The long sword made of ice pierce through the sky and moved as though nothing could stop it, just like Luo Bing’s cold and resolute heart.
The sword was destined to miss because of the great disparity between Luo Bing and Yang Kai’s strength. She was still mid-thrust when Yang Kai had already disappeared.
But her sword did hit something.
A sturdy figure suddenly appeared in front of Luo Bing, looking at her with a compassionate yet complicated look.
Luo Bing couldn’t pull back in time and along with a puncturing sound, the sword pierced directly through the sturdy body, going in ten centimetres, causing blood to splash out everywhere.
Luo Bing instantly froze in place. She was completely stunned as she looked at that stalwart figure and gasped, “Big Brother Chai!”
The person who suddenly appeared in front of her and took the sword in the chest was Chai Hu.
With Chai Hu’s First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, it would have been easy to evade her blade. Even if he didn’t want to avoid it, he could have easily blocked it by circulating his Source Qi, but he did not do that. He let Luo Bing vent with her blade.
Luo Bing, who was determined to die, finally panicked. She came here in order to ambush and attack someone, she didn’t intend to get out of here alive. If she couldn’t kill Yang Kai, then she wanted to at least die at his hands so she could be reunited with her father in the underworld.
She came here with the determination to die, but hurt Chai Hu instead.
Chai Hu’s chest was soon stained crimson. Luo Bing’s pupils dilated at once, as if the crimson had blotted out the light before her, filling her entire world with this shocking blood.
The huge psychological shock caused Luo Bing’s tender body to weaken, and she almost fell to the ground.
Chai Hu reached out to hold her, and not only that, but he also took her arms and slowly pulled her towards himself.
Luo Bing could not resist him and it didn’t matter if Chai Hu was merely pulling her over, but the sword in her hand was still stuck in Chai Hu’s chest. With this movement, her sword plunged even deeper.
*Chi chi chi…*
The sound of metal cutting through flesh was ear-piercing, and in the blink of an eye, the sword had already passed through his chest. Luo Bing’s pretty face turned icy pale in an instant and she called out in a panic, “Big Brother Chai, what are you doing? Stop!”
But no matter what she said, Chai Hu remained unmoved.
The faces of Chi Yue and the others all changed. They never would have thought that Chai Hu would do such a thing. By the time they came to their senses, Chai Hu had already pressed Luo Bing’s body completely to his chest, and he whispered in her ear, “Young Master Yang killed your father, so I will pay back this debt in his place. Don’t point your sword at him.”
“Stop, stop! I don’t want revenge anymore, I won’t try to take revenge ever again, so let go, Big Brother Chai!” Luo Bing’s face was filled with tears in an instant. Feeling the warmth at her chest, how could she not know that it was Chai Hu’s blood. She was at a loss at that instant, and deep inside, she was filled with self-blame. If she hadn’t acted so rashly, coming here to cause a ruckus, then Chai Hu wouldn’t have done such a thing.
She had not known Chai Hu for long, and the two of them couldn’t be considered too close either; however, at her most difficult and most dangerous moment, it was Chai Hu who swooped down like a soldier from the Heavens in order to save her. Even if it was for his own selfish reasons, Luo Bing still could not forget that mighty figure that suddenly appeared and sheltered her from despair.
The feelings of her maiden heart were suddenly touched, and that figure was branded into the softest part of her soul.
During these few months of wandering around, she felt even more nostalgic towards that sense of security, and the light sentiments floated around like a cellar of old wine, constantly fermenting in her heart, making the figure in her heart grow even more vivid.
But when she saw him again, her sword was pierced straight through this man’s chest, almost killing him. After decades of living a pampered and carefree life, was this heartbreak she had to bear now the price of that?
If so, then even if she had to live a simple life, she wanted him to be safe and sound.
“Get away from him!” Chi Yue bellowed and thrust her hand out, pulling Luo Bing away and tossing her heavily to the ground.
Gui Zu and the others quickly went forward to check on Chai Hu’s injury.
After landing on the ground, Luo Bing didn’t care about her own situation at all. Instead, she stumbled over to where Chai Hu was, her pretty face out of sorts from her tears. Her expression was filled with self-blame and regret.
After a short while, Gui Zu finally let out a sigh, “Fortunately his heart wasn’t hurt. It’s not too serious.”
While speaking, he took out a pill and stuffed it into Chai Hu’s mouth. With a flick of his hand, he sent the sword flying before pushing his Source Qi into Chai Hu’s body to dissolve the medicinal efficacies and heal him.
“I’ll bring him back first so he can recover.” Then, Gui Zu picked Chai Hu up and began flying towards the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Before leaving, Chai Hu coughed lightly, “Don’t give her too much trouble, she has her own difficulties too.”
Chi Yue sighed, “Was there a need to go so far?”
What happened today was inexplicable, but Chi Yue could vaguely see that something was up. Something was definitely going on between her Fourth Brother and this Little Princess from Sky Crane City.
In just a few moments, everyone else had already left, leaving behind Chi Yue with a frown on her face.
Meanwhile, Luo Bing was now kneeling on the ground, looking towards where Chai Hu had left, sobbing as he continued to mutter incoherently, “I don’t want to take revenge anymore, Big Brother Chai, don’t die…”
She kept on repeating those words as tears continued to fall down like a string of pearls, forgetting that Chai Hu was already long gone and completely unable to hear her.
Looking at her appearance, Chi Yue couldn’t help but feel a trace of compassion and sighed as she said, “He won’t die. You didn’t injure him too heavily.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing snapped her head up towards Chi Yue and cried with relief, “Thank you, thank you!” While speaking, she folded her hands together and closed her eyes, praying to the Heavens as her tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
“Ai, you’re on your own now.” After that, Chi Yue’s figure flashed, and she quickly left with the others.
Luo Bing was left alone to pray, the sad and beautiful scene overflowing in the wilderness.
…
A month later, Yang Kai arrived at a place called Marsh City.
This city was located at the border of the Southern Territory and Eastern Territory.
The reason he came here was that he needed to visit the Netherworld Sect in order to look for information about Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts. Based on his guesses, there was a high possibility that Xiao Xiao landed with Yin Le Sheng after coming out of the Starlight Corridor.
As for how he was going to find it, Yang Kai could only improvise. He couldn’t ask Yin Le Sheng directly; after all, there was still a grudge between the two of them, and the latter also knew he had a Star Source on him.
Netherworld Sect was a top force in the Eastern Territory, on par with Azure Sun Temple.
This information was given to him by Ye Hen. Ye Hen also told him that cultivation materials were the scarcest in the Southern Territory, and the World Energy there was also relatively thin, so the overall level of cultivators was relatively low.
However, in the other three regions, the overall level of cultivators was much higher than that of the Southern Territory. There were absolutely less than ten Sects as powerful as the Netherworld Sect in the Eastern Territory, while only four such Sects existed in the Southern Territory, showing the great disparity between them.
The Eastern Territory also had one dominant sect, which was the Serene Soul Palace founded by the Supreme Soul Great Emperor of the Ten Great Emperors.
There were rumours that the famous Spirit Beast Island and Dragon Island were both located somewhere on the Eastern Sea, but nobody could confirm whether this was true or not. After all, these two islands were simply like mere mirages in the distance for ordinary cultivators.
Seemingly influenced by the Serene Soul Great Emperor, many of the Eastern Territory’s Sects and cultivators cultivated some Soul-type or malevolent Secret Arts, such as the Netherworld Sect. So, the cultivation world in the Eastern Territory was vastly different from the Southern territory.
While walking around in the Eastern territory, one should be very careful, otherwise, if one found themselves in bad company, one may even lose their life.
During the past month, Yang Kai passed through many cities and used the Space Arrays of those cities. If not for this, it would be impossible for him to reach Marsh City at the border of the Southern Territory in just one month.
Just by flying, with Yang Kai’s current speed and cultivation, it would have taken him several years to fly here. The vastness of the Star Boundary was simply beyond his imagination.
After arriving at Marsh City, Yang Kai did not rush over to the Eastern Territory. Instead, he found himself an inn to settle down in.
Since this was the junction between the Eastern Territory and Southern Territory, not only could the cultivators of the Southern Territory be seen in Marsh City, but also many Eastern Territory cultivators were present as well. Yang Kai stayed here because he wanted to inquire about the general situation in the Eastern Territory, especially about Netherworld Sect. Then, he could spare himself the trouble of searching around in the dark once he entered the Eastern Territory.
Among the cultivators walking in the streets of Marsh City, many of them exuded unruly auras that were evil and violent. Even their looks were fierce and frightening. One could tell at a glance that they were from the Sects of the Eastern Territory.
Moreover, the security situation in Marsh City was absolute chaos. Even though there existed a City Lord’s Mansion with a Master keeping watch, Yang Kai had already seen quite a few fights happening in less than one day of him arriving here. A few people had even died.
Not to mention that such a thing was simply unimaginable in Maplewood City, such a thing would not happen anywhere in the Southern Territory.
While the fights were taking place, Yang Kai could clearly perceive the auras of many Masters around the area, but nobody tried to stop them. It was only after the fights ended that the Masters showed themselves and dragged away all the people involved in the fight. Then, they took off the Space Rings of the cultivators and left their bodies on the streets to rot.
These Masters were obviously from the City Lord’s Mansion. It seemed that it was a good thing for them that the cultivators were fighting. That way, they had an excuse to capture people and make some extra money for themselves.
Yang Kai did not want to cause any trouble, so he thought of hanging around a teahouse or a restaurant for a couple days before departing. Since all sorts of people mingled in these places, he might be able to eavesdrop on some information he needed.
After asking around, Yang Kai began heading towards the largest Delightful Pleasures Teahouse in Marsh City.
In a short while, Yang Kai arrived in front of the teahouse. Looking at it, this teahouse was built to look quite dignified and was five floors high. For such a teahouse to appear in such a chaotic place, it could be seen that the background of this teahouse’s owner definitely couldn’t be small. They may very well be related to the City Lord’s Mansion.
Yang Kai took a step inside and was immediately greeted by a shop hand with enthusiasm.
Yang Kai found a seat on the third floor and asked for a good pot of spirit tea before sitting quietly, listening to the conversations between the guests in the teahouse.
The cultivators patronizing the teahouse were of varying cultivations, but the information that they were inadvertently revealing during their idle conversations was exactly what Yang Kai needed.
After sitting in the teahouse for most of the day, the patrons around him came and went, but Yang Kai did not move at all.
He really did hear a lot of useful information.
Unfortunately, nobody was talking about the Netherworld Sect, to his disappointment. He thought to himself that if he wanted to get information about the Netherworld Sect, then he probably needed to enter the Eastern Territory first.
Just as Yang Kai was about to leave, a sudden and rather strong surge of energy emerged not far away on the opposite side of the street. Someone seemed to be fighting.
Yang Kai was not surprised by this as law and order in Marsh City was in complete chaos, so fights happened from time to time. But this didn’t matter to him as long as he wasn’t targeted by anyone.
The fluctuation happened quickly, but also dissipated quickly. The disparity in strength between both sides seemed quite large. Following that, a delicate figure was kicked out from a medicine store on the opposite side. This figure spat out a mouthful of blood while in mid-air and landed heavily on the ground. Then, they did not get up for a long time. It seemed their injuries were quite severe.
A burly bald-headed man came out from the medicine store soon after, bellowing, “Bitch, you dare to cause trouble at my Endless Treasures Pavilion? This is just a warning, if I see you again, I’ll kill you! Now scram!”
After he finished shouting, the large man glared at the woman sitting on the ground with contempt before walking back into the store.
All the cultivators who walked past seemed to be used to this sight, and nobody went over to show pity for the battered woman. They just thought that she was unlucky to actually have had the guts to start trouble in the Endless Treasures Pavilion, as if the word ‘death’ didn’t exist in her dictionary.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to stick his nose in someone else’s business, but when he took a casual glance at the woman’s face, he couldn’t help but feel surprised, “Xian Yun?”
That woman actually turned out to be Liu Xian Yun!
That same Liu Xian Yun who came with Yin Le Sheng from the Grand Desolation Star Field.
Back then, he and Liu Xian Yun were forced into joining Blue Feather Sect, so they could be considered friends going through the same difficulties. After that, when they escaped the large and ruthless massacre in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai was worried that he would drag Liu Xian Yun into his problems, so he parted ways with her after they escaped.
A few years had passed, and Yang Kai had not expected to meet Liu Xian Yun again, let alone at the border of the Southern Territory.
Only, it seemed that Liu Xian Yun wasn’t in the best situation right now. She was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and her aura was unstable, clearly having advanced not long ago, the same as Chi Yue and the others. With her injuries from that burly bald-headed man, she was in a pitiful state. Her white clothes were stained red with blood, with a rather striking blotch on her chest.
During their days in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun supported each other and formed a friendship. Now that he saw her being bullied by someone, Yang Kai naturally could not sit idly by and do nothing.
As that thought flashed through his mind, Yang Kai had already leapt down from the third floor, landing lightly next to Liu Xian Yun and reaching out towards her.
Seemingly able to feel that someone was reaching for her, Liu Xian Yun’s face changed and instantly swung her hand towards Yang Kai.
“Xian Yun, it’s me!” Yang Kai shouted.
Palm stopping in mid-air, Liu Xian Yun’s tender body trembled. She turned in surprise towards Yang Kai, and when she saw his face, surprise and joy filled her beautiful eyes in an instant, “Senior Brother Yang?”
Both of them entered the Blue Feather Sect at the same time, even if they were forced to do so, so they were indeed considered Senior Brother and Junior Sister.
Yang Kai smiled at her, “The world really is filled with coincidences.”
“Senior Brother Yang, why are you here?” Liu Xian Yun seemed to have forgotten the bullying she received after seeing Yang Kai. She was beaming, and it could be seen that her joy was genuine and came from deep within.
During their time in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai had been very kind to her and also gave her many of the Source Crystals he earned from refining Spirit Pills for people. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to meet someone else as nice as him after parting ways with Yang Kai.
For Liu Xian Yun, her best days in the Star Boundary were during their time in the Blue Feather Sect.
“I just happened to pass by, but we can reminisce about old times later. What happened to you?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Xian Yun’s eyes flashed as she tried her best to smile, “It’s nothing, Senior Brother. Let’s find a place to sit down before we talk.”
Yang Kai responded, “How could it be nothing after you were hit this hard?”
“It’s really nothing, just a little misunderstanding. No need to worry about it, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun was insistent. She was clearly worried that she would involve Yang Kai in her problems, that’s why she wanted to just leave things be and not make a big deal out of it.
She had been in Marsh City for quite a while now and naturally knew how chaotic things were here. She also knew who the one behind this Endless Treasures Pavilion was. Back then, when they parted, both she and Yang Kai were Third-Order Origin Kings, so no matter how good Yang Kai’s aptitude was, it would be impossible for him to grow too strong. Right now, he would at most be at the same level of cultivation as her, so causing trouble here would be the same as courting death.
As she spoke, she took Yang Kai’s arm, intending to take him away from here.
But Yang Kai was unmoved and was persistent to stay, “If you still consider me your Senior Brother, then tell me what happened. A little Endless Treasures Pavilion is nothing in your Senior Brother’s eyes.”
That wasn’t just an unfounded opinion. Earlier, while he was drinking tea at the teahouse, Yang Kai overheard that there was only a single Emperor Realm Master in Marsh City, and that was Marsh City’s City Lord, who was only a First-Order Emperor. With just one Master like that, Yang Kai really didn’t have anything to be afraid of.
No matter who it was behind this Endless Treasures Pavilion, they couldn’t be more powerful than the City Lord.
With his current strength, Yang Kai could definitely take on a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and that was without even counting Liu Yan and Xiao Bai. If Xiao Bai were to fully display his strength, he would also be at the level of a First-Order Emperor.
Yang Kai was prepared to ignore Marsh City’s City Lord, but if the latter did end up provoking him, Yang Kai didn’t mind turning the entire city upside down.
Liu Xian Yun was stunned in place as she stared at Yang Kai in astonishment, wondering where he had gotten his confidence from. At that moment, she thought of checking Yang Kai’s cultivation, but when her Divine Sense swept over him, she was shocked to find that the aura inside Yang Kai’s body turned out to be a blur. In other words, she couldn’t see how strong Yang Kai was.
Liu Xian Yun was completely dumbfounded.
When she parted ways with Yang Kai, both of them had similar cultivations. They had only parted for a few years, but now she couldn’t even detect Yang Kai’s cultivation, which showed how great the disparity between them was.
“Rest assured, I won’t do anything rash, but I have to stand up for you regardless.” Yang Kai smiled.
Liu Xian Yun pursed her red lips. She knew she should refuse Yang Kai’s offer, but she still felt touched so she explained, “I came here to sell something, but the price the Endless Treasures Pavilion offered me was too low. I didn’t want to sell, but they forced me to sell no matter what.”
“They’re snatching things by force? How dare they!” Yang Kai’s face sank as he asked, “What were you trying to sell?”
“I’m not sure either. It was a spirit flower that I came across by chance.” Liu Xian Yun looked ashamed. She didn’t even know what she was selling, she just thought that the price the Endless Treasures Pavilion gave her was too low, so she wasn’t willing to sell it. But she didn’t expect that they wouldn’t return the item at all, and when she argued with them, they ended up attacking her directly and throwing her out.
“What price did they offer you?”
“Ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals,” Liu Xian Yun said softly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Come with me!”
Then, he brought Liu Xian Yun into the Endless Treasures Pavilion.
After the two of them stepped into Endless Treasures Pavilion, the young shop-hand at the counter immediately came over to greet them with enthusiasm, but once he saw Liu Xian Yun next to Yang Kai, the smile on his face disappeared. He looked coldly at Liu Xian Yun and snapped, “Why are you here again, you tramp?”
The boy seemed to only be a First-Order Origin King, but he wasn’t pressured at all in front of a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like Liu Xian Yun. Instead, he cursed her directly, obviously not putting her in his eyes thanks to his background.
After scolding her, he sneered contemptuously at Yang Kai, “And you even brought your toy over? You clearly have a death wish.”
*Pa…*
A crisp sound rang out as soon as the boy finished speaking as Yang Kai sent a slap across his face. For someone whose cultivation was so far below Yang Kai’s, how could he avoid that slap? The shop hand didn’t even realize what had happened when he felt the huge sting on his cheek, sending his entire person flying.
While his body was still in mid-air, several more consecutive hits rang out. Yang Kai was chasing him over with one slap after another.
He could tell at a glance that this boy was a bully who looked down on others by using his background, cursing others without even a blink. How could Yang Kai give him any face?
After sending out a dozen slaps, even though Yang Kai did not use much strength, the shop handbald was still left dizzy. After he landed on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Even his teeth had all been beaten off his mouth.
When Yang Kai struck the boy, the cultivators walking past Endless Treasures Pavilion had all seen it, and they were all dumbfounded, looking inside in astonishment, thinking, [What sort of idiot dares to hit anyone in the Endless Treasures Pavilion? They probably won’t get to see the sun tomorrow anymore.]
It was human nature for people to gather and watch when something interesting happened, so many cultivators appeared in front of Endless Treasure Pavilion’s door in an instant, all of them were looking in to see how Yang Kai and his company would end up dead.
Liu Xian Yun was also stunned. Even though Yang Kai just told her that the Endless Treasures Pavilion was nothing to him, and she also knew that Yang Kai’s strength was definitely not bad, she didn’t expect him to start hitting someone as soon as he walked in.
If she had known this would happen, then Liu Xian Yun would never have let Yang Kai come here no matter what.
Even if the one Yang Kai had beaten was just a young servant manning the counter, he belonged to Endless Treasures Pavilion in the end. For him to be slapped more than a dozen times across the face in front of the public was no different than Yang Kai slapping the face of Endless Treasures Pavilion.
And how could Endless Treasures Pavilion just take this sitting down?
Instantly, Liu Xian Yun became as anxious as an ant on a hot wok. She felt that she had dragged Yang Kai into trouble and felt guilty. All she wanted to do now was drag Yang Kai out of here, the further the better.
Seemingly able to sense her unease, Yang Kai reached his hand out to squeeze her palm, smiling, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother can handle it.”
Liu Xian Yun looked at his bright and confident smile in a daze. For some reason, her heart settled down in an instant…
“Who dares cause a stir in the Endless Treasures Pavilion?!” A voice howled across the room from the back hall, followed by the appearance of the burly bald-headed man who injured Liu Xian Yun previously. His iron pagoda-like body gave off a strong oppressive feeling, and the aura emanating from his body was extremely fierce.
As soon as the boy who was beaten silly saw the man come out, it was as if he found his backbone and stumbled towards the man. Hand on his cheek, he shouted, “Sir Deacon, you must seek justice for this lowly one! That man began hitting me indiscriminately as soon as he stepped in. This lowly one was weak and unable to resist. All this one’s teeth had been knocked out by him. Look! Look at how pitiful this lowly one is!”
He sobbed unceasingly. With blood still pouring down from the corner of his mouth, he was indeed a pitiful sight. Anyone who did not know the full story would feel sorry for him if they saw this too.
Only, Yang Kai barely used any force, so while the shop-hand’s injuries looked terrible, they weren’t serious at all. If Yang Kai hadn’t held back, there was no way this shop-hand would be as lively as this.
“You dare act unruly in my Endless Treasures Pavilion, Little Brat? You court death!” The burly bald-headed man’s sharp eyes instantly went to Yang Kai as he barked viciously at him. Then, looking over, he saw Liu Xian Yun standing next to him and seemed to understand something. Sneering, he taunted, “I was wondering what happened, so you’ve brought a little helper over, have you?”
While speaking, he glanced derisively at Yang Kai, “Little Brat, this King does not know what benefits this woman is offering you to get you to step up for her, but you’ve made a big mistake coming here.”
With a wave of his hand, the door of Endless Treasures Pavilion banged shut. Following that, four Dao Source Realm cultivators came out from different directions, surrounding Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun.
This all happened so abruptly that Liu Xian Yun’s beautiful face couldn’t help paling as she subconsciously leaned over to Yang Kai’s side as if to seek a sense of security. Lifting her head to look at Yang Kai though, she could see that he was completely indifferent, as if what was happening right now did not concern him in the slightest.
Infected by his confidence, Liu Xian Yun also calmed down all of a sudden.
“Trying to bully people with numbers?” An amused smile appeared at the corners of Yang Kai’s mouth as he looked around, sweeping his Divine Sense over the four Dao Source Realm cultivators and quickly discovering they were all just First-Orders. As for the burly bald-headed man, he was merely at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
Who knew where the man got the courage to shut the door, but from the looks of it, he was just trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and keep Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun here forever.
Hearing Yang Kai’s taunting, the burly bald-headed man only coldly snorted before his cold eyes turned to Liu Xian Yun, “I never planned to do anything to you, but since you can’t appreciate kindness and took the initiative to come back, then don’t blame this King for being ruthless. This King just happened to be lacking someone to warm his bed and your looks are not bad. Obediently kneel in front of this King and you’ll suffer less pain!”
Liu Xian Yun was instantly shaking with anger as she grit her teeth and snapped, “In your dreams!”
This shameless person not only scammed her of her spirit flower and injured her, but now he was even coveting her beauty. How could Liu Xian Yun endure being asked to beg for a man’s pleasure? She was still a rather commanding character in the Grand Desolation Star Field, but even though her status was lowered after coming to the Star Boundary, she still had self-respect.
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” The burly bald-headed man clearly wasn’t the example of patience. When Liu Xian Yun refused him, he waved his hand and said, “Kill the man and capture the woman! Why don’t you open your eyes and see where you are? You actually dare to stir trouble here? You don’t know what you’re in for!”
The four Dao Source Realm cultivators gathered around Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun acted at the same time, all releasing their Secret Techniques. They were all aiming for Yang Kai, murderous intent pouring out, and clearly didn’t plan to hold back, ready to kill Yang Kai as the man instructed.
Endless Treasures Pavilion had a strong backer, so what would they have to worry about killing a few people? It was just a pity that this little brat had eyes but failed to see and came here to cause trouble.
But the four of them soon realized that something was wrong.
The instant they began to move, the air turned heavy in the entire Endless Treasures Pavilion. An indescribably force enveloped the crowd, making it feel as if they had fallen into a mire.
These four Dao Source Realm men weren’t the strongest, but they still more or less had some insight into Principle Strength after advancing to this realm.
They immediately knew that the power restricting their movements and making it feel as if they were being weighed down by a mountain, making it hard to breathe, and even interrupting the flow of their Source Qi, was extremely profound Principle Strength.
The faces of the four men changed dramatically as they desperately tried to break free of this pressure, unfortunately achieving nothing for their efforts.
Yang Kai sneered and released a Golden Blood Thread. In a flash of gold, it garrotted the four men.
*Chi chi chi…*
After a strange noise, the golden light disappeared. The Principle Strength that filled Endless Treasures Pavilion also disappeared at the same time.
But the four Dao Source realm cultivators that attacked Yang Kai were standing still as if they had been immobilized. Their eyes were filled with fear and disbelief.
A short while later, one man’s body suddenly collapsed, falling to pieces on the ground as if he had been cut into countless slivers. Blood and flesh splashed all over the floor.
*Hualala…*
The other three also broke into pieces. In an instant, a disgusting stench of blood filled the air.
“Ah!” The burly bald-headed man clearly did not expect Yang Kai to be so merciless. He thought that since Liu Xian Yun was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, the helper she found wouldn’t be anything to look at either, so he did not plan to take action himself. But now, he knew he was very wrong.
Those four were First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, and it took much effort for Endless Treasures Pavilion to nurture them, yet they were completely wiped out by their opponent in one move.
How could strength like this be something he could contend with?
The shop hand was even worse off. He was originally standing next to the burly bald-headed man like a fox exploiting the tiger’s might. He had his eyes wide open, wanting to see them kill Yang Kai off in order to vent his anger; however, what he saw was very different from what he expected. His eyes actually rolled back and he fainted directly.
“You… You actually dare to kill in my Endless Treasures Pavilion?” The burly bald-headed man’s face was miserably pale. After realizing that he was definitely not Yang Kai’s opponent, the blood in his body ran cold, and he was no longer throwing his weight around like before.
“What a joke. They wanted to kill me, so of course I’m going to kill them!” Yang Kai laughed coldly and stared sharply at the burly bald-headed man, “Now, it’s your turn.”
When he heard that, the man knew that things were bad. He suddenly formed seals with his hand and a layer of crimson light enveloped his body. At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence. He seemed to have performed some sort of profound Secret Technique. His body shot back like an arrow, wanting to escape this place while he shouted, “Head Shopkeeper, save me!”
“Not even the King of Heaven can save you now!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He was clearly standing in place without moving, but he had already arrived in front of the burly bald-headed man in the blink of an eye. Sticking to him, he had a cold and harsh look in his eyes.
The burly bald-headed man felt as if he’d lost his soul. With his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, he was actually unable to see how Yang Kai had appeared in front of him, and he understood the disparity in strength between the two of them even more now. His face couldn’t help but turn ashen and he hated himself for not checking Yang Kai’s cultivation before acting. Now that he had completely provoked the other party, he probably wouldn’t live past the day.
“Stop!” A stern voice suddenly emerged from the rear, followed by a peak Dao Source Realm aura that pressed towards Yang Kai.
In the next moment, an old man with an all-white beard came into Yang Kai’s sight. He seemed to have rushed over from the back hall after hearing the burly bald-headed man’s cry for help.
Before he arrived, the old man had already stuck his hand out towards Yang Kai’s head, trying to force him to withdraw.
The burly bald-headed man was overjoyed and shouted even louder, “Head Shopkeeper, help!”
He thought that he must be safe now with the Head Shopkeeper himself coming out; after all, the Head Shopkeeper was a peak Dao Source Realm cultivator. This young man coming in here to cause trouble may be powerful, but he was definitely not an Emperor, that much he could still detect. With the might of the Head Shopkeeper, he would definitely be able to save him.
Yang Kai glanced at the old man with contempt and casually struck his palm out, forming a solid palm print that flew straight out to meet the old man’s attack.
At the same time, Yang Kai struck his other hand towards the chest of the burly bald-headed man.
The man’s face suddenly changed and his original joyful mood turned cold in an instant. Shocked, he asked, “What are you trying to do?”
But before he could finish speaking, he could feel violent Source Qi running through his body, cutting up his meridians like a sharp blade and wreaking havoc on his dantian. That gut-churning pain was simply unbearable and he cried out in terror.
*Hong…*
A sound erupted as Yang Kai’s palm print collided with the old man’s palm. Yang Kai borrowed the force of the impact to back up slightly, landing next to Liu Xian Yun with a calm look on his face.
On the contrary, not only did the face of the old man change after he felt Yang Kai’s power, his hand posture changed several times before he could dissolve that force. After landing on the ground, he still stumbled back several steps.
With a bang, the burly bald-headed man landed right at his feet.
“Cough…” The burly bald-headed man coughed hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then, his face turned grey and he looked at Yang Kai with incomparable hatred, “How dare you waste my cultivation!?”
At this moment, his meridians had been destroyed and his dantian was shattered. All his cultivation had dispersed. Even though such an injury was not incurable, he would need extremely precious elixirs to recover. Even without mentioning how extremely rare such elixirs were, he would not be able to afford to buy them even if he could find them.
“You dared to hurt my Junior Sister, so what’s so strange about me wasting your cultivation?” Yang Kai looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot.
“Why don’t you just kill me?!” The burly bald-headed man howled.
Yang Kai laughed coldly, “Wouldn’t that have been too nice of me if I just killed you?”
The burly bald-headed man’s face became even paler. He knew Yang Kai was right. Death would have been a relief for him. The abolishment of one’s cultivation was the cruellest punishment one could inflict upon any cultivator.
“For this sir to act so ruthlessly, may I know what my Endless Treasures Pavilion has done to offend you?” The Head Shopkeeper’s eyes were dark, and he shouted through gritted teeth in fear of Yang Kai’s mercilessness.
This young man killed four Dao Source Realm cultivators and wasted the cultivation of the burly bald-headed man as soon as he arrived. With how cruel and decisive his actions were, the Head Shopkeeper knew they couldn’t settle things nicely, but even though Yang Kai was strong, he wasn’t very afraid of him. As the saying goes, even the mighty dragon can not suppress the native serpent. Every single person in Marsh City had to give face to their Endless Treasures Pavilion.
“You have not offended me, but you have offended my Junior Sister.” Yang Kai looked coldly at the Head Shopkeeper and the corners of his lips rose up, continuing, “Don’t tell me you know nothing about this. Hand over what you stole or you’ll end up the same as him!” While speaking, Yang Kai pointed a finger at the burly bald-headed man.
The Head Shopkeeper’s face changed. He originally thought that he could delay Yang Kai until reinforcements arrived. Once they did, Yang Kai would be forced to pay for what he had done to the Endless Treasures Pavilion a hundred times over. Only, he didn’t expect that Yang Kai wouldn’t even give him that opportunity. From his words, Yang Kai clearly wasn’t going to give him any breathing time at all.
“Does sir know what place our Endless Treasures Pavilion is, and who stands behind it? You dare shout like that here?” The Head Shopkeeper had lived for so many years and had a peak Dao Source Realm cultivation himself, so he couldn’t be intimidated by a few words from Yang Kai.
“I see you’ve made your choice. In that case, please don’t blame this Young Master for being ruthless!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. It was clear what this old man was trying to do, but Yang Kai wasn’t afraid in the slightest. That was why he didn’t bother talking nonsense with him. After he spoke, Yang Kai’s body teleported right in front of the old man using Space Principles. Suddenly, in a circle spanning several tens of metres, the space turned solid.
The Head Shopkeeper was mortified, and dense sweat droplets formed on his forehead. Even with his strength and his vision, he was unable to see how Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him. He realized now that he had truly kicked an iron plate. Feeling the condensed space around him, he pushed his Source Qi wildly and with a horrified look shouted, “Endless Treasures Pavilion is the private property of Sir City Lord. Since you dare to be unruly here, then don’t even think about leaving Marsh City alive!”
When it came to this, he didn’t have the leisure to posture anymore. He tossed out his backer’s name directly, hoping that Yang Kai could exercise caution lest innocents be hurt. After all, the City Lord in Marsh City was a powerful man, and also the only Emperor Realm Master here.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai wasn’t moved at all. He couldn’t see a single fluctuation of emotions in his eyes as if he had already expected it.
[This little brat is mad!] The old man was horrified. He still dared to act so wantonly even after knowing that the City Lord was behind him. Didn’t that mean that he wasn’t afraid of Sir City Lord? What a joke that he tried to use the City Lord’s name to pressure the boy but it backfired on him instead.
The space around him was so condensed now that the old man could not move an inch. It felt like his meridians were blocked and the flow of his Source Qi was interrupted. In haste, he had no choice but to bite the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of Blood Essence, summoning a huge pair of golden blades to cut in Yang Kai’s direction.
The golden blades were of a considerable grade and emitted the aura of a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact. There was also a mysterious force behind this strike that cut a rift through the frozen space.
The old man was finally relieved of the pressure and his Source Qi began flowing smoothly in his meridians again.
But before he could do anything, a faint golden light had already spread out before his eyes.
He subconsciously looked up at Yang Kai, only to see that the latter’s left eye was shining gold. What’s more, the pupil of that left eye had also become an awe-inspiring vertical slit. An intimidating power was fluctuating inside it, and just looking at this eye caused the old man to feel panicked.
In the next moment, a lotus flower bud that was about to bloom suddenly shot out from the golden slit, the light growing brighter.
The old man froze in place as if he had been struck by lightning. His vision was filled with nothing but the lotus bud, as if it was the only thing left in this world. Under his gaze, the pure white lotus quickly bloomed.
As the lotus flower blossomed, the old man felt his Spiritual Energy rapidly being drained, and pain filled his head, like ten thousand ants were gnawing at his Soul.
[Not good, this is a Soul Secret Technique!] The old man came back to his senses with a start, but there was nothing he could do. The young man’s Spiritual Energy seemed to be much stronger than his own, and this inexplicable lotus Secret Technique had already devoured a massive amount of his Spiritual Energy in just a short amount of time, causing his whole body to weaken as a horrified look appeared on the old man’s face.
A sharp pain washed over him, the stimulation quickly jerking the old man awake. Looking over, he saw that his arm had been chopped straight off. Blood was spurting out from the wound and pouring out onto the ground.
The face of the young man turned serious. Lightly reaching out his palm, he pressed it against the old man’s chest.
Thinking back to what he saw happen to the burly bald-headed man when he was observing them in the shadows previously, combined with Yang Kai’s words, how could the old man not know what Yang Kai intended to do?
He was really going to waste his cultivation!
The old man shivered fiercely as he shouted with all his might, “No! We can talk things through. This Old Master can grant you anything you want!”
*Peng…*
Yang Kai’s palm still pressed down, seemingly pushing the old man’s chest down a finger’s length, causing him to spit out blood and fly backwards towards the counter miserably. The old man landed heavily on the ground, and like the burly bald-headed man, Yang Kai’s strike had crushed his dantian, broken his meridians, and wasted his cultivation.
“You didn’t cherish the opportunity when I was willing to talk, so there’s no need for you to talk anymore.” Yang Kai didn’t even look at the old man and just reached out to grab the Space Ring from his severed arm, tossing it to Liu Xian Yun, “See if what you’re looking for is in the ring.”
Liu Xian Yun caught it subconsciously, but she clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock yet. She looked bewildered at Yang Kai and could not understand how he could actually become so powerful after they parted for just a few years.
The four First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators being instantly killed by him was one thing, but the burly bald-headed man and the Head Shopkeeper were not your usual Dao Source Realm Masters. But these two were just like mere children in front of Yang Kai, having no power to fight back while they were being pummeled. Their cultivations were practically wasted in just one move from Yang Kai.
Thinking back to when the two of them were forced into joining the Blue Feather Sect and only surviving under Bian Yu Qing’s wing, Liu Xian Yun simply couldn’t believe the man before her was the same person.
“Senior Brother… Have you broken through to the Emperor Realm?” Liu Xian Yun asked in a dumbfounded voice.
“Not yet.” Yang Kai smiled.
Liu Xian Yun was even more shocked now. That he could be so vicious before even reaching the Emperor Realm, then what would he be like once he broke through?
She could still be considered a powerhouse in the Grand Desolation Star Field and a genius rarely seen once every thousand years, but compared to Yang Kai now, she felt that her own cultivation aptitude was simply poor.
“So, is it there?” Yang Kai asked again.
Only then did Liu Xian Yun scramble to look through the Space Ring. After a short while, she took out a jade box from the Space Ring and smiled, “It’s still here!”
The jade box was where she put the spirit flower before this, and the seal she had personally put over the box had not been removed yet. From the looks of it, the Head Shopkeeper hadn’t had the opportunity to open it yet after stealing it.
“You should keep the ring, too. Take it as the Head Shopkeeper’s compensation to you.” Yang Kai sneered, “I’m sure the Head Shopkeeper isn’t a stingy man, after all.”
When the Head Shopkeeper, whose aura had withered at the counter, heard this, he almost choked on his breath and fell dead on the spot.
There were plenty of good things in his ring. The Endless Treasures Pavilion was able to acquire some precious treasure, even some that they were planning to sell soon, as well as items not suitable to lay out in the open. It was not too much to say that his Space Ring was worth quite a lot of money.
Right now, Yang Kai robbed him of his ring with just one sentence. The Head Shopkeeper could almost feel his heart bleeding, but with his current condition, he didn’t have the strength to resist even if he wanted to.
“Is this… really okay?” Liu Xian Yun had never done this sort of thing before and could not accept it for some time. It felt like her own morals and bottom line were being challenged.
“There’s nothing wrong about it,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “There’s no telling how much of the stuff in that ring was taken by force. If they can rob others, why can’t they be robbed as well?”
“Then… Alright.” Liu Xian Yun happily put away the Space Ring without any more psychological pressure.
It did make sense to her. If she had not bumped into Yang Kai today, she would have been robbed. That alone was enough, but she was even beaten by them. This group of people from Endless Treasures Pavilion bullied the weak in Marsh City and had definitely done a lot of nefarious deeds over the years. There was really no reason to feel pressured robbing this kind of scum. She could just take it as righting a wrong under Heaven’s decree.
“Little brat, you have guts, but you’re definitely not destined to live through tomorrow. The City Lord will not let you go.” Currently, the Head Shopkeeper’s cultivation was completely ruined so there was nothing for him to be afraid of anymore. Looking at Yang Kai in hatred, he spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, “When that time comes, this Old Master will eat your flesh bite by bite!”
Hearing this, Liu Xian Yun’s face changed, her voice trembling as she said, “Senior Brother, let’s get out of here quickly or it’ll be too late. Marsh City’s City Lord is an Emperor Realm Master. He’s not someone we can mess with.”
But Yang Kai just glanced contemptuously at the old man, “That Pang Guang won’t come and provoke me. If he dares to come, this Young Master doesn’t mind seeing him off into the next world as well!”
The old man was stunned.
Pang Guang was the City Lord of Marsh City that he spoke of, and also the only Emperor Realm cultivator in the city. He thought that Yang Kai would definitely be afraid of him, but from his tone, it seemed he didn’t put the City Lord in his eyes at all.
[Where on earth does this little brat come from? How dare he boast so shamelessly!]
In his mind, the old man felt that no one would be able to avenge him. In other words, he was humiliated and had his cultivation wasted for nothing. In the future, the only thing he could do was drag out a feeble existence. He might as well be dead!
Under the stimulation, the old man spat out another mouthful of blood and his aura dropped even further.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai turned around and smiled at Liu Xian Yun, taking the lead in walking out. After opening the door, he found that cultivators were standing on both sides of the street and even on the rooftops, all of them looking towards the Endless Treasures Pavilion.
Many people saw Yang Kai bringing Liu Xian Yun into Endless Treasures Pavilion, and these cultivators had nothing to do so they naturally wanted to watch the fun. Then, when the door was shut by the burly bald-headed man, they couldn’t see the situation inside anymore.
Even though they couldn’t see inside, the violent energy fluctuations and the banging noises going back and forth inside were not fake.
During this short period of time, the number of cultivators gathering to watch the action had already gone up to several thousand.
When Yang Kai opened the door at this moment and came out, he was immediately greeted by several thousand pairs of eyes.
None of them could believe what they were seeing though. They all thought that Yang Kai did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and actually dared to stir trouble in Marsh City’s Endless Treasures Pavilion. Wasn’t that courting death? Without even mentioning the Endless Treasures Pavilion’s backer, the City Lord, the cultivators in Endless Treasures Pavilion themselves were extremely strong. The Head Shopkeeper was even at peak Dao Source Realm. If he were not too old, affecting his meridians and his body, then this old man would definitely have the qualifications to break through to the Emperor Realm.
They thought that Yang Kai was definitely going to eat a big loss this time.
But they were taken aback at the scene before them.
Yang Kai walked out of the Endless Treasures Pavilion unharmed and without even a wrinkle on his clothes. On the other hand, there were several corpses lying inside Endless Treasures Pavilion with blood splattered everywhere. As for the burly bald-headed man and the Endless Treasures Pavilion’s Head Shopkeeper, they were pale-faced with shrivelled auras. One could tell at a glance that their cultivations had been crippled.
A chorus of gasps could be heard and the looks in many cultivators’ eyes finally changed as they looked at Yang Kai. They realized that this young man was definitely not someone to be messed with, and there was even a high possibility that he was an Emperor.
After all, how long had he been in there? To be able to turn Endless Treasures Pavilion into such a mess in just several dozen breaths of time, how could he have such power if he were not an Emperor?
When Yang Kai walked out, the cultivators gathered close by could not help but step backwards, eyes filled with fear.
Yang Kai swept a cold glance around and coldly snorted, not paying them any mind. He just brought Liu Xian Yun over to the teahouse opposite the street, going back to that table on the third floor, then ordering another pot of spirit tea.
He caused a huge ruckus in Endless Treasures Pavilion and both injured and killed their men, but he did not escape. Instead, he just went into the teahouse opposite the building to drink tea. The people who were gathered there to watch the show were all looking at him in disbelief.
They all secretly admired Yang Kai’s fearlessness and felt that he was either strong enough to have no fear of Pang Guang, or had a strong enough background that would put Pang Guang on guard.
But as they were unrelated to Yang Kai, they couldn’t be bothered to care about all that. Instead, the open doors of the Endless Treasure Pavilion were of greater interest to these cultivators right now.
The cultivators in Marsh City were basically the gruff type that value human life as little as grass. Naturally, they wouldn’t care who was right or wrong in this situation. However, since the spirit grasses, medicines, and other precious treasures in Endless Treasures Pavilion were unguarded right now, it was a good opportunity for them.
Even though Endless Treasures Pavilion was the property of Pang Guang, men die for wealth and birds die for food. When it comes to this, some people will eventually feel their hearts itch.
After a moment of silence, a figure suddenly leapt out from the crowd, rushing straight into Endless Treasures Pavilion and sweeping all the spirit grasses and medicines on the shelves into his Space Ring.
Seeing this, how could the others stay still? The cultivators flooding into the Endless Treasures Pavilion to rob them while they were down were as many as carps crossing the river. In just a short while, Endless Treasures Pavilion had been swept clean. Anything that was worth something had disappeared, and with the things gone, the cultivators also quickly scattered and disappeared.
Upstairs in the teahouse, Yang Kai watched the sight indifferently; however, he did have some insight into how the cultivators were here in Marsh City now.
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun felt uneasy as if she were sitting on pins and needles, “I think we better go…”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident in Yang Kai’s abilities, but a huge situation had erupted and she was the cause of it all. She didn’t want to provoke any stronger enemies for Yang Kai.
“No need.” Yang Kai smiled and poured her a cup of spiritual tea, “This place is a mess, how did you end up here?”
He was still quite curious about Liu Xian Yun’s situation after not seeing her for several years. After they fled from Blue Feather Sect, he gave the bigger half of his belongings to Liu Xian Yun at the time and the two went off into different directions. After that, Yang Kai went to Maplewood City, working hard till now. He didn’t expect to be able to bump into Liu Xian Yun while passing by Marsh City this time.
“I’ve been here many years now.” Liu Xian Yun smiled bitterly and briefly told him about her situation during these past few years.
In fact, there was nothing much to tell.
After parting with Yang Kai, she had been roaming around the Southern Territory like a fly without a head. It wasn’t until she arrived at Marsh City that she settled down. Even though Marsh City was chaotic, there were many places nearby that were suitable for her to train.
She was able to look for some cultivational resources in those places, and after a few years, though she lived a hard life, she still managed to break through to the Dao Source Realm.
Some days ago, she found a spirit flower in a place nearby called the Solitary Void Mountain Range, so she thought of bringing it back to sell for some Source Crystals. She thought that the Endless Treasures Pavilion would be a good place to pawn the spirit flower since it was backed by the City Lord, but she didn’t expect them to offer her only ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals after they saw what she was offering.
Even though Liu Xian Yun had no idea what the spirit flower she found was, or what it was used for, she had a feeling that it was definitely worth more than just a few Source Crystals, so how could she be willing to sell? After trying to bargain with them, they even put their hands on her, and Yang Kai knew what happened next.
“Senior Brother, you should take this spirit flower. I don’t know what it is anyway.” While speaking, Liu Xian Yun handed the jade box to Yang Kai.
“Let me see.” Yang Kai took it and unsealed the box, opening it up a slit.
In a flash, a fresh fragrance spilled out from the box. When the smell entered his nose, Yang Kai felt invigorated and his Knowledge Sea also cleared up considerably.
With a clang, Yang Kai quickly shut the jade box, face filled with disbelief.
Soul Warming Lotus?
Even though he had only opened the jade box a crack, his Divine Sense could see the spirit flower laying inside that looked like his Soul Warming Lotus. Only, it wasn’t as colourful. Instead, it was pure white. The aura that came out of it was somewhat similar to the Soul Warming Lotus, as if it were a Soul Warming Lotus that had been shrunken a dozen times.
No! This isn’t a Soul Warming Lotus! It was said that the Soul Warming Lotus was a supreme treasure in this world. Just like the Immortal Tree, only one existed in the world. There was definitely no other.
“Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered the information recorded on the jade slip left behind by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s third disciple, Gong Sun Mu, and immediately realized what this spirit medicine was.
This was clearly the legendary Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus!
The Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus was not as precious as the Soul Warming Lotus, but it was still a legendary item. Just like the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, it was an extinct treasure.
The Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill was refined with the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus as its primary ingredient. Even though it did not have the effect of raising the dead, it was still able to repair the broken meridians and dantian of a cultivator. It was definitely a divine treasure.
Take the burly bald-headed man and the Head Shopkeeper of Endless Treasures Pavilion for example. Even though their cultivations were crippled by Yang Kai, if they took a Heavenly Restoration Pill, it would take less than three months before their broken meridians and dantian would become as good as new.
But this thing only existed in the legends, and it had not appeared in public in thousands of years.
Who knew what sort of problems those people from the Endless Treasures Pavilion had in their heads when they tried to buy this Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus by force for just ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals! Ten thousand trivial Low-Rank Source Crystals weren’t even enough to sniff this Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus’s aura.
The people at Endless Treasures Pavilion may not have recognized the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, but they definitely knew this was worth a lot of money. If they really tried to pay for it fairly, they may not have been able to afford it, so they simply stole it instead.
The Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill’s medicinal effects did not just stop at repairing the meridians and dantian. It had other special uses too.
In any case, the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill’s worth was definitely invaluable.
Yang Kai also did not expect Liu Xian Yun to have such fortune to obtain such a divine treasure.
“Junior Sister, do you remember where you got this spirit flower from?” Yang Kai lowered his voice.
“Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range…” A hint of fear rose up in Liu Xian Yun as she recalled her time there, “I was chased by a Monster Beast and was only able to escape it by running through random paths. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone there myself. I heard that the deepest part of the Solitary Void Mountain Range is a place where even an Emperor Realm Master would not be able to return safely from once they went in. So, it was all thanks to luck that I was able to make it out this time.”
“If I asked you to go there again, would you be able to find the right path?”
“Go there again?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled a little and she asked, “To do what?”
It was absolutely thanks to luck that she was able to escape safely last time. If she were to go again, Liu Xian Yun didn’t have the slightest confidence that she could escape alive, so she had no idea why Yang Kai wanted to take such a risk.
“Because…” Yang Kai was just about to explain to her the reason, but before he could finish, he suddenly frowned and looked downstairs.
He could see, standing in front of the door of Endless Treasures Pavilion, a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious robe with a dark look on his face. The man had an extraordinary air about him and was, impressively, an Emperor Realm Master. He seemed to have sensed Yang Kai’s gaze and looked over in an instant, eyes as sharp as that of a hawk’s.
“It’s Pang Guang!” Liu Xian Yun also saw the middle-aged man and immediately cried out in panic.
Having been in Marsh City for so many years, she naturally knew very well what Pang Guang looked like. When she saw him come here in person, she knew they were in big trouble.
She had no idea how Yang Kai could be so confident as to stay, but an Emperor Realm Master clearly wasn’t someone who was easy to deal with.
On the other side, Pang Guang suddenly moved, disappearing in an instant.
By the time he reappeared, he had already arrived on the third floor of the teahouse, standing in front of Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun.
Liu Xian Yun was so shocked that she screamed, blood draining from her face in an instant.
“Were you two the ones who were stirring up trouble in Endless Treasures Pavilion earlier?” Pang Guang went straight to the point and coldly questioned Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun. He had clearly learned of the appearances of the troublemakers through some unknown means.
Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled and she did not dare to answer.
She was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator and she had just broken through recently. Her realm wasn’t even consolidated yet. Naturally, facing an Emperor Realm Master felt as stressful as if a mountain was piled on top of her.
But Yang Kai was calm and unperturbed, only giving Pang Guang a simple glance.
Compared to Qiu Ze, Pang Guang’s aura was undoubtedly stronger and more powerful. He was very clearly stronger than Qiu Ze, but his power was limited. With Yang Kai’s strengths and means, there was no need for him to fear him.
When neither of them answered, Pang Guang bellowed at once, “You dare stay silent when this King questions you?”
His Emperor Pressure suddenly poured out, filling the entire teahouse. The faces of the other cultivators who were still drinking tea changed, going completely stiff. The murderous intent that was as dense as if it was material instantly sent shivers down their spines when it seeped into their skin and bones. They cursed Yang Kai for not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth, acting so wantonly in front of the City Lord and even dragging them into it.
With a gentle wave of Yang Kai’s hand though, it was as if a sharp sword had cut through the dim sky and the Emperor Pressure enveloping him and Liu Xian Yun dissipated instantly, feeling as if the clouds had cleared to reveal clear skies.
Pang Guang was shocked. Only then did he begin re-examining Yang Kai.
He could clearly sense that Yang Kai was only at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, but then how could he disperse his Emperor Pressure with just a wave of his hand? Even though it was just one move, Pang Guang didn’t dare to underestimate Yang Kai anymore. He knew that if this young man could make a big mess of his Endless Treasures Pavilion and had the guts to sit here, it meant he probably had something to rely on.
[Does this guy come from some top Sect? If not, how could he have such heritage?]
He had heard that the elite disciples of those top Sects had the strength to fight above their realm. If this young man really did come from one of those top Sects, then things were going to be tricky today.
At that moment, Pang Guang suddenly felt some uncertainty well up in his heart. For a City Lord to have an establishment under his name be turned upside down with his subordinates killed or injured, where was he going to put his face if the other party wouldn’t give him a satisfactory answer?
But if this man had a strong background, he may not necessarily be able to provoke him. Don’t look at how Pang Guang lorded over Marsh City, he really wasn’t anything in the eyes of those top Sects. If anything happened, those people could just send one of their Elders over and they would be able to destroy him several dozen to a hundred times over.
As he was still thinking about how he was going to solve today’s problem without offending too many people while still maintaining his reputation, he suddenly sensed something different around him.
Shocked, he turned his head around, only to see that an elderly man had somehow appeared beside him at some point. This old man had a head of white hair but he looked quite hale and hearty. Dressed in grey linen robes, the man looked completely inconspicuous.
[When did this old thing appear?]
Pang Guang was astonished. He was only thinking about Yang Kai earlier and completely did not notice when this elderly man appeared. And, this man’s face was also extremely unfamiliar to him. He had clearly never met this person before.
Yang Kai was also taken aback by the old man’s sudden appearance.
Pang Guang was distracted earlier and didn’t pay much attention to the old man’s sudden appearance, but Yang Kai saw the whole thing.
This elderly man appeared completely without warning, as if he simply materialized out of thin air in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai steadied his thoughts and quietly released his Divine Sense to check the old man’s cultivation. Much to his surprise, it was like his Divine Sense was trying to probe an endless ocean, sinking in and disappearing without a trace.
This old man… turned out to be an even more powerful Emperor Realm Master than Pang Guang. At the very least, he had to be a Second-Order Emperor, but most likely he was a Third-Order Emperor.
Such a Master existed in Marsh City? Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked. He quietly glanced at Pang Guang. If these two were on the same side, then things would be tricky. He originally thought that Pang Guang was the only one to be wary of in Marsh City, that’s why Yang Kai wasn’t afraid at all. But now that an even more powerful old man had appeared, Yang Kai was already beginning to consider how he was going to get out of here safely.
But after taking a glance at him, Yang Kai felt reassured. That was because Pang Guang also had a suspicious look on his face at the moment. He clearly did not know this elderly man.
As a City Lord, he actually did not realize what sorts of hidden dragons and crouching tigers were hiding under his own territory. It had to be said that Pang Guang was truly a failure as a City Lord.
The elderly man had a burning gaze at the moment, as if he had discovered something of great interest, and smiled at Yang Kai, “This Old Master is Yao Chang Jun, the owner of this teahouse. How should I address you, Little Brother?”
He had an amiable look on his face as if he were an easily approachable Senior, but Yang Kai could instinctively feel a dangerous aura coming from him.
Before Yang Kai could say anything, Pang Guang coldly snorted and said, “This City Lord has something to discuss with this young man. Unrelated people should excuse themselves now.”
He had a commanding look on his face, as if he didn’t put Yao Chang Jun in his eyes at all.
As soon as his words came out, Yang Kai’s expression turned odd instantly.
But very soon, he understood. He guessed that Pang Guang probably did not know Yao Chang Jun’s depths. Otherwise, he would not dare talk to him like this. And, after his previous attempts to shake Yang Kai with his prestige failed miserably, Yao Chang Jun also did not even look at him after he showed up, so Pang Guang was probably acting out of anger without thinking right now.
Yang Kai not putting him in his eyes was one thing, but how dare a trivial owner of a teahouse under his jurisdiction not show him respect?
As a City Lord, how could Pang Guang bear this?
“You want this Old Master to excuse himself?” Yao Chang Jun grinned meaningfully and looked at Pang Guang with interest, “Are you sure of that?”
Only now did Pang Guang realize that something was wrong and quickly released his Divine Sense to check Yao Chang Jun’s cultivation, but it was already too late. The latter had already struck a palm towards Pang Guang and coldly snorted, “A trivial First-Order Emperor dares act so presumptuous in front of this Old Master? Scram!”
The Qi rumbled in his palm like a vortex of stars, harbouring tremendous power.
When he released his Qi, it seemed to shake both Heaven and Earth.
Pang Guang’s face changed dramatically. There was no way he still didn’t know his foolish self had just provoked someone he shouldn’t have. Terrified, he quickly retreated backwards, shock apparent in his voice, “Senior, mercy!”
But no matter how he tried to dodge it, the old man’s palm still hit him square in the chest. Following a loud bang, Pang Guang’s entire body flew backwards like a sack, destroying several dozen buildings along the way before he landed miserably on the ground, coughing out a mouthful of blood.
The rowdy cultivators on the third floor of the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse were all dead silent.
All their eyes were so wide they threatened to pop out of their sockets at this sight.
Marsh City’s City Lord, a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, Sir Pang Guang, was actually sent flying by an unknown old man!
And what’s more, this old man was the owner of the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse!
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, then they never would have believed it.
It turned out the real master behind Marsh City was not the City Lord at the front, but the hidden owner of this teahouse!
How high was this teahouse owner’s cultivation to be able to send Pang Guang flying with one hit? Second-Order Emperor Realm? Third-Order?
Everyone was shocked beyond words. When some of them thought back to how they used to go crazy in this teahouse and deliberately made things difficult for the shop-hands, they suddenly became morbidly ill all over. A cold chill went down from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet as if they had fallen into a freezing blizzard.
Only now did they realize that Delightful Pleasures Teahouse was definitely not a place where they could act wild and unrestrained. With the cultivation of the owner, if he really did want to take their lives, even Pang Guang wouldn’t dare to make any noise. The reason why they were fine was clearly that the owner didn’t care.
[We will never dare cause trouble here again!] Each of the cultivators vowed in their hearts.
“Now we can talk.” After slapping Pang Guang away, Yao Chang Jun sat in front of Yang Kai with a smile, face looking calm and relaxed as if he was just slapping away a fly.
Liu Xian Yun was completely dumbfounded. Her face was drained of colour and her teeth chattering. She originally thought that they had just offended Pang Guang, but now she didn’t expect an even more powerful Master to jump out.
“What does Senior wish to talk to me about?” Yang Kai frowned and asked. From the moves he showed just now, this Yao Chang Jun was clearly not as amiable as he may seem on the surface; rather, he seemed to be an old monster subject to shifting moods.
How could Yang Kai dare to treat such a person lightly?
While speaking, Yang Kai silently slipped the jade box into his robe.
But obviously, his actions could not be hidden from Yao Chang Jun’s eyes. With just a reach of his hands, the owner of Delightful Pleasures Teahouse was able to make the box in Yang Kai’s hand fly into his own.
Yang Kai’s face sank immediately. He knew that Yao Chang Jun had likely sensed the aura of the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, and that’s why he appeared. A peerless treasure like this was definitely of great use to any cultivator.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to snatch away his things in such a way.
If he had known this would happen, then Yang Kai would not have opened the seal of the jade box here. Only, who would have thought that an old monster would be hidden inside this teahouse? Yang Kai sighed in his heart and could only hope that Yao Chang Jun had no idea about the secrets behind the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus.
“Let’s talk about this,” Yao Chang Jun grinned meaningfully, with a ‘don’t play slick in front of me, boy’ look on his face. While speaking, he gently opened a crack on the jade box and his face suddenly turned solemn, as if the jade box contained something extremely precious and important to him.
A faint fragrance wafted out from the jade box, and a look of astonishment emerged in Yao Chang Jun’s eyes, causing him to rejoice, “As expected, it’s this! This Old Master has waited two hundred years for this day, it was not in vain! Hahahaha.”
Yao Chang Jun’s face beamed instantly.
From how Yao Chang Jun was talking, there was no way Yang Kai wouldn’t know that he recognized the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus. What’s more, this old man kept his identity hidden and opened a teahouse here, surprisingly just for the sake of this treasure, and he even waited more than two hundred years!
“Boy, tell this Old Master, where did you find this?” After confirming that the jade box did indeed contain the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, Yao Chang Jun suddenly became eager. The warmth from just now was long gone, on the contrary, his voice was now dark, very likely hinting to Yang Kai that he would show no mercy if he dared hide the truth from him.
“Senior, this is something I came across inadvertently. It has nothing to do with my Senior Brother,” Liu Xian Yun suddenly interjected.
Her intention was clear. She didn’t want to involve Yang Kai into her own matters.
“You were the one who obtained it?” Upon hearing this, Yao Chang Jun ignored Yang Kai and turned his burning gaze towards Liu Xian Yun instead.
Liu Xian Yun was a little frightened by his intimidating gaze, but still nodded with unease, “Yes.”
“Where?” Yao Chang Jun urged.
Liu Xian Yun froze. She looked at Yang Kai nervously. She talked to Yang Kai about this earlier, but she was interrupted by Pang Guang before she could answer. Was it possible that other treasures existed where this had been picked up from? Otherwise, why would these two both ask this question?
Even though she was puzzled, she didn’t dare to dally and quickly responded, “I found it deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range.”
“The Solitary Void Mountain Range! As expected!” Yao Chang Jun hissed, seemingly having guessed the answer already. His expression fluctuated for a while before he asked solemnly, “If you were to go there again, could you retrace your steps?”
Liu Xian Yun answered, “I don’t remember the way too well…”
“Waste!” Upon hearing this answer, Yao Chang Jun’s anger flared up. He pressed his surging Emperor Pressure that was as dense as a solid material over Liu Xian Yun, and the latter’s face turned red, spitting out a mouthful of blood from the shock.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly acted.
This old monster, Yao Chang Jun, was definitely not easy to deal with. Moreover, he was subject to shifting moods, and Yang Kai could see at a glance he was a merciless one, not putting the lives of others in his eyes just because of his high cultivation. There was no issue with him asking Liu Xian Yun about where she found the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, she could just take him there, but there was a need to worry about this old man wanting to silence the witness to the crime after he was done using her.
Yang Kai guessed that he was likely going to do so.
So, when the old man’s anger flared up, Yang Kai knew his opportunity had come.
Space Principles surged as the air around them froze in an instant. Yang Kai snapped his fingers and sent several huge Moon Blades towards Yao Chang Jun.
Yao Chang Jun was still in a fit of rage, so he would never have expected that Yang Kai would take the initiative to raise his hand against him. Obviously, it was admirable that a Third-Order Dao Source Realm brat could hold his calm in front of him, but did he really dare to raise his hand against him?
Yao Chang Jun was taken completely by surprise.
The black Moon Blades very quickly arrived before Yao Chang Jun’s eyes with the intention of chopping him into pieces.
But Yao Chang Jun was unfazed and snorted coldly, “Little brat, you’re courting death!”
As soon as he said that, he reached out and grabbed the Moon Blades.
Being grabbed by him, after a fierce squeeze, the sharp Moon Blades shattered directly, along with the Space Principles Yang Kai manipulated, causing the solidified space around them to instantly smooth under immense Emperor Pressure.
“Space Principles?” Yao Chang Jun revealed a look of surprise at Yang Kai, “Interesting. Who is Li Wu Yi to you, boy?”
“Your Father!” As Yang Kai bellowed, the Demon Eye of Annihilation was opened, and the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique revealed itself from the golden vertical slit, pouring out and blasting into Yao Chang Jun’s mind.
Yao Chang Jun did not expect Yang Kai to use a Soul Secret Technique to deal with him; after all, the difference between their cultivations was too great. Under normal circumstances, the one with weaker cultivation couldn’t attack someone stronger using a Soul Secret Technique because it would undoubtedly result in severe backlash, possibly even death.
But Yang Kai did so.
What unsettled Yao Chang Jun even more was the fact that this was currently his biggest weakness.
Yang Kai seemed to have known that, so he did not feel the slightest hint of fear and directly used an extremely strong Soul Secret Technique.
Yao Chang Jun was hit instantly, and his Knowledge Sea defences were swiftly torn through. Severe throbbing pain erupted in his mind and he began howling while holding his head. The Qi in Yao Chang Jun’s body flared uncontrollably and rampaged out in all directions.
“Run!” Yang Kai shouted as he reached out towards the jade box in Yao Chang Jun’s hands, directly snatching the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus back from him. Then, without the slightest delay, he grabbed the frozen Liu Xian Yun and wrapped Space Principles around their bodies, teleporting away.
*Hong…*
Just as the two of them left, the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse collapsed.
Yao Chang Jun’s rampaging Qi had transformed into the shapes of dragons and tigers, mindlessly crashing into everything around them, instantly killing off many of the cultivators drinking tea in the teahouse, as well as collapsing several stores on the street.
A dozen blocks away, Pang Guang who had crawled up in a pitiful state looked over, pale-faced, and exclaimed, “Third-Order Emperor Realm!”
He had not been able to sense Yao Chang Jun’s cultivation clearly before, but from the outburst of Qi just now, the depths of this old man’s cultivation had become clear.
[The owner of that Delightful Pleasures Teahouse actually turned out to be a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!] Pang Guang was taken aback.
He was Marsh City’s City Lord and yet he had no idea such a top-level Master was hiding in the territory he managed. This frightened him, and he was glad he had not provoked him before.
But what Pang Guang found even more unbelievable was the fact that Yao Chang Jun had just been hurt. Who did it? From the sound of his roar and the state of things, it was clear he had been hurt badly. [Could it have been that young man?] But that was also impossible. That young man was only at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Even if Yao Chang Jun stood there and allowed him to beat him, it was impossible for Yang Kai to have hurt him.
[Could it be that Yao Chang Jun wasn’t the only Third-Order Emperor Realm master in Marsh City?] Considering this possibility, Pang Guang’s face suddenly paled and he began feeling suspicious.
“Little brat, you dare sneak attack this Old Master! You’re dead! This Old Master will never let you go!” A roar came from the ruins of the teahouse. Murderous intent gushed out from Yao Chang Jun like a tide. It took a lot of effort for him to calm the pain inside his mind. Quickly searching for the direction Yang Kai fled, Yao Chang Jun immediately gave chase, his body moving as fast as lightning.
He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, yet he was injured in a sneak attack by Yang Kai. Where would he put his face if rumours of this were to spread out? Yao Chang Jun swore to himself that he had to catch Yang Kai, and then he would have him taste all the torturing techniques this world had to offer in order to vent his rage.
In the blink of an eye, Yao Chang Jun disappeared.
Pang Guang stood in place with a gloomy face and pondered for a while. Then, his body also disappeared, flying out of the city.
It seemed like he was chasing after Yao Chang Jun and Yang Kai, but it was not known what he was thinking in his mind.
Outside the city, Yang Kai was constantly pushing the local Space Principles, teleporting more than a dozen kilometres at a time. Liu Xian Yun, who had been swept up into his arms, still hadn’t come to her senses until now. She was completely dumbfounded.
Yang Kai had actually injured Yao Chang Jun. Looking at the situation, he seemed to have done it using Spiritual Energy. But how was that possible? What she saw today had completely turned her worldview upside down and made her wonder if she were dreaming.
“Where is the Solitary Void Mountain Range?” Yang Kai asked quickly when he felt the murderous intent rapidly approaching.
Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, it took a lot of effort from him to teleport each time if he had to bring Liu Xian Yun along. If this continued, Yao Chang Jun would catch up to them sooner or later. With Yao Chang Jun’s great strength, they definitely wouldn’t be able to resist him.
Now, Yang Kai could only enter the Solitary Void Mountain Range first, hoping to shake Yao Chang Jun off with the help of the terrain there. He heard Liu Xian Yun say that the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range were extremely dangerous, and that even Emperor Realm Masters may not be able to come out alive once they went in.
“That way!” Upon hearing this, Liu Xian Yun subconsciously pointed in a certain direction. She had been staying in Marsh City for several years, so she was still quite familiar with the surrounding environment.
Yang Kai immediately changed directions and sped towards the Solitary Void Mountain Range.
“Senior Brother…” Even though Liu Xian Yun was in Yang Kai’s arms, she still felt chills over her body. That was because the clear murderous intent behind them was growing closer and closer. She could feel it clearly, “You should escape by yourself. I was the one who dragged you into this mess.”
“I hurt him once, you think he’ll let me go?” Yang Kai responded frankly, “Since you still call me your Senior Brother, then I can’t just abandon you. Rest assured, escaping is my strong suit.”
When she saw him being insistent, Liu Xian Yun could only purse her lips, feeling touched inside. Thinking back to when she met Yang Kai, the two of them would have been complete strangers if they had not exchanged blows. Later, they didn’t spend that much time together in Blue Feather Sect, but Yang Kai had still given her the bulk of what they owned at the time when they escaped. This time, Yang Kai even stood up for her when he saw her again, making her feel warm and comfortable in this unfamiliar Star Boundary.
Even in the Grand Desolation Star Field, nobody had ever treated her this well. After living so many years, it was the first time she had met someone who would take such good care of her. With their bodies so close together, Liu Xian Yun gradually felt that that chilling murderous intent was no longer as cold. Instead, as time went by, she even felt a touch of warmth inside her.
She was shocked and quickly distracted herself, asking curiously, “Senior Brother, is that Yao Chang Jun really a Third-Order Emperor?”
“Guaranteed real or your money back!”
“Then how did you hurt him?” Liu Xian Yun was confused. Logically speaking, with the great difference in their cultivation, it should be impossible for Yang Kai to hurt Yao Chang Jun no matter what sort of tricks he used, but Yang Kai managed to achieve this. That cry of pain from Yao Chang Jun she heard was definitely not fake.
“Because there’s a crack in his Knowledge Sea!” Yang Kai told her, “He’s definitely suffered a severe injury to his Soul before. If that wasn’t the case, I would have suffered extreme backlash when I attacked him using a Soul Secret Technique with my current cultivation. If I didn’t die then, I’d at least be crippled.”
“How did you know?” Liu Xian Yun was amazed by Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun had never met each other before, so how did Yang Kai know such a secret? Having a crack in his Knowledge Sea definitely had to be Yao Chang Jun’s greatest secret. Otherwise, he would not have hidden his identity in Marsh City. The reason he was hiding there was obviously that he was worried his enemies would come and find him.
Yang Kai smiled, “He cares so much about that Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, obviously because he wants to repair his Knowledge Sea!”
Liu Xian Yun was surprised, “So, that spirit flower is called the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus? Senior Brother means to say that this spirit flower has the ability to repair one’s Knowledge Sea?”
“No, the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus itself does not have that ability.” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before explaining to her, “If this herb you found were to be refined, then it can be turned into the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill which is used to repair broken meridians and dantians; it is extremely useful for cultivators who have been severely injured and had their cultivation crippled. However, the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus has another name, the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus. When it appears, each stalk always comes in a pair, one white and one black. If both of them can be obtained, then the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill can be refined. This is an even higher-level pill than the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill. It can not only repair broken meridians and dantians, but also repair one’s Soul and expand their Knowledge Sea. It can even allow a cultivator to more clearly sense Principle Strength.”
“Twin lotuses!” Liu Xian Yun exclaimed, “No wonder you were all asking me where I found it. So, it’s to find the other Heavenly Restoration Lotus. In that case, it seems Yao Chang Jun also knows quite a lot about this Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus.”
“He was able to identify it through its aura alone, so he has clearly done some research.” Yang Kai raised a brow and continued, “From what he said, the Heavenly Restoration Lotus seems to have appeared here in the Solitary Void Mountain Range before, so that’s why he waited here for two hundred years.”
“But Senior Brother… There was only this one when I found it.” Liu Xian Yun was confused. Even though she had come upon the white Heavenly Restoration Lotus by chance, she had also carefully looked around its surroundings when she picked it and did not find any other valuable spirit medicines. If the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus was really one white and one black, then there was no way she could have missed it.
“Maybe someone else took it, or maybe you overlooked it, but let’s not worry about that for now. We have to find a way to get rid of that old monster first.”
After saying that, Yang Kai stopped talking and focused on studying the terrain.
The Solitary Void Mountain Range was a rough wilderness area near Marsh City, and also a place where many cultivators liked to train at. Due to the special environment, many valuable Monster Beasts and spirit herbs could be found here. The cultivators living in Marsh City came here often in groups in order to find cultivation materials.
Liu Xian Yun had been here many times, so she knew the terrain well.
Under her guidance, the two of them rushed over to the Solitary Void Mountain Range in just under an hour.
As soon as he stepped down, Yang Kai could feel a frightening aura lingering around him, as if something that could threaten his safety existed deep inside this Solitary Void Mountain Range. And, based on what Liu Xian Yun said, she had always trained at the outer periphery of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, never going deep inside. The reason was that the deeper one ventured, the more dangerous it was. Once, an Emperor Realm Master was daring enough to enter the deepest depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, but he never came out.
Last time, if not out of desperation from being chased by a Monster Beast, Liu Xian Yun would never have run inside. In the end, she was able to escape safely completely thanks to her own luck.
But the deeper one went, the more rewards a cultivator could obtain. The high rewards often led cultivators into taking risks.
Countless cultivators went missing in the Solitary Void Mountain Range every year.
But there were no absolutes in anything. Often, good things could be found in the outer area of the Solitary Void Mountain Range too. Once, a cultivator was able to find a patch of Emperor Grade spirit grass just a thousand kilometres from the edge of Solitary Void Mountain Range, allowing him to acquire a massive amount of wealth.
Yang Kai wondered, “Since so many cultivators are training and searching around this outer periphery, how can there still be good things left behind?”
Liu Xian Yun responded, “I’m not too sure either, but it feels different every time I come here. It seems that the scenery here goes through a dramatic change every once in a while, and all the things I saw before on the same path tend to disappear, replaced by something else.”
“Is that true?” Yang Kai was astonished.
After asking that question, Yang Kai’s face changed. Immediately, he spurred on his Source Qi and once again teleported a hundred kilometres in one go, putting some distance between Yao Chang Jun and them.
As expected of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse’s owner suffered heavy damage to his Soul, the strength he had remaining was still far beyond Yang Kai’s reach. Even though he was proficient in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai wasn’t able to shake off this old man’s pursuit while bringing Liu Xian Yun along.
Teleporting took a lot of energy from Yang Kai. The pressure of the Star Boundary’s World Principles was very strong, so a lot of Source Qi and Spiritual Energy was required each time he wanted to teleport. On top of that, Yang Kai had to protect Liu Xian Yun from the turbulent Space Principles when he teleported, increasing his consumption greatly.
But he had managed to refine a lot of pills during his time in Thousand Leaves Sect, which just happened to come into use now. So, for now, there was no need for Yang Kai to worry about exhausting his strength, but this was not a sustainable solution.
The Solitary Void Mountain Range was filled with dangers. Not only were there a variety of ferocious Monster Beasts inside, but also many Natural Spirit Arrays. Yang Kai had to release his Divine Sense while maintaining his Demon Eye of Annihilation at all times in order to avoid these dangers in advance.
On the contrary, Yao Chang Jun who was chasing after them would often fall into traps, likely due to him not daring to use his Divine Sense flexibly. However, with Yao Chang Jun’s strength, even if he were to be surrounded by Monster Beasts or get himself caught up in a Spirit Array, it only took him a moment to extricate himself.
Yao Chang Jun’s understanding of Solitary Void Mountain Range was much deeper than Yang Kai’s; after all, he had been living here for two hundred years and naturally wasn’t just sitting around doing nothing. Yao Chang Jun often went to the Solitary Void Mountain Range himself in hopes that he could find the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus.
He originally thought that Yang Kai would not be able to escape him for long with how big the gap in their strength was, but after a while, Yao Chang Jun realized how wrong he was.
From beginning to end, he was never able to close the distance between Yang Kai and himself. Every time he used a Secret Technique to close their distance, Yang Kai would always be able to shake him off, which angered him greatly, yet there was nothing he could do about it.
A cultivator who had cultivated the Dao of Space was the most difficult to catch. Yao Chang Jun had fought cultivators like this before, and from what Yang Kai had shown of his skills, this little brat’s attainments in the Dao of Space were extremely high. Even if it was not as high as that one person Yao Chang Jun knew, it was definitely not a level of skill a Junior with such low cultivation should possess.
[Where did this freak of a brat come from?] Yao Chang Jun couldn’t figure it out. Could he be a disciple taught by Li Wu Yi, the Master with the deepest insight into the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary?
The chase lasted for five days, but Yao Chang Jun was still unable to capture Yang Kai. This caused him to wonder whether he was going to lose this opportunity!
If not for the damage he received to his Soul, stopping him from releasing his full power, then even if Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, there was no way a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator could even dream of escaping from Yao Chang Jun!
He could completely lock down the space around Yang Kai, suppressing him with his extremely strong cultivation, not even giving him the opportunity to teleport away.
But unfortunately, there were no such things as ‘ifs’ in this world.
Just as Yao Chang Jun was turning blue from anger and vowing in his heart that he was going to give Yang Kai a miserable death, his heart suddenly jumped and joy filled his face.
That was because he discovered that Yang Kai had suddenly stopped moving. He had no idea whether he had been caught up in some Spirit Array or some other danger, but whatever the reason, it was good news for Yao Chang Jun.
Spurring on his flight type artifact, he rushed towards Yang Kai’s direction.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Several thousand kilometres away, Liu Xian Yun was looking at Yang Kai in confusion.
Just now, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his face changing dramatically.
“I’m a fool!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth, a chagrined look on his face.
“Why do you say that?” Liu Xian Yun had no idea why he would suddenly say that about himself.
“Wait for me, I’ll be right back!” Yang Kai said as he put Liu Xian Yun down and swept his Divine Sense around the area, finding a suitable location before hurrying over to it.
A few moments later, Yang Kai slipped into the Sealed World Bead.
Yang Kai was quite surprised that Yao Chang Jun would actually be so persistent in chasing them. Due to the injury he received to his Soul, it made it impossible for him to lock onto their position with his Divine Sense. In fact, Yang Kai had not detected Yao Chang Jun once in the five days of their chase.
The other party was still able to pinpoint their location, however, and was constantly chasing behind them.
It had to be mentioned that Yang Kai had teleported multiple times during these past five days, and with Yao Chang Jun’s current state, Yang Kai was confident he could lose him.
So, then how had he been locating them? The only explanation was that Yao Chang Jun had put down some sort of mark on him and Liu Xian Yun, and pinpointed their location through that.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai knew he had been too careless in the past five days. If he had noticed this earlier, they may have lost this old monster by now.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai’s senses were being magnified many times over.
Inside the Sealed World Bead that he refined, he was its ruler, and the world moved as his wished. Even though the World Principles of the Small Sealed World were not perfect yet, it was still easy for Yang Kai to use them to search his body for any abnormalities.
Yang Kai used the World Principles within the Sealed World Bead in order to search every inch of his body.
He prayed that things would not be too complicated, that the Secret Technique or seal would be on his body. If it was placed on Liu Xian Yun, then he would have to bring Liu Xian Yun into the Sealed World Bead to check her.
Five breaths later, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He reached into his Space Ring and took out the jade box containing the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, then he tossed it over to Liu Yan who had rushed over, saying, “A Master’s mark is on this box, get rid of it.”
Liu Yan took the box and before she could say anything to Yang Kai, the latter had already disappeared.
Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Liu Xian Yun was standing there alone, looking around at the unfamiliar scenery around her with unease.
Yang Kai went into a small mound at the side, and she had no idea what he was doing, but he suddenly disappeared without even leaving any hint of his aura behind.
Even though she knew that Yang Kai was not the type of person to disregard the life or death of his companions, she still couldn’t stop her thoughts from running wild. She wondered if perhaps Yang Kai had left her here, abandoning her because she was dragging him down?
“No, that won’t happen.” Liu Xian Yun shook her head. If Yang Kai really was that sort of person, then he would not have brought her along to escape from Blue Feather Sect in the first place, even giving her all that wealth when they parted ways so she could support herself. Yang Kai would also never have taken the risk to provoke a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master at the Delightful Pleasures Pavilion several days prior to lead her away with him.
[Senior Brother must be doing something important!] Liu Xian Yun consoled herself.
As soon as her thoughts came to an end, Yang Kai’s aura suddenly and mysteriously appeared again. Immediately after, he rushed out from behind the mound.
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun’s heart felt like a large stone had been lifted off of it and she finally relaxed.
Yang Kai moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her again without a single word, urging the surrounding Space Principles, the pair disappeared in an instant.
A moment later, the two of them arrived a thousand kilometres away. Only then did Yang Kai summon his wooden ship, pulling Liu Xian Yun onto it and urging her, “Take your clothes off.”
“Huh?” Upon hearing this, Liu Xian Yun’s face turned red.
In the middle of the wilderness, Yang Kai suddenly asked her to take her clothes off, and he said it in a commanding voice that accepted no refusals. Naturally, Liu Xian Yun felt both angry and embarrassed, and she inevitably took it the wrong way.
Yang Kai said, “Yao Chang Jun left a mark on the jade box so he can pinpoint our location. I have no idea if there’s anything on your clothes, but it’s necessary to take precautions. You should change into a new set of clothes.”
Only after hearing this explanation did Liu Xian Yun understand what Yang Kai was trying to do and knew that she had misunderstood his intentions. She was instantly embarrassed.
But she wasn’t a prudish little girl either, so she immediately began undressing after finding out the reason.
Very quickly, she changed into a different set of clothes, completely burning the ones she was originally wearing.
Three thousand kilometres away, Yao Chang Jun’s body suddenly stopped, face turning ashen. That was because he suddenly noticed that the mark he had planted suddenly went missing.
Back at the teahouse, he branded a mark onto the jade box after snatching it from Yang Kai, not because he could foretell what was going to happen, but out of an abundance of caution. He had waited two hundred years and finally found the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, so how could he not act carefully?
As facts proved, his cautiousness allowed him to pursue Yang Kai for five days without losing him.
But just now, his mark suddenly disappeared.
Of course, there was no way Yao Chang Jun wouldn’t realize that Yang Kai had discovered his mark and erased it! But what he couldn’t figure out was how Yang Kai, a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, was able to do that.
The gap between their strength was real.
Yao Chang Jun became both anxious and angry, howling towards the sky, “Little Brat, this King will find and capture you no matter what it takes!”
Even though there was no more mark to show him the way, Yao Chang Jun was still unwilling to give up. The Heavenly Restoration Lotus wasn’t something that could be found easily, and it was only by chance that he was able to find one this time. If he missed this chance, he may never get another.
He vowed to himself that he would find Yang Kai no matter what and rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces so he could get that Heavenly Restoration Lotus back.
Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Yang Kai had a terrible expression on his face.
Even though they managed to shake Yao Chang Jun off, they weren’t in any better position right now either. That was because he had gotten lost in this damned place.
After asking Liu Xian Yun, she also said that she didn’t know how to get out of here. She had only been this deep once, and it was all thanks to luck that she was able to get out the last time.
Their surroundings seemed to have been carved out of a generic mould. Yang Kai walked around blindly for half a day and had no idea if he was actually walking in circles. Even his Divine Sense couldn’t be extended too far in this place as it seemed to be suppressed by some sort of mysterious power.
At a certain point, Yang Kai stopped and looked around with a grave expression.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Liu Xian Yun asked nervously.
“Do you feel the ground moving?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Xian Yun broke out into a cold sweat instantly. Even though Yang Kai’s tone was calm, the meaning of his words gave her jitters.
“Maybe it’s just an illusion…” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
Liu Xian Yun gulped, “Senior Brother, there’s a saying about the Solitary Void Mountain Range…”
“What saying?”
“Some say that the Solitary Void Mountain Range… is alive.” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled.
“Alive?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
“En.” Liu Xian Yun nodded, “The Solitary Void Mountain Range is constantly changing so there’s never been a map drawn of it. Sometimes, the landscape of one place can change rapidly, but sometimes it changes so slowly that no one notices. Many people think this is a result of the Solitary Void Mountain Range actually being alive.”
Yang Kai frowned and thought for a while, but then his eyes suddenly lit up, “That may not necessarily be correct, but there’s definitely a basis for it.”
“What do you mean?” Liu Xian Yun was confused.
Yang Kai said, “Junior Sister, you’ve been active around the outer periphery of the Solitary Void Mountain Range this whole time. Do you find good things often?”
“Yes,” Liu Xian Yun replied, “I’m not the only one either. Many people from Marsh City experience the same thing.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since so many people are active around there year-round, it’s reasonable to say that the area should be barren by now. Even if there’s anything good there, someone would long have taken it away. But since you’re able to find valuable things often…”
“That’s something I’ve always been wondering about too,” Liu Xian Yun nodded. She never understood why, but after coming to the Solitary Void Mountain Range so many times, other than the few unfortunate times she wasn’t able to find anything, she was always able to find something useful to her cultivation there.
But this was clearly illogical.
“Senior Brother, you mean to say…”
Yang Kai said, “The Solitary Void Mountain Range is moving. Every once in a while, the terrain in its depths will flow outwards, and the spirit herbs inside will naturally appear outside as well. That’s why good things can be found there all the time.”
“How do you know that?” Liu Xian Yun was extremely surprised. She had been living in the Solitary Void Mountain Range for a few years but she’d never thought about it that way. But Yang Kai managed to figure this out despite only having been here for a few days.
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a guess, I’m not sure if I’m right either.”
But there was a high possibility of that being true, because that perfectly explained why good things were often found around the outer region of the Solitary Void Mountain Range. The earth was alive, writhing and tumbling at a speed that was almost imperceptible to average people. Once the land that was deep within flowed outwards, it would naturally bring all the good things inside with it.
And yet the cultivators in the Solitary Void Mountain Range couldn’t seem to figure this place out, and they were unable to notice the changes in the Solitary Void Mountain Range in the slightest.
*Hualala…*
Right at that moment, the sound of wings fluttering could be heard, followed by countless birds rising up into the air from the forest as if they had been frightened by something. Not only that, but the beasts on land had also begun fleeing, tumbling around like headless flies.
In less than three breaths of time, the entire Solitary Void Mountain Range began to tremble.
“What happened?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face changed to shock.
Yang Kai was also confused, but in the next moment, his face changed. That was because the birds he saw flying in the air were all stopped mid-flight. They were unable to move even the slightest inch forward no matter how they flapped their wings.
It was as if there was an invisible force holding them in place.
Among the flying birds were many Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts as well. Yang Kai even saw a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast that was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master.
Just as Yang Kai was beginning to feel suspicious, the ground under his feet began moving rapidly, making it hard for Yang Kai to keep his balance. He almost toppled over, but at the same time, a strong suction force was being spread out from deep within the Solitary Void Mountain Range, drawing on Yang Kai’s body as if it wanted to drag him in.
Yang Kai’s face changed dramatically. Without hesitation, he wrapped his Source Qi around Liu Xian Yun and tried to escape this place by teleporting.
But even after he moved the surrounding Space Principles, he found he was still standing in the same spot.
Sensing this, Yang Kai exclaimed, “The World Principles here have been broken!”
The surrounding World Principles had been shattered by some great and sudden change, making it impossible for them to leave this place by taking advantage of the Space Principles at all. And, in just that short amount of time, the ground beneath the pair began spinning even quicker. Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel dizzy while Liu Xian Yun was in even worse condition. She couldn’t even stand properly and could only hold onto Yang Kai to support herself.
The suction from the depths grew even more terrifying, and Yang Kai found it hard to fight against it with his cultivation no matter how hard he tried to stabilize himself. The fleeing beasts and birds had already been dragged in by the suction and disappeared from Yang Kai’s field of vision in an instant. The less powerful beasts had even burst into clouds of blood mist.
For a while, beasts were roaring and birds were crying out, making the Solitary Void Mountain Range extremely lively.
Somewhere about three thousand kilometres away, Yao Chang Jun’s face was also horrified. He pushed his Emperor Qi, trying to escape the fetters of this place, but he failed even with his cultivation. The only thing he could do was forcefully hold himself in place to not be pulled away.
“Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!” Yao Chang Jun’s face turned extremely dark. Even his will, which was firm as a rock, began to tremble with fear and anxiety.
Compared to the newcomers, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun who had not been living here for long, Yao Chang Jun had studied the Solitary Void Mountain World thoroughly. He knew that this damned place may usually look calm and peaceful, but it could burst out with immense power that even an Emperor Realm Master could not resist from time to time.
Those times were precisely during the appearance of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!
The Solitary Void Great Maelstrom was a natural disaster that could destroy and reshape the Solitary Voids Mountain Range.
Yang Kai’s guess about the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s terrain constantly shifting, allowing the cultivators around the outside to be able to find good things often, was actually quite accurate.
But that shift was usually as slow as a crawl and would not bring too much danger to cultivators visiting this place to train. Because the cultivators often came to the Solitary Void Mountain Range, they usually did not notice the slow changes, and by the time they did, the terrain had already changed completely.
However, when this creeping change reached a certain limit, the entire Solitary Void Mountain would begin to spin like a berserk top, reshaping the Solitary Void Mountain Range in the process.
That was the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!
No one knew why this happened in the Solitary Void Mountain Range, the world works in mysterious ways. Yao Chang Jun had been in and out of the Solitary Void Mountain Range many times and still could not understand this process; however, the cycle of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom’s appearance was very long, usually appearing once every few hundred or thousand years. Based on what Yao Chang Jun knew, the last Solitary Void Great Maelstrom appeared six hundred years ago. At that time, countless cultivators were sucked into the Solitary Void Mountain Range, and this time would be no exception.
And, as luck would have it, he ended up caught in it as well.
Yao Chang Jun hated Yang Kai even more now. He felt that if this little brat had not interfered, then he would never have ventured into this place and encountered a disaster that he could not resist.
If he were still around the outer region of Solitary Void Mountain Range, then Yao Chang Jun would definitely be able to escape with his powerful cultivation. But in order to pursue Yang Kai, he had entered the depths of this damned place! When the maelstrom appeared, the suction became stronger the deeper one ventured inside Solitary Void Mountain Range, and the harder it was to resist. Currently, Yao Chang Jun was less than two thousand kilometres from the core of Solitary Void Mountain Range, a distance that made escape from the maelstrom all but impossible.
If one were able to look down at the Solitary Void Mountain Range from a high altitude, they would see that it was currently spinning madly like a vortex. And, with a certain point as its centre, the entire Solitary Void Mountain Range looked as a huge funnel with powerful suction force coming from the centre, affecting every living thing within it.
Countless fleeing birds and other beasts were being sucked into the centre of that funnel-shaped vortex, disappearing in just the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, even more creatures and cultivators training and foraging for resources exploded into a bloody mist devoid of even bones.
The cultivators who were lucky enough to be moving about at the outer region were not as unlucky. They were fortunate enough to escape as soon as the changes began to happen, but when they looked back, all of them were pale, their hearts palpitating.
Many of them had no idea what was going on, but some knew about the infamous Solitary Void Great Maelstrom. Word spread and soon, everyone found out about this chaotic event. While they marvelled at the horrors of nature, they were also filled with anticipation.
That was because the Solitary Void Mountain Range would be reshaped every time the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom appeared, and the precious treasures that were originally in the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range would flow to the outer region.
In other words, once the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s movements came to a halt, a large number of precious treasures would appear outside, so how could they not look forward to it?
“I seemed to have seen Sir City Lord enter the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths, but I have no idea if it was just my eyes.”
“No, you’re right. I saw him too. The City Lord seemed to be in a hurry, as if he’s chasing after someone.”
“He’s in trouble now. We don’t even know if Sir City Lord can return safely.”
“The chances are not great, the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range are extremely dangerous. Even if the City Lord is an Emperor Realm Master, he still won’t be safe if he goes in too deep, and to have met with the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom as well, I’m afraid things aren’t looking too good!”
Many cultivators gathered around the far side of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, engaged in fervent discussion. If Pang Guang really was lost to the Solitary Void Mountain Range, then the great forces of Marsh City would have to be reshuffled again. This was not bad news for many people. For a while, joyful emotions were mixed with the sad in a complicated mix.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Yang Kai was protecting Liu Xian Yun and struggling to resist the terrifying suction force coming from the vortex. His clothes had been ripped into tatters from the force and cuts formed on his skin, drenching him in blood and turning him into a sorry state.
He had no idea where this suction force came from or what was creating it, but the more he tried to resist it, the more terrifying it became. The force on top of Yang Kai was getting harder and harder for him to bear.
If not for his intrepid physique, Yang Kai would have already burst apart and died just like everything else.
“Senior Brother, don’t worry about me and just run.” Liu Xian Yun was also struggling, but she was in a better situation than Yang Kai since he was protecting her. Seeing him like this now, she felt guilty and knew that she was dragging Yang Kai down.
As she said that, she lowered her feet to the ground, about to move away from Yang Kai.
But Yang Kai caught her with his arms and shook his head, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you if I really can’t hold on any longer.”
Even in a life or death situation, he did not give up on her, filling Liu Xian Yun’s heart with warmth and moving her greatly. It was easy to find a friend who would share your wealth, but difficult to find a friend willing to face danger with you. The best time to find out a person’s character was during a crisis.
Liu Xian Yun felt that the luckiest thing to happen to her in this lifetime was meeting Yang Kai in the Star Boundary.
She had completely given up resisting and revealed a sad smile, “Senior Brother, take care of yourself in the future!”
“What are you doing?!” Yang Kai’s face changed. He could sense her intentions and quickly shouted, “Don’t give up, I have another way!”
Liu Xian Yun slowly shook her head, allowing herself to be taken away by the terrifying force.
Yang Kai was incredibly anxious. He knew that Liu Xian Yun was determined not to drag him down anymore and was going to toss aside everything else in order to throw her into the Sealed World Bead when Liu Xian Yun’s face suddenly changed. The expression on her face was one of pure confusion.
But in the next moment, she exclaimed, “Senior Brother, stop resisting! If you don’t, there is no danger at all.”
Hearing her say that, Yang Kai looked carefully and found that sure enough, Liu Xian Yun wasn’t being hurt at all, so he knew she was right. He quickly dispersed the energy around his body and allowed the terrifying suction force to envelop him.
The force originally suppressing him and causing great damage to his body was gone in an instant.
Indeed, it was as Liu Xian Yun said. The more one resisted here, the more uncomfortable it became.
But if any average person were to encounter this situation, who would not try to resist? They would definitely be desperate to escape, and once they started struggling, they would not be too far from death.
After giving up on resisting, the powerful suction force swept up both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, quickly drawing them to the centre of the Solitary Void Mountain Range. The turbulent force made Yang Kai feel as if he were a lone boat in the middle of a stormy sea, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
“Senior Brother, look!” Liu Xian Yun, whose body was being held tightly by Yang Kai and did not mind that her tall peaks were being squeezed out of shape by his arms, suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
When Yang Kai turned over to look, his face turned dark as well. He discovered that there was an enormous dark funnel right in front of them where the suction force was coming from. In its vicinity, the earth could be seen spinning and tumbling as countless birds and beasts were sucked in, their fates unknown.
He wanted to release his Divine Sense to investigate the situation inside, but it shattered as soon as it left his body, causing his Knowledge Sea to throb. He didn’t dare to try this a second time.
Liu Xian Yun was also becoming more and more nervous, her tender body quivering like a shaking quail without a nest in winter. She had no idea what their fates would be if they were sucked into that vortex. She had not been in the Star Boundary for long, so she was naturally unwilling to die like this.
Looking up at Yang Kai though, she found that despite his expression looking grave, he wasn’t panicked in the slightest.
That helped to ease her up considerably. Even if she died, she felt that it would not be a bad thing if she were able to die together with Yang Kai. Considering all this, her body suddenly eased up a lot.
“Protect yourself.” Yang Kai lightly patted Liu Xian Yun’s back.
As soon as he said this, both he and Liu Xian Yun were sucked into the vortex. All of a sudden, a dizzy feeling washed over him, disorienting him as the entire world turned dark without the slightest hint of light.
Yang Kai felt his body spinning and falling as if the vortex was a bottomless pit, a fearful and unsettled feeling.
But Yang Kai was slightly reassured by the fact that this fall did not prove to be dangerous.
Liu Xian Yun hugged him even tighter, her body turning as stiff as a block of wood.
None of them knew how long it had been, but Yang Kai suddenly saw a glimmer of light up ahead; however, under the power of the vortex, he was unable to probe ahead and see the situation around them.
*Peng…*
A large noise erupted and Yang Kai felt great pain all over his body. It was as if his entire being was going to break apart; however, he was surprised to find that he had actually landed on solid ground at this moment, and that spinning force that enveloped his body had also disappeared. Now there was just a lot of ear-splitting noises coming from around him.
*Peng peng peng…*
Things were constantly crash-landing around them, some even splashed onto them. From the smell, it seemed to be bits of dirt mixed with bodily remains and smelled extremely bad.
Yang Kai did not dare to move about recklessly lest something bad were to happen. He carefully pushed his Source Qi in order to protect Liu Xian Yun and himself and found that his Source Qi was working freely. The strange backlash earlier from the inexplicable suction force had disappeared, relieving him greatly.
Liu Xian Yun seemed unconscious and wasn’t moving in the slightest. However, from the smooth flow of her breathing and her steady aura, it was clear she did not suffer any great harm.
After a full hour, their surroundings finally settled down. Yang Kai waited a little while longer to ensure there weren’t any dangers before pushing out his Source Qi, blasting away all the mud and debris that were covering him and rising up from the mound.
He landed lightly and checked Liu Xian Yun’s condition first, discovering that she was in fact unconscious. Only then did he begin taking in his surroundings.
At this first glance, Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He discovered that he was actually atop an island at the moment.
The island was not very big, only a few kilometres in circumference, and looking at the colour of the land and some of the debris, it was clear that this island had just been formed.
That was because the soil here was exactly the same as the soil from the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths, and there were also chunks of blood and flesh left by various creatures around the island, causing the ground to appear a bizarre crimson colour.
This island must have formed because of the changes in the Solitary Void Mountain Range. That vortex-like power actually brought the earth from the Solitary Void Mountain Range here and formed an island!
All around the island was an endless sea with rough waves.
But what shocked Yang Kai even more was the appearance of strange waterspouts on the surface of the sea. The pillars of water sprung up from the surface of the sea, reaching into the clouds, merging Heaven and Earth in a magnificent sight!
There were countless waterspouts on the surface of the sea of all different sizes; however, each one emitted a very strong suction power that gave off a dangerous feeling.
They were not stationary but rather moving constantly, their speed varying from fast to slow with a great difference. There were even waterspouts moving as fast as lightning, passing by Yang Kai’s field of vision while lifting up huge waves. Their destructive power was astonishing.
He felt the World Energy around him, which was extremely dense; however, Yang Kai could sense that the World Energy here was different from other places, but he couldn’t tell what about it was different.
What is this damned place?
How did they get here after entering that maelstrom in the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths?
It was simply impossible to say that this was under the Solitary Void Mountain Range as well; after all, this place looked so vast and presented itself as an ocean. How could this possibly be underneath the Solitary Void Mountain Range?
Could this be a Sealed World? Yang Kai was shocked.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. When he was swallowed up by that vortex, Yang Kai could clearly feel traces of Space Principles, so that huge vortex was most likely the entrance to this Sealed World!
If this was a Sealed World, then things would be troublesome. How was he going to find the exit in this vast ocean?
While Yang Kai was at a loss, a sudden noise erupted from a short distance away, followed by a figure rising into the air and landing not far from him.
When he saw this man, Yang Kai’s face changed and he quickly took Liu Xian Yun and retreated, pulling some distance between them and the man.
It turned out to be Yao Chang Jun!
Yang Kai did not see Yao Chang Jun when they were being swallowed up by the vortex previously so he had no idea whether he had been swallowed in before or after him. Regardless, his appearance here meant that he must not have been able to escape that catastrophe just now either, and fell together with them in this place.
Yao Chang Jun’s current state was completely miserable. His clothes were in tatters and his white hair was messy, his body covered in blood and even his aura was a little unstable. He had clearly suffered a strong backlash from fighting against the suction force earlier.
Yang Kai had given up on resisting because of what Liu Xian Yun told him, so even though he wasn’t looking too good at the moment, he was undoubtedly in a much better state than Yao Chang Jun.
[This guy is actually alive!] Yang Kai had to admire this old man’s powerful cultivation. As expected of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though his Soul was heavily injured, it still wasn’t that easy to kill him off.
“It’s you, vile animal!” Yao Chang Jun soon discovered Yang Kai and his face turned cold, murderous intent surging.
If not for Yang Kai, then why would he have taken the risk of chasing him into the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths? If he had not chased him there, then how would he have come across the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom? Right now, the one responsible for all his misfortunes was Yang Kai, so he was naturally red-eyed seeing his enemy.
Just as he was about to take a strike at Yang Kai, another noise came from some distance away and another figure popped out from under the dirt.
This took both Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun by surprise; however, after looking over and having a clear look at the newcomer’s appearance, the two of them were quickly relieved.
That was because the third person to appear was none other than Marsh City’s City Lord, Pang Guang!
Yao Chang Jun had known about Pang Guang’s presence behind them, but he was so intent on finding Yang Kai that he didn’t pay any attention to him, ending up with Pang Guang also being caught in the disaster at Solitary Void Mountain Range. Naturally, Pang Guang was powerless to resist and was sucked into this place as well.
But Yao Chang Jun was slightly surprised to find Pang Guang in a better situation than he was. His body was only slightly messy and he wasn’t injured in the slightest, instead being filled with vigour.
“The two of you are alright too?” As soon as Pang Guang came out, he was surprised to see Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun facing off with each other.
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted, “Did you wish for something to happen to this Old Master?”
Seeing Pang Guang’s appearance, he knew that this man understood the way to avoid the engulfing force, and that was why he came out intact. On the contrary, he who had been living anonymously in Marsh City for two hundred years ended up in such a pitiful mess that his pride couldn’t bear it for a moment.
After suffering a big loss from Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang did not dare to act recklessly in front of him anymore. Embarrassedly, he smiled, “Naturally, it can’t be better for Senior to be fine. This Pang was just asking casually, just casually.”
Yang Kai smirked, “City Lord Pang is being a bit too insincere. Since you knew how to avoid danger, why didn’t you tell Senior Yao? You clearly wanted Senior Yao to enter the cycle of reincarnation early. Senior Yao, if I were you, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I’d definitely want to give him a beating to vent my anger.”
Pang Guang’s face sank and he carefully observed Yao Chang Jun; seeing that the latter appeared indifferent, with no emotion showing through on his face, he relaxed at once and shouted, “Shut your mouth, little brat! This King has not even settled the score with you for killing this King’s subordinates and robbing this King’s property! Senior Yao is a hidden Senior expert and his insight is clear as a flame. His vision is truly sharp, so how could he be riled by your instigations?!”
While speaking, he turned his head to look at Yao Chang Jun and cupped his fists, “Senior, though I have a grudge with this little brat, it is just a trivial matter. Senior is the respected one here so if you wish to kill him, then this Junior will only watch and will definitely not intervene.”
Yao Chang Jun glanced at him lightly and suddenly said, “You have been tailing this Old Master this whole time. Was that also just to watch?”
Pang Guang’s forehead was instantly covered in a cold sweat and his mouth was twitching, “Senior has misunderstood. This Pang entered the Solitary Void Mountain Range because this Pang had something to do, definitely not to follow Senior.”
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted. He did not answer but instead kept up an arrogant look. Even though he had been injured quite a bit when he was sucked in by the vortex, he still didn’t put Pang Guang or Yang Kai in his eyes. Earlier, he had been injured by Yang Kai at the teahouse merely because he was not cautious enough.
But in his current state, it would be best not to start anything with Pang Guang if he could help it; after all, he was not in peak condition and Pang Guang was still a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator in the end. If they really were to fight, then even if he could kill Pang Guang, a price would have to be paid to do so.
“Senior, is this place the legendary Solitary Void Sealed World?” Seeing him remain silent, Pang Guang felt a little nervous and quickly changed the subject.
“Solitary Void Sealed World?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows when he heard that.
He was most interested in figuring what sort of damned place they were in right now. Unlike Pang Guang and Yao Chang Jun, he had only come to Marsh City recently, so these two were obviously better informed about local legends than him, causing Yang Kai’s ears to perk up and listen with interest.
“If you know, then why ask this Old Master?” Yao Chang Jun snorted, clearly not looking kindly upon him.
Pang Guang said embarrassedly, “This Pang really did not expect that the Solitary Void Sealed World actually existed. This Pang has been the City Lord of Marsh City for hundreds of years, but this Pang never expected to see this sight with his own eyes.”
“What place is the Solitary Void Sealed World, and how do we get out?” Yang Kai quickly asked.
Pang Guang’s face turned stiff and he shouted, “Why is a brat like you asking so many questions? Just stay here quietly and wait to die.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “City Lord Pang. No matter what grudges we had before, we are now locusts on the same rope. If you know any information, why not share it? It’s not like I killed your father or stole your wife, so why act so petty?”
Pang Guang sneered, “Those on different paths do not counsel each other. This King has nothing to say to you. We can talk about that again if you can live under Senior Yao’s hand.”
After Yang Kai offended Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang had long since regarded the former as a dead man in his heart, so how could he bother chatting with him? After he was done, Pang Guang looked at Yao Chang Jun and said with a fawning smile, “Senior, the Solitary Void Sealed World only exists in legend. It is easy to enter, but difficult to leave. This Pang wonders if Senior has any good ideas?”
The speed with which his face changed was faster than one could flip a book.
Yang Kai laughed, “So, you don’t know how to get out either?”
Pang Guang snorted, “What’s there to laugh about? Careful or your teeth will fall out while you laugh…”
As he was talking, Pang Guang suddenly frowned and sniffed the air, asking suspiciously, “What’s that smell?”
A strange aroma suddenly wafted out in the air, shaking one’s spirit.
Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun had obviously smelled it as well, and both of them were very familiar with that smell. After exchanging glances, they coincidentally recalled something and called out at the same time, “Heavenly Restoration Lotus!”
At the end of their sentence, the two of them had already begun rushing towards the source of that smell.
Meanwhile, Pang Guang was stunned for a moment, but when he heard the words, ‘Heavenly Restoration Lotus’, his face changed and he followed them swiftly from behind as well.
Even though both Pang Guang and Yao Chang Jun were Emperor Realm Masters, they were naturally not as fast as Yang Kai in terms of the explosive speed his comprehension of the Dao of Space afforded him. In just an instant, Yang Kai had already arrived at the source of the fragrance.
This pile of mud was clearly transported over from the Solitary Void Mountain Range, and the soil was quite loose.
Yang Kai reached his hand right into a mud pile and grabbed something. After feeling the size of the object and the aura fluctuating around it, he was overjoyed and was just about to stuff it into his Space Ring.
“You court death boy!” Yao Chang Jun howled as he thrust his palm out, stirring up the air and sending it straight towards Yang Kai.
He didn’t dare to use his full strength for fear of damaging the spirit flower; however, this palm was still beyond Yang Kai’s ability to resist.
Yang Kai grunted and forcefully circulated his strength to teleport away once more.
*Hong…*
The mud pile was smashed into dust, leaving behind a huge crater in its place. The newly formed island shook a few times as if it were going to collapse at any moment.
Yao Chang Jun stood in place with an ashen face, looking towards one direction with cold eyes.
Pang Guang also paused, an incredulous look on his face. Yang Kai was actually able to evade Yao Chang Jun’s attack, which was something beyond what Pang Guang thought possible. Even he himself may not have been able to dodge that blow.
“What is Senior so angry for? That was really scary,” Yang Kai said while shaking the dirt off his hand, revealing the spirit flower’s true appearance.
The herb was quite clearly the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, and both its size and form were exactly the same as the one Liu Xian Yun obtained before. The only difference was that that one was pure white without the slightest flaw while this one was as black as ink.
The Heavenly Restoration Lotus had always come in a pair. Liu Xian Yun was able to chance upon one of them before this, but none of them knew why she wasn’t able to find the second.
Now, with the appearance of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom, large amounts of spirit herbs and dirt have been devoured and sent to this island. By coincidence, the second Heavenly Restoration Lotus also appeared.
Looking at the Heavenly Restoration Lotus in Yang Kai’s hand, Yao Chang Jun suddenly felt short of breath.
He spent two hundred years waiting in Marsh City, and for what? Wasn’t it for none other than the Heavenly Restoration Lotus? If only he could get his hands on the Heavenly Restoration Lotus and have someone refine it into the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill, then his injuries could finally be healed. Then, he would be able to restore his strength to peak condition and get revenge on his enemies.
But… After waiting bitterly for two hundred years, the Heavenly Restoration Lotus may have appeared, but his good fortune was ruined by Yang Kai over and over again.
The first one was snatched away by Yang Kai while he wasn’t paying attention, and the same went for the second one as well.
Yao Chang Jun’s lungs were bursting with anger. He seemed to have never suffered such a big loss since he advanced to the Emperor Realm. What’s more, these misfortunes were piled on top of him by a little brat in the Dao Source Realm.
Looking at the Heavenly Restoration Lotus in Yang Kai’s hand, and seeing him slowly stuff it into his Space Ring, Yao Chang Jun forcibly endured the notion of grabbing it now and quickly said, “Little brat, if you hand the Heavenly Restoration Lotus to this Old Master, then not only will this Old Master let the past be, this Old Master will also take you out of this place.”
Upon hearing this, Pang Guang’s eyes lit up and he quickly said, “Senior Yao must bring me along as well when you leave.”
Yao Chang Jun was furious and glared at him, “If you dare say one more word, this Old Master will kill you now!”
Scared, Pang Guang no longer dared to say anything.
“Take me out first, we can settle everything else later.” Yang Kai looked at Yao Chang Jun with a smile, “Otherwise, you can also just tell me how to get out of here.”
“Little brat, you dare bargain with this Old Master?!” Yao Chang Jun fumed.
Yang Kai said, “The only thing I’m afraid of is Senior tricking me!”
“Who do you take this Old Master for? How could I do such a shameless thing?!” Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted.
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s hard to say. What if Senior also doesn’t know the way out? Then wouldn’t I be a fool to just hand over this spirit flower for nothing?”
Pang Guang was enraged, “Little bastard! Senior Yao is giving you face by telling you to hand out the spirit flower, yet you dare not comply?! You’re courting death!”
Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun turned their heads together and shouted, “None of your damn business!”
Pang Guang’s face was burning hot. Trying to slap a horse’s ass, but landing on its thigh instead, he felt extremely awkward.
Yang Kai observed Yao Chang Jun for a while and snickered, “It seems like Senior is also a clay Buddha fording the river. You can’t even save yourself, so what are you shamelessly boasting for! You say you can take me out? Ridiculous!”
As soon as he saw Yao Chang Jun’s attitude at the moment, it was clear to him that he didn’t know how to get out of this damned place either.
If Yao Chang Jun really did know the way out, it would not have been impossible to trade the Heavenly Restoration Twin Lotus to him, but the key point now was the fact that the old man himself couldn’t get out, so how could he bring him along?
Being exposed by Yang Kai, Yao Chang Jun wasn’t annoyed at all but said indifferently, “With this Old Master’s cultivation, how can a trivial Sealed World trap me? This Old Master will be able to find the way out eventually.”
“Then let’s just wait till you find the way out!”
“Are you handing it over or not?!” Yao Chang Jun had clearly lost his patience, and his face was completely dark when he said these words.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai was unconcerned.
“Good!” Yao Chang Jun drew in a deep breath and his murderous intent surged.
But he did not make a move against Yang Kai that instant, instead turning his gaze to Pang Guang.
Pang Guang who was watching the good show sensed Yao Chang Jun’s cold gaze at once and he couldn’t help but shudder, “Senior…”
“Scram!” Yao Chang Jun bellowed, “Otherwise, this Old Master will kill you as well!”
His voice converged into a wave that shot towards Pang Guang like a spear. Pang Guang was shaken and staggered back, face turning white.
“Senior, this Pang can help you catch that little brat!” Pang Guang quickly offered to show his sincerity. After suddenly landing in this Solitary Void Sealed World, he really couldn’t find any security with his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. He just wanted to hug Yao Chang Jun’s thigh, but the other party wouldn’t give him the face or opportunity, telling him to scram as soon as he opened his mouth.
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted, “This Old Master doesn’t need your help. If you don’t go now… then you can stay here forever!”
Pang Guang was shocked. He looked at Yang Kai with gritted teeth, then back at Yao Chang Jun. With a kick of his feet, Pang Guang’s body rose up before he began flying out to sea.
Even though he had no idea why Yao Chang Jun was in such a hurry to drive him away, Pang Guang knew this old monster was truly at the end of his patience right now. If he continued pestering him, then he could only incur his murderous rage.
Pitting his cultivation against Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang had no chance to win.
So, he could only run away for now.
Even though the sea did not look peaceful, it was a critical time and he didn’t even know which direction to run. It was better than staying here and waiting for death, right?
In just ten breaths, Pang Guang disappeared.
“Are you so eager to get rid of Pang Guang because you’re worried he’ll discover that your Soul is injured?” Yang Kai asked Yao Chang Jun with a smiling face.
Yao Chang Jun’s face changed and a dangerous glint flashed past his eyes, “As expected, it wasn’t out of luck that you tried that sneak attack on this Old Master!”
Yang Kai laughed, “The effects of the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus are only to repair broken meridians and the dantian, yet Senior looks full of energy. With how plentiful Senior’s Emperor Qi is, clearly your meridians and dantian are fine. But for you to be so enthusiastic about the Heavenly Restoration Lotus clearly means you wish to repair your Knowledge Sea.”
“So you actually know this much about herbs and medicines?” Yao Chang Jun was surprised that Yang Kai could deduce through that sliver of a hint that his Soul was damaged. This little brat in front of him clearly wasn’t so simple.
“This humble one is not that talented, I’m merely an Emperor Grade Alchemist!” Yang Kai smiled.
Yao Chang Jun’s face changed, but then he quickly snorted, “Are you trying to insult this Old Master’s intelligence?”
He obviously thought that Yang Kai was talking nonsense.
Yang Kai was not that old, so it was astonishing enough for him to have Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, but in terms of him being an Emperor Grade Alchemist, Yao Chang Jun found it completely unbelievable.
Yang Kai was likely an Alchemist, otherwise, he would not know his herbs and medicines so well; however, there was no way he was an Emperor Grade Alchemist.
He thought that Yang Kai was merely telling him that so that he would let him live; after all, even if he got his hands on the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus, he still needed an Alchemist to refine the pill for him, and an Emperor Grade Alchemist would be the best choice to do that.
[This little brat’s got a bellyful of evil tricks up his sleeve!] Yao Chang Jun became wary.
Yang Kai was astounded and smiled bitterly as he shook his head, “Senior, with your Soul damaged, your intelligence really does have some problems. This is a disease, and a disease has to be cured.”
He was telling the truth but the other party wasn’t having it, making him not know whether he should laugh or cry.
“No matter what you say today, I’ll still have you hand over the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus!” Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted.
Yang Kai’s face went cold, “I told you that you have to tell me how to get out of here first. If you can’t even do that, then don’t even think about it. I’d rather feed it to a dog than give it to you.”
“Little brat, you court death! This Old Master’s patience is limited!” When Yao Chang Jun heard him comparing him to a dog, he was instantly furious.
Yang Kai answered back leisurely, “Even if you’re a Third-Order Emperor, I’m not afraid of you, so don’t compel me. If you force my hand, then you’ll have to suffer as well!”
Yao Chang Jun was stunned and a feeling of absurdity rose up inside of him. To think a mere Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dared wag their tongue in front of him was unbelievable enough, yet this little brat was still shamelessly boasting! He made it sound as if he really did have the power to fight against him, but from his expression, he seemed completely serious.
[What’s going on? This little brat doesn’t really think he can fight me, right? On what account? With his Space Principles? If so, then he can only run. It’s simply nothing to be feared.]
Yao Chang Jun’s heart was filled with mixed thoughts. He couldn’t figure out why, but he felt a little angry out of shame, “Since you can’t appreciate this Old Master’s kindness, then this Old Master will grant you your wish!”
He stomped his foot on the ground and his entire person flashed before Yang Kai like a spirit, suddenly pointing a finger towards Yang Kai’s direction.
His finger contained the boundlessness of Heaven and Earth, and gave one the feeling that they were being weighed down by the world itself.
After all, Yao Chang Jun was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though his Soul was damaged, his vigorous Martial Dao foundation was very solid. Even though this move was not a renowned Secret Technique, it was extremely ferocious and contained his insight into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
Even before his finger had arrived, the momentum of the sky being broken could be felt. All the Principle Strength in the surrounding region was wrapped around that finger, as if Yao Chang Jun was the master of this stretch of the world.
Seeing that he actually made a move towards him, Yang Kai’s face changed. Tossing all else aside, his Source Qi blasted out, shoving the unconscious Liu Xian Yun straight into the Sealed World Bead while performing his Dragon Transformation and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art at the same time. Space Principles surged up as Yang Kai was just about to escape from the spot.
*Chi…*
With that sound, Yang Kai was already several dozen kilometres away when he reappeared, but there was a bloody hole on his shoulder where golden blood was pouring out. Immense pain washed through him at the same time.
“Hm?”
Yao Chang Jun was stunned.
He was not only surprised that Yang Kai avoided receiving a fatal blow, but also at where Liu Xian Yun had gone.
He had been paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements this whole time and didn’t care too much about the unconscious girl he was holding. Only, he did not notice how that girl had suddenly disappeared.
This was truly strange. Even though his Soul was damaged and he didn’t dare to simply use his Divine Sense, his eyesight still can’t be so poor to the extent where he couldn’t even see how someone disappeared.
“You old dog, you really want to fight with this Young Master?” Yang Kai’s aura turned violent as half of his body was soon soaking wet from the golden blood. Rather than instilling fear, this wound only seemed to have inspired a ferocity in Yang Kai, causing his entire aura to fluctuate like a vicious trapped beast.
Yao Chang Jun’s heart jumped for some reason. He had the faint sense that something bad would happen if he were to force this boy into a corner. He couldn’t explain where this feeling was coming from, but it gave him the chills.
But there was no turning back. He had already wounded Yang Kai so nothing he said would help now. If he suddenly stopped, wouldn’t he be admitting that he was afraid of him?
“Not bad, you little brat. To be able to dodge a blow from this Old Master is already enough to make you a dragon amongst men! The Heavens have good virtue and this Old Master is also appreciative of a talented man, so I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over the Heavenly Restoration Lotus obediently and I shall spare you!”
“In your dreams!”
“Very well!” Yao Chang Jun fumed, “Since you are so stubborn, then this Old Master will teach you how to show proper respect!”
He changed his hand posture and his Emperor Qi surged. While suppressing Yang Kai’s movements, his palm surged with the power of the wind and clouds, fiercely thrusting towards Yang Kai.
Yao Chang Jun didn’t hold back with this blow, clearly intending to kill Yang Kai on the spot.
*Hong…*
An explosion rang out. No matter how Yang Kai resisted it, he was still sent flying by that palm. Countless bones in his body were broken and his face was pale. As soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Hahaha! Little brat, you talk big, but is this all you’ve got? You’ve really disappointed this Old Master!” Seeing Yang Kai’s miserable state, Yao Chang Jun figured that he must have been overthinking things just now. This little brat was merely at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so even if he had some special tricks up his sleeve, it was impossible for him to be his opponent. He also had no idea what he was hesitating for just now. If he had made a move earlier, then he could have killed this boy long ago.
[How shameful! To think I was disturbed by a few words from this little brat. Sure enough, these are the drawbacks left behind from the damage I sustained to my Soul], Yao Chang Jun silently thought to himself.
Fortunately, his opponent was only a Third-Order Dao Source realm boy. If Yang Kai was as strong as him, then he truly would have to suffer.
On the island, Yao Chang Jun’s body suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Yang Kai who was thrown backwards from the hit, sticking to him like maggots on rotting bones.
He coldly snorted and grabbed at Yang Kai without much care, “If you had cooperated with this Old Master earlier, then this Old Master might still have let you live!”
His words implied that it was already too late for Yang Kai to beg for mercy.
After the sneak attack he suffered from Yang Kai, Yao Chang Jun had borne a grudge against him and regarded it as a great shame. How could he let Yang Kai off so easily now?
“Bullies are destined to have a terrible end. You’ve forced my hand!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth. He didn’t dodge Yao Chang Jun’s grab and instead formed an extremely strange seal with his hands.
As soon as he completed this seal, the trepidation that Yao Chang Jun was feeling before suddenly reappeared. Alarmed, his face suddenly changed and he didn’t dare to have the slightest hesitation, accelerating the movements of his hands as he grabbed towards Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Right at that moment, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly turned calm. Eyes cold, he shouted, “Seal of Darkness, unlock!”
“Seal of Darkness? What the hell is that?” Yao Chang Jun was bewildered. He couldn’t understand what Yang Kai was saying at all, but in the next instant, his face changed dramatically as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes widening as if he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight while crying out strangely and backing away.
*Hong…*
A loud noise erupted as an indescribable aura suddenly burst out from Yang Kai’s dantian. This aura was filled with an extremely dark and malevolent feeling, as if the most brutal and fierce negative aura had been gathered into one place. It was so strong that Yao Chang Jun couldn’t help but feel lost, body trembling all over.
The dark aura was diffusing like a solid substance, instantly enveloping Yang Kai, and seemed to possess a life of its own, flowing around incessantly. A mysterious and profound set of patterns began appearing on Yang Kai’s skin.
Yang Kai’s aura was steadily climbing up.
Heaven and Earth trembled, the world collapsed, and the universe turned upside down. A power that seemed to be able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth burst out in all directions.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai disappeared, leaving behind only a dark figure in his place. The darkness seemed to swallow everything, even light. Only a pair of crimson eyes were visible, filled with bloody killing intent.
“De-Demon Qi!” Yao Chang Jun’s teeth were chattering and he almost bit his own tongue. He stared in disbelief at the sight before him. With his knowledge and experience, he could naturally see at a glance that the aura lingering around Yang Kai was Demon Qi, and not just any Demon Qi at that, but the purest, Ancient Demon Qi!
“How can this be?” Yao Chang Jun could not believe his eyes. To think that he would be able to set his eyes on Ancient Demon Qi in his lifetime, and it even came from a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior.
Ancient Demon Qi had the special properties of being extremely corrosive and infectious. If a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator like him were to be enveloped by this Ancient Demon Qi, he would definitely lose his mind in a short time and become a demon.
How could Yang Kai keep his sanity in such a state? How was he able to store such a terrifying Demon Qi inside his own body?
Remembering Yang Kai’s words from just now, Yao Chang Jun suddenly realized that this little brat had used some unknown means to seal this Demon Qi into his own body, and he would be able to unseal it when he needed to use it against his enemies.
But it would be much more difficult to seal the Demon Qi again. Wasn’t he afraid that the Demon Qi would devour his consciousness and turn him into a demon? No wonder this little brat was repeatedly telling him not to force his hand. It turned out he really did have the means to fight with him. Even though it felt like Yang Kai was playing tricks on him before, it now seemed he did have the liberty to talk big like that.
Yao Chang Jun felt extremely chagrined. If he had known this would happen, then he would not have used such aggressive words against Yang Kai. Right now, with the Demon Qi wrapped around this boy’s body, it was impossible to tell if the little brat still retained his sanity. The surging demonic energy and the frightening pressure wasn’t something Yao Chang Jun felt like fighting at all.
After carefully observing Yang Kai’s eyes, he realized that though they were red and bloodthirsty, there didn’t seem to be any sort of a struggle. Yao Chang Jun quickly said, “Little brother, wait! This Old Master has something to say!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai glanced at him indifferently, “Anything you say is just a fart to me!”
Yao Chang Jun was furious!
If Yang Kai dared talk to him like this before, then he would have slapped him across the face, but now, Yang Kai had the liberty to speak disrespectfully to him.
There was a deep bitterness in Yao Chang Jun’s heart as he realized the source of his previous unease.
“It seems to have grown stronger…” Yang Kai clenched both his fists tightly, vaguely sensing his current situation. However, this increase in strength didn’t make him happy, but worried instead. That was because after unlocking the gold and silver seal of the Firmament Tree and releasing the Ancient Demon’s Demon Qi, Yang Kai could feel the demonic influence was even more potent than last time.
This was not because of his own strength was improving, but rather because his body had become more compatible with this Demon Qi.
Last time, he was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and after transforming, Yang Kai had fought a big battle with three First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, managing to escape safely in the end. This time though, Yang Kai felt even stronger after the demonic transformation.
This worried Yang Kai a little, because the greater the increase in strength after the demonization, the more difficult it would be to seal this Demon Qi up again. If it couldn’t be sealed completely, then Yang Kai really would be reduced to a Demon, losing his consciousness, damning himself for all eternity.
Yao Chang Jun had no idea that Yang Kai was worried about this, however, and when he heard him say that the Demon Qi had grown stronger, he even thought that the little brat was showing off and immediately got angry, “Boy, grievances should be resolved rather than settled. Both you and I are in trouble here so why fight and kill each other? Isn’t it better to find a way out together? What’s more, your current state is strong, but you may not necessarily be able to kill this Old Master. This Old Master isn’t made of clay after all.”
Yang Kai looked at him with cold eyes and snorted, “If you were able to exert the true power of a Third-Order Emperor, this Young Master would indeed be unable to kill you, but with the handicap of your damaged Soul, you still dare to flap your tongue in front of me?”
“Han… Handicap?” Yao Chang Jun’s eyes were almost bulging out of his face. He was extremely angry and ashamed. Nobody had ever dared speak to him like that.
Yang Kai said, “This Young Master doesn’t have much time, so I’ll end your life in three moves!”
“Preposterous! This Old Master wants to see you try!” Yao Chang Jun was shaking from anger. He felt that he had been looked down upon and a surge of pride rose up in his heart. He thought to himself that he definitely had to teach this little brat a lesson and show him that even an old dog had sharp teeth left to bite.
As soon as he finished that thought, Yang Kai suddenly narrowed his eyes and recited under his breath, “Black Eye Purgatory, Infinite Darkness!”
As soon as those words came out, the entire world suddenly turned incomparably dark. Not a single shred of light could be seen. No matter where Yao Chang Jun turned, he was unable to see anything, as if he were blind. Not only was he blind, but even the keen perception he had as a Third-Order Emperor was being suppressed to the limit.
It was impossible for him to have gone blind without a reason, nor was it possible for the world to suddenly turn dark. The only explanation would be that Yang Kai had just performed some sort of Heaven-defying technique.
Recalling the strange black glow coming from Yang Kai’s right eye just now, Yao Chang Jun cried out, “Pupil Technique!”
As soon as he said that, he was drenched in a cold sweat. That was because he realized that his voice was not being projected at all. The world he was in seemed to have deprived him of all his senses. He was unable to speak or see, shooting a sense of fear into him as if he were falling into an endless abyss.
The only thing he could vaguely sense was something floating above his head. When he looked up in alarm, though, and saw what it was, Yao Chang Jun froze.
There, in the dark and boundless sky, a huge eye had stretched across the void, staring coldly and emotionlessly at him.
That eye was like the eye of Heaven. Yao Chang Jun felt insignificant under the gaze of that enormous eye and his heart sank. He felt like all those countless years of hard work cultivating were for nought, and he was nothing more than a pile of withering bones in the end before this eye.
When those thoughts surfaced, Yao Chang Jun’s aura began to drop as an indescribable Death Qi haunted his person.
At that moment, a stream of light suddenly shot out from the huge eye, forming the shape of a long sabre.
Emperor Artifact, Soul Splitting Sabre!
After being refined by Yang Kai, he could control the Soul Splitting Sabre at will now. Even though Yang Kai couldn’t bring out the full might of the Soul Splitting Sabre with his normal cultivation, in his demonized state, he was no less powerful than a Third-Order Emperor, so the Soul Splitting Sabre’s current power was astonishing.
Moreover, in order to finish off Yao Chang Jun quickly, Yang Kai had even used the Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash.
The Heaven Severing Slash was a Soul Secret Technique that he learned from Tian Yan in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. During ordinary days, Yang Kai would nourish and refine the Soul Splitting Sabre with his Spiritual Energy, saving up strength in it so that when he faced an enemy, the first strike of the Soul Splitting Sabre, the Heaven Severing Slash, would be extremely powerful.
But that was only limited to the first strike.
A Soul Emperor Artifact used together with a Soul Secret Technique. Even if Yao Chang Jun was uninjured, he may still not be able to take it, let alone when his Soul was already wounded.
The blade slashed down viciously into Yao Chang Jun’s Knowledge Sea, tearing a huge hole into it as if it were crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.
Yao Chang Jun’s Knowledge Sea was already very badly damaged to begin with, so now that Yang Kai struck it so ferociously, it caused this Third-Order Emperor’s Knowledge Sea to all but collapse.
An intense pain came over Yao Chang Jun, causing him to wake up from his despair. He cried out in pain and a Five-Coloured Spear suddenly appeared in his hands, shining brightly and emitting the energy fluctuations of an Emperor Artifact with terrifying power.
It wasn’t surprising for Yao Chang Jun to have an Emperor Artifact as a Third-Order Emperor. It would actually be strange if he didn’t possess such a weapon.
As he cried out in pain, Yao Chang Jun poured his Emperor Qi madly into the Five-Coloured Spear. The spear buzzed and suddenly trembled in his hand before disappearing without a trace.
In the next moment, the giant eye in the sky was pierced through by the spear. At once, the darkness sealing off Heaven and Earth was shattered.
Like the last struggle of a trapped beast, Yao Chang Jun burst out with terrifying power and broke the Secret Technique of the dark world. This Secret Technique was unique to the Ancient Demon Race and not something Yang Kai could obtain through cultivation. He could only perform it while in his demonized form.
A rift was torn through the sky by the Five-Coloured Spear that stayed open for a long time.
“Little brat, you dare to hurt me? This Old Master will kill you!” Yao Chang Jun howled in rage, but as his Knowledge Sea was about to collapse, his entire body was trembling constantly, his face twitching as his Emperor Qi became extremely unstable.
Yang Kai’s red eye was covered in blood, and everything he saw turned into a golden colour, which was the injury sustained from having his Pupil Technique broken.
However, he just casually wiped it with his hand before coldly snorting, “I’ll send you off!”
As his hands opened and closed, a huge Moon Blade sharp on all edges formed, blasting towards Yao Chang Jun. The Moon Blade was just like the reaper’s scythe, crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood wherever it passed.
Yao Chang Jun, who was currently running berserk could sense a dangerous aura approaching, forcefully enduring the piercing pain in his head and raised his hand, the Five-Coloured Spear reappearing in his palm, and took a step forward. With one throw, the five-coloured light instantly shot out.
*Hong hong hong…*
As the light clashed with the Moon Blade, the violence of the impact was enough to make the world turn white. The newly-formed islands within a radius of several kilometres quickly crumbled under the impact.
The Moon Blade disappeared together with the profound five-coloured light. With an expression of madness on his face, Yao Chang Jun took advantage of this situation to make his move. His face was filled with deep hatred etched into it, and, with his Soul breaking apart, he had nothing to lose in the face of death at this moment.
Yang Kai frowned and bellowed, “Instead of resisting, why don’t you just be good and die?!”
He also did not expect Yao Chang Jun to be so resilient even after the collapse of his Knowledge Sea. It seemed like he had still underestimated the capabilities of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yao Chang Jun were to really be in peak condition, then even if Yang Kai unsealed the Demon Qi, he would still not be his opponent.
Sure enough, no Master who could reach this level of cultivation was a simple person.
“Hammer!” Yang Kai reached out towards the air and a hammer suddenly appeared in his hand.
[Demonic Armament War Hammer!]
This Demonic Armament was supposed to belong to that Ancient Demon and had been sealed under Maplewood City’s Eighteen Stars Grand Array for millennia. It was filled with terrifying demonic power. Back when Yang Kai obtained it, he threw it into the Sealed World Bead and passed it to Embodiment for him to refine and use. Even as strong as Yang Kai was, he didn’t dare to have any ideas about this weapon lest its Demonic Energy agitate the Demonic Qi sealed in his body.
But this was the perfect moment to use it.
War Hammer in hand, a strange feeling came over Yang Kai.
This Demonic Armament War Hammer seemed to come to life in his grip, clearly conveying a hum of excitement and joy. It resonated perfectly with the Demon Qi inside Yang Kai’s body, allowing him to wield it as he wished without the need to refine it.
With the War Hammer in hand, Yang Kai seemed to be able to see the Ancient Demon standing alone and fighting a great war against mighty ancient human forces on its own, shattering Heaven and Earth, felling the ancient powerhouses one by one whilst the Ancient Demon stood with its head in the clouds and feet on the earth, eyeing the world surrounded by murderous aura, leaving no one standing but itself!
Yang Kai, who was originally feeling restless due to the influence of the Demon Qi, inexplicably calmed down, suddenly feeling a sense of superiority amongst all others.
Yao Chang Jun who was pouncing aggressively at him was as ridiculous to him as an ant.
Yang Kai looked down at his opponent with scorn as he slowly raised the War Hammer in his hand, a mysterious trace of Principle Strength stirring up with it.
Yao Chang Jun’s face suddenly paled.
He had no idea what had just happened to Yang Kai, but when he suddenly took out the hammer-looking artifact, his entire demeanour and aura changed.
In the darkness, he seemed to have seen an unsurpassable mountain spread out before him. No matter how hard Yao Chang Jun tried, he would not be able to see the view behind this giant mountain.
He panicked all of a sudden.
He wanted to retreat, but the arrow on the bow had no choice but to be released. The Emperor Qi in Yao Chang Jun’s body was rioting right now, so if he retreated at this point, then even without Yang Kai having to do anything, his Dao Heart would still instantly collapse.
A faint murderous intent lingered around his body that grew denser and clearer as he got closer, almost materializing into substance, cutting painful streaks over his skin.
[I’ll die! I’m definitely going to die!]
This thought inexplicably came into Yao Chang Jun’s mind, the chaos in his Soul which was already on the verge of collapse reaching a critical point and suddenly cracking apart.
“AHH!” Yao Chang Jun howled out in madness, “Even if I die, this Old Master will take you with him!”
With these words, he poured all his strength into the Five-Coloured Spear, enveloping his body with five-coloured light. His previous hesitation was completely gone, and he instead grew determined.
His peak strength was unleashed into this one blow, and Yao Chang Jun’s eyes which were originally clouded with panic now shone brightly at this moment.
Face devoid of emotion, Yang Kai slammed the War Hammer down.
The will of the War Hammer coalesced from the rampaging murderous intent and crashed towards Yao Chang Jun.
With a loud bang, a dark light erupted on this nameless sea as if it were devouring Heaven and Earth.
At the same time, another five-coloured light also bloomed, resisting the dark light.
Two different coloured lights collided and competed against each other. The wind and clouds above the sea were stirred up for a moment and the islands which were already in a state of collapse disintegrated into dust, leaving no trace behind. The waterspouts nearby were also impacted by the huge eruption and scattered.
Immense waves surged up around a radius of several thousand kilometres and countless fish-type Monster Beasts living in the sea were vaporized and disappeared.
A deep crater spanning several thousand meters appeared on the surface of the sea at the centre of those two colliding forces. The seawater within that crater seemed to have evaporated in an instant.
The deadlock lasted only ten breaths before the black light burst forth and devoured the five-coloured light.
“By what rights have the damnable Heavens allowed this!? This Old Master is unwilling!”
As a roar resounded through the clouds, the dust began to settle.
The dark and five-coloured lights filling the world were gone and the huge depression on the surface of the sea was gradually filled up by the seawater gushing over from its sides while a heavy rain poured down. Only the energy fluctuations still remaining served as proof that a great battle had just taken place here.
Yao Chang Jun had disappeared, and so did Yang Kai. Only a longan-sized bead was left that slowly sank into the depths of the sea.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai rushed towards the medicine garden at once. His body was as black as ink while indescribable Demon Crests were practically crawling over his entire body.
Liu Yan also rushed over at the same time. When she saw Yang Kai’s condition, she was so scared that she immediately ran away.
It wasn’t that she didn’t dare to stay, but rather that she couldn’t.
Even though Yang Kai was able to keep a shred of his consciousness, who knows how long that shred of consciousness could last? If she were to stay here, her presence would only aggravate Yang Kai’s condition.
Next to the medicine garden, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged while barely holding onto his consciousness. With a slight movement of his mind, he began stripping the gold and silver seals from the Firmament Tree.
The last time he transformed like this, he borrowed the Firmament Tree’s sealing power in order to lock away the Demon Qi. More than two years had passed since the last time so reasonably speaking, it was impossible that the Firmament Tree’s sealing power would have grown so quickly.
But there was a massive amount of Heavy Earth below this medicine garden, and five Earth Vein Crystals, so one year of growth here was equivalent to a hundred in the outside world.
In other words, the Firmament Tree had two hundred years worth of sealing power now, which should be enough to seal this Demon Qi.
Under Yang Kai’s control, the gold and silver-coloured energy were slowly stripped from the Firmament Tree before flowing towards his body, sinking into his dantian and suppressing the frenzying Demon Qi.
He had at least experienced this once before, so Yang Kai was familiar with the process.
As time passed, the Demon Qi was sealed more and more. Yang Kai also slowly got rid of the effects of the demonization and gradually restored his consciousness.
Three days later, as the last trace of sealing power was pulled into his body, the Demon Qi was finally sealed up without a single trace leaking out.
Yang Kai let out a long sigh.
He was really afraid that something would go wrong during the sealing process this time. The power he received from unlocking the seal was undoubtedly much stronger than last time, but it was a good thing that the sealing power of the Firmament Tree had also become much firmer. If not for this, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
After dealing with the snake in the grass, Yang Kai began checking on his own injuries.
During the battle with Yao Chang Jun, he seemed to have the absolute upper hand and was even able to deal with the old man in just a few moves after the transformation; however, Yao Chang Jun’s final counterattack before his death still caused a lot of damage to Yang Kai.
In the end, his opponent was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yang Kai had not destroyed his opponent’s Knowledge Sea from the outset of the battle, then how could he have been killed so easily?
Who knows how many bones Yang Kai had broken in his body, but the blood on the surface of his skin had already dried as if he were wearing a layer of blood as clothes. But what saddened Yang Kai the most was the fact that his meridians were now damaged.
Fortunately, he had the Immortal Tree in the medicine garden. Even the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus was no match for the Immortal Tree in terms of healing power, not to mention that his own restorative abilities were extremely strong to begin with. Yang Kai didn’t need any other medicines.
Half a day later, Yang Kai regained his vigour. Shaking off the bloodied clothes on his body, he changed into a fresh set of robes.
Thinking back to his battle with Yao Chang Jun inevitably made Yang Kai feel a little anxious.
He was able to take this old monster out using the power of the Demon Qi this time, but what about the next? If he were to unlock the seal again, then it wouldn’t be something two hundred years of sealing power alone could deal with.
It may take three hundred, four hundred, or even more years of sealing strength.
In other words, the Firmament Tree would have to grow inside the medicine garden for at least three years before it had enough sealing power to allow Yang Kai to unlock the seal again.
With such a long time, who knows whether Yang Kai would encounter any powerful enemies.
If only he had a drop of Supreme Divine Water! Supreme Divine Water was a divine product of nature that could quickly mature spirit herbs without any drawbacks. One drop of Supreme Divine Water could definitely grant the Firmament Tree three hundred, or even thousands of years of sealing power…
Unfortunately, Supreme Divine Water was so precious that Yang Kai had only seen it once in his life. It was the drop found at the Flowing Time Temple which was ultimately acquired by Murong Xiao Xiao.
It was part of the inheritance left behind by the Flowing Time Great Emperor, so who knows whether Supreme Divine Water still existed elsewhere in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai made up his mind that he would definitely not unlock the Demon Qi’s seal in the next three to four years unless he could find Supreme Divine Water to nurture the Firmament Tree.
Considering all this, his mind instantly cleared up and he felt refreshed.
He planted the two Heavenly Restoration Lotuses he found in his medicine garden and dusted his hands off before standing up.
Even though the white Heavenly Restoration Lotus had been picked by Liu Xian Yun quite some time ago, it was well-preserved, so the medicinal efficacies were not diminished, nor were the roots damaged. Once it was planted in the medicine garden and enveloped by the vitality of the Immortal Tree, it would definitely come to life again.
The Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotuses were very valuable and Yang Kai didn’t have any use for them yet, so he did not bother to refine the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill at this moment.
Only after settling all these things did Yang Kai release his Divine Sense. Then, in the next moment, his body teleported and appeared in front of his Embodiment, Liu Yan, and the others.
“Master, are you alright?” Liu Yan asked with a happy face as soon as she saw Yang Kai appear.
A few days ago, she went to check on Yang Kai’s condition when she noticed him entering the Small Sealed World, but she never expected to see Yang Kai being plagued by Demon Qi, so she had been worried ever since.
The Embodiment and Hua Qing Si were also extremely worried.
Of course, when they saw Yang Kai alive and well, there was no way they didn’t realize that he had already dealt with the Demon Qi.
“En, I’ve come back to life!” Yang Kai grinned.
Hua Qing Si said with a serious expression, “Are you sure there are no after-effects? You can’t be too careless.”
“Rest assured, Sister Hua.” While speaking, Yang Kai took something out of his Space Ring and handed it to Hua Qing Si, “Here, this is for you.”
Hua Qing Si took it with suspicion, but then her pretty face paled and she called out in shock, “An Emperor Artifact?”
What Yang Kai handed her was the Five-Coloured Spear that Yao Chang Jun used before this. After that duel to the death, and before Yang Kai entered the Small Sealed World, he managed to snatch away this Emperor Artifact and Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring.
Liu Yan already had the Annihilation Thunder Bead and Hua Qing Si had always been loyal to Yang Kai, so he felt relieved handing this Five-Coloured Spear over to her for her use.
“An Emperor Artifact is powerful, but the most important thing to a cultivator is still their foundation. Sister Hua, don’t put the cart before the horse,” Yang Kai said.
Hua Qing Si fiddled with the Five-Coloured Spear in her hands and looked completely overjoyed with it. She nodded and told him off, “I know that, do I still need you to teach me?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and touched his own nose.
He did not have time to check Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring yet; however, taking it out now, he found that there were quite a lot of good things inside.
There were hundreds of millions of Source Crystals alone. What’s more, most of them were Mid-Rank and High-Rank. But it was within Yang Kai’s expectations for a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yao Chang Jun to have amassed this much wealth.
He had such a high cultivation, so how could he be broke?
Besides the Source Crystals, there were also large amounts of Spirit Pills and Artifacts, but none of them were Emperor Grade.
After checking around for a bit, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something and asked, stunned, “Where’s Liu Xian Yun?”
Liu Xian Yun had passed out earlier, so Yang Kai tossed her into the Small Sealed World in order to avoid accidentally hurting her during his fight with Yao Chang Jun. However, she was nowhere to be seen right now.
Liu Yan explained, “I placed her at the pavilion and she is already awake now, but she seems to be confused about her situation.”
“You didn’t explain anything to her?”
“No,” Liu Yan shook her head. Not to mention explaining, she didn’t even show her face to Liu Xian Yun.
“I’ll take a look.” As he spoke, Yang Kai’s figure had already disappeared.
Inside the pavilion, Liu Xian Yun had a serious expression and her eyes were filled with bewilderment.
She found herself in this pavilion when she woke up earlier, and she had no idea what this place was. Looking around, she found that there was no danger here, and nobody could be found nearby either. On the other hand, the World Energy here was absurdly dense.
Liu Xian Yun had never seen a place with such rich World Energy as this. This place must be a cultivation paradise, one where she didn’t even need to circulate her Secret Arts to absorb the World Energy around her as it would simply seep into her pores on its own.
If she could cultivate here for a while, then it may not take long before she was able to break through her shackles and advance to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
But she was so set on trying to figure out where she was right now that she didn’t have the heart to cultivate. What worried her the most was the fact that Yang Kai was nowhere to be found. After several days of searching, she even began to wonder if she had been abandoned.
But while she was staying mournfully in the attic at this moment, thinking about where she should go in the future, a figure suddenly flashed in front of her, and Yang Kai appeared mysteriously just like that.
“Senior Brother…” When Liu Xian Yun saw Yang Kai, it was as if she had found her pillar of support and rushed towards him, her anxious expression clearly relaxing a lot.
Yang Kai smiled, “Something happened and I was occupied for a few days.”
“It’s good as long as you’re okay, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun swept her eyes over Yang Kai for a while and found that he was full of energy. Only then did she put her heart at ease and ask, “Senior Brother, do you know where this is? Weren’t we swallowed up by that huge vortex earlier?”
Her memory was still stuck at the unforeseen disaster in the Solitary Void Mountain Range. When she remembered how they were unable to fight back against the power of that vortex, her pretty face could not help but pale a little.
“We did get swallowed up, then we landed atop a sea.”
“A sea?” Liu Xian Yun was even more confused now. She had been exploring the surrounding area these past few days but she never saw any sea. Instead, the environment here was extremely pleasant. There were many buildings, and it was apparent that many people used to live here.
[If I could settle down here with Senior Brother, that would be nice.]
Yang Kai scratched his head. He had no idea how to explain the current situation to Liu Xian Yun, so he could only say, “I’ll show you around.”
While speaking, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead with Liu Xian Yun with a thought.
As soon as they emerged, they were surrounded by a fishy smell. Following that, they could hear a strange sound coming from all directions, and even the sound of a beating heart.
Just by sweeping through the place with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found where they currently were.
He previously ignored where the Sealed World Bead was going to land so that he could seal the Demon Qi. As such, he allowed the Sealed World Bead to fall into the depths of the sea. Only, after a few days passed, Yang Kai had no idea how, but it seemed it ended up in the stomach of a big fish.
It seemed that this big fish had swallowed the Sealed World Bead and then swam with them all the way to who knows where.
After understanding this, Yang Kai circulated his Source Qi and shot out a Golden Blood Thread. After a chaotic dance, he opened a hole right through the fish’s back and brought Liu Xian Yun up.
Even though the fish was quite big, it was not a powerful Monster Beast, so it could not bear the pain of Yang Kai tossing about inside it and was constantly rolling around in the sea as fresh blood spilled out. From the looks of it, it likely wouldn’t be able to survive.
In the next moment, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun sped out to the surface of the sea. Summoning his wooden boat, Yang Kai got on top of it with Liu Xian Yun in tow.
A faint fishiness wafted out from the sea and all they could see around them were blue waves and blue skies. Endless seas as far as the eyes could see and countless waterspouts all around. Whirlpools surrounded them as well, looking particularly dangerous.
Liu Xian Yun was stunned.
She still hadn’t managed to figure out where she was before, so appearing suddenly on top of the sea had put her at a loss.
“After we were swallowed by the vortex, this is where we popped up.” Yang Kai swept his eyes around the place and could not help but feel a little disappointed when he found no trace of land.
“Where is this?” Liu Xian Yun asked, shocked.
“From what Yao Chang Jun and Pang Guang said, this place seems to be some Solitary Void Sealed World,” Yang Kai frowned.
“Solitary Void Sealed World?” Liu Xian Yun looked bewildered. It seemed like she had never heard of such a place. She had only been in Marsh City for a few years and did not know too much about the deeper secrets of this place, so she naturally never heard of the Solitary Void Sealed World.
“Yao Chang Jun and Pang Guang are also here?” Liu Xian Yun suddenly realized the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words and was startled again.
“Don’t worry, I don’t know where they went,” Yang Kai answered casually. He did not tell her that Yao Chang Jun was already dead. On the other hand, Pang Guang had fled so Yang Kai really didn’t know where he was.
“So, what should we do now?”
“Well, since we’re here, let’s settle down first.” Yang Kai sighed, “First, we’ll find out if anyone else is living here and get some information about this place. Then, we can look for a way out.”
“En. Let’s go with your plan, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun did not have any ideas, so she could only put her hopes on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai then picked a direction and flew off on the wooden boat.
The large sea looked endless. Yang Kai could not even tell north from south and could only keep flying in one direction, hoping to find something.
But the waterspouts present all over the surface of the sea were causing a huge obstacle to him.
The waterspouts had strong suction power, and if they really fell into them, even a Dao Source Realm cultivator may not be able to get out safely.
In order to get away from the suction force of the waterspouts, Yang Kai also consumed a great amount of energy.
Three whole days passed, and the two still did not find anything. It was as if the sea was truly endless. Even someone as calm as Yang Kai could not help but feel a little uneasy. If they really couldn’t find a place to settle down, then would the two of them have to keep on flying forever?
If that happened, the two of them would end up dead sooner or later. Even though they could avoid danger in the Sealed World Bead and rest and recuperate, they would still be trapped here for life if unable to find the way out.
“Junior Sister, come and take over for a while, I need to rest for a bit.” Yang Kai beckoned Liu Xian Yun over and passed the controls of the wooden boat to her.
“En.” Liu Xian Yun had been wanting to help Yang Kai for a long time, so she was happy to take over when he asked her to do so.
“Watch out for those waterspouts. If you find one that’s too big, then it’s better to go around it than to try and force your way through it. Those things are dangerous.” Yang Kai cautioned her before sitting down cross-legged. Tossing a few restorative Spirit Pills into his mouth, and silently circulating his Secret Art.
The World Energy inside this Solitary Void Sealed World was extremely dense, not more so than in the Sealed World Bead, but definitely higher than an average Sect’s cultivation paradises.
Yang Kai figured that he could recover quickly if he used Spirit Pills and cultivate here.
But only a short time passed before he realized that something wasn’t quite right.
The World Energy that was being drawn into his body seemed to be mixed with something else that Yang Kai could not identify. This strange energy felt like sharp needles that constantly pricked his meridians and body when it entered his body, causing immense physical pain.
The more he cultivated, the more of this stuff he absorbed.
An hour later, Yang Kai coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face looking terrible.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Liu Xian Yun’s face suddenly changed. Yang Kai was clearly restoring his Source Qi, so how did he end up coughing up blood as if he had received a severe injury, especially when there were no enemies nearby.
“The World Energy in this place is strange, don’t absorb it. The more you do, the higher the chance you hurt yourself!” Yang Kai said through gritted teeth as he wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth.
“How can that be?” Liu Xian Yun asked, surprised.
“No idea!” Yang Kai was also confused, shaking his head, “Something’s not quite right with this Sealed World!”
He had never encountered World Energy that he could not absorb since he began cultivating. Something strange was mixed into the World Energy inside this Solitary Void Sealed World, and the more it was absorbed, the more damage it did to a cultivator. It would definitely ruin their meridians in the long run, causing them to lose their cultivation.
Fortunately, Yang Kai only cultivated for an hour before he stopped.
“What do we do now?” Liu Xian Yun was completely panicked. If they couldn’t absorb the World Energy here, then the two of them would run out of energy sooner or later. Not to mention finding the exit, they may never even get off the sea and would die of exhaustion in the end.
This situation was just like putting a whole table of delicious seafood in front of a hungry sailor, but it was actually poisonous. If they ate, they would die of poison, but if they didn’t, they would die of hunger…
“No matter, I have a solution,” Yang Kai wasn’t in too much panic and took out the Sealed World Bead, passing it to Liu Xian Yun. “Hold onto this. I’ll go in to recover for a moment.”
Saying so, he had already entered the Sealed World Bead.
Liu Xian Yun didn’t have the time to say anything before Yang Kai disappeared. She just looked at the Sealed World Bead in her hands, dumbfounded. Then, remembering the pavilion and that nice and quiet world, Liu Xian Yun seemed to have realized something and her pretty face could not help but fill with surprise.
A moment later, she quickly, but carefully put away the Sealed World Bead before putting her focus on steering the wooden boat, constantly moving forward while avoiding those waterspouts.
An hour later, Yang Kai reappeared, not looking as weak as he did earlier. He had a rosy complexion now and had clearly recovered his strength.
Liu Xian Yun did not say anything more, simply nodding at him and handing back the Sealed World Bead.
She was able to cultivate the Third-Order Origin King Realm in the Grand Desolation Star Field and had the prestige of being one of the strongest Masters there, so she was obviously a smart person and knew what to ask and what not to ask.
There was no doubt that Yang Kai entrusting the Sealed World Bead to her meant that he trusted her greatly. As for the mysteries of this Sealed World Bead, it was enough that she knew it in her heart.
Day by day, time passed.
Every two or three days, Yang Kai would enter the Sealed World Bead to recover and then come back out to steer the wooden boat.
During this period, Liu Xian Yun had also run out of Source Qi and had entered the Sealed World Bead twice, but she was very sensible and never asked any questions when she went in and out.
A month’s time passed in the blink of an eye, but Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun still never found any trace of land in this vast sea. The sea really seemed to be endless.
No matter how resolute Yang Kai was, he still could not help but feel a little impatient at this moment.
On this day, when Yang Kai returned from the Sealed World Bead, Liu Xian Yun called out to him with pleasant surprise in her voice, “Senior Brother, I think we’ve found something!”
“What is it?” Yang Kai was excited to hear this and quickly asked.
Liu Xian Yun pointed ahead, “Look, the waterspouts are appearing less and less frequently. The further we go, the rarer they become.”
Yang Kai focused his gaze and discovered that it was true. The number of waterspouts on the surface of the sea had decreased, and Yang Kai’s eyes could not help but brighten at this discovery.
Even though there was no sign of land yet, at least some changes could finally be seen in their surroundings.
Previously, Yang Kai was wondering if they were lost or if they were constantly going in circles, but now, it seemed that they were neither. The sea really was just extremely vast.
This discovery brightened up both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, and they sped forth on their wooden boat with even greater effort.
As time passed, the waterspouts around them were also growing smaller and smaller. Eventually, they disappeared completely. This gave Yang Kai the firm belief that he was flying in the right direction. If they kept going, then they might end up finding an unexpected harvest.
After another three days, Yang Kai was in the middle of steering the wooden boat when his face suddenly changed and he focused his gaze as far as he could in a certain direction. In the next moment, he was overjoyed and patted Liu Xian Yun on the shoulder, “Junior Sister, there’s a ship ahead!”
Liu Xian Yun was meditating with closed eyes. She did not dare to cultivate here, so she quickly woke up when Yang Kai called out to her. Standing up, she looked in the direction Yang Kai was pointing and saw that there was in fact a small black dot on the horizon.
That little black dot was, amazingly, a large ship.
Liu Xian Yun could not help but get excited. Looking over at Yang Kai, she could see that he was overjoyed as well.
It had been more than a month since they came to this damned place and they had been wandering the sea this whole time when they finally spotted a ship. The joy that they felt simply could not be described in words.
A boat meant people, and if there were people, it meant they could ask where this place was and where they should head to.
Yang Kai quickly sped up the wooden ship and flew straight towards the large sea ship.
As they got closer and closer, the image of the ship also got clearer and clearer.
It was an impressively large sea ship and even a relatively high-grade artifact to boot. This was a great surprise to Yang Kai as the refinement of such a large artifact ship would inevitably require a lot of energy and finances. Who knows how the cultivators aboard actually managed to achieve it while living in this damned place.
When the wooden bloat flew over, the sentries on the sea ship obviously spotted them as well. Before waiting for Yang Kai to come close, a dozen people scrambled onto the deck, standing there in a disorderly manner. They seemed to be very curious about Yang Kai’s arrival and were constantly pointing and whispering about them.
It didn’t take long before Yang Kai arrived a short distance away from the ship. Looking over, whether it be men or women, he could see that all of them had sturdy auras and were staring at them with some vigilance.
But what surprised Yang Kai even more was the fact that most of these people were actually Dao Source Realm cultivators!
How did they manage to maintain their cultivation in this place? After all, the World Energy here couldn’t be absorbed, so there was no doubt that one’s cultivation would regress if one lived here for a long time.
Even though these dozen people did look a bit short of Source Qi, clearly because they had not been able to cultivate properly, they indeed managed to maintain their cultivations.
The leader of these people was a woman with a voluptuous body, curvy and well-endowed both on her front and her behind; however, her skin was slightly dark, likely due to her being out at sea all year long. This did not take away from her beauty in the slightest though and instead added a wild air to her.
She was standing there like a powerful leopard, looking at the newcomers with sharp eyes.
Yang Kai did not board the ship rashly and instead cupped his fists from nearby, calling out, “Friends, please. I do not know which way you’re heading, but do you mind bringing us along as well?”
The dozen or so people looked indifferent, only their leader raised her head slightly and asked bluntly, “Where are you from?”
Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction and said, “From there. Our ship was destroyed. Only the two of us managed to escape.”
This was, of course, a lie; however, Yang Kai did not want to reveal his background when they had just arrived.
“A shipwreck?” The woman’s face changed slightly. Though, she did not ask too much about it and just sighed lightly. It seemed like getting shipwrecked was common on this sea. Nodding, she said, “The two of you are quite lucky to have survived such a disaster. I can let you on board, but you know the rules, right?”
[Rules…?] Yang Kai’s heart jumped. This was the first group of people they’d encountered since coming here a month ago, so how would they know the rules?
But just as he was about to ask for guidance, the woman frowned and said, “Five thousand Source Crystals per person. Ten thousand for the two of you.”
“Yes yes! Of course!” Yang Kai quickly nodded, thinking that the rules were that they had to pay a boarding fee.
This rule was acceptable, but what surprised Yang Kai the most was the fact that the price of these tickets was way too cheap. It only cost five thousand Source Crystals per person.
As he said that, he touched the Space Ring on his finger, wanting to take out the Source Crystals.
When the woman saw his actions, she couldn’t help but frown and said, “You’re not thinking of giving me the Source Crystals here, right?”
Yang Kai looked at her, bewildered, “Is something the matter?”
Upon hearing this, the woman’s face instantly turned strange. She was eyeing him incessantly, and it wasn’t just her. The other cultivators standing on the deck also had amused looks on their faces.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai frowned slightly. He was wondering in his heart, [Is there something wrong with giving her the Source Crystals here?]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling suspicious, the woman took out an Access Token. Reaching out and swaying it, an opening immediately split on the ship’s barrier and she said, “Come in first.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai held back the doubts in his heart and rushed in with his wooden boat.
With their feet on the deck, both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun could not help but heave a sigh of relief. The feeling of standing on steady ground was simply wonderful.
“Come with me.” The woman waved her hand and led the way ahead.
Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun exchanged glances with each other before quickly catching up with her.
The cultivators on the deck also took the initiative to open up a path so the two could pass.
After walking for a short while, the woman suddenly asked, “How long have you been shipwrecked on the Solitary Void Sea?”
[So, it turns out this place is the Solitary Void Sea,] Yang Kai noted it silently in his heart. As for the other party’s question, he answered without hesitation, “It happened yesterday. Fortunately, we bumped into you, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. Truly, many thanks to this Young Miss for taking us in.”
His aura was stable at the moment and it obviously seemed as if he did not consume much Source Qi. Telling her that the shipwreck happened yesterday would be the best answer.
“Is that so?” The corners of the woman’s mouth rose slightly, revealing an intriguing smile.
Yang Kai frowned. He thought to himself, [Could it be that this woman realized something? But I shouldn’t have revealed any hint…] Both he and Liu Xian Yun looked at each other, both a little confused.
As they talked, the woman led Yang Kai to a compartment. Opening the door, she went inside.
Yang Kai looked around. Even though the place was not big, the environment was not bad. The nice bit about the compartment was how quiet it was. Also, a Spirit Array seemed to have been set up here, but he had no idea what for.
“Will we be staying here?” Yang Kai asked.
The woman glanced at him and said indifferently, “Not so fast.”
Yang Kai’s face turned dark. [This woman really is strange, if they weren’t going to let them stay, then why bring them here?]
“You can stay here if you want, but it’ll cost you a thousand crystals per day,” the woman continued.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched. He asked, “Didn’t we pay the ship fare already?”
Even though he wasn’t short on Source Crystals right now, he still couldn’t find this woman’s behaviour acceptable. Did she really have to charge them extra for the room? It seemed as though she was trying to milk them.
“The fare and the room fees are two different things. Would you want to stay in a free room if we had one?”
“What’s the difference?” Yang Kai was confused. [Even the rooms on this ship were divided between free ones and paid ones? But the room in front of us doesn’t seem to look decent, so why should we be charged for it?]
The woman explained, “This room is equipped with a special Spirit Purifying Array that can purify the Disruption Force in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Even though it isn’t a high-grade array, it can still be used to cultivate.”
[Used to cultivate?] Yang Kai finally understood why the cultivators on the ship were able to maintain their cultivation.
[So, it is because of this Spirit Purifying Array.] He had previously tried to cultivate in here and naturally knew what sort of damage the mysterious power in this world could do when it entered a cultivator’s body. It turned out that mysterious energy was called Disruption Force.
This one short sentence from this woman allowed Yang Kai to understand many things.
With that, it also made sense now for them to charge for the room. The Spirit Purifying Array could purify the strange Disruption Force in the air so the cultivator in the room would be able to absorb the World Energy without the impurities.
But Yang Kai soon realized that something was wrong, because the World Energy in this room was extremely thin, a far cry from the dense World Energy outside.
From the looks of it, this Spirit Purifying Array did not come without drawbacks. While it purified the Disruption Force, it also hindered the flow of World Energy.
Even though one would not be hurt by the Disruption Force if they cultivated here, it was still impossible to maintain their cultivation with such thin World Energy. Their cultivation could only slowly regress unless they could find another method to restore their Source Qi, such as Source Crystals or whatnot.
No wonder all the cultivators here looked to be lacking Source Qi. Despite being at the Dao Source Realm, Yang Kai could tell that these people simply wouldn’t be able to display their full strength at all.
“Are you staying or not?” The woman asked impatiently when she saw Yang Kai’s mind wandering.
“Yes, of course we’ll stay!” Yang Kai nodded hurriedly. Even if the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array here was poor, and the room was mediocre, the fact that the Disruption Force could be purified here was better than nothing.
Anyway, it’s not like he was short on Source Crystals; after all, he had just managed to secure hundreds of millions of Source Crystals from Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring after killing him.
“You’ll have to pay for a month in advance. You get your balance back if we reach land before then, or pay extra if otherwise,” The woman extended her hand towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai no longer objected, taking out 40,000 Source Crystals and handing them to the woman.
The woman put the Source Crystals into her Space Ring with great haste and instructed, “Don’t wander around if you have no other business. We came out here on a mission and we’ll bring you to Clear Sky Island once we’re finished.”
Yang Kai nodded, “We understand.”
Only then did the woman turn around and walk out. When she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to look at Yang Kai, “Are you curious as to why I brought you into this room to collect the Source Crystals?”
Yang Kai was stunned. He did not understand what she meant by asking this.
The woman snorted and did not continue speaking, instead just stretching out a hand to Yang Kai, “Give me one more Source Crystal and I’ll tell you the reason why.”
Veins started to pop on Yang Kai’s forehead. This woman was seriously obsessed with money, wanting Source Crystals for everything.
Though a little disgruntled, he took out a Source Crystal and tossed it towards the woman.
The woman caught it and sneered, “Watch carefully.”
As she spoke, she tossed the Source Crystal straight out of the room.
With a *ding*, the Source Crystal landed in the hallway.
Then, the next scene caused Yang Kai’s face to change. The Source Crystal had actually begun to dissolve at a rapid rate. In less than ten breaths, a whole piece of Low-Rank Source Crystal disappeared without a trace, dissipating into World Energy.
The woman coldly snorted, “If you’re new here, you’re new, don’t bother trying to act smart!”
After she said that, she went straight out and shut the door behind her.
Yang Kai’s face burned red. He knew that his lies had been seen through the moment he tried to take out the Source Crystals for her outside. Otherwise, if he was someone from here, how could he not even know this bit of common knowledge?
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face also changed slightly, “That Source Crystal…”
Yang Kai said frustratingly, “Source Crystals probably can’t be exposed outside of the Spirit Purifying Array, otherwise they’ll disappear quickly.”
The woman clearly wanted this last piece of Source Crystal to show him this.
“Does that mean they figured out we’ve just arrived here?”
Yang Kai smiled awkwardly, “Definitely, but that doesn’t matter. That woman seems a bit aloof, but I don’t think she’s a bad person. Let’s get some rest first. We’ll figure out how to get out of here once we reach that Clear Sky Island she mentioned.”
“En.” Liu Xian Yun nodded and found a place in the room to sit down in a cross-legged position.
…..
On the deck, two men immediately sprang up when the woman walked out and approached her on each side.
The man on the left had a huge scar on his face that ran from his cheekbone all the way down his mouth, appearing fierce and scary. The one on the right on the other hand had a rather stout round build and a fierce aura.
“Big Sister Ling, are those two… staying?” The man on the left asked softly, eyes flickering with a dangerous light. He could not help but stick out his tongue to lick his lips when he asked this question, as if there was a delicious meal placed in front of him.
“En,” Ling Yin Qin nodded. She looked at him and said coldly, “What’re you asking that for?”
The man on the right grinned meaningfully, “You already know the answer, Big Sister Ling. It was clearly that pair’s first time here in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Obviously, they’ve stumbled here by accident, but newcomers here always have a lot of good stuff on them.”
The man on the left nodded, “That’s right, Big Sister Ling. We only have several dozen Source Crystals left. If we don’t get any more, then our cultivations will start to regress. You also know how the situation on Clear Sky Island is. Now that two fat sheep suddenly stumbled onto us… Heh heh, we brothers just can’t help ourselves.”
“Is this what you two were planning, or is it the plans of everyone on the ship?” Ling Yin Qin paused in her steps and asked in a grim voice.
The man on the left scratched his head, “Even though they didn’t say anything, they’re definitely thinking the same thing. As long as Big Sister Ling gives the order, we’ll rush in there right now and tie them up!”
“What nonsense!” Ling Yin Qin shouted angrily, saliva spraying all over the scar-faced man’s face, “Control your greed and don’t give me any trouble!”
The scar-faced man wiped his face embarrassedly, “Big Sister Ling, we can just talk, no need to spit on me…”
Ling Yin Qin coldly snorted, “How about I throw you overboard so you can cool your head first?”
The scar-faced man jumped in fright and quickly waved his hands, “No, no, no thank you!”
Lin Yin Qin took a deep breath and said, “That man isn’t someone we should be messing with. Since you know they’re newcomers here, then you should know that nobody who just arrived here is to be underestimated. Unlike us who have lived here for a long time, their cultivations haven’t regressed yet, so they are able to use their full strength. That man is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so who on this ship can fight him? If we really start a fight here, several of our men are going to end up dead at least. Do you really want to see that happen?”
The two men looked at each other and were instantly much more clear-headed. They both shook their heads.
Ling Yin Qin continued, “The first rule of the Solitary Void Sealed World is that we should never pick unnecessary fights, remember that. The Source Qi that we consume cannot be so easily replenished.”
“Yes,” The two men seemed extremely submissive to Ling Yin Qin and answered her seriously when they heard her say that.
“What’s more, we still have a mission to finish out here. Rest assured, once our task is done, all of you will receive Source Crystals and cultivation resources.” While speaking, Ling Yin Qin took off her Space Ring and passed it to the scar-faced man, “I got 40,000 Source Crystals from that man just now, take them and distribute them to everyone. Each of you should get a good share out of this.”
“40,000!?” The two men were overjoyed, as if 40,000 Source Crystals was an amazing fortune for them.
This was simply unimaginable in the outside world. Any Dao Source Realm cultivator wouldn’t even spare a glance at 40,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals, but Source Crystals were a rare commodity here in the Solitary Void Sealed World.
Cultivators who live here year-round would naturally need to consume Source Crystals, but there were no Source Crystals to mine here. There was simply no way to make ends meet in the long run. Only cultivators who end up getting caught and dragged into this place would bring some Source Crystals with them.
But not many cultivators ended up here each year, and the number of Source Crystals they brought with them was an even greater uncertainty. How could this be enough for the several hundreds of thousands of people living in Clear Sky City?
These 40,000 Source Crystals were a huge sum for the cultivators aboard this ship.
And yet, Ling Yin Qin had handed this over without hesitation to share with everyone. This was the reason why a woman like her was able to get the whole ship to yield to her and obey her orders.
Ling Yin Qin never hid anything for herself, and this kind of virtue was enough to gain everyone’s respect.
“Tell our brothers not to have any funny thoughts about those two, and don’t reveal their origins when we return to Clear Sky City. If you want Source Crystals, get it from them the proper way. Our mission is going to be a long one. If you use the right method, then you may be able to get some Source Crystals out of them.” Ling Yin Qin warned them again, still not completely assured. She was clear about the type of men she had working under her.
“Got it, Big Sister Ling.” The two were overjoyed at her words. After shooting a glance at each other, they immediately rushed into the cabin.
Not long after, the scar-faced man returned and handed the ring back to Ling Yin Qin, “Big Sister Ling, we left 10,000 Source Crystals for you. The rest we’ve split up with the boys. Heh heh, everyone said they’ll have to thank Big Sister Ling for this reward!”
Ling Yin Qin snorted, “I’ll be thanking the Heavens as long as you don’t bring me any trouble.”
“No, no, absolutely not!” The scar-faced man responded seriously.
Yang Kai had not been sitting in the room for long when a knock came at the door.
Liu Xian Yun looked at him and only opened the door when she received a nod.
The scar-faced man that was on the deck earlier appeared outside the door with a flattering smile on his face and immediately began fawning over them, “Greetings, dear guests. I’m not disturbing your cultivation, am I?”
Liu Xian Yun asked, “What is it?”
The scar-faced man laughed, “Big Sister instructed me to come over and see if our guests are in need of anything. If you do need anything, we will do our best to fulfil your needs.”
Liu Xian Yun was bewildered. She had no idea why this guy was being so polite all of a sudden. A saying came to her, ‘one who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions’. This man’s behaviour made her a little wary; after all, when she and Yang Kai arrived here, they weren’t even sure of the specific circumstances of this place, so it was natural for them to be cautious.
The scar-faced man then continued, “This is some food prepared by the brothers for the two of you. We have nothing else to offer on our ship, I hope you won’t mind it.”
Only then did Liu Xian Yun notice that the scar-faced man was holding a tray with two plates of dishes and a jar of wine. She had no idea what sort of strange meat the food was made of, but it did smell quite good.
[It couldn’t be poisoned, could it?] Liu Xian Yun’s face turned strange in an instant. She wanted to refuse him, but since he took the initiative to bring it over, it seemed a bit inappropriate to turn him away at the door. So, not knowing what to do, she could only look back at Yang Kai and wait for his opinion.
“Come in and talk inside.” Yang Kai did not seem to care.
When he heard this, the scar-faced man suddenly revealed a happy expression, “Pardon the intrusion.”
Liu Xian Yun then moved aside to let the scar-faced man enter the room. The latter put the tray on the table and looked towards Yang Kai with an eager face, the fawning smile on his face never disappearing.
Yang Kai smiled, “Is the food free or is there a fee?”
The scar-faced man grinned meaningfully, scratching his head as he said, “This is a little token of appreciation prepared by the brothers for our two guests, so naturally it’s free of charge. But… Heh heh… I’m sure you understand, friend.”
Liu Xian Yun let out a light snort and looked unhappy. She was thinking that all these people in this ship were all money-grubbers. To think they actually had the gall to charge for two plates of some unknown dishes and a jar of old wine that looked to be of poor quality.
She wouldn’t even have bothered to spare such dishes a glance if she was served them in the outside world.
But Yang Kai had his curiosity piqued by this behaviour and asked, “Are Source Crystals hard to acquire here?”
Instantly, a bitter expression appeared on the scar-faced man’s face, “Friend, if you live here for a little time, you’ll learn just how precious Source Crystals are in this place.”
If this wasn’t the case, why would he be so thick-faced as to try and find a way to ‘earn’ some Source Crystals from Yang Kai like this?
“Can you not mine Source Crystals here?” Liu Xian Yun asked suspiciously.
The scar-faced man shook his head and replied, “No, the Disruption Force is present all throughout the Solitary Void Sealed World, and once exposed to it, Source Crystals will dissolve and lose all the World Energy. So, there are no Source Crystals to mine in this damned place at all. This is also the reason why the World Energy is so dense in this Solitary Void Sealed World.”
Liu Xian Yun had also seen how the Source Crystal melted rapidly earlier, so she naturally understood when she heard the scar-faced man say this. With that, her disdain for the cultivators on this ship lessened a little. She understood now why all of them were so money eager for profits.
The scar-faced man sighed, “The Source Crystals in this Solitary Void Sealed World are all brought in by outside cultivators. There’s no chance to even find a single piece in here.”
Yang Kai nodded as it was just as he guessed. When he saw the Source Crystal dissolve earlier, Yang Kai already had some vague guesses, so when the scar-faced man explained this now, he instantly affirmed that his guesses were correct.
Source Crystals truly were valuable treasures in this damned place.
“What do we call you?” Yang Kai asked.
The scar-faced man quickly responded, “Jiao Yi. Big Sister calls me Old Jiao. Please feel free to call me however you please!”
“Please sit, Brother Jiao, I have some questions to ask you,” Yang Kai motioned to him while taking out a bag of Source Crystals from his Space Ring at the same time, placing it on the table and pushing it towards him.
Jiao Yi’s eyes lit up in an instant like a starved ghost seeing food. He pulled the bag to himself, opened it up, and was almost blinded by the lustre of the Source Crystals inside. Hurriedly, he stuffed the bag into his Space Ring and replied happily, “Ask away, friend! Old Jiao will even tell you what the colour of my underwear is!”
“Bleh…” Liu Xian Yun spat, face blushing slightly.
Yang Kai smiled, “To tell you the truth, my Junior Sister and I just arrived here and we know nothing about this place, so…”
“We already know. Who else besides newcomers would dare to take out Source Crystals in the open here in the Solitary Void Sealed World? As soon as we saw that, we all knew you weren’t familiar with the rules here, friend.”
He was referring to Yang Kai’s earlier attempt at making a deal with Ling Yin Qin above deck.
Yang Kai also knew he was definitely outed, so he didn’t try to hide it either. In any case, he wanted information and had Source Crystals, so he figured trading one for the other was a good deal.
Jiao Yi sighed, “Just live here for a year and you’ll know how precious Source Crystals are. Let Old Jiao give you some advice. No matter how many Source Crystals you have, use them sparingly or you’ll use them up before you know it. Thinking back then, I used to have several million Source Crystals in my Space Ring. I was quite rich back then! But now, haa…”
He had a pained look, as if regretting how he squandered his money.
“How long have you been here, Brother Jiao?”
This question seemed to poke at Jiao Yi’s sore point. He poured himself a cup of wine and downed it in one gulp before wiping his mouth and speaking, “I never really counted, but probably about sixty years, maybe seventy?”
“Sixty or seventy years!?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled in an instant.
Jiao Yi looked over to her and revealed, “What do seventy years count for? Some people have been stuck here for hundreds or even thousands of years.”
“Is there no way out?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
Jiao Yi frowned, “I’m not sure about that. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. As for me, this Old Jiao’s strength is too low, so obviously, even if there is a way out, I wouldn’t be able to reach it. If that wasn’t the case, those few peak-level powerhouses in Clear Sky City would have already left. Why would they stay here and suffer?”
Yang Kai said, “Then, did you come in from Solitary Void Mountain Range too, Brother Jiao?”
“Solitary Void Mountain Range?” Jiao Yi was befuddled at these words. After thinking for a while, he realized what he was saying, “Oh, that Solitary Void Mountain Range at the intersection of the Southern Territory and the Eastern Territory, right? No, I came in from the intersection of the Western Territory and the Northern Territory.”
“Are there a lot of points this place can be accessed from?”
“En, it seems to be so, since people from all four major regions are living on Clear Sky Island. Just on this boat alone, we came in from at least a dozen different places.”
“That many? How can that be?” Liu Xian Yun was amazed.
Jiao Yi shrugged, “I don’t know either.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “The entrance of this Solitary Void Sealed World is either mobile, or there are many entry points. Brother Jiao, what’s the situation on that Clear Sky Island you mentioned?”
Jiao Yi replied, “Clear Sky Island is just that, it’s Clear Sky Island. All the cultivators in this Solitary Void Sealed World live there. The great forces on the island are complicated, so when we get to Clear Sky Island, Old Jiao advises you to join one of the more powerful ones. Otherwise, it will be difficult to survive here, especially for newcomers. Many people have their eyes on newcomers. I’m sure you know why, right?”
“Source Crystals?” Liu Xian Yun quickly asked.
Jiao Yi nodded, “That’s right, newcomers will more or less be carrying Source Crystals with them when they come here. Men die for wealth, birds die for food. That’s the immutable truth.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are there any Emperor Realm Masters staying on the island?”
“There are. More than a few actually,” Jiao Yi responded, “There are probably over a dozen, with the most powerful one being Clear Sky Island Lord who is a Third-Order Emperor Realm. I heard he’s been here for over a thousand years!”
“Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master is trapped here?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled, feeling like escape was becoming more and more hopeless.
Jiao Yi grinned meaningfully, “What’s so strange about that? If you can’t find a way out, then you won’t be able to leave. But after being trapped here for so long, I heard the Island Master’s cultivation has regressed a lot, possibly even dropping to the Second-Order Emperor Realm, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.” He sighed, “But I think it’s true. How could one keep their cultivation from dropping after living here for so long? Old Jiao used to be Second-Order Dao Source Realm, but I’ve already fallen to the First-Order after all these years.”
Yang Kai frowned, “If you don’t have Source Crystals, how do you cultivate here?”
Jiao Yi said, “With Spirit Purifying Arrays. The grade of the Spirit Purifying Array in this room isn’t very high, so the results aren’t that good. The higher the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array, the better. Once you reach Clear Sky City, I suggest you rent a secluded home with a high-grade Spirit Purifying Array. It will slow down the regression of your cultivation to the greatest extent. But of course, you can also take Spirit Pills besides using the Spirit Purifying Array, but Spirit Pills are ridiculously expensive here. There aren’t many Alchemists on the island, and the best ones have all taken refuge with the Island Master. A single Spirit Pill can cost more than ten times what it would cost outside here.”
“Then how do you live?” Liu Xian Yun couldn’t help but sympathize with Jiao Yi. The environment truly was harsh in this Solitary Void Sealed World, making survival anything but easy.
Jiao Yi smiled bitterly, “We go out to hunt sea beasts and look for other raw materials to trade for. The Monster Cores of sea beasts can usually go for a good price. This time, we’re out looking for something called Grey Feather Coral.”
“What is it used for?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
Jiao Yi answered, “It’s an important ingredient in refining Spirit Purifying Arrays. If you want to survive on Clear Sky Island, a Spirit Purifying Array is essential, so there is a large market for Grey Feather Coral.” When he spoke up to here, Jiao Yi’s expression changed. “Are you two interested in joining us? If you are, I can go talk to Big Sister. I don’t think she’ll refuse you. As for the share, you’ll get the same as us. The more you contribute, the more you get.”
Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were both newcomers, so they were still in peak condition, especially Yang Kai. If they could drag him, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, into their group, then it would certainly help them return with a full load.
Jiao Yi tried his best to sell the idea, “We found a place with a large amount of Grey Feather Corals by chance five years ago, but it was protected by a Sea Beast back then, so we weren’t able to get it in the end. But based on Big Sister’s observations at the time, the Sea Beast was close to the end of its lifespan and it would definitely be dead within five years. In other words, we’ll be able to mine the Grey Feather Coral there to our heart’s content now, and once we do, we won’t have to go out to sea for at least a year with the harvest.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “My Junior Sister and I won’t be participating.”
He wasn’t short of Source Crystals in the slightest, so naturally, he had no wish to mine this Great Feather Coral. No matter what extravagant and colourful words Jiao Yi could bring up, Yang Kai still wouldn’t be moved.
Seeing this, Jiao Yi could not force him either and just felt that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun would learn just how precious Grey Feather Coral was once they’ve lived here for a year or two. When that time came, he might not even need to try and persuade them and the two would join themselves.
“By the way, how long will it take before you return from this trip?” Yang Kai asked.
Jiao Yi said, “We are about three days away from our destination, then it’ll take another two or three days to mine the coral. As for our return trip… It’ll take at least a month before we can reach Clear Sky Island.”
“That long?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown.
Jiao Yi smiled bitterly, “Most of the materials around Clear Sky Island have already been dug up and harvested. If we want the good stuff, we can only go further away. The risks are proportional to the gains.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Then I wish you all success.”
When he heard him say that, Jiao Yi also stood up tactfully, “Then, I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer. If there’s anything you need, just come and look for Old Jiao.”
“Alright.”
When Jiao Yi reached the door, he suddenly turned back, “By the way, once the two of you arrive at Clear Sky City, you must find a way to apply for an Identity Token, otherwise you won’t be able to enter the city. However, if you apply for an Identity Token, you’ll be exposed as newcomers. Why don’t I go and tell Big Sister and she’ll find a way to cover for you two? Even though we aren’t attached to any of the big forces, Big Sister is well-connected and has a wide range of contacts. She may be able to get it done.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Then I’ll offer my thanks in advance, Brother Jiao.”
Jiao Yi smiled, “I’ll let you know if there’s any news.”
After Jiao Yi left, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun looked at each other, both of them able to see the worry in each other’s eyes. This damned place was able to trap even Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so it was clear how little chance there was for them to get out. Moreover, Jiao Yi and his group clearly had no idea how to leave either, so they weren’t able to get any information from them.
The only thing they could do now was to head to Clear Sky Island first before making any plans.
The ship sailed for four days before suddenly coming to a stop.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and could feel that the cultivators on the ship had all come up to the deck, sleeves rolled up and filled with energy. It seemed like they had arrived at their destination and everyone was getting ready to go down into the sea to mine the Grey Feather Coral.
Yang Kai didn’t go and bother them, but on the contrary, Jiao Yi came to bother him. He came over again to ask if Yang Kai wanted to join them and head down to the sea or not.
After Yang Kai refused him politely, Jiao Yi didn’t press him anymore.
A short while later, most of the people on board jumped off the deck and disappeared into the sea.
Just as Jiao Yi said before, the powerful Sea Beast protecting the Grey Feather Coral had died, so Ling Yin Qin and her crew were very successful in their mission.
Cultivators were constantly coming in and out of the water, all of them looking ecstatic.
Four days later, all the cultivators returned from the sea and nobody went down anymore.
Yang Kai did not observe their movements too carefully, but when he probed the deck occasionally, he was able to hear some of their conversations. From the bits and pieces of chatter he overheard, Yang Kai learned that they were in fact able to score a huge harvest, even more than Ling Yin Qin had expected.
The crew suffered no casualties and gained so much without any effort just by going to sea, so the faces of the crew members were filled with smiles. Even the usually icy Ling Yin Qin had exposed a rare smile.
About half a day later, the ship turned in a different direction and set sail. It seemed they were on their way back.
Yang Kai also put down the last of his worries. He was really afraid that Ling Yin Qin and her ship would encounter difficulties at sea. If that happened, then there would be no one to bring them to Clear Sky Island.
Everything was going well at the moment, and naturally, this was what Yang Kai hoped to see.
There were peaceful days ahead. Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were both holed up in their room and did not come out. Ling Yin Qin seemed satisfied with their cooperation and low-key behaviour, so she did not bother them either. On the other hand, Jiao Yi would bring them food and drinks occasionally.
Seven days later, the expression on Yang Kai’s face, who was meditating, suddenly changed and he opened his eyes.
Then, he released his Divine Sense and poured it into the Sealed World Bead to communicate with his Embodiment.
“What is it?” Yang Kai asked. He had no idea why, but the Embodiment suddenly messaged him and he appeared to be in a fluster.
“Ruo Xi, that girl… she’s breaking through,” the Embodiment responded immediately.
“Ruo Xi is breaking through?” Yang Kai raised a brow, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“How is it good!?” The Embodiment shouted.
Yang Kai also suddenly realized something and his face changed, “Dao Source Realm?”
He remembered that Zhang Ruo Xi had already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm, which meant if she needed to break through, it would be to the Dao Source Realm!
“That’s right. I don’t know what happened with that girl, but the speed that she’s advancing is too frightening! How long has it been and she’s already breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.”
Yang Kai instantly understood the severity of the problem and immediately teleported into the Small Sealed World.
Somewhere in the Small Sealed World, Zhang Ruo Xi was sitting down cross-legged as World Energy circulated around her body, Saint Qi flowing like a river, so much so that one could actually hear it.
She clearly appeared on the verge of a breakthrough.
If this was the outside world, then there would be no problem for her to make a breakthrough like this.
However, she was currently inside the Sealed World Bead where the World Principles were not perfect. It was not an issue for Zhang Ruo Xi to cultivate here normally, but breaking through to the next Great Realm involved a World Energy Baptism. Comprehending Principle Strength while breaking through was not possible in this Small Sealed World.
In other words, it was impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to break through to the Dao Source Realm in the Sealed World Bead. If she was left alone, she would only fail.
Once she failed, Zhang Ruo Xi’s path on the Martial Dao would come to an end, and she may even be hit by backlash and perish.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly.
It was a vast sea outside, and the environment of this Solitary Void Sealed World was so bizarre that he had no idea if Zhang Ruo Xi would be able to break through if she were brought out.
Even if he took her outside, where would they go for her to break through?
Next to Zhang Ruo Si, Hua Qing Si and Liu Yan were both standing there with grave expressions. When they noticed Yang Kai’s arrival, both of them hurried over.
“How long has this been going on?” Yang Kai asked.
“It just began,” Hua Qing Si responded, “But looking at her, I don’t think she can suppress it any longer. If she forcefully restrains herself any more, it will damage her foundation.”
“Master, what should we do now?” Liu Yan had no idea what to do at all. She knew what kind of situation Yang Kai was in currently and really couldn’t think of how they were going to help Zhang Ruo Xi with her current predicament.
“Watch over her for a while, I’ll think of a plan.” After he said that, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead.
Zhang Ruo Xi had just perceived the opportunity to break through, so she could probably hold on for a while longer, but it will be impossible to do so for too long. A solution had to be found before then.
Inside the compartment, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared and then flew straight out.
Liu Xian Yun was befuddled, having no idea what Yang Kai was in such a hurry to do, so she quickly followed after him.
Ling Yin Qin was currently cultivating inside her private cabin. It was really unexpected for them to have gained such a large harvest during this trip, so they would be able to stay home for at least two or three years before they had to come out to sea again, which put her in a rather good mood.
While she was thinking about which great force she should sell the Grey Feather Coral to when they returned, her door was suddenly opened with a bang.
Ling Yin Qin was shocked and stood up immediately, shouting, “Who’s there!”
She was the captain of this ship, so there wasn’t anyone on board who dared to rush in without even greeting her, so Ling Yin Qin’s first reaction was that it must be an enemy.
But when she got a good look at who it was that entered, Ling Yin Qin gritted her teeth and snapped, “What are you doing?!”
She was naturally angered. She was only glad that she wasn’t comprehending some Secret Art or Secret Technique, otherwise, this disturbance by Yang Kai would have rendered her efforts meaningless.
This person had been quiet since he came aboard her ship, and Ling Yin Qin had a good impression of him, but now, the sight of him disgusted her.
Yang Kai also knew that he had been too abrupt, but this matter concerned Zhang Ruo Xi’s life and future, so he could only cup his fists and say, “Big Sister Ling, is it? I have an urgent matter so I hope you can forgive me.”
Ling Yin Qin’s name was something he learned from hearing the conversations of the other crew members on the ship.
“What happened?”
There was a cry of alarm from outside. Apparently, the crew had been attracted by the noise of Yang Kai hurling the door open.
They all saw Yang Kai standing outside with Ling Yin Qin’s face covered in fury. All of them were shocked. Jiao Yi, who was standing among them, blinked his eyes and said, “Brother Yang, why did you barge into our Big Sister’s room?”
“You little brat, you’re not coveting the beauty of our Big Sister and deciding to take her by force, are you?”
“What? Seriously? You bastard, how dare you!”
“You’re courting death, you little brat! You have a Junior Sister and you’re still not satisfied? You even dared to eye our Big Sister!? See if I don’t cripple you today!”
The group of people outside became all stirred up and shouted madly, making the scene quite lively.
Yang Kai was speechless at their reaction, but still quickly cupped his fists to Ling Yin Qin, “This one really does have an urgent matter to deal with, so please forgive me, Big Sister Ling!”
Ling Yin Qin glared at Yang Kai with gritted teeth. Even though it was hard to dispel her anger, his expression did not seem fake, so she coldly snorted and asked, “What matter is so urgent that you can’t even knock? Didn’t your mother teach you anything about manners?”
Yang Kai did not dare to talk back after being reprimanded like this either and could only say, “I wish to ask Big Sister Ling’s advice. If one needs to make a breakthrough here, how should they go about it?”
“A breakthrough?” Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Qin’s face changed, “Breaking through to a new Great Realm?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s mind buzzed for a moment and her face filled with shock.
She naturally thought that Yang Kai needed to break through.
Yang Kai was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so if he broke through, wouldn’t that mean advancing to the Emperor Realm?
There were only a few Emperors in Clear Sky Island, so Ling Yin Qin did not expect that the person she randomly bumped into during her trip would have the potential to break through to the Emperor Realm.
Once this Yang Kai made a breakthrough, he would certainly be able to occupy a seat in Clear Sky Island, and could in turn shelter her whole crew. However… only those who have lived in the Solitary Void Sealed World for a long time would understand that this place was simply a grave for cultivators. A cultivator whose cultivation did not regress with time here was already considered blessed, and even if one was lucky enough to sense an incoming breakthrough, there were very few who could succeed.
Ling Yin Qin had seen too many people who failed to break through in this damned place, causing them to lose all their cultivation and become crippled.
So, after her initial shock, the gaze which Ling Yin Qin directed at Yang Kai became sympathetic. She could tell that Yang Kai was still young, so to be able to reach Third-Order Dao Source Realm proved his aptitude was exceptional. He should be the young rising star of a great Sect outside, and given time, it may not be impossible for him to get a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
But here… The possibility of failure was very high.
Yang Kai’s face turned anxious. He had no idea why Ling Yin Qin was looking at him full of sympathy. Receiving no answer from her for a while, he pursued the question again, “Big Sister Ling, do you know anything that can help?”
“Are you really going to break through?” Lin Yin Qin couldn’t help but suggest, “If you’re absolutely confident you can do it, then never break through in this Solitary Void Sealed World! You’re better off cutting off your own cultivation!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded and he subconsciously asked, “Why?”
Jiao Yi said, “Brother Yang, the Solitary Void Sealed World is not a suitable place for a breakthrough. You know as well as us that the endless stream of Disruption Force that flows in this world. Ninety-nine percent of the people who dared to break through here have failed. Big Sister is just watching out for you.”
Yang Kai was truly shocked now. He had previously thought that this was not a good place for a breakthrough, but he didn’t expect it to be so serious. It did not seem like Zhang Ruo Xi’s Qi fluctuations could be suppressed at all, and if she cut off her cultivation as Ling Yin Qin suggested, then Zhang Ruo Xi would never be able to advance to the Dao Source Realm in her life and could only remain at the Origin King Realm.
Since she would be extinguishing her own Martial Dao, no pill or treasure would be able to help her recover.
The rest of the crew members were looking at Yang Kai with sympathy, as if he had suffered a great misfortune. They did not care about him crashing into Ling Yin Qin as much anymore either. It would be too cruel to focus on such petty matters as that when a young man before them was about to come to the end of his Martial Dao.
Yang Kai was only taken aback for a moment before his look turned into one of resolution, “Please, I still wish to seek Big Sister Ling’s guidance.”
When Ling Yin Qin saw how insistent Yang Kai was, she knew it was useless to dissuade him, so she could only say, “I have a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array here. It may be able to help you.”
There were four grades of Spirit Purifying Array; low, medium, high, and peak.
These days, during his chats with Jiao Yi, Yang Kai got to know that the Spirit Purifying Arrays set up in the ship rooms were all low grade, because the higher the grade of the array, the more expensive it became to arrange. The price of each higher grade array would be at least ten times that of the previous grade. Ling Yin Qin’s group were struggling cultivators in this Solitary Void Sealed World and did not have the financial resources to hire someone to set up a more powerful Spirit Purifying Array.
Yang Kai also did not expect her to actually have a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
The more advanced the grade of a Spirit Purifying Array, the greater its effects were. Spirit Purifying Arrays were like a net that filters out the Disruption Force from the world while also hindering the flow of World Energy. So, regardless of how dense the World Energy was, places with Spirit Purifying Arrays set up would have less dense World Energy available. The higher the grade of a Spirit Purifying Array, the less World Energy it blocked out, so the World Energy available within would become denser, making cultivation inside much more effective.
Yang Kai was in great joy, “Many thanks, Big Sister Ling!”
When Ling Yin Qin said she was going to take out her High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, the other crew members on the ship could not help but pale in response. Jiao Yi even whispered, “Big Sister Ling, that Spirit Purifying Array…”
Ling Yin Qin interrupted him with a wave of her hand and took out a set of array flags before handing them to Yang Kai, “If you can’t do it, then don’t force it.”
Then, she stuffed a jade slip into Yang Kai’s hands as well, “This is how to set up the array. It’s very simple, you’ll understand if you look through this.”
“I’ll remember it.” Yang Kai nodded sincerely. Even though he had no idea where this High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array came from, he knew how immensely precious it was to Ling Yin Qin just from the looks of the crew members alone. Otherwise, it was impossible for her not to take it out to use normally.
Based on what Yang Kai knew, the Spirit Purifying Array set up in Ling Yin Qin’s room was also merely a low-grade one.
He also had no idea what the story behind this High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was; however, he decided inwardly that he was going to give Ling Yin Qin compensation after the matter was over.
“I still need to bother Big Sister Ling with one more question. Are there any islands nearby here?” Yang Kai asked.
Ling Yin Qin looked up and said to a cultivator whose face was covered with a big beard, “Hand me the map.”
The cultivator took out a piece of beast skin from his Space Ring and immediately spread it out in front of Ling Yin Qin. Yang Kai also went over to take a look, but he couldn’t read it properly.
Ling Yin Qin’s gaze swept over the map for a while before pointing to a certain spot, “Southeast, five hundred kilometres from here is a small island.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks!”
By the time he finished speaking, his body had already teleported and disappeared from sight.
The entire crowd was shocked, and even Ling Yin Qin’s beautiful face paled as none of them saw how Yang Kai left.
Even though she knew that Yang Kai’s cultivation was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, she never expected him to be so powerful. Just from his Movement Skill alone, Ling Yin Qin was unable to find any traces of Yang Kai at all. If a man like this wanted to kill her, she would be completely defenceless.
Instantly, Ling Yin Qin was feeling thankful that she had strictly forbidden her crew from picking a fight with Yang Kai. Otherwise, nobody would even know how their entire crew ended up dead.
“Senior Brother, he’s… actually going to break through to the Emperor Realm?” Someone murmured quietly from the side.
Ling Yin Qin looked over and saw Liu Xian Yun standing there worriedly.
She followed Yang Kai out of the room and heard the conversation clearly, so she was a bit shocked. Unlike Ling Yin Qin who did not know Yang Kai well, Liu Xian Yun had been cultivating next to Yang Kai these days and she did not notice any signs of him breaking through at all, so how was he suddenly breaking through to the Emperor Realm?
But after the shock passed, she only felt concerned because Ling Yin Qin had put it very clearly that breaking through in the Solitary Void Sealed World was extremely risky.
“Big Sister Ling, my Senior Brother, he…” Liu Xian Yun looked towards Ling Yin Qin.
The latter sighed and said truthfully, “There is little hope, and it is basically impossible to accomplish.”
Liu Xian Yun’s face paled, and she almost toppled over from shock. An amazing talent like Yang Kai was going to be ruined here in this damned place? And the root cause of this was her. If they had not encountered each other in Marsh City, then Yang Kai would never have stood up for her, much less attracted the attention of an old monster like Yao Chang Jun. Then, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been chased all the way to the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range and gotten swallowed up by the Solitary Void Sealed World.
The more she thought about it, the guiltier Liu Xian Yun felt towards Yang Kai. If he failed to break through here, then whether he became crippled or died, it would all be her fault.
“Big Sister, that Spirit Purifying Array was what Big Brother Zhou gave you back then. How could you…” Jiao Yi looked at Ling Yin Qin with lament.
Ling Yin Qin answered, “He’s in urgent need of it, so what’s the harm in lending it to him?”
Jiao Yi said, “But if he damages it…”
“If you needed to break through, I would also lend it to you.”
The crew knew that Ling Yin Qin was not lying, her character was just like this, cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Yang Kai was just a hitchhiker who had nothing to do with her, but she still lent such a precious Spirit Purifying Array to Yang Kai.
But the preciousness of that Spirit Purifying Array was not in value, but rather the sentimentality of it for Ling Yin Qin, so even though everyone knew that Ling Yin Qin had a high-grade Spirit Purifying Array, they never asked her to take it out for everyone to use. Everyone just used their own meagre Spirit Purifying Arrays, slowly cultivating to stem the speed of their cultivation’s regression.
“Spread the order, we will anchor here for a few days. You should all disperse as well,” Ling Yin Qin waved her hand and excused everyone.
The dozen crew members all looked at each other, not daring to say anything more and left.
“Senior Brother Jiao, that Big Brother Zhou you mentioned just now… Who is he?” Liu Xian Yun followed Jiao Yi towards the cabin and asked.
Jiao Yi said, “He was Big Sister’s partner. When Big Sister and Big Brother Zhou both fell into this damned place, he brought us together to scrape out a living, but one time at sea, Big Brother Zhou was killed by a Sea Beast while protecting everyone. The only thing he left behind before his death was that Spirit Purifying Array. He sold off his own artifact to buy it, and if he still had that artifact, then Big Brother Zhou might not have died.”
When the past was mentioned, Jiao Yi’s emotions began to fluctuate and his fists were clenched, clearly showing that he received a lot of care from the man surnamed Zhou and had long recognized him as a family member.
“Big Brother Zhou really did treat Big Sister Ling well,” Liu Xian Yun muttered. For the sake of his partner, he was willing to sell off his artifact in order to buy a Spirit Purifying Array. It seemed like a stupid thing to do, but who could criticize him?
“Now you know how precious that Spirit Purifying Array is to Big Sister, right?” Jiao Yi gritted his teeth, “If your Senior Brother damages that Spirit Purifying Array, I, Old Jiao, will be the first one to not let him off!”
Even though Jiao Yi had great conversations with Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun during these days and received a lot of Source Crystals from him, he still stood firmly on Ling Yin Qin’s side when it came to that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
But after the fierce talk, Jiao Yi added a little vexingly, “I apologize, Old Jiao’s temper is bad. I shouldn’t be saying this to you. We don’t even know if your Senior Brother can return safely.”
“It’s fine, I understand how Senior Brother Jiao feels.” Liu Xian Yun waved her hands. She couldn’t help but fantasize about Yang Kai leaving something behind for her too. It didn’t matter whether it was valuable or not, she would still treasure it.
As Yang Kai flew towards that island, his mind was immersed in the jade slip that Ling Yin Qin handed him, reading up on how the Spirit Purifying Array had to be arranged.
Even though he had not been exposed to Spirit Arrays, the jade slip was extremely detailed and easy to read, not to mention that it shouldn’t be hard to set up with the array flags.
Yang Kai finished his five hundred kilometre journey in a dozen breaths, and this was only because he had deliberately slowed his movements in order to study the jade slip. Otherwise, with his mastery of Space Principles, he could have arrived in just three breaths.
Looking over, there was in fact a small island worthy of its description. This barren island measured only around a thousand metres in length, and it seemed to be not much more than a big rock. The sky ahead was clear and cloudless and the sea was also peaceful.
Yang Kai quickly landed and set up the array according to the instructions in the jade slip.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he was done. A layer of light instantly surrounded the island, purifying the air there. The World Energy also weakened several degrees.
It seemed that even a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was unable to allow all the World Energy to flow through it. From this observation, it was unlikely for even a Peak-Grade Spirit Purifying Array to be that effective.
Yang Kai was pressed for time, so he just did a quick check on the Spirit Array for any problems before waving his hand to summon Zhang Ruo Xi from the Sealed World Bead.
“Sir, I’ve caused you trouble again,” It was clear from Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression that she was struggling and the Qi surrounding her was as turbulent as boiling water. She apologized to Yang Kai with a guilty look on her face as soon as she appeared.
She knew what sort of situation Yang Kai was in right now.
Yang Kai simply waved his hand though, “Don’t think about anything else, just calm your Qi and your mind. Your breakthrough is the most important thing right now. I’ll stand guard for you at the side so let go of all your distractions and focus!”
Zhang Ruo Xi gently nodded and shut her pretty eyes, forming seals with her hands as she silently began her breakthrough.
In a few moments, the aura around her body grew fiercer and fiercer, and the Saint Qi flowing inside her meridians became more and more violent.
It was as if the World Energy around her had been given life and was all rushing towards her body.
But because of the Spirit Purifying Array’s obstruction, this World Energy was clearly not enough to meet the needs of her breakthrough, which put Zhang Ruo Xi in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Yang Kai did not hesitate to bring out a bunch of Source Crystals from his Space Ring and shatter them, filling the small island with rich World Energy.
With the help of these Source Crystals, much of the difficult expression on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face was relieved.
Yang Kai took out batches of Source Crystals one after another and shattered them within a few moments, so the World Energy on the small island was so dense that it had turned into a mist form. Even if Yang Kai stood only ten metres away from Zhang Ruo Xi, he wouldn’t be able to see her body clearly anymore.
Seeing that things were alright now, Yang Kai stopped.
Since awakening her bloodline, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have changed into a whole new person. Her aptitude was indescribably good, and each time she cultivated, rather than slowly absorbing and refining World Energy, it was more like she was simply drinking it down. It was because of this that her cultivation was able to improve so rapidly.
The Patriarch of the Zhang Family back then, Zhang Gao Xuan, obtained a Dao Source Fruit from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda but ended up severely injured during an assassination attempt against him. Before his death, he asked Yang Kai to head over to the Zhang Family and leave a Dao Source Pill for the Zhang Family’s descendants in exchange for the Dao Source Fruit.
Yang Kai went, and at the time, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation was only at the Saint King Realm. That was just a few years ago, but now she was already breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai still had the Dao Source Pill he prepared for Zhang Ruo Xi, but from the looks of it, she wouldn’t be needing it at all. In the past few years, this young and inexperienced little girl had grown into a tall and graceful young lady.
For a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be filled with emotion.
A constant whirring noise could be heard, as if Zhang Ruo Xi had turned into a bottomless pit that was constantly drawing in the surrounding World Energy. Within a few moments, the dense World Energy had once again grown thin.
Yang Kai had no choice but to take out more Source Crystals and shatter them again.
After three bouts of this, Yang Kai estimated that he had consumed at least ten million Source Crystals before Zhang Ruo Xi let out a soft moan, which was followed by an indescribable ripple in her aura.
She was going to break through! Seeing this situation, Yang Kai didn’t dare to stand there and immediately moved away from the island, closely watching her from a moderate distance. This position not only ensured that he would not interfere with Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, but it also ensured that he would be able to rescue her if any accidents were to happen.
From what could be seen here, the reason why Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough was going so smoothly was because of the ten million Source Crystals he brought out, but Yang Kai knew that the real hurdle had yet to be passed!
For Zhang Ruo Xi, the most difficult hurdle was the World Energy Baptism! The World Energy in this place was filled with endless Distortion Force, and if that entered her body, there was no telling what would happen.
But if she didn’t absorb it into her body, then she wouldn’t be able to advance. It was a dilemma.
*Hong long long…*
A rumble arose, and the sky which was originally cloudless turned dark in an instant. A massive, inky cloud formed above the island, converging into a vortex with lightning and thunder moving about inside, revealing the true might of the Heavenly Way.
Yang Kai could not help but get nervous as he looked at the sky.
At the same time, on the deck five hundred kilometres away, a group of cultivators were standing there and pointing at the island. They obviously thought that this Heavenly Manifestation was caused by Yang Kai, but they had no idea someone else was the real culprit.
Ling Yin Qin was in her room, leaning against the window and looking out. A look of amazement flashed past her eyes and she muttered to herself, “The Heavenly Manifestations appeared?”
The invocation of a Heavenly Manifestation meant that someone was going to be baptised by World Energy soon, which really meant there was a ray of hope for the success of a breakthrough.
Ling Yin Qin suddenly felt like she had underestimated Yang Kai. She previously said that Yang Kai’s chances of breaking through were very low, but after seeing such a sight, she understood why he was so confident of his success.
But there was still something that made Ling Yin Qin confused. It was the fact that the might of this Heavenly Manifestation seemed to be lacking. From this distance, she could still tell this phenomenon was quite small. Even though Ling Yin Qin had never seen a cultivator break through to the Emperor Realm before, it obviously shouldn’t be only this.
In another room, Liu Xian Yun was also looking out the window, face filled with worry and nervousness, but she did not dare to rashly go over to watch and could only put her hands together with her knees on the ground, praying devoutly for the Heavens’ blessings.
At the same time, ten thousand kilometres away, a sea ship was sailing slowly above the sea. Even though it was ten thousand kilometres away, the people on the ship still noticed the Heavenly Manifestation up in the sky.
A few moments later, the ship suddenly changed course and sailed towards the direction of that island, obviously intent on investigating the situation.
…..
Above the island, the dark clouds were as dense as mountains, and thunder was rumbling incessantly.
Suddenly, a power blasted straight towards the island from the sky. From the trajectory, it seemed to be striking towards the top of Zhang Ruo Xi’s head.
Yang Kai paled slightly, but he resisted the urge to help her.
*Hong…*
A loud noise emerged and the mighty power crashed straight into the island, disintegrating the Spirit Purifying Array that Yang Kai had set up. The array flags and base hidden around the area were damaged, and the light that enveloped the island disappeared at the same time.
The High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was destroyed just like that!
Before the world’s power fell on Zhang Ruo Xi’s head though, her tender body shook, and a huge illusory phantom emerged from behind her.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stared straight at this phantom.
It wasn’t his first time seeing this scene. The giant phantom had appeared once when Zhang Ruo Xi broke through back in the Four Seasons Realm, but Yang Kai never found out what it was, only guessing it had something to do with Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
Now, looking at it again, the illusory phantom had become more solid than before, but what Yang Kai found strange was the fact that it felt a little hard for him to get a clear look at it. He only knew that this illusory phantom took the shape of a huge woman, one more than two or three hundred metres tall, which was even bigger than Xiao Xiao after his transformation. This woman held a greatsword with both hands and with her head lifted high and her feet planted firmly on the ground, she gave off an imposing visual impact.
Even though this woman was giant, she was by no means ugly. It was as if a stunning beauty had been magnified countless times. No matter which part you looked at, her body was perfect and flawless.
She was just like Zhang Ruo Xi’s guardian, suddenly appearing behind her in this heroic and mighty stance, as if even ten thousand soldiers and a thousand warhorses could not obstruct her.
When the World Energy Baptism struck her body, it was just like a stone sinking into a sea. Not even creating half a ripple.
In the next moment, the illusory phantom raised her head to look at the sky, opened her mouth, and drew in a breath.
The power gathered in the sky was sucked directly into her mouth, and in just three breaths of time, clarity was restored in the dark sky, the surface of the sea becoming calm once more.
Even though he had seen this once before, Yang Kai was still shocked at the sight and was struck speechless for a long time.
It was common knowledge that one would be baptised by World Energy when breaking through to the next Great Realm; this is something nobody could avoid. To be able to withstand it allowed one to peek into the mysteries of the next realm, but those who failed either died or ended up crippled.
That’s how it had always been for Yang Kai all these years.
But compared to Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, Yang Kai felt as if his own breakthroughs were simply weak. The difference was so vast, one could not even place them in the same category.
While his mind was still wandering off, the gigantic illusory phantom had already flashed back into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body in an instant. Then, Dao Source Realm aura spread out from Zhang Ruo Xi’s body. Her bones creaked as the power inside her body surged fiercely.
Yang Kai felt anxious inside, having no idea if it would be a problem for the illusory phantom to act on her own initiative to swallow up the World Energy here; after all, the World Energy in this place was filled with Disruption Force. The illusory phantom must have sucked in that Disruption Force at the same time that she swallowed the World Energy.
Yang Kai paid close attention to Zhang Ruo Xi’s reactions and decided that once anything appeared awry, he would bring her into the Sealed World Bead.
But no matter how he looked at her, Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem to look uncomfortable at all. Instead, she had a pleasant expression on her face, seemingly feeling happy about her breakthrough. She was still sitting there with her hands in a seal, which confused Yang Kai greatly.
Five hundred kilometres away, Ling Yin Qin sighed inwardly, “As expected, he failed…”
The Heavenly Manifestation that was so powerful disappeared without a trace in just a moment; that was clearly a sign that the breakthrough had failed, so who knew if Yang Kai was alive or dead right now. Ling Yin Qin felt sorry for Yang Kai at this moment. Even though she wasn’t close to him, to see a cultivator’s journey on the Martial Dao ending here with her own eyes still made her feel a little sad, like a fox mourning the death of the hare.
Inside the room, Liu Xian Yun who was kneeling and praying devoutly on the floor also went limp, blood draining from her pretty face.
Only after a long time passed did she stand up with gritted teeth and rush outside.
Whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, she still wanted to look for him. If he was still alive, she wanted to see him in person, but if he was dead, then she wanted to see his corpse with her own eyes. If not for her, Yang Kai would never have met with such misfortune. With his aptitude, he could smile arrogantly against the entire Star Boundary and achieve a towering name in time.
Liu Xian Yun had just rushed to the deck when she suddenly saw a large sea ship moving closer. This sea ship was even bigger and more magnificent than Ling Yin Qin and her crew’s. They had to brave through the winds and the billows of the sea, yet they didn’t give off any presence at all, so nobody knew when they had approached. By the time Liu Xian Yun discovered them, the distance between the two ships was already quite short.
Liu Xian Yun looked over just in time to see the deck of the approaching ship was full of cultivators, headed by a man in purple ropes, glaring down at them without any kind intentions, like a tiger watching its prey.
Ling Yin Qin and the others all came out onto the deck after this late realization, and when they saw the banner that the opposite ship was flying, all their faces sank.
The question of whether Yang Kai was alive or dead had completely occupied Liu Xian Yun’s mind, so she didn’t have the leisure to care about this at all and was ready to fly out; however, the expression on the purple-clothed man deepened and with a wave of his hand, he sent a palm print flying over without moving himself.
…..
On the island, Yang Kai waited until Zhang Ruo Xi opened her eyes before he slowly flew over. Landing in front of Zhang Ruo Xi, he asked anxiously, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”
“Discomfort?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked confused before she shook her head, “Not at all!” Then, she beamed, saying innocently and cutely, “Sir, I’ve broken through to the Dao Source Realm!”
A few years ago, she never would have thought that she would one day be able to reach the Dao Source Realm, standing at such a great height; after all, the strongest member of the Zhang Family back then was only a Third-Order Origin King. It had been centuries since her family produced a Dao Source Realm cultivator, but her cultivation had been growing at a rapid rate since Yang Kai took her away from the Zhang Family, achieving in just a few years what generations of the Zhang Family had not been able to do.
This level of cultivation could already give her a stable foothold in Maplewood City, back then.
Zhang Ruo Xi felt extremely grateful towards Yang Kai.
She knew that if Yang Kai had not provided her with such a good and stable cultivation environment, then this feat would have been impossible for her. She also knew that if Yang Kai had not unearthed the cultivation talent inside of her, even if she cultivated for the rest of her life, she would never have been able to explore the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm.
But now, at the tender age of seventeen, she had become a Dao Source Realm Master. She had plenty of good years ahead of her, and even had the opportunity to aspire towards becoming an Emperor, possibly even taking a glimpse at the secrets of the Great Emperor Realm!
Zhang Ruo Xi’s heart pounded in excitement.
“Give me your hand!” Yang Kai came to her side. Even though he didn’t sense anything off from Zhang Ruo Xi, he still felt a little worried and wanted to give her a thorough check.
Blushing slightly, Zhang Ruo Xi stretched out her soft arm that looked as tender as a lotus root.
Yang Kai put his finger on it and pushed a thread of Source Qi into her body to check her carefully.
A short while later, Yang Kai’s body shook and he stared at Zhang Ruo Xi in surprise, “How… How can this be?”
“What’s wrong, Sir? Is there something wrong with Ruo Xi?” Zhang Ruo Xi was shocked to see the astonished expression on his face and she herself was beginning to worry.
“No, it’s nothing!” Yang Kai hurriedly shook his head, worried that he would scare her silly. But his brows were frowning more and more and his face was filled with astonishment, as if he had discovered something unbelievable.
Zhang Ruo Xi did not move, but she could feel Yang Kai’s Source Qi running around inside her body. Even though Yang Kai controlled himself and didn’t move to any private areas, the feeling still caused Zhang Ruo Xi to blush red and quickly lowered her head to her chest.
She also knew that Yang Kai was just checking the condition inside her body and did not have any bad intentions, but that did little to abate her embarrassment.
A few moments later, Yang Kai withdrew his fingers and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi with an odd expression.
“Sir… What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked meekly.
“You’re fine,” Yang Kai answered. “Incredibly fine, in fact.”
Yang Kai originally thought that Zhang Ruo Xi would be affected by the Disruption Force in this world if she broke through to Dao Source Realm here, and had already prepared to bring this little girl into the Small Sealed World to recover. However, after examining her, Yang Kai found that there was not even a single hint of the Disruption Force inside her body.
The infinite Disruption Force that filled this world seemed to have evaporated after entering her body.
That in itself was unbelievable, but it still wasn’t enough to put Yang Kai out of sorts.
More importantly, Yang Kai discovered that the power inside of Zhang Ruo Xi’s body was actually dense Source Qi, without a hint of Saint Qi!
Before a cultivator advanced to the Dao Source Realm, their power would need to be transform from Saint Qi to Source Qi. It took Yang Kai nearly a year for his Qi to transform completely, and it was also pushed forward by consuming Source Condensing Pills.
The transformation of Source Qi was an extremely long process. Any cultivator were attempting to breakthrough into the Dao Source Realm would need at least three to five years for the transformation to be complete, and this was for cultivators with good aptitudes. For those with lesser aptitudes, it could even take eight to ten years. Even more.
Only when all the Saint Qi in the body is transformed into Source Qi would a cultivator’s foundation for the Dao Source Realm be setup for a breaktrhough; only then would there be hope for them to break through to the Second Order Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai watched Zhang Ruo Xi breakthrough on this island with his own eyes, but how long had that been? Zhang Ruo Xi had actually accomplished something that would take a normal person several years to complete.
There was no trace of Saint Qi in her body at all. The power filling her body was pure and vigorous Source Qi. In other words, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Source Qi transformation was completed the moment she broke through.
Yang Kai could not figure out how such a strange thing could happen.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time something strange had happened with Zhang Ruo Xi. In the end, Yang Kai could only attribute this to her bloodline; after all, the power of Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline was truly unusual, and it seemed to be hiding a great secret.
Yang Kai did not dare to take it too lightly either though and continued to examine Zhang Ruo Xi’s body carefully. Only after confirming that there were no hidden problems in her body did he send her back into the Sealed World Bead where he instructed Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si to explain the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm to her to help her future cultivation.
The island was still the same, but the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array that had been set up on it was damaged.
Yang Kai had a bitter look on his face after he collected the array base and flags.
He still had no idea how he was going to explain this to Ling Yin Qin once he returned. This High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array seemed to be extremely precious to her, and now that it had broken in his hands, he couldn’t help wondering whether Ling Yin Qin would get angry with him.
Yang Kai examined the array base and flags and found that they were badly damaged, causing his face to grow even more bitter.
With a sigh, he put everything away before turning around to return whence he came.
A short while later, his face changed. Observing two ships stopped in the middle of the sea, Yang Kai frowned.
One of the two ships naturally belonged to Ling Yin Qin, but he had never seen the larger one before. It had obviously arrived when he took Zhang Ruo Xi to the island to break through.
The chances of two ships meeting at sea were extremely low. There may be a chance that this ship was led here because of the Heavenly Manifestation that was invoked during Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough.
Looking at the direction that the bow of the new ship was pointing at, it was clearly heading towards the island he just left.
This large ship was two or three times bigger than Ling Yin Qin’s, and when the two ships stood side by side, they looked like a grandfather and his grandson.
Yang Kai could hear a commotion from there before he even got close, causing his face to sink. Worried, he teleported and landed directly on the deck.
Looking over, he could see that Ling Yin Qin and the dozen other crew members under her lead were standing on the deck, confronting the newcomer group. Ling Yin Qin and the others looked indignant, but the other party looked relaxed and calm as if they didn’t even place Ling Yin Qin and her crew in their eyes.
Liu Xian Yun was being protected behind the crewmembers, and Yang Kai could see that there was a red handprint on Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face, as if she had been hit by someone. There was even a trace of blood still flowing from the corner of her mouth that had yet to dry.
Yang Kai’s face sank in an instant.
He had no idea what happened just now, nor did he know where the group from the other ship came from; however, Liu Xian Yun had clearly been hit by the people who had just arrived.
Yang Kai’s sudden appearance had obviously alerted the two groups that were confronting each other on the ships.
Liu Xian Yun was the first to turn around, but when she saw Yang Kai, she instantly forgot what situation she was currently in and shouted in a trembling voice, “Senior Brother…”
She looked over Yang Kai from head to toe with her beautiful eyes in fear that she may find something that would worry her, and only after she confirmed that Yang Kai was safe and sound, with no missing arms or legs, did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“You’re actually fine?” Ling Yin Qin was also surprised at this sight.
Yang Kai must have been the one to trigger that Heavenly Manifestation earlier. Even from five hundred kilometres away, she was able to feel it clearly; however, that sight had only lasted for five breaths before disappearing without a trace, meaning that Yang Kai’s breakthrough had failed.
A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator failed to break through to the Emperor Realm, so how did he survive without suffering any backlash? Once one was hit by the backlash of failing the World Baptism, if they’re lucky, then their cultivation would be crippled, but if not, they would be killed directly.
But Yang Kai really did come back in one piece.
Ling Yin Qin examined Yang Kai several times before confirming that what she saw was real. Suddenly, her face changed as if she had thought of something.
This young man called Yang Kai should have cut off his cultivation at the critical moment, otherwise it was impossible for him to be safe.
To cut off one’s cultivation was to cut off their path in the Martial Dao. Considering all this, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but sigh a little, and, looking at his face, he seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries as well. Otherwise, why would his face look so terrible?
This person truly was unlucky, to encounter this kind of disaster after being in the Solitary Void Sealed World for only a few days. If it had happened maybe two months later, then he may have the chance to break through to the Emperor Realm back on Clear Sky Island.
“Brother Yang, did your breakthrough… fail?” Jiao Yi blabbed his big mouth and asked bluntly.
He wasn’t thinking too deeply about it. He had only asked because he saw Yang Kai return so quickly without any improvement in his cultivation.
But as soon as he said that, he received a silent kick from Ling Yin Qin. Jiao Yi immediately realized that he had been indiscreet, so he immediately shut his mouth.
There would be nothing to blame him for if he asked about Yang Kai’s situation out of concern if nobody else was around, but there were now enemies nearby, so asking this would lead others to know that Yang Kai was currently not in good shape.
“Yeah, I failed!” Yang Kai replied calmly, showing no hint of chagrin.
“A breakthrough?” When the man in purple heard this, he raised his brow as if he realized something and looked over at Yang Kai and asked, “So, that commotion over there was caused by you trying to break through?”
“Who are you?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Ling Yin Qin quickly transmitted to him, “He is the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, Yang Yao Shi. The Profound Cloud Pavilion holds great power in Clear Sky Island. The Pavilion Master is an Emperor Realm Master. Don’t say anything and just leave this matter to me.”
From her tone, it seemed like she had quite a lot of scruples about this Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Yang Kai talked with Jiao Yi a lot before this and got to know that there were many great forces on Clear Sky Island because, to survive in this damned place, cultivators had to group together. Naturally, as time went on, all sorts of big and small forces formed. Ling Yin Qin and her crew were considered one of them. It was just that they weren’t famous.
There were about a dozen Emperor Realm Masters on Clear Sky Island, and the subordinates of these Emperors held the most of the power, so no one dared to mess around with them. This Profound Cloud Pavilion was one such force.
Yang Kai would also never have expected to come across the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship in this vast ocean.
Ling Yin Qin had undoubtedly transmitted the message to Yang Kai for fear that he would provoke someone he shouldn’t as he was new here. She had good intentions.
At the same time, a man next to Yang Yao Shi suddenly leaned over to whisper something into his ear.
Yang Yao Shi’s eyes lit up instantly and a meaningful light flashed across his eyes as he gazed at Yang Kai, “Boy, are you new here like that woman? You don’t look too familiar.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart could not help but sink. The crew manifest on her ship had not changed at all in years, and the man next to Yang Yao Shi obviously recognized them, so once he saw the two unfamiliar faces, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, he instantly realized that these two were newcomers.
New cultivators would generally have a lot of Source Crystals on them, so for those living in the Solitary Void Sealed World, newcomers were fat sheep. Even a man like Jiao Yi used to have thoughts against them, so nothing needed to be said about these people from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Ling Yin Qin quickly spoke up, “Brother Yang, these two are my crew members, not some newcomers. Are you perhaps mistaken?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank and he huffed, “Cheap slut, you think yourself worthy to call me Brother Yang?”
Even though his cultivation was also just at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, Ling Yin Qin could not contest against him. He was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion and had an Emperor backing him, making his status simply incomparable to someone like Ling Yin Qin. When he heard Ling Yin Qin addressing him so casually, Yang Yao Shi immediately got annoyed.
Ling Yin Qin’s face turned ugly, but the situation was bigger than herself right now, so she had no choice but to lower her head, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, this Mistress has spoken out of place. I hope Vice Pavilion Master Yang can pardon my rudeness.”
She had lived for several dozen years in this Solitary Void Sealed World and knew who she could and could not mess with. So, even though she felt indignant at the situation, she could only swallow her anger and hope for the best.
Jiao Yi and the other crew members had quietly clenched their fists and gritted their teeth as well.
“Hmph!” Yang Yao Shi glanced at Ling Yin Qin from the corner of his eye and said, “This is the last time. Next time, I won’t let you off so easily.”
“Many thanks, Vice Pavilion Master Yang,” Ling Yin Qin said through gritted teeth.
“As for these two…” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Liu Xian Yun and Yang Kai, snickering, “Did you think this King would not be able to tell whether these two are new here? Anyone living long enough in this damned place will more or less be stained by the ocean air, but they are not. They obviously just arrived here not long ago. You’ve got a lot of guts to dare deceive this King, Ling Yin Qin!”
Ling Yin Qin’s pretty face changed as she knew it was impossible to deny it now. She glanced over at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun worriedly and thought about how she could let the two escape, but she also knew there was little hope, which caused her heart to become riddled with guilt.
She had thought that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun would both be panicked and scared that Yang Yao Shi had his eyes on them, but when she looked over, she only saw them whispering something to each other with indifferent looks on their faces. It seemed like Yang Kai was asking how the marks on Liu Xian Yun’s face came about, but Liu Xian Yun kept shaking her head and saying nothing, which put Yang Kai at a loss.
“Hand those two over and give us half of your trip’s harvest. If you do that, this King can make an exception and let you go this once!” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun and said in a domineering manner.
“Half of our harvest?” Jiao Yi had a hot temper, so he was instantly riled up by those words and stamped his feet, “Why don’t you come and snatch it from us if you dare?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank as he shot Jiao Yi a glance and grunted, “Is this how you train your subordinates, Ling Yin Qin? You know what will happen if you offend this King, don’t you?”
Ling Yin Qin immediately shot a glare at Jiao Yi and snapped at him, “Don’t make things more complicated!”
Since the Big Sister had spoken, Jiao Yi didn’t dare to say anything more even though he was still discontented; however, the look on his face was extremely ugly. The anger he was suppressing could almost set him ablaze, and the others around him shared similar expressions.
They worked so hard at sea and risked their lives, spending so much effort in order to secure a full harvest, but they didn’t expect Yang Yao Shi to block them here and want to rob them of half their haul.
Half of the harvest was quite a lot. It was equivalent to one or two years of hard work that they were doing before this. Who would be willing to just hand that over?
Ling Yin Qin cupped her fists, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, since those two are on my ship, then they are part of my crew and this Mistress is responsible for their safety. How about this, we had a pretty good harvest this trip, so we can offer it all to you, but only if you don’t find any trouble with them.”
“You’re trying to bargain with me?” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint shining within them. There seemed to be a cold chill emitting from his entire body.
Ling Yin Qin looked up and explained, “We harvested more than 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral and also collected the carcass of one Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin. Vice Pavilion Master Yang can consider for himself whether or not this is a good deal.”
“What?” Yang Yao Shi was stunned, “Over 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral, and the carcass of an Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin?”
Even though he was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, he had still never come across such a large amount of wealth in one go.
Just the 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral alone was an immense treasure, but they even had the carcass of a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast! A Twelfth-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so its Monster Core was definitely worth a lot of money.
In the Solitary Void Sealed World, many Spirit Pills were refined from the Monster Cores of Sea Beasts. The Monster Core of this Twelfth-Order Monster Beast would be good enough to refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill, the effects of which would be difficult to estimate for Yang Yao Shi.
He was immediately moved.
But Yang Yao Shi still snorted, “You dare try and play tricks on this King, Ling Yin Qin? An Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin is a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast. How could you possibly kill it with your strength?”
Ling Yin Qin answered, “It was already dead. The Grey Feather Coral was located in its territory. We just went there to collect it.”
Yang Yao Shi was immediately convinced, that was because cultivators would often encounter opportunities and other strange things out in this Solitary Void Sea and were able to get a lot of good things without much effort if their luck was good enough.
He laughed, “You guys are quite lucky. Not bad, not bad at all. So many good things are enough to buy their lives.”
Ling Yin Qin quickly said, “Does that mean that Vice Pavilion Master Yang agrees?”
Yang Yao Shi nodded and said, “Naturally. Why would I not agree to such a good thing? This King can leave the two of them, but in addition to the conditions you mentioned, the Space Rings of the two of them must also be handed over.”
The main reason he wanted to take Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun away was for the Source Crystals inside their Space Rings. As long as he could get their Space Rings, why would he care whether Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were dead or alive?
Ling Yin Qin frowned, “This Mistress is unable to make this decision for them!”
As she spoke, she turned towards Yang Kai with a helpless look on her face.
This was already the best she could do. The rest would be left up to Yang Kai to see how sensible he was.
Yang Kai sneered, “Such lack of shame and respect. You can already be considered a new standard in this regard.”
While Ling Yin Qin and Yang Yao Shi were negotiating earlier, Jiao Yi and the others did not dare to interrupt even though they were all furious. Even when Ling Yin Qin said she was willing to give up their entire harvest to ensure his and Liu Xian Yun’s safety, none of the crew members retorted.
Yang Kai was now able to understand how highly this group of men regarded Ling Yin Qin. Considering he and Liu Xian Yun had nothing to do with them and only paid the fare and the room fees, without an incredible sense of honour and integrity,
who would be willing to spend so much just to protect them?
Ling Yin Qin had done this because she considered Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun part of her crew the moment she accepted them aboard, making them her responsibility.
[What an extremely principled woman!] This part of her nature also clearly convinced her subordinates that no matter what decisions she made, they would obey.
Naturally, Yang Kai could see the meaning in Ling Yin Qin’s eyes. Even though she didn’t say anything explicitly, there was no doubt she wanted to persuade him to part with his wealth in order to avoid this disaster.
Ling Yin Qin thought that he had failed his breakthrough, cut off his cultivation, and was now weakened, but she had no idea that Yang Kai didn’t place these people in his eyes at all.
So, when she heard him speak so arrogantly, Ling Yin Qin’s face changed and she quickly warned, “Yang Kai, bear with it now and you’ll find calm and peace; take a step back and you’ll find more space around you!”
Yang Kai sighed, “Big Sister Ling, a cultivator’s only path must be to forge ahead, meeting troubles head-on. It’s not a good habit to back down and give up. For people like them, if you take a step back, then they will only push you down and step on your head.”
Ling Yin Qin was instantly stunned, because a man once told her the same thing many years ago, and even after so many years passed, she still remembered the smile and demeanor of that man. At this moment, his figure and the figure of this person called Yang Kai seemed to overlap, causing her to lose herself for a moment.
“Well said, but talk is meaningless without strength,” Yang Yao Shi scoffed, “This King would like to see how you can still forge ahead in front of me and meet me head-on!”
“Were you the one who hit my Junior Sister?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him.
“That’s right,” Yang Yao Shi looked contemptuously at Yang Kai. “She dared to be presumptuous in front of this King, so one slap was already a light punishment for her. If you still…”
He was still trying to threaten them, but halfway through speaking, he suddenly lost sight of Yang Kai’s figure.
In the next moment, his eyes shrank as he saw Yang Kai appear half a metre in front of him and raise his hand, sending a slap right over.
Yang Yao Shi jolted and instinctively moved to the side to avoid the blow, but Yang Kai was faster than he could have imagined. Before he could move, the slap had already hit him square in the face.
*Pa…*
Yang Yao Shi’s entire body twirled in mid-air and he spat out a few teeth as well as a mouthful of blood before landing heavily on the ground.
Silence. The entire deck was dead silent.
Jiao Yi and the others were all staring dumbfoundedly at this unbelievable scene. Ling Yin Qin was also shocked at the sight. Even though she had not had much contact with Yang Kai, from her perception, he wasn’t a hot-tempered person. On the contrary, he was quite well-mannered, so she had never expected he would directly pick a fight with Yang Yao Shi, and even give him a big slap to the face!
[What do we do now?]
Ling Yin Qin originally hoped that they would be able to avoid this disaster, but now, it seemed that was only her wishful thinking.
[Wait… After failing his breakthrough and cutting off his cultivation, his aura should have been weak and his strength should have declined. Even if it was a sneak attack, how could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Yao Shi not be able to dodge that blow?]
However, after she quickly contemplated Yang Kai’s current state, she found that he didn’t show any signs of his aura being weakened or his strength declining. The Source Qi fluctuations he gave off just now were also of an intensity a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator should possess.
[What really happened to him?] Ling Yin Qin was befuddled.
Those from Profound Cloud Pavilion were also stunned. On this Solitary Void Sea, and even on Clear Sky Island, they had always been the most powerful ones, so how could they have expected that they would be slapped across the face by somebody one day? And the recipient of that slap was even their own Vice Pavilion Master! The brains of all these people were buzzing and they almost turned into fools.
“You… You actually dare to hit me?” Yang Yao Shi got up from the ground. His face had turned completely hideous and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared at Yang Kai, “Do you know who this King is? How dare you hit me?!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Daring to be presumptuous in front of this Young Master, a slap is already considered a light punishment for you. If you dare to run your mouth again, I’ll end your worthless life!”
Yang Yao Shi was taken aback for a moment. Following that, he laughed in anger and roared hysterically, “Kill them! I want all the men on that ship dead, and I want their women to suffer a life worse than death!”
What Yang Kai said really got to him, and he was completely set off, incomparable hatred filling his face.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she heard this and she quickly shouted, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, please show mercy!”
Her ship only had a dozen crew members, and only half of them were at the Dao Source Realm, the rest were just Origin Kings; however, there were at least thirty Dao Source Realm cultivators in Profound Cloud Pavilion’s crew. No matter how you looked at it, it was unlikely for them to win with such a huge disparity in their strength. If they really fought here, then they would definitely die pitiful deaths.
As the Big Sister, she naturally had to think for the crew’s sake.
Yang Yao Shi raised his voice, “It’s too late to say anything now! Ling Yin Qin, this King will personally take care of you himself! I’ll have you stripped and hung from the gates of Clear Sky City!”
Yang Kai’s provocation ended up causing him to direct his hatred to Ling Yin Qin as well. As a female cultivator, being stripped naked and hung from the city gates to be gawked at was definitely the greatest insult she could receive. When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart instantly sank.
*Dong dong dong…*
The many cultivators of Profound Cloud Pavilion had already flown up, each of them with hideously fierce faces. They clearly did not plan to show any mercy to Ling Yin Qin and her crew today.
Seeing this situation, Ling Yin Qin also knew that things could not be undone, so she grit her teeth and gave the order, “We fight!”
The faces of Jiao Yi and the rest turned cold and each of them pushed their Source Qi while summoning their artifacts.
Teleporting back, Yang Kai suddenly appeared back in front of Jiao Yi and the others to face the incoming storm.
“Senior Brother, be careful!” Liu Xian Yun had also summoned her artifact and yelled out to him when she saw this.
“Take care of yourself,” as Yang Kai spoke, he flicked his wrist and a broad sword appeared in his grip.
“Chop off his limbs and cripple his cultivation! I want him to know what happens when someone dares provoke this King!” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yang Kai while he shouted to his men.
He was truly enraged. No one had ever dared to go against him, much less slap him across the face in front of so many people. Yang Kai was the first to do such a thing, so the hatred he felt for him was so deep that even all the water in the Solitude Void Sea would be unable to wash it away. How could he dispel the anger in his heart if he doesn’t show Yang Kai hell?
Yang Kai remained indifferent as he faced the dozen or so cultivators pouncing over like starving wolves and tigers. With just a slight twist of his sword, a halo suddenly fell and Sword Qi filled the air.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
A shower of Sword Waves swept out with a dazzling flash.
*Hong hong hong…*
Before the group of Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators at the front realized what was happening, they were shocked to find that their defensive artifacts and protective Source Qi had been easily destroyed, followed by pain through their bodies that robbed them of their consciousnesses.
*Hualala…*
The stench of blood filled the air as seven or eight cultivators standing at the very front collapsed like cut grass, blood and guts flowing all over the deck. The cultivators standing behind them were also badly injured and all of them fell to the ground, howling in pain.
When the other Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators saw this sudden change in the situation, they all froze in place and stared wide-eyed at Yang Kai, their eyes overflowing with fear and shock.
“Emperor Aura… Emperor Artifact?” Yang Yao Shi, who had his hand covering one cheek, was preparing to watch the good show when he suddenly shouted in disbelief, his eyes locking onto Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword like a swarm of locusts, greed flashing across their depths.
As soon as Yang Kai launched the attack, Yang Yao Shi was able to feel the artifact’s strength. This was an Emperor Artifact, a genuine Emperor Artifact! If he could get his hands on it, then he may be able to borrow the power of this Emperor Artifact to comprehend the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
[What are this kid’s origins? How did he get his hands on an Emperor Artifact?]
Ling Yin Qin and the others were also dumbfounded.
They thought it would be hard for them to escape this calamity and were preparing for a desperate last struggle, but before the battle could even be joined, a dozen of the enemy had fallen before them.
And all of this was caused by a single strike from Yang Kai!
What was this situation?
Ling Yin Qin was confused by this and she stared at Yang Kai’s back blankly with her beautiful eyes, thinking, [Didn’t he fail his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation? How can he still exert such a powerful blow? That blow just now… could it just be the power of his Emperor Artifact?]
[That’s right, it must definitely be the power of his Emperor Artifact. Otherwise, it was simply impossible for him to achieve something of this level.] Ling Yin Qing had heard that Emperor Artifacts were all extremely powerful, and now it seemed that what she heard was true. However, from what she knew, the load of using an Emperor Artifact was also extremely high. She believed that it was very likely that Yang Kai would not be able to launch a second strike.
“What are you waiting for? He just failed his breakthrough and cannot possibly have much strength left! Just that one blow and he’s already an arrow at the end of its flight!” Yang Yao Shi was clearly thinking the same thing as Ling Yin Qin. When he saw his subordinates scared out of their wits, he quickly shouted at them with disappointed rage and urged them forward.
Only after he said this did the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators, who were not moving forward, suddenly come back to their senses as if woken from a dream. Their previous timidity and fear were swept away and they all regained their ruthless expressions.
Yang Kai grinned fiercely and flicked both his hands, causing two huge Moon Blades to fly out and crash directly into the enemy crew.
In the next moment, screams and shrieks echoed through the air as everywhere the Moon Blades passed, all the enemy cultivators were unable to resist, the slightest touch severing them in half on the spot.
“There was a path to Heaven but you refused to take it. Instead of banging on the doors to Hell! None of you should even dream about leaving here today!” Yang Kai coldly snorted and flicked his hands again. Moon Blade after Moon Blade shot out, sending the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators screaming for their fathers and crying for their mothers on the deck.
A group of trash with only First and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators followed by a mob of Origin Kings was not a force Yang Kai needed to put in his eyes with his current strength and means.
In but three breaths of time, only around fifteen were left of the over thirty cultivators from Profound Cloud Pavilion, the rest were lying on the deck with no vitality at all.
“Run away!” No one knew who shouted that, but in the next moment, a light shot out to sea. This man was clearly scared witless by Yang Kai’s brutality and didn’t dare to remain.
When the others saw this, they naturally had no desire left to fight and all of them fled.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she saw this and shouted, “Chase them down in groups of two, don’t let any of them escape!”
The battle happened so quickly that she hadn’t even realized what was going on before it was all over, but when she saw the remaining few fleeing, how could she just sit back and do nothing? Once they escape and word got back to Clear Sky Island, then the Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion would definitely not just let this go.
That was an Emperor Realm Master, none of them would be able to stand up to him if he decided to come for them.
After Jiao Yi and the others got the order, they naturally hurried to pursue their targets.
The sea breeze whistled across the deck, bringing with it the disgusting stench of blood and gore. The scene was shocking, as if an evil spirit had passed by here and left a wave of slaughter in its wake.
Yang Yao Shi was shaking all over, face pale as a sheet, staring terrified at Yang Kai. He couldn’t understand how a little brat could still be so strong even after failing in a breakthrough attempt. His own men that numbered more than thirty didn’t even last more than ten breaths before they were all either killed or fled in terror. In the blink of an eye, he had become the last man standing.
When he saw Yang Kai’s cold face and eyes, Yang Yao Shi’s body was covered in chills. He had the vague feeling that he seemed to have provoked someone he never should have and his heart was filled with regret.
Even if he escaped his current predicament, he would not be able to explain this huge loss to the Pavilion Master and would have to bear the Pavilion Master’s wrath.
“Tell me, should I kill you with one quick thrust, or should I slowly stab you to death?” A wicked smile bloomed on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Yao Shi trembled all over and said in fear, “You can’t kill me… I’m the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion! I am Sir Mi… Mi Tian Xing’s subordinate! If you kill me, he will definitely not let you go!”
“Mi Tian Xing?” Yang Kai said in a cold voice, “That First-Order Emperor Realm Master sheltering you?”
“That’s right! The Pavilion Master is very fond of me!” Yang Yao Shi quickly added, thinking that Yang Kai knew of Mi Tian Xing’s reputation.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai showed a disdainful expression and curled his lip, “What thing is a First-Order Emperor Realm Cultivator to me? This Young Master has killed more than one before!”
When he heard this, Yang Yao Shi’s first reaction was that this guy must be talking nonsense! Was it that easy to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master? What’s more, the one speaking was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator! It was ridiculous no matter how one thought about it.
But he didn’t dare to retort and only said, “Let me go and I can give you many benefits, but if you kill me, you’ll definitely have a hard time in Clear Sky Island!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold, “Still daring to threaten me at death’s door?”
“I’m just speaking the truth! What’s more, it’s not easy for you to kill me with your current ability anyway. Instead of fighting a fight that will only end in both sides suffering, why don’t we sit down and discuss things properly?”
Yang Kai sneered, “A discussion would still require both sides to be on equal ground. I can take your life with a snap of my fingers. What rights do you have to bargain with me?”
“Don’t underestimate this King, even a broken ship has three kilograms of nails!”
“You think too highly of yourself,” Yang Kai scoffed and brought the Myriads Sword in his hand directly down onto Yang Yao Shi.
Yang Yao Shi paled in horror. He did not expect this young man to take action directly despite how hard he tried to persuade him. Instantly, Yang Yao Shi felt both angry and anxious. No longer hesitating, he summoned a shield artifact directly in front of him.
*Ci la…*
A crisp sound rang out as Yang Yao Shi was shocked to find that this shield artifact actually shattered without offering him any protection, shattering the moment his opponent’s sword slashed down. The Emperor Artifact’s power cut straight into his body, severing him in half.
[Is he really human?] Even in death, Yang Yao Shi could not believe that he, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, would actually be killed so casually by another in the same realm. If he had known how great the difference in their strength was, how could he possibly have remained here? He would have tried to escape, and at least there would be some hope for his survival.
The deck was soon empty, except for the corpses all over the floor. Yang Kai was the only one left standing. Even Liu Xian Yun and Jiao Yi had run off to chase their fleeing enemies.
Yang Kai raised his hand and sucked over the Space Rings of all the dead cultivators. After a quick inspection, he threw them to the ground again in disgust.
These cultivators must have been living here in the Solitary Void Sealed World for a long time. There were a bunch of random things in their rings, but none of them were really useful. With Yang Kai’s current wealth, these things simply weren’t enough to enter his eyes.
Yang Yao Shi’s shield artifact was something barely able to catch his eye, but after being split apart by the Myriads Sword, it had become worthless.
Yang Kai ignored the Space Rings of these people and instead turned his attention to the huge sea ship.
This sea ship was sailed here by Yang Yao Shi and his crew. Within the Solitary Void Sealed World, it was very common to go to sea using large artifacts like these, so Yang Kai figured he may need to head out to sea in the future and this was the perfect opportunity to acquire a means of transport. Flying to the opposite sea ship and entering the cabin, Yang Kai searched for the control center and began to refine it.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Ling Yin Qin and the others all returned from different directions. Save for a few injured members, the dozen members of the crew returned safe and sound.
Once all of them gathered and exchanged information about their situation with each other, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.
Not one of the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators managed to escape, they were all hunted down and killed, so there was no need for them to worry about news of what happened here spreading back to Clear Sky Island.
Profound Cloud Pavilion would not suspect Ling Yin Qin and her crew for Yang Yao Shi and his crew’s sudden disappearance on their trip out to the Solitary Void Sea, and even if they did, they had no proof, so she didn’t need to worry about anything.
After calming herself, Ling Yin Qin suddenly remembered something and, with the same level of fear as if she had just gone to hell and back, she quickly ordered the crew to clean up the deck and push the corpses down into the sea. When she released her Divine Sense and found that Yang Kai was refining the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship, she didn’t bother him. Instead, she pulled Liu Xian Yun to the side and asked quietly, “What actually happened to your Senior Brother?”
If not for Yang Kai, they probably would not have encountered such a crisis. But similarly, without him here, they would definitely have had their whole harvest robbed by Yang Yao Shi and been forced to return empty-handed.
So, on balance, Ling Yin Qin still felt grateful to Yang Kai; however, she was extremely confused as to how Yang Kai was able to bring out such a terrifying level of strength, easily killing almost thirty people from Profound Cloud Pavilion by himself.
Only someone in the Emperor Realm should be able to do something like this.
If such a powerful force were to be turned against her and her ship, then who would be able to resist?
Ling Yin Qin was feeling more and more glad that she had stopped Jiao Yi and the others from acting on their greedy impulses, otherwise, she was afraid that they may not even know how they ended up dead.
Even though her question was vague, Liu Xian Yun could guess what she was trying to ask. Pondering for a moment, she explained, “Senior Brother is an extraordinary person to begin with. A few days ago, we were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master but still managed to escape thanks to Senior Brother.”
“You were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and still managed to come out alive?” Ling Yin Qin was shocked.
She had never experienced how strong a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was, but she knew a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator couldn’t escape alive from their grasp.
But Yang Kai managed to do just this. That proved that he was no ordinary Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Senior Brother is amazing, he even managed to injure that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master,” Liu Xian Yun did not seem to think Ling Yin Qin was shocked enough so she added.
“Injured him…” Ling Yin Qin was completely dumbfounded. It felt as if her brain was freezing, unable to process everything. What she heard was completely beyond her comprehension.
“It was a sneak attack, and it seemed like that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was injured to begin with.”
Despite Liu Xian Yun’s explanation, Ling Yin Qin’s mind was still buzzing. She couldn’t take in what she was saying at all and found herself staring at the sea ship opposite her, remaining silent for a long time.
“Big Sister, they have a lot of good things. That Yang Yao Shi actually brought more than 200,000 Source Crystals with him. We’re rich!” Jiao Yi walked over with a happy look on his face as he handed a Space Ring to Ling Yin Qin.
Only then did Ling Yin Qin return to her senses, “Divide up the stuff amongst yourselves, but throw away all the artifacts and other recognizable objects. You must not bring them back to Clear Sky Island!”
If they brought back any of the artifacts or anything that could be recognized, then it may reveal something and get the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion on their trail. Ling Yin Qin could not allow that to happen.
Even though Jiao Yi thought it was a waste, he knew that Big Sister was right. He instantly agreed and turned around, ready to set off to divide up the wealth with his brothers.
The deck was scrubbed clean, and all the corpses were dumped into the sea while all the blood was washed away.
Since Yang Kai had yet to come out, Ling Yin Qin could only wait now.
About a day later, the ship on the other side suddenly buzzed and the hull began to shake. In the next moment, there was a flash of light and the huge ship disappeared without a trace. In its place was Yang Kai who appeared in the view of the crowd.
He looked drained at the moment and his face was slightly pale, but on his palm was an exquisite sea ship that had shrunk countless times in size. It was clearly the one from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
“So quick!?” Even though Ling Yin Qin already knew about Yang Kai’s strength, she could not help but be astonished.
It took Yang Kai only one day to refine the ship’s controls. If someone else were to tell her about this, she would not have believed it, but it happened right in front of her, so she had to believe it.
[How strong is he?]
Ling Yin Qin already thought very highly of Yang Kai, but it seemed she had still underestimated him. Even if an Emperor Realm Master were here, it would still be impossible for them to refine the sea ship in just one day. Ling Yin Qin had thought she and her crew would have to wait here for a month or two for Yang Kai to finish.
While she was lost in thought, Yang Kai had already sent the ship into his Space Ring before he teleported back to the deck.
The dozen crew members looked at him with awe, while Jiao Yi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t muster any words. With the strength Yang Kai had shown yesterday, Jiao Yi no longer had the confidence to call Yang Kai his brother.
“I apologize for the trouble I brought everyone,” Yang Kai said with some embarrassment.
He knew that the reason why the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion found Ling Yin Qin and the others here was most likely because of Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough. If not for that great disturbance, how could two sea ships meet each other so coincidentally in the middle of this vast ocean?
Therefore, the cause of the matter was still Yang Kai.
When they heard him say this, the crew members all waved their hands and shook their heads.
What a joke, the Profound Cloud Pavilion crew was slaughtered by Yang Kai in the blink of an eye, which showed how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was. They did not dare to take his polite words seriously.
Looking at them, Yang Kai knew that these people were likely afraid of him.
“Brother Yang, we should be the ones thanking you. You saved us from a disaster,” Ling Yin Qin said.
Yang Kai had a very good impression of this woman. Previously, she offered to hand over all their gains from this trip in exchange for the safety of Liu Xian Yun and him. Yang Kai watched that scene with his own eyes. It was just a pity that Yang Yao Shi did not take the offer. He was too greedy and had to send himself up onto the platter no matter what.
“Not at all, Big Sister Ling. I was the cause of all this to begin with,” Yang Kai said awkwardly. He had no idea how he should explain to Ling Yin Qin about what happened before, and it wasn’t easy to explain either, so he could only say it in such a vague way.
“How’s your current situation?” Ling Yin Qin asked with furrowed brows. Yang Kai failed his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation, but he still got caught in a large battle, even spending so much of his energy to refine the sea ship. In her opinion, this was simply courting death, “You should take a rest.”