin know where the entrance is?”
“I don’t know the exact location,” Qin Yu shook her head apologetically.
Yang Kai was stunned speechless at once.
Qin Yu smiled and followed up though, “But, while this Mistress doesn’t know the specific location, she has a general idea…”
Lowering her voice further, she whispered, “Between the mountains, beyond the misty banks of fog, surrounded by a clear river spring, the pillar of light appears.”
“Between the mountains, beyond the misty banks of fog, surrounded by a clear river spring, the pillar of light appears?” Yang Kai repeated with a frown.
“En!” Qin Yu nodded, “The Five Coloured Light Pillar is the only entrance to the second layer, but if one does not arrive at exactly the right spot, they will never be able to find it. Even if one passes right by it, there is a chance they will not notice.”
“Is this something you learned from your ancient books as well?” Yang Kai looked at her in surprise.
Qin Yu nodded.
“Young Lady Qin’s knowledge is truly profound!” Yang Kai admired sincerely.
Qin Yu’s pale face showed a slight blush, and for a moment seemed to be a bit more energetic, but she soon shook her head and said, “Brother Yang is too polite, this Mistress simply knows some superficial things while being unable to ascend to gain true understanding. In truth, this Mistress is now on her way to search for the entrance to the second layer. If Brother Yang does not mind, would he like to accompany me?”
She had invited Yang Kai.
Yang Kai heard this and could not help glancing at the ship behind her, a hesitant look appearing on his face.
If he had such a ship, he could save a lot of energy and could even rest and recuperate onboard while still advancing forward, which was a distinct advantage.
However…
“This Yang appreciated Young Lady Qin’s kind offer, but he is more accustomed to travelling alone,” Yang Kai thought it over for a moment but eventually declined Qin Yu’s proposal.
Qin Yu wore a look of disappointment, but did not try to force the issue, simply nodding and saying, “In that case, this Mistress will not disturb Brother Yang any further. I wish Brother Yang good fortune.”
“To you as well, farewell!” Yang Kai cupped his fists before turning away and flying off.
“Hmph, can’t appreciate kindness!” After his figure disappeared, a guard next to Qin Yu stared in the direction Yang Kai’s flew off and coldly snorted cry, a look of dissatisfaction filling his face, apparently incensed on behalf of Qin Yu.
Qin Yu simply smiled and said, “He’s simply acting cautiously, how could that be the same as not appreciate kindness? I think it is normal for him to have made such a choice.”
“Young Lady, you are far too generous,” The guard looked upset, “By the way, Young Lady, why did you ask him that before? Weren’t all the treasures on that Soaring Dragon Altar fake?”
“Perhaps… but… from what I saw in the ancient records, things should have been a little different. I don’t know what happened.”
After saying a few words, Qin Yu suddenly coughed violently.
The guard became panicked and quickly said, “Young Lady, let us return inside, the wind is quite strong outside.”
“En,” Qin Yu nodded lightly before turning around and heading into the ship.
…
At the same time, somewhere in the first layer, there was a petite woman with a striking crescent-shaped birthmark on her face. It was none other than Mo Xiao Qi, who had been with Yang Kai at the entrance of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
At this moment, Mo Xiao Qi was riding a Monster Beast that resembled a lion and a tiger. The Monster Beast had a fierce look, and its fur was a mixture of snow white and silver. It possessed a giant body and when it breathed, the heat from its nose seemed to contain a mysterious force that caused the ground before it to melt slightly.
If anyone else was here, they would be incredibly shocked.
Because the creature Mo Xiao Qi was riding was the famous Silver Maned Liger. Although this Monster Beast could not trace its lineage to the Ancient Divine Spirits, it was still an extremely powerful creature that was born as a Fifth-Order Monster Beast. As long as this Monster Beast’s aptitude and fortune weren’t bad, it could easily grow to the Tenth-Order and possibly even reach the Eleventh-Order at its peak.
In other words, a fully matured Silver Maned Liger could compare with an Origin King, or even Dao Source Realm, master.
Some legends even told of Twelfth-Order Ligers which were as strong as Emperors!
This Silver Maned Liger was obviously not comparable to a Dao Source cultivator as it only exuded a peak Tenth-Order aura, but it was still not to be underestimated.
Silver Maned Ligers were famous for their wild ferocity, not something an ordinary cultivator could subdue. Even if an Emperor Realm master took action, they might not necessarily succeed in taming one. The most likely result would be that the Liger would fight to the death, choosing to die rather than submit.
But now, this majestic Silver Maned Liger was being used as a simple mount by Mo Xiao Qi. What’s more, it didn’t seem the least bit dissatisfied, obeying all of the young girl’s orders without question, a stunning sight to behold.
In front of Mo Xiao Qi, there was a strange beast about the size of a palm flying about. This strange beast looked like a bat and was quite unremarkable at first glance; but judging from the aura fluctuations coming from its body, it was apparently a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
This Heaven Escaping Bat, like the Silver Maned Liger, was another extremely rare species.
It was a wonder where Mo Xiao Qi had acquired these two precious Monster Beasts and how she had gotten them to obey her so loyally.
It was not even clear if these two Monster Beasts had been subdued by Mo Xiao Qi before she entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda or after.
“Xiao Fu, quickly find the entrance! If you do, I’ll give you something delicious… Xiao Yin, you also walk a bit faster, don’t be sluggish now,” Mo Xiao Qi sat on the back of the Liger and gave out orders, obviously looking for the entrance to the second layer.
The Heaven Escaping Bat named Xiao Fu by Mo Xiao Qi seemed to have some special abilities and was leading her across a certain mountain range covered in fog and lined with streams. These mountains were quite strange, seemingly stretching up into the Heavens and out to the horizon, making it impossible to see what lay beyond them.
Amidst these mountains, the babbling of mountain springs seemed to echo all around in a disorienting manner.
The Heaven Escaping Bat flew directly past a certain mountain spring before stopping and fluttering in place.
Mo Xiao Qi quickly had her Liger follow and when she arrived on the other side of the stream, she looked up and laughed, “That wasn’t too hard to find… En, I must be the first one here hehe.”
Just as she was about to go forward though, she suddenly remembered something and said, “Right, I should see where Big Brother Yang is first.”
Saying so, she took out a bead from her Space Ring and sent her Qi into it. A moment later though, she showed a look of disappointment and shook her head, “This place is really too big, the Sound Bead can’t reach. Could it be because the World Principles are too fragmented here as well? Forget it, Big Brother Yang will certainly come here eventually. Xiao Fu, you wait here, and when you see Big Brother Yang, bring him to find me on the second layer.”
After leaving this command, she took out a jade slip, poured her Divine Sense into it, and left some information in it before hanging it around the Heaven Escaping Bat’s neck and rushing forward happily.
A moment later, in a brilliant flash of light, Mo Xiao Qi and the Liger disappeared.
The Heaven Escaping Bat circled around for a moment before it suddenly dove into a pile of rocks and vanished into the ground.
…
On the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda’s third layer, Lan Xun wandered around surveying the surrounding environment. She was exuding a faint glow that seemed to be capable of repelling all dangers from her.
At a certain point, she arrived at a secluded mountain valley and after scanning it carefully, she smiled happily and nodded, “Here.”
Saying so, she took out some Spirit Array equipment from her Space Ring and got to work.
Two days later, she had finished arranging everything and took out a large amount of Source Crystals, creating a big pile nearby. Only after this was done did she sit down cross-legged and begin circulating some kind of mysterious Secret Art while impacting the bottleneck to the Dao Source Realm.
As time passed, Lan Xun’s tender body began to emit a faint suction force that drew in many firefly-like wisps from nearby. These wisps looked similar to the starlight wisps Yang Kai had absorbed in the Starlight Corridor some time ago.
However, if one examined them carefully, they would discover that these wisps were completely different in nature.
The starlight in the Starlight Corridor was a kind of catalyst that could promote the transformation of Saint Qi into Source Qi.
But the wisps here were actually shattered World Principles.
As these wisps entered her body, Lan Xun was able to more clearly grasp Principle Strength, and her aura began to slowly increase in intensity.
Five days after entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, somewhere in the first layer, Yang Kai landed indifferently from the air besides two other cultivators who were staring at the fresh corpse of a Monster Beast.
Unlike Yang Kai’s indifference, the two other cultivators were extremely excited.
These two cultivators, one wearing blue, the other white, were both men and Third-Order Origin Kings.
The group of three had not exchanged given names and only knew one another by their surnames. The reason for this was because they were just a temporarily gathered alliance.
After separating from Qin Yu, Yang Kai had been constantly searching for the entrance to the second layer, but after arriving at a certain spot, he had come across these two cultivators and heard an interesting story from them.
Yang Kai learned that the two of them had discovered some rare Golden Crystal Grasses, but these Golden Crystal Grasses were guarded by four Iron Arm Spirit Apes. Iron Arm Spirit Apes had extremely tough skin and amazing natural defence, so when the two of them had fought against these four previously, they were unable to gain any advantage and were forced to withdraw. As such, they were now looking for another helper to deal with these four Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai happened to pass by at this time, so the pair invited him to cooperate.
After listening to their story, Yang Kai immediately decided to join the group.
Although he did not know what Golden Crystal Grass was, since it could draw the attention of two Third-Order Origin Kings, it would certainly be of great value.
It was just four Monster Beasts, so it would not cost Yang Kai much time.
Furthermore, he did not put these two Third-Order Origin Kings in his eyes. Even if they were plotting something, Yang Kai felt that he could handle whatever they threw at him with his current strength.
After some inquiries, Yang Kai learned that the Golden Crystal Grass was actually a rare spirit grass that could aid one’s Body Tempering. Even if it was directly swallowed and refined, it could increase the strength and toughness of a cultivator’s body. If it could be refined into Golden Crystal Pills, the effect would be even better.
It was for this exact reason that the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes had decided to live where these Golden Crystal Grasses grew.
With their group of three, they launched an attack.
Of the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes, the largest one had a cultivation at the peak of the Tenth-Order, which was equivalent to a peak Origin King. If it was given a few more years, breaking through to the Eleventh-Order would not be a problem. As for the other three, they were equivalent to Second-Order Origin Kings.
If they were ordinary Monster Beasts, two Third-Order Origin Kings would have been able to deal with them somehow.
But Iron Arm Spirit Apes had astonishing defensive and offensive power. What’s more, they were a tenacious species that did not seem to fear death, so in the previous fight, the pair had suffered quite a bit but gained nothing in the end.
However, after Yang Kai joined, the situation was completely different.
Although Yang Kai held back, he still had no problem entangling the big Iron Arm Spirit Ape.
The other two teamed up to use their artifacts to kill the three small apes before joining Yang Kai and launching a concentrated attack, causing it to fall after a short struggle.
“Brother Yang’s methods are profound, tying down that evil animal with ease and emerging unscathed, this Zhao is impressed,” The man in blue smiled in a somewhat forced manner as he praised.
“En, this slightly longer Iron Arm Spirit Ape made Brother Zhao and I almost suffer serious injury before. I didn’t expect Brother Yang would be able to deal with it for so long. This Sun is ashamed of his inferiority,” The man in white also spoke.
“Two friends are too polite, this Yang’s Movement Skill is just a bit more flexible. Although this beast is indeed strong, as long as I could distract it while not letting it hit me, its strength doesn’t mean anything,” Yang Kai said lightly.
The men surnamed Zhao and Sun looked at each other and didn’t say anything, instead just laughing awkwardly and glossing over the matter.
After all, when the three of them teamed up to deal with the last Iron Arm Spirit Ape, they had witnessed Yang Kai’s performance up close and knew that it was not just his Movement Skill that was extraordinary…
At this moment, both of them felt a little fear towards Yang Kai.
“Now that these four beasts are dead, we should first harvest their Blood Essence, fur, and fangs. All of it is good material that should not be wasted,” Zhao Peng suggested.
“Indeed, especially their pelts, they can be used to refine high quality defensive artifacts,” Sun Qian continued happily.
Saying so, the trio did not waste any time and used their own methods to process the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes.
Not long after, the three showed looks of satisfaction. Splitting the materials amongst themselves, they only left behind some useless pieces of meat and bone.
“Now, it’s just the Golden Crystal Grass left. I don’t know how many there are, but I hope there are many,” Zhao Peng looked at a nearby cave with a fiery gaze.
“We’ll only know after we take a look,” Yang Kai smiled slightly and took the lead as he walked towards the cave.
The men surnamed Zhao and Sun exchanged a glance before hurriedly following.
The cave was dark and damp, and there was a foul smell in the air which made people want to vomit. The bones of many other Monster Beasts were piled up near the entrance of the cave that when stepped on made an unnerving crackling sound.
The four Iron Arm Spirit Apes had obviously made this place their home for some time now.
After a short walk, the trio arrived at the back of the cave.
In front of them, there was a stone block roughly twenty meters across on top of which there were a dozen or so small golden blades of grass about the size of a finger that exuded a metallic lustre.
Three Divine Senses swept out and after confirming that there were no hidden dangers, the trio approached the stone pier.
“Haha, there are thirteen stalks!” Zhao Peng said with clear joy.
“We can’t divide them evenly though,” Sun Qian frowned as he thought of another matter.
Yang Kai just chuckled, “Since there are thirteen stalks, we can each take four then convert the last one into Source Crystals. The one who wants it most can take out those Source Crystals and compensate the other two.”
“En, Brother Yang’s suggestion is good,” The men surnamed Zhao and Sun naturally had no reason to refuse and nodded quickly.
The trio split twelve Golden Crystal Grasses amongst themselves before discussing an appropriate price for the last stalk. Yang Kai eventually bought it for five thousand Source Crystals.
Everyone was happy.
“It has been a rewarding cooperation, I hope there will be another chance in the future,” The man surnamed Zhao smiled and said to Yang Kai, cupping his fists politely.
“Yes, Brother Yang is very capable. I do hope we can work together again,” The man surnamed Sun added.
“If there is a chance,” Yang Kai said in a perfunctory manner. “Since our business is concluded, I will take my leave.”
“May we meet again, Brother Yang!” The men surnamed Zhao and Sun quickly cupped their fists and replied.
Yang Kai nodded and turned to walk out of the cave.
When he reached the entrance, however, he turned around and asked, “Aren’t you two going to look for the entrance to the second layer?”
Zhao Peng chuckled and said, “Naturally, we are planning to do that, but during the previous battle, this Zhao expended quite a bit of strength, so he is going to restore himself first. Please do not mind me, Brother Yang.”
The man surnamed Sun nodded, indicating he would do the same.
Yang Kai showed a look of understanding before nodding and turning around to leave while the other two sat down and took out some restorative Spirit Pills from their Space Rings and stuffed them into their mouths, closing their eyes to adjust their breathing.
For a time, the cave was silent.
Only after a long wait did the man surnamed Sun suddenly open his eyes and whisper, “He should be gone now.”
“It’s been so long already; do you think he’d linger around?” The man surnamed Zhao commented.
“Brother Zhao, why did you tell me not to act rashly just now? Golden Crystal Grass is extremely rare, so letting him just take five of them away is really not worth it. Also, judging from the way he bid for the last one, he seemed to have a lot of Source Crystals on him. If we could kill him…”
“Do you think the two of us are his opponents?” The man surnamed Zhao heard this and coldly snorted.
“Why not? Although his performance just now was quite good, and he was probably still concealing some of his strength, isn’t it the same for us? With the two of us acting together, why would we need to fear him?” The man surnamed Sun looked unconvinced.
“That’s only because you don’t know how terrifying he really is!” The man surnamed Zhao scoffed, “Remember how I told you before that I encountered the Soaring Dragon Altar? During that incident, I saw a man kill Kui Sha with a single strike, with Kui Sha being unable to put up any kind of resistance.”
“Kui Sha? Kui Sha of the Blood Transformation Sect?” Sun Qian was startled.
“En, how do you think we compare to Kui Sha?”
“Naturally, we’re not as strong. Although Blood Transformation Sect isn’t a powerful Sect, it is still on par with Raging Fire Temple. Even I have heard of Kui Sha as he is a young talent with a promising future.”
“That’s why I didn’t let you act just now. I didn’t remember where I had seen that guy surnamed Yang at first, but after watching him fight, I remembered that he was the one who killed Kui Sha! Even if both you and I acted together, we would definitely not be his opponent and our end would be disastrous.”
“So that’s how it is! Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for your prompt reminder. Otherwise, if I had torn face with him…” The man surnamed Sun shivered slightly as sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore. Fortunately, this person seems to be a bit ignorant, not even knowing the details about Golden Crystal Grass, even going so far as to ask us about its uses.”
“En, he’s a strange one. With such great strength, how could he not know anything about Golden Crystal Grass?” The man surnamed Sun wondered.
“It’s best that he knows nothing, it allows us to pick up a bargain. Since he did not know about Golden Crystal Grass, he naturally wouldn’t know that Golden Crystal Grass will only grow above rare ore deposits. In other words, there is definitely some valuable ore vein below here!” The man surnamed Zhao smiled slightly.
“Alright, now that he’s left, we should get to work. If we can find a piece of Emperor Grade ore, you and I will become rich.”
“How could Emperor Grade ore be so easy to find? It is rumoured that Emperor Grade ores only appear above the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda’s third layer while we’re still just on the first, but… a piece of Dao Source Grade ore is still quite good.”
After the two spoke, they no longer hesitated and each began using their own methods to excavate the area beneath the stone pier. It was not long until a big hole was blasted open in the stone and the pair began using different methods to dig down into the ground.
“Sure enough, they hid something!” Not far away, using his Secret Technique Nihility to conceal himself, Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Previously, Yang Kai had felt that these two had been hiding something from him.
After all, this cave where the Iron Arm Spirit Apes lived was dark, humid, and smelt terrible, yet the two of them had actually chosen to stay here to meditate after acquiring the Golden Crystal Grass. Obviously, they had other intentions.
If it were not for there being significant benefits to doing so, how could they have chosen to remain in such an environment?
So, Yang Kai pretended to leave, but had gone into hiding nearby to quietly investigate.
As soon as he felt signs of the two people using their strength, he affirmed his judgment.
However, in this situation, Yang Kai felt somewhat awkward simply appearing and killing them; after all, although the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun had concealed something from him, they also had not acted against him. If anyone was to blame, it was him for being ignorant and uninformed.
[Seems like… after this time, I have to study up on the various materials and herbs of the Star Boundary, otherwise, I’ll continue to suffer similar losses in the future.]
Yang Kai did not know what was buried underground that was worth Zhao and Sun digging up, but since it wasn’t convenient for him to appear directly, he simply chose to continue to hide.
The movement inside the cave continued for some time and soon a large hole was dug up. However, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun just continued to dig and dig without pause.
After a full half a day, at the mouth of the cave, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun walked out one after another, their expressions filled with frowns and frustration rather than happiness.
“Such bad luck, wasting a whole half a day like that,” The man surnamed Zhao grumbled.
“En, who would have thought that things would turn out like this. If I had only known before, I would have just left directly,” The man surnamed Sun also sighed.
“Forget it, there’s nothing we can do about it anyway, let’s just hurry up to find the entrance to the second layer. We don’t know when this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is going to close, so we have to hurry to obtain more benefits, especially those Dao Source Fruits!”
After exchanging a few words, the pair showed no intention of idling and summoned their flight type artifacts and flew off.
A short time later, Yang Kai’s figure appeared mysteriously, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face as he stared in the direction the two had left.
Judging from the previous conversation between the two, it seemed they have failed to obtain any benefits from the cave. If that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have seemed so annoyed. However, the two clearly had expected something but seemed to have obtained nothing.
This puzzled Yang Kai greatly.
With a flicker, he returned to the cave again and when he arrived at its deepest point, he laid eyes on a giant hole where the stone pier once stood.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to jump in.
Not long after, he landed at the bottom of the pit and after a sweep with his Divine Sense, he immediately understood the situation.
The efficiency of the two surnamed Zhao and Sun was commendable, as could be expected of two Third-Order Origin Kings. In just half a day, they had actually dug out a pit almost five hundred metres across and a few hundred metres deep.
There were no signs of this hole collapsing either.
Yang Kai looked around and couldn’t help admiring the pair’s methods.
However, inside this pit, there was only a single, giant ore!
Yang Kai did not recognize this ore which had a light green hue to it that made it look like it was covered in moss.
The edges of this ore had been excavated out so Yang Kai could clearly see its irregular shape, but in terms of size, it was at least as big as ten houses.
In front of Yang Kai, there were also some traces of this ore being attacked.
There were many marks and scratches a few inches deep on the surface of this ore that were clearly freshly made.
These marks were obviously left behind by the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun just now.
Yang Kai suddenly understood why those two had shown such annoyed expressions when they left the cave.
It turned out that underground, there were indeed benefits to be had, but… the two of them were unable to take this ore away with them and could only sigh in frustration!
Such a large piece of ore was not something an ordinary Space Ring could accommodate. Obviously, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun knew this and wanted to try to break off pieces of this ore to take away, the scratches left here being the best evidence of their thinking.
Unfortunately for them, this ore seemed to be extremely hard, and even with their strength, they were unable to break it into pieces. In the end, the pair could only give up to avoid wasting more time.
Yang Kai, however, just stared at this ore with bright eyes and smiled happily.
His Space Ring was no different from others, and naturally could not hold such a big piece of ore, but he also had his Sealed World Bead!
Many years ago, he had managed to stuff his thousand-metre tall Embodiment directly into the Sealed World Bead, so retrieving this piece of ore would be no issue.
In any case, it was much smaller than his Embodiment from that time.
Since this ore had appeared in the first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it was definitely not Emperor Grade. Yang Kai estimated it was some kind of Dao Source or Origin King Grade mineral.
Even so, being this large had to make it quite valuable.
The Embodiment now cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and needed to swallow a massive amount of material to strengthen itself. This giant ore would be a good resource for this process.
Considering all this, he no longer hesitated, sat down cross-legged, and began wantonly spreading out his Divine Sense, trying to envelop the entire ore with it.
Soon after, Yang Kai let out a low roar as his Divine Sense erupted at full strength.
The next moment, the huge ore in front of him disappeared and reappeared inside his Sealed World Bead.
After completing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help shaking somewhat as his face turned pale and a sharp pain pierced through his head.
Yang Kai did not panic, though, and just quickly took out a Spirit Pill used to restore Spiritual Energy and stuffed it into his mouth.
Time passed slowly, and after another half a day passed, Yang Kai let out a long breath and opened his eyes.
His Spiritual Energy had been mostly restored now. Fortunately, with the help of his Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy recovered several dozen times faster than ordinary cultivators. If this weren’t the case, with his current realm and his previous effort, it would have taken him at least ten days to recover.
Scanning the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that the huge ore had already been moved to where his Embodiment was.
At this moment, his Embodiment was also a little different than before.
Although it was still a giant as high as a mountain, it was undoubtedly much smaller than the last time Yang Kai saw it. What’s more, around his Embodiment was a ten-metre thick pile of impurities scattered around.
As Yang Kai waited and watched for a while, he saw more and more gravel falling from his Embodiment, making for quite the spectacular sight.
Yang Kai was very satisfied. According to this speed, in as short as half a year or as long as a year, his Embodiment would be able to provide him with assistance again, and not simply need to remain on the sidelines due to its extreme size.
Retracting his Divine Sense, Yang Kai jumped out of the pit, walked out of the cave, picked a direction, and flew off.
…
Seven days later, Yang Kai frowned as he stared at a mountain range in front of him with a somewhat anxious look on his face.
He had been searching for the entrance to the second layer all this time but had not found any trace of it so far.
What Qin Yu said that day to him still rang in his ears, and Yang Kai did not believe she had been deceiving him, so he had followed her instructions and searched through all the mountains he came across.
Yang Kai had scoured several locations already but so far found nothing.
He also didn’t know if the mountain range ahead was the target he was looking for.
Regardless, he had to take a look to know.
With a flicker, Yang Kai’s figure moved forward.
After a short while, Yang Kai landed at the base of a certain mount, looked around, and flashed a happy smile.
Because this place, surrounded by mountains and covered in mist, actually fit the first part of Qin Yu’s description perfectly.
Just as he secretly felt that he was on the right track, a small black shadow suddenly shot out from nearby. Yang Kai instinctively stretched out his hand and palmed towards this approaching shadow.
The black shadow’s reaction was extremely fast, though, and the moment it was attacked, it turned straight up to dodge this blow before falling back down at an equally quick speed while letting out a stream of squeaks.
Its tone was that of a one who had been wronged.
Yang Kai froze on the spot upon hearing these cries and stared at the black shadow which had suddenly pounced on him.
It wasn’t until now that he was able to clearly see that this dark shadow was actually a palm-sized Monster Beast which looked like a bat. Flapping its wings quickly, it seemed to be quite nimble, and judging from its reaction just now, its speed was nothing to scoff at.
At that moment, this bat-like Monster Beast flew up to Yang Kai and circled him a few times while using its small eyes to seemingly evaluate him.
Yang Kai was quite surprised by all of this.
Before he could figure out what this Monster Beast wanted to do though, he heard a series of squeaks coming from it as it opened its mouth and spat out a jade slip towards him.
“For me?” Yang Kai frowned as he guessed the little beast’s intentions.
The little beast squeaked again, seemingly responding to Yang Kai before it flew up to him and let the jade slip fall from its jaw.
Yang Kai caught the jade slip and poured his Divine Sense into it. A moment later he let out a chuckle as he muttered, “So you were sent here by Xiao Qi…”
It was only now that he understood that this little beast in front of him was a Heaven Escaping Bat raised by Mo Xiao Qi, and that she had left it here to help guide him.
Yang Kai could not help feeling some warmth in his heart.
It seemed… he had not found the wrong place, and that Mo Xiao Qi had entered the second layer much earlier than him, which amazed Yang Kai quite a bit.
“Lead the way then,” Yang Kai put the jade slip away and smiled at the little bat.
The Heaven Escaping Bat seemed to be able to understand people, so after hearing this, it immediately turned and flew off in a certain direction.
At that moment though, a loud shout suddenly came from the distance, “Friend, wait!”
As this voice called out, the sound of clothes swishing drift over on the wind.
Yang Kai’s face sank. Just now, all his attention had been fixed on the actions of the small bat and he had failed to notice someone approaching him until he heard this voice.
After sweeping the surrounding with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai realized that there were actually six cultivators nearby, all of them Origin Kings.
When Yang Kai turned his head and looked, he confirmed that six Origin Kings were approaching.
The leader of this group had a haughty air about him and a jade carved face, clearly indicating he came from a powerful background.
Also… it turned out to be someone Yang Kai knew.
The Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, Ning Yuan Cheng!
In the black market that day, Ning Yuan Cheng and Mo Xiao Qi had gotten into a small conflict because of a Monster Beast Egg. At the time, Yang Kai had concealed his appearance and used some clever deception to frighten off Saint Palace’s group.
Now, he had unexpectedly run into these Flying Saint Palace cultivators again in the first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
However, at this moment, the Second-Order Dao Source Realm master Liu Yi Zhi was nowhere to be seen. This was not a surprise though as the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was only open to those below the Dao Source Realm this time, so Ning Yuan Cheng could only bring along some Origin Kings with him.
It was unknown how he had managed to gather together his guards or why he was now trying to confront Yang Kai.
Although he knew who this person was, Yang Kai did not show any signs on his face at all.
He had hidden his appearance that day, so he believed that Ning Yuan Cheng would not recognize him at this moment.
“Do you need something?” Yang Kai turned his head and asked Ning Yuan Cheng faintly.
“Are you daft, boy? How could we have called for you to stop if we didn’t need something?” One of the Origin Kings behind Ning Yuan Cheng snapped in a cold tone.
Yang Kai sneered as he cast a cold glint towards the speaker.
“Don’t be rude,” Ning Yuan Cheng snapped, seemingly reprimanding his guard, immediately turning his eyes back to Yang Kai and cupping his fists while saying with a proud smile. “This friend, this one is Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master, Ning Yuan Cheng. How many I address this friend?”
“If you have something to say, just say it, I have no interest in wasting time,” Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent.
He had understood the personality of this Ning Yuan Cheng and knew that he was only showing politeness now because he had yet to confirm what Yang Kai’s background was.
Perhaps… it had something to do with what happened in the black market that day; after all, once bitten by a snake, one would fear ropes for ten years.
Yang Kai’s reaction and demeanour caused Ning Yuan Cheng’s brows to furrow and he was clearly quite unhappy, but pressing that rage down, he continued, “In that case, this one will speak frankly. Just now, this little beast seems to have delivered something to Your Excellency, yes?”
“What of it?” Yang Kai immediately understood. Clearly this Ning Yuan Cheng regarded that jade slip as some kind of treasure and had come here in hopes of snatching it.
“What was it?” Ning Yuan Cheng’s eyes lit up as he continued to probe.
“What does it have to do with you?”
“Wild boy!” The guard who had spoken before suddenly became furious and exploded in anger, “Young Palace Master asked you a question, all you need to do is answer obediently! What thing are you to dare ask questions?
Ning Yuan Cheng waved his hand to stop the guard’s next action, but his expression gradually turned cold as his patience was also wearing thin, “This one is very interested in your little beast, I don’t know whether Your Excellency is willing to part with it? This one can offer…”
“Not interested,” Yang Kai refused without waiting for him to finish.
Without even mentioning that this little bat was a Tenth-Order’s Monster Beast, not a creature which could be casually cultivated or something Yang Kai would sell casually, it was not even his in the first place as it belonged to Mo Xiao Qi.
After speaking, he turned to leave.
“Friend seems to want to refuse a toast! Good, then you must drink a loss! Capture him for me!” Ning Yuan Cheng saw Yang Kai being so disrespectful and no longer bothered keeping up appearances, ordering his guards to act.
The five Origin Kings heard this order and immediately took action.
However, at that moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat which had been lightly hovering nearby suddenly opened its mouth and let out a series of sharp cries.
Sound waves visible to the naked eye spread out like ripples, covering the Flying Saint Palace cultivators in an instant.
All of a sudden, the five Origin Kings and Ning Yuan Cheng couldn’t help going pale as they felt their eardrum ring and their vitality tumble. Even their Source Qi began to riot inside their meridians.
Each of them wore a look of horror as they quickly roared and pushed their strength to resist their discomfort.
By the time they had recovered, Yang Kai and the little bat had already flown far away, becoming just a dot in the distance.
“Damn it! Follow him! No matter what, I must have that little beast. It seems able to find precious treasures and will play a big role in this place!” Ning Yuan Cheng angrily shouted.
The five guards did not dare to doddle and quickly used their Movement Skills to pursue.
But soon after, they completely lost sight of Yang Kai and the little bat.
“Where did they go?” Ning Yuan Cheng looked around but was unable to see any clues.
“Reporting to Young Palace Master, somehow, in the blink of an eye, that man and his beast just vanished,” One of the guards said with some uncertainty.
“They must be nearby, quickly search for them! How can this Young Master just watch his treasures fly away?” Ning Yuan Cheng said with a cruel expression.
The five guards immediately dispersed and began to search.
Not long after, a guard called out in pleasant surprise, “Young Palace Master, come quickly, it’s the entrance to the second layer!”
“What?” Ning Yuan Cheng was overjoyed when he heard these words but quickly snapped back, “Nonsense! The entrance to the second layer is a giant Five Coloured Light Pillar, an extremely obvious sight, you think this Young Master is so blind he cannot see… see… huh?”
As Ning Yuan Cheng was angrily shouting, he moved forward and suddenly raised his head to look up at the sky. Sure enough, the Five Coloured Light Pillar was standing right in front of him.
Frowning, he took a few steps and the Five Coloured Light Pillar in front of him disappeared just like that. Stepping forward again, the pillar of light reappeared.
“So strange?” Ning Yuan Cheng was shocked.
“En, Young Palace Master, this entrance seems to only be visible if one stands within a certain distance of it, otherwise it is impossible to detect even if one passes right by,” The guard who discovered the entrance said with enthusiasm.
“Those bastards from Star Soul Palace are really treacherous. Fortunately, this Young Master is one of Heaven’s favoured, otherwise, how could he have found this entrance? Hahahaha, what are we hesitating for? Let’s head to the second layer! That bastard from before must have also travelled to the second layer. Hmph, he won’t escape from this Young Master’s grasp!”
“Young Palace Master, that little beast may not only be able to find precious treasure, it most likely also discovered this entrance. It’s truly a strange beast.”
“Then this Young Master wants to possess it even more! Perhaps we can use it to find the entrance to the third layer, allowing us to go up and have a look,” Ning Yuan Cheng’s face was filled with fiery desire as he led his group of six into the Five Coloured Light Pillar, the next moment all of them disappearing.
However, after they reached the second layer, there was no sign of Yang Kai.
At the same time, somewhere in the second layer, Yang Kai was flying forward with the little bat leading the way.
Yang Kai knew that it was looking for Mo Xiao Qi, so he just leisurely followed after it while taking in the sights and scenes of the second layer.
It seemed to be no different from the first layer. The World Energy was still extremely thin, not suitable for cultivation. Moreover, the World Principles were still shattered and fragmented.
However, the second layer seemed to be much more dangerous than the first layer.
Yang Kai had explored the first layer for quite some time but did not encounter too many powerful traps and barriers.
But after arriving on the second layer, he could feel many hidden power fluctuations under the surveillance of his Divine Sense.
It was difficult to tell if these Spirit Arrays were man-made or naturally formed, but it was obvious that they would be triggered if he approached too close.
However, with the Heaven Escaping Bat leading the way, Yang Kai was not worried about whether he would encounter danger as this little beast seemed to have an innate ability to sense danger and was thus able to lead him along a safe path.
Half a day later, one beast and one person arrived at a windy gorge approximately a thousand metres across.
Yang Kai checked left and right to confirm that there was no danger before proceeding.
However, the moment the little bat flew over the canyon, it suddenly began squeaking in panic.
Yang Kai was shocked by this but before he could figure out what was wrong, he suddenly began to sink.
At that moment, there seemed to be a terrifying suction force coming from below, causing him to plummet uncontrollably.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically.
Quickly pushing his strength, he tried to resist this downward suction.
But soon, Yang Kai discovered that his efforts were in vain. Even with his Third-Order Origin King cultivation, he was unable to slow his descent. As for the little bat, despite it being extremely agile in the air, it too failed to escape this force and spiralled down into the canyon below.
The wind whistled as the speed at which Yang Kai fell got faster and faster, the pressure even starting to sting his face.
Yang Kai finally began to panic.
He immediately understood that he had encountered some kind of extremely powerful trap, one that not only he couldn’t find, but even the Heaven Escaping Bat was unaware of.
Such a powerful restriction was unlikely to be man-made and instead had a high chance of being naturally formed.
Such Natural Spirit Arrays were generally incredibly difficult to detect until it was too late.
If his speed of descent continued to increase, even with Yang Kai’s powerful physique, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, and Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he would definitely die on impact.
This would be an incredibly miserable death.
The sharp squeaking sound of the Heaven Escaping Bat continued to sound in Yang Kai’s ear, but the tone was quite distorted thanks to the incredible speed they were falling at.
Yang Kai struggled to sweep his eyes around but was unable to see anything. As a last resort, he released his Divine Sense widely and after some probing, finally gained some awareness of his surroundings.
Locking onto the little bat with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent out a Golden Blood Thread towards it; however, his accuracy was affected greatly by his current situation and failed to catch his target.
With no other choice, Yang Kai sent out a couple dozen Golden Blood Threads, forming a big net that finally managed to catch the little bat and bring it back to him.
The next moment, he hugged the little bat and escaped into the Sealed World Bead without hesitation.
A short time later, at the bottom of the canyon, a soft thud occurred as the Sealed World Bead bounced just once before coming to a stop.
It was not until a while later that Yang Kai dared to release his Divine Sense outside to check his surroundings.
However, the attractive force here was simply too terrifying, causing even his Divine Sense to warp the moment it left the Sealed World Bead.
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai comforted the Heaven Escaping Bat for a bit before leaving it in the Sealed World Bead and moving outside.
The next moment, Yang Kai shrunk as he was sucked down towards the ground, finding it difficult to even lift a finger.
“A natural gravity field?” Yang Kai’s expression contorted.
The Star Boundary was incredibly vast, and the number of strange places that existed was beyond countable.
Not just in the Star Boundary though, natural gravity fields existed even in the Star Field.
In certain places, the gravity was several times, even tens of times greater than ordinary and they could often catch people off guard and cause them to suffer big losses.
But the natural gravity field here was even more terrifying than that. Even with Yang Kai’s Third-Order Origin King cultivation, he was immobilized, so one could imagine how strong the gravity here was.
The gravity here was definitely thousands of times higher than ordinary.
Natural gravity fields were extremely rare, and the conditions for their formation were quite stringent, so although Yang Kai had encountered some before, he was able to break free of them with just a little effort, but here…
His face gradually became dignified as he constantly pushed his strength, but he could only lift his arms slowly at best, so wanting to fly was absolutely impossible.
Looking up, Yang Kai could not even see the sky, it was so far away. So, if he couldn’t fly up, it would be impossible to escape from here.
Looking around again, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
This gorge was not very big, only a few thousand metres long, but its entire floor was actually covered in white bones, some from Monster Beasts while others were human in shape. Most of these bones had already crumbled and scattered about while only a handful of them barely maintained their original shape.
There was even a fresh corpse nearby, one that had apparently died not long ago, the blood still not even completely dry and the hashed meat and internal organs splattered out in a terrible display.
This person was obviously a Maplewood City cultivator who entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, and just like Yang Kai, when flying over this gorge, had been pulled down into it, but unlike Yang Kai who had a means of survival, this man had simply fallen to his death.
Before this person died, he must have been extremely unwilling…
Yang Kai silently offered tribute to this man; after all, who could have thought that after cultivating to the Origin King Realm, they would actually die by falling to the ground one day? If word of this kind of death was spread around, most people wouldn’t be able to stop laughing at it.
But how could there be such terrifying gravity here? Yang Kai was quite puzzled. He had encountered natural gravity fields before, but none could compare with this place.
Yang Kai was eventually forced to use his Five Element Indestructible Sword Qi and display his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique in order to slowly walk around at the speed of a turtle.
After a half cup of tea’s time, though, Yang Kai dispersed his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art and Dragon Transformation Secret Technique before sitting down and panting heavily.
Maintaining these two Secret Techniques for extended periods of time would consume a lot of his strength, but the progress it brought was minimal, making the gains not worth the loss, so Yang Kai simply gave up wasting his power.
[I won’t be trapped in this damned place forever, will I?] A sad thought emerged in Yang Kai’s heart.
Soon after though, he frowned as a look of surprise filled his face.
“That’s not right, the aura here…”
He suddenly discovered that the World Energy in this place was actually extremely rich.
Regarding the Star Boundary, Yang Kai did not know how rich the World Energy could be in the best cultivation paradises; after all, he hadn’t been here for very long and had never visited the headquarters of any big Sect.
However, the World Energy at the bottom of this gorge was completely incomparable to the headquarters of Blue Feather Sect and the secluded home he had rented in Maplewood City.
The richness of World Energy here was beyond anything Yang Kai had imagined possible.
Even just sitting there, without moving, the surrounding aura would sink into his body spontaneously, and in short order, the strength Yang Kai had consumed before was restored once again.
[This is incredibly strange!] Since Yang Kai entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he found that the ambient World Energy was extremely thin everywhere he went. This was the case for both the first layer and second layer, yet now, in this strange gorge, the World Energy was simply rich beyond imagination, an oddity that was difficult to ignore.
Moreover, because of the terrifying natural gravity field here, all the World Energy seemed to be concentrated in the metre or so above the ground, unable to spread out.
This created a spectacle where at the bottom of this gorge, a dense mist covered the ground, with signs of Spirit Qi Wisps floating about within it.
Yang Kai had previously been absorbed in the crisis he was facing and had not had much time to pay attention to other things, so it was only now that he realized this shocking reality after a careful observation of his surroundings.
[Down here… Is there some kind of treasure?]
A thought emerged in Yang Kai’s mind as this was the only explanation he could think of to explain this phenomenon.
Considering this, Yang Kai could not help getting a little excited.
Bracing himself, he struggled to his feet then stretched out his palm, summoning several dozen Golden Blood Threads and moulding them into a drill-like shape.
With a shout, Yang Kai started the Golden Blood Thread drill spinning and struck towards the ground.
The next moment, a loud bang resounded.
Golden light exploded…
The several dozen Golden Blood Threads collapsed, revealing their original form as they could not maintain their transformed drill shape. At the same time, sparks flew out from the spot on the ground which had just been struck.
A moment later, Yang Kai looked down at the rice-grain-sized pit he had made and exclaimed in shock, “So hard?”
He confirmed at that moment that there was some kind of extraordinary treasure down here.
Because the dirt beneath his feet was clearly just ordinary dirt; however, for some reason, something was hardening it so much that even his Golden Blood Threads could not cause it much damage. A full-powered blow was only able to chip away an insignificant speck and in the blink of an eye, this pit had already disappeared.
The ground had restored itself and become level again!
Whatever inexplicable force was at work here actually had the ability to repair this terrain!
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brilliantly, but he was also quite helpless.
Because if he couldn’t dig up the ground here, there was no way for him to take away whatever treasure was hidden underground. But if he couldn’t take away the treasure underground, he couldn’t dig up this ground…
This was an endless loop, like trying to figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg.
[If only Xiao Xiao was here!] Yang Kai suddenly missed Xiao Xiao’s innate talent of being able to devour any kind of ore to strengthen his body, and more importantly in this case, his ability to travel through the earth like it was air.
If Xiao Xiao hadn’t been separated from him, Yang Kai would be able to use his power at this moment to extract whatever treasure was underground.
Unfortunately… Yang Kai didn’t even know where Xiao Xiao was now.
As for his Embodiment, which was inside the Sealed World Bead, although it could also be regarded as a member of the Stone Puppet Race… its size was far too great, and it was still in the process of expelling the impurities from its body. Yang Kai was fairly certain that it would be unable to burrow through the earth freely in its current condition!
Just as he was wallowing in disappointment, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly brightened as he thought of something.
He immediately took out the Sealed World Bead and swept its interior with his Divine Sense to find the Heaven Escaping Bat.
Since this little bat was one of the rare Heaven Escaping Bats, it should have no trouble using an Earth Escape technique, and if it could…
This little fellow was a Tenth-Order Monster Beast, so even if its sentience hadn’t quite reached the level of a human cultivator, it wasn’t a mindless creature and it could even have some simple communication with Yang Kai.
A moment later, Yang Kai carefully lifted up the Sealed World Bead.
A light flashed, and the little bat suddenly appeared beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he kept his Divine Sense firmly wrapped around the little bat. Once he noticed the slightest problem, he would immediately take it back into the Sealed World Bead; after all, the pressure in this place was simply too terrifying, and it was not clear whether this little Tenth-Order Monster Beast could withstand it. If something were to happen, there was no way he would be able to explain to Mo Xiao Qi.
Fortunately, the situation was not too bad. The little bat showed a strained expression on its face after it appeared, its body seemingly sinking as its bones creaked, and its small eyes turning somewhat bloodshot.
However, it soon began to adapt and let out a couple of squeaks towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was overjoyed to hear this and quickly said, “Then it’s up to you. If you think something is wrong, come up immediately, don’t force yourself!”
The little beast squeaked again before immediately turning and diving into the ground like it was jumping into a pool of water.
However, its speed was not fast by any means, taking a full breath before its figure finally sank into the ground.
Yang Kai stood in place anxiously, constantly trying to use his Divine Sense to track the little bat, but it was useless in the end. As soon as his Divine Sense left his Knowledge Sea, it would begin to warp under the extreme gravity and was unable to accurately scan what was happening underground.
Soon, a cup of tea worth of time passed…
Then a stick of incense worth of time…
Then an hour passed…
Yang Kai’s expression gradually became ugly.
Just when he thought that the little bat had suffered misfortune, a small head suddenly appeared at his feet and while letting out an extremely laboured squeak, it tried to lift itself up out of the earth.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and hurriedly responded.
Urgently pushing his Divine Sense, he tried to envelop the little bat and bear most of the pressure for it.
After the little beast’s body was completely exposed, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed it before his figure flickered and one human and one bat disappeared into the Sealed World Bead.
Somewhere in the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the ground while the little bat lay down on his knees, panting as if it had experienced a great battle and was now thoroughly exhausted.
“You’ve worked hard,” Yang Kai combed its fur lightly and said comfortingly.
The Heaven Escaping Bat raised its eyes towards him lightly and stared at him weakly for a moment.
After a while, it managed to get up, open its small mouth, and put out a pigeon-egg-sized, yellowish-brown object.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to catch this object, but deceived by its size and appearance, he almost tripped during his attempt to hold it as this tiny thing actually seemed to weigh ten thousand kilograms or more.
In shock, he quickly circulated his strength to stabilize his figure and somehow managed to not embarrass himself.
The little bat squeaked happily, seemingly taking pleasure in his misfortune.
Yang Kai did not care about its teasing and stared solemnly at this yellowish-brown object instead, his brow furrowing and relaxing a few times before he finally called out in alarm, “Heavy Earth!?”
What this Heaven Escaping Bat had brought back from below ground was actually a piece of Heavy Earth!
Heavy Earth and Weak Water were both first-class treasures that shared the characteristic of being extraordinarily heavy among other varied traits. Ordinary cultivators, and even true masters, would rarely encounter these exotic treasures.
Mo Xiao Qi’s Weak Water Bead, which seemed to be refined from Weak Water, was even able to allow her to restrain an infant Luan Feng back in Clear Jade Mountain.
The Luan Feng was a true Ancient Divine Spirit, and even a baby was not a creature to be provoked easily. The death of so many people in Clear Jade Mountain that day was the best proof. After being imprisoned by the Weak Water Bead, that baby Luan Feng wasn’t able to break free though, so it was obvious just how powerful it was.
Mo Xiao Qi’s background was enormous so it wasn’t too surprising she possessed an artifact like that Weak Water Bead.
Heavy Earth was a treasure on par with Weak Water.
To a certain extent, it was even rarer and more precious than Weak Water.
Because Heavy Earth was not only extremely dense and able to create natural gravity fields wherever it formed, which created an excellent cultivation ground for certain cultivators, but could also be refined into various different types of artifacts. With the addition of just a small portion of Heavy Earth, an artifact’s weight could be dramatically increased, and its sturdiness would be enhanced greatly.
Moreover, if used to refine an Alchemy or Artifact Refining Furnace, Heavy Earth could increase the chance of successful Alchemy or Artifact Refining.
As such, Alchemists and Artifact Refiners would kill to obtain Heavy Earth.
Perhaps most importantly though, because Heavy Earth was extraordinarily rich in Earth Attribute Energy, if one planted any kind of spirit medicine or grass into soil infused with Heavy Earth, those herbs would have their growth cycle drastically reduced.
In other words, if a spirit grass ordinarily took a hundred years to mature, if it was planted atop Heavy Earth, it could mature in just ten years, five years, or possibly even less!
Such a precious effect was not only sought after by many cultivators, but also by big Sects.
Which Sect did not have its own medicine garden? Each Sect’s medicine garden would be used to cultivate many rare and precious spirit grasses and medicines, but generally, the more precious an herb, the longer its growth cycle was. Dozens, or even hundreds of years, was considered short for some rare herbs while some of the most valuable ones could take thousands of years to reach maturity.
With such long growth cycles, many spirit medicines simply could not be cultivated by ordinary cultivators as they would not have the time or energy to nurture and care for them. Only powerful Sects would be able to dedicate the time and resources to such pursuits.
However, once a piece of Heavy Earth was in hand, the situation was completely different.
A thumbnail-sized piece of Heavy Earth was enough to enhance a medicine garden an acre in size to continuously produce all kinds of rare and precious spirit grasses. As such, even such a small amount would be enough to spark a war between great forces!
Unfortunately, Heavy Earth was extremely rare, so most Sects would never be able to acquire some.
The rare times Heavy Earth was acquired by individual cultivators, it would be swiftly refined into powerful artifacts to enhance their personal strength, leaving none behind to use in medicine gardens.
Yang Kai knew about Heavy Earth because he had been cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art needed supreme treasures from each of the Five Elements in order to cultivate, so Yang Kai had always paid special attention to the rarest of Five Element Treasures. Heavy Earth was undoubtedly a supreme treasure of the Earth Attribute! To some extent, it was even more precious than Sun’s True Essence and bordered on comparable to his Soul Warming Lotus.
This small piece of Heavy Earth the size of a pigeon egg was enough to refine several high-grade artifacts, but Yang Kai would naturally not be satisfied with just this much.
He believed that there was far more Heavy Earth deep underground in this gorge, otherwise, how could the gravity field here be so terrifying?
After taking a moment to sort out his thoughts, Yang Kai put down the piece of Heavy Earth before taking out a number of restorative Spirit Pills from his Space Ring, placing them on the palm of his hand, and lifted it to the little bat’s mouth.
The Heaven Escaping Bat was thoroughly exhausted, and had even lost the strength to fly around, but when it saw these Spirit Pills, its little eyes lit up and it quickly opened its small mouth and swallowed them all.
*Gezhi gezhi…*
Like candy, the little bat crunched on the Spirit Pills before swallowing them down.
“Do you want some more, I have lots,” Yang Kai smiled slightly as he waved his hand and took out a dozen or so jade bottles.
The Heaven Escaping Bat’s eyes lit up when it saw these bottles.
“Good, help me obtain the rest of this stuff from underground and I’ll feed you all the Spirit Pills you want!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully as he pointed his finger at the lump of Heavy Earth, bargaining with the little bat.
The Heaven Escaping Bat’s eyes turned slightly as it was obviously quite excited. After a while, it let out two squeaks to acknowledge its agreement.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, the natural gravity field obviously had no effect, so Yang Kai and the little bat were able to rest and recover quickly, and with the help of Yang Kai’s abundant Spirit Pills, the Heaven Escaping Bat was back to full strength in just two hours.
Yang Kai took it and reappeared in the gorge.
After another hour, the little beast appeared from the ground and Yang Kai swiftly brought it back into the Sealed World Bead to recuperate.
A short time later, Yang Kai obtained another pigeon sized chunk of Heavy Earth!
This situation then repeated itself over and over again.
Five days later, enough Heavy Earth to cover a small desk had now been piled up three fingers thick in front of Yang Kai.
So much Heavy Earth was an astonishing sight to behold. One had to know that a fingernail-sized piece was enough to create a miraculous medicine garden or to raise the grade of an artifact directly. As for this desk-sized pile of Heavy Earth, it was a treasure precious enough to even cause the Ten Great Emperors to snatch it.
Yang Kai now firmly believed that the inside of this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was indeed a shattered ancient land.
If it were not, how could there be such incredible treasures here?
Thankfully, the terrifying natural gravity field of this gorge allowed Yang Kai to obtain all these benefits for himself. If not for the unique terrain and circumstances here, this place would have long ago been cleaned out by others.
Anyone who passed over this gorge and discovered its abnormality had already fallen to their death. It was only thanks to his Sealed World Bead that Yang Kai was even alive at the moment.
In fact, he should have realized what was happening here a long time ago, as what else other than Heavy Earth could create such a powerful natural gravity field?
The Heaven Escaping Bat was still busying itself outside, but by now the gravity field in the gorge had weakened to the point where it could almost be ignored. After all, the Heavy Earth here had basically all been transferred to the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai, so the natural gravity field generated by it had of course disappeared.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about the little bat’s safety anymore.
At this moment, his eyes flashed and under the control of his Divine Sense, the pile of Heavy Earth was swept up.
Outside, Yang Kai absolutely would not have such ability. Likely, only an Emperor Realm powerhouse would be able to accomplish this.
However, Yang Kai was the absolute master inside the Sealed World Bead, able to change and affect anything at will.
Even so, lifting so much Heavy Earth still consumed a great deal of his energy.
After finally bringing the Heavy Earth to the medicine garden, Yang Kai stared at the empty plot of land and smiled lightly before sending all of this Heavy Earth into the ground.
In this way, he would possess a Heaven defying medicine garden. If he saw any precious seedlings in the future, he could transplant them here and drastically shorten their growth cycle. As long as it was not the type of herb which would die upon being transplanted, Yang Kai wouldn’t need to worry about anything surviving in this medicine garden.
Of course, Yang Kai also kept a small piece of Heavy Earth to cultivate his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art with.
After checking his work, Yang Kai was very satisfied, and his figure flickered and disappeared.
When he reappeared, Yang Kai was already standing at the bottom of the outside gorge.
Without the intense gravitational field, the rich aura that lingered at the bottom of the gorge had lost its constraint and escaped upward.
Seeing no trace of the Heaven Escaping Bat, Yang Kai figured it was still busy underground.
Heavy Earth was a rare treasure, so Yang Kai naturally did not want to miss a single piece of it, so he simply allowed the little bat to continue searching underground. The more he found, the better, but if some was left behind in the end, it did not matter too much as his harvest this time was already quite astonishing.
Walking out, Yang Kai quickly arrived next to a skeleton, stretched out his hand, and removed its Space Ring.
This cultivator had died many years ago and was now nothing but bleached bones. The only thing of value left was this Space Ring.
Of course, Yang Kai had no reason to let off the wealth of this individual.
After a thorough search, Yang Kai harvested more than fifty Space Rings.
In other words, more than fifty people had accidentally fallen to their deaths here. Most of these people should have been Origin Kings, and besides the one who had died most recently, the rest naturally belonged to Star Soul Palace.
After checking a little, Yang Kai could not help smiling wryly.
Worthy of being disciples of Star Soul Palace, each and every ring was filled with wealth. Not only were there many Source Crystals, there were also good artifacts and pills inside these rings.
Unfortunately, possibly due to age or the unique environment here, a number of these rings had been damaged, the contents either lost or destroyed.
Yang Kai took everything of use and discarded the rest.
All of a sudden, he had harvested more than 300,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals and more than 5,000 Mid-Rank Source Crystals. He didn’t see any High-Rank Source Crystals. As for Origin King Grade artifacts, there were more than thirty, as well as two Dao Source Grade artifacts.
This made Yang Kai feel slightly complicated.
The last time he went to the black market and sold out all of his excess Spirit Pills, he had only managed to obtain 200,000 Source Crystals, but now, after a short stroll around this gorge, he had obtained several times that wealth.
Yang Kai finally felt relieved about the amount of money he had available to him.
After confirming that he hadn’t missed anything, Yang Kai stood contentedly and waited.
Not long after, the little bat poked its head out from the ground at a certain spot before leaping up and flying over to Yang Kai and spitting out a few objects from its mouth.
Yang Kai looked down and found that there was no Heavy Earth, which was a small disappointment to him.
However, after taking a closer look at these objects, he began to rejoice.
“Earth Vein Crystals!? And so many!”
This time, the little bat had actually brought up a number of Earth Vein Crystals!
Earth Veins were produced when the concentration of World Energy reached a certain critical limit and condensed into a physical form. As long as a Sect headquarters was built atop a good Earth Vein, it could ensure that its disciples did not lack World Energy for their cultivation.
The stronger a Sect was, the better the Earth Vein it could occupy. As for small and weak Sects, occupying the lowest quality of Earth Vein was the best they could hope for.
Every year, many Sects and families fought over control of Earth Veins, causing countless casualties.
Earth Veins were immovable and if one tried to shift it, they would only end up destroying it; therefore, if one wanted a good Earth Vein, they could only occupy the territory atop which it sat.
However, there were always exceptions.
Some Earth Veins that had existed underground for countless years, because of some special reasons, would condense their energy into a special existence known as an Earth Vein Crystal!
An Earth Vein Crystal was equivalent to a miniaturized Earth Vein and it contained all the energy an Earth Vein should have.
Earth Vein Crystals were extraordinarily rare treasures.
Yang Kai had wandered his native Star Field for many years and had only ever seen one Earth Vein Crystal in the vault of Purple Star. That Earth Vein Crystal had been placed beneath his medicine garden inside the Sealed World Bead to maintain the aura of the medicine garden and cultivate spirit grasses and herbs.
However, the Heaven Escaping Bat had actually managed to collect four such Earth Vein Crystals from this place.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and quickly accepted these crystals as he began examining them carefully.
Soon, he discovered that these four Earth Vein Crystals were of a higher grade than the one he had obtained from Purple Star. Regardless of the total amount of energy stored inside or the purity of that energy, both were far in excess of the one from Purple Star’s Vault.
If the Earth Vein Crystal he obtained from Purple Star was Low-Rank, then the four in his hand were clearly at least Mid-Rank, with the biggest of the four possibly being High-Rank!
The aura that this Earth Vein Crystal exuded was so rich it shocked Yang Kai.
There being so many Earth Vein Crystals down here surprised and delighted Yang Kai.
However, after thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai felt that this was actually quite natural.
If it weren’t for these Earth Vein Crystals, how could the World Energy here have been so rich? Heavy Earth was indeed precious, but it could not create such rich World Energy, only Earth Vein Crystal could.
However, the existence of Heavy Earth was probably also the root cause of the formation of these Earth Vein Crystals.
The natural gravitational field was so powerful in this place that the nearby World Energy would all be drawn to it and held in place. After countless years of such intense pressure, Earth Vein Crystals had naturally been produced.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had existed since ancient times, so over many thousands of years, these four Earth Vein Crystals forming under the effects of the intense gravity here was reasonable.
With just a bit of thought, Yang Kai had formed a likely theory in his mind about this matter.
Although the value of these Earth Vein Crystals wasn’t as high as the Heavy Earth, they were definitely not cheap either. Even large Sects would try to acquire Earth Vein Crystals so they could increase the richness of the World Energy inside its borders.
Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent the four crystals to the medicine garden of his Sealed World Bead.
Now, in addition to the previous one, there were five Earth Vein Crystals here, and with so much Heavy Earth as well, Yang Kai likely had the best medicine garden in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai could not wait to cultivate some precious herbs to see what kind of effect there was.
Half a day later, Yang Kai let out a sigh and gave up his search.
It seemed that all the benefits from this place had been taken away, and without the Heavy Earth and Earth Vein Crystals supporting it, the special environment at the bottom of the gorge disappeared and the World Energy quickly became thin
Signalling to the little bat, Yang Kai pushed his strength and flew up.
Without the natural gravity field, flying out of the gorge wasn’t difficult.
The Heaven Escaping Bat continued to lead the way ahead, looking for Mo Xiao Qi’s trail, with Yang Kai following behind unhurriedly.
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai passed by a small hill and suddenly glanced down after sensing something. Smiling coldly, he stopped and called out, “Friend, are you going to come out on your own or do you want me to force you out?”
There was no movement below, only the sound of the wind blowing in the leaves.
“Pointless resistance!” Yang Kai snorted coldly as he lifted his palm and a Golden Blood Thread slashed out towards a certain spot below.
The next moment, a blue light flashed as the Golden Blood Thread impacted something.
With a bang, the Golden Blood Thread was bounced back and where there was nothing before, a middle-aged man now appeared sitting cross-legged, his face pale, a look filled with murderous hatred directed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was startled by this scene.
With his vision, he was naturally able to see that this man was seriously wounded, and with an unusual injury at that. It seemed his very foundation had been damaged.
This situation… was completely different from what he had previously expected.
He thought that this person was hiding here and wanted to sneak attack him, but now it turned out this man was hiding here to heal his wounds while Yang Kai’s actions had exposed him.
For a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feeling a bit awkward.
However, after realizing what the situation was, and realizing he was in the wrong, Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists and said, “I apologize, it seems there has been a misunderstanding, please don’t take offence. Friend should continue to heal his injuries, this one will take his leave.”
“Isn’t this ‘friend’ here to take my life? If you’re going to do it, just do it, why bother putting on a show?”
What Yang Kai didn’t expect was that after he issued an apology, the middle-aged man didn’t relax his vigilance and instead shouted angrily at him, as if he and Yang Kai really had some kind of absolutely irreconcilable hatred.
Yang Kai frowned and replied, “This friend misunderstands me. I don’t know you, so why would I want your life?”
This matter was caused by a momentary mistake on his end, so Yang Kai didn’t take the other party’s offensive attitude to heart. Having said what he needed to, Yang Kai took out a jade bottle and tossed it over to the other party, “This is a bottle of healing pills, it should be able to alleviate your situation.”
Finished with this, Yang Kai turned to leave.
The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment. By now, he realized that Yang Kai’s actions really were unintentional, otherwise, there would have been no need to act like this. Yang Kai could easily have killed him, but had compensated him with a bottle of pills instead. Opening the jade bottle, the man sniffed it lightly and confirmed it was indeed healing medicine as a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to leave ear-shot, the man finally made up his mind and called out, “Wait!”
Yang Kai stopped his pace, turned back, and sighed, “What does this friend want? Although I made the move and ruined your hiding place, as long as you move a bit that won’t be a problem. I also gave you a bottle of healing pills as an apology so we should just simply part ways here. Don’t try to reach out for a yard after taking an inch!”
The middle-aged man heard this but did not show the slightest signs of anger, instead just smiling mysterious and whispering, “That was not my intent.”
“Then what is your intent?” Yang Kai spoke impatiently.
“Do you want a Dao Source Fruit?” The middle-aged man stared at Yang Kai and said slowly.
“What?” Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he immediately swept his eyes around before eventually gazing towards the middle-aged man’s Space Ring and quickly asking, “Did you just say Dao Source Fruit?”
“Indeed, this friend did not hear wrong, I did say Dao Source Fruit just now,” The middle-aged man nodded.
“You obtained a Dao Source Fruit?” Yang Kai looked at him with surprise.
The middle-aged man nodded again and said calmly, “Heavenly Martial Holy Land put three Dao Source Fruits into the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, and this Zhang was lucky enough to acquire one of them.”
Before Yang Kai could ask where the Dao Source Fruit was, the middle-aged man surnamed Zhang smiled lightly and said, “Friend should not be hasty. Even if you kill me, you won’t get the Dao Source Fruit. Before I came here to heal, I hid it in a safe place.”
Yang Kai could not help lightly coughing as he asked, “Did I look like I would kill you?”
“That’s hard to say,” The man surnamed Zhang chuckled, “This friend does not seem to be a wicked individual, otherwise you would not have left so simply just now. Murdering others and seizing their treasures is a natural thing, but… The Dao Source Fruit is extremely precious, especially for people like you and me, so I cannot guarantee you won’t try to kill me and seize it.”
“Makes sense!” Yang Kai nodded, agreeing with his statement.
Even if the average cultivator did not take the initiative to kill people and seize their wealth, whether they could maintain such moral behaviour when faced with a treasure like a Dao Source Fruit was a different story.
“However… you even took the initiative to call me back and tell me about Dao Source Fruit. What do you really want?” Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously.
“Naturally I want to give that Dao Source Fruit to this friend,” The man surnamed Zhang said with a solemn expression.
“Are you making a joke?” Yang Kai squinted at him with an expression of disbelief.
The man surnamed Zhang shook his head, “Those who are about to die have no need for excess words. Why would I crack a joke with you about this matter now?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and said lightly, “It doesn’t look like you’re about to die.”
The man surnamed Zhang gave a wry smile, “In order to escape, I had to use up eighty percent of my Blood Essence. Even if I do survive, my cultivation will fall sharply. What’s more, I was poisoned, and even my Knowledge Sea has been contaminated.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard this and he quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate this man carefully, only then realizing that he was not lying.
Although he put up a strong front, this man surnamed Zhang was actually only barely clinging to life. Perhaps he had taken some kind of powerful pill just before Yang Kai arrived that was prolonging his life.
With such injuries, even if no one came to kill him, this man would not survive more than two days.
Yang Kai sighed, “If it was just your body that was poisoned, I might still have been able to help you, but with even your Soul contaminated… I am powerless.”
“This Zhang has already made peace with his situation, friend does not need to care,” The man surnamed Zhang spoke casually, even chuckling slightly.
“I don’t know you, and whether you live or die has nothing to do with me, but… You called me back and said you want to give me a Dao Source Fruit. How can there be such a good deal in this world? Speak frankly, what do you want in return?”
“Friend is a smart person,” The man surnamed Zhang smiled and said, “My time is short, so I will be straightforward.”
Yang Kai nodded and assumed a listening posture.
“I can give you the location of the Dao Source Fruit, but after you take it, when you find someone to refine it into pills, you must give one to my Zhang Family’s descendants!” The man surnamed Zhang said, “I am Zhang Gao Xuan, the Patriarch of Maplewood City’s Zhang Family. The Zhang Family is not a big family, but it still has a few hundred years of history. This Zhang knows quite a few people in Maplewood City, so after you leave this place, it should not be difficult for you to find the location of my Zhang Family. If refining the Dao Source Fruit into pills is a failure, then that is simply the Heavens’ will, but if it succeeds, there should be at least three Dao Source Pills. I only ask you to bring one to my Zhang Family while the rest are yours to keep.”
After listening to Zhang Gao Xuan’s words, Yang Kai nodded and replied, “This request is reasonable, so I can agree, but… Are you not afraid I won’t keep my promise?”
Zhang Gao Xuan smiled bitterly, “What use would fear have now? I will die soon, and there is no one here I can trust, so either that Dao Source Fruit remains as a prize to be sought for future generations that enter this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and my Zhang Family has no chance to obtain any benefits, or I can take a chance. Unfortunately, I do not have a Soul Contract with me, otherwise, I would not need to worry so much.”
“Then do you want me to swear an oath?” Yang Kai grinned.
Zhang Gao Xuan glanced at him and said lightly, “Forget it, swearing an oath… Hah, what use is that? What’s more, I can see that this friend’s temperament is fairly good, so I’d like to request that friend remains a guest in my Zhang Family for ten years after this place closes!”
“Ten years?” Yang Kai frowned deeply, “Friend, your offer is a bit excessive, is it not?”
“Is ten years too much?” Zhang Gao Xuan looked at Yang Kai with a surprised look, “You must know, what I am offering you is a Dao Source Fruit. To an ordinary cultivator… even if they spend their entire life and fortune, they would never obtain such a treasure. With it, friend’s chances of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm will increase by at least forty percent. As long as friend’s aptitude is not too bad, breaking through is almost guaranteed.”
Yang Kai said lightly, “I don’t need a Dao Source Fruit in order to break through, so it doesn’t have much attraction to me.”
“Friend’s tone is quite bold!” Zhang Gao Xuan was a little shocked, but as he looked up and down Yang Kai, trying to see if he was idly boasting, all he saw was calm and steady confidence.
After a long while, he sighed and said, “It seems friend’s aptitude is extraordinary, even a Dao Source Fruit cannot move your heart. In that case, forget ten years, three years will be enough.”
However, Yang Kay still shook his head.
Zhang Gao Xuan’s expression darkened as he said with some dissatisfaction, “Then what do you want? It is only three short years. For a Third-Order Origin King like you and I, this is but a brief moment. This condition is already quite generous.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “It is not a question of ten years or three years, I simply do not want to be fettered, even if it is only a single year, because I do not know how long I will remain in Maplewood City. If, for some reason, I need to leave Maplewood City, fail to comply with this request, and it creates a heart demon, what would I do? I won’t make such a causal agreement.”
“Well.. this is…” Zhang Gao Xuan was startled but soon smiled lightly. “It seems that this Zhang’s decision was correct. Friend should be a man who keeps his word.”
Yang Kai bargaining back and forth with him now was evidence he really planned on abiding by their agreement. If that weren’t the case, why would he even bother arguing? Yang Kai could simply agree then ignore his promise after.
Hearing Yang Kai mention the formation of a heart demon gave Zhang Gao Xuan much more confidence in him.
If Yang Kai was not a man who valued his word, it would be impossible to form a heart demon because he broke an agreement.
“Alright, I can promise you that I will assist your Zhang Family while I remain in Maplewood City, assuming it is within my power. If your Zhang Family asks for something impossible, I will not agree, and… they will only be able to request my assistance three times,” Yang Kai thought about it and proposed.
“Three times…” Zhang Gao Xuan mulled over the idea for a long time before raising his head and nodding, “Good, three times it is. However, in addition, I will need you to bring a message to my Zhang Family. “
“That’s fine.” Yang Kai nodded.
After the two reached an agreement, Yang Kai stood waiting quietly while Zhang Gao Xuan took out a jade slip and poured his Divine Sense into it, obviously recording some last words.
Soon, everything was in order. Zhang Gao Xuan handed the jade slip to Yang Kai and watched him take it away solemnly before letting out a long breath and saying, “I will entrust everything to this friend.”
“The location of the Dao Source Fruit…” Yang Kai asked.
Zhang Gao Xuan smiled slightly and stretched out his hand, “Do you see the hill on the opposite side? The Dao Source Fruit is over there, the exact location…”
At this point, Zhang Gao Xuan’s voice went silent while his lips continued moving, using his Divine Sense to convey the final instructions.
Yang Kai quickly understood.
“Friend, take this Zhang’s Space Ring back to the Zhang Family, I have no need of it anymore,” Zhang Gao Xuan slowly withdrew the Space Ring from his hand and threw it to Yang Kai.
…..
After an hour, Yang Kai came to the opposite mountain and according to the hints given by Zhang Gao Xuan, he found the place where the Dao Source Fruit was hidden.
“He was quite careful about this,” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
The Zhang Family Patriarch had not only hidden the Dao Source Fruit elsewhere but also put up a simple Spirit Array where the fruit was stored. This barrier needed a drop of his Blood Essence to open safely, and it would destroy the Dao Source Fruit inside if it was forcefully broken.
In other words, if someone had really acted against Zhang Gao Xuan and forced him to spit out the whereabouts of the Dao Source Fruit, without him actively cooperating to take out a drop of Blood Essence, it would be impossible to obtain it.
However, Zhang Gao Xuan was seriously injured already, so after taking out a drop of Blood Essence, his situation only became worse.
Yang Kai estimated that he would be lucky to live another day, while he would most likely pass on in less than half a day.
Yang Kai poured the drop of Blood Essence into the barrier and followed the method Zhang Gao Xuan had provided him with to open it.
A short time later, the barrier broke and a beautiful wooden box appeared.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and lifted the wooden box before he slowly opened it. Before his eyes, a fist-sized golden fruit appeared, a fragrant aroma wasting from it that seemed to contain a kind of magic power that allowed Yang Kai to more clearly sense the World Principles around him.
Dao Source Fruits were the primary ingredient for refining Dao Source Pills which could promote the chance a cultivator had of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm, so it was not surprising that it had such an effect.
However, Yang Kai found that this Dao Source Fruit was a bit dry and seemed to have been picked some time ago. On top of that, the medicinal efficacies had clearly been somewhat depleted.
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land…” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, cursing this great force that ranked in the top echelon of the Southern Territory’s hierarchy.
Previously, the cultivators of Maplewood City heard that Heavenly Martial Holy Land had contributed three Dao Source Fruits to the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, which had set off a wave of praise and jubilation, but now that he had actually obtained one, Yang Kai discovered that this Dao Source Fruit was actually a spoiled good from Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s stores.
However, thinking about it logically, if it had been high quality, freshly harvested Dao Source Fruit, Heavenly Martial Holy Land would not have been willing to take it out.
Even if it was a spoiled product though, it was still a genuine Dao Source Fruit and there was absolutely no problem using it to refine Dao Source Pills. The only issue would be that the number of pills produced would be slightly lessened.
After carefully storing the Dao Source Fruit, Yang Kai leapt up and flew off.
Two days later, Yang Kai arrived at a barren valley under the guidance of the Heaven Escaping Bat.
After arriving here, the little beast seemed to be extremely happy and with a flicker it dove into the ground and shot off, only sometime later re-appearing near a slight embankment.
Yang Kai frowned and released Divine Sense to perceive the area carefully, but before he could see any clues, Mo Xiao Qi’s voice reached his ear, “Big Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and followed the voice to determine the location of Mo Xiao Qi, but even then, he still could not see her at all. She seemed to have used some kind of powerful Secret Technique to completely hide her whereabouts.
When he was in Clear Jade Mountain, Yang Kai discovered that Mo Xiao Qi had cultivated an extraordinary concealment Secret Technique, but now it seemed he had still underestimated her methods.
The question was, why was she acting so stealthily?
Shaking his head, Yang Kai displayed his Nihility Secret Technique, concealed his aura, and walked forward cautiously.
After a while, Yang Kai arrived at the embankment and after looking around carefully, he finally found what he was looking for and couldn’t help smiling, “Xiao Qi, why are you hiding here?”
“Shhh…” Mo Xiao Qi put a finger to her lips and motioned Yang Kai to look in a certain direction.
Yang Kai felt suspicious as he squatted down quietly and followed the direction of Mo Xiao Qi’s finger.
At a glance, Yang Kai felt quite surprised.
Because in a spot about ten kilometres away was a large group of cultivators gathered around. A rough count put this group’s number at a few dozen with all of them sitting down cross-legged in groups of three to five, using their own methods to pour their strength towards a central point.
“What are they doing?” Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know. It seems that they have found some kind of barrier and are trying to break it open together,” Mo Xiao Qi replied softly.
“Oh?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested, “If there is a barrier, doesn’t that mean there are treasures? Why didn’t you join in the fun?”
Mo Xiao Qi frowned and shook her head lightly, “Something doesn’t feel right. Behind that barrier, there might not be treasure.”
“If it’s not treasure, then what is it?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m just watching for now,” Mo Xiao Qi answered naturally.
Yang Kai was speechless, but he was also curious about what this barrier that required so many Origin Kings working together to crack was hiding.
Generally speaking, the greater the power of a barrier, the more extraordinary the thing hidden inside was. Since this barrier required several dozen Origin Kings to crack it, the treasure inside must at least be Dao Source Grade, possibly even Emperor Grade.
No wonder so many people were willing to work together.
“How do you know something is wrong?” Yang Kai thought for a while and asked.
With just ten kilometres separating them, and with so many cultivators gathered together, Yang Kai didn’t dare to release his Divine Sense to investigate lest his whereabouts be exposed.
“I can’t say for certain, but the closer I got to the other side, the more unsettled I felt, as if there is something dangerous over there,” Mo Xiao Qi replied seriously.
“Are you certain?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
Generally speaking, cultivators had innately sharp senses. This kind of sense was unclear and difficult to describe, but once it appeared, it was not something that could simply be written off or ignored.
Mo Xiao Qi came from an extraordinary background and had both profound knowledge and ability, so since she felt a sense of foreboding, it was very likely this barrier was actually a seal that was suppressing something dangerous.
“I still feel a sense of crisis even now,” Mo Xiao Qi patted her chest with his small hands, “What’s more, Xiao Fu feels the same way.”
Of course, Yang Kai knew that the Xiao Fu she spoke of was the Heaven Escaping Bat who had led him here. This little thing was naturally sensitive to danger, which had allowed Yang Kai to avoid many barriers and traps along the way.
Since both Mo Xiao Qi and this little bat felt danger, they should not be wrong.
Yang Kai went silent as he and Mo Xiao Qi continued to conceal themselves while secretly observing the situation.
As he was scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai discovered something of interest. It turned out that not just he and Mo Xiao Qi, but others were also using concealment techniques to hide nearby while watching and waiting.
As for the several dozen Origin Kings working together to crack this barrier, they were obviously having a strenuous time. Many of them were frequently taking out pills to supplement their consumption as they continued their attempts.
As the power of a dozen people poured into this barrier, a cross-shaped symbol composed of brilliantly burning flames gradually appeared.
The scorching power of this cross could be felt even from where Yang Kai stood.
“The Raging Flames Cross Seal?” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly whispered after seeing this scene.
“You recognize it?” Yang Kai asked quietly.
Mo Xiao Qi nodded lightly, “I have seen pictures of it in ancient books. It is a very, very old sealing technique, no one alive today should know how to use it. The principle of this kind of seal is quite simple, but it requires an enormous amount of strength to create. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what it is being used to seal.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Ten kilometres ahead, when this Raging Flames Cross Seal appeared, the several dozen cultivators working to crack the barrier suddenly became excited, some of them even calling out, “Everyone, just a bit more, the barrier is about to break and the treasures are about to appear!”
Just these words alone were enough to inspire the gathered cultivators. Their blood boiling, each of these cultivators pushed their strength even harder as they poured it into the centre of the seal.
As time passed, the shape of the Raging Flames Cross Seal became more and more complete and clear. As more and more power flowed into it, the Raging Flames Cross Seal seemed like it was gradually becoming unstable.
The burning flames began to riot and cracking sounds from the seal could be heard.
At a certain point, the flame cross suddenly trembled and distorted before rapidly shrinking back to a central point.
The next moment, a loud bang resounded.
A wave of flames shot out in all directions, accompanied by an intense heat and pressure that swept towards the dozens of Origin Kings nearby. Thankfully, all of them had been prepared for such an outcome and swiftly summoned their defensive artifacts, so although all of them were a bit dishevelled, none of them were injured.
“The barrier has been broken!” Someone shouted, with a pleasant surprise in his voice.
Everyone else also felt a sense of joy as they raced forward to inspect the situation. Where the barrier had once been, the Raging Flames Cross Seal had disappeared and was replaced by a giant pit that seemed bottomless.
The many Origin Kings who had just stabilized themselves no longer restrained themselves and all dove towards the pit as fast as they could, hoping to snatch whatever benefits it held for themselves.
Everyone’s thoughts aligned with each other. Suddenly, many rushed to the gigantic pit as they glared around at everyone else, hostility growing by the breath and soon a giant melee had erupted.
All of them had joined forces earlier because they wanted to break this barrier, but now that it was gone, there was no need to cooperate anymore.
Even some of the cultivators who had been hiding nearby to watch the show decided to make a move and rushed out towards the pit.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi remained where they stood, along with a few others who were acting more cautiously.
Not far in front though, flashes of light from powerful artifacts and Secret Techniques appeared as people began dying.
Amidst the chaos, a few people quickly managed to rush down into the pit. When others saw this, how could they hesitate? Giving up on their opponents one after another, everyone dove into the pit.
Soon, there were only a few cultivators left above the pit while the rest descended into it.
“It’s quite lively here.” Suddenly, a voice appeared not far from where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were hiding.
Yang Kai was instantly shocked, because although he had been paying attention to the situation beside the pit, he had not relaxed his vigilance of his immediate surroundings. Yet, he still had not noticed anyone approaching until this voice sounded.
Turning his head to look, Yang Kai could not stop his eyes from shrinking.
A dozen metres away, an old man with a shabby appearance and a sloppy goatee had mysteriously appeared and was now stroking his beard while observing the situation.
“Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Why, oh why?” The old man suddenly muttered in a low voice with a forlorn look. At that moment, this old man gave off a profound aura that was laced with the vicissitude of ages past, surprising Yang Kai greatly.
“It’s that old swindler!” Mo Xiao Qi also noticed this person’s arrival, and after seeing his appearance, she immediately flew into a fury as she recognized him as the one who had cheated her out of her Source Crystals.
However, Yang Kai waved to stop her from moving.
Although Mo Xiao Qi did not know why Yang Kai wanted to stop her, she nodded obediently.
The next moment, the old swindler took a step forward and, in a flash, arrived a few kilometres away before squatting down and looking at an Origin King who had lost an arm and a leg in the previous battle.
This cultivator was severely injured in the melee just now and was barely even alive at the moment. Blood was still pouring out of his wounds and it was clear he was not long for the world.
“You’re hurt quite badly, son!” The goateed old swindler stared at the other person with a pitiful expression on his face, like a merciful deity who had descended to rescue people from suffering.
“Old… Old Sir, help me!” The cultivator stretched out his remaining arm and grabbed onto the old man desperately, begging for his life.
“Saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda, this old master will naturally not ignore your plight. Your broken limbs are not easy to treat, if not handled properly, you will be crippled for a lifetime. Tsk tsk, it is truly pitiful, but… Fortunately, this old master has a Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill his ancestor obtained long ago and has been passed down through his family until today. This pill can even bring those at the gates of death back to life! This old master seems to share some fate with you, so he will sell it to you cheaply!” Saying so, the old man took out a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring while acting all mysterious.
The cultivator’s eyes lit up, as if seeing a life-saving straw while drowning, and nodded repeatedly while exclaiming, “I’ll buy it! How many Source Crystals do I need to pay?”
“Ho ho, it’s not expensive at all, just give me your Space Ring,” The old man said with a smile on his face.
When these words fell, he pushed the so-called Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill in his hand into the mouth of the cultivator without any explanation before snatching his Space Ring without the slightest trace of politeness.
The cultivator had not even reacted yet, much less agreed to this deal, when his eyes rolled back from anger and he fainted directly.
“En, en, just sleep well, when you wake up, it will be like nothing happened,” The old man grinned and chanted, like he was soothing a baby, flashing his yellowed teeth benevolently.
“Big Brother Yang, that old swindler is too much! He’s actually robbing people in this kind of situation!” Mo Xiao Qi was suddenly filled with righteous indignation.
She and Yang Kai, who were still hiding, clearly saw everything this old man did.
She had thought this old man was just a swindler, but now, it seems that he not only cheated others but went so far as to rob them as well. How could Mo Xiao Qi possibly tolerate such wretchedness?
“He’s really going too far!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
“I’m going to teach him a lesson!” Mo Xiao Qi declared as she revealed her figure.
But before she could do anything, the earth began to shake and a deep rumbling sounded from the ground, like muffled thunder.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s expressions changed dramatically but before they could figure out exactly what happened, streams of light shot out of the giant pit ten kilometres away.
Naturally, these streams of light were the cultivators who had rushed in to fight for the treasure before.
When these cultivators went in, there were several dozens, but now, only half that number emerged, all of them carrying serious wounds and looking panicked, as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.
After flying out of the pit, these cultivators did not stop and instead scattered in all directions, fleeing with all their might.
In the blink of an eye, many cultivators disappeared from Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s view.
“What happened underground?” Mo Xiao Qi wondered.
“Something’s not right, we need to leave now!” Yang Kai made a decisive decision and tried to take Mo Xiao Qi away, but at that moment, he sensed a powerful life aura rapidly rise up from below the surface.
The speed of this aura was astonishing, and the strength of vitality it radiated was beyond anything Yang Kai had ever sensed before.
*Kacha…*
Suddenly, the surrounding earth cracked and in the blink of an eye, with the giant pit as a centre, innumerable big and small fissures spread out for dozens of kilometres.
Things had not ended yet though as from these cracks, verdant coloured vines shot out.
These vines seemed almost sentient as they constantly twisted and wriggled, growing at a shocking pace, soon covering everything within a dozen kilometres, dancing through the air like a field of demonic tentacles, a terrifying sight to behold.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi both leapt up into the air as all this was happening.
A moment later, an arm-thick, razor-sharp vine suddenly burst from the ground right below where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi had just been standing.
It was conceivable that if the two had been even slightly slower, they would have already been caught by this vine and forced into a dangerous struggle.
“AH!” Suddenly a scream rang out, startling Yang Kai. Turning his head in the direction of the shout, Yang Kai saw that not far away, a cultivator that had been hiding and watching previously was pierced by a sharp vine and was now suspended mid-air.
This cultivator was also an Origin King, but no matter how hard he struggled at this moment, he was unable to escape from the shackles of vines.
In the blink of an eye, more vines shot out and wrapped around him tightly.
Immediately afterwards, a sound like someone drinking water could be heard. A red colour, like fresh blood, started to seep into the vines while the cultivator that had been impaled and wrapped up went silent.
Not only that, but this man’s body also rapidly began to shrivel up, as if the life was being drained out of him.
“It’s swallowing his vitality!” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically.
Naturally, he could see what happened to this cultivator. His blood and vitality was being drained away by the vines that had pierced him, leaving him dry and dead within just two breaths.
This man was an Origin King, but facing these strange vines, he was as vulnerable as a three-year-old child!
“Wood Spirit! It’s a Wood Spirit! To think there was a Wood Spirit sealed underground!”
At that moment, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly screamed, terror apparent in her voice. This was the first time Yang Kai had ever seen her in such a panic. Even when she was facing off against the infant Luan Feng on Clear Jade Mountain that day, she had remained completely calm and composed, but after seeing these strange vines, she went completely pale.
“Big Brother Yang, we need to flee, we’re definitely not this thing’s opponent. It can quickly restore itself by absorbing the blood and vitality of any living creature!” After Mo Xiao Qi finished speaking, she waved her hand and a flawless jade-white chariot appeared before her.
Dragging Yang Kai along, the two boarded the chariot at the same time.
Immediately, Mo Xiao Qi poured her strength into a Spirit Array on the chariot and multiple thick and powerful light barriers formed around it with a hum.
Without hesitation, the chariot started to tremble and quickly began to accelerate away.
Before it could get up to speed, however, countless vines shot towards it from the cracks down below, whipping the chariot madly with its thorns.
The light shields around the chariot flashed wildly, but fortunately, this artifact seemed to be extremely high grade, so its barriers were also quite strong. The vines which were able to kill an Origin King in an instant could not break through these shields immediately.
However, under this wanton bombardment, the chariot couldn’t leave this space.
After only a brief delay, the chariot was tightly wrapped up in vines.
Mo Xiao Qi’s face paled even further.
“Moon Blade!” Yang Kai snorted and swung his hand, sending out a giant Moon Blade to cut the vines that were entwining the chariot.
Although his attack had some effect, Yang Kai’s expression remained extremely solemn because he found that he had underestimated the defensive power of these vines. His massive Moon Blade was only able to cut through four vines before it exhausted its strength and dispersed.
As for the vines that were cut apart, in just a blink of the eye, they had re-grown and wrapped around the chariot even tighter than before.
“Big Brother Yang, we need to use Fire Attribute, other attacks are unable to destroy these vines,” Mo Xiao Qi shouted while at the same time she tapped one of the cloth bags on her waist. Out of this cloth bag, a creature that resembled a Fire Qilin appeared. Covered in crimson scales and exuding the aura of a peak Tenth-Order Monster Beast, this Fire Qilin quickly opened its mouth and spit out a fierce jet of flames.
Wherever these flames passed, the vines would shrink back, as if they had suffered a serious blow.
When Yang Kai saw this, he quickly adapted and pushed his Five Elements Indestructible Fire Sword Qi, condensing a long sword of flames in his hand as he slashed towards the surrounding vines.
This time, the vines that were chopped off did not instantly regenerate. It seemed Fire Attribute attacks were extremely effective against this vine.
Mo Xiao Qi was not idle either. After releasing the Qilin-like beast, she summoned a crimson ribbon and poured her Source Qi into it, transforming it into a cloud of burning flames.
The two people and one beast were somehow able to push back the vines from the chariot.
Without waiting for those vines to regroup and surround them again, Mo Xiao Qi stamped her foot hard, sending the chariot shooting out like an arrow from the string.
Behind them, countless vines flailed and whipped as they chased after them, but the chariot soon left them behind.
After ten breaths, the chariot finally escaped from the danger zone and the vines stopped their pursuit.
Only now did Mo Xiao Qi let out a gasp of relief.
Looking back, countless vines were flying around like tentacles within a several-dozen-kilometre range, a disturbing sight to see.
“Xiao Qi, what is a Wood Spirit?” Yang Kai finally had time to ask.
“It’s a type of plant which has gained sentience, possessing its own will and intelligence, and it is an extremely difficult opponent to face. Depending on what type of plant it evolved from, Wood Spirits all possess different innate abilities. It is difficult to say what exactly the ability of this Wood Spirit is, but regardless, all Wood Spirits are extremely difficult to kill because they have extremely strong Wood Attribute Strength, granting them enormous vitality and regenerative capabilities. Even if a Wood Spirit is severely damaged, as long as it is given enough time and nutrients, it can restore itself. Not all Wood Spirits are bad though, some of them even have extremely wondrous uses, but that Wood Spirit is an extremely dangerous existence. I don’t know how long ago it was sealed, but its strength must have fallen significantly, otherwise, it would have been impossible to escape with our current strength.”
“Are Wood Spirits that frightening?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Of course! Big Brother Yang must not underestimate it. There are plenty of records of even Emperors being killed by Wood Spirits. Right now, this Wood Spirit has just been released, so its priority is to restore its strength. The best way to do that would be to swallow the vitality of cultivators like us… Oh no, the entire second layer may no longer be safe…” Mo Xiao Qi said after suddenly realizing something.
“What? Isn’t that impossible? The second layer is so vast; shouldn’t we be able to find a place to avoid it?”
“And if it happens to find us?” Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai, worried.
“Then what should we do? Go back to the first layer?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Once inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, one can only go up, not down. We can’t return to the first layer…” Mo Xiao Qi frowned before her eyes flashed, “En… let’s go to the third layer.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “How? Aren’t only the first and second layers of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda open now?”
“It’s worth a try. If we really can’t reach the third layer, we’ll just have to make do. Let’s hope our luck is good,” Mo Xiao Qi laughed happily before recalling the Qilin-like beast and releasing her Heaven Escaping Bat again, ordering it to search for the entrance to the third layer.
…
Three days later, the pair stood in front of a Five Coloured Light Pillar.
This Five Coloured Light Pillar was exactly the same as the one that Yang Kai saw before. Obviously, it was the entrance to the third layer, but when Yang Kai tried entering it just now, he got no response. This was vastly different from his previous experience where simply stepping into the light pillar had transferred him to the second layer.
He looked over at Mo Xiao Qi helplessly, but the latter just smiled mysteriously as she took out a long, shuttle-like artifact from her Space Ring.
As soon as this artifact appeared, Yang Kai’s complexion changed.
Because he felt a distinctive aura from this artifact, one that no Origin King Grade or even Dao Source Grade artifact could possess.
[An Emperor Artifact!]
This long shuttle-like artifact was definitely an Emperor Artifact!
Emperor Artifacts were infused with Principle Strength, a fact Yang Kai was familiar with because he possessed several Emperor Artifacts of his own. It was for this reason that Emperor Artifacts could display such enormous power. What Mo Xiao Qi possessed was obviously an Emperor Artifact.
Although Yang Kai was shocked, after thinking about it carefully, he realized this was an expected outcome and did not try to ask anymore.
“This Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle is an artifact that Aunty Feng gave me. It specializes in breaking through all kinds of barriers. Although I cannot exert all its might with my current strength, with Big Brother Yang’s help, we should be able to break open the seal here and enter the third layer,” Mo Xiao Qi took the initiative to explain.
“What do I need to do?” Yang Kai asked.
“Simple,” Mo Xiao Qi briefly explained to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai carefully noted all Mo Xiao Qi’s instructions, and after going over it in his mind a few times, he nodded to her.
Mo Xiao Qi stretched out her hand to tap the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle. In the next moment, the artifact grew in size and became ten meters long.
After jumping aboard the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle first, Mo Xiao Qi waved to Yang Kai.
After both of them had entered the shuttle, Mo Xiao Qi closed the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle’s hatch before turning to Yang Kai and nodding. The two of them then began to form a specific series of seals.
As time passed, the pair continued to pour their strength into the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle, causing the star-shaped patterns on its surface to flicker.
Suddenly, on the surface of the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle, a star pattern was lit.
After a while, another star pattern was lit.
Then a third.
By this time, both Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi had reached their limits and their strength was fluctuating chaotically as their expressions became extremely difficult.
In the end, this was still an Emperor Artifact, so even bringing out half its power was impossible for the two of them.
Mo Xiao Qi’s expression turned solemn as she changed her hand seal and shouted, “break!”
The next moment, the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle shook slightly and shot into the Five Coloured Light Pillar before disappearing.
The pair aboard the shuttle felt a sense of weightlessness at the same time, and both could not help smiling happily. However, neither of them relaxed just yet as they continued to pour their strength into the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle to maintain its operation.
Soon after, the sense of discomfort they felt disappeared.
The two looked at each other and Mo Xiao Qi opened the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle expectantly before jumping out first. Her cheers came a moment later, “Big Brother Yang, we made it to the third layer!”
Yang Kai was also incredibly pleased. When he came out, he found that although this place looked similar to the second layer, there were some noticeable differences, the biggest of which was the density of the Shattered Principles floating about.
“That wasn’t so hard,” Mo Xiao Qi smiled proudly.
“It’s important we restore ourselves first. The third layer is supposed to be much more dangerous than the second,” Yang Kai reminded her before releasing his Divine Sense to check their surroundings.
After confirming that there was no danger in the immediate area, he sat down cross-legged and took out a bottle of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring, popped one into his mouth, then began adjusting his breathing.
Mo Xiao Qi did the same, but before she did, she released her Silver Maned Liger, Heaven Escaping Bat, and the Fire Qilin Monster Beasts to have them stand guard.
One day later, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi opened their eyes one after another, each of them smiling lightly, apparently having completely recovered.
Mo Xiao Qi recalled her Monster Beasts and asked Yang Kai, “Big Brother Yang, now that we’ve reached the third layer, we certainly can’t miss out on the benefits here. Should we act together or separately?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before deciding to ask, “What do you want to do?”
Mo Xiao Qi giggled, “If we want to be safe, I think it’s better to act together, but if we want more benefits, we should act separately. Big Brother Yang probably doesn’t know, but the biggest benefits in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda aren’t actually the various precious treasures that are scattered about, nor the artifacts which have been left behind, but the shattered World Principles and Star Sources!”
“I’ve heard something about this before, but I’ve yet to really experience it. Why is that?” Yang Kai frowned.
Mo Xiao Qi smiled and said, “Of course, it’s because the first and second layers don’t have a high concentration of such things, but the third layer is different. What’s more, there are only two of us here, so no one will compete with us for these benefits! If we can acquire some shattered World Principles and Star Sources, it will be of great help to us in breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “So what you mean to say is, you want to act separately?”
Mo Xiao Qi spat out her tongue cutely and replied, “En, after all, if the two of us travel together, even if we encounter such benefits, we’ll need to divide them up between us… Big Brother Yang, it’s not that I don’t want to split things equally with you, it’s just…”
“I understand, since you are confident enough in yourself, then we’ll act separately,” Yang Kai interrupted her with a smile.
“Then Big Brother Yang must be careful, there are Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts in the third layer.”
“You as well,” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Kai was not actually worried about Mo Xiao Qi. With her methods and the artifacts she was wearing, even if she actually encountered an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, it wouldn’t be a problem for her to protect herself.
As for himself, he was not worried either. If things got dangerous, he could just release his Monster Insect Queen. As long as he wasn’t besieged by several Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts, Yang Kai was confident he could safely traverse the third layer. He might even be able to take this opportunity to condense more Blood Beasts.
His current Blood Beast Army was composed entirely of Monster Beasts from back in his native Star Field, and was naturally no longer useful in the Star Boundary, so the time to raise a new generation had come.
After the pair finished their discussion, they chose different directions and headed out.
With the two of them moving in opposite directions, it was almost certain they would not run into each other again until the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda closed. This way, they would have plenty of space to search for their own opportunities.
A day later, Yang Kai stood on a large open plain, waving his hands lightly as he sent out one Moon Blade after another.
Not far in front of him, the Monster Insect Queen drew blue and purple arcs with its dual swords, causing a gentle fall of snow to fill the air as it brought out the full power of these Origin King Grade High-Rank artifacts.
Around the Monster Insect Queen, an icy domain had formed where rich Ice Principles had turned the surrounding thousand-metre radius into a frozen wasteland.
The opponent of the Monster Insect Queen was a Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, another Eleventh-Order Monster Beast that resembled a wolf and a jackal. It was small in size and had extremely flexible movement as well as a mastery over Thunder and Fire attribute strength, making it a powerful opponent.
The Monster Insect Queen could now exert power on par with a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but even after fighting this Blue Flame Thunder Wolf for some time, it was unable to kill it, emphasising the latter’s prowess.
Yang Kai did not dare to intervene in the battle between them rashly and instead took some distance from the fight while using his Space Secret Arts to hinder and harass the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s movements.
As time passed, more and more wounds appeared on the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, its movements becoming slower and slower due to the invasion of the Monster Insect Queen’s Ice Attribute Energy.
This was the true terror of the icy domain as it could slowly and silently weaken an enemy, causing them to gradually freeze in place, losing their life without even noticing.
Two more hours passed when finally, accompanied by a miserable howl, the Monster Insect Queen’s dual swords pierced into the enemy’s vital spots, bringing forth a giant splash of red blood. The Blue Flame Thunder Wolf struggled viciously, forcing the Monster Insect Queen to retreat again and again.
Unfortunately, this was nothing but a futile last struggle.
Soon, the eyes of Blue Flame Thunder Wolf lost their lustre and it fell to the ground, no longer moving anymore.
Only then did Yang Kai step forward.
The Monster Insect Queen opened its mouth and swallowed the dual swords into its body before immediately crawling over to Yang Kai and nuzzling him affectionately.
Normally, Blood Beasts could not show such life-like behaviour, but because the Monster Insect Queen had its own chaotic sentience, it was able to show such mannerisms.
Squatting in front of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, Yang Kai thought for a moment before deciding to condense a new Blood Beast from it. Taking out a Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai pierced it into the corpse of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf before sitting down cross-legged and forming a series of seals with his hands, executing his Blood Beast condensing method.
Half a day later, the already dead Blue Flame Thunder Wolf shook and stood up again, but there was no light in its eyes or expression on its face. Instead, a faint Blood Qi was pulsing from its frame.
This was the most distinctive feature of Blood Beasts.
Yang Kai examined his work for a while and was satisfied to find that this new Blood Beast had not fallen to the level of an Origin King but retained its Dao Source Realm strength.
Now, Yang Kai had two Blood Beast guardians, the Monster Insect Queen and this Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, so he did not need to fear traversing the third layer in any sense.
Immediately, Yang Kai took back his two Blood Beasts and continued to explore.
…
Two days later, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged somewhere in the third layer with a happy expression on his face, circulating his Secret Art silently.
At the same time, from the sky above, streams of light were continuously flowing towards him and disappearing into his body.
These streams of light were actually shattered World Principles from this ancient battlefield.
Just as Mo Xiao Qi had said, these were the most precious treasures within the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Yang Kai happened to pass by here and sensed a high concentration of Shattered Principles, so he immediately sat down and began absorbing them.
By absorbing these streams of light into his body, he was able to clearly perceive Principle Strength and lay a good foundation for his future breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm.
But soon, he discovered something strange.
That is, after these streams of light entered his body, the concentration of Shattered Principles was far too large for him to immediately absorb, but instead of escaping, they flowed towards his Sealed World Bead and quickly disappeared.
From the Embodiment, Yang Kai learned that these Shattered Principles had flooded into the Small Sealed World and been absorbed by it.
The Sealed World Bead was undergoing tremendous changes at the same time.
The space in the Sealed World Bead that had so many Shattered World Principles poured into it was rapidly becoming more and more complete, transforming from a mere contained storage space to a real world. There were also other subtler changes occurring in the aura of this Small Sealed World due to the influx of Principle Strength.
Yang Kai originally did not quite understand why all of this was happening.
But after careful consideration, a possibility came to mind.
The Sealed World Bead was, in the end, an Emperor Artifact, a powerful storage artifact that an Emperor Realm master had refined using profound methods. As such, its own World Principles were imperfect, so, even though people could live and cultivate inside of it to an extent, it was still not a real, independent world.
Right now, though, the Shattered World Principles from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda were pouring into the Sealed World Bead and helping to make up for the flaws in its own Principles.
Once the Principles inside the Sealed World Bead reached a certain level of perfection, it might become indistinguishable from a real world!
Yang Kai could not prove his hypothesis was correct, but he knew his guess was not far off from the truth.
As such, he did not try to stop this process and simply allowed it to continue. In any case, no matter how many Shattered Principles the Sealed World Bead absorbed from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it would not hurt him.
This absorption process took more than half a day, and when no more streams of light appeared in his surroundings, Yang Kai opened his eyes and heaved out a sigh.
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai found that his understanding of Principle Strength had indeed improved, and he now vaguely understood some of the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm, but this was far from comprehensive. Moreover, the Sealed World Bead was far from satisfied, and it seemed that it would need to absorb a great deal more of these Shattered Principles to become complete.
Standing up, Yang Kai continued his search.
What Yang Kai didn’t know was that the place he had just cultivated in should have had enough Shattered World Principles for a dozen or more Origin Kings to reach a level of comprehension where they would be capable of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm, but because the Sealed World Bead had actually absorbed the vast majority of these World Principles, it not only drastically shortened the time he could personally absorb them, it had also rendered this stretch of land a barren place that would no longer have any cultivation value for at least a hundred years.
If this matter was known to the Star Soul Palace, they would definitely not let him off easily.
To a certain extent, this kind of cultivation spot was part of Star Soul Palace’s foundation. A person ruining the foundation of a Sect was no small matter.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai kept searching for locations similar to the previous one, but unfortunately, there seemed to be very few such places so he was unable to find another.
Over the past few days, he had encountered some Monster Beasts, but with the protection of his two Blood Beasts, the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, these attacking Monster Beasts naturally were unable to harm Yang Kai.
Either these attackers tragically died under the siege of the two Blood Beasts, or they fled.
Yang Kai did not condense any new Blood Beasts and instead processed the dead Monster Beast bodies, taking out their Monster Cores and any valuable parts in preparation to use or sell them in the future.
From his previous experiences in his native Star Field, Yang Kai understood that having too many Blood Beasts was more of a burden than a benefit. Having to control too many at once drained his Spiritual Energy too rapidly and condensing more Blood Beasts meant consuming more of his Golden Blood Threads while at the same time giving up on the valuable materials in these Monster Beasts’ bodies. It was not worth it.
After several days of searching without results, Yang Kai was feeling a bit disgruntled.
He did not know when the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda would close, but he did know it would not be long before it did. This was a rare opportunity he would likely never have again, so Yang Kai could not help becoming anxious in his search for more Shattered World Principles to absorb.
On this day, Yang Kai was flying close to the ground when suddenly he stopped and looked up at the distant sky.
At a point far off into the distance, there were an uncountable number of light streaks gathering towards the ground below, like a gorgeous meteor shower.
Each of these streams of light was surprisingly a wisp of Shattered World Principles, the very ones Yang Kai had been searching for all this time. However, the number of them gathered at that spot vastly exceeded the number he had encountered last time.
Overjoyed, Yang Kai did not hesitate to rush over.
Three hours later, Yang Kai came to a mountain valley.
What he saw immediately stunned him.
At the center of this mountain valley, there was a mass of swirling light that was only continuing to brighten as more and more light poured into it from every direction
This mass of light was surprisingly an aggregation of all the light streams coming from above.
“So many!?” Yang Kai had prepared himself before arriving here but still could not help feeling shocked.
The total amount of Shattered World Principles he and the Sealed World Bead had absorbed previously was probably less than one percent of what was gathered here. Yang Kai had benefited infinitely from just that small amount of Shattered World Principles and his Sealed World Bead had also undergone a significant transformation, so he knew that if he could absorb all the light streams in this place, his comprehension of Principle Strength would rise to the level of a Dao Source Realm master and breaking through in the future would not be a problem.
Even the Small Sealed World inside the Sealed World Bead would be able to fundamentally evolve.
Smiling happily, Yang Kai jumped out directly, stopping at a spot about three hundred meters away from the mass of light.
It was not that he didn’t want to get closer, but rather that the power contained within this mass of light was too intense so he could not approach any closer. If he rushed in, he would likely be crushed into dust by the chaotic Principles.
The light ball in front of Yang Kai hummed while contorting, possibly because it was unstable.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and released the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, letting them stand guard nearby, before he sat down and began circulating his Secret Art.
Suddenly, as if being drawn in by some invisible force, a stream of light emerged from the giant mass and shot towards where Yang Kai sat. This river of light quickly began pouring into Yang Kai’s body and disappearing.
And at the moment this profound light poured in, Yang Kai felt that he could clearly sense the mysterious World Principles around himself.
At that moment, he no longer hesitated and fully immersed himself into his comprehension.
Yang Kai was just an Origin King so there was no way he could absorb that much Shattered World Principles, so just like last time, when his physical limits were about to be exceeded, the streams of light would flow into the Sealed World Bead and integrate with it, perfecting the Principles of the Small Sealed World.
Time passed slowly.
Yang Kai’s expression fluctuated endlessly, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxed, sometimes black, sometimes contemplative…
As more and more light was drained away from the primary mass, the glow surrounding Yang Kai only became denser and denser.
However, once he was done comprehending what he absorbed, Yang Kai started again and was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much light he drew out, he had no trouble absorbing it.
Time flew by and soon, three days had passed.
After Yang Kai’s wanton absorption, the mass of light had shrunk significantly and the glow it emitted was no longer as strong as before; however, the amount of light which was being drawn away from it and pouring into Yang Kai’s body did not decrease in the slightest.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly stretched out his hand and slashed it through the space in front of him. An inexplicable force lingered at his fingertips, causing a dark Void Crack to appear in the path his fingers traced.
Yang Kai had not actually used his Space Force at this moment, but he was still able to achieve this feat thanks to his enhanced comprehension of Principle Strength.
The hallmark of a Dao Source Realm cultivators was the ability to mobilize the World Principles around them to enhance their own Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai had already touched upon this realm at this moment, something only possible thanks to the massive amount of Shattered Principles he had absorbed over the past few days.
However… his comprehension of Principle Strength was still quite superficial, so before he even finished tracing the air, the tiny Void Crack he had managed to open had already begun returning to its normal state.
Looking inward with this Divine Sense, Yang Kai examined his Origin Essence Crystal.
He saw that his Origin Essence Crystal, which had originally been completely black, at this moment now had a hint of light coming from its surface.
Yang Kai’s Origin Essence Crystal was the condensation of all his perceptions and experience in Space Force and greatly enhanced his ability to perform Space Secret Techniques. Now though, it had a trace of Principle Strength surrounding it as well, further strengthening it while also adding a layer of profundity.
From now on, as long as Yang Kai was willing to, he could use this comprehension to slightly mobilize the Principles around him.
Moreover, the Principles he would be manipulating were the mysterious and powerful Space Principles!
This was a qualitative and fundamental change. Although he wasn’t able to display much strength related to Space Principles with his current cultivation, once he broke through to the Dao Source Realm, the situation would be completely different.
Closing his eyes with satisfaction, Yang Kai once again began absorbing the wisps of light in front of him into his Sealed World Bead.
Two days later, the mass of light had shrunk to a tenth of its original size, and the light it was emitting had even become a little dim. If Yang Kai continued at this pace, it would not be long before nothing more would be left.
Yang Kai was unaware of this, however, as he was completely immersed in his own comprehension.
Suddenly, a slight groan came from in front of him.
Although this voice was quite soft, it was extremely clear.
Yang Kai originally thought he was hearing things, but when a second moan sounded, his expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly opened his eyes.
At the same time, affected by the changes in his mood, the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf that had been standing guard nearby also quickly returned to protect him.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened at this moment as he stared stupidly in front of himself, only after a long-time muttering, “There’s someone inside?”
Only now did he realize that there was a figure inside the light ball in front of him.
The light ball had been too bright before, and with so many chaotic Principles lingering about, Yang Kai had not been able to probe its interior. It was only now that the light mass had shrunk to a certain extent that the figure inside was revealed.
[Was this person there from the beginning or had they entered it at some point?]
[Also, who is she?]
Yang Kai was at a complete loss.
However, judging from the graceful outline of this figure, the one inside the light mass was clearly a woman.
Yang Kai immediately thought of Mo Xiao Qi.
After all, in this third layer, besides him and Mo Xiao Qi, there should not be another living cultivator; however, after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai realized he was wrong. He had clearly travelled in the opposite direction as Mo Xiao Qi, so how could she have gotten here ahead of him and hidden inside this mass of light.
Moreover, the curve of this figure was also somewhat different from Mo Xiao Qi’s.
[Could it be that some old monster was sealed here?] Yang Kai remembered the Wood Spirit he had encountered in the second layer and could not help guessing, some cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the woman opposite him had opened her eyes and was now staring at him through the light ball.
Yang Kai frowned, got up quickly, and looked forward vigilantly.
But what he did not expect was that the other party just glanced at him before closing her beautiful eyes again, as if she didn’t even perceive his existence.
But soon, Yang Kai understood why she acted this way.
Not long after this woman closed her eyes, the surrounding wind began to swirl and all around her, piles of high-quality Source Crystals burst apart and transformed into pure and rich World Energy.
Immediately afterwards, thunder began to rumble as large black clouds appeared seemingly out of nowhere. There were even flashes of lightning dancing across the blackened sky.
The World Energy formed by the bursting Source Crystals gathered madly towards the Heavens and in the blink of an eye, an extremely terrifying vision was formed.
“Breakthrough!” Yang Kai could not help stepping back a few steps, his expression changing dramatically.
This woman was here to make a breakthrough to the next Great Realm and the scene before him was clearly the initial signs of a World Energy baptism that would accompany such a breakthrough.
At this time, Yang Kai also noticed the woman’s true cultivation, which was actually the same as his own: Peak Third-Order Origin King. If she succeeded in her breakthrough, she would become a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Yang Kai quickly judged that this woman was likely not an old monster who had been sealed here for countless aeons but was instead like him, a cultivator from Maplewood City.
It was a mystery how she managed to enter the third layer though.
As these thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai felt immense surprise.
No matter who this woman was, since she could arrive here on the third layer, her background and strength were obviously extraordinary. Her being here on the third layer was also likely intentional so she could make this breakthrough.
As for the huge mass of light from before, she had obviously been the one gathering it. In other words, Yang Kai had been snatching benefits from her this entire time.
Considering this, Yang Kai sweat more and more.
Regardless of the truth, this was not a place he could stay!
The very first thing this woman would do after she broke through would undoubtedly be to settle accounts with him…
Although Yang Kai was not afraid of a newly promoted Dao Source cultivator, if he could avoid dealing with trouble, he would, so he quickly decided to flee.
At that moment, the woman seemed to realize Yang Kai’s intentions and suddenly called out, “Stand there obediently and don’t move, otherwise I’ll make you pay!”
The sound was clear and sweet, extremely pleasant to the ear.
But since Yang Kai had already decided to run, how could he care about this woman’s threats?
Immediately, he waved his hand, took back his Blood Beasts, and turned to fly away.
The woman coldly snorted, raised her jade white hand, and condensed what looked like a mass of starlight onto her palm. The starlight transformed into an arrow and shot out towards Yang Kai in the next breath.
As the sound of something breaking through the air sounded, Yang Kai felt a chill behind his back.
Without hesitation, he turned around and threw out two punches.
In an instant, a violent explosion rang out as Yang Kai’s fists collided with the starlight arrow, sending out a shockwave of wind.
Yang Kai used the resulting force to propel himself forward though and hurriedly fled.
From beginning to end, he did not even say a word.
“Fast!” Inside the mass of light, the woman ground her teeth as her brow furrowed, muttering to herself, “Strange, how could there be anyone here on the third layer? And that man… didn’t seem to be an ordinary Origin King.”
The woman was no ordinary Origin King either and she was on the verge of a breakthrough right now, so the power of her attack was extraordinary, not something an average Origin King should be able to resist.
Yet Yang Kai had managed to resist it without any difficulty, even taking advantage of the brief confrontation to boost his fleeing speed, so the woman was able to faintly understand his real strength.
“Does this tiny Maplewood City actually have such a genius?” The woman frowned, expressing surprise.
But soon, she set this matter aside because the World Energy baptism which accompanied her breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm was about to fall and she could not afford to be distracted.
Not long after, from the sky above, a massive amount of energy fell down like lightning towards the spot where she was sitting.
…
Yang Kai flew a hundred kilometres before slowly coming to a stop.
He did not know who this woman was, or how she had managed to enter the third layer, but since he had robbed so many benefits from her, it was better for him to withdraw first.
The other party was also at a critical point in their breakthrough, so it would obviously be impossible for her to chase after him, allowing Yang Kai to relax.
From the distance behind him, Yang Kai heard the sound of booming thunder, and looking back, he could still see the swirling black clouds filling the sky, which signified that the woman he encountered was already receiving her World Energy baptism. Once she succeeded, she would break through to the Dao Source Realm.
And judging from the woman’s previous state, it was obvious that she had been preparing for this moment for a long time, so her chances of success were likely quite high.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stepped forward again and flew away from this place.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai’s harvest was quite good. He also encountered some dangers. At one point, he found himself being pursued by a Monster Beast at the peak of Eleventh-Order. A peak Eleventh-Order Monster Beast was equivalent in strength to a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, not an opponent Yang Kai could handle with his current strength. If it had not been for his Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, as well as comprehension of the Dao of Space, Yang Kai would likely have been in much greater peril.
After spending some time throwing off his pursuer, Yang Kai found a place to rest and recover, but after just half a day, he suddenly felt the surrounding space tighten, a vague force coming from the surrounding world seemingly constricting and immobilizing him.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically, but before he could even attempt to resist, a mysterious circular array suddenly appeared below his feet.
This array spun rapidly and produced an irresistible suction force, holding Yang Kai in place for a moment before sucking him in.
A familiar feeling of weightlessness came over Yang Kai and allowed him to relax.
Because he understood that this sensation meant the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was closing and all the living cultivators inside were being teleported out. Realizing this, Yang Kai stopped resisting and simply allowed the array to do its work.
Sure enough, when Yang Kai’s vision was restored, he was already back in the square of the City Lord’s Mansion.
A dense crowd surrounded him, standing shoulder to shoulder, all of them with somewhat dizzy or disoriented looks on their faces, a result of the long-distance teleportation.
To avoid appearing suspicious, Yang Kai pretended to feel some discomfort as well as he slowly shook his head.
Noise came from all around as the cultivators of Maplewood City who entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time began to mull about. Some had obtained great opportunities while others came back empty-handed, so there was naturally much discussion to be had.
Now that everything was over, the scene was a big mix of joy and sorrow.
While tens of thousands of Maplewood City cultivators entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, only about half returned while the rest were buried inside. It could be seen from this alone that although the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had many benefits and opportunities, it was also extremely dangerous.
The Emperor Realm masters who had been sitting on the high platform when the pagoda opened looked as if they had not moved at all, with Xiao Yu Yang who sat in the centre position sweeping his eyes around and quickly fixing on a graceful-looking woman with a blue gauze veil.
The woman’s eyes met with Xiao Yu Yang’s and she nodded lightly, allowing Xiao Yu Yang to let out a hearty laugh, appearing to be incredibly happy.
“Senior Xiao seems to be in a good mood,” Chen Wen Hao, sitting on the right-hand side of Xiao Yu Yang, gave him a suspicious look.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “And if so, does Brother Chen have some objection?”
“I would not dare,” Chen Wen Hao’s face twitched as he quickly backed down. Although he was a master from Heavenly Martial Holy Land and had a powerful First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Xiao Yu Yang was a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace and had an even stronger cultivation, so in front of Xiao Yu Yang, how could Chen Wen Hao dare act presumptuously?
“However, it is surprising that there are so many cultivators from this small Maplewood City who managed to come out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda alive,” Feng Ming of Orthodoxy Temple glanced back and forth across the crowd, as if trying to find some good seedlings, mentioning to the side, “City Lord Duan must be quite pleased his Maplewood City is so full of talents. Although the loss this time was not small, those who survived will definitely be able to support Maplewood City in the future.”
“Sir is too polite, this is all thanks to the blessing of Seniors!” Maplewood City’s Lord Duan Yuan Shan smiled from ear to ear, his tone very humble.
As Feng Ming said, although many Maplewood City cultivators lost their lives inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, the ones who came back would no doubt have bright futures and would be able to enhance the city’s strength by several levels if given enough time to mature.
Looking out into the crowd, Duan Yuan Shan saw his son Duan Tian Ci and noticed the bright smile on his face. Obviously, his son had gained much so how could Duan Yuan Shan not be happy?
At that moment though, Duan Yuan Shan frowned as he suddenly took out a communication artifact from his sleeve and poured his Divine Sense into it, his expression changing drastically in the next moment.
Quickly turning his eyes towards Duan Tian Ci in the crowd, he saw his son nod solemnly to him.
At that moment, several other messages were passed out to the various communication artifacts of the Patriarchs of the major families in Maplewood City, all of them saying the same thing.
“City Lord Duan, is something wrong?” Feng Ming looked at Duan Yuan Shan suspiciously and asked.
“Seniors, something has indeed gone seriously wrong,” Duan Yuan Shan heard this and hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
Feng Ming smiled, “City Lord Duan need not be so worried, with the few of us here, how could anything be too serious?”
It was not surprising he spoke with such confidence; after all, there were five Emperors present, one of them Second-Order. As long as it was not on the level of one of the Ten Great Emperors coming to lay waste to the city, they could handle practically anything.
Duan Yuan Shan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and explained, “It is like this, my Maplewood City cultivators broke a seal at the second layer of the pagoda and released an ancient Wood Spirit from inside!”
“What?” Feng Ming heard this, and his face changed abruptly, standing up as he questioned, “Are you serious?”
“It is absolutely true, this Duan has just received reports from all the Patriarchs of the big families in Maplewood City.”
“A Wood Spirit… there was actually a Wood Spirit sealed on the second layer of the pagoda?” The young woman who had not spoken until now frowned and asked in surprise.
This young woman was impressively Gao Xue Ting of Azure Sun Temple, another powerful First-Order Emperor who could stand on equal footing with Feng Ming and the others.
“Wood Spirits are not easy to deal with, and this one is actually an ancient Wood Spirit. Senior Xiao, why didn’t you warn us about this earlier?” Chen Wen Hao glanced at Xiao Yu Yang and complained.
Xiao Yu Yang, though, just rolled his eyes, “The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is not as simple as you think. The internal space is something that not even the Great Emperor himself fully grasps. There are many seals and barriers that are extremely well hidden, to the point that even if the Great Emperor searched for them, he would not be able to find them. This Wood Spirit was likely hidden in one such restriction.”
With him explaining it this way, there was nothing more the others could say.
“This Duan must ask Seniors to take action to purge this Wood Spirit, otherwise it will be a great disaster for my Maplewood City,” Duan Yuan Shan looked at the six Emperor Realm pleadingly.
“It is just a trivial Wood Spirit, what does City Lord Duan have to fear? Moreover, it has been sealed for countless years, so its strength has undoubtedly fallen greatly. Even if we did not take action, City Lord Duan would be able to solve the problem himself,” Feng Ming wore a face of disinterest.
However, Duan Yuan Shan said with a bitter face, “Senior Feng perhaps does not know, but according to the news this one has received, this Wood Spirit is able to swallow the essence and vitality of cultivators to quickly restore its strength and can also implant cultivators with its own Wood Seeds, letting them lie in wait until the time is right to burst from their shell, occupy that cultivator’s body, and spread itself further. Among the cultivators of my Maplewood City, this Duan is afraid some have already been parasitized.”
“Is that true?” At this moment, the six Emperors could not help becoming more serious.
“Undoubtedly. This news was passed to me by my son, who was nearly killed by such a cultivator who had been infected with a Wood Seed,” Duan Yuan Shan replied quickly.
“If that’s the case, then this situation is indeed a bit serious,” Xiao Yu Yang pondered for a moment before ordering. “Alright. Since the Wood Spirit came out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it is partially my Star Soul Palace’s responsibility, so this Xiao will not just sit back and watch. First, open Maplewood City’s Protective Array and close the city gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Also, ensure no one can leave the square! We will eliminate the problem here and now!”
“Yes! Many thanks for your assistance, Seniors!” Duan Yuan Shan was overjoyed when he saw this and quickly turned around, raising his voice as he shouted, “In accordance with Sir Star Envoy’s command, everyone here is to remain where they are. Several Seniors have a matter they must process immediately, and only once this matter is completed will you be allowed to leave. Please cooperate.”
As soon as he said this, the noisy square down below instantly became silent while everyone turned to look at Duan Yuan Shan in amazement.
Yang Kai, who was using the Communication Bead to contact Mo Xiao Qi, could not help raising his head, frowning slightly, wondering why Duan Yuan Shan and the six Emperors were making such a move.
However, the command of an Emperor could not be ignored, so even if the cultivators who were in the square were a little bit dissatisfied, none dared show any dissatisfaction and simply stood obediently.
The next moment, the six Emperors on the high platform seemed to exchange a few words before four of them suddenly shot off in different directions, leaving only Xiao Yu Yang and Gao Xue Ting still in place.
Next, a hum sounded across Maplewood City as the sky was immediately covered in a thin, translucent barrier of light, forming a dome over the top of it.
This change made the expressions of the many cultivators who were standing in the square quite difficult, but awed by the strength of these Emperors, none dared act disrespectfully.
Most people were completely confused as to what was happening.
As soon as the barrier went up, Xiao Yu Yang and Gao Xue Ting, who were sitting on the high platform, looked at each other and stood up together.
The next moment, two immense Divine Senses swept forth, covering the entire square.
Almost everyone went stiff at that moment; after all, being scanned by the Divine Senses of two Emperors would naturally feel quite uncomfortable. In front of these powerful Divine Senses, all the secrets they tried to hide seemed to be exposed.
But soon, these two Divine Senses were taken back, allowing everyone to feel relieved.
“It seems that many have been infected,” Xiao Yu Yang narrowed his eyes before stretching out his hand and sending a streak of light out from his fingertip.
The speed of this bolt of light was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced towards the abdomen of a man wearing blue robes down below.
The blue-robed cultivator had a Second-Order Origin King cultivation, so after witnessing an Emperor Realm master attack him, he could not help paling and calling out, “Sir Star Envoy, you…”
He couldn’t figure out how a tiny, insignificant Origin King like himself had provoked a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace into personally attacking him.
Before he finished speaking, the bolt pierced his lower abdomen. The blue-robed man could not help letting out a grunt as he was sent stumbling back from the huge impact force.
At the same time, from his back, the bolt of light shot out, but now it clearly was wrapping around something.
Everyone looked carefully and was surprised to find that this thing was an oval-shaped cyan-coloured seed.
*Pa…*
There was a soft pop as the steam of light burst, and the seed was vaporized.
At the last moment, a shrill shriek seemed to come from the seed.
Seeing this scene, everyone’s expression changed drastically as they realized that something had invaded this blue-robed man’s body, and that Xiao Yu Yang had attacked him in order to get rid of it.
Turning their heads back, the crowd saw that the man in blue, who had been pierced by the bolt of light just now, was quite pale, as if his foundation had been damaged, but there was no immediate concern about his life.
Xiao Yu Yang did not even spare this man a second glance as he instead waved his hand, sending out a storm of light bolts.
One after another, these streams of light shot out and hit different cultivators in the crowd.
At the same time that Xiao Yu Yang moved, Gao Xue Ting also took action.
With a solemn look on her face, this woman traced a rune pattern in the air which quickly condensed into a small net. This net then multiplied before shooting out in all directions.
These small nets seemed to have a mind of their own and swiftly arrived at their targets, enveloping them.
All the cultivators shrouded by these small nets let out a gasp of fear, but surprisingly, these nets actually passed right through them. However, when these nets re-emerged, they had cyan seeds in them.
Gao Xue Ting formed a seal with her hands and instantly the small nets burst apart, shattering the seeds inside them to pieces.
“What was that?” A cultivator yelled in horror as he stumbled backwards.
Although they now understood these two Emperors were not trying to take their lives, many people were still shocked to see such strange seeds being extracted from the cultivators around them.
At that moment, inside the square, pitiful screams suddenly sounded from all directions.
Immediately afterwards, a violent force surged upwards.
Among the crowd, suddenly there were several strange trees. At first glance, these things were no different from ordinary trees, but they were exuding an extremely evil aura and at the center of their trunks, there were clear and obvious faces.
Yang Kai was also taken aback at that moment.
He saw with his own eyes a cultivator next to him undergo a tremendous and extremely rapid transformation.
This cultivator had been laughing with his companions and discussing his adventures inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda only a moment ago with a look of excitement on his face, but all of a sudden, a look of pain had filled his expression.
At the same time, a blue light shone from his abdomen and his skin cracked, spilling out blood from his physique as if something was trying to emerge from inside of him.
In the blink of an eye, the cultivator had transformed into a tree-like existence with a human face on its trunk. From his lips a terrifying howl, filled with vicious hunger sounded.
*Chi chi chi…*
Green vines shot out from the inside these trees and began madly flailing about.
Several nearby cultivators who were not paying attention were caught off guard. One of them was pierced by a vine and as a guzzling sound rang out, like someone was rapidly drinking down a glass of wine, the pierced cultivator rapidly shrivelled up.
“Wood Spirit!” Yang Kai called out in shock.
How could he not recognize what was happening before him? This scene was identical to the one he encountered when the Wood Spirit appeared on the second layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
However, Yang Kai never expected that he would see it again in the square of Maplewood City.
As he shouted, Yang Kai swiftly backed away while at the same time condensing his Fire Sword Qi from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to chop down the vines that were stabbing towards him.
With a loud thumb, the severed vines fell to the ground and burned as Yang Kai kicked off the ground and took some distance.
By now, many cultivators also recognized what was happening, and in an instant, the name ‘Wood Spirit’ spread across the square.
“Circulate your strength to protect yourselves, don’t allow the Wood Seeds to invade your body, otherwise your fate will be the same as theirs!” Xiao Yu Yang roared loudly from the high platform.
Yang Kai heard this and immediately understood something, hurriedly circulating his strength to cover his body and avoid being accidentally infected.
Other fast-reacting cultivators followed Yang Kai’s example while those who reacted slower either escaped by luck or were unfortunate enough to be invaded by the tiny Wood Seeds and quickly degenerated into Wood Spirit Clones.
Atop the high platform, Xiao Yu Yang coldly snorted as he pushed his strength wildly, pointing his hand and swiftly killing several of the Wood Spirit Clones.
Gao Xue Ting did not lag behind and similarly began to act. Seeing that the scene could no longer be contained with gentle methods, she did not show any mercy and began executing all the Wood Spirit Soul Clones in range.
At the same time, the other four Emperors followed suit throughout Maplewood City.
When the cultivators returned to the square from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda before, many had left immediately, and among these people, some had been infected by the Wood Spirit’s Wood Seeds. Somehow, the Wood Spirit realized it had been exposed so it immediately caused all of its seeds to sprout.
And so, the six Emperors began cutting down the Wood Spirit Clones like they were cutting melons and chopping vegetables.
After realizing the danger of the Wood Spirit, the cultivators of Maplewood City also began using their strength to protect themselves.
Soon, all of Maplewood City was caught up in a chaotic battle, but the overall situation was still manageable. These Wood Spirit Clones weren’t very powerful, and their methods weren’t varied. The Wood Spirit’s greatest advantage was that it could spread its Wood Seeds silently and infect other cultivators.
But as long as a cultivator was on guard, the chance of them being infected was almost negligible.
With the cooperation of many cultivators, the Wood Spirit crisis seemed like it would soon be resolved.
Half a day later, the corpses of Wood Spirit Clones lay everywhere in Maplewood City. These corpses were originally Maplewood City cultivators, but after being infected by Wood Seeds, they had all transformed into completely different existences.
The six Emperors did not take any chances and split up to perform a thorough inspection of Maplewood City.
During this inspection, they found a few hidden Wood Seeds.
This situation lasted for two days before the chaos in Maplewood City gradually subsided.
Within these two days, the number of Maplewood City cultivators that died reached into the thousands. This fully illustrated how terrifying this Wood Spirit was. It did not even need to take overt action, simply spreading its Wood Seeds was enough to raise a calamity.
If it had really been allowed to mature and grow, all of Maplewood City would likely have been wiped out.
Yang Kai finally realized just how horrible an enemy this was and felt that Mo Xiao Qi saying Emperors had even fallen to Wood Spirits in the past was not groundless.
Over the past two days, he had also been actively cooperating with other cultivators to seek out and destroy Wood Spirit Clones. After all, all of Maplewood City was participating in this effort, so if he did not stand with them, he would quickly become a target of public criticism.
During this time, both Mo Xiao Qi and Kang Si Ran had sent messages asking whether he was safe numerous times, only feeling relieved after receiving word from him that he was in good condition.
After all the dust settled, Yang Kai went to Spirit Pill Plaza to meet with Kang Si Ran and agreed on the date for him to resume his Alchemy work. Finished with this, he returned to the secluded home he had rented.
Yang Kai needed to sort out his harvest from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
At the same time, inside the City Lord’s Mansion.
The six Emperors gathered together with Duan Yuan Shan still standing to the side respectfully.
However, the expressions on these Emperors’ faces were not as relaxed as before, even seeming a bit solemn.
“Seniors, has the Wood Spirit really been wiped out?” Duan Yuan Shan hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously.
He had personally had to execute two of his once-loyal subordinates during this clean-up operation, so he fully realized just how difficult the Wood Spirit was to destroy, leaving him quite anxious and distressed.
“Even if I said it was wiped out completely, you would definitely not believe me,” Xiao Yu Yang raised his head and glanced over at him.
“Senior means…” Duan Yuan Shan’s face paled slightly.
Xiao Yu Yang sighed and explained, “There are many types of Wood Spirits, and their innate abilities are all different. This Wood Spirit… has indeed been more troublesome than this King had anticipated, so this King does not dare to guarantee it is really gone. Out there, there are perhaps some well-hidden Wood Seeds which we were unable to find.”
Duan Yuan Shan looked horrified and asked, “Even with the methods of several Seniors, you cannot be certain?”
Gao Xue Ting replied, “We cannot be sure unless we gather every single cultivator in Maplewood City and thoroughly inspect them one by one with our Divine Senses.”
“How could this one dare ask such a thing from my Seniors,” Duan Yuan Shan was taken aback and hurriedly waved his hands.
How many cultivators were there in Maplewood City?
This time alone, tens of thousands of Origin Kings and Origin Realm cultivators had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and there were still all the cultivators in lower realms as well. Although there was no exact statistics, the number of cultivators in Maplewood City was somewhere between 500,000 to 1,000,000.
With so many cultivators, even if the six Emperors worked tirelessly to check each of them one by one, the amount of time it would take was absurd.
What’s more, during such a long period of time, many unexpected events could occur.
So, this approach was completely impossible to achieve.
“Although we cannot be sure whether the Wood Spirit is dead, you may rest assured that after losing so many of its Wood Seeds, even if it is not dead, its foundation is likely severely damaged, so it won’t cause any trouble in the near future. You only need to instruct the cultivators in the city to inspect themselves regularly while taking some preventive measures,” Gao Xue Ting said lightly.
“This Duan will respectfully carry out Senior Gao’s orders!” The matter was done, and Duan Yuan Shan knew that there was no good way except this method, so he could only nod in agreement.
“Good, you should head out. We still have something to discuss!” Xiao Yu Yang suddenly waved his hand and said.
Duan Yuan Shan complained again and hurried back, not daring to be disrespectful.
Although this was his City Lord’s Mansion, the Emperors present were all from the most powerful forces in the Southern Territory, and he could not afford to provoke any of them. It was extremely rare to meet even one such master, much less six, so Duan Yuan Shan did not dare to disobey.
After Duan Yuan Shan left, Xiao Yu Yang suddenly stretched out his hand and waved, forming an invisible barrier around the group of six.
Vice President Ceng Yuan of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce narrowed his eyes and asked with some surprise, “What is it that Senior Xiao wants to discuss that warrants such caution?”
“Is it because of the Wood Spirit?” Vice President Lou Chi of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce also asked in surprise.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “Naturally not, how could this King pay so much attention to a trivial Wood Spirit? What this King has to discuss with you is about the Shattered Star Sea.”
“Shattered Star Sea?”
As soon as this statement came out, the other five Emperors could not help turning solemn.
Feng Ming of Orthodoxy Temple thoughtfully asked, “Senior Xiao means… The Shattered Star Sea is about to open?”
The others also looked at Xiao Yu Yang excitedly, as they cared very deeply about the Shattered Star Sea.
“A few days ago, according to a message from the Great Emperor, the entrance to the Shattered Star Sea is indeed about to open, but as for exactly when it will happen, the Great Emperor has still yet to determine. I am simply informing all of you now,” Xiao Yu Yang turned to the south and slightly cupped his fists.
Everyone naturally knew who the Great Emperor he spoke of was.
In the entire Southern Territory, the only one of the Ten Great Emperors was the Sect Master of Star Soul Palace: Bright Moon Great Emperor!
“Since the Great Emperor has said so, it should not be wrong,” Gao Xue Ting said, lightly nodding. “Senior Xiao, may we inform our respective Sects about this matter?”
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “Junior Sister Gao need not worry, the Great Emperor has already dispatched messengers to each of your Sects to inform them about this. Since we have all gathered here though, I am simply taking this opportunity to discuss it with you.”
“So that’s how it is!” Chen Wen Hao nodded and said, “Although we all belong to the same Southern Territory, it is still a rare occurrence to gather together like this, especially for our six great forces. Taking this opportunity to discuss some matters is truly a great idea.”
“That was the Great Emperor’s intention. This way, we will save some time and effort,” Xiao Yu Yang smiled and said, “All of you know that the reason why this Shattered Star Sea was born is related to the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. Back then, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was so arrogant that he dared to swallow all things in creation in order to enhance his strength. Even the sun, moon, and stars could not escape his clutches. In the end, however, he aroused the anger of the Heavens and was thus purged by the world itself.”
“Ahem…” Feng Ming lightly coughed, and said, “Senior Xiao, there’s no need to mention such falsehoods with us.”
Xiao Yu Yang chuckled, “Naturally. This is only the story the average cultivator knows of, while those of us here understand the real truth of this matter. However, during that battle, it is true that worlds collapsed, and the order of Heaven and Earth was shattered, leading to the creation of the Shattered Star Sea, a broken, but Self-Contained World. Unfortunately, although the Shattered Star Sea is vast, only Dao Source Realm juniors may enter it. If an Emperor were to rashly try to intrude, it may destabilize the pathway to the Shattered Star Sea and force it to close. One must know that there are many Shattered and even complete Star Sources inside that place, which are of great benefit even to us.”
As soon as this statement came out, the other five Emperors also showed a look of yearning.
Quickly though, everyone sighed again.
Gao Xue Ting followed up, “For that reason, we Emperors have never been allowed to enter the Shattered Star Sea since it first formed. If that were not the case, I would have liked to enter it to explore.”
“If Junior Sister Gao is interested, you can try,” Feng Ming chuckled.
Gao Xue Ting coldly snorted, “I’d rather not be killed by the Great Emperor. If Senior Brother Feng does not take his life seriously, he is free to make an attempt.”
Feng Ming tapped his nose and grinned, not saying anything more.
“Although we cannot enter, the disciples from our forces can, and they are more than capable of bringing back Star Sources with them, so why should we worry? If any of you wish to sell some Star Sources when the time comes, my Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce will purchase all of them, regardless of the cost!” Ceng Yuan smiled lightly.
“I will second that notion. My Violet Source Chamber of Commerce has vast business dealings and can definitely afford to buy a few Star Sources,” Lou Chi quickly added.
The Vice Presidents of the two big chambers of commerce glanced at each other and smiled, sparks seemingly flying between them.
“The two of you must be sleep talking,” Xiao Yu Yang chuckled. “But enough about this, we do not even know when the specific opening time of the Shattered Star Sea will be, so discussing how to divvy up the gains from it is a bit premature. Regardless, the opening of the Shattered Star Sea is a great event in my Southern Territory, so once the news spreads, there is certain to be some chaos, especially with the limited number of entry quotas. What we need to discuss now is exactly these quotas, or more precisely, how many quotas each Sect may occupy.”
…..
Inside his secluded home, with all the barriers open, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead on the floor and entered inside.
Inside, he transplanted the spirit grasses and medicines he obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda into his medicine garden one by one.
He could only recognize less than half of these herbs and was unable to even tell what their purpose was.
The few multicoloured fungi, which were constantly changing colours, were the first harvest he obtained inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda when he appeared above that swamp. Judging from the aura they emitted, these were Dao Source Grade herbs and should be worth a lot of money.
Although this fungus had been sitting around for a number of days already, they still possessed most of their vitality and rapidly adapted after being transplanted into the medicine garden.
This was not a surprise though as the medicine garden inside this Small Sealed World now had five Earth Vein Crystals supplying World Energy as well as a massive amount of Heavy Earth. The spirit grasses and medicines which were planted here would undoubtedly grow faster and stronger than in any great force’s medicine garden.
Yang Kai believed it would not be long before these spirit grasses and medicines vigorously matured.
As for the five Golden Crystal Grass, Yang Kai knew what they were for, but if he wanted to refine them into Golden Crystal Pills, he would need to acquire several other herbs first, so for the time being, Yang Kai simply transplanted them into the medicine garden.
In addition to these gains, Yang Kai also had a lot of materials from various Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai sorted through these materials as he prepared to sell some of them at a later date.
In any case, he did not have a need for artifacts for now, so these Monster Beast materials were useless in his hands. It would be better to just exchange them for Source Crystals.
There was also a Dao Source Fruit which Yang Kai took out and examined for a while before storing it away again.
He wasn’t too concerned with finding a Dao Source Fruit before, but now that he had one, he would not just let it go to waste. Yang Kai believed that as long as this fruit was refined into a Dao Source Pill, it would help him reach the Dao Source Realm even faster.
Of course, the prerequisite for this breakthrough was that he finished transforming his Saint Qi into Source Qi.
Next, Yang Kai took out another jade bottle and stared at it solemnly.
If one asked what Yang Kai’s biggest gain during his exploration of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time was, aside from the massive amount of Shattered World Principles he acquired in the third layer, which not only gave him some preliminary insights into Principle Strength while also promoting the evolution of his Sealed World Bead, it would be this jade bottle.
This jade bottle was surprisingly obtained on the first layer from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
The dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar had basically all been fake, mere illusions, but whatever was contained inside this jade bottle was undoubtedly real.
At that time, Yang Kai had used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, which was capable of seeing through all illusions.
While checking through the dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar together with Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin, Yang Kai had quietly hidden this jade bottle and exchanged it for another.
At that time, everyone was immersed in their disappointment and fooled by this little trick.
Only Qin Yu from the Qin Family seemed to have noticed something.
Later, when she had come to ask Yang Kai about whether all the treasures had been fake, Yang Kai had initially thought he had been discovered, but after thinking about it carefully, he concluded that Qin Yu was only suspicious, not certain.
Yang Kai did not know exactly what was inside this jade bottle.
During those days inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he had not taken this bottle out to investigate.
However… he vaguely guessed that the contents of this jade bottle should be related to actual Dragons, because whether it was back then or right now, the Dragon Scale on his chest felt slightly hot, like it was resonating somehow with the contents of the jade bottle.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai lifted the jade bottle in front of his eyes and then slowly opened its cap.
At that moment, an abrupt change occurred.
A high-pitched dragon roar suddenly rang out from the jade bottle while Yang Kai stared in surprise. Before he could figure out what was happening though, he saw something small rush out from the bottle.
This little figure was only one finger long and had the appearance of a tiny snake.
At this moment, its whole body seemed to be exuding burning hot flames as it shook its head and flicked its tail, rushing straight up into the sky.
After getting rid of the shackles of the jade bottle, this tiny snake immediately tried to escape!
Yang Kai didn’t expect such a thing to happen at all. If he were outside, this little snake might have actually escaped.
But this was the Small Sealed World of the Sealed World Bead after all.
So, Yang Kai just froze for a moment before stretching out his hand and grabbing towards it.
The World Energy in the Small Sealed World moved according to his will and the tiny figure, now about ten metres away, was instantly held in place by an invisible power. Even so, this little snake was still struggling restlessly and soon released a loud roar.
Only now was Yang Kai able to see clearly what it was.
It was like a Dragon that had been shrunk down countless times, a red Fire Dragon covered in flames!
Yang Kai was taken aback and muttered in amazement, “A baby dragon?”
But soon, he discovered that this was not the case as the ‘baby dragon’ transformed into a single red drop about the size of a fingernail. However, this small drop was like boiling magma, giving off a scorching heat Yang Kai could clearly feel even from ten metres away.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as he quickly seemed to think of something, calling out in alarm, “Dragon blood! A drop of true Dragon blood!”
What was inside the jade bottle was not a baby dragon, but a drop of true Dragon blood.
Judging from the previous scene, this was a drop of Fire Dragon blood! If a cultivator who cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art could obtain this drop, they would definitely receive enormous benefits.
However, that did not mean it didn’t have significant value to Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai did not primarily cultivate the Fire Attribute, he could still use his Monster Transformation Secret Art to fuse other Dragon artifacts into his body, like the Dragon Scale he had integrated into his physique that was now covering his heart.
Yang Kai had been planning to integrate his Dragon Bone Sword into his body for some time now as well.
His Dragon Bone Sword was refined from an authentic Dragon’s bone and bead. Previously, he had only roughly refined it into an artifact but not fundamentally damaged or transformed it, so there would be no problem fusing with it.
Fusing with the Dragon Scale had given Yang Kai huge benefits, and he had never once forgotten about doing the same with his Dragon Bone Sword, but suffering from insufficient strength, he had been unable to carry out his plans. Later, his strength had improved dramatically but he had not had enough time to carry out this plan.
At this moment though, he obtained a drop of true Dragon blood.
If he could integrate it properly, he might be able to exert a portion of a Dragon’s power! After all, he had a Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body already.
Yang Kai’s expression beamed as he felt a great sensation of surprise and happiness.
He had not realized until this moment that the plain-looking jade bottle that had held this drop of Dragon blood was actually covered in dense seals and Spirit Arrays and contained an extremely cold aura. This kind of cold was extremely peculiar, as Yang Kai could not feel it on his hand, but when he tried to probe it with his Divine Sense, his Spiritual Energy quickly froze.
Only this kind of unique storage container could hold a drop of dragon blood.
Wearing a solemn expression on his face, Yang Kai did not immediately try to fuse with this drop of blood.
In the past, using his Monster Transformation Secret Art to fuse with the Dragon Scales had caused him to suffer greatly, so Yang Kai planned to make appropriate preparations first before proceeding. After making up his mind, he carefully put away the drop of dragon blood before his figure flickered and he left the Sealed World Bead.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai wandered around all the major shops in Maplewood City, and even went to the black market a few times.
The Monster Beast parts he obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda were sold out for Source Crystals, and after spending many of those Source Crystals on a variety of ancient books, Yang Kai returned to his secluded home to do some reading.
His experiences since entering the Star Boundary made him realize how limited his knowledge was, so although these books were somewhat haphazardly collected, they were precisely what he needed right now.
Among these books were introductions to the Star Boundary’s major Sects, forces, geography, famous landforms, and alchemy.
Such widely-known information was not difficult to find or complicated to comprehend, so after Yang Kai spent a few days reading them, he finally gained a basic understanding of the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai also obtained some ancient books that recorded a variety of secret information, but whether the contents of these books were true or not, Yang Kai had no way of knowing. Unfortunately, he did not find many records about the Dragon Clan, only that the Star Boundary had a place called Dragon Island, on which many authentic Dragons seemed to live.
He did find some information about fusing Dragon artifacts into his body, though.
Most of these records said that a certain special Secret Art was required to begin the process, and that the fusion process was different from person to person. There were even some accounts of people succeeding in the initial fusion, but because their physique was not powerful enough, they were ultimately killed by backlash afterwards.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai felt that he should be fine.
Regarding special Secret Arts, he had his Monster Transformation. In terms of physique, he felt his was more than strong enough. His biggest advantage though, was his Golden Divine Dragon Source, giving him a unique edge when it came to fusing with these Dragon artifacts.
Ultimately, this was not a matter to be rushed. His top priority at the moment was to break through to the Dao Source Realm!
The advancement to a new Great Realm would bring about a dramatic increase in his strength.
Time flew by, and soon, half a month had passed.
Yang Kai walked out of his secluded home and came to Spirit Pill Plaza to fulfil his previous agreement with Kang Si Ran.
Ten days later, when Yang Kai had refined enough Spirit Pills and exited his Alchemy retreat. Kang Si Ran was already standing outside the Pill Room waiting with a smile on his face.
“Shopkeeper Kang,” Yang Kai greeted and cupped his fists slightly.
“Alchemist Yang, many thanks for your efforts this time,” Kang Si Ran seemed to be in a good mood and smiled through his wrinkled old face.
“I simply fulfilled my obligations, Shopkeeper Kang doesn’t need to be so polite,” Yang Kai smiled and said. “Judging from Shopkeeper Kang’s look, could there perhaps be some kind of happy event happening?”
“Not at all, however… the two Alchemists sent from the headquarters arrived five days ago.”
“So, that’s how it is,” Yang Kai knew that Kang Si Ran had been worrying about the pill supply problem of Spirit Pill Plaza for some time now. Previously, all the Alchemists of Spirit Pill Plaza had been poached by his nemesis, and if not for Yang Kai suddenly appearing, Spirit Pill Plaza would have been forced to close down long ago. Now that the Alchemists dispatched from Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters had finally arrived, Kang Si Ran could put down his labour shortage worries.
“Congratulations to Shopkeeper Kang, then,” Yang Kai smiled.
Kang Si Ran chuckled, “If Alchemist Yang would be willing to remain in the employ of Spirit Pill Plaza, this old master…”
Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “Shopkeeper Kang, I’m afraid this will not work. I told you before that I do not pursue Alchemy as my primary profession. The reason I agreed to assist you last time was because I needed pill recipes. Now, since your chamber of commerce has sent two Alchemists to alleviate your situation, I will not be offering my Alchemy services again in the future.”
Kang Si Ran heard this and sighed, “It’s a pity. In fact, with Alchemist Yang’s ability, if you were to focus on Alchemy, your future achievements will probably be no worse than Grandmaster Huang Fu at the headquarters.”
Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Since Alchemist Yang has no intention of pursuing the Alchemic Dao though, this old master will not try to persuade you anymore. The number of Spirit Pills Alchemist Yang refined during this time is quite large, but this old master has carefully calculated the appropriate remuneration and will have the Source Crystals delivered to your secluded home shortly.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded, “Then I shall take my leave.”
Kang Si Ran nodded and walked out together with Yang Kai.
As they were returning to the surface, Kang Si Ran suddenly spoke, “Alchemist Yang, this old master will take the liberty to ask, do you require more pill recipes?”
“Oh, does Shopkeeper Kang have a way for me to acquire more?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “If Shopkeeper Kang has additional pill recipes that I do not currently know, I can purchase them for a satisfactory price.”
Kang Si Ran smiled, “Alchemist Yang has done a great benevolence for this old master. If this old master really had more pill recipes, he would have handed them over long ago for free.”
“So, Shopkeeper Kang does not have additional pill recipes?” Yang Kai looked confused.
Kang Si Ran smiled mysteriously, “Although this old master does not have them, this old master knows where some might be found. What’s more, in that place, not only would there be a number of pill recipes, perhaps… There will be a complete inheritance of an Alchemy Grandmaster!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Come with me, I will explain carefully,” Kang Si Ran thought for a moment before leading Yang Kai to a secluded room.
After a short while, the two entered the room, and Kang Si Ran asked one of the shop-hands to prepare tea before he began.
After listening for a long time, Yang Kai realized that Kang Si Ran had knowledge of a cave mansion that was likely the secluded home of an Alchemy Grandmaster.
As for how he obtained this information, it seemed that he had learned of it many years ago, but due to the limits of his strength, he was unable to explore it. However, after much research and inquiry, he had basically confirmed what this cave mansion was.
“Are you certain it’s the cave mansion of a fallen Alchemy Grandmaster?” Yang Kai became quite eager and asked urgently, “Do you happen to know which Grandmaster it belonged to?”
“Gong Sun Mu! I wonder if Alchemist Yang has heard of this man,” Kang Si Ran replied slowly.
“Gong Sun Mu?” Yang Kai frowned as he began recalling the records, he had just reviewed a few days prior. He vaguely seemed to recall coming across such a name but could not remember in detail.
Seeing his expression, Kang Si Ran smiled slightly and said, “Even if Alchemist Yang has never heard of Gong Sun Mu, he must certainly know that among the Ten Great Emperors, there is one that excels in the Alchemic Dao.”
“The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Indeed, among the Ten Great Emperors, only Wondrous Pill Great Emperor reached his supreme status by relying on his talent and accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao.”
“So, what Shopkeeper Kang means to say is that there is some kind of relationship between Gong Sun Mu and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Yang Kai asked thoughtfully.
“Gong Sun Mu was Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Third Disciple!” Kang Si Ran smiled slightly.
Yang Kai could not help gasping.
“Originally, this old master was not qualified to know such secrets, but I have been inquiring about that cave mansion for many years, so I have learned more than is generally known to the public. Gong Sun Mu was Wondrous Pill Great’s Third Disciple and was quite favoured by the Great Emperor, but… for some reason I have yet to uncover, Gong Sun Mu seems to have offended Wonderous Pill Great Emperor and was expelled as a disciple three thousand years ago. Later, Gong Sun Mu settled in seclusion in the Southern Territory, ultimately losing his life in this foreign land, a truly sad fate.”
“Gong Sun Mu has such astonishing origins, so how did Shopkeeper Kang determine this cave mansion belonged to him?” Although Yang Kai was shocked, he still asked cautiously.
Kang Si Ran smiled and said, “Naturally, this old master has a reason for his confidence. Let’s put it this way, when Gong Sun Mu was expelled by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he brought a servant with him, and that servant was only responsible for tending to his daily life, but was later driven away by Gong Sun Mu, whose temperament underwent a dramatic change at some point. This information was obtained by this old master from a descendant of that servant.”
Gong Sun Mu had a prominent identity in his day, so even his servants would have impressive strength. After being driven away by Gong Sun Mu, this servant lived in seclusion in the Southern Territory, married a wife, and had children, creating his own family.
Unfortunately, as the generations passed, his descendants’ aptitude was somewhat unremarkable and the family eventually declined.
A hundred years ago, only one heir to the family remained. That heir, by chance, was rescued by Kang Si Ran when he was being hunted down by his enemies, but unfortunately, he suffered severe injuries from which he could not recover.
Before his death, that heir, out of gratitude, informed Kang Si Ran about his family’s greatest secret.
This was also the reason why Kang Si Ran was able to obtain such intimate information about Gong Sun Mu’s hidden cave mansion.
As Yang Kai listened, most of his doubts were assuaged.
Having gotten to know Kang Si Ran over the past two months, Yang Kai felt that he was a good person, not a villain, and saw no reason for Kang Si Ran to deceive him here. Secondly, Yang Kai knew that such opportunities and coincidences truly occurred in this world as he had experienced several himself.
After mulling the information for a while, Yang Kai spoke, “If it is truly the cave mansion of Gong Sun Mu, exploring it really would be a great opportunity, but in that case… Why is Shopkeeper Kang coming to me with this offer? Your chamber of commerce is full of talents who are far stronger than I, why not ask them for assistance and improve the odds of success?”
Kang Si Ran chuckled, “What Alchemist Yang says is reasonable, the headquarters of my chamber of commerce is indeed full of talented individuals, with countless Dao Source Realm masters as well. If this old master invited them to participate, the chances of success and safety would be much improved, but then… how many benefits would this old master obtain? Alchemist Yang must know that this is a private action, unrelated to the chamber of commerce. If the masters from headquarters were to learn about such a golden opportunity, this old master most likely would not even obtain some leftover soup. In order to carry out this plan, this old master has been searching for a reliable partner with similar strength, please understand this, Alchemist Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “I understand Shopkeeper Kang’s concerns.”
“Alchemist Yang is considerate, it is truly this old master’s good fortune to have met him. Now, about Alchemist Yang. After hearing this much…”
Yang Kai smiled, “Since it is related to an Alchemy Grandmaster like Gong Sun Mu, I am very interested in participating.”
Kang Si Ran was overjoyed and nodded, “Very good! However, this old master must make something clear.”
“Shopkeeper Kang, please speak!”
Kang Si Ran wore a serious look and said, “If there is a Dao Source Pill inside the cave mansion, this old master has the first rights to it!”
“Alright,” Yang Kai didn’t even think about it and readily agreed.
Kang Si Ran was startled seeing Yang Kai agree so quickly, a trace of gratitude appearing on his face, “Many thanks for Alchemist Yang’s understanding. This old master knows that his aptitude is low, and without something like a Dao Source Pill, he will never reach the Dao Source Realm, but just how rare are Dao Source Pills? When the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was opened this time, this old master did not even hear rumours about the appearance of those three Dao Source Fruits. If not, this old master would not be in a rush to explore that hidden cave mansion. But Alchemist Yang may rest assured, regardless of whether there is Dao Source Pill in there or not, all materials related to Alchemy will belong to Alchemist Yang, as for other things, you and I can discuss the distribution when the time comes.”
“That’s fine,” Yang Kai nodded, “When will we leave?”
“Tentatively, after one month. One month from today, this old master will be waiting for Alchemist Yang at the pill shop. This old master has to make some preparations and in addition, there will be an auction soon in the city, so this old master wants to join in the fun and see if he can gain something good. I wonder if Alchemist Yang is interested in participating?” Kang Si Ran asked.
“There’s going to be an auction held in the city?” Yang Kai was startled.
“Yeah,” Kang Si Ran chuckled, “This time, Maplewood City’s cultivators obtained many good things from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so Sir City Lord plans to host an auction where everyone could exchange some of the rarer treasures they acquired but do not need. Perhaps in this auction, this old master will even see a Dao Source Fruit. Alchemist Yang is now a Third-Order Origin King, so wouldn’t now be a good time to prepare a Dao Source Pill?”
“Indeed. When and where will this auction be held?” Yang Kai asked.
…
After half an hour, Yang Kai walked out of Spirit Pill Plaza.
Regarding the auction, Yang Kai did not say he would certainly attend, only telling Kang Si Ran that if he had time, he would go and join in the fun. Kang Si Ran of course made no objections.
After leaving Spirit Pill Plaza, Yang Kai thought for a while before turning towards a certain direction and heading out of the city instead of returning to his secluded home.
A short while later, outside Maplewood City, Yang Kai adjusted his bearings before flying due north.
At a location about thirty kilometres away from Maplewood City, there was a manor-like complex filled with houses and buildings covering a vast area. There were small bridges built of pristine rivers, making for a peaceful and elegant environment.
Yang Kai flew down and swept the manor with his Divine Sense for a moment as he muttered, “It should be here.”
The reason why he came to this place was naturally to fulfill his previous agreement with the man named Zhang Gao Xuan he had encountered in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. The Zhang Family was also a somewhat famous family in Maplewood City, so after just a few inquiries, Yang Kai had found where it was located.
The Zhang Family’s foundation was not located inside Maplewood City, but outside Maplewood City. After all, a bit of land inside Maplewood City was worth an immense sum of money, and even building a simple house would be a great expense. Outside the city was different though, and although the World Energy would not be as abundant, that was not a problem for a small family.
Yang Kai glanced around and immediately understood that someone from the Zhang Family should have a little understanding of Spirit Arrays, as there were some simple ones arranged around the manor to gather World Energy.
Having received a Dao Source Fruit from the Zhang Family Patriarch, Zhang Gao Xuan, Yang Kai had a reason to come here and have a look while at the same time deliver Zhang Gao Xuan’s other possessions and final words.
He had been busy until now, so his visit had been slightly delayed.
When he arrived at the front entrance, Yang Kai prepared to call out, but before he could even say a word, two streams of light shot out from the inside of the complex.
Behind these two streams of light, two figures also rushed out, each one tightly gripping their fists, their eyes bloodshot and red, as if they had some kind of absolutely irreconcilable hatred with Yang Kai and their only wish was to kill him.
Yang Kai was stunned.
However, he did not put the attacks of the other party in his eyes as these two were just a Second-Order and First-Order Origin Returning Realm. Even if both used their full strength, how could they possibly harm Yang Kai?
So, he simply stood in place and waved his hand lightly.
With that wave, the two streams of light that had shot towards him shattered.
Seeing this, the two people who had rushed out froze in place, but soon, a grim look filled their faces as they used some kind of Secret Technique, coughed up mouthfuls of Blood Essence, and forced their auras to rapidly inflate.
Yang Kai’s brows suddenly wrinkled, and without waiting for these two people to summon their artifacts, he casually released his Domain.
In that instant, the two attackers felt as if mountains had been placed on their backs, causing them to go stiff, unable to move. However, this did nothing to diminish the anger on their faces as they continued to glare at Yang Kai hatefully, fire nearly spewing from their eyes.
“Is this the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai maintained the power of Domain, suppressing the two, and asked faintly.
The pair were both male and seemed to be about thirty years old. One was fat while the other was thin. Hearing Yang Kai’s question, the fat man coldly snorted and snapped, “Why ask something you already know? If you are here to kill, just kill, why bother with so much nonsense!”
Although the thinner man did not speak, the stern look that came out of his eyes clearly indicated his attitude.
“Has something happened to the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai was no fool, so seeing these two’s attitude, he had a faint guess about what had transpired, causing him to frown.
“You sure like running your mouth! Since you are here to do the Lu Family’s dirty work, why bother acting pretentious?” The fat cultivator snapped with a look of contempt.
The thin man sneered, “Lu Bai Chuan is nothing but an old bastard, so the people he hires are naturally the same, why is Third Brother so surprised?”
The fat cultivator laughed, “You’re right, it was Third Brother’s mistake.”
As he spoke, he spat towards Yang Kai fiercely.
Yang Kai sighed, “I am afraid that the two of you are misunderstanding something. I don’t know any Lu Bai Chuan or Lu Family, I only fought back because you suddenly attacked me.”
“You don’t know that old dog Lu Bai Chuan? Then why have you come to meet the Zhang Family?”
At that moment, an aged voice suddenly called out from inside the manor and soon, an old woman with silver hair and a wooden walking staff stepped out with the help of a young girl.
Behind this old woman were a few other people.
The old woman had a face full of wrinkles and her complexion was clearly somewhat sallow, but her eyes still contained a sharp light as she stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept out and he immediately understood that this old woman was a First-Order Origin King, but it seemed she had suffered a serious wound recently that damaged her foundation, so her Saint Qi aura was somewhat disordered.
However, what puzzled Yang Kai was that the people who followed this old woman were all women, some middle-aged, some young, several of them even just little girls and young children.
The only males present were the fat and thin cultivators who had attacked him before.
It was like all the men in this family were dead except for the fat and thin pair.
Yang Kai waved his hand, dispersed his Domain, and freed his two assailants.
The two men also had some sense and understood that there was a massive gap in strength between them and Yang Kai, so they did not act rashly again and instead retreated to the old woman’s side, standing before her in a defensive stance as they stared at Yang Kai vigilantly.
“Junior Yang Kai greets old madam. Dare I ask if this is the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai cupped his fists politely.
“Yes, this is the Zhang Family,” The old woman replied in a deep voice while supporting herself with her cane.
“Good,” Yang Kai smiled slightly and pondered before asking, “Old madam, is there some kind of misunderstanding here? Why was I sneak attacked the moment I arrived?”
“Misunderstanding?” The old woman sneered, “Whether it is a misunderstanding or not depends on what business you have here. You say you don’t know Old Dog Lu Bai Chuan?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve never heard of him.”
“Grandmother, don’t listen to his nonsense, if it weren’t for Lu Bai Chuan asking him, why would he have come to our Zhang Family at this time!?”
Before the old woman could speak, the fat cultivator who had been imprisoned by Yang Kai sharply accused.
Yang Kai could only smile bitterly.
The old woman glared at the fat cultivator and scolded harshly, “Since when did I need you to tell me how to handle myself?”
The fat cultivator’s neck shrank as he did not dare to argue back.
The old woman turned her gaze back to Yang Kai again and released her Divine Sense; after realizing that Yang Kai’s cultivation was much higher than her own, her expression changed slightly, “Your Excellency’s cultivation is profound. If you were truly sent here by Lu Bai Chuan, there would not be any need for conversation. Alright. I will believe you, but that still does not explain why Your Excellency has come to the Zhang Family.”
“I’m here because I was entrusted to come by another. Please have a look at this, old madam,” As Yang Kai spoke, he took out a Space Ring and tossed it over to the old woman.
The old woman stretched out her hand to catch it, taking a deep look at Yang Kai for a moment before she poured her Divine Sense into the Space Ring.
The next moment, the old woman’s face turned pale, and her body trembled violently, as if she had suffered a heavy injury, even going so far as to open her mouth and cough up a mouthful of blood, causing her old face to suddenly become even older.
“How dare you use a sneak attack!?” The fat cultivator exclaimed furiously.
It was natural for him to misunderstand the situation; after all, the old woman had suddenly had such a response after catching the Space Ring. Anyone would think that Yang Kai had done something to the Space Ring and used it as a way to attack the old woman secretively.
The women who were standing behind the old woman also turned fierce as they glared towards Yang Kai with indignation. Each of them began pushing their strength while some bolder ones even summoned their artifacts and immediately began to attack.
Facing this group of women’s attacks, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feeling a bit anxious as he hurriedly retreated to open up some distance between them.
“Stop!” The old woman suddenly shouted.
These women clearly respected the old woman greatly, so although they were very upset with Yang Kai’s behaviour and deeds, when the old woman gave a command, all of them obeyed.
“Grandmother, are you alright? Does it hurt?” At that time, the young girl who had been supporting the old woman asked with a worried look, her hand reaching out to stroke the old woman’s back.
The old woman shook her head to indicate she was fine before turning her eyes back to Yang Kai, all the hostility from before being replaced with desolate sorrow as she asked, “Dare I ask this Little Brother, this Space Ring… From whom did you obtain it?”
Yang Kai’s lips moved slightly as he sent his voice directly to the old woman’s ears.
As soon as the old woman heard his words, she staggered again, but soon, a mirthless smile covered her face as she mourned, “Such cruel fate! Although this old woman had expected it, I had still prayed it would not be true.”
“Mother, what happened?” A beautiful middle-aged woman with a First-Order Origin King cultivation asked.
“See for yourself,” The old woman handed the ring in her hand to the middle-aged woman.
The woman took it, and after inspecting it closely, her pretty face also turned white. After scanning its content with her Divine Sense, tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks.
As Zhang Gao Xuan’s family, they recognized the items in his Space Ring. Now that Zhang Gao Xuan’s Space Ring was here, but he was nowhere to be seen, even a fool could guess what had happened.
Looking at this scene, Yang Kai felt a sense of sympathy and did not try to rush them, instead just standing by quietly while the Zhang Family digested the news that Zhang Gao Xuan had died.
Although they did not know the specific story, seeing the reactions of the old woman and the middle-aged beauty, it was apparent that they had already speculated things were like this, but that did not stop them from feeling sorrow.
After a long time, the old woman took a deep breath and turned to Yang Kai, “Honoured Guest, this old woman has been rude, please come inside.”
“Very well, I still have something I need to give you,” Yang Kai nodded.
Under the leadership of the old woman and the middle-aged beauty, Yang Kai was led to a meeting hall in the manor.
Everyone else was ordered to wait outside while only the old woman, the middle-aged woman, and the young girl who was assisting her Grandmother were allowed to enter, the latter curiously directing her eyes towards Yang Kai.
After ordering tea to be served, the old woman spoke, “Little Brother, regarding the misunderstanding from before, I hope that Little Brother can appreciate the traumatic circumstances my Zhang Family has experienced and not take our offence to heart.”
“It’s fine, old madam. I am sorry for your loss,” Yang Kai nodded.
“You said just now that you have something else to deliver to us, may I ask what that is?” The old woman asked.
“This,” Yang Kai took out another jade slip and handed it to the old woman while explaining, “Before your Zhang Family’s Patriarch died, he left a message in this jade slip and asked me to deliver it. Old madam will understand everything after she reads it.”
The old woman accepted the jade slip and poured her Divine Sense into it. A short time later, she passed it to the middle-aged woman in a calm manner.
When the middle-aged beauty finished reading the contents of this jade slip. however, she ground her teeth angrily and shouted, “As I thought! It was that old dog Lu Bai Chuan’s poisonous hand that killed my husband! Mother, I must seek revenge for my husband!”
Hearing what she said, Yang Kai realized that this woman was Zhang Gao Xuan’s wife, and it seemed that this old woman was Zhang Gao Xuan’s mother.
Losing one’s child, being forced to bury them rather than being buried by them, it was a fate no parent ever wished to endure, but this old woman was actually able to adjust her mood in such a short time, causing Yang Kai to admire her.
“Naturally, this enmity must be settled, but do you have the ability?” The old woman gave the middle-aged woman a cold look.
“Daughter-in-law is indeed not the opponent of that old dog, but even if she dies, she must still carve a piece of his flesh out!” The middle-aged beauty clenched her teeth as her eyes filled with hatred.
“Bold words,” The old woman sneered, “But I’m afraid that death will not be your fate. If you go now, only humiliation will await you!”
As soon as this statement came out, the middle-aged beauty could not help paling.
“If you understand, then sit down!” The old woman stamped her cane severely and ordered.
The middle-aged woman did not dare to disobey and fell back onto her seat feebly, her eyes seemingly losing their lustre.
Yang Kai saw this and sighed, “Old madam, might I ask what tragedy has befallen your household in addition to Brother Zhang’s misfortune inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?”
The old woman heard this, and her expression darkened, nodding as she replied, “It seems Little Brother is already aware of this family’s misfortune.”
After a moment of silence, the old woman narrated what had happened to the Zhang Family recently.
Having both settled around Maplewood City, the Zhang Family and Lu Family had always had a close friendship, because the Old Ancestors of the two families had come to Maplewood City together and worked hard to establish themselves. After several hundred years of time, the two families could be called close relatives that had shared friendship for multiple generations.
For the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, the two Patriarchs, Zhang Gao Xuan and Lu Bai Chuan, had entered together.
Additionally, just after the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, the juniors of the two families also travelled together to a certain Restricted Area for life experience.
However, everything turned out to be a conspiracy by the Lu Family.
In that dangerous Restricted Area, all the heirs of the Zhang Family were killed, while everyone from the Lu Family returned safely. This created the situation the Zhang Family was in now, where only women remained, as well as fat and thin male cultivators who had been in secluded retreat at the time. Now, they were the only men left in the Zhang Family.
After the closure of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, only Lu Bai Chuan returned, while Zhang Gao Xuan had disappeared.
Lu Bai Chuan’s attitude also changed dramatically from before. After returning, he frequently tried to pressure the Zhang Family into marrying a girl from the younger generation, Zhang Ruo Xi, to his son.
The Zhang Family Patriarch had disappeared suddenly, and everyone was naturally quite worried, so how could they possibly agree to such a request at this time? What’s more, the old matriarch had many doubts about the Lu Family, so she immediately refused.
How could she have known that Lu Bai Chuan would directly tear face with her and try to take away Zhang Ruo Xi forcibly, even starting a fight with the Zhang Family?
Lu Bai Chuan, like Zhang Gao Xuan, had a Third-Order Origin King cultivator. The current Zhang Family was clearly not his opponent. At that time, the old matriarch had used their family’s Secret Technique and taken a forbidden pill to dramatically boost her strength. Cooperating with the rest of the family, she had managed to temporarily force Lu Bai Chuan back, otherwise, there would be no Zhang Family anymore.
Now that she had obtained this jade slip from Yang Kai, which contained the message left by Zhang Gao Xuan before his death, the old woman could finally confirm that her son’s death was indeed caused by Lu Bai Chuan.
All her previous doubts were cleared up.
The sadness and hatred in the heart of the old woman could be imagined.
Yang Kai listened and remained silent.
All of this seemed like a plot to annex the Zhang Family by the Lu Family. With so few males left in the family, how could the Zhang Family continue its bloodline? As long as the Lu Family seized this opportunity to marry a young lady from the Zhang Family, they could slowly begin to assimilate what was left, ultimately wiping the Zhang Family from Maplewood City.
However, Yang Kai had some doubts about this.
As the saying went, men die for wealth just as birds die for food. The Zhang and Lu Families had been allies for hundreds of years, so how could such a drastic change have so suddenly occurred? Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of secrets were hidden below the surface here, but he also didn’t care to ask.
“Old madam, since you have read the information in the jade slip, you should already know about the agreement between your Zhang Family’s Patriarch and myself,” Yang Kai suddenly said.
The old woman nodded, “Gao Xuan made everything clear in the jade slip, saying that as long as the little brother still lives in Maplewood City, he will fulfil three requests for my Zhang Family within his ability, and… After the Dao Source Fruit has been refined into a pill, the Zhang Family will be given one Dao Source Pill!”
“Dao Source Fruit?” The middle-aged beautiful woman heard this and could not help asking in shock, “Did my husband manage to obtain a Dao Source Fruit?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, not trying to conceal the truth. “Patriarch Zhang did obtain a Dao Source Fruit inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, which is now in my hands. This is all in accordance with the agreement we made.”
The old woman glanced at the middle-aged woman’s face and coldly snorted, “An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. My Zhang Family now does not have the ability to protect a treasure like the Dao Source Fruit, not to mention, it is now rightfully this Little Brother’s property.”
The middle-aged woman shook slightly before nodding solemnly, “It is as mother says, I understand.”
The old woman turned her head back to Yang Kai, “Little Brother, you may rest assured, only the four people inside this room will ever know about that Dao Source Fruit. Little Brother coming to the Zhang Family to honour this agreement is already more than this old woman could have asked for. Little Brother is a man of character and credibility. This old woman will surely not cause any more trouble for you.”
Hearing what the old woman said, Yang Kai nodded, “That would be best.”
Although his attitude towards the Dao Source Fruit was indifferent, that was not the case for other Origin Kings. Once news spread out, it was likely that countless Origin Kings would hunt him down, and even Dao Source Realm masters might take action.
A Dao Source Fruit was useless to a Dao Source Realm master, but which Dao Source Realm master didn’t have descendants or Juniors?
The old woman spoke again, “Little Brother, if it is not inconvenient, please spend a few days here in my Zhang Family so this old woman can provide some appropriate hospitality.”
Yang Kai frowned and considered this proposal, feeling that it might be wrong for him to leave now. Although he did not have much friendship with this Zhang Family, he did reach an agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan after all. Now that the Zhang Family was facing a crisis, if he left and Lu Bai Chuan came, this group of orphans and widows would likely be unable to resist.
Perhaps it would be best if he used this situation to his advantage, making the Zhang Family use up one of their requests.
Just as he was thinking, Yang Kai heard a strange sound suddenly ring in his ears.
“What’s that sound?” The beautiful woman’s expression changed as she perked up her ears.
Yang Kai smiled, “It seems to be the sound of gongs and drums.”
The beautiful woman was startled and had a blank look on her face, but the old woman seemed to have thought of something and exclaimed in an enraged voice, “Lu Bai Chuan you little bastard! You’re going too far!”
Although Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation was higher than hers, this old woman was Lu Bai Chuan’s senior by a generation, so it was not a problem for her to scold him like this.
The beautiful woman’s face changed when she heard this, “Could it be that old dog…”
The old woman glanced at the young girl who had been standing by her side, serving her attentively, and gently patted the back of her hand, “Don’t be afraid, while Grandma is still here, the Lu Family will not take you away.”
The girl was very well-behaved, and although it seemed she had a vague idea of what was transpiring, she did not look flustered and instead shook her head and spoke, “Grandma, if Ruo Xi can save the family, Ruo Xi is willing to.”
“What are you saying!” The old woman snapped and stamped her cane loudly, “Your grandfather, father, and brother all died at the hands of the Lu Family! The enmity between the Lu Family and my Zhang Family is absolutely irreconcilable! How could your grandma push you into such a fiery pit? Rest assured, grandma will guarantee your safety.”
Hearing them speak, Yang Kai immediately understood that the little girl who had been serving the old woman, Zhang Ruo Xi, was who the Lu Family wanted.
Earlier, Yang Kai had used his Divine Sense to investigate her cultivation and found she was only a First-Order Saint King, not even an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. Such cultivation could only be described as average for a fourteen or fifteen-year-old in the Star Boundary.
Moreover, although she was indeed quite pretty, she was not a country destroying beauty. It was a mystery what she possessed that caused the Lu Family to care so much about her.
Perhaps she was just an unlucky pawn that the Lu Family had randomly chosen in order to annex the Zhang Family with.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he felt a little uncertain.
At that moment, the old woman turned her gaze to Yang Kai and said in a solemn tone, “Little Brother, this old woman must ask you something…”
Yang Kai nodded, “Please speak, old madam.”
The old woman nodded, “Little Brother’s cultivation is profound, but Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation is comparable to yours so a fight with him would surely be difficult. This old woman will not ask you to kill him and avenge my Zhang Family, only that when the time comes, you step forward to safeguard my Zhang Family today!”
“Is this a request?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Yes!” The old woman nodded solemnly while the middle-aged beauty and the young Zhang Ruo Xi also looked at Yang Kai with entreaty. After all, the only two people with any real strength in the Zhang Family at this moment were the old woman and the middle-aged woman, who were First-Order Origin Kings. However, the old woman had damaged her foundation recently by using a forbidden technique and medicine, so she was in no condition to fight.
If Yang Kai were to wipe his hands of them now, the Zhang Family would surely face calamity.
However, Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation was on par with Yang Kai’s, so they were not certain whether Yang Kai would uphold his agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan to assist the Zhang Family; after all, what cultivator would be willing to offend another just as powerful as themselves for a mere verbal promise?
For a time, they were all very worried but did not dare to say anything.
“This request…” Yang Kai chuckled, making the three people in the hall feel like their hearts were stuck in their throats, “It’s fine with me!”
The old woman let out a sigh of relief, as did the beautiful woman and the young girl, all three of their eyes flashing with gratitude.
“But old madam, I just so happened to be in the Zhang Family this time, so keeping you safe once is not an issue, but what will happen if next time I am not here? What do you plan to do if the Lu Family comes to provoke you again? It is impossible for me to simply remain here indefinitely,” Yang Kai said lightly.
The old woman furrowed her brows and sighed forlornly, “We can only take one step at a time.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Old madam has not thought about simply cutting weeds and pulling out roots?”
“Cutting weeds and pulling out roots!?” The old woman’s muddy eyes lit up suddenly as she asked quickly, “Is Little Brother sure? There are many people in the Lu Family, not just Lu Bai Chuan.”
“I can try!” Yang Kai declared.
The old woman was stunned and swept her eyes over Yang Kai, as if she was re-examining him. Hesitating for a moment, she ultimately spoke, “If it can be done, the Zhang Family will regard Little Brother as our greatest benefactor, ensuring that for generations to come we light incense and bow thrice in the morning and evening to pray for Little Brother’s good fortune and safety.”
“That’s not necessary…” Yang Kai smiled, “But we have to renegotiate the terms of the agreement.”
“The terms?” The old woman was startled, but immediately said with a wry smile, “I don’t know what the little brother wants? I’m afraid my Zhang Family has nothing of interest to you.”
“Old madam misunderstands, I don’t want compensation,” Yang Kai waved his hand. “However, doing this will carry a certain amount of risk for me. More importantly though, I do not like being fettered, so my proposal is, if I can eliminate the Lu Family for you, you will consider my previous agreement with Brother Zhang to be fulfilled and will no longer be able to make requests of me in the future. What do you say?”
“Little brother means…” The old woman asked cautiously.
“Either this time I ensure your safety and it will be considered a single request of the three fulfilled, meaning you still have two left, or I seek complete revenge for you and we consider all three requests fulfilled. You are free to choose.”
The old woman heard this and declared, “Naturally this old woman will choose the second option. If Little Brother can really avenge my Zhang Family, we will not seek you again in the future and will regard the agreement between you and Gao Xuan to be fulfilled. Not only that. This old woman will offer my sincere and generous gratitude.”
“Alright. Since you said it, you better mean it.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, in an exceptionally good mood as he stood up, “Just wait here for the good news.”
Saying so, he turned and walked out the door.
“Little Brother, this Mistress will accompany you!” The middle-aged beauty volunteered.
As these words fell, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and disappeared.
“Help me up so I can also observe,” The old woman stood up excitedly and said to Zhang Ruo Xi who was beside her.
Outside the Zhang Family Manor, a festive scene had appeared.
A procession, beating the gongs and drums, had arrived at the entrance of the manor in a mighty manner while eight strong-looking men were hoisting a sedan chair on their shoulders as well as many boxes covered with red cloth.
It was obvious at first glance it was a bridal procession and that the contents of the boxes were a dowry.
At this moment, the team had stopped outside the manor and a man who looked to be roughly forty years old and had a trimmed moustache stood at its fore. This man had sharp eyes and a powerful Third-Order Origin King cultivation.
Behind this middle-aged man, there is another young man wearing red robes, standing there with a smile, his cultivation not too high, only Third-Order Saint King. He did not seem to be very old, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, but his face was clearly drunk with happiness.
This bridal procession was now confronting the orphans and widows of the Zhang Family.
Everyone from the Zhang Family was glaring at the people of this procession with obvious rage, their strength tumbling and their auras flashing with hostility. Were it not for the vast gap in strength, these women would likely have already attacked!
“Lu Bai Chuan, you still have the face to come to my Zhang Family?” The fat cultivator who attacked Yang Kai before gritted his teeth and shouted at the lead man. “My Zhang Family has been on good terms with your Lu Family for generations, but it was all in vain! Your greed and cruelty are simply without limits! I must avenge the enmity of killing my Zhang Family’s disciples or I will not be a man!”
Lu Bai Chuan glanced at the fat cultivator faintly and said, “Junior, this old master is here today to welcome a bride into his family, so he will let you off for your rudeness this once. Call Aunt Cheng out at once.”
“You still have the face to address her as Aunt Cheng?” The thin cultivator couldn’t help but sneer, “Lu Bai Chuan, Father here has been enlightened today! Only now have I learned that your Lu Family’s skin is thicker than a city wall, impressive indeed!”
“Junior, you court death!” Regardless of anything else, Lu Bai Chuan was a Third-Order Origin King, so two Origin Returning Realm juniors clamouring and insulting him so wantonly was more than he could bear, causing an immediate and visceral response, “In front of whom are you calling yourself ‘Father’? Such impudence!”
As he shouted, he reached out to grab towards the thin cultivator.
The thin cultivator’s complexion changed as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi and Shi while at the same time trying to retreat in order to avoid Lu Bai Chuan’s blow.
But no matter how hard he tried; he was unable to escape.
The difference in strength between a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and a Third-Order Origin King was just too big. To put it bluntly, Lu Bai Chuan could crush him to death with a casual snap of his fingers.
Seeing that the big hand was about to grab his head, the thin cultivator steeled himself as a trace of madness flashed across his face, “Lu Bai Chuan, even if I die today, you won’t feel any better!”
As he spoke, he formed a seal with his hands and the suppressed power in his body suddenly began to riot.
“You are planning to self-destruct?” Lu Bai Chuan’s eyes narrowed slightly before he coldly snorted and said, “In front of this old master, you think you’ll have the opportunity to blow yourself up? Good, today is Tao’er’s wedding day, so we should add some excitement. Boy, surrender your life!”
Saying so, he waved his hand and a black curtain of energy suddenly enshrouded the thin cultivator.
The thin cultivator’s face went ashen with shock as he realized that he would not be able to self-destruct before this black curtain crushed him.
At that moment, the thin cultivator suddenly saw a burst of light and the black curtain which was covering him shattered like a mirror. At the same time, the pressure which was suppressing him suddenly disappeared.
Overjoyed, he charged forward instead of trying to escape while at the same time pushing his strength even more violently, determined to finish what he had started.
The self-destruction of a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator is indeed powerful, but it couldn’t threaten a Third-Order Origin King, so the thin cultivator’s act of defiance would at most be able to dirty Lu Bai Chuan a bit and cause him to lose face.
But, it was mainly how madly obsessed this thin cultivator was going against him, which annoyed Lu Bai Chuan.
What Lu Bai Chuan was far more concerned about, though, was the young man who suddenly appeared in front of him. As soon as this young man appeared, his Domain had instantly been suppressed, saving the thin Zhang Family cultivator.
The aura coming from this unknown young man made Lu Bai Chuan aware that he was no weaker than himself.
But since when did the Zhang Family have another Third-Order Origin King? Lu Bai Chuan was puzzled and did not hesitate to open up some distance between them.
Yang Kai looked at him faintly, not giving chase and instead reaching out and tapping the thin cultivator’s back. The violent power which was rioting inside the thin cultivator’s body instantly steadied and the man himself staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Raising his head, the thin cultivator looked at Yang Kai who appeared suddenly with a blank face, seemingly in a daze.
“Old Third, get back here!” The fat cultivator was dripping cold sweat as he hurriedly called out to the thin cultivator. Seeing that he did not move though, the fat cultivator rushed over and dragged his companion back.
“Who is Your Excellency?” Lu Bai Chuan stared at Yang Kai, instinctively feeling that the other party was a tricky opponent, causing his tone to become serious, “You don’t seem to be a Zhang Family member, right?”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “You’re right.”
“Then who are you and why are you interfering in this private affair?” Lu Bai Chuan frowned.
Just now, Yang Kai’s casual move had made him realize that Yang Kai’s strength was not inferior to his own, so he did not want to make an enemy of him if possible and tried to probe Yang Kai’s background and relationship with the Zhang Family.
“For certain reasons, the Zhang Family’s affairs are now my concern,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“What does friend mean? Since the Zhang Family’s affairs are now your concern, should you not also give a reason? Moreover, this old master is only here to welcome a bride into his family, not to embarrass the Zhang Family in any way, is this friend perhaps misunderstanding something?”
“Lu Bai Chuan, cease your meaningless rhetoric! My husband was killed by you inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so our hatred is absolutely irreconcilable!” At that moment, the middle-aged beauty soared out from the manor, a sword in hand, screaming as she landed beside Yang Kai.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled upon hearing these words and said, “Sister-in-law, this Lu is also deeply saddened by Brother Zhang’s death, but it truly has nothing to do with this Lu. How can I explain it to you so that you will believe me?”
“This little brother has brought back the last words of my husband, yet you still dare to quibble?” The middle-aged beauty pointed to Yang Kai as she grit her teeth and shouted.
Lu Bai Chuan narrowed his eyes and immediately turned his attention to Yang Kai, “So you met Brother Zhang inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?”
When he asked these words, a look of pleasant surprise filled his expression, as if this was extremely good news for him.
Yang Kai replied calmly, “Indeed I met Brother Zhang, but why does that make you so happy? Heh heh, did you perhaps think of something?”
Lu Bai Chuan’s face changed several times before he whispered, “If that’s the case, then is ‘that’ thing with you?”
“You guessed right. Yes, that thing is with me. Do you want it?” Yang Kai looked at him lightly.
At that moment, a trace of guilt suddenly flashed across the face of the middle-aged woman as she secretly blamed herself for being indiscreet, exposing the secret that Yang Kai had obtained the Dao Source Fruit.
Lu Bai Chuan and Zhang Gao Xuan had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda together, and had also travelled together inside the pagoda, so it wasn’t a surprise if they had found the Dao Source Fruit together as well.
Even if the beautiful woman did not directly reveal that the Dao Source Fruit was with Yang Kai, with Lu Bai Chuan’s shrewdness, how could he not infer it?
“It seems that you killed Brother Zhang because of that thing,” Yang Kai looked at Lu Bai Chuan contemptuously.
“Hmph, even if it weren’t for that, I would still have done so, but that is my Lu and Zhang Families’ business. Now that it is with you, this Lu has something to say to this friend.”
“And what might that be?” Yang Kai looked at him with interest.
Lu Bai Chuan’s expression turned serious as his lips began to squirm, seemingly sending a message to Yang Kai.
In that instant though, Yang Kai smiled meaningfully as he leapt up into the air. The moment he did so, a small black snake burst out of the ground silently and bit towards where Yang Kai’s leg was a moment ago.
Everyone on the scene was taken by surprise when the little black snake appeared from the ground, none of them having detected it before it showed itself.
“Friend is truly sinister!” Yang Kai said in a condescending tone as he looked down at Lu Bai Chuan with a sneer, “It seems that Brother Zhang was attacked by you in this way and then killed by its poison, yes?”
As he spoke, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent out a Golden Blood Thread that swiftly wrapped up the little black snake.
Lu Bai Chuan hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so alert and able to avoid such a concealed attack. He had used the same move against Zhang Gao Xuan inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and at the time it had worked perfectly.
Seeing that his attempt had failed and that he was at a disadvantage, Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly moved his lips and the black snake immediately tried to retreat underground, like it had received some kind of order.
But it was too late. The Golden Blood Thread had already wrapped up the little snake and was rapidly constricting it.
*Chi Chi…*
The snake struggled hard but no matter how it tried, it was unable to escape from the Golden Blood Thread. The Golden Blood Thread continued to tighten and it was not long before the black snake’s skin was cut open and blood began leaking from its body.
“Stop!” Lu Bai Chuan shouted as he summoned out a war-hammer artifact and poured his strength into it. This hammer flashed with dark blue sparks before it rapidly shot an arc of lightning out towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he realized that this war-hammer was a high-grade artifact. Not wanting to act rashly, he swiftly dodged to avoid the blow.
With a hissing sound, accompanied by a faint crack, the black snake was strangled to death by the Golden Blood Thread and slivered into several pieces. As its corpse fell to the ground, the head continued to struggle about, looking particularly fierce and vicious.
But with such an injury, it was destined to die.
“My spirit snake!” Lu Bai Chuan roared in anguish, as if his wife or daughter had been snatched from him, his eyes turning bloodshot as he glared towards Yang Kai, who was still standing up in the air, and roared, “For killing my snake, I’ll have your head!”
Saying so, he poured his strength into the war-hammer in his hands recklessly.
With a loud crackling noise, lightning arcs swirled around the hammer wildly and even the surrounding World Energy became turbulent.
Lu Bai Chuan lifted his arms and hurled the war-hammer out towards Yang Kai with a Heaven destroying force.
“Little Brother, be careful! That is the Lu Family’s Thunder Wind Hammer, an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact, don’t try to confront it head on!” The Zhang Family’s old matriarch shouted from below as she finally managed to arrive on the scene with the help of Zhang Ruo Xi.
How could Yang Kai not understand the power of this artifact? The Thunder Attribute Energy which pulsed from it was violent and domineering, so even with his intrepid physique, he did not dare despise it.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai sent out dozens of Golden Blood Threads and wove them into a sturdy net to intercept the Thunder Wind Hammer.
*Hong long long…*
There was a loud series of bangs as the Golden Blood Thread net was continuously strained and lightning arcs darted about. The scene of the two forces opposing one another was quite a thrilling sight to behold.
“Grandma, can this Sir win?” Zhang Ruo Xi, who was supporting the old woman, looked at Yang Kai and asked. Although she was not very old, she at least understood that the Zhang Family’s safety was all tied to Yang Kai’s ability, so she couldn’t help feeling nervous.
The old woman didn’t answer; after all, she didn’t know much about Yang Kai, only that he was a Third-Order Origin King. However, Lu Bai Chuan was also a Third-Order Origin King.
Comparing opponents of the same level was always difficult.
But looking at the situation right now, Yang Kai seemed calm and relaxed while Lu Bai Chuan wore a violent expression and was clearly going all out, perhaps because his precious spirit snake had been killed.
High in the sky, the golden net condensed from Golden Blood Threads and the Thunder Wind Hammer competed on equal ground.
Lu Bai Chuan suddenly shouted loudly, and as he opened his mouth, he spat out a ray of light which quickly transformed into another artifact.
The old woman’s expression changed drastically when she saw this artifact and cried out in shock, “Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre!”
The Zhang and Lu Families had been close for centuries, so the old woman knew a bit about the Lu Family’s most precious artifacts and quickly recognized the one Lu Bai Chuan had summoned.
The Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, like the Thunder Wind Hammer, was an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact. These were the two most powerful artifacts owned by the Lu Family. Generally speaking, they would be held by different individuals, but now they both appeared in Lu Bai Chuan’s hands.
“Be careful, Little Brother, this Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre was originally a Dao Source Grade artifact refined by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, but due to some sort of failure in the refinement process, it only ended up as an Origin King Grade High-Rank. Nevertheless, it still contains a trace of Principle Strength,” The old woman opened her mouth to warn.
“Old thing, shut your mouth!” Lu Bai Chuan was furious.
He was locked in a life or death fight with Yang Kai but the old woman was completely exposing all his secrets, so how could Lu Bai Chuan not be angry? With a glance, he silently signalled to the other members of the bridal procession, and they swiftly turned to attack the Zhang Family.
In this team, there were three Origin Kings, and although these three were just First-Order Origin Kings, that was more than enough to deal with the current Zhang Family.
Seeing the Lu Family’s people rushing over, the old woman gripped her cane tightly and exchanged a glance with the middle-aged woman. Nodding to one another, they bravely led the Zhang Family’s people into battle against the enemy.
After Lu Bai Chuan summoned the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, he immediately gripped it tightly and sneered over at Yang Kai, “Boy, I won’t waste my breath with you, hand over that thing and I’ll spare your life, otherwise you’ll die under my blade!”
“Just where are you getting all your confidence from?” Yang Kai laughed and scornfully beckoned to him, “If you want to do it, hurry up and do it, I’m quite interested in the power of your sabre.”
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” Lu Bai Chuan was thoroughly enraged now and shouted, “In that case, this Lu will let you witness his might!”
As soon as these words fell, he held up the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre in front of his chest and spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto it, causing it to hum slightly as a trace of Principle Strength began to radiate from it.
Feeling the unique sensation of Principle Strength, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and his expression became more solemn.
The old woman saying that this Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre was a failed Dao Source Grade artifact was definitely correct, as an ordinary Origin King Grade artifact couldn’t have such an effect.
Of course, this was also only possible because Lu Bai Chuan’s own cultivation had reached a certain height, his Saint Qi being fully transformed into Source Qi while he had likely touched upon the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm and Principle Strength.
All of this was essential as an average Third-Order Origin King would not be able to produce such a result even if they had the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre.
The Principles inspired by the sabre were naturally Ice Principles, and although the effect was quite subtle, even somewhat faint, it was still the domain of Dao Source Realm masters. With this artifact in hand, Lu Bai Chuan’s combat power had risen to a new level!
*Kacha…*
There were now faint signs of the surrounding space being frozen, and with Lu Bai Chuan at the centre, layers of frost began to spread outwards.
The Patriarch of the Lu Family suddenly let out a great roar and with a single step, disappeared from where he stood and then re-appeared in front of Yang Kai, slashing out with the sabre in his hands.
The blade flashed as it released an extremely powerful aura, one that seemed completely overwhelming and unavoidable. Moreover, with the Ice Principles emanating from the blade sealing the surrounding space, there was no way Yang Kai should have been able to avoid this blow.
“Hahahaha!” Lu Bai Chuan laughed madly as a happy expression filled his face, “Like an ant trying to stop a cart, such overconfidence!”
He was completely certain that his attack had succeeded in dispatching Yang Kai, because he had already killed several Third-Order Origin Kings with the very same move in the past.
However, in the next instant, his eyes suddenly shrank as he stared forward in amazement.
Standing before him, Yang Kai, who should have been split in half without being able to resist, actually remained completely unscathed, with no trace of any kind of wounds on his body. In his hands at this moment was a verdant coloured long sword that had no edge. From this sword, a sort of snake had emerged and was even now blocking the terrifying slash the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre had released.
The Ice Principles which should have rendered any Origin King powerless didn’t seem to affect Yang Kai at all. In fact, with just a flick of his wrist, the verdant long sword released a strange power that instantly disintegrated the Ice Principles and scattered them to the wind.
“You…” Lu Bai Chuan’s face changed wildly as he called out sharply, “You can also utilize Principle Strength?”
Principle Strength was the ultimate power that governed the world itself. In this world, only those who had reached the Dao Source Realm could touch upon this strength while Origin Kings could not use it at all. Lu Bai Chuan had only managed to inspire traces of Principle Strength thanks to his special Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, but now it seemed Yang Kai could do the same, or possibly even better.
Seeing Yang Kai easily disperse his killing blow, Lu Bai Chuan realized that his opponent had surpassed ninety-nine percent of all peak-level Origin Kings and was likely on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Without the support of Principle Strength, Yang Kai could easily handle an attack from an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact.
“Boy, you’ve been playing the pig to eat a tiger, curse you!” Lu Bai Chuan roared indignantly.
Yang Kai laughed, “Blame your dog eyes for looking down on people too much.”
As he spoke, he pushed the Dragon Bone Sword in his hand forward with force and sent Lu Bai Chuan crashing to the ground like a meteorite.
Upon landing though, Lu Bai Chuan immediately steadied himself and formed a seal with his hands. The earth began to rumble and in a series of bangs, three earth dragons shot up from the ground, roaring as they rose up to attack Yang Kai.
“Earth Dragon Dance!”
Lu Bai Chuan shouted sharply before he swiftly turned around, ignoring the life or death of the other Lu Family members, and fled.
“Sir Yang, he’s going to run!” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly shouted softly.
This little girl, who was just a First-Order Saint King, could not contribute anything to the battle between the Lu and Zhang Families and could only hide in the back and observe from a distance. When she saw Lu Bai Chuan flee though, she could not help calling out.
“He won’t get away!” Yang Kai snorted coldly before he slashed forward with his Dragon Bone Sword, chopping the three earth dragons into dust before his body flickered and disappeared.
Although he did not have any grudge with the Lu Family, he had an agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan and against such a shameless man like Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai had no qualms about acting ruthlessly.
Lu Bai Chuan using these three earth dragons seemed to only be an act to buy time, but it did not play any role.
By the time Yang Kai appeared again, he had already caught up and swung out his Dragon Bone Sword. Yang Kai was about to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Bai Chuan, but suddenly, the Lu Family Patriarch, who seemed to be fleeing with all his might, turned around and flashed a vicious, victorious grin.
In the next instant, he flicked his wrist towards Yang Kai.
A strange, subtle power fluctuation propagated.
Yang Kai’s brow rose sharply as his expression suddenly became weird.
Instantly, he reached forward with his hand and grabbed the air.
“Hahahaha…” Lu Bai Chuan stopped, as if he was watching a joke and smiled at Yang Kai mockingly, “Seems you can’t wait to court death!”
“Really?” Yang Kai glanced at him in a sidelong manner as he twirled something in his fingers lightly.
Lu Bai Chuan’s smile suddenly stiffened as his face began to twitch and a voice filled with shock called out, “Impossible, that is impossible! There’s no way you could break the Secret Technique this old master spent half his life studying!”
“So this is what you were relying on and running away was just an act to get me to lower my guard?” As Yang Kai spoke, he clenched his fist and the subtle energy fluctuation lingering around it flickered and disappeared.
Seeing this, Lu Bai Chuan’s face really paled this time as he realized he was completely not Yang Kai’s opponent. If he continued the fight, he would definitely die, so without hesitation, he immediately fled without another word.
“Interesting, it turned out to be Space Force,” Yang Kai did not chase immediately this time and instead just observed Lu Bai Chuan’s disappearing figure.
Just now, Lu Bai Chuan had lured him close by pretending to escape and then launched a sneak attack, one that was actually comprised of Space Force! Although this attack was nowhere near as powerful as Yang Kai’s Moon Blade, it could at least be considered a condensed Space Needle.
Space Force was incredibly difficult to guard against, and if one was caught off guard, Lu Bai Chuan’s technique might really have been able to hit its mark.
Once that happened, a tiny Space Needle could really kill.
Unfortunately for Lu Bai Chuan, he had actually tried to use Space Force against Yang Kai. How was that any different from using a blunt kitchen knife to attack a man holding a peerless sword?
Glancing back, the battle between the Lu and Zhang Families was in a state of chaos. Although the Zhang Family was composed entirely of orphans and widows now, and the number of masters on their side was lower, each of them fought without fear of death, each of their moves fierce and resolute. This was especially true of the old woman and middle-aged beauty who were First-Order Origin Kings. Their reckless assault, which completely ignored their own safety, caused great hardship to the Lu Family masters.
However, in the end, the difference in strength was obvious and if things continued as they were, it would only be a matter of time before the Lu Family won.
But now that Lu Bai Chuan was unable to compete with Yang Kai for even half a cup of tea’s time and was forced to escape, everything was different.
This shocked the rest of the Lu Family members and they lost all will to fight, only wanting to flee from this place as soon as possible.
Yang Kai saw this, flicked his wrist, and sent out a dozen Golden Blood Threads which swiftly transformed into three golden spears that flew out and pierced through the three Lu Family Origin King Realm cultivators, causing them severe injuries.
“The rest of the mixed fish are yours to deal with, I’m going to pursue Lu Bai Chuan,” Yang Kai did not finish all of the enemies off and instead just took out the three First-Order Origin Kings before turning and chasing after Lu Bai Chuan.
“Many thanks, Little Brother!” The old woman was overjoyed and quickly rallied the rest of the Zhang Family to battle.
With the three First-Order Origin Kings already having lost the ability to fight, now was the perfect time to take revenge with their own hands, so how could the old woman hesitate? While directing her anger and hatred at the enemy, she was also immensely grateful to Yang Kai.
…
To the northwest of Maplewood City, a thousand kilometres away from the Zhang Family Manor, another large complex stood. Above the gates, the words ‘Lu Mansion’ were written boldly. Obviously, this was the residence of the Lu Family.
Inside the Lu Mansion, lavish decorations had been put up while everyone was continuing with preparations for the marriage ceremony, all of them completely unaware that catastrophe was approaching.
It was not until Lu Bai Chuan suddenly appeared in the main hall of the mansion that a few of the Lu Family cultivators realized something was wrong.
“Patriarch, didn’t you go to the Zhang Family to welcome the new bride? Why have you suddenly returned alone? The auspicious hour has not yet arrived,” A Lu Family Origin Returning Realm cultivator asked curiously.
“Pass the order, make everyone pack up everything of value with all haste, we must leave here as soon as possible!” After Lu Bai Chuan gave these words, he did not explain any more and immediately rushed deeper into the mansion.
“What?” A few of the Lu Family leaders looked at each other in confusion.
However, although Lu Bai Chuan did not leave much information, all of them were able to infer from his expression that something bad would soon happen; what’s more, they did not dare disobey the Patriarch’s order so after a quick discussion they immediately began carrying out his command.
In the backyard of the Lu Family, in front of a secret room, Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly took out a token and opened a few dozen barriers before diving inside.
This secret room was not very big, but it was where the Lu Family had stored its accumulated treasures over the years. Almost all of the Lu Family’s Source Crystals were also stored.
At the centre of this secret room, there was a pitch-black round jade suspended in the air, slowly rotating, and from time to time giving off a profound but indescribable light.
As soon as Lu Bai Chuan rushed into the secret room, he hurriedly moved to this round jade. It seemed that in this secret room, only this round jade was of any worth to him.
Just as he was reaching out to retrieve this black jade though, he suddenly turned around and shouted, “Who!”
Because at that moment, he noticed another living being behind him.
“Huh…”
At the same time, a mutter of surprise left Yang Kai’s lips as his figure appeared behind Lu Bai Chuan, a look of astonishment on his face.
As early as halfway back to the Lu Mansion, Yang Kai had already caught up to Lu Bai Chuan.
But, he did not immediately show up to attack him and instead quietly trailed behind.
With Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense, and his Nihility Secret Technique, if he wanted to hide, even most Dao Source Realm masters would be unable to detect him, much less Lu Bai Chuan who was running away in a panic.
As for the reason he didn’t kill Lu Bai Chuan immediately, it was because Yang Kai was a bit curious about him.
The Dao of Space was not so easy to comprehend, and even if Lu Bai Chuan could only condense a small Space Needle, that was enough to show he had some competency in the Dao of Space.
As such, Yang Kai wanted to investigate him a bit.
After noticing that Lu Bai Chuan had entered this secret room, Yang Kai hurriedly followed him inside, maintaining Nihility to observe him from up close.
But something he didn’t expect suddenly happened. The moment he entered this secret room, Nihility was actually forcefully dispersed by some strange force, revealing him!
Yang Kai clearly felt that this force emanated from the pitch-black round jade suspended up ahead.
“You… how did you come in?” Lu Bai Chuan shouted in a high-pitched voice as he stared at Yang Kai like he was a ghost.
Yang Kai withdrew his gaze from the round black jade, glanced at Lu Bai Chuan, and grinned, “Naturally, I followed you inside.”
“Damn! Do you really insist on killing ruthlessly? Little Brother, this old master has never met you before today and has no grievances or grudges with you, so why take things to such extremes? Instead of fighting with this old master and ending with mutual wounds, why not let matters end here? If you agree, this old master can allow you to leave here unharmed,” Lu Bai Chuan saw that Yang Kai hadn’t immediately attacked him and forced himself to calm down.
“If I want to leave, do I need your consent?” Yang Kai sneered, “Moreover, although I have no grudge with you, since I have agreed to the Zhang Family’s request, I can’t let you live anymore.”
“Boy, don’t go too far! Do you really think that this old master is afraid of you? If so, I advise you to think twice!” Lu Bai Chuan saw Yang Kai’s stand-offish attitude and immediately understood that it was useless to say anything more. There was nothing more to do now but fight.
As he spoke, Lu Bai Chuan pushed his strength madly and rushed towards Yang Kai, murderous intent filling his bloodshot eyes as he summoned his Thunder Wind Hammer again and sent out bolts of lightning to fill the secret room.
Yang Kai smiled lightly at this sight and just shouted, “Come out!”
As he spoke, he waved his hand casually.
The pure white Monster Insect Queen, wielding its blue and purple dual swords, made a grand entrance.
As soon as Monster Insect Queen Yu appeared, she received Yang Kai’s order and waved her swords towards Lu Bai Chuan.
Yang Kai didn’t want to expose the existence of the Monster Insect Queen, but inside this secret room, there was just him and Lu Bai Chuan, so there was no issue. The Monster Insect Queen could now rival a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so dealing with Lu Bai Chuan was naturally a breeze.
Feeling the aura emanating from Monster Insect Queen, Lu Bai Chuan was startled and cried out in shock, “An Eleventh-Order Monster Beast!?”
Instantly, his face turned pale and all his fighting spirit disappeared.
He was currently just a Third-Order Origin King, so after encountering an ordinary Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, he would have no choice but to flee. What’s more, at first glance, it was obvious the Monster Insect Queen in front of him was no ordinary Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, it was wielding dual sword artifacts after all…
“Little Brother, this Lu acknowledges his punishment is deserved and asks Little Brother to show mercy by not killing him!” Lu Bai Chuan immediately begged for mercy without any shame.
Yang Kai flatly ignored him.
Naturally, the Monster Insect Queen would not pay attention to Lu Bai Chuan’s begging and the icy aura it released surged as it swung the dual swords down.
Suddenly, the inside of the secret room became chaotic as Lu Bai Chuan called out repeatedly. Even going all out, he couldn’t protect himself from the Monster Insect Queen and it was not long before he was bleeding from cuts all over his body.
In the meantime, Yang Kai had arrived in front of the pitch-black round jade and was frowning as he observed it.
This thing was extremely weird. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was able to penetrate it, but when it did it was as if it was sinking into a bottomless ocean.
On top of that… it was able to disperse his Nihility Secret Technique somehow or another.
After studying it for a while, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed the pitch-black round jade. But unexpectedly, nothing happened. Even after pouring his strength into it, the jade did not respond at all.
“Strange!” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Little Brother, mercy! If you want to know the purpose of that thing, this Lu can tell you, all he asks is you spare his life!” Lu Bai Chuan had been forced into a corner by the Monster Insect Queen at this moment and had no way out.
What made him feel resentful at this moment was how sturdy this secret room was. Long ago, his Lu Family ancestors had spent a great sum of money to create a secret room that even a Dao Source Realm master would find difficult to break out of in short order, so there was naturally no way Lu Bai Chuan could simply smash a wall and escape.
“Do you know the details of this thing?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Lu Bai Chuan said anxiously, “I know!”
Yang Kai nodded, and in the next moment, with a single command from his Divine Sense, the Monster Insect Queen froze in place, its dual swords less than a finger-length away from Lu Bai Chuan’s forehead. Some residual Sword Qi from the swords even shaved off a few of Lu Bai Chuan’s hairs.
The hair fell through the air and passed by Lu Bai Chuan’s eyes, making him leak cold sweat all over.
“Talk. What is this thing? Why can it break my Secret Technique?” Yang Kai asked after fiddling a bit with the pitch-black jade in his hand.
Lu Bai Chuan gulped hard before he weakly glanced over at the Monster Insect Queen standing in front of him, not understanding how a trivial Origin King like Yang Kai could command such a powerful Monster Beast.
“Don’t get any ideas, or I’ll kill you immediately,” Yang Kai couldn’t help coldly snorting when he saw Lu Bai Chuan’s expression flickering.
Lu Bai Chuan quickly understood something and hesitantly asked, “This old master admits the punishment is deserved, so he would not dare try anything, but… If this old master can provide Little Brother with the information he wants, can Little Brother spare his life?”
“Are you trying to negotiate terms with me?” Yang Kai grinned.
“I would not dare!” Lu Bai Chuan waved his hand quickly, “It’s just… This old master really doesn’t want to die.”
“No one wants to die,” Yang Kai nodded, “Good, I can give you a way out.”
Lu Bai Chuan was overjoyed and was about to speak when Yang Kai continued, “Of course, the premise is that the information you provide can satisfy me!”
Lu Bai Chuan’s face suddenly became bitter as he said, “This old master will not conceal anything.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction, stretching out his hand and pulling over a stone bench from somewhere inside the secret room before sitting down casually. Still playing with the black jade in his hand, he asked once more, “What is this thing?”
Lu Bai Chuan quickly replied, “A Space Spirit Jade!”
“Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai raised his brow, as if thinking of something before asking, “What is its relationship with Space Spirit Crystal?”
Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly replied, “Space Spirit Jade is produced at the cores of pure, condensed Space Spirit Crystals. Less than one in ten thousand Space Spirit Crystals will produce a Space Spirit Jade.”
“So it’s the core of a Space Spirit Crystal?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
“Indeed, but… this doesn’t seem to be a pure Space Spirit Jade. It seems to have been blended with other materials by some powerful master and refined into a type of artifact,” Lu Bai Chuan explained further.
“Oh? You know quite a bit,” Yang Kai said with some surprise.
“Little Brother flatters me, this old master has been studying it for many years and read many ancient books to come up with these speculations,” Lu Bai Chuan smiled, his expression fluctuating quite a bit as he hesitantly asked. “Dare I ask if Little Brother cultivates Space Force?”
“Don’t you?” Yang Kai looked at him faintly.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled bitterly, “How can this old master’s comprehension of the Dao of Space compare to Little Brother’s? After Little Brother caught this old master’s Space Needle with one hand, this old master had some faint guesses, but now it seems to be true. If Little Brother did not cultivate Space Force, how could he have accomplished such a feat?”
“Just some paltry tricks,” Yang Kai snorted.
“Yes yes, this old master’s accomplishments are like dim fireflies compared to Little Brother’s brilliant moon.”
“Cease your flattery and get to the point. How did you manage to cultivate Space Force? Does it have something to do with this Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai continued to inquire.
“Little Brother’s insight is indeed sharp,” Lu Bai Chuan nodded, “The reason why I know something about Space Force is because of this Space Spirit Jade.”
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai’s doubts disappeared.
When his Nihility Secret Technique was cracked by the Space Spirit Jade, he had a guess that Lu Bai Chuan’s comprehension of the Dao of Space was related to it.
“As this old master said before, this Space Spirit Jade seems to have been refined into a peculiar artifact by some powerful master, but this old master is unable to draw out any of its power and only inadvertently gained some inspiration from it which allowed him to begin cultivating Space Force…” Lu Bai Chuan explained while carefully observing the changes in Yang Kai’s expression.
However, Yang Kai’s face remained as tranquil as an ancient well, with no joy, sorrow, or interest showing at all, causing Lu Bai Chuan to become more and more nervous.
“How difficult the Dao of Space is to cultivate, I understand well. If one does not have the appropriate aptitude for it, even spending a thousand years would not be enough to learn anything. I’m a little curious, what kind of opportunity did you have that allowed you to accidentally comprehend Space Force from this thing?” Squinting at Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai asked lightly, “If you dare to speak any lies, I’ll make you beg for death.”
Lu Bai Chuan shivered in fright as he quickly said, “Little Brother, I would not dare tell any lies. Since Little Brother wants to know, this old master will naturally explain clearly. There truly was a special opportunity that allowed this old master to spy on the mysteries of the Dao of Space. It is a long story though. Actually, this thing was not originally my Lu Family’s, but the Zhang Family’s.”
“Then how did your Lu Family come to possess it? Did you steal it?” Yang Kai looked at him and sneered.
Lu Bai Chuan waved his hand, “Little Brother misunderstands. This thing was part of the dowry the Lu Family received when a woman from the Zhang Family married into the Lu Family two hundred years ago. You should know that my Lu Family and the Zhang Family have several hundred years of friendship, so marriages between us are…”
“What does that have to do with the opportunity you obtained?” Yang Kai cut in, still quite confused.
“Please be patient, Little Brother, this old master will explain everything,” Lu Bai Chuan squeezed out a smile, but seeing Yang Kai’s cold glare, he didn’t dare to dally and quickly continued.
After listening to Lu Bai Chuan’s explanation, Yang Kai understood the whole story.
According to him, this Space Spirit Jade was the dowry of a woman from the Zhang Family who married into the Lu Family two hundred years ago. The Lu Family Patriarch at that time had also studied this treasure many times, but never discovered anything about it.
At that time, the Lu Family Patriarch even consulted the Zhang Family Patriarch about the purpose of this Space Spirit Jade, but even the Zhang Family Patriarch only thought of it as a rare Artifact Refining material.
The Lu Family Patriarch believed that to be true and took the Space Spirit Jade to a few Artifact Refining Grandmasters, wanting to refine it into something more practical. Unfortunately, those Artifact Refining Grandmasters were unable to melt this rare ‘Artifact Refining material’, let alone forge it into something. None could even tell what its origins were.
Since then, this Space Spirit Jade had been stashed away in the Lu Family’s Vault until Lu Bai Chuan’s generation.
“How did you discover its purpose and realize you could use it to cultivate Space Force?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It was all a coincidence.” Lu Bai Chuan gave a wry smile and continued, “Ten years ago, when this Lu was cultivating in this secret room, he accidentally discovered that this Space Spirit Jade was emitting some subtle energy fluctuations. At that time, this Lu was surprised and went to investigate, but did not learn anything useful. Soon after, the fluctuations ceased. At that time, this Lu merely thought he was seeing things and didn’t take it to heart.”
“After half a year, it reacted again. This old master realized when this phenomenon occurred once more that it was no mere illusion. The second incident lasted for much longer, but unfortunately, I was still unable to learn much. It was two more years before the fluctuations resurfaced, and this time they persisted for three whole months, allowing this Lu to finally glean something from it, including the method to begin cultivating Space Force.”
“Something so convoluted actually happened?” Yang Kai looked at Lu Bai Chuan suspiciously.
“This Lu would not dare to lie, this is the entire truth,” Lu Bai Chuan said hastily.
Yang Kai nodded, “Go on. I want to know why this Space Spirit Jade responds only at random intervals.”
Lu Bai Chuan gave a wry smile, “This Lu thought the same as Little Brother at the time, that everything was random. Since this Lu managed to obtain great benefits from this phenomenon, however, he naturally did not want to miss any opportunity. Later, after careful investigation, this Lu realized that only when a certain individual came to my Lu Family did the Space Spirit Jade React.”
“What individual?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
Lu Bai Chuan’s mouth twitched, “It was a little girl from the Zhang Family…”
Yang Kai frowned, but soon seemed to understand something and asked, “Zhang Ruo Xi?”
“Indeed,” Lu Bai Chuan nodded and explained, “Every time this Space Spirit Jade has reacted, that little girl was inside my Lu Family and staying close to this Vault. If the first two times could be written off as coincidence, the third time settled things because, at that time, that little girl stayed in my Lu Family for an entire month, and only after she left did the Space Spirit Jade fall silent again. After this Lu had this speculation, he paid special attention to it and sure enough, every time that little girl from the Zhang Family came to my Lu Family, the Space Spirit Jade would show a reaction. What’s more, as she grew older, the jade’s reaction became stronger and stronger. This Lu has no aptitude in the Dao of Space. The only reason this Lu was able to cultivate his Space Needle was thanks to this jade.”
“That little girl actually has some kind of connection to this thing?” Yang Kai was also a little surprised.
There were only two possible explanations for this situation. One was that Zhang Ruo Xi had some kind of Special Constitution which was able to induce a reaction from the Space Spirit Jade, the second was that she had some kind of bloodline connection to this Space Spirit Jade.
However, Yang Kai examined Zhang Ruo Xi before and had not discovered anything special about her. Though, determining if she had a Special Constitution would require a more careful inspection.
As for the second possibility, the chances were low because if Zhang Ruo Xi was inspiring a reaction due to her bloodline, other members of the Zhang Family should have been able to do so as well. Of course, there could be special circumstances, like Zhang Rou Xi’s bloodline suddenly awakening after generations of slumber, or her bloodline being more concentrated due to a sudden mutation, making her unique compared to the rest of the Zhang Family.
Yang Kai frowned as he sank into contemplation while Lu Bai Chuan didn’t dare to move, only able to observe expression anxiously.
“So, you wanted one of your descendants to marry Zhang Ruo Xi for this Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled awkwardly, nodded, “Exactly, as long as that little girl remained inside my Lu Family, this old master would be able to study this Space Spirit Jade longer and it may not have been impossible to delve further into the Dao of Space!”
As he spoke, Lu Bai Chuan’s tone grew more and more frantic.
But soon, depression overtook him. A single mistake had caused him to lose this opportunity, and now, whether he lived or died was up to Yang Kai’s mood, so there was no need to think about future glory.
“Little Brother, I have told you everything I know, all I request is that Little Brother allows me to live,” Lu Bai Chuan looked at Yang Kai anxiously.
Yang Kai nodded and said with a smile, “Not a problem.”
“Many thanks, Little Brother…” Lu Bai Chuan was overjoyed and bowed his head, but as soon as the voice fell, he suddenly let out a painful scream as his body was thrown out like a sack, smashing into the wall and causing his bones to shatter while a mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.
“You…” Lu Bai Chuan looked at Yang Kai incredulously, as if he did not expect that after Yang Kai agreed to let him live, he would still launch such a vicious attack.
“I promise to spare your life, so I won’t kill you, you can be assured of that,” Yang Kai continued to smile. “However, whether the Zhang Family kills you or not is none of my business.”
The smile on Yang Kai’s face looked as terrifying as that of a reaper from the underworld to Lu Bai Chuan. Feeling pain in his body, heart, and soul, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and passed out.
Yang Kai turned around, swept up all the Source Crystals in the Lu Family Vault, removed Lu Bai Chuan’s Space Ring, then hoisted him over his shoulder before he began searching for a way to open the various barriers.
It took Yang Kai a little time, but eventually, he managed to disable the arrays protecting the vault. Even with Lu Bai Chuan’s token in hand, the dozens of barriers weren’t so easy to open.
By the time he left the vault, about half a day had passed.
Sweeping the complex with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could not help but feel a little astonished, “This Lu Family is really skilled at fleeing, there’s actually no-one left.”
When Lu Bai Chuan asked the Lu Family members to pack up their things and leave as soon as possible, Yang Kai was also hiding nearby and heard it, but he hadn’t expected their efficiency to be so high.
However, that did not matter. Yang Kai had promised the Zhang Family’s old matriarch he would obtain vengeance for them, and now that Lu Bai Chuan was captured by him, and the three Origin Kings who had gone to the Zhang Family had been crippled by him, his task could be basically considered complete.
Yang Kai had never intended to slaughter the Lu Family to the last; after all, there were over three hundred members of the Lu Family, many of them elderly or children, so even if they were right before his eyes, Yang Kai would not have been able to just kill them.
And so, after seeing that the Lu Family had fled, he did not have any intentions of chasing them down and instead flew back the way he came leisurely.
At that moment, in front of the Zhang Family Manor, red blood covering the earth as the broken corpses of the three Lu Family Origin Kings lay on the ground. None of the members of the Lu Family that had come with this bridal procession had been spared, all of them were killed by the Zhang Family’s people.
The old woman was pale, covered in blood, her own and her enemies’, while the middle-aged beauty also had a chaotic aura, her jade white hand trembling as it held her sword. On her delicate face, there was some crimson blood that added a dreadful kind of beauty to her.
The fat and thin cultivators were both lying on the ground, one of them leaking blood from his leg with the other was clasping his stomach which was oozing red.
Although the Lu Family’s bridal procession had been wiped out, countless people from the Zhang Family’s side had also been injured. Fortunately, no one had died, which was a small blessing.
The team of women were cleaning up the battlefield even now, kicking and spitting on the dead bodies of the Lu Family cultivators as they worked.
After taking a short break, the middle-aged beauty said, “Mother, Little Brother Yang has been gone for almost a day now. I would like to go and see what the situation is and if he requires assistance, what do you think?”
“Alright,” The old woman nodded, “but be careful.”
“Yes,” The middle-aged beauty nodded sternly and without even taking the time to restore herself, turned to fly towards the Lu Family.
At that moment, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly cried out, “Grandma does not need to worry, Sir Yang seems to be back.”
Hearing what she said, the old woman and the middle-aged beauty quickly turned their gazes towards the horizon where they saw a figure quickly flying over.
“You’re right, he’s back.” The middle-aged beauty calmed down.
The old woman also smiled and said, “Little Brother Yang is quite amazing, coming back safely.”
“Oh, he seems to be carrying something… It’s a person…” The middle-aged woman stared attentively, and when Yang Kai approached, her tender body suddenly trembled as she shouted, “It’s Old Dog Lu Bai Chuan! Brother Yang managed to capture and bring back that old dog!”
“Really?” The old woman’s eyes flashed as she hurriedly got up and stared towards the distance. Soon after, she burst into laughter and cheered, “It’s really that Old Dog Bai Chuan! Retribution has come! Gao Xuan, my son, you can rest in peace now!”
As she spoke, two tears rolled down her wrinkled cheeks.
Zhang Ruo Xi supported the old woman as she wept with both sorrow and joy.
Soon, Yang Kai landed before the crowd, threw the half-dead Lu Bai Chuan to the ground, and cupped his fists, “I’ve kept you waiting.”
“Good, good, Little Brother has worked hard. Little Brother, for this great kindness, my Zhang Family is eternally grateful,” The old woman said solemnly.
Yang Kai simply waved his hand and said, “Old madam need not be so polite, I’m simply fulfilling the agreement I made with Brother Zhang.”
Hearing him mention Zhang Gao Xuan, the old woman’s face could not help turning slightly gloomy again.
“Ah… I also brought Lu Bai Chuan back with me. I’ll leave what to do with him up to old madam,” Yang Kai quickly changed the subject.
In the middle of the night, inside the Zhang Family Manor, inside an elegant hall.
The old matriarch of the Zhang Family hosted a dinner in Yang Kai’s honour to thank him. Only Yang Kai, the middle-aged beauty, and the old matriarch attended.
The young girl, Zhang Ruo Xi, stood to the side, waiting eagerly, pouring drinks for the three of them as she cast Yang Kai glances from time to time with her beautiful eyes, her gaze filled with gratitude and admiration.
This young girl was only sixteen or seventeen, an age where she was still enamoured with stories of heroes and legends. Today, Yang Kai had almost single-handedly destroyed the Lu Family and avenged the wrongs that had befallen her Zhang Family, so how could she not worship him?
Among the people she met in her life, Zhang Gao Xuan was probably the strongest, but unfortunately, her father had died inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Now though, Yang Kai seemed quite young, but clearly possessed even greater strength than her father. It was only natural she stole a few glances at him. Perhaps it was also due to the aroma of the wine, but the little girl’s delicate face now had a healthy blush on it. However, she still maintained excellent decorum and would promptly perform her serving duties without a single mistake.
“My Zhang Family does not have much in the way of hospitality, but I do hope Sir Benefactor will enjoy what little we do have.” Although the old matriarch was still injured, she still had a ruddy look on her face and politely offered Yang Kai the best she could.
The middle-aged beauty also spoke to him warmly.
“Old madam is too polite, and there is no need to address me as Sir or Benefactor. If old madam does not mind, please just address Junior by name directly,” Yang Kai felt quite uncomfortable when the old woman addressed him so formally.
After the Zhang Family killed Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai wanted to leave. If it weren’t for Zhang Ruo Xi’s relationship with the Space Spirit Jade, he would never have agreed to remain.
However, he didn’t know how to bring up this subject. He instinctively felt that this Space Spirit Jade was hiding many secrets, ones likely related to the Zhang Family, so talking about it rashly would only be counterproductive. As such, he could only look for the right opportunity.
Considering all this, he couldn’t help glancing over at Zhang Ruo Xi, just to find that this little girl was also quietly looking at himself with a pair of bright eyes.
Seeing Yang Kai looking towards her, Zhang Ruo Xi was shocked and hastily lowered her head, her pretty face turning bright red as she stared at the floor.
Yang Kai chuckled and looked away casually.
The beautiful woman sitting on the left side of Yang Kai saw this scene and many thoughts flashed across her mind as a slight smile appeared on her lips.
“Old madam, the Lu Family matter has been settled, so according to our previous discussion, the agreement between myself and Brother Zhang has now been completed,” Yang Kai said with a solemn expression.
“Naturally,” The old woman nodded.
“As for the Dao Source Pill, after I find an Alchemist to refine it, old madam may rest assured that I will find a way to deliver one to the Zhang Family.”
The old woman chuckled, “This old woman believes in Sir Benefactor’s character, and my Zhang Family is in no hurry now. Currently, my Zhang Family has suffered severe damage, so even if we were to receive a Dao Source Pill, what could we do with it? So, Benefactor need not worry about this issue, we can discuss it after the pill has been refined.”
“That would be best,” Yang Kai nodded.
At that moment, the middle-aged beauty, who had not much that evening, suddenly spoke, “Brother Yang is so young but has such amazing cultivation, an extraordinary hero worthy of admiration. There must be many women who have shown you favour, yes?”
Yang Kai was startled when he heard these words, never having expected them to come up and from a woman no less.
The old woman also frowned, and although she felt that it was a bit inappropriate for a woman to talk about such a topic with Yang Kai, she knew her daughter-in-law was not one for casual gossip so she didn’t interrupt and instead just observed.
The middle-aged woman was also observing the situation carefully, and after seeing the shock fade from Yang Kai’s eyes and be replaced with a look of fond reminiscence, she immediately knew her speculations were not unfounded.
However, if one thought about it a bit, it wasn’t too surprising. Despite Yang Kai looking quite young, with a Third-Order Origin King cultivation, it was only natural he had plenty of life experience and would have met at least one or two unforgettable women on his journey through life.
It would be stranger if Yang Kai really was divorced from the matters of the heart.
The banquet seemed to fall into a strange silence as Yang Kai became lost in his memories.
After some time, Yang Kai sighed and stood up, “Old madam, the hour is late, so Junior would like to go back and rest first. Old madam was injured during the battle today so she should also go back and rest early, lest her wounds become worse.”
The old woman smiled and nodded, “Many thanks for Sir Benefactor’s care, I shall do so. Ruo Xi, take Benefactor to the guest room and serve him well.”
“Yes,” Zhang Ruo Xi heard this, put down the wine pitcher, and elegantly bowed to Yang Kai, “Sir, please come with me.”
Yang Kai complied and left with Zhang Ruo Xi.
After Yang Kai left, the old woman glared at the beautiful woman.
The beautiful woman looked embarrassed, “Mother, daughter-in-law knows she made an indiscreet remark.”
“Hmph! Fortunately, Benefactor seems to have a benevolent nature, otherwise, this old lady would not spare you,” The old woman coldly snorted.
The middle-aged beauty nodded repeatedly.
“But… why did you ask such a question just now?” The old woman frowned and inquired.
The beautiful woman smiled and said, “Mother, did you not notice? Benefactor glanced towards Ruo Xi several times during the night.”
“And so?” The old woman asked.
The beautiful woman smiled, “Even though Ruo Xi is not a great beauty, she still has her charms. It seems Benefactor is a bit interested in her.”
The old woman heard this and furrowed her brow, “That can’t be, no? Ruo Xi is just a First-Order Saint King, how could she enter Benefactor’s vision?”
The beautiful woman pursed her lips and smiled, “Mother, men do not only care about a woman’s cultivation, their feelings also matter as well. If there is an attraction, no matter how low a woman’s cultivation is, it will not matter, and if there are no such feelings, it will not matter how high a woman’s cultivation is.”
The old woman immediately became a bit disgruntled as she snapped, “Are you implying this old woman does not understand the ways of men and women?”
The beautiful woman spat out her tongue, “Daughter-in-law had no such intentions. However, right now, my Zhang Family is weak, Gao Xuan died inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and although the Lu Family is now gone, meaning there is no need to worry about foreign enemies in the short term, Mother must not forget that in the surrounding region, it is not just the Lu Family that has an interest in us. If my Zhang Family does not have a master to protect it, what will we do if a strong enemy invades? The three favours Gao Xuan secured from Benefactor for us have also been used up, so it will be impossible to ask him to help in the future.”
“What you mean is…” The old woman asked thoughtfully.
“If my Zhang Family can form a relationship with Benefactor, if the Zhang Family encounters trouble in the future, will he just stand by and watch?” The beautiful woman smiled elegantly, “And Ruo Xi is the key to forming such a relationship.”
“I understand what you want to say,” The old woman nodded and said seriously, “If it is as you said, this is an excellent plan. Gao Xuan has died, and my Zhang Family really must begin considering its future. “
“En. He is so young yet has already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm, and judging from his performance during the day, it seems that he is not an ordinary Third-Order Origin King. No ordinary Third-Order Origin King would be capable of plunging into the Lu Family and capturing Lu Bai Chuan alive! With his aptitude, breaking through to the Dao Source Realm in the future is not impossible. If my Zhang Family could be connected with him, it would be the same as enjoying cool shade under a big tree! Even if he did not remain here, who would dare to provoke us?”
Hearing this, the old woman’s eyes lit up and she also became excited. Around Maplewood City, there weren’t many families that had a Dao Source Realm master. If a Dao Source Realm master was sheltering them, that family could at least remain worry-free for a hundred years.
But she still hesitated, “It is as you say, but I’m afraid all this is still just our wishful thinking, and if we were to upset Benefactor in any way…”
The beautiful woman smiled, “Mother, we can do this…”
As she spoke, she leaned forward and whispered in the old woman’s ear.
The old woman listened and nodded repeatedly, and after a long time smiled and said, “Good, good, very good, we’ll follow your plan. But doing this will probably make Ruo Xi suffer.”
The beautiful woman smiled and shook her head, “Why would this make her suffer? I think Benefactor is by no means a villain, and if Ruo Xi can really follow him, she will likely be extremely happy. Mother, rest assured, I will go and explain everything to Ruo Xi tonight.”
“Good, but if Ruo Xi disagrees, don’t force her. I don’t want to exchange her happiness for the future of my Zhang Family,” The old woman nodded.
…..
Under the guidance of the young girl, Yang Kai walked through the manor until finally arriving at a certain room. The young girl opened the door and quickly prepared the beddings inside.
Yang Kai exchanged a few words with her on the way, but judging from the girl’s reaction, she was extremely shy. When answering Yang Kai’s question, her voice trembled and her face flushed while she constantly apologized to Yang Kai even if she had done nothing wrong.
After everything was prepared, the girl bowed and said, “Sir, please rest, Ruo Xi will take her leave.”
“En, good work,” Yang Kai nodded.
The girl hurriedly walked by him, and with the faint moonlight, Yang Kai was able to make out a hint of red colouring her cheeks all the way to her ears.
After the girl left, Yang Kai turned his head and looked around the room, finding that it was decorated quite luxuriously. With a wave of his hand, he used his Qi and Spiritual Energy to create a barrier around the room to isolate it from the outside.
With a flicker, he arrived atop the bed and sat down cross-legged to begin checking his harvest from the day.
Needless to say, the things he obtained from the Lu Family Vault were not plentiful nor poor. Just the Source Crystals along number more than 600,000.
With Yang Kai’s previous gains, he now had almost one million Low-Rank Source Crystals.
There were also some artifacts in the vault, all of them Origin King Grade. Yang Kai had only glanced at them before tossing them into his Space Ring. As for the rare ores, he had thrown them into his Sealed World Bead so his Embodiment could absorb them with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
There were also some pills which Yang Kai quickly sorted through and stored away in case of emergencies.
Next, Yang Kai checked Lu Bai Chuan’s Space Ring and found a similar assortment of items to the ones he found in the vault.
As for the Thunder Wind Hammer and Silver Moon Purple Frost Saber, Yang Kai appreciated them a bit more than the other treasures. Although the Thunder Wind Hammer was quite imposing, it was just an Origin King Grade artifact in the end, so it was only slightly more valuable.
The Silver Moon Purple Frost Saber, on the other hand, was able to display slight traces of Principle Strength.