“Brother Yang is a dragon among men, but if you want to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell, you can’t just depend on handsomeness!” Qi Hai summoned up his courage and stated. He was the one requesting Yang Kai’s help, so he couldn’t be too straightforward, lest he made Yang Kai upset.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he asked, “Judging by Brother Qi’s words, do you know the way to conquer the Mountains and Rivers Bell?”
“Of course I don’t know the way to subdue it, but this Qi has some information about it for Brother Yang.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it,” Yang Kai immediately became interested.
Qi Hai continued, “The world only knows that the Mountains and Rivers Bell is the Yuan Ding Great Emperor’s Natal Emperor Artifact, but what few know is that the Mountains and Rivers Bell didn’t belong to the Yuan Ding Great Emperor from the start. It’s an Ancient Exotic Artifact!”
“Ancient Exotic Artifact!” Yang Kai’s pupils shrank after hearing this.
“Indeed!” Qi Hai explained with a nod, “It was precisely because the Yuan Ding Great Emperor got his hands on the Mountains and Rivers Bell that he could become a Great Emperor. It could be said that the Mountains and Rivers Bell made him a Great Emperor.”
“So it was like this!” Yang Kai got to hear a lot of surprising things. This was really a big secret, and had Qi Hai not told him, Yang Kai might never have learned this.
“If not, how can the Mountains and Rivers Bell suppress the Phoenix True Fire? What’s more, after the suppression, even Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was unable to break through its defences. If it were a normal Emperor Artifact, it would have been impossible for it to suppress the Phoenix True Fire for tens of thousands of years.”
Yang Kai felt that this also made sense. The Phoenix True Fire was extremely overbearing, yet it was suppressed by the Mountains and Rivers Bell for tens of thousands of years. If the Mountains and Rivers Bell hadn’t flown away on its own, it might have been impossible for the Phoenix True Fire to see daylight again.
“Then Brother Qi, isn’t there something you were going to tell me?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Qi Hai’s expression turned grim as he continued, “It is written in ancient records that the Yuan Ding Great Emperor had ventured into the Eastern Territory’s Ancient Wild Lands in the past. There, he had stumbled upon an enormous bell. It was the Mountains and Rivers Bell. At that time, Yuan Divine Great Emperor was just an ordinary Emperor Realm Master. He wanted to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell but was unable to. In the end, he forcefully endured its eighty-one gongs and finally won the approval of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Only then was he able to bring it out from Ancient Wild Lands.”
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell actually came from the Ancient Wild Lands!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He had heard Qi Hai mention Ancient Wild Lands before, but he hadn’t paid too much attention to it, but now, after hearing that the Mountains and Rivers Bell came from the Ancient Wild Lands, Yang Kai naturally realized that it was an incredible place. Secretly, he decided that he would go there and take a look if got the opportunity.
However, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor actually endured eighty-one gongs to finally obtain the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s recognition. It was a remarkable feat.
Yang Kai had also experienced the might of the Mountains and Rivers Bell first hand. A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator had died on spot just by coming in contact with it, so Yang Kai wasn’t confident that he could withstand its eighty-one gongs.
By informing him of this, Qi Hai had undoubtedly provided Yang Kai with a way to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but the danger was also great.
“Brother Yang, if you are uncertain, I advise you to ignore the Mountains and Rivers Bell. There are still many priceless treasures in the Shattered Star Sea. You and I can together…”
Before he could finish speaking, Yang Kai interrupted him, “I would still like to go and see.”
Qi Hai’s face darkened as he said, “Since that’s the case, then this Qi won’t persuade you anymore. Brother Yang, please be careful along the way.”
“Many thanks, Brother Qi. See you again!” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and while speaking, his figure flickered, flying off into the void.
Qi Hai stood in his place, staring at Yang Kai’s back with a complicated look on his face. Only after a long time did a heavy sigh finally escape his lips before he went searching in another direction, alone.
He didn’t have a deep friendship with Yang Kai, but judging by the fact that Yang Kai promised him that he would visit the Qi Family Fort in the Eastern Territory if he got the chance, it was quite evident that Yang Kai was an easy-going person. Had it been someone else, he or she would have totally ignored him, or more likely, silenced him.
After all, Qi Hai had witnessed Yang Kai suppressing and subduing the Phoenix True Fire. If the word of this got out, Yang Kai would have pretty hard days ahead of him.
It was precisely for this reason that Qi Hai vowed first to not speak a word of what he saw.
However, he had no confidence that Yang Kai would go to the Qi Family Fort and look for him.
If Yang Kai didn’t visit, then his wife would really die, but even if Yang Kai went there, in light of his wife’s current condition, she only had a slim chance, that’s all.
…..
Yang Kai flew in the direction of the Mountains and Rivers Bell for half a day before he suddenly sensed that Soul Mark he had left on Lan He.
When Lan He passed by him earlier, he deliberately patted Lan He’s shoulder, just so that he could plant the Soul Mark, giving him a chance to track the Mountain and Rivers Bell easily. As for becoming the target of Lan He’s discontent and suspicion, that was inevitable and unavoidable.
Without this Soul Mark, Yang Kai would never be able to track the location of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Yang Kai immediately flew in the direction of the Soul Mark, and after another hour, Yang Kai finally saw Lan He’s figure somewhere in the void.
However, what surprised him was that Lan He was fighting with some people at this moment. Furthermore, she was being besieged.
Yang Kai focused his gaze and found that two besieging here were Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters. Their cultivation was pretty good, and with one against two, Lan He appeared to be in a rather precarious situation. She seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries already and she was bleeding in a lot of places.
When he took a second look at the surroundings, Yang Kai found that almost none of the dozens of cultivators that were on the dark red star before had fallen; everyone was here.
And the Mountains and Rivers Bell was hovering in the void in one place, completely still.
Everyone was looking at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with a greedy and covetous gaze, but no one stepped forward to fight for it. Yang Kai found this extremely strange and he had no idea what was going on here.
However, what put his heart at ease was that Yin Le Sheng of the Netherworld Sect was still here. Yang Kai was pretty relieved by this. The Shattered Star Sea was so vast, so if he lost track of Yin Le Sheng, Yang Kai wasn’t confident he could find him again.
Almost everyone remained still in the void. Only Lan He was fighting with two opponents, so Yang Kai’s arrival attracted a lot of attention. Yin Le Sheng, too, indifferently glanced at him, but as Yang Kai was wearing a disguise, he wasn’t recognized.
“Don’t come here!” Just when Yang Kai was rushing over, Lan He, who happened to be fighting and at a disadvantage, suddenly shouted at Yang Kai.
Due to this momentary distraction, she had suffered two more wounds as blood spurted from them.
Yang Kai looked at her in astonishment, wondering why she prevented him from approaching when she was still being ganged upon. If it was because she was disgusted by his previous actions, then she was being too sensitive.
However, very soon, Yang Kai understood her intention.
Just as he rushed over, he suddenly noticed an anomaly around him.
There was a Natural Spirit Array hidden in this place, one that was extremely dangerous and well concealed.
He didn’t notice it from outside at all, but as soon as he entered it, Yang Kai felt as if he was surrounded by a crisis, unable to find a way out.
No wonder no one was acting rashly when the Mountains and Rivers Bell was right in front of them. The place where the Mountains and Rivers Bell was seemed to be the most dangerous place in this entire Natural Spirit Array, causing Yang Kai to tremble all over.
After understanding this, Yang Kai’s face turned black.
The dozens of cultivators in the vicinity were looking at him with a mocking look on their faces, taking pleasure in his misfortune.
Yang Kai coldly snorted as he shouted, “What are you looking at? Bunch of wastes, do you believe this Young Master won’t gouge your eyes out?!”
Having accidentally rushed into this Natural Spirit Array had somewhat annoyed Yang Kai, and even though it was normal for these people to not warn him, their act of taking pleasure in his misfortune was very irritating.
As soon as he said this, several dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him, their murderous intent instantly spilling over to the surroundings, causing this part of the void to freeze.
Every cultivator here was an elite of some great force and had always been to ones to be on the receiving end of respect, but today, they had been called wastes by Yang Kai; how could they take it?
Not to mention, Yang Kai scolded everyone in one sentence. He was too lawless and he didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
Many people looked at Yang Kai as if they were looking at a dead person.
Yang Kai spat disdainfully, as if he didn’t put any of them in his eyes. He then turned to Lan He and asked, “What hatred or grievance do you have with these two that you have to fight here?”
The act of Lan He warning him not to come when she was under attack had slightly moved Yang Kai. Naturally, he couldn’t sit back and watch this without doing anything.
Lan He lashed out, annoyed, “It’s a matter between our Sects, nothing to do with personal enmity!”
The reason why she warned Yang Kai was not because she was trying to save Yang Kai. Rather she wanted Yang Kai to send a message to her Sect to inform them about her own situation. If she died here, at least someone would know about it.
But this idiot actually rushed in, so now he couldn’t leave even if he wanted to.
Lan He found that ever since she met this guy, everything had been going wrong, as if he was some kind of god of misfortune plaguing her.
One of the two men besieging Lan He shouted, “Slut, Eldest Senior Brother was castrated by you. He is neither man nor ghost from now on, and you dare to say that it has nothing to do with personal enmity!”
As soon as this was mentioned, everyone’s expression was unusually brilliant and secretly sympathized with that unknown Eldest Senior Brother. As a man, getting castrated was a tragic thing, and just the thought of it caused many legs to clamp tightly.
Lan He rebuked with a cold snort, “He used that thing to try to commit an outrageous act against me, he should be punished for it!”
The man angrily lashed out, “With your looks, no man in this world will ever be interested in you! I think you were just jealous, that’s why you did such a sinister thing to Eldest Senior Brother.”
The other man yelled, “Yes, as a woman, you’ll never get to have a man in your life! If you don’t believe it, you can try it out and see if any man here will be interested in you!”
“He’s a she?” One of the surrounding cultivators stared at Lan He with widened eyes as he asked in amazement.
“I’m really blind. I thought she was a man!”
“Tsk tsk, this girl is really interesting. Could it be that she was born in the wrong family!”
“Haha, you don’t understand, the more a woman is like her, the more interesting it is to play with her.”
“Sii… Brother, your tastes are quite… heavy…”
Lan He’s face flushed red while listening to the noisy comments coming from all around her, whether it was because she was angered or ashamed, however, it was impossible to tell.
Even though she had a neutral personality and her appearance was flat, she was still a woman and naturally felt embarrassed when someone spoke such things right in her face. Even if her will was firm, she couldn’t help being disturbed by such overt harassment.
Seeing this, the two cultivators besieging her looked happy and started to attack even more ruthlessly.
Lan He was quite strong, though, so although her two attackers had an absolute advantage, they would still have to pay a hefty price if they wanted to really kill her. But at this moment, Lan He’s emotions were in chaos, so her defeat was imminent, it was only a matter of time.
At this moment, another person broke into laughter, mocking Lan He, “Who hasn’t heard of the famous Heavenly Wolf Valley’s Eldest Senior Brother Lan He? Oh, sorry, I was wrong, it should be Eldest Senior Sister, hahaha!”
Yang Kai found this person’s voice familiar, turning his head to look and realizing it was none other than Brahma Holy Land’s Holy Sons, Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian, whom he had met once before.
The speaker was Zhang Hao, who had fought against Yang Kai before.
By the looks of it, he was acquainted with Lan He, and it didn’t sound like a friendly relationship; there might be some dispute between them so he didn’t shy away from adding insult to injury here.
“Heavenly Wolf Valley?” Yang Kai raised his brow, feeling as if he had heard of this Sect somewhere before, but even after mulling over it, he couldn’t remember.
“Whether she is a man or a woman, let’s quickly check it!” Someone made a ruckus, rallying many along with him.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai glared at everyone before sneering, “Is it really that interesting to watch a group of men bully a woman?”
The person, who just yelled, immediately lashed out angrily, “Little brat, who do you think you are? You were just being arrogant and now you dare to treat others with contempt? I dare you report your name!”
Others also glared at Yang Kai and everyone was extremely dissatisfied with his arrogant attitude.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, completely ignoring that one who spoke before his figure flickered and he flew towards Lan He. Halfway there, he summoned a hundred Golden Blood Threads.
Suddenly, a dazzling golden flash blinded everyone as the Golden Blood Threads soared through the void.
Although the two besieging Lan He were focused on their battle with Lan He, they were still paying close attention to Yang Kai’s movements; after all, he seemed to have some friendship with her.
So, when Yang Kai made a move, the two of them promptly reacted, one of them turning to confront Yang Kai, shouting, “Boy, you court death!”
Unleashing a slash from his sword, it seemed as if space was being cut asunder. The incomparably fierce blade aura made the world go dark and everyone paled at the sight of this.
But suddenly, the Golden Blood Threads transformed into an enormous golden net that gave the impression that it could cover the entire world, directly trapping the sword wave.
The next moment, grating noises rang out. Although the sword wave was quite strong, it was unable to break through the Golden Blood Threads. Instead, it was pushed back while the Golden Blood Thread net remained completely unaffected and it continued shooting straight towards the cultivator while shrinking rapidly, looking like it was about to wrap around him.
The man’s face drastically changed. Although he had no idea what was special about this golden net, the terrifying fluctuations emanating from it were impossible to ignore. Not daring to let it touch him, he made a prompt retreat.
But the next moment, his eyes widened in shock as his face went pale as a ghost.
Because Yang Kai, who had been hundreds of metres away from him before, was now somehow standing right before him with a wicked grin on his face. The vicious glint in Yang Kai’s eyes made this man’s feet go cold as he trembled all over.
He didn’t even notice how Yang Kai got so close to him. It was as if he had fallen into a momentary trance then the two were already standing face to face.
As their gazes met, that cultivator only saw a white lotus bud image suddenly fly out of Yang Kai’s left eye. The bud was spotless and pure, but it disappeared in a flash.
The next moment, his Knowledge Sea suddenly shook, making him dizzy and almost knocking him off the ground.
The next moment, Yang Kai threw a punch.
*Kacha…*
At the same time, the sound of ribs cracking came out as blood splashed into the void.
The man stood rooted in place, dazed as he gawked at Yang Kai with a look of incredulity hanging on his face.
At the same time, gasps could be heard coming from all around.
Because everyone saw Yang Kai rush in front of his opponent using some unknown Secret Technique or Divine Ability. The next moment, a painful look appeared on his opponent’s face before Yang Kai punched straight through the man’s chest, leaving a huge gaping hole.
The eyes of all the cultivators standing nearby this place jumped wildly.
Because at this moment, Yang Kai was actually holding a beating heart in his hand. This scene was so bloody that they didn’t dare to look directly at it.
With a slight force, the heart burst apart, and along with this sound, the head of the cultivator, whose chest was punched through, tilted to one side as his aura disappeared altogether.
*Gudong…*
Sounds of everyone nervously gulping were heard, one after another. Many people’s gazes toward Yang Kai changed dramatically as even the strongest and most prideful people present here had serious and grim looks on their faces.
Killing a cultivator of the same level in the blink of an eye and in a completely relaxed fashion was not something everyone present here could do.
Even if they could do it, they would have to resort to their most powerful Secret Techniques, which would consume a lot of their strength.
On the other hand, Yang Kai just summoned a big golden net, and then threw a punch. It was like he was killing a chicken rather than a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master.
Only now did everyone finally realize that Yang Kai had the capital to act so arrogant, not putting any of them in his eyes.
“It’s him…” Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes, staring at Yang Kai closely, seemingly realizing something.
“Who?” Zhang Xian asked in a low voice.
Zhang Hao answered with a grim look, “If I’m not mistaken, he’s the guy we saw with Yu Ying before.”
Zhang Xian was greatly shocked, “How is that possible? Didn’t you injure that guy in one move? How can he be this strong then? Not to mention, the two of them look completely different.”
Zhang Hao explained, “One’s appearance can be changed, but their aura can’t be disguised. I could tell when he made his move just now. This kid hid himself deeply. He definitely concealed his strength before. But if he is here, what about Yu Ying?”
Zhang Xian replied with a straight face, “Since this brat is so ruthless, Yu Ying’s fate was most likely quite miserable.”
Zhang Hao worriedly stated, “I hit him before… I wonder if he’s holding a grudge against me for it. If he attacked me like how he just did…” At this point, his face went slightly pale. As a Holy Son of Brahma Holy Land, Zhang Hao had never been afraid of anyone in the Dao Source Realm before, but witnessing Yang Kai’s decisive and ruthless move, he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
Zhang Xian’s expression changed as he proposed, “If Yu Ying really died under his hand, we can inform the Netherworld Sect. Yin Le Shang isn’t a well-tempered man.”
Zhang Hao’s eyes lit up after hearing this and he hurriedly agreed with a nod, “Yes, we can do this.”
While the two were secretly communicating, the battle on Lan He’s side ended.
Lan He was not to be underestimated based on her stunted growth and appearance, her strength was nothing to make light of. The reason she had fallen into a disadvantage before was that she was fighting one versus two, but now that Yang Kai had instantly killed one of her attackers, shaking the other’s nerves greatly, it didn’t take long for Lang He to kill him by taking advantage of the lapse in concentration.
Immediately after, two Star Seals flew up into the void before being taken away by Yang Kai and Lan He respectively. Even the Space Rings were quickly divvied up by them.
Having survived the disaster, Lan He gratefully glanced at Yang Kai.
No matter why Yang Kai had helped her, the fact was that Yang Kai had saved her life. Had Yang Kai not made a move, her death would have just been a matter of time. At best, she could have dragged one of her attackers down with her.
“Who was it that was asking who this Young Master thinks he is?” Yang Kai looked around and shouted in an arrogant manner, “Come, come! Stand forth, this Young Master will tell you now!”
The person who had spoken earlier had already hidden behind the crowd, trembling in fear.
“Friend, you should show some propriety, shouldn’t you?” Zhang Hao suddenly sneered as he rebuked, looking at Yang Kai, “Could it be you think that you are invincible in this world and everyone here is beneath you?”
His words had dragged everyone into this mess in one go, causing all of them to direct their anger towards Yang Kai.
Although it was obvious Zhang Hao was instigating discord, Yang Kai’s attitude was indeed over the top.
“So what if I think you are beneath me? Come and bite me!” Yang Kai coldly glared at Zhang Hao, who didn’t know that an early bird is shot first.
Zhang Hao coldly snorted, but he wasn’t angry; rather, he looked at Yang Kai with a grin and a cold expression on his face.
“Where is my Junior Sister Yu Ying?” Someone suddenly asked.
Yang Kai raised his brow, turning his gaze towards the speaker. Immediately, a weird look appeared on his face as this person was none other than Yin Le Sheng!
[This is interesting! I have been looking for him, and now he came to me first, but the first thing he asks is about Yu Ying… how did he know about Yu Ying having been with me? I’ve already changed my appearance…]
However, very soon, realization dawned upon Yang Kai as he took a deep look at Zhang Hao, realizing that he had been recognized after making a move just now.
“Long time no see. Who would have thought that you would have grown to this level,” Yin Le Sheng looked at Yang Kai coldly while inside he was feeling quite shocked. Apparently, he already knew of his real identity. After all, Zhong Zhen Yong had sent him some information earlier, revealing some news about this newcomer. It was precisely because of this that Yin Le Sheng looked shocked.
He could cultivate to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm because of the vigorous support of an entire Sect and the teachings of a powerful Master.
He didn’t believe that Yang Kai was blessed with such luck.
If Yang Kai didn’t have such conditions and could still cultivate to the same level as him, it was evident that Yang Kai had encountered a great opportunity.
“You aren’t bad either!” Yang Kai sneered. Since his identity had been revealed, it didn’t make sense to hide anymore, so he simply reached out and took off his mask, immediately revealing his real appearance.
“Sure enough, it’s you!” Yin Le Sheng’s expression suddenly changed. Coming face to face with his enemy, his eyes started flashing fire and he gritted his teeth and added, “You’re pretty sturdy, not only did you survive the disaster back then, but you also came to the Shattered Star Sea.”
Yang Kai glared at him coldly before asking in a grim voice, “Yin Le Sheng, I’ll just ask you one question, you better answer me honestly. Where is the puppet that was with me back then?”
Yin Le Shen slightly smiled upon hearing this before responding, “Who knows? Since it’s your puppet, why are you asking me?”
[As expected, he does know about Xiao Xiao.] Yang Kai’s brow twitched. Although Yin Le Sheng didn’t directly answer Yang Kai’s question, Yang Kai could tell from his tone and demeanour.
Yang Kai immediately became furious and he glared at him and stated, “It seems that you’re not going to tell me.”
Yin Le Sheng rebuked with a grin, “Since you know it, why bother asking?”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded as his aura instantly became extremely ferocious, like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey, causing everyone present to shudder, “Since you aren’t going to tell me, this Young Master will beat you until you start speaking!”
Yin Le Sheng’s face turned ashen as he spoke, “Do you really think you are invincible in this world?”
“I admit I’m not invincible in this world, but pinching you to death will not be a problem.”
Yin Le Sheng broke into laughter instead of getting angry, “You think so? Why? Because you are a Star Master?”
“What!? Brother Yin, what did you just say?”
“Is this brat really a Star Master?”
“Aren’t Star Masters cultivators who came from lower Star Fields? Who would have thought that this little brat would be one of them?”
“I heard that all Star Masters have an intact Star Source, giving them a unique advantage in cultivating the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. I wonder if it’s true or false.”
Upon hearing that Yang Kai was a Star Master, all the cultivators in the vicinity broke into pandemonium. They stared at Yang Kai with a heated gaze, as if they were looking at a huge piece of fresh meat.
Everyone had come to the Shattered Star Sea in search of Source Strength, but the Source Strength here was all from mere Shattered Star Sources, nothing more. Although absorbing and refining these Shattered Sources would still provide them an edge in cultivation, at the end of the day, they were still just broken remnants; how could they be comparable to an intact Star Source? An intact Star Source could give them a better comprehension of World Principles, something an incomplete Star Source couldn’t.
For a long time, there had been rumours that there were intact Star Sources in the Shattered Star Sea, but with the repeated opening of the Shattered Star Sea over time, these intact Star Sources had long found their owners. The remaining Star Sources were all broken.
Perhaps after a few more openings, even these incomplete Star Sources in the Shattered Star Sea would be carved up or dissipate. When that time came, the Shattered Star Sea would lose its current use and appeal to cultivators.
That was why everyone’s reaction was so over the top when they heard that Yang Kai was a Star Master.
Yin Le Sheng confirmed with a laugh, “This boy is indeed a Star Master. This Yin can personally guarantee this.”
Everyone gave him a weird look upon hearing this.
Lan He coldly snorted and said, “How ridiculous! Does the Netherworld Sect have no honour?”
Yang Kai had saved her life before, so now that Yang Kai was about to be targeted, she would naturally speak up on his behalf. It was quite evident that she wanted to advance and retreat with him now.
Yin Le Sheng turned gloomy as he looked around and stated, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask him, what was his cultivation seven years ago!”
A burly man immediately turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Little brat, didn’t you hear him? Quickly answer the question!”
Although Yang Kai’s previous act of killing a cultivator of the same level was very daunting, he was all alone. At this moment, with so many people targeting him, everyone believed that no matter how strong Yang Kai was, he couldn’t raise any more waves.
Yang Kai gave a sidelong glance at the burly man before rebuking him with a cold snort, “None of your damn business.”
He didn’t place any importance on the burly man at all, making the burly man go livid in anger.
Yin Le Sheng continued with a smile, “Seven years ago, he was only a Second-Order Origin King. Brother Yang, did I remember it correctly?”
“Second-Order Origin King!?”
“How… how is that possible!?”
“From Second-Order Origin King to Third-Order Dao Source Realm in just seven years!? Ai, how is this possible!?”
“Brother Yin, are you lying to us?”
A Second-Order Origin King actually reached the Third-Order Dao Source Realm in just seven years! Such a rate of progress was simply terrifying. Comparatively, everyone here had at most advanced by a Minor Realm over the past seven years, if they advanced at all.
Ying Le Sheng stated, “What good does it do for me to lie to you? Other opportunities might have played some part in helping him reach this level, but being a Star Master provided him with the greatest edge!”
“I have long heard that all the cultivators from lower Star Fields are geniuses, especially the Star Masters; their cultivation is as fast as flying. If Brother Yin is right, then you have really opened up my eyes today!”
“You’re believing the words of a Netherworld Sect disciple? Can’t you see that Yin Le Sheng has a grudge with this guy? He even went so far as to specifically point out that he is a Star Master! Clearly, he wants to murder with a borrowed knife.”
“I can see that, but who doesn’t want an intact Star Source? If I can get it…”
Endless whispers could be heard everywhere, but Yang Kai just sneered as he took a sidelong glance at Yin Le Sheng and stated, “You have been talking only about me, why does Brother Yin talk about himself as well? You were just a Third-Order Origin King seven years ago, am I right?”
Yin Le Sheng responded with a smile, “So what?”
As soon as he confirmed this, many people looked at Yin Le Sheng in surprise.
Yang Kai had spent seven years advancing from Second-Order Origin King to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. That was already amazing enough, but they didn’t expect for Yin Le Sheng’s progress to be not much worse than his. Compared to these two, everyone suddenly felt they were somewhat mediocre.
Yin Le Sheng spoke in an open and confident manner, “There is no harm in telling you, this Yin is in fact, also a Star Master, so I can clearly tell how quickly a Star Master cultivates.”
When he confirmed this, everyone glanced at him with an extremely heated gaze.
Yin Le Sheng saw this and coldly snorted, “However, I am different from this brat. This Yin is the Legacy Disciple of the Sect Master of the Netherworld Sect. Before you make a move on me, you’d best first consider the consequences.”
Hearing this, many people’s expressions changed, and after a moment, many shook their heads as they looked away from Yin Le Sheng.
As a Star Master, Yin Le Sheng was also a very attractive target; however, he was a Legacy Disciple of a top Sect, so he certainly had a lot of life-saving cards up his sleeve. If they really fought a life and death battle with him, they might even lose their rice while trying to steal a chicken.
On the contrary, Yang Kai was easier to deal with.
However, it was precisely because Yin Le Sheng admitted that he was a Star Master that his previous statement became more convincing. Everyone’s gaze toward Yang Kai became more and more heated.
Yin Le Sheng broke into laughter as he mocked Yang Kai, “Yang Kai, there was a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it, instead you forced open the gates of Hell. With so many heroes present today, I want to see how you are going to escape!”
Yang Kai remained calm and composed as he scoffed, “How shameless, you want to murder me with a borrowed knife?”
“Who asked you to have an intact Star Source?” Yin Le Sheng remained indifferent as he shouted, “Everyone, my Netherworld Sect has a Secret Technique that can completely remove the Star Source from a Star Master, resulting in no loss at all. If any friend can take him down, he can ask for this Yin’s help to strip the Star Source from him. This Yin guarantees that he will do his best and will not do anything selfish!”
“Haha, since Brother Yin has said so, then I can rest assured. I was just wondering how I could snatch his Star Source after killing this little brat. It turns out that the Netherworld Sect has such an amazing Secret Technique,” the burly man, who had been disdained by Yang Kai before, burst into laughter.
Yin Le Sheng stated, “This guy is pretty strong. If you want his Star Source, you better attack him together.”
Now, he was nakedly urging everyone to deal with Yang Kai together. Although the cultivators present here didn’t like his approach, before the temptation of a complete Star Source, they couldn’t help but be moved. What’s more, Yang Kai’s previous arrogant and domineering attitude had irked them greatly.
In an instant, several dozen auras locked onto Yang Kai, causing a suffocating pressure. Lan He, who was standing next to Yang Kai, had turned pale as she furrowed her brow.
She might be strong, but she had never been an enemy of so many people at once. For a moment, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy, uncertain about her future as she quietly sized up Yang Kai.
When she did so, though, Lan He couldn’t help but be surprised.
Because Yang Kai was standing there in a completely calm and composed manner. There wasn’t the slightest bit of fear or timidity in him. The dozens of auras locked on him were like a spring breeze to him; they didn’t deter or affect him in the slightest.
[He has impressive mental strength!] Lan He was secretly shocked.
Her initial impression of Yang Kai was quite bad; she had thought that he was a perverted and petty man, but after Yang Kai saved her life, she looked at him in a new light.
After all, so many people were enjoying the show just now, while Yang Kai was the only one to help her. What’s more, he had no prior relationship with her, so him taking a stand to help her had warmed her heart.
Now that the situation had changed, and it was now Yang Kai who was being targeted by everyone, Lan He could not sit idly by.
Just when she had secretly made up her mind to help Yang Kai, he suddenly spoke to her in a low voice, “Sister Lan, leave this place first.”
Lan He furrowed her brow upon hearing this and she immediately asked in a shout, “Why!? Brother Yang, are you looking down on this Lan He?”
Yang Ka was taken aback. He gazed at her and asked, “When did I say that?”
Lan He asked, snorting, “Then why are you driving me away? Since you drew a sword to help me first, then I, Lan He can’t feign uninvolvement here. Don’t worry, if they dare to gang up on you, I will help you, and I won’t drag you down!”
Yang Kai looked at her in a daze before stating, “You’ll die!”
Lan He’s tender body momentarily shuddered, but she soon composed herself and stated in a loud and firm voice, “If I’m going to die, then so be it. I still won’t leave.”
A different look flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes as he swept his gaze over Lan He several times, as if he was just coming to know the real her. Suddenly, a stunned look appeared on his face as he asked, “Sister Lan He is from the Heavenly Wolf Valley, right?”
“That’s right!” Lan He agreed with a nod, wondering why Yang Kai was asking her this at this moment of life and death. In the end, it seems he was still a strange man.
“I remember the Heavenly Wolf Valley now,” Yang Kai smiled and stated, “When this is over, I have something to ask of Sister Lan. I hope Sister Lan will not refuse.”
Lan He bitterly replied, “If we survive, I will promise you as long as it’s not too much.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t die,” Yang Kai burst into laughter.
Lan He weirdly looked at him. She didn’t know where he was getting the confidence to speak such big words. Was he so blind that he can’t see that he is surrounded by several dozen Dao Source Realm Masters? These people were not ordinary cultivators, they were all elite disciples of great forces. If they teamed up, even an ordinary Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t be their opponent.
Did he think he was better than an Emperor?
“Little brat, you still continue to shamelessly boast!” That burly man suddenly shouted in anger. Suddenly, an axe appeared in his hand with a flip of his wrist. Pushing his Source Qi into the artifact, the aura and pressure exuded by it reached an extraordinary height as he continued, “If you know what’s good for you, you better surrender without a fight and I may leave your corpse intact. But if you dare to remain stubborn…”
*Pthooh…* Yang Kai opened his mouth and spat straight toward that burly man, launching the spitball like an arrow from a bow.
The yelling man’s face immediately changed as he hurriedly dodged to one side. Although the spit wasn’t lethal, it would be too disgusting to be spat upon.
After regaining his footing, the burly man rebuked with a cold face, “Are you a child? You actually spat at me! Don’t you think it’s shameful!?”
Yang Kai sneered as he countered, “So many of you are targeting me, and you still don’t think that’s shameful, but I spat on you and you called me shameless!? How ridiculous!”
Yin Le Sheng snorted and stated, “Whatever you say, you are going to die today for sure.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai coldly glared at him, he then raised his foot and took a step forward as he majestically proclaimed, “Then this Young Master likes to see who is blind enough to dare to make a move against him. Let this Young Master warn you, if anyone dares to make a move, I will make him die here today!”
Once he said this, everyone’s expression changed as a serious look appeared on their faces.
The amazing strength displayed by Yang Kai earlier was still vivid in their mind, so although it seemed that he was just trying to give them a scare and couldn’t back up his words, it was still somewhat daunting. They were afraid that he would fight a desperate battle if pushed too far which would cost them dearly.
In a flash, several dozen cultivators stood rooted in place, no one was willing to be the first to act and subsequently, the first to die. They were waiting for the others to make a move first so they could become the fisherman and take advantage of the fight between snipe and clam.
Yin Le Sheng could clearly spot this and his face turned gloomy as he shouted, “Since you are being so timid and fearful, after this Yin has snatched his Star Source, you should not get jealous!”
When he said this, he suddenly stretched his hand out and shouted, “Netherworld Purgatory Hand!”
A sinister gale immediately appeared, followed by eerie cries and howls. The next moment, an enormous ghost suddenly appeared and rushed towards Yang Kai with a ferocious look on its face.
This ghost had yet to reach him, but a cold feeling rose from inside Yang Kai as if even his blood was going to be frozen.
Before he could react, Lan He, who was standing next to him, suddenly yelled, “Heavenly Wolf Moon!”
A deafening wolf howl rang out and as Lan He pointed forward, a powerful silver wolf phantom appeared out of thin air. This wolf was enormous, as if it was a true Heavenly Wolf. Next, it opened its enormous jaws and bit toward the ghost.
In a flash, the two enormous entities clashed with each other, fighting crazily.
And at the same time Yin Le Sheng made his move, the several Netherworld Sect disciples around him also attacked. Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian of Brahma Holy Land glanced at each other before quickly forming hand seals as they used their own Secret Techniques.
As soon as the others saw someone taking the lead, they no longer watched from the sidelines. One after another, they summoned their artifacts, or displayed some Secret Techniques to attack Yang Kai.
In a flash, the void glittered with colourful glows as energy fluctuations undulated everywhere.
Lan He immediately turned pale and stood rooted on the spot, dazed. Her eyes seemed to have lost their luster.
With so many Dao Source Realm Masters attacking together, she was completely powerless to resist. Only death was waiting for her.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly let out a fierce roar. Immediately, a dazzling flash of light blinded everyone before a wide broadsword appeared in Yang Kai’s hand. The next moment, a majestic Emperor Pressure filled the void as Yang Kai assumed a firm stance like a towering and immovable mountain. He slowly turned the long sword in his hand as he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man as a Mountain!”
*Chi Chi Chi…*
Countless sword auras suddenly shot from the long sword, greeting the oncoming attacks like locusts.
Deafening explosions immediately rang out as the sight of countless energy collisions created a shocking scene before everyone’s eyes.
“Emperor Artifact!”
“Where is this brat from!? He actually has an Emperor Artifact as well!”
“Don’t let him go, kill him!”
Although many of the cultivators who had entered the Shattered Star Sea were either elite disciples of major Sects, or descendants and Legacy Disciples of Sect Masters and Elders, Emperor Artifacts were still a rarity among them. Apart from a few top elites who owned an Emperor Artifact, no one else was eligible to have one.
At this moment, seeing Yang Kai actually take out an Emperor Artifact, the blood of several dozen cultivators started boiling.
In their opinion, Yang Kai was simply a huge treasure trove.
Not only did he have a complete Star Source, he also had an Emperor Artifact. If they could kill him and snatch his treasures, they would instantly become rich. They would be the proud owner of an Emperor Artifact!
In a flash, a fire was lit in everyone’s heart.
After the clash, Yang Kai too staggered back as a sweet and sour taste flooded his throat and spurted out of his mouth.
He barely resisted the joint attacks of several dozen cultivators thanks to the might of the Myriads Swords, but he was all alone in the end, so how could he contend with so many people? He could resist their attacks all because they hadn’t used their full strength just now, otherwise Yang Kai would not have only suffered minor injuries.
“Damn you all, you actually dare to jointly attack me!” Yang Kai turned livid with rage as he glared around and shouted, grinding his teeth.
Yin Le Sheng snorted and said, “It’s too late to beg for mercy, you are going to die today!”
Zhang Hao anxiously demanded, “Quickly hand over the Emperor Artifact!”
Although the others didn’t say anything, the greedy look in their eyes was enough to tell what was going in their minds.
Yang Kai grimly smiled before he suddenly teleported to the front of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Yin Le Sheng’s expression changed as he asked in shock, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai broke into a burst of loud laughter as he shouted, “What am I doing? Isn’t it obvious? I told you before, if anyone dares to attack me, I will make him die without a burial!”
He swept a cold gaze through the crowd with a crazed look on his face.
“Are you crazy!?” Yin Le Sheng seemed to have guessed Yang Kai’s intentions and his face turned pale while the others were also shocked as their thoughts all froze.
Yang Kai’s face and eyes turned colder as he stated in a frigid voice, “You forced me to do this.”
As he spoke, he lifted the Myriads Swords up high all of a sudden.
“Wait, we can talk about this, there’s no need to act rash!” Zhang Hao yelled in horror.
“You want to talk now? Too late! Go to hell!” Yang Kai shouted as he ruthlessly swung the Myriads Sword at the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
“It’s over!” Yin Le Sheng’s forehead was immediately covered in large beads of cold sweat at the sight of this and he turned around and rushed back without even looking back.
“Run!” Zhang Hao also screamed, “This brat has gone insane!”
*Hong…*
As the Myriads Sword struck the Mountains and Rivers Bell, a reverberating tone immediately rang out before sound waves visible to the naked eyes began to propagate outwards.
Yang Kai was the first to bear the brunt of this pulse, and even though he circulated his Source Qi to defend himself, he couldn’t help but stagger. He almost fainted on the spot as he spurted a mouthful of blood.
Dozens of Dao Source Realm Masters had their backs to Yang Kai at this moment, only wanting to escape from this place but unable to do so.
They were trapped inside a Natural Spirit Array, one that had no easy way out, so even if they desperately fled, it was a fruitless attempt. When the sound wave spread, they were swept up in it at once.
On the dark red star before, a young man had only touched the Mountains and Rivers Bell lightly and was blasted to death as a result, but now, Yang Kai had used an Emperor Artifact to strike the Mountains and Rivers Bell with all his strength, causing a shock wave that couldn’t be compared with the previous one.
After being struck by the sound wave, everyone spurted blood and all of their defensive artifacts grew a lot dimmer.
Not only that, but the sound wave seemed to have the power to suppress and lock. After the sound wave swept through everyone, they froze in place as if they were trapped in a quagmire, unable to move at all.
*Hong…*
Before they could take a breath of respite, another deafening knell rang.
Everyone’s heart shuddered as they turned their heads and saw that Yang Kai had struck the Mountains and Rivers Bell again. He had a horrifying look on his face and was frantically laughing, “How are you feeling, better? Tell me loudly, how does it feel!?”
“Madman… he’s a madman!”
“This guy has lost his mind!”
“You bunch of wastes, why would you think of provoking someone so crazy! If he keeps this up, everyone will be killed along with him!”
“Stop, stop, we can talk it out. Don’t do this, please!”
“Brother Yang, it’s better to get rid of an enmity than keep it alive! Rather than dying with everyone, it’s better to sit down and talk it out!”
Watching that terrifying sound wave sweep over again, everyone started crying and screamed. Each of them hated Yang Kai to death, but they were forced to please him with a smiling face even against their will.
“I’m not listening, I’m not listening!” Over on Yang Kai’s side, he spat another mouthful of blood as he shook his head wildly. The third time he raised his Myriads Sword, he shouted, “I’m making a profit by taking you guys all with me. So, don’t think about leaving alive today!”
“Senior Yang, I am willing to offer my space ring, please spare my life!” Someone suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai paused for a moment before he snorted and shouted with a voice filled with righteous indignation, “Do you think this Young Master is someone who is moved at the sight of money!? Don’t disgrace this Young Master’s character!”
That man was dumbstruck. He didn’t know how to reply.
Yang Kai quickly asked, “What treasures are in the ring?”
Everyone, “…”
That speaker was also stunned. He didn’t know what Yang Kai meant until a cultivator next to him secretly kicked him. The man suddenly came to realize and hurriedly replied, “There are many, many great treasures inside! I guarantee that Senior Yang will be satisfied.”
Yang Kai suddenly smiled and stated, “You should have said so earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered then. Tell me, aren’t you a miserable wretch?”
“Yes, yes, yes, I’m a miserable wretch!” The corner of that man’s lips twitched as he agreed.
“If that’s the case, then I will spare your dog life!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Then he turned to Lan He and ordered, “Sister Lan, go and get his Space Ring.”
“Me!?” Lan He was taken aback. Although she didn’t feel very good about this, she knew that it was a little inconvenient for Yang Kai to move right now, so all she could do was nod, fly to that cultivator and stretch her hand out.
The cultivator took off the Space Ring with a painful look on his face and reluctantly handed it over to Lan He.
Yang Kai shouted with a stoic face, “Who wants to buy their life? If you want to buy it, hurry up before it’s too late.”
“Isn’t… Isn’t he taking advantage of our difficulties to rob us!?”
“Boy, don’t go too far!”
“There are several dozen of us, don’t think we’re really afraid of you! I advise you to exercise prudence.”
“Yes, yes! Brother Yang, when it’s possible to forgive others, one should be forgiving. You should always leave a way out for yourself, only this way, your future will be broader and wider!”
“When it’s possible to forgive others, one should be forgiving?” Yang Kai sneered before he showed contempt and rebuked, “I didn’t see you forgive me just now. But now, what’s the use of this nonsense! I’ll say it one last time, if you want to buy your life, hurry up and cooperate, otherwise don’t blame this Young Master for being ruthless and making you die here!”
As he spoke, he raised the Myriads Sword high again, taking the stance as if he was about to strike again.
The several dozen Dao Source Realm cultivators’ faces turned incomparably ugly.
Yang Kai had only knocked the Mountains and Rivers Bell twice, yet most of the cultivators here were already injured. However, inside this Natural Spirit Array, they couldn’t escape even if they wanted to. If this went on a few more times, they would really die here.
“Don’t compromise! The weaker you act, the more he is going to take advantage of you. Never compromise with him! If you join hands with him, you still may not be able to survive!” Yin Le Sheng suddenly shouted. Among everyone, he was the last one who wanted to see Yang Kai flaunt his prowess. Therefore, when he saw someone trying to compromise, he instantly became anxious.
“Brother Yin is really firm and unyielding, very good!” Yang Kai looked at him and sneered deeply, “Then, this Young Master will wait and see for how long will you remain this staunch.”
Yin Le Sheng’s face turned gloomy so much that one could almost shave off a layer of frost from his face. His expression was extremely ugly to look at.
As soon as the topic was changed, Yang Kai quickly stated, “I’ll only count to three, after three, if you still won’t obediently cooperate, then you can all be on your way to Hell! One…”
“Two!”
Before Yang Kai could even count to three, someone shouted, “Brother Yang, I’m willing to hand you my Space Ring, please let me live!”
“Good!” Yang Kai turned his gaze and looked at the speaker before ordering, “Take the ring off and stand aside.”
Lan He walked up to the man without a word and stretched her hand out.
After that man handed over the Space Ring, he immediately flew to one side.
“I am also willing to hand over my Space Ring!”
“Me too!”
“Me too! There is nothing good inside anyway. It’s better than death.”
In a flash, handing Space Rings over to buy their lives had almost become the general trend. Among several dozen cultivators, most of them had soon chosen to surrender their Space Rings.
Lan He’s mood was extremely complicated. She had thought she would definitely die this time; after all, her enemies were several dozen Dao Source Realm Masters.
But the situation quickly turned around. She and Yang Kai, who were supposed to be at an absolute disadvantage, had their positions reversed and were now leading the same several dozen cultivators around by their noses.
All of this was too abrupt, but it was all Yang Kai’s credit.
In the face of several dozen Dao Source Realm cultivators, he didn’t panic or become intimidated, instead he used the Mountains and Rivers Bell to deter the enemy, bravely and smartly forcing his opponents into a position where they could neither advance or retreat. It was the first time Lan He had met such a courageous and cunning man.
In a short while, she had already received more than twenty Space Rings.
She was the Eldest Senior Sister of Heavenly Wolf Valley and had witnessed many great scenes and storms, yet she was still trembling in excitement a little at this moment. Each of these twenty Space Rings was filled with enormous amounts of treasure.
These were the Space Rings of elite disciples of top Sects, each of them stuffed with wealth. Lan He could hardly imagine the amount of money in these twenty Space Rings.
After another while, those hesitating cultivators didn’t dare to tarry any longer. Yang Kai had raised the Emperor Artifact right next to the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so who knows when he would knock it again?
All of them could only take off their Space Rings in humiliation and hand them over to Lan He. They secretly decided in their hearts that they would make Yang Kai know of the consequences of offending them once they escaped from here.
The several dozen Dao Source Realm cultivators, who had originally teamed up, were now divided into two camps. One that was handing over their Space Rings, and the other filled with those who were still acting stubborn.
The cultivators who were stubborn weren’t that many, however, only five in total. Yang Kai glanced at them and noticed that all these people were the disciples of the Netherworld Sect and Brahma Holy Land.
Next, Yang Kai sneered at Zhang Hao, “It seems Holy Son Zhang Hao wants to die here.”
Zhang Hao furrowed his brow and stated, “Brother Yang, how about we discuss this. Why don’t you let me and Zhang Xian just leave? We will remember today’s kindness and repay you some other time!”
“Some other time!” Yang Kai sneered and said with a cold look plastered on his face, “The matters of some other time should be discussed some other time. For now, all I want are your Space Rings.”
Zhang Hao stated, “Brother Yang, do you really need to do this? You have already offended over twenty Sects, how will you gain a footing in the Star Boundary in the future?”
Yang Kai said with a deep nod, hearing this, “Brother Zhang Hao makes sense. I hadn’t considered this.”
Zhang Hao was gleeful hearing this, but before he could say anything, Yang Kai continued, “You mean to say… after I take the treasure, I should silence everyone? Tsk tsk, Brother Zhang Hao is truly vicious. En, as expected, just as the sea cannot be measured by a bushel, a man cannot be judged by his appearance.”
Zhang Hao wiped off the cold sweat of his forehead as he hastily added, “Brother Yang, you misunderstand, how could I think of inciting Brother Yang to go back on his words and do such a thing? Wouldn’t I be ruining Brother Yang’s reputation? I only wanted to say that it’s better to have more friends than enemies. Brother Yang, what do you think?”
“You want to be friends with me?” Yang Kai slightly smiled.
Zhang Hao cupped his fists and said, “If Brother Yang does not mind, hehe…”
“I do mind. You’re not worthy to be my friend,” Yang Kai’s face turned colder as he rebuked, glaring at him.
Zhang Hao’s smile turned stiff as his flash flushed red. He was extremely embarrassed.
As a Holy Son of Brahma Holy Land, he could be considered a leader of the younger generation in the Star Boundary, yet he wasn’t worthy of being friends with Yang Kai? This brat was just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, yet he dared to boast so shamelessly! And before so many people, too. How could this not cause Zhang Hao to lose all face.
His heart was burning with flames of fury.
Zhang Xian, who was standing next to him, also had an ugly look on his face. He and Zhang Hao both were Holy Sons, so Yang Kai slapping Zhang Hao’s face like this made him also feel hot in his cheeks, as if he too had been ruthlessly slapped too.
“Brother Yang, you refuse to realize the errors of your ways!” Zhang Hao snorted.
Yang Kai snorted back and declared, “If you keep up with your nonsense, this Young Master will take your dog life first!”
“Good, we will remember this! I hope you can still be as arrogant as you are today the next time we meet!” Zhang Hao dropped a ruthless sentence before Zhang Xian and Zhang Hao took off their Space Rings and threw them to Lan Hen. They then turned around and joined the crowd on the other side.
Yang Kai grinned and said, “You only know how to bullshit. If you had the guts, you could come up and fight this Young Master right now. This Young Master will teach you how to show proper respect!”
Zhang Hao stopped for a moment. He was almost provoked by Yang Kai to turn around and make a move, but fortunately, he suddenly remembered the scene of Yang Kai instantly killing a cultivator in the same realm just a moment ago. Before such a terrifying opponent, he asked himself whether he was his opponent. But the only answer he got was even if Zhang Xian and he attacked Yang Kai together, they could only remain undefeated at best, that’s all.
“Another miserable wretch who is only willing to cooperate after being severely educated by this Young Master,” Yang Kai sneered.
Zhang Xian suddenly turned and said, looking at Lan He, “Sister Lan He, although I don’t know what your relationship with Brother Yang is, you have to be more careful. Zhang Hao and I saw him living together with Yu Ying from the Netherworld Sect in the same room. Yu Ying’s clothes were dishevelled when she came out of her flight-type artifact, and you know very well what kind of woman Yu Ying is. Everyone is an Eastern Territory Sect’s disciple, so I hope you don’t fall into this devil’s hands.”
Yang Kai’s face turned ashen after hearing this and quickly declared, “You dare to drive a wedge between us?! This Young Master and Yu Ying are pure and innocent, don’t soil my reputation.”
Zhang Xian chuckled and stated, “Yu Ying said the same thing before.”
After saying so, he walked into the crowd without looking back.
Lan He frowned her black brow as he glanced at Yang Kai, a weird look on her face.
Yang Kai righteously asked, “Sister Lan He, you wouldn’t believe him, would you?”
Lan He stated, “Brother Yang, as long as you have a clear conscience, it’s okay. It’s none of my business!”
Yang Kai thought for a moment before agreeing with a nod, “Good!”
After they were finished, he turned to Yin Le Sheng and stated with a crafty grin, “Brother Yin, now there are only a few of you left? Tell me, are you going to cooperate? How about you? And, you?”
The remaining three were all the disciples of Netherworld Sect. Yin Le Sheng had a very high status in the Netherworld Sect; after all, he was the Sect Master’s Legacy Disciple, so even if his duration in the Sect was short, he was still in charge.
Since he hadn’t made a statement, the other two disciples couldn’t make a decision either.
Yin Le Sheng proudly smiled and stated, “This Yin least likes others threatening him, and anyone who has dared to, didn’t have a good end.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he said, “Coincidentally, I am the same as Brother Yin regarding this.”
Yin Le Sheng stated, “Prideful people always have a lot in common. Yang Kai, if you really want my Space Ring, you have to fight with me. If you win, this Yin will offer you his Space Ring with both hands.”
“You want to fight me one-on-one?” Yang Kai looked at him, narrowing his eyes.
“Is Brother Yang afraid?” Yin Le Sheng sneered.
Yang Kai stated with a snort, “Since Brother Yin is being so refined, then this Young Master will give you a chance!”
Once Yang Kai said this, Yin Le Sheng happily smiled. Although Yang Kai had shown extraordinary strength before, Yin Le Sheng was confident that he would remain undefeated. This was also why he could talk with ease and fluency with Yang Kai, and didn’t panic despite being trapped in the Natural Spirit Array.
If he wanted to leave here, he could leave at any moment; however, he would have to pay a hefty price. He wasn’t willing to do that unless it was a last resort.
Originally, Yin Le Sheng thought that a treacherous person like Yang Kai would definitely not agree to his challenge. At that time, he could only severely humiliate Yang Kai, and speak all kinds of slander, but contrary to his expectation, Yang Kai had actually accepted!
He was ecstatic.
He might not be confident about being Yang Kai’s opponent head-on, but he had an ace up his sleeve, and once he resorted to it, Yang Kai would definitely die.
Yin Le Sheng secretly decided in his mind that as soon as the fight with Yang Kai began, he would directly use his trump card, not giving Yang Kai any chance to resist.
Just as his imagination was running wild, Yang Kai suddenly pointed at the several dozen cultivators beside him and stated, “Since Brother Yin likes to fight solo, then you can fight with these friends. I believe they will definitely accompany you. Have fun!”
Yin Le Sheng was dumbstruck after hearing this.
The several dozen cultivators were also taken aback.
Lan He too was similarly rooted on her spot, in a daze.
Zhang Hao’s face turned cold as he grimly rebuked, “Yang Kai, don’t go too far! We have handed you our Space Rings, what else do you want?”
“That’s right! You should resolve your grievance with Yin Le Sheng yourself, why drag us into your fight?” Zhang Xian too shouted before stating in a firm voice, “We will never help you.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t treat us as fools!”
The group of cultivators immediately started clamouring, criticizing Yang Kai.
Yin Le Sheng sneered, “Brother Yang, if you don’t have the guts to fight me, no one will laugh at you, why bother beating around the bush?”
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned and justified himself, “Brother Yin is the Legacy Disciple of the Eastern Territory’s Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master, whereas I, Yang Kai, am a lone man with no support. Of course I don’t have the guts to fight with you. If I accidentally killed you, wouldn’t I be inviting a disaster?”
“If you don’t have the guts to fight with Yin Le Sheng, why should we? We won’t!”
“That’s right, we won’t! If you want to beat him, do it yourself!”
“You are really treating us like idiots. This brat is simply insatiable! How ridiculous!”
Everyone was extremely dissatisfied with Yang Kai because they were forced to hand over their Space Rings, and now, this brat actually wanted to make them deal with Yin Le Sheng as well! Why should they? Each and every one of them started shouting in indignation.
Lan He looked worriedly at Yang Kai, afraid that he would make things go out of hand. He was already threatening everyone with the Mountains and Rivers Bell, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he had obtained so many Space Rings. If he did something even more excessive, it might bring some unnecessary trouble.
She furtively winked at Yang Kai, signalling him to not be too greedy, lest it was too late.
Yang Kai ignored her, unfortunately, and stated with a cold look on his face, “You probably didn’t hear what I said at the beginning, did you?”
“What did you say!?”
“Boy, just speak, what do you want to do!?”
Yang Kai stated with a snort, “This Young Master said that whoever dares to not hand over their Space Rings, this Young Master will make him die!”
“Yes, you did say that! But I’ve already handed over my Space Ring, what do you want now?”
Yang Kai said, “Now Yin Le Sheng is unwilling to cooperate, so this Young Master wants him dead, do you have any objections?”
Zhang Hao answered, “Of course not! You and Brother Yin can resolve your grievances by yourselves, without involving us.”
“Good!” Yang Kai grinned before shouting, “This Young Master will now use this Mountains and Rivers Bell to beat this bastard Yin Le Sheng to death! If you still want to survive, quickly leave this place. This Young Master will not stop you!”
“What!?”
“Again!?”
“No, Brother Yang, calm down!”
Once Yang Kai said this, everyone turned pale in shock.
Yang Kai sneered and stated, “Since you have handed your Space Rings over, this Young Master means what he says and will spare your lives. Now, this Young Master only wants to deal with Yin Le Sheng. If you don’t want to die, quickly leave!”
Zhang Hao angrily shouted, “The Natural Array here is too complex! If we could leave, how could we be threatened by you? Yang Kai, aren’t you talking nonsense!?”
Zhang Xian also shouted, “You should exercise moderation. You can’t be shameless to this level!”
Yang Kai remained unaffected by all this and calmly stated, “None of my business! If you don’t have the ability to leave, if you are shaken to death by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, then you can only blame your bad luck, it has nothing to do with this Young Master!” He then switched the topic and angrily shouted at Yin Le Sheng, “Surnamed Yin, next year today will be the anniversary of your death. You can be on your way to Hell!”
While speaking, he swung the Myriads Sword fiercely toward the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Lan He’s eyes widened in shock as she hastily circulated her Source Qi to defend herself.
The crowd of cultivators also panicked and hurriedly shouted, one after another.
“Stop, stop!”
“Damn it! Quickly stop! We can talk it out! At worst, we will help you persuade Yin Le Sheng!”
“Yes, yes, we can talk with Yin Le Sheng and ask him to hand over his Space Ring!”
In this havoc, Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword stopped less than a finger’s width away from the Mountains and Rivers Bell before he looked at the crowd and asked, “You are going to talk with Yin Le Sheng?”
Everyone was drenched in cold sweat as they repeatedly nodded after hearing this.
Yang Kai looked embarrassed as he stated, “This surnamed Yin is very arrogant, he won’t give in easily. If you just talk it out… I’m afraid it will be useless!”
“Brother Yang may rest assured, if Brother Yin remains untactful, we will use harder methods to speak with him,” Someone stated with a ferocious look on his face.
Yang Kai stated, “Hmm, no! You have already handed your Space Rings over, logically speaking, the next thing has nothing to do with you. How can I drag you all into my grievance with Yin Le Sheng?”
Everyone’s face turned black as if they stared at this hypocritical act. They were all cursing Yang Kai their hearts furiously, but no one dared to speak their thoughts aloud.
“Brother Yang, don’t mind it! Brother Yin is the one being untactful, so he should be taught a lesson. Only when the youngsters encounter some hardships will they understand how high the Heavens are and how deep the Earth goes!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up after hearing this as he said, “If you insist, this Yang will have to trouble you all regarding this matter. Just know, I didn’t force you.”
“Hehe, we are doing this voluntarily.”
Having finished speaking, the several dozen cultivators turned their heads and glared at Yin Le Sheng.
Yin Le Sheng’s face turned black like the bottom of a pot while the two Netherworld Sect disciples next to him had also turned pale and become dumbstruck.
Somehow, he and his team were now standing on the opposite side of everyone. They were simply caught unprepared.
“Yin Le Sheng, be tactful and quickly hand over your Space Ring, otherwise everyone will die here!”
“Yes, if you don’t cooperate, then don’t blame us for being impolite.”
“Hand it over now!”
Everyone seemed to have been implicated because of Yin Le Sheng’s lack of cooperation, or perhaps because they were unlucky and they wanted others to be part of their misfortune too. Therefore, their attitude towards Yin Le Sheng was far from good.
Yin Le Sheng was burning with fury and he asked with a sullen face, “You are the elite disciples of top Sects, the pride of your various forces, yet you’ve given up all your self-respect and allowed yourselves to be driven by one person’s threats? Aren’t you afraid that you will become a laughing-stock if the word gets out?”
Many people’s faces darkened after hearing this, looking embarrassed.
Yang Kai smiled and stated, “Yin Le Sheng is asking you to silence the witnesses so that no one will tell anyone about today’s matter.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up after hearing this. They secretly felt that it was a good idea. A fierce gleam even flashed past in a few people’s eyes.
Yin Le Sheng’s face darkened as he lashed out, “Yang Kai, you are such a despicable person. This Yin really misunderstood you.”
Yang Kai rebuked with a snort, “Back then, when you intercepted and tried to kill me in the Starlight Corridor, you should have thought of the consequences!”
Yin Le Sheng, gritting his teeth, warned, “Don’t force me. If I am backed into a corner, you won’t have a good end.”
Yang Kai jumped back and said, staring at him with widened eyes, “Aiya, I’m so sacred!” He then turned his head and said, looking at the several dozen cultivators, “This guy dares to threaten you, I don’t know whether you can stand it or not, but anyway, I can’t stand it. If I were you, I would rush to him and tear him to pieces!”
Even though they knew Yang Kai was adding fuel to the fire and driving a wedge, everyone was still a little unhappy with Yin Le Sheng’s words as they were simply too much.
Zhang Hao pondered for a while and stated, “Brother Yin, a wise man, submits to the circumstances. I know you have the means and the cards, but do you really think you can be an enemy of so many of us?”
“Zhang Hao, you are forcing me too?!” Yin Le Sheng’s eyes were shooting flames of fury and his voice was cold as ice.
Both of them were disciples of Sects of the Eastern Territory and had known each other for a long time. There might not be a friendship between them, but they all belonged to the Eastern Territory. It was fine for the others to compel him, but the fact that Zhang Hao too was acting so made Yin Le Sheng extremely angry.
Zhang Hao stated in a heavy voice, “Brother Yin, it’s not too late for a gentleman to take his revenge within ten years. This is the Shattered Star Sea, there will be plenty of opportunities.”
He didn’t transmit his voice but said it in an open and aboveboard manner in front of Yang Kai. Apparently, he too was holding a grudge, and wanted to find a chance to take revenge.
Yang Kai disdainfully spat, looking completely indifferent to this.
Yin Le Sheng, maintaining a straight face, pondered for a while before agreeing with a nod, “Alright, this Yin will remember this. Yang Kai, I will make you pay for it a hundred times over in the future!”
Yang Kai chuckled and stated, “Brother Yin, you’re a fish on a chopping board, and I am the knife, is it okay to say such inflammatory words?”
Yin Le Sheng glared at Yang Kai without speaking another word.
Yang Kai snorted and requested, “Sister Lan He, collect their Space Rings.”
Lan He nodded before walking up to Yin Le Sheng and stretching her hand out.
Yin Le Sheng warned, “Heavenly Wolf Valley, this Yin will remember you and will definitely visit you in the future!”
Lan He’s face slightly changed; however, at this moment she knew that anything she said would be useless, so she simply took the Space Rings of the three Netherworld Sect disciples, turned around, and left.
After a while, she came to Yang Kai and said, “There are a total of forty-six Space Rings here, Brother Yang, you can count them.”
Yang Kai cheerfully took it and offered, “Sister Lan He, you should also pick one.”
Lan He refused, shaking her head, “I don’t need it. I didn’t do anything!”
Just as Yang Kai was about to say something, his face suddenly changed as fierce Source Qi fluctuations spread from him.
Lan He was also shocked, having no idea what just happened to Yang Kai, but when she quickly scanned him, she noticed a wisp of black Qi around his wrist. This black Qi looked like a snake and was now travelling up Yang Kai’s arm. Wherever it passed, Yang Kai’s body rotted, revealing his bones, while the places corroded by the black Qi made sizzling noises, causing the listeners’ skin to crawl.
A rancid smell instantly filled the void.
“Asura Earth Demon!” Lan He couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
Yang Kai’s face had gone blue and he was constantly forming seals with his hands, pushing his Source Qi madly. After struggling for a while, the wisp of black Qi was finally halted.
But from the looks of it, half of his right arm had been terribly corroded. It was bloody all over and the blocked black Qi was still thrashing about like a living creature, desperately trying to push towards Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Yang Kai fiercely raised his head and shouted in a grim voice, glaring at Yin Le Sheng, “You dare plot against me!”
At this moment, Yin Le Sheng too was dumbstruck. That Asura Earth Demon was one of Netherworld Sect’s Forbidden Secret Techniques. In each generation, only the top disciple could cultivate it. Furthermore, one needed to connect to the real Netherworld Purgatory to cultivate it by refining an Earth Demon with Netherworld Yin Qi. Once one had cultivated it successfully, the might of this Secret Technique was astonishing, and basically, anyone below the Emperor Realm would be completely powerless to resist it.
Yin Le Sheng had secretly hidden this wisp of Asura Earth Demon in his Space Ring, and when Yang Kai took it, he suddenly activated this Secret Technique. As he had expected, Yang Kai was afflicted.
But what shocked Yin Le Sheng was that Yang Kai actually blocked the progress of the Asura Earth Demon. Although he was injured, he hadn’t suffered serious damage and there was no danger to his life.
After a momentary shock, Yin Le Sheng immediately regained his wits and his figure flickered as he pounced towards Yang Kai like a hawk spreading its wings. A fierce and hideous look appeared on his face as he shouted, “This Yin always takes his revenge as quickly as possible! Ten years is too late for me! Yang Kai, go to Hell!”
And the same time Yin Le Sheng made his move, Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian also attacked together as their Source Qi surged. Who knows what kind of Secret Technique they used, but their figures merged into one as they flew towards Yang Kai with astonishing momentum, leaving a single long trail.
Others also reacted quickly. One after another, they let out war cries as they rushed at Yang Kai.
Having been forced to surrender their Space Rings, they were already burning with fury, so seeing Yang Kai get seriously injured after being sneak-attacked by Yin Le Sheng, they naturally seized this opportunity to take their revenge.
“Yang Kai, run!” Lan He was startled, and seeing the situation change so quickly, she hurriedly urged Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face grimaced, who knows whether it was from pain or anger, but in a flash, a crazed look appeared on his face as he stated in a firm voice, “We can’t escape.”
He couldn’t find the exit to this Natural Spirit Array, and unless he had time to study it in peace, he wouldn’t be able to get out of here anytime soon. As such, he promptly raised the Myriads Swords and swung it hard towards the Mountains and Rivers Bell, fiercely shouting, “You want my life!? You can all die first!”
*Hong…*
As the Myriads Sword struck the Mountains and Rivers Bell, a halo suddenly appeared around it before a terrifying sound wave swept outwards, causing everyone’s eyes to widen as they started screaming.
But to everyone’s surprise, the sound wave didn’t travel far, instead just sending the nearby Yang Kai flying.
“Hahaha, if disasters come from nature, something can be done to counter them, but if they are of one’s own making, one is done for!” Zhang Hao was overjoyed by this. Although he didn’t know why the Mountains and Rivers Bell reacted differently this time, in his opinion, right now was the best chance to kill Yang Kai. He roared at the top of his voice, “Everyone, let’s attack together! Let’s make this surnamed Yang die without a burial!”
The rest of the people also had their spirits lifted and they immediately charged ahead, one after another.
Yang Kai was dazed. Having taken the full brunt of the shockwave, he couldn’t tell north from south. The Mountains and Rivers Bell’s deviation had caught him by surprise too and he couldn’t understand what the Artifact Spirit’s intentions were.
At this juncture of life or death though, the Mountains and Rivers Bell suddenly shook on its own, causing a spatial collapse along with it.
This Natural Spirit Array collapsed and disappeared in an instant. The next moment, a black hole of the size of a house appeared out of thin air. The Mountains and Rivers Bell turned into a streak of light as it was sucked into the black hole, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, the black hole expanded at an extremely fast speed. At the same time, a tremendously powerful suction came from the black hole, pulling in all the nearby cultivators.
“What happened!?”
“What’s going on!?”
“Damn it, quickly get out of here, the space here is collapsing!”
“Surnamed Yang, you’re not human!”
Everyone started yelling and screaming one after another. Everyone was panicking and even Yin Le Sheng, who was relentless about Yang Kai’s death, had a change in his expression. How could he still care about Yang Kai’s life or death in this situation? He promptly turned around and tried to escape.
But the black hole’s suction was irresistible. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make any forward progress, much less escape.
With the rapid expansion of the black hole, its pull grew stronger and stronger, making every cultivator feel desperate and powerless.
Yang Kai and Lan He, who were closest to the black hole, were sucked in first and disappeared
After a while, screaming and panicking cultivators were swallowed into the black hole, one after another.
In less than ten breaths, each and every cultivator was pulled into the black hole; no one could escape it.
And the black hole was still expanding.
Until a certain moment, after the black hole expanded to a certain limit, it suddenly shrank back down and disappeared in a flash.
The void had regained its peace, but strong Space Principle fluctuations remained behind, the only signs that an abnormal event had taken place here before.
…..
A dizzy Yang Kai woke up sometime later and immediately heard Lan He’s distressed cries.
The pain coming from his arm was still unbearable and seemed to pierce straight through to his Soul, making Yang Kai feel like it was being torn apart.
He had vaguely sensed the things going on before, but because he had borne the brunt of the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s sound wave, his consciousness had become blurry, so he hadn’t been able to investigate his surroundings.
He only saw the formation of a black hole and felt its powerful pull dragging him in. The next thing he knew, he was here.
If he hadn’t had a precious treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus, the shockwave alone from before would have been enough to extinguish his Soul.
As the shouts in his ears became clearer and clearer, Yang Kai shook his head and finally regained some lucidity. He turned his head to look, but he couldn’t see anything at all. There was no light here, just some chaotic nothingness, a familiar feeling to him.
“The Void Crack!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he cried out in surprise.
Obviously, this was the interlayer of the void crack.
The Void existed everywhere in the world, but if one didn’t understand the Dao of Space, he or she couldn’t detect its existence at all. It was also impossible for one to enter this place except in very special circumstances. Recalling the previous scene, Yang Kai immediately understood the reason why he was here in the Void. It was completely because of the sudden eruption of the Mountains and Rivers Bell that shattered space with tremendous force.
The black hole was the most obvious sign.
Forcing his aching body up, Yang Kai quickly spread his Divine Sense. As expected, he found Lan He not far away from him.
At this moment, Lan He’s situation was precarious, because she was caught in a Void Turbulence and was being sucked into it.
The Void was riddled with crises, but the biggest was undoubtedly Void Turbulences which were like invisible rivers. These were chaotic confluences of chaotic Space Principles, and once anyone fell into one, it was very difficult to escape. The only end for someone who experienced such misfortune was being swallowed by this undercurrent.
Even Yang Kai had to be careful of these undercurrents while walking through The Void.
Although Lan He’s cultivation was good, she had no understanding of the Dao of Space, so after falling into a Void Turbulence, she was completely helpless and was only waiting for her death.
Yang Kai quickly came over to her and called out, “Sister Lan He!”
Lan He was slightly startled, and then responded in a low voice, “Yang Kai?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Lan He shouted, “I’m entangled by some kind of strange force. I can’t get away. Don’t come closer.”
She was afraid that Yang Kai would follow in her footsteps, so she quickly reminded her.
Yang Kai grinned and stated, “Don’t worry, this is a Void Turbulence, I’ll save you now.”
Lan He refused, shaking her head, “No, I tried just now to escape. The harder one struggles, the faster they are pulled under, just like in a swamp. If you try to help me, it will be counterproductive. If you have a chance to leave this place, please go to Eastern Territory’s Heavenly Wolf Valley, and give them a message, tell them that I, Lan He died here.”
She felt that she had no hope of surviving, so she began making arrangements for her funeral.
Yang Kai remained silent, got down on one knee and calmly started probing by her side.
After a moment of silence, seeing Yang Kai not give her a reply, Lan He said in a dejected voice, “By the way, take my Space Ring and hand it to one of my Heavenly Wolf Valley disciples.”
While speaking, she took off her Space Ring.
Yang Kai suddenly stretched his hand out and patted the location where she was. Immediately, Space Principle fluctuations undulated, turning into an invisible force that affected the movement of the Void Turbulence.
After a short while, the surging Void Turbulence became calm, and Yang Kai then reached out his hand and fished Lan He out.
“This… How…” Lan He didn’t seem to believe that she was able to get out so easily. She couldn’t help but remain rooted to her spot, but soon, she reacted and couldn’t help but cry out, “You wouldn’t happen to cultivate the Dao of Space, do you?”
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned and modestly stated, “I understand a little bit.”
Shocked, Lan He asked, “Are you Sir Li Wu Yi’s disciple?”
[It’s that Li Wu Yi again…] Yang Kai had heard this name more than once and had long known that he was a famous Master in the Star Boundary with a powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. Moreover, Li Wu Yi was apparently proficient in the Dao of Space.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this person was the first Master under the Ten Great Emperors.
Yang Kai denied, shaking his head, “I have heard of him a long time ago, but I have never met him.”
He wasn’t going to continue discussing this topic and immediately proposed, “I’ll take you to a safer place first. I also have to heal myself.”
After Lan He heard this, she recalled the scene of him being sneak-attacked by Yin Le Sheng and quickly stated, “The Asura Earth Demon is a Forbidden Secret Technique of the Netherworld Sect. Its corrosiveness is extremely strong. If anyone below the Emperor Realm is hit by it, they are guaranteed to die. How can you be alright?”
Yang Kai chuckled and stated, “I’m lucky, or Yin Le Sheng, that bastard, isn’t that proficient in that technique.”
The Asura Earth Demon was indeed terrifying, and Yang Kai reckoned that if he were any other Dao Source Realm cultivator, he would really be unable to solve this problem. But Yang Kai’s strength was incomparable to an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivators’; Regardless of whether it was his physique, Source Qi, or his Spiritual Energy, everything was far beyond what an average Dao Source Realm cultivator should possess, so Yang Kai was somehow able to suppress the Asura Earth Demon.
Even so, half of his arm was corroded beyond recognition.
While leading Lan He through the Void, Yang Kai suddenly stopped.
Lan He had no idea what was going on, and she didn’t dare to bother him, so she just calmly stood by his side.
After a while, Yang Kai stated, “It’s safe here, the space is relatively stable. Sister Lan, take a rest here while I heal my injuries. I will send you out after my injuries are healed.”
“Send me out…” Lan He was momentarily dumbstruck; however, remembering how easily Yang Kai rescued her just now, she was filled with confidence in him. She nodded and said, “Good, don’t worry about me, just focus on healing your injuries as soon as possible. The Asura Earth Demon’s corrosiveness is incredibly powerful, and the longer it remains, the more troublesome it will be to deal with.”
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and mobilized the surrounding Space Principles before speaking, “I have left a Space Seal here, if anything changes, I will be able to detect it at a moment’s notice and come right away.”
After having said that, he turned around and flew to a nearby spot.
After Yang Kai left, Lan He slowly sat down cross-legged and spread her Divine Sense to investigate the surrounding situation. She found that the space here was fairly stable as Yang Kai had said, not like the chaotic situation she had encountered before. At that time, she didn’t dare to make a rash move. All she could do was stay in her spot and wait.
Not too far away from her location, Yang Kai too sat down cross-legged and took out a bunch of healing pills from his Space Ring before stuffing them into his mouth like beans.
His injuries weren’t too serious in fact, the ones caused by the shock of the Mountains and Rivers Bell having already mostly healed. The only problem was the Asura Earth Demon which was like maggots on rotting bones, tightly wrapped around his arm.
He had to circulate his Source Qi to force the power of the Earth Demon out of his body.
Fortunately, his Source Qi was vigorous and pure, so even though this Secret Technique was extremely powerful, it could still be repelled.
As time went on, bit by bit, Yang Kai forced the power of the Asura Earth Demon out little by little. He looked meticulous and his movements were methodical.
After five to six days, he finally heaved a deep breath.
The Asura Earth Demon had completely dispersed now, but his corroded arm had still not been completely healed. Nevertheless, thanks to his tyrannical physique and restorative abilities, such injuries were basically nothing.
After five to six days of recuperation, the injuries he had suffered from the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s shock wave had also fully healed.
Yang Kai flung his arms as he slowly stood up, walking towards Lan He’s location.
Not long after, he came to Lan He’s side and found her still sitting in a cross-legged position in her original spot. The Space Seal he had previously arranged didn’t show any signs of being touched, indicating that this place had been peaceful for the past few days and wasn’t affected by the local Space Principles.
Sensing Yang Kai’s arrival, Lan He stood up and asked, “Brother Yang, are you alright?”
“Everything’s fine now,” Yang Kai assured her with a smile.
“That’s good!” Lan He also heaved a sigh of relief then immediately asked, “Can we go out now?”
Yang Kai replied, “But of course! Come, I will send you out.”
Lan He was taken aback by his words and immediately asked, “What about you? Are you going to remain here?”
Yang Kai smiled and confidently stated, “I am quite familiar with this place so I won’t be in any danger. I want to find the Mountains and Rivers Bell that has also escaped into this Void Crack. I just don’t know where to wander.”
“So, it’s like that!” Lan He also knew that she couldn’t try to persuade him too much; after all, she wasn’t close with Yang Kai. “Then I hope Brother Yang gets his wish fulfilled.”
“Many thanks for your kind words,” Yang Kai smiled.
“Right!” Lan He suddenly remembered something and asked, “You said that you wanted to ask me about something, what was it?”
After being reminded by her, Yang Kai also remembered and smacked his head as he replied, “It’s like this, I have a friend who has departed from the Northern Territory more than a year ago for your Heavenly Wolf Valley.”
“Brother Yang’s friend? Is it to join our Heavenly Wolf Valley? But how come anyone from the Northern Territory wants to join us?” Lan He was surprised after hearing this.
If it was a cultivator of the Northern Territory, he or she would choose the Northern Territory’s Sects first. It made no sense to travel all the way to the Eastern Territory by trekking through mountains and rivers; after all, there was a huge distance between the two territories. If one didn’t use cross-territory Space Arrays, one might not be able to arrive even after a few years.
“It’s a bit complicated. I will tell you about it along the way,” Yang Kai started explaining to her while he led Lan He to find the weak point in the Void Crack.
The friend he spoke of was naturally Ling Yin Qin.
When the Holy Son of Brahma Holy Land, Zhang Hao, mentioned Heavenly Wolf Valley, Yang Kai felt that he had heard of this Sect somewhere before, but when he tried to recall where, he couldn’t remember. Later, a flash of thought had suddenly jogged his memory.
Ling Yin Qin had mentioned Heavenly Wolf Valley to him.
Because Ling Yin Qin’s departed husband was from the Eastern Territory’s Heavenly Wolf Valley! The two met and fell in love in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Later, they married, but her husband had died while saving her. Ling Yin Qin cherished his memories to this day.
The high-level Spirit Purifying Array she lent to Yang Kai at that time was bought by her husband at a high price and was the last memento she possessed of him. Because of this, after the Spirit Purifying Array was damaged, Yang Kai took great pains to ask Sang De to repair it, which led to many other affairs afterwards.
When Ling Yin Qin came out of the Solitary Void Sealed World, she had decided to bring her husband’s ashes back to Heavenly Wolf Valley where he could rest in peace.
Lan He kept sighing after learning about the matters of Ling Yin Qin and her husband before speaking, “Then Sister Ling must be a woman of deep and unwavering sentiment.”
If she wasn’t such a woman, why would she go all the way from the Northern Territory to the Eastern Territory just to send her husband’s ashes back to his Sect? It should be known that this road was not only long, but also dangerous. A moment of carelessness could result in death.
“Big Sister Ling is kind and compassionate,” Yang Kai solemnly said.
“What was her husband’s name? If he was really a Heavenly Wolf Valley disciple, perhaps I’ve heard of him,” asked Lan He.
Yang Kai shook his head. “Big Sister Ling never mentioned it.”
“Good, when I meet Big Sister Ling, I’ll just ask her,” Lan He didn’t probe deep into this.
Yang Kai stated, “Big Sister Ling is still deeply tied with her husband, so I think even after she has sent his ashes back, she might not want to leave his side. It is just that Big Sister Ling isn’t a Heavenly Wolf Valley disciple, so Heavenly Wolf Valley might not let her stay for a long time. This Yang wants to request from Sister Lan that if you meet Big Sister Ling in the future, please take care of her. If she could join Heavenly Wolf Valley, become a Heavenly Wolf Valley disciple, that would be even better. If that doesn’t work, please let Big Sister Ling mourn her husband from time to time, so as to soothe the longing in her heart.”
“Since Brother Yang has entrusted this to me, there will naturally be no problem,” Lan He was also very easy-going and agreed at once.
Yang Kai was overjoyed as he said, “With Sister Lan’s promise, I will not have to worry.”
Lan He was the Eldest Senior Sister of Heavenly Wolf Valley, so her status was definitely incomparable to an ordinary disciple. Since she had agreed, she would definitely follow through. Although her appearance was stunted, she had a heroic spirit.
“Then what’s Big Sister Ling’s current cultivation?”
“Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Although her strength might not be at the top, it’s definitely not bad,” Yang Kai gave a pertinent assessment.
“Third-Order Dao Source Realm?” Lan He’s eyes lit up after hearing this. She clapped and assured, “It will really not be a problem for her to join our Heavenly Wolf Valley. If it was someone of unknown origin, we might have to test him or her thoroughly, but since it’s someone mentioned by Brother Yang, this test can be waived. I will tell the Sect Master after I go back.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but heave a sigh in relief. Although he didn’t have much friendship with Ling Yin Qin, no matter what, they had come out of the Solitary Void Sealed World together.
With her cultivation, joining Ice Heart Valley would not have been a problem; moreover, Bing Yun also wanted to keep her, but she was determined to go to Heavenly Wolf Valley, so everyone respected her wishes.
If she could join Heavenly Wolf Valley, it could be regarded as a good place for her to stay. This way, she would not only have the support of a powerful Sect, but she could also be with her husband day and night. Yang Kai believed that Ling Yin Qin would also not refuse this.
While the two were talking, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, with Lan He coming to a halt as well.
Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense and scanned the surroundings before speaking, “It’s here. I will tear space so Sister Lan He can leave without any worries. There will be no danger.”
“Good,” Lan He nodded before she cupped her fist and stated, “Brother Yang must also be careful. If there is a chance, you have to come to Heavenly Wolf Valley as a guest.”
“Sure, sure!” Yang Kai replied.
After speaking, his face turned serious as he stretched his hand ahead, piercing into space.
As he kept manipulating the local Space Principles, the Void distorted and instantly became unstable.
Lan He’s face slightly changed as she held her breath, not daring to cause any interference.
“Open!” Yang Kai shouted as his hands suddenly moved to the sides. Under Lan He’s shocked gaze, the space in the front was ripped apart like a piece of silk, opening a slit.
And with Yang Kai’s movements, the gap grew bigger and bigger.
Lan He’s eyes trembled slightly, looking at the sight before her in surprise.
Tearing space with one’s bare hands was a skill she had heard of in legends, but never had a chance to witness with her own eyes.
But now, this shocking sight was clearly presented before her.
From the Void Crack, Lan He clearly saw the dilapidated scene of the Shattered Star Sea and she immediately understood that she would be able to return there through this opening.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted in a low voice.
Lan He didn’t dare to hesitate. Her figure flickered as she rushed into the crack and in a flash, she had arrived on the opposite side. When she turned around to look, the crack was quickly closing. Yang Kai was standing in the Void, waving at her with a smile.
“Brother Yang, take care!” Lan He shouted, but the crack had already closed. Who knows whether Yang Kai had heard her or not.
After standing on the spot in a daze for a while, Lan He sighed and looked toward the depths of the Shattered Star Sea.
Her contact with Yang Kai was short, but it seemed to have opened a new door in front of her, allowing her to see just how powerful a Dao Source Realm cultivator could be. The elite disciples of the top Sects she had encountered before were like ants to him.
She asked herself whether she could cultivate to such a level, but the answer she got was a firm no. If she wanted to become stronger, the only choice she had left was to break through to the Emperor Realm!
An urgent notion rose from the depths of her heart, to advance as soon as possible and obtain greater strength!
Yang Kai was treading through the Void like he was walking on the ground, completely ignoring the ubiquitous turbulence.
This place might be dangerous to others, but to Yang Kai, it was like a walk in his own backyard. When he first began cultivating the Dao of Space, he had entered this place countless times to sense the mysteries of Space Force, experiencing its mystical nature, so he was extremely familiar with the characteristics of this place.
Less than an hour after having separated from Lan He, Yang Kai suddenly felt a slightly hot sensation coming from the back of his hand. Naturally, it was the induction between Star Seals. His expression immediately changed as he rushed in a certain direction.
His current Star Seal was six-pointed, which could be considered a very high level, so it could sense the position of most other cultivators from far away.
After a short while, Yang Kai arrived at a certain location, but when he looked around, the subsequent sight made him frown.
Because a bloody picture was before him; countless mutilated limbs and gory pieces of flesh were floating. There was no living being in sight.
But in that place, there were eight ownerless Star Seals floating quietly.
Eight Star Seals meant that eight people had lost their lives here. They weren’t killed by anyone. Rather because they fell into the Void Crack and were either swallowed by the Void Turbulence or were slivered by the chaotic Space Principles here.
When Yang Kai came over, those ownerless Star Seals seemed to receive some kind of pull as they shot straight toward the back of his hand, transforming into specks of starlight before entering inside the Star Seal on the back of his hand. Immediately, his six-pointed Star Seal grew brighter and hotter.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little worried.
Everyone was pulled in when space collapsed, their futures quite uncertain. He didn’t care about the life and death of others, the only one he was worried about was Yin Le Sheng. He shouldn’t die before Yang Kai found him, for if he did, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to extract any information from him.
He was still getting a little response from the front.
Yang Kai didn’t stay longer and continued ahead.
The farther he went, the more dead bodies Yang Kai encountered, leaving only Star Seals in their place.
Without doing anything at all, Yang Kai had already collected more than twenty Star Seals along the way.
In other words, out of forty or so Dao Source Realm cultivators who were pulled in, about half of them had already died. And judging by what Yang Kai had observed along the way, the survivors should have all rallied together, probably wanting to go in this direction to find a way out, but unfortunately for them, they didn’t understand Space Principles and couldn’t break the barrier of space to find an exit.
In light of this, they would die sooner or later.
Suddenly, Yang Kai heard a faint shout. His eyes lit up as he quickly flew towards the source of the sound.
After a while, he came to the front of a surging Void Turbulence.
Apparently, the person, who had shouted before, seemed to have sensed Yang Kai’s arrival and hurriedly shouted, “Friend, save me, don’t leave me, please save me!”
Yang Kai remained indifferent. When he had scanned with his Divine Sense, he had already recognized who this guy was. Yang Kai also knew that the opposite party was already trapped in the Void Turbulence and would be devoured after a short while.
“Where is Yin Le Sheng?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
The opposite party was slightly startled after hearing Yang Kai’s voice, he then asked in a low voice, “Yang Kai!?”
Obviously, he had also heard Yang Kai’s voice.
“Where is Yin Le Sheng?” Yang Kai asked again.
That man bitterly smiled and stated, “Brother Yang, please save me first, the rest we can talk about later.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted and stated, “Zhang Hao didn’t rescue you, why should I then?”
Surprisingly, this guy was none other than Brahma Holy Land’s Zhang Xian. He and Zhang Hao were the Holy Sons of Brahma Holy Land. Their cultivations were both impressive, but no matter how powerful they were, they were still just Dao Source Realm cultivators. Only death was waiting for Zhang Xian after falling in the Void Turbulence, and the more he struggled, the faster he would die. However, there was no sign of Zhang Hao here, so it seemed that Zhang Hao had abandoned him.
“Zhang Hao!” The mere mention of Zhang Hao’s name seemed to have touched Zhang Xian’s nerves and he gritted his teeth all of a sudden, snarling, “Don’t mention that scumbag’s name before me! I will kill him sooner or later!”
Who knows what happened between the two Holy Sons, but Zhang Xian seemed to hold deep hatred towards Zhang Hao.
Yang Kai didn’t care to get to the bottom of this either and just sneered, “First you have to get out of here.”
Zhang Xian’s anger suddenly hit the rock bottom as he begged, crying, “Brother Yang, someone as great and generous as you doesn’t need to care about this lowly me. If you rescue me from here, I, Zhang Xian, will always remember this gratitude and surely repay you in the future.”
“Tell me first, where did Yin Le Sheng go!” Yang Kai indifferently looked at him.
Zhang Xian asked, “If I tell you, will you save me?”
Yang Kai countered, “What do you think?”
Zhang Xian became enraged and shouted, “Then why should I tell you!?” Just as he said this, he suddenly realized that he didn’t have the room to get angry at this moment and hurriedly corrected himself, “Brother Yang, don’t be angry. I, Zhang Xian, just put a foot in my mouth.”
Yang Kai stated with a snort, “I don’t want to save you, so I won’t save you. No matter what you say, it’s useless!”
Zhang Xian flustered and the flames of fury in his heart burned hotter, but he didn’t dare to show it. His mouth was filled with bitterness as if he had eaten a bitter gourd.
“Although I won’t save you, I can avenge you!” Yang Kai sneered, “Zhang Hao and Yin Le Sheng are together, am I right? If you tell me where they went, I will help you kill Zhang Hao.”
“Kill Zhang Hao…” Zhang Xian was momentarily stunned, pondering for a long while before finally breaking into madness-filled laughter.
Yang Kai didn’t urge him and just coldly glanced at him from the side.
After a moment, Zhang Xian stopped laughing as he replied with a ferocious look on his face, “If you find Zhang Hao, rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces for me!”
“I can do that. I promise you!” Yang Kai nodded, thinking that there must be some unknown vendetta between the two Holy Sons, otherwise Zhang Xian would not hate Zhang Hao this deeply.
“They went in that direction,” Zhang Xian pointed.
Yang Kai turned to look, then nodded. He then slightly moved his hand as a Moon Blade shot straight toward Zhang Xian.
Zhang Xian was shocked. Although he felt the energy fluctuations approaching him, he was trapped in a Void Turbulence; even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t, all he could do was ask in a shock, “What are you doing?”
With a soft squish, Zhang Xian felt a slight pain coming from his arm.
Yang Kai coldly stated, “I am taking your Star Seal. It’s the interest for previously attacking me. As for what happens next, I will leave it to luck.” While speaking, he reached out and collected the Star Seal on Zhang Xian’s severed arm before flying towards the direction Zhang Xian had previously pointed at.
“Bastard, bastard!” Zhang Xian covered the wound with his other hand as he angrily roared, a hideous look covering his face.
But Yang Kai had long disappeared.
After continuing forward for about half a day, Yang Kai finally sensed the location of other people, but most of them were already dead, pulled into the Void Turbulence. The corpses were mutilated and in pieces. Only their Star Seals remained that flew towards Yang Kai, one after another.
Another day later, Yang Kai had already collected the Star Seals of almost all of over forty cultivators.
After the six-pointed Star Seal on the back of his hand had absorbed thirty or so Star Seals, it finally changed and became a seven-pointed Star Seal, allowing him to sense others from a greater distance.
Rumour had it that if a Star Seal could be upgraded to the most advanced nine-pointed Star Seal, one could find the inheritance of Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. Who knows whether this was true or false, but Yang Kai wasn’t interested in that inheritance at all; therefore, he didn’t try to pursue it.
At some point, Yang Kai suddenly noticed the fluctuations of several Star Seals in front of him. After a little thought, Yang Kai knew that the Masters of these Star Seals were the last ones alive.
And that Yin Le Sheng must be there, because Yang Kai had found the corpses of the other two Netherworld Sect disciples, but he hadn’t found Yin Le Sheng’s.
[This guy’s life is pretty hard, he actually made it this far in the Void. How did he do it?]
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate any longer, his figure flickering as he shot towards that direction.
After the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, Yang Kai arrived at the place where these survivors were.
Scanning with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that only four people were still alive. Yin Le Sheng and Zhang Hao were impressively among them while the other two seemed to be the top Dao Source Realm Masters, but Yang Kai didn’t recognize them.
And it was not just those who were here. Even the Mountains and Rivers Bell that had disappeared into the Void was also here.
This exotic artifact from the Wild Lands had given rise to a Great Emperor, witnessed the war between Great Emperors, and after tens of thousands of years of silence, was now quietly lying somewhere lost in the Void. All its radiance was completely converged and it didn’t have the slightest bit of spirituality, as if it was broken. It seemed to be waiting for the arrival of its new master.
“You’re still alive!” When Yang Kai arrived, Yin Le Sheng fiercely turned around and looked at him in shock.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and Yin Le Sheng was well aware of this. When the two had fought in the Starlight Corridor, Yang Kai had used his mastery of Space Force to shatter the Starlight Corridor.
Yin Le Sheng was surprised by the fact that Yang Kai withstood the shock wave from the Mountains and Rivers Bell at such a close distance. Furthermore, it appeared that not only had he survived, but he was still brimming with energy.
Yang Kai pursed his lips and stated, “Since you are still alive, why should Brother Yin be so surprised that I am too.”
Yin Le Sheng’s eyes lit up instead as he nodded and gratefully said, “Great, awesome, it’s good that you’re alive.”
He looked like he was happy for Yang Kai, but who knows what he was really happy about.
Yang Kai suspiciously looked at him and stated, “Brother Yin, your tone might very easily cause misunderstandings. Everyone will think that we have a very good relationship.”
Yin Le Sheng burst into laughter, “No matter what the relationship between us is, it’s still great that you are alive.”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he stated, “I’m alive, but you will definitely die.”
Yin Le Sheng remained calm and composed as he spoke, “There is no true grievance between you and me. How about we forget our past enmity and become friends?”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he snapped, “This, am I… hearing it right? Brother Yin, you actually want to forget the past enmity and be friends with me? Is there something wrong with your head?”
Zhang Hao and the other two also had a weird look on their faces; after all, they had personally witnessed the clash and grievance between Yang Kai and Yin Le Sheng. Both of them couldn’t wait to kill each other, so why had Yin Le Sheng’s attitude changed so drastically in the blink of an eye?
Yin Le Sheng replied with a smile, “There is nothing wrong with my head, rather I am thinking quite clearly right now, because I know that if I want to leave this place, Brother Yang’s help is indispensable.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, laughing, “I understand what Brother Yin means, but… why do you think I will take you out?”
Yin Le Sheng quickly asked, “Didn’t you want to inquire about the puppet of yours? Isn’t that puppet very useful to you?”
Hearing him mention Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai’s face immediately sank as he shouted, “Where is he!?”
Yin Le Sheng smiled as he spoke in a calm and composed manner, “Brother Yang really values it very much. Since Brother Yang has something he wants, and I have something I want, why don’t we make a deal?”
Yang Kai ground his teeth. Although he couldn’t wait to beat the shit out of Yin Le Sheng and force him to give up the information on Xiao Xiao’s location, brute force couldn’t solve the problem at this moment. As long as Yin Le Sheng didn’t tell him about Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai would be at the end of his wits, and even if Yin Le Sheng did tell him something, Yang Kai couldn’t say for sure whether he was speaking the truth or lying.
Compared to killing Yin Le Sheng, Yang Kai would rather learn about Xiao Xiao’s situation. After pondering for a while, he agreed with a nod, “How should we trade? Let’s hear it.”
Yin Le Sheng replied, “You take me out of this damned place and I will truthfully tell you about the whereabouts of the puppet.”
Yang Kai sneered, “How do I know you’ll tell me the truth? Maybe you don’t even know where Xiao Xiao is.”
“I do know!” Yin Le Sheng’s face turned serious, “There is no harm in telling you a bit. Your puppet did fall into the Eastern Territory with me back then, but I couldn’t subdue it with my strength at that time, so I simply followed after it, looking for an opportunity, but unfortunately, I failed at the last moment. Now, as to where it went in the end, only I know. No one else in this world knows. Brother Yang, you’d best think this through. If we pulled out all our cards and fought here, we both would be defeated and wounded. On the other hand, the deal I’m proposing is very fair; we both get what we need.”
Yang Kai’s face turned colder as he stated, “Tell me first and I will immediately send you out. I promise that I will not do anything to you!”
Yin Le Sheng denied with a chuckle, “Do you think I’m a three-year-old child?”
“What do you think we should do then?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but glower.
The two of them endlessly quarrelled with each other while the others watched in surprise. They didn’t know what Yang Kai and Yin Le Sheng were arguing about, but they managed to glean some clues after listening for a while.
Zhang Hao suddenly asked, “Brother Yin, can he take us out of here?”
Yin Le Sheng replied, glancing at him, “If he can’t, then no one can.”
“Why?” Zhang Hao asked in surprise, “This is the Void, if we can’t break through the barriers of space, there’s no way to leave. So many of us tried breaking it together, but it didn’t work, so why can he do it alone?”
Yin Le Sheng furrowed his brow as he explained, “Because Brother Yang is proficient in the Dao of Space.”
“Proficient in the Dao of Space!?” Zhang Kai was shocked and delighted when he heard this, turning to stare at Yang Kai with a blazing gaze, as if he had found hope of survival.
The other two were also extremely excited and they secretly licked their lips,
“This Young Master is indeed proficient in the Dao of Space, but what does that have to do with you lot?” Yang Kai glared at the three, feeling disgruntled.
Zhang Hao said, wearing a smiling face, “Hehe, Brother Yang, we can be considered friends after a fight. Now only a few of us are alive, so if you can really leave this place, why not take us out with you? Rest assured, we will definitely repay you generously in the future for this favour.”
“Yes, yes, we will etch Brother Yang’s kindness into our hearts and will definitely return the gesture to you in the future!”
“Brother Yang, it’s always better to have many friends, if you come to my Western Territory, this Sun will definitely welcome you with open arms!”
The two started yelling along with Zhang Hao, pleadingly looking at Yang Kai.
“Fuck off!” Yang Kai impatiently lashed out.
Zhang Hao’s face turned colder after hearing this and he glared at Yang Kai, “Yang Kai, don’t be too stubborn. We might not be at our peaks right now, but if we team up, you won’t be able to defeat us. Don’t force us to take a hard stance against you.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “This Young Master wasn’t afraid when there were forty of you, so what can just the four of you do to me now? If you want to die, you are welcome to give it a try.”
Zhang Hao’s face turned stiff all of a sudden because he knew that Yang Kai was stating the truth. Before, forty of them were unable to do anything to Yang Kai, so now that there were just four of them, the chances of them being able to defeat him weren’t high. Not to mention, a cultivator proficient in the Dao of Space was harder to deal with than ordinary opponents. If Yang Kai ever found he was at a disadvantage in a frontal conflict, he could simply run away and no one would be able to stop him.
Yang Kai ignored Zhang Hao and the other two and turned to Yin Le Sheng and stated in a cold voice, “Since you want to make a deal with me, then come up with something that will convince us both, otherwise, you will die today. At worst, I will go to the Eastern Territory and slowly look for Xiao Xiao.”
Yin Le Sheng’s face sank as he asked, “Brother Yang, how can you be sure that you can kill me?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips and stated, “In this place, I can make you die without a burial with a wave of my hand. Tell me, do you still think I can’t kill you?”
Saying so, Yang Kai really just waved his hand and immediately, the surrounding Void Turbulence seemed to have received some kind of order and began sweeping towards Yin Le Sheng like a long river.
Yin Le Sheng jumped back in fright and quickly avoided it.
After regaining his footing, his face turned extremely pale.
He originally believed that, with his remaining trump cards, he didn’t need to be afraid of Yang Kai, but now it seemed that this special environment not only didn’t restrain Yang Kai, but it even invisibly increased his strength. If they really fought, Yin Le Sheng estimated he didn’t have even a twenty percent chance of winning!
[I must quickly leave here, lest some mishap occurs!]
Realizing this, Yin Le Sheng quickly said, “Brother Yang, look at this!”
Saying so, he casually tossed something to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai wasn’t afraid that he would play petty tricks at this moment, so he reached out and caught this object, scanning it with his Divine Sense before speaking in surprise, “Oh? A Soul Contract?”
Yin Le Sheng raised his brow, “Since Brother Yang recognizes it, nothing more need be said.”
A Soul Contract was a product made by the Palace Master of the Eastern Territory’s Serene Soul Palace, Serene Soul Great Emperor, when he was bored and had ample time on his hands. It was almost equivalent to a contract that mortals would use, but the ones who signed it, did so with their Souls. Because of a peculiar power that was used to refine Soul Contracts, neither of the parties that signed one could violate the content of the contract.
Soul Contracts were extremely rare, and Yang Kai had only seen one in the past, but that was enough to recognize this for what it was and what it meant. As long as the two parties signing the contract swore with their Souls, they could not lie or violate the terms unless they wanted to court death.
Because Soul Contracts were made by the Serene Soul Great Emperor, and the Serene Soul Great Emperor’s Serene Soul Palace was in the Eastern Territory, Eastern Territory’s Netherworld Sect’s disciples had greater access to Soul Contracts.
“Is this enough to show my sincerity?” Yin Le Sheng looked at Yang Kai with a grim look on his face.
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “Of course, there is no problem with this Soul Contract here.”
Yin Le Sheng stated, “Good, then you will send me out of here, and I will tell you the location of that puppet.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and agreed, nodding, “No problem.”
Zhang Hao anxiously cried, “Brother Yin, take me too, my Brahma Holy Land and your Netherworld Sect are allies. You can’t sit back and watch me die!”
Yin Le Sheng frowned before glancing at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stated with a snort, “Zhang Hao’s fate has already been decided by another. He must die here.”
Zhang Hao’s eyes bulged as he angrily asked, “Who? Who wants my life!?”
Yang Kai coldly looked at him and replied with a snort, “The one you abandoned and left behind naturally wants you dead!”
Zhang Hao was dumbfounded as he absentmindedly muttered, “Zhang Xian?”
He then angrily shouted, “Impudence! I am the Senior Brother, and he actually wants to kill me! That ingrate!”
Yang Kai shook his head and ignored him altogether, turning back to Yin Le Sheng and saying, “Brother Yin, swear!”
“Good!” Yin Le Sheng nodded and immediately swore with his Soul that if Yang Kai was willing to safely send him out, he would definitely inform Yang Kai of Xiao Xiao’s location.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai also swore on his Soul.
When they poured in their Spiritual Energy, the Soul Contract suddenly started glowing as it split into two, before it shot straight into Yang Kai and Yin Le Sheng’s bodies, making the two softly grunt. Mysteriously, they felt bound by an invisible shackle.
Both of them knew that this was the effect of the Soul Contract.
“Where is Xiao Xiao?” Yang Kai squinted his eyes at Yin Le Sheng.
Yin Le Sheng smiled before his lips moved, transmitting his voice directly to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he confirmed in amazement, “There?”
Yin Le Sheng asked in surprise, “Oh? So Brother Yang actually knows that place?”
Yang Kai’s face turned ashen as he responded, “I heard someone mention it not long ago. Are you sure it went there?”
Yin Le Sheng replied, “I saw it with my own eyes, how can I not be certain? Naturally, at the beginning, I didn’t know what that was, but after having lived in the Eastern Territory for a while, I learned about the dangers of that place. Fortunately, I didn’t go in at that time, otherwise I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to meet Brother Yang today.”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly. Now, he was even more worried about Xiao Xiao compared to when he knew nothing about his whereabouts.
Yin Le Sheng had already signed a Soul Contract with him, and was bound by its power, so he couldn’t have lied. But if Xiao Xiao was really in ‘that place’, then it might really be disastrous for him.
Yin Le Sheng, on the other hand, was all smiles as he spoke, “Okay then, this Yin has truthfully told Brother Yang everything he wanted to know, now it’s about time you fulfil your end of the agreement.”
Yang Kai angrily glanced at him before he stretched his hands out, inserting it into the Void.
Yin Le Sheng intently watched, and after seeing a Void Crack truly get torn open by Yang Kai, a look of surprise and happiness appeared on his face as he praised, “Brother Yang is really impressive. If you manage to break through to the Emperor Realm, your achievements will be second only to Senior Li Wu Yi.”
“Get out!” Yang Kai lashed out with a cold snort.
Yin Le Sheng burst into laughter, “Then this Yin will take his leave. Until we meet again!”
“The day we meet again will be the day you die!” Yang Kai stated, grinding his teeth angrily.
Yin Le Sheng didn’t care about this threat. His figure flickered as he rushed into the Void Crack, instantly appearing on the opposite side.
When Zhang Hao and the others saw this, they also eagerly followed, using all means at their disposal to reach the Void Crack and escape from this place.
Yang Kai just coldly looked at them, but didn’t bother to stop them.
Zhang Hao and the others were overjoyed, thinking that Yang Kai had acquiesced. Their movements immediately became more rapid, but just as the three passed through the Void Crack, Yang Kai suddenly clenched his hand.
Immediately, the wide-open Void Crack closed up as quickly as a flash of lightning.
Caught by surprise, the bodies of the two unknown cultivators were severed in half, their blood and internal organs spilling out of their bodies as their auras rapidly disappeared. The entire picture was too ghastly to even look at.
On the other hand, Zhang Hao reacted the quickest and withdrew at the critical moment, escaping from this lethal blow.
After regaining his footing, Zhang Hao took a sidelong glance with a lingering fear. Only then did he turn back to Yang Kai and say, “You, you really want to kill us!”
Yang Kai calmly glanced at him before stating, “No one who has ever provoked this Young Master has had a good end!”
“Don’t be too arrogant! I, Zhang Hao, am a Holy Son of Brahma Holy Land! Don’t think that I’m afraid of you!” Zhang Hao roared, putting up a brave front.
Yang Kai indifferently looked at him, “Are you done?”
Zhang Hao was startled as he asked in shock, “What are you going to do?”
“Since you’re done, then you can be on your way!” Saying so, Yang Kai waved his hand and the surrounding Void Turbulence started surging towards Zhang Hao, trying to envelop him. In an instant, he was completely surrounded and unable to move.
Zhang Hao’s expression drastically changed as he desperately circulated his Source Qi to struggle free, but he couldn’t get rid of the strange currents. On the contrary, the more he struggled, the deeper he fell. Suddenly, his face paled as he looked at Yang Kai and begged in a trembling voice, “Let me go, I’m willing to pay any price. I’ll even hand you my Soul Brand.”
Handing his Soul Brand over meant he would be at Yang Kai’s beck and call in the future. He would become Yang Kai’s slave. If he was putting forward this condition as the Holy Son of Brahma Holy Land, it was quite evident how pressured he was.
But at this critical moment of life and death, Zhang Hao just wanted to survive, so how could he care about other things?
“Your strength is too low, what’s the use of keeping you?” Yang Kai slightly lifted his hand causing the local Space Principles to fluctuate. Suddenly, countless tiny Void Cracks appeared around Zhang Hao. They were densely packed and too numerous to count.
“Strength is too low…” Zhang Hao looked dumbfounded. It was the greatest insult of his life. Yang Kai, too, was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, their cultivations the same, yet he was disdained as too weak to matter.
Having become angry out of shame, Zhang Hao hysterically shouted, “I’ll fight it out with you!”
Saying so, his face flushed red as his Source Qi chaotically started circulating and an extremely dangerous aura immediately emanated from him.
Yang Kai’s expression sank at the sight of this. He coldly snorted and declared, “You want to self-destruct? Not a chance!”
*Xiu Xiu Xiu…*
One after another, the countless tiny Void Cracks flew towards Zhang Hao as if they had been bestowed with life.
After the dense and continuous slicing sounds, Zhang Hao froze in place. There was a dull look on his face as his vitality rapidly dissipated. Also, the dangerous aura which had been emanating from him died down.
After a short while, Zhang Hao’s entire figure fell into countless pieces with a soft bang, scattering about the void before being swallowed up by the surging turbulence.
As Zhang Xian had asked before, Zhang Hao was really torn into ten thousand pieces.
A six-pointed Star Seal flew out from where he once stood and rushed straight into the back of Yang Kai’s hand. The next moment, it turned into specks of starlight as it was absorbed by the seven-pointed Star Seal.
After Zhang Hao was killed, Yang Kai finally breathed out in relief. His depressed mood was slightly lifted.
He stood in his spot as a deep furrow appeared on his forehead, thinking about the information Yin Le Sheng had given to him.
Xiao Xiao actually went to that place! The notion had never even crossed his mind.
However, there were pros and cons of going there. Yang Kai was always worried that Xiao Xiao would be chased and attacked by other cultivators, but if he went there, that worry became irrelevant as it was rare for cultivators to set foot into that place.
However, that place was fraught with dangers, so it was uncertain if Xiao Xiao was still safe.
[It seems I still have to make a trip to the Eastern Territory.]
Yang Kai secretly decided that after he was done with the affairs of the Shattered Star Sea, he would set out to search for Xiao Xiao.
After having made up his mind, Yang Kai adjusted his mood and turned his head, blazingly looking at the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
When the Mountains and Rivers Bell had first appeared, several dozen cultivators were eyeing it and had eventually chased it to this place. But now, there is only one left, leaving Yang Kai with ample time to refine the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Qi Hai said that the Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifact, which was brought out by the Yuan Ding Great Emperor from the Ancient Wild Lands. If Yang Kai could refine it, this trip to the Shattered Star Sea would have been worthwhile.
However, refining such an artifact wasn’t as simple as it looked.
Yang Kai didn’t even know how to refine it, so he could only try the method mentioned by Qi Hai.
The Yuan Ding Great Emperor had survived eighty-one knells from this bell in order to gain the Artifact Spirit’s approval, allowing him to bring it out from the Ancient Wild Lands. Yang Kai had no choice but to imitate him.
Considering this, Yang Kai took a deep breath then adjusted his state to his best before walking towards the Mountains and Rivers Bell step by step.
For some unknown reason, the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s radiance was restrained, and even the dense and mysterious runes which once flowed across its surface were no longer visible. It looked no different from an ordinary broken bell now, to the point that if one threw it into the crowd, no one would even bother to take a glance at it.
But it still gave Yang Kai the feeling of a sleeping dragon that would let out a Heaven-shaking roar once it was disturbed.
After a short while, Yang Kai came to the front of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. To his surprise, the Mountains and Rivers Bell didn’t show any movement.
Holding his breath and focusing his entire attention, Yang Kai carefully reached out and stroked the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The moment Yang Kai’s palm came into contact with the Mountains and Rivers Bell, though, it shook as a Heaven-shaking and earth-shattering toll rang in Yang Kai’s mind. This ring was filled with an ancient and desolate aura that made Yang Kai dizzy in a flash. He felt as if he had been brought to a savage pre-history era by the torrent of time.
In his mind, inexplicable scenes appeared one after another.
In those images, there were scenes of the Heavens and Earth collapsing, astral winds whipping about, and tsunamis sweeping over the seas. It was as if the end of the world had come.
There were strong and burly naked giants so tall that their heads reached the sky. They proudly walked the land, and wherever they went, every living being would retreat.
There were early cultivators, who could move the mountains and shift the seas. They could fly through the sky and move through the earth. They used their powerful Divine Abilities to fight against the surrounding disasters as they sought for a slim chance of survival.
Countless Ancient Divine Spirits fought with each other, seizing others’ territories, dying the ground red. When they fought, the worlds shattered, and universes were flipped upside down.
The world was changing all the time, and in a flash, it seemed like millions of years had passed.
Yang Kai let out a grunt as he felt as if he was struck by a mountain. Spurting a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying back over ten thousand metres through the Void before he regained his footing. His face was pale as a ghost and his aura was in turmoil.
After finally stabilizing himself, Yang Kai finally sat down cross-legged and silently healed his wounds.
The pain in his head was simply unbearable; clearly his Soul had suffered injuries. Had it been someone else, they would have been unable to recover from such injuries. All they could do was wait for their Soul to dry up and for death to take them.
Even for Yang Kai, who had the Soul Warming Lotus, recovering from these injuries wasn’t an easy task.
Not only this, Yang Kai also noticed that a strange energy had seeped into his body following the shockwave from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. This energy was vague and mysterious, but it didn’t seem to do him any harm. It was just that it gave him a strange, obscure feeling.
It took Yang Kai ten days to finally recover from the injuries to his Soul and for him to refine the wisp of strange energy. Somehow, he seemed to have gained something, but it was extremely vague; he couldn’t put his fingers on it.
After opening his eyes, Yang Kai pondered for a moment before he got up and walked towards the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
After a short while, Yang Kai was sent flying by the Mountains and Rivers Bell just like the last time. He kept spurting blood, losing half of his life right away. After standing up from being knocked down, he hurriedly healed himself.
Over the following days, Yang Kai kept repeating this process. Getting knocked down, healing, and then continuing trying to refine and subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell…
What was most fortunate for him was that he had a strong physique and Soul, and also possessed a supreme treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus. If Yang Kai had been short of any one of these, he wouldn’t have been able to carry on with this process. Even if he wasn’t shaken to death, it might have left a hidden sequela. But his strong physique and Soul, and the Soul Warming Lotus, were enough to completely restore him each time.
And with the passage of time, the time it took to recover became shorter and shorter while the injuries he suffered gradually became lighter and lighter.
As that wisp of strange energy kept accumulating, Yang Kai gradually realized what it was.
Two months later, Yang Kai was finally able to withstand a blow from the Mountains and Rivers Bell unharmed, but he was sent flying from the next toll.
After three months, he was able to withstand five consecutive shockwaves.
After six months, twenty times.
After one year, sixty times! His progress was amazing.
One day, after a year and a half, Yang Kai was filled with an aura of vicissitudes. His clothes were tattered and his hair unkempt. What little scraps he was wearing were covered in dark, dried-up blood. He was an extremely sorry sight, but his aura was stronger and deeper than before.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and put both his hands on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
At this moment, the Ancient Exotic Artifact had once again regained the same appearance that Yang Kai had witnessed. Its entire body was brightly shining and countless profound runes were swimming across its surface like fish, shuttling back and forth, emanating a rich and ancient aura.
One after another, reverberating knells rang in Yang Kai’s mind. Every ring was enough for a cultivator at the peak Dao Source Realm to retreat, coughing blood.
But Yang Kai was quite content even in adversity. Not only did he not feel any pain, but he also found it rewarding.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Ten rings, twenty rings, thirty rings… Yang Kai didn’t move.
Fifty rings, sixty rings, seventy rings… His expression finally became solemn. But the situation was still under his control.
It wasn’t until the seventieth ring that his Knowledge Sea began to churn, causing his face to pale. His blood and Qi began to riot, as if he couldn’t carry on anymore.
But Yang Kai still didn’t move as he endured the violent shocks of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
It wasn’t until the eightieth ring that Yang Kai suddenly let out a groan as blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. The next moment, his figure slightly shook; he was almost sent flying.
At this last juncture, Yang Kai braced himself and managed to remain in place.
*Hong…*
The eighty-first ring came as scheduled and the subsequent violent impact almost tore him into pieces. The corresponding pain reached the depths of his Soul, making him cry like a wounded beast. Blood gushed from his seven orifices, turning his entire face into an appalling sight.
Fierce, wild energy ran amok through his body as sounds of bones cracking continuously rang out.
Yang Kai felt like he was about to die, and the aura of death made his entire body grow cold while his limbs went numb.
He loudly shouted as he pushed his Source Qi madly, desperate to endure.
A single breath felt like hundreds of thousands of years to Yang Kai, but when the aftermath of the shock disappeared, Yang Kai’s eyes bloomed with a brilliant gleam.
He had done it! After a year and a half, he finally withstood eighty-one tolls from the Mountains and Rivers Bell without withdrawing. He might have looked a little miserable, but he still managed to endure.
If Qi Hai’s statement was true, then all his hard work and tenacity would be recognized by the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s Artifact Spirit and he would become the new owner of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Thinking so, Yang Kai raised his head and stared at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with high expectations.
But what entered his sight dumbfounded him.
Because the surface of the Mountains and Rivers Bell lit up again, turning Yang Kai’s face pale with shock.
He had witnessed this situation countless times over this year and a half. Every time the surface of the Mountains and Rivers Bell shined, it meant that it was about to toll.
[Again!?]
Yang Kai was suddenly struck with a sense of despair and powerlessness. With his current strength, it took everything he had and more to reach the eighty-first ring; that was already the limit of his limits. If he took another, he would be unable to hold on and might very well lose his life.
The very first thought that crossed his mind was to pull back and save his life first.
Whether the method mentioned by Qi Hai was invalid or it was recorded wrongly in the ancient books, Yang Kai had already tried his best. He had no regrets even if he failed.
Then again, a sliver of unwillingness rose from his heart.
He had already worked so hard, and if he gave up now, wouldn’t all his previous efforts have been for nought?
Suddenly, a gush of hot blood flooded his chest as Yang Kai let out a war cry. Instead of backing away, he stood firm and pushed his Source Qi madly towards the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
But what happened next took him by surprise. His Source Qi smoothly poured into the Mountains and Rivers Bell, something that had never happened before. Over the past year and a half, Yang Kai has tried this every once in a while, but each time, the result was that his Source Qi was bounced back, making him suffer even more damage instead.
But this time, his Source Qi was accepted by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Yang Kai was momentarily stunned, but immediately after, he turned ecstatic.
The next moment, a shockwave from the depths of his heart and Soul blasted out and everything went black before his eyes as his mind went blank and he passed out.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell, on the other hand, continued shining brightly, streaks of brilliance shooting out from the bell’s surface and shrouding Yang Kai, wrapping him up tightly. A desolate aura permeated into the void as all this occurred, but as time passed by, this phenomenon gradually disappeared. The Mountains and Rivers Bell also slowly shrank, reducing to the size of just a palm before falling beside Yang Kai.
After some unknown amount of time, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. From head to toe, there was no part on his body that was not in pain. Even just a flash of thought brought a world of pain to his head and caused him to groan.
He clearly remembered what had transpired before he fell into a coma, so the very moment he woke, he wanted to check the situation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
He wanted to know whether he had succeeded in subduing this Ancient Exotic Treasure or not.
But when he looked up, the towering Mountains and Rivers Bell that should have been right there was nowhere to be found. Yang Kai had no idea where the Ancient Exotic Artifact had gone.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, thinking that the Mountains and Rivers Bell had broken through the void and disappeared. He was immediately struck with a sense of loss. He had worked long and hard in the chaotic Void to get the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but in the end, he gained nothing.
No one could easily accept this.
But soon, Yang Kai noticed that something was wrong.
Because he felt something contacting him through a strange mental connection, making him involuntarily look to one side.
There, a small, plain, and unremarkable bell the size of a palm was quietly floating beside him.
“Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
The Ancient Exotic Artifact might have shrunk countless times, but Yang Kai recognized it at a glance.
Pleasantly surprised, he stretched his hand out and the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew up to his palm. The moment Yang Kai’s hand touched the bell, the vague communication he had been feeling all of sudden became clear.
Yang Kai wore an indifferent expression for a moment, but his stoic face soon curled into a grin.
Qi Hai had told him the correct method. As long as he could withstand eighty-one tolls from this Ancient Exotic Artifact, he would gain its recognition and become its owner. In the past, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor had succeeded in subduing it, and now, so had Yang Kai.
However, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor subdued it when he was a Third-Order Emperor, after which he was able to spy on a higher Martial Dao, helping him advance to the Great Emperor Realm.
Yang Kai on the other hand was still just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, incomparable to the Yuan Ding Great Emperor in cultivation, so it took him a year and a half to succeed.
Although it took him a long time, Yang Kai was filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
He put the Mountains and Rivers Bell on his palm and played with it a bit. After confirming that he had indeed subdued it, he finally put it away, extremely pleased with himself.
But much to Yang Kai’s surprise, he couldn’t withdraw this bell into his body. Yang Kai grew suspicious as he tried to circulate Source Qi to refine the bell, but strangely, he couldn’t.
In other words, although the Mountains and Rivers Bell was owned by him now, and he could control its might, he couldn’t refine it and neither could he withdraw it into his body.
[Is this a characteristic of Ancient Exotic Artifacts? After all, such artifacts are born from the world itself, not artificially refined. It’s reasonable to say that it is a little different from the artifacts used today.]
However, Yang Kai didn’t think too deeply about this. Right now, he was still heavily injured, so it wasn’t the right time to study the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He could slowly familiarize himself with it in the future.
After putting away the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Yang Kai finally began to tend his wounds.
After five days, he returned to peak condition.
Compared to a year and a half ago, Yang Kai’s aura was deeper and more profound. In the process of conquering the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he wasn’t without growth. Instead, every time he withstood the shock of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, his Spiritual Energy became stronger. Not only this, but he had also obtained some nourishment from the wild force that emanated from the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
This was a truly ancient force that could make all living beings surrender to it, a complex and mysterious energy.
It was hard to imagine just how strong the Yuan Ding Great Emperor, who was the owner of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, was back in his time.
But even such a powerful figure was still no match for Heaven Devouring Great Emperor! During the battle of Emperors, a total of four Great Emperors were killed by the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor.
Throughout the ages, he deserved the title of strongest in the Star Boundary’s history!
This reminded Yang Kai of the One-Eyed Great Demon. The One-Eyed Great Demon was also a powerhouse from ancient times, one filled with murderous rage. Countless ancient Masters besieged it, but even then, it had killed countless enemies before finally being killed. Still, even after it died, its giant eye could not be destroyed and, ultimately, it was sealed below Maplewood City by the surviving ancient Masters.
Whether it was the One-Eyed Great Demon or the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, both were cruel characters. They regarded all living beings as grass, and the lives of others meant nothing to them. Such wanton slaughter, however, contradicted the Heavenly Way, which eventually brought catastrophe down upon them.
Suddenly, a flash of enlightenment struck Yang Kai’s mind, and his future path seemed much clearer to him. The next moment, some mysterious changes started happening to the Source Qi in his body.
Emperor Qi transformation!
Yang Kai was gleeful as he realized that he had taken another big step towards the Emperor Realm.
From the Dao Source Realm to the Emperor Realm, the energy in one’s body would undergo an earth-shaking transformation. Dao Source Realm cultivators cultivated Source Qi, while Emperors cultivated Emperor Qi. There was a huge gap in quality between these two Qis.
Generally speaking, before a cultivator broke through to the Emperor Realm, the Source Qi in their body had to transform into Emperor Qi, just like when one advanced from the Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Ream. This transformation was a long process.
But unlike the Dao Source Realm, where one could take Source Condensing Pills to speed up this transformation process, there was no shortcut to Emperor Qi transformation. Only pure cultivation and accumulation over time could reliably complete this process.
Qiu Ze of Sky Illumination Palace, the Emperor Realm Master that Yang Kai had previously killed, had just advanced to the Emperor Realm and his realm hadn’t been consolidated, so his Emperor Qi was still relatively chaotic and unfamiliar to him, making it impossible for him to bring out his full strength. This was a major reason why Yang Kai was able to kill him so easily.
Had it been someone like Gao Xue Ting, Yang Kai might not have been able to defeat him with his strength at that time.
Gao Xue Ting had broken through to the Emperor Realm many years ago, and her Emperor Qi was rich and pure, incomparable to Qiu Ze’s.
And now, the Source Qi in Yang Kai’s body was converting to Emperor Qi, which was the most obvious sign of someone on the verge of breaking through to the Emperor Realm.
Perhaps it was a matter of opportunity, or perhaps it was just a matter of time for him to finally get a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
After subduing the Mountains and Rivers Bell, hitting the threshold of the Emperor Realm, and collecting so much Source Strength, along with obtaining a supreme treasure like the Phoenix True Fire, Yang Kai realized that this trip to the Shattered Star Sea was more than worthwhile. He didn’t know how others had fared, but it was really a worthwhile trip for him.
For a while, he was very happy and relaxed. He then turned and looked around before he reached out and tore open space to leave the Void after a year and a half.
What entered his sight was still the dilapidated, cold, and depressing Shattered Star Sea.
But this place was no longer the same place that he was at when he entered the Void. Yang Kai had no idea where he was in the Shattered Star Sea.
There was no one in sight, but the seven-pointed Star Seal on the back of his hand could vaguely sense some energy fluctuations coming from the distance.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before his figure flew towards the source of the energy fluctuations.
Since someone was there, it meant that there should be something of value too.
Yang Kai wasn’t interested in snatching other people’s treasures, but he did need information, so these people would be his best choice.
About two hours later, Yang Kai arrived a short distance from a shattered cultivation star. The Star Seal fluctuations were coming from this star.
Before Yang Kai could approach the Star, a wave of Emperor Aura suddenly spread out from it.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he cried in surprise, “Another Emperor Artifact?”
Before the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared, he had sensed similar energy fluctuations. Now, he had just subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell, and he had encountered a similar situation again, making him feel that there were indeed many treasures in the Shattered Star Sea.
But soon, Yang Kai realized that something was different.
The Emperor Aura fluctuations didn’t have a trace of the appearance of an Emperor Artifact, because the situation at the Star was completely different from the situation when the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared. Not only that, lightning and thunder could be seen and heard, while a terrifying World Energy seemed to be gathering towards the Star, highlighting the awe-inspiring Heavenly Way!
“A breakthrough!” Yang Kai’s pupil shrank upon realizing that someone was about to break through to the Emperor Realm.
He was stupidly gawking at the Heavenly Manifestation on the Star that had just begun to take shape and his blood immediately started to boil. Although he had long known that the cultivators could break their shackles and advance to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, it had only been two to three years since they entered, so Yang Kai hadn’t seen anyone achieve this yet.
At this moment, someone who was about to accomplish this feat was not too far away from him!
The Emperor Realm was the summit of the Star Boundary’s Martial Dao, the ultimate pursuit of all cultivators. This realm was the symbol of great strength and extremely high status.
So, even though he had no idea who the person breakinging through was, Yang Kai was still a little excited after seeing the Heavenly Manifestation.
Perhaps, if he could secretly observe this situation, he might be able to see the birth of an Emperor. Yang Kai only wished to view from a distance, not cause trouble, so he didn’t have any psychological burden.
Considering all this, he no longer hesitated. His figure jolted as he flew towards the source of the movement.
Not long after, he arrived at a shattered Star.
Just as he came to a stop, before he could even approach the Star, three figures suddenly appeared and surrounded him.
The three figures had been concealed very well, and because all of Yang Kai’s attention was focused on the Heavenly Manifestation, he didn’t notice them at first, only regaining his wits when they had rushed out.
The moment these three appeared, they all resorted to lethal attacks, showing no mercy. Amid the flashes of swords, an icy domain immediately spread about, freezing the surrounding space in an instant.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but shudder as a cold gleam immediately flashed past his eyes. Raising his hands, he counterattacked, filling the sky with palms.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
After their fierce clash, Yang Kai remained still, while the three sneak-attackers all cried in shock and were thrown back.
“Form rank!” One of them seemed to have realized Yang Kai’s strength, and fear and shock filled her eyes as she promptly shouted.
Obviously, the other two belonged to the same Sect and had cooperated countless times. The moment they heard this, they flew to her side and began activating some kind of Secret Technique, merging their three auras into one.
“Hm?” Until now, Yang Kai hadn’t had the time to take a good look at his three would-be attackers, but once he did, he hurriedly raised his hand and spoke, “Wait!”
The battle-ready trio coldly glared at Yang Kai, not showing any intention of speaking or backing down, instead pushing their icy sword auras even harder.
“Are you from Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai shouted again.
He had snuck into Ice Heart Valley before, so he was quite familiar with the uniforms its disciples wore. The three girls before him were clearly wearing the robes of Ice Heart Valley.
He hadn’t expected to suddenly be attacked by Ice Heart Valley disciples.
[I’m afraid there is some misunderstanding here.] Yang Kai’s thinking immediately changed. [These three must be guarding the one breaking through, and my arrival must have put them on alert, which was why they attacked me without any explanation.]
Yang Kai’s question didn’t make them halt their movements. Seeing the three still preparing to attack, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be taken aback by that surging energy fluctuations.
He had no choice but to report his name, “My name is Yang Kai. I wonder if you have heard of me.”
As soon as he said this, it really had an effect. The three girls immediately stopped whatever Secret Technique they were casting and looked at Yang Kai in amazement, their icy domain slowly dissipating.
The young woman seemingly leading the trio asked in astonishment, “Are you really Senior Brother Yang Kai?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that the three had heard of him. This wasn’t a surprise though after all the events in Ice Moon City.
“He does look a bit like him, both his profile and figure are similar to the image shown by Eldest Senior Sister…”
“But he’s too dirty. I can’t even see his face…”
“His clothes are also in tatters.”
The three girls gathered around and whispered for a while, constantly glancing at Yang Kai, seemingly trying to confirm his identity.
Although the three were whispering to one another, Yang Kai heard them loud and clear and he couldn’t help but smack his head in embarrassment.
He had been in The Void for a year and a half, during which time he had been trying to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell. As a result, he was injured again and again, resulting in his figure looking quite dishevelled. After he had subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he had been so excited that he totally forgot how ragged and filthy he was.
Had it not been for the Ice Heart Valley disciples’ reminder, he might not have realized at all.
Realizing this, Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi, shaking off all the scabs on his body, while at the same time, he stretched his hand out and condensed some Water Sword Qi from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi to create a ball of water.
Scrubbing his face a few times, he raised his head and said with a bright, friendly smile, “Please take a closer look.”
“Ah, it is Senior Brother Yang!”
“That’s right, it’s Senior Brother Yang!”
After confirming that it was Yang Kai without a doubt, the three young women immediately cheered and relaxed their stances before approaching Yang Kai with an apologetic look on their faces.
The leading disciple embarrassingly cupped her fists and apologized, “Senior Brother Yang, please don’t blame us. We sisters thought that you were an enemy chasing us, so we immediately attacked you. I hope Senior Brother Yang can be magnanimous and not haggle over our indiscretion.”
“It’s alright,” Yang Kai waved his hand before asking, “Is someone chasing you?”
The girl replied with a nod, “En! He has been chasing us for many days.”
“Who?”
The young woman’s face sank as she ground her teeth in anger, “Who else could it be other than Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master?”
“Feng Xi?” Yang Kai raised his brow before asking in surprise, “Feng Xi’s strength might be good, but yours aren’t bad either. Why are you afraid of him?”
The young woman sighed as she replied, “If it was in the past, I would naturally not be too scared of him, but a few days ago, Eldest Senior Sister’s energy became unsteady. Obviously, she was on the verge of breaking through, so we didn’t dare to rashly confront Feng Xi, lest Eldest Senior Sister miss this opportunity.”
“Eldest Senior Sister…” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he glanced at the location where the Heavenly Manifestation was converging before asking, pleasantly surprised, “So to say, it’s Sister Zi Yu who is breaking through to the Emperor Realm?”
“En. When we ran here, Eldest Senior Sister could no longer suppress her breakthrough and had no choice but to begin. We three Sisters are responsible for guarding her. When Senior Brother Yang arrived, we thought that you were a Seeking Passion Sect disciple. So, we…” When she spoke about the last part, her face flushed red; after all, they had indeed acted a little rashly when they attacked Yang Kai without any explanation.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and stated, “Sister Zi Yu is a true genius, my congratulations!”
He didn’t expect that the person who was breaking through to the Emperor Realm here would be Ice Heart Valley’s Zi Yu. He had some dealings with Zi Yu before, and although he wasn’t well acquainted with her, Yang Kai knew that she was the most outstanding disciple of Ice Heart Valley.
And today, she had really lived up to everyone’s expectations. Just two and a half years after entering the Shattered Star Sea, she had seized an opportunity to break through.
The lead Ice Heart Valley disciple stated, “Eldest Senior Sister said that Senior Brother Yang is the greatest genius she has ever seen, and she rarely praises anyone. She didn’t even attach any importance to Feng Xi of the Seeking Passion Sect, but she deeply respects Senior Brother Yang. Therefore, after we met in the Shattered Star Sea, she especially showed us your image, telling us to treat you with courtesy if we meet you.”
“Yes, we have all heard of what Senior Brother Yang did in Ice Moon City. Senior Brother Yang is really amazing.”
Yang Kai responded with a chuckle, “Sister Zi Yu is not worse than anyone. She just said that to give me a face. Can’t you see that I am still wandering about in the Dao Source Realm while she is now breaking through to the Emperor Realm?”
After hearing his words, the three Ice Heart Valley disciples finally remembered that Yang Kai was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator while their Eldest Senior Sister was already breaking through to the Emperor Realm.
Regardless of whether Zi Yu succeeded or not, she was a step ahead of Yang Kai in this regard at least, so in the eyes of the trio, their Eldest Senior Sister was indeed no worse than Yang Kai, maybe even better.
Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he warned, “Breaking through to the Emperor Realm is fraught with crises. Countless geniuses have fallen at this juncture. Zi Yu has rushed to make a breakthrough. How confident is she in succeeding?”
One of the Ice Heart Valley disciples replied, “Eldest Senior Sister said that she is only about sixty percent sure.”
The other two also looked worried.
“Sixty percent…” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. This wasn’t a particular high estimate. If Zi Yu failed in her breakthrough, it would not be surprising for her to die under the World Energy Baptism.
“Moreover, those Seeking Passion Sect disciples are still chasing us and we don’t know if they will find this place or not.”
Yang Kai assured them, “Don’t worry, since I’m here, then I will remain here with you. If anyone from Seeking Passion Sect really comes, then I’ll ensure none of them leave!” While speaking, Yang Kai’s face was laced with murderous intent.
He still had some old accounts to settle with Feng Xi. Feng Xi’s Emperor Authority Bead had caused him a lot of pain that day, and if not for his timely retreat and extraordinary strength, Yang Kai might have died then and there.
Emperor Authority Beads had always been rare, so even if Feng Xi was the Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, it was next to impossible for him to have a second one. Right now, Feng Xi was nothing but a stray dog, so Yang Kai basically didn’t put any importance on him.
Before entering the Shattered Star Sea, he could easily crush a cultivator in the same realm and could be considered invincible in the Dao Source Realm. In the Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai had comprehended the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability and subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Additionally, his Spiritual Energy and Source Qi had grown noticeably.
Yang Kai believed that if he were to now face Feng Xi’s Emperor Authority Bead, he would not be in as precarious a situation as he was before.
“Senior Brother Yang, you must not be careless. Feng Xi is no longer what he used to be…” Seeing Yang Kai not caring one bit about Feng Xi, the Ice Heart Valley disciples quickly warned him.
But she could finish her words, Yang Kai suddenly raised his head, gazing towards the depth of the void in a certain direction before shouting, “They are coming!”
“They’re coming?” The three Ice Heart Valley disciples were stunned after hearing this and immediately looked in the direction Yang Kai was looking, but even if they spread their Divine Senses, they couldn’t detect anyone.
Yang Kai explained with a smile, “My Star Seal is seven-pointed, so the distance I can sense them approaching from is much farther than yours.”
“Feng Xi also has the seven-pointed Star Seal!” One of the Ice Heart Valley disciples’ pretty faces turned pale, “Since Senior Brother Yang can sense them, Feng Xi can definitely sense us too. How many are they?”
Yang Kai replied, “I sense two, so there should be three!”
If Feng Xi had a seven-pointed Star Seal, Yang Kai would naturally be unable to sense his existence; however, what made him puzzled was that Feng Xi had a seven-pointed Star Seal. How did he achieve that?
Yang Kai had only obtained a seven-pointed Star Seal after collecting several dozen Star Seals left by the dead cultivators in The Void. How could Feng Xi kill several dozen people all on his own? Although he was quite strong, his strength wasn’t that exaggerated, right? All the cultivators in the Shattered Star Sea weren’t good to provoke.
While he was feeling uncertain, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense had already caught three auras that were approaching rather quickly, and he found one of them to be quite familiar; it was none other than Feng Xi.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he muttered in shock, “When did Feng Xi advance to the Emperor Realm?”
He had clearly noticed a distinct Emperor Aura lingering around Feng Xi, and although this aura was unstable, there was no doubt that Feng Xi had already reached the Emperor Realm.
This discovery shocked Yang Kai more than when he learned that it was Zi Yu who was making the breakthrough here.
He had only spent a year and a half in the Void, yet so many things had happened outside?
First, Zi Yu was on the verge of a breakthrough, and now, Feng Xi had already been broken through to the Emperor Realm. What about geniuses of the other Sects? Were they also advancing at a similar pace?
“It’s all because Feng Xi reached the Emperor Realm that we sisters aren’t his opponent anymore and could only flee. Fortunately, his realm hasn’t been consolidated yet, otherwise we wouldn’t have even been able to escape,” an Ice Heart Valley disciple added with a wry smile.
Yang Kai quickly regained his calm and finally understood why this young woman had said that Feng Xi was no longer what he used to be.
Although there was only a difference of one step between the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and First-Order Emperor Realm, the gap in strength was worlds apart.
“Senior Brother Yang, you’d best flee!” The Ice Heart Valley disciples anxiously stated, “Feng Xi has enmity towards you. If he sees you, he won’t let you go.”
“What would you do if I leave?” Yang Kai glanced at her.
The lead young woman replied, “Feng Xi has been chasing us all this time, not because he wants to kill us, but because he wants to force Eldest Senior Sister to submit. So, we don’t actually have to worry about our lives.”
Yang Kai added, “Even if Feng Xi has no intention of killing you, do you think he will just sit back and watch while Zi Yu breaks through?”
The Seeking Passion Sect cultivated the Dao of Passion, so in order to truly make Zi Yu his, Feng Xi had to possess absolute strength to suppress her. As such, there was no way Feng Xi would allow Zi Yu to succeed in her breakthrough; he would definitely interfere because once Zi Yu advanced, his advantage would disappear.
But at this critical juncture, how could they let anyone interfere with Zi Yu?
If Feng Xi properly controlled his strength, it should still be possible for him to make Zi Yu fail without killing her, but if he didn’t, Zi Yu might very well die under the World Energy Baptism.
No matter what the result was, it wouldn’t be acceptable to Zi Yu.
The three Ice Heart Valley disciples had obviously thought of this, so despite asking Yang Kai to leave, all three of them looked incredibly anxious and worried.
“Perhaps, we can replace Eldest Senior Sister and make Feng Xi give up?” One of them agonizingly suggested.
The other two turned pale, but they remained silent.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “It’s not that I am disdaining you, nor is it that you aren’t beautiful, but think about how many wives and concubines Feng Xi has and what kind of beauties he hasn’t seen? Since he has taken a liking to Zi Yu, naturally he won’t easily give up. It could be said that Sister Zi Yu’s existence is a kind of heart demon to him already, one he needs to overcome in order to continue his Martial Dao. The three of you can’t replace Zi Yu.”
“What should we do then? Should we fight?”
Yang Kai grinned viciously as he indifferently stated, “Don’t worry, if they dare to come, none of them will escape alive.”
Once he proclaimed this, the three young women looked at Yang Kai in astonishment, their faces filled with surprise.
Yang Kai’s earlier statement could be blamed on him having outdated intelligence, not knowing Feng Xi had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, but now when he still dared to say the same after learning about Feng Xi’s true strength, he seemed arrogant and overconfident.
[No matter how strong Senior Brother Yang is supposed to be, he is still just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, right?]
[How can a Dao Source Realm be an opponent of an Emperor Realm? The two are basically not on the same level. If it really came to a fight, Senior Brother Yang would miserably die for sure.]
Noticing the strange looks on their faces, Yang Kai knew what was going through their minds, but he didn’t bother to explain himself. Instead, he turned serious as he stated, “An Emperor Realm Master’s attacks are all extremely powerful, and Sister Zi Yu is at the critical point in her breakthrough. She cannot be disturbed, not even the slightest bit, so I will find a way to distract Feng Xi, while the three of you guard Sister Zi Yu to the best of your abilities.”
“Senior Brother Yang, are you planning to…” An Ice Heart Valley disciple suddenly covered her charming red lips, looking at Yang Kai with gratitude and surprise; she had clearly understood his intentions.
He was clearly planning to disregard his own safety to give Zi Yu time and space to break through.
Suddenly, her face turned determined as she declared, “Senior Brother Yang, I will join you!”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, asking, “What do you think you can do?”
She bit her lips and replied, “I can do whatever Senior Brother Yang can do.”
She seemed to have decided to ignore her life or death.
Yang Kai failed to stop himself from laughing as he refused, “No, I’ll be fine alone.”
After having said so, he didn’t haggle with her anymore and flew directly towards the approaching enemies, leaving just one sentence, “Watch over Zi Yu. If you can comprehend anything from her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm, it will also be greatly beneficial to you. Don’t miss this good opportunity!”
And with that, he disappeared from their sight, leaving the three Ice Heart Valley disciples anxiously gazing in the direction he disappeared towards, wondering whether they should chase after him.
But it was also true that right now Zi Yu needed someone to stand guard here. As such, they didn’t dare to act rashly despite feeling as anxious as ants on a hot wok.
Somewhere in the void, three Seeking Passion Sect disciples, who were rushing towards the Ice Heart Valley disciples, all wore excited looks, and their leader was none other than Young Sect Master Feng Xi.
Ever since Feng Xi broke through to the Emperor Realm half a year ago, the three of them have been all but invincible in the Shattered Star Sea. Thanks to Feng Xi, the two disciples with him had also upgraded their Star Seals to six-pointed ones.
Feng Xi even had a seven-pointed Star Seal! One could imagine how many they had killed during this time in order to rob them of their Star Seals and treasures.
The might of the Emperor Realm had filled Feng Xi with confidence, making him feel as if no one was his opponent anymore.
As he rushed forward, Feng Xi suddenly furrowed his brow and his figure came to stop as he narrowed his eyes and scanned the scene before him.
“Young Sect Master, what happened?” Seeing this, the other two disciples hurriedly stopped and turned to him curiously.
Feng Xi indifferently replied, “Someone is coming towards us.”
A yellow-faced youth turned angry after hearing this and coldly snorted, “Who is so stupid that he dares to challenge Young Sect Master?”
Another middle-aged man, who was dressed like a scholar, added, “Probably some blind fool just begging for death!”
Feng Xi agreed with a nod, “Naturally we should kill this newcomer, but why does this aura… feel so familiar? It’s like I’ve met him somewhere before.”
While speaking, Feng Xi suddenly felt extremely uneasy and his heart started beating wildly, making him restless. This reaction surprised him as, ever since he had broken through to the Emperor Realm, such a sensation had never plagued him no matter how many enemies he had to face. He believed he had already reached a point where his emotions could always remain as tranquil as an ancient well, but now, his anxiety was running wild.
[Who is it?] Feng Xi suddenly became a little concerned as he narrowed his eyes and stared ahead.
After a short while, a streak of light shot over from the distance and stopped not too far away from the Seeking Passion Sect trio. When the light dissipated, a face that Feng Xi was familiar with and hated deeply appeared before him.
“How is that possible!?” Feng Xi’s face distorted horribly as he stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
Two and a half years ago, when he had first entered the Shattered Star Sea, he and Yang Kai had been teleported close to one another, and knowing that he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, Feng Xi had decisively used his Emperor Authority Bead. After that attack, Yang Kai’s aura had completely disappeared, so Feng Xi believed that Yang Kai had died.
It became a fact after he had not encountered Yang Kai over these years nor heard any news of him.
The terror that was Yang Kai had all but disappeared from Feng Xi’s memories.
But now, this nightmare had appeared in front of him like a ghost. Furthermore, he was perfectly alive and well.
But how was that possible? How could a Dao Source Realm cultivator not die even after taking a hit from an Emperor Authority Bead head-on? Feng Xi’s mind was in turmoil and he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you a man or a ghost?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips and grinned widely, “Young Sect Master is still as besotted as ever after these two years. How can you ask such a direct question when I have just arrived? How would you like me to answer?”
Feng Xi became gloomy and confused. His Divine Sense kept scanning Yang Kai’s figure over and over. All the humiliation he had suffered in the past suddenly flashed across his mind, making Feng Xi’s aura suddenly unsteady and volatile.
More than two years ago, he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, which forced him to use the Emperor Authority Bead, but today, the situation was completely different.
[I have become an Emperor, but this bastard is still a Dao Source Realm trash. There is a huge gap in our strength!]
Considering this, Feng Xi regained his calm and he coldly smiled at Yang Kai and replied, “Whether you are a man or a ghost, since you have met this Young Master today, your end will be miserable! Today, you will die!”
“Aiya, Young Sect Master is so scary!” Yang Kai teasingly looked at him and asked, “But I am curious about one thing. How did Young Sect Master manage to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
Feng Xi replied with a proud smile, “This Young Master is a genius. Ordinary men like you can only look up to me!”
Yang Kai countered, “Yes yes, but according to your Seeking Passion Sect’s Secret Art’s peculiarities, shouldn’t the existence of this Yang be a heart demon for you? If the heart demon isn’t removed, how can your Emperor Realm cultivation be stable? Or could it be…” Yang Kai pursed his lips and stated, revealing an evil grin, “Young Sect Master thought that this Yang was dead, allowing you to break through to the Emperor Realm in peace? If that was what you believed, it seems you might now have a slight problem!”
As soon as he said this, Feng Xi’s face drastically changed and under Yang Kai’s teasing gaze, his body slightly stumbled as he retreated two steps, as if he was struck by a giant hammer.
A soft cracking sound suddenly echoed, one that came from the depths of Feng Xi’s Soul. Feng Xi’s face abruptly turned pale as he felt something begin to break inside his body.
It was his Dao Heart! Unexpectedly, his Dao Heart had cracked! And the cause of this was just a single sentence from Yang Kai, that’s all.
As early as in Ice Moon City, Yang Kai’s existence had become a kind of heart demon for Feng Xi, one that if not removed should have made it all but impossible for his cultivation to advance.
Feng Xi had believed that he had already killed Yang Kai, so his heart demon had naturally been dispersed and he was able to break through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea. But the facts proved that Yang Kai, his heart demon, didn’t die, rather he had appeared in front of him again.
Yang Kai’s words had directly stimulated this heart demon, which Feng Xi believed had been cut off, affecting his Dao Heart and causing it to crack.
Blood immediately drained from Feng Xi’s face as he grit his teeth and angrily shouted, “Die, die, die! I want you dead!”
He seemed to have gone mad as a berserk aura radiated from him. Raising his hands, he fired off blasts of Emperor Qi randomly. Just the resulting shockwave from these attacks sent the two Seeking Passion Sect disciples standing next to him flying. It took these two some time to stabilize their figures before turning to Feng Xi in amazement.
The two had never seen Feng Xi in such a wild state. They knew that Feng Xi’s heart demon was surging at this moment, and he was showing signs of cultivation dissonance. This sudden calamity frightened them to no end and they hurriedly called out to him, wanting to pull Feng Xi back from the edge.
Watching all this, Yang Kai just laughed loudly, easily avoiding Feng Xi’s fierce, but haphazard attacks. He then contemptuously looked at Feng Xi and beckoned to him, continuing with his provocations, “Young Sect Master, if you want to kill me, come and catch me, or I’ll escape!”
Saying so, he turned around and rushed straight towards the depths of the void.
Feng Xi’s eyes turned red as he repeatedly roared in anger before chasing after Yang Kai.
The yellow-face young man and the scholar glanced at each other before anxiously chasing after Feng Xi. Both of them cursed Yang Kai as despicable and shameless; after all, he had deliberately targeted the weaknesses in their Young Sect Master’s mind, causing him to lose control. If Feng Xi wasn’t able to regain his composure, he might really fall into cultivation dissonance.
Feng Xi had only just broken through to the Emperor Realm, and his cultivation was still unstable, so now that his heart demon had been stirred up by Yang Kai, the situation was critical.
But at this moment, the two of them couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t help Feng Xi at all and could only pray that Feng Xi could rid himself of his anger on his own.
After the four flew off, they soon left the nearby space of that shattered Star where Zi Yu and the others were.
The reason Yang Kai had acted this way was that he was afraid that the fallout of a battle would interfere with Zi Yu’s breakthrough. What he hadn’t expected was for Feng Xi to be so easily provoked.
It seemed that this guy had not tempered his mental fortitude enough, or he simply hated him too much.
An hour later, when Yang figured he was far enough from Zi Yu and the others, he came to a stop and turned to stare coldly at the three Seeking Passion Sect disciples who were hot on his tail.
But the next thing that entered his eyes surprised him slightly.
Because during this hour-long chase, Feng Xi had actually managed to calm his raging emotions, returning from his berserk state.
At this moment, Feng Xi had some clarity despite his rage.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little surprised by this. It seemed this Young Sect Master had some skill after all. It turns out he was not just a fool and his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm was not just a fluke.
Feng Xi stood a thousand metres away from Yang Kai. The yellow-faced youth and the scholar soon arrived and lined up beside him. Seeing Feng Xi’s improved state, both of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The scholar whispered, “Young Sect Master, no matter what he says later, you must not allow him to rattle you again.”
“This Young Master knows that already!” Feng Xi impatiently lashed out before he turned a cold glare at Yang Kai and asked, “Was your objective to lead this Young Master away so Zi Yu could break through in peace?”
Yang Kai raised his brow, praising, “Young Sect Master seems to have some intelligence, you are correct.”
Feng Xi rebuked with a cold snort, “It was blatantly obvious! But your efforts are meaningless!”
Yang Kai curiously asked, “How can it be meaningless? Perhaps Zi Yu has already broken through to the Emperor Realm!?”
Feng Xi just sneered, “Do you think breaking through to the Emperor Realm is mere children’s play? It will certainly take her some time to break through, but it will only take a wave of this Young Master’s hand to kill you. It won’t be too late to go look for her after this Young Master kills you.”
Yang Kai said with a stoic face, “Young Sect Master, you are making me sad by saying this!” Then he pursed his lips as he sarcastically added, “Your Emperor Authority Bead couldn’t kill me last time, so what makes you think you can?”
Feng Xi turned furious after hearing this and was going to snap back, but he suddenly took a deep breath and calmed his raging anger before flatly declaring, “Last time, the only reason you managed to keep your dog life was that this Young Master was too negligent, but now are different…” His face turned grim as he coldly emphasized, “This Young Master will personally tear you to pieces this time!”
Yang Kai coldly retorted, “Young Sect Master, don’t be a braggart. Be careful lest you can’t follow through on your promise!”
“Haha!” Feng Xi grinned and stated, “In fact, this Young Master should thank you. If you hadn’t appeared before this Young Master now, I’m afraid I would have always thought you had died long ago. If so, I would have kept cultivating this way until one day I learned the news that you were still alive. When that happened, perhaps this Young Master would have directly fallen into cultivation dissonance and burned himself to death. But now, this Young Master only needs to kill you to supplement my Dao Heart and perfect my cultivation, perhaps even strengthening it!”
At this point, his eyes shone brightly like stars.
Yang Kai turned solemn as he stated, “I didn’t expect to be so useful to Young Sect Master. How will Young Sect Master thank me?”
Feng Xi proudly replied, “Make your move, otherwise don’t blame this Young Master for not giving you a chance!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Since Young Sect Master is being so sincere, then this Yang will not be polite!”
Next, Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned the Myriads Sword into it. Pushing his Source Qi madly, he lifted the broadsword and slashed it out fiercely.
An enormous horizontal Sword Wave suddenly appeared, seemingly splitting space apart as it flew forward.
The Sword Wave sent out by Yang Kai was extraordinarily strong; far in excess of what a Dao Source Realm cultivator should be capable of displaying.
The yellow-face youth and the scholar standing beside Feng Xi were astonished and they couldn’t help going limp as they faced this unstoppable Sword Wave.
“As expected, you indeed have some skills!” Feng Xi, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid. Rather he mocked, “But how can the glow of a firefly outside the moon!”
As he spoke, he summoned a sword into his hand and with a flick of his wrist, thrust it out, causing the enormous Sword Wave before him to shatter and fall apart in the blink of an eye.
The yellow-faced youth and scholar were overjoyed at the sight of this and immediately cheered.
“Scram aside!” After Feng Xi had dealt with Yang Kai’s attack with one move, his spirits had lifted and he shouted at the nuisance duo, who he only perceived as a burden now.
The two didn’t dare to be disobedient and quickly fled away to spectate from the distance.
“Yang Kai, you really aren’t an ordinary Dao Source Realm! If we were still back in the Ice Moon City arena, this Young Master would definitely not be your opponent, but in this world, one great force can surpass ten Masters. This Young Master’s cultivation is a realm higher than yours, so how can you be my opponent!?” He kept talking, but he didn’t stop attacking, swinging his sword while releasing a dense net of Sword Qi that enveloped Yang Kai.
Not only that, whenever Feng Xi swung his sword, an indescribable aura filled the surroundings.
Yang Kai was affected by this aura which made him feel extremely restless. This aura seemed capable of dampening his fighting spirit by distracting his focus, forcing him to recall various memories of Su Yang, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yu.
Yang Kai was surprised, realizing that this was some kind of strange Divine Ability of the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, one that could directly affect his emotions and desires; it really couldn’t be underestimated.
Biting the tip of his tongue, Yang Kai dispelled all the discomfort in his mind and immediately after, the Myriads Sword moved back and forth as Sword Waves shot out one after another, meeting Feng Xi’s attack head-on.
Feng Xi’s eyes flickered with a strange glow as he quickly formed a seal with his free hand before running his finger along his sword. “You are an ant, what’s the point in struggling? Why don’t you just die for me!?”
*Hong…*
A Heaven-shaking Sword Qi shot straight toward Yang Kai in the next moment as fast as a bolt of lightning.
Yang Kai’s face drastically changed as he found that he could not avoid this blow. With no other choice, he used his Nihility Secret Technique to push his form into the Void.
His figure suddenly faded as the Sword Qi pierce straight through him and shot off towards the empty void.
After a short while, Yang Kai’s body phased back from the Void; however, his face was pale and he couldn’t help but cough up blood.
Although he had used Nihility to deal with Feng Xi’s attack, he was still hit by the shockwave.
Feng Xi, on the other hand, didn’t let up; taking advantage of Yang Kai’s momentary weakness, he flew up, Sword Qi surrounding his body as his figure shot straight towards Yang Kai with an unparalleled momentum, leaving a long luminous trail behind him.
Immediately, Emperor Pressure spread into the surrounding area, pressing down on Yang Kai, causing him to retreat again and again. A look of panic appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
“So boring! This Young Master hasn’t even warmed up yet, but you already can’t take it anymore! In the next life, remember to give this Young Master the respect he deserves!”
While speaking, the rainbow-like Sword Qi cut straight towards Yang Kai.
But right at that moment, an inexplicable foreboding feeling gripped his heart, making Feng Xi’s face, which had been filled with confidence, turn dark and uncertain.
When Yang Kai looked up again, there was no panic on his face, rather a smile of mockery had appeared.
[What happened!? This bastard is just a Dao Source Realm trash, so why is he showing such a strange smile when he is about to die? Could it be that he still has some ace up his sleeve?]
As such thoughts flashed across his mind, Feng Xi grit his teeth and followed his instincts, kicking the void as he retreated.
And as soon as he retreated, an enormous Moon Blade cut through the location where Feng Xi’s feet were last standing. More importantly, the resulting Void Crack was emitting an extremely dangerous aura.
“Si…” Feng Xi gasped as he stared at the Moon Blade with widened eyes; a look of disbelief covering his face.
This attack was well concealed and struck silently. More importantly, it was extremely lethal. Feng Xi believed that if he hadn’t dodged right then, this attack alone would have caused serious injuries.
[What kind of power is this?] Feng Xi’s face sank all of a sudden. He believed that while Yang Kai’s strength was outstanding for his realm, it was only that, but after this brief exchange, he realized that he hadn’t yet seen the depths of Yang Kai’s abilities.
“Oh? Young Sect Master reacted quite well,” Yang Kai also looked at Feng Xi with surprise.
Had it been two years ago, Feng Xi would have definitely fallen dead from an attack like this, but now that he was an Emperor, it seemed his senses were far sharper. Moreover, Yang Kai felt that Feng Xi’s Emperor Realm strength was a little stronger than Qiu Ze’s, who he had killed back in the past.
This was to be expected, though, from the disciple of a top Sect. Feng Xi’s foundation was far better than that of a mere Qiu Ze.
Although Qiu Ze was the Palace Master of Sky Illumination Palace, Sky Illumination Palace was just a second-class Sect in the Southern Territory. How could it be compared with a behemoth like the Seeking Passion Sect that had been founded long ago by the Seeking Passion Great Emperor?
“You hid your strength?” Feng Xi ground his teeth, staring at Yang Kai unhappily, writhing in humiliation.
Thinking that he was an Emperor already, Feng Xi believed that he could finish Yang Kai off with ease, but instead, he was almost successfully sneak attacked by Yang Kai. How could Feng Xi not be irritated? Especially when his two Junior Brothers were watching from the sidelines; leaving no way out of this embarrassing situation for him.
Yang Kai grinned and stated, “Young Sect Master’s words are really interesting. You have made progress in this Shattered Star Sea, so why would you believe others would remain the same?”
Feng Xi had broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, gaining a leap in strength, but Yang Kai hadn’t been idle either. His strength had also greatly improved over the past year and a half while he was subduing the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Both his Source Qi and Spiritual Energy were now far more refined.
“No wonder Lord Father said to never underestimate any opponent, regardless of their cultivation. Today, this Young Master has experienced this first hand. Yang Kai, you have taught this Young Master a valuable lesson,” Feng Xi coldly snorted. “I wanted to quickly take your life, but since you are stubbornly resisting, don’t blame this Young Master for torturing you to death instead.”
Yang Kai retorted with a snort, “Does Young Sect Master still think that he can defeat me?”
“Could it be that you think that I can’t kill you?” Feng Xi’s eyes widened as if he had heard a big joke.
“You can give it a try!” Yang Kai calmly looked at him.
“As you wish!” Feng Xi shouted. Next, he withdrew the long sword in his hand and took out a different one.
This sword was light blue and exuded an extremely cold aura. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding space seemed to have frozen as wisps of white mist rose from the sword.
“Emperor Artifact!” Yang Kai raised his brow as he gazed at the icy blue sword, pursing his lips as he stated, “I suppose this is to be expected! Young Sect Master’s identity is noble, so it makes sense for you to possess an Emperor Artifact!”
Yang Kai hadn’t seen Feng Xi use an Emperor Artifact before, a fact he found a little strange. Only now did he realize that Feng Xi did have an Emperor Artifact, he just hadn’t used it.
Now that he took out the Emperor Artifact, Feng Xi seemed to have resolved himself to go all out.
“Satisfied now? I will make you pay the price for this!” Feng Xi contemptuously glanced at Yang Kai and in the next moment, his long sword shook as a biting-cold wave spread outwards, “Heavenly Snow Seeking Passion Sword!”
Suddenly, dazzling sword flowers bloomed before turning into murderous intent visible to the naked eye and shooting towards Yang Kai in waves.
Yang Kai’s entire body turned cold as he couldn’t help but shudder. He promptly motivated the surrounding Space Principles as he stretched out his hand and clasped it hard, shouting, “Solidify!”
*Weng…*
A reverberating thrum suddenly rang out as the place where Feng Xi stood and the surrounding thousand-metre radius space suddenly solidified and became extremely viscous.
The supreme Sword Technique he had displayed was also frozen in place at this moment.
Feng Xi’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
“This, this, this…”
“What happened!?”
The yellow-faced youth and the scholarly man, who were watching nearby, were also taken aback. They couldn’t understand what was going on. All they saw was Yang Kai stretch his hand out, and their Young Sect Master’s Sword Wave was directly suppressed.
“Break!” Yang Kai shouted again.
*Hualala…*
With a crisp sound, those blossomed sword flowers that Feng Xi had congealed, exhausting himself, shattered like glass while the ice-cold aura surrounding them immediately disappeared.
Not only that, with Feng Xi as the centre, Void Cracks as tiny as an ox’s hairs opened and began densely swarming around him.
In an instant, the space became extremely unstable, as if it was on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Yang Kai raised his hands and condensed two enormous Moon Blades, gripping them as if they were tangible objects. Then, with a smile, he turned to Feng Xi and said, “Young Sect Master, your cultivation is still lacking!”
“The Dao of Space!” Even if Feng Xi wasn’t the most learned individual, he could still tell what this ability of Yang Kai’s was, and that caused him to become flustered and blurt out in shock.
He looked at the countless Void Cracks around him, and then at the two giant Moon Blades in Yang Kai’s hands; his face turning pale.
Yang Kai’s face turned colder as he stated, “This Young Master has killed more than one Emperor Realm Master. If Young Sect Master believed that he could trample me just because he had advanced to the Emperor Realm, he made a grave miscalculation. Since you have made such a mistake, you need to be disciplined. Young Sect Master, this Young Master will discipline you on behalf of your father, do you have any problem with that?”
Feng Xi coughed up blood in anger as his face burned with fury. He wanted nothing more than to curse Yang Kai’s shamelessness, but he had no idea where to start.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already swung his hands, sending out the two enormous Moon Blades.
Feng Xi was taken aback as he stared at the Moon Blades coming closer and closer. How was this ‘disciplining’? Yang Kai was clearly planning on reaping his life!
In horror, Feng Xi’s face suddenly became solemn and he lifted his Emperor Artifact sword up high as he released an intense Sword Intent.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up seeing this. He might not have any idea what Feng Xi was planning on doing, but it seemed that he wasn’t planning to sit idly by and wait for his death.
That wasn’t strange though. Feng Xi had finally broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, and the days ahead of him were bright, so how could he be willing to die here?
A solemn aura suddenly spread from Feng Xi as he slowly swung his sword down. His entire essence seemed to have undergone a great change at this moment, like he had turned into a different person, his eyes clear but also cold and emotionless.
“There is no love without hatred as there is no Dao without the Heavenly Way!” A reverberating shout resounded.
Suddenly, the sword dazzlingly gleamed as Sword Qi flew out from the sword, creating a marvellous aura.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes in shock as he hadn’t expected Feng Xi to unleash such an attack. This move was just like one only a true Master could display as it conformed to the movements of the Heavenly Way!
If Feng Xi lived past today, he would certainly make a name for himself.
Yang Kai’s face slightly darkened as he clenched his fists and fiercely punched out.
“Exile!”
Suddenly, a pitch-black hole formed before Feng Xi and an awe-inspiring chaotic vacuum radiated from it.
The Sword Technique Feng Xi had just used was disturbed as minute flaws appeared one after another.
Right then, the two Moon Blades arrived while at the same time, the tiny Void Cracks shot towards Feng Xi under Yang Kai’s control.
“Ahhh!” A miserable scream resounded as the aura that was as stable as a mountain became chaotic. All of a sudden, Feng Xi’s figure was surrounded by swirling Void Cracks and streaks of blood spurted out from his body, turning the entire scene into a horrifying sight.
“Young Sect Master!”
The yellow-faced youth and the scholar were panic-stricken and couldn’t help but shout.
They believed that Feng Xi could deal with Yang Kai as easily as snapping his figures, so they never expected that a mere Dao Source Realm cultivator could completely suppress their Young Sect Master. [How is this possible!? How could this happen?]
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would have never believed it.
But they didn’t dare to rush to Feng Xi’s rescue. So, even though they shouted out loud, they just stood still, their eyes moving about erratically; seemingly preparing to escape at a moment’s notice.
If their Young Sect Master died here, they would certainly not be able to escape Yang Kai’s sinister hands.
Yang Kai didn’t stop after just this though. Rather, he swung the Myriads Sword and released a Sword Wave that could cover the Heavens and Earth towards Feng Xi.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
Slicing sounds rang out, and only after the Sword Wave had disappeared completely did the surrounding space finally regain its peace.
Yang Kai took a slight breath of relief while before him, a bloody and mutilated Feng Xi stood floating in the void, looking extremely miserable, his life or death uncertain.
*Gudong…*
The yellow-faced man and the scholar nervously gulped as their faces turned extremely pale, staring at the floating Feng Xi in a daze. They promptly scanned him with their Divine Senses and discovered that Feng Xi was actually gasping for breath. Obviously, he had suffered critical injuries.
Run! They had to run now or it would be too late!
Just when the yellow-faced youth and the middle-aged scholar thought this, Yang Kai turned his head and coldly glared at them.
Both of them suddenly gasped. Under Yang Kai’s cold and frigid gaze, their limbs went limp and they couldn’t summon the slightest bit of their strength.
“Are you going to kill yourselves or do I need to come over and do it myself?” Yang Kai stood holding his sword in a nonchalant and relaxed manner. His clothes were neat and tidy still, as if the previous battle hadn’t cost him anything.
This gave the impression that Feng Xi was the Dao Source Realm, whereas he was in the high and mighty Emperor Realm. This contrasting scene was completely out of their imagination and they couldn’t accept it.
Monster! The yellow-faced youth and the middle-aged scholar grit their teeth hard as they continued to rattle, unable to speak a word in horror.
“I guess you are choosing the latter,” Yang Kai coldly snorted as he moved towards the pair.
The yellow-faced youth and the middle-aged scholar suddenly stopped breathing. They wanted to escape but their bodies weren’t listening to them. A sense of despair instantly drowned them.
However, the next moment, Yang Kai frowned as he looked towards a certain direction.
The next thing that entered his sight caused his eyes to bulge in shock.
Because Feng Xi, who was supposed to be floating there limply, waiting for his death, slowly stood up at this moment. However, his state seemed extremely strange, as if he did not have his own consciousness, his eyes shut tight and his movements stiff, like a puppet.
Also, the Emperor Qi in his body was circulating madly while an aura that left Yang Kai shivering seemed to slowly be awakening from Feng Xi.
Very soon, Feng Xi stood up straight again and his eyes flashed open.
Those eyes were filled with frigid-cold chill, but also shone brightly like stars.
Yang Kai was taken aback!
The moment Feng Xi opened his eyes, that strange aura coming from his body soared and a powerful Emperor Pressure suddenly broke out from him, causing Yang Kai’s breath to stagnate for a moment and his blood to stop flowing smoothly.
“What happened?” Yang Kai frowned as he muttered. At this moment, Feng Xi gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, and when they met eyes, Yang Kai actually had the illusion of being stared at by an ominous beast. It was very uncomfortable.
Feng Xi had undergone an earth-shaking change. His previous Young Sect Master’s bearing was nowhere to be found, rather a graceful and noble temperament had replaced it. Also, his eyes were filled with disdain for everyone, as if he was the ruler of the world.
Yang Kai’s heart pounded crazily as he found this feeling a little familiar. He had felt something similar from Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters like Yao Chang Jun, Chi Ri, and Bing Yun.
However, Feng Xi had just advanced to the Emperor Realm, so how could he stand shoulder to shoulder with such peak level Masters?
[Is this one of Seeking Passion Sect’s Forbidden Techniques?] Yang Kai was filled with doubt as he fiercely swung his hands, releasing two Moon Blades that formed a cross-shaped cut that flew towards Feng Xi. This cross reached Feng Xi in the blink of an eye, leaving no time for him to dodge.
Looking at the cross-shaped Moon Blade, Feng Xi’s eyes glimmered with surprise, as if he was seeing Yang Kai using his Space Divine Ability for the first time, but the calm and composed look on his face never changed, nor did he show any intention of dodging. Rather he just slowly pointed his finger.
This finger poke struck right at the centre of the cross, without the slightest bit of deviation.
Immediately, the two Moon Blades collapsed under the might of this finger while Feng Xi hadn’t suffered the slightest bit of damage.
“What!?” Yang Kai was shocked. He was naturally clearer than anyone else about the weakness of the Secret Technique he had just displayed. Although this was the first time he had used this cross-shaped Moon Blade, he had simulated it countless times in his mind, so the effect it displayed should have been extraordinary nonetheless.
As for the weakness of this Secret Technique, it was exactly where Feng Xi had poked.
How did he see through it though? Yang Kai’s face was filled with uncertainty.
If Feng Xi had such insight and ability, why had he been beaten so badly just now? Some earth-shattering change must have happened to him in that short period when he was unconscious and woke up.
“Who is Your Excellency?” Yang Kai suddenly recalled a certain Secret Technique and his heart skipped a beat as he asked with a shout.
‘Feng Xi’ coldly gazed at Yang Kai and replied lightly, “Junior, you are really something. This Old Master thought that you were simply extraordinary, but now it seems that this Old Master’s vision still fell somewhat short.”
“Sii…” Yang Kai gasped in horror as he involuntarily retreated a few steps.
Feng Xi’s sudden way of taking pride in his seniority confirmed Yang Kai’s guess even more so.
He nervously gulped before muttering, “Soul Descent! You’re Feng Xuan!”
Yang Kai had long heard some top Masters would leave a wisp of their Spiritual Energy on their heirs or Disciples in order to protect them should they encounter life-threatening danger. Normally this technique wouldn’t be triggered, but in the moment of a life or death crisis, this wisp of Spiritual Energy could be used to create a Soul connection and possession, allowing the Master to confront the danger in their descendant’s stead.
However, the price for using this Secret Technique was very high. Once it was used, the damage to their heir or Disciple wouldn’t be small, so few Masters were willing to do this. Even for those who did use this technique, it was a measure of absolute last resort only.
But now, this technique had appeared in Feng Xi, which meant that Feng Xi was at the edge of death.
“Little brat, you’re pretty knowledgeable. It is this King indeed!” Feng Xi shouted.
“What!?”
“Sect Master!?”
The yellow-faced man and the middle-aged scholar were also taken aback, but soon, the two became ecstatic and immediately rushed to Feng Xi’s side and knelt down, tremblingly greeting, “Disciple greets Sect Master!”
Feng Xuan indifferently glanced at the two before reprimanding them with a cold snort, “Two wastes who can’t even protect their Young Sect Master, forcing this King to appear in person. What use are you!”
The expressions of the two drastically changed, but they didn’t dare to give any excuses.
In their minds, however, they were thinking, [Young Sect Master is already an Emperor Realm Master, far stronger than us, yet he was still so severely injured and fell unconscious after just two to three moves from this Yang Kai, what were we supposed to have done? Wouldn’t we have been killed with just one finger flick?]
Although they were cursing to themselves, the two of them didn’t dare to really say what they were thinking, simply lowering their heads as cold sweat dripped down their faces.
Feng Xi ordered with a snort, “Take your Young Sect Master to a safe place to heal once this is over. If you can’t even bring your Young Sect Master back to the Sect safe and sound, don’t bother returning at all.”
Since the two could enter the Shattered Star Sea, they were undoubtedly elite disciples of the Seeking Passion Sect, but in Feng Xuan’s eyes, they weren’t worth even a single strand of his son’s hair.
And judging by Feng Xuan’s tone, it was obvious that Yang Kai would very soon be dealt with.
The two disciples quickly nodded, as if they were given amnesty, “Yes, Sect Master!”
Feng Xi turned his head to look at Yang Kai again, letting out a cold snort and asking, “Junior, are Xi’er injuries your handiwork?”
Yang Kai replied with a dull face, “If I said no, would you believe me?”
Feng Xi countered, “What do you think?”
Yang Kai angrily rebuked, “Then why bother asking?”
Feng Xi’s face sank as he stated, “Junior, you’re quite bold to even dare to yell at this King! I wanted to give you a quick and painless death, but since you are so arrogant, don’t blame this King for being impolite!”
Yang Kai flashed a mocking smile as he quipped, “Feng Xi also said this before, but he was beaten black and blue by this Young Master. Sect Master Feng, be careful, or you might follow your son’s footsteps!”
Feng Xi frowned, “You dare to look down on this King?”
Yang Kai lazily stated, “If Sect Master Feng was here in person, Junior would naturally not be your opponent and would immediately flee as far as possible, but… Sect Master Feng, you have borrowed your son’s body to manifest your Soul, so just how much of your strength can you display?”
“Enough to take your life!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “How willful! Sect Master Feng, be careful not to lose all your face today!”
“Silence!” Feng Xi angrily shouted, “This King will take your dog life, Seeking Passion Finger!”
While shouting, he pointed towards Yang Kai’s location.
An unimaginable force suddenly shot out. This force was completely traceless and invisible, but it still seemed capable of tearing space apart wherever it passed, a terrifying display of power.
This finger thrust wasn’t as powerful as the Emperor Authority Bead that Feng Xi had used before, but it wasn’t significantly weaker either.
The reason why it wasn’t comparable wasn’t because Feng Xuan’s strength had declined over the years. When he had refined that Emperor Authority Bead, Feng Xuan had just broken through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. After so many years, his cultivation had definitely made great progress.
If he really performed this Secret Technique in person, its might would be far greater.
But at this moment, he had used a Soul Descent, so the strength he could exert depended entirely on what Feng Xi’s body could withstand.
Therefore, the might of this Seeking Passion Finger had greatly reduced.
Nevertheless, it was still not something Yang Kai wanted to take head-on.
He hurriedly tried to teleport, but the might of this finger had actually disrupted the local space, causing Yang Kai to stagger and get hit.
Yang Kai felt like he had been struck by a mountain and he groaned as he spurted a mouthful of blood and flew out. All of his bones creaked while many of them broke. His body was torn and battered, bleeding all over.
Yang Kai was injured with just one move, proving just how amazing Feng Xuan’s strength was.
Before he could regain his footing, Feng Xuan swung the sword in his hand, shouting, “Seeking Passion Sword!”
The fan-shaped peerless Sword Wave crossed a distance of over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye, reaching Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t dodge again.
The yellow-faced young man and the middle-aged scholar couldn’t help but rejoice at the sight of this. They were excited about their Sect Master’s strength. No matter how strong Yang Kai was, he was still completely vulnerable before their Sect Master’s Soul Descent.
After the last attack, Feng Xi’s body’s aura declined greatly. It seemed Feng Xuan had paid a great price to unleash these two moves and was now slightly panting for breath.
But this was sufficient. Feng Xuan was confident that Yang Kai couldn’t handle these moves with only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm’s strength and would soon be split asunder.
Feng Xuan put away his sword and stood straight, coldly looking ahead, waiting for the moment when Yang Kai died.
But right then, Feng Xuan’s heart clenched as a sense of anxiety assailed his heart and Soul. It was an intuitive response, one that only became more accurate as one’s cultivation increased.
He looked at Yang Kai with widened eyes, and noticed a solemn look on the other party’s face while he quickly formed some strange hand seals. An inexplicable aura began to spread from Yang Kai, it was so profound and mysterious that it even shocked Feng Xuan. He couldn’t help but want to immerse himself in this domain and try to comprehend it.
[What Secret Technique is this?] Feng Xuan was anxious and doubtful. Although he instinctively felt that something was wrong, he still couldn’t restrain his curiosity and he stared forward with widened eyes, trying to understand what was happening.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had already finished forming his seals and a mysterious seal floated before him which then flew out with a push of his palms.
“Times Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!” Yang Kai’s reverberating voice resounded in Feng Xuan ear like the calling of death from the deepest depths of Hell.
Feng Xi’s face drastically changed as he shouted in shock, “Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, Time Flies Seal!”
Unlike an ordinary cultivator, Feng Xuan was a Third-Order Emperor, the Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect, and a descendant of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor.
As such, his knowledge and experience were extremely rich. As soon as Yang Kai made this move, Feng Xuan recognized it as the famed Divine Ability of Flowing Time Great Emperor. Feng Xuan’s heart beat wildly as his face was covered in shock, his eyes filled with incomparable excitement.
The Flowing Time Great Emperor was the only Master in the Star Boundary’s history to have comprehended the Dao of Time. In hundreds of thousands or even millions of years of history of the Star Boundary, there had been no other.
Throughout the ages, countless Masters had tried to comprehend the Dao of Time, but none even entered the threshold. This alone was proof of the profoundness of this Dao. Feng Xuan believed that with the fall of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, no one in this world would ever comprehend the Dao of Time again.
But now, he actually saw the unique Divine Ability of the Flowing Time Great Emperor on Yang Kai.
Did that mean Yang Kai obtained the inheritance of the Flowing Time Great Emperor? If that wasn’t the case, how could he use the Time Flies Seal!?
For a moment, Feng Xuan was filled with envy and jealousy, but also some slight astonishment. His mood was extremely complicated.
As soon as the Time Flies Seal appeared, Feng Xuan knew that he had underestimated Yang Kai’s strength as he was affected by the strange Principle Strength. Feng Xuan actually felt everything around him slow down.
He knew that this was just an illusion; a misconception born under the effect of the Dao of Time.
Shocked and horrified, Feng Xuan summoned his sword again and poured Emperor Qi into it. Immediately, Sword Qi emerged from the pale blue long sword and Sword Intent soared. There was a solemn look on Feng Xi’s face as the six desires in his eyes vanished and the seven emotions receded.
“Seeking Love Without Indulging in it, just like Seeking Heavenly Way Without Dao! Daoless Emotionless Cut!”
The same Secret Technique, cast by the same body, but with profound differences between them. When Feng Xi displayed this Secret Technique, it was easily broken by Yang Kai’s Space Divine Ability, but when it was displayed by Feng Xuan’s Soul Descend, it literally shook the world.
The horizontal Daoless Emotionless Cut flew across and crashed into the Time Flies Seal, seemingly leaping across the barrier of time and space.
Two completely different Principle Strengths clashed with one another, shattering the space around them.
Deafening rumbles resounded as the shockwave from the impact propagated outwards.
Whether it was Feng Xuan or Yang Kai, both were like lone boats sailing in the sea during a storm, their figures rocking left and right as if they would be toppled at any moment.
The nearby yellow-faced youngster and the middle-aged scholar weren’t fairing any better. Under the corrosion of the two Principle Strengths, their eyes had lost their lustre and their minds grew dull. At the same time, their figures quickly withered and even their hair had turned grey. Everything happened in an instant, but for these two it seemed as if thousands of years had passed.
*Hong hong hong!*
Deafening explosions rang out to no end, but soon Yang Kai was sent flying. In this clash, he actually fell into a disadvantage.
It wasn’t that the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability was worse than the Seeking Passion Sect’s Secret Technique. Rather, it was Yang Kai who was weaker than Feng Xuan.
Seeing this, Feng Xuan’s eyes narrowed as a ferocious look filled his face. His figure jolted as he prepared to use another lethal technique with the remaining energy in his host body.
Although he wanted to capture Yang Kai alive and extract the inheritance and Secret Techniques of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, Feng Xi’s current condition did not allow him to do so.
After hosting a Soul Descent, the damage Feng Xi would suffer would naturally be enormous. Feng Xuan had also forcibly used the Daoless Emotionless Cut. If Feng Xuan continued to entangle with Yang Kai, Feng Xi’s body would fall apart even if he were to triumph.
Feng Xuan was currently feeling remorseful and angry.
Had he disregarded his face and made a move on Yang Kai that day in Ice Moon City, he might not be facing this kind of trouble today. Perhaps he might even have been able to capture Yang Kai and obtain the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance.
Feng Xuan would then possess the inheritances of two Great Emperors for himself and his goal of ruling the entire Northern Territory would be just around the corner.
“How can you seek love without emotions? How can you pursue Martial Dao without Dao!?” When Yang Kai was pushed back, he suddenly shouted with a hideous look on his face, “Your Seeking Passion Sect is only deceiving itself, hahaha!” He started laughing crazily.
Feng Xuan angrily rebuked, “What does a short-sighted Junior like you know? Die!”
Just as he said this, he swung the sword straight down at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai furiously roared, “You think you can kill this Young Master? You aren’t worthy! Mountains and Rivers Bell, suppress him!”
With a wave of his hand, a bell-shaped artifact the size of a palm suddenly flew out. It was the Mountains and Rivers Bell that Yang Kai had subdued just recently.
Even the Time Flies Seal couldn’t defeat Feng Xuan, so Yang Kai was now only left with the Mountains and Rivers Bell. If even the Mountains and Rivers Bell couldn’t suppress Feng Xuan, Yang Kai would immediately flee.
He believed that even if did suffer heavy injuries, Feng Xuan would still have a difficult time killing him with his mastery of the Dao of Space.
As soon as the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared, Yang Kai immediately felt his Source Qi and Spiritual Energy being drained rapidly. In a flash, his reserves were completely empty.
Yang Kai was horrified and his face turned pale as his head felt like it was splitting.
This was the first time he had used the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so he was unaware of the hefty price he had to pay.
In the past, when his cultivation was meagre, he had experienced something similar when he had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead, but compared to what he was feeling at the moment, that experience paled in comparison.
At this moment, Yang Kai clearly felt his death approaching.
[Instead of damaging the enemy, this Ancient Exotic Artifact starts aiming for my life. Who knows what it would finally do?]
He braced his spirit and stared at Feng Xi with bloodshot eyes.
Feng Xi’s face drastically changed as he involuntarily blurted out in alarm, “Mountains and Rivers Bell? The Yuan Divine Great Emperor’s Natal Artifact!?”
He was thoroughly shocked this time. He was already amazed when Yang Kai had used his Space Secret Techniques; after all, not everyone could comprehend and cultivate the Dao of Space. Afterwards, Yang Kai had displayed the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, much to Feng Xuan’s shock. Feng Xuan couldn’t fathom what kind of opportunities Yang Kai had encountered to actually obtain all these treasures that many Masters would trade their lives just to catch a glimpse of.
But at this moment, Yang Kai even summoned the Natal Artifact of the Yuan Divine Great Emperor. Feng Xuan almost bit off his tongue in shock.
[Fake, this must be a fake!]
Feng Xuan screamed in his heart, but his gaze was completely locked onto the tiny bell. The Mountains and Rivers Bell suddenly grew bigger as it rang out. Its knell reached straight into the depths of the Soul, making anyone who listened to it restless. Also, many mysterious patterns and runes began glowing on the surface of the ancient bell while an ancient and desolate aura leaked from it and pervaded the surroundings, giving Feng Xuan a sense of suffocation.
It was really the Mountains and Rivers Bell! This ancient aura could not be imitated!
Feng Xuan’s face instantly turned pale as paper.
Without wasting any more time on thinking, he turned and fled from here.
However, a mystical force suppressed the nearby region, sealing space, so, much to Feng Xuan’s shock and dismay, he was actually unable to move even a bit. Even the Emperor Qi in Feng Xi’s body seemed to be locked inside his meridians, unable to circulate it.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell’s ring could suppress worlds!
When the knells tolled, the suppression began, and no one could escape from it. Even someone proficient in the Dao of Space like Yang Kai would be frozen in place by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, not to mention Feng Xuan.
If this wasn’t the case, this bell would not have been able to suppress the Phoenix True Fire for tens of thousands of years.
As the Mountains and Rivers Bell came down on him, Feng Xuan felt his Soul tremble and he shouted desperately, “Junior, stop! If you dare to kill my son, this King will chase you down to the ends of the world and rip you into ten thousand pieces!”
“Fuck you!” Yang Kai cussed, coughing a mouthful of blood.
*Hong…*
Without any surprise, Feng Xi was directly suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell, completely vanishing from the sigh.
“Ah…”
The yellow-faced youngster and the middle-aged scholar, who were now both old, feeble men, stood trembling in place, their eyes bulging and ready to pop out at any moment in shock.
Yang Kai was just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, but he had actually suppressed their Sect Master’s Soul Descent…
Could a Dao Source Realm really do this? Both of them felt a chill gripping their hearts as they shivered from head to toe.
“Young Sect Master, is he… is he dead?” The yellow-faced old man opened his mouth to speak, but his teeth fell out as he did, making his words muffled.
The same went for the old scholar.
Although the two weren’t hit by the Time Flies Seal directly, they were affected by the Dao of Time and were now far past their prime.
“Cough cough…” Yang Kai kept coughing, looking extremely miserable, but he still managed to slightly flick his finger, shooting a burst of Source Qi into the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
*Hong…*
The bell rang once again, releasing a terrifying shockwave.
“No!” The yellow-faced youngster and the middle-aged scholar screamed. They wanted to escape, but the sound wave directly struck them. Their voices drowned out, and the two vomited blood, mixed with their internal organs, in unison. In the blink of an eye, no one was breathing.
Afterwards, Yang Kai stretched out his hand. The enlarged Mountains and Rivers Bell flew back into it, shrinking back to be palmed sized as it returned.
Over where the Mountains and Rivers Bell was, there was a pool of flesh and blood. Feng Xi’s end had been extremely miserable.
Three different beans of light shot up from the three corpses, and merged to the back of Yang Kai’s hand one after another.
These three Star Seals are all of high grade, one was seven-pointed while the other two were six-pointed. Acquiring these Star Seals had made Yang Kai’s ability to sense other Star Seals improve by leaps and bounds.
But Yang Kai was not in the mood to check on it at all. He didn’t even have the strength to take the three space rings floating about. The exhaustion from using the Mountains and Rivers Bell swept through him in an instant. His body felt heavy, and he gradually lost strength to even move. Eventually, he passed out.
Anyways, if you find issues like this, inform me on Discord and state the chapter.
Northern Territory, Seeking Passion Sect.
As one of the top Sects in Northern Territory, Seeking Passion Sect occupied a vast area of land with countless disciples. They had magnificent and extraordinary palaces everywhere, and the World Energy there was extremely rich.
Suddenly, an earth-shaking roar came out from an inconspicuous building. In an instant, the entire Seeking Passion Sect trembled, and all of the disciples looked towards that building in shock.
Everyone recognized that it was the voice of their Sect Master, but they did not know why their Sect Master was all of a sudden infuriated.
Feng Xuan was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master whose mood always remained as tranquil as the water in an ancient well. If it wasn’t something completely beyond his ability to accept, Feng Xuan would never have such an outburst.
But what could irritate a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master to this extent?
A person rushed into the building with a pale face, opened the door and knelt down trembling, “Bad news, Sect Master. This subordinate has just received a message that the Soul Lamp of Young Sect Master… “
Before that person finished speaking, Feng Xuan gave him a slap.
Although that person had a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he still could not resist the power of a Master like Feng Xuan, and was swiftly reduced to a bloody splat on a nearby wall.
“Yang Kai!” Feng Xuan bellowed a name in his cultivation room as his face turned pale but looked violent, his eyes burning with anger.
His Soul Descent was cast on Feng Xi, so he could more or less sense the happenings in Shattered Star Sea even though his body was in the Seeking Passion Sect, and he clearly felt Feng Xi die.
It was a shame to the Seeking Passion Sect and to himself that his son, who had finally broken through to the Emperor Realm in Shattered Star Sea, had died despite Feng Xuan using his Soul Descent to protect him. Worse yet, the one who killed Feng Xi was none other than a mere Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior.
If he could enter the Shattered Star Sea now, Feng Xuan would have set off to take revenge on Yang Kai right away.
The murder of one’s son was unforgivable, and Feng Xuan’s heart was filled with rage. He abruptly got up, turned into a stream of light, and rushed out of the Seeking Passion Sect towards a certain direction.
Looking at the direction he was heading, it seemed to be the location of Ice Heart Valley.
He could not go after Yang Kai now, so he could only travel to Ice Heart Valley and look for Bing Yun first. In any case, Yang Kai’s life must end, and finding Bing Yun was the only way to inquire about the details and whereabouts of Yang Kai.
Feng Xi’s death had maddened him and he no longer cared about maintaining the delicate balance between the two Sects. If Bing Yun could not give him a reasonable explanation, Feng Xuan was prepared to drown Ice Heart Valley in blood!
…
In a wave of dizziness, Yang Kai felt that someone was calling him. He struggled for a long time before he finally opened his eyes and regained his consciousness.
“You’re finally awake!” A voice seemed to be calling into his ear.
With a single thought, Yang Kai knew that the voice was not from someone beside him, but rather his Embodiment.
He had a kind of Soul connection with the Embodiment, so the Embodiment could contact him any time even though he was in the Sealed World Bead.
Previously, when Yang Kai had passed out, the Embodiment did not dare to pull him into the Sealed World Bead to heal his injuries as that would expose it to the void.
There were numerous Masters in the Shattered Star Sea right now, and it would be another source of trouble if someone noticed the Sealed World Bead.
Therefore, the Embodiment just left Yang Kai drifting in space while trying to wake him up.
“How long has it been?” Yang Kai started to communicate with the Embodiment, barely straightening his body.
“Not too long, just a few hours.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai sighed in relief before he examined his current condition. His injuries weren’t too serious but his figure had still been bloodied by Feng Xuan’s attacks.
The biggest problem now was that he was very weak at the moment. He consumed all his power to use the Mountains and Rivers Bell, which caused him to be unable to recover within a mere few hours, and he even had a headache from activating his Divine Sense just now. As such, if he were to encounter any danger at this time, he could only quickly hide inside the Sealed World Bead.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai summoned his flying boat and allowed it to drift forward as he sat cross-legged on it. He took out some Spirit Pills that were meant for recovery and stuffed them into his mouth before closing his eyes to adjust his breathing.
In the desolate Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai’s figure was just like a grain of dust, unremarkable, drifting along without any special goal.
Two days later, he exhaled softly and stood up again, with crackling sounds emitting from all over his body.
Although he had not completely recovered yet, his condition was not serious anymore.
Yang Kai lifted his head to look around, but saw nothing, even his seven-pointed Star Seal could not sense the existence of another human being.
It had been two to three years since he entered this Shattered Star Sea, and he felt his harvest had been quite good. That was, until he met Feng Xi and the disciples from Ice Heart Valley; only then did he realize he had fallen behind slightly.
Even Feng Xi had broken through to the Emperor Realm, while Zi Yu was at the critical moment of breaking through. Perhaps she too had made that last step and reached the Emperor Realm by now. But what about Yang Kai? He did not even sense the shackles loosening for the next breakthrough.
The Phoenix True Fire and Mountains and Rivers Bell were indeed not bad prizes, since they both once belonged to Great Emperors; however, the base of a cultivator’s strength had always been their own cultivation, while external aids were just bonuses.
Without great personal strength, no matter how wondrous the treasures one had were, they could not be used to their fullest. Yang Kai believed that if he was in the Emperor Realm, he would not have struggled using Mountains and Rivers Bell just now.
Zi Yu and Feng Xi were already ahead of him, so what about the other rising stars he knew?
Yang Kai suddenly felt an urgent sense of crisis.
Falling behind in terms of cultivation was a true detriment, and even if he continued to find more treasures in the Shattered Star Sea, they would not be helpful to his growth.
While thinking about it, Yang Kai sped up his boat in search of opportunities in this Shattered Star Sea.
For several days in a row, Yang Kai did not even meet a single person, nor did he sense the aura of Source Strength, which made him feel a little strange about this abnormal phenomenon, for he had never experienced such a thing during all this time in the Shattered Star Sea.
Another few days later, Yang Kai still sensed nothing.
He could not help becoming a little suspicious, wondering what happened in Shattered Star Sea.
Only on the tenth day did Yang Kai abruptly feel a trace of heat on the back of his hand.
His mind instantly became alert as he realized that the Star Seal had detected the existence of other cultivators, and the warm feeling on the back of his hand was hastily getting hotter and hotter.
Yang Kai raised his brows and hurriedly rushed in that direction.
As Yang Kai approached, he was surprised by the presence of many cultivators’ auras, not just that but also the extremely rich Source Strength ahead.
All of this resonated with the Star Seal on the back of his hand.
[What’s the situation over there?] Yang Kai was curious, and he accelerated towards his destination.
After half a day, Yang Kai was slightly dumbfounded by the scene captured in his eyes.
In the Starry Sky about ten thousand kilometres in front of him lay a large irregular oval-shaped blue halo, like a vast ocean.
Although the ocean did not seem very big now, Yang Kai knew that this was only because he was too far away from it. If he really stood before this ocean, he would definitely feel its magnificence.
[What the hell is that?] Yang Kai whispered in his heart.
A few hours later, Yang Kai reached the border of this strange place.
After examining the situation, Yang Kai took a deep breath and he muttered with shock, “So much Source Strength?”
He clearly felt the rich Source Strength coming from this faint blue ocean. Those scattered Source Strengths hidden in this faint-blue halo seemed like fishes swimming in the sea.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai saw that this place really was like a vast endless ocean with azure sea waves and light surging tides, a peculiar sight to behold.
Through the Star Seal on the back of his hand, Yang Kai unmistakably sensed numerous cultivators scattered inside this huge faint blue light, and he wondered if they were there to absorb and refine the abundant Source Strength.
However… how could there be so much Source Strength here? With so much Source Strength, how much benefit could a person gain if they absorbed and refined it all? Yang Kai dared not to think about it anymore.
Because Yang Kai’s thought was actually impossible, as no cultivator was capable of refining this much Source Strength alone.
No wonder he had not seen anyone or sensed any Source Strength aura all the way here for more than ten days, everyone had already gathered here.
Yang Kai felt excitement bubbling up inside him and even though he wanted to grab the Source Strength in front of him right now, he controlled his impulses and began cautiously examining the situation of the faint blue light.
To his surprise, his Divine Sense was not hindered in any way, nor did he notice the slightest danger, as if the faint blue light was really seawater that happened to contain rich Source Strength.
Yang Kai smiled happily and jumped into the light.
“Hahaha, another idiot!” A ridiculing voice was heard not far away. This person had obviously been observing Yang Kai and laughed at him as soon he rushed into the faint blue light, “Another fool dares to jump into the Source Sea? Doesn’t he know how to write the word ‘death’?”
Just as he finished speaking, a figure abruptly leapt out from the location where Yang Kai had rushed in.
The man who laughed fixed his eyes on the figure and saw that it was Yang Kai.
His eyes widened in astonishment, “How can this be? You’re still alive?”
At this moment, Yang Kai grimaced in pain as his whole body was aching. Sizzling sounds could be heard coming from all over his body and in the blink of an eye, his clothes were melted completely, revealing his robust body.
It was a terrifying scene. His skin seemed to have been scalded by hot water and countless pustules appeared on his figure, staining his body with blood.
However, despite his miserable appearance, Yang Kai was very much alive and was now pushing his Source Qi to expel the corrosive power that invaded his body.
After a long time, Yang Kai breathed out slowly and changed into a clean set of clothing. The corroded wounds on his body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the scabs quickly fell, revealing brand new skin.
*Gudong!*
The man who had been mocking him just now couldn’t help but gulp in shock.
Yang Kai turned to the man, and with a flicker appeared in front of him.
This person was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, slightly weaker than the average person in this place, neither high nor low in strength. He had a very quaint appearance, his features suggested he was cunning and ruthless. A person unworthy of trust.
He was startled by Yang Kai’s sudden appearance and stumbled back two steps, asking in astonishment, “What… what do you want?”
Yang Kai looked at him in displeasure, and snorted coldly, “Did you just say that this is the Source Sea?”
“Yes, yes! This is the Source Sea!” The man seemed to be tongue-tied as he replied frantically.
“What is the Source Sea? Explain it to me clearly.”
The man looked bitter, “It is what it is, the Source Sea… There is a large amount of Source Strength gathered here. Also, it looks like an ocean, so everyone calls it the Source Sea. There’s nothing special to the name.”
“How did you find this place? Why are there so many people here?” Yang Kai gazed at him coldly.
“I came with a Senior Brother from the same Sect, that Senior Brother was summoned by someone once we arrived… Friend, what do you really want to ask?” The man relaxed after seeing that Yang Kai did not seem to have any malicious intent and questioned him curiously.
“Tell me more about the Source Sea. Tell me everything you know.”
The man immediately asked in doubt, “Friend, have you never heard of the Source Sea?”
Yang Kai slapped him angrily, “Would I still ask you if I already knew about it?”
The man withdrew his head after getting slapped, hiding his annoyance as he replied with some surprise, “How can that be… with your cultivation, how could you possibly never have heard of the Source Sea? This place should be included in the ancient books of every big Sect.”
“This is a well-documented place?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Yes, the Source Sea is a very famous place in the Shattered Star Sea due to the large amount of Source Strength here for us to absorb and refine. As long as we find this place, we won’t need to search for those Shattered Star Sources. However, the Source Sea does not always appear and its location always changes. On average, it manifests once every three openings of the Shattered Star Sea, but each time it does it becomes a Cultivation Paradise for us cultivators!”
“Is there only Source Strength here? What is the faint blue halo then? Why does it have such a strong corrosive power?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice. He just suffered from the effects of the faint blue halo that looked like seawater because his Divine Sense had not detected the slightest danger from it. However, the moment he jumped inside, the extremely strong corrosive force rapidly melted his clothes and skin. Had Yang Kai had not retreated quickly, he would have suffered more serious injuries.
“No one knows what this faint blue halo is exactly. It has always existed together with the Source Sea and is extremely dangerous. Anyone who dives into it will die for sure…” At this point, he suddenly remembered that Yang Kai was still alive, and immediately smiled in embarrassment, “Friend, you must be quite powerful to be able to escape from there.”
“Many thanks for your praise!” Yang Kai chuckled eerily.
This man had just watched Yang Kai dive into danger from afar without warning him. Although they were not acquainted, it was still a bit much to have just stood by and watched.
Other weaker cultivators would have lost their lives rushing in like how Yang Kai did; however, he could not blame this man, as he had no obligation to help strangers.
The man could not help but smile awkwardly as he sensed that Yang Kai was blaming him.
“Keep going!” Yang Kai snapped.
The man quickly cleared his throat and continued, “There are a lot of benefits that can be obtained from the Source Sea. The people who find this place generally choose to stay here to absorb Source Strength and refine it until the Shattered Star Sea closes. Friend, you have seen it too, this Source Sea is as vast as a real sea, so even if there are many people here, it is impossible to deplete the Source Strength. And… there are rumours that not only scattered Source Strength is present in this Source Sea, some people even claim to have found complete Star Sources, or even Five Element Sources!”
“Complete Sources?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
He was a Star Master himself, and was well aware of the huge gap between the shattered Source Strength and a complete Star Source. A complete Star Source could greatly help one sense the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao while shattered Source Strength only provided some slight assistance in this regard.
Yang Kai did not expect that there were not only complete Star Sources in this Source Sea, but also Five Elements Sources.
Although the Phoenix True Fire he obtained before was also a Fire Attribute Source, it’s true form was the remnant essence of an Ancient Divine Spirit, not really a Five Elements Source. There was still a difference between the two.
The incompleteness of World Principles inside Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead was the reason why nobody could break through Great Realms inside it. Source Strength was indispensable to perfect these World Principles.
If Yang Kai could find a complete Star Source here and have the Sealed World Bead absorb it, perhaps the World Principles of the Small Sealed World would become complete, allowing breakthroughs to occur inside without any disturbances.
As such, the information of complete Star Sources in the Source Sea caught his attention.
Soon, his face darkened again, “The Source Sea is so dangerous, so how can we absorb Source Strength and refine it safely? Are you lying to me?”
“I wouldn’t dare to,” the man shouted with a pleading expression on his face, “Friend, you have never entered the Source Sea before, so you wouldn’t know the situation inside. There are many small islands inside the Source Sea for people to refine Source Strength atop without being corroded by the Source Sea’s power.”
“Oh? There is such a thing?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He had not really gone deep enough into the interior earlier when he tried to rush in the Source Sea, so he had not seen any of these islands.
However, from his manner of speech, this man did not seem to be lying.
“Friend, you will see when you take a look from above. Everything will be fine as long as you don’t rush into the thing that looks like seawater anymore.” The man seemed to be giving him a friendly warning, and then looked at Yang obsequiously “I’ve told you everything I know, you see… “
“Hmph!” Yang Kai continued to question sternly, “Since this Source Sea has so many benefits, why are you still waiting outside? Is there any other danger?”
“I’m waiting for my fellow disciples,” he responded hurriedly, “My Eldest Senior Brother told me to wait here. Why else do you think I would stay here? I also want to go in to absorb and refine that Source Strength.”
He had an aggrieved expression on his face, probably scolding his Eldest Senior Brother in his heart.
Yang Kai nodded, turned around, and flew over to the Source Sea.
The man shouted at his back, “Be careful, there are several Emperor Realm Masters in the Source Sea now, and no one can save you if you provoked them.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he heard it, realizing that things were as he had thought. Zi Yu and Feng Xi were not alone; many had already broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea.
This was just the situation in the Source Sea, so what about the other Masters scattered around the Shattered Star Sea?
Perhaps, there are more than a few who have broken through to the Emperor Realm.
The Shattered Star Sea was indeed an incredible Sealed World.
Yang Kai’s expression became dignified as he flew over the Source Sea and looked down, suddenly feeling strangely out of place.
At this moment, he felt like he was soaring over a vast ocean with azure sea waves and surging tides. On the sea, there were indeed islands of various sizes. The small ones could only fit one standing person, while the big ones permitted up to four to five individuals to sit comfortably.
All of these islands were occupied by cultivators sitting cross-legged, absorbing and refining the Source Strength released by the seawater.
The surface of the sea was unpredictable, the tides were sometimes violent, sometimes calm and peaceful.
In such a scenario, cultivators couldn’t refine the Source Strength on the sea peacefully.
It seemed that a shelter was necessary. Yang Kai had suffered from the seawater before, and he knew how lethal it was. He would not be able to refine the Source Strength here at all if he could not settle on an island.
Yang Kai thought of this as his eyes swept over the sea beneath him, looking for a suitable location.
There were a lot of cultivators looking for a place to settle on just like him. They were all flying in the air, but none of them showed hostility towards him. The Source Strength here was incredibly strong and would definitely be greatly beneficial if one could absorb it steadily. There was no point in fighting here unless it was a fight for territory.
And some fights for land were indeed taking place. Yang Kai saw at least a dozen groups of people in battle as he soared through the air. Corpses of cultivators were constantly dropping down into the sea below without a sound, not even creating a single wave when they landed.
After wandering above the Source Sea for an hour, Yang Kai still could not find a place to land as every place seemed to already be occupied.
This made him feel helpless.
He was not the type to seize a spot from others for no reason, so he could only search patiently. Fortunately, the Source Sea was vast, and there were still places he had not explored.
He believed that he should be able to find a good spot.
Looking up ahead, the sky was dark and explosions rang out as a group of people were fighting for territory.
Yang Kai wanted to go around to avoid the battlefield, but at this moment, he suddenly heard a low groan.
“Earth Sword… Falling Thunder!”
The voice rang out, together with a burst of crackling sounds as a blue lightning bolt suddenly pierced the sky and struck towards a certain place.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he quickly looked over in the direction the voice had come from.
Earth Sword Falling Thunder was a Secret Technique that was used by someone Yang Kai knew.
This Secret Technique was one of a set of three, Mortal Sword Swirling Destruction, Earth Sword Falling Thunder and Heaven Sword Shattering Star, each skill stronger than the previous, and the combination of three skills was even more powerful.
The one who cultivated this Secret Technique was Xiao Bai Yi of Azure Sun Temple. Previously, in the Flowing Time Temple of Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai fought with Xiao Bai Yi and learned first hand of the profoundness of this Secret Technique, so it was still quite fresh in his mind.
At this moment, seeing someone in the Source Sea performing this Secret Technique immediately grabbed Yang Kai’s attention.
When he turned his head to look, he saw a figure in a chaotic battlefield, his white clothes flapping in the wind. If it was not Xiao Bai Yi, who else could it be?
This guy was always wearing white clothes, and he always looked elegant and cold since the day he met Yang Kai; however, he seemed to be in a bad situation right now, his white robes dotted with red blood, looking quite miserable.
Next to him was another figure that Yang Kai was familiar with.
It was Murong Xiao Xiao!
These two elite disciples of Azure Sun Temple were standing back-to-back on top of a small island, each performing Secret Techniques to resist the attacks coming at them from all directions. The small island they were on was not big, just enough for them to settle down.
Both of them were the elites among the elites, and after not seeing them for a few years, both of them had clearly reached the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, but they were outnumbered now and stuck in a difficult situation. Blood spurted out of Xiao Bai Yi’s body from time to time, while Murong Xiao Xiao’s hair looked messy, her clothes soaked in sweat, attaching tightly to her tender body.
When Yang Kai saw this scene, he realized that those who besieged them had not completely sealed off their path of escape. In other words, Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao still had a chance to withdraw.
It was just that the two of them did not have the intention to run away. One looked cold and determined, while the other looked furious and sorrowful. Both of them stood their ground and kept unleashing their strength.
This was a territory war!
Yang Kai noticed it at a glance. The island occupied by Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao was obviously favoured by their attackers. These people probably wanted to overwhelm the Azure Sun Temple pair with numbers and force them to give way, but after initiating the battle, they came to realize that Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were not easy to be dealt with.
The gap that they opened deliberately was intended for Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao to leave. This was the reason why they did not completely surround them while besieging them. They did not want to fight them to death, and hoped that they could force them away.
Unfortunately, Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao did not plan to escape, causing the battle to intensify moment by moment.
Yang Kai hurriedly turned around and rushed towards them.
He was still regarded as an in-name disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and Wen Zi Shan and Gao Xue Ting had taken great care of him in the past. Furthermore, Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were his friends, so how could he just stand idly by in this situation?
Seemingly oblivious to Yang Kai’s movement, a long-faced old man who was besieging Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao warned, “We will give you one last chance, will you leave or not!?”
Murong Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth and shouted, “Don’t you dream of stealing our location unless you kill us!”
Xiao Bai Yi did not say a word, but the sword on his hand blossomed with many sword flowers, and his murderous intent answered for himself.
“Good, there was a path to the Heavens, but you refused to take it and chose the door to Hell instead. Since that’s the case, don’t blame us for being ruthless!” Saying so, the long-faced old man signalled the rest of his group and put on a ferocious expression. It was obvious that he did not want to delay any longer and intended to end the fight quickly.
The others understood his intentions and their actions changed, becoming more decisive and brutal.
The faces of Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao darkened, feeling heavily pressured.
The long-faced old man seemed to sense Yang Kai at that moment and with a flicker, turned to greet him with cupped fists, “Friend, Western Territory Pointed Star Sect is dealing with some matters here. Please don’t interfere with us and make a detour!”
“Oh? Are you guys from the Pointed Star Sect?” Yang Kai did not stop his pace, but accelerated with a joyful face.
“Indeed, who is Your Excellency?” From Yang Kai’s words, the long-faced old man thought that Yang Kai was also a cultivator from Western Territory and he could not help looking at him suspiciously, wondering which Sect he came from.
Yang Kai replied with a proud face, “I’m from King of Hell’s Palace!”
“King of Hell’s Palace?” The long-faced old man wore a bewildered expression as he could not recall any Sect in the Western Territory named after the King of Hell’s Palace, but soon, he reacted with a darkened expression, “Is Your Excellency teasing this Old Master?”
None of the Sects would use a name like ‘King of Hell’s Palace’ that could easily gain public hatred, so it was obvious that Yang Kai was making things up.
Yang Kai grinned, “Why would I? I really belong to the King of Hell’s Palace…” At this point, his face abruptly turned solemn and continued with a deep voice, “The King of Hell sent me to deliver your life to him!”
The long-faced old man’s face changed drastically and he bellowed, “Little brat, you court death!”
The Source Qi in his body surged as he hastily performed a mysterious hand seal before stretching his claws out to grab Yang Kai, seemingly wanting to show Yang Kai a bit of his superiority.
But what horrified him was that Yang Kai suddenly disappeared before his eyes.
This strange scene surprised the old man because he could not figure out how Yang Kai disappeared at all.
In the next instant, the old man felt a chill shoot up his spine, making him wonder if he had encountered a ghost.
Before he could finish his thoughts though, Yang Kai’s face reappeared in front of his, so close he could feel the other party’s breath.
The long-faced old man gasped and immediately retreated, pushing his Source Qi madly to form a visible shield around his body as protection.
Yang Kai revealed a sly smile on his face and a white lotus bud appeared in his left eye before shooting out in a flash.
Blossoming Lotus!
Yang Kai’s Soul had strengthened greatly over the past year and a half while he was subduing the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Now, he felt more and more proficient in using this Soul Secret Technique, and the power it could display was also far higher than before.
The white lotus bud instantly turned into a magical power that tore through the old man’s protection and rushed into his Knowledge Sea.
Just when the horrified old man was retreating, he suddenly stiffened in his place, with his eyes frozen as a pained look appeared on his face.
There was now only a white lotus bud left in his vision, blooming hastily, its radiance seemingly devouring his entire body and mind.
Yang Kai immediately sent out a punch, and under a blast of the violent power, the long-faced old man exploded into a mist of blood, leaving not even bones as his remains scattered across the Source Sea below.
“Ah!”
A scream was heard as the people who were besieging Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao stared in shock at this scene.
Although the long-faced old man was a bit aged, his strength was definitely not low. He could easily be ranked among the top three Dao Source Realm cultivators in Western Territory’s Pointed Star Sect; however, such a strong Master had actually been helpless before a single punch from this strange young man who had come out of nowhere.
The old man had just ordered his people to decide the battle quickly, but now he himself had been killed in the blink of an eye.
The one who killed him, could it be an Emperor Realm Master?
Even though there were not many Emperor Realm Masters in Shattered Star Sea, there were definitely not a few either.
The bloody death scene of the old man scared the few disciples of Pointed Star Sect to death as they thought an Emperor had appeared. Seeing Yang Kai rushing towards them unceasingly with a cold smile on his face, they dared not remain.
They left Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao and escaped one after another. At this time, they did not even dare to avenge the old man, only caring for their own lives.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai reached out his hand and grasped towards the void, causing a surge of Space Principles that froze the surrounding space.
The few people who were fleeing widened their eyes in panic, realizing that they were now moving as slow as turtles, sweat beading on their foreheads as chills filled their bodies.
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were overjoyed seeing this situation. They did not know who was helping them as they did not have the time to check the appearance of this stranger, but regardless, at this moment, they could finally let out all the anger that was accumulated due to the actions of the Pointed Star Sect disciples before.
“Mortal Sword, Swirling Destruction!”
“Earth Sword, Falling Thunder!”
“Heaven Sword, Shattering Star!”
The three sword skills of Xiao Bai Yi’s Secret Technique were sent in sequence through his longsword. The ferocious power of the combination of three sword skills caused the world to shake.
Although Murong Xiao Xiao was a woman who always gave Yang Kai the impression that she was gentle and elegant, she revealed her merciless side at this moment, summoning a pair of Heavenly Feather Rings that instantly divided into two, then four, then eight and so on, swiftly enveloping the Pointed Star Sect disciples layer by layer.
Screams were heard one after another as the several Pointed Star Sect disciples, who lost their fighting spirit and intended to run away, could not resist the incoming attacks as their bodies were being restrained by Yang Kai.
The two elite disciples of Azure Sun Temple unleashed their strikes, and these people collapsed like straws.
At that moment, the sky filled with blood and flesh, with severed limbs flying this way and that.
Within not more than ten breaths of time, the few remaining Pointed Star Sect disciples were killed on the spot, and their corpses fell into the Source Sea below.
Star Seals shot out from the backs of these people’s hands one after another towards Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao, who quickly divided them between them.
“Many thanks to this Senior Brother for his assistance… Ah! It’s Senior Brother Yang!” Murong Xiao Xiao immediately recognized Yang Kai and exclaimed with joy when she turned around to thank him.
Previously, she was still wondering who would actually help her and Xiao Bai Yi in this situation, not having expected it to be Yang Kai.
Xiao Bai Yi remained silent, but turned to Yang Kai with a look of saying ‘I knew it was you’, staying aloof as usual.
After all, Yang Kai had used the Space Principles during their battle in the Flowing Time Temple, so Xiao Bai Yi knew it was Yang Kai who had come once he felt the familiar fluctuations.
Now that he had turned to look, he was indeed correct.
“Sister Murong, I haven’t seen you in a few years but you have become far more beautiful!” Yang Kai flew over in front of them with a smile and greeted Murong Xiao Xiao.
Murong Xiao Xiao blushed and stomped her foot, “Senior Brother Yang is making fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you. I’m just speaking the truth!” Yang Kai responded solemnly.
Murong Xiao Xiao blushed even deeper.
Xiao Bai Yi suddenly snorted coldly, “How dare you harass my Junior Sister in front of me? Do you think I’m deaf… or blind?”
Yang Kai turned his head with a smile, “Xiao Bai, long time no see.”
Xiao Bai Yi’s face darkened, “I told you, my name is Xiao Bai Yi, Xiao! Bai! Yi! Not Xiao Bai!” The vein on his forehead was pulsing, obviously very annoyed by the name Xiao Bai.
After a pause though, he calmed down, “I heard that you are now a temple disciple. Although you are late to enter the Sect, according to the laws of the Martial Dao, whoever is stronger is Senior, regardless of age. If you don’t want to address me by my full name, it’s fine for you to call me Junior Brother Xiao, but I don’t want to hear the words ‘Xiao Bai’ anymore!”
“I see, Junior Brother Xiao Bai!” Yang Kai grinned.
Xiao Bai Yi’s face went white with fury.
Murong Xiao Xiao giggled, “Senior Brother Yang, did you come here to help when you received our message?”
“Message?” Yang Kai frowned and looked at her curiously.
Murong Xiao Xiao asked quizzically, “Senior Brother Yang didn’t see it?”
“How am I supposed to receive any message when I don’t have your Communication Bead or communication artifact…”
Having said that, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and quickly took it out of his Space Ring.
It was a golden token, the Azure Sun Golden Token that Gao Xue Ting handed to him in Maplewood City. Only Core Disciples of Azure Sun Temple would have this Azure Sun Golden Token.
Ever since Yang Kai received the Azure Sun Golden Token, he had never used it for anything.
He investigated the token with his Divine Sense before understanding what Murong Xiao Xiao meant.
This Azure Sun Golden Token actually had the function of a communication artifact, allowing disciples to send messages to one another. At this moment, Yang Kai saw a message waiting in the token, a request for assistance sent by Murong Xiao Xiao not long ago.
Murong Xiao Xiao observed him, and realizing that it was the first time he heard about this, she pursed her lips in a smile, “Senior Brother Yang should check the Azure Sun Golden Token for information more often in the future, we won’t know when any of our fellow Junior Brothers or Junior Sisters might leave a message.”
“Noted.” Yang Kai nodded and put away the Azure Sun Golden Token.
Although he did not receive the message from Murong Xiao Xiao in time, he did manage to save her and Xiao Bai Yi by accident.
“What about Xia Sheng? Why don’t I see him?” Yang Kai glanced around, asking suspiciously.
Since Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were together, it did not make sense that Xia Sheng was not here, but there indeed was no trace of him.
Xiao Bai Yi replied, “Eldest Senior Brother separated from us two months ago. He said he wanted to look for a place to make a breakthrough.”
Yang Kai raised his brows, “Oh? Is Xia Sheng going to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
Murong Xiao Xiao answered with a worried look, “En, Eldest Senior Brother’s cultivation has reached the peak of the Dao Source Realm a long time ago, but he never had the opportunity to break through. Now that he felt his shackles loosening after coming to the Shattered Star Sea, he hurriedly went to prepare.”
“Then why didn’t you follow?” Yang Kai frowned.
Since Xia Sheng wanted to break through to the Emperor Realm, he would need someone guarding him, otherwise he would not be able to resist any kind of outside influence.
“He wouldn’t allow us. We followed him quietly for a few days, but he managed to throw us off with his Golden Cicada Shell Shedding technique,” Xiao Bai Yi sighed.
“Threw you off…” Yang Kai was exasperated, but figured that Xia Sheng could do such a thing based on his character.
From this point of view, it seemed that Xia Sheng was not very confident he could break through to the Emperor Realm! If he really was confident, he would not have left his Junior Brother and Junior Sister behind and snuck off secretly.
It was precisely because of his lack of confidence and the possibility that he would fall under the World Energy Baptism that he did not want Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao to witness it, lest they become traumatized from the experience.
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, and if a shadow was left in their hearts because of Xia Sheng’s failure, it was very likely that they would never be able to break through in the future.
If Yang Kai figured this out, Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao undoubtedly had as well, so both of them looked anxious and uneasy.
Seeing this, Yang Kai consoled them quickly, “Xia Sheng has a firm foundation, so a breakthrough shouldn’t be a big problem to him. I have already met others who have successfully taken that step, so if others can break through, Xia Sheng can too, don’t worry.”
“I hope so,” Xiao Bai Yi knew that there was nothing to be done except to pray for Xia Sheng’s good fortune.
“Senior Brother Yang, are you here to find a place to refine Source Strength?” Murong Xiao Xiao asked.
“En, I just happened to pass by and noticed something strange here, so I came to have a look.”
Murong Xiao Xiao smiled, “This is the famous Source Sea, so you don’t need to go anywhere else to look for Source Strength once you’re here. Senior Brother Yang, stay here and absorb the Source Strength with Senior Brother Xiao. This spot is big enough for two people.”
“What about you?”
The island was not big, just enough to accommodate two people, so if Yang Kai stayed, Murong Xiao Xiao would definitely have no place to sit.
“I will stand guard for you,” Murong Xiao Xiao smiled gently.
“The three of us can take turns. It’s good to have someone to stand guard, to prevent any unexpected attacks,” Xiao Bai Yi added.
Yang Kai pondered for a while before he shook his head, “I’ll have to refuse. This is a rare opportunity, so the two of you should continue to refine and absorb the Source Strength here. I will look for another place. If anybody is stupid enough to cause you trouble, just send me a message and I will rush over as soon as possible.”
Murong Xiao Xiao objected hurriedly, “But there is no other available place, that’s why many people are fighting for territory.”
“No more places?” Yang Kai’s face darkened.
“There is basically no free space left. We had to search for a long time to find this place, and we were targeted by those people before we could even sit down,” Xiao Bai Yi reported, “It will be in vain to look for another spot, unless…”
“Unless what?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously.
Murong Xiao Xiao bit her red lips and mumbled, “Unless Senior Brother Yang has an Emperor Realm cultivation.”
“Why would I need an Emperor Realm cultivation?” Yang Kai showed a puzzled look.
“The depths of the Source Sea are where the strongest Source Strength is located and it is easier to absorb and refine it there. As such, the deeper one goes, the higher the average cultivation of the cultivators there will be. Didn’t you realize that on your way here, all the cultivators in these outskirts don’t have very high cultivation?” Xiao Bai Yi explained.
Yang Kai recalled carefully and realized it was exactly as he said, but he still probed in confusion, “What does this have to do with being in the Emperor Realm?”
“Because several Emperor Realm Masters are occupying a large area in the deepest place, where the Source Strength is strongest. No one except for other Emperor Realm Masters are allowed to approach. Many people accidentally rushed in there and were killed,” Xiao Bai Yi revealed.
“What blatant bullying!” Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn.
Murong Xiao Xiao continued, “Although there are wide spaces to settle down there and the Source Strength is far richer, no one dares to go there. Senior Brother Yang, you must not go there, otherwise, your life will be in danger.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded without explaining too much.
He was not afraid of the newly promoted Emperor Realm Masters in this place. Even Feng Xuan’s Soul Descent had been killed by him, so how could these new Emperors in the Shattered Star Sea threaten him?
“I still want to look for a place, and if I can’t find one…” Yang Kai muttered, grinning with a sinister smile, “I can just take one.”
Murong Xiao Xiao and Xiao Bai Yi were about to object, but when they recalled the strength that Yang Kai showed just now, their worries faded.
Yang Kai’s strength seemed to have surpassed the Dao Source Realm, otherwise, he would not have been able to destroy the long-faced Pointed Star Sect old man with one punch.
“Be careful anyway!” Xiao Bai Yi exhorted, knowing that Yang Kai could not be dissuaded.
“You have to be careful too, remember to send me a message if there is any trouble,” Yang Kai responded, cupping his fists towards the two before turning around and flying towards the deepest part of the Source Sea.
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao watched his back, which was moving further and further away in silence. After a long time, Xiao Bai Yi urged her, “We should hurry up and begin, we can’t miss this opportunity.”
Murong Xiao Xiao nodded, and the two sat down cross-legged.
While flying, Yang Kai took out his Azure Sun Golden Token from his Space Ring and kept it on him.
This way, he would be able to immediately receive notifications of messages rather than having to periodically check the token in his Space Ring.
As he flew deeper, the Source Strength gradually thickened.
Yang Kai did not know how far he had flown, only that along the way he saw a lot of Dao Source Realm cultivators sitting cross-legged on vacant islands, refining and absorbing Source Strength.
But after a while, there was no one to be seen anymore. No one was occupying the islands. Instead, there were extremely grotesque looking dead bodies lying on the vacant islands, serving as a warning to the latecomers.
Yang Kai guessed that this should be the work of the Emperor Realm Masters who occupied the best position. Although it was a bloody method, it was extremely effective because the dead bodies all belonged to top Dao Source Realm cultivators from the Star Boundary. Seeing this, any straggler would have to weigh their own abilities before proceeding.
Other cultivators might have turned around and left immediately after witnessing such a sight, but Yang Kai turned a blind eye to it and continued to move forward, without any intention of hiding.
At a certain moment, an Emperor Pressure suddenly surged up from somewhere down below. Although the Emperor Pressure wasn’t very pure, nor very powerful, it was still Emperor Pressure that harmonized with the Heavenly Way. Yang Kai’s body jerked slightly while in flight and his breathing became slightly difficult.
“How dare a Dao Source Realm trash come here! It seems that you don’t know how to write the word ‘death’.” A low voice snarled, and immediately from somewhere on the Source Sea, a huge bloody palm shot towards Yang Kai.
This palm was not only gigantic, but also emitted a strong stench of blood, as if it was formed from the accumulation of fresh blood, making it both nauseating and terrifying.
Seeing the bloody palm coming towards him, Yang Kai immediately raised his hand and pushed the Source Qi in his body, sending out a gigantic palm of his own.
*Hong long long… *
There was an explosion, and the clouds and wind changed drastically, energy overflowing in all directions. A breath later, the two palm-strikes cancelled each other out, as if they had never existed before.
Yang Kai stood firm like a mountain while quietly holding his ground.
A soft call of surprise echoed from somewhere below.
A pure Divine Sense came and scanned Yang Kai up and down, probably to check if he had hidden his cultivation, only to find that Yang Kai really was just a Dao Source Realm.
The Emperor Realm Master who attacked Yang Kai could not help feeling amazed.
He had not met a Dao Source Realm cultivator who could take a palm from him like this. Although he had only broken through to the Emperor Realm not long ago, there were already seven to eight Dao Source Realm cultivators who had died at his hands in the depths of the Source Sea, as the strength of the Emperor Realm was a world apart from the strength of the Dao Source Realm.
But it did not work on Yang Kai.
Not only did he fail to kill Yang Kai, but it also seemed he hadn’t caused any damage or even forced him back.
This person secretly felt shocked in his heart, wondering what kind of monster Yang Kai was to possess such terrifying power, even thinking to himself that he had not been this strong when he was still a Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai grinned, “This one is just passing by and hoping to find a place to stop and cultivate, this friend doesn’t have to be so hostile.”
He scanned the Emperor Realm Master who made a threat against him with his Divine Sense. This young man had red hair, as if it was dipped in blood, and was exuding an extremely violent and bloody aura. Yang Kai had no idea which Sect he came from or what kind of Secret Art he cultivated.
Yang Kai was not afraid of him, and since there was no resentment between them, Yang Kai would have preferred not to start a fight.
The red-haired young man looked up to the place where Yang Kai was, and after a short silence, he said, “You can go, but don’t stop within a thousand kilometres of here.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai chuckled, cupping his fists towards the red-haired young man before immediately moving off.
But after listening to this young man, Yang Kai also understood why just a few Emperor Realm Masters could occupy all the region of the Source Sea with the richest Source Strength. This young man alone already occupied a position with a radius of a thousand kilometres, so how could the others have such a wide territory?
However, no one would talk about justice or fairness in this world. Whoever was strong enough could act however they pleased.
Any Dao Source Realm cultivator who dared to challenge the Masters here would end up like the corpses on those previous islands.
After an hour, Yang Kai already left the red-haired young man more than two thousand kilometres behind, but he still could not find a stopover as he discovered some of the small islands that originally existed this deep had been bombarded to pieces by the Emperor Realm Masters who arrived first.
They obviously did not want to leave a place for latecomers to absorb the Source Strength here, so they carried out such a tyrannical act.
A world-breaking spear of light suddenly blasted from below, penetrating through the void and the barriers of space, striking towards Yang Kai’s face in the blink of an eye, causing some pain on his skin due to the chilling power.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, acknowledging the power of this spear, and dared not to be careless. Summoning his Myriads Sword, he slashed towards the approaching spear.
The dazzling sword light shot out and collided with the spear light, causing a shocking explosion.
“Hm? A trivial Dao Source Realm cultivator can actually take a blow from this Young Master? How strange.” A voice came from below. The man seemed to be a little surprised too, similar to the previous red-haired young man.
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “Why do all of you Emperor Realm Masters who have already occupied such a large area still need to stab at everyone who passes by you? Don’t you feel ashamed?”
The man burst out into laughter, “If you dare to come here without the necessary strength, you have chosen death.” He paused for a while, then asked, “Since you made it here, I suppose you passed through Chi Gui’s test?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched, “You mean the red-head?”
“En.”
“Like you, he tried to sneak attack me, but I managed to block his attack and he just let me go.” Yang Kai snorted with a displeased face.
“No wonder…” The man nodded lightly, after a while waving his hand, “You may go. Since Chi Gui already let you pass, it means that you are also a man of great potential. I won’t do anything more to you.”
Yang Kai curled his lip in disgust, because the man talked big like he was being so gracious for letting him pass, even shamelessly claiming that he was also a man of great potential.
“How many more Emperor Realm Masters are there? Are you all going to act against me?” Yang Kai asked unhappily.
If it was the case, he would not hide his strength anymore and just fight all the way there to avoid troubles.
Unexpectedly, the man changed his expression faster than flipping a page and replied coldly, “Little brat, you talk too much. Since I’ve allowed you to pass, then you should just pass. If you don’t want to, I’ll just make you stay here forever.”
Yang Kai snorted and did not bother to pester this man anymore, simply changing directions and flying deeper.
However, this time he abandoned his usual low-key attitude, pushing his Source Qi madly, making himself very eye-catching, believing that the Emperor Realm Masters would sense him far away as long as they were not overly focused on absorbing Source Strength.
Maybe it was due to Yang Kai’s self-confidence and high-profile actions, but even though he sensed the aura of two other Emperor Realm Masters’ along the way, they did not try to act against him and simply ignored his presence after scanning him with their Divine Senses.
Yang Kai was delighted with this development.
After an hour, his eyes lit up and he flew down to somewhere below.
There was a temporary stopover here. The area of this island was extremely big, about a thousand meters in radius.
Such an island was rare in the Source Sea. Small islands could be found anywhere and weren’t real islands, simply pieces of land that had formed through some strange coincidence. These tiny pieces of land weren’t few in number, but they were also very small in size.
However, the island that Yang Kai found was definitely able to accommodate more than a hundred people.
After Yang Kai landed on the ground, he looked around and felt very satisfied with the place. He wanted to ask Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao to come over, but soon he gave up his thought as he recalled the previous actions of the Emperor Realm Masters.
Unless Yang Kai went to pick them up, it would be impossible for Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao to pass through the territorial Emperor Realm Masters with their current strength.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and attempted to absorb a little of the Source Strength here. Soon, he raised his brow in happiness, because the Source Strength here was purer and richer than other places, and it also seemed to be easier to absorb as well.
This was a Cultivation Paradise.
Yang Kai did not rush to refine and absorb the Source Strength here though and instead released his Divine Sense to check his surroundings.
No one was within a thousand kilometres.
With a wave of his hand, a behemoth appeared beside him. It was so gigantic that its height reached to the sky, and the moment it stepped on the ground, the island seemed to sink down a little.
Embodiment!
Yang Kai usually would not simply summon the Embodiment out of the Sealed World Bead, because the huge body of the Embodiment made its movement inconvenient and it required too much of his Divine Sense to summon.
But now, it was a perfect time to summon him out.
Yang Kai did not need to worry that the strange existence of the Embodiment would be discovered, as there was no one around here. Moreover, there was so much Source Strength here that Yang Kai could not absorb it all by himself, so he figured he should share the benefits with the Embodiment.
The Embodiment told him earlier that his cultivation seemed to have reached a bottleneck, which might be due to a flaw in the Heaven Devouring Battle Law that he was cultivating. So now, if he could absorb and refine the Source Strength here, there might be a chance that he could break through the bottleneck.
Without the need to communicate, the Embodiment immediately understood Yang Kai’s intention as soon as he came out and carefully sat down cross-legged, activating his Secret Art.
The Embodiment also knew the Star Refining Art. Back then, he had used this Secret Art to refine the Source Strength of the floating continent, which resulted in him merging with it and obtaining his current gigantic body.
Star Refining Art was a Secret Art specialized in refining Star Sources, while the Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour everything. With the combined use of these two Heaven-defying Secret Arts, Yang Kai really looked forward to what kind of spark the Embodiment could set off here.
After releasing the Embodiment, Yang Kai did not stop but performed a few hand seals and patted the Sealed World Bead, opening a rift in its barrier to allow it to absorb the Source Strength of this place as well.
He wanted to perfect the World Principles of the Sealed World Bead, and the Source Strength here was an essential component for that hope.
After observing silently for a while, Yang Kai confirmed that the Source Strength in the Source Sea was being madly devoured by the Sealed World Bead and turned his attention back to himself, closing his eyes and circulating the Star Refining Art to refine the Source Strength here for himself.
In an instant, this vast island seemed to become a vortex that devoured all the surrounding Source Strength.
The Embodiment used both Heaven-defying Secret Arts, the Star Refining Art and Heaven Devouring Battle Law, together, and his gigantic body instantly became like a bottomless pit that was able to refine and absorb all the Source Strength that flowed into it.
As for the Sealed World Bead, the rate at which it could suck up Source Strength was even more terrifying compared to the Embodiment.
In comparison, Yang Kai’s absorbing capability paled, but with his Star Refining Art, his speed was still far faster than that of ordinary cultivators.
With time, the activity here was getting more and more conspicuous and more and more terrifying as rumbling sounds were constantly heard. The Source Strength in the Source Sea was attracted to this island like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea, gradually disappearing.
The vast Source Sea was now actually being driven by this magical force, slowly flowing towards the island where Yang Kai sat.
The activity here seemed to have affected the entire Source Sea, but Yang Kai, the initiator, did not notice anything.
Slowly, the cultivators who were absorbing and refining at the edge of Source Sea realized that something was wrong, as they were surprised to see that the Source Sea seemed to be getting smaller. Initially, they were still a good distance from the edge, but gradually, the distance became shorter and shorter until the Source Sea seemed to drain out from beneath them.
It looked like the entire Source Sea was at low tide, making their small islands in the sea turn into beaches, even if they did not move in the slightest.
This discovery startled many cultivators as they did not understand why this was happening.
The reduction in size of the Source Sea caused many cultivators to fight to regain territory. In no time, the scene at the edge of Source Sea turned chaotic.
Although this situation had not spread to the inner depths yet, as time went by, those cultivators who were originally in the deeper part of the Source Sea would definitely encounter similar situations, unable to avoid the inevitable.
At the same time, on a Shattered Star located far away from the Source Sea.
It seemed that a great battle had broken out here, and the frigid Star was filled with chaotic energy fluctuations of turbulent power that refused to subside even after a long time.
A man and a woman laid on the ground, bound by an unknown Secret Technique. Although they were not dead, they were immobilised and both of them were staring at a middle-aged man standing not far in front of them.
The middle-aged man was burly and had a daunting look, with an extremely discomforting aura permeating from his body, his eyes filled with a shuddering shimmer.
There were also some deep wounds on his body where his flesh had been carved out, revealing white pearly bones underneath. Blood gushed from these wounds, giving him an added degree of menace.
However, the middle-aged man did not seem to feel any pain at all. Not only that, he even seemed to enjoy this sensation very much, with a grin plastered on his face.
“Who… who are you?” The man lying on the ground exclaimed, his face white with panic.
The middle-aged man glanced sideways at him and muttered, “Why would a dying person want to know so much?”
“You, you want to kill us?” The man was shocked when he heard this, then refuted angrily, “My Junior Sister and I have no grievances against you. Why do you want to do this?”
The two of them were absorbing Source Strength here quietly and did not expect this middle-aged man to suddenly fall from the sky and attack them without saying a word.
As the middle-aged man was outnumbered, the two were confident in their victory and met his challenge head-on.
But to their great shock, this lone man was not an enemy they could match.
Although this middle-aged man only had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and had not broken through to the Emperor Realm, his strength had long exceeded the level of the Dao Source Realm. He knocked them down to the ground easily. The Senior Brother was still rattled by the strange Secret Technique this man used, which completely immobilised him and his Junior Sister.
“You misunderstand!” The middle-aged man smiled cunningly, making the hairs on their bodies stand on end, “This King is not going to ‘kill’ you!”
“Not going to kill us…” The pretty woman relaxed when she heard him, forcing a smile onto her face as she pleaded phonily, “This Sir, as long as you don’t kill us, we will be willing to compromise anything.”
Her companion’s eyeballs bulged when he heard her words, and looked at her in shock, muttering, “Junior Sister, you… “
It seemed like he had seen his Junior Sister’s true colours for the first time and a sharp pain pricked his heart; he had never thought that she would say such a thing to a complete stranger.
“Willing to compromise…” The middle-aged man smiled faintly while his eyes slightly shifted to the woman.
The woman forced a smile, “Sir, as long as you don’t kill me, I am willing to do anything!”
The Senior Brother who was listening to the side almost spat a mouthful of blood in rage, though he dared not say a word.
The middle-aged man gave a wicked smile, “What if I want to eat you?”
The Senior Brother’s face paled upon hearing this. This middle-aged man simply had no bottom line, but neither of them were in a position to bargain. The only choice here was to bow down. It was not unacceptable if his Junior Sister could save the both of them by selling her body and looks; after all, their lives were the most important, and everything would be meaningless if they died.
Thinking so, the Senior Brother grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and blocked out his senses from the scene which he had no control over.
“Eat me…” A hint of shame appeared on the woman’s face, and she stuttered, “Please be gentle.”
A light glimmered in the middle-aged man’s eyes as he became extremely excited, and nodded, “Don’t worry, this King may not look like it, but this King is a gentle person.”
He stepped towards the woman as he spoke.
Seeing this, the woman hurriedly stopped him, “Please not here… Can we go to a more private place?”
Although she was willing to sacrifice herself to survive, she still felt embarrassed to commit such an act in front of her Senior Brother, and therefore requested for the middle-aged man to take her somewhere secluded to conclude their deal.
The middle-aged man only chuckled in reply, “It’s the same everywhere.”
He seemed to have some perverted fetish that the following had to be done in front of the Senior Brother. The woman understood, and could not help but glance at her Senior Brother worriedly, only to find that he had turned his head to a side with his eyes closed, his body shaking in fury.
The woman knew that her Senior Brother was deeply distressed, but their lives were at stake, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and submit.
The middle-aged man walked up to her and looked down condescendingly, without hiding his fiery gaze in the slightest, as if he wanted to melt the woman with his gaze.
The woman was trembling, knowing that by now, it was useless to say anything.
“Close your eyes, child, don’t look.” The middle-aged man ordered faintly.
The woman let out a breath and closed her eyes obediently, but she felt odd in her heart. Although she looked young, she was not a child anymore, and she understood the affairs between men and women well. This man really did seem to have some strange fetishes.
The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and drew her in, wrapping his arms around her tender waist and hugging her tightly.
The woman struggled to breathe for a moment and could not help moaning.
She clearly felt the middle-aged man’s increasingly rapid breathing. His hot breath on her neck caused her to feel weak and her cheeks flushed.
But at that moment, she suddenly heard a voice that horrified her.
“Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
In an instant, she felt a sudden pain on her neck, as if she had been bitten by a beast. The woman’s beautiful face turned pale as she quickly opened her eyes and turned her head to look.
Quite contrary to what she had been expecting, the middle-aged man’s eyes had turned red and he had bitten into her neck, gulping mouthfuls of her blood.
Not only that, the middle-aged man seemed to have used a mysterious Secret Art that was rapidly draining away her vitality and cultivation.
“Ah!” The woman yelled in fright, realizing that the middle-aged man did not mean to eat her metaphorically.
He meant to eat her literally!
“Senior Brother, save me!” She screamed in panic.
The Senior Brother, who had his eyes closed to endure the humiliation in his heart, noticed the abnormality and was horrified when he quickly turned his head to look.
The middle-aged man’s mouth was smeared with blood as he bit down on his Junior Sister’s long and white neck, his throat gulping rapidly while devouring her blood.
The Junior Sister’s graceful face aged so rapidly that it was visible to the naked eye, even her hair began turning grey.
“Senior Brother… help me!” The woman pleaded again.
The Senior Brother laid stiffened and shocked on the ground, unable to respond. He stared at the horrible scene in befuddlement, chills running all over his body.
“Senior… brother!” In the span of only five breaths, the woman was now looking haggard, wilted, and surrounded by Death Qi. After spitting out these last two words with difficulty, her eyes turned cloudy, and all traces of vitality slipped away.
She died.
With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged man pushed her corpse aside and lifted his hand to wipe the corners of his mouth. He took a deep breath, revealing a satisfied look.
The horrifying wounds on his body healed almost instantly and in the blink of an eye, his skin had become as smooth as a newborn baby’s.
“This, this…” The Senior Brother was stunned by the scene, still baffled by what he just saw.
He panicked when he noticed the middle-aged man had cast his gaze on him again, “Sir, please spare my life, please I beg you!”
The sight of his Junior Sister’s tragic death kept flashing before his eyes, and he knew he did not want to follow in her footsteps.
The middle-aged man snorted coldly and stretched out a hand from a distance as he bellowed, “Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
A terrifying suction originated from his palm as he operated this wicked art. As if struck by lightning, the Senior Brother who was lying on the ground could not help shrieking loudly. The vitality and essence in his body escaped from his control and rushed towards the middle-aged man who was absorbing all of it.
“If you kill me, my Eldest Senior Brother won’t let you go! My Eldest Senior Brother has already broken through to the Emperor Realm!” The man lying on the ground yelled in an attempt to save himself, hoping this news would cause this monster to back down.
But the middle-aged man simply sneered, “An Emperor? So what? This King hasn’t eaten anyone in the Emperor Realm yet, but if your Eldest Senior Brother really comes to avenge you, this King won’t mind sending him to meet you.”
“You… madman! Madman I say! You will die a miserable death!” The man, looking grief-stricken as if bereft of both of his parents, gritted his teeth and cursed impertinently, but his voice gradually weakened as his fate mirrored that of his Junior Sister.
Two Star Seals flew out from the two corpses, imprinting on the back of the middle-aged man’s hand.
The middle-aged man possessed the same seven-pointed Star Seal as Yang Kai. In fact, its light was even brighter than that of Yang Kai’s, seemingly on the verge of being promoted to an eight-pointed Star Seal. It could be seen from this that this man had killed many people in the Shattered Star Sea.
After killing these two, the middle-aged man stood in silence and savoured the moment. Suddenly though, his expression was filled with hostility, raising his arms as he screamed towards the Heavens. Rather than joy, he was now filled with madness after the bloodlust.
The howling finally subsided after a long time but his face remained gloomy as he clenched his teeth and cursed, “This damn bottleneck! Why can’t this King break through to the Emperor Realm yet!? Seven hundred years! This King has been working hard for seven hundred years, so why can’t he break through!? The Heavens are so unfair, I refuse to accept this!”
He cursed for a while, but then suddenly rebuked angrily, “A bunch of trash, none could withstand the backlash of this Secret Art, none of you ever managed to use the Heaven defying gift this King gave you! Wastes!”
He slipped into a frenzy in his screams, wielding his strength recklessly as he destroyed everything around him.
At a certain moment, the middle-aged man suddenly turned around and stared into the distance with bulged eyes, as if he just noticed something astonishing, his anger quickly calming and being replaced with trembles of excitement.
“Hahahaha!” He burst into laughter, “The seed is ripe! Finally, the seed is ripe! Who!? Who is it!?”
He yelled like a madman as he flailed about in uncontrollable excitement. Soon, he summoned a ship like artifact and flew off towards the depths of the Shattered Star Sea. If one were to observe from the outside, one would notice that he was flying towards the Source Sea.
…..
Time continued to pass.
Although Yang Kai left a portion of his attention to monitor his surroundings and planned to put away the Embodiment and Sealed World Bead as soon as he found someone approaching him, his rate of absorption and refinement of Source Strength was not delayed at all.
The Sealed World Bead and Embodiment were also absorbing Source Strength more and more furiously, to the extent that it even frightened Yang Kai.
One day, two days, five days, ten days…
The size of the Source Sea had been greatly reduced from its original size. Not only that, the Source Strength in the remaining Source Sea was countless times thinner than it had been at the beginning.
Now, not just the cultivators at the edge of the Source Sea realized this problem, even the cultivators in the deeper parts found something was wrong.
In the deepest part of the Source Sea, in the territories occupied by Emperor Realm Masters, the red-haired young man who attacked Yang Kai first suddenly frowned and looked up into the sky at a person who was standing there staring at him coldly.
The red-haired young man grinned and looked back at the person dauntlessly.
“Is this one of your tricks?” The visitor asked flatly after examining the red-haired young man for a while.
The red-haired young man pondered for a while and replied, “I, too, want to know who is playing tricks!”
Both of them exchanged glares before simultaneously turning their eyes in the same direction.
The red-haired young man continued, “Source Strength seems to be continuously flowing towards there.”
The visitor agreed with a nod and responded solemnly, “That direction is where Yao Si is!”
“Yao Si!” The red-haired young man narrowed his eyes after hearing this name and a trace of fear flashed across his face, as if this Yao Si had an enormous background that even he, an Emperor Realm Master, dared not take lightly.
“Are you going to take a look?” The visitor asked.
The red-haired young man smiled with contempt, “So, this is the reason that you came for me. Why are the cultivators of the Southern Territory all cowards?”
The visitor snorted faintly without denying, “Yao Si is the descendant of a Great Emperor after all!”
The red-haired young man sneered, “Doesn’t the Southern Territory also have a descendant of a Great Emperor here? Why didn’t you find her instead of this Young Master?”
The visitor snorted, “She hasn’t broken through to the Emperor Realm yet, it’s useless to look for her. If you’re scared, I’ll check the situation alone.”
“Who said I’m scared?!” The red-haired young man snarled and stood up in anger before continuing fiercely, “I don’t care if it’s a descendant of a Great Emperor, whoever dares to snatch Source Strength from this Young Master will have to spit it out for me.”
He immediately flew straight in the direction of Yao Si, followed by the other newcomer hurriedly.
After a moment, the two discovered an abnormal situation somewhere not too far away; three newly promoted Emperor Realm Masters were gathered on a single island that covered a vast area, and Yao Si, who they were looking for, was among them.
Standing in front of these three Emperors was surprisingly a Third-Order Dao Source Realm young man.
The pair had no idea what these four people were doing at the moment, as they were just staring at each other without taking any action. What amazed them the most was that the young man with only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was actually facing three Emperors without the slightest fear on his face.
“It’s him!”
The red-haired young man could not help shouting.
The other person asked in astonishment, “Do you know him?”
The red-haired young man’s face darkened as he replied, “That guy passed by where this Young Master was half a month ago and took a blow from me without receiving any damage.”
Hearing this, the face of the other person changed slightly, as if it was hard for him to believe.
The red-haired young man continued, “This Young Master did not hold back his strength at that time. This guy is quite interesting, if he can break through to the Emperor Realm one day, his future will surely be limitless. I don’t know where he is from, but he’s definitely not from my Eastern Territory.”
The other person did not give any response, being overwhelmed in shock and unable to calm down in a short time, his eyes fixing on the Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Let’s go down and take a look,” the red-haired young man proposed and flew towards the island first.
On the island, Yang Kai looked displeased.
Previously, while he was enjoying absorbing the Source Strength here, he suddenly felt that someone was approaching him and hurriedly put away the Sealed World Bead and the Embodiment. Before he could recover from the fluster, three Emperor Realm Masters already arrived in front of him, all of them glaring at him with a gloomy face, as if they were about to eat him.
These three Emperors had undoubtedly just broken through in the Shattered Star Sea as their auras were still a bit unstable; however, they were still Emperors in the end, each one extremely powerful.
Yang Kai could guess the reason these three were here. They were obviously alarmed by the tremendous amount of Source Strength that was flowing towards and disappearing here.
This was inevitable though. Yang Kai did not expect that the Sealed World Bead and the Embodiment would raise such a fuss. Them being able to continue for half a month was already beyond his expectations.
Over the past half a month, whether it was the Embodiment, the Sealed World Bead, or Yang Kai himself, they had received indescribable benefits.
The total amount of Source Strength absorbed by the cultivators in the entire Source Sea might not be as much as Yang Kai had absorbed.
And at this moment, the Source Strength contained in Source Sea had noticeably tinned.
Another pair of people flew over, they landed together with the other Emperors.
Yang Kai glanced at these newcomers and his eyes instantly lit up as he greeted one of them, “Hey, Brother Wu Chang, long time no see.”
Of the red-haired young man, Yang Kai still had some impression; after all, half a month ago, he was once attacked by this red-haired young man who seemed to be named Chi Gui! As for the man who followed Chi Gui here, it was actually Wu Chang of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, one of the top rising stars in the Southern Territory.
It was not a surprise to Yang Kai that Wu Chang had broken through to the Emperor Realm, but meeting him here was a bit of a shock.
When Chi Gui heard this, he immediately turned to Wu Chang and asked, “You know this little brat?”
“I don’t know him, I have never seen him before, don’t ask me!” Wu Chang answered with a cold face.
Although he did not have any grudges with Yang Kai, they were not friends either. At this point, Yang Kai seemed to have agitated everyone and Wu Chang did not want to get caught in the crossfire.
Yang Kai was exasperated, “Why is Brother Wu Chang acting so heartless? Remember how we worked so well together, resulting in a happy ending in the Four Seasons Realm for both of us? Even if Brother Wu Chang doesn’t miss our old memories, you don’t need to be so cold to me!”
Wu Chang snapped back indignantly, “What cooperation? It was nothing more than a trade between you and me. Stop exaggerating.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Our trade was a very important cooperation though. Didn’t Brother Wu Chang benefit greatly from it? Shouldn’t you give me some credit for you being able to break through to the Emperor Realm so quickly? Even Xia Sheng is still working hard on making a breakthrough now.”
He looked at Wu Chang with a meaningful grin and twinkle in his eyes.
Wu Chang naturally knew that Yang Kai was talking about the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, and immediately snorted coldly, “A trade is a trade. The goods were delivered and the bill was cleared, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
“Brother Wu Chang, why don’t you just change your name to ‘Heartless’!?” Yang Kai sighed in disappointment.
Chi Gui questioned in surprise from the side, “Little brat, speak clearly. What kind of trade did you two do that could help someone break through to the Emperor Realm?”
The other three Emperors who came earlier also showed an interested look. Even though they had just recently broken through and naturally did not need such a mysterious thing anymore, any treasure that could help one reach the Emperor Realm was not ordinary and if they could gain some of it, it would be of great benefit to their Sects.
All of these new Emperors were heirs or descendants of top Masters, and certainly had great forces supporting them from behind.
“What little brat!?” Yang Kai’s face darkened and he glared at Chi Gui, “You, red-haired punk, can you not speak any polite words?!”
“You… you dare call me a ‘red-haired punk!?” Chi Gui was so mad that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The others were shocked again as they stared at Yang Kai with puzzled expressions.
Among the six people here, only Yang Kai was a Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the rest were all Emperor Realm Masters; however, Yang Kai did not show any fear towards them at all, even daring to speak impolitely to Chi Gui.
They could not believe this was happening.
One of the three Emperors with a muscular body suddenly laughed, “Chi Gui, you’re being underestimated.”
Chi Gui stared at Yang Kai with a grumpy face, and snorted, “It’s not that this Young Master is being underestimated, but rather that he does not underestimate himself!”
When they heard this, they immediately understood what Chi Gui meant. Yang Kai did not feel that he was inferior to them despite his lower cultivation, so he did not have scruples when speaking.
“I heard that he took a blow from you before?” The brawny young man spoke again.
Chi Gui snorted, “That’s right. This Young Master landed a blow using seventy percent of his strength, but he completely dispersed it.”
“Oh?” Another young man, whose whole body was lingering with black Qi, raised his brow and inspected Yang Kai again, as if he needed to re-evaluate him.
Taking seventy percent of Chi Gui’s strength was not something an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator could do. Even an outstanding Dao Source Realm genius should have suffered severe injuries from such an attack, but Chi Gui actually said Yang Kai was able to completely disperse his strike.
“Haha, looks like you people from Ahan Temple are nothing much,” the brawny youth laughed again.
Chi Gui felt annoyed and he unhesitantly reprimanded, “As if you can do something to him, don’t tell me that this little brat didn’t pass through your territory before.”
The brawny young man snorted disdainfully right away.
This brawny young man was the Emperor Realm Master who used a spear of light to attack Yang Kai, one of the only two people who had tried to block his path.
Chi Gui waved his hand, “Let’s not get entangled with trivial matters. What I wanted to know is, what are you guys doing here?”
The last Emperor Realm Master, who looked chubby and naïve, responded, “Didn’t you all realize something abnormal about this Source Sea?”
This man had an extremely fat figure, his face stretched so wide that his eyes were barely visible. He was not tall, so if someone saw him from a far distance, they would think that he was just a giant winter melon.
However, despite his funny appearance, this man was also an authentic Emperor Realm Master.