Hearing his words, Ling Yin Qin and her crew paled.
The two strongest Masters of the Solitary Void Sealed World were in front of them and about to come to blows, how could they not be scared? When Immortals fought, it was the mortals who would suffer the consequences! If these two started to fight here, everyone would become involved. At that time, Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master wouldn’t have the time to worry about their safety, and a moment of carelessness would be enough to seal their fate.
Hearing Chi Ri’s threat, Bing Yun said coldly, “Chi Ri, although this Queen said that she doesn’t want you as an enemy, it isn’t because I’m afraid of you. If you keep being so forceful, this Queen will have no choice but to respond in kind.”
Chi Ri narrowed his eyes, his anger palpable.
He had known Bing Yun for many years, but it was the first time she had used this kind of tone when speaking to him. In the past, even if she was impatient, she wouldn’t make it too obvious. She was always as cold as ice and rarely revealed her emotions, but today, she was different. Her words were as sharp as a blade, and she didn’t seem to fear him at all.
This enraged Chi Ri, as he’d always had an edge over Bing Yun. Although their cultivations were almost identical, the same couldn’t be said for the resources at their disposal. For this reason, the difference between them kept increasing with time.
He felt that it was only a question of time before he subdued Bing Yun, making her his personal property, but now, that very same woman was rebelling! How could he not get angry?
“It seems you really want this King to seize you and drag you back!” Chi Ri’s face darkened as he decided that he would shatter Bing Yun’s spirit today, even if it meant getting injured. He wanted to let her know about the difference in strength between them.
“Yang Kai, take everyone and leave first,” Bing Yun didn’t talk nonsense and quietly instructed Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded, handing over the High-Rank Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills that he’d refined in the past few days as he whispered, “In that case, Junior will depart first and await Senior at the destination.”
He wasn’t worried about her safety as she’d already recovered to her peak thanks to the ten million High-Rank Source Crystals he had given her. Moreover, she had several High-Rank Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills with her. How could Chi Ri possibly defeat her?
Bing Yun couldn’t lose!
Yang Kai turned and winked at Ling Yin Qin and the others. At the same time, he made a few hand seals, urging the sea ship to move forward.
Chi Ri didn’t care about what Yang Kai and the others were planning, neither did he try to stop them, he simply stood mid-air, gazing at Bing Yun. As long as he could stop Bing Yun, he didn’t care if the others lived or died.
Emperor Pressure filled the area above the sea, looking almost tangible as it clashed, setting off terrifying storms. The surrounding World Principles began to warp under this pressure, causing the world to dim.
Pang Guang, who was behind Chi Ri, felt so much pressure that his face paled.
Although he was also in the Emperor Realm, he was much weaker than Chi Ri and Bing Yun. The two Masters hadn’t even started fighting, but the pressure that exuded from their bodies was enough to make Pang Guang feel unwell.
He was shocked to realize that the disparity between them was so big.
Since staying was useless, he raised his head and looked in the direction Yang Kai had left, his figure flickering as he prepared to give chase.
As he couldn’t intervene in the battle here, he decided to catch up to Yang Kai and settle their old score.
But before he could take action, Bing Yun pointed at him from afar.
Ice Principles were unleashed with the movement of her finger, shrouding Pang Guang’s body.
Pang Guang felt a gust of deadly air blow across his face, one so cold that it seemed capable of freezing even his Soul, instantly immobilizing him.
If he were at his peak, he might have been able to resist a bit, but now, with his wounds still yet to fully recover, there was no way he could escape from Bing Yun’s pressure.
In desperation, he loudly shouted, “Sir City Lord, save me!”
Chi Ri didn’t really care about him, but as soon as Bing Yun made her move, he instinctively swung his sleeve, sending out a wave of hot air, dispersing the bone-chilling cold.
Pang Guang instantly felt much better and hurried to circulate his strength, retreating more than a dozen kilometres as he gasped for breath, fear still lingering on his face.
“This King is in front of you, and yet you’ve the mind to take care of others? Don’t look down on me!” Chi Ri shouted.
Bing Yun’s pretty face darkened as she said in amazement, “You’ve been concealing your strength all along!”
Although he merely swung his sleeve, Bing Yun instantly became aware of this detail. Each time he fought with her over that cup of tea, he wasn’t using his full strength! Only now was he revealing his real strength.
At the same time, she rejoiced once again for meeting Yang Kai, her lucky star. He had given her ten million High-Rank Source Crystals all at once, which allowed her to recover her strength completely. If not for his help, there was no way their plan would have a chance at success.
“You also seem to have recovered your strength,” Chi Ri was likewise surprised. Today, he was planning to completely crush Bing Yun and make her submit, but now, it was unclear who would come out on top! After realizing this fact, Chi Ri’s expression became ugly.
But even if the two of them were surprised, they were still Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, with extraordinary mental fortitude, so they swiftly regained their composure.
Bing Yun looked past Chi Ri, fixing her gaze on the deathly pale Pang Guang. Her jade white hand gently grasped at the void in the next moment as a snow-white sword appeared in her hand. This sword was just like her – pure and flawless, like the most exquisite piece of art in the world, devoid of any kind of murderous aura.
With this sword in hand, Bing Yun’s momentum skyrocketed and she slashed at Pang Guang, “Clear Sky Snowfall!”
When she slashed out, the sky itself dimmed, as the Heavens and Earth inverted.
Ice Principles filled the surrounding area, quickly freezing the churning seawater.
Then, snow began falling!
Goose feather-sized snowflakes came pouring down, turning the whole world a magnificent white.
Pang Guang, who bore the brunt of the attack, wasn’t able to react as he blankly gazed at the beautiful scenery, completely immersed in it. He revealed an intoxicated expression, and even stretched out his hand to catch the snowflakes drifting in the wind.
His exposed skin and hair were quickly covered in frost, with the rest of his body rapidly turning into an ice statue.
“Grand Sun Covers The Sky!” Chi Ri bellowed and a dazzling sun appeared amidst the world of ice and snow. The unparalleled heat it brought dispersed the snow in the sky and melted the frozen sea.
Two powers of completely different nature clashed against one another on this stretch of sea a hundred kilometres in diametre, quickly cancelling each other out.
No clear winner emerged from this contest.
Pang Guang returned to his senses at that moment, and when he recalled the beautiful scenery just now, bean-sized beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and continually trickled down.
He understood that he’d been standing at the edge of the gates of hell, and if Chi Ri hadn’t helped him, he would now be dead!
The fact that a top Master like Bing Yun had sneak attacked him made Pang Guang angry; however, he understood why she’d done so. She was afraid that he would chase after Yang Kai and the others, so she made the first move to gain an advantage. Unfortunately, Chi Ri stopped her before she could succeed.
Seeing the situation, Pang Guang hurried to leave and chase after Yang Kai. This wasn’t a battle he could meddle in, and staying here was enough to put his life in danger. If he really got involved, he would die for sure.
The only thing he could do was to follow Yang Kai and the others in the hope of disrupting Bing Yun’s concentration.
Although he wasn’t Bing Yun’s match, he was more than capable of dealing with Yang Kai’s group. As long as he captured them, he could threaten Bing Yun with their lives and perhaps make her surrender.
If he made Chi Ri happy, he’d have a good life later.
“Do you think you can escape?” Seeing Pang Guang trying to flee, Bing Yun guessed what he was scheming, grit her teeth, and stabbed her sword out into the void.
A pure white ice flower shot towards Pang Guang from the tip of her sword. The ice flower bloomed midway, preparing to engulf Pang Guang.
Chi Ri’s figure flashed, appearing in front of the ice flower. Raising his fist, he violently punched, shattering the flower to pieces.
“Still trying to fight others while this King is here? You’re really looking down on me!” Chi Ri sneered.
Bing Yun furrowed her brow as she helplessly watched Pang Guang’s figure disappear. Fighting Chi Ri would require all of her attention; she didn’t have spare energy to deal with Pang Guang.
Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath, and in the next moment, her anxiety disappeared, replaced by calmness and strong determination.
She knew that she had to deal with Chi Ri if she wanted to chase after Pang Guang, and if she wanted to deal with Chi Ri, she couldn’t afford to hold back or get distracted.
Seeing Bing Yun’s change, Chi Ri was surprised; however, he didn’t show it and continued, “Bing Yun, all the people on that ship will die because of you. If you obediently surrender now, this King will treat you well in the future.”
The reason he mentioned Yang Kai and the others was to disrupt Bing Yun’s concentration.
However, Bing Yun remained unmoved, simply lifting her sword as the surrounding Ice Principles surged towards Chi Ri.
Chi Ri loudly roared. Despite his anger, he didn’t dare to take Bing Yun lightly, using all of his ability to battle her.
Two figures moved back and forth across the sea’s surface. Principles clashed, Heaven and Earth trembled, oceans flipped, and all the World Energy within ten thousand kilometres became chaotic.
Even if the Star Boundary was taken as a whole, it was rare to witness a battle to the death between two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. What was even rarer was that their strengths were well matched, and the Principle Strengths and Divine Abilities they possessed mutually restrained one another. The battle was absolutely breathtaking.
Even Yang Kai’s group, who was far from the battlefield, could sense the terrifying energy fluctuations.
All of them wore expressions of shock while Fan Xin and the other disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion were deeply worried about their Honoured Master.
They only knew that she seemed to fear Chi Ri, oblivious to the fact that she had recovered to her peak. Now that the two had started fighting, they didn’t know who would come out on top.
“Someone’s coming,” Liu Xian Yun exclaimed while pointing in a certain direction.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, frowning, “How did she fail to stop him?”
In her current state, Bing Yun should’ve been able to kill Pang Guang right under Chi Ri’s nose; after all, he was only a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator and was heavily injured on top of that. He couldn’t possibly survive a single attack from Bing Yun.
Yet, Pang Guang was alive and kicking, heading in their direction as they spoke.
Yang Kai didn’t know what had happened on Bing Yun’s side, but the reality was that Pang Guang had managed to slip by.
It was no longer possible for their group to leave in peace. If they wanted to do so, they had to deal with Pang Guang first.
“It’s that Emperor Realm Master!” Seeing Pang Guang, Ling Yin Qin’s beautiful face turned pale. She didn’t know who Pang Guang was, but as he was following Chi Ri, he had to be an enemy.
The Emperor Realm and Dao Source Realm were worlds apart, and an Emperor Realm Master could easily destroy their ship.
After seeing Pang Guang, everyone turned to look at Yang Kai, wondering what countermeasures he had prepared.
At a glance, Ling Yin Qin and her crew were surprised as Yang Kai didn’t seem anxious at all, simply standing there calmly, a mocking smile on his face. It was as if he wasn’t facing an Emperor, but a piece of trash who was seeking his own death.
“You guys should leave first, I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” Yang Kai urged Ling Yin Qin and the others before turning around and flying off.
“Senior Brother!” Liu Xian Yun became anxious. She wanted to accompany Yang Kai, but was also afraid that she’d become a burden due to her low cultivation. She was in a dilemma.
“Senior Brother Yang, I’ll help you!” Ling Yin Qin said as she leapt forward. She was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and if she were to put her life on the line, she could exchange a few blows with a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. It was unknown what the outcome would be, but given the current situation, she was the only one here who could help Yang Kai.
“There is no need for you to intervene. I’ll deal with him by myself. A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator isn’t enough to give me trouble,” Yang Kai turned around, smiling at them.
Ling Yin Qin and the others were dumbfounded.
An Emperor Realm Master was just something ‘trivial’ in Yang Kai’s eyes?! Where did all his confidence come from?
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch up with you soon.” Seeing that Ling Yin Qin and the others were no longer coming his way, Yang Kai grinned.
Then, he left the sea ship, and flew off to intercept Pang Guang.
Ling Yin Qin stood on the deck in a daze, but after a short moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and shouted, “Let’s go!”
“But Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun was so anxious that she was bordering on a panic attack.
Ling Yin Qin only spoke in a grave tone, however, “If we remain here, we’ll just distract him. Your Senior Brother is far stronger than an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator. Since he is this confident, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Hearing her words, Liu Xian Yun recalled something. When a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master chased after them outside of Marsh City, Yang Kai managed to run away while carrying her along.
If even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master couldn’t trouble him, what hope did a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator like Pang Guang have?
Considering all this, Liu Xian Yun relaxed. She turned and looked in Yang Kai’s direction, praying for his well-being before turning back and assisting Ling Yin Qin and the others to move the ship away from the battlefield.
Above the sea surface, Pang Guang suddenly stopped, the distance between him and Yang Kai about a couple dozen metres. He angrily stared at Yang Kai, and seeing the carefree smile on his mortal enemy’s face made him quite uncomfortable.
Becoming even angrier as time passed, Pang Guang roared, “Little brat, you actually had the gall to stay here and wait for this King!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Since City Lord Pang is trying to seek death with all his heart, I thought I’d give him a hand.
Hearing his words, Pang Guang laughed riotously, “Little brat, have you lost your mind? This King is an Emperor, killing you will be as easy as taking a breath!”
“What’s so great about the Emperor Realm?” Yang Kai curled his lips, “It’s not like Emperor Realm cultivators can’t die. If their heads are separated from their bodies, they’re as good as dead!”
Pang Guang was dumbfounded, sweeping his eyes over Yang Kai once more, re-examining him before nodding, “I have to admit that your courage is big, just like your tone.”
“Enough with this nonsense!” Yang Kai seemed impatient, “This Young Master is in a hurry.”
Flicking his wrist, he summoned the Myriads Sword and raised it up to point at Pang Guang, “You can either come here on your own or wait for this Young Master to come over and kill you. Choose whatever you prefer!”
“Waaah!” Pang Guang roared. He had never seen such an arrogant Dao Source Realm cultivator before. In the past, all the Dao Source cultivators he met were extremely respectful when dealing with him, none daring to even breathe without his permission. He was the one looking down on them. But today, the opposite happened.
Pang Guang seethed with rage, “If I don’t peel your skin off today, I am not surnamed Pang!”
After shouting, he shot toward Yang Kai, his momentum soaring as shockwaves spreading all around.
While in midair, he threw his fist toward Yang Kai. The fist’s shadow instantly filled the sky, locking onto Yang Kai’s figure.
*Zheng…*
A melodious sword cry echoed as a sword encased in light expanded out. Just like a dragon waking up from its slumber, bringing enormous power with it, causing Pang Guang’s body to tremble.
*Hong hong hong…*
The loud sound of explosions echoed as the huge fist shadow that filled the sky crumbled and a slash of light from the sword rushed towards Pang Guang.
“Zi…” Pang Guang gasped, his expression changing quickly. He moved his body sideways as the slash brushed past his flank, but the Sword Qi still caused his whole body to sting with pain.
[He… How can he be this powerful?]
Pang Guang couldn’t believe what had just happened. He, an Emperor Realm Master, had taken the initiative to attack; however, not only did he fail to gain any advantage over his opponent, he was even injured. Was this really the strength of a Dao Source Realm cultivator?
Pang Guang wished he could take his eyeballs out of his sockets and stick them to Yang Kai’s body to see if he was actually an Emperor Realm Master hiding his cultivation to toy with him.
While he was lost in thought, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him, an evil smile on his face as he punched out.
Strange Principle Strength lingered on this fist, which made Pang Guang feel great pressure. He didn’t dare to be careless and threw a punch of his own, putting all of his strength behind it.
*Hong…*
When the two fists collided, Pang Guang’s whole body trembled as he felt a huge surge of power from the incoming attack, causing his blood to boil and his footing to become unstable. Reeling back from the blow, Pang Guang was forced to withdraw a thousand metres before managing to regain his footing.
Yang Kai also flew backwards like a broken piece of cloth. His realm was ultimately lower than Pang Guang’s, so it was commendable that their first clash ended in a draw.
*Chi…*
Both of them stimulated their Qi to disperse their momentum. Their expressions differed quite a bit at this time, with Yang Kai was still in high spirits but remaining calm, while Pang Guang’s cool was gone. He discovered that killing Yang Kai wouldn’t be as easy as he’d imagined. Yang Kai did truly qualify to exchange blows with him.
Things didn’t go like this when they fought in his cave mansion the last time. Although Pang Guang felt that Yang Kai was different from ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivators, he didn’t seem this outrageous. But now, just a few days later, Yang Kai’s strength seemed to have dramatically increased.
[Don’t tell me this is the effect of the Heavenly Restoration Lotus?] This thought suddenly flashed in Pang Guang’s mind.
This made him even angrier as that Heavenly Restoration Lotus should have been his! If he had gotten his hands on it, not only would he have recovered from his injuries, but he would have also advanced on his Martial Dao. Unfortunately for him, this little brat had swallowed the lotus flower whole.
“Let me tell you a secret!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly echoed beside Pang Guang’s ears.
Pang Guang was startled. Yang Kai was thousands of metres away just a moment ago, yet now he was standing right beside him. In that short instant, Pang Guang hadn’t even noticed him move!
[Just how fast is this brat!?]
As soon as he heard Yang Kai’s voice, Pang Guang summoned his Emperor Artifact, which took the shape of a copper gong. When he poured his Emperor Qi into it, the copper gong hummed and let out a strange noise that seemed capable of disrupting one’s concentration.
A pitch-black light shot from the copper gong, heading for Yang Kai’s waist. The speed of this beam of light was so great that it seemed impossible to dodge.
But even so, it did not catch Yang Kai off guard.
Pang Guang felt a fluctuation of Space Principles at that moment and witnessed Yang Kai disappearing from where he was standing. In the next instant, Yang Kai’s voice came from a different side, “Yao Chang Jun is dead!”
When he heard the name ‘Yao Chang Jun’, Pang Guang’s complexion changed and he subconsciously thought that Yao Chang Jun was nearby and didn’t even register the last part of the sentence at first.
After coming to his senses, he then blurted out, “How did he die?”
“Of course… I killed him!” Yang Kai laughed madly.
“Nonsense!” Pang Guang bellowed. He thought that Yang Kai was deceiving him. He’d rather believe that the Heavens and Earth had turned upside down than believe Yang Kai had killed Yao Chang Jun.
After all, the latter was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Even Pang Guang had to bow his head before such a Master. The mere thought of Yang Kai, who was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm brat, killing such a powerhouse was beyond preposterous.
“You don’t believe me? In that case, why don’t you take a look at this?” Yang Kai retreated a dozen or so metres and spun his wrist, summoning the Five-Coloured Spear into his hand.
Pang Guang opened his eyes wide as he gazed at the Five-Coloured Spear in shock. Then, he started shivering.
He had never seen this Five-Colour Spear before, but he could feel its majestic aura.
To have such an aura, it had to be an Emperor Grade High-Rank Artifact! Even his copper gong was inferior to it. Someone who possessed this kind of Emperor Artifact was definitely a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, but the most important thing was that he could feel Yao Chang Jun’s aura on this Five-Coloured Spear!
The Five-Coloured Spear was definitely Yao Chang Jun’s Emperor Artifact!
Emperor Artifacts were very rare, and even Emperor Realm Masters may not have one. Each of them was regarded as a treasure, and the owner wouldn’t easily part with it. Since his Emperor Artifact had appeared in Yang Kai’s hand, it meant that Yao Chang Jun had very likely fallen!
No wonder Pang Guang didn’t see Yao Chang Jun after coming to the Solitary Void Sealed World. He encountered Yang Kai, but not Yao Chang Jun. The reason was now clear… It wasn’t that Yao Chang Jun had been hiding too well, it was because he was no longer in this world!
However, Yang Kai was just a Dao Source Realm cultivator. How did he manage to kill Yao Chang Jun? And if he didn’t kill him, how did he get his hands on the Five-Coloured Spear?
Pang Guang looked at the Five-Coloured Spear in a daze. He was unable to determine if Yang Kai was telling the truth or not.
Just as he was lost in thought, he felt a chill from behind. This chill came out of nowhere, and by the time Pang Guang noticed it, it was too late to dodge the attack.
Light flashed, accompanied by what seemed to be a tiger’s roar. Pang Guang felt a sharp pain in his back, as well as an enormous force, which made him lose his balance. He was pushed forward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Before he could get a hold of himself, Yang Kai was already upon him, a wicked grin on his face. Yang Kai raised his hand and punched out, his fist covered in fluctuating Space Principle. Wherever this fist passed, black cracks were left behind, like space itself was being shattered.
Pang Guang gasped as he pushed his Emperor Qi madly into his copper gong to protect himself.
*Hong…*
With a loud explosion, light flickered wildly above the copper gong. From the looks of it, the Emperor Artifact’s spirituality had been damaged, which greatly pained Pang Guang.
However, it wasn’t the time to worry about his Emperor Artifact as Pang Guang’s face paled, borrowing the force behind Yang Kai’s attack to put some distance between them.
*Cila…*
A dangerous aura burst out alongside a muffled sound and the world seemed to flash as a bolt of lightning shot out from somewhere and accurately hit Pang Guang.
Pang Guang, an Emperor Realm Master, twitched nonstop after the bolt of lightning hit him. His hair stood on end, and the smell of burned flesh filled the air. He looked rather pitiful right now.
His expression seemed to crack as he forced himself to turn and look sideways, his eyes widening right after.
He saw an eight-year-old girl that looked like a piece of fine carved jade, her expression icy, holding a blue bead in her hand, riding a white tiger, staring coldly at him.
Whether it was the little girl or the white tiger, they seemed to appear out of nowhere. Pang Guang hadn’t sensed their presence at all, but it was now clear that the surprise attacks he suffered just now were this pair’s doing.
What surprised him the most was that the blue bead in the little girl’s hand was a Thunder Attribute Emperor Artifact! Perhaps because her cultivation wasn’t high enough, the little girl’s face was pale right now. It seemed she’d consumed a lot of energy to use this Emperor Artifact.
[What the hell is going on?] Pang Guang couldn’t make sense of the situation. Everything happening before his eyes was unbelievable.
At this time, someone shouted, “Pang Guang, this place is going to be your burial ground. Just hurry up and die!”
Pang Guang was startled; he no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai. Although he came here with the intent of settling their old debts, he didn’t expect to end up half-dead before even touching his enemy.
What’s more, the tiger-like Monster Beast gave off a Twelfth-Order aura, meaning it was on par with an Emperor Realm cultivator, not something he could deal with right now. As if that wasn’t enough, there was also Yang Kai nearby, looking at him menacingly. Pang Guang’s current situation was utterly hopeless!
Had he known earlier, he would have never come here. Staying behind and cheering on Chi Ri would’ve been better!
Filled with regret, Pang Guang turned around, ready to flee.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai shouted as he saw through his intentions. Space Principles converged, solidifying the surrounding space, making it difficult for Pang Guang to move.
This slight delay was enough to decide his fate.
The White Tiger turned into a beam of light under Liu Yan’s command, appearing beside Pang Guang, opening its bloody mouth and biting his neck.
Pang Guang was scared out of his wits as he pushed his Emperor Qi to protect his neck from being snapped into two halves. At the same time, he started to struggle in an attempt to free himself from the White Tiger’s maw.
“Get in here!” Yang Kai smiled coldly as he threw the Sealed World Bead in his hand at Pang Guang.
Pang Guang, the White Tiger, and Liu Yan were all sucked inside. In the next moment, Yang Kai also entered the Small Sealed World.
Somewhere in the Small Sealed World, Pang Guang used all of his strength and even burned his Blood Essence to shake off the White Tiger, but when he turned around, he was stunned.
The sea was nowhere to be seen. All around him was lush vegetation, singing birds, the fragrance of flowers, and rich World Energy. This place seemed to be a paradise.
[Am I already dead? Is this the next life?] Sweat dripped from Pang Guang’s forehead.
Luckily, he saw Yang Kai, which calmed him down.
With everything he went through earlier, on top of his previous injuries which had yet to heal, Pang Guang was in a rather sorry state at this moment. He’d long lost the demeanor of an Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai sneered as he stared at Pang Guang as if he was looking at a dead man.
Pang Guang’s eyes darted around, looking shaken as he muttered, “What is this damned place?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course, this is your grave. Aren’t you moved by this Young Master’s kindness? I chose such a wonderful place to bury you. Others can only dream of having such an opportunity. City Lord Pang, it seems your ancestors’ good deeds have paid off.”
[Paid off, your sister!] Pang Guang cursed inwardly. He was so angry that his stomach started to hurt; however, he didn’t dare to curse out loud.
He still continued to talk tough, though, “If you want to kill me, you’ll have to show some skills first!”
He then looked at the White Tiger, his expression was one of worry.
He wasn’t really scared of Yang Kai. The one that worried him the most was this White Tiger which gave off a Twelfth-Order aura. He still wasn’t sure what this thing was as although it seemed to be a Monster Beast, he couldn’t feel any vitality from it. It looked like a lifeless object, yet it was so lifelike.
Yang Kai laughed, “Now that you’re here, your life is in this Young Master’s hands. If I want you to live, you’ll live. If I want you to die, you’ll die.”
“You’re speaking as if you’re the ruler of this world! Boy, be careful not to get ahead of yourself!” Pang Guang said disdainfully.
Yang Kai snorted, “You said it right. In this place, I’m the absolute ruler!”
He then stretched out his hand, palming at Pang Guang from afar.
Pang Guang didn’t see him use any Secret Technique, nor did he sense any energy fluctuations, yet when Yang Kai palmed down, Pang Guang felt a huge pressure come from above. All the bones in his body crackled as he was pushed downward.
Pang Guang exclaimed in shock, “You can actually mobilize the World Force here?! That’s impossible!”
Not even the Ten Great Emperors could make use of World Force so easily! There should not be anyone capable of controlling this power in this world. Yet, Yang Kai was able to do just that. After the World Force struck his body, Pang Guang could barely lift a finger.
Pang Guang’s eyes trembled as he was absolutely terrified. Under this huge pressure, he couldn’t move at all, feeling like his body was about to be smashed to pieces.
He wanted to resist, but he couldn’t muster his strength.
“Don’t kill him. Give him to me.” A booming voice echoed, causing Pang Guang’s eardrums to tingle.
Still in a daze, he raised his head and looked in the voice’s direction. In the next moment, his heart skipped a beat.
A colossal, human-shaped stone giant was sitting cross-legged not too far from him, its eyes, which were bigger than a house, staring at him with great interest.
The voice just now belonged to this stone giant.
Even the soles of Pang Guang’s feet twitched. Earlier, he mistook this stone giant for a hill, but little did he expect that it was actually alive and could even speak!
Moreover, the stone giant looked at him like a hungry wolf, its expression instilling great fear in Pang Guang.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he gazed at his Embodiment, “You want to do that? Isn’t that a bit too cruel?”
Embodiment grinned, “I have to once in a while! You killed so many Emperor Realm cultivators, yet you sent none here. Since I managed to bump into one, I can’t just let him get away!”
Yang Kai pondered, then nodded, “All right, let’s do it your way.”
He looked at Pang Guang with some pity before disappearing, leaving the Small Sealed World.
“Where are you going?! What were you talking about just now?!” Pang Guang shouted. For some reason, he felt very uncomfortable, as if what was about to happen was something worse than death, causing his face to lose all colour.
He didn’t know what this stone giant wanted to do, but judging from Yang Kai’s words and the last gaze he gave him before leaving, it was obviously nothing good.
While he was panicking, he noticed that the light above his head was blocked. Turning his eyes up with difficulty, he saw a giant palm coming down on him. Pang Guang bellowed, “Stop, get away from me!”
The Embodiment ignored him, simply grabbing him and lifting him up, dropping him in his other palm before saying in a low voice, “Close your eyes. Children shouldn’t look, or they’ll be traumatized.”
Pang Guang, “…”
The Embodiment continued in a low voice, his expression solemn, “Heaven Devouring… Battle Law!”
As the ship kept moving at a fast pace alongside the sea surface, Liu Xian Yun and the others stood on the deck, looking into the distance with worried expressions.
Suddenly, Ling Yin Qin saw something and pointed in a certain direction, “There’s someone over there!”
Hearing this, Liu Xian Yun, Fan Xin, and the others steadied themselves and also looked in that direction. Sure enough, there was a beam of light over there, and it was moving towards them.
“Prepare for the worse. Be ready to fight!” Ling Yin Qin shouted. After her order, everyone focused and started to circulate their Source Qi.
If the one coming over was Yang Kai, it would be perfect, but if it was Pang Guang, they’d have to fight with everything they had.
Soon, the beam of light was close enough for them to see clearly and Liu Xian exclaimed happily, “It’s Senior Brother! It’s Senior Brother!”
When she saw that the one amidst the light was Yang Kai, she felt as if a huge stone was lifted off her chest.
As soon as Yang Kai landed on the deck, everyone hurried to greet him, their expressions joyful. Liu Xian Yun sized him up from head to toe, afraid that he might be hurt.
At first glance, Yang Kai didn’t seem to be injured. In fact, he was glowing with health and vigour, which made everyone feel slightly at a loss.
Earlier, he’d stayed behind to fight Pang Guang, who was an Emperor Realm Master. Even if he managed to escape, his condition shouldn’t be this good, right?
“What about Pang Guang?” Ling Yin Qin asked in confusion. At the same time, she glanced in the direction Yang Kai had come from, afraid that Pang Guang would come after them again.
Yang Kai grinned, “Don’t worry. He’s dead.”
“Dead?” Ling Yin Qin opened her eyes wide as she blurted out, “How did he die?”
Then, she realized that was a silly question. Yang Kai had stayed behind to fight Pang Guang; since he was here, and Pang Guang was not, it was pretty obvious what had happened. Yang Kai had killed him!
As she came to this conclusion, she was thoroughly shocked.
Although she’d previously seen Yang Kai kill other cultivators in the Dao Source Realm very easily, she did not expect that he could also kill someone in the Emperor Realm. What kind of Heaven-defying Secret Art or Secret Technique was he cultivating? What kind of artifact did he have that allowed him to accomplish such a thing?
Yang Kai explained, “That guy was already seriously injured and far from his peak condition. He overestimated himself and died as a result.”
Hearing his explanation, Ling Yin Qin heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out that Pang Guang was already injured! This made much more sense because Yang Kai slaying an Emperor Realm Master in peak condition was simply too strange.
Still, she had no choice but to acknowledge Yang Kai’s incredible strength. An injured Emperor Realm Master was still an Emperor Realm Master. As the saying went, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. The fact that Yang Kai managed to kill Pang Guang made him the greatest Dao Source Realm cultivator she had ever seen.
“Alchemist Yang, what about my Honoured Master?” Fan Xin asked, filled with worry, “Do you know what has happened on her side?”
Yang Kai glanced at Fan Xin and tried to console her, “You don’t need to worry about Senior Bing Yun, she will be fine. Let’s continue with our journey. Senior Bing Yun will catch up with us when she’s finished with her business.”
Seeing him so confident, Fan Xin and the other disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion calmed down. They now felt that their Honoured Master would be able to deal with Chi Ri without too many problems.
Everyone returned to the cabin, and the trip continued.
The next few days passed peacefully, and nothing major happened. They did encounter some Sea Beasts with poor judgement, but with Yang Kai’s help, these beasts were easily dispatched.
At this time, they were very far from Clear Sky Island, already in the depths of the Solitary Void Sea.
Yet, even after all this time, Bing Yun was nowhere to be seen.
Fan Xin and the others became anxious once again, wondering what might have happened to their Honoured Master.
Yang Kai was also puzzled. Bing Yun had recovered to her peak, and she had several High-Rank Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills he’d refined for her, so it should be impossible for her to lose to Chi Ri.
He thought that Bing Yun would make Chi Ri retreat fairly quickly, and then converge with them, but things didn’t seem to be going according to his predictions.
Chi Ri turned out to be tougher than he’d expected!
Yang Kai already knew the location of the exit to this Sealed World thanks to Bing Yun. Therefore, even if the latter didn’t return, he could leave this place with the others; however, Bing Yun was the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, and they came from the same Star Field, so there was a certain amount of fate between them and Yang Kai didn’t want to leave her behind if possible. He hoped to return to the Star Boundary together with her.
These past few days, he’d been standing on the deck both to guard against the Sea Beasts’ surprise attacks and to spot Bing Yun at the quickest time.
But after five days, Yang Kai still hadn’t caught sight of her.
Later on the fifth day, he was standing on the deck and looking into the distance when Fan Xin rushed out of the cabin, “Alchemist Yang!”
“What’s the matter?” Seeing her worried expression, Yang Kai was startled. He didn’t know what might have caused her to be this flustered.
Fan Xin said in a hurry, “Honoured Master sent a distress signal. She’s in trouble!”
She then gave a communication artifact to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he grabbed the artifact and swept it with his Divine Sense. After confirming the information Fan Xin gave him, he turned around and flew out, “I’ll go meet her!”
Space Principles fluctuated and Yang Kai’s body quickly teleported away.
Fan Xin wanted to go with him, but Yang Kai was gone before she could even open her mouth to speak.
Three thousand kilometres away from the ship, a dim beam of light was flying over the sea. The light was flickering, as if it could go out at any moment. Shrouded in this light was the silhouette of a young woman. It was none other than Bing Yun.
At this time, she looked quite pitiful, her pure white clothes dyed red with blood, and her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. The Qi in her body was flowing chaotically. She was clearly a lamp that was running out of oil.
A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like her would very rarely encounter such a dangerous situation. In fact, she’d never been injured so heavily ever since reaching the Emperor Realm. As she was in the middle of the sea, there was no place where she could stop to rest. The Sea Beasts below had even been attracted by the smell of blood and were chasing after her relentlessly.
As time passed by, more and more Sea Beasts gathered.
Bing Yun tried to hold on and pushed herself to move forward, but when she noticed that she was reaching her limit, she sent a distress signal to her disciples.
As the last wisp of energy left her body, Bing Yun gazed into the distance, her heart filled with desolation.
After leaving Heng Luo Star Field and arriving in the Star Boundary, she had cultivated diligently, eventually reaching the Third-Order Emperor Realm, but now it seemed she was going to become food for the fishes. Dying like this was truly unsightly.
But even at this critical moment, she hadn’t lost her calm and wasn’t flustered in the slightest. It was as if what she was facing wasn’t death but the journey of life.
The flickering light around her finally died out and Bing Yun no longer had the strength to move forward, her body gently swaying as it fell towards the sea head-first.
Down below, the Sea Beasts that had been chasing after her all this time noticed their prey’s condition and started to seethe with enthusiasm, opening their huge mouths and waiting for their meal to fall down.
Just as Bing Yun was about to fall into the jaws of a Sea Beast, a figure appeared beside her, catching her and flying away.
Yang Kai needed but a glance to see that Bing Yun was in terrible shape. Whatever part of her body he touched was ice-cold and soaked with blood.
He frowned, “How is this possible?”
He didn’t expect that Bing Yun would end up in such a state after her fight with Chi Ri. He wasn’t sure if Chi Ri was dead or alive, but if Bing Yun was reduced to such a state, Chi Ri couldn’t possibly have fared any better. Even if he was alive, he shouldn’t have the strength to pursue them.
While in Yang Kai’s arms, Bing Yun weakly opened her eyes and glanced at him. She seemed to have realized that Yang Kai had saved her and shot him a grateful look while saying weakly, “I want to treat my wounds. Bring me back with you.”
Her voice was extremely weak, and Yang Kai wouldn’t have heard her if they weren’t so close.
“Senior, don’t worry, just focus on recovering.” Yang Kai nodded, his expression serious. Then, he noticed that Bing Yun had closed her beautiful eyes and fallen unconscious.
He frowned and headed in the ship’s direction, reaching it a few minutes later.
Fan Xin and the others had been waiting on the deck, filled with worry. When they saw the unconscious Bing Yun in Yang Kai’s arms, they fell into a panic.
Yang hurried to speak, “Senior’s life isn’t in danger, she’s just very weak. I gave her some pills to treat her wounds already. Junior Sister Fan, bring Senior to the cabin and take care of her.”
“Yes!” Fan Xin didn’t offer any objections or ask any questions. At this time, she was ready to follow his every order. After carefully taking Bing Yun from Yang Kai’s arms, she hurried to bring her to the cabin with the other disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion.
When they left, Ling Yin Qin stepped forward and asked, “What about Chi Ri? Do you know his current situation?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I didn’t see him, but if Senior Bing Yun was reduced to this state, Chi Ri isn’t going to be in better shape. Don’t worry, he won’t be able to chase after us.”
Hearing this, Ling Yin Qin heaved a sigh of relief.
If Chi Ri were to come after them, none of the people aboard would be able to stop him. Even if Yang Kai had killed Pang Guang, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Chi Ri; after all, Chi Ri was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!
The ship continued its journey. Due to Bing Yun being seriously wounded, everyone was in low spirits. The disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion didn’t leave the ship’s cabin for the next few days as they were busy tending to Bing Yun.
Yang Kai didn’t go to disturb them as Bing Yun’s recovery was likely at a critical moment. As she was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, she definitely had some profound methods to treat her wounds. There was no need for him to worry.
Three days later, Bing Yun regained consciousness. The first thing she did was to ask Fan Xin to call Yang Kai over.
Yang Kai knocked on the door and entered the side room. Bing Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, her face still pale. She’d spent three days adjusting her breathing and treating her wounds, so her condition was much better than before, but she still needed some time to completely recover.
Seeing Yang Kai, she smiled lightly and beckoned with her hand, “Come here.”
Yang Kai arrived beside the bed and asked with concern, “Senior, how do you feel?”
“I’m fine, but I’ll need some time to recover. This time, I must really thank you.”
If not for Yang Kai coming over at the right time, she would have become food for the fishes, which definitely wasn’t how she wanted to die. A Master like her would rather die at the hands of another Master than becoming food for Sea Beasts.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Senior was able to come back safely by relying on her own strength. I didn’t do anything.”
After a short moment, he asked nervously, “Is Chi Ri still alive?”
Bing Yun said calmly, “He’s dead.”
Despite already knowing that Chi Ri wouldn’t be in better shape than Bing Yun, Yang Kai still sighed in relief when he heard the news of the former’s death. With Chi Ri dead, no one could stop them from leaving the Solitary Void World. The only obstacle now were the dangers hidden in the sea. As long as they could get past these obstacles, they would reach the exit.
“Those Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills you refined for me are the reason I won this fight,” Bing Yun shot him a grateful look, “When Chi Ri revealed his real strength, we were equally matched. If not for your pills, which allowed me to recover my energy, I wouldn’t have been able to cut him down at the critical moment. Thank you.”
These words of gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.
Yang Kai was surprised. He didn’t expect that the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills he refined would decide the outcome of the battle. Back then, he refined those pills just to be on the safe side. In hindsight, it was a really wise move! Without the pills, it wasn’t guaranteed that Bing Yun could come back, and even if she did manage to kill Chi Ri, she would likely have had to perish together with him.
“For the next few days, I won’t be able to use my strength as I want to avoid leaving hidden dangers in my body. You’ll have to be a little more careful for the rest of the trip. Unless there’s really no alternative, I won’t be taking action,” Bing Yun said sternly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Senior, you can treat your wounds with peace of mind. I’ll make sure to bring everyone out safely.”
A smile appeared on Bing Yun’s pale face, “You are really reliable. I’ll be waiting for good news then.”
As Bing Yun had to treat her wounds still, Yang Kai didn’t linger for long. After chatting for a while, he excused himself.
Two days later, magnificent waterspouts appeared on the sea’s surface and Yang Kai summoned the Sea King Shuttle, moving everyone into it.
If they wanted to leave the Solitary Void Sealed World, the Sea King Shuttle was the only way. Without it, they wouldn’t be able to reach the exit.
Yang Kai had already refined the Sea King Shuttle, memorizing how to use its barriers and Spirit Arrays; therefore, they had no problem navigating.
Unlike the ship they were on before, the Sea King Shuttle traveled underwater, which was also how it avoided the powerful waterspouts on the surface.
Its speed wasn’t slow, either. In fact, it was slightly faster than the sea ship Yang Kai used earlier.
Sang De’s nameless Master was very attentive when refining this Sea King Shuttle; he’d engraved countless useful Spirit Arrays on it, so even if they were below the sea, they could easily sail forward. The people in the shuttle could also see the beautiful scenery outside, but as there wasn’t much light underwater, they couldn’t see too far.
The multi-coloured schools of fish and the big and small Sea Beasts shuttling back and forth amazed the people on board for the next few days. Although Ling Yin Qin and her crew would visit the sea all year round, it was their first time seeing the scenery underwater like this, so they were also looking with great interest.
They encountered no turbulence along the way, and the Sea Beasts that came to cause trouble once in a while were repelled by the Crystal Cannon installed on the Sea King Shuttle. The cannon’s power was huge, but so was its consumption of energy. Firing one round consumed ten thousand Mid-Rank Source Crystals. Luckily, Yang Kai didn’t lack Source Crystals, which allowed Jiao Yi, the one in charge of operating the cannon, to fire as much as he wanted. All the Sea Beasts that dared to approach were repelled, and those that were too weak were directly turned into minced meat; not even their bone’s remained intact. Even the strong ones were forced to run with their tails between their legs, none of them was able to get close to the Sea King Shuttle.
Everyone was in high spirits since the trip was proceeding well.
After navigating underwater for a month, no one knew how far they’d travelled; however, they had yet to reach the exit. The people on board couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.
One day, while revising the route, Yang Kai heard a crack. Startled, he released his Divine Sense to investigate.
Ling Yin Qin’s expression also changed as she asked in a hurry, “Senior Brother Yang, did the Sea King Shuttle just break? Why did I hear that sound?”
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “There’s a crack in the hull.”
Ling Yin Qin was startled, “What do we do now? If the Sea King Shuttle collapses, we’ll have nowhere to escape!”
They were deep in the sea, and if the Sea King Shuttle broke, they could forget about reaching the surface. Even if they did manage to reach the surface, the countless powerful waterspouts would rip them apart, turning this place into their graves. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master couldn’t get past this barrier, let alone mere Dao Source Realm cultivators like them.
“Don’t worry, the shuttle can still hold on for a while longer,” Yang Kai comforted Ling Yin Qin, but deep down, he didn’t feel so confident. He hadn’t built this Sea King Shuttle, so he wasn’t sure how long it could last.
“How far are we from the exit?” Ling Yin Qin asked.
“I’m not sure, but we should be close,” Yang Kai pointed at the projections formed by the Spirit Arrays in the cabin and said, “The number of Sea Beasts started to decrease yesterday, and in the last two hours, I didn’t see a single one. In addition, the pressure around us is getting stronger and stronger. There’s an abnormal current that is converging somewhere, so as long as we follow that current, we should reach the exit.”
Ling Yin Qin looked at him, “How confident are you?”
“Around seventy percent!” Yang Kai said solemnly.
Ling Yin Qin gently nodded, no longer asking any questions. She knew that it was pointless to continue with this discussion. The only thing they could do now was to pray that the Sea King Shuttle wouldn’t break until they’d reached the exit.
After listening to their conversation, the others also realized the gravity of the situation. The atmosphere in the shuttle changed, and everyone became anxious as they started to pray in their hearts.
Yang Kai operated the Sea King Shuttle and made it change direction to follow the current.
Half a day later, another crackle echoed somewhere in the shuttle, causing everyone to become even more uneasy.
As the Sea King Shuttle moved forward, the water current around them became more and more violent while the outside pressure increased as well, causing the ship to creak nonstop.
Yang Kai’s mind was connected to the Sea King Shuttle, so he knew that the vehicle was suffering more and more damage and it would last half a day at most before getting destroyed. He cursed Sang De’s Master in his heart. That old bastard didn’t put in enough effort when refining this ship, producing a defective product that might just doom them!
However, there was no turning back now so Yang Kai could only concentrate and make the Sea King Shuttle advance at full speed.
Almost half a day later, Yang Kai was closely watching the water flow around them when he suddenly shook. Staring at the projection created by an outside observation Spirit Array, he exclaimed, “We’ve arrived!”
Hearing his words, everyone followed his eyes and looked at the projection. There, in the depths of the sea, they saw a giant vortex spinning rapidly. The vortex seemed capable of devouring the Heavens and Earth, and just looking at it was enough to make them feel as if they were suffocating. If they really rushed into this vortex, perhaps not even their bones would be left intact.
“Senior Brother Yang… is that really the exit?” Ling Yin Qin’s pretty face paled as she gulped.
Yang Kai didn’t reply but turned to look at Bing Yun, who had come here after hearing the news.
Bing Yun nodded, “That’s the exit. As long as we can enter, we can leave the Solitary Void Sealed World.
Seeing her brimming with confidence, all the onlookers were freed from their worries. Even if they didn’t know where she’d gotten this information, she was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and it was unlikely that she would deceive them.
“I can feel Space Principle fluctuations coming from within that vortex,” Yang Kai added.
As he was proficient in the Dao of Space, he was much more sensitive to Space Principles than other people. The insides of this huge vortex seemed to be connected to another space, which made it impossible for his Divine Sense to investigate what lay on the other side.
“We’ll soon reach the location on the other side. We might appear anywhere in the Star Boundary, even somewhere dangerous, so it’s best to be extra cautious,” Bing Yun urged.
“Understood,” Liu Xian Yun and the others nodded.
*Kacha…*
At that time, a sharp noise echoed all around them.
Hearing the noise, everyone on board paled.
Yang Kai called out in alarm, “This is bad! The Sea King Shuttle is collapsing!”
At the same time, he tried his best to control the shuttle and have it plunge into the vortex.
As soon as they got close to it though, the Sea King Shuttle started spinning wildly. This artifact that Sang De’s Master had spent his whole life refining was quickly smashed to pieces, and the mental connection between Yang Kai and the shuttle vanished.
Screams echoed as Fan Xin and the others were scared out of their wits, frightened that they would fail and die after coming so close to succeeding.
At the critical moment, powerful waves of energy spread all around them, turning into an invisible barrier that protected them from the rampaging water current.
Yang Kai turned his head to see a serious-looking Bing Yun. The Emperor Qi in her tender body was flowing out rapidly, protecting everyone as she carried them toward the centre of the vortex.
Somewhere in the Star Boundary, a huge vortex appeared on the surface of the sea.
The vortex appeared out of nowhere, stirring up the seawater in an area of a hundred kilometres. Its power was astonishing, and all the Sea Beasts that were nearby scattered in a panic.
In the next moment, something shot out of this vortex, before it scattered in all directions. It was a group made of men and women with an uneven level of cultivation. Every person seemed to have gone through some kind of calamity and their faces were all pale, filled with fear.
All of them seemed to be in a daze as they looked around in confusion.
It was none other than Yang Kai’s group, who had just left the Solitary Void Sealed World. As the Sea King Shuttle collapsed, Bing Yun had used her powerful Emperor Qi to protect everyone, saving them from imminent death.
If not for her, no more than three people would’ve survived the trip.
“Ugh…” Bing Yun spat out a mouthful of blood. Forcibly using her Emperor Qi had caused her previous injuries to worsen.
Fan Xin and the others paled and hurried to check on her.
Yang Kai also hurried over and asked anxiously, “Senior, how are you?”
Bing Yun waved her hand. She didn’t speak and directly sat cross-legged in midair, forming a series of hand seals to activate some kind of Secret Technique.
Seeing that she wanted to treat her wounds, Yang Kai urged, “Everyone, disperse and keep an eye on the surroundings. Don’t let anyone disturb Senior.”
Hearing his words, the others quickly left Bing Yun’s side.
“Senior Brother, did we really manage to escape?” Liu Xian Yun asked, looking somewhat uncertain. As there was only water around them, she couldn’t tell if this was the Star Boundary or the Solitary Void Sealed Word. If their escape had failed, they might have to spend the rest of their lives in the Solitary Void Sealed World!
Yang Kai frowned. He was also unsure if this was the Solitary Void Sealed World or not, but very soon, he started to circulate his Source Qi and tried to absorb the World Energy all around him. Unexpectedly, his actions weren’t hindered at all, which made him very happy, “This isn’t the Solitary Void Sealed World!”
Hearing his words, Liu Xian Yun’s eyes shone.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “The World Energy here is thinner than the Solitary Void Sealed World, but that strange Disruption Force doesn’t exist!”
In the Solitary Void Sealed World, no place was free from that strange Disruption Force that made ambient World Energy impossible to absorb, forcing cultivators to rely on special Spirit Purifying Arrays to cultivate. Yet, Yang Kai could easily absorb the World Energy around him now, which was the best proof that they had left the Solitary Void Sealed World.
“We really managed to escape!” Liu Xian Yun rejoiced.
After overhearing their conversation, Ling Yin Qin and the others were dumbstruck.
Having lived in the Solitary Void Sealed World for so long, they had lost any hope of escaping and returning to the Star Boundary, but now, their impossible dream had come true!
This made them feel as if they were reborn and they were so excited that their bodies shivered involuntarily.
“If this isn’t the Solitary Void Sealed World, where are we?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
Yang Kai pondered, then replied, “Among the Four Great Territories of the Star Boundary… except for the Western Territory, the others all have large oceans, but if I had to guess… I’d say that we’re in the Northern Territory!”
“Why do you think so?” Liu Xian Yun looked at Yang Kai with some curiosity, wondering how he reached this conclusion.
Yang Kai said with a faint smile, “Haven’t you noticed that this place is unusually cold? The Eastern and Southern Territories have very few places with this type of climate. Only the Northern Territory is covered by ice and snow all year round, thus having this kind of cold weather.”
Although it was just a guess, Yang Kai felt that it was not too far from the truth.
After leaving the Thousand Leaves Sect, he wanted to go to the Eastern Territory’s Netherworld Sect, where he would look for Yin Le Sheng and make inquiries about Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts. Yet, he ended up in the Northern Territory first. The future was truly impossible to predict!
“Senior Brother Yang… did you just say that this is the Northern Territory?” Fan Xin looked at Yang Kai, a tinge of excitement in her voice.
“It’s just a guess. I don’t know for sure.” Yang Kai smiled.
“The Master Sect is in the Northern Territory!” Fan Xin and her Junior and Senior Sisters looked at one another, their eyes filled with joy.
Bing Yun had taken them in as disciples while they were in the Solitary Void Sealed World, so although outsiders thought that she was just another disciple of Ice Heart Pavilion, Fan Xin and her Sisters knew their true statuses and identities. They knew that their Honoured Master was the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley in the Star Boundary’s Northern Territory.
Fan Xin and the others longed for this Master Sect they had never visited, and they all hoped to spend the rest of their lives there with their Honoured Master, but as they were stuck in the Solitary Void Sealed World, this wish of theirs couldn’t be fulfilled.
Now that they had escaped, and happened to land in the Northern Territory, they were very excited.
“Someone’s coming over. I guess we can ask them if this is the Northern Territory.” Yang Kai suddenly looked in a certain direction.
Some time later, the others also saw someone rapidly approaching from that direction.
When the other party got closer, they noticed that it was a group of ten or so people led by an old man.
The old man had grey hair, and his expression was gloomy. When he looked at Yang Kai’s group, his eyes carried a tinge of hostility while the men and women behind him also looked at them with indignation, just as if Yang Kai and the others had offended them.
Yang Kai frowned, unsure as to what was happening; however, he didn’t dare to be careless. This old man hadn’t concealed his aura, so it was easy to tell he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
The ten or so people behind him were all Dao Source Realm cultivators as well, none below the Third-Order.
[These guys definitely have strong backing. They seem to be from some big Sect,] Yang Kai mused.
In truth, he wasn’t afraid of them, and even if they were to come to blows, Yang Kai was confident he could escape unharmed and unhindered; however, the same could not be said for Liu Xian Yun and the others. There was also Bing Yun who was treating her wounds and couldn’t bear any kind of interference.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai hurried to greet the old man. Cupping his fists and saying, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior. May I ask for your honoured name?”
Yang Kai used a respectful tone; after all, this place might be the other party’s domain, so there was no advantage in picking a fight with them.
Unexpectedly, the old man didn’t appreciate the gesture and arrogantly said, “This King is Immaculate Island’s Vice Island Master, Jiang Zhou Zi! Who are you and what are you doing here?”
It was Yang Kai’s first time coming to this place, and he wasn’t even sure if this was the Northern Territory, so needless to say he had never heard of this Immaculate Island. Still, if someone like Jiang Zhou Zi, an Emperor Realm Master, was their Vice Island Master, it was obvious this Sect was not too weak. At the very least, their Island Master should be stronger than Jiang Zhou Zi!
“So, it is Island Master Jiang! Please forgive Junior’s lack of respect. We were just passing by and we didn’t mean to cause a disturbance. I hope Island Master Jiang will forgive us!” Yang Kai said respectfully, his face neither arrogant nor servile.
“You didn’t mean to cause a disturbance?” Before Jiang Zhou Zi could speak, a red-robed woman behind him sneered. This woman was quite attractive and had a good figure, but her facial features weren’t that exquisite, her high cheekbones giving her a mean look.
For some reason, she angrily shouted at Yang Kai, “You suddenly appeared here and scared off the Blue Infant Beast, yet you claim you didn’t want to cause a disturbance? Are you taking us for fools?!”
Encouraged by the presence of the Emperor Realm Master, the red-robed woman didn’t put Yang Kai’s group in her eyes and started to lecture them madly, which made Ling Yin Qin and the others frown.
“Blue Infant Beast?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
He knew of this beast. It was a Monster Beast that lived in the depths of the sea whose cry was similar to a baby’s wail. Due to its body being ice blue, it was called Blue Infant Beast. The Blue Infant Beast was a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, which was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master. Moreover, it was very rare and its Monster Core was priceless as it could be used to strengthen one’s Soul, even giving them a chance to have an epiphany which might lead to a breakthrough. If this core was refined into a pill and taken, it could help cultivators obtain twice the result with half the effort when cultivating Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.
Yang Kai hadn’t expected this stretch of sea to be home to a Blue Infant Beast, and judging from what the red-robed woman had said, their sudden appearance had frightened it away.
Earlier, Yang Kai had noticed several Sea Beasts scattering away, but as he wasn’t paying close attention to them, he didn’t know if there was a Blue Infant Beast among them.
“Well said!” Jiang Zhou Zi said coldly, “We made arrangements for a whole month, and then laid in wait for another half a month before we finally caught a glimpse of the Blue Infant Beast, but before we could even take action, you scared it off! This matter can’t end like this!”
The red-robed woman added, “The Monster Core of the Blue Infant Beast was supposed to be a congratulatory gift for the Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master’s auspicious day. Now that the beast is gone, what are we supposed to do?”
Yang Kai felt somewhat guilty at first. If these people were telling the truth, it was indeed his group’s fault that the beast had escaped. The other party had been preparing for so long, and had even lain in wait for half a month, but their sudden appearance ruined everything. Anyone would be mad in this situation.
However, the constant chatter of the old man and young woman, along with their arrogance, annoyed him.
There was no matter that couldn’t be solved with talking or negotiation, so why did they need to act so aggressively? Weren’t they just trying to bully them with their ‘superior’ strength?
Considering all this, Yang Kai straightened his back and said, “In that case, what do you suggest we do?”
Ling Yin Qin, who was nearby, frowned, “How valuable was that Blue Infant Beast? Perhaps we can give you something of equal value in return.”
She wanted to make concessions to avoid trouble. A few days ago, her crew had gotten a lot of nice things, which they later sold on Clear Sky Island. As a result, they had some Source Crystals with them. Besides, Yang Kai was very rich, so compensating the other party for the damage was a good solution.
“Something of equal value?” The red-robed woman looked at Ling Yin Qin and ridiculed her, “Even if we were to sell you lot, it wouldn’t be enough to compensate for the loss we suffered! Do you think that the Blue Infant Beast is that easy to find? In the whole Ice Sea, there are no more than three! How can you give us something of equal value in return?!”
It looked like she would blow her top at any moment.
Yang Kai frowned, “Since it has come to this, what do you want to do?”
Hearing his words, Jiang Zhou Zi coldly looked at Yang Kai before snorting and saying, “Given your tone, it seems you’re not putting our Immaculate Island in your eyes. Is that right?”
Silavin: Read a comment that was confused about World Principles and World Force. They are two different things. World Principles consist of the Space Principles and etc. World Force is above that. World Force is literally the power of the world in and of itself.
So, you can think of World Principles as a subset of World Force.
If you can control World Force, technically, you are manipulating the world itself. You basically will the world. Meanwhile, for World Principles, they are a combination of all types of Principles that help form up the world.
Yang Kai silently looked at Jiang Zhou Zi, wondering, [How did he conclude that I’m not putting his Immaculate Island in my eyes? Can this guy even listen properly?!]
Hearing their Vice Island Master’s words, the group of Dao Source Realm cultivators in the rear was also filled with indignation, just as if they’d suffered some great humiliation. They quietly pushed their Source Qi and looked at Yang Kai’s group with unveiled hostility, ready to attack at any moment.
Yang Kai remained calm, however, and spoke, “That was not my intention. I’m just saying that since the beast has already escaped, we should work toward a solution. If Island Master Jiang has any suggestion, we’ll be glad to hear it.”
Jiang Zhou Zi laughed out loud and sneered, “This brat sure can talk!”
The red-robed woman stepped forward and whispered something in Jiang Zhou Zi’s ear at that moment, and while speaking, she kept glancing in Bing Yun’s direction, a wicked expression on her face.
Seeing this situation, Fan Xin and her Junior and Senior Sisters frowned. Although they couldn’t hear the red-robed woman’s words, they knew it was nothing good!
Their Honoured Master was in the middle of treating her injuries, and she could suffer no interference! So, what were these people thinking?
Fan Xin and her sisters glanced at each other before they discreetly shifted their formation to keep guard in front of Bing Yun.
Jiang Zhou Zi coldly snorted as turned back to Yang Kai and said, “You scared off the gift this Old Master had prepared for the Seeking Passion Sect, which is an unforgivable crime!”
Since he kept mentioning the name ‘Seeking Passion Sect,’ Yang Kai could tell that it must be a Sect with great influence in the Northern Territory. Otherwise, these people from Immaculate Island wouldn’t go to such lengths to prepare a gift for them.
Yang Kai didn’t reply and merely stared at Jiang Zhou Zi, waiting for him to continue.
“However, since you said you’d compensate us, it’s not like we can’t discuss the matter.”
Yang Kai said calmly, “Island Master Jiang, what do you suggest?”
Jiang Zhou Zi coldly snorted before pointing his finger and saying, “Leave that girl behind. The rest of you can scram.”
When they first came here, he was so angry that he didn’t notice Bing Yun at all, but after the red-robed woman’s reminder, he saw that there was an extraordinary beauty among this group of people.
Jiang Zhou Zi had lived for many years, but it was his first time seeing such a pure and flawless woman. Bing Yun was heavily injured and treating her wounds at this moment, but her spotless, otherworldly aura was still enough to shock Jiang Zhou Zi.
He felt that it would be impossible to find another girl like her in this world.
He didn’t want Bing Yun for himself, but rather wanted to give her to the Seeking Passion Sect. Although the Blue Infant Beast was gone, they might still gain the Seeking Passion Sect’s favour if they delivered them this girl.
Cultivators from the Seeking Passion Sect pursued the Dao of Passion, so their Secret Arts were all deeply related to it. The greater the passion, the greater their cultivation. Let alone their Young Sect Master, even ordinary disciples had countless beautiful women by their side.
If they delivered this beautiful girl to the Young Sect Master, he would certainly be overjoyed as she was the perfect person to fall in love with, and as long as the Young Sect Master was happy, their Immaculate Island would be treated well.
“Bold!” When Fan Xin and her sisters saw Jiang Zhou Zi pointing his finger at their Honoured Master and uttering such drivel, they all flew into a rage.
Jiang Zhou Zi’s face darkened as he said coldly, “What did you say? Say it again if you have the courage!”
Fan Xin gritted her teeth and just as she was about to snap back at him, Yang Kai waved his hand and stopped her.
He calmly looked at Jiang Zhou Zi and said with an odd smile, “Island Master Jiang… are you sure you want her to stay behind?”
He felt like laughing at this moment. Bing Yun was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, but due to her Secret Art, she gave off a pure and innocent feeling, and her appearance was no different from that of a young girl. This Jiang Zhou Zi was really a blind dog who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! He unexpectedly wanted Bing Yun to stay behind!
He was someone who didn’t know how to write the word ‘death’!
“Except for that girl, the rest of you better scram now. I’ll give you ten breaths of time. If you haven’t disappeared from my sight by then, you can forget about leaving here alive!” Jiang Zhou Zi shouted as he cast a sidelong glance at Yang Kai, releasing overflowing killing intent, looking very intimidating.
“En, good, we’ll leave!” Yang Kai didn’t waste time and waved his hand, ready to bring everyone away.
“Waste!” The red-robed woman shot a disdainful look at Yang Kai. To save his life, he immediately abandoned his companion, the very definition of cowardice! Although she was the one who suggested having Bing Yun stay behind, it didn’t stop her from looking down on Yang Kai’s unsightly behaviour.
The other cultivators from Immaculate Island didn’t say anything, but the contempt in their eyes was evident.
“Alchemist Yang!” Fan Xin stamped her feet in anger as she looked at Yang Kai. She wore a disappointed look and was deeply shocked that he chose to abandon her Honoured Master so easily. Could he not tell that she was in the middle of treating her wounds?
“Don’t worry,” Yang Kai winked at her, hinting that everything was under his control.
Hearing his words, Fan Xin didn’t say anything else, simply glancing at Bing Yun with worry before finally retreating with Yang Kai and the others.
Jiang Zhou Zi didn’t waste time and leapt forward, stretching out his hand toward Bing Yun. It seemed he wanted to subdue her and bring her back to Immaculate Island right away.
When his gaze fell on Bing Yun’s peaceful face, all sorts of feelings welled up in his heart. How could there be such a pure woman in this world? Even he, someone who wasn’t a womanizer, couldn’t help but be moved. He had the impulse to bring her back home and take care of her forever.
He was already imagining the beautiful scene of him and Bing Yun living a happy life together.
In hindsight, such a perfect woman was his to take. It would be a waste to give her to the Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master! He loathed the fact that they might have to part ways.
Bing Yun, who was healing herself even now, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes at that moment.
*Zi…*
Seeing her beautiful eyes, Jiang Zhou Zi felt as if someone had ruthlessly pounded his heart with a sledgehammer and he couldn’t move his gaze away.
[What a wondrous pair of eyes!] Jiang Zhou Zi could see his dazed expression reflected in her round, moon-like pupils. Her eyes were like a crystal-clear pond of water, capable of bewitching anyone who saw them, branding themselves in the depths of their soul.
Jiang Zhou Zi was now even more bent on taking this girl for himself. He had been cultivating for so long, but it was his first time being so moved after seeing a woman!
“Don’t move, this King doesn’t want to hurt you,” he tried to sound as gentle as possible, afraid that he might frighten this timid girl. At the same time, his hand moved toward her shoulder.
But right at that moment, Bing Yun slightly raised her jade white hand and gently tapped at Jiang Zhou Zi’s palm.
Her movements were extremely gentle and carried an otherworldly aura.
Jiang Zhou Zi was a little absent-minded while it was happening, but in the next instant, his expression changed drastically.
As Bing Yun moved her hand, he sensed the terrifying aura burst from her body.
[This young girl… is a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!?]
Yang Kai’s group had a varied level of cultivation, with the strongest of them being at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. As Bing Yun was treating her wounds back then, Jiang Zhou Zi didn’t pay her too much attention and mistakenly believed that her strength would also be around that level at best.
Only now did he realize that her cultivation was something he could never hope to match!
He had no one but himself to blame. How could he do something as stupid as asking this kind of Master to stay behind? Had he known earlier that Bing Yun was so strong, he would never have dared to be this rude!
Even Immaculate Island’s Island Master was only a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, which meant that in his Sect, no one was this woman’s match.
While still in shock, he tried to retreat at his fastest speed; however, an invisible force kept him in place.
Bing Yun’s movements seemed slow and gentle, but her tapping Jiang Zhou Zi’s palm happened in a flash.
“Senior, mercy!” Jiang Zhou Zi cried out in terror, his face pale.
While screaming, he felt a slight pain in his palm, as if it had been pricked by a needle. Then, a chilling cold spread from there.
He opened his eyes wide as his heart sank.
A pure white ice flower had blossomed at the centre of his palm. The flower was magnificent and looked as if it was carved from jade. It was flawless and formed a beautiful sight that mesmerized any who gazed upon it.
However, Jiang Zhou Zi had no time to appreciate this sight as the ice flower, as soon as it appeared, began radiating frost up his forearm at a speed visible to the naked eye. Soon, his whole arm became numb as the bone-chilling cold seemed capable of freezing even his Soul.
Seeing that the frost was about to spread to his chest, Jiang Zhou Zi bit the tip of his tongue and used his finger as a blade to cut off his arm at the shoulder.
*Puchi…*
Blood spurted out.
As his arm was cut off, the force keeping him in place disappeared. Terrified, Jiang Zhou Zhi hurried to put some distance between himself and Bing Yun.
When he returned to his senses, his forehead was covered in sweat and his face was as white as a sheet of paper. Without wasting time, he took out a healing pill from his Space Ring and threw it into his mouth before turning a panic-stricken gaze towards Bing Yun.
From the strength Bing Yun showed just now, he wouldn’t be able to resist if she decided to kill him!
He could only hope that Bing Yun wasn’t someone fond of killing and that she would let him go after seeing that he had suffered enough.
In the meantime, that group of Dao Source Realm cultivators from Immaculate Island was dumbfounded.
They only saw Jiang Zhou Zi moving toward Bing Yun, who gently raised her hand in response; and then, in the next instant, Jiang Zhou Zi retreated in a panic, cutting off his own arm!
Everything happened in an instant, which left the onlookers dazed. Before the red-robed woman and the others could even understand what was going on, Jiang Zhou Zi was already heavily injured.
All the people from Immaculate Island were scared out of their wits.
“Senior?” The red-robed woman murmured absent-mindedly. Just now, she heard Jiang Zhou Zi call this girl ‘Senior’!
[Senior Jiang Zhou Zi is a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so if he is calling this girl ‘Senior’… Does that mean that she is a peak Emperor Realm Master!?] Considering this, her tender body began to tremble, all her arrogance from before nowhere to be seen.
“You’re quite decisive,” Bing Yun quietly looked at Jiang Zhou Zi, who had just cut off his arm. It didn’t look like she wanted to pursue and kill him. It was unknown if it was because she was kind-hearted or simply because she did not want to aggravate her injuries.
In any case, Jiang Zhou Zi was indeed a decisive man. If he had not cut off his arm in time, he would have died there and then. Although he looked rather pitiful right now, he was at least alive.
“Senior… This Jiang had eyes but failed to see! I beg Senior to forgive my rudeness and spare our lives!” Jiang Zhou Zi resisted the sharp pain in his phantom limb and pleaded for mercy.
Now, the lives of this group from Immaculate Island were in the hands of this woman. If she wanted them dead, they would all die here. Compared to one’s survival, dignity was nothing; moreover, there was nothing shameful in begging a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master for mercy.
Bing Yun calmly gazed at Jiang Zhou Zi, her face expressionless, causing Jiang Zhou Zi to grow ever more anxious as he couldn’t tell what kind of fate awaited him.
After a short while, Bing Yun parted her lips and said, “Leave!”
Jiang Zhou Zi was overjoyed as he hurriedly bowed, “Many thanks, Senior, for sparing our lives!” He then shouted at his group of disciples from Immaculate Island, “Let’s go!”
None of them dared to linger, pushing their strength to the fullest as they fled from this stretch of sea, afraid that Bing Yun might change her mind.
Yang Kai didn’t try to stop them either. He knew that Bing Yun was in no condition to deal with them. The enemy was still someone in the Emperor Realm, and driving them into a corner wouldn’t benefit them in any way. Since their group hadn’t suffered any loss, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Once the people from Immaculate Island were gone, Bing Yun turned her head and looked around, sighing with emotion, “I didn’t expect to return to the Northern Territory!”
“Senior, is this really the Northern Territory?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow.
Bing Yun nodded, “Yes, this is the Northern Territory’s Ice Sea. Immaculate Island is one of the local forces, and their overall strength isn’t bad. Seeking Passion Sect also belongs to the Northern Territory, and it is one of the top-level Sects of this region.”
Bing Yun was the Ancestral Founder of the Northern Territory’s Ice Heart Valley. She had lived here for a long time, so it was normal for her to know the topography and forces of this place like the palm of her hand.
While speaking, she turned to look at Fan Xin and the others, “Do you want to go to the Master Sect?”
Fan Xin and her sisters nodded repeatedly. Although they were Bing Yun’s disciples, they had never been to Ice Heart Valley, so they naturally yearned for their Master Sect that their Honoured Master had founded. Since they happened to land in the Northern Territory, of course they wanted to take a look.
“Let’s go then. I, too, haven’t visited in a long time,” Bing Yun smiled faintly, “I wonder how those little girls are doing.”
These ‘little girls’ should be the first batch of disciples she accepted after founding Ice Heart Valley. Yang Kai guessed that many of them should be Emperor Realm Masters by now. Only Bing Yun had the qualifications to call them ‘little girls.’
“Senior, your injuries…” Yang Kai looked at her with some worry.
“I just need to recuperate, I’ll be fine as long as I avoid fighting,” Bing Yun replied.
Just now, although she severely injured Jiang Zhou Zi with a single move, she didn’t use much energy. The first reason was that Jiang Zhou Zi underestimated her, and the second was the difference in their cultivation. As a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Bing Yun didn’t need to spend much effort when dealing with someone in the First-Order like Jiang Zhou Zi. Even if she was injured, a casual point of her finger had been enough.
Since Fan Xin and the others wanted to go to Ice Heart Valley, Yang Kai could only follow. If Su Yan came to the Star Boundary in the future, it would be great for her to join Ice Heart Valley; after all, her Secret Art and Special Constitution could be traced back to Ice Heart Valley itself.
In addition, he planned to leave Liu Xian Yun there as well.
The relationship between them was similar to the one between a Senior Brother and his Junior Sister, and over the period of time they spent together, they shared hardships and helped one another. However, Yang Kai had many things he needed to do, and he couldn’t bring her along with him.
In any case, Ice Heart Valley was the best place for her. She was a woman, the only kind of disciple Ice Heart Valley accepted, and her cultivation had reached the First-Order Dao Source Realm. Although she came from a lower Star Field, her aptitude was extremely good. The reason her cultivation was not that high was that she couldn’t get enough cultivation resources, but if she could rely on a Sect, her future achievements would be excellent.
Cultivators that had come from lower Star Fields usually had good prospects. Although he hadn’t had an opportunity to ask her about this yet, Yang Kai was sure that Bing Yun would not reject his request.
As for Ling Yin Qin and her crew, Yang Kai had no idea what they planned to do.
Considering all this, he turned and asked Ling Yin Qin, “Big Sister Ling, have you decided what to do next?”
Ling Yin Qin thought for a moment before replying, “I’m thinking of going to the Eastern Territory!”
“The Eastern Territory?” Yang Kai frowned, unsure as to why she wanted to go there.
Bing Yun, who was nearby, said, “You are Yang Kai’s friend, and your cultivation isn’t half bad. You can join this Queen’s Ice Heart Valley if you’re interested.”
Overall, cultivators in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm were considered to be decent in strength, and with the right opportunities, such cultivators could even reach the Emperor Realm! Such cultivators were welcomed in all Sects. Still, Bing Yun said those words mainly for Yang Kai’s sake. As Ling Yin Qin was trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World until now, she definitely had nowhere to go for the time being.
Ling Yin Qin said with a smile, “Many thanks for your concern, Senior, but I will have to decline. Junior’s late husband comes from the Eastern Territory’s Heavenly Wolf Sect, so Junior wishes to bring his ashes there. That was his dying wish.”
While speaking of her late husband, Ling Yin Qin’s face became gloomy. She seemingly recalled their time together, and her eye sockets reddened a little.
Bing Yun praised her, “You are a woman of pure and strong feelings! The road to the Eastern Territory will be full of hardships, so you have to be careful. After you find a suitable place for your husband’s ashes, if you ever need to, you are free to come back and join my Ice Heart Valley.”
Ling Yin Qin said gratefully, “Many thanks, Senior, for your kindness!”
With Bing Yun’s assurance, Ling Yin Qin could return to the Northern Territory and join the Ice Heart Valley if she had nowhere to go in the future.
“Let’s return to land first,” Bing Yun looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded and summoned his ship. Then, they followed Bing Yun’s instructions and headed toward the closest shore.
Compared to the Solitary Void Sea, the Ice Sea was rather safe, so the trip proceeded smoothly and they did not encounter any danger. Bing Yun stayed in the cabin to treat her injuries while at the same time, Yang Kai told Liu Xian Yun about his plan of leaving her in Ice Heart Valley.
Liu Xian Yun didn’t hesitate and agreed with his suggestion.
She was aware that she couldn’t keep following Yang Kai as the difference in strength between them was too great, and she would just be a burden to him. It would be better if she joined Ice Heart Valley and cultivated there.
After settling things with Liu Xian Yun, Yang Kai went to look for Bing Yun to discuss this matter.
Bing Yun didn’t even hesitate to agree. In her capacity as Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder, she could accept disciples whenever she wanted without consulting with anyone else.
Five days later, they finally saw land.
Yang Kai called everyone on the deck and then glanced over at Bing Yun, forcing a smile, “Senior, perhaps it would be best if you disguise your appearance?”
A few days ago, Jiang Zhou Zi and his group were fatally attracted to her, so Yang Kai feared that Bing Yun’s beauty would cause them further trouble after they reached land.
Hearing his words, Fan Xin and her sisters pursed their lips. Although they also had good looks, they paled when compared to Bing Yun. No woman was as pure and flawless as Bing Yun. Every man that saw her would feel the need to protect her and have her all for himself.
“It is because of all those sanctimonious scoundrels that covet beautiful women that our kind has so much trouble!” Bing Yun coldly snorted, looking reluctant.
Yang Kai wiped the sweat off of his forehead, “Senior, why are you looking at me while saying these words? I’m innocent!”
“Hmph!” Bing Yun snorted. However, she didn’t refute his words. She was also aware that her beauty would cause them unnecessary trouble.
Yang Kai took something out of his Space Ring and offered it to Bing Yun, “Junior has this mask. If Senior likes it, she can use it.”
“This mask’s craftsmanship is pretty good, where did you obtain it?” Bing Yun praised as she looked at that exquisite mask.
“It should’ve been made by Sang De,” Yang Kai grinned.
When Sang De brought him out to sea back then, he wore this mask. If not for the fact that Yang Kai was already aware it was him, he wouldn’t have recognized Sang De at the time. Later, after Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si joined hands to strike Sang De down, this mask became part of Yang Kai’s spoils of war.
The hand that Bing Yun had stretched out retracted immediately as she said with a disgusted look on her face, “He made this thing? Did he wear it?”
“He did.” Yang Kai nodded.
Bing Yun glared at Yang Kai, “I don’t want it then.”
[What is this little brat thinking? He wanted to give me something that an old fogey had stuck to his face? Which woman wouldn’t be disgusted by this?!]
Bing Yun made some hand seals, and her face started wriggling.
After a little while, her appearance changed, and although she still looked pretty, it wasn’t as exaggerated as before.
“Senior seems to be skilled in such matters already!” Seeing Bing Yun so familiar with this kind of technique, Yang Kai guessed that she must have altered her appearance several times in the past.
Bing Yun replied, “How do you think I was able to wander by myself in the Star Boundary undisturbed all these years?”
Yang Kai’s group flew over the wilderness with his ship.
At this time, the only people on board were Yang Kai, Liu Xian Yun, and Ice Heart Valley’s disciples. Ling Yin Qin left as soon as the ship reached land, as she wanted to return her husband’s ashes to the Eastern Territory’s Heavenly Wolf Sect and bury them at his birthplace.
Jiao Yi and the others naturally followed Ling Yin Qin.
As for Yang Kai’s group, they were headed to Ice Heart Valley. Fan Xin and her Sisters had long yearned for this Master Sect of theirs, so now that they were in the Northern Territory, they absolutely wanted to take a look at it.
Ice Heart Valley was pretty far from the Ice Sea, so even with the high travel speed of Yang Kai’s ship, it would take from ten days to half a month to reach it. Luckily, Bing Yun was very familiar with the topography of the Northern Territory, so Yang Kai didn’t have to worry about getting lost.
A few days later, while sitting in meditation in the cabin, Yang Kai heard a commotion on the deck. Startled, he hurried to check what was going on.
Fan Xin and the others were standing on the deck, all looking in a certain direction.
“What happened?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Senior Brother Yang!” After seeing Yang Kai, Fan Xin pointed toward a certain place, “Someone’s fighting over there; moreover, it seems as if a group of people is ganging up on a single woman. How shameless!”
Yang Kai hurried to release his Divine Sense and sure enough, a dozen or so kilometres away from them, he spotted a group of people besieging a young woman. The woman’s cultivation wasn’t bad, Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and her Source Qi was quite vigorous. The artifacts she was using were also very high-grade, which allowed her to hold her ground even though she was outnumbered.
Among the people besieging her were two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, but for some reason, they seemed reluctant to use lethal force. They surrounded her and kept attacking with the hope of wearing her down. It seemed they wanted to capture her alive.
At first glance, Yang Kai knew that the young woman was an elite disciple from some major Sect. She wasn’t much weaker than people like Xia Sheng and Wu Chang, and in a life or death battle, they would likely be equally matched.
Each of the top Sects in the Southern Territory had rising stars such as Xia Sheng and Wu Chang, so the Northern Territory should not be any different; obviously, this girl was one such example.
Yang Kai guessed that the people besieging her knew her real identity, which was why they did not dare to use too much force and wanted to capture her alive.
Considering all this, he said calmly, “In the Star Boundary, things like this happen every day, there’s no point in intervening in this fight.”
Although it was disgraceful for a group of men to gang up on a lone woman, scenes like this were very common in the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai didn’t feel like meddling in other people’s affairs. Moreover, he felt that if the woman put her life on the line and used everything she had, she might be able to escape from these people. The reason she was under siege was that she wasn’t ready to make this sacrifice yet.
“But Senior Brother Yang…” Fan Xin looked at him anxiously, “That girl is using the Secret Techniques and Secret Arts of Ice Heart Valley. She might be one of our Senior Sisters!”
“A disciple of Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai frowned somewhat surprised as he asked, “Are you certain?”
Fan Xin urged him, “Of course! We’ve been cultivating the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques our Honoured Master taught us for so long, we wouldn’t make such a mistake. Now that one of our Senior Sisters is in trouble, we can’t just stand by and do nothing!”
Yang Kai took another look at the woman and discovered that she was using Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, while the energy released from her artifact was also bone-chilling. It became clear that Fan Xin was right, this unknown young woman was indeed a disciple of Ice Heart Valley!
However, Ice Heart Valley was also one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. It was very rare for their disciples to be attacked while roaming the Northern Territory. How did this girl end up in this situation? Who were the people attacking her?
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun also looked at Yang Kai, a pleading expression on her face. She was a disciple of Ice Heart Valley now, and seeing a Senior Sister from the same Sect attacked by so many people, she was unable to keep watching. But as her cultivation was too low, she could only pin her hopes on Yang Kai.
“En, if she is a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, we can’t just stand here and watch,” Yang Kai nodded, making a hand seal and changing the direction of the ship, steering it towards the battlefield.
With its speed, his ship was capable of covering a dozen or so kilometres within a few breaths of time.
The two opposing forces reacted differently when they noticed that someone was approaching.
The woman furrowed her brows, a little worried, while on the other hand, the cultivators besieging her seemed displeased; however, both sides ceased hostilities and turned their attention towards the ship.
As he came closer, Yang Kai discovered that this Ice Heart Valley’s disciple was a rare beauty. Her long hair danced in the wind like the clouds did in the sky, and her willow eyebrows looked as soft as smoke. Her two beautiful eyes darted around, and perhaps due to the fight just now, she was slightly short of breath. Her jade cheeks had become bright red, glistening with sweat, while her skin remained white and flawless, not any different from freshly fallen snow.
Her aura was similar to Bing Yun’s as both were very pure, and the sweat dripping from her pretty brow only added to her charm.
There was no doubt about the fact that she was a disciple of Ice Heart Valley.
Yang Kai could confirm this much just from her aura. Standing on the deck, he nodded at her.
The woman frowned even deeper seeing this. Although she could feel Yang Kai’s kindness towards her, she couldn’t understand why he was helping her. This group of people besieging her were not to be taken lightly, and an average person wouldn’t dare to cross them.
“This is a Seeking Passion Sect’s matter. Loiterers should withdraw immediately!” A middle-aged man in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm shouted at Yang Kai.
[Seeking Passion Sect?] Yang Kai was surprised.
A few days ago, when they first appeared in the Northern Territory, they bumped into a group of people from Immaculate Island who were looking for the Blue Infant Beast in order to give it to Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, supposedly as a congratulatory gift for his auspicious day. Yang Kai didn’t expect to bump into people from Seeking Passion Sect right after.
According to Bing Yun, Seeking Passion Sect was also one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. Back when she left, the two Sects were on par in terms of strength. That was why the Seeking Passion Sect’s disciples were so arrogant while roaming the Northern Territory, something that Yang Kai was able to confirm firsthand at this moment.
No one asked him who he was; the first thing they did was to order him around. From the looks of it, they didn’t put him in their eyes at all.
As they saw it, as long as they mentioned Seeking Passion Sect’s name, the other party should leave obediently.
At first, Yang Kai didn’t have much of an opinion regarding this Seeking Passion Sect, but after seeing how arrogant their disciples were, coupled with the fact that they were bullying this girl from Ice Heart Valley with their superior numbers, his opinion of them worsened.
“What’s so great about the Seeking Passion Sect?” Retorted Fan Xin, furious for what was happening to her Senior Sister, “You’re just a bunch of cowardly men bullying a woman. Do you have no shame?!”
“Cheap slut, you court death!” The middle-aged man flew into a rage and his murderous intent soared as he sent out a strand of pure Spiritual Energy towards Fan Xin, clearly intending to punish her severely for her insolence.
In the Northern Territory, not many dared to pick a fight with the Seeking Passion Sect. It was unknown where these people came from, but they unexpectedly wanted to meddle with their business. They were really courting death!
On the ship, only Yang Kai, who was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, could enter their eyes slightly; the others with uneven and low cultivations weren’t even worth mentioning. Given the situation, they took for granted that Yang Kai’s group didn’t have much of a backing. They should be the disciples of some average Sect.
When the Spiritual Energy burst was released, a burst of oppressive aura blew in their faces, causing Fan Xin to pale as she found herself short of breath. She felt as if a sharp sword was flying towards her and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move. She was so scared that her heart sank, and her limbs went cold.
Yang Kai gently pulled her back, placing her behind him while at the same time, he released his own Spiritual Energy to counter the incoming attack.
The collision of powers was soundless and Yang Kai didn’t move in the slightest, but the arrogant middle-aged man actually reeled back, with his face becoming slightly pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
It was a sign that his Soul was damaged. Furthermore, it proved that the difference between his Spiritual Energy and Yang Kai’s was massive.
“Deacon Dong!” The Seeking Passion Sect group turned pale. Startled, they hurried to assist the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man seemed to be injured to the point where he couldn’t even speak, only able to lightly wave his hand as he hurried to take a pill from his Space Ring and stuff it into his mouth.
“Boy, you dare to sneak attack Dong Shan!? You’ll pay with your life!” The other Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator flew into a rage. While shouting, he summoned a sabre that seemed to have a ghoulish head attached to its grip. He then jumped up and flew towards Yang Kai like a great eagle and slashed down.
He believed that Dong Shan was injured because he was caught off guard, so he prepared to rely on his strength, which was slightly higher than Dong Shan’s, to kill Yang Kai and avenge this humiliation.
The strength of his blow seemed capable of shattering the sky.
Even though they were standing behind Yang Kai, Fan Xin and Liu Xian Yun paled as an aura of death blew across their faces.
Yang Kai stood on the deck and didn’t try to dodge. Only when the sabre was about to hit him did he counterattack. Violently punching out, in the blink of an eye, the vast sky was filled with the fist shadows.
The Sabre Waves, which was approaching from all directions, shattered like a mirror, collapsing at the first blow.
“What?” The face of the Seeking Passion Sect cultivator changed drastically. Seeing the terrifying strength of Yang Kai’s attack, he shifted the position of his sabre hurriedly, using it to protect his body. At the same time, he pushed his Source Qi and put his strength into his feet to quickly retreat.
However, it was too late.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
After a muffled sound, the man tumbled through the air before slamming into the ground some distance away, coughing up copious amounts of blood after the impact.
“Deacon Cao Yang!” The remaining Seeking Passion Sect disciples were shocked and hurried to Cao Yang’s side to check his injuries.
Cao Yang had to muster all of his strength to get up, looking at Yang Kai in fear and disbelief. Now, he was well aware that Dong Shan didn’t get injured because he was caught off guard. Even if it was a head-on fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance against this young man.
When did someone so extraordinary appear in the Northern Territory? Which Sect did he hail from? Although they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, he couldn’t take a single attack from the other party. If this type of person cultivated to the Emperor Realm, what kind of strength would he have?
The names and faces of the rising stars from each of the top Sects flashed across Cao Yang’s mind; however, none of them resembled Yang Kai.
“Where is this friend from? If you leave your name behind, my Seeking Passion Sect will surely repay the kindness you have shown us today!” Knowing that he didn’t stand a chance against Yang Kai, Cao Yang brought up the name of his Sect, hoping that it’d deter him; after all, if Yang Kai decided to kill them there and then, there was nothing they could do but to accept their fate.
Fan Xin coldly snorted, “Weren’t you bullying a lone woman with your numbers just now? Your Seeking Passion Sect is really something!”
Her mocking words embarrassed the people from Seeking Passion Sect, but as their strength was lower than the other party’s, with their two strongest fighters already heavily injured, they didn’t dare to make a fuss. Despite their faces burning with shame, they had to bury their anger deep in their hearts.
“There is no harm in telling you. We’re…” Before Fan Xin could finish, Yang Kai waved his hand and stopped her.
He stood still on the deck, and since the beginning, he had yet to move his feet.
He looked at the people below and said calmly, “We’re just travellers who were passing by.”
“Passing by, huh?” Cao Yang clenched his bloodied teeth, aware that Yang Kai didn’t want to reveal his background. Since he was weaker than him, he couldn’t force him and could only glare at him as if to burn his image in his mind. He then cupped his fists and said calmly, “Friend, your way of doing things is exceptional. This Cao’s horizons have been broadened. Since this friend has taken a stand, we will retreat and leave this matter to you.”
After some polite words, he waved his hand and took his leave with the other Seeking Passion Sect disciples.
Fan Xin gritted her teeth, her expression indignant, but seeing that Yang Kai didn’t have any intention to kill, she spoke no more.
Once those guys were gone, Yang Kai explained calmly, “Seeking Passion Sect is one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. Given your identities, it’s ill-advised to start an all-out confrontation with them.”
If they killed these people, a war might break out between Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect. If two Sects of this calibre started a war, the flames of said war would engulf the entire Northern Territory.
The only thing Yang Kai didn’t understand was why those Seeking Passion Sect’s disciples were harassing this disciple of Ice Heart Valley.
“Senior Brother, many thanks for lending your assistance. May I know your name? Zi Yu will definitely repay this favour in the future!” The girl below cupped her fists as she expressed her gratitude to Yang Kai.
Without his help, she would have had to spend a lot of effort in order to escape. By relying on her Forbidden Technique, she could indeed get away from Cao Yang and the others, but at the same time, she wouldn’t be able to muster any strength for the next three months, making it impossible for her to escape the Northern Territory.
“Senior Sister, we’re all one family, you don’t need to be so polite,” Fan Xin smiled, gazing at Zi Yu with a gentle expression.
“All one family?” Zi Yu frowned, unsure as to what Fan Xin meant.
Fan Xin put on a happy face and pointed at the other girls on the ship, “Everyone here is from Ice Heart Valley. Looking at your Secret Techniques and Secret Arts, you should also be a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, right? Therefore, we’re all one family!”
It had only been a few days since they’d arrived in the Northern Territory, and they’d already met a strong Senior Sister from the same Sect. Fan Xin was delighted and didn’t plan on concealing anything, so she directly told Zi Yu who they were.
What surprised her was that Zi Yu’s expression changed drastically in the next moment and she raised her guard while quietly retreating a few steps, biting her lip as she asked, “Are you here to capture me?”
Fan Xin was dumbfounded, “Senior Sister, what are you talking about?”
Zi Yu said, “Since we are members of the same Sect, I won’t attack you. Go back and tell Honoured Master that Zi Yu was unfilial and caused her much trouble, but one day, after I have cultivated to a sufficient level, I will return and fulfil my filial duties!”
Then, her tender body flashed, turning into a streak of light that shot towards a distant place, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai and the rest looked at one another in puzzlement.
“This Senior Sister… What did she mean just now?” Fan Xin furrowed her brow. They went out of their way to help her, but instead of thanking them, she became vigilant after discovering that they were from Ice Heart Valley then spoke some strange words, leaving them confused.
“It seems something foreboding has happened to Ice Heart Valley,” Yang Kai said gravely.
Fan Xin looked at Yang Kai in surprise, “Senior Brother Yang, how can you tell?”
Yang Kai replied, “Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect are both top Sects in the Northern Territory, so it is unlikely that they would fight openly. Yet, a group of people from Seeking Passion Sect was besieging that Zi Yu girl just now. Coupled with what she said before leaving…”
Fan Xin’s expression fluctuated as she seemed to have a better understanding of the situation now.
Zi Yu was besieged by people from the Seeking Passion Sect, and she became vigilant after hearing that they were from Ice Heart Valley… There was no doubt that something big had happened to Ice Heart Valley.
“Senior Brother Yang, we should hurry to the Master Sect!” Fan Xin urged. She didn’t know what was going on, but she wanted to hurry to Ice Heart Valley and take a look. Due to Bing Yun, Fan Xin really cared about this Master Sect she’d never visited and hoped that nothing bad would happen to it.
Yang Kai nodded, glancing towards the cabin.
He was sure that Bing Yun had overheard everything, but he couldn’t understand why she had completely ignored this matter.
Shaking his head, he steered the ship towards Ice Heart Valley and accelerated.
With Fan Xin urging him, Yang Kai could only increase the ship’s speed, and five days later, a large city appeared before them.
“That’s Ice Moon City. It’s a one hour trip from here to Ice Heart Valley. Let’s enter the city for now.” Bing Yun’s voice echoed in Yang Kai’s ears. Hearing her words, he nodded and controlled the ship, descending outside the city gate.
After a short while, Yang Kai and the group of women passed through the gate, entering Ice Moon City.
As they entered the city, Yang Kai frowned and asked in a low voice, “Senior, why are there so many Emperor Realm Masters in this city?”
He sensed the auras of seven or eight Emperors, which wasn’t normal at all.
Bing Yun, who had concealed her cultivation and was hiding among them, shook her head and said, “I’m not sure. In the past, Ice Moon City was the hub that connected Ice Heart Valley to the external world. Usually, it should be impossible for so many Emperors to be here. Perhaps something big is going on; however, we shouldn’t worry about this matter for now. I need a few more days to recover completely.”
When she made a move against Jiang Zhou Zi a few days ago, she had aggravated her injuries. If not for that, she would have completely recovered by now.
The next few days were critical for recovery, so she hoped that nothing unexpected would happen.
“In that case, let’s look for a place to stay first. After Senior recovers, we’ll head to Ice Heart Valley,” Yang Kai suggested.
Bing Yun agreed.
The group looked for an inn and settled in.
Although she was concerned about her Master Sect and wanted to go there as soon as possible, Fan Xin didn’t dare to do anything rash. As her Honoured Master was in the midst of recovering from her wounds, Fan Xin could only hole up in the inn with her sisters and wait.
Yang Kai didn’t go out, either. He was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator at the moment and needed only a slight push to enter the Emperor Realm. Thus, he cultivated even harder, hoping to glimpse the secrets of the Emperor Realm as soon as possible.
Three days later, Yang Kai, who was cultivating in his room, suddenly opened his eyes, a puzzled expression on his face as he stood up and exited the room.
After a short while, he arrived in front of another room. Before he could knock, Bing Yun’s voice echoed from inside, “Come in!”
Yang Kai opened the door and went in. After turning a corner, he saw Bing Yun sitting in meditation and asked, “Senior, have you recovered?”
Bing Yun shook her head, “I’ll need another two or three days.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “In that case, why did Senior summon me here?”
He came here because he heard Bing Yun’s call, so he thought that she had already recovered, but that did not seem to be the case.
Bing Yun frowned, not replying to his question and instead motioning to him, “Sit down. I’ll explain slowly.”
Yang Kai obediently sat down in front of her.
After hesitating for a short moment, Bing Yun began to speak, “Back when I arrived in the Star Boundary from Heng Luo Star Field, I was merely a Third-Order Origin King. As you also know, such a cultivation can allow you to move about unchallenged in the Star Field, but here in the Star Boundary, it’s nothing special.”
Yang Kai nodded, expressing his understanding.
People like Chi Yue and Ai Ou were true overlords in Heng Luo Star Field who could make the Star Field shake thrice just by stomping their feet, but after coming to the Star boundary, they were having a hard time just finding cultivation resources. Even the number one Master at the time, Wu Dao, eventually fell.
Bing Yun continued, “I encountered grave danger once and almost lost my life not long after arriving here; however, a great senior saved my life. That Senior did not hesitate to damage his foundation to rescue me back from the gates of death. Afterwards, under his care, I slowly recovered and learned many important things. I, Bing Yun, have always been an independent cultivator, never relying on anyone on my Martial Dao, but if there is someone I can consider my Master, it would be that person. It is a pity that the senior expert taught me for only half a year before leaving to wander the world.”
Yang Kai praised, “That senior expert was truly a magnanimous person. Helping others without asking anything in return!”
Bing Yun showed a faint smile, “Indeed. He didn’t save me because he had something to gain from it, and given my pitiful strength at the time, I was no different from an ant to him, yet that Senior was willing to go so far for an insect like me. Thanks to that half a year of guidance he provided, my path in the Star Boundary became much easier.”
Although he didn’t know why Bing Yun suddenly began talking about her past, Yang Kai was sure that there was a reason, so he didn’t interrupt her and kept listening.
“After I’d cultivated to a satisfactory height, I founded Ice Heart Valley in the Northern Territory and took in a batch of disciples. Ice Heart Valley slowly grew in strength, eventually becoming what it is today; however, I never forgot the life-saving kindness of that person. Three thousand years ago, I left Ice Heart Valley, pledging to find that Senior even if I had to roam the entire Star Boundary. To repay that Senior, I had to, at the very least, show my gratitude.” Bing Yun faintly smiled, “We cultivators are people who should repay every bit of favour we receive, let alone the kindness of saving one’s life!”
“Unfortunately, before I could make any significant progress, I was careless and fell into the Solitary Void Sealed World where I remained trapped for three thousand years, until I met you.”
After discovering that she was trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World for so long, Yang Kai was shocked. Bing Yun had been unable to increase her cultivation while in that place, which meant that she was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master long before falling into the Solitary Void Sealed World. If not for her bad luck, during these three thousand years, she might have been able to comprehend the secrets of the Great Emperor Realm!
“Finding that Senior is a lifelong goal of mine. No matter where, I’ll keep looking for that Senior! I still need to express my gratitude!” Bing Yun said resolutely.
Yang Kai said, “Then, Ice Heart Valley…”
Bing Yun smiled faintly, “Even if I am the founder of Ice Heart Valley, I can’t protect the Sect forever. If the disciples are competent and can allow it to prosper, it couldn’t be any better, but if they lack the necessary skills, the Sect will inevitably grow weaker. In this world, no Sect or family can stand forever. Just like people, they rise and fall in a perpetual cycle.”
Yang Kai nodded, “What Senior says makes sense.”
Bing Yun continued, “Back when I left Ice Heart Valley, I didn’t feel completely relieved, so I left behind something, an artifact created through a Secret Technique of mine, and told my Disciples that if the Sect ever fell into mortal danger and they had no other recourse, they could use that artifact to contact me, and I would rush back as soon as possible.”
Speaking until here, Bing Yun quietly took out a jade token from her Space Ring. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she said, “Just now, I felt an energy fluctuation from that very artifact!”
Yang Kai gazed at the jade token and noticed that a pale light was flashing from it, reminiscent of a firefly.
His expression changed, “Is Ice Heart Valley in danger?”
Bing Yun shook her head, “I’m not sure; however, so many Emperor Realm Masters suddenly appearing in Ice Moon City is far from normal. It likely has something to do with the Sect’s troubles.”
“Senior, how can I help?” Yang Kai asked. Bing Yun had said all those things and even taken out this jade token, so she definitely wanted him to do something.
“I still need two or three more days to fully recuperate, so I am unable to leave this place for the time being. I want you to go to Ice Heart Valley and find out what has happened.”
Yang Kai immediately nodded, “Okay, since Senior has made this request, I will do my best to fulfil it; however, Ice Heart Valley is one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, so it is not going to be easy to break in. If Junior is slightly careless and touches one of the protective barriers, I’m afraid that with my strength…”
If Yang Kai accidentally bumped into the Sect Defending Array, he would be treated as an enemy by the entire Sect. Even without Bing Yun, Ice Heart Valley had a considerable number of Emperor Realm Masters. As he would be heavily outnumbered at that time, it wasn’t certain that Yang Kai would be able to escape.
“You don’t have to worry about that, as long as you have my token with you, none of the barriers will hinder you,” Bing Yun took out another token. This token was pure white and flawless, just as if it was carved from the most beautiful jade in the world. On its face was engraved the character ‘Yun’.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and accepted the token.
Bing Yun gave him the flashing jade token as well, “With this other token, you’ll be able to sense the location of the artifact I left behind. Back when I left, I placed the artifact in Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area, and it should still be there.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded with a serious expression before he stuffed the two tokens into his Space Ring.
“Take this as well,” Bing Yun suddenly took out a bead, her expression heavy.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “An Emperor Authority Bead!”
He was very familiar with this pill-like item. Back in the Four Seasons Realm, he obtained the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Emperor Authority Bead, which he later used in the Thousand Leaves Sect’s small Sealed World. When it was unleashed, Flowing Time Force filled the whole area, obliterating the Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet. During that time, Yang Kai had taken advantage of the Flowing Time Force to break through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
Emperor Authority Beads contained a single full-powered strike of an Emperor Realm Master. However, not every Emperor Realm cultivator could refine such a treasure. One needed to be at least a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master to create one, and it required a huge amount of time and energy to do so.
Such items were given to promising Juniors of the younger generation to use as life-saving tools. Each Emperor Realm Master couldn’t create too many Emperor Authority Beads, with three being the limit during one’s lifetime. If they exceeded that number, they would inevitably damage their foundation.
Yang Kai didn’t expect that Bing Yun would be so generous, going as far as to give him an Emperor Authority Bead to protect himself.
“This is the Emperor Authority Bead I refined after reaching the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Inside is sealed a Secret Technique of mine. Use it with caution!”
Yang Kai happily received the bead and stored it away carefully. He then stood up and bowed, “Junior will set out immediately.”
“Remember to be careful. If you’re spotted, immediately take out my token. If you do that, those little girls won’t dare to attack you,” Bing Yun urged.
Yang Kai grinned, “With Senior’s assurance, I have nothing to fear.”
He turned around then and left.
In accordance with Bing Yun’s rules, Ice Heart Valley had no male disciples. The situation was the same as Ice Heart Valley on Scarlet Wave Star. When Yang Kai visited that place in the past, he found no male disciples. There were only women, each beautiful in their own right. Every man that stepped in Ice Heart Valley was bound to be dazzled.
Usually, this type of task should not have fallen on his shoulders, but among the disciples Bin Yun currently had with her, the strongest one was Fan Xin, and she was only a Second-Order Dao Source cultivator. Moreover, the difference in strength between her and Yang Kai was immense. For this reason, Bing Yun could only ask Yang Kai for help.
Yang Kai was also clear about this; moreover, other than those tokens, Bing Yun had also given him an Emperor Authority Bead, so it was clear how much importance she attached to this matter. With these various shields protecting him, he shouldn’t have too many problems while investigating Ice Heart Valley’s situation.
Ice Heart Valley wasn’t far from Ice Moon City, and it was possible to reach it after flying for around one hour. Ice Moon City was the hub that the Sect used to keep in touch with the external world and exchange commodities. If it was too far away, it would lose its function.
Yang Kai didn’t disturb any of the others and quietly left Ice Moon City, heading towards Ice Heart Valley.
When the sky started to become dark, he arrived at the Sect’s border.
Ice Heart Valley was located in a huge mountain valley surrounded by tall hills, which made it easy to defend but hard to attack. The surroundings were beautiful, and the World Energy here was rich. From the looks of it, Bing Yun chose this place very carefully. There was certainly a very good Earth Vein running below this land, otherwise, the World Energy here wouldn’t be so rich.
The only entrance to Ice Heart Valley was a thousand meters tall valley mouth; however, the corridor was guarded by female disciples, and it was impossible to get past them undetected.
Yang Kai couldn’t use the main entrance to get inside as he was on a secret mission to find the disciple who had contacted Bing Yun and inquire about Ice Heart Valley’s situation.
He checked the outer area of the Sect for some time before heading in a certain direction.
After a short while, he stopped, released his Divine Sense, and scanned the place in front of him.
There was an invisible barrier that blocked his way. It was a Spirit Array protecting Ice Heart Valley. If someone touched it, the whole Sect would be alerted. At that time, even Yang Kai would have a hard time escaping.
Yang Kai didn’t act rashly, choosing to hide nearby and calmly wait for an hour. After making sure that this place was deserted and no disciples were patrolling it, he took out Bing Yun’s token and pointed it at the barrier.
A ray of light shot out from the token, quietly opening a hole in the barrier.
Yang Kai didn’t waste time and dashed forward to get inside. Thanks to his mastery of Space Principles, he was like a ghost hiding in the shadows. At the same time, he activated his Nihility Secret Technique, concealing his aura to the limit.
Yang Kai was able to infiltrate easily. It seemed that Bing Yun’s token could really render every Spirit Array in Ice Heart Valley useless, a fact that made him feel relieved.
He then took out the jade token and began using it to trace the location of the communication artifact, quietly heading in that direction.
The farther he advanced, the more auras he sensed. They were obviously disciples of Ice Heart Valley. As it was one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, it was bound to have a lot of disciples; however, no one Yang Kai encountered was too powerful, the strongest of them being in the Dao Source Realm. With his current strength and his aura-concealing Secret Technique, they couldn’t detect him.
Around an hour later, Yang Kai was moving past a certain building and was about to head into the depths of the Sect when he suddenly stopped, his expression becoming strange.
The reason was that he heard a man talking.
The voice came from the building beside him; moreover, it wasn’t only one person, but rather two men who seemed to be discussing something.
[What are these men doing in Ice Heart Valley?] Yang Kai was stunned. Ice Heart Valley was an all-female Sect, and men weren’t allowed to enter it, much less join.
[Is it possible that some of the disciples couldn’t bear the loneliness and decided to secretly sneak their lovers inside?] The thought scared Yang Kai. If that was true, Ice Heart Valley’s reputation would be ruined!
But after giving it more thought, he concluded that it should be unlikely. Ice Heart Valley was a big Sect with tens of thousands of disciples, so it was impossible to secretly bring men here without anyone noticing. Moreover, marriage wasn’t forbidden in Ice Heart Valley. If any disciple found a man they liked, they could get married; it was just that after getting married, they would no longer be considered part of the Sect.
Bing Yun’s rules weren’t too strict when it came to love as she knew that everyone had desires and emotions, and it was pretty normal that the Sect’s disciples would eventually meet a man they liked while wandering outside. The rules were pretty progressive in this sense.
But bumping into men here was surprising nonetheless. Since they could stay here, their background must be far from ordinary.
Yang Kai became curious and wanted to hear what they were talking about, but as he lightly probed the auras of these two, Yang Kai became alert and no longer dared to act rashly.
One of these men turned out to be a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master!
Yang Kai had fought Firs-Order Emperors in the past, and even killed a few of them, but he had yet to fight someone in the Second-Order, so he was unsure as to how strong they were.
Moreover, he had come here with a mission, and he couldn’t afford to get sidetracked.
Yang Kai hesitated only for a short moment before fleeing towards a distant place.
“Who goes there!?” Suddenly, someone shouted from the building and a human figure quickly dashed out.
Yang Kai was surprised. It seemed he’d underestimated the perception of this Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. He couldn’t even get past the building without getting noticed.
Not hesitating, Yang Kai teleported away, disappearing from where he was standing.
In the next moment, a male figure appeared where Yang Kai had been hiding until a moment ago. The figure’s expression was gloomy as he released his Divine Sense, checking all around. However, he didn’t sense anyone’s presence.
A young man immediately caught up to him, stopping beside the middle-aged man and asking with a frown, “Martial Uncle Yao, what happened?”
The middle-aged man replied, “There was someone here just a moment ago!”
The young man was surprised, “Who?”
The man shook his head, “I’m not sure; however, that person left very quickly… I can even sense fluctuations of Space Principles here.”
“Space Principles?” The young man was shocked and blurted out, “Martial Uncle, are you saying that there’s someone in Ice Heart Valley that is proficient in the Dao of Space?”
The middle-aged man contemplated for a while before slowly shaking his head, “As far as I know, there is no one in Ice Heart Valley who is proficient in the Dao of Space. The reason behind these remnant Space Principles could be due to some kind of Space Array that had been set up here ahead of time.”
Hearing his words, the young man relaxed and smiled, “For a moment, I was worried that there might be some genius in Ice Heart Valley who was able to cultivate the Dao of Space, but it turns out that it was just some kind of temporary Space Array. I wonder who was so bored to create and use such a thing.”
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, “Xi’er, you should know that there are many people in Ice Heart Valley who are against this marriage, right? For example, that current Valley Master. Perhaps this was her doing.”
The young man faintly smiled, “Even if it was her, what can she do? The wedding is in just two days. At that time, I’ll bring Zi Yu back to our Sect and she will no longer have any relations with Ice Heart Valley.”
The middle-aged man nodded, “Zi Yu is the best among Ice Heart Valley’s younger generation. Actually, even in the whole Northern Territory, there is hardly anyone who can compare to her. Regardless of whether we’re talking about cultivation or aptitude, she is not inferior to you. You two are a good match.”
Hearing Zi Yu’s name, an obsessed expression appeared on the young man’s face and he said gently, “That is natural. Otherwise, how could Xi’er take a fancy to her?”
The middle-aged man frowned and looked at him, “Our Seeking Passion Sect’s Seeking Passion Supreme Art pursues the Dao of Passion in our cultivation. The higher the passion, the quicker the cultivation speed; however, Xi’er, you have to remember that if the other party does not return your affections, you’ll receive a huge backlash the day your Secret Art reaches the grand accomplishment stage. Are you sure you can capture that Zi Yu’s heart and make her your own? Back in the day, your father almost died because of this. Luckily, at the critical moment, your mother was moved by him. Martial Uncle hopes that nothing of the sort will happen to you; after all, the future of our Seeking Passion Sect rests on your shoulders.”
The young man said confidently, “Martial Uncle, don’t worry, as long as Zi Yu returns to the Sect with us, I’m sure I can conquer her body and mind. Xi’er has learned well from Father how to tame a woman.”
“It’s good that you’re this confident. In any case, let’s rest now, there are still two days left until the wedding. At that time, even the Sect Master will come here. You must be prepared!”
Hearing his words, the young man was astonished, “Lord Father will come here personally? Isn’t that giving too much face to Ice Heart Valley?”
The middle-aged man smiled, “Although Ice Heart Valley is somewhat unworthy of its status nowadays, it is still known as one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. When their Ancestral Founder was still here, they were on par with our Seeking Passion Sect, so it’s fine to give them some face. Moreover, this is your wedding we’re talking about, how can the Sect Master, your father, not come personally?”
“That’s great,” the young man said happily.
……
Yang Kai was shuttling back and forth through Ice Heart Valley’s barriers and Spirit Arrays. With Bing Yun’s token in hand, he didn’t have to worry about carelessly touching something and getting trapped.
He kept moving deeper and deeper into the Sect while avoiding all sorts of dangers. After one hour, he arrived at an extremely cold place.
In fact, cold pervaded the whole of Ice Heart Valley, and since its disciples cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, they could obtain twice the result with half the effort while cultivating here.
However, this area was far colder than the rest and even Yang Kai had to circulate his Source Qi to resist the chill here.
Unlike the situation outside, Yang Kai could no longer sense anyone’s aura after entering this place.
This should be Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area!
Each Sect had Restricted Areas, most of which contained the memorial tablets of the Sect’s Ancestors or special Cultivation Paradises. Usually, only a small number of people were allowed to set foot in such places.
As for Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area, it was used as a cultivation area for the most outstanding disciples, as well as a confinement area.
If a disciple committed a mistake, they could be locked up here. Even Ice Heart Valley’s disciples couldn’t bear the cold here for too long.
Ahead was a corridor covered in a layer of ice. Yang Kai held up Bing Yun’s token and broke through the barriers here, heading deeper and deeper into the Restricted Area where the Ice Principles became stronger with each step he took.
Yang Kai was amazed, aware that this place was of the utmost importance to Ice Heart Valley. If the disciples cultivated here, their cultivation speed would be astonishing. Of course, they’d first have to bear the pressure of the Ice Principles, otherwise, they would simply freeze to death.
On both sides of the ice corridor were pure-white, mirror-like walls. On these walls were engraved a lot of lifelike figures. When Yang Kai gazed at them, he felt as if they were coming to life in front of him. Each figure was exquisite and graceful, seemingly demonstrating some powerful Secret Technique.
He couldn’t help but stare at them as he became somewhat entranced.
However, what he cultivated wasn’t an Ice Attribute Secret Art, so even if there was this opportunity in front of him, there was nothing he could do.
He couldn’t infer any profound mysteries from these moving pictures, only feeling that they were rather peculiar.
Sighing faintly, Yang Kai was aware that this opportunity had no fate with him so he no longer hesitated and dashed toward the corridor’s end.
After a little while, he reached the end, and what appeared in front of him was an open space, as well as an ice lake that released a mind-numbing cold. The ground there was frozen solid, with the Ice Principles all around ready to freeze one’s very Soul.
Yang Kai shuddered as he pushed his Source Qi harder to ward off the cold.
Due to the frigid temperatures here, the whole area was filled with white mist, making it impossible to see too far ahead of oneself.
Yang Kai took a look around and saw a small island in the middle of the ice lake where a blurry figure sat cross-legged.
[Is that the Ice Heart Valley disciple who summoned Bing Yun?] This thought flashed in his mind as he quietly released his Divine Sense to investigate. The other party’s cultivation was the same as his, Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
What made Yang Kai feel strange though was that this person’s aura was familiar, as if he had met her somewhere before.
While Yang Kai was lost in thought, a buzzing sound was transmitted from the island.
His mind shook as he felt as if something on the small island was summoning him.
The discovery left Yang Kai thoroughly puzzled as he wondered what exactly could be calling him.
“Honoured Master?” A pleasing voice suddenly sounded from the small island and called out to Yang Kai, “Honoured Master, is that you? Have you come to see Yu’er?”
From the looks of it, she’d mistaken Yang Kai for someone else!
After hearing her voice, Yang Kai became clear as to why he found her aura familiar earlier; after all, he had met this young woman only a few days ago. Although they only had a brief contact, Yang Kai still remembered her aura and voice.
He coughed lightly and tried to sound as gentle as possible so as to avoid scaring the other party, “Sister Zi Yu?”
On the small island, the girl seemed frightened as she shouted, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
This was Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area! Without the permission of the Sect’s higher-ups, even someone like her couldn’t come here, so how could she not be surprised when a man suddenly appeared in this place?
After seemingly thinking of something, Zi Yu coldly snorted, “Are you from Seeking Passion Sect? Is that you, Feng Xi?”
Her words were full of hostility. It was unknown how this Feng Xi had offended her.
Yang Kai stood in place and said, “Sister Zi Yu, you misunderstand. I’m not Feng Xi, and I’m not from Seeking Passion Sect. I’m here because of Sister Zi Yu’s distress signal.”
“Distress signal?” Zi Yu was dumbfounded. She then said in a delicate voice, “How do you know about it? The one I summoned was my Sect’s Ancestral Founder!”
On the small island, Zi Yu was dumbstruck.
After getting locked up here, she followed her Honoured Master’s instructions and used the artifact left behind by the Sect’s Ancestral Founder to contact her. She wanted to summon their Ancestral Founder, who had been missing for three thousand years, to uphold justice for her.
According to what her Honoured Master told her, if there was someone in this world who could save her from the abyss of desperation, it was their Ancestral Founder.
However, their Ancestral Founder had been missing ever since she left the Sect three thousand years ago, and there had been no news of her since then. In these three thousand years, Ice Heart Valley had encountered many disasters, and during one of the disasters, her Honoured Master had used the method left behind by the Ancestral Founder to connect with the artifact and send a distress signal; however, no one replied back then.
Many of the Sect’s higher-ups thought that the Ancestral Founder had died somewhere in the Star Boundary. That was the only explanation as to why she never came back.
Even her Honoured Master was no longer sure if their Ancestral Founder still lived or not; however, this was their only hope.
When Zi Yu used the artifact to send a distress signal, she did so out of desperation and had no real expectations of success.
Never would she have expected that someone would receive the signal and come here. What surprised her even more was that the person who came here was a man!
Wasn’t it the Ancestral Founder who left this artifact here? And, wasn’t she a woman? So, why was the person here a man? Zi Yu couldn’t make sense of the situation.
While she was trying to guess Yang Kai’s identity, the latter spoke, “Sister Zi Yu, can I come closer before speaking? Otherwise, I’m afraid we might alert the people outside.”
Zi Yu tried to calm down and said indifferently, “If you can bear the cold, sure.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly and jumped over towards the lake’s centre.
In the next moment, he was standing on the small island, and a familiar face was reflected in his eyes.
[It really is her!]
Yang Kai was puzzled. He met this girl named Zi Yu a few days ago, when she was being besieged by people from Seeking Passion Sect, but after he helped her, not only was she not grateful, she even became vigilant and directly fled.
And now, for some reason, she was locked up in the Sect’s Restricted Area.
“It’s you!” Zi Yu called out in surprise after seeing Yang Kai. Noticing that her voice was too loud, she hurriedly covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes lightly quivering as she asked, “How can this be?”
She naturally remembered Yang Kai as they had met a few days ago, when he gave her a big helping hand, but what she couldn’t understand was how he reached Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area without getting noticed by anyone.
“Sister Zi Yu, you can rest assured, I don’t have any malicious intentions towards you,” seeing her vigilant expression, Yang Kai hurried to take a step back, “I’m here because someone asked me to come.”
“Someone asked you to come here? Who?” Zi Yu asked skeptically.
Yang Kai smiled, “Take a look at this.”
He then stretched out his hand and threw Bing Yun’s token to Zi Yu.
Still puzzled, Zi Yu caught the token before glancing up at Yang Kai then down to begin examining the token.
After a short moment, her tender body trembled and her eyes opened wide as she said with an expression of disbelief, “This is… Ancestral Founder’s aura!”
Although she didn’t recognize this token, she could tell that the wisp of aura on it wasn’t fake, and this wisp of aura happened to be the same as the one on the emergency contact artifact the Ancestral Founder had left behind!
She raised her head and looked at Yang Kai in astonishment, saying with both a happy and anxious tone, “Are you saying that the one who sent you here is…”
“Shh!” Yang Kai put his finger over his lips, hinting that she should not speak further.
However, Zi Yu was too happy and clutched the token tightly while almost choking on her sobs, “I knew it. I knew it. Ancestral Founder is alive and well. My Honoured Master can finally rest easy.”
She changed the subject abruptly, starting to talk about her Honoured Master.
At the same time, she took out a Communication Bead and released her Divine Sense, pouring it into the bead to relay some information.
Yang Kai frowned, “What are you doing?”
Zi Yu said, “My Honoured Master has always been worrying about the Ancestral Founder’s safety, if she learns that she’s safe, she’ll certainly be delighted.”
Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat, “It’s better not to tell your Honoured Master about this matter for now.”
“Why?”
Yang Kai said, “Senior Bing Yun can’t come over right now. She’ll come here in a few days, and your Honoured Master will get to meet her at that time.”
Hearing his words, Zi Yu paused, pondering for a moment before nodding, “Forgive me, I was too excited. Right, I still haven’t asked Senior Brother’s name.”
Yang Kai said, “You can just call me Yang Kai.”
“So, it is Senior Brother Yang!” Zi Yu relaxed, putting on a happy face and smiling brightly. This smile of hers almost made the World lose colour and Yang Kai was slightly dazed when he saw it, but he quickly returned to his senses.
Zi Yu noticed his change in expression, praising him inwardly. Very few men could resist her charm, and most of them only had lust in their eyes while looking at her.
Her beauty did daze Yang Kai, but only for a moment. He was obviously a man with great self-control.
“Zi Yu has been rude and failed to thank Senior Brother Yang appropriately for saving her life. I hope Senior Brother Yang does not take offence,” Zi Yu said, somewhat embarrassed. After knowing that it was their Ancestral Founder who had sent Yang Kai here, she found him very likeable and didn’t have any problem calling him ‘Senior Brother’. It felt as if they were really part of the same Sect despite Ice Heart Valley not having any male disciples. Zi Yu never had a Senior or Junior Brother, but Yang Kai gave her the feeling of being trustworthy.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Sister Zi Yu had her reasons.” Yang Kai smiled.
Zi Yu slightly nodded, then forced a smile, “As Senior Brother Yang can see, I’ve been in some trouble lately.”
“Sister Zi Yu, did something happen to Ice Heart Valley as of late? If you don’t mind, can you tell me about it?” Yang Kai asked. He had come here with two missions. One was to find the disciple who had contacted Bing Yun, and the other was to discover what was going on with Ice Heart Valley.
“Senior Brother Yang, you can directly call me Junior Sister,” Zi Yu said gently. The last time, she saw Yang Kai easily defeating Cao Yang, something that was beyond her capabilities, therefore, even if they had the same cultivation, she felt inferior to him.
“But yes, something has happened. Moreover, this matter is related to me,” Zi Yu continued, a guilty expression appearing on her face. After taking a short moment to arrange her thoughts, she raised her head and said, “Senior Brother Yang, you know of the Seeking Passion Sect, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded. Although he didn’t know much about the scepticallysion Sect, he knew some key information. It was a Sect with considerable influence in the Northern Territory, and they had many strong Masters. To make a comparison, they stood on the same level as the Southern Territory’s Azure Sun Temple.
“Seeking Passion Sect’s core Secret Art is the Seeking Passion Supreme Art,” Zi Yu continued, “This Secret Art is very strange, and it is a big reason as to why Seeking Passion Sect was able to maintain its lofty status in the Northern Territory for so many years. I’ve heard that the creator of this Secret Art was a Great Emperor. That Great Emperor was called ‘Seeking Passion’, and those that cultivate this Secret Art use ‘passion’ as their Dao. The greater the passion, the higher the cultivation speed.”
Yang Kai was astonished, “Does that mean that everyone from the Seeking Passion Sect is a Casanova?”
Zi Yu sneered, “Senior Brother Yang, you’re giving them too much credit by calling them Casanovas.”
Yang Kai frowned, “But didn’t you say that they use ‘passion’ as a path to cultivation? If they aren’t highly skilled in the art of seduction, how can they even cultivate this Seeking Passion Supreme Art?”
Zi Yu nodded, “They indeed take passion as their Dao, and they also need to experience unforgettable love while cultivating; however, once Seeking Passion Sect’s elite disciples can use their ‘Seeking Passion Supreme Art’ at will and start looking for a partner, women have a hard time resisting their charm due to this Secret Art. Even casual exposure over enough time is to make these women fall into the abyss of passion.”
“This Secret Art is so abnormal?” Yang Kai was surprised. These men were using passion as their Dao to cultivate was one thing, but the fact that they could also use their Secret Art to influence the mentality of their partner was beyond his expectations. This was the ultimate technique to pick up women as it seemed that no woman could withstand the charm of those that cultivated the Seeking Passion Supreme Art!
“The Seeking Passion Supreme Art doesn’t only require the user to feel passionate, but their partner as well. If the woman isn’t moved at all, the user will receive a significant backlash, and the greater the difference in passion, the stronger the backlash,” Zi Yu explained with a disgusted expression on her face, “If that Seeking Passion Sect disciple can win over the woman’s heart, then they can live on as lovers and perhaps even have a happy life, but the problem is that very few women can keep pace with someone that has learned this Secret Art. After a few years, the disparity in strength between the two will become so big that the woman will no longer provide benefits to a Seeking Passion Sect disciple in any way. As such, that disciple would have no look for another woman to fall in love with. It’s like a never-ending cycle where the disparity between the two keeps growing bigger and bigger.”
Yang Kai gulped and said with envy, “Does that mean that every Seeking Passion Sect disciple has a dozen or so wives, and these wives love them so much that they can’t bear to leave them?”
Zi Yu looked at Yang Kai and sharply accused, “Senior Brother Yang, why does it look like you’re envious?”
Yang Kai wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and hurriedly waved his hand, “How could that possibly be!? I was just surprised at how heartless and disgusting this Secret Art is. I absolutely loathe this kind of Secret Art that mocks human decency!”
It was unknown if Zi Yu believed him or not, but she didn’t dwell on the matter further, “All of Seeking Passion Sect’s elite disciples cultivate the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, and they don’t just stop at a dozen wives. Some of them have managed to capture the hearts of hundreds of young women while cultivating. What’s worse is that all those women are dead set on them. I’m starting to wonder if they’re crazy or something!”
Zi Yu clenched her teeth, clearly disappointed by those women.
“Love is the hardest thing to forget in this world,” blurted out Yang Kai, looking as if he’d experienced something similar.
Zi Yu smiled, “Senior Brother Yang, are you recalling someone?”
Yang Kai said embarrassedly, “Junior Sister Yu, please continue.”
Zi Yu became happy when she heard him call her ‘Junior Sister Yu’. She continued, “Generally speaking, every woman that attracts the attention of a disciple from Seeking Passion Sect is doomed. After being influenced by that Seeking Passion Supreme Art, the woman will no longer have any interest in cultivating, the only thing on her mind would be that disciple, as if he was her entire world. This is also the reason the difference between the two of them keeps increasing.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Compared to the man, who seems pretty much unaffected, the woman falls in the abyss of love, unable to extricate herself.” After a short pause, he looked at Zi Yu and asked, “Junior Sister Yu, since you’re telling me this, does that mean that someone from Seeking Passion Sect took a fancy to you?”
Hearing his words, Zi Yu’s expression darkened and she sighed, “Senior Brother Yang’s guess is correct. The one eyeing me is Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, Feng Xi!”
“Feng Xi?” Yang Kai frowned. He remembered that Zi Yu had mentioned this name when he first came here. She asked him if he was Feng Xi, which he denied. Now, it turned out that this Feng Xi was Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master.
“My Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect are both top Sects in the Northern Territory, and the disciples of the two Sects occasionally have the opportunity to meet face to face. Feng Xi and I had heard of the other despite having never met in person, but a few years back, I accidentally met him while I was outside. Since that day, he hasn’t stopped pestering me. I was fed up with him and rejected him several times, but it was of no use.”
Yang Kai sneered, “That guy sure is shameless!”
Zi Yu continued, “Actually, Feng Xi and I are an appropriate match from a social point of view, and you could even say that I’m the one in the lower position. Although Ice Heart Valley is still considered one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, everyone knows that it has somewhat fallen from grace. Its strength is no longer comparable to Seeking Passion Sect’s. Feng Xi failed to get his hands on me personally, so he shamelessly asked the Seeking Passion Sect to put pressure on Ice Heart Valley, promising great benefits if they accepted. Under this pressure, some of the Sect’s leaders agreed to the marriage. Now, I am to get married to Feng Xi in two days.”
“Ice Heart Valley’s Elders agreed?” Yang Kai’s face darkened.
Zi Yu said in low spirits, “This cannot be blamed on them as we are in a weaker position compared to the enemy. In the past half a year, our Sect’s industries were targeted one after another, and my Junior and Senior Sisters were attacked whenever they got out. Some even died. To protect the Sect, they could only agree.”
Seeing her helpless expression, Yang Kai sympathized with her. After a short moment, he asked, “What about your Honoured Master? What is her position in Ice Heart Valley? Did she also agree?”
Zi Yu forced a smile, “My Honoured Master has managed Ice Heart Valley ever since our Ancestral Founder left. She’s the current Valley Master and has always treated me as if I were her own child, so she naturally did not agree to this marriage. The reason I could escape last time was also thanks to her assistance; however, her hands are tied right now, and she can’t help me.”
“Since you managed to escape, how did they capture you again?” Hearing that the current Valley Master didn’t agree to the marriage, even going as far as to help Zi Yu flee the Sect, Yang Kai felt that Ice Heart Valley’s higher-ups weren’t completely hopeless.
Zi Yu said dejectedly, “Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master, Yao Zhuo, came personally. He’s a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, and I had no way to resist him.”
“Yao Zhuo!” Yang Kai engraved this name in his mind, guessing that after separating from them a few days ago, Zi Yu must’ve bumped into Yao Zhuo, who captured her and brought her back to Ice Heart Valley, getting locked up in the Restricted Area.
“Right, both he and Feng Xi are staying as guests in Ice Heart Valley. Senior Brother Yang, they didn’t see you when you came here, right?” Zi Yu asked anxiously.
Yang Kai finally understood, “I see, so those two were Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi!”
On his way here, he bumped into two men, with one of them being in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Back then, he was curious as to why those two were in Ice Heart Valley, but it turned out that they were Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master.
It seemed that Zi Yu’s previous escape made them vigilant; after all, the wedding was in two days, and if the bride was nowhere to be found by that time, it would be too much of an embarrassment. To prevent Zi Yu from escaping again, Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi had personally come to Ice Heart Valley, standing guard here.
After becoming clear about the situation, Yang Kai said, “On my way here, I did sense their presence; however, they didn’t see me. Junior Sister Yu, no need to worry.”
Zi Yu was, once again, surprised.
Yang Kai had the same cultivation as her, but he managed to sense Yao Zhou’s presence without getting caught by the latter. How did he achieve this? However, after recalling the scene where he defeated Cao Yang with a single move, Zi Yu realized that Yang Kai wasn’t a simple Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Now that even my Honoured Master is powerless, only Ancestral Founder can save me!” Zi Yu looked at Yang Kai anxiously and begged, “Senior Brother Yang, you have to inform Ancestral Founder as soon as possible and ask her to save me from this crisis!”
If Yao Zhuo managed to bring her back to Seeking Passion Sect, she was doomed to become Feng Xi’s plaything. Very few women could resist the effects of the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, and Feng Xi was someone who had captured the hearts of countless women while cultivating. Zi Yu didn’t want to become one of the numerous concubines in his harem.
She had a bright future ahead of her, so how could she be willing to become a man’s cultivation tool and never advance further on her Martial Dao?
“Don’t worry. Senior Bing Yun won’t just sit back and watch. I came here because she requested me to check Ice Heart Valley’s situation. She’s in Ice Moon City at this moment.” Yang Kai smiled.
Hearing these words, Zi Yu was overjoyed as she muttered, “That’s great… That’s truly great!”
If the Ancestral Founder was in Ice Moon City, she could definitely save Zi Yu from this predicament.
At the same time, Zi Yu recalled another thing. When she met Yang Kai a few days ago, she also met some girls who claimed to be disciples of Ice Heart Valley. Back then, she thought that they were working for the Master Sect’s higher-ups, so she hurriedly fled.
But in hindsight, she’d never seen any of those girls. Moreover, their cultivations were quite uneven; they obviously didn’t belong to the batch of disciples that grew up with her.
[Is it possible that they are disciples that Ancestral Founder took in? That would explain why they said they were from Ice Heart Valley. Since they were on that ship, does that mean that Ancestral Founder was also there at that time?]
Considering all this, Zi Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was actually so close to the Ancestral Founder but missed the opportunity to meet her. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Yao Zhuo captured her and brought her here. She truly became a victim of her own cleverness!
If she had stayed with the Ancestral Founder, she wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble!
“Senior Brother Yang, you should quickly return to Ice Moon City. If you stay here for too long, someone might see you,” urged Zi Yu after returning to her senses.
“Aren’t you coming with me?” Yang Kai asked.
Zi Yu forced a smile, “This is the Sect’s Restricted Area, and there are countless barriers and Spirit Arrays outside, how am I supposed to leave this place?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “How do you think I got here?”
Zi Yu was dumbfounded for a moment before she looked at the token in her hand, “Are you saying that…”
Yang Kai nodded, “Senior Bing Yun gave me this token, it can bypass all the barriers in the valley. Since I’m already here, it’d make no sense to go back empty-handed. We should head back to Ice Moon City together so that you can explain things to Senior Bing Yun personally.”
“Senior Brother Yang, can you really bring me back with you?” Zi Yu was delighted.
“Of course,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “However, you’ll need to wait a moment.”
“Why?” Zi Yu asked in puzzlement before Yang Kai brushed past her and headed toward the island’s centre.
There was something akin to an altar there, and on this altar was an ice-blue bead exuding cold air.
The bead was longan-sized and seemed to be the source of the cold here. The more Yang Kai approached it, the more he could feel the terrifying power inside this bead.
Zi Yu followed and explained, “That is a treasure the Ancestral Founder left behind. We don’t know its name, nor where Ancestral Founder obtained it; however, Ancestral Founder managed to draw out some of its power, creating this ice lake Restricted Area. When disciples cultivate here, they can clearly feel the power of the Ice Principles. According to my Honoured Master, this bead’s background must be extraordinary, but not even Ancestral Founder is completely clear of its true purpose.”
While explaining, she watched Yang Kai closely, unsure as to why he was so interested in this bead.
She saw him tremble all over from excitement, just as if he’d seen something incredible.
“Senior Brother Yang, you shouldn’t approach further or you won’t be able to bear it,” urged Zi Yu. However, she soon realized that she’d said something stupid. If he couldn’t bear the cold, he wouldn’t have approached in the first place.
She was amazed because even someone like her, who cultivated profound Ice Attribute Secret Arts, couldn’t get too close to the bead. Yet, Yang Kai was able to do so.
[Is Senior Brother Yang the personal disciple of Ancestral Founder? If not, how was he able to get so close to her? Even so, why would the Ancestral Founder accept a male disciple?]
While she was lost in thought, Yang Kai had already arrived at the altar. He couldn’t proceed further as if his whole body was freezing. Even pushing his Source Qi wildly was useless against this bone-chilling cold.
Frost had started to form on his head and face, yet he wasn’t scared, his eyes shining brightly as he stared forward.
With a flick of his wrist, Yang Kai suddenly summoned a red bead into his palm.
Zi Yu was dazed as she looked at the scene, because aside from the colour, the bead Yang Kai took out was identical to the one on the altar.
Moreover, when Yang Kai took out the red bead, the ice bead on the altar trembled along with the one in Yang Kai’s hand, clearly signifying a resonance between the two beads.
“The Bead of Winter!” Yang Kai called out, his excitement palpable, “This really is the Bead of Winter!”
“Bead of Winter? What’s that?” Zi Yu looked at Yang Kai in surprise. From the way he spoke, it seemed he knew what this bead was and what its purpose was. Moreover, it should have a deep relationship with the red bead in his hand, otherwise it should be impossible for them to resonate like this.
“I’ll explain to you later!” Yang Kai gulped. The huge surprise left him shaken, and he wasn’t in the mood to explain things to Zi Yu.
He had never thought he would find the Bead of Winter in Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area!
Back in the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai obtained three beads; the Bead of Spring, the Bead of Summer, and the Bead of Autumn. Each bead contained the power of a different Principle Strength. Yang Kai guessed that there should also be a Bead of Winter that embodied the Principle of Winter. Only after the Principles of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter were brought together would the Principle of Four Seasons, and subsequently Flowing Time, be revealed. Unfortunately, Yang Kai didn’t find the Bead of Winter back then, nor did he know where it was and could only put the matter aside for the time being.
He kept the three beads, and for the longest time, they didn’t have any use.
But today, he managed to find the missing one, the Bead of Winter! This was truly an unexpected surprise. He came here only because Bing Yun asked him to check which disciple had tried to contact her, and he didn’t expect to find the last bead here.
The happiness he felt was hard to describe.
With the Bead of Winter before his eyes, Yang Kai technically had all four beads and could begin to comprehend Flowing Time Force! He was curious to see what kind of benefits it would bring him.
[Still, why is the Bead of Winter in Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area?] Yang Kai thought about it for a while and concluded that Bing Yun might have also gone to the Four Seasons Realm when she was in the Dao Source Realm and obtained the Bead of Winter from there. Then, she brought the bead to the Northern Territory, founded Ice Heart Valley, and left it here. Afterwards, the energy inside the Bead of Winter transformed into cold energy, forming this ice lake and Restricted Area.
If that was the case, wouldn’t he destroy this entire Restricted Area if he were to take the Bead of Winter away?
Considering all this, Yang Kai began to hesitate.
He felt that if he told Bing Yun the whole situation, she would give him the Bead of Winter; after all, if the Bead of Winter stayed here, it would only allow Ice Heart Valley’s disciples to come to this Restricted Area and gain some slight benefits, but if it were in his hands, he could perhaps obtain Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Inheritance!
That was the essence of a Great Emperor’s lifelong pursuit of the Martial Dao, something much more valuable than this Restricted Area.
When Yang Kai was pondering whether or not he should take the Bead of Winter away, the bead suddenly released a pure-white beam of light that shot toward the sky.
“Oh no!” Zi Yu paled and shouted, “Senior Brother Yang Kai, quickly put your bead away!”
Yang Kai also realized that the situation wasn’t good. Bing Yun had refined this bead, which allowed it to release some of its power, making it completely different from the beads in his possession, which were basically inert. The reason it suddenly released that beam of light should be because of the sudden appearance of the Bead of Summer.
The beam’s sudden appearance was going to alert the whole of Ice Heart Valley, and as it came from the Sect’s Restricted Area, many Masters would soon gather to investigate.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate. Before Zi Yu’s voice could fade, he stuffed the Bead of Summer in his Space Ring then stretched out his hand toward the Bead of Winter.
Since things had come to this, it was better to take the bead first and put the other matters off until later. In the worst case, he could explain things to Bing Yun once they got back to Ice Moon City and ask her formally for the Bead of Winter.
The omnipresent cold turned his hand purple, with frost starting to appear on his skin. Yang Kai immediately lost all feeling in his hand and hurried to stimulate his Source Qi to ward off the cold.
After grabbing the Bead of Winter with much difficulty, Yang Kai quickly put it in his Space Ring. Only then did he start to feel a little better.
In the next moment, he grabbed the dumbfounded Zi Yu and shouted, “Let’s go!”
Zi Yu said, still in a daze, “Senior Brother Yang, why did you steal our Ice Heart Valley’s artifact?”
She still hadn’t returned to her senses after witnessing what had happened. If not for the fact that Yang Kai took out Bing Yun’s token earlier and explained why he had come here, she’d have likely attacked him.
He dared to steal a core artifact from Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area right in front of an elite disciple like her. That was daylight robbery!
“Senior Bing Yun asked me to retrieve this bead. She has some use for it!” Backed into a corner, Yang Kai spouted some random nonsense.
“Oh…” Zi Yu didn’t doubt him and no longer dwelled on the matter.
Yang Kai grabbed Zi Yu with one hand and held Bing Yun’s token with the other, quickly disabling the Restricted Area’s barriers to escape outside.
At this time, Ice Heart Valley was in an uproar. Countless disciples who were either resting or meditating were alarmed by what happened in the Restricted Area and left their rooms, either standing in place absentmindedly or rushing towards the Restricted Area to check the situation.
The quickly approaching wave of weak and strong auras frightened Yang Kai.
Ice Heart Valley was worthy of being considered one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory; even without Bing Yun, it had countless Masters. There were over a dozen First and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters in this Sect, a force that wasn’t too inferior to the Southern Territory’s Azure Sun Temple. The only difference was that they did not have a master on par with Wen Zi Shan. From this, it was obvious that Ice Heart Valley’s background was really deep.
However, even a Sect of this level couldn’t bear the Seeking Passion Sect’s pressure and was forced to betroth their best disciple to Feng Xi. It was clear that the Seeking Passion Sect’s overall strength was superior to Ice Heart Valley.
The fact that the valley was in an uproar worked in Yang Kai’s favour as he carried Zi Yu away. He carefully avoided all the Emperor Realm Masters and wasn’t discovered by a single person along the way.
Zi Yu was more anxious than ever. When she escaped the last time with her Honoured Master’s help, the experience wasn’t this stimulating. Back then, she only wanted to disappear from the Northern Territory and not let anyone from the Seeking Passion Sect find her, but this time, she was running away with a man. It almost felt as if she was eloping with this Senior Brother called Yang Kai.
If someone saw them now, she wouldn’t be able to explain the situation no matter how hard she tried. Just the thought of that sent her heart racing.
“Who goes there?!” Someone suddenly shouted from nearby, and in the next instant, a light flashed and peerless Sword Intent fell from the sky, covering Yang Kai and Zi Yu.
Zi Yu’s face changed as she realized that it must’ve been the fluctuation in her mood that caused her aura to leak and expose their whereabouts, a truly great shame.
But then, she suddenly felt a gentle power push her outside the incoming Sword Wave’s range. Next, Yang Kai drew his own sword and parried the descending slash.
The sound of metal colliding echoed, followed by a light shout of surprise. The newcomer gracefully retreated, seemingly not intending to go for the kill.
Yang Kai took advantage of this opportunity to gasp for breath. His face became slightly pale, and his body shook as he forcefully purged the ice-cold Sword Intent covering his body.
He rejoiced that the one who had come first was a First-Order Emperor. Otherwise, he might’ve been unable to resist. He had fought a few First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, accumulating a lot of precious experience, allowing him to put up a decent resistance without immediately falling into a disadvantage.
“Yu’er!” The woman who had appeared frowned and shouted, “What are you doing here?”
Yang Kai relaxed after hearing this. From the way this woman spoke, she seemed to be one of Zi Yu’s Seniors. Moreover, she must be someone close to Zi Yu, otherwise she wouldn’t call Zi Yu so affectionately. Since she liked Zi Yu, she shouldn’t make things difficult for her.
Only now did Yang Kai have an opportunity to take a good look at the other party. This woman had a youthful continence and a petite figure, like a young girl’s. She wielded cherry dual swords and possessed a kind of spring-like beauty. Her tightly wrapped robes emphasized her rather luxurious figure, resulting in a scene pleasing both to the eye and mind.
But as she was someone who had cultivated to the Emperor Realm, her outward appearance couldn’t be used to deduce her age. This ‘young girl’ was obviously a few thousand years old.
“Seventh Martial Aunt!” Zi Yu shouted as she looked at the young woman, begging for her mercy with her expression.
“You actually managed to leave the Restricted Area. Is he the one who saved you?” The young woman that Zi Yu called ‘Seventh Martial Aunt’ pondered for a moment as she looked at Yang Kai, sizing him up with her pretty eyes, as if she wanted to see through all his secrets.
Her eyes were pure and flawless, clear as water, and when they met with Yang Kai’s, he felt as if all the darkness in his heart melted away. This left him shocked, realizing that this woman was cultivating some kind of profound technique that could affect one’s Soul.
“Yes, he is Senior Brother Yang!” Zi Yu hurried to nod, “Senior Brother Yang, this is my Seventh Martial Aunt, Zhang Sun Ying. She has always treated me well.”
She added that last part to prevent Yang Kai and her Seventh Martial Aunt from falling out.
“So, it is Senior Zhang Sun. Junior Yang Kai greets Senior!” Yang Kai hurried to cup his fists.
Zhang Sun Yin snorted, “No wonder you didn’t agree to the marriage, it seems your heart already belongs to someone else.”
Zhang Sun Ying’s thinking was very simple. Unless Yang Kai and Zi Yu had an incredibly intimate relationship, why would the former risk his life and sneak into Ice Heart Valley? If a man was willing to risk his life for a woman, it could only be for love. Only love would make someone act so foolhardy.
Zi Yu’s face reddened as she waved her hands frantically, “Seventh Martial Aunt, this is a misunderstanding. Senior Brother Yang is here on Ancestral Founder’s orders.”
Zhang Sun Ying’s body trembled hearing these words; however, she quickly calmed down and sighed, “Don’t deceive me. Honoured Master has been gone for more than three thousand years… Just go… I’ll act as if I didn’t see you.”
Although Zi Yu wanted to explain the situation to Zhang Sun Ying, she knew it wasn’t the right time. She could only wait until they met later, saying gratefully, “Many thanks, Seventh Martial Aunt.”
She then ran to Yang Kai’s side and grabbed his hand, urging, “Let’s hurry and leave!”
“It’s too late for that!” Yang Kai forced a smile and looked at Zhang Sun Ying helplessly.
Zhang Sun Ying also sensed something and frowned, her face darkening.
When she intercepted Yang Kai and Zi Yu earlier, she did so out of instinct. She was an Elder of Ice Heart Valley, and she couldn’t act as if nothing had happened when she noticed someone moving around sneakily.
This event, coupled with their brief skirmish, alerted a lot of people. Yang Kai and Zi Yu lost their only opportunity to escape as a result.
Zhang Sun Ying felt regretful. Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have stopped them.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
After a series of light steps, several Emperor Realm Masters surrounded Yang Kai and Zi Yu. There were eight of them in total, and a few others were on their way, with their auras rapidly approaching.
There was no Third-Order Emperor Realm Master among these people, but there were two in the Second-Order while the remaining ones were all First-Order.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai was surrounded by several beautiful women. The sight was dazzling.
Beauties were literally raining from the sky, with all sorts of appealing appearances and attributes, making him feel as if he was in the country of women.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t the slightest bit happy, his expression turning grave.
It was his first time being surrounded by so many Emperor Realm Masters, and even if he could use Space Principles, he wasn’t sure if he could escape unscathed.
“Zi Yu, you sure are bold, secretly meeting with a man, running away from the Restricted Area, and even stealing the Sect’s artifact!” When Yang Kai was lost in thought, wondering how he should escape, one of the two Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters suddenly shouted.
This woman was gorgeously dressed up, wearing a light blue skirt. Her face was ice-cold, and she gave off a hostile feeling that made those around her uncomfortable. It was unknown what kind of Secret Technique she cultivated, but when she stood there, her whole body was shrouded in Sword Intent, making her seem incredibly sharp and dangerous.
Zi Yu panicked and waved her hands at the beautiful woman, trying to explain, “Great Elder, that’s not it, this is a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” The beautiful woman snorted, “Do you think that this Queen is blind? You were the only one in the Restricted Area, and the artifact is now gone. Are you really going to argue that it wasn’t your doing?”
Zi Yu turned to look at Yang Kai, but she couldn’t just say that it was him who stole it, so she kept silent.
“Good, so you admit that you were the one who stole it…” The beautiful woman sneered and turned to the other Second-Order Emperor Realm, “Zi Yu broke the Sect’s rules and didn’t repent while in confinement. As if that wasn’t enough, she stole the artifact in the Restricted Area. I ask Senior Sister to choose her punishment!”
Hearing her words, the other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master sighed. She looked at Zi Yu with a complicated expression, her eyes filled with guilt but also affection. After a long time, she said, “Yu’er, that ice bead is something the Ancestral Founder left behind. Why did you take it?”
She also believed that Zi Yu was the one who took the artifact away; after all, she was the only person in the Restricted Area, and the artifact was, now, nowhere to be seen.
Zi Yu said, “Honoured Master, I didn’t steal the artifact!”
She just told them that she didn’t take the artifact, without snitching on Yang Kai. She didn’t want to involve him in this matter.
“In that case, where did the artifact go?” Her Honoured Master asked gently. She seemed to have a far gentler temperament than the other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, who was hostile and aggressive, her voice as smooth and soft as a whisper.
Yang Kai asked in a low voice, “Junior Sister Yu, who are they?”
Zi Yu hurriedly explained, “One is my Honoured Master, An Ruo Yun. The other is Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, Sun Yun Xiu, as well as my Second Martial Aunt. My Honoured Master is first in seniority among her Sisters.”
Yang Kai immediately understood. The woman who was as gentle as water was Zi Yu’s Honoured Master; Ice Heart Valley’s current Valley Master, An Ruo Yun. The other woman, who was as sharp as a sword and very aggressive, was Sun Yun Xiu. The two of them, plus that Zhang Sun Ying he met earlier, were all Junior and Senior Sisters.
[Bing Yun really took in some amazing disciples! All of them grew up to become Emperor Realm Masters. Though, I can’t say if it was thanks to the good environment here or if it was because she was a good teacher.]
However, it wasn’t the time to dwell on this matter. Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Junior Yang Kai greets several Seniors.”
“Who do you think you are? You actually dared to break into my Ice Heart Valley at night and kidnap one of our disciples!” Sun Yun Xiu reprimanded, a cold expression on her face.
Yang Kai frowned, “Elder Sun, this is a misunderstanding. I’m not here to kidnap Junior Sister Yu. I was entrusted to take her away from this place.” Sun Yun Xiu was way too aggressive, which worsened his opinion of her, and judging from her attitude, she didn’t seem to like Zi Yu too much. She was likely one of the people that had folded under Seeking Passion Sect’s pressure.
“This little brat even dares to talk back!?” Sun Yun Xiu snapped angrily.
At this time, two other figures fell from the sky, one of them focusing on Zi Yu and exclaiming, “Little Sister Yu, what are you doing?!”
He looked greatly disappointed when he looked over at Zi Yu, but when he turned to Yang Kai, his face was full of hatred and murderous intent.
Both newcomers were men, with one of them being a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and possessing a calm and dignified expression. The other was an outstanding young man in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, who looked brave and heroic.
Their identities were already clear as only two men were staying as guests in Ice Heart Valley. They were the Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master.
They came here because they were alerted by the sudden movements around them, but when they arrived, Feng Xi saw that Zi Yu was holding Yang Kai’s hand, and she was doing so on her own initiative!
The discovery caused his face to darken, and he felt as if someone had just placed a green hat on his head. He was deeply humiliated, which enraged him so much that he could explode at any time. None of the women he had taken a fancy to dared to treat him like this. All of them belonged to him, body and soul, and followed his every order like faithful servants.
Although Zi Yu always used harsh words when speaking to him, Feng Xi didn’t pay it any mind, but now, this cheap slut was being so intimate with this unknown man! Was she purposely trying to anger him? If word of this were to get out, would he still have any standing left in the Northern Territory? At that time, he was afraid that every person would subconsciously stare at him in pity when meeting him.
When she saw Feng Xi looking at her hand, Zi Yu realized the inappropriateness of the situation.
As she was trying to flee with Yang Kai from this place earlier, she didn’t hesitate to grab his hand, but before they could move, all her Martial Aunts surrounded them, preventing them from leaving. Under the pressure, Zi Yu forgot to let go of Yang Kai’s hand.
After finally returning to her senses, she felt how big and warm Yang Kai’s hand was and she blushed subconsciously, wanting to let go.
But then, she suddenly thought of something and her jade white hand, which was about to let go of Yang Kai’s hand, tightly grasped it once more. This time, she used even more strength, until their fingers were clasped.
Yang Kai looked at her in surprise, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.
Zi Yu blushed slightly, and her tender body slightly leaned against Yang Kai’s arm. She then looked at Feng Xi provocatively, “Young Master Xi, please mind your words, I have never allowed you to call me Little Sister Yu. Moreover, I’m free to do whatever I want. None of what I do is your business!”
Hearing her words, Feng Xi’s face turned ugly. He was livid and he angrily looked at Yang Kai, clenching his teeth as he shouted, “You! You court death! How dare you try to steal my woman?!”
Yang Kai sneered when he saw this, obviously understanding why Zi Yu was acting so intimate with him. She wanted to let Feng Xi see how close they were. Yang Kai found her method amusing so he played along. Zi Yu was unable to control her future, and this was the only method she could use to save herself, hoping that Feng Xi would give up on her. However, Feng Xi was so enraged that he was now planning to commit murder.
“Who is your woman?! Shameless!” Zi Yu didn’t want to leave Feng Xi any face, and seeing him threatening Yang Kai, she openly scolded him.
Feng Xi was so angry that his face turned pale. It was inappropriate to shout curses at Zi Yu, so he could only vent his anger on Yang Kai, glaring at him as he accused, “Boy, are you so weak that you need a woman to act on your behalf?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Young Master Xi, arrangements do not work unless all concerned parties agree; do you really need to go this far? Junior Sister Yu and I are deeply in love and have already pledged our lives to one another, so who is stealing whose woman? This Young Master doesn’t want to lower himself to your level, so why do you keep crying ‘thief!’ when you’re the thief?”
Everyone was stunned.
All the Emperor Realm Masters from Ice Heart Valley looked at Yang Kai and Zi Yu with their jaws dropped, finding this revelation inconceivable.
Zi Yu was also stunned. She hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would say something like this in front of everyone. What ‘deeply in love and pledging their lives to one another’? He was simply tarnishing her reputation beyond repair! Her face became deep red, just as if it was on fire while at this time, she really looked like someone who had done unspeakable things with Yang Kai.
Seeing Zi Yu’s red face, the numerous Emperor Realm cultivators from Ice Heart Valley looked at her strangely.
Her Seventh Martial Aunt, Zhang Sun Ying, gazed at Yang Kai and praised him in her heart. It was her first time meeting Yang Kai, so she didn’t have much of an opinion of him, but after hearing his bold words, she felt that Zi Yu had chosen the right man.
If it wasn’t true love, how could he act so courageously in front of so many Emperor Realm Masters?
On the other hand, Feng Xi’s face was so cold that frost could appear on it at any time. He felt extremely uncomfortable. Never would he have expected that the woman he’d taken a fancy to, and used all of his Sect’s resources to pressure into submission, had already become someone else’s plaything!
He felt as if he’d just eaten a dead fly. He was deeply disgusted, and he looked at Zi Yu with eyes filled with hostility.
“Don’t be fooled, Zi Yu’s Primordial Yin is still there. She’s still pure!” Yao Zhuo gently whispered in Feng Xi’s ear.
Hearing his words, a strange light flashed in Feng Xi’s eyes as he swept Zi Yu from head to toe, confirming that Yao Zhuo was telling the truth. Her Primordial Yin was still there, so she had to be a virgin; however, he was unable to get over these negative emotions as Zi Yu was still holding Yang Kai’s hand!
The scene unfolding before his eyes was enough to humiliate any man, let alone Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master!
The woman that he had taken a fancy to was being so intimate with another man. This was no longer Feng Xi’s personal problem. If word of this were to get out, his Sect’s reputation would take a huge hit.
“Boy, who are you? You unexpectedly dare to mess with my Seeking Passion Sect! Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Yao Zhuo coldly glared at Yang Kai, his murderous intent seeping out. He knew that today’s matter had to be processed well, otherwise not only would it damage the Sect’s face, it would leave Feng Xi with a heart demon. The best method to solve this situation was to let Feng Xi kill Yang Kai personally. Still, they were in Ice Heart Valley, and it was inappropriate to take action before getting a better understanding of the situation.
The group of Emperor Realm Masters from Ice Heart Valley looked at Yang Kai with curiosity, wondering about his identity. This man had suddenly appeared in Ice Heart Valley and was now so intimate with Zi Yu. Even Zi Yu’s Honoured Master, An Ruo Yun, wasn’t clear about the situation.
She’d never heard Zi Yu mention this man.
“I came here to take Junior Sister Yu away. What does this have to do with being enemies with your Seeking Passion Sect? Senior, aren’t your words too biased? You’re supposed to be impartial!” Yang Kai snorted and continued, “Moreover, this is Ice Heart Valley. How is this matter related to your Seeking Passion Sect?”
“How dare you call her Junior Sister Yu!” Feng Xi was furious.
Yang Kai’s eyes stopped for a moment before he said coldly, “It’s none of your business what I call her. Why are you barking so loudly?”
The flames of anger in Feng Xi’s belly were about to burn his whole body. He looked at Yao Zhuo and boldly declared, “Martial Uncle, I want him dead!”
In his whole life, he’d never felt so humiliated. The woman he liked was grasping another man’s hand on her own initiative, and that man was so arrogant. If he didn’t kill him, how could he get rid of the hatred in his heart?
Yang Kai sneered, “You want to kill me? There were many like you in the past, but they’re all dead now!”
“This brat is certainly arrogant enough!” Yao Zhuo’s face darkened, fire almost spewing out from his eyes as he sent out his Emperor Pressure to suppress Yang Kai.
The Emperor Realm Masters from Ice Heart Valley were also surprised. Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but he dared to be so bold in front of them. It was unknown if he cultivated until becoming crazy, or if he was someone who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
Yang Kai stood in place and groaned lightly, seemingly short of breath due to Yao Zhuo’s aura. He inhaled through his nose and began speaking politely, “Forgive me. I’m young and ignorant, and not too skilled in the art of conversation.”
Hearing his words, all the women frowned. It seemed that Yang Kai wasn’t that fearless in the end. When they saw him being so arrogant before, they thought that he was someone with an unyielding spirit, but after Yao Zhuo threatened him, he immediately piped down. He didn’t sound like someone you could trust. If he hadn’t changed his stance, they might have looked at him with respect, but seeing him compromise so quickly, they all assumed he was the type that bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Some among them sighed faintly, feeling sorry for Zi Yu.
Perhaps she was blinded by love and failed to see his true colours, because compared to Feng Xi, this young man was nothing. At the very least, Feng Xi was Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, and his status was something ordinary people couldn’t hope to match. Even if Zi Yu could no longer advance on the path of cultivation after marrying him, she wouldn’t suffer any hardships. Who knew, perhaps she’d even find happiness in the future.
But if she got together with someone like Yang Kai, her future looked bleak…
Yang Kai calmly looked at Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi before smiling strangely and continuing, “My words aren’t always pleasant to the ear. If I have offended you just now… You dogs are free to come here and bite me!”
The whole audience was stunned.
Everyone from Ice Heart Valley opened their eyes wide, staring at Yang Kai in disbelief. They couldn’t believe their ears. In the meantime, Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi’s faces went black as they were absolutely furious.
Yao Zhuo turned to Sun Yun Xiu, “Great Elder, is it a problem if Xi’er kills him?”
He didn’t ask Valley Master An Ruo Yun, but asked Sun Yun Xiu directly, as he knew of An Ruo Yun’s weak personality, and knew it was useless to seek her approval.
The reason he wanted Feng Xi to take action personally was for the latter’s sake. Seeing Yang Kai and Zi Yu like this, a heart demon had already started to form in Feng Xi. Only by killing Yang Kai with his hands could he get rid of this heart demon and prevent it from affecting his cultivation in the future. As the name suggested, Seeking Passion Sect’s Seeking Passion Supreme Art revolved around passion. While cultivating, one had to bring out their real feelings to move their partner’s heart.
Hearing Yao Zhuo’s words, Sun Yun Xiu’s face darkened and she coldly snorted, “We are in Ice Heart Valley right now, and we will decide who lives and who dies. There is no need for the Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master of Seeking Passion Sect to take action!”
Her cold words surprised Yang Kai.
He thought that Sun Yun Xiu was someone who leaned toward Seeking Passion Sect, and had agreed to marry Zi Yu off for benefits. Generally speaking, this type of person would try to please the Seeking Passion Sect at every turn; however, Sun Yun Xiu didn’t give Yao Zhuo any face and rejected him immediately. So, what was going on?
But even if Sun Yun Xiu didn’t give Yao Zhuo any face, she didn’t have a favourable impression of Yang Kai as this whole mess was his fault. When she turned to look at him, her face was filled with murderous intent.
She was about to say something when An Ruo Yun interjected, “Young man… Just now, you said that someone asked you to take Zi Yu away. On whose request are you acting?”
There was no deep meaning behind her words. She asked this question because she knew her Second Junior Sister’s personality. If she didn’t say something to carry the conversation forward, Sun Yun Xiu would definitely attack Yang Kai.
Given her strength as a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai would have no ability to defend himself if Sun Yun Xiu decided to attack him.
Whether Yang Kai was here on someone’s order or because he loved Zi Yu and wanted to elope with her, An Ruo Yun hoped to see him succeed. Zi Yu was her precious disciple, and she had taken care of her since she was a child. If not because she was forced to, how could she agree to this marriage? She even went as far as to secretly help Zi Yu escape. Unfortunately, fate was not on her side, and Zi Yu was caught and brought back here.
Yang Kai respected An Ruo Yun as she was Zi Yu’s Master and Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master, but due to her extremely gentle disposition, she wasn’t suitable to lead the Sect.
A real leader had to be impartial, iron-willed, and decisive, yet An Ruo Yun possessed none of these attributes. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Ice Heart Valley was bullied by the Seeking Passion Sect and was unable to fight back.
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Senior An, Junior is here on Senior Bing Yun’s orders. I was entrusted by her to take Junior Sister Yu away from this place.”
“What?”
“Boy, what did you just say?!”
All the Emperor Realm Masters from Ice Heart Valley went into an uproar, calling out in alarm one after another. Several pairs of beautiful eyes locked onto Yang Kai’s body, trembling slightly. Sun Yun Xiu’s body darted forward, appearing in front of Yang Kai in an instant as she grabbed his shoulders, shouting through gritted teeth, “Boy… repeat what you just said!”
“You’re hurting me!” Yang Kai glanced at his shoulder and said coldly, his face indifferent, not seeming to be in any kind of pain.
Sun Yun Xiu was enraged and was about to blow her top, but she then thought of something and suppressed her anger. Taking a deep breath and letting go of Yang Kai, she took a step back on her own initiative and simply stared at him with both expectation and anxiety.
The other Emperor Realm Masters were the same.
Yang Kai looked around and said loudly, “I came here on Senior Bing Yun’s orders. She asked me to take Junior Sister Yu away.”
“Master…” An Ruo Yun was finally able to confirm that she wasn’t hearing things. Just now, Yang Kai did really say the name ‘Bing Yun’. This name had lingered in her mind for the past three thousand years, along with the memories of her Master leading her on the path of cultivation step by step. Back then, she was free from worries and could find shade under the big tree that was her Master’s back. She only had to cultivate and worry about nothing else.
As time passed, the scenery remained unchanged, but the same was not true for the people. Ice Heart Valley was still Ice Heart Valley, but her Master was no longer there.
People in the outside world had started to suspect that her Master had died. Even many disciples in the Sect had tacitly accepted this fact.
But now, she finally heard some news about her Master from Yang Kai. An Ruo Yun felt as if the blood in her chest was rushing to her head as she asked weakly, “Master… how is she?”
Her beautiful eyes looked at Yang Kai with expectation, eagerly waiting for his answer.
Yang Kai sneered, “Senior Bing Yun discovered that you were pushing your best disciple into a pit of fire, so her mood is anything but good at the moment!”
Hearing this, all the women were dejected, guilt filling their faces. They didn’t dare to look Yang Kai in the eyes anymore.
“Impossible! Impossible!” Sun Yun Xiu started shouting as if she’d gone mad. Her eyes turned red as she glared at Yang Kai, stepping forward again and roaring, “If Master was really here, why didn’t she come here personally? Why did she send a man to Ice Heart Valley? If you’re lying, this Queen will kill you!”
“Second Martial Aunt, he’s telling the truth. Senior Brother Yang was really sent here by Ancestral Founder.” Seeing the murderous intent on Sun Yun Xiu’s face, Zi Yu hurried to stand in front of Yang Kai.
This scene left Feng Xi even more heartbroken.
“Stand aside! You have no say in this matter!” Sun Yun Xiu waved her hand, pushing Zi Yu aside. Fortunately, she restrained herself even though she was angry, and the push did not harm Zi Yu.
In the next moment, Sun Yun Xiu arrived in front of Yang Kai once again, grabbing his collar and easily lifting him up, raising her head to meet his eyes as she sternly warned, “Are you trying to use our Honoured Master’s name to deceive us? If that’s the case, you will die!”
Despite her fierce shout, there wasn’t any murderous intent in her eyes, and her momentum was far weaker than before. She looked like someone who was outwardly strong but inwardly faint of heart.
She obviously had no intention of killing Yang Kai, and her objective was simply to use the difference in strength between them to coerce him into telling her the truth.
Yang Kai immediately saw through her thoughts, and did not resist, simply allowing her to do as she pleased, sneering as he taunted, “Go ahead and kill me then! What’s stopping you?”
Sun Yun Xiu clenched her teeth, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of killing him, instead just glaring madly.
Seeing this, Yang Kai raised his hand and suddenly slapped her across the face, “Open your dog eyes and see what this is!”
Due to her unstable mood, Sun Yun Xiu was caught off-guard and directly received this slap from Yang Kai, staggering backwards a few steps.
All the women at the scene turned pale, sweat appearing on their foreheads.
Among their various Junior and Senior Sisters, Sun Yun Xiu was the one with the fiercest temperament. With her cultivation at the Second-Order Emperor Realm, she was more than qualified to be Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, but just now, she was slapped in the face by a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, a young man on top of that.
How would things end? All of them could already imagine Yang Kai getting beaten to death.
An Ruo Yun’s expression changed drastically as she tried her best to think of a way to calm her Second Junior Sister and save Yang Kai. Regardless of why he was bold enough to slap an Emperor Realm Master, An Ruo Yun hoped he could live as he had come here to save Zi Yu, her Disciple.
Completely contrary to everyone’s expectations, however, Sun Yun Xiu didn’t fly into a rage after getting hit. Instead, she stood there stunned, haltingly reaching her hand up to caress her cheek, finding something in her palm.
It was a token, one that many present found familiar. It was a token they hadn’t seen in three thousand years!
“Martial Ancestor’s Token!” Sun Yun Xiu looked at the token in her hand, still in a daze, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she stared at the ‘Yun’ character engraved on the token.
“What!?” An Ruo Yun’s face changed even more drastically this time as she flew over with all haste.
“Eldest Senior Sister, it’s Master’s Token… It’s Martial Ancestor’s Token!” Although Sun Yun Xiu was now crying, a big smile had appeared on her face. She held the token and moved it in front of An Ruo Yun as if to present it to her.
As for Yang Kai slapping her, she had completely forgotten about it.
At this time, she no longer had the bearing of an aloof Emperor Realm Master and seemed to have become a little girl who was joyfully celebrating finding a long-lost treasure.
An Ruo Yun’s tender body trembled as she picked up the token on Sun Yun Xiu’s palm and felt the familiar aura about it. She was also overwhelmed and her eyes too began to redden.
The other Emperor Realm Masters of Ice Heart Valley also crowded around, staring at the token in a daze. Each of them was short of breath, as if they’d seen something inconceivable.
On the other hand, after hearing the words ‘Martial Ancestor’s Token’, Yao Zhuo realized that the situation was turning for the worst. The reason Seeking Passion Sect could suppress Ice Heart Valley was because the latter’s Ancestral Founder had been missing for the past three thousand years. A Master like Bing Yun would create waves wherever she went, and rumours would inevitably spread of her presence; however, there had been no news of her for the past three thousand years.
A lot of people started to believe that she had encountered some kind of disaster, and died a long time ago.
Without Bing Yun, Ice Heart Valley was a toothless tiger, one that the Seeking Passion Sect could bully as it wished.
But now, that the Ancestral Founder’s Token had suddenly appeared here, didn’t that mean Bing Yun hadn’t died but was living in seclusion somewhere? If that was the case, Ice Heart Valley’s strength would be a match for Seeking Passion Sect’s, and whether or not Feng Xi and Zi Yu’s marriage could proceed as scheduled was highly uncertain.
The wedding of the Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master would take place in two days, and news of it had already spread throughout the entire Northern Territory, with the invitations having been sent out. Many Masters had gathered in Ice Moon City and would come to Ice Heart Valley in two days to congratulate them. If the wedding didn’t proceed as planned, Seeking Passion Sect’s face would be completely lost.
And the cause of all this trouble was this young man who had appeared out of nowhere!
If this brat hadn’t casually taken out this token, none of this would have happened.
Considering all this, Yao Zhuo concluded that it wasn’t the time to let Feng Xi personally kill Yang Kai to purge his heart demon. The best course of action was to kill Yang Kai immediately, and then let Feng Xi and Zi Yu consummate their marriage tonight. At that time, even if Bing Yun really came back, there would be nothing she could do.
Thinking so, Yao Zhuo shouted, “Enough of this nonsense! I suspect he simply picked up that thing and is now trying to pass it off as your Ancestral Founder’s Token! None of you should be deceived by him! If your noble Sect’s Ancestral Founder was still alive, she would have come here in person. Why would she send some little brat in the Dao Source Realm instead of appearing herself?”
Hearing his words, all the women from Ice Heart Valley calmed down. Seeing the long-lost Ancestral Founder’s Token, they were so excited that they became muddle-headed, but now, they felt that Yao Zhuo’s words made sense.
If Bing Yun was alive, why didn’t she come here personally? She was Ice Heart Valley’s founder, and among the dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters here, around half were her Disciples. What stopped her from coming here? As long as she came here in person, there wouldn’t be any need for the Ancestral Founder’s Token.
Yang Kai, a Dao Source Realm cultivator, suddenly showed up with the token, claiming that he was here on Bing Yun’s order to take Zi Yu away.
However, the token alone wasn’t enough to prove that he was telling the truth. Perhaps he simply found it somewhere.
An Ruo Yun paled as she looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Little Brother, tell me truthfully, who gave you this token? Where did you obtain it?”
When asking these questions, she was very anxious, afraid that Yang Kai would tell her something she didn’t want to hear.
There had been no news of her Master for the past three thousand years, but there was no concrete proof of her death either. If Yang Kai had found this token somewhere, it meant that her Master had died, and this was something she wasn’t willing to accept. She had acted as Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master for three thousand years, and while she didn’t achieve much, she didn’t make too many mistakes, either. The only true disappointment she had was not being able to protect her Disciple. What allowed her to persevere for so long though was the belief that her Master would one day return.
At that time, she hoped to hand over a still intact Ice Heart Valley to Bing Yun. She didn’t want to be praised, but to have some peace of mind as she’d done her best to protect what her Master had left behind.
If Yang Kai told her that her Master had died, she would definitely collapse.
“If you dare to lie, I’ll make you wish you were dead!” Sun Yun Xiu wasn’t as gentle as An Ruo Yun. When she opened her mouth, only threats came out. Her beautiful eyes stared at Yang Kai, trying to catch all the changes in his expression.
Yang Kai said with a cold expression, “If I said that it was Senior Bing Yun who gave it to me, would you believe me?”
An Ruo Yun immediately relaxed and hurriedly nodded, “Yes, I believe you!”
Sun Yun Xiu slumped as if she’d lost all of her strength. A huge weight was lifted off her chest, and her eyes, which were staring at Yang Kai, were no longer fierce. The others were also covered in sweat, just as if they’d fought a great battle.
Although they weren’t sure if Yang Kai was telling the truth, they had some hope at least.
“You women are all too naïve! He’s obviously lying! This King will make him spit out the truth!” Yao Zhuo said sternly and released his Emperor Pressure while raising his hand and palming towards Yang Kai.
His murderous intent was soaring. It was clear that he had no intention of making Yang Kai ‘spit out the truth’, he simply wanted to kill him.
“Old dog, you only know how to bully the weak! Shameless!” Yang Kai’s bones were creaking as his pupils slightly shrunk.
In that instant, he tried to teleport away to dodge the incoming attack.
However, the Emperor Pressure of a Second-Order Master turned out to be too strong and it solidified the space around him, causing his movements to become stiff. Yang Kai felt as if he’d fallen into a quagmire, and despite using all his strength, he was only able to slightly move, nowhere near enough to dodge the attack.
His eyes froze as he felt the aura of death blow across his face.
At this moment, the Emperor Realm Masters of Ice Heart Valley were still in a daze and had yet to recover; none of them had expected that a Master like Yao Zhuo would suddenly try to kill Yang Kai.
When An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu realized what was happening, it was already too late to save Yang Kai. They could only watch as Yao Zhuo’s palm shot toward him.
“Stop!” An Ruo Yun shouted, flicking her sleeve, summoning an artifact that looked like a ribbon made of white silk as she shot it towards Yao Zhuo.
“If you dare to injure him, I’ll make you die without a burial!” Sun Yun Xiu was even more direct, summoning her sword and slashing it at Yao Zhuo.
In the next moment, the other Emperor Realm Masters all took action, displaying their Secret Techniques or summoning their artifacts to attack Yao Zhuo.
In the blink of an eye, the scene became extremely chaotic as Ice Principles filled the air, sealing the entire world in ice.
Facing all these attacks, Yao Zhuo didn’t relent, however, instead, he became even more determined to kill Yang Kai.
Yang Kai realized that the Masters from Ice Heart Valley had no way to save him. Yao Zhuo would reach him before they could, and even if he didn’t die, he would be severely injured.
At this critical moment, he gritted his teeth and summoned a small bead into his hand. With great effort and a pale face, he poured his Source Qi into this bead to activate it and ruthlessly threw it towards Yao Zhuo, shouting, “Old dog, I’ll fight you!”
“Trying to disgrace yourself with these paltry tricks?” Yao Zhuo sneered, reaching out to catch the bead with his hand and trying to crush it, all while ridiculing Yang Kai’s futile efforts.
But in the next moment, his expression changed drastically as a terrifying force burst from his palm. This force was so great that even a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivator like him was shocked.
“An Emperor Authority Bead!?” Yao Zhuo was an experienced man and immediately realized that the bead Yang Kai threw at him wasn’t an ordinary one. It was an Emperor Authority Bead!
As the bone-piercing cold covered his body, Yao Zhuo trembled and both his arms and legs felt frozen stiff.
Amidst violent bursts of energy, a beautiful illusory phantom appeared in front of Yao Zhuo.
Seeing this illusory phantom, all the Masters from Ice Heart Valley were dumbfounded and their beautiful eyes were fixated on it as their tender bodies trembled.
“Master…” An Ruo Yun’s offensive had already lost its strength as she stared in a daze at that face she hadn’t seen in three thousand years. She found it impossible to suppress her excitement.
Sun Yun Xiu, Zhang Sun Yin, and the others were in the same state. All of their momentum was gone and they fell to the ground one after another as they looked at the illusory phantom, continuously calling out their Master’s name.
“Bing Yun!” On the other hand, Yao Zhuo seemed to have seen a ghost in broad daylight and stared at the phantom with palpable fear. Thousands of years ago, he had also met Bing Yun, so he immediately recognized her. It seemed that the one who had created this Emperor Authority Bead was none other than Bing Yun.
A low voice echoed at that moment, and although the sound was light, it spread across all of Ice Heart Valley, shaking every person who heard it to the core.
“Pear Flower Ice Snow Sword!”
Along with the sound, a longsword made of pure energy materialized in the hands of the illusory phantom. The pure-white sword shook and locked onto Yao Zhuo’s vitals, shooting out like a dragon.
Yao Zhuo’s face paled and he roared as he summoned a halberd, mobilizing all of his energy to protect himself.
A series of clanking sounds echoed, Emperor Pressure collided and spread everywhere, and World Principles shattered.
In less than ten breaths, Yao Zhuo was forced to his knees after retreating several hundred meters, gasping for his breath. Bing Yun’s illusory phantom put away its sword, and just as if it had spirituality, it turned its head and looked at An Ruo Yun and the others before it started to dissipate, turning into dots of light and disappearing without a trace.
Yang Kai opened his eyes wide in surprise.
He’d used an Emperor Authority Bead in the past. Back when he used the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Emperor Authority Bead, the Four Seasons Principles had spread everywhere, allowing him to comprehend the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao under the effects of the Flowing Time Force. This was what allowed him to break through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
Yet, the difference in power between this time and the previous one was huge.
Although Bing Yun’s usage of the sword was extraordinary, her Sword Intent unparalleled, and her Divine Ability excellent, it was still vastly inferior when compared to Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Emperor Authority Bead.
Moreover, it lasted only ten breaths of time before disappearing.
Was this the difference between an ordinary Emperor Realm Master and a Great Emperor? However, both of them should have been Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters when they created their Emperor Authority Beads! Theoretically speaking, they should have about the same level of power.
Yang Kai began to check the scene. Although Yao Zhuo was embarrassed due to the attack, there was no trace of injury on him, so Yang Kai could not help but wonder what happened.
Just as Yang Kai was pondering this though, Yao Zhuo’s face suddenly turned pale and he let out a snort. Immediately after, every inch of his body was covered in frost as pear flower shaped ice blossoms suddenly began to sprout all over him.
These ice flowers were as white as snow, decorating Yao Zhuo’s shoulders, waist, abdomen, arms, and legs. It was as if Yao Zhuo had picked up numerous ice flowers and inserted them into his body.
When these ice flowers started appearing, Yao Zhuo felt his whole body was frozen in place and he could not help but tremble violently as his lips turned blue from the cold.
“Martial Uncle!” Feng Xi was shocked and shouted in a panic.
Yao Zhuo could not even utter a word due to the cold, his whole body encased by the Ice Principles, and it took him a long time before he could manage to let out a scream. With the circulation of his Emperor Qi, he shattered the ice flowers covering his body and slowly restored his freedom.
However, his whole body seemed to be on the edge of falling apart, with a mouthful of blood periodically spewing out. It was clear he had suffered an extremely serious injury.
Feng Xi quickly stepped forward to help.
“Valley Master An, Elder Sun, is this what your Ice Heart Valley calls hospitality?” Yao Zhuo gathered his strength and gritted his teeth while calling out to An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu.
An Ruo Yun wrinkled her brows as she coldly stated, “If you were a guest, Ice Heart Valley would definitely treat you with care!”
She was implying that Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi were not guests of Ice Heart Valley.
When Yao Zhuo heard this, he became livid and almost spat out blood again. Grinding his teeth, he declared, “In two days, Xi’er and your noble Sect’s Zi Yu will be married. You and I will also then be considered family. Valley Master An, must you be this rude?”
“Zi Yu is the disciple of this Queen. Without this Queen’s consent, she will marry no one!” An Ruo Yun coldly snorted.
During Yao Zhuo’s stay, he had never seen An Ruo Yun take on such a strong stance. He thought of this woman as docile and weak; however, today, she seemed like a completely different person.
Yao Zhuo naturally knew the reason for this change; it was obviously because there was news of Bing Yun still being alive. He sneered in his heart, [What a shameless woman. She only dares to display such a strong attitude because she finally got some backing.]
Yao Zhuo continued, “The marriage has already been agreed upon by your noble Sect’s Great Elder. If I were to mention how you are acting to the other great Sects in the Northern Territory, that Valley Master An has objected to something already agreed upon, I’m afraid it would make your Ice Heart Valley a laughing stock.”
Sun Yun Xiu took a step forward and cold refuted, “I did agree before, but I am now reneging on that agreement. The marriage between Zi Yu and your Young Sect Master is cancelled! This Queen will bear all the responsibility!”
After hearing these words, Yao Zhuo felt a blood vessel popping and he pointed at Sun Yun Xiu with a trembling hand. He couldn’t speak for a long time, obviously due to being overwhelmed by rage. He would have never thought that such a ceremonious event would simply be tossed aside by Sun Yun Xiu.
Ice Heart Valley couldn’t care less about their loss of reputation, but it was different for Seeking Passion Sect! If the couple did not get married in two days, the entire Northern Territory would see both Sects as jokes.
Feng Xi heard this and could not contain himself any longer, roaring indignantly, “Elder Sun! A man must show proper respect and keep his word! How can you break our trust in you like this!?”
Sun Yun Xiu looked at him with a bewildered expression and stated indifferently, “Does this Queen look like a man to you? This Queen is a woman!”
Feng Xi was speechless. He had shouted off haphazardly due to his anger, but as soon as his words came out, he knew what he said was wrong; still, he couldn’t take it back, so he grit his teeth and declared, “Good! I know your attitude well now. In two days, my father will come here in person and I hope that you will all be able to give him a satisfactory reason!”
Having said his piece, he glanced at Yang Kai filled with hatred. Feng Xi helped hold Yao Zhuo up and moved towards the valley’s exit. After all that had happened, both he and Yao Zhuo had no face to stay in Ice Heart Valley as guests, so they decided to leave.
When the women in Ice Heart Valley heard that Seeking Passion Sect’s Sect Master would come in person two days later, their expressions changed. They clearly feared this man.
Yang Kai stared at Feng Xi and Yao Zhuo with a cold expression and a strong desire for murder. If he hadn’t summoned the Emperor Authority Bead given to him by Bing Yun at that critical moment, even he would have been critically injured by Yao Zhuo’s attack.
Due to Yao Zhuo’s attack, an Emperor Authority Bead had been wasted, so how could he possibly allow these two to leave just like that? They had to pay the price! So, before the two of them turned around, Yang Kai shouted, “You want to leave, now? Naïve!”
Everyone who heard this had their expressions changed.
The Elders of Ice Heart Valley could not believe that Yang Kai truly did not fear the Heavens and was willing to act recklessly at this moment. Today’s incident had already ended, or at least, it should have already ended. It was undoubtedly best to keep quiet for now; however, when they saw Yang Kai’s posture, they all knew that he would not allow things to be settled like this.
He was just a mere Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, yet he dared to challenge a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. The people who saw this couldn’t help wondering if he had more than one Emperor Authority Bead in hand. But even if he had another Emperor Authority Bead, he should not be able to use it in his current state.
Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi could not even begin to process what Yang Kai was doing, but they still stopped instinctually when they heard him shout. Feng Xi’s glare seemed to be shooting out fire, wanting very much to kill this noisy peasant.
Yao Zhuo coldly snorted and asked, “It could be considered to be my loss today. What else do you want?”
Yang Kai smiled coldly, “Vice Sect Master, there’s no need to be this angry! You sound as though you want to kill and devour me whole! I just wanted to remind Vice Sect Master of the fact that just now, you shamelessly bullied this Young Master. Your attack has left this Young Master scared to death. Even my soul has not yet returned! I don’t know if it will ever return. I’m afraid that even if I was born with nine souls, none of them would have come back. The bright future this Young Master had has now been ruined. Vice Sect Master, you have caused such an indelible trauma to this Young Master!”
*Haaa!*
The Ice Heart Valley Elders all started to feel faint as they stared at Yang Kai with weird expressions.
What scared to death? What soul has not yet returned? What indelible trauma? All of this was obviously nonsense! Yang Kai did not even need to directly take on Yao Zhuo’s attack! He simply summoned an Emperor Authority Bead and resolved the crisis, so how could there possibly be any trauma? He was speaking such nonsense without a single hint of shame!
All the women had also learnt something today, they all had never known a person’s face could be this thick!
Feng Xi furiously roared, “I can see that you are clearly full of life, how could you possibly be traumatized?”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Young Sect Master, stop opening your eyes and mouth just to speak nonsense. This Young Master is clearly dizzy and about to faint, can’t you see it? Or are Young Sect Master’s eyes nothing but a drawing on your face?”
“Y-You!” Feng Xi had never met such a shameless person before and for a long while, he did not know how to respond.
All the women from Ice Heart Valley also blushed, secretly feeling that Yang Kai was too crude, without a single bit of self-respect.
To the side, Yao Zhuo thought for a while, and then seemed to have woken up from a dream, “Boy! You dare blackmail me!?”
Yang Kai explained, “Vice Sect Master, there is no need to describe it as something so unsightly. Pay for murder with one’s life is the most righteous method of settling one’s debts and is entirely justified! You have hurt the foundation of this Young Master and caused my path towards the Grand Martial Dao to end! Naturally, you would need to pay your debts to make amends for what you have done, yes?”
“And, to do that, you want to extort me?” Yao Zhuo was furious.
Yang Kai frowned, touched his chin and thought for a moment and before nodding firmly, “Good, let’s just say that I’m extorting you. So, what does Vice Sect Master want to do? Come and bite me!?”
“You really are courting death!” Yao Zhuo was livid as blood started to rush to his head. He was definitely seriously injured, but he was still a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. For someone of his status to be blackmailed and extorted by a mere Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior so blatantly, how could he possibly bear it? He was so furious that he wanted to slap Yang Kai to death this very instant.
He did not believe that Yang Kai had another Emperor Authority Bead as it was rare for any ordinary person to have even one, not to mention a second.
“How dare you threaten this Young Master? Do you think you won’t die here and now?!” Yang Kai warned.
“With just you?” Yao Zhuo coldly sneered with mockery on his face.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at Sun Yun Xiu and reached out, “Give me back the token!”
Sun Yun Xiu did not know what he planned to do, but the token was brought by Yang Kai in the first place, and since he had summoned Bing Yun’s Emperor Authority Bead earlier, it was clear that Yang Kai had a deep relationship with her Master. Therefore, Sun Yun Xiu did not hesitate and hurriedly held the token in both hands and gave it back to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised the token high in the next moment while sweeping his gaze around and shouted, “In accordance with Ice Heart Valley tradition, the one who possesses the Ancestral Founder’s Token will represent the Ancestral Founder herself!”
An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu were all stunned at his words and they soon remembered that there was indeed such a rule. Therefore, they hurriedly fell to their knees and greeted in unison, “Disciple greets Ancestral Founder! “
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s cold eyes landed on Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi and he sternly shouted, “In the name of Senior Bing Yun, I order you to kill these two!”
Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi’s faces changed drastically as fear overwhelmed them. Both of them withdrew several steps in unison as they became highly alert.
The trivial Yang Kai was indeed not enough to be placed in their eyes; however, Ice Heart Valley’s Elders were not the same. There were as many as a dozen Emperor Realm Masters present, with two at the Second-Order Emperor Realm! With Yao Zhuo now seriously injured, it was impossible for them to be their opponent.
Once these women executed this order, today would certainly mark the end of their lives.
Ice Heart Valley’s Elders were all dumbfounded, but soon, Sun Yun Xiu flew out and landed behind Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi, blocking their path of escape.
The other women saw this and although they felt that this was a bit inappropriate, they still scattered and surrounded the two from Seeking Passion Sect, each of them taking out their artifact as they prepared to make a move.
Yao Zhuo immediately turned pale while Feng Xi was trembling and gulping nervously. As Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, he had been brought up in a privileged environment and never encountered a life-threatening situation before. This was the moment he discovered what true fear felt like.
Yang Kai was laughing at the side while playing with the token, wearing a villainous expression on his face.
“Youn… Young Master…” An Ruo Yun looked at Yang Kai and in a soft voice asked, “Do you really want to kill them?”
She did not want to kill Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi here; after all, the status of these two was extraordinary. If they really died at the hands of Ice Heart Valley, Seeking Passion Sect would definitely come for retribution. If the two Sects went to war, the entire Northern Territory would be devastated. Even if her Master returned, she was afraid that the Sects would suffer heavy casualties.
As the current Valley Master, An Ruo Yun had to consider this. She was afraid that Yang Kai really planned to order her and others to kill them in a moment of anger.
If that was the case, she would rather disobey such an order from the Ancestral Founder’s Token holder, and she believed that even if her Master came to learn of this, she would not blame her.
Yang Kai smiled and lightly said, “That all depends on whether these two are sensible or not.”
When An Ruo Yun heard this, she calmed down and began to see that this youth in front of her was not that simple. He gave this order in order to gain some benefits from Yao Zhuo. Otherwise, he would not have continued to explain and would have urged Ice Heart Valley to execute his order.
[As long as no one dies, everything should be fine.] An Ruo Yun thought in her heart and no longer inquired any further. However, she was still curious as to the extent Yang Kai would go.
“Valley Master An, Elder Sun, as Emperor Realm Masters, are you both willing to be ordered around by a mere brat of unknown origin? You two have esteemed status and strength! Aren’t you afraid that word would spread and others would start to laugh at you?” Yao Zhuo did not think he could reason with Yang Kai, so he instead turned to An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu, hoping they would be more mindful about their status and not to act so nonsensically.
Sun Yun Xiu lightly spat out, “The Ancestral Founder’s Token is here, and he bears it, so we cannot disobey. Vice Sect Master, if you have a problem with this, you need to go see my Honoured Master and discuss it!”
Yao Zhuo was dumbfounded. Bing Yun’s Emperor Authority Bead had nearly taken his life, so if he really saw her in person, how would he dare discuss terms with her?
Yao Zhuo’s mood was extremely complicated, he had never been so humiliated before. Worse though, this humiliation came at the hands of a youth whose cultivation was far inferior to his.
However, people under the eaves had to bow down.
After a long silence, he could only take a deep breath and ask, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Vice Sect Master, there is no need for you to be so nervous. Everything in this world is negotiable. I just need to seek some small compensation and this Young Master can pretend that what just happened, never occurred.”
“Just spit it out. What do you want?” Yao Zhuo asked.
Yang Kai put up a finger and said with indifference, “This Young Master only wants one thing!
“Fine, what is it?” When Yao Zhuo heard him say that he ‘only wanted one thing’, he couldn’t help but calm down. If that was the case, then there was indeed an opportunity to negotiate.
“Hand over your Space Ring then get the hell out of here!” Yang Kai fixed his eyes on the ring on Yao Zhuo’s hand and stated his terms.
“What?” Yao Zhuo’s eyes immediately erupted with flames and roared, “Impossible!”
Earlier, Yang Kai said he ‘only wanted one thing’, so Yao Zhuo assumed Yang Kai simply wanted to save face and to request for something as compensation; however, it was only now that he realized that the words that Yang Kai muttered were not to save face. Instead, he was clearly attempting to make use of this situation to rob everything from him.
He, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, naturally had numerous treasures in his Space Ring. Before he left to visit Ice Heart Valley, he had prepared everything for Feng Xi and Zi Yu’s wedding in two days. All the gifts from his Sect were in his Space Ring. The Seeking Passion Sect was one of the Top Sects in the Northern Territory, and since it was their Young Sect Master’s wedding, naturally they had not been stingy. The bride’s price was comparable to what a second-class Sect could earn in ten years; without considering the other gifts that could be regarded as precious treasures.
Yang Kai’s face sank and he coldly ordered, “Kill him, but kill the young one first. Don’t let him die from a single strike, make sure to slowly chop off his limbs first, and then cripple his cultivation! I want him to taste every possible method of torture before he dies!”
Once his order was given, Sun Yun Xiu’s sword swung as she chopped towards Feng Xi.
Feng Xi’s face turned white with fear, as he retreated while screaming, “No!”
Sun Yun Xiu was undeterred though. She was extremely hot-tempered, and just like when she first met Yang Kai, as soon as she was given the order, she immediately acted upon it.
“Wait!” Yang Kai raised his hand.
Sun Yun Xiu’s sword immediately stopped as it rested on Feng Xi’s arm. A sharp chilling sensation enveloped Feng Xi’s whole body as he lost strength and immediately fell to the ground, and when he turned his head to look, he saw a deep line of red on his shoulder. If Yang Kai had shouted even a moment slower, his arm would have been cut off.
Yang Kai looked at Feng Xi with a smile, “Young Sect Master seems to have something to say.”
“Yes, yes!” Feng Xi heard him and quickly nodded his head.
“Then speak, no one is holding your tongue hostage.”
Feng Xi opened his mouth but did not know what to say. He thought for a while before turning his head to Yao Zhuo, “Martial Uncle, give him your Space Ring, we do not need to lower ourselves to his level.”
“Nonsense!” Yao Zhuo shouted angrily, “I, the Vice Sect Master of Seeking Passion Sect, would rather live on my feet than die on my knees! Having a desire for this King’s ring is no different to slapping this King’s face! Xi’er, don’t be afraid! This little brat is just trying to scare you, he wouldn’t dare take your life! If he dares to, when the Sect Master comes in two days, he will utterly flatten Ice Heart Valley!
“Take my life…” Feng Xi murmured, his face turning pale as deep in his heart a strong sense of fear rushed out and consumed him. He had always been the one who killed others, so when did he ever experience the threat of being killed himself? “No! If I were to die, what use is there for Father to flatten Ice Heart Valley? If I die, what will happen to my sixty-nine wives? Martial Uncle, just give him your ring. I am the Young Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect. I will be the one who leads the Seeking Passion Sect in the future and become the ruler of the Northern Territory, how could I possibly die here!?”
“You…” Yao Zhuo did not expect Feng Xi to be so spineless. He had never known that this Young Sect Master was such a coward to be frightened to this extent by mere threats.
Those from Ice Heart Valley also seemed to be seeing the real Feng Xi for the first time and all of them revealed contempt in their eyes. Although it was a matter of life and death, the way Feng Xi acted was nothing short of shameful.
Which cultivator’s path was not filled with struggle and danger? It was common for them to face life-threatening situations along their way. It was now clear that Feng Xi had been too sheltered and when it came to confronting danger, he lost himself. As Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, he was a disgrace.
Feng Xi was ashamed of himself when he noticed all the contemptuous gazes gathered upon him, but what was face compared to his own life? He kept begging Yao Zhuo to take off his Space Ring.
“Sixty-nine wives… Young Sect Master, you are really fortunate. Many must envy you,” Yang Kai coldly said. However, there was not a trace of envy in his eyes, only mockery, “Young Sect Master, you may rest assured, if you were to die here, I will take good care of your sixty-nine wives for you. This Young Master’s physical prowess is quite exceptional, so I will definitely not let their bedsides be cold!”
An Ruo Yun blushed and spat out, “Young Master, please show some propriety!”
Zi Yu also glared at him with a strange expression before rolling her eyes.
When he heard Yang Kai would ‘take care’ of his wives, Feng Xi’s eyes turned red and he reached out to Yao Zhuo and ripped off his Space Ring.
It was uncertain if Yao Zhuo was so disappointed in Feng Xi’s that he simply gave up resisting, but in that moment he allowed him to easily take off his Space Ring without any resistance.
Feng Xi threw the ring to Yang Kai and anxiously asked, eagerly looking at Yang Kai, “I gave you the ring, now can you let us go?”
Yang Kai caught the ring as a devious smile appeared on his lips and a mocking look on his face as he stared at Feng Xi.
Feng Xi’s heart pounded. [Is this guy mute?] He followed Yang Kai’s gaze, and looked at the ring on his hand, promptly making a difficult decision. Gritting his teeth, he took his own Space Ring and threw it at Yang Kai before stating, “This is also yours. Let us go!”
“Young Sect Master is so generous. You didn’t have to do that,” Yang Kai hastily took the Space Ring and put it straight into his pocket. He then immediately switched the conversation, speaking with a cold snort, “This Young Master has already said, as long as you give up on your noble Sect’s Vice Sect Master’s Space Ring, I will let you go, but Young Sect Master has now forcefully stuffed another ring into my hands for no reason. You wouldn’t happen to be thinking of framing this Young Master for injustice?”
“Ah…” Feng Xi opened his mouth wide. He had never expected Yang Kai to speak so shamelessly.
Ice Heart Valley Elders also had extremely weird looks on their faces, staring at Yang Kai with complicated gazes. Yang Kai’s performance today had truly redefined their understanding of what a moral bottom line was. Before they met Yang Kai, they had never imagined that there would be someone so shameless in this world.
Who knew that Feng Xi would suddenly be enlightened, though, and seeing the evil look on Yang Kai’s face, he hastily continued, “Brother Yang, you misunderstand. This Space Ring is just a gift from this Feng. It has no relation with your previous condition. Brother Yang is impressive and handles things extraordinarily. You will definitely become an outstanding character in the future. This Feng only… only wants to be friends with you!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Young Sect Master is so generous. We can certainly be friends!”
The corner of Feng Xi’s mouth twitched as he asked embarrassingly, “Then… Can we go now?”
Yang Kai squinted his eyes and asked, “Young Sect Master, why don’t you stay for breakfast?”
“Forget it,” Feng Xi hurriedly stood up when he heard this as if had received amnesty, dragging Yao Zhuo while they staggered towards Ice Heart Valley’s exit.
After having his Space Ring forcefully taken by Feng Xi, Yao Zhou seemed to have lost his soul. His eyes were lifeless as he seemed to have lost all his hopes after seeing Feng Xi’s performance. At this moment, he was being dragged away without mounting the least bit of resistance.
After a moment, Yao Zhou and Feng Xi had disappeared.
Only now did the Ice Heart Valley Elders finally breathe a sigh of relief. Previously, when Yang Kai had ordered them to kill these two members of the Seeking Passion Sect, holding their Martial Ancestor’s Token, they secretly broke out into cold sweat. They were afraid that this matter would force them into an unsolvable conflict. Fortunately, even though Yang Kai had robbed these two of their Space Rings, things hadn’t spiralled down to the point that it couldn’t be resolved. At least Feng Xi and Yao Zhou didn’t have to worry about their lives.
“Young Master, where is my Master now?” An Ruo Yun finally had the time to ask about this.
Yang Kai turned his head and replied, looking at her, “Senior An, don’t worry, Senior Bing Yun is safe, but it is inconvenient for her to meet you right now.”
“Inconvenient!?” Sun Yun Xiu furrowed her brow after hearing this, asking anxiously, “Why is it inconvenient?”
Yang Kai coldly glared at her and replied, “Inconvenience is inconvenience, there is no why.”
Sun Yun Xiu almost choked in anger, but she kept it choked down because she knew her Master was the one who sent Yang Kai. Moreover, he also had her Martial Ancestor’s Token, so she really had no choice at the moment.
Zhang Sun Ying asked, “Then when can we meet Master?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment and replied, “You just have to wait two or three days.” After a pause, he looked at Sun Yun Xiu and sneered, “I hope the Great Elder can clearly explain Zi Yu’s marriage after meeting Senior Bing Yun.”
Sun Yun Xiu’s face immediately turned dark, but she quickly replied, “Whether Master wants to beat me or punish me, I will bear it. It has nothing to do with my sisters.”
Yang Kai inwardly nodded. Sun Yun Xiu’s performance just now was pretty good and she gave the impression that she wouldn’t hold a grudge even though he had slapped her; however, as she had agreed to marry Zi Yu to Feng Xi, she would ultimately be punished.
She was a Great Elder, but she had pushed the Sect’s best disciple into the fiery pit called Seeking Passion Sect. However, this was an internal matter pertaining to a Sect he did not belong to, so Yang Kai didn’t say much.
An Ruo Yun, on the other hand, didn’t know what he was thinking and worriedly looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Young Master has repeatedly said that it is inconvenient for Master and it will only be possible to meet after two or three days. Could it be that Master is injured and she is recuperating now?”
All the women present had a change in their expression after hearing this.
When Bing Yun left Ice Heart Valley, she was already a Third-Order Emperor. It had already been three millennia, so Bing Yun’s strength should have grown significantly. She must be one of the top experts in the entire Star Boundary, so how could she be hurt? How many people out there could hurt her?
Yang Kai glanced at An Ruo An in surprise. He hadn’t said anything but An Ruo Yun had actually guessed it. Obviously, she was not just gentle, but also quite intelligent.
Everyone here was in the upper echelon of Ice Heart Valley, and many of them were Bing Yun’s Disciples, so Yang Kai chose not to hide it anymore. He nodded and replied, “Senior An is right. Senior Bing Yun is indeed injured.”
Immediately, all the Ice Heart Valley Elders paled.
Yang Kai hurriedly said, “There’s no cause for concern, Senior Bing Yun’s injuries aren’t serious, she’s simply recuperating in Ice Moon City at the moment. She will have recovered after two or three days!”
“Master is in Ice Moon City!?” An Ruo Yun exclaimed.
Zhang Sun Ying also asked in excitement, “Can you take us to meet Master?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and replied, “Senior Bing Yun is healing, won’t you be disturbing her?”
An Ruo Yun firmly stated, “We will not disturb Master, we simply wish to be closer to her. Young Master, please.”
She was a Second-Order Emperor, but at this moment, she was behaving more like a child who had been guarding the house for years, and had finally heard the news of the return of her parents. She was excited and filled with anticipation. The others, too, eagerly looked at Yang Kai with a pleading look in their eyes.
Yang Kai couldn’t stand being stared at by all these beautiful eyes so he could only agree, “Okay, okay, I will take you to see Senior Bing Yun.”
“Many thanks!” All the girls were relieved and ecstatic.
Next, An Ruo Yun instructed the disciples of the valley to activate all the barriers around Ice Heart Valley while increasing the patrols guarding the Sect. Then, the Elders all flew toward Ice Moon City with Yang Kai.
Among the dozen of them, only Yang Kai was male. It was quite an impressive sight. Furthermore, apart from Yang Kai and Zi Yu, everyone else was an Emperor Realm Master.
Such a force walking the street was naturally noticeable.
When they arrived at the gates of Ice Moon City, the cultivators guarding the city were about to step forward and interrogate them a bit, but when they saw the Emperor Realm Masters behind Yang Kai, they immediately retreated in shock, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Ice Moon City was Ice Heart Valley’s connection to the outside world, with many shops in the city owned and operated by Ice Heart Valley disciples. So, as soon as An Ruo Yun and the other Elders entered the city, Ice Heart Valley disciples constantly flew out from the shops on either side of the streets and bowed respectfully.
With this commotion, the entire Ice Moon City knew that upper echelon members of Ice Heart Valley had come to Ice Moon City in a short while. But they had no idea what they were doing in the city.
The puppet City Lord supported by Ice Heart Valley immediately ran over to greet them, drenched in sweat and trembling visibly. He thought that he had done something wrong and Ice Heart Valley’s Elders had come to punish him.
But An Ruo Yun and others just ignored him after a casual greeting, making the puppet City Lord feel sad as well as grateful at the same time.
“Greetings Valley Master An, Great Elder Sun, Elders, and congratulations on Ice Heart Valley’s marriage with the Seeking Passion Sect. It is truly an event worth celebrating. The entire world is celebrating!” Suddenly, a person flew over from the side, and landing before Ice Heart Valley’s Elders, he cupped his fists and smiled.
He was a middle-aged man and a First-Order Emperor. It appeared that he was an authoritative figure of some Sect in the Northern Territory, and by the looks of it, he was waiting here to congratulate Ice Heart Valley. When he heard that An Ruo Yun and the others had come to Ice Moon City, he proactively came to greet them.
An Ruo Yun promptly halted her step, but before she had the time to answer, Emperor Realm Masters suddenly flew over from every direction, one after another. And just like the man surnamed Hu, they continuously congratulated them.
An Ran Yun recognized these people and exchanged a few words with each of them.
The man surnamed Hu, the one who had appeared first, waited for her to finish before he curiously asked, “Valley Master An, why have you come to Ice Moon City?”
Ice Moon City was within the domain of Ice Heart Valley and was also the transit point for Ice Heart Valley to communicate with the outside world; however, the Elders of Ice Heart Valley generally didn’t come here, let alone a dozen of them all at once.
Everyone had a vague feeling that something wasn’t right. By the looks of it, it seemed as if something was about to happen, something big.
“We have something to do, ladies and gentlemen. Please make way!” Sun Yun Xiu said with a cold look on her face, “In addition, the marriage between Ice Heart Valley’s Zi Yu and Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master Feng Xi is cancelled. There is no need for any of you to remain here. You can return to wherever you came from.”
“Junior Sister Sun is a bit more direct. Please forgive her. You have all travelled tens of thousands of kilometres to come here, but our Ice Heart Valley has failed to receive you well!” An Ruo Yun gently smiled and then led her sisters into the city, leaving a group of Emperor Realm Masters stunned in their places.
After a long time, when An Ruo Yun and the others had disappeared from their sight, someone wiped the sweat from his forehead and nervously gulped before speaking, “Brother Hu Yuan, did I hear it right? Did Valley Master An and Elder Sun really say that the marriage is cancelled?”
“I heard it too.”
“Damn it, this is really worrying! What the hell are the women of Ice Heart Valley doing?” The man named Hu Yuan was also sweating and nervous.
Another person said, “I don’t know if this marriage was cancelled unilaterally by Ice Heart Valley, or if they had reached a consensus with the Seeking Passion Sect. If it was the former…”
Everyone’s expression sank as they suddenly realized something.
If Ice Heart Valley did this unilaterally, the Seeking Passion Sect definitely would not let it go.
“The Seeking Passion Sect disciples cultivate the Seeking Passion Supreme Art and take passion as their Dao. They would never easily give up the women they admire, let alone this being related to Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master. According to this one’s humble opinion, the Seeking Passion Sect will not give up on this marriage.”
“Since Seeking Passion Sect won’t easily give up, isn’t it Ice Heart Valley that’s going back on their word?”
“I heard that Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master are both in Ice Heart Valley. Where are they now?”
“Winds are blowing and a storm is about to come. I’m afraid that the sky of the Northern Territory is going to be subverted.”
“Brother Zhou, don’t be ridiculous! Even though Ice Heart Valley is strong, how could it compete with Seeking Passion Sect? The entire Northern Territory knows that Ice Heart Valley no longer deserves to be a top Sect. If Seeking Passion Sect really pursues this matter, Ice Heart Valley would not be able to do anything!”
“I heard that Seeking Passion Sect Master, Feng Xuan, will personally grace Ice Heart Valley with his presence on the auspicious day, which is tomorrow! If he learns that Ice Heart Valley has cancelled the marriage arbitrarily…”
The Emperor Realm Masters broke into a lively discussion, all of them were a little confused. Everyone only knew one thing, and that was that Ice Heart Valley was in serious trouble this time. Who gave these women the courage to cancel the marriage at the last moment? Isn’t that no different from slapping Seeking Passion Sect’s face in front of the entire Northern Territory? How could Feng Xuan simply let this matter drop like that?
“Brother Hu Yuan, should we persuade Valley Master An and the others? I remember that your wife is from Ice Heart Valley. If something bad really happened to Ice Heart Valley, will your Transformation Sect be able to stay out of it?”
Hu Yuan’s expression changed ever so slightly after hearing this. He pondered for a moment before he hurriedly chased after An Ruo Yun and the others. By the looks of it, he wanted to persuade them to rethink their hasty decision.
Other Emperors looked at each other before they too chased after the Ice Heart Valley Elders.
They might be here just to offer congratulations, but since things had developed to this point, they also wanted to know what exactly happened to Ice Heart Valley that gave them the guts to cancel the marriage with Seeking Passion Sect.
After a while, a crowd came to the front of some inn in Ice Moon City. Immediately, they saw An Ruo Yun and the others quietly standing in front of the inn with a serious look on their faces, saying nothing. They just kept looking in a certain direction with pious and excited expressions.
There was no one within a radius of a kilometre of these women as all the irrelevant people had retreated far away, only looking in their direction.
Hu Yuan flew over and hurriedly stepped forward, but just as he was about to speak, An Ruo Yun suddenly went down on her knees.
Immediately after, all the Ice Heart Valley Emperors followed suit.
Hu Yuan’s eyes were about to pop out as he stood stupefied, gawking in a daze. He had no idea what An Ruo An and the others were up to.
The other Masters, who caught up one after another, were also stupefied by this sight, extremely shocked by the unbelievable scene.
“Broth… Brother Hu, what’s going on?” Someone approached Hu Yuan and asked in a low voice.
Hu Yuan was equally confused and just kept shaking his head in response, “I have no idea. They were like this when I arrived.”
“Who exactly is inside the inn that Valley Master An, Great Elder Sun, and the other Elders would act like this?”
Among the Masters of Ice Heart Valley, An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu both were Second-Order Emperors, while the rest were First-Order Emperors besides a single Third-Order Dao Source Realm disciple. Such a force was extremely terrifying.
But this group of Masters happened to be kneeling right on the street; in front of the inn; in broad daylight; in front of everyone’s eyes, without any kind of reluctance or hesitation. On the contrary, they gave the impression that their actions were simply a matter of course.
An Ruo Yun was the current Valley Master of Ice Heart Valley while Sun Yun Xiu was Ice Heart Valley Great Elder. Each word from their mouths and everything they did represented Ice Heart Valley, and since they were kneeling here without a care and speaking anything, it meant that there was someone inside this inn who could make them surrender!
Hu Yuan’s face drastically changed as he seemed to have thought of something, immediately muttering in shock, “Could it be…”
Before he could finish himself, an extremely excited look appeared on his face.
“Brother Hu, what is it?” Someone eagerly asked because he really couldn’t understand the scene before him.
One among the crowd of onlookers then thoughtfully spoke, “In this world, even the Ten Great Emperors couldn’t make Valley Master An act this courteously. There is only one person who can make them show such respect!”
“Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder, Senior Bing Yun!?” Someone suddenly exclaimed.
“Could it be that Senior Bing Yun is inside this inn?”
“Didn’t they say that Senior Bing Yun has already fallen? There has been no news of her in over three millennia.”
“Just because there hasn’t been any news, doesn’t mean that Senior Bing Yun is dead. Perhaps Senior Bing Yun has been living in seclusion, or perhaps she was trapped somewhere. Senior Bing Yun was already a Third-Order Emperor when she disappeared, how could she die so easily?”
As the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, Bing Yun’s name echoed like thunder even if she had disappeared for three thousand years. After having guessed that Bing Yun was inside the inn, everyone couldn’t help but have all kinds of changes in their expressions. Among the crowd, some were close to Ice Heart Valley, and some were close to Seeking Passion Sect. Naturally, everyone would be feeling different at this moment.
“Senior Bing Yun has suddenly appeared at this critical point, and Sect Master Feng Xuan will also be coming here tomorrow. If these two Masters meet…” The speaker shuddered all of a sudden, not daring to continue.
Under normal circumstances, Bing Yun meeting Feng Xuan would have been fine. Both of them were Sect Masters of top Sects in the Northern Territory, so who knows how many times they had met with each other. However, An Ruo Yun had just cancelled the marriage between the two Sects, so once Feng Xuan arrived, he would definitely seek justice for his son.
[No wonder An Ruo Yun and the others had the gall to cancel the marriage at this point. It turns out Bing Yun has returned!]
But even though An Ruo An and the others were kneeling in front of the inn, Bing Yun was nowhere to be seen, and no one dared to spread their Divine Sense to investigate, all of them simply standing there, burning with anxiety.
In a flash, twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters had gathered before an insignificant inn. It was a shocking spectacle.
Yang Kai, standing before the inn, looked completely helpless.
He had no idea that the Emperors of Ice Heart Valley would suddenly come here and act like this, making countless people gawk at them like monkeys.
Hearing the commotion outside, Fan Xin and the others immediately walked out of the inn. They took a glance at An Ruo Yun and the others before they approached Yang Kai and doubtfully asked, “Senior Brother Yang, who are they? Why are they kneeling here?”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he replied, “They are your Senior Sisters.”
“Senior Sisters!?” Fan Xin was taken aback as she immediately covered her mouth and exclaimed, “They are from Ice Heart Valley…”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Fan Xin hurriedly approached An Ruo Yun and the others with her Junior Sisters and greeted with a bow, “Fan Xin greets Senior Sisters!”
“You are…” An Ruo Yun looked at her in surprise.
“Junior Sister Fan Xin. I was taken as a disciple by our Honoured Master in the Solitary Void Sealed World together with them,” replied Fan Xin, pointing at the few girls behind her.
The cultivations of those few girls were quite varied, so when they saw so many Emperors Realm Masters kneeling before them, all of them were quite speechless. After all, Emperors Realm Masters were like legends to them, but now, they could actually address them as Senior Sisters. This came as a huge pleasant surprise to them while also confusing them greatly as they had no idea what to do.
“You are our Honoured Master’s disciples?” An Ruo An’s eyes lit up.
Fan Xin smiled as she circulated her Secret Art, causing her temperament to turn extremely cold.
Sun Yun Xiu nodded and said, “It’s indeed our Ice Heart Valley’s Secret Art!”
Hearing these words, the gazes of Ice Heart Valley Elders looking at Fan Xin and the others turned gentle.
“Good!” An Ruo Yun gently smiled, “Master has finally taken in new disciples. Many thanks for caring for Honoured Master all these years. As your Senior Sisters, we are very grateful to you.”
Fan Xin shook her head and immediately stated, “It was Honoured Master who took us in, we were not able to help Honoured Master in any way. But Senior Sisters, why are you all kneeling here? Please get up.”
Zhang Sun Ying smiled and explained, “We have made a mistake. This is a punishment we deserve. Junior Sister does not need to mind us.”
An Ruo Yun suddenly asked, “Junior Sister, you just said something about a Solitary Void Sealed World. Could it be that Honoured Master has been in the Solitary Void Sealed World all these years?”
Judging by her tone, she had no idea about the Solitary Void Sealed World, but that wasn’t a surprise seeing how no one who was trapped inside that place had ever escaped. For the entire Star Boundary, the Solitary Void Sealed World was a total mystery.
“Yes, we were all trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World, and we just escaped a few days ago with great difficulty,” Fan Xin answered with a nod.
“Master’s injuries, are they related to that Solitary Void Sealed World?” An Ruo Yun nervously asked.
Fan Xin explained, “There was a man named Chi Ri in the Solitary Sealed World. His cultivation was on par with Honoured Master’s, so when Honoured Master was about to leave, Chi Ri attempted to stop her which led to a battle…”
Ice Heart Valley’s Emperors Realm Masters knelt before the inn as they raptly listened to Fan Xin. When they heard about the thrilling and dangerous events that had taken place, they all became nervous. At first glance, Yang Kai could tell that they had many things they wanted to ask as An Ruo Yun and the others definitely wanted to know how Bing Yun had been doing all these years, and how she was now.
As such, Yang Kai decided to give them some privacy and headed back to his room to search through Feng Xi and Yao Zhuo’s Space Rings.
He had to use an Emperor Authority Bead this time, but he also obtained two Space Rings, so Yang Kai didn’t suffer a loss. Furthermore, there were countless treasures inside the rings of these two. After some calculations, Yang Kai discovered that he had not only not suffered any losses, but had instead made a fortune.
The only thing he regretted was that without the Emperor Authority Bead, he had lost a trump card.
Yao Zhuo’s and Feng Xi’s Space Rings had too many things in them so it took Yang Kai an entire day to finish taking inventory. He had collected a total of 100 million Source Crystals of Mid-Rank and High-Rank. If they were really converted into Low-Rank Source Crystals, they would amount to three or four billion at the very least.
Seeking Passion Sect’s wealth had opened his eyes.
Even if Yang Kai was wealthy before, this was still a great fortune to him. His personal wealth had become quite astonishing, making him recall when he first arrived in the Star Boundary when he and Liu Xian were worried about Source Crystals all day long. Those days now seemed like a lifetime ago.
In a good mood, Yang Kai threw all the rare and precious ores into the Sealed World Bead, letting his Embodiment refine them.
Ever since the Embodiment had refined an Emperor Realm Master using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, its aura had faintly hit a peak and seemed to be only a step away from breaking through to the Emperor Realm.
In the Small Sealed World, not only the Embodiment, but Hua Qing Si and even Liu Yan were like this. Their cultivations were advancing by leaps and bounds, soon reaching bottlenecks.
The only one with lower cultivation was Zhang Ruo Xi, who was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm, but with her unique bloodline, as long as she had sufficient World Energy, her cultivation would catch up sooner or later.
Yang Kai had always paid attention to Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline. He had always kept the Space Spirit Jade that resonated with Zhang Ruo Xi, and the one time they had experimented with it, some strange and beautiful images had appeared. Yang Kai was still at a loss about what the purpose of this jade was.
Furthermore, in the Four Seasons Realm, Zhang Ruo Xi said that she met an Ancient Divine Spirit Qiong Qi, a Winged Tiger. Qiong Qi was ferocious by nature, but he hadn’t harmed Zhang Ruo Xi in the slightest. On the contrary, he had even gifted her the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe, an Emperor Artifact with extreme defensive strength!
This matter had made Yang Kai pretty concerned and he vaguely felt that it might be related to Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline. However, he couldn’t confirm it.
Maybe after Zhang Ruo Xi became stronger, she could figure out the origins of her bloodline on her own.
Time slowly passed and Yang Kai sorted out the two Space Rings before entering the Sealed World Bead. There, he distributed some cultivation resources to Hua Qing Si, Liu Yuan, and Zhang Ruo Xi before returning to the room.
Before he could make any more movements, a thick sense of oppression suddenly crashed down from the sky.
Yang Kai’s expression changed and he instantly became vigilant.
This feeling was definitely because some Master had used their Divine Sense to scan the building. Although it quickly disappeared, Yang Kai had still sensed the strength of the other party. A Second-Order Emperor Realm Master could not give him such pressure, only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master could do so!
Seeking Passion Sect’s Sect Master, Feng Xuan, had arrived!
This thought immediately flashed in Yang Kai’s mind as he rushed out of his room.
Outside the inn, An Ruo Yun and the others had solemn looks on their pretty faces. Obviously, they had noticed this man’s arrival as well.
Even the nearby Emperor Realm Masters, who had come to offer congratulations, wore serious looks. They might have known yesterday that Feng Xuan would be coming today, and that once he met Bing Yun, they would very likely fight, but when it was really about to happen, everyone still found the atmosphere suffocating and depressing.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Continuous explosions could be heard coming from the extremely distant sky. Each explosion sounded closer than the previous, and was followed by another. A figure was rushing over. It was unclear at first, but in just three breaths, it stopped over Ice Moon City, in front of a certain inn.
In the blink of an eye, an oppressive pressure spread over the entire Ice Moon City, causing space to tremble, as if even the world must submit.
Hu Yuan and the others looked up and then hurriedly bowed, “Greetings, Sect Master Feng!”
A man was proudly standing mid-air and raised his hand as he spoke, “Friends, there’s no need to be so polite!”
His every action seemed to carry deep profundity, as if he was in harmony with nature and the surrounding World Principles. Principles lingered about his figure and Hu Yuan and the others felt a subtle force holding them and the others up. They were extremely shocked when they realized that the gap between them and Feng Xuan was like that between Heaven and Earth.
Yang Kai looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in scholarly attire standing in the sky. This middle-aged man resembled Feng Xi a little, but he was nobler than Feng Xi. Furthermore, Feng Xuan was far more handsome, brave, and heroic compared to Feng Xi.
He was none other than Seeking Passion Sect’s Sect Master, Feng Xuan. It was uncertain if he was born like this or it was due to the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, but coupled with the gentle smile on his face, everyone who saw him felt as if spring breeze was gently blowing past them.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable. This couldn’t be helped as Feng Xi and Yao Zhou were both standing behind Feng Xuan, both of them glaring at Yang Kai, grinding their teeth as if they wanted to feast upon him.
Just a day ago, their Space Rings had been snatched by Yang Kai. They were outnumbered at that time and had to lower their heads. Feng Xi had lost all face but now that Feng Xuan was here, he naturally had a backer. His confidence was also emboldened and he secretly decided that he would make Yang Kai pay for disgracing him before letting him know the fate of offending him.
Feng Xuan only took a cursory glance at Yang Kai, not paying much attention to him; after all, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was like an ant in his eyes. His gaze was extremely profound as if he was staring somewhere, penetrating the void, a smile suddenly appearing on his lips as he called out, “Bing Yun, you and I have not met each other in three millennia, this King is truly grateful to be able to meet you again today.”
Once he said this, everyone was shocked.
Whether it was the dozen or so Emperors of Ice Heart Valley or the Masters of various Sects who had come to offer wedding congratulations, up until now, it was just a speculation that Bing Yun was inside the inn. No one dared to use their Divine Sense to confirm it.
An Ruo Yun and the others had been kneeling at the entrance for a day and night, but even then Bing Yun hadn’t graced them with her presence. Hu Yuan and the others were beginning to wonder whether Bing Yun was actually in the inn.
If she really was here, why not show herself? Why leave her Disciples kneeling in the street like some show for others to watch?
But Feng Xuan’s words dispelled everyone’s suspicions.
Bing Yun was definitely inside the inn! Otherwise, it was impossible for Feng Xuan to say such words.
At this moment, since Feng Xuan had already come to Ice Moon City, Bing Yun would have to meet him no matter what, refusing would be extremely rude.
But to everyone’s surprise, after Feng Xuan spoke, there was still no movement inside the inn. Even An Ruo Yun and the others, who were kneeling at the entrance, didn’t say anything.
Hu Yuan and the others quietly waited for a while as they could feel the atmosphere growing slightly strange. Beads of cold sweat began to fill their foreheads as they felt an inexplicable uneasiness rising in their hearts.
Feng Xuan’s face slowly darkened as well since he could feel that Bing Yun was inside the inn. He had taken the initiative to greet the other party but received no response. This was tantamount to a disgrace! How could Feng Xuan suffer such an insult in silence in front of so many Sect Masters of the Northern Territory?
“Bing Yun, after so many years, you’ve grown quite bold,” Feng Xuan coldly smiled, obviously extremely unhappy.
On another side, An Ruo Yun, furrowed her black brow and explained aloud, “Sect Master Feng, Master is busy with some important affairs and cannot reply. Please wait a moment.”
“Important affairs?” Feng Xuan raised his brow. Who knows what was going on in his mind as he simply replied with a nod, “Very well, this King will just wait here.”
At that moment, Feng Xi, who had been grudgingly staring at Yang Kai, approached Feng Xuan and whispered in his ear, pointing in Yang Kai’s direction.
Feng Xuan’s eyes glimmered with a fierce light as he focused his gaze on Yang Kai. The next moment, he shouted, “You there, boy!”
This shout seemed to be mixed with subtle power and Yang Kai instantly felt his head ringing as he suddenly became dizzy. Panicked, he hurriedly mobilized his Spiritual Energy to resist this discomfort. In his Knowledge Sea, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus also started slowly spinning, brightly shining with seven colours.
A gentle energy rose from his Knowledge Sea, allowing Yang Kai to feel a little better, but blood was trickling down his nose and the corners of his mouth. Not only that, he seemed as if he was about to collapse, his calves going limp as he almost fell to his knees.
Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus helped him resist and allowed him to remain standing, only staggering slightly.
After standing firm, fire rose in Yang Kai’s heart.
Feng Xuan had launched a sneak attack against him, concealing it from everyone else around them. Clearly, this Feng Xuan wanted to make him kneel as a show of force, putting Yang Kai in his place.
If Yang Kai knelt down from a single sentence from Feng Xuan in front of so many people, everyone would laugh at his incompetence. This unbearable experience was bound to become his heart demon on his Martial Dao, and if this heart demon wasn’t dispelled, his path in cultivation might end here.
[This Feng Xuan is simply too sinister and despicable!] Yang Kai’s ground his teeth, his eyes burning with fury.
Feng Xuan, on the other hand, raised his brow as a look of surprise flashed across his face.
Contrary to his expectation, Yang Kai hadn’t fallen to his knees. He might not have used too much of his power just now, but it still wasn’t something a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior should’ve been able to withstand. Even an inattentive First-Order Emperor would momentarily lose consciousness and make a fool of himself in public.
But Yang Kai just staggered. It was really a surprise.
However, Feng Xuan didn’t pay too much attention to it. The huge gap in their strength made it difficult for Yang Kai to even get his attention.
While Feng Xuan was thinking so though, Yang Kai wiped off the blood trickling down his mouth and nose and sneered before mocking, “The people of Seeking Passion Sect are truly wastes who only know how to bully the weak with strength and numbers! The Vice Sect Master is so, and so is the Sect Master! You have both opened this Young Master’s eyes wide today. Your name Seeking Passion Sect is simply wrong. In my opinion, you should rename yourself as Bullying the Weak Sect!”
Just as Yang Kai said this, Feng Xuan’s expression slightly changed.
He hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so bold, not willing to suffer the slightest loss. He even dared to ridicule Feng Xuan in public!
Hu Yuan and the other Masters present went slack-jawed and all of them broke into a cold sweat. They might not have noticed what just happened, but Yang Kai bleeding from his mouth and nose was visible to everyone. Everyone could easily understand that he had been attacked by Feng Xuan’s shout just now.
But even if Yang Kai suffered a loss, this wasn’t something he should have spoken of aloud.
[This brat must not know how to write the word ‘death’.]
An Ruo Yun and the others, who were slightly late to notice, immediately asked upon noticing Yang Kai’s pale face, “Young Master Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai sneered, “This Young Master was sneak attacked by a despicable fellow, and my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys have all been seriously injured. How could I be okay! This is a very big deal!”
An Ruo Yun could obviously tell that there was nothing wrong with Yang Kai and he was just deliberately making a mountain out of a molehill, inwardly shaking her head at his ability to spout nonsense.
Hu Yuan and the others also felt dizzy. [If your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are seriously injured, how can you speak so energetically? Where did this brat even come from? He actually doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. It seems the ignorant are always fearless. Does a Third-Order Dao Source Realm boy dare to challenge Sect Master Feng Xuan? Sure enough, the young are hot-blooded and aggressive.]
[It will be very difficult for this guy to survive.]
The originally tense atmosphere had been messed up by Yang Kai, and the atmosphere had suddenly turned awkward.
“Little brat, what nonsense are you spouting!?” Feng Xuan was secretly annoyed by Yang Kai’s exaggerations. While he had mixed in some Spiritual Energy into his voice just now, even if Yang Kai had been injured, it should be his Knowledge Sea that took damage. How could it be related to his five viscera and six organs?
Yang Kai asked with a snort, “Why is Senior Feng Xuan acting so anxious? I didn’t say you sneak attacked me. Senior, you wouldn’t happen to have a guilty conscience, would you?”
Feng Xuan was at a loss for words. He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and he had to act like one. In any case, it would be too embarrassing for him to continue to bicker with Yang Kai.
At the critical moment, Feng Xi stepped forward and shouted, “You bastard! You dare insult my Seeking Passion Sect? If you quickly kowtow and apologize, you might be able to keep your life.”
He had a grim look on his face, as if he couldn’t wait to kill Yang Kai. Obviously, he still had not forgotten last night’s disgrace. It wasn’t surprising as he had always been treated with dignity since childhood. When had he suffered such humiliation and disgrace? Every time Feng Xi recalled what happened over these last two days, he felt like he couldn’t hold his head high. He couldn’t wait to behead Yang Kai and drink his blood; only this could end his enmity.
Yang Kai turned to him and asked with a friendly smile, “Why, if it isn’t Young Sect Master Feng? I remember you acting like a frightened baby last night, but now you’re acting all proud and mighty, I wonder what happened? Oh, is it because you found a strong backer so now you can hold your head up high? Oh, don’t stare at me like that, you might pop your eyes out.”
“You… you speak nonsense! When did that happen!?” Feng Xi glared at him, grinding his teeth, his face alternating between red and blue as he vehemently denied the charge.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and continued, “Last night, this Young Master took pity on you and let you go, seeing Young Sect Master crying and begging to spare you was deeply moving after all! I never thought that not only would the Young Sect Master not feel deep gratitude, but he would even try to repay kindness with enmity!”
When Hu Yuan and the others heard this, they all looked at Feng Xi with a weird look on their faces. They secretly thought that there was some kind of grievance between these two young men and couldn’t help but wonder what happened last night that made Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master cry and beg this young man to spare him.
[So, something like this happened. No wonder he was denying so forcefully.]
Feng Xi wanted to explain himself, but Feng Xuan waved his hand, stopping him.
Feng Xi’s face and neck were red in anger but he didn’t dare to disobey his father’s orders. He could only swallow his grievance back down as his eyes turned red, filled with complaint.
Feng Xuan looked at Yang Kai and indifferently stated, “Young man, acting boldly isn’t a bad thing, but you must also judge your situation accurately. Only a reckless person blindly charges forward without thinking.”
“Bah!” Yang Kai frivolously stood there and spat before he lazily cupped his fists at Feng Xuan and said, “Junior will take Seniors guidance to heart; however… what is it you really want to say?”
Feng Xuan furrowed his brow and asked, “I heard that you snatched two Space Rings from members of my Seeking Passion Sect last night?”
[He snatched two Space Rings from Seeking Passion Sect!?] Hu Yuan and the others’ eyes widened in shock when they heard this, none of them able to believe their ears.
Previously, they thought of Yang Kai as someone who truly didn’t fear the Heavens, a rash youth who didn’t know what was good for him, but now it seemed that he wasn’t just rash but a complete lunatic!
Who in the entire Northern Territory would dare to snatch Space Rings from Seeking Passion Sect? The answer, this young man! And it wasn’t just one ring, but two! Who knows which hapless fellow lost his Space Ring? But even if that was the case, why was Sect Master Feng Xuan personally asking about it?
This boy was finished, he wouldn’t see the light of day tomorrow.
Yang Kai immediately shouted with a serious look on his face, “Senior, you can eat whatever you please, but you cannot say whatever you want! What snatching? I take great offence to this charge! This Young Master acted openly and aboveboard, always maintaining a righteous character! I even sit upright! I have never done such a thing! Senior saying I ‘snatched’ two Space Rings is tantamount to tarnishing the noble character of this Young Master! I am very unhappy, being accused so!”
His serious face suddenly turned gloomy as if he was really angry.
Hu Yuan and the others immediately wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads.
All of them were Emperor Realm Masters, and had been roaming freely in the Star Boundary for several thousand years each, but what they saw today had truly broadened their horizons. They felt that the things they had seen in their entire lives weren’t as mind-blowing as what they were seeing today. Where did this lunatic come from? He was not showing any intention of lowering his head even when faced with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! On the contrary, he was speaking so flippantly and without any hesitation.
Yao Zhou angrily shouted, “Didn’t you steal this King and Xi’er’s Space Rings? Boy, don’t lie through your teeth!”
Once he said this, Hu Yuan and the others, who had just wiped the sweat off their forehead, started sweating again. To their surprise, the two hapless fellows who lost their Space Rings were the Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master!
This had suddenly turned into a big deal that would not end simply!
Originally, everyone thought that Yang Kai had robbed the rings of some Seeking Passion Sect disciples, but the truth was far more shocking. If it was just Feng Xi, it was still somewhat acceptable as he was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but Yao Zhuo was a Second-Order Emperor! How could such a Master have his Space Ring stolen?
Regardless of how this matter ended today, Seeking Passion Sect would suffer a serious loss of face. Their Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master had their Space Rings snatched by a Third-Order Dao Source Realm brat. If word got out, Seeking Passion Sect would not be able to gain a foothold in the Northern Territory anywhere.
Hu Yuan and the others could almost see this bizarre matter being turned into a song and sung on the streets of every city. In just ten years, the people of the Seeking Passion Sect would not be able to lift their heads.
“So, you were talking about those Space Rings…” Yang Kai looked as if he woke up from a dream and was struck with realization. The next moment, his face sank as he stated with a snort, “Vice Sect Master, please choose your words more carefully. When did I snatch those two rings? One ring was a bargaining chip given to this Young Master, while the other was forcefully stuffed into my hands by your Young Sect Master. If this Young Master didn’t take it, the Young Sect Master would have been uneasy, so this Young Master reluctantly took it, but now you are using this Young Master’s kind gesture to level false accusations?”
“Little Bastard!” Yao Zhuo erupted in fury as he fiercely circulated his Emperor Qi, seemingly wanting to rush forward and rip Yang Kai into ten thousand pieces.
Yang Kai, agilely jumped back and, landing beside An Ruo Yun and the others, stared up at him, asking, “What are you doing? Do you want to kill me? You can give it a try!”
“Sect Master!?” Yao Zhuo looked back and cupped his fist at Feng Xuan as he declared, “I must kill him!”
Feng Xuan calmly stated in response, “You can’t.”
Yang Kai had jumped to An Ruo Yun and the others’ side, so Yao Zhuo had lost any chance to kill Yang Kai. And Feng Xuan, as the Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect, couldn’t personally kill Yang Kai as that would be a disgrace to his status. He suddenly discovered that this young man of unknown origin was giving him a terrible headache, seemingly even harder to deal with than Bing Yun.
Feng Xuan pondered for a moment before staring at Yang Kai and praising, “Little Brother is a dragon among men. You will become an outstanding character in the future. You can treat those two rings as this Sect Master’s gift to you for our first meeting.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and responded with a snort, “Senior wants to have the last word and seems quite adept at it too.”
Feng Xuan knew that he would definitely not be able to take back the two Space Rings, so he simply said that they were gifts for their first meeting. It was extremely shameless; however, it would also show the generosity of Seeking Passion Sect and save them some face.
“But there is one thing in them that this King needs back. Little Brother, please cooperate.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked, “What is it?”
He hadn’t found anything special when he went through the rings before, though there were many precious treasures.
“The Blood Jade Qilin,” Feng Xuan quickly said.
“Blood Jade Qilin?” Yang Kai murmured to himself, quickly scanning his Space Ring with his Divine Sense before taking out a red Qilin statue. This Qilin statue was just thirty centimetres tall and was quite vivid and lifelike, but Yang Kai had no idea what it was carved from. He had thrown it into his ring after a glance, and only when Feng Xuan brought it up did he suddenly remember it.
“That’s it!” Feng Xuan confirmed with a nod.
“What’s so special about this thing?” Yang Kai asked curiously. He had no idea why Feng Xuan wanted this thing back.
Feng Xuan didn’t try to conceal anything and explained, “It is useless to Little Brother as it is simply a status symbol of the Young Sect Master’s wife of my Sect. It is passed down from the Ancestral Founder of my Sect and holds great ceremonial significance to my Seeking Passion Sect!”
“The status symbol of the Young Sect Master’s wife!” Yang Kai raised his brow and glanced at Zi Yu, who was still kneeling before the entrance, thinking that Feng Xi was still very interested in her. He had sixty-nine concubines at home and yet he actually brought this Blood Jade Qilin as a gift to give Zi Yu. Obviously, he regarded her as extremely important.
But this wasn’t strange as Zi Yu was the top rising star of Ice Heart Valley. She was a perfect match for Feng Xi, whether it was her origin or aptitude. His sixty-nine concubines at home were simply no match for Zi Yu.
Yang Kai had no idea whether Feng Xuan’s words were true or not, or whether there was a secret hidden in the Blood Jade Qilin, but while he was immersed in his thoughts, a voice suddenly rang in his ears, “Feng Xuan isn’t lying. The Blood Jade Qilin is indeed the status symbol of the wife of each generation’s Young Sect Master. Only the one who possesses the Blood Jade Qilin can be regarded as the Young Sect Master’s wife. Other women would just be the concubines of the Young Sect Master.”
The voice belonged to An Ruo Yun. She would definitely not lie to him so Yang Kai secretly nodded in acknowledgement.
“Good! This King needs to take this Blood Jade Qilin back. Please cooperate and return it to this King!” Feng Xuan stretched his hand toward Yang Kai as he spoke.
A meaningful grin immediately appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he asked, “Senior only needs this thing back? There are many rare and precious treasures inside those two rings, are you sure you don’t want them as well?”
Feng Xuan proudly stated, “Although those things are valuable, they are nothing but a drop in the bucket to my Seeking Passion Sect. However, the Blood Jade Qilin cannot be lost.”
Yang Kai broke into laughter and declared, “Seeking Passion Sect deserves its reputation as a top Sect of the Northern Territory. As expected, you are really wealthy. So many treasures are nothing to you, this has indeed opened my eyes!”
Feng Xi let out a cold snort and sarcastically said, “What a country bumpkin!”
Yang Kai grinned towards him, his smile seeming to carry a deep meaning. Feng Xi couldn’t help but shudder seeing this smile, an extremely unpleasant feeling suddenly gripping his heart.
Right then, Yang Kai looked back at Feng Xuan and stated, “If Senior wants this Blood Jade Qilin back, this Young Master can return it; after all, this thing is extremely significant to your noble Sect, and this Young Master doesn’t want to take someone’s beloved treasure.”
“Many thanks for your understanding,” Feng Xuan calmly said.
Yang Kai laughed meaningfully next, “As I told your Young Sect Master and Vice Sect Master the night before, all things in this world are negotiable. If Senior wants this thing back, there is no problem, as long as… you can make it worthwhile for me!”
While speaking, he quickly rubbed his index finger and thump, indicating he wanted money.
The onlooking Hu Yuan and the others were immediately struck with dizziness.
Feng Xi suddenly turned pale as he coughed awkwardly. The last time Yang Kai said these words, he and Yao Zhou had lost their Space Rings, and now he was saying the same thing again. Who knows how he would ask for the lion’s share this time! Suddenly, Feng Xi understood why he was feeling restless just now.
Feng Xuan looked at Yang Kai with a weird look on his face and calmly asked, “Are you bargaining with this King?”
Yang Kai glanced at him, paying no heed, and stated, “Since Senior wants this Blood Jade Qilin, Senior must naturally pay an appropriate price for it. Senior is also a man of integrity so surely he knows there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, yes?”
Feng Xuan somehow controlled his fury, grimacing in anger as he asked with a scoff, “How much?”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Senior is very easy to talk to, much better than your son. Out of respect for your refreshing personality, this Young Master won’t ask for much. I think this much will be sufficient.”
He stretched one finger up and waved it lightly.
Feng Xuan lightly nodded, “Ten million. Indeed not much.”
Yang Kai looked dumbfounded and failed to stop himself from laughing as he stated, “Ten million? Senior must be joking, right? This Blood Jade Qilin is something passed down in your noble Sect from the hands of your Ancestral Founder. It might not be a treasure, but it is of great symbolic significance. In Senior’s eyes, is it only worth ten million?”
“So, you want a hundred million?” Feng Xuan’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam as he angrily rebuked, “Young man, your appetite is quite big! Be careful, or your belly might just burst!”
“A hundred million?” Yang Kai sneered, “Seeking Passion Sect controls many businesses and is incredibly rich. Senior must feel embarrassed to only take out a measly sum of a hundred million, and this Young Master is equally embarrassed to ask for such a paltry amount. Your Seeking Passion Sect must not lose face here.”
“Could it be… you want a billion?” Feng Xuan’s head was buzzing, nearly coughing up blood in anger.
“A billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals should be nothing to Seeking Passion Sect, right?” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile.
“Mid-Rank Source Crystals!?” The corners of Feng Xuan’s mouth twitched. At first, he thought that Yang Kai wanted a billion Low-Rank Source Crystals, but he had never expected him to want Mid-Rank Source Crystals. The difference between the two sums was a hundredfold! Even if they were converted to High-Rank Source Crystals, it would still be ten million! Feng Xuan immediately shouted in anger, “Little Beast, it turns out you were just mocking this King without the slightest sincerity to return the Blood Jade Qilin! This King will teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents so you learn there are some people in this world you can never offend!”
Previously, Feng Xuan was unwilling to personally make a move on Yang Kai, mainly because of his identity and status; after all, there were many eyes on him. He, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master attacking a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, was really a shameful thing to do.
However, now that Yang Kai was making such unreasonable demands, Feng Xuan finally lost his temper. No matter how embarrassing it may be, even if he killed Yang Kai now, everyone wouldn’t think he was bullying the weak; after all, Yang Kai’s current performance was really too disgusting.
While speaking, Feng Xuan palmed towards Yang Kai, and in the blink of an eye, the Heavens and Earth dimmed as Principles began to surge.
The entire Ice Moon City seemed to have been covered by the might of this one palm strike, making everyone feel suffocated, their chests tightening as if something heavy was placed on them.
Hu Yuan and the others suddenly turned pale as they promptly backed away, secretly feeling sorry for Yang Kai. This boy really didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, repeatedly provoking a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. He must really be tired of living.
Everyone could almost see Yang Kai’s corpse lying on the ground.
Feng Xuan attacked without any warning, so by the time the Ice Heart Valley Elders reacted and wanted to save Yang Kai, it was already too late.
Yang Kai was also rooted in his place by the Emperor Pressure, unable to move, his face pale; however, not even an ounce of fear could be found in his eyes. On the contrary, he looked calm and composed as he stared back at Feng Xuan with a look of mockery.
*Chi…*
With a soft noise, a snow-white Sword Qi suddenly flew out from somewhere inside the inn, shooting straight at the oncoming Feng Xuan’s palm with an imposing momentum.
Immediately after, a deafening explosion shook everyone’s eardrums as a huge shockwave swept out in every direction, causing the buildings within a radius of a thousand metres to rock.
The palm disappeared into nothing while the blade of Sword Qi shot straight towards the sky, disappearing in a flash.
When everyone finally regained their wits, they found a young woman standing in front of Yang Kai. This woman didn’t look very old, perhaps only seventeen or eighteen; however, her aura was extremely pure, as if she had never been defiled by the slightest dust.
Feng Xuan’s pupil immediately shrunk as his gaze completely fixed on this young woman.
An Ruo Yun and the others’ pretty eyes widened in surprise as they stared at this sudden newcomer and shouted in trembling voices, “Master!”
[Master!?]
Hu Yuan and the other nearby spectators immediately came to realize who this young woman was after hearing this. Evidently, she was the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, the Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who had been missing for three thousand years, Bing Yun!
“Disciple greets Master!” An Ruo Yun and the others bowed on the ground together.
Bing Yun calmly glanced at them, her thoughts impossible to read. Only sparing them a moment, she then focused her pretty eyes on Yang Kai and said with a soft snort, “You’re quite bold.”
Obviously, she was talking about Yang Kai’s constant provocation of Feng Xuan.
Bing Yun had lived for over ten thousand years, but even after so long, she had never seen someone as reckless as Yang Kai. He, a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, dared to clamour and bargain with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
“Heh heh!” Yang Kai laughed, wearing a smile on his face, “With Senior’s backing, why would I be afraid?” After a pause, he nervously asked under his breath, “Have you fully recovered, Senior?”
Bing Yun replied with a light snort, “Just about.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help relaxing. If Bing Yun said that she had ‘just about’ recovered, she must have completely recovered already. In other words, there was no problem with her taking action. As long as she was here to preside over the situation, there was nothing to fear from Feng Xuan.
“Bing Yun, what are you doing?” Feng Xuan coldly glared at Bing Yun and shouted, “If this King remembers correctly, your Ice Heart Valley doesn’t accept male disciples, right? Why did you stop this King from teaching this boy a lesson?”
Bing Yun glanced back at him and replied, “Wait there while I deal with some internal affairs of my valley first. I will deal with you later!”
Feng Xuan immediately froze; however, he did not argue. In the entire Star Boundary, there were few who were qualified to speak to him like this, but Bing Yun was definitely one of them. Who knows how many times they had fought, but every time, they wound up in a draw. Bing Yun and Feng Xuan dreaded one another, so Feng Xuan still had to give her face even if he was infuriated at this moment.
Bing Yun turned around and calmly said, gazing at An Ruo Yun and the others, “Get up, why are you still kneeling?”
An Ruo Yun and the others lowered their heads further; not one of them standing up.
Bing Yun coldly snorted and said, “This Queen has left for just three millennia and you are already having a difficult time speaking, is that right? No wonder you dare to marry off the best disciple of the valley. When did my Ice Heart Valley start to take cues from others? You little girls are truly impressive!”
Judging by her voice, she appeared to know the ins and outs of everything. She must have gotten some information from listening to everyone’s chatter outside.
An Ruo Yun’s soft and exquisite figure trembled slightly as she knew that her Master was truly angry, immediately stating in a panic-stricken voice, “We Disciples have gone against Master’s teachings and ask Master to punish us!”
Sun Yun Xiu anxiously spoke up, “Master, this matter has nothing to do with the other sisters. I was the one who agreed to the marriage with Seeking Passion Sect. If Master wants to punish someone, it should be me alone.”
“You think I won’t punish you!?” Bing Yun glared at Sun Yun Xiu. Sun Yun Xiu was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, but being glared at by Bing Yun, she trembled like a mouse that had just seen a cat, clenching her teeth while trying not to utter a single cry.
Right then, Zi Yu intervened, “Ancestral Founder, please calm your anger. Great Elder only had the valley in mind when she did this. I ask Ancestral Founder to spare her.”
Her act of interceding for Sun Yun Xiu really came as a surprise, even to Sun Yun Xiu herself, a complicated look appearing in her pretty eyes.
Bing Yun focused her gaze on Zi Yu and her expression immediately softened as she calmly stated, “You are too soft-hearted. Who would have thought that you would speak on her behalf even when she was the one to push you into the fiery pit.”
Zi Yu, shaking her head, continued to defend Sun Yun Xiu, “Great Elder was helpless. If she did not do this, it would have been difficult for my fellow sisters to survive. If Zi Yu’s happiness can be sacrificed for the safety of the other sisters, Zi Yu is willing. Even though I had such intentions, I don’t know why I wanted to run away, the further, the better. This Zi Yu was simply ignorant and unaware of the world. Ancestral Founder, please don’t blame others.” As she spoke, Zi Yu broke into tears, extremely confused and saddened.
Bing Yun’s lips parted to say something, but ultimately she just sighed before changing her words, “Rest assured, since I’m here, no one can force you to do anything against your will!”
Zi Yu’s tears immediately turned into smiles as she bowed her head, “Many thanks, Ancestral Founder!”
Bing Yun’s words seemed to have reassured her, making her feel at peace at once, so she no longer panicked as her fears all abated.
Bing Yun looked at Sun Yun Xiu again and stated, “As for your mistake, I will make a decision after I return to the valley. Get up first!”
“Many thanks, Master!” All the women thanked in unison. Only then did they stand up.
Bing Yun’s gaze softened as she looked at everyone’s face, discovering that over half of the Emperor Realm Masters present were the disciples she had taken in long ago. Today, they had all broken through to the Emperor Realm. Also, she had some impressions of the other Emperors present. They should be outstanding disciples of the valley from the past, so while they might not be her direct Disciples, all of them were among Ice Heart Valley’s first generation. There were only two or three Emperors she was unfamiliar with, never having seen them before.
These two or three Emperors Realm Master must have been recruited into Ice Heart Valley by An Ruo Yun and the others after she left.
There were always some lone cultivators without strong backgrounds who encountered Heaven-defying opportunities, allowing them to travel far on the Martial Dao. Such cultivators were outstanding geniuses who would always be welcomed by great forces. Since they could cultivate to such a high realm without any support and fewer cultivation resources, they had a very high probability of advancing to the Emperor Realm with such support.
Yang Kai was a prime example.
If cultivators like these wanted to take refuge in top Sects, they only needed to pass some simple tests and inspections to join. Of course, even after joining the Sect, they would be subjected to a long period of investigation and scrutiny to ensure they weren’t plotting anything against the Sect and they could be entrusted with important tasks.
Bing Yun looked at the unfamiliar Emperors, all of whom should have been recruited into Ice Heart Valley just like this. Since they were standing here, it meant that there should be no problem with their loyalty.
“What about Little Three, Little Five, and Little Nine?” Bing Yun suddenly asked. She seemed to have some premonitions as sadness flashed across her eyes.
An Ruo Yun quickly replied, “Third Junior Sister left shortly after Master left Ice Heart Valley. She went out to seek Master’s trail but lost contact with the valley, her whereabouts unknown.”