“Since you won’t have any regrets even in death, then you can die right now.”
When the fat cultivator was about to kiss Luo Bing, an ice-cold voice reverberated.
The fat and thin cultivators had been completely focused on their impending activities and their vigilance had been overwhelmed by their base instincts, so it wasn’t until they heard another person’s voice that they reacted in terror.
The fat cultivator leapt to his feet, but he didn’t get to see who was talking before he saw a fist coming at him. It was a fist covered in Saint Qi, exuding a vicious force.
He could clearly see the fist getting larger as it approached him, shrouding his entire vision. He wanted to dodge this strike, but couldn’t. It looked like his opponent’s cultivation vastly surpassed his…
*Peng…*
A soft noise echoed out, followed shortly by the fat cultivator’s miserable scream. His fat body had been sent flying through the air, and his head burst open like a watermelon soon after, spurting scarlet and white fluid around.
“Ah!”
When this incident had just begun, the thin cultivator let out a surprised cry, only to see his Brother quickly dying right in front of his eyes. Everything ended before he could respond.
He raised his head and saw that a muscular man had appeared at some point. The muscular man’s body was now drenched in blood, as if he had just come out of a battle. Half of his face was swollen and blood was dripping from it. It was a pretty ghastly sight and ordinary people wouldn’t dare to look straight at him, especially because one of the man’s eyes was completely white, without any pupils or iris. It was quite terrifying to behold!
“Who… Who are you?” When the thin cultivator swept this newcomer with his Divine Sense, his heart couldn’t help clenching because he discovered that he was a Third-Order Origin King.
The thin and fat cultivators were just First-Order Origin Kings, and the enemy’s cultivation was higher than theirs by two Minor Realms. The enemy didn’t look to be in his best state, but he was still able to kill the fat cultivator with a single punch; therefore, the thin cultivator knew he was no match for him.
“I’m the man who will send you to the underworld,” the muscular man snorted coldly and his large body instantly disappeared.
Upon seeing this, the thin cultivator shouted, “Friend, let’s have a civil conversion! We have no grievance or grudge with you, so why are you assaulting us?”
Even though he said so, the thin man had already summoned his defensive artifact, forming a luminous shield around himself.
The muscular man’s voice reverberated behind the thin man’s back, his voice cold and indifferent, like a whisper of a reaper of death, “What else is there to discuss with scum that oppresses people and assaults women? Die!”
As his voice fell, a sabre appeared in his hand. As he imbued his Saint Qi into it, it let out a sonorous roar while the phantom image of a giant tiger’s head appeared above the blade. This tiger phantom opened its maw to devour the thin man.
The thin man turned pale with fright and shouted sharply, “I’ll fight!”
His cultivation was lower than his opponents by two small realms, but if he gave it his all, then he might still have a chance to survive. The fat cultivator had gotten killed by a single punch only because he had been careless back then, and didn’t even get a chance to summon his artifact.
Now, he was protected by his defensive artifact, the thin man was sure he wouldn’t be killed so easily.
But, matters didn’t develop as he expected. As his opponent hacked him with his blade, all his defences were cut down and his body was quickly sliced apart.
“That’s… Impossible!” The thin man stood there in a daze. He took a look at the large wound that went from his shoulder to his belly, then gazed at the muscular man and said in a bitter voice, “Are you a Dao Source Master?”
A while ago, he clearly detected a special power possessed only by those in the Dao Source Realm coming out from this muscular man’s body. Meanwhile, his weapon was also a Dao Source Artifact. This was why he managed to so easily break through his defence and inflict a fatal wound upon him.
“You’ll die shortly, so why are you still so inquisitive?” The muscular man snorted coldly in response.
As his voice fell, the thin man’s blood spurted out like a fountain. His body had been chopped into two halves, and even his internal organs were exposed to the air.
A bloody smell started pervading the air!
Luo Bing laid on the ground with her body shivering and teeth chattering, while her eyes were wide open; however, a moment later she turned her head and began throwing up.
She had always lived like a princess and had never seen such a bloody sight before. She had been greatly shocked by it and couldn’t stomach it.
She didn’t recover until she had thrown up for a while. It felt like she had thrown up everything she had eaten. She turned around her pale face and looked at the muscular man with a grateful look, asking in a trembling voice, “Did they… Did they both die?”
The muscular man looked coldly at her with faint hatred flashing past his sole eye. He didn’t reply and just snorted coldly in response before putting away his sabre.
Shortly after, he walked toward Luo Bing and poked several points on her body.
Luo Bing’s cultivation had been unsealed and Saint Qi started flowing back into her meridians again. The young girl stood up, faltering, and looked in fright at the corpses of the thin and fat cultivators then averted her eyes off them and covered up her small mouth for a moment then started throwing up again.
The muscular man didn’t utter a word and just stood there in silence, observing everything coldly.
After a long while, Luo Bing raised her head and looked at the muscular man, “Thank you, thank you…”
She expressed her heartfelt thanks to him repeatedly.
After all, if the muscular man hadn’t shown up, then a miserable fate awaited her. She had never suffered such danger, and she had been praying for someone to save her at that precarious juncture.
Now, someone had really come to save her. Even though this person had a hideous and frightening look, Luo Bing didn’t find him scary for some unknown reason and she felt safe next to his large and muscular body. She felt that as long as she was under his protection, she would never suffer such dangers again.
This was a feeling she did not get even from her father or Qiu Yu.
The young girl’s heart started beating strongly, and some peculiar feelings started welling up in her heart.
“You… What’s your name?” Luo Bing looked timidly at the man and questioned him in a soft voice.
The muscular man cast a glance at her with his sole eye, as coldly as before.
Upon facing the man’s gaze, Luo Bing couldn’t help but shiver and she quickly lowered her head. She didn’t dare to look at him again.
“Chai Hu!” The muscular man suddenly blurted out his name.
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing was delighted and she raised her head with a smile, “So, it is Brother Chai, I’m Luo Bing, the City Lord’s daughter. Have you ever heard of me?”
After she said so, she was startled by her own actions.
Other than Qiu Yu, she had never called another man so intimately. Yet, in the face of this man, she called him ‘Brother’ so naturally. She felt at ease with him, and after she addressed him as such, she even felt a little delighted and excited, as if she had just done something exceptional.
[What’s wrong with me?] Luo Bing’s confusion was apparent in her pretty eyes.
“I know who you are,” Chai Hu replied calmly, then averted his gaze, as if he didn’t want to scare her with his hideous face.
“That’s a matter of course, even though I rarely go out, as long as you live in Sky Crane City, you must have heard of me.” Luo Bing pursed her lips and revealed a smile, a smile that brightened up the whole world around her.
Luo Bing hesitated for a moment then said, “Brother Chai, I have… gotten lost. Can you send me back home?”
She put on such a delicate act with her face still a little pale because of the terrifying ordeal she had just gone through. No man would be able to refuse her request!
Chai Hu nodded and said, “I can.”
Luo Bing was delighted and she said, “Many thanks.”
“But not today,” Chai Hu added coldly.
Luo Bing’s smile stiffened on her face and she looked in a daze at Chai Hu, then asked, “Brother Chai, what… What do you mean?”
Chai Hu said, “Young Lady Luo, I have to ask for your help with something and you’ll have to take a trip with me.”
Luo Bing was terrified and she couldn’t help but recall the way the previous two men had treated her. Her face, which had just regained some vigour, turned pale again and she shook her head repeatedly as she moved back, calling out in alarm, “You… You also want to do the same thing to me as those two men?”
“Nonsense, I won’t hurt you as long as you cooperate with me,” saying so Chai Hu stretched his hand toward Luo Bing.
“No!” Luo Bing shouted, but Chai Hu’s cultivation was a lot higher than even the previous two men’s, so how could she fight back? She was instantly restrained.
Luo Bing felt like she had just fallen into an ice hole. On this day, she had suffered more ordeals than what she had been through in her whole life. She had just gotten rid of wolves and didn’t expect that she had only made way for a tiger. She beat Chai Hu’s arm repeatedly and scolded, “You’re a bad man, a bad bad man! You’re all bad men!”
Chai Hu was unmoved and he just spoke coldly in response, “If you make another move, then I won’t be polite with you anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing’s body stiffened, but she quickly opened her mouth and bit the back of Chai Hu’s hand.
Luo Bing bit him so forcefully and strongly that her mouth quickly was overflowing with blood, and a bloody odour started to reek from it, but she still didn’t let go of him despite this.
Chai Hu was a Third-Order Origin King. Therefore, if he wanted to get rid of Luo Bing, then he would just have to use a little bit of his force, and her teeth would shatter.
But, he didn’t do so for some unknown reason. He just stared at Luo Bing, who kept biting at his hand and swallowing down any blood coming her way. She had done so just to protect herself.
Upon seeing this, a complex gleam flashed past his eye, but Chai Hu quickly let out a sigh and raised his palm before chopping the back of Luo Bing’s neck.
He had a good grasp over his power, so after Luo Bing let out a soft groan, she just fell weakly to the ground. She had already lost consciousness, yet two trails of tears were still streaming down her face.
Soon after, Chai Hu lifted her like a sack and his body flickered, disappearing from where he stood, leaving behind the corpses of the fat and thin cultivators.
…
Inside Heavenly Puppet Workshop.
Yang Kai had just returned leisurely, only to see Ye Jing Han standing at the entrance, looking around anxiously. When she finally spotted Yang Kai, she heaved a sigh of relief and went toward him to ask, “Young Master Yang, where did you go?”
Yang Kai said, “I just took a stroll.”
Then cast a glance at Ye Jing Han and spoke with a smile, “What’s wrong? Were you afraid that I just left without bidding you farewell?”
Ye Jing Han waved her arms in denial, “No, not at all. I just didn’t see you and the others had no inkling as to where you had gone…”
Yang Kai spoke, “You can set your mind at ease, since I have already given you a promise, I won’t go back on my word. I wanted to notify you before leaving, but I noticed that someone else was in your room and didn’t want to disturb you, heh heh!”
Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she spat, “Hateful!”
She stomped her foot, then rushed into the inner hall, as if she was running away from him.
The next day, the entire City Lord’s Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colourful banners. Happy voices bubbled about as the whole place bustled with extraordinary liveliness.
Today was the day when the Sky Crane City’s City Lord was going to get married to his new concubine. Guests and visitors streamed in from all directions to give their congratulations, while carriages filled to the brim with congratulatory gifts formed an endless chain ushered in by the City Lord’s Mansion’s subordinates. These gifts were directed to the rear courtyard, where dedicated personnel were present to record, differentiate and store them into appropriate storehouses.
All of the people within the City Lord’s Mansion had smiles plastered on their faces, as though they too were getting married.
At the entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion, handsome male servants and beautiful maidservants welcomed the incoming guests and visitors, their faces beaming with smiles, their actions refined and courteous.
Any guests who arrived here would have the Sect or power they hailed from loudly announced by the master of ceremonies, attracting the gazes of the public. Heading into the City Lord’s Mansion, they would be led by people into the inner hall, where they were arranged into different seating positions based on the status of their identities.
The representatives from the few prominent and powerful nearby Sects were naturally arranged to sit right at the front of the venue while those of lower status were seated further away.
No one dared to raise any issues towards this method of arrangement, as the more capable and powerful one was, the nearer to the front they would be seated. Everyone present knew very well how powerful the various local aristocratic families and Sects were.
The City Lord Mansion had definitely considered this during their planning, so it would naturally not incite unhappiness in others.
Following the members of Thousand Leaves Sect to the venue, Yang Kai started to size up his surroundings with curiosity.
This was the first time he was attending another person’s wedding. Although it was just a marriage with a concubine, this was a matter that would concern the entire lives of two people, which greatly piqued his interest. Looking at the lively festive scenery, he could not help reminiscing about Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue.
Waves of guilt welled up from the depths of his heart. He should have made proper arrangements for such a ceremony, allowing them to enjoy the happiness a woman deserved from her life partner.
Just thinking about this made Yang Kai feel that he owed them a great deal.
Originally, he did not plan to come here; however, after being invited several times by Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai had followed along with the Thousand Leave Sect disciples to avoid her developing wild fears of him leaving without informing her.
Du Xian and the others had also brought along some congratulatory gifts from their Sect. Although they weren’t extremely precious, they were still quite numerous. Therefore, they had carried them via carriage, handing them over to the City Lord’s Mansion subordinates to sort in the rear courtyard.
They were then guided by another subordinate to the inner hall where the ceremony would be held.
The inner hall was exceedingly large, and wasn’t crowded despite having over a hundred dining tables arranged within. When the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples arrived, the inner hall was already bustling with activity, with masters from various families and Sects either dining, drinking, or engaging in merry conversation. A place and event like this was precisely what many great powers used to forge connections, foster a good image, as well as take advantage of the opportunity to widen their social circle.
The subordinate leading the way for Ye Jing Han and the others came to a stop at a dining table situated in the middle area before saying with a faint smile, “Honoured guests, these are your seats. Please wait for a short while as the ceremony is about to begin.”
After saying those words, the person proceeded to leave.
Hearing those words and seeing the person’s subsequent actions, a sliver of anger flashed across Wu Ma’s eyes. Extending his hand, he grabbed a hold of that person’s collar, he growled, “These are our seats? Are you sure of that?”
The location of this dining table wasn’t anywhere near the front of the hall. In fact, it was located nearer to the back of the middle section. Other than Thousand Leaves Sect, the dining tables surrounding this table were occupied by small families and third-class Sects that, at best, had one Dao Source Realm Master assuming command, similar to the few big families of Maplewood City.
Although the Thousand Leaves Sect did not have any Emperor Realm Masters, it still had quite a few Dao Source Realm Masters. No matter what, they couldn’t be seated at this dining table. Even if they weren’t at the front few dining tables, they would still be somewhere close.
This arrangement was a clear sign of contempt and humiliation towards Thousand Leaves Sect.
Frightened by Wu Ma, that servant fell into a panic, “This lowly one is only in charge of guiding our honoured guests to their respective dining tables. This lowly one doesn’t know anything other than that! Please spare my life, sir, please spare my life!”
“Release him, Wu Ma!” Du Xian frowned deeply before giving an order with an indifferent tone.
“But, Senior Brother…” Wu Ma seemed to have something to say, but upon seeing the look Du Xian was giving him, he quickly swept his eyes around and discovered that quite a few people in the hall were staring at him with wide eyes. Clearly, his actions had already attracted the attention of these people.
“Since we’re already here, just let it go!” Du Xian said in a soft voice.
Hearing Du Xian’s words, Wu Ma clenched his teeth before releasing the servant’s collar in regret, a look of unwillingness present in his eyes.
The other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples proceed to quietly sit down, though ugly expressions filled their faces.
Wu Ma growled under his breath, “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, they’re clearly trying to humiliate us… how can we endure this?”
Du Xian looked at him and replied, “So, what are you going to do if you can’t endure it? Are you going to smash this place and kill that old fart?”
Wu Ma mumbled, “That isn’t what I meant… However, there were so many people who saw them arranging such a far seating location for us. This is no doubt a deliberate attempt to embarrass us in front of them.”
Ye Jing Han interjected, “What can we do? In the end, this is their territory, it won’t bring us any advantage if we start an argument here.”
Du Xian snorted coldly, “Luo Jin has planned this to make sure that we have no choice but to swallow these grievances. Just remember the humiliation we have suffered today and make sure to pay them back ten-fold next time around.”
An extremely angry look surfaced on Wu Ma’s face, but nevertheless, he knew that he had no way of changing the situation before them. Despite that, the strange gazes and hushed whispers coming from the surrounding cultivators made him feel as though they were mocking him, making him feel exceedingly uncomfortable, as though he was sitting on pins and needles.
Right at this moment, Du Xuan gave Ye Jing Han a stealthy tap on her shoulder before whispering in her ear, “There’s a person that has been watching you ever since you stepped into this place.”
“Who?” A look of doubt appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she scanned around. Soon though, she discovered Qiu Yu seated at the frontmost table, and indeed, his eyes were shining like luminous torches as he continued to stare at her.
She hastily made a spitting action, “Don’t talk nonsense. As if he’s looking at me.”
Du Xian let out a laugh in response, “Who else would he be looking at but you! How can that little bastard Qiu Yu resist Junior Sister Ye’er outstanding beauty and charm?”
Ye Jing Han blushed in embarrassment as she replied in a displeased tone, “Your words are getting more and more improper. You’re the Eldest Senior Brother, so you have to make sure you’re a proper role model for others to follow!”
Du Xian couldn’t help but flash an embarrassed chuckle.
Despite commenting on his behaviour, Ye Jing Han’s face was brimming with sweetness. How would she not know that Du Xian was feeling jealous?
Wu Ma suddenly interjected, “That bastard’s actually sending someone over here!”
Du Xian and Ye Jing Han turned their heads to look and immediately saw the old man who always stood by Qiu Yu’s side was currently moving in their direction at an unhurried pace.
A frown appeared on Du Xian’s face. “What is that little brat planning on doing?”
Ye Jing Han snorted, “Don’t worry about him. We’ll head back to our Sect right after this ceremony ends. I don’t plan on remaining in this place any longer than I need to.”
As she said those words, that old man arrived before their dining table. Cupping his hands slightly, “Sorry to disturb you all.”
Despite being a Senior, he was showing this much courtesy to them, so maintaining a polite demeanour, Du Xian also cupped his fist and replied, “You’re too polite, Senior Li.” He paused for an instant, before asking, “May I know what Senior Li is here for?”
The old man surnamed Li replied in an indifferent tone, “I’ve come on the order of my Young Lord to invite someone over.”
Hearing his words, Du Xian could not help but to shoot a look at Ye Jing Han.
This caused her to reply in annoyance, “Go back and tell your Young Lord that I don’t have any interest!”
A weird expression appeared on the old man’s face as he looked at Ye Jing Han, before smiling faintly, “Young Lady Ye is thinking too much. The one my Young Lord wishes to invite is this Little Brother.”
As he said those words, he raised his hand and pointed towards Yang Kai.
“Ah…” Ye Jing Han’s face turned red with embarrassment from the fuss she kicked up before saying in an awkward tone, “Why… does he want to invite him?”
Stunned looks were also present on the faces of Du Xian and the others, as all of them had made the same assumptions as Ye Jing Han, that this old man had come over here to invite her. After all, Qiu Yu had always shown interest in Ye Jing Han. Who would have thought that such an unforeseen change would occur, causing Ye Jing Han to feel embarrassed for putting herself in such an awkward spot.
The old man continued indifferently, “My Young Lord did not say anything, so this old man doesn’t know the reason. The only thing the Young Master instructed was for this old man to bring this Little Brother over.”
After hearing his explanation, everyone turned their eyes towards Yang Kai.
Upon looking over, they could not stop the corners of their mouths from twitching.
Unknown to everyone, Yang Kai had at some point brought the spirit fruit platter that had been set down on the dining table and placed it right in front of himself. Grabbing one spirit fruit in each hand, he proceeded to gorge himself heartily with an exceedingly satisfied look on his face. Furthermore, there were a few fruit cores present on the dining table. No one knew when he had started to eat, but he had actually managed to eat half of all the spirit fruits that had been on the platter.
The smile he had, coupled with his table manners as he wolfed down those spirit fruits, made him seem just like the reincarnation of a hungry ghost that had starved for several hundred years, leaving the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples utterly dumbstruck.
What’s more, the old man’s sudden visit to this dining table had caused quite a few people to look over out of curiosity. Upon seeing the way Yang Kai ate, they could not help but shake their heads and sigh, revealing looks of contempt in their eyes as they secretly assumed that he was some country bumpkin that had never seen the outside world before, causing him to react so greatly to a mere spirit fruit platter.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples felt a deep sense of discomfort.
“Young Master Yang!” Her face turning as red as a glowing oven, Ye Jing Han gave Yang Kai a light prod, indicating that he should restrain himself a little.
Turning his head around, Yang Kai’s mouth was currently stuffed with the pulp of some unknown fruit which he was eating with great relish. Smacking his lips in satisfaction, he waved the fruit platter in his hand before Ye Jing Han and said, “Do you want one? Take it if you want it.”
Ye Jing Han’s face twitched in response, while the redness of her face grew even more intense.
Despite that, Yang Kai appeared to not notice the current situation around him, as he offered the fruit platter to the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, “Don’t be courteous. They taste really good. Furthermore, eating them will aid in one’s cultivation. These spirit fruits should have been harvested recently, as they are really fresh and delicious.”
The few Thousand Leaves Sect disciples didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. They did not know about Yang Kai’s background, nor did they know exactly why Ye Jing Han had brought him along with her. Seeing such unsightly behaviour from him, all of them proceeded to turn their heads away, appearing as though they did not recognize him at all.
“Ahem…” Du Xiao gave a slight cough, “Young Master Yang, this Senior Li has a matter to discuss with you.”
“Senior Li?” Yang Kai asked. “What Senior Li?”
“We meet again, Little Brother.” The veins on the old man’s forehead bulged as Yang Kai had treated him as air, despite him already standing here for quite a while. Being a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, flames of anger naturally started burning in his heart.
Only then did Yang Kai raise his head, looking at the old man and smiling, “So it’s you. Aren’t you supposed to be with Qiu Yu? What did you run all the way over here for?”
“My Young Master has invited Little Brother over to discuss some matters.” Suppressing the displeasure in his heart, the old man replied with a deep voice.
“Not interested!” Yang Kai immediately rejected the invitation without any consideration at all.
Shock filled the entire hall as his words rang out.
The surrounding cultivators who were enjoying the show all had their eyes wide open as they stared dumbly at Yang Kai. He didn’t appear to be from Thousand Leaves Sect, but just how powerful of a background must he have for him to dare to reject Qiu Yu’s invitation like that? The bustling and lively inner hall was suddenly filled with a moment of silence.
The old man had similarly not expected that Yang Kai would actually refuse in such a straightforward manner. In the next instant, his old face sank as he quickly said, “Little Brother, seeing that you’re still young, the strength of your ears might not be sufficient, so this old master will repeat…”
Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin and cut him off, “I’m not going even if you repeat it a hundred times. Can’t you see that I’m busy?”
After saying those words, he picked up another spirit fruit and shoved it into his mouth.
The old man’s expression sunk even deeper, “You’d best think carefully before answering again, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrow and replied in defiance, “What’s wrong? Are you threatening me? This is City Lord’s concubine marriage ceremony! If you dare to create trouble, do you think I won’t dare to report you to the City Lord and make him kick you out?”
He raised his voice quite a bit while replying, causing even more guests who were seated further away to look over in curiosity.
Cold sweat immediately appeared on the old man’s forehead as waves of embarrassment and shame surged in his heart. Although he didn’t fear Luo Jin much, if he was to do something forcefully like oppressing the weak in front of so many people’s eyes, it would damage the honour and reputation of Sky Illumination Palace.
Continuing to munch on spirit fruits, Yang Kai squeezed his words through his fruit-filled mouth, “Big Brother, you’re already not young, and yet you still frequently provoke people’s anger. Are you planning on living like a dog for the rest of your life?”
*Pu…*
Upon hearing his reply, Ye Jing Han immediately spat out the mouthful of water she was about to drink to cover up the elation she had felt just a moment ago.
“You…” The old man grew agitated with anger.
Yang Kai snorted, “Don’t ‘you’ me, ah!? If Qiu Yu wants to talk to me, tell him to come here in person. You’ve got to get your facts right here, it’s him that wants to find this Young Master, not the other way around!”
After saying those words, a look of disdain appeared on his face as he mumbled, “He really has a problem! Heaven knows where his insufferable ego came from!”
Then, he proceeded to engage in a battle with the fruit platter once again.
“You’re very good, little brat! This old master will remember you!” The old man was filled with unbearable anger. After hearing Yang Kai’s response, he flung his sleeves and left in fury. No matter what, he was still a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and was recognised for his worth by the Sky Illumination Palace’s Palace Master. Yet today, he had been rebuked and humiliated by this youth in front of everyone! If not for his apprehension towards blowing this matter up, he would have already taken action to teach Yang Kai a lesson.
However, he would remember today’s embarrassment in his heart. He would wait till the end of this ceremony before teaching Yang Kai a good lesson.
After the old man had left, Wu Ma’s eyes shone like torches as he looked at Yang Kai. With a face brimming with excitement, he exclaimed, “Brother Yang, I really like you a lot!”
A cold shiver ran through Yang Kai’s entire body, his face turning somewhat pale as he stared at Wu Ma, gulping down his saliva, he hastily replied, “I’m only interested in women!”
Embarrassment and helplessness instantly appeared on Wu Ma’s face, “I don’t mean like that, Brother Yang! I’m just saying that… the way you’ve handled this matter truly makes people feel satisfied!”
Ever since coming into the city yesterday, Wu Ma’s stomach was filled to the brim with grievances; however, watching the earlier matter unfold had left his heart feeling satisfied. The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were carrying many grievances but were incapable of handling matters in such a satisfying manner as Yang Kai had just done, leaving them with no other choice but to endure the humiliation in silence, but Yang Kai didn’t have any such apprehensions and just did whatever he pleased.
Although Du Xian also had a look of satisfaction present on his face, his heart was now filled with worry; after all, with Yang Kai embarrassing the old man in front of everyone, he did not know whether Sky Illumination Palace was going to let this matter slide or not. Furthermore, with Sky Illumination Palace and Sky Crane City colluding with one another, just the chance that the two parties would take action against the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples on their way back would be a huge trouble for his Thousand Leaves Sect to deal with.
Just as he was immersed in his worries, he felt a pair of soft hands encasing his large hand. Du Xian raised his head and saw Ye Jing Han looking at him with a smile on her beautiful face, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. Young Master Yang… has his reasons behind his actions.”
Du Xian’s expression changed. Although he did not know why Ye Jing Had had this level of confidence towards Yang Kai, he had been infected by her belief, causing him to nod lightly as his heart started to relax.
On the other side, the old man had returned to Qiu Yu’s side, before whispering in the latter’s ear for a moment.
Raising his head to look towards the direction of Yang Kai, a frown proceeded to appear on Qiu Yu’s face. After remaining silent for a while, he slowly stood up.
He was actually going to walk over.
The expressions of the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples changed drastically, looking as if they were about to face their greatest enemies. Yang Kai was the only exception, as he continued to munch on spirit fruits, causing clear crunching noises to echo.
After a short while, Qiu Yu, accompanied by two old men, arrived before the table where the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples sat.
Du Xian immediately stood up and growled, “Brother Qiu, this is the place where the City Lord will wed his concubine, and the ceremony is about to start. Are you planning on creating a disturbance for the City Lord?”
Qiu Yu looked at him and replied, “Rest assured. I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here just to say a few words to Brother Yang!”
“Just a few words?” Du Xian frowned, as he really wasn’t able to comprehend the reason behind Qiu Yu personally coming over to their table just to talk with Yang Kai. After all, based on yesterday’s events, these two people clearly didn’t know each other beforehand, so how could any grudge or grievance form between them?
Qiu Yu patted Du Xian’s shoulder to indicate for him to sit down. Walking over to Yang Kai’s side, he shot a look at the Thousand Leaves Sect disciple who was seated beside the latter.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciple frowned, but nevertheless still vacated his seat.
Qiu Yu tapped his folding fan against his arm, closing it up. Sitting down beside Yang Kai, he proceeded to speak, “Brother Yang, right?”
Yang Kai replied without raising his head, “Brother Qiu, I see that the spot between your eyebrows has turned dark, your pupils look distracted, your lips and tongue look charred, your spirit is dispersing, and there’s a dark red shade on your face. I’m afraid that you’re about to face impending death.”
Qiu Yu gawked in response, before opening the corner of his mouth slightly to sneer, “So Brother Yang’s also adept at face reading, and proficient in the art of divination?”
Yang Kai tilted his head to look at him, “Not really. However, there’s a strand of Death Qi winding around your body, and it is indicating that great danger will surely befall you today.”
“What a joke,” Qiu Yu sneered, “Today is the City Lord’s concubine marriage ceremony. With such jubilation filling the air, how could an omen of great danger appear?”
“It’s up to you to believe it or not.” Yang Kai spat in disdain.
A slight frown appeared on Qiu Yu’s face, “Then from Brother Yang’s point of view, what should I do to dispel this ill omen?”
“Tidy up your things and leave here without delay,” Yang Kai replied casually, “Do you really need me to teach you something as simple as that?”
Qiu Yu was struck by a wave of speechlessness as he shook his head, “Enough with this nonsense. This Young Master has come over here to ask Brother Yang a question.”
“What?”
Qiu Yu proceeded to open his mouth, though no sounds rang out. Clearly, he was using a sound-transmitting Secret Technique to communicate.
This piqued the curiosity of Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, as they did not know exactly what question Qiu Yu had raised to Yang Kai.
After their scrutiny, Yang Kai revealed a crafty smile after listening to Qiu Yu’s words, before replying, “Never came back? You’re in deep trouble, Brother Qiu!”
“Can’t you speak a little softer?’ Qiu Yu growled between his clenched teeth at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded, “Sure, sure.”
After saying those words, he transmitted, “That little girl by the name of Luo Bing didn’t return after following you out yesterday? Are you sure about that?”
Qiu Yu nodded, “I went out yesterday night to find her; however, her personal maidservant did not see her come back. Today, I went out again to find her, but there’s still no trace of her…”
Yang Kai smiled, “Does the City Lord know about this matter?”
Qiu Yu replied, “Do you think the City Lord knows about it? He has fourteen concubines, yet has no other children other than that daughter of his. Every other day, he would treat her like a treasure. If he knew that Luo Bing was missing, the entire Sky Crane City would be turned upside down by now. How would you and I be able to sit here in peace then?”
“Since she’s missing, shouldn’t you go and find her? Why are you here asking me this?” Yang Kai asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“That’s because Luo Bing had followed behind you after you left that store yesterday,” Qiu Yu replied.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Brother Qiu, your words seem to indicate that I’ve done something improper to Young Lady Luo Bing.”
“Naturally, it would be great if that wasn’t the case. I only hope that she’s able to return safely by today if possible. If that happens, the issue can be forgotten without any further incident; however, if she loses even a single hair, this Young Master will definitely let the person who injured her enjoy the taste of torture,” As Qiu Yu said those words, a chilling intent gleamed within his eyes.
Yang Kai sneered in response, “Brother Qiu is threatening the wrong person. After leaving that store yesterday, I immediately headed for Heavenly Puppet Workshop, and I did not see Young Lady Luo Bing at all. You can verify this fact with the people of Heavenly Puppet Workshop, as well as the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples here. This is my first time here, and I don’t have any grudge or grievance with Sky Crane City, so why would I find trouble with Young Lady Luo Bing?”
“Is that true?” Qiu Yu focused his gaze.
Yang Kai snorted, “If someone really provokes me, I’ll personally take action and let them understand the consequences of doing so. Do you think that I’ll do something as despicable as kidnapping their daughter?”
Qiu Yu’s gaze wavered, “Good, I believe you. Although our conversation has been short, this Young Master can understand that with Brother Yang’s straightforward character, you would of course not do something as despicable as that. Nevertheless, Brother Yang, if you receive any news of Luo Bing, this Qiu would be grateful if you can pass on the information.”
“No problem.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Farewell!” Cupping his hands, Qiu Yu proceeded to stand.
However, before he could leave, Yang Kai pressed him right back into his seat.
“Does Brother Yang still have other matters to talk about?” Qiu Yu asked with a frown.
“It isn’t a serious matter, just a small request for Brother Qiu,” Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin, his smile brimming with sinister and devious intent. This caused Qiu Yu’s heart to jump, while a feeling of unease welled up inside him.
“What request…” Qiu Yu whispered.
Yang Kai followed up, “Is it possible for Brother Qiu to help us change seats?”
Qiu Yu asked with some doubt, “Change seats?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded his head and replied with a faint smile, “The light here is bad and I really don’t like it, so I was hoping to change to another place with better illumination.”
The corners of Qiu Yu’s mouth twitched in response, while beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Extending his hand, he wiped them off, “Where… would you like to move to?”
Yang Kai extended his hand and pointed, “I feel that it’s pretty good over there. That table also just so happens to be empty.”
Qiu Yu’s face immediately sunk, “Do you know which person that seat is for?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “A seat is a seat, right?”
“No, no, this matter absolutely cannot be done,” Qiu Yu hastily waved his hands in response.
Yang Kai’s face immediately turned chilly, “How can you be like that, Brother Qiu? I’ve immediately accepted the matter you’ve entrusted to me. Now, when I ask you for a small request, you continue to throw out all sorts of excuses. Aren’t you too lacking in the spirit of loyalty?”
Qiu Yu’s eyes snapped wide open as he thought, [What spirit of loyalty is there between us?] Furthermore, Yang Kai just replied casually to the earlier matter! Was there even a shred of sincerity in Yang Kai’s reply at all?
Qiu Yu sighed, “You’re placing me in a difficult spot, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Don’t speak as though I’m an outsider, okay? It’ll only take you a little bit of effort to accomplish this matter. Furthermore, it’s not as if I’m asking you to take off your clothes and run around naked, right? Be more straightforward, okay? So, is it possible to change it or not?”
Qiu Yu’s face twitched as he stared at Yang Kai, “Changing it or not, what difference does it make?”
Giving a chuckle, Yang Kai patted on Qiu Yu’s shoulder, while conveniently wiping off the fruit juice on Qiu Yu’s clothes, “If we can change seats, we’ll become good friends. You’re happy, I’m happy, everyone’s happy. If it’s not possible, this Young Master will have no choice but to look for the City Lord to have a good chat, asking him about the whereabouts of his precious daughter…”
“Enough!” An icy expression flashed across Qiu Yu’s face as he smacked Yang Kai’s hand away. Staring at the Yang Kai, he growled between his clenched teeth, “Are you threatening me?!”
“Am I?” Yang Kai blinked, “You’re misunderstanding me, Brother Qiu. I’m just negotiating with you, that’s all.”
Qiu Yu replied in extreme anger, “I should have known not to ask you about Luo Bing’s whereabouts, you despicable person!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Young man, it’s not good to flare up so easily! It’s damaging to your body!”
Qiu Yu shot a glare at Yang Kai that lasted for a long while before he finally turned around and left. Arriving by the side of a man that had the makings of a steward, Qiu Yu whispered a few words into his ears.
Upon hearing those words, a slight frown appeared on the steward’s face, as if he had been placed in a difficult position. Nevertheless, he shot a few looks at the location where the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were seated before shaking his head slightly.
However, no one knew what Qiu Yu said next, as the steward seemed to agree to his request while keeping the ugly expression on his face.
After an instant, the steward arrived before the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, cupped his hands and said, “Honoured guests, due to the many matters that needed to be dealt with today, our subordinates seemed to have been somewhat negligent and issued you all the wrong seats. Please follow this old man to your correct seats and forgive us for our negligence in this matter.”
Du Xian and Ye Jing Han gawked in response to his words, as they did not know what the hell this steward was talking about.
On the contrary, Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and cupped his hands towards the steward, “Many thanks!”
After giving his thanks, he shot a look at Ye Jing Han and the others.
Although everyone was baffled by the development of events, they still proceeded to stand up. Under the guidance of the steward, they headed towards the empty table at the foremost position in the inner hall, before taking their seats at the new table.
After making sure everything was fine, the steward left.
It was only then that Ye Jing Han turned around, looked at Yang Kai, and asked, “Young Master Yang, what exactly did you say to Qiu Yu?”
She knew that with Thousand Leaves Sect’s current level of strength, as well as their relationship with Sky Crane City, it was impossible for them to receive such a level of treatment. The only plausible explanation was the secret exchange Yang Kai had with Qiu Yu.
After all, once he left, Qiu Yu went to find that steward to immediately get their seats changed.
Du Xian and the others also had inquisitive looks on their faces as they stared at Yang Kai, waiting in anticipation for his reply.
Yang Kai broke out a smile, “It’s nothing much. I simply told Brother Qiu that we felt like old friends the moment we met and he felt that the City Lord’s Mansion was too negligent in their treatment of you all, so he took the initiative to raise the request to get your seats changed.”
Obviously, no one was going to buy that.
Ye Jing Han snapped, “As if I’m going to believe that!”
Yang Kai simply replied innocently, “Brother Qiu’s a pretty good person.”
The series of abnormal activities had caught the eyes of quite a few guests, as they quietly felt shock in response to the outcome; after all, everyone had some level of understanding towards the relationship between Thousand Leaves Sect and Sky Crane City. As such, it was unavoidable that even a small matter like the sudden changing of seats to the foremost dining table would cause suspicion and doubt to surface in people’s hearts. People started to secretly guess that Thousand Leaves Sect and Sky Crane City had set their grievances aside. If that was really the case, they might have to re-evaluate whether or not they should patch up their relationship with Thousand Leaves Sect as well.
The atmosphere within the inner hall turned weird in an instant.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were also unable to sit in peace as they were constantly sensing peculiar gazes being shot at them, causing discomfort to run through their whole bodies.
As time gradually went by, the empty seats in the inner hall were gradually filled by the incoming guests, slowly restoring the lively bustling atmosphere originally present.
All of a sudden, someone announced in a loud voice, “The City Lord had arrived!”
Right as those words rang out, the entire inner hall turned silent, as everyone turned their eyes in the same direction.
The first thing they saw was a man dressed in large red robes. Striding over, a joyous smile was plastered on his face as he proceeded to cup hands towards everyone around him.
“Sir City Lord!”
“It has been a while! City Lord, your bearing has grown even more graceful!”
“Congratulations to Sir City Lord for marrying a beautiful lady! You’re the role model for my generation!”
“On this joyous occasion, I wish Sir City Lord good health, a prosperous journey in your Martial Dao, an endless chain of heirs, and a family lasting through eternity!”
…
Congratulatory words from guests streamed in from all directions, smiles plastered on all of their faces as they did their utmost to flatter the City Lord.
The man dressed in elegant red robes also continued to exchange greetings with them, the smile on his face appearing exceedingly carefree and filled with delight.
“Is that Luo Jin?” Yang Kai stared with his eyes wide open as he whispered towards Ye Jing Han.
With a gloomy expression on her face, Ye Jing Han nodded, “That’s the man himself!”
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “If you didn’t confirm it, I would have assumed he was Luo Jin’s father…”
This was the first time Yang Kai had seen the Sky Crane City’s City Lord. Originally, from his knowledge that this fellow had fifteen concubines, Yang Kai assumed that the City Lord would definitely be maintaining a youthful appearance, brimming with energy and vigour. Even with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, he definitely wouldn’t have an old and withered appearance.
However, the man he saw today was elderly looking with white hair that grew sparsely from his head. Although he possessed an impressive cultivation, his vitality appeared superficial. Clearly, he had already passed the prime of his life, with no hope of ever reaching the Emperor Realm.
The loose red robes he wore further emphasized his age.
“Whoever this lady is, she must be truly blind!” Wu Ma couldn’t stop himself from shaking his head, as he felt mournful for the lady who was going to get married to Luo Jin today.
“Shut up! Don’t let your words get you into trouble!” Du Xuan shot a fierce glare at Wu Ma and whispered, “Did any of Luo Jin’s concubines willingly get married to him? As if you don’t know about that!”
Wu Ma snorted, “It’s due to his evil ways of oppressing people and seizing women that led to him having no offspring. One will always receive the seed of karma that they sow! The Heavenly Way is just!”
“And you’re still talking!?”
Wu Ma pursed his lip, “Okay, okay. I’ll shut up.”
The entire venue was bustling with liveliness, filled with a festive atmosphere.
This lasted for quite a while before a loud voice rang out, “The auspicious hour has arrived!”
In an instant, the sound of wind instruments rang out in all directions, accompanied by gongs and drums that shook the Heavens; it seemed as though they wanted to blow off the roof of this inner hall.
Luo Jin’s face radiated with a reddish glow as he tied his robes and looked towards the outside of the hall with a smile on his face.
Festive music started to play from the outside. As the music played on, the concubine escort group gradually appeared before everyone’s eyes, with a female matchmaker walking in the front. Gyrating her tub-like waist, a nauseatingly sweet smile hung on her face. Present by her side was a bridal sedan carried by four people as she slowly headed towards the inner hall, all while doing her utmost to display the result of her abilities.
The bridal boy and girl followed behind the bridal sedan, sprinkling flower petals from the baskets held in their hands.
Flower petals trailed behind the bridal sedan, causing the fragrance of flowers to perfuse throughout the air.
Following behind the flower petal sprinkling boy and girl were two columns of little boys and girls who held lanterns in their hands. The lanterns they held had various auspicious words like “May you live a long and happy life together” and “May your marriage last long”.
The procession took the time one would take to drink a cup of tea to travel several dozen metres, before the bridal sedan finally arrived at the entrance of the inner hall.
“Lower the sedan!” A loud voice rang out, before the bridal sedan proceeded to lower steadily.
The matchmaker went forward, pushed aside the drapes, and extended a hand into the sedan. In the next moment, a white and soft hand peeked out from within.
Just the sight of this hand was enough to cause the eyes of quite a few men to light up.
That jade white hand was perfect and devoid of blemishes, her skin as pure as snow. Just the sight of her delicate skin was enough to make people become lost in wild and fanciful thoughts, that the owner of that jade white hand would definitely be exceedingly beautiful and enchanting. However, this person just so happened to be Luo Jin’s future fifteenth concubine, causing people to wring their hands and lament in envy and jealousy.
This was followed up by an elegant red embroidered shoe. Landing on the red carpet at the front of the door, a dazzlingly beautiful figure was imprinted in the eyes of everyone present.
The new bride wore a phoenix coronet with a red veil covering her face. Brilliant phoenixes in flight were embroidered on her gown, while the gem-laden phoenix coronet and red veil obscured the face that made people become lost in wild and fanciful thoughts.
At this moment, countless people were cursing out in their hearts.
This couldn’t be helped, as the phoenix coronet and red veil that the new bride wore over her head unexpectedly had the ability to block off the intrusion of Divine Sense! It was impressively an extraordinary artifact!
All of the cultivators who had secretly sent out their Divine Sense to take a peek at the face of this new bride were blocked by an invisible barrier, leaving them utterly incapable of uncovering what her face really looked like.
Seemingly aware of the ideas the crowd would have, Luo Jin shot a gaze towards his left and right as a silent warming, before giving a satisfied faint smile in response.
Right at this moment, Yang Kai’s mouth twitched fiercely.
Unlike the others present, if he had forcefully sent his Divine Sense out, he might be able to break through the artifact’s barrier and catch a glimpse of the bride’s true appearance; however, with this being a marriage ceremony, doing so would definitely attract attention and would cause unnecessary trouble for him.
Therefore, after his first attempt, he did not try it again, choosing to quietly spectate the ceremony.
At this moment, under the guidance and assistance from the matchmaker, the new bride took step after step towards the inner hall.
Although her face could not be seen, the outline of her figure faintly visible beneath her bridal gown had revealed her stunning body line, one that was brimming with grace and elegance.
Yang Kai continued to size this woman up, before a frown suddenly appeared on his face, as though he felt that something wasn’t quite right. Nevertheless, he wasn’t able to identify exactly what gave him this feeling.
More importantly, the heart palpitations and jitters he had felt yesterday had surfaced abruptly once again, causing his frown to deepen.
He turned his head around to look at Ye Jing Han and the others, only to see not a single reaction from them.
However, the spectacle happening before them seemed to have caused some kind of desire to surge out from the depths of Ye Jing Han’s heart. Looking at the new bride taking step after step forward, a look of anticipation gleamed across her beautiful eyes, as though she was imagining the day when she would be able to wear that phoenix coronet and red veil, and get married to her beloved.
She sneaked a look at Du Xian, while her small face turned slightly flushed.
Not long after, the procession group finally arrived at the head of the inner hall. Handing the new bride’s hand to Luo Jin, the matchmaker said with a smile, “Sir, I’ll hand the new bride to you. Make sure to take good care of her, okay?”
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Jin replied, “I definitely won’t let her be shamed.”
The matchmaker replied, “The new bride is so blessed! Why is my life so unfortunate, to never meet a male like Sir!?”
The people in the inner hall burst into laughter, instantly raising the atmosphere within.
In the inner hall, Luo Jin held his new bride’s hand, and with a faint smile, turned around and walked towards the interior of the hall.
At this moment, a white-haired old man seated on the left of Yang Kai and the others suddenly stood up, smiled faintly while walking towards the couple, before coming to a stand in front of them.
The woodwind instruments, gongs and drums stopped playing, and the entire atmosphere turned solemn and serious.
With a faint smile, the old man said, “It is this old master’s great honour to be able to be a witness for our City Lord’s marriage.”
After a pause, he continued, “On this fine and beautiful day, the two of you will be wed in a blissful marriage. I hope that you two will love each other, and be harmonious for hundreds of years, with mutual respect for the marriage you two will form. Do you two agree?”
Luo Jin smiled, “This Luo agrees!”
The old man nodded, before turning to look at the new bride, “What about you?”
The faint tremble shook through the body of the new bride, before a beautiful voice rang out from beneath the phoenix coronet, “I…”
Right as her voice rang out, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, while the feeling of unease present in the depths of his heart grew increasingly intense! He was absolutely certain that he had heard this voice somewhere before!
Before he could hear more of her voice in order to determine just who it was, a delicate shout suddenly rang out within the inner hall, “I object!”
The instant those words rang out, shock filled the entire hall.
Everyone proceeded to turn to look at where the voice originated from, secretly thinking about which utterly fearless person actually dared to embarrass the City Lord in front of the countless Masters present.
Rage flashed across Luo Jin’s face as he turned around and roared, “Who dares!”
His expression had turned so malevolent that it had warped and distorted his face. Today was the day of his marriage with his concubine, so it never occurred to him that someone would actually wreck the celebratory ceremony, causing him to be unable to control the thick murderous intent surging out from his heart.
His eyes radiated with a chilling glow as he shot a look at where that voice had originated from and snorted coldly, “What’s wrong? You have the guts to spoil this King’s good mood, yet have no guts to stand up and admit it?”
Some guests seated on the sides immediately shouted, “Obediently stand up and apologise to the City Lord! You might be able to keep your life if you do so! If you dare to remain stubborn, this day next year will be your death anniversary!”
Luo Jin added, “Today is an auspicious day for this King, so this King does not wish to take another’s life. If you stand up obediently, this King will not make things difficult for you!”
Right as those words rang out, a person suddenly stood up within the crowd.
This person was covered from head to toe in a black robe, causing people to be unable to see their real appearance. Nevertheless, from their figure, it was clearly a lady under those robes.
“Capture her!” Seeing the culprit stand up, Luo Jing waved his hand fiercely in response.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
In an instant, a few of the City Lord’s Mansion’s guards rushed out towards that person.
The lady continued to stand there, appearing not one bit flustered at all. Right as the guards were about to capture her, she abruptly removed the black shawl above her head, revealing her face for all to see.
As this scene unfolded, everyone’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open as dumbstruck and tongue-tied expressions appeared on their faces.
“Huh?”
“This…”
“Eldest Young Lady?”
Originally, those City Lord Mansion’s guards who were rushing over with raging auras radiating from their bodies, were all prepared to capture this girl and bring her to a secret location to give her a good taste of torture; however, right as they saw her true appearance, all of their expressions changed drastically as they dispelled their auras mid-air, causing them to drop down clumsily onto the ground, dumbstruck.
That was because they discovered that the person who had disrupted the marriage ceremony at such a critical moment wasn’t some stranger, but the City Lord’s Eldest Young Lady, Luo Bing!
Qiu Yu leapt out from his seat, a stunned look on his face as he looked over towards Luo Bing. He never expected that Luo Bing would actually be in this inner hall, moreover, disrupt the City Lord’s marriage ceremony.
Yesterday, when he and Luo Bing had gone their separate ways, she was doing just fine. Therefore, he was utterly incapable of understanding why Luo Bing would do something like this after just a single night by herself.
For a moment, deathly silence filled the entire inner hall, as everyone shot strange looks at Luo Bing, all them confused over what kind of disturbance she was planning on causing.
“Bing’er!” Luo Jin’s body shook as he stared at Luo Bing with his eyes wide open, “Why are you…”
Before he completed his question, he appeared to have suddenly discovered something and sharply asked, “Who has bullied you?”
He noticed that his precious daughter’s eyes were red and swollen, a clear indication that she had been crying for a very long period of time. Furthermore, her voice had turned hoarse, resulting in him not recognizing her voice earlier.
He instinctively assumed that Luo Bing had been bullied by someone.
Qiu Yu quietly gulped down his saliva, for fear of Luo Bing saying his name, as he believed that it was somehow his fault.
“No one bullied me.” Luo Bing pursed her lips before replying.
“Really?” Luo Jin’s eyes narrowed as he asked in a solemn voice.
“Really!” Luo Bing shook her head, remaining silent for a moment before continuing, “Father, this daughter has something to request of you.”
Luo Jin gave a sigh, “Let’s talk about this later. Go back to your room first and rest.” A wave of anger and frustration surged about in the depths of his heart, as he blamed Luo Bing for not recognizing the current situation and spoiling his authority and face before so many powerful people. At this moment, the only thought he had was to hurry up and get this ceremony over and done with, before having a good talk with Luo Bing about this matter.
Nevertheless, he didn’t expect Luo Bing to not listen obediently to his words. Shaking her head, she replied, “No, I need to make this request right now, if not it’ll be too late by then.”
“Bing’er!” A look of anger flashed across Luo Jin’s face as he growled out in a deep voice.
Luo Bing’s body instinctually shivered, frightened. Nevertheless, her eyes were filled with an extremely resolute gleam, as she continued to look back at a father with a pleading gaze.
Seeing her like that, Luo Jin immediately knew that he would definitely be unable to change her mind, leaving him no choice but to sigh, before letting out a laugh towards the surrounding guests, “I apologise to everyone. This King has spoiled his little daughter too much, resulting in this wilful behaviour. I hope that this won’t spoil everyone’s mood.”
Upon hearing his words, everyone could not help but to relax their facial expressions, as they had already known about how much the City Lord doted on Luo Bing. However, they didn’t know that it would be to the extent where she would actually dare to create such trouble during a major event like his wedding.
Everyone showed their acceptance, giving looks as though they cared greatly for Luo Jin’s face.
It was only then that Luo Jin looked towards Luo Bing, “Speak, what do you want from your father? To actually choose such a time to put forth your request… if it’s something outrageous, let see how I’ll deal with you when this is over!” Although he said those threatening words, a smile was present on his face. Clearly, he did not have any intent to threaten her, and this was just a show of love towards her.
Genial laughter rang out from the guests, as they praised the City Lord for his fatherly love.
Luo Bing bit her lip, before extending her finger to point towards Luo Jin’s side, “Your daughter begs of you to let her go!”
Right as her words rang out, the atmosphere within the inner hall, which had just regained a bit of its earlier festive air, sunk into a weird silence once again, as quite a few guests had their mouths hanging wide open, not daring to believe what they had just heard. Furthermore, the few people who immediately knew that the marriage ceremony might have encountered some difficulties instantly felt restless, as they quietly checked the expression on Luo Jin’s face.
In that instant, the smile on Luo Jin’s face turned stiff, before slowly fading away, being replaced by an expression so cold and gloomy it seemed as though a blizzard had arrived, before the smile within his eyes gradually turned into fury.
It took a while before Luo Jin finally spoke, “Go and take a rest, Bing’er! I think you’re too tired!”
Originally, he had assumed that his daughter had disagreed with his marriage in an attempt to coerce him to accept some difficult request that she wanted to make of him. He had thereby prepared himself sufficiently for this; however, what she wanted now was something that he had utterly not considered, as Luo Bing was completely in opposition to his marriage to his new concubine.
How could Luo Jin agree to that? No matter how much he spoiled Luo Bing, he would not just let his would-be bride go in front of everyone’s eyes! If he were to do that, how would he have the face to continue living on? What would happen to his reputation? If this were to happen, he might no longer be able to rule Sky Crane City and continue being the City Lord.
“Please promise me that, Father!” Luo Bing pleaded.
“Impudence!” Luo Jin roared before shooting a furious and regretful glare at Luo Bing, “It looks like I’ve spoiled you too much in the past, and let you get away with anything! Now scram off to your room! You’re not allowed to take a single step out of your room unless I give you the permission to do so!”
“Father…” Luo Bing started to cry, “It is not her choice to get married. How can you force people to do something like that! Just let her go, please…”
*Siii…*
Successive hisses from people sucking in mouthfuls of cold air rang out within the inner hall.
It was an open secret that not a single one of Luo Jin’s concubines had voluntarily chosen to get married to him, and everyone had kept that knowledge locked up in the recesses of their minds; no one was willing to bring it to light. However, it would be a totally different story if this information was revealed in the presence of everyone.
Yet, it was utterly unexpected that Luo Bing would be the one who revealed it!
Upon hearing what Luo Bing had said, all of the cultivators in the inner hall felt their hearts fiercely clench; it felt as if a massive storm was brewing, causing them to feel uneasy and restless.
“Just let her go. I’ll make sure to always stay by your side, be filial to you and listen to your words. I’ll no longer go and cause any more trouble, and I’ll definitely be on my best behavior,” Luo Bing continued to plead through her tears.
Luo Jin’s face continued to warp and distort, turning incomparably ashen before he roared out, “What nonsense are you talking about!?”
Luo Bing replied, “I’m not talking nonsense. I know who she is, and also know why she is being forced to marry you. Just let her go, please father…”
Luo Jin roared back in anger, “What the hell are you all looking at!? The Young Lady has clearly lost her mind! Hurry up and bring her away to get proper care!”
Hearing his command, the few City Lord Mansion’s guards, who hadn’t known what to do, started to take action and lunged towards Luo Bing.
However, right at that instant, a person who had been seated beside Luo Bing suddenly stood up, immediately proceeding to grab her throat, and shot a steely-eyed glare towards the people around him while giving a cold snort, “If anyone dares to approach, I’ll snap her neck!”
The faces of the few City Lord’s Mansion cultivators rushing over immediately turned pale with shock before they froze once again in a fluster.
The other guests who were here to celebrate the marriage ceremony had their eyeballs almost pop out of their sockets once again, as never in their wildest dreams did they expect such a series of shocking events to occur here today.
“It’s him!” A wrinkle appeared on Yang Kai’s forehead as he looked towards the one-eyed, sturdily built male who had grabbed onto Luo Bing’s throat, while a sliver of a pensive look flashed across his face.
He could recall bumping into this man in the restaurant yesterday. That fellow seemed to go by the name of Chai Hu, and it was precisely due to this man starting a conflict with a group of people that ended up in a fight, which had caused Yang Kai to leave the restaurant early.
However, he never expected that this fellow would actually intrude into this marriage ceremony, and even dared to seize the City Lord’s daughter by the neck in front of everyone!
Nevertheless… this person was only a Third-Order Origin King. Even though he had Luo Bing’s neck in his grasp, his fate appeared to be bleak.
After considering all of these details, Yang Kai shot another look at the new bride standing beside Luo Jin. Ever since seeing this new bride, he was being nagged by a strange feeling. Furthermore, right at this moment when he had looked over to her, he saw her tender body shake, as though she was struggling with something.
Chai Hu placed one hand against Luo Bing’s slender throat, and the other on her back. Saint Qi surged out from his body, as though he was prepared to take action at any moment.
The City Lord Mansion guards looked at one another, looks of indignation and frustration on their faces. Their Eldest Young Lady was now being held hostage, leaving them wary of making any reckless moves that might provoke Chai Hu into injuring Luo Bing. If that were to happen, they wouldn’t be far from their deathbeds.
Brimming with anxiety, they looked towards Luo Jin, waiting for his instructions to proceed.
What greeted them were Luo Jin’s narrowed eyes, as he inconspicuously shot them a look. Understanding his intentions intuitively, the guards silently spread out, surrounding Chai Hu on all sides to prevent him from escaping.
The guests that were seated at the same dining table as Chai Hu and Luo Bing had long scattered the instant Chai Hu had stood up to seize Luo Bing.
“Old Dog Luo Jin! If you still care about your daughter’s life, let them know their place!” Chai Hu’s sole eye gleamed with a malevolent lustre as he shot a vigilant look at his surroundings while growling towards Luo Jin.
Luo Jing snorted coldly in response. He raised a clenched fist to signal to the guards to calm down before looking towards Chai Hu, “This King seems to have seen you somewhere!”
With a sneer, Chai Hu replied in a ridiculing tone, “This one is just a nameless member of the younger generation, so Sir City Lord naturally wouldn’t remember me.”
Luo Jin continued, “Regardless of any grudge or grievances between this King and you, my daughter is completely unrelated to them. Let her go, and this King will promise to have a good talk with you.”
Chai Hu burst into a hearty chuckle, “Talk? What’s there to talk with a despicable and shameless person like you? Do you think I’m a three-year-old child?”
Luo Jin responded, “From the looks of it, you’ve been holding a grudge against this King for a long time. Those words that Bing’er was saying earlier, was it all a result of your coercion?”
Hearing his words, looks of understanding flashed across the faces of the surrounding guests. So, this was why Luo Bing would set her father up in such an embarrassing situation! She was being threatened by someone! If that was the case, it would explain why Luo Bing seemed to be incapable of grasping the larger picture here.
“Think what you want!” Chai Hu snorted coldly, showing no intention to provide an explanation.
“I’m not being forced by him…” Right at that moment, Luo Bing suddenly spoke out, “Father, I meant what I said. Please let that lady go! What wrong did she do?”
Luo Jin’s face sank abruptly upon those words ringing out.
Spectacular expressions also appeared on the faces of the surrounding guests, as they were utterly confused about exactly what was happening right before their eyes! Luo Bing had been seized by that one-eyed man, with her life resting in his hands, and yet, she was siding with him?
Luo Jin took a deep breath and quickly assured, “Bing’er, don’t be afraid. Your father will rescue you.” After saying those words, he looked back at Chai Hu. “Your Excellency, you truly don’t fear the Heavens, to dare to intrude upon this marriage ceremony and capture this King’s beloved daughter. Exactly what do you want?”
Chai Hu sneered, “Why do you need to ask this when you know the answer, Sir City Lord? Although other people might not understand why I’ve come here, how could you not know?”
Luo Jin frowned and narrowed his eyes, “Why not just state it clearly, Your Excellency? If it’s possible, why would this King not accept? As long as my daughter is safe and sound, this King is willing to give anything in return!”
He replied in a righteous and solemn manner, causing the surrounding guests to applaud and praise his character.
Someone immediately said to Chai Hu, “Friend, aren’t you being too impulsive and reckless with your actions? Sir City Lord has always loved the common people as his own children, has been diligent in his civic duties, and is praised by the public. Young Lady Luo Bing is innocent, pure, and kind-hearted. Can’t you just talk this out? Do you really have to embarrass everyone like this? Just hear me out. Let Young Lady Luo Bing go, and City Lord Sir will not be difficult with you.”
“That’s right, just let Young Lady Luo go. Everything can be discussed.”
“Hurry up and let her go! If Sir City Lord doesn’t want to punish you, all of us will give you a good beating instead!”
A ruckus surged up in the surroundings, as some people proceeded to give advice with kind words, while others used malicious tones towards Chai Hu. In an instant, Chai Hu seemed to grow anxious, causing him to grip Luo Bing with slightly more force, making Luo Bing’s face to turn pale as her breathing became more difficult.
“All of you shut up!” Chai Hu let out a furious roar. At this moment, it was as if he was in a prison, enemies surrounding him on all sides, his already taut state of mind grew increasingly distraught with anxiety from all the shouting directed at him.
“If anyone says another word, I’ll immediately choke her to death! I mean what I say!” Chai Hu opened his sole eye wide as he let out a violent roar.
Seeing this, how would any of the guests dare to continue speaking? All of them proceeded to shut their mouths, afraid that they might provoke this fellow who had lost his mind to injure Luo Bing.
Luo Jin’s face sank even further as he growled, “Speak! Exactly what do you want this King to do!”
Turning his head, Chai Hu shot a furious glare at Luo Jin, “Release the person beside you!”
“Who are you talking about?” Luo Jin asked despite perfectly knowing the answer.
Chai Hu roared in reply, “If you dare to act so shamelessly again, I’ll immediately take your daughter’s life!”
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly, “Is your Excellency doing this… to steal my bride?”
Chai Hu sneered, “She isn’t marrying you out of her own will, so how could I be stealing her? I’m just here to save her life!”
Luo Jin replied, “How would you know if she’s willing or not when you didn’t even ask her?”
Chai Hu shot back, “How would she be willing to marry you? Stop daydreaming!”
Luo Jin laughed out before replying, “Are you misunderstanding something? Although this King doesn’t recognise you, I can tell that you and my humble wife… should be friends, right? This King really admires how far you would stick your neck out for your friend. How about this… you can ask my humble wife if she is willingly marrying this King or not. If she isn’t, this King will immediately release her, and not force her against her will. How about that?”
Chai Hu’s expression flickered and changed. He seemed as if he didn’t dare to believe his own ears, causing him to ask in a suspicious tone, “Is that true?”
Luo Jin smiled, “With all of the guests present, how would this King dare to lie before everyone’s eyes?” After a slight pause, he continued, “Or, are you saying that you’ve come here to disrupt and stain this King’s reputation? If that’s the case… this King will definitely not let you off lightly.”
Someone added, “That’s right! We’re willing to bear witness for the City Lord!”
“Little brat, you aren’t here purely for the sake of causing trouble, right? If that’s the case, you really are too despicable.”
Chai Hu’s face turned gloomy as he no longer responded to the shouts coming from his surroundings. After remaining silent for a while, he nodded his head, “Fine, I’ll believe you this once.”
After saying those words, he turned his head towards the new bride and quickly shouted, “Fifth Sister, you should have heard what the City Lord had just said. Tell me, are you doing this on your own will or… did he threaten you! Rest assured, if he really forced you into this, your Fourth Brother will make sure to rescue you, even if he must risk his life to do so!”
“This King can’t thank Your Excellency for the effort you’re putting in for my humble wife!” Luo Jin gave a faint smile, appearing calm and undisturbed.
“Shut your mouth!” Chai Hu growled.
Luo Jin smiled but did not reply.
The new bride, who had not moved an inch as she stood by Luo Jin’s side, even staying still throughout Chai Hu’s disturbance, had now become the focal point of everyone’s eyes. Everyone turned to look at her, wanting to know what kind of answer she would give.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the body of the new bride shook slightly for a while, before a pleasant-sounding voice rang out from beneath the red veil, “I… am willing!”
“What!” Chai Hu’s body shook as he was instantly dumbstruck, utterly not expecting that he would receive such an answer from her.
However, that voice was without a doubt his Fifth Sister, and it was not something just anyone could imitate.
For a moment, he was somewhat incapable of accepting this result.
Luo Jin looked at him, “Your Excellency should understand by now, right? This King and my humble wife felt like kindred souls since we met, and we fell in love at our first meeting. If not, this King would not marry her.”
“Big Brother Chai…” Luo Bing turned her head around and looked blankly at Chai Hu, somewhat unable to understand why the series of events were not like what Chai Hu had described them to be. After all, Chai Hu had told her that the new bride had been forced to marry her father. However, the new bride had just told her a completely different answer to his words.
“Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!” Chai Hu shouted out loudly.
Luo Jin’s expression turned dark before roaring out, “This King has already given face to Your Excellency. For the sake of Your Excellency’s friendship with my humble wife, I won’t cause difficulties for you. I hope that you’ll do what’s best for yourself!”
“That’s right. Don’t continue being an annoying troublemaker, friend. If not, you’ll not be giving everyone face.”
“That’s right. Let Young Lady Luo Bing off. I believe in City Lord Sir’s magnanimity. He will not cause difficulties for you. Let everyone sit down and celebrate with wine. Won’t that be better?”
“Stop before you go too far, little brat! If you wish to die, this old master doesn’t mind granting your wish!”
A noisy cacophony of voices rang out from the surrounding guests, with their impression of Chai Hu dropping to the very bottom.
“That’s impossible.” Chai Hi continued to mumble. “It’s impossible for Fifth Sister to be willing to get married to you. She’s definitely being forced by you to do so!” Saying that, he seemed to have thought of something, causing him to roar out, “It’s definitely because of Big Brother and Second Brother right!?”
“Exactly what the hell are you talking about, you brat!” Blank looks appeared on the faces of the surrounding people.
Chuckling heartily towards the sky, Chai Hu’s laughter rumbled out like thunder, sounding exceedingly carefree, as though he had managed to come to a realisation and untied the knot in his heart. After quite a while, he snapped his head towards Luo Jin and growled, “You really are sinister, you old dog, to actually use Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother as hostages to force Fifth Sister to marry you! If you don’t want the blood of your daughter to flow in this place, you better listen obediently to what I say!”
Luo Jin growled deeply in anger, “You dare to go back on your word?”
Chai Hu sneered, “What’s the point of talking about trustworthiness when talking with a despicably vile person like you? Regardless of anything, I’ll take Fifth Sister away today! If anyone dares to obstruct me, I’ll kill her!” Saying those words, he increased his grip on her throat by a fair bit.
Luo Bing gasped in shock.
Luo Jin’s face lost colour in shock as he hastily said, “Wait!”
“Are you going to let her go!?” Chai Hu shouted.
A deeply profound look appeared on Luo Jin’s face, as though an imminent storm was coming, with the atmosphere within the inner hall growing exceedingly stifling. After gritting his teeth for quite a while, he said, “Since you’re that overly suspicious, I’ll let my humble wife give you a clear reply!”
After saying that, he looked at the new bride beside him.
Upon hearing that, Chai Hu’s face lit up and he shouted, “Come over here, Fifth Sister.”
After hesitating for an instant, the new bride took step after step towards Chai Hu.
“That little brat’s is about to be out of luck!” All of a sudden, Yang Kai, who had been watching from the side with a detached point of view, suddenly mumbled out softly.
Everyone from the Thousand Leaves Sect was having a blast of a time watching the good show unfold before their eyes, being filled with jubilation regardless of the outcome from the disturbance Chai Hu had caused today. After all, no matter the outcome, it had already done damage to Luo Jin’s reputation. After today, this matter would be widely talked about in teahouses and restaurants, and people who were unclear about the inside story would still come to know that Luo Jin was someone vile enough to oppress men and seize women.
Hearing what Yang Kai had said, the members of the Thousand Leaves Sect looked at him in doubt, blank looks on their faces.
With a grin, Yang Kai whispered, “From the confident attitude the City Lord is giving off, how would he not have made any preparations?”
Du Xian’s face changed slightly, as though he had thought about something, before whispering, “What Young Master Yang means is that he is prepared to…”
Yang Kai shook his head, before indicating they should quietly watch the spectacle.
Over there, the phoenix coronet shook slightly as the red-veiled bride walked towards Chai Hu. Looking at her, a shade of happiness appeared in his sole eye as he opened his mouth to say, “Come and stand here to help me hold the fort, and force that old dog to let Big Brother and the others go. After that, we can escape from here and never return to this damned Sky Crane City.”
The new bride didn’t say a single word back as she obediently walked and stood by Chai Hu’s side.
“After creating such a huge disturbance today in my City Lord’s Mansion, and damaging this King’s face, do you think… you can escape, Your Excellency?” A ridiculing expression appeared on Luo Jin’s face as he snorted coldly in response.
“Everything can be achieved with effort!” Chai Hu sneered in reply.
Luo Jin gave an ambiguous laugh and said, “This King feels… that it’s best that you remain here!”
Chai Hu’s expression instantly changed. Just as he was able to say something, he suddenly felt a chilling intent hurtling towards his back. In the next instant, a palm was pressed against his back and a burst of power surged into his body, sending him flying with a jolt.
Flying through the air, his eye snapped wide open in absolute shock as he turned his head around. Upon looking at the owner of the palm, misery and despair flooded his lone eye.
*Peng…*
Landing on the ground, Chai Hu smashed into tables and chairs, yet he quickly climbed back up. However, it seemed as though he had suffered quite a serious blow from that attack, causing him to immediately spurt out a mouthful of blood upon standing up.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion lunged over at the same time, with a few palms pressing simultaneously on Chai Hu’s body. Power surged out of their palms, though nothing exploded forth from them.
After all, this was the City Lord’s great wedding ceremony, so it was truly inappropriate to let blood be spilt here. If not, Chai Hu would have died on the spot.
After being suppressed, Chai Hu staggered backwards, seemingly about to lose his balance. With a face filled with pain and sorrow, he looked towards the new bride, blood flowing out of his mouth as he said in grief, “Fifth Sister… why…”
Shockingly, it was the new bride, whom he wanted to save, that had unleashed a sneak attack and landed a serious blow on him. Even now, he couldn’t believe that what had happened was real.
Everything had happened in a split second. Not only did it shock Chai Hu, but it had also left all of the surrounding guests with their mouths agape, dumbfounded looks appearing on their faces. The only exception was Luo Jin, who seemed to have anticipated it, a faint smile hanging on his face.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stood up and shot a burning gaze at the new bride, while a myriad of emotions flashed across his eyes.
“Monster Qi?” A frown appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face, as she covered her mouth and whispered, “This new bride’s actually a person of the Monster Race?”
Just now, despite it being incomparably short, the instant the new bride took action, the strength she displayed was completely different from a human’s Source Qi, as there was a pure Monster Yuan Qi aura present within.
Although cultivators of the human race could cultivate Secret Arts or Secret Techniques from the Monster Race, and allow the energies of their bodies to grow similar to that of Monster Qi, it would absolutely not be as pure as what the new bride had unleashed. From the looks of it, this new bride was unexpectedly not a human, but a member of the Monster Race.
Although there were Monster Races present within the Star Boundary, it was extremely rare for them to move about within human-populated cities. Furthermore, other than the extremely small percentage that would do so, they would also do their utmost to conceal their movements; after all, due to the difference in race, it was unavoidable for humans to have negative feelings towards those of the Monster Race.
There were quite a few people other than Ye Jing Han who had discovered this, causing them to shoot curious looks towards the new bride.
Furthermore, from the energy fluctuations radiating from the new bride when she had taken action, she was impressively a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“What’s the matter, Young Master Yang?” Noticing that something was amiss with Yang Kai, Du Xian hastily asked out of concern.
However, Yang Kai paid no attention to him, continuing to lock his eyes right at the new bride, his body trembling slightly, as though he had discovered something incredible.
“Take him away and make sure to look after him properly! After the ceremony, this King will have a good talk with him!” Luo Jin waved his hand and gave his orders.
Nodding their heads, the few City Lord Mansion guards proceeded to take action and seal Chai Hu’s cultivation, before detaining him.
“No!” No one expected for a high pitched shout to ring out at that moment before everyone saw Luo Bing, who had just escaped from the deadly grasp of Chai Hu, rush straight towards him. Unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks at the few guards, she exerted all her might to push them away, proceeding to spread her arms and stand before Chai Hu, before shaking her head continuously, “Don’t come over!”
Her stance of wanting to protect Chai Hu left all of the guests in shock once again, as they were utterly incapable of understanding exactly what she was thinking. After all, Chai Hu had just used her life to threaten everyone, so shouldn’t she be fleeing as far away from Chai Hu as possible after extricating herself? Why did she jump right back into the net?
“What are you doing, Bing’er!” Luo Jin roared with great fury. He had grown quite angry with his daughter today, as she had already gone against him multiple times. Furthermore, she was now trying to protect the person that had caused a disturbance at his marriage ceremony! How could he not be angry?
“Father, Big Brother Chai saved me yesterday, so he’s my saviour! Please don’t make things difficult for him.” Luo Bing sobbed and pleaded.
Luo Jin’s eyes narrowed, “Saviour?”
Luo Bing replied, “That’s right. Yesterday, I was facing a life and death situation, and it was Big Brother Chai who saved me…”
“Yesterday?” A frown appeared on Luo Jin’s face as he said in a cold voice, “Didn’t you go out with Young Master Qiu yesterday? How did this person end up saving you?”
Luo Bing shook her head and answered, “I’ll tell you about the whole matter in detail later, so can you not make things difficult for him, and let him go, alright?”
The face of Qiu Yu, who had been listening on the side, instantly turned pale, and with a flash, appeared right before Luo Bing. Extending his hand, he grabbed hold of her arm, “Don’t cause a fuss anymore, Little Sister Bing. Didn’t Sir City Lord say that he would not hurt him? Just be a darling and be obedient, alright?”
However, Luo Bing shook her head, “Then you should let him go right now!”
A flash of impatience flickered across Luo Jin’s eyes as he spoke towards Qiu Yu, “Young Master Qiu, my little girl is being immature. Please take her away to rest.”
Qiu Yu nodded, “Yes sir!”
After saying that, he extended his hand out to give Luo Bing a pat on her body, causing her to immediately collapse limply. Although she was still conscious, she was incapable of moving. Carrying her by her waist, Qiu Yu proceeded to head towards the back of the inner hall.
After being struck by the new bride, Chai Hu seemed to have lost his soul, as he did not respond to the series of events that had just happened before him. At this moment, his sole eye turned red as he growled, “Fifth Sister, tell me, exactly why are you doing this! Could it be that you really are willingly getting married to this old dog?”
Luo Jin sneered, “This King has already given you enough face. If you can’t appreciate this King’s kindness, don’t blame this King for being discourteous towards you.”
A guest by the side shouted out, “City Lord, there’s no need for you to be overly kind to him! This person is guilty without a doubt!”
“That’s right! The City Lord and the new bride are bound by love, and will be blessed for hundreds of years. They are a Heaven-blessed pair, created by the earth, and not something that can be destroyed easily by a despicable, vile person like you.”
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!” Chai Hu roared with all his might.
“Stubborn-headed fool!” Luo Jin snorted coldly before speaking in a deep voice. “Then go and stand by the side and observe in detail whether my humble wife is willing to marry this King or not!”
After saying those words, Luo Jin turned his head and scanned his surroundings, before speaking out with a gloomy look on his face, “Any friend who does not accept this union, please step forward, and this King will give you a satisfactory answer.”
Having his marriage ceremony disrupted by people had caused damage to his face. Therefore, for the sake of regaining it, he had said those words with a face brimming with murderous intent.
Who dared to step up and go against him yet again?
“You must be joking, right, City Lord? There are bound to be a few people in this world that can’t appreciate other people’s kindness. Don’t take offence to that, sir.”
“That’s right, it’s not worth it to spoil one’s mood over people like this. Let’s continue, let’s continue!”
Only after hearing these responses did Luo Jin’s complexion turn slightly for the better as he snorted coldly, “Today is a day of celebrations, so this King isn’t willing to make a big fuss about it. If there’s anyone that still objects, you can just speak forthrightly.”
He surveyed his surroundings, with everyone around putting up apologetic smiles in response.
“I…” A person’s voice suddenly rang out, causing the nervous atmosphere, which was gradually easing away, to reappear once again. There were even quite a few people that sucked in a breath of cold air, as they looked towards the direction where the voice came from, quietly thinking that there really were people who were not afraid to die in this world, to actually dare to object at such a moment.
Luo Jin’s expression also turned fierce, anger gushing forth as he turned a gaze filled to the brim with murderous intent towards the direction of the voice.
He looked over, only to see a youth standing at the table nearest to the front, grinning. Raising his hand, the youth said, “I… have just a very small request, and I hope City Lord Sir won’t get angry over it.”
“It’s a member of Thousand Leaves Sect!”
“It’s actually a disciple of Thousand Leaves Sect! He isn’t choosing to do so now just to add insult to injury, right?”
“That’s a very unfamiliar face. Is he really a member of Thousand Leaves Sect?”
“How could he not be? Don’t you see him sitting together with Ye Jing Han and Du Xian?”
“This will be interesting.”
Hushed whispers proceeded to ring out. When the guests noticed that the person who had just spoken out was seated together with the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sects, they immediately knew that today’s matter would get even more complicated than before. After all, Chai Hu had only represented himself, had failed in snatching the bride away, and had even gotten injured while making a fool of himself. However, if Thousand Leaves Sect was to get involved, the whole issue might end up with a confrontation between the two great forces if it was not settled properly. If that were to happen, it would become a major issue that would affect everyone who lived within ten thousand kilometres of this place.
Upon hearing that voice, Qin Yu, who had carried the immobilised Luo Bing to the entrance of the inner hall, instantly came to a halt and turned around. Right as he saw who had just spoken out, his expression immediately changed, “How can it be that little bastard! He’s really too audacious!”
“Young Master… Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han was caught off guard as she stared blankly at Yang Kai, who had stood up, covering her mouth as she blurted out in shock, utterly confused as to why Yang Kai had the nerve to speak out after that shocking series of events.
“What are you doing, Young Master Yang?” Du Xian’s expression had also changed, as he immediately realized the severity of the current situation. Although they knew that Young Master Yang was not a disciple of their Thousand Leaves Sect, others did not know about this. Since they were all sitting at the same table, other people would definitely assume that they were together. Yang Kai standing up at this moment to object to the marriage would definitely cause others to assume that this was the stance that Thousand Leaves Sect was taking.
Once this misunderstanding developed, they might not be able to leave Sky Crane City anymore.
In an instant, beads of cold sweat surfaced on Du Xian’s forehead.
“It’s just a personal matter! It’s purely a private affair!” Sending a faint smile towards the two, Yang Kai proceeded to raise his head to look towards Luo Jin.
Clearly, Luo Jin was also utterly confused by Yang Kai’s words. After staring at the latter for a while, he asked, “Is Your Excellency also from Thousand Leaves Sect? How come this King has never greeted you before?”
What made Luo Jin even more confused was that the group of people from Thousand Leaves Sect were actually seated at the frontmost table. What exactly was happening here?
“Would you believe it if I were to say that I’m not from Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Pained looks appeared on the faces of Ye Jing Han and Du Xian as they wiped away the beads of cold sweat that appeared continuously on their foreheads, nervousness and unease radiating from their entire beings.
Taking this in, Luo Jin gave a slight frown before quickly saying, “So, how do I address Your Excellency?”
Although Yang Kai only had a Second-Order Dao Source cultivation, which was a Minor Realm lower than his, he could make out that Yang Kai’s was still quite young. Having such a cultivation while being at that age forced Luo Jin to have no choice but to not treat Yang Kai lightly. Therefore, just to be safe, Luo Jin felt that it was better for him to probe Yang Kai before taking any hasty action.
“Yang Kai!” When he gave his reply, Yang Kai did not look at Luo Jin. Instead, he continued to stare at the new bride, looking for her reaction, before speaking in a clear voice. “High Heaven Sect’s… Yang Kai!”
“High Heaven Sect? What Sect is that?”
“Is there such a Sect in our Southern Territory? How have I never heard of it before?”
“Perhaps it’s a Sect from some distant place. There are so many Sects under the Heavens, so it isn’t a mystery for us to have never heard of one before.”
Hushed whispers echoed from the surrounding guests, with even Ye Jing Han and the others wrinkling their foreheads in pensive thought. Not a single person here had heard of this High Heaven Sect before, so it was unavoidable for them to be filled with curiosity.
After hearing the way Yang Kai had introduced himself, a fierce tremor shook through the new bride’s body, appearing as though her state of mind had suffered some kind of shock.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he felt with increasing certainty that his guess was correct.
Earlier, at the instant when the new bride had taken action against Chai Hu, Yang Kai had felt that the energy fluctuations radiating from her seemed somewhat familiar, as though it came from someone that he knew. Now, her reaction had reinforced this feeling in his heart.
Obviously having never heard of a Sect like High Heaven Sect before, a frown appeared on Luo Jin’s face, “So, Little Brother Yang, what objection do you have against this King’s marriage ceremony? How about telling this King?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “Truthfully speaking, it isn’t anything like an objection; rather, this one is just quite curious about this new bride’s appearance… Sir City Lord, would it be alright if you could let this new bride remove her veil so we can see her gorgeous countenance?”
Right as his words rang out, weird looks appeared on everyone’s face as they looked at Yang Kai, wondering in their hearts about which new bride would remove their veil before entering the bridal room. On their day of marriage, the veils worn by the girls would only be removed by the grooms after entering the bridal rooms. This had always been the tradition, and breaking this would bring misfortune to the couple.
If the new bride’s face was to be revealed to everyone on the day of marriage, what purpose would the red veil have any more?
Despite such thoughts present in everyone’s heart, in all honesty, all of them were definitely curious about the new bride’s appearance, and wanted to take a glimpse of her face. However, not a single one of them had the courage to actually ask for it. Therefore, Yang Kai’s words had caused silent anticipation to well up in everyone’s heart.
Luo Jin’s eyes were solemn as he continued to stare at Yang Kai, remaining silent for a long time before giving a laugh, “You really are humorous, Little Brother Yang. You definitely are trying to make a joke just now to defuse the overly nervous atmosphere, right? This Old Master appreciates Little Brother’s thoughts!”
After saying those words, he cupped his hands slightly to show his understanding, though his eyes were brimming with a threatening stance, probably indicating to Yang Kai that he would suffer if he didn’t stop obstructing the process of the marriage ceremony.
However, right as he ended his speech, Yang Kai smiled and replied, “You’re misunderstanding me, Sir City Lord. This one did not just make a joke, I truly wish to see how the new bride looks!”
The smile on Luo Jin’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of deep profundity.
Appearing to not notice it, Yang Kai continued, “Everyone knows that the City Lord is blessed with good fortune, having fourteen beautiful concubines with different styles of beauty, being able to enjoy the blessed fortunes of having those beauties all around him. Yet, no one knows exactly how those City Lord Madams look, as all of them wear black veils whenever they head outside. Guards would be there to part the roads, leaving people with no way to see their true faces; however, I think that everyone here definitely thinks that these City Lord Madams are absolute beauties, as only then would be able to match up to Sir City Lord’s majestic and awe-inspiring prestige.”
Hearing his words, Luo Jin laughed. “You’re too polite, Little Brother!”
Inwardly, he thought that this little brat was not trying to find trouble, but had done so for the sake of flattery. If that was the case, there was no harm for him to cooperate a bit.
“Now, there’s already going to be another City Lord Madam, you can’t conceal her yet again and stir people’s appetite, right?” Yang Kai winked at Luo Jin, “There isn’t any harm in letting us get a feast for our eyes, when all of the guests from all directions have gathered today, right? It will also help accomplish this wish of mine. If that is possible, we would also be able to soak in the good fortune that surrounds Sir City Lord. Who knows if this might cause an endless stream of fortune, and bless us with a wonderful life. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
Although the guests quietly listened and didn’t participate in the conversation, looks of anticipation appeared on the faces of quite a few people, as though they really wished to see exactly how this new bride looked.
With a smile, Luo Jin replied, “Little Brother, this Luo and my Madams share the same heart, and are matches made in Heaven. If you really wish to get lucky with women, this King seriously recommends you to visit our city’s Thousand Revelries House! You will definitely be able to obtain whatever you wish for, as there are many beautiful and lovable ladies there!”
Right as his words rang out, hearty chuckles rang out from the surrounding guests, as they bowed over from the humour in what Luo Jin had just said.
Nevertheless, some people were able to catch the hidden meaning behind Luo Jin’s words. What he was trying to say was that his Madams were not ladies you could pay for services like in a brothel. If the guests really were too bored of life and dared to continue causing trouble, it would be equivalent to humiliating him. Therefore, don’t blame him for becoming angry as a result.
“Good! The auspicious hour is about to arrive! Let the ceremony continue!” With a wave, Luo Jin prepared to end this farce that had caused his impatience to bubble forth.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai took a step forward and quickly said, “What if I really want to take a look at the new bride?”
Turning his head around, Luo Jin shot a cold look at Yang Kai and said in an emotionless voice, “It’s best that you go back and take a seat, Little Brother!”
“Young Master Yang… what are you doing?” Ye Jing Han was on the brink of going mad as she was utterly clueless as to why Yang Kai would continue to provoke Luo Jin time and time again at such a critical juncture. She could clearly see Luo Jin’s impatience and anger, and was well aware that if this situation continued, there would be no way for them to pull back any more.
“Young Master Yang, please come back,” Du Xian urged.
Turning his head towards them, Yang Kai replied in an indifferent tone, “This is my personal affair. If you all are afraid of being implicated by me, leave right now; however, do not criticize or give orders to me.”
A frown appeared on Du Xian’s face, though he did not continue to urge the latter.
On the contrary, a flustered look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she waved her hands, “That was not my intention, but…”
Before waiting for her to finish her sentence, Yang Kai had already left from his seat, taking step after step towards the new bride. Moving at an unhurried pace, with a carefree look on his face, he looked at Luo Jin and said, “Sir City Lord, if this one isn’t able to see the true face of your new bride, I might not be able to sleep well at night. Sir City Lord, please let me fulfil my wish.”
“Have you gone crazy, you brat?” Hugging on to Luo Bing, Qiu Yu stood dumbly at his original position, a burning look in his eyes. He was utterly incapable of understanding why Yang Kai would cause such a ruckus; after all, from their earlier meeting, he could tell that Yang Kai was not some brainless troublemaker.
At this moment, the eye of Chai Hu, who was originally filled with despair as he was being suppressed by the City Lord Mansion guards, suddenly lit up as he shot a burning gaze at Yang Kai, as though he had managed to grasp onto a life-saving stalk in his despair. Struggling about, he shouted, “Little Brother, help me take her away! She’s just having a momentary confusion! You have to take her away!”
“Impudence!” Luo Jin roared out as he sent a furious and imposing glare at Yang Kai, “Little brat, I see that you’re purposefully trying to start a fight, huh.”
Continuing to walk towards the new bride, Yang Kai shook his head and replied, “You misunderstand me. I just wish to take a look at the new bride, that’s all. If you don’t agree, I’ll just have to do it myself.”
Luo Jin shouted out angrily, “Capture him!”
As his command rang out, a dozen cultivators suddenly leapt out from all directions, lunging aggressively towards Yang Kai. There were two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters among their ranks, one on the left and one on the right, both of them entering an attacking stance.
Seeing a fight about to break out before their eyes, the faces of the surrounding guests changed as they proceeded to retreat in fear of getting involved. There were even more people that looked towards Yang Kai with pitying expressions appearing on their faces, as they silently felt that the latter had lost his mind to actually cause such disturbance during the City Lord’s marriage ceremony. Wasn’t this equivalent to courting death?
In the blink of an eye, the dozen cultivators appeared before Yang Kai. Taking the lead, the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters unleashed their attacks in a ruthless fashion. In an instant, Source Qi burst forth within the inner hall as energy fluctuations surged out.
In the next moment, a flurry of bangs rang out, followed by successive miserable howls, as all of the City Lord Mansion’s guards that lunged at Yang Kai were sent flying backwards. Smashing heavily against the surrounding walls, causing the entire inner hall to be filled with holes.
“What?”
“What happened?”
“Am I seeing things? My eyes have no problems, right?”
Astonished shouts rang out as the surrounding guests were utterly incapable of believing what they had just witnessed. There were even people who started to rub their eyes in an attempt to clear their vision, but were nevertheless unable to change the result that had appeared before their eyes.
The dozen cultivators, including the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, had all been sent flying in a single instant.
It was impossible for something like that to have happened for no reason. Therefore, the only explanation was that they had all been sent flying by Yang Kai.
However, no one had seen exactly how Yang Kai had taken action; the only thing they caught was a faint glimpse of Yang Kai’s figure turning blurry.
Only the exceedingly small handful of Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters present narrowed their eyes and revealed solemn expressions on their faces as they realised how extraordinary Yang Kai was.
This was the same for Luo Jin. Originally, he had assumed that Yang Kai was just a little brat that had yet to grasp the immensity of the Heavens and Earth. However, he never expected that Yang Kai would have concealed his strength like this. In an instant, Luo Jin realised that he was facing serious trouble.
After knocking those dozen City Lord Mansion guards back, Yang Kai continued to wear a calm and relaxed expression on his face, as though nothing had happened as he continued to walk towards the new bride.
“What are you all staring at?!” Realising that the situation was worsening, Luo Jin roared out a command.
In the next instant, even more masters from the City Lord’s Mansion flew out and hurtled towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai made an abrupt stop, turned his head towards his surroundings, a cold gaze gleaming within his eyes before he spoke in a grim tone, “If anyone dares to come over again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
As his words rang out, looks of hesitation appeared on the faces of many of the cultivators lunging towards him, in fear of losing their lives here; however, with Luo Jin glaring at them, they had no choice but to clench their teeth and summon their artifacts and use their Secret Techniques to attack Yang Kai.
In an instant, multi-coloured lights enveloped the place where Yang Kai stood, as surging energies intersected and collided together. Intense explosions rang out, shaking the entire inner hall to the point where it appeared to teeter on the brink of collapse.
Everyone’s eyes snapped wide open as they looked towards where the various energies were surging out from, wanting to know how Yang Kai would deal with this danger. Nevertheless, they were greatly disappointed that Yang Kai actually didn’t escape, and not a single trace of movement could be seen within.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Jing Han’s expression changed drastically as she shouted out in shock.
Faced with such ferocious attacks, it was utterly impossible for Yang Kai, with his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, to block all of them. Therefore, she believed that Yang Kai would definitely be in a disastrous situation.
On the other side, Luo Jin gave a sneer, while a ridiculing look appeared on his face.
After a short while, the energy storm dissipated, revealing a gigantic hole where Yang Kai once stood. However, not a single trace of Yang Kai was present.
“Where is he? Where did he go?”
“Is he dead? Could he have been turned into dust?”
“It’s possible. That little brat was a walking joke, all bark and no bite!”
“With so many cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion taking action, even a Third-Order Dao Source Realm would be killed without a doubt. How could that inexperienced little brat defend against those attacks? He has definitely died without the chance of being buried.”
With such a sight before them, everyone couldn’t help themselves from discussing the current situation, with some feeling pity for Yang Kai dying before reaching his prime, and others mocking him for overestimating his own strength. The greater majority of the people immediately proceeded to flatter and laud Luo Jin to the best of their abilities.
A faint smile hung on Luo Jin’s face, though a faint feeling that something was amiss started to grow within his heart, causing unease to radiate through his entire being.
Chai Hu’s face had turned ashen, and it took him quite a while to recover from the shock he had experienced.
On the other table, Du Xian’s face had turned deathly pale as he continued to gulp down his saliva, also taking quite a while to recover from his shock. After a long while, he finally snapped awake from his absent-mindedness before whispering, “We should hurry up and leave; if not, it’ll be too late for us.”
Now that Yang Kai had died, although there weren’t any connections between Yang Kai and their Thousand Leave Sect, he had been sitting together with them around the same table earlier. Therefore, it was unavoidable for people to have some misunderstandings about their relationship, especially Luo Jin. No one could tell whether he would take this chance to make things difficult for Thousand Leaves Sects by forcing them to stay behind.
If Luo Jin really chose to do so, with what just transpired, he wouldn’t suffer any repercussions.
Considering all of this, Du Xian started to get flustered, causing him to grab Ye Jing Han in haste, wanting to sneak away while everyone was still distracted by the earlier events.
How could he have thought that Ye Jing Han wouldn’t budge an inch though as she continued to sweep her beautiful eyes around the nearby void.
“What are you doing, Ye’er?” Du Xian was filled with anxiousness.
Ye Jing Han replied, “Young Master Yang hasn’t died. It’s impossible for him to have died that easily.”
Not knowing where she was getting this confidence from, Du Xian clenched his teeth and whispered, “His body has already turned into nothingness! What are you still looking for!”
Ye Jing Han replied, “I’m well aware of Young Master Yang’s abilities, so I know, how could he possibly die just like that?”
Yang Kai had agreed to follow her back to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their World-Crossing Space Array. This involved the very future of Thousand Leaves Sect, so how could Ye Jing Han not care about him? Before she had personally seen Yang Kai’s corpse, she absolutely refused to believe Yang Kai had died.
“So what if he’s formidable? Two fists can’t block four strikes, Ye’er!” Du Xian attempted to persuade her.
“I believe in him!” Ye Jing Han said as she bit her lip, continuing to search among the void. All of a sudden, she seemed to have discovered something, as she stared firmly in a certain direction, gasping in shock as she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
A stunned look appeared on Du Xian’s face, before he looked towards the direction she was staring at, only to see a cultivator from the City Lord’s Mansion. This person was one of the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters that had participated in the bombardment of attacks against Yang Kai.
Right at this instant, an illusionary phantom-like form appeared behind this person’s back, gradually solidifying into the appearance of Yang Kai.
“This….” Du Xian’s eyeballs were practically popping out of their sockets as he said in a trembling voice, “He’s really… not dead?”
A wave of palpitations rocked the depths of his heart; just how strong would one have to be to be able to escape from that bombardment of attacks without anyone noticing? Not only was Yang Kai still alive, but he was also completely uninjured! In fact, there wasn’t even any damage to his robes.
A large number of Divine Senses intersected within the inner hall, as the few Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters hadn’t lowered their vigilance at all from the start. As such, the moment Yang Kai reappeared, he had been detected by them and their gazes all shot over towards him.
Upon seeing Yang Kai’s figure, Luo Jin’s expression drastically changed as he roared out, “Boy, what do you think you’re doing!?”
Standing behind the Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, Yang Kai sent a malevolent smile towards Luo Jin. Extending his hand out in front of himself, he palmed, causing faintly visible Space Principle fluctuations to ripple, before they disappeared quietly.
As he acted, he finally replied, “As I said earlier, don’t blame me for being impolite towards anyone who dares take action against me!”
As his words rang out, an inexplicable shiver racked through Luo Jin’s body as an extreme feeling of unease surfaced within his heart.
Right at this moment, the Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master who stood in front of Yang Kai suddenly collapsed forward. Before his body made contact with the ground, blood spurted out from his neck as his head flew high into the air.
Astonished cries rang out from all directions, as countless people looked at Yang Kai with extreme dread while they retreated back to increase the distance between them and him.
The person who had just died was a well-known master in Sky Crane City, serving as one of Luo Jin’s arms, helping him in the management of Sky Crane City, one of the Vice City Lords.
However, such a Master had actually been killed by Yang Kai just like that! From the blank look in his eyes, that person seemed to be fully unaware of what had happened, even at the point of death!
Shock filled everyone’s hearts and minds. Exactly how strong was this youth to be able to kill a Second-Order Dao Source Realm without any sign of attacking at all? To the point that the person killed didn’t even sense his impending death!
Looking towards Luo Jin, Yang Kai said in an emotionless tone, “I truly apologise for letting blood be spilt at Sir City Lord’s wedding. I hope that there will be no one else that wants to obstruct me!”
After saying those words, he continued to make his way towards the new bride, who had remained at her original location since the beginning.
As he walked by, everyone subconsciously moved aside and gave way, letting him pass. Despite the extremely ugly looks on their faces, even those cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion proceeded to retreat, not a single one of them daring to stand up and bar Yang Kai’s way.
With a deeply profound look on his face, Luo Jin stared Yang Kai’s figure while thick murderous intent flashed within his eyes.
The disturbance caused by this youth named Yang Kai during his wedding ceremony was bound to cause serious damage to his reputation and dignity. If he wasn’t able to regain his face, how would he be able to raise his head high in Sky Crane City in the future?
However, even with the few Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters taking action together, it was still insufficient to deal with Yang Kai, so there was no choice left but to take action personally to deal with him.
As that thought settled in his mind, Luo Jin shot an inconspicuous glance towards a certain location within the crowd of guests.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had already walked all the way before the new bride. With a slightly complicated and nervous look on his face, he extended his hand towards the red veil covering the new bride’s face while apologising, “Forgive me!”
The eyes of all of the surrounding guests snapped wide open. On one hand, they wished to know how this situation would develop, and on the other hand, they felt curious about the actual appearance of this new bride.
Yang Kai had caused this entire debacle for the sake of seeing what this new bride looked like. In fact, he didn’t care about offending the City Lord’s Mansion and killing a Vice City Lord to do so. This development of events caused interest to grow even in the people who were originally uninterested in the appearance of the new bride.
At this moment, everyone’s eyes were wide open, with deathly silence filling the inner hall to the point that one could hear a pin drop if it was to occur. Seemingly everyone had held their breath, waiting to bear witness to that critical instant that was about to happen.
Just when Yang Kai’s hand was about to grab hold of that red veil, the new bride suddenly extended her jade white hand out and grabbed ahold of his arm. At the same time, Monster Qi surged out from her tender body and she sent her palm hurtling viciously towards Yang Kai’s chest. Energy fluctuations gushed out from her palm, a clear indication of the powerful force behind this attack.
“Careful!” Chai Hu suddenly shouted out, as he had suffered a huge loss precisely due to a sneak attack from the new bride. If he had not had a hostage in his hands, how could he be easily captured?
Ye Jing Han had also cried out in shock upon seeing this.
With ample power behind this palm strike, Yang Kai was apprehensive to block it for fear of injuring the new bride. Therefore, he allowed the jade white hand to smash against his chest. He was immediately sent flying backwards as though he was struck by lightning, with blood flowing out from the corner of his mouth, as his organs shifted from the shock.
Right at this instant, Luo Jin had somehow managed to appear behind Yang Kai. Summoning a jade sceptre-like artifact in his hand, he proceeded to smash it fiercely towards Yang Kai, all while laughing malevolently, “Let this King send you on your way!”
As his words rang out, the jade sceptre had already made contact with Yang Kai’s body. Blossoming with intense radiance, it let out an extremely strange power. In the next instant, a black hole appeared in the air that proceeded to devour Yang Kai’s body.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai’s entire body was torn into bits.
Achieving his goal with one strike, Luo Jin laughed heartily, “This is the end for anyone who dares to go against this King!”
The surrounding guests kept their mouths shut out of fear. Staring at the jade scepter in Luo Jin’s hand, looks of dread appeared on their faces, as though they were staring at an extremely powerful artifact.
However, in the next instant, Luo Jin’s smile froze as he suddenly discovered that there was not a single drop of blood flowing out from the pieces of Yang Kai’s body. On the contrary, they started to distort before his very eyes, before dissipating away like puffs of smoke.
“Just an afterimage!?” Luo Jin’s face changed drastically, as never in his wildest dreams did he expect to fail in his sneak attack.
“So, you’re the one behind all this!” All of sudden, Yang Kai’s voice rang out from within the crowd of people, causing the colour to drain from the faces of the nearby guests who retreated. Upon turning their heads around, they noticed Yang Kai extending his hand to grab the neck of a middle-aged man, a sneer present on his face.
The crowd seemed to not recognize this middle-aged man. Nevertheless, they could not help but reveal looks of pity on their faces upon seeing the misfortune that had befallen him, despite not knowing what he had done to be targeted by Yang Kai.
This middle-aged man had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, which was considered to be pretty good; however, after personally witnessing Yang Kai kill a Vice City Lord in front of everyone, how could he dare to resist? The only reaction he could make was to tremble as he looked at Yang Kai in terror and shout, “We can talk this over, Little Brother, right! What is this all about?”
Increasing his grip ever so slightly, Yang Kai squeezed the man’s neck till cracking sounds echoed before sneering, “Stop acting and tell me exactly what you are using to control the new bride!”
Right as those words rang out, the middle-aged man’s face changed drastically, though he tried his best to conceal it, “You… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know very clearly what I’m talking about! I’ll give you ten breaths to obediently dispel whatever Secret Technique you’re using, or you’ll never dispel anything else ever again!”
The middle-aged man became flustered as he shot a pleading gaze at Luo Jin.
As the despair-filled Chai Hu heard Yang Kai’s remark, he seemed to have come to some sort of realisation. Struggling to climb up, he looked towards Yang Kai, “This friend, what do you mean…”
Yang Kai faintly smiled as he looked at Chai Hu in pity. Instead of replying, he asked, “Are you feeling hurt and filled with despair? The person that you’ve risked your life to save actually attacked you instead. Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
Chai Hu’s face turned ashen as he locked his eyes firmly on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai continued, “She didn’t attack you of her own free will.”
Chai Hu gasped in shock, before speaking through clenched teeth, “Are you saying… that she’s being controlled by someone?” As he spoke those words, he shot a hate-filled glare at the middle-aged man grasped by Yang Kai, murderous intent surging without restraint on his face as he growled, “Is it him?”
With a hearty laugh, Yang Kai replied, “You finally understand.”
The hatred-filled look on Chai Hu’s face worsened, “I should have understood earlier! I should have understood all along! How could it be possible for Fifth Sister to sneak attack me!? Dammit! I should have understood! Why am I so stupid!? Chai Hu, you’re the dumbest person alive!”
He shouted out loudly, filled with guilt and self-blame.
“Big Brother Chai…” Luo Bing’s face was streaked with tears, and seemed to be in shock as she rushed up and pushed away the City Lord Mansion guards who were restraining Chai Hu. She proceeded to extend her hands and stood protectively before him like a mother hen and shouted, “Hurry up and go, Big Brother Chai! I’ll hold them back!”
She didn’t know exactly why she did such a thing. Before the incident yesterday that resulted in her meeting Chai Hu, she was the princess of the City Lord’s Mansion and had experienced the privilege of being protected and being free of worry as she lived in happiness. However, after yesterday’s experience, she seemed to feel that she had grown much more mature. After seeing the self-rebuke, sadness and despair that Chai Hu had shown earlier, she felt her heart inexplicably starting to hurt. This resulted in her body moving on its own, and not thinking about the smaller details.
“Bing’er!” Luo Jin erupted in fury, his eyes shooting out flames of anger as he stared viciously at his daughter. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his ever-so obedient daughter to go against him time and time again while under public scrutiny, to the point of defending the perpetrator that had caused a disturbance at his own marriage ceremony! He felt as though the sky had started to revolve around the earth, as intense flames of anger roared furiously in the depths of his heart.
“Father, please let Big Brother Chai go! I’m begging you! He’s my saviour! You can’t hurt him!” Luo Bing knelt down on the ground, tears spilling out from her eyes as she pleaded earnestly.
A complicated expression surfaced within Chai Hu’s sole eye as he stared blankly at the frail and delicate figure kneeling before him, a swirl of confusing emotions churning in his heart.
A range of expressions also appeared on the faces of the surrounding guests, as a deep veneration and respect surfaced in their hearts as they concentrated their gazes on the crying Luo Bing.
“You’re a good person, Junior Sister Bing,” Yang Kai gave a hearty chuckle as he gave a big thumbs up towards Luo Bing. He had a totally new respect for her, “Rest assured, your Big Brother Chai definitely won’t be injured further today! This Yang guarantees that with his life!”
Hearing his words, Luo Bing’s eyes lit up as she turned to look at Yang Kai, “Really? Can you really guarantee it?”
Yang Kai replied in a solemn voice, “I give you my word!”
Rubbing the tears from the corners of her eyes, Luo Bing exclaimed in elation, “Thank you. Thank you! Hurry up and take him away. Big Brother Chai’s cultivation has been sealed by them, so he can’t leave on his own. You’re so formidable, so you definitely can bring him and leave.”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I can’t do that. I’ve yet to complete my matters here. I’ll naturally bring him away from here after I’m done.” After a slight pause, he gave a faint smile, “Naturally, if Junior Sister Bing wishes to leave together, you can come along with us.”
“Me?” Luo Bing gawked at his words before she turned to look at her father, then back at Chai Hu behind her. Giving a melancholic smile, she replied, “I cannot do that, I must stay by my father’s side.”
Luo Jin closed his eyes and replied in a deep tone, one that was filled with pain, “Bing’er, if you don’t return to your room right now, and continue spouting nonsense here, your father will no longer consider you his daughter!”
He had enough of this! He felt that he had spoiled Luo Bing too much in the past, which resulted in her damaging his dignity in such a manner today. The pain he felt from her actions had far eclipsed the fury he felt towards Yang Kai and Chai Hu for disrupting his marriage ceremony.
Luo Bing’s tender body shook, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked pitifully at her father before the tears splashed onto the ground like broken strings of pearls. Luo Jin had never treated her this strictly and had never said such ruthless words to her before. This led to her reaching an unbearable point as she collapsed onto the ground.
“As for you two…” Although Luo Jin was frustrated with the nonsense his daughter had done, he didn’t have the heart to continue looking at her after noticing the sorry figure she was cutting right now. Instead, he tossed all of his anger towards Yang Kai. Turning his head to look at him, he roared out in vicious anger, “None of you will be leaving today! Start the array!”
As his voice rang out, a humming noise suddenly rang out from the City Lord’s Mansion, before a powerful surge of energy erupted from within. In the next instant, the entire exterior of the City Lord’s Mansion was surrounded by a light barrier. Clearly, a Spirit Array had been activated, sealing the entire City Lord’s Mansion.
“Just how I like it!” Yang Kai replied with a hearty laugh, “Before the matter has been settled, no one is allowed to leave this place.”
“This little brat’s mad! He’s really gone mad!”
“He actually dares to defy the City Lord’s Mansion by himself! Where is he finding the courage to do so? From the looks of it, he wants to settle this right here and right now.”
“What’s the point of caring so much? Just watch and enjoy the show.”
A flurry of discussion rang out, with the surrounding guests already retreating far away following the series of unusual events playing out. This resulted in a large empty space within the inner hall, with Yang Kai and the middle-aged man grasped in his hand left within.
“Speak! What method did you use to control the new bride? I’m not patient at all. If you aren’t able to give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll kill you immediately…” Source Qi gushed out from Yang Kai’s palm as he shot a cold and emotionless look at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, which was lower than Yang Kai by a Minor Realm. Upon Yang Kai’s declaration, this man’s expression changed drastically as sweat poured out from his forehead, speaking in a trembling voice, “Little Brother, you… you’re misunderstanding something…”
Before he could finish his reply, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand, before making a slight chopping action.
*Pu…*
A soft sound rang out as the man witnessed his arm flying out from his body before exploding in a cloud of blood mist in the air. In the next instant, a fountain of blood gushed out from the stump.
“Ahh! My arm!” The middle-aged man shrieked in misery as the intense pain set in, his face warping madly.
“This is just a small warning to you. If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer to my next question, it’ll be your head that flies off!” Yang Kai’s eyes gleamed with a chilling glint as he said in an exceedingly cold voice. “I don’t really care what method you used to control the new bride. After all, if you die… the new bride should be released, right?”
A shiver ran down the middle-aged man’s body as terror and dread filled his face. As he cried out in pain, he shot multiple looks towards Luo Jin, only to see the latter shake his head.
Clenching his teeth, he shouted out, “It’s… it’s useless to kill me! If I die, the new bride will die without a doubt!”
As his words rang out, the surrounding guests instantly clamoured in shock, while Luo Jin’s face sank and turned incomparably ashen.
Although the middle-aged man did not directly reveal any information with his reply, his words were already enough to answer some questions. If the new bride did not agree to this marriage, why would Luo Jin need to let this man control her? If she was truly willing, there was simply no need for any of this.
In other words, the new bride was truly being forced to get married to Luo Jin against her will.
Upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words, Chai Hu’s sole eye erupted with an astonishing splendour, before laughing foolishly, as though he had managed to clear the knot in his heart.
Seeing the happiness Chai Hu exuded, Luo Bing could not help but smile, which painted a desolately beautiful image when paired with her tear-stricken face.
“You’re trying to deceive me?” Yang Kai snorted coldly before speaking in a sinister tone, “Do you know the price you’ll pay for lying?”
“I’m not lying to you!” The middle-aged man shouted loudly, “Everything I say is the truth.”
Yang Kai stared coldly at him, though he was not able to sense the slightest sign of a lie in the man’s eyes. Nodding his head, he said, “Good, since that’s the case, dispel that Secret Technique of yours.”
Upon hearing that, a look of difficulty surfaced on the man’s face as he shook his head continuously.
“Do you wish to die?” Yang Kai roared.
The middle-aged man replied, “As long as I don’t dispel it, you won’t dare to kill me! If I do dispel it, I’ll definitely die!”
The crowd immediately realised what he meant as soon as he said those words.
If he did not dispel the Secret Technique, Yang Kai would act cautiously lest the new bride gets injured, and thus naturally wouldn’t take his life. However, if the man were to dispel the Secret Technique, regardless of whether Yang Kai backed out of his promise or not, Luo Jin would absolutely not let him go.
With Luo Jin already losing all of his face today, how could he be willing to take things lying down if the middle-aged man did something that he didn’t want? Although he could pardon Luo Bing, and could not do anything to Yang Kai, he would definitely grind the middle-aged man into a paste.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “You’re quite sharp!”
The middle-aged man gave a miserable smile, “I’m being forced by circumstances, so I hope little brother won’t feel offended!”
“Then tell me exactly what Secret Technique you used?” Yang Kai asked once again.
The middle-aged man looked sheepishly at Luo Jin, only to spot the latter’s cold and gloomy expression, causing him to turn his gaze away in haste.
“Looks like you’ve steeled your heart to not cooperate with me, huh? That’s alright. I won’t take your life, but I can cut off your four limbs!” Yang Kai gave a deep, cold smile, raising his hand.
“Wait!” The middle-aged man’s face turned pale in fright. Maybe due to his loss of blood, he replied with a loud shout.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Yang Kai asked in a stern voice.
The middle-aged man hesitated for quite a while before speaking between his clenched teeth, “It’s not a Secret Technique…”
“Not a Secret Technique?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Then what method did you use to control the new bride?”
The middle-aged man wailed, “I can’t say! Please let me go, Little Brother! That’s all I can tell you! This one still has Elders and descendants to take care of in my family, and they all live in Sky Crane City. Please be magnanimous, Little Brother…”
Yang Kai stared coldly at him, though he knew that nothing good would result in him forcing the middle-aged man again. Therefore, he threw this man hatefully towards the Thousand Leaves Sect’s people and shouted, “Sister Ye, help me look after him. If he dares to pull any stunts, kill him!”
“Good!” Upon hearing his words, Ye Jing Han snapped out of her daze and hastily caught the flying middle-aged man, before keeping him suppressed by her side.
After this, Yang Kai turned around and returned to the side of the new bride.
This time around, the new bride did not take action against him, simply standing still like a statue. As Yang Kai drew close, her breathing started to quicken, as if she was getting excited, to the point where her tender body started to tremble.
At this moment, Yang Kai finally arrived before the new bride, extending his hand to tug away the red veil covering her face.
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly, though he remained still and didn’t take any action, giving no indication of what he was planning at all.
The surrounding guests opened their eyes wide as they focused their attention on the new bride, quietly waiting for the impending heart-stirring moment.
With a whoosh, the red veil flew up, revealing an absolutely enchanting and beautiful face, lighting up the eyes of many guests while envy and admiration surged in their hearts.
The instant the new bride’s face was revealed, her beautiful eyes immediately pointed towards Yang Kai, brimming with excitement and rebuke, as though she was blaming Yang Kai for taking so long to remove the veil from her head.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai felt as though a large stone had been removed from his heart. Sending a smile towards the new bride, he said with relief, “It really is you, Senior!”
“Fifth Sister!” Chai Hu shouted from the back.
The new bride turned her pupils and shot a look at Chai Hu, her eyes brimming with grateful emotions. Although she could not move right now, she had witnessed everything Chai Hu had done today. Under the middle-aged man’s control, she had launched a sneak attack against Chai Hu, causing her to be filled with guilt, as well as anger for not being able to prevent it from happening.
“You can’t speak, Senior?” Yang Kai asked as he smiled towards the new bride.
The new bride shot a fierce glare at Yang Kai, as though she was asking him why he was asking this even though he already knew the answer.
Despite feeling embarrassed, Yang Kai continued, “So, you can’t move?”
The new bride blinked her eyes.
After hearing Yang Kai’s questions, looks of doubt and suspicion appeared on the faces of many guests. This was about the way Yang Kai had addressed the new bride. Although Yang Kai’s was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had actually addressed the new bride, who only was at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, as Senior.
What kind of situation was this?
A blank look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he looked towards Yang Kai, “Does Little Brother know my Fifth Sister?” Despite already having his guesses earlier, Chai Hu was still somewhat astonished to personally see Yang Kai and his Fifth Sister looking as though they were exceedingly familiar with each other. That was because from what he knew, his Fifth Sister, Big Brother and the others did not have any friends in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai smiled in response, while an odd expression appeared on his face, “Of course I know her! Senior Chi Yue… is my mother-in-law!”
Shocked cries immediately rang out.
Countless guests went slack-jawed as they stared dumbly at Yang Kai, assuming that they had just misheard something. There were even quite a few people with odd expressions on their faces as they alternated their gazes between Chi Yue and Luo Jin, their emotions wavering.
If Yang Kai addressed the new bride as mother-in-law, didn’t that mean that this would-be bride was already a mother? Had the prestigious and famous Sky Crane City City Lord actually not known about this fact, and had even wanted to take her as his concubine?
Thinking about that, quite a few of the cultivators that had issues against the City Lord’s Mansion quietly revealed satisfied looks on their faces as they observed the ashen-faced Luo Jin. At this moment, they seem to be able to see a huge green hat sitting on his head, radiating with a bright lustre.
After saying those words, Yang Kai finally managed to calm his surging emotions. The new bride right before his eyes was impressively Monster Emperor Star’s Monster King, Chi Yue, whom he had met after finally journeying beyond Shadowed Star back in the Star Field! She was also the adoptive mother of Shan Qing Luo.
In the beginning, he didn’t care too much after seeing the new bride for the first time, with the exception of feeling that something wasn’t quite right. However, after the new bride had used her strength to ambush Chai Hu, he discovered that he was somewhat familiar with the Monster Qi fluctuations that she radiated. This made him start to speculate that he was familiar with this new bride.
After careful consideration, he felt that there was a possibility that she was Chi Yue, which prompted him to absolutely insist on taking a look at the new bride’s face. He had purposefully mentioned High Heaven Sect in order to observe the new bride’s reactions. With her reacting as he had expected, it confirmed his guess, only for him to be obstructed by Luo Jin, resulting in some trouble.
It was only upon seeing Chi Yue’s face that Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, with elation surging up from the depths of his heart.
Back in the Starlight Corridor, he and the other five Third-Order Origin King Masters were separated due to some circumstances. In fact, even Liu Yan and the Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts became unknown.
After such a long time, he had only managed to find Liu Yan by chance. However, the whereabouts of Xiao Xiao and the others were still a mystery.
Yang Kai had always been very concerned about them and how their lives were in this foreign Star Boundary. However, due to the vastness of the Star Boundary, with no power or force to rely on, it was utterly impossible for him to conduct any kind of large scale investigation to find them.
This time, it was a minor miracle to be able to encounter Chi Yue in Sky Crane City.
If not for him agreeing to Ye Jing Han’s request to come to Thousand Leaves Sect, he would absolutely not have known about Sky Crane City. If not for Ye Jing Han receiving Ye Hen’s message halfway during the trip to participate in this marriage ceremony, Yang Kai would also have missed this chance to reconnect with Chi Yue.
Various coincidences had led to today’s meeting. Life truly was unpredictable, just like the Heavenly Ways. For a moment, Yang Kai could not help but sigh in admiration.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Boy!?” As expected, Luo Jin was unable to endure this kind of embarrassment, leading to him suddenly exploding out with a roar after a moment of silence.
Chai Hu was also shocked by Yang Kai’s words and shot a stunned look at Chi Yue. Gulping down mouthfuls of saliva as he asked awkwardly, “Fifth Sister… already has children?”
Although she stood quietly and not making a sound, Chi Yue’s face had already turned red as she stared at Yang Kai in anger, as though she was blaming him for damaging her reputation.
Yang Kai smiled sheepishly and replied, “You’re misunderstanding, Brother Chai. Senior Chi Yue has an adopted daughter, an adopted daughter!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s reply, Chai Hu gave a carefree smile, “Regardless of whether it is an adopted daughter or a biological one, we’re still one big family!”
Yang Kai said, “This Yang has seen everything Brother Chai has done. This one represents my mother-in-law to thank Brother Chai for your help!” Cupping his fists, he bowed in respect towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu waved his hands, “When Fifth Sister is facing trouble, it ought to be my duty to help her. Little Brother, you must dispel the technique that’s restricting Fifth Sister’s freedom!”
Yang Kai nodded, taking a look at Chi Yue, he quickly apologised, “Forgive my disrespect, Senior!”
After saying those words, he grabbed Chi Yue’s delicate hand, before sending the Source Qi from his body into her meridians.
Chi Yue’s tender body shook slightly as she looked at Yang Kai in shock. Due to the red veil that she wore earlier, which prevented her from seeing clearly what happened around her, she was only able to sense that Yang Kai had fought against quite a few people just now; however, it was only at this moment that she discovered the purity and density of his Source Qi, causing shock to run through her face, as well as admiration to well up within her heart.
Currently, she also had a Dao Source Realm cultivation, so she naturally knew the disparity in strength between Minor Realms of this Great Realm. She could clearly sense that all of the Source Qi in Yang Kai’s body was extremely pure and rich compared to her own.
She thought about the time they had just arrived in the Star Boundary, where her cultivation was still higher than his. Now, after their reunion, Yang Kai’s cultivation had already far surpassed hers.
But it had only been a short span of two or three years!
Chi Yue felt extremely curious about what Yang Kai had experienced during their short period of separation, to be able to achieve such growth.
Just as Chi Yue was dwelling in deep shock, Yang Kai had already sunk his Divine Sense deeply into her body to investigate. After a short moment, Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled slightly before he mumbled, “Indeed, there’s no Secret Technique, and no traces of any seals or restrictions…”
Upon hearing his words, Chi Yue continued to shoot an irritated look at Yang Kai, as though she wanted to tell him something. However, with her Divine Sense unable to be propagated out, and her inability to talk or move, anxiety filled her heart.
Looking over from the distance, Luo Jin merely continued to sneer, yet did not show the slightest bit of wanting to disturb Yang Kai. It seemed as though he was filled with ample confidence towards the method the middle-aged man had used, and also felt that it was impossible for Yang Kai to dispel it.
“Exactly what is this…” Yang Kai’s forehead bunched up as he investigated in detail. Not daring to overlook any slight bit of suspicion or doubt he had. The surrounding guests continued to observe curiously, as well as feeling a deep sense of dread towards that middle-aged man.
All of them had personally witnessed how strong Yang Kai was. However, despite his strength, he was still unable to identify the method this man had used to control the new bride, showing how strange the man’s method was.
One would need to be careful and vigilant when interacting with such a person. If not, once he was allowed to unleash his strange technique to gain control, one would become a dead man walking.
“Exactly what method did you use to control the new bride?” Seeing Yang Kai toiling away but unable to find the root of the problem, Ye Jing Han could not help but to ask in curiosity.
The man shook his head continuously upon hearing her question, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything.”
How could he dare to reveal any details? His entire family lived in Sky Crane City; if he revealed his secrets, it would result in a disaster for his family, as Luo Jin would definitely not let him off lightly.
“Spineless coward!” Ye Jing Han snorted in disdain.
A look of defeat appeared on the middle-aged male’s face, though he was helpless to refute, leaving him with no other choice but to remain silent, his eyes filled with dread as he looked towards Yang Kai.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered something, as a shocked look appeared on his face while his Divine Sense proceeded to scan a portion of Chi Yuan’s dantian region in detail.
After a short while, his eyes lit up as he mumbled, “Puppet Bug? It’s actually a Puppet Bug?”
Right as his words rang out, the middle-aged man’s jaw dropped, his eyes filled with shock as he looked towards Yang Kai as he cried out, “How is that possible? How can you recognise it!? This is something that went extinct a long time ago! It’s impossible for anyone to recognise it.”
“So, it’s really a Puppet Bug, huh?” He noticed Yang Kai turning around to give him a grin, “I was originally unable to confirm anything; however, seeing your response, I’m sure that it’s the Puppet Bug without a doubt.”
The middle-aged man’s face turned blank, before subsequently bursting out in anger, “You swindled me!”
Du Xian chopped his palm against the middle-aged man’s head, beating him into a stumble before sneering, “Your brain is your shortcoming, tsk!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Many thanks!”
The middle-aged man fell into a depressed daze as unease filled his entire being. He felt the malice coming from the world bearing down on him, causing him to turn his head in terror to look at Luo Jin, “Sir City Lord! I didn’t tell him! I didn’t reveal any information to him! He discovered it all by himself!”
“Waste!” Luo Jin snorted coldly.
The middle-aged man’s face turned stiff as he collapsed limply onto the ground, as though all of his strength had left his body. However, this did not last more than an instant as he suddenly remembered something. Attempting to put up a strong front, he shouted out loudly towards Yang Kai, “So what if you know about it? Without my Secret Technique, it’s impossible to remove it! If you want your mother-in-law to remain safe and sound, ask them to obediently let me go, and apologize to Sir City Lord!”
Even at this moment, he still continued to side with Luo Jin, in hope that Luo Jin would make allowances for his earlier actions.
“Shut him up!” Yang Kai growled with impatience.
Ye Jing Han simply proceeded with a chop, knocking the middle-aged man unconscious.
Puppet Bug, ranked 52nd on the Exotic Insect List’s Earth List. Covered in thin and soft fur, it lives in the dark, 30,000 meters below ground. Extremely hard to find. It has the ability to control others after fusing with its Master’s Dantian and Soul.
These few lines of information from the Exotic Insect Record flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, before he quickly remembered the way to deal with this insect.
It was all thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet that the Insect Emperor had left behind, which the Exotic Insect Record had been kept within. If not for the Insect Emperor’s vast array of experience, Yang Kai would definitely have been helpless in this current situation.
The Puppet Bug wasn’t ranked high within the Exotic Insect List, and was actually nearing the bottom of the list. Despite its thin and soft fur that acted as camouflage, making it hard to detect, and its ability to turn the person who ingested it into a puppet that would listen to any command, it possessed several weaknesses, resulting in its low ranking.
After recalling the method to dispel it, Yang Kai hastily sunk his Divine Sense into his Space Ring, taking a short amount of time to find the few stalks of herbs he needed.
The surrounding guests continued to observe him in curiosity, not knowing exactly what he was doing. In fact, they were utterly confused as to what the Puppet Bug that Yang Kai had mentioned actually was.
After seeing him retrieve the few herbs from his Space Ring, all of them quietly speculated whether those were to be used to dispel that Puppet Bug.
“Sister Ye, do you have an Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core that is equivalent to Dao Source Grade or above? Would you mind lending one to me?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to ask Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han gawked for a moment before hastily searching her Space Ring. However, before she could find what she was looking for, Du Xian retrieved a spherical yellow coloured Monster Core and looked towards Yang Kai, “This Du just so happens to have one. If Young Master Yang is alright with it, please take it.”
Right as his voice rang out, Luo Jin suddenly roared out, “Du Xian, if you still care about the relationship between Sky Crane City and your Thousand Leaves Sect, take your Junior Brothers and Sisters and leave this place! If you do so, this King will not pursue this matter!”
Hearing his words, Du Xian frowned and shot a look at Ye Jing Han. Seeing her nod slightly, he gave a faint smile and replied, “Young Master Yang is a friend of our Thousand Leaves Sect. When a friend is in need, this Du naturally won’t sit and watch by the side.”
Luo Jin’s face turned ashen before nodding in response, “Good! Very good! This King will remember this, and make sure to head to your Thousand Leaves Sect to have a good talk with Ye Hen.”
Du Xian frowned slightly towards the latter’s response, though he replied in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, “Whatever suits Sir City Lord’s fancy.”
After he said those words, he tossed the Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core towards Yang Kai.
Catching it, Yang Kai inspected the Monster Core for its grade and quality, which left him greatly satisfied. In the next instant, he proceeded to sit down and cross his legs. While doing so, he waved his hand, causing a pill furnace to appear abruptly before him.
The pill furnace proceeded to expand in size, quickly growing to the height of a human. Dragons and Phoenixes emblazoned the outer surface of the pill furnace seemed to swim about as intense energy fluctuations radiated from it. Just a single look was enough for people to tell how extraordinary this furnace was.
“Could he also be an Alchemist?”
“Goodness gracious! That looks like a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace. If he’s able to use such an Alchemy Furnace, wouldn’t that mean that he’s a Dao Source Grade Alchemist?”
“Where did he say he was from?”
“Yang Kai, High Heaven Sect’s Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai… that name sounds rather familiar. Where did I hear it before?”
Tongues started wagging among the guests, as shocked expressions appeared on the faces of quite a few people. They had already personally witnessed the strength Yang Kai had displayed earlier; however, after seeing him retrieve a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace, all of them were shocked and started to make guesses in reaction.
There were already quite a few people who had drawn a link to the hot news about the person that had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill within the Four Seasons Realm and the lad in front of them.
After all, both of them shared the same name, Dao Source Realm cultivation, and were both Masters in Alchemy. Although the world was vast, it would still be rather difficult to find two people with so many similarities.
Before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai lit a fire within the furnace, which immediately increased the temperature of the inner hall by quite a bit.
Luo Jin narrowed his eyes, though he did not show any intention of wanting to take action, appearing as though he was filled with interest towards what Yang Kai was going to do.
Yang Kai continued forming hand seals, portraying various Spirit Arrays as he tossed the few herbs and the Earth Attribute Monster Core into the furnace, before controlling the fire to a boil.
After about the time it would take to make a pot of tea, Yang Kai suddenly extended his hand towards the side. Source Qi surged out, sucking a bowl over.
In the next moment, he jumped up and appeared before the Black Jade Furnace. Giving it a pat, he shook its cover open. Extending his hand, he made a pulling action, causing something to fly out from within the furnace.
What appeared in his hand was a jade-green half-congealed medicinal liquid that appeared sticky and was exceedingly strange in texture.
From the point of an Alchemist, it was a failure to open the furnace at this point in the refinement process; however, this was precisely what he needed to remove the Puppet Bug.
Placing the strange and odd-smelling medicinal liquid into the bowl, he carefully carried it before Chi Yue and said with a serious expression on his face, “Please drink this, Senior.”
Chi Yue’s forehead scrunched up as her face turned pale.
When Yang Kai had carried the seemingly half-completed medicinal liquid before her, she immediately smelt an awful scent, one that seemed like socks that have not been washed for dozens of years. Just a whiff of this smell would cause people to feel nauseous.
Such a thing was going to enter her throat?
Seeing the disgusted look in her eyes, Yang Kai grinned, “Good medicine tastes bitter. You’ll be alright after drinking this.”
Chi Yue narrowed her beautiful eyes at Yang Kai, seemingly saying to him that he would definitely die if he dared to lie to her.
Ignoring her glare, Yang Kai took the stance one would take to coax a kid, “Come, be good and finish this!”
As he said those words, he extended one hand to open Chi Yue’s mouth, raised the bowl in the other, before pouring its contents into her mouth. While doing so, he quietly sent his Source Qi out to aid Chi Yue with the consumption of the medicinal liquid.
*Gudong gudong…*
Their gazes unwavering, the surrounding guests felt their stomachs churn as unease surged within their bodies.
“Urgh…” All of a sudden, Chi Yue suddenly vomited and fell on one knee. An extremely awful look was present on her face, as though she was trying to vomit out all of her internal organs.
Yang Kai grinned as he stood by the side. Tossing the bowl in his hand away, he extended his hand to pat on Chi Yue’s back.
“Smelly brat! You dare to make me drink such a thing!” Chi Yue turned her head and growled angrily at Yang Kai.
Having lived for so long, this was still the first time she had tasted something that awful. If not for her not being in control of her body, she would have never needed to suffer this much.
“Calm down, Senior. I’m just forced by the circumstances.” Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin.
“Fifth Sister…” by the side, Chai Hu stared blankly at Chi Yue before exclaiming in elation, “You can move?”
Chi Yue gawked, and only then did she move her body just like one would do after awakening from a dream. Standing up slowly, she gave a faint smile, “I’m not being controlled anymore!” Saying those words, she turned her head, restored her solemn expression and said in a stern voice, “Looks like you were not lying, so I’ll forgive you this time. If you dare to make me drink something like that again though…”
Halfway through her admonishment of Yang Kai, Chi Yue hastily covered her mouth, her face turning pale as though she had just recalled something extremely unpleasant.
However, she quickly turned her gaze to look at Chai Hu and said with a guilt-ridden expression, “I’ve caused harm for you, Fourth Brother.”
Chai Hu chuckled, “What are you talking about? We’re all one family, right? I believe that you all won’t sit back and watch if such a thing were to happen to me.”
Chi Yue nodded her head, gratitude surfacing on her face, before she shot a chilling gaze at the middle-aged man that was being suppressed by Ye Jing Han, “He actually dared to make me suffer like that! I want him dead!”
A blank look was present on the middle-aged man as stared blankly at Chi Yue, all while mumbling, “That’s impossible, that’s impossible. The Puppet Bug is already extinct. How can there be someone in this world who can remove it…”
He appeared to be unable to accept the fact that his secret had been dealt with so easily, causing a massive shock to his psyche, leaving him absent-minded for a period of time.
By the side, Yang Kai grinned, “You’re a few hundred years too young to play with insects before me! Hahaha!”
As he let off extremely hearty chuckles, quite a few people turned frowns to him, all of them thinking he had gone crazy.
As he laughed, Yang Kai extended his hand, before letting off a blast of energy. The energy turned into flames, which burned everything Chi Yue had vomited out into nothingness.
As that happened, the middle-aged man appeared to have suffered a serious injury, as his entire body suddenly shook violently, spurting blood from his mouth. In the next instant, his face turned deathly pale, while the strength of his aura shrank substantially.
Although the Puppet Bug had been expelled, it hadn’t died immediately. Therefore, the man was still unscathed from the removal process.
However, Yang Kai’s blast had not only destroyed the Puppet Bug, it had also caused a backlash to the middle-aged man due to his Divine Sense connection with the Puppet Bug, which naturally made him suffer such consequences.
The reason the Puppet Bug was not ranked high on the Exotic Insect List was due to the fact that its vitality was not as strong or as powerful as the other Exotic Insects, leaving it extremely vulnerable to being killed. This was not the case for Soul Devouring Insects, as it was an extremely difficult matter to completely kill them off.
If it was possible, Yang Kai wanted to keep that Puppet Bug within his Insect Enslavement Bracelet, as there might come a time where he could put it to use.
However, an Ancient Exotic Insect like the Puppet Bug was extremely rare, and it was impossible for another person to use it once someone had left an imprint on its body. Therefore, Yang Kai did not hesitate one bit when destroying it.
Seeing the miserable condition the middle-aged man was in, Chi Yue’s brow scrunched up slightly, though she did not show any intent to continue finding fault with him. Instead, she turned to shoot a cold glare at Luo Jin.
He was the main perpetrator of everything she had faced today. If not for Yang Kai’s miraculous appearance to save her from this ordeal, not only would she be incapable of escaping her earlier predicament, Chai Hu might have ended up in a horrible predicament.
Therefore, she naturally had a deep-seated hatred for a vile person like Luo Jin.
“Little Xue, there’s still time for you to come to this King’s side. If you do so, this King will guarantee to you that I’ll forget all this and let bygones be bygones for everything that happened earlier!” Luo Jin said in an indifferent tone towards Chi Yue.
“Little… Xue!” Yang Kai’s eyes snapped open as he was utterly dumbstruck by what he had just heard.
He thought back to the time on Monster Emperor Star, where Monster King Chi Yue was in control of the entire Star, with millions of Monster Races utterly loyal to her commands. Now, in the Star Boundary, she had actually been called ‘Little Xue’ by someone! If news of this happening were to be known by the few Monster Race overlords on Monster Emperor Star, who knows what kind of thoughts they would have.
Seeming to notice the minute changes to Yang Kai’s expression, Chi Yue gave him a fierce glare before snorting coldly, “Old dog! You imprisoned Big Brother and the others, forced me to marry you, and now you actually want me to go to your side! Are you still sleeping?”
Luo Jin’s expression immediately sunk down, as anger filled his face.
He knew that his face had dropped to rock bottom already. Originally, he had planned to redeem himself by seizing Chi Yue for himself. However, he did not expect her to reject him with such bluntness, causing anger to immediately burst out of him due to his embarrassment, while a murderous intent gushed out from his body.
“Big Brother and the others have really been imprisoned by this old dog?” Anger filled Chai Hu’s face as he roared out.
“Of course!” Chi Yue growled, as a glimmer of gloominess flashed across her face, “It’s all because of me falling for this old dog’s cheap words, causing Big Brother and the others to get captured by him.”
“Despicable! What a vile person!” Chai Hu cursed and spat fiercely at the ground. Although he was seriously injured, he still spat his mouthful of blood and saliva at Luo Jin. Nevertheless, the latter stood there without moving an inch, relying on a little extrusion of power to block the incoming blood and saliva, as his gaze grew exceedingly gloomy.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, the Big Brother you are talking about… who are you referring to?”
Although he had faintly guessed it in his heart, he did not dare to confirm it, resulting in him tossing this question out.
Chi Yue replied, “It’s your High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder, Gui Zu!”
“Eh?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose in elation, “So, Supreme Elder is here?”
“En. Not only is he here, but he’s also currently imprisoned in a certain place within this City Lord Mansion, which I’m not privy to,” Chi Yue gave a slight sigh.
“What about the others? Are they also here?” Yang Kai asked impatiently.
Chi Yue replied, “Union Master Gu and President Ai Ou are also here.”
Observing her expression, Yang Kai noticed something strange, causing him to feel slightly shocked and prompting him to continue his line of questioning, “What… about Senior Wu Dao?”
When they had set off from Shadowed Star, their group was six strong. Other than Yang Kai and Chi Yue, their group comprised the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou, Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun, High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder Gui Zu, and the last one being the strongest person in the Star Field, Senior Wu Dao.
Other than Yang Kai, who was only a Second-Order Origin King back then, the rest were Third-Order Origin Kings, possessing the strongest combat power within the Star Field!
Relying on the Star Emperor Tokens left behind by Yang Yan, the six of them opened the Starlight Corridor, and after many trials and tribulations, they arrived at the Star Boundary, only to be met with an ambush within the corridor, leading to a chaotic fight which they lost.
Yang Kai had thought that the other five were very likely to be together. At this moment, after hearing Chi Yue mention Gui Zu, Ai Ou, and Gu Cang Yun, he immediately knew that his guess wasn’t wrong.
However, it was unavoidable for him to get a feeling of unease due to her exclusion of Wu Dao.
Indeed, after hearing Yang Kai’s question, Chi Yue’s expression turned gloomy, “Senior Wu Dao… has already passed away!”
“What?” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically, somewhat unable to believe what he had just heard.
Wu Dao was universally recognised as the strongest person in the Origin King Realm in his native Star Field, a peak Third-Order Origin King, lacking only one step to enter the Dao Source Realm. The only thing stopping him was the insufficient World Principles within the Star Field, which led to his inability to promote his cultivation realm.
Even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Supreme Elder, Long Tian Shang, was extremely respectful to Wu Dao.
Chi Yue and the others regarded him as the strongest Master among their ranks.
However, never in his wildest dreams did Yang Kai expect that Wu Dao would actually die! The person hailed as the strongest Master had actually passed away.
“How did Senior Wu Dao pass away?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as he turned to look at Luo Jin, “Was it due to him?”
Although he did not have much interaction with Wu Dao, they had gone through a life and death battle together after leaving the Star Field. Therefore, Yang Kai felt incomparably angry and pained upon hearing news of his passing.
There were only six of them that had left the Star Field to come here, yet one of them had passed away. This caused Yang Kai to feel sadness in his heart.
Chi Yue, however, shook her head, “This matter isn’t related to him. Senior Wu Dao… failed his breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm and passed away under the World Energy Baptism.”
Yang Kai turned absent-minded for a moment after hearing her reply, before finally giving a long sigh, “Such is fate!”
Originally, Yang Kai had assumed that with Wu Dao’s cultivation and background, it should not be a problem for him to break through to the Dao Source Realm after arriving in the Star Boundary. Although he was not a hundred percent confident, Yang Kai felt that it should be a guarantee that Wu Dao would have succeeded. However, from what he had heard from Chi Yue, the latter had actually passed away during his attempt to break through.
If not for receiving this news personally from Chi Yue, Yang Kai would absolutely not believe that this could happen.
That was because Chi Yue had already broken through to the Dao Source Realm. So, to him, it was unbelievable that Wu Dao had failed.
Fate was the only explanation for this, as that was something that could not be countered by the power of man.
“What about Gui Zu and the others?” Yang Kai asked again.
Chi Yue answered, “They were alright the last time we were together. Furthermore, all of them have already reached the Dao Source Realm, though I don’t know their current situation.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Right at this moment, Chai Hu, who had been listening by the side, suddenly interjected, “Little Brother, you actually recognize my Big Brother and my other Brothers?”
Hearing his question, Yang Kai laughed, “Your Big Brother is the Supreme Elder of my High Heaven Sect, and I am the Sect Master of the High Heaven Sect. Of course I know him.”
Chai Hu gawked and looked at Chi Yue, “Could he also be…”
Chi Yue nodded her head gently.
Chai Hu’s expression turned solemn and full of respect as he cupped his hands, “Forgive me for all the disrespect I’ve shown.”
Clearly, Chai Hu had known that Chi Yue and the others had come from a lower Star Field, and had now realised that Yang Kai had also come from there. Furthermore, he could not help but feel incomparable respect towards Yang Kai, who had actually been able to reach such a level of strength in such a short amount of time.
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Brother Chai.” After a slight pause, Yang Kai appeared to have thought about something once again, as he asked, “Ah, that’s right, Senior, where’s my Xiao Xiao?”
“Xiao Xiao?” Chi Yue wrinkled her brows, “Are you talking about that stone… didn’t he follow you?”
Yang Kai’s expression sank, “I’ve yet to find him.”
“We also haven’t encountered him. Since the day we were separated, the few of us have always been together. Even if we did separate occasionally, we always stuck close together. It took us only two days to gather together after we emerged from that place, after which we tried to find you, but we never did. Until now.”
“So, Xiao Xiao isn’t with all of you,” Yang Kai felt depressed and incomparably worried about him.
Although their cultivation realms weren’t high, Chi Yue and the others had lived for at least a thousand or so years. As such, they were flexible and capable of adapting to their circumstances, which naturally meant that it wasn’t a problem for them to survive after arriving in the Star Field. However, things were different for Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao’s sentience wasn’t high. Furthermore, he was a special kind of existence. If people were to run into him, it would be unavoidable for him to be captured by them in the name of research. Xiao Xiao’s safety had been weighing on Yang Kai’s mind the most over the past few years. Nevertheless, he was still unable to obtain any news of him after meeting up with Chi Yue.
Seeing his depressed mood, Chi Yue tried to console him, “There’s no need for you to be overly worried about him. Although Xiao Xiao is a little special, he would not die even if someone were to take him away. The only thing you can do is to continue searching. You’ll find him eventually.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I can only hope so.”
The two did not intentionally lower the volume for their conversation, resulting in the surrounding crowd being able to clearly hear what they were talking about.
Although they were not able to completely understand exactly what the two were talking about, they knew that these two had just been reunited after a long time, and had a very tight-knit relationship.
Luo Jin suddenly grinned, “Since you all are such close-knit friends, this King will send you all to meet them. How about that?”
Chi Yue burst into an angry roar, “Old dog, be tactful and release Big Brother and the others obediently, if not, I’ll raze your City Lord Mansion to the ground!”
Luo Jin replied, “You should restrain your anger, Little Yue. It’s highly improper for a lady like you to have such a fiery temper.”
Chi Yue sneered in response, “That would have to depend on what kind person I’m talking to. Being such a despicable and vile person, you dare to instruct me about how to behave appropriately?”
Luo Jin gave a cold snort, “This King can give you one chance to return obediently to this King’s side! Do so, and I won’t pursue anything that has happened today. If you still remain stubborn, don’t blame this King for being discourteous.”
Yang Kai burst into a hearty chuckle, “I really want to see how discourteous the City Lord can be. Could it be that you will be relying on the seventy subordinates that you’ve secretly arranged in the surroundings?”
“So, you’ve actually discovered them. Then, there’s nothing else for me to say. Begin!” With a loud roar, several dozen figures suddenly appeared from all directions, all of them possessing Dao Source Realm cultivations. These cultivators wore solemn expressions on their faces as their hands rapidly formed seals.
As they continued to form hand seals, the Source Qi within their bodies seemed to form a unique resonance with each other.
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he mumbled in slight surprise, “A Formation?”
It only took a single look for him to realise that these people seemed to be preparing to use some kind of Spirit Array. Just like the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, this Secret Technique also used the cultivators’ own bodies as a base for its formation.
Right as his words rang out, the recently appeared cultivators proceeded to take action in succession. They unleashed their power in pairs, taking only an instant to connect together to form a large net visible to the naked eye that covered Yang Kai and the others.
The large net was formed completely out of Source Qi. Nevertheless, it possessed an extremely powerful sealing capability. Once it enveloped its target, it would be capable of sealing an entire region.
Chai Hu and Chi Yue suddenly felt their shoulders sink down, causing them to feel as though they were being pressed down by large mountains. The circulation of Qi within their bodies turned sluggish, their meridians became blocked, and a stifling feeling filled their chests, making them gasp for air.
Compared to them, Yang Kai seemed to be in a slightly better condition, though his body had also shrunk in height slightly.
As the large net descended, it caught Yang Kai and the others off guard as it instantly trapped all of them within.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Jing Han’s face drained of all colour as she shouted out in shock. Du Xian’s expression also turned ugly as thoughts started to whirl rapidly in his heart.
Today, he had aided Yang Kai in front of everyone’s eyes, and thus had gone against Luo Jin, which meant that he had completely entered into a confrontation against the City Lord’s Mansion. He had only done so for the sake of going along with Ye Jing Han’s wishes. If not, how could he have possibly taken such actions? He was starting to blame himself for being too impulsive upon seeing Yang Kai in a situation that was far from good now. If they were unable to escape from the City Lord’s Mansion today, the few of them might have to stay here forever.
Thinking this way, he clenched his teeth and sneakily transmitted a message to Ye Jing Han, “Ye’er, later, on my signal, we’ll rush out of here together.”
Hearing his words, Ye Jing Han shook her head, “We have to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian replied, “That’s impossible. Later, when Luo Jin finishes up with Young Master Yang, we will be the next ones on his list. It’ll be too late for us to leave by then.”
“If Young Master Yang is unable to escape from here, we will also definitely be unable to leave. If you wish to leave, the only choice will be to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian stared at her in stunned shock, “You have that much confidence in him? He’s only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator!”
Ye Jing Han gave a bitter laugh, “You will know in the future that some people will be able to achieve what others can’t despite their cultivation realm. Furthermore, Young Master Yang is related to the future rise or fall of our Thousand Leaves Sect, so we have to rescue him even if we die doing so.”
A myriad of expressions flashed across Du Xian’s face, as he went into a daze for a while. From what he could see, Ye Jing Han insisted on leaving with Yang Kai; however, how would he and the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples save him in the face of so many Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion? Furthermore, Yang Kai and the others had already been surrounded, making it extremely difficult to rescue them.
“Hahahaha!” Seeing Yang Kai and the others being trapped by the Spirit Array, Luo Jin could not help but burst into a hearty chuckle, before saying with a look of contempt blanketing his face, “You young people don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Do you think that this King’s City Lord Mansion is a place you can act rashly and wantonly in without consequence?”
The faces of the surrounding guests turned pale, as they knew that Luo Jin was using this as an example of how he would deal with anyone who dared to follow Yang Kai’s footsteps. He had lost an immense amount of face today, so if he could not prevent Yang Kai and his group from leaving, he would really be unable to maintain his authority in Sky Crane City.
The secret command he had sent out earlier had finally come into effect at the most critical moment, causing Luo Jin’s heart to fill with glee and a glint of hatred to flash across his eyes as he stared firmly at Yang Kai. Thoughts of how to alleviate the hatred in his heart now filled his head.
Within the inner hall, the Spirit Array formed by the several dozen Dao Source Realm Masters instantly imprisoned Yang Kai, Chi Yue and Chai Hu.
Luo Jin chuckled heartily. Surveying his surroundings, he revealed a haughty look and shouted out, “Is there any friend out there willing to help this King kill off this boy? This King will be deeply grateful if there is!”
He did not have any intention of personally taking action; it wasn’t due to him being afraid of Yang Kai’s strength, but rather an attempt to regain some of his lost face and re-solidify his status as a figure of authority.
Indeed, right as his words rang out, a person immediately cupped his hands and volunteered, “White Cloud Tower’s Mu Zheng is willing to offer aid to the City Lord.”
Yet another person stood up and cupped his fists, “Heart Seeking Pavilion’s Guo Zhe Yuan is willing.”
A third person followed suit, “That boy is vile and despicable, he attempted to mislead the public with lies! I, Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo, can’t put up with him any more, and am willing to take his head to serve as a warning!”
In an instant, eight people stood up, each representing a different force as they used this as a way to express their heartfelt support to Luo Jin.
Luo Jin’s pent-up frustrations finally gained some relief. With a smile, he nodded, “Good, then I shall trouble all of you.”
The few people replied together, “Please rest assured, Sir City Lord! We definitely won’t let Sir down.”
As they gave their replies, the few people turned around and smiled malevolently towards Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai’s earlier performance was somewhat extraordinary, he was now being imprisoned by a Formation arranged by the City Lord Mansion’s guards, leaving him utterly incapable of moving. He stood there rigidly, just like a piece of meat on the chopping board, waiting for them to kill him in whatever method they chose to do so.
All of a sudden, the White Clouds Tower’s Mu Zheng gave a light smile, “Everyone, it wouldn’t be good if news of us bullying others through superior numbers were to be spread through the outside world. Furthermore, with so many guests present, it would be unfair even if we were to triumph over him in such a manner.”
Guo Zhe spoke out, “With what Brother Mu has just said, what are you suggesting we do?”
The other people looked curiously at him, not knowing what he had in mind.
With a faint smile, Mu Zheng continued, “This Mu’s intent is to have just one person to take action, while the other friends just stand by the side in support. How about that?”
Hearing his reply, everyone smiled. After understanding what he was implying, everyone immediately nodded their heads in agreement, “Brother Mu’s words are reasonable.”
Mu Zheng added, “So… who would be the one to take action?”
The Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo came forward, “Since Brother Mu is the one who raised this arrangement, it would be best for Brother Mu to take action.”
The others did not show objections in light of this suggestion, as they had already expressed their support to City Lord Luo. Being the one to kill Yang Kai off was no longer something of importance, since he would die no matter who took action.
Mu Zhen revealed an eager look and smiled, “Since everyone agrees, this Mu will not shrink back from his responsibilities.”
As he said those words, the corners of his mouth curled up as he floated his gaze towards Yang Kai. With a look as though he was about to devour Yang Kai, he proceeded to move at a leisurely pace towards him.
“Yang Kai!” Chi Yue could not help but turn anxious as she desperately tried to circulate the Source Qi in her body. Nevertheless, regardless of what she did, she was unable to break out of the fetters that bound her, causing her anxious face to turn pale as she warned, “You should hurry up and leave if you can. Don’t worry about me. There will always be hope if you live.”
Chai Hu also chimed in, “That’s right, Little Brother. Just remember to take revenge for us.”
“Hahaha! Do you think you can leave in your current state?” Mu Zheng let out a mocking laugh as he looked towards Chi Yue, “Rest assured, Madam. This one’s actions are always on point, so you won’t suffer any injuries.”
At this moment in time, he still did not forget to express his goodwill towards Luo Jin.
Standing close by, Luo Jin nodded his head in satisfaction upon hearing those words.
“Do you think you can kill me with the ability you possess?” Standing at his original position, Yang Kai remained as calm as he was earlier, grinning at Mu Zheng, who was taking step after step towards him.
The grin reflected in Mu Zheng’s eyes caused his heart to jump in shock, while a feeling of unease started to rise from within, causing him to feel rather flustered. Clenching his teeth though, he tried to put up a strong front and roared, “You’re still acting rambunctiously before your impending death huh!? Look clearly at how I reap your life!”
As he roared out, he summoned a large sword into his hand and poured his Source Qi into it, causing a brilliant Blade Qi to appear. After-images of the blade appeared as it slashed down towards Yang Kai’s head.
Clearly, he did not want to drag this on and planned to wrap this matter up quickly. Therefore, he had unleashed his strike with his full strength.
His strike instantly encompassed Yang Kai and Chai Hu, but avoided Chi Yue. Obviously, he had taken Luo Jin’s wish into consideration, leaving behind the Madam while killing off the irrelevant two.
Seeing the incoming blade, a chilling glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as he said in a cold voice, “How dare a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm show such impudence before this Young Master!”
As words rang out, his body flickered before disappearing from everyone’s sight, as though he was utterly unaffected by the binding power of the Formation around him. Space Principles fluctuated without restraint, as Yang Kai leapt across space to appear right before Mu Zheng. Using his finger like a sword, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi surrounded his hand as he stabbed it forwards.
“Ah!” Mu Zheng cried out in shock, his face immediately draining of all colour, utterly incapable of believing what he just saw with his eyes.
After seeing Yang Kai’s ferocious performance earlier, how could he, with his mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, dare to take the initiative to smack the tiger’s butt if Yang Kai hadn’t been imprisoned within the Formation?
However, the sudden change in situation, with Yang Kai unexpectedly being able to extricate himself from the Spirit Array, had instantly scared the life out of Mu Zheng. Shivers racked his entire being as the might behind his all-out attack completely vanished.
As the Blade Qi and Sword Qi smashed into each other, a flurry of metallic clangs rang out, and in the next moment, appearing to have suffered a serious blow, Mu Zheng was sent flying back, travelling in the air as he coughed up blood.
Yang Kai roared out in a stern voice, “Since you all don’t know to write the worth ‘Death’ is written, this Young Master will give you all a lesson!”
As he said those words, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi gushed out from his hand. Travelling forward like a roaring dragon, rushing straight towards Mu Zheng before unleashing havoc on his body.
Mu Zheng’s miserable shrieks rang out across the hall, causing people’s blood to run cold, though they were clueless as to exactly what kind of torture he was suffering that led to such miserable howls.
Not a single one of the surrounding guests said anything out of fear.
Even Ye Jing Han, who was prepared to sacrifice everything to save Yang Kai, was dumbfounded by what she was seeing. Although she knew Yang Kai was extraordinary, she did not expect him to be at this level.
The Formation the City Lord had secretly arranged was unexpectedly unable to do anything to him.
However, thinking about Yang Kai’s mastery of Space Principles, Ye Jing Han found an answer to her question. Despite not being invincible, with the ability to freely traverse space at his disposal, it obviously would be no problem for Yang Kai to flee from this place. Only if an Emperor Realm Master were to personally take action to forcefully suppress him, preventing him from being able to use his mastery of Space Principles, would Yang Kai be truly trapped.
After a short moment, Mu Zheng smashed heavily against the wall, vomiting yet another mouthful of blood that was mixed with crushed organ parts, while his body remained still, not a single trace of aura radiating from him.
He had died.
Right at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly snapped his fingers.
With a splat, Mu Zheng’s body exploded, his corpse turning into a cloud of blood mist. However, for some mysterious reason, the mist did not dissipate. On the contrary, it was plastered to the wall by some inexplicable force, dyeing the wall with a blood-red shade, as though someone had lathered blood-red paint on it.
The strong smell of blood gushed out, making people feel nauseous.
*Sii…*
Gasps sounded along with heavy gulps as everyone’s eyes bulged, staring at Yang Kai in utter disbelief.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye, causing people to turn dizzy by the unexpected series of events. Before people could snap back to their senses, Mu Zheng, who had put up an imposing front in preparation to kill Yang Kai, had already been killed.
How strong would one need to be to be capable of accomplishing such a feat?
“Come, come, come!” Yang Kai shouted out as loudly as he could, pointing towards the blood-smeared wall, “For those who are illiterate, take a clear look at this to see exactly how the word ‘death’ is written!” He continued with a cold sneer, “Don’t say that this Young Master didn’t teach you, if not, it will be meaningless if you die with unfinished business.”
The crowd proceeded to look towards the direction he had pointed to, which immediately caused their legs to cramp up.
Present on the blood-smeared wall was a large ‘death’ character, written in bright red. Blood continued to drip from the wall, causing clear sounds to ring out when it hit the ground. Every time a single drop landed on the ground, it struck fear and terror in people’s hearts. Furthermore, there were countless bits of flesh also present within the strokes of this character.
Thinking back to Yang Kai’s earlier actions, everyone was terrified in the realisation that he had actually used his finger as a pen and Mu Zheng’s body as the ink to write the word on the wall.
This was a universal provocation, as well as an ample indication of his might.
Yet, there was no one that dared to stand up and speak out.
Luo Jin’s expression turned exceedingly ugly. Originally, he had hoped to be able to remove Yang Kai through other people’s hands, to use this matter as a deterrence to the guests that were present here, and to redeem some of his lost face. However, he never imagined that his attempt would backfire like this, causing his face to scrunch up so much that it started to cramp.
“Just now, there was someone who said that I was vile, despicable, and trying to delude the public with lies!” With a flicker, Yang Kai suddenly appeared right by the side of the Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo. Swinging his arm around the latter’s neck as though they were long lost friends, Yang Kai sent a deep grin towards him.
Yuan Mo did not respond at all towards Yang Kai’s actions, as he was still caught in the shock of witnessing the death of Mu Zheng. When he returned to his senses and thought about escaping, it was already too late. Yang Kai was already right next to him.
On the contrary, the other people around him were frightened by this walking disaster appearing beside them. All of them proceeded to retreat, while sending looks of extreme dread as they looked at Yang Kai, terrified that he might choose them as his next target.
With Yang Kai’s earlier performance, they would definitely be incapable of resisting if he really decided to kill them.
All of their hearts were filled to the brim with terror, dread, and regret that they had chosen a side too early, leading to all of the trouble they were about to face.
Tremors racked Yuan Mo’s entire being as his legs shook uncontrollably. All colour drained from his face as he stammered, “Young Master Yang… this one had spoken irresponsibly earlier and offended Young Master Yang. Young Master Yang… please be magnanimous and don’t find fault with this one.”
“Spoken irresponsibly?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “This Young Master will give you the time to properly think it over. Tell me, exactly who is vile, despicable, and has deceived the public with lies?”
Yuan Mo trembled violently as he lowered his head, not daring to raise it as he replied in a trembling voice, “It’s me, it was me! It was all me! I’m the vile and despicable one who deceived everyone with lies!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai snorted coldly and said in an emotionless voice, “Looks like you still don’t know how the word ‘death’ is written! Do you want me to teach you one more time?”
Yuan Mo felt like bursting into tears. In an instant, he knelt down on the ground and sobbed, “It is Sir City Lord that’s vile, despicable, and deceived the masses with his lies! He lied to us! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang!”
Despite knowing that he would offend Luo Jin by saying this in public, how could he care about that when his life or death would be decided at this very moment?
“A promising young lad!” Yang Kai let out a hearty chuckle and patted Yuan Mo on the head a few times.
However, Yuan Mo thought that Yang Kai was about to take lethal action against him, and was so frightened that his entire body shook, his eyeballs flipping as he fainted.
“Waste!” Luo Jin cursed out between his clenched teeth.
Yang Kai turned around to look at the few others, his eyes gleaming with a chilling glow.
Before he could say anything, they started to blurt out, “Young Master Yang, this one already knows how to write the word ‘death’!”
“It’s this one’s extreme honor to be able to witness Young Master Yang’s calligraphy.”
“Young Master Yang is a true genius! Being able to use blood as a substitute for ink to write such a wonderful character! You have my utmost respect!”
These few people gave their all in their attempts at flattery. Although they tossed various kinds of praises from their mouths, the smiles present on their face were uglier than if they were crying. Clearly, extreme fear had overtaken their hearts, all of them terrified that Yang Kai would kill them off from any displeasure he felt.
The surrounding guests shot looks of contempt at these people, their hearts hurting from the shamelessness shown by them.
However, thinking about it, would they have put up a better reaction when faced with such a situation? When a knife was placed at their neck, neither shame nor loyalty mattered, as the most important thing was to continue living! Considering all these factors, many people proceeded to sigh, as they knew that those few people weren’t cowardly, but just faced with a dire circumstance.
“Since you all know how to write the word death, then hurry up and scram! Don’t continue staying here, fouling this Young Master’s eyes!” Yang Kai retracted his smile and gave an impatient shout.
Like eunuchs that had just been granted pardon, the few men ran back into the crowd, no longer daring to reveal themselves.
Only after this happened did Yang Kai turn around and sneer coldly towards Luo Jin, “Hand them over, if not, you’ll know the consequences!”
Remaining unmoved, Luo Jin replied with a cold snort, “Is that how your family’s Elders taught you to treat your Seniors?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve always respected the old and cherished the young. However, you, Sir City Lord, can’t appreciate kindness, so don’t blame me for beating you till your mother can’t recognise you.”
As he said those words, he started walking towards Luo Jin at a steady pace. Clearly, he did not wish to drag this matter out and wanted to end this fight quickly and decisively.
Luo Jin could not help but let a sliver of anxiety flash across his face. Although his cultivation was a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, Yang Kai’s earlier display made him realize that this youth was not someone he could easily offend. Seeing him continue to move closer, Luo Jin immediately looked towards a certain location, “Sir Ke, please assist me! This Luo will be grateful for your help!”
He knew that it was already totally meaningless to call those in the First or Second-Order Dao Source Realms for aid. Therefore, he immediately requested help from a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master that he knew and had a close relationship with. In this current situation, only a Third-Order Source Realm Master would be able to suppress Yang Kai.
As Luo Jin said those words, an old man proceeded to step out from the crowd. The old man had a beard full of white hair, a restrained aura, an exceedingly bright gaze, and a rosy expression, giving off the impression of a wise sage.
With a faint smile, he gave a nod, “Since Sir Luo has invited me, this Old Master will naturally comply.”
A sliver of delight flashed across Luo Jin’s eyes as he nodded, “Many thanks!”
At this point, Yang Kai came to a stop, raised his head to look at the old man, and grinned, “Old man, you want to interfere in this matter?”
With a smile, the old man surnamed Ke replied, “Parties in conflict should resolve the problem through talk instead of inflaming tensions. If Little Brother is okay with it, how about everyone sit down and have a nice conversation? This old man’s bones are already creaking and can’t be compared to you youngsters. If possible, this Old Master doesn’t wish to take action against you, Little Brother.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Then how about you sit down and watch from the side, drinking some wine and eating some food?”
The old man shook his head, “I’m afraid that isn’t possible. Since Sir Luo has spoken, this Old Master can’t sit by the side and watch.”
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s not easy to live up to your age, old man. The king of hell is still unwilling to receive you, so why do you insist on knocking on his door?”
The old man narrowed his eyes, “Youngsters are indeed full of vitality and are always very arrogant in their speech. If this Old Master’s guess is right, this Little Brother should be the rumoured Grandmaster Yang that recently refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, yes?”
It wasn’t strange that the old man surnamed Ke was able to guess the identity of Yang Kai, as Yang Kai’s name had already spread widely across the entire Southern Territory. Earlier, he had revealed his name in front of everyone, causing suspicion to rise in quite a few people. Coupled with his sudden use of Space Principles to escape from the bindings of the City Lord’s Formation, this old man was naturally able to confirm Yang Kai’s identity.
The old man wasn’t the only one who had guessed Yang Kai’s origins; it was just that others did not say it out loud.
On the contrary, a few cultivators who did not know about it exclaimed in astonishment upon hearing this, their eyes filling with shock and fiery greed as they looked at Yang Kai.
The Extraordinary Treasure Pill wasn’t widely known to the public; however, after news of what happened in the Four Seasons Realm started to spread, this pill’s efficacy was already known by everyone. It was a long-lost divine Spirit Pill that was able to aid people in reaching the Emperor Realm! Other than the few pills that Yang Kai had refined previously, it was utterly impossible for it to appear anywhere else.
“What? He’s the one who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill?” Luo Jin’s face changed slightly as he gasped in astonishment.
The old man replied, “They have the same name, same cultivation, and are both proficient in the Alchemic Dao. Other than that Grandmaster, this Old Master can’t think of anyone with such capabilities.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “There’s no need to mention my trivial name!”
“You really are him!” Luo Jin’s eyes suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance, as he suddenly started to burn with enthusiasm, as though Yang Kai had turned into a delicious piece of meat before his very eyes.
The old man added, “This Old Master is well aware of the reputation of Grandmaster Yang, and I have the utmost admiration for you. Furthermore, today is the day the City Lord is hosting his wedding ceremony, so it really is not appropriate for me to take any action. Grandmaster Yang, would you be so kind as to give this Old Master some face and leave this matter as it is?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Give you face? Then who will give me face? If the City Lord insisted on forcefully marrying your mother-in-law, what would you do?”
The old man retracted his smile and said with a mildly angry tone, “This Old Master is already old in years, and my mother-in-law has already returned to Earth. Your tongue shouldn’t be so vicious, Little Brother.”
“Sorry!” Yang Kai gave an apologetic look, as though he acknowledged his mistake with sincerity, before continuing, “Then, what if the City Lord wanted to marry your wife?”
The tremor shook through the old man’s entire body as his aura surged, accompanied by a furious roar, “Impudence!”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “He didn’t even want to marry your wife, and yet just the talk about it has left you with such anger to the point that you look like you’re about to kill someone. With him trying to do such a despicable thing to my mother-in-law, do you think I’ll let him off leniently?”
Luo Jin interjected with an angry voice, “Sir Ke, there’s no need to listen to his nonsense! Let’s take action together to take him!”
The old man replied, “Good!”
Exchanging glances, the two men were no longer willing to listen to any of the nonsense Yang Kai was spouting. Luo Jin summoned his Jade Sceptre artifact once again, and with the flip of his wrist, the old man summoned a token-like artifact. This token was the size of his palm; however, lightning arcs were dancing across its surface, causing everyone to feel a sense of danger upon seeing it.
“Be careful, Young Master Yang. Ke Tian is the Great Elder of Sky Peak Temple! That Sky Thunder Command seals Nine Heavens Divine Thunder within it! You must not face it head-on!” Ye Jing Han shouted a word of caution from the side.
Hearing her words, Ke Tian shot a furious gaze at Ye Jing Han and shouted, “Shut your mouth little girl! If not, this Old Master will make you!”
Hearing his threat, Ye Jing Han replied in a contemptuous tone, “Bullying others using superior numbers, oppressing the weak with superior cultivation. So, Great Elder Ke is such a vile and despicable man. It’s absurd that I used to hold you with high regard. I was truly blind!”
Ke Tian’s entire being tingled with discomfort after being stung by her words, causing him to become angry out of shame, “What the hell do you know!? Scram!”
After saying those words, he proceeded to collaborate with Luo Jin. An abundance of a mysterious power surged from Luo Jin’s jade sceptre as he gave a slight wave at Yang Kai. Immediately, Yang Kai felt as though he had been smashed by a giant mountain, the ferocious power appearing to crush the void as it came pressing down on him.
Not daring to resist head-on, Yang Kai had no choice but to shift his body to evade. However, it was right at this moment when Ke Tian took action. Holding up the Sky Thunder Command, a huge bolt of lightning surged out of it. Transforming into snakes of lightning, they enveloped Yang Kai, sending crackling sounds as they did so.
“Exile!” Right at the critical moment, Yang Kai let off a powerful roar. Extending his hand forward, he grasped the Void and caused a black hole to form mid-air. Chaotic power churned from this black hole, devouring all of the lightning that surged out from the Sky Thunder Command, leaving them unable to hurt him at all.
“What!?” Ke Tian cried out in shock. Sensing the waning power of his Sky Thunder Command, he hastily retrieved it, not daring to release the lightning anymore. The lightning contained within the Sky Thunder Command had been collected by him over many years and was actually a consumable resource. If he consumed all of it, he would need to spend time replenishing it. With the large amount of lightning being devoured by the void just now, the might of his Sky Thunder Command had weakened significantly, something that naturally caused incomparable pain in his heart.
This exchange had only lasted a blink of the eye, yet it had shaken the whole inner hall, causing it to teeter on the verge of collapse.
All of the surrounding cultivators fled in shock, terror filling their hearts.
Although Ke Tian’s attack had failed, Luo Jin used his jade sceptre to tap a few times against the void.
Waves of invisible power rushed towards Yang Kai. Floating in the air, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, as a chilling feeling gushed out from his heart. With a snap of his fingers, a few Moon Blades came slicing out.
The jet-black Moon Blades brought along an invincible might, scaring Luo Jin. Nevertheless, with a few bangs, they collided against the incoming invisible attacks launched by the jade sceptre, before mutually cancelling each other out.
“Formless Thunder, Invisible Thunder!” With an explosive roar, lightning arcs surfaced and danced furiously across Ke Tian’s body. Travelling across his body, they transformed into a lasso of lightning before wrapping around Yang Kai in an attempt to bind him.
Yang Kai flickered about evasively once again; however, right at the critical moment, a sly smile surfaced on Luo Jin’s face as he tapped his jade sceptre heavily against the air.
In the next instant, Yang Kai’s body suddenly sunk down, as he felt as though a giant mountain was pressing down on him, to the point of him seemingly becoming incapable of straightening up his body.
With that split second of immobilization, the lasso of lightning wrapped around and bound Yang Kai tightly. Crackling sounds rang out, accompanied by the smell of burnt flesh.
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Jin shouted, “You youngsters don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You all need to suffer some losses before being able to see your strength clearly.”
With a look of victory on his face, his words brimmed with incomparable haughtiness.
Ke Tian wiped away the sweat covering his forehead as he silently felt shocked by Yang Kai’s strength.
Both he and Luo Jin’s cultivation were a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, so taking a few dozen breaths to capture Yang Kai was already something inconceivable.
It should have been utterly impossible for a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Junior to last more than three moves against them.
“Grandmaster Yang, the outcome of this fight has been determined. This Old Master hopes that you will not struggle obstinately, otherwise, you will really get hurt.” Ke Tian wore a solemn face as he looked at Yang Kai.
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “What’s wrong? Are you trying to proclaim your chastity after being a whore?”
Ke Tian’s face sank, “This Old Master is just giving you a kind reminder.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Since that’s the case, I also have something for you, Sir.”
“What?” Ke Tian asked with a slight frown.
Yang Kai’s gaze turned cold as he quickly said, “If you really are tactful, you would hurry up and withdraw. If not, I’m afraid that you, Sir, might not be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour!”
Ke Tian’s heart jumped upon hearing his words, while Luo Jin felt some unease surging through his heart, before quickly turning quietly to shoot a look towards a certain location within the crowd.
In the next instant, a burst of Sword Qi erupted from within the crowd, as the Sky Illumination Palace’s Qiu Yu came lunging out, sword in his hand as he flew like a bolt towards Yang Kai. This sword seemed to shatter through space and it was clear that Qiu Yu had used his full strength to unleash it.
As everyone’s attention had been focused on the earlier fight, not a single one of them had expected Qiu Yu to take action at this very moment. By the time they had noticed the sword glow, they suddenly realised that Qiu Yu had clearly been colluding with Luo Jin from the beginning.
Although Qiu Yu’s cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, his sneak attack was decisive and as quick as a thunderbolt, taking only a split second to appear before Yang Kai in an imposing fashion.
However, Yang Kai did not show any shock at all. On the contrary, he simply smirked, “Finally unable to resist taking action, huh?”
“What?” Qiu Yu’s expression changed drastically upon hearing those words. He raised his head to take a look, only to see Yang Kai shooting a look brimming with contempt back at him, as though he had long expected this to happen.
“Not good!” Qiu Yu’s face turned pale with fright. A tremor shook through his sword as he attempted to pull back; however, would he be able to do so in such an abrupt fashion?
Cracking sounds proceeded to ring out, as a five-coloured light suddenly blossomed from Yang Kai’s body. As this happened, his body appeared to swell, while an aura that far exceeded that of Second-Order Dao Source Realm started to radiate out.
*Kacha…*
In an instant, the lasso of lightning binding Yang Kai snapped. Ke Tian’s body shook as he looked dumbly before him, while subconsciously retreating a few steps.
“Be careful, Young Master Qiu!” Luo Jin shouted.
Qiu Yu instantly felt coldness grip his heart as he looked on helplessly as Yang Kai made a fist and sent it rumbling towards him.
Faced with such immense danger, he turned his long sword and waved it, unleashing a sword glow that shielded his body in the hopes of being able to extricate himself from the danger.
Smashing into the incoming fist, a loud bang resounded.
The surrounding space shook slightly, while the dazzling sword glow shattered apart instantly under the might of the fist, which continued to travel at its original speed towards Qiu Yu’s body.
“Outrageous!” A powerful roar rang out, as the two old Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters that were by Qiu Yu’s side took action. One of them extended his fingers and pointed towards Yang Kai, while the other lunged towards Qiu Yu in an attempt to save him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not retreat. Disregarding the might behind the finger, his fist continued forward unimpeded.
A loud bang rang out, as chaotic energy erupted madly in all directions.
This was followed by a muffled groan and the sounds of bones snapping, as Qiu Yu was flung away like a ragdoll.
Despite being promptly saved by one of the old men following by his side, Yang Kai’s fist had still caused him serious injuries as countless jets of blood spurted out from his body as he flew through the air, the aura radiating from his body declining drastically.
In that instant, Qiu Yu could not help but think back to the words Yang Kai had said to him earlier.
“Brother Qiu, I see that the spot between your brows has turned dark, your pupils look distracted, your lip and tongue look charred, your spirit scattering, and darkness covering your face. I’m afraid that you’re about to face impending death.”
Incomparable grief and indignation filled Qiu Yu’s heart as he thought to himself that the impending death he was about to face was all due to this fellow.
Before he could think about anything else, his head tilted to the side as he fell unconscious, his life or death unknown.
“Young Master!” The expression of the old man who had caught Qiu Yu changed drastically before turning a deathly pale shade.
The other old man looked over absentmindedly, taking a very long time before he snapped back to his senses. Earlier, when Qiu Yu had taken action, they were secretly coordinating from the back; however, never in their wildest dreams did they expect Qiu Yu to get injured by Yang Kai like this. Not only was this a massive loss of face for them, they would also be incapable of explaining this matter to the Palace Master once they returned to the Sky Illumination Palace.
Before this old man could recover from his shock, Yang Kai suddenly appeared by his side. Brandishing the Myriad Sword, Sword Qi surging forth from him.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf.”
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The sounds of something breaking through the air rang out incessantly.
Endless beams of Sword Qi flowed forth with maddened fury.
“Emperor Artifact!” The old man’s eyes shrank as a sliver of shock flashed across the depths of his eyes. After being exposed to the Emperor Intent gushing out freely from the Myriad Sword, his entire being started to tremble.
Under the terrifying Emperor Intent, over thirty percent of his cultivation was suppressed. Coupled with Yang Kai’s sneak attack, how could he escape?
With danger looming right before his eyes, the old man had no choice but to unleash all of the Source Qi around his body to defend himself while retreating with all his might.
*Pu pu pu…*
A bloody glow blossomed, its radiance piercing through the void, as the old man’s body appeared just like a lonely little boat in the middle of a stormy sea, teetering on the brink of collapse.
*Hong long long…*
A massive rumble erupted, as the entire inner hall crumbled apart, throwing dust and debris in all directions, curses being strewn by the various guests as they fled from within.
By the time the dust had settled, everyone could not help but draw in a mouthful of cold air as they laid their eyes on the inner hall.
Standing at his original position was Yang Kai, completely safe and sound, with the gigantic Myriad Sword held in his hand, Sword Qi swirling around it. He cut an imposing figure with his appearance, a cold and callous expression on his face.
Not far away from him was the old man from the Sky Illumination Palace, with his entire body drenched in blood as he stood there, gasping for air as he struggled to remain standing. Clearly, he had suffered substantial injuries, while an extremely ugly look hung on his face.
The other Sky Illumination Palace Master was protecting the seriously injured Qiu Yu. Although he was unharmed, he did not dare to recklessly unleash an attack against Yang Kai.
If he did take action, there would be no one left to protect Qiu Yu. With Yang Kai’s phenomenal speed, he could reap Qiu Yu’s life anytime he wished if the latter was left unprotected.
All of the guests were overwhelmed with shock, utterly incapable of believing what they were seeing as they stared at Yang Kai, who stood tall like a mountain, bearing down on them with immense pressure.
In this short conflict, Yang Kai had been attacked from all directions by as many as four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, not only was he totally unharmed, he had even managed to deal a severe blow to one of them.
How many people out there were able to achieve such a feat?
The corners of Du Xian’s mouth twitched as he whispered towards Ye Qing Han, “Young Master Yang… is he really only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm? Is he not some Emperor Realm Senior that’s disguising himself to toy with his prey?”
His words seem to represent the feelings present in everyone’s hearts, as there were no Dao Source Realm cultivators out there who could achieve such a result with their own strength. Therefore, it was unavoidable for people to question if Yang Kai was concealing his true cultivation.
With a bitter laugh, Ye Jing Han replied, “He entered the Four Seasons Realm recently. At that time, he was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm. Within such a short period of time, how could it be possible for him to reach the Emperor Realm?”
Her words made sense to Du Xian. All of the cultivators that entered the Four Seasons Realms would need to undergo the detailed inspection conducted by the Masters from the various top Sects. If Yang Kai was really concealing his cultivation, it would have been utterly impossible for him to escape the keen senses of those Masters.
Considering this, Du Xian felt even more shocked. He discovered that when he compared himself to Yang Kai, he felt like an utter joke, causing an extremely complicated feeling to fill his heart.
“Sir Yang, our Sky Illumination Palace will remember this debt, and will make sure to return it back in the future,” the old man holding Qiu Yu glared hatefully at Yang Kai as he growled out between his clenched teeth.
Looking back at him, Yang Kai sneered, “You were the ones who launched a sneak attack on me, yet now you have the nerve to try to flip our positions around? Are all of you nothing but whipped dogs?”
The old man was placed in an exceedingly uncomfortable spot from Yang Kai’s rebuttal, yet he did not dare to argue back, causing his face to flush with embarrassment and anger. Left with no choice, he could only clench his teeth and snap at the other old man, “Let’s go!”
As those words left his mouth, the two men carried the unconscious Qiu Yu and fled.
The sealing barrier that surrounded the City Lord’s Mansion was smashed apart by the earlier fight, allowing the two to effortlessly leave this place, disappearing without a trace in a blink of an eye. From the looks of it, they were in a rush to head back to Sky Illumination Palace to give Qiu Yu treatment.
Seeing them leave with such haste, Luo Jin’s expression turned ugly.
Although he had opened his mouth to invite Ke Tian to assist him, he had already secretly contacted the people from Sky Illumination Palace long before and came to an agreement with them to unleash a sneak attack. Originally, with the collaboration of four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, it should have been impossible for Yang Kai to flip the situation around, no matter how strong he was.
Who could have known that the unexpected circumstances that Qiu Yu had ended up in would lead to the two powerhouses from Sky Illumination Palace leaving the fight?
In an instant, the situation had reverted to him and Ke Tian against Yang Kai. Beads of cold sweat covered Luo Jin’s forehead as he felt immense pressure.
As Sky Illumination Palace’s members were leaving, Yang Kai did not take action to obstruct them, as he knew the consequences of cornering an injured opponent. At this moment, the most important thing was to let Luo Jin release Gui Zu and the others, so he did not have the heart to care for other people.
After the two Elders from Sky Illumination Palace left, Yang Kai turned his head to look at Ke Tian and said with a grin, “Old dog, are you still planning on continuing? Do you believe this Young Master won’t split you in two?”
Anger filled Ke Tian’s expression.
If anyone dared to say such words to him, he would definitely not take it lying down, and would absolutely teach that person a good lesson; however, the person who said those words was Yang Kai, which left him with no confidence to unleash his anger.
Even his Sky Thunder Command was unable to deal with Yang Kai, leaving Ke Tian with absolutely no way to triumph in battle.
As his expression fluctuated, Luo Jin hastily interjected, “Don’t listen to his threats, Sir Ke! With you and me joining hands, he will die without a doubt!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai let out a sneer, “If that’s the case, why is this Young Master still standing here, completely unharmed? Have your eyes gone blind, City Lord Luo? You didn’t even evaluate the situation before speaking.”
Ignoring Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin continued to persuade Ke Tian, “Sir Ke, if we’re able to kill him today, this Luo will offer five years of my Sky Crane City’s revenue to your noble Sect!”
Right now, he couldn’t care about his face at all and proceeded to strike a deal with Ke Tian before the countless guests.
Indeed Ke Tian was moved by the offer. With how Sky Crane City was flourishing, five years worth of revenue was absolutely not a small sum. However, with a cursory glance that showed Yang Kai looking at him with an ambiguous smile, drums started to beat yet again in his heart.
Seeing this, Luo Jin clenched his teeth, “Sir Ke, don’t tell me that a mere brat is causing you to be frozen in fear. If that’s the case, Sir Ke’s Martial Dao will stop here, with no hope of ever reaching a greater realm.”
Ke Tian’s expression shook as he heard those words, knowing what Luo Jin said was right. If he continued to hesitate, today’s matter would definitely become a Heart Demon for him, interfering with his cultivation, as well as removing any hope for him to break through to the Emperor Realm. If he didn’t manage this well, it might even cause a cultivation dissonance to occur whenever he thought back to this day.
Thinking to this point, Ke Tian’s expression turned resolute before growling through his clenched teeth, “Good! This Ke will risk his life to accompany you! Let’s give this youngster a proper lesson on how to show respect.”
Luo Jin grew excited upon seeing Ke Tian agreeing to his deal, “With Sir Ke’s help, this Luo can feel assured.”
Yang Kai sneered, “I really don’t know where you two are getting your confidence from. Since there was a path to Heaven but you two refused to take it and stubbornly chose to knock on the gates of Hell, this Young Master will grant you two your wishes!”
As his words rang out, Yang Kai flickered as he shot straight towards Ke Tian.
Ke Tian’s expression changed drastically. Appearing to not have considered how fast Yang Kai’s speed was, he hastily pulled back in retreat.
Showing no intention to stop him, Yang Kai proceeded to shoot him a cold glare, “Look into my eyes!”
Hearing his words, Ke Tian subconsciously looked towards Yang Kai’s eyes.
However, he quickly realized that he had fallen into Yang Kai’s trap. The instant he looked over, Yang Kai’s left eye suddenly erupted in a sparkling golden glow, and a vertical pupil brimming with awe imposing might appeared, sending chills through his entire being.
He attempted to avert the incoming gaze but found himself utterly incapable of doing so. The mysterious power erupting from that golden pupil had locked up his own gaze, leaving him no choice but to stare right into it. Not only that, he could even feel his Soul trembling, while his Knowledge Sea churned.
“Blossoming Lotus!” With a cold snort, a pure white lotus bud flashed out from within Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation.
As though he was struck by lightning, intense trembling instantly racked through Ke Tian’s body. Clutching his head while letting out miserable cries as if he was experiencing some kind of tremendous torture.
The surrounding guests turned silent in fear, the gazes they sent towards Yang Kai brimming with dread and terror.
Being utterly confused as to what had happened, the only thing they saw was Yang Kai and Ke Tian exchanging glances, before Ke Tian ended up in his current situation.
However, in that instant, Luo Jin had sensed a concealed burst of Spiritual Energy and immediately realized that Yang Kai had used some kind of Soul-type Secret Technique, he shouted out in panic, “Sir Ke, protect your mind!”
As he shouted, the jade sceptre in his hand instantly grew large, before smashing down on Yang Kai like a gigantic boulder.
Yang Kai couldn’t help sneering in response as he grabbed Ke Tian, who was still struggling in pain against the Blossom Lotus Secret Technique, and tossed him straight over.
“Ah!” Luo Jin’s expression changed drastically as he immediately proceeded to form hands seals in an attempt to pull his artifact back. Unfortunately, with him unleashing the strike at full power, how could he recall it in an instant? This left him with no choice but to watch as Ke Tian faced the full brunt of his own artifact’s attack.
*Honglong…*
As the bang rang out, Ke Tian turned into a clump of blood mist, not a single bone or piece of flesh remaining. The blood and bits of flesh shot in all directions, drenching the entire area with a crimson shade.
Luo Jin turned dumb like a wooden chicken, completely incapable of believing his own eyes.
Astonished cries rang out from the surrounding guests, as not a single one of them had expected Ke Tian, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, to die in such a clear cut manner.
Just now, he had joined hands with Luo Jin once again in preparation to strike Yang Kai. At that time, everyone still believed that Yang Kai would be hard-pressed to escape the calamity that had befallen him; however, who would have thought that Ke Tian was the first one to die, in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, he had perished to Luo Jin’s jade sceptre.
Not a single person could accept the utterly odd series of developments that had just occurred.
“Ho ho…” Yang Kai let out an eccentric laugh before looking at Luo Jin, “Sir Luo really is ruthless to not even let his own ally go. Elder Ke left this world in such misery. So this is the ‘destroy the bridge after crossing the river’ metaphor that people always use.”
He portrayed a grieving appearance, which appeared amusing yet horrifying to the spectating guests.
After all, everyone had seen that Ke Tian had died partially due to Luo Jin being unable to pull back his jade sceptre in time. However, the main reason was due to Ke Tian getting struck by an unknown Secret Technique that Yang Kai had unleashed, resulting in him being unable to evade after being thrown into the path of Luo Jin’s attack.
Therefore, the one truly responsible for Ke Tian’s death was still Yang Kai. Now though, Yang Kai was pushing all the blame onto Luo Jin, and added words that made it seem as though it did not involve him at all.
Luo Jin was dumbfounded by everything, as he had originally assumed that Yang Kai was only lucky to be able to drive off two Sky Illumination Palace Elders away because he had wounded Qiu Yu. If not for this, those two Elders would not have retreated so easily and Ke Tian would not have died like this.
However, it was only at this moment that Luo Jin realized that Yang Kai’s strength could not be comprehended through ordinary means. Being able to render Ke Tian incapable of mustering any resistance in an instant was already proof of his astonishing strength.
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin shouted back hastily, “Bullshit! It was clearly due to you that Sir Ke…”
Yang Kai gave a heavy snort in response, “Old Sir Ke was clearly killed by Sir Luo’s artifact. Everyone here witnessed that, and all of the guests present can testify to that, so how does it concern me? I really don’t know what hatred or resentment Sir Luo had with Sir Ke to actually be so ruthless.”
Luo Jin was angered so much by Yang Kai’s words that his Source Qi churned violently while his face turned flushed. Despite wanting to refute, he didn’t know where to start. As feelings of vexation within him reached his limit, he exploded with anger, “This King and you cannot exist under the same sky!”
As he shouted, Luo Jin spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto his jade sceptre. In the next instant, rays of light blossomed from the jade sceptre, accompanied by energy fluctuations that surged out in all directions, as an extremely powerful and dangerous aura started to radiate from it.
Revealing a sneer, Yang Kai shifted his body and, with a surge of Space Principles, appeared right before Luo Jin’s face. Under the latter’s dumbfounded expression, Yang Kai unleashed a stab with his sword.
With his mind shaken by Ke Tian’s death, coupled with the incriminating words from Yang Kai that made his anger blow through the roof and Source Qi churn unstably, Luo Jin was incapable of maintaining his usual state of mind.
Therefore, he was unable to react when Yang Kai’s sword stabbed towards him.
With a soft piercing sound, Luo Jin’s body turned stiff, and all of the hot blood coursing through his body turned cold as he looked blankly before him.
With a demonic smile hanging on his face, Yang Kai sneered, “It’s best for Sir Luo to not move. I’m actually quite timid, so if you make any sudden movements, my hand may shake and I might accidentally pierce through your heart. That won’t be any good for you.”
Beads of cold sweat dripped down from Luo Jin’s head as he felt the Myriads Sword had pierced through his body, stopping only a finger width from his heart. How would he dare to make any sudden movements? The only thing he could do was to continue gulping his saliva down in anxiety.
“No!” All of a sudden, Luo Bing rushed forward in a crazed fashion, standing between Yang Kai and Luo Jin, spreading her hands out to shield her father while sobbing fiercely, “Senior Brother, please don’t kill my father! Bing’er begs of you! Please don’t kill my father!”
She continued to shout while sobbing, drenching her exquisite looking face with tears.
Looking at her, Chai Hu wanted to say something, but stopped and gave a great sigh.
Solemn expressions appeared on the surrounding guests’ faces as they felt sorrow for Luo Bing.
Through the many twists and turns that have happened today, Chai Hu, who had started this whole storm, Yang Kai who had carried it to a new height, and even the seriously injured Luo Jin were not the ones who suffered the most.
Instead, it was Luo Bing!
When Chai Hu was injured, she had given her all to beg her father to let him go. Being her saviour, she did not wish for her father to hurt Chai Hu.
When Luo Jin was injured, she came before Yang Kai and begged him to let her father go. After all, ‘blood is thicker than water’, and Luo Jin’s blood flowed within her.
Just yesterday, she was the carefree and happy-go-lucky princess of Sky Crane City.
However, in a single day, she had seen so much blood, so much violence, and so many terrifying circumstances. Between familial relationships and life-saving kindness, she was at a loss about just what to do.
Her weak figure seemed to be incapable of handling such successive impacts.
Yang Kai frowned as he stared at her, a cold emotionless expression blanketing his face.
Truthfully speaking, he did not have a good first impression of Luo Bing at all, as he felt that this princess was overly spoiled and overly willful.
However, today’s matter had changed his impression of her by quite a bit.
The scene of her risking her own life to protect Chai Hu was still vivid in his mind.
Although she was ignorant of how the world worked, she at least knew the meaning of gratitude.
“Please, I beg of you! Don’t hurt my father! Let him go, and I’ll bear everything in his place!” Sobbing as she cried out, Luo Bing knelt on the ground, hugging Yang Kai’s foot like a dog, refusing to let go.
How could the guests present not be touched by her actions? All of them proceeded to shoot complicated looks at Luo Bing, as this was the first time they had seen her like this.
Unable to bear what he saw, Chai Hu’s throat shook as a hoarse voice rang out from him, “Little Brother Yang…”
“Ha…” Yang Kai gave a sigh, before speaking in an indifferent tone, “Don’t worry, your father isn’t dead yet.”
With the attitude he had shown and the various atrocities Luo Jin had committed, Yang Kai felt that it wasn’t enough to kill him once and be done with. However, Luo Bing’s pleas had touched his heart, making him somewhat unable to proceed with what he had originally planned for Luo Jin.
Dragging his injured body towards Luo Bing, Chai Hu extended his hand to help her up, “Stand up before we talk.”
Raising her head, Luo Bing revealed her tear-stricken face towards Yang Kai and cried, “Please don’t kill my father…”
Yang Kai replied, “That would depend on how he treated my friends. If I see a single hair on them harmed…”
Luo Jin hastily interjected, “I’ve only sealed their cultivation and locked them in the prison. I didn’t harm them.”
Yang Kai shot a look at him, “Then, you should know what to do.”
Luo Jin trembled upon hearing his words, before hurriedly shouting, “Escort those few Sirs out!”
With his life in the hands of another, he could no longer keep up his obstinance. All he could do now was conform to live another day.
Hearing Luo Jin’s command, how would the City Lord Mansion guards hesitate? They immediately sprang into action.
The surrounding guests looked in a certain direction in curiosity, wishing to see what kind of people Yang Kai would risk kicking up such a big fuss for.
After a short while, under the guidance of the City Lord Mansion’s cultivators, a group of three walked out.
The lead of the trio radiated an exceedingly gloomy aura, as though he had cultivated some kind of sinister art, causing discomfort for anyone who felt it. This person was not young; in fact, he had the appearance of an old man, but the wicked grin that hung at the corners of his mouth caused chills to people who saw him.
Following closely behind the evil-looking old man was another old man of similar age. However, this person stood ramrod straight, just like a sharp sword. Invisible Sword Intent lingered around his entire body. A single look was enough to tell that this person was an expert of the Sword Dao.
The last person was tall and sturdily built, with a face that was imposing and dignified. A fierce gleam was present in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.
All of these three people were in the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
The three clearly did not know what had happened here as they scanned their surroundings in vigilance and curiosity. Their Divine Senses continued to intersect each other, a clear indication of a secret conversation that was ongoing between them.
“Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother!” After seeing the trio, Chai Hu immediately let out an emotional shout.
The trio’s eyes lit up upon looking over. Hurrying over, the evil-looking old man at the front asked, “Why are you here, Fourth Brother?”
As he posed his question, he continued to shoot a look at Chai Hu, as though wanting the latter to hurry up and flee.
With a smile, Chi Yue interjected, “Fourth Brother is here to save you.”
“Fourth Brother, you idiot!” A frown appeared on the second old man’s face as he started to berate Chai Hu.
On the contrary, the fierce-looking middle-aged male at the back of the trio gave a hearty chuckle, “Since he’s already here, let us flip the Heavens upside down!”
As he said those words, he really prepared to take action.
Seeing that they had yet to understand the situation they were currently in, a speechless look appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “Slow down. You three, take a look at who’s here.”
The trio gawked in response. Only then did they proceed to look in the direction she was pointing.
Upon looking over, shocked expressions appeared on their faces, their eyes snapped wide open, before inconceivable expressions replaced the shocked ones, as though they had just seen a ghost.
“It has been a while, Seniors!” Yang Kai grinned as he cupped his hands.
“Sect Master?” Gui Zu cried out in shock. Despite being used to unexpected and drastic changes in his life, he couldn’t help but tremble from the emotions surging through his body.
“Sect Master Yang?”
“Yang Boy?”
Gu Cang Yun and President Ai Ou both cried out in shock, both of them feeling as though they had entered some kind of dream world.
Chi Yue smiled, “It’s all due to his actions today that you three are free.”
Hearing her words, the trio’s expression turned serious as they hastily sent their Divine Sense out to check Yang Kai’s cultivation. After discovering that Yang Kai had reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, all of them couldn’t help but suck in a mouthful of cold air.
All of them clearly remembered that Yang Kai was just a Second-Order Origin King when they had set off from the Star Field. Never in their wildest dreams would they expect that after being separated for just two or three years, his cultivation would already surpass theirs.
Such a rate of growth would simply make others blush in shame.
Ignoring his cultivation, from what Chi Yue had said, everything that had happened today had been started and completed by Yang Kai.
A thick bloody smell hung in the air, while the word ‘Death’, written using flesh and blood, was present on the wall, a sight that would shock anyone who saw it. Furthermore, Sky Crane City’s City Lord Luo Jin had a gigantic sword embedded in his chest, which caused him to not dare to make any random movements, while the surrounding guests had eyes brimming with shock and dread.
Being veterans of the world, the trio needed only a single look to gain an almost complete understanding of what had happened earlier, which in turn caused more shock to rise in their hearts.
How did a Second-Order Dao Source Realm accomplish such a magnificent feat in someone else’s territory? Gui Zu and the other two were utterly incapable of imagining how that was even possible.
“Are you Seniors in good health?” Yang Kai asked.
Gui Zu replied, “Many thanks, for your concern, Sect Master. We’re all right.”
Yang Kai’s investigation also revealed that they were in pretty good shape. Indeed, Luo Jin did not mistreat them, other than sealing their cultivation and locking them up in his prison. After removing the seals on their bodies, they would fully recover.
After all, with all three of them only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, it was not something that Luo Jin, with the strength he controlled, the City Lord’s Mansion, would care about. So, there was no need for the latter to be overly vigilant with them.
“Let’s talk about the details later. We should leave here first,” Chi Yue interjected.
Gui Zu raised his brow before giving a sinister laugh as he looked towards Luo Jin, “This Third-Order Dao Source Realm’s Soul, this King will go ahead and take it.”
As he said those words, he summoned his Ten Thousand Soul Banner. In an instant, an evil wind started to whip up within the City Lord’s Mansion. As cries and howls rang out, slivers of a black aura visible to the naked eye started to perfuse out, transforming into blurry human figures that proceeded to move about in all directions.
The faces of the surrounding guests changed drastically as they sensed the sinister aura radiating from this artifact, which caused their hearts to sink in dread. Who knows exactly what sinister art this old fellow cultivated, for his artifact to be this malevolent.
“Don’t come over!” Although Luo Bing was so frightened that all colour had drained from her beautiful face, she still continued to stand protectively before Luo Jin while crying out loud.
Panicking from Gui Zu’s actions, Luo Jin looked towards Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang… I really did not harm them. Furthermore, I’ve already released them in accordance with your instructions. You can’t go back on your words.”
Yang Kai shot a cold glare at him, before lifting his hand to stop Gui Zu’s actions.
Although Gui Zu didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, he did not continue. Instead, he started to chuckle evilly, causing spectators’ hairs to stand on their ends.
Chai Hu gulped, before speaking up, “Little Brother, Young Lady Luo has helped me quite a lot. She also helped me enter this place, so please don’t harm her.”
After hearing his words, Gui Zu and the others could not help but shoot a weird look towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu added, “One has to make sure to distinguish gratitude and grudges, right?”
Chi Yue smiled, “What Fourth Brother said is right.”
After muttering to himself for a moment, Yang Kai pulled his hand back slightly, removing the Myriads Sword from Luo Jin, causing a burst of blood to spew out from the latter’s mouth.
Luo Jin hastily said in relief, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang!”
However, right as his words rang out, Yang Kai suddenly sent a palm rumbling towards him, which smashed right into his chest. Caught totally off guard, Luo Jin did not react at all when the massive force knocked him through the air. Another mouthful of blood mist spurted out from his lips as he tumbled before smashing back down onto the ground, his aura waning drastically.
“Father!” With a shrill shriek, Luo Bing clawed and crawled as she hurtled towards her father.
As he struggled to get up, Luo Jin shot a look of pure shock at Yang Kai.
After being struck by Yang Kai, he finally had a full understanding of how powerful the former was. The density and purity of Yang Kai’s Source Qi in that strike was at a level that he could not compete against.
[How is he just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm?]
[If he broke through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, just how powerful would he be? He might just be invincible beneath the Emperor Realm!] Such thoughts caused cold sweat to drip down Luo Jin’s back, as the terror of him offending such a monster struck his heart.
“You should rejoice you have such a good daughter!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, before shouting towards Gui Zu and the others, “Let’s go!”
As he said those words, he started to walk out. Not a single person dared to obstruct him, with everyone proceeding to give way as though they were fleeing from a devil, leaving a wide gulf between them and Yang Kai.
Gui Zu and the others followed suit behind him, with Ye Jing Han also shouting out, “We’re going as well!”
As she said that, she, Du Xian, and the others hastily followed.
Silence filled the City Lord’s Mansion and continued after Yang Kai and the others had left, as not a single person dared to open their mouths to say anything. Some people were shooting complicated looks at Luo Jin, with some taking pleasure in his misfortune. Some felt sympathy, while others frowned deeply, as though they were pondering something.
Regardless of anything else, Luo Jin’s face had taken a massive hit today. During his wedding ceremony, not only did his would-be-concubine escape, all of his scandals had been exposed to the public. Furthermore, he had been greatly injured in the process.
Who would submit to such a City Lord anymore?
Quite a few people started to feel that a great turmoil was about to take place in Sky Crane City.
Many of the cultivators present no longer had any interest in exchanging pleasantries with Luo Jin as they proceeded to leave. Such a well-planned ceremony had turned from bustling liveliness into a deserted place, leaving behind a tear-ridden Luo Bing to take care of her father.
Looking in the direction Yang Kai and the others had left, Luo Jin clenched his fists as hatred and anger filled his face, flames of fury bursting out from his eyes.
…
On a ship artifact, Du Xian arranged a room for Yang Kai and the others, letting them have a private place to chat after their reunion.
Having all come here from the Star Field, they naturally did not need to hide anything from each other.
Through their conversation, Yang Kai finally understood the various experiences his Seniors had after their separation.
According to them, when the Starlight Corridor shattered, they had been thrown out and landed in the vicinity of Sky Crane City. Although they were utterly unfamiliar with the Star Boundary, they had concealed themselves well, not letting anyone discover their identities or ignorance.
After two days of various encounters and experiences, they had managed to regroup and then began searching for Yang Kai.
However, regardless of how they searched, they were still unable to discover even any trace of Yang Kai, nor were they able to find Liu Yan or Xiao Xiao at all.
After trying for two months, they had no choice but to give up and start making plans for themselves.
The initial period of living in Sky Crane City was exceedingly difficult for them. Although they were peak-level Masters in their native Star Field, they had to start from the bottom in the Star Boundary. Their Third-Order Origin King cultivation wasn’t considered strong in Sky Crane City, and one could find any number of people stronger than them here.
They were now in a completely foreign environment without any relationships or experience, so they had to learn how to walk again just like newborn babies. Carefully concealing their identities as travellers from the Star Field, they worked hard to acquire Source Crystals to buy cultivation materials.
Fortunately, they managed to find a spot roughly ten thousand kilometres from Sky Crane City where they could hunt Monster Beasts for parts to sell.
Through steady efforts, they slowly accumulated Source Crystals, while buying cultivation materials bit by bit, not daring to waste a single bit of money.
It was at that time they bumped into Chai Hu.
Although Chai Hu was rather crude and rough, he was quite open-minded, so after cooperating a few times, they grew familiar with each other. Being a native Sky Crane City cultivator, Chai Hu’s understanding of the situation of the city was vastly superior, and with his guidance and planning, the few of them were able to obtain Source Crystals much faster than before.
After repeated life or death encounters in which they had to depend on each other to survive, they struck up a strong friendship with Chai Hu.
After a big fight, Wu Dao suddenly managed to gain a bout of enlightenment, and with that, a chance to break through.
However, none of them had imagined that Wu Dao would actually fail at the most critical moment of his breakthrough! His fall brought immense pain to the group.
This incident strengthened the already strong ties between them, however, and they decided to take the oath to become sworn siblings. After two or three years of hard work, all of them managed to break through to the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
As they were already Third-Order Origin Kings while in the Star Field, Gui Zu and the others would not have gone through so much trouble to head into the Star Boundary to seek a greater Martial Dao realm if not for the lack of World Principles in the Star Field.
Therefore, their breakthrough was more or less guaranteed, with not many twists and turns in between.
“Wait!” All of sudden, Yang Kai interjected, “What do you mean? Senior Chai is also a Dao Source Realm Master?”
After becoming sworn siblings with Gui Zu and the others, Chai Hu would be considered Yang Kai’s Elder. Therefore, he naturally had to use ‘Senior’ to address the former.
As he said those words, his Divine Sense continued to scan Chai Hu’s body, as he had clearly sensed that the latter’s cultivation was only at the Third-Order Origin King Realm. Why did this differ from what Gui Zu and the others were saying?
This was something that confused him.
However, regardless of how Yang Kai scanned with his Divine Sense, he still sensed that Chai Hu was just a Third-Order Origin King, and not a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
A glimmer of sadness flashed across Chai Hu’s face after hearing Yang Kai’s questions, while looks of guilt appeared on the faces of Gui Zu and the others.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai made a weird noise, as though he had discovered something. Extending his hand out to the latter, he said, “Pardon me!”
As he said that, he extended his hand towards Chai Hu’s arm, before sending Source Qi out to investigate.
After a moment, he raised his head to look towards Chai Hu, “Senior Chai’s cultivation has dropped?”
He could sense the presence of pure Source Qi within Chai Hu’s body! It was at a level that was simply impossible to occur. After all, with his Third-Order Origin King cultivation, this level of purity in Source Qi should have forced him to break through by now.
However, that was not the case. There was only one explanation for this, Chai Hu was once in the Dao Source Realm, therefore his Source Qi purity was still retained. The only mystery was the reason that resulted in his dropped cultivation realm.
Chai Hu gave a bitter laugh, “You’re right.”
Gui Zu gave a deep sigh, “Half a year ago, while we were training, we bumped into a horde of Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts. Unable to deal with them, we proceeded to flee. For the sake of buying time, Fourth Brother had stayed behind, and while that happened, suffered a serious injury to his dantian. He became like that after recuperating for a while. Fourth Brother’s eye was also lost during that fight.”
A look of self rebuke appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “If we had stayed behind, this might not have happened at all.”
Although Gu Cang Yuan and Ai Ou didn’t say anything, their faces were filled with guilt and remorse. Clearly, they were also unable to forget about this matter, as they felt that they were the ones responsible for Chai Hu’s mishap.
A drop in cultivation was not a small matter, as there was a possibility of never being able to recover one’s cultivation once that happened, halting one’s path on the Martial Dao at that point. For cultivators in pursuit of a higher realm, that was equivalent to a death sentence, and might even be worse than that.
Seeing their depressed expressions, Chai Hu prompted, “Why are you guys bringing out such expressions? It’s not like I’ve died, right? It’s just a drop in cultivation, and it’s not like I’m unable to regain my cultivation at all.”
Although he appeared open-minded and optimistic about it, how could anyone present here not know the bleak chance of ever regaining his former cultivation realm?
In an instant, the atmosphere within the room turned exceedingly stifling.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai opened his mouth, “Senior Chai, did your dantian hurt during this past half-year whenever you exerted your strength?”
Chai Hui gawked, as he did not know why Yang Kai had asked such a question. Nevertheless, he answered truthfully, “Occasionally; after all, I indeed suffered a serious injury to my dantian during that fight half a year ago, so there’s definitely some lasting effects from that.”
Yang Kai continued to ask, “When you use your strength, do you also have the feeling as though something is obstructed?”
“That’s right. There are times when my meridians will feel swollen and sore, and the circulation of my Source Qi will become sluggish,” Chai Hu replied in a respectful tone. Although Yang Kai was higher in cultivation compared to him, being able to understand his condition with just a slight investigation, showing how strong and powerful his Divine Sense was.
Chi Yue’s expression changed as she turned and set a hopeful gaze towards Yang Kai, “Did you discover something?”
Yang Kai continued to remain silent for a while, replying after pulling his hand back, “It’s possible that Senior Chai’s current situation isn’t due to an injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what can it possibly be?” Chai Hu’s eyes snapped wide open, while the others sent curious looks at Yang Kai, all of them wanting to know exactly what he meant.
“Senior Chai, would you take off your shirt to let me take a look at your abdomen?” Yang Kai replied with a question.
Chai Hu nodded his head and proceeded to lift his top up. However, he quickly seemed to realise something as he raised his head to look towards Chi Yue, “Turn around, Fifth Sister.”
Chi Yue curled her lip in disdain, “What’s the matter with me seeing? Are you that embarrassed?”
Chai Hu snapped back, “Men and women that aren’t married shouldn’t show skin to one another.”
Chi Yue’s face turned blank as she snorted, “Are you going to take off or not? If you’re not going to, I’ll do it.”
“Okay okay okay! I’ll do it myself!” Chai Hu was truly afraid of her fiery temper. Knowing that she might really take action to strip him if he continued to be this indecisive, he no longer hesitated and took off his top.
After an instant, a few pairs of eyes shot towards his abdomen.
“Eh? What’s that?” Chi Yue cried out as her beautiful eyes were locked on the location of Chai Hu’s dantian.
“What?” Chai Hu gawked in response and proceeded to lower his head to take a look. In the next instant, he couldn’t refrain from snapping his eyes wide open as he gasped, “What the hell is this?”
Present on his abdomen were a few dark red intersecting strips that seemed to conceal some kind of profound mystery. These stripes were clearly formed from an unnatural source.
“You don’t know about these, Fourth Brother?” Gui Zu looked at Chai Hu in astonishment.
Chai Hu shook his head, a blank look present on his face.
Chi Yue instantly shot a disdainful look at him, “How long has it been since you’ve taken a bath? You aren’t even clear if there’s something on your body. No wonder there’s a smell coming from you.”
Chai Hu gave an embarrassed laugh, “I’ll take a bath in a bit, in a bit!”
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “Ah, so it’s like that.”
Hearing his words, Ai Ou immediately looked towards him and said in an enthusiastic tone, “Do you know something, Yang Boy? Hurry up and spit it out.”
The others also proceeded to send the same looks over towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied, ‘Senior Chai’s drop in cultivation is most likely not due to the injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what could it be?” A few voices rang out at the same time.
“He’s been poisoned!” Yang Kai replied.
Chai Hu was stunned, before gawking out, “Poisoned? How did I get poisoned?”
A look of utter confusion appeared on his face, as he clearly did not dare to believe what Yang Kai had just said. As he thought back in detail, he also wasn’t able to identify any moment when he had come across any poisonous substance, nor did he ever feel the sensation of being poisoned.
Yang Kai replied, “Were the Monster Beasts that you all encountered previously Profound Heavenly Wolf Spiders?”
The group’s eyes snapped wide open as they exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know?”
Yang Kai looked at Chai Hu, “Senior Chai, did you drink the blood of a Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
Chai Hu nodded and replied, “I bit one to death.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of everyone’s mouth twitched as they all shot an incredulous look at Chai Hu.
Chai Hu continued, “There were quite a few of those damn things. I had no choice but to bite one to death.”
“It makes sense then. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider is poisonous, and should not be ingested!”
A look of shock flashed across Gu Cang Yun’s face as he said, “Sect Master Yang, what you mean is that Fourth Brother’s cultivation drop is due to him drinking the blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
“That’s right. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider has the effect of suppressing one’s cultivation. It is an ingredient for Alchemy and can be combined with certain herbs to refine the Profound Wolf Pill. A single pill is enough to completely wipe away the cultivation of a Dao Source Realm cultivator and shatter their foundation, leaving them unable to cultivate ever again.”
As those words rang out, everyone’s expression changed drastically as the colour drained from their faces.
If what Yang Kai had said was the truth, Chai Hu’s fate…
The group did not dare to continue this line of thinking. Originally, they had only assumed that he had dropped down to a Third-Order Origin King, with the possibility of him regaining his cultivation in the future; however, never in their wildest dream did they expect for this matter to be this serious. If this was really the case, it would be impossible for Chai Hu to regain his former cultivation realm. Furthermore, as time passed, his cultivation would continue to regress until he became a complete cripple.
Seeing the ugly expressions on their faces, Yang Kai spoke out with a smile, “That’s only the efficacy of the Profound Wolf Pill. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider doesn’t have such a formidable effect by itself.”
Ai Ou hastily interjected, “Is there a way to dispel it?”
Yang Kai turned his head and shot a look at Chi Yue.
“Why are you looking at me?” Chi Yue asked with a blank look on her face.
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Chi Yue’s blood has the ability to suppress that poison.”
“Hm?” The confused looks on the other people grew deeper, as they did not know exactly what Yang Kai was talking about.
On the contrary, Chi Yue’s eyes lit up, “I see.”
Being the Monster King of Monster Emperor Star, she was the descendant of the Ancient Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Therefore, its bloodline flowed within her body. Despite both being Monster Beasts, the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider far, far outclassed the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider in rank.
The aura of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was sufficient to suppress the lower-ranked Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider.
As she said those words, Chi Yue did not hesitate one bit and used her finger as a knife to give a fierce slice at her own wrist. In the next instant, bright red blood flowed out from her fair wrist.
Extending her wrist to Chai Hu, she ordered, “Drink it, Fourth Brother.”
Dumbfounded by her actions, Chai Hu stared at her as his face turned flushed, “What are you doing?”
With a faint smile, Chi Yue replied, “Don’t be embarrassed and stop being troublesome! Hurry up and drink!”
As she said those words, she proceeded to shove her wrist towards Chai Hu’s mouth.
At this point, Yang Kai spoke out, “If Senior Chai wants to restore his cultivation, it’s best that you do not reject her.”
Hearing his words, a myriad of emotions flashed through Chai Hu’s face, before he clenched his teeth and started to suck her blood on his own accord.
Yang Kai said, “Although Senior Chi Yue’s blood has a slight suppressive effect, you would still need a Coagulation Pill if you want to completely remove the effects of the poison. I’ll refine the pill, but before it is finished, it would be best for Senior Chai to not exert any strength. If not, it’ll make the matter more troublesome to deal with.”
After Yang Kai had finished with his explanation, Chai Hu had already let Chi Yue’s hand go. Wiping the leftover blood from his mouth, he said, “Okay. Then I shall trouble you, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Senior and my Sect’s Elder, my father-in-law, and my mother-in-law are sworn siblings. That makes us all one family, so there’s no need for you to be this courteous.”
“Father-in-law? Mother-in-law?” A strange look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he turned his head to Chi Yue, “Are you married, Fifth Sister?”
Chi Yue snapped back at him, “Stop your nonsense and don’t soil my good name.”
By the side, Ai Ou gave a cold snort, “I’m that brat’s father-in-law! This brat is so unscrupulous, only the Heavens know what despicable methods he used to get so many girls to fall for him! This one’s precious daughter wasn’t able to escape his treacherous hands! Ah, my heart!”
Yang Kai flung his head up and replied in a haughty manner, “It’s all because of my natural charm!”
Chi Yue gave a cold snort, “After coming to this Star Boundary, far away from any supervision, you should have plucked quite a few flowers, right? Come, tell mother-in-law how many innocent girls you’ve fooled around with over the last two years!”
An aggrieved look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “How is that possible? After coming to the Star Boundary, I’ve always maintained my purity and chastity.”
Chi Yue shot a slanted look at him, before saying in a cold voice, “That would be best. If you let me find out you’ve been fooling around with girls here, this Queen will first chop that girl into a thousand bits, before dicing you up into meat sauce.”
Wiping the cold sweat forming on his forehead, Yang Kai said, “That absolutely won’t happen.”
He mentioned that Source Qi is only converted after the cultivator breakthrough, but we know that is not the case. So, I took the liberty to change it.
The next half-day went by with Gui Zu and the others asking Yang Kai about the matters that happened to him after entering the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai didn’t conceal much as he started narrating his experiences. After hearing his stories, Gui Zu and the others could not help but sweat, despite knowing in their shocked hearts that Yang Kai had managed to safely avert the various dangers that he had encountered.
It was only then that they discovered that Yang Kai’s experience during these past few years was much richer, and far more dangerous than what they had gone through. However, Yang Kai’s progress in his cultivation was much quicker and far-reaching than theirs. They could not help but perspire and have a youthful, heroic feeling surge within their hearts.
Another half a day passed before they dispersed and retreated to their rooms to rest and recuperate.
Yang Kai went to find Ye Jing Han for her assistance to find a few herbs.
It was not a difficult task to refine a Coagulation Pill, though Yang Kai was lacking in the necessary materials to do so. If not, he would have already taken out his furnace on the ship to refine it. The few herbs he needed weren’t too difficult to find, so Yang Kai was naturally confident to let Ye Jing Han deal with procuring them.
She naturally accepted this small matter without the slightest hesitation and proceeded to transmit a message back to her Sect.
As the ship proceeded to move along, it took them less than two days to reach Thousand Leaves Mountain Range.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai, who was seated, felt a tremor rock through the ship. In the next instant, a humming noise rang out, before the ship came to a halt.
Opening his eyes, he sensed that they should have reached their destination. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a knocking sound came from the door, before Ye Jing Han’s voice called out, “Young Master Yang, we’ve arrived.”
Standing up, Yang Kai lightly smiled at Ye Jing Han, indicating for her to lead the way.
After a short while, the two arrived on the deck. Gui Zu, the others, as well as the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were all present, with him being the last one to arrive.
Seeing him appear, Gui Zu and the others turned towards him, faint smiles present on their faces.
“Father!” With a sudden shout, Ye Jing Han leapt off the ship and lunged into the arms of an old man, hugging him tightly as she raised her head and said, “Why did you come out?”
The old man seemed to be past his prime, with a head full of white hair. Although a lively aura radiated from him, the strength of his vitality had already started to wane. In other words, his journey on the Martial Dao was already at its end. As time passed, his cultivation would only grow weaker and weaker, alongside his waning lifeforce. If he could not break through to the Emperor Realm, he would pass away within ten years.
From the looks of it, Ye Jing Han and the old man shared some facial similarities.
Yang Kai immediately realized that this old man was Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, Ye Hen; Ye Jing Han’s father.
A faint smile on his face, Ye Hen gave Ye Jing Han a light pat on her shoulder, “With the arrival of our honoured guests, it’s natural for me to come out to welcome them. On the contrary, you’re not young anymore, yet you still fawn over your father like this. You’re making the guests laugh at you.”
Ye Jing Han wrinkled her brows, “Why say that I’m not young? I am not married yet.”
Ye Hen chuckled, “Then I’ll marry you off tomorrow.”
Ye Jing Han pouted and snapped back, “You dare!?”
As she said those words, Du Xian and the others flew down from the ship, arriving before Ye Hen before cupping their fists, “Greetings, Sect Master.”
Ye Hen nodded his head and replied, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
Du Xian replied, “You’re too courteous, Sect Master. It is our duty to accomplish tasks for the Sect, so we don’t dare to claim credit for it.”
Ye Hen nodded his head in satisfaction, before turning his head towards Yang Kai and the others. After a cursory sweep, he focused on Yang Kai, a faint smile adorning his face as he cupped his fists, “You must be Grandmaster Yang, right? You’re young indeed, a true dragon amongst men.”
Clearly, he had already received quite a few pieces of information from Ye Jing Han, and also knew why she had brought Yang Kai back to Thousand Leaves Sect. As such, he was clearly emotional when he said these words, though no one was able to notice it due to his masterful poise.
Cupping his fists, Yang Kai replied, “Junior Yang Kai greets Sect Master Ye!”
Yang Kai had always been respectful towards the elderly and those who were senior to him, and would never underestimate anyone despite his rise in his strength.
“This Ye is truly grateful to Grandmaster Yang for making the arduous journey here,” Ye Hen quickly said.
Du Xian and the others gawked upon hearing his words, as they did not know why their Sect Master was displaying such an attitude. All of them assumed that Ye Hen had uttered the wrong words in the heat of the moment, instantly causing weird looks to appear on their faces.
Ye Jing Han did not tell them the real purpose she had invited Yang Kai, so they naturally wouldn’t understand.
This wasn’t due to her not being able to trust them, but this matter concerned the future rise or fall of Thousand Leaves Sect, so it was best if fewer people knew about it.
“Many thanks, Sect Master Ye, for your kind words,” Yang Kai exchanged pleasantries before his gaze turned slightly towards the figure of another old man standing by Ye Hen’s side, asking in doubt, “This Senior is…”
This old man was dressed in a black robe, and stood by Ye Hen’s side. He did not utter a single word the whole time and his gaze was sharp, while his cultivation was also at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. From the looks of it, the Source Qi in his body was strong and pure, while his cultivation realm was not far off from Ye Hen’s. While Yang Kai was chatting with Ye Hen, this old man had been shooting a cold glare towards him while showing no intention of interrupting, nor wanting to exchange greetings with Yang Kai at all.
However, from what Yang Kai could tell, since this old man’s cultivation was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and stood by Ye Hen’s side, his status should not be low. Therefore, out of respect, he naturally had to ask.
A faint wrinkle appeared on Ye Hen’s forehead, though he quickly smiled and proceeded with the introductions, “This is…”
“This Old Master is Thousand Leaves Sect’s Vice Sect Master, Shi Cang Ying!” The old man immediately interrupted Ye Hen and shot a gloomy look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned, as he could instinctually sense that this old man was radiating with hostility and repulsion. Therefore, he could not help himself from sizing the latter up in detail. He was very sure that he had never greeted this person before, nor did he have any dealing with him at all. Did he somehow offend this old man in some way?
Ye Hen quickly tried to mediate the situation, “Vice Sect Master Shi is a pillar of our Sect. It is due to his contribution over these years that our Thousand Leaves Sect has been able to continue surviving.”
“So, it is Vice Master Shi. This Junior has been disrespectful.” Yang Kai didn’t take much issue with the situation and replied by cupping his fists and putting on a faint smile.
Nevertheless, Shi Cang Ying did not have any intention of giving Yang Kai face and responded with a cold snort before turning towards Ye Hen, “Sect Master, this Old Master had assumed that it was the arrival of an extraordinary young genius that made you go all the way out personally. However, it doesn’t seem so from the looks of it. How is this trivial brat able to make you raise such a big fuss? You have gone senile, Sect Master.”
Not only did he treat Yang Kai as an insignificant flea, he had even cursed Ye Hen in the process.
The entire atmosphere turned suffocating as soon as his words rang out. Nevertheless, despite their faces brimming with anger, the few Thousand Leaves Sect disciples present did not dare to refute Shi Cang Ying.
A look of embarrassment covered Ye Hen’s face as he clearly did not expect Shi Cang Ying to be this tactless and say such words in front of Yang Kai, leaving no place left to manoeuvre.
Shi Cang Ying continued, “Furthermore, these few people have caused such a huge ruckus in the City Lord’s Mansion just two days ago. Not only did they offend City Lord Luo, they also offended many important guests in the process. This Old Master even heard that Sky Peak Temple’s Sir Ke was beaten to death by them! On top of that, Sky Illumination Palace’s Young Palace Master Qiu has suffered serious injuries during the scuffle! How could such walking disasters be allowed to enter our Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Ye Hen frowned and replied, “Brother Shi, the matter isn’t what you made it to be. There are some underlying circumstances…”
Shi Cang Ying abruptly interrupted, “This Old Master has a clear understanding of the whole matter, so there’s no need for Sect Master to explain it to me. What crime did City Lord Luo commit when taking in a mere concubine for him to suffer such humiliation before so many guests!? Sect Master, you will be letting wolves in the house if you let these few people into our Sect! When the time comes, Sky Crane City, Sky Peak Temple, and Sky Illumination Palace will definitely not leave the matter at that. When that happens, our Thousand Leaves Sect will be hopeless to deal with them!”
Right as those words rang out, Ye Hen’s face changed slightly, a clear indication of the extreme dread he had towards those few great forces.
By the side, Gui Zu let off a weird cackle that sounded incomparably sinister. Black Qi started to swirl around his body before a pair of pupils burning with a ghostly fire locked onto Shi Cang Ying’s body, “From this Friend’s words, we’re the ones that have done something wrong? When that Luo Jin forced my Fifth Sister to be his concubine against her will, we were supposed to cooperate obediently and not treat it as something humiliating but something honourable?”
Shi Cang Ying shot a cold look back at him, “Strength is king. Your cultivation is mediocre, so it is your good fortune to have the opportunity to seek shelter under the big tree that is the City Lord’s Mansion. However, not only did you all not appreciate it, you even managed to cause a disaster and create trouble for yourselves. What a joke.”
“Shut your trap, you old dog!” Chi Yue’s face turned red with rage as she cursed out between her clenched teeth, “Why don’t you marry your wife or daughter to that old bastard and lean on his big tree then? You dare accuse others without any self-conscience?”
Rage filled Shi Cang Yang’s face as soon as he heard her words and Source Qi started to gush out from his body. Despite being a mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Chi Yue still dared to say such words to him. As such, he was naturally unable to endure it and subconsciously thought about taking action to teach her a good lesson.
However, before he could gather his strength, he suddenly felt an exceedingly contemptuous gaze bearing down on him. Under that gaze, Shi Cang Ying could not help feeling a mysterious shiver run up his spine while a feeling that he would end up in an exceedingly miserable state if he was to take action surged within his heart.
Turning his head around, he just so happened to see Yang Kai grinning while looking right at him.
This made him frown, though he did not dare to recklessly take action. With a haughty look, he said, “This Old Master is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so there is no need for me to move according to Luo Jin’s whims. If you all reach this realm of cultivation, you would naturally be able to do what this Old Master does.”
Speaking to this point, Yang Kai finally realized why Shi Cang Ying had shown such hostility and repulsion to them despite meeting them for the first time.
He was clearly afraid of drawing trouble to himself.
After all, Yang Kai had offended quite a few powerful influences due to the massive ruckus he had created in Sky Crane City’s City Lord Mansion two days ago, where he had killed a number of people. Among them were important members of several powerful forces that Thousand Leaves Sect needed to be wary of, especially Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace, both of which were overseen by strong Masters.
From the attitude Shi Cang Ying had shown, Yang Kai and the others weren’t the ones he truly feared would bring disaster to his Thousand Leaves Sect. On the contrary, he was afraid of trouble falling on him due to associating with Yang Kai and his group. Therefore, he was very unwelcoming to them, wanting to use this as an attempt to chase them away and not let them have any association with Thousand Leaves Sect.
This made him treat Ye Hen with utter disregard and not show any face to Yang Kai and the others.
“What you say does make sense, old Sir!” All of a sudden, Yang Kai said this sentence with a faint smile on his face.
“Smelly brat!” Chi Yue’s face sank as she shot a wicked look at Yang Kai. Not only did Yang Kai not say anything to back her up, he had actually agreed with this horrid old fart. This was something she never expected, and was truly unable to accept.
Yang Kai winked back at her, “Strength is king, while seniority is only to be respected. Whoever has the biggest fist has the most say. Regardless of the time, this is the law that never changes. Isn’t that right?”
Shi Cang Ying sneered, “It’s rare for a young little brat like you to be able to see so clearly. Good, very good.”
With a faint smile, Yang Kai said, “Everyone can speak about reason. However, there aren’t many who can actually put it into action.”
Shi Cang Ying looked at him and replied, “Looks like you’re not bad to actually be able to say such words. From the looks of it, you’re sensible and reasonable, so this Old Master will get straight to the point…” Talking up to here, his expression sank as he waved his hand, “Thousand Leaves Sect does not welcome you all. Scram back to wherever you came from.”
“Vice Sect Master Shi!” Ye Hen could not help himself from letting out a cold shout, his face blanketed in fury.
It wasn’t easy for Ye Jing Han to invite Yang Kai to come over to repair that World-Crossing Space Array. If this attempt was successful, Thousand Leaves Sect would definitely be able to turn their current situation around and would no longer have to struggle just to eke out a living for themselves. This was the most important matter for the future of their Sect! If not, why would he personally come out to welcome Yang Kai and his group? However, never in his wildest dreams did he expect Shi Cang Ying to cause havoc regarding this matter. Therefore, there was no way for him to not be infuriated by this development.
Ye Jing Han’s pretty face also sunk as she looked over towards Shi Cang Ying, “Martial Uncle, Young Master Yang is a friend I’ve invited over, so would you please treat them with more courtesy.”
Shi Cang Ying sneered, “This Old Master would naturally be courteous if they were your genuine friends; however, this Old Master doesn’t wish to see people that will cause disaster to befall our Sect. Make them leave.”
Ye Jing Han shouted back, “That is impossible. Martial Uncle, please hurry up and apologize to Young Master Yang.”
“Impudence!” Shi Cang Ying burst into anger, before glaring at Ye Hen, “Is this the good daughter that you’ve brought up, Sect Master? She’s so rude and disrespectful to actually shout at her Martial Uncle like that! Highly improper!”
A gloomy look descended on Ye Hen’s face as he replied, “Jing Han has always been kind and gentle. Therefore, she definitely has her reasons to be this angry.”
“You… You…” Shi Cang Ying’s beard shook as an utterly infuriated appearance radiated from his entire being.
“From the looks of it… this Young Master’s appearance has caused some disharmonious notes to appear in your noble Sect.” Yang Kai said with a faint smile while rubbing his nose.
“Stop with your cynical remarks, you brat,” Shi Cang Ying growled and shot an exceedingly foul look towards Yang Kai.
This caused Yang Kai to laugh, “Old thing, you’re already advanced in age, it would be better for you to not get too worked up and injure your body as a result.”
“Stop with your false pity. If you really are Ye Girl’s friend, you should be considerate to her and quickly leave our Thousand Leaves Sect!” Shi Cang Ying seemed to be hell-bent on wanting to chase Yang Kai away as he made no attempt to hide that thought, with the word ‘leave’ being in almost every sentence coming out from his mouth.
Yang Kai grinned in response, “I already told you to not get worked up, right? Just a few days ago, an old fellow by the name of Ke Tian got worked up like you, just before… He died!”
Shi Cang Yang’s expression changed drastically immediately upon hearing those words, before he retreated vigilantly a few steps and shouted anxious, “What is your meaning here?”
Although Yang Kai’s words carried no malicious intent with them, the hairs on Shi Cang Yang’s body stood on their ends when they echoed in his ears while cold sweat drenched through his robes. Even Ye Hen’s expression had drastically changed, appearing as though he was afraid that Yang Kai would really take action right here.
All of them had received news of Yang Kai killing quite a few people in the City Lord’s Mansion. Among those killed was Sky Peak Temple’s Ke Tian. Originally, they did not dare to believe the information they had received; however, after hearing those words from Yang Kai’s mouth, they had no other choice but to believe them.
Yang Kai sneered, “According to what you said earlier, Seniority demands respect, but strength is always king. This Young Master is stronger than you, so you should know your place before this Young Master. If not… this Young Master doesn’t mind showing to you the disparity between us.”
As soon as she heard his words, Chi Yue immediately proceeded to stir up even more trouble, “Yang Boy is a big tree. Do you want to lean on him, old fart? Don’t miss out on this opportunity, if not, you’ll regret it when it’s too late.”
Gui Zu sniggered and chimed in, “If you have any daughters or granddaughters you can try to push them to get married to Young Master Yang. You’d best understand how lucky you are to have this opportunity before it’s gone.”
These words immediately caused Ai Ou and Chi Yue eyes to shoot daggers at him and snap simultaneously, “Big Brother! Are you still wishing for people to look after you during your last days!?”
Cold sweat appeared on Gui Zu’s forehead as he replied in embarrassment, “Just treat it as my nonsensical rambling.”
Their words unleashed a series of stabs and beatings as they took turns to ridicule Shi Cang Ying, causing the latter’s face to alternate between green and red with rage and embarrassment. Source Qi proceeded to gush out from his entire body, and he appeared to be on the brink of taking action; however, the thought of Ke Tian dying at Yang Kai’s hand and how the youth’s true strength could not be judged by his cultivation realm caused fear to fill his heart, preventing him from really making a move. This vexed Shi Cang Ying so much that he nearly coughed out blood as a result. Unable to do anything, he had no other choice but to clench his teeth and growled angrily at Ye Hen, “Sect Master! Are you going to stand by and watch these outsiders humiliate your Vice Sect Master like this?”
Ye Hen quickly replied, “Brother Shi, if you really are thinking about the Sect, you should withdraw. Young Master Yang is a friend that Jing Han specially invited over, which means he is our Sect’s guest. Our Sect does not treat our guests like this!”
“You…” Shi Cang Ying glared furiously at Ye Hen. Suppressing the rampant Qi within his body, he roared out, “Since Sect Master treats this Old Master’s good intentions as farts, you can deal with this on your own!”
Finishing his sentence, he turned around, flung his sleeves, and walked off, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Shi Cang Ying leave just like that, Ye Jing Han could not help but exhale deeply, before looking sheepishly towards Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang…”
Right as she was about to speak, the words she was trying to say became stuck in her throat as she noticed Yang Kai staring coldly right back at her with an exceedingly unhappy look on his face.
“Sister Ye, you’d best give me a proper explanation for this. If you are unable to give this Young Master a satisfactory answer, he will immediately turn around and leave!” Yang Kai said in a cold voice.
At this moment, he had a stomach full of grievances.
Originally, he had accepted to come to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their World-Crossing Space Array only due to Ye Jing Han’s persistent efforts; however, no one could have expected that he would be threatened by their Vice Sect Master before he had even set foot into their Sect. Although he did not suffer any losses from this incident, nor lose any face, it had made Yang Kai feeling exceedingly irritated.
If not for the miraculous coincidence of being able to find Chi Yue and his other Seniors, which could be counted as a contribution by Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai would not have been that long-winded with them at all. With the attitude and tone Shi Cang Ying had used earlier, he would have already taken action to kill him.
The faces of Ye Jing Han and Ye Hen changed drastically upon hearing Yang Kai’s words. Brimming with dread, Ye Jing Han hastily replied, “Please calm yourself, Young Master Yang. Martial Uncle Shi has always been at odds with father, which resulted in…”
Ye Hen patted on Ye Jing Han’s shoulder to interrupt her explanation. Looking at Yang Kai, he gave a sigh, “This Ye can understand the anger Young Master Yang is feeling right now. All of this is this Ye’s fault for the unsatisfactory reception that caused grievances for Young Master Yang. This Ye apologizes to Young Master Yang and his companions and hopes Young Master Yang will give one more chance to our Sect.”
After finishing his apology, he made a deep bow in a show of extreme sincerity.
A slight frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face. Sensing the sincerity from Ye Hen had extinguished the majority of the flames of anger burning in his heart, “There’s no need for Sect Master Ye to do this. Truthfully speaking, I’m just very curious why a trivial Vice Sect Master is able to be that arrogant before the Sect Master, that’s all.”
Ye Hen gave a bitter laugh in response, “Will anyone be afraid… of an old tiger that has lost its fangs?”
“Father…” Ye Jing Han let out a sob-filled cry as tears filled her eyes.
Ye Hen smiled at her and said, “To be born, grow old, get sick and die is part of life, there is no need for you to feel sad.” After saying those words, he turned back to look at Yang Kai, “During our prime, our Thousand Leaves Sect excelled in the Dao of Puppetry and our reputation was well known throughout the Southern Territory. However, due to our failure, we lost our core inheritance and gradually declined. Despite assuming command of Thousand Leaves Sect, it is all due to this Ye’s inability that the Sect has yet to be returned to its former glory. Therefore, it is unavoidable for some dissenting voices to appear within the Sect. Vice Master Shi’s faction feels that we should discard the Dao of Puppetry and seek out other paths, learning other Secret Arts or Techniques in order to rebuild our Thousand Leaves Sect. However, the Dao of Puppetry is something that our ancestors passed down to us, so how could this Ye dare to abandon it? If I did so, not only would I be unfilial, unrighteous, and unbelieving, I would also have no face to meet our ancestors when I enter the next life.”
A pensive look appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “When the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master have different plans, how could the Sect develop successfully?”
Ye Hen followed up with yet another bitter laugh, “That is precisely the point. The current Thousand Leaves Sect has already been split into two factions, one of which wishes to preserve our heritage, the other which hopes for change. Although these two factions aren’t completely incompatible like fire and water, there is some disharmony between them.”
“Combined with your old age, that allows your Vice Sect Master to show not a single bit of face to you? To the point of wanting to suppress your authority?” Ai Ou was gradually understanding the current situation within Thousand Leaves Sect.
“I apologize for airing such unpleasant matters of our Sect before you all,” Ye Hen replied with a depressed look on his face.
Standing to the side, Du Xian and the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples had ashen looks on their faces, with their fists all tightly clenched. Clearly, they were not feeling very well after the whole spectacle.
Ye Hen continued to speak, “Although this isn’t this Ye’s intention, being the Sect Master of the Thousand Leaves Sect, this Ye cannot escape from this responsibility. If Young Master Yang really does not want to work with our Thousand Leaves Sect ever again, this Ye will not continue to impose. Though, I truly hope for Young Master Yang to be magnanimous and give our Sect one more chance.”
Looking right back at him, Yang Kai replied with an indifferent tone, “Although Vice Master Shi has irritated me, his words were not completely incorrect. I have just offended quite a few people. Is Sect Master Ye not afraid of drawing danger to befall your noble Sect?”
Ye Hen lightly replied, “Even without Young Master Yang coming here, our Sect has already become a thorn in those people’s eyes. It is just a matter of time before they take us to the chopping board. Furthermore, many have already witnessed Young Master Yang and my daughter working together during the matter that happened in the City Lord’s Mansion, so even if Young Master Yang leaves right now, our Thousand Leaves Sect will not be able to extricate ourselves from this matter.”
Yang Kai grinned in response, “It seems Sect Master Ye has better foresight than Vice Sect Master Shi.”
Ye Hen continued, “Vice Sect Master Shi believes that everything will be fine if he takes the initiative to rebuff you. The only thing this Ye can say is that he is too naive in his thinking.”
Yang Kai asked, “And what if I am incapable of successfully completing the matter you wish to cooperate on?”
Ye Hen turned silent for a while before replying, “Time and fate are interlinked, let nature take its course and do not force what is impossible. At the very least, when I meet my Sect’s ancestors in the next life, I can say to them with conviction that this Ye did his best!”
“Alright. This Young Master will make an effort then,” Yang Kai said and nodded his head.
Ye Jing Han cried out in excitement upon hearing his reply, “You’re staying, Young Master Yang?”
Ye Hen chuckled heartily, “Why are you still asking? Silly girl.” As he said those words, he stood aside, “Please, Young Master Yang.”
No longer putting up the imposing and intimidating front like he did earlier, Yang Kai gave a courteous reply, “Alright then, Sect Master Ye.”
Ye Hen hesitated for a bit before proceeding to walk alongside Yang Kai into Thousand Leaves Sect.
As they travelled along, Gui Zu and the others glanced around in curiosity, while shocked looks gleamed constantly within their eyes.
Although they had already been in the Star Boundary for two to three years, they had only been moving about in the vicinity of Sky Crane City and had never seen a big Sect in the Star Boundary.
Although Thousand Leaves Sect was currently in decline, it had once been a first-class force in the Southern Territory. As such, the heritage present within could not be matched by other small Sects. The lofty and ancient constructions as well as the continuous and twisting paths seemed to transcend space and time, linking the past and the present, allowing people to have a taste of the various splendours of the time hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Although the current Thousand Leaves Sect couldn’t compare to a real peak Sect at the moment, they were still able to carve out an impressive image due to the various inheritances passed down from ten thousand years ago. This left Yang Kai relishing in satisfaction as he travelled along.
Nevertheless, he was able to sense that the World Energy within Thousand Leaves Sect was indeed quite sparse, giving the impression of a treasured spiritual mountain without the corresponding World Energy that should encircle it. This meant that the Earth Vein present here was not outstanding. Such a piece of land ideally wouldn’t be used as a place to establish a Sect; however, the Ancestral Founders of Thousand Leaves Sect had still chosen to take root here. Clearly, this was due to the existence of the Sealed World.
This was just like Wen Zi Shan choosing to establish the Azure Sun Temple within the Azure Sun Mountain Range. The existence of the Divine Ascension Mirror was the deciding factor.
The group flew along the undulating mountain paths, which, alongside the swirling sea of clouds beneath, provided for a beautiful sight to behold.
“Eh… Look at that small mountain. It looks like a Monster Beast.” All of a sudden, Chi Yue appeared to have discovered something as she pointed towards a small mountain peak that was approximately fifty metres tall.
“The one by its side is also a little interesting, it looks like a person standing with a sword in his hand!” Gu Cang Yun’s eyes lit up like torches as he looked towards another small mountain peak with an exceedingly excited look on his face.
The group turned their heads to look and quickly discovered that those two peaks were not the only interesting peaks present. There were at least several dozen peculiar-looking mountain peaks present within the inner sanctum of Thousand Leaves Sect. These peaks were all quite short in height, with only a few of them towering over a thousand metres tall. What’s more, all of them appeared to be shaped like living creatures, albeit ones that were magnified countless times over.
Feeling interested, Yang Kai could not help but to take a few more looks at these mountain peaks; however, his expression quickly changed as he released his Divine Sense to investigate these strangely shaped mountain peaks.
After a moment, his expression changed again as he suddenly asked, “Sect Master Ye, those small mountain peaks… aren’t as simple as they look, right?”
Ye Hen gave a faint smile and replied, “Young Master Yang’s vision is indeed sharp to be able to notice this. This Ye is impressed.”
“Is it really as I’ve imagined?” Yang Kai’s expression instantly turned solemn.
Ye Hen nodded and replied, “Indeed, it is what Young Master Yang is thinking.”
“Father, what are you two talking about?” A blank look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she looked towards her father, not knowing what mysterious thing he was talking about with Yang Kai.
Chi Yue and the rest were also confused by the conversation, though it felt awkward for them to interject so they held their curiosity.
Yang Kai could not help but let a respectful look appear on his face before giving praise, “Your noble Sect’s Ancestors are indeed extraordinary. Originally, I had assumed that Sister Ye’s praise for the past grandeur of your Thousand Leaves Sect was somewhat exaggerated; however, from the looks of it, she was actually being quite reserved.”
Ye Hen sighed, “Although our heritage still exists, the core inheritance has already disappeared. This Ye feels extremely guilty about this.”
Ye Jing Han interjected, “This isn’t your fault, father! If not for that generation’s Ancestor losing our Sect’s inheritance, how would we end up in this state?”
“Impudence!” Ye Hen shot a fierce glare at Ye Jing Han, “How can you recklessly judge the matters of our Ancestors like that?”
Ye Jing Han pouted in response, while a look of unhappiness appeared on her face.
Seeing the darkening of Ye Hen’s mood, Yang Kai did not say anything else, though his impression of Thousand Leaves Sect had grown by quite a bit. He felt that if the Thousand Leaves Sect was able to regain some of its core inheritance, they might be able to reach the same level as the other first-class Sects after just a hundred years. Those unassuming, weirdly shaped mountain peaks were more than sufficient to show the potential present within those lost inheritances.
After a short while, the group arrived at the main peak of Thousand Leaves Mountain Range, Thousand Leaves Peak. Just like other Sects, luxurious buildings and pavilions were constructed here, brimming with an awe-inspiring grandeur. Clearly, this was an extremely important location for Thousand Leaves Sect.
Present on the apex of the mountain peak was an ancient-looking great hall that had an ancient and imposing aura gushing out from it.
The group landed right before the great hall.
The other members of Thousand Leaves Sect were already present here, appearing to have received news of their impending arrival. Upon the arrival of Ye Hen and the others, they proceeded to bow in respect, though Shi Cang Ying was absent.
Ye Hen proceeded to introduce every high-ranking member of Thousand Leaves Sect to Yang Kai.
After breaking the ice, Ye Hen led the group into the great hall for a reception.
Along the sides of the great hall stood two rows of spear-wielding guards. Not only that, they were accompanied by a few strange looking Monster Beasts that sat still on the ground, not moving even an inch.
As Yang Kai and the group walked past these guards, they noticed that they were not moving even an inch, to the point where they were not even blinking, nor did they show any intent of greeting the group at all.
This strange phenomenon piqued Yang Kai’s interest, and after taking a few more looks at the guards, his entire body shook as he immediately came to a halt before sending out his Divine Sense to sweep across the bodies of those guards in shock.
Seeing this, Ye Hen also proceeded to stop and grinned as he looked at Yang Kai.
“What happened, Sect Master Yang?” Gu Cang Yun asked in doubt, confused over what Yang Kai had discovered.
Yang Kai shot a look to his left and right. Only then did he take a deep breath, before looking towards Ye Hen to ask, “Sect Master Ye… are all of these guards puppets?”
“What?” The eyes of Chi Yue and the others snapped wide open as they looked incredulously towards the row of guards by their sides, proceeding to send their Divine Sense out to investigate.
After a short while, all of them had their eyes wide open with looks of disbelief blanketing their faces.
Earlier, other than feeling that they appeared somewhat weird, no one had too much of an impression after seeing those guards. It was only after Yang Kai’s question did everyone realise that all of those black armoured, weapon-wielding guards were not living beings, but exceedingly lifelike puppets.
They appeared to be completely identical to living humans. Even the skin exposed between the gaps of their armour was of the same shade as a human being’s.
Chi Yue and the others turned their heads to look around and discovered that the weirdly-shaped Monster Beasts lying on the ground also seemed to be puppets.
This left them in utter shock from their discovery.
With a faint smile, Ye Hen said, “These are a small number of the Earth Grade puppets present in our Sect. I apologize to Young Master Yang for our lacking display.”
Although his words were humble, an unmistakable hint of pride was present within his eyes. Clearly, he was extremely proud of his Sect’s heritage.
The other higher-ups from Thousand Leaves Sect also wore proud looks on their faces.
Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose up as he asked, “Puppets are also categorized into different grades?”
Ye Hen replied, “Of course. Within our Thousand Leaves Sect, all of the puppets here are classified into the four grades, Heaven, Earth, Black and Yellow. Every category is further split into three ranks. The higher the grade, the stronger the puppet.”
“Then those Earth Grade puppets…” Chi Yue asked in curiosity as she pointed to the approximately thirty puppets present here, “What is the level of combat strength they can display?”
With a solemn voice, Ye Hen replied, “The strongest ones are able to rival Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, with the weakest being able to rival First-Order Dao Source Realms!”
A series of gasps rang out as the group looked at Ye Hen in disbelief.
If everything was as what he had said, the over thirty puppets present here would equate to the same number of Dao Source Realm Masters, with some Third-Order-rivalling existences among their ranks.
How powerful would such a force be?
Furthermore, that was just the combat strength of the puppets! The cultivators controlling them had not been accounted for yet.
If a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was able to control a Third-Order Dao Source Realm puppet, they should be able to put up a fight even if they were up against an enemy at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
Gu Zu said with a face covered in shock, “Despite how extraordinary the Dao of Puppetry is for your noble Sect, there are still people who want to find other Secret Arts and Techniques to replace it? They’re basically blind and don’t know how blessed they are!”
Ye Hen’s face dimmed, “Our Sect no longer has the methods to control these puppets. As of now, the only thing we can do is to display them here.”
The group of Thousand Leaves Sect leaders all turned silent and depressed, their expressions crestfallen, with no trace of the earlier pride they had shown.
“That’s enough gossip. Young Master Yang and our guests have just arrived from afar. Our Sect has prepared water and wine to help our honoured guests wash away their weariness. Please, do not reject our hospitality! This way!” Ye Hen quickly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to continue talking about this painful spot any longer.
Yang Kai and the others did not reject the hospitality, as it would not look good on them if they were to refuse other people’s good intentions. Therefore, they followed Ye Hen and entered the great hall.
The higher-realm Thousand Leaves Sect cultivators did not know why their Sect Master was treating Yang Kai with such importance, to the point of going all the way out to greet the latter at the entrance of the Sect. Nevertheless, they did not dare to ask too many questions. This let a good atmosphere develop in the reception hall, and coupled with the repeated cheers and drinking, left the guests brimming with happiness.
Seated beside each other, both Yang Kai and Ye Hen did not keep a reserved stance as they maintained an exceedingly outspoken attitude. They drank and laughed with anyone who came forward to drink with them, giving people an impression of them being very open-minded and friendly.
Only after three rounds of drinks did people begin to leave.
Yang Kai and the others were arranged to rest in a large courtyard on the main peak.
Other than a few maidservants and service-related personnel, there was no one else present, as all of the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples had already taken their leave.
Chi Yue and the others retreated to their assigned rooms, with Yang Kai also arriving at his assigned room through the guidance of a maidservant. After instructing her to not disturb him unless he called for her, Yang Kai proceeded to open the room’s barriers.
After doing so, he waved his hand before an elegant looking beauty appeared in front of him.
After taking a look at her surroundings, Hua Qing Si said in a discontented tone, “I’m at the critical period of my cultivation. Why did you summon me?”
As of now, the Small Seal World had been saturated with World Energy. Other than the incomplete World Principles, the environment within it was better for cultivation than even Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade Cultivation Paradises’ rooms. This was a matter of great joy for Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi, who had been cultivating within it.
This was especially significant for Zhang Ruo Xi, whose cultivation had soared upwards. At this moment, she had impressively broken through to the Origin King Realm, something which Yang Kai had taken keen notice of. After the awakening of the bloodline present within her, Zhang Ruo Xi simply appeared to be a completely new person.
Although Hua Qing Si had yet to break through, the Source Qi circulating within her body had grown substantially purer than before, forming a rather strong foundation that was absolutely beneficial to her impending breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
Therefore, she was naturally unhappy with Yang Kai’s sudden summoning.
“How is Sister Hua’s cultivation going?” Yang Kai asked in interest. The greater her strength, the greater the help she would be able to provide to him; therefore, he naturally hoped for Hua Qing Si to break through to the Emperor Realm as soon as possible.
If she managed to break through, it would mean that he would have an Emperor Realm goon by his side at all times that could fight anyone he wanted to fight against.
Hua Qing Si frowned in response, “I’m still lacking a little bit. I feel as if I am still missing something. Perhaps my opportunity has yet to arrive.”
Shades of vexation were present in her tone; after all, with Yang Kai handing an exceedingly precious treasure like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill to her to consume, it would be inexcusable for her to not break through into the Emperor Realm.
“Being too hasty during cultivation might have the opposite effect,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, having also realised the pressing issue that plagued Hua Qing Si.
“As if I don’t know that. You’ll know how I feel only when you reach the same realm as me,” Hua Qing Si gave a sigh before waving her hand. “Forget about it, let’s not talk about it. What is this place and what did you summon me for?”
“This is Thousand Leaves Sect.”
“Thousand Leaves Sect?” Hua Qing Si raised her brow, sinking into silent thought for a while before saying, “Are you talking about the Thousand Leaves Sect that gained their name through their Puppet Arts?”
“Does Sister Hua know about this Sect?” Yang Kai asked in shock.
Hua Qing Si replied, “Although Thousand Leaves Sect isn’t a first-class Sect, they are still quite famous within the Southern Territory, so how could I have not heard of them? In the past, I was even quite interested in their Puppet Arts and did a little research about them for a while. Nevertheless, it’s a pity as I heard they’ve already lost their inheritance and have been in decline for quite a few years. Currently, they can’t even control the puppets left within their Sect.”
“En, that’s about right, from what I’ve heard.” Upon hearing her reply, Yang Kai immediately knew that Hua Qing Si had quite a good understanding of Thousand Leaves Sect.
“Why did you come to the Thousand Leave Sect? Are you coveting their Puppet Arts?” Asked Hua Qing Si in curiosity.
“I’m here to help on someone’s behest.” Yang Kai smiled faintly and gave a brief explanation of the matter.
Surprised by the development of events, Hua Qing Si asked, “There’s actually a Sealed World within Thousand Leaves Sect? That’s the first time I’ve heard of this matter; so that’s why Thousand Leaves Sect entered a decline. It’s also very plausible that their Sealed World’s entrance has been sealed. Reasonably speaking, it would not be a hard task for you to use your knowledge of the Dao of Space to repair that connection.”
“I’ll have to give my all,” Yang Kai shrugged.
All of a sudden, a crafty smile appeared on Hua Qing Si’s face, “Young Master Yang, if you are able to find the Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance within the Sealed World, would it be possible for you to make a copy for me to take a look?”
“That doesn’t seem like a great idea…” Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at her, “After all, it’s their inheritance. What are you trying to do by trying to comprehend it?”
Hua Qing Si curled her lips, “You make it sound like you aren’t interested in it at all. All right then. In any case, it won’t take me long before I break through to the Emperor Realm, so I don’t have any time now to comprehend it anyway.”
Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin, “I can give it a try.”
Hua Qing Si replied, “That’s more like it. I’ve heard that the puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect are classified into four grades, Heaven, Earth, Profound and Yellow. As of now, the members of this Sect are only able to control puppets of the Profound Grade and below, as the controlling method for puppets of Earth Grade and above had been lost over time.”
“That’s right. There are over thirty Earth Grade puppets present on their main peak, but Ye Hen and the others were incapable of controlling them. From the looks of it, they also have quite a few Heaven Grade Puppets.” A look of pity appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he recalled the deep shock that he had felt in his heart upon seeing those strange little mountain peaks that greeted him when he had first entered Thousand Leaves Sect.
Hua Qing Si smiled, “Do you know that there’s also a Spirit Grade Puppet, which is a grade above Heaven Grade Puppets?”
Yang Kai’s eyes snapped wide open as he gasped in shock, “Spirit Grade Puppets?”
Hua Qing Si nodded her head and replied, “I don’t know if those puppets actually existed or not, as I obtained the information on them from a few ancient books kept in Star Soul Palace’s library. The information there wasn’t complete either. You should know that being overlord of the Southern Territory, Star Soul Palace has conducted some research on the Secret Techniques of the various major Sects across the entire Star Boundary.”
“En…” Yang Kai’s interest was immediately piqued.
Hua Qing Si replied with a solemn tone, “Every single one of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets was said to be able to display a combat strength rivalling an Emperor Realm Master. The strongest of the Heaven Grade Puppets weren’t even inferior to Third-Order Emperors. This was the reason why they were able to become a top Sect within the Southern Territory. But regarding Spirit Grade Puppets… they seemed to have already gained spirituality, were capable of independent thought, and possessed their own consciousness. They were said to be capable of cultivating Secret Arts and Techniques, allowing them to continuously increase their combat strength, just like… your Big Stone!”
The Big Stone she was talking about was naturally his Embodiment.
Yang Kai was so shocked by Hua Qing Si’s words that he shot an utterly dumbfounded look at her.
Puppets were called puppets because they lacked sentience and required cultivators to control their movements. If they were able to possess their own consciousness and were even able to increase their combat strength through cultivation, how could they still be classified as puppets? Those were clearly the benefits only living creatures possessed.
Hua Qing Si smiled faintly, “I don’t know whether they actually exist or not. In any case, that is how they were described in the ancient books I’ve read. During those years, although Thousand Leaves Sect had achieved universal acclaim for their mastery of the Dao of Puppetry, they didn’t seem to have too many Spirit Grade Puppets in hand. Furthermore, no one knew where those Spirit Grade Puppets had disappeared to over these years.”
Yang Kai remained silent for a long time.
A puppet with sentience; just the idea of it seemed so outrageous; however, upon deeper thought, it did not seem to be utterly impossible. With how vast this world was, and the endless myriad of strange and peculiar things present within, even an Artifact Spirit, Liu Yan, was able to assume human form; so why would it be impossible for a puppet to gain sentience?
The only problem was the incredible amount of conditions and coincidences that had to align for this to happen.
“Oh, by the way, why did you summon me? If there isn’t anything else, I want to go back and cultivate.” Hua Qing Si could not help but ask after seeing Yang Kai staying in a daze for a long time.
Coming back to his senses, Yang Kai replied, “Sister Hua, I need you to stay here temporarily, as I have something I need your help with.”
“What is it?”
“During this trip to Thousand Leaves Sect, I managed to find some of my old friends; however, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Vice Sect Master doesn’t seem to have a good impression of us. I’m afraid that he might try to do something nefarious to them when I’m not around.”
Yang Kai needed to repair Thousand Leaves Sect’s Space Array, and if the opportunity presented itself, he even wished to take a look at the interior of the Sealed World. When that happened, it would naturally be impossible for him to be next to Chi Yue and the others.
At this moment, Chi Yue and the others were only First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, while Shi Cang Ying was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. There was a rather big gap in their cultivations, so if Yang Kai was not by their side, Chi Yue and the others would be utterly incapable of putting up any resistance should Shi Cang Ying choose to move against them.
As such, Yang Kai had summoned Hua Qing Si with the intention of having her secretly protect Chi Yue and the others.
After explaining his intentions to Hua QIng Si, she immediately accepted, “That’s not a problem. You should just worry about your own matters, Young Master Yang. It’s just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he really wants to seek death, I don’t mind assisting him in doing so.”
As she said those words, a chilling glint flashed across her eyes. Clearly, she was feeling extremely unhappy and frustrated at that fellow for causing interference with her cultivation.
Although Hua Qing Si and Shi Cang Ying had the same cultivation, their backgrounds were completely different. Shi Cang Ying was just the Vice Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect; how could his Secret Arts and Secret Techniques rival those of Hua Qing Si, who originated from Star Soul Palace?
If the two of them were to engage in a life or death fight, there was absolutely no possibility for Shi Cang Ying to obtain victory.
“Then I shall trouble you, Sister Hua,” Yang Kai replied with a grin.
Shooting an annoyed glare at Yang Kai, Hua Qing Si said in a gloomy tone, “After handing my Soul Imprint to you, your ‘Sister Hua’ has already resigned herself to her fate. The only thing I hope is for you to treat your Sister Hua well in the future. As long as you don’t resort to beating or scolding me, that will be enough.”
Following her words, she rubbed the corners of her eyes, all while looking as if she was suffering from a cruel fate.
Cold sweat erupted from Yang Kai’s body as he hurriedly wiped his forehead and warned, “Sister Hua, you better not say those words in front of Chi Yue. If you do, I’ll be dead for sure.”
A bitter look blanketed Hua Qing Si’s face as she pursed her lips, “Young Master Yang, are you not satisfied even after having this Sister Hua, Ruo Xi and Liu Yan? You even went out to harass other women!? How are we sisters inferior to others?”
Torrents of cold sweat dripped down from Yang Kai’s forehead as he replied in embarrassment, “Stop fooling around. If not, I’ll kill you.”
Hua Qing Si let out a peal of enchanting laughter and moved towards the door with a twist of her body, turning around as she smiled, “Seeing how afraid Young Master Yang is of that woman, it looks like she has some kind of upper hand against you, huh?”
“What are you going to do!?” Yang Kai cried out in shock, “Are you going to look for her?”
Hua Qing Si replied, “Rest assured, I’ll protect them in secret. There’re so many rooms here, I’ll just find one to sit down in.”
After saying that, she opened the door and disappeared from view with a deft move.
Apprehension filling his face, Yang Kai sent his Divine Sense out. Only after sensing that Hua Qing Si had really found a room to cultivate in, did he finally relax.
…
The next day, Ye Jing Han came over to find Yang Kai; however, to his surprise, she did not ask him about the matter of repairing the Space Array. On the contrary, she had come over to pass him some herbs.
He had requested these herbs from her as they were the ingredients needed to detoxify Chai Hu.
Although obtaining these few herbs weren’t too difficult, they were not that simple to find either. Therefore, Yang Kai did not expect Thousand Leaves Sect to have collected all of them in just a day’s time. Nevertheless, since he already had all of the herbs in hand, Yang Kai naturally started to refine the Coagulation Pill for Chai Hu.
After saying a word of thanks to Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai immediately took out his furnace to start the refining.
Within half a day, the Coagulation Pill was successfully refined.
Upon hearing the news, Chi Yue and the others gathered in Chai Hu’s room, everyone shooting anxious gazes at him.
Present in Chai Hu’s hand was a jade bottle with six spherical Spirit Pills inside. Seated on the ground, Chai Hu appeared to be somewhat absentminded as he clutched the bottle.
“Yang Kai, are these the Coagulation Pills that you spoke of?” Chi Yue turned her head towards Yang Kai and asked.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded his head and replied in a serious tone. “Senior Chai needs to consume one pill now, and I need you all to assist him in refining the medicinal efficacies. Every three days after today, he will need to consume one more pill. In this way, the Monster Beast’s poison will be dispelled in half a month.”
A tremor shook through Chai Hu’s body upon hearing these words. Raising his head to look at Yang Kai, he gulped hard, “After the poison is dispelled, my cultivation…”
“Will still be in the Third-Order Origin King Realm,” Yang Kai replied with a faint smile.
Chai Hu couldn’t help but feel depressed upon hearing his words. The rest of the group also turned gloomy as they assumed that Chai Hu would forever remain at this cultivation realm, with no possibility of regaining his former strength at all.
Yang Kai continued, “However, if he continues to cultivate, he’ll quickly be able to regain his former cultivation.”
Chai Hu’s eyes instantly burst forth with radiance as he shot a burning gaze at Yang Kai, “What Young Master Yang is saying… is that I’m able to restore my former cultivation?”
Yang Kai replied, “Naturally. Senior Chai’s cultivation has only been suppressed due to the poison. Since it has not been too long, it did not harm your foundation. As long as you work hard, you’ll regain your cultivation.”
Gui Zu spoke out anxiously, “Are you sure, Sect Master?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”
“That’s great!” Chi Yue immediately felt relieved, as though a large stone had been lifted from her heart. If it had been truly impossible for Chai Hu to improve his cultivation any further, everyone, including her, would definitely be tormented by it for the rest of their lives; after all, Chai Hu had suffered such a consequence because he stayed behind to buy time for them to escape.
Therefore, they were elated to hear from Yang Kai that there was no obstruction in Chai Hu’s cultivation path.
After gaining Yang Kai’s confirmation, Chai Hu did not hesitate any longer and immediately consumed a Coagulation Pill. Extremely anxious looks were present on Chi Yue and the others’ faces as they sat by his side, aiding him in absorbing the pill’s medicinal efficacies.
Within the Thousand Leaves Sect was a majestic great palace located on a mountain peak approximately three hundred kilometres from the main peak.
Within a room in the great hall stood Shi Cang Ying, with his hands behind his back, a gloomy expression covering his face as he listened to the report from a disciple standing behind him.
After a moment, he opened his mouth, “You’re saying that those outsiders are staying in the main palace?”
The disciple replied respectfully, “Yes, Vice Sect Master. That is indeed the case.”
“Did they make any trips outside during the last two days?”
“They did not leave at all. On the contrary, it has only been Sect Master who has gone over there.”
“Were you able to find out exactly what they came here for?” Asked Shi Cang Ying.
“This disciple is useless and cannot find out any clues as to why they are here. However…”
“However?”
“However, I’ve heard that the one named Yang Kai is proficient in the Alchemic Dao, and is the person who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill within the Four Seasons Realm. He is a Dao Source Grade Alchemy Grandmaster. This disciple guesses that they are here most probably due to something related to Alchemy.”
“Alchemy!” Shi Cang Ying’s eyes lit up before nodding slightly, “That seems plausible. Ye Hen is advanced in his years, yet his cultivation has not increased. Perhaps he’s trying to find a way to break through with the assistance of pills. However, if it’s just about Alchemy, why would Ye Hen treat that little brat with such importance, to the point of letting this Old Master lose face?”
That disciple replied, “Is there a possibility… that Yang Kai still has an Extraordinary Treasure Pill on him?”
Right as those words left his mouth, it caused Shi Cang Ying’s entire body to shake, while intense radiance burst forth from his eyes.
Thinking about it, Ye Hen was now in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and required something precisely like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. If Yang Kai had such a Heaven-defying pill on him, everything would make sense.
There was no Third-Order Dao Source Realm who wouldn’t covet such a Spirit Pill, as it was an exceptional treasure that would give them the possibility to break through to the Emperor Realm! Ye Hen definitely knew this, therefore, he had treated that little brat with such courtesy, to the point of not caring about Shi Cang Ying at all.
Considering all of this, flames immediately erupted within Shi Cang Ying’s heart.
He was also a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, but the Emperor Realm was still distant and remote for the current him. If he could obtain an Extraordinary Treasure Pill, it would present him with a chance to peer into the Heavenly Way and within an extremely short amount of time allow him to rise up!
“Vice Sect Master, there is also another matter…” Seeing Shi Cang Ying remaining silent for quite a long while, the disciple spoke out once more.
“What matter?” Shi Cang Ying asked.
“It is said that there is some movement from Sky Illumination Palace and Sky Peak Temple, and they seem to be unfavourable towards our Thousand Leaves Sect!”
Shi Cang Ying’s body shook once again as he turned around to look at the disciple, “Is this news genuine?”
The disciple replied, “It is just some rumours. Exactly how much of it is true, this disciple isn’t clear.”
“Go and investigate! Do everything possible to find out what the truth is. As long as you get the slightest whiff of the facts, immediately report back to me!” Shi Cang Ying spoke out in a slightly flustered voice.
If Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace really wanted to take action against Thousand Leaves Sect, they couldn’t resist with their current strength. Each of the other two Sects was no weaker than the Thousand Leaves Sect alone. This was especially true for Sky Illumination Palace as it was rumoured that their Palace Master, Qiu Ze, had been attempting to break through to the Emperor Realm over the past few years, though he was still unable to do so. If Qiu Ze really entered the Emperor Realm, the ranking of the great forces within a hundred thousand kilometre radius would instantly change, with every Sect living or dying by the will of Sky Illumination Palace.
Shi Cang Ying was instantly flustered upon hearing about those two Sects possibly wanting to take action against Thousand Leaves Sect. After the disciple had left, he continued to pace up and down with unease.
After a long while, he suddenly came to a halt, before a chilling glint flashed within his eyes. Clenching his teeth, he growled, “Ye Hen, Ye Hen! You’ve really gone senile to actually be willing to let the wolves into the Sect, disregarding this Old Master’s advice! Since that’s the case, don’t blame this Old Master for not considering our long friendship! This Old Master also has to make plans for the future of our Thousand Leaves Sect! The work of our Ancestors cannot be destroyed by your hands! Otherwise, how would this Old Master face our various Ancestors when I head to the underworld!”
After saying those words, he seemed to have made some kind of decision, as his gaze grew resolute.
After a short while, he sent his Divine Sense out to summon a few of his trusted disciples. After receiving the secret commands, they proceeded to quickly leave.
…
On the third day since Yang Kai and the others arrived in Thousand Leaves Sect, Chai Hu’s condition had already gotten much better.
Although the poison within his body had not been completely removed, it was no longer continuously corroding his dantian and meridians like before. As long as he continued to consume the pills as per Yang Kai’s instructions, the poison within his body would be completely dispelled after half a month.
Naturally, Chai Hu was incomparably grateful to Yang Kai.
On the contrary, Chi Yue and the others did not say anything much to Yang Kai. Originating from the same Star Field, the relationship between them had already become incomparably tight. Chai Hu was their sworn brother, which meant that he was Yang Kai’s Senior. Therefore, it was all the more natural for Yang Kai to help him.
Yang Kai was also very glad that Chi Yue and the others had made friends with Chai Hu upon arriving at the Star Boundary. According to the scenario they had described, their lives in the Star Boundary would not have been as smooth as it was if not for the two years Chai Hu had spent helping them.
Furthermore, for the sake of saving Chi Yue, Chai Hu had totally disregarded his personal safety, putting himself in harm’s way as a result. Despite knowing the low chance of success, he still went ahead boldly without any hesitation, rushing straight to the City Lord’s Mansion.
This matter also proved that Chai Hu would have died for nothing if Yang Kai hadn’t been there.
Clearly, he was a person who had the utmost regard for loyalty and relationships.
One would truly need a friend or Brother like that in their lifetime; no need for many, just one would suffice! Yang Kai was truly happy for Chi Yue and the others.
On the third day, Yang Kai was seated in meditation when he heard the faint sounds of footsteps from outside of his door before they came to a stop right before his room.
Without waiting for the person to knock on the door, Yang Kai extended his hand and opened the door, only to see Ye Jing Han standing right outside his room.
As their eyes met, Ye Jing Han said in a soft voice, “Young Master Yang.”
“Come in and talk.” Yang Kai replied.
Ye Jing Han nodded her head, before stepping forward.
Entering the room, Ye Jing Han found a chair to sit in, before asking, “How has your stay here been, Young Master Yang?”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Sister Ye has not come over just to ask this question, am I right?”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared to have guessed the reason behind her visit, Ye Jing Han couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment and turn speechless as a result.
Yang Kai opened his mouth, “Please lead the way, Sister Ye.”
Happiness gushed out from Ye Jing Han’s face upon hearing those words, before asking, “Isn’t there anything else Young Master Yang has to do?”
Yang Kai replied, “What else do I have to do? I’ve come here for the sake of that Sealed World. Could it be that the Thousand Leaves Sect has not completed their preparations?”
“No, no, no!” Ye Jing Han hastily waved her hands in denial, “Thousand Leaves Sect can take action at any time. Father has also been waiting patiently for this. Please follow me, Young Master Yang.”
As she said that, she immediately stood up to lead the way.
Yang Kai followed behind Ye Jing Han as the duo flew within the Thousand Leaves Mountain Range. After a short while, they arrived before a mountain valley surrounded by extraordinarily beautiful sceneries and landscapes, as beautiful and refreshing as a spring day, all of them vying for the most beautiful spot.
Upon arriving, Yang Kai could not help but raise his brow as he stared deeply at the scenery of the mountain valley before him, a peculiar glint sparkling within the depths of his eyes.
He could instinctually sense that there was something not quite right about this mountain valley. However, he was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was.
Ye Jing Han took the initiative to explain, “This is an Illusion Array, and it was arranged by an Ancestor of our Thousand Leaves Sect. Please wait for a bit, Young Master Yang. I’ve already contacted Father to lift the barrier.”
[So it is an Illusion Array!] Yang Kai finally understood why he felt as though there was something off with this mountain valley.
Currently, he had reached a reasonably strong cultivation, while his Divine Sense had become even more powerful than before. Nevertheless, he was still unable to see through the mysteries of this Illusion Array. This was proof of how mysterious this Spirit Array was. The person who had arranged it was definitely an Emperor Realm Master, as only an Emperor could achieve such a feat.
Yang Kai was instantly curious after coming to a realization. He proceeded to send his Divine Sense out to scan the mountain valley in an attempt to gain a comprehension of the mysteries within.
Nevertheless, despite his efforts, he was unable to gain even the slightest bit of insight.
The Illusion Array that covered this entire mountain valley appeared to resemble nature itself, leaving utterly no weakness to exploit.
This truly shocked Yang Kai to the core.
Since Thousand Leaves Sect had been on the decline for so many years, this meant that this Illusion Array should also have been created countless years ago. After weathering the vicissitudes of time, this Illusion Array continued to stand mightily. This not only showed how powerful a cultivation its creator had, but how incomparable their achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays was.
To the side, Ye Jing Han carefully sent her Divine Sense out to scan the surroundings. Only after confirming that there was no one in the vicinity did she retrieve a communication artifact and send her Divine Sense in. Clearly, she was sending a message to Ye Hen.
After a short while, ripples suddenly started to appear in the space before her, appearing just like the waves formed on the surface of a tranquil lake after someone had thrown a pebble into it.
Seeing this, Ye Jing Han hastily spoke out in a solemn tone, “Young Master Yang, please follow exactly in my steps, if you step off the path, you will trigger the Killing Array within this mountain valley.
“I understand.” Yang Kai replied with a nod.
Yang Kai followed behind her and took a step forward. In the next instant, the scenery before him suddenly changed.
He was still in front of the mountain valley. However, the beautiful scenery around him had changed into an exceedingly bleak and desolate one, with not a single plant in sight. The entire area was composed of barren land.
Standing quietly in the front, Ye Jing Han nodded slightly towards Yang Kai upon his entry, before quickly moving forward to lead the way.
Clearly, she had entered here quite a few times before, resulting in her confidence towards knowing the safe route within this Illusion Array. Moving step by step forwards, she made exceedingly precise and nimble movements.
Originally, she was worried that Yang Kai might not be able to keep up with her, causing her to slow down; however, after travelling for a while, she noticed Yang Kai appeared to be exceedingly relaxed. Immediately, she knew that her worries were unnecessary, resulting in her increasing her travelling speed substantially.
Yang Kai continued to follow closely behind her, travelling like a shadow and not straying an inch off the path she took.
The duo travelled for a stick of incense’s worth of time within the Illusion Array before appearing in a wide clearing. Right before them was a gigantic platform, one that was clearly man-made, with traces of carvings present. This platform radiated an ancient aura, a clear sign of the countless years it had endured.
Present here was Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master Ye Hen, who stood on the platform with a depressed and guilt-ridden look on his face.
Hearing their arrival, Ye Hen turned his head around. Seeing his daughter arriving with Yang Kai, he hastily cupped his hands, “Young Master Yang.”
“Sect Master Ye!” Returning the greeting, Yang Kai’s attention was immediately captured by the gigantic platform before him. Scanning the platform with a focused gaze, he proceeded to keenly observe it, his eyes gleaming as he did so.
“Young Master Yang…” Right as Ye Jing Han was about to say something, Ye Hen suddenly extended his hand to stop her, before making a sign for her to keep quiet.
Knowing that she had overstepped her boundaries, Ye Jing Han stuck her tongue out playfully. Moving to stand beside her father, she proceeded to wait in apprehension.
The three on the platform remained silent for a long while, with Ye Hen and his daughter focusing on every change that happened to Yang Kai’s gaze and expression, while the latter focused all of his senses towards the platform before him.
Clearly, the platform before him was a gigantic array foundation.
Yang Kai did not have much of an understanding towards the Dao of Spirit Arrays. The only kinds of Spirit Array he excelled in were Space Arrays, and this was due to the help of Yang Yan. He had spent quite a bit of effort to arrange the Space Arrays on Shadowed Star in his native Star Field, and the method of their arrangement was taught to him by Yang Yan.
Therefore, Yang Kai’s understanding of Space Arrays was both profound yet shallow.
Scanning his surroundings with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai immediately realized that there were countless patterns engraved into this array base platform. Each and every one of them was connected together, forming the network that would maintain the passageway between the Star Boundary and the Sealed World.
Those interlinked arrays were extraordinarily abstruse, and although they were very different from the diagrams that were familiar to Yang Kai, he was able to gain a clear understanding after a period of analysis. Not only that, but he was also able to comprehend some additional details from the various diagrams that triggered some deep thoughts in his mind.
Without a doubt, the knowledge of arrays that Yang Yan had taught him was top-notch and had some absolute superiorities to the array base platform before him.
Nevertheless, there was always something to learn from other sources of knowledge, and Yang Kai was still able to gain a lot from the array carved on this base.
After a long while, Yang Kai finally exhaled deeply and pulled his Divine Sense back, his eyes now gleaming with brilliance.
“Young Master Yang…” Seeing him come back to his senses, Ye Jing Han called out to him in a voice brimming with nervousness.
Ye Hen also asked out in anxiety, “Has Young Master Yang discovered something?”
Yang Kai nodded his head and replied, “Your noble Sect’s Ancestor was indeed an extraordinary person. The one who arranged this Spirit Array definitely was an Array Grandmaster. How do I put it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this Space Array, the only problem is that its energy is completely depleted. As long as you supplement it with some Source Crystals, it will start operating immediately.”
Ye Hen’s eyes lit up as an emotional voice rang out from his mouth, “Are you able to confirm that, Young Master Yang?” After an instant, he awkwardly added, “It isn’t that this Ye doesn’t trust Young Master Yang, but this matter concerns our entire Thousand Leaves Sect…”
Yang Kai replied with a faint smile, “I understand, so there’s no need for Sect Master Ye to continue explaining yourself. Nevertheless, I can tell you definitively that there’s absolutely no damage present on this array. Furthermore… even if it was damaged, I can repair it as long as I obtain the appropriate materials.”
A tremor shook through Ye Hen’s entire being as he shot an incredulous look at Yang Kai. Only now did he realize that he had still underestimated Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space. He had originally assumed that despite the latter’s achievements, Yang Kai would not be too accomplished due to his age and cultivation; however, it was only after hearing Yang Kai’s words that he realized how wrong he was. Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space could only be rivalled by a handful of people within the Star Boundary.
Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible for Yang Kai to be this confident about repairing the array base platform.
Ye Jing Han then asked, “If there is no problem with the array base platform here, why would the Sealed World’s entrance become sealed?”
Yang Kai replied, “A Space Array connects two different points, so if there is no problem with this end, it means something must be wrong on the other side, rendering this one inactive.”
“On the other side…” Ye Hen frowned, before gasping in shock, “Is Young Master Yang trying to say that the array in the Seal World is damaged?”
“That’s most likely the case.”
“Then what should we do?” Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale, “If the array on the other side is damaged, and we’re utterly incapable of transmitting over to that side, there’s no way for us to repair it.”
Ye Hen looked at Yang Kai in anticipation, “Does Young Master Yang have any solutions?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “To an average person, they would naturally be unable to go to the other side if the other array is damaged; however, if one can utilize Space Principles, it isn’t entirely impossible to follow the connection between the two arrays and directly open up a path. Therefore… I could give it a try.”
Although he wasn’t fully confident in the matter, he had at least eighty percent confidence in achieving this. Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t want to give the other party too much hope before the matter was completed, as it would make them more likely to get disappointed.
He had always been a careful and vigilant person.
Ye Hen could not help but become emotional after hearing Yang Kai’s words. Cupping his fists, he said, “If Young Master Yang is able to repair this Space Array, you will be our Thousand Leaves Sect’s most honoured benefactor. In the future, if Young Master Yang needs anything, our Thousand Leaves Sect will definitely answer your call!”
Yang Kai replied in a casual tone, “You’re being too serious, Sect Master Ye. However… Although I can make an attempt, I would need to spend some time on it. Therefore, I’ll have to ask Sect Master Ye to take care of my friends that will be staying in your Thousand Leaves Sect for the time being.”
“Absolutely,” Ye Hen nodded his head. Appearing to understand what Yang Kai was having apprehensions about, he immediately added, “This Ye will definitely make sure to take good care of them. Young Master Yang can hold me accountable if they suffer even the slightest bit of injury.”
“Alright then,” Yang Kai nodded his head, before continuing. “Does Sect Master Ye have a map of the Sealed World on hand? If I manage to successfully transmit over, I might need to repair the array there. To do so, I may need to search the Sealed World for some materials.”
Yang Kai had some of the materials required to arrange a Space Array in his Space Ring, materials left over from the Space Arrays he arranged in his native Star Field. Although these materials weren’t of high grade or quality, it would definitely not be a problem to use them for repairs. During his earlier observation of the array base platform, he had managed to memorize all of the array diagrams.
As such, the reason he had said those words to Ye Hen was due to his deep interest in the Sealed World.
This Sealed World was the absolute secret of Thousand Leaves Sect, and only a handful of people per generation would know about it, while the rest were not privy to this secret. There should definitely be some good stuff present within such a Sealed World. Therefore, Yang Kai naturally wanted to explore around and see if he could obtain any good opportunities.
Furthermore, according to what Ye Jing Han had mentioned before, there was a place called Emperor Heaven Valley located within this Sealed World, an exceptional place where comprehending the Heavenly Ways and Emperor Intent were much easier. If Dao Source Realm cultivators were able to successfully comprehend these, it would be extremely useful for them when they tried to break through to the Emperor Realm.
How could Yang Kai miss out on such an opportunity?
Finding materials was just an excuse.
Clearly, Ye Hen also knew this, nevertheless, he did not have even the slightest hesitation. On the contrary, he quickly pulled out a yellowed beast skin map. Handing it to Yang Kai, he said, “You don’t have to mention it, Young Master Yang. This Ye was already prepared to hand this map to you.”
Taking it, Yang Kai only shot a cursory glance at it to know that it was the genuine article before putting it in his Space Ring.
“I’ll have to thank Young Master Yang for your trouble,” Ye Hen said in a solemn tone as he cupped his hands.
Yang Kai replied, “I’ll try my best.”
After saying those words, his body flickered, before he shot straight towards the top of the array base platform and proceeded to take a seat.
In the next instant, Space Principles suddenly rippled out, surrounding his body from all directions. In a split second, the space within a thirty-metre wide sphere around Yang Kai collapsed abruptly, causing minuscule jet-black Void Cracks to appear like a school of fish swimming randomly.
The expressions of Ye Hen and Ye Jing Han changed drastically, as both of them could sense how dangerous these Void Cracks were. Retreating backwards, shock filled their faces as they stared in front of themselves.
“These are Space Principles?” Ye Jing Han’s beautiful eyes went wide as she cried out in amazement. She attempted to sense exactly what was happening through the Void Cracks but was still unable to sense anything at all, despite how hard she tried. The only thing she could sense was the mysterious principles that were continuously surrounding Yang Kai’s body, preventing her from gaining even the slightest bit of comprehension.
Ye Hen sighed in admiration, “Cultivators who have mastered the Dao of Space are universally recognized to be the hardest cultivators to catch within the Star Boundary. I never imagined that Young Master Yang would actually have such a level of mastery over Space Principles. One day, he might even be able to reach the peak of the Martial Dao through the Dao of Space.”
Ye Jing Han’s petite body shook as she looked incredulously at her father, seemingly unable to comprehend why her father would give Yang Kai such high praise. Nevertheless, she gave it a thought. Before meeting Yang Kai, had she ever seen such an extraordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator?
Being in the same cultivation realm, she naturally knew what a Dao Source Realm’s level of strength was supposed to be; however, Yang Kai’s strength was so completely off the charts compared to the norm. Most Dao Source Realm cultivators were so weak before him that it was laughable, just like infants trying to compare to an adult. Even those Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters could not match up to him; on the contrary, she had seen Yang Kai easily kill a number of such Masters.
Every single one of the legendary Masters that ruled between the Heavens and Earth was astonishing during their youths and were leaders of the masses. Wasn’t Yang Kai also the same?
Perhaps… in the future, he might really achieve what her Lord Father had said, reaching the apex of the Martial Dao, with his name shocking the entire Star Boundary.
Thinking about that, Ye Jing Han could not help but let her body shake with the emotions surging out from her heart.
That was because she was able to get to know Yang Kai during his youth, and had a chance to properly recognise the growth and rise of this legendary figure. Despite how her relationship with him wasn’t close at all, she still felt proud to witness it.
*Weng…*
Just as Ye Jing Han was lost in her nonsensical thoughts, a peculiar sound suddenly rang out from the Void. As it did so, her face instantly turned pale, as she noticed that the surrounding space had completely solidified in an instant, making it appear as though she had been frozen up within a block of ice. Not only did it become hard to breathe, she discovered that the circulation of Source Qi within her body had also turned sluggish.
Turning her head around, she noticed that her father seemed to be in a similar condition to her, his expression turning laboured as he resisted against the pressure coming from the surrounding Space Principles.
Just as anxiety flooded her heart and mind, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes. With a solemn look on his face, he extended his hands out towards the space before him.
Under Ye Jing Han’s gaze, Yang Kai’s hands disappeared in the most peculiar way, as though they had pierced through space and entered another dimension.
A look of strain appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he seemed to be trying to pry his hands apart as he gave a loud roar.
*Chi Chi Chi Chi…*
As Yang Kai acted, a larger jet-black Void Crack suddenly appeared before him, before an exceedingly fear-inducing aura gushed out from within, brimming with so much chaotic power that it appeared to devour everything around it.
“A Void Corridor!” Ye Hen cried out in shock, his eyes locked on to that jet black crack while incomparable shock filled his heart. This was the first time he had seen such a gigantic Void Crack. Clearly sensing the magnitude of danger posed by such a crack, he was instantly stunned by what he was witnessing.
Under Yang Kai’s hard work, the Void Crack continued to grow in size, before quickly becoming a passageway one could squeeze through. The passageway connected into the chaotic Void, appearing to extend all the way to the ends of the Earth.