“Is this a Void Corridor?” Ye Jing Han cried out softly, her hand covering her mouth.
Although she had used Space Arrays quite a few times to traverse between places, and knew that Void Corridors were the connecting structures between Space Arrays, she had never witnessed one with her own eyes before.
This was a genuine first for her.
Although Ye Hen was also exceedingly shocked by what he was seeing, he continued to lock his gaze on the Void Corridor, seemingly wanting to comprehend something from it.
It was not an easy opportunity to personally see a Void Corridor, especially one that was forced open by a person, as the formation lesions were conspicuous. It would benefit him immeasurably if he was able to comprehend anything from it.
However, regardless of how he tried, he was still unable to understand anything from those fluctuating Space Principles, causing him to feel exceedingly frustrated.
At this point in time, Yang Kai had already stood up, and with a flicker, moved right into the middle of the Void Corridor. Right as he disappeared, the Void Corridor seemed to have lost the power that was supporting it and immediately started to close.
Worried looks were present on the father and daughter, as they did not know whether Yang Kai would be able to traverse smoothly to the other side, or whether he would become lost in the Void, never to find his way out again.
Within the Void Corridor, Yang Kai continued to walk forward.
The chaotic space rushed towards him from all directions but it was repelled by a mysterious power radiating from his body, rendering it incapable of hurting him.
Yang Kai’s mastery of the Dao of Space had long surpassed his accomplishments during his earlier years. It had already seeped into the depths of his bones. Therefore, this trivial chaotic turbulence was utterly incapable of doing anything to him.
At this moment, the only thing that he had some trouble with was finding the exit to the Sealed World.
Although the two arrays were faintly connected, the array in the Sealed World had been damaged for an unknown amount of time. Therefore, Yang Kai could only somewhat make out the direction of this Void Corridor but was unable to confirm it with absolute certainty.
Within the Void Corridor, he could only follow along the faint connection to lead the way as he hurried along.
Fortunately, as time went by, the connection grew increasingly clear, allowing Yang Kai to confirm that he was heading the right way.
After travelling for who knows how long, Yang Kai suddenly stopped at a certain spot. Sending his Divine Sense out, he mumbled, “This should be it.”
Saying those words, he moved the Space Principles around him once again. Slowly extending his hands out, he reached into the chaotic Void before him. Ripples formed as his hands travelled forward, before the chaotic Void seemed to turn tranquil, like a crumpled sheet of paper being pulled straight from all directions.
As Yang Kai pulled his hands apart, a sliver of light suddenly appeared before him.
Yang Kai’s brow rose up. Knowing that his senses were right, he proceeded to greatly increase the strength he was exerting.
After a short while, a crack was pulled apart by Yang Kai once again. Yang Kai was able to faintly make out a myriad of landscapes from the Void Crack, leaving him feeling ecstatic. Not hesitating any longer, he proceeded to jump straight into the Void Crack.
After a faint feeling of weightlessness, Yang Kai quickly stabilised himself. When his field of view was restored, he discovered that he had already entered another world.
The World Energy here was exceedingly dense, to the point that it was not any inferior to his Sealed World Bead. In fact, the World Energy here was actually showing signs of forming into mist. Anyone who saw it would sigh in admiration. Due to the density of World Energy, the vegetation here grew extremely well, with dense and luscious plants covering the entire landscape.
The place where Yang Kai appeared just so happened to be above an array base platform.
This array base platform was identical to the one Yang Kai had seen in the mountain valley situated within Thousand Leaves Sect’s Illusion Array. Clearly, it had been constructed by the same person and was the connecting piece to the other array base platform.
However, due to countless years of neglect, the whole array base platform was now covered with vegetation, which had caused some obvious damage to it.
Looking at this array base platform, Yang Kai knew that he had arrived at the right place. This should be the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, and was the foundation behind the flourishing grandeur the Thousand Leaves Sect had managed to reach thousands of years ago. At the same time, it was also the reason behind the decline of the current Thousand Leaves Sect.
Yang Kai extended his hand to touch the array base platform. A scorching power started to perfuse out, quickly burning all of the vegetation into a crisp, revealing the platform in its entirety.
Extending his Divine Sense, Yang Kai examined the platform to determine the underlying problem that had resulted in the broken connection between the two arrays.
Not long after, he seemed to have made some discoveries that left him sighing as a result.
Although the reason wasn’t far off from his expectations, it still somewhat exceeded it.
Yang Kai discovered that there was a sword scar that had cleaved through the entire array base platform, including the array diagrams carved into it. It was precisely due to the damage suffered by those few array diagrams that the entire array base platform stopped working.
[What happened?] Yang Kai could not help but become suspicious.
According to what Ye Jing Han had said before, the reason behind the Thousand Leaves Sect’s gradual decline was due to the sudden closure of this Sealed World. However, merely the closure of a Sealed World would not have caused the Thousand Leaves Sect to fall to their current state. The critical point to note was that when the Sealed World’s entrance was lost, the Thousand Leaves Sect Master was in the Sealed World, and had brought along the majority of the Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques. This resulted in the severance of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance, hence leading to their gradual decline.
Currently, the Thousand Leaves Sect was unable to even control the Earth Grade puppets in their possession, leaving them no choice but to let the puppets weather the elements in the open space before the main palace.
Originally Yang Kai had assumed that it was just an unlucky coincidence that the Thousand Leaves Sect Master of that generation happened to be in the Sealed World when its entrance was lost.
He had never expected the actual events to differ so much from his conjectures.
The array base platform in the Sealed World had been destroyed by someone, and from the precision of the scar left on it, it was definitely a conscious decision by the attacker. They did not cause wanton destruction, only leaving a scar on the array base platform that severed its connection with the other array.
Paired with the information he had obtained from Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai was certain this sword mark was the result of that generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master. Furthermore, he did not become trapped here due to the sudden closure of the Space Array. Instead, with the intent of staying here and not getting disturbed by anyone, he had gone so far as to destroy the World-Crossing Space Array.
[Why did he bring the majority of the Thousand Leaves Sects’ Secret Arts and Techniques here with him? Could it be that he was comprehending some kind of Secret Technique and did not want to be disturbed by others?] A look of confusion covered Yang Kai’s face.
If that was the case, everything would make sense! The sword scar on this array base platform was not deep; however, it just so happened to be able to sever the connection between the two worlds. With the adequate materials, anyone with sufficient ability should be able to repair it.
If it was the Sect Master of the Thousand Leaves Sect at the time, he would be at least in the Emperor Realm. In fact, it might even be possible that he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if he had damaged this array base platform, he definitely wouldn’t be worried about being unable to repair it back to working condition.
[But… What kind of Secret Technique was he cultivating, to go to the extent of cutting off all methods to access a place like this?] Even after pondering about it for a great deal of time, Yang Kai was unable to come up with a plausible explanation, leaving him no choice but to shake his head and sigh.
Not rushing to repair the sword scar on the array base platform, Yang Kai retrieved the map Ye Hen had given him earlier and took a look at it.
As this Sealed World wasn’t large, approximately the same size as his Small Sealed World, the map didn’t appear complicated. Nevertheless, the World Energy present here was exceedingly outstanding, a clear indication of the existence of an outstanding Earth Vein.
If he were able to repair the array and reconnect the Thousand Leaves Sect with this Sealed World, the World Energy here would be free for the Thousand Leaves Sect to use. When that happened, there would be a gargantuan change in the cultivation environment for the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples!
With clear indications present on the map, Yang Kai quickly found where the Emperor Heaven Valley was located.
After a short while, Yang Kai kept the map, summoned his flying boat, and started heading in that direction.
As he travelled, Yang Kai could not contain his excitement, stopping time after time to fly down to the ground.
That was because there were plenty of precious herbs present in this Sealed World.
The fact that this place had been undisturbed for ten thousand years, coupled with the exceedingly dense World Energy, it meant that the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World had naturally become an absolutely outstanding place for Spirit Grasses and Medicines to grow and flourish. Many precious Spirit Grasses had grown into large patches, perfusing the air with their medicinal fragrance. Yang Kai didn’t even need to spend any time searching and only needed to fly down and harvest them.
Furthermore, the Spirit Grasses and Medicines here had already reached sufficient maturity!
All of the herbs that Yang Kai had harvested were at least a few thousand years old in medicinal age, with some even reaching ten thousand years. Every single Spirit Grass or Medicine was filled with rich medicinal properties, making them the best materials to use for Alchemy.
Yang Kai was all too happy to harvest them!
Ye Hen might not have expected his Sect’s Sealed World to contain so many precious herbs. If he had, he might have gone along with Yang Kai and not allowed Yang Kai to simply collect so many.
Just these herbs alone were enough to double the wealth of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
All of the herbs along Yang Kai’s path of travel ended up in his pockets.
Moreover, this was just the tip of the iceberg that was this Sealed World. If he did a detailed search, Yang Kai reckoned that he would no longer need to worry about lacking materials for Alchemy in the future.
Within the span of two days, Yang Kai had already filled the medicine garden in his Sealed World Bead to the brim. He even had no choice but to harvest some of the lesser-valued herbs from his Small Sealed World and store them in his Space Ring.
The Thousand Leaves Sect was sitting on a treasure trove but were incapable of unlocking it. If not, they wouldn’t have fallen to their current state. Although they might not be able to rival the top few Sects in the Southern Territory right away, as long as they had just one Emperor Realm Master assuming command, they would be able to deter all the other second-class forces from bullying them.
Currently, the greatest weakness of Thousand Leaves Sect was the lack of any Emperor Realm Masters among their ranks. This was also the greatest hurdle faced by the majority of the second-class forces in the Star Boundary.
After all, there were too few Emperors!
After another day of travel, a gigantic mountain valley suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. The mountain valley was beautiful and scenic, with strange and peculiar fragrances saturating the air. Before arriving, Yang Kai could already smell the fragrances of many different Spirit Grasses and Medicines. After comparing the shape of this mountain valley to that of the Emperor Heaven Valley indicated on the map, Yang Kai gave a happy smile. Knowing that he had found the right location, he proceeded to increase his speed.
A short while later, Yang Kai descended. Standing within the Emperor Heaven Valley, he started to focus his senses. Unfortunately, he could not help but feel awkward a moment later, “Were they lying? Where is the Emperor Aura?”
The reason he had accepted Ye Jing Han’s request to take the trip to the Thousand Leaves Sect and repair their World-Crossing Space Array was due to his interest in this Emperor Heaven Valley.
He wished to cast a solid foundation for his future breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
After all, based on Ye Jing Han’s description, this Emperor Heaven Valley was perfused with Emperor Pressure and Emperor Intent, making it the best location to comprehend the Heavenly Ways and Martial Dao, as well as being the most important place in the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World.
Yang Kai had originally planned to remain here for a while to properly comprehend and reap the benefits that this place offered. However, upon arriving here, other than the dense medicinal fragrance in the air, there was not a single trace of Emperor Intent!
The Emperor Heaven Valley did not live up to its name at all, and it was utterly useless to Yang Kai.
It was impossible for Ye Jing Han to have lied to him though, Yang Kai was confident about that. Ever since they had become acquainted, he knew that she was always careful and respectful towards him. Therefore, how would it be possible for her to deceive him about something so important?
The only plausible explanation would be that the Emperor Heaven Valley truly had Emperor Intent present in it, but for some unknown reason, it had vanished.
With ten thousand years of time, seas can change into lands and vice versa, so anything could happen.
Yang Kai stood still and pondered over it for a while. Nevertheless, thinking about the many spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested, he did not suffer any losses from this trip. In fact, it was still a net benefit. As he thought about this, he no longer felt as annoyed as before.
This mountain valley was perfused with strange fragrances, a clear indication of the many spirit grasses and medicines present.
Since he had already arrived at this place, Yang Kai did not plan to suffer a loss, and started to scour the mountain valley.
It did not take long for Yang Kai to obtain a great harvest.
When he was plucking a dark red fruit from a tree half the height of a human, and was planning to shove it into his Space Ring, Yang Kai suddenly discovered something. Sending his Divine Sense out, he proceeded to investigate the fruit in detail.
After an instant, he could not help but feel slightly surprised.
This was a fruit that he recognized, a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Spirit Fruit, the Vermillion Bird Fruit. It was the main ingredient in the refining of the Meridian Cleansing Pill. After consuming this pill, a cultivator would be able to cleanse their meridians, allowing their Qi to become purer than before.
Yang Kai would not have been surprised just from this discovery, rather, it was precisely due to him sensing a clear sliver of the Principle Strength in this fruit that caught him by surprise.
Despite how high ranking a Dao Source Grade Spirit Fruit was, it couldn’t contain any trace of Principle Strength. This left him in deep shock.
After another round of detailed investigations, Yang Kai discovered the Principle Strength present within this Vermillion Bird Fruit had already coalesced and was giving off a faint Emperor Intent.
Yang Kai’s eyebrows suddenly shot up as his eyes sparkled, mumbling, “Could it be…”
Appearing to have thought of something, he hastily retrieved all of the spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested from his Space Ring and proceeded to inspect them in detail.
After an incense’s worth of time, Yang Kai revealed a look of understanding, as he finally realized exactly what had happened to this place.
A long time ago, there was indeed a dense Emperor Intent present within this Emperor Heaven Valley, where cultivators could come here to cultivate and gain comprehension, thereby forging a foundation for their future breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
However, after ten thousand years, the Emperor Intent present here had been completely absorbed by the spirit grasses and medicines that were growing here. All of the Emperor Intent had fused together with them, no longer being able to be separated!
All of the spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested in this mountain valley were just like the Vermillion Bird Fruit earlier, containing Emperor Intent within them!
Contrary to this, the few herbs he had harvested before coming here did not possess this unique trait. One glance gave Yang Kai the confirmation he needed.
After understanding this, Yang Kai could not help but feel excited.
Spirit grasses and medicines that contained Emperor Intent. He hadn’t even heard of such a thing, not to mention the possibility of such a phenomenon occurring. If these herbs were refined into Spirit Pills, those pills would definitely contain the Emperor Intent within them. When consumed, they would allow a cultivator an opportunity to comprehend the power of Principle Strength.
This method was much more effective than trying to comprehend Emperor Intent while cultivating in the Emperor Heaven Valley because that method of comprehension was classified as external comprehension, while internal comprehension was a method where one would comprehend Emperor Intent through the ingestion of Spirit Pills. With every single cell and meridian absorbing Emperor Intent from the inside, a cultivator’s sensitivity and comprehension efficiency would increase dramatically.
Only a unique place like this Emperor Heaven Valley could give birth to such unique spirit grasses and medicines.
Yang Kai could imagine that, if the pills refined from these herbs were to circulate around the Star Boundary, they would incite a blood-frenzied competition among Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. With the pill’s medicinal efficacies relegated to being a secondary concern, just the Emperor Intent and the Principle Strength would be considered. Naturally, it would be sought after by Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators incapable of breaking through their realm, as the Principle Strength was the most important thing they would need to comprehend to enhance their strength.
Great excitement filled Yang Kai’s heart as he quietly felt that the greatest reward he had gained in this trip was the herbs harvested within the Emperor Heaven Valley. Without any further hesitation, he immediately started his intense harvesting.
He decided to not let a single Spirit Grass go. Anything that had reached maturity would be harvested whole.
Although the mountain valley was not large, the lack of human contact for ten thousand years, coupled with the nourishment from the dense World Energy, led to the growth of numerous spirit grasses and medicines. Searching thoroughly, Yang Kai toiled for a day’s worth of time before finally managing to clean out the entire mountain valley.
All of the spirit grasses and medicines had been harvested by him.
For the sake of distinguishing these herbs from those that he had harvested earlier, Yang Kai made special note of the locations he had kept them, all in preparation to refine them into pills as quickly as possible once this matter was over.
With all those Emperor Intent-infused spirit grasses and medicines already harvested, Yang Kai was now worried that the Emperor Intent within them would gradually dissipate away if he did not refine them as quickly as possible.
Sister Hua would be very interested in those Spirit Pills. With their aid, her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm would definitely speed up substantially.
A day later, Yang Kai stood before a mountain cave, a serious expression present on his face.
While harvesting the spirit grasses and medicines growing within the Emperor Heaven Valley, he had discovered this mountain cave. Nevertheless, he did not do a detailed inspection of it, waiting till he had harvested all of the herbs before once again focusing on it.
This mountain cave seemed to be naturally formed; however, with his acute senses, Yang Kai discovered that it showed traces of having been artificially remodelled, though the person who did so was exceedingly proficient. Coupled with the passing of time, it was not easy for anyone to spot these traces.
This mountain cave could have been remodelled by the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who had come here to cultivate ten thousand years ago. In any case, Yang Kai could sense a dangerous aura radiating from within a mountain cave.
He could instinctually sense that something incredible was hidden within this mountain cave.
However, he did not even discover the existence of a single Monster Beast while travelling around this place. Therefore, he wasn’t too worried. This Sealed World wasn’t too large; furthermore, being the place for the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples to cultivate, there definitely wouldn’t be any life-threatening dangers present.
Therefore, after just a slight moment of hesitation, he headed into the mountain cave.
The interior of the mountain cave was perfused with a dusky glow. Luminous stones were inlaid along the two walls, though they had lost their effectiveness throughout the years. The surrounding air did not appear turbid, and in fact, was extremely dry and hot.
Not long after entering the mountain cave, Yang Kai’s nose suddenly wrinkled as he smelt something strange coming from up ahead. This was not a pleasant fragrance, but rather something putrid and rotting, like dead fish.
This caused a wrinkle to form on his forehead.
According to normal reasoning, with the density of World Energy in this place, any living creature present here would be able to grow exceedingly well, making it impossible for such a smell to develop.
As this thought appeared in his mind, Yang Kai suddenly felt that something wasn’t right. In the next instant, his vision turned blurry while he seemed to be floating as he walked forwards, which led to him stumbling about.
“Poison?” Gasping in shock, Yang Kai hastily pushed his Source Qi to protect his body while simultaneously removing a fruit from his Space Ring and shoving it down his throat.
This fruit was an Emperor Grade spirit fruit that had exorbitant value, and it was harvested by him in this place; however, at this instant, Yang Kai could not care that much. This mountain cave had greatly piqued his interest, so if he wanted to continue investigating it, he had no choice but to devour this spirit fruit to resist the poison.
With the spirit fruit entering his body, reinforced by the protection of his Source Qi, Yang Kai felt much better, allowing him to continue walking forward.
As he headed deeper, the awful smell grew increasingly conspicuous. Not only that, the poison present in the air grew increasingly potent. Yang Kai knew that he would not be able to endure much longer. He couldn’t tell just what this poison was, as even he was somewhat helpless against it. Furthermore, this was just its gaseous form. Wouldn’t he be killed if he came into contact with its concentrated liquid form?
Therefore, he silently decided that he would immediately retreat if he did not discover anything within a short while.
However, just as he made that decision, he noticed a sliver of light glimmering not far away. This caused a shock to ripple through his face as he instinctively increased his speed.
After a short while, Yang Kai abruptly arrived at an even bigger mountain cave.
A sparkling luminous stone was inlaid on the interior of this mountain cave and despite the years, it still gave off light, illuminating the interior of the cave.
Looking around, Yang Kai quickly focused on a certain location, before subconsciously drawing a sharp breath.
Up ahead, he discovered an emancipated corpse in a seated position. Clearly, this person had been dead for an extremely long time as there was not a single trace of life present on the corpse. Even the flesh had withered to an incredible state, causing the corpse to appear to be merely skin and bone. The eye sockets had sunken in, the hair was messy and dulled, appearing just like dried grass.
Nevertheless, the clothing on the corpse was somewhat familiar to Yang Kai’s eyes.
After a while, Yang Kai realized that it seemed to be similar to the robes that Ye Hen was wearing.
This caused him to raise his brow as he came to a sudden realisation about the identity of the dead person before him.
This fellow was obviously the previous Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect that had entered the Sealed World that year. It was precisely this person that had taken the majority of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques and entered this place, resulting in the severing of Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance. It was definitely also this man who destroyed the array base platform within the Sealed World, causing the entrance to close.
This person was the main perpetrator behind the decline of the Thousand Leaves Sect!
Yang Kai didn’t know exactly why this person had done such things; however, since he had already died, there was no point in pursuing his reasons. Furthermore, Yang Kai was not a member of the Thousand Leaves Sect, so he simply had no need to do such a thing.
He had made this trip into this Sealed World for the sole purpose of repairing the array base platform. Being able to discover the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect from ten thousand years ago was just a coincidence.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Forgive this Junior for accidentally intruding on Senior’s resting place.”
After saying that, he took a step forward.
No one knew what this Thousand Leaves Sect Senior was doing before his death; however, Yang Kai discovered a gigantic and exceedingly mysterious Spirit Array outline beneath his corpse. On top of that, there was a substantial pile of ores and other strange and peculiar Artifact Refining materials laying by his side.
These materials were extremely rare and valuable, of Dao Source Grade at the very least, with quite a few actually being of Emperor Grade.
Any Artifact Refiner would go crazy in delight if they were to witness this.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t react much to this discovery. Regardless of how valuable those materials were, they would be devoured and refined by his Embodiment, so quantity was the only thing he was concerned about.
Without any courtesy, he walked up and quickly gathered all of the materials on the ground before tossing them into his Small Sealed World for his Embodiment to consume at leisure.
After doing so, Yang Kai turned his gaze to the Space Ring present on the corpse’s finger.
This person was definitely an Emperor Realm Master before his death, and was extremely likely to be a Third-Order Emperor. Furthermore, he was also the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master. Therefore, how could there not be anything valuable in that Space Ring? If Yang Kai’s guess was right, the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques would definitely be stored within this ring.
Yang Kai was still rather interested in the various Secret Arts and Techniques of the Thousand Leaves Sect; after all, the Dao of Puppetry was a domain that he had little knowledge of.
Furthermore, these things were right in front of his eyes, so Yang Kai was naturally drawn to them.
However, he had also made the decision to only observe and comprehend these things for a short while before bringing them out to hand to Ye Hen. He did not have the intention of hoarding them for himself.
With these considerations, Yang Kai proceeded to focus and extended his hand to grab at the Space Ring on the corpse’s finger.
However, right at that instant, his heart suddenly clenched as an exceedingly strong sense of unease surged through his entire body. This caused all of the hairs on Yang Kai’s body to stand on end and he subconsciously leapt back, increasing the distance between him and the corpse.
In the next instant, his eyes narrowed as he witnessed a harrowing scene.
Right at that moment, the Spirit Array beneath the corpse suddenly hummed while bursting with dazzling radiance, as though it had been activated for some unknown reason. In the next instant, various runes started to surface on the body of the corpse, followed by array lines, creating a mysterious Spirit Array pattern. As this happened, the withered surface of the corpse started to be suffused with a metallic lustre.
*Hong…*
The array on the ground began to rotate while sounds akin to bones cracking rang out, before the corpse’s eyes, which had been closed for countless years, snapped open.
The eyes gleamed with a dark green lustre, appearing just like two clumps of ghostly fire, causing fear in anyone who saw them.
The powerful aura of an Emperor Realm Master suddenly erupted from the corpse, bearing down on Yang Kai and smashing into him like a solid wall.
Yang Kai felt as though a giant mountain was squashing down on his chest, inciting a feeling of suffocation in him.
He knew that something wasn’t right. It was very likely that this corpse, which had been dead for countless years, possessed sentience, and had become an existence akin to a Corpse Spirit.
In the past, he had come across a similar type of monster on Shadowed Star. At that time, when the Corpse Spirit Race had revealed themselves and created chaos throughout Shadowed Star, countless cultivators had been infected by their Corpse Poison, turning them into one of their own. In the end, it was Yang Kai who had gone all out to counter the desperate situation and managed to kill the main perpetrator of the entire incident.
However, the strongest existence within the Corpse Spirit race at that time was just a Thousand-Year Corpse General whose cultivation was merely peak Origin Returning Realm. There was utterly no way to compare it to the existence that was present before his eyes.
The existence before Yang Kai was a genuine Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King!
Furthermore, it was an Emperor Realm Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King. The Emperor Intent radiating from it was something that definitely could not be faked.
Just thinking about it caused cold sweat to drench Yang Kai’s entire body. Knowing that his current situation wasn’t optimistic, he no longer dared to hesitate. Moving the Space Principles around him, he hastily retreated out of the cave.
In the next instant, his body turned blurry.
However, before he could flee from the mountain cave, the seated Corpse King opened its mouth and let off a piercing shriek. The shriek was perfused with some kind of unique power and as it travelled in all directions, it transformed the entire surrounding area into a sealed space.
Yang Kai’s body turned stiff, causing his blurry figure to reappear!
His expression changed drastically. Knowing that his teleportation had been unexpectedly defeated, how could he dare to show any neglect? The only thing he could do was to rush out as quickly as he could.
A chilling gleam burst forth from the ghostly eyes of the Corpse King as it locked onto Yang Kai. Opening its mouth, a verdant coloured aura suddenly shot out from within.
“Corpse Poison!” Yang Kai gasped in shock. Finally, he understood exactly what the awful smell that had perfused the entire mountain cave was.
This smell clearly originated from the Corpse King’s Corpse Poison. However, that smell was a result of just a sliver of it leaking out from its body. Just a slight leak was already enough to cause Yang Kai to show signs of being poisoned and causing his vision to turn blurry, so the mouthful launched by the Corpse King would definitely result in his death if he were to carelessly breathe it in.
As his heart was filled up with fear, Yang Kai did not dare to take any breaths as he unleashed the full might of his Source Qi to form a barrier around his body, all while retreating like an arrow.
Despite his swift actions though, the Corpse Poison was also not one bit slower, chasing after him like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, it had caught up to him, smashing against the Source Qi that was protecting his body.
A piercing crack rang out as a large hole was formed in Yang Kai’s protective Source Qi, causing it to melt like a snowflake under the scorching sun. Unexpectedly, it was unable to offer an ounce of resistance against the Corpse Poison, which proceeded to drill through the gaping hole that had formed.
[It possesses such potent corrosive strength?] Yang Kai was utterly incapable of believing what he was seeing.
Faced with such a dangerous situation, his eyes opened wider as he extended his hand. Pushing the surrounding Space Principles to their limits, he shouted out, “Exile!”
As he did so, something similar to a black hole appeared before him, devouring all of the Corpse Poison that was hurtling towards him. Continuing to move, Yang Kai rushed out of the mountain cave, returning to the mountain valley.
However, before he could catch his breath, a bestial roar resounded from the mountain cave before the vilest and most ruthless aura unleashed by the Corpse King rushed out from within. The entire mountain shook as the sounds of falling and crumbling stones proceeded to ring out from within.
“What kind of grudge do you have with me!?” Yang Kai complained out loud with a bitter look on his face as he knew that he was in serious trouble. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have entered the mountain cave to investigate, leading to him provoking such a monster.
There was no need to fight; Yang Kai knew that he would absolutely be unable to match up against this foe. The only plan he had right now was to flee back to the Sealed World’s Space Array as fast as he could, repair it, and flee from here. Only then would he be able to survive this ordeal.
However, it would take time to repair the platform, despite his deep achievements in the Dao of Space. The time it would take him just to refine the materials to patch the gouge left by the sword on the array base would be enough for this Corpse King to kill him a hundred times over!
That was a Corpse King formed from the corpse of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Yang Kai was totally clueless as to how much strength it could unleash.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the Corpse King rushed out of the mountain cave. Spirit Array patterns continued to swirl on the surface of its body as a strange radiance blossomed from it. With a flicker, it appeared right in front of Yang Kai. Revealing its fangs that gleamed with a chilling radiance, it sent a fierce punch towards him.
Yang Kai’s face was instantly drained of colour as he sensed the terrifying might contained within the incoming fist. Being too late to evade it, he had no other choice but to summon his Myriads Sword. Sending his Source Qi into it, he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man As A Mountain!”
This was the Myriads Sword’s strongest defensive sword technique. Having displayed it a few times, Yang Kai naturally knew how formidable it was.
A series of sword silhouettes blossomed as it left afterimages in the air, transforming into a strong and resilient defence in front of Yang Kai. The countless Sword Qi blades composed a fortified wall, blocking the dangerous punch hurtling towards Yang Kai.
*Hong…*
As the Corpse King’s fist struck, Yang Kai’s all-out sword barrier was shattered like a thin piece of paper, completely incapable of withstanding the incoming strike. An unimaginable force continued smashing over, causing Yang Kai to feel as though a large mountain was descending on him. Against this level of power, his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was as puny as an ant.
[I’m going to die!] Such a thought popped up within Yang Kai’s heart.
Regardless of how tough or resilient his physical body was, regardless of how vigorous his Source Qi was, he would die without a doubt if he received this punch, and his life would be over in an instant.
This was just an instinctive reaction, but Yang Kai believed it with absolute certainty.
With his life hanging precariously in the balance, Yang Kai forcefully warped the surrounding Space Principles, shifting his position just a slight bit backwards, thereby evading the centre of the punch’s impact zone.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to shift himself further to completely evade the incoming punch, but rather that he was powerless against the suppression of his enemy’s Emperor Pressure, with this action being the limit of what he could achieve at this very instant.
An explosive boom rang out, as the surrounding space collapsed. Cracking sounds rang out from Yang Kai’s body as his ribs snapped, while his entire body was sent flying through the air, blood spewing out of his mouth as his aura declined drastically.
With a bang, Yang Kai smashed onto the ground. Despite that, he hastily got back up, his hands clutching his chest as a pained look covered his face.
Just a single exchange was enough for him to know how freakishly strong this Corpse King was. If his enemy decided to chase after him and launch another attack, it would absolutely multiply the despair he faced in his current situation.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt slightly relieved that the Corpse King had remained at its original position after launching that punch, no longer moving. The ghostly fire orb-like eyes continued to flicker while the expression on its face started to fluctuate, giving it an exceedingly malevolent and terrifying appearance.
[What is going on?]
Although Yang Kai didn’t understand what it was doing, this was something that he desperately hoped to see. He immediately proceeded to take out recovery Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and tossed them into his mouth, taking this critical opportunity to stabilize his condition.
He did not dare to make any reckless moves for fear of provoking the Corpse King and thereby ruining this essential break for his recovery.
While adjusting his breathing, he also took the time to observe the actions of the Corpse King.
He discovered that the Corpse Poison spewing out from the Corpse King started to disperse out in all directions after its exit from the mountain cave. Upon contact with the Corpse Poison, the vegetation within this mountain valley, which had existed here for countless of years all started to wither and die. This was clear evidence of how toxic the Corpse Poison was.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai managed to notice something strange, which was that the Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King… didn’t seem to possess any consciousness.
This was something that he could not fathom. Even the trivial Hundred Year Corpse Soldiers that he had encountered in the past on Shadowed Star had already possessed sentience and were capable of independent thought. However, this Corpse King didn’t despite having existed for thousands of years.
Furthermore… The Spirit Arrays on the surface of its body were exceedingly conspicuous and, coupled with the golden lustre radiating from its withered body, it was an exceedingly strange sight to behold.
As he continued to observe, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open as a hair-raising thought suddenly flashed through his mind that caused him to cry out in shock, “A Corpse Puppet?”
Although Yang Kai had not done much research into the Dao of Puppetry, having cultivated for so many years, he had more or less heard about Corpse Puppets before.
Generally speaking, various kinds of precious treasures and special methods were needed for the refining of puppets. The puppets that guarded the main palace of Thousand Leaves Sect, as well as those that Yang Kai had encountered in the Flowing Time Temple, were all produced in this fashion.
However, there was another type of puppet that did not require the use of such precious treasures, instead using the bodies of cultivators as their base material.
The bodies of powerful cultivators were the best materials for the refining of powerful puppets. The intricacy of the human body, their powerful cultivations and wills before death, were all traits that were difficult for normal precious treasures to replicate.
Some evil cultivators were exceedingly fond of using the bodies of powerful Masters to refine puppets that would heed their every call. Furthermore, after being refined into puppets, they could retain the majority of their cultivations and abilities from before their deaths, granting them exceedingly powerful combat strength.
Such evil cultivators were extremely fond of plundering the graves of Masters, as every corpse they obtained would boost their strength. It was precisely because of this reason that those cultivators were detested and abhorred no matter where they went. The art of refining Corpse Puppets was also regarded as the most forbidden of forbidden techniques; knowledge that one should absolutely not dip their fingers into.
However, despite that, it was impossible to eradicate it entirely; regardless of time and place, there would always be some who were willing to commit the most heinous of deeds under Heaven and defy the natural order of things to gain strength.
Yang Kai had never imagined that there would actually be such people in a Sect like Thousand Leaves Sect that would have attempted Corpse Puppet refining.
It was one thing for this Corpse King to not have any consciousness at all; however, the critical factor was the Spirit Arrays present across its body. These arrays, coupled with the golden lustre radiating from its body would make it instantly identifiable as a Corpse Puppet that someone had refined!
Furthermore, it was an Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet!
What kind of person would refine the body of such a powerful cultivator into a Corpse Puppet without a single shred of sentience? Yang Kai was utterly incapable of recovering from the shock that was rocking his heart.
However, he quickly realized that something wasn’t right. According to what Ye Hen had said, the Thousand Leaves Sect Master of that generation had entered the Sealed World by himself, before the entrance was closed. From those words, that meant that there was no one except for the Sect Master present within this Sealed World during that point in time countless years ago.
Yang Kai had also not discovered any traces of the existence of a second person.
Furthermore, with that past generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master being a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, who possessed such terrifyingly powerful capabilities to refine him into a Corpse Puppet?
[Could it be… that he refined himself into a puppet?]
Yang Kai was instantly frightened when this thought flashed through his mind. If that was truly the case, that would mean that the previous generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master had already reached an incredible height in the Dao of Puppetry, while also possessing a level of determination and far surpassed normal Masters.
After all, just the thought of refining oneself into a puppet would cause horror and fear to gush out of people’s hearts. Furthermore, exactly how much pain and suffering would one need to bear throughout the entire refining process?
Although this was just his guess, Yang Kai felt that he was not far from the truth.
Just as he was overwhelmed by his thoughts, the Corpse Puppet, which had remained still with a fluctuating expression on its face, suddenly turned its head towards the direction of Yang Kai, a chilling glow beaming out of its ghostly fire orb-like eyes.
Yang Kai immediately knew that his situation had worsened, as his enemy seemed to have broken out of whatever was restraining it and was about to hunt and kill him.
Before he could digest that thought, the Corpse Puppet had already appeared right before him with a flicker. In the next instant, a terrifying fist came towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai felt as though his life was flashing before him. Despite not possessing any sentience, resulting in its exceedingly simple and unchanging way of combat using its fists to strike its targets, just a single punch from the Corpse Puppet, with its overwhelming strength was more than what Yang Kai could contend against.
The ferocity of that fist perfectly displayed the might of an Emperor Realm Master. Swirls of energy visible to the naked eye accompanied this fist, seemingly wanting to tear the surrounding space apart and collapse the entire world.
Yang Kai’s scalp turned numb as he roared, “Dragon Transformation!”
In the next instant, a high-pitched dragon roar rang out as a dazzling golden phantom of a dragon surfaced behind him. With a shake of its head and swish of its tail, the Golden Dragon rushed into his body. Cracking sounds rang out while Yang Kai’s arms turned to dragon-like claws, while the outer surface of his body was covered to the brim with Dragon Scales. Not only that, with a sharp tearing sound, a pure dragon aura gushed out from his backbone as it lengthened abruptly, as though he had turned into a large dragon and was attempting to take to the skies.
Yang Kai had unleashed his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to its utmost limits!
Having refined the three dragon artifacts, A Dragon Scale, Dragon Bone, and Dragon Bead, supplemented with his already incredibly powerful flesh body, Yang Kai’s current strength immediately skyrocketed.
Not yet done, while he was unleashing his Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai had also summoned his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. In a breath, a five-coloured radiance blossomed, as the power of the Five Elements gushed out. Crossing his arms before his body, he entered into a defensive stance.
Yang Kai absolutely did not dare to launch any attacks, as he felt that he was just like a small wooden boat shaking before the roaring storm that was the powerful might of his enemy. Any howling wind or large wave could send him capsizing and drowning as a result.
*Hong…”
As the Corpse Puppet’s punch made contact, Yang Kai felt as though he was struck by lightning as his entire body shook. Cracking sounds rang out from his arms as they were snapped and bent into unnatural shapes. At the same time, his body was sent flying by the massive force, adding to his pre-existing injuries.
All of these happened even after he had unleashed his Dragon Transformation and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi to its utmost limit.
If he had not prepared defensively against the punch, Yang Kai reckoned that he would have already been turned into dust.
He was experiencing first-hand just how powerful the Corpse Puppet before him was.
As he flew through the air, Yang Kai forcefully suppressed the pain ripping through his body and roared out between his clenched teeth, “Come out!”
With his roar, a massive mountain-like figure descended from the sky, sending an explosive boom as it landed on the ground, shaking the earth in a flurry as it did so.
The Embodiment had entered the stage.
His appearance was so sudden that he did not even know exactly where he was, or what kind of danger Yang Kai had gotten into; however, in the next instant, his giant body turned stiff as he could sense the vile aura radiating from the body of the Corpse Puppet. The might of this aura was so powerful it almost made him lose the will to fight.
Nevertheless, every single time he had been summoned was due to Yang Kai encountering a strong foe, so he quickly managed to regain his senses and composure. Extending his hand into the void, he clenched it, catching the flying Yang Kai.
“Cough cough…” Half kneeling on the Embodiment’s hand, Yang Kai continued to cough out blood as his face grew paler by the second.
“Master!” Appearing alongside the Embodiment, Liu Yan’s beautiful face instantly drained of all colour upon seeing the miserable shape Yang Kai was in. She immediately headed towards Yang Kai and helped him up.
“What in the world is that thing!?” The Embodiment’s eyes were wide open as it stared at the problem, which was as small as an ant in his eyes, yet making him not dare to look down on it at all, to the point that his voice turned slightly shaky.
“A Corpse Puppet!” Yang Kai stood up and explained, “A Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet!”
“What?” Both the Embodiment and Liu Yan cried out in shock, intense tremors rocking their souls. After being stunned for a while, the Embodiment finally responded with a bitter tone, “How did you provoke such a monster?”
“It’s a long story…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he gave a reply. Shaking his arms, cracking sounds rang out as his broken arms were reconnected together. Lowering his head, he noticed that his hands had snapped apart at the wrists, clearly revealing the golden bones within. Just a single look was enough to tell him how formidable that Corpse Puppet’s punch was.
Fortunately, due to his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art coming together to reinforce his flesh body, coupled with his originally powerful physique and Golden Blood, this level of injury wasn’t able to hamper him.
“It’s coming!” All of a sudden, the Embodiment shouted out. As those words left his mouth, the Corpse Puppet had already leapt up from its original position, rushed towards the Embodiment, and sent a punch towards him.
In terms of size, the Corpse Puppet was utterly dwarfed by the Embodiment, just like a little stalk of grass before a large tree, so insignificant it was not even worth comparing.
Nevertheless, the Embodiment’s expression remained solemn as he did not dare to underestimate the punch heading his way.
Faced with such danger, he proceeded to launch a punch in response.
The gigantic fist smashed against the puny figure, causing a Heaven shaking boom to ring out. Shockwaves caused by the powerful collision rippled out, kicking up chaotic winds in the process.
The Embodiment’s mountain-sized body was sent flying backwards. He waved his hands and legs futilely in response, creating an exceedingly comical sight to behold.
Nevertheless, the Corpse Puppet clearly did not end up unscathed after receiving the Embodiment’s punch head-on. Flying backwards at a faster speed than the Embodiment, it smashed into the cliff wall behind and disappeared without a trace.
After a split second, a loud bang rang out as a human-shaped hole was created on the cliff wall, with the Corpse Puppet present in the middle. Spiderwebs of cracks formed with it in the centre, rocks crumbling and falling down as they spread outwards.
Yang Kai sucked in a mouth of cold air as he was utterly incapable of believing what he had just witnessed.
He was all too clear of the Embodiment’s strength. The latter was born after fusing with an entire continent and despite the continent not being very large in mass, it was still born from World Energy and possessed its own source.
In other words, every strike from the Embodiment possessed the might of a world behind it.
With his current realm of strength, the Embodiment should be able to even kill Emperor Realm Masters with ease if they were to eat his strikes head-on; however, after taking his punch, the Corpse Puppet had actually not sustained too much damage, with the only result being sent smashing into the cliffside.
Exactly how resilient was this Corpse Puppet body?
Not only that, it had actually managed to send the Embodiment flying with its punch. The strength it possessed was enough to destroy Heaven and shatter the Earth.
“Liu Yan!” Yang Kai shouted.
Without needing any instructions from him, Liu Yan already knew what she needed to do. With a slight shake of her body, she immediately transformed into her Firebird form. Flapping her wings, she hurtled towards the Corpse Puppet. Letting off a clear cry, she opened her mouth and exhaled a torrent of roaring flames towards the Corpse Puppet.
The flames unleashed by Liu Yan were exceedingly powerful, being composed of her natal fire that had fused with the Heavenly Thunder Fire, Azure Ice Fire, Sun’s True Fire, and even the Divine Spirit Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames.
Her flames were exceedingly dangerous.
With that breath, the cliff face swiftly melted away, transforming into red hot lava that emitted boiling hot gases as it flowed down.
Although the Embodiment’s punch wasn’t able to do anything to the Corpse Puppet, Liu Yan’s flames had caused a considerable amount of damage to it, as a series of deep roars and cries quickly rang out from beneath the roaring flames.
Quickly, angry howls started to ring out, before a dark green radiance blossomed within the intense flames and started to advance forwards.
Yang Kai was shocked by what he saw, as he realized that the Corpse Puppet had actually started to spew out Corpse Poison to defend against Liu Yan’s intense flames. Not only that, it seemed to show signs of gaining an advantage.
For a moment, the dark green Corpse Poison fought neck and neck against the fiery red flames as they collided in the air.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that this was just a false hope; once the Corpse Puppet managed to extricate itself, Liu Yan would not be able to contend against it. Although she had experienced many extraordinary encounters, there was still a disparity in strength between her and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet, despite its lack of sentience.
Yang Kai was secretly breathing a sigh of relief that the Corpse Puppet did not possess any sentience. Otherwise, with its cultivation and the Divine Abilities mastered in its previous life, the three of them would definitely be incapable of contending with it at all.
[No, something is wrong!] Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly after coming to a sudden realization.
A genuine Corpse Puppet should possess some of the Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques from its previous life; however, ever since it had started to move, Yang Kai had not seen this Corpse Puppet display any powerful moves at all. All of its attacks were either simple and straightforward punches or releasing Corpse Poison out when forced into a corner.
He had yet to see it displaying the unique strengths of a Corpse Puppet.
The Corpse Puppet before him… Seemed like a flawed product! Yang Kai came to this sudden realization.
In other words, this Corpse Puppet was unfinished, a failure that had not been refined to completion. Thinking more about it, Yang Kai felt he was right on the dot. Regardless of a cultivator’s strength, even if they were at the Third-Order Emperor Realm, they couldn’t endure all the pain and suffering from refining their body into a puppet. Even a slight change in refining conditions would cause the refining process to fail.
Yang Kai guessed that the previous Thousand Leaves Sect Master was unable to finish the refining process, resulting in him becoming a failed product.
Having considered all of these, a tremor shook through Yang Kai’s mind.
If this was a genuine Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet, he would have utterly no chance of obtaining victory. However, if it was a failure, a flawed product, it wasn’t impossible to triumph. The only thing he needed to do now was to find and attack its weak spot.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai hastily shouted out, “You two hold it down and buy some time for me.”
After saying that, Yang Kai immediately activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation before taking a detailed look at the Corpse Puppet. Golden light blossomed from his left eye as everything came into view for him, enabling him to see the Corpse Puppet’s inner workings and construction.
Although Liu Yan and the Embodiment did not know what Yang Kai was planning, they managed to glean some information from the tone Yang Kai had used. In the next instant, Liu Yan proceeded to unleash her flames at the Corpse Puppet without restraint to contend against its Corpse Poison.
Jumping up, the Embodiment stomped the ground. This time, he did not dare to rush directly at the Corpse Puppet. Instead, he proceeded to extend a fist towards the ground beneath and clench it tightly. In the next instant, Earth Principles started to fluctuate before the ground beneath him turned into quicksand and gathered around him.
In the blink of an eye, a spear made of Earth that appeared to be capable of propping up Heaven formed in his hand. Although this spear was composed fully of the surrounding Earth, due to the Principle Strength circulating around it, it was not one bit inferior to a Dao Source Grade Artifact.
Wielding the spear, the Embodiment proceeded to hurl it forwards.
*Hong…*
A vacuum visible to the naked eye formed as the spear smashed straight into the Corpse Puppet. A flurry of sparks accompanied loud metallic clangs as they erupted from its body.
Nevertheless, that strike only managed to leave a tiny dent on its body, and was not able to pierce through it.
“It’s this tough?” The Embodiment cried out in shock.
He was clear how destructive his attack was, and was absolutely sure it would be able to severely injure Emperor Realms Masters. However, it was utterly useless against this Corpse Puppet! This showed exactly how tough the Corpse Puppet’s body was; it was even more outstanding than an Emperor Grade Defensive Artifact.
[If an attack like that was incapable of harming it, how will we be able to contend against it?] The Embodiment started to get a headache just thinking about this.
Nevertheless, it seemed that the earlier strike had infuriated the Corpse Puppet. After the spear that had struck its body had shattered apart, the Corpse Puppet let off a furious roar before spewing Corpse Poison at an even more furious rate. Originally, it was in a deadlock with Liu Yan’s flames; however, at this moment, the dark green Corpse Poison was advancing towards Liu Yan at a rapid pace visible to the naked eye, with her flames seemingly incapable of contending against it.
The Embodiment’s face changed drastically upon seeing this. Extending his hand into the void, he grasped. In the next instant, a gigantic War Hammer appeared abruptly in his hand. A dense, jet black and malevolent aura gushed out and circled around it, bringing forth the darkest and most negative emotions present at the depth of everyone’s hearts, causing them to tremble in fear!
The Demonic Armament War Hammer!
This was a Demonic weapon wielded by the giant demon from ancient antiquity. Wrapped in Demon Qi, it had already gained sentience and had been tossed into the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai for the Embodiment to look after. Who knew that the Embodiment had actually managed to refine it!
However, from the looks of it, the Embodiment didn’t seem to have completely refined it yet. That was because the Embodiment’s eyes started to tremble intensely upon summoning the War Hammer. In the next instant, they turned into a blood-red shade that was brimming with violent tendencies. Clearly, he was being affected by the Ancient Demon Qi present within the war hammer.
The jet-black aura proceeded to twine around the Embodiment’s large arm like a living creature, continuing to extend out across his body, gradually turning his body a jet-black shade.
With the War Hammer in his hand, the Embodiment’s aura immediately soared. In the blink of an eye, he seemed to have transformed into that ancient Giant Demon, standing arrogantly as he looked down on everyone under the Heavens with contempt.
All of the World Energy within this Sealed World started to hum and vibrate as the World Principles descended into chaos.
These changes left Yang Kai utterly dumbstruck.
He was completely in the dark about the Embodiment having started to refine this War Hammer; however, looking at the Embodiment’s condition, Yang Kai knew that he had to finish this fight as soon as possible. If not, when the Demon Qi dyed the Embodiment completely black, he would become the puppet of the War Hammer.
As this thought appeared, he no longer dared to hesitate and proceeded to focus fully on finding the Corpse Puppet’s weaknesses.
On the other side, the Embodiment had already raised his War Hammer, shaking slightly as he took aim at the Corpse Puppet.
Seemingly sensing that something was amiss, the Corpse Puppet, which was being pressed into the cliffside, started to howl in exertion as it attempted to move away from its current position.
However, before it could make any movements, the Embodiment had already cleaved his War Hammer downwards.
The War Hammer sliced through the air as though it did not exist. It appeared as though it had pierced through ancient antiquity, smashing through space and time, causing the world to turn chaotic.
The War Hammer slammed down right onto the Corpse Puppet’s body.
*Hong long long…*
The cliffside was split apart, leaving a fissure so wide it appeared as though the world had been broken apart. Violent energies wreaked havoc where the War Hammer had passed by, destroying the Earth as though it was tofu, leaving deep intersecting gulches as the surrounding space turned chaotic.
Liu Yan had long fled before the strike landed. Nevertheless, the powerful chaotic energy storm rampaging behind her still managed to affect her to the point of threatening to devour her into its midst. In a moment of panic, she had no choice but to transform into her human form, and with a flicker, barely managed to extricate herself.
After launching that strike, the towering aura radiating from the Embodiment disappeared abruptly as he swayed about from where he stood. Just a single glance was enough to see how much that strike had exhausted him.
Not only that, the black Qi that had wrapped around his arm started to extend across his body at an exceedingly fast pace.
“What a blunder!” The Embodiment did not expect that this Demonic Armament War Hammer would exhaust so much of his strength. If he had been aware, he would not have used it at this moment.
Having underestimated the price he had to pay to use this Demonic Armament War Hammer, he was now being encroached on by the Ancient Demon Qi.
Right at this critical moment, Yang Kai appeared before the Embodiment with a flicker. Exchanging glances, there was no need for them to communicate through words to know what was going through each other’s minds.
In the next instant, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, sending the Embodiment and his War Hammer into the Sealed World Bead, by the side of the medicine garden.
With a shift of her body, Liu Yan arrived by Yang Kai’s side. Shifting her beautiful eyes to look into the distance, she spoke out in a worried tone, “Master…”
Having lost the support from the Embodiment, she was incapable of dealing with the powerful Corpse Puppet alone, making it unavoidable for feelings of worry to rise within her heart.
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “Don’t worry. I’ve already found its weak spot.”
Liu Yan finally felt relieved after hearing his words.
In the deep gorge before them, the Corpse Puppet had fallen on its face. Although the earlier Heaven shaking strike by the Embodiment had drained him of all his strength, having paid such a high price to launch it, the Corpse Puppet naturally didn’t escape unscathed.
As it struggled to stand up, Liu Yan immediately discovered that there was a massive wound present on the body of the Corpse Puppet. The wound started from the shoulder and extended down all the way to its leg. The edges of the wound were moving about as Corpse Poison seeped out from within. There was not a single trace of blood present, though she was able to see its bones within the wound.
At a certain location, she seemed to be able to make out an extremely complex pattern that was sparkling with a luminous glow.
Liu Yan immediately understood that it was the centre of all of the arrays present within the body of the Corpse Puppet. If they were able to break this core, the Corpse Puppet would no longer be able to move. Previously, due to its incredibly tough and powerful body, they were unable to see what was within it; however, the Embodiment’s strike had revealed this weak point in a single blow.
It could be said that the Embodiment had achieved a great feat with that strike.
“Back off a bit.” As he said those words, Yang Kai had already shot straight towards the Corpse Puppet.
Despite its severe injury, Yang Kai did not dare to act recklessly against the Corpse Puppet; after all, no matter how severe an injury it had sustained, being a lifeless puppet, the injury would not affect its combat power as long as its weakness was not targeted.
Any carelessness would result in unrecoverable circumstances for Yang Kai.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s hand shifted slightly, before a faint bluish circular bead the size of a pigeon egg appeared within his fingers. The bead appeared unassuming and inconspicuous, yet a silver arc of hair-raising lightning danced faintly within it.
Annihilation Thunder Bead!
One of the two Emperor Artifacts Yang Yan had left behind.
Ever since he arrived at the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had not used the Annihilation Thunder Bead. The first reason was him not daring to reveal its existence, with the second being that there were no strong enemies that required him to use it.
However, the Corpse Puppet was absolutely qualified for its usage.
Therefore, he was prepared to use this trump card to neutralize the Corpse Puppet.
During the earlier long-range bombardment, Yang Kai had remained behind until the Corpse Puppet had seemingly been knocked down by the Embodiment’s strike. From the looks of it, it would take a while for it to recover. As it staggered about while standing back up, Yang Kai had already travelled to a suitable location and poured all of his Source Qi into the Annihilation Thunder Bead without restraint.
Unlike other Emperor Artifacts, Yang Kai was able to use the Annihilation Thunder Bead even when he was just an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. However, the might that this Emperor Artifact could unleash depended on the cultivation realm of its user. Therefore, the stronger the user’s cultivation was, the greater might they could unleash from it.
When he was an Origin Realm cultivator, Yang Kai’s complete effort allowed him to destroy an Origin King with it. Currently, being in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, the might he could unleash was night and day when compared to his past self.
As he unleashed his Source Qi, Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned pale.
It felt like the Annihilation Thunder Bead had turned into a black hole, with an extremely powerful suction force coming from within, as though it was finally able to eat after starving for countless years, greedily devouring the Source Qi Yang Kai was channelling into it.
Shock filled his heart, though he did not dare to stop, leaving him no choice but to clench his teeth and continue sending his Source Qi into it.
Source Qi rapidly drained from Yang Kai at a speed faster than he had imagined. In the blink of an eye, he had already felt as though he had been completely drained.
[I knew it would be like this!] Yang Kai’s face turned into one of bitterness.
Every time he had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead, it would always end up with him becoming completely exhausted. This was the biggest reason why he chose not to use it at any given moment. Using it was a double-edged sword, as it would be his demise were it to fail. Therefore, it had become the last trump card in his arsenal.
Perhaps, if his cultivation became stronger, he might be able to unleash the might of the Annihilation Thunder Bead as he wished without suffering its adverse effects.
However, he was still unable to do so at this moment.
After draining all of Yang Kai’s strength, the lightning arcs dancing on the surface of the Thunder Bead grew increasingly active. It was as if they possessed their own spirituality, creating an exceedingly mysterious sight to behold. Furthermore, a might that caused people’s hair to stand started to radiate from within those thin lightning arcs.
“Let’s see if you’ll die from this!” Yang Kai growled between his clenched teeth. Sending his Divine Sense out, he unleashed the Annihilation Thunder Bead.
*Chi…*
A soft crackle rang out, before the thin-looking lightning arc jumped and struck the Corpse Puppet.
*Kacha…*
Incredibly loud booms began to ring out incessantly as the Corpse Puppet was struck by the lightning, until its body started to twitch violently. Lightning arcs covered the surface of its body, sparkling with radiance. A lightning field formed around it in the blink of an eye as countless lightning arcs travelled around its body, leaving destruction wherever they went.
An exceedingly awful and gag-inducing smell began to appear in the surroundings.
In a few short breaths, the lightning arcs dissipated away, before the Corpse Puppet collapsed face down onto the ground, smoke wafting from its entire body.
Seeing this, Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, his body turning wobbly as he staggered about. A soft body supported him from behind at that moment; it was Liu Yan.
“I’m alright, just a little drained, so I need to recover for a while.” Not waiting for Liu Yan to speak, Yang Kai spoke before swaying slightly as he sat down, his entire body limp and devoid of strength.
If anyone tried to ambush him right now, forget about a Dao Source Realm cultivator, he might even be helpless against an Origin Returning Realm cultivator.
“I’ll stand guard for Master!” Liu Yan replied before her body suddenly turned stiff.
“What’s wrong?” Sensing that something wasn’t right, Yang Kai hastily asked.
However, before Liu Yan could reply, his eyes had already snapped wide open as a look of terror filled them.
That was because he saw that the Corpse Puppet, which had collapsed onto the ground earlier, had started to stand back up. With a roar, an increasingly powerful and violent aura erupted from it.
“It’s not dead yet?” Yang Kai’s face changed drastically as he was utterly incapable of believing his eyes.
The Annihilation Thunder Bead was currently the most potent weapon in his arsenal. However, even that was incapable of taking down the Corpse Puppet. One could see how resilient it was.
Despite the other trump cards Yang Kai had up his sleeves, how would he be able to unleash them with the current level of exhaustion he was facing right now?
Across from him, the Corpse Puppet’s body was in an utter mess, and its withered body had become charred. The various array diagrams present on its body had turned dim, while the weak spot that Yang Kai had uncovered earlier had already been completely destroyed.
[That should be the core of all of the Spirit Arrays supporting the Corpse Puppet’s body! It’s been destroyed! The Corpse Puppet should no longer be functioning! Why is it still able to stand up?]
As he was wallowing in terror, Yang Kai noticed something strange in the chest area of the Corpse Puppet. Looking over, his eyes immediately shook as he let out a bitter laugh. That was because he had actually spotted another array core radiating with brilliance there!
It was precisely due to this still-functioning array core that allowed the Corpse Puppet to continue displaying its combat might.
“Master!” Liu Yan was scared out of her life. Without the aid of Yang Kai and the Embodiment, she couldn’t resist against an enemy of such might; however, she quickly calmed herself down and a resolute look appeared on her face, “Master, please leave first. I’ll hold him back for a while.”
She felt that as long as she was able to buy Yang Kai a little bit of time, he should be able to repair the array base platform enough to allow him to leave this Sealed World.
After saying that, she stepped in front of Yang Kai while making a stance of wanting to protect him even at the risk of her life.
Yang Kai extended his hand to stop her, but before he could, turning around, Liu Yan gave him a sad smile, “It has been an amazing journey for this servant. My life has been blessed to be able to enjoy Master’s sincere care for these years. Please take care of yourself in the future.”
“Don’t say such sad words,” Yang Kai felt something sour in his mouth, though he continued to maintain a faint smile, “It’s still uncertain who will live and who will die here today.”
Liu Yan’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Does Master still have another trump card?”
Yang Kai did not give a reply in words. Instead, flipping his wrist, he summoned a Spirit Pill like item into his grasp. Pressing this thing into Liu Yan’s hand, he said, “Unleash its strength. If even that fails, we’ll just hide in the Sealed World Bead to rest and wait.”
“This is…” Liu Yan’s eyes lit up after seeing the pill-like object in her hand, before crying out softly, “An Emperor Authority Bead?”
This Emperor Authority Bead was obtained by Yang Kai through an exchange with the Extraordinary Treasure Pill while in the Four Seasons Realm. Sealed within it was a full-power strike from the Flowing Time Great Emperor, though Yang Kai was not clear exactly how powerful this strike would be.
Unlike an Emperor Artifact like the Annihilation Thunder Bead, this Emperor Authority Bead was a single-use item.
Yang Kai had kept it for all this time, not willing to use it; however, it was hard for him not to use it in this current situation.
With the Emperor Authority Bead in her hand, Liu Yan’s chaotic emotions turned calm. Exhaling softly, she clenched the Emperor Authority Bead tightly and channelled her strength into it.
On the other side, the Corpse Puppet appeared somewhat stiff after standing up, with its movements no longer as smooth as before. It was obvious that the strike from the Annihilation Thunder Bead had affected it quite a bit.
Appearing to have discovered something, the Corpse Puppet gave a low roar before shooting over towards Liu Yan like an arrow. As it travelled along, that dense putrid smell had already wafted over as it aimed its seemingly visible cold, murderous intent towards Liu Yan.
Liu Yan’s petite body shook slightly as a result, though she still continued to remain stationary as the power within her body gushed without restraint into the Emperor Authority Bead.
As the distance between the two shrank, beads of cold sweat formed on Yang Kai’s forehead. He clenched the Sealed World Bead in his hands, preparing to bring himself and Liu Yan away from the impending danger.
Right as the Corpse Puppet was about to reach Liu Yan, she finally started to move. With a flick of her wrist, the Emperor Authority Bead shot out like a beam of light towards the Corpse Puppet.
The Corpse Puppet sent a punch out with enough destructive force present to shatter the Emperor Authority Bead into pieces.
However…
A mysterious Principle Strength rumbled as it expanded out in all directions.
Within the mountain valley, all of the withered and dead vegetation as a result of the Corpse Poison seemed to have their life force replenished as they came back to life in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain valley turned back into a full stretch of verdant green.
Not only that, the mysterious strength continued to propagate even further, causing all of the vegetation that came into contact with it to sway gently in vibrancy and sending out notes of joy.
Yang Kai and Liu Yan were enveloped by this power.
This power flowed through their limbs and fused with their bodies, making the weak and exhausted Yang Kai feel as though he had been gorged with life force. In the next instant, his entire spirit started to tremble fervently, while the injuries he had sustained in his earlier exchange with the Corpse Puppet proceeded to heal in an exceedingly short amount of time
“This is…” Liu Yan’s beautiful eyes turned round with shock as she cried out.
“The Principle of Spring!” Yang Kai was utterly gobsmacked with shock, his eyes gleaming as he clearly understood the source of the phenomena happening to and around him.
Not daring to waste any time, Yang Kai hastily expanded his senses to start comprehending what he was feeling right now.
This was the Principle Strength that the Flowing Time Great Emperor had comprehended, which was exceedingly deep and profound. Unleashing the Emperor Authority Bead was the equivalent of the Flowing Time Great Emperor unleashing an all-out strike. If he was able to utilise this chance to comprehend it, it would definitely be a benefit for him.
At this instant, Yang Kai had completely tossed the battle against the Corpse Puppet out of his mind and focused entirely on experiencing the mysterious Principle Strength that surrounded him.
The Principle of Spring surged out without restraint, returning the mountain valley to its luscious and vibrant state. However, in the blink of an eye, an unbearable scorching aura descended, making it feel as though one had entered the hottest period of the year, with the faint sounds of cicadas chirping ringing about, the feeling of dryness and heat being unbearable under the scorching sun.
The Principle of Summer!
As he continued to comprehend, Yang Kai increasingly felt that this was an opportunity that he should not let go of.
All of a sudden, a chilly breeze started whipping within the mountain valley, as the leaves on the surrounding trees turned yellow or red and dropped to the ground. Fruits and melons turned ripe, while a delightful aura of a bumper harvest came rushing out.
The Principle of Autumn!
A frigid wind began to howl about next, turning the surroundings abruptly into a bone-chilling cold. White snow blanketed everything within their field of view, just like being wrapped in a silvery blanket. Within the nail-biting cold, even the most resistant of ferocious beasts would retreat back to their caves, not daring to step out recklessly.
The Principle of Winter!
The four seasons followed each other in turn, fusing tightly together, throughout the times, continuing on and on, forming an exceedingly special energy that circulated within the mountain valley. This caused people to lose track of time, as though everything had happened in an instant, yet also appearing as though tens of thousands of years have passed…
Yang Kai’s entire being had sunk into this mire so deep that he would be unable to extricate himself.
Under the influence of the Principles of the four seasons, he continued to view the passing and intermingling of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This made him forget where he was, what he was doing, with the only thing he knew being that it would absolutely be his loss if he were to miss out on this.
A cracking sound rang out after an unknown amount of time had elapsed. Yang Kai’s body suddenly shuddered, as the meridians and dantian in his body expanded substantially. Source Qi flowed torrentially like a gushing river, rapidly filling up his meridians.
An exceedingly powerful aura started to radiate out from him!
A breakthrough!
He had actually broken through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm!
The commotion of his promotion caused Yang Kai to regain his senses. He immediately spotted the Corpse Puppet, which was in a seated position, causing him to recall everything he was doing right before this.
His expression changed drastically as he leapt up, all while keeping a vigilant gaze at the stationary Corpse Puppet.
“Master!” Liu Yan hastily shouted out upon seeing the worrying look on his face.
“How long has it been?” Yang Kai frowned as he asked in a doubtful tone.
“What do you mean how long?” A blank look appeared on Liu Yan’s face.
“Since you used the Emperor Authority Bead, how long has it been?”
Liu Yan replied in a confused tone, “That just happened. After I used the Emperor Authority Bead, you proceeded to sit down, and… suddenly broke through.”
“Just happened?” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped wide open. He clearly felt that he had spent a long, long time comprehending those Principle Strengths! However, from what Liu Yan was saying, it had all happened in an instant?
He gasped in shock and immediately realized that this misconception was born due to the influence of the Principle of the four seasons.
The Four Seasons Principles was a type of Principle Strength that the Flowing Time Great Emperor comprehended and mastered. When using this ability, the four seasons would keep changing and fluctuating. This was a Time Principle that was completely different from the Space Principles that Yang Kai studied.
However, the Time Principles and Space Principles were similar in that they were both extremely esoteric powers that were extraordinarily difficult to comprehend. Any cultivator who managed to gain insight into such powers would become a famous powerhouse.
Yang Kai originally thought that Flowing Time Great Emperor had simply created a Divine Ability that was related to the four seasons, but it now seemed that he had been wrong. Flowing Time Great Emperor had understood the essence of Time Principles, a concept that had vastly surpassed Four Seasons Principles.
The Emperor Authority Bead must have been a treasure that the Flowing Time Great Emperor created while he was in the Third-Order Emperor realm. The Emperor Authority Bead’s attack was the equivalent of an attack from the Flowing Time Great Emperor back when he was in that Realm. It would be impossible to survive such a hit.
Time Principles could make a person instantly feel as if an incredibly long period of time had passed. If the attack hit a living person, wouldn’t the Flowing Time Force instantly cause that person to rapidly age?
For instance, in just that one instant, Yang Kai felt as if he had just cultivated for several years. He instantly broke through from Second-Order Dao Source Realm to Third-Order, and not through sudden insight but rather through a kind of solid accumulation gained over time. Although it was only the blink of an eye in real life, several years had already passed in Yang Kai’s consciousness.
Yang Kai couldn’t even begin to imagine just how powerful Flowing Time Great Emperor must have been at his peak.
Yang Kai suddenly became excited as he thought about this.
He had obtained three beads back in the Four Seasons Realm, the Beads of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. His inference back then was that there should also be a Bead of Winter; however, his time in the Four Seasons Realm had ended too fast, and he had no idea where the Bead of Winter was or how to find it.
Now that he looked at them, the three beads all contained some aura of Flowing Time Force. If he could gather all of the Four Seasons Beads, perhaps the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability would appear again and he could obtain the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance!
The Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance would be different from Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s inheritance. Yang Kai didn’t even dare to cultivate the latter’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so he left it to his Embodiment. It was proven later on that he had made the correct decision. According to the Embodiment, although the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was incomparably powerful, there were also significant drawbacks to cultivating it. If it wasn’t for the Embodiment having a unique body that was capable of refining all sorts of impurities and cleansing negative effects, it likely would have long since been taken over by the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
However, Yang Kai would benefit significantly if he could obtain the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance. If he comprehended Time Principles and controlled the Power of Four Seasons, then Yang Kai could use a shorter amount of time to reach a higher realm since, with Time Principles, his cultivating for one year would likely be equivalent to others cultivating for ten or even a hundred years!
Yang Kai felt a fire igniting in his heart.
However, when he thought about how the Bead of Winter’s whereabouts were unknown, it was as if a bucket of cold water had suddenly been poured on him, making Yang Kai feel like ice had flooded in his heart.
It was unknown when the Four Seasons Realm would open up again. Even if it opened up again, Yang Kai definitely would have exceeded the Dao Source Realm by then, so it would be impossible for him to enter.
In other words, it was likely that he would never be able to find the Bead of Winter in his life and gather all four seasons’ powers in order to reconstruct the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
“Master, that guy still isn’t dead yet!” Liu Yan’s astonished shout suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s ears.
“Impossible!” Yang Kai was instantly brought back to his senses.
He had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead and Emperor Authority Bead in this battle, two of his biggest trump cards. The Embodiment had also used the Demonic Armament. Even if there really had been a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master here, he wouldn’t even have a corpse remaining. No matter how powerful a Corpse Puppet was, it was impossible for it to still be alive after such an onslaught.
That was why he didn’t believe Liu Yan’s words at all.
However, Yang Kai was instantly stunned when he glanced over.
Not far away, the Corpse Puppet had sat down cross-legged with a wretched appearance at an unknown time. Perhaps due to the influence of the Flowing Time Force, the Corpse Puppet’s originally dry and withered body had now become pale white like flour. When Yang Kai looked over, the Corpse Puppet’s body was constantly losing pieces of flesh that would disintegrate before they hit the ground. In just a few short moments, the Corpse Puppet appeared like half a skeleton that had its white bones exposed.
The Flowing Time Force was truly powerful. Previously, Yang Kai had tried everything that he could, but only the attack from the Annihilation Thunder Bead had managed to damage the Corpse Puppet at all. However, when Yang Kai used the Emperor Authority Bead, it actually destroyed the Corpse Puppet’s body to such an extent. This definitely wasn’t because of its pure power, but rather the influence of Time Principles. Flowing Time Force had quietly flooded the Corpse Puppet’s body, making it experience tens of thousands of years in an instant. Even the strongest physical body would be destroyed without obtaining any nourishment for so long.
Yang Kai could clearly discern that the Spirit Arrays in the Corpse Puppet were all dimming and beginning to shut down.
Still, Liu Yan was correct. The Corpse Puppet had yet to die, since its green ghost-fire-like eyes kept flickering. It seemed as if it was struggling as it constantly growled in a low voice.
Yang Kai instantly felt his hairs standing on end as he remained vigilant out of fear that the Corpse Puppet would try something else right before it died.
Yang Kai could tell that even if the Corpse Puppet wasn’t dead yet, it was like an arrow at the end of its flight. As long as Yang Kai stalled for a bit, the Corpse Puppet would definitely die soon.
That was why Yang Kai didn’t try to leave in a hurry. He had suddenly improved to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and had his Source Qi restored as well as recovered from his injuries. Even if the Corpse Puppet did launch one last attack, he was confident that he could dodge it.
Yang Kai didn’t move, so Liu Yan stood by his side and remained on guard without a word as a vigilant look flashed through her pretty eyes.
Suddenly, the Corpse Puppet’s eyes violently shook as a frantic roar came from its throat, as if it was struggling against something. Soon, its green eyes calmed down as the Corpse Puppet’s vicious and frightening expression also gradually receded.
Its ghost-fire-like eyes were now actually shining with the light of spirituality as it looked around in confusion. When he saw Yang Kai, he focused his attention on him.
“Master!” Liu Yan adopted a posture ready for combat at any time.
Yang Kai on the other hand furrowed his brow as he suddenly met the Corpse Puppet’s eyes. He swiftly realized something, as unimaginable as it seemed, and politely cupped his fists and called out, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior!”
“Master, you’re…” Liu Yan looked at Yang Kai with confusion, not knowing what he wanted to do. It was obvious to see that the Corpse Puppet was the type with no sentience, knowing only to viciously fight under the urging of the Spirit Arrays in its body. The Corpse Puppet wouldn’t have any self-consciousness at all, so what meaning was there to Yang Kai’s actions?
However, what Liu Yan never expected was that after Yang Kai spoke, the Corpse Puppet sitting cross-legged on the ground actually opened its mouth and uttered some sounds with great difficulty that were hard to understand.
The Corpse Puppet’s body was severely withered and damaged, which was why Liu Yan couldn’t understand his words.
Despite this, Liu Yan was thoroughly astonished.
The Corpse Puppet had actually responded to Yang Kai. Didn’t this mean that the Corpse Puppet had its own sentience? If that was the case, then why hadn’t the Corpse Puppet shown any sentience earlier?
Meanwhile, the Corpse Puppet was still attempting to speak. It tried hard for quite a while before it somewhat managed to succeed, although its voice was raspy and sounded like metallic banging that was incredibly discomforting to hear.
“Are you a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple?”
It was a simple sentence, but it seemed as if the Corpse Puppet used all his strength to speak it. After he asked the question, he actually began to pant heavily, although it was unknown if breathing would be of any use in his current condition.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he felt his earlier guess had definitely been correct, “This Junior is not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple!”
The Corpse Puppet asked, “If you’re not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple, why are you here?”
Maybe due to succeeding at speaking earlier, the Corpse Puppet’s words became clearer and clearer.
Yang Kai answered honestly, “This Junior was requested by the current Thousand Leaves Sect Master to fix the Space Array located here.”
When the Corpse Puppet heard this, he tried hard to recall distant memories before finally replying, “Yes, this King destroyed the platform back then…” He paused for a moment before asking incredulously, “If you’re able to fix it, does that mean you’re well versed in the Dao of Space?”
“Junior knows a little something,” Yang Kai answered humbly.
However, the Corpse Puppet knew that he was being humble. Nobody who knew only a little something could possibly enter this Sealed World when the array had already been destroyed. It was quite clear that this boy’s achievements in the Dao of Space were incredible.
Still, the Corpse Puppet had no intentions of prying.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Senior, could you be the past Thousand Leaves Sect Master who entered this place?”
Yang Kai had already guessed it when he discovered that there was some spirituality in the Corpse Puppet’s eyes. When Yang Kai heard the Corpse admitting that he had destroyed the platform himself, Yang Kai instantly became certain.
This Corpse Puppet was definitely the Thousand Leaves Sect Master from that generation.
The Corpse Puppet gently nodded, causing creaking sounds from the white bones on his neck. Yang Kai felt really scared as he watched, worried that the Corpse Puppet’s head would suddenly fall off.
The Corpse Puppet declared, “This King is Ye Chong!”
“Senior has yet to die?” Yang Kai was still incredibly surprised even though he had already guessed it. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who was the last Thousand Leaves Sect Master to enter the Sealed World.
Ye Chong quickly denied, however, “I am just a Remnant Soul. This King used his own body to create this puppet and died while trying to reach the peak of the Dao of Puppetry. Only a sliver of a Remnant Soul remained in this body awaiting a Thousand Leaves Sect descendant’s arrival.”
Yang Kai nodded and was about to ask something when Ye Chong continued, “I don’t have much time left. I was able to wake up thanks to you destroying this body. Although I’m not quite clear on how you managed to do so with your current cultivation, I don’t have the time to ask, as this King wants to ask for your help.”
“Senior, please ask!”
“Since the Ye Family’s current descendant has asked you to come here to fix the Space Array, you must be a trustworthy person. I want to ask you to give this Space Ring to the current generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master!” As Ye Chong said this, he shakily removed a ring from his hand and gently flicked it towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grabbed the ring and instantly felt an ancient aura emanating from his hand.
This was a Space Ring from ten thousand years ago. Yang Kai could also guess at what good things were inside. Ye Hen and his daughter had both mentioned the Thousand Leaves Sect’s various Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, which were definitely inside this ring.
Ye Chong followed up, “This ring has a Soul Brand that this King etched into it. Only someone from my Ye Family’s bloodline can open it safely. Any other forceful method used to open this ring will result in the ring’s destruction.”
Yang Kai could immediately tell that Ye Chong didn’t trust him completely and was afraid that he would covet the treasures in the ring for himself, which was why Ye Chong had put a bloodline seal on the ring.
Of course, Ye Chong wasn’t specifically targeting him, as it was obvious that this seal had been placed ten thousand years ago.
Even though Yang Kai understood this, he still felt displeased inside.
Ye Chong was clearly the one asking for help handing over an item, yet he was acting like Yang Kai was a thief. Who would feel good about that?
However, Yang Kai didn’t show this on his face. He simply took the ring and said, “Rest assured, Senior, I’ll definitely hand this to Sect Master Ye.”
“Very good, very good!” Ye Chong gently sighed, as if a great weight had been removed from his heart, “Of course, this King won’t ask for your help for free.”
Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help but light up when he heard this. He knew that Ye Chong was going to give him something good, so he immediately looked forward to what it was.
However, Ye Chong didn’t immediately say what he was going to give Yang Kai and instead directed a contemplatively look towards Liu Yan as a highly complex light flashed in his green eyes.
Although Liu Yan was only an Artifact Spirit, she still felt like her hair was standing on end being stared at like this. She couldn’t help but hide behind Yang Kai’s body. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, after all. Even if he was an arrow at the end of its flight, who knew what else he might be capable of?
After a long while, it seemed as if Ye Chong made up his mind as he said, “You should enter the cave that this King previously stayed in. Perhaps you can find an opportunity there.”
Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “Senior, please explain.”
Ye Chong told him, “You’ll naturally know when the opportunity comes. If the opportunity doesn’t arrive, then asking is useless!”
Yang Kai’s face went black. Ye Chong’s words were the same as saying nothing at all. Ye Chong was giving him something good, but not explaining anything at all and instead hiding information, which seemed too stingy.
Still, Ye Chong was an Old Master from ten thousand years ago, so Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, nor did Yang Kai want to thank him. To Yang Kai, he only came here to help Thousand Leaves Sect repair their World-Crossing Space Array. It was only a coincidence that he had been able to talk to Ye Chong.
Yang Kai hadn’t intended on keeping Ye Chong’s ring for himself to begin with. Of course… if it wasn’t for Ye Chong placing a bloodline seal on the ring, Yang Kai would first ‘borrow’ what was in the ring to ‘study’ before giving it to Ye Hen.
Yang Kai was quite interested in Dao of Puppetry as well.
But since there was the bloodline restriction, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t investigate what good things were inside the ring. If he actually tried to do so, it was likely that he would receive some type of backlash. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Who knew what dangerous trap he might have left behind on that bloodline seal?
Just as Yang Kai was secretly thinking such things to himself, Ye Chong suddenly asked, “How much time has passed?”
Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows, “I don’t know the specific number of years, but it’s been at least ten thousand years.”
“Ten thousand years…” Ye Chong was astonished before he began to chuckle bitterly, “How is Thousand Leaves Sect’s current situation, then? Are there many experts in the Sect?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “If Senior is asking about Dao Source Realm experts, there are quite a few, but as for Emperors, there’s not a single one.”
Ye Chong sighed, “This King has wronged the Sect!”
His tone contained strong self-blame and regret. If it wasn’t for his stubbornness back then in taking all the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques into the Sealed World despite others’ objections, because he had wanted to attempt to refine his own body into that of a puppet and reach the peak of his Dao of Puppetry, Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t have become like how it was today.
And in the end, Ye Chong had failed.
Right when he failed, he realized that he had been wrong. He had underestimated the Heavenly Way when he felt that he would definitely succeed. Ye Chong then predicted the decline of Thousand Leaves Sect, which was why he did everything he could to leave a sliver of Remnant Soul in the Corpse Puppet. Ten thousand years later, his efforts allowed him to meet Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t really say anything about Ye Chong’s current condition.
After Ye Chong sighed, his head suddenly fell down listlessly on his chest as the green light in his eyes gradually dimmed and then vanished. A black aura then flew out from the Corpse Puppet’s head and transformed into nothingness.
Yang Kai knew that this former Thousand Leaves Sect Master from ten thousand years ago had now completely died, with not even a single sliver of Remnant Soul remaining.
After the Corpse Puppet lost its last bit of Remnant Soul, it suddenly clattered all over as it collapsed into a pile of white ash.
Yang Kai could only stare silently.
Even the strongest cultivator would eventually die. Ye Chong had wanted to use his body to defy the Heavenly Way and obtain an immortal body. Unfortunately, even though he was a Heaven defying genius, he was still unable to break free from the restrictions of reality.
It was like this even for a Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so just how difficult would it be to truly achieve eternal indestructibility? It was unknown if even the Ten Great Emperors were capable of achieving this.
Yang Kai then slowly shook his head when he thought of this. The Ten Great Emperors definitely couldn’t achieve such a feat either. If they had been capable of doing so, then Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Flowing Time Great Emperor wouldn’t have died.
Yang Kai actually had some hope of achieving immortality, although the prerequisite was for him to refine the Immortal Tree. According to legends, a person could become immortal and indestructible after refining the Immortal Tree, although it was unknown if there was any basis for the rumours.
After pondering for quite a while, Yang Kai brought Liu Yan with him to bury Ye Chong’s bones.
Yang Kai didn’t spend too much effort on the burial, since Ye Hen would definitely come here after the Space Array was fixed. As Ye Chong was Ye Hen’s ancestor, Yang Kai could just leave the formal burial to him. It was likely that Ye Hen would hold a grander burial ceremony.
After he finished burying Ye Chong’s bones, Yang Kai took Liu Yan with him to the cave where he previously met Ye Chong.
Yang Kai was rather doubtful about the opportunity that Ye Chong mentioned inside the cave. Although Yang Kai hadn’t carefully investigated the cave when he entered last time, he also hadn’t found anything special about the cave.
Liu Yan also really wondered as she followed Yang Kai. “Master, why was that Senior Ye staring at me when he said that there was an opportunity?”
“Because you’re pretty,” Yang Kai answered flippantly.
“Be more serious!” Liu Yan glared at Yang Kai. Although Liu Yan felt that her illusionary human form wasn’t ugly, why would Ye Chong stare at her just because of that? He was a Sect Leader for one of the top Sects back in his day, so of course, he would have seen all sorts of beautiful women before.
Yang Kai chuckled, “He must have seen what your true form was, which was why he was focused on you. There’s nothing strange about it.”
“I think that’s probably the reason as well,” Liu Yan nodded in agreement.
They soon reached the cave again as they chatted. Since Ye Chong said that there was an opportunity here, Yang Kai came in this time with Divine Sense fully released, searching around carefully.
But, even as he reached the end of the cave, he still hadn’t found anything suspicious at all.
“Could he have been lying to me?” Yang Kai felt rather frustrated. It was fine if Ye Chong was on guard as if he was a thief by placing a bloodline seal on the ring, since that wasn’t really targeting him specifically, but if Ye Chong had lied about an opportunity here, then that was really just too much.
Yang Kai hadn’t been counting on getting anything from Ye Chong to begin with; however, if Ye Chong had voluntarily mentioned giving him an opportunity but also lied to him, then that would be a simple issue of morality.
Yang Kai refused to believe this or give up though, and searched the deepest depths of the cave several more times. He even sent his Divine Sense through the stone walls to search deeper into the mountain, but still discovered nothing.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan suddenly stopped and kept staring at an oval-shaped rock.
“Did you find something?” Yang Kai inquired.
Liu Yan told him, “Master, it seems like this rock is no ordinary rock.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai arched his brow and immediately sent his Divine Sense to scan the oval rock. He had already checked this rock earlier but hadn’t paid it much attention, since this rock didn’t even have any discernible energy or aura, so it obviously wasn’t any precious treasure.
Yet, Yang Kai noticed something unusual when he checked it again.
This rock was actually absorbing his Divine Sense as he scanned it, causing a slight stinging in his Knowledge Sea.
“Em…?” Yang Kai was astonished, “Is the opportunity that Ye Chong mentioned actually this rock?”
There was nothing else suspicious in the entire cave. The oval-shaped rock was the only strange thing here. If there really was an opportunity here, then this rock had to be the opportunity.
But, what could a rock even do? Could it be a High-Grade Artifact Refining material? Yang Kai had a confused look. He didn’t need Artifact Refining resources and he already possessed several Emperor Artifacts, so he had no need to create any more artifacts.
Liu Yan also had a confused expression as she reached with her hand towards the rock. She wanted to see just what strange attributes this rock had.
“Wait!” Yang Kai hurriedly tried to stop her. Although he didn’t know what strange attributes this rock had, it obviously wouldn’t be good to touch it until its true nature was identified. Besides, this was a strange rock that could even devour his Divine Sense.
However, he shouted just a little too late.
Liu Yan had already touched the strange rock. When she heard Yang Kai’s shout, she instinctively tried to retract her hand, but at this time, a powerful suction force suddenly came from the strange rock. The suction force was so strong that Liu Yan couldn’t resist at all. She only had the time to shout out in surprise before she was absorbed into the rock and instantly disappeared.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. Although Liu Yan was capable of assuming a human form that made others see her as a living beauty, she didn’t actually have a physical body and didn’t even count as living. Her body was made from pure energy, although the energy was dense enough that she seemed corporeal.
[Just what the hell is this strange rock? How did it absorb Liu Yan!?] Yang Kai couldn’t possibly stand back and do nothing.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate at all as he pushed his Source Qi and hit the strange rock.
With a loud boom from Yang Kai’s attack, a clear handprint was left on the strange rock; however, the abnormal part was that the rock didn’t actually shatter. Instead, it actually began repairing itself after Yang Kai’s attack.
In less than ten breaths, the strange rock restored itself to its original form. It was impossible to tell that Yang Kai had just attacked it.
“Free-Flowing Memory Metal?” Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, but he soon realized that he was wrong.
Although Free-Flowing Memory Metal was one of the best Artifact Refining materials, and any artifact with just a little bit of Free-Flowing Memory Metal would gain miraculous restorative abilities, even rendering the most severe damage easily fixable, the Free-Flowing Memory Metal that Yang Kai knew about definitely wasn’t like this strange rock.
Yang Kai had originally wanted to destroy the strange rock and save Liu Yan, but he instantly realized that wouldn’t work after his attack. This strange rock wasn’t hard, but it was incredibly durable and impossible to shatter.
Not only that, Yang Kai sensed that his mysterious connection to Liu Yan, which had remained since they met, had suddenly been cut off after Liu Yan was absorbed into this strange rock.
Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit. Back when Yang Kai first refined her Natal Body Artifact Refining Furnace, the two of them had forged an invisible connection that hadn’t broken for so many years now, yet the connection had suddenly just vanished.
Yang Kai’s face paled as he thought that Liu Yan had just died.
That was the only explanation for why the connection between the two of them had suddenly been severed.
Yang Kai instantly felt as if his heart had been stabbed through and his mood became incredibly gloomy.
Liu Yan had been with him for many years. The two of them had always protected and helped each other for all this time. Yang Kai really wouldn’t be able to accept it if she died just like that because of this strange rock.
If that really happened, then he would definitely unearth Ye Chong’s corpse and destroy it in order to vent his anger.
But upon careful consideration, he felt that this wasn’t very likely. Ye Chong wanted Yang Kai’s help, so there was no reason for him to direct Yang Kai to the strange rock here just to harm him.
[Yet… why was he constantly staring at Liu Yan when he mentioned the opportunity in this cave earlier?]
Yang Kai’s heart was in utter chaos. At this moment, he suddenly detected a sliver of familiar aura from that strange rock.
Yang Kai’s spirits instantly perked up when he detected this aura, “Liu Yan!”
This was definitely Liu Yan’s aura, although it was really weak. Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to notice it if it wasn’t for Liu Yan accompanying him for so long that he became really familiar with her aura.
Her aura still being around meant that Liu Yan hadn’t died yet. She had simply been sealed in the strange rock. After he realized this, Yang Kai didn’t dare to randomly attack the strange rock anymore out of fear that he would harm Liu Yan.
However, Liu Yan wouldn’t respond at all when he tried to call her. Not only that, Yang Kai sensed from that trace amount of aura that Liu Yan was okay. Although the fluctuations were incredibly weak, there was no sign of her being injured.
It seemed as if she had gone into hibernation.
[What just happened?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out at all.
He carefully released his Divine Sense to investigate again, but just like last time, his Divine Sense seemed to get bitten off by a large and invisible mouth right when it entered the strange rock. Not only was his investigation fruitless, his Knowledge Sea even felt some slight pain.
It was unknown just what the strange rock was. Since it could even devour Divine Sense, it must have been extraordinary.
A tiny sliver of almost imperceptible red was spreading out from inside the strange rock and reaching its surface. Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he was incomparably familiar with this red aura. This was obviously the incredibly complex power of fire that Liu Yan possessed, which contained various exotic flames that were perfectly combined together. Liu Yan was the only one in the world with such an ability, with no other ability out there like it.
[Could Liu Yan be attacking the seal from inside the rock?]
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s nervousness was lessened significantly as he forced himself to calm down and carefully observe to try and think of some way to help Liu Yan.
When the red colour spread out, the strange rock suddenly vibrated as it then sent out a powerful suction force that madly absorbed all the World Energy in the surrounding area.
At this moment, a wild wind suddenly whipped up inside the cave and made a wailing sound. The incredibly dense World Energy in this Sealed World all entered the strange rock and seemed to completely disappear.
As the World Energy disappeared, the red colour on the surface of the strange rock became brighter and brighter. Liu Yan’s aura also became clearer and clearer.
Did the strange rock need World Energy? Yang Kai’s brow twitched. He didn’t hesitate at all as he waved his hand and scattered millions of Source Crystals all around the strange rock. There were so many that they almost completely filled the cave. These Source Crystals were all Mid-Rank or High-Rank, with no Low-Rank Source Crystals at all. Yang Kai had obtained all of them from that Source Crystals Lode.
Yang Kai punched again and shattered the Source Crystals into dust which enveloped the strange stone in a sea of World Energy.
It could be seen with the naked eye that the strange rock was constantly absorbing the energy around it, as if it would never stop.
…
At the same time that Liu Yan met with danger, the winds whistled outside the Thousand Leaves Sect as the grass was covered with enemies.
Thousands of cultivators arrived in front of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array and stared with hostility at the Thousand Leaves Sect.
These thousands of cultivators belonged to different great forces, but they seemed to all be led by a middle-aged blue-haired man. This middle-aged man had cultivated an unknown Secret Art that caused his water-blue long hair to cascade freely down his shoulder as he struck a brave and heroic figure with an authoritative expression.
He was sitting on a topless large rickshaw which was being carried by sixteen people. The rickshaw was quite wide and even gave off a strong aura, so it was evident that it was a High-Grade Artifact. At this moment, the blue-haired man was calmly sipping on some tea, as if he was simply here on a carefree vacation.
Many Masters had gathered around his side.
Sky Crane City Lord Luo Jin, whom Yang Kai had taught a vicious lesson to before, was included among them. Only a short period of time had passed, but Luo Jin had taken some unknown elixirs which actually managed to heal all his injuries. It couldn’t be seen at all that Yang Kai had previously injured him, as he had an energetic expression and healthy appearance.
The two Elders who had previously been in charge of protecting Sky Illumination Palace Young Palace Master Qiu Yu were also by the blue-haired man’s side with their heads bowed. They seemed to be really deferential to the blue-haired man.
There was also an eye-catching man whose cultivation was no worse than anyone else’s. He had a back like a tiger’s and a waist like a bear’s. He had a wild appearance along with an aura all over his body that seemed highly violent. He seemed to be about forty to fifty years old.
This man stood to the side and kept glancing at the blue-haired middle-aged man while chuckling coldly. It seemed as if he really couldn’t stand the blue-haired man’s way of doing things.
These people were all Sect Masters from nearby Sects. They had similar power levels and status, but this blue-haired middle-aged man acted really high and mighty, like a crane amongst chickens, which would naturally make the others displeased.
If someone who didn’t know what was going on saw this scene, they would likely think that all the cultivators here were being led by that blue-haired middle-aged man.
The thousands of cultivators belonged to five or six great forces. After gathering here, they didn’t say a single word, as if they were silently waiting for something.
Luo Jin’s face was filled with hatred as he kept staring in front of him with both fists tightly clenched.
A few days ago, he had been holding a concubine welcoming ceremony at his City Lord’s Mansion, but someone ruined the ceremony in the middle of it. Not only was his concubine stolen away in front of everyone’s eyes, but he was also seriously injured. He likely would have died already if it wasn’t for his luck.
Although only a few days had passed, everyone in the nearby area had already heard about this incident. All the cultivators in Sky Crane City also learned about this incident.
His reputation in Sky Crane City had fallen to rock bottom. Everywhere that he went, he could sense people pointing at him behind his back. Not only that, there were now even voices of dissatisfaction inside the city who were clamouring for his removal.
Luo Jin would never be able to tolerate such a matter. He had worked hard at running Sky Crane City for so many years, and it seemed that he would soon be viewed as an equal to the Sect Leaders of the nearby Sects, so of course, he wouldn’t stand for losing everything at the final moment.
The culprit behind all of this was that little brat named Yang Kai! As long as he could kill Yang Kai and wash away his previous humiliation, Luo Jin believed that he could stabilize Sky Crane City again, and nobody would dare to say no to him again!
Luo Jin loathed Yang Kai, so he didn’t have any good feelings towards the Thousand Leaves Sect that was protecting Yang Kai. Luo Jin secretly swore that it would be fine if Ye Hen knew what was good for him, but if Ye Hen didn’t, then he would teach Ye Hen the consequences.
*Hu hu hu…*
At this moment, a beam of light shot forth from the front. The beam then descended to reveal the Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups, with Ye Hen leading them. The Vice Sect Master, Elders, and so on were all behind him.
Although Ye Hen and the others had already learned of this beforehand, their expressions still changed significantly when they saw so many Masters gathered in front of their Sect Defending Array.
This was the strength of five or six great forces gathered here. There were already more than two hundred Dao Source Realm Masters present, and more than ten Third-Order Dao Source Realm individuals. The current Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t possibly be able to stop such a force.
Ye Hen calmed himself down, cupped his fists, and asked, “Friends, it is our Sect’s honour to have so many of you visit us. May I ask why all of you have come here without informing us first?”
He also knew that the cultivators had come with hostile intentions, and that it was likely things wouldn’t be resolved in a friendly manner; however, he wasn’t afraid because of the Sect Defending Array. A normal Sect Defending Array would never be able to stop so many Masters’ attacks.
However, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array was from when they were still a top Sect, and was of an extremely high grade. No ordinary Sect Defending Array could compare. If it wasn’t for the current Thousand Leaves Sect being weak, then the Sect Defending Array’s defensive prowess could have been raised by several more levels. Not even a dozen Emperor Realms Masters combined would be able to break through its defence once the Sect Defending Array reached that level.
Even so, the current Sect Defending Array was likely more than enough to defend against the people before them. This was why even though Thousand Leaves Sect had declined greatly, they had continued to exist without being defeated.
Without being able to break through the Sect Defending Array, nobody would dare to truly confront Thousand Leaves Sect.
Right after Ye Hen finished speaking, Luo Jin was the first to jump out as he shouted, “Sect Master Ye, stop playing dumb. You really don’t know why we’re here? If you know what’s good for you, then obediently give us the little brat named Yang Kai and his friends. Otherwise, don’t blame us for not being polite.”
When Ye Hen heard this, he furrowed his eyebrows and answered, “City Lord Luo, what grudge do you have against Young Master Yang to make you so furious?”
Luo Jin felt as if he would explode in anger since Ye Hen was intentionally asking something he already knew. Luo Jin’s face was steely as he replied, “Ye Hen, are you trying to insult this Luo? You really don’t know what happened a few days ago at my City Lord’s Mansion? Or, are you trying to humiliate me on purpose!?”
Ye Hen calmly responded, “I know a little bit, but not the details!”
Luo Jin replied furiously, “That little brat caused a huge ruckus at my City Lord’s Mansion, stole my concubine, and injured my guests. This King could never possibly let him go!”
Ye Hen answered, “Why is it somewhat different from what this Ye heard? This Ye heard that City Lord Luo was taking advantage of your strength to bully the weak, oppressing men and seizing women, imprisoning Young Master Yang’s friends, and forcing Young Master Yang’s mother-in-law to get married to you. That was why Young Master Yang was forced to have a major battle against City Lord Luo. Although Young Master Yang won in the end, he still magnanimously spared your life… Forget about not being thankful to him, City Lord Luo, how come you’re now repaying kindness with enmity after just a few days?”
Luo Jin’s face kept changing colours with anger as he roared, “You’re spouting nonsense!”
Ye Hen replied coldly, “Countless guests were present that day, and everyone witnessed what happened. Is this Ye spouting nonsense, or is City Lord Luo the one who’s repaying kindness with enmity? I believe that everyone here should know for themselves.”
Luo Jin felt hot blood boiling in his heart which he almost spat out of his mouth. This was the greatest humiliation of his life, so he was furious that Ye Hen was mentioning it in front of everyone. If it wasn’t for the Sect Defending Array blocking his way, he would have charged forward to try and kill Ye Hen already.
Ye Hen cupped his fists and glanced all around him, “Friends, you should know about this matter as well. You should have a talk with City Lord Luo in order to prevent him from misunderstanding anything and doing something that both the people and Heaven would look down upon.”
The cultivators who came here seemed like none of them wanted to speak when they heard this. They hadn’t come here in order to win a debate against Ye Hen. So what if Ye Hen was speaking the truth? Yang Kai had killed the elites and Elders of their Sects. Since they knew that Yang Kai was at Thousand Leaves Sect, they naturally couldn’t leave this matter alone.
Seeing that nobody was answering, Ye Hen calmly stated, “Luo Jin’s behaviour is shameless. Friends, are you really going to stand together with such a person?”
Due to his anger, he no longer acted polite with Luo Jin and directly called out his name.
The man with a back like a tiger’s and a waist like a bear’s coldly snorted when he heard this, “Forget about City Lord Luo’s matter. This King wants to ask that little brat surnamed Yang just what grudge my Sky Peak Temple’s Vice Temple Master Ke Tian has with him for him to kill Ke Tian at the City Lord’s Mansion!”
With his tone, it was obvious that he was Ruan Hong Bo, the Temple Master of Sky Peak Temple.
Ruan Hong Bo was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, just like Ye Hen. It was impossible for him to do nothing since his Vice Temple Master had been killed by Yang Kai. That was why he still came along to take revenge even though he didn’t like Luo Jin’s character.
When Ruan Hong Bo finished speaking, someone else immediately added, “That’s right, that villain even killed my son Mu Zheng. I, Mu Guan, am absolutely irreconcilable with him!”
Ye Hen turned to see that the speaker was Mu Guan, the Tower Master of White Clouds Tower.
Ye Hen had questioned Ye Jing Han in detail before about what happened that day at the City Lord’s Mansion. He knew that Yang Kai had indeed killed Mu Zheng and even used his physique to write a large ‘death’ character on the wall to scare all the guests.
However, this matter was Mu Zheng courting death himself. He insisted on taking action despite not having any abilities. Who else’s fault was it that Yang Kai killed him to strike fear into the others? Still, it was obvious that the White Clouds Tower wouldn’t just let this go.
“That little brat injured my Heart Seeking Pavilion’s disciple. This Pavilion Master came here to ask him for a reasonable explanation,” The Heart Seeking Pavilion’s Pavilion Master also came out.
“Sect Master Ye, just give Yang Kai to us. That will give face to all of us.”
As various Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters levelled their accusations, the higher-ups of Thousand Leaves Sect all gradually changed expressions. However, Ye Hen still maintained a calm expression. He turned to look at the blue-haired man who was sitting on the rickshaw, “Palace Lord Qiu, is this also your intention?”
Ye Hen wasn’t afraid of everyone else here, but the one he couldn’t ignore was this blue-haired man. He was Palace Master Qiu Ze of the Sky Illumination Palace, and was a peak Dao Source Realm Master. It was said that he had been in retreat to try and peer into the secrets of the Emperor Realm over the past ten years in hopes of a breakthrough.
No news had been heard over the past ten plus years of him going outside, so it was unexpected that he would actually come to the Thousand Leaves Sect today.
Ye Hen didn’t dare to relax his guard against this person, since it was highly likely that he would reach the Emperor Realm. Once he was an Emperor, not a single person within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres would be capable of challenging him.
Qiu Ze smiled slightly, “My son Qiu Yu is unskilled and suffered against that little brat surnamed Yang. This King came here to invite him to be a guest at my Sky Illumination Palace for a few days to teach Qiu Yu how to cultivate. They’re both youngsters, so they should be able to find some common topics to talk about. Please don’t refuse, Sect Master Ye.”
His words sounded polite, but everyone knew that this was only an excuse.
Yang Kai had indeed seriously injured Qiu Yu at the City Lord’s Mansion on that day. However, Qiu Ze wouldn’t personally act just for that alone. Sky Illumination Palace and Thousand Leaves Sect had a longstanding grudge with each other. Sky Illumination Palace was a new Sect that had hope of becoming the leader of this region, while the Thousand Leaves Sect was an old great force that was currently declining. If the prior wanted to gain authority, it would obviously benefit them to attack the latter.
As long as Qiu Ze could eliminate the Thousand Leaves Sect, Sky Illumination Palace’s authority would be untouchable and he would become the ruler of this entire area.
“Give him up!”
“Sect Master Ye, we have no grudge with your Thousand Leaves Sect and don’t want to make things difficult for you; however, that bastard surnamed Yang can’t be forgiven that easily. Sect Master Ye, don’t shelter him!”
The major Sect Masters all began to speak up and pressure Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen furrowed his brow. The higher-ups of the Thousand Leaves Sect who came with him all felt panic in their hearts as their expressions changed.
Although the Sect Defending Array was protecting them, and the people here probably couldn’t do anything to them, Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples would need to go out eventually. It was impossible to hide behind their Array forever. If they antagonized so many great forces, Thousand Leaves Sect would never know peace afterwards.
The Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups all glanced at Ye Hen as they thought of this.
They didn’t know just what kind of relationship Yang Kai and Ye Hen had, or why Yang Kai came to hide at Thousand Leaves Sect after causing so much trouble, which brought trouble to the Sect. Also, why did Ye Hen still accept Yang Kai despite clearly knowing about all of this!
This obviously didn’t seem like a wise decision.
“Sect Master…” A Second-Order Dao Source Realm Elder gently called out to Ye Hen. Although he didn’t say anything, his meaning was quite obvious.
Yang Kai wasn’t related at all to Thousand Leaves Sect, so the Elder felt that they should cooperate here and give Yang Kai to the others in exchange for safety, which was better than having so many hostile people blocking their doorstep.
Ye Hen glanced at the Elder and calmly declared, “I know what I’m doing.”
When the Elder heard this, he could only heavily sigh without saying anything more. He was from an older generation of Thousand Leaves Sect and had watched Ye Hen grow up. He understood Ye Hen’s temperament and knew that the latter wouldn’t do anything ridiculous. Thus, he chose to believe that Ye Hen wouldn’t harm the Sect, even though he was still really worried.
“Sect Master!” Thousand Leaves Sect Vice Sect Master Shi Cang Ying suddenly came over and cupped his fists as he quickly said, “This Shi feels that our foreign friends’ words are reasonable. That little brat surnamed Yang doesn’t know any respect and dared to act as he pleased in the City Lord’s Mansion, which is too ridiculous. He even killed someone as venerated as Sir Ke Tian, so he’s clearly a bloodthirsty person who relishes in murder. No matter what his goals are, he definitely doesn’t have good intentions in coming to our Thousand Leaves Sect. This Shi asks the Sect Master to give that boy over to our friends here to deal with so that others don’t speak bad about us by making claims such as our Thousand Leaves Sect being in collusion with him, which will ruin our reputation.”
Qiu Ze smiled, “Vice Sect Master Shi understands well. Very good, very good!”
Shi Cang Ying smiled, “Heaven is watching us. This Shi is simply acting according to the will of Heaven. Palace Lord Qiu is too polite.”
Ye Hen spoke coldly, “Brother Shi, this Ye previously declared that Young Master Yang is an honoured guest of our Thousand Leaves Sect, and that no one is allowed to do anything to him. If you still view me as the Sect Master, then don’t speak of this again.”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression changed slightly, “Sect Master, are you going to ignore the ten thousand years of foundation that our Ancestors left to us?”
Ye Hen replied, “It is precisely because I care about that foundation that I can’t give Young Master Yang to anyone.”
Only Ye Hen and Ye Jing Han knew that Yang Kai had gone to repair the Sealed World’s entrance. Ye Hen hadn’t mentioned this matter to anyone else, so even Shi Cang Ying didn’t know why Ye Hen insisted so much on protecting Yang Kai.
Shi Cang Ying’s heart jumped when he saw Ye Hen’s adamant expression and demeanour that seemed like Ye Hen would fight him if he said anything more about this topic. In Shi Cang Ying’s mind, Ye Hen wasn’t such a forceful person, as Ye Hen was already old and his cultivation wasn’t making any more progress. Ye Hen had always been polite to him over the years, so logically speaking, Ye Hen should have carefully considered anything that he said. Even if he objected, Ye Hen shouldn’t have used such a harsh tone to refuse. So, it made him wonder as to the reasons Ye Hen was so adamant on the topic related to that brat surnamed Yang?
Shi Cang Ying instinctively felt that there was more to this matter, but he didn’t have the time to carefully think it over. His expression darkened as he warned, “Sect Master, you insist on doing this despite everyone’s objections. Must you endanger the Sect like this? Have you thought about our three thousand disciples’ feelings and their future? One mistaken decision from you could ruin our entire Sect! This Shi is Thousand Leaves Sect Vice Sect Master, so I have the duty and responsibility to think about the future of our Sect and our disciples.”
Ye Hen answered coldly, “Are you thinking for your own sake, or for the Sect’s sake?”
Before Shi Cang Ying could reply, Ye Hen shouted in a harsh tone, “I’ve made my decision. Stand back!”
Shi Cang Ying was so surprised to hear this that his body trembled reflexively. It was as if he had just remembered that Ye Hen was the Thousand Leaves Sect Master, while he was only a Vice Sect Master.
Outside the Sect Defending Array, all the Masters watched the show while chuckling coldly in their hearts. It was rumoured that Thousand Leaves Sect was unstable internally and that Ye Hen and Shi Cang Ying didn’t get along well. It now seemed like those rumours were true after all. These two people were the pillars of Thousand Leaves Sect, yet they were actually arguing at such a time, so it was apparent just how much Thousand Leaves Sect had rotted away internally.
Such a Sect wasn’t likely to survive for much longer.
Everyone kept chuckling mentally as they thought about this. They felt as if they could envision the moment of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s destruction.
Shi Cang Ying naturally felt like he lost face since Ye Hen had reprimanded him like this in front of everyone’s eyes. He became angry out of shame as he declared, “Fine, since Sect Master won’t listen to advice and insists on doing things his way without care for the Sect’s safety, then don’t blame this Shi for no longer viewing you as the Sect Master.”
Ye Hen was somewhat astonished as he coldly shouted, “What are you planning to do?”
Shi Cang Ying smiled, “The little brat surnamed Yang antagonized so many Sects, yet he is hiding in our Thousand Leaves Sect and bringing trouble to our doorstep. This Shi is naturally going to hand him over for the Sect’s disciples’ sake. Sect Master, rest assured, this matter has nothing to do with you. Even if anyone wants to assign blame in the future, this Shi will take all responsibility, which won’t soil your reputation!”
He acted all justified, as if he was heroically willing to take a tainted reputation for the Sect’s sake. This instantly gained him the favour of several Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups, who all felt that Ye Hen was indeed insisting on having his way despite everyone’s objections.
Ye Hen seemed to suddenly realize something as he exclaimed, “You dare to send people to capture them?”
Only now did Ye Hen realize that three Elders loyal to Shi Cang Ying had disappeared. Those three Elders were all Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, so Yang Kai’s friends wouldn’t be able to stop them at all.
Yang Kai’s friends were only First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, and although their rooms had barriers set up, the Elders were highly knowledgeable about the barriers and could easily remove them.
After Ye Hen considered all this, his expression greatly changed as he really wanted to kill Shi Cang Ying with a single blow right here.
Ye Hen’s daughter had worked so hard on inviting Yang Kai to Thousand Leaves Sect to fix the Sealed World’s entrance, yet his own Vice Sect Master was going to attack Yang Kai’s friends now. How was he supposed to explain this to Yang Kai if the latter learned about this?
Ye Hen had already made his calculations that even if he antagonized all these Sects this time, as long as Yang Kai could repair the Sealed World’s entrance and help the Thousand Leaves Sect recover their Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, it would all be worth it.
At most, the Thousand Leaves Sect would remain on their mountain for several years and have their Sect’s cultivators learn those Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. As long as they could control the thirty or so Dao Source Grade puppets in the plaza, Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t need to be afraid of any nearby Sect and they would also gain breathing room. And as time passed, wouldn’t they also be able to control the Heaven Grade puppets as well?
Once the Thousand Leaves Sect could control the Heaven Grade Puppets, they would instantly become a First-Class Sect. They would have nothing to fear then from a trifling Sky Illumination Palace. Every Sect within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres would have to look up to and respect Thousand Leaves Sect or perish.
However, Ye Hen never expected that Shi Cang Ying would be so underhanded and wicked as to send his subordinates to capture Yang Kai’s friends. Once Yang Kai’s friends were captured, of course Yang Kai would never let it be. The Thousand Leaves Sect also wouldn’t be able to ever get its lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques then, which would truly be the end of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen felt both panic and anger as he considered all this, “Shi Cang Ying, if you’re really thinking about the Sect’s future, then immediately call those people back.”
Shi Cang Ying coldly snorted, “It’s already too late!”
Shi Cang Ying could already guess why all the Masters outside had come here when he heard about the news, so he secretly told his loyal followers to wait in hiding for his command. When he saw that Ye Hen was unwilling to give Yang Kai up, he had secretly given the command to capture Yang Kai’s friends, so it was too late to mention it now.
“You…” Ye Hen felt some hot blood rushing up to his throat. He almost spat it out in his anger as he pointed at Shi Cang Ying and ground his teeth, “Do you know what a huge mistake you’re making!? If anything at all happens to Yang Kai’s friends, this Sect Master will make you take full responsibility!”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression darkened as he said, “This Shi’s intentions are solely for the sake of the Sect, which Heaven can bear witness to. Even if our Ancestors were standing here, now, they would also feel that this Shi is making the right decision!”
Ye Hen finally spat out some blood when he saw that Shi Cang Ying was so unwilling to back down.
Shi Cang Yang glanced at him coldly and calmly declared, “Sect Master, you’re getting old and you’re no longer suited to lead Thousand Leaves Sect. Your stubborn and antiquated way of thinking will only cause Thousand Leaves Sect to stop making any progress.”
Everyone’s expressions really changed when they heard this. They realized that Shi Cang Ying wanted to take this opportunity to seize power for himself. The Elders all had panicked expressions and didn’t know what to do.
Du Xian angrily shouted, “Old Dog Shi, how dare you do something so treacherous? Today, I shall clean up the Sect on my Master’s behalf!”
He was standing behind Ye Hen as he witnessed everything clearly. Although he also didn’t know why Ye Hen valued Yang Kai so much, Ye Hen was still his Master. Of course, Du Xian felt his heart ache when his Master had been angered so much by Shi Cang Ying to the point where he even coughed up blood.
As he spoke, a longsword with a chilling light suddenly appeared in his hand. The sword flashed as he directly stabbed the sword towards Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying stood where he was with a condescending expression. He reached out with his hand and viciously slapped, “As a Sect disciple, you dare to attack a Senior and make a move against this King? Ye Hen really has raised such a fine disciple!”
As he spoke, the Source Qi from his hand crashed against the sword.
There was a boom as the sword shattered and a palm print struck Du Xian’s body, causing him to spit out blood and fly backwards.
This all happened in just the blink of an eye. Although there was a Sect Defending Array between them, Qiu Ze and the others could see everything quite clearly. They all began to smile sarcastically. They had banded together to make things difficult for Thousand Leaves Sect today while expecting a hard battle, but they hadn’t expected that Thousand Leaves Sect would start to fall apart from the inside before they even did anything. The Sect Master and Vice Sect Master kept arguing, while a disciple attacked first without respect for a Senior and was injured.
At this rate, it seemed that they could conquer Thousand Leaves Sect without even needing to do anything apart from stand here and watch the good show.
When everyone thought about this, they all had expressions as if things were already over.
“Sect Master Shi is courageous and just. This Qiu is impressed!” Qiu Ze smiled towards Shi Cang Ying and cupped his fists from afar. Qiu Ze was already calling Shi Cang Ying ‘Sect Master’, making it obvious that he felt Ye Hen had no power to overturn the situation.
When Shi Cang Ying heard this, he also cupped his fists in return, “Palace Lord Qiu is exaggerating. This Shi is simply thinking for the sake of his Sect, unlike a certain person whose eyes are clouded as he dares to go against Heaven and bring trouble to his own Sect.”
Qiu Ze said, “This King feels that Thousand Leaves Sect will definitely have a bright future under Sect Master Shi’s leadership.”
Shi Cang Ying smiled lightly and took a humble tone, “I’ll have to ask Palace Lord Qiu to take care of my Sect often in the future.”
His words made it evident that he would often be interacting with Sky Illumination Palace and subordinating himself to them in the future. Ye Hen spat out some more blood when he heard this as he angrily roared, “Shi Cang Ying, you will regret this. The ten thousand year foundation that our Ancestors left us will all be ruined in your hands. What face will you have to see our Ancestors on the day that you die?”
Shi Cang Yang laughed coldly, “I wonder who it will be that doesn’t have face to see our Ancestors? This Shi has nothing to feel guilty about. Even if my soul goes to hell, our Ancestors won’t blame me for anything!”
Ye Hen’s face was pale white and his aura seemed quite withered. However, he gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word as he glared at Shi Cang Ying with such hatred that it seemed he wanted to devour the latter.
Meanwhile, Qiu Ze nodded in satisfaction, “Sect Master Shi should first give us that boy Yang Kai. We’ve waited here for quite some time already.”
“But of course.” Shi Cang Ying smiled slightly, “Calculating the time, they should be here soon.”
He then glanced towards a certain direction and smiled, “See, they’re here as expected.”
When everyone heard him say this, they all glanced in that direction. Ye Hen felt even more panicked as he secretly circulated his Source Qi to prepare for any moment that Shi Cang Ying was distracted to attack. No matter what, Ye Hen wouldn’t allow Yang Kai’s friends to be given over.
However, Ye Hen’s expression flickered and he furrowed his brow when he peered into the distance.
Shi Cang Ying had a strange expression as well as it seemed he too noticed that something was off.
A beam of light crookedly flew over from the direction everyone was staring and a moment later, the beam of light landed in front of everyone to reveal a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. This man seemed to be around fifty years old, and was one of the loyal followers of Shi Cang Ying, as well as an elite of Thousand Leaves Sect’s progressive faction.
But at this moment, this Elder was actually covered in blood with a wretched appearance. Not only that, but his aura was also fluctuating unstably, so it was obvious to all that he was seriously injured.
Ye Hen couldn’t help but stare in confusion when he saw this Elder. Shi Cang Ying’s expression greatly changed as well as he hurried over and supported his follower and asked, “What happened? Who injured you? Didn’t you go to capture those five? Where are the others?”
When the Elder heard this, he exclaimed with fear, “There was a Master at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. We couldn’t defeat that person. Seventh Elder and Ninth Elder were captured…”
“What?” Shi Cang Ying’s expression greatly changed, “They were captured?”
He barely dared to believe what his ears just heard. His expression was one of ‘are you kidding me?’ as he looked at the injured Elder.
Shi Cang Ying obviously knew the cultivation level of Yang Kai’s friends. They were all at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, with one person being in the Origin King Realm. How could such weaklings possibly be any opponent for his three subordinates? However, the current situation was that two had been captured, while the third escaped here while being seriously injured.
If it wasn’t for the fact that this Elder had always been really loyal to him, Shi Cang Ying almost would have suspected that he was lying to try and rattle him.
“Who captured them?” Shi Cang Ying asked with astonishment.
“A woman!”
“Woman?” Shi Cang Ying had a thoroughly surprised expression as he seemed to think of something that caused him to grit his teeth, “They were just pretending to be weak?”
He was under the impression that Chi Yue had concealed her true cultivation level, which was why his three loyal Elders had been unable to win and were captured.
However, the Elder shook his head, “No, I’ve never seen that woman before. I don’t even know when she arrived in the Sect.”
“Never seen her before?” Shi Cang Ying was even more confused. He then immediately became angry, “Even if she is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, the three of you shouldn’t have been defeated in such a pathetic manner, right?”
Shi Cang Ying seemed to be so angry that he was almost on the verge of cursing at the Elder for being a useless piece of trash.
The Elder answered pitifully, “That woman is definitely at the peak of the Dao Source Realm. There was also… also some slight Emperor Intent contained in her attacks. If it wasn’t for that, even if we couldn’t win, we obviously wouldn’t have been defeated by her in a single moment.”
“Emperor Intent?” Shi Cang Ying was really astonished now.
Having Emperor Intent in her attacks meant that she already understood some secrets of the Emperor Realm. In other words, as long as that woman had enough time, she would definitely break through to the Emperor Realm!
Thousand Leaves Sect could not afford to antagonize a future Emperor Realm Master.
Shi Cang Ying instantly felt like his heart was in chaos as he contemplatively looked at Ye Hen. He felt that Ye Hen must have arranged for that woman to protect Yang Kai’s friends, but then he immediately knew his thoughts were mistaken when he looked over, because Ye Hen also had a look of confusion on his face. It was obvious that he didn’t know when this mysterious peak Dao Source Realm woman had appeared.
The Sect Master and Vice Sect Master had no idea that such a Master had arrived in their Thousand Leaves Sect. It was likely that nobody would believe them if they swore to it.
Qiu Ze suddenly chuckled coldly, “Sect Master Shi, your subordinates seem to be a bit unreliable. They can’t even capture some trivial ants.”
Shi Cang Ying was feeling frustrated to begin with, so he instantly became angry upon hearing the sarcasm, “Palace Lord Qiu simply needs to watch our Sect’s matters without speaking too much about them.”
Qiu Ze snorted and slowly stood up from the rickshaw. He then walked over towards the Sect Defending Array while saying, “Originally, this Qiu didn’t want to get involved in your noble Sect’s affairs; however, this matter is related to the great forces in this area, so this King as a leader of the forces within a hundred thousand kilometres cannot ignore it, can he?”
Right after he spoke, an unimaginable aura suddenly shot out explosively from his body. At that instant, it seemed as if all the space around him froze over as the World Principles began to shake.
Everyone enveloped by this power felt as if a large mountain was pressing down on them, making it difficult to breathe or use the power in their bodies.
Visible ripples even appeared on the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array because of this power.
At this instant, Qiu Ze seemed to become the ruler of this land who could decide everyone’s life or death at his whim, with no one able to resist him.
“E… Emperor… Realm!” White Clouds Tower’s Mu Guan’s legs started to tremble. He almost kneeled as his eyes shook violently as he stared in disbelief at Qiu Ze.
The others also had shocked and pale expressions.
This was even more so for Ruan Hong Bo of Sky Peak Temple. Blood seemed to instantly drain out of his face. Before, he hadn’t cared much about Qiu Ze, since they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. Although rumours said that Qiu Ze had been in retreat for the past ten years to study the secrets of the Emperor Realm, Qiu Ze hadn’t shown any signs of success, so as long as he didn’t succeed, everyone would still be equals.
Earlier, Ruan Hong Bo had been quite displeased to see Qiu Ze acting all high and mighty, feeling the latter was far too arrogant. If Qiu Ze was already behaving like this before reaching the Emperor Realm, just how much worse would his behaviour become after he became an Emperor?
However, he now knew why Qiu Ze hadn’t even glanced at him from the start. It turned out that Qiu Ze had already made a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm at some unknown time.
Considering all this, large beads of sweat the size of beans began dripping down Ruan Hong Bo’s forehead. He knew that life in Sky Peak Temple would be difficult for him in the future. Originally, Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace were similar in strength, but an Emperor had appeared in the latter. If Sky Peak Temple wanted to survive now, they would have to show their sincerity.
Qiu Ze had become a veritable overlord! No wonder he came over so rampantly and smugly.
Inside the Sect Defending Array, Ye Hen and the others had all paled in despair. The Sect was already in turmoil and split into two because of that opportunist Shi Cang Ying, and now, Qiu Ze had actually reached the Emperor Realm and was standing right outside their Sect Defending Array. How could they withstand all of this?
Shi Cang Ying was also horrified. He no longer dared to be reckless with Qiu Ze and congratulated fearfully, “So, Palace Lord Qiu has already advanced to the Emperor Realm. This Shi congratulates Palace Lord Qiu!”
Ruan Hong Bo and Mu Zheng also said in unison, “Congratulations to Palace Lord Qiu for ascending to the Emperor Realm!”
Qiu Ze laughed loudly, the sound of his laughter deafening, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
…..
Inside the mountain cave, Yang Kai was staring at the strange oval stone, not daring to miss even the slightest of changes.
After smashing tens of millions of Mid-Rank and High-Rank Source Crystals and turning them into a mist of World Energy, an even more powerful devouring power emerged from within the strange stone, constantly swallowing up this energy. And, as time went by, the crimson light on the surface of the stone became even more exuberant while Liu Yan’s aura also became clearer and clearer.
A few days passed and Yang Kai gradually realized that things were different from what he expected.
Liu Yan was not in danger. Even though she had been swallowed up by the strange stone, Yang Kai could sense that Liu Yan was sleeping within it. She was in an extremely peaceful state, and traces of cheerfulness were even mixed into her unconsciously releasing aura.
It seemed like this encounter was not a bad thing for her, but rather, a good thing.
[Could it be that Ye Chong’s words were true? That there really is an opportunity here, but that this opportunity is for Liu Yan?]
Remembering that Ye Chong had been staring at Liu Yan when he mentioned the opportunity, Yang Kai believed it might really be the case.
Though, whatever the opportunity was, was still a mystery to Yang Kai. So, all he could do now was to watch over Liu Yan and see what happened.
A day later, the sea of World Energy in the cave had become extremely thin. Even though the World Energy in this Sealed World was also very dense, the strange stone didn’t seem full yet.
Yang Kai crushed another million Source Crystals and allowed the strange stone to swallow it up with the same method.
At this moment, the entire stone had already become crimson red, as if it had just been fished out of a pool of lava. The cave had also become extremely hot, so much so that even the surrounding walls were melting.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan’s aura was becoming clearer, but what surprised Yang Kai was the fact that Liu Yan’s aura seemed to be much stronger than before, and there was also another type of feeling to it… an indescribable feeling.
Looking at it, a thought suddenly came to Yang Kai’s mind and he exclaimed, “Isn’t this an egg!?”
He was preoccupied before and didn’t care much, but now that he looked at it carefully, he discovered that the oval shape of the strange stone was just like that of an egg.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai then remembered that Xiao Xiao and his own Embodiment had emerged from a black stone previously. It was the special way Stone Puppets were naturally born. Could it be that Liu Yan would also emerge from this strange stone?
This strange stone was different from the two he got back then, so this was not produced by the Stone Puppet race. Yang Kai also couldn’t say what sort of thing this stone was, but after this guess came to mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel excited.
If his guess was correct, then Liu Yan would eventually emerge from the shell, and who knows what would become of her when that time came.
This really was a priceless opportunity for Liu Yan.
Another two days went by.
The speed at which the strange stone absorbed World Energy had clearly decreased and was growing slower as time went on. Yang Kai knew that the stone must have become saturated. What had happened to Liu Yan would be revealed at any moment, so he just stared at the stone without moving a muscle, heart pounding heavily.
Half a day later, just as Yang Kai was growing apprehensive, a crisp sound suddenly came from the strange stone.
Yang Kai was startled and quickly looked towards the stone. There, he found that a small crack had actually formed on the surface.
*Kacha…*
When the crack appeared, it seemed to have caused a chain reaction. More cracking noises rang out as a dense spider web of cracks appeared on the egg’s surface.
Yang Kai’s expression focused. He watched the stone even more closely, ready to lend Liu Yan a helping hand at any time.
*Huala…*
After that noise, the strange stone suddenly split into several pieces, then into countless tiny pieces, and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai was shocked. He thought that something had happened to Liu Yan, but only when he saw the crimson glow in place where the strange stone was, did his heart finally relax.
That light was clearly transmitting Liu Yan’s aura, indicating that she was fine.
The light was strong and drenched the entire cave in red. Squinting his eyes to observe it, Yang Kai couldn’t find any clues. Probing with his Divine Sense also came up as a blur. It was as if the light had inherited the strange stone’s ability to swallow up Divine Sense so that he could not investigate clearly.
It was only after an incense stick of time that the red glow waned and the cave returned to darkness.
Only then did Yang Kai get a clear view of the scene before him.
In the next moment, his eyes suddenly turned round and his jaw went slack. He looked as shocked as if he had just seen a ghost in daylight.
Because the figure of a girl appeared where that strange stone once sat!
This little girl looked about seven or eight and was lying on her side, her small body curled up with her two hands pillowing her head, sleeping peacefully.
Yang Kai could clearly hear her breathing.
That in itself was surprising enough, but what was even more unbelievable to Yang Kai was the fact that he could actually feel Liu Yan’s aura coming from the little girl’s body.
[Is this Liu Yan?]
Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out.
Ever since Liu Yan was able to assume human form, she had always appeared before Yang Kai as a beautiful woman with revealing clothes, a pair of plump peaks and a well-defined bottom that could stimulate one’s imaginations. But after this sudden change, she ended up like this.
Yang Kai simply could not accept this.
But it wouldn’t make sense if this was not Liu Yan either, because Liu Yan’s aura was in fact radiating from the little girl. Not only that, but she also perfectly inherited Liu Yan’s fiery red hair. The smooth red hair was draped over her body, covering up the small figure conservatively.
Only then did Yang Kai notice that there were no clothes on the little girl’s body. The red hair had been covering her up, so he obviously didn’t notice it before.
While Yang Kai was bewildered, the long lashes of the girl in front of him quivered a little, then she slowly opened her eyes. She still seemed a little confused at the situation at hand. Glancing around, she soon found a dumbfounded face in front of her, and only then did she sit up.
Once she sat up, her long hair slipped down, revealing her fair white body; however, she was clearly still quite confused and her face looked dazed.
Yang Kai quickly turned away and rummaged around his Space Ring, taking out a piece of clothing before tossing it directly to her.
In a flash, the wide fabric covered her up.
“Master, what are you doing?” The little girl mumbled in dissatisfaction as she reached up to pull the clothes off her head.
But as soon as the words came out, she froze.
Her beautiful eyes trembled fiercely for a while, then she brought her two hands in front of her and stared at them in a daze…
A few moments later, a tragic scream rang out from inside the cave.
…..
An hour later, Yang Kai and the little girl gradually calmed themselves down. The two sat face to face, one with a strange expression, and the other teary-eyed, mouth pursed into a line.
The little girl was indeed Liu Yan, but she had no idea why she had turned into this form.
Liu Yan had already put on the clothes Yang Kai’s gave her, but they were far too big for her current size. The loose clothes matched with that pitiful expression on her face was enough to melt anyone’s heart, making one want to gently comfort and coax her not to cry.
Appearance-wise, she did have some trace of Liu Yan in her, but it was the child version of Liu Yan. She had a pink and delicate face like jade, just like an exquisite porcelain doll. She had fair and rosy skin still with some baby fat on her cheeks, making it hard to resist reaching out to give them a pinch to test the texture.
“Seen enough yet?” Liu Yan glared at Yang Kai with an unhappy expression.
Yang Kai shrugged and spoke calmly, “You do know you’re completely not intimidating in your current appearance, right?”
Liu Yan gnashed her teeth.
After turning out like this, even her voice had become child-like. It was crisp and pleasant, no longer the cold but sultry voice she had before.
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai consoled her, saying solemnly. “Let me ask you, do you feel anything wrong after transforming?”
“Not really. It’s just a little hard to get used to,” Liu Yan responded softly.
“Can’t you transform back to how you were before?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Yan responded, “Perhaps you haven’t noticed yet Master, but I… have my own body now.”
“What?” Yang Kai was shocked at those words and immediately probed with his Divine Sense. However, his Divine Sense was swallowed up as soon as it reached Liu Yan’s body. He couldn’t investigate the situation at all. It was the same as before, that was why Yang Kai couldn’t figure out much about Liu Yan’s current situation.
Now that he heard her say so did Yang Kai remember to take a closer look, but since his Divine Sense didn’t work, he could only use his hands.
Considering this, Yang Kai immediately reached out to pinch Liu Yan’s little cheek.
Once he made contact, he knew what Liu Yan said was true.
She did in fact have her own body now, because the sensation on his fingers was not just pure energy, it was real and solid! Not only that, but Liu Yan’s face was just like a human’s, very elastic and was soft to the touch. Yang Kai believed few people in this world could compare to her.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but squeeze it even more.
Liu Yan slapped his hand away in disgust, “That hurts!” She rubbed her cheek while pouting.
“How can this be?” Yang Kai frowned. Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit that assumed human form. She was supposed to be a being of pure energy, so she couldn’t have her own physical body. As far as he knew, there existed a Spirit Pill called the Flesh Incarnation Pill that could help a cultivator who has lost their physical body regain one, but the refinement of that pill required the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, a spirit fruit that had already gone extinct.
Liu Yan was swallowed up by that strange stone, but after breaking out of the shell, she now had her own body.
No matter how Yang Kai thought about it, it was unbelievable.
Does that mean that the stone had a similar effect to the Flesh Incarnation Fruit? What sort of Heaven-defying thing was this?
Liu Yan frowned, “I think I understand a little bit about the situation now… I can’t tell why, but I get the feeling this body feels a bit like a puppet.”
“A puppet?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
Liu Yan gently nodded, “En. There are many array diagrams and subtle refinement traces inside my body, but the traces seem completely natural and very old. It should have been refined by a Grandmaster many years ago.”
Yang Kai was piqued. Seemingly having remembered something, he exclaimed, “Spirit-Grade Puppet?”
He previously heard from Hua Qing Si that the puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect were divided into several grades. Other than the Earth Grade and Heaven Grade puppets he had seen before, there was an even higher grade of puppet called Spirit Grade, and it was rumoured that these Spirit-Grade Puppets had their own sentience. Not only could they think for themselves, but they could also become even stronger by cultivating. However, even at their peak, the Thousand Leaves Sect did not have many Spirit-Grade Puppets. After their decline, who knows where these Spirit-Grade puppets had gone.
Yang Kai did not believe it before, but Liu Yan’s current situation can only be explained by the existence of Spirit-Grade puppets.
The strange stone wasn’t something that came from nature, it was something refined by one generation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Grandmasters and was likely a prototype for Spirit-Grade Puppets. After Liu Yan’s Soul entered and broke out of it, this was the final state she transformed into.
In that case, it seems these Spirit-Grade Puppets were not born sentient, but rather by a fusion similar to a living being’s Soul and a puppet’s body.
Considering all this, Yang Kai understood. Now, he felt even more certain that his guesses were correct.
It was no wonder Ye Chong kept staring at Liu Yan when he talked about the opportunity.
With his senses, he could naturally see at a glance that Liu Yan was not a physical entity, but rather an Artifact Spirit that assumed human form. And, the prototype of the Spirit-Grade Puppet inside the cave was undoubtedly the best choice to become Liu Yan’s body.
In that case, if he hadn’t seen Liu Yan back then, this opportunity may not have been mentioned. It was precisely because he saw Liu Yan that he pointed it out.
But he didn’t mention it too clearly. It was likely there was still some reluctance in his heart. That strange stone was likely the last Spirit-Grade Puppet prototype. Perhaps no one would be able to refine such a thing again in the future, so he naturally would want to leave such a thing to the descendants of Thousand Leaves Sect.
[That guy is a bit sentimental, but it’s just useless baggage if no one can really use it…] Yang Kai secretly criticized him.
But very soon, he put his thoughts aside. No matter what, it was a fact that Liu Yan possessed her own body now. Even though her body was a little odd, compared to her previous human form, it was undoubtedly much better.
Having a physical body and not having one are two completely different things.
Liu Yan also seemed to finally be rejoicing. She tossed aside the inconvenience that this little body would bring to her in the future and brought her two hands before her eyes, turning them over and examining them, smiles covering her face.
“How is the integration of your Soul to this body? Any signs of incompatibility?” Yang Kai asked in concern.
This Spirit-Grade Puppet was not Liu Yan’s natural body after all, so if the fusion of body and Soul was not perfect, it was likely to come with serious consequences in the future. Just like possession, the reason why that was difficult and the success rate low was because of a compatibility problem between the Soul and the possessed body.
If a powerful Soul wishes to possess a cultivator, it must find a body that is highly compatible with them. Even so, it was not always possible to succeed, and a slight mistake could ruin everything.
Hearing this, Liu Yan shook her head, “There aren’t any problems. It feels… like I was just born, like this body was made just for me.”
[Is that so?] Yang Kai had watched with his own eyes as she broke out of the shell and gained new life. But hearing Liu Yan say this did reassure him a lot.
He was afraid that the body wouldn’t integrate well with Liu Yan’s Soul, but now it seemed Thousand Leaves Sect must have considered these problems perfectly when their Grandmaster refined the strange stone and managed to solve the issue through some special means.
Otherwise, how could they refine a human-shaped puppet and force a living Soul into it?
It was precisely because of this shell-breaking experience that Liu Yan’s Soul was able to merge perfectly with her present body.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel impressed inside.
“Hehe, now I will be able to have a childhood.” Liu Yan smiled as prettily as a flower.
“Be careful, you might not be able to grow at all and look like this for the rest of your life.” Yang Kai poured cold water on her.
Liu Yan’s face went dark instantly. After pausing for a while though, she easily nodded, “Then I’ll just accept it for what it is.”
…
After a day of experimentation, Yang Kai finally learned of the might of a Spirit-Grade Puppet. The current Liu Yan could actually cultivate to enhance her own strength. If it were before, this would have been impossible.
Before this, Liu Yan could only assume human form and devour Fire Attribute precious treasures to enhance her strength. She had been using the Sun’s True Essence that Yang Kai obtained long ago, and now the energy inside of it had already been depleted by half.
But now, Liu Yan could absorb World Energy and refine it for herself.
Not only that, but Liu Yan even had a strong cultivation at the level of Third-Order Dao Source Realm! That meant that as long as she was given a suitable Secret Art, then she would be able to cultivate and become stronger like a normal person. One day, she may even be able to advance to the Emperor Realm!
She was currently a completely separate entity. The moment she was swallowed up by the strange stone, her connection with Yang Kai had been cut off.
Liu Yan had truly been reborn!
Yang Kai was happy for her from the bottom of his heart. He had originally planned to build a body for Liu Yan in the future when he was strong enough to go and find a Flesh Incarnation Fruit and refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill for her, but he didn’t expect such a joyful event to come so quickly. This Spirit-Grade Puppet body had perfectly solved this problem.
Yang Kai gave Liu Yan a Space Ring containing many Source Crystals, various healing pills, cultivation pills, as well as several artifacts he couldn’t use but were of good quality. There was even the Emperor Artifact, Annihilation Thunder Bead, that he passed to her for her use. That was because the Annihilation Thunder Bead did not need much refining and only needed to be filled with power to use, which was perfect for Liu Yan.
It was the first time Liu Yan got to have her own Space Ring and even so many things that belonged to her, so she was overjoyed. She was playing non-stop with the Space Ring, enjoying herself massively.
A day later, the two of them returned to the base platform of the Space Array.
Yang Kai did not intend to continue exploring this Sealed World as he had already gotten a lot out of this trip, so he took it for what it was worth. There were no grudges between him and Thousand Leaves Sect and this Sealed World belonged to them after all. Yang Kai couldn’t just take away all the good things from here, that would be far too rude of him.
It wasn’t too much trouble for Yang Kai to repair the base platform of the array. In just four hours, the marks were completely gone from the base platform, and the entire thing looked just like new. Yang Kai took out a few Source Crystals and placed them in the grooves of the platform and began circulating his Source Qi.
After a flash of light, the platform was empty.
Thousand Leaves Sect, in a nameless mountain valley.
The beauty that was refreshing like a spring day from before had all disappeared. The entire place was a wreck and traces of battle could be seen all over. Many cultivator corpses could be seen strewn across the mountain valley and the ground was dyed red with blood. The stench of blood in the air alone was enough to make a person gag.
There, at the base platform, Ye Jing Han’s face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her tender body was covered in blood. A bone-deep wound spread from her shoulder blade down to her arm, a shocking sight to behold.
Beside her, Hua Qing Si, Chi Yue, Gui Ze, Ai Ou, and Gu Cang Yun all looked exhausted. They more or less had traces of injuries on their bodies, and among them, Hua Qing Si seemed to be the most heavily injured. She seemed to have suffered internal injuries and her face was drained of blood.
At this moment, Thousand Leaves Sect had encountered their greatest crisis ever, Vice Sect Master Shi Cang Ying had betrayed them and colluded with Palace Master Qiu Ze from Sky Illumination Palace. Together, they broke through the Sect Defending Array of Thousand Leaves Sect and slaughtered more than a thousand of their disciples.
Ye Hen led several Elders to meet the enemy, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. Many died and many more who were injured. The Sect disciples who were able to run had also fled. If they couldn’t, they were either killed or captured. It took only half a day to turn a Sect into a ghost town. Battle scars could be seen all throughout the entire Thousand Leaves Mountain Range with countless lives claimed.
Hua Qing Si and the others were also embroiled in the mess. Even though Hua Qing Si had already touched upon Emperor Intent, the disparity between her and Qiu Ze was still great. After a great battle, Hua Qing Si was lucky to come out of it with her life. Under Ye Jing Han’s aid, they brought Chi Yue and the others with them and fled to this nameless mountain valley.
This place has now become the last refuge of Thousand Leaves Sect.
The Masters of various foreign Sects gathered together with Qiu Ze in the lead outside the mountain valley, staring intently into it.
“This is the Restricted Area of your noble Sect?” Qiu Ze stood outside the mountain valley with his hands behind his back, looking on coldly before him while he asked the men at his side.
His face was not as rosy as before. Even though he had an absolute advantage in the battle with Hua Qing Si, he never would have thought a fight with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would nearly injure him.
[That woman is no ordinary cultivator! She likely comes from one of the top Sects. Otherwise, she would not have such power.]
If there was someone Qiu Ze was most afraid of right now, then it was undoubtedly Hua Qing Si.
He was afraid of provoking someone he should not provoke, but in this situation, he had no choice but to cut the weeds and pull out the roots. Otherwise, once the news spreads to the Sect behind this woman, then there was no way Sky Illumination Palace could withstand the consequences. So, he led his men all the way here in pursuit of her, but they were blocked by the many mysterious Spirit Arrays protecting this place. After many attempts to attack it, he was shocked to find that the Spirit Arrays within this valley were not something he could break.
So, he could only ask the man beside him.
Upon hearing this, Shi Cang Ying had a flattering smile on his face and bowed, “Reporting to Palace Lord Qiu, this is indeed the Sect’s Restricted Area. For generations, no one except the Sect Master could step foot inside.”
“Not even you?” Qiu Ze glanced lightly at Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying said with some embarrassment, “Not even I have been inside before.”
“From now on, you will be able to come and go here as you please,” Qiu Ze declared.
Shi Cang Ying was overjoyed at his words. He knew that Qiu Ze was now finally treating him as Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, under the premise that he bowed down to him. If he dared to have any ideas, however, Shi Cang Ying would definitely die a miserable death.
Qiu Ze’s advancement to the Emperor Realm was not good news for any nearby Sect, but for Shi Cang Ying, the most important thing was to ensure his life first.
The Sect Master of Sky Peak Temple and the others standing behind Qiu Ze had hearts filled with fear. This was the authority an Emperor Realm Master possessed. Just by standing there, his pressure was great enough that the others didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
The Sect Masters all felt angry inside. Why was it not them who advanced to the Emperor Realm? It just had to be that old dog Qiu Ze.
At this moment, an old man suddenly rushed over, stopping behind Qiu Ze and cupping his fists, “Palace Master, Ye Hen is unwilling to reveal the way into the mountain valley.”
Before Qiu Ze had even spoken, Ruan Hong Bo from Sky Peak Temple began cursing, “Ye Hen, that old bastard really doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness. Palace Lord Qiu was kind enough not to ask for his life, but he’s still being so stubborn.”
Mu Guan of White Clouds Tower also chimed in, “Indeed. Since Ye Hen refuses the toast, then he must drink the loss. Palace Lord Qiu needn’t be polite with him anymore. If we all act together, I don’t believe we won’t be able to break the Spirit Array of this mountain valley!”
As he spoke, he put on an eager pose to begin.
Qiu Ze blunt rebuked, “Do you know how long Thousand Leaves Sect has inherited these lands? Even some of the top Sects in the Southern Territory have not been around as long as Thousand Leaves Sect. The Spirit Array in this mountain valley was personally set up by Grandmasters over ten thousand years ago. Even this King does not have confidence he can break it, yet the few of you believe you have such capability?”
He had a derisive look on his face, but Mu Guan and the others did not dare retort and could only laugh in embarrassment.
“What do you think, Sect Master Shi?” Qiu Ze turned to Shi Cang Ying and asked.
Shi Cang Ying pondered for a moment before he quickly said, “Ye Hen is a hard-headed man. This Shi has worked with him for many years so this Shi can say that he understands his temperament and character well. Not to mention torturing him, even if you really killed him, he would never reveal the way to break this array!”
“Oh? Sect Master Shi’s opinion of Ye Hen is so high?” Qiu Ze looked a little surprised at Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying replied seriously, “He is nothing more than a stubborn old goat. If not for that, my Thousand Leaves Sect would not have been in a constant decline…”
“Enough, this King is not interested in the affairs of your Thousand Leaves Sect, you just need to tell me how to destroy the array,” Qiu Ze interrupted him impatiently.
Shi Cang Ying responded, “Since there is nothing we can do directly with Ye Hen, then we may as well try to find a breakthrough point from the people at his side…” When he spoke up to this point, he put on a sly smile and continued, “Ye Hen has only had his daughter for many years, and their relationship is much better than your average father and daughter.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ze turned to look at him, a profound glow in his eyes.
Shi Cang Ying’s heart jumped. He thought he had said something wrong and was covered in cold sweat from the look he was given. Just as he was starting to get uneasy, Qiu Ze suddenly laughed, “Sect Master Shi. I believe you watched Ye Jing Han grow up as well, didn’t you? Do you feel no pity for her at all?”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression turned solemn, “That little girl does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. If she dares stand in the way of Palace Lord Qiu’s great unification efforts, she must naturally pay the price. It is precisely because this Shi is her Elder that he wishes for her to mature early. This can also be considered a test of her inner temperament.”
“So to say, you are doing this for her sake?” Qiu Ze’s lips curved up into a derisive smile.
Shi Cang Ying responded resolutely, “This Shi hopes she can understand this Shi’s efforts.”
Ruan Hong Bo and the others standing to the side were all covered in cold sweat as they listened to their conversation, all throwing frequent glances at Shi Cang Ying. It seemed as if they did not realize Shi Cang Ying’s true nature until this moment, and at the same time, felt pity for Ye Hen to have raised such a monster by his side. But on second thought, they and Thousand Leaves Sect were now foes rather than friends. They were simply in no position to sympathize with them, nor did they see a need to.
“Good, this King will leave this matter in your hands. I trust Sect Master Shi won’t disappoint this King!”
“This Shi will give his utmost in this matter!” Shi Cang Ying cupped his fists and answered quickly before turning back and beckoning, “Bring them over!”
In the blink of an eye, Ye Hen and several high-level Sect members who followed him were brought to the entrance to the mountain valley. Naturally, they began hurling insults at Shi Cang Ying as soon as they got here, their eyes bloodshot and wanting nothing more than to bite Shi Cang Ying to death. But Shi Cang Ying was completely unfazed. He stood there calmly as if he didn’t hear anything they said and yelled into the mountain valley, “Martial Niece Ye, open your eyes and take a good look at who I have beside me!”
His voice spread loud and clear in all directions, and apparently reached deep into the mountain valley.
Soon after his words came out, the scenery in the mountain valley suddenly changed. In a blink of an eye, the Illusion Array which had been maintained for ten thousand years was lifted, and the true scenery of the mountain valley was revealed to the crowd.
Looking over, the figures of Ye Jing Han, Chi Yue, and the others could clearly be seen. They stood only several thousand metres away from Shi Cang Ying and them. Then right behind them was an array base platform.
“Hm?” Qiu Ze’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the array base platform for a moment before he exclaimed, “A Space Array?”
Naturally, with his eyesight, he was able to see that the array base platform was that of a Space Array, and a very old one at that. However, what he couldn’t understand was why such a thing would appear in this mountain valley.
[Where does this Space Array connect to?]
Qiu Ze could not help but look towards Shi Cang Ying with suspicion.
Shi Cang Ying also stared in confusion. Even though he knew that the mountain valley was a Restricted Area of Thousand Leaves Sect, one only the Sect Masters were able to step foot inside, he had no idea what was hidden here.
He always thought that this Restricted Area was where the Sect Masters of Thousand Leaves Sect were buried, and that was why no one was allowed to enter, but now it seemed his guesses were wrong.
This Restricted Area seemed to be connected with some other place.
Noticing Qiu Ze’s gaze, Shi Cang Ying laughed embarrassedly, “This Shi is also seeing this for the first time. This Shi had no idea what mysteries were hidden inside.”
Qiu Ze coldly snorted, clearly very displeased with this answer, but he still said without much concern, “That Space Array is likely damaged, otherwise they would have long escaped from here.”
Shi Cang Ying hurriedly said, “Palace Lord Qiu’s vision is truly sharp to have already thought of this!”
While the two were talking, Ye Jing Han had already seen the sight outside of the mountain valley, and Ye Hen who was forced to kneel on the ground. Ye Hen’s body was covered in blood at this moment and his aura had waned to a miserable degree. His cultivation also seemed to be sealed off so he had no power to resist at all.
Ye Hen was old to begin with, so being tortured now just made things worse. The way he was coughing up blood incessantly was unbearable to watch.
“Father!” Ye Jing Han cried out in a trembling voice as tears flowed down her cheeks. Her heart was aching so much she could hardly breathe.
When Hua Qing Si and the others saw this scene, their faces had all become very ugly to look at and they felt a deep sense of pity for this young girl.
After Ye Jing Han shouted, she glared at Shi Cang Ying, “Let my father go!”
Shi Cang Ying smirked, “Martial Niece, you are a big girl now so Martial Uncle will not waste any words with you. I can let your father go, but you should know what you have to do for that to happen.”
Then, speaking up to this point, his face turned grim as he shouted, “Disable the Spirit Array around this mountain valley and Martial Uncle will spare their lives!”
Before Ye Jing Yan could say anything, Ye Hen shouted, “Jing Han, don’t! Never dispel the Spirit Array no matter what…”
Shi Cang Ying’s face sank and he raised his hand and struck Ye Hen’s body with his palm, restricting him completely so that he could not even speak anymore.
When she saw this, Ye Jing Han immediately exclaimed, “Do not hurt my father… Martial Uncle Shi, you are also from Thousand Leaves Sect, you are our Sect’s Vice Sect Master, why must you do such a thing? Has Father ever mistreated you? Let him go, please! I beg of you!”
She begged him with all her heart and soul. It was a completely tragic sight.
But Shi Cang Ying was still unmoved. He just shook his head regretfully, “Martial Uncle hopes he can spare your father’s life too, but my hands are tied. I hope you can understand!”
As he spoke, he slowly walked behind a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Elder. Putting one hand on top of the Elder’s head, he looked at Ye Jing Han and said without hurry, “Watch properly, Martial Niece. For every ten breaths you do not open the Spirit Array… Martial Uncle will kill one person!”
After he said that, he pushed the Source Qi in his palm and the head of the bound Thousand Leaves Sect Elder burst open without even so much as a sound from him, his body falling stiffly to the ground.
Not only did the sudden kill cause Ye Jing Han’s face to pale and her eyes to grow desperate, even Ruan Hong Bo and the others were shocked. After all, the person he killed was an Elder of Thousand Leaves Sect, a fellow disciple he had known for many years whom he had worked with for centuries. But now, his face didn’t even change when he killed him, showing how ruthless and cruel Shi Cang Ying was.
Only Qiu Ze’s face was filled with a satisfied smile.
“Martial Uncle does not have much time, so think carefully,” after killing one person, Shi Cang Ying came behind another Elder and also put his hand similarly on the Elder’s head. Then, without saying a word, he looked quietly up at Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han was biting her red lips so hard that they bled. She looked at Ye Hen, only to see the man constantly shaking his head at her. She knew that her father did not approve of her disabling the Spirit Array.
Ye Jing Han felt tormented. Even though she knew things would never end well if the Spirit Array was dispelled, nor improve her father’s current situation, she could not help feeling guilty when she thought of the Elder who had just been killed.
She couldn’t help but feel that she was the one who caused that Elder’s death.
That Elder was someone who watched her grow up and showed her so much love. He would often bring her out to play while she was little and taught her to cultivate when she was older, but now, he had died right before her eyes.
Yet she could only watch from afar, powerless to help.
Time gradually went by and Shi Cang Ying was about to kill another man. Ye Jing Han instantly became distraught, having no idea what to do.
Right at that moment, a sly smile suddenly rose up Shi Cang Ying’s lips. He moved his hand away from the second Elder and put it on the head of the man next to him instead.
Ye Jing Han’s face paled instantly and her tender body began trembling fiercely.
Shi Cang Ying’s bloodstained hand was now placed over Du Xian’s head.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian grew up as childhood sweethearts, cultivating together and growing up with strong affection for each other. They had long ago taken the other as their other half, but they had yet to reach the peak of their Martial Dao, so they had decided it was not yet time for them to marry.
The two had secretly agreed that when the both of them reached the Emperor Realm, Du Xian would ask for her hand in marriage from Ye Hen.
They believed that Ye Hen definitely wouldn’t refuse when the time came.
Never would Ye Jing Han have expected that day would never come as right now, before her eyes, her lover was going to be killed.
“No, Martial Uncle Shi! Please don’t!” Ye Jing Han’s body went limp and she toppled directly onto the floor, pleading.
But Shi Cang Ying’s face was cold and unmoved, “We can settle things simply if you just deactivate the Array.”
Ye Jing Han instantly fell out of sorts. Deactivating the Array would expose Thousand Leaves Sect’s greatest secret to their enemies and leave it open for them to probe into, but if she refused, from Shi Cang Ying’s ruthless display earlier, Du Xian would certainly die.
She simply did not know what to choose.
“Just ignore him, Ye’er. This old dog has lost his mind!” Du Xian suddenly shouted, “They will not let us go even if you remove the Array. Senior Brother will depart first but you have to stay well. I will not let you down in the next life!”
As he finished speaking, the Source Qi in his body surged up violently and reached a level that even he could not control in just a moment.
“Hmph!” Shi Cang Ying coldly snorted and reached out to slap Du Xian heavily on the shoulder. The raging Source Qi was instantly doused down and went back to normal.
Du Xian was dumbfounded. Seeing that he couldn’t even self-destruct in this situation, he had completely become a fish on someone else’s chopping block.
Ye Jing Han was also taken aback. She couldn’t be any clearer about what Du Xian was trying to do earlier, but when she saw Shi Cang Ying seal Du Xian’s cultivation, she actually felt a little thankful to this traitor. If he had not done so in time, Du Xian would definitely have exploded before her eyes, and Ye Jing Han would not be able to bear such a result.
This change of events had completely shattered Ye Jing Han’s psyche. Even though she knew that things would not end well if she were to dispel the Array, she still held a glimmer of hope in her heart. Looking teary-eyed towards Shi Cang Ying, she pleaded, “Martial Uncle, I can remove the Array; however… you have to let them go. They are not part of our Thousand Leaves Sect. This matter has nothing to do with them!”
The people she was referring to were Chi Yue and the others.
When he heard her say that, Ye Hen slowly shut his eyes. He knew that there was truly no going back now. Ye Jing Han may still be able to retain one thread of hope of surviving if she defended the mountain valley, but if the Array was lowered, then the consequences would definitely be dire.
Unfortunately, he was unable to move or even speak now. There was nothing he could do to stop her.
Du Xian was also desperately shaking his head at Ye Jing Han, but to no avail.
Shi Cang Ying’s cold voice sounded, “Martial Uncle is unable to make a decision on this matter.”
But as soon as he was done speaking, Qiu Ze said generously, “Fine. This King will agree to your request as long as you undo the Spirit Array obediently.”
“As if anyone would believe you!” Hua Qing Si muttered under her breath. How could she not know that Qiu Ze was merely wagging his tongue? He had no intention of letting them go at all.
In the mountain valley, Ye Jing Han wiped her tears and looked at Chi Yue and the others, “It was our Thousand Leaves Sect that dragged you into this. I will dispel the Spirit Array. When that time comes, run away at once! I will try to cover you as much as I can.”
Hua Qing Si frowned, “Sister Ye, you should come with us as well.”
She too knew that Ye Jing Han was at the end of her rope here. The lives of her own father and her lover were in the hands of someone else, so she naturally could not just stand by and watch. That was why Hua Qing Si did not blame Ye Jing Han for her decision.
It was just that… Qiu Ze was still here. Hua Qing Si did not have the slightest confidence that she could escape here with Chi Yue and the others. If it were just herself, then she had eighty percent confidence she could flee. She may not be able to defeat Qiu Ze, but there was still a chance for her to escape.
But Chi Yue and the others were only First-Order Dao Source Realm, and Chai Hu was only a Third-Order Origin King. Dreaming of escaping in front of so many experts was no doubt a fool’s errand.
Hua Qing Si decided in her heart that she would keep Chi Yue and the others safe no matter what. The rest would be up to Yang Kai once he appeared.
Faced with Hua Qing Si’s situation, Ye Jing Han only shot her a bitter smile and shook her head.
Hua Qing Si knew that she had made up her mind and could only sigh, no longer persuading her.
“What are you waiting for?” Shi Cang Ying began urging her impatiently. The Source Qi on the palm placed on top of Du Xian’s head was fluctuating as if it could take Du Xian’s life at any moment.
Ye Jing Han’s tender body trembled. She no longer dared to delay matters and quickly formed seals with both hands.
As the seals were formed rapidly, layer after layer of Sealing Arrays, Illusion Arrays, and Killing Arrays were dispelled.
Qiu Ze spread out his Divine Sense and paid close attention to the situation. Once he sensed that all the Spirit Arrays in the mountain valley had been undone, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Martial Niece Ye has made a wise choice. You are much smarter than your father.”
After Ye Jing Han dispelled the Arrays, her entire body felt weak as if she had completely lost her strength. She could only let out a low shout, “Go!”
As soon as her words came out, Hua Qing Si and the others exchanged glances and immediately tried to flee the area.
But before they could make any moves, the array base platform buzzed and a clear fluctuation of Space Principles spread out at once. Following that, a dazzling light was emitted from the platform.
“What?” Shi Cang Ying, who was already rushing towards Ye Jing Han and the others stopped in place and stared at the platform in a daze, seemingly not expecting the platform to operate at such a moment. What’s more, it seemed like someone had teleported over.
A glint also flashed in Qiu Ze’s eyes and as he stared fixedly at it.
When he saw the array base platform earlier, he thought that it was broken. If not, why did Ye Jing Han and the others not escape? Instead, they holed themselves up in the mountain valley, but now, it seemed things were not as he imagined.
Someone had teleported over from somewhere. Didn’t that mean that the platform was fine? Who was the person who arrived? And where did the platform connect to?
Unlike the bewilderment of Shi Cang Ying and Qiu Ze, the ashen-faced Ye Hen’s eyes went wide and his body began to tremble uncontrollably when he saw the light.
The entrance to the Sealed World… was repaired!
The entrance to the Sealed World which had been closed off for ten thousand years had finally been repaired!
The generations of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Masters had taken it as their mission to restore the entrance, but none of them had ever succeeded in doing so. But now he was able to witness the moment the Sealed World’s entrance was reopened with his own eyes.
In an instant, Ye Hen could not help but feel that he would not have regrets even in his death, and he could not help but laugh like a fool.
As long as the entrance to the Sealed World was repaired, the inheritance of the Thousand Leaves Sect would not be cut off. Then, there would be a chance for the Sect to shine again.
But when he remembered the situation he and the Thousand Leaves Sect were currently in, Ye Hen’s heart sank to the bottom again.
Naturally, he knew who it was that repaired the entrance; after all, Yang Kai was the only person who had gone in in the past few days. Who else could it be but him? While he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at his daughter’s judgment, he also lamented that the Heavens did not allow Thousand Leaves Sect more opportunity to rise again.
If he had just a few more days, Ye Hen was sure he would be able to obtain the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in the Sealed World, then he would be able to activate the Earth Grade puppets in the main peak’s square again.
With the help of those Earth Grade puppets, Thousand Leaves Sect would not have fallen into this situation. Even if they were not the opponents of Qiu Ze and the others, they would still be able to fight them to the death.
But the entrance just had to be repaired at this time.
Now not only was Thousand Leaves Sect done for, their inheritance which had been lost for ten thousand years would also fall into the hands of their enemies.
With just Yang Kai, Ye Hen did not believe he would be able to stop Qiu Ze.
Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, two figures gradually appeared at the platform. One of them was Yang Kai, but the other was a seven or eight-year-old girl that looked like a jade doll. This little girl had long fiery red hair that almost ran down to her ankles like a soft waterfall. She was wearing the clothes of a man which looked loose and out of place on her. It could be seen at a glance that the clothes belonged to Yang Kai, but such attire did not take away from her beauty in the slightest. Instead, it added a playful touch of cuteness to her, so that anyone who saw her would not be able to look away. Especially her little pink cheeks of hers that tempted one to pinch them.
When the two of them appeared, they clearly did not understand the situation unfolding before them. It wasn’t until he could smell the faint scent of blood that Yang Kai’s face sank and he released his Divine Sense.
In an instant, his face turned ugly.
He could see that Chi Yue and the others were all wounded, hiding behind the array base platform as they watched Ye Hen and Du Xian that were being kept in place by the others, their auras weak and unstable. He could see a nervous look on Shi Cang Ying’s face, as well as Luo Jin who was glaring at him with flames of hatred flickering in his eyes.
“Young Master Yang!” As soon as Hua Qing Si saw Yang Kai, she knew their saviour had come. She could not help but breathe out a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly, “If you showed up any later, we would’ve been done for!”
“I’m sorry, Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han looked at Yang Kai nervously, “It was our Thousand Leaves Sect that got you all involved in this.”
After a pause, she hurriedly said, “You should take them and run away from here quickly!”
Even though she had seen Yang Kai’s abilities and knew that he was strong, there was an Emperor Realm Master here. She did not think Yang Kai’s strength could compare to a Master at that level.
Only after hearing her words did Yang Kai look away from Qiu Ze, smiling, “En, this is a tricky situation.”
Even though he still didn’t quite understand how all this came about, he could clearly tell friend from foe in this situation.
“Was that guy the one who hurt you?” Yang Kai glanced at Qiu Ze as he asked.
Hua Qing Si was already at the peak of the Dao Source Realm, so there was really no other person here who could hurt her except for him.
“Yes!” Hua Qing Si gently nodded, “He seems to be the Palace Master of Sky Illumination Palace and has just ascended to the Emperor Realm not too long ago. His cultivation is not stable yet. If that wasn’t the case, you would not be able to see your Sister Hua anymore.”
“Good. Anyone who dares touch any of my people must die,” Yang Kai sneered.
As soon as these words came out, all of the outsiders stared at him as if he was a fool.
[To think a Dao Source Realm cultivator would boast so shamelessly! To tell an Emperor Realm Master he would die to his face, has this guy lost his mind?]
Shi Cang Ying and the others all had strange expressions on their faces.
Only Hua Qing Si knew that Yang Kai was not joking. Even though Yang Kai was not an Emperor Realm Master, he definitely had the strength to fight at that level. Not to mention the others, the Embodiment itself was enough to give Qiu Ze a headache. If Yang Kai were to join the fray as well, then he may be able to fight on equal ground with Qiu Ze.
So, after Yang Kai appeared, Hua Qing Si’s heart was finally put at ease. Even if Yang Kai’s cultivation was a little lower than hers, Hua Qing Si was definitely no match for him!
She had never met a man as radiant as Yang Kai.
[No…] Hua Qing Si suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s cultivation was not lower than hers, but rather, it was on par with her.
[When did he advance to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm?] Hua Qing Si was shocked. [It was not that long ago that he reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm… To think he actually broke through again in such a short amount of time? Is cultivating as easy as drinking and eating for him?]
Even though she was shocked, she was still mostly elated.
Yang Kai had gotten stronger again, which meant that the situation before him was now even more favourable.
“Heh…” Qiu Ze suddenly scoffed. Even though Yang Kai did not speak too loudly, he heard it loud and clear, and an amused smile emerged on his face. Looking at Yang Kai, he said, “Little brat, it seems you do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. You actually dare think of taking this King’s life?”
Luo Jin shouted from the side, “Palace Lord Qiu, that guy is the one who injured your son!”
“He’s Yang Kai?” Qiu Ze’s face turned dark. Even Mu Zheng of White Clouds Tower, and Ruan Hong Bo from Sky Peak Temple were glaring at Yang Kai with angry looks on their faces. Mu Guan of White Clouds Tower and Ke Tian from Sky Peak Temple were both killed by Yang Kai, so he was the reason why the two of them had come to stir trouble with Thousand Leaves Sect. Now that their enemy was right before their eyes, they were naturally seeing red.
“That’s right, he’s the one!” Luo Jin spat with hatred.
That day at the City Lord’s Mansion, Luo Jin suffered the greatest humiliation of his life. It was a day he would never forget. Even though Yang Kai spared his life in the end, his hatred for him was like a lump in his throat. If he did not get revenge, he would not be able to rest easy again.
Even in his dreams, he dreamt of killing Yang Kai and avenging his past shame.
After learning of Yang Kai’s identity, all the Masters of each Sect were looking at Yang Kai as if he were a dead man. However, since Qiu Ze did not move, none of them dared act on their own.
“You’re Yang Kai?” It seemed that Qiu Ze wanted to confirm it and stood there questioning Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sneered disdainfully, “What the hell do you count for, daring to ask for this Young Master’s name!”
His expression could not be any more arrogant, as if Qiu Ze wasn’t worth his time at all, but the latter kept a calm expression. He did not get angry, but instead gently nodded, “Very good. This King heard that you have refined a furnace of Extraordinary Treasure Pills in the Four Seasons Realm?”
Yang Kai raised a brow thoughtfully, “So, you’re after something else, aren’t you? You want an Extraordinary Treasure Pill? I apologize, but they’re all gone.”
Qiu Ze responded, “No matter. This King also did not expect to get an Extraordinary Treasure Pill from you. However, this King has heard that you took one of them yourself. After I capture and boil you down, traces of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill’s medicinal efficacies should still be present.”
As soon as he said this, even the faces of Ruan Hong Bo and the others standing on Qiu Ze’s side changed. They all looked over in unison as if they could not believe that he had just said such a thing.
They had never thought of getting a trace of the medicinal efficacies of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill by boiling a person who had taken it. As expected of Qiu Ze, to be able to think of such an idea. But on second thought, it did seem to make sense.
The effects of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill were strong, and most of the medicinal efficacies would be gathered in the meridians, slowly refined by the cultivator as time went on. So, the sooner one takes the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, the better.
Back then, that girl from Eight Paths Sect had taken the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when she was still in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Even though she was forced to take it by Luo Yuan, it perfectly unleashed the efficacy of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. As long as her aptitude was decent enough and she cultivated hard in the future, reaching the Emperor Realm was inevitable.
Qiu Ze was already in the Emperor Realm, so the Extraordinary Treasure Pill obviously wouldn’t be of use to him. He likely wanted it for Qiu Yu.
But just thinking that he would first have to drink a pot of human meat soup in order to obtain the medicinal efficacies of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill… Ruan Hong Bo and the others instantly paled and their stomachs churned. They inwardly began feeling sympathetic towards Qiu Yu. Who knows what Qiu Yu’s reaction would be if he learned the truth in the future.
“You wish to boil this Young Master?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter and sneered back, “You are the one that does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.”
“How presumptuous of you, little brat.” A cold glint flashed past Qiu Ze’s eyes as he snorted, “But if you don’t have the strength to match that attitude, this presumptuousness of yours just seems childish and ridiculous.”
While speaking, he suddenly raised a hand and struck his palm in Yang Kai’s direction.
The wind surged up in an instant. A huge palm formed in the sky and flew over, blanketing a vast area.
Qiu Ze’s palm clearly did not care about the life or death of the others, or even Yang Kai’s survival. To him, it did not matter whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, he just needed to take his corpse back and boil it.
With this sudden strike, the sky darkened.
Ye Hen and Du Xian’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as their bodies shook with tension, but they could only watch the scene unfold without any means to help.
A fiery red light suddenly shot out at that moment, and the hot aura instantly diffused. A delicate and small figure rose to the skies and met the palm strike head-on.
The two collided in a flash and Liu Yan groaned as she was slapped down, but as a result of her efforts, the palm print was dispersed and light returned to the sky.
*Xiu…*
A sound of something breaking through the air rang out as a certain figure flickered at the same time. Before the bystanders could see what happened, the figure had already returned to the array base platform.
It was Yang Kai who took the opportunity when Liu Yan acted to retrieve Ye Hen and Du Xian.
He was highly proficient in the Dao of Space, so he caught everyone off guard. By the time Qiu Ze could react, it was already too late to stop Yang Kai, and when he looked over, he saw that all his hostages had already been saved.
Qiu Ze’s face dimmed instantly, frowning at Yang Kai and the little girl whom he had slapped to the ground.
If it was just Yang Kai, then so be it. For a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, he may be fast, but he still wasn’t worth mentioning; however, for this oddly-dressed little girl to be able to sustain a blow from him was a little unbelievable.
He could not feel Liu Yan’s cultivation prior to this, but in their brief confrontation, Qiu Ze clearly perceived that she was at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
Qiu Ze was not the only one in disbelief. Everyone present was dumbfounded.
They did not expect that Yang Kai would not be the one to take the hit, but rather the eight-year-old looking girl. [How could this little girl survive a blow from an Emperor Realm Master head-on? Can’t you see that she was slammed into the ground by Qiu Ze and even left a little human-shaped hole there?]
[She should be in pieces by now.]
In an instant, everyone was looking at Yang Kai with disdain. Even enemies like Ruan Hong Bo scorned Yang Kai’s actions, thinking that this guy was simply a beast to actually let a little girl like that send herself to death’s embrace.
“That hurts!” The crisp voice of a child mixed with fierce anger emerged from the human-shaped hole in the ground. In the next moment, a little head popped out. Liu Yan’s face was livid with rage as she leapt out of the hole and patted away the dirt from her body.
“She’s still alive?” Luo Jin was stupefied. He didn’t expect a little thing like her would be able to survive taking a hit from Qiu Ze face-first.
Not only did she survive it, but she also didn’t seem injured at all.
[What kind of monster is this?]
Ye Jing Han and Hua Qing Si were also dumbfounded and stared at Liu Yan in shock.
Suddenly, Hua Qing Si’s expression changed and she asked hesitantly, “Little Sister Liu Yan?”
Just now, when Liu Yan moved, Hua Qing Si was able to sense her aura. The two of them had been cultivating in the Sealed World Bead together with Zhang Ruo Xi all this while so they naturally could not be more familiar with each other. Looking at her again now, the attitude and appearance of this little girl clearly looked about seventy to eighty percent similar to Liu Yan. Only, she was now much younger.
She did not pay much attention to this little girl before; after all, they were in a life or death situation so she didn’t have the leisure for such random thoughts; but now, after realizing that this little girl may be Liu Yan, Hua Qing Si could no longer restrain the shock in her heart.
[How… is this possible?]
Liu Yan turned around and shot a sweet smile at Hua Qing Si, “Sister Hua!”
[It’s Liu Yan, no doubt about it! It has to be her!]
Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes were round in surprise as she stammered, “How… How did you end up like this?”
Liu Yan responded meekly, “Master said he liked little girls the best, the smaller the better, so I…”
“Ahh?” Hua Qing Si squinted and glared at Yang Kai.
Cold sweat poured down Yang Kai’s forehead like a waterfall. Reaching up to wipe it, he hurriedly shouted, “Don’t listen to her! That’s nonsense!”
This time, even Chi Yue and Ye Jing Han were glaring daggers at Yang Kai.
“Beast!”
“Shameless!”
“Scum!”
The three women chimed in one word after another, each word stabbing into his heart. Even Yang Kai’s face had gone blue.
Hua Qing Si coldly snorted as she called out, “You have to follow me closely in the future. You must never be alone with him! Sister Hua will protect you.”
“Thank you, Sister Hua!” Liu Yan put on an innocent smile.
“Are you alright? Were you hurt just now?” Even though Liu Yan seemed to be in good condition, Hua Qing Si still could not help but ask. She had traded blows with Qiu Ze and knew how powerful he was. Even she was not his opponent, it naturally made her worry to see Liu Yan take a hit from him.
“Couldn’t be better!” Liu Yan smiled. However, that smile didn’t reach her eyes in the slightest. Those eyes were filled with bone-chilling frost, and she even shot a cold glance at Qiu Ze as she spoke.
For some reason, Qiu Ze’s heart jumped when he met her eyes. A kind of uneasy feeling suddenly sprouted in his heart. Shaking off his unease quickly though, he took a decisive step forward and shouted, “This is a touching reunion, but let’s end this here. This King does not wish to start killing here. So, I will only offer you all a choice…”
Then, speaking up to this point, his voice turned cold and the killing intent within it surged like a tidal wave, the wind blowing from the nine hells of purgatory as he declared, “Those who obey me will prosper, those who rebel will die!”
With an imposing expression on his face, Yang Kai also took a step forward and said while withstanding the Emperor Pressure, “Liu Yan, bring them into the Sealed World. I’ll deal with this old man!”
Qiu Ze was a mere Emperor Realm Master who had just broken through recently and had not stabilized his cultivation yet, so Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of him.
In Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, he had even encountered a Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet and battled against it. Even though he had to use up all his cards and also got the help of Embodiment and Liu Yan, at least he had experience against an even stronger opponent than Qiu Ze, so why should he be afraid of someone in the First-Order Emperor Realm?
Now that he had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Yang Kai was actually eager to use this opportunity to test his strength.
The heavy Emperor Pressure was dense like a solid mass as it gushed over furiously, giving one the illusion that they were drowning, unable to catch their breath.
Ye Hen and the others were already in bad shape. If Yang Kai had not been in front of them blocking it, then they may have fainted on the spot.
“Master, if you feel confident enough, how about delaying him for a while and leaving the rest to me?” Liu Yan suddenly whispered from behind him.
Yang Kai was stunned. He had no idea where Liu Yan got this confidence from. Even though she survived unscathed after taking a blow from Qiu Ze, and the toughness of a Spirit Puppet’s body was clear to see, there were so many Masters here after all. What’s more, how could an Emperor Realm Master like Qiu Ze be easy to deal with?
Yang Kai himself wasn’t confident he could completely defeat all of them and originally planned to go for their ringleader to crush their fighting spirit. It would be best if he could kill Qiu Ze, but seriously injuring him would work too. As long as he was able to defeat Qiu Ze, then the rest of them would become like a handful of loose sand, nothing to be scared of.
But Liu Yan’s calm and confident tone intrigued Yang Kai.
He wondered what sort of trump card Liu Yan’s Spirit Puppet body came with, for her to have such guts to look down on all these Masters.
But this was clearly not the time to ask that question. Yang Kai could only respond by asking, “How sure are you?”
Liu Yan sneered, “One hundred percent!”
Yang Kai twisted his head around to look at her in astonishment. Only when he realized she wasn’t joking at all did he nod his head, “Fine, then I’ll be waiting and watching!”
“One cup of tea’s time!” While saying that, Liu Yan suddenly sat down cross-legged and shut her eyes tightly.
None of them knew what she was planning to do, and Ye Hen was feeling even more anxious. He kept on signalling to Yang Kai with his eyes to tell him to escape. Seeing this, Hua Qing Si pondered for a moment before assuring him, “Rest assured, Sect Master Ye. Young Master Yang has his own plans, he won’t let anything happen to us.”
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and this was where the Space Array was located. Even if they were defeated, they could still teleport to the Sealed World through the array, so there was nothing for them to be afraid of.
What’s more, she was curious to see what Liu Yan wanted to do.
Hearing her say so, Ye Hen could only compromise with them helplessly and hope for a miracle in his heart.
“Sister Hua, take care of them. If things go sour, then activate the Space Array and enter the Sealed World.” After advising her, Yang Kai’s aura suddenly surged. A clear layer of Principle Strength was lingering around his body, ignoring the suppression of Qiu Ze’s Emperor Pressure as if it was nothing, instantly cutting it apart like a sharp knife.
“You really do have some skills. No wonder you dare to be so arrogant!” Qiu Ze said in surprise.
He had already advanced to the Emperor Realm, so he knew how great the disparity was between the Emperor Realm and Dao Source Realm. His own strength had swelled by more than ten times since advancing, so he was confident he could take care of any Dao Source Realm cultivator within three moves.
He originally thought that nobody would be able to move freely under the suppression of his Emperor Pressure, and everyone would be at his mercy, but he knew he was wrong as soon as he saw Yang Kai move. He could have never imagined a Dao Source Realm cultivator existing in this world that could break through his Emperor Pressure.
The Principle Strength lingering around his body was pure and mysterious, making it hard to ascertain its properties.
Qiu Ze instantly realized that Yang Kai was no ordinary Dao Source Realm. Coupled with Hua Qing Si’s performance earlier, he was even more convinced that the two of them came from some top Sect and had a special heritage no one else had.
As he spoke, Qiu Ze became angry out of shame. He quickly formed hand seals and the might of his Emperor Pressure was further enhanced.
As an Emperor Realm Master, it would be a joke if he needed a Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Kai to rush over to him, so he spared no effort as soon as he made the first move.
In fact, his Emperor Pressure proved effective very soon. As he formed his hand seals, Yang Kai’s body was stopped in place and the calm and relaxed expression on his face had become difficult, his movements slowing to a crawl.
Right at that moment, a figure suddenly rose into the air. With fierce rage, Luo Jin held the Jade Sceptre-like artifact in his hands and poured his Source Qi into it, shouting with all his might, “Die, you brat!”
As he said that, he fiercely swung his sceptre down at Yang Kai.
He followed Qiu Ze on this trip in order to seek revenge on Yang Kai and knew he had little chance of killing him with his own skill. At that time, with just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Yang Kai was able to beat him to the point where he could not resist. Now that Yang Kai had reached the Third-Order, the gap between them had certainly grown even larger, making it even more impossible for him to fight him.
If he wanted revenge, Luo Jin would need to borrow Qiu Ze’s power.
Now was, without a doubt, the best time to strike. Yang Kai was being suppressed by Qiu Ze’s Emperor Pressure and was likely unable to bring out even half of his full strength. Once Yang Kai was hit by his artifact, he would surely die.
Qiu Ze did not care whether Yang Kai lived or died anyway. All he needed was his corpse to boil it into medicinal soup. That’s why Luo Jin figured this move would be unlikely to offend him.
At this moment, Luo Jin struck boldly and without hesitation or looking back. The shame and humiliation he suffered by Yang Kai’s hands before this all burst out at this moment.
With a single blow, the air caved in. The Jade Sceptre seemed to contain Heaven destroying and Earth-shattering might, and its destructive aura was rushing straight towards Yang Kai.
The smile on Luo Jin’s face was becoming fiercer and fiercer, and a vague thirst for revenge could also be seen in his eyes, as if he could already see Yang Kai dying from his blow.
Even Qiu Ze was cooperating with Luo Jin’s actions at that moment, concentrating his Emperor Pressure into a binding force to restrict Yang Kai’s movements.
*Hong…*
As the Jade Sceptre fell, a dark hole appeared where Yang Kai was, leaving nothing behind in a ten-meter radius.
Luo Jin landed on the ground and looked at the hole that swallowed up everything in front of him like the open mouth of a beast and couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is bad!” Qiu Ze shouted, his face changing abruptly. He had been binding Yang Kai’s movements with his Emperor Pressure the whole time, but in the instant before Luo Jin’s Jade Sceptre came smashing down, Qiu Ze could sense that Yang Kai had mysteriously disappeared. He had no idea how it happened, but he seemed to have lost all trace of Yang Kai after a moment of oversight.
“There was a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it, and no door to Hell but you just had to throw yourself at it!” An eerie voice suddenly sounded from behind Luo Jin, causing his hair to stand on end, his blood to flow backwards, and his feet to cramp up.
“City Lord Luo, watch out!”
“Behind you!”
Ruan Hong Bo and Mu Zheng shouted in unison, both of them looking behind Luo Jin in horror as if they had seen something unbelievable.
A cold sweat fell along Luo Jin’s forehead. At this moment, Luo Jin’s perception was infinitely amplified and he could clearly feel the cold and murderous intent coming from behind him.
Almost without hesitation, he tried to escape, but before he could do anything, he felt a slight sting on his chest and his whole body froze in place. The blood and Source Qi running through his body completely froze in an instant.
Eyes widening in horror, he looked down at his chest, only to see the broad tip of a sword penetrating through his chest, with red blood coating the blade.
“City Lord Luo did not appreciate it when I spared his life. In that case, die early and reincarnate early!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, the Myriads Sword in his hand shivering as Source Qi poured into it.
Without even a single cry, Luo Jin directly exploded into a mist of blood, spilling onto the ground.
To Yang Kai, Luo Jin was extremely ungrateful. He had allowed him to live because of Luo Bing, but not only did he not know when to stop, he even repaid his kindness with enmity, joining Qiu Ze and the others in the fight against Thousand Leaves Sect. Naturally, Yang Kai would not forgive him again.
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed Luo Jin’s Space Ring and Jade Sceptre-like artifact and shoved them into the Sealed World Bead.
In the biting cold breeze, Yang Kai wielded the Myriads Sword, clothes flowing behind him as his murderous intent flared.
Breaths of cold air being sucked in could be heard. Mu Zheng, Ruan Hong Bo, and the others involuntarily backed away, all of them looking completely horrified and dumbfounded.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed that Luo Jin would die just like that.
Luo Jin was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master and his strength was equal or slightly greater than theirs. Not one of them was confident they could win against him in a one-on-one fight, but now, he was killed by Yang Kai in just a single blow.
And this had happened under Qiu Ze’s suppression. If he were not suppressed by Qiu Ze, then wouldn’t Luo Jin have died even faster?
[Who is this little brat? He can’t be some Emperor Realm Master hiding his cultivation to toy with us, right?] Mu Zheng and the others all had ugly looks on their faces. They all had the vague thought that perhaps it was not the wisest idea for them to have followed Qiu Ze over to Thousand Leaves Sect to look for trouble.
Yang Kai was able to do this much at just the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he rose to the Emperor Realm one day, how were they going to survive? For a moment, the Sect Masters from the local big Sects all began feeling worried and anxious.
On the other hand, Ye Hen was similarly shocked, but even more than that, he was excited.
Even though he had heard of Yang Kai’s strength from Ye Jing Han before, hearing about it and seeing it for himself were two different matters. [The Thousand Leaves Sect… may be saved!]
A faint light of hope was rekindled in Ye Hen’s originally dim eyes. He gently patted Ye Jing Han’s hand and said weakly, “Jing Han, you have good judgment. If this disaster can be avoided, then in the future… You should follow Young Master Yang more often.”
If not for Ye Jing Han and Du Xian being childhood sweethearts that have long grown deeply in love, then he would’ve liked for his daughter to marry Yang Kai.
If such a promising young man could be tied to Thousand Leaves Sect, it would be a great blessing.
“Yes, Father!” Ye Jing Han’s beautiful eyes were also bright and covered in joy. A few days ago, at the City Lord’s Mansion, Yang Kai performed a miracle and suppressed many Masters to the point where they could hardly catch their breaths. He then strutted out of the city with the new bride. But could he still perform another miracle in the Thousand Leaves Sect with an Emperor Realm Master in attendance?
“You dare kill someone in front of this King? Impudence!” Qiu Ze was enraged and grit his teeth as a furious look covered his face.
If word got out that Luo Jin was killed despite him personally suppressing Yang Kai, then everyone would probably think he was only a paper tiger. This was his first battle since advancing to the Emperor Realm, so Qiu Ze had come expressly to show off his might, but he didn’t expect things to go the other way.
Yang Kai killing Luo Jin was equal to slapping him in the face. How could Qiu Ze bear such humiliation?
After he spoke, Qiu Ze flicked his wrist and a blood-red spear appeared in his hand. It could be surmised at a glance from the dense fluctuation of energy coming from the spar that it was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, and was connected with Qiu Ze’s mind and soul through his own blood.
Qiu Ze had only just advanced to the Emperor Realm and did not have an Emperor Artifact on hand, but if given enough time to refine and nurture this spear, then it was not impossible for it to advance into an Emperor Artifact.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time.
It was not very honourable for him to use an artifact against someone in the Dao Source Realm, but Qiu Ze didn’t care about that right now.
With his spear in hand, Qiu Ze’s imposing manner increased once more. The aura of the blood-red spear was closely linked with him, and the two seemed to completely fused into one entity with both mind and soul connected. Qiu Ze shouted and made the first move, trying to save face by killing Yang Kai in a single blow.
*Chi…*
Countless blood-red spears made of light shot out towards Yang Kai like a cloud of locusts. The entire sky had become as red as blood as the murderous intent and violent power spread out, causing horrified looks to arise on everyone’s faces.
Yang Kai waited for the right opportunity to use his Myriads Sword. Sword Intent flashed as a sword made out of light appeared and he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man As A Mountain!”
He was right between Qiu Ze and Chi Yue and the others at this moment, so Yang Kai could not dodge Qiu Ze’s attack. If he had moved away, then Chi Yue and the others would definitely be enveloped by the spear shadows.
Not only was Qiu Ze trying to launch a sneak attack, but he was also cleverly using Yang Kai’s concern towards Chi Yue and the others against him, which was a despicable act.
A normal Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would’ve been powerless to resist and would definitely be crushed to pieces by this move.
But Yang Kai had an Emperor Artifact and the defensive stance he performed was greatly effective in neutralizing Qiu Ze’s power.
*Hong hong hong…*
Spear and Sword Qi clashed mid-air, energy surging turbulently, shaking the Heavens and Earth.
Qiu Ze’s expression changed abruptly as he was forced back a step. With a flourish of his spear, he crushed a Moon Blade hidden inside the Sword Waves made of light into dust.
On the opposite side, Yang Kai did not retreat, but following several slicing sounds, blood splashed out from all over his body. Obviously, he had suffered a small loss during this trade of blows.
Qiu Ze was still an Emperor Realm Master, after all, so being able to exchange blows with him was already enough to prove his strength. If Yang Kai really came out of this unharmed, that would truly be too terrifying.
“Little brat, you dare play tricks against this King? Shameless!” Qiu Ze was shaken inside, but he did not show it on his face. He did not see the true appearance of the Moon Blade earlier because of how hurriedly he had struck. All he knew was that the attack was silent and extremely well hidden.
Yang Kai curled his lip, “Don’t you feel yourself blushing saying things like that, old fart?”
Qiu Ze naturally knew what he meant, but had no intention of arguing with him. Drawing his spear, another powerful move appeared, shattering the skies and shooting straight towards Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was enraged seeing this. This old fart knew he couldn’t dodge at will, so the heavy hits he was constantly throwing at him was so he could force him to engage in a head-on clash. If Chi Yue and the others were not behind him, then of course Yang Kai would dodge rather than fight, but there was simply no way he could put aside their safety.
Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who understood this situation, everyone else saw this clearly too. Ruan Hong Bo and the others had awkward expressions on their faces. They were secretly thinking to themselves that Qiu Ze didn’t have the air of an Emperor Realm Master at all, he was simply as shameless as a scoundrel.
But they were all tied to the same rope now, so they didn’t dare to say anything even if they saw it.
“Give an inch and you want a mile… You shameless old dog!” Yang Kai bellowed at him and poured his Source Qi into his Myriads Sword, meeting him in battle.
As the blade passed, the spears made of light were broken apart, instantly disintegrating.
This time, Qiu Ze’s face greatly changed. He could have never imagined that a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator could match him in a contest of strength. If he did not have the burden of protecting his companions behind him, then wouldn’t Yang Kai be completely beyond his depth?
After breaking Qiu Ze’s attack, Yang Kai did not dally for even a moment. He flicked his fingers, sending ten Moon Blades whistled over.
Qiu Ze’s pupils shrank. This time, he could clearly feel the rich, fluctuating Space Principles contained within the black blades. This made it impossible for him to grasp the trajectory of the Moon Blades’ attack.
“Space Principles?” Qiu Ze exclaimed, his body shivering. Emperor Pressure burst out and formed a domain spanning ten metres around him.
Within this domain, he could finally identify the trajectory of the Moon Blades’ attack and he moved his spear to break them.
In an instant, Qiu Ze was drenched in cold sweat, a shocked expression on his face.
He was not too alarmed when Yang Kai displayed extraordinary combat abilities. Even when they fought to a standstill, he only thought that Yang Kai was a rare talent, but when he realized that Yang Kai was this proficient in the Dao of Space, every fibre of his body was screaming something ominous was about to happen.
The Dao of Space was a rare and esoteric Dao. No need to even mention getting started with it, normal people couldn’t even be able to perceive it in the slightest. This had nothing to do with cultivation aptitude as there were also many Emperor Realm Masters in the Star Boundary, but how many of them actually comprehended the Dao of Space?
But this young man in front of him was able to use Space Principles against his opponent in battle. What did that prove? It meant that his attainments of the Dao of Space had already reached an incredible height. A man like this was certain to have a bright future, and in time, would rise to the peak of the world.
[If his cultivation were to grow any further, wouldn’t I be dead for sure?]
As this thought filled his mind, how could Qiu Ze still care about his face? The only thought in his mind was to cut weeds and pull out the roots. Thinking so, he bellowed, “What are you all waiting for? Attack him together!”
Only with his shout did everyone come to their senses. They had come to provoke the Thousand Leaves Sect, not to watch a show. What’s more, they had killed so many of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples already, so if they did not eradicate them here, Thousand Leaves Sect may rise again from the ashes.
“Palace Lord Qiu, I’ll help you!” A loud cry emerged as a figure flew over.
To everyone’s surprise, the first person to answer Qiu Ze’s call was neither Ruan Hong Bo nor Mu Zheng, but Thousand Leaves Sect’s Shi Cang Ying.
He looked like he held a deep grudge against the Thousand Leaves Sect and couldn’t wait to kill Yang Kai and the rest of the Sect right here and now. While speaking, he had already summoned his artifact and his Source Qi was surging wildly as he rushed towards Yang Kai.
Shi Cang Ying had already made his move, so how could Mu Zheng and Ruan Hong Bo just stand to the side and watch? They only hesitated for a moment before gritting their teeth and taking action. In a flash, the auras of a dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm artifacts and Secret Techniques enveloped Yang Kai, launching towards him.
Even though Yang Kai was powerful and his strength increased even more after reaching the Third-Order, to the point of being able to fight with Qiu Ze without falling to a difficult position, it was only natural that two fists couldn’t block four strikes. He was instantly trapped and was unable to escape. It was a dangerous situation and in just three short breaths, his body was already battered and bloody.
After Yang Kai was trapped, the other cultivators from Sky Illumination Palace, White Clouds Tower, and Sky Peak Temple all joined in the fray and rushed towards Chi Yue and the others.
When she saw this, Hua Qing Si’s pretty face turned cold in an instant and she quickly said, “Sister Ye, bring them into the Sealed World!”
Ye Jing Han asked, “Then what about you?”
Hua Qing Si glanced at Liu Yan who was still sitting cross-legged on the ground and not moving, saying, “I have to stay here.”
No one knew what Liu Yan was doing, but she hadn’t moved since sitting down. Naturally, Hua Qing Si couldn’t just leave her here.
Unexpectedly, Ye Jing Han spoke back against her persuasion, “This concerns the life or death of our Thousand Leaves Sect. How could we possibly run away?”
Ye Hen also nodded, “That’s right. Even as an outsider, Young Master Yang was willing to help solve the problems of our Thousand Leaves Sect. As the Sect Master, how can this Ye just run from here? Even if this Old Master coughs up the last of his blood here, he will definitely not retreat!”
To his words, all the others nodded as well, looking prepared to risk their lives.
“You all are…” Hua Qing Si stomped her feet in anxiety, but once she saw how determined Ye Hen and the others were, she knew it was useless talking them out of this and could only turn to Chi Yue and the others.
Chi Yue smiled, “One more person is one extra source of strength. No need to persuade us, Elder Sister. It was a rare chance that we were able to reunite with Yang Boy. If we separate once more, I worry we will never see him again.”
Hua Qing Si sighed. She knew there was nothing she could say anymore, “Then watch out for yourselves!”
While they were speaking, the area where they were was already densely surrounded by cultivators. Only, they were watching them cautiously instead of rushing at them and they had no idea what these cultivators were scared about.
Right at this moment, a loud roar suddenly came from Yang Kai’s side. Yang Kai seemed to be truly enraged now. Following that roar, a dazzling light shot out from there, engulfing where Yang Kai was in an instant.
More than twenty Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and an Emperor Realm Master had joined hands against him. How could Yang Kai hold them off?
During this critical moment, he could only teleport out and appeared in an instant in front of Hua Qing Si and the others.
The way he appeared without warning startled all of the cultivators gathered here, and they all backed away. Yang Kai was able to fight with Qiu Ze and even killed Luo Jin in one blow, so how could they not be afraid?
In an instant, a large area was vacated at the array base platform.
“As expected, the rumours are true. Being proficient in the Dao of Space has great benefits.” Qiu Ze’s slightly jealous tone came from the distance. Following that, the crowd took the initiative to move away. With Qiu Ze in the lead, a dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators strolled over and stood several tens of metres before Yang Kai and the others.
Yang Kai spat disdainfully, an unruly look on his face.
Even though he could not defeat so many Masters, it was also impossible for these people to kill him. Moreover, after retreating to the Space Array, they could advance or retreat at will. There was nothing to worry about at all. If anything, he could just activate the Space Array and bring Chi Yue and the others to the Sealed World.
Moreover, Yang Kai hadn’t used any of his trump cards yet.
Previously, he was acting cautiously so he wouldn’t hurt any innocents, but now that the situation had developed to this point, there was nothing more to worry about.
“Little brat, with your proficiency in the Dao of Space, this King may indeed be unable to keep you here,” Qiu Ze looked at Yang Kai with a grim face. From their exchange earlier, he could tell that Yang Kai’s strength was not inferior to his, and the latter may even be slightly above him. With his added proficiency in the Dao of Space, Qiu Ze really did not have the confidence to stop him should he choose to escape.
In other words, Yang Kai could leave anytime he wanted to, and Qiu Ze would only be able to watch him do so no matter how displeased he was.
But in fact, Yang Kai did not leave because he still had many friends here, he couldn’t escape alone. So, Qiu Ze did not panic and only smiled sinisterly, “If you leave, this King will not stop you, but these people… Heh heh…”
He did not say too much, but the threats in his voice were clear to see.
“Qiu Ze you old dog, you really are shameless!” Ye Hen roared at him.
Qiu Ze was unmoved by his words and only looked toward Yang Kai, “Little brat, you better think clearly. Consider whether you want to escape by yourselves or stay and suffer with them.”
Even though he said such words, he really was worried that Yang Kai might just abandon these people and run away by himself. If that were to happen, then he may have to live a life on the edge in the future. Yang Kai was this strong at only the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he reached the Emperor Realm, then how could Sky Illumination Palace possibly survive against him?
A foe like him must either be left unprovoked or dealt with once and for all, otherwise, there were bound to be deadly consequences.
As long as Yang Kai didn’t escape, then everything else was fine. There were so many Masters gathered here, they did not have to worry about not being able to kill him. Even if he had to pay the price for it, he knew had to kill Yang Kai here today at any cost.
Ruan Hong Bo and the others were probably thinking the same thing as Qiu Ze, so all of them had ugly looks on their faces, but they did not retreat. They just watched Yang Kai, killing intents surging.
Yang Kai stood on top of the Space Array and looked around him as if he wanted to note down the faces of every single person giving him trouble. All the cultivators who were glanced over by him changed their faces and averted their gaze. They were terrified.
“Very well. You forced my hand, so I hope you won’t regret this!” Yang Kai sneered and a bracelet-like artifact suddenly appeared on his hand. Dense energy fluctuations seeped out from the bracelet. That alone was one thing, but the key point was the fact that clear traces of Emperor Aura and Emperor Intent were instantly spreading out from the bracelet.
“An Emperor Artifact!” Qiu Ze’s pupils shrank, a hot glow in his eyes.
The rest all looked wide-eyed in disbelief.
Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword was definitely an Emperor Artifact, that was something they confirmed just now. It was shocking enough for a Dao Source Realm cultivator to possess a single Emperor Artifact, but he actually had another one?
What are the origins of this little brat? Why does he have so many Emperor Artifacts?
Qiu Ze was astonished, and at the same time, his eyes became red. It took him so much effort to advance to the Emperor Realm, but he didn’t even have a single Emperor Artifact. Yet Yang Kai, a Dao Source Realm Junior, was able to pull out two Emperor Artifacts in an instant. How could Qiu Ze not feel envious of this?
At this moment, Qiu Ze couldn’t even be bothered to guess what great force Yang Kai had backing him. As long as he got rid of him quickly, then he could snatch the two Emperor Artifacts from him. With his current cultivation, his strength would definitely soar if he had these two Emperor Artifacts.
“Begin!” Qiu Ze shouted and was the first to rush towards Yang Kai.
Seeing this, the others didn’t dare to hesitate and all followed suit.
The expression of Ye Hen and the others changed dramatically, their faces all turning ashen. It was possible they may not be able to escape this time. Even Hua Qing Si’s pretty face had turned gloomy, but Yang Kai did not tell them to retreat into the Sealed World yet. Hua Qing Si knew Yang Kai definitely had his own plans, so her beautiful eyes fixed on him. She wanted to see what sort of trump card Yang Kai had to be able to withstand the attacks of so many Masters.
She saw Yang Kai grip the bracelet, then, a large black cloud suddenly emerged, buzzing incessantly. It was as if an endless hole had been opened up on the bracelet, releasing a tide of black mist. In the blink of an eye, the area around the Space Array was completely enveloped in the darkness, leaving no gaps.
“Insects?” Hua Qing Si remarked in surprise. She could finally see what sort of thing that black cloud was.
The black cloud was made up of countless little black insects the size of rice grains, forming a cloud that protected them. Moreover, Hua Qing Si could feel an uncomfortable aura coming from these insects.
This aura was very similar to the aura of the Ancient Demon she encountered that day outside Maplewood City.
This discovery caused Hua Qing Si to jump in fright. How could she not know how strange these insects were? No matter what they were, they had the aura of an Ancient Demon, so they were definitely not to be trifled with.
With their buzzing noise surrounding them, the insect cloud appeared to have formed an iron wall around the Space Array. Qiu Ze and the others bombarded the cloud of insects in unison with their Secret Techniques and artifacts, knocking countless of those insects dizzy and causing them to fall to the ground.
In an instant, the heavy look on Qiu Ze’s face eased up. He was still on guard against Yang Kai in case he unleashed some extraordinary technique; however, once he saw that these strange insects were so easy to defeat, he instantly felt relaxed. He figured Yang Kai had probably exhausted his tricks.
Qiu Ze was feeling confident and was just about to unleash another Secret Technique to break the protection of the insect cloud when he instinctively felt that something was wrong.
He quickly looked down at the insects on the ground, only to see that the ones that had fallen were actually completely unharmed. They just fluttered their wings and came back to life. Not only that, but they were all emitting a furious and violent aura, seemingly from getting attacked, and lunged at the cultivators nearby.
[What the hell are these things?] Qiu Ze’s heart jumped, but before he could figure it out, one of the black insects pounced on him. Following that, Qiu Ze suddenly felt a slight pain from his Knowledge Sea as if he had been pricked by something. In just that one instant, he suddenly found that a corner of his Soul was missing.
[That black insect actually devoured my Spiritual Energy?] Qiu Ze was shocked and cold sweat covered his body in an instant.
He could clearly see that the insect had latched onto his arm. That was even separated by several layers of clothing. Even if he were to be bitten, it would’ve been his arm that got injured. So, why was it not his arm hurting, but instead, a chunk of his Divine Sense that went missing?
Just as he slowed down to think, he felt another prick from his Knowledge Sea as another chunk of his Soul disappeared.
[What the hell are these black insects?!]
How could Qiu Ze dare to dally? If this kept going, then wouldn’t his Soul be swallowed up by these black insects? When the time came, he would definitely die. Out of shock, his Qi burst out and directly blasted off the insects nearby.
But what startled him even more was that not only did the insects not die, instead, they persistently tried to swarm him, but were unable to get close since they were blocked by his domain.
“Ah!”
A scream pierced through the sky, after that, many others followed. The screams sounded extremely miserable, as if they were suffering from the cruellest torture in the world.
Qiu Ze looked over and it felt like a pot of cold water had been poured over his heart.
He saw that including the cultivators from his own Sky Illumination Palace, the cultivators from all the other Sects were enveloped by the black insects. The Third-Order Dao Source Realm and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators did not have it as bad since their defences were strong and were in no worry of dying despite their miserable states, but the First-Order Dao Source Realm and Origin King Realm cultivators were clearly in grave danger. They were simply unable to escape the black insects, and many have been enveloped to the point where they could no longer be seen.
In the blink of an eye, the cultivators enveloped by the black insects turned still. Once the black insects scattered away, these cultivators fell to the ground, unmoving.
There didn’t seem to be any injury to their bodies, but from their dull and frightened eyes, it was clear they had suffered something terrifying before dying.
How could Qiu Ze not know that these cultivators had died because their Souls were devoured by the black insects? He himself had suffered the same attack, and if not for his great strength, he would definitely be on the ground by now as well.
Many cultivators fell to the ground, struggling and writhing, but not one of them could escape the fate of death.
In just five short breaths, a large number of the cultivators from the several Sects had died!
This was simply a massacre, a one-sided massacre!
Not to mention Ruan Hong Bo and the others, even Yang Kai, the culprit, had a terrified look on his face after seeing this scene.
Since he had fully brought the Soul Devouring Insects under his control, it was the first time he used them against his enemies. He knew that the Soul Devouring Insects could play a significant role in group battles, but he never thought that they would actually become so powerful after their recent evolution.
The situation before him caused him to freeze in place as Soul Devouring Insects continued to fly out from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
After the last Soul Devouring Insect flew out from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, there were more than a million of them inside the mountain valley. The black cloud of insects were all gathered around the cultivators who were still struggling desperately, waiting for an opportunity to bite onto them as well.
No matter what defensive artifacts these cultivators summoned, they could not stop the Soul Devouring Insects from attacking them. Even the Source Qi in the cultivators’ bodies could not shield them from these tyrannical insects.
More and more cultivators fell dead.
The cultivators at Origin King Realm and First-Order Dao Source Realm had already been wiped out long ago. Under the attack of the cloud of Soul Devouring Insects, these weaker cultivators had no power to fight back at all.
Gradually, the cultivators at Second-Order Dao Source Realm couldn’t hold on anymore either. With the Source Qi penetrated, their Spiritual Energy was rapidly gnawed away by the Soul Devouring Insects. Even though there were no marks on their bodies, they still could not escape the fate of death.
Even using their full strength, they were unable to kill even a single Soul Devouring Insect. The evolved Soul Devouring Insects seemed to have become extremely resilient. Even though they were occasionally knocked out by the cultivators, they were able to recover quickly and join the fight again.
Ye Hen and the others were dumbfounded.
Hua Qing Si and the others were also dumbfounded.
Each of them stood around the Space Array, watching this inhumane massacre, their mood extremely complex. Even though these people were throwing their weight around earlier, they didn’t expect them to turn into cold corpses in just an instant. How could anyone describe this?
Since Yang Kai summoned the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and released the Soul Devouring Insects, it didn’t take more than thirty breaths of time before as many as seventy percent of the cultivators from the various Sects that came fell. There were even several Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators who were unable to escape the disaster.
Yang Kai did not expect that his Soul Devouring Insects would be this strong. It could be imagined that with more time, even an Emperor Realm Master like Qiu Ze would be done in by the Soul Devouring Insects.
Ruan Hong Bo and the others were already scared out of the wits. They had come with Qiu Ze this time in order to avenge the deaths of Ke Tian and the others, but instead of getting their revenge, they were unexpectedly forced to suffer heavy losses.
This ordeal had greatly damaged the foundation of Sky Peak Temple as the men Ruan Hong Bo brought here were all elites of the Sect.
The same went for the other Sects as well. Everyone suffered grievous losses.
During this moment, Ruan Hong Bo felt deep regret about coming to Thousand Leaves Sect. This tragedy would have never happened if he had not come. He would have been holding his two beautiful female disciples, enjoying a romantic moment while sipping on fine wine.
As he watched his subordinates fall dead in front of him one by one, with Qiu Ze being unable to help, Ruan Hong Bo couldn’t hold on anymore. If they stayed any longer, the only thing left for them would be death. He tried his best to push his Source Qi to shake off the Soul Devouring Insects surrounding him while shouting, “Retreat!”
With these words, he had already begun rushing out of the mountain valley ahead of all the others.
None of the others dared to be slow and all used their Movement Skills to fly out.
“Now you want to leave? It’s too late. All of you must stay!” A clear and melodious voice suddenly shouted out. The shut-eyed, unmoving beauty, Liu Yan suddenly opened her eyes, cold murderous intent pulsing from her tiny figure.
Since the start of the battle, Liu Yan had been sitting there cross-legged and unmoving. No one knew what she was doing, not even Yang Kai. Now, when they saw her suddenly moving, they naturally looked over in curiosity.
Liu Yan formed a seal with her little hands and shouted, “Azure Dragon!”
After the seal was formed, she shot it towards a nearby mountain peak. The shape of the peak was extremely odd, looking as if an actual dragon was lying there.
The mountain peak rumbled, and immediately, a powerful aura poured out from within. At the same time, as if the mountain peak, which had remained silent for ten thousand years, had suddenly been given life, the grass began to sway and rocks were broken apart.
Two humongous eyes opened at the dragon’s head, and peerless Dragon Pressure erupted.
*Hong long long…*
The peak rose to the sky at once, accompanied by the constant falling of broken stones; an azure giant spanning a thousand meters stretched across the sky. The huge behemoth swinging its head and tail, its magnificent aura spreading out, causing everyone to freeze in shock.
Under the Dragon Pressure, everyone felt insignificant. They felt as if they were as small as an ant in front of this Azure Dragon.
“A True Dragon?” Hua Qing Si’s beautiful pupils shrank as she stared at the scene before her in disbelief. She could not believe that a True Dragon could actually be hidden under a mountain peak in Thousand Leaves Sect.
But very soon, she realized something wasn’t right. This Dragon did not have any hint of vitality in it at all. Even though the Dragon Pressure it exerted was vivid, it was definitely not living.
“Heaven-Grade puppet!” Ye Hen was completely dumbfounded and his eyes went wide in astonishment as he stared up at the Azure Dragon in the sky. Suddenly, tears ran down his face and he spread his arms out towards the sky as if he wanted to hold the Azure Dragon in his hands. Choking up, he cried out, “It’s one of our Heaven-Grade puppets!”
“Father, you are saying… This is a Heaven-Grade puppet from our Thousand Leaves Sect?” Ye Jing Han instantly understood Ye Hen’s meaning and was shocked.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had many Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that were lost for ten thousand years, and their knowledge of the Dao of Puppetry had already massively declined. Without mentioning Heaven-Grade puppets, even the Earth Grade puppets at the square could not be used anymore.
As for the Heaven-Grade puppets, even Ye Jing Han had no idea where they were hidden. This was something Ye Hen never told her.
It just so happened the Heaven-Grade puppets had been hiding under her nose all this while!
Ye Jing Han looked around at the strange shapes of the peaks far and near and of all different sizes…
It turned out that all these mountains were the hiding grounds of the Heaven-Grade puppets. Under the accumulated cover of ten thousand years of wind, sun, and dust, they were completely hidden, turning into sleeping mountain peaks.
Now, after ten thousand years, a Heaven-Grade puppet had finally been awakened, soaring into the clouds and revealing its magnificence.
This was an incredible matter. Moreover, the one to spur on the Heaven-Grade puppet was not someone from Thousand Leaves Sect, but rather a girl looking to be about seven or eight that they had never seen before.
Ye Hen looked at the Azure Dragon in the sky, then at Liu Yan, his old eyes were filled with flames of hope. He had no idea why this little girl was able to move the Heaven-Grade puppet, but he knew that she was with Yang Kai.
In other words, Yang Kai must have found the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of Thousand Leaves Sect!
Thousand Leaves Sect was truly saved!
Yang Kai’s brow rose curiously, but after thinking for a moment, he vaguely understood why Liu Yan was able to control this Heaven-Grade puppet. This was likely related to her being a Spirit Grade puppet. Perhaps the body contained the secrets to controlling the Heaven-Grade puppets to begin with.
No wonder she asked him to buy her time and leave the rest to her.
Liu Yan could even control a Heaven-Grade puppet. With that, she was in fact able to sweep this entire place. Even though this Heaven-Grade puppet had been sleeping for countless years, Yang Kai could feel that it definitely had Emperor level strength, and not just any ordinary Emperor at that!
The powerful aura emanating from the Azure Dragon Heaven-Grade puppet was no less powerful than the Corpse Puppet inside Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World.
The disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect who were hiding or injured all cheered, their shouts spreading over the Sect. Even if nobody told them, they were able to perceive it as a Heaven-Grade puppet of their Sect!
The disciples were proud of their Sect, and for them, this was a moment of glory! For a Heaven-Grade puppet to reappear after ten thousand years was a sign of prosperity for Thousand Leaves Sect. Every disciple of the Sect was excited and could hardly contain themselves.
On the other hand, Shi Cang Ying who was fleeing in haste was dumbfounded. Deep inside, a sense of regret welled up that almost caused him to cough up blood.
He was the leader of the progressive faction of Thousand Leaves Sect and always thought that the Sect should abandon the Dao of Puppetry left behind by their ancestors and should instead learn other Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in order to strengthen the Thousand Leaves Sect.
So, his relationship with Ye Hen had always been sour. This time, when Qiu Ze brought his men over to stir trouble for the Thousand Leaves Sect and showed off his Emperor Realm cultivation, Shi Cang Ying immediately turned against his Sect. Not only did he attack and injure Ye Hen, he even opened the Sect Defending Array. If he had not done so, Thousand Leaves Sect would not have suffered so greatly.
After all, the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Defending Array could not be easily destroyed.
Shi Cang Ying thought that he would become the new Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect after today’s incident, taking charge and carrying out his long-held philosophies. But to his disappointment, a single man, Yang Kai, was able to destroy those dreams.
And now, even a Heaven-Grade puppet had reappeared.
Shi Cang Ying’s stomach was churning with regret. If he had known the Heaven-Grade puppet would reawaken today, then would he have needed this insidious plot? Wasn’t it good enough for him to stay obediently as the Vice Sect Master? He may even get his hands on a Heaven-Grade puppet to play with. When that happened, even Qiu Ze would have to bow down before him.
But there was no such thing as a pill for regret in this world.
However, an even more depressing scene appeared for Shi Cang Ying.
After waking up the Azure Dragon Heaven-Grade puppet, Liu Yan proceeded to form a different hand seal and thrust it towards a different mountain range.
The mountains were also shaped like a Monster Beast, a flying Monster Beast. However, no one knew exactly what it was due to the passing of time. But, now, its form was fully exposed!
“Vermillion Bird!”
The mountains rumbled, followed by a crisp cry. Then, a fiery-red Heaven-Grade puppet Vermillion Bird rose to the sky. The grass and stones covering its body for ten thousand years all clattered down to reveal its beautiful and powerful figure.
“White Tiger!” Liu Yan formed another seal.
The sound of a tiger’s roar came from the mountain forest, and a third mountain peak cracked open. A huge snow-white tiger leapt out from it, fangs shining with a cold glint that made everyone shudder.
“Black Tortoise!”
A fourth peak shattered and a gigantic Black Tortoise Heaven-Grade puppet slowly climbed out from the rubble. Its strong back was so wide and spacious that it seemed it could even carry a city.
Ye Hen’s entire body was quivering and his eyes were so wide in excitement that they could almost fall out. He was looking at this scene before him in disbelief.
He never would have expected to see the Heaven-Grade puppets come to life in his lifetime. Not only that, but four of them were awakened at once. Hot blood was surging in his heart as Ye Hen felt that he would have no regrets even if he died at this moment.
“Since you dare hit me, I’ll make sure you’ll die without a burial!” Liu Yan glared at Qiu Ze, her face filled with murderous intent. She was obviously holding a grudge after being slapped into the ground by Qiu Ze.
As she finished speaking, she thrust both palms forward and an imperceptible intention suddenly surged out.
In the next moment, the four Heaven-Grade puppets sprang into action, each occupying a corner and sealing off the area.
“Four Divine Beasts Attack!”
An invisible link connected the four Heaven-Grade puppets, and the fierce power pouring out from their bodies filled the blocked space, forming a killing force that seemed able to destroy both Heaven and Earth.
Qiu Ze was the first to bear the brunt of that power, his entire person feeling as if it was locked up in an ice cellar causing him to tremble with unease.
In front of this complex power, his newly-achieved Emperor Realm strength felt as vulnerable as paper.
*Chi…*
The invisible force felt just like sharp blades cutting across Qiu Ze’s body. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was drenched in blood, bones peeking out from the wounds, his screams only adding to the miserable sight.
He was begging loudly for mercy, but Liu Yan was completely unmoved. Instead, she made more hand seals, spurring the Heaven-Grade puppets to be fiercer and fiercer.
In just ten breaths, Qiu Ze’s entire body was ground into paste, leaving behind a white skeleton that fell to the ground.
Before Qiu Ze died, the cultivators of the several large Sects were also torn apart by the killing force of the Four Divine Beasts.
This Four Divine Beasts Attack seemed to be a kind of Formation, a Killing Array that used the four Heaven-Grade puppets as its base. Even Qiu Ze could not hold out for more than ten breaths, so how could the others survive?
Ruan Hong Bo and the others all burst into a bloody mist with no bones left.
The stench of blood rose into the air. The area that was sealed off had practically turned into hell on earth.
Nobody knew what sort of secret trick Shi Cang Ying used to be able to go into hiding, but he surprisingly did not die immediately. His Blood Essence was burning madly, constantly keeping him from dying, but the aura of death swirled around him and he could only cry and beg, “Sect Master, I was wrong! Please spare my life! I will repent of my mistakes!”
When things came to this, he finally understood he had been standing on the wrong side. If he had known the Heaven-Grade puppets left behind by their Ancestors would be this strong, he would have never sought to abandon this path. He might have even been more assertive than Ye Hen when it came to studying the Secret Techniques of how to command the Heaven-Grade puppets.
But what was the use of thinking about this now? These four Heaven-Grade puppets hardly did anything since coming out, only forming a Killing Array, and that alone was able to wipe out an entire army. How could Shi Cang Ying survive?
He could only plead with Ye Hen, hoping that he would spare his life in consideration of their friendship built from their cooperation over the years.
Liu Yan turned to look at Ye Hen, asking for his opinion.
Ye Hen calmly declared, “The moment you ambushed me and opened the Sect Defending Array, you were no longer part of Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Blood drained from Shi Cang Ying’s face and he yelled, “Sect Master, this Shi has been loyal to the Sect all these years. Even if this Shi offered no merits, this Shi has still worked hard for the benefit of the Sect! Please, spare my life, Sect Master!”
Ye Hen shook his head slowly, “Please continue, little girl, I don’t want to hear him speak again.”
If Shi Cang Ying had only been at odds with him and had conflicting ideologies, Ye Hen would not have killed him; after all, Shi Cang Ying was just thinking of the Sect’s future and was seeking a way out for them. It was normal for him to be a little selfish. At the same time, Ye Hen was also hesitating and wondering whether supporting the Dao of Puppetry the whole way through was the right choice.
But he never should have opened the Sect Defending Array and let their Sect disciples be slaughtered.
If Shi Cang Ying was spared today, how could the thousands of disciples who died as a result rest in peace?
Thus, Shi Cang Ying must die for his sins!
Liu Yan gently nodded. Giving the command with her Divine Sense, the peerless killing force of the Four Divine Beasts Attack pressed down on Shi Cang Ying.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, Shi Cang Ying’s entire body could be seen swelling up like a balloon before bursting into a bloody mist, leaving no bones behind.
At this point, not a single one of the cultivators invading Thousand Leaves Sect was left, they had all been wiped out in this mountain valley.
As Liu Yan continued forming hand seals, the Four Divine Beasts Heaven-Grade puppets slowly withdrew their power and landed in place, ceasing their movements.
The smell of blood was incredibly strong and the mountain valley had become quiet. Turning his head and looking around, even though Ye Hen felt relieved, there was still a sorrowful look on his face.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had lost a lot during this event, and if Yang Kai had not appeared at the last moment to turn the tide, then even the foundation of the Sect would have been destroyed. The only thing that made Ye Hen feel somewhat relieved was the fact that Yang Kai had returned safely from the Sealed World and even brought back the Secret Technique to activate the Heaven-Grade puppets.
“Father…” Ye Jing Han called out and supported her old father. Seeing his aged appearance, her eyes couldn’t help but redden.
Ye Hen waved his hand and cupped his fists to Yang Kai with a serious face, “Young Master Yang, we owe you our deepest gratitude. Ye Hen and the Thousand Leaves Sect will never forget this great favour…”
Yang Kai smiled, “No need to be polite, Sect Master Ye. I didn’t put in too much effort either. It was thanks to your noble Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets that we were able to defeat such strong enemies in one fell swoop.”
While speaking, he glanced at the Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade puppets, thinking about how nice it would be to keep these Heaven-Grade puppets with him. He had seen the might of these Heaven-Grade puppets, and even though it was a little overboard to use them on Qiu Ze and the others, Yang Kai was certain that these Heaven-Grade puppets did not even use ten percent of their full power during that fight.
If the might of these Heaven-Grade puppets were fully unleashed then who knows what that would be like.
After a pause, Yang Kai once again spoke, “After such a huge fight, Sect Master Ye must have many things to deal with, so I will not bother you any longer. We can talk again once Sect Master Ye has settled the Sect’s business.”
Naturally, Ye Hen understood his meaning and knew that this was not the best time to hold a discussion. He immediately nodded, “Yes, yes. Jing Han, bring Young Master Yang and our other friends to rest. I will take care of some of the Sect’s matters before visiting them again.”
…..
Ye Jing Han led Yang Kai and the others back to the main hall of the Sect’s Main Peak, then turned around and left.
Right now, there was much to do in the Thousand Leaves Sect. Not only did they have to repair the Sect Defending Array, but there were also many injured disciples to take care of. Naturally, Ye Jing Han couldn’t stay here.
Only after she left did Chi Yue and the others look towards Yang Kai, an inquiring gaze in all their eyes.
Everything happened so suddenly today that there was a lot they found hard to process.
Yang Kai said, “Let’s talk in the room.”
A few moments later, all of them arrived at Yang Kai’s room. Only then did Yang Kai smile and introduce Hua Qing Si to everyone.
Previously, he told Hua Qing Si to protect Chi Yue and the others, but Hua Qing Si had never shown her face in front of them until Shi Cang Ying sent people over to capture them, and it was then that she suddenly showed up and disabled the attackers.
However, she never introduced herself, only telling Chi Yue and the others that she was a friend of Yang Kai’s.
Now, after hearing Yang Kai’s explanation, they all finally learned that Hua Qing Si’s actions were all at Yang Kai’s behest.
“Then… Who is this little girl?” Chi Yue looked confused at Liu Yan. She had the feeling that Liu Yan was quite strange, but it wasn’t a dangerous feeling. Instead, Liu Yan’s aura was simply different somehow.
Moreover, it was a little unbelievable that a little girl who only looked seven or eight years old would have the power of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, to begin with.
Compared to Liu Yan, Chi Yue and the others felt like they were simply too weak.
Yang Kai did not know how to explain his relationship with Liu Yan either, but it was Liu Yan who stood up directly, bowed elegantly to everyone, and said in a melodious voice, “Liu Yan is the Master’s servant. Greeting Sirs and Madam!”
“Master? Servant?” Chi Yue stared oddly at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes and snorted coldly, “I never knew you had strange hobbies like this.”
Ai Ou also looked at Yang Kai with a derisive expression, “Do Xue Yue and the others know that you are doing something like this?”
These two, one was his mother-in-law and the other was his father-in-law. Even though they could not be perfectly described as Yang Kai’s family, they were still Yang Kai’s Elders and would likely look at things from Shan Qin Luo and Xue Yue’s perspectives. They were worried that Yang Kai would forget about his companions back home, in their native Star Field, after coming to the wondrous Star Boundary and having a change of heart, so they didn’t hesitate to speak to him in harsh tones to remind him of his obligations.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his brow, “Liu Yan, the link between our Souls has already been broken so you are free now, there’s no need to call me that anymore.”
Liu Yan wrinkled her nose, “Master doesn’t want me anymore?”
Yang Kai responded, “Of course that’s not what I mean! What I’m saying is that since you’re free, then you can do whatever you want in the future. Naturally, it couldn’t be better if you were willing to stay by my side from now on, but if you wish to go your own way, it is also your choice to make.”
After Liu Yan obtained her Spirit Puppet body, the connection between her and Yang Kai’s Soul was broken; as such, Liu Yan was indeed a free person now with her own mind and physical body. She could be described as a living being now, only that the structure of her body was different from ordinary people.
Hearing this, Liu Yan thought seriously about it for a while before smiling, “In that case, then I choose to follow Master all the way! So please, Master, don’t drive me away.”
Hua Qing Si squinted and snorted, “See if he dares!”
“When did I say I would drive her away?” Yang Kai looked wronged. After some thought, he quickly changed the topic, “By the way, Liu Yan. Those Heaven-Grade puppets…”
Seemingly knowing what Yang Kai was thinking, Liu Yan responded seriously before he even finished his sentence, “Controlling the Heaven-Grade puppets consumes too much energy. It’s not my energy that is consumed, but rather the Heaven-Grade puppets’ themselves. Whenever they move they need a source of power to move. For the short time just now, I estimate that the number of Source Crystals consumed totalled at least a million.”
“A million Source Crystals?” Yang Kai was speechless.
Liu Yan nodded, “That’s right. Large amounts of Source Crystals are kept within the bodies of the Heaven-Grade puppets, that was why I was able to control them. Moreover, they have to be High-Rank Source Crystals.”
Yang Kai drew a sharp breath.
Previously, the Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade puppets definitely did not move for more than thirty breaths of time and merely formed the Four Divine Beasts Attack Formation, not actually doing much, but even with just that, a million High-Rank Source Crystals were consumed, which translated to a hundred million Low-Rank Source Crystals. What did that entail?
“The Heaven-Grade puppets are certainly powerful, but also require a lot of capital to use,” Liu Yan summarized.
“In that case, these Heaven-Grade puppets are no more than mere decorations in the current Thousand Leaves Sect.” Yang Kai estimated that Thousand Leaves Sect definitely did not have enough Source Crystals to allow the Heaven-Grade puppets to move again, so even if the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were given back to them, there was still no way to strengthen the Thousand Leaves Sect directly.
“Not so!” Liu Yan shook her head and explained, “There are two possible sources of energy for the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets. One is the Source Crystals kept inside their bodies, and the other is the Sect’s Earth Vein.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “You mean the Earth Vein inside the Sealed World?”
Liu Yan nodded, “That’s right. Previously, you only repaired the Space Array of the Sealed World, but the entrance was not completely opened, so the Earth Vein’s power could not be borrowed; however, if the corridor was fully opened, then the Heaven-Grade puppets will be able to move with the power of the Earth Vein. In that case, the number of Source Crystals consumed by them would be greatly reduced. Thousand Leaves Sect should be able to afford that.” After a pause, she went on, “But Master, if you wish to borrow one or two of them to play with, then you can only use Source Crystals to get them to move.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
If he wished to bring the Heaven-Grade puppets away from here, then he would definitely not be able to borrow the Earth Vein’s power; however… he had Earth Vein Crystals buried beneath his medicine garden. Moreover, he also had a good amount of Source Crystals.
So, even if it was very expensive, Yang Kai still wanted to obtain one or two of these puppets to take with him. These things were able to unleash the power of an Emperor Realm Master, so they were definitely wonderful treasures.
After an hour, all of them left Yang Kai’s room and returned to their own rooms to cultivate.
The fight today had given Chi Yue and the others the realization that their strength was insufficient.
In their native Star Field, they were all domineering existences that could shake any Cultivation Star they set foot on, but after arriving in the Star Boundary, their strength was insignificant.
Because of that, they desperately wanted to increase their strength.
Inside his room, Yang Kai entered the Insect Enslavement Bracelet with his Divine Sense to check on his Soul Devouring Insects.
The Soul Devouring Insects performed exceptionally during today’s battle, and even exceeded his expectations.
These insects were definitely a strong weapon for group battles! Even Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters could not resist their siege. If he continued to nurture them and allowed them to evolve again, even an Emperor Realm Master may be helpless against them.
But it took a long time to nurture the Soul Devouring Insects, and the cost was definitely high. Yang Kai had to buy a lot of spirit grass, tossing it into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and have the Emperor Artifact transform the medicinal efficacies into suitable nutrients for the Soul Devouring Insects.
Such a process could not be rushed.
Soul Devouring Insects were ranked very highly in the Exotic Insect Record, and was listed as high as number eleven on the Heaven List. There were also other Exotic Insects in his Insect Enslavement Bracelet. Even if they were not ranked as highly as the Soul Devouring Insects, they should still be of some significant use.
Yang Kai thought to himself that if he had spare time in the future, he should study the Exotic Insects sealed inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet. Maybe, he would be able to make them work wonders at some point.
During today’s fight, the Soul Devouring Insects devoured the Spiritual Energy and Source Qi of many cultivators and seemed to have grown a little; however, this growth wasn’t obvious.
But the fact that the Soul Devouring Insects could devour even Source Qi now was a pleasant surprise to Yang Kai. Previously, the Soul Devouring Insects were only able to devour Spiritual Energy. It seemed they really had grown quite a lot.
Three days later, Ye Hen came to visit.
Yang Kai naturally greeted him with enthusiasm.
Things had now settled down in Thousand Leaves Sect and both the dead and wounded disciples had been taken care of. Even though Thousand Leaves Sect suffered heavy losses this time, it may not be all bad. The members of the progressive faction led by Shi Cang Ying had all been wiped out, and the Elders left behind were all extremely loyal to the Sect. With the Heaven-Grade Puppets also at their disposal, they would be able to restore their past glory in time.
Ye Hen had yet to recover from his wounds. That battle from a few days ago had taken a heavy toll on his body, so when Yang Kai saw him again, Ye Hen’s face was still pale and his aura was unstable, forcing Ye Jing Han to accompany him the whole time.
Yang Kai also knew what he had sought him out for, so after taking a seat, he cut straight to the chase and handed him the Space Ring that Ye Chong passed to him.
Ye Hen took it with trembling hands and looked expectantly at Yang Kai, hoping to hear the answer he wanted.
Yang Kai smiled, “This is the Space Ring that Senior Ye Chong passed to me. Most of the Secret Art and Secret Technique inheritances of your noble Sect are likely contained inside.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Hen’s body trembled and he burst into tears.
The wishes of his Ancestors from ten thousand years ago were finally realized in his generation. But very soon, he realized that something was wrong, “Young Master Yang, you said that Old Ancestor Ye Chong was the one who handed you this ring? Does that mean…”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Senior Ye Chong died long ago. I merely communicated with a small Remnant Soul he left behind, and he instructed me to pass this ring to you.”
After listening to Yang Kai’s account of what happened after entering the Sealed World, Ye Hen’s face was shocked, “To think Old Ancestor Ye Chong dabbled in Corpse Puppetry. This…”
If Yang Kai was not the one telling him this, then he simply would not have believed it. The Corpse Puppet arts was explicitly forbidden in Thousand Leaves Sect, so how could Ye Chong have studied it? And he actually tried to refine himself into a Corpse Puppet! But Yang Kai obviously had no reason to deceive him. The fact that he brought Ye Chong’s Space Ring to him had already explained everything.
After being lost in thought for a long time, Ye Hen finally stood up and bowed, “Ye Hen will never forget this great virtue of Young Master Yang. Please, accept Ye Hen’s bow!”
Ye Jing Han also quickly bowed down.
Yang Kai helped him up and said, “You give me too much credit, Sect Master Ye. It was just a simple matter.”
But Ye Hen knew it wasn’t actually that simple. Yang Kai entered the Sealed World, encountered Ye Chong’s Corpse Puppet, and surely experienced an Earth-shaking battle. However, Yang Kai did not describe it in detail, so Ye Hen didn’t know how dangerous it truly was.
“From this day forward, Young Master Yang will always be our Thousand Leaves Sect’s closest friend. If Young Master Yang ever needs anything from us, the Thousand Leaves Sect will never decline!” Ye Hen announced seriously.
Yang Kai smiled, “Sect Master Ye, you’d best check the ring first to see if it is what you’re expecting.”
“Yes!” Ye Hen was also feeling impatient to find out whether the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were really in the Space Ring, so he began to crack open the seal right away without hiding anything.
Ye Jing Han was standing beside her father, watching both with anticipation and apprehension.
The Space Ring required the Blood Essence of the Ye Family to open, and if it were to be forced open any other way, it would immediately be destroyed.
In less than ten breaths, a stream of light passed over the archaic Space Ring. Yang Kai immediately knew that the seal had been unlocked.
Ye Hen swept the ring with his Divine Sense, his expression fluctuating constantly.
Ye Hen only withdrew his Divine Sense after a long time and sighed heavily.
“Father…” Seeing his reaction, Ye Jing Yan thought that the contents of the Space Ring disappointed him, and her pretty face paled in an instant.
But Ye Hen waved his hand, “All of our lost inheritance is inside.”
“Then why did father sigh?” Ye Jing Han looked at Ye Hen with a confused look on her face. It should be a good thing that the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were found. It meant that the Thousand Leaves Sect now had the power to become stronger and would no longer be helpless when attacked by others in the future.
Ye Hen smiled bitterly, “It’s nothing. Jing Han, you should go first. I have something to speak to Young Master Yang about in private.”
Ye Jing Han hesitated for a moment, but she still nodded, “Alright…”
Then, she nodded to Yang Kai and slowly left.
Only once Ye Jing Han left did Ye Hen show a troubled look to Yang Kai, as if he had some difficulty expressing himself.
“Sect Master Ye, if there is anything you wish to say, please speak freely,” Yang Kai smiled.
Ye Hen said, “Please forgive this Ye for this offence… dare this Ye ask what Young Master Yang thinks of his daughter, Jing Han?”
When he heard this, Yang Kai immediately had a bad feeling,but he still replied honestly, “Sister Ye is a strong woman with a kind heart.”
After getting to know Ye Jing Han for some time, even though Yang Kai did not understand her too deeply, the impression he had of her was good.
“What does Young Master Yang think of her appearance then?” Ye Hen then asked.
Yang Kai thought to himself, [Is this old man serious?] After some thought, he answered, “Naturally, those who love her will think her as beautiful as a goddess. I’m afraid Sect Master Ye will not be able to get an answer from me. Why not ask Brother Du Xian?”
Hearing Yang Kai’s answer, Ye Hen also did not bother beating around the bush anymore, directly cupping his fists and declaring, “Young Master Yang, this Ye implores you to please marry his daughter and lead Thousand Leaves Sect forward! This Ye has heard that Young Master Yang belongs to no Sect, so this Old Master is willing to…”
But before he could finish, Yang Kai raised a hand to interrupt him, “Sect Master Ye, I am unable to become the cane that breaks a couple’s relationship, and I have no intention of joining Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Ye Hen smiled bitterly, “Young Master Yang must think that this Ye is a selfish person willing to sacrifice his daughter’s happiness for his own desires… But this Old Master does not have much longer to live, and right now, no one can take over the position of Sect Master for Thousand Leaves Sect. If this Old Master passes away, then what will become of the Sect?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Du Xian is a good successor.”
Ye Hen sighed, “Du Xian is a good child, but his cultivation is not enough!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Du Xian is a Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Dare I ask how high Sect Master Ye’s cultivation was when he took over as Sect Master?”
Ye Hen was dumbfounded as he recalled only being a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator when he assumed the position of Sect Master back then. Du Xian’s cultivation now was already a Minor Realm higher than himself back then.
Yang Kai continued, “What’s more, your noble Sect’s Heaven-Grade Puppets can now be used again, and there are no longer any Masters within a hundred-thousand-kilometre radius from here who would dare challenge your Sect, so what is Sect Master Ye worried for?”
Ye Hen’s eyes gradually brightened up as he nodded, “Young Master Yang is right. The Heaven-Grade Puppets can be used once more, so what is there for this Old Master to be afraid of? The only pity is that this Old Master does not have much longer to live. If this Old Master could have just ten more years, then this Old Master has confidence he could reach the Emperor Realm. When that time came, the Thousand Leaves Sect would truly have nothing left to fear.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he asked, “Sect Master Ye believes that ten years is enough time to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
Ye Hen smiled, “This Old Master’s Secret Art was flawed to begin with, but now having Old Ancestor Ye Chong’s inheritance, would this Old Master not have wasted his life cultivating if he were unable to advance to the Emperor Realm within ten years?”
The fact that he could reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with a flawed Secret Art really put into perspective how high Ye Hen’s aptitude was. His only problem was his less than ideal background. Now that he had obtained the lost inheritance of the Sect, it was enough to make up for those flaws.
Ten years may really be enough for him to break through to the Emperor Realm.
“It truly is a pity… This Old Master does not have even that much time in life,” Ye Hen sighed heavily, feeling sad for his own miserable fate. It was because time was running out that he came up with this terrible idea of getting Yang Kai to take Ye Jing Han as his wife, but now that Yang Kai had enlightened him, his mind cleared up and he no longer dwelled on that thought.
After he finished speaking, Ye Hen got up, “This Old Master has disturbed Young Master Yang. This Old Master wishes to go to the Sealed World to take a look, so this Old Master will take his leave.”
Yang Kai responded, “In that case, then please take care, Sect Master Ye.”
After a pause, he seemed to have thought of something, “Sect Master Ye, I may have to trouble you with something in a few days.”
Ye Hen smiled, “It is the honour of this Old Master and Thousand Leaves Sect that Young Master Yang has something to ask of us. Whatever it is, please ask freely.”
“Then I will thank Sect Master Ye in advance.”
Ye Hen came here because he wanted to ask whether Yang Kai had obtained the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, which he was already satisfied with. Secondly, it was to talk about Ye Jing Han’s future; however, he was unfortunately rejected by Yang Kai.
But after receiving his rejection, Ye Hen didn’t feel disappointed and was instead relieved.
He had always been watching over Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, knowing that the two were deeply in love. If Yang Kai had agreed to marry Ye Jing Han, then Ye Hen may no longer be able to face his daughter and disciple in the future. The two of them would surely carry a deep grievance with him for a lifetime.
It was just that Ye Hen believed he had no choice but to make that suggestion for the sake of the Sect.
Right now, he was clearly just seeking any medicine at death’s door. He never asked about Liu Yan from start to finish, as if he had not seen Liu Yan controlling the Heaven-Grade Puppets. Ye Hen also never asked about Liu Yan’s background or why she would come out of the Sealed World with Yang Kai.
After sending off Ye Hen, Yang Kai informed Chi Yue and the others before going into retreat.
The cultivation of Chi Yue and the others was still too low. If they wished to cultivate, then pills would be indispensable. Yang Kai was going into retreat this time so he could refine some Spirit Pills for them. The number of spirit grasses and spirit medicines he obtained this time was quite high and was enough to refine Spirit Pills for Chi Yue and the others up to the Emperor Realm.
The room was quiet and silent, with only the flickering of the flames in the furnace emerging from time to time. Yang Kai was fully immersed in his Alchemy.
Yang Kai’s attainments in the Alchemic Dao had always kept up with his cultivation, so cultivating up to this point, he rarely had to buy Spirit Pills for his own use as he could refine whatever he needed himself.
This trip to Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World allowed him to reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, which improved his strength considerably. Even his Alchemy skills improved noticeably.
After going into retreat for a month, Yang Kai still needed to pay attention to his control while he was refining pills, the Spirit Array engraving, and also the timing to add specific herbs. But as time passed, refining Dao Source Grade Spirit Pills became as easy as eating and drinking for him. It had become a completely subconscious action that did not require much thought, and during the moments he was free while refining pills, he even had time to cultivate.
Furnace after furnace of Spirit Pills came out, and Yang Kai’s Alchemy level shot straight up. At the same time, his newly attained Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was gradually being consolidated.
With the passing of the second month, he had already used up all of his Dao Source spirit grass and herbs, refining a mountain of Dao Source Grade Spirit Pills.
By the third month, he was already refining Emperor Grade herbs.
After testing over a dozen furnaces of herbs, he finally managed to refine a furnace of Emperor Grade Low-Rank Spirit Pills. The success of this furnace of Spirit Pills represented the fact that Yang Kai’s Alchemy level had reached the Emperor Grade!
However, he wasn’t too skilled at this level of Alchemy and still required a lot of spirit grass in order to practice.
Even so, an Emperor Grade Alchemist was still a rare and valuable existence even considering the entire Star Boundary. If Yang Kai were to release news of this, then there would be no Sect out there that would not be in a rush to recruit him to their side.
Naturally, Yang Kai would not reveal the secret that he was an Emperor Grade Alchemist. From the very beginning, he learned Alchemy in order to supplement his own cultivation and had never thought of going far in the Alchemic Dao. Being able to grow to this level was only a coincidence of opportunities.
If he was really pulled in by those great forces, then he wouldn’t have the time to cultivate in the future. He would have to deal with herbs all day and refine Spirit Pills for those Sects.
But thinking back now, the incident back on Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Home Star was the fundamental reason for him being able to become an Emperor Grade Alchemist. Without the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, he would never have been able to grow to this level.
That Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was a manifestation of the Heavenly Way and had taught him the ultimate mysteries of the Alchemic Dao directly from the World itself. His current Pill Condensing Technique — the Nine Heavens Profound Pill Method, was derived precisely because of that opportunity.
After advancing to the Emperor Grade Alchemist level, Yang Kai began refining a special batch of herbs into Spirit Pills.
This special batch of herbs was the very same batch he obtained in the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World’s Emperor Heaven Valley. The amount was great, but since these herbs grew in Emperor Heaven Valley, each one had absorbed the Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura from Emperor Heaven Valley.
The Spirit Pills refined from this batch of spirit grasses and spirit fruits would definitely inherit this Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura perfectly.
In other words, if one were to take one of these Spirit Pills, they would be able to completely absorb the mysteries of Emperor Intent and the secrets of Emperor Aura within them, a benefit any Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would dream of as they attempted to comprehend the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. The efficacies of the pills themselves had become a secondary concern.
Both he and Hua Qing Si were Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, so they were both very much eager for such special Spirit Pills.
Yang Kai spent half a month in order to completely refine the batch of spirit grass and spirit fruit into Spirit Pills, then he separated them into several portions, leaving some to himself and apportioning the rest for Hua Qing Si and the others.
For him to retreat for four months to refine Spirit Pills was a first for Yang Kai. He had always gone into retreat in order to cultivate, with simple pill refining never taking this long.
After exiting, Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense out and quickly discovered that Hua Qing Si and the others were nowhere to be found, leaving him with no idea where they had gone.
But the rich World Energy in the air lifted his spirits.
Compared to four months ago, the concentration of World Energy in the Thousand Leaves Sect had definitely risen considerably. Even though it was not comparable to his Sealed World Bead or Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, it was certainly much better than before.
Yang Kai guessed that this was because the entrance to the Sealed World was completely opened.
Ye Jing Han told him that the Sealed World was the source of Thousand Leaves Sect’s World Energy, so the reason why the World Energy in the Sect was lacking was because of the sealed Space Array, causing the cultivation speed of the disciples to suffer before. Now that Yang Kai had repaired the Space Array though, Ye Hen naturally opened it as soon as he could, allowing the rich World Energy to flow into the Sect.
And this was the change after just a few months. If the Thousand Leaves Sect was given enough time, then the World Energy would certainly become even denser. When that time came, the disciples would be able to receive twice the result with half the effort when they cultivated.
Sure enough, the heritage of Thousand Leaves Sect was excellent. If not for the lost ten-thousand-year period, they would definitely be comparable to top Sects like Azure Sun Temple.
Right at that moment, a stream of light suddenly came into Yang Kai’s eyes, and gradually approached from a distance.
The light was so fast that it had appeared before him just as he noticed it.
Once the light flashed down and revealed a figure hidden underneath it, Yang Kai could not help but widen his eyes and look over in astonishment.
There stood a snow-white tiger that was tall, mighty, and awe-inspiring, with its fierce aura exposed, making Yang Kai feel a little nervous. Pouncing in front of him, the White Tiger let out a light growl.
“A Heaven-Grade puppet?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
If he had never seen the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets before, then Yang Kai may have mistaken it as a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, but at this moment, he knew that this White Tiger was not a living being, but a Heaven-Grade puppet.
Liu Yan’s little head peeked out from behind the White Tiger’s wide back and stared at him, eyes wide in pleasant surprise, “Master! You’ve come out?”
Yang Kai stared at her and asked sternly, “Why are you riding on this White Tiger?”
Liu Yan pouted, “Xiao Bai belongs to me now, it’s my choice to ride him wherever I want.”
“Yours?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly understood Liu Yan’s meaning and his eyes were instantly glowing with delight, “Good job!”
Previously, he had been wondering how he was going to ask Ye Hen about bringing one or two Heaven-Grade puppets from Thousand Leaves Sect out with him, but he didn’t expect Ye Hen to be so virtuous as to give Liu Yan one before he even asked.
Since it belonged to Liu Yan, didn’t it also belong to him?
[But this name… Why was it Xiao Bai again?]
Yang Kai suddenly remembered Mo Xiao Qi. That little girl had a bunch of pets, all named Xiao Bai, Xiao Hei, Xiao Hong, Xiao Lan, Xiao Huang, etc… She never gave any of her pets a serious name, who knows how those pets felt inside their hearts.
[Were all girls like this?]
Liu Yan leapt off the back of the White Tiger and landed nimbly on the ground. When she saw Yang Kai staring at her own pet beast with glowing eyes, she instantly poured cold water over him, “This isn’t that White Tiger. It’s a different one.”
“Huh?” When Yang Kai heard that, he was instantly disappointed, “Why didn’t you ask for that White Tiger?”
Even though he had no idea what the rank of the White Tiger he saw last time was, Yang Kai estimated that it was definitely one of their best puppets in Thousand Leaves Sect. Though similar in form, the one in front of him now definitely wasn’t as good as that one.
Liu Yan said, “The Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade Puppets are the Sect Protecting Heaven-Grade Puppets. They can’t be taken away.”
Yang Kai asked, “Then how strong is this Xiao Bai in battle?”
“Around the First-Order Emperor Realm? At its limit,” Liu Yan answered without even thinking.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Aren’t there any better ones?”
Liu Yan thought about it and answered, “There are.” After a pause, she said matter-of-factly, “But they don’t look as good as this one. They look all strange… I don’t like them.”
“What’s the point of looking good?!” Yang Kai could almost die of anger, “Strength is king!”
Liu Yan’s face sank, “If I had a scarred face full of pockmarks and accompanied you every day, how would you feel?”
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, and couldn’t find anything to talk back to her with after a long time. He suddenly had the thought that… Liu Yan’s words made sense.
“Forget it. A First-Order Emperor Realm puppet is better than nothing.” Yang Kai sighed and felt that a great opportunity had been put in front of them, but Liu Yan missed it.
It was obviously unrealistic to go to Ye Hen and ask for another one now. Even Yang Kai couldn’t bring himself to be that shameless.
It was generous enough of Ye Hen to take the initiative to give the puppet to Liu Yan.
Liu Yan said, “Don’t look down on it, Xiao Bai can run very fast. You never know, it may even be able to save your life someday!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Rather than that, I’d like to know why Ye Hen would give this to you.”
“Because I explained many things about the Dao of Puppetry to him.” Liu Yan smiled. Naturally, she could control all of the puppets in the Thousand Leaves Sect instinctively with her new body, so she was more than qualified to teach Ye Hen in this regard, saving Ye Hen many years of hard work.
Ye Hen was extremely grateful, so he naturally gave Liu Yan one of the Heaven-Grade Puppets.
“What about the others?”
“They’ll be back soon. They’ve been helping Thousand Leaves Sect rebuild this whole time.”
While they were speaking, Yang Kai could already see Chi Yue and the others flying over to them.
A few moments later, they all landed one by one, and they were all overjoyed to see Yang Kai. All of them came up to ask him about how he was doing during his retreat.
Yang Kai responded to them one by one and found that Chai Hu had fully restored his cultivation, going from Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Realm. It seemed that the toxins in his body had been completely cleared.
Inside the room, Yang Kai, Chi Yue, and the others gathered around to discuss the events that happened to them these past few months.
Actually, there wasn’t much to say. Ever since Qiu Ze brought people over to Thousand Leaves Sect to cause trouble and was subsequently wiped out, the news of the shocking incident had spread like wildfire. The Sects that had suffered huge losses of their elites were all terrified, and a few days later, those Sects sent representatives over to beg for peace, shifting all the blame to the deceased, saying they and the others had no knowledge of the events that took place.
Of course, that was all nonsense. Not even a fool would believe that.
But the Sects all brought abundant supplies in order to make up for the losses incurred by Thousand Leaves Sect during the fight, and they also expressed their intentions to attach themselves to Thousand Leaves Sect. Therefore, Ye Hen did not have them killed.
If this was before, then Thousand Leaves Sect would not have had the ability nor the confidence to force these Sects to submit to them, but now, as the Heaven Grade puppets had resurfaced, making it equivalent to many Emperor Realm Masters keeping watch over the Sect, who within a hundred thousand kilometres would dare challenge them?
Ye Hen agreed to their requests to affiliate themselves with Thousand Leaves Sect and then sent them back.
In other words, Thousand Leaves Sect had become the overlord in the surrounding hundred thousand kilometre radius! One could only imagine how rapidly the Thousand Leaves Sect’s development would be now that it controlled such a vast stretch of territory.
“Did those people from Sky Illumination Palace come too?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
Chi Yue answered, “They did. The Third Elder of Sky Illumination Palace came personally, and he brought the most generous tribute of all, obviously worried Sect Master Ye would try to settle accounts with them otherwise.”
Yang Kai smiled, “How about Qiu Yu? Qiu Ze was his father, so Qiu Yu wouldn’t just let the fact rest that Qiu Ze died here in the Thousand Leaves Sect, right?”
Gui Zu snickered, “What else could he do? In order to curry favor with Thousand Leaves Sect, Qiu Yu has already been expelled from Sky Illumination Palace and his cultivation was crippled. Right now, he is no longer the Young Palace Master of Sky Illumination Palace, he’s just a man waiting to die.”
Yang Kai sneered, “The Third Elder of Sky Illumination Palace is quite a ruthless man!”
Yang Kai had no idea who this Third Elder was, but he guessed that this man was worried that Qiu Yu would seek revenge with him in the future, so he directly crippled his cultivation and banished him from Sky Illumination Palace.
He couldn’t be faulted for doing so either. If he wanted to keep Sky Illumination Palace intact, then he had to show fealty to Thousand Leaves Sect. Qiu Yu was Qiu Ze’s only son and his father died here. Naturally, Qiu Yu would want to avenge his death.
Thinking about a few months ago, Qiu Yu was still living a prosperous and proud life, but in just a few months, he became like a dog who had been cast away. Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh a little. On the path of cultivation, one wrong move would lead to the end of one’s life!
If Qiu Ze and the others had not been so overbearing, then would their Sects have ended up like this?
“Yang Boy, there is something we wish to discuss with you,” Ai Ou suddenly said.
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked at them in confusion.
Chi Yue and the others exchanged glances before Gu Cang Yun spoke, “Big Brother, why don’t you say it?”
Gui Zu nodded, “It’s like this. We briefly discussed amongst each other and decided to join the Thousand Leaves Sect. We were wondering what the Sect Master thinks.”
“You wish to join the Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Gui Zu answered, “That’s right. Sect Master Ye also brought this up to us before, but you were in retreat so we didn’t give them an answer. We wanted to ask for your opinion first.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look at them and asked, “Do you truly wish to join them?”
Chi Yue smiled wryly, “Since coming to the Star Boundary, we’ve experienced both warm and cold moments. We also thought about joining a Sect before, but we didn’t have the ability or the connections. There was no way we could get into any good Sect like that. Now that Sect Master Ye has personally invited us, we don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Gu Cang Yun followed up, “Sect Master Yang, you haven’t joined a Sect either, so you should know the difficulties of cultivating alone.”
“I do.” Yang Kai nodded. Even though things had gone smoothly for him all the way till now, it was true he did not have the same conveniences as a Sect disciple. It was not a bad thing that Chi Yue and the others wished to join Thousand Leaves Sect. After a moment of silence, he agreed, “This is a good thing. For Sect Master Ye to invite you personally is enough to show his sincerity. If you are interested, then just stay.”
Earlier, he was still thinking about how he was going to settle Gui Ze and the others in the future.
He was originally thinking of bringing them back to Azure Sun Temple, but he wasn’t an important character in the Sect, so it wasn’t right for him to ask Wen Zi Shan to take them in.
Even though he knew that Wen Zi Shan would not refuse if he asked, if they joined the Azure Sun Temple through a back door, they would definitely be looked down on. Azure Sun Temple was not a small Sect after all.
Ye Hen’s invitation came as a pleasant surprise.
There were many things to be done in Thousand Leaves Sect, so they were in need of people right now, and the future ahead was bright for them. It may be a good thing for Chi Yue and the others to stay here.
With Yang Kai’s merit of restoring the entrance to the Sealed World and bringing back the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen would definitely not treat his friends badly in the future.
“You agree?” Chi Yue asked.
Yang Kai smiled, “This is your matter, Seniors, what is there for me not to agree with?”
“What about you? Where will you go?” Ai Ou looked at him and asked.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “I’d like to look for Xiao Xiao.”
Among his companions who came with him from the Star Field, besides Wu Dao, all the rest had already reunited. Only Xiao Xiao’s fate remained unknown. Yang Kai was very worried, and he couldn’t feel at ease with each passing day that he did not find him.
“How will you find him?” Chi Yue frowned slightly.
“I don’t know. I may have to look for Yin Le Sheng in the Netherworld Sect. He may have some clues.”
When they came out of the Starlight Corridor, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun from the Grand Desolation Star Field landed nearby Blue Feather Sect, after which the two of them were forced to join the Sect together. Meanwhile, Chi Yue and the others landed near Sky Crane City. In that case, Xiao Xiao may be with Yin Le Sheng who was similarly from the Grand Desolation Star Field.
If he could find Yin Le Sheng, he may be able to find a clue about Xiao Xiao.
He still remembered Yin Le Sheng telling him that he was a Netherworld Sect disciple. There was a Netherworld Sect in the Grand Desolation Star Field, and in the Star Boundary. As for where the one in the Star Boundary was, Yang Kai wasn’t sure, so he would have to investigate.
“You must be careful. Qing Luo is still waiting for you!” Chi Yue reminded him with a serious expression. They had met with Yin Le Sheng before and knew that the Netherworld Sect must be a rather big Sect in the Star Boundary. Yang Kai and Yin Le Sheng formed a grudge with one another in the Starlight Corridor, so if they met again, the other side definitely would not let things go. What’s more, Yin Le Sheng also knew that Yang Kai was a Star Master and wanted to steal his Star Source.
Star Sources were a rare item in the Star Boundary that were able to help a cultivator obtain insight into Principle Strength, so everyone wanted to get their hands on one.
“I know,” Yang Kai smiled. “For their sake, I will never put my life in danger.”
After that, Yang Kai took out the Spirit Pills he refined and passed them to Chi Yue and the others. He also left them a huge amount of Source Crystals.
These were all things Chi Yue and the others badly needed. Even though they knew that Yang Kai must be living a pretty good life, seeing him take out so many Spirit Pills and Source Crystals at once was still shocking to them.
Thinking back, in order to afford Source Condensing Pills, they had to put themselves in great danger, killing Monster Beasts in exchange for Source Crystals and then using them to buy Source Condensing Pills… Even so, they would never be able to afford more than several dozen each time.
Those several dozen Source Condensing Pills would have to be split among them, and they would receive less than ten pills each, which would be used up in just a few days. Then, they would have to hunt Monster Beasts again, and the cycle would continue!
But now, Yang Kai had just taken out thousands of different Spirit Pills for them.
Such a large amount of Spirit Pills was more than enough for them to use for years to come.
Many of the Spirit Pills had even formed Pill Veins.
Chai Hu was thoroughly shocked. Only now did he realize how high Yang Kai’s Alchemy proficiency was.
An hour later, Yang Kai went to visit Ye Hen.
Ye Hen seemed to be in retreat, but knowing that Yang Kai was visiting, he was still happy to greet him.
After the two sat down, Ye Hen quickly said, “This Ye should have been the one to visit Young Master Yang, this Ye never expected Young Master Yang to come himself. This Ye apologizes.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Sect Master Ye is too polite.”
After asking someone to serve tea, Ye Hen asked, “This Ye wonders what instructions Young Master Yang needs this Ye to carry out today?”
Even though Thousand Leaves Sect had become the overlord of this region, and Ye Hen’s status had also risen dramatically, he didn’t get carried away with himself and still stayed humble in front of Yang Kai.
Seeing him like this, Yang Kai knew that Ye Hen wasn’t an ungrateful man, so he could feel at ease with Chi Yue and the others having chosen to stay.
“I wouldn’t dare give instructions. Only, my Seniors have informed me that they wish to stay in Thousand Leaves Sect, so I came today to ask Sect Master Ye to take care of them in the future, “Yang Kai said genially.
Ye Hen laughed, “Please don’t treat this Ye as an outsider, Young Master Yang. The reason Thousand Leaves Sect is even able to continue on is all thanks to Young Master Yang turning the tides with his strength. Not to mention taking care of them, even if Young Master Yang asks for this Ye’s position as Sect Master, this Ye would not frown.”
[Is this old man still thinking of recruiting me into his family?]
Yang Kai thought to himself as he waved his hand, “I won’t be staying. I still have things to do.”
Ye Hen did not react too much upon hearing this. Perhaps that just now was his final probe so he smiled brightly, “Then this Ye will not bring it up any longer. This Ye only hopes that if Young Master Yang is free in the future, he will come be a guest in Thousand Leaves Sect. Thousand Leaves Sect will always welcome Young Master Yang.”
Since Chi Yue and the others would be staying here, there was no way Yang Kai wouldn’t come to visit. Yang Kai had great potential, so it was definitely the right choice to be on good terms with him.
Even though Ye Hen was old, he still had a sharp eye and understood this very well.
“Naturally.” Yang Kai smiled and changed the topic, “Last time I heard Sect Master Ye say that you would be able to reach the Emperor Realm if given ten more years?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Hen’s expression turned grave, “This Ye had spoken mistakenly last time.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was confused.
Ye Hen announced proudly, “Five years, this Ye only needs five years to be able to break through to the Emperor Realm! The Secret Arts and Secret Techniques left behind by Old Ancestor Ye Chong are of great benefit to this Ye and the more this Ye studies them, the greater the harvest. Only…” Speaking up to this point, he sighed, “This Ye does now know how long his old body can hold out for.”
While Ye Hen was reaching his end like a lamp running out of oil, the last battle worsened his physical condition substantially, so his words were no lie. If he could make a breakthrough before his death and advance to the Emperor Realm, then the concerns over reaching the end of his rope would be gone as his life expectancy would also be increased; but if he failed to advance, then he could only return to the Earth.
The only pity was that time would not wait for him!
But this matter could not be blamed on anyone either, only on his own miserable luck. If he had met Yang Kai a few years earlier, then he may have reached the Emperor Realm by now.
Yang Kai flipped his hand over and took out a jade box, slowly pushing it in front of Ye Hen, “This Spirit Pill should be of some help to Sect Master Ye.”
“This is…” Ye Hen looked puzzled at Yang Kai, unsure of why he was handing him this pill. However, he obviously knew that Yang Kai was an Alchemist, so he didn’t dare dally and quickly opened the box.
There inside the box, a longan-sized Spirit Pill with a mysterious glow was imprinted into his eyes, and a fragrance lingered around his nose. Sniffing this pill fragrance, Ye Hen was stunned as he inexplicably felt as if he had grown considerably younger.
He asked, lost in surprise, “Young Master Yang, what sort of pill is this?”
Even though he had never seen a Spirit Pill like this before, he could tell from the feeling that that smell alone gave him that this was no ordinary pill. Moreover, Yang Kai could refine even a Heaven-defying pill like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, so his work could not be short of amazing.
“I wonder if Sect Master Ye has heard of the Flowing Time Pill?” Yang Kai asked nonchalantly.
“Flowing Time Pill?” Ye Hen raised his brow in confusion for a moment before his body began to tremble and he exclaimed, “This is the Flowing Time Pill?”
Seeing his reaction, it was clear Ye Hen knew about the Flowing Time Pill.
Within the Star Boundary, there were many treasures available to prolong one’s life; however, not one of them was not an extinct treasure from legend. Not to mention a Third-Order Dao Source Realm like Ye Hen, even those Emperor Realm Masters could not get their hands on them.
Ye Hen knew that his own end was near, and he also thought about looking for these elixirs to prolong his life, but not only did he have no clue where to find them, even if he did, it would be next to impossible to obtain them; after all, many Emperor Realm Masters would already be fighting over such a prize.
So, Ye Hen had resigned himself to his fate. All this while, he had been in retreat and looking over the recently found Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, just hoping he could break through his shackles and advance to the Emperor Realm before his death. Even if he failed, he still wanted to leave behind his own insights to Ye Jing Han, so she could avoid some of the twists and turns in her future path.
But right at this moment, there just so happened to be a Flowing Time Pill placed right in front of his face.
He had learned in detail what sorts of elixirs existed in the Star Boundary that could prolong one’s life, and naturally knew of the Flowing Time Pill’s effects.
Strictly speaking, the Flowing Time Pill could not prolong one’s life, because it could not increase a person’s life span, instead, it worked by returning one’s physical state to what it was several dozen years before.
In other words, if Ye Hen were to take the Flowing Time Pill, then the state of his body would go back to several dozen years ago, which is considered a form of life extension. Of course, this effect had a major limitation. It was impossible to eliminate any injuries suffered by the person taking it. If the Flowing Time Pill could even turn back injuries by several dozen years and eliminate them, then that would truly be too Heaven-defying.
Nonetheless, the Flowing Time Pill that Yang Kai took out would be able to restore at least fifty years of life to Ye Hen!
Ye Hen simply could not believe that he could come across such a wonderful thing. He was complaining that time didn’t wait for him, and while his ambitions were only limited by the time he had left, Yang Kai was here to give him a Flowing Time Pill. He was so excited for a moment that he couldn’t contain himself.
He did not doubt Yang Kai because he knew that Yang Kai had gone to the Four Seasons Realm before, and had visited the Flowing Time Temple. The main ingredient of the Flowing Time Pill was the Flowing Time Fruit, which could only be obtained in the Flowing Time Temple.
Yang Kai had obviously obtained the Flowing Time Fruit, which was why he was able to refine this Spirit Pill.
Even though the Flowing Time Pill’s effects only spanned several dozen years, to Ye Hen, it was the best pill in the world right now, and he would be willing to buy it even if he had to give away everything he had.
Yet, Yang Kai had gifted it directly to him. Wasn’t this like what people say, delivering charcoal in a frigid winter?
With this Flowing Time Pill, what else did Ye Hen have to worry about? All he had to do was retreat for a few years and then break through to the Emperor Realm. With this Spirit Pill, he was certain that he could succeed. His bright future was unfolding before him just like a scroll, and he seemed to envision himself leading the Thousand Leaves Sect and restoring it to its past glory.
Ye Hen was overtaken by emotion for quite a while before he was slowly able to calm down. After recovering, he bowed deeply to Yang Kai, “Ye Hen has repeatedly received Young Master Yang’s kindness and has nothing to repay him with. Thus, Ye Hen hereby swears that Young Master Yang will become the greatest benefactor to this Ye and Thousand Leaves Sect. If Young Master Yang has any needs in the future, we will never refuse, and if this oath was to be broken, then Ye Hen and the Ye Family’s descendants will all be possessed by heart demons and be burned to death.”
Ye Hen made his oath firmly and quickly without the slightest hesitation, and he was already done before Yang Kai could react to the situation.
In the next moment, an invisible force seemed to surge into Ye Hen’s body and left an invisible mark on his Soul.
Yang Kai was stunned and smiled bitterly, “Sect Master Ye, there was no need for this…”
He knew very clearly what Ye Hen had just done. That was a Heart Demon oath, made with Ye Hen’s own Soul as the base. There was no possibility for him to regret this in the future. If he were ever to breach the oath, then a heart demon would really possess his body and he would be burned to death.
Moreover, this Heart Demon oath not only affected him, but also Ye Jing Han and any future descendants the Ye Family may have.
The reason why Yang Kai took out the Flowing Time Pill for Ye Hen was mainly that Chi Yue and the others would be staying here. Even though the Sect’s Heaven Grade puppets could be used now, there was no actual Emperor Realm Master to guard the Sect, which would inevitably cause them to be looked down upon.
For the sake of Chi Yue and the others, Yang Kai also hoped that Ye Hen would be able to reach the Emperor Realm and shelter them. That was why Yang Kai refined the Flowing Time Pill out of the Flowing Time Fruit and decided to give it to Ye Hen.
He had no idea that he would get this in return from Ye Hen.
Ye Hen shook his head, “Young Master Yang has revived our Ye Family and the Thousand Leaves Sect, what is the harm of this Ye making this trivial oath? Rest assured, Young Master Yang, this Old Master will take care of Chi Yue and your friends, not allowing even a single strand of their hair to be harmed so long as he lives.”
“Then I will thank Sect Master Ye in advance.” With Ye Hen’s Heart Demon oath, Yang Kai could now also be completely at ease. He knew that, unless the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed, Chi Yue and the others would not meet with any danger.
With the capital that Thousand Leaves Sect now possessed, unless some top Sect were to take action personally, no one could destroy them.
“By the way, Sect Master Ye. There is something I want to ask you about.” Yang Kai changed the topic.
Ye Hen responded, “Whatever it may be, please do not hesitate to ask, Young Master Yang.”
“I wonder how much does Sect Master Ye know about a Sect called Netherworld Sect?”
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai departed from the Thousand Leaves Sect. After obtaining the Flowing Time Pill, Ye Hen immediately went into retreat. He probably couldn’t wait to refine the medicinal efficacies of the pill and then continue studying the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Ye Jing Han and Chi Yue sent him on his way, following him for a thousand kilometres.
Naturally, Chi Yue and the group were reluctant to part with Yang Kai; after all, they had just been reunited in the Star Boundary, and now Yang Kai was leaving again. However, they knew that Yang Kai was worried about Xiao Xiao, so none of them attempted to stop him, only telling him to take care on his journey.
Yang Kai naturally kept that in mind.
Out on the beaten path, Yang Kai stopped and looked at the group, “You should go back now. I will come back to visit another day.”
Gui Ze grinned meaningfully, “Sect Master has to stay well. We will be waiting for you to establish the Sect once more in the Star Boundary, and we will all be there to support you when that happens.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That day will come eventually.”
Then, he turned to Chai Hu and said with a complicated expression, “Senior Chai Hu, will you do it, or should I?”
It was a vague question but nobody was surprised. They seemed to have understood what he meant. Chai Hu let out a soft sigh, “Let me do it. Please have a safe trip, Sect Master Yang.”
“Then, let us part here, everyone. We will definitely meet again in the future.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and summoned his boat artifact before speeding off into the distance.
Right at that moment, a stream of light suddenly shot out from behind a small outcropping to the side, a stream of light that contained a delicate body, clearly that of a young woman’s. As soon as she got close, she brandished her long sword and stabbed it towards Yang Kai, shouting, “I’ll kill you!”
Yang Kai glanced indifferently at her and sighed in his heart, having no intention of making a move against her.
The person who ambushed him in order to try and take him by surprise was none other than Luo Bing!
They had not seen each other for just a few months, but Luo Bing had already lost the beauty and innocence that she once had. Now, she looked haggard and her beautiful eyes were dull. Her aura was unstable and even the clothes on her body were no longer vibrant. From her dirty appearance, it could be seen how bad her life had been the past few months.
She was Luo Jin’s daughter, and Luo Jin had done a lot of horrendous things when he was City Lord of Sky Crane City. Now that Luo Jin was dead, those who had suffered his oppression in Sky Crane City naturally wanted to take revenge against him.
Since Luo Jin was dead, they naturally targeted Luo Bing.
Fortunately, despite her spoiled nature, Luo Bing was a decent person at heart, so some of the guards at the City Lord’s Mansion had some loyalty towards her. They protected her and allowed her to flee Sky Crane City. She had been hiding this whole time and had not been able to live a single day at ease since. Thinking that she had been the Little Princess of Sky Crane City before and was used to being pampered, her life had suddenly gone from Heaven to Hell, which was simply overwhelming for her.
No one knew where she got the news that her father died at Yang Kai’s hand, but she now ambushed him here in order to avenge Luo Jin.
But her cultivation was merely at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. Yang Kai and his whole group were all Dao Source Realm cultivators, and they were able to sense her aura as soon as they arrived here. The only reason why nobody outed her was that they knew her identity.
The sword light was bright, but Luo Bing did not slash towards him with any murderous intent at all. Her beautiful eyes were extremely dim. She clearly knew that it was unrealistic for her to try and kill Yang Kai with her strength.
Ambushing him here was probably just a request for death, hoping that Yang Kai would kill her in a fit of rage.
But she never would have expected that Yang Kai would just glance at her and then completely ignore her.